I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Tat Claire Kokoro and Rhapsody Moonschild

|~*Tat: And we're back again!

Rhapsody: Indubitably.

Tat: **huge sweatdrop** What?

Rhapsody: **evil grin** Gimme a quarter.

Tat: What???

Rhapsody: I thought I'd try charging.

Tat: **triple sweatdrop** **gives her a quarter**

Rhapsody: **nods** Indubitably.  Adverb.  Unquestionably.

Tat: Three words for a quarter?

Rhapsody: **smile** I'm an entrepreneur!

Tat: Not even gonna ask…  Okay, Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Takahashi-sama, not us…  Just start the fic!*~|

CHAPTER SEVEN (by Tat)

Ryou's POV

I know Yami is following me into the living room.  That's what I want him to do…  For some odd reason, I want him to stay. I sit on the couch, fiddling with my thumbs, waiting for him to take an uninvited seat next to me.

He does and brings the subject of Bakura up again. There is no way I can dodge the conversation now; I just have to listen to whatever it was he has to say, though I can tell what he plans on doing.

He is going to send Bakura to the Shadow Realm.

Yes, Bakura is very abusive. Yes, I DO want him to not exist.

But… the first time he was banished made me feel… well… incomplete. As if a part of me was shattered into pieces and I had to go on a scavenger hunt to feel whole again. Maybe it is true what they say: Darkness cannot live without Light and Light cannot live without Darkness.

Does Yami understand this?  Possibly no, oh well.  I'll convince him; surely he'll understand.

"Ryou…" He takes my hand to calm me down.  My face warms.

"H… hai…" I avert my eyes.

"You have to do something about Bakura, now!"

"I… I know…" I squeak.  Suddenly we hear shouts in a Kansai accent coming from the Millennium Ring and Bakura materializes.  His hair is messier than usual and he has dark circles under his eyes.  His pupils are dilated, with red around the whites.

"Ya damn pharaoh!" He points an accusing finger at Yami.  "I told ya not to touch my Light. But no, you had to heal him!"

Heal me…? I look at my scar, fingering it.  So Yami healed me?  He was the one who said, 'You'll be okay' and 'What would I do without you, Ryou-chan?' My deep brown eyes stare at Yami.  He cares?  That much?  My heart is beating rapidly at this newfound information.

I watch Yami.  He's about to raise his hand and use the 'Mind Crush' attack. Immediately I grab his hand.  Bakura smirks to himself.

"See that, Yami!  He doesn' wanna get rid of me. Now scram, ya smuck."

"Ryou, you can't keep protecting him."

I nod.  "I understand.  You can punish him, just… don't banish him."

He smiles and sends a wave of magic at Bakura while speaking in the Egyptian language.

"Noooo!" Bakura screams.  "Ya just had ta ruin my fun!"

Yami flashes another one of his smiles at me.  "You don't have to worry anymore. He can't abuse you."

"Arigato."  I bow.  "Is it okay if I come home with you?"

"Sure, in fact…" he fingers his lip, "you can spend the night."

My stomach turns—spend the night?  I nearly ooze into the floor before I realize something.  I have a crush on Yami…