Nobody's Home
***
"How are your legs feeling?" Yugi asked as he and Ryou walked back to Yugi's house after the movie. It was starting to get a little dark out.
"Numb, I think," Ryou answered, trying to stretch his legs out a little as they walked.
Yugi grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. But thanks for letting me sit on your lap. It never fails; no matter where I sit in a movie theater, someone too tall for me to see over immediately sits right in front of me. It's awful being short sometimes!"
"It's alright, Yugi, I didn't mind. Really." Ryou smiled at him.
Inside his soul room, Bakura was gloating. This was ridiculously easy. Bakura half suspected that Ryou might have had something of a crush on Yugi for a while. And all that was needed was a little push to put them together, and Bakura's plan was already half-finished.
**
"You want me to do what?" Ryou had asked, a little startled as he stood on Yugi's porch, blinking at his yami in bewilderment.
"Just spend a little time with him," Bakura had requested. "He's been rather depressed since he and Kaiba broke up. Yugi needs a little time out of the house."
Ryou had not looked convinced. He wasn't sure what to distrust first; that Bakura really cared how Yugi felt, or that Bakura had called him. "Why me? Why not Joey; he and Yugi are a lot closer than Yugi and I are."
Bakura smirked. "Because, Yugi and Kaiba broke up because Yugi likes someone else. And who do you think that someone else is?"
"Me?" Ryou had practically squeaked, looking startled.
"Ryou?" Yugi interrupted, coming downstairs. "What are you doing here?"
Ryou had smiled at him, and Bakura had known he'd won. "Hey Yugi," Ryou had said. "Want to go to a movie?"
**
After Yugi and Ryou headed off to the movie, Bakura had retreated to his soul room to watch over his plan in action, and make sure neither Yugi nor Ryou screwed it up. If Yami wanted the two mortals to be happy, Bakura would damned well make sure they were. Whether the mortals themselves liked it or not.
"Yugi," Ryou said, pointing to Yugi's house as they neared it. "There's a note taped to your door."
Yugi ran up, scanning over it. "It's to Bakura, from Yami. 'Bakura- you weren't around so I went out to dinner with Duke Devlin. Hope you don't mind, might be home late.' Damn." Yugi looked up at the house, knocking to make certain there was indeed no one there. "Guess neither of them are here, then."
"Is that a problem?" Ryou asked.
"Well, normally it wouldn't be," Yugi said. "Except… I just remembered I lost my key yesterday. I'm locked out."
"It's getting pretty dark," Ryou observed. "You can stay the night at my house, and get a new key made tomorrow."
Yugi smiled at him. "Alright, thanks! I should leave Yami a note though so he doesn't worry. Got a pen?"
After a thorough search of all pockets on their persons, a pencil was found, and Yugi scrawled a note to Yami under the other message on the paper taped to the doorway. Then he and Ryou hurried over to Ryou's house, because by then it was kind of getting cold as well and neither of them wanted to spend too much time outside anymore.
Bakura seethed all the way to Ryou's house. Duke Devlin! Bakura had been so busy with the problem of setting up Ryou and Yugi, he'd forgotten all about Duke and his infernal infatuation with Yami. The moment Bakura left the house, Duke tried to steal Yami from him! Someone was going to pay for this.
**
Seto checked his watch. According to the movie times, the movie Yugi had gone to was over now, so he should be home. Determined to see and talk to Yugi as soon as possible, Kaiba headed back to the Motou residence. The porch light was on as he walked to the front door, but none of the inside lights were on, and no one answered his knock.
Frowning, Seto glanced at the note taped to the door. The first part was a note from Yami to Bakura, and of no importance to him. But under that, he recognized Yugi's handwriting, which read,
'Yami, I'm spending the night at Ryou's. Will probably be home late tomorrow morning. Signed, Yugi.'
Seto grit his teeth. Ryou again! Yugi sure moved fast, to have replaced Seto so quickly. For what else could it be? He'd seen how close the two had been at the movie theater, and now this…
Heartsick and angry, at the world, at Ryou, at Yugi and mostly at himself, Seto turned around and headed back to the car. He was going home. He was tired of chasing after Yugi when it was so obvious Yugi didn't want anything to do with him anymore.
This wasn't how he'd expected this to end. But he supposed, deep down, he'd always expected it to end.
**
"Do you mind if I use your phone?" Yugi asked when they reached Ryou's house. "I really should call Seto. I get this weird feeling that he and I have just kept missing each other ever since yesterday."
"Seto?" Ryou blinked. "I thought you and he broke up."
Yugi blinked at him. "Well, no. At least, I don't think so. I mean, he and I haven't even spoken to one another since yesterday morning. He never even showed up to pick me up after you guys went off after school. But Duke said something about my phone being broken, so maybe Seto has been trying to reach me. I should call him."
Ryou nodded, forcing a smile. "Sure, go ahead, phone's over there. I'll be right back."
Yugi grabbed the phone, dialing Seto's cell phone. Seto picked up on the second ring, just as Yugi expected him to. "Hi, Seto!"
"Yugi?" There was a long silence on the other end. It sounded awkward, and Yugi shifted nervously on the comfy chair he'd perched on.
"Yeah… I just… thought I should call you-"
"Forget it," Kaiba said, in that same cold tone he'd had a long time ago, something Yugi hadn't heard since they'd gotten together. "Don't even bother telling me; I know all about it. It's over Yugi; let it end quietly." And Seto hung up.
Yugi sat there stunned, listening to dial tone for a long time after that. "…over?"
**
"Bakura!" Ryou shouted in his empty bedroom. "I know you're listening; get out here!"
The Millennium Ring glowed brightly, and when the light faded, Bakura sat there on the edge of the bed, grinning at his lighter half. "Is there a problem?"
"You told me Yugi and Seto had broken up!" Ryou yelled. "You lied to me!"
"Of course I did; don't I usually?" Bakura folded his arms. "It's your own fault; you really should know better than to trust me after all this time."
"I should have known better than thought Yami would have a positive influence on you," Ryou grumbled. "And I wouldn't want to be around when Yami finds out what a little snake you are, either."
Bakura raised an eyebrow slightly. "You wouldn't tell him… would you?"
Ryou looked thoughtful. "I might. I should." He smiled. "I'll think about it." He turned and walked out of the room. Bakura muttered Egyptian curses. It really sucked being a bad influence on a person, when that bad influence turned around to bite him back.
Yugi was curled up in Ryou's favorite chair when Ryou returned to the living room. Upon closer inspection, Ryou found that Yugi was crying. "Yugi?! What happened?"
Yugi looked up at Ryou, then getting up and hugging Ryou tightly, clinging to him and crying into his shirt, needing that closeness to someone. "H-he broke up with me!" Yugi sobbed.
"Oh… Yugi…" Ryou hugged his little friend close, just held him like that while Yugi cried.
Bakura watched from around the corner, smirking ever so faintly. Maybe something could be salvaged from his plan after all.