Ryou picked up the phone after the third ring.

"Hi Ryou! You commin' to work with me today?" Kiko asked, excitedly.

"sure, oh and about your question. . .the one from last night?"

"Yeah?" she asked, eagerly and yet nervously awaiting the reply.

"I do want to be your boyfriend, Kiko. I've never cared about anyone as much as you before and-. . .oh, hi Bakura."

Kiko realized that Bakura must have been listening to Ryou as he talked on the phone. Namira had done it a hundred times over to her.

"Uh. . I'll be over in a little while." Ryou told her.

Bakura glared at him as Ryou hung up the phone.

"Did you just do what I think you did?" Bakura referred to the answer Ryou had given Kiko.

"I know you don't approve, but I really like her!"

"And I should care why?"

"Bakura, I know you've been in love before. You loved Namira. And as she is re-incarnated as Kiko, and you as me, possibly it's fate."

"If so, then I highly suggest you don't do this."

"Why? What's so bad about it?"

"Her. . .I know I hate you, and you know it too. But anything you do involves me. I'm not looking out for you, I'm looking out for myself. Therefore, you will listen to me."

"But-"

"'But' nothing. Listen to me. Have you ever felt the pain of a knife slowly slicing through your skin as you begin to bleed to death, all the while your skin is slowly sliding off of your body, piece by piece?"

"N-no. . ."

"Well, neither have I. but that's an idea of the pain you'll be feeling when I begin to torture you. If you don't listen to me, that is."

"B-bakura. . .why do you care at all?!"

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!" Bakura screamed in his face.

Ryou flinched. Suddenly, he remembered a conversation he and Yugi had when he'd first met his Yami.

*Flash-Back*

"Yugi? Yugi, are you still awake?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Check this out! I can make my Yami enter my body from the Ring!"

He partially allowed the ill-mannered spirit to posess his body.

"Let me out!" the spirit yelled, followed by a slurred string of Egyptian curses.

Ryou took full control.

"He's not like you at all!" Yugi commented.

This was merely hours before Bakura turned everyone into their favorite cards.

*New Flash-Back*

Then there was the time Bakura had gone out materialized and come home very drunk. Ryou flinched at the memory of that incident. He stared at this shoulder. He still had the scar from the fight.

Bakura had found his Hikari asleep, curled up in a chair. He grabbed his arm and flung him into the wall.

"Please don't hurt me!" Ryou had pleaded. But he gave up. . .he realized Bakura was drunk, there was no reasoning with him.

"Pathetic waste of my space!" Bakura yelled.

Bakura found a kitchen knife and pinned Ryou to the floor by digging the knife into his shoulder.

"Hurting ya?" Bakura asked as Ryou screamed in pain. "Scream, Ryou! Scream!" Ryou did as he was told.

By the next morning, Ryou was covered in bruises, cuts, and blood. He couldn't even move his left arm because of the pain.

That was the night Bakura almost killed him. The night he nearly raped him. The night Ryou realized that his Yami would never let him be happy.

*End Flash-Backs*

Ryou began to cry. He had no choice but to listen. Bakura was more than capable of harming him.

"You are to discontinue seeing that girl socially. Understand?"

"Y-yes!" Ryou sobbed.

Bakura retreated to the quiet of his soul room to escape the sound of crying and weakness. Of what he once was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Peggi-Note the elusive Flash-Backs I added! ^___________^

Pegsi-You're on a dangerous line, there Peggi.

Peggi-Huh?

Pegsi-You ended on an almost-cliffhanger.

Peggi-Oh. . .right. Well, at least it was a 'long' chapter. . .the next one will be even longer! Yayness! Well, review, please and thankies!