DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Fair warning - fluffiness ahead! ^_^
Chapter 4: Bakura's Gift
By Shadow's Mirror
Ryou had sensed his yami's growing impatience throughout the day, so he wasn't really surprised when Bakura took on spirit form as soon as they arrived home from school. He smiled at his yami and turned to close the door, then gasped when a hand gripped his shoulder. Whirling around, Ryou blinked at his suddenly physical yami. Bakura used the Physical Form spell he'd learned fairly often, but he wasn't usually in such a hurry to cast it. "Bakura! Is something wrong?"
Bakura shifted uneasily as he shook his head. He had once been a tombrobber, so patience had been something of a professional necessity for him, but all day the time had been passing far too slowly for his liking. He wanted to give Ryou his gift and he wanted to do it now! But… if he did that then Ryou would almost certainly call Yugi and then Yami would know that he'd broken his word. They had agreed to wait until eight o'clock… but that was still hours away! He needed a distraction.
"Duel with me. Now!"
Ryou blinked. It had been a while since he'd heard Bakura's 'I'm grumpy so humour me or I'll be impossible to live with' voice… at least a week. "I have homework…"
"Do it later. Duel me now." Bakura glared at his light, who sighed and nodded.
"All right. But not for long. I have to get dinner ready soon."
Ryou started to cross the room but paused in surprise when Bakura sat down at the kitchen table. Usually, he preferred to clear the living room and duel there, where there was enough room for them to have a 'real' duel. Bakura wasn't completely happy unless he could actually see the monsters. Whenever Ryou suggested playing in the kitchen, which he did every time because cards caused less physical damage to a room than real monsters, Bakura usually scoffed at the idea. He did agree sometimes though, if he felt like playing it purely as a card game. But he usually only felt like that if he was distracted, upset or angry about something. So his agreeing always worried Ryou. But the fact that he hadn't even needed to suggest it this time worried Ryou even more!
He sat down opposite his yami without making a fuss. Whatever the problem was, he was sure that Bakura would either sort it out by himself or tell him at some point. He just needed to wait. In the meantime, a duel or two would probably calm Bakura down. He seemed rather unsettled.
When Ryou won the first duel fairly easily, his concern grew. Bakura was normally a very good opponent and even their friendly duels were always intense. But that win… Ryou tried to convince himself that his yami was just a little distracted. He smiled at Bakura and agreed to another duel.
When Bakura lost the second duel because Ryou played a strategy so simple that even Tristan, who hardly ever played the game, would have seen through it in a moment, Ryou knew something was seriously wrong with his yami. He quickly got up from the table and went around to Bakura's side.
"Bakura, what is it? Is something wrong? Are you feeling all right?" He lightly placed his hand on his yami's shoulder and peered at him closely, searching for any physical signs that might tell him what the problem was.
"I'm fine." Bakura scowled up at light, hating the fuss although he knew he'd brought it on himself. He should have been paying more attention to the duels. Instead, he'd kept imagining all the possible ways in which Ryou might react to his gift. Some of them had been more distracting than others. As one of the better ones insisted on popping back into his mind, he abruptly brushed his light's hand off his shoulder, stood up and turned away, refusing to look at Ryou. "Did you say something about getting dinner ready?"
Ryou sighed softly at the change of topic, but nodded. "Yes. Are you going to eat with me?" Bakura had been doing it more often lately, but it wasn't a certainty. Ryou had found a way to tempt his yami though. "I thought I'd make an omelette. I picked up some more eggs on the way home especially for it."
Bakura turned his head slightly. Ryou still couldn't see his face, but it was obvious that he'd caught his yami's attention. "What kind of omelette?"
Ryou smiled slightly. "What kind would you like? How about one with cheese and fresh herbs?"
"All right."
Bakura wasn't so distracted that he didn't know what Ryou was doing, but he went along with it anyway. Cooking would keep his light busy so he wouldn't be paying as much attention to Bakura as he was at the moment. Besides, Bakura liked Ryou's cheese and herbs omelettes. The insistent little image popped into his mind again. "No onions or garlic though."
Throughout making dinner, eating the delicious omelettes and clearing up afterwards, Ryou kept a close eye on his yami. It was obvious that Bakura was still very distracted. At one point he almost put sugar on his omelette instead of in his tea. Ryou was so concerned that he didn't insist on Bakura helping with the dishes, as he normally would have. His yami was bad enough with dropping things when he was paying attention, for him to go anywhere near the dishes when he was like this… Ryou shuddered at the thought and shook his head when Bakura started to get up. "No, it's okay. Really. I can manage. Why don't you go and watch some TV or something?"
Bakura smiled slightly at the panicked tone in Ryou's voice as he excused him from doing the dishes. Being distracted apparently had its advantages after all. He glanced at the time and sighed as he headed for the living room. It was barely six o'clock. Still two hours to go…
Ryou came in from the kitchen to find Bakura sitting on the sofa gazing at the TV screen with a distant look in his eyes. The news was on but Bakura wasn't watching the headlines with his usual interest. Normally he liked to see what kind of chaos or mayhem had happened that day. Ryou was worried, but he was even more worried when Bakura didn't even glance at him when he sat down beside him on the sofa. It was as though Bakura hadn't even noticed that he was no longer alone.
When a story came on about the upcoming Domino City Duel Monster's Tournament, Ryou glanced at Bakura, thinking that it would surely snap him out of whatever he was thinking about. When his yami barely reacted, Ryou shifted closer and kept watching him, now very concerned.
As time crawled by, Bakura became more and more aware of a strange feeling in his stomach. It was an odd fluttering feeling, as though there was a flock of birds inside him. He didn't like it. He frowned as his hand instinctively tried to rub it away.
Bakura blinked as a hand suddenly rested on his forehead. He looked at the boy sitting beside him in surprise. Ryou had one hand on his own forehead too. "Ryou… what are you doing?"
"You don't seem to have a temperature. Are you feeling all right? Perhaps you're coming down with something." Ryou eyed his yami anxiously for a moment. "If you're not feeling well then you really shouldn't push yourself. You should be resting."
Bakura turned, putting his hands firmly on his light's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. "Ryou, I'm fine." The boy looked back at him and Bakura guiltily noticed how worried he was.
"You're rubbing your stomach. Are you feeling sick? Why don't you go lie down and I'll bring you some nice soothing tea." Ryou searched his yami's eyes, slightly relieved by the look of frustration that flashed through them. If his yami was frustrated by his fussing, then he couldn't be too sick.
"I'm not sick. I said I'm fine. I'm just… on edge tonight. That's all." Bakura couldn't tell Ryou the reason for his edginess, but he could at least ease his light's concern a little.
Ryou studied his yami for a little longer before relaxing slightly. "You do look rather tense." He thought for a moment. "Perhaps a nice warm bath would help? That usually relaxes me."
Bakura thought about it. That actually wasn't such a bad idea. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it appealed to him. "Yeah. I think I'll do that."
He didn't waste any time. A few minutes later he had everything ready to go. The moment he slipped into the warm water, Bakura felt his nervous tension drain away. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to drift as he relaxed.
Ryou put the finishing touches on his math homework and stretched. "There. All done." His eyes wandered around and he suddenly froze, his gaze locked on the time. "Seven thirty already? Oh my, that took me longer than I thought it would." There was something pushing at the back of his mind. An irritating insistence that he'd forgotten something, although Ryou was sure that he'd done all of his homework. He looked around the room, the feeling growing stronger by the moment.
His eyes landed on the door to the connecting bathroom and he blinked as the feeling suddenly became a clear thought. Bakura hadn't come out of the bathroom. Concerned, Ryou quickly crossed to the closed door and knocked lightly. "Bakura? Are you all right in there?" When no response came, Ryou hesitated for a heartbeat before he opened the door and peeked inside "Bakura? Are you…? Oh my…"
Bakura was still in the bath and it had apparently relaxed him more than either of them had thought it would. He was sound asleep! Ryou smiled at the sight, but his smile faded into a look of concern when Bakura shivered slightly. The boy quickly went to kneel by the bath and dipped his hand into the water. The barely-more-than-room-temperature water. "Oh dear…" He gently shook Bakura's shoulder. "Bakura. Bakura, you need to wake up now." Bakura stirred.
The first thing he saw was his light looking worried. Nothing new there. Then Bakura realised that he was naked… and lying in uncomfortably cool water… and his neck ached from how he'd been lying… and he was cold… A few possibilities ran through his mind but only one struck him as being anywhere near likely. "Curse it to the Shadows. I fell asleep, didn't I?" He started to sit up.
"I'm afraid so." Ryou stood and checked to make sure that there were plenty of towels before heading out of the room. "I'll get you something warm to put on, so you don't get a chill."
Bakura watched him go, an unfathomable look in his dark eyes. Then a shiver ran through him and he returned his attention to getting out of the bath.
Despite the warm tracksuit Ryou had found for him, Bakura was still rather cold when he came out of the bathroom. The ache in his neck seemed to be getting worse instead of better, too. But despite all that, the first thing he did was check on the time. He sighed with an odd mix of relief and frustration. There was still about twenty minutes to go. He hadn't slept through it, but he still had to wait for the time to come!
Ryou was packing his books away but he looked up at the sigh, noting with concern how pale his yami looked. Not that Bakura wasn't normally pale… but he was definitely paler than he usually was. He was also wincing slightly. "You look as though you're in pain. Are you still cold?"
Bakura thought about not answering, for all of half a second. He knew Ryou would just keep asking until he got a reply. "Yeah, a bit. I'm warming up though." As Ryou looked at him expectantly, the silence stretched. Finally Bakura gave in. "My neck's a bit stiff from how I was lying, that's all. It's nothing serious." He shrugged, or rather tried to. It ended in a wince as his neck protested the move.
Ryou winced in sympathy and nodded towards the bed. "I can fix that. Sit down." Bakura gave him a wary look and didn't move. Ryou sighed. "Bakura… I promise I'm not going to hurt you."
"Huh… as if you could!" Bakura stalked across to the bed, his pride stung. He didn't see the slight smile that flickered across Ryou's face at his predictable response. He sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms, scowling as his light started towards him. Bakura blinked when Ryou walked around the other side of the bed though. "What…?"
"I have to get behind you." Bakura felt the bed dip and then shift as his light crawled across and settled directly behind him. He was so close that Bakura could feel the warmth that radiated from him. He fought the urge to lean back into that warmth, then tensed as Ryou's hands suddenly touched his shoulders. A few moments later, Bakura groaned softly as Ryou started kneading the pain away.
As Ryou gently massaged his yami's neck and shoulders, he could feel the tension slipping from his yami. He was surprised by how much tension there had been. Something was definitely disturbing Bakura. As much as he wanted to ask about it though, he was reluctant to speak. It felt as though doing so would break the moment they were sharing, and Ryou really didn't want to do that.
Bakura sighed softly and allowed his mind to focus on his light's touch rather than the gift that was currently lying on the bed in Bakura's soulroom. Bakura didn't know whether it was the way he did it or just because he was his light, but Ryou's touch had the power to ease his tension and calm his mind like nothing else he had ever encountered. Right now, it was also soothing the pain in his neck, which was something that Bakura was particularly grateful for.
It was only five minutes or so before the last of the pain faded beneath Ryou's gentle hands. Bakura would have stopped him then, except that he really didn't want to. He also sensed that Ryou didn't want to be stopped. So Bakura remained silent, although he kept one eye on the clock. After a few more minutes though, a thought crept into his mind and refused to leave no matter how much he tried to push it away. He sighed reluctantly.
"How… did you learn this?" His voice was little more than a whisper, but it seemed overly loud in the otherwise-silent room.
Ryou was a little surprised at the question. He was about to reply when he paused, a little Horned Imp prodding him towards mischief. "How do you think I learned it?" he asked, just as softly.
The unexpected response startled Bakura. He hadn't really thought about it. He'd just asked out of idle curiosity. But now that Ryou mentioned it… His mind started filling with images of a faceless figure doing to Ryou what Ryou was doing to him. Bakura frowned. The images didn't stop there and Bakura almost snarled. "I suppose someone did this to you." Suddenly, Ryou's touch didn't seem quite so nice. The thought of someone touching Ryou in the same way… His thoughts came to a halt as he heard Ryou's reply.
"That's right." Ryou felt the sudden tension in Bakura's body and knew he had teased enough. His hands stilled, coming to rest lightly on his yami's shoulders. "My mother."
Bakura released the breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He frowned slightly. Ryou never said much about his mother, but he knew she had been gone for a long time. "So long ago… how can you remember something like that?" He couldn't even recall his mother's face, although for him it had been far longer since he had seen her. Over five thousand years, in fact. But… if he was honest with himself… he'd forgotten her even before he had become the Spirit of the Ring.
"Some things… you never forget. She used to do it whenever I had a headache." Ryou lightly squeezed Bakura's shoulders and his yami sighed softly. "I'm sorry for teasing you."
It was still only ten to eight, but suddenly Bakura knew that didn't matter. Perhaps for Yugi and Yami, eight o'clock would be the right time for the gift, but for him and Ryou… it was time now. Bakura remained where he was. It was easier to speak to Ryou when he didn't have to look in his eyes. Especially for things like this.
"Ryou… you know how Yami's been spending all his time in his soulroom lately?"
Ryou blinked, rather surprised by the sudden change in topic, although he was also rather relieved by it. He didn't like talking about his mother much. It always made him sad. "Yes."
"When I went into his soulroom the other day at school… I found out what he was doing in there. Yami swore me to secrecy. He tricked me so I'd have to keep his secret because…" Bakura stopped and sighed heavily. "No… that's not entirely true… I knew it was a trick. I went along with it because I wanted to."
"I'm not sure I follow." Ryou had known that Bakura was keeping something from him and Yugi. He'd figured out that Yami had told him what was going on and asked him not to tell, but the part about Yami tricking Bakura, only not exactly because Bakura had wanted to be tricked… That was the part that Ryou wasn't at all sure about.
Bakura took a deep breath. "Yami was working on a surprise for Yugi. That's why he was in his soulroom so much. The idiot hadn't stopped to think about how much Yugi would worry. When I found out what he was up to… I insulted him and… he ended up challenging me to a contest. I could have turned him down. I was going to. Except…" Bakura shifted uneasily. "I wanted to do it." Bakura's voice was so soft, Ryou could barely hear it.
"Well of course you did. You and Yami always enjoy competing against each other." Ryou didn't see why his yami was so embarrassed about it.
"No… I don't mean the contest part. I mean… what was involved. Yami was making a gift for Yugi. I…" Bakura stared down at the floor, very glad that Ryou was behind him and unable to see his face. "I wanted to do the same for you."
"Oh… Bakura…"
Bakura heard the soft whisper but he couldn't make out the emotion behind it. Ryou had said it too quietly for him to be sure. For a moment he was tempted to turn around. He'd know by the look in Ryou's eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He still had more to say. "So I let Yami 'trick' me into making it a contest. Because I was… too much of a coward to do it otherwise." It was one of the hardest things he had ever had to say. Suddenly Bakura couldn't remain where he was for another moment. Besides, he had to get his gift.
Ryou was still trying to get over the shock of what he had just been told when his yami suddenly stood up and vanished. "Bakura?" His half-question, half-plea was still echoing faintly in the room when his yami reappeared. Bakura glanced at him.
"Sorry. I had to get…" He looked down at the paper in his hand and abruptly thrust it out towards Ryou. "Here." When Ryou made no move to take it but merely stared at it, Bakura dropped it onto the bed in front of him. He stood there for a moment more, silently willing Ryou to pick it up… or to look at him. When Ryou did neither, Bakura turned and walked over to stare out of the window. When his light was this shocked, he usually just needed a little time to sort through his feelings. Besides, he needed some time to sort through his own.
Ryou turned. He looked at his yami for a long moment before turning his attention to the piece of paper. He picked it up and began to read.
Bakura's Poem
For countless years I waited,
Trapped within this ring of gold.
Then you, unknowing, freed me.
Your mind was mine to hold.
At first I wanted freedom
For your body's far too weak.
What use are you to me? I asked.
You have not the strength I seek.
I used you without mercy
As I sought the golden prize.
But at every turn, you stopped me
And I began to realise…
Although you're weak in body,
Your heart and will are strong.
The more I learned, the more I thought,
Could I have been wrong?
Then Marik won the battle.
Your life seemed forever lost.
As I wandered through the Pharaoh's mind,
I thought about the cost.
I didn't think I'd miss you.
Didn't think I could feel pain.
Sorrow seemed beyond me.
But you proved me wrong… again.
Curse it to the Shadows!
How could I not have seen
How much you'd come to mean to me?
Or what a fool I'd been.
If we could be together,
Through all our nights and days,
I promised Ra, in silent plea,
That I would mend my ways.
Now in your mind I wander down
Your mental corridors,
As I make the journey
From my soulroom into yours.
Your room is warm and filled with light
And as I watch you sleep,
Contentment fills my shadowed heart.
My word to Ra… I'll keep.
Bakura stood at the window, staring into the darkness although all he could see was the images running through his mind. He had no idea how Ryou would react to his gift and he couldn't remember ever being so nervous or… yes, he silently admitted to himself, scared… in his life. Or since, for that matter. As Ryou's possible reactions flooded his mind, Bakura was so focused on them that he failed to notice what was happening behind him. He didn't realise that Ryou had moved until a pair of arms suddenly slipped around his waist and a warm body pressed against his.
"Ryou?" Bakura remained very still, hardly daring to breathe.
"Bakura… Thank you." The words were whispered in his ear as Ryou leaned his head against his yami's. The boy felt Bakura sag in relief and he smiled as he lightly squeezed his yami's waist.
Bakura shifted and Ryou eased away, just enough so his yami could get comfortable. Much to his surprise, Bakura turned so he was facing him, his arms going around Ryou's waist so they were loosely holding each other. Bakura's dark eyes searched Ryou's until he found what he was looking for. "You… liked it… You really liked it!" The smile that lit up Bakura's face was like that of a child who had just received an unexpected toy. Ryou smiled at his yami.
"I loved it, Bakura. Did you really think that I wouldn't?" he gently teased. Bakura looked away.
"I… wasn't sure. I've never… written a poem before, so I didn't know if it was any good."
Ryou blinked. "You mean… that's your first poem? Ever? Oh… Bakura…"
Bakura looked at his light in surprise as Ryou stared at him. The look in his eyes… it wasn't an expression that he'd seen all that often and, as with the other times, he wasn't entirely sure why he was seeing it now. Ryou was looking at him as though he'd just done something that had touched his light to the very depths of his heart. "Light? What is it?"
"Your first poem… and you wrote it as a gift for me." Ryou smiled as his yami suddenly looked very embarrassed.
"Well… the contest…" Bakura looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment in Ryou's eyes. He hated to remind him of it. He wanted Ryou to keep looking at him like that… at least part of him wanted that. The other part of him wanted to bolt into his soulroom and lock the door behind him for another thousand years or so… What was it about his light that made him feel so confused?
"You'll win." Ryou's voice interrupted Bakura's thoughts and he blinked at his light. There was no change to the look in Ryou's eyes. It was as though he didn't care that the contest was the reason for the poem's existence. Looking into his light's eyes, Bakura silently admitted that Ryou was right. It didn't matter. The words had come from within him and they were for his light. That was why he had written the poem. The contest had just been the push he'd needed to write it.
"It's being judged tomorrow. I'll forfeit. I don't need Kaiba's decision. Your reaction's enough." Bakura's voice was surprisingly soft. For a moment, he sounded just like Ryou.
Ryou blinked and the look in his eyes finally changed… to confusion. "Did you say… Kaiba? He's judging your and Yami's poems? Oh… my…" Ryou bit his lip, trying not to laugh.
Bakura smirked, suddenly feeling more like himself now that their conversation was back in familiar territory. "Yeah. I thought he'd be better than Téa. She'd just say it was a draw, so no one got their feelings hurt." He pulled a face at the thought. "At least Kaiba will be honest."
Ryou suddenly looked worried. "I hope that's all he is…" he muttered softly. Bakura looked at him curiously and he smiled weakly. "You know what Kaiba's like. Any excuse will do to insult you and Yami." As Bakura went pale, Ryou suddenly hugged him lightly. "But Bakura, I swear, if Seto Kaiba dares to say one bad thing about your poem… I will make sure that he regrets it."
A shiver ran down Bakura's spine at his light's serious tone. He suddenly had absolutely no doubt that Ryou would do exactly as he promised. He looked at his light for a long moment, thoughts and emotions whirling within him. Slowly he drew Ryou closer. Ryou smiled slightly and did not resist.
"So… how much did you say you liked my poem?"