Ryou's POV

I walked through the front door about 8:45pm that night. Marik and Malik kept me out all day, spilling little bits and pieces of their plan then leaving the rest to the imagination. All in all, I felt pretty good about myself and about what was going to happen in a few days. I'd give you the details but the then authoress, Malik, and Marik would have a shit fit.

The living room was dark and quiet, with the exception of the noise coming from the television. Bakura was somewhere nearby, I could tell because he's never to far away from the TV when it's on. Slowly but surely I made it to the couch only to find it empty.

The whole scenario reminded me of a horror movie and I was halfway expecting to see Bakura's shadow lurking somewhere in the dark. The eerie horror film music that played in my head took a turn for the worse as something moved up stairs. Running a hand through my hair I quietly made my way up to the stairs, whispering words of encouragement to keep from shitting in my pants.

Of course in a sense I knew nothing would hopefully happen to me in my own house and that everything that provoked this horror story setting including the shadows made from the light of the tv downstairs, the eerie music playing in my head, and the weird noises were all exaggerated figments of my imagination. This is normal after living with Bakura for so many years.

I stepped into Bakura's room and followed the noise to his bathroom. "Bakura?" I called softly, knocking on the closed door.

"What, what do you want?" he called back and I frowned opening the door. He sounded so depressed, so unlike the regular Bakura I know. The Bakura I know doesn't get depressed, pissed maybe but not depressed.

Stepping inside the small room, my eyes widened. The noise I had heard before was him turning his shower on. Bakura sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, the steamy water from the shower pouring down over his head.

"Bakura?" my voice cracked. I wasn't used of him looking this way and it tore at my heart. "Yami, what's wrong?"

"Did you know?" he asked softly, turning away from me. "Did you know about my hourglass?"

"Your what? What are you talking about?" I reached out hesitantly, to brush a few stray hairs from his face.

"I only have three days to reverse what that bastard did to me before the change becomes permanent." He replied. My eyes widened as I registered the information. I never wanted this to happen to him. I would have been happier with the old Bakura if it meant he'd be happy.

The thought of him losing his body was depressing and wrong to even me. The room grew quiet and so did we and for the longest of time the only sound was Bakura's ragged breathing and the shower.

There was most likely nothing I could do to change what happened, so I did what I thought was right at the time. Swinging my legs over the edge of the tub I leaned in and held him against my chest. "I'm sorry Bakura. I didn't know." My hand rubbed at his hair gently.

This was definitely a side I wasn't expecting to see, never on Bakura. To tell you the truth I was really worried. He was always the strong one and I was always the one to break down and panic. The only difference now was that he would never hold me like I'm holding him now. "Bakura...?" I whispered, pushing him away and forcing him to sit up.

"This is your fault. All this is your doing." He muttered, yanking away from me and I blinked, not believing what I was hearing. "If it wasn't for you none of this would have happened to me. I blame you!" he shouted, pointing an acusing finger at me.

My mouth opened and closed several times to say something but no words came. His sudden change in attitude made me nervous and I started fidgeting. "No, I didn't do it, I mean this wasn't my...Yami started this." I stammered, not wanting to believe anyting he was saying.

"You wanted to see me suffer didn't you? You set me up." He slowly stood, snapping his wrist out to latch onto my shirt. His grip tightened and he shook me roughly, causing me to catch my breath. "You make me sick!"

Warm lips crushed against mines and I struggled unsuccessfully to break free. It seemed that almost as soon as it started it had ended and he pushed me away once again. "Is that what you wanted? Did it make you feel any better?"

Standing up slowly I lifted a hand and wiped my lips clean of the memory. I couldn't stand to be here anymore, in this room, this house. His words burned...so I ran. Out of the room, along the hall, down the staircase, across the living room, and out the door. The whole journey seemed so long, so long that I barely noticed Malik standing at the front door with outstretched arms.

"Malik...he...Bakura..."

"I know, Ryou..." the blonde replied, bringing me into his arms where all the stress and pain that had built up on the way out of my house spilt onto his waiting shoulder.

"Everything's all wrong. I didn't mean for this to happen this way. I've never felt so miserable." I muttered softly.

"I know it's hard Ryou, but just hang in there and everything will work itself out. I promise." He cooed softly brushing the bangs away from my face and planting a soft kiss on my forehead. "Just give it time..."

With a reassuring smile he lead me down the steps and out towards his 'precious' motorcycle. We had had many fun times on the thing. I still remember the first time he dragged me on for my first ride.

It was back in those days when he was the one that brightened my days and scattered the stars of my nights. The sky was dark and gloomy just like it is now. Storm clouds loomed overhead and I seriously doubted my sanity for letting Malik of all people drive anywhere on anything.

I wouldn't trust him with a bike with training wheels let alone his own motorcycle. But that didn't matter now did it? When you truly care for someone all their faults seem to melt away... That's how I felt about Bakura. Sure him being a girl disturbed me more than anything at first but the last thing he needed was for me to distance myself from him. Sometimes I just wish he'd see me the way I see him...

My arms wrapped around Malik's slim waist as he started up his bike and roared down the street. The road ahead seemed to darken suddenly and as if on cue the clouds above emptied a gentle sheet of rain that raced down the street, meeting us half way...

"I saw it coming, so I came to meet you at the front door." He said. "I figured you needed to get away from everything..."

"If you saw what Bakura would do beforehand why didn't you stop it and save me the pain?" I snapped back, glaring into his back.

"Pain is necessary..." he replied. "It gives us the courage to become stronger and to go on. I didn't stop Bakura because it was for your own good. You of all people should know that I'd do nothing to hurt you."

My grip tightened around him and I nuzzled my face into his back. I had nothing to say to that one. He was right, Malik would never do anything to hurt me, unless he wanted to feel my wrath or something...I may not be able to fight or defend myself so well but I could pout you to death or something. "Malik...?"

"Yeah?" he replied over the soft hum of his bike and the steady sheet of cool rain.

"Thanks..."

"Don't thank me now, wait until me and Marik's interesting combination of a code blue and a code red pulls through, you'll be kissing my feet."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Damn idiots and their matrix nonsense..." I mumbled and he chuckled...

Bakura Pov

"Ran him off again I see, you ought to be ashamed of yourself Kura..." My eyes snapped up, narrowing at the person before me. As if I wasn't in a sour mood already here he comes to sit in my face."

"What do you want Marik? I'm not in any mood for your shit and you know it." I snapped irritably. He chuckled, stepping into the bathroom, the same room I had been in for Ra knows how long. The shower had turned cold against my skin by now, causing my skin to go numb...not that I cared.

"You keep treating him that way and you'll lose him." Marik taunted, an annoying glint in his eye that told me he knew something I didn't and that pissed me off more than anything. So he'd come to rub something in my face I see.

"What does it matter, by tomorrow night I'll be stuck this way..." I mumbled softly. And it was the truth; there wasn't much I could do about my present situation.

"I see, so you don't mind that Ryou and Malik are off somewhere together? You don't care the slightest bit?" he inquired curiously. My face went blank for a second he laughed, obviously finding something interesting about my predicament. "So you didn't even know that. Ryou had feelings for Malik before, what makes you think that what you did to him may not open old wounds?"

"Old...wounds?" I eyed him suspiciously.

"Old wounds," Marik repeated. "And don't act like you don't care either...it's written all over your face how much you care for Ryou." In my frustration I picked up the nearest item and through it, hoping it would hit him hard enough to make him shut the hell up but my attempts proved in vain. He caught the item and pocketed it, telling me I wasn't getting it back... "Malik is taking Ryou out on a date tomorrow..."

"You're suggesting I go, right?" I snorted, trying to imagine myself going...I gave up eventually, just wasn't seeing it.

"They don't have to know we're there...I go your clothes and everything." Marik persuaded and I slowly nodded. Oh if only I knew the hell I was getting myself into.

Topazia: Our Internet connection can be so evil at times...oh well, anyway. As promised, say goodbye the Bakura torture and hello to complications, heartache, betrayal, and angst...and hey did I miss something?

Ryou: No, that about covers it...

Bakura: You forgot to mention me turning back into a guy glare, glare

Topazia & Ryou: sweatdrop

Topazia: Oh, and that too...