MD: *twitches slightly* Grr.

Malik: *peeks in* They called it yaoi again, didn't they.

Ryou: *nods* Yup.

MD: Okay people, I'm only gonna say this once. After that, whoever calls it yaoi gets clocked. Here are the definitions:

Yaoi- Graphic descriptions of boy/boy romance, often involving sex. No plot necessarily involved.

Shounen-ai: literally means boy love. These only involve fluff, maybe a kiss at most. Has a plot.

MD: Everything clear now? Good. So no, this isn't yaoi, it's shounen-ai. And yes, I know not everyone uses these definitions.

Japanese 101:

Koi means 'love or 'dear'. Similarly, koibito means sweetheart.

Q&A:

Crystal Jewel:

MD: You hit the nail on the head! *hands over plushie* Enjoy!

By the way, thanks for the thought, but since my account is set on teen, I probably can't get those pics.

Lady Silver Dragon:

MD: Don't worry. I'll save the most fluffy stuff until the yami's are normal again. Hmm, angst obsession, huh? Oh! *jumps up and down* Read Never doubt the Heart of a Yami

That made me cry. And I don't cry. Seriously. I'm like, the Seto Kaiba of my school.

Mamono:

MD: Well, have a plushie anyway. And, uh, don't call this yaoi again, ok?

Aura Black Chan:

MD: Hmm. *checks dictionary (Christmas present! ^__^)* Apparently a koi is also a fish. *hands over plushie* Enjoy!

Shadow's Girl12:

MD: Yum, popcorn! *munches happily*

CYD: I summon Mess Magic Master! Attack:2400 And 'cause of it's effect you can't attack it. :p

MD: Hey! My fave card! My only Japanese promo card! Yami! IF I FIND ONE SPECK OF BLOOD ON THAT CARD….

Autumn Ann Star:

MD: Well, I reviewed. Now I'm just waiting for you to update. And my yami discovered Jusenkyo…Oh Ra.

Dark_angel5221:

Thank you!

Mavelus:

CYD: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY Baku! *glomps both*

MD: You just can't win with her. *huggles Malik and Ryou*

Ryou: You know what they say…

Malik: The apple never falls far from the tree?

Sunrise:

MD: Um…I'm sorry?

DarkFlame136:

MD: Close enough! *hands over plushie* For you! ^___________^

I'm really, really, really sorry I took so long! With Christmas and all. Plus, I discovered that my Blockbuster has Ranma ½. And… now the theme song from the first season is stuck in my head!

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Scars of the Heart

Ryou sighed, watching an occasional breeze rustle the trees outside. Poor Malik was still in nervous breakdown mode. Ryou, whoever, had long since given up hope, and, along with Seto, declared him beyond help and left him with Yugi. Poor Yugi.

Ryou went back to watching the trees rustle, surprised to see occasional snowflakes drift through the air. They hadn't had snow for a few years. Usually it was too warm. His mind drifted back to the last time it had snowed. Before Amane was hit by the car, before his oka-san died, a combination of illness and sorrow.

"Ryou! Nii-san, look!"

Nine year old Ryou followed his eager sister to the window, laughing at her antics. "What is it, Amane-chan?"

"Snow, nii-san! It's so pretty! Can we go play?" She rushed toward the door, leaving Ryou to try and catch her long enough to put a coat on and give her hers.

"Nii-san?" Ryou giggled, popping up from his nearby hiding place, his white locks nearly invisible among the snow. Amane tackled him, both of them disappearing into the snow.

Back inside the house, the house they had lived in, before his father had to sell it, Amane looked happily up at Ryou. "Can we play again, nii-san? Next year, and the year after that?"

Ryou smiled, flicking a little of the whipped cream from his hot chocolate onto her nose. "Sure Amane-chan," he laughed, "but only if you're good!"

Ryou stopped the memories there. He didn't want to remember any more. How there was no next year. A reckless driver on the winter roads had seen to that. Watching his mother lose the light in her eyes after that was worse, compounded by his father's constant absence. The memories had once again circulated him back to the looming problem of his father. It was as though his family was a whirlpool from which he couldn't escape, dragging him down every time he tried.

Meanwhile, with Malik, even Yugi was getting frustrated. It was like Malik had shut off the world, in attempt to calm his fears, and it wasn't working. Yami frowned, glaring at the soul who dared cause his aibou frustration. Even Marik was losing patience. And though he had a hair trigger that could be called insanity to most everyone, he showed incredible resilience towards 'his' Malik. But enough was enough. So, the ancient grave keeper punched his hikari on the nose.

"OW!" Malik covered his nose with a bronze hand, attempting to stem the small trickle of blood flowing from it. "What'd you do that for?!"

"Stop." Marik replied evenly.

Seto, who had come back from sheer boredom, took over from there. "He's right, you know. It's really pathetic, watching the great Ra-wielding grave keeper acting like a child."

Malik replied with a few phrases that had to be censored to keep this story PG-13. Seto replied with a cold gaze and the international peace sign, which Malik returned. Yugi was blushing, Yami was trying to cover his hikari's eyes and ears at the same time and Marik was laughing by the end of it all. Seito stuck his tongue out at Marik. "He won."

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh UH!"

"Did too."

Marik gave up on arguing at this point and simply tackled Seito, creating a small cartoon style ball of dust. This fight progressed to yet another fight over the M. Rod. Bakura appeared somewhere in the middle of the fight, unemotional eyes taking it all in. Bored, he stretched cat-like and poked one finger into the dust cloud. Seito and Marik fell apart shortly after, Seito's eyes swirled.

Malik looked over, eyebrows raised in slight interest. "When did he learn about pressure points?"

Ryou entered the utterly chaotic scene at this point, and made a beeline for Bakura. "Are you okay Kura?" Bakura nodded, his eyes still dull and uninterested. He cuddled into Ryou's arms, but his skin was cooler than it had been, and there was a new scar, running a jagged ling up his arm. Ryou sighed but didn't ask. He didn't have to strain his mind to figure where it had come from.

"Um, hey guys?" Yugi said shyly, "Does, Yami look taller, or is just me?"

"Well, if he's taller, than that certainly is reason to be concerned." Malik said dryly. "But you're right."

"Well," Seto retorted, "Malik agreed with someone. Now we really need to worry." All he received for his trouble was having to duck from a speeding dictionary.

"I'm serious." Yugi said, a tinge of worry creeping into his tone.

"So am I." Seto replied, ducking a thesaurus that accompanied the dictionary.

"Seto, be serious." Ryou scolded.

"Humph."

"Well, looks like sir pensive decided to join us." Malik joked.

"Oh, forgive me for thinking. I know it's not something that doesn't come easily to you."

Malik clutched his chest in fake agony. "I'm deeply wounded, I hope you know." He said, feigning seriousness.

"I'm sure." Ryou returned.

Ryou awoke later that night to soft whimpers. Of course, now that he was awake, he wondered if it had in fact been Malik's snoring. It was a wonder he got to sleep in the first place. Having only two bedrooms, they'd been forced to have two to a room. (Malik was sleeping on the floor, due to Ryou's insistence.) He stepped over Malik, who muttered something about dancing cupcakes before going back to dreamland. Marik was glomped tightly onto his hikari's arm, holding the Millennium Rod, which had gained, if only temporarily.

"Go…away"

The whisper-soft voice of his yami reached Ryou's ears as he continued to pick his way across the room. Bakura was tossing fretfully in his sleep, murmuring and crying out from time to time.

"Blood…death…stop.."

A thought flashed that memories might be the cause of his nightmares. But Bakura had been at least 5 when his village was attacked by the Pharaoh's army.

"Pharaoh…"

Whatever doubts Ryou might have had about the cause of the dream were ended there.

"Fire!" Bakura woke, clammy with sweat, screaming that one last word, quivering as his haunted eyes played the scene once more across his mind. Wasting no more time, Ryou hugged him close, stroking his hair and whispering comfort like a mother comforting her child.

"Shh, it's okay Kura, it okay."

Bakura's eyes were wide and frightened. "Ryou?" He whispered timidly.

"I'm right here Kura."

That was the last reassurance Bakura needed. He sobbed into Ryou's nightshirt, still terrified of the dream, the death of everything he held dear. Ryou let him cry, holding him until the raucous sobs subsided into small sniffles. "Ryou," he whispered into the shirt, "was it real?"

"Don't think about that Kura," Ryou soothed. "I'm here for you know, and everything will be all right." He did not add his final thought. Somehow.

-------------------------------

MD: Hey people! I meant to update before 2004, really, I did! Gomen nasai! Ahem, due to the cluttered nature of my brain, we may have a few non-YGO guests around here.

Mousse: ???

MD: Um, minna-san, meet Mousse, my favorite character from Ranma ½.

Mousse: Could you tell me where I am?

CYD: ???

MD: Mousse, put your glasses on. My yami is currently two and a half feet shorter than me. And she's not pleasant.

Malik: *pokes in* And, who, is he?

MD: Mousse. Be nice, Malik.

Malik: Where are you going?

MD: I've been challenged over the rights to you, Marik, Ryou, and Bakura. Yami, you'd better get ready too. You're part of me in the real world. Actually, you're the dominant part.

CYD: *nods*

MD: Hopefully, I'll be back by the next chapter. Until then, review!