Hello! This will most likely be the last update until about next week I'm sorry to say! I'm way too busy to update lately and my schedule for the coming week is packed, but I'll do my best to update on Friday night or Saturday. (Key word there is try ~_^) Anyways, I'm so glad that people liked this chapter, and I need to thank them!

Dreigon: You did? Well, I guess Mai was a bit out of character for this chapter, but she'll be tougher later on...actually I don't think Malik or Marik will be in this story! I hadn't even thought of that before!

Redconvey: I don't know I might if it works out with the plot, but right now Ryou wants to keep true to the saying, "ignorance is bliss". Bakura might tell him if I make Ryou want to know, but right now, not likely.

Scarlet Oasis: Cryptic is fun!!! As you can tell by my fics...yeah anyways, Bakura will be much of a mystery! In other words, I haven't even thought of what his life was like yet...I'm lazy...-.-; but basically what Mai said means that they never really wanted to be in that sort of job but is anyways and their in too deep to back out now. There might be some Ryou torture coming up, but first I have to get him to trust Bakura...hehe that will be fun...*evil grin*

DreamingChild: Well, that tops the list of stupid thing done so far...*mental note to self...never give sharp objects to mad reviewers...results in bodily harm* I'll be nice to Ryou!! For now...but I have to have angst, it's like water for me!!!!! *ahem* but I'll be nice to Ryou...*sigh*

Virtual Maiden: Heh, we'll find out ne?

Osiris Lee: No, Ryou will not get a job there...actually he won't be involved in any of that at all, he's just sort of living in Bakura's room...yeah...and sorry about the typos, I generally tend to skip over them because my spell check doesn't pick it up...sorry about that.

Occi: *pokes until you wake up* will do! Yeah, it was a little slow to begin with but I might pick it up soon...we'll see.

Jou: Two words for my frequent updates...SPRING BREAK! But it is now over...damn...anyways, CHIBIS!!! Mwaha! Face the wrath of chibis! That is until a taller person grabs their ear...-.-;;

NeoChaosCrystal: Aw...thank you! I'm glad you liked Sign of the Seer, I liked writing it, but even if you didn't review, I'm glad you read it. Well, I hope you enjoy this as much as you did my other one!

Blahblahblah: Thank you, and yes everything always happened to Ryou...

Evil bicth: thank you!

Anyways, while I should be typing up my paper due on Wednesday I decided I wanted to procrastinate! Yay!!! But really, I wanted to update before I go back to school. So please enjoy the next chapter and keep in mind updates will most definatly slow down next week...or until school ends most likely. *sigh*

Warning: Yaoi between Ryou and Bakura, later chapters, lots of not so good stuff like drugs, swearing, blood, dying, and all that jazz...or not... ***************************************************************** **********************************

With a sigh he let his long fingers massage his temples...it was a long day, just like every other day that he worked. Grimacing at the slight headache he increased the pressure on his temples and rolled his neck once his headache was manageable. Making his way to his door he let his cigarette hang on his lips, absentmindedly watching the spirals of smoke. As he opened the door he entered his room and quietly closed it, hearing the automatic lock click behind him. He walked to his cabinet full of drinks and poured himself a glass of rum, watching the amber liquid fill the cup. Sitting on the comfortable chair he noticed a bundle of blankets on his bed with a splash of silver by the pillows.

Sipping the rum once he set it down and neared the bed. Just as he reached the edge, the small bundle rolled over and he saw the pale face relaxed in sleep...it was only Ryou. With a careful hand he fingered the soft locks and gently moved the blankets away from the face to study the serene expression. He long dark lashes rested on the high cheekbones and the soft cupid lips opened and closed occasionally. The mussed hair rested on the pale throat, shifting at each breathe.

"You are one curious creature Ryou Hanai...tell me your secrets..."

The smaller boy moaned and turned his face into the pillows, hiding away from Bakura and making the blankets slid down to his waist. Mai had gotten Ryou some of his old clothes and they loosely draped his much smaller, thinner frame. The shirt lopped down one shoulder and exposed more pale skin in the dark room. About to turn away he stood up but stopped when something caught his eye. On the exposed skin of Ryou's back he could make out a scar, pale and long from the shoulder blade and going underneath the shirt. With an icy finger he followed the straight track to the edge of the shirt and questioned silently the cause, but backed away when the boy shifted again. Returning to his drink he mused about the boy sleeping on his bed.

'Maybe there is more than meets the eye of Ryou...what are you hiding?'

Bakura only smiled a bit and cradled his glass in his hands, reaching for another cigarette. He once more watched in rapt fascination as the glowing end lit the dim room and brought the cigarette towards his mouth in a graceful arc. Letting the smoke escape his mouth he settled in his chair and watched with sharp garnet eyes the sleeping Ryou.

He awoke not the sound of chirping birds or the sunshine spilling onto his face as he normally did, but when he opened his eyes he remembered that he no longer had a home...he was a prisoner. With a desolate sigh he lay on the soft bed, the blankets wrapped around him. He stared at the dark floor before him, studying the cherry wood. He tried to figure out what had awakened him then realized it was the soft music coming from a different part of the room. Standing he shivered slightly before walking to the wall that partially hid the second half of the room and quietly peeked in. His eyes met with the sight of a rich lush room where one of the walls was covered by books, books, and more books. Armchairs, plush and inviting sat scattered by a window, the sill forming a seat as well. In another corner stood a large grand piano, the rays of the sun gleaming on the lacquer body and the ivory keys. What shocked him the most was who was playing the piano. Bakura sat on the seat, cigarette smoldering near by on a tray, his wild jagged hair pulled back in a lose ponytail as his long fingers almost lazily skipped across the many keys. Eyes were focused keys and nothing else. His foot rested on the golden pedals and pressed down occasionally making the rich sound magnify momentarily.

Ryou just stood there shocked at the fact that this...this...this killer before him was producing wonderful, beautiful music! He quietly made his way to an armchair that sat closer to the piano than the rest and just sat there and listened, watching the long graceful fingers flowing like water over the keys, the sharp eyes focused on nothing else but the piano. He closed his eyes and tilted his head as the music washed over him and quietly noted to himself it was Chopin. The rich dark tones of the song lulled his soul and as the final chord was struck he couldn't help but his voice slip out.

"That was_beautiful_"

Bakura whirled around in shock and let the cigarette that was in his hand fall to the ground. His eyes blinked before he closed his mouth in the rare shock. Picking up the cigarette he stared at Ryou with still wide eyes.

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know, but that was just...beautiful!"

Bakura stared at the rapturous face of Ryou, the shining henna eyes filled with admiration, hate and fear forgotten for the moment. Shaking his head he crushed the cigarette in the tray and looked back at Ryou's small frame curled up in the armchair. He placed his fingers on the keys again and as he played he spoke.

"I thought you hated me."

"...I do...you killed my father..."

"Do you know why?"

"I don't _want_ to know why."

"Why not?"

"Ignorance is bliss."

"Ignorance is the stupidity of man."

He glanced back to see that Ryou was staring at his intently, eyes absent of the admiring light they had before.

"I don't want to know, because I want to remember him as the man that I knew...not the one that you knew."

"Pain is a part of pleasure and pleasure a part of pain."

"What does that mean?"

"Everything good has something bad in it...your father may have been a wonderful man, I don't know and frankly I don't care but when he came to me he had that darkness in him and there is a side that he had never shown to you but it existed. Live in a world where you want but ignorance will only get you so far."

Ryou paused and looked down at the velvet of the chair and fingered its soft texture. He wanted to believe that his father was a good man who worked hard to maintain a good life...but if Bakura's words were true then...

'Wait...am I really going to trust the man who killed him? Who ordered him to be shot down?'

'Why would he lie?'

'Why would he not?'

'What good would it do him to lie to me now?'

"First sign of insanity is hearing voices in your head."

Bakura's voice broke his internal struggle. Partially hiding in the armchair he looked up at the man whose eyes were still focused only on the piano.

"And no, I am not a mind reader, that's just bullshit. I can read eyes and body language."

"If in every good there is bad then in every bad there is good, a yin yang...does that mean that you have a good side Bakura- sama?"

Silence hung thick in the air and Bakura's hands froze on the piano, eyes narrowed. Ryou shrank even more as the chilly atmosphere seemed to penetrate to his marrow and he looked at the rigid form. The icy voice of Bakura made his breathe catch at his throat.

"Don't you ever assume that I have a good side you ignorant bitch. There are exceptions and loopholes to everything in life and I'm one of them, got it?! Wake up kowappa, not everything in life is white and black."

Without even turning his head to the small boy he strode out of the room and Ryou could hear the slam of the door. What was wrong? All he had done was ask a silly little question and he got all riled up? Frowning Ryou hugged his body and tried to forget everything that just happened.

***************************************************************** ***************************** Ok...I really don't know what I did there, but hey it's a chapter! I'm sorry if it's short and not all that great, but its going somewhere. I really hope you don't mind it and I'll try to update quickly. So, please read and review and I'll see you at the next chapter! Ja ne! ^_^