Timeless Love

I'm sorry it's taken so long. This was affected by the "Great Hard-Drive Erasing", and this and several other fics were just about ready to be updated. It really is disheartening… and I never got the energy to restart the chapter. I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have waited for so long. long, deep bow I thank you for being loyal and constantly reviewing me, telling me to update.

And note: due to the amount of time passed between my typing, Yami no Bakura's personality has done a complete 180.

This is way too fast-paced for my liking. I wish I could slow it down, but this is just the pace that it came up as. sigh It just needs to sit overnight. I'll finish it up after school tomorrow. (Note: you are reading the final version, these are just my thoughts while typing it.) I really could have done better. Ah well. What counts is that I actually completed something, ne?

And now, I bring you the last chapter of Timeless Love.

Part 3- Red Ribbon

Chapter 5-

"Animals and children tell the truth, they never lie… which one is more human, there's a thought, now you decide." –The Animal Song, Savage Garden

Seto wanted to say something—anything. Whatever it would take to get Ryou to look at his face again. The white-haired boy was effectively ignoring him during homeroom, and ignoring everyone else as well. Not in so many years had Seto felt so helpless. Not since he last comforted Mokuba. It hurt him in ways that no physical pain could, to see his friend like that, and even more so since he loved him deeply.

Ryou himself continuously made conscious decisions not to look back at the friend he had previously longed so badly to see again. He was confused more than anything right now. More than anger or sorrow or happiness, he was confused. He had spent all of last night crying and was surprised that there were no lines under his eyes. And yet despite it, there was still a deep yearning in him and it made his stomach twist uncomfortably to the point where he was almost ready to ask to go to the nurse.

Yuugi-tachi noticed. Though Bakura Ryou may have been rather taciturn by nature, this depth of quiet was abnormal even for him.

"Bakura-kun?" Anzu bent down to look him in the face with a sense of curiosity in her eyes. "Daijoubu ka?"

"U-un." He nodded. It was a blatant lie, so evince, not even hiding the feckless state of his self. His hopelessness came off in waves of vibes.

"What happened with Kaiba-kun?" She asked, obviously not letting the matter go so easily. "It's pretty obvious that this has to do with him."

"How do you know anything happened?" He shot back, procuring as much of a glare as was physically possible for him.

"Women's intuition." She answered simply.

Ryou was at this point of time praying pointlessly for one of the others to interrupt. Maybe for Honda or Jounouchi to flip up her skirt, since they seemed to like doing that. (Okay, so they had stopped doing so as of late.) But alas, they kept their distance, more likely than not at Anzu's request.

"It's a long story." He mumbled, wanting to bury his face and not talk.

"Homeroom's just begun." Anzu pointed out quietly.

A sigh escaped his throat, a sound of defeat and inevitability. At a hushed whisper of a tone, he told her everything that had happened since yesterday afternoon. To hell if Seto didn't want anyone knowing, he needed to tell someone! He could just barely fight back the tears that threatened to fall as painful emotions ripped and shredded through his body, slowly destroying him, as it seemed. His shoulders twitched with the suppression.

There was silence for a few moments as Ryou wrapped up his tale. Anzu looked around at their surroundings. Everyone was ignoring them, Yuugi-tachi and Seto included. She couldn't exactly see what Ryou saw in the misanthropic loner towards the back of the room, but it must have been something exclusive to his own eyes, so what right would she have to try to destroy it? "Well," she replied after those few moments, "how do you feel Kaiba-kun? That's what needs to be assessed."

"What I feel? I-" he stopped, "I don't know. I am so ambivalent on the situation. I am happy that he's well, and frustrated that he would continue with the little emotions that we 'felt' as kids. He doesn't need to bring them back up."

"What is your heart doing right now?"

"Beating so damn fast that I want to scream." He replied bluntly.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend doing that, unless you want to stand in the hall holding the buckets, but why do you think your heart is racing? What do you think of in the first moment that you see Kaiba-kun's face?"

"Why are you trying to help me?"

Anzu shrugged. "Because that's what friends do, isn't it?"

Yeah, they do. Seto had stayed with him after his sister died, Seto had stayed with him during all the times that he was saddened due to whatever trivial reason he had, Seto had been there all that time, comforting him. Ryou looked up now and turned around to look at the person who was occupying his thoughts. The blue eyes were staring intently at a book, though not really seeming to read the words. They looked as if they were just trying to distract their owner. Perhaps they were.

Seto… He felt something in that brief moment. An ephemeral feeling that disappeared as soon as he realized that it existed. There was no time to grab it and analyze before it was gone like a ribbon in the wind.

"I don't know, Anzu-chan." Ryou returned to his normal sitting position, sounding resigned. "I want to still be friends with him, but I feel so awkward now. There's no way to ignore that it happened. We can't go back to what we were."

"I don't know what to tell you, Bakura-kun." She sighed sadly. "I guess something that should be realized, but I have been a little to nervous to bring up is your sexuality. Are you inclined to having an attraction to other guys?"

Ryou had never really thought about that. The idea struck his mind like a chord and vibrated there unrelentingly. "I'm not sure." He answered. "I-I've never really been attracted to anyone before, so I really don't know."

"Then that's something you need to find out—whether or not that type of relationship with another guy would suit you. And then you can sort out your feelings." She smiled, causing Ryou to give a slight one.

The only problem is… is that my sexual ambiguity is the last thing on my mind right now. It's what I feel about Seto… and then what I have to admit to myself about my sexuality.

"Thanks, Anzu-chan." Ryou smiled more sincerely now.

"You're welcome. Anytime." She winked and rejoined her little clique and, as Ryou was sure, reassuring the rest of them about his well-being. For all he cared, she could tell them, so long as they left him to think.

Nonetheless, I've calmed down. I'm more open to it now, I guess.

You can be an idiot, you know that?

Yes, yes I can. But this matter is so life-shattering that I have to take my time and think about it.

You "modern" people are so conservative, I suppose the word would be. You are out of touch with your emotions and at that, try to hide them, whether consciously or subconsciously. Your entire era is full of idiots.

Well thank you. I'll file that away somewhere.

Don't let chances slip by.

That advice caused a mental stop because it was just that—advice. Ryou had never gotten advice so profound from his other half and had never expected to do so. For some reason, it seemed to take more of an effect on his mental state than his talk with Anzu.

Are you saying that you know something that I don't?

Only what any idiot should be able to realize.

All of this confused Ryou even more. It had been quite a week. Thing is, it wasn't even over yet. The hard part had not yet begun. He still had to admit everything to himself—who, and what, he was.

Am I really that stupid? Ryou addressed himself. Is there something here, some key that I haven't seen?

"How do you feel about Kaiba-kun?"

I really don't know. My heart beats when I see him. I feel unsettled in my stomach. I wish he would have at least waited a little while before he said anything of that sort, because right now, I want to just run into his arms and stay there, and yet also stay back out of fear.

Fear of what? What is there to fear? He's still the same person that he always was. He's still Seto, the one I was friends with back then.

How did I feel about him back then? I felt a great attachment, to say the least. I never wanted to leave his side. I was convinced that we could stay together… forever. I felt… He shook his head in disgust at himself. My God, just maybe…

How could my naïve childish self figure it out first?

My feelings for him haven't changed since then, not really, have they?

Can I accept it?

Ryou could feel the revelation coursing through his veins. He could also feel the bouts of annoyance rising from the spirit of the Sennen Ring around his neck. No doubt he wanted to smack his host upside the head or something.

They sat alone at lunch, both on opposite sides of the cafeteria. Seto was still acting stoic, as had been previously accustomed for him, and Ryou was still confused and sorting things out mentally and emotionally. He had tried to raise himself so that his views were more liberal, but it is a shock when you find out that there may be something about you that just isn't "normal" according to what society deems it as.

However, by the end of lunch, his mind was made up. He would talk to Seto after school and see how things turn out.

But was he ready for it? Was he prepared for finally choosing one way or the other? It hadn't even been twenty-four hours, but it felt like weeks. As the minutes and hours ticked by, he started to feel less confused and more determined.

"Ryou."

School had finally let out. The tall brunette took the initiative and called to the other over the crowds of students leaving the grounds. Ryou felt his heart pounding as his friend approached him. Why could no one else hear it?

"Shall we walk?" He asked quietly, receiving a nod as a reply. They were silent, the only sounds being that of shuffling feet, swinging schoolbags, and far off voices. Once they were away from the school grounds and out of earshot of others, they started to talk.

"Ryou, first I must apologize for my actions." Seto stated with the seriousness of a practiced politician. Was he using his years as a businessman to help shield himself behind a façade? "I was overwhelmed that I was able to see you after so many years and things slipped out of my mouth." A very faint red came to his cheeks that no one but Ryou would be able to notice. "I don't deny my feelings, but I do apologize for telling you so suddenly. I…" He paused painfully. "I wish we could go back to how we could have been if I hadn't said anything."

Ryou shook his head. "I'm sorry, Seto, but they can't. You're smart enough to know that. Neither of us can forget what happened."

"I just don't want to be separated from you."

"Neither do I." Ryou agreed. "But you did come out very suddenly, as you admitted. I was… scared. I really was." He stared at his feet moving one in front of the other and back again. "I get over the worst of the pangs of losing you, though never forgetting you, and suddenly here you are again. That in itself was a surprise, to understate, and then you profess feelings that we held for each other way back then we, or at least I, was a stupid child." Stupid, but honest. "The point is, I had a brain overload, and I guess I just ran." He nodded as an answer to himself. "I apologize for that."

Seto nodded, sighing to himself. It was more of a groan for what he knew was coming. "So what will happen between us now?"

Ryou was silent for a few paces. "I'm not quite sure what the future holds. It's like I'm walking on a blade right now and if I sway either direction, I'll fall and cut myself. I need some sort of support or else…"

"I can be your support." Seto interjected boldly, yet quietly.

"I talked to Anzu-chan some." Ryou continued, not listening. "She told me to sort my emotions. The little voice in my head told me that I was an idiot. I guess both helped." He shrugged. "I'm no longer going to run off like a little rabbit, if that means anything."

There was another long, uncomfortable silence.

"I sorted things out."

Seto looked over at him.

"I mean, I know some stuff. Not even close to everything, but enough to know that I never want to lose you again. Also to know that… that the relationship that we had was never a normal friendship, even by a child's standards. I wouldn't mind going back to that, I must admit. You were always there for me. When I got my first cut, when I couldn't sleep, and every time I bruised or injured myself, you were there to make it better. I would fall and you would catch me. We would…" he paused, "we would hold each other during naptime, I remember, and those words that our fathers and the staff members said about it not being 'normal' were all true.

"Seto, I…" He blushed, turning his head to the side. "I want to be that close again. That's how I'm comfortable with you. I'm still comfortable being in your arms when you embrace me, and I'm sure that it is still comfortable to sleep beside you and hear your breath.

"I guess I'm trying to say that I do hold feelings for you that are above average friendships. You may call it 'love,' but I've never had any other close friendships to compare it to. This feeling has always been there, really. It just hasn't identified itself. I'm still waiting to name it myself."

He stopped as he felt familiar arms wrap around him. It didn't matter that they were in public—the entire world could know. Neither cared. There was no one but them in this world around them. Ryou pressed his face against the chest that he was held against and took in the familiar scent. He had never quite experienced it on this level, or at least never cared to note it.

"May I kiss you?" A whisper entered his ear.

Such a gentleman. He nodded once, not having to wait for the firm lips to touch his. It was chaste and sweet, something lasting for only a second, but felt for far longer.

"I suppose I can try out a romantic relationship." Ryou answered after a few breaths. "It can't really hurt us right now, can it?"

They smiled. The feeling was so foreign on both faces, for one had never found a reason to do so and the other had never needed to be so sincere. They walked hand-in-hand to Seto's home, not concealing anything. There would be grief from people, but it didn't really matter. They had waited, and like wine, the feelings between them matured with age. What had started as an unusual friendship and childhood crushes developed into an actual bond that would surpass the sneers and snickers, for it had always been there, but it had just needed a name.

It is said that a red ribbon connects fated lovers from birth. While these cannot be seen by humans or any living creature, they can be sensed. And once the predestined find each other, no matter what may transpire, they will always return to one another's arms. Their hearts will transcend time.

Notes and Translations:

Daijoubu ka? – Are you all right? You can also say "Ogenki da?" but this is what I'm more comfortable with.

Um, I apologize for using some words that some people might find big or confusing. I find that it's easiest to learn my vocabulary words if I use them… and considering that I really need a good grade on my vocabulary test and on the SAT… yeah. ' (Wildwolf: And a 1220 isn't good? raises eyebrow) I could have done better, you monkey!

And I am eternally apologizing for the lacking in just about all updates. There is a short chibi-like girl bowing many times to you right now.

Anzu isn't so bad in the later episodes. I don't like the romance stuff, but her character gets better, in my opinion. And plus I've kinda left Anzu out of other fics, so why not have her role in this one?

Maybe I should go and edit the first four chapters… they're bugging me now… so many errors…

I'm working on the Hollyhocks story. It's getting… somewhere.

Again, I thank every single one of you. I was seriously ready just to leave this fic somewhere and never see it again. Because of you people, I completed something worthwhile. bow