It was early morning the next day. Ryou wasn't awake from his slumber. The sound of the boisterous alarm clock sitting beside his small desk made loud noises, however, it seemed not to even wake the boy up. Instead, Ryou moaned and groaned softly in his sleep. Sweat was shown, trailing down his face and chin. He had a small fever, but it wasn't as serious compared concerning to what the problem was. It wasn't really difficult for him to wake usually, but it appeared something wasn't right...

Hearing the noise, Bakura went to the boy's room. He walked towards him, turned his head to the beeping alarm clock, and in frustration mixed with annoyance he breaked the object with his bare fist. It finally stopped making noises. Satisfied, he then slowly drew his attention back to the sleeping teen beneath him. He frowned in disgust.

"Couldn't you hear the damn thing by now? Now... wake up." he ordered coldly.

Ryou groaned again softly and covered his head with the covers. "Go away... I don't feel too good." he spoke weakly and softly. Although, Bakura obviously didn't take this so easily.

"I SAID WAKE UP!" with that Bakura forcefully grabbed the covers, harshly taking them off of the shivering teen right infront of him. His facial expression then changed dramatically as soon as he saw the poor boy's sick looking pale face.

"Oi, what's wrong with you...?" Bakura asked while raising an eyebrow, now more suspicious and curious instead of furious.

"...Bakura?" the boy called out to the darker boy with his eyes still halfway closed, mouth slightly opened. Bakura remained silent and continued looking down at him. Ryou slowly sat up from his bed, now letting his arms resting on the sides. "Bakura... I don't feel so well..." Ryou groaned holding his forehead in pain.

"That's not my problem." Bakura spat back rudely.

It even surprised him by the unexpected situation that Ryou then couldn't hold onto it much longer. The whole room was spinning around and around, and he realized exactly what was going to come next. He tried holding it in, but instead failed. He threw up all over the other boy's blue and white stripped shirt.

"W-What the hell?! What are you doing?!" Bakura backed up while all the 'puke' was dripping off from his shirt.

"Bakura, I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I can go to school today..."

"...You really are sick, aren't you?" Bakura demanded softly, a sharp edge to his voice. Ryou reached out and touched Bakura's arm and grasped them. He didn't know why, but Ryou felt grateful for Bakura's discovery.

Bakura growled at the contact and swiftly pulled away, causing the boy to almost lose his own balance over the bed. "What the hell are you doing?!" Ryou's happiness faded.

"I just thought… well if you knew that if something was wrong with me… that you'd take care of me." Bakura broke out into a cold laugh.

"What makes you think I would do that?" Bakura paused to let out another sharp laugh. Ryou stared at him with sorrowful brown eyes that expressed strong emotion of pleading and sadness.

"Please bakura? Just for today..." Ryou asked weakly again.

Bakura stared at him with a cold glare once more before finally deciding on the decision. "Fine. But, your going to the hospital instead. I'm not doing this alone." he told him coldly.

"T-Thanks." Ryou smiled.

Ryou got ready and Bakura walked him to the hospital, luckily it was really close to his house so Ryou was really relieved...otherwise, he wouldn't of asked Bakura to take him there if it was a long way. He knew the boy would spaz out and throw a fit complaining about how too far away it is. Ryou also agreed with Bakura that he knew he couldn't continue staying home, the fact that he already knew that Bakura wouldn't really take care for him and obviously he couldn't take care of himself for the reasion that he was too sick.

Bakura and Ryou entered the building. Bakura saw alot of people walking around---he didn't really know what to do so he just went up to some random person he saw walking towards both of them.

"Um, he's not feeling well right now and he needs help..." Bakura said to the person. The young man turned around and gave him the odd look.

"Um, are you talking to me? I don't work here...why don't you go up to one of the nurses and tell them, like that girl in white clothing." The man pointed and tried not to laugh.

"Oh, um, arigato..." Bakura spoke pretending as if like Ryou would be polite to anyone else. He mumbled something under his breath while leaving the man.

This time, the frustrated boy walked up to the woman in white clothing. "He's really sick right now and he needs help. Quick." Bakura explained flatly to the nurse.

"Who? You?" the nurse asked the darker boy while tilting her head in confusion.

"No! you foolish-" Ryou quickly gave him a small glare. Bakura cleared his throat and tried to keep his 'cool' this time, explaining it once again in a better way. "No, I'm talking about him." the slightly taller boy said while looking down at Ryou, acting like he was concerned.

"Oh... him. Sorry about the the mistake earlier... is he your brother?" the nurse smiled.

"....Yes, he's my little brother." Bakura paused between some words. Ryou only gave him a very weird expression. Bakura glared back at him with the look of expressing to him that he knew well what he was doing, Ryou got the point and sighed out loud.

"What's your name?" the young lady asked nicely.

"Ryou." Ryou weakly smiled back.

"Well, here Ryou, come this way. your rooms this way." The nurse insisted Ryou to follow her. The boy just followed behind her with Bakura carefully helping him right by his side.

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"This is your room. If you need anything in particular just tell me what you need." the girl smiled. "Oh, and wear this." She handed Ryou some light blue hospital pajamas.

"Thank you ma'am..." Ryou bowed polietly. With that, the nurse finally left the two boys standing outside the room.

Ryou changed into his new clothes that the nurse had given him, and he climbed onto the bed. He head hit the soft white pillow beneath him, pulling the blankets over him. Bakura, completely speechless, only watched him doing this.

Bakura scoffed. "Are you happy now...? I'm leaving." Bakura was about to leave the boy in the room, but soon suddenly felt a warm hand grabbing onto his own wrist. Bakura, surprisingly startled, immediately stopped at his own tracks as soon as he felt the teen's hand caress his own in plead.

"Um, Bakura, can you please stay with me for awhile? I don't want to be all alone here." Ryou asked softly. He didn't know why for himself, but at the very moment he actually wanted Bakura to be with him for the first time ever. He didn't want Bakura to leave him for some odd reason, but Bakura didn't notice it.

Bakura continued to stand there silently with his back still turned from the teen, but surprisingly he never jerked his hand away from Ryou's. He finally glanced back at the teen behind him... and his eyes suddenly softened slightly for the first time. "W-Why does he look so innocent?" There were something about those eyes that slightly fascinated a part of him for awhile currently at the moment, but usually it never did before so it shocked him at the fact.

"Fine. I'm leaving soon..." Bakura slowly walked towards the bed, and sat beside the boy.

Yet again, he didn't know why, but Ryou soon found out that he suddenly had an urge to just sit up and crawl over to him by resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. Although he was still thankful for what Bakura did for him, and he thought it was actually a 'nice' thing that he had done for the first. The teen rested his head on the his shoulder, sighing softly.

"W-What the hell are you doing? Get off me. Now." Bakura commanded coldly, but his harsh expression faded as soon as he felt Ryou gently touch his arm again.

"...I just wanted to thank you for bringing me here." Ryou thanked softly. For the first time, he smiled at his own evil darker half with his sweet look. "And...well, the thought just triggered from what happened last night. And I also thank you for saving my life. I never really got the chance to tell you that much."

Bakura growled. "...Your damn right I came to save you. Otherwise, you would of been dead by now."

"I-I'm sorry. It was all my fault Bakura. I should of never run out the house in the first place... then we wouldn't of had gone through the trouble." Ryou apologized.

"Heh. Those bastards weren't any trouble for me. I easily sent all of them to hell and they can't ever return." Bakura smirked evilly.

"But... it was still my fault. I made you come for me because of it. I-I could of been killed last night. I was so terrified; I really thought I was going to die.." Ryou suddenly felt his voice break." Suddenly, he buried his face into Bakura's chest and started crying softly, begging somewhat he wanted to be forgiven from what happened. "I-I'm s-so sorry..."

Confused, Bakura only remained silent and turned his neck to face the crying teen beside his left shoulder. He didn't yell, didn't push him off, or even hurt him, surprisingly. Without a second thought, he hesitantly gathered the trembling boy into his own arms. Ryou's eyes widened in pure shock, before relaxing into the embrace. 'W-What the hell am I doing right now?" his eyes widened in realization. 'Might as well screw the whole I'm-your-worst-nightmare thing now.' Bakura frowned to himself. "But... he feels so warm right now... what is this feeling...?"

Ryou was completely blown away---he never expected Bakura to actually even touch him, especially a real hug given back to him, but... being held by the other teen just made him feel protected by him for the first time.

"Hey, you can stop crying now..." Bakura murmured annoyingly, but gently. "I get your point."

Ryou didn't stop, but only continued crying into him and Bakura felt warm liquid hit his bare arm. Sighing softly, Bakura slowly pulled him closer into his chest for the boy to become more comfortable, gently rubbing his back. "...It's fine. I'll.... I'll protect you from any danger." Bakura felt like he had just said the most hardest sentence in his life. He was showing weakness for the first time… but for some reason, he didn't care right now. Although it wasn't that difficult since he also had that other excuse to use that he knew well what the boy also knew what he was talking about. For now... he only wanted Ryou to think the other obvious choice besides the secret emotion Bakura was also experimenting through at the same time.

Ryou couldn't believe his ears. His heart felt like it was going to explode. From what emotion, Ryou wasn't able to tell. But it sure was not hatred. Had Bakura just said those words? But of coarse, he only knew what Bakura was trying to tell him, that he still needed 'his' body. But he didn't care about that now since he was enjoying Bakura's new treatment towards him.

"Now... get off of me." the old attitude had returned back to Bakura's harsh voice once more, but it wasn't too long until he found that the boy had already fallen fast asleep peacefully against his chest for support and while Ryou's hand gripped onto his shirt.

"Ugh." he growled quietly in disgust. "Your such a weakling. You do know that, right?"

Silence.

Bakura sighed once more. The darker boy slowly took his light off his body and gently laid him onto the bed that both of them were sitting on---he did this carefully so he wouldn't accidentally wake Ryou up. Ryou groaned softly as his head hit the pillow beneath him. Bakura looked back at the window, and noticed the stormy weather outside. The heavy rain pounded loudly against the window glass. Bakura then drew his attention back to the sleeping boy right beside him, and watched Ryou's chest rise and fall with rythmatic breathing with silence.

The boy's eyes began closing. He was tired; he wasn't sleeping well lately. What was the reason? He didn't even know for himself why though. Alot of things were on his mind these days, but he couldn't bring it out that clearly. Yet, he was still greatly confused as well...

Bakura stared down at the sleeping teen again with unemotional, but cold eyes.

Could it be because of.... him?