The day went by pretty quickly. Ryou made the decision to take Bakura to one final place before going back home since it was getting pretty late, a place where Bakura wasn't very fond of that well either than the electric store he went to the other day with Ryou.
Bakura stared half curiously down at the dessert sitting simply right below him. He glanced back up at the boy with a slight look of discust upon in his face. "Look Ryou, I'v already said that I don't have to eat."
"Try it. It's good." Ryou pleaded.
"Well... okay. Just one bite then."
Ryou watched carefully and silently while the darker boy slowly and relunctantly picked the spoon off from the table sitting beside him. Ryou smiled happily when the boy finally took the first bite of the ice cream into his mouth. Bakura, even surprised for himself, actually found the thing quite good for the first time.
"Do you like it?"
"It's... pretty good." Bakura admitted. "But why are we eating ice cream on a cold day?" He asked curiously again.
"It doesn't really matter to me. I eat it when ever I feel like it." Ryou replied simply, taking a small lick out of his own with his tongue. "I just like basically any kind of desserts."
"You mean the ones you see in Egypt or any where else?" Bakura made a slight pause.
Ryou only laughed out loud. "No, I'm talking about the food." Bakura stood silent momentarily, still slightly confused from what the boy was talking about.
"...What's a dessert?" He finally asked. Ryou stared at him with a slightly surprised look.
"You don't know? You know... like the ones we eat after a real meal?"
"Kind of like a snack?" Bakura asked again.
"Yeah, it's almost the same thing." Ryou suddenly laughed out loud at the sudden thought coming across his mind.
"What's so funny?" Bakura demanded more seriously.
"I don't blame you. Yami goes through the same thing sometimes; he doesn't know much about random things like this."
"Geez, give me a break. Sorry that I haven't gotten out more to know alot about the things you already do." Bakura responded offensively with the sudden change of attitude.
"I'm not saying it in a bad way." Ryou smiled.
"I love ice cream! Let's get some guys!" Ryou suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him. It belonged to Jounouchi Katsuya. Ryou realized Yuugi and his small gang arrived shortly not too long after him and Bakura sat down and ate. Joey frantically ran up the counter and drooled heavily. "I need... ice cream." the blonde duelist moaned with desperate hunger. "You can't really stop Joey when it comes to food." Yuugi chuckled.
"I have to agree with you on that." Honda spoke bluntly. Anzu only giggled along with Yuugi and Yami. Ryou turned back to Bakura, who was glaring at the hyper blonde teen.
"Do you want to go say hi?" Ryou smiled.
"I guess."
"But promise me one thing..."
"What is it?"
"That you wouldn't kill anyone." Ryou frowned. "Especially Yuugi or Yami. Your not dueling a dark game with him again like what happened back in Battle City." He warned.
"Don't worry. I'm not interested right now anyways." Bakura rolled his eyes.
"Okay-" Ryou was about to finish his sentence when he was instantly interrupted by Yuugi's voice. "Ryou! What are you doing here?" The short duelist asked excitedly. "Oh, I'm... just eating some ice cream with Bakura before I go back home." The white haired boy smiled politely back at him. "Bakura?" Yuugi's eyes slowly fixed upon the twin darker boy sitting across from Ryou.
"Hi, Yuugi," Bakura attempted to put on a small genuine smile.
"Ryou!" Came Joey's blurt unexpectedly when Yuugi never got the chance to reply back to Bakura's greeting. The blonde teenager and the rest of the gang left behind ran up to the white haired teen. "What are you doing here?" Joey grinned, holding two overly large cones in both of his full hands. Everyone was shown wearing their wintry warm outfit, including the pharaoh as well.
"Hi, Jounouchi." Ryou waved. Yami was the next person to greet the boy, but soon noticed Bakura's glare focused upon him. The pharaoh was a bit surprised to find him here. "WHAT?! HE'S HERE?!" Joey suddenly shouted frantically, glaring daggers at Bakura who sat only silently. "What the hell is he doing here?!"
"He's... well, with me." Ryou told him simply. Ignoring him, Joey growled and walked menacingly towards to grab the collar of Bakura's coat. "What are you up to now?!" He demanded furiously.
"...Let go of me." Bakura warned dangerously and maliciously, also grabbing the other's collar. "If you don't want to die... puppy dog." He smirked sarcastically at the end, sending the blonde boy back a couple of steps on his feet.
"What did you just call me?!" The boy screamed, attempting to attack the other boy, however, he was too late when Honda restrained him back. "Lemme go Honda! I'll get that bastard! I'll kill him!" Joey struggled furiously and stubbornly. Anzu only shook her head in frustration.
"Calm down Jounouchi." Yuugi blurted.
"Yuugi, can I talk to you for a moment outside?" Ryou interrupted gently. Yuugi gave him an innocent look. "Um, sure."
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"Ryou..." Yuugi stared at him shockingly.
"Please Yuugi, give him a chance." Ryou frowned.
"But Ryou... he's evil-"
"No, he's not." Ryou interrupted . "Well, at least I know that he has a heart, and I'v seen it once."
"But Ryou, we can't forgive him for what he has already done to us. How can you be so sure that you can just trust him now?"
"I do trust him." the white haired teen sighed quietly, a small smile forming on his lips. "He's been so good to me ever since... to tell you the truth Yuugi..."
"Yes?"
"...I now found inside of myself that I would like to get to know him more better. I'v never really had the chance to interact with him much, and it's also a new experience to him for me to show him how to live a normal life. He's starting to open up to it gradually more every day, because he once told me that he would actually like to experience new things as well..." Ryou smiled sadly. "I don't know much about his past life when he once told me about it, but I'm determined to help him get his full memory back again. Like... how you helped Yami with his..."
"Ryou... I never knew you felt that way about him. I'm sorry..." Yuugi apologized.
"I'm sure something horrible made him to turn out like the person he is right now, but I'm not sure what it was. Something... about his past. The darkness... and loneliness he might of felt deep inside his heart back then. I would like to find out why Yuugi." Ryou frowned somewhat sadly, slowly glancing back at the fogged glass window where he saw Bakura happily finishing his ice cream inside the store.
"Just look at him Yuugi." Ryou only smiled at the sight he was seeing right before his eyes. "He's changing..."
"I understand now, Ryou." Yuugi nodded slowly as he also watched the yami.
"Yuugi, I don't hate him anymore..." Ryou paused for a second, afraid whether to tell the tri colored hair boy what he was about to say next. "...I like him." He confessed quietly.
Complete dead silence then took over the two teen's moment of conversation. A cold wind blew by swiftly, gently tussling their long hairs. Yuugi was almost speechless at the words that the teen had just said.
"We've never been so close before, and I'm still surprised how everything finally turned out to be exactly the way I'v always wanted at the end."
"But Ryou, he's... insane." Yuugi spoke with a small hint of fear in his voice.
"I know." Ryou sighed softly. "But he's gotten alot better. He isn't that crazy as much like he used to be."
"As long as he doesn't try to kill one of us..." Yuugi gulped.
"He won't. Please, can you guys try thinking of him differently from now on? Let's try to forget about the past and focus more what's in the present."
"Sure Ryou." Yuugi smiled happily.
"I'm sure the others will understand as well when you tell them about it. Tell Jounouchi not to hate him too much, and most importantly, please tell Yami about this. I'm sure he'll understand it better than anyone else other than just you. I don't want those two always hating each other forever..." Ryou sighed.
"I don't think Yami hates him that much..." Yuugi spoke softly. "Yami told me once that he talked to Bakura when he was at the hospital a couple of months ago. He told me that he and Bakura were actually having a conversation for once."
"Really?" Ryou had no idea until now. "I-I didn't know..." Yuugi only nodded in response.
"...D-Did Yami tell you anything else on what happened that day after I got out?" Ryou suddenly asked with hesitation.
"I don't think so. Why?" Yuugi asked suspiciously.
"Oh, it's nothing..." Ryou lightly shook his head.
"No, what is it Ryou? You can tell me anything." Yuugi asked again more worriedly, gently grabbing the boy's shoulders.
"I-I just... can't tell you Yuugi..." the white haired teen responded softly, feeling his own voice slightly tremble.
"I can keep a secret if you want Ryou." The shorter boy comforted. The white haired teen slowly shook his head.
"I..."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"Where the hell are those two?" Jounouchi asked curiously, growing more impatient at the fact that it was taking longer than he had though. "I have no idea..." Honda shrugged confusingly. "They should of been back earlier. It's getting pretty late outside, and colder." He shivered. "Joey,"
"What is it Honda?" the blonde teen yawned.
"Don't embarrass yourself next time. You know you can't beat him..." Honda chuckled teasingly.
"Yes, I can! I can whoop that bastard's ass anyday. Damn, I need to teach that guy some manners."
"Your the one who started the whole thing." Honda crossed his arms over his chest.
"Can you blame me? He hurts Ryou purposely, and that's something I can't stand." Joey sighed.
"Well, if he was trying to hurt him constantly then why were both of them eating ice cream at a place like this?" Honda cupped his chin and pondered somewhat suspiciously. "Chh, the evil spirit of the ring eating ice cream is something I won't believe any day." Joey scoffed. "Actually he was." Honda corrected bluntly.
"What?!"
"Look for yourself, man." Honda pointed a finger towards the table where Bakura was sitting previously.
"He's not there baka."
"What?" Honda quickly turned his head around to face the table behind him, for him to realize that the blonde teenager was correct. "Hey, where'd he go?" he turned his head back and forth.
"I told you that you couldn't trust the guy." Joey gritted his teeth and growled softly.
"Hey, Yami is missing too." Honda noticed that the two spirits were nowhere to be found.
"Damn." Joey cursed lowly.
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"What do you want?" Bakura demanded strictly, but gently. The yami crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his back against the wall standing behind him.
"I want you to tell me how Ryou is doing." Yami spoke firmly, inserting his hands into the pocket of his coat. Somewhere between a small laugh and a scoff escaped from the white haired boy's mouth.
"Is that the only reason why you wanted to talk to me?"
"Tell me." The pharaoh narrowed his eyes.
Bakura smirked smugly. "If you wanna know so bad, go ask him yourself."
"Bakura..." Yami started softly.
"Why do you want to know anyways?" The taller boy demanded, eyes narrowing seriously.
"Because I'm worried about him."
"There's nothing wrong with him." Bakura frowned.
"You already obviously know what's wrong..." Yami sighed heavily.
"Your point?"
"...It's already been past two months Bakura, and I can already see that his condition is getting worse; I'v seen it."
"There's nothing wrong with him." Bakura repeated himself more slowly and firmly. "Don't argue with me..." the boy warned.
"...Do you still love him?" The pharaoh questioned simply. Bakura's eyes slightly widened, gasping softly, unaware of the other's question and speechless for himself. The white haired teen was silent for seemingly like eternity. A cold wind blew through the alley, small strands of white locks gently brushing against his face. The boy didn't know what the difficult reason was to not allow him to answer the question.
"If you did love him... you would of known more better than that." Yami frowned disappointingly.
"I---I don't. I don't love him..." Bakura spoke quietly, voice slightly trembling in unsure denial. His once emotionless dark brown eyes suddenly softened, attempting to hide his face from the other and gaze down at the ground beneath him with a somewhat sorrow expression. The pharaoh could sense different but confusing emotions flowing from the boy.
"What were you and Ryou doing here a while ago?" Yami asked gently, changing the subject.
"He wanted to show me some places around Domino City. I haven't really gotten out and experienced a normal life like everyone else, so he decided to help me get used to it once in a while." Bakura responded. Yami's eyes widened.
"You?"
"Whats with the look on your face?" The boy demanded. "I want to and I enjoy it, is that so shocking to you?" It was Yami's turn to be silent for a while.
"No..." Yami answered confusingly.
"Don't think that I'm here to fight you for your puzzle. I'm not interested at the moment." Bakura spoke calmy while glancing back at the tri colored teen. Yami couldn't believe the fact that Bakura wasn't planning on taking his puzzle. It triggered his mind that he remembered that Bakura had always been constantly trying to complete his mission no matter what, but for the boy to tell him this; it was very unlike him.
"How can you be so sure that I can trust you, Bakura?"
"Because Ryou trusts me." Bakura closed his eyes and the smirk returned back to his lips.
"It's cold... I'm going back in..." He turned his back and slowly walked away from the formal pharaoh.
"Bakura..."
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Yuugi stared at the white haired boy with impossibly wide eyes mixed with both fear and pure shockness. He couldn't believe what the boy had just told him seconds ago. The tri colored hair teen trembled, falling in a kneeling position beside the other, both completely speechless and his muscles tensed.
"I'm---I'm sorry I had to tell you that Yuugi." Ryou apologized softly, voice still trembling. "I knew I had to tell you sooner or later. I-I'm sorry I kept it from you ever since-"
"Ryou, why didn't you tell me..." Yuugi whimpered.
"I didn't want to cause you any pain. Please, don't tell anyone else about it. Can you promise me?" Ryou pleaded desperately.
"I---I promise Ryou..." Yuugi cried. "I was worried why you were always sick..."
"It's not too bad... I-I guess. I still have hope Yuugi." Ryou tried smiling more positively. "Don't worry too much about it. There might still be a cure you know..."
"What did the docter say to you?" Yuugi asked curiously.
"I haven't heard from him in awhile. I'm still waiting for him to tell me what's going to happen." Ryou replied. "That's why... I was willing to spend the time with Bakura as much as possible, and share the things with him that I was interested in. I was hoping that it would of helped both him and me to get more closer before-" Before Ryou could finish his sentence, his good friend couldn't help himself but to only automatically wrap his arms around him, surprising the white haired teen.
"Please Ryou, you don't have to tell me anymore. I understand everything..." The shorter teen had tears welling in his violet eyes. "I understand..." He gently rubbed his friend's back soothingly.
"Yuugi...."
"I'm sorry that you have to go through with this. You don't deserve it! Your such a good person Ryou..." the boy choked out. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to notice it soon enough to help out much. I would of if I'v known, but I didn't. I'm so sorry Ryou... I'm such a bad friend....and the rest goes out to everyone else." Yuugi's voice dripped with guiltiness.
"Yuugi, don't say that. It's not your fault at all." Ryou comforted him gently. "You've always been a really good friend, and you'll always be..." he smiled weakly. "I-I'm glad that you came into my life..." at this exact point, Yuugi was touched by the words that the boy had just said to him. He never knew Ryou thought of him as much more than just a good friend. It shocked him, but yet so sweet...
"Ryou... thank you..." Yuugi's smile brightened, wiping the tears with his hand. Ryou smiled back softly.
Yuugi gently grabbed his shoulders once more, pulling him closer to his own body. "Ryou... you have to promise me that you'll be fine..." He pleaded. "Promise me that. Okay?" the boy gently shook the other, waiting for the answer he was expecting to get from the other's mouth.
"I promise Yuugi." Ryou smiled again.
"Ryou, I want to spend more time with you... you and me haven't really spent much time with each other as much like the other rest. I'm willing to build our relationship closer towards each other."
"So do I Yuugi..." Ryou agreed. "I'v always wanted to, even if sometimes I felt left out of the group you guys were always in. I'm sorry I was always the one to cause trouble and worry in the past when Bakura wanted to harm you guys, especially Yami. I didn't want him to ruin the nice relationship I had with you guys. You guys were always so tight, but I was always the one to be neglected for some serious problems I had to always go through with, so I didn't have the time to spend more time with everyone without ever feeling uncomfortable. I want to be part of it someday..." he spoke softly.
"Ryou... I never knew you felt that way..." Yuugi stared at him. "If I would of known I would of helped out what you were going through, but you never told me what was really going on inside of you."
"I know. Gomen..." Ryou apologized. Yuugi only furrowed his brows and smiled.
"Hey Yuugi, do you want to go back inside now? I think everyone is waiting on us. It's getting pretty cold out here..." Ryou shivered.
"We should." Yuugi agreed. "Let's go,"
The two good friends walked back inside the store, where they immediately got suspicious and curious stares from all around the group who had been waiting impatiently inside.
"Hi, um, you guys." Yuugi smiled.
"Where were you guys? We were waiting for almost an hour." Jounouchi yawned tiredly, groaning lazily.
"Oh, we just had a small talk outside. It's nothing..." Yuugi replied.
"Well, we should get going. It's getting pretty late." Yami announced gently, eyes focused upon his other half.
"Where's Bakura?" Ryou asked curiously out loud.
"I'm here." Ryou heard the yami's voice behind him. The boy turned around. "Bakura..." he instantly smiled when he saw the other standing right behind his back. Bakura then caught Ryou's eye. He returned the smile back before Jounouchi purposely stepped, or more over jumped, in their line of view. "Bye Ryou!" he grinned and waved in front of Ryou's face before leaving.
Bakura gave him a small glare as the blonde boy left them alone. Everyone also waved goodbye to Ryou. It was only just him and Bakura remaining left...
"Ready?" Ryou asked.
"Yeah."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Ryou worked silently on his big essay given as an homework assignment for one of his classes at school. The boy was growing weak every hour, the fact that he was working too hard studying for possibly every class he was taking. Sometimes he felt dizzy, but at other times he didn't as well as the pain went away.
"Hey..." Bakura started.
"What?" Ryou responded, focusing on his homework.
"...It's nothing." the white haired yami shook his head. Ryou, still curious, slowly turned his attention back to the essay he was writing on.
"Hey...." the boy spoke again.
"What is it?" Ryou asked more firmly.
"I----nevermind." Bakura backed down reluctantly again.
Ryou was growing more suspicious. He didn't know what Bakura wanted to say to him, as if he was struggling to get a single work out of his mouth.
"Oi,"
"What?!" Ryou shouted clearly, instantly spinning around to now stare at the other sitting on the bed shuffing through his deck. "What.... is it?" the teen demanded more gently again, clearing his throat.
"Take it easy! I was only going to ask you if you were almost done." Bakura pouted offensively, shouting back.
"Yes, I'm almost done. Why?"
"Because I'm bored."
"Is that all you ever say now?" Ryou sighed softly, continuing to finish his work.
Leaving the deck sitting beside him Bakura flopped off the bed, walking over to him. He stood beside the sitting teenager, arching his neck foward to stare down at the paper below him as he lowered his head next to the boy. "What are you working on?" he asked curiously.
"English." Ryou replied simply.
"Chh. Looks boring." Bakura scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. "Why waste time on something like this crap?"
"It's not like I want to do it either. I have to." Ryou frowned.
"Can't you just skip it?" Bakura questioned simply.
"Of course not! I'll get in trouble if I do."
"What could possibly happen?" Bakura smirked, trying to act innocently.
"Why don't you go to school one day to find out?" Ryou told him, attempting to hid a laugh behind his voice.
"Maybe I will." Bakura gasped sarcatically before grinning, acting excited.
"Hontou?" Ryou's eyes widened in surprise, however, it never made him realize that he didn't even have the slightest clue that Bakura was only being sarcastic. "You could come with me then." he said ecstatically.
"No." Bakura suddenly stated seriously, the fake grin instantly fading on his face.
"But, I thought---"
"I was only joking, baka." Bakura almost threw his head back and cackled evilly by the other's own stupidity. Ryou only frowned.
"...Right." he replied back dully, and forced out a small unsure laugh.
"Hey Ryou.... I need to tell you---" Bakura suddenly started softly, wanting to explain what he had wanted to tell the teen for the last couple of days on what was on his mind, but he was soon instantly cut off by Ryou's sudden gasp; this caused Bakura to lose that chance...
It wasn't too long until Ryou noticed a small red line trickling down his nose. He slowly reached up and placed a finger on the liquid. He gently pulled it back, to find blood now coated on his fingers.
"What's wrong?" Bakura asked curiously.
"I-It's nothing." Ryou stuttered.
"What do you mean it's nothing. I heard that." Bakura replied suspiciously. He quickly grabbed the boy's wrist and brought it up.
"You call this nothing?" Bakura sighed and narrowed his brows. "Your bleeding..."
Ryou quickly jerked back his arm. "I said I'm okay."
"Your bleeding because your tired. Now, go to bed." Without giving Ryou a second chance to reply back, he scooped the other boy into his arms and carried him over to his own bed nearby. At first Ryou tensed, but immediately relaxed afterwards realizing the fact that Bakura was holding him in his arms again.
Bakura gently laid him on the bed, pulling the sheets over the exhausted boy. "Goodnight." Bakura turned his back to walk out the teen's room when he felt a small hand grasp his own. He stopped.
"Stay wth me for a while..." Ryou smiled tiredly.
The thought that then came across his Bakura's mind was imagining the same exact moment when this occured to him when he was back at the hospital being with Ryou, back in the beginning when he knew for himself that everything was so different, however, this time he instead returned the smile back to the teenager and sat himself down on the bed beside the other. He leaned himself closer to the boy and relunctantly reached his hand out to cup the other's warm cheek in his palm. Ryou happily leaned himself to it, closing his eyes while gently kissing the other's hand below.
"Ryou, I..." Bakura's voice trembled. Ryou stared up at him with curiosity, revealing his innocent eyes. "I-It's nothing...." he finished.
"Okay." Ryou smiled. It didn't surprise him when Ryou continued kissing softly down his own wrist. At this exact point, Bakura couldn't help himself to desperately tell the other what was really on his mind; he wanted to finish that last sentence, but he just couldn't make himself come to it, instead, he only stared at the boy with softened eyes.
"...Can you kiss me?" Ryou pleaded so suddenly. Bakura was completely silent or a while, however, he didn't struggle through with the decision this time and instead allowed himself to be less hesitant. The darker boy closed his eyes and slowly lowered his head to the other until their lips finally met with one another, and Ryou felt like melting into the sweet bliss.
Bakura felt the teen's hands fist into the back of his hair, bringing him closer, and Bakura's hand never left Ryou's face. After a while, Bakura finally broke the kiss by pulling away. Ryou smiled at him again.
Bakura smiled at him as Ryou fell fast asleep. His eyes fixed upon the clock on Ryou's desk; it read 12:00 a.m. The boy also noticed a small black book sitting beside the clock, and he reached his hand out to pick it up. Bakura thought it must of belonged to Ryou, much to his good memory of recognizing the book he saw once before...
Bakura carefully brushed his thumb against the edges of the hard book, glancing back at the sleeping boy to make sure he wasn't awake, before finally deciding to open it. A small awkward facial expression was instantly shown casted upon his face. Bakura thought it must of been a journal, judging by the boy's small handwriting in japanese written everywhere. Of course, Bakura also knew how to read and write as well since he was speaking the language obviously. He turned to a random page, where he saw the date written "September 2" printed above the title bar.
He read the entry:
Today was my birthday! I'm already 16. Oh my gosh, it feels so awkward to tell you the truth. I just wish my dad was here to say happy birthday, but he went off to another trip for his research. I'm so alone living here by myself with no one around the house. I just wished the relationship he and I have were more close...
Bakura flipped through other pages as well, at times he couldn't help but to only laugh out loud at some hilarious moments he read that he never knew about before, and at some parts he would come across more serious entrys and only frown at the thought. It was actually pretty interesting to him for him to read all these notes. Finally deciding, he promised himself to read another random last page. "I'll read more tomorrow when he doesn't know." He told himself mentally.
August 18, 2003...
I was still surprisingly amazed and flattered by what he had done for me on that one day... it seemed like he just suddenly turned into a sweet and nice person, and this made me wonder if he had really truly changed his ways about how he treats me now. I could sometimes notice the look of resist and hesitation in his brown eyes that looked very much similar to my own while he did all those sweet things for me with the new sudden change in his personality. When I looked into his eyes that day when he was with me, I saw that his eyes just softened more. I couldn't really recognize the usual evil look in his narrowed eyes that he had most of the time. No, it wasn't evil looking at all... it was actually more the look of caring and concern. It was the very first time ever I saw him do that which surprised and shocked me a bit. Did he only do it for me and no one else? . . . I just smiled to myself just thinking about it.
He even stayed with me on that one lonesome dark night in the cold room.
Just being around with him. . . it made me feel even better already. It felt really nice. I just wanted to stay like that forever but I knew it wouldn't last too long. I just wished he acted more like this more often and showed me how he really felt towards me. . .
He doesn't need to hide it from me. It seems like he fights with his own self whenever he struggles between his different actions. . I can tell by the way he stubbornly hesitates. I guess he's not really used to the new feeling he never experienced before in his entire life. . .
Bakura stared half curiously down at the dessert sitting simply right below him. He glanced back up at the boy with a slight look of discust upon in his face. "Look Ryou, I'v already said that I don't have to eat."
"Try it. It's good." Ryou pleaded.
"Well... okay. Just one bite then."
Ryou watched carefully and silently while the darker boy slowly and relunctantly picked the spoon off from the table sitting beside him. Ryou smiled happily when the boy finally took the first bite of the ice cream into his mouth. Bakura, even surprised for himself, actually found the thing quite good for the first time.
"Do you like it?"
"It's... pretty good." Bakura admitted. "But why are we eating ice cream on a cold day?" He asked curiously again.
"It doesn't really matter to me. I eat it when ever I feel like it." Ryou replied simply, taking a small lick out of his own with his tongue. "I just like basically any kind of desserts."
"You mean the ones you see in Egypt or any where else?" Bakura made a slight pause.
Ryou only laughed out loud. "No, I'm talking about the food." Bakura stood silent momentarily, still slightly confused from what the boy was talking about.
"...What's a dessert?" He finally asked. Ryou stared at him with a slightly surprised look.
"You don't know? You know... like the ones we eat after a real meal?"
"Kind of like a snack?" Bakura asked again.
"Yeah, it's almost the same thing." Ryou suddenly laughed out loud at the sudden thought coming across his mind.
"What's so funny?" Bakura demanded more seriously.
"I don't blame you. Yami goes through the same thing sometimes; he doesn't know much about random things like this."
"Geez, give me a break. Sorry that I haven't gotten out more to know alot about the things you already do." Bakura responded offensively with the sudden change of attitude.
"I'm not saying it in a bad way." Ryou smiled.
"I love ice cream! Let's get some guys!" Ryou suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him. It belonged to Jounouchi Katsuya. Ryou realized Yuugi and his small gang arrived shortly not too long after him and Bakura sat down and ate. Joey frantically ran up the counter and drooled heavily. "I need... ice cream." the blonde duelist moaned with desperate hunger. "You can't really stop Joey when it comes to food." Yuugi chuckled.
"I have to agree with you on that." Honda spoke bluntly. Anzu only giggled along with Yuugi and Yami. Ryou turned back to Bakura, who was glaring at the hyper blonde teen.
"Do you want to go say hi?" Ryou smiled.
"I guess."
"But promise me one thing..."
"What is it?"
"That you wouldn't kill anyone." Ryou frowned. "Especially Yuugi or Yami. Your not dueling a dark game with him again like what happened back in Battle City." He warned.
"Don't worry. I'm not interested right now anyways." Bakura rolled his eyes.
"Okay-" Ryou was about to finish his sentence when he was instantly interrupted by Yuugi's voice. "Ryou! What are you doing here?" The short duelist asked excitedly. "Oh, I'm... just eating some ice cream with Bakura before I go back home." The white haired boy smiled politely back at him. "Bakura?" Yuugi's eyes slowly fixed upon the twin darker boy sitting across from Ryou.
"Hi, Yuugi," Bakura attempted to put on a small genuine smile.
"Ryou!" Came Joey's blurt unexpectedly when Yuugi never got the chance to reply back to Bakura's greeting. The blonde teenager and the rest of the gang left behind ran up to the white haired teen. "What are you doing here?" Joey grinned, holding two overly large cones in both of his full hands. Everyone was shown wearing their wintry warm outfit, including the pharaoh as well.
"Hi, Jounouchi." Ryou waved. Yami was the next person to greet the boy, but soon noticed Bakura's glare focused upon him. The pharaoh was a bit surprised to find him here. "WHAT?! HE'S HERE?!" Joey suddenly shouted frantically, glaring daggers at Bakura who sat only silently. "What the hell is he doing here?!"
"He's... well, with me." Ryou told him simply. Ignoring him, Joey growled and walked menacingly towards to grab the collar of Bakura's coat. "What are you up to now?!" He demanded furiously.
"...Let go of me." Bakura warned dangerously and maliciously, also grabbing the other's collar. "If you don't want to die... puppy dog." He smirked sarcastically at the end, sending the blonde boy back a couple of steps on his feet.
"What did you just call me?!" The boy screamed, attempting to attack the other boy, however, he was too late when Honda restrained him back. "Lemme go Honda! I'll get that bastard! I'll kill him!" Joey struggled furiously and stubbornly. Anzu only shook her head in frustration.
"Calm down Jounouchi." Yuugi blurted.
"Yuugi, can I talk to you for a moment outside?" Ryou interrupted gently. Yuugi gave him an innocent look. "Um, sure."
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"Ryou..." Yuugi stared at him shockingly.
"Please Yuugi, give him a chance." Ryou frowned.
"But Ryou... he's evil-"
"No, he's not." Ryou interrupted . "Well, at least I know that he has a heart, and I'v seen it once."
"But Ryou, we can't forgive him for what he has already done to us. How can you be so sure that you can just trust him now?"
"I do trust him." the white haired teen sighed quietly, a small smile forming on his lips. "He's been so good to me ever since... to tell you the truth Yuugi..."
"Yes?"
"...I now found inside of myself that I would like to get to know him more better. I'v never really had the chance to interact with him much, and it's also a new experience to him for me to show him how to live a normal life. He's starting to open up to it gradually more every day, because he once told me that he would actually like to experience new things as well..." Ryou smiled sadly. "I don't know much about his past life when he once told me about it, but I'm determined to help him get his full memory back again. Like... how you helped Yami with his..."
"Ryou... I never knew you felt that way about him. I'm sorry..." Yuugi apologized.
"I'm sure something horrible made him to turn out like the person he is right now, but I'm not sure what it was. Something... about his past. The darkness... and loneliness he might of felt deep inside his heart back then. I would like to find out why Yuugi." Ryou frowned somewhat sadly, slowly glancing back at the fogged glass window where he saw Bakura happily finishing his ice cream inside the store.
"Just look at him Yuugi." Ryou only smiled at the sight he was seeing right before his eyes. "He's changing..."
"I understand now, Ryou." Yuugi nodded slowly as he also watched the yami.
"Yuugi, I don't hate him anymore..." Ryou paused for a second, afraid whether to tell the tri colored hair boy what he was about to say next. "...I like him." He confessed quietly.
Complete dead silence then took over the two teen's moment of conversation. A cold wind blew by swiftly, gently tussling their long hairs. Yuugi was almost speechless at the words that the teen had just said.
"We've never been so close before, and I'm still surprised how everything finally turned out to be exactly the way I'v always wanted at the end."
"But Ryou, he's... insane." Yuugi spoke with a small hint of fear in his voice.
"I know." Ryou sighed softly. "But he's gotten alot better. He isn't that crazy as much like he used to be."
"As long as he doesn't try to kill one of us..." Yuugi gulped.
"He won't. Please, can you guys try thinking of him differently from now on? Let's try to forget about the past and focus more what's in the present."
"Sure Ryou." Yuugi smiled happily.
"I'm sure the others will understand as well when you tell them about it. Tell Jounouchi not to hate him too much, and most importantly, please tell Yami about this. I'm sure he'll understand it better than anyone else other than just you. I don't want those two always hating each other forever..." Ryou sighed.
"I don't think Yami hates him that much..." Yuugi spoke softly. "Yami told me once that he talked to Bakura when he was at the hospital a couple of months ago. He told me that he and Bakura were actually having a conversation for once."
"Really?" Ryou had no idea until now. "I-I didn't know..." Yuugi only nodded in response.
"...D-Did Yami tell you anything else on what happened that day after I got out?" Ryou suddenly asked with hesitation.
"I don't think so. Why?" Yuugi asked suspiciously.
"Oh, it's nothing..." Ryou lightly shook his head.
"No, what is it Ryou? You can tell me anything." Yuugi asked again more worriedly, gently grabbing the boy's shoulders.
"I-I just... can't tell you Yuugi..." the white haired teen responded softly, feeling his own voice slightly tremble.
"I can keep a secret if you want Ryou." The shorter boy comforted. The white haired teen slowly shook his head.
"I..."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"Where the hell are those two?" Jounouchi asked curiously, growing more impatient at the fact that it was taking longer than he had though. "I have no idea..." Honda shrugged confusingly. "They should of been back earlier. It's getting pretty late outside, and colder." He shivered. "Joey,"
"What is it Honda?" the blonde teen yawned.
"Don't embarrass yourself next time. You know you can't beat him..." Honda chuckled teasingly.
"Yes, I can! I can whoop that bastard's ass anyday. Damn, I need to teach that guy some manners."
"Your the one who started the whole thing." Honda crossed his arms over his chest.
"Can you blame me? He hurts Ryou purposely, and that's something I can't stand." Joey sighed.
"Well, if he was trying to hurt him constantly then why were both of them eating ice cream at a place like this?" Honda cupped his chin and pondered somewhat suspiciously. "Chh, the evil spirit of the ring eating ice cream is something I won't believe any day." Joey scoffed. "Actually he was." Honda corrected bluntly.
"What?!"
"Look for yourself, man." Honda pointed a finger towards the table where Bakura was sitting previously.
"He's not there baka."
"What?" Honda quickly turned his head around to face the table behind him, for him to realize that the blonde teenager was correct. "Hey, where'd he go?" he turned his head back and forth.
"I told you that you couldn't trust the guy." Joey gritted his teeth and growled softly.
"Hey, Yami is missing too." Honda noticed that the two spirits were nowhere to be found.
"Damn." Joey cursed lowly.
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"What do you want?" Bakura demanded strictly, but gently. The yami crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his back against the wall standing behind him.
"I want you to tell me how Ryou is doing." Yami spoke firmly, inserting his hands into the pocket of his coat. Somewhere between a small laugh and a scoff escaped from the white haired boy's mouth.
"Is that the only reason why you wanted to talk to me?"
"Tell me." The pharaoh narrowed his eyes.
Bakura smirked smugly. "If you wanna know so bad, go ask him yourself."
"Bakura..." Yami started softly.
"Why do you want to know anyways?" The taller boy demanded, eyes narrowing seriously.
"Because I'm worried about him."
"There's nothing wrong with him." Bakura frowned.
"You already obviously know what's wrong..." Yami sighed heavily.
"Your point?"
"...It's already been past two months Bakura, and I can already see that his condition is getting worse; I'v seen it."
"There's nothing wrong with him." Bakura repeated himself more slowly and firmly. "Don't argue with me..." the boy warned.
"...Do you still love him?" The pharaoh questioned simply. Bakura's eyes slightly widened, gasping softly, unaware of the other's question and speechless for himself. The white haired teen was silent for seemingly like eternity. A cold wind blew through the alley, small strands of white locks gently brushing against his face. The boy didn't know what the difficult reason was to not allow him to answer the question.
"If you did love him... you would of known more better than that." Yami frowned disappointingly.
"I---I don't. I don't love him..." Bakura spoke quietly, voice slightly trembling in unsure denial. His once emotionless dark brown eyes suddenly softened, attempting to hide his face from the other and gaze down at the ground beneath him with a somewhat sorrow expression. The pharaoh could sense different but confusing emotions flowing from the boy.
"What were you and Ryou doing here a while ago?" Yami asked gently, changing the subject.
"He wanted to show me some places around Domino City. I haven't really gotten out and experienced a normal life like everyone else, so he decided to help me get used to it once in a while." Bakura responded. Yami's eyes widened.
"You?"
"Whats with the look on your face?" The boy demanded. "I want to and I enjoy it, is that so shocking to you?" It was Yami's turn to be silent for a while.
"No..." Yami answered confusingly.
"Don't think that I'm here to fight you for your puzzle. I'm not interested at the moment." Bakura spoke calmy while glancing back at the tri colored teen. Yami couldn't believe the fact that Bakura wasn't planning on taking his puzzle. It triggered his mind that he remembered that Bakura had always been constantly trying to complete his mission no matter what, but for the boy to tell him this; it was very unlike him.
"How can you be so sure that I can trust you, Bakura?"
"Because Ryou trusts me." Bakura closed his eyes and the smirk returned back to his lips.
"It's cold... I'm going back in..." He turned his back and slowly walked away from the formal pharaoh.
"Bakura..."
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Yuugi stared at the white haired boy with impossibly wide eyes mixed with both fear and pure shockness. He couldn't believe what the boy had just told him seconds ago. The tri colored hair teen trembled, falling in a kneeling position beside the other, both completely speechless and his muscles tensed.
"I'm---I'm sorry I had to tell you that Yuugi." Ryou apologized softly, voice still trembling. "I knew I had to tell you sooner or later. I-I'm sorry I kept it from you ever since-"
"Ryou, why didn't you tell me..." Yuugi whimpered.
"I didn't want to cause you any pain. Please, don't tell anyone else about it. Can you promise me?" Ryou pleaded desperately.
"I---I promise Ryou..." Yuugi cried. "I was worried why you were always sick..."
"It's not too bad... I-I guess. I still have hope Yuugi." Ryou tried smiling more positively. "Don't worry too much about it. There might still be a cure you know..."
"What did the docter say to you?" Yuugi asked curiously.
"I haven't heard from him in awhile. I'm still waiting for him to tell me what's going to happen." Ryou replied. "That's why... I was willing to spend the time with Bakura as much as possible, and share the things with him that I was interested in. I was hoping that it would of helped both him and me to get more closer before-" Before Ryou could finish his sentence, his good friend couldn't help himself but to only automatically wrap his arms around him, surprising the white haired teen.
"Please Ryou, you don't have to tell me anymore. I understand everything..." The shorter teen had tears welling in his violet eyes. "I understand..." He gently rubbed his friend's back soothingly.
"Yuugi...."
"I'm sorry that you have to go through with this. You don't deserve it! Your such a good person Ryou..." the boy choked out. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to notice it soon enough to help out much. I would of if I'v known, but I didn't. I'm so sorry Ryou... I'm such a bad friend....and the rest goes out to everyone else." Yuugi's voice dripped with guiltiness.
"Yuugi, don't say that. It's not your fault at all." Ryou comforted him gently. "You've always been a really good friend, and you'll always be..." he smiled weakly. "I-I'm glad that you came into my life..." at this exact point, Yuugi was touched by the words that the boy had just said to him. He never knew Ryou thought of him as much more than just a good friend. It shocked him, but yet so sweet...
"Ryou... thank you..." Yuugi's smile brightened, wiping the tears with his hand. Ryou smiled back softly.
Yuugi gently grabbed his shoulders once more, pulling him closer to his own body. "Ryou... you have to promise me that you'll be fine..." He pleaded. "Promise me that. Okay?" the boy gently shook the other, waiting for the answer he was expecting to get from the other's mouth.
"I promise Yuugi." Ryou smiled again.
"Ryou, I want to spend more time with you... you and me haven't really spent much time with each other as much like the other rest. I'm willing to build our relationship closer towards each other."
"So do I Yuugi..." Ryou agreed. "I'v always wanted to, even if sometimes I felt left out of the group you guys were always in. I'm sorry I was always the one to cause trouble and worry in the past when Bakura wanted to harm you guys, especially Yami. I didn't want him to ruin the nice relationship I had with you guys. You guys were always so tight, but I was always the one to be neglected for some serious problems I had to always go through with, so I didn't have the time to spend more time with everyone without ever feeling uncomfortable. I want to be part of it someday..." he spoke softly.
"Ryou... I never knew you felt that way..." Yuugi stared at him. "If I would of known I would of helped out what you were going through, but you never told me what was really going on inside of you."
"I know. Gomen..." Ryou apologized. Yuugi only furrowed his brows and smiled.
"Hey Yuugi, do you want to go back inside now? I think everyone is waiting on us. It's getting pretty cold out here..." Ryou shivered.
"We should." Yuugi agreed. "Let's go,"
The two good friends walked back inside the store, where they immediately got suspicious and curious stares from all around the group who had been waiting impatiently inside.
"Hi, um, you guys." Yuugi smiled.
"Where were you guys? We were waiting for almost an hour." Jounouchi yawned tiredly, groaning lazily.
"Oh, we just had a small talk outside. It's nothing..." Yuugi replied.
"Well, we should get going. It's getting pretty late." Yami announced gently, eyes focused upon his other half.
"Where's Bakura?" Ryou asked curiously out loud.
"I'm here." Ryou heard the yami's voice behind him. The boy turned around. "Bakura..." he instantly smiled when he saw the other standing right behind his back. Bakura then caught Ryou's eye. He returned the smile back before Jounouchi purposely stepped, or more over jumped, in their line of view. "Bye Ryou!" he grinned and waved in front of Ryou's face before leaving.
Bakura gave him a small glare as the blonde boy left them alone. Everyone also waved goodbye to Ryou. It was only just him and Bakura remaining left...
"Ready?" Ryou asked.
"Yeah."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Ryou worked silently on his big essay given as an homework assignment for one of his classes at school. The boy was growing weak every hour, the fact that he was working too hard studying for possibly every class he was taking. Sometimes he felt dizzy, but at other times he didn't as well as the pain went away.
"Hey..." Bakura started.
"What?" Ryou responded, focusing on his homework.
"...It's nothing." the white haired yami shook his head. Ryou, still curious, slowly turned his attention back to the essay he was writing on.
"Hey...." the boy spoke again.
"What is it?" Ryou asked more firmly.
"I----nevermind." Bakura backed down reluctantly again.
Ryou was growing more suspicious. He didn't know what Bakura wanted to say to him, as if he was struggling to get a single work out of his mouth.
"Oi,"
"What?!" Ryou shouted clearly, instantly spinning around to now stare at the other sitting on the bed shuffing through his deck. "What.... is it?" the teen demanded more gently again, clearing his throat.
"Take it easy! I was only going to ask you if you were almost done." Bakura pouted offensively, shouting back.
"Yes, I'm almost done. Why?"
"Because I'm bored."
"Is that all you ever say now?" Ryou sighed softly, continuing to finish his work.
Leaving the deck sitting beside him Bakura flopped off the bed, walking over to him. He stood beside the sitting teenager, arching his neck foward to stare down at the paper below him as he lowered his head next to the boy. "What are you working on?" he asked curiously.
"English." Ryou replied simply.
"Chh. Looks boring." Bakura scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. "Why waste time on something like this crap?"
"It's not like I want to do it either. I have to." Ryou frowned.
"Can't you just skip it?" Bakura questioned simply.
"Of course not! I'll get in trouble if I do."
"What could possibly happen?" Bakura smirked, trying to act innocently.
"Why don't you go to school one day to find out?" Ryou told him, attempting to hid a laugh behind his voice.
"Maybe I will." Bakura gasped sarcatically before grinning, acting excited.
"Hontou?" Ryou's eyes widened in surprise, however, it never made him realize that he didn't even have the slightest clue that Bakura was only being sarcastic. "You could come with me then." he said ecstatically.
"No." Bakura suddenly stated seriously, the fake grin instantly fading on his face.
"But, I thought---"
"I was only joking, baka." Bakura almost threw his head back and cackled evilly by the other's own stupidity. Ryou only frowned.
"...Right." he replied back dully, and forced out a small unsure laugh.
"Hey Ryou.... I need to tell you---" Bakura suddenly started softly, wanting to explain what he had wanted to tell the teen for the last couple of days on what was on his mind, but he was soon instantly cut off by Ryou's sudden gasp; this caused Bakura to lose that chance...
It wasn't too long until Ryou noticed a small red line trickling down his nose. He slowly reached up and placed a finger on the liquid. He gently pulled it back, to find blood now coated on his fingers.
"What's wrong?" Bakura asked curiously.
"I-It's nothing." Ryou stuttered.
"What do you mean it's nothing. I heard that." Bakura replied suspiciously. He quickly grabbed the boy's wrist and brought it up.
"You call this nothing?" Bakura sighed and narrowed his brows. "Your bleeding..."
Ryou quickly jerked back his arm. "I said I'm okay."
"Your bleeding because your tired. Now, go to bed." Without giving Ryou a second chance to reply back, he scooped the other boy into his arms and carried him over to his own bed nearby. At first Ryou tensed, but immediately relaxed afterwards realizing the fact that Bakura was holding him in his arms again.
Bakura gently laid him on the bed, pulling the sheets over the exhausted boy. "Goodnight." Bakura turned his back to walk out the teen's room when he felt a small hand grasp his own. He stopped.
"Stay wth me for a while..." Ryou smiled tiredly.
The thought that then came across his Bakura's mind was imagining the same exact moment when this occured to him when he was back at the hospital being with Ryou, back in the beginning when he knew for himself that everything was so different, however, this time he instead returned the smile back to the teenager and sat himself down on the bed beside the other. He leaned himself closer to the boy and relunctantly reached his hand out to cup the other's warm cheek in his palm. Ryou happily leaned himself to it, closing his eyes while gently kissing the other's hand below.
"Ryou, I..." Bakura's voice trembled. Ryou stared up at him with curiosity, revealing his innocent eyes. "I-It's nothing...." he finished.
"Okay." Ryou smiled. It didn't surprise him when Ryou continued kissing softly down his own wrist. At this exact point, Bakura couldn't help himself to desperately tell the other what was really on his mind; he wanted to finish that last sentence, but he just couldn't make himself come to it, instead, he only stared at the boy with softened eyes.
"...Can you kiss me?" Ryou pleaded so suddenly. Bakura was completely silent or a while, however, he didn't struggle through with the decision this time and instead allowed himself to be less hesitant. The darker boy closed his eyes and slowly lowered his head to the other until their lips finally met with one another, and Ryou felt like melting into the sweet bliss.
Bakura felt the teen's hands fist into the back of his hair, bringing him closer, and Bakura's hand never left Ryou's face. After a while, Bakura finally broke the kiss by pulling away. Ryou smiled at him again.
Bakura smiled at him as Ryou fell fast asleep. His eyes fixed upon the clock on Ryou's desk; it read 12:00 a.m. The boy also noticed a small black book sitting beside the clock, and he reached his hand out to pick it up. Bakura thought it must of belonged to Ryou, much to his good memory of recognizing the book he saw once before...
Bakura carefully brushed his thumb against the edges of the hard book, glancing back at the sleeping boy to make sure he wasn't awake, before finally deciding to open it. A small awkward facial expression was instantly shown casted upon his face. Bakura thought it must of been a journal, judging by the boy's small handwriting in japanese written everywhere. Of course, Bakura also knew how to read and write as well since he was speaking the language obviously. He turned to a random page, where he saw the date written "September 2" printed above the title bar.
He read the entry:
Today was my birthday! I'm already 16. Oh my gosh, it feels so awkward to tell you the truth. I just wish my dad was here to say happy birthday, but he went off to another trip for his research. I'm so alone living here by myself with no one around the house. I just wished the relationship he and I have were more close...
Bakura flipped through other pages as well, at times he couldn't help but to only laugh out loud at some hilarious moments he read that he never knew about before, and at some parts he would come across more serious entrys and only frown at the thought. It was actually pretty interesting to him for him to read all these notes. Finally deciding, he promised himself to read another random last page. "I'll read more tomorrow when he doesn't know." He told himself mentally.
August 18, 2003...
I was still surprisingly amazed and flattered by what he had done for me on that one day... it seemed like he just suddenly turned into a sweet and nice person, and this made me wonder if he had really truly changed his ways about how he treats me now. I could sometimes notice the look of resist and hesitation in his brown eyes that looked very much similar to my own while he did all those sweet things for me with the new sudden change in his personality. When I looked into his eyes that day when he was with me, I saw that his eyes just softened more. I couldn't really recognize the usual evil look in his narrowed eyes that he had most of the time. No, it wasn't evil looking at all... it was actually more the look of caring and concern. It was the very first time ever I saw him do that which surprised and shocked me a bit. Did he only do it for me and no one else? . . . I just smiled to myself just thinking about it.
He even stayed with me on that one lonesome dark night in the cold room.
Just being around with him. . . it made me feel even better already. It felt really nice. I just wanted to stay like that forever but I knew it wouldn't last too long. I just wished he acted more like this more often and showed me how he really felt towards me. . .
He doesn't need to hide it from me. It seems like he fights with his own self whenever he struggles between his different actions. . I can tell by the way he stubbornly hesitates. I guess he's not really used to the new feeling he never experienced before in his entire life. . .