Hey again everyone! Here's Bazu, with a new ficlet. This one contains yaoi - if you don't like, don't read - and also has... well, that'd give away spoilers.

If you read this, please review? My last couple of posts have been almost ignored and... well, it'd just be nice to get something back for the effort, you know? Sankyuu!

Disclaimer: Own nothing. End of that topic.

"Hey Yug'!" came Jou's exuberant voice over the loud music.

The addressed teen turned round, fanning his vampire cowl out behind him, creating a dramatic effect. "Yeah?" he called back, having to shout a little to be heard.

The two boys were at Domino's annual Halloween party, in a hall hired out specially for the occasion. One of the many parents of the children present acted as DJ for the night, edging the music up louder as the night wore on, and other parents provided buffet food for the teens. The local council, as part of their 'unity in the community' scheme, paid for the hall itself, and the event attracted teens from towns as far as five miles away.

"I think I'm on tonight!" Jou cried out, giving a thumbs-up and a wide grin. "See the cute brunette in the corner?"

Yugi glanced across to where two students from their school, Anzu and Seto, were talking. Anzu had come dressed as a fairy, while Seto had opted for the 'mad scientist' look, complete with bloodstained lab coat and goggles on top of his head. He blinked for a moment, staring between the two. "Uhm, Jou..." Yugi began. "They're both..."

"I know," Jou replied with a wink. "But the cute one's mine!"

Yugi couldn't help grinning at Jou's teasing, the fangs he'd worn with his outfit showing. "Come on, which one?" he pressed, slapping Jou on the arm lightly. "At least give me a clue!"

"Ah, no, your clue's something else," Jou replied with a smirk. He paused to adjust the bolt he had running 'through' his neck for his 'Frankenstein's Monster' outfit, muttering about how it was too tight, before nodding over to the wall at the other end of the hall. "Check out the one with the white hair."

Confused, Yugi turned round, spotting a face through the crowd. The boy's soft, brown eyes suddenly widened as he realised he'd been caught staring, and he spun round to face away, his cheeks glowing red even before his hair could hide them. "No way..." Yugi murmured. "That's Ryou, right?"

"None other," Jou replied, his gaze directed at the two brunettes again. "The one with the insane twin."

Yugi frowned at Jou a little. "That's not nice," he stated. "Sure, Bakura's a bit aggressive, and gives the teachers a lot of trouble, but he's not-"

Yugi stopped mid-sentence as he watched Bakura suddenly appear beside Ryou, obviously berating him about something, Ryou cringing as his twin yelled. From what Yugi could tell, there was a lot of gesturing in his direction. "...he's not someone I want to get on the wrong side of..." Yugi finished weakly.

"Damn right about that," Jounouchi replied with a laugh. "He's probably the kind of guy to tear your head off and spit down your throat first, and then ask if you wanna say sorry!"

"What was that?" came a harsh growl from beside Jou's ear.

The boy leapt away with a cry of surprise, spinning round in a defensive stance to see Bakura's glare fixed on him. "Uh, well, I wasn't... I mean..."

"Fortunately I didn't come here to see you," the boy stated. He'd made very little effort by way of costume, instead settling for designs round his eyes in Kohl, which only served to make him look even more fearsome. "I came for the midget instead." Bakura turned his eyes onto Yugi, running his gaze up and down him critically. "Yugi Motou?"

Yugi nodded, and gave a cry of surprise as Bakura grabbed him by the arm, dragging him back in the direction he'd come from. Jou simply stood with a wide smirk as he caught on, and winked at Yugi. "Good luck!" he called, waving. "I'll see you later!"

Ryou stood awkwardly as Bakura made off into the crowd again, staring after his brother. "Uhm... I-I'm sorry about him..." he stammered, smiling bashfully toward Yugi as Bakura disappeared from view. "Y-You don't have to stay with me, if you don't want to... I mean, i-it's not like you have to do what he says... I can just-"

"It's okay," Yugi smiled, reaching for the table behind him to grab a bottle of fizzy orange. "I think my friend's going to be busy for a while anyway, so I've got no-one to dance with at the moment."

Ryou nodded at this, though his eyes looked somewhat distant. It sounded to him like Yugi had just said he'd stick around because he had nothing better to do. "Yeah..." Ryou murmured quietly. "I'm the same, really. My brother scares off any friends I would have made. I wasn't even going to come tonight, except he made me."

"Really?" Yugi asked, surprised. "I thought you'd been looking forward to it for months, going by the costume..."

Ryou looked down at his outfit critically. It was the stereotypical Prince from a fairytale, down to polished black shoes, royal blue attire with scarlet trim and frilly gold-coloured epaulettes. He even had white gloves and a black cane with a golden ball on the head. "You really think it's that good?" he asked bashfully. "I only started on it two days ago, so it's kind of rushed..."

Yugi gave a low whistle of approval. "Two days?" he repeated. "I couldn't even do a glove in two weeks!" he admitted with a laugh. "My sewing's awful!"

Ryou gave a light smile. "It's not so hard, really," he confessed. "It's just a practice thing. I can show you some day... if you like?"

Yugi noticed the slightly hopeful edge in Ryou's voice, and realised that – to him – such an offer was a big thing. Ryou probably felt like he was asking Yugi on a date. With a small smile, he nodded. "Sure."

Yugi couldn't help his smile widening as he saw Ryou's eyes light up. It looked like Jou had been right. Taking another swig from his bottle, Yugi nodded as Ryou began to talk animatedly about some of the things he'd made in the past, his inhibitions apparently slipping a little now that he'd crossed that initial psychological block. Truth be told, a lot of what Ryou was talking about was wasted on Yugi, since he hadn't the faintest idea what cross-stitching or chain-stitching was, or why it mattered how far each stab of the needle was, but it was nice just seeing the boy so cheerful. In school, he always looked distant or depressed, probably because – as he'd said – most people kept away from him because of Bakura.

Taking one more quick gulp, Yugi smiled at Ryou as a slightly slower song came on. Not a typical 'lovers' song, but one that people were starting to get in groups and sway and sing along to, rather than really dancing. Setting his bottle down, he figured that the least he could do for the boy was make his evening really worthwhile. He'd never thought of Ryou in the way he apparently did of Yugi, but the boy seemed nice enough. He extended a hand to the white-haired teen, an honest smile on his face. "Shall we?"

The boy blushed as he realised what Yugi was asking. "Uh... well... I..." he faltered, staring down at his well-polished shoes. "I-I've never really danced before, so I don't know how..."

Ryou gasped as Yugi's hand gently took his. "It's okay," he smiled warmly, beginning to step back and pull the unresisting boy with him. "I've never danced like this either."

As Yugi led Ryou – who was by now almost quivering with nerves and excitement – to the dance floor, he didn't notice the distasteful glares being sent their way from a group of the school's most notorious bullies, led by Ushio. "Dirty faggots," the giant sneered, earning low murmurs of agreement from his colleagues. He stepped over to Yugi's drink and silently dropped a pill into it, before returning to his friends with a fresh bottle to cover his actions. "Let's see how much 'fun' they have after that," he smirked.

Ryou looked like a rabbit caught in headlights as Yugi came to a standstill. He'd deliberately avoided the centre of the dance floor, so as to avoid attention, and had instead taken Ryou to one of the sides, where most people would ignore them. Yugi reached up and lightly brushed some of Ryou's hair back, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry," he spoke into Ryou's ear softly, only just over the volume of the music. "Just do whatever feels natural."

Yugi glanced over Ryou's shoulder as he pulled his head back, observing the few other couples on the floor that hadn't joined a larger group. He gently slipped his hands round Ryou's waist, folding them across the small of Ryou's back, and stood with their bodies a little way apart, missing contact so as not to give Ryou the wrong idea, but close enough to give Ryou a wonderful memory never the less. After a hesitation, Ryou followed suit, his arms crossing just below Yugi's rib level, and the two began swaying slowly to the music.

Yugi looked up at Ryou, and smiled softly as he saw the wonder and delight in the boy's eyes. "You're doing fine," he murmured, shifting his hands to a slightly lower and more comfortable position.

Ryou blushed at Yugi's reassuring words, wishing he could hide his face in the boy's neck. He'd had a crush on Yugi for what felt like forever, and it was only a paranoid fear that kept him from thinking he'd gone to heaven; instead worrying that he was simply having another wonderful dream. "Th... thank you..." he stuttered, his eyes wide as Yugi smiled at him again. He'd always known Yugi was handsome, but he'd never been this close to him before; had never had Yugi's smile directed at him. He could feel himself quivering as the boy's hands slipped lower, almost bursting with excitement. He did all he could to keep himself in check, storing every moment to memory to relive time and time again during those lonely nights shut away in his room.

Yugi felt a slight flutter in his heart at he kept his eyes locked on Ryou's. He'd never paid the boy any attention before, having only seen him in passing at school and having always been occupied with his own group of friends, but now that he really thought about it...

Ryou was beautiful. That was the only word to describe him. It surprised Yugi a little, since he'd never thought of another boy that way... but, on the other hand, he wasn't totally surprised. Even if he hadn't had any feelings for a boy before, he hadn't for a girl either, and had questioned his sexuality for some time. Maybe now was the right time to find out.

"Ryou..." he murmured again, pausing in their dance to tip-toe so his mouth was close to the boy's ear. "I... I hope you don't think I'm being too forward, but..."

Yugi blushed badly, hesitating a moment as he drew back, before leaning in and softly pressing his lips to Ryou's. He felt the boy stiffen in his arms as they made contact, before he began trembling as he eventually returned the pressure, slowly relaxing and beginning to take the lead, giving a soft, appreciative murmur. They only maintained contact for a few moments before they both drew back, both boys' cheek lightly tinted, and their eyes wide and filled with wonder. That feeling had just been... incredible.

His mind made up, Yugi shyly stepped closer to Ryou. Now, he decided as he rested his head lightly on Ryou's shoulder, their chests flush; there wasn't a wrong signal to send. Sighing contentedly against Ryou's neck, feeling a warm shiver run through him as Ryou placed a delicate kiss on top of his head, Yugi began to lead the dance again, the two moving as one this time. He could feel the hammering of Ryou's heart reverberating through into his own body, and smiled contentedly, lightly kissing at the exposed skin on Ryou's neck.

"I... I like you," Yugi murmured softly. He wasn't sure Ryou would be able to hear him, but it didn't matter. He'd said it once, and could tell it was true. It'd be silly to claim love right now, but... he felt a bond, he couldn't deny that.

As the song died down, breaking into a faster, more upbeat dance song again, the two split with a smile. "Shall we head back?" Yugi called over the pounding bass line. "I could use a drink!"

Ryou smiled and nodded, and the two turned to begin to head away, only to find four youths blocking their path. Both boys' eyes opened wide as they recognised the faces.

Bakura, Anzu, Jou and Seto all stood with wide grins and smirks (as appropriate) on their faces, and actually began to applaud the two teens, who both stood staring. "Ba... Bakura!" Ryou stammered. "Wh... what did you see?!"

Ryou's extroverted twin's smirk widened. "Enough," he stated simply, wandering over to Yugi and leaning down so their faces were at equal height. "You'd best look after my brother, you hear?" he growled.

Before Yugi could respond, Ryou pulled him into an embrace from behind. "Bakura!" he cried out again. "Don't! Don't... don't order Yugi round!" he managed to blurt out, cringing in fear of a backlash. Instead, though, his twin simply laughed.

"I'm kidding," he stated, patting Yugi on the shoulder. "Anyone who likes Ryou enough to not even have to consider what I might do to them is a friend of mine."

"I knew ya had it in ya, Yug'," Jou added with a thumbs-up and a wink. "You two look out for each other, you hear?"

Blushing, the two boys nodded before scurrying past, eager to get away from being the centre of attention.

Grabbing his bottle, Yugi picked it up and eagerly knocked a swig back, gasping. He couldn't believe it! Jou and the others, standing there and watching them like that! It was... it was...

Yugi looked across as he saw Ryou lean against the table, half-sitting on it with his face in his hands, shaking his head. Blinking, Yugi put a hand on his shoulder, leaning closer with a look of concern on his face. "Ryou? Are you okay?"

With a laugh, the boy nodded, bringing his hands down to reveal his bright red face. "Yeah," he replied weakly. "I'm just... I don't know if I'm delighted or mortified..." he added with a laugh.

Smiling, Yugi grabbed a fresh bottle of drink for Ryou, handing it over to him. There were only soft drinks available, since lots of younger kids had been there earlier, but that didn't bother Yugi particularly. He'd never been one for alcohol. He smiled, tipping his head he watched the white-haired boy take two or three big gulps. "Not bad for your first dance," he noted with a shy giggle. "My handsome prince, sweeping me off my feet like that."

This remark did nothing to help Ryou's blush, and he quickly knocked a couple more swigs back. "Should we go and see how the others are?" Ryou asked, referring to Bakura and Yugi's friends. "If Bakura can make friends with them, they must be okay!"

Yugi nodded, draining his bottle and grabbing a fresh one. "If I know Jou, he'll be on the dance floor."

Ryou grinned. "If I know Bakura, he'll be insulting him."

Grabbing at Ryou's gloved hand, Yugi led the way again, eager to find out which of the two brunettes Jou had apparently started getting friendly with.

That had all been last night.

That night, the night he hadn't even wanted to go to the party, Ryou had experienced the most magical evening of his life. Like something out of a fairytale, as befitting of his costume, the one he'd set his heart on had appeared before him, sweeping him into his arms and off into dizzying new sensations that only romance can bring.

Now, Ryou sat staring at the object of his desire with puffy, tear-filled eyes, his cheeks stained and his hands fisted loosely round a white cloth that he'd occasionally wiped his tears away with. Swallowing thickly, Ryou's eyes lowered, closing as he quietly made the same futile wish again and again.

Why, like in the fairy stories, couldn't it have just ended 'happily ever after?' Why couldn't they have just been left alone to quietly enjoy themselves?

At first, Yugi had begun staggering and slurring a little, becoming far more giggly than usual and showing all the standard signs of drunkenness. They – Ryou, Bakura, Jou, Seto and Anzu – had all assumed that Yugi's drink had been spiked, and given the laughter from the bullies in the corner they had a fair idea who was responsible. Jou, Seto and Bakura had gone off to interrogate them, while Ryou and Anzu had opted to walk Yugi home.

They hadn't gotten far though. Not one hundred metres from the hall, Yugi had passed out. Fortunately, he'd landed on the grass rather than the pavement, so he hadn't picked up a head injury, but their troubles hadn't ended there. As Ryou had knelt down to check on Yugi, the boy had suddenly vomited and started spasming, completely erratically. They'd quickly called an ambulance, and now...

Here they were. Yugi was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines and beeping monitors displaying numbers and lines that were completely meaningless to Ryou. The doctors said that until they knew more about what had happened, there was little they could do. His stomach had been pumped, but they were concerned that whatever had caused Yugi to have convulsions could already be in his blood stream by now. They'd taken samples, but until the results were back they couldn't counter the toxin. There were also talks of scans, in case of blood clots or tumours, and other things Ryou didn't even want to consider.

Ryou sighed heavily, a tear slipping from the corner of his eye. "I'm so sorry Yugi..." he whispered, his voice choked and cracking. "They... they wouldn't have done it if... if..."

Ryou knew he couldn't guarantee he was anything to do with it. For all he knew, they might have just picked a random bottle to spike. Deep down, though, he was sure it was because he and Yugi had started getting friendly. Ushio's 'extreme conservative' stance was well known throughout the school.

Sliding his chair closer to the boy, Ryou gently took Yugi's hand in his own and brushed his thumb over his pale knuckles, that being about the only area without a drip or sensor attached. His skin felt so cold and clammy, but when Ryou checked Yugi's forehead, the boy was burning up. Whatever it was had him running a cold fever – whatever they'd put in Yugi's drink had literally poisoned him.

"Yugi..." Ryou whispered again softly, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry..."

Ryou had lost count of how many times he'd already cried that night. He'd lost the will to fight the tears by now. All he could do was wish over and over that Yugi would be okay. He let another tear trickle down his cheek, dabbing lightly at the trail, and turned his red-rimmed eyes toward Yugi once more. What he'd give to see the boy open his eyes now... To see him smile, or hear his cute laugh again.

Even if Ryou never had another thing to do with Yugi, even if the boy ignored him forever after this, he just wanted him to be okay.

Ryou's hand fisted more tightly round that cloth as a sob burst from him, and he lowered his head onto the railing surrounding Yugi's bed, choking quietly as a fresh set of tears began. His weakly snatched breaths were painful, tearing through his chest, but it was nothing compared to what he was going through now. No matter what the cost, he just wanted Yugi out of there alive.

Slowly, Ryou became distantly aware of another figure in the room, and wiped at his eyes, looking up to see who it was. "...Bakura?"

Ryou's twin nodded, beckoning Jou and Seto into the room too. All three boys looked like they'd been in the wars – Bakura's clothes were torn, and he was sporting a split lip, while Jou and Seto had a variety of cuts and bruises of their own – and weren't looking at all happy. "What did the doctors say?" Bakura enquired, sitting down beside Ryou on the edge of his chair and drawing his brother into a protective hug. Despite the reputation he had, Bakura cared for those that were important to him.

Ryou's voice was barely anything more than a squeak as he described all he knew to his brother, clutching tightly at his sweater and sobbing into his shoulder. "It's not fair..." he choked out, grimacing. "Why did they...?"

Bakura lightly kissed the top of his brother's head, not caring that Jou and Seto were watching. If they didn't like it, they could take it up with him later. "We found out what it was..." Bakura whispered. "We had to beat it out of them, but we've got what they used. We can help Yugi now."

Ryou slowly pulled back from Bakura, staring up at his twin. His eyes were wide, hope and optimism mixing with the pain as he silently pleaded with him. "...what is it?" Ryou asked softly. "What did they do to Yugi?"

Bakura pulled a small pot out of his pocket. "It's a date rape drug," he stated simply. "They slipped it into his drink, thinking it'd be funny." Bakura glared distastefully toward the vague direction of the front of the hospital. "They should arrive in their ambulances soon. That'll make things easier for the police, if nothing else."

The sign of hope in Ryou's eyes raised slightly, his breaths shuddering as he fought back more tears – tears of relief, this time. "We can help him?" Ryou asked. He couldn't help the slight excitement that had crept into his voice. "We can save Yugi?"

Bakura's eyes dropped. "We'll see what the doctors say," was all he could promise. He wasn't an expert, and didn't know how much damage had been done.

"Bakura..." Ryou whispered softly. "He's... he's got to be... o... o-k-kay..." he choked out, before leaning forward and crying into Bakura's shoulder again. "He has to..."

Bakura simply held Ryou silently, not saying a word. He didn't want to get Ryou's hopes up, but at the same time he wanted to promise him it'd all be okay. He just couldn't bring himself to lie though.

Suddenly, Ryou felt Bakura tense up, and felt his brothers fingers run gently through his hair. "Ryou..." Bakura murmured quietly. "Look..."

Slowly, the white-haired teen raised his head, blinking in confusion and wiping away the tears in his eyes before turning to look where Bakura's gaze was directed – toward the bed.

And his heart nearly sang with joy.

Yugi's eyes were open, barely a crack, and his hand was hovering not even two inches above the bed sheets. "Ryou..." he croaked softly. "Where... am..."

"Yugi..." Ryou gasped, before grabbing his hand softly. "You're..."

A faint smile crossed Yugi's lips, as best he could manage around the thin pipe running into his stomach. "Stay with me..." Yugi rasped. "Please..."

Swallowing, Ryou nodded. "Of course, Yugi. I'll be right here with you."

The smile on Yugi's face widened marginally, before his eyes slowly flitted shut again, his grip on Ryou's hand tightening faintly as he drifted back into an uneasy sleep.

Silently, Bakura stood and placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "Look after him," he murmured, lightly squeezing Ryou's shoulder in reassurance. "I'll go get the doctor."

Ryou nodded once, barely paying heed to what Bakura said. Right now, all his thoughts were focussed on one person, and one person alone.

And he was going to be okay.

End

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