Bakura glanced up as Jounochi entered the room. "Hey."

Jounochi ignored him, going into the kitchen. It had been a few days and everyone was still ignoring Bakura.

Bakura followed him in and said softly, "I know you're not talking to me, but I wanted to apologize anyway." Jounochi made no indication of even hearing him. Bakura sighed. It had taken him awhile to decide to apologize. "Okay, whatever. And that idiot friend of yours called. Kia or Mitsubishi, or something."

"Honda?" Jounochi asked tentatively after several minutes. If there was another person he was ignoring more than Bakura, it was his old best friend.

"Yeah, that idiot. He's in town or something. I left his number by the phone."

Jou stood there several minutes, thinking, -What could he possibly want? We haven't spoken in...forever.- He carefully made his way to the phone. In Bakura's scrawling writing, Jounochi looked at the numbers. -His mom's house.-

He picked up the phone, which didn't have a speaker (he had learned his lesson), and dialed slowly. Each ring brought him closer to just hanging up.

Finally, someone picked up. "Hello?" he said in English, then quickly corrected himself. "Moshi-moshi?"

"How's America?" Jounochi found himself asking.

"Jounochi, hey! I...I didn't think you'd call me back..."

"And why wouldn't I?" Jounochi asked sarcastically.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're...gay. And Kaiba of all people! It just goes to show that it really is just for sex, no romance--"

Jounochi clutched at the phone, hearing it crunch in his hand. "You know what?" he said painfully slow. "I suddenly remember why Yugi was my best friend."

"You asshole--"

"No, Honda! You're the asshole! I LOVE Kaiba, okay? You have no idea what it's like! I thought you were my best friend. I thought you'd understand! But no! Never! He left me, asshole! And every day, I have to think about the fact I can't be perfect for the person I love! I can't be perfect for anyone! Not my best friends, not my family, and certainly not my husband! And then, on top of being dumped, thrown out, used--" he shot a dirty look at Bakura, "and had pity thrown on me, -you- all of a sudden call me, expecting what, Honda? What do you want from me? I'm gay, okay? Nothing's going to change that!"

"I was in the country for awhile. I thought that maybe you'd stop caring only about yourself for a minute and want to see me, but I guess not."

"Care only about myself? How can I show you I still care about you, huh? Date a girl? Not going to happen, Honda. Just like I wouldn't expect you to date a guy. We're on completely parallel dating worlds and for whatever reason, you think that means I'm a different person than I ever was."

"You are! You used to be someone I could look up to, Jounochi!"

"And what, now I'm not? Because you know I'm gay? No one's perfect, Honda. It doesn't matter who it is; no one's perfect. And I'm sorry you think being gay is something to look down on. And you're totally wrong about the romance/sex thing. I thought Kaiba was a complete jerk who couldn't care less about me. But I was wrong."

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because you wouldn't listen. The minute you saw Kaiba kiss me you had nothing to do with me."

"It was kind of embarrassing."

"'Embarrassing?'" Jounochi laughed. "For you?"

"Yeah, what the hell was I suppose to say, huh?"

"Well you certainly thought up a lot to say to everyone -but- me -about- me."

"Excuse me?"

"All the rumors. You know how long it took me to straighten things out with all the OTHER people who didn't abandon me?"

"Straighten out is kind of a funny term."

"Go to hell, Honda. You want to meet up for lunch, then you better come up with a damn good apology."

"That's it? You're going to forgive me with just an apology?"

"No, I want you to sell me your soul, too," Jou bit his words off sarcastically. "What else would I want?"

"I'm sorry, Jou."

"Nice start. I'll talk to you later." Jou hung up the phone carefully.

"I'm sorry." Bakura looked sheepishly at his feet.

Jou gave a short, tired laugh. "Alright, alright. Whatever."

"I don't want everyone mad at me."

"Then don't do things that get them mad." Jou stretched out on the couch. "I am so bored."

"Watching your life is like watching a bad Spanish soap opera. It's like there's someone there, pulling the strings, inserting you into every bad predicament there is."

"Nah, I haven't contracted a rare disease, gone blind, got in a car accident, been raped, forced to marry Anzu, gotten my own yami, or married some perfect chick. I think my life isn't that bad."

Bakura smiled satisfied. "I'm glad you finally see that."

"Yeah...I'm just bored."

Bakura leaned against the couch. "Well, what would you be doing with Kaiba?"

"Probably nothing, since it's during working hours. I'd probably surf the Internet or watch TV or--"

"Everything you're doing now."

"But I'm not getting laid now, am I?"

"I like you, Jounochi, I don't want you to think I just played you or whatever. I just don't know who I like more."

Jou stared up into Bakura's eyes. They had once been scarlet with anger, but had softened to Ryou's deep brown. Bakura had come a long way. "I know this is totally changing the subject--"

"Go right ahead."

"--but how is it that you...age?"

Bakura shrugged. "I never really thought about it. I think I'm just a reflection of Ryou, like a hologram or whatever. I didn't really look like this in Egypt. I was a lot better built, I had shorter, slightly more gray hair, and a lot of scars."

"So you're not totally 'his darkness,' right? You're another person from another time?"

"I'm him in Ancient Egypt. Sort of. Reincarnation happens, but when the soul isn't there to put into a body, then another one is created. Ryou is naturally...good. We just compliment each other in different ways. It's like a Yin Yang that began bleeding into each other."

"You look sad."

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because, someday, Ryou is going to die. And I'll be alone in the Ring again, waiting another few millennia for his re-born soul to be born again and maybe find me."

"Well...does it have to be him?"

"It does for me to be like this. Exist before your eyes. I've had a few owners before Ryou, but I was considered a bad-luck charm. I was passed from one ill-fated person to another to make a quick buck. Yami really had the idea going about what it's like being stolen as a punishment. It feels like crap. And it's worn me down."

"So you want to die?"

"Sometimes. Not right away. But it'd be nice to know that someday my time will be up and I can either fade to nothing or go home."

"Go home?" Jou asked confused.

"The Egyptians believed we all return home someday; to be with the gods. Even if I scorned the organized worship, I still hold that to be true. I wonder how amusing the gods find it to watch my suffering."

"I thought everyone wanted to be immortal."

"I bet they do. But they don't know what it's like."

"Have you ever thought," Jou began, thinking as he spoke, "that maybe when Ryou dies...he'll be put into the Ring and your soul will pass on?"

They were both quiet, thinking it over.

"I don't want to think about that," Bakura said finally.

"I'd assume you wouldn't care."

"Jou, being a part from him is...it's let me move on from everything he does to annoy me and just concentrate on what...I've grown fond of him, okay?"

----Can't think of anything to do to end this chapter, so I'm just going to cut it here and move onto next chapter.----