A/N: And I'm BACK from my holidays, with a new chapter! I'm sorry about the wait, but it was hardly my fault. I must mention that I was astonished by the number of reviews the last chapter received, and am exceedingly grateful to everyone who reviewed. Put basically, I am on top of the world!!!

OK, for every day now that passes by in the fic, I'm gonna put another letter on my lil' virtual Ouija board. When the five letters spell out DEATH, Yami, Bakura and Yami Malik are going to die. Don't ask why I'm doing this- it just seemed like a good idea at the time.

Oh, and Ryou and Bakura are NOT, and NEVER WILL BE, a yaoi couple in this fic. That is a promise. I can't say the same for other fics, but in this fic there will be no yaoi between them. I believe that there can be fluff-like behaviour between people i.e. hugging, without it being gay.

Also, when Bakura says the things about the Fates, Serafina Pekkala DID say it in the original Northern Lights. I can't say exactly where, unfortunately, as I can't remember. But she DID say it.

One last thing. Has anyone noticed that there is an error in Northern Lights? In the beginning, Ma Costa is described as having a bird daemon (I think it was a falcon, if I remember rightly) and later on, we are told it is a wolfhound. Strange…

Warnings: fluff, bit of bad language

The Japanese words I use translate as follows:

Iie: no

Onegai: please

Ashiteru: I love you

Oh, and a tiny bit of Arabic as well:

Na'am: yes

Chapter Fourteen-Changes

Ouija Board: D

"Bakura?" He watched as Ryou's hair curled into spikes.

"Hai?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay. Start talking."

Malik wanted to hit him. "I need to talk to you alone."

"Oh. Fine." Shrugging, Bakura split off and followed him into the forest. Malik turned and, for a moment, he saw Ryou watching them, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Malik met his gaze and Ryou instantly looked away, face blank and expressionless, just as it had been since yesterday afternoon.

…………..

As soon as they were out of earshot the Tomb Robber promptly said, "So. What do you want to talk about?"

Malik sighed heavily, wondering how to put this. "I…I'm really worried about Ryou," he said eventually. "He…he's taking this really badly."

"He is?"

"Mmm. He's hardly said anything since yesterday afternoon. And every time I look at him, its like he isn't there. You know, like he's become a robot or something. He doesn't talk to anyone anymore."

Bakura shrugged. "What's wrong with that? Ryou isn't very talkative at the best of times."

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong with that?'" Malik demanded. "What's wrong with that is that he doesn't feel like he can talk to you, or anyone else, about his feelings. He's just bottling them up inside."

Another shrug. "Why would he want to talk to me anyway?"

"Because you're his yami and-if you shrug like that again I'll kill you!"

Bakura stopped in mid-shrug, one shoulder half raised. There was a hint of his yami in Malik's expression, in the way his hair was flaring around him. "Sheesh, no need to spaz out over it." He suddenly remembered the last time Malik had got angry, and swallowed hard.

The Egyptian glared daggers at him. "Why the hell have you got to be so insensitive about everything?" he yelled in exasperation. When the spirit just looked at him blankly, he choked down his anger with difficulty and went on more quietly: "Fine, forget that. How about this: how do you feel about the fact that you're going to die in five days and there's nothing you can do about it?"

The Tomb-Robber was about to shrug, but then thought better of it. "I really don't get why everyone's so upset. I've already died once. Anyway, I'm a spirit. I can't actually die. I'll just lie in the Ring in a coma or something for a few more millennia until my next reincarnation comes along."

"And you don't think you'll be missed or anything? You don't care about anyone you'll be leaving behind?"

Bakura got it, a bit. "Oh. Does this you'll miss me?"

Malik sat down, burying his face in his hands. "How is it possible for someone to be this thick?" he mumbled. Bakura heard him and frowned.

The Egyptian looked up, slightly uncomfortably. "…Of course I'll be missing you, you stupid bastard. Although don't ask me why. Anyway, what I'm trying to drive into your thick skull is the fact that Ryou is going to be missing you even more."

"Why?"

"Because…because you've been treating him like shit all these years, and then as soon as you decide you're going to be nice to him, it turns out that you can't survive in this world and am going to die. Of course he doesn't want you to go: at least I got to know the nicer part of you. He didn't. He just knows it's in there somewhere." He gazed at the ground. "…And I just get the feeling that if you die, he'll just…fall apart. You know, inside."

"So what do you want me to do? I've been trying to be nicer to him."

"When?"

"…Well, actually we haven't really spoken to each other much," the spirit confessed. "I don't think he wants to talk to me. He's been pretty quiet. So I don't talk to him."

"I don't believe it," the Egyptian said in hoarse disbelief. He clutched his head. "…Don't you even think you should try and help Ryou?"

Bakura considered the question, before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. He'll pull through. He always does."

Malik had had enough. "Well I'm glad one of you fucking spirits is happy about this!" he screamed at a startled Bakura. Still clutching his head, he stormed off.

……….

That evening Ryou went back into the forest. He couldn't stand being around the others anymore – every time he looked into their eyes he saw pity, pity for himself and pity for Bakura. Ryou didn't like being pitied. At least if he was by himself he could try and forget about things for a while. He had survived the day simply by blocking out what was going on around him; blocking out the fact that Bakura was going to die in four days and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had watched his yami and Malik go off together, of course, and a part of him had wondered briefly what they wanted to talk about, but another part of him wondered why he cared.

It had been windy last night, to say the least. A howling gale had swept across most of Cittagazze, and several trees had been uprooted. One lay sideways across his path, a sad carcass of the majestic figure it had once been. Ryou sat down on the trunk carefully. He had always felt a vague sort of liking, mingled with respect, for these giants; solitary figures that stood and watched the world go by in knowing silence. Resting his chin lightly in pale hands, he gazed unseeingly around him, working hard to empty his mind of all emotion, pulling in everything that could feel or be hurt.

For a while he just sat there, almost in a state of meditation, oblivious, feeling nothing. Not feeling the rough scrape of the bark against his jeans, not feeling the cool breeze that swirled around him, making his skin shiver at the touch, not feeling the kindly warmth of the sun decrease and fade as it started to set, sinking below the horizon. Feeling nothing.

It broke eventually, as all things do. Eventually he looked up, and was instantly reminded of what was happening. Surrendering to the despair, he started shaking uncontrollably, fighting back the tears he told himself weren't there.

((Ryou, why are you always feeling so miserable?)) Bakura remembered that he was trying to be 'nice' to his light, and split off. It took him more effort than usual, but still he sat down next to his light and placed a hand on his shoulder. ((Calm down. Look, I'm still here. For now, at least.))

(Stop it!) Ryou shouted.

His yami was baffled. ((Stop what?))

(Being so goddam nice! It's making me feel worse!)

((Do you want me to start hurting you or something then?)) Bakura was really starting to feel confused now. For Ra's sake, he was trying to be kind to Ryou, and in return for his pains he was snapped at.

There was a pause, while Ryou stared moodily at the ground. Bakura could feel a turmoil of emotions building inside his light, and waited patiently for Ryou to let them out.

Eventually he burst out, "Why do you have to die?"

The Tomb Robber sighed, and inched a tiny bit closer to his hikari. Dammit, what do you say to something like that? Um… "Ryou, sometimes you just have to accept that some things are meant to happen, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it."

"Well I'm not going to accept this!"

"I know you haven't accepted it. You've just been trying to act as if nothing is happening. But. That. Isn't. Going. To. Work."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Ryou demanded.

His dark adopted a 'reasonable' tone. "Listen. I've been around for three thousand-odd years. Okay, most of that was spent sleeping in a piece of gold, but still, its not like I haven't seen most of what the world has to offer. Hell, I've already died once. It's not such a big deal." He played absently with the tines of the Ring, making them jangle.

"It is a big deal to me."

"Obviously," Bakura said dryly. There was a reflective pause, and then he asked, "Do you believe in Fate? You know, that certain stuff is going to happen no matter what?"

His hikari thought for a moment. "…I don't know."

"Because you believe you were destined to have the Ring, right? And if you believe that, why not believe this as well?"

"I guess," Ryou said uncertainly. "It…sort of makes sense."

"There you go then. All this philosophy stuff never makes total sense anyway." Bakura let go of the Ring and started off into space. "We are all subject to the Fates. Yet we must all act as if we are not, or die of despair."

His light looked at him strangely. "Where did that come from?"

"I heard the witch say it once."

Ryou was silent, and Bakura wondered if he had even heard. Suddenly his lighter half yelled, "It's not fair! Why does this always happen to us?"

The Tomb Robber sighed again. At least he's letting out his feelings. Malik said that would be a good thing, right? "I'm not going to say 'life's not fair,' because that would be a crap cliché and I don't like using crap clichés. But right now it would be damn appropriate." He reached down and brought out a knife from his belt as he spoke. The blood cravings were beginning to return, a little, and he really wanted to-

Reading his mind, Ryou scowled and pulled the knife out of his grip. "Don't do that. You need to save your strength."

Bakura gave a hollow laugh. "And what would be the point of that?" He tugged hopefully at the knife, which his hikari held just out of his reach. "Give it back, Ryou. You have no idea how much I want blood right now. And it would make me stronger."

"Not if you bleed to death or something."

His yami looked beseechingly at him. Relenting slightly, Ryou cut his finger very carefully, pressing the knife against his skin until the blood appeared. "Fine. But at least have mine instead."

Bakura looked slowly at it, and then looked away again. But Ryou still caught the longing in his eyes, the way they flickered red, just for a moment, and this made him hold out his finger again. His yami jumped up and took a step away from him.

"Stop it. I don't want to take it from you. But you come any closer and I will do it. And I won't stop, I'll just keep going and going. Is that what you want?" He was shaking from holding himself back. Ra dammit, he wanted that blood so badly. It was almost as if it was calling to him, and he was powerless to resist.

Ryou hesitated, then wiped his finger on his jeans. Bakura sighed, out of a mixture of relief and disappointment, and sat back down next to him. "That's better."

Their eyes met, then, embarrassed, both looked away. Bakura was first to look up again, sneaking a glance at his hikari. Tentatively, he reached out and put an arm around him. Ryou tensed, unused to such contact (and by his yami of all people), but after a few moments, when nothing happened, shuffled slightly nearer and cuddled him tightly. There was something that could almost have been an aura of peacefulness around them, if such a feeling even existed anymore.

The stillness was broken when Ryou gave a tremendous, jaw-splitting yawn, which lasted almost a minute.

((You tired?)) Bakura whispered.

(Yeah, a bit…) Ryou leaned nervously against him, soft white hair tickling his other's face. When a few moments had passed, and no protest had been uttered, he gingerly lowered his head into his yami's lap. Fleetingly, he wondered if he would be pushed away, but when nothing happened he relaxed and lay down along the tree trunk. He outstretched his arms hopefully, reaching out for the other part of himself, and felt rather than saw him wrap a slender arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

Ryou craned his neck upwards and saw that his yami was looking, not at him, but vacantly into the distance. The spirit was shivering violently, but not from cold.

(Yami?)

((…Na'am?)) The reply came in Arabic, sounding far-off and distant.

(Could…could you stay out of the Ring for a bit longer? I need to know you're still there.)

Bakura blinked, looking absently down, and realised his light was pulling at his sleeve. ((Sure.)) Sensing his hikari needed reassuring, he stroked the silky hair, and felt Ryou draw slightly closer. Giving a small but contended smile, he burrowed more deeply into his yami's lap. Minutes passed and slowly his eyes closed, breathing becoming quiet and rhythmical.

Bakura looked down at him fondly; his previous troubled thoughts slipping noiselessly away, although not for too long. He's so sweet…

The teenager's body quivered slightly, and Bakura instinctively put his other arm around the thin back, trying to keep him warm. Moving it down a little, he felt the steady beat of his hikari's pulse, strangely comforting against his own cold, lifeless body. For a split second he sensed the natural warmth that Ryou's body gave off, before it was sucked into the Ring. The word parasite flashed into the spirit's mind, and he shuddered.

Ra, but Ryou was so cute. Just look at him, sleeping in his evil yami's arms like a little child. Bakura sighed softly, his thoughts confused and uneasy. So innocent, especially in sleep. Even the Ring around his neck couldn't mar his angelic appearance-the Ring?!

Bakura's body jerked in surprise, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. The hell?!

There was no denying the fact: his light was lying across his lap with the Ring around his neck. For a moment the spirit simply stared, goggling at the unfamiliar sight. Whenever he split off from Ryou, the Ring would move from his hikari to himself, sensing the shadow powers within Bakura and being attracted to them.

In shock, still steadfastly refusing to believe it, he clawed desperately at his shirt, but his fingers closed on nothing more than air. ((Ryou…))

The brown eyes opened slowly, gazing sleepily back at him. (What is it?)

((The Ring…it's…)) Not knowing quite what to say, Bakura pointed at the Item hanging from his light's neck. It flashed suddenly, as if in warning, and the spirit felt the sudden close sensation of danger. He looked around uncertainly, but everything seemed normal.

Ryou looked down slowly, then stared at him. (Yami, what are you talking about?)

((But-)) Bakura blinked in surprise, as he looked back at his lighter half, then down at his shirt, where the Ring had reappeared and was hanging there innocently. ((It…it disappeared…just now…))

Ryou raised an eyebrow. (Ooookay.) Dismissing the event, he closed his eyes again and settled back down.

Bakura waited, expecting developments of some sort, but when several minutes had passed, where the Ring didn't move and Ryou was obviously asleep again, he shrugged and scratched his head slowly. ((I must be going crazy or something…))

Looking up warily, he saw in astonishment that the sun was beginning to set, bathing everything in a soft pink glow. I'd better take Ryou back to the others before they start getting worried.

Carefully he pushed his light off his lap, who gave a sleepy murmur but didn't protest. Bakura gently put one arm under his light's neck and the other under his knees, before lifting him up. Ryou felt warm and limp in his arms. The spirit cradled him, a part of him almost delighting in his hikari's helplessness. Ryou was very light, and a part of Bakura's mind registered in dull surprise the fact that, although he was getting weaker with every passing moment, he could still lift his other half up with barely any effort at all. Brushing the soft white bangs off Ryou's pale face, he adjusted his position so his light would be more comfortable and then set off to join the others.

……………

Will pushed another stick absently into the fire, and looked up to see Bakura walking quietly towards him, holding his lighter half in his arms. The sight was so unfamiliar, so untypical of Bakura, who Will had come to regard as even more weird than Malik, that the teenager started, blurting out, "What happened to Ryou?"

The Tomb Robber gave him a haughty glance, before answering: "Nothing happened. He's just very tired." I suppose you thought I'd beaten him up or something?

Will flushed slightly. Bakura hadn't said the question out loud, but his face said it clearly enough. He watched in slightly confused silence as the spirit carefully set down his hikari, who was now half-awake. Bakura helped Ryou climb into his sleeping bag, tucking the blankets around him and then sitting next to him like a watchdog. Ryou pulled himself up a little, just enough to give his yami a clumsy hug, and Bakura hugged him back, both of them ignoring Will completely.

Darkness settled around the trio like a black cloak as the sun sank below the horizon.

Ryou had already fallen asleep. Bakura was still awake, as far as Will could tell; silent and cross-legged, as if made out of stone. The only sign of life, physical or otherwise, was the Ring hanging around his neck. It glowed steadily, but it was a pallid, feeble light, a pale imitation of what it had been before.

Will whispered, "Bakura?"

The figure stirred, uncrossing his legs. "Yes?"

"I just…never mind."

Bakura let out a grunt of annoyance, moving slightly closer to the sleeping bag.

Suddenly he stiffened.

"You okay?"

"Yes…" Bakura looked at his light again. "Ryou's not though. I think…I think he's having a nightmare." He reached out with his hand; fingers just touching the shaking shoulder. Ryou shuddered, his body shying away from the touch of his yami's hand. Bakura stiffened, and when he looked up Will saw that his expression was somewhere between hurt and defensive.

"What sort of nightmare is it?"

"I...What the hell do you mean, 'what sort of nightmare is it?'" Bakura snarled in reply. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

He saw Will looked taken aback at the outburst, and his features softened slightly. "…Sorry. I…can have a bad temper."

The teenager made a neutral sound and said nothing. Feeling slightly guilty, which was about as remorseful as he ever got, Bakura opened his mouth with the intention of trying to describe Ryou's nightmare, but no sound came out. He frowned and tried again, with a similar level of success. The hell?

He closed his eyes cautiously, and immediately sensed it: some part of Ryou that wasn't quite asleep was gripping his mind, hanging on with a sort of desperate need. It wasn't really painful, but as a warning it was effective enough.

Giving up the struggle, he said to Will, who had one eyebrow raised, "Never mind. Ryou won't let me tell you."

Casting a slightly resentful look at his hikari, he moved closer to the fire and stuck out his hands, slender and somehow deathly white, in an effort to keep warm. Will moved closer too, but the heat was so great that he had to retreat, holding his hands at a safe distance. "God, it's hot. How can you hold your hands so far in?"

Bakura gave an elegant shrug, withdrawing his hands and holding one out for the boy to touch. Will's eyes widened slightly in what might have been fear, or merely surprise. "You're freezing! Why are you so cold?"

"I'm always cold." Bakura's tone, like his hands, was frosty, with a touch of bitterness. "I haven't been properly warm for three thousand years."

"My God."

"Are you pitying me?" The ice was still there, but it had turned threatening. "I don't want your worthless pity. I'm used to being the way I am. I don't care anymore." A long, thin crack zigzagged its way through the ice, and it began to break. "Anyway, being a spirit has its advantages, just like everything else."

"Such as?" Will was trying to keep his tone interested, not interrogatory, sensing the fire that still burned beneath the ice.

"I don't need to eat, drink or go to the toilet. I have shadow powers of my own. Also, when I split off, this…body, it heals a lot faster than normal." Fresh cuts, oozing blood from a long-dead body. Then, a few hours later, all gone, the only sign a faint scar. Or ten. And who cared if little wounds would heal, if the deepest one stayed? Never healing, always growing. His spirit state had done him some favours, granted. But it was his spirit state that was killing him.

"Oh." Silence, as Will pondered as to what he could say. "You said you don't have to eat. But can you?"

An unconcerned shrug was the only response. "If I want to."

Will though for a moment, then reached into his rucksack and drew out a thermal flask. He unscrewed the cap and poured out some hot chocolate. "Do you want any? It's pretty hot, though. I dunno if that would affect you or anything."

"I'm not numb," Bakura snapped irritably. "I can feel warmth. It just doesn't seem to reach me inside."

"…Oh," Will said again. What could one say to something like that anyway?

"Can I try some anyway?"

Will nodded nervously and passed him the cup. Bakura received it silently and held it in his hands for a moment, scrutinising it. Then he sipped it, cautiously, feeling the sugary heat surge though his body. Setting the empty cup down on the ground, he gave the smallest ghost of a smile. It only lasted a moment, to be replaced with the spirit's customary lack of emotion. But Will was still left with the memory of that expression.

Bakura hadn't experienced many things that gave him that warm feeling, with the exception of alcohol and blood. The chocolate had the same sort of sweetness as blood, but it seemed a much more socially acceptable alternative. Not that he cared.

"That wasn't too bad."

Will was getting used to Bakura, a little. 'Not bad,' he was starting to realise, meant that the spirit had genuinely enjoyed it but didn't want to say so.

"It's the sugar rush. It'll probably wear off in a few minutes. You should try tea. Maybe then you'd be able to stay awake a bit longer?"

Bakura shrugged. The yamis' sleeping habits were different from their hikaris; they usually stayed awake for days on end without feeling remotely tired, then locked themselves into their soul rooms and slept for a week or so. "Maybe. As a matter of fact I'm going to go to sleep now. I haven't slept properly for about five days."

Will smiled uncertainly, unsure whether this was a joke or not. He watched the spirit of the Ring lie down and curl up, catlike, next to his other half. He appeared to fall asleep within moments, but Will, wondering if he was really asleep, prodded him cautiously. The spirit didn't move.

"Huh. Lucky thing. I wish I could fall asleep that fast."

"Same here." Malik spoke in low, hushed tones, so as not to wake either of them up. It was more for Ryou's benefit than Bakura's anyway-spirits always slept deeply.

Will jumped slightly as the Egyptian's voice floated through the cold night air, coming out of nowhere. He looked over his shoulder and watched Malik come over.

The Rod-holder had spent the past few hours satisfying his OCD by clearing up everyone's litter and making sure everyone's sleeping bag was exactly parallel to the ones next to it. He shook his head when Will held out the flask questioningly. "No thanks. I'm not thirsty."

There was s pause, during which both pairs of eyes wandered, almost involuntarily, towards Ryou and Bakura, curled tightly around each other.

Yugi came back from his walk in the forest, clutching the Puzzle as if someone was going to steal it from him. His violet eyes widened as he saw Malik and Will, who weren't exactly famous for getting on with each other, chatting like old friends. Looking past them, he gaped openly at the sight of Ryou lying in his sleeping bag, his yami entwined protectively around him. Deep in his soul room, Yami saw this through his light's eyes, and gave a small smile of understanding. Yugi just stared.

Malik broke off from his conversation with Will, and caught sight of Yugi gawping at Ryou and Bakura. Feeling suddenly defensive for them, he growled, "What's so fascinating?"

Yugi looked at him, startled. "N-nothing."