I did it! I wrote another chapter! I tried to make it long, but I don't know how long it really is... but at least I know where to start up again tomorrow night. Remember - 14 days till Christmas, ya'll!

December 11th, Saturday - 7:54 AM

Ryou shifted and blinked awake, stretching out his limbs. Perhaps his other half would be in a better mood this morning. He sat up and yawned. It was early morning still, light was only now just creeping in, but everything seemed darker in the winter, so it couldn't have been too late, he assumed.

He wrapped the blanket over his shoulders and walked into the kitchen quietly. In the garage bedroom Bakura's eyes shot open. His light was awake. Good.

Ryou smiled as he heard birds chirping outside the kitchen window. He paced to the slow window and moved the small curtains away to see out. He gasped at the sight before him. Snow!! In Domino! And it was still lightly falling! There must have been nearly two and half, maybe even three and a half inches! He smiled and a small happy giggle crept out.

Two icy hands suddenly gripped his neck and he gasped again, in fright. Bakura leaned closer until he was inches away from Ryou's ears.

"What's the cheerfulness for, weakling?"

Ryou bit his lip. A storm of terrified butterflies fluttered around in his stomach, he wasn't expecting Bakura to be up and on his case so quickly. Had he not been quiet enough? Did he do something wrong? Was it later in the morning than he thought? He swallowed his fear of impending doom as best he could, but his voice still cracked.

"It's that there is, um... snow outside. I h..haven't seen snow in so long."

Bakura's eyes shifted up and followed his light's gaze out the window. White covered everything. Snow. Bakura's mind only made the connection to the cold weather. The most it had ever done back in ancient Egypt was frost so the ground was chunky. Bakura blinked and didn't make a move to do anything, the curious blinding white substance amused his curiosity for the moment.

But Bakura's presence over Ryou's shoulder unnerved him, his heart race had quickened the moment Bakura had touched him, and now he knew he was breathing loudly and unevenly. Fear was a weakness Bakura scolded him once, he had to control it around him or else... what, Ryou didn't want to know.

"H..hey, Bakura-s..sama, would you like me to make you something warm to drink? Like cocoa?"

Attention was now back on Ryou and away from the snow.

"Heh."

Bakura pinched tighter on the back of Ryou's neck and wheeled him across the kitchen to the dishes, "Is there a clean cup left? I'd think not. You didn't do your chores, now did you...?"

He smirked and waited for Ryou's pitiful response.

"I...I'll do them right now, and there should be a cup left for your cocoa, -sama."

He'd taught Ryou to call him that so long ago, Bakura-sama. Anything to keep him degraded and under his little finger at every single second of his short mortal life.

"And will there be a bowl and a spoon for my cereal?"

Ryou, hand shaking, reached above the sink and opened the cupboard. One bowl.

"Y..yes, enough for yours, -sama."

A wry smile crept over Bakura's face, satisfied for now, he let go of Ryou's shoulders and shoved him at the sink.

"Good, now make my food, runt! Then do the dishes and clean the kitchen!" Bakura ordered.

Bakura turned on heel and left the kitchen, he walked down the hall and slowly turned the knob on the front door. It was so cold. He pushed the door open and air even colder than what was in the house hit him like a million icicles. Not wanting the house that cold, he quickly went out and closed the door behind him.

Since he woke up, he'd grabbed one of his usual T-shirts (this one was black had DEATH written on it in white). But he hadn't thought of grabbing his jacket or coat. He would have just phased out of physical form to avoid the cold, if not for an overpowering urge to inspect the white fluff covering the ground, the trees, the bushes, the fence, the neighbor's car, hell, the entire neighborhood.

Snow, was it?

He reached down and scooped some up with his bare hand. The cold white stuff was also wet, and melted into his hands and froze his hands at the same time. His hands tingling with numbness dropped the handful of snow, which splattered against the rest of the snow on the grass. Humph. This was a new element to him.

In the distance he heard kids screaming happily and curiously peered to the neighbor's yard. The kids were dressed up like huge florescent colored marshmallows and were dancing in the snow, crawling in the snow, throwing snow at eachother. The warmth of all those clothes protected them from the nipping cold snow. Though the kids were having fun, this gave Bakura an idea. An idea for later.

Ryou, meanwhile, poured Bakura's cereal and pulled the warm mug from the microwave and stirred in the cocoa. He realized just how hungry he was. He'd thrown up his food last night, and barely picked at lunch at school, but now, he hadn't eaten anything in nearly a day...

And now there were only enough clean dishes for Bakura to eat... Nausea from the hunger only made it harder to keep going. He put the cereal and the cocoa on the table and quickly loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. Ryou pulled out a chair and put his head down.

Bakura, seconds later walked in and sat down and picked up the cocoa mug. It warmed his hands as he stared down over at Ryou, who looked rather hungry.

"Oh, nothing for yourself?"

Ryou only shook his head.

"MmmHmmm."

Bakura sipped down half his lukewarm cocoa already, and now he picked at his cereal. He wondered what to do with Ryou today. It was Saturday, and Ryou hadn't begged him to see his friends yet. He grinned. If today had nothing planned, it seemed like a good time to teach Ryou another lesson.

The phone attatched to wall suddenly began to ring. Ryou's head dazzedly popped up from the table. With an exhausted sigh he pulled away from the table and retrieved it.

"This is Bakura, Ryou. Hello?"

"Good morning, Ryou!" It was Yuugi.

"Why did you call?" Ryou asked nonchantly, watching Bakura's face closely.

"Well me and the gang were going to go help decorate for the winter karaoke event at the school, we were wondering if you'd like to come."

"I'd love to, Yuugi!"

Bakura's face darkened into a glare.

"But... I don't know if I can..."

"Mrrr... Yes we understand, but we have something to give you, we'll stop by on our way there anyways, alright? See you in a bit."

"Talk to you later, Yuugi."

"Ok, bye Ryou."

Ryou walked back over and sat at the table, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

"Yes?" Bakura asked, "What do they want now?"

"They want me to go to the school and help them decorate it for an event. T..they're stopping by here also, before they go. Said they had something to give me."

Bakura snarled, "They're coming here?"

Ryou bit his lip, "I couldn't just talk him out of it."

"You didn't even try to."

Ryou cringed and looked down at his fidgeting hands in his lap, "I am sorry, please forgive me. I thought it wouldn't do much harm."

That was just like Ryou, begging for forgiveness. But when the words "forgive me" came out of his mouth, it transfered into Bakura's mind as, "punish me."

Bakura stood up and slammed his fists on the table, "Clean these dishes, put the other ones away, put away the cereal, and then when they're gone..." he turned away and stopped when he reached the doorway, and without turning around continued, "come to living room. You cannot go with them, and I will be waiting."

He shot Ryou one final glare and left wordless as if he'd never been there in the first place. Ryou gulped and shakenly just put his head back down on the table. He hid away tears that had started to sting at his eys. Bakura never let him ever see his friends outside of school anymore. He felt so alone, but there was nothing he could do. And he couldn't ask his friends to help, they'd just blow things out of porportion and then if they failed at changing anything, that would just piss Bakura off worse than he's ever been before... Direct disobediance never deterred his darker half, but Ryou didn't want to be the dark's slave forever. A worthless vessel like Bakura told him he was. There had to be more to him than that. There just had to be.

TT
I would really like to have a pairing you know. But you people are right, R x B is way too common and gets kind of boring after a while. So you had better come up with something good, or an excuse to pound the crap out of Ryou. Its one way or the other. Don't complain. I might just pair Yami Bakura andYami Yuugifor the hell of it. HAHA. Don't mind me, I just kind of like darkshipping. --