Life of a Thief by Ryou Bakura
A/N: Sage: Yay I got called evil again!! Thank you Thala Duath!! I'm indeed a very evil authoress, I stalk the night in search of victims to sick my cliffhangers and plot twists on…
Kaley: Uh, Sage is um…weird today…
Bakura: You think? Anyways welcome to another exciting chapter in my life. For those of you still reading this, Sage didn't scare you. Good job. Let's see, to the reviews…many of you have such a cheery outlook on how this fic will end. You guys see me dying eh?
Sage: Well, I can't answer that obviously. Though Bakura does die a lot…I mean seriously, he died like 7 times in the anime…
Kaley: Ok so next issue is the surprise. You all get it if you want it. What is it? Well, it's a project really…I'm not sure if you'll want it. I mean, it's good but…ok it's really a sequel. Sorta…that's all you get of that for now, next chapter I'll give you more details!
Bakura: You're as evil as the Sage…
Sage: Also speaking of other projects we have a few…besides There's Something About Elk (we'll update that soon) we also have a yaoi lemon fic called Tatoeba in the works. It's a co-author project, our first, with Pandoras Fallen starring Daisuke and Satoshi from DNAngel. We are also working on the secret sequel fic to this story as well as a Fruits Basket story. However, we will continue to update this as much as we can. It's only a few chapters from finished.
Kaley: Oh yeah, we got 45 reviews this chapter! Yay! I also have a few notes…ahem…Happy Belated Birthday to Sami-Otaku and consider last chapter to be your birthday gift! My birthday is next month you know, September 15. Next I really wish I could see the 'Recommend Fiction' list thing since some of you have recommended mine. To ghost-writer-04, I'm actually planning on answering some of your questions in the story. I didn't know the hair dye thing but Mahad or Mahado is the Dark Magician's name if I remember right. Also when they don't pee or eat…just pretend it's a RPG and assume they ate lol. Next on Vanessa…umm...I kind of forgot about Rishid…eek…oh well, I'll add him in somehow…oh yeah, I know how!! Ok then that's all for me…
Bakura: Now we can finally get on with the damn fic…ROLL THE FILTH!!
Sage: That's a new one…
Bakura: I read Hsu and Chan yesterday…And don't forget Ryou's birthday was the 2nd!! (of September) you better say happy birthday to him or you get the knife!
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"You're acting like my mother..." Bakura complained as Ryou tied a scarf around Bakura's neck. The day had flown by and now it was near time for the New Year's party to begin. As it was cold out and Bakura was still sniffling when he thought Ryou was out of hearing range, it was important for him to dress warm. He, however, was more annoyed then grateful with his friend's concerns. "I don't need a scarf, I'm fine…"
"Uh-huh, and your cheeks are just pink because you're shy…" Ryou said sarcastically. He yanked a little harder than he intended as he finished tying the scarf. Bakura grunted, moved a hand instinctively to his throat to loosen the cloth.
"Don't tie it so tight…" He muttered as Ryou put on his gloves. Ryou glanced at him, an apologetic look on his face.
"I'm sorry…I'm just a little stressed…" Ryou said, checking his pockets to make sure he had his house keys.
"Why are you stressed?" Bakura asked, tugging defiantly at his scarf.
"It's just…ok…" Ryou paused, then he looked Bakura straight in the eye. "You must promise me something Bakura." He said suddenly serious. "Don't cause any trouble tonight."
"Huh? Me cause trouble?" Bakura blinked, trying his best to sound innocent. "Why would I do that?"
"Bakura…I'm warning you." Ryou frowned. "Yami already has Marik and Seto coming over, he doesn't need you pinning him to the wall with a dagger which…" Without warning his hands dove into Bakura's trench coat. A second later he pulled out a long curved knife. "Which I am taking. Now I mean this Bakura, please, PLEASE, I'm asking you nicely, don't do anything…"
"What, you don't trust me?" Bakura said with an attempted pout, though he eyed the dagger sharply.
"No, I do trust you." The snowy haired teen smiled. "It's just that I know you. I'll tell you what, I'll give you the dagger back if you give me your dueling deck."
"Huh, how'd you know I was bringing—"
"I told you, I know you." Ryou laughed softly. "Now hand it over if you want the dagger back." Grumbling, Bakura reached into his coat and pulled out his deck. Ryou took it and put both the deck and blade into his pocket. "You'll get them back after the party." He said, reading the look on Bakura's face.
"…You tricked me…" The thief muttered, crossing his arms, "Are you almost ready?"
"Yeah…" Ryou adjusted his own scarf, smiling as he took Bakura's arm. "C'mon, let's go…" He pulled on the other's sleeve, tugging him forward.
"Joy…" Bakura sighed, shaking his head.
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"Hiya guys!" Yugi cried cheerfully as he opened the door for the pair of white haired teens. "Hey, you guys match!" He grinned, noticing they both had on a similar style of coat. Ryou laughed and Bakura rolled his eyes. "That's actually pretty cute…anyways, come on in you guys!" Yugi waved them in and led them to the back room. Ryou felt a tug on his sleeve and turned around to face Bakura.
"You rang?" Ryou said.
"Can I please have my deck back? Or my knife? One of them?" Bakura asked, a slight note of pleading in his voice. Ryou sighed and shook his head.
"No, you're not going to do anything to Yami tonight…or Yugi…" With that he dropped the subject and followed Yugi inside. Bakura jammed his hands into his pockets, grumbling something that sounded vaguely like 'But he called me cute…'
"Hey guys now everyone's here!" Yugi sang as they walked into the room. Tea jumped up from the couch, where it appeared Marik had been valiantly trying to talk to her.
"Great!" She rushed over to Ryou smiling. "So how are you?"
"Good…" Ryou blinked at her, she rarely spoke to him. Marik gave her a dejected look, then waved Bakura over. The former thief nodded and slipped by Ryou, joining Marik on the sofa. Isis, who was sitting at the end, glared at Bakura but said nothing. "So um…how's your break?"
"Oh it's good! I built a snowman yesterday with Serenity and went ice skating!" Tea said happily. "Oh and I already finished my ancient civilizations report…it's fourteen pages long, I hope the teacher won't mind. So how's yours coming along?"
"Umm…good…" Ryou shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He felt very awkward. "Uh, if you didn't want to talk to Marik…he's busy now…" She turned her head and saw he was laughing about something Bakura was saying. Tea grinned and nodded.
"Yeah he's weird! I don't like him at all but he sat by me and started talking…thanks for bailing me out Ryou!" She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before going over to join Serenity and her brother Joey, who was showing off a new card to Tristan and Duke. Bakura gave her a glare as she ran past him, then caught Ryou's eye. They both smiled before Yugi stepped, or more over jumped, in their line of view.
"So then…are you doing better?" Yugi asked. Ryou nodded.
"Yes I'm just fine now…in fact, I'd have to say the past week or so has been the best week ever." Ryou smiled brightly. Yugi grinned back and seemed satisfied with his friend's answer.
"I'm glad…so then, you and Bakura are hitting it off huh?"
"Well…" Ryou hesitated, trying to decide on the right words to use, "I guess…maybe we understand each other…we both lost our family…I suppose his is a more violent story but…"
"Ryou…you like him don't you?" Yugi's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "Like…you really…you love him…why?"
"Yugi…I…" The white haired boy slowly walked towards a seat at the back of the room, away from the other chatty friends. Yugi followed him closely, ignoring the look Yami gave him as they sat down against the far wall. Seto noticed Yami had looked away from their duel and quickly snapped his attention back to himself. Mokuba, who was watching his brother closely, scolded Yami playfully before falling silent again. "I suppose I can tell you now…you'll understand…when our souls parted…I felt Bakura's emotions…so much pain and hate…and I saw…I felt really…that he has terrible secrets buried in his soul."
"Like what?" Yugi frowned, "Oh wait…you mentioned it to Yami the other day…about his life being destroyed for the Millennium Ring?"
"It wasn't just for the ring…" Ryou rested his arms on his knees, looking over at Bakura. "It…I wish I could describe it to you Yugi…his sister…they put a spear in her head…he watched her die…and his whole village…and his mom and dad…they were all killed like that, then the guards used their bodies to make these items. And he was alone…because of that…and seeing such things, at a young age…" He titled his head back against the wall and sighed. "You know what? He was kind of obsessed with me…"
"How so?" Yugi asked, scooting closer to listen to the story.
"Well…he didn't really say much about it but…he made me realize something. He didn't want me to live through what he did. He wanted me to be…err…well not happy…" Ryou chuckled, "But in his own twisted way, he thought he was making my life better by keeping my friends with me. Or how he punished those who hurt me…or well…with you and Yami…I don't know if you noticed but…he didn't want Yami to hurt me either." Yugi seemed to be thinking, then he nodded.
"I guess you're sort of right…" He said slowly, "But he hurt you…"
"Maybe not." A smile flicked across Ryou's face. "Maybe he thought he was doing what was best for me. You know he even tried to find a new host, so that I could go live a normal life? He's always made sure that if an attack was done, it was done on him. Like how he put me in a magic card where I couldn't get hurt…or how he switched back to himself before your God Card attacked…"
"He's still a bit umm…off…" Yugi laughed nervously, "Umm, you know…he is crazy Ryou…"
"I know that…" The snowy haired boy grinned, "But the more I learn about him…the more time I spend with him…the less I care about that…" He took a deep breath as his eyes wandered to his darker half. "I guess I just really do love him…the funny thing is, I always hated him. I hated that he hurt my friends. I hated that he wanted your deaths. I even hated his voice, his aura…you know, the feeling he gave off…but at the same time…I liked having him around…then I wasn't alone…I mean…sure you guys were my friends but…Yugi, we've never been close. You and the others were so tight and as for me…well…I was always the one left in the shadows…"
"Ryou…I never knew you felt that way…" Yugi's eyes softened and he actually wanted to cry. He couldn't believe that Ryou had felt so alone that he didn't mind having that insane, masochistic thief in his body. "I…I never even…"
"It's ok." Ryou held up his hand. "Don't worry about it, you include me in things now…But yes…I felt that way. Then the day came when you said I could be rid of him and half of me wanted to hit you for saying such a thing. But the other half was thrilled…so we went through it and I felt everything he had…and I…I just had to know…what could be at the root of feelings so strong that they verged on physical pain…"
"…And that brings us to now…" Yugi said slowly, "To the report…you found out."
"Yep…" Ryou gave a brief nod as he and Yugi stared at the back of Bakura's head with sad eyes, "I found out…"
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A bit later in the evening, after Seto and Yami's fifth duel (Yami: 3 Seto:2) and Bakura and Marik's prank on Tea had been smoothed over (though she still had some red paint on her skirt) the group sat down to make up a New Year's Resolution. Yugi, Ryou, Bakura and Yami moved the seats in the room around so they could all sit in a circle. The circle was, more or less, Tea's idea.
"I guess I'll go first…" Yugi said as everyone sat down. Ryou sat by him, mostly to keep Yami and Bakura on separate ends of the couch. "Hmm, my resolution…I think it would be…"
"To grow another foot?" Bakura muttered under his breath so only Ryou could hear.
"To help Yami recover his memories!" Yugi said cheerfully. Bakura made a noise as if he were going to comment but Ryou elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to cough instead of speak. He received a glare for his actions but stared back unflinchingly until Yami began to speak.
"Thank you Yugi…" The former Pharaoh smiled gratefully at his partner. "Let me think…I suppose the only thing I want to accomplish this year is finding out the details of my past, with Yugi's help of course." They both smiled and Bakura pretended to puke, though he quickly toned it down at Ryou's look.
"I want to become a better duelist so that I can be more than just a verbal supporter." Tea said, as she was of course sitting by her crush. "I always feel so helpless when you guys run off to duel and I'm stuck cheering you on from the sidelines…things are getting so dangerous, I want to be able to back you up in a duel Yugi, Yami." She smiled brightly at them and this time Bakura used his mental link with Ryou to pester him, mocking Tea in a girly tone saying 'Love and Peace' over and over again. Ryou tried not to laugh, it was pretty funny.
"This is the year I beat the pants off Kaiba!" Joey cried, seeing Tea was done with her speech. "I'll show you who's the better duelist you cocky bastard!" He yelled, pointing his finger at the CEO. "Course your pants are so tight, beating them off might be hard but I could knock that smirk off your ugly mug!"
"Ha, in your dreams Wheeler, that's the only place a third rate duelist like you could ever beat me." Seto laughed callously. "This is the real world, not some silly fantasy land. Here the dogs obey their masters…just like you…"
"You…" Joey jumped out of his seat but Tristan and Duke managed to pull him back down in it by throwing themselves around his waist. "You just wait Kaiba! This is my year!!"
"Last I checked, it wasn't the year of the dog…" Kaiba smirked. Yugi looked like he wanted to bang his head into the wall and Ryou couldn't blame him. They bickered like a married couple on the edge of divorce but at least Kaiba hadn't dragged Yami into it yet. That was when the fights got horrible.
"Settle down Joey!" Tristan yelled over Joey's incoherent shouts. "Save it for later, not here." Joey stopped screaming and sat back down in his seat, though his whole body was twitching.
"Ok, my turn…" Tristan said, keeping one eye on his friend. "I guess my resolution is to…win the heart of the girl I love." His face turned a shade of red as his eyes wandered to Serenity. She only smiled, saying nothing at all.
"Well my resolution is to date the girl I love. I've already got her heart." Duke said boastfully.
"Yeah right, we'll see about that one." Tristan said, rolling his eyes.
"Is it my turn?" Serenity asked. Her brother nodded and she looked thoughtful. "I don't know what I want for my resolution…I'm pretty content as I am…oh! I know, I resolve to learn how to play the violin this year!" The younger girl beamed at everyone. Joey looked up in surprise.
"I never knew you wanted to play the violin…that's really cool!" He grinned at her.
"Then I suppose it's my turn…" Isis said in her soft voice. She thought in silence for a few minutes before she decided on something. "My resolution is to continue leading a normal life for myself and for my brothers." Marik's cheeks turned a bit pink at his sister's words and Yugi nodded in approval.
"Ok then, Marik it's your turn." Yugi smiled.
"Well…mine I guess is…" Marik leaned back in his chair, "I guess it's to…go through school…" Bakura's head lifted from its bored position and gave his friend a curious look. "My parents never taught me much and I didn't get schooling. I'd like to go to college someday. You guys didn't expect that did you?" He grinned.
"Honestly I didn't." Yami agreed. "But it's a very nice resolution, it shows you've changed…" Tea made a small noise and Ryou nearly burst out laughing. Sure, Marik had changed, but he was still a mischievous teen and with Bakura as his friend…really what did Tea expect from him? Besides, the paint would wash out…more or less.
"My turn!" Mokuba jumped up excitedly. "My resolution is to learn more about businesses and how they're run, that way I can help big brother!! I know I don't understand much about the business world, but if I learn I can help him out!"
"That's very sweet of you Mokuba." Yugi said. "But you already help out your brother a lot don't you?"
"With computers I'm alright…" The black haired child said. "But I want to learn more…Seto's really smart, he knows so much about how to run the company, I should be able to contribute more!"
"No need for that Mokuba…" Seto said softly as his brother sat back down, "I need your skills as they are now. However, as for my resolution, it should be clear to everyone in this room what it is." His eyes locked in on Yugi's other half. "I will defeat you once and for all. And I will show the world for the final time who the king is." He shut his eyes and sneered. "Then I will finally be at peace, once you fall…" Everyone become quiet, staring at either him or Yami. The room had become tense rather quickly and Ryou knew that it wasn't the end of the tension. Now, with Seto's piece said, it was time for Bakura to speak.
"My resolution huh?" He said calmly, playing with the Millennium Ring around his neck. Everyone waited, wondering what he would say. It was an easy guess that it would have to do with the Pharaoh, but what would he say about him? "…I don't have one." The group stared at him, Ryou's jaw dropped slightly until he heard Bakura's voice in his mind. 'My resolution…is to make sure I take my anger out on the Pharaoh from now on and no one else. He's the one who should have the blunt of it anyway. Not you…' Ryou's cheeks turned pink as Bakura nudged him. "I'm done, your turn."
"Oh, umm yes right…" Ryou could feel how hot his cheeks were but he decided to ignore it and hope everyone else did the same. "My resolution is to…tell the truth." Bakura glanced at him at the same time Yugi did. Yami had a faint idea of what he was talking about and Marik knew the basics but other than that the party was lost.
"What, do you lie a lot or something?" Joey asked, leaning closer.
"No, I don't…that's all I'll say for now." Ryou smiled as the tension slowly eased from the room.
"Well!" Tea jumped out of her seat, beaming at everyone. "I think that went great! How about we play Monopoly until midnight comes?"
"With all of us?" Duke frowned, looking around. "There's a lot of people here Tea…"
"Don't worry, Serenity and I thought up a great version where we use two boards and double the pieces…everyone can play trust me." She glared at Duke though, as if she was mad that he dare suggest her idea was flawed.
"Great, Wheeler can be the dog then…" Seto said as he got up.
"I heard that!!" Joey yelled. Ryou snickered as he too stood up. Bakura looked over at Yami then started to go over to him.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Ryou asked suspiciously. Bakura rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.
"I'm going to go talk to the Pharaoh about something. Don't worry I'm not going to kill him…Be back in a minute." Bakura walked up to Yami and whispered something in his ear. Yami nodded and turned to Yugi.
"I'll be back in a moment Yugi, Bakura and I are going to go talk outside." He said with a smile. Yugi blinked and seemed troubled but gave his nod of agreement and the two darker halves left.
"What do you think that's about?" Yugi asked as everyone set up the game board.
"I don't know…" Ryou frowned. "I just hope they both come back."
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The sky was pitch black and the only light came from the yellow glowing streetlights that hung above them. Bakura watched as a few flakes of snow fell into the light, then he began to speak.
"I have a deal for you."
"A deal?" Yami's eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal?"
"…Tomorrow night…you and me…one last game." Bakura didn't look at Yami as he spoke, instead he looked on into the darkness on the other side of the street. "When I win, you surrender permanently to me…you'll give me the puzzle and declare me the king of games…and…you'll apologize…"
"…and if you lose?" Yami asked, growing curious. Why would Bakura want him to apologize?
"…If…If I lose, I'll leave and never come back. You'll be the winner." Bakura said softly. "I won't bother any of you again…"
"…that's all the terms?" Yami shut his eyes, considering it. "This is just an excuse isn't it?"
"Heh…" Bakura gave a short laugh as he turned to the Pharaoh. "That doesn't mean…I won't still try my hardest."
"Then I accept your challenge." The star haired teen smiled slightly. "Tomorrow, seven o'clock…the park should be fairly vacant at that time. I say we do it there."
"Fine by me Pharaoh…" Bakura shrugged and turned to go back inside.
"Will you tell him?" Yami said, stopping Bakura.
"…He's been hurt enough. I don't want him to end up like me. It will be better this way." Bakura sighed and tilted his head back. "…Pharaoh, you better appreciate the snow. We never got to see anything this beautiful."
"I do…" Yami smiled, "I think it's the most beautiful thing ever, it shines brighter than any gold."
"What do you know?" Bakura spun around with a smirk. "We agree on something…" Yami laughed.
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The board game went surprisingly well considering Seto, Joey, Bakura and Yami all wanted to kill each other by the end of the game. It was Marik who won though Yugi suspected Bakura stole some of Yami's money to force him into second place. With only a few minutes to go until midnight, everyone got up and went to those who they were closest to. Ryou and Bakura decided to stand in the corner when Tea got the idea to turn off the lights.
"One last thing!" She yelled into the dark. "Everyone has to kiss someone when midnight comes! Since its dark, you won't know who did it so now's a great time to kiss someone special!" Everyone laughed but mostly choose to go with it.
"Heh, I think we'll know…" Bakura chuckled softly, causing Ryou to blush. "Too bad its dark, I bet you're red as fire…"
"Shut up…" Ryou mumbled. He felt an arm, Bakura's he thought, go around his waist and pull him close. Bakura's hand grabbed the hem of Ryou's shirt and pulled it up enough to sneak in, running his fingertips across his light's now exposed stomach. "Ah…hey…"
"What?" Bakura asked, kissing Ryou's earlobe. He could feel Bakura's hot breath on his skin, causing his muscles to tense. He wasn't scared though…he was…excited.
"We're around a lot of people…" Ryou whispered. "You're being perverted…"
"Am I?" The thief took his other hand and slid it up across Ryou's chest, caressing the boy's soft skin. Ryou shivered, pushing his back against the wall. "If I am then does it matter?"
"It does around all of them…" Ryou was being serious, mostly. He'd hate it if once those lights went back on, everyone found him and Bakura on the floor naked or something. Yet as Bakura's hands ran across his torso his nervousness faded into exhilaration. Though he was usually against public affection, this wasn't really in public. In fact, he couldn't even hear anyone else. All he could hear was the sound of Bakura's breathing, a steady, soft sound that filled him with happiness. He raised his arm and reached out, carefully searching for his other's face. After a moment of blind groping, he found Bakura's warm cheek and cupped it in his hand. The man leaned into Ryou's hand, kissing it gently. "Bakura…I thought…"
"Ryou…listen…" Bakura sounded anxious, even as he kept his voice low. "Let's just enjoy this moment." He brushed one of his fingers against Ryou's now hard nipples. Ryou's eyes widened a bit and he placed his free hand on top of Bakura's.
"You're acting…strange…" Ryou tried to sound calm but he was taking quicker, shorter breaths than he was before. He'd never felt this before, this kind of physical pleasure. "Please, this isn't the place Bakura…not with everyone within earshot…" In the distance, a green glow flickered in the corner.
"Ten seconds!" Tea announced, consulting her watch.
"Ryou…I know that but…" Bakura bent down lower, kissing Ryou's neck as his hands felt their way across his bare skin.
"Nine!"
"Ba…Bakura…" Ryou titled his head back against the wall. No matter what his mouth said, his body spoke volumes about his feelings.
"Eight! Seven! Six!"
"You want a traditional kiss then?" Bakura asked softly.
"Five! Four! Three! Two!"
"Yes…please…at least, for now…"
"One! Midnight!" At Tea's words, Bakura's hands dropped down to Ryou's waist, pulling him in close. The thief's lips moved up from the boy's neck and met his own lips in a passionate embrace. The lights came on but neither noticed as their kiss enveloped them into their own world.
"Oh my god get off me!" Were the words that brought their sweet zeal to an end. Bakura sighed against Ryou's lips and turned his head towards the source of the noise. Ryou, who had never before felt such an ecstasy, choose to savor it and leaned heavily on the wall. It turned out that both Duke and Tristan had gone in to kiss Serenity, only to kiss each other. Tea had hoped to find Yami in the dark but found Mokuba instead. The one who had found Yami was none other than Yugi and the two didn't seem to realize the lights had come on. Serenity had found Marik, though weather by accident or by choice was debatable, and the two stood staring at each other with a faint blush on their cheeks. Even Isis had decided to get into the fun and ended up in a strange spot. It seemed both she and Joey had gone in to kiss the first person they found, Seto, and the three now stood in an awkward three way lip-lock.
"You kissed me first!"
"I have to go brush now!"
"Disgusting! How dare you kiss me mutt?!"
"Who says I was kissing you?! You kissed me bastard!"
"Umm…I didn't…I mean…"
"It's ok Marik…I umm…"
"Wait did you kiss my sister?!"
"Wow…so that's what a kiss is like…why'd you stick your tongue in my mouth Tea?"
"I uhh…thought you were someone else…"
"I'm going to kill you Marik! Right after I kill Kaiba here for kissing me!"
"I think you missed the point…"
"Look at Yami and Yugi go…wow…" Bakura stood up on his tiptoes to see Yami and Yugi lying on the couch, clearly still very oblivious to the rest of the room.
"Bakura…" Ryou said, a silly grin on his face. "Happy New Year…"
"Heh…" Bakura smirked and nuzzled his face against Ryou's, "Happy New Year indeed…"
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A/N: Sage: It took us forever but we hope it was worth it!
Kaley: So much to say…I think we have three chapters left.
Bakura: Next chapter we learn of my plan and we see a deep look into Ryou's past.
Sage: So until then reviewers, keep reading…
Kaley: Keep reviewing!
Bakura: and wish Sage a happy birthday (she might do the next chapter faster).
Kaley: Don't hold us to it though…he's just being silly.
Sage: See you next chapter.
