Disclaimer: Full disclaimer on first page.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Answers to reviews at bottom.

Chapter Two

Ryou woke up the next morning and felt horrible. He definitely wasn't going to school today! He had nothing major this day either, so he wouldn't have to rely on Bakura going, though he DID do a good job yesterday.

//Think a little quieter. I'm trying to sleep. // His yami's tired voice muttered over their mind link. Ryou got up, holding onto the wall for balance until he could be sure he could stand up without weaving. Going to the bathroom, he got the bottle of asprin (A/N: Needed some sort of pill.) and took two, went downstairs to get something to eat, called in sick for school, then went back to bed.

His yami was still muttering in the background.

~*~*~*

Bakura woke up in his soul room, stretching cat-like and yawning. He stood up, worried. He could sense the feelings of nausea and the pain of a headache. Ryou must be sicker than yesterday.

Moving quietly, he left his soul room and went to his hikari's soul room. His light was asleep on his bed, shifting feverishly.

Well, he must have called in sick. But that left Bakura with nothing to do. Well, Ryou wasn't using his body, was he?

Taking control.........carefully, though, he didn't want to wake Ryou, Bakura went downstairs, put a blanket and pillow on the couch, and plopped down to watch TV. Ryou could rest as well, so it worked out.

Bakura had lots of time to think as he flipped through channels.

One thing to think on was the fact that he was worried for his light. And he was showing it! He didn't want to be thought of as weak. He had been yelling at Ryou for being weak, and he didn't want to seem as a hypocrite.

Stopping on one channel, he watched it. Still thinking, he decided he would go easy on Ryou, not his usual harassing about emotional and physical strength, about the ability to control, control his emotions or his own life, etc. etc.

Somewhere between all this, he fell asleep. Ryou's body was tired. So he was tired. He dropped off and didn't hear the doorbell.

~*~*~*

Yugi had woken up late and was going to arrive tardy for class. He had a note from his grandfather, and was rushing to get to school to see if he could still make it on time. He stopped as he passed Ryou's house, though. One light was still on. Ryou must still be sick. Deciding to check in, he rang the doorbell.

There was no answer, so Yugi tried the knob, and finding it unlocked, went inside.

"Hello?"

The TV was on, so Yugi went through the hall and into the living room. Ryou was curled up on the couch, the TV turned low.

//That's not Ryou. It's Bakura. // Yami said, speaking through their link.

/Really? Wonder why he is out instead of Ryou. How can you tell the difference? I can, but as he is right now, I can't. / Yugi said. Normally he looked for the differences in hair, the small change in height, and the definite sadistic gleam in his eyes.

//He his the spirit of a millennium item as well. I can sense when it is him or Ryou. //

/Oh. We better get to school, he seems alright at the moment. / Yugi turned and left, being sure to lock the door before he closed it. Didn't need anybody wandering in.

~*~*~*

Ryou woke up, and found himself in his soul room instead of in his real room. Bakura must be in control. That might not be good. He could be up to something, and if Ryou wanted to get over this sickness, he had to rest.

Carefully looking out through their shared mind, Ryou saw the TV.

TV? Bakura was watching TV?

Some random show was on, and something Bakura would definitely not watch.

/Yami? /

//.........//

Bakura was asleep. That was the reason he was not answer and was watching a show with cuddly animals in it.

Carefully, Ryou took control of their body. He found himself snuggled warmly in a thick blanket, curled around a pillow, stretching from one corner of the couch to the other.

Ryou flipped through the channels, but nothing good was on. He sighed. He wanted to do something, but knew he must rest. Nothing was on TV, so what else? Read a book? He had read all the ones he owned already. Cook? Ryou liked to cook. But he was sick, so he probably shouldn't.

A puzzle! He had a couple of jigsaw puzzles; those should amuse him for a period of time.

Getting up and ignoring the sudden lightheadedness, he went to a closet and opened it, squinting into the dim interior at a shelf that held his games.

Too bad Bakura was a spirit; they could do it together, though Bakura would probably refuse to do something that didn't involve even a little amount of pain or suffering.

Maybe if he intrigued him.........Ryou reached for a certain puzzle that his father had given him for one of his birthdays. Taking it down, he went into the living room and began working on it. He spread a blanket on the ground and got another one to cover up with, resting his elbows on his pillow; he began the puzzle. (A/N: I do this at home a lot. Especially when I'm sick at home)

He puzzled over the puzzle (A/N: *snickers *) and felt Bakura wake up in the background of his mind.

//What are you doing now? Shouldn't you be resting?//

/I am resting. And I am doing a puzzle./

He felt Bakura watch with mild interest as Ryou struggled to match the pieces. He had a couple of segments done, but he had never been really fast at puzzles.

A sudden, slight twisting feeling, and Bakura was in spirit form next to him. The spirit didn't normally separate, but when he did, he was content (as content as he could be) and that wasn't often.

Crouching next to his hikari, the spirit watched.

~*~*~*

Ryou fell asleep soon after, and Bakura took the chance to take control. Once in physical form, he began working on the puzzle. As a spirit, he had spotted several matches.

He worked on the puzzle for hours as Ryou slept in his soul room. A knock on the door took his attention.

Deciding he didn't want to answer, Bakura ignored the bell and continued working on the puzzle. The picture was becoming clearer and it was getting interesting. Gold and other treasures could be seen in it now, and Bakura had always liked shiny things. (A/N: He's a tomb robber, hey?)

"Hello?"

Bakura growled. It was the annoying pharaoh's light.

"Bakura? Why are you doing a puzzle?" Yugi sounded surprise. Bakura glanced over his shoulder. Not only was Yugi there, but so was Joey, Tea and Tristan.

"None of your business!" Bakura snapped. He was feeling the effects of Ryou's sickness now, but only the headache. The pounding was driving him insane, and he couldn't sleep because of it. Not wanting to let Ryou experience it, since for Ryou it would be worse, Bakura had stayed in control, working on the puzzle and watching TV.

"Man, Bakura, you're snappy today. More so than other days, I mean." Joey said, and Bakura turned his glare onto the dimwitted boy, who cringed slightly.

"Get out of this house. No one invited you! Leave us alone!" He hissed, eyes flashing.

"Bakura, what's wrong?" Tea spoke up. She had looked past his harsh words to the slight pain underneath, and the fact that he sounded a bit stuffed up in the sinuses.

"Nothing, you little wrench! Ra, just GO AWAY!" He snarled, standing up quickly. But that caused his head to pound and as he winced at the pain a coughing fit overtook him.

Coughing until his eyes watered, he dropped to one knee in an effort to stay upright. He was aware of the others coming closer, talking, but he could hear them over the racking coughs.

When the fit died down, he slumped in exhaustion, panting. Someone pressed a hand against his forehead, and he tried to brush it off.

"He's got a fever."

"Ryou has a fever. You feel Ryou's fever."

"Well, whatever Ryou is feeling, it is affecting Bakura too."

"We can't leave him here! If the illness is affecting Bakura this much, it must be worse when Ryou is in control! They can't take care of it themselves."

"Hey, man! This is Bakura we're talkin' about! The 'Evil Spirit of the Ring', remember?"

"Yeah, Joey, but Ryou is sick too. We can take him to grandpa's!"

"Good idea Yugi!"

Bakura's chest hurt from the coughing, and his headache was worse. Someone looped an arm around him and helped him stand, and he tried to shove them away.

"Leave me alone." He muttered.

/Yami, please, they are just trying to help./ Ryou's mental voice came over their link.

/Please?/

//Fine.// Bakura thought back, and ended up muttering it aloud as well. He allowed himself to be led away, and he heard someone talking to what seemed to be themselves. Oh, Yugi was on a cell phone.

A car drove up, and Bakura was pushed inside. He had stood reluctantly, not wanting to get in. Tristan moved behind him and shoved him inside, earning himself a glare from the spirit.

As they drove, Bakura closed his eyes and concentrated on the pounding in his head. Darn. He didn't get to finish the puzzle, and the picture of a golden hoard intrigued him.

He fell asleep without even realizing it. The car stopped, and voices were heard. He woke up as someone was reaching for him, and without even thinking on it he swung out with a fist.

"Ouch! That's a mean right hook he's got!"

Joey. The baka fool was going to pick him up. Surging to his feet, weaving slightly, Bakura glared at the blonde who was holding the side of his jaw. Yugi was standing there, but he seemed older and taller. Yami. The stupid, baka pharaoh had come out of the puzzle to make sure he behaved.

With a low growl, Bakura followed a laughing Tristan and a muttering Joey inside Yugi's house.

"Grandpa!" Yugi was back in control. "Grandpa, a friend of mine is sick, and his father is away. Do you think he could stay here?" (A/N: Forgive me, I haven't seen enough episodes to know what Yugi's house looks like or how his grandfather is. Help people?)

Yugi's grandfather appeared. "Of course." He said, smiling at Bakura. The tomb robber growled low in his throat.

"He can have our guest room. Show him the way, Yugi, and I'll finish making dinner. There should be enough for all of us." Sugoroku said. Joey, Tristan, and Tea said goodbye and left for their own homes that night.

Bakura settled in the bed in the guest room. Oh, how his head hurt. He thought he had closed his eyes for only a few minutes, but what seemed to be to him a few minutes later he heard voices and a nervous person shook him awake.

"Bakura? Bakura, supper's ready and we didn't want you to go without eating." Yugi said hesitantly, backing away when Bakura's eyes snapped open to their familiar red-brown color. He sighed. He was feeling horrible.

Feeling Ryou's thoughts, he relinquished control and allowed Ryou to regain his body.

Yugi smiled when he saw the change, but the smile quickly faded. Ryou looked worse than Bakura. Helping Ryou up, he and the pale boy went downstairs for dinner.

After that, in which Ryou tried to eat what was really a delicious meal, but didn't involve himself in any conversations because of his raw throat, Ryou went to bed.

(A/N: This will be fluff, about as much fluff I am capable of at the moment.)

Closing his eyes, Ryou went through his mind until he found his yami's soul room. Opening the door slightly, Ryou peeked into the dark room.

/Bakura?/ He thought, looking at the dim shapes of all the treasure his yami had stolen and hoarded.

//......mmwhat?...// came the answer.

Going through the door, Ryou approached the bed that had heaps of treasure on either side. Truth be told, both hikari and yami had a obsession with pretty objects. Ryou just didn't hoard anything like his yami.

Bakura lay slumped on his bed, one arm thrown over his eyes to block out what little light there was.

Ryou winced as his head pounded even more and he saw a mirror flinch of pain from Bakura.

/I'm sorry, yami./ Ryou 'said'. (A/N: They aren't in a 'real' place here, so they think their thoughts, so I put the little slash marks. Work with me, people! ~_~)

//Sorry for what?// Came the tired question.

/I'm sorry I got sick./

//That's nothing to be sorry about.// Bakura's voice was remarkably gentle, though it was rimmed with the pain that Ryou was sharing with him.

/I know, but I can't help but feel that it is my fault./ Ryou said, and his yami felt his feelings.

//Mortals can't help it if they get sick. It is one of their weaknesses.// Bakura said, and Ryou looked up. It seemed that when his yami was sick he lost his tough exterior.

/I'm sorry, yami./ Ryou said again, sitting on Bakura's soul bed. Actually, Bakura's soul room was kind of nice, being dark and unobtrusive.

Bakura sat up. //There is NOTHING to be sorry about, hikari.// Bakura sighed, leaning against his hikari as another spasm of pain came up.

/I love you, yami./ Ryou said suddenly, hugging the ancient spirit. Bakura froze in shock. He and Ryou have never hugged or touched in any affectionate way. (A/N: No slashy/yaoi thoughts now, people.)

//Why?//

Ryou separated from Bakura. His hopes had lifted when his yami didn't immediately push him away, but now they crashed back down.

/Why? Why do I love you? You're my yami. You may be mean, sadistic, twisted, and all that, but you're my yami and I have to love you./ Ryou said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

//But.........I hurt you.// Bakura said. Ryou shook his head. He knew, but he still HAD to love and forgive his yami. Without Bakura he wouldn't be whole.

/I still love you./ Ryou said.

~*~*~*

(A/N: That's as fluffy as I can go at the moment. ~_~)

Yugi crept silently into the room he had given to Ryou/Bakura. One of the aforementioned people was asleep in the bed, curled around the pillow and breathing slowly.

//It's the tomb robber.// Yugi heard the scorn in his yami's voice. Trusting in his yami's ability to detect shadow magic, and recognize the dark magic coming from Bakura, he walked over and gently prodded the sleeping spirit.

A low growl came out of the huddle of blankets.

"Come on, Bakura. Grandpa made breakfast." Yugi insisted, and was answered with another growl and finally brown-red eyes opened.

"I'm up." He hissed, blinking in the bright light. Yugi winced. His voice sounded horrible, all raw and scratchy. It the blink of an eye, Yami came out.

"Up, Tomb Robber." The ex-pharaoh commanded. "My hikari has asked you twice already."

Bakura glared at the other spirit. He snuggled farther down into the blankets, burying his face in them. He was not up to arguing at the moment.

"I'm not hungry." He muttered under his breath. Yami blinked. No argument? No scathing retort? Bakura must be really sick.

"You have to eat something." Yami said, causing the tomb robber to glance at him out of one glazed eye in surprise. Now the pharaoh was being nice? Run to the storm shelters, everyone! Fire was going to rain from the heavens at any moment!

Snorting at that mental thought, which caused Yami to raise an eyebrow at him, Bakura closed the eye he had open and dug his head back into the pillow.

"No."

"Ryou........." Yami began, and Bakura felt his light stir within his mind.

/Please, yami. We need to eat something, and Yami is just trying to help./ Ryou began, sending feelings of reassurance through their link.

Bakura gave what seemed to be half a sigh and half a growl. "Blast you, pharaoh. You had to get my hikari in this." Without another word, the tomb robber heaved himself to his feet. He was NOT going to let Ryou get in control. If what he was feeling would be worse for Ryou, he was not going to let his light deal with that.

Stumbling after the pharaoh, Bakura muttered to himself at his weakness when it came to Ryou. Coughing slightly, he tried to walk straighter. He was a tomb robber, for crying out loud! He did not need anyone's assistance.

"Bakura, I need to go to school. Grandpa will be at the game shop, so please don't cause any trouble while you're here?" Bakura blinked as Yugi stood before him. The pharaoh was standing just behind him in spirit form.

(A/N: I think the yami's should be able to see each other, it's more fun that way. Anyone with an item can see another item's yami if said spirit is out. Hope that makes sense.)

Bakura nodded numbly, and went into the kitchen as Yugi left with a quick good bye to his grandpa.

Sugoroku was in there, cleaning up dishes. On the table was a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and some sort of biscuit. Bakura felt Ryou's wishes and gave up control willingly. Ryou may be hungry, but Bakura felt as if he would retch at the sight of the food.

Ryou took control and began eating. Sugoroku watched. He had seen the transformation, but had been told by Yugi about the spirits of the millennium puzzle and ring, so was not too surprised.

"Now, knowing your other half from what my grandson tells me, I say you should stay and he should stay wherever he stays when you are in control." The older man told Ryou, and got a nod in answer.

//Baka mortal. I'll stay in here if I want too, and not because he prefers it!// Bakura snarled in Ryou's throbbing mind.

/Quiet, yami. He means well./ Ryou said to his unpredictable darker side.

//No! I will.........I like that.// Bakura's voice wandered as he stared at something through their shared eyes.

/What? What do you like?/ Ryou asked hesitantly. Being a tomb robber, Bakura was attracted by pretty things, and such pretty things that Bakura fancied normally ended up in their possession somehow.

//Right there, by that window.// Bakura said, aiming their eyes in said direction.

/Oh./ Ryou stared at the object too.

"What is the matter?" came Sugoroku asked, noting Ryou's intense staring.

"What is that?" The voice was different from what Ryou's had been. His other half must have taken control while Ryou was staring.

"What?" Sugoroku asked cautiously. From the tales from Yugi and the pharaoh yami his grandson had, the tomb robber spirit inhabiting Ryou's mind was slightly.........crazy, to put it nicely.

"That.........shiny, pretty thing. By the window." Bakura said, staring at the object.

Sugoroku blinked. Tomb Robber.........right. He turned to see what Bakura was staring at.

"That? That is something I found in one of my evacuations in Egypt. A puzzle box that I had never figured out how to open. It........." Sugoroku blinked as Bakura stood and approached the box. It had a blue stone set into the engraved lid, with lighter colored blue stones on each side.

The ancient spirit reached out, taking the box off the shelf it was on with other Egyptian items.

Twisting it around in his hands, he suddenly grabbed a knife from the block they were inserted into (A/N: You've seen those big wooden things that the blades are stuck into?) He inserted the shining blade into a barely seen slot, twisted it and the lid popped off.

Sugoroku blinked again. It had taken him years and years, and he had not been able to open the box. Yet this kid opened it in seconds. He was from that time era, though. That may be it.

Opening the box, he glanced inside, before his eyes narrowed and he emptied the contents into his hand, having set the knife down.

A silver scarab fell into his hand. He brought it up to eye level.

"Pretty, but not very valuable." He muttered to himself, wincing when his voice came out scratchy and raw.

"Maybe not valuable to you, but to me it would be." Sugoroku said, and before the spirit could say a thing he took the beetle and examined it.

"Anyways, Yugi said I shouldn't leave you here, but I think I can. Can you put the other kid back?" Sugoroku asked, still examining the beetle.

Ryou took back the body. There was no struggle, only a weak protest from Bakura. He was too tired to do anything at the moment.

"Don't worry. I will stay in control and nothing will happen. I thank you for being so kind as to let us stay here." Ryou said, and Sugoroku nodded and smiled, before leaving.

"There are movies under the TV, snacks and soup in the cupboard, and anything else you need you just give me a call, the number is by the phone which is in the hall by the door. There is some Advil in the bathroom, so enjoy your stay. Bye bye." He was gone.

Ryou went and sat on the couch. Now what to do with the day that wouldn't involve his yami coming out?

~*~*~*

//CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU TO THE SHADOW REALM, BAKA HIKRAI!// Bakura roared into Ryou's mind. Ryou was feeling a lot better, but Bakura evidently wasn't. He was not happy with the fact that Ryou was refusing to let him take control of their shared body and would force him back every time he tried. He normally could have done it without or with Ryou's efforts to stop him, but he couldn't because he was weak from being sick.

/Yami, please don't yell so loud. I'm trying to watch a movie./ Ryou said. Now that his yami was sick and weakened, Ryou wasn't as afraid of him. Yugi and his grandpa had better movies than Ryou did, though most of them Ryou normally wouldn't watch. But at the moment, he was watching one he thought his yami would like.

//Baka movie. Baka pharaoh for making us come here. By Ra! What movie are you watching anyways?// Bakura looked out through their shared eyes, stopping in his ranting when he saw the mayhem going on.

//What movie is this?// He asked again, this time softer.

/The case said "The Mummy" (A/N: *snickers *) and it appears pretty good./ Ryou answered back, as the undead mummified priest on the movie sucked the life from another guy.

//Fun.//

~*~*~*

Thanks to all reviewers!

EZ: Glad you like it!

Windshadowolf: ^_^ right back at you! Lol!

Kayla: Kawaii means 'cute', right? Thanks for your review!

Blkdrgn: Like the name. Thanks a lot!

Inulover28: Thank you very much for your review, and I hope you like this chapter.

Angelbird12241: Thank you very much. Hope this is soon enough for you?

WinterBlaze: Felisha, my friend, thanks for your review!

Legendary Bunny: Was that fluffy enough? I'm not really good at fluff.

Jou: Thanks for your review!

Anime Crazed: Thanks for your review! Glad you like!

Charisma: Thank you.

CaptianRubberDuck22: Lol, thanks a lot!