A/n: Longer chapter! Ryou's gotten himself into a bit of trouble in this one.
Forever in Darkness: Love me in his place.
'.'...'.'...'.'...'.'
Anzu woke in her bed later that evening.
Her jacket had been taken off and was resting over the back of her chair at her desk and her shoes were put back in front of her closet.
She was covered with a fur blanket that she hadn't taken out of her closet in decades and the first four buttons on her shirt had been undone.
Clearly this was the work of Ryou.
He was always the neat nick.
It was only when she tried to sit up that she realized there was an arm around her waist.
He woke with a start as she fell back, a sudden wave of dizziness passing over her.
Over the past two weeks her body and her nerves had taken quite a beating and it was starting to catch up to her.
She glanced over at his concerned face as he sat up.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep. You were just so cold. Are you feeling better? Do you want something?"
She closed her eyes again for a moment to make the room stop spinning before she spoke quietly.
"My head feels like it's going to twist off and my stomach feels like it's going to come up my throat. I can't believe that after he admitted to kidnapping me they still acquitted him."
Ryou lay back down beside her and gently wrapped his arm around her waist.
"I know something that will make you feel better. It seems healing too quickly was an attribute of Bakura's. He called from the hospital and said he'll be home tomorrow."
She smiled weakly.
"That's Good."
Ryou closed his eyes with a sigh.
"I was really hoping it would be a while though."
She took his hand and he stared at her.
"You don't have to leave Ryou. Bakura may not always be there and sometimes I just need someone to hold me like you did and whisper that everything will be alright. He made an interesting point yesterday. You are very good at making people feel better, just by smiling at them and he's not. I really need both of you in my life…besides, we still have that journal to work on together remember?"
He smiled and nodded.
"We'll only put good memories in it and only you and I can read it."
She nodded, feeling a little better already.
"No Bakura allowed. Just you and me."
He turned serious suddenly.
"I do have to leave when he comes back. Someone has to look after the apartment. But I will come visit often. It's been odd with everything so quiet. I had to have Yugi spend the night when we first got back because I'm so used to Bakura's voice constantly in my head."
She thought for a moment and looked up at Ryou, a hurt expression on her face.
"Ryou...where is Yugi? I can't imagine him just not caring if I was alright, why isn't he here?"
Ryou seemed to be thinking whether or not to answer this.
"He ran off after Seto...I imagine he's back at home and will be calling any moment."
She closed her eyes with a sigh.
"I wish he'd have stayed."
Bakura shook his head.
"No you don't. I saw Pharaoh take over as I was following him. You'd only be putting up with him."
She looked at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Ryou...let's burn it now."
He looked concerned.
"Are you sure you feel okay?"
She nodded with a smile.
"I told you, all you have to do is smile at me."
He smiled at her again and pulled her up.
"Come on, it's in the living room, we'll sit by the fire and watch it."
She nodded as he pulled her into the living room.
With a trembling hand she took it up and turned to Ryou.
"I want to read it one more time before we destroy it."
Ryou nodded and pulled her closer as they sat together on the floor in front of the fireplace.
She lit a small fire and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head to his chest as he began to read it to her.
With every page they read, she tore it out and threw it into the flames.
Finally they came to the last written page, but it wasn't anything that she'd written.
Ryou sighed as he read it.
"Anzu Mazaki...what a wonderful girl you are. If only I didn't have this monster living inside me, I'd sweep you off your feet just like a knight and kiss you so much more sweetly than any other man could. Maybe I'll give this back to you some day, I know you'll be missing it. But will you ever know it's me? For the first time in my life I have friends because of you. I love you...Ryou Bakura. (Smile) oops, I guess you'll know if I do return it to you."
Anzu stared at it for a moment.
"That long?"
He nodded and began to tear it out but she stopped him.
"You've really been in love with me for that long? For six years? Why didn't you say anything?"
He looked into her eyes, sadness in his own.
"You were so head over heels for the Pharaoh that you didn't notice Yugi and I were alive. We both loved you long before Pharaoh did. If it wasn't for Bakura I would have, but I was afraid he'd hurt you. Let me burn it Anzu, we all have memories that hurt us and that's one of mine."
She sighed heavily and nodded, watching as he tore the page out and threw it into the fire.
She then took the nearly empty book, with pictures of she and her friends on the cover, and threw it into the fire as well.
"May dead pasts kill old memories and take them to hell."
Ryou watched silently as she wiped away the last of her tears and stood.
"I want to get out of here for a little while."
He smiled gently and stood as well.
"I'll take you to dinner and then we can see Bakura if you like."
She nodded.
"That will be nice. Thank you Ryou."
'.'...'.'...'.'...'.'
Later that night Ryou sat with Anzu on the couch again.
She'd had another bout of tears when nearly everyone in the restaurant became silent as she entered and then began to talk about her as she left.
They acted as if she was the bad one, not Seto.
The more Ryou began to think about the situation however, the more it became apparent that there was something else going on under the surface.
What exactly had prompted Seto to kidnap Anzu as requested?
Pharaoh had the motive to do it.
He had, in the beginning, truly loved her.
If he had found the entry and didn't realize that it was just a lonely young woman's false dream, he might very well have sent it to Seto.
Even Ryou was able to tell that she was speaking of Seto when she wrote it, fearful of placing names in case it was ever stolen.
He didn't want to tell Anzu just yet though, she'd been through quite enough already, and he felt that with Bakura finally figuring out that he actually loved her she would be safe.
He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed she had fallen asleep until he looked down at her.
She was stretched out, her head in his lap.
One arm supported her head, the other draped loosely over her hip.
He smiled softly as he watched her.
A small smile graced her lips in her sleep and he hoped she was dreaming something nice.
She woke only for a second as he picked her up.
"Ryou?"
He quieted her as he started up the stairs.
"I'm just taking you up to bed. I'll stay with you until Bakura gets home."
He gently set her down and covered her, once again sitting beside her for a moment.
He whispered softly.
"You look so peaceful when you sleep. Have sweet dreams tonight."
He leaned down and again softly captured her lips before leaving.
He gently closed the door and began down the hall as he thought, but his mind was on other things.
Like how he was going to make Pharaoh confess.
'.'...'.'...'.'...'.'
Ryou woke early the next morning and quietly entered Anzu's room.
His full intention was to wake her for breakfast but he was caught by how she looked.
He sat beside her and ran his fingers gently over her hair for a moment before kissing her softly.
When she wrapped her arms around his neck he knew she was dreaming.
He knew it wasn't right to kiss her again but he couldn't stop himself.
He was suddenly aware of a familiar presence in the room and dared not open his eyes as he stopped and sat up.
The same voice he'd heard in his head for years spoke angrily and Anzu began to wake.
"I leave her in your care and you kiss her in her sleep? You could at least let her know."
Ryou felt a pang of guilt as Anzu sat up and stared at them.
"Ryou? What's going on?"
Bakura growled, using all his strength to stop himself from hurting Ryou...at least in front of Anzu.
"It appears that our little Ryou isn't as noble ashe acts. Go on, tell her what you've probably done every night since I've been gone."
Ryou's eyes filled with tears as he looked at Anzu's bewildered face.
"I kissed you...I know it's wrong but you're so beautiful and I love you so much."
Bakura seemed to grow angrier by the second and Anzu was starting to get scared.
She knew that as a spirit Bakura couldn't physically hurt Ryou, but he had a body now and Ryou hardly knew how to defend himself.
She stood slowly.
"Bakura...please don't turn this into a fight."
Bakura glared at her.
"He's the one turning this into a fight. He has no place kissing you when you're asleep."
To her absolute horror Ryou grabbed her around the waist and kissed her roughly.
"There. Now she's awake."
That was it, he didn't care who was in the room, and Ryou needed a beating.
Bakura came charging across the room at him and pulled Anzu away.
She screamed as he sent her flying into the opposite wall.
"Bakura stop!"
But he didn't hear her; his hands were wrapped around Ryou's throat in blind rage.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Ryou! You think just because I'm gone for a few days you can move right in is that it!"
Ryou managed to get free of him and stood poised to attack.
"You're not in me anymore I can defend myself now and I'm not afraid of you anymore! I love Anzu, I did long before you ever laid eyes on her so you're the one who moved right in!"
Whatever Bakura threw at Ryou, he was able to block and counter attack.
But he missed once and got clipped in the lower jaw.
Bakura sent him spiraling into the dresser and Ryou looked up weakly as he slowly approached, a look to kill in his eyes.
He kicked Ryou in the stomach and picked up a small paperweight from the top of the dresser.
As he brought it down he stopped suddenly when Anzu threw herself over Ryou.
"Bakura stop! I've seen enough violence!"
He stood there panting for a moment, finally realizing what had happened.
"Anzu I'm..."
She stood, cutting him off.
"Don't talk to me right now! And if you lay one more hand against Ryou I'll..."
She stopped, not knowing exactly what she could do to him.
It was hard enough to fight off the Pharaoh; however, Bakura was at least twice as strong.
She turned at the door and looked back at him, speaking in a choked voice.
"If we're going to have any kind of a relationship than you are just going to have to be nice to him. No fist fights, no throwing things. If you can't live up to that than let me know and you can leave."
She turned and left as he and Ryou stared after her.
He looked at Ryou for a moment who looked back at him and spoke quietly.
"I'm sorry...I just..."
Bakura shook his head, sprawling out on the bed with a sigh.
"It doesn't matter. Just as long as you know she's mine."
Ryou shook off the pain in his shoulder and stood.
"I'm going home now."
Bakura only grunted a reply as Ryou left.