I'm back!

Anyways, umm…I have noticed that this story tends to have short chapters overall. I don't know why that is, but it is. Maybe they'll get longer later, maybe not. But for now, I'm actually still kind of introducing stuff, so this chapter will be about the same length as the last two. I have no clue how long later chapters will be. I have avbout three more chapters planned out in my mind, but my mind doesn't have a page counter.

Well. Review responses. YAY! REVIEWS! THREE OF THEM! Usually I get only 2 per chapter. ARIGATO!

Hikari Flame: Glad you likes it! Yes, updates are good. But writers block is not…and I seem to get that more frequently than updates. Darn it….

Misaki: Nice to hear from someone new! Heehee…yaoi is good. Didn't realize it was a cliffie, actually. That wasn't on purpose. Yeah, I read lemons but have no ability to write them. Limes is kissing, right? Yes, there will be those. Soon, methinks. Within a chapter or two.

Molly ( ): hi again! You can tell? Really? Well, I'm surprised you can. Or maybe YOU will be surprised…remember, I do not write lemons. Beyond implied, that is. Heehee…if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, which knowing you, you probably are, you're wrong. The last comment didn't seem to fit the story line I had in mind. This doesn't even mention Bakura…

Warning: Yaoi, Violence (maybe not in this chapter, but oh well. In the story.) a bit of an AU (as said last chapter) hmm…lets see….anything that's been said before that I may have missed.

Disclaimer.: YES! I FINALLY OWN YUGIOH! AND I'M ALSO THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND! All right, I need to see some kind of psychiatrist. Or maybe not…being weird (and possibly insane) is fun. Oh, anyone who fell for that (the first sentence that is) needs to learn the meaning of the word sarcasm.

Chapter 3a number of weeks later

Malik and Ryou had spent a lot of time together in the past few weeks, the older teen wanting to help the younger adjust to his new life. They had actually grown very close, and were definitely friends, despite their differences in status. Perhaps more than friends, in Malik's case…something about the younger boy had intrigued him from the day they met. He had never felt protective for anyone before, not to this degree….

The pair had spent much of the day together, just having fun. Though Ryou was a slave and therefore supposed to work, he could always say that Malik had told him to come and that he had to obey. It worked out well.

Ryou was walking back to the room he and Bakura shared when he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. The small teen was spun around suddenly to face the man standing behind him. The large, heavyset man pushed Ryou's back against a wall, forcing him to stay still and effectively preventing escape at the same time.

"Well…" a dark, hoarse voice whispered near his ear, "What have we got here?" Ryou grew even more panicked at the voice, struggling uselessly against the man's powerful grip. He only smiled sadistically before beginning to drag the teen away.

"Don't worry, sweet…" he muttered. "We'll have lots of fun back home…in bed…" He chuckled cruelly. At this, Ryou's eyes grew even wider in terror and panic, and he resisted even more frantically than before, but to no avail.

"What is going on here?" a familiar voice sounded behind them. Ryou glanced over his shoulder, still striving to escape from his captor. Malik stood in the doorway, looking noble and aloof. Obviously, he was more important than the other man. Although the older teen's expression showed only slight annoyance, Ryou knew him well enough to be able to tell how worried Malik really was. "Can't I even send a slave on an errand without having to worry about his being delayed?" A blatent lie, as Ryou didn't really belong to anyone in particular, but was more of a palace servant. But this man didn't know that.

The man who had seized Ryou turned around as Malik spoke, obviously ready to make a snappy comment. However, when he saw who it was, he changed his mind rapidly, saying instead, "Your slave? I had no idea, sir! Please forgive me"

"Just get out of here." Malik replied. The man obeyed immediately. As he did so, he let go of Ryou, who fell to the ground.

Malik was immediately at his young friend's side, holding him close to his chest as he knelt beside him. "Ryou, thank goodness…" he murmured into the younger boy's pure silvery hair. Ryou pulled himself closer to the older boy, violent sobs wracking his small frame. "Come on, Ryou." Malik whispered once the younger teen had calmed down at least a little bit. "Let's get you home." But Ryou's door didn't have a lock, Malik knew that. And so it wasn't really all that safe there. So he brought the younger boy to his own apartments.

The next day, Ryou woke in an unfamiliar room. "Whawhere am I?" He looked around to see a well-lit bedroom with many windows and a lot of expensive furniture. He was alone.

Malik walked in. Seeing that the younger boy was awake, he walked over to the bed. "Hey, sleepyhead. You all right?"

"I…I think so." Ryou replied. "Malik…"

"Hn?" The older boy went and sat down next to his friend (or more than friend…but we won't go there quite yet!)

"Ththank you. For…yesterday…"

Malik pulled the younger boy close to him. "It's nothing. I'm just glad I got there in time." They sat like that for a while, just sitting. Malik didn't release his grip on the pale teen, and Ryou did nothing to try to make him do so.

Eventually Ryou raised his head and looked into the eyes of the older boy. "Malik?"

"Yeah?" The older boy's response was slightly muffled, as he was half-asleep by now, but he gained alertness quickly.

"I…I…" It was harder to say those three words than Ryou had thought it would be. And now Malik was looking at him, too, on top of that.

"What is it?" the older teen asked. His only response was Ryou burying his head in Malik's chest. The older teen brought his hand to the chin of the younger one, raising Ryou's eyes to his once again. "Ryou, you can tell me. It's all right."

Ryou took a deep breath, but no words came out. As telling Malik how he felt obviously wasn't working, he simply raised his lips until they gently touched those of the older teen. He was expecting to be pushed away, or somehow rejected, or something. However, he wasn't expecting Malik to return the kiss.

He was pulled into Malik's arms, their kiss becoming more passionate every second. Eventually, they pulled apart slowly, neither wishing to leave the other. Ryou looked into the older teen's lilac eyes, smiling happily as he was pulled into a tight hug.

Ok, I'm out of ideas for this chapter, so I'm just going to end it there. Actually pairing them up is hard! Therefore, I have a rather choppy chapter. Sorry about that. Finally got them together, though.

Well, please read and review! Reviews inspire me, if I get them I tend to write faster. If you've bothered to read this far, take a few seconds to tell me so please!

By the way, it's taking out all of my boundaries between scene changes, so if the scene changes and it sounds different, it probably is.