Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, I've been kinda busy. Read and enjoy! This is the same day as last chapter, just after school. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, so don't sue me!
"Oh, once in your life, you find someone…Who will turn your world around, pick you up when you're feeling down…" Ryou sang, headphones on, as he came waltzing into the house that afternoon. Bakura had gotten home from school before him and was leaning against the counter, watching the smaller boy with obvious amusement. Ryou twirled, still humming, then bowed low before the teen, handing him a brilliant crimson leaf with an elaborate flourish. Bakura took it and placed it by the sink before pulling Ryou close in a hug.
"Well, somebody's having a good day," he remarked with a grin. Ryou smiled back up at him, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed by the cold.
"I love fall! It's my favorite season – not too cold, not too warm, and the teachers haven't started piling homework on us yet so there's plenty of time to relax. And everything's so beautiful!" He straightened, pulling back from Bakura and screwing up his face as he tried to think of what he had been about to say, eyes brightening when he remembered. "Yugi said he'll talk to Yami tonight, and he wants to know if we can meet him in the park tomorrow, just for fun."
Bakura looked reluctant and a little doubtful. "You think the pharaoh's going to change his mind about me in a day?"
Ryou shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Yugi said even if Yami keeps being stubborn, he still wants to hang out with us. And Yugi's really nice." He blushed as he said this and averted his gaze. Bakura looked at him suspiciously, noting the redness in his hikari's cheeks, the sparkle in his eyes. By Ra! he thought, dismayed. He's falling for that Moto boy! For some reason, this realization upset him, making him feel…well, empty almost, as if he had been abandoned. Bakura shook his head, disgusted by his feelings. He was Bakura, a cold-hearted thief and a stealer of souls; he had said as much to Yami at Duelist Kingdom. He didn't need Ryou's affection; he had never cared about what his light felt. Certainly he wasn't going to care now, if the little fool wanted to go traipsing around Domino with Yugi…
"Bakura?" Ryou asked. "Is something wrong?" Bakura looked at his hikari, so beautiful, and felt that ache again, as well as a bitter rage rising within him.
"Nothing," he snapped, ignoring Ryou's hurt, startled expression. He disappeared into the Millennium Ring, wanting to escape from the unsettling emotions Ryou was stirring in him.
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Ryou was worried.
He sat on the sofa, idly flipping through channels before turning the TV off and tossing aside the remote. Bakura had retreated to his soul room where he had been sulking for hours, refusing to respond to Ryou. After about an hour of begging and pleading as he tried to figure out what had pissed the spirit off so much, Ryou had given up and settled down to do his homework. Now, homework finished, household chores neatly completed, he had nothing to do. The silence inside the house was choking; Ryou had turned the television on, desperate for some background noise, only to find that the cheesy commercials and soap operas grated on his nerves even more. He felt incredibly lonely all of a sudden, almost the way he had felt when he had attempted suicide. Suddenly desperate for company, he reached out to the spirit through their mind link. Bakura? There was no response, not even a scoff or grunt. Bakura! he called again, more insistently. Bakura, please, talk to me! What did I do wrong? The spirit still didn't answer, and Ryou realized he was on the verge of tears. Bakura! Bakura, please, I need you! he called, lower lip trembling. He couldn't help it; tears welled up in his eyes, beading on his long eyelashes. He wiped them away, sniffing. Look at you, he thought. A few hours by yourself and you're whimpering like a frightened dog. Try as he might though, the tears kept coming. He curled up on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest.
"Bakura…" he whispered out loud, voice shaking. His Ring flashed, then Bakura was standing in front of him, an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Don't cry, little one," he soothed, gathering Ryou up. "I'm here."
Ookay…that was a weird chapter. Sorry I made Ryou such a wuss. I was going to do Yugi/Ryou and Bakura jealousy, but it somehow didn't turn out that way when I was writing it. Please review anyways, even if you just want to flame it (granted, positive feedback would be nicer, but flames are still better than nothing). All right, just review it please!