Chapter 2: A Lost Love
Ryou smiled at the pharaoh. "Well as your friends would say, don't ever give up!" he held his hand out for Yami to take "Come on, let's start over." Yami took his hand and Ryou helped him stand up.
Ryou looked at the recipe. Yami stood next to him, he sighed a bit as looked down at the page.
'Yami...' He heard it faintly but he had heard it. The pharaohs' head shot up and he looked out the window at the car that was driving by. He could have sworn he had seen Yugi looking back at him, but it couldn't have been … could it?
The confused and worried pharaoh ran out of the kitchen and into the living room to only see that the couch was empty.
"Yugi!" He looked at the front door open door "NO!"
Ryou followed him, wondering what had happened. "Yugi's gone? But I thought, you know, you and him shared a body?"
Yami quickly explained what had happened. Once he was done he sat down and covered his face with his hands.
"I failed to protect my hikari when he was trying to help me, I nearly set the house on fire, and I have now lost my hikari's body." The pharaoh said quietly into his hands. Ryou stood a few feet from him watching. He had an idea of what was going on, but he couldn't be for sure yet.
"I'll go clean up the kitchen Yami." He said after a while. He walked off leaving the pharaoh to sulk in his misery.
Once alone in the kitchen Ryou started to wash the dishes.
"I know you have something to do with Yami's burnt cookies Bakura" Ryou said without looking from the bowl he was washing. His yami appeared sitting on the counter behind him.
'So what if I added a few more minutes to the timer thing? They're just cookies. The pharaoh will get over it.'
"Not funny."
'Come on Ryou, you've got to admit seeing the pharaoh in an apron, down on his knees, arms up with oven mitts on while crying out 'no' is funny.'
"Ok, maybe a bit but at a time like this? He's got a lot going on right now, I know you heard him talk about Yugi."
'So what if he can't keep an eye on his own hikari?'"Ugh, Bakura!" Ryou turned and shot him a look that said 'cut it out before I kill you'
'Fine, fine. Well what if you invite him to your little birthday party? It'd get him out of this house and around friends.'
"To my party? That's a great idea! It'd help him see all the- wait, why are you giving me a nice friendly idea? What are you up to?"
'Nothing! Can't I be nice for once without getting criticized?'"Sorry…"
A while later Ryou walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of cookies. He had one of the cookies halfway in his mouth. The pharaoh wasn't on the couch like he had thought.
"Hmm?"
Ryou walked around the house looking for the pharaoh. He walked into Yugi's room to see the yami asleep on the floor with his head resting on the bed. Ryou smiled and put the cookies down on the desk. He picked up a blanket and put it around the pharaoh.
"Aibou … is that you?" Yami asked still asleep.
"Get some sleep Yami." Ryou said quietly as he wrote a note asking Yami to come to his birthday party tomorrow and telling him to enjoy the cookies. He placed the note on top of the cookies and walked out, closing the door.
As Ryou was walking home his cell phone rang.
"EEK!" He nearly dropped the phone. 'Why is Tea calling me? I don't want to listen to her friendship speeches! How'd she get my number anyway?'
Sighing, Ryou answered it.
"Hello?"
"Ryou?"
"Yes Tea, what is it?"
"Can you come down to the museum? We have a huge favor to ask of you."
"Uh…" Ryou glanced at his watch.
"It's for Yugi."
He still had to decorate and bake the cake for his party, but how could he say no?
"Alright I'll be there in a few minutes."
A few minutes later…
Tea, Joey and Tristan greeted Ryou as he walked up to the museum. They dragged him inside before Ryou could even say a hello back. Isis was looking through some books until she looked up to see the three holding Ryou.
"Got him." Tea said.
Isis nodded and looked back at the book she was holding for a second before putting it down.
"Ryou, we have a large favor to ask of you. You see, Yugi is in danger. If we don't return him to his body than he could be a lost soul, wondering the world for all of eternity. What happened was he tried and seceded in getting the pharaoh his own body but at the price of his soul detaching from his own body. Do you understand?"
Ryou nodded. "But how can I help?"
"We have a plan. I need you to do the same thing Yugi did, find Yugi's soul and bring it back with you so that we can put it back into his body."
"But … I don't know where Yugi is, how would I find him if I become just a spirit?"
'Don't I get a say in this?' Bakura asked, "Because I think it's a great idea. Me getting my own body, it's like a dream come true!"
'Bakura, if I don't find Yugi than I'll just be a lost soul too! And then there wouldn't be anyone to look after you. Besides if you got your own body you'd just go get yourself into trouble' Ryou glared at him.
Bakura sighed 'You're right, I wouldn't have someone to cook and clean for me and fast food just isn't my thing. A real thick juicy steak is what hits the spot.'
Ryou would have strangled him if Bakura weren't just a spirit in the ring.
"I'll do it." Ryou said ignoring the comments his yami was saying in his mind.
Isis nodded, her expression not changing much. She led Ryou to a spot in the room and handed him the book she had been holding.
"Tell Bakura to stand there"
Ryou nodded as Bakura sighed heavily and walked to where she had pointed.
"Now, from what the Pharaoh had told the others, Ryou, you have to read this," she pointed to a line in the book "We'll be outside of the room until everything is quiet alright? We don't know how this works with more than the spirit and the host in the room. Once you wake up go find Yugi as quickly as you can, and bring him back here." Isis looked at the empty spot she had told Bakura to stand. "And Bakura, if anything seems to go wrong grab him alright?"
"Ok, we got it." Ryou said watching the four others leave. "Well, here goes nothing." He said looking at Bakura.
He gulped and read from the book. Bakura closed his eyes as the room filled with light. The wind ripping through the air. He squinted to try and see Ryou; he couldn't afford to loose his hikari so he had to watch him.
With a sudden cry from Ryou the light turned dark. Is this what happened to the pharaoh and his hikari? Bakura watched Ryou screaming, as the wind became stronger.
Tears streaming down his face, his hands red from gripping the book so tightly, his hair and cloths being whipped around in the wind, Ryou continued to scream. Bakura watched wide-eyed, was Ryou going to die if he didn't do anything?
"Ryou hold on!" Bakura yelled out, he found himself running towards Ryou. Unsure of what to do, he reached out to touch Ryou. He was afraid to touch him though, his hand stopped a few centimeters away from Ryous tear covered face.
'I have to … do something!' Bakura thought. So he did the only thing he could think of.
His stretched out hand drew back and closed into a fist. He threw his fist out at Ryou. The force of the collision made Ryou fly back, the book slipping from his hands as he hit the ground.
Bakura ran over to Ryous side and lifted him up "Ryou? Ryou are you dead?"
Ryou looked at him as his eyes went dull and slowly closed. His head fell against Bakura's arm.
'He looks like he's only sleeping…'"Yugi's only hope rests with Ryou now." Isis said. Bakura looked up, realizing the room looked normal now. Isis walked over to the book and picked it up. She flipped through the pages quickly before stopping at one.
"Here we are." She said before reading something mixed between English and Egyptian.
"There he is." Isis said as a faint Ryou lay on the ground not far from where Bakura was holding Ryous body.
"Is that… his soul?" Bakura asked looking at Isis. She nodded as Ryou sat up, rubbing his head. He looked at Bakura and his body then at Isis.
"It worked?"
Isis nodded again, "Yes Ryou. Now you have to go find Yugi quickly. I used a spell that allows us to see and hear you. This way we'll know when you return."
Ryou nodded and ran out the door. Bakura looked at Isis then at Ryou's body.
"… Well, isn't this fun." He let Ryou go and stood up. Isis smiled, trying to keep from laughing.
Yugi sighed as he sat next to Malik, who was watching old reruns of Happy Days, thinking that he had to wait for Ryou to come home. Marik had brought Yugi's body down to the basement and then let Malik take back his body. Yugi guessed Marik had told Malik a fake story on why they were over at Ryous' home. Yugi continued to think of how he could fix what happened. There had to be someway to contact Yami. It would be the only way to get things back to normal and get himself back into his body.
"But how?" Yugi asked himself aloud. Malik jumped and looked around.
"Who's there?"
Yugi blinked, could Malik have heard him?
"Me."
Malik held up his millennium rod, "Come out before I make you my mind slave!"
"You mean you can hear me, Malik?"
"Well duh! Who are you! Come out now!"
Yugi smiled, could this mean he could contact Yami? He stood up and started for the door but stopped and smiled … smiled evilly that is. He walked back over to Malik.
"I am the one who will vanish you to the shadow realm!"
Malik whipped around "Yeah r-right!"
"Do you wish to tempt me?"
"NO! I mean … no one can defeat me!"
"So than you wish for me to take your millennium item and send you to the shadow realm now?"
"No!" Malik yelled, he looked around again before taking off out of the house screaming like a girl.
Yugi started to laugh as he started for his home. Who'd of guess scaring Malik would be that easy? After everything they had been though, he would have thought Malik would be a tough guy sort of like how Marik was. He walked into his home and looked around, the lights were all off. He walked up the stairs and noticed his door was closed. He walked inside his room and saw Yami asleep on the floor.
"Yami." Yugi whispered walking over.
"Aibou … I'm so sorry." Yami said quietly in his sleep. Yugi kneeled down and listened to what the sleeping pharaoh was saying.
"I didn't want you to get hurt… It wasn't … supposed to be like this. Is it true … that I am really … the dark side?"
"Oh Yami…" Yugi whispered. "You're not evil."
"But … Yugi, I'm your dark…"
Yugi smiled and got under the blanket that was around the pharaoh. He hugged Yami and said quietly, "But you are my light out of the darkness too. Remember everything you've done since you met me? You finished our duel against Pegasus, without you there I wouldn't have even made it five minutes into the duel before he could beat me with the power of the millennium eye. With that duel alone you helped me get grandpa back and you helped Joey get the money for his sisters operation. And that's just one thing you did."
Yami's eyes opened and he turned his head, without warning his lips locked with Yugi's'. Both of their cheeks turned a rose color. Yami started to draw back but Yugi held onto him. They stayed locked in the kiss for more then a minute. Yugi has his eyes closed, but the pharaoh kept his open, looking down upon the smallhikari, his hikari. They're kiss broke only when Yugi moved closer to Yami and spoke.
"Just because people say you're evil doesn't mean you have to be."
Yami felt Yugi's warm breath on his lips. They were so close they could hear each other's hearts beating rapidly. Yugi held the pharaohs' face as he went forward and they shared another kiss. The pharaoh could feel his heart skip a beat as he closed his eyes and never wanted to move away. He had his hands around Yugi's small shoulders; Yugi moved his hands down Yami's face and onto the pharaohs' waist.
"Aibou… you are also my own light guiding me through my own darkness. Without you I would be lost."
Ryou finally made it to Yugi's' home. He went inside and looked around. The place didn't look any different from when he had left it after baking the cookies for Yami. He went upstairs to see if Yami was still asleep and if Yugi was around. He walked into Yugi's bedroom and saw Yugi and Yami lying together on top of Yugi's bed. He couldn't tell if Yugi was awake but he saw that Yami was asleep. Then he noticed Yugi's hand was slowly stroking the pharaohs' cheek.
Ryou walked out of the room and back down stairs, he didn't want it to seem like he had been spying on them so once he was near the living room he called out, "Yugi! Are you here? This is really important Yugi!"
He saw Yugi appear at the top of the stairs looking a bit tired. "Ryou?"
Nodding, Ryou ran up the stairs. "You have to come with me Yugi. If we don't get you back into your body and soon something bad could happen."
Yugi was now fully awake. "Something bad? Like what?" He followed Ryou as Ryou went for the door.
"I don't know for sure, Isis said something about becoming a lost soul."
They started across the street. Yugi stopped walking. His chest suddenly hurt, his knees felt weak. Ryou noticed and put his arm over his shoulder to help him keep going.
"Come on Yugi, we have to get back to the museum." Ryou said trying to go as fast as he could.
Yugi's eyes became glossy with tears; the pain he was feeling hurt so much. He didn't know whether to cry out or just let the pain consume his whole body without a fight. His legs gave out making both, him and Ryou, fall to the ground. Ryou got up and tried pulling Yugi to his feet.
"Don't do this Yugi! Come on! You've got to keep going!"
Ryou got Yugi to stand and started to pull him again. Yugi gripped his chest tightly. He couldn't breath, every time his heart beat it sent a huge amount of pain through his body. His fingers were numb, he felt cold and lost. Everything seemed to have slowed down, everything but him. His happy memories faded away, nothing but sorrow and pain was left.
Ryou watched in horror as Yugi's eyes turned grim and dull looking, his skin pale, and his arms shaking. The tears that had formed in Yugi's eyes ran freely now.
"Yugi! Snap out of it!" Ryou yelled.
Yugi's words echoed through the streets as he vanished within the wind.
"SAVE ME, MY DARKNESS!"
To be continued...
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coming up in the third chapter:
Ryou, Bakura and Yami go to the mall and then its time to party ... or is it? Review please?
