After a long time, they managed to calm Anzu down. Mostly, the pain and sorrow that Yugi showed when she didn't let him near her persuaded her that he would never have done that with Yami on purpose. Still, thought Honda, it was just as well that she didn't share any classes with the young child for the rest of the day. Hopefully, by the end-of-day bell, she'd forgotten her panic over – whatever had happened in the storage room.
Anzu smiled as she reached her friends. 'I must have been mistaken,' she decided. 'Yugi could never be responsible for what happened to Ushio.' She frowned slightly at the thought. 'And it's not as if I even know what did happen to him,' she told herself. In truth, her memory of that short time was already becoming fuzzy, and in a few days she would be prepared to swear that she was unconscious when Yami took care of Ushio.
"Hey, where's Jou?" she asked, realising that the loud blond was nowhere to be seen.
"He got himself detention, again," shrugged Honda, folding his arms.
"You're just sore because Yugi didn't and you had a bet on with Seto," Yami teased him.
"Where is Seto?" asked Anzu.
"Sulking in his limo," smirked Honda, waving towards the car park. "I think Yugi was just talking to him," he added, seeing the familiar crown of spikes headed towards them – and glancing quickly at Yami to make sure that yes, he was already next to them.
Yugi grinned at Yami and his friends as he reached them, then paused. He looked away, his head tilted as if trying to hear something. Yami looked at him in surprise. "Yugi, what is it?"
"Ryou!" Yugi exclaimed, his eyes focussed on a boy with wild white hair, who was walking away from them. Yami followed his gaze, then smiled. "No, that's Bakura. He's in some of my classes. Who's Ryou?"
Yugi ignored him. "Ryou!" he cried out, and there were suddenly two blurs headed towards Bakura. Yami, Honda and Anzu followed Yugi, but Honda and Anzu both stopped with gasps of surprise. Yugi was in front of Bakura, trying to restrain someone – someone who looked like a younger, gentler version of Bakura. Yami was surprised, but when you've had an innocent version of yourself sharing your house, the sight of someone else's counterpart doesn't shock you enough to stop you running.
As he reached them, the innocent Bakura managed to get out of Yugi's grasp, and lunged towards his mirror image. The light gleamed on the knife he was holding.
"No!" Yugi insisted, grabbing him again. Yami moved to take the knife, wondering at the tears in the green eyes.
"Must! Must," the boy whimpered, shaking in fear. Yami managed to get the knife out of his hand, and stuck it in his belt. The snow-haired child instantly collapsed against Yugi, staring at everyone else in terror.
"What is going on!?!" Bakura exploded, staring at the three boys in front of him. Yugi looked up from his attempts to comfort the other, and shrugged. He looked at Yami, and asked, "Home?"
"We have to decide what to do with him –" Yami pointed at the green-eyed boy – "and try to explain to Bakura what's going on."
Yugi nodded. "Home," he repeated, gesturing at everyone.
"Oh, you mean we should talk about it there," Yami said in understanding. He turned to Bakura. "Do you want to come and find out what we know of what's going on?"
Bakura stared at him. "Do I want to find out about someone who looks like he's my kid brother and just tried to kill me? ----, yeah!"
Yami frowned slightly. "Don't swear in front of Yugi," he chastised Bakura, who gave him a look of blank disbelief.
"I – almost – got – killed," he said, spacing the words out, "and you're – saying – don't – swear?!" He would have said more, but his eyes lit on his lookalike, who was flinching as if every word was a blow. Even Yugi was cowering slightly, but it was the shuddering of the other one that stopped him. Why was he so scared?
"Fine," Bakura sighed in sudden defeat. "Let's all go to your house. But if you don't tell me what's going on…" he trailed off as his counterpart flinched again.
"Safe," Yugi told him, hugging him comfortingly.
Yami shrugged at Bakura, then turned to the two boys. "Come on, Yugi and…" he paused, looking at them.
"Ryou," Yugi told him, forcing the pale boy forwards. Yami smiled at him comfortingly as Honda and Anzu finally got over their shock at the scene which had just played out before them and reached the small group. Ryou stared at Yami, and then smiled shyly back. Bakura felt something odd inside his chest at the sight. 'He looks so innocent. I really want to know why someone like him would try to kill me.'
---
"Aren't we gonna wait until Jou's finished his detention?" asked Honda as they headed for the Kami Game Shop.
"If you expect me to wait for that idiot –" Bakura began. Ryou flinched again.
"You're scaring him again," Yami warned Bakura.
"Why is he so scared of everything?" Bakura asked. Yami's eyes darkened, as he looked at Yugi.
"They were – tortured, is the only real term for it. Regularly. Yugi is less – fragile about it, but he had a panic attack when Jou and Seto started one of their everlasting arguments in his hearing. It reminded him."
Bakura's mahogany eyes started to glitter dangerously. "Someone dared to hurt Ryou?" he asked softly. Yami cast him a glance.
"You, too?"
"Huh?"
Yami shook his head slightly. "I met Yugi in the park. After ten minutes with him, I was ready to kill anyone who threatened him."
Bakura shot him a glance. He'd never heard Yami sound so – cold. "Yeah, me too," he admitted almost silently.
"Guess we have something in common, tomb-raider," Yami smirked.
"In your dreams, Pharoah!" Bakura snarled.
Yugi looked at them, puzzled. /Yami? Pharoah? Bakura – tomb-raider?/
Yami scowled, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. /Please, aibou, don't ask!/
"What's the kid asking this time?" Honda questioned, seeing that the two were having another of their silent conversations.
"Oh, he just wanted to know about our nick-names," said Yami dismissively.
Honda grinned. "Jou'll tell ya everything," he promised Yugi, ignoring the face Yami pulled.
"Oh, I'll tell them both," said Bakura suddenly. "You see, Yami there insists that he never gets beaten at any game. So I proved him wrong, on 'Lara Croft – Tomb Raider' –"
"You cheated!" Yami interrupted.
"So?" asked Bakura.
Yugi giggled as Yami pouted. Ryou looked at them curiously, them smiled hesitantly at Bakura.
Bakura stopped in his tracks.
/If I looked that stupid when you first smiled at me, aibou, then I'm glad no one was around to see it,/ Yami told Yugi.
"Then?" asked Ryou, patently unaware of the effect his interest was having on his counterpart.
"Uh?" Bakura blinked, looking dazed.
"Yami just told them that you'd cheated at Tomb Raider," Honda reminded him.
"Right." Bakura started forwards again, studiously ignoring Ryou. "So, when I beat him, his friends all started calling me 'tomb-raider'. I think it suits me, don't you?" he added, then blinked. 'What possessed me to say that to him, by Ra?' he asked himself.
"Pharoah?" asked Yugi questioningly.
"Because he acts like he's a god-on-earth," Bakura answered promptly. Yugi considered that, then turned to Yami.
"Suits you," he said with a cute grin.
Ryou gasped, and looked at the older boys in terror.
Yami looked at Yugi. /What's wrong with him?/
Instead of words, Yugi sent images, explaining that each time they had spoken more than one word at a time they had been beaten for it.
Yami paused, then asked, /Aibou, can you send to Bakura?/
Yugi frowned slightly, concentrating. /Feelings./
Yami paused, and looked at Bakura. He concentrated on the new senses he'd felt when dealing with Ushio…/CAN YOU HEAR ME?/
Bakura whirled and stared at him. "Of course I can hear you. Why are you yelling?"
"He didn't say a word," protested Honda.
/This is what upset Ryou,/ Yami told Bakura, ignoring everyone. He quickly repeated the scenes that Yugi had shown him.
Bakura's eyes widened. There is no way that I am letting anyone hurt Ryou like that ever again, he thought, mind already picturing what he would do to the man Yami had shown him.
Promise?
He twisted around, and stared at Ryou.
Honda watched in surprise, then asked, "Hey, are you two connected as well?"
"Connected?" asked Bakura, feeling unnerved.
"You know, telepathically. Like Yami's connected to Yugi."
Bakura stared at him, then looked to Yami for confirmation.
"True. Me and… Pharoah," Yugi told him. Yami looked at him.
"Yugi, don't call me that!"
Honda bit his fist, trying not to laugh. Bakura had no such inhibitions, although he was careful to stay out of Yami's reach.
Ryou looked questioningly at Yugi. Yugi shrugged at him. /Yami, what's joke?/ he asked.
Yami narrowed his crimson eyes at Honda, making the taller boy gulp and look away. He sighed at Bakura's amusement, and told Yugi, /I really can't imagine, aibou./