Next chapter, yay! I truly can't wait to write the next one. It's going to be fun!

Much thanks to: Sapphire-Musings, fatlazikat, fani90, XabunaiX, and Lyn/Lin for reviewing.

Cygna-hime: Well, this chapter doesn't have a lot of angst, but it does have some. The next chapter on the other hand, will be a different story.

Amarin Rose: Ooh! I wanna read your Yami/Bakura fics! I will have to go check out your stories. Anyways, yeah, that's actually what I was hoping people would think, because that's pretty much what Bakura thought. I had actually been planning that turn of events from the beginning of the story, but of course Bakura didn't know that.

Chrysler: Hee hee, yes, there is a high risk of that, isn't there?

Major-rocket-fan: Thanks for the congrats!

So here's the new chapter, hope you like it!

Chapter 22

Back to Normal

I've finally done it.

After searching for most of the night, I have found out exactly where and how Yami connected his power to my Millennium Ring. The little bugger hid it quite well too, I am rather amazed. Now, I can stop it anytime I wish, but I told Yami that we would talk about that after he got back. Besides, if I did it now, he would instantly sense it and undoubtedly be extremely pissed at me. Also, who knows what sort of effect it would have on the both of us if I just cut the power without Yami's cooperation.

Now, it is five o'clock in the morning and I haven't had any sleep whatsoever, in addition to the fact that it took a great deal of energy and concentration to search my Ring like that. But ever since yesterday morning, when I found out about all of this, I knew that was my first priority before anything else. Or maybe it was just my way of procrastinating and avoiding all the damn things I really need to think about.

I should try to go to sleep though. I am both physically and mentally exhausted at the moment, but my mind is still buzzing with all of the energy I just used. Good thing it is so dark that I can't really see my room or I think it would be spinning pretty fast right now. Closing my eyes isn't even helping the dizziness go away.

To make matters worse, Yami didn't come back to my house tonight. I know I said I wanted time alone to think, but I didn't mean for it to be like this. I can't help but assume that he is avoiding me. If only things would go back to the way they used to be. Maybe ignorance truly is bliss.

Still it amazes me though, my own reaction to finding out everything. At the time, I thought I was just in shock, but even now I don't really feel angry about it. I mean, sure I was pissed about the fact that I was kept in the dark for so long, but now there is only a slight residual left of that anger.

Okay, I need to go to sleep. Just three or four hours to get me through tomorrow, that's all I need. Stop thinking and go to sleep……

…….But what if- Dammit, stop it!! Great, now I'm arguing with myself. I guess that doesn't bode well for my sanity. Oh well, who wants to be normal anyway?

Okay, fuck this, I'm not lying in bed any longer, it's annoying me.

I throw off my covers and head quietly downstairs to the kitchen while supporting myself against the wall, so not to fall from the dizziness. I need something non-caffeinated. Hmm… Ryou just has a bunch of tea that I don't quite recognize. Well, this one says non-caffeinated right on the box, but I've never had this kind before. I guess as long as it is something hot, it'll have to do.

I put some water on to boil and go about making the drink. I sit down at the small table in the kitchen, the room weakly lit by the hardly rising sun. Cradling the small mug in my hands, I let its warmth transfer to my skin to an almost unbearable degree. The subtle smell drifts up to my nose and causes my entire body to gradually relax. I don't even feel like drinking this anymore.

As I stare intently at the colored liquid, my mind wanders over all of yesterday's events. I can see why Yami would want to keep that hidden from me. Maybe he is as worried as I am about keeping our relationship stable. But who knows if it's about losing my love or causing me to lose my will to live again and the guilt he might feel. Could the guilt really be bad enough to keep someone in a relationship like ours though? His love seems perfectly genuine, but I have nothing to compare it to, no previous relationship to draw reference from.

Wait, that's not exactly true, now is it? I have Ryou. Ryou says he loves me, that he will always be there for me no matter what, even after what I've done to him in the past. I probably hurt Ryou just as much as Yami before and he still loves me. If Ryou can be so forgiving then it follows that Yami could be as well. Even though Yami has practically nothing in common with Ryou, personality wise, they both found some reason to stay with me. That reason is something I have yet to figure out, but that can be left for another time.

Maybe I have been blowing this all out of proportion. I should stop running myself around in circles trying to determine everyone's reason for doing what they've done and just accept it. It's so hard to break out of that habit though. The uncertainties are just too numerous.

The only things I can truly be definite of are my own feelings and that is what I will have to be satisfied with from now on. And I know that I still want to be with Yami. It's an odd feeling to realize that you've become attached to someone to such a great extent, but now, there is no way I could go back to my previous way of life. I can't say that I'd actually want to either.

With each passing thought, my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. I wonder if I can make it back up to my bed. I'm sure if I actually did, I'd still be wide awake. No, I can just stay here for now and rest my eyes for a bit. I'll go back to bed in a few minutes.

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There is a slight pressure on my shoulder. It must be someone touching me. Wait... somebody is touching me!

My eyes snap open and I swat away whomever's hand is trying to catch me with my defenses down. I manage to get my eyes back into focus just in time to see Ryou backing quickly away from me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He says softly.

"It's okay, I guess I just didn't expect to fall asleep out here."

He sees that I'm not angry and his face brightens. "Well, I think it's better that you react that way as opposed to no reaction at all."

Hm… that night a couple of days ago must have scared him. "Good thing I moved that cup you were holding or there would have been quite a mess."

"Yes, good thing." Ryou just keeps standing there, not really making eye contact. And it is getting on my nerves.

"Was there something you wanted?" I ask forcefully to break the silence.

Ryou jumps slightly and crosses his arms. "Um… Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come to school with me."

Another pause. Great, I get to play 'drag the answer out of Ryou.' "Sooo, any particular reason?"

"Um, Malik and I decided it was time." He says quietly, while focusing on the floor.

Sigh. "Time for what?"

"Time that we told everyone about us."

"Really, so it's officially serious with you two and you're okay with it?" He nods. "Why now?"

"Well, we wanted to tell everyone now, before we left for the tournament. That way, all the attention can be on the tournament results afterwards."

"So, why do you need me there?"

"I just thought it would be nice." Damn, he's got that preliminary pitiful look, letting me know that if I say no, he will guilt trip me big time. I really didn't want to spend today in his Ring.

And there they are, those big brown eyes that are impossible to deny. "Fine."

"Yay!" Ryou practically glomps me out of happiness, almost knocking me out of my chair.

"Okay. Off, off…" He lets go of me and I head upstairs to put on some decent clothes.

Ra, I am much too tired for this today.

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Bakura, wake up!

Nnn, I was sleeping so nicely too. What?

It's lunch time. You can come out now.

Alright.

I concentrate and materialize beside Ryou. Wow, maybe that was a little too much concentration on my part. I have to bring my hand to the side of my head, in an attempt to stop the room from spinning.

"Are you okay?" I hear from two distinct voices. After regaining some of my balance, I see both Malik and Ryou, staring at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just haven't done that in a while."

"Maybe you should go home and rest." Ryou suggests.

"No, I said I was okay. Besides, I want to be here, so if anyone has any sort of negative reaction, I can beat them into compliance." I say, with a bit of a smirk.

Ryou giggles and Malik simply smiles. "I'm sure there will be no need for violence."

"Well, just in case."

The two set off to find one of their friends and I trail several feet behind them.

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After checking a couple places, they finally found where everyone was having lunch. I was luckily only noticed by a couple people on the way, of which, only one gave me an odd look. I think Ryou could care less about that right now, though.

They approach Anzu and Yugi first. Probably best, considering how I can't see Anzu having a bad reaction to anything that involves love.

"Hi guys!" She greets them cheerfully.

Yugi looks surprised to see me here, but quickly shifts his eyes away once I make eye contact. I sit down on the other side of Yugi, away from Anzu, while Ryou and Malik sit in front of her. They start idly talking to her, but Yugi seems afraid to even acknowledge my presence.

I lean over a bit, deciding that he is probably feeling guilty about something, and whisper quietly to him. "Thank you."

He instantly meets my eyes, obviously confused out of his little mind as to why I would say something like that to him. "For what?"

"For forcing Yami to stop being so damn stubborn the other night."

"Somehow, I don't think you should be thanking me for that. I feel like I've hurt your relationship by interfering."

"Don't worry, it was going to happen sooner or later. So, it's not your fault and don't for one second think it is. We'll make it through this."

Yugi smiles softly, but it's not his usual genki one. "I just couldn't stand to see Yami deteriorating like that any longer."

"I know. I should have pushed the issue earlier too, but now that I know what is going on, I won't let it happen anymore."

"Thanks." Yugi smiles a little wider. "You know, talking with you is much more civilized when it's about something serious, but for some reason, it just doesn't seem right."

"Hey, are you saying that I'm not civilized?" I say, trying to sound offended, even though I know exactly what he means.

He laughs lightly and lets my objection pass. "So, why did you come to school today?"

I turn towards Ryou and Malik who are still talking with Anzu and nod in their direction. "Because of them."

Yugi's eyes light up in realization. "Are they telling everyone today?"

"Yeah."

"That's great." He says, trying to keep his voice under control.

"Really!! How cute!" Suddenly comes a high pitched shriek, causing all attention in the immediate area to be focused on the origin of the sound, which of course being the only one who could produce such a noise is Anzu. They must have finally told her.

"Wait, but I thought…." She trails off, looking from me to Ryou, and thinking hard for a moment. "Oh never mind. I'm so happy for you two!"

She leans over and hugs both Malik and Ryou. Malik turns to me and rolls his eyes, while Ryou has turned bright red. He obviously didn't expect such an enthusiastic reaction.

"Hey, what's going on over here guys?" Jounouchi asks, with Honda and Otogi in tow behind him. "I could hardly concentrate on my Duel Monsters game with all the noise."

"Yeah right, you just knew you were going to lose to me, so that's why you wanted to stop." Otogi remarks smugly.

"Whatever, I was just about to make a move that would've completely destroyed you!"

"Sure, sure." Otogi slowly waves him away and then turns to Anzu. "Anyway, so what happened?"

"Can I tell them?!" She excitedly asks both Malik and Ryou. Malik looks to Ryou, who is too embarrassed for words at the moment, and grasps his hand.

"If you want to." Malik responds levelly.

She shifts to where the other guys are standing and pauses dramatically for effect. Figures she'd be the one to make a big production out of this. Maybe they should've told her last. "Well, Malik and Ryou just told me that they have been going out!"

Carefully, I watch each of their reactions. Otogi looks puzzled for a moment. "Going out? Oh… that's cool."

"I know! Don't they just look so cute together?" Anzu exclaims, yet again. I might just have a headache after this.

"Yeah, sure." Honda says while scratching the back of his head nervously.

And here it comes. The mutt has that air of accomplishment about him, indicating that he has just thought of an exceptional joke. I think we'll have to stop that right now.

Slowly and steadily, I rise from where I am sitting, the entire time never taking my eyes from Jounouchi's. He notices just as he opens his mouth to speak, but falls short when he catches my gaze. I keep my head tilted, so my bangs menacingly shadow my eyes just enough to scare the shit out of him. I narrow my eyes ever so slightly and Jounouchi instantly breaks eye contact, laughing uneasily.

"Yeah… heh, heh, they do make a good couple." The others remain completely oblivious of our interaction. Jounouchi quietly changes location to the other side of Honda and Otogi, placing them in the path between me and him. And my job is finished.

The three sit down with the rest of the group, while I continue to stand and Anzu has yet to shut up. "So, how long have you guys been dating?"

I can't stand anymore of her, I'm leaving. I'm going home.

Ryou immediately looks up from where he had been staring at the ground and flashes me concerned eyes. But we haven't told Kaiba yet.

I seriously doubt he'll care about your little announcement, being the type of person he is. So, you don't need me there. Besides, I don't know how much more of super happy Anzu I can stand.

Oh, okay. Are you going to make it home okay by yourself?

Why wouldn't I? I've walked back from your school several times before, I know the way.

As long as you're sure.He gives me a warm smile. Luckily, Malik is answering all of the questions Anzu and the others are putting forth, so Ryou can have a chance to focus on his conversation with me. I'm glad you came.

Yeah, yeah. Tell me later if anyone gives you any problems and I will personally send them to the darkest corner of the Shadow Realm.

Okay. He responds, with that cute little tilt of his head. I'll see you later.

Bye.

And without anyone except Ryou and Yugi noticing my departure, I head off in search of the quickest way out of the school.

That was much too tiring for my liking, but at least Ryou is happy. I think I'll go home and take a bit of a nap.

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I walk in through the door of Yami's house and find him standing there, as if waiting for me, but he appears to be rather annoyed with my sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here?" He asks sternly, much to my surprise.

"Um, well, I hadn't seen you yet today so I thought I'd come over."

"Can't you see that I wanted some time alone?"

"But, I missed you." Why is he attacking me like this? He has never acted like this before.

"Gods Bakura, you have become so needy. You're nothing like what you used to be. I don't know how much more of it I can stand."

"What is that supposed to mean?" A sudden rush of panic overwhelms me, welling up from my stomach. I don't think I want to hear the answer to my question.

"It means I don't want to be with you anymore. Before, I didn't want to have the guilt of causing you to kill yourself hanging over my head for the rest of my life, but now, I could care less. Do whatever you want with your pitiful life; just leave me out of it."

"I can't believe you would say something like that!" But he ignores me and walks away in the opposite direction. "Come back here and tell me why you said that!"

He briefly turns back around. "I thought I was perfectly clear."

"Wait! Come back!" I take off running after him, but somehow he manages to evade me at every turn, smoothly eluding my grasp.

Finally, he reaches a dead end and I take the opportunity to pin him against the wall. He scowls back at me defiantly, as if completely appalled that I was actually able to catch him.

"I'll show you that I am exactly the way I used to be." I tell him in a low, threatening voice.

And then, I grab Yami by his hair and pull him around, punching him in the face so hard that it causes him to stagger back across the room before crumpling to the floor.

Wait, this isn't right. Why am I doing this? It's wrong! This isn't me!

"What's wrong, Yami? Can't take a little roughhousing?" As he wipes the blood from the side of his mouth, he reluctantly makes eye contact once again, but they aren't Yami's eyes. They are filled with fear unlike anything I have ever seen from him and all can I do in response is grin wildly.

"Ah, there it is, that perfect moment of fear in your eyes. I have to say, it is quite beautiful coming from you, Yami. Let's see if we can draw out that exquisite expression once again." I inform him lazily.

Yami has yet to fight back, while I drag him up by his shirt and hit him again.

I keep telling myself to stop, that this isn't right, that this isn't what I want, but I just won't stop! Why don't I stop? I'm not in control of my own actions anymore. I've always been in control, it's not right, it's not what I want, I have to stop!

Still, I continue to beat Yami. I know that I must stop, I must stop hurting him! This isn't what I want at all, never! I don't understand, I just don't understand.

I must stop.

Stop!

Stop!

STOP!!

From somewhere, there is a rather loud thud. Startled, I look up and realize that I am sitting in my bed at home.

Ra, it was a dream.

I cover my face with my hands, in an attempt to recover from what I have just witnessed. My heart is still racing from such a realistic and vivid dream. My hands come away wet with tears and quickly, I dry my entire face with my sleeve. Both of my hands have begun to shake from the excess adrenaline coursing throughout my body.

"Ow…." I hear faintly from inside of my room. I lean over and cautiously peer down the side of my bed where I determine the sound came from. Slightly sprawled on the floor is Yami, rubbing at the side of his arm.

He notices me and sits up on his knees. "You're awake! Are you okay?"

Without another thought, I kneel down on the floor by his side and put my hands on his shoulders. "What did I do to you? How did you end up on the floor? I didn't hit you, did I?"

Because of my frantic questions, Yami stares at me quizzically for a moment and then decides to answer. "I was standing next to the bed, trying to wake you up because you looked like you were having a terrible dream. Then suddenly you sat up, which startled me and I lost my balance. That's when I fell and hit my arm on your chair." He searches my face for a few seconds and softens his tone of voice. "Didn't you hear me calling out your name?"

"No… I really didn't mean for you to be hurt."

"It's alright. It was an accident. So, you didn't answer me. Are you okay?" He slides a hand along the side of my face. He looks so concerned and yet so controlled at the same time. I don't think I could bear to ever verbalize what I just witnessed in that dream. So, I simply move past his hand and wrap my arms around him.

"Bakura, you're trembling." He says as I feel his hands slip down to rest on my lower back.

"I had an awful dream… But, it was just a dream." I tell him with my face buried in his shoulder.

"It must have been." He holds me a little tighter. "I was shaking you and still, you didn't wake up."

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's perfectly okay. I'm just worried about you, that's all." He loosens his arms around me a bit. "Do you want to go downstairs and sit or something?"

"No, just please… just a few more minutes." I couldn't bring myself to let go of him right now.

"Okay." He says gently. His hands wrap around a little higher on my back and I hold his shoulders more closely. Just a couple minutes and I can shove all those horrid images into the back of my mind, never to resurface again. I'll be alright then.

I take a few deep breaths to get my hectic thoughts under control once again. It was all a dream. Yami doesn't hate me and I didn't hurt him. I will never hurt him.

Finally regaining some sense of normalcy, I place my hands back on his shoulders and move him so that I can see his face. "Why did you fall in love with me?"

Yami widens his eyes in bewilderment, but without any further pause, he shifts to a genuine, perfect smile. "Now, that's a stupid question. I fell in love with you because you are who you are. I don't care what you were or what you did in the past. I did some pretty horrible things in the past too, but those are behind me now. The only thing that matters is now. You bring out a side of me that was previously suppressed and I am grateful for that." He is silent for a time, letting me work over all he has just said. "I thought you had figured all of those things out already."

"Maybe I had. I just needed you to say them to erase all possibility of doubt." I stand upright, pulling him up with me. "I guess we might as well go downstairs now. What time is it?"

"I think it's about six o'clock."

"Huh, I'm surprised Ryou isn't home yet." Something occurs to me as we walk down the stairs. "Wait, was there a reason you came over here?"

"Well, I hadn't seen you yet today and besides, I was extremely bored of packing." Hm, I have an odd sense of deja-vu. Funny how that works. "I don't need to finish if you don't want me to go for some reason."

"No, I haven't forgotten about the tournament and yes, you are still going. There will be no backing out of it just because I had a nightmare. I am not a small child."

"Okay, okay. I really want to kick Kaiba's ass again anyway." Ah, there's the Yami I know. Speaking of Kaiba, I wonder how it went with Ryou and Malik. I'm sure telling him went without incident. That reminds me-

"So, today Ryou and Malik told everyone about their relationship. Ryou even dragged me to school this morning."

"Really?" He asks as we walk into the living room.

"Yeah, I think Ryou made a bigger deal out of it than it really was though."

"That brings up another point, how long do you want to keep hiding our own little love affair from everyone?" Yami adds after we sit down on the couch.

"Me? As far as I'm concerned, everyone who I care about knowing already knows…. and then some. The rest of them are your problem. I think we have a pretty good system developed now that we don't have to worry about being noticed, so there's no hurry in my opinion."

Yami breaks eye contact and his face twists in dissatisfaction just barely enough for me to notice. Obviously, that was not the answer he wanted.

"Besides, I think there are more important things to consider before that, but as I said before, we can leave that until after you get back." He thinks about it for a moment and then decides to let the subject slide, without admitting that I am right of course. Oh well.

"When do you leave tomorrow for the tournament?" I ask, after quite a pause, which breaks Yami out of his thoughts.

"Um, well I think in the evening sometime. Actually, Yugi has kept track of all those sorts of things. I'm more or less along for the ride. Well, except for the fact that I am there to defend my title. I'm rather excited about going, though. I don't think I could ever pass up an opportunity to duel Kaiba in a true competition setting." There's that energized little glint in his eye that always shows up when he talks about Duels Monsters. It's funny, yet so predictable.

"See, I knew you would be happy about going." It just took a bit of convincing, that's all.

"I do wish you were coming though." He says and the light in his eyes fades. Damn.

"I don't want to go and be one of your little cheerleaders. Besides, I'm sure I would only be a distraction if I were to come. You don't need me keeping you up at night." I tell him with a sly grin.

He counters with his own sultry smile as he crawls up into my lap, wrapping his legs and arms around me, and bringing his face within centimeters of my own. "Hm, I guess you have a point. How would it look if the King of Games appeared at the tournament to be anything but alert and composed?"

"You know it would utterly destroy your reputation." I lean forward and capture his lips briefly, running my hands around his waist. "I've decided you're staying tonight. You can finish packing tomorrow."

Yami flashes mischievous eyes and kisses me longer than I did him. "If that's what you want."

Playing hard to get, I see. "Fine…" I say sadly, sighing loudly. Slowly, I begin to disentangle him from around me. "If that's not what you want, then I certainly can't force you."

After standing up from the couch, I take a few steps and cover my face with my hands as if I am about to cry. Let's see how long it takes for Yami to get annoyed.

Suddenly, Yami tackles me from behind, dragging us both down to the floor. Luckily, I manage to land without hurting either myself or Yami. All I can do is look up at Yami's perturbed expression and laugh, with a gentle tug at his bangs hanging down. That didn't take long at all.

"You're not getting away from me that easily, Tomb Robber. Your tricks will not fool me." He tries to put on that haughty Pharaoh façade, but fails miserably, because he is visibly about to break out into laughter.

"Yami, if you're bluffs are that easy to see through in the tournament, I don't know how you will ever win a game."

He begins to say something back, but is cutoff by the sound of the front door opening and closing. My head turns back automatically in the direction of the sound and immediately afterwards, Malik and Ryou come around the corner, upside down of course, considering my position. Damn, we never get any time to ourselves!

They both stop dead in their tracks upon noticing us on the floor. Ryou blushes a bit, but Malik just smirks. "Bakura, I never thought that you would be the one that was on the bo-"

Ryou quickly hits him in the stomach and turns back to us. That was probably a good thing though, because had Malik been able to finish that sentence, it would have most likely meant violence on my part.

"Can't you two lay off each other every once in a while?" Ryou asks, the embarrassment seeping through into his words.

I turn back to Yami and bring a hand to my forehead. "Get off so we can go somewhere else."

Yami's lips curl into a rather devious smile and he briefly glances at Ryou and Malik before putting his attention back on me. "Oh come now, Bakura. Maybe if they stayed and watched, they could learn a thing or two." He leisurely descends upon my neck, his kiss lingering for some time before moving back up. "Don't you think?"

"Okay, we're leaving!" I hear Ryou say and there's a bit of a scuffle before I hear the front door slam.

Yami starts to laugh after a short silence. "That was just indecent."

"But it got rid of them, didn't it?"

"True."

"What will I do without you for five days?" Yami asks, pouting a bit.

"Ah, now don't think about that. Think about the fun we're going to have when you get back."

To be continued-

This chapter kept changing mood constantly, probably because of my own mood. I swear I need to start writing these things all at one time. I actually felt bad after reading Bakura's dream a couple days after I wrote it, but decided to leave it in anyway. Oh well, tell me what you think- leave a review please!