Thanks to Zero-no-uta, Kiharu-sama, Lyn/Lin, XAbunaiX(), dragontiger1, major-rocket-fan, and Amarin Rose for reviewing the last chapter, I love you all! It's because of you guys, especially the ones who have been reviewing regularly since the beginning, that I actually want to update.

So, here's the next chapter and please review!

Chapter 23

Decisions

"Holy shit!!! Ow… my stomach!!!" Upon opening my eyes and getting past the overwhelming pain, I come face to face with my attacker.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Malik!!!" Malik smiles and puts all his weight down on my stomach, where he is currently sitting.

"Get the fuck off of me!!"

"Aw, come on. I know I'm not Yami, but is it really that bad to wake up to me?" He tries to look cute, but it only makes me want to hurt him all the more. "Besides, seeing you this early in the morning is fun! I had no idea you only slept in only your boxers… or are you actually wearing them under there?"

He begins to pull up my bed sheets, but that's where I draw the line. "Off! Now!!"

I try to sit up and throw him off of me, but his weight is too much at the moment. Damn him, damn him to the darkest corner of the Shadow Realm!!

"I don't weigh that much, do I?" He asks in an annoyingly innocent tone.

"I am going to kill you." I tell him in as much of a threatening voice as I can muster, given the current situation. The smile drops from his face and I slant my eyes enough so he gets the impression that I really intend to kill him.

"Alright, alright." He jumps off of me and my bed, finally standing a few feet away, probably so he can get out the door if need be. "Guess you're not a morning person."

I get up and slip on a random shirt, trying to get my anger back under control. I don't think Ryou would ever forgive me if I sent Malik to the Shadow Realm, even if he did deserve it. "Why the hell are you here, anyway?"

He smiles again brightly, and I can't help but cringe. I swear he is thoroughly enjoying my torture. "I'm your alarm clock for today!"

"Does being an alarm clock entail jumping full force onto my stomach while I'm still sleeping?!?" The smile remains.

"Yes… yes it does." I sigh in defeat, knowing there's no way I can ever hope to win this.

"How did you get in here?"

"Ryou gave me a key to the house a few weeks ago." Oh… thanks, Ryou. When he gets back, I will have to teach him the value of keeping his boyfriend out of harm's way.

"So, why are you here again?" I ask calmly, bringing a hand to my forehead.

"I don't know. I guess I was just bored since today is Saturday and there's no school. And nobody else is around, so I figured we could do something fun!"

"Look. Just because you are dating my hikari, doesn't mean that I have any desire to socialize with you." Ra, I've only been awake for maybe two minutes and my head is already starting to hurt. I wouldn't be so annoyed by seeing him if it weren't for the means by which he decided to wake me up.

"Oh, I know that's not true. We've spent lots of time together!"

"We only spend time around each other because you come with Ryou."

"You don't find my company enjoyable? I'm hurt, Bakura, truly hurt." That was sad. I don't think anyone would have believed that tone of voice.

"You know, I can still follow through on that death threat. Now leave me alone so that I can change!"

"Fine…" He says dejectedly, but breaks out into laughter as he walks out my door. Quickly, I slam the door behind him. Why do I have to deal with this today?

I take my time changing into normal clothing and brushing out my hair, which actually takes a while since it has decided to accumulate quite a few knots overnight. Damn hair, I should just cut it off, make it look like it did back in Egypt. It would be easier to manage.

That's odd, in the mirror I notice a white spot on my shirt that wasn't there before. Turning to the real thing, I realize that it is a hole, a damn hole. Shit, now I have to find a different one. Damn shirt, I hate you!

Gah, I just know it. I'm going to go absolutely insane by the end of today.

I head to the bathroom to wash my face with cold water and brush my teeth. Malik is very wise to be completely out of my sight.

After feeling prepared enough to tolerate Malik, I head downstairs and find him in the kitchen making tea. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you could use some tea." He hands me the cup and at the same time, looks over what I am wearing. "You look very nice today; did Yami pick out those clothes for you?"

Damn him. Ignore it, ignore it. "What is wrong with you, Malik? You're acting very strangely. This level of cute cheerfulness does not fit you at all."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like Ryou has rubbed off on you too much. If it continues, I will have to force you out of my house."

He appears disheartened for a brief second, but quickly his enthusiasm returns. "You couldn't force me out even if you tried. Don't forget, I still have the power of my Millennium Rod."

"You think that little stick scares me? I am more powerful than you will ever be!" I declare smugly, knowing for a fact that it is true.

"Wanna bet?"

"I'd like to see you try!" Now I know he is bluffing. We stare each other down for a couple of minutes, trying to force the other to break first. Finally, he gives up, stepping back and resuming his casual stance.

"Okay, I admit I was putting on a bit of an act. I just wanted to see how easy it would be to piss you off." He smiles rather deviously.

"Your presence was enough to accomplish that."

"My, my… you sound like Kaiba talking to Jounouchi. I would take that as an insult if I didn't think they had a thing for each other."

"What?? Kaiba and the mutt?? Somehow, I don't think so."

Malik shrugs and sits down at the kitchen table, where I join him soon after. "I don't know, there were just a couple times when I thought there could have been something between them." He smirks and raises his voice. "Just like when I thought there was something between you and Yami. And I was right about that."

"You enjoy this, don't you? Keeping track of gossip and such." I think this is one of his personality aspects that emerged after Yami destroyed his dark side. Hm, I think I liked Yami Malik better, even if he was utterly insane.

"I just think it is entertaining to watch how people interact. It's not gossip because I don't tell everyone else about it." He sits up straighter, a thought apparently entering his mind. "Oh, speaking of Kaiba, have you noticed the way he acts around Yami?"

I roll my eyes and sigh aloud. "Do you think I really care?"

"You should. I can't tell if it's about their rivalry or if it is something more, but Kaiba has been acting strangely the past couple months."

"Well, it doesn't matter, because it's not like Yami would return his affections, if he were to have any. Therefore, I don't care." I state forcefully.

"It was just speculation; you don't have to get defensive about it. Well, if you don't want to talk about that, then what do you want to talk about?"

Nothing, really, but I'm sure he is not going to leave me alone today, so I'd might as well play along. "How's life with my hikari, since I hardly see him anymore now because of you."

"You had Yami before Ryou had me, so you can't complain."

"Yeah, but we usually only spend nights together because Yami still has to spend time with his other friends. So, I did see Ryou a lot more."

"Fine, fine… Life with Ryou is very enjoyable, but I promise I will try and let him out to visit his home every once in a while." He says sarcastically.

My headache is getting worse. "Remind me why you are here again."

"Come on, Bakura, what else were you going to do today? What have you been doing these past two days, anyway?"

Hmm, what did I do? I can't really remember now that I think about it. It has been completely uneventful and I have actually been feeling pretty well, considering Yami is so far away. No need for him to know all that though. "Just lots of little things around the house to keep me occupied."

He crosses his arms as I take a drink of my tea. "Have you even left the house?"

"Um, yes." No.

"I remember when you used to be a better liar."

"This conversation can end now if it's going to turn into an interrogation."

"Okay, sorry. I was just thinking that we could go out and see a movie or something like that."

"Do you think I want to 'go out'?" I ask him, rather unenthusiastically.

"Well, I don't care it you want to do stuff or not, but I do. And I've decided you are coming with me." That was a particularly insistent tone. "It's not my fault you didn't go to the tournament with Yami."

"You didn't go either, so quit complaining!"

"At least I had a good reason!"

"'Not missing school?' That's a pretty half-assed excuse."

"Do you know how hard it is for me to keep up in this country's school system? I'd like to see you try!"

"Why would I want to go? It would just mean interacting with more idiotic people than I already do."

He pauses, readjusting the volume of his voice. "Then what was your reason for not going, Bakura?"

I sigh very loudly. How many damn times have I had to explain this? "In this time period, the way Duel Monsters is played is incredibly boring. Watching a game is even worse. I don't like playing unless there are lives and souls at stake; it makes it much more interesting. Besides, I would just be a distraction to Yami and there is no possible way I would just stay to be one of the cheerleaders. And you know that Yami is going to win anyway."

"I guess that's an acceptable excuse." He narrows his eyes a bit. "But that still doesn't change the fact that we are stuck with each other."

"No, we're not. You're free to leave at anytime."

"Only if you are leaving with me." He gets up from the table and walks over to me, wrapping his hand around my wrist. He tugs on my arm gently. "Come on, let's go get some lunch. I'll even pay for it."

Does he think that that makes it any better? "Lunch? Isn't it a little early for that?"

"Have you looked at the time? It's almost noon, I let you sleep in. I'm not a mean alarm clock after all!" He adds, tilting his head in that disturbingly cute way. Ra, the pain in my forehead.

"I hate you." I tell him plainly, not really meaning it. Now that I think about it, I am starving. I should go, just to get him to shut up. It'll make Ryou happy too. "I'll go, as long as it's only lunch. I don't want to go anywhere else."

He smiles lightly as I get up from the table. "Deal."

We get our shoes and I walk through the front door, Malik following close behind. I notice his stupid, little motorcycle parked in the driveway and it suddenly dawns on me the method in which we will have to get to wherever we are going to lunch. I stop in my tracks, though Malik continues for a few steps. "I've changed my mind. I'm not going to ride on that thing with you the way Ryou does."

"What?" He looks from the motorcycle to me. "You have been on a motorcycle before, right? You're not afraid, are you?"

"Of course I'm not! It's just… embarrassing."

Malik puts on a sly grin and steps closer to me, almost seductively. "Oh, I understand now." He laughs a little under his breath as he advances. "But I don't care, so you are coming anyway!"

Swiftly, he takes hold of my hand and starts to drag me towards his motorcycle. Why does he have to be so damn persistent? I think my head is going to explode. I bring my free hand to the side of my head in a futile attempt to subdue some of the pain, as I let him pull me along. I don't think I can take much more of this.

I jerk my other hand away from Malik's, bringing it up to the other side of my head. He stops abruptly and turns to face me. "What's wrong?"

"My head hurts." And it's only getting worse. I don't understand why I have developed such a severe headache so quickly. It can't be simply due to Malik being exceptionally annoying today.

"You're not getting out of this that easily." He insists before attempting to grab my hand again.

"No, it really hurts." I inform him, keeping my voice very calm. Shit, now the ground has started to spin. Maybe if I close my eyes, it'll help.

Vaguely, I feel his hand come to rest on my arm, but it seems very distant, as does his voice. Damn him, why did something like this have to happen? "Are you okay?"

"It's not me." I want to say, but I'm not sure if the words come out. "I think there's something… wrong… with Ya-"

Everything goes to white and all is quiet around me.

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Cold.

I can feel it.

Remotely, I can sense the difference in temperature of something cool on my forehead. The sensation progressively travels closer, becoming more and more apparent, developing into my sole source of focus. Eventually, my awareness is enough that my eyes automatically flicker open and the world around clears.

My room is quiet, so quiet that it is starting to make me a little apprehensive. I sit up and a damp washcloth falls from my forehead onto my lap. I take it and place it on the floor next to my bed.

A twinge of pain from the side of my head reminds me of the reason I am like this in the first place.

Yami. Before I passed out, I could feel the link between our items fluctuate. Maybe it was wrong of me to insist that he go to the tournament. I have no idea of how this affected him. I can't help but assume the worst.

My chest sinks as I go through a list of possibilities concerning Yami's current state. I should have made Yami sever the link between us before he left. This is my fault.

I have to find out how he is. I'm sure Ryou brought his cell phone with him, but the number is all the way downstairs, hanging on the refrigerator. I wonder if I can make it that far.

I slide myself gently off the bed, standing very slowly, attempting to keep the dizziness from returning. Okay, I've made it this far. My head still hurts a bit, but nothing worse than that.

This isn't too bad. I take a few strides towards the door, unaffected by my previous symptoms. I think I can make it downstairs.

Shit, maybe not. I made it to the doorway, but at the price of a severe bout of lightheadedness. Leaning against the doorframe provides some support, but my surroundings are in a state of constant spin, as if they are orbiting around me at a very high speed.

Suddenly, I notice Malik at my side, sliding an arm around my waist. "I thought I heard you moving around up here. You just had to push yourself, didn't you?"

In no mood to protest, I put my arm on his shoulders, my other hand going to the side of my head automatically. "I want to go downstairs."

I manage to focus on his face, finding only an overly worried expression there. "Okay, but if you fall, I don't think I can keep you up. You're heavier than you look, you know."

"You're just a scrawny little twig... I won't fall."

He smiles softly. "If you're well enough to be throwing insults, then I guess we can try going downstairs."

Step by step, we move unhurriedly down the stairs while I get my vertigo under control again. Malik is practically clinging to my side, which is really starting to piss me off, but I guess it can't be helped at the moment. At least he isn't overreacting like Ryou probably would have.

We come to the couch in the living room and I let go of him, letting myself fall onto it. That took a lot more effort than I had expected. From my seated position, I look up to where Malik is still standing with a somewhat suppressed look of worry. "How the hell did you get me up into my room in the first place?"

He laughs and sits down next to me. "Actually, when you passed out in the driveway, I managed to catch you before you fell. It wasn't so bad since I didn't really have to lift you. The hard part was the stairs, but with a lot of effort I was able to have you kind of over my shoulder and make it up to your room. I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but it's not like I could have left you there."

I'm surprised he made it by himself. "Thanks, I guess."

"I'm just glad you finally woke up. I didn't want to have to call Ryou again and make him worry."

"You talked to Ryou? I need to call him." I try to get up, but Malik firmly grabs my arm and drags me back down, before I get very far.

"Didn't I say exerting yourself was a bad idea?" He flicks at my nose as if scolding me. "I talked to Ryou about two hours ago and-"

"Two hours?! How long was I out?"

"About three." He answers, glancing at the clock. "Now, shut up and let me finish."

He takes in a deep breath and exhales slowly. "Okay… I know starting out like this doesn't help, but when I tell you what Ryou told me, you have to promise me you will not panic or do anything drastic."

Real good way to start out. I take a deep breath myself. "Okay."

"Alright. After I got you into your bed and tried waking you up, but failed obviously, I went to call Ryou. Unfortunately, when I called his cell phone, he did not answer it. Roughly an hour later, he called here. I told him about what had happened to you and then I learned that he was actually on his way home, with Yugi… and Yami."

What? Both of them dropped out of the tournament. Something terrible must have happened to Yami to have caused that. I draw in breath to say something, but Malik instantly cuts me off. "Let me finish, dammit!"

He pauses to soften his expression, eye contact never ceasing between us. "Yami… passed out as well, at roughly the same time as you did. He, on the other hand, was only out for an hour. Ryou called after he regained consciousness to say they were coming home. Yugi, of course, was not going to leave his side, so he left the tournament as well. They managed to convince Jounouchi and the others to stay. Kaiba was apparently infuriated that he was not able to duel Yami, but-"

"I don't care about the others! How is Yami now?" Malik jumps at my tone of voice, but doesn't get angry again.

"Sorry… Ryou said that he seems utterly drained of energy, but that he is obviously putting up a front, trying to convince everyone that he is okay. He was going to stay in the tournament, but Yugi forced him to go home."

"Figures… the stubborn bastard." I mutter to myself. Ra, why did this have to happen? This is my fault, but I'm sure Yami is blaming himself.

"Yugi told Ryou that Yami suddenly started to get dizzy as they were walking to the arena for Yami's next game. Luckily, it wasn't during the game itself." He tries to smile, weakly. "My question, as was Ryou's, is what happened to cause both you and Yami to pass out at practically the same time?"

I guess I never really explained fully what was going on to Ryou. He must be terribly worried now. I sure Yami is much the same after hearing about what Malik told Ryou. I bury my face in my hands, going through all the possibilities of what could have happened to screw up the link between Yami and me. "I think I have an idea of what caused it, but it is a long story and I'd rather not go through it right now."

Malik is silent for a few moments, but decides not to push the subject. "Okay… if that's what you want."

"When are they getting back?" I ask, bringing my hands away from my face.

"Well, they left two hours ago and I think it takes about five hours to get there, but considering Sugoroku's driving, it'll probably take six, if not more. They were going to go straight to Yugi's house and Ryou said he'd call when they got there. We can meet them after that. I think that would be best, to talk about everything in person and not try to panic about it all over the phone."

I consider what he has said quietly, really too tired to make a big deal about it at all. All I know is that right now everything has gone to absolute hell and I don't know how to fix the problems I've created. I don't know how to get through this. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Yami was supposed to come back, after having some time apart and we were going to talk about exactly how to solve the problem. That would have been easier, much easier. Now, I have to deal with the fact that Yami is probably hurting himself trying to keep me alive and stable. Damn him, why did he have to push himself? I should have known that he would do something stupid like that.

"Are you going to be okay?" Malik says softly, bringing my attention back to him. Just a few more hours, then I can see Yami and we can straighten out this mess, although I don't know how.

"Yeah… maybe in a little while." I hate being pitied and I can see that precise feeling in Malik's eyes right now. The fact that he feels as though he needs to feel sorry for me makes me want to feel sorry for myself. But I can't, I can only be angry.

"I'm going to make you something to eat." Malik declares before getting up and going into the kitchen. I really don't think I can keep down any food, but I doubt Malik will take no for an answer.

For now, all I can do is sit back and try to keep my anxiety levels under control and wait.

---------------------------------

I hear the phone ring and my heart practically skips a beat. Malik runs to pick it up.

I wait only seconds before he comes back into the room. "Let's go."

And we move smoothly out the door, the past few hours seemingly nonexistent. Everything happens, but it feels as if I am not really aware of my own actions, like I am in some sort of dream. It all just occurs in one fluid motion, without any real thought at all.

We walk to the side of Malik's motorcycle and he hands me a helmet. "I know you've regained some of your strength, but please hold onto me tight enough that I won't be afraid of you falling off."

I nod my head in acceptance, only really thinking of our destination. He gets on the motorcycle and I sit behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. The motorcycle starts and we take off, gradually gaining speed.

The cool night air is somewhat calming, but ultimately, the apprehension that has been occupying my every thought still remains the dominating force.

In minutes, we reach Yugi's house. Malik pulls around into the driveway and turns off the motorcycle. I have to remind myself to let go of him and take off the helmet. There is a hesitant silence between both of us as we walk up to the back door, neither daring to utter even the slightest sound.

Malik briefly looks to me before knocking on the door, which is answered by Ryou shortly after. He takes one fleeting glance at me before throwing his arms around me in a desperate hug. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"

I think he's going to suffocate me. Ra, I never realized he was this strong. "Ryou, stop. I can't breathe."

Instantly, he lets go and takes a step back, smiling all the while, but with tears starting to form in his eyes. "Sorry." He says with a little laugh. "I couldn't help myself."

Malik steps beside Ryou, putting a hand on his arm. "We should go inside."

Ryou nods and we follow him into the living room. I scan the vicinity, but have yet to see anyone else. I begin to ask where Yami is, but Ryou promptly cuts me off. "Yami is in his room, so don't worry. Just let me say a few things before I let you go."

He infers my agreement from the silence. "Yami told us about some of what is going on during the ride home. I really wish you would have told me. Do you know how absolutely frantic I have been throughout this little ordeal?"

I can only imagine. Still, I should have told him. I hate putting him through this. "Sorry."

He sighs loudly at my mumbled apology. "Though, the one who has had it worse is Yugi."

"Yugi? Why?"

"Well, obviously he didn't take it very calmly when Yami first passed out and then I think finding out what was really going on only served to scare him further. But the thing that I think pushed him over the edge was that when we got here, Yami locked himself in his room and cut off the link between him and Yugi."

Shit. "He did what?"

"Yugi is in his room right now, with his grandfather who is trying to calm him down. I was going to go back in there after you got here, but I don't think I will be of much help. He's not used to being separated from Yami like that at all."

Damn it all. This just has to get worse and worse, doesn't it? Now, I am pissed off. This is going to end now.

I turn and make my way upstairs quickly, trying to control the anger that is building with each one of my strides. Ryou calls after me to wait, but I ignore him. I get to Yami's door and try turning the knob. Locked of course… the bastard.

I have absolutely no tolerance for this at the moment, so I do the only thing I can think of- vaporize the door. Gathering only the minimal about of Shadow Magic needed, I aim it directly at the door, reducing it to ashes. I become extremely dizzy, but try to get past it as best as I can, focusing solely on confronting Yami.

I walk into Yami's room, only to find him standing by his bed holding the side of his head. He meets my furious expression and a hint of fear runs through his eyes.

"You could have asked me to open the door." He tells me in a cold tone, trying to cover up the dread in his voice.

"Sit down." He pauses for a moment and then complies with my demand.

I take a deep breath before saying anything further. I am not going to lash out at him or yell. Scanning over his features, I notice that he looks outright exhausted. I can't let him be in this state any longer.

I walk to within a foot of where he is sitting on his bed and soften my voice considerably from the last sentence. "Why did this happen?"

He shifts his eyes downward, seemingly out of guilt. "I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it."

"Handle what?" I ask, already having some idea of the answer.

"I tried to make it so you didn't feel any difference in the power between our Items. So, as I moved further away, I simply increased the power I was sending from my Puzzle."

"Baka." I say gently. "You have to stop forcing all of this on me."

His eyes widen and a twinge of panic enters his voice. "I had no idea what would happen to you if there was no power form my Puzzle. It's not like your Ring is keeping you alive at all."

"But Yami, we can't live like this forever. It's hurting the people around us. Look at what it's doing to Yugi. Dammit Yami, you made me break my promise to him. This wasn't supposed to happen to you."

"Did you just want me to give up on you? If that's really what you want, if you want to end it all like you did before, then… then I will respect your decision." His voice breaks just enough that it tears at my heart.

"No, that's not what I want and I don't want you to give up on me. It's just that I can't be entirely dependent on you anymore, it's not fair… to anyone."

"Then, what do you want?"

"I want you to respect my decision, like you said."

"What?" I barely hear him whisper.

I bend down and slide a hand along the side of his face. Never breaking eye contact, I feel my thoughts become surprisingly placid and the anxiety that once consumed my body is completely nonexistent. "Don't worry, my love. It is only right that I be the one to end this."

And with that, I bend closer meeting his lips in a simple kiss. I can feel him lean into the contact and I take his moment of distraction to concentrate, pinpointing the precise location of the link between our Items once again. I let our kiss linger a little longer before breaking the connection between us.

Yami pulls away almost immediately, bringing both of his hands to the sides of his head. After a few seconds, he blinks several times and shakes his head, but appears to be fine. I'm sure it was just the rush from the amount of power that suddenly returned to him.

Once I have concluded that Yami is alright, I turn my attention to myself. I was exhausted before from using the Shadow Magic, but what little remains of my energy seems to be bleeding out from me at a rapid pace. I feel myself crumple to the floor, my eyes closing even before I fall.

I'm so tired. Vaguely, I hear Yami call my name, but the sound is already terribly distant.

I let myself fall, fall into the comforting darkness. And once again, the sensation of absolute freedom overwhelms me… however, something else remains this time.

To be continued-

Okay, I'll admit it, I had fun writing the cliffie… but hopefully it will not take me another month to update again. School is such a pain.

Anyways, tell me if this chapter had a decent flow to it. I was originally going to make it two separate, longer chapters, but I wanted to get to this part of the story and I was being impatient.

The more reviews, the faster I will work to update! I feel like practically no one is reading this story anymore…