Note: well, because I feel so nice I decided I would put up my next chapter instead of deleting my story, because of the TWO reviews I got. I would also like to point out that this will not gain you regular updates.

However, thank you very much to Yugi and Mai and Sansi, your reviews are much appreciated! At least someone's interested…I hope you appreciate this chapter too, its 33 pages long! As a gift for not updating for so long, I suppose…

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Kazuki Takahashi does.

Key

#Blah# Someone thinking, or talking to someone else through a mind link i.e. Yugi to Yami.

"Blah"Someone talking on the other side of a phone conversation, etc.

Warning: In this chapter there is a sex scene. I think that it's better if I don't put them up on the website, despite what I've said in previous chapters, so if you want it please email me. Also there is intended-rape-but-doesn't-actually-happen sort of thing. So yeah.

Episode 8 – Soul To Squeeze

Yugi and Ryou resolved to wander around the Roman section for as long as possible, deciding that it would be better if they avoided their Yami's for a while to avoid any further embarrassment on their part. Unfortunately, the Roman section soon became hideously boring, so to entertain themselves they started to do some stupid impressions of their Yami's.

"'Oh, they stole that from us!'" Yugi barely managed to suppress the huge grin that was now spreading across his face. He was pointing his finger towards a smear of mud on the floor, just before a tall, burly man walked over it. "'NO! How could you!'" Yugi cried after him, his face turning bright red from the repressed laughter.

"Yugi! Shh!" Ryou giggled, leaning on Yugi's shoulder as a support. The man gave them an annoyed look and muttered something before walking away.

"Ooh, spooky possums!" (NOTE: he is saying that as if he was talking to someone. He is not actually talking about spooky possums.) Ryou snorted, reducing them both to a heap of hysterical laughter. Yugi quickly managed to control himself, putting on a serious face. "What! I don't see what's so funny. This precious piece of mud should be behind glass, but nobody seems to be acknowledging that fact!" Yugi crossed his arms and pouted his lips, nodding his head knowingly.

"Oh, Yugi!" Ryou grabbed Yugi by the arm and started pulling him along, walking past the man that he had just shouted at. He glared menacingly at them, giving them an 'If-you-do-that-again-I'm-going-to-kill-you' sort of look. Ryou hid behind Yugi, looking at the man with mock fright; he wanted to see how pissed off this man could get before he started chasing them. "Come on, let's go! That man is scawing me!" Ryou said in a babyish voice, wrapping his arms around Yugi's neck. Yugi blushed slightly, sighing gently. He turned, smiling, to look at Ryou, who was resting his head on Yugi's shoulder. Ryou smiled back, closing his eyes. He let his arms fall down until they were around Yugi's waist, drawing his body closer to him. The man, who had been watching all of this, was now completely confused; he grumbled something about kids and respect, before wandering off in the opposite direction. Ryou buried his face into Yugi's neck, breathing in his sweet scent. "Yugi…" Yugi drew in a shuddering breath.

"Ryou…" Yugi murmured, pulling Ryou's arms further around his body. He was so close to him now, and Yugi wasn't prepared to let him go – not while he had a chance to tell him his feelings.

He was just about to turn his head to look at him, when his felt Ryou's lips pressed up against his cheek. Shocked by this sudden show of affection, Yugi jerked his head away; he didn't know if he was prepared for this…this didn't put Ryou off for long, though, for he was soon kissing Yugi's cheek again. Yugi was reminded of all the things that had happened the previous day, a fleeting image of Yami passing through his mind. No…I can't do this to Yami…not again…I love him; I shouldn't love Ryou. Ryou noticed Yugi's sudden lack of movement, and lifted his face away from his cheek, looking into his eyes.

"Yugi?" He asked timidly, his smile fading rapidly from his face.

"I'm-I'm sorry, Ryou. We should get going." Yugi let go of Ryou's arms and walked off, shivering as he left the warmth of his body.

Ryou looked guiltily after him, the realisation of consequences that would have happened if he had taken it any further dawning on his mind. And anyway, wasn't he supposed to love Bakura? Even if that was so, Ryou never really felt that Bakura was giving him all the love that he could, like he was only capable of so much. Ryou hugged himself as he slowly walked after Yugi, tears filling his eyes. All he wanted was to be loved properly; he supposed that was the reason why he tried to seek comfort in Yugi, making up excuses that he had always felt that way towards him…but now he just felt lost and even more confused than he already was.

"Yugi…" He whispered, letting a cold tear run down his cheek and splash onto his arm. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"I wonder where Yugi and Ryou are?" Bakura said thoughtfully. He and Yami had managed to get themselves together and find their way to the Ancient Egyptian exhibit, only to find that there was no sign of their Hikaris anywhere.

They spent a few minutes looking around, deciding that Yugi and Ryou where probably just taking their time; but their continual absence began to worry the Yami's greatly.

"They're sure taking their time…where are they?" Yami sighed; he wasn't the most patient of people, and their fruitless search was beginning to infuriate him.

"Hey, relax! There's no need to get wound up about it. Just be patient, they'll turn up." Bakura said reassuringly.

"And surely by now you would have realised that I'm not a tolerant person?" Yami snapped back, before sighing and shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Bakura…I'm just worried."

"You don't have to be." Bakura said, smiling.

"Err…and why is that?" Yami said, estranged by Bakura's comment.

"Because they're right over there." He replied, nodding his head in his direction. Yami turned to see Yugi walking slowly towards them, head down, dragging his feet behind him. He stopped in front of him and lifted up his head, a solitary tear running down his face.

"Yu-Yugi?" Yugi continued to look at him, guilt written all over his face. "What's wrong? What-" But he was cut off by Yugi, who threw himself at Yami and cried uncontrollably into his chest.

"I'm s-sorry, Yami!" Yami gaped at him, feeling utterly bewildered.

"What are you talking about? You haven't done anything!" But Yugi continued to sob into his torso, gripping his t-shirt with an unyielding grasp. Yami wrapped his arms around him in the hopes of comforting him; instead Yugi just cried even louder than he already was.

#What do you think is wrong with him?# Yami looked over to Bakura, who was looking rather distracted- only then did Yami realise that Ryou wasn't with him.

#Where's Ryou?# Yami asked, confused. He could have sworn he was following Yugi…but then again, he never really had time to look properly.

"I don't know…" Bakura said. It wasn't long before he realised what he had done though, and began to mentally punish himself for his stupidity.

#Bakura! Be careful. I don't think we should let Ryou and Yugi know about our link just yet…#

#Yeah, I figured…listen, you look after Yugi while I try to find Ryou. He has to be around here somewhere.#

#Ok. Tell me when you find him.# Bakura smiled at him, before walking quickly in the direction that Yugi had come from, turning his head from side to side as he searched for his Hikari.

"Now then…" Yami said, turning his attention back to Yugi, who's sobbing had by now subsided a little. He placed his hand on the back on Yugi's neck, tilting his head up so that he was looking into his eyes. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Yugi? Or are you going to keep me guessing?" Yugi looked fearfully up at him, scared of how Yami would react if he said what was wrong.

"I-" He stopped, clamping his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. Yami sighed, knowing that this wouldn't get very far if he didn't use his own little method of persuasion…

"Yugi." Yugi didn't react, keeping his eyes firmly closed. "Yugi, look at me. Now." Yami said, a little more harshly this time. Yugi opened his eyes, looking hurt. He hadn't said anything, and already Yami was mad with him.

"I'm sorry-"

"Shush." Yugi looked at him, confused. Didn't Yami want him to say what had happened? Yugi continued to stare at him, Yami's fiery eyes piercing his mind and soul. Yugi's eyelids began to droop, and he felt himself drifting off…to where, he didn't know…all he knew…was…sleep…

Yugi opened his eyes to find that he was in his soul room, which was empty apart from his bed and a crackling fire, the only source of light and heat in his room. He liked it this way- he came here whenever he needed time to think, and decided that he would just keep it simple so his mind wouldn't be distracted by outside attractions. He walked over to his bed and laid down on it, closing his eyes and burying his face in the soft, warm pillows that surrounded him.

Yugi had come here a lot before he finally got together with Yami…his soul room had been his only comfort back then. He had no one he could tell his love for Yami to. He had spent most of his time in there masturbating and dreaming of Yami. It seemed silly to Yugi now, but back then it meant so much to him.

Yugi sat up and lifted up one of the pillows that were behind him, picking up the pot of lubrication that he used to use.

"Huh…" He said, smiling. He turned the pot around in his hand, pondering on whether he should use it again now. He might as well; he didn't know why else he was there. But then again…

He closed his eyes, turning the pot around in his hands. #It would be better if Yami were here, too…# He opened his eyes again, only to find that to his horror Yami was standing right in front of him, gazing steadily at him. Yugi hadn't actually expected Yami to appear.

"Uh! Y-Yami- I-"

"Shush." Yugi fell quiet, not quite able to tell if Yami was mad with him or not. Yami walked towards him, stopping only when he reached the edge of his bed. He knelt down in front of him and took the pot from Yugi's hand, placing it next to him on the covers. "We're going to be needing this…" He whispered in Yugi's ear, before making a line of kisses from his ear to his mouth.

"What are you going to do?" Yugi asked nervously, as Yami pushed him down onto bed, persistently licking his neck.

"I'm gonna fuck you, Yugi…what else?" He said lustfully in his ear, biting down on it as said it. Yugi whined as Yami lifted up his shirt up over his head, sucking his nipples once he had done so.

"Yami…" Yugi whimpered as he felt himself hardening, gripping on the bed sheets to stop himself from moaning.

Yami reached his hand round the of Yugi's neck and, in finding his sensitive spot, began to rub it with his fingers. Yugi found that he was no longer able to control himself as a loud moan issued from his mouth, encouraging Yami to go faster.

"Yami, please…stop…" Yugi began to cry: cold, cruel tears ran off the sides of his face as he desperately tried to wriggle his way out from underneath Yami. "You said- ARGH!" He screamed as Yami's free hand found its way down his trousers and started to finger his groin, keeping up a rhythmic and torturously slow pace. "YAMI, STOP! YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T HURT ME AGAIN!" Yugi yelled, lashing out with his legs in an attempt to push Yami off him.

And then Yami stopped. He stood up, looking at Yugi with horror. Surprised, but none the less still angry, Yugi pushed himself across the bed as far away from Yami as possible before diving under the bed covers and curling up into a ball. Yami looked guiltily at the quivering lump under the sheets, which was now crying loudly, evidently hurt by Yami's behaviour.

"Yugi…?" Yugi made a loud sobbing noise before continuing with his crying. Yami was tempted to go and hit his head on one of the walls- he had no idea why he did it. #Fuck…fuck fuck FUCK!# He screamed mentally, digging his nails into the palms of his hands. He felt them stinging as blood started to seep out, covering his hands in crimson irrigates. He didn't lift up his fingers until the blood started to drip onto the floor, his hands now shaking with the agonising pain. Despite this, Yami continued to cut away at his hands and wrists, slashing and clawing with his fingernails until he could no longer do it. The blood continued to pour out at a worrying pace, his arms now stained red from the hot liquid gushing down them.

Breathing heavily, Yami sat himself down on the floor and placed his hands in his lap, leaning against the frame of the bed. #What happened? I didn't want to do this…why couldn't I control myself?# He bit his lip in an attempt to control the mounting pain in his hands; he didn't want Yugi to think he was being selfish by trying to be the one that was hurt. He felt a tear run down his face and fall onto his bloodied hands. He was about to wipe the tear away before realising that he would just end up looking even worse then he already did. Instead he just allowed the tears to flow freely down his face, wishing against all wishes that Yugi knew how sorry he was. He closed his eyes, wanting to just sink away into the floor and never be seen again…

Yugi stayed under the covers of his bed, waiting for Yami to get out of his soul room. Soon he stopped crying, his head hurting from his continual sobbing. Instead, he decided to try and probe Yami's mind; he wanted to know if what Yami had done was something that was intentional on his part, or whether Yami didn't think that he would react as badly as this. Yugi looked into Yami's mind, not really sensing much more than confusion and anger. Not completely satisfied by this, but not bothered to continue, Yugi was just about to withdraw from his mind when he felt a sudden, stinging pain in his hands. He gasped, clutching his hands between his legs to try and shut out the pain; but it was in vain. Deciding that it would be better if Yugi saw what the pain was himself, he slowly and quietly came out from under the covers and inspected his hands, only to find that to his astonishment there was nothing there; there was not a trace of blood or bruising to be seen. But the pain was still there, as plain as day.

Yugi slowly turned his head to look at Yami, afraid of what he might do if he went near him again. He could hear Yami's laboured breathing, and felt disgusted; Yugi thought it was because he still wanted to fuck him, but it soon became to clear to him that that was not the reason.

Yugi crawled his way over the bed, going quietly so that Yami would not hear him. He reached the edge and peeked his head over, only just enough so he could see Yami.

Yami appeared to holding something in his lap, but Yugi was in the wrong position to see what it was. He looked pale and sweaty, and was biting his lip, his eyes closed. #Huh…no wonder he hasn't noticed me yet.# Yugi thought. Just then, Yami lifted up his arm, raising his hand to his face. And then he saw it.

Blood. Bright red blood, flowing out of his hands and down his arms; there was already a large pool of it forming on the floor, and it was rapidly growing. Yugi only then noticed the tears of pain that were running Yami's cheeks; Yami was doing his best to wipe them away with his shaking hand, but it was to no avail. He appeared to be giving up on himself, slumping sideways onto the floor, trying to curl himself up into a ball.

"Yami!" Yugi shrieked in horror. #Oh my God, what has he done to himself!# He jumped off the bed onto the floor; in spite of himself being angry with Yami, he couldn't help but be aghast by his injured lover. He fell to his knees in front of him, trying his best to think of something he could do; but all he could do was watch with a sickening pain as Yami slowly lost his consciousness as he desperately tried to stem the flow of blood. "Yami, don't give up! Please stay awake!" Yugi looked around wildly for something he could use to cover Yami's hands, and spotted his t-shirt that was lying discarded on the bed. He grabbed it and tried to see how he could use to wrap both his hands, but it did not seem like it would be much use; there was too much blood coming out, and Yugi did not see the point in trying to cover it. Instead, he used it to wipe up the blood that was still covering his arms, trying his best to see where the blood was mostly coming from.

"Yugi…" Yami coughed, squinting up at him through pained eyes. "I'm so sorry…I didn't want to hurt you, I just-" He drew in a shuddering breath, the agony becoming too much for him to bear much longer.

"It's okay Yami…" Yugi said soothingly, gently stroking Yami's tears away with his clean hand. "I know you didn't want to do it. Just relax, okay?" Yami appeared to calm down after that; either because he was taking Yugi's advice or he had lost so much blood that the effort of talking had drained the last of his energy. In either case, Yugi tried his best to lift Yami up into a sitting position, cradling his hands in his now blood-soaked shirt. "Oh Yami, you're so stupid…" Yugi whispered through gritted teeth, thinking quickly of something he could do. And then he remembered: he could get anything he wanted here.

He turned around to see a small, plain white cabinet standing behind him, with a red cross imprinted on the front. He hurried over to it and opened the door, the room rapidly filling with the smell of antiseptic. He grabbed a bowl of steaming hot water and some dry bandages, along with a bottle of antiseptic spray, before carefully walking back over to the bed. He placed the water on the floor and the spray and bandages on the bed, before wrapping his arms around Yami's chest and heaving him up onto the bed.

"Yugi…" Yami said weakly, straining to look at him with unfocused eyes. "Why are you doing this for me? I hurt you…I don't deserve this." He attempted to pull his hands away from Yugi's, but Yugi held them in a firm grip, still determined to help him.

"Surely by now you would have realised that I don't care about that?" Yugi knelt down in front of him, before kissing him tenderly on the lips. "Yami, I love you so much. I know now that you didn't want to do it, I've already said that. Please just let me do this." Yami closed his eyes and bowed his head, but apart from that made no other movement. Yugi kissed him again before moving the bowl in between his legs, making a sponge materialise in his hand.

He dipped the sponge in the still steaming water, before squeezing it off and gently wiping down Yami's arms and hands of the sticky blood, which had begun to congeal on his skin. Yugi was surprised when he made no objection to his hands being washed; he had expected him to wince or shudder, but he made no movement whatsoever. Yugi admired him for his bravery. If it were he having his hands cleaned like this, he would have been crying to no end.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Yugi asked quietly, gazing at Yami's face. He opened his eyes a little to look at Yugi, before lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Yes…" He continued to stare listlessly at the ground, completely wrapped up on his own thoughts. Well, not that his thinking was amounting to much; his mind was just a haze of words and emotions, which made no sense to him at all. Yugi sighed before continuing to sponge Yami's arms, checking them thoroughly to make sure he hadn't missed any blood.

Once he had finished doing this, placing the sponge in the bowl, he picked it up and placed it back in the cupboard where it disappeared. He stayed there for a few moments longer looking through the cabinet, before walking back again with a clean towel in his hands. He then proceeded to dry Yami off, carefully dabbing his hands so as not to hurt them too much.

The bleeding had subsided a little, and Yugi could now see where Yami had cut and scratched at his hands and wrists with his nails, his skin now surprisingly pale after the brightness of the blood. Yugi picked up the bottle of antiseptic spray and removed the little hygiene cap that was on the top, before gripping Yami's hand tightly in his own.

"This is going to sting a little…" Yugi said, before spraying the still-shaking hand in the cleansing liquid. This time Yami reacted to being sprayed, hissing and recoiling as the first of the fluid touched his skin. Yugi, surprised by this sudden movement, did not try to keep a hold on Yami's hand. He felt hurt, but tried his best not to show his emotions to him. Instead he waited for Yami to move, too afraid to try and take his hand against his will.

"Ow…" Yami growled, frowning at his hand. He glanced up and felt tears springing to his eyes when he saw the expression on Yugi's face; he looked so innocent and sad, looking at him with a mixture of the strongest love, but a great amount of fear. "I'm sorry…" Yami cried, letting the tears flow freely down his face once more. "I was just surprised. Can you- can you…forgive me? For what I've done?" Yami looked directly into Yugi's eyes, stroking his face with the back of his hand. Yugi's eyes began to glisten as he too started to cry, nodding his head slowly.

Yami couldn't bear it any longer. He suddenly pulled Yugi into a tight embrace, kissing him with all the love and affection he could muster. Their tears mingled with each other's on their cheeks, at last able to let their love and passion flow into the other in this one, long, unbreakable kiss.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that for, but to them it felt like an eternity. They wished it would last that long, where they could forever be held in the other's loving arms.

Yugi eventually broke their kiss, standing up and sitting on Yami's lap, pressing his forehead against Yami's. Yugi sat like this for a moment, before once again picking up the bottle of spray and gently taking Yami's hand in his own.

"Now…are you ready this time?" Yugi asked, kissing Yami's forehead. He nodded his head, resting it on Yugi's chest. Yugi smiled, before once again proceeding to spray Yami's hands with the antiseptic. This time Yami did not try and pull his hands away, even as the white-hot pain seared through them.

Once Yugi had finished, he placed the bottle back down on the bed, picked up the bandages and began to wrap Yami's hands up in them. All the while Yami quietly obliged to Yugi's requests, not once resisting him. Yugi tied up the ends in a knot, before sliding off Yami's lap and placing the un-used bandages and antiseptic spray in the cupboard. He stood there and watched as it disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke, taking the antiseptic smell with it.

"Thank you." Yugi turned to see Yami standing behind him, and at last he was smiling; he looked a little unsure, but not for long as Yugi fell into his arms and held him in a tight embrace. Yami attempted to hold Yugi closer to him, slipping his arms around his bare body and gently stroking Yugi's back with one of his injured hands. "Yugi…" He whispered, kissing his ear softly. "I promise you I'll never do it again." Yugi lifted his head up and looked at Yami, a mixture of pity and uncertainty in his eyes.

"But Yami…that still doesn't explain why you did it. Please tell me." Yami couldn't help but be entranced by the beautiful violet eyes that were gazing quietly up at him, so innocent yet they seemed to be full of mystery and suspense. He felt like they were piercing into his very soul, probing and exploring his mind for unexplained answers he had been given.

"I don't know…" Yami knew this was a stupid answer, but what else could he say? Yami cursed himself as Yugi's face fell, his beautiful eyes now filled with bitter disappointment. "Yugi…" But Yugi was already walking away from him back towards the bed, staring down at his bloodied t-shirt. It was only then that Yami remembered why he had taken Yugi here in the first place: to find out why Yugi had been crying. "Hold on, I still need to ask you something." Yugi stopped, and remained still.

"You want to know what happened?" Yugi said quietly, his head hanging. "Well then, I'll tell you." He paused for a moment, before continuing, "He…k-kissed me." Yami stared at him, a disbelieving look on his face. "I'm sorry…" Yugi felt a tear run down his face as he climbed onto his bed and lay down, with his back still facing Yami. He felt even worse by the fact that he had actually wanted Ryou to kiss him, that he had allowed himself to get so close to him.

"Yugi…why didn't you tell me before?" Yami said. Yugi could hear the sadness in his voice, the guilt once again springing up in his heart.

"I'm sorry…" Yugi said again, his voice faltering. He heard Yami sigh before listening to him walk over to the bed, so Yugi pulled the duvet out form under him and covered his head with it. Yugi expected the footsteps to stop; but instead they continued, as if Yami where walking around the bed. Yugi was thrown forward slightly as he felt the opposite end tilt downwards, and felt movements on his bed as Yami crawled towards him. He jumped when he felt something touch his arm, and opened his eyes to find Yami staring at him, his face full of concern. Yugi poked his head out from underneath the covers and pulled them tightly around his neck, watching Yami pop up next to him and lay his head down on a pillow.

"Yugi…" Yami whispered, kissing Yugi's forehead lightly. "You don't have to worry about that. No matter what, I will always love you." He stroked Yugi's face gently, kissing his soft lips.

"Please don't be mad at him…" Yugi said quietly, pulling away from Yami.

"Mad at Ryou?" Yami sighed. "Yugi, let's get this straight. Do you love him? Let me at least know that." Yugi looked away from Yami's eyes, shivering slightly from the cold. Yami wrapped his arms protectively around his aibou, cradling him in his loving embrace.

"I…don't really know…I was just confused. But…maybe Ryou kissed me because he feels confused too. Maybe Bakura doesn't love him or something, I don't know."

"Hmm, maybe he didn't…but he does now." Yugi looked up at him, confused; how exactly would Yami know how Bakura felt?

"How do you know that?" Yami smiled, closing his eyes.

"He told me…Bakura. He couldn't love because there was something in him missing."

"What?" Yugi didn't know how Yami got all of this out of Bakura, but however he did it, it might possibly have meant that the two of them had finally stopped fighting with each other. Yami had to really have gained Bakura's trust to be able to get that out of him.

"Bakura had forgotten fear…what it was like to be afraid." Yami opened his eyes again and looked seriously at Yugi. "But you mustn't let him know that I've told you, ok? I don't think he wanted any one else to know about it."

AN: I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to put sex in here. If you want all the lemon for my story, please review me with your email address and I'll send them to you. Thank you!

Yugi woke up from his dream-like state to the immense pain in his anus, and only just managed to stop himself from crying out. He opened his eyes to find that he all he could see was blackness; and whatever it was, it was wet, too. He pulled his head back to find that he was staring at Yami's t-shirt, which was soaked with his tears…but why was he crying? Yugi looked up into Yami's face to find him smiling down at him, gently stroking the back of his head. He then scanned the area around him to find that he was in the ancient Egyptian exhibit back in the museum, which was exactly like he remembered it before he went into his soul room.

#Obviously time must not have passed in this realm…# Yugi thought to himself. #Unless I didn't actually go to my soul room…but I did. I'm sure of it.# He glanced back to Yami's face, confusion brain-washing his mind. Yami pressed the back of his hand against Yugi's cheek, and Yugi felt the soft scratchiness of the bandages that he had wrapped around Yami's wounds. He closed his eyes and smiled, resting his head back against Yami's t-shirt. He didn't stay like this for long though, because the cold wetness made it uncomfortable to lean on.

"I'm sorry…" Yugi said, looking guiltily at Yami's shirt. Even though it was black, it was still obvious that it was wet. "Come on, let's see if we can find a toilet."

"Why?" Yami asked, confused. Yugi giggled, quickly drying his eyes off after realising they were still wet.

"Because you need to dry your t-shirt…" Yugi said, indicating the wet patch on it. Yami smiled, before taking Yugi by the arm and walking slowly in the direction of the loos. Yugi found this difficult, however; Yami's earlier penetration was still causing him pain. "Yami…I can't walk…" Yugi said, leaning heavily on Yami's arm as a support. Yami stopped, looking at his aibou with concern.

"Come here…" He said, before gently picking Yugi up and carrying him. Yugi wrapped his legs around Yami's waist, resting his head on his shoulder.

"I love you…" Yugi whispered in his ear, planting a small, discreet kiss on his neck.

"I love you too…" Yami whispered back.

#Ryou! Where are you!# Bakura called desperately, running around a corner in the building, his heart sinking as he found the area completely deserted. "RYOU! AIBOU!" Bakura cried, falling back against a cold, concrete wall. He slid down it until he reached the floor, tears flooding down his face. #Ryou…please say something…#

He heard footsteps passing by him, but Bakura couldn't be bothered to look up to see who it was. He didn't care about how much people stared at him; he just wanted to wallow in his anger. His heart was broken; he loved Ryou so much, but Ryou made no response to his frantic calls.

Bakura drew his legs up to his chest, embracing them with his arms as he cried into his knees.

#Why won't you answer me, Ryou…?# He heard another set of footsteps pass by him, stop, and then walk off again. Bakura lifted up his head to see who it was; he didn't want to completely miss Ryou if he walked past. But to his disappointment he saw brown hair, not the familiarly beautiful, white, sweet-smelling hair of his hikari. He sighed in annoyance, his unsuccessful search now beginning to take its toll on him.

He let his arms fall to his sides, his head now resting against the wall. What wasn't he doing right? Usually the connection between them would have led him to Ryou, but so far it had not worked. He always seemed to be a little ahead of him, just around the corner; or maybe just to his left or right. But no matter how much he tried, he always seemed to be just that bit further away from him where he could not see him. He decided that this tactic was obviously not going to work, no matter how hard he tried; so instead he stood up and started to walk back the way he came, not bothering to wipe away the tears that were still leaking out of his eyes.

#Hey, Bakura!# Yami's voice suddenly filled Bakura's head, his words reverberating around his brain.

#Yeah, what?# Bakura replied impatiently, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to control his mounting anger.

#Sorry…# Yami sounded hurt, not expecting Bakura to reply so spitefully. #Have you found him yet? You've been quite a while.#

#No, I have not found him yet, and if I had I would have told you.# Bakura said stiffly, not caring about the fact that Yami was upset by his harsh tones.

#Well, do you want us to help you then?# Bakura was angered even more by Yami's persistence, Yami knowing full well that it was not a good idea to talk to him while he was in a bad mood.

#Do what you want. I don't care.# Bakura thought that this would be enough to make Yami shut up, but was shocked to find that he would not stop talking.

#Bakura, just because you can't find Ryou, it doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on me! I'M trying to help you, but all you're doing is acting like a bloody child! And I thought you had changed…# Yami's voice was filled with disappointment, not just because of him appearing to be turning back into his old self, but because he thought that he would be able to talk to him without their conversation ending up in an argument, like it had always done before.

#Ra, I swear you're turning into Yugi…# Bakura said, sighing. #I'm sorry.#

#Don't worry about it.# Yami still sounded a little upset, but he continued to talk anyway. #Where are you?#

#Haven't the foggiest.# Bakura only then realised that he didn't have a clue where he was, and was currently wandering aimlessly down a corridor with glass cabinets attached to the walls. They were filled with crumbling artefacts and ancient-looking jugs. Well at least what was left of the jugs anyway; most of the displays only had small fragments left, like a handle or the lip. #Um, there are a lot of broken bits of piss-jars…#

#Err…? Piss-jars? Please explain.#

#Oh, FINE then, there are a lot of broken bits of jugs. Happy now?#

#Yes…but can't you be a little more- specific? You know, like is there a sign saying 'you are in the so-and-so section' ex-cetera ex-cetera? (NOTE: I know that's not how you spell etcetera, it's just the way he pronounces the word.)

#Urgh…# Bakura squinted around the corridor, trying to discern something that would look vaguely like a sign, but he found nothing. #Nope. Unless that includes 'this way to toilets'. Which I doubt it does.#

#Well, can't you look around then?#

#What do you think I'm doing!# Bakura replied incredulously, walking into a room that was on the end of the corridor, turning his head from side to side as he continued to search for clues as to his where about. #Well, maybe if you tell me where you are, it might help.#

#We are somewhere around the Ancient Egyptian section, in a toilet.#

#In a toilet? And why, may I ask, are you in a toilet?#

#We are in a toilet because I had to dry my t-shirt.#

#Err…#

#Yugi was crying and it got wet.#

#Oh. You worried me for a second there. I mean, you and Yugi, in a toilet, and you with a wet t-shirt…#

#You are sick. A, I would never do that in a public toilet, and B, I probably wouldn't be wearing my shirt whilst doing it…#

#Ha ha! I'm not the only sick one here now, am I?#

#That is beside the point. You are supposed to be finding out where you are Bakura, not be playing little guessing games as to what me and Yugi have been doing.#

#Eh?#

#Oh, will you just hurry up and find yourself! We haven't got all day! And the fact that you haven't found Ryou yet doesn't particularly help, either.# Bakura sighed, laughing at Yami's impatience. It was strange, but he seemed to have cheered up considerably during his conversation with Yami.

Bakura walked around for a few more minutes, continually searching for a sign telling him where he was. He walked into a rather large room, and to his relief he found a sign above the entrance to the exhibit.

#Great! I've found out where I am!#

#Go on, then.# Bakura peered at the sign, and began to read off of it.

#I'm in the…oh, FUCK!# There, right in front of him, was the dreaded sign which had in big, bold letters 'ROMANS'. #NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm in the Ra-forsaken Roman section! HELP! Have to get out of here!# No sooner had he said this before he was running out of the room towards the exit, Yami's hysterical laughter ringing around his brain. #And you can shut up! It was bad enough with me being in there without you laughing at me!# This did not help him, however, as Yami started laughing even louder then he was before.

#I can't help it! You're acting like you're going to die!#

#Well I would have done if I had stayed in that cursed place any longer! And STOP LAUGHING AT ME! You're giving me a head-ache!#

#S-sorry…# Yami's laughter subsided, only letting out the occasional giggle as Bakura continued to walk around, trying to find his way to where they were.

#Isn't Yugi getting suspicious?# Bakura asked, wondering if Yami had actually managed to keep a straight face in front of him or not.

#Um…well, I think he is wondering why I was hugging him for such a long time. I had to hide my face behind him so he couldn't see me…#

#Right…are you still in the toilets?#

#Err… Why…?#

#I dunno. I just wanted to know. I mean, you've already spent enough time in there as it is, and if you stay in there any longer you may start to raise my suspicions again…#

#Shut up. Hurry up and find us.# Bakura rounded a corner and stopped, looking around to see if he recognised where he was.

And then he saw him. Ryou was standing on the other side of the room, gazing at him; he did not make any attempt to try and walk away; he just stood there, head slightly lowered, as if in guilt. Bakura gawked at him, relieved that he finally knew where he was.

#Ryou…# He walked toward him, uncertain of whether Ryou wanted to be near him or not. He didn't know why Ryou wouldn't want to be near him; after all, as far as he knew Ryou had done nothing wrong, and nor had he. But still, he couldn't help but feel that Ryou was a little apprehensive in the way that he stood, not quite making eye contact with him as Bakura eventually reached him.

#Did you find him?# Yami asked, confused by Bakura's sudden silence.

#Yes…let me talk to him for a moment. Alone, preferably.#

#Fine by me.# Bakura felt Yami's presence leave him. He wondered if Yami knew what had happened between Ryou and Yugi earlier on; but if he did know, he certainly hadn't said anything about it.

"Ryou…? Are you okay?" Ryou shook his head, a tear running down his face. Bakura felt his heart break at the sight of his hikari crying; he loved him too much to let any harm come to him. "Come here…" He said gently, gathering Ryou up in his arms. Ryou made no response to this gesture of love, though; he just let himself hang limply in Bakura's embrace.

"I'm sorry…" Ryou whispered. Bakura looked at him in surprise.

"Sorry for what?"

"For what I did…" This only made Bakura even more confused, and worried about what Ryou could possibly mean.

"What did you do?" Bakura wasn't really sure if he wanted to know what he did, though; he asked more out of curiosity then anything else.

"I kissed Yugi." Bakura's mind froze. He didn't…he couldn't…have just said that. His arms fell down to his sides; he was heart-broken.

"W-why?" He eventually managed to ask.

"Why should it matter to you?" Ryou said quietly. "You don't love me. You never did." He looked up at Bakura's wounded eyes, with all the confidence he could muster. "And now Yugi's mad at me for what I've done, Yami's going to hate me for it, and so are you! Nobody loves me!" Ryou's voice had now grown hysterical, and Bakura was having trouble trying to tell Ryou to be quieter.

"Ryou! Please, not so loud!"

"AND NOW EVERYBODY HATES ME!" He screamed, before turning on his heel and running out of the exhibition.

#Whoa! Was that Ryou I heard screaming?# Yami's voice once again filled Bakura's head; he could feel the buzz of his emotions as he started talking to him. Yami obviously must have been somewhere close by if he had heard Ryou, and Bakura became uncomfortably aware of all the people that were now staring at him.

#Yes. I'm going after him.#

#Wait, he's coming our way! I'll see if I can get him.#

#Thanks…# Bakura walked in the direction Ryou had run in a daze. He wasn't quite sure how he felt anymore…all he knew was that his chances of proving his love to Ryou were all but gone now, and that he had failed everyone. It was strange though; he did not feel angry with Ryou, but he wasn't sure if he could ever forgive him for it.

#Bakura! Hurry up, before we lose him!# Yami's voice sounded desperate. Bakura strained his eyes in front of him, and just managed to see through the bobbing heads of people around him Yami's spiky red and black hair moving around a corner. Bakura picked up his pace and quickly ran around the corner after him.

"LET GO OF ME!" Ryou's yelling reached Bakura's ears just as Yami came into view; it appeared that Yami had managed to grab Ryou around the chest, and was holding him as best as he could without hurting him.

"Yami!" Yami and Yugi turned their heads to see Bakura running towards them, looking flustered. He slowed down as he reached them, and walked around Yami so that he was facing Ryou. Ryou's face was stained with tears, his eyes swollen and red. "Ryou…please don't do this to me. I love you so much…" Ryou continued to struggle in Yami's arms, as if he hadn't heard what Bakura said. "Ryou! Please listen to me!" Ryou was still not responding to him. Bakura felt his own tears stinging his eyes as he watched his Aibou fall to pieces in front of him, his struggling growing weaker and weaker by the second. In a last desperate attempt to get Ryou to calm down, Bakura placed his hands on either side of his head and pressed his forehead against Ryou's, and took them into his soul room…

"Ryou! Ryou!" Ryou heard someone shouting his name from somewhere far off, but he didn't care. He just wanted Yami to let go of him…he wanted to run away from him, from everyone and everything.

"Let me go…" Ryou heard himself cough out, knowing that his weak attempts of escape were failing. "Please…let me go…" Ryou felt the strong arms around his chest loosen, and catching him unawares, caused him to fall hard onto the cold, stone floor. He lay there in the position he fell, to weak to try and move anymore.

Bakura stared pitifully down at Ryou's shaking form, but in that moment of complete and utter hopelessness Ryou seemed to be more beautiful than he had ever been before.

"Ryou…" Ryou made no response; he just continued to cry into the floor. Bakura knelt down next to him and touched his shoulder, but Ryou just recoiled and pushed himself up against one of the walls. He opened his eyes and seemed shocked to find himself in his soul room; he thought he was still in the museum.

"W-why am I here?" Ryou cried, his voice breaking.

"Because you need to calm down…you're getting hysterical."

"But you hate me!" He wailed, covering his face with his hands. Bakura sighed, crawling over to him on his hands and knees.

"No, I don't…I love you." He stopped when he reached Ryou, wrapped his arms around him and pulled him onto his lap. "Sshh…" He whispered, kissing the top of his head. Ryou gripped onto Bakura's shirt. They stayed like this for a while, Bakura cradling Ryou in his arms like a child.

"I'm sorry…please forgive me…" Ryou whispered eventually. He had calmed down considerably, and was resting his face in Bakura's warm chest.

"Don't worry about it…I can understand why you did it." Ryou lifted his head up and looked into Bakura's eyes, confused by what he had said.

"How can you understand? I've just betrayed your love, and you're acting like you don't even care…"

"I understand you because I didn't love you properly. Yami had to show me what I was doing wrong…so it was my fault that you did what you did, not yours." Ryou simply nodded his head, not really wanting to speak anymore. He was too tired to argue with him. "Come on…let's get out of here."

Ryou opened his eyes to find that once again he was in the museum, and Yami's arms were still holding him tightly around his chest. He winced slightly, thinking that Yami was holding more tightly than was necessary.

"You can let go of him, Yami…" Bakura said quietly, his forehead still pressed against Ryou's. Yami obliged, and watched as Ryou fell into Bakura's arms and wrapped his arms around his waist.

#Hold me…# Ryou whispered. Bakura slid his arms around him, holding him tightly to his chest.

#Ryou, I'll never let you go…# Bakura answered back.

They held each other for ages, not wanting to let the other go. However, eventually they had to stop because Yami and Yugi wanted to get going.

"Come on, otherwise we'll never be able to see the rest of the museum!" Yugi exclaimed. Obviously Yugi could still not walk properly, so once again Yami picked him up in his arms, before slowly walking in the direction that they came from.

Before Bakura could walk anywhere, however, Ryou had slipped his hand into his, and was holding it tightly. He evidently didn't want to let Bakura go.

#Stay with me…# Ryou asked, looking pleadingly into Bakura's eyes. Bakura smiled, and squeezed Ryou's hand a little.

#Okay. I'll stay with you.# And at last Ryou smiled. #Please don't stop smiling, Ryou…you look so beautiful when you do.#

#Anything for you, 'Kura…# Ryou leant his head on Bakura's shoulder, sighing happily.

#Aw, you two look so sweet together!# Yami's voice filled Bakura's head again, as he made this strange comment.

#Err…#

#Ha ha! Don't worry about it.#

#Why are you carrying Yugi?# Bakura suddenly asked Yami. He didn't want to sound too rude, but there had to be some reason for it.

Err…# Bakura noticed that Yami turned slightly pink as he said this, a small guilty smile appearing on his face.

#Oh Ra…you didn't, did you?#

#Um…yes. In his soul room.#

#Oh, so that's why you're carrying him! I suppose you took him, then?# Yami started as Bakura said this, nearly dropping Yugi flat on his arse.

#BAKURA! Shut up! That's got nothing to do with you!#

#Oh, lookey! The Pharaoh's getting all stress-sy…# Bakura sang. He heard Yami growl as he said this, so he decided it would be better for him not to say anymore for fear of getting his head bitten off.

He looked at Yami's hands, and only then did he notice the creamy-white bandages that were neatly wrapped up around his hands and wrists. #What happened to you?#

#Hmm?# Yami sounded distracted; he was probably talking to Yugi as well as him.

#What happened to your hands? They're bandaged.# Bakura stated, just to make it clear what he meant.

#Oh…it's nothing to worry about.# Yami said quickly. This was obviously something that Yami didn't want to talk about, but still, Bakura wanted to know what it was.

#Yes, it is something to worry about. You're hurt.#

#Urgh…it's kinda hard to explain. I'll tell you later.#

#Fine.#

They carried on walking through the corridors, guided by Yugi. After about five minutes they were back to where Yami and Bakura had first started, near the entrance of the Egyptian exhibit.

"Oh, look over there, Yami! I think there's something about you on that sign…" Yugi said, pointing behind him to somewhere on the other side of the room. They walked over in that direction, eventually find the thing that Yugi had been pointing at. "Let me down…" Yugi asked, before slipping out from Yami's grasp and standing on the floor. He took a few tentative steps towards the cabinet, before peering at the little card behind the glass and reading the small writing, which was printed on it. "'These canopic jars belonged to one of the most powerful Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom, Atem of the Amenhotep Dynasty-"

"Wasn't Amenhotep really evil…?" Ryou wondered out loud, who was closely studying the canopic jar of the Falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, which had once held Yami's lower intestines.

"No, that was Akhenaten…" Yami replied, only half focusing on his question.

"Wasn't he after your time, Yami?" Yugi asked him.

"Yeah, probably. I can't remember much." Yami shrugged.

"Well how could you remember it if it was after you?" Bakura said sceptically, flicking a bit of hair over his shoulder. Yami stared at him weirdly, but Bakura seemed to take no notice of Yami's questioning look.

"I dunno. It just suddenly came to me. I am a man of much knowledge." He said jokingly, earning an elbow in the side from Yugi.

"Be sensible, Yami." Yugi said, before once again reading off the little card in the display. "'Atem of the Amenhotep Dynasty. Although the actual mummy of this Pharaoh was never found, the canopic jars still remain. Many feel that the Pharaoh was in some way connected with Domino, though they are not sure why.' Oh wow, that's so hard to guess, isn't it?" Yugi said sarcastically, laughing at the naivety of the person who had written the sign. "I mean, it's not every town in the modern world that you get a real ancient Egyptian Pharaoh wandering around in it, is there?" Yugi turned to look at Yami, but was surprised to see that he looked rather upset. "Yami…" Yugi draped his arms around Yami's neck and kissed him, gently stroking the back of his head. #Sorry…#

#It doesn't matter.# Yami ran one of his fingers down the back of Yugi's neck, causing him to shudder slightly. #Yugi…thank you for being there for me.#

#I will always be here for you, Yami.# Yami deepened their kiss, snaking his arms around Yugi's waist and pulling him closer to him.

#Err, EARTH TO YAMI! I don't want to be a nuisance or anything, but this is a PUBLIC place, you know, with other PEOPLE. You're not in your own little world of two!# Bakura's voice pierced into Yami's mind, like a wasp stinging you without knowing it was there.

#Shut up, leave us be! Let us kiss.# Yami replied in an annoyed tone, and to show that he meant it he once again ran his finger down Yugi's neck, causing him to make a small moan of pleasure.

#Yami, I'm being serious! Stop it! You can kiss and fuck Yugi as much as you want when you get home, just don't do it here! Ra, you have obviously not yet learnt the art of subtlety…# Bakura snapped back. Yami hesitated, considering ignoring Bakura's advice, but eventually decided that it was probably for the best.

#Yugi…we should stop.# Yami pulled gently back from Yugi, who was looking happy and contented.

#Aww, do we have to? I was enjoying it…# Yami smiled at Yugi's innocence, hugging him tightly.

#Yes, I'm afraid so.#

#Can we…?#

#We can continue when we get home, Yugi.#

#'Kay…# They kissed one last time before Yugi turned back to the display, reading the rest of the sign for himself.

Ryou walked tentatively up to Yugi, who looked up just as he approached. Ryou froze, uncertainty in his eyes.

"Um, we'll just be- over there." Yami said, seeing that they needed some time alone together. He grabbed Bakura by the arm and dragged him off across the room, hiding behind a huge display cabinet full of artefacts.

"Err… and why will we be 'just over there?'" Bakura asked, snatching his arm free from Yami's grip.

"Because…" Yami said, peering around the glass cabinet and nodding towards Yugi and Ryou. "Ryou needs to apologise to Yugi. Well, at least I think he wants to anyway. And us two standing there gawking at them won't exactly help him with what he wants to do." Bakura sighed, knowing that Yami was probably right; but there was still one thing troubling his mind…

"Why didn't you tell me what Ryou did?" Yami stiffened, but didn't look round to face Bakura.

"I didn't tell you because it wouldn't have been right for me to. If Ryou wanted to tell you, he would. It's not up to others to do it for him." Yami stated simply, still gazing at Yugi and Ryou.

"I suppose so…" Bakura walked up behind him and looked to where they were standing. Ryou's head was hanging down, and Yugi appeared to be consoling him. "Wonder what they're saying…"

"Yeah…" Yami sounded distant. He stared at them for a few more seconds before turning to Bakura, smiling. "Come on, we shouldn't be watching them." Yami walked a little way off in the other direction to look at some more canopic jars, so Bakura, having nothing better to do, followed him over.

"Yugi…?" Ryou asked nervously, after Bakura and Yami had walked away. Yugi smiled, taking a step towards him.

"You don't have to worry about it, Ryou. Just forget that it ever happened." Yugi said reassuringly. Instead of looking happier, though, Ryou just hung his head, his face the picture of depression. "Unless you don't want to, that is." Yugi added quickly, not really thinking about whether it would help or not.

"I'm sorry I did it Yugi, I was just-"

"Confused?" Yugi finished. Ryou looked up at him, smiling weakly.

"Yes…" he sighed. Yugi smiled back at him, before walking right up to him and embracing him, leaning his head against Ryou's soft white hair. He felt Ryou slide his arms round his waist, and so Yugi tightened his grip on him. One of his hands fell to idly stroking Ryou's hair, picking it up and letting it fall back into place.

"You're lucky, Ryou." Yugi said after a while. Ryou laughed a little at the obscurity of the comment, but none the less asked Yugi what he meant by it.

"Why?"

"Because…your hair. It's so soft! I wish mine could be like yours." Ryou laughed again, made happy by Yugi's compliment. "So do me a favour…" Yugi lifted his head away from Ryou's hair and looked seriously into his eyes. "Don't ever change." He looked round to where Bakura and Yami went to see if they were watching, but they were nowhere to be seen. "Come on…let's see if we can find the Yamis."

Yugi started to walk off in the direction they went in, but soon had to stop again as the pain once again started to flood his body. Ryou walked up to him, and placed a concerned hand on his shoulder.

"Why can't you walk?" Yugi looked up to him, biting his lip. He blushed a little, not really wanting to say what it was that was wrong.

#It was something that he and Yami did in his soul room…# Ryou jumped as Bakura's voice filled his head, and looked around to find Yami and Bakura looking at them, smiling. Obviously Yami had no idea what Bakura had just said, because he did not make any move to try and make him shut up.

#Ooh! How…?#

#He told me.# Bakura said quickly, shooting a worried glance in Yami's direction. Ryou rolled his eyes, before looking back to Yugi, who was staring at him weirdly.

"You know what it is, don't you?" Yugi asked. He didn't look worried so much as confused.

"Yes…"

"So how did Bakura know what it was, then? Yami never told him." Ryou looked at him, puzzled.

"He told me Yami did tell him." Yugi shook his head.

"No, he didn't. He didn't say anything like that-" Yugi froze, a look of realisation appearing on his face. "They can communicate…"

"What do you mean, communicate?" Ryou looked even more confused then he did before.

"Well, when me and Yami where in the toilets, he just suddenly hugged me. For ages."

"Err…and?" He still looked totally nonplussed.

"Well, Yami didn't explain why he did it, but I could tell that he was laughing at something. And plus…" He paused for a moment, before continuing. "He said something about…showing Bakura something that he had forgotten. Which didn't make any sense to me."

"What do you mean, forgotten?"

"Well, I was explaining to Yami- you know…what- happened." Ryou nodded, showing that he understood, so Yugi continued with what he was saying. "And he said 'maybe he didn't…but he does now.'"

"Didn't what?"

"Love you properly. And there's no way Yami could just know that. Bakura wouldn't say something like that straight to his face…"

"I have to admit, they do seem to be getting along a lot better then they were this morning…" Ryou said thoughtfully.

"Exactly, which is why I think they can communicate…but why haven't they said anything about it to us?"

"Maybe they thought we would be angry with them for it or something…" They looked up to where Yami and Bakura were standing, who were now looking at another of the cabinets. "Come on, let's go find out…"

#You know Yami, we really should Yugi and Ryou about our ability to communicate like this…# Bakura turned around so that he was facing Yugi and Ryou, leaning on the cabinet. He closed his eyes, sighing.

#Yeah, I suppose we should.#

Neither of them saw Yugi and Ryou walking towards them, so of course they let their guard down, never suspecting them to hear what was going to be said.

"Yeah, well it's all very well saying that we're going to tell them Yami, but it's quite another thing…" He stopped in mid-sentence. Yami looked up at him, confused.

"Yes?" Yami could not see that Ryou and Yugi were close to them, so he continued to talk. "Why have you stopped?"

#Hikaris at Twelve O'clock.# Bakura said quickly.

"Huh?" Yami turned his head to find Yugi and Ryou staring at them, questioning looks on their faces. #Oops…#

"Yeah, you're telling me…" Bakura had given up on trying to keep their secret from them; he knew that they had already figured out for themselves anyway.

"Why didn't you say anything about this to us?" Yugi asked. Yami looked guiltily at him, his head lowered.

"Because we didn't know how you would react to it." Bakura said simply, shrugging his shoulders. Ryou smiled, shaking his head.

"You should know by now that you don't have to hide anything from us, not only because you can trust us but because we will probably end up finding out about it anyway." He walked up to Bakura, and hugged him. "You two should think yourselves lucky. It's not exactly a common ability, is it?"

"I suppose not…" But Bakura still looked unconvinced. "Are you mad at us?" Ryou looked up at him, surprised.

"No. Should we be?"

"Err…"

"Oh, you're so pathetic, you know that?" Ryou said, laughing. "I'm happy about it. Hopefully this means you two have stopped arguing with each other?" He raised an eyebrow at them, making them wince slightly.

"Yes…" Yami said timidly, a guilty smile spreading across his face.

"Well, stop looking so worried, then! God, you're not exactly going to die, are you? Well, you're already dead, but that's not the point." Yugi said jokingly, hugging Yami. Yami returned the embrace, sighing gently.

#I'm surprised they took it so well…# Yami said to Bakura.

#Hmm…# Bakura still had his arms around Ryou, his eyes closed.

"Wow…I just heard what you said…I think." Yugi said faintly. They all looked at him, confused. "You said, 'I'm surprised they took it so well'."

"That's probably because you were close to each other when he said it…" Ryou said, suddenly looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, but I didn't hear anything he said to him before when Yami was carrying me…"

"That's probably because you didn't know about it then." Bakura suggested.

"Hmm…"

"Urgh, can we just not talk about this anymore?" Yami asked; he looked pretty tired.

"Yeah. Let's look at some of those other canopic jars…" Bakura said before walking with Ryou over to specified display case.

"Come on, Yugi…" Yami said, supporting him as they walked after them.

"Look here…" Ryou said, just as they reached him. "Apparently this jar used to hold your brain, Yami…" He pointed to a jar with a Baboon- head lid. "The Baboon's name is Hapy." He added, as if he felt it had to be said.

"Oh great, how depressing…" Yami said, gazing unhappily at the jar.

"Yeah, well, it didn't hold it for long…" Bakura said, before coughing and looking away, as if he hadn't said anything.

"What do you mean?" Yami snapped back, looking at him suspiciously.

"Um…I kinda- soldyourbrainontheblackmarket." He said quickly, looking guiltily at the floor. He looked up and saw the incredulous look he was getting from Yami, before saying, "What! I had to get money somehow! You have no idea how hard life was for us Tomb Robbers!"

"No, all I know was that you took too much effort to control." Yami looked serious for a moment, before a look of amazement spread across his face. "I don't have a brain…" He shook his head, smiling with wonder. "I haven't got a brain…"

"Yes, we knew that already." Yugi said, giggling. Yami turned to him, looking upset.

"But I don't have a brain…" He said sadly, looking utterly pathetic. Yugi burst out laughing, leaning heavily on Yami's arm.

"Wow…wouldn't it be so weird if you could just stick your hands in a jar and pick up your brain whenever you wanted…" Ryou said, still gazing at the canopic jar.

"Yeah, I suppose it would be…if I still had a brain." Yami muttered, looking darkly at it.

"Well, I suppose this means you shouldn't be known as the Nameless Pharaoh then, but the Brainless Pharaoh…" Bakura said, grinning.

"Now THAT is just going TOO far!" Yami cried, clenching his fists as best he could without them hurting too badly. Several people around them turned to look at them, throwing them disapproving looks before moving on.

"Yami, keep it down!" Yugi said, grabbing his arm to stop him trying to smash something up.

"Yugi let go of me!" Yami growled, shaking his arm to try and make Yugi release his grip, but it was to no avail. This just angered him even more, the Puzzle hanging from his neck glowing brightly, a golden eye appearing on his forehead.

"Yami, don't!" Yugi cried desperately, his Sennen Puzzle now glowing in an attempt to counteract Yami's magic. #Something's not right! Why is he reacting so badly?# Yugi thought to himself. #He promised me that he would never go against my wishes, but he is! What's wrong with him!# Yugi mustered all the power he could before sending a blast of energy towards Yami, hoping it would be enough to catch him off balance.

Yami stumbled backwards, clutching his hand to his head. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily; he looked lost, and confused.

"What- what happened? What did I do?" His eyes were scanning around the room wildly, desperately crying out for help.

"Come on, let's get out of here…" Bakura muttered, before slipping his arms under Yami's and supporting him out of the museum, going quickly so they wouldn't have to bear the brunt of countless eyes staring at them any longer.

"Yugi?" Yugi was breathing heavily; it had taken a lot of energy to stop Yami using his magic, and now he was physically shaking from the effort. He looked up to Ryou's face, his eyes half closed.

"Ryou…" He managed to whisper, before collapsing forwards, unable to stand anymore. Ryou managed to catch him before he could reach the floor; it had drained much more energy from Yugi than he thought it would.

Ryou lifted Yugi up with relative ease; he was quite a lightweight for his age. Yugi's head fell limply against Ryou's chest, his breathing falling to more regular pattern as he lost consciousness.

#Strange…why has Yugi lost so much energy? It shouldn't have taken up that much of his magic just to send Yami to the ground, surely?# Ryou thought to himself, as he swiftly proceeded out of the museum. #But then again, Yami's magic is very powerful…maybe it would have taken that much effort…# Ryou continued to ponder on this until he was standing outside the museum, the hot sun once again beating down on his back.

Ryou squinted his eyes against the sun's glare, and spotted Yami and Bakura sitting on one of the steps a little way down from him. He walked slowly towards them, only stopping when he standing on the step above them.

"Yami?" He said quietly, tightening his grip on Yugi a little. Yami and Bakura turned around, staring at the unconscious Yugi lying in his arms.

"Yugi…" Yami said, his voice breaking. "What have I done to him…" He shook his head, a tear running down his face. "I'm sorry, Yugi…I've done this to you again." Bakura and Ryou looked at him, confused. What did he mean, again?

Yami looked at them, and seeing their puzzled looks proceeded to unwrap the bandage around one of his hands, bit by bit showing the scabs and wounds that he had inflicted upon himself. When the bandage eventually fell off his hand, they both gasped; how had this happened to him?

"I did it to myself." Yami said, in answer to their silent question.

"But…why?" Bakura asked, aghast by what he was seeing.

"Because I hurt Yugi. I lost control of myself…I don't know why." He let a tear run down his face, before it fell onto his hand. He ran his thumb over the scars, as if he was trying to smother them, so he wouldn't have to be constantly reminded of what he had done. He clenched his hand into a fist, so hard that his knuckles started to turn white. His eyes darkened, staring angrily at scabs; why couldn't he control himself? "I don't even deserve these scars…I can't believe that Yugi has forgiven me for what I did. I was a fool to even think that he would want it…" Ryou and Bakura just stared at him, unsure of how to react to this sudden change in Yami's behaviour.

"You- you haven't ever done this- before, have you?" Bakura asked timidly, who was now looking completely scared. #Fear…so this is what he meant…fear for your friends.# He thought to himself. But even as this passed through his mind, he could do nothing but look helplessly on as Yami continued to put himself down.

"No…I can't-" Yami stopped, still scowling at his hand. "I don't think…I can love Yugi anymore."

"Don't be a bloody idiot!" Ryou shouted, catching Bakura and Yami by surprise. He was looking furiously at Yami, tears streaming down his face. "Don't be- such a Fucking, Stupid, IDIOT!" He was practically screaming now, his mind was in turmoil. He fell to his knees on the step and held Yugi close to him, clamping his eyes tight shut. "How can you not love him?" He whispered, opening his eyes again to look at Yami's guilt-ridden face. "How?" And, then even quieter, he said, "You would have to be inhumane to not love him…and I'm no exception." Yami and Bakura stared at him, not quite sure what to make of Ryou's sudden outburst and declaration of love for Yugi.

"But…" Bakura whispered, tears stinging his eyes. Ryou looked up at him, love written all over his face.

"I'm sorry, Bakura…I do love you, really I do. But…" He sighed, now staring at Yugi's blank face. "I don't know. But what do you think Yugi would say if he heard us arguing over him like this? I think it would be enough to make him hate us."

"But I don't hate you…" Yugi opened his eyes and looked faintly up at Ryou, his face still expressionless. "You're doing this to yourselves. You're making assumptions; assuming that I would be angry with Yami, angry with all of you. I do exist, you know. None of you can tell me what I should think." Yugi smiled, before looking over to Yami, who was still crying. Yugi held out his hand to him, begging with his eyes for him hold him. Yami looked at him, uncertainty in his eyes; but Yugi just smiled at him, holding out his hand. Yami walked slowly over, kneeling down in front of him and taking his hand with his un-bandaged one, so that Yugi could feel the hardness of the scabs on his skin. Yugi squeezed his hand gently, a tear rolling down his cheek.

#Yami…I love you so much. And I know you love me too. You're just afraid that whatever action you take will end up hurting me. But I've told you already I don't care, and I forgave you for what you did to me. So please, stop crying…it hurts me more to see you upset than anything you could ever do to hurt me.# Yami raised Yugi's hand to his mouth and kissed the back of his hand, his tears splashing onto his skin. Yugi closed his eyes again, before looking back up at Ryou. Yugi sat up a little in his lap, before pressing his forehead against his. #Thank you, Ryou…# Ryou looked at him, startled; Yugi had spoken in his mind, and he had heard it. He watched as Yugi leant forward and kissed his cheek, before Yami helped him stand up and held him in his arms.

"Ryou…?" Bakura was now standing up in front of him, and for the first time ever he just looked as though he really needed a hug. Ryou stood up and held him in a tight embrace, exhausted by the day's activities.

"Come on…let's go home." Yami said, picking Yugi up and once again carrying him down the steps.

"Hey…why don't you come round our's for a bit? It's not late yet, and it will give us a chance to…you know, talk things through a bit." Yami stopped and turned round on the bottom step, thinking about what he should do.

"Let's go round their's…they're right, we need to talk things out." Yugi said, although he hardly looked awake enough to do any kind of talking.

"So…you'll come?" Ryou asked, walking down so that he was on the same step as Yami.

"Yeah…okay." Yami said, at last smiling.

"Come on, then." Bakura came up behind Ryou and took his hand, before going down the final step and walking off up the street, Yami following close behind.

(Sorry if you're getting really bored with this, but I had to do this cos the next bit is quite important.)

Yami stepped in through Ryou and Bakura's front door, the fresh coolness of their home immediately relieving him of the almost unbearable heat of the afternoon sun outside.

Ryou took his shoes off and placed them on a mat by the door, before taking Yugi from Yami's arms and holding him while Yami took his own shoes off.

"Should we wake him?" Yami asked, not really sure that he wanted to be alone with them without Yugi.

"No, I'll put him upstairs where he can sleep for a while. Unless you'd rather not?" Ryou said, perfectly politely. Yami blushed slightly, before nodding his head.

"Yeah…thanks." He added quickly, glancing at Bakura. Bakura smiled at him, before turning to Ryou and squeezing his shoulder.

"Go on, then." Ryou bowed his head a little, before turning and heading up the stairs and disappearing around a corner.

"Now then…" Bakura said as he walked towards the kitchen, beckoning Yami to follow him. "While they're upstairs we can have fun deciding what we're going to have for dinner."

"I should really call Yugi's Grandpa to say we're not going to be home for a while…" Yami said, stopping in the doorframe of the kitchen.

"The phone's on the table there." Bakura said, pointing to the table in the middle of the room. Yami walked over to it, before picking it up and dialling his home number. He pressed it to his ear and listened to it ring, click and then heard Grandpa's voice vibrate in his ear.

"Hello, Game Shop."

"Hi, it's Yami."

"Oh, hello Yami! Something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to tell you that Yugi and I are staying round a friend's house for dinner, if that's alright with you…"

"Of course it's alright Yami! I can trust you to look after Yugi for me. You are old enough now to not have to ask me, just so long as I know."

"Thank you."

"That's quite alright. I won't see you though, because I'll be up and out early tomorrow morning, so I won't see you until tomorrow evening."

"Oh right, okay. Well, I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow, then."

"Yes. Goodbye!"

"Bye." Yami waited for the phone to click again before putting it back into its holder on the table.

"Everything okay with Yugi's Grandpa?" Bakura asked, who was busy at the freezer, rummaging through it to trying to find something for them to have.

"Yeah…" Bakura moved to look round at Yami, but instead a loud crunch was heard as he banged his head on the top of the freezer, followed by a long and rather disturbing string of curses.

"SHIT! Oh, fuck these stupid contraptions! I never understood why they had to be in a position where you could hit your bloody head on them every time you wanted to stand up…" Yami laughed as Bakura gave him a frenzied look, who slammed the freezer door shut with his foot. "Don't you think so, Yami?"

"What? Oh, yeah." Yami grinned as Bakura ran his fingers through his hair, banging the box he took out of the freezer on the worktop to shake off the ice that had settled on it. He then held it up in front of him and waved it around a bit, before showing it to Yami.

"Think this is alright?" The box he was holding had printed on it in big bold writing 'Walls Balls!', and had a huge picture of a big, golden-coloured ball shaped thing slap-bang in the middle of it. (By the way, I'm not sure if that's what they actually look like. I'm just assuming it is. :))

"Err…any particular reason why you've chosen 'Walls Balls' for dinner?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow; it painfully reminded him of the 'Camel's balls' incident they had earlier on that day.

Bakura turned the box around in his hand and stared at it for a moment, before a look of enlightenment slowly appeared on his face.

"You know…" Bakura said, a sly look now covering his face. "We could always pretend that these are Camel's balls…"

"And what's the likeliness that they're going to believe that?" Yami said sceptically, but none-the-less was still ginning.

"Well, you never know…after all, we are their Yamis and they're supposed to believe what we say."

"Huh, you don't know Yugi then…"

"Yeah well, I bet you know him all over…"

"Hey!" Yami blushed furiously as Bakura laughed, banging his head with the Walls Balls box.

"Oh Ra Yami, you're so easy to embarrass!" Yami growled slightly in an attempt to make himself more of a threat, but the huge grin on his face was not exactly helping his cause. Bakura burst into a fresh set of hysterics, falling against Yami and hanging his arms around his neck to stop himself from falling over.

"Bakura…" Yami said, sighing. However, Bakura continued to giggle his head off, so Yami slid his arms around his waist until Bakura had stopped laughing.

Bakura leaned his head over Yami's shoulder and sighed, his hair brushing past Yami's cheek. Yami was surprised to find that it was very soft; almost like silk. Yami couldn't help but raise a hand to touch the feather-soft hair, gently running his fingers through it and pressing his cheek closer to Bakura's head.

#Bakura…# Yami said, still running his fingers through Bakura's hair.

#Hmm…?# Yami heard Bakura drop the box onto the table behind him, before pressing himself closer to Yami. This made him feel slightly uncomfortable, shifting his weight slightly under Bakura's body. #Something wrong, Yami?# Bakura's voice was barely more than a whisper, but Yami heard it loud and clear in his mind.

#No. Nothing's wrong. It's just…# Yami felt an urgent need to discuss with Bakura what they should do if their hikaris did ever end up falling in love with each other, and he wasn't willing to let Yugi go so easily as somebody else may have done. He felt Bakura moving even closer to him, and despite his ever-growing feeling of discomfort he still held tightly onto Bakura's body. #Bakura…I just don't know if…# He sighed; he was having trouble trying to form the words in his head. #What would we do if our hikaris…you know- ever fall in- in love? I don't know if I can live without Yugi…in fact I know I can't.# Yami heard Bakura sigh before raising his head so that it was in front of Yami's, so close that their noses were practically touching.

#I don't think we can do anything about it, Yami. We're just going to have to bear with it. At least…for now.# Bakura leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Yami's, his warm breath tickling Yami's face.

#For now?# Yami said questioningly. Bakura smiled, and in answer to his question he moved his face closer to Yami's and kissed his cheek, before embracing him tightly.

Yami stared at the mass of white hair on Bakura's head, not yet quite realising what he had just done. He cared about Bakura, sure; but he didn't know if he loved him that much. He moved his arms so that they were further up Bakura's body, resting his head against Bakura's. Yami started to run his fingers through his hair again, his mind not really thinking properly anymore. He wanted Yugi to be his alone, but…what was Bakura doing? Didn't he want the same with Ryou? Or was he just happy to let Ryou slip through his fingers into another lover's arms, HIS lover's arms? He now knew how Yugi must have felt like, why Yugi was so confused…he would be heart broken if Yugi left him. But, he also knew that he couldn't control Yugi's life, that Yugi should make his own choices in both life and in love. He just hoped that Yugi would choose him…

Yami lifted his head up and sighed. Bakura looked up at him in concern, wondering if Yami felt hurt by what he had done. He wasn't sure why he had kissed him; it just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. Yami just smiled though, nuzzling his cheek before letting go of him and walking over to the sink.

"We really should get on with the dinner you know." Yami said, revealing a grin as he turned around to face Bakura.

"Yeah...okay then." And, picking up the Walls Balls, he walked to the sink to join Yami with the cooking.

Ryou walked in through his bedroom door and put Yugi gently down on his bed, pulling the duvet up and covering him with it. Yugi made a little noise before drawing it tighter around his body, burying his face in the pillow. Ryou sighed and knelt down next to him on the floor, raising up a hand to stroke Yugi's face. He looked so peaceful, like a sleeping angel.

"Ryou…" Yugi opened his eyes and smiled, stretching his arm out and cupping his face. He ran his thumb down his cheek, before slipping his arms under Ryou's and pulling him into the bed with him. "Sleep with me. Please?" Ryou smiled, getting under the covers and drawing Yugi closer to him, wrapping his arms around him. #Thank you…# Yugi murmured, kissing Ryou gently on the lips. Ryou gasped slightly, pulling back from Yugi.

"Yugi…" Ryou looked at him uncertainly, not sure if he wanted to continue.

"Hey, relax." Yugi smiled sweetly at him, cuddling up to his chest and pressing his forehead against Ryou's. "In what way do you love me?" Yugi asked, bringing himself closer still to Ryou's body.

"I don't know…I just know that I do." He sighed, closing his eyes and tightening his grip on Yugi. "I'm so confused…I don't know who I love. Why is it that you can't love more than one person at the same time? Everyone makes it out as if it's wrong; but surely it can't be? I just don't understand anything anymore." Yugi looked at him sadly, leaning forward and kissing him again, much more deeply than he did before.

"I know…its stupid, isn't it? I really love Yami, and I hope he knows that; but…I love you too." He sighed, playing with a bit of Ryou's hair. "Wouldn't it be great if…" He stopped, not sure if he should continue his sentence.

"If what?" Ryou asked, making a circular motion with his finger on the small of Yugi's back.

"If we could…all be together. If you know what I mean. That way we wouldn't have to worry about loving more than one person, because we would all love each other. But I doubt it will ever happen…" Yugi tailed off, feeling certain that he would end up regretting that he had said it.

"I suppose…it's an idea. But what would Yami and Bakura say? And besides…I don't think I could ever love Yami. Not in that sense, anyway. Could you love Bakura?"

"I don't know…it was just an idea. I don't think it could ever work. Could Yami and Bakura ever love each other?" He giggled as he tried to imagine them holding hands, but it didn't work very well. He just got an image of the two of them trying to whack each other with large, pointy sticks.

"What's so funny?" Ryou asked, confused. Yugi giggled again, relaying the images in Ryou's mind. He laughed too, feeling a little happier now that he had talked things out with Yugi. He was still confused as to how he and Yugi had communicated in their minds; it wasn't like they had some sort of special magical bond. Or did they? He put this question to Yugi, and after a moment he replied,

"I don't know, Ryou. Even I was a little surprised that it happened…I suppose we should just accept it. Or, if you really want to know that badly, you can always ask our Yamis. I'm sure they'll know what it is."

"Yeah, they probably do. Well, I'll ask them later about it; but at the moment I really can't be bothered." Yugi smiled, kissing Ryou's cheek. Ryou blushed slightly, quickly returning the kiss to Yugi's lips.

#I love you…# Yugi whispered.

#I love you too.# Yugi leaned forward took Ryou's bottom lip in his mouth, sucking and biting it gently with his teeth. Yugi pushed Ryou down so that he was now lying on top of him, before he let go of Ryou's lip and pushed his tongue into his mouth, circling and caressing Ryou's tongue. #Yugi…# Ryou moaned softly, shifting a little under Yugi's body.

#Are you okay?# Yugi pulled his tongue out of Ryou's mouth, gazing quietly into his eyes. #You have such beautiful eyes…# Ryou blushed again, Yugi now licking the back of his ear.

#I'm okay…# Yugi continued to attack his ear, nibbling and biting at it.

#Good…I don't want to hurt you.#

#What do you mean?# Yugi stopped licking Ryou's ear and moved back to his mouth, kissing it gently.

#I don't know. Depends on what you want it to mean.# Yugi stopped kissing him and laid his head down on Ryou's chest, twirling a bit of his hair in between his fingers.

#I don't think it should go any further than this. At least not yet…#

"Hmm…" Yugi moved up his body and laid his head down on a pillow next to Ryou, kissing his cheek. #Yeah, I suppose we should leave it now…let's sleep.# Yugi pulled the covers up over them once more, and before long they found themselves drifting off, the day's activities finally taking its toll on their minds.

"I think we're just about done!" Bakura concluded as he placed the last of the Walls Balls onto a plate, before walking over to the sink and dumping the frying pan on the draining board. It had taken them over an hour to cook the dinner, seeing as the first set of Walls Balls they had cooked got completely burnt, so they had to chuck them away.

"Ugh, great. I was beginning to think it would never end…" Yami said wistfully, drinking some water out of a glass tumbler that was sitting on the work-top.

"Yeah well, thank Ra it did." Bakura was now sitting on a stool by the table, drinking out of his own glass and rubbing his forehead with his free hand. "Urgh, my head kills…remind me next time to keep an eye on the cooking instead of just letting it be burnt to a cinder." He let his head fall with a bang onto the table, before letting out a muffled "ow".

Yami walked over to the table and plonked himself onto the stool next to him, Bakura lifting his head up and once again furiously rubbing his forehead.

"Stupid table…it always wants to hurt me." Yami sighed exasperatedly, placing his glass down on the table. He slid his arms around Bakura's waist and pulled him onto his lap, burying his face in his hair.

"Don't be stupid. You're hurting yourself on the table."

"Yeah, but never on purpose…well, unless I want to get attention from Ryou, in which case it works pretty well."

"Huh…you shouldn't be using your Hikari like that."

"I wouldn't say that was using him. More…wanting to be loved by him."

"Uh-huh, of course." Bakura heard the note of disbelief in Yami's voice, so he turned round on his lap so that he was facing Yami instead of his back being towards him.

"Why don't you believe me?" Bakura asked, playing with one of Yami's bangs. Yami sighed, shaking his head.

"It's not that I don't believe you so much as it…being the other way round…"

"Oh. Right. Of course." Bakura looked a little sad, tugging at the golden strand of Yami's hair.

"Oh, don't worry about it Bakura." He stood up, holding Bakura tightly in his arms. "Ryou understands what happened. He's not mad at you, he loves you."

"Yeah, but he also loves Yugi…" He sighed, leaning his forehead against Yami's.

"Well, I don't think even I can help that Bakura."

"I suppose so…"

"Don't worry about it. Let time take its course; I'm sure everything will sort itself out eventually."

"Hmm…" Bakura closed his eyes, still fiddling with Yami's bangs.

Just then Yugi and Ryou walked in through the kitchen door, only to stop dead in their tracks and gape as they saw their Yami's hugging each other tightly.

#Wow…that's quite unexpected of you two to hug like that.# Yugi said to Yami. Yami gasped and whipped his head around, Yugi and Ryou staring at them with no apparent emotion on their faces.

"Uh! Yugi- Ryou!" Bakura lifted up his head and gasped as well, letting his arms fall to his sides as Yami let go of him. Yugi and Ryou turned to each other, and smiled.

"Yami…" Yugi said, turning back to face him. He walked slowly over to him, before taking him in his arms and holding him tightly. Yami just stood still, not sure of what to do.

"Yugi…" Yugi looked up at him and smiled. He didn't appear angry at all, just happy. #Aren't you going to say anything?#

"There's nothing to say, Yami." He reached up and kissed him, tightening his grip on him. #I told you I love you. What else can I say? I'll love you no matter what, just like you said you would.#

#Ryou…? Are you…mad?# Bakura asked, lowering his head so he didn't have to look in Ryou's eyes.

#Why should I be?# Bakura looked up again to find Ryou was now standing in front of him, smiling sweetly at him. Bakura felt his heart melt as he stared into Ryou's chocolate-brown eyes, his white hair falling attractively around his shoulders. #You haven't done anything have you?# Bakura shook his head, before walking forward hugging Ryou tightly.

"Everything's such a mess…" Bakura murmured, stroking the back of Ryou's head with his hand.

"Yes…we should really all just sit down and talk things over. But first, dinner!" Ryou said.

"Yeah…come on. I'm starving!" Yami agreed, kissing Yugi before letting go of him.

"So…what're we having, then?" Ryou asked, casting an interested eye over the plates on the worktop. "I see you managed to cook it all without burning any of it."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Yami said, pouting his lips. Bakura laughed, before pointing to the bin, indicating the burnt Walls Balls.

"Well, we did burn the first lot."

"Yeah, you 'accidentally' set them on fire…" Yami muttered, going over to the sink to wash his hands.

"Well you told me to! You said it would make them cook quicker!" Bakura said hysterically, waving his hands frantically in the air. Yugi and Ryou watched them with raised eyebrows, worried smiles on their faces.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you would believe me! I mean, come on, even I know that wouldn't help them cook." Yami dried his hands off on a towel before walking over to where the plates were still sitting on the worktop.

"Huh…" Bakura growled, scowling at him.

"Hey, I thought you two had stopped arguing!" Ryou said, raising a confused eyebrow.

"Uh…we- have." Yami said quickly, turning to look at Bakura. He stopped scowling and blushed, casting his gaze towards the floor.

"Oh, come ON! Are we actually going to eat anything or not!" Yugi said critically.

"Oh- yeah! Come on then. You two go in the living room, we'll be there in a minute." Yami said to Yugi and Ryou. Ryou helped Yugi limp away out of the kitchen, disappearing round the corner of the hall.

"Huh…I still can't believe you two did it…in a museum! Now that is something. Me and Ryou have to try that at some point."

"Uh…" Yami blushed furiously, regretting the fact that he had let Bakura know about it.

"Hey, don't worry! And that reminds me…" Bakura walked up to Yami and took one of his hands in his own, feeling the creamy-white bandage with his fingers; they were still damp form when Yami had washed them. "You still haven't told me what you did to Yugi to make you do this to yourself." Yami clamped his eyes shut, not wanting to remember the event, let alone tell Bakura about it.

#I don't know if I can say…# He sighed, looking distressed.

#Bad time to bring it up?# Bakura asked, still holding Yami's hand. Yami nodded his head, staring sown at the floor.

#I'll tell you later, after we've had dinner.#

#Okay then…# Bakura embraced him before walking over to the plates, picking two of them up and turning back round to face Yami. "Can you handle two plates? Or do you want me to take them?"

"No, I'll be alright, thanks." Bakura smiled, walking out of the kitchen to the living room. Yami soon followed, trying his best to hold the plates without dropping them.

"Hey, are you okay with those?" Ryou asked as Yami walked into the living room, quickly jumping up to take the plates form Yami's damaged hands.

"Yeah, thanks." Ryou smiled, placing them down on the table as Yami went to sit next to Yugi on the sofa.

Dinner was a pretty quiet event, a few jokes were cracked but apart from that not much was said between them. It was only when everyone had finished that Yugi once again brought up the subject of Camel's balls.

"So, Yami…did you ever actually eat Camel balls back in Egypt?" Yugi asked, who was sitting on Yami's lap.

"No! Ra, have you seen those things? They're all tough and hairy. Impossible to eat." Yami shook his head, as if to shake the memory from himself.

"You've actually seen Camel balls?" Bakura asked, amused.

"Err…yes." Bakura giggled, Yami's face turning bright red. "What's so funny? You said your…" Yami stopped, a questioning look on his face.

"Huh, you actually believed me when I said that? No no, I've never seen them in my life!"

"Well, lucky you then. When I first saw them, I thought I was going to be mentally scarred for the rest of my life…I think I still am…"

"How come you've seen them then? Don't tell me they used to feed you those things?" Bakura asked, laughing his head off.

"No…I had to eat them once when my parents and I went visiting some other important people somewhere. I had trouble trying to stop myself from getting totally hysterical when they told me what they were…Urgh…the mental image was not good for the brain." Yami shuddered at the memory, Ryou, Bakura and Yugi laughing.

"Oh, I feel so sorry for you!" Ryou giggled, his eyes beginning to water.

"Yeah…well, consider yourselves lucky then. Camel balls…urgh. Not nice."

"Ha ha, I can't believe you actually had to eat them…" Bakura said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Huh. Well, next time I go to Egypt I'll be sure to bring you some back."

"How are you going to do that? I'm not sure they eat them over there anymore…and anyway, its cruelty to animals. You can't just walk up to a camel and chop its balls off, can you? I mean, it would bleed to death!" Yugi said, flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

"Ah, Yugi! You're so innocent…" Yami said, kissing his nose.

"Well, someone has to think about the welfare of others…" Yugi said, blushing.

"Yes, and I'm very proud of you for it…" Yami nuzzled his cheek, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

#Love you, Yami…#

#Love you too, Yugi…#

"Aw, you two look so cute together!" Bakura said, giggling slightly. Everyone turned to look at him weirdly, questioning looks on their faces. "What! It's true…it's got nothing to do with my personal feelings." #Damn, I should not have said anything…# Bakura said to Ryou, blushing.

"Oh, don't worry about it Bakura. I'm sure they don't mind!" Ryou snuck a sideways glance at Yami, who was staring at him blankly. "Do you, Yami?"

"Uh!" Yami looked scared, glancing at Bakura who was looking equally as frightened.

"Ryou! What are you talking about?" Bakura asked, a worried look on his face.

"Oh, nothing…" Ryou leaned his head on Bakura's shoulder, closing his eyes and sighing. #I know you like him, really…# Ryou smirked as he felt Bakura stiffen, clearly annoyed by Ryou's comment.

#I do not!#

#Oh really? What was all that hugging you were doing in the kitchen, then? Are you telling me that doesn't mean anything?#

#Err…it was just- friend stuff! Friends hug! Umm…they do, don't they?#

#Hmm…but that seemed a bit more then a 'friend' hug to me. And Yugi agrees with me, too.#

#Huh? How? He hasn't said anything, has he?#

#He told me.#

#What! No he hasn't!# Ryou opened his eyes and looked into Bakura's, smiling slyly.

"Yes, he has Bakura. And I want to ask you…how is it that me and Yugi can communicate in our minds?"

"Is that how…?"

"Yes." Yami looked completely confused; no body had bothered to tell him what was going on.

"EXCUSE me, but would anyone care to tell me what's going on here!" Yami said hysterically, looking from each of the three faces that were now staring at him.

"Oh…" Yugi smiled guiltily at him, looking at the two Bakura's asking if it was okay to tell him. Ryou was nodding his head, but Bakura was looking frantically at him, shaking his head in a desperate attempt to stop Yugi from saying anything about what had been said to him. "We were having a discussion- that is me and Ryou- about that hug you two were sharing in the kitchen…"

"Argh! No, don't! Please don't!" Yami cried, burying his face in Yugi's chest. Yugi grinned, running his fingers through Yami's hair.

"Don't worry about it, Yami…" Yugi leant down and kissed his forehead, tickling the back of his ear with his free hand. Yami whimpered slightly, arching his neck back as a surge of pleasure rushed through his body.

#Yugi…don't…# Yugi stopped tickling his ear, Yami's head falling back onto his chest.

#Yami…you're so easy to pleasure…# Yugi continued to run his fingers through Yami's hair, kissing his forehead again.

"Are you two quite done yet?" Bakura asked impatiently, clearly jealous about the fact that they were having fun and he wasn't. Yugi smiled at him, nodding his head. "Well, about you two having this 'link'." Yami lifted his head up to look at him, smiling faintly.

"It's probably because you're connected to us." Yami stated simply. "When me and Bakura gained our link, it must have sparked something off between you two; this may have been the cause of your link, but I can't be certain."

"Hmm…" Ryou said, looking thoughtful.

"I'm sorry I can give you no better explanation. I just don't really know. Don't worry, you'll probably find out what it is." Yami said, looking apologetic. Ryou just smiled though, leaning his head on Bakura's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" Bakura asked him, brushing the hair out of his hikari's eyes.

"Yeah…just tired." Bakura sighed and kissed Ryou's forehead, feeling suddenly fatigued from the day's events.

"I'm tired too…" Yugi said quietly, settling himself in Yami's lap and pushing himself up against his chest. Yami wrapped his arms protectively around Yugi, stroking Yugi's arm gently.

"It's getting late…" Yami said, glancing at the clock.

"It's only eight…stay for a bit." Bakura whispered, running a finger along Ryou's cheek. #Let's put them up stairs so we can talk without disturbing them.#

#But what about Yugi's Grandpa?#

#You're not going to see him till tomorrow evening are you? So, you don't have to worry.# Bakura smiled as he stood up, signalling for Yami to follow him.

They walked up the stairs, hikaris sleeping in their arms, and walked into Ryou and Bakura's bedroom. There were two beds, but they only ever used one of them for obvious reasons.

Bakura rummaged through one of the drawers, although what he was trying to find was a complete mystery to Yami. Bakura stood up a few moments later holding two pairs of pyjamas, placing them on one of the beds.

#Why have you got two pairs out?# Yami asked curiously; neither of them looked like the kind that Bakura would wear.

#Because…# Bakura picked up one of the pairs and brought it over to where Ryou was sleeping, before undoing and taking off all of Ryou's clothes and carefully putting on the pyjamas. #Yugi can use them. If you want.#

#Oh…but, what about-#

#I said they're there if you want Yugi to wear them. I never said he was going to.# Bakura turned to look at him, smiling gently. #It just seemed a bit pointless…#

#What did?# Yami asked, curious to know.

#Well…I dunno…you going home, I suppose. You might as well stay here for the night. I mean, Yugi's already asleep, isn't he? And you look just about ready to collapse.# Yami smiled, nodding his head.

#Okay then.# Yami walked over to the bed with the last pair of pyjamas and proceeded to undress Yugi, gently pulling on the far-too-large night clothes on his thin body.

#Aw, bless! They're way too big for him!# Bakura said, his eyes twinkling.

#Yeah…#

#Let's put them in here.# Bakura said, placing Ryou on the bed that Yugi and he had used earlier to sleep on. He lifted up the covers, half covering him before looking to Yami expectantly.

#What, in the same bed?#

#Might as well. It's not going to make a difference, is it?# Yami shrugged, before walking over and lying Yugi down on the bed as well, Bakura covering him up with the duvet. #Sweet…# Bakura sighed, looking dreamily at their sleeping Lights. Yami looked down at them too; their faces so peaceful as they slept, blissfully unaware of the going's on around them.

#Yeah…# Yami agreed, before walking towards the door and turning around in the frame, smiling back at Bakura. #You coming?# Bakura looked at him, before staring pointedly at the empty bed. #Err…you want to…?# Yami nodded his head towards the bed Bakura was staring at. Bakura turned back to him, blushing a beautiful shade of magenta.

Yami nodded his head, closing the door behind him and walking over to where Bakura was standing. He slid his arms around Bakura's waist, catching his lips in unexpected but intoxicating kiss.

#Do you love me?# Yami asked, still holding Bakura in his kiss.

#I don't know…# Yami stopped suddenly, lowering his head in shame.

#I'm sorry Bakura. I don't know why I did it.# He sighed, shivering slightly with the cold of the room. Bakura pulled Yami closer to him, shaking his head. He placed his hand under Yami's chin, lifting his face up so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

#Don't worry, Yami…# Bakura launched himself at Yami's lips, using both arms to hold him tightly to his body.

Yami began to finger Bakura's shirt buttons, wondering whether on not he should undo them. Bakura took a hold of Yami's hand and guided it to the buttons on his shirt, undoing the first one to demonstrate to Yami that he wanted him to take his shirt off.

Once Yami had done this, he let Bakura's shirt slip off his arms and onto the floor, reaching his hands down to Bakura's leather pants and undoing those as well.

#Yami…# Bakura groaned, now taking his turn to take off Yami's trousers.

Soon they had managed to strip each other of their clothes, and were lying in the other bed, lips still locked together in their passionate bout of kissing. They hadn't bothered to clear their clothes away from the floor, nor had they bothered putting on any kind of night clothing; they just stayed there kissing, Yami on top of Bakura, carrying on late into the night. The two of them never thought, though, that they may not have been the only ones awake, that there may have been other people watching them from the other side of the room…

Luff: Now was that predictable or was that predictable? No prizes for guessing it right…

Seto: Too. Much. Angst. What happened to the plot?

Luff: Ahh…I flushed it down the toilet? #Guilty grin#

Seto: Whatever.

Yugi: #Choking# Can't breathe! Too much fluff!

Luff: Oh ha ha, very funny. Too much fluff…God. No respect at all.

Yami: Just hurry up and finish already!

Luff: Oh fine then. Please R&R, and I'll see you all in the next instalment of… 'The Pressures of Life'! (NOTE: which is probably not going to be for a few months yet.) Oh, before I go, for all you disclaimer-hungry people out there, I don't own 'Walls Balls!'. Walls Balls are owned by, err… Walls! Yummy, Walls ice cream…Bye!