Accepting help
Bakura sighed, a slight huff of air that barely stirred the strands of Yugi's hair that had stuck to his face. "So before I start, what exactly is it you want to know?" he asked after a moment. Ryou had been quite insistent about this point. His light had said that Yugi would have a lot of questions and that he wanted Bakura to answer Yugi as he would answer Ryou. Seeing how insistent his light was Bakura hadn't bothered to explain that he would have answered Yugi's questions anyway. It was impossible to trust someone who didn't know the worst that you were planning to do.
Huge purple eyes stared at him for a moment before Yugi whispered, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
/Well that's a stupid question/ Bakura thought at Ryou absently before he replied. "If I'd tried to talk to you before the pharaoh let himself die then he would have made sure I ended up dead too."
"I know that," the boy stammered, flushing slightly, "What I meant was: why didn't you tell me as soon as he was gone? I thought you were dead!"
Bakura spoke quickly, seeing the look on the boy's face and not wanting to have to deal with his crying again. "The pharaoh isn't the only one who doesn't trust me. This is the first situation where I could talk to you without incurring the suspicion of your friends, and while I'm not afraid of them, my host would be very unhappy if they started avoiding us again."
/Why do you do that anyway/ Ryou asked him, frowning slightly.
/Do what, Ry/ Bakura responded, brow furrowing with the strain of trying to keep up two conversations at once.
"Oh." Yugi said, looking down. "I see. Well, thank you for telling me. I'm glad you trust me not to tell them you're back."
/You call me by my name when we're talking together now, but you always call me your host when you're talking to someone else./
After a moment Bakura decided to reply to Yugi first, since Ryou would understand if postponed his answer for a few moments. "Then prove me right." Eyes narrowed slightly as he waited for an answer, wanting confirmation that he'd made the right choice.
"I'll do my best, Bakura-san," Yugi said softly, and Bakura's lips curved slightly upward at the honorific. He knew himself well enough to be aware that he wasn't immune to flattery. Then Yugi gave him a shy smile in return, and he had to fight to return his mind to Ryou's question.
/Dissociation. I they don't think you mean anything to me then they won't try to use you against me. It's a habit by now./ and to Yugi, "The pharaoh's use for the Items may be over, but they still exist, as my presence proves." After a moment's decision he continued. "Ryou and I are working together to find a way to change that, and hopefully to get a body of my own at the same time. Whatever I may have said to the pharaoh, the will to live remains as strong as it ever was."
Yugi nodded. "Do you need any help then?" he asked tentatively.
Bakura smirked. "Are you offering any?" He knew perfectly well that Yugi was, but he wanted to hear the boy say it first.
"Of course I am! You're my friend, and I always try to help my friends!" Bakura blinked, startled at the vehemence in Yugi's voice. It took him a moment to realize that Yugi was trying to convince himself as much as he was Bakura. /I wonder what he really thinks/ Bakura mused darkly, wondering once more at the wisdom of trusting someone who had been on the opposite side for so long. Still, he'd made his choice and it was too late to back out now.
Shrugging away his doubts, Bakura told Yugi what he wanted the boy to do. "Ryou and I are searching the library and museums for spells that I can adapt. I'd like you to search the web and whatever other sources you may have for the same thing. If you find anything bring it to me and I'll be able to tell you whether it's real or not. After a while you'll be able to tell for yourself when a spell is possible and when it's just wishful thinking, but for now you'll need help."
Understanding, Yugi grinned at him happily, and Bakura saw an echo of Ryou's own desire to be needed for a moment before it was shut away. Still, he knew what he'd seen, and he would be willing to bet that Yugi had been feeling lost for more than one reason after his pharaoh had died. Ryou hadn't even realized that he needed to feel that someone required his presence until Bakura pointed it out to him, so Yugi probably didn't understand his own reactions either. It was always easier to understand someone else's motivations than it was to see your own, after all.
Seeing nothing in Yugi's face but sincerity and a desire to please, Bakura retreated into his mind, letting Ryou take control of their shared body. "It's getting late, Yugi-kun," his host said softly. "I have to start making dinner."
Yugi accepted the painfully obvious excuse with a glance out the window which showed that it was still several hours before dinner. "Of course, Ryou-kun, I'm sorry to have taken so much of your time."
"It was a pleasure having you over," Ryou responded politely, but Bakura could feel his edginess at having someone else in the house. Carefully, so as not to disturb him, Bakura wrapped Ryou's mind in his protectiveness and felt the other's almost imperceptible relaxation. They weren't used to being anything but alone, but Bakura thought that it might be pleasant to have Yugi around more often.
