Disclaimer: this story is brought to you by the suffix –ING. I am writING this without profitING in anyway, and hopING that there will be no sueING in response. Thank you.

Author Note: I beg your forgiveness. I said I was going to be a week and I was way longer than that. I won't bore you with the details of it. To Sphinx: yes, I did get your review, and thanks for reading, I hope you get an account on fan fiction soon. Ok guys, on with the show, right? Enjoy, and as always, review if you please. Is it so selfish that I want to break 90 reviews?…You all are awesome!


Ryou muttered darkly as he rubbed his sore fingers. He had had to attempt some very interesting acrobatics to get back into his bedroom window. Including, but not limited to: jumping from the balcony to hook his fingers onto the open window sill and pulling himself up, legs scrambling against the stucco as he did so, the fear of falling giving his weak arms the strength they needed. Ryou shook his fingers to restore the feeling in them—wincing as he found out that the feeling was pain—and quickly went over to his closet to pick new clothes.

He dressed as fast as he could, minding his bruised elbow and scraped knee; which were also gifts from the attempt to crawl into a second floor window. Ryou looked nervously to his wristwatch and wiped sweat off his brow as he realized he was running almost fifteen minutes behind his time limit. "I hope Yugi didn't leave," he whispered, tugging his new white t-shirt to sit properly on his shoulders. He wore the same jeans, but had also changed his very dirty miss-matched socks.

Knowing this was the unsure part of his plan; Ryou reached into his backpack and pulled out the millennium ring, being careful to hold it by the string rather than the actual metal. He needed to have it with him in the next part of his plan, but if Bakura was being observant, he could use this time to appear in spirit form. Very tentatively, Ryou reached into the ring with the barest part of his mind, and was relieved to find that the thief was still sulking in his proverbial corner. Quickly, Ryou slipped the ring over his head, and tucked it under his shirt so that Yugi would not notice it.

The white haired teen cast his eyes around the room one last time, his mind calculating to see if he had forgotten any critical part of the plan. Too late now, anyways, he thought, and strode to the door, making sure he opened it noisily to alert his houseguest. Ryou walked down the hall and was pleased to see that Yugi sat at the kitchen table, though the younger boy sported a rather ill-tempered look.

"So sorry that it took so long, Yugi!" Ryou said, picking up the other mug on the table and sipping at it. He made a face when he found it to be cold, but smiled at his friend in appreciation anyways. "Thanks for the tea. This is my favorite kind, as well."

Yugi shed his boredom and smiled back at Ryou. "Don't worry about it, I was fine waiting." He let his hands slip from the cold mug of tea, and waited for a moment before saying, "Didn't you want to show me something now?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Ryou said, pressing a finger to his chin as he thought. "You said you were sick, and I have kept you so long that maybe I should just let you go home to sleep."

Yugi laughed nervously as he remembered that he had said he was sick today. He waved his hand, dismissing Ryou's comment. "No, no, I feel much better already. They say that a nice hot cup of tea can cure any cold!" he shifted in his seat as Ryou leaned forward to examine Yugi closely.

"You don't seem well," the white haired boy said, not unkindly. "And I don't mean from your cold. You don't seem your usual happy self today, Yugi." Ryou pulled the other chair out and plopped himself gratefully into it; relaxing his tired muscles. He looked at his friend deeply with his chocolate brown eyes. "Is everything alright?"

A bit thrown by the question, Yugi allowed his fake smile to slip for a second and let his real feelings come out. Hurriedly, he opened his mouth to reassure Ryou that he was great and he was doing well in school, and Jou and him were going to the arcade soon…but at the knowing look on Ryou's face, Yugi could only sigh. "Well, I've been better, if you want the truth."

This wasn't in the plan, Ryou didn't have time to talk like this, but he pushed aside those thoughts. He was worried about his friend. "Do you want to tell me about it? It sounds like maybe something Jou and Honda wouldn't understand." He folded his hands on the table, innocently checking his wristwatch as he did so.

"It's just a stupid fight that I had with…a friend. But it's over now." Yugi forced his amethyst eyes up and away from the table top, to meet Ryou's questioning brown ones.

"You made up, then?" Ryou asked with a bit of hope in his heart. If the pharaoh and Yugi are back together, then maybe the world has a chance after all…

"No, not really…but you know, maybe it is better this way. I always relied on him, and now I can do things on my own, right?" Yugi attempted not to sound uncertain, but he wasn't sure if he managed as well as he wanted to. "It all works out for the best."

"I don't think losing a friend can ever be for the best," Ryou said softly, and Yugi's frown got a bit deeper, marring the younger boy's normally fair expression. "Especially when it is out of anger."

Yugi wasn't sure what to say. He felt his cheeks flush at the thought that maybe he hadn't given Yami enough of a chance. Had he been overreacting too much? Then again, Yami didn't even say he was sorry. "Well, I doubt we would have anything to say to each other even if we were talking." Yugi knew he sounded a bit childish, but he had every right to be mad, it was the pharaoh's fault, after all. Wasn't it…?

Ryou smiled a bit, and sipped at the cold tea, finding that the flavor wasn't all that bad. "Friendship sometimes takes a bit of work, Yugi." The white haired boy looked at his watch again, and sighed inwardly. "I hate to cut this short, but I have to get going. Would you like me to walk you home?"

Yugi glanced at the wall clock, and was surprised to see how much time had passed. "Oh, no; it's fine Ryou, I can find my way back." He stood, and took his mug to the sink and poured out the rest of the tea, running the water from the tap to wash it all down the drain.

"I would like to walk you. It's such a nice day out anyways." Ryou insisted, walking over to his shoes and slipping them on, as if to cement his own decision. Yugi followed suit, lacing his boots up tightly, and not arguing with his friend. It would be nice to talk on the way back.

The streets were sleepy in the late morning sun, and Yugi enjoyed the quiet in a normally frantic city. But when he looked to Ryou, he was surprised to see that his chocolate brown eyes were grim and a frown pulled at his mouth. "Hey, is everything OK?" he asked him quietly.

Startled, Ryou smiled in the sun. "Me? Yes, everything is great, Yugi! I was just thinking for a second." Almost reflexively, his hand moved to touch the thick cord that tied the ring around his neck, but he caught himself and turned the gesture into tucking his hair behind his ear.

"You just looked sad," Yugi tucked his hands in his pockets, and watched Ryou out of the corner of his eyes.

The white haired boy genuinely laughed, causing a resounding smile to form on Yugi's lips. "Sad? No, I am happy actually. I'm really glad I was able to spend time with you before I have to—" he stopped his words.

"Have to what?" Yugi asked in interest, kicking a small stone as he walked, before loosing the pebble down a storm drain.

"Go back to school!" Ryou finished quickly, mentally kicking himself, as guilt pained him for lying to his friend. "We never see each other since I quit—transferred!—out of your school." The boy wiped sweaty palms on his jeans, and was glad to see that the game shop was just ahead. Ryou was used to thinking rather than talking, and sometimes he forgot that in a real body you had to think before you spoke. Nervously, he sped up the pace, making Yugi lengthen his stride to keep up.

"What is the name of your school?" Yugi asked, tapping his chin. "I don't remember you telling me. I could go and visit you someday—"

"OH! Here's your house!" Ryou gently pushed Yugi forward so the younger boy had to stumble up onto his own doorstep. "You wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting, would you?"

"But, no one's home—" Yugi tried to protest as he dug his keys out of his pockets. He pushed the key in, but when he turned it, he heard the sound of a deadbolt sliding across. Brow furrowed, he unlocked the door. "That's odd," he mused, pulling on the handle. "I thought I locked it when I left this morning, but it was unlocked just now," he pocketed the keys, and turned back to Ryou. "Do you remember me locking it or not?"

Laughing nervously, and wishing that Yugi was less perceptive, Ryou hastened to assure the boy that he must have forgotten to lock it when he left. "But anyways Yugi, remember what I said about your friend. You don't realize what you have until it is gone, and all that!" the white haired boy found the words almost sticking to his dry throat.

Shrugging, Yugi smiled up at Ryou. "Yeah, I know. It was great to see you again. I'm glad we didn't drift apart." One hand on the doorknob and one hand shielding his eyes from the sun, Yugi looked at his friend.

"You…too, Yugi." Ryou forced his voice to sound normal, but it was hard in a body that he now barely recognized as his own. He made his body turn, and wave, and bit his lower lip hard only when he knew that the other boy wouldn't see. Ryou wanted to say so much; to warn Yugi that next time they met, it would not be as friends, but he swallowed the words that were not part of the plan. He counted one step, and then turned around sharply to the game shop just as Yugi was closing the door. "Oh, wait, Yugi!" he called, and the door stopped closing. "Could I maybe use you're bathroom first?"

Yugi pulled the door open and allowed Ryou to step into the dim entrance way. "Sure, Ryou. It's upstairs, the third door on the left. And don't worry about your shoes, either."

Nodding in thanks, the white haired boy raced up the stairs, his rubber soled sneakers squeaking on the hardwood. Yugi shrugged, and bent to unlace his boots. He placed them neatly to the side. Frowning down at them, he moved the offending footwear off of the Egyptian rug, rolling his eyes at himself as he did so. He was just thinking if he would have enough courage to talk to Yami today, when he heard Ryou's voice calling him from upstairs.

"Yeah?" he called back, leaning on the banister to see up the stairs. "Do you need something, Ryou?" when there was no answer, the amethyst eyed boy grumbled and padded halfway up the stairs. "Ryou?"

"Come see, Yugi!" was the response, and now the little hikari ran up the rest of the stairs.

"Where are you?" he grumbled, when it didn't sound like the echo came from the bathroom. What was Ryou up to, wandering around the house?

Yugi walked down the hall, listening for his friend's voice. "Ryou, come on, what are you—AH!" a hand shot out from the doorway and pulled him roughly into a pitch dark room that Yugi barely had time to recognize as his own; as the person shut the door behind him while another hand covered the hikari's mouth tightly, preventing his call for help.

I knew I locked the door! Someone must've broken in! Yugi was able to think in panic, before the light was flicked on, and his amethyst eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.


Ok, evil ending, I know. But this chapter was nice and long in compensation for the forever-and-a-half I took to update. And I feel like I should warn you, bring out the tissues. The next chapter is the last one for Photographs…