AN: Hm, I think my favorite part of this chapter is all in the second half. That being said, I can reveal no more. :P I hope you enjoy.

Thanks to…

dragonlady222: Hehe, I hope so too. Thanks for the review!

The Vampire Prince: Really? Cool, thanks for the review!

FlyingShadow666: Yay, that's a good sign. Thanks for the review!

Tails7651: Lol, I'm excited to write another one as well. Thanks for the review!

Chapter One: The Fourth First Day of School

"You get the top bunk."

Ryou glanced at his new bed, and nodded once. He stole a quick look at the rest of the small room, and saw to his surprise that it was pretty clean. Next to the door was a cabinet for clothes with a little bookshelf supporting a stereo system. Across from these things was a towering bunk bed, and not much else.

Unsure of what he was supposed to do, Ryou stood at the door and just watched the teen fiddle with the stereo.

Bakura adjusted the volume before he hit the play button, initiating the loudest stream of music that Ryou had ever heard. Throwing his hands over his ears, the child winced and looked at Bakura as if he were insane.

Grinning, the teen mouthed, "Don't touch," while pointing to the music system. Then he pulled Ryou into the room. "You stay here," he said, having to almost shout to be heard. "Don't leave, got that?" He reinforced his command by squeezing the boy's shoulder before he turned around.

Then he was gone.

Where are you going? Why'd you leave the music on so loud? Ryou stared dumbfounded at the door. Don't leave? I'm supposed to just stay in here? By myself? Tears welled up in the child's eyes as he sat on Bakura's bed, pulling his legs up and folding his arms around them.

I hate this place.

He could feel a headache coming on from the thundering bass. Feeling a little cross, Ryou grabbed the closest pillow and wrapped it over his ears. It didn't block out much, but he kept it there anyway. Ryou was tempted to turn down the volume a bit, but he was scared that that would lead to Bakura liking him even less.

Why'd you bring home a mutt like him?

Ryou slammed his eyes shut, trying to drown out the words by listening to the lyrics of the raucous music. However, that didn't last very long since his head soon felt like splitting in two.

Slowly Ryou started to drift off, remembering vaguely when the music stopped and there was soft cursing. Other than that, everything was black.

---

"Oi, get up or you're going to be late!"

Ryou groaned. "What time is it?" he groggily mumbled.

"Six in the morning! Now get up!" Bakura hissed. He growled in annoyance as the boy finally opened his eyes and started moving. As if in a trance, Ryou stumbled out of bed and aimlessly looked around, rubbing his eyes and stretching.

"Next time, sleep in your bed," Bakura said, glaring a little. Ryou blanked for a moment before the meaning of the teen's words settled into his mind.

"There's a bathroom down the hall, and your school uniform's in there," Bakura explained, grabbing his wristwatch from the cabinet. "Fix your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. Then come to the kitchen for breakfast." There was a click as the watch snapped into place. "Hurry up!"

Ryou cringed, and quickly ran out of the room. Bakura shook his head, loosely fastening his tie as he ran downstairs.

For the second time that morning, Bakura entered the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. "Geez, if dad could just make his own breakfast, it'd save me a lot of time," Bakura bitterly murmured, fiercely 'scrambling' the eggs.

By the time Ryou presented himself, Bakura had finished his own meal and was busying himself again. "You've got five minutes to eat. Take any longer, and you'll be late for school," the teen called over his shoulder, washing the dishes.

Erk! Note to self, Ryou thought as he shoved the food into his mouth. Never wake up late again.

At exactly six thirty, Bakura and Ryou were ready to go. Crouching down to the level of the child, Bakura handed Ryou his backpack and said everything he needed was in there. Then, he grabbed the child's hand and led him out the door.

This is crazy, Bakura thought, gritting his teeth as he crossed the street with Ryou in tow. I can't do this every morning and then go through all that crap at night. It's too much to handle all at once.

Ryou was panting as he tried to keep up with Bakura. It wasn't that he was afraid to fall behind, since Bakura's grip on his hand was pretty strong. He didn't want to make Bakura mad by slowing him down. Ryou didn't know why, but when Bakura, the one who made mean remarks and cold demands, held his hand…he felt a little happy.

Even though he probably didn't mean it, even though it was only temporary, to Ryou, it felt good to be loved.

"We're here."

Ryou blinked as he let his thoughts dissolve, quickly adjusting to his new surroundings. Steel gates surrounded the area, with a nice looking school erected in the middle.

"This is your elementary school," Bakura said. "Father called last night to enroll you, and he did it after some…uh, anyways, you should be fine. Now, go on."

Ryou was about to step forward when he realized that he was still holding Bakura's hand. The teen raised an eyebrow, looking from his hand to Ryou, and then back. Blushing, Ryou quickly released it and ran forward, never feeling so flustered in his life.

"Have a good day," Bakura muttered, even though the child was already out of earshot. A young woman, the third grade teacher, greeted Ryou with a big smile and a one-armed hug. Bakura grinned when Ryou stiffened, obviously uncomfortable, and watched him go inside.

"Hm, I think their school ends up four…" Bakura sighed. Damn, that means I have to run to get here on time after my school ends. Bakura arched his neck back and stared at the sky as he slowly made his way to the high school.

Maybe it all won't be so bad…maybe.

---

"So this is your first day of school, Ryou, isn't it?" Mrs. Deluz asked, still smiling as she guided the new boy to the classroom.

"I guess," Ryou said, shrugging. But I've already done it three times this year…Being in the foster home system had given him this rare experience.

"It's odd for a student to join us in the middle of April," Mrs. Deluz pondered aloud. "Does your family travel a lot?"

"Um…kind of…" The word family sent a pulse of pain right at his heart. Ryou was already starting to dislike his teacher. She was kind of nosy, and not very wary of the impact of her words.

"Well." Mrs. Deluz stopped outside of a room, and pointed to the row of cubbies. "Put your backpack in there, and give me your lunch."

Ryou froze. L-lunch? We were supposed to pack a lunch?

Mrs. Deluz took Ryou's sudden silence a different way. "Oh, I always keep the lunches with me because students have a tendency to, uh, take what is not theirs."

The child took his backpack off, trembling as he started rummaging through it. This was all too embarrassing… "I-I don't think I have-" Ryou stopped in mid-sentence as his hand brushed something. Too scared to hope for the best, Ryou gently pulled out the item.

It was a small, black bento box with a golden dragon imprint on the front. Confused, Ryou slid open the container at the red outlining to uncover his very first box lunch.

W-when did he-?

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AN: Ah, I hope that cleared anything that was…really really confusing. Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks. (Next update will be on Wednesday or Thursday night).