AN: I'm really sorry this chapter is late. I knew I was going to be really busy this last week, so I gave myself an extra two days to update than usual, but I still didn't make it. ;; So, to make up for the tardiness, I've added an extra two pages to this chapter. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks to…

dragonlady222: I think he's learning from Bakura, but he's also behaving like a child…I'm glad Bakura's found a steady job as well. Thanks for the review!

Anei Aikouka: Ah, thanks so much! I'm happy to hear it. Thanks for the review!

Tails7651: Hm, I'm glad. And yes, you could go with either side, ne? Thanks for the review!

ONIX-21: Ryou really loves Bakura a lot, huh? Can't be anyone but Bakura…Thanks for the review!

The Vampire Prince: Yeah, poor Bakura. But Ryou's also got a point. Thanks for the review!

Spirited-Lilly: Hehe, cool. Thanks for the review!

Chapter Eleven: Five Words

Bakura slumped back against the couch, closing his eyes as guilt washed over him. I shouldn't have been so terse with him, he thought, regretting the way he had taken things. Of course Ryou wouldn't understand. Didn't he say that things would be better after they ran away?

It was better for Bakura so far. He didn't mind working the twelve-hour shift from eight in the morning to eight at night. It was definitely better than slaving away for his father. But then, his job ate up almost all the time he could spend with Ryou, who went to bed at half past nine. There was no doubt that Ryou was going to fuss about it once school started.

Bakura heaved a sigh as he pulled himself up and lay down on the couch. He felt absolutely miserable at the moment, and didn't even acknowledge Marik's presence when he came home.

"Hey, what's with all the chess pieces?"

Ignoring the Egyptian's question, Bakura pretended to be sleeping.

Marik slowly made his way to the lounging teen and poked Bakura. "Where's Ryou? I thought – OW!" Bakura glanced at Marik, and saw him massaging a foot as he growled, "Clean up your mess! I just stepped on some stupid little chessman…"

Bakura closed his eyes again, saying nothing. All he wanted was to rest.

"Hmph, I'll ask Ryou to clean it up…Bakura, could you run to the super market and get some Coke? Pepsi, maybe?"

"Get it yourself," Bakura snapped, rolling over to his side, leaving Marik facing his back. He was not in the mood to interact with anybody right now.

Marik frowned, looking from Bakura to the closed door of the room that Ryou was probably in. "Did you and Ryou fight or something?"

"None of your business!"

There was pause before an indescribable noise reached Bakura. Marik stomp off as he decided he wanted some fresh air and strode quickly across the black and white living room to the balcony on his left. Slightly throwing open the glass doors, Marik winced as they clanged a little loudly against the wall. Then he stepped out onto the steel-wrought terrace, closed the doors, and took a deep breath.

Bakura could be such a prick sometimes! What the hell happened to that humane snow-haired teen that was sick a few weeks ago? Marik had thought that being rude and indifferent was just a cover for Bakura, but now he was beginning to think it wasn't so. Sure, he was softer when Ryou was around, but his behavior was still stressing the line between polite and rude.

As Marik leaned against the railing of the balcony, he shook his head. He knew he wasn't really that mad about the teen's behavior…it was just really bugging him. If the guy could just explain why he was so defensively ill-mannered would…the fact that he wasn't telling anyone…

-

In the kitchen, a weary Bakura closed the top of the bento box and packed it into Ryou's Blue Eyes White Dragon backpack. Then he quickly washed his hands as he called for his little brother to hurry. Glancing down at his wristwatch as he wiped his hands on a washcloth, he immediately knew what Ryou was doing; he was taking his time so that Bakura would be late to work.

Feeling 'downright terrible' was not enough to describe how Bakura felt. When they had gone school supply shopping a few days ago, Ryou had ignored Bakura the entire time, dumping things into the cart that the teen was pushing. Bakura had seen Ryou grabbing the pricey, name brand notebooks and pencils, but he had said nothing. The fact that Ryou was still mad at him made all the anger vanish without a trace.

As Bakura silently stood by the door, Ryou's backpack in hand, he saw Marik come out of his room. The white-haired teen nodded in greeting, but said nothing as he heaved a sigh and leaned against the coat closet door, waiting.

Marik frowned, and asked, "Where's Ryou? Isn't this his first day?"

Bakura said nothing as he repositioned the backpack onto his shoulder, feeling his bones creak as he also shifted his weight.

It abruptly dawned on Marik exactly what Ryou was doing. The Egyptian clenched his fist, muttering under his breath, "That little…"

Marik strode straight across the living room that they shared and knocked the door open. "Ryou!" he bellowed. "Get moving or you're going to be late!"

A few seconds later, a small child dressed in something that resembled a sailor's suit trudged out, looking grim. He glared ahead as he walked past Marik and Bakura, stepping out of the condo before anyone could break the awkward silence.

"Good luck," Marik murmured to Bakura as he stepped outside to see them off.

Bakura gave a small smile before he started down the hall after Ryou, who was already in the elevator. As soon as Bakura was next to Ryou, the doors closed and the brothers started their descent.

Just like the past week, a weighty silence hung between the two. Bakura was about to hand Ryou is backpack, but he stopped in mid-movement as the doors opened once again, revealing the ground level's lounge. Then, instead of grabbing the bag, Bakura gently took Ryou's hand and led the way out of the building.

As Ryou let himself be guided by his older brother, he couldn't bring himself to look up. He wasn't proud of what he was doing to Bakura. He knew he was being unfair to the point of being plain mean, but when he had agreed to run away, he hadn't agreed to giving up the time he spent with Bakura. He's a liar, Ryou thought defiantly, but he knew it wasn't true. Bakura had never promised they would spend a lot of time together. Probably on purpose, a bitter voice said.

"We're here."

Ryou sullenly looked up to find a grand structure of metal and glass bearing the letters SHIN ELEMENTARY on its shoulders. He had to admit, he was a little excited to go to a school that looked so solemn with an air of awe. However, when the warm hand holding his slipped away, Ryou forgot that he was mad at Bakura. He couldn't help but glance back, suddenly feeling dwarfed before the school and frightened.

Bakura saw his uncertainty, and slowly knelt next to the child. "Hey, it'll be okay," Bakura muttered gruffly, softly tousling Ryou's hair. The boy swallowed hard and stared at the ground, feeling immensely guilty now as Bakura continued to coax him. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Ryou. You're brilliant like that."

Bakura was almost bowled over as Ryou unexpectedly buried his head into his shirt. "Kura, I'm sorry!" Ryou whispered, clutching his brother's shirt as if his life depended on it. Quietly crying and apologizing, Ryou tried to let out all the black emotions that were suffocating him.

Taken by surprise, Bakura couldn't find any words to say as he rubbed the child's back, placing one arm protectively around him.

"I…I want to go to the park with you! I want you to play with me! I want you to pick me up after school!" Ryou cried, his voice slightly muffled by the teen's shirt. "I don't want you to work…I don't want to go to school while you go to the factory…"

Ryou was afraid of what Bakura was going to say, so he kept his face hidden as he cried and cried. He was scared, scared that Bakura didn't love him anymore, just like all those foster parents. They said they loved him, but after a while, he disappeared from their lives. And always, always, the first thing they stopped doing was picking him up. "I don't have time…just walk home…"

Ryou's hold on the teen's shirt tightened.

I want to be loved.

Regret flung itself onto Bakura as he felt his throat close up. He hated the fact that he had played a major part in making Ryou miserable. No matter how hard he tried, the naivety and innocence of his younger brother was being tainted by his failing efforts. Bakura was trying to hide how hard he worked for Ryou's education. He didn't want Ryou to stress over school, knowing that Bakura was breaking his back for his learning.

But his plan was backfiring! Shoving the child away, to hide the difficulty he was facing, the bruises and blisters on his hands, the exhaustion and fatigue that dogged him, had given Ryou the impression that he didn't care anymore. Of course, you idiot, Bakura scolded himself. He's a child! What more does a child want than love and attention? What's he going to think if you deny him those?

Bakura gently pulled Ryou off of him, bringing them face to face.

"Ryou… I promise things will be better at home from now on," said Bakura, softly stroking his brother's tear-streaked face. "But I can't pick you up since I can't quit my job. Remember what I said about income? We need income to live at home," Bakura murmured, tapping the child's nose. Ryou bit his lower lip, fighting the urge to start crying again. Then Bakura slowly said, "You need to keep going to school… I'm working hard to send you here because I love you."

Ryou, who had started to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand, froze as the weight of Bakura's words sinking in. I'm working hard to send you here because I love you. His mind was still in a jumble, but one thing was clear to Ryou, and that was all that mattered – Bakura still loves me. Relief seeped into every part of his body as Ryou meekly struggled to straighten his thoughts, leaving him lightheaded and feeling very fortunate.

"I'm really sorry I can't pick you up, Ryou. I promise I'll take you to the park tonight, the one a few blocks from Marik's work."

Ryou visibly brightened. "R-really?"

"Yeah." Bakura paused. "I'll take you every few days, okay?"

"M'kay…"

"Can you keep a promise for me, Ryou?"

"What is it?"

"Can you try your best at school for me?"

Ryou blinked. What kind of promise was that? Bakura was working hard, right? To send him here? Then of course he was going to try his best!

Bakura smiled as Ryou nodded eagerly. He was glad to see Ryou happy again, glad that they were on good terms once more. Seeing Ryou like this gave him strength, especially in the face of the long hours of painstaking work that awaited him after this. The teen helped his little brother put on his backpack after Ryou wiped his eyes again with his shirt sleeve.

"Now off you go."

Ryou gave Bakura a quick hug, and as he sprinted toward the school, he abruptly stopped halfway. He turned to face Bakura, shouting five words, before turning around and launching himself at Shin Elementary.

Laughing lightly at his little brother's antics, Bakura watched him go as he took those five words to heart.

"I love you! Bye bye!"

-
AN: Hm, please tell me what you think! And expect the next update Wednesday or Thursday night. Thanks for reading!