AN: Okay, geez – lol

AN: Okay, geez – lol. I just realized what a HUGE jump I made in the last chapter near the end. It didn't make any sense (well, it did, but it was… just bad, lol). I went back and fixed it, so please re-read the last chapter…

Thanks to…

The Vampire Prince: Erk, I realized that the part with the cop was a bit quick, too, so I went back and re-edited it. ;; Oops… Anyways, I hope you can give me some advice on this chapter, too. Thanks for reviewing!

dragonlady222: Me, too! But you'll see what happens, ne? Thanks so much for the review!

ONIX-21: Haha, I'm glad you liked the flashbacks and such so much. I hope you continue to enjoy this story, and thanks for reviewing!

bakura666: Hehe, can you guess what's going to happen? I'm really, really glad you like the story thus far. - Thanks for reviewing!

bookworm3213: I like the first part, too! Guess I was worried about it for nothing though, huh? Thanks for the review!

My Chemical Music Box: I tried to present his past in a unique way…At least, as unique as I could think of. Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter Twenty Two: A Leap of Faith

Keisuke yawned as a clock buried somewhere on his desk sang out eleven o'clock. Today had been a trying day, and he couldn't wait to go home and get this case off his mind. It was too odd – the police had found Ryou all alone in the condo complex where witnesses claimed both brothers lived. Does that mean Bakura ran off to escape from the cops? What did he have to hide? And why had Ryou been so apathetic and so quiet when he was going back to his parents? Then there was Teishin…something about that man didn't add up. Keisuke closed his eyes and harrumphed. So many pieces to a puzzle he couldn't solve. He never really liked puzzles, and he certainly wasn't starting now. No complaining now, Keisuke. It's already half finished, he told himself. There was only one more kid to find.

As Officer Shiguro stretched his arms and he pushed himself to his feet, he let out a groan. A nice hot bath would be so nice, and would help to clear his head. Keisuke reached for his coat that was draped on his chair. An earsplitting crash made Keisuke's hand jerk back as the hairs on his neck stood on end.

Slowly, Keisuke glanced at the entrance to find three teenagers with motorcycle helmets on. What did they want at this time of night? He was about to greet them when one of the boys stalked over to his desk.

The policeman cowered a little, trying to sit down. He nearly missed his chair as the teen pulled off his helmet to reveal a wild mane of white hair. This was Bakura!

In a quiet, icy voice, the teen demanded, "Where is Ryou?"

Keisuke was trembling, he could feel it. He tried to form words, but the teen's powerful presence made it difficult.

"H-he's a-at – oh, I-I t-think – d-dear me, I-"

Another teen came to stand next to Bakura. He slammed his hands on the desk, making the older man flinch. "Spit it out, you fool."

With a shaking hand, Keisuke tried to dab away the sweat on his brow. "I t-took h-him to t-the T-Tokaido Shinkansen s-station-"

Curses flew over the policeman's head, and Keisuke couldn't help but throw his hands up and pray for mercy. The officer hadn't taken more than two deep gulps of breath when he finally opened his eyes, and realized the boys were gone.

The revving and roaring of motorbikes could be heard, but faded quickly, as Keisuke tried to slow his breathing. Bakura was going after his brother? What the hell was going on?

Ryou said nothing as someone ushered him through the steel gates of a train station. Somewhere in his mind, the place looked familiar. He didn't bother to look around though…what was the point?

He felt Mr. Teishin grab his wrist and drag him forward, up the short metal stairs of the train. At first, when Ryou saw the man, he had almost panicked. But then the child had decided he could disregard the senior Teishin. In the end, Ryou knew he was going to get hurt. Wasn't it always like that? Ryou quickly pushed the thoughts out of his mind as his heart ached.

Mr. Teishin roughly shoved Ryou into a train seat, muttering something under his breath. Chatter rose in the air as other people filed into the train, but Ryou paid no attention. He glanced once at Mr. Teishin before leaning his against the window and staring outside. Less than a year ago, he had been on this very same railroad with Bakura, trying to get away from the man before him.

In less than a year, so many things had changed. Ryou swallowed hard as he painfully remembered everything he was trying to forget, from walks home with Bakura to the occasional trips to the park. Such small, simple things he treasured so much were now gone forever.

Why?

Bakura had left him, just like everybody else. The one person he could cling to was gone. Bakura had been different from the rest. He had given Ryou that priceless feeling of being wanted, of knowing that someone would cry if he disappeared. Ryou didn't understand – why did Bakura have to leave?

Ryou felt his throat close as regret gripped him. He should have begged. He should have apologized, he should have pleaded his case with Bakura. He didn't care if he would have looked shameless…that was how much he needed Bakura. He didn't want to stand by himself against the world again. Then a small voice asked, What if Bakura doesn't want you back? Ryou closed his eyes, his lower lip trembling.

The train lurched under his feet. Ryou did nothing to acknowledge the change as he opened his eyes and continued to stare out the window into the dark world. The railroad caught his eye, stretching out far in front of the train with a great night view of Kyoto on either side. He studied the metal bars that ran across the tracks, noting how battered and beaten they were. Slowly, the bars of the railroad tracks sped up and began to blur together. Ryou felt dizzy as he tried to watch, and looked back up just as the train left the station behind.

Ryou said not a word as the train slowly accelerated. Despite his efforts of erasing the past year and its painful outcome, the child found himself savoring those moments with his brother even more.

His brother. The gears in his mind screeched to a halt. All of a sudden, Ryou could hear nothing but the clicking and whirring of the train. My brother…My brother.

Brothers don't leave each other behind. That's the point of being brothers, isn't it? Ryou desperately grasped the thought as a newfound will swept through his body. He swallowed hard as his thoughts started to race. Even if Bakura didn't want him back, Ryou still loved him. For a moment, Ryou shamefully realized he had given up on Bakura. If he could ask Bakura for another chance… If standing by Bakura's side was all he could do, Ryou could be content with that.

Something stirred in Ryou as he stubbornly held onto the thought. Or perhaps, rather than a thought, it was more of a vain wish. Whatever it was, Ryou felt a sudden rush of life as he grasped the idea.

It was a child's naivety to believe that someone still loved them, even after they were abandoned. Ryou knew that, but…this was Bakura, the only person who really cared about him. Or had cared. The child slowly got to his feet. Even if Bakura hated him, even though it would hurt, Ryou wanted to be with his brother.

A bell rang, announcing that the train was picking up speed. Ryou had to get off.

Ryou's breathing became heavy as he slowly glanced at his surroundings. Mr. Teishin was reading a newspaper across from him, his expression dull. Other passengers were talking idly or dozing off. There's still time. Ryou nervously glanced between Mr. Teishin and the small isle that snaked back to the end of the train. Suddenly his legs felt weak.

Perhaps it was stupidity that made Ryou believe his brother might actually want him back. But despite all the frantic doubts that threw themselves at Ryou's mind, the child strengthened his resolve and made his decision.

Ryou broke into a run toward the general direction of the end of the train. He could hear a yelp and some shouting as Mr. Teishin tried to follow. As his heart palpitated faster and faster, Ryou could feel the train quickening underneath his feet. He had to hurry – if the train reached too high of a speed, it would be too dangerous to jump off.

If he couldn't push past the porters and passengers, Ryou cut around them or tried to squeeze through. He could hear fighting behind him, people shouting curses and trying to grab him. But he didn't care – he had to get off.

By the time he reached the last car, Ryou could feel the adrenaline pumping through his body. He threw open the back door of the train and quickly ran out. A rush of wind whipped around the child as he reached for the rail. The train was definitely going much faster now, but Ryou didn't care.

With one glance at the dark, ever-shifting abyss of black flowing below him, Ryou shut his eyes and took a deep breath. The cold breeze and lurching train made his heart feel like it was going to burst from fear. Bakura… It was now or never.

Then he jumped.

AN: Hm…well, please review and tell me what you think…