Amaya had gone to visit Ryou, intending to invite him to dinner with her family. She could have called him, but she wanted to talk to him in person. She was worried about him. It had only been a couple weeks since she'd been clued into his complicated life, and he still seemed shaken up about the whole thing.
Ryou hadn't been home, though. At least, not functionally. Marik and Yami Bakura were playing video games together, and she'd decided to hang around and wait for Ryou to resurface. Besides, she was curious about Ryou's roommates.
It was certainly entertaining to listen to them playing video games while she sat curled up on the couch with a book. She also learned some very interesting things from listening to their conversation, like the fact that Yami Bakura tended to refer to Ryou as his "host," and that he was as sadistic as Ryou had warned her, that he reveled in tormenting Ryou, which made her ache for him all the more. She also learned that Marik was not a fan of Mel Gibson movies, and that he thought very highly of himself and his appearance. Especially his posterior.
She also got to witness some very… unusual romantic tension between the two of them. She couldn't think of anything else to call it. Marik was so deep in the closet about being homosexual that he was practically in Narnia, and Yami Bakura was so openly gay that it was hard to believe that Marik was truly oblivious to his advances. And yet, Marik seemed to secretly return the affection. He'd confessed as much when he got seriously spooked by something in the video game and confessed his homosexuality and his affection for Yami Bakura, then immediately denied it all. The whole thing was strange.
This made Amaya feel uncomfortable for two reasons. Firstly, she, like Ryou, was Catholic, and believed homosexuality to be wrong. Yes, she felt bad whenever she saw someone suffering with unrequited love (she'd been in that position enough times before Ryou came along to know how much that hurt), but she hoped that they would find their satisfaction elsewhere. Secondly, this disturbed her because Yami Bakura was using Ryou's body, and, well… While it made her blush to think of the details of the implications, it made her wonder if Yami Bakura ever acted on those impulses. If so, then surely it caused Ryou discomfort, emotionally if not physically. It also put him at risk for certain diseases, which would also cause Ryou physical discomfort.
She could ask Ryou, but she knew she never would. For one thing, if she were in his position, it would be very hard to talk about. For another, he simply might not even know. After all, he did say that he would black-out for weeks at a time without any knowledge of what had transpired or even how much time had passed until he checked a calendar. No, she would never ask him, but she'd be sensitive to the possibility.
A snippet of the conversation caught her ear, dragging her out of her own thoughts. Yami Bakura made yet another advance, and Marik was opaque to it as usual. This time, though, Yami Bakura was fed up.
"Ra damn it, Marik!" he growled loudly. Amaya glanced up in time to see Yami Bakura grab Marik by his hair, yank his head back, and kiss him. Amaya looked away quickly, but the image was burned into her brain forever. She squeezed her eyes shut and was forced to listen to the lingering kiss instead.
"H-Hey, Bakura!" Marik cried as Bakura let go of him and left the room without looking back. Marik sat there, conflicted and confused, for a few moments. Then he sprang up, abandoning the video game as he chased after Bakura. Amaya opened her eyes, feeling profoundly uncomfortable and embarrassed to have witnessed what she had. A few moments later, she heard Ryou's voice cry out in alarm, and Amaya couldn't help but start to giggle as she imagined the adorable expression on his face when he awoke to Marik chasing after him for a kiss, even as she pitied the position he was in.
She soon heard Marik begin to yell at Yami Bakura, even as a perplexed Ryou entered the kitchen, without the Millennium Ring. She stopped laughing before she poked her head up over the back of the couch to smile gently at him.
He started when he saw her, but smiled all the same. He looked strange, though. Not just confused because he'd blacked-out for (at least) the past several hours, but unsteady, unfocused, and paler than usual.
"Hi," she said amiably as she stood from the couch and approached him. "How have you been?"
He seemed about to answer when he swayed, and began to collapse. She cried out his name as she lunged forward to catch him. He was shaking, and had closed his eyes. She lay him down gently on the floor, panic flooding through her. Why had he fainted? What was wrong?
She had just started to take his pulse as his eyes fluttered open, looking dazed and confused all over again. "Stay with me, Ryou," she murmured calmly, smiling to reassure him, even though she was worried.
"I'm bloody starving," he muttered, one hand pressed to his stomach.
"When was the last time you ate?" she asked, knowing full well that his Yami rarely ate when he was in control, if at all.
"Monday, I think."
"Monday?! Ryou, it's Thursday!" Panic flared up inside her, and she had to swallow it back. Ryou seemed neither surprised nor alarmed by how much time had passed. Had this happened before?
"Here, let's move you to the couch, and then I can make you some food alright?" She couldn't keep the strain of concern out of her voice, which was probably why Ryou smiled at her when he nodded. She managed to help him stand and made it as far as the couch before his strength gave out and he flopped down on the blue cushions, looking simultaneously pained and relieved.
"Would some soup be alright?" she asked, still holding his hand. He nodded, giving her hand a squeeze, then bringing it to his lips before kissing the back of it and letting her go. The tender gesture touched her heart; he was so weak at the moment that he couldn't even stand on his own, but he went to the effort of expressing his affection just the same. Of course, between her father and her older brothers, she'd learned that deep down, all men were actually very needy things.
She went to the kitchen and checked the pantry, finding some canned soups there that would help restore Ryou's strength. It didn't take her long to find the tools she needed, and soon there was a pot of soup simmering on the stove while Ryou dozed and Amaya washed the dishes that had accumulated in the sink. It seemed like Bakura and Marik were leaving them for Ryou to do, but he was in no state to be doing chores, and she had the time to do them besides.
After she'd fed him, Ryou began to feel much better. He was still weak, but his strength was returning, his stomach had ceased aching, and his shaking had stopped.
For now, he was happy to cuddle with Amaya on the couch, sleepy and content. He knew that he'd missed out on a lot, but he didn't care to ask any questions at the moment. The comfortable silence was sufficient to bring him peace of mind, despite the way his chest burned and ached with pain.
Amaya stirred and murmured his name, and Ryou lifted his head to look at her, winding one lock of her dark hair around his finger. "What is it?"
"I wanted to check your injury while I was here, to make sure it was healing alright."
Ryou hesitated ever so slightly, then nodded, sitting up fully as did she. He reached for his shirt and began to unbutton it, saying by way of warning, "My yami's been angry with me lately."
Amaya was about to ask what he meant by that when his wounds were revealed, and she suddenly understood. It was worse. In fact, it looked like the incident had been repeated all over again, recently, but without having been tended to properly.
Amaya was shocked and upset to see it, which made Ryou feel bad. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" she asked, feeling bad for not having noticed the pain it must be causing him.
"It wasn't the most important thing at the time," he said quietly, not looking her in the eye.
Amaya was quiet for a moment, trying to process what he'd said. In the meantime, she took his hand and said, "Come on, let me get you patched up."
He let her lead him to the bathroom, where he sat on the edge of the tub as she washed and treated the bleeding cuts on his chest. He didn't even flinch when she applied the neosporin, which told her something of the pain tolerance he'd acquired.
"Why is your yami mad at you?" she finally ventured as she secured the gauze with strips of medical tape.
Ryou sighed and shook his head. "It's complicated. I'll explain it to you another time, I promise." She wasn't willing to push the issue when he was in pain and had already promised to explain it later, so she merely nodded in response.
Once he was taken care of and had eaten something more, he proposed they go for a walk, and she agreed. They ended up deep in the park, and as sunset drew near, they sat on a bench to rest.
Ryou kissed her, and Amaya returned it with equal ardor. They'd missed each other, even though it'd only been a few days since they'd last interacted. He seemed hungry and desperate, and she did what she could to assuage his appetite.
After a while, they broke for air, and Ryou pulled Amaya against his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
"I can hear your heart-beat," she murmured, entranced by the steady sound and its implied intimacy.
Ryou ran his fingers through May's hair, nuzzling against her head before pulling her up again and resuming their kiss. He was more gentle this time, slower, more patient. She enjoyed it just as much as the first one. There was something on his mind, but he didn't want to talk about it. She wished he would open up to her.
When they broke this time, May cupped his cheek with her hand, and whispered, "What's going on in your mind, Ryou? You've been pretty quiet and I'm worried about you."
His brow furrowed, and he placed his hand over hers, turning his head to kiss her palm and then closing her hand on the kiss. He smiled, somewhat sadly, and put his arms around her again, hugging her close and placing his chin on her head. She could hear his heart-beat once again.
"Ryou, please talk to me," she murmured, concerned.
"I've been thinking about the future," he answered finally, his voice scarcely audible. "Do you remember when I asked you out for the first time? I almost didn't, simply because I was afraid my yami would ruin everything. I'm pleasantly surprised that we've gotten this far without any kind of disaster happening, but I'm afraid that it just means that disaster is in the future." His arms tightened around her unconsciously. "I don't want you to get hurt, and I'm afraid that I can't promise you won't be, and that I won't be able to stop him if he tries."
May felt the weight of his concerns, and suddenly understood everything. She smiled up at him and said, "Would you feel better if I took a self-defense class next semester?"
Ryou smiled wryly. "Somewhat, but I'm afraid that it wouldn't be enough."
"Ryou, I'm willing to take that risk because I love you, and anything else that might happen is worth risking in order to have each other."
Ryou's eyes softened as she spoke, and he pecked her forehead, looking extremely pleased. "I'm glad to hear you say that," he murmured. "It's pretty late. I should walk you home." He seemed happier now. Perhaps she'd finally gotten through to him.
When they were half way to her home, Amaya remembered that she'd wanted to ask Ryou to dinner with her family, and she was pleased when he agreed. He liked her family and got along well with them, and being with her family helped to soothe the ache when he missed his own. He kissed her cheek before parting with her at the doorstep. He'd hardly walked two blocks from her home before he felt a stirring tightness in his chest and the world went black.