A/N:

Some readers who have been with me longer will remember that whenever I begin to see someone new, I tend to drop out of life for a little while and focus all of my attention on that person. I'm really, really sorry, but it happened again. It's been a little over a month, but I'll try to get back to updating at a normal-ish rate for you lovely, lovely people! Please be gentle with me in your comments.

Please enjoy your sappy story!

The sun was just coming up over the horizon as Ryou slipped silently out of the apartment door. He walked lightly down the stairs instead of taking the elevator to the ground floor; the exercise did him some good in helping him calm his racing thoughts. He had woken up that morning feeling very off. For one thing, he had slept past five by a half an hour, which he'd never done in his entire life to his knowledge, barring the time he had spent sleeping the days away whilst recovering from his wounds. He had woken up with the strange foreboding sensation of dread weighing down the bottom of his stomach. Somehow, he had just known that he would have to find the strange man by himself. There was just something about the situation that he didn't like, and there was no way he was going to do anything to put Yuugi in danger.

The frigid morning air hit him like a smack to the face, and he took a deep, shuddering breath. It wasn't supposed to snow today, and Ryou thought to himself that maybe it was just too cold to snow. He hugged his arms to his chest, snuggling himself deeper into his fluffy parka-style coat. The faux fur that lined the hood tickled his nose, but he was grateful for the warmth. Fighting back a wince as a stab of pain shot down his back, he began to walk down the sidewalk in the direction that would eventually take him to the inner city. When it was especially cold outside, his wounds would start to hurt, but at worst it was only a minor annoyance.

Ryou barely passed anyone on his way towards the inner city. Well, he supposed he should have expected that for a bitterly cold morning in late December. The city's schools were off for winter break, so the only people he saw were businessmen and women on their morning commute to work. He exhaled and watched as his breath swirled up into the air before disappearing as he walked, trying to distract himself from how nervous he was. Ryou hoped in his heart that the man he was seeking out was good-natured and friendly. It would make his task that much harder if he wasn't.

The inner city was a dank, dreary place, and Ryou had never been too far into it before. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he would have to admit that he was afraid of it. Gangs were known to patrol the streets at all hours of the day and night. With a shiver, Ryou stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept walking. His grand, master plan was to wander around aimlessly until he found who he was looking for. All he had to go off of was the person's deep, red eyes. Granted, that wasn't much, but he'd never seen anyone with eyes identical to his own before.

Swallowing audibly, Ryou pressed on, completely unaware that he was being watched.

Akefia watched with his breath held as his double wandered down the sidewalk, pressing deeper and deeper into the inner city. From his hiding place in a dark alleyway, he could clearly see the little puffs of breath coming from the little one's mouth as he walked. What was the idiot doing? Was he looking for him? Akefia crept quickly down the alley only to emerge at the mouth of another as he continued watching. With his small stature and girlish looks, he was an easy target for any sick freak wandering by. Akefia felt himself getting mad at his double. What kind of idiot walks unarmed and unescorted into the depths of inner city Domino?

A sheltered idiot.

Akefia snorted quietly, not wanting to give himself away. He had first seen the brat in a building in one of the nicer sections of the middle city, so of course he wouldn't be hardened to the tough life the way inner city residents were. A surge of protectiveness overtook him, and it was all he could do to not leap out and snatch the poor thing up. He forced himself to remain hidden, studying the other from afar as he mentally beat down the foreign emotion.

Though bundled up in a heavy jacket, Akefia could tell that he had a slender build, probably complete with small shoulders and a tiny waist. He looked to be about half a foot shorter than himself, too. His double looked like he could almost be a girl, but there was no sway in his step to indicate that he had large hips. Akefia promptly stomped down a very vulgar thought that had just popped into his head and hurried to keep up with the other man.

His double stopped and looked around then, clutching himself nervously. In a trembling voice, he called out a hesitant, "Who's there?"

Akefia's breath hitched. His double had a sweet, oddly high voice for a man, but there was no doubting that the timbre of his voice was male. It did funny things to his stomach, and he almost turned and ran right then and there, but he remembered his mission and resolutely emerged from the shadows. He saw rather than heard the other gasp, hand flying to his mouth. "You," he whispered, the stiff winter breeze carrying that melodic sound to his ears.

"Me," he replied simply, stopping mere inches from his double. He reached out to run two fingers up the littler one's jaw, gently pushing his hood back so that he could see his face. Soft, delicate features, illuminated by the light of the rising sun, framing those all-too-familiar crimson eyes greeted him, gazing into his with wonder and awe. "Who are you?"

"Ryou," he breathed, inhaling deeply and letting a soft smile appear on his face. It was as if the sun had really risen, fully and suddenly, at that moment; Akefia felt as if his insides would melt just from the sight of it. "And you are.. Bakura," he said finally, eyebrows drawing together as if he was confused.

"I'm called Akefia," he replied quietly, letting his fingers trail back to touch the other's jaw again, "But that name sounds familiar to me." Maybe that was his real name. Akefia frowned a little as he turned that thought over in his head. Maybe this Ryou knew more than he did himself about the situation.

"It sounded familiar to me, too, a while ago," Ryou said cryptically, facial features twisting as if he was puzzling something out in his mind, "I suppose that could make it your name, couldn't it?"

"You know that I don't remember my original name," Akefia stated quietly, almost reverently, "Which means that you probably couldn't remember yours either at one time. Right?"

"You…" Ryou trailed off with a confused look on his face, wringing his hands as he thought.

Akefia nodded at Ryou's unspoken question ever though he had no idea what the little one was trying to ask him. He was unable to stop himself from skimming the pad of his thumb over Ryou's cheek. He'd never been this touchy in his life with anyone before, which was a very clear indicator that he and Ryou had shared some kind of a past. "We should talk about this somewhere safer. Come with me?" he asked, finally dropping his hand from Ryou's face only to offer it to him.

Just as Ryou put his gloved hand in Akefia's calloused one, another figure appeared from the shadows. He had the typical stance of a street rat, and by the looks of it, he was holding a rather long knife. Akefia rolled his eyes. How very typical.

"Morning, gentlemen," the man greeted in false politeness, cackling in a high pitched voice that was far less appealing than Ryou's gentle chime. "Drop your valuables, and I'll let you go with all your limbs."

Akefia's eyes darted to the side when he felt Ryou's hand tightening in fear; the little one was edging behind him subconsciously. He raised his head, putting on a bored look as he addressed the newcomer, an odd sensation of something akin to pride swelling in his chest. "Do you have any idea who I am?" When his only response was another cackle as the man waved his knife in the air, Akefia rolled his eyes. Obviously not. He frowned slightly, taking another backwards glance at Ryou, who was huddling behind him in a way that would seem adorable in any other circumstance. If he pulled one of his own knives on the man and sliced his throat open, Ryou might not be nearly as trusting of him as he currently was. Damn, and he'd wanted to kill this insolent bastard. Ah, well. He'd just have to commit the man's face to memory for now. He fixed the bastard with a glare that could freeze fire that slowly morphed into a malicious grin as he spoke. "I trust you've at least heard the name Akefia before." Ah, at last, a glimmer of recognition and fear in their attacker's eyes. "Leave before I change my mind about gutting you. I don't want to scare my companion here, you see, but I could be persuaded if you'd like."

The man ran for his life, and Akefia breathed a sigh of relief. He really hadn't wanted to traumatize his obviously innocent double, so he was glad the man hadn't had the gall to stick around. Speaking of, he felt a tugging on his arm and looked down into concerned eyes. "Would you really have done it?" he asked, soulful eyes boring into him.

Akefia almost squirmed under the scrutiny. "If it had become necessary to keep you safe, absolutely."

Ryou looked uneasy, but he nodded anyways. "Where do you want to go?"

Ryou really couldn't believe his luck. First of all, he had found the man that he had set out to look for not that long at all after he had left his apartment. Second, that person had saved him from being attacked by a stranger with a knife; the tone of his voice when he had been threatening the man sent pleasant shivers down his spine that he didn't care to read into any time soon. Lastly, the two of them were currently sitting in a mostly deserted café eating bagels and sipping coffees. Well, Akefia had gotten a coffee. Ryou opted for his usual hot chocolate. So no surprises there.

He couldn't help but be a little disappointed, however. None of their interactions thus far had sparked any kind of memory within him, and Ryou was feeling a little discouraged. However, every time he and Akefia had locked gazes, a little thrill shot through him and made his head feel fuzzy. That had to count for something.

"So," Akefia started, swallowing a big gulp of coffee, "You said that my name is actually Bakura. How do you know?"

Ryou licked his lips briefly, Akefia's eyes following the movement, before he began. "Well," he said hesitantly, "I suppose I should start at the beginning. Okay?" Akefia nodded interestedly, urging him on. "You see, I have amnesia, and I can't remember anything beyond two years ago when I was found injured in the woods."

"That sounds familiar," Akefia muttered into his drink.

"You, too?" Ryou asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Sorry for interrupting," Akefia apologized, "Go on."

"Ah, alright," Ryou said, thinking quickly about how to word his thoughts. "I was taken in by a really kind person who helped me recover from my injuries. He also helped me go through a list of names since I couldn't remember mine. Well, it turns out that the only two that I recognized were Ryou and Bakura, thus my assumption that your name is Bakura and mine is Ryou."

"I see," Akefia, no, Bakura replied, staring musingly out the window of the café.

The seconds ticked by in silence, and Ryou wriggled around in his chair, feeling very uncomfortable. He'd never told anyone his story before, and he didn't want Bakura to think he was a crazy person. Still, they had some kind of connection, so maybe he wouldn't think that. "Ah," Ryou said hesitantly, startling Bakura out of his thoughts, "I'm sorry. What are you thinking?"

"Oh, sorry," Bakura replied, his expression brooding, "I was just thinking about my own situation. I can't remember back more than two years, either, and I was also injured when I was taken in. I had always thought it had been from some gang or whoever that wanted me gone. That's why I joined Millennium; that and the fact that I had nothing better to do with myself."

"I see," Ryou replied, suddenly curious, "How were you injured, Bakura?"

"Two gashes on my back around my shoulder blades. Pretty deep, too," was his reply.

Ryou gasped, eyes lighting up. "That's where mine were!"

"This is so odd," Bakura replied defeatedly with a shake of his head, "I mean, I've always wanted to find out about my past, but now that I'm actually here and it's happening, I'm even more confused. My old explanation can't be right now that I know about you."

"How come?" Ryou asked, puzzled.

Bakura fixed him with a doubtful look. "Why would anyone hate you enough to stab you twice and leave you for dead? And, even if they had, why would they leave you so far away from where I was left?"

Ryou hummed, forehead creasing as he thought. "It's so confusing." His expression softened and he looked up at Bakura, obviously catching the man off guard by the way he stared back with wide eyes. "I'm really glad I found you, though, Bakura."

Bakura's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and Ryou stifled a laugh.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised that meeting and talking to you didn't trigger a memory," Ryou remarked, taking a bite out of his bagel.

"What do you mean?" Bakura asked, fixing him with a confused look.

Ryou returned his expression. "You mean that's never happened to you? Something around you triggers your memory, and you get a pounding headache and a flashback," he explained weakly, feeling more upset than he should have that Bakura hadn't experienced it, too.

"I guess it might've happened," Bakura offered, looking concerned, "Don't look so sad, Ryou."

"No, it's fine," Ryou assured him, still frowning in spite of himself. He had a thought suddenly, and before he could think it through fully, his mouth was working. "Um, would you want to maybe come with me to a church service tomorrow? I don't know if you've ever been to one before, but I was in a church yesterday, and a lot of my memory came back to me."

Bakura was silent for a moment, seemingly surprised by the question. "I guess I'm not doing anything," he conceded finally, "I can come to your building tomorrow morning if you'd like. I'll probably be there really early, though, seeing as I never sleep past five in the morning.

Ryou's eyes widened. "Same here."

Bakura laughed. "This is just weird. Even if we knew each other before we lost our memories, how can we have all of this stuff in common?"

Maybe we lived together, Ryou thought to himself, fighting down a blush.

Unless we were closer than we think, Bakura mused, looking straight into Ryou's adorably embarrassed eyes. He was suddenly struck with the irrepressible urge to kiss him, and so he leaned in slowly, asking Ryou's permission with his eyes. Ryou, blush intensifying, slipped his own eyes shut as they moved closer together.

Their lips met gently, Bakura catching Ryou's bottom lip between his own. As soon as they made contact with each other, Bakura's head exploded in pain. He grunted, pulling away from Ryou so that he wouldn't accidentally hurt him.

The world went white. It was the purest white he'd ever seen in his life. Bakura looked all around him, but he couldn't see anything. Very slowly, the expanse of white shifted and made objects that looked to be buildings. They were all very tall with enormous cut-outs that looked to be windows. One in particular caught his eye, and he focused on it as the buildings became clearer and clearer. He began walking towards it, his large wings angling themselves behind him so that they wouldn't hinder his movement. As soon as he reached the base of the building, he unfurled his wings and beat them a few times to gather momentum before propelling himself strongly up into the air.

The sensation of flying felt like an old friend to him. The rush of the wind in his ears was a pleasant feeling coupled with the way his stomach felt like it had dropped out. The ground, if the puffy white things could be called ground, was getting farther and farther away from him, but his gaze was fixed on the top window of the tower. He slowed himself down just as he reached it and carefully stepped through it into the room.

An impossibly large bed was in the direct center of the room, and on that bed was Ryou, using his arm as a pillow and sleeping soundly. It was obvious that he was fatigued by the way he was sprawled out on the comfortable looking material, lips parted slightly as he slept. Bakura walked into the room further and sat down on the bed next to him. Being careful not to jostle him, Bakura positioned himself over Ryou and began placing kisses on his exposed collarbone. Ryou squirmed a little, and a breathless moan was the only other indication that he had felt it. Bakura then ran his hands up Ryou's chest underneath his loosely fitting cloth shirt, peeling off the garment as he went. Hot desire flashed through his body as Ryou moaned loudly, shifting his position so that he was flat on his back.

To Bakura's disappointment, the memory shifted and reverted back to reality after that, and he found himself once more in the coffee shop. His head was in his hands, and Ryou was fretting over him at his side. He shook his bangs out of his face and sat up straight, blinking blearily.

"Are you alright, Bakura?" Ryou asked, laying his hand over Bakura's own, "What did you see?"

"I'm alright," Bakura replied, remembering acutely the feeling of Ryou's soft skin against his hands. He turned to look Ryou in the eye, both desire and confusion plain on his face. "We were lovers."

"We were?" Ryou squeaked embarrassedly, going back to his seat nervously. Whether it really was from nerves or from a desire to put distance between them, Bakura couldn't say. He hoped the former but believed the latter.

"I saw our room. We were definitely together," he stated simply, wisely keeping the other details to himself. Really, if Ryou got any redder, he might actually explode. "And I was flying."

"What?" Ryou exclaimed, earning a disapproving glance from the waitress at the counter. "How is that possible?"

"We had wings, Ryou," Bakura said, leaning in so that he wouldn't have to talk as loudly. "We both had wings, and I was flying."

Ryou frowned and looked as if he was about to cry. "I don't understand."

Bakura bit his lip. Of course he had been curious about his past, but he had never gone desperately looking for answers. From the way Ryou was reacting to the mystery of the situation, it seemed to him that the poor thing was really upset by not knowing. With good reason, he amended his thoughts, but hysterics wouldn't get either of them anywhere. He leaned in again, placing a light kiss to Ryou's pale pink lips. He felt his newfound partner's intake of breath, but seeing as he wasn't being pushed away, he continued his action slowly, savoring the moment.

No new memories surfaced, but that was just fine. In that little café on the corner of the street in the inner city, what Bakura and Ryou had discovered in each other was far more valuable than any memory.