Something soft and warm brushed along Ryou's cheek. He leaned into it bit and sighed, still somewhat asleep.

The brushes made their way down to his jaw, and then ghosted over Ryou's chin to his bottom lip. Light, soothing...moist?

Ryou opened his eyes. Sunlight filled the room, but he didn't see anything in front of him. However, the dampness continued back and forth along his lip. Slowly, he blinked and then moved his head back.

Kaiba Seto's small, expressionless face lay next to his on the pillow.

Seeing Mokuba's older brother on his own wasn't too surprising, but waking up to find him so close startled Ryou into movement. He covered his mouth, scrambled upright and then glanced over at his desk. Mokuba was right where he had been when Ryou had fallen asleep, only he was now lifeless and peeking around an invisible coat.

Ryou looked down at Seto, who merely rolled over onto his back and asked, "Have you figured it out yet?"

His voice was low, and the tone indicated a wealth of maturity and experience that had Ryou reconsidering Seto's age. At first glance, he had appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. But now, Ryou wasn't too sure. "Figured out what?"

The expressionless face spread into an expectant smirk, and it made Ryou remember the hand over his mouth. He lowered it and flushed, unsure of what to do next. So he opted to look everywhere but at the statue on his pillow.

Seto raised his voice. "Once you've figured everything out, you're going to play Magic and Wizards with me."

The sound of the order didn't leave any room for argument, but Ryou was shocked into looking at him and replying. "No, I don't think I will. But thank you for the offer."

A tight jaw replaced the smirk and Seto sat up. Clearly, 'no' wasn't something the boy-statue was used to hearing. But then again, just how many times could he have heard it in the short time he'd been created?

The question died in Ryou's mind as he watched Seto's attention shift. Bold interest flickered in his eyes as they wandered over Ryou's features. Not the way Mr. Pegasus's eyes had -which Ryou now thought had been more like an artist's appreciation- but instead in such a way that made Ryou have to refrain from re-covering his mouth.

Did he really...?

Not wanting to finish the sentence Ryou glanced at his clock, moved the quilt aside and started to get up.

"You'll play me eventually."

Ryou stopped. That had sounded an awful lot like presumption but it wasn't. It was absolute certainty.

Mokuba's direct and unflinching behavior was really starting to make sense to Ryou now.

Still, despite Seto's confidence Ryou found enough within himself to be just as confident as well. "No, I won't. Besides, I don't have a Deck to play with."

"Liar," was the instant reply.

Liar? Ryou turned around. "I don't. I gave it away two months ago."

Seto stood up and started over to Ryou, who couldn't help but notice that even Seto's movements demanded attention. Every step was clipped with purpose and his posture gave him an almost regal air. Once again, Ryou found it hard to judge Seto's age. Sixteen? Eighteen? Twenty?

One thing was obvious, though. Those rare newspaper pictures hadn't captured a quarter of what Ryou had seen over the last few minutes.

Seto stopped just short of Ryou's fingers and sneered up at him. "Then you're a coward. A coward who runs from his past instead of using it to shape his future."

The acquired confidence wavered. "What do you know about my past?"

"Everything." Then as if to prove it, Seto grasped his card necklace and glanced at the closet.

A deep breath tried to calm Ryou's nerves. Everything. Somehow, that seemed to be the trend wherever Mr. Pegasus's involvement was concerned. Ryou turned again and climbed out of bed. "I have to get ready for school."

"Running away?"

Ryou paused and then looked over his shoulder. Seto's arms had crossed and the sneer had grown wider. Dimly, Ryou had to admit that it made the boy attractive.

The admission only made his lip tingle and in an effort to ignore it, Ryou collected a clean school uniform and retrieved his pendant from the desk. But just before he headed for the bathroom he gave Seto one last glance and said, "I can't run away."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The usual echo of voices filled the Domino High locker room. The only noticeably absent ones belonged to Honda and Anzu, who had already changed their shoes and now waited with Jounouchi by Ryou's locker.

Jounouchi thought the two of them made a weird picture. Not talking, not fighting, and just standing shoulder to shoulder? Weird. "He's gotta be okay. Mr. Pegasus seemed like a good guy. Creepy in a sorta rainbows and butterflies kinda way, but not dangerous. You guys're overreactin' or somethin'."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Anzu snapped, facing him. "If you did, you'd know that Ryou's never late because he considers it rude. And if you REALLY knew him, you'd see how unsure he's been lately. But since you don't, Jounouchi, then just shut up. I'm in a lousy mood."

"Yeah? I couldn't tell."

Honda reached behind Anzu and grabbed her backpack before she could lunge at their friend. "Don't get in Jounouchi's face. I should've ignored Ryou's 'No' yesterday and just went with him."

"But doing that might have made Ryou think that you didn't believe he could handle it," Anzu pointed out. "You did the right thing by asking Jounouchi to go."

"So I'm a hero now? Jeez, talk about a mood swing."

"I didn't say that!" Anzu shot back. "Besides, what does it matter? Mr. Pegasus figured out why you were there."

Honda leaned against the locker. "Ryou probably did, too. Maybe that's why he isn't here."

Anzu didn't want to believe it, but that possibility had occurred to her as well. She looked up at Honda. "Do you really think he'd be upset enough to avoid us?"

"I don't know." Honda folded his arms and looked away. "Do you?"

"I..." Anzu wasn't sure of how to finish. "I guess I don't know either. We've never gone behind his back like this before."

"You didn't go behind his back," Jounouchi told them.

Neither Honda nor Anzu replied. Instead, Anzu said, "It isn't just Pegasus, Honda. I've been getting the feeling that there's something else. Something Ryou isn't telling us."

Honda didn't have a feeling. He knew. But rather than worry Anzu, he said, "Do YOU tell him everything?"

She seemed taken aback by the question and then, to Jounouchi's surprise, leaned against Honda's shoulder. "No, but I'm sure that you don't either, right?"

No answer.

"Of course you don't," Anzu continued, "But it's all right. We tell each other what we can. Ryou's still getting used to us in some ways. Maybe he doesn't think he can fully trust us yet."

"I can't get why," was Honda's response. "We're the only ones he's told about what happened to his Mom. What else could be more painful or personal enough to keep from us?"

Anzu's head shot up. So did Jounouchi's ears and he asked, "What? His Mom?"

His questions were met with silence, and both his friends refused to look at him. Soon, though, Jounouchi was able to figure out the problem. "Oh man. That sucks." He put a hand behind his head. "Hell, that's probably why he doesn't like me or Shizuka very much. Because we still have our Mom."

"If that were true then he wouldn't like me or Honda," Anzu told him. "And I don't think he doesn't like you. It's just that he's too smart to understand your idiotic actions."

Jounouchi made a face at her. "Thanks, that makes me feel tons better."

"He likes your sister, too," Honda hurried in before Anzu could retaliate. "Ryou says that she's beautiful and that you're really lucky to have her. Because of that, I think he's gonna eventually come around about her party. If Shizuka wants him there, Ryou won't let her down."

Jounouchi just shrugged. "Whatever. If he comes, he comes. If not, it's cool. He won't be hurting my feelings none."

Anzu studied him. "What about your sister's feelings?"

Jounouchi frowned and hoped he could give the truth and get out alive. "I don't like the idea of Shizuka bein' hurt but what can I do? I can't drag the guy there. You'd rip my guts out, Anzu. I mean, look how freaked out you got when I kept pressin' Ryou about Magic and Wizards."

She bristled. "I did it because you didn't know when to shut up, like usual. And what IS it with this city and that game? Doesn't anyone around here play chess or something anymore?"

"I do," Ryou's voice replied.

All three heads turned to the right and found the topic of their discussion. His damp hair was tousled and he was a little out of breath.

Honda took a step toward him but then stopped, unsure of how to proceed. Anzu saved the slightly awkward moment by nudging past him and saying, "That's because you're the only sane guy left in Domino, Ryou. You look like you overslept. Did you eat?"

"No." He paused. "I stopped by the shop on the way to school to talk with Mr. Pegasus. He wasn't there and I lost track of time while waiting for him. I ended up having to run all the way here. I'm sorry I missed you."

"It's okay," Honda said, glancing at Anzu. "We were just…uh…"

"…Wondering what would keep the always punctual Ryou," Anzu finished. "And now that we know, let's let him change shoes and then get to our classes."

Nobody argued. Once Ryou was finished, they all walked out and down the hallway. As soon as they got to Jounouchi's room, he surprised the group by heading inside without a parting grin or comment.

Anzu knit her brows together and turned to start down the hall. "That was strange. I thought he-oof!"

Ryou had failed to see her start walking again and the lapse allowed Anzu to bump right into his unmoving frame.

"I'm sorry!" Ryou told her. "I was...thinking."

She smiled at him. "It's okay, Ryou. Really."

"You were um, saying something about Jounouchi?" Ryou said as they continued down the hall.

Honda exchanged a quick look with Anzu. "She was talking about how Jounouchi's been acting these past several days. He hasn't spent this much time around us in forever. I guess we're, I don't know, getting used to having him hang around more often again."

"And now he just takes off without a word," Anzu grumbled as they came to a stop in front of her classroom. "Stupid jerk just doesn't get anything. Doesn't care who's feelings he's hurting or why. If he wasn't so dense, I'd swear that he was doing it on purpose just to make me mad."

Honda rolled his eyes. "Right. He doesn't care. I'm crushed. My heart is bleeding."

Not surprisingly, Anzu punched him in the arm. "Shut up, Honda. The three of us weren't always close, but you still called Jounouchi your best friend. I'm not the only girl when it comes to him."

"Hey!"

Anzu ignored the outburst and looked at Ryou. "I'll see you guys later."

Honda fumed at Anzu's retreating back and then all the way to their class. Once inside, Hanasaki joined them. His over-sized glasses slipped further up on his nose as he raised his head to the taller boys. "Good morning, and thank you again for volunteering to help, Honda."

"No problem," was the easy reply as Honda playfully dug his knuckles on top of Hanasaki's head. "Jounouchi said he'd help, too. We'll have the rest of your boards and drywall packed up and delivered before you can say first prize."

Hanasaki glowed at the words. "With everyone's hard work and Ryou's blueprints, the club will be saying that for sure."

Honda waited for Ryou's usual words of modesty after a compliment and was thrown off track when he didn't hear them. But before he could say anything, one of the students announced that Mr. Togamashi was on his way toward the room.

Kids headed for their desks, but Ryou stopped Honda before he could move. "I didn't know Hanasaki asked you to help us."

Honda stared and wondered if his usually non-kidding friend was kidding. Unfortunately, Ryou looked genuinely confused. It put Honda at a loss before he finally figured out what to say. "Anzu promised to call you last night, didn't she? We left a message on your machine. Hanasaki offered to treat us to burgers if we'd help out your club." A moment. "I thought you always checked for messages before hitting the hay. Especially when your Dad's gone."

Mr. Togamashi's voice spoke before Ryou's could. "Good morning, class."