A/N: Hi! It's me again, and the third chapter of Soul Halves. This chapter was one of those hard chapters, that you just can't get right. So, I'm not very happy with this, obviously *sighs* This is also a little shorter chapter than the last two. Forgive me!

This author note has been edited, and the angst have been cut to half! xD

Disclaimer: Don't wanna.

Warnings: Nahhhh..

3. chapter: Awakening

"Do you want to stay overnight?" Yugi asked. "Just in case Bakura wakes up, I think you are the best person to handle him if that happens."

"Okay," Ryou agreed.

Two hikaris sat in the Mutou's kitchen. Cups of steaming tea was placed in front of them.

Yami was talking with Yugi's grandpa over the phone. Mr. Mutou had gone out of town to see his old friends. He would be home in few days, and Yami felt that he had a responsibility to explain why exactly they had dragged unconscious and badly injured Bakura into their house.

Bakura, on the other hand, was still unconscious, to everyone's relief. He lied on a mattress in Mutou's basement. After long talking and thinking, Yugi had come to a conclusion that the basement was the only place safe enough to hold Bakura inside if the yami happen to woke up angry. Basement door was locked now, and the only key was safely in Yugi's pocket.

After they have left the island, things had become hard. Their captain, still in shock, had almost sunk the whole ship. And after getting on dry land again, all they had got was dark stares, most of them were targeted at Honda who was carrying Bakura. They hoped that no one had called the police. After half hour bus ride they had finally got to Mutou's place. Honda and Jou had carried Bakura and the mattress down to the basement, and after cleaning Jou's wounds, left.

Ryou and Yugi had started a long job, of cleaning and treating Bakura's injuries. Then they dressed him with some old clothes Ryou had brought with him. After that Bakura looked more like what he used to be, expect of the thinness, which was almost impossible to cover.

Yugi had left some food and water next to Bakura's bed, while Ryou had checked Bakura's bandages for the last time and covered him with a blanket, basement wasn't after all the warmest place in the house. Then the boys had gone upstairs and made themselves some tea. And about here is where we are now.

"Great," Yugi smiled. "Yami will also be happy to hear that."

Ryou nodded and sipped his tea.

"I think I should talk to him," he said.

"Hmm?"

"I mean Bakura, when he wakes up, I'll talk to him first, if that's okay?"

"It's fine. I think you should do that too. I doubt the first thing Bakura wants to see is me or Yami."

"Yup."

Yugi finished his tea and sighed tiredly.

"Now all we can do is wait. Let's make you a bed."

Yami found it hard to sleep that night.

And he knew exactly why. He had two reasons. First was, of course, that Bakura was in the house, even though unconscious. And Yami was supposed to ask a favor from him, when he woke up. Yami couldn't help but think, what he should say and do, and how Bakura would react. Probably he would laugh, that insane laugh of his. Or he would stare at Yami creepily, and then there would be an awkward silence, and then... He probably shouldn't think too much.

Second reason was that it was pretty hard to fall asleep, when you float few inches above the bed. Yami sighed and turned over. He was too tired to focus keeping himself solid. Well, he could probably stay awake for one night, it couldn't be that bad.

Ryou was awake too. He lied on a mattress next to Yugi's bed and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts were on Bakura too. His thoughts and feelings were bundled up together, into a one big mess, and that's what Ryou felt like right now, messy.

Since those two were awake, they were first to notice when Bakura woke up.

Something crashed against the wall downstairs. Sound of breaking glass reached their ears.

Ryou stood up, as Yami slid into Yugi's room. For a second they both stared at each other and blinked. Then Yami floated next to Yugi and started shaking him.

"Yugi!" he whispered. "Wake up!"

Yugi groaned and rolled over, but opened his eyes.

"What now?" he yawned, reaching for his alarm clock. "It's two a.m." he announced after staring at his clock for a while.

"Yugi, we think Bakura has awakened!" Ryou hissed.

Yugi blinked and jumped up. He was soon on his feet, a key in his hands. The trio rushed downstairs. Yugi turned the lights on. Everything was silent again as they approached the basement door. Yugi grabbed a flashlight from nearby table. Yami put his finger on his lips, telling them that they should remain silent. Yugi and Ryou nodded. Yugi turned the door handle. They entered the room, Yugi first, and Ryou and Yami right behind him. They stood silent on the stairs.

They listened.

Bakura was moving. Light steps wandered around the room. Some items were moved, some were thrown away, and some were broken. Then the sound of steps stopped, right where the stairs began. Bakura sniffed the air, much like a dog or a wolf, looking for a particular scent. When he caught it...

Yami, Yugi and Ryou stood frozen on the stairs.

A dark chuckle could be heard. Bakura's nails clicked against the wood, as he, on four feet again, started climbing up the stairs, towards them.

"Put the flashlight on!" Yami whispered a command.

Yugi did so. A flash of light illuminated the staircase in front of them, and startled Bakura.

Bakura pulled his sleeve in front of his eyes, to protect them from sudden light, crouching as he did so. An annoyed growl escaped his throat.

Ryou yanked Yugi outside from collar of his pajama. Yami slammed the door shut, and leaned against it in thought.

Three of them stood in silence for a while. No sound was heard from the basement anymore. At last Ryou spoke:

"I hope you didn't have anything valuable in there."

In the morning, Ryou woke up tired. After he had eaten breakfast he headed to the basement door again, with two plates in his hands.

Yami opened it for him. Ryou went inside. Yami stared at the darkness, where Ryou disappeared, before slowly shutting the door, making sure it wasn't locked.

When Ryou was safely in the basement, he lowered the plates to the floor. One had a bloody steak in it and the other just plain water.

Ryou looked around him, taking few steps backwards. Light seeped to the basement through a small window. Basement was messy, things were broken and out of their place. Ryou saw the pieces of broken plate. That one had probably woken him up last night. Bakura was hiding somewhere.

Ryou sat on one of the stairs and waited.

Soon, just like he had predicted, a sniffing sound could be heard. Bakura appeared behind one of the boxes. Without fear he dashed towards two plates and started ripping the steak into pieces.

Ryou stared at his yami for a while. Then he closed his eyes, searching for their mind link. Again, as he opened it, he was overpowered with Bakura's emotions. This time they were mix of everything. Every feeling, thought and emotion was blended together so he couldn't really tell where one thing started and the other ended.

Determined Ryou pushed his way through this wall and searched until he found that Bakura, who understood. Ryou took that part of Bakura and dragged it back with him, to his side of the mind link, so it wasn't silenced by the wall of emotions anymore. Then he opened his eyes and asked:

"Bakura?"

There were a brief silence.

"Little one," Bakura purred licking blood from his fingers, seeming almost normal. His voice was coarse, but that was just because he hadn't talked for a long time.

"Bakura," Ryou repeated.

"Are you happy now, little one?"

Ryou shrugged, not understanding the question.

"You brought me back," Bakura stated. "And my wounds have been treated. I'm needed, correct?"

Ryou nodded.

"Then, I wonder, why I was sent there in the first place?" Bakura mused and looked at Ryou.

"I'm not the one who needs you." Ryou said.

Bakura tilted his head.

"You don't need me?" he asked, with an amused tone."Tell me, Ryou, why did you sent me there? Why did you let it happen? Why exactly?"

"I don't need you, I can live without you."

"Is that your answer? You can live without me? But not without your friends, correct?"

Ryou hesitated.

"Little one, I'm half of you. I'm your soul half, you do need me. That's not the right answer."

Ryou didn't say anything.

"Maybe. Maybe you thought that if I were gone, you'd be perfect," Bakura guessed." Do you want to be perfect Ryou?"

Ryou shook his head.

"We both know you're lying. Everyone wants to be perfect, especially my little Ryou."

Bakura stood up and walked next to Ryou.

"You owe me little one," He hissed into Ryou's ear. "I'm everything you don't want to be, my perfect little light," He spat.

Ryou shook his head again and started talking:

"Yami came to talk to me. He said he knew how to get rid of you, for good. He knew some kind of spell, and with that he could seal you away. He probably would have done that without asking me, but Yugi had said that he should talk to me first. He said that I should choose between them and you. And I... I don't know, I said yes..."

"So it was pharaoh," Bakura thought, tapping his finger against his lower lip.

"Maybe I really thought I would be better off without you..."

"And?"

" I guess, I'm sorry," Ryou shrugged.

"You guess you're..." Bakura laughed. "You have no idea what that island did to me!"

Ryou stood up.

"You stay here. I will bring you food later."

Bakura just watched, frozen still, as Ryou climbed up the stairs. Ryou stopped in front of the door and turned to face Bakura.

"I know what that island did to you," he said. " It made you insane."

Then Ryou opened the door and left the room. As the door clicked shut Bakura screamed behind his hikari.

"Better me than you, right?!"

A/N: And that's it. I have nothing more to say. *feels angsty*