Update time! Yay!

I wonder if that was the first time that I realized just how much I liked Ryou. I mean, we had been friends since the first time we met, but after that was probably when I started to see him in a new light.

In fact, if there was one thing that I was glad that I had been able to do before he died, it was that I could tell him how I really felt about him.

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I had never really liked birthdays. If you thought about it, all it really meant was that you were brought another ear closer to ding. Although that could really be said for any day of the year, something about it just made them all the more depressing. But Ryou had always had the opposite opinion. He thought, "hey, you've made it another year. Time to celebrate!" I suppose it ended up being a good thing he felt that way, although I never would have admitted that at the time. I just thought it was annoying.

So every year, when it came time for my birthday, I would have to specifically tell Ryou not to do anything for my birthdays. But of course, he never listened to me and always threw me some kind of party. I knew that he was just trying to be nice- before I met him, I never got anything like that. But it still annoyed the hell out of me.

That year was no exception. I came home that afternoon after my part-time job, praying that Ryou had forgotten what today was. But that had obviously been too much to ask for, because as soon as I walked through the front door, there were several camera flashes, and Ryou, Marik, and everyone else yelled "surprise!"

"Damn it, Ryou!" I said irritably. "What did I tell you about doing things like this?"

He looked hurt. "But, Bakura… I just wanted to…"

"Well, don't! How many years have we known each other now!" Tears filled his big brown eyes."Oh, god, Ryou, I didn't mean-"

He put a hand in the air. "That's fine, Bakura. I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't like it." He turned to everybody. "Everyone, sorry. Bakura here really doesn't want us here, so you can all leave." There were several grumbles from the crowd ("Eh, I didn't really want to come in the first place," Yami grumbled before Yugi shot him a pissed off look.)

"Alright, fine!" I heard myself say. "If you really want to stay, go ahead."

"Only if you want that, Bakura," Ryou said with a shocked tone to his voice.

"I don't, but…" I turned to Ryou. "You went to all this trouble, so I guess I can deal with it. But seriously, if you ever do that again, you will regret it." Ryou grinned.

"Okay!"

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The party turned really crazy, really quickly. Mariku decided it would be fun to get the pharaoh drunk, which led to some awkward situations, such as "strip duel monsters," awkward, drunken confessions of love, and Yugi somehow ending up in a pink dress (where the hell did he even get that from?).

After several hours of this, everyone finally left. I sank back into my spot on the couch and sighed, putting my hand on my forehead. Ryou sat down next to me, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Bakura," he whispered. "I had no idea it would end up like that. I promise that next year, I won't do it again." I smirked, then started to laugh.

"Ryou, that was probably one of the greatest things that could have happened." He looked up at me.

"…Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, how often do we get to see the stupid pharaoh get wasted? And Yugi in that pink dress? Seriously, Ryou, don't worry about it. I had a great time." He smiled, then gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good. I was worried that you were going to be really mad at me."

I'm still not sure what brought me to do what I did next. I pulled him just a bit closer to me, put a hand on his cheek, and kissed him for the first time in our lives. He did nothing to pull away, instead choosing to return it softly. But when we finally did pull away, Ryou looked stunned, a slight blush on his face. "I could never be mad at you, Ryou," I whispered. "I'm not sure why, but ever since I first met you that day, I couldn't help but think that there was something… special about you."

The slight pink coloring on his cheeks turned to a bright red. "B-bakura" he stammered. "That's…" He looked down. "I love you, Bakura," he whispered. "I… I want you to stay with me." I kissed his cheek.

"I will. I'll never leave you, Ryou."

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And I never did. I kept that promise. But you left me, didn't you Ryou? You couldn't keep your promise. I felt something wet run from my face onto the page. Damn it, I was so weak, I was crying again. I knew I couldn't handle this. "I was right, Ryou," I whispered. "Birthdays just bring you closer to death. You're proof of that."

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Seira-g: Another chapter is done! Yay!

Yugi:… A pink dress? Seriously?

Ryou: *back in the emo corner for some reason* Hey, at least you aren't dead…

Seira-g: Okay, seriously Ryou. Get over it. Or I will continue to give away your cream puffs to our kind reviewers.

Ryou: *Nears dangerously* … What do you mean, continue?

Seira-g: Well, we got some really nice reviews for the last chapter, so…

Ryou: *grins and pulls out a gun* You asked for it, Seira-g…

Seira-g: No! I can't die! Not before I finish writing the story!

Ryou: Then you reviewers better not review…

Seira-g: Reverse psychology? Ryou, you're a genius!

Ryou: *Shoots*