A/N:I really have to drop cliffhangers more often. It's just too much fun to read the reviews afterwards. We're finally starting to get into the FUN territory... as the hikaris are beginning to warm up to their yamis. I should say that I had an extremely hard time with this chapter, as healing the rift between Bakura and Ryou while still keeping them in character proved to be a challenge, and I'm still not entirely happy with how it came out. I just couldn't figure out how to fix it. Oh, well. Enjoy!

"I think you're making a huge mistake."

Those seven simple words echoed around the otherwise silent room, putting sound into the air for the first time in well over an hour. Jou licked his lips, not moving his gaze from his friends, wondering if those seven words would be enough to seal his death warrant. After a few minutes and there was no pain, he chanced a look up. Bakura was still sitting on the low couch by the far side of the wall, his hands folded loosely across his chest. He was staring off into space and didn't appear to have heard what Jou had said, though there was no doubt in the blond's mind that the thief had. Realizing that he was being ignored, he frowned deeply, unconsciously pushing his lower lip into a pout that never failed to get Seto to do whatever he wanted.

"I said - "

"I heard what you said," Bakura hissed, turning a pair of reddish brown eyes on the taller boy. There was danger and a clear warning gleaming in those eyes, probably one of the few that Bakura had ever bothered to issue.

Jou swallowed hard, momentarily unnerved. When the call had come about Yuugi's grandfather from Malik, Seto had gone immediately to the hospital to hassle the doctors. He was torn between staying behind to look after his friends and going to see how the man he'd always seen as a father figure was doing. Eventually, he'd decided that the news would come better from him, so he'd remained behind in the event that Yuugi woke up. Yami was still tucked into bed beside his hikari, and according to Seto, it would be some time before either of them joined the world of the living... but he felt better for being there with them. Life would have been alright, but unfortunately, about twenty minutes after Seto had left, Bakura had wandered in and taken up a space on the couch. It was hard to begrudge the thief for wanting to be close to Yami - or at least, that's why Jou assumed he was there - but his presence was somewhat disturbing, particularly when he was glaring so fiercely at nothing in particular. It took all of his courage and then some to drudge up the will to speak.

"Then you should start thinking about it," he answered, hoping that his fear of Bakura didn't show on his face. He'd seen what Bakura and Mariku were capable of. Hell, he'd seen what Yami could do when provoked. None of them took lightly to being challenged, especially about matters like this, and he had no source of protection with Yami unconscious and Seto gone. "Ryou is a good person, and for some reason, he actually seems to like you. He's suffered a lot, you know. He could use a yami."

Bakura scoffed and said nothing for a moment. When he spoke again, Jou jumped. "Why would I want to be with someone who is so weak?" he asked. If it had been anyone else, Jou would have said that the tone sounded almost... lost.

"Because he makes you strong in return?" the blond said cautiously, ready to jump up and dive for cover at the slightest hint that Bakura might decide to come after him. "There are different types of strength, Bakura. You of all people should understand that the most. Just 'cause Ryou wears his heart on his sleeve doesn't necessarily mean he's weak." He was silent for a moment, remembering the pain in Ryou's face after the death of his mother and sister. When his whole world had fallen into pieces. "After all, he was strong enough to start caring about you, wasn't he?"

Something that may have been surprise flickered briefly over Bakura's face, but it was gone before Jou got the chance to analyze it. "Weakness is unforgivable, no matter what the cause," he growled, but he sounded less certain than before.

Encouraged, Jou leaned back, though he made sure he didn't shift far enough that the bed stopped being between he and the thief. "Yeah? Well what if I told you that your refusal to get closer to Ryou could be seen as a weakness?"

He stiffened. "Explain."

"You don't really understand most emotions," Jou pointed out. "Anyone could see that. There's nothin' wrong with that, but it means you don't get how emotions can make you stronger. They give you something to focus on and work towards. Seto can borrow my energy because we're in love. We're soul mates. That automatically makes him more powerful. What you and Ryou share is even more than that. You're yami and hikari, ying and yang, a perfect whole when you come together. Right now, you're only a half, and no matter how strong you might be, you're always going to be weaker than someone who is a whole. But you can't focus solely on the power side of things. A bond borne solely of power will always be weak. It's gotta be stronger than that, and there's only one emotion that could bind you together with that kind of force."

There was no answer form the other side of the room. Jou eyed the other boy for a moment before looking away, deciding that he'd risked his life enough for one day. The next time he glanced up, Bakura was gone, and Yami's eyes were open. Jou jumped up instantly, forgetting all about Bakura in his haste to help Yami take a long sip of some ice water that had been left on the nightstand just in case. Yami drank the liquid gratefully and winced when Jou helped him to lie back down, like his body ached, even though he hadn't been doing anything more than lying in bed. He draped an arm around Yuugi's shoulders, tugging the hikari as close as possible, and gazed up at Jou.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Eh?" Jou blinked. "S'no problem, man. Listen, I gotta tell you - "

"Not for the water," Yami interrupted, waving his hand lazily. "For speaking to Bakura. I know that couldn't have been easy for you, Jou, but I think you might have been able to put it into words in a way that he will actually understand." His eyes closed and he gave a half-yawn that somehow seemed dignified. "I believe he has gone to Ryou, and now there is hope that the two of them will be able to patch things up thanks to you."

Jou blushed. "I didn't do anything, really," he mumbled, embarrassed but pleased. The reincarnated Pharaoh merely smiled at him one more time before those enthralling crimson eyes closed, and the older boy fell back into sleep. Sighing, Jou drank the rest of the water in the glass and leaned back, wondering if Yami was right. Would Ryou and Bakura be able to get it together? He hoped so. In spite of how Bakura could act sometimes, he honestly thought that both of them would be good for each other if they could past this. Much as he might dislike Bakura sometimes, he and Ryou truly were a perfect whole. Hopefully the two of them would be able to realize that before it was too late.

GMA

The house was cold, and the space in front of the broken window was damp from the storm that had passed over the city through the night. Ryou sat down on the couch and looked around the room slowly. Really, he was probably fortunate that no thieves had broken in while he'd been otherwise preoccupied. But then, it wasn't like it really mattered. His father was still missing, and he was beginning to think he would probably never see the man again. Samira's presence, even though she had only been around for a few days, lingered in the house like a vile stench he couldn't rid of. Everything seemed to be tainted by her touch, even the most valued of his own or Amane's things. He didn't want to stay in the house anymore... But it would be difficult to sell it without his father's permission.

His father. He winced at the repeated thoughts of Osamu and reached into his pocket. Slowly, he drew out the crumpled letter and looked down at it. The chance to show it to anyone who would care had come and gone. Malik and Yuugi had their own problems to worry about, and Bakura had made it clear that he had never really cared about Ryou or his father. That realization still stung a lot more than it should have. Biting his lip, he set about carefully unwrapping the letter, taking care to make sure it wouldn't rip. It was short and to the point, which was like Osamu, who seemed to dislike communicating with his son in any medium, but at the same time something felt wrong with it. Ryou didn't believe Osamu had written the letter. A sixth sense was telling him that his father had likely been dead long before the letter was penned. Unwillingly, his eyes lowered, scanning the words.

"Ryou. I've been called back to Egypt unexpectedly. Samira is staying here to sell the house and then she'll be joining me. We'll get you set up in an apartment with the funds from the house once it sells. Dad."

The tone of the letter felt completely wrong. For one thing, Ryou honestly couldn't remember the last time that Osamu had signed a letter with such an affectionate name. It was usually signed with his first name, or more rarely, "Otou-san". But more than that... the brief notes he received from his father always held an underlying current of guilt, like Osamu wanted to write more, knew that he should, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. This letter was completely different. Clinical and cold, more a statement of facts than anything else, like someone else had written it. Someone like Samira. Ryou bit his lip. He hadn't wanted to accept it at first, but now he was beginning to come to terms with the fact that his father was more than likely dead, murdered at the hands of the first woman he had let into his life since Bakura Emiko had breathed her last breath.

How could he ignore that? Now he was truly alone in the world, and the thought was unbearable. Fighting back the tears that threatened to escape, he closed his eyes. Yes, Osamu had been a miserable parent who usually did his best to ignore the fact that even had a son, but he had still been Ryou's father. His last tie to both his mother and Amane. Yuugi and Malik were his best friends, true, but there was a hole in his life that not even they could fill. He had been foolish enough to think that maybe Bakura could have, but the yami had made it perfectly clear that would never happen. Ryou shuddered, his body trembling as he finally gave into the quiet sobs that had been threatening him all night.

He didn't know how long he sat there and cried, but he probably would've wept for hours still if it hadn't been for the noise. It was a soft sound that most people would have disregarded, but Ryou froze as soon as it registered. Holding his breath, he turned, looking at the entrance from the kitchen. There was just enough time for him to catch a glimpse of dark hair before Samira was on top of him, her eyes flashing with fury. She was in her human form, but her arms were filled with an unnatural strength. No matter what he did, he couldn't get her off. A harsh blow to the side of the head stunned him, allowing her to straddle him and pin his wrists down beside his head.

"Give me the Millennium Ring," she hissed, a wild light in her eyes. Her fingers tightened cruelly around his wrists, a silent warning to the kind of pain that she could unleash. "Or I will break every single bone in your body. Do you know how that would feel, Rabbit? It's complete and utter agony. Believe me, I know."

There was no denying the fear that shot through him, though he did his best to hide it. "I can't," Ryou choked out, squinting up at her. His vision had gone slightly blurry from the blow. "I don't have it anymore."

Samira scoffed. "Like I'm going to believe that," she sneered. "You're the hikari. The Ring belongs to you. Give it to me!" Her shout was accompanied by another solid hit to his other cheek. Ryou's head snapped to the side, and he tasted blood as his teeth sliced into his bottom lip. He gasped from the pain but said nothing, which only seemed to infuriate her more. The next blow was to his upper chest, the fourth to his unprotected stomach, driving all of the breath from his lungs. Instantly, the room began to darken, and he realized that he was on the verge of passing out as she struck him again in the chest.

Then, suddenly, she was gone. Ryou rolled onto his side and clutched at his stomach, gasping for breath and coughing harshly. His whole body ached with pain, though it was mostly centered around his chest and stomach, which felt like they had been set on fire. Slowly, the sounds of battle infringed on his senses, and he opened his eyes to see that someone was standing in front of him, fighting with a clearly enraged Samira. Someone tall... with white hair... Ryou's eyes widened, and he forgot all about the pain as he began wondering if Samira had hit him harder than he realized, because surely Takahashi Bakura couldn't be standing in front of him, protecting him from Samira?

"Get out of my way!" Samira roared, holding her staff in her hands. "Why are you bothering to protect him? I thought you hated the little brat. Weren't you the one who decided that weakness was a curse?"

A low growl escaped Bakura, discernible only because Ryou was so close to him. "The boy belongs to me," he hissed, voice low and dangerous. Samira actually backed up a step before she realized what she was doing and scowled. "If you touch him again, I will kill you where you stand."

"Empty threat." Samira tossed her hair over one slender shoulder. "He doesn't even have the Millennium Ring. You have no power right now."

"I don't need a duel monster to kill you with my bare hands," Bakura replied calmly. Moving too quickly for Ryou to follow, he drew a knife from the waistband of his pants and hurtled it in Samira's direction. She clearly wasn't expecting the attack, and the slender blade caught her in the shoulder. Bakura followed up immediately, launching a solid punch to the side of her face. Her body flew backwards and struck the floor. He stood over her and began making strange symbols with his hands while he muttered words under his breath. Samira screamed as the ground beneath her body began to turn into a pool of darkness. Seconds later, she plummeted through, and the floor returned to normal seconds before the darkness would have spread to Bakura, who fell to one knee with a muffled grunt.

"Bakura!" Forgetting that he was supposed to be pissed with the older boy, Ryou practically flew off of the couch and raced to Bakura's side. "What's wrong? Did she hurt you?"

Bakura huffed a sound that might have been a laugh. "I'll never understand weaklings like you," he panted, but there was no malice in his voice. He reached out unexpectedly and grabbed the front of Ryou's shoulder, dragging him forward until they were face to face. Ryou flinched, but all Bakura did was search his eyes. "Why?"

"What what?" Ryou asked blankly.

"Why do you care about me?"

Ryou blinked and turned an interesting shade of pink. "W-what... what... what makes you think I care about you?"

"You were crying," Bakura said quietly. His expression was impossible to read. "If you didn't care about me, you wouldn't have cared enough to cry."

"Well... so what?" Ryou said finally, recalling the situation enough to glare accusingly at Bakura. "After the kinds of things you said, anyone would be upset. Besides, why are you even here?" He twisted away and folded his arms, wincing slightly. Even that slight movement made his chest and stomach begin to ache with a steady pain. Samira packed one hell of a punch. "I thought I was nothing more than a weakling to you. I can't believe that you would care enough to come and save me."

There was a brief pause on Bakura's part, and then he reached out and cupped Ryou's cheek, forcing the younger boy to turn back to look at him. Ryou found himself swallowing hard as he stared into Bakura's eyes. It was like gazing into an ocean. Bakura's grip was harsh, but not punishing, and his thumb absently stroked one of the bruises that Samira had left on Ryou's pale skin. The yami didn't say anything for a long time, so long that Ryou eventually began to fidget. He didn't know if he liked the look on Bakura's face. An internal alarm was blaring, warning him that he needed to back away and soon if he didn't want to get himself into trouble again. But when he tried to draw back, Bakura scowled and tightened his grip.

"You belong to me," he said in a low voice.

"Wait... what?" A look of astonishment on his face, Ryou reached up and gripped Bakura's wrist. "You don't get to just decide that. Regardless of whether we're yami and hikari, you - "

Whatever else he was about to say was cut off when Bakura leaned down and kissed him. It was a brief kiss, harsher than anything he'd experienced before, but it was enough to make his knees weak. He stared, mouth open and completely speechless, as Bakura pulled back and smirked. Without saying a word, his yami reached into his pocket and pulled out a very familiar item. The Millennium Ring. Almost gently, Bakura released his grip on Ryou's cheek and then slipped the Ring around his neck. Ryou shivered as the Ring fell against his chest, causing a flood of warmth that probably would've made him collapse had Bakura not been close enough for him to lean against.

"You belong to me," Bakura repeated into his hair. "Don't forget that."

"I won't," he managed. The room was spinning, and he decided that he could pick a fight later on, because there were a lot of things he wanted to yell at Bakura for. But right then, his legs were finally letting him down literally, and he couldn't have protested if his life depended on it. He closed his eyes, barely feeling the pain when Bakura grabbed him by the shoulders before he could fall, and let the blissful wave of sleep take hold.

GMA

Yuugi woke up slowly, pulling himself out of the deep sleep that he'd been in. Without opening his eyes, he took a moment to assess his situation and how he was feeling. His body still ached a little, and he felt the way he did whenever he had to run away from bullies, like he'd been working too hard. He was hot, and he could feel a headache lingering in the back of his head, threatening to become much worse if he did anything too strenuous. But it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when he was under the influence of the spell. There wasn't even that faint ache in his chest, which told him that the person lying beside him in the bed was definitely Yami. That more than anything was enough to finally make him open his eyes and look around.

Yami was sitting up, his back resting against several pillows. Yuugi's head was cushioned on the older boy's stomach, with Yami's hand resting on top of his hair. Jou was sitting in the chair beside the bed. His face lit up when he saw that Yuugi was awake, and Yuugi smiled at him faintly, seeing the signs of strain in his friend's expression. "Hi," he greeted softly, making to move his head up. The hand on his head tightened, gently preventing him from straightening up. Normally he would have been annoyed, but he felt so weak that he didn't really mind.

"Don't try to get up yet, Aibou," Yami said, keeping his voice quiet. "Your body is still trying to heal."

"How are you feeling?" Jou asked at exactly the same time.

"I'm fine," Yuugi answered to both of them, blushing a little. Lying on top of someone was a surprisingly intimate thing to do, even if it was just Jou watching them. "I think the spell is gone."

"It is, but your body is still coping with the after-effects," Yami told him. "You're not used to that kind of magic, and it was a particularly strong spell. If it hadn't been for our bond..." His voice trailed off, and the hand that clenched around his hair told him everything. He shivered, and felt Yami's hand leave his hair and trail soothingly down his back. "It will be a few days before you're back to normal, and you'll likely be susceptible to curses from that duel monster from now on."

"Do you know who it was?" he asked, glad that he was facing away. It was embarrassing enough that Jou could probably see how much he was enjoying the small circles Yami was rubbing on his back.

"I have some ideas," he answered darkly. "Based on the crescent moon mark in your soul room, I'm guess it was the Maiden of the Moonlight. That's her calling card."

The name was unfamiliar. Recognizing that, Jou stood up and fetched a card from the nightstand. He showed it to Yuugi, who glanced down at the picture curiously. Maiden of the Moonlight was a spellcaster, and the picture showed a young woman with dark brown hair, pointed ears, blue eyes, and a wicked smile, holding a glowing yellow crescent moon between her hands. She was wearing a toga-style white dress and had enormous angel wings. Yuugi flinched away from the card and Jou quickly pulled it back, tucking it into his pocket. Although he didn't remember most of what had happened, he could still recall Tsuki and the cold blue eyes that had burned into his mind against his will. It might have been just a piece of paper, but the card's picture had exactly the same eyes.

"It was her," he whispered, shivering harder this time. Yami and Jou exchanged concerned looks as Yami reached down and pulled the cover up over his hikari's body.

"Don't worry about it, Yuug'," Jou said hastily. "She's gone and she won't dare come back when you're here. Seto's got the best security that money can buy. You're perfectly safe here."

Yuugi nodded with a faint, fake smile, wondering how true that statement really was. Samira had gone after Ryou's father to get to Ryou, so who was to say that Tsuki – or Maiden of the Moonlight – wouldn't do the exact same thing? It would be easy for the duel monster to go after any of his friends, especially Ryou, who didn't even have Bakura nearby to protect him. Or... his blood ran cold and he froze as one of his few memories of the day before washed over him. He could distinctly recall leaving Tsuki downstairs with his grandfather while he went upstairs to lie down. His head had been hurting so badly at the time that he hadn't even thought twice about it. She'd been alone with Sugoroku for who knew how long?

"What's wrong?" Jou hovered over him, looking worried. He hated not being able to help out his friends when they were in trouble. It made him feel useless.

"My... my grandfather," Yuugi said breathlessly, terrified. When he saw the look on Jou's face and felt the way Yami started, his heart sank. "What?"

"I wasn't going to tell you right away, but I guess I should," the blond said hesitantly. "Your grandfather is in the hospital. Isis called and told us that one of the nurses phoned her. He had a heart attack."

The world went dark. Yuugi felt like he could barely breathe as the information sank into his mind, curling tendrils around his heart. He was only vaguely aware of Jou and Yami fearfully calling his name as he struggled to understand and think the situation through. Had Tsuki hurt his grandfather in some way? Or was the attack a natural one? Sugoroku had been having heart trouble for some time, after all. His pills hadn't been working as well as they used to, and there had been a couple of times when Sugoroku had felt faint and needed to sit down after doing anything that required physical activity. So there was a chance that the attack hadn't been caused by Tsuki. But then again... he found himself thinking about Ryou's father and shuddered, feeling sick.

"Yuugi!" Someone was calling his name, shouting it really, and sounding extremely worried. Yuugi struggled to pull himself together and gradually became aware of the fact that he was now sitting on Yami's lap. One of Yami's arms was wound tightly around his shoulders, and the other had tipped his chin up so that he had no choice but to look up into Yami's face. The sight of the familiar crimson eyes, filled with concern, was almost enough to make the tears escape. He held them back just barely and, unnoticed by Yami or Jou, curled his fingers into the covers at Yami's midsection.

"Are you alright? Do you need something? Should I call the hospital?" Jou asked anxiously, fear written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I didn't want to have to tell you like that, but..."

"It's okay," he whispered, blinking and glancing away from Yami. "I was just... surprised. Have you heard anything, Jou? Is he...?" He couldn't quite bring himself to finish that sentence. Old terror swept over him and he felt his hands starting to shake. What would he do if his grandfather died? Sugoroku had been willing to take him in when no one else wanted him. Without him, Yuugi would probably have to go back to the orphanage until he turned eighteen. Why did the people around him always have to suffer?

"I haven't heard from Seto in a while, but I'll go call him," said the blond. He reached over and squeezed Yuugi's shoulder warmly. "Don't worry. I'm sure that he'll be fine. Jii-chan is one tough old guy."

Yuugi managed a smile. "I know," he said quietly. It was true, and he knew that his friend was just trying to make him feel better, but regardless of whether the attack was natural or caused by the duel monster, Sugoroku could still easily die. The thought made him feel dizzy, and without thinking, he rested his head against Yami's chest as Jou left the room. When he was sure they were alone, he couldn't stop himself from asking. "Do you think that Maiden of the Moonlight...?"

"I don't know. I've been wondering the same thing since Jou told me about your grandfather. She was gone by the time I got there, but I have no way of knowing how long she was with him. It never even occurred to me to check him for spells. I'm sorry, Little One." The guilt in Yami's voice made Yuugi wince.

"It's not your fault," he mumbled against the warm skin, blinking heavily. Belatedly, he realized that neither of them were dressed in anything more than their boxers. His cheeks began to heat up, but he tried hard not to react. The warmth of Yami's skin was enough to make the dreadful dizzy feeling go away. "Will he... be alright?"

Yami sighed. "I wish I could tell you that, but I can't. Go to sleep, Aibou. I'll wake you up when Jou comes back."

"Promise?" Yuugi finally allowed his eyes to slip closed as Yami's fingers began running through his hair, a soothing movement that had him on the cusp of sleep immediately. He wasn't awake long enough to hear Yami speak, but that didn't really matter. Some part of him already knew that what the older boy's answer would be.

GMA

As Yuugi's body relaxed against him to the point where he knew that his hikari was asleep again, Yami rested their combined weight against the pillows behind his back and cursed softly under his breath. He didn't want to admit to Yuugi that he was almost certain that Maiden of the Moonlight had something to do with Sugoroku's illness. His little partner was still rather sick. All night and day, his temperature had hovered in the low hundreds, and it spiked whenever Yami was away from him for any length of time. The spell had been banished, true, but Yuugi's weak mortal body was having a difficult time coping with the after effects, and any excessive stress could be enough to give him a serious setback.

But there hadn't been any way to avoid telling Yuugi about his grandfather. Frowning, he shifted the slender body in his arms, pulling Yuugi against him more securely so that Yuugi's head fit comfortably into the crook of his neck and shoulder. He would be damned if anyone or anything got within reach of Yuugi again, but the harming of Yuugi's friends and family wasn't something that he had thought to ward against... and he hated himself for that. Just because Maiden of the Moonlight or Dark Witch were unable to hate Yuugi or Ryou physically didn't mean they couldn't do so emotionally, and Yami didn't know how to protect his hikari against that. It made him feel helpless, and he hated that more than anything.

"Pegasus will pay for this, Yuugi, I swear it," he whispered, the eye of Ra gleaming briefly on his forehead. The shadows danced around him for a split second, stroking Yami's skin before they were banished by a weak pulse of Yuugi's light as his hikari groaned and cuddled even closer. Yami smiled grimly and brushed a kiss over Yuugi's forehead in response, picturing the shadow game that he would invite Pegasus to play. Oh yes. Revenge would be theirs... and it would be fun.

Oh my... is that some of season zero Yami peeking through? Heehee. Please review!