Meanwhile, the pale yami slowly opened the door to find his hikari lying in a bed, talking politely to a baffled nurse.

Bakura's stomach dropped. Ryou wasn't speaking Japanese, but English.

The smaller boy perked up when he saw the new visitor. "Oh! Hello! Um, who are you? Are we related?"

And he didn't recognize Bakura at all.

The translator finally stepped into the room and quickly explained. "This is your brother- he came with us in the ambulance. He's been quite worried."

"Oh, so you're my brother!" Ryou smiled sweetly. "I'm very glad you're here- I'm afraid I can't seem to remember where I live."

"You live with me in a house near downtown Domino." Thank Ra Bakura had learned English through his hikari's mind years ago.

Hardly an hour passed before the boy was cleared to head home with his 'brother.' Bakura asked some questions on behalf of the physicians, but Ryou could barely answer half of them. The doctor eventually gave out some last-minute instructions, which the Guest Services Interpreter quickly translated for Ryou.

"There's nothing else wrong- the burns should heal in a matter of days; just keep applying the cream whenever you change the bandages (I recommend twice a day). Otherwise just be sure that you note anything odd- muscle tremors, skin discoloration, etc."

Ryou nodded politely and thanked the staff members who had treated him. Malik left shortly after being told about the 12-hour rule, so Bakura managed to hail a cab for the pair. The ride home was rather quiet. Bakura watched as his amnesiatic hikari peered out the cab windows. Ryou was clearly trying to recognize the buildings passing by. Judging by the look on his face, it wasn't going too well. Bakura remained silent, lost within his own thoughts.

The yellow vehicle slowed to a stop in front of the Bakura household. The modest, split-level ranch was painted an attractive off-white with blue accents. It wasn't anything spectacular, but the amnesiac boy seemed impressed nonetheless.

"Oh, this is a very nice house!" Ryou looked around in earnest approval as they stepped inside. "Do we have any pets?"

"Er, no; not really." Bakura thought about mentioning Marik and Malik, but sighed when he realized the joke would just go over his hikari's head.

"RYOU!"

'Speak of the devil...'

Ryou flinched at the loud cry, and stared as a tanned boy around his age flew into the living room.

Malik stopped when he saw the confused boy's expression. "Ryou? Are you awake? Ryou, hellooo?"

Ryou blinked. There it was again- that strange language that nearly everyone seemed to be speaking.

The polite hikari only blinked. "I'm sorry, but I can't quite understand you- do you speak English?"

Malik looked horrified. "He's forgotten how to talk?!"

Bakura groaned. "No, he's forgotten Japanese. He's speaking English just fine."

"NOOOOO!" Malik ran and grabbed onto a rather shocked Ryou. "But how will we still be friends?! How will I share my embarrassing stories and photos of Bakura with youuuuu?!"

"WHAT!?"

Ryou looked very nervous as the bronzed Egyptian clung to his shirt. "Um, I'm sorry, but could you maybe not hang onto me?"

But the darker boy paid him no mind, leaving the exasperated yami to butt in. "Malik, don't grab him like that. You're freaking him out!"

"But- but what am I supposed to do?! We can't even talk to each other!"

Bakura groaned, but Ryou looked uneasy. He stared at the wailing stranger and asked Bakura what he'd said. The other alabaster duelist repeated the question in English.

Ryou paused for a moment, and then grinned. "I know! Do we have a computer?"

Bakura reluctantly led the two hikari's to Ryou's room and pointed out his laptop. Ryou quickly booted it up (he couldn't remember his password, but Malik did- much to Bakura's unease).

The computer's real owner quickly opened up a browser and brought up a website.

"Ah-hah!" Ryou smiled and pointed to the screen. "See? I did a quick search and found this free translator website- you can write something in this box, select another language, and the same message appears in this box, already translated!"

Malik watched as Ryou typed something. It was soon translated into (rough) Japanese. 'I am Ryou Bakura. What are your name?'

Malik looked ecstatic. "Oh this is friggin' sweet! My name's Malik, and I'm a friend of your's and Bakura's!"

But the amnesiac boy only tilted his head in confusion.

Bakura struggled not to hit his forehead (Malik's, of course; not his own). "Malik, he still can't bloody understand you."

"Oh, right. Ok, Ryou, scoot your pasty butt over!"

Ryou squeaked as the blonde nearly shoved him aside so he could type a response.

'My name is Malik. I am a good friends of yours. I am also friends with a*s-face over there.'

At first Ryou thought it was a mistranslation, but judging by his brother's response, it wasn't.

"Malik!" Bakura started yelling something in that other language. It didn't take a translator to guess the nature of the rant.

Eventually Bakura calmed down, and Ryou asked a long series of basic questions- how old am I, what year am I in school, etc. Bakura helped with some of the more difficult ones, but soon lost interest as the conversation turned dull. He jogged downstairs for some kind of snack (preferably something that had once been alive).

Meanwhile, the two hikari's were communicating back and forth at a good clip. Ryou was feeling better, getting so many positive answers from Malik. But half an hour later, the patient asked one of the most complicated questions possible.

'So Malik is my friend- and Bakura is my full brother, yes?'

Malik shook his head as he typed. 'Actually, Bakura is much, much more." He motioned to his heart.

Bakura had the unfortunate timing of walking in just as Malik finished this sentence.

Ryou's eyes opened wider than anyone would think possible. He only took a second's pause before he started screaming.

Malik rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Even to the Egyptian drama queen- er, king- this seemed like a rather extreme response to finding out that one was gay.

But apparently that wasn't the main calamity.

"I'm dating my brother?!" Ryou wailed in anguish.

"Malik!" The tanned blonde could practically see the steam coming off Bakura's enraged face. "What the bloody hell did you tell him?!"

"I'm a pervert!" The distressed patient wailed.

Bakura decided to murder Malik later. Instead he knelt down next to his hikari and addressed him patiently in English.

"Ryou- Ryou, stop it. Calm down." The pale boy let off lamenting for a moment. "I'm not your brother. I just told the doctors that so I could follow you to the hospital. And I'm not your boyfriend."

"Oh." Ryou wiped his eyes with his hands. "Then- who are you?"

"I'm... basically your roommate. We're distant relatives and we've lived together for a long time. Your father is often away for his work, so he arranged for me to stay with you."

"Oh...ok!" Two chocolate-tinted eyes blinked in relief. "So, we're friends, right?"

"Erm... yes, I suppose so."

Ryou smiled and grabbed Bakura's shoulders. Before the older duelist could react, he found himself being squished in an excited hug.

"Oh, I'm so happy to know I have friends! I was worried when Malik said I used to live alone!"

Bakura flushed nervously. "Erm, yes; *eh-hem* well, you have plenty of friends." He made an awkward motion to the blonde, who quickly stood up. Bakura mouthed the word 'photo' to the other Egyptian.

Malik walked over to Ryou's bedside table and picked up a handsomely framed photo. "Here, Ryou; these are the rest of the 'group members.' We hang out a lot, although usually it's just a few of us; depending on who's busy."

Bakura quickly translated the speech. Ryou let go of his no-longer-brother and gave the blonde a brief hug of gratitude before taking the silver picture frame from him.

"Oh my, we make a pretty big group, don't we?" Soft, brown eyes scanned the faces in the frame, but after a minute they stopped. Ryou's shoulders sagged and he looked despondent.

"I don't recognize any of them..."

Malik quickly jumped in before the British teen could start crying again.

"Don't worry! I've got the dirt on everyone!" Bakura reluctantly continued his unofficial job as 'communications mediator'. Malik quickly pointed at the shortest person in the photo- a boy with wild, multi-colored hair.

"That's Yugi- he's been your friend for ages."

The pale yami repeated the statement in English.

Ryou smiled at the photo. "He's very cute."

Bakura nearly passed out in shock. "WHAT?!"

Ryou was surprised at the reaction. "What? He's really cute! His hair looks like a rainbow starfish and his face is like a little panda bear!"

Bakura and Malik both blinked.

"How old is he, anyway? His father looks to be in his late twenties- is he under 10?"

Ryou was beginning to seriously worry that his no-longer-brother might be bi-polar.

"The Pharaoh's little brat- ha! His father! Hahhahhah!" He wiped a giddy tear from his crimson eye and snickered. "That little runt's the same age as you."

Ryou stared at the picture again. "Really?! Wow, he's quite short, isn't he?"

Bakura's howls were reaching deafening levels.

Ryou decided to change the subject and pointed to the older star-headed boy. "So, who is that person?"

Bakura opened his mouth but Malik quickly spoke up first. "That's Yami- his real name is Atemu but no one calls him that. Yugi does call him 'mou hitori no boku,' though."

Bakura growled- it was bad enough he had to translate everything; now Malik was cutting him off?

But he did so anyway- for his hikari's sake.

Ryou tilted his head with wide eyes. "That's an odd nickname... are they brothers?"

Malik smirked. "You'd think, wouldn't you? But no, they're not related either. They're just really close." Malik snickered, but Bakura repeated the sentence in such a dull manner that Ryou didn't get the joke.

"Anyway," the bronzed boy pointed to a tall, thin boy, "that's Jounouchi- he was born in America. A lot of people call him 'Jou'. He's a bit of a loud goof-off. He's also best friends with Yugi and Honda."

"I see..."

Malik began explaining who the blonde was- with plenty of gossip on the side. The elder of the white-haired pair was getting annoyed with the heavy dialogue, and told Malik to use the computer again. The blonde stuck his tongue out, but eventually obeyed, typing everything.

"And who's that girl?" Ryou typed after he pointed to the perky brunette.

The tomb robber glanced over Ryou's shoulder to read the screen. He let out a derisive snort as he commented in Japanese.

"That's an annoying b****."

"Bakura!" Malik frowned at the former spirit (although Ryou hadn't understood) before typing a translation. "Don't listen to him, Ryou- Anzu is very nice. She just has a tendency to... ramble on, I guess."

"Oh... so she's spirited?"

Malik rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, she's passionate about dancing and her friends. But some people," he paused his writing to glare pointedly at the older Egyptian, "hate her for being a friendly, positive person; and not a grumpy-*ss loser that nobody wants to be around."

Bakura flipped the bronzed teen the bird, but Ryou was still focused on the picture.

Malik hoped this meant he recognized her face. "Do you remember anything about her? She used to help you with your math homework sometimes."

Ryou shook his head as he read the translation. "No, but I wish I did- she sounds kind." He glanced back at the lanky blonde in the photo. "And did... Jounouchi, right? Did he help me with my homework as well?"

This time it was Malik's turn to laugh. "Good Ra- NO; no, he did not. Thank the gods."

"Ah." Even with Bakura's dull tone, Ryou understood. "And what about the guy next to him?"

"That's Honda- he's- er, when- um..." Malik sweatdropped and shrugged. "Ok, I admit it, I don't know anything about Honda."

"He's almost like a background character." Bakura mused.

"Like a what?" Malik frowned in obliviousness.

"Never mind."

Ryou pointed to the man hiding way in the back of the group.

"And that really tall guy?"

Malik snorted. "That's Kaiba- the infamous Seto Kaiba. He's an extremely wealthy businessman who took over his father's company when he was younger."

"Wow," Ryou stared in surprise, "but, isn't he our age?"

The younger Egyptian nodded. "Yep- he and his little brother were adopted by one of the most powerful businessmen in all of Japan. The man trained Seto to be a ruthless corporate executive. And now Seto runs the 'Kaiba Corporation,' or 'KaibaCorp' as most people call it."

"Huh... that's very strange. What about his brother?"

"You mean Mokuba Kaiba? He's still in grade school, but he's pretty cool. He's a lot friendlier than his brother. But he's younger, so he doesn't hang out with us a lot. He's not in this picture."

Ryou sighed sadly. "They sound so nice (well, perhaps not the tall guy so much,) yet I don't remember them at all. I feel like such a bad friend."

Malik frowned and kindly clapped the other hikari on the back. "You're not a bad friend- heck, you're a great friend! Besides, you'll start remembering everything soon- just give it time! It'll all come back!"

Bakura vocally translated the reassurance, and Ryou gave a weak smile. But Bakura could sense the subtle despair hiding within both the tomb keeper's tone and Ryou's expression.

All three duelists were silently thinking the same thing: 'I hope.'