***Anyone else excited that they turned Annabelle into a movie? I need to go see that when it comes out Oct 3rd.***

Ryo dashed down the hall, turning through the maze-like corridors in order to lose Kek. The lights flickered above him as Kek's spiritual energy interfered with the electricity. Ryo's lungs burned as he pushed forward for all his adrenaline was worth. Behind him, Kek growled and cursed. Ryo's side stitched up and sharp pain bit below his ribs. He saw a vending machine and hid between that and a large trash can to catch his breath.

Even breathing through his mouth, Ryo couldn't prevent the wheezing sounds he made as he gasped for air. He prayed Kek would pass him by without seeing him. He prayed to Ra and Osiris, and to Kannon, and to nameless angels, and to the spirits of his mother and sister. Mostly, he prayed to his sister. In life, Amane was a ball of laughter that was the closest thing Ryo ever came to seeing a real angel, but if dark spirits and darker gods existed in the word, there was no reason Ryo couldn't believe that Amane watched over him as well.

A shadow covered Ryo and he curled into a smaller ball. It didn't help. He felt Kek grab his shirt and slam him against the wall.

"You're wrong," Kek growled into Ryo's face, "I win. I win. I win."

"Does that make me it?" Ryo coughed as his feet kicked the air.

"Nice try, and maybe that would have worked – if you didn't hurt me with that salt water." Kek drew his face closer to Ryo, a horrifying idol of anger and bronze. "Do you have any idea how much that salt burned? You will. I'll hurt you back."

"I'm sorry," Ryo said, and he meant it. He didn't want to hurt Kek, only save Marik.

"That doesn't make it hurt less!" He dropped Ryo to the ground and pressed his thumbs into Ryo's windpipe.

Ryo grabbed Kek's hands and thrashed, driven by survival instinct as pain filled his lungs instead of air. Kek's face hovered two centimeters apart from Ryo's as he throttled Ryo. Ryo fought the black darkening his vision.

Something.

Something.

Anything.

He needed to do something or die in a hallway beside a trashcan. Ryo tasted salt in his mouth. He reached a hand out and grabbed Kek's hair to pull their faces together. He pressed his mouth against Kek's mouth, feeling an agonizing heat as the salt clinging to Ryo's lips burned Kek's lips.

Kek cried out and jerked away. Ryo curled into a fetal pose and held his throat as he struggled to catch his breath. Through tear-blurred eyes he watched as Kek paced back and forth, holding his mouth as his own tears filled his purple eyes. He stopped and looked at Ryo, more miserable than angry. "That hurt, you bastard!"

"So does my throat." Ryo's voice sounded bruised as he spoke.

"But I was only going to kill you. I didn't kiss you. I didn't make a kiss hurt." He started pacing again, speaking behind his hand. "Even I dream of being kissed for the first time, and you made it hurt. It should have been good, but it was awful just like everything else." Kek punched the drink machine beside Ryo. The sound of metal bending shocked the entire hallway. Cans of soda and coffee spit out of the machine and rolled to the floor.

"You of all people should know what's it's like to be cornered and want to survive." Ryo pushed himself onto his knees. He felt horrible. Kek tried to kill him, but Ryo felt like he was the asshole because of the unfallen tears lingering in the corners of Kek's eyes.

"I do understand!" Kek marched to the other end of the hall, away from Ryo. "It's just that . . ." He held his stomach, pain ripping his expression apart. "I wanted to pretend I was human during my first kiss. In the Shadows you're always drowning, drowning in cold, drowning in black, drowning and drowning and drowning. I wanted to take one nice thing back with me before I had to drown again." He crashed against the wall and slid to the floor, hands still digging into his gut. "Everything hurts. Send me back. I'd rather drown than feel this kind of pain."

"I'm sorry." Ryo pushed the tears off of his cheeks as he cried for Kek. "I'm sorry."

Burdened by their own weight, the tears finally splashed down Kek's copper cheeks. "It's my fault for strangling you."

Ryo crawled towards Kek, grabbing a can of coffee as he inched his way across the hall. He opened the can and offered it to Kek. "Here. Drink some of it."

Kek shook his head.

"It will wash the salt from your mouth."

"Forget it. Just send me back."

Ryo poured some of the drink over his index and mid fingers. He reached out towards Kek.

Kek flinched.

"I'm done hurting you. I promise," Ryo whispered as he dabbed his fingers over Kek's lips.

Kek sighed, parting his lips so Ryo could paint them with coffee.

"Does that feel better?"

Kek nodded, unable to speak with Ryo's fingers touching his mouth. He flicked out his tongue, licking his lips clean and then pulling Ryo's fingers in his mouth to suck on them.

"Oh." Ryo gasped as he watched Kek's mouth.

Kek stared at Ryo as he sucked on Ryo's fingers. His eyes flickered with the overhead lights.

"Tastes good," Kek said.

Ryo felt his face flush as he continued to watch. He'd never seen anything so attractive before.

Kek pulled his mouth away. "I saw your picture on the dresser. I decided if I found you, I would kiss you before you had a chance to banish me."

Ryo blinked. "Why would you want to kiss me?"

"You're cute when that fucking thief isn't messing up your face."

Ryo couldn't help but smile at the insult/complement combo.

"I thought it'd be nice . . . to kiss you in front of the window. I'd close my eyes, and pretend it was any other day, and pretend I was real and not an echo drowning in darkness." He snorted. "I'm such a fucking idiot."

"I . . . never . . . expected . . ."

Kek snorted again. "That evil spirits ever thought of trivial things?"

Ryo brushed his fingers along Kek's cheek. "I don't think it's trivial at all."

"It wouldn't have worked, anyway. You had the saltwater in your mouth the whole time."

Ryo touched his own lips, feeling guilty again for ruining Kek's first kiss.

Kek grabbed Ryo's hand and pulled it away from his lips. "Stop looking like you feel bad."

"I do feel bad."

"You did what you did to survive. I would have done the same."

"Still, I wish it could have gone differently."

"Yeah . . ." Kek stared at Ryo's hand, still clutched in his own.

Ryo drank the rest of the coffee in his other hand. He licked his lips until the taste of salt vanished and swished the drink in his mouth to guarantee that coffee instead of salt remained. Ryo moved closer to Kek's face, stopping three centimeters away. "Do you still want a kiss?"

"What?" Kek sounded out of breath as he asked the question.

"I washed the salt out of my mouth."

Kek growled and looked away. "I don't want your pity. Fucking banish me already."

"No." Ryo shook his head. "It's not pity. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun – except the part where I thought I was going to die. I hated that, but playing hide and seek was fun." Ryo blushed. "It was kinda like a blind date."

Kek laughed. "You're crazier than me."

Ryo smiled.

Kek's laughter got lost in his throat as he looked up at Ryo's smile. He closed his eyes.

Ryo tested his lips against Kek's. "Did that hurt?"

"No."

He traced Kek's bottom lip with his tongue. "That?"

"No."

"Good. I wanted to make sure."

He sank his lips into Kek's. Their mouths tasted like sugar and coffee and Ryo drank in the sensation on his tongue. They pulled apart, gasping and then clashing back together, but they kept their lips soft against one another's, timid, exploring the way their mouths worked together.

"Yes," Kek moaned in Ryo's mouth in between rounds of kisses. "Yes. Like that."

Kek's words made Ryo's jaw tremble. "Mmmm, Kek."

He pulled at Kek's lips, occasionally breaking to kiss Kek's nose, or cheek, or temple.

"Like that. Kiss me like that, Ryo."

Ryo'd been on many dates and kissed many mouths, boys and girls alike, but nothing compared to that moment. Never had he felt a desperate, throbbing need to kiss or be kissed. They kissed better than most people made love, though Ryo had no experience beyond kissing. He never cared enough to go beyond kissing, but a raw, searing, desire raked through him at that moment. He tugged at Kek's shirt, forcing himself to keep control and not remove Kek's clothes or lay him down in the hallway then and there. Soon, other tenets would walk down the hall on their way to work, but Ryo couldn't stop sucking on Kek's sweet, thick lips.

A small whine rose up from Kek's throat. Ryo thought it was a wanting sound at first, but Kek pulled away and held his belly. "My stomach hurts again."

"Again?" Ryo shook his head, trying to restore order and reason to his thoughts.

"Earlier it hurt down here." Kek touched below his belt-line. "Now it hurts here." He rested his other hand above the first.

"You shouldn't hurt . . ." Ryo lifted up Kek's shirt. "You're bleeding. How are you bleeding?" He pulled the shirt up higher. Most of the thread was harmless thread in cloth, but the lowest segment, from his navel down, was stitching holding together a bleeding gash. "We have to get you back to my apartment."

Ryo stood up and slung Kek's arm around his shoulder. "I need to clean the wound and seal it up better."

"Is it from the salt?"

"No. It shouldn't be from that. I . . ." Ryo thought a moment as they neared his apartment. "I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure you're partly alive."

"Is that even possible?"

"Apparently it's possible. You should be filled with rice, but you're bleeding, so . . ."

"If I become human, does that mean I get to stay here? Out of the Shadows?"

Ryo sighed. "Honestly, I wouldn't know how to send you back even if I wanted to. You interrupted the closing ritual when you knocked the water out of my hand."

They stepped back into the apartment. Ryo couldn't see Marik or Bakura anywhere. "Hey Bakura? Marik?" Ryo called, but only the whir of the air conditioner responded. "They're probably looking for me." He sighed and lead Kek to the bathroom.

The tub sat filled with cold water. The drip . . . drip . . . drip . . . interrupted the quiet of the room. Ryo stripped Kek's shirt from his waist and found the first aid kit. He started cleaning the cut at the navel and traveled down. Ryo averted his eyes for a moment. "I, uh, need to clean a little lower. Could you unbutton your pants?"

Kek looked oddly bashful. "You." He cleared his throat. "Didn't give me underwear."

"Sorry. I've never had to think that far through before."

"Just warning you." Kek undid his pants and lowered them part-way.

Ryo noticed the tuff of hair peeking out from Kek's pants, as gold and wiry as the hair on his head, but Ryo forced his attention on cleaning the wound. "I'm going to have to stitch it better. I'm sorry, but this will hurt."

Kek snorted. "I don't mind pain. I just don't like it when I'm being kissed."

Ryo muttered another apology and Kek snorted it away from the conversation. Instead, Ryo worked on treating the gash with iodine and re-sowing the wound. Afterward, Ryo bandaged Kek's belly with gauze and medical tape. "Okay. Now it won't get infected. Stay here. I'll find something more comfortable for you to wear.

Ryo went into his room and found an over-sized t-shirt with his college initials, and a pair of boxer shorts too big for him. He went back into the bathroom and gave Kek the clothes. "These will work for tonight."

"Tonight?"

Ryo shrugged. "Well. I can't just kick you out in the street, so I guess you're spending the night."

He grinned, mischievous and wild. "You said this was like a blind date. Are we still on a date?"

Ryo's cheeks shifted from ivory to rose quartz. He paused for a moment before answering. "Why not? My life really can't get much crazier than it is at this moment. Why not make this an official date?"

"Good." Kek dropped the clothes and grabbed Ryo, dragging Ryo to him and kissing him again.

His pants still hung loose around his copper hips, fly down and showing the full length of the rectus abdominis muscle. Ryo moaned, planting his hands on Kek's shoulders to prevent them from wandering.

He allowed their mouths to linger for a moment before pulling away. "I can't just kiss you in a bathroom. That is not a date."

"But it is fun."

Ryo pursed his lips. "You better up your game if you want a second date."

Kek raised an eyebrow. "That's an option?" He leaned against the door frame with a sultry smirk on his face. "What about boyfriend negotiations?"

Ryo stared for a moment, noticing how all his muscles seemed to curve in a downward direction like a profane treasure map. The pink of Ryo's cheeks darkened to mauve and he turned his head. "Get a job and then we'll talk about going steady."

Kek pretended to pout, but the expression was more predatory than meek. "You're so mean."

"Change." Ryo went into his room and changed into his own pajamas.

The clock on his nightstand read 5:14 a.m. Ryo's eyes burned. He rubbed them and went to the living room. Kek sat down beside him, poking at the area of his belly where the cut ended and the thread began.

Ryo watched him. "Bakura said the doll's body dulled all his senses."

Kek nodded. "Yeah, but it's better now that I'm partly real."

"Huh, I wonder what else will make you more human?"

"More kissing."

Ryo raised a white eyebrow. "That seems a little too convenient."

"We won't know unless we try."

Ryo laughed. He bit his lip, pretending to think. "Well . . . for the sake of science and paranormal research."

Kek pushed Ryo down on the couch. Ryo giggled, making it hard for Kek to kiss him.

Kek frowned and brushed his fingers over Ryo's throat. "You're bruising."

Ryo nodded. "Because I'm so pale, bruises show up easily."

"I . . . I'm . . ."

Ryo smiled as he watched Kek try to figure out how to apologize. Ryo lifted his pinky finger into the air. "Let's make a pact."

"What?"

"Pinky swear, never to hurt each other again. No salt water, no choking, we play nice from now on."

Kek rolled his eyes, but he also hooked his finger with Ryo's and shook it. "This . . . is the first time I've ever regretted hurting someone." As soon as he said the words, he winced in pain. "That was quicker than I thought."

Ryo raised Kek's shirt and watched as two centimeters of thread melted into fresh-wounded skin. "That's . . . creepy – and awesome."

"It fucking hurts worse than when I got my scars." He panted until the fit passed him. "Fuck."

Ryo squeezed Kek's shoulder to offer support, unable to do anything else for him. "I think the more you feel human – experience different parts of humanity – the more you'll become a living person instead of a doll."

Kek shook his head. "How do I do that? Feel human?"

Ryo shrugged. "I don't know."

"How do you feel human?"

"I . . . just am. I've never thought about it."

Kek sighed in frustration. "Probably with kissing." He bent down and kissed the bruises on Ryo's throat. His lips as heavy as feathers on Ryo's skin.

Ryo giggled again. "I need to bandage the new segment."

"Just one more kiss."

Kek lied when he said one. His kisses traveled from Ryo's throat to his mouth again. They were only able to enjoy it for a minute before they heard Bakura screaming at them.

"What the fuck are you doing!"

At the sound of Bakura's voice, Ryo pushed Kek off of him and sat up school-boy straight. "Oh good, you're back. I was getting worried about you both."

"Worried about us? We thought you were dead!" Bakura continued to scream. "And then we find you here sucking face with the maniac we thought murdered you? What the dark, unholy fuck, Ryo?"

"Don't yell at him," Kek snapped at Bakura.

Bakura glared at Kek. "You get away from him."

"Fuck you, we're on a date."

"Like fuck you are. I said get away from Ryo right now."

"Bakura, stop it," Ryo said before Kek could retort.

"Ryo," Marik choked on the single word. He looked sick. Sweat glossed over his skin making it look like wet clay. "You can't – he's dangerous."

"Remember your dream about the darkness? Marik, you regretted sending him away and now – for better or worse – they're both back." Ryo looked at Bakura. "Right? You're not cloth and thread anymore, are you?"

Bakura raised his shirt to show Ryo the scabbed and bloody line running up his torso.

Ryo nodded.

"But . . ." Marik whispered, his eyes wide and feral and he glared at Kek. "He killed—"

"–he deserved what I did!" Kek screamed the words as if he'd held them in his throat for too many years.

"No. He was a victim of tradition."

"That's Ishizu talking and you know it! He wasn't a victim – he was crazy! He was going to kill us."

"He wouldn't!"

"Yes, he would!" Kek jumped over the back of the couch so he could stand in front of Marik.

Bakura stood in the way again, but Kek didn't attack, only stared at them.

Marik ground his teeth, his jaw tight. "I hate you!"

"You hate him! You hate our father! Goddammit, Marik remember what happened! I'm tired of carrying it by myself. It's your memory as much as mine."

Ryo curled on the couch and hugged a throw cushion to his chest as the other two fought. Bakura stood with clenched fists, ready to protect Marik and fight Kek if he charged.

Marik curled his fingers into his palms. "I've already heard what happened."

"You heard it from Ishizu. She remembers what she wants to. You need to remember for yourself."

Marik turned away, shaking his head. "No, no, I can't remember."

"We went outside."

"Shut up! You're not even real. Go back to the Shadows where I sent you."

"When you went back underground, you couldn't find Rishid."

"I said shut up!"

"And when you did he was covered in blood."

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

"And father held a knife!" Kek screamed louder so Marik couldn't drown out his voice.

Marik sunk to his knees, crushing his eyes shut and shaking his head to deny everything.

"He said he was going to teach us a lesson. He was going to cut us again!"

Marik covered his mouth with the palm and screamed into his hand. Sobs wracked his chest. "So I got the Rod and cut him instead! I gave him a blood ritual like mine. I hurt him to get him back for all the times he hurt me!"

Kek dropped to his knees as well, a mirrored image of Marik from the clenched fists to the tears raining down his cheeks. "Yes. We hurt him because he hurt us, and he deserved it."

"No." Marik punched the carpet. "He didn't. It was wrong."

"It was wrong." Kek echoed. "It was wrong for father to have a knife. We were a child, and he was grown. He was suppose to protect us, not hurt us."

Marik sobbed harder, dropping his face into the carpet. Bakura reached down, but Marik smacked his hand away. Ryo smeared his tears into his pillow and stood up. He grabbed Bakura's hand and pulled him to the bathroom to give Marik and Kek a moment alone.

"Christ," Bakura muttered once they had the bathroom door shut.

Ryo dried his tears again on a towel. He went to the bathtub and pulled the plug, drying his hands and eyes a third time, before he opened the first aid kit.

Bakura took off his shirt, rinsing a wash cloth and cleaning the dried blood from his skin. "Your neck is bruised."

"Can I pass them off as hickeys?" Ryo attempted to tease, but there was no joy in his face.

"Some of your idiot friends would fall for that, but I know fingerprints when I see them."

Ryo sighed as he stitched Bakura's skin tighter. The line barely dipped below Bakura's navel, so Ryo didn't have to have Bakura unbutton his pants.

"You heard him. He stabbed his father because his father stabbed him first. That's how Marik made his alter-ego to be. When he was still a doll, he was still in that mode, so when I spit the saltwater on him, he reacted by reflecting that pain back on me. It was a reflex more than a choice."

"How'd you make him stop?"

Ryo gave Bakura another sad smile. "I kissed him. The salt was still on my lips so I knew it'd hurt. I can tell by the burns on your lips that you know how much it hurt." Ryo shook his head. "It worked, he let go, but afterward he was so sad. I've never felt so bad for doing something before in my life, Bakura."

"I still don't understand how that turned into you two making out on the couch. I mean, I know you said you didn't want a nice guy, but sweet, resurrected Osiris, Ryo, Marik's alter ego?"

"His name's Kek now. He's not an alter ego anymore, more like Marik's twin."

"Are you dodging the question?"

Ryo looked up at Bakura, almost done stitching Bakura's chest. "He's funny."

"Yes. I'm sure you laughed your ass off when he gave you those bruises."

"That was before he could bleed. He wouldn't hurt me now. It's not like some abusive boyfriend that apologizes and then hits you again a week later. He's gone through a metaphysical change, Bakura. He's chosen to become human – not a shadow, not a repressed bit of damaged psyche – a person."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. A peevish look twisted his features. "Would you bet your life on that? Because if you don't find a way to send him back to the Shadow Realm, that's exactly what you'll be doing."

"Then that's exactly what I'll be doing because neither you nor him are going back to those horrible Shadows ever again."