*Speaking of Naruto (Ryo mentions it in this chapter) it's crazy that it's almost over. I need to catch up. I'm all kinds of behind.

Stupid blueberries (again, relevant to events in the chapter). I literally sat in front of my computer, eating blueberries and trying to think of what they'd taste like to Kek. Blueberries taste suspiciously like blueberries, so this was harder than I thought it'd be to describe their flavor through the eyes of someone who's never had them before.***

They walked down the street holding hands. Ryo stared at his shoes. He couldn't look at Kek for more than a moment at a time, not in his new clothes, and not with his eyes lined dark as sin. The black made the plum of his eyes glow and Ryo thought back to all the legends he read about men wandering too deep in the woods, finding a fairy grotto, and never returning. Those fairies must have had violet eyes. Their eyes must have glowed the way Kek's eyes glowed, bright as magic, strong as the creation of all things.

It hurt not to grab Kek's face and pull their mouths together. Seeing Marik and Bakura in the hallway didn't help. It only served as a reminder of Ryo's own hallway excursion and how much he longed to repeat it.

"Where are we going?" Ryo asked his shoes.

"I don't know. You live here. Where is there to go?"

"Are you hungry?"

Kek thought about it and nodded his head.

"Want ramen? There's a pretty good place close by."

Kek shrugged. "I can only half-taste food, so pick whatever you'd like."

Ryo frowned. "I forget. You look alive . . ." Ryo looked away. "You look really good."

He grinned and licked his lips before he returned the complement. "You do, too."

Ryo toyed with his hair. "Of course I do. You picked out the outfit. There's the ramen place."

They sat down and ordered two specials. The broth tasted perfect and Ryo hummed a bit as he ate, until he noticed Kek watching him and he stopped, feeling embarrassed.

"Don't stop," Kek whispered.

"I try not to do that in public, but I forget sometimes. It's a bad habit I never grew out of as a child."

"I like it."

Ryo felt his face flush. "I'm sorry you can't taste the noodles."

"I can somewhat – more than the fried rice."

"When you're completely human, we'll celebrate with a feast. Sushi, sashimi, ichigo daifuku." Ryo laughed. "We'll see how much wasabi you can handle without making a face."

Kek snorted. "What? Because I'm not Japanese, you think I can't handle a little horseradish? You wait. I'll show you."

Ryo stirred the remaining soup in his bowl. He plucked the last piece of naruto from the broth with his chopsticks. "Naruto always reminds me of the cartoon."

"what cartoon?"

Ryo looked at Kek. "Yeah, I guess Marik didn't watch a lot of t.v. when you shared a mind, did he?"

Kek rolled his eyes. "The news."

"Well that settles it." Ryo popped the pinwheel in his mouth. "Naruto marathon for us. You can watch the original episodes while I study for finals."

"It won't bother you?"

"Nah, the background noise will help me study. Besides, I think you'll like it. I mean, I know you're not keen on friendship-this and friendship-that, but the characters go through a lot of pain, too. I think you'll identify with some of them."

They finished their soup and went back out on the streets. A breeze blew maple leaves into their hair. Ryo helped fish one out of Kek's nest of spikes. Kek grabbed Ryo's shoulders. "You're shaking a little."

"It's kinda cold. We should have brought jackets."

Kek pulled Ryo close to his chest. Ryo sighed and a wave of heat seeped through their clothes and into Ryo's body. "You're like a radiator. You weren't this warm last night."

"Can we get another can of coffee on the way home?"

Ryou smiled, pulling away from the embrace so they could walk again. "Yeah. I'll need it during the next few weeks. We can stock up."

"Good, I like coffee . . . I can taste it."

"Because it's so strong?"

"I think because it was off your lips."

Ryo flushed at the memory again. Kek's theory made sense. Technically, he was a spirit and didn't have senses, at least until he body finished converting from doll to flesh; however, since Ryo summoned him from the Shadow Realm, they were connected. Which gave him an idea. They stopped by the first market they saw. Ryo grabbed several packs of canned espresso, but he also bought a chocolate bar and pint of blueberries as well.

"Are you still hungry?" Kek asked.

Ryo bit his bottom lip to avoid laughing. "I want dessert."

Kek took the bags and carried them for Ryo. When they got back to Ryo's apartment, Ryo washed the blueberries and dried them. Next, he arranged them on a plate with pieces of chocolate. He grabbed the coffee and went into the living room. Kek sat on the couch with his hands on his knees. He gave Ryo a look that screamed kiss me, but Ryo wanted to toy with him before he succumbed to those heart-stopping eyes.

Ryo sat on the carpet with crossed legs. He patted the floor in front of him. "Come and sit here."

Kek's face fell. "Okay."

Ryo placed the food between them, looking up at Kek with a smile. "Close your eyes."

Kek scowled. "Why?"

"We're going to play a game."

He tried to hold back his pout, but Kek's face was too expressive to hide his disappointment. "Weren't you tired? Let's sit on the couch instead."

Ryo smirked. "Trust me. You'll like this game."

Kek suppressed a low growl and closed his eyes.

Ryo scooted closer. "Open your mouth."

Kek chuckled, and pressed his lips shut in order to be difficult. Ryo brushed the tip of his thumb against the corner of Kek's mouth. The light touched made Kek take a sharp inhale of breath, which parted his lips. Ryo slipped a blueberry in Kek's mouth. Kek tried to catch Ryo's fingers with his lips but wasn't fast enough.

"What does it taste like?"

"Kinda tart?"

"I'll give you another one." Ryo set the blueberry directly on Kek's tongue and allowed his fingers to linger for a moment instead of pulling them back.

Kek closed his lips around Ryo's fingers. A little moan escaped his mouth, muffled by Ryo's fingers. Ryo pulled them away slowly. "What does it taste like?"

"Like nighttime."

Ryo tilted his head. "Nighttime?"

"It's a dark, sweet taste, but also tart which is bright like the stars, and it tastes expansive like the sky."

Ryo popped a few blueberries into his own mouth, wanting to taste them as Kek described them. "You know, I don't think I've ever put that much thought into a taste before."

"Can I have another one?"

Ryo nodded and fed him another berry. Kek grinned and returned the favor, teasing the blue-violet fruit against Ryo's lips before tucking it into his mouth. They didn't sit across from each other for more than three minutes. Each time they fed each other, Ryo or Kek would scoot closer until Ryo climbed into Kek's lap.

"Why do you make everything taste and feel real?" Kek looked dazed. He kept bringing his lips close to Ryo's only to be defeated by another blueberry pressed into his mouth.

"I think I'm acting as a bridge from your senses to the real world."

"Why you?"

"Because I summoned you." Ryo placed his hand on Kek's belly. "Some of my nail clippings were inside the doll, so we have a physical connection as well as a magical one."

They exchanged simultaneous glances at each other, but Kek spoke their thoughts out loud first. "What if I like you because . . ."

"Only because I was the one to summon you?"

"Yeah." Kek nodded. "I . . . don't want that to be the reason."

Ryo shook his head. "I don't know how to answer that. Marik and Bakura wanted to be together before they played, but only you can decide why you like me."

"What if that's the only reason you're not afraid of me?"

Ryo shook his head. "No, I would like you regardless."

"How can you be so sure?"

Ryo toyed with the ends of his hair. The scent of incense clung to everything in the apartment, and Ryo took a deep breath of the woody, smoky aroma. "I don't have to smile around you. I always feel like everyone expects me to smile. They banished Bakura and that was suppose to make me happy, but they never asked how I felt about it. Also, nothing scares you. I love creepy things so much, but everyone always wrinkles their face at the movies I like, or the Duel Monster cards I pick, because I'm nice they expect me to surround myself with cheerful, happy things – weak, fluffy things – only, that's not what I like." Ryo looked away. "And you're gorgeous, so of course I'd find you attractive."

Kek leaned his head against Ryo's shoulder. His fingers trembled, but that didn't stop him from combing them through Ryo's hair. "I don't know yet." He hid in Ryo's chest. "But I don't want you to stop because I feel half-real without you."

Ryo sighed, reaching over and plucking a piece of chocolate from the plate. He put half in his mouth and leaned towards Kek to feed him the other half. Kek opened his mouth for the chocolate. Their lips touched and they kept them ghosting against each other as they sucked on the candy.

"What does it taste like?" Ryo asked once they'd finished.

"Like velvet."

"I like how you describe things." Ryo cinched his fingers into Kek's hair and kissed him hard, swirling his tongue into Kek's opened mouth. He pulled away, panting. "What do I taste like?"

Kek looked at Ryo. His lavender eyes looked lost. "Like the universe. Like everything I always wanted but couldn't have because it was outside and I was underground."

The words punched hooks into Ryo's heart. He kissed Kek again, his lips delicate and reverent against Kek's mouth. Kek moaned and gasped for air. Ryo dropped down to his neck and he called out.

"Ryo. Gods, Ryo. Kiss me right there."

Right there was the side of Kek's throat. Ryo felt a thin, weak thrum against his lips where Kek's pulse should be. He sucked Kek's golden-brown skin.

"Ryo, you kiss like blueberries taste."

Ryo groaned and pulled away. "You can't keep talking like that. I'll . . . I want to . . . you make me hurt."

"Here?" Kek pressed his palm to Ryo's heart.

Ryo blushed and looked away. "No. Not there."

Kek shook his head. "Then I don't understand."

Ryo didn't want to explain; however, since Kek was still trying to puzzle together life and the fundamental concepts of humanity, Ryo decided it'd be better to say what he meant instead of being vague.

He grabbed Kek's hand and pulled it down to his crotch. "Here."

"Oh." Kek's face turned rosy.

Ryo didn't realize someone as tanned as Kek could blush that well. Marik never did. Then again, Marik was better at masking his emotions where Kek's feelings always danced naked across his face. Kek started kneading Ryo's erection through his pants. Ryo called out in surprise and leaned against Kek's body. Kek kissed Ryo's throat, pressing a little harder into Ryo's pants. Ryo rocked into Kek's ministrations, near whining into Kek's ear.

"I need . . . to stop." Ryo gasped, even as he bucked against the palm of Kek's hand.

"No, don't stop," Kek said, "I want to touch you." He reached up for Ryo's belt buckle.

Ryo held his breath as he forced himself to stop moving. He grabbed Kek's hands before they could undo his belt buckle. "I need to stop."

"Why?" Kek looked confused at Ryo. "I want you to feel real, too."

Ryo blinked at Kek, fascinated by the way Kek used association to describe everything, as if to protest the disassociation that created him. "I . . ." He felt lost for words, Ryo was never good with words unless he could write them down. "I want to wait until you're more human."

Kek looked down. He looked sad. Ryo brushed his fingers across Kek's cheek and made him lift his face. "It's not that you're not good enough now. Trust me, nothing would make me happier than to drag you to bed right now, but . . . it wouldn't be fair to you. You need to feel like a complete person before we . . . get closer."

Kek nodded, looking contemplative. "Does that mean no more kissing?"

Ryo thought a moment. "It means we have to keep our clothes on and our hands above the waist."

Kek pushed Ryo to the carpet. "Good, because I'm not sure I have enough self restraint not to touch you at all."

Ryo shrieked as his back hit the floor. He laughed until Kek's mouth forced him to stop. Their fingers twined together as they made out on the carpet, the blueberries and chocolate forgotten and the coffee untasted. Ryo's groin hurt worse than before with unreleased pressure, but there was no way in hell he was stopping.

The t.v. turned on beside them, showing snow instead of a channel. Ryo wondered if one of them kicked the remote with their foot, but didn't pay much attention to it. He was more concerned with the warm, hard, weight of Kek's body resting heavy on Ryo's crotch, and the burn of their lips. Kek grabbed at Ryo's shirt, tugging at it, desperate to rip the barrier of cloth to shreds. Kek growled and started sucking on Ryo's throat.

Ryo threw his head back. He moaned, his face red and his hair spilling across the carpet.

"C-could you use your teeth?" he asked, feeling awkward. He'd never asked anyone to do something specific before.

Then again, he'd never wanted to be so fully entangled into another person's arms before, nor had he ever wanted to attack someone with affection before. A force drove him, violent and primal, but at the same time endearing. Ryo wanted sharp teeth and soft kisses, hard thrusts and tender caresses. He wanted everything and he wanted it all at once.

"I promised I wouldn't hurt you ever again."

"No, like this." Ryo demonstrated on Kek's collarbone. Kek cried out, his voice like wind chimes caught in a storm. He bit Ryo in return and Ryo purred, satisfied despite his other yearnings.

Something crashed in the kitchen. Ryo's heart, already racing, sped into overdrive. He and Kek jerked to their feet. A sharp glint, like a streetlight shining against a steal blade, flashed in Kek's eyes. It was a look that horrified Ryo when Kek had his hands around Ryo's throat, but he appreciated it now that the clock said midnight and someone may be in his kitchen.

A loud, rhythmic banging echoed from the kitchen to the living room. Wood striking wood, bang . . . bang . . . bang.

Ryo covered his ears to mute the noise.

"Stay here," Kek said.

"Like hell I am," Ryo muttered, following Kek towards the kitchen.

"At least stay back."

"Okay."

They stepped into the kitchen and stopped for a moment unsure of what they saw. The cupboards opened and slammed on their own. Bang . . .bang . . . bang . . . crash. Every plate, cup, and bowl slid out and shattered against the tiled floor. Ryo screamed at the noise, not really frightened, but unnerved.

"Ryo?" Kek asked.

"It didn't work."

"What didn't work?"

"Everything I did today. Shit. I should have known better. There's no way Marik and I could just pull you both from the Shadows without some kind of tear into the spirit plane."

"But, the rash I got? It had to have worked."

Ryo shook his head. "Remember when I sprayed you with salt water? It hurt, but it just pissed you off. Well . . ." Ryo gestured to the fragments of dishes scattered across his floor like chunks of hail. "I think whatever's here – is pissed off. Hopefully it's done for the night."

"What are you going to do?"

Ryo sighed. "Go to bed and deal with it in the morning. I can sweep up before school. I'll buy some stuff after classes. If it's just a poltergeist then I can deal with it."

Kek swallowed, looking more grave than normal. "What if it's something worse?"

Ryo gave his patent everything will be okay smile. "I'm an excellent White Wizard, don't worry about it." He stared at the floor. "Until then . . ." Ryo tip-toed across the kitchen and to the cupboard with his pantry staples. He grabbed a canister of salt and poured some into a sandwich bag. He went back to the other side of kitchen and handed the canister to Kek, keeping the bag. "Here."

"Why salt?"

"Salt is holy. Surround your bed before you go to sleep tonight – just to be safe. Don't forget to to use a sock or something to break the circle in the morning before you get out of bed. Otherwise it'll feel uncomfortable when you walk through the seal."

Kek frowned at the salt, but took it. "Knives are more fun."

"Knives won't do a damn thing against whatever is in the house."

"I like enemies that bleed."

Ryo shrugged and took Kek's hand. "Let me walk you 'home'. I want to end our date properly this time."

Kek grinned as Ryo led him to the hall. They stopped in front of Kek's bedroom door.

"Don't forget, all the way around the bed. Ghosts don't take up physical space, so a break of any size is all they need to mess with you in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, okay."

"Well . . . goodnight." Ryo stood on his tip-toes so he could reach Kek's lips.

Kek leaned against his door, sighing into the kiss. It melted into multiple kisses, until Ryo forced himself to pull away. "Goodnight," he said again.

"Goodnight." Kek slipped into his own room.