Well this was nearly 3000 words longer than I intended. Right on :D
btw, I know I'm a tad inconsistent when writing in Joey's accent, but it's hard to know the exact point where I've overdone it. I don't want to get so nit-picky that you have to stop and weed through what I'm trying to have him say. We all get what the accent sounds like anyway, so I just write it out how I hear it in my head. So sorry for any mismatches in the lettering.
Ch 7
…
Inside room 232, the nurse set aside her cart of equipment and turned on another light across the room. Making her way to the bed, she reached out and gently took hold of the patient's shoulder.
"Mr. Bakura?" she called softly.
It took another try before the pale face twitched in annoyance. She called his name again a little louder.
Bakura grumbled a little and blinked against the light. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you but you're due for another check."
He huffed with some fatigue, wondering why they couldn't figure out how to do these things without waking a man.
"Are you in pain at all?" She asked, recording information from the heart monitor beside him.
"A headache, that's all I can tell," he said, a little grumpy.
"Any nausea? Numbness in your back, anything like that?"
"I don't know. No." He said.
She took a few moments writing stuff down and comparing earlier stats from her board. "You've got some visitors outside," she said.
Bakura blinked a few times and turned to her, "What?"
"There's some young folks in the waiting room who asked to see you. I guess they're your schoolmates?"
"Did they give names?" He asked.
"No, actually they didn't. You're not obligated to see anyone if you're not feeling up to it."
"Never mind," Bakura said, "What do they look like?"
"Three boys and two girls. A tall brunette and a blonde with a funny accent of some sort. And a shorter boy with a really wild haircut -"
"That's who I thought." Bakura cut her off.
"Are they people you would want to see?" she asked.
"Yes, just…" Bakura tried to shift himself slightly on the bed. "Give me a few moments to wake up first."
"You'll have time. I'll need to finish up here before then-" her voice faded away as he went limp on the mattress.
Contrary to what he'd just said, he actually sank into unconsciousness and came upon his host's soul room once again. He found Ryou lying on his side on the floor, looking dismal as could be.
"It's time to wake up," Bakura said sternly. Ryou lifted his head and gave him a look.
"What?"
"Come on," Bakura said. "You're going back to your body now."
"I'm not," Ryou said flatly.
"You are and that's that."
"I don't want to," Ryou laid his head back down.
"That's too bad for you then. This isn't negotiable." He moved forward and took hold of Ryou's arm.
The British boy tried to pull away. "Leave me be."
"I will once you've woken up."
"Why?"
"Because I told you to, that's why!" Bakura growled. "Now hurry up."
"What's the point?" Ryou complained.
"There's people here to see you."
"What? Who?"
"Wake up and find out!" Bakura hauled his host to his feet.
"Why now all of a sudden?" Ryou demanded.
"The nurse is asking questions and you need to be aware of what's going on around you." Bakura said.
Ryou huffed in protest. "I told you I don't want this!"
"And I told you this isn't up for discussion," Bakura retorted. "One visit isn't going to kill you. Now wake up."
He gave Ryou a quick shove in the chest and the younger man toppled backward with yelp. Everything inside of him felt like it suddenly sank, and all at once his eyes shot open wide as a loud gasp rushed from his throat. He stared at the ceiling above his hospital bed; the beeping of his heart monitor spiked.
"What? What is it?" the nurse said, rushing to his side.
Ryou took a few breaths, trying to calm himself. "W-water?" he asked with a somewhat rough voice.
"Sure thing." She gathered the cup from his bedside table and went to the sink on the opposite wall to fill it with fresh water.
Ryou sighed, and brought his hand to his head. He flinched when he felt the cast against his skin. He hadn't been in his body since before they got here. He'd already forgotten how much had been done to him since.
The nurse pressed the switch that would raise the upper part of the bed a bit and held the cup to his lips while he drank. When he seemed satisfied she asked again, "What happened? Why did you look so alarmed?"
"I just -" Ryou tried to clear his throat. "I suddenly felt like the floor had fallen from under me. I'm alright now."
"Are you sure?"
Ryou nodded, "Yes, thank you."
She put the back of her hand to his forehead. Nothing seemed off, and the machine told her his pulse was slowing back to normal. "Alright then. But you gave me a real start there." She went and gathered materials off her cart. "That's never fun when you get that falling sensation, is it?"
Ryou gave a small shake of his head, but she didn't see it. He watched as she worked and talked him through the process of changing everything out. And he began to assess his situation first hand.
She continued asking questions and explaining his numbers to him, and her voice was soon overlapped by Bakura's from inside his mind.
"I took the worst of this for you," the spirit said. "The least you can do is make an honest attempt now."
…
"There's not a lot to choose from, is there?" Tea asked as they scanned the shelves of the hospital's gift shop.
"Well they have plenty of bouquets," Serenity noted. "I think flowers will be fine if we can find something else to pair with it."
"They sure offer a lot of snack bars and candy over here. That's a little odd for a hospital isn't it?"
"I guess. He can't eat any of it anyway so it doesn't really matter." She walked along the wall, eyeing the merchandise. "I doubt he'd have use for any of these mugs or figurines." She chuckled as she passed the next section. "And he didn't have a baby so all of these clothes and photo frames won't cheer him up."
"How about this?" Tea asked, holding up a plushy stuffed animal. "It's a kitty."
"That's pretty cute," Serenity said, coming over to see. "He might like that."
"It's super soft and has stripes," Tea said with a smile, petting the cat's fur. "Should we get him a card too?"
"What would we write in it? I'm still trying to think of what I can talk to him about."
"Hmm," Tea scanned the card selection. "Well we can always do the phone number thing you suggested. And put a few encouraging words in there for him to see after we're gone."
"That's true," Serenity said thoughtfully. "I wish these notebooks didn't have such specific pictures on the covers. It would be weird to give him anything that has nothing to do with this situation. I wouldn't want to give him a handful of child-like things either."
"Maybe we can ask at the desk," Tea suggested, plucking a card from the wall and reading the inside.
Serenity gave a small gasp, "Oh my gosh, no way!"
"What?" Tea watched as she hurried forward and took something off a higher shelf.
"Oh I have to give him this!" Serenity said with a smile. "You get him the kitty, and I'll buy this. I can't believe they have one!"
…
"Why don't you just admit that you're jealous?" Tristan said.
"Cauz I ain't jealous!" Joey shot back. "I'm just sayin' if Duke can pull off an earring, then I should be able to too. I been thinkin' I should try a new look."
"But a piercing?" Tristan made a face. "Shouldn't you start smaller and try a new outfit first?"
"It's all part of the ensemble. Ya gotta' accessorize a little."
"Just don't hang dice from your ear," Yugi commented. "It barely works for Duke. You'd just look ridiculous."
"Heh," Joey crossed his arms as a nurse approached them from down the hall. "I ain't no dupey dice boy. I got real style!"
Tristan rolled his eyes, while Yugi sat up in his seat when he saw the nurse.
"He's all set now," she said as they all got to their feet. "Thank you for waiting."
"Is he feeling alright?" Yugi asked. "I don't want to disturb him if he's not up for this."
Joey looked down at him, "'Ey, come on, Yug. We've been sittin' here dis whole time."
The nurse nodded. "It will be fine, just remember: no more than three at a time and please keep it short."
"Alright," Yugi said. "The girls went to look in the gift shop, so they'll take a turn once we're done."
She nodded again, "Call if you need me for anything."
They went toward room 232 to find the door open. Yugi stopped before crossing into sight of the doorway, and looked back at the others. Tristan and Joey both looked the same way that he felt. He took a deep breath with an expression that said 'here goes', and turned forward again.
Stepping in front of the doorway, Yugi gave a light knock on the frame before stepping in. The others peered inside as they followed.
The upper half of the bed was raised so that Ryou sat almost completely upright, hands resting in his lap. He raised his eyes as the others came in.
"Hi," Yugi said quietly, putting his hands into his back pockets.
"Should I close this?" Tristan asked, putting a hand on the door.
"Yeah, go ahead," Yugi said. He bit his lip briefly before putting on a smile.
Ryou's eyes moved over each of them.
Joey stood stark still, staring back at him with his mouth partway open.
"We can use these chairs here," Tristan mumbled.
"Oh good," Yugi said a little awkwardly. He helped move them closer to the bed and stood behind his with his hand on the back. Tristan didn't sit yet either.
Yugi racked his brain for what to say. You're looking well? No. You're looking better? Maybe. Sorry to come in without giving earlier notice? That seemed pointless, and it broke his goal to not say "sorry". He could tell the word wouldn't be of much use here.
The silence seemed to stretch out much longer than it really was though, and the words soon came from his mouth of their own accord, "We were worried about waking you up, but the nurse said she needed to anyway, so…"
Ryou blinked a little sleepily and gave a short nod.
Yugi gripped the back of his chair and looked behind him, "Joey, come have a seat."
The blonde still hadn't moved. Tristan reached back and gave his sleeve a tug to get him walking. After that Yugi took his seat in the middle chair, and Tristan took the farthest one. Joey stopped behind his which was closest to the bedside table.
Ryou lowered his eyes to his hands as they got situated. Yugi followed his gaze and tried to think of what to say next.
Tristan gestured for Joey to sit down, and the other maneuvered himself to it. His expression never changed. The strange boy they'd all known for so long as "Bakura", the one who always seemed to come and go without anyone noticing, the one who always brought with him an underlying sense of trouble, was now sitting under a hospital light that made him look positively frail.
It was the light, wasn't it? Joey wondered to himself, taking in the whole sight. Bakura, no, Ryou had always been remarkably thin and pale skinned but this… The bruises and dark marks beneath his eyes, the sleep-messy form of his hair, the lack of any color at all in his lips…
Ryou returned his gaze without any interest. Then he lowered his eyes and gave a tired gesture to the table. "Could you hand me my water, please?" He spoke so quietly they barely heard him.
Joey sat still as a statue. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't make himself look away.
"Joey," Yugi hissed under his breath as he reached across his friend for the cup. He handed it to Ryou.
The other frowned slightly as he drank from it, then handed it back.
"I can get more if you like," Yugi offered.
Ryou shook his head. So Yugi just placed it back on the table, deliberately leaning into Joey in a way that he hoped would snap him out of his rude trance without drawing too much attention.
Tristan leaned forward onto his knees. "Does it hurt when you talk?"
"It's a little uncomfortable but I can manage." Ryou murmured. The slight sound of his familiar British accent somehow seemed to ease a little of the brunette's tension; although Tristan was glad he'd thought to shut the door or else they probably wouldn't hear him at all over the buzz outside.
Ryou swallowed and looked down at his hands again. "You all look awful in this light."
Joey let out a small breath he didn't know he had been holding. A flash of discomfort crossed his face but otherwise he sat just the same.
Yugi passed him a glance then looked back to Ryou, "Yeah, it's not the most flattering, is it? But you look like you're doing well, despite …" Crap, he thought. No stopping it now, "- despite everything you've gone through."
Ryou didn't answer. He tentatively touched his fingertips together, his ivory lips twitching slightly.
"Do the doctors have anything major they still need to do?" Tristan asked. "Or is it, you know, just bedrest from here on out?"
Ryou's mouth opened slightly and his eyes moved vacantly across the room. It was hard to tell if he was irritated or just uncomfortable. Tristan reminded himself of all Yugi had told him, and that it should make sense that Ryou would act oddly.
"I guess physical therapy will come into play at some point," Ryou said. "But beyond that, I haven't really heard anything."
"They didn't tell you?"
"This is the first time I've been awake since I got here. My Yami spirit took over every other time."
Yugi and Tristan both made a sound of understanding and a little aw.
Joey fidgeted slightly in his chair, putting his arm on the armrest and bringing his hand in front of his mouth.
Ryou took in a slow, deep breath that made a faint wheezing sound. "I didn't expect anyone would come here."
"Well we only just heard what happened earlier today," Yugi said. "Does it bother you at all?"
Ryou shook his head and mouthed a muted, "No."
Well that's good, the duelist thought. He exchange a look with Tristan and continued. "I admit it's hard to come up with anything to say to this sort of thing. But really, I'm just relieved that you're alright."
Ryou's eyes wandered again, and they didn't know if his stiff body language meant he was displeased or simply a result of his condition.
"Relieved?" Ryou asked.
Yugi paused, trying to assess his quiet tone. "Yeah… I was in complete shock when I heard and," he gestured to the others, "- when I told them about it I just kept thinking it was a miracle that you were still with us."
A small huff came from the pale boy and his eyes rolled ever so slightly.
Okay, now that one was more obvious. Yugi frowned slightly, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing. He didn't think he had. But who could say what the other was thinking?
"So… I mean," he shrugged. "It's a pretty dumb question but how are you feeling?"
Ryou closed his eyes in a way that suggested he wasn't just fatigued. Tristan gave a quiet sigh, trying to keep his patience.
"It …It matters, you know," Yugi added. "Whatever you may be thinking or feeling about all this -"
"It matters?" Ryou asked suddenly, squinting at the wall. His mouth quirked with distaste.
Yugi froze. "Well… Yeah. Of course it matters. However you feel or think, we'd like to be here for you if… If you want someone to listen."
Ryou closed his eyes and mouth with a sigh, and his fingers began to strum on the bedsheets beside him.
Tristan watched this movement a little apprehensively. "Even if you're angry and need someone to yell at," he said; Yugi looked back at him, "We can be here for that too."
A smirk formed on Ryou's pale lips and he started a silent, humorless laugh before it threatened to make him cough. "Really."
"Yeah," Tristan said matter-of-factly.
"Sooo this is what it takes," Ryou said in a slightly cracked voice.
The others waited quietly.
"To think all I needed to do was get beaten to the brink of bloody death to finally get your lot's attention."
Yugi's mouth fell open, but no response came out. Somehow he knew, there wasn't any point to try and deny it.
"I suppose you're here to add more hours to your 'Good Samaritan' volunteer work," Ryou muttered.
Yugi winced a little. "No, actually. I know we haven't really been there for you in the past, but it's not because we don't care about you, Bakura. Er, I mean, Ryou."
Ryou rolled his eyes again and gave a short shake of his head.
"We just get caught up in so many things, it's hard to keep track of all the -"
"Don't feed me your tripe, Yugi," Ryou turned his head and looked directly at him. His eyes looked intense despite the rings around them. "I'm in a hospital bed for Ra's sake. At least have enough respect not to jerk me around."
"Wha- I don't -" Yugi stammered.
"I'm not a bloody idiot. I know you all detest me. I know that every time you see me you think I'm up to no good."
Yugi kept his voice calm, "That's not true."
"Sure, you smile and wave when it's polite," Ryou went on. "But you always held me at arm's length like a stinking rag. And now that you have nothing important to do, you come to my bedside and fumble with 'just the right thing to say'. Because this time it was bad enough that absolutely no one could turn away from it without looking like a right foul git."
He stared into Yugi's face, taking in the other's reaction. "That's the real truth, isn't it?"
Yugi frowned slightly.
Ryou's eyes moved to Joey, whose own eyes were watering and glimmered in the lamplight. "Isn't it?"
Joey turned toward the wall, his hand still hovering in front of his face.
Ryou shifted slightly on the bed. "I thought so. It wouldn't do for people like you to pass this opportunity to show off just how important it is to be there for a 'friend'."
"You are our friend," Yugi said.
Ryou scoffed. "Just spare me, won't you? Drop the façade and let us all out from under the burden."
"You are our friend."
Ryou looked away.
"It's true, okay? We kept our distance from you. And yes, I would get an unsettling feeling in my gut whenever you'd show up on the brink of someone threatening to destroy the world as we know it. Maybe that wasn't even your fault. I don't pretend to know," Yugi's voice got stronger as he spoke, "But I do know that because you carry the Millennium Ring, you house a spirit inside of you that does mean us harm and has meant us harm. So we had to be cautious with you around. Especially when the Items were in play and people's lives were on the line. Even you should be able to see that much from our end."
"I don't see anything, Yugi," Ryou said. "I don't ever see any of these things. All I ever see is everybody going their separate ways after it's all over. That's it! Nobody explains anything to me, Bakura's always angry and until recently he would take it out on me – and I'm always just forced to accept that! I'm meant to keep on watching everyone walk away from me without a care, while I'm left to piece together what my body and my name went through without me."
Yugi wanted to look away with some shame, but he forced himself to keep looking Ryou in the eye.
"This!" Ryou said, using his bandaged hand to yank up the gown sleeve. "Do you remember this?"
They looked to see the scar where he had been stabbed the day they met Marik.
"Because I don't, Yugi," Ryou said pointedly. "I don't remember this happening, or where, or when! I didn't know there was a new tournament in play. I didn't know another Millennium Item was around. When I did come to, there were people everywhere I'd never seen before, and this arm was killing me."
He studied the other's face as he spoke, feeling a little heat rise in his pallid cheeks. "But did anyone explain anything to me? No! There wasn't time for that. There never is, is there? And I have to be good enough to live with that because everyone's so busy protecting somebody else."
"I tried to help you then," Yugi's voice came out a pained whisper. There was a horrible lump in his throat that made it difficult to speak. "I really wanted to, we all did."
Tristan and even Joey gave a nod of agreement.
"I would have if I'd had any choice at all, Ryou," Yugi said. "You'll never know how hard that was for me to do."
Ryou yanked his sleeve back down in aggravation. "Well at least you had time to forgive yourself. I didn't even get time to fully understand where I was. I ended up right back in bed." He patted his mattress with some force.
"We did the best we could -"
"And you know what else no one ever told me?" Ryou's voice rose up. "That our new Egyptian friend had a sadistic side that turned him into a bloodthirsty maniac who liked to hurt people!"
The sudden silence made his ears ring. He stared hard at their faces as the heavy weight of that one statement showed on every one of them.
"What's your excuse for that, gentlemen? It's been enough time since Battle City that anyone – anyone could've given me a warning about that. But do you think they did?" He gestured down as himself.
Joey's chair scraped the floor as he suddenly got up and rushed to the attached bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Yugi's hands clenched into fists on his lap; his shoulders beginning to ache with tension.
Tristan tried speaking up, "We thought it was gone. We didn't think it could come back to…" he trailed off with a grimace.
"You didn't think it would matter," Ryou said. "You didn't think it was worth mentioning to someone who was cut from the action right in front of you. It isn't like none of you knew I was kept out of the loop, you know. You all saw it yourselves."
"I'm sorry," Tristan said with evident pain.
"And you didn't think to just -" Ryou shrugged mockingly, "Drop me a line? A note? A one-minute visit in passing to tell me something like that? You've all known I've been hanging around him. He didn't tell me anything. Bakura didn't even tell me! None of you at all gave me a single considerate thought on the matter. So I don't feel the need to apologize, Yugi, when I say that you don't get to tell me what matters! And sure as hell not about whatever I might be feeling."
Yugi closed his eyes and nodded; his head sunk in guilt.
The sound of running whatever from the bathroom, which no one had really noticed, turned off and Joey came out wiping his mouth.
Ryou's eyes moved over to him, then to Tristan, then back to Yugi. He lowered his voice a little and leaned forward slightly.
"Want to know what does matter, Yugi? … I went after him." He said it so lightly, almost pleasantly. But it definitely was not pleasant to hear.
Yugi didn't raise his head, but Ryou could see enough of his face to know he understood.
"I went after my friend; despite being all alone, despite feeling afraid. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but it didn't matter. Because I know what it feels like to be abandoned when you need someone to stand by you... And I wasn't going to do that to him."
He leaned back, feeling his fatigue crawling over him again. "Even though I didn't want to go. Even though it was the worst mistake I've ever made… I can still say that I never abandoned him."
Yugi stared down at his clenched knuckles that had gone white. He felt the heat of his tears sliding from his eyes, but he couldn't move. And he couldn't speak. It was a big enough chore to remember how to breathe at the moment.
Ryou turned his head away, and spoke just over a whisper again. "You might remember that next time you're going to make a friendship speech."
A frown formed on Yugi's face then. His eyes moved vacantly over the tiled floor beneath him as his thoughts finally began working again. He went over it all in his head, all he had seen and heard.
Tristan rubbed his hands together uncomfortably. "What do you want us to do?" he asked the British boy.
"I don't care what you do, Tristan." Ryou murmured. "Any of you. It doesn't matter to me… Nothing does now."
Yugi released his fingers, stretching them out over his knees. He straightened himself up in his seat and took a deep breath.
"You're right," he said. He made a quick move to wipe under his eyes, then looked at Ryou.
The other made no effort to respond.
"You're right about all of it," Yugi said. "We weren't there. And we didn't think. We can sit here and try to justify it all, but that will never take away what you had to go through on your own." He exchanged a look with Tristan before continuing, "And you're right that I could really take something away from this the next time I tell someone what friendship means to me. So I'm going to start right now, right here."
He stood up.
Tristan looked at him uncertainly.
"I can tell you're tired and we've put you through enough today," Yugi said simply. "So I'll be back tomorrow and we can continue from there."
Ryou frowned and looked at him. They stared at each other a moment, with Yugi reading the unspoken question in Ryou's eyes: Why?
"I heard you," Yugi said softly. "I heard everything that you said. And I'm giving you my word right now that I'm not going to abandon you anymore. Especially not now when you do need someone to stand by you. Think what you want about me, say whatever you need to. But I won't ignore this."
He put his hands in his pockets and gave the white-haired man one final glance. "You said it doesn't matter what we do, so I'll just take it upon myself. Because I'd like to see you again. So I hope you feel better this evening, and I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he turned and went the door.
Tristan watched him before getting up and moving one of the chairs back to the wall. He went to the open door and stopped next to Yugi, the subtle noise from the hall spilling into the room. Joey stood where he was, looking a little lost. He looked from his comrades, then back to the figure in the bed.
Ryou was looking down at himself as though he were uncertain of something.
"Come on, Joey," Yugi said quietly.
The blonde wiped his hands on his jeans and took a few awkward steps toward the door before looking back again.
Ryou raised his eyes to him, looking bitter. No, Joey realized, it wasn't bitterness. There were too many crowded emotions behind those brown eyes, and while bitterness was certainly one of them, that wasn't what he was seeing. It was hurt. Ryou was hurt, physically, emotionally, and probably mentally now as well. In all sense of the word, Joey could see it on the surface of everything else.
Without a word Joey went to the side table and took the plastic cup, crossed the room to the sink and filled it before going back to the bed.
He held it out to Ryou.
The other just looked at it, then up at him. Joey's face held little expression, and yet it was saying so much.
Ryou reluctantly reached for the cup, looking up when he heard a whisper too quiet for anyone else to hear.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, man," Joey said, carefully lowering his hand to his side. "All of the times."
Ryou's face relaxed at the genuine seriousness. He'd never heard something like that from Joey Wheeler. Ever.
Joey turned and went to the door, passing by the others without a word. Yugi followed behind him and soon disappeared past the wide window.
Tristan lingered with his hand on the doorframe. He bit his lip thoughtfully and said over his shoulder. "The girls would still like to see you today. I'll take whatever bitterness you have for us onto myself so please don't get angry with them, alright?" He looked back to where Ryou was looking into his cup of water. "They've both been excited by the idea of trying to make you feel better. So all I ask is that you don't lash out at them. Don't say anything if that's easier for you."
Ryou said nothing, but he appeared to have mellowed out some.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Tristan said.
…
Tristan made his way through the hall, spotting the others ahead. Joey stood leaning against the edge of an unoccupied desk, his head lowered in thought. Yugi stood in the middle of the hall, facing away but glancing back at the blonde. Tristan quickly assessed this and kept walking.
"I'm gonna find the girls," he said.
"Okay," Yugi said. Once Tristan had disappeared around the corner, Yugi walked over and stopped in front of Joey, watching him. The blonde fidgeted his fingers together, evidently struggling with something.
Yugi waited patiently.
After a long moment, Joey spoke. "We've always been honest with one another, right Yug?"
"Right."
"We're best buds, we can always handle whatever truth the other gives us. No need to go around sugar-coating things."
"Usually."
Joey huffed a humorless laugh. "Yeah well, when it's important."
Yugi waited for what he was trying to get out.
"Dis is pretty important stuff here."
"Mm hmm."
Joey looked down, "So if I ask you somethin', you answer me straight?"
"Yes."
Joey frowned a little, his voice sinking to just above a whisper. He raised his eyes, "Did I screw up?"
"When?" Yugi asked, frowning himself.
"Dat day. At the plaza…" Joey mumbled. "I told him what road to go down."
Yugi immediately relaxed, "Joey -"
"I'm da one who sent him down there. I didn't even think about it, I thought he'd already -"
"You didn't screw anything up."
"Da way he looked in there," Joey gave his head a shake. "As soon as I saw him, I could tell it wasn't right… It wasn't like his usual blank face. Whadda' they call dat? Resting face? No this wasn't like dat. Dis was somethin' bad. Real bad. And it wasn't like when dat spirit of his takes over his body either. Maybe dat's what was making me so uneasy. It hardly looked like Ryou anymore, and still I could tell dat it was. I have no idea how but … somehow I just knew. And it was awful." Joey knocked his knuckles against the counter. "And now seeing him like dat, I couldn't stop thinking about how I told him to go down dat road."
"But that wasn't even him, remember?" Yugi said. "That was the Ring Spirit we spoke to. Ryou was already in trouble by then, that's why the Spirit was looking for Marik."
Joey's mouth twitched a little. He didn't seem convinced.
"Okay look," Yugi said. "To give you an example, imagine that instead of Bakura and Ryou, it was actually me and the Pharaoh in separate bodies."
"What?" Joey raised his head.
"Let's say you thought you saw me, and I was looking for someone. Let's say Marik to keep it simple. You thought it was me you were talking to, but it was really the pharaoh. And I was actually in trouble somewhere else."
Joey gave him a quizzical look.
"And you tell him exactly what you told Bakura, that you hadn't seen Marik since you saw us head down River Street. That would've helped the pharaoh narrow down his search for me. Do you see?"
Joey's eyes wandered as he thought about it.
"So it would be thanks to that detail that you gave him," Yugi summarized, "that helped the pharaoh find me faster. Because he didn't know where to look."
"So… Because it was Bakura," Joey said carefully. "He knew where to look for Ryou because I said dat?"
"Yes, exactly." Yugi gave him a sympathetic smile. "You probably helped save Ryou's life just with that one clue, Joey. Because Ryou's alive now, and from what I was told he probably wouldn't have lasted much longer if Bakura hadn't arrived as soon as he did. So if he had wasted any more time not knowing where to search for him…"
"He mighta' gotten there too late," Joey finished.
Yugi nodded. "But he wasn't too late. So no, Joey. You didn't screw up at all."
The blonde let out a sigh, "Man. Dat's a relief. Thanks a lot, Yug."
"Anytime," Yugi said. He held his hand up and Joey clapped his own against it.
"Now dat dat's not weighin' me down, I can help ya start thinkin' of how we're gonna show Ryou what real friends are."
…
Always love to hear what you guys think of the chapters, so please let me know :)
Hopefully there weren't too many typos this time. I reread it several times in a row until I got a headache and it started blending together.