AN: I have no idea what the next few days have in store for me, so I wanted to post this now for fear I wouldn't remember to do it over the weekend. Once this holiday weekend's passed, I should be able to update normally again :P

Also, I'm the kind of person who likes to see kindness and fellowship expressed between people of the opposite sex without there automatically being insinuated intentions. I also think that the girls in this story have big hearts, especially Serenity, so I imagine she would behave as follows out of the goodness inside her, not so much from any hidden feelings for people. You'll see what I mean. I'm just saying I'm not trying to pair her up with anyone.

Ch 8

…

Serenity looked down at the bouquet she held in her arms.

"I hope he's not allergic to these. I probably should've asked first."

Tea shrugged. "I think it'll be fine. I'm sure he'll be glad to know you were thinking of him."

"I hope so." She looked up, "Was it this room?"

Tea inspected the number on the door, then took a step back to look at the neighbor's door. "I'm pretty sure this is it. Hard to tell with the curtains closed."

"I hope they don't start closing Ryou's curtain's too. Then I'll never find my way around this place."

Serenity knocked on the door and waited.

Ishizu opened it and looked a little surprised to see them. "Oh! Hello."

"Is this an okay time, Miss Ishizu?" Serenity said sweetly.

"Certainly, please come in." She stepped aside as they both entered the room.

They saw that Marik was the only other occupant. Instead of in bed though, he was seated in one of the chairs along the wall with a blanket over his lap. He looked a bit startled to see the girls in his room, but relaxed at their kind smiles.

"Hello," Serenity said, setting a gift bag on the floor and walking toward him. "I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Joey's sister."

"Of course," Marik said with a smile, "Serenity Wheeler. I remember you."

She reached out to shake his hand, which he accepted. "If nothing else, we hadn't been properly introduced, so…"

"Well it's nice to officially meet you," Marik said pleasantly.

"I got these for you," she looked down at the bouquet. "We went to the gift shop to look for something to bring to Ryou, and I remembered that you've been through a rough time too." She looked a little shyly at the orange and yellow lilies. "I know it's not the most dazzling thing, but the colors reminded me of the sun and that made me think of you."

Marik looked a little taken aback, but smiled at the gift. "That's very kind of you," he said. "I appreciate the thought, thank you very much."

Tea smiled to herself. He seemed exactly like he did the first time she and Joey had met him out on the street. Just kind, friendly Namu. Only she knew that this time it was genuine. She liked it much better than the leering, twisted grin of the Marik who finally came to light on Kaiba's blimp. Just before things really got bad.

Tea shook the thought from her head and watched as Ishizu took a vase from the bedside table that already held wilting flowers. The older woman carefully removed them before adding fresh water.

"Is Odion not here?" Tea asked.

Ishizu helped arrange the lilies in the vase. "He went home to get some sleep. It's hard to get good rest in these chairs."

"I don't blame him," Marik said, shifting slightly. "The wheelchair's more comfortable than these."

"Well then sit in your chair for heaven's sake," Ishizu said, as if they were coming back to an earlier discussion.

"I don't want to," Marik said. "I'm tired of that chair and I'm tired of that bed. Everything here makes me feel like an invalid."

"You are an invalid, Marik," Ishizu pointed out, setting the vase back on the table.

"Which makes it all the worse," he replied. "I feel cooped up in this place. I don't like it."

"You'll be out before you know it."

"Why do you have your curtains closed?" Serenity asked. "Privacy?"

Marik nodded. "Nothing makes this whole thing feel worse than feeling like every passerby is staring in at you. Plus, there isn't much to see out those windows anyway."

"At least you can wear something other than your hospital gown now," Tea pointed out.

Marik blinked at her than looked down at himself, "Oh." He laughed a little at his teal-colored tank top.

Ishizu gave a little smirk. "That's because he pitched a fit about that too."

"I did not pitch a fit," Marik snapped. "I just wanted to feel more like myself, that's all. And they still won't let me wear pants yet." Immediately, his eyes widened and he turned to the girls, "I've got shorts on, don't worry."

They laughed. Serenity gave Ishizu a knowing smile, "Brothers are often too stubborn for their own good."

"Truer words were never spoken," Ishizu agreed.

"Speaking of," Serenity turned back to Marik, "Joey and the others should be visiting with Ryou now. We're going to see him once they're done."

Marik gave a look of acknowledgement but said nothing.

"Actually," Tea said. "I should probably wait outside so they know where to find us."

"You can leave the door open," Ishizu offered.

Tea went and stood against the doorway, keeping an eye on the hall.

Marik looked from her then to the redhead. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all coming to see him."

Serenity shook her head. "I should be thanking you for calling us in. I can't stand the thought of poor Ryou going through all of this without anyone to be there for him. And thanks to you, we can all work together to help him get better."

"I hope you're right. But I worry that it may be harder than we'd like it to be."

"Even if it is," Tea said, "Have you ever known Yugi to back down from a challenge? Especially when his friends were depending on him?"

"That's right. And Joey and Tristan never give up when someone needs them. They're really the greatest guys I know."

A sad smile formed across Marik's lips. "You have a point. And Yugi did give his word that he would do his best. I believe that he will."

"We all will," Serenity winked at him.

All at once Tea straightened up, looking down the hall. "Well look at me and my excellent timing," she said with a grin. It faded though as Tristan came closer. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"What are you doing?" Tristan asked quietly, looking into the room.

"We stopped by to visit Marik while we were waiting," Tea said pleasantly. Serenity waved to him and the Ishtars nodded in greeting.

Tea examined Tristan's expression then looked behind him, "Where are the others?"

"They're talking over something, they shouldn't be long," he lowered his voice, "And I'd like to talk to you real quick. Come with me, will you?"

Tea quirked a brow, but said pleasantly into the room, "I'll be right back, Serenity."

"Okay." She turned to see Marik tilting his head uneasily as he tried to see where they were going. She wanted to offer something encouraging, but she silently agreed that that seemed less than encouraging. In an attempt to distract them and keep away any awkward silence, she looked between both siblings. "I'm sure you've got everything you need, but if there's ever anything I can do to make things easier for you guys, I would love to help out. I hope you'll feel alright letting me know."

Ishizu bowed. "We appreciate your generosity. Thank you, Serenity."

…

They moved just out of earshot of the doorway before Tristan leaned against the wall. Tea was looking apprehensive now. He did not look happy.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

Tristan gave her a short recap of their visit with Ryou. Disappointment as well as discomfort formed on her face as she began to wonder what to do.

"I thought about not telling you," Tristan said. "But I couldn't shake the feeling that you needed some sort of heads up, because I can't predict how he'll act for you two."

Tea crossed her arms and looked downward in thought. "So you were right. He really doesn't want our help."

"I don't know that for sure," Tristan said. "This might've just been his chance to be straight with us for the first time in years. But thought you should be aware. I don't think you should give up hope though."

Tea continued looking at the floor a moment, then gave him a smile. "Good thing I've had years of practice keeping hope through all of our hard times."

A small smile formed on his lips as well. "You definitely have."

"I take it you don't want me to say anything to Serenity?" she asked.

"I'd prefer that you didn't," Tristan said. "I know she's eager to try and help, and I don't want to dampen her spirits. I only told you so you could be on the lookout for things going badly, and hopefully stop it before it gets worse." He shrugged. "But maybe it won't even be so bad for you. I think we wore him out a little so he might not have much energy left."

"Hmm," Tea hummed in agreement. "Well, thanks for the heads up anyway. We probably won't stay in there for very long. Although now I really don't know what I'm going to say to him."

At that point, Yugi and Joey came into view. They seemed a little more positive, but not overly happy either.

"Where's my sister?" Joey asked.

Tea pointed to the room, "She's inside, talking with Marik and Ishizu."

"Right. We should probably go for some grub after dis," he said. "I'm starved."

"You got your appetite back already?" Yugi asked. "That was quick."

"Huh?"

Yugi added under his breath, "You got up and raced to the bathroom."

"You got sick?" Tea asked with some alarm.

"I did not get sick," Joey said quickly, giving Yugi a look. "I felt nauseous is all. Jus' had to take a second an' rinse out my mouth. I'm fine."

Yugi shrugged, "Alright."

Tea's eyes went from Joey then to Yugi. She asked quietly, "Are you guys really alright?"

Yugi met her gaze and realized that Tristan must've told her what happened. "Yeah," he said sincerely. "It wasn't fun by any means, but I think it's actually better that all of the stuff he said is out in the open now. I feel bad that he's been keeping it to himself all this time."

Tea gave him a sad look. "Any idea what I should say to him?"

Yugi shook his head. "I know you'll think of something, Tea. You're always good at cheering me up. But you should probably go soon. I think he'd like to get some more sleep."

She took a deep breath and nodded.

Joey went to the doorway.

"There ya are, whatcha' doin' in here?" he asked a little rhetorically.

"I wanted to say hi to Marik too," Serenity said sweetly.

Marik smiled at Joey, "Your sister is incredibly kind."

"Dat's right." Joey put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, "She gets dat from her big brother."

Serenity giggled. Tristan rolled his eyes behind them.

"We should go see Ryou now, Serenity," Tea said. She picked up the gift bags and bowed her head to Ishizu. "Thanks for letting us visit while we waited."

"Not at all," Ishizu bowed back. "I'm grateful you came to see us."

"Glad you're feeling better, Marik."

"Thanks, Tea. And thanks again for the flowers," he added to Serenity.

She smiled brightly. "I was happy to do it. Take care!" she waved as she followed Tea out of the room.

Yugi watched them go and turned back to see Marik working to stand up.

"I can't stand this chair anymore," he said through his effort. He held out a hand as Ishizu offered to help him, and Yugi brought over the wheelchair; unfolding it and holding it steady as the blonde transferred himself in one swift motion.

"Thank you," Marik said simply, readjusting the blanket over his legs. Immediately he turned to them, his eyes very eager to know what had happened.

Yugi and Tristan shoved their hands into their pockets, while Joey stood with his arms crossed. No one seemed eager to speak.

Marik looked discouraged but didn't stop asking the silent question with his eyes.

Yugi bit his lip, "Well, he's … he knows we're here."

"He's upset, isn't he?" Marik said with certainty.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. I said something that kind of set him off. I didn't mean to, but I guess I hit a pretty tender nerve. He was really… opinionated after that."

Marik leaned back a little, looking defeated.

"I'm not giving up, though," Yugi said. "I told him we'd come back tomorrow. We'll try again from there."

Ishizu spoke up with some concern, "Is it wise for the girls to see him at this time, then?"

Tristan scratched his chin. "I told Tea about it, so she's prepared." Then to Joey's look, he added, "I didn't say anything to Serenity."

Joey thought a moment then said, "I'm gonna go wait for 'em just in case." He turned and left the room.

There was a moment of silence before Marik asked, "Did he… did he say anything? Anything bad about me?"

Yugi shook his head, then frowned a little. "No I don't think he really mentioned you at all, did he?" he looked up at Tristan.

The brunette thought and shook his head as well, "He spoke about you in a kind of roundabout way, but he was mostly talking about us at the same time… I don't think he even said your name, now that I think about it."

Marik winced a little and tried to hide it with a smile that was obviously pained. "Oh."

"He's mad at us," Tristan said. "Mad that we didn't fill him in on everything he missed out on during the Battle City tournament. And that we weren't ever there for him when he needed us."

"But I told him we're here now," Yugi said. "And no matter how angry he is at me, I won't quit on him."

"What did he say to that?" Marik asked quietly.

"Nothing. I think he's still trying to figure out how he feels about everything. His anger at us was undoubtedly long overdue. Otherwise, I doubt he would've had anything to say at all."

"Yeah, probably." Tristan agreed.

Marik crossed his arms over himself and looked down unhappily.

"But don't worry, Marik," Yugi said with determination. "I know when we put our heads together we can help get him through this. And we'll keep you informed all the way."

…

Joey stood with his back against the opposite wall, looking through the window of Ryou's room. The girls had just entered and went to the still available chairs beside the bed.

Inside, they'd said hello, and Serenity was situating the other bouquet they'd bought for Ryou on his table.

He watched for a moment out of the corner of his eye, then looked blankly across the room.

Tea sat in the farther chair, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

"It's actually really hard to find a bouquet that isn't overrun with pink," Serenity was saying, "But I think this one has some nice colors to it. These roses almost look white anyhow. Especially in this light." She daintily adjusted the orange, red, and purple flowers and made sure the few extremely pale pink roses were scattered evenly among the lot. She smiled down at Ryou. "They smell really nice too."

"Thank you," Ryou murmured without any emotion.

She took a seat beside Tea and looked him over. "I'm so glad you're alright, Ryou."

No response. Tea was sure he didn't feel alright at all. And now he looked like he might be thinking it.

Serenity quickly looked up and down his still form before asking lightly, "Do you know when you'll be able to eat solid foods again?"

Tea cringed inwardly. It was a genuine question sure, but it still felt incredible awkward. There was a moment of stillness, then Ryou simple shook his head.

"Oh," she said. "Well when you can, you should let me know and I can bring you something homemade… When you get sick of hospital food," she added with a small laugh. She sounded uncomfortable too.

Still no answer. But she was determined.

"My mom always knows the best recipes to make people feel better. And she's taught me a few of them. I'd be happy to make anything you like. Or, um, if there's anything else you need I'd be glad to bring it for you."

She reached down to the gift bag beside her. "I know you probably spend a lot of time resting while you get better. But I thought that for the other times, when there's not much to do, you might like something to read. Oh! We should've looked for some of these for Marik as well! I didn't think of that. We stopped by Marik's room, Ryou, and we got him some flowers too. He's looking bet -" She stopped suddenly as Tea pointedly put a hand on her knee and shook her head.

Serenity looked confused and Tea mouthed: Don't talk about Marik.

They looked to the bed to see Ryou had gone rigid, and his gaze at the wall became intense.

"Oh," Serenity said under her breath. She'd completely forgotten that Marik was the reason Ryou was in this condition in the first place. She immediately felt sad regret and looked back into her bag. "Well, um… Anyway, I found some magazines about animals I thought you might like. If-if you want something to read." She looked up nervously.

Ryou's fingers slowly clenched and unclenched the blanket beside him, but otherwise he didn't move.

"And Tea got you a stuffed kitty!" she said in an uplifting voice. Tea reached into her own bag.

"Well, it's not much, but I thought it might be something nice in case you felt lonely after hours." She held the cat in her hands, suddenly feeling like it was a pathetic gift. She placed it on the bed beside him, letting the fur brush against his fingers.

Ryou suddenly blinked as if snapped away from his thoughts and glanced at what had touched him.

Serenity put on a smile for him. "I always feel better when I have a stuffed animal to hug."

Ryou took the cat in both hands and looked at it. He sighed to himself as he looked at its innocent black eyes. The stitching on the mouth was very simple and undefined; an ambiguous expression that could've been considered as happy as it was indifferent. He ran his thumbs across the plush fur. It was a cute toy.

The silence told him the girls were both watching him, and he forced himself to look at them with a somewhat touched expression. "Thank you," he said, this time putting more enthusiasm into it.

Tea smiled gratefully, knowing he was doing it for their sake.

Serenity perked right up and rummaged through her bag again. "We got these too." She pulled out a blue-covered journal and a duel pack of pens. Ryou took the book and looked it over as she pulled out a set of colored pencils and a pack of crayons. "I didn't know which of these you'd prefer. The crayons had more color variety so… I thought it might be nice to have something to write in or draw pictures with. Whatever you like. "

She paused and laughed at herself for the pile she'd made on the bed, and moved them neatly to the table instead.

She looked back in the bag and beamed, "Oh and this!"

Ryou placed the journal on the table as she smiled big at him.

"Okay, I know this may seem like an odd thing to buy for a boy, but I have a reason, I promise." She reached into the bag and carefully pulled out her next gift. It was another stuffed animal. A woolly tan-colored bear with a purple striped dress and a matching hat.

Ryou quirked his brow at it and took it in his hands. The hat was the type that sat right atop the head, reminding him of the types ladies in Europe would wear back in the day. Dainty lace decorated the rim, as well as a purple ribbon to match the sash of the dress. The dress was a soft material, no doubt to make it easier to hug. More lace made up the hem and puffy shoulders over the bear's arms.

Ryou barely heard Serenity explaining the gift as he looked it over.

"My parents got divorced when I was really young, and Joey and me got separated. I was sad because now that my mom had gotten a new job, she wouldn't be able to drive us to see one another very much. Joey argued a lot, he really wanted to be there for me. But he was really young too, and couldn't do much about it. So he broke open his piggy bank that he'd been saving up and he bought me a bear just like this. He had it sent to me and told me every time I hugged her, he would know it."

Serenity blushed a little and turned to Tea, "He started calling me 'Little Bear' for a while because of it. And sometimes when I couldn't get to sleep because I was so sad, Mom would call Dad's house and Joey would sing me a song he wrote until I felt better."

Tea looked at her in disbelief. "Joey did?"

"Mm hmm," Serenity smiled fondly. "It was a simple song, he was only eight at the time. But he wrote it just for me, and told me to hold tight to 'Mrs. Bear' when I was sad and lonely. He said Mrs. Bear used to have a big brother when she was little too, and she knew for a fact that big brothers would never stop being there for their little sisters, no matter what."

Ryou's face scrunched in thought as he looked at the bear. "Big brothers?" he murmured.

She scratched her head. "I know, that doesn't really seem to fit the case here, but I couldn't resist when I saw how similar this bear looked to the one Joey gave me. And that bear always made me feel better when I needed her. It really felt like she was giving me hugs for Joey until he could come give them himself. And she sort of looks like she came from England, doesn't she?"

Ryou's brow twitched. The bear's mouth was just like the cat's: a seam beneath the nose that ended in an upside down "V" shape. But somehow this bear didn't seem quite so ambiguous. She didn't seem like she could be happy, so much as she looked lonely. A tightness rose in Ryou's chest and he looked at the dress again. His little sister would have loved it. Pinks and purples were her favorite colors, and she always wanted to dress up and twirl about in lacy dresses like this. There was an aching in his head, and his breathing became short.

On the bear's sash was silk ribbon folded into the shape of a tiny pink rose. A wave of nostalgia came upon him as he remembered watching his mother sort through odds and ends in her sewing room. He'd always liked looking at the variety of smooth and shiny buttons and thimbles, and she had an assortment of roses just like this that she would sew onto her projects. Ryou remembered always thinking the silk ribbon flowers suited his mother perfectly. Soft and beautiful, just like she was.

His fingers began to shake as he held the bear in his lap, in a hospital bed, with a cast, and a feeding tube, and healing surgical scars. The bear looked back up at him, as if she were sad to see him all battered and bruised, and so sickly pale in this cursed light. Sad because she knew. She knew how terribly alone he felt, and how he had treated the only people who had come to see him. The lump in his throat rose so suddenly that his eyes instantly prickled with heat. He heard the small gasps coming from his own mouth and knew without a doubt this bear was sad. She was sad because he didn't have a little sister to hug anymore. Or a mother to admire silk roses with. The bear had no hugs to relay from far away. She knew this. And she was sorry.

"Ryou, what's wrong?" Serenity's concerned voice suddenly reached him. Her voice was light and gentle, just like Amane's had been. Like his own little sister now lost to him forever.

"Amane," he choked out to the bear. Hot tears spilled down his cheek and he took in a sudden sharp breath before the dam broke. "Mum!" He squeezed his eyes shut and held the bear tightly to his heart.

The girls' mouths fell open as they saw him openly sobbing over the stuffed animal. Everything that had been hidden under a mask of numbness and indifference broke through as if to say I didn't mean it! It's not true!

Tea reached out and put a hand on his leg. Serenity looked heartbroken. "Ryou…"

His anguish shook him as he clung to the bear, his voice rising to a higher pitch as he squeaked "Mum," through his weeping.

Unable to stop herself, Serenity rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said sadly.

Ryou doubled over the bear in shame, unable to stop. He felt Serenity sit on the bed beside him, and felt her arms encircle him. He was embarrassed, but he found himself leaning into her. She held him close, whispering to him words that he couldn't hear over his own cries.

Serenity didn't know what to do. She felt a little responsible, but more than anything she felt helpless. She glanced down at him and gasped in horror. "Tea!"

The brunette looked up and saw the other gesture to the young man's back. Tea couldn't see from where she sat so she went around the other side of the bed. Her hand flew over mouth and her eyes widened with tears of her own.

The opening in his hospital gown exposed the skin of his back, which didn't look like his skin at all. Multiple lines of gruesome discoloration bled into one another, making Ryou's back look like rotten meat. Tea had never seen bruises that great before. Everything from purple to grey, green, yellow, and even speckles of red left almost none of his ivory skin to show through. How could he even lay on those?

Tears spilled from her own eyes as the reality of it all came back to her. Ryou really had almost been killed. And so horribly. Who knows how much more had been done to him? She reminded herself that he'd had to go through surgery not just once but twice. No wonder he had been angry at the other boys. No wonder he felt abandoned and betrayed. To think that he had to suffer this from the hand of his own friend… his earlier tension made far too much sense now. Tea sat down on the bed as well, looking over the pale figure in her friend's arms. "I'm so sorry, Ryou," she couldn't stop herself from saying it. "I'm so sorry."

…

Out in the hall, Joey stood transfixed at the sight. He barely noticed when Yugi came up next to him and looked through the window to see Ryou doubled over between the girls, all of them apparently in tears. A passing nurse saw their expressions and looked as well.

"What's going on in there?" she asked, heading toward the door.

"Don't -" Yugi and Joey said in unison. She stopped and looked back at them.

"Please don't," Yugi said sadly. Joey shook his head as well.

…

Everything Ryou had thought he couldn't feel was passing through him at once. Bakura had been right, he saw that now. Ryou realized he didn't really want to push everyone away. He wanted the opposite. And he hoped with all his might that this group wasn't lying to him now. The words, the admissions that he was crying too hard to vocalize played over and over in his head: I was wrong. I'm not numb at all. I can feel everything. It hurts so bad. I'm so scared. I don't want to die like this. I don't want to be alone. I don't know what to do. I'm so scared, Mum! Please, do something!

He gasped in air and turned his red, devastated eyes to Tea.

He saw tremendous sympathy that he had never seen from her before.

He opened his mouth and barely got the words out, "Help me."

"We're going to help you, I promise," Tea said immediately. "We're all here for you, Ryou. And we're not going to leave this time. I swear it."

He closed his eyes and leaned into Serenity again, bringing one of his arms over hers and holding it close. Tea reached out and stroked his arm reassuringly while Serenity used her other arm to pet his head. She looked sadly across the room, no doubt wondering what to do... And soon she began to sing in a very small voice.

"Don't cry, little bear

Big brother's nearly there

And you know he's never far away.

At night, little bear

That's right, little bear

Big brother will be here to stay…"

She swallowed and began to sing a little louder.

"So lay in your bed,

And I will pet your head

With my fingers in your soft, long hair.

And then my favorite part,

I'll hold you to my heart,

So you'll know big brother's always there…

So sleep, little bear

And see if you can hear

When I sing this special song for you.

I'll sing it every night,

And I will hug you tight

As any brother bear would do…"

Ryou continued to cry but began to calm down a little. Tea looked at Serenity over his head.

"Joey wrote that?" she asked.

Serenity smiled and nodded. She rocked Ryou ever so slightly as she continued the song.

…

Yugi gave a sad smile from across the hallway. I knew you could do it, he thought to the girls.

Tristan joined them then, looking from Joey's serious look to the trio in the room.

"Definitely not givin' up on him now," Joey said.

…

Tea picked up a hand towel from beside the sink and held it under hot water. Giving it a good ring out, she brought it back and dabbed at Ryou's bleary face with it. He ended up taking it and completely covering his face with it. Tea then went into her bag, and withdrew something she had originally bought for herself. It was a compact, travel hairbrush. The kind that folded in against its own handle. Taking her seat on the bed again, she removed the plastic packaging and unfolded it. Scooting closer, she gave Ryou's head a gentle pat before gingerly starting to brush his bed-messy hair for him. Ryou cleaned up his face, never leaving Serenity's arms as she continued to hum the tune of her brother's song. A few sniffles and tears remained, but most of his energy was spent now, and the harshness of his sobbing had subsided. His eyes burned and he let them close while he listened, still holding Mrs. Bear to himself.

The minutes ticked by and Tea got to as much of his hair as she could, ridding it of all the mess and allowing it to settle down his back once more. By the time she was done, she noticed his hand holding the cloth lay limp on the bed and his body was slumped against the redhead.

"I think he fell asleep," Serenity whispered over his head.

"I think so too," Tea whispered back.

Serenity held him a few moments longer before Tea helped her lower his head back to his pillow. Then Tea adjusted the switch just enough to bring him to a lower laying position. He didn't stir through any of it. His bangs stuck to his forehead here and there, and Serenity gently brushed them back, giving his cheek a light caress as well. There was redness around his eyes from crying, but there was color back in his face as well. He seemed a little more like himself now and less like a zombie in the pale light.

Tea took Mrs. Bear, straightened out her dress, and placed her in the space between Ryou's arm and side. Serenity held his hand for a little while, then took the card they'd got him out of the envelope and began writing in it. When she was finished, she took Tea's cat and arranged it so the envelope was held between its paws.

…

Ryou did not return to his soul room, but slept deeply in the bed. Bakura watched him through the shadowy floor. Despite how much he despised Yugi's group, he couldn't deny a sense of mild relief inside of him from all he had witnessed.

…

The girls emerged into the hall, each taking big breaths to compose themselves.

"Everything okay?" Yugi asked. They nodded. Serenity looked at her brother, who smiled proudly at her. Emotion swept through her and her eyes went bleary again.

"Thank you, Joey," She said.

His tilted his head. "For what?"

She gave a small laugh and held out her arms, walking over to embrace him. "For always being the best."

Joey hugged her back but looked baffled. "I didn't do nothin' though."

He looked up at Tea as if looking for an explanation, and she gave a short laugh too. She wiped at her eyes.

"Joey, you big softie." She went forward and wrapped her arms around him as well.

Joey looked dumbfounded at the guys. "What da heck is goin' on?"

Yugi smiled at him. He was glad they hadn't left before the girls got their turn to visit Ryou. Everything was bound to work out for the better now. He was sure of it.

…

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :) No, this is not the end of the story, I got more chapters coming.

Please review and let me know your thoughts. The feedback is very motivating.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday weekend! See you soon.