Bit of a shorter chapter this time, but still within my average word count before I did those super long chapters. Been working on this for the last two days straight; going over my notes and past details, trying to make sure everything's fitting together alright. And it has not been easy to fit time in to do this.

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable holiday :D Here's chapter 9.

Ch 9

…

The sky above was dark with clouds, and orange and red staining the far horizon. It would be night soon. The wind was louder than it should have been, Ryou thought, as it skimmed the dead grass of the lawn. But still it was the most notable sound besides the sporadic squeeaaak of the tilting metal fence. Ryou's eyes were glued to the ground around his feet. Surely a lawn this dead would make some sort of crunching sound when he walked, but it didn't. He could not look around, but his peripheral vision caught hints of dark spots here and there in the grass. Dark and sticky. Squeeaaak. The fence sounded like it never left its position just behind him. But of course that was impossible. The edge of a wooden porch entered his view. His feet never stopped walking. He'd forgotten how to make them stop. Climbing the steps: one, two, squeeaaak, three… A cellphone lay before him. He couldn't control where he looked. He wanted to look up, look back, look anywhere. He could feel something close in front of him, but he couldn't see it. It was definitely close. Squee-ee-ee-ee … the fence's protests died down at the same time the wind did. A heavy stillness wrapped all around him. The phone was going to ring. He knew it was. And he was sure it would be loud. Louder now with the other noise gone. He tried to cover his ears, but he couldn't move his arms. He wanted to take a step back, but felt himself only steady his stance on the old wood porch. The wood creaked, but not from underneath him, from in front of him. Beyond his field of vision. The phone's screen lit up. Another creak on the wood, so close! The sudden noise from the phone was not a cell jingle at all, but Ryou's own cries at the top of his lungs from somewhere far off: "MARIK!" –

Ryou's eyes snapped open. He'd felt his body jump a bit at the noise, but doubted he'd made any real sound himself. His heart skipped and beat loudly from under his tucked arms. He lay on his side perfectly still, taking in the colorful items on his bedside table: flowers, pencils, crayons, stuffed cat. Ryou felt himself gradually begin to relax. He was pleased to discover he hadn't felt truly panicked to begin with. The dream was too short, too quick. It was unnerving, no question. But he knew it was only a dream. And considering everything that might've come back to him, those details were the most preferable, he thought. That voice though…

Ryou took a breath and snuggled a little into his pillow to remind himself this was a safe place, and that everything was fine. After a moment he raised his eyes to the table again. The stuffed kitty sat beneath the umbrella of the bouquet, faithfully holding an envelope between its paws. Ryou tested his fingers and reached for it. His skin grazed the plushy fur and he took the cat as well, settling it against his chest as he fumbled with the envelope.

"For our friend, Ryou" it said on the front. He got the card out and admired the cover: A simple, almost vintage painting of a canopied garden entrance, with flowers of many sorts charmingly painted in soft colors all around and across it. It was a pleasant picture, much better than dead grass and rotten wood. The printed script said "Friendly Wishes for You". He opened the card and found three phone numbers with the names Serenity, Tea, and Yugi beside them respectively. Underneath was the handwritten message;

Stay strong, Ryou!

Your friends are all here for you, whenever you need us. Please call us anytime, we'll be glad to keep you company and do anything we can to help.

That must've been Tea's handwriting, Ryou thought. On the opposite page was different handwriting written in a different colored pen. It looked slightly more rushed too.

Ryou, I promise that no matter what happens, you don't have to go through any of this alone. We'll be right there with you every step of the way. Our thoughts and prayers are always with you, and I hope you won't hesitate to give me a call any time you're feeling sad or alone. Don't worry about the time, I always have my phone on me.

I can't wait till you're up and about again and we can all hang out together. – Serenity

I tiny heart and smiley face accompanied her words. Ryou read and reread the card, then closed it to look at the cover again. He placed the card upright next the flowers on the table, then hugged the cat to himself. What time was it anyway? He turned to the digital clock on the wall, which told him it was about a quarter past six in the morning. He wondered if it was true that they wouldn't be bothered by a call at this hour, then decided it didn't matter because he didn't plan to make one. Not now anyway. Ryou sighed to himself, wishing he could be back in his own home. His bed was more comfortable than this one. And he didn't like being hooked up to everything in this room.

His throat suddenly felt dry. He took a swing from his water cup, but immediately decided that wasn't going to cut it. He reached over and pressed his call button. A moment later the nurse currently on shift for his room came in.

"Is everything alright?" She asked kindly.

"I don't suppose I'm allowed to drink anything besides water yet, am I?" Ryou asked in a tired voice.

The nurse checked the clipboard by the foot of his bed. She looked between the information provided and the half-empty sustenance pack hanging on the other side of the bed.

"Well, it says your feeding tube was inserted while you were unconscious, healing from surgery. And that they plan to keep you on it until they're sure your throat won't be agitated by solid foods. So liquids are perfectly fine to swallow. Did you have something in mind? Tea perhaps?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind," Ryou said with a small smile.

She smiled back, "What kind would you like?"

…

Later that afternoon, Ryou had woken from a nap and was indulging in his second request for green tea that day. The nurses had given him several packets to choose from and a heat-safe plastic pitcher of hot water. The only catch was it had to be decaf, as caffeine ran a high risk of accelerated heart rate, especially with the medication they were giving him. But Ryou had no complaint. It just felt nice to have the hot and flavored beverage soothing his insides.

There was a knock on his door and Yugi and Tristan came in.

"Hello," Yugi said, sounding a little uncertain.

Ryou's mouth was full, but he nodded his greeting as he swallowed it.

"Alright if we have a seat?" Tristan asked.

"Sure."

They got their chairs and took their previous places from before. Ryou asked himself how he felt about this. He still wasn't very happy with them, but he decided he didn't feel like arguing today if he could help it. The others both looked uncomfortable like they had the day before, only now it wasn't nervousness so much as expectation.

Ryou placed his cup down on the tray and cleared his throat. "I'm feeling a little better today."

"That's good," Yugi said, sounding a little encouraged. "You slept alright then?"

"I was out cold," Ryou said.

"You sound a little better today too," Tristan offered.

Ryou nodded and took his tea cup up again, raising it in a half "cheers" fashion. "That'll be thanks to this."

The others smiled, both understanding how nice it must be for him to have access to tea again.

Ryou took a drink then frowned a little at his cup. "Can't have coffee yet, though. Have to avoid caffeine with all this stuff they're pumping into me. But that's fine by me. Tea at least has healing properties, they say. Another day or so and they said they'll let me try eating some fruit."

"That's good news," Yugi said again. Their aura of discomfort was gradually fading away.

Ryou smirked a little. "We'll see how the food tastes though. I doubt it'll be as good as what I got at home… Oh bullocks, I hope the stuff in my refrigerator doesn't spoil while I'm here."

"That would be unpleasant to come home to," Tristan agreed. "You hadn't gone shopping recently, had you?"

"I don't think so," Ryou said. "It should be moderately full though. My fridge is rarely empty these days."

"Well if you decide you'd like us to bring you something from your house, we can always check to make sure nothing's gone bad in the kitchen." Yugi said.

"Actually, now you mention it," Ryou reached for his journal and tore out the first page. "I made a small list of things if you wouldn't mind." He handed it to Yugi. The list was indeed small, with parentheses detailing where the items could be found.

Yugi read the list, nodding. "Alright, no problem." He smirked at the newest item: English breakfast, Earl Grey and Chai tea bags.

"There's a spare key hidden on the mount behind the mailbox by the door," Ryou said. "Just please be sure to lock up before you leave."

Tristan nodded, "You got it."

Yugi folded the list and placed it in his pocket, then took the folded newspaper he'd been carrying and held it up.

"Have you read any papers here?" he asked.

Ryou shook his head.

"This is from several days ago," he handed it to Ryou. "My grandpa never throws them out these days. I was talking to him about what happened to you, and he mentioned having read something about a fire down that back road."

Most of the pages weren't included, so it wasn't hard to find the article. There was a small picture in the corner of the front page with the caption "House Reduced to Cinders on Shadowbrook Rd."

Ryou turned the paper to a larger shot of what used to be the dark setting of the living hell he'd suffered. The lawn was one great, black, charred spot on the ground; no doubt it had burned in a matter of seconds. The house was reduced to a single story of a few angled beams and posts struggling awkwardly to stay standing, and the collapsed debris of smoldering coals. Ryou studied the photo, then read the short article:

Residents of Shadowbrook Road, East and West Creekside Road, and River Street were all familiar with the abandoned and condemned western-style house that went up in flames late on Thursday afternoon. Officials say the blaze was caused by arson set on the second floor of the multi-story structure. However, no evidence was found to determine who might have committed the act. Residents of Shadowbrook all agree that the house was "a dangerous eyesore" that was overdue to be demolished several months prior.

"I don't know what took them so long to get the job done," said neighbor Hanachi Kabuto, 59. "All their dawdling left more time for punk kids to hold their little gang meetings and run amok inside the dangerous house. Anyone at all could've been hurt. It's no wonder someone went and burned it down, but I doubt they'll ever pinpoint who did it. Everyone hated that house."

Although some residents have agreed that the house could have been set ablaze by accident, officials have ruled with certainty that it was a deliberate act. Officer Hisakawa Koji and Firefighter Yukimura Sadao have confirmed traces of motor oil in the basement of the house.

"The evidence tells us the oil was not only stored in a sector of the basement," Yukimura says, "But was deliberately spilled along the stairwell to be certain the lower level was burned along with the rest of the house."

The neighboring homes on either side of the lot received minor burn damage as well, however no one was hurt in the incident and repairs are expected to be minimal. The Domino City Police Department makes its assurances that the investigators with keep looking for the arsonist responsible, although many display a lack of faith or even concern that the culprit will be identified.

Ryou felt a sense of pride move through him that he knew was not his own. Bakura was excellent at covering his tracks, of course he would feel proud of this. And for once, Ryou was grateful for it. He wanted nothing more to do with that house. He was glad it was destroyed.

"I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks," he said quietly. "All this sleeping makes time go by in such a bizarre fashion."

"Well you were unconscious for a few days after you came here. That takes up some of the time too," Tristan said.

Yugi leaned forward to look at the photo in the paper, "I think that was… ten days ago?"

"About that, yeah," Ryou agreed. He folded the paper and handed it back to Yugi. "Suits me fine. The farther I get from all of that, the better."

They didn't answer.

"I didn't ask you before, what do the doctors say about what happened to all of us?" Ryou frowned with some concern. "No one's asked me anything specific."

"The Millennium Rod," Yugi and Tristan said together. They smirked at their timing and Tristan continued, "Apparently the Ishtars were going to try to come up with some story about being ambushed by people who kept their faces hidden, but decided that wouldn't stop the police from asking a ton of questions. So they just used the Rod on the staff to keep them from wondering anything about it. I guess the doctors are just focused on getting you better now, rather than what caused it all."

Ryou blinked with some surprise. "Well that's good fortune, isn't it? I didn't have a clue what I would say if they tried to get me to detail anything."

"Yeah," Yugi said. "And from everything I've heard, no one's even linked your circumstances to the house that burned down."

Ryou said nothing but simply drank more of his tea.

…

They talked a while longer, mostly the others sharing what little had gone on since the previous day. As they were getting ready to leave, Ryou pointed to a chair in the back corner of the room.

"Could you hand me that coat, please?"

Tristan moved around the bed to oblige, taking the folded coat from the seat. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"No. The Millennium Ring is in there."

Tristan halted with a suspicious look on his face. Ryou rolled his eyes. "I'm not up to no good, I just want it to help Bakura."

"Do what?" Tristan asked.

Ryou forced his tone to stay calm. "He wants to rebuild his soul room, he can't do that when the Ring's all the way over there." He looked from Yugi to Tristan, both of them looked uncertain. "I'm telling you the truth."

Yugi sighed quietly and nodded to the brunette. "Go ahead Tristan. My puzzle has soul rooms too, I know what he means."

Tristan handed the bundle to Ryou, who looked annoyed but said nothing. He took the whole coat as it was and held it to his chest, folding both arms over it.

"Please don't pin it to me this time," Ryou murmured as he laid back against his pillow.

A glow was barely visible from the folds of the coat. And Ryou heaved a sigh as he felt the ancient magic spread through him with unyielding eagerness. In the back of his mind, he could feel Bakura's presence drinking it right up like a blessed oasis in the desert.

The others watched for a little while, then Yugi piped up. "We're leaving now, Ryou."

"Mm hmm." Ryou said with a slight nod.

"We'll see you again soon and we'll bring the stuff you asked for. See you later."

"Bye," Ryou said dully without opening his eyes. He was occupied watching Bakura's delight at feeling in control again. All of the thief's pent up stress and aggravation was now fueling his vision of a grand space all his own. With abundant laughter, Bakura allowed the Ring's power to surge through him and then focused it all around himself. Holding nothing back, everything around him began to form and shape itself according to his will. It was delicious.

This took plenty of time, and Ryou kept the ring close as much as he could. When time came to be bathed and have his bed sheets changed, he placed the Millennium Ring, still protected by Bakura's coat, in the deep drawer of his bedside table. And once all that was done and he was left alone again, he would pull it back out and keep it close beside him on the bed. Never once did he leave the powerful gold exposed.

…

Feedback is always very appreciated, and I haven't gotten much lately. Big, BIG thanks to those of you who have left me reviews, you always make me smile! :D