The Path of Vengeance

*don't own it.



Seto Kaiba sat on the sofa in the game room next to Mokuba, who was working on his fourth consecutive hour on the video game playing on the oversized television. Kaiba had his laptop computer open and teetering on the arm of the sofa.

"Seto, look, a water level!” Mokuba cried.

Kaiba glanced up from his computer. “Looks tough,” he said forebodingly.

“I can do it,” Mokuba insisted. “Just you watch.”

Twenty minutes later and Mokuba was getting frustrated. “Seto, this one is too hard!”

“You’re on a high level, Mokuba. If it was easy what fun would it be?”

“Will you help me?” the boy asked.

Kaiba sighed. “I can’t right now. I’ve got to get these demos ready for the client meeting tomorrow morning.”

Mokuba thought a moment. “Well can I call Tristan? He likes to play and he’s really good at this game.”

“Tristan’s probably busy,” Kaiba replied, trying a new program code.

“Please, Seto?”

Kaiba looked up at his little brother only to come face to face with The Face. The one that was his undoing. “Fine,” he relented. He watched Mokuba pause the game, carefully set the controller down, and bound out of the room. He hadn’t told his younger sibling anything about Yugi being in the hospital. First of all he didn’t want to worry the boy, second, he didn’t want to answer any questions, and third, he didn’t want to take Mokuba to the hospital to visit. He sighed. It would only be a matter of time before he found out anyway.

Despite the heavy workload the night promised, he hoped his brother would convince Tristan to visit. He missed his boyfriend. The brunette and Mokuba were the only ones who made him feel like there was more to life than running his business.

“He’s on his way!” Mokuba stated, returning to the room. “He said he’d be here in about ten minutes.”

“Then you’d better change out of your school clothes,” Kaiba said with a smile. “You and Tristan always end up getting dirty.”

Mokuba stuck his tongue out at his brother and took off down the hallway.

Kaiba shook his head and entered a few more code changes into his computer before saving his work and closing the laptop, setting it on the end table. He moved to his bedroom and changed out of his uniform as well, pulling on a soft blue sweater and khaki slacks. He went into the bathroom and had just finished freshening up when a shriek came from downstairs.

“TRISTAN!!”

His brother tended to get a little excited when the brunette arrived. Kaiba had made every effort to ensure that Tristan and Mokuba would get along before revealing to his little brother that he and the brunette were a couple. Mokuba had placed his hands on his hips and stated, “I know, big brother.”

When asked how he knew, the younger Kaiba had smiled and said he’d read it in the teen’s journal.

Kaiba chuckled at the memory. It was impossible for him to stay mad at Mokuba. After a final check in the bathroom mirror, he returned to the game room to see his brother being launched onto the couch by his boyfriend. “Alright, you two,” he said, trying to be stern.

“I thought you were working,” Mokuba said. He sniffed the air, the fresh scent of his brother’s aftershave hitting him. “No way, Seto! I'm the one who called him! He came over to play with me, not you!”

Even Tristan, in his less that pleasant mood, had to laugh at that one. “Don’t worry, kiddo,” he said with a grin. “I came over to play with you.”

Kaiba knelt down to Mokuba’s eye level. “What’s it gonna take for me to get ten minutes alone with Tristan?”

Mokuba narrowed his eyes and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Twenty bucks.”

Tristan burst out laughing.

“What?!” Kaiba exclaimed. He raised an eyebrow in mock anger. “Alright, you win, you little miser.” He pulled out his wallet and forked over the cash.

“You’ve got ten minutes,” Mokuba said, taking his newly attained wealth and leaving the room.

Kaiba looked at Tristan. “Two bucks a minute,” he commented.

“Quite a price,” Tristan replied.

Kaiba stepped forward and slid his hands into the base of Tristan’s hair, pulling them close together. “It’s worth every cent,” he whispered huskily, claiming the brunette’s lips with his own.

Tristan melted into the kiss. He loved the CEO with every ounce of his being. They had been together for almost two years and there wasn’t a second he regretted it. Spending the day with nothing but anger and his ungrounded suspicions had been getting to him. “I love you,” he stated, pulling back for air.

“Love you, too,” Kaiba replied, pulling him into a tight hug. “How’s Yugi?”

Tristan immediately tensed. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I was kind of hoping that you’d go to the hospital with me when Mokuba and I are done playing.”

“Of course,” Kaiba replied. “And I hired a private investigator yesterday to help us find Bakura. He’s one of the best in his field.”

Tristan was surprised. “Really?” he asked. Kaiba nodded. “Thank you, Seto,” he replied, kissing his lover again.

Kaiba’s arms wrapped around Tristan’s waist, his hand traveling below the teen’s brown sweater, stroking the soft flesh beneath, causing a low moan to erupt from his lover. “Tris,” he whispered, kissing the junction of shoulder and neck.

“Seto,” Tristan whispered back, his hand resting on the back of Kaiba’s head, urging him on. “How do you do this to me?” he asked.

Kaiba pulled back and looked into Tristan’s smoky eyes. “I-”

“Time’s up, Seto!” Mokuba called, pushing the door open.

Kaiba buried his head in Tristan’s shoulder, an audible growl coming from him.

“Come on, Seto,” Tristan urged, gently pushing the CEO back. “I promised Mokuba.” He kissed Kaiba’s lips again and ducked out of Kaiba’s grip before flopping on the couch next to the raven-haired boy. “So where ya stuck at kiddo?”

“It’s a water level,” Mokuba replied, handing the controller to Tristan. “And it’s really hard because you can only hold your breath for so long and it’s never long enough to get through the tunnels.”

Tristan willed his body to calm down as he took the controller and pressed the ‘Start’ key.

Kaiba picked up his laptop from the end table and situated himself in the recliner at Tristan’s left. His eyes never left the brunette as he waited for the system to boot.

“Damn it,” Tristan said as his character drowned. “Seto, stop looking at me like that I can’t concentrate.”

“I'm not doing anything,” Kaiba replied, a smile in his voice.

“Stop it, Seto!” Mokuba insisted.

Kaiba chuckled and opened his demo software, soon becoming engrossed in his work. These were the afternoons he loved best. Just himself, Tristan, and Mokuba all enjoying each other’s company without any distraction.



“Okay, who wanted black olive?” Joey asked, holding up one of four large pizza boxes.

“Over here,” Tea replied. Mai caught the box and the three of them, Tea, Mai, and Serenity each grabbed a plate.

“Sausage and pepperoni?”

“That’s me, baby,” Duke spoke up from his place beneath the blonde. “Malik, you in?”

“Oh, yeah,” the blonde replied, sitting on the floor next to Duke and Joey.

Joey passed the box to Malik. “Plain cheese is for Tristan and Kaiba, whenever they get here. Oh, gross, who ordered anchovies and ground beef?”

“I did,” Yami replied.

Yugi wrinkled his nose but made no comment. He was used to Yami’s odd taste in food.

“You know you’re eating that whole thing,” Mai stated. “There no one else crazy enough to share it with you.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Isis replied.

“Oh, Isis, come on! That’s so nasty,” Mai retorted, winking at the beauty. Isis blushed.

Serenity swallowed hard. “Must be an Egyptian thing,” she rationalized.

“I don’t think so,” Malik argued. “I won’t eat that shit.”

A round of laughter followed before the room was plunged into silence for about ten minutes while everyone dug in to the pizza. All but Yugi, that is. He was still on a strictly liquid diet. He took a sip of his water and looked around at his peers. He was eternally grateful to have such a caring group of friends. His room was starting to look like a gift shop. Balloons, cards, and flowers lay everywhere. Including a balloon from Duke in the shape of an ear of corn. Duke had said it was the last one at the store and he didn’t want to come empty handed. That prompted a fifteen minute discussion to follow on just when a balloon shaped like corn WOULD be appropriate. No one could come up with a reason.

“You doing okay, Yugi?” Joey asked.

Yugi nodded. “I'm okay,” he replied. He watched as Yami looked to the doorway for the millionth time. /Yami?/

Yami snapped to attention. //What is it, Yugi? Do you need something?//

/You don’t have to sit here with me,/ Yugi replied, ignoring the question.

//Don’t be silly,// Yami replied, taking a bite of his pizza. //You need me now.//

Yugi shook his head sadly. He loved that Yami was so attentive to him but he was worried about Ryou. He hoped his friend was okay as the sun would be setting soon.


Marik was awakened by the sound of the door being kicked open. He was out of bed and in fighting stance in an instant.

Bakura chuckled at the sight of the blonde’s naked form. “You look real formidable there, Marik.”

Marik’s body relaxed and he collapsed back onto the bed. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked Bakura. “What time is it?”

Bakura snorted. “Depends on who you ask. According to the clock on the table there it’s about three in the morning.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Marik groaned, shoving his face into the pillow.

“Get up,” Bakura said, pulling the covers from his fellow yami. “Get dressed, we’re out of here.”

“What are you talking about?” Marik replied groggily.

Bakura grabbed one tanned ankle and pulled. “Come on, Ishtar, get up.”

Marik let out a stream of Egyptian obscenities as he collapsed onto the floor. “Alright, I'm up. What do you want?” He looked up at the tomb robber, for the first time noticing the large canvas bag he carried. “What’s that?” he asked.

Bakura sat the bag on the bed and unzipped it fully before holding it over Marik’s head and turning it upside down.

Marik’s eyes widened as the cash rained down on him. Twenties, fifties, hundreds. There was no telling how much. “What the fuck?”

Bakura grinned. “I told you I’d take care of the money and I have. Now get dressed, there’s a cab outside waiting to take us to a better hotel.”

“But…you didn’t…I mean how…”

The thief laughed. “Marik,” he said. “The meter is running. Put your clothes on so we can get out of here, you’re costing me more money.”

Marik blinked and shook his head, his mind trying to catch up. Bakura was one surprise after another! While Bakura was busy picking up the cash, he rose to his feet and quickly pulled on his clothes before following his comrade out the door and into the waiting taxi.


“So where to folks?” the driver asked.

“We’re looking for a better hotel,” Bakura stated.

The cabbie laughed. “This is Vegas, son. You’ve got to be a little more specific. How many stars you looking at?”

“We’re not looking for stars,” Marik said. “We’re looking for a hotel.”

“Uh, sure,” the driver said. “What’s your budget?”

“Unending,” Bakura said with a cheeky grin.

“Then you’ve come to the right city. Name’s Mac.” He put the car into gear and peeled away from the curb. “We’ll head down the Strip,” he explained. “Yell when you see something you like.”

Two sets of impressed eyes stared out of opposite windows, taking in the sights and sounds of the Las Vegas Strip. Each building they passed seemed to be in a race to outdo the last.

“Stop!” Marik said suddenly. “That’s the one. Bakura, look.”

Bakura leaned over Marik and peered out the window at the enormous pyramid. “Oh, holy, Ra.”

“No, RA’s the nightclub. That there’s the Luxor. Pretty high-class joint.”

“That’s where we’re staying,” Bakura insisted.

Mac pulled the taxi into the driveway and the pair filed out, leaving him a decent tip. “Good luck, folks,” he called.

“Bakura,” Marik whispered. “How much money do we have?”

“As much as we need,” Bakura whispered back.

“But…how?”

The pale spirit sighed. “Marik, I don’t make it a habit of exposing my strategies to others. Just know that there is plenty more where this came from. You were right about this being the ‘Money Capital of the World’. It’s all over this city.”

Marik nodded and kissed Bakura full on the lips. “You’re amazing,” he said.

Bakura smiled after the kiss ended. “I know.”



Ryou walked down the dark streets of Domino in solitude, his book bag slung over his shoulder, tears falling from his eyes. After seeing Duke’s car in the parking lot, he knew Joey would still be inside, possibly Tristan also. He knew that Yugi needed his friends more than anything and wasn’t about to go inside and cause another argument between them. He decided to walk around for awhile and wait for them to leave before returning.

One worry built upon another. It was after dark now and still he had not heard from Bakura. He could still feel his yami’s presence however and slight changes in the spirit’s mood. Right now he seemed to be doing a lot better than he was a few hours ago. Ryou wondered if Malik knew where they were. Malik and Marik actually seemed to get along most of the time and it was no secret to the teen that Malik wanted Bakura.

And then came Yami. Ryou melted just thinking about him. Over the past three days his feelings for the pharaoh had skyrocketed. Once the immediate threat had been removed, he caught his mind drifting to the spirit more often, stealing more glances his way, and enjoying his company without fear of repercussions.

This back and forth was killing him. He loved both of them. Differently, yes, but love is love. They would never understand each other, never come to terms with each other, and it seemed neither would stop in their quest to best the other. There was no way this could end well. The only safe place for Bakura was to be returned to the Millennium Ring but Ryou knew that his dark would rather Yami kill him.

Ryou didn’t feel well. His stomach was upset from all the worry, his head was pounding from all the stress, and his eye was throbbing from Joey’s attack. He couldn’t say that he wished things to go back the way they were before because then he’d lose Yami again. But he didn’t want the situation as it was either. He needed to sit down.

“You okay, dearie?”

Ryou looked up to see an older woman in front of him. “Not really,” he managed in his polite way before beginning to sway on his feet.

The woman caught him before he hit the pavement. “Oh, my,” she said. “What happened to you, child? Let’s get you inside.” She led the shaking boy three blocks down to the modest single level home nestled between two larger ones. “My husband, bless his soul, built this house back when this town was just a few homes, a general store, and a post office. I declare, all this hubbub built up so quick the past few years it’s all I can do to keep up.”

Ryou leaned against the kind old woman for support as she led him up the front steps and into the house. “You don’t have to go to all this trouble,” he whispered.

“Nonsense,” the woman replied with a wave of her hand. She helped him onto the sofa and covered him with a pretty knitted quilt. “I had me a boy about your age once. I’d have never let him wander around on his own at this late hour. Where is your mother? I can call her for you.”

Ryou winced. “Um, no that’s not possible. She…passed away.”

“Like a punch in the gullet, isn’t it dearie?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And your father?” she asked gently, bringing him two aspirins and a glass of water.

“In Egypt. He’s an archaeologist.” He took the offered medication and returned the glass.

The woman paused in her fussing. “Well who takes care of you, honey?”

Ryou blushed. “I take care of myself, ma’am.”

“What a pity,” she said, shaking her head. “Well it’s decided. For tonight you’re gonna be taken care of. No,” she said, holding up her hand when Ryou started to speak. “I won’t take no for an answer. Just look at you. So pale and thin.” She picked up the glass. “You just rest here a minute and I’ll bring you some tea and soup. You’ll be feeling right as rain in no time.”

Ryou was near tears again at the woman’s kindness. “Thank you, Mrs.…”

“None of that now. You call me Rose. Everyone else does. I'm not one for formalities much.”

“Rose,” Ryou confirmed. “Thank you for everything.”

“Now, now, child, don’t you fret. Just get some rest. I’ll be back in half a jiff.”


“You did it, Tristan!” Mokuba exclaimed.

Tristan sat the controller down and flexed the sore muscles in his hands as the final cinema began to play on screen. “What’d I tell you, kiddo? I'm the best.”

Mokuba laughed. “Seto said he’s better than you are.”

Tristan turned to the CEO. “Is that so?”

Kaiba looked up from his computer. “Don’t get me involved in this.”

“But you did, Seto! Remember that time I said Tristan could beat you at the fighting game and you said no way cause Tristan is better with hands-on games?”

Tristan snickered. “Well, he’s right about that part,” he said to the younger brother. “But wrong about beating me at the game.”

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“You know it is.”

The CEO saved his work and turned off the computer, setting it aside. “Then how about a friendly wager?”

Tristan grinned. “Name it.”

Kaiba stood up. “If I win,” he said dramatically before leaning in to whisper in Tristan’s ear. “You have to let me take you in the limo at school during lunch period.”

Tristan’s eyes widened. “High stakes there, Seto.”

“I play to win.”

“Fine, smart ass. If I win I get to do the same to you,” he said cryptically for the benefit of Mokuba, who was watching them intently. “But I get to do it in the gym locker room.”

“Deal,” Seto said. “Mokuba set it up.”

Mokuba jumped off of the couch and swapped disks in the game console. “Here you go, big brother,” he said to Kaiba, handing him the second controller.

“Shall we?” Kaiba asked, gesturing to the sofa.

“We shall,” Tristan replied with a laugh.

They each chose their fighters and the game got underway. Kaiba won the first round.

“Point one, me,” he said smugly.

“Shove it,” Tristan replied.

Round two began. Tristan came out strong and had half of Kaiba’s life bar down before the CEO could react. In the end, the round went to Tristan.

“Oh yeah,” Tristan said. “Who’s bad now?”

“It’s not over yet, Taylor,” Kaiba said with a grin.

Mokuba was surprised. He’d never seen anyone beat his brother. Even at one round.

The game was fierce. Each blocking the other’s moves and managing to get a good one in here and there. The “warning” indicator had chimed for each of them, indicating that they were in danger of losing the match. The final blow, however, went to Kaiba who, with a quick jab, knocked Tristan’s fighter down into a pool of his own blood.

“I win,” the CEO said as though he knew it all along.

Tristan blushed. “You do indeed.”

Kaiba looked at the clock. It was almost nine. “Mokuba, it’s time for bed. Tristan and I are going to go out for awhile so Li will be in charge.” Li was one of Kaiba’s many maids, only she was paid extra to keep an eye on Mokuba when necessary.

“Okay, Seto,” the boy replied dutifully. He turned to Tristan and gave him a crushing hug. “Thanks for coming over,” he said.

Tristan ruffled the boy’s hair. “Anytime, kiddo.”

Mokuba attached himself to Kaiba. “Night, big brother.”

“Good night, Mokuba.” The boy left the room. “Do you need anything before we go?” he asked Tristan.

“No,” the brunette replied. “Just having you there will be enough.”



Yami looked at the clock for the millionth time. It was steadily creeping toward nine-thirty. The later it got, the more worried he became. Where is he? He thought. I hope he didn’t go back home. But where else would he be?

Yugi could feel his dark’s worry. He’d tried several times to convince Yami to go find him, but was always met with strict resistance.

The constant chatter of his friends was a most welcome distraction. The cacophony of voices did wonders to drown out the unwelcome one in his head. He watched Mai try to be subtle in her flirting with Isis, Malik looking on, Joey and Duke making out between Joey’s attempts to finish off the pizza, Serenity and Tea comparing their tans, and Yami’s continuous worry that matched his own.

He wanted to go home. Despite all of the distractions his friends offered, the never-ending beeping of his heart, blood pressure, and oxygen monitors told another story. He longed for the familiar surroundings and comfort home promised. “Yami?” he said softly.

“What is it Yugi?” Yami replied.

“Does Grandpa know I'm here?”

“No, honey. I figured I’d wait and let you decide whether or not you wanted him to know.”

Yugi thought a moment. “No,” he said after a pause. “He’s been looking forward to this trip for months. I don’t want him to have to come home early just to worry.”

Yami nodded. “If you change your mind, let me know and I’ll call him for you.”

“Thank you.” He went back to his silent observation. After a few moments Tristan and Kaiba arrived, balloons and flowers in tow. “Tristan,” Yugi said with a small smile.

“Hey Yugi,” Tristan smiled.

“Hello, Yugi,” Kaiba said. “How are you doing?”

“Better,” Yugi replied. “Thank you for coming, Kaiba.”

“We saved you some pizza,” Malik spoke up.

“Barely,” Mai quipped. “Joey’s on a quest to gobble down every last slice.”

Joey glared at her. “I'm a growing boy,” he said.

“That’s because of Duke, not nature,” Tristan laughed.

Serenity covered her ears. “I'm not listening,” she chanted loudly.

Kaiba grimaced. He didn’t understand his boyfriend’s attraction to this bunch. The only ones he could tolerate were Duke and Isis. “What have your doctors said, Yugi?”

“Nothing to me,” Yugi replied.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow and looked to Yami who shook his head slightly. “Well, I'm sure you’ll hear something soon,” he said. “Where do you want these?”

“I’ll take them,” Serenity said, taking the bouquet from the CEO.

Tristan sat on the arm of Duke and Joey’s chair while Kaiba remained upright and leaning against the doorframe. Yugi seemed to be doing a lot better than the previous day. He picked up a slice of pizza and leaned against his best friend. “Where’s the traitor?” he whispered.

“He left when I got here,” Joey whispered back.

“Guys, come on,” Duke muttered. “If Ryou makes Yugi and Yami feel better then who are you to drive him away?”

“Sorry honey,” Joey said. “But Tris and I are entitled to our opinions, too.”

“You are,” Duke agreed. “But maybe this isn’t the best place to express them.”

“He’s right,” Tristan said. “We’ll talk about this later.”



“Feeling better child?” Rose asked gently.

“Yes, ma’am,” Ryou replied from his laying position on the couch. He handed her the empty cup. “What was that?” he asked.

“It’s my mama’s recipe. It’ll cure what ails you.”

“It was very good.”

Rose smiled and pulled a washcloth from the bowl she had set on the coffee table. “Scoot over,” she said. Ryou moved toward the back of the sofa and she sat next to him, folding the cloth into a thick square. “What happened to your eye?” she asked, gently laying the rag over the large bruise.

“It’s a long story,” Ryou said sadly.

“All this old woman has is time,” she said sympathetically.

Ryou paused. The cloth felt good against his swollen eye. “It started four days ago,” he said finally. “My...twin brother, Bakura told me he was leaving. He wouldn’t tell me where to…”

Rose listened quietly to the teen’s story, not commenting or reacting. She could almost feel the waves of agony falling from the pale narrator. Her heart wrenched to see those tired, bloodshot eyes fill again and again with tears and sorrow far too great for a boy his age. She removed the cloth from his face and dipped it into the bowl of water, wiping his cheeks as his story continued.

“I left the hospital because I didn’t want to cause any more problems,” Ryou sobbed. “And I haven’t heard from Bakura since yesterday.”

“So your friends turned on you because of your allegiance to your family?” she asked.

Ryou nodded. “I understand their position,” he explained weakly. “But I can’t turn Bakura in, I just can’t. What he did was unforgivable but I could never live with myself if I betrayed his trust.”

Rose placed the cloth over his eye once again. “What of your friend in the hospital? Has he asked for your help in finding your brother?”

“No,” Ryou said. “Yugi would never ask me to do that. He understands how I feel. What with Yami and all.”

“Yami is his twin?”

“Yes.” Ryou felt awful lying to this kind woman but knew that she would never believe the truth.

“And Yami is the one that you have feelings for?”

“Yes.”

Rose shook her head. “Well, honey, I can’t say I’ve ever been in your situation,” she said sadly. “But I do know what it feels like to have to choose between people you love. My daddy didn’t approve of my Henry back when he was courting me. Daddy said he’d never have any kind of future. When Henry proposed to me my father said that if I married him I could forget about the family.”

“Your own father said that?” Ryou asked.

“He did,” Rose went on. “But I was young and in love. So I chose Henry. We struggled a bit for the first few years before he got a job with a shipping company. They transferred us out here to Japan.”

“Where are you from?” Ryou asked.

“America,” she replied. “That was quite a trip, I tell you. But once we got here Henry built us this house. We used to own fifteen acres of land but over the years since he passed away I’ve had to sell them off to make ends meet.”

“Did you ever make peace with your family?”

“I did,” she replied. “Henry went back to the Carolinas and had words with my father. I got a phone call here at home about a week later from Henry telling me to pack a bag and catch the next plane out. I say,” she chuckled. “He sure was a spontaneous one. But when I got off of that plane my daddy and mama were there to meet me with Henry and none of them fought the entire month we stayed.”

Ryou smiled. It was like a romance novel. “That must have been quite a relief.”

“Oh, honey, it was.”

“I don’t see Yami and Bakura making up like that though,” he said with a little laugh.

“No, that’s not likely,” Rose agreed. “But in situations like this you have to remember something. In the end, all you have is yourself. I didn’t expect for my Henry to meet his maker at such a young age. I lost my daddy a few years later.”

“I don’t understand,” Ryou said.

“Well, it’s like this, dearie: you can’t live your life for someone else because if something awful happens and you’re left on your own whatever will you have left has to be enough to sustain you. You’ve got to come first, no matter what. I chose to start a family as Henry’s wife.”

“So I have to choose what will be best for me?”

“Exactly, child. If your brother doesn’t want your help or company then don’t hold out for him to change his mind. And if Yami can’t accept the fact that your heart won’t let you betray your kin then he’s not right for you.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Ryou noted.

“It’s never easy to choose between those you hold dear. But choosing yourself shouldn’t even come into question. It should be a given.”

Ryou was quiet as the advice sunk in.

“Look at me, jabbering on when it’s obvious that you’re exhausted.” She stood up, picking up the bowl. “Get some sleep, child. Things always look better in the morning.”

Ryou nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Rose.”

Rose smiled and stepped out of the room, turning off the lamp.

The teen pulled the blanket up under his chin. Taking a deep breath, he closed the link he shared with Bakura. He knew the thief would bombard him with questions when he re-opened it but he needed this time to himself. Tomorrow would bring on its own set of problems, including the verbal assault he was likely to get from a very worried pharaoh and his light. He wanted to be well rested before dealing with any of it. Now was Ryou’s time.


________________________________________________________________________________________
That's it for this chapter! Things are really going to pick up starting in chapter 10. Look for Ryou to 'grow a pair', Yugi's next trauma (I ain't givin away his fate!), and the confrontation between Tristan and Kaiba. And that's just the beginning :).

I want to give a thank-you to my reviewers as well: Su, Letainajup, MI77, DracOnyx (love your website, btw), Terri, and Lady Laran. You all are wonderful :)
Oh, and Dabin...miss you baby!