Chapter Two: Always had a Feeling

"I always had a feeling that someone was there, always by my side. Even when I thought I was all alone."

After Bakura's attack on Ryo everything seemed to feel a bit empty. Even if it was just the night before. The day of Ryo's outing with his friends was finally here. It was Saturday, so Ryo didn't have to worry about school. But, like usual, he woke up earlier than necessary.

"Jeez! I'm so used to waking up so early because of my other self. After what last night with Bakura I..." Ryo looked down at his Millennium Ring that he held in his hands, taking it off and placing it on his night stand before heading towards the shower. He didn't want to smell like sex when he goes to meet Yugi and the others.

Ryo grabbed a white cotton towel from the bathroom closet and places it on the towel rack. When he turned on the hot water steam automatically filled up the bathroom. Ryo breathed in the thick steam only to have choked on the water vapor.

"I *cough* don't know *cough* what's going to happen know with my other self. He was really angry with me last night. More than usual too. Sometimes I wish father never gave me the Millennium Ring. I wish I got Yugi-kun's Millennium Puzzle instead. But, would things be any different? If I had the Millennium Puzzle instead of Yugi-kun, would I have met all the friends I have now? Tristan-kun, Joey-kun, Téa-chan and... Yugi-kun." Ryo pulled off his pajama shirt and the rest of his clothes. It's true that there were many times when Ryo wished he could just throw away the Millennium Ring in the past. But, for some reason, he never could. Tristan did once on Duelist Island, but somehow it came back again.

"I shouldn't worry about it right now. I should just focus on taking a shower and try to get some more sleep before going to the movies with my friends. I don't have time to worry about Bakura."

Ryo stepped into the shower and closed the door behind him. The hot water rushed down Ryo's pale white body. The hot water slightly burned Ryo's back from an old cut that was cause by Bakura.

"Damn! It really hurts this time. Bakura must have reopened it last night when he attacked me without me realizing it. If this keeps happening, it'll never heal, and it'll get infected."

Ryo reached back to feel the deep cut on his back. A warm, thick, gooey feeling was coming from it. When he looked down at his hand it was covered in a scarlet red.

"This always happens with him. I-I don't know why he's like that whenever I talk about or think about the relationship between Yugi-kun and the spirit of the Pharaoh. He attacks me, abuses me and does all those types of things to me. I really don't understand him at all.

"I didn't ask you to understand me, Yadonushi." Bakura's voice suddenly echoed in the shower.

"B-Bakura?! Can't I ever just get a little time to myself to think?! You're always butting in when it has nothing to do with you. Just leave me alone so I can take my shower in peace!" Ryo said as he started to wash his long white hair. When he opened his eyes again, Bakura was standing in the shower with him, glaring at him. "Ba-Bakura!?! Get out! I don't have time for this and I'm tired. I didn't sleep well! So please, just, get out!"

Bakura continued to stand there and glared down at Ryo. He suddenly grabbed a hold of Ryo's wrist and turned him around. Bakura's fingers lightly brushed Ryo's back. Blood still dripping from Ryo's wound.

"I told you to get out Bakura! Let me go!!"

"Hold still Yadonushi! I'm not going to do anything, I'm not in the mood to do so, but if you don't take care of this back here, it'll get an infection. And that would be troublesome for me as well. Don't forget, your body is my body too." Bakura started to lick the blood from Ryo's back.

"St-stop it, Ba-Bakura! I-I'll take care of it after my shower! Please... stop it! W-Who's fault is it that it's like that anyway?!" Ryo begged in a quivering tone.

"You're a bad liar. After all, we do share the same body. Since that day, when your father first gave you the Millennium Ring... you might not have known this Yadonushi, but, I've always been watching over you. Even on that day, when you lost the one person you thought needed you the most. After all, I was the one who saved your life that day. You were just about to run out into the street after that girl. I knew you weren't going to make it in time to save her, so, without even realizing it, I grabbed your arm. I don't know why I did it. I don't even like you all that much. I guess... I guess I had a feeling that you were going to be someone important to me. Even now, with you crying and begging for me to stop and leave you alone... I just can't get myself to pull away from you and leave you alone..."

"Ba-Bakura!!"

Ryo's voice suddenly reached out to Bakura. Both Ryo and Bakura were sitting at the bottom of the shower. Blood stained the shower floor and Bakura's lower lip.

"What, what happened?" Bakura looked around a bit surprised.

"What happened?! What do you mean what happened?! You were licking the blood from my wound so forcefully you pushed me to the floor! What were you so lost in thought about that you zoned out like that? That's not like you."

"None of your business. Just hold still so I can clean this. It's already slightly infected."

"Stupid!! If its infected, who's fault is that?! Now, get out! I'll clean it when I'm done with my shower. Please, I'm tired and I have plans for today! So please, just... just leave me alone for today."

Bakura slowly released Ryo's wrist. Ryo looked back at Bakura with shock in his eyes. Bakura never listened to him before. Bakura then leaned in close and collapsed his lips on top of Ryo's. He pushed his tongue pass Ryo's teeth. Ryo tried to fight back against Bakura, but the burning feeling was too much to take.

"Ba-Bakura... st-stop it!"

"I'll do it, but only for today. I'll do as you ask and leave you alone. But, for now, can we stay like this?"

Ryo was shocked with Bakura's sudden understanding and strange behavior. This time Ryo didn't push Bakura away. In fact, he embraced Bakura back.

"Yeah, but only for a while." Ryo wrapped his thin, pale white arms around his other self's shoulders. Bakura's head laid on Ryo's chest. Just like Bakura had asked of him, Ryo and Bakura just stayed just like that. No unnecessary touching, no abusive words like there always was. They just stayed there, sitting on the floor of the shower, holding each other in an embrace.

After a while of embracing each other in the shower floor Bakura finally disappeared and allowed Ryo to finish on his own. Getting out after the water started to get cold, Ryo turned off the water and wrapped the cotton white towel around his waist. Bakura, who was waiting outside of the shower, followed after his Yadonushi back to his room. Bakura sat at the edge of the bed while Ryo looked in his closest to choose something to wear.

"I thought you were going to take care of that wound on your back? I did all that cleaning after all." Bakura pointed to Ryo's back.

"I-It's fine. The bleeding as stopped, so I should be alright."

"Tech, what a load of crap! Sit down and I'll take care of it! We share the same body don't you forget, so you need to take care of yourself. You're so troublesome Yadonushi!"

Ryo grabbed a shirt from his closest, underwear and pants from his dresser before grabbing the first-aid kit from the bathroom and gave it to Bakura. Ryo than sat on the bed next to Bakura. The swollen, red lines that looked like finger nail scratches stood out against Ryo's pale, white skin.

"I really did dig my nails into him that one night. I'm surprised that it hasn't affected him much sooner than this." Bakura took the disinfectant spray and sprayed it on Ryo's back. The spray made Ryo cringe in slight pain when it touched his skin.

After the spray settled on Ryo's back Bakura placed gauze on the scratches and then started to wrap Ryo's back with elastic bandage wraps. The silence between the two continued up until Bakura was done wrapping Ryo's back with bandages. Ryo slid on his blue and white stripped t-shirt, light blue shirt sleeves jacket, plain white underwear and blue jeans. Ryo then took the first-aid kit and put it back to the bathroom. After returning from the bathroom he collapsed on his bed. Now he was too tired to care about anything at that moment. All Ryo wanted to do was sleep for a little bit longer.

"Hey, did you really mean what you said? That you would leave me alone for the day?" Ryo asked Bakura with a yawn.

"Yeah. I guess I'll give you a break from me for the day. Just leave the Millennium Ring here in a safe place. But this is a onetime thing, so don't get use to it!!" Bakura said at first with a gentle tone, but then it turned a bit harsh.

"I get it. It's just nice ... *yawn*... to see a softer side of you once in a while..." Ryo's words drifted as he said them. The heaviness of sleep finally took over and washed over him as he closed his eyes and finally went to sleep.

Bakura casually watched over his Yadonushi. To Bakura, Ryo can be so troublesome. Always worrying about pleasing others before worrying about himself. It always irritated Bakura on how innocent Ryo would act during a time when it wasn't needed. But even through all that, even at the points when Bakura just wanted to lock Ryo away, he just couldn't do it. Ryo was, in a way, an important person to Bakura. Not just because they shared a body, but as a person in his life as well.

Ryo suddenly let out a light snore, causing Bakura to slightly jump on the inside. Bakura looked over at Ryo, and when he saw Ryo's sleeping face he couldn't help but smile a little bit. He leaned over top of Ryo, brushing back his white bangs and lightly kissed him on the forehead.

"Yadonushi, you may not know this but... you really are an important person to me."