DD: Hey, guys! I've got a bit of Tendershipping/Heartshipping fluff for you! Hopefully this fits with the theme enough. It's sort of about Ryou avoiding going back to school after the Ceremonial Duel. Anyway, hope you like it!

-DDLDHoW-

"Ryou?"

Ryou looked up with a smile as his father entered the room. "Hi, dad. Is everything okay?"

His father nodded, examining his dioramas. "Yes, everything's fine." He looked up at Ryou. "I was just wondering why the school called to ask if you would be returning this year."

Ryou forced himself not to tense. His father didn't know.

His father was always away. He came back for a week at the end of summer holidays, but that was it.

Ryou suspected that it was some sort of self-gratification thing.

See? I do visit him. He's doing fine on his own.

He honestly preferred it that way. He liked when his father came to visit, but it always brought about tension.

A fear of his father learning about what happened, and the role Ryou played in it.

"I got really sick last year and had to miss a lot of school," Ryou explained, setting down his paintbrush. "Turns out it was appendicitis. I got to the hospital in time though, and I'm fine now." He closed his eyes and smiled. "If they call again, you can tell them I'll be in this term."

His father frowned. "The other schools all started today. Why aren't you in uniform?"

Ryou shook his head. "We always start a few days later than other schools; it's in celebration of the founding of the school," he explained.

His father slowly nodded. "I see."

Ryou picked up his paintbrush again. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" He asked as he painted the feather in the scribe's hand. "I can do a roast chicken if you like. Or we could get take-out."

"I won't be eating here tonight," his father sighed. "I've been called back to the expedition early. I need to leave in a few hours."

The paintbrush in Ryou's hand stilled and he stared at the intricate feather unseeingly. "Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Ryou."

"Don't be." Ryou's plastic smile returned. "I don't mind. Work is work; you have to go. I get it."

His father nodded. "Thank you for understanding."

He always did. He always understood. It was always the same. His father would be called back a day or two after he got to Ryou's.

With his father, a week-long visit never lasted for more than three days. With a fortnight-long visit, Ryou was lucky to get him for five days.

But he always understood. He didn't have a choice.

-DDLDHoW-

It had cracked. Right down the middle.

The doll had cracked. And Ryou didn't know whether or not he wanted to fix it.

He knelt by the table staring at it.

"This isn't me."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not. I looked cooler."

"Well I made it the way you told me too." Pause. "Bakura?"

"I had a scar."

"What?"

"A scar. I had one down the side of my face."

The crack ran right through the scar, cutting it in three. Just like how the scar cut Bakura's face in three.

It ran from the crown of his head, through his left eye and through his scar. It wouldn't be too hard to fix, but Ryou didn't know if he wanted to.

His gaze ran to the doll beside Bakura's. Pale, alabaster skin. White hair. Green-flecked eyes.

Bakura had told him not to, but he had to. Ryou had to make a doll for himself.

He didn't remember much.

Meeting Bakura's past self in a bar. Bakura saving him from being gang raped. Kissing him. Going further until they heard guards outside. And running.

That was all.

But he remembered it.

He knew that it was just an RPG. He knew he never actually met Bakura's past self - the elusive King of Thieves, Stealer of Souls.

He knew it was all an illusion.

But he liked to pretend that he really had met him. That he made a difference. That Bakura would remember him in Aaru - if he got through.

But he wouldn't. Ryou knew that.

Ryou reached out, placing a ginger finger on top of Bakura's doll's head. It had broken so easily.

Slowly, he stood and walked over to the balcony.

He pushed open the door and looked down. Ten floors.

How easy it would be.

He wouldn't need to go back to school. He wouldn't need to figure out what to say to Yugi and his friends.

Somehow, "Sorry that my yami tried to kill you. So, how about that new movie?" didn't sound quite right.

How easy it would be to just... break.

He leaned forward, but froze when he heard the doorbell ring. Slowly, he turned away from the railing.

Too late. Too late.

He had hesitated.

He padded to the door and pulled it open. "Can I hel-" He froze when he saw the amethyst eyes looking up at him.

A smile broke out on Yugi's face. "Bakura-kun!"

"Y-Yugi..." Ryou swallowed. "What are you doing here?"

"You missed the first day of school, so I wanted to make sure you were alright," Yugi replied. "You missed so many days last year. We were beginning to think you were dropping out."

Ryou laughed nervously. "N-no, I'm fine. I've just... had a bad head cold. Yeah. It's probably contagious, I wouldn't want you to catch it."

He tried to close the door. "I'll be fine," Yugi assured him. "Could I come in? I have your assignments with me."

Ryou hesitated before opening the door. "A-Alright..."

Yugi smiled at him and walked in, toeing off his shoes. "Thanks."

Ryou shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Would you like some tea, or-or coffee or-?"

"Tea sounds great," Yugi agreed.

Ryou shakily nodded and hurried into the kitchen. What do I say? What do I say?

"When do you think you'll be coming back to school?" Yugi asked, following him into the kitchen. "Joey, Anzu and I are planning to go see a film on Friday. Maybe you could come with us?"

"I might," Ryou forced out, dropping two teabags into mugs as he waited for the kettle to boil. "What film are you going to see?"

"We were thinking about watching the new Star Wars film," Yugi replied, walking into the living room again. "Anzu's seen it already, but she wants to watch it again.

Ryou's hand shook as he picked up the kettle to pour water into the mugs. "Sounds interesting," he said. "Would you like some biscuits?"

"No thanks; I ate just before coming over," Yugi called in response.

Ryou nodded, despite knowing that Yugi couldn't see him. He took a tray out of the cupboard and placed the two mugs on it.

"I hope Earl Grey is okay for you," he said as he walked into the living room. "I've had a craving for Lady Londonderry recently and I just ran out of it."

"Earl Grey is fine." Yugi smiled at him. He was standing at one of Ryou's dioramas.

No.

The diorama.

"This is really well done, Bakura-kun," Yugi commented. "Did you make a doll for yourself?"

He picked up the dolls. Ryou's eyes widened.

"This one's Bakura-kun..." Yugi tapped the pale one on the head. His gaze trailed to the Thief. "And this one-"

Crash. The tray fell from Ryou's hands and he snatched the figures out of Yugi's hands. He fell to his knees, clutching them to his chest.

Bakura.

"I'm sorry," he dry-sobbed, his shoulders shaking. "The-the diorama... The Ancient Egypt one... I-I-"

"I know." Yugi's voice was soft. Ryou looked up at him to see him still smiling softly. "It's okay."

Why? Why was he being so forgiving?

One more second of looking at that smile was all that it took for Ryou to burst into tears.

Yugi knelt down beside him and wrapped his arms around Ryou.

"W-why does it hurt so much?" Ryou sobbed, clutching the dolls closer to his chest. "I-I-I hated h-him, b-but it-it h-hurts..."

"No one expects losing a part of you to be easy," Yugi murmured, his arms tightening around Ryou. "Whether it's someone like Atem, or someone like Bakura. It's always hard. No one expects you not to be hurting, Ryou."

Ryou whimpered slightly and shook his head. "B-but it-it's not r-right," he protested. "It sh-shouldn't hurt!"

"He was a part of you, and he's gone." Yugi cupped Ryou's cheek. "Of course that would hurt. I'd be more worried about you if it didn't."

Ryou jerked away from his touch. "He cared," he whispered. "He cared. Or-or he pretended to."

Yugi shook his head. "He cared," he confirmed. "I think it scared him because he cared so much. He wanted to protect you, Ryou." He reached out and gently dried Ryou's tears with his thumb.

Ryou sniffed and met Yugi's gaze. "I loved him," he whispered.

Yugi slowly nodded. "I loved him too."

Neither knew who moved in first.

But within moments, they were desperately kissing. There wasn't much love in it. Fondness, yes. They cared about each other. But not love.

No. This was a desire to be filled again. To feel whole. Even just for a few hours, or minutes, or seconds.

Just a desire not to feel like half a person.

Yugi's fingers threaded through Ryou's hair as Ryou's hands gripped Yugi's shoulders tightly.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Ryou whispered against Yugi's lips.

He didn't like this. It wasn't right.

He loved Bakura, and Yugi loved Atem. It wasn't fair to either of them.

"Says who?" Yugi asked.

Ryou hesitated before shrugging. He didn't know. "Y-you love him."

"I loved him," Yugi corrected softly.

"I love him."

"You loved him."

Yugi kissed him again, and this time, Ryou let it happen. It was for his own selfish, selfish reasons.

He just wanted to feel like he wasn't half a person. He wanted to feel whole.

And what better way for a half a person to feel whole than to love another half a person?

Ryou didn't know of one. So he let it happen.

-DDLDHoW-

DD: Hope you guys liked it. If you did, hit that review button and comment. I actually get a huge confidence booster from your comments, so please don't forget to leave one. Enjoy the rest of the magazine. See you next time, Killer Queens!