Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Brontophobia ❯ Brontophobia ( One-Shot )

Brontophobia

hato-chiisai

Disclaimer: *yawn* I don't own Yugioh, or anything else you may recognize in this fic, and blah blah blah blah blah. You get it.

I seem to be writing from personal experiences lately. As in, Wisdom Teeth. Anyway, the other day we were put under a Tornado Watch, and my old lifelong brontophobia popped up. Brontophobia is an extreme fear of storms. So I decided to write a fic. Hope you enjoy it, and hopefully, through my own experience, I'll really be able to bring Ryou's fear to life, and let you understand what it's like.

Brontophobia

Ryou sighed as he trudged home. It had been a cloudy day, and very windy. Ryou didn't mind the clouds or wind. But he knew he wouldn't get a good night sleep. The wind always seemed louder and more violent at night. Oh well… At least he had Bakura. He would definitely be spending tonight in Bakura's bed. Bakura slept in the basement, in a king size water bed, so Ryou often stayed with him anyway, but tonight, there would be no question.

Ryou hated storms. Bakura didn't like them either, so he stayed in the Ring and cut his link off from Ryou during them. But that was when he still beat his hikari. He didn't anymore. But he had changed not so long ago, when Ryou had been raped, and stalked by his father's insane business partner. (Koibito Yami)

There hadn't been a big storm since. But they were predicting storms tonight. Ryou smirked slightly. Bakura knew that he was afraid of the dark, and panicked when he didn't have complete control over his own body at all times, but he didn't know about Ryou's severe Brontophobia. It had been installed in him not long after his mother, Reiko, died. There had been a huge storm, with hail, that knocked down a tree outside his window. A branch had come through the window. Ryou had been with a baby-sitter, and the baby-sitter had slept through it. Ryou had been in his room for three hours, scared to death, as a storm raged outside. When his father, Yaten, came home, he found Ryou in his room, crying for his mother. Yaten freaked, and fired the baby-sitter on the spot. Ryou, six years old, had come down with a case of pneumonia. He had been very susceptible to the disease, and had been terrified of storms ever since.

Ryou blinked, as a large drop of water hit his cheek beneath his left eye. Ryou wiped it away, and looked up. He moaned, as the rain began to fall. He sped up. Only another three blocks and he was home. Suddenly, the clouds lit up with an unseen bolt of lightning. Ryou's body grew rigid, and he held his breathe. His heart pounded, as he counted.

"One mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi, four mississippi, five mississippi, six mississippi, sev-" a gentle roll of thunder cut off his voice. His lip trembled. It wasn't close, but for Ryou, it was too close for comfort. He began to jog. This time, the horizon was spilt by a jagged white streak, and sight made Ryou squeak. When the thunder rolled over him, the rain increased. Another flash in the sky, and Ryou broke into a run. His breath was shaky, as he ran through the rain, eyes on the sky. He sped up with every bolt lightning, and didn't slow down until he reached his front porch. He fumbled for his keys, and threw the door open, ducking inside. He slammed the door, and dropped his bag, leaning against the door, trying to catch his breath.

"Welcome home, Ryou!" A cheerful voice sang. Ryou looked up, and stared at Bakura, in the kitchen doorway in an apron, grinning like an idiot. Then, he really looked at Ryou. "Oh Ra, hikari, you're soaked!" He rushed over, and pulled Ryou's soaked jacket off. "Get out of those clothes right now." He ordered, stripping Ryou's shirt off as Ryou kicked off his shoes. He squeaked when Bakura dropped to his knees, and jerked his pants down, leaving the light in his wet boxers. Ryou flushed furiously when Bakura relieved him of those as well, and threw the Millennium Ring around his own neck.

"What, are you doing?!" Ryou gasped. Bakura stood and blinked, then gathered up Ryou's wet clothes.

"I don't want you to catch cold." He said, and Ryou stared, shocked, as Bakura disappeared down the hall with his wet clothes, leaving him standing naked in the hall. Ryou blinked, then followed Bakura into the laundry room, where the yami tossed his things into the dryer. Ryou blinked. Since when did Bakura even know how use the dryer? Ryou was officially confused. His yami was acting….. strange. He jumped when Bakura whirled on him again, and shoved him out of the laundry room and up the stairs.

"Bathtub. Now." Bakura ordered. Ryou blinked.

"What? Why?"

"I don't want you to catch cold."

"Bakura, are you drunk?" Ryou asked, in all seriousness, as he was shoved into the bathroom. He leaned against the wall, and watched curiously as Bakura filled the bathtub with warm water, and raised his eyebrows when his yami added bubble bath. Then, he yelped, as Bakura picked him up, and plunked him into the tub.

"Warm up, I'll be right back." Bakura said, and bounded, yes, BOUNDED, out of the room. Ryou stared, confused.

"I'm going crazy….." Ryou muttered to himself, but relaxed in the tub. Hey, it was better than getting the shit beat out of him. Bakura waltzed into the room whistling. When Ryou recognized the song, he immediately became VERY worried. Bakura was whistling the tune to `I Want It That Way' by the Backstreet Boys.

"Here's a towel and your pajamas." Bakura said, lying the items on the counter, then dumped some shampoo on Ryou's head, and started rubbing it into Ryou's hair.

"Bakura! Ack! What, what are you doing?! What is the matter with you? You ARE drunk aren't you?!?"

"No. I'm not drunk. Nothing's wrong with me, and I'm washing your hair." Bakura replied, calmly. Ryou simply sat, and glared at the wall, letting Bakura work on his long mane. Then, he blinked.

"Uh, Bakura?"

"Yes?"

"What's that smell?" Ryou asked, sniffing the air. Bakura frowned and stopped, sniffing as well. Suddenly, he gasped, and a look of panic appeared on his face.

"MY MUFFINS!!!" He cried, and dashed out of the room. Ryou stared at the empty doorway, with wide eyes.

"Oh, God… this is too weird. I'm calling Yugi." He muttered to himself, and rinsed his hair. He got out of the tub, dried off, and changed into his pajamas. Then, he went downstairs to see what Bakura was up to. He stared, confused beyond belief, as he watched his yami checking muffins in the oven, then run over to check something on the stove. He sampled a bit of whatever was in the pot, then frowned, critically. He dumped some kind of powder into it, then tasted it again, this time smiling in satisfaction. When he began to sing `As Long As You Love Me,' Ryou decided that he had seen enough, and went to the living room, picking up the phone, and dialing.

"Moshi moshi, Mouto residence!" Yugi's voice said.

"Hi Yugi."

"Hey Ryou! You comin to Malik's `I passed the math test' party next Saturday?"

"Uh, yeah. But, Yugi, listen, Bakura is…. Acting really weird."

"Really, hang on, I'll get Yami."

"Okay."

"YAMI! IT'S RYOU! HE SAYS BAKURA'S ACTING REALLY WEIRD!" Ryou winced, and held the phone away from his ear.

"Ryou?"

"Hi Yami."

"What's Bakura doing?"

"Well, when I got home, he was really cheerful, like, REALLY cheerful. And he was wearing an apron. He still is." There was a snicker on the other end of the line. "He freaked when he saw I was wet and took all my clothes, ALL MY CLOTHES, and put them in the dryer. He ran a bubble bath, washed my hair, gave me a towel and pajamas, and now, he's baking muffins and singing the Backstreet Boys! Yami, he, he's scaring me!" All this was followed by silence. "Hello?"

"You're joking…." Yami said, finally.

"No."

"And, he's not acting like his usual self at all?"

"Nope."

"Hmmm….. Well, I think you should enjoy it while you can."

"Yami, he's sing the Backstreet Boys. THE BACKSTREET BOYS!!! Bakura likes Eminem and Linkin Park, and Ozzy Osbourne, and God knows what else!!!! And he's singing the bloody Backstreet Boys!!!" Ryou sighed and looked back into the kitchen. That was when he noticed something. There was an empty box on the floor. "Oh, jeeze…" He cried.

"What?"

"Bakura got into the Fruit Loops!" Ryou snarled, and Yami and Yugi laughed.

There was a sudden bright flash of lightning, and a loud crack of thunder. There was flicker, and the lights went out. Ryou froze, as Bakura yelped in the kitchen.

"Yami? Yami? Yugi? Hello?!" Ryou cried, the phone was dead. Slowly, he hung up. The room was pitch black. There was another flash, and Ryou jumped, terrified, and stumbled into the wall, shaking like a frightened rabbit. He suddenly noticed the noise of the wind and rain, and panic seized his body. The storm was much more frightening than his yami ever could be.

"B-bakura?" H whimpered. There was another flash, and followed immediately by a massive crash of thunder. The storm had gotten closer when Ryou was in the tub. "BAKURAAA!!!" Ryou wailed, flattening himself against the wall. A gold glow appeared from the kitchen.

"Ryou?" Bakura called, and appeared in the doorway, looking for his hikari. Bakura opened the link, and stumbled at the rush of panic that flooded through. "Ryou! Where are you?!" He gasped. Then, he spotted Ryou against the wall, terrified, staring at the light coming from the Millennium Ring. Ryou sighed, and relaxed slightly, running to Bakura, who caught him. Bakura frowned at Ryou's trembling.

"Ryou, what's wrong?" He asked gently, holding Ryou.

"I, I don't like storms…." Ryou whimpered into his chest. Bakura blinked.

"That's all?" He asked, then smiled. "Oh, koi, it's okay…." He said, hugging Ryou. "Come get something to eat." And he guided Ryou into the kitchen, replacing the Ring around Ryou's neck. He lit a candle, and set it on the table. Ryou began to relax, as Bakura filled a bowl with the stuff from the pot on the stove, and set it in front of Ryou. Ryou stared at the soup, then blinked when Bakura set a corn bread muffin down next to him, before serving himself. He smiled at Ryou, as he began to eat. Ryou smiled, calming slightly.

"You got into the Fruit Loops again…" Ryou said, after a while. Even in the candle light, Bakura's blush was obvious. Ryou smiled. "You had me worried for a while there." Bakura chuckled.

"Sorry."

"I'm not complaining, now that I know you haven't lost your remaining sanity." Ryou said, and Bakura grinned.

"Hey…. Is it just me, or did things get real quiet all of a sudden…?" Bakura said. He looked up at a clatter. Ryou's spoon lay on the table, and the boy had gone pale. "Ryou?" Bakura said, as the boy stood from the table, and rushed from the room. Bakura blinked, and followed. Ryou threw open the front door and stepped out onto the front porch. Bakura came up next to him.

"Ryou?"

"Shhh….." Ryou said. He looked tense, as he stood in silence, staring at the sky, which was a pea soup green. Bakura opened his mouth to speak again, when a faint sound reached his ears. A wailing noise, that began to rise in pitch. When he heard a squeak, he turned to look at Ryou. Ryou was even more pale now, and his eyes were wide. He was visibly shaking.

"Ryou…" Bakura breathed, as he felt the terror rise in his hikari. "What is that?"

"The sirens…." Ryou whimpered. "Oh, God, the tornado sirens."

"Tornado? What's a tornado?" Bakura asked, cocking his head.

"Oh, God… Basement, now Bakura…."

"Huh?"

"NOW!" Ryou screamed, and dragged Bakura into the house, closing and locking the door.

"Ryou, what is a tornado?" Bakura asked again, as Ryou shoved him into his basement bedroom, and locked the door. Both stumbled down the stairs in the dark. Bakura fumbled around and lit a few candles, the turned and found Ryou cowering on his bed. "Well? What is it?" He asked, yet again, baffled by Ryou's fear. He lounged next to Ryou, pulling him into his arms.

"It, it's a storm. A bad one. The cloud forms this, funnel…. You saw the wizard of Oz…. What the house was flying through…."

"They called it a twister."

"It was a tornado. That was fake though, that's just what it looks like on the outside. It, it causes a lot of destruction…. It can…. Kill…. It….. you have a TV, turn on the weather channel."

"the power's out. Just show me, in your mind…." Bakura said. Ryou nodded, and they both relaxed. Bakura looked in on Ryou's thoughts. He saw numerous flashes of videos Ryou had seen of the storm know as a tornado, and the more Bakura watched, the more he understood Ryou's fear. He was broken out of his mental visions my the sirens, suddenly louder than before. Ryou screamed, and clung to him, his body shaking violently.

"Oh, God, oh God, Oh God, oh God, oh God…." Ryou cried into Bakura's chest. Bakura swallowed, and held Ryou tighter. The sirens were suddenly drowned out by a massive roaring; it sounded like a train was rushing through the room above them. Ryou's screaming grew unintelligible, as he fell into his first language, English, which Bakura had yet to learn, and clawed at the yami's chest in fear. Bakura could only hold him, and feel Ryou's heart pound faster than it ever had before, and rock him, trying to calm him.

"Bakura! Bakura! Bakura! Bakura! Bakura!" Ryou started chanting through terrified sobs. Bakura listened as the roaring faded, and began to stroke Ryou's hair.

"Shhh….. it's going away, tenshi….. calm down…. It's gone….."

"It could come back….."

"Go to sleep, Ryou… your mind told me that we're in the safest place we could be. Calm down."

"That doesn't mean we're safe, Bakura…."

"…..I guess I'll have to distract you, then." Bakura purred after a moment. Ryou blinked and looked at Bakura then blushed.

"Not now, Baku-" Bakura cut him off, crushing his lips to Ryou's.

//Maybe I can cure your phobia. From now on, when there's a storm, you'll think of this, instead of your fear…// But they were interrupted by a sudden roar, louder than before. The single tiny window in the room shattered, and the wind whipped around. Ryou screamed, and ran into the basement's Bathroom, cowering in the tub. When debris began to fly around, Bakura followed, closing the door, and laying down on top of Ryou, shielding him with his body. The tub began to vibrate, and they could hear things breaking in Bakura's room, and in the house above them. Ryou shrieked as the bathroom mirror shattered, and Bakura cried out when shards of glass dug into his back. Then, slowly, everything got quiet…

"Is, is it over?" Bakura breathed. The only sound now was Ryou's terrified whimpers. Both boys were horribly frightened, and they fell asleep curled up together in the bathtub.

**************

Bakura woke shivering in cold. His first thought was to check and see if Ryou was all right. He found that Ryou had curled up into fetal position, and that he had wrapped his own body around Ryou's to keep him warm. He gently pressed his lips to the base of Ryou's neck.

"Ryou? Wake up." He murmured. Ryou's eyes fluttered open, and he looked around in confusion. When thunder rolled over their home, Ryou tensed, and shuddered.

"What happened?" He whimpered.

"I don't know…" Bakura said, and stood. Ryou gasped.

"Your back!" He cried, standing. Bakura blinked, then remembered the glass. He stood still and let Ryou gently remove each shard. Then, Bakura opened the bathroom door. He flicked on a lighter in the blackness, and lit a candle he dug from his dresser drawers. He stared. The wind had blown small bits f debris into his room, and there was a wet puddle in the corner below the window. Bakura was surprised that there was no real damage. He knelt, and picked up a soaking photo of him and Ryou, happily cuddling in each other's arms.

"Ruined…" He said, and dropped it.

"It's okay." Ryou said. "We can get the negative from Yami." Ryou jumped when thunder rolled over the house again. Bakura lit another couple of candles, and shivered.

"It's cold… I'm gonna go check the heater." Bakura said, and walked up the stairs. He tried to open the door, but it didn't budge. "Uh-oh." He said. Ryou watched him, as he picked up debris, and checked the window, that had been blocked by larger piece of debris.

"What?" He asked. Bakura slammed his shoulder into the door, and cursed.

"OW! Dammit… We're stuck." He said, glaring at the door.

"Bakura…. I'm cold." Ryou whimpered. Bakura looked at him, and pulled the blankets down from the bed. He guided Ryou over, and lay him down, sliding in next to him. He pulled the blankets close around them, and Ryou curled up into his arms.

"I'll keep you warm, tenshi." Bakura said.

"I'm hungry." Ryou moaned, cuddling close to Bakura. "And thirsty." Bakura sighed, and left Ryou's side. He went into the bathroom, and filled a cup with water. He brought it to Ryou, who smiled, and sipped it. Bakura disappeared into the closet.

"I have some potato chips, some jerky, a few sodas, some brownies, and some candy bars. Want a beer?"

"No. Can I have some chips?"

"Sure. Anything else?"

"No. Thanks." Ryou mumbled, catching the bag of chips, and opening it. He wrinkled his nose, and nibbled on a few chips, shivering. Bakura mutilated the jerky in his jaws, and crawled under the blankets with Ryou.

"Well, we're stuck here. The door's jammed. The window's blocked, and I don't think even YOU could get through it even if it wasn't."

"So what do we do?"

"We wait." Bakura said. He got up, and put out all the candles but one. "We save these. Just in case."

"How long could we be down here?" Ryou asked, as Bakura snuffed out the one candle.

"I don't know." Bakura sighed, pulling Ryou into his chest. He rubbed Ryou's arms, covered in goosebumps. "Not long. But it all depends. The power's still out, so we have no way to call for help."

"I guess."

"Go to sleep."

"But we just woke up."

"It's still night, Ryou."

"Oh. Okay…."

***************

Two Days Later

"Bakura?" Bakura opened his eyes, and grunted. "Bakura?" He grumbled and sat up.

"What, Ryou?"

"I'm hungry…." Ryou whined. Bakura sighed, and reached over the side of the bed.

"We have two brownies, Ryou. After that, it's all gone."

"Well, you have one, and I'll have the other."

"No. I don't have to eat. You do. Take them both. Have one now, one later." He glanced at the angle of the tiny beam of light from the blocked window. "It's seven pm. You can have the other at sunrise."

"Okay." Ryou said, and Bakura gave him one of the stale brownies, and some water. Ryou lay down, then. "Bakura?" He said, after a while.

"Yes?"

"I don't feel so good…." Ryou complained. Bakura sighed, and felt Ryou' s forehead. He gasped.

"You're burning up, Ryou!"

"Must be the cold…" Ryou mumbled, laying down again.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know….." Ryou moaned. "Lemme sleep….." Bakura sighed, and stroked Ryou's hair, as his breathing evened out. Bakura lay next to Ryou. He frowned, and listened harder. He pressed his ear to Ryou's chest, and his eyes widened. There was a faint rattling noise accompanying every shallow breath. Bakura was no doctor, but he did know that the noise was NOT good…

***************

"Five days…." Bakura sighed. He lit a candle, and turned, to look at Ryou, lying in his bed. Bakura put his head in his hands. The room felt like a refrigerator. He and Ryou ran out of food, if you could call it food, two days ago. Bakura picked up a glass of water, and slid next to Ryou. He laid his hand on Ryou's forehead, and winced. It was hot, and damp. Ryou's breath came in wheezy gasps.

"Ryou? Ryou, wake up, sweetheart…" Bakura called, softly. Ryou's eyes slowly cracked open. "Drink this, koi." Bakura said, and curled an arm around Ryou, lifting him slightly, and holding the glass to his lips. Ryou gulped the water, a little too fast, and choked. Bakura put the glass on the bedside table, and slapped Ryou on the back. Ryou's disturbing hack died out, and he slumped weakly against Bakura's chest. Bakura winced at the rattling noise that came from Ryou' chest when he inhaled.

"Ryou…. Ryou, How do you feel?" He asked, worried beyond belief. Ryou's only answer was a wavering moan. His fist clutched at Bakura's shirt weakly, and Bakura cringed at the heat on his shoulder from Ryou's cheek. "Oh, Ra, Ryou…. What's the matter with you? What's wrong?"

Ryou didn't answer. Bakura looked down, and saw Ryou had gone back to sleep. Bakura shifted, and Ryou moaned quietly. His labored breathing was loud in the silence of the dark. Bakura felt a tear roll down his face, as he held Ryou close, rocking him gently.

"Oh, Ra, please…. Please let him get better. Please." Bakura slowly drifted to sleep. He was woken up a few hours later by Ryou's soft murmuring.

"Mmmm….. what? Ryou?"

"I'm hungry…." Ryou whispered, in a hoarse voice. Ryou's stomach growled noisily. Bakura closed his eyes, a pain in his heart.

"I know, Ryou. I'm sorry."

"How long have we been here?"

"Five days, Ryou. Actually, almost six."

"Oh…." Ryou mumbled, and passed out. As he had been doing for the past two days. Bakura sighed.

"Ra, he's going to die…." He gasped, and released Ryou. He wrapped him tightly in the blankets. He had an idea he had been considering for the last day or so. Ryou was sick. Ryou was weak. He was freezing. He was starving.

"I have no choice. I can't get us out…" Bakura mumbled to himself. He sighed and made his decision. He took the Ring, and a dagger, and piece of tin left over from one of his many "projects". He took them into the bathroom with the candle, and a lot of sticks that had been thrown into his room by the storm. He closed the bathroom door, and pulled a hammer out from under the sink. He pounded the piece of tin into a bit of a bowl. Then, he tossed the sticks into a pile in the bathtub, and tossed a match on them. The fire lit, and Bakura chuckled at the image of a healthy Ryou storming in and screaming at him for building a fire in the bathtub. He filled the tin bowl with water, thanking Ra for the plumbing still working, and put it over the fire to heat up. He smiled, and used the Millennium Ring's magic to get it hot enough to boil. While he waited, he built up his courage for the next part of his job. He stood, and lifted the blade of his knife. He stopped, wondering what the hell he was doing, and that he should stop. But he had to do it. For Ryou's sake.

"Ryou. It's for Ryou." He told himself, and sliced into his arm. He bit his lip, and a pained whimper escaped his throat. Bakura clenched his eyes shut, and tears streamed down his face, as he sliced a chunk of flesh from his arm, cutting down to the bone. When it was completely severed, he sobbed, and fell to his knees, gasping. He tapped into the Ring, and watched as he healed, slowly. Finally, he gave a pained gasp, and staggered to his feet. He cringed, and picked up the piece of flesh, and began slicing it into little chucks. He looked at the water in the tin, and saw it boiling. He sighed, and dropped the…. He winced…. MEAT, into the water, which became bloody. He sighed, and stirred it with the tip of the dagger.

If Ryou ever knew what he was about to feed him…… Bakura sighed and tried not to think of it. All he thought about was his severely ill hikari lying in the next room, starving to death. This was a sacrifice he willingly made, and would do again, later, if needed. After a while, the "meat" was fully cooked, and he took the tin from the fire, and let it cool. He got another glass (he had a ton, he never returned them to the kitchen) and poured the "soup" into the glass. It looked vile, and disgusting, but it may save Ryou's life. He sat by Ryou, and propped him up against his chest.

"Ryou?" Ryou opened his eyes. "I need you to try and eat this." Ryou nodded, and Bakura swallowed, then lifted the cup to Ryou's mouth. Ryou choked on the stuff.

"That's gross….." Ryou complained.

"I know, Ryou. But you need to eat it, okay?" Bakura said, glad Ryou hadn't asked what it was. (AN: Gross, I know, but it shows how far Bakura will go for Ryou. ^_^ )

"Okay….." Ryou mumbled, and drank the soup, slowly chewing the meat. When he finished, he drifted back into a fitful doze. Bakura sighed.

"Okay, what did his dad do when he got pneumonia? Oh, the humidifier. But there's no electricity… Of course!" He returned to the bathroom, and filled the tin bowl with water. He set the Ring on the floor, and set the bowl on the Ring. Using the Ring, he heated the water until it was steaming, humidifying the room. Bakura smiled at his genius, and went to the bathroom, bringing back a cup of water, which he poured into the tin. He continued to do so all night.

**************

"Hey, Yugi." Malik said, as he walked in the door, followed by Marik.

"Hey! Congratulations on your 76!" Yugi said, and Malik blushed.

"I don't see why a party is necessary."

"You suck in math." Yami said, walking into the room. "You passed the test, and we felt like having a party. You're just the excuse." Marik chuckled while Malik rolled his eyes. "You're late." Yami said.

"Don' ask why." Malik advised, giving Yami a familiar glance. Yami grinned.

"Marik, why must you always do that to him?"

"Cause he's such a good fuck." Marik said, in a whiny tone. "Speaking of good fucks, have you seen or heard from Bakura?" Seto Kaiba choked on his punch. Yami laughed at Kaiba, then looked at Marik.

"No. He challenged me to a duel. He never showed."

"Odd…" Marik muttered. "You heard from Ryou?"

"Not since last Friday." Yugi said. "When he called, during the storm, about Bakura singing Backstreet Boys." Kaiba choked again. "He didn't come to school at all this week."

"I tried callin `im!" Joey said, whacking Kaiba on the back. "He has my Indiana Jones movies. The phone had an out of service tone."

"Weird." Otogi thought, aloud. "Lemme get this straight. No one has heard from Ryou, or Bakura since last Friday?" Everyone nodded. "That storm…. Wasn't there a tornado in their neighborhood?"

"You don't think their house was hit, do you?!?" Tristan gasped.

"I gotta bad feeling…." Malik said. "I'm heading over."

"I'm coming too." Marik said, and the others all agreed. They all went outside, where the sun was shining, putting on their jackets in the cool weather. They walked to Ryou's house, fifteen minutes away. They started seeing heavy damage to houses a block away.

"Oh my God….." Kaiba gasped. Everyone stared at the Bakura family home. Many windows were broken, and from their angle, they could see that a large tree in their backyard had fallen through the roof of the living room, and part of the hall. The group ran to the house, and climbed in a broken window.

"Ryou! Bakura!" Yami called.

"Marik! Where are you going!"

"Upstairs!" The yami called, and disappeared up the stairs. The friends searched the house.

"It looks a lot worse on the outside." Yugi commented. Marik returned.

"Nothing. They're not here." He said. Malik went to the door to the basement, but couldn't get to it. A thick branch of the tree, and a heavy bookcase were thrown against it. Malik sighed.

"They could be trapped. In the basement." He said.

"The window." Tristan said. They all filed out to the backyard, where tons of debris was thrown against the back of the house. Joey went to where the window was, and started clearing debris. When the window was cleared, Yami knelt, and looked in. He saw nothing but darkness.

"Ryou?" He called. "Bakura?"

**************

Bakura moaned, and opened his eyes. When he heard his name being called, he leapt out of bed.

"Yami? Yami!" He gasped, and rushed to the window. He sobbed in relief when he saw the faces of his friends. "Pharaoh! Get us out of here! You have to get us out!!!" Yami smirked.

"The Tomb Robber is claustrophobic?" He snickered. Bakura glared.

"Shut the fuck up, Yugioh! This is no time for jokes! Ryou is sick! He's really, REALLY, sick…"

"What?!"

"He's bad… I think it's pneumonia. And it's freezing in here. And, we ran out of food days ago. Yami, he may be dying as I speak. You have to get the door open. I have to get Ryou warm, and fed, and get him some medicine. Fast."

"We're on it." Marik snarled. "Malik, Joey, Tristan, Kaiba, you're the strongest. Come on." They followed Marik back into the house.

"Ryou's father's medicine cabinet!" Bakura said. "Find him medicine! And warm, clean clothes."

"Yugi, the clothes." Yami said. "Otogi, medicine."

"Got it."

"Right." The two boys said, and disappeared.

"Anything else you need?" Yami asked.

"A miracle…." Bakura murmured, then turned, at a feeble call. "I'm coming Ryou." Yami watched him disappear into the darkness. He listened, but he couldn't hear Ryou; his voice was too weak.

"It's okay, Ryou. Our friends are here. They'll get us out ……….. Eight days……. We'll get you warmed up in no time, tenshi…….. I promise this isn't a dream…. Yami's at the window now…… Sure. Of course." There was a ruffling nose, and then Bakura reappeared, Ryou limp in his arms. "See, Ryou? There's the sun. And there's Yami. He'll get us out." Bakura fixed anxious eyes on Yami, who was horrified at Ryou's appearance. His skin was pale and sickly, and his face was thin and tired. He could hear the raspy breaths the boy was struggling to take. Ryou opened his eyes, dull and glazed, and squinted at the light.

"Yami….?" He rasped, in his throat, and lifted his hand, weakly. Yami got down on his stomach, and reached through the tiny window to grasp Ryou's hot sweaty hand.

"Yes, Ryou. Don't worry. We'll get you out soon."

"I don't want to die……" Ryou whimpered, and let his tired eyes fall closed.

"You won't." Yami said, firmly, though he was trembling. He looked up as Malik came running over.

"We need an ax, or something…." He said, and looked in the window. He gasped in horror at the sight of Ryou, and fell to his knees. "Oh, Ra….."

"The Garage." Bakura said. Malik blinked, and nodded. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of wood being chopped. Bakura laid Ryou back into the bed, and held him close. He dozed off….

**************

"Great work!" Yami said, as the tree branch was moved from the door. Kaiba, Marik, Malik and Joey moved the bookcase. Yami tried to open the door. "Jammed…." He said. Tristan lifted his foot, and kicked the doorknob through, and the door swung open. The group rushed down the stairs, trying to ignore the stale, foul smelling air. Seto took Ryou from Bakura, and rushed him out of the basement, and up into the house.

"My house" Yugi said, and Seto began carrying Ryou towards the Game Shop. Back in the basement, Bakura changed clothes and put on shoes. Yami and Marik stared at him.

"I'm sorry." Marik said. "We should have checked on you two sooner." Bakura didn't say anything.

"Bakura? What's this?" Bakura turned, and winced at what Yami was pointing to. It was a disgusting pinkish congealed mass in a glass on the bedside table.

"You don't want to know. Let's go." He said, and they ran down the street. They got to the Game Shop, and found Ryou in the guest room. Yugi's grandfather was giving him some medication while Yugi set up the humidifier.

"Yami," Solomon said. "Go make Ryou some broth. Quickly." Yami nodded, and ran down to the kitchen.

"Bakura…..?" Ryou whined, weakly. Bakura sat on the bedside, while Solomon took Ryou's pulse.

"I'm here…." Bakura said, and kissed Ryou's hot forehead. Ryou smiled, slightly, and drifted to sleep. Bakura sighed. A few minutes later, Yami came in with a bowl of chicken broth. Solomon took it.

"Bakura." Yami said, and motioned for everyone to follow him. Bakura told Ryou, who had been woken up to eat, that he'd be right back. He followed Yami and the others to Yugi's room down the hall.

"What happened?" Yami asked.

"The lights went out, and Ryou panicked." Bakura said. "I calmed him, and got him to eat, but the sirens went off. We went to my room. He panicked worse than before. The window broke, and we went to the bathtub. When we woke up, we were trapped in my room. We ran out of food on the third day. Ryou was sick by then. All we could do was wait."

"You were there for eight days. That's five days without food. Ryou should be dead." Bakura winced.

"I, I was able to feed him…."

"How?" Yami asked. "Rats?!"

"I wish." Bakura said. "But we don't have rats."

"Then how?" Seto asked. Bakura unconsciously clutched his arm. Yami stared, and took it, noting the area of flesh that was paler than the rest, scarred around the edges.

"You fed him your own flesh?!?" Yami shrieked. Everyone stared at Bakura, who slowly nodded.

"Hey, I cooked it, okay?" Bakura said defensively. Everyone looked disgusted, and Bakura stared at the floor. "What else could I do? He was dying. He was starving. I cut a piece of…. Meat, from my arm, cut it up, boiled it, and fed it to him. When he was too weak to chew, I chewed it for him. It was survival, Pharaoh. You would have done the same thing for your own light." Marik and Yami looked at each other. Marik sighed.

"He's right." He said. "If it came to that, I'd do the same for Malik."

"Eew. Please don't." Malik muttered.

"Don't tell Ryou…." Bakura requested, softly. "He's sick enough as it is. And I need to go to him. He's calling me." Bakura stood, and left the room. Everyone stared after him.

"You think you know someone…." Yami mused. "And then, they surprise you. He really loves him. I never imagined that Bakura would resort to self-mutilation for Ryou…."

"It kept him alive long enough for us to get to him." Marik said. "I only hope that Ra is with Ryou. He could still die."

"The food, medicine, and humidifier will help." Yugi said.

"So will a warm place to sleep." Seto added.

"Yugi!" Solomon called, from the other room.

"Yes?"

"I need you to turn up the heat and get the vapo-rub stuff."

"All right!"

"I'll turn up the heat." Yami said.

"Oh, no you don't!" Yugi said, fiercely. "You know perfectly well that the thermostat is on the list of things you're not allowed to touch!" Yami blushed furiously, as Marik shrieked with laughter. Yugi turned up the thermostat, and snatched the vapo-rub from the medicine cabinet. When he walked in, Bakura took it, and folded the blankets off of Ryou's chest, that was flushed in his fever. Solomon was applying cool cloths to Ryou's forehead, trying to bring the fever down.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mouto?" Solomon looked at Malik and Marik with all the others behind them. "May we stay the night? We're worried about Ryou…." Solomon frowned. He counted in his head.

"Ten boys in one house?" He said.

"I'll pay for dinner." Seto offered, and Solomon chuckled.

"Well, who am I to pass up a free dinner?" The others smiled as well, while Malik slid onto the bed next to Ryou. Bakura squirted some of the cream onto Ryou's chest, and began to gently massage it into the skin. Malik took the cloth from Ryou's forehead, and re-wetted it in the cold water in a bowl by the bed, and gently mopped Ryou's face with it, before placing it back on his forehead. Ryou stirred slightly, and moaned. Bakura smiled, and softly pressed his lips to Ryou's. Ryou opened his eyes halfway.

"……Kura?" He moaned, and the group surrounded the bed, Marik sliding on next to Malik, while Yami hopped onto the foot of the bed. Yugi happily crawled into his lap. Seto settled onto the foot of the bed with Joey, and the King Size bed creaked slightly when Tristan and Otogi joined them.

"I'm here, Ryou. We're all here." Bakura said, still rubbing Ryou's chest, lightly. Yugi crawled out of Yami's lap, and took one of Ryou's hands, while Marik reached around Malik to take the other.

"Where are we…?" Ryou mumbled.

"Yugi's house, Ryou. We'll get you better."

"Oh…… okay…" Ryou said, and closed his eyes. But when a soft roll of thunder was heard in the distance, Ryou's eyes flew wide open, and his pupils dilated in fear. "No. NO!" He gasped, and his chest heaved as he fought to breath through his panic.

"Close the curtains!" Bakura barked, pointing at the window, where the dark clouds could be seen. Tristan leapt up and did so, while Yami, Yugi, Malik, Marik and Bakura stroked Ryou gently, and talked to him, trying to calm him down. Solomon walked in, on hearing the commotion.

"Move, Yugi." He said, sternly, and Yugi and Yami slid aside. Solomon bent over Ryou, and took his face in his hands forcing him to look at him. "Ryou. It's all right. You're not in any danger. It's only a little thunder. This is supposed to be a mild storm. It will not get violent. I promise." Ryou stared at Solomon, and slowly relaxed, cuddling close to Bakura. Solomon stepped back, and waited a few moments to make sure Ryou would stay calm, then left to order Chinese delivery.

"Will you guys stay with us, tonight?" Bakura asked, looking specifically at Yami and Marik. "I don't know if I can keep him calm alone…"

"I'll stay." Marik said, nodding, and Malik agreed.

"I have no protest, if Yugi is all right." Yami said.

"I'll stay, too." Yugi said.

"I don't think the bed is that big, aibou."

"Floor." Yugi said, shrugging.

"Bakura…..?" A little voice whimpered.

"Yes, Ryou?"

"I have to go to the bathroom." Everyone blinked.

"….. Oh." Bakura said, an stood, lifting Ryou in his arms, and carried him into the bathroom. "I think you need a bath, too." Bakura said, stripping the boxers off of Ryou's hips. Ryou only grunted in response, and rested his head on Bakura's shoulders.

Ryou relaxed as soon as Bakura set him into the warm water, and Bakura was pleased to hear Ryou breathing easier in the steam from the hot water. He slipped into the tub with Ryou, figuring that he needed and bath as well, and massaged Ryou's chest with a warm wash cloth, loosening the congestion in his lungs. Bakura had to smile, when he had Ryou purring by the end of the bath. Bakura hopped out of the tub, and stuck his head out the door.

"We could use some clothes." He said.

"We only brought one pair of boxers from your house, Bakura, but I think Ryou could fit in some of mine." Yami said.

"Of course he can." Marik said. "Ryou has a skinny ass." Bakura gave him a look.

"Yeah, thanks, Yami. But I do NOT want my light's ass covered in Kuriboh." He demanded, making everyone snicker. Yami blushed.

"What's wrong with Kuriboh?!" He snarled, as he went to get Ryou some boxers. Bakura snatched his own pair from Malik, and pulled them on, then returned to Ryou. Ryou whined when Bakura lifted him out of the tub, but quieted down when Bakura wrapped him in a towel.

"Hey, Yugi," Bakura said, carrying you back into the bedroom, noting that they had changed the sheets while he had Ryou in the tub. "Do you have a hair dryer?"

"Uh, yeah…."

"Let me have it." Bakura said. Yugi returned with the hair dryer, when Yami returned with the boxers. Bakura raised his eyebrows at the shorts. "Blue Eyes White Dragons, Yami? Are these Kaiba's?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, they are." Seto looked up. "He left them here last time he slept over."

"They're a bit too big for Ryou." Bakura said, and smirked, when Joey snatched Seto's boxers and waved them in the CEO's face, jerking them away every time Seto tried to snatch them. Seto finally pounced on Joey, and Ryou giggled at their antics, but the giggle quickly turned into a body-wracking cough, that made everyone stop and wince. Seto grabbed his boxers from Joey, and looked at Ryou.

"You all right?" He asked. Bakura scowled.

"Of course he's not all right, what kind of a question is that?! Yami! Boxers! Now!" Yami nodded, and left, returning a few moments later with black boxers covered in little Dragon Balls. Bakura smirked, and managed to get Ryou into them, then removed the towels completely. He took the hair dryer, and not only brushed and blew Ryou's hair dry, but dried his body with the warms air. He then tucked Ryou in tightly, and kissed his forehead.

"DINNER!!!" Solomon called from downstairs.

"Bakura, I'll bring you something." Yami said. "What you like?"

"Anything chicken." Bakura said. "Fried rice, and an egg roll."

"All right. Ryou?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you hungry?"

"A bit….."

"I'll see about getting you more soup."

"Egg drop soup?" Ryou asked, hopefully.

"Uh, we'll see."

"Okay….." Ryou mumbled, and yawned. Bakura smiled, and kissed Ryou's cheek.

"You're adorable." He whispered to Ryou, who smiled, slightly. "You act like you're feeling better all ready."

"I am. It's warm…." Bakura smiled.

"I love you, Ryou."

**************

TWO WEEKS LATER

"The repairs are going well." Bakura said, looking over the work done on the house. Ryou smiled.

"Yeah."

"Yami and Marik cleaned up downstairs for us. They say my room is back to normal. Except the window. They bricked it up."

"Oh." Ryou said. "You sure you don't need some help?" He looked at Bakura who was carrying some very heavy boxes. "What's in there, anyway?" Bakura smiled.

"Open the door, love…" He said, and Ryou opened the door to the basement. Bakura carried the boxes down, and went to the closet, opening them.

"We have, a propane lantern, a propane stove…"

"who let you buy propane?"

"Shut up, Ryou." Bakura chuckled, as Ryou knelt next to him. "A few extra cans of propane, a few camper tins, see, you open it up, and you have a plate, a bowl, a cup, and even silverware!" Ryou giggled at Bakura's excitement over the camping tins. "A pot, a pan, a can opener, a knife, cooking utensils…."

"Are we going camping?" Ryou asked, with raised eyebrows.

"No. That's just the first box." Bakura said, shoving the box into the closet. "This box has bottled water."

"So I see." Ryou said, as Bakura shoved it into the closet as well.

"In here, we have jerky, and dried fruit. And in here, we have canned fruit and veggies."

"Did you just say veggies?"

"Shut up. In here, we have other canned foods. Soup, ravioli and stuff. And in here, sugar!"

"Okay, what's all this for?"

"An emergency." Bakura said, shoving everything into the closet. "I don't want to be caught unprepared again. You almost died because we weren't prepared." Bakura said, and pulled Ryou into his arms. Ryou relaxed against Bakura's chest.

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know."

*************

Bakura looked up from the paper at the sound of thunder. He looked at the clock, and got up, going to the window. Sure enough, Ryou was running down the street, a frightened look on his face. Bakura opened the door for Ryou, and kissed his cheek.

"Hey, Ryou. How was your day?"

"Fine. It was fine. Can we go now?" Ryou whimpered. Bakura chuckled.

"Let's get something to eat, first."

"Okay." Ryou said. Bakura led him into the kitchen, where they fixed some Macaroni. Ryou ate it nervously, and Bakura wasn't the picture of calm, either. As the storm got closer, Bakura got nervous. He sighed.

"Ready now?"

"Yes." Ryou said, firmly, and stood. Lightning illuminated the kitchen. "Ahh! Yes! Yes! Now!" Ryou yelped, and ran to the door to the basement, eyes wide. Bakura sighed, and followed. But on his way out of the kitchen, he paused. He opened the door to a cabinet, and grinned. Taking the box of Fruit Loops, he followed Ryou to the basement.

*************

DONE! FINALLY! I've been working on the damn thing for weeks. I hope you like it. I know it's short, and kind of fast, but I'm putting most of my concentration on Tearing Down the Sky. By the way, I have finished the wedding part of Ryou and Bakura's wedding and honey moon in Egypt. I will post it as one chapter, and post the honeymoon as a second chapter. Hope you like it! R&R