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Malik's POV

Ryou was released that afternoon from the hospital, but not before an argument with the doctor. Bakura was

afraid of the doctor releasing Ryou so soon after being in such a poor condition when they admitted him.

The doctor explained that they needed to place Ryou there to observe his condition. He was stable, and the

doctors wanted to keep a closer eye on him. I could see why Bakura was so concerned. The doctors had Ryou

stabilized to the point he would be more comfortable at home. When Bakura was able to stay with Ryou, Ryou's signs

began to improve quickly. I wanted to stay around him, too, but Ryou was tired all day. Bakura stayed with him until the

afternoon when they allowed him to leave.

Seto's limousine dropped us off in front of Ryou's house. Marik and Bakura supported Ryou up the stairs.

Bakura had forgotten he took the sheets to Ryou's bed. We had no where else to put him but his father's bed.

Bakura was also concerned over the puddle of Cinetti's dried blood on the rug which had not yet been cleaned.

None of us wanted to see Ryou become upset, but we were afraid that sticking him where his father slept. What other choice had we?

The couch was no place for him. I changed the sheets quickly with Joey who also came with us. Yugi and Yami started cleaning up

Ryou's room and finding ways of cleaning up the blood.

"Seto, go downstairs and feed my fish." Bakura told Seto as he held Ryou on his feet.

"I am not going downstairs to feed fish."

Ryou looked up at Seto with his large eyes. "Please feed my fish, Seto. I haven't been home and I don't want my fish to die.

They were my birthday gift from Bakura."

Bakura began to laugh. "Don't forget to check Yami. Make sure he's not dead."

"But, he is dead."

"No, I named the scum sucker Yami. He eats the algae off the glass. I think he sucks."

From beside the room, Yami shouted, "I DO NOT SUCK, TOMB ROBBER!"

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW YAMI SUCKS, BAKURA?" Yugi asked loudly from the room.

Seto chuckled as I was sure he was thinking of an interesting answer to that sentence. "You named the scum sucker, Yami???

Well, I'll be sure to make sure Yami didn't die."

Seto sighed and went downstairs to feed the fish. Seto couldn't help but laugh at the pharaoh, the game king, the brave strategic

duelist being compared to a scum sucker. Bakura didn't do it out of malice. Yami and Bakura never saw eye to eye.

Bakura would intentionally step on Yami's toes to se how high he would jump or how loud he would scream.

I could never do that to Marik and he would never do that to me.

Joey and I pulled back the sheets and Bakura helped Ryou to the large Queen size bed. We walked

him the left side of the bed and he stopped. He stared at the empty bed and winced. Bakura and Marik

picked Ryou up before he fell to the floor.

"That's……that's my daddy's side………..I can't sleep on the left!"

"Your mother slept on the right? Ok. We'll put you on the right side." Bakura and Marik carried Ryou to the right side and helped him into bed.

Joey and I covered him up and we watched him smile again. It looked like he was ready to go to sleep already.

He breathed in deeply and turned his head to look at us.

"Thank you, guys."

"No problem, Ryou. You go back to sleep. You'll need your rest." Bakura leaned down and kissed Ryou's lips gently.

Ryou's hand grabbed a fistful of Bakura's hair and brought him closer. Bakura kneeled on the bed running his hand along

Ryou's shoulders and down his arm. Ryou moaned into the kiss as Marik and I stood there watching them. Marik turned to

me and I saw his mouth curl into a smile and he raised his eyebrow at me. He stepped closer to me and I stepped a foot away.

My horny yami was at it again! Sure, this was exciting watching Ryou and Bakura share such an intimate, personal moment,

but I didn't want to ruin this moment for them.

"Alright, I have to see where Seto is," Joey said running from the room. I knew where he was going. He was

going to run to Seto and start doing the same to him. For a moment, I actually pitied Seto. Marik stepped beside me and put his arm around me.

"I can't, yami," I whispered to him. "Not now. This is their time. We should really leave."

"Ryou's room is next door, you know."

I poked his chest. "I am NOT doing THAT in my best friend's room! Let's go and give them some time."

Marik grunted as I grabbed his shoulder. Ryou broke the kiss on Bakura and called to me. "Malik? Can I see you?"

Bakura dragged Marik out of the room leaving me with Ryou. Ryou patted the bed beside him and I sat down.

He smiled up at me and took my hand. "Thank you for staying with me at Seto's place. Mike…didn't hurt you, did he?"

I shivered when I thought of what that creep was going to do to me as he tugged at my pants. "No, Ryou. I was more worried about you.

I don't want anyone to hurt you." I took a deep breath. It was now or never. "When I saw you on that bed, Ryou, I was scared.

I was afraid. And so, I have something to tell you."

Ryou cupped my cheek in his hand. His skin was so soft. The scent of alcohol from the hospital was still on him, but the flesh

felt so good on my own, I momentarily became lost in where I was and who I was with. "What is it, Malik? You can tell me."

When Bakura, Marik, and I were together, Bakura felt like Ryou. He looked like Ryou. Bakura was gentle with me and I knew

Ryou would be with me too.

"You're my friend, Ryou."

Downstairs, I heard Bakura raising his voice to Marik to help cook dinner. We could hear Marik's colorful remarks to Bakura

that he doesn't do cooking. That was my job. Finally, Marik gave in.

"You are my friend, too, Malik. We've known each other for a long time. You look so sad, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sad, Ryou. Well, I am worried about you, but I want to say something to you, and I don't know how."

Ryou laughed a little. "Nothing you can say will hurt me, Malik. What is it?"

"Ryou, I like you. A lot." I was so afraid of what he would say! Would he reject me like everyone else? I was so scared of

what he would say, I began to cry. I turned around and laid beside him taking him in my arms. Downstairs, we heard the clanging

of pots and shuffling of pans. It didn't distract me from getting to my point. "I love you, Ryou. There, I said it! I love Bakura, too."

"What about Marik?"

"That will never change. I love him, Ryou. When I saw you on Seto's bed, I was so afraid. I was afraid you would die without knowing

how I felt about you. You know now, Ryou. I care about you a lot." Ryou didn't cry. He didn't scream. He smiled and chuckled at me.

"Well, I never doubted that, Malik. We are too alike. Our yamis are friends and we are too."

"Our yamis are former lovers, too, Ryou. Did you know that?"

Ryou nodded. "Back in Egypt, I know."

I wondered if I should tell him. I wonder if Bakura told him about him, Marik, and I slept with each other the other night.

I didn't have the heart. Ryou needed to recover and I didn't know how he would take the news.

"Do you think……….um…that we can…..too? You know?" I didn't know how to ask if our yamis are lovers, could we be lovers, too.

It sounded strange, but I couldn't deny my feelings for him any longer.

Ryou brought his hand around me and pulled me close to him. He closed his beautiful eyes and kissed me. For being out

of the hospital, Ryou was being quite affectionate. Then again, he always enjoyed hugs and kisses, both the giving and the getting.

Ryou moved his hands ran up my shirt and my throat moaned into his mouth. We both opened our lips at the same time to allow the other

one's tongue to enter. This was so different with Marik. Marik enjoyed dominating me. He enjoyed pinning me to

the bed and taking me without abandon. Maybe he was always dominating like that, I don't know. I never questioned it nor did I mind.

But it would have been nice to allow me the courtesy of allowing me to take him, too. Even once would be fine with me.

I pulled my thoughts from Marik to focus on Ryou. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer to me.

Ra, did I love the sensations he was sending through me! His hands roamed my chest and it drove me wild!

But, I was so used to being submissive, I refused to make the first move. Ryou moaned into my mouth and brought

himself closer to me. He tasted like Bakura after their kiss and memories of that night filled my mind. Ryou's kisses trailed from

my lips to my neck when I pulled him closer to me. His lips were soft and sweet on my skin and I could see why Bakura never

wanted to leave Ryou's side. His kisses traveled to my chest and he nuzzled his cheek into my chest. Ryou's hands stopped

moving on my chest. His moans stopped. His breathing slowed down and I was afraid I something had happened to him.

When Ryou began to snore quietly, I was relieved to find he fell asleep. Ryou fell asleep kissing me. I kissed his forehead again

and slowly retreated from his arms. Isis would be on her way…in fact, I think I heard a car pull up to the house.

I covered Ryou and ran downstairs. Yugi and Yami were climbing the steps with cleaning supplies. I opened the door and my

sister entered. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Isis! Thank You!"

"So, how is Ryou?"

"He's sleeping now."

"And we're getting dinner ready," Marik said sitting in the living room.

"Aren't you helping Bakura?"

"I am. I'm holding the seat down in the living room. I'm also staying out of his way. That helps him," Marik said clicking on the tv.

Seto sat beside Marik. "The fish is fed, too. Yami's doing just fine in his little bowl."

Isis sat at the kitchen table while I cleaned it off for the impending visitor. Bakura was making chicken and rice stirfry for dinner.

I told Isis all about the last few days and she listened quietly. I had only told her pieces of the story. I never thought it would come

down to Ryou being shipped off to a children's home. I couldn't bear to lose him! After listening to my story, the woman

from social services came. We brought her to the kitchen table and she asked Isis tons of boring questions.

"Where do you work?" and "How old are you?" and "Where are your parents?".

At the end of the hour, the woman had decided that my sister had the ability and the resources to take care of us.

Isis lived with Marik and I , but she was rarely home, but the worker didn't have to know that. Isis would be

Ryou's legal guardian until he turned eighteen. Ryou was safe.

When the woman left, I hugged my sister tightly and expressed my gratitude to her for helping Ryou.

She hugged me back and we let her get back to work.

Seto and Joey decided to leave. Yami and Yugi couldn't completely get rid of the stain, but they were

able to lighten it. Bakura, Marik, and I ate dinner .

"I left Ryou sleeping upstairs. He looks better than when they took him into the hospital."

"He'll be fine. We just have to be careful with him." Bakura put down his fork. "The doctors told us Ryou has a weakened

immune and circulatory system. His heart was damaged by the toxins in the insecticides."

Marik and I exchanged worried glances. "Will he be alright?"

"The doctors say he will be fine for now and there is no reason to stop living his normal life, but he can't push himself too far.

He can't run a marathon or anything, but a little exercise won't hurt him."

Ryou never told me that! I wish I had known. I understand his reasons for not telling us, though.

"Well, as long as he will be Ok, Bakura."

"He will be. Let's just go easy on him tonight. Let him sleep since he needs his rest. I'll feed him some broth tonight when he wakes up.

No doubt he'll be hungry."

"As long as he has us, Ryou will be fine," I said trying to convince myself.

Now that Ryou wouldn't have to go to that Home, he would be better off with us. After dinner I cleaned up as usual with Bakura while Marik retreated to the living room to sleep. Bakura was washing the dishes when I heard a sniffle. I turned around and saw Bakura leaning over the sink. I heard drips, but the water was not running. I walked over to him and heard a teardrop into the soapy water. I turned him around and pulled him to me.

He was quaking. "I was so afraid I would lose him today, Malik. So very, very scared."

"I was afraid, too, Bakura. I don't want to lose him either."

Bakura bit my shoulder and it sounded like he screamed his whole heart and soul out onto my shoulder. When he was done wailing, he sniffed. "I love him so much, it hurts to see him like that. I could do nothing….."

I caressed his hair and pulled him close to me. I couldn't resist kissing him on the side of the neck to calm him down. "I can handle the dishes, Bakura. Go upstairs and be with Ryou for a while. You'll feel better." He pulled away from me and left the kitchen slowly. I heard him climbing the stairs. When I was done the dishes, I went back upstairs and found Bakura hugging Ryou on his bed lying next to him asleep. He stopped crying and the only noises which emanated from the room were the contented sounds of their breathing.

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