Oh Lord.

This is it. This is really it. The final, final chapter. Last one. No more. I need a drink...

Disclaimer: Well, seeing as its the last chapter I OWN IT ALL FUCKERS MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT ARE YA GONNA DO NOW?

Actually, I don't. -wails-

Anyways, onward with the -gulp- last chapter...

"Is this the right place?" Joey craned his neck past Honda to stare out the side window.

"Right address." Yugi cast another look down to his piece of paper, with Ryou's new address hastily scribbled in blue pen.

"They can't live here." Yami muttered, a scowl set on his face. "Look at the place." Five pairs of eyes stared at the white, two-storied house, which was pretty similar to every other house on the street, with a big garage, a tree on the front yard, and a well-kept garden. "How can they afford it?"

"Beats me." Yugi shrugged as he opened the car door, and closed it behind him. "But the spirit steals alot, remember?"

"Yeah, but this is worth like, a million dollars, I bet." Anzu locked her car when everyone was out, although, because it was such a nice area, she probably didn't have to. "He can't steal that much..."

"Maybe..." Yugi shrugged as they started walking up the front lawn. "I just wanna know what was so wrong with the other house. Why did they have to move? It's just them."

"Who knows?" Honda rang the doorbell, not liking the look on Yami's face. "They had the money, they wanted to spend it. Fair enough. I would." Yami opened his mouth, about to retaliate, when the door was pulled open, and Ryou stood on the threshold, smiling.

"Hey, guys." He stood aside to let them all in, before pushing the door closed quietly. "It's great to see you all."

"Yeah, you too." Jounouchi beamed. "Ryou, you look great." The teenager blushed. "No, really. You must have put on twenty pounds."

"Twenty-two." Ryou brushed his hair out of his eyes. And he did look so much better. Gone were the days when the only expression drawn on Ryou's face was pain and misery. Sure, there was a little tiredness around his eyes no one could place, but his face was so much more rounded and fuller than before, his eyes were bright, and his lips seemed to be fixed in a permanent smile. He looked so much healthier and happier than he had a few short months ago. "So I'm actually heavier than I was a year ago... But that's okay, Kura said I never ate enough anyway." Yami shot him a look.

"Soo... When do we get a tour of this place?" Yugi asked, staring around at the large lounge that also served as an entrance room.

"Oh!" Ryou brightened, and nodded, grabbing what appeared to be a pink walkie-talkie, before starting to cross the room. "Yes, true, I have to show you around."

"Why did you get a bigger house in the first place, Bakura?" Anzu asked as they followed Ryou. The teenager smiled.

"Because, we needed more bedrooms for things... I'll show you in a little bit, it's a surprise." He added mysteriously, as he opened a door. "This is our dining room. We don't really use it much, unless Bakura's in a romantic mood or my father is over."

"He visits now?" Yugi asked, confused. Ryou nodded, his smile lowering a little.

"Yeah... He... Well, he was kinda diagnosed with Leukaemia a month ago." Ryou lowered his gaze. "His chances are really good, because it was caught pretty early, but he's getting paranoid that he's going to die before Christmas or something, so he's making an effort to spend as much time with me as he can..."

"That's great, Ryou." Jounouchi gave a weak smile. "Not about the cancer." He rushed, aware of the gazes on him. "But the fact that he's spending a lot of time with you."

"...Yeah, it is." Ryou closed the door. "I'm not worried at all. Doctors said his chances are like, seventy percent, and even then, it would be years before the cancer would kill him." But there was something different, more hollow and sadder in his body language. He was clearly suppressing a very deep fear. He opened another door. "Here's the kitchen."

"Woa, it's nice." They all stepped in, and stared around. It was a tasteful combination of brushed stainless steel, black tiling, and beautiful wooden panelling. "You've got all the modern stuff... Hey, a Magic Bullet!" Anzu grinned. "Are they as good as they say they are?"

"Yep." Ryou nodded. "Come on, I'll show you upstairs." They all trooped out, and started walking across the living room.

"Man, you got a lot of pictures." Jounouchi stared around the walls. "They're weird... Where did you buy them from?"

"Oh... We didn't." Ryou ducked his head slightly. "Bakura painted them." The five blinked, disbelieving. "Oh yeah... He's really good..."

"That's... Really weird." Yugi blinked as he walked up the stairs. A large framed picture hung on the wall, and he stopped to look at it. "Bakura, that's so pretty..."

"What is?" Jounouchi pushed Yugi's hair down so he could look. "Awwhhh... Ryou, why did you get married in a dress?"

"B-Because." Ryou stuttered, his face going red. "I wanted to get married in a church, but they would never marry two men. I had to pretend to be a girl to get married there. Trust me, I didn't want to, Bakura made me." Yami sighed, and shook his head slowly, staring at the picture. They were outside the church, under a bright blue sky. Bakura had his arms around Ryou's waist, leaning over his shoulder to kiss him, while Ryou shied away, giggling.

"Well... Anyways." Ryou started to walk down the hallway. "In July, Bakura started complaining that the house was too small, and he wanted somewhere were he could have somewhere to paint, because of the college-"

"Wait." Honda was in disbelief. "That psycho is going to college?" Ryou nodded, a smile on his face. "Woa..."

"Yeah." Ryou clutched the electronic device in his hand tightly. "I don't know if it was a plan of his, but about a month after we moved into this house, just a week ago, thishappened." Ryou's hand tightened in a doorknob, which he turned, and pushed the door open. "Surprise."

"What... What?" Yugi blinked as he stepped inside the room, looking around. It was almost entirely pink, with thick carpets and pretty, light curtains. Someone –Bakura, obviously- had painted a beautiful mural across one wall, depicting a princess in a castle, a group of fairies, a pony, and other little girl things, nearly all in shades of pink and purple. The room was littered with toys, crammed on shelves and in chests, but there were four pieces of furniture- a rocking chair, a changing table, a small dresser, and a bassinet. "The..."

"She's just a week old." Ryou murmured softly as he set down the walkie-talkie, which Yugi recognized as a baby monitor.

"A baby." Yami refused to believe it. "You have to be kidding me. A baby?"

"I know." Ryou bent down, and slowly picked up the little bundle, which had started to stir. She was wrapped up tightly in a soft woollen blanket, despite the September weather.

"Where did he get it from?" Jounouchi looked uncomfortable. "Did you... Well..." Ryou blinked.

"Are... Jou, are you suggesting I gave birth to her?" Ryou asked in alarm, eyes widening. The blonde shrugged.

"Well... I dunno... You know, magic powers and all that... He could..."

"I could what?" They all jumped, and turned around to the doorway, where Bakura stood, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. "Magically shove a uterus up Ryou's ass so he could have kids?" Yami's hands' clenched into fists. "No, the baby's not Ryou's. I found it."

"You found it." Yami snarled, clearly unhappy. "I'm sure you did, thief. Who did you steal a baby from and why did you feel the need to do it?"

"For your information." Bakura snapped back, his hands on his hips. "She was abandoned. Probably the offspring of a pimp and his crack whore or something. I found her in a dumpster at 2AM, barely alive. What would you do?"

"It's called an orphanage." Yami shot back. "Or a Hospital... Or something! You can't dump a kid on a sixteen year old!"

"Seventeen." Ryou murmured gently, looking down at the little baby. "And I really don't mind..."

"You act like I sit around and do nothing all day!" Bakura retorted, his expression smouldering. "I have fucking college classes to take, I'm out paying the bills most nights, I look after the kid when Ryou's working on his correspondence classes, and when she cries at night, I spend as much time as I can with Ryou... God, what do youdo apart from sitting on your ass, day in day out playing games?"

"Why you..." Yami would have lunged for Bakura, were it not for the grip Honda and Jounouchi had on his arms. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

"Guys..." Ryou looked down at the baby, who was starting to cry. "Please..."

"Look, what is your fucking problem?" Bakura raged, ignoring Ryou. "What reason have I given you to hate me these past months? I don't get it! I really fucking don't! No matter what I fucking do, you will always have this personal vendetta against me! If I turned into a monk and adopted fifty kids and donated everything I owned to charity and never committed a sin for all eternity, you would still be unhappy!"

"Oh, just stop." Yami growled. "You act as though you're seeking my approval! I know you're not thief! You're just self-centred and controlling and you will always be that way! I feel sorry for Bakura having to put up with you, I really do-"

"You son of a bitch!" Jounouchi started, and moved around to grab at Bakura, pulling him away, keeping the pair of spirits separate. "How dare you say that! How fucking dare you! I'm gonna-"

"Guys' STOP." Yugi cut in between them, hands held up. "Come on, you're fighting at top volume around a baby. What's wrong with you?" Yami shot Bakura a glare, but backed down, eyes still narrowed. The sound of soft cries were the only thing that filled the air.

"She's hungry." Bakura yanked himself away from Jounouchi, and headed towards Ryou, arms held out. "I'll feed her." Yami frowned deeply, and made a low sound in the back of his throat. "What?" Ryou sighed, giving the crying baby to Bakura, who he cradled gently in his arms. "You don't trust me with her?"

"Of course I don't." Yami muttered, shooting Bakura an intense look of hatred. "It's you."

"Fuck you." Bakura's voice dripped with venom, but he simply turned away, holding the baby gently. He walked out of the room slowly, calmly, but everyone could see that he was shaking.

"Fucking bastard." Bakura kicked the door behind himself as he got into the kitchen. "I can't fucking believe him." He yanked the pantry door open, and lifted out the large tin of formula, which clanked down hard on the kitchen counter. Sensing his obvious anger, the baby started to cry again. Shit. Bakura sighed deeply, and leaned against the pantry door, gently rocking the baby girl from side to side. "Hey, It's okay... Uhh..." Goddamn Ryou and I need to come up with a name for her quick. "Shhh..." He murmured, brushing back her little thatch of dark hair. She gurgled, and slowly opened her bright little blue eyes that were already starting to look a little greener. "Now, there's no need for tears." He murmured gently, slowly tracing a circle over her chubby round little cheek. "It's okay... The big scary man's gone... He's not gonna yell at me anymore and make you scared." Tiny pink lips widened into a smile. It was so cute how she only smiled for Bakura and Bakura alone. "Now lets get going with that food." Making sure to be a little more quiet and softer, Bakura spooned some of the formula into a bottle, which he filled with water three-quarters' of the way. He screwed the top shut, and shook it violently, stirring the mixture around. "Here we go..." He set it into the microwave, and turned it on. The baby was silent, looking up at Bakura with big blue eyes as he readied her food.

"I don't care what Yami says." Bakura hoisted himself –carefully- up onto the kitchen counter, the rubber top of the bottle hovering over the little girls lips, which opened obediently. "I can take care of you fine. And so can Ryou. I know he wasn't impressed when I brought you home, but within minutes, he was smitten. He understands me. Not like Yami. I may be cold and heartless and cruel, but when I hear a lost little baby crying all alone at night, I'm gonna do something about it. And those Orphanages' are awful. Ryou's been in foster care for a bit, he told me about them."

"'Bout what?" Bakura looked up as Ryou entered the room, a small smile on his face. "I'm just fixing some food."

"Oh. Nothing." Bakura shrugged it off, not wanting to start it over again. "Just talking to the baby. Wasting my time, I know."

"No, you're not." Ryou smiled, opening the fridge. "Well, I don't think you are. I mean, its not like I have memories of it or anything, but doctors and that are pretty sure that babies kinda understand when you talk to them. When you talk, Bakura, you give off this vibe. And because she loves you, she picks up on that."

"What?" Bakura snorted. "Doubt it. It's been like, a week. How could the little lump love me? You spend way more time with her."

"She only smiles for you." Ryou pointed out. "And you can make her stop crying way faster than me. Bakura, face it." He was bustling around the kitchen, loading up a tray with food. "Whoever the mother was, she would have given birth, and then just dumped it. Imagine how scary and cold and lonely that would be. And then you came along, and held her and wrapped her up so she was warm and calmed her. You were pretty much the first human contact she had. And now, she recognizes your voice and how you hold her, and picks up on that. I think it's sweet."

"Oh, do you." Bakura muttered, but his expression softened as he looked down at the baby girl. "Do you think this is the best thing for her?"

"Bakura, don't listen to Yami." Ryou closed the pantry door, and turned to regard his husband. "You make a wonderful parent. I'll be the motherly one to take great care of her, but when she's walking and talking, it'll be to say your name and walk to you. You're going to be her role model in life."

"Great." Bakura muttered, uncomfortable. "I can't wait for that."

"Bakura, what I'm trying to say is..." Ryou sighed. "She could be in an orphanage, or foster home, or with her mother, or dead. Or with us. Aren't we the best option?"

"I suppose." Bakura sighed, shoulders slumped. "But... Yami is right though. I can't look after a kid. I-"

"Kura, no." Ryou sighed, standing in front of Bakura, and placing two hands on his shoulders. "I don't want you to listen to him at all. He hates you, and he can't see you for the wonderful person that you are. He's never going to see you in a good light. But the others can, believe it or not. They don't look at you with the same hate and fear that they used to."

"I'm losing my touch." Bakura muttered, looking back down at the baby, breaking his gaze with Ryou."

"Doubt it." Ryou smiled, placing a quick kiss on Bakura's lips, cautious of the baby. "It's just that the others are starting to understand you, is all. When you get to know more about someone's personality, the reason they maybe angry, or scary, or evil, of course your opinion of them will change."

"Either way..." Bakura sighed deeply. "Can you take the baby for a little bit? I wanna go upstairs and work."

"Sure." Ryou smiled, holding out his arms. Bakura gently slid the little body into the waiting limbs, who accepted the transition with barely a murmur. "Oh, and Kura." The yami paused as he turned to leave. "Love you."

"I love you too." Bakura murmured softly, inclining his head in a slight nod towards the teenager, a rare smile across his face. He closed the door quietly behind him, and walked past the others in the lounge without sparing them a glance. He kept his gaze focused on the floor until he reached his room, a small, bright room at the end of the hallway. He closed the door behind himself, and stared at the painting in the middle of the room, perched on an easel. "Right." His work shirt, an old baggy white tee, stained in paint, was thrown over an arm of the chair, and he picked it up, and pulled it on over his black tank top. Fluffing his hair out from under the collar, Bakura headed firstly to the small stereo on the desk that took up a good chunk of one wall, flicking the on switch. The CD kicked into gear, and in a few seconds, heavy metal that Bakura found currently 'lyrically accurate' filled the room. He found it relaxing. Picking up his small pallet and brush, which rested atop a clump of newspaper, Bakura finally made his way to the painting in the middle of the room. He doused the brush in black, before slowly starting to stroke the already-decorated canvas.

"Who wants to hold the baby?" Ryou beamed ashe entered the living room. "She hasn't messed her diaper, I swear."

"Meee!!" Anzu stretched out her arms expectantly, eyes shining. Suppressing a giggle, but not a smile, Ryou nodded, and made his way to the brown-haired girl, arms held out in offering. "Awwwhhhh..." Once she received the baby, Anzu cradled it close to her chest, looking down into bright blue eyes shot with green. "So cute!"

"I'll be back in a moment." Ryou promised, retreating to the kitchen again to grab the snacks. Yami was beside Anzu, and Yugi leaned over him expectantly, staring down at the bundle of baby.

"Ohhh... She is cute." He agreed, a single finger brushing at the little tuft of hair. "Bakura is so lucky."

"Oh yes." Ryou murmured mildly as he entered the room again, pushing the door to the kitchen closed with his hip. "She is cute. Especially when she's screaming for Bakura at three in the morning and he's out stealing."

"She doesn't." Everyone turned to stare at Yami, who blushed, just a little. "Scream for the theif I mean. She can't recognize people yet... Can she?"

"Well, babies recognize their mothers right from when they're just born." Ryou picked up a can of soda, which he cracked open. "The first person the baby really saw was Bakura, so she kinda does think of him as her mother. It's cute."

"Have you got a name yet?" Yugi jumped in before Yami could shoot back. "I mean, you can't just call her 'baby' or 'girl' forever."

"That's true." Ryou smiled, before taking a tidy sop of his drink. "Bakura and I have been kicking names around since we just got her. We can't decide if her name should be Egyptian, English, or Japanese. And of course, it has to be pretty."

"You could call her Amane." Jounouchi suggested quietly from his armchair, his coffee-coloured eyes settling on the whitenette. Ryou froze, and lowered his gaze down to his drink.

"I considered it." Ryou nodded weakly, something breaking in his voice. "But... It would just be too hard, you know? I don't want to be reminded of her so much, I mean-"

"It's okay." Jounouchi reassured the whitenette. "I understand." The room was silent for an uncomfortable moment- Save for the loud munching of Honda slowly devouring all the food.

"Can I hold the baby?" Yugi looked over to Ryou, who nodded with a smile "Yes!"

"I don't know how you can." Yami admitted as Yugi gently took the baby for Anzu's arms, and cradled her against his chest. "I'd just be terrified of breaking a bone or dropping her or something."

"I still am." Ryou sighed with a light blush. "Bakura's afraid of it too. Even for a newborn, she's really really little. Bakura reckons that it would have been the mother."

"What, like she was a midget?" Honda swallowed his food to ask the question. Ryou shook his head, without a smile.

"I'm talking about drugs. Smoking, pot, alcohol, cocaine, heroin... and worse. If the mother took anything, the baby would have had it too. And it would have a really bad effect on her. And seeing as she was dumped. I bet the Mum was."

"So she might have problems later on." Yugi looked down at the baby sadly. "Poor girl."

"Yeah." Ryou leaned back into his own arm chair, looking very deep in thought. "The best we can do really is just hope for the best. I think she'll be okay though."

"Hey, Bakura, where's your bathroom?" Jounouchi stood up, looking anxious. Ryou smiled.

"It's upstairs. Down the hall, to your left. It's the second-to-last door, and it's got 'Bathroom' written on it. You can't miss it."

"All right." Jounouchi nodded, and almost flew out of the room, and up the stairs, really really really needing to go pee. However, when he hit the hallway, the sound of music coming from behind a closed door at the end made him pause. He knew it was Bakura, but he was still curious. Slowly, he crept along the thick carpet of the hallway, until he was able to rest his hand on the doorknob, and pull the door open.

"Woa." For a moment, when Bakura didn't realise that someone had intruded on his personal space, Jounouchi looked around the room, speechless. Bottles and tubes of paint, newspaper, and empty canvas's stretched across wooden framed littered the floor. The table was full of pieces of paper, mostly sketched on, and paintbrushes, while an abundance of paintings hung on the walls.

"Hi, mutt." Bakura didn't look up from his picture as Jounouchi exclaimed softly. The blonde frowned, but couldn't be bothered in correcting the yami. It wasn't like he would ever take notice. "Why are you here?"

"Just kinda curious." Jounouchi tried to sound as nonchalant as he could, and it was working. "That's a pretty painting."

"Thanks." Bakura muttered, working on detailing near the bottom with a very, very fine paintbrush. "And don't ask me what it means, cos I don't know. I really don't."

"Soo... It's not you and Ryou?" Two figures, one light light gold, the other the darkest purple, angular, and yet flowing, stretched out towards each other across a greying landscape.

"Congratulation, genius." Bakura's teeth were gritted, trying to concentrate. "Do you want your medal now, or later?"

"Ha ha ha." Jounouchi mutered sarcastically. "I was just asking... Do you have to be nasty to everyone?"

"Yep." Bakura didn't break his gaze with the canvas. "You got a problem?"

"Actually, yeah." Jounouchi walked a little more into the room. "You know, you don't have to push away everyone that tries to have contact with you."

"What if I don't want their contact?" Bakura sighed, starting to get aggravated. "I'm not like some social hungry desperate. I can do perfectly fine without spilling my problems to legions of so-called 'friends'."

"You have to talk to someone about how you feel." Jounouchi rationalized. "You can't be bottled up forever."

"I don't." Bakura muttered, finally giving up, and lowering his paint brush from the canvas. "I have a ther- Why do I even have to explain myself to you?" He turned around, a frown on his face.

"A Ther?" Jounouchi knitted his eyebrows together in though. "Ther..." He blinked. "A-"

"Yes, a therapist." Bakura rolled his eyes. "Wow you're really on a roll today mutt. Good job!"

"Why?" Jounouchi was starting to have some trouble keeping his cool. "I just never saw you as the kind of guy admitting you had an emotional problem."

"Of course I have a problem." Bakura muttered. "I'm cold, arrogant, have a shitload of emotional baggage, I'm a sad-masochist, I have huge anger problems... How far down the list do you want me to go?"

"But..." Jounouchi was confused. "Aren't you happy with you are?"

"Of course." Bakura set down the paint brush and pallet. "But come on. Ryou deserves someone who can actually comprehend human emotions. That's not too much to ask for, is it?"

"No." Jounouchi looked surprisingly relaxed. "Hey, I gotta take a leak. But thanks."

"For what?" Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"Just talking." Jounouchi turned away, closing the door behind himself without another word. Bakura sighed, and leaned against the edge of the desk, looking thoughtful. Well he was amazingly perceptive... Heh. Stupid mutt. Bakura stretched as he stood back up, a crick in his neck from looking gown towards the bottom of the painting for so long. Oh well. Time to get back to it. It was strange, really, the solace that he found in his bizarre art.

"You took some time." Honda remarked, as Jounouchi walked back into the lounge. The blonde only shot him a dirty look, before plopping back down into the soft armchair. "What were you doing?"

"Just talking." Jou said airily, shooting the white-haired boy an odd, knowing glance. Ryou shot him a rare smile, and settled back down to look at the baby girl in his arms. Yami growled. "What?"

"I just don't think you should be associating with him." He crossed his arms. "He's no good."

"That's not fair." Ryou argued. "He's changed a lot, Yami. He really has. He's a lot more... mature than he used to be. I mean, emotionally. He's not just cold and angry anymore. I mean, hell Jou, you had a civil conversation with him."

"Barely." Jou muttered, rolling his eyes. But he couldn't help but let the flash of a smile pass his lips.

"You're late."

"Oh, whatever." Bakura threw his wallet and keys down on the glass-topped table with a loud clang, throwing his leather jacket over the back of the seat. A few people turned to stare. "I was preoccupied."

"Painting?" Sanami leaned back in her chair a little, unable to hide a smile. "You have grey on your face..." She indicated just above her eyebrow. "There."

"Oh." Bakura rubbed at his skin with his knuckle, scowling. "Look, that doesn't matter, does it? I got here"

"No." Sanami looked down the newspaper. "This was interesting enough to read. Did you know that the most secure bank in the tri-city area was busted into last night? It's headline news."

"Really?" Bakura forced a look of mild interest on his face. Sanami nodded, a strange expression on her face.

"Yep. Almost seven million dollars were stolen. People are wondering how someone could have done it."

"What?" Bakura snorted. "Come on, with the right tools, and skills, and... abilities, anyone can pull off a bank robbery." Sanami frowned, and continued to read the page.

"Mhmm." She sounded testy. "They also got a few photos. One of the thief. He's wearing all black though, and his face is covered. He's kinda short, and really skinny. Like you."

"Yeah, well." Bakura lounged back into his chair, his insides glowing with self-satisfaction. "It's not an uncommon body shape or anything."

"Bakura, cut the crap." She snapped, causing the white-haired man to jump in fright. "They got a photo of the car. A black Mercedes, the same model as yours, and you just bought a brand new car. I wasn't born yesterday."

"Look, keep your voice down." Bakura leaned forward to hiss at her. "You think I want to get arrested? Huh?"

"Seven million?" She shot back, sounding almost as angry. "Bakura, how could you steal seven million dollars? Honestly! People are going to go bankrupt over this!"

"Not my fault." Bakura just looked pleased with himself. "Oh, come on." He lowered his voice, checking himself. "I just bought that new house and I have to get all this shit for the baby and I had an expensive honeymoon to pay for, and not to mention college fees... I needed cash, all right?"

"You are unbelievable." She muttered, scowling at him. "Really."

"You're not gonna rat on me, are you?" Bakura's voice sounded deadly. "I would rather I didn't have to kill you."

"Of course I'm not telling anyone." She sighed. "Although I should. I really really should." Bakura just looked nonchalant, and a few not entirely comfortable moments passed. "So... Why did you call me here?" Sanami stared at her coffee, her expression turning sombre. "We have an appointment scheduled next week, what made you want to talk this afternoon?"

"I... I've been thinking." Bakura looked down at his knees through the tinted glass top. "I spoke with this guy earlier this afternoon... And, well, he made me realise something."

"Which is?" The woman prompted gently, taking a sip of her coffee. Bakura took in a deep, long breath, and closed his eyes.

"I think..." He swallowed. "I think I'm ready to tell Ryou that I've forgiven him." There was a soft clack as Sanami set down her coffee cup rather abruptly. "No?"

"Bakura, that's fantastic!" She broke into a wide smile, her voice raising. More people turned to look at the pair, who made virtually the only noise in the modern cafe. "I knew that you would eventually come around!"

"Well... Yeah." Bakura blew at his bangs, which were dripping into his eyes uncomfortably. "I mean... with the new house and the baby and the college stuff... And this relationship with Ryou... It's so different than what I thought it would be. It's... more settled. And comfortable. I mean, we're just as passionate as we used to be. It's like we have this... Stability."

"And you think you can honestly forgive him for what he did?" Bakura nodded, biting his lip as he stared down through the glass.

"Do you think I'm ready?" Bakura looked up at the woman, a serious look on his face. "Honestly. Tell the truth."

"To tell the truth..." Sanami stared down into her half-drunk coffee. "Bakura, once you say that to Ryou, you can't ever take it back. And to learn that you've forgiven him is going to make him ecstatic."

"So?" Bakura frowned. "What do you think?"

"I think..." Sanami took another sip of her cooling coffee. "I think that you should tell Ryou you've forgiven him. If you really have."

"I have!" Bakura shot back, his hands tensing. "I have forgiven Ryou! I mean, I'm still angry about the whole thing, but this time waiting has shown me something. It's... sorta put me in Ryou's shoes a little bit. I mean. I can sorta understand where he's coming from. He didn't have any feelings for Malik. I get that. They were just friends. But Malik was in love with him, and Ryou was really desperate and lonely." Bakura sighed deeply. "And Ryou's tried so hard to earn my forgiveness. I have to give it to him after all this." He looked up, at the woman who sat across from him smiling. "What?"

"I never thought I could hear you speak so... Rationally." She commented. "I don't wanna sound arrogant or condescending or anything Bakura, but I'm so glad that you've seen the light here. I really am. You should be proud of yourself."

"I know it sounds self-absorbed... But I sort of am." Bakura didn't smile though. "I kinda like the way I can actually be honest with myself. I don't get hang-ups on everything like I used to. I mean, I don't explode over nothing. That was fun but..."

"Far from convenient." Sanami muttered dryly. "Like when you assaulted me and my assistant?"

"I apologized for that!" Bakura shot back. "I was messed up, okay?"

"I know." The woman sighed. "Believe me, I know. But look. The point is, you are so much more mature emotionally than you were when I saw you... God, almost two years ago now. I know you can tell Ryou you forgive him and actually mean it."

"Yeah." Bakura stood up, his palms on the table. "I can."

"And tell me what happens next week. And don't try bailing out of it either. You need to keep the formal therapy sessions up."

"I know." Bakura pulled on his jacket, jamming his wallet and keys into their respective pockets. "All right. I'm off to tell Ryou what he's been dying to hear for nine months." Oh shit. Shit shit shit. "Later."

"Mhmm." The black-haired woman drained the rest of her coffee, and stretched a little in her chair.

"Ryou."

The teenager looked up from the slowly bubbling of pasta sauce, his expression instantly lighting up.

"Bakura!" Ryou hastily set down the wooden spoon, and ran towards the yami, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Where did you go? I went to ask what you wanted for dinner and you must have slipped out while I was with Yugi and the others..."

"I did." Bakura stepped back from the teenager, looking down at him tenderly. "Hmm, dinner smells good. Don't burn it."

"As if I would." But Ryou still returned to his stove, and picked up the spoon again. "It's almost ready. Can you get me out some plates please?"

"Sure." Bakura walked over the cupboard, but instead of getting the plain white stoneware, he picked out the delicate china, spangled with artsy-looking drips of blue paint. Bakura grabbed also, the good silverware, and walked it into the dining room. Ryou noticed he took a few trips back and forth, and wondered what he was doing, but was too preoccupied with figuring out what spices to add to the sauce.

"Okay, Bakura." Ryou announced a few minutes later, applying oven mitts and walking over to the island in the kitchen, were the plates were dished out. The teenager was too distracted, trying to not burn himself, which was why he didn't notice that nice china was being used. He put the pasta spirals on first, then the sauce, dusting it off with some cheese.

"Looks great." Bakura grinned, picking up both of the plates. "Now follow."

"What... Can't we just eat it here?" He referred to the stools against the tiled island. Bakura shook his head, and kicked the door open, leading Ryou into the dining room. "Bakura, what are you- Kura." Ryou froze as he stood in the doorway, eyes wide. Bakura had set the table ready for an intimate dinner for two, with candles, a vase of roses in the middle, champagne in a bottle of ice. "Oh..." He stood, absolutely still, as Bakura set down the plates, a smile on his face. "I... Wow."

"Come on." Bakura tugged at his arm with eagerness of a child, pulling out Ryou's chair for him. Ryou sat down shakily, staring at the scene around him.

"Bakura... What is this?" Bakura sat across from him, staring, noticing the way Ryou's eyes glinted in the candlelight, and how soft and warm his skin looked. "What's happening?"

"I wanted to tell you something." Bakura stretched his hand out across the table, which Ryou took. "And I didn't want it to just be a normal dinner when I say it."

"Say what?" Ryou tilted his head to one side, confused. "Please tell me..." Bakura took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes as he let it out.

"Ryou... I've been thinking a lot for the past couple of weeks about us." Ryou's hand tightened, and something started hurting in his chest. No. He's breaking up with me. Noo... He let Bakura talk, his stomach feeling cold. "And about what you and Malik did."

"No." Ryou's voice broke, and he bowed his head, trying so hard not to cry. "Bakura, y-you c-can't leave me-"

"Ryou." The whitenette sniffed, and slowly looked up, his lower lip trembling. "Let me talk, okay?" Ryou nodded weakly, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Okay." He cupped a hand over Ryou's, his grasp strong, secure, and comforting. Ryou tried, and failed to relax. "I was so incredibly angry at what you did. I didn't stop to think about how you would have felt, or the context it was in, or anything. But there's something I've learned over the past few months Ryou, and that's empathy." Bakura swallowed. "I thought a lot about it, and I allowed myself to realise that at the time, you were desperate. And not just that, you were depressed and upset, and more than anything, you were lonely." Ryou blinked, unsure. "I realised that you weren't in love with Malik, and you never meant to hurt me. And that you truly, truly regretted what you did. And I suppose, that when I thought about all that, and everything that I've done to you since and how happy we both are now..." Bakura looked down at his plate for a second, before raising his gaze to look Ryou straight in the eye. "Ryou, I'm saying that I forgive you for sleeping with Malik."

"Wh-What?" Ryou was in disbelief. "A... Are you serious?" Bakura nodded, looking nervous. "You... forgive me?"

"... I do." Bakura murmured, lowering his gaze. "Ryou... There's something about you that just makes me unable to stay mad at you forever. I've had a long time to simmer down and let my emotions settle. And when I did that, I was able to think clearly. And I was truly able to understand why Malik slept with you. And when I understood, I was able to find it in my heart to forgive you." Bakura fell quiet, locking eyes with Ryou. Both of them were silent for a long time. "... Ryou? Say something."

"I... I don't know what to say." Ryou's face was slowly breaking into a grin. "Bakura... I'm just so happy..."

"You're not pissed at me?" Bakura asked tentatively. Ryou looked confused.

"Bakura... What... Why would I ever be angry with you? Your anger was justified. If you'd done that to me, I would have been that mad at you too. But... You've forgiven me. And we can really truly put all of this behind us and move in."

"... Yeah." Ryou placed his other hand over Bakura's staring at his expression in the candlelight. "We can..." Bakura smiled at Ryou, his eyes warm and comforting. "Come here." Ryou giggled, and released his hands from Bakura's flinging back his chair. He ran around the side of the table, and flung himself into Bakura's waiting lap, wrapping his arms around the yami's neck in a tight embrace.

"Kura, I love you so much." He mumbled against the skin of Bakura's collarbone, his heart soaring. Bakura smiled again, and when Ryou pulled back to examine his face, he leaned in for a kiss.

"There's just..." Bakura murmured as he pulled away. "There's one thing that I need to know." Ryou nodded gently, wanting Bakura to continue. "Malik..."

"Yeah?" He asked, questioning. "Kura?"

"Is he better than me?" The yami came out and said it. Ryou's eyes widened, and a blush formed on his cheeks. "Hm?"

"Oh Kura..." Ryou grinned, shaking his head and giggling. "Bakura, no. You're way better than him. But of course you are. Okay, Maliks' a slut, yeah, but he's still a teenager. Of course you would be better."

"Yesss..." Bakura smirked, wanting to punch the air. "I'll tell that next time I see him." Ryou bowed his head, and shook it, giggling. "What?"

"You're both as bad as each other." He sighed, leaning his head against Bakura's chest. "But I'm glad you're still friends with him."

"Yeah." Bakura's arms encircled Ryou's waist. "Me too, actually. But I'm still shitty with him."

"I know." Ryou stared lazily at a candle-flame. "He knows it too."

"Yeah." Bakura kissed the top of Ryou's head. "But it's not my fault." Ryou giggled as Bakura placed his lips on Ryou's temple. "I just wanna have you..." He trailed a soft path of kisses down the side of Ryou's face. The teen arched his neck in response. "All..." He nibble the spot under Ryou's earlobe, his hands slowly sinking past the line of Ryou's shirt, and into the waistband of his jeans. "To..." Ryou sighed, his hair falling down his back as he leaned back a little, giving Bakura easier access to his creamy neck. "Myself." Bakura broke his lips from Ryou's skin, bony hands sliding up his back. Ryou moaned softly, and shifted a leg, lifting it over Bakura so he was straddling him, dipping his head down to kiss his lover on the lips. Bakura returned the kiss fiercely, hiking Ryou's shirt further and further up his torso as his hands wandered, Ryou's own resting on Bakura's skinny shoulders.

"MMm... Okay." Ryou blushed deeply as he pulled away, his heart racing. "This is pretty much the only room we haven't made love in... can we keep it like that?"

"Tease." Ryou squeaked, and jumped as Bakura groped at his round little bum with a smirk. "How's the baby?"

"Out to it." Ryou sighed in response, noticing the baby monitor on the table. "She crashed out, should be good until morning, seeing as she didn't sleep last night at all."

"Then I got a plan." Bakura was teasingly tracing shapeless patterns across Ryou's stomach as he talked, the whitenette biting his lip to keep from whining. "How about we eat this, take the champagne to the bedroom, and have an early night... if you know what I mean..."

"Yes." Ryou's eyes were half-lidded, his breathing coming out in gasps. "Yes..."

"Great." Bakura pecked Ryou's lips, and smacked him lightly on the bum to bring him back down to earth. "Lets eat then. Quickly."

Ryou smiled, and stared deep into Bakura's eyes, who, for the first time in so long, was able to genuinely look him in the eye with not even the vaguest trace of anger or mistrust. Overjoyed, and brimming with relief, Ryou leaned down, and kissed him again.

"I love you Bakura." He murmured against the skin of his neck when he pulled away, arms tight around his neck. Bakura chuckled into Ryou's sweet-smelling hair, as fluffy as ducklings' down, trailing his fingertips up and down Ryou's spine.

"I love you too."

Awwwhhh... Everyone have a little cry now. I know I will T.T

For gods' sake, review this chapter! Even if you haven't reviewed it ever before! It's the last chapter man.

But hey. I try.

LATERS Y'ALL!