Ryou draws himself a bath and steps in gently. It has been a long day at work and every muscle is screaming in agony. He hopes that the warm water will soothe his body. The boy flinches slightly as he realizes the water is scorching his skin but he doesn't bother adjusting the faucet to a more tolerable temperature. The extreme heat is something Ryou had picked up back when his other was still around. Bakura had often pushed the shared body to its limit when he was in control and Ryou was the one left to deal with the aches. He had found that the hot water relaxed the muscles in the most efficient manner.

Ryou sighs as he thinks back to the last time he saw the thief. Him and Yugi's other had managed to stay on this earth and receive their own body and while Ryou didn't expect Bakura to be friendly and hug him the way Atem had done to Yugi, he hadn't expected him to not acknowledge him and walk into the desert either.

The others present at the scene had looked at the teen and told him that he must be happy that he was finally free of Bakura's reign and while he nodded in agreement, silently he mourned. Ryou is a lonely kid, never really belonging to Yugi's groups of friends, and the one constant being in his life had simply walked away without a glance in his direction.

Ryou shakes his head, trying to dispel the memory. Things have changed. He is now the proud owner of a craft shop, one that many people came to because of its homelike feel and some of his employees have even become friends with him, often going out on the weekends with their manager. Still, on nights like this Ryou can't shake the lonely feeling. It is like half of himself was missing.

That's because it is. He thinks to himself. Though they were too separate souls, Touzoku Bakura and Bakura Ryou, were connected as one. The light cannot exist without the dark flickers into the pale boy's thoughts quickly while he steps out of the tub but he pushes the quote away. He has his own personal darkness in his heart, the weighing of his heart had proved that (1), and he doesn't need Bakura to add darkness.

Ryou walks into the living room, towel drying his thick hair, annoyed by these thoughts. It has been years since he thought of such vivid memories of his other. After all, it was he, not Ryou that had walked away. Had chosen to leave his former host alone and depressed after protecting him so often.

Stupid thief. Ryou whispers in his mind, not able to bring himself to utter the words out loud.

Now is that anyway to welcome me back landlord? A familiar voice enters his mind and Ryou laughs. All these thoughts were causing him to hear Bakura. Perhaps it was time for a vacation from the shop?

"I'm more than a voice. I thought you knew that."

Ryou turns to see the spirit of the Millennium Ring smirking in the doorway and drops the towel in his hand unsure of what to do. After a few moments of awkward silence, he walks towards the person he last saw in an Egyptian desert. He looks into the thief's eyes making sure this wasn't some hallucination caused by a stressful day. When he is positive, Ryou lets his head fall onto his other's shoulder and silently cries.

Bakura puts his arm around the boy and steers him toward the couch where he stays silent until Ryou mumbles a few words under his breath. Not being able to comprehend, Bakura gets him to repeat after the tears have stopped flowing.

"Where did you go?" He finally asks in a hushed tone

"Do you remember the weighing of the heart landlord?" Bakura tilts Ryou's head so he is looking into the thief's eyes. He already knows the answer remembering using the boy's crushed spirit when he was denied entry to the pharaoh's memories because his heart was not pure. "Well I went to the place where Meretseger (2) lies. I've committed many wrong doings, and though I still believe they were justified, she listened to my tale and allowed me a second chance before Anubis(3)."

"And your heart was pure?" Ryou stares up slightly confused.

"I doubt it." Bakura chuckles. "I still have hatred to the descendants of Ra and what they did to my home and with that in my heart, I will never be granted peace. No, she said my heart would be weighed when this body turns to dust."

"Then why did you return?"

"Though we were a continent apart, I can still sense your mind. I know of your loneliness landlord and I will not allow that to fuel the darkness in your own heart. It is too late for me but I will not allow Bakura Ryou meet my fate and be cast to hell by the gods. That is why I returned."

Ryou nods and falls onto the thief's chest, thanking him within his mind. Bakura wraps his arms around the boy accepting the thanks and they stay in this position until morning, neither one wanting to break the feeling of being complete within them.

(1) I might have made this up since it was years ago but in the manga I remember a scene where everyone gets their hearts weighed before they can enter the pharaoh's memories and Ryou was there but because of the thief, the scales tipped and was not permitted entry. Please tell me I am not making stuff up.

Even if I am, I am keeping that in there though. Everyone blames Bakura of the incident but the scales weigh a person's heart. Bakura and Ryou have too different hearts thus there must be some darkness in Ryou's mind.

(2) Meretseger is the goddess of Punishment and Mercy

(3)Anubis is one of the Egyptian Gods of the dead. He weighs your heart

A/N: It seems almost impossible for me to write fluff without angst thrown in there. I do have one coming though. Bakura is OOC, I know I know. But he went and repented and had a change of heart (oh..I'm clever) so there would be a bit of change. Maybe not this much change but in my head he would still be the proud and over confident guy he is to everyone but Ryou.

Anyway, let me know what you thought!