Edo Phoenix was the only person in any world who could have said he slept with Marufuji Ryou, the Hell Kaiser, and lived to talk about it. Of course he wasn't going to say it, no matter how true it was, because he didn't really want anyone else to know. It wasn't anyone's business but his and Ryou's.

Though to be honest, the situation wasn't even slightly romantic. It was a little hard for romance to blossom given everything else that was going on at the moment. Someone called the Haou was killing and enslaving everyone and anyone who crossed his path, had made it illegal to be a duelist, and was in general being a pain in the ass. Both Ryou and Edo wanted to know who it was, and had set up housekeeping in the mansion they'd found in order to try to figure it out.

There were other things to be concerned about as well for the both of them. Something, they didn't know what, had happened to Yuki Juudai as well. Just what it was, neither of them knew, but that was one reason they were here: to find out.

But despite how non-romantic it was, the base fact was, he and Ryoudid share a bed. That was all there was to it: a simple sharing of space for convenience and warmth. This place didn't have electricity, and it could get a little nippy at night. There were blankets, but nothing quite warmed someone up like body heat.

There were other reasons for that sharing as well. Ryou had stated it plainly when they'd been examining the mansion to see if it were a suitable place to stay for a while. "There will be monsters coming here. We can't be sure how strong they'll be. If we're spread out too thinly, our chances of success will be much less than if we can get to each other more easily."

Edo honestly hadn't thought about it that much until Ryou had said so, but it was quite true. The bed was large, warm, and comfortable, and it wouldn't have been so if there had been only one person in it. Or if it had been…Edo tried not to think too hard about it all, really. It made him nervous and nervous wasn't good in their particular situation.

He brushed at his suit a little and made a slight face. This place wasn't really good for keeping his preferred outfit as clean as he liked it, but he had to make do. They both did. It might be a mansion, but they were the only ones who lived there, and they had to take care of the entire place themselves, including laundry and finding food. Edo did not like to cook. That was what he paid other people to do for him.

Laundry. Could it even be called laundry when it was a stream and a few plants that he'd discovered made something like soap when pounded on hard enough? There were a few monsters in a couple of the nearby villages that had some form of soap, but he hadn't been able to find anything they wanted to barter for it yet.

This was, in his opinion, exactly why people had invented money in the first place, and why it was better than bartering. You had to have something the other person wanted for bartering, and there wasn't much that the two of them had that any of the local monsters really wanted. He'd been as persuasive as he could be so far, but apparently soap was pretty valuable and rare around here. He'd find something.

Maybe we should go looting again. With the Haou's troops destroying everything in sight, there were plenty of villages and even some towns that didn't have anyone living there anymore, and they couldn't have taken everything they had with them. A lot of what they must have left behind would be very valuable to Edo and Ryou now.

"We need a plan," Ryou spoke up from where he stood staring out the window, apparently deep in thought. "For when the monsters come here." So far, none of them had, but they would, and that was when they would do what they'd decided they would.

Edo nodded in assent. In the few days since they'd moved into this place, that had come up briefly, but neither had been able to think of something that would work as of yet. Not that they doubted they would. They were both supreme duelists, which meant they were both capable of inventing a strategy virtually at a moment's notice. They just hadn'tyet.

"It has to be something that would take anyone showing up here off their guard," Edo said after a moment or two of thought. There was an idea lurking in the back of his mind, but it wasn't coming clear at first. For some reason, it had something to do with how he'd first shown up at Duel Academia, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out how it related at the moment.

Ryou continued to look out the window, as if eternally on guard for any enemies that might show up. Edo watched him for a few moments, noticing the tall, lean, elegant build of him, the air of remoteness and regality…it was no wonder that he was the Kaiser, Hell or not. Ryou simply exuded an air of authority the way plants exuded oxygen.

Whoever they see first has to make them think we're harmless, Edo decided. He glanced over to a half-shrouded mirror on the wall and admitted that seeing Ryou first wouldnever make anyone think that. Indeed, seeing the Hell Kaiser first would probably convince your average monster that they probably wouldn't have time to make out their wills. If Duel Monsters made wills here. He'd never asked.

That only left one of them to be the front man, of sorts. Well, now he understood why he kept associating it with his first trip to the Academy: because he'd done it before. There was something that vaguely resembled a smile on his lips at the memory, but it wasn't even close to a nice smile, much less a happy one.

"I think I have an idea," he said finally, and knew that he had Ryou's attention. There was an intensity to that which sent a thrill down his spine like he'd never experienced before. Facing the Kaiser as he'd been during their duel together all those months earlier had been almost amusing. This was entirely different, and he couldn't even form the words for how it was.

"What is it?"

Edo sketched it out quickly. "If they meet me first, posing as your servant, anyone coming here will be off their guard. I don't look intimidating." The smile was a smirk now, thinking of how he'd completely deceived Juudai and all of his friends back then. It would be good to be certain he still had the touch. This was something that all of them would never think of.

Which was why he and Ryou were the ones doing this.

Ryou nodded slightly and Edo kept on going. "If they come in a group, I can send one on to you while I keep the others complacent. Serve them tea and cakes." He snickered a little at the thought. "Then you can take care of them one at a time, or if they get too curious or too dangerous, we can split them between us."

Edo wished he had something to drink at the moment as Ryou thought over his idea. He was ready to kill just for some coffee at the moment. Or maybe even a good cup of tea. He'd try to get some of either of those when he went out to the villages again. He was certain he'd seen some, he just hadn't been able to get it at the time.

"I think it could work," Ryou said at last. "We'll have to wipe out every patrol that comes near here before we have a chance to find anyone who actually knows anything, I think."

Edo only shrugged; that was what he expected. Whoever this Haou was, he wasn't letting his identity get out to just anyone. Whoever knew something would probably be very highly placed in his organization and wouldn't just be roaming around in the hinterlands. But it was the only thing they could do at the moment.

He glanced a little more at Ryou, and wondered if the thought of sleeping together was still as strange to him as it was to Edo himself. Once they were in the bed and trying for sleep, it wasn't something Edo concerned himself about, even feeling that warm presence so close to himself. But at times like this, when they were separate from each other, he couldn't help but feel a little strange about it.

He's…different. Edo wished he could frame thoughts like that into more coherent words, whether they were his own thoughts or something he said. There was something beyond his own understanding that circled around Ryou, and it had begun shortly after they'd run into each other again. It wasn't just his amazing good looks, whichwere amazing, even by Edo's standards. It wasn't just his complete ruthlessness, which matched Edo's own when necessary, and surpassed it on occasions. He couldn't put it into words. It was just something that was.

Somehow, something about sharing that bed every night just added layers to it, one light little layer with every passing night. Spending all the time that they did together didn't hurt, either.

He had to get out of here. If he didn't get some fresh air and someone else to look at beyond Ryou, Edo had no idea of what was going to happen, and he didn't want it to happen. They had too much to do that was far too important than…anything else. Whatever it was. Maybe once all of this was over and they were back home, then they could think about it…whatever it was.

Edo pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going to go check out a couple of the ruined villages we saw and see if there's anything worth doing some bartering with. We're going to need supplies."

Ryou said nothing, only turned and reached for where he'd hung his cloak. Edo wanted to wince, but kept a better control of himself. He had a suspicion of what Ryou would say if he didn't. Better to be safe than sorry in this situation. We have to stay alive and our chances are better when we're together than when we're apart.

He knew it was true. But it didn't help that he wanted to think about things, and Ryou's presence tended to make him think about anything but what he actually wanted to get clear. The Kaiser got his thoughts in knots just by standing there. He had that effect on a lot of people from what Edo had heard.

Before very long, the two of them made their way into what must have once been a bright, happy, shining and healthy village. It was kind of small, with something between half a dozen and twenty buildings. At least Edo thought they might have been buildings once. Now they were nothing more than ruined monuments to the reign of devastation that the Haou was bringing to this world.

Edo was the one who carried the bag they kept whatever they scavenged in, and now he got to work searching through the burned and battered disaster areas. Ryou found himself a comfortable perch on a large stone overlooking the area and pretended to be wrapped up in his cloak and paying no attention whatsoever to what was going on around him. Edo knew that was a sham; there was nothing that would get through the Hell Kaiser's attention, no matter how distracted said attention mightappear to be.

With Ryou on guard, Edo devoted himself to the search. There wasn't much left, sadly enough, but he turned over stones and pulled aside what could've been beautiful curtains or other furnishings to see if there was something worth salvaging. He stuffed a few items into the bag, mainly small trinkets that wouldn't have been thought worth keeping by those who had left it behind. But every little bit could help when they were at the marketplace.

He didn't bother to look at Ryou whenever he left a house and went on to the next one. If there were any kind of trouble, he would know about it right away. Ryou would make a certain amount of noise just getting rid of it. But once in a great while, he did find himself catching sight of the other's shadowed profile as he worked.

He is great. The thought encompassed so much that Edo couldn't quite grasp all of it himself. He hadn't thought very much of the other when they'd first met. That was how he'd been able to beat him. But everything had changed now, in ways that he couldn't even begin to describe to himself. He certainly hadn't ever thought that day that such a time as this would come.

They searched through four wrecked villages that day, and the bag was barely half full when Edo found something that was a little different. Once again Ryou was outside, keeping a silent guard, and Edo was by himself in the ruins. He stared down at the small trinket thoughtfully.

It really was beautiful. He couldn't be certain what metal it had been made from. It didn't look like gold or silver. It was as black as could be, with some very delicate filigree work on it. There was a small sapphire set into it, the precise shade of Ryou's hair. It would fit him perfectly, and it would look magnificent being worn by him. Edo thought it might possibly be a cufflink of some sort. That was what it reminded him of.

He slid it into his pocket and decided that he would give it to Ryou once they returned to the mansion. Until then, he'd keep it safe.

"I think this is all we're going to find," he said as he came back over to Ryou, the bag slung over one shoulder. The small cufflink all but burned in his pocket and he had to restrain himself from showing it.

Ryou nodded slightly as he drew himself to his feet. "Let's get to the market, then." The way they had organized their wanderings through the villages, the next intact one, and the only one they knew of at the moment that had a functioning market, wasn't that far away. A half hour or so of walking would bring them there.

I wish I had my limousine. Or the airplane. Either of those would have been preferable to trudging along on foot, but there was no getting around it. And somewhere deep in the vaults of his mind, Edo didn't mind spending just a little more time around Ryou like that.

He also wouldn't have minded if they'd been able to spend this time around each other in air conditioned comfort, but putting their personal feelings aside for the mission they'd assigned themselves was what they were all about right now. There would always be another day.

Walking to the village was accomplished, like much that they did, in silence. Until they actually knew who the Haou was and could form some plan of action, security had to be flawless. Their new plan of master and servant was only a few hours old, but already they were working on polishing it to perfection. Ryou walked slightly ahead of Edo, his cloak still tightly pulled around himself, letting only his cool, arrogant attitude speak for him. Edo kept himself quiet, the bag weighing him down, and followed as if he had been born to this.

Positions shifted slightly as they reached the market, which was already thriving for the day. Monsters of every kind went this way and that, exchanging all manner of items they'd made or found for food and some minor weaponry and several other possessions that Edo couldn't always see that well. Food appeared to be what most of them were in search of, and he could understand that. Not everyone could afford to keep their crops growing or whatever kind of animals they kept for meat protected with the Haou and his armies prone to springing up where they were least expected.

Now, Edo moved forward with the sack, and Ryou once more affected the nonchalance of someone who has other people to do all of the work for him. Edo could see a few nervous looks being shot towards the taller duelist, and couldn't blame them at all. For allthey knew, he presumed, this could even be the Haou himself come to destroy them.

"What have you got?" the monster in charge of the particular food stall that he chose randomly asked, sounding slightly bored. He looked to be one of the more prosperous ones there, with stacks and stacks of fruits, vegetables, and even something that looked like meat.

"This." Edo started to pull plates, the occasional tattered and slightly singed book, and one or two small, badly kept knives out of the bag. He'd even managed to uncover a used Magic Cylinder and what looked to be a very battered and abused set of Sakuretsu Armor. That would probably be worth a little more, or at least Edo hoped so. The monster, who actually looked fairly human, and Edo thought he recognized him as one of the more powerful Fire-types, a Mr. Volcano, looked through everything with a slightly jaded expression.

"Is there anything else you've got?" he asked finally. "This could maybe get you about a half-pound of apples. If I'm feeling generous."

Edo wanted to strangle him. Or even better, call one of his own monsters to deal with him. He'd like to see what this mere level five monster thought of some ofhis friends. Instead, he started to shake his head. There just wasn't that much that could be useful…unless…

"Well, if you don't, I've got business to take care of." Mr. Volcano started to turn away, and Edo made his choice.

"What about this?" He slipped the cufflinks out of where he'd hidden them and placed them with a soft clink on the counter between them. Mr. Volcano looked down at them, and then up at Edo for a moment before he snatched them up and inspected them carefully.

Edo watched impassively, though he was far more aware that he would have wanted to admit of Ryou's eyes on his back. The longer they were in the open like this, the more chances that someone might find some reason to detain them. And that was probably the most pleasant risk they were running.

"Wait right here." Mr. Volcano set the cufflinks back on the counter and hurried behind the flap that concealed the rest of his shop from casual viewers. Edo frowned as a cold wisp of fear touched the back of his neck. If the monster worked for the Haou somehow…

Long moments crept by, with the rest of the market apparently noticing nothing unusual at all. Then Mr. Volcano came back out, with a large pack slung over his shoulder. He set it down and stared at Edo greedily. "All of that, and these," he motioned to the cufflinks, and you'll get this." He gestured briefly towards the pack. "Deal?"

Edo might have been young, but he wasn't even close to being stupid. "What's in there?" He wasn't quite asking in a dangerous way, but his tone was only a short breath away from that.

Mr. Volcano quite literally looked around to be certain no one else was close enough to hear, then leaned forward and began to whisper. What he listed off was more than enough food to keep the two of them supplied for at least two weeks, if not a little longer. But that wasn't all of it. As he drew to the end of the list, he glanced around again and dropped his voice a little more.

"Two bottles of green tea, and half a dozen strawberry daifuku." From the way he said it, Edo knew that this had to be all but priceless.

Strawberry daifuku… He'd heard about that somewhere. For a few seconds, he had no idea of where from, then it clicked. It had been during one of his visits to the Academy. It was amazingly easy for him to overhear almost anything he wanted to, and he'd heard Shou and Juudai talking about Ryou once. He thought it might have been on the older man's birthday, and Shou had talked a lot about how their mother had always made strawberry daifuku and had green tea ready when they'd come home from school on that day when they were younger.

He didn't smile, not on the outside. But inside, he was all but grinning. Out loud, he said, "That'll do, I guess." Without waiting for anything else, he grabbed for the bag and slung it inside of his own, throwing them both over his shoulder. He wasted no more time, but strode away towards where Ryou waited for him.

The other didn't bother to ask what kind of deals he'd made. They would sort all of that out once they got back to the mansion. Edo was glad of that at the moment. He wanted the tea and the daifuku to be a surprise. It might not be Ryou's birthday, but he was suddenly certain the Hell Kaiser would appreciate the desserts much more than he would some kind of useless trinket. Edo was also certain that he'd made the right choice to trade it.

They never took the same route back to the mansion that they took when leaving it, if they could at all avoid doing so. It was yet another of their little ways to keep themselves safe for as long as they could manage, until they learned the information that they needed. So now they walked along a shaded path hidden by rows and rows of tall trees, each as silent as the grave itself.

When the silence was broken, both of them stopped where they were, then looked about to discover the source of the cries and the anger. A gap in the bushes that cloaked the trees gave them a way to see what was going on. Several monsters of different types had circled a small group of humans. Just what they were saying wasn't quite possible to figure out at this distance. All they could hear were half-muffled shoutings and what could have been protests.

They must be natives. Edo thought as they watched from their hidden spot. He had no idea of how humans came to be in this world, but they were there. Some were even duelists. He watched intently, curious to just what was going on.

All of the humans shook their heads fiercely as the monsters yelled at them, and the creature that looked as if it were in charge, a Skull Servant reached for a bag at the feet of one of the humans. They all reached for it, only to be pushed back fiercely, and the Skull Servant withdrew a Duel Disk from within triumphantly.

They are duelists. Edo's fingers clenched a bit around his own bag. These had to be some of the Haou's slaves, and these humans were in for one hell of a bad day. It would even probably be their last day, if the rumors that they'd heard about what happened to captured duelists were right.

He didn't make a move towards them. Nor did Ryou. But neither of them took their eyes off of what was going on in front of them. Even if they'd had their decks with them, they wouldn't have. They needed to do too much, toknow too much, to rescue a few scattered people. Not when they still didn't know what they needed to about the Haou. These monsters were far too obviously low ranked, and wouldn't know what they needed to find out.

Edo glanced up briefly towards Ryou, and wasn't surprised to see that nearly impassive expression turned towards the slaughter being played out before them. He didn't think many people would have noticed the slight tightening around Ryou's eyes. He did, however. He turned back towards the grisly view, and both of them watched in silence until it was over with, the duel disks had been thrust into the earth, and the monsters strolled off, some of them laughing mockingly.

This is what we're going to stop. Edo told himself as they drew out of sight. No one else could do what they were doing. Or if they could, they wouldn't. Some jobs were only for people like him and like Ryou to do.

"Let's go." Ryou said a moment later. He turned away from the scene of carnage as if it had held nothing more dangerous or interesting than a random poker game and kept on along the path. Edo followed, just as silent and reserved.

The mansion wasn't exactly home, but it would do for one while they were there and in need of a place to stay. They really only kept a very few of the rooms open, since it was just the two of them there. One of those was the kitchen, and the storage area near it. How everything stayed fresh there without what he really understood as electricity, Edo didn't know. He just knew that it worked.

Edo got to work unpacking the supplies once they got in, while Ryou put together a light dinner. They usually split the cooking chores between the two of them, especially if one had something else they had to take care of. That suited Edo right now. He managed to keep the daifuki and the green tea hidden from Ryou, putting them in an out of the way area where they were unlikely to be noticed.

He scarcely noticed what it was that they ate. It wasn't what he was used to eating, that was for certain. For all of his amazing skills on the dueling field, Ryou could scarcely manage edible food. Edo had no real complaints. It wasn't as if he were that much better. He was far more used to being cooked for than doing the cooking.

"We'll have to keep ourselves ready," Ryou said as he swallowed some of his dinner. "That patrol wasn't coming this way, but I suspect there are others that will be, if they're not already."

"Right." Edo toyed a bit with his food before he ate a little more of it. "So, when they do-"

Both of them looked up as the door was pounded upon fiercely. They exchanged the briefest of glances, then put aside their dishes and left the dining area. Ryou went towards one room, while Edo went to the door.

Another knock came, and Edo opened the door just as it faded, smiling his most polite smile. "Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, his voice sweeter than honey.

"We're searching for any duelists in the area," the Command Knight who had been knocking declared. "Are there any here?"

Edo's smile widened even more. Maybe they could get some information from this one. "No, there aren't." He suspected the Knight wouldn't believe him, and he was rewarded, of sorts, by being right.

"And you expect me to just take your word for it?" Command Knight sneered at him. "Who else is here? I insist on speaking with them."

"Of course. If you don't believe me, then you may speak with my master. I'm sure you'll believe him." Edo kept his pleasant expression within the boundaries of courtesy and didn't let it slide into a smirk. Yet.

Command Knight snorted and stalked inside as Edo stood to the side. "Escort me to your master, then."

Edo was only too glad to do that. He knew that Ryou would be ready by now. That was what the delaying conversation had been for. He guided the Knight over to the door that led to where Ryou waited and opened it. It was lit only by a fireplace, wild shadows leaping up as the flames danced merrily. "Master Ryou," Edo bowed slightly, with every outward sign of humility. "Command Knight to see you."

"Let him in." Ryou's voice was calm, but held that minor edge that Edo knew meant he was ready for a fight. He stepped back and motioned Command Knight inside.

"My master will see you now," he said. The monster passed inside, and Edo closed the door…but not all the way. If there had been other monsters with the knight, he would have went to take care of them. Since Command Knight was alone, that gave Edo the chance to watch what Ryou did so very well. He hesitated for a moment, then hurried back to snatch the cup of tea he'd been drinking with his dinner.

I hope I didn't miss anything. From the noises coming within as he came back to the door, he hadn't. Command Knight wasn't screaming. Yet, of course.

"If there's nothing you know," he heard Ryou say as he settled by the door and peered in. He couldn't quite see Command Knight, but he could see Ryou and he watched unashamedly. The shadows created by the flames embraced the Hell Kaiser as he picked up his deck and set it in his duel disk. The lines of face were somewhere between cruel and determined, and Edo watched in rapture at the sight.

Mine, the word whispered lightly through his mind, and he didn't deny it, even if he wasn't entirely positive of the truth of it. Who else would want the Hell Kaiser, the brooding hero of the shadows? He didn't need to say the word to Ryou, or to say anything to him about it at all. Edo had a feeling that the older duelist knew anyway.

He pulled his attention back to what was going on in front of him. He wouldn't necessarily call it a duel. It was too brutal for that, and most duelists didn't scream the way Command Knight was right at the moment. He sipped at his tea and smiled a little. Music to my ears.

Ryou wasso good at what he did, after all.

Once it was over, the two of them settled into a pair of comfortable chairs in what would most likely be the living room or sitting room in a house on Earth. Ryou had a cup of tea of his own now, and stared into the fire flickering in the fireplace there. "Nothing. He had nothing useful."

"Someone will, eventually." Edo pointed out. Ryou nodded slightly as he brought the teacup to his lips. Edo admired the way those long fingers held the cup, as easily and delicately as he held cards. Those hands held life and death in them.

Ryou set his cup down, and Edo could see it was empty. Perfect. He got to his feet after he quickly finished the last of his own. "I'll get us some more." He didn't wait for Ryou to say yes or no, but quickly swept into the kitchen. There he retrieved the green tea and the daifuku, arranging everything on a tray before carrying it back into the sitting room.

As he came back in, Ryou turned towards him, looking as if he were about to say something. He stopped when he saw Edo and his burden, the faintest of confused frowns on his lips. "What is that?"

"Strawberry daifuku," Edo replied at once, "and green tea."

Ryou blinked once or twice, one of the few times that Edo had ever seen him actually surprised. He glanced at the collection on the tray, then looked back up at Edo. "That's too much for one person," he said at last. "We'll have to share it."

Something warm and pleasant filled Edo at the words, and he nodded a little as he sat back down, the tray settled between the two of them so they could both get to it easily. He had eaten a lot of Japanese food since Saioh had become his manager, but until now, daifuku had been something he'd missed. Eating it with Ryou made him somewhat glad that he had. It was good to taste something new and delicious with him there.

As he reached for his second piece of it, slightly cool fingers touched his, and he looked down to see Ryou's hand there as well. Both of them looked at each other, the tension building rapidly. Then Edo moved his hand. He knew, just as well as Ryou did, that now wasn't the time for anything like this. He could and would dream about what could be, but they would remain dreams.

His hand hadn't moved very far before Ryou seized it suddenly. He didn't hold it long, but everything that needed to be said was said in that quick grip. Then it was gone again, and Ryou stared silently into the fire as they finished the snack. Edo said nothing as well, that faint hint of presence still on his fingers and palm. Ryou had never done anything like that to him before, and Edo suspected he never would again.

Once they were done, Edo picked up the tray and headed to the kitchen to clean things up. Since Ryou had done most of the cooking, such as it was, earlier, that was his job now. He didn't like doing it, but at least he got a little time to cool himself off after that brief moment of unutterable heat that had been their hands touching.

Another night together. After that. Edo couldn't deny that he was a little concerned about what might happen. Nothing should happen. But neither of them was actually dead. But they did both have self-control. Edo wasn't entirely certain on if, or what, he wanted to have happen at all.

In what felt like only the space of a few seconds, they were getting ready for bed, just like always. Neither of them acted in any way as if what had happened had actually happened. Edo was fine with that, all things considered. It was better than worrying over what might or might not happen.

Regardless of what either of them were doing, Edo found himself amazingly aware of Ryou's presence as they curled up under the blankets. It was impossible to ignore the Hell Kaiser, no matter the situation, but tonight, he was simply so much more there on Edo's mind.

He had no idea of how much time had passed when he realized that he was facing Ryou. That seldom happened as they normally slept back to back. Now his eyes were open, and he could see Ryou's smooth chest in front of him. This room had a fireplace as well, and by the slowly dying flames, he could see the Kaiser's closed eyes and soft breathing.

Edo watched for a few minutes, entranced by what he saw. Then, without asking for any permission or instruction from his brain, he lifted one hand and placed it lightly on Ryou's chest, directly over the heart. He could feel the soft beating of it, and his own raced in reaction. He knew there was something wrong there, though he wasn't certain of why or what. After all the time they had spent together, it was impossible for him not to know.

Perhaps it was his imagination but he thought the regular beats faltered a little. If they did, it was only for a breath of a moment, and then all was normal again. "We'll finish this," he murmured softly. Then they would go home, and he would find a way to make certain Ryou got himself taken care of. He could certainly afford to do it. But he wouldn't let that heart stop beating.

Then he dropped his hand and turned away, closing his eyes and forcing himself to sleep.

Behind him, Ryou opened his eyes and watched the younger duelist for a moment or two. His lips curved in an unaccustomed smile, then he closed his eyes. They would finish it, and whatever came afterwards, would come.