Don't be Alone

She just couldn't stop thinking about him.

They had all agreed, the gang, to stay up in shifts at the campfire until morning. None of them knew anything about duelist kingdom, and it wasn't as though Pegasus had given his contestants guides to the terrain. Everyone was left on their own, and no one knew quite what was lurking for them in the darkness. Even that evening, they were in the woods, and there was too much growth around them to be relaxed.

Ryou Bakura had seen to that already.

Blue eyes watched the boy sleep. It wasn't her turn to look out, but Anzu couldn't quite get to sleep. Her mind had gone over the encounter for hours, compiling details, trying to find out more about what was going on. It all seemed to be centered on the golden charms around their necks, the artifacts that stood out so starkly. She didn't own one, but Anzu was sure that she could recognize a Millennium Item in a heartbeat, from across a room, a crowd even.

Jounouchi was up for the current shift, and he absentmindedly poked at the campfire to amuse himself. The two weren't speaking, and Anzu was glad for it. She was sure that if either of them opened their mouths, it would be about Ryou, and they would get into some sort of argument.

Ryou was peculiar, but his presence had confirmed quite a few things for her. First of all, that he was a duelist. She hadn't seen very much of him in school and she had never been sure about his interests. Known as the "creepy kid" didn't exactly make it easy for others to approach him. And as much as she hated to admit to being a follower, she had honestly gone with the current on that one.

That night, however, he proved that he was different. Ryou had always been strange, and from what Yuugi had expressed to the group he was a kid dealing with difficult circumstances. It was true. Anzu had been sucked in by the Spirit of the Ring and his performance; the man was even calledBakura. But in the game, when Ryou had appeared as the Change of Heart card? How could anyone explain that? How could she explain the difference between the quiet boy from the class, and the sinister presence that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up?

"So, Jounouchi..." she began, eyes still on Ryou, "do you think... do you think we can help him?"

Jou was the group's enthusiast, the one who believed that the impossible could be done no matter what. He had been there tonight, forced to play the game with the rest of them. He had seen the difference.

"Stop thinkin' about it, Anzu. The kid's weird."

"We're weird," Anzu corrected. "Who do you think would believe us if we told them Yuugi's grandfather's soul was sucked into a TV? No one. He's no different."
"Sheesh, tell me how you really feel, Anzu. You asked. I'm just sayin'."

Anzu realized in how abrasive she sounded, but her conviction on the issue was strong. Why couldn't they help him? He was clearly being used against his will by the Ring around his neck!

There were other questions that fact raised, though. What about the other Yuugi? Yuugi had played on the field as the Dark Magician, right? If Ryou was the Change of Heart card, yet Bakura's face loomed above the field, then Yuugi's Puzzle had a spirit too! That was the person who won the game.

But Yuugi didn't seem to be trapped in his own body or anything of the sort, had never complained about feeling taken advantage of. And whenever Yuugi dueled, it was for his grandfather, or someone who was being tricked or picked on. Yuugi was good.

The other Yuugi was good.

That fact didn't help explain Bakura at all. Anzu had been scared, downright scared. He was talking about taking people's souls and sending them to the Shadow Realm, something that had forced the other Yuugi to fight for them. It was serious, Anzu guessed, from what was explained, and Ryou, once in the game, decided that he would have to help them.

So Ryou was good, too.

"I just mean," she said, her body turning toward Ryou, "I think that it's not fair that things are like this. How would you feel, trapped in your own body like that? It's horrible."

"Look, Anzu... I'm just sayin', nothin' we can do about it. Ryou said it himself when everything was done - doesn't think the spirit's gone. It's gonna come back."

"I think we should take him with us," she answered. "Maybe we can protect him."

"We got our own problems. Not sayin' we can't help. But we ain't in the position to do it now. If anythin' was gonna happen, it woulda after the duel."

He was right. Ryou knew the circumstances better than anyone, and even he'd said things weren't truly better. Whatever that spirit was, it was still alive inside of the Millennium Ring, and it would take more than a simple defeat at a game to lock him away.

Ryou shifted in his sleep, and Anzu stood, the campfire casting a long shadow on the boy as he slept. He shivered, white hair splayed over his face, and Anzu glanced back at Jou.

"He's cold."

"Ain't we all?" Jou replied, and he pulled his jacket over his shoulders.

Anzu sat by Ryou - she hadn't realized how far away from the group he'd decided to sleep. It was shaded and colder, where he slept, as though the Spirit of the Ring was punishing him for his actions.

"Really, Anzu?" Jou seemed to laugh, almost. "You really think that's gonna help?"

She didn't answer. Her eyes took in the small form instead. He looked so delicate...

Ryou stirred, and he moaned in his sleep. It was a pitiful sound, like the mew of a dying cat.

"Please," he sighed. He wasn't speaking to him. "N-no..."

Anzu didn't want to hazard a guess at what he could have been dreaming about. The evening had been bad enough. She touched his shoulder, preparing to shake him awake. If she was having a nightmare, she would have wanted to someone to do the same for her. The golden rule, right?

White hair swished around every which way as Ryou awoke with a start, panting heavily.

"It's just me," she said quickly, her hands rising up. "It's Anzu." She could feel Jounouchi's gaze in her direction. "It's fine," she said, for Jou's benefit.

Ryou took a few moments to collect himself, his breathing haggard. It sounded like he had been running a marathon. "...A...Anzu?" he said.

There was something about his soft, brown eyes, the scared look in them when he'd been looking around. The relief when he'd seen her face.

Perhaps it was the woman in her; she felt bad for him. She wanted to make it better, to tell that stupid spirit to take a hike. But she couldn't. There wasn't a single person who could help him.

The embrace came naturally. She smiled in what she thought was a comforting way, arms easily encircling around him.

"Anzu?" His tone was different, probing.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this!" she said. And she thought of all the possibilities for his suffering. No wonder why he kept to himself; no wonder why he was so alone. "It's not fair to you at all." Did he have any family? She had never seen anyone with him. That left him all alone to fight that... that thing. Bakura.

"It's... it's okay." Ryou seemed to relax into her arms.

It felt strangely natural to cradle him, to nurture him and believe in him. She held him there for a few moments, and Ryou was quiet. This hug was more for herself than him. A sinking feeling filled her stomach at his silence, and she knew: he was going to leave. Even if she asked, he wouldn't be traveling with them.

After what seemed like too long, a small hand lightly caressed her back. "Anzu, it's okay."

She didn't want to be weak, and she didn't respond other than to shake her head. The sadness of it all, of suddenly being shown someone dealing with a deep darkness all by themselves was pushing her nearly to tears in sympathy. Yuugi had everyone. They were all friends, there for each other through it all. That didn't exist for Ryou.

"I've been dealing with this for a while," Ryou said, and it surprised her. He had barely said anything; even in the duel, the game, he had only spoken long enough to tell them of his intentions. His voice sounded much stronger than she had thought it would; it sounded almost as though things were truly going to work out.

When Yuugi dueled, or the other Yuugi, Anzu had always felt this hope, this uplifting feeling that told her that things would work out. It was only when that feeling wasn't present. Yuugi - both of them - had their support when they dueled, but they were both strong on their own. They could do it.

Ryou's arms curled around her, and he gave her a small smile. "Thank you," he said. "For caring."

Anzu shook her head again. "You're not going to go with us, are you?"

It was Ryou turn to give the same response, and white hairs brushed over his eyes. "Bakura won't stop trying. I have to move as far away as possible. I thought, maybe, that you could help - that maybe being around you would force him back. But I was wrong."

"Where did you get it?"

"The Ring?" he knew what she meant immediately. "My father brought it back for me. He said to be careful. I don't think he knew about this."

So he did have family. "Is there anyone else who knows you have it? Besides you and your father?"

Ryou shook his head. "Other than you? I'm afraid not. Bakura is too dangerous for that sort of talk. All of my other friends... it's too dangerous."

Anzu was very afraid to ask what the spirit had done to his "other friends". She didn't want to know.

Ryou retreated from her, arms falling away to his sides as he sat up. He looked so small, and yet, those few seconds he had held her... she shook her head. She was being ridiculous; none of that was important.

"Please stay," she told him instead. "Please. If we can't help you, no one can. At least Yuugi can help, if he comes out again. Let us help you."

Ryou's expression fell dramatically, and the frown Anzu saw made her regret even asking. "It's too dangerous."

"It can't be more dangerous than you going out alone. What if you hurt another contestant on the island? We won't be there to stop you." Reaching toward him, she shook his shoulders. "I'm being serious."

She wasn't going to let him walk away.

"You're... you're very sweet, Anzu," Ryou said. "But I can't..."

"I - I won't let you leave," she said, her grip tightening. "You have to stay. It's the only way you'll do any good."

The expression on his face changed again, but Anzu couldn't read it. She desperately hoped that he was rethinking her offer. It wouldn't make sense to do anything else. They all needed each other.

He sighed, and Anzu smiled; that meant he was giving in. "...on one condition," Ryou said, "then I'll stay."

"What?"

"You should hug me like that more often."

She was so shocked at the request that she couldn't even think of anything to say.

"I have nightmares," Ryou continued. "I have them often. I think he sends them to me, so that I can't sleep."

"...so you can't fight him," Anzu interjected.

Ryou nodded. "Yes, I always remember them; and I was having one when you woke me up. It helps, to have someone wake me. I would rather lose sleep speaking with someone I like than lose it with my heart racing and feeling as though I'm being chased." He peered directly into her eyes, and Anzu knew that he wasn't lying, or making things up. "Can you do that for me?"

"Of course I can."

"Thank you. I'll stay with you, then."

Anzu felt a blush creep up her cheeks, and she wasn't sure what to think. His voice, the way he had said it, she swore...

...she could swear that he was speaking only to her.

{FIN}

I thought that I would try to let this one stand on its own, really, so I won't say much here in the notes. It's a bit more fluffy than I usually go for, but I don't really have much headcanon for these two characters together, so I had to build some from scratch.

Hope you enjoy it, and good luck to everyone in the contest!