You would never believe how much work went into writing this pointless fic. I thought, labored, wrote, rewrote...a thousand times. It was truly sad. I even asked my little brother to help me! He said they should fight with swords, guns, ninja stars...and cookies O.o Yeah, that didn't happen. Also, this used to be much angstier and dramatic. But, I chopped some of that and added a bit of fluff. Yes, this is an odd combination! It has all of my story ideas...in one. Rudolph and cookies/Mistletoe/Bakura coming back/Fight between them.

Like in all of my fics, any relationships you see are friendship! This may sound tendershipping, but it's not meant like that. However you see it, I guess is all right. Enjoy ^.^

DISCLAIMER: Nothing. At. All.

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BEEP...BEEP...BEEP

The timer was going off, which signaled my cookies were done. I could smell the faint scent of chocolate drift into the room, tickling my nose with their light, sweet smell.

I sighed, and rose from my seat on the large couch. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was playing on the TV, which I had been previously watching. Little figures flashed on the screen, and the low murmur of their voices could be heard.

I entered the small kitchen. A wave of warm air hit me, making me smile a bit in contentment. The rest of the house was freezing cold just like the temperature outside. Snow had been falling for hours now, and a blanket of fluff covered the Earth. This little bit of comfort was welcoming compared to all of the cold.

I opened up the stove door quietly, and let the smell and heat once again cover my body. I reached in - very carefully - and grabbed the metal tray. I pulled them out and dropped them on the top of the stove with a slight yelp. I quickly closed it up, and took a small step back. I set the timer for 5 minutes to let them cool, and headed back to my seat.

I sat back down, and shivered slightly. I paused, and wondered why. Suddenly I felt an icy, unsettling chill shoot up my spine. I blinked, and then chuckled at myself. I only acted the jumpy when...he was around.

Atem had gotten rid of him quite a while ago. He assured me I was free, and he would never hurt me again. Of course he was right, as he always seemed to be. He was banished to the Shadows, and would do no more harm.

BEEP...BEEP...BEEP

The timer went off again. Had it already been five minutes? I blinked, but again got up from my comfortable place, and headed for the kitchen. As I did, my eyes flickered up to the single branch of mistletoe hanging from the doorway. I wasn't very big on decorating for the holidays (just a small tree and a wreath), but I always felt the need to put up the mistletoe. Why, you might ask? Well, when my dad was still around, putting up the little plant made him so happy...and seeing it reminded me of him. It was a sad attempt to fill the place of his nonexistent presence. And since nobody came to my house anyway, I had no awkward situations to handle.

What could it harm?

Then, I glanced back at the television, realizing Amane's favorite part of the movie was on. I paused in the doorway, forgetting about the cookies. I just kept my eyes on the screen. I smiled sadly, thinking of how she lit up when she watched it.

Suddenly, another chill went up my spine. My body tensed at the feeling, and an uncomfortable emotion washed over me. Then, as if on cue, a small creak in the floor came from behind me. I quickly snapped my head around to the kitchen, and froze instantly. My worst nightmare had come true. All of the evils had come back to haunt me. Fate was playing a cruel, sadistic game.

Bakura stood in the kitchen, staring back at me.

I gasped, horrified, and took a step back. He stood there normally, his features just as sharp and his hair just as wild. He wore his usual black attire, from his leather coat to his thick boots. His face still held the same smirk I knew too well, and his crimson eyes glistened in amusement.

"Did ya miss me?"

I couldn't breathe. My body was in a state of complete shock, and my heart wasn't beating. A numb, cold feeling hit me. His eyes never left my own, as if we were locked in time.

My head was aching with so many questions; When? Why? How? Confusion and horror were blurred together seamlessly until I could feel nothing but that. Suddenly, he broke the tense silence.

"You grew."

His words were spoken easily and casually. Were they meant as an insult? Another wave of confusion hit me. Another mess of questions flooded my brain.

"What?" I breathed softly.

He took a step forward, but I couldn't seem to take one back. Though my head told me to bolt, my body wouldn't listen.

"You got taller. Four inches, maybe?" He cocked his head to the side, studying me. "And, you grew your hair out." He reached his hand out toward me, and I instantly shrunk back.

"Don't touch me," I whispered, "please!"

A small, hardly noticeable flicker crossed his face. Amusement, possibly? "Why not, dear hikari?" He made a sad, mocking face. "Didn't you want me back here with you?"

I shook my head, watching snowy locks cover my vision.

"Why not?"

I didn't reply.

"I missed you."

I shook my head again, this time harder.

"Don't you believe me? It's the truth, kitten."

Something in me snapped.

"Stop it!" I screamed. "Stop playing your twisted game, Bakura. I fed up with your sick sense of humor. I don't find it amusing." I didn't give him a chance to butt in. "I didn't miss you. Do you want to know why? Well, Bakura, I was free. I was free to talk to Yugi and not have to worry about being beaten. I was free to sing as much as I wished without being taunted and hurt. I was free to go to sleep without worrying that a lunatic spirit would posses my body and kill someone. I was free from you!"

He growled, and took another step toward me. "You also got defiant, you ungrateful child! You-"

"I'm not a little child! I'm eighteen now. But you don't care, do you?" I chuckled slightly. "Of course not! You never cared."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, eighteen? I'm so sorry. You must be an all knowing Pharaoh now, huh?" He let his words sink in. "You're still that weak little brat that took the Ring so many years ago. You're still so small and defenseless. A waste of space!"

"Then why did you come back?"

He didn't respond.

"If you hate me so much, why did you have to come into my life again? I was doing fine! I was getting ready to go to college. A really amazing art college! I can get a job, and build myself back up. My life is finally on the right track. Why did you come back?"

He shook his head. "You're still so idiotic. I didn't come back because I wanted to. I had to."

"Why?" I questioned.

He laughed slightly. "We are one, hikari. I'm one half of the soul, and you the other. We fight back and forth, giving and taking part of our form. We might be opposites - light and dark - but we're still one soul! I'm attached to you, and you to me. If you die, I do as well. Even after that, we will be bound together. I cannot leave you, and you can't leave me. Whether you like it or not, I didn't 'come back.' I never even left you!"

I blinked, letting it all soak in. I looked at him, studying his face. He seemed angry, yet confused.

"Do you know what night it is?" I asked softly, barely even in an audible tone.

His snowy eyebrow cocked up curiously. "What night is it?"

I bit my lip and answered, "Christmas Eve."

He rolled his eyes. "That stupid holiday? That pointless, idiotic, commercial holiday? You know I don't like you celebrating such a worthless day."

Another wave of hot anger hit my chest. "Well, Bakura, guess what! I really don't care if you want me to celebrate Christmas or not. I will with you or without you. You think you can control me, Bakura...but you can't."

His eyes narrowed feverishly. "I forbid you, hikari! You won't speak to me this way, and you won't celebrate Christmas."

"No," I spat, my courage rising, and my common sense dying away. "I refuse to listen to you!"

He growled, and took a step toward me. I took one back into the doorway. "You brainless little rat! You are getting way too comfortable with me. That, or becoming just as stupid as the Pharoh's brats." He smirked in his usual way. "You know they never cared for you, Ryou."

It wasn't a question.

"No one ever seems to," I whispered, looking down at my socked feet.

We both fell into a sudden stillness.

After a few moments, I looked up to see my yami studying me with a curious eye. What was he searching for? Then - to my surprise - I asked, "Did you ever care, Bakura?"

His eyes changed slightly as he whispered in a tiny, uncharacteristic voice, "Of course..." Then, as the reality of what he said sunk in, his eyes widened. "Not! Of course not. Why would I care for you, a weak, pathetic child?"

A small, lonely smile tugged at my lips. I glanced up to the doorframe and let a true, genuine laugh escape my lips. Hanging right above us was...

...mistletoe, of all things.

He looked up, following my gaze. Confusion rose to his face, which was almost comical for him. "What-"

And I hugged him. Awkwardly and unnaturally, of course, but...a hug. I looked up at his dazed face, and his crimson eyes clouded with uncertainty. He held his arms away from his body, unsure what to do. Finally, his eyes softened a bit, and he let his arms down on my shoulders. I laughed at him, and he chuckled slightly in his own way.

"Merry Christmas, Bakura."

"Merry Christmas...Ryou."

This would have been a perfect Christmas card.

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Unique Art