A/N: Thanks to everyone for everything. I really appreciate the patient waiting done by everyone who's reading this!

(blinks) This has a blatant B/R scene in it, btw, b/c I think it's too cute. And then I tried humour. Be afraid. Be muchos afraid.

{{ Song }}

And Then There Were Two

Epilogue

In the next room, Ryou stared intently at the TV screen ahead of him, trying to ignore Bakura's burning gaze. The unseen eyes still bored through him, causing the music video ahead of him to fade into nothingness. He shifted uncomfortably, wincing slightly as his stomach lightly reminded him of the healing bullet wound.

"Ryou."

Startled, Ryou twisted around. It still surprised him that he was being called by his name. What was even more odd was the perplexed expression that had settled itself upon Bakura's face.

It was really odd that he was staring at an almost mirror-like double.

He cleared his throat. "Ba-Bakura?"

"You do not want me here."

It was not a question, but rather a statement of reality. 'But that wasn't true!' Ryou's mind raced. Despite the fact that they had separate bodies, Ryou could still feel them joined around the Ring. Their souls wound and intertwined, much like the veins of gold.

But how do you explain that to an embittered, cynical, 5000 year old, recently physicalized spirit?

Bakura stood, as if he had come to a decision. "Ryou. You will give me the Ring, and we will part ways. You shall not come to harm again, and I shall not darken your doorstep with my …" He paused, sneering. "With my presence."

Still, Ryou's mind was whirling. His Yami was leaving? After all they'd been through? Didn't Bakura know that the main reason that Ryou had gotten better so quickly was because he was trying so hard to please his other half?

And Bakura was leaving? Bakura thought Ryou didn't want him around anymore?

Suddenly, one question jumped to the forefront of his mind.

"Would you miss me?"

Bakura hesitated. In the tense silence that followed, the background music video's haunting chorus wafted across the room:

{{"Like the deserts miss the rain…"}}

Bakura snarled and, whirling, threw the chair at the TV. It exploded in a shower of sparks, yet, through some divine miracle, failed to set anything on fire.

Ryou could only stare at his Yami, his heart in his eyes. It had been enough. And it wasn't as if he didn't like having someone with him all the time… This way, the two of them would be able to do so much stuff together. Ryou wouldn't have to feel alone anymore, not even when Yuugi was too busy saving the world to be worried about the poor little albino boy.

Unless his Yami left…

"Don't leave! Please!"

Bakura turned to confront him again, hard brown eyes flashing. He was suddenly right in Ryou's face, causing him to fall backwards against the hospital's plush pillows. "How can you say that? You're the one who almost left! And now, how dare you demand that I not leave? How dare you?" The voice had softened to a hiss, now. A hiss that sibilantly wrapped its threatening way around Ryou's shaking body.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! But you can't leave! Please?"

For some indiscernible reason, Bakura's eyes softened to deep chocolate again. His calloused hand reached up and threaded its way through the pristine snowy locks that had arrayed themselves about Ryou's worried face. A mental word fluttered over into Ryou's head.

''Aibou…''

Just then, the door banged open with enough force to bounce off the opposite wall. Guiltily – although it wasn't as if they were doing anything – Bakura and Ryou jumped apart. Ryou hissed in pain again as the movement jarred his sensitive stomach, but then he looked up to see a sight for sore eyes. Yuugi and his Yami walked through the door.

Yuugi waved, "Hi, guys! Yami just got released from the hospital, so we're gonna go home now. How are you doing, Ryou?"

The innocent hikari moved forward, sincerely concerned with Ryou's state. Severe though Yami's wounds had been, they had at least avoided the internal organs. Abruptly, though, he found himself face to face with an enraged, former tomb-robber.

"Are you implying that I can't take care of him myself?" spat Bakura.

Yami moved in front of his hikari, already adopting a defensive, battling position. "I'm implying that you should be moving out of the way of my aibou!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"YEAH!"

Yuugi stared with worried eyes at Ryou's side. He'd managed to duck around the two when the sparks had started to fly. Still, he was really afraid that they wouldn't be able to stop the two rivals, now that they had started. He turned his head to face Ryou, who was also staring at Bakura with a concerned expression.

"What should we do?" Yuugi asked.

"You think I have a clue? I don't know how to handle an active Yami! He always just does whatever he wants!"

Suddenly, the nurse came in. She took one look at the chaotic scene and immediately began shouting in a fruitless attempt to organize the people. It was a shame, then, that her voice only contributed to the roar of noise.

"Desecrator of tombs!"

"Dried-up, stupid king-puppet!"

"Yami! Please stop!"

"Useless wannabe thief!"

"Screwer of camels!'

"STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY! THE PATIENT NEEDS REST!"

"Old goat!"

"Hairy ape!"

"You guys aren't even making sense anymore!"

Just then, Ishizu glided in. "Where is the Pharaoh? I must speak with him! The fate of the world is at stake unless he wins a duel in the destined place!"

Outside of the door, Seto paused at the verbal chaos that was ringing out into the hallway. Although he had promised Mokuba that he'd make sure everyone was doing fine, he was beginning to have second thoughts. Third thoughts rapidly followed, and the fourth set of thoughts kicked him repeatedly until he decided to turn around.

He whirled dramatically – just in case anyone was watching – and went to walk down the hall and into the elevator. He would return to the real world, where he belonged, and he would –

His cell phone rang. Annoyed, he picked it up and spoke, "Kaiba here."

"Sir! Mokuba's been kidnapped again, sir. The kidnapper says that unless you duel him in the destined place, you'll never see your 'precious little brother again!'"

And it was just another day…

THE END!

(sighs) Ok. Real end is now. grins Have you ever written what started as a short little happy thing and then it turned into some sort of weird, hybrid alien, almost-stand-on-its-own story?

(gasp) Aliens!

Yami: stares A perfect example of why you should not finish anything after midnight.

Bakura: She's obviously insane.

Divey: And working on another story! Please keep up the positive reinforcement, as it slowly works its wondrous, weaving way across my ravaged, burrowing feeling of insignificance!

Song : Everything but the girl: "Missing"