Hmmm...now why is it that it's always the fics with the least reviews that I finish first? Lol, dunno why but they seem to be the ones that I like most! ^_^

 

Split Personality; Split Emotions - Part 2.

 

I woke up slowly, not wanting to open my eyes to the harsh realities which I knew I would soon face. Warmth...I snuggled closer into the comforting form which I was sleeping against, until it suddenly struck me that there *was* a form next to me. I blinked sleepily and looked up at the person who had been acting as my pillow. Ah of course...it was Ryou. I hadn't meant to fall asleep like this last night, but it had just felt so nice...He was leaning back and slightly to the side, resting on the arm of the sofa; his expression was so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb him.

Not wanting to face the day, I laid my head back down and continued to sleep.

"Yugi?" A soft voice penetrated my dreams, gradually drawing me out into the real world. I felt a gentle kiss on my lips, and smiled slightly.

"Ryou..." My eyelids fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the beautiful vision of my Ryou.

"Better get up Yugi; don't want to be late for school..." He offered me his hand, and pulled me up onto my feet.

"What time is it?" I yawned, and rubbed my eyes tiredly. He glanced at his watch before replying,

"Five past eight." The mention of the time jolted my memory - of course!

"Oh Ryou, J-" I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ryou raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.

"Expecting someone then Yugi?" I nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, I forgot. Joey was coming over this morning, we were gonna walk to school together. He nodded, but even though he didn't say anything I knew it was all right - Ryou didn't particularly like Joey, but he tolerated him for my sake.

"Let's go then."

"Right!" I lead the way to the door, and opened it cheerfully. "Hi Joey!" I saw Joey's expression change slightly as he noticed Ryou standing behind me. Oops...he was probably wondering what Ryou was doing here so early in the morning, as no one yet knew about us. We had always had an intention to tell everyone...but it had just never happened. Joey looked vaguely surprised, and raised his eyebrows curiously. However he didn't comment, just greeted me like normal.

"Hi Yugi! Hi Bakura." Ryou inclined his head in acknowledgement, but said nothing.

The walk to school that morning was unusually quiet, and I couldn't help but feel the tension between Ryou and Joey.

"So..." Joey began casually, "I didn't know that you and Bakura were such good friends, Yugi." He glanced sideways at me, waiting for my response. I was quiet for a moment, not knowing how to reply - so much to my relief Ryou answered instead.

"Well we are." He stated matter of factly. I almost groaned out loud. The situation could hardly have been more awkward!

"I...see." Joey merely accepted Ryou's answer, and didn't ask for any further explanation. Then he turned to me and asked quietly, "Hey Yugi, y'know what you're gonna do 'bout you-know-what yet?" Despite myself I smiled slightly;

"...It’s all right Joey, Ryou knows." Joey looked at me in surprise.

"He does?! Why did you tell him?!" At this I noticed Ryou glance up quickly, anger dancing in his eyes.

"Joey..." I sighed patiently, "Ryou already told you; we're...good friends." I could see that Joey was still looking at Ryou somewhat suspiciously, as though he didn't trust him.

"Actually," Ryou began, slipping his arm around my waist defensively; "We're more than good friends." I stared up at him in shock - why had that come out all of a sudden?!

"Wha-?!" Joey simply gaped, not knowing what to say. "What the *hell*?!"

I shut my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose wearily. Why was Ryou acting so possessive? I'd already *told* him he didn't need to be jealous of Joey...Ah well, it was out now. At least that part was over.

"Is...is he telling the truth Yugi?! Please say no..." He trailed off as he saw that I made no move to remove the taller boy's arm from around my waist. I nodded, and smiled up slightly at Ryou. "H-How long..." Joey whispered. I don't think I've ever seen him so much at a loss for words.

"...About five months, I think." I said speculatively, not exactly sure myself.

"Aa..." Joey shook his head in disbelief, and started backing away from us. I tried to approach him, but he just kept moving away.

"Joey!" But it was too late; he had already turned and started to sprint towards the school which had just come into sight. I started to go after him, but I felt Ryou's gentle hand on my shoulder; not so much holding me back, but reminding me that Joey would need time to think things through by himself.

"You're right..." I sighed, and shut my eyes in despair as Ryou hugged me reassuringly.

"It's okay, Yugi. I'm sure with a little time...everything will be like it was before."

"I sure hope so..." I whispered, my voice full of regret.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

As we had expected, once we walked in the front gates of the school we were confronted with strange glances, and saw the whispers spoken every time we passed someone by.

"He sure didn't keep it to himself..." I remarked sadly; I had hoped that Joey would respect our privacy and not tell people, but...obviously not.

"Don't worry." Ryou whispered, "Just ignore them Yugi, it doesn't matter what people think." He squeezed my hand lovingly, and it was thus that we entered the classroom together.

"OH MY GOD IT'S TRUE!!" That, not surprisingly, had come from Téa and I flinched slightly as I saw Joey standing in a corner leaning against the wall, glowering at us.

...Except it wasn't so much at me, as at Ryou. Ryou gazed back at him, but without malice or anger - his gentle personality still coming through even with all the treatment we were getting. The expressions on our fellow pupil's faces varied quite a lot; from some with flat out disgust, to others who only looked on in mild surprise.

The room had suddenly fallen silent, and our footsteps echoed as we made our way towards Téa and Tristen. Surprisingly, Tristen didn't look that bothered; he only smiled at us warily, saying,

"Hi guys." I smiled back at him in relief, and Ryou looked around nervously. He didn't really have very many friends in our class, and was usually too quiet to stand out. I don't think he liked all the sudden attention.

What happened next though was totally unexpected - Téa ran over and hugged us both excitedly!

"Oh my gosh!" She gushed happily; "You two are so cute together! I'm so happy for you..." Ryou and I looked at one another in surprise, but then turned and grinned at her.

"Thanks Téa!" I smiled at her appreciatively - at least *someone* was happy for us. Ryou nodded and smiled at her too, and the spell of silence was broken as people began to turn away from us and start up their own conversations again. Of course, we still received many strange glances that day, but overall I think it turned out okay.

That is, except for Joey.

I still don't know exactly how he feels about the matter - but I'm thinking he's not too pleased as he refuses to even talk to me.

Before I met Ryou, I was so confused about my emotions - I'm naturally shy, but I was even more so back then and it was Ryou who helped me find who I was; and sort through my feelings. We seemed to become closer naturally, and even though I was still spending time with Joey, Tristen and Téa, Ryou and me had something different; something special.

He always manages to make me feel better, even when I'm depressed. My thoughts flicked back to Joey.

But Joey was one of my best friends...and I couldn't just watch as we lost what we once had.

 

I had to make things with him right again.

 

To be continued...

 

 

Ooohkay...I'm not sure where exactly Yami/Joey's gonna come in, maybe it won't even feature at all! ^_^ Depends how it turns out, and at the moment (as usual) I have no idea where this fic is going. Feedback? Ja ne!

(Oh wait...Yami/Joey'll have to appear sometime, otherwise what's the point of the title? Damn, forgot bout that!) ^_~