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[Since wiping out the last of the Heartless that had been roaming the island, Kai had for all intents and purposes ceased to exist. He'd holed himself up in the room he shared with Tenar and spent as much time sleeping as he could get away with. The younger boy had managed to drag him out of bed a few times so Kai would shower and eat, but he kept to himself otherwise. What he'd done...it was inexcusable. How could he have let himself slip so far? 'In control of it', sure. More like it had taken control of him. He hadn't given a thought to Ryou or Karasu-

In fact, not giving a thought to either of them right now is the best comfort he can give himself. Instead he's curled up on the couch in a blanket, sketching away, intent on losing himself in the lines of the drawing he's trying to replicate. Tenar had taken Surge out earlier, and Kai has a feeling if the kid comes back to find him in bed again, he's going to get dumped right out of it.]

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She what?

[He's torn between asking who Sibyll is and facepalming that it didn't work. Okay, maybe there's a little urge to applaud the attempt mixed in there too. ...Wait. That just chased away any questions about Sibyll and cockroach-like Creepers. Can he swat him upside the head for that? Probably, but surprisingly, he doesn't. Kai just gives him a disapproving look before slumping into the couch. Again, not one to talk.]

Thank the Light for that.

[Ignore his grumping. Kai sighs and shakes his head, tossing the remainder of the cookie at the plate. It barely lands on the edge.]

Short stuff it is, then. Be warned, I still might come up with something else. I'll try to make sense with it, though.

She also tried shooting it and beating it with a hammer. I think she got kind of fed up by the end.

[He does his best to ignore the grumping. He expected it anyway. Looking a little embarrassed, he uncurls his legs with a wince, shifting to sit more comfortably. Okay, he sat in the same position too long.]

It probably won't be too terrible whatever you come up with.

[That image gets a small laugh out of him. He misses all the fun stuff, it seems. He catches the wince and reaches over to give Ryou a one-armed hug.] Sorry I missed it.

At least I won't call you Snowball, or something equally ridiculous. We had a class hamster once named that...except he was tan. There were a lot of weird kids in my first grade class.

[Totally excluding him.]

Snowball... Hehe, that's kind of a silly mental image. I was imagining a white rabbit or something. Wasn't there any better names suggested?

[Ryou hugs him back briefly, smiling.]

I'm sure there'll be other funny attempts.

[Though it wasn't funny at the time.]

Jello. But the kid who came up with that, um. I wouldn't be surprised if he grew up to be a criminal. [Not every small child is adorable or completely sane.]

Hopefully they'll be less dangerous. [Kai lets go, grinning back.] Thanks a lot. For cheering me up, I mean. And the cookies too, obviously.

[Always thanks for the cookies.]

Jell...

...

Oh my. That's terrible!

[And amazingly twisted. To the point of needing admiration. But terrible. Who in the world thinks of things like that?!]

If I find a secret volcano, I'll let you know so you can try tossing it in there!

[He's mostly joking.]

I'm just glad you liked them. And that you feel a little better. Try not to hide away too much, okay? I'll keep checking up on you.

A lot of the kids didn't get it, but I kind of did...the teacher definitely did. She looked so horrified, sent him right off to the principal.

[Mini-Bakuras, that's who.]

Yes, do that. I'll make a picnic lunch for the trip up! [Maybe Ryou's mostly kidding, but Kai's not.]

Yeah. It's...better, really. I mean, just having you check in means a lot. Can't promise I won't hide a little longer, though. At least until I see- [Nope, nope, not saying it] if anyone else's figured out I was behind that.

Un, I understand. I won't try to pressure you or anything. And I'll try to find out what people know about what went on for you.

[Ryou's calm attitude is a little eerie. You'd think he was talking about some prank Kai pulled that he was hiding away from.]

Just as long as you're alright. That's all that matters.

Thanks.

[Kai's noticed that. And while it's got his eyebrows up a tiny bit, he's not all that worried about it.]

I'd be better if I could turn time back and just not do it at all, but hey. Guess it's my turn to live with horrendous mistakes. [Knowing what he does about his mom's life before he was born, he's actually got something to measure against. This mistake? It's ranking up there.]

Heheheh... Isn't that the most accurate thing you've said today?

[The change is immediate. Bakura's coldness is a stark contrast to Ryou's warmth as he reclines on the couch beside him.]

After all, one who's fallen to the darkness once, will forever find themselves drawn to it. Especially once they've joyously hurt others... Isn't that right... Dark Kai?

Oh for-

[His first instinct is to get the hell away from the lunatic, so Kai finds himself on his feet and stepping back before he realizes it. When he does, he rolls his eyes, shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts.]

No one invited you.

[Totally his only response to Bakura's crap...at least he wants it to be, but the new nickname gets a very visible cringe from him. Seriously? He liked the old one better.]

Relax. I don't intend to stay long. I just remembered I had something I wanted to bring up with you... and I should at least thank you for the wonderful experience the other day! I had quite a bit of fun with Karasu after you were done with her. She was far more relaxed than usual!

[His words are a mocking drawl as he puts his feet up on Kai's table, casually kicking the plate from the biscuits aside.]

You know, she's quite good with her tongue too!

[Okay so they didn't actually do anything worse than her messing with his wounds in a creepily hot manner, but still.]

[Okay, he's fine, he's good, he's not going to strangle him...

Set the Creeper on fire, yes.

No.

Shit.]

Could you just- [Kai pulls a hand free and gestures to the floor where the cookies and their plate landed.] Get out.

[He really doesn't care about the cookies, he just thinks it'd be a bad idea to commit murder in his nice clean room. Especially once that last sentence sinks in and gives him an image he really doesn't need. Ever.]

But I haven't even brought up my reason for being here yet~! Don't you at least want to know that?

[Smoothly, he slips a hand into the pocket of the discarded coat, tugging something out. It looks like a picture, but the way he's holding it, it's hard to tell what it's of.]

I found this earlier...

I don't really give a rat's ass. You know who you remind me of? A certain creepy as hell faerie that couldn't take a hint when no one wanted her around.

[Most of what Kai knows about Maleficent falls under story time, but it's seeming to apply here. He frowns in confusion as Bakura pulls the picture free. What's he up to?

He's got a bad feeling about this.]

Hoh... Interesting. But I don't care what an arrogant fool who can't even control his own darkness has to say. If I listen to all of your complaining, I'll be bored stiff.

[Holding it between two fingers, he tilts it so he can read the name on the back.]

"Maya Jaeger"... That's your family name, isn't it, Dark Kai?

[Oh, screw off.] And I don't-

[Hearing her name stops him mid-sentence, and Kai just stares at Bakura before his gaze drifts down to the picture he's holding. He can't quite see it, but it's not-

It can't be.]

Where did you get that.

There was a room full of photographs in the north wing earlier. Mostly useless shit, but I did happen to find some interesting ones. Of course, I destroyed most of the ones that might be too interesting... but when I found this one, I thought I'd better keep it safe.

[Flip. Maya looks fairly young in the photo. A young woman.]

She's quite the looker! And from what you said to Ryou, all of your darkness comes from her. Interesting... It's a shame you didn't take after her more. What happened to those good looks? Your father passed down all of the bad genes on that front? You got all of the recklessness instead of her beauty?

[Oh damn this school. Constantly taking things and people that didn't belong to it, and he was almost used to it, but this? He hadn't seen a picture of his mom in years, and everything had been destroyed when his world was. Gone forever, maybe, but here the Creeper of all people had his slimy fingers all over a picture of her...]

Don't talk about my mom. [Kai takes a step forward, eyes locked on the picture. She was...maybe his age in that one? Or a little older, but not by much.]

Who gives a damn about my father. She didn't need him and neither do I. Give me that before I kick your ass.

Like you did before? Want to put a few more marks on my poor host? Heheh... His kindness won't hold out forever if you keep at it, you know.

[He holds it out, then draws it back suddenly.]

I think you owe me an apology for trying to kill me, don't you? I'll just keep this instead, if it's too much for you.

[Those words give him pause, cool his anger for maybe a few seconds, but when Bakura pulls the picture away from him?

Yeah, that's it.]

An apology? Okay.

[Sorry Ryou, he'll explain later. Kai just hauls back and punches the Creeper right in his smug little face. Not as satisfying as lighting his ass up, maybe, but it does the job. That picture is his.]

OW-!

[Ryou recoils, clutching his face in pale hands. What... what just happened?!

What happened is surely obvious to Kai; at the minute Kai's fist flashed out, the spirit simply retreated, leaving his host to endure the pain of impact.]

Damn it!

[Why didn't he see that coming? Idiot! Scooping the picture off the floor only long enough to get it out of harm's way, Kai then reaches out to Ryou.]

I'm sorry! Are you- Let me get some ice, crap-

[He retreats into the kitchen long enough to get a couple hand towels, one wrapped around a few ice cubes.]

Here, I'm sorry, he was- Sorry!

[First attempted murder by Heartless, now this. Poor Ryou.]

[Ryou has to bite back the urge to cry. Ow, jeez... But he's not a kid any more. He swallows back the urge, nodding mutely until Kai returns with the ice-filled towel and taking it for his face.

If he were a more vindictive person he might have told Kai he owed him for life after these two recent incidents. Between Malik, the thief king and Kai, it was like he was an injury magnet.

The cold eases the pain, though he still can't help but sniffle a little. It's embarrassing...]

I'm okay... it just hurts, that's all.

[Sniff.]

It's 'his' fault, right? So I'm not mad...

...He had a picture of my mom...he was saying things...

[Watching Ryou sniffle like that is suddenly making the whole episode with the Creeper seem like the most juvenile incident ever.]

I'm really- damn it, you should get mad. I punched you in the face! Even if he deserved it, you didn't, and-

[Kai groans, burying his face in his hands. He can't do anything right lately.]