#cindeer

Sure, the spirit of the Ring was gone, and the Ring with it, despite briefly resurfacing...but the memories stayed. The holes in his memory stayed, the uncertainty and fear of what the spirit had made him do stayed.

Aigami had brought all those feelings back to the surface, but Ryou couldn’t blame him. So wrapped up in the horror of what had happened to his father, and himself, he’d forgotten about the children...and the man he’d killed. Though he had a feeling that the spirit had repressed them.

No matter how often Yugi and his friends told him they knew it wasn’t his fault, it never quite eased the guilt.

When the guilt got bad, when everything in his head was overwhelming and awful...he thought of snow.

Soft flakes, cold kisses on his face and nose. Silently fluttering on a breeze, resting on something, making even ugly structures beautiful. Melting away as warmth returned to the world, quietly nourishing the ground below.

He loved snow.

He was surrounded by it, now. He felt himself smiling slightly, the muscles of his face aching a bit in the cold. He walked slowly, careful to disturb as little as possible, drinking in the stillness, the beauty of bare branches covered in a delicate blanket.

He stumbled, however, on a hidden root below his boots, and was rewarded with a very cold shower when he lurched against a tree.

He gasped as a rather sizable mound melted on his head, trickled down his spine, but laughed, shaking his head and seeing droplets and crystals fly everywhere.

Serves me right for disturbing your rest, he thought to himself amusedly, gazing up at the offending branches. My apologies.

He continued walking, slowly. He felt lighter, almost dreamy, taking in every shape, every bowed branch, every lamppost with its new white hat, every bench with its white gilt.

Then he stopped, turning to his left.

In such pale, muted surroundings, any splash of color was easily noticed...and even in the drabbest of grays or purest of whites, Yugi was exceptionally colorful.

He stood with his back to Ryou, apparently not having heard him, holding on to a lamp post. He was still, quiet, bundled up as Ryou himself was, not moving.

Apparently Yugi liked the snow, too.

Ryou smiled and altered his course, carefully approaching his friend. He didn’t want to shout; doing so would shatter the perfect stillness and silence he loved so much. When he was only a few steps away, he spoke softly.

“Yugi.”

Yugi jumped slightly, turning to face him. Surprisingly, his eyes were watery, but he merely sniffled a little and smiled back.

“Hey Ryou,” he said, equally as softly. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Enjoying the snowfall,” Ryou said simply. “And you?”

“Me too,” Yugi murmured.

Ryou reached his side, and looked him over concernedly. It was obvious that Yugi was upset...or had been; he seemed calm despite the tears in his eyes.

“Are you all right?” He asked.

Yugi sighed and seemed to slump a little. “Sort of. Just...missing him.” There was no need to ask who he meant. “But the snow helps. It’s so peaceful.”

“It helps me, too,” Ryou smiled when Yugi looked up at him. “When things get to be too much...memories, you know...this helps the most.” He gestured to their surroundings.

He hadn’t told any of their friends about his love for snowstorms and why...but he knew Yugi understood. Even if his grief, his sadness, came from a different place than Ryou’s own...he understood.

He was looking up at Ryou again, concern in his large eyes. “Does it get bad a lot?”

“Sometimes,” Ryou shrugged. “It was pretty awful after Aigami...well, you know. But it’s better now.”

“I’m sorry,” Yugi said in a half-whisper.

“It’s not your fault,” Ryou said immediately, without thinking.

Yugi laughed quietly, sadly. “In a way, it kind of is.”

Ryou regarded him for a moment, and then smiled wryly. “In a way, it kind of is my fault, too.”

Yugi blinked...and then his sad smile became a little amused. “Fair enough.” He looked back out at the park, the snow spreading out before them.

Ryou did the same, thinking, turning Yugi’s words over in his mind. His relationship with the pharaoh had been deep, rooted in mutual care for each other. Ryou’s relationship with the spirit of the Ring, Zorc’s incarnation...had been the opposite. But despite that difference, he felt that Yugi understood him, understood the guilt and uncertainties he struggled with, better than anyone else could. And, for that matter, he understood Yugi, his sadness and his sense of loss.

Ryou liked being alone, particularly in a snowstorm like this. But Yugi’s company felt...nice.

“Would you like to grab some cocoa?” He found himself asking. “I’m not sure how long you’ve been out here...but I’m a bit cold.” It was true, he realized, but he didn’t mind the cold much.

Yugi looked at him in surprise, blinked, and then broke into a quiet smile. “Cocoa sounds awesome. And then...we’ll come back here?”

Ryou smiled. “Of course.”

Ten minutes later, they were brushing off a bench together, gloved hands tingling as cups of hot cocoa warmed their fingers through the thick fabric. They sat quietly, sipping their drinks, watching the snow side by side.

Ryou felt everything within him relax. He floated, watching the snowflakes swirl and tumble; he felt the cocoa race through his system, warming him down to his toes, grounding him at the same time.

Beside him, Yugi wore a soft, small smile, as calm and at peace as he was.

Ryou sighed, watching the steam of his breath dissipate, contentment easing its way through him.