[That terror of Atem going away...that's what they need to work on. Sadness, sure, missing him, grief, all of that's fine and normal to feel. But fear...fear means Ryou still stands to lose too much if Atem leaves his life.

As much as Atem feels warm, and comforted, knowing there's someone who desperately doesn't want him to go, who'd stand between him and a door destined to open for him and take him to what comes after, instead of sending him through it...he can't indulge those feelings. Not until Ryou's feet are on firmer ground -- not until that fear is because if Atem left, he'd be lost.

He lets Ryou embrace him, and runs a hand -- clawed, leathery, monstrous -- over the back of Ryou's head, through his hair.]

We have good friends.

If Mukuro's right...part of why they didn't help us was that they didn't know. Personally, it seems hard to believe, but...it may have been one of Ryslig's cruel coincidences, keeping them from finding out how bad it was. They didn't see the newspapers...they didn't see that I was hurt, or know you were killed. Or, they assumed we were planning to manage it on our own...and they didn't want to act against whatever we were planning. They misunderstood...I wasn't avoiding the subject because I had it handled. I was avoiding it because it was too painful to discuss.

But...now they know. The ones who are still here...they know we need help, sometimes. I'm going to lean on them, too, and not just you...I trust more people than just you to be there for me if I ask them.

And if we want help, we'll have to ask. We're playing with a handicap -- Ryslig will isolate us, if it can. We can't let it.

[....hey, what's that weird nub on the side of Ryou's head? Is that a naga thing...?]