[Private to Bruno : Text(s)]

[shiromadoushi]

[Sent: Jan 28th; 9:47 PM]

You saw it?



[Sent: Jan 29th; 10:22am]

Is everything all right?



[Sent: Jan 30: 1:02pm]

I'm sorry. I thought you'd want to see it.



[Sent: Jan 31: 4:36pm]

Even if you're mad, please just let me know if you're all right?



[Sent: Feb 2: 2:14pm]

Where are you? Kaiba-kun's staff said you hadn't been in to work. I'm really worried. Are you all right?

Comments

[Feb 3: 7:09am] [strikes deleted] [encrypted like whoa]

[donttasemebro]

i'm fi
it's not yo
tell ruka i




I'm not mad

[7:45am, same encryptions]

[shiromadoushi]

Are you all right?


[[2 minutes later]]


I saw that your tent was gone, I was worried when you didn't respond.

[7:58am he had to think about this one]

[donttasemebro]

I'm not hurt

I'm sorry

[8:05]

[shiromadoushi]

why are you so

You don't have to be sorry.



Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do?


[5 minutes later]

I wish there had been a better way you could have found out

I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier

You really didn't know

Will you be coming back?

[8:09]

[donttasemebro]

I don't think there is anything you can do

But, thanks


[About another 5 minutes after he gets the second message]



I will

I'm not sure when

[8:16]

[shiromadoushi]

As long as you do come back.

[8:39]

[donttasemebro]

i promised her



[There's a fairly long radio silence before a response is actually sent.]


Did you watch it?

[8:45]

[shiromadoushi]

I did.

Sorry.

[8:46]

[donttasemebro]

[Not pictured: Bruno slumping forward with his head in his hands and his fingers tangled in his hair for several long moments.]

did you tell anyoneplease don't tell anyone please

[8:47]

[shiromadoushi]

I didn't. I wouldn't.

[[a few minutes later]]

I knew back at the hotel. When then healing didn't work.

[8:53: suddenly, video]

[donttasemebro]

[That's definitely enough to shock some life into him. After a minute or two you will be having a Bruno on your comm screen, Bakura.]

[He doesn't look that great either. He doesn't have bags under his eyes or a crappy complexion or anything, but he still manages by expression alone to have it written all over his face that he feels like hell warmed over.]

You-- [a tiny swallow] y-... you knew?

[His tone isn't accusing, just... bewildered.]

[And now you get Video too]

[shiromadoushi]

[[and you get a small smile in return]] Un. When I heal... normally I can see inside, so I can tell where I need to focus. When I tried with you... it was like there was just darkness inside a faint shell, nothing I could see or touch. That scan when everyone turned into robots... that was the real you. I just didn't realize it until then.

[[then looking a little sheepish]] I didn't want to tell you because you got so upset before, even when everyone was robots.

[donttasemebro]

[Blinking uncomprehendingly over here.] ... And you... you weren't, scared or anything?

[The last part makes his eyes slide down from the camera guiltily, and go a little pained as he remembers -- in perfect clarity, now.]

I... I'm sorry if I freaked you out back then. Y-you were telling me things and I just kept trying to... to...

... Sorry.

[shiromadoushi]

[[and now you get a strange look there, Bruno]]

Why would I be sacred?

[[and now a softer smile as he shakes his head]] It's all right. If I would have realized you didn't want to know, I wouldn't have said anything. [[looks a little sheepish.]] I didn't realize that was why you were so upset then.

[donttasemebro]

Because...!! I... [Bakura he just regained a perfect memory of trying to smash your face in unprovoked, what were you expecting.]

[But he just lets out and exhausted sigh as he goes on.] No, no, it's not-- not that I didn't want to know, I-I just... couldn't.

[A soft frustrated noise as he fails to really find the words to describe it. Or fails to find alternatives for the real words that he doesn't want to use, like "programmed".]

[shiromadoushi]

[[do you know how many people flipped out during that mess? On his floor alone? Granted, not quite as badly, but...]]

Couldn't?

And it doesn't matter what you're made of. Bruno is Bruno, right?

[donttasemebro]

I... I wasn't authorized to know.

[He shakes his head firmly at the last part, but can't seem to find the words for this either. Sure, Bruno is Bruno, but what is Bruno?]

[shiromadoushi]

[[almost winces a little. To forget is one thing, to be forced into forgetting-- to be programmed into forgetting....

It was slightly too close to home to be comfortable.]]

Oh.

[[a bit of an awkward pause]]

No matter what, you're still my friend. Something like this... it doesn't change that. It never would.

[donttasemebro]

[After a moment, his head lifts up a little. Not enough that he looks directly into the camera again, but... something seems to have struck a chord with him.]

[And it doesn't matter what you're made of. No matter what, you're still my friend.]

[It's... exactly what Yuusei would have said.]





[Slowly, Bruno lets his eyes drift shut contemplatively. Then for the first time, just a little bit... he smiles.]

... Thanks, Bakura.

[shiromadoushi]

[[There is a huge feeling of relief at that small smile. He reached him.

He nods slightly]]

When you get back, give me a call, okay? We'll go hang out.