This is a sort of prelude to No Strings Attached, detailing the reasons why Bakura and Ryou became so close from the Battle City Tournament of the anime to the timeline of my fic (which takes place shortly after B. City). It explores the deep connection that grows between Ryou and Bakura - thus, the title of this fic.

This one has nothing to do with the Harry Potter universe. It's a prelude - and they don't get introduced to the magical world of Britain until NSA. Remember that!

Also, this fic won't be long. I don't intend for it to exceed eleven or so chapters.

NOTE: This is not RyouxOC. There are OC characters present, but there isn't any RyouxOC. Or BakuraxOC.

Summary: There is a rule between a yami and its hikari - a connection must exist. Despite what Ryou Bakura thinks, he and the Spirit of the Ring are no exception to this rule. They just need to discover it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

General Thoughts

- Ryou to Bakura -

"Bakura to Ryou"

Chapter One

Just Bad Luck

"Bakura. Oi, Bakura. Oi!"

Ryou jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden vocal intrusion. He blinked sleep out of his eyes, focusing on the young, blonde-haired girl waving her hand in his face.

"Ayumi...?" he asked, his voice heavy with tiredness. Why was Ayumi in his room? And why did his bed feel unusually like a desk...?

Ah. Because he was at school, and not in his bedroom. Well then.

The girl crossed her arms. "Jeez, Bakura, you could try staying awake for a full period, once in a while," she chastised.

Ryou sighed, rubbing his eyes to fully wake himself up. "Sorry, Ayumi," he apologized sincerely. It was always Ayumi who woke him up, always chastised him, tried to push him to do better in school and to pay attention more.

She was, probably, the closest friend that he had outside of Yugi and his group. He'd never tell her, though. It wasn't that she wouldn't be delighted at the title, it was just that he refused to let that familiarity come between them.

Yugi was just like him - that was why Yugi could become so close with him. Still, though, with all of that group, Ryou could never become truly close. They would always see the Spirit of the Ring inside of him. They would never see only Ryou, see Ryou and the Spirit as separate entities. They saw two sides of the same coin, not two different coins. And that hurt Ryou, more than anything.

Which was why he avoided them as much as possible, no matter how hard Yugi pushed to become friends. Ryou just couldn't handle seeing that fear in the back of their gazes. Even Yugi looked at him that way, though Ryou was fairly sure that the kind-hearted young man was unaware of the fact.

"Although," Ayumi continued, "I should be glad that you're here at all." She glared at him sharply, accusingly.

Ryou was often truant from school. Meaning the Spirit, taking over his body, had no interest in a proper education. It gave Ryou a bad track record, one that he'd often have to cover up with notes for fake sicknesses and forged signatures.

His eyes trailed up to Ayumi, who was still glaring at him in that way that said "I'm disappointed in you".

Ryou winced.

She broke out into a grin, "but I guess I can't lecture you. I'm not your...your dad." To her credit, she smiled right through her almost-stumble. She almost said "mom".

Most girls would have said "mom", but everyone was acutely aware of the fact that Ryou's mother and sister had been killed years ago, in a devastating accident that Ryou and his father had barely escaped from. Ryou had gotten away without even a scar. His father bore some scars on his chest, as he'd been the driver.

Ryou's mother and sister hadn't gotten away at all. Their loss was something that he'd never overcome. He'd never healed. He'd probably never get past it. He never would.

Everyone at the school was very careful to sidestep around any mention of a "mother" or "sister" to Ryou. Even though this wasn't the town he'd been born in, they knew. It made him something fragile, to most of them. His first few weeks there, a bully had asked him if he was going to go home and cry to mommy.

It was the only time that Ryou himself had ever hurt someone. It was the first time that the Spirit hadn't been responsible.

He'd quickly been labelled a freak, a danger, and the rumours from his last school had somehow trickled to Domino along with him. Kids shunned him even more, after they heard the stories. The kids that'd vanished out of nowhere, days after trying to become friends with him. Or after bullying him.

So students, even some teachers, shied away from him without undue haste. Bullies just pretended that he didn't exist. They didn't dare make him their target, for fear of disappearing forever. Other kids didn't speak to him. They were even afraid to bump him in the hallway, or sit beside him in class. He was always alone.

Ryou didn't mind it much. He often felt it better that way. In fact, when someone was bold enough to attempt befriending him, he attempted to push them away.

Some, such as Yugi and Ayumi, were extremely persistent. Getting them to hate him like everyone else was an impossible task. Though the fear was there with Yugi, he still fought against the instinct. The effort was nice, but Ryou would have rather been without.

And Ayumi...

"Ne, Ryou, you space out a lot," she commented, propping her elbows up on his desk and placing her chin in her open palms, "did you know that?" she cocked her head, grinning cheekily.

Ryou stood up, his chair scratching against the ground as he pushed it back. He picked his textbook up, letting out an unwanted yawn. Without a word to her, he made to leave the classroom.

Ayumi caught up to him in the hallway. "You really ought to get more sleep, Bakura," she told him.

Ah. So it was going to be the usual berating, then. In response, he replied with his usual noncommittal answers.

"Most likely."

"And turn your homework in."

"I'll try."

"And not doze off in class."

"My mistake."

"And come to school consistently."

"Should I find time."

"And remember to wear pants next time."

Ryou jumped in shock, his head snapping down to his legs, which were covered by his usual, blue uniform pants. He looked back up at Ayumi, who was grinning at him.

"So you were paying attention," she said cheekily, reminding Ryou very unfortunately of Malik Ishtar. "That's good."

Ryou suppressed the desire to roll his eyes, and resigned himself to the fact that brushing her off was going to be impossible. Ayumi was more persistent than Yugi - which was a feat in of itself.

"Are you always so cool with me because you think I'm coming on to you, or something?" Ayumi asked him, nudging him with her elbow.

Ryou stopped at his locker, putting his textbook inside. It was warm outside, so he wouldn't be needing the sweater that he kept in his locker. He pulled out his outdoor shoes and slipped his indoor shoes into his locker.

"No," he answered after a moment or so, "I don't think that."

"Good, because I have a boyfriend. We love each other very much."

Ayumi had a boyfriend who lived in Tokyo. He'd moved away the past summer, when his father's company transferred him. He could remember quite clearly how torn up she'd been after he'd moved. She'd had trouble adjusting to school without him. They'd been dating for as long as he'd been at the school. He wasn't sure of the exact track record, though. It didn't really interest him, either.

The two of them had impressed him, however, with their perseverance. Their relationship hadn't suffered a bit, after his move. He visited her every holiday or weekend that he possibly could.

"I am aware," Ryou replied, smiling slightly.

Ayumi pouted at his lack of conversation, "you know, you act all timid with everyone else, but with me, you act like a total jerk."

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not," she pressed, crossing her arms.

Ryou said nothing.

"You must really hate being vulnerable, Bakura." She commented, pulling a box of pocky out of her bag and putting one in her mouth.

Ryou went rigid and stopped walking. Ayumi went a few steps further, before realizing that he'd come to a halt. She glanced back at him, blinking in curiosity. Ryou stared at her seriously.

"It's not that," he said, his voice grim, but harsh.

"Okay," she agreed, accepting his words, "but you're only like this with people who try to become friends with you. Except for Yugi, but I think you relate to him somehow." She wasn't smiling. These were her honest observations.

Ryou opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"Hey, let's not get into this deep stuff," Ayumi said, waving a hand at him, "I don't hang out with you enough to have the right." With that, she finished the pocky stick she was eating, popped in another one, and continued on her way.

He stared at her, mouth agape. "O...kay..." he managed to choke out, and followed her.

Her mood swings were a little terrifying, really. Her perceptive abilities were scarier. She'd known that he wouldn't talk about it. She wasn't going to pursue matters that he didn't want to be pursued.

She was a very intelligent girl. Ryou was glad, though, that she wasn't being too curious. Some people, like Yugi, were.

"We need to hang out sometime," Ayumi commented, grinning at him, "soon, though. I don't want you holding out on me for, like, a couple months."

Ryou smiled slightly at the jab at his habitual reaction to friendly people. "Perhaps."

"You do realize that I'm not giving you much of a choice, right?"

There was a pause between them, as she grinned at him a little manically, and he fixed her with a level stare that made no promises.

"I realize."

Ayumi pursed her lips, evidently displeased with his flippancy. "Grump," she jibed.

Ryou spared her a glance, his eyebrows raising.

She glared back. "You really are a total prick, you know that?"

His eyebrows went higher at the foul language. He didn't claim to know Ayumi all that well, but he'd thought that she hadn't really been much for swearing. Apparently, he'd been wrong.

"I don't mean to make you think that," Ryou admitted softly, averting his gaze.

"You just don't want me getting too friendly though, right?"

His eyes snapped to hers in surprise, and he silently cursed her perception.

"No," he mumbled, "that's not it."

"Jeez, Bakura," she complained loudly, heaving her arm up to dangle her bag over her shoulder, "pick a personality, would you?"

The weight of her statement, no matter how innocent she was of the situation, was enough to make Ryou shiver, a little.

Silence reigned as they walked through the front doors of the school, down the steps, and along the sidewalk and into the city area. Some boys wolf-whistled at her, waving for her to come across the street.

"Hey, Izumi!" One of them called, "why don't you ditch the freak and come hang with us? Can guarantee we won't make you vanish!"

"Yeah, baby, I can think of way better things to do than hang out with a she-male!"

"Come on, Izumi!"

"Yeah, girl!"

The immaturity and crudeness of the whole lot of them was enough to make Ryou want to vomit.

Ayumi glared at them, apparently thinking along similar lines, and flipped a very rude hand gesture in their direction. "Sorry, boys, but I have a boyfriend! And I'd appreciate if you didn't talk about my friend like that! I may have to hurt you!" With a grin and a wave to the schoolboys, she grabbed Ryou by the sleeve and led him further down the street.

The walk was silent, for the most part. Ryou could hear Ayumi's heavy breathing, like she was trying very hard to keep her cool. From what he'd seen, she was.

He wanted to say something, but years of social alienation gave him no words to speak. His mouth went dry, as if to assure that he would stay quiet.

She turned to him, still holding to his sleeve, "you know, Bakura, we really do need to hang out sometime." Her smile was stretched a little tight, her face a little whiter than usual. Her grip on his sleeve was relentless, as she pulled him down the street as fast as she could.

Trying to get away. Trying to pretend that what had just happened, hadn't.

Ryou watched her with sombre eyes. "You didn't have to do that." He murmured.

"Do what?" she asked, apparently preferring to play dumb.

"Stand up for me," Ryou answered. "They won't hurt me. They're too scared to do anything but make comments. I can handle that."

She stopped, staring at him disbelievingly. "No, you can't," she snapped in irritation, clenching his shirt sleeve tighter, "no one should have to deal with that alone. Stupid people like them really ought to just vanish."

The panic flared across his mind, through his body, like wildfire. No. No, that was wrong!

Ryou ripped his arm out of her grip, terror flashing across his face. "Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" His voice was high, full of panic and fear and dread. If he heard, then he may make it happen, just out of sadistic amusement.

He couldn't have that. It had only happened a few times in Domino, since he'd moved. He didn't want it to have to happen anymore. He didn't want to have to move, again.

Ayumi looked shocked. "B-Bakura? W-What do you mean?"

"Don't say 'vanish'!" He shouted, "just don't say that!"

"Why?" she shouted back, derisive and angry that he was standing up for the same people who'd been making fun of him. "Why does it matter? Why do they matter?"

"Because! Because they're people too! What if they vanished? What if something terrible happened to them? Just think! It would be all my fault!"

"You know that those rumours are complete bull, Bakura!"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Ayumi yelled, becoming angrier and angrier at his behaviour.

"Don't call me that!" Ryou hissed, gnashing his teeth together and slamming his hands to his ears, even though he was carrying a bag in one. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to calm his spinning mind.

It wasn't working.

"Call you what?" she asked, taken aback, her voice breathless and shaky from their shouting match. All the time that she'd been pursuing their friendship, he'd never acted like this.

He wondered if she felt it her fault, that he'd hit such a breaking point, with her.

"Don't call me 'Bakura'! I'm not Bakura, I'm Ryou!"

And with that, tears burning in his eyes, Ryou tore back the other way, down the street that was opposite to his home.

"Baku-" she cut herself off, "Ryou! Ryou, wait!" Ayumi called. He could feel her footsteps, chasing after him.

But he was so much faster than she was, and he knew that she'd give up soon. He just ran, ran and ran and ran, until he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, only the sound of his own blood pumping in his ears.

Never 'vanish'. Never that. Never.

Ryou stumbled into an alleyway, falling back against a brick wall, sliding down the cool surface. When he hit the ground, he put his head in his hands.

Things were always like this. Everything always went wrong. If it wasn't something like this, then it would be that horrible blackness. He hated the blackness. Sometimes, it would last for hours. Sometimes days.

Ryou fisted his hands in his hair.

And when he wasn't unconscious within his own mind, overtaken by the monster that'd ruined his life, he was unstable and incomplete, a confused child unable to control a thing.

He hated what he'd become. He hated being this fearful, timid, shivering mess of pain and mourning.

"You're pathetic, landlord," a lilting voice whispered in his mind, a deep and dark voice that was achingly, painfully familiar.

It was days like this, when Ryou was so agonized and lost, that the Spirit would refuse control. The Spirit much preferred to watch his inner torture. It was far more amusing that anything it did out in the city. Ryou knew that.

- Go away. -

"As if you could make me."

He could almost see that disgusting, bloodthirsty smile. Those cold, red eyes.

Ryou shivered.

But the presence vanished, content to watch on the sidelines.

Ryou blew out a long, shuddering breath. He should be grateful. There had been a change in the Spirit, since Battle City had ended. It was almost imperceptible to some, but it was massive to Ryou.

As to why it'd happened, Ryou didn't dare to ask.

I should go home.

He relaxed his hands, much to the pleasure of his now-aching scalp. He forced his panting to slow, trying to take deep, calm breaths.

He had to get home. Having a meltdown out in an alleyway was stupid. He could worry and be upset at home, where he was safer. Besides, it was supposed to rain.

Ryou waited a few moments, feeling his heartbeat slow ever-so-slightly, before struggling up into a stand. His legs were still shaky, from his panicking, but manageable. Picking up his schoolbag, he took a few purposeful strides out onto the street and stretched his arms.

The street was nearly deserted, which was unusual. He glanced up at the sky. It couldn't be later than four-thirty. It was still light out.

He's going to kill everyone that I know, his heart sobbed. Poor Ayumi. She'll be next.

He shook his head, trying to clear his head. He had to get his mind away from thoughts like that, of things that were both out of his control and impossible for him to change by himself.

Ryou started to run. Running often helped him. He'd run right out of his house, and run to a park. He'd go somewhere isolated, where he could just let his mind go empty as he listened to birds chirping and children playing. It calmed him.

"You think that you can drown yourself in all of your mortal activities," the voice crooned, "but you know that I'll take over eventually."

Yes. Ryou knew that. But he was nothing if he didn't try, no matter how futile the attempt.

He kept running.

But isn't that what you always do? Run away?

This time, the bitter voice didn't come from the Spirit. It came from himself.

The sky rumbled, threatening rain. Ryou didn't even bother looking up at the sky, as he jogged down the street. The sky made good on its threat, and rain started pouring down from the clouds.

Ryou couldn't help but feel a little sorry for himself. Why was it always him? He freaked out on one of his only sort-of-friends, got harassed by the Spirit in his head, got rained on...

...And the day wasn't even over, yet.

Ryou wasn't sure if he imagined the deep, malicious chuckle that floated across the forefront of his consciousness. He didn't really want to check and find out, either.

Well, it appeared that he was going to have to walk all the way home, like this. It was going to take hours to dry out his hair, which only added to his great day.

Mercifully, though, a bus stopped a little ways up and across the street. Ryou, deciding that he was cold and wet enough for one day, changed course towards it. Finally, a reprieve from all of his usual bad luck.

His terrible luck. His painful luck.

Ryou shook his head as he hustled towards the whirring sanctuary, trying to drive those kinds of thoughts out again.

The driver must have seen him coming, because the bus waited for him to board. He muttered a quick thanks to the bus driver as he hurried up the steps, rummaging in his pocket and pulling out the necessary yen to pay his fare, dropping the coins into the machine.

The driver was an older man, who tipped his cap as Ryou passed. "Lucky you caught me, kid, or else you'd be even more drenched." His look was one of sympathy.

Ryou blinked and glanced out the window. It was pouring even harder. Then, he looked down at his soaked uniform and bag. Lucky, indeed. His homework was going to be soggy and unacceptable for turning in. He'd have to rewrite everything.

How very...lucky of him.

"Yeah," Ryou murmured, his voice a little bitter, and continued down the length of the bus until he reached an empty seat. He shivered as he went, feeling cold and miserable.

The bus seat was hard. Unfriendly. Not only was it uncomfortable, but, luckily for him, his seat was located directly under the bus's air conditioner. The air conditioner.

Shuddering at the icy air blowing right at him, Ryou huddled down into his soaking wet clothes and just begged for the day to be over.

Then again, Ryou couldn't really think of a reason to look forward to tomorrow.

End Chapter

Short. Yes, yes, I know. Chapters will get longer, of course. For those of you who've read my work before, you know that that's a promise.

Now, I just want to point out that No Strings Attached and this story aren't really all that connected. This one is only here to explain Ryou and Bakura's relationship. In many ways, it's a standalone fic.

Thus, you don't have to read this to understand NSA, and you don't have to read the other story to understand this one. Point made? :)

Please, drop a review on your way out!

- OoCA