When Yugi woke up again, it was already afternoon.

He slowly got out of bed and looked over to the clock.

It was two in the afternoon.

Had Master Yami ever let him sleep in this late before?

Had he already missed the afternoon lecture?!

Taking hold of his doll and hugging it forcefully in his chest, he ran out the room in a hurry.

Marik was going to laugh at him for sleeping in.

Not that Yugi minded.

He liked the way Marik's laugh sounded.

It was the kind of laugh you got from practicing in front of a mirror every day, yet he did it without even trying.

Yugi giggled and pushed the door to the classroom open, "I'm sorry I'm la-"

No one was there.

"…Marik? Master Yami?" Yugi tilted his head to the side, wandering into the room.

He felt strange.

As if he didn't know where he was, or what was going to happen.

How many times had he sat down in this room and listened to his master speak for hours on end?

He had been in this place for a year.

Why was he only feeling like this now?

Making his way down the hall, he wasn't aware just how tightly he was holding the doll.

If Marik weren't in class, then surely he'd be in his room.

That or maybe he ran away again.

The apprentice giggled to himself as he walked.

Soon enough he was knocking on Marik's bedroom door, "Marik, it's me Yugi!"

No answer.

"I know you're in there! If you don't want me to come in then just say so."

Again, there was no answer.

"Marik?"

The door made a loud creak as he opened it…

And Yugi stood there, looking around the empty room.

He didn't understand.

Ryou was so cool, Yugi had thought.

The way he seemed to be so carefree.

As if nothing in the world could ever put him down.

If he were to collapse on his knees one day, all he'd have to do is stand back up.

As if it was that simple.

Of course, Ryou had his own dark secrets.

But he never let them get in the way of things that were important to him.

Yugi liked that.

Ryou was just someone who he wanted to become friendly with.

He thought that if he had the chance, the three of them could become good friends…

And he knew that Marik liked him too.

It was a shame that Ryou had to leave to early…

Yugi had been sure that Bakura was planning to stay for more than a day.

And to leave so late at night?

What kind of guest would do that?

Didn't Bakura want them to be friends?

Why else would he have come?

Yugi wanted friends so much…

It's so lonely.

Being all alone in a place like this.

The last time he saw them was when he said good-bye.

Good-bye to Master Bakura…

And Ryou…

And Marik…

…

Marik…?

"Master Yami?" Yugi peaked into his master's office.

He was relived to finally see someone.

Yami slowly glanced up to him, "Yugi."

"Master Yami. …Where's Marik?"

Yugi was sure he would never be able to forget how sad Yami looked just then.

"Marik… Marik left."

"L-Left?"

"And this time," Yami looked around at each of the empty places where the items used to be, "I don't think he'll be coming back."

Yugi could feel a tear crawl down his cheek.

With nothing to say, he slowly turned around to leave.

"…Yugi." Yami winced when he saw the doll, "I've seen a doll like that before. I never thought you were someone who was interested in that sort of magic."

What?

Yugi's head fell to his shoulder.

"…Doll?"

Yugi stood there in the middle of his room, staring down at the doll that now sat there on his bed.

"I don't understand." He said. "Why are you here? Why is he gone? Did you replace him? Are you what was left behind?"

Naturally, the doll said nothing.

It was a rather strange doll.

How could he expect the doll to answer when it had no mouth?

He could barely say that it had eyes.

All it had were these large black buttons.

And multicolored hair made from string.

It was rather creepy.

The way it had no true eyes…

And yet it felt as if it was watching him.

Waiting for something.

"S… Stop it!" Yugi backed away and clenched his head, "Stop looking at me! I don't have anything you could possibly want, so stop it!"

The doll was silent.

No, it wasn't that it was silent.

It simply just didn't have the right to say anything.

There could be no other reason to why it had been denied a mouth.

It wasn't that it didn't have anything to say.

However, before it even had the chance it was silenced forever…

Suddenly there was a great weight to Yugi's eyelids.

"Look at myself… Talking to a doll as if it can possibly understand how I feel."

He collapsed on the bed, and the doll rolled down to his side.

Yugi took the doll and held it up into the air.

"I wish you could tell me why he did it."

This place was much darker than that old building belonging to Master Yami.

And not just in the sense that there was little light, but there was just that sort of 'damp' feeling.

It was nice though.

It was a change.

To save Bakura the trouble, Marik just stayed in the guest room.

Sure it wasn't as big as his room back with Yami, but that was fine.

This room had everything he needed in it.

A clock, a bookshelf, a dresser… And a bed.

What else could he possibly need?

After all, he was only staying here until he knew what he wanted to do next.

What did he want to do anyway?

There was so much out there…

Could he really see it all in one lifetime?

Well he'd just have to find a way to.

Marik yawned when he heard a knock at the door.

"It's Ryou."

The former apprentice grinned, "I figured."

Ryou crept in and closed the door behind him, "Good afternoon."

"Right. How was the, uh, lecture?" Marik sat up on the bed, setting his book aside and Ryou sat down beside him.

"It was alright. I think Master will want you to come to the lesson tomorrow."

"What? Why?"

"He's going to explain how all of the items work." Ryou took out the Sennen Ring and looked down at it.

"…You still have that with you?"

The younger boy pouted, "Is there something wrong with that? After all, you've been keeping the rod with you ever since you came here."

"Oh yeah. I guess I have."

"It's strange, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

Ryou slouched down, "I took the ring first because it called out to me. It's as if… We were supposed to steal from the very start. And I think that's strange."

"I see." Marik glanced over to the rod, which had been set down a the foot of the bed, "If we were suppose to steal them, then why did Yami have the items to begin with?"

"Perhaps if the items had been with us from the start, it would have been Yugi coming to take them." Ryou giggled.

Marik chuckled.

He couldn't see that happening, but it certainly was a funny thought.

"...So."

Ryou blinked, "So?"

"What did you do last night? I mean you gave him something… Or, uh, something."

"Oh." Marik was curious about that? "I just… Gave a little doll to him, I suppose."

"A doll? Why a doll?"

"A-Ah, I just thought that something to… It's a good friend of mine, and..."

Ryou's face turned red when Marik burst out in a laugh. "What's so funny about that?"

"So you, what, just make friends with dolls all the time? You know it doesn't hurt to go out and make friends with actual people."

The whitette stomped his foot on the floor, "There's nothing wrong with that. Dolls are the perfect companions!"

Marik stood up, hands behind his head, "So you always carry around a doll everywhere you go? I'll bet that pretty darn convenient."

"Not everywhere… His name is Atem."

"What?"

A huff, "The doll's name is Atem. I don't need him with me right now, so Atem is going to stay with Yugi."

Marik glanced down, "…Atem, huh? What use could Yugi have for him?"

Ryou smiled and made his way to the door, "He can't speak, but he can listen. And… Yugi might want that now."

"I see."

The dark apprentice stepped out the room with a sigh, "I'll see you tomorrow, Marik."

Marik fell back on the bed and Ryou left without another word, "…Tomorrow then."