Paradigm Shift

Chapter 14: Post-Battle

At first there was nothing but a phantom of the pain he'd been feeling, but then a wave of relief crashed into him as his mind flooded back into Ginny. He shut down the feeling as quickly as he could and sensed her do the same. It wasn't for the same reasons, however; she just didn't want to admit to being relieved. He saw his relief as a sign of weakness.

Almost casually, he snapped her control in half. He easily batted away her outrage at him, reacquainting himself with the feeling of being alive.

I know you're happy about this, he told her. I heard your subconscious crying out for me.

I hate you, she responded. The bitterness in her voice was genuine.

I think I might know why, he said, unable to keep the glee out of his voice. You hate what I represent, don't you Ginevra? I represent prison for you.

She didn't answer.

Are all mortals so foolish? He sighed silently. Understand this, little girl: freedom is an illusion. In this case, you will never be free. Even if you do somehow manage to throw off my influence, the memory of me will remain.

I could get a memory charm, she said defiantly.

But you won't. I know you too well.

"Ginny?" It was the nuisance, also known as Harry Potter. As much as Bakura wanted to scowl at him, he refrained from doing so, instead smiling and using Ginny's voice.

"I'm okay Harry," he said. The black haired boy regarded him for a moment or two, then held out a hand. Bakura took it and got himself on his feet, turning to watch as Marik and the Pharaoh spoke to one another. A rage built up into him as he watched Marik hand the Millenium Rod to the Pharaoh. That anger was replaced by intrigue when Marik revealed the scars on his back.

He and Harry joined the others while Marik was still talking. "...has been destroyed, all of your friends who were trapped in the Shadow Realm should be free."

There was a surge of foreign emotion that ran through him, and to his surprise control was ripped away from him. Just before that happened, the Egyptian locked eyes with him. Bakura saw a flash of recognition there.

Then he could only watch as Ginny turned and flung herself down the stairs.

There was a huge stitch in her side, but Ginny couldn't have cared less. She didn't even care that Bakura's annoyance was radiating off him in waves, or that Harry was pelting behind her, trying to keep up. The blimp loomed up before her, and she raced inside, hurrying down different hallways in an effort to find him.

He wasn't in his room, nor was he up on the duel arena. Harry tried to ask her something, but was too out of breath to get the words out. She was beginning to lose her hope again when she turned into the kitchen- and there he was.

"Ryou!" He was startled when she jumped on him, not caring how tightly she was hugging him. "Thank Merlin, you're all right!"

"Can't... breathe..."

"Oh, sorry," she said, grinning like an idiot as she pulled away. He looked just the same as he had before- a mess of white hair, kind brown eyes, and a small but genuine smile gracing his face. She suddenly felt awkward, not sure what else to say- that she was sorry? That she missed him? None of it seemed right.

He got there first, anyway.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"You're glad I'm okay?" she asked incredulously. She could almost feel her eyes popping out of her head. "Ryou, you-" She broke off, once again not sure what to say. He tried to smile, but it didn't seem to come out quite right. Not knowing what else to do, she hugged him again, more gently this time.

"Well, I was worried," he admitted when they broke apart. "I don't remember much, but I do remember Bakura being in the Shadow Realm at some point- don't worry, he wasn't able to hurt me," he added at the look on her face, "and I remembered what he said about what it's like when you two are separated, so I thought..."

Ginny exhaled slowly. "Yeah, it did happen. I... don't really remember it either. It was all kind of numb."

That was a lie, and Ryou knew it. She could remember the feeling of hollowness, like all of her crucial organs had been ripped out of her body. Ryou let it slide, however, and this time managed a real smile.

"But enough about me," she said. "How are you? Aside from the fact that you're obviously hungry, that is."

He shrugged. "I'm actually okay," he said. He held up a milk carton for her to see. "Did you know that KaibaCorp has its own brand of milk? It's not as bad as I thought it would be."

She laughed at that. He really did seem to be fine, something that she was thankful for. He must have seen the gratification on her face, because he suddenly frowned seriously.

"What happened to me wasn't your fault," he told her. "I made the choice to face Marik. If it hadn't been me, it would've been you, and you've been through enough already. It's bad enough that you're tormented by Bakura."

Ginny shook her head. "I would've done it. If it kept you from getting hurt, I would have."

"I know," Ryou said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And that's why I did it instead."

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. How many times was he going to leave her at a loss for words, anyway? All she could really say was, "Thank you. For understanding." Still, there wasn't anything that he could say that would change that she felt it was her fault he got hurt. He responded with a nod and a smile, and she moved over to help him clean up the dishes from his feeding frenzy.

That is, until there was a cough from the door.

Ginny spun around, nearly dropping the plate she held. "Oh, I'm sorry Harry!" she exclaimed, feeling the flush in her cheeks. "I forgot you were following me."

"It's fine," he reassured her. "I thought you two would need to talk for a bit." Was it just her, or was his smile a bit tight? "So, you're Ryou Bakura, huh? Ginny's told me all about you."

Ryou grinned modestly. "Nothing too flattering, I hope?"

"I wouldn't say that," Harry answered. The tension in him disappeared as his smile became more real; Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "You sound British. I'm Harry Potter, a friend of Ginny's from school. Well, that's not all- her brother, Ron, is my best friend."

"You're Harry?" Ryou positively beamed. "Ginny's talked about you a lot as well."

Ginny let them get to know each other and took care of the rest of the dishes herself. Eventually, everyone else found them in the kitchen, all crying out happily upon seeing that Ryou was all right. She asked them how Mai was; it was Jonouchi who answered her, saying that she was back to her old self as well. He then grumbled about traitor little sisters, before noticing Ginny smirk at him.

"Eh? What's that look for?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently.

The Ishtar family was hanging back by the door, Marik at the forefront. His eyes met Ginny's and narrowed in a we-need-to-talk-later kind of way. She started, remembering that Marik was able to use magic, even though she'd thought he was a muggle when she first met him. Come to think of it, she and Harry owed everyone there an explanation.

Making her way over to the black haired boy, she was about to ask him if this was a good time when Yugi mentioned that the island was going to explode.

That almost made her choke on her own spit. "What?" she gasped out.

Honda rolled his eyes. "It's Kaiba being all melodramatic again. Speaking of which, I haven't seen him in a while. Has anyone else?"

After a chorus of "No"s answered him, Ginny started getting worried all over again. Kaiba wasn't seriously going to... after losing a card game, of all things? It didn't seem like him, despite his reaction to losing to Yugi. And when Anzu mentioned that Mokuba wasn't around either, she really wondered what he was up to. There was no way he would let his brother be in danger.

"I'm going to try to find him," Yugi said, jumping up.

"I'm coming too," announced Anzu, followed by Honda, Jonouchi, and Otogi. Ginny elected to stay and talk to Isono about the situation, along with Harry, Ryou, Mai and Shizuka. The Ishtars had retreated to Marik's room to have a private talk with one another.

The sight that greeted Ginny in the control room was Isono yelling at another of Kaiba's workers. "What do you mean, they're broken?"

She stepped forward. "What's going on?"

Isono shook his head. "The engines have somehow been damaged. We don't have the time or the resources to repair them."

Ginny felt very much like pulling a Jonouchi and screaming "Say WHAT?" at the top of her lungs, but sensed that it was not the time to do so. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shoved her fear into the corner of her mind and tried to think of a way to get everyone out of there. Nothing came to mind.

Unless...

"Didn't they call for a... a..." Why couldn't she remember the name?

"Helicopter?" Harry suggested.

"Yes, that! Didn't they call for one when Jonouchi was still hurt, to take him to the hospital? Wouldn't it still be here?"

"That'll be a tight fit," said Mai, frowning. "But there's not much more we can do."

Harry's head was spinning with everything that was happening. First Kaiba's disappearance, and now this? Yugi and his friends had returned to inform everyone that they hadn't found the CEO or his brother. They were horrified upon finding out that the blimp didn't work, but calmed down when they were reminded of the helicopter still waiting.

He and Ginny climbed in after the Ishtars, with Ginny shaking her head and smiling bemusedly. "I can't believe all this. The last few weeks of vacation are going to seem so quiet compared to this insanity. I feel like I haven't had time to breathe, much less rest." She leaned toward him, lowering her voice. "Do you think now's a good time to tell them?"

He looked around at everyone else crammed together in the helicopter. They were all staring anxiously out the windows, looking for a sign that Kaiba had made it out somehow. "Let's wait a bit," he muttered back.

Moments later, a shockwave seemed to rock the helicopter. A massive cloud enveloped the island. Everyone collectively tensed, waiting for something to happen.

When a shape came speeding out of the dust, Jonouchi swore, Honda snorted, and Anzu did a facepalm. Beside him, Ginny rolled her eyes.

Kaiba was driving a jet. A jet shaped like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And he was laughing. Mokuba was safely behind him, waving at them from his seat.

"I guess you losers have to be content with the helicopter," came Kaiba's voice over the radio.

"Kaiba, you jerk!" shouted Jonouchi into the speaker, but Harry could hear the relief in his voice.

"We're not going back to Domino, guys," Mokuba told them. "We've got some business to take care of in America. I'm sure we'll be meeting up again sometime, though. Later!"

The two of them sped away. Anzu shook her head. "Those two..."

"They'll be fine," Yugi told her, smiling to himself. "I think Kaiba might have learned something from this tournament, even if he doesn't want to show it."

Harry glanced at Ginny as everyone lapsed into their own conversations. She gave a slight nod before turning to everyone else and doing a "hem-hem" that Umbridge would've been proud of. He had to hold in his laughter at that. At least it worked; silence fell quickly as all eyes turned to the two of them.

Ginny fidgeted. Harry didn't feel the need to, but then he had experience talking in front of a large crowd of people his age (Dumbledore's Army).

"Well, Harry and I owe you all an explanation for what happened during Jonouchi's duel..."

"Oh yeah," said Otogi, straightening up. "What was with that? And those sticks that you had..."

Harry pulled out his wand, holding it up. "Ginny's a witch. I'm a wizard."

Nobody spoke. Nobody laughed. Harry realized that they were all too used to encountering strange things, thanks to the Millenium Items. He and Ginny explained what they'd explained to Anzu and Yugi before, after Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters attacked them. He couldn't help but glance over at Marik a few times, noticing that when he mentioned his connection to Voldemort and the current war, the Egyptian boy clenched his fists.

"Any questions?" Ginny asked brightly.

Jonouchi raised his hand. "If you get angry at us, would you turn us into frogs?"

He and Ginny exchanged a glance. As one, they leaned forward menacingly. "Do you want us to?" asked Harry darkly.

"N-n-no!" yelped Jou. "I'll be good. I promise!"

Everyone started laughing at that, diffusing the tension that had been building up in the cabin. Soon, he and Ginny were being pelted with different questions.

"So, how did you really get on the blimp?"

"What do you study at school?"

"Do wizards eat different food?"

"Are you two good at... whatever it's called... Quidditch?"

"Is there-"

Crack.

There were several yells and a scream from Anzu as a tall, purple robed man with a silver beard and half-moon spectacles appeared out of nowhere. Harry and Ginny had managed not to jump, but he felt as though his heart was racing at a million miles an hour anyway.

Albus Dumbledore smiled genially. "Good afternoon."

Ryou's jaw had dropped at the appearance of the old man in the middle of the helicopter, standing as though he couldn't feel the turbulence. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone so strange, or anyone who looked so completely at home on the receiving end of the gaping stares from everyone except Harry and Ginny, who evidently knew who he was.

There was a loud, "What the hell?" from Jonouchi. For once, Anzu didn't hit him for being rude. She was too shocked herself.

"Ah, my apologies," said the elderly man cheerfully. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts. I just wanted to check up on my students."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other. "We're fine, sir," Ginny said.

"Excellent," beamed the professor. His twinkling blue eyes lingered briefly on the Ring around Ginny's neck, but quickly turned to the other occupants.

"I assume that Harry and Ginny have filled you in on the basic points of the wizarding world?"

Still speechless, they all nodded.

"Good. And I've made certain that the Ministry does not know of certain underage magic that has been performed here, either. I have also come-" and here his expression changed to become more somber- "to discuss protection for you all."

"Protection, sir?" Yugi said, the first to find his voice.

"Yes," Dumbledore said gravely. "I'm afraid that, especially since you were able to repel the recent attack by one Bellatrix Lestrange, he is all the more interested in the powers of the Millenium Items. We wizards have always thought that Shadow Magic was extinct after all. It would be a catastrophe if Voldemort got his hands on it.

"I'm proposing to send several members of the Order as protection. Two, I think, for Mr. Mutou and one for each of the others here- except, of course, Mr. Ishtar and Mr. Bakura."

Ryou's head shot up at his name. "Excuse me, sir," he said softly. "But why wouldn't we get protection?"

Dumbledore smiled at him, but Ryou had the uncomfortable feeling that the professor was x-raying him. "That's the other thing I'd like to discuss. You and Mr. Ishtar both have magic."

Marik shrugged. "Already knew about it." He ignored the incredulous looks his siblings gave him. "I get that I never went to school- I mean, I've been locked up in a tomb my whole life. But..."

"Why not me?" Ryou asked softly, finishing his question.

"I believe," Dumbledore began, "That it's because you moved to Japan in between the Japanese and English cut off date. The both of you have a choice: Mr. Ishtar, you could choose to attend the Cairo Magical Academy if you wish. Mr. Bakura, you are welcome to go to the Wizarding Institute of Japan. However, I'm extending you two an offer to attend Hogwarts, since you are both well acquainted with Miss Weasley."

A stunned silence followed his proposal. It was all Ryou could do to keep his jaw dropping from shock. Before either he or Marik could get a word in edgewise, however, Dumbledore spoke again.

"It is your choice to make, but I must warn the both of you: the wizards of Great Britain are fighting against Lord Voldemort right now. If you choose to attend Hogwarts, you may be drawn into the fighting, whether you choose to or not."

Ryou closed his eyes and exhaled. For some reason, the prospect of being a part of a fight made it more real to him. It would've been harder for him to believe if everything that wizards did was sugar and rainbows. He wondered how it was possible that he was a wizard, but remembered that once, when he was pretending to perform an occult ritual, the candle flame made several different shapes that shouldn't have been possible.

He briefly considered going to the school in Japan- that way, at least, he'd be near his other friends. His eyes snapped back open when Marik's sister began to speak.

"May I have your assurances, at least, that Hogwarts will offer some protection?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course, Miss Ishtar. We have greatly increased the security at Hogwarts this year; Aurors will be standing guard in the grounds and in the nearby village of Hogsmeade as well."

Ishizu nodded, satisfied. Marik exchanged glances with Rishid before meeting Ryou's eyes. Ryou gave a small, 'Why not?' shrug.

"I'd like to enroll in Hogwarts, Professor."

"Me too," Marik chimed in quickly. After a sharp look from his sister, he ducked his head and added, "Sir."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling again. He looked back over at Ginny. "And, Miss Weasley, your memories...?"

"They're back," she said quietly, staring down at the Ring. Harry placed a hand on her shoulder; she grasped it with her own, looking at Dumbledore again. "They aren't what I expected, but I don't regret them."

Nearly everyone in the helicopter looked taken aback by that. Ryou studied Ginny's face intently, but her expression was blank, giving nothing away. He thought she was telling the truth; it didn't seem to be Bakura speaking through her. Dumbledore was scrutinizing her as well, but he eventually seemed to decide that that was that, and nodded.

"Very well. I'm glad that your trip to Japan had a positive effect-" Now it looked like Ginny was trying not to laugh- "and that you've bonded with these people. Mr. Ishtar and Mr. Bakura, I will arrange for you to have transport to the Burrow on August 20, the day that Miss Weasley will be returning to her home as well- that is, if you would like to stay, Miss Weasley?"

"Sure," Ginny said, shrugging and smiling. "I'd like that."

Now the headmaster looked over at the boy sitting beside her. "Harry...?"

Harry made a face. "I suppose I have to return to the Dursleys, don't I?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Dumbledore replied, looking apologetic. "I know you've already found some friends here as well, but I suspect that the only reason Voldemort hasn't come here himself is because he doesn't want to deal with the Japanese wizards. He'll soon find some way to get past that, however, and it will be safer for you and everyone else here if you return to England. The last thing we need is to spread the war."

"I understand, sir," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. In that moment, Ryou got a better look at who Harry Potter really was and glimpsed a tired man, someone who (like Ginny) had seen and been through far too much at his age. The weight of the British wizarding world rested on his shoulders. He hadn't asked for that, but it happened anyway.

Not for the first time, Ryou wished that there was something more he could do.

"I must say, it was a pleasure meeting you all," Dumbledore said. "Harry, if you would?" He offered the boy his arm. Harry looked slightly suspicious, but took it anyway. "Farewell."

With another loud crack, the headmaster of Hogwarts and the Boy Who Lived disappeared. For a moment, the entire copter was in silence. Inevitably, however, someone had to talk. In this case, no one was surprised that it was Jonouchi.

"That was cool," he said.

Ryou looked at Ginny. Ginny looked at Ryou.

As if on cue, everyone burst out laughing.

The rest of the summer was exactly as a vacation should've been: they went to the beach, they went to the movies, or they went to the arcade. Ginny's favorite thing to do was just walk around Domino, drinking in the sights of a city that she would soon be leaving. It was a lot easier to talk to her friends now that she no longer had to hide from them. Tonks turned out to be one of the aurors watching Yugi; Ginny recognized her by the wink she gave and the pink hair.

Frisbee turned out to be something she was good at; she laughed openly at the awed looks on Honda and Jonouchi's faces as she jumped up, just barely grabbing the disc. She grinned at them before tossing it to Ryou. "Quidditch player, remember?"

"Not fair!" howled Jonouchi, jabbing a finger in her direction. "How come a girl's better at sports than us?"

Ginny rolled her eyes in response. She caught the frisbee again, this time from Yugi. "I'm not better at them at you. I'm just good at catching things." She wasn't about to say balls, knowing it would only prompt some kind of dirty comment. Even with only that, Jonouchi opened his mouth, grinning evilly. She chucked the frisbee at him, forcing him to dodge.

"You could've knocked my teeth out!" he complained.

"Goodness knows you would've deserved it," said Anzu, throwing her arms out from where she was lying on the grass. Ginny flopped down next to her, opting out of the game for a little bit. They had had plenty of girl bonding moments since the tournament: they went and saw chick flicks, shopped a bit more (Ginny didn't buy anything, but it was always fun to people watch), and even teamed up to play a prank on Honda and Jonouchi. The end result had been two flour-covered boys and a Mai Kujaku with blackmail pictures.

"I heard you've been video-chatting with Marik," Anzu said.

"Oh, yeah," Ginny answered. It had been surprising to find a method of communication similar (and less dizzying) than floo powder, but she found herself enjoying talking to Marik. Without all the focus on taking over the world, he had a great sense of humor. "Mostly he just complains about how the rest of the summer's going by so slowly. I keep telling him that he shouldn't get excited; he's got catch up work to do as well as O.W.L. preparation. He'll be in my year, after all."

"Ryou's going to be a sixth year, right?"

"Uh-huh."

They fell silent, enjoying the breeze that ruffled their hair and listening to the shouts as Honda and Jonouchi wrestled each other again. Ginny was glad not to have to worry about anything earth-shattering; rather, she could just be content to be alive.

"Five more days," sighed Anzu. "It's going to be weird not having you and Ryou here. I'll miss you guys."

"Same here," Ginny replied, smiling a little sadly up at the sky. She would be reluctant to leave, but at the same time she was looking forward to going home to the Burrow and seeing all of her brothers. A letter from her mum told her that Bill was engaged to Fleur Delacour. Her eyebrows had shot up at that, trying not to grimace at the thought of the part-Veela girl becoming a member of her family.

Ryou was going to be traveling to England by plane with Ginny. They had all agreed to meet at the airport to see the two of them off. She wasn't looking forward to sitting in one of the horrible muggle contraptions again, but she didn't have much choice in the matter.

The next five days went by too quickly for her liking. It seemed like one second she was talking to Anzu in the park, and the next she was standing in the airport, clutching her suitcases in her hands. Ryou looked even more nervous than her, glancing at the gate repeatedly. They were supposed to wait for Marik to arrive at the Heathrow Airport before they left for the Burrow.

"You know, even with the Milleniums Items, it's hard to believe that you guys are going to a magic school," said Yugi. "You'll be sure to write to us, won't you?" Ginny had explained that muggle technology didn't work in Hogwarts.

"Of course we will," replied Ginny, grinning. "Just don't be surprised to see an owl outside your window."

Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, but she only kept smiling.

"Be careful, both of you," cautioned Anzu. "If there's a war going on..."

"Same to you," said Ryou, fiddling with the handle of his luggage. "Who knows who else is going to show up, wanting the power of the Puzzle or something?"

"At least this way, a certain someone will be halfway across the world," Ginny muttered, thinking of the Ring hidden under her shirt.

Just as she spoke, the flight attendant announced that they were ready to board passengers. She and Ryou waved goodbye to Yugi and his friends, dragging their baggage to the line waiting by the gate. Once they were checked in and seated on the plane, Ginny looked out the window.

The whole thing with Marik is over, she thought. It's over.

End

Author's note: I know you guys are going to hate me for this... but I honestly can't promise a sequel. At least, not for a few years. In fact, if I write any new fanfiction, it's probably going to be one-shots from now on. Reason being: I was struck by sudden inspiration and writing this Batman Begins fanfic that I was really proud of when I lost it somehow. Kinda put me off writing altogether for a while, and now I'm mostly planning on writing my original fiction. If you really want me to, I can PM you with a summary of what I was planning to have happen to the characters, since I'm seriously doubting it will ever be published.

Also, sorry that this took so long. School has been completely and utterly demanding for me.

A lot of you are probably thinking, 'How can Ryou and Ginny NOT be a couple?" They just aren't. I solemnly swear so.

My deepest apologies, again. You've all been such wonderful and thoughtful readers and this seems like a poor way to repay you for your time. I love you all.

Signed, The Darkness Factor.