I'm really sorry about the wait for this chapter. T.T I know it's been months since I've updated, and that a lot of people wanted this up as soon as possible. I had writer's block! D: And I was starting a new story (not a fan fic) that I got into really badly and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. So, please don't hate me. xD But at least now that it is here, you can enjoy it. ^^ And you better... xD
Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Little Ryuu, for all the reviews you've sent me, and how much each of them have made my day. ^^
Thank you!

The thief king laughed harshly. "Did you miss me, Yugi?"
My mouth fell open. Strangely, I managed to steady my voice and stand my ground.
"No. I didn't. And when Yami finds out that you've miraculously returned, you're going to die, Bakura. He'll make sure of it."
Bakura laughed again, mockingly, "Not if you die first."
"You won't kill me as long as Yami's around. Trust me."
"That isn't what I meant."

I frowned, and something caught my attention. I looked at the glass in the door, and my eyes widened as I saw my reflection. I stared at myself, rigid and beaten, the amethyst in my eyes replaced with a thick and beaming black. My pupils were entirely gone – demolished under the murky, demonic shade. I gasped and whimpered in fear, falling back onto the grass and staring at Bakura.

"What have you done to me?!" I yelled.
He carried on his chuckling, "It wasn't me, you idiot. If I was to do anything to you then you'd be dead right away. Why don't you try again?"
I shook my head, "No! This wasn't Atem! He wouldn't! He can't have!"
"But he did," the thief king smirked. "You're just like him now."
"No!" I screamed, tears biting at my eyelids, "I am not!"
Bakura rolled his eyes and crouched forward, slapping me cruelly across my cheek. "Get over yourself. It's bad enough I have to deal with the god dammed pharaoh."
My hand rose to my face as tears managed to escape. "What do you mean? What are you going to do to him?"
Bakura grinned. "You really can't guess? I'm going to kill him."

No astonishment forced its way into my heart. I knew that this was his main goal all along. But something else did. I felt searing anger flush over me, my teeth reacted by tearing and grinding together, and my nails clawed at the soil below my fingers.

"If you try anything, I will fucking castrate you."
The thief king raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"
A growl formed in my throat, and I manoeuvred myself onto my knees. I was not going to satisfy his pathetic need for my depression and sorrow. If he wanted to hurt me – and Atem too - then he would have to suffer the consequences.

Falling onto my hands, snarling and hissing at the white haired faggot, I lunged forward and slashed my nails across his face. Bakura reeled back to the door frame, clutching his bloodied cheek and glaring at me with wide eyes.
"Is that the best you can do?" he spat.
I jumped, ready to hit his face again but Bakura was expecting the action and kicked me back down to the floor. It didn't hurt, but it took me a moment to regain my thoughts and once I had, Bakura's foot met with my head.

"I would have expected more from you," mused Bakura. "You do want to save the pharaoh, correct?"
I looked up at him and nodded quickly, still baring my teeth. More tears clogged behind my eyelids but I held them back easily and stood up.
"If I have to, then I'll kill you," I growled. "Believe me, Bakura."
"I don't doubt it. Besides, that is what you demons do, isn't it? Just kill and kill and kill. Just as long as you can be with the one you love," he scoffed.
I frowned.

The one I love? Is that what they did? Why Atem hurt my friends? It was because he... loved me?

I shook my head. "No, you're wrong."
"You don't love the pharaoh?" Bakura was smirking again. "He'll be crushed."
"No, no! I do - I mean... I..." I didn't know what to say. How would Bakura have known this anyway? Or perhaps he was just making it up. But what he said – it made sense. All those things that Atem had said about me, and mostly been reluctant to the subject – was that really true?
"Admit it, Yugi," said Bakura, "You didn't really care about your other friends. It's all about the pharaoh, isn't it? As long as he's alright, you can go ahead and let him murder whoever he likes."
"Shut up!" I yelled, "That's not true!"
For the third time, I got on all fours and ran at Bakura, slamming my body against his torso, throwing him off balance and tripping him easily. He hit the paved section of the ground, almost splitting his head open in the process. I recoiled away and watched in bizarre happiness as he tried to stand again.

I shouldn't be enjoying this, I thought. I shouldn't want to hurt him.

He is hurting you.

I glanced around and saw Atem standing right behind me. He was grinning at the sight of the battered thief king.

Good job, aibou. The pharaoh winked. Maybe I'll take over now.

I nodded and smiled. Go ahead.

Atem smirked and moved slowly toward Bakura. The thief king stared up at him with a sneering glare, but it was easy to tell that he was deathly afraid. Atem knelt beside him, baring his teeth and abruptly stabbing his claws into Bakura's arms to hold them firmly in place. Bakura held back a scream, crushing his teeth to stop himself.

"Goodbye, Bakura," Atem said. "It was good to see you again."
"You won't kill me," Bakura strained. "I know you won't."
"What makes you so sure?" asked the pharaoh, dragging his nails slowly through Bakura's skin.
The thief king smirked.
"Because I'm going to kill you first."

Bakura's hands flew up at Atem's wrists. He grabbed them forcefully and scrapped his own nails down the pharaoh's skin. Atem yelled, releasing his hold and slipping away. He licked away the blood that slipped down his arm, while Bakura was fleeing to the house.

"Are you alright?" I asked Atem. But he ignored me and ran straight after Bakura.
I watched as the pharaoh grabbed Bakura's shirt and threw him back to the floor. He threw his first at Bakura's face and hit him repeatedly, harder and harder. There was a sickening crack, and the thief king let go of his cry.

Watching Atem make horrid work of Bakura's face was somewhat intriguing to me. I longed to see more blood - more fury and hatred between the two ancient spirits. I enjoyed it.

But why? Why would I love something so terrible and revolting? Something that just a day ago would have made me gag.

Atem, I said, Come on, you have to stop now. This is...

Atem stood and pulled Bakura with him, grabbing the sides of his head and bending his neck. I knew then. He really was going to kill him. And I felt the unreal need to see it. Atem's head dived at the thief king's flesh and was on the edge of ripping away at his insides when a shout covered the garden and strained in my ears.

It was Ryou. He was staring at me with huge, terrified eyes. I glared back and growled at him, feeling such an urge to take him down too, just as Atem had done with Bakura. It was easy for the pharaoh, so I knew I could do it just as easily.

Wait! Sudden realization struck inside my head. What am I thinking?

"Yugi..." Ryou's quiet, little murmur called to me, "Please - tell the pharaoh to leave Bakura alone."
My eyebrow rose. I hadn't expected him to comment on that of all things. And why would Ryou care about Bakura? Had I been away longer than I thought?
Shaking my head, I then nodded to Ryou before glancing at Atem who was slowly dragging his fang-like teeth across the thief king's pale skin.

Atem, I said. Please, stop now. You're scaring Ryou. Remember your promise.

Atem wrenched his teeth free and snarled at the half-conscious thief. Bakura had managed to punch Atem several times in the jaw, and tear his fingernails down the pharaoh's shoulders. Atem was almost as bloody as the thief king.

Why should I stop? He demanded. If I don't kill him -

Please! I begged. Just stop. You'll get your chance later. But first, let me explain to Ryou. He's staring at us as if we're fucking psychos.

Atem rolled his eyes and dropped Bakura to the floor.
Before I could thank him, Ryou ran out from the safety of the house and knelt beside Bakura, lifting him and calling his name.

"Bakura?" he squeaked, "Are you awake?"
The thief king groaned in pain, yet his teeth clutched together and his words were spat from his jaws.
"Of course I'm alright," he hissed, "He didn't hurt me. He never could."
"If that's true, then allow me to show you otherwise," the pharaoh smirked. I was worried he actually would go for Bakura, so I grabbed his arm and held it against myself.
"Yugi? What are you doing?" he asked.
"Don't touch him," I was almost begging but I forced the shake out of my voice. "Please."
"Uh, Yugi – " I looked at Ryou. "I don't suppose... you could help me take him inside?"

Despite my harsh feelings for Bakura, I was about to nod and help when Atem shoved me back and grimaced.
"Don't even dare," he growled. "If I can't touch him, neither can you."
"But I just want to help," I protested. "I don't want to kill him."

The words slithered from my tongue, with the effect of a vile taste. I had never hurt anyone purposefully in my life, but the sentence sounded wrong. As though I'd gotten my words mixed up and I was about to apologise, smiling and correcting myself neatly. It was like I disagreed. Something was telling me to hurt Bakura. And shockingly, it wasn't Atem.

Ryou sighed impatiently. "Yugi! Come on – I need help. Stop day dreaming!"
I obeyed, slipping from Atem's sight and lifting what I could of the thief king. Luckily for me, he wasn't heavy.
"We'll carry him to the sofa, okay?" Ryou said. I nodded, as we entered through the back door.
I glanced back over my shoulder for a sight of the pharaoh but he had disappeared. It was strange, as I thought he would have followed us inside, but then again I easily shrugged it off as I was getting used to his bizarre behaviour.

Ryou had turned the fire on for Bakura. I sat in front of the blaze, gazing into its thrashing flames and feeling the heat hitting my skin. It was... nice. Everything seemed calm for a change. No one was crying, fighting or dying. A definite alteration.
"Yugi?" Ryou's voice collected my thoughts.
I turned to him. "Mmm?"
Though Ryou smiled, his eyes were baffled. He looked mesmerised in my stare.
"Oh..." his voice was just a small sound, "So it wasn't just my eyes playing tricks, then?"
A rhetorical question.
My eyebrows pulled together. "What?"
He blushed, his face flushing with panic. Ryou let his eyes avert to Bakura – now resting, sound asleep on the sofa - trying to drop the question.
"Sorry – forget I said anything," he muttered, "I was just thinking out loud. I'm – uh - sorry."
I opened my mouth again, but my lips met slowly and I realized what he'd been staring at. It was my eyes - the black orbs that sat in my head. Looking at him, I noticed that my vision was just the same – luckily – and that it had been quite a while since my head had been pounding. I was extremely relieved, yet so terrified at the same time.

But I felt something else. At the back of my mind – at the back of my thoughts. A strange feeling which wasn't my own. Or, at least, wasn't natural. It was a mixture of envy and hate and pure lust for death. But for the first time, I wasn't wishing death upon myself.

I turned back to the fire.
"I know, Ryou," I sighed, resting my head on my arms, "I know about my eyes. I know how weird I must seem to you right now. It's funny – I feel just as confused."
There was a pause.
"Do you know... what happened?" Ryou's small voice asked. "I mean, do you know who did that to you? Did anyone do that to you?"
I shook my head. "I don't know a thing. Well, I think I don't."
"What do you mean?"
"Bakura said that Atem had done this to me," I told him. "But I didn't believe him. I'm not sure if I do now. Before I came here, Atem did something. He bit me, and I don't know why. He didn't kill me – which I was very grateful for – but I know he's done something. I feel so different, Ryou. It's scaring me."
"I still don't understand, Yugi," Ryou grumbled, and I heard him shifting on the sofa. "Maybe you should just..."
"What?"
He sighed. "Maybe you should just forget about Atem. He's caused you nothing but trouble for days now. What happened to him is horrible for you, I'm sure, but just think of the rest of us. We're the ones feeling the pain." His tone was becoming harsher.
"Jonouchi won't come near you, Yugi. He told me he hates you. Twice, in fact. It's alright for you – you can be around the pharaoh as much as you like because he won't hurt you. But why can't you just forget him and get on with your life? The situation is out of your hands. Get over it."

I sat there, back still facing him. His voice replayed in my head, the evil tone forcing into his words. Something inside me was flaring, and I liked it. I felt the ends of my fingers lock, and my teeth crush grind together. The deep colour in my eyes began to sting - the pain no longer mortifying.

"You had better run," I warned him, my voice dangerously low. "You don't have much time, Ryou. Get out now, or I swear you'll be dead the moment I turn around."
He shuffled again. He was standing slowly. Watching me.
"Yugi?" he was shuddering. "Yugi, what's going on? Why would you say something like that?"
"I just told you to leave."
"No," Ryou retorted. "Tell me why you said that. You're being stupid – why would you say that?!"
He was panicking. He didn't like my sudden change in attitude. I could tell. I could feel it. I wanted to turn around and laugh at his stupidity. The idiot had no idea of what I was capable of. How quickly I'd dispose of him.

Hang on. I thought. This isn't right - it's the complete opposite. What am I doing?

My head scrambled with thoughts. I couldn't tell what I wanted. I couldn't tell what was good or bad – it hurt just as before. My mind was fighting back against the horrid personality, but it was losing.

I sound like Atem, I realized. But I can't stop it. I can't.

"YUGI!" Ryou yelled at the top of his voice. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently. "Answer me, Yugi! NOW!"
In a split second, my hand shot past my eyes and collided with Ryou's. I raked over his skin, blood spraying at the both of us. My nails dug deep into his veins, and Ryou began screaming. He was yanking his hand free when I went for the other, taking three of his own nails clean off, each falling into my lap like spiralling leaves.
Before he could cry out again, I turned, smacking my fist into his nose and shoving him back. I crawled, circling him on all fours, my smirk filled with confident animosity. My bloodied hand rose over his face, hovering like a claw of deadly blades.

"Sorry, Ryou," I snarled, the grin darting at the tips of my mouth. "Really, truly sorry."