The Scars of Fate
Chapter One: Inside of Me

'Ello 'ello. Welcome to my post-series production that will most likely claim the remainder of my sanity and, hopefully, your own as well. Join the Dark Side - we have cookies... and issues. Lots and lots of issues. XD

Speaking of darkness, we also have the lovely Bakuras. If you have even a shred of interest in Ryou Bakura or Yami Bakura or even the mysterious thief that once was - then you were as disappointed as the rest of us white hair fans with the ending of the YGO series. I mean, lets face it, a piece of paper had more dimension than Ryou did in the anime. No character development once or ever. Then the main group didn't even acknowledge the pain of the thief's past. Talk about a slap in the face.

Anyway, this is Bakura's story, and therefore Ryou's. It begins at the end of the series from the eyes of our deranged tomb robber himself and, through marching into the future, we learn of their pasts piece by piece. The main story starts later on in this chapter, eight years after Atemu left.

There are going to be quite a few pairings in this, but most are either one-sided or come on gradually. In any case, no one has to worry about love at first sight because that is SO NOT happening. If you happen to like that sort of cuddly-fuzzy-wuzzy-thing... meh, deal with it. What sort of pairings am I considering? Good question. If I told you, I'd probably scare you off. XP Just give me a chance here, alrighty? Go with the flow and don't worry about the relationships part (that for ME to worry about XD), just focus on the story itself.

In any case, I owe a HUGE thank you to the lovely Hakurei Ryuu who puts up with my idiotic behavior and absurd obsessions. She's my beta as well as my best friend! Love ya, hun! As for the rest of you: go read her stories! They kick royal ass! :D

WARNING: Not for those of the faint of heart. Rated for intense violence, gore, swearing, angst and death. Don't like that sort of thing? Then you're in the wrong fanfic, hun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, quite obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't have to be writing this!!!

Somewhere I Belong By: Linkin Park

When this began I had nothing to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find that
I'm not the only person with these things in mind
(Inside of me)
but all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own

I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real.
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

And I've got nothing to say
I cant believe I didn't fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find that it's
Not the way I had imagined it all in my mind.
(So what am I)
What do I have but negativity
Cause I cant justify the way everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own

I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

I will never know
Myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel
Anything else until my wounds are healed
I will never be
Anything 'til I break away from me
And I will break away
I'll find myself today

I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

I want to heal, I want to feel like
I'm somewhere I belong
I want to heal, I want to feel like
I'm somewhere I belong
Somewhere I belong

Agony tore through him, dragging him back into the darkness - into oblivion - but he ripped himself free and pulled forward. Weakly, the single soul - nearly shredded - staggered towards his last hope of escaping this place, this Hell. He had so very little time left, he could feel it. Any second now the great door would open... and, when it shut again, he wasn't sure if he would stand any chance at all after that.

Gripping his stinging side that trickled blood over his fingers, he gritted his teeth in stain as he dragged himself the last few steps... before collapsing to his knees at the very edge of the Shadow Realm. Sweat mixing with the blood over his face, he lifted his tired gaze of gray to the scene depicted before him - the world given a black tinge to its colour with thanks to the barrier that separated them.

"My name... is Atemu!"

The spirit's eyes flew wide at the voice, trying to focus his blurred vision on the figures that were scattered throughout the chamber. Then he saw him... standing before the great doors that were beginning to take a brilliant glow.

"Atemu!" Face strained, the soul hit the barrier with his fist, only to cringe and wish he hadn't as pain sparked from the shattered bones in his hand. Clutching his mangled hand to his chest, he bit his lip 'til it bled to combat the pain."...Wait." He lifted his eyes to the royal before placing his good hand against the barrier. "You locked a human in here, Atemu. Do you even realize that?" Joints turning white, he drew his nails down the wall that separated that world from this one. "I'm not a demon, dammit! Do you hear me, you bastard?! I'M HUMAN!"

"And what a pity that is."

Without even thinking, the spirit flung himself to one side... and out of the way of a massive clawed hand. Fear filled every feature on his face as he looked up into a gaze of blood red that stared back at him with malice glee.

"N-No..." He breathed, only to then growl. "Leave me alone, you piece of shit!"

The creature cackled. "Always were a hot-head, weren't you, fool?"

White hair plastered to his head with the blood that already stained most of his form, the spirit sneered, "you were the one who were calling the shots! You lost, not me!"

"And, prey tell, how many times did you disobey me in those years, Bakura?"

"It was my existence! I could do whatever the hell I wanted!"

Suddenly, an arm shot from the Shadows, its sharp claws piercing through the spirit's weak form before slamming him back into the barrier, pinning him even as a scream of pure agony tore from his throat. Biting down on his tongue to stop his own admission of feeling, Bakura clamped his eyes shut against the pain... against this creature... Zork.

"Wrong, Bakura. We made a deal. Don't you remember?" Moving forward, the beast pushed the human back further - the magic that kept them in this place of darkness crackling angrily - as he leaned down into the ancient thief's face. Grinning coldly with sharp teeth, the monster basked in the pain he could bring onto his old puppet. "You were supposed to free me in exchange for me helping you get your revenge. I helped you get into the palace, I helped you get the Ring, I helped you retain your memory... and what did I get in return? Over three thousand years of waiting!"

Entire body limp, Bakura did all he could to just keep that mask of stone over his features. Zork blamed him, blamed him for everything... but, once he had gotten his hands on the Ring in the past, everything had gone wrong. He hadn't signed up for this... this isn't what he had wanted...

A shudder past through the thief's body, a blessing numbness canceling out some of the pain. "...T-This... was y-your fault. The M-Memory World w-was your Game... and y-you screwed it up." Head slouched down against his chest, a brittle smirk worked its way onto his split lips. "Atemu beat you, you son of a bitch... s-so go to Hell."

His world blurred for a split second... then his body jolted as he hit the ground and rolled like a rag-doll across the damp shadows of the Realm. When he finally came to a stop, he couldn't hold back the groan that trickled from his throat as pain surged through his system like an electric current - paralyzing every thought... every action... every hope. But there would be no death for him. This place will tear him apart piece by piece - every demon taking its turn - and then he would be put back together... only to be torn apart again. This place was for punishment... death wasn't allowed for those cast into the abyss.

))I... I can't do it.(( His brow twitched wildly with the strain he was using to keep his eyes shut. He didn't want to see this place. ))...I can't do this again!((

"You always were weak." Zork snorted, only for a twisted grin to spread across its lips. "...Scream for me, Bakura."

A spasm drove through the thief's form, agony tearing through his chest like a million knives. Entire body trembling, he bit down on his tongue as his back arched against the pain that bristled through him - using every bit of strength he had to not give what the other wanted. Blood poured into his mouth, choking him, as his bones began to crack beneath his flesh... but he refused to give in. He couldn't... he wouldn't... he just...

Zork chuckled darkly. "Don't make his dull for me, thief."

And with that several sickening cracks split the air... followed shortly by a gut-wrenching scream that tore into every crevice of the Shadow Realm.

A boy of white hair suddenly stiffened - the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as a shiver ran down his spine. Eyes wide, he glanced to those around him to see if they too had heard what he had... but they all looked indifferent, unaware. They spoke to the Pharaoh who was hesitating in the light, listening to the words of his closest friends before he took his final rest.

Ryou bit his lip, willing himself to believe that he was imagining things... but he had never been very good at denial.

((Bakura.))

"Now that's more like it."

The thief whimpered as the agony dimmed ever so slightly... and he felt that much more disgusted with himself. What was he, anyway? A pathetic worm. Worthless. Gutless. Useless. He'd failed at everything he had ever done - he failed his own people - and, now, he was a play thing for a bunch of half-wit demons. How could he let himself become this?!

"Let's have another, shall we?"

((Bakura.))

The thief's eyes flashed wide. ))R-Ryou?((

His ribs shattered as the energy suddenly returned, spurring another scream from his raw throat as the bones in his limbs began to follow suit. One by one they broke to pieces until tears ran in almost as great of torrents as the blood that coated the floor.

))R-Ryou?!(( He screamed through his mind-link, desperately reaching for the boy that not a second ago had spoken his name. ))Ryou, please! Please, answer me! R-Ryou! P-Please, I–!((

The boy shuddered, his face as pale as a sheet. His stomach flew in loops, threatening to rid him of whatever was still in his system. The screams tore through his mind, pulling tears to his eyes at just the sound of it alone. What was happening to make his darkness cry out like that? What were the Shadows doing to him?

Pleads reached through from their mind-link - faint and broken - but he didn't reply to them. He couldn't. Whatever was happening to his other half... it was his punishment to bear.

))R-Ryou...!(( The faint scream came from the darkness, its call barely touching through a mind-link that nearly didn't exist anymore. ))R-Ryou, pl-please... r-reach back to me! B-By the Gods, Ryou, I... I'm b-begging you... h-help me...((

Ryou clamped his eyes shut, hands balling at his sides so tightly he could feel his nails digging into his palm. He couldn't help him. His yami has done enough damage in this world... he had to stay in the Shadow Realm. There was no other way. For everything he had done... he deserved everything the Shadows gave him.

((I...)) Ryou's thoughts stumbled, but he forced himself to say what he knew to be the right thing: ((I won't help you. You... you've hurt enough people.))

Blood red eyes glinted in delight at the mess at his feet. He didn't even have to lay a finger (or claw) on the idiot to tear him to shreds... he could let his magic do the same job from the inside out. More pain, less trouble. Magic made everything just that convenient.

"Is my old toy broken already?" A dark chuckle leaked from between sharp teeth. "Come now, Bakura... surely you can take more than that. We've hardly even begun."

He lay motionless on the ground, his breath shallow and ragged - each and every one ripping agony into him to blend into that which he was already feeling. His eyes stared at the floor beneath him blankly, devoid of everything. Ryou wasn't going to help him and... and, though he wanted to hate the kid for that with every fiber of his soul... he couldn't.

You've hurt enough people.

The words churned within his mind, destroying his hope in one fell swoop. There was no reason for anyone to help him out of here... ever. He had done nothing but hurt people, so they'd be happy with him swallowed into oblivion. They probably wouldn't even think about him again. He'd just be a bad dream to them... while he continued to suffer for each and every one of his crimes...

And it was a bloody long list.

The kid was right. He'd hurt enough people... and their pain had never done anything to make his own go away. Misery just liked the company, but it always wanted that one more soul before it would be satisfied.

It was never satisfied.

He felt himself get pushed over onto his back. ))...R-Ryou...(( A clawed hand cupped his face, turning the thief's stone stare toward that of blood lusting red. ))...Y-You're... right...((

"I thought you liked the pain, Bakura? Didn't you once say that the blood over your skin was like a hot rain? That the pain reminded you that you were alive?" His sharp claws drew down his cheeks until the fingers just held his chin, leaving bleeding gashes down his face. "How does it make you feel now, Bakura?"

))...I d-deserve... this...((

"What? No smart-ass remark? No profanity promising my demise? I'm disappointed."

))...I... de...serve... t-this...((

Ryou's arm flashed up, whipping away the trail of blood that had fallen down his chin from where he was biting his lip. He was right, wasn't he? Keeping Bakura where he was? The spirit had done it to himself. He had sealed his own fate piece by piece... and now he would have to live with it...

((...for all eternity.)) Just the thought alone made a shudder trail down Ryou's spine. He lifted his teary gaze to see Atemu suddenly give a thumbs up - why? He had no idea - and walk forward into the blinding light. ((You've done wrong too, Pharaoh. You made mistakes, you killed people - both before and in this era. So, why do you get delivered into the light after three thousand years while your adversary gets thrown into the darkness?)) Suddenly, a thought broke through the boy's mind, ((he's never been able to come back this quickly... it used to take him months to pull himself out of the Shadow Realm and even then he had Zork's help. How did he reach me so quickly? Why isn't he just taking over like he did before? What's keeping him back?)) Ryou's eyes shot wide. ((Wait... the doors... they opened the gate to the afterlife, didn't they?))

His gaze shot from side to side at the chamber around them, seeing what everyone else was so oblivious too. The Shadow Realm was a hair's width away from merging with this world, darkening the shadows around the underground Shrine to an almost impossible degree. If he looked hard enough, he was certain that he could see figures there in the shadows cast about the room... souls. The Shadow Realm was like a purgatory in a way, stuck between the worlds of life and death...

Ryou's eyes darkened. ((That's why he was able to reach me!))

Opening the doors had brought the Shadow Realm here, so Bakura had been able to claw forward quicker than usual for the sole reason that the open gate was drawing everything here. Every soul and demon was being drawn to this one place because it was a weak point, a fracture in the barrier...

((An open door.)) He cursed lightly. ((But, if opening the door brought the Shadows so close then does that mean that when it closes...?)) The white haired boy jumped as the doors began to slid shut... and, as they did, Ryou could see the Shadows around them churn, struggle, fight... and, yet, slip away. That's when it clicked. ((A seal. He's using the doors as a bloody seal!)) A frown touched his brow. ((This... this can't be right... Pharaoh?)) He chewed his lip. ((You'd be willing to sacrifice him? Do you hate him that much that you don't care if you seal him away with demons? Forever? No rest? No freedom? Just an eternal punishment in a prison of darkness? He's still a human, Atemu!)) His eyes narrowed at the fading image of the ruler. ((You hypocrite. You're sealing him into exactly what you wanted to escape so badly! Bakura...!)) After a second's hesitation, Ryou probed back into his own mind, searching for the familiar feel of their mind-link... and barely finding it at all. ((BAKURA!))

His reply was a ghostly silence and, when he held their mind open with his own strength, he couldn't suppress a gasp from escaping his throat as a trickle of pain started to pour into his mind. Agony sliced at his skull, cutting away his strength both mentally and physically as his knees trembled beneath him. He could feel the agony driving down into him... and the emotions with it.

Envy.

Sorrow.

Hate.

Anger.

Despair.

They all burned within the boy... all of Bakura's emotions. Bakura's pain.

He couldn't do it. Maybe the Pharaoh was willing to condemn him, but Ryou couldn't.

((BAKURA!))

Ryou pushed past the darkness and anguish that tried to choke out the fragments of their mind-link and, as the last shreds of light reached through the crack left in the doorway, the British teen reached for the other half of his soul.

The door slammed shut with a groan, the entire cavern quaking its threat loud and clear as dust poured from the Millennium Stone and it crumbled, sending the Millennium Items into the darkness below. Voices shouted as everyone ran to escape the chamber... and, just like one of the gang, Ryou bolted off with everyone else.

Ryou had to brush off more than one comment about 'looking pale' on the plane ride home. Mostly, he just listened to his CDs and tried not to look at anyone. He knew he had betrayed them... but what would they say if they knew?

'Are you NUTS?!'

Well, Joey had always been an easy one to figure out a reaction. Tristan would probably be similar, same with Duke and Tea... but what would Yugi say? Ryou had glanced to the younger teen many times during the flight, careful never to lock eyes in case - somehow - Yugi noticed something was off. What would the boy say? Would he understand? Could he understand? He wasn't sure. Yugi was the kindest person Ryou had ever met but, that being said, he was also very protective of his friends and Bakura did have a habit of... using them to his advantage.

It had been easy enough to slip away from the group once the plane had landed since there was a welcoming committee waiting for their arrival. No one noticed when Ryou disappeared. They never did.

The boy slipped quietly back into his apartment, slumping back against his door once it was shut behind him. Closing his eyes, he sighed heavily as he soaked in the silence of what had become his home over the past years... a silence that felt like true bliss for his throbbing migraine. He pondered for a moment about getting something to eat, only to decide he had another matter to take care of first. Trudging over to the couch, the British boy flopped down onto his stomach and closed his eyes.

He had done this many times, so he knew the process by heart. Bakura had been very demanding when it came to swapping control of the body. Ryou had had to get used to working on the fly - grabbing hold of the body as Bakura slipped back to leave the light to deal with whatever company had interrupted them... usually Yugi or his friends. This time, however, sinking back into his soulroom felt different than it had previous times. It was harder, bringing a frown across his brow, and took more of his concentration to pull off. When his sneakers finally did touch down on stone floor of their corridors, the boy couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance over his shoulder to the darkness behind him.

"Odd."

Turning towards the doors, Ryou walked up and all but ignored his own room - laid out in perfect organization down to the last detail (on the surface at least) - and approached his yami's door. It was solid steel - unlike his own that was made of richly engraved wood - with a jagged appearance that looked as though some creature had mauled it at some point, leaving it scarred and misshapen. It looked far more beaten up than what Ryou remembered and the Eye of Horus - once cut so sharply at the top of the door by the use of what had appeared to be a knife - was now a faded image of what it once had been. If Ryou hadn't already known what the marking was supposed to be, he probably wouldn't have been able to guess now.

He knocked on the door, solid and clear. "Bakura?" He waited a sum of minutes, only to try the knob and find it locked, so he knock again. "Bakura, open up." More minutes past by, making the British boy scowl uncharacteristically - he really didn't want to play these games right now. "Bakura, we need to talk. Now. Open the bloody door." Silence once again greeted him. "Bakura, I mean it!" Letting his frustration take over, he smashed his fist into the door hard enough to shoot pain up his arm, making the door tremble where it stood and then... it slowly creaked open.

His frown deepening, Ryou pushed the door open the rest of the way, letting the light from the hallway attempt to overpower some of the darkness. Though he did hesitate, the boy took a few steps inside the ruins of an ancient chamber... that, now that he looked at it, seemed oddly familiar.

((I know this place from somewhere.)) Then, he wanted to smack himself. ((Of course, I do. It's the Shrine of Kul-Elna.)) He looked around him, slightly studying the parts of the room that he could make out in the darkness. ((...Though it looks in better shape in here... probably because it's what it used to look like three thousand years ago.)) Finally, his lips parted, "Bakura?"

"Bakura?"

He jumped as his own voice echoed loudly around the shadows of the soulroom, almost mocking him. Ryou squinted into the darkness, trying to adjust his eyes as he moved further into the room to leave the light from the door behind him. He couldn't even figure out how big this place was since everything was practically bathed in shadows, but he also decided that he didn't care. He was going to find Bakura. They needed to talk and figure out exactly where each of them stood.

"Bakura?" He called, creating another echo to bounce back to him.

"Bakura?"

It really was quite annoying. "Bakura, please, answer me."

"Bakura, please, answer me."

Ryou had to suppress a groan. The fact he and his dark half shared a name just seemed to make the echoes even more annoying. His distorted voice coming back to him just sounded like some bratty kid mimicking whatever he said. The boy considered shouting out 'moronssaywhat' just for the hell of it, but he quickly let such an immature thought pass right on through him. None of this was helping. He had to find his other half. That's what he had to focus on.

"Look, I'm not leaving until we talk."

"Look, I'm not leaving until we talk."

"So, you might as well come out."

"So, you might as well come out."

((How the bloody hell does Bakura stay in here with that bloody echo?!))

))...By not speaking out-loud.((

Ryou gasped, jumping out of his skin as his heart nearly seemed to stop dead in his chest. He couldn't help but shiver as his blood suddenly felt ice cold in his veins, his mind freezing up as doubt flashed through his thought. This was so stupid. What was he getting himself into? He had been given the chance to live a normal life - to forget about all of this magical business and head back to London - and he had instead saved the one person who had thrown all the weight upon him in the first place. He had saved Bakura... and why? Even with the Pharaoh gone, Ryou didn't know if the thief was going to let the past go.

What were their lives going to become if he couldn't?

Ryou opened his mouth, only to clamp it shut as Bakura's actual answer occurred to him. Taking a deep breath, the boy glanced around the shadows of his yami's soulroom. ((Where are you?)) He waited for a moment, but his answer was only silence. ((Bakura, where are you?))

))...You shouldn't... be in here.((

The boy bristled. ((Too bloody bad,)) he snapped bitterly. ((I know this probably hurts your pride, but I saved you. Me. Your weak, little host.)) He was expecting some sort of reaction, some sign of anger or disgust... but he was only greeted by the eery stillness of the soulroom around him. ((...Fine. Stay in the shadows, though doing so is fairly ironic if you ask me.))

))...R-Ryou...(( the other almost seemed to have to choke out the name. ))You should... be resting.((

The boy scoffed, the noise mimicked back to him by the echo. ((Why? You want me to leave that badly? Do you hate me that much that you won't even talk to me face to face? Bakura, you're the one that asked me to help you. You're the one who reached out to me first, not the other way around. If you despised sharing a body with me this much than you shouldn't have–))

Finally, a low growl echoed into the room. ))You want to see me that badly? ...Fine. Walk forward.((

((What?))

))Walk forward,(( he repeated, voice cold.

Wary despite himself, Ryou moved farther and farther away from the door until he was engulfed in the full shadows of the room. As he walked, he could just barely begin to make out the alter at the opposite side of the room where the Millennium Stone should have rested... but instead there sat a figure leaning against the far wall. The closer Ryou got, the clearer he seemed to make out his yami... and each step he took made him want to shrink back instead.

Mauled.

Mangled.

Broken.

Whatever the Shadow Realm had done to him, they had not spared an inch of his flesh. He was practically ripped apart. Blood had pooled all around his form across the interlocked-stone floor, running in little red rivers across his pale flesh on its way down. Bones had broken through battered flesh in places, while in others it merely had a sickening bump rising beneath the bruised skin to prove the existence of more shattered bones.

"Bakura," he whispered.

The echo whispered back, "Bakura."

Eyes held shut amongst black and blue bruises and bleeding claw marks down his cheeks, the spirit snarled. ))Are you satisfied now, boy?(( He asked bitterly, practically bitting off each word.

Face burdened, Ryou hesitated for a moment, but timidly sat down beside his unmoving dark half. ((What happened to you?)) He asked quietly.

))...Zork.((

Ryou's gaze fell, letting a silence spread between them. So now he knew why the thief hadn't wanted him in here: Bakura - the prideful son of a bitch - hadn't wanted Ryou to see him like this. He hadn't wanted to lose face about being beaten at his own game again... and then having the sole giver of his power turn on him. The thief was well beyond beaten and he knew it... the only reason for his survival being the very boy he had used as a disposable pawn ever since the Ring had found its new bearer.

Ryou's stomach twisted as he stared at the pooling blood. ((W-Will... will you be... okay?))

The thief's shoulders seemed to sag slightly, exhaustion carved deep into his features even with his eyes closed. ))...With rest, yes.((

((Is there... anything I can do to help?))

))...You're doing enough.((

The boy's frown deepened at the other's words, the message ringing loud and clear: Go the hell away. This time, however, the sting of those unsaid words was enough to get Ryou to agree. He gave a slight sigh of defeat. ((Alright... I'll let you rest then. Sorry to have bothered you.)) He slowly shifted back onto his feet.

A raspy voice rose, "w-wait..."

"W-Wait..."

Ryou stopped and turned back to his dark half. ((Yes?))

A hiss slipped from Bakura's throat as he tried to shift where he sat, only to seemingly give up as his face was swallowed by the shadows of his bangs. ))You... need to rest as well... Ryou.(( His bloodshot eyes - dull and slightly unfocused - suddenly opened to look up to the British boy. He seemed to struggle for a moment with his words, only to finally look away into the darkness of his soulroom instead. ))This... won't be like before. Do you realize that?(( His brow tensed further. ))...It won't go away for a week or two.((

Ryou frowned, honestly confused. ((What won't?))

Stone colored eyes looked back to him. ))Your migraine. It'll come back the second your modern medicine wears off.((

((Why would...?)) He trailed off, his brow suddenly furrowing. ((The Ring.)) It suddenly clicked: ((You're not inhabiting the Ring anymore...))

))No... now I'm inhabiting you instead. The Ring used to protect you and your mind from the weight of my own...(( His stare dropped to his blood soaked clothes. ))...But not anymore.((

Ryou said nothing for a while, the pieces to the puzzle falling into place within his mind. Bakura didn't have to say anything more, he knew his host could deduce what he needed to from what he had said already. Despite the facade he put on around everyone else, Ryou was not an imbecile. He was an honor student in London, after all, and everyone had always told him he would achieve great things. The boy had the book smarts to take on Kaiba and Bakura had the street sense to keep up with the rest of the world. They were both sharp, just on different sides of the blade.

Slowly, Bakura lifted his stare to his host, only to find him staring straight back. ))What the hells are you staring at?(( He snarled, not liking being studied - especially with how he was fairing right now. It was beyond demeaning.

Ryou was meticulous, rarely acting on impulse alone. Helping Bakura had been a spur of the moment decision... and now he was running through every possible move they could take from here. However, no matter how much he thought about it, nothing could be solved without the honest answer of a single question... and honesty had never been a trait Bakura shined at.

The boy picked his words, ((the Millennium Items are gone - they fell into the darkness when Atemu left for the afterlife.)) He watched the bitterness fill the other's features, not heeding the warning such a change gave. ((On top of that, Zork has turned against you.)) A flash of anger rose in a burning glare, but Ryou didn't let himself flinch to it. He needed an answer. ((Where does that leave us, Bakura?))

The thief's glare narrowed coldly, glaring at the boy as though that act alone would bring him his death. If he could move without passing out, Bakura would have already planted his fist in Ryou jaw... but, then again, that would be why the Brit was doing this NOW, wouldn't it? Sometimes Bakura hated the fact that the two of them could think on the same level.

((Well?))

Bakura glowered, eyes averting to the room. ))Well what?(( He snapped back. ))Everything I've ever associated myself with has left me behind.(( His cold glare shot back to Ryou. ))So where the fuck does that leave me?!((

The boy sighed and, surprisingly, crouched down in front of the thief, looking at him in the eye. ((It's not just about you, Bakura, it's me as well - us. We share a corridor and a body, so what you decide to do affects me too.)) His brow furrowed slightly. ((It always has. I had to move to Japan, Bakura. I learned another language because of what you decided. Think about that.)) He offered a faint smile. ((...I'll let you rest.))

Rising to his feet, Ryou began making his way back across the dark room. Bakura stayed where he was, watching as the British boy was slowly swallowed by the shadows that enveloped the thief's soulroom... but, just before the boy disappeared completely from his view, Bakura heard himself call out.

"...Ryou..."

"...Ryou..."

When the teen turned back to him, Bakura's brow twitched slightly at the tension drawn over his features. His stare fell to the mess he referred to as himself, staring half-mindedly at his blood soaked clothes. ))I...(( His hands curled into fists at his side, making him bite his tongue in attempt to ignore the blistering cries of the tiny broken bones. ))I will... I will do what I can...(( he spoke slowly, swallowing the taste of blood that greeted his tongue, ))...to ease the burden on you.((

A smile immediately spread over the boy's features, sincere and strong. ((Thank you, that means a lot to me.)) And, a few seconds later, he'd left the soulroom and was gone to take care of the body.

Bakura sat without moving a muscle for what felt like eternity, just staring into the abyss around him. With every passing moment, he could feel his soulroom drawing on Ryou's without either of their consent. How much strain could Ryou take like this? The Brit already had minimum energy as it was with how Bakura had left him to go play his Ultimate Shadow Game with the Pharaoh. The thief had taken everything he could before departing - just in case he required an extra boost...

Bakura groaned as he leaned his head back, letting it rest against the cold stone wall behind him as he closed his eyes lightly. He breathed a deep sigh, only to cough painfully as he moved his broken ribs, spurring a slew of curses from his tongue. Trying to settle his breathing, he forced his eyes to open to the room of self-reflect that he had created piece by piece.

He loathed this goddamn room. Every aspect of his life, every choice he made was symbolized in here in one form or another, all ready to throw itself in his face at every opportunity. He didn't need this stupid place to tell him he was worthless, he'd figured that one out thousands of years ago and, frankly, the reminders were just plain redundant. Ever since he was a child, he basked in the concept of revenge... and where had that landed him? Three thousand years of torturous confinement within a piece of cursed jewelry with a demon breathing down his neck, that's where.

))Pathetic.((

He sneered at himself, his eyes stinging as he scanned over what surrounded him... and everything that had left him behind. Everyone had left - even his greatest nemesis - leaving him as the single straggler. He was always the straggler. Little Bakura playing catch-up with the Priests of the High Council, with the great Pharaoh himself... who the hell had he been fooling?

))Fuck it.((

A voice called from ages past, //Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack!\\

Bakura twitched, nearly feeling the blistering attack against his skin again. ))Fuck you.((

//It's over, Bakura!\\

))F-Fuck... all of you...(( even in his mind, his words were frail, ))...f-fuck... e-everything.(( He gritted his teeth, the shadows once again hiding his face behind his wild bangs. ))W-Where... can I go from here?((

Five Years Later

A pale hand reached out, pulling a single card from his deck as thousands of eyes watched tensely from the packed stands. The opponent across from him tensed involuntarily, cobalt blue eyes narrowing coldly as his hands fisted at his side. A white trench coat lain overtop of black clothing, he glared across to his much shorter opponent who attired a more punkish look. A long pause took the air, drawing out even across continents as people stood glued to their TV sets. Kaiba was in the lead by a thousand points... was this going to be the duel where he finally reclaimed his championship title from his pint-sized rival?

Not likely.

A young man in his mid-twenties barely gave the screen a glance as he walked right on past those crowded around a small TV set up on a front porch. A black backpack slung over one shoulder, he made his way down the street at a nice, relaxed pace as he enjoyed the afternoon sun on his shoulders. With the warm weather of the summer days, the man sported a white t-shirt with two blue strips horizontally across his chest, a pair of stressed jeans, and some sneakers that perhaps had seen a bit too much use.

Coming to a stop at a corner, the young man waited patiently for the traffic to take a break for him to cross the street. The world was relaxed today, people meandering along their own tasks without the usual hustling that came with city life... even if it was the suburbs. A sunny weekend day had a magic effect on people, it would seem.

Things were finally looking up. After so much pain and so many tears shed behind closed doors, the world had shifted and Ryou Bakura was home. Within twenty-four hours of returning to Domino, the teen had tied up all loose ends and had left without a second thought. There had never been anything for him in that cold city, so he had seen no point in wasting his life there. London, England, on the other hand, had almost seemed to welcome the boy back with open arms, Ryou's entire life adjusting pace to mold back into the old habits that he missed so much. It was all the simple things that hit him the hardest... and seeing his father again.

As he found a gap in the traffic, Ryou made his way across the road, a contented smile gracing his handsome features. The boy actually got quite a good laugh concerning how his appearance had changed as he got older... or, rather, how much it became even more similar to a certain three thousand year old thief. Though the warmth in the young man's eyes still shone much differently than the cold stare of his yami, Ryou found himself losing that overall childish cuteness that he (and Bakura) had scowled at more than once, replaced by the solid features of a man. He did, however, make a point of not allowing his hair to follow Bakura's devilish influence.

He could feel his other right beneath his skin, watching the world through his eyes as Ryou went along his way. It was a ghostly feel, like a presence was hovering just overtop of his skin - not quite touching, but close enough so that it used to make the hairs on the back of his neck rise on end. He was comfortable with the feeling now though, it felt right - normal. Such a strange word to still be in Ryou's vocabulary, but he supposed that 'normal' truly was a matter of perspective.

((Want to take over for a while, Bakura? It's a beautiful day.))

He heard a rough scoff. ))Then enjoy it. You're almost there and I'll be taking over tonight, anyway.((

Such a change. Sometimes it really did mystify them both how drastically their relationship had shifted since the incident at the Shrine... if you could call what they had before a 'relationship'. Did a slave have a relationship with their master? Probably not. For the most part at the beginning the change had been forced upon them, the thief needing to help his host support them both or risk Ryou's mind collapsing completely. By the time Bakura's soul had healed, the Brit was positively dragging, his soul nearly warn through... until one morning he awoke with an energy that he had forgotten could be possible. The thief used his own energy to give the boy a boost and, in exchange, Ryou willingly shared use of the body. It was nearly ironic how Bakura's old remark of paying rent to his landlord had become so damn literal.

Leaving Domino City had helped the most in leaving the past behind them and now, five years later, they were making a life for themselves in the world as one person. Because of this, most people who knew Ryou Bakura thought rather openly that he was one of the strangest people they knew. After all, it wasn't exactly a common occurrence that one person was able to walk out of the arts club and onto the rugby field and be friends with the people in each setting. Most of his friends just took him as bipolar, which wasn't really that far off from the truth.

Ryou always visited his father on the weekends instead of staying at his dorm. Sure, he got jabs from his friends because of this habit, but the father and son had lost so many of the past years that all they really wanted right now was to reclaim what time they could. Bakura stayed as silent as the grave during those visits, burying himself back into his soulroom to leave the two in peace. The man still didn't know of the spirit's continued existence in his son's body and, as far as Bakura could see, it was best for it to stay that way.

Ryou, on the other hand, wanted to tell him.

The young man's smile only grew as a familiar house came into sight down the street. It was a large house on the very outskirts of Eastern London, divided into three separate parts for three families. The small patch of grass at the front of the house was edged with the same red brick that constructed the house and it too divided the property from one owner from another. Ryou's father lived on the right side of the building, allowing the added bonus of a few windows along the length of the house that looked out onto the street. The front door was brought out from the rest of the house with a small room of its own to make a sort of entrance way. Brown trim work perhaps needing a new paint job, bushes had grown tall up and along the front of the house, breaking up the solid brick with its vivid green and decorative flowers. It was in the back yard, however, that the main gardens were laid in... ones which Ryou's mother used to spend a lot of her time planting different flowers and vegetables.

His father had worked like hell to keep ownership of the property after their family had shattered, not wanting to move in case his son found his way back. Now more than ever, he was glad to have made that choice.

Walking up the short path of interlocked stones, Ryou jogged up a few stone steps and knocked lightly on the door. Giving a slight wave to a neighbour in the front yard of the third part of the building, Ryou was still wearing his small smile as the door pulled open.

He had aged, there was no denying that. Light pieces of gray had invaded his once intense blue hair, leaving it slightly dulled in its ponytail. Wrinkles were beginning to line his features ever so slightly, giving him a worn look that he had probably acquired after Ryou had left for Japan. Thin-rimmed glasses sat on his nose in front of strong, brown eyes... that suddenly softened at the very sight of his boy.

Wearing an old beige shirt and jeans, a smile appeared on his lips. "Come to give your old man even more gray hairs, hm?"

Ryou laughed, immediately noticing that ghostly feel over his skin disappear in a shot. Strangely enough, he found himself missing it. "What better way to spend a weekend?"

He returned the laugh, taking his son's hand and giving him a hug at the same time before stepping back and letting him inside. "How's school?" He questioned as he closed the door. "Having any problems?"

"None at all." Ryou replied as he kicked off his sneakers and dumped his bag on the floor, leaving his dad behind as he walked into the slightly narrow home that was mostly decorated in elaborately carved wood. His father had always been good with his hands. "I have an exam coming up in the next few weeks, hopefully all will go well with that."

The man followed him in, not able to hold back a laugh as he found his son routing through the fridge. "Ah, so that's why you came to see me: to steal my food." Stepping forward, he ruffled the young man's messy hair as Ryou straightened with a beer in his hand. "You truly are a Bakura."

"Oh, blast, and I'd hoped the curse had skipped a generation." He gave a slight pout as his father took the beer for himself, making Ryou get another. He would have a tea later, right now he wanted to cool off a little. "Anyway, if things keep going as they are, I should be graduating at the very top of my class."

"Like I said," the man proclaimed proudly, opened the screen door to step into the backyard as he did, "following the Bakura tradition."

Ryou laughed, "right, because you were such a top student in school. I bet you know every duty a janitor has to do at every point in the day."

He flopped down in chair out in the backyard, offering a wide grin. "Had to do something during detention."

"Right." The young man took his own seat amongst the perfectly-kept plants, comfortably sinking into it. "I think you've told me about a hundred different stories."

He shrugged, opening his beer and taking a sip. "The indoor snowball fight was one of my personal favorites." Taking another drink, he slowly shook his head, staring at his son. "My boy the lawyer. Now that comes with quite a bit of bragging rights, to be sure." He smiled. "I'm proud of you, Ryou."

"I know, dad." The young man smirked, opening his can and taking a sip. "But I still have a lot of work to do before I graduate."

"You'll do fine, you always have." A grin spread over the man's features. "Now, for the important bit: any lasses chasing you down? Surely you got that from me, if nothing else." When he caught a blush growing on Ryou's cheek, he laughed, "I knew it! Is it that girl you mentioned before? What was her name...?" He snapped his fingers. "Jami!"

Ryou groaned, quickly glancing around him for something to change the subject to. "Trim work needs repainting." He said rather randomly, gesturing to the house. "Maybe I'll take the afternoon and get it done next time I'm here."

His father smirked knowingly, willing to let the topic drop... for now. However, his cheerful demeanor seemed to drop with it. "I take it you're heading to that duel monsters thing tonight?"

The young man nodded. "It's only about half an hour from here by bus, I shouldn't be too long. The prize money helps with the bills."

A touch of sternness invaded his eyes. "You know that I can give you any money you need, Ryou. For Pete's sake, you went to law school on a full scholarship, I think I can afford a bit of grocery money." He sighed slightly. "Honestly, Ryou, after everything that happened with that damn Millennium Ring... I wouldn't have thought that you'd want to keep playing that game..."

Ryou's frown deepened, his eyes dropping to his lap. He had nothing to say.

Suddenly realizing where he had taken the conversation, the father shook his head as though to clear his thoughts. "Never mind, Ryou. Forget I said that." He murmured quietly, forcing a smile forward. "So, you're still playing rugby?"

As conversation shifted onto safer topics, the afternoon shifted into evening as the sun began to dip down low on the horizon, draping an odd orangish light over London. Saying some last minute goodbyes to his father, Ryou slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the house, trotting down the few steps before walking briskly out onto the sidewalk. The streets were quieter than they were before, allowing a stillness to settle the residential area as Ryou came to wait at the bus stop. He breathed a deep sigh, letting the cooler air fill his lungs and settle his mind. He couldn't believe that he actually felt guilty about going to this small, night tournament. He knew his father didn't understand... but he didn't know about Bakura yet.

Ryou felt a shift in his mind as a presence came forward and that ghostly feel returned over his skin. He was thankful for it right now, it felt comforting in its own strange, messed-up way. ((I told you that you don't have to seal yourself off from the world when I visit my dad.)) He watched the bus pull up with half-interest, boarding without a second thought and choosing a random seat to slump down into. ((I don't know why you think you do.))

He received no response for a moment, then the feeling over Ryou's skin grew lighter and, not a second later, his transparent yami was slouched in the seat next to him - obviously claiming the window seat for himself. Slumped over half-way down the seat with one knee braced on the back of the seat in front of him comfortably, the ancient thief gave a smug smirk with one arm laid across his chest and his other propped up on the first one, his hand fiddling idly with his devilish locks.

))Correct me if I'm wrong,(( he spoke, voice practically dripping with arrogance, ))but is the point of you visiting your father not to catch up on past years and reestablish a relationship of sorts?((

Ryou frowned, his gaze finding his lap. ((Well, yes, but–))

))Time that, I will point out, was lost because of myself and Zork?((

He gave the spirit a glare. ((Bakura, that was–))

((Is it not true?))

The young man had to suppress a groan, raising a hand to try to rub away the tension across his forehead. ((You're impossible.))

))I rest my case.((

((That's my line.))

))Not yet, it isn't. You still have quite a bit of schooling left, so don't get cocky.((

((That's coming from you?))

))Touche.(( A silence spread between the two as Bakura's gaze shifted to stare out the window, watching the world whiz by. ))Where is it this time?((

Ryou smirked slightly - the underlying eagerness in the other's tone was almost too easy to detect. ((At a small club down on Second. Depending on how many people enter, the prize could be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand.)) His light stare turned to his transparent other self. ((This tournament is also boasting to have a new twist to the matches.))

The young man couldn't help but chuckle as a sinister grin slowly crept across his yami's features, a sharp look invading the thief's glare to promise pain to whoever was unfortunate enough to be his opponent. After all, if there was one thing about Bakura that hadn't changed, it was that he still loved to scare the shit out of people.

The last rays of sun were just leaking out of the horizon by the time Ryou found himself standing outside the club. Considering it was a Night Tournament, there were quite a few people here. Backpack slung over his shoulder, the white haired man hesitated under the lamplight for a moment, eyeing the place over.

((Alright, take them down.))

You only had to blink and you would miss it. Warm eyes suddenly cooled, a sharp blade that had been dormant in each iris pulling to the surface to make his glare cut at just a single glance. An air of confidence and arrogance practically radiated off of the being as an intense smirk worked its way across his lips, his hair shifting to take a more demonic feel. He scanned those around him as they slowly entered the club, some dressed up like idiots, some in casual clothes, and some in between. As for him, he only needed two things.

Taking the backpack from his shoulder, Bakura pulled it open and grabbed the article within, practically ripping it out in all its magnificence. A sudden wind caught the material, allowing the thief to easily slip his arms into the sleeves before it settled around him for the perfect fit. No, Bakura wasn't much for fashion... but he did love his black trench coat. The weight of it across his shoulders, the way the collar stood on end around his neck, the way the tails spiked inward to complete his sharp appearance... it was one of things he'd latched onto in this modern world.

Satisfied, the thief pulled his deck from his backpack as well, fanning them out in his hand for one final check before flipping them together again, Dark Necrofear at the base. Tossing the backpack over his shoulder again, Bakura made his way into the club slowly, daring anyone to rush him. Of course, no one did. All it took was one glare and everyone seemed more than happy to let the thief take his time. Mortals were fairly easy to deal with, after all.

He signed up as 'Tozokuoh', he always had. It was his way of attempting to keep this life away from Ryou's. This place wasn't good enough for his host, but it suited him just fine. The smell of cigarettes and beer drifted through the air of the club, adding its own touch to the atmosphere as Bakura took a seat. Some woman wanted him to have a drink, but he ignored her completely, eyes focused on the raised dueling platform in the middle of the club. He supposed it was usually used for dancers or something of the like, but tonight... it was his and no one was going to distract him.

Tonight was his night.

A burly announcer stepped up on the stage as the room quieted down slightly. "Looks like we have quite the turnout tonight," he spoke, voice deep and a confident smirk flashing beneath an overgrown goatee. Bakura wasn't sure what his accent was, but it wasn't quite British. "I suppose half of you are psyched out of your minds with Yugi Muto's lasted victory blasted across all the airways..."

Bakura scowled, shuffling his deck subconsciously.

"...but tonight I say this: Yugi WHO?!" He shouted out.

An echo cheered back at him from the crowd, "'Yugi WHO'!"

"In this club tonight, we will give new meaning to the word dueling as not only your skills as duelists are tested, but also your strength and stamina! Tonight, I don't want to even hear the names of those supposed champions of the game!"

Another cheer rose up, spurring an amused smirk from Bakura - this man knew how to work a crowd.

"Let's find the real champion right here tonight!" He whirled around, gesturing to a nearly worn-out screen behind him that was slowly scrolling down to columns worth of names. "Computer, choose our first duelists!"

At those words, the scrolling suddenly blasted into high-gear, turning the names into nothing but a solid blur as the computer randomly selected the first competitors of the night. Slowly, one column began to slow down until it was just crawling by, finally stopping and illuminating the name "Flashpoint" in a blue glow. Bakura paid half-attention to a cheer across the room, watching the second column slowly stop... right on "Tozokuoh" which was blazed in a red light.

The thief smirked. ))Perfect.((

Rising to his feet, Bakura made his way to the stage before jumping effortlessly onto the platform, not paying any attention to the stairs not even ten feet away. Taking a duel disk from the announcer, the thief attached it to his arm before sliding his deck into the holding compartment, making his way to his dueling spot as he did. Turning, he scowled at the image of his so-called challenge. A straight-cut man in a fitted blue suit smirked at the thief, brown hair slicked back neatly against his head and black rimmed glasses on his nose. He seemed like the ultimate of business types, blending into the club as well as a goat amongst horses.

Bakura smirked cuttingly as the man took position across from him. "This won't take long."

"You are absolutely correct," the other responded as he set his deck in place. "I suggest you not to blink - my deck works a million-fold faster than what I'm sure you can think." His smirk grew confidently. "I've mastered this game in a way that an amateur punk like yourself couldn't even begin to comprehend."

))You've got to be kidding me.(( The thief snickered, amused to no end, "old man, you have no idea who you're speaking to."

"Am I not speaking to 'Tozokuoh'?" He scoffed. "What a name. What does it even mean?"

"It can mean plenty of things." Bakura's smirk grew, his duel disk setting itself. "But, for you, it means your ultimate demise!"

His duel disk activated. "I highly doubt that. I'll have you beaten in a flash!"

"LET'S DUEL!"

The man flashed a smile. "I will begin." He drew, only to lift his cold stare to the thief. "I have you in my sights, it seems. Meteor of Destruction, level one thousand of his Life Points!"

"What?!" Bakura snapped, only to cringe as a fury of flaming meteors blasted his side of the stage into a fiery inferno. As the image died off, he opened his mouth to speak... only to clamp it shut as an electric current suddenly surged up his arm, attacking his every nerve as he dealt with the burning agony... then it faded off. He growled. ))Ryou.((

((I... I'm f-fine... wasn't expecting that though, I must admit.)) The boy heaved a breath, seemingly to steady himself. ((So, this must be the... new twist they were boasting.)) He scowled. ((It's torture dueling.))

))Like a Shadow Game.(( A creepy grin worked onto his lips as he straightened, chuckling to himself at the stunned look of his opponent who had also obviously been caught off guard by the electric show as well. ))Seal yourself in your soulroom - you won't feel any of this.((

((No, I–))

))I mean it, Ryou. This isn't open for discussion.((

((Oh, bugger off. I'm not going anywhere.))

))Do not make me seal you off myself.((

((We both know you won't do that,)) the other growled lowly. ((Now, stop bickering with me and say something to him!))

Bakura's chuckle grew at the mortified expression across from him, cracking his neck one way then the other. "That was shocking," he mocked. "Seems our duel disks have a loose circuit, hm?"

"Electrocution?!" His stare shot to the announcer sitting off stage. "You expect me to barbecue some kid?! Are you insane?!"

"The crowd likes to see a show." The bear-like man grinned. "So either make with the fireworks..." he rolled off challengingly, eyes flashing in strict warning, "...or you can pass your turn and let your opponent have a go. See if he is as compassionate as you."

"No!" The man snapped, "I won't do this! I forfeit!"

"Not an option!"

Suddenly, small pieces of the floor dropped down on either side of each duelist and mechanical clamps flew out, sealing themselves around the ankles of both duelist to hold them in place. Mechanical arms only having a few jointed parts, they made moving difficult - if not, then impossible - to do. The crowd rose up in a mighty cheer at the spectacle.

Flashpoint shuttered, expression frozen with anger and fear as his fists clenched at his sides, "You bastard!" He seethed, turning to the announcer the best he could. "You didn't–"

"Fool." Bakura sneered, arms crossed over his chest. "Why don't you stop talking before you drag us down any further than being chained to the stage?" He flashed a grin, revealing a sharp canine. "Let's continue, shall we?"

Flashpoint spun, looking at the thief with a stunned expression. "You're accepting this?!"

The other's grin merely widened in challenge. "A contract is a contract. You did read the thing, didn't you?" He chuckled darkly. "Obviously not. I'm afraid that turning tail and running just isn't an option down here. If you want such luxuries then go enter into something from the surface world. Down here we have our own rules." He smirked devilishly, his comments earning a few dark chuckles from around the room. "Now, are you going to finish your turn or is it my go?"

The man gritted his teeth. "Very well, but remember that this was your choice." He chose his cards. "I play Hinotama and Ookazi!"

Another pelting of fire dropped Bakura's Life Points to 1700 (500 damage and 800 damage) along with another charge of electricity that blasted his system so badly that it nearly dropped him to his knees. As Bakura attempted to recover from the blow, the man played two magic cards. The first made a player pay Life Points to summon monsters, the total price being the monster's level x100. The second was to add a toll for attacking with the same principal used - the monster's level x100 points. This did, however, leave him with no monsters on the field and no cards in his hand, but it left Bakura in quite a tight spot regardless.

The thief was beyond annoyed. He had wanted someone to mess with for a while, someone he could weave his fingers around and mold into a perfect little puppet that feared their own shadow. However, he wasn't willing to risk the prize money to fight this idiot. The fool fought with magic cards alone - probably only carrying a few monsters in his whole deck - and that in itself made him too great of a liability to mess with for long.

"Your pitiful dueling strategy is a bore as much as it is cowardly," Bakura snapped. "I won't deal with the likes of someone who cowers behind their magic cards like a frightened rat. Where's the brutality in a deck with no fangs or claws, but merely magic and traps?" His eyes narrowed. "I will teach you the true nature of this game. My first turn will be your last, mortal."

"Yes, for you it will be shortly." The man's frown deepened, he didn't seem to be enjoying this at all. "I won't prolonge your suffering."

Lowly, Bakura began to chuckle to himself in amusement... only to then burst out laughing at the top of his lungs. "'Prolonge my suffering'? You fool! You have no idea what the word 'suffering' implies! This little game is pathetic compared to the true horrors that await lost souls in the shadows of night!"

It was at times like these that he really wished he still had some iota of Shadow Magic within him. He really wanted to shroud the place in a purple fog right about now.

"This duel ends now." As his opponent stiffened, Bakura picked his card. "First, I'll summon Revenge Spirit (700/250) in attack mode!" As the image appeared before him, the thief nearly started laughing when he took four hundred damage to his score and another charge drove through him. He staggered against it, his knees nearly buckling out from under him... but his smirk was only growing. ))Just like old times...((

"A weak monster for a high cost. Attack me all you want," Flashpoint retorted, "you will only be destroying yourself."

"Who said anything about attacking yet?" Bakura snickered, holding up a card. "Now, I activate a powerful magic card known as Final Destiny. With this, all cards on the field are destroyed... all I have to do is sacrifice the cards left in my hand."

The man cringed as his cards disintegrated, frowning as his opponent's monster was destroyed as well. "But, why...?"

"Fear not, mortal, it'll make sense soon enough... once I explain Revenge Spirit's special ability." He grinned. "When it is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can pay half my Life Points in order to summon another creature to the field straight from my deck for one turn... and I choose my Ultimate Obedient Fiend (3500/3000)!"

A blast of energy drew across the field in a whirlwind of power, out from the middle of which a giant, red beast was drawn upwards and onto the dueling field. Cramping the room, the powerful creature loomed over Flashpoint hungrily, drool dripping from between sharp teeth. It's breath was putrid, making the business man gag as he did his best to cover his nose with the sleeve of his jacket.

He growled, "this isn't over! Even if you do attack me, I'll still be left with 500 Life Points!"

"Wrong," the thief returned easily. "Remember when I discarded my hand to the Graveyard? Well, I'd been holding a monster called Dark Matter (0/0). When its in the Graveyard, it boosts my Dark types by 500 Points! Just enough to give my Fiend the power to obliterate you!"

"NO!"

"Ultimate Obedient Fiend, ATTACK!"

The blast was incredible, making the bone-chilling scream that accompanied it all the more haunting as Flashpoint's Life Points fell to zero in one solid attack. He shook on the floor wildly, his body lashed with electricity that made his muscles jerk and twist against his will. When his punishment ended, he was dragged off stage and tended to by a nurse on standby.

"And the first winner of the night is Tozokuoh!"

A strong cheer rose up to congratulate the victory, but Bakura paid no attention. Taking back his cards, he removed the duel disk from his arm as the shackles around his ankles jerked open - giving him freedom once again. Tossing his disk at the announcer, he promptly jumped down from the stage and ordered a drink as he sat down.

This was going to be a very amusing night.

The duelist known as Tozokuoh dueled three more times and confronted three more versions of torture dueling... each time ending in victory. The final match was his occult deck against an alien deck. The duel had lasted for long enough, seemingly-assured victory swaying from one duelist to the other as each turn progressed... but, at the very end, Bakura won with Dark Necrofear and Diabound in a combination attack that left his opponent stunned.

Prize money tucked away in his backpack, Bakura exited the club just an hour or so past midnight, breathing in the cold night air. The thief wasn't much impressed by cold anything, but the chilly summer nights of England kind of felt similar to the chill that used to spread over Egypt when the sun had dipped down. Despite some memories that he'd rather forget from his long life, he did miss his old home. No matter where he was or how he changed or how it changed over the years, Kul-Elna would always be home.

Ryou's soft smile could be heard in his voice, ((we could always take a trip there.))

))Stay out my personal thoughts.(( He scowled, already knowing the concept was absurd as their minds were even closer now than they were before. ))And your father would just love that, now, wouldn't he?(( The slight shift between them put Ryou back in control with just the blink of an eye. Settling back into his mind, Bakura stared out of his host's eyes onto the dark, downtown roads. ))He already disapproves of you dueling... can you imagine what he would say if you suddenly had the urge to go to Egypt? The man has already abandoned his archeologist work because of the incidents in the past, he's not about to allow you to walk right into the heart of where everything began.((

(('Allow me'? Bakura, I'm an adult. I can do what I want.)) Turning, Ryou made his way down the street, the flickering lamplight spilling over his shoulders as he went. ((If I so happen to suddenly want to root around in a desert, then that's what I'll do.))

))And you expect the very person that you are attempting to reconnect with to be alright with that?(( Bakura rolled his eyes, a light growl in his tone. ))The memories you'll be stirring up will be too much for him to handle.((

Ryou's brow furrowed. ((I know.)) He whispered back, trying to hide the pang of sorrow that this conversation was bringing on him. ((I... I haven't forgotten.))

Bakura frowned, sensing the change in his host instantly. ))You belong in London, Ryou... with your father.(( Then he pulled back without another word, preparing to seal himself off to give Ryou some peace for a little while.

The boy stopped dead as the ghostly feel over his skin suddenly drew fainter. ((Bakura, stop!)) He shouted in his mind, slight relief flooding him when he felt the other hesitate. ((D-Don't... don't leave again. You're one of my closest friends... and I don't want you to constantly be sealing yourself away anymore.))

))Keh. Don't be a imbecile, Ryou. We may have gotten closer, but you and I could never be friends. I destroyed most of your life and plenty of who you are as a person, don't lie to me and say that you can honestly forgive me for that.((

((Oh, bloody hell, I've already forgiven you, dammit!)) The boy shouted back with a growing edge to his tone, hands fisting at his side. ((It's you that won't forgive yourself!))

))Is that so?(( He mocked straight back.

((Yes! Why else would you disappear every time I visit my dad? Why else would you retreat back to your soulroom the very instant that the conversation sways too deeply into what happened to my family and my old friends?))

Bakura growled, anger rising to defend himself. ))Did it ever occur to you that perhaps I draw back because I don't want to deal with your pathetic family or your smothering emotions? Sitting in my soulroom is much more welcoming than the headache I would get by bothering with either!((

Ryou forced himself to relax, not wanting to take the bait. ((Liar.))

))What?!((

((You're a liar, always have been. You'd say anything to get me mad at you so I'd drop the subject, wouldn't you? You're very skilled at manipulation, Bakura... but I know your game, so stop being a coward.))

The ghostly feel drew even lighter as the spirit pulled out of their shared body, glaring at Ryou in cold murder with transparent hands clenched tight at his sides. ))What did you say, boy?!((

He young man looked straight back, a challenging yet sweet smirk tilting his features. ((You're a coward.))

The thief's eye twitched in suppressed anger. ))You impudent little–((

"–Prick," he finished for his dark half, chuckling softly. He was glad he was the only one on the street right now, otherwise someone might have took him for being on drugs. "I suppose you and I have more in common then just our looks then, yes?"

Bakura snarled, annoyance written clear across his features as he stubbornly crossed his arms, his murderous stare shifting off his host to dissect some poor rat nosing around in the garbage of an alley. His mind had froze on him, leaving him with nothing to say... and not for the first time either. Ryou was, in fact, the only person in Bakura's entire existence that had ever been able to accomplish leaving the thief speechless. It wasn't something the spirit was proud of either.

((...Meet my dad.))

Bakura's glare shot back to Ryou, eyeing the boy doubtfully. ))No.((

((I've kept him in the dark about you long enough.)) His frown dipped lower, softening the small smile on his features. ((He deserves to know the truth.))

The thief glowered. ))He deserves to think that what is left of his family has managed to escape the curse the Millennium Ring brought upon them.((

Ryou sighed slightly as he started to walk, his transparent yami following beside him. The young man was, after all, the only person able to see him. ((The Ring was toxic.)) He admitted after a moment of silence. ((You may have done a lot of things yourself, Bakura, but it was the Ring itself that plagued my family with bad luck. It caused so much to happen in such little time and I didn't want to believe any of it was real at first. The Ring wanted me alone - it wanted me to cling to it... to depend on it and nothing else. That's why it made those around me suffer so much...))

))Don't blame the Ring for my own actions.(( Bakura snapped more viciously than he had intended. He hated talking about the past. He hated it! However, he did force himself to tone it down a few notches when he spoke again, ))I was the one who destroyed those closest to you.((

((Not all of them.)) Ryou offered a faltering smile that was crushed the second it was created. ((You had nothing to do with mum's or Amane's deaths. Dad can't–))

))Your father won't believe that for an instant. By telling him about me, you will only make things more difficult on yourself.((

((I... I just don't want to keep this from him anymore, Bakura. I can make him at least give you a chance...))

He smirked bitterly, his stare moving back to Ryou's. ))I think I might have screwed that chance when I forced you to stab him, remember?((

Ryou sighed, still forcing himself to not take the bait. He wouldn't get mad again, that's exactly what Bakura wanted, after all. ((I remember,)) he replied quietly, hesitating at a street corner before walking forward again.

))Whether you believe me or not, I am not trying to make this even more difficult for you, Ryou.(( His stare narrowed. ))But I also won't have you fooling yourself with these fantasies of how things should be. You know in your soul that no one should know of my existence within you.(( When Ryou gave him a look, Bakura sighed, remembering someone who actually did. ))Fine, no one else then, alright? It's bad enough with one outsider knowing.((

((I still think you're being a coward about this.))

))And I still think you're delusional, but I don't go and tell you, now, do I?((

Ryou chuckled, ((ya, thanks a–))

The shrill cry of squealing tires broke the silence of the night as the young man shot around, eyes flying wide as a set of blinding lights spun through the corner beside him, the vehicle's tail nearly missing the turn completely. Fear froze him as a horn blared out hauntingly, the wheels suddenly jamming up... and Ryou's world shattered like glass.

His body jerked forward, his legs sweeping out from underneath him as he smashed against the windshield, bones snapping like twigs as his body was thrown aside like a rag-doll. The road burnt against his skin as he met with it next, more bones shattering as he smashed back down to the ground and rolled across the pavement until he finally came to a stop near the sidewalk. Sprawled on his stomach, blood and vomit choked up his throat, spewing over the road he lay on as still as the grave. Dull eyes flickered for a brief second before stilling completely, his entire body turning cold and numb as a dampness spread out beneath him, staining the pavement crimson.

Brow twitching tensely against the agony that bristled through his entire soul, a groan leaked from Bakura's lips as he pushed himself up from the floor of his soulroom, consciousness finally dawning on him. Weakly pushing himself to his feet, the thief held his aching skull for dear life as he squinted into the darkness that surrounded him in confusion, desperately scrambling to remember what had happened. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, only to stumble sideways as he lost his balance.

))What the hell...?!(( He cursed to himself, tenderly holding his head that began to swim with his rapid movements. ))What happened...?((

Squealing tires.

A flood of light.

Thump!

Crack!

Thud!

Bakura's eyes flew wide. "RYOU!"

A haunting yet quiet echo whispered back,"Ryou."

He bolted to his door, doing his best to ignore his spinning senses as he stumbled more than once on his way. Hand snatching the doorhandle, he twisted and pulled... to no avail. He growled at the unmoving blockade in his path, a canine flashing as he twisted and pulled the handle again... then again a different way... to the same result.

"Dammit!"

"Dammit."

Pulling back, he shot his fist straight into the dented steel hard enough to make it shutter where it stood... and for him to cry out as he quickly retracted his hand, gripping it tightly as his snarl pulled tighter. A mocking echo of his cry sounded back to him, making him all the more enraged as he whipped forward again - smashing the door with both hands again and again and again in a mad furry.

"Let me OUT!"

"Let me out."

He whipped around with his foot, smashing the door as hard as he could... and, finally, it seemed to shift on its hinges. Pulling open with an whining creek, it lifted its seal around the Tomb Robber and, with it, a flood of emotion suddenly washed over him of nothing but pure agony and fear. Bakura snarled against the pressure of it, pushing forward as fast as his legs would allow him to. The corridor was shredding around him as he practically fell against his hikari's door, only this one swung wide open to send the thief down to his hands and knees - unable to catch his balance in time.

Groaning, Bakura lifted his head to the room that was once very definition of neat and tidy... which was now ransacked. Large gashes had ripped the room apart, many of the articles throughout it shattered to pieces on the tattered floor... and, right on the far side of the room, a young man sat on the edge of his bed.

))Ryou.((

Gritting his teeth, Bakura pushed himself back up onto unstable legs and made his way across the room, stopping right before the boy. Ryou didn't respond to the other's presence, his head hanging low to conceal most of his face with his arms leaning on his thighs - hands clasped together in the middle. His skin looked pasty and his hair hung limply around his head like a mop, strands sticking out every which way.

Bakura's frown furrowed deeper. "Ryou," he spoke, his voice sounding far too loud amongst the eery stillness of his hikari's soulroom.

Fear began to weave its needle through the stone features of the thief when he got no reply from his host, not even a shift in how he was sitting. Slowly crouching down in front of him, Bakura's stare lifted to match with Ryou's... only for his entire being to tense at the blank expression that greeted him. Eyes glazed over, the boy's face remained completely emotionless as he stared into the abyss in front of him as though his yami wasn't even there.

"Ryou," Bakura addressed, firmer this time, but his response - or lack thereof - was still the same. Teeth gritted, he leaned forward further as he raised his hand to just in front of his hikari's face and snapped his fingers.

The boy's head suddenly jerked up, eyes widening at the other staring back at him for a few seconds, only for his expression to soften as he offered a slight smile. "H-Hi, Bakura."

The thief frowned. "Hey, Ryou," he responded cooly, analyzing his hikari's odd behavior. When his eyes had come alert again, the expression over his face was undeniable: Ryou hadn't recognized him. ))A concussion, perhaps?(( He noted, "you seem fairly rattled."

"I... I think I'm... a bit more than... r-rattled... Bakura." A frown setting itself over his features, Ryou's stare lifted to the mess surrounding him. He bit his lip at the sight of it, his eyes clamping shut as he dipped his head down... only for a hand to come and lift it back up for him.

"You look at me, alright? Focus." When the hikari nodded, Bakura's brow furrowed deeper. "What do you remember?"

He nodded again. "T-The car... c-car... car..." He suddenly shuddered horribly and shook his head, his hands shooting up to grip his skull for dear life as his fingers dug deep into his hair. "N-No, no, no, no, no!" He shouted, his knuckles turning white. "No!"

"Ryou, get a hold of yourself!" Bakura snapped, grabbing his hikari's wrists and forcing the boy's arms down. "Look. At. Me." He bit off, "I think you may have a concussion, so–"

The hikari shook his head limply, eyes going dull. "I... I'm... f-falling apart..."

"Dammit, boy, would you just shut up? You're not with it at all, are you? Just sit here and I'll get us to a hospital," he snapped, rising to his feet... only to freeze at the next words that touched the air.

"A-Already there..."

Bakura slowly turned, frown darkening. "...What?"

"A... a-about a... w-wee...week now..." Ryou gestured weakly to the door across the room, eyes fixed on the floor. "...C-Coma... c-ca...c-can't get out." His head sunk lower, his voice barely hearable, "...c-can't get out..."

The thief tensed, hands fisting at his sides. A week in coma? But wasn't that usually associated with...? His eyes shot wide. ))N-No... no, it can't...!((

Ryou's stare lifted to his frozen yami, tears streaming down his pale face. "I... I can't... t-think... B-Bakura... I c-can't... c-can't...!" He shook his head wildly, hair flying everywhere as pain and frustration echoed in his voice, "I can't!"

A shiver trailed down the thief spine, every instinct in him wanting to draw away... but he pushed himself to step closer instead. "R-Ryou...?" He whispered, but a sudden shudder passed through the room, making Bakura stumble as the room shook around them. When it stopped, everything was in far worse shambles then before... and Bakura wasted no more time in crouching down in front of his hikari once again. "Ryou, you have to..." he trailed off, his eyes caught by streams of crimson marking the other's pale skin along his arms.

Carefully taking the boy's wrist with no resistence met, Bakura scanned over the few bleeding gashes - each one of them no more than a few inches in length, but they weren't torn... the cuts were too clean. It was as though the skin had just split apart. It was then that the thief understood...

...Ryou's mind was collapsing.

He growled, a blazing fire igniting in his stare as his hands went to Ryou's face, forcing the boy to look at him. The tears that streamed from unfocused eyes made a pain flare in Bakura's chest like nothing he had ever known, but he forced himself to push through it as he stared straight into his hikari's own stare - fear evident in both of them.

"You listen to me, Ryou," Bakura growled, voice firm as he was careful not to touch the few gashes that had appeared over his host's face. "You're not giving up, understand? You're going to fight this off, because there's no way in hell you're ending like this, got it? No way in hell!"

Amongst streaming tears and pain woven into his core, Ryou offered a brittle smile. "I... I n-n-nee..." he stopped and bit his lip, trying again, "I n-nee... n-need... y-you t-to... p-pr-prom...ise... me... s-some...th-thing..."

The thief snarled. "Like hell! Ryou, don't even think about it! You're not damn-well leaving...! What would I do without you, hm? Fucking three thousand year old tomb robber can't operate a microwave without cursing something into oblivion!" He took the boy's trembling shoulders in his hands... or was he the one that was trembling? "You're not leaving me here alone, alright? I'm selfish like that! You're not allowed to fucking die, Ryou, do you understand me?!" His eyes stung sharply. "Y-You... you can beat this. You've overcome harder things, you just have to focus! Dammit, boy, you're going to be a lawyer! You're going to have a good, long life and get married and all that crap! UNDERSTAND?!"

Another quake tore into the room, the bed Ryou sat on breaking... but Bakura grabbed him before he even began to fall. Stumbling to keep both their balance, the thief crouched down on the floor, arms supporting the nearly limp young man as Ryou's head rested against the tomb robber's shoulder. The room fell to pieces around them, walls revealing massive holes into the promising blackened abyss... and Bakura held on tighter. Arms wrapped protectively around his hikari as though that could shield him, the thief buried his face in Ryou's hair as he felt tears gleam down his cheeks... as though that could shield him. Bakura gritted his teeth, trying in vain to ignore the blood soaking into the clothes, the blood beneath his hands... the blood that covered everything.

"...B-Baku...ra..." a frail voice came, a pale hand rising to lightly lay over the yami's tense arm.

The thief shuddered, just wanting to hold on tighter as tears fell freely down his face. The boy, this boy, was the only family he had left... how could he just let him go?! Ryou had saved him, been the only damn person that had still cared after everything he had done... and now he was just going to leave?!

"R-Ryou," Bakura spoke through gritted teeth, "y-you can't... you can't do this! You have to fight it...!"

The young man gave a small smile into his yami's blood-soaked shirt, a blessing numbness canceling out some of the gut-wrenching pain inside of him. "B-Ba...ku...ra..." he breathed, voice shallow, "p-pr...om...ise... m-me... y-you'll... be h-hap...py." He lifted his head slowly, staring up wearily into sharp eyes that had become red with tears. Concern weaving into his features, Ryou rose a shaky hand to his friend's face. "...Use... u-use m-m-my... b-bod...y... a-and be... h-ha-hap... h-happy... f-find it..."

"W-What...?" Bakura couldn't bear it. How many times had the thief used the body as his own? He couldn't even hope to begin to count and, yet, holding the fading soul of his own reincarnation - his host - at that moment... Bakura didn't think Ryou could have asked for anything more impossible. He shook his head, eyes shut. "No. No, I won't! Dammit, Ryou... this... t-this is your life! You have to live it. I... I'm not you... I can't do t-this for you..."

"...Y-You... c-can..." he whispered, fighting to merely keep his eyes open. "...Y-You... w-will... f-for me... i-if not... y-yours-self..."

Bakura eyes opened, sorrow, fear and pain distorting his usually solid features. "No..." he choked out, "n-no, dammit...!"

The room suddenly tore, everything around them shattered like pieces of glass... Ryou's form following suit as his soul shredded into nothing right in Bakura's arms. The thief's haunting cry echoed around him as everything he had come to take for granted disintegrated like paper in water, hurling his mind into the darkness below.

Three Years Later

The radio suddenly blasted into the previously silent apartment at five in the morning, 'Highway to Hell' by AC/DC revved up to the very highest pitch stirring a white haired man from his sleep as his eyes flickered open. A slight sigh slipped from his lips as he simply lay there amongst ruffed-up covers, allowing himself to listen to the song in peace.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Goddamn you, you fucking good for nothing shit-hole! Turn that crap down, some of us are trying to sleep!"

Sharp eyes rolled as irritation shifted his features in a tight snarl. Pushing himself up, he stretched his arms out lazily... and promptly crashed his fist into the wall beside him three times. "And some of us are trying to wake up, you pathetic, disease-infested maggot!" And, with that, he turned up the music louder as AC/DC finished off and was replaced by a blaring SR-71 with their song 'Goodbye.'

Swinging his legs to sit on the side of his bed, he let his arms rest on his knees as he rubbed his eyes sorely, trying in vain to rid himself of the images that still flashed in front of his eyes. Nightmares had always been the plague of his existence... but nowadays he prayed to dream of the massacre of Kul-Elna, he wished to be sent back into Zork's blood-stained clutches... anything, anywhere... if only he didn't have to see his hikari die in his arms yet again. Fate had always been cruel to his soul, whether it was ancient or modern, it didn't matter. It was as though he'd been marked - a scar that threaded into his flesh so deep that it would never leave him no matter now many lives he lived. Ryou had deserved more than that.

Bakura shook his head, eager to be rid of the memories as he rose to his feet... only to immediately fall forward and begin his morning session of push-up. Letting his mind blur, he lost count of the actual number he was doing as he allowed himself to just listen to the music blaring into his apartment, letting it drown him. Music was wonderful that way - how it was able to fill a deafening silence and choke away all the needless distractions... how you could lose yourself and not even care.

Hell, if music could kill someone, they'd probably die hollow and happy.

Bakura continued his routine as 'Breath' by Breaking Benjamin played through, followed by 'Time of Dying' by Three Days Grace, 'Cold' by Crossfade, and countless other songs that all began to blur together. Eventually, however, Bakura did shift and rise back to his feet to take a shower with 'Remember' by Disturbed playing into his apartment. The hot water for his shower had long-since died out as he stood beneath the downfall, one hand on the tiled wall beside him with his brow furrowed deeply in thought.

He was keeping his promise.

He had lived on.

Moved on.

Pushed on.

No matter how tired he got of this world, he had to uphold his hikari's dying wish and, so far, three years had felt a hell of a lot longer with half of his soul missing. However, he did enjoy his work, if nothing else, so he truly did have no real right to complain.

Shaking his head clear, Bakura quickly turned off the water and cleaned himself up, looking into the mirror for a second just to see what kind of mess had become his hair today. With a bit of a ruffle here and there with his hands, he deemed it fit enough and changed into a black shirt and a pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees. Walking back into his apartment, he quickly pocketed his wallet, keys, and switchblade before turning off the radio and heading out the door with a loud SLAM that seemed to echo all through the floors.

He smirked to himself, sticking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, and silently wondered if anyone was going to show up high or hungover today.

The days at the garage were long and hard, but he enjoyed it. After dropping out of law school, he had instead turned towards automotive mechanics. Granted, in today's culture, you practically needed to be part electrician to work with cars, but Bakura had been determined to learn. He spent two years in night school - paid for with clusters of different jobs - and learnt his way around the blue-collar environment. He had figured out early on that he preferred the older vehicles than the newer ones, but each make posed its own challenge and he enjoyed piecing the different puzzles together all the same.

It was all a puzzle to him... and one that let him work with his hands, so all the better. He had taken many different jobs over the past three years, but this one was the only one that had stuck so far. He liked his boss (a miracle) and the other mechanics knew to leave him the hell alone (miracle number two). He doubted that he would find a better fit... or, at least, a better legalized fit. He wanted to do at least that much right.

Giving the engine a final once-over, Bakura straightened his back with an audible CRACK before reaching up and slamming down the hood of the 2004 Chevy three-quarter-ton Silverado. This had been the second time he had had to fix it too... but it would be so much easier to just 'fix' the owner. He insisted on revving the shit out of it every time he got in, thus wearing out and breaking down practically everything.

Grabbing a towel from the workbench nearby, the white haired man leaned back against the clustered, steel table and wiped down his hands and face to get rid of any grease, leaving only slight black smears over pale skin instead of blobs. Sharp eyes lifted across the garage as a familiar face entered and was greeted, of course, by the owner who walked up and shook hands. Bakura watched as they approached and the keys were handed over, knowing silently that it would be back in no time at all. He knew that these sorts of drivers were the biggest supporters of garages, but that didn't change the fact that ignorance pissed him off.

His boss smirked at the annoyed expression over his employee's features as the man got into the truck, revved her up way too high, and sped backwards before swinging onto the road with no mercy once or ever. It was a bloody shame.

"Just look at the dollar signs, Baku," the older man kidded, black hair shaggy but somehow remaining a clean-cut appearance... for in a garage anyway. "People like that are good for business."

Bakura said nothing for a moment, only to close his eyes just as the man was about to walk off. "I told you not the call me that."

"And I told you to drop the attitude." He smirked over his shoulder. "We can't always get what we want, Baku. Now, get to work on that Jaguar that came in the other day. Apparently, the bloody thing keeps stalling. Find out why by the end of today and I'll let you take a spin in it."

The white haired employee just smirked and pushed off from the workbench, tossing his cloth aside absentmindedly as he went to get the keys from the office. It was a silver, 2001 XKR Silverstone, a real beauty of a car that they didn't usually get in... but the word of a top-rate mechanic working for Johnson's Garage had spread rather quickly. Apparently, other garages have tried to find the problem with this certain silver bullet... now it was his turn.

Getting it into the shop took a few minutes, it stalled if you didn't give it gas right away when starting it, but it would also stall for what seemed like no reason at all. Once in the garage, he immediately popped the hood to get a good look at what he was dealing with here, checking every piece of the engine out separately and making mental notes of possible problems and which pieces looked as though they had been fiddled with by another garage. He was already lost on his own train of thought when a voice spoke from the front of the shop, the familiarity in it bringing him back into the real world. At first he didn't recognize it completely, only jarring him enough to make him stop and listen from beneath the hood.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but I was wondering if you could help me?"

He heard his boss chuckle. "I'll certainly do what I can. What seems to be the problem?"

"Well... I was wondering where I could find somewhere to... um..." she seemed to struggle for the right word, "to... 'lease' a car? I'm sorry, usually good with my English but it seems my brain isn't really working this morning..."

"It's okay, I understand just fine," he returned. "What is that accent anyway? Oriental, right?"

"Yes. Japanese."

"I thought so," his boss responded kindly. "Now, as for a rental car, there are several around. What exactly were you hoping for, Miss...?"

"Oh, um, Gardner. Tea Gardner."

Bakura shot up, only to smash his head on the hood with a CRACK that almost seemed to echo through the garage. Cursing to all lowly and above, he held a hand to his head painfully, knees buckling slightly, as his other arm braced himself up on the car, just waiting for the stars to stop circling.

"Hey, Baku? You alright there or are you planning on passing out?"

Shaking his head clear, his stare shot up as his boss came up beside the car... and so did she. His eyes narrowed as hers flew wide in surprise, a slight growl rising from his throat as he watched her recognize him immediately as Ryou... only to suddenly correct herself a mere second later as her features froze in slight fear.

"It's you...!" She gasped, blue eyes wide with the dark stains of jetleg set under them. "B-But... how...?"

He snarled, his glare quickly turning lethal as his hands fisted, one holding his wrench so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. She looked nearly the same as she did eight years ago, brown hair cut just above her shoulders and clothes pulled right out of the latest fashion magazine. She was wearing a white shirt beneath a turquoise jacket that had a single button done up near the collar, allowing the rest to flare open, along with a pale-blue, flared skirt. For the first time in her life she wasn't wearing high-socks, just a pair of white sandals with a slight heel to boost her overall height. Just seeing her made him sick. She was a face from that cursed city on the other side of the world, a place that he had tried his best to forget and move on from... and now here it was being thrown in his face again! Why couldn't the world just leave him the hell alone?!

"Ah, so you know each other." The older man sweatdropped at the two expressions. "Well, that saves introduc–" He blinked as his employee spun on his heel and disappeared into the back of the shop without so much as a word, throwing his wench on the workbench as he passed it. The owner couldn't help but raise a brow. "...Okay then." Suddenly, he saw a movement flash beside him... and he could only watch as she took off into the back as well. He sighed heavily, deciding to follow slowly for damage-control purposes. "The pretty ones are always suicidal..."

In the back of the shop, Bakura's hope to put space between himself and the insufferable wench was being demolished by the second.

"How can you be back?!" He heard her voice practically shriek behind him, words stringing off in Japanese, "Atemu defeated you and sealed you into the Shadow Realm eight years ago!"

He refused to speak that language, countering in English, "don't remind me." He growled darkly without turning, memories of blood splattering across his mind... accompanied by the soft voice of hope that now haunted him every night.

He scowled and marched past two other mechanics working on a Ford (those vehicles need two), sending them a glare on his way past that practically dared them to comment. Of course, they had become wiser since his first day here and kept their traps shut.

"Stop walking away from me!" She demanded heatedly, switching to English, as if she could really make him do anything. "I want to speak to Ryou!"

He froze in his tracks, his entire form bristling as she came to an abrupt stop behind him as well, nearly knocking into him to the point of being forced to retreat a step. His hands tightened even further at his sides, knuckles turning white, as a sharp snarl lifted his features, face swallowed by the shadows of his wild bangs. That single name ran through his mind over and over again, twisting and churning within him like a virus that tore into every fiber of his being. A sharp agony stabbed his chest, fresh and cruel.

"Where's Ryou?" She questioned, worry dampening her words. "I want to talk to him, now!"

How cruel fate loved to be to him. To bring one of them to him like this, to have them demand the impossible... how much longer did the Gods intend to torture him?

"Don't ignore me!" She yelled, anger flaring. "You can't block him out like this! It's his life! Let me talk to him right now, Zork!"

Bakura snarled. "Ryou's gone, you insolent fool!" He spun, towering over her with cold murder written in his eyes. "Ryou's gone and he's not coming back, understand?!"

She froze, dread spilling into her features as she stared up at her old enemy. The colour drained from her face, yet she still managed to whisper out a cluster of words that made her heart twist painfully in her chest. "...What did you do?" She asked, fear constricting around her like a snake.

"'What did I do'?!" He echoed, features twitching with strain as he fought against his own violent desires. "I KILLED HIM!"

Tea's breath caught, eyes widening in disbelief against the murderous glare of the ancient thief as the world turned deathly silent. Heart thundering in her ears, she shook her head slowly as her eyes stung with unshed tears. She had to force words out of her constricted throat, a tightness having settled over her chest making it hard to breathe.

"I... I don't believe you..." she whispered, a single hand clenched above her chest as she refused to look out of those sharp eyes. She wanted to see the lie, the deception... she wanted to see a warmth flicker forward as that quiet boy no one bothered to notice tried to rise forward. She couldn't dare look away - just in case she missed the sign she was begging to see. But, no matter how hard she looked, nothing changed. A single tear escaped from her eye, tracing a path down her cheek. "I don't believe you!" She all but cried out. "Let me see Ryou!"

Bakura snarled, fists clenched so tight they shook at his sides. "Stop saying his name, you little bitch! The boy is dead! Deal with it and leave me alone!" He went to whip around on his heel, only for a hand to snatch out just as fast and catch his shoulder, spinning him back around with surprising strength to face its owner.

"LIKE YOU LEFT HIM ALONE?!" She screamed, eyes practically engulfed in flames and face twisted with grief, pain, and anger. "LIKE YOU LEFT HIM?! He never did anything to you! To anybody! Do you even get how rare that is?!"

He shoved her away, pointing at her threateningly. "Don't you dare assume to know the first thing about that boy! You don't even have the right to speak his name let alone claim to understand him!"

"Says the one that KILLED HIM!"

Bakura flinched despite himself, the pain that was already scorching him intensifying in his chest like each word in that small sentence was its own blade. However, the pain only managed to fuel his rage, not numb it. He clenched his teeth, fighting against his own impulses and violent desires. He could already feel it on him - how her neck would feel beneath his hands as he squeezed her throat shut; how the bones would jerk under his touch as he snapped one after another, each accompanied by a scream and more blood splatter on his face. It all played out in his mind even as he shook to keep it back... until he realized that one he was torturing was no longer Gardner... but Ryou instead.

))N-No!(( He grounded his teeth, eyes sharpening against the fuming mortal brat before him. "Get the hell away from me!" He tried to turn again, but once again she stopped him dead. His blood boiled dangerously hot, mind blurring as the world seemed to flicker between red and black - leaving him disoriented beneath that stone mask that was miraculously still in place over his twitching features. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"You want me to leave so badly why not just kill me too?!" Tea shot back fiercely, stepping up even closer in fiery challenge. "You can show all us 'pathetic mortals' what 'true strength' is, you demon! Spreading the pain is exactly what you do best, isn't it?! Tell me: what exactly did Ryou do to deserve death?! Why kill him?! WHY?!"

"NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSI–"

SLAP!!!

The echo of that single action seem to spread for minutes, leaving a silence in its wake that would have made it possible to hear a needle drop. Her lightning hand had left its mark on his cheek with a blazing fire, the force having snapped his head around with his eyes clamped shut in stain, jaw already throbbing painfully from being clenched too tight. All the sounds of the world around him died... except for the voice of that one. Single. Bitch.

Tea was breathing heavily as she lowered her stinging hand back to her side, tears welling in her eyes as she tried her best to remain strong. "Tell. Me. The. Tr–"

"SHUT UP!"

His knuckles suddenly stung, but he easily ignored it as the raging fires of Hell watched the figure before him sprawl across the floor with agony torn across her features. He didn't even stop to think. There was no thinking at this point. He flashed forward before anyone else could move, planting his boot in her stomach as the jar driven from such an act drove up his leg, a sensation as familiar to him as breathing as she struggled to do just that.

"Where's your beloved Pharaoh now?!" Bakura sneered, face practically torn by his own snarl.

His stare shot up at a shout, instincts kicking in as he leapt back just in time to dodge a punch from someone who was but a silhouette in a field of blood red. Bakura shot out a blind kick the second he landed, feeling contact with the assault, but little else. There was no satisfaction in this, these were mere decoys! Gardner was his target! He wouldn't waste his time on these imbeciles, he had to make her pay!

Rage blasted itself through his mind, his own drumming pulse deafening the former thief to the calls around him as he fought against faceless puppets. Hands grabbed him, snaring his clothes and hair in some vain attempt to pin him down... but, the tighter they tried to hold him, the looser Bakura's grip on reality became. He could only grit his teeth tighter as the world around him flickered like a failing lightbulb, each change drilling him with sights that tore fear straight into his core.

"Get away from me! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

Darkness overtook the world in an instant, the mere humans on him mutating right before his eyes into demons the likes of which had only found him in his nightmares. Claws sunk into his flesh where they all held his shaking form, blood streaming over him in torrents as they pulled him down - restraining him, binding him... until a new set of claws curled around his shoulders. He cried out in pain at the fresh wounds, his struggling only become more desperate... as he was met by a pair of blood-thirsty red eyes.

"N-No...!" Fear strained his words, his struggling turning weaker, "by the Gods, no! I... I can't take it again...! I w-won't go back! You can't make me...! L-Let me go, just let me GO...!"

The hold on his shoulders shook him harshly as a voice finally broke through into his hearing, "Bakura, stop! PLEASE!"

"Bakura, s-stop! Pl-Please!"

He jerked, eyes flying to the one holding him back as the world jolted back into normalcy. Fearful, dark green eyes stared past shaggy black bangs to catch Bakura's own hazel glare, not even showing the least bit of malice against the unstable man as the former thief's mind scrambled to catch up. The grip on his shoulders only tightened with the eye-contact, as though that act alone would keep the employee's attention from slipping away.

"Bakura, just take it easy." Edward practically ordered, determination and desperation both clear amongst the fear in his stare. "Take a minute."

He growled through heavy breathing, eyes narrowing as he pulled half-heartedly against those that held his arms from behind. "Let go of me, y-you fools."

"Don't even start," his boss snapped right back. "Don't act tough, I can damn-well feel you shaking, you idiot!"

"What's wrong, Ryou? Not enjoying yourself? Cower all you want, I'm not going away. Not now, not ever."

"SHUT UP!" Bakura yelled at the top of his lungs, startling the three mechanics that had hold of him enough so as to be able to rip free of their grasps, his trembling hands flying up to grip his head for dear life. Knees buckling slightly and knuckles turning white with his fingernails digging into his scalp, he shook his head in a vain effort to make the voice shut up - his own voice. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

"Scream, boy... scream until your lungs fill with blood."

A second voice battled to be heard over the first as the grip on his shoulders tightened, "Bakura, look at me! NOW! BAKURA!"

"After all, no one hears screams of the mind."

He didn't have the strength for this. He couldn't do it... he couldn't...

))Someone make it shut up... anyone...((

"Bakura, dammit, clue in!"

His eyes eased open slightly in an exhausted daze, looking past his boss to the others... but he didn't see the figures of two other mechanics gathered protectively around a battered girl. Instead, he saw the blood - rivers of it - all flowing from the broken body of his hikari. Dull, unfocused eyes stared back at the former thief like those of a doll - completely lifeless, filled only by the void and nothing else. Bakura couldn't look away, the accusation in those empty eyes capturing his very soul in icy hands. His breath all but slid away, his features twitching restlessly as he fought a battle that no one could see... nor understand.

"Bakura, come on! Say something!"

))M-Make it s-stop.(( His eyes burned, threatening to show him for what he was. ))Please...((

The hold shook him. "Bakura, snap out of it!"

))S-Someone make it STOP!(( He ripped free. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Dodging past everyone, he barely made it to the washroom in the far back, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it securely before nearly collapsing onto the sink. Blasting water from the tap, he splashed the cold liquid over his face again and again and again, soaking his hair and shirt as he desperately tried to get rid of this feeling that crawled beneath his skin. He rubbed his face and eyes, trying to still his twitching features... only to give up as all strength left him. He slid down to the floor, resting his back against the wall behind him in the cramped space that was more like a closet than anything else. His eyes burned, the white splintered with red lines as he fought to regain himself.

))Ryou... it's all my fault...((

Over the sound of rushing water from the tap, he heard a knock on the door beside him. "Bakura? Are you alright?" Of course, it was Edward. The only dumb fuck who would still bother with him.

He rested his head back against the dirt-smeared wall behind him, red eyes staring up to the dull light above him in a daze. His world blurred around him, the white light merging with the dirt-smeared white of the sink and the pale brown walls. The water continued to belt into the sink, the rushing sound nearly hypnotic as it seemed to beckon to him, asking him to let it take him somewhere else... somewhere where they wouldn't find him; somewhere where he wouldn't find himself.

He'd go in a heartbeat.

"Bakura?"

He closed his eyes, forcing some iota of strength into his voice to keep it from cracking. Even still, it didn't seem nearly loud enough to be heard by anyone, except maybe himself. "Just... give me a minute," he choked out.

A minute worth an eternity.

Edward Johnson found himself standing on the opposite side of his garage's bathroom door in nearly a daze. His thoughts gnawed at him relentlessly as he listened to the pelting water from the tap on the other side, not really wanting to leave his mechanic when he seemed so near a breakdown... but, in reality, he had other things to take care of. He had to turn and walk away for now... something he'd never done to any of his employees ever since he'd opened his business.

((You idiot.)) He sighed heavily, one arm curled around his mid-section where Bakura had managed to kick him during his episode. ((I haven't seen you like that in years... how could one girl throw you so far back?))

"That kid's nuts."

Ed turned at the voice, finding none other than Diago, his oldest employee, coming up to stand with him. The short man should have been retired years ago, but too many poor choices had landed the fool on the street as a bum. Finding himself fallen too many decades behind, no one wanted to hire someone with no highschool diploma, no clean clothes, and no home. Ed hired him less than a year ago and now that same bum has an apartment downtown. Not much, but a start... and quite a late one.

His hair cut a bit on the long side with the beginnings of a bald-spot in the middle and a trimmed mustache over his mouth, the man's cold eyes glared at the closed door before turning to his boss. "Go deal with that little girl before the boys get too involved with all this 'helping'."

The middle-aged man glanced to where the rest of his employees, four in all, were gathered around where the young woman was still trying to recover from the assault. No one seemed to know what to do so, at the moment, they were doing to smart thing - waiting for him. How long that would last, Ed wasn't sure... nor did he really want to find out.

The employer took one step towards the scene, only to stop and glance back at Diago - a question present in his eye.

The old man's stare narrowed, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the wall. "I'll wait," he spoke gruffly, tone uncaring.

Edward smirked. "I owe you one."

"Neh, I'm just repaying my own debt... so get going already."

Turning, the owner of the garage stiffly made his way back to where that same 'pretty girl' from before was collapsed over the floor, half-way propped up on one elbow with her other arm wrapped protectively around her stomach and her legs curled up. Hair in disarray, her tears where mostly silent as they glided down pale cheeks from closed eyes, leaving a stain of mascara in their wake as she choked back any sounds the best she could. Her cheek was beginning to swell, having already taken a purplish tint.

The owner shooed his other mechanics away at his approach, only signaling one to stay close to help him. Carefully, he crouched down. "'Gardner,' right?" He began speaking quietly, "Blain and I are going to help you up. We'll bring you to the break room... at least, there you'll have somewhere comfortable to sit... that sound okay?"

He just got a slight nod.

"Alright, here we go." Taking one arm, Edward waited for his chosen employee to take the other before carefully pulling Tea up onto her feet. "We'll go slow and steady, alright? Just breathe. Good... Chris, get the damn door, would you?"

One step at a time, the three made their way into the break room at the back of the shop. A young kid, perhaps twelve, practically flew ahead of them to do as he was asked, face pale against shaggy brown hair and pale blue eyes that were far more experienced than they should be at his age. The other two mechanics mostly lagged back, glaring off in the direction of the washroom - one of which stringing off numerous curses towards a certain white haired freak.

Tea blinked repeatedly, trying to gather her senses together as she glanced around the room she was brought into. An old couch was pushed against one wall along with an armchair which were both directed at a table in the center of the room that supported a bulky television. Rickety end-tables were piled high with magazines, empty beer cans, and overfilled ashtrays. On the other side of the room was an old fridge, a microwave on a wobbly desk, and a square table that was left relatively clean for eating.

"Alright, you can sit down right here on the sofa."

Tea did as she was told to, too shaken to do anything else. Her entire head throbbed painfully and the pain in her stomach just made it harder to take the deep breaths she needed to calm herself. In all honesty, she felt really sick. Her insides felt like they were tied in knots while her mind seemed to have blown a fuse completely... she just couldn't believe what just happened was real. No one had ever... punched her before.

Just thinking about it made her stomach lurch.

She tentatively coiled her arms around herself, seeking whatever comfort such an effort would bring. The young woman shivered, closing her eyes in some vain hope that all of this was only a nightmare... but, even when doing so, she could feel the swollen flesh of her cheek. A cruel reminder that wouldn't be leaving her for quite a while now... much like the vision of the demon's enraged eyes that were now burned into her memory. Tea couldn't help but bite her lip slightly, realization landing in one giant heap that she was lucky to have come out of that not only alive, but also capable of general movement. He'd planned to kill her. The only reason he hadn't was...

Her eyes lifted as something settled around her... a tattered blanket. Blue eyes glanced up to the one offering such kindness - the same man who had greeted her when she had first arrived. He was probably in his mid-forties. His shaggy black hair didn't even go past his chin and his bangs nearly concealed his stern, green eyes as well as a ragged scar that started at the bridge of his nose and ended across his left cheek. He wore the same kind of dark blue, button-up work shirt that everyone else had on - a pale blue 'JG' scribbled on the pocket - overtop of a white tee and he had on a pair of ragged jeans.

She thanked him quietly, bringing the blanket around herself a little tighter.

He nodded. "I'll get an ice-pack for your head too. Do you want an Advil or anything?"

"I... I have some in my purse."

"Water then. Coming right up."

She just watched as he turned and went over to what she assumed was another employee where he stood waiting in muted silence on the other side of the room. Ed spoke to him quietly as to make sure she couldn't eavesdrop, but Tea caught his nervous stare flickering between her and his boss more than once from beneath a messy cluster of dark blue hair on top of his head. Then, in what felt like just a blink of an eye, he nodded a few times and left.

"Violence always rattles him."

Tea's stare jerked back to the middle-aged man, only to find him offering not only a kind, understanding smile, but also an ice pack and a glass of water. She carefully took both items, setting the latter down on the crowded coffee table in front of her before placing the former lightly against her cheek. In any case, she found the comment pointless - who doesn't get rattled by violence?

Inwardly, she sighed, nearly wanting to roll her eyes. ((Zork, of course. Pegasus, Marik's darkness, Dartz, Rex, Weevil, Rapheal, Valon, Kaiba, Noah...)) She knew the list could go on, but she didn't feel like letting it. Those years were over, the people nothing but memories. ((Yugi.)) She let her eyes slid shut, her stiff muscles relaxing ever so slightly into the couch. ((What are you doing now? ...And Joey? Tristan? Serenity? Duke?))

Quickly, she banished such thoughts from her mind. They wouldn't help her here, she was on her own. Wallowing in the past would do as much good as slamming her head into a brick wall at this point. Pressing a little too hard with the ice pack, Tea couldn't help but scowl slightly when she cringed.

((Zork hits like a ton of bricks.))

"Miss Gardner?"

The young woman's eyes lifted to her only company - now seated in the matching armchair to the couch. The concern in his features was a welcome change from how most strangers treat one another - a certain protocol that she'd gotten her full of before her flight to London had even taken off from the airport.

Carefully, she offered a brittle smile and forced her manners to the surface. "Thank you for helping me, sir. You're very kind."

His brow furrowed a bit, but it seemed to be more for concern than any trace of a temper. "You don't need to thank me, Miss." But then he seemed to jump into what he really wanted to know, "how are you feeling? Do you feel dizzy? Do you want me to call the hospital?"

"I feel a little dizzy," she admitted, stubbornly blinking back tears when she began to feel that familiar sting in her eyes. "It... just throbs a bit, but I'll be fine."

She wouldn't cry. Not for this. Not like this.

He nodded slightly. "You seem to have a knack for getting under Bakura's skin."

Tea shrugged helplessly, not quite knowing how to respond. "I didn't know he esca–" she stopped herself short at her choice of wording, choosing to quickly insert another word instead that really didn't do the situation justice at all. (('Justice'... justice would be Ryou being alive and that demon still being sealed away!)) "I didn't know he was still around."

"If it is no nevermind to you, Miss Gardner, I'd rather not talk about whatever past he's had with you."

Tea smirked inwardly, but it was a dead gesture on the outside when she looked at him. "I understand. What you don't know, you don't have to act upon."

He frowned, an odd look settling over his features. "Lady, I don't know what kind of garage you think I'm running here, but all I meant was that it's Bakura's past to tell. If he wants me to know, then he can tell me himself. If he doesn't... then I'm alright with that."

Suddenly, despite the man's kindness to her, Tea felt a pang of bitterness scorch her system as her hands drew into slight fists at her side. "You're alright with the possibility of employing a thief, murderer, or worse?"

Edward's dark green eyes studied the woman for a minute, organizing his words in his mind until he had them exactly the way he wanted. "Once you hit bottom, there truly is only one way to go." Having said that, he offered a slight smile despite the scorned look he was being given in return. "Miss Gardner, did you see my 'Help Wanted' ad in the front window? It says 'Hiring: whoever needs the work.' It's.. an invitation, of sorts. I will employ anyone who comes to me with nowhere else to go. People who've fallen too far into a hole and can't reach any other ropes to get themselves out. Drug addicts, drug dealers, prostitutes, alcoholics, runaways, homeless, criminals... as long as they're willing to work, I'll give it to them."

Tea blinked, not believing she'd heard right. "But... w-why would...?"

"Some people need a little help finding the light at the end of the tunnel, Miss Gardner. I try to point them in the right direction. It's the purpose I've given to my life - the purpose of this entire shop," he said the last part with the laugh, motioning around to the building surrounding them. "My little brother chose a different way of helping society. He's a doctor at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. He heals the injured and sick, while I give a leg-up to the forgotten. It's sort of a... family operation, if you will."

The young woman's frown deepened, her gaze shifting to her lap where she just realized she was strangling the life out of the ice pack - the blue liquid within looking just about ready to burst through the plastic any second now. She forced herself to relax the best she could, letting her shoulders lower as she released the stressed item from her clutches... which now looked horribly wrenched out of shape. The only comment she heard was a slight chuckle from her company, to which she responded with a quiet 'sorry' as she tried to reshape the mangled pack back into its previous state. However, before she could, it was smoothly taken from her grasp.

"It's warm now anyway," he explained shortly, rising. "I'll get you another."

As she was once again left alone for a handful of minutes, Tea recounted Ed's words in her mind. His concept was admirable, that much went without saying, but... it didn't explain the presence of Zork. Why would a demon obsessed with power and world domination apply for work at a downtown garage? The very last thing he'd be looking for is 'light at the end of the tunnel', so what exactly was it that drew the being here? Zork was darkness - he created the Shadow Realm itself, after all. His only real goal had ever been to spread pain, fear, and chaos... or was that the answer in itself?

This garage... with the combination of so many people with dark histories... could Zork be growing off of it? With the chaos that is sure to come with ex-addicts and criminals, it could very well be possible that, with the door itself closed, he's attempting to use peoples' tainted auras to grow more powerful in order to one day smash the gate open again. It sounded possible...

When Edward returned, Tea gratefully accepted the new ice pack, but her concern had since shifted onto something else besides a swollen cheek. "How long has he... been working here?" She asked timidly.

Taking his seat once more, Ed frowned a bit as he sunk into the worn piece of furniture. "Hn... over two years, for sure... maybe going on to three now. Honestly, I hadn't been planning to hire him at all once I found out about his education level, but... as stupid as it may sound, his eyes convinced me otherwise. He needed this place, so I hired him."

Tea frowned. "What about his education?"

Edward smirked. "He had been attending one of the top Law schools in England, only to drop out. That kind of person... normally they would be set for life. I still don't know what took him down, but he's on our level now - my level. He's a good employee, Miss Gardner." He gave a lopsided smile. "He's just not exactly what you would refer to as 'chummy'."

((Ryou... was going to Law school?)) Tea blinked, trying to picture the quiet boy from her memory as a lawyer... but the two images just refused to mesh. It was like picturing Kaiba working at Burger World - more like the punch-line to a joke than anything remotely close to reality. "That's..." she had no words to continue the thought.

"Horrifying?" Ed offered, smirking wildly. "Cold eyes, cutting wit, even sharper tongue... I would pity any poor fool caught under his dissection in the courtroom. Even if you were innocent, you'd land up confessing to something!" He laughed.

Tea forced a small laugh, not being able to manage much more.

Blazing rage.

Demon eyes.

She was barely able to hide the shudder that passed through her core.

Zork was much greater a threat than any mere lawyer could ever be... he was the master of destruction and chaos, misery and agony. His pleasure and gain came from the pain and loss of others... it was the only purpose to his entire existence...

She sighed. ((Well, one can't deny the big similarities between the two. He'd suit the job well.))

"I hear the Shadow Realm's lovely this time of year..."

A second cold shiver trailed down Tea's spine and she shut her eyes, wishing the memories away that threaten to overwhelm her. She couldn't show weakness now, she had to stay strong if she was going to face the demon that had stalked them for years back in Domino City... but, what she really wanted was for Yugi to be here supporting her. Every other time that they had been forced to face Zork, Yugi had been there... every time except now. However, even if his presence would have been a comfort to her, it would still be a moot point - Yugi didn't have the Puzzle anymore.

"Perhaps you could use the Pharaoh's help after all! You pathetic mortal!"

She tensed, remembering back to the only person who had stood against and defeated this same evil time and time again... someone long-since passed from this world. ((Atemu... you would know what to do - how to face him. He was your enemy... why does all of this have to start again?)) She closed her eyes, wanting to bring her arms around herself again... but she settled for just strangling the life out of the second cold pack she'd been given so far. ((Can we even do this without you?))

"It seems the tables have turned!"

And there you have it: chapter one.

If anyone is wondering why I gave Bakura stone-coloured eyes in his soulroom and hazel eyes with the body, it's my way of connecting 'Yami Bakura' to the Thief King of the past. Since their forms in their minds would be more representative of their true selves, I felt it alright to make the colour change. However, the body of Ryou Bakura has brown eyes so... hazel. :)

This story is... bloody long. I know where I want to go with it and how to get there, so, really, it's just a matter of figuring out how to word things. Then again... the infamous writer's blocks seem to have my home phone number so... ya, we'll just see how it goes. XD

Tea is NOT my forte, I will warn you right now. I have an extremely difficult time getting into her shoes... while Ryou and Bakura come rather easily. I do have Hakurei Ryuu to guide me with her though, so we should be alright. XD

Well? Love it? Hate it? Want more of it? Questions? Dumbstruck? Let me know! :)