Okay well this is my very first fanfiction story so please no flames.

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters other than the one I created(Shinkou).

I wanted to keep as much of this story from effecting events in the actual story of Yu-Gi-Oh! so I put in stuff that wouldn't effect any of the main stuff and that would possibly satisfy the reader.

Please enjoy, comment, and rate! Thank you all!

Chapter one: The beginning

"Leave him alone!" A defiant young Shinkou shouted as she glared at the boy standing before her. Her best friend lay on the ground in pain behind her. "He doesn't deserve to be treated like this and I won't let you hurt him any longer!" Her emerald eyes glowed with anger. She had stood in the way the moment she saw her white-haired friend lying on the ground, being kicked in the gut. No way was she going to allow this to continue. Her fragile body was the only thing standing in the way of the older kid torturing her best friend, her only friend.

"If you weren't a girl," the boy stated with a grin, "You would have been on the ground by now, too. Now MOVE!" His voice sounded irritated, but Shinkou stood her ground. Though she was nowhere near as strong as Ryou could be, she knew he wouldn't try to get past her. It was the only way to keep from Ryou being hurt more. The boy grunted, noticing her ignorance, and inched slightly closer. He then spoke in a dark tone. "I don't understand why you stand up for such a pathetic little geek. He can't even defend himself. He needs a girl to fight his battles for him. How weak." The boy lifted his face, his black hair no longer covering his dark blue eyes. For someone only in the fifth grade, his face sure seemed pretty grown up. Shinkou heard a low hiss and furrowed her brows. The hiss came from her mouth. How could he talk that way about my best friend? She thought to herself. The boy continued, as if to answer her question. "My father was a real man. He taught me that you have to man up and take the pain. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If Bakura can't handle a little lesson from me, he'll never be a man like I already am becoming!" Shinkou twitched slightly from his last words. She could hear the hurt coming from his voice.

"Whatever your father must have done to hurt you has nothing to do with Ryou! He shouldn't have to pay for your feelings! And he isn't weak!" She exclaimed. Her eyes started to well up slightly as she heard her friend moving around behind her, groaning in pain.

The boy frowned and glared at the barely moving Ryou. "Stay out of this little girl! Let me finish what I started!"

Shinkou's eyes narrowed as she moved in closer. "If you want to get to him, you are going to have to get through me first!" She growled. Her anger was heating her skin.

"Shi-Shinkou... Please... Just stay out... of this... I'll... I'll be fine..." Her glare was cut off slightly as she heard her friend's weak voice pleading to her to stay out of it. Although he wanted her out, there was no way she would abandon her best friend.

The boy then smirked, seeing that she wasn't budging and turned, closing his eyes with boredom. "This is no fun anymore. You girls always have to ruin a guys action, don't you?" His eyes opened to send her an icy glare before looking forward once again. "I guess we will just have to finish this some other time then, Bakura." He then ran off into the darkness of the streets.

Shinkou's eyes watched him until his frame was no longer in sight. She then dropped to her knees next to Bakura and placed a gentle hand on his back, looking at him with sorrow. "Oh Ryou... Why do you always put yourself through all this? Why don't you ever fight back?" She asked the pale boy. He only gave a weak smile in return.

"Thank you, Shinkou... you really are my only friend." he said quietly. His eyes looked half dazed from being worn out. His precious pale face was covered in scratches and bruises. Shinkou grimaced as she looked at all the injuries to his skin. No person should ever have to go through this. She tried to help him up, closing her ears off to his grunts and whimpers from the pain in his gut.

"Don't worry, Ryou. I'll help you walk home. Maybe your parents can get rid of those bullies for good this time." The two children stumbled their way through the streets, rushing as fast as they could to their homes. Shinkou sighed once they got to the door of her friend's home. She looked as his sleeping face. She knew he was in pain and that he needed help and rest to get better. Lowering his arm from her shoulder, she knocked on the door and waited for his parents to answer. A frown crept across her face when the door opened to his terrified mother. Ryou was swept up into his mother's arms and the door was slammed shut on Shinkou. That's okay, she thought to herself, so long as Ryou can get better it doesn't matter what his mother thinks of me. She turned and started back to her aunt and uncle's house with her eyes to the ground.

Her mind wandered to when she first met Ryou in school. Nobody wanted to play with her because their parents told them not to. "Stay away from that girl... Her aunt and uncle say she's cursed... I heard that after she was born, both of her parents mysteriously passed away... Oh my goodness, I hope that her poor aunt and uncle don't soon meet that same fate..." She heard the adults talking and she knew it was about her, but she didn't understand what they were really saying. It was until she met the lonely boy with white hair that she had no one. No one seemed to want to play with him either. Was there something wrong with him, too? He seemed so nice, but also so sad. Shinkou wanted a friend so desperately that it didn't matter what could have been wrong with him. She wandered over to the sandbox that he sat in all alone. A big smile came across her face when she noticed his large sand castle. It looked so cool! Never had she noticed a kid make such a detailed castle.

"Uhm... Excuse me. Can I play with you?" She asked timidly. He looked up in surprise that anyone even spoke to him.

"You mean you want to play with ME?" He responded. There was hope in his voice. Shinkou grinned and nodded. A cheerful smile sparked across the boy's face as she held up a shovel to her. "Okay. I'm making a castle for the evil monster's fortress. You can make the village!" He said happily. Shinkou blinked, confused. So that was why nobody ever played with him. He was weird. Whatever the matter was, he was really nice. She grabbed the shovel and sat next to him, making a hill with the sand. "What is that pile of sand for?" Asked Ryou with a puzzled look on his face.

Shinkou glance back at him. "I'm making the village..." She started to feel confused. Didn't he just ask her to make a village?

"The village goes on the other side of the box," he replied. "You can leave this pile here though and it can be a giant hill for our game."

"Game?" She asked, cocking her head to one side. "I thought we were already playing a game..."

"We are setting up for a game. I brought some action figures to play with but we need to set up the rest so that we can make a story. Trust me. It will be fun." He smiled at her sweetly, causing her to smile right back. Finally, she had someone to play with.

"My name is Shinkou. What's yours?"

"Ryou. Thank you for playing with me. You didn't have to." His last words sounded so sad.

"But I wanted to play. Nobody else here even likes me." She scrunched her nose. Why the other kids didn't want to play with either of them, she didn't know.

"I don't mind it that much. It's just that sometimes I start to feel lonely not having anyone else to play with."

"Well, you're my friend now and I will always play with you!" She bursted out. A giggle followed and Ryou grinned.

"Then it's settled. We will always be friends."

Shinkou was taken out of her memories when she got to her doorstep. Her sad eyes stared at the door for a moment as she stood there, hesitating to go inside. She knew her aunt would be angry. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she turned the knob and stepped inside, removing her shoes on the mat. "SHINKOU?! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" She heard her aunt shout from the living room. Shinkou timidly stepped inside, running her hands through one of her long brown pigtails. Her eyes stayed focused on the carpet and her feet shuffled through it. "YOU'VE BEEN GONE ALL DAY! IF ANYTHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU I WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO BE IN TROUBLE! HOW DARE YOU PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION THAT OUR FAMILY COULD BE DISGRACED!" She screamed. Shinkou cringed as she heard the words shrieking through her ears.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I was helping a friend."

"A FRIEND?! You don't have friends to help! And that boy you spend your time with doesn't deserve your help!" The woman growled.

Shinkou dropped the locks of hair from her hands and lowered them, forming fists. "Please, don't say things like that..." She said quietly. Her aunt smirked and then bellowed a laugh.

"You kids are pathetic. Do you think I care how you feel about your little boyfriend?! No!"

Shinkou's heartbeat started to speed up, but she kept her voice calm. "May I please be excused now?" She mumbled.

"Just go to your room. There is no food for you to eat tonight. I'm sick of seeing your face."

With that, Shinkou hurried up the stairs to her room and quietly closed the door. As the space closed and she heard the click of her door closing, her body collapsed to the floor and tears poured from her being. "Why me? Why must the gods torture me so? First, my parents die and I never get to meet them. Then I end up with no friends. Then, when I finally have someone to talk to, my aunt and uncle begin to treat me differently! Why?!" She leans her body over, holding herself up with the palms of her hands, and stares at the floor. Her body shudders as she falls to pieces on the floor. "I just don't get it," she growls through gritted teeth, "help me to understand..." A flash of her memories from earlier quickly pass through her mind. He always spoke as if he was ages older than me. But he is only a year older. Why was he so smart? Was that why everyone thought he was strange? I just don't get it! Shinkou squeezed her eyes shut, thinking about the day she met Ryou. She then wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and stood. I just need some sleep. That's all. She moved to her bed and lay down, pulling the blankets over her and soon losing consciousness.

"Shinkoo... Shinkou, listen to me..."

"Who... Who is speaking to me?"

"Shinkou... My sweet Shinkou..."

"Who are you?! What do you want from me?!"

"You were just a baby when I left you... I'm so sorry I'm not there to protect you... Please, listen to me..."

"Mo-ther?"

"Yes... It is me..."

"Where have you been? I thought you died..."

"I have left and joined the spirit world, honey... I must warn you..."

"Warn me? About what?"

"Your friend... Fate has brought you to meet him, but you must stay away from him until further notice..."

"What?! Why?!"

"He is a danger to you and your family..."

"Why should I care about my aunt and uncle?! They hate me!"

"They don't hate you... they are only trying to protect you and themselves as I asked of them... I know they seem harsh, but they are trying to discourage your relationship..."

"Why would they do such a thing? I don't understand..."

"Because if you continue to be around him, you will continually place yourself in danger..."

"Why would they care about my safety?"

"I will show you... Wake up..."

"No, mother... Please, stay with me..."

"I will always be with you, but you must wake up now... Wake up, honey... Wake up..."

Shinkou shot up in her bed. Was I really just talking to my mother? She growled and shook her head, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Impossible. She then scrunched her nose, realizing that she had to use the bathroom. Removing the blanket from her, she placed her feet on the floor and left the room. She heard soft voices speaking from her aunt and uncle's room as she walked down the hall. Why are they up so late? She thought to herself. Her urge to use the bathroom suddenly subsided. It's as if my body was drawn to listen in... Her green eyes stared at the door that seemed to invite her to listen in. Soundlessly, she shifted over to the door and placed her head against it. She closed her eyes and listened intently.

"Do we really have to be so harsh to her though? I mean, it's only going to encourage her to keep him, isn't it?"

"You heard my sister. She said that if Shinkou is anything like her or my brother-in-law then harsh is the only way to discourage her. Our family's safety is at stake. We must get her to stay away from him before it's too late."

"But what if she isn't like either one of them?"

"Impossible. She is the spitting image of my sister."

"I hope that everything will go as planned. I'm worried about your niece as much as you are..."

"I know..."

What is going on? They are worried about me? Shinkou's eyes welled up with tears. She then stood and hurried back to her room, closing the door behind her. So many things were running through her mind. Why are they afraid of Ryou? What does he have to do with anything? He's so kind. He would never hurt anyone, especially not me! He's my best friend! The tears in her eyes began to fall once again. She sat on her bed and placed her arms around her knees, crying into them until there were no more tears to cry out. Ugh. I'm so pathetic. I've been crying almost all night. The sleep started to once again gain control over her body and she lay back down. Her eyes slowly closed shut and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

A few years passed after the event with Ryou being injured and walked home. Through those years, each day that Shinkou spent with her friend her mother's voice would appear in her dreams continually warning her about dangerous events to come if she continues to stay by Ryou's side. Never did she take any of the advice to heart. She just didn't want to lose the only friend she had. Her and Ryou were now freshman in high school now and spent every day together. She kept her eyes on him as they were walking to school together, studying his new necklace that he attained. It was a golden ring with a triangle in the middle and dangling pieces hanging from it. In the middle of the ring looked like an eye. I just don't see anything threatening about him... I still don't get it... Those warnings... She was taken from her thoughts when she noticed Ryou looking at her puzzled. A blush crept its way across her cheeks. What's going on? Pull it together, Shinkou.

"Something on your mind, Shinkou?" He asked.

"Uhm... Just thinking, I guess."

"May I ask what of? You are being awfully quiet." He smiled that sweet smile that seemed to make her heart flutter. Over the years, she started to feel more of an attachment to him even though she didn't want him to ever know about it.

"It's really nothing. Don't worry about it." She smiled back, giving a nervous laugh. Ryou just laughed and gently placed his arm around her shoulders for the first time in their life, causing her cheeks to become redder. That was a bit bold of him.

"Is something wrong? You tensed up a little." It took a moment for Shinkou to notice that they stopped.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just... What provoked you to uhm..." He then laughed and rubbed her shoulder slightly. She noticed a light blush appear on his cheeks.

"I uh... Sorry..." He dropped his hand from her shoulder, making her frown.

"I didn't say I had a problem with it, Ryou. It just surprised me is all." Shinkou stared at Ryou's blushing face and smiled sweetly. He nodded and placed his arm back around her shoulders. They then proceeded to walk to school.

As Shinkou exited the door to her last class, she noticed that Ryou wasn't waiting for her. She searched the halls for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he decided to wait outside for me today... She hurried out the school doors to see that he wasn't there either. Did he go home sick? She frowned at the thought, but decided that she would maybe walk over to his house to see if maybe he was there. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Nobody came to the door. She tried again. Still no answer. She then picked up her cell phone and called his house number. It rang, but there was still no answer. With a sigh of frustration, she headed home. Relief flushed through her when she saw Ryou standing at her doorstep. His face seemed a bit clueless and it made her a bit curious.

"Ryou! Is this where you have been?" She yelled out, half happily and half worried.

He cocked his head to the side for a moment and then ran his hand through his hair, his face flushed. "Funny thing actually... I don't remember anything after we got to first period." He then gave a nervous laugh.

Shinkou raised an eyebrow before opening the door. "Well, at least come in. We can play that game you like." She then smiled, inviting him inside. He walked in, still laughing nervously. He looked around, and gasped. Shinkou noticed and looked at the living room as she closed the door. Her eyes widened and she froze as she stared at the room. It looked like a tornado had been through it. And her aunt and uncle were lying on the floor unconscious. She looked around for any clues that might have given here any idea as to what had happen. There was nothing. "Did they... just leave me here? All alone?" She felt Ryou's gentle arms wrap around her as she collapsed into tears, catching her before she could fall to her knees. "They are gone... Everything is here... But they are gone..."

"Shhh... Shinkou... Please don't cry. I'm sure everything will be okay. I promise." He rubbed her back, comforting her. The tears made her feel so tired and weak. She didn't know what else to do lately. He must have noticed how tired she was getting because he helped her to her room and laid her down on her bed, pulling the blanket over her. After setting her on the bed, he stood to leave the room. Shinkou grabbed his wrist to keep him from walking away.

"Please don't leave me alone..." She begged, her eyes puffy from crying. He smiled softly and sat down next to her on the bed, playing with her long hair.

"I will stay for as long as you need me." He replied. His voice was so soothing. It was like listening to a lullaby singing her to sleep. Her vision started to blur whilst she forced her eyes to stay open, staring into his. Sleep won this battle and her eyes fell shut. Just before her mind was taken away, she felt his warm body lie down next to hers.

"You must get away from him before this gets worse! Please listen to me! Your aunt and uncle have been sent to the shadow realm because of him!"

"The... shadow realm?"

"Please, Shinkou! I don't want you to have to go through what fate had planned for you! I can't bear knowing this!"

"What are you saying, mother? What do you mean 'what fate had planned'? I don't understand!"

"Just take my advice and LEAVE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

Shinkou shot up, sweating from her dream. She looked at her window, seeing the sun shining through it. Ryou wasn't there. She placed her hand on the spot where he slept. It was still warm. Quickly she got on her clothes and hurried out the door, hoping to catch up with him. Why didn't he wake me? She asked herself. She made it all the way to the school without seeing him. She was already late and missed first period. Great. Now I have to deal with the tardy penalty. She heard the bell ring and saw students exiting their classrooms. They all headed toward the lunch area. Am I really THAT late? She hurried to put her stuff away and dashed down the halls to the cafeteria. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw Ryou at their table. There was someone new there this time, too. She didn't bother to get any food and just sat with the two, eyeing the boy at the table. He seemed kind of scared and didn't say much, but Ryou didn't seem to notice the boy's discomfort.

Every day, there was someone new at the table. By the end of the week, the lunch table was filled with people. But none of them really talked much. They all seemed uncomfortable, as if they were forced to eat with Shinkou and Ryou. There was still no sign of her aunt and uncle regaining consciousness. She took them to the hospital shortly after she got out of school that day after she found them. The doctors told her that they will keep an eye on them and let her know if they ever come out of the coma. She kept receiving calls from their workplaces asking why they haven't been in and she never knew quite what to say. In fact, her aunt and uncle weren't the only people to have gone unconscious. Random people at school seemed to be getting sent to the hospital from being unconscious as well. Or... was it really all that random? Shinkou stared at Ryou's 'millennium ring' that hung around his neck. Almost all of the people sent to the hospital were bullies to me and Ryou... Could that necklace that he recently got be the cause of all this?

"Is something wrong, Shinkou?" Asked Ryou, curiously.

"It's... nothing..."

Shinkou grabbed Ryou's empty tray and took it to the trash. Ever since he got that necklace, weird things have been happening. His attitude has changed a little and he keeps having lapses in his memory... She looked back at her friend that was starting to talk to the others at the table. Before this month, he hadn't had any other friends besides myself... Her mind cut off those thoughts after a moment and she stepped back over to the table, taking her seat next to Ryou once again. The whole lunch time she sat in silence, she dwelled on her thoughts and ideas.

After school ended, Ryou and Shinkou once again walked home together. She looked back at Ryou's necklace and then at his eyes. "Uhm... Ryou?" He looked at her with a sad smile. "Why are you always wearing that necklace?"

"My millennium ring? I don't really know exactly myself, actually. I guess I kind of feel drawn to it." He lifted it up and stared at it. "I made a wish when I got it... That we could gain friends. And my wish came true. So I never take it off, because I wouldn't want anything bad to come of it..." his voice trailed off. When they reached his house, he hurried to open the door. "Shinkou? I might be over later to discuss some things..." He sounded so sad. Shinkou nodded and he closed the door. She then headed to her house.

A few hours later she heard a knock on the door. It was Ryou. He looked like he was crying. Shinkou quickly wrapped her arms around his waist to comfort him and he gently pulled her away from himself and slowly walked over to the sofa, sitting himself down. She followed and blushed the moment he pulled her down next to him, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Ryou," she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I have to go... It's the best thing to do..."

"What do you mean?!"

"Haven't you noticed yet? Everyone that has some sort of connection to me keeps getting hurt and I don't want it to happen to you..." Shinkou saw a tear escape from the corner of his eye. "That is why I have to go... I'm sorry..." He then stood and walked to the door.

"So is that how it's going to be now?! You are going to abandon me and leave me with nobody?! You are going to break the promise we made to each other?!"

"Shinkou, it's not like that. That promise was made a long time ago... I...."

"You what?!" Tears started to pour from her eyes as she stood and watched him stare at her with his sad expression. Surprise soon overflowed her body as she saw him grab her shaking shoulders, lean in, and place a soft kiss upon her lips. He then looked deeply in her eyes.

"I will be back when everything I need to do is taken care of. Trust me." He then hurried out the door, closing it behind him.

Shinkou stood there in silence, hoping that maybe the door would open and he'd be standing there with his cheerful smile on his face and that what just happened was only an illusion. She stood for hours, staring at that door until it all came at her at once. He was gone.

The next year, Shinkou sold the house that was her birthright and moved to a place called Domino City. She was a sophomore in high school that was living on her own through the inheritance given to her by her parents. Her aunt and uncle were still in the hospital when she left and she had no more hope of them regaining consciousness. The most she could do was to start a new life. A new life away from all the memories of Ryou. She just needed to forget. There was a boy in one of her classes that had a necklace similar to Ryou's. It was a gold pyramid with the same symbol in the middle. Her eyes stayed frozen on it during the whole period. As soon as class was over, she walked over to the boy with the strange hair. He was so small that it was hard to believe he was in high school.

"Uhm... Excuse me... What is that you have around your neck?"

"Oh this?" The boy asked while pointing at the pyramid. "It's my millennium puzzle."

"Millennium puzzle? But it's a pyramid..."

The boy laughed kindly. "Yes, it's shaped as a pyramid. But when I first got it, it was all in pieces just like a puzzle and I had to solve it. It was the ultimate game. My grandpa gave it to me. By the way, I'm Yuugi. I understand you are a transfer student?"

"Yes. My name is Shinkou."

He smiled sweetly and brought her over to a group of students standing around. "And this is Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Miho! They are all my friends. Guys, meet Shinkou. She's the new transfer student."

"Wow. Another transfer student! It's nice to meet you, Shinkou." Said Anzu with a smile.

"Yeah! We'll be great friends!" Shouted Jounouchi.

The other two cut in with agreement to Jounouchi's statement. Shinkou smiled at the thought of having new friends, and real friends at that.

On the walk to her new home, she dwelled on her first day. Anzu was such a kind person and so was Yuugi. Jou, as everyone else seemed to call him, was more on the goofy side which was entertaining. Honda seemed to be really into Miho, who didn't seem to have it all together. But She was very pretty so Shinkou could understand why Honda would be so loopy over her. She smiled as she thought about her new friends. Her body froze when she came back to reality to see someone walking in front of her. The back of his hair seemed so familiar... It can't be... She hurried along the riverside to catch up with the person with white hair. "Ryou?!" She shouted. The boy turned, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. I sure looks a lot like Ryou, but... He seems different... And his hair looks wild... The boy smirked and then laughed before walking towards her.

"Ryou isn't here, my sweet Nakia... I see you have come back for me after all these years. Three thousand to be exact."

"Wha-what are you talking about, Ryou?"

"Do you not remember me?" He grabbed her wrist roughly and leaned in.

"Ryou... You are hurting me..." She replied, trying to pull back her bruising arm and wincing while doing so.

"Stop calling me that, wench! I can't believe that you of all people would forget Bakura the thief king! Perhaps I shall refresh your memory!" He then gave a toothy grin before pummeling her lips with his own and gripped her right shoulder roughly with his left hand, causing her to whimper in pain. "Now," he growled as he pulled away, "For my revenge!" He turned so that her back was against the river and pushed her over the edge. She screamed as she fell in head first, watching him smirk at her as the water rushed passed her. A crushing feeling rushed from her head throughout her body and all was dark. The water feeling was gone and she felt as though she was in a bed. She then opened her eyes to see that she was in a large bed, but an unfamiliar one.

"Are you alright?" Asked a deep voice to her right. She looked over to see... Yuugi? What is going on? Where am I? Why does Yuugi look so strange and TAN?

"Yu-Yuugi?" She asked, confused. The man laughed softly.

"Who is Yuugi? It is I, Prince Atem. You must have had a rough hit on the head there. You had a pretty bad fall. You may stay in my quarters. Mana will look after you."

She stared at the man for a moment and then saw a girl with brown hair and blue eyes standing near the strange doorway with a kind smile on her face. "You are safe with me, Nakia. Your family was very good to Prince Atem so we promised to take good care of you after their brave battles have led them to the spirits." What are they talking about? Everyone is wearing strange clothes. Why are they calling me Nakia? I just don't understand. Can't someone help me please?

That's where I'm ending chapter one! I promise chapter two will be out soon!

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By the way, both Shinkou and Nakia mean Faith/Faithful. Shinkou is the Japanese term and Nakia is the Egyptian term.