Author's Notes: Surprise! I decided to update early! I think I'll use Japanese names but base this on the dub. Because that's what I've seen. How sad! All right, luckily you guys brought up some points I can talk about this time!
Yes, the Pharaoh is Yami Yugi, and no he isn't gay. Or he might be, but if he is, I don't care. He just made that offer to intimidate and dominate Bakura. But that's because he was the big mean Pharaoh. He'll change, don't worry! But because this is from Bakura's point of view, I don't think Yami Yugi will ever be portrayed as very nice.
I know I didn't make it very clear at first, so I'll explain again. I originally meant for Ryou to get the Ring when he was about 8, so he'd have to live with someone. But then I decided to crunch things together and make him already about 15 or so. I know it's horribly inaccurate, but I've been stretching my artistic license lately. ^_^ So Ryou lives with his uncle because his father's never home. I guess I wouldn't have to do it that way, but... I don't know, having his uncle there seemed to be the right thing to do. It keeps Bakura on his toes, if nothing else. ^_^
Also, this will be the last chapter for a while because Ankh and Scale felt neglected and gave me a huge burst of inspiration for "Three In One Combo" again. So I'll be posting more of that soon. I won't abandon this story, just put it on hold for a while. If you can think of a good way to get from here to Duelist Kingdom, I'd appreciate the help!
Ankh: Indigo STILL doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and may not even get the DVDs now. What do you think, would it be better to get Yu-Gi-Oh or Excel Saga and Trigun…?
Scale: DEATH! Lots of death in this chapter. Spontaneous combustion, stuff like that. Everyone just keels over and dies! That's the end! Sorry, fools! Go home now!
Jii-chan = grandpa
Ji-san = uncle (don't quote me on either spelling, they're both spelled the same in reality!)
Tou-san = father
Arigato = thank you
-kun = suffix used for politeness among equals
The Cost of Weakness
Bakura didn't talk to Ryou for the rest of the day, but after a while he could feel the boy preparing for the next day. He would be starting a new school. He did some boring things like hanging pictures on his walls and helping his uncle set up the rest of the house. His uncle made a simple dinner, and after that they watched a long thing on their own personal television. Bakura was impressed with that at first, but he soon got bored. Ryou double-checked his book bag before going to bed.
Bakura stayed up for a long time after that, aimlessly wandering the passages of his soul room. Eventually, he just picked a spot to lie down and fell asleep there.
The next morning, Bakura woke up late. He noticed immediately that RYou was in some large building. Someone was talking about a "locker" and classes, and Ryou was nodding. Finally Ryou got a small metal cylinder with a loop on it and the person left him alone. Ryou turned and opened one of the many metal doors in the wall to reveal a tall, thin compartment with a single shelf at the top. He started putting books in.
Bakura made him look down for a moment. //Idiot! Put the Ring inside your shirt! If you walk around with a big piece of gold like that, it's as bad as begging someone to take it!//
/Oh, good morning Bakura!/ Ryou carefully slipped the Ring under his shirt. /I don't think anyone would do that, but all right./
//Are you really that stupid? I've seen your memories. People do things like that to you all the time!//
/But Bakura, I don't even know anyone here yet. I don't have any enemies./
//You're about to. Look. Do you want me to kill them?// Ryou looked up to see two enormous boys snickering and staring right at him as they walked towards him. Ryou gave an almost inaudible squeak, shut and locked his locker, and ducked into his first class, which luckily was right across the hall.
Ryou's new teacher introduced him to the class. There were some interesting-looking people… One boy's hair was a solid spike that stuck out in front of his face.
Ryou went to the seat he had been assigned to and noticed a very short boy behind him and to the left who had been hidden by the boy in front of him. His hair was black with red edges, almost in the shape of a star, with yellow bangs.
Two of the Ring's dangling spikes pointed towards the boy, getting Bakura's attention. Ryou looked down, wondering what this was about. But Bakura had caught a glimpse of the boy with the strange hair.
//BY RA! It's the PHARAOH!!//
Ryou jumped a little in his seat. /Bakura, don't scare me! I have to pay attention to the teacher!/ He took out a notebook and pen to take notes. /What's wrong?/
//Listen to me, this is very important. Do NOT draw attention to yourself. But whenever you're not writing, look at that boy so I can see him.//
/Well… All right… But why?/
//This isn't the time for questions!// Bakura practically shouted. //Now pay attention, your teacher's still talking! Just do as I say!//
Ryou quickly began listening and taking notes again. When the teacher paused to write something he had said on the chalkboard, Ryou glanced back at the boy with the wild hair. Bakura didn't bother to hide his thoughts, so Ryou listened.
//He's shorter than I remember… And his hair's not quite the same. The eyes are a lot bigger, and a different color, I think. Hmm… Wait, what's that around his neck? That's the Puzle! That must be what the Ring's pointing to!//
/What are you talking about? Do you knkow him?/ Ryou asked.
//Quiet! Pay attention and stay away form that boy!// Ryou quickly turned back to his notes and Bakura shielded his thoughts so the boy's easily-distracted mind could concentrate. //He's about as different from the Pharaoh I remember as Ryou and I are. In the same ways, too. Is that boy the Pharaoh's reincarnation? Is Ryou mine? But I'm still here! I suppose my body died, but it's the soul that gets reborn. How confusing… Wait, does that mean that the Pharaoh got sealed into the Puzzle?//
Bakura reached out with the Ring's power and tried something incredibly stupid. //THE PHARAOH'S A SHRIMP!!// he taunted. Luckily, the only response he got was a muddled, questioning feeling.
//Huh… Doesn't feel arrogant enough for the pharaoh. Feels like he doesn't even know he's the Pharaoh anymore. Hmm…//
Bakura contemplated this during the next few classes Ryou had, since he had nothing better to do. Then the students got a long break after lunch. Most of the class went outside, but Ryou wanted to stay in. That was good, because the Pharaoh-boy and a group of admirers were also inside.
//Hey! Take the Ring out for a minute, but don't let anyone see.//
Ryou took out his books for his next class. /All right./ He slipped the Ring out and held it low, hidden partially by his desk. Two spikes were pointing behind him and to the left. He glanced that way to see the boy with the strange hair talking and laughing with some friends, playing a card game.
//Those pictures look like the Shadow Game tablets…//
/What? That's Duel Monsters, Bakura. It's a fun game. I know all about it, but I don't play very often./
//Really? Remind me to talk to you about that later. Get closer, I can't see! And hide the Ring.//
Ryou put the Ring back under his shirt and went over to the small group. There was a circle of people watching the game, and Ryou found an open space to stand.
//That boy has Kagemusha of the Blue Flame out. A weak warrior. And this miniature Pharaoh has… The Dark Magician! The Dark Magician only obeyed the Pharaoh. So that pompous shrimp MUST be in the Puzzle. But why does he seem so different…?//
After thinking for a while, Bakura laughed at the answer he came up with. //The Puzzle isn't one solid piece of gold! It's made up of dozens of smaller pieces! Ha, I'll bet the Pharaoh got himself sealed in it, then someone broke it! So his mind broke apart too, and now he doesn't know who he is! It seems like it hasn't been together for long either, judging by how confused he seemed.//
/What are you talking about?/
//Quiet. Don't question me. It's none of your concern. Maybe later.//
The mini-Pharaoh won the game quickly and most of the crowd dispersed. The small boy suddenly turned and smiled at Ryou. "Hi, I'm Yuugi. Your name's Ryou, right?"
Bakura froze, but quickly recovered. //Ask him about the gold Puzzle around his neck.//
"Um… yes," Ryou said, smiling faintly. "It's nice to meet you. Uh… What's that big gold thing around your neck?"
Yuugi wrapped his small hands around the gold pyramid. "It's my Millennium Puzzle. Jii-chan got it for me in Egypt. It was the hardest puzzle I've ever solved, but I managed it."
Ryou's eyes lit up. "Oh, I –"
//TELL HIM AND I KILL YOU BOTH!//
Ryou gulped. "I… like it. Tou-san's been to Egypt, and I'm interested in Egyptian history."
"Really?" asked Yuugi, cheerfully oblivious to Ryou's inner conversation. "You should talk to my jii-chan some day. He owns a game shop not far from here. Come by some time, Ryou-kun!"
"A… Arigato, Yuugi-kun," Ryou said, grateful for the other boy's friendliness but unsure how Bakura would react.
Just then the teacher came back and it was getting close to time to start class again. Ryou hurried back to his seat and got out his pen.
//Hmm… Watch that boy, he may not be as innocent as he seems.//
/Bakura, he seemed very nice…/
//That's what he WANTS you to think! But you did well. You need to stay close to him. Like a distant shadow. Get close to him without letting him get close to you. Get him to talk to you, but offer nothing in return.//
/Bakura, can't I just be his friend? I haven't had a real friend in ages./
//You haven't even been live for ages. Call him a friend if you want, but DO NOT let your guard down. Ever. That boy is dangerous, so you need to be as strong as you can.//
/But Bakura, how –/
//Silence!//
Ryou sighed. /All right, I'll be careful./ He settled down for a long day of taking notes and keeping on guard.
Endnote: Well that wasn't too bad, was it? Not as fun as the last chapter, but oh well. Give me ideas if you can, but I won't continue this for a while yet… Until then, review! In an e-mail if necessary! My review alert doesn't seem to work, but oh well. It's more fun to check reviews on here anyway, for some reason!
Yes, the Pharaoh is Yami Yugi, and no he isn't gay. Or he might be, but if he is, I don't care. He just made that offer to intimidate and dominate Bakura. But that's because he was the big mean Pharaoh. He'll change, don't worry! But because this is from Bakura's point of view, I don't think Yami Yugi will ever be portrayed as very nice.
I know I didn't make it very clear at first, so I'll explain again. I originally meant for Ryou to get the Ring when he was about 8, so he'd have to live with someone. But then I decided to crunch things together and make him already about 15 or so. I know it's horribly inaccurate, but I've been stretching my artistic license lately. ^_^ So Ryou lives with his uncle because his father's never home. I guess I wouldn't have to do it that way, but... I don't know, having his uncle there seemed to be the right thing to do. It keeps Bakura on his toes, if nothing else. ^_^
Also, this will be the last chapter for a while because Ankh and Scale felt neglected and gave me a huge burst of inspiration for "Three In One Combo" again. So I'll be posting more of that soon. I won't abandon this story, just put it on hold for a while. If you can think of a good way to get from here to Duelist Kingdom, I'd appreciate the help!
Ankh: Indigo STILL doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and may not even get the DVDs now. What do you think, would it be better to get Yu-Gi-Oh or Excel Saga and Trigun…?
Scale: DEATH! Lots of death in this chapter. Spontaneous combustion, stuff like that. Everyone just keels over and dies! That's the end! Sorry, fools! Go home now!
Jii-chan = grandpa
Ji-san = uncle (don't quote me on either spelling, they're both spelled the same in reality!)
Tou-san = father
Arigato = thank you
-kun = suffix used for politeness among equals
The Cost of Weakness
Bakura didn't talk to Ryou for the rest of the day, but after a while he could feel the boy preparing for the next day. He would be starting a new school. He did some boring things like hanging pictures on his walls and helping his uncle set up the rest of the house. His uncle made a simple dinner, and after that they watched a long thing on their own personal television. Bakura was impressed with that at first, but he soon got bored. Ryou double-checked his book bag before going to bed.
Bakura stayed up for a long time after that, aimlessly wandering the passages of his soul room. Eventually, he just picked a spot to lie down and fell asleep there.
The next morning, Bakura woke up late. He noticed immediately that RYou was in some large building. Someone was talking about a "locker" and classes, and Ryou was nodding. Finally Ryou got a small metal cylinder with a loop on it and the person left him alone. Ryou turned and opened one of the many metal doors in the wall to reveal a tall, thin compartment with a single shelf at the top. He started putting books in.
Bakura made him look down for a moment. //Idiot! Put the Ring inside your shirt! If you walk around with a big piece of gold like that, it's as bad as begging someone to take it!//
/Oh, good morning Bakura!/ Ryou carefully slipped the Ring under his shirt. /I don't think anyone would do that, but all right./
//Are you really that stupid? I've seen your memories. People do things like that to you all the time!//
/But Bakura, I don't even know anyone here yet. I don't have any enemies./
//You're about to. Look. Do you want me to kill them?// Ryou looked up to see two enormous boys snickering and staring right at him as they walked towards him. Ryou gave an almost inaudible squeak, shut and locked his locker, and ducked into his first class, which luckily was right across the hall.
Ryou's new teacher introduced him to the class. There were some interesting-looking people… One boy's hair was a solid spike that stuck out in front of his face.
Ryou went to the seat he had been assigned to and noticed a very short boy behind him and to the left who had been hidden by the boy in front of him. His hair was black with red edges, almost in the shape of a star, with yellow bangs.
Two of the Ring's dangling spikes pointed towards the boy, getting Bakura's attention. Ryou looked down, wondering what this was about. But Bakura had caught a glimpse of the boy with the strange hair.
//BY RA! It's the PHARAOH!!//
Ryou jumped a little in his seat. /Bakura, don't scare me! I have to pay attention to the teacher!/ He took out a notebook and pen to take notes. /What's wrong?/
//Listen to me, this is very important. Do NOT draw attention to yourself. But whenever you're not writing, look at that boy so I can see him.//
/Well… All right… But why?/
//This isn't the time for questions!// Bakura practically shouted. //Now pay attention, your teacher's still talking! Just do as I say!//
Ryou quickly began listening and taking notes again. When the teacher paused to write something he had said on the chalkboard, Ryou glanced back at the boy with the wild hair. Bakura didn't bother to hide his thoughts, so Ryou listened.
//He's shorter than I remember… And his hair's not quite the same. The eyes are a lot bigger, and a different color, I think. Hmm… Wait, what's that around his neck? That's the Puzle! That must be what the Ring's pointing to!//
/What are you talking about? Do you knkow him?/ Ryou asked.
//Quiet! Pay attention and stay away form that boy!// Ryou quickly turned back to his notes and Bakura shielded his thoughts so the boy's easily-distracted mind could concentrate. //He's about as different from the Pharaoh I remember as Ryou and I are. In the same ways, too. Is that boy the Pharaoh's reincarnation? Is Ryou mine? But I'm still here! I suppose my body died, but it's the soul that gets reborn. How confusing… Wait, does that mean that the Pharaoh got sealed into the Puzzle?//
Bakura reached out with the Ring's power and tried something incredibly stupid. //THE PHARAOH'S A SHRIMP!!// he taunted. Luckily, the only response he got was a muddled, questioning feeling.
//Huh… Doesn't feel arrogant enough for the pharaoh. Feels like he doesn't even know he's the Pharaoh anymore. Hmm…//
Bakura contemplated this during the next few classes Ryou had, since he had nothing better to do. Then the students got a long break after lunch. Most of the class went outside, but Ryou wanted to stay in. That was good, because the Pharaoh-boy and a group of admirers were also inside.
//Hey! Take the Ring out for a minute, but don't let anyone see.//
Ryou took out his books for his next class. /All right./ He slipped the Ring out and held it low, hidden partially by his desk. Two spikes were pointing behind him and to the left. He glanced that way to see the boy with the strange hair talking and laughing with some friends, playing a card game.
//Those pictures look like the Shadow Game tablets…//
/What? That's Duel Monsters, Bakura. It's a fun game. I know all about it, but I don't play very often./
//Really? Remind me to talk to you about that later. Get closer, I can't see! And hide the Ring.//
Ryou put the Ring back under his shirt and went over to the small group. There was a circle of people watching the game, and Ryou found an open space to stand.
//That boy has Kagemusha of the Blue Flame out. A weak warrior. And this miniature Pharaoh has… The Dark Magician! The Dark Magician only obeyed the Pharaoh. So that pompous shrimp MUST be in the Puzzle. But why does he seem so different…?//
After thinking for a while, Bakura laughed at the answer he came up with. //The Puzzle isn't one solid piece of gold! It's made up of dozens of smaller pieces! Ha, I'll bet the Pharaoh got himself sealed in it, then someone broke it! So his mind broke apart too, and now he doesn't know who he is! It seems like it hasn't been together for long either, judging by how confused he seemed.//
/What are you talking about?/
//Quiet. Don't question me. It's none of your concern. Maybe later.//
The mini-Pharaoh won the game quickly and most of the crowd dispersed. The small boy suddenly turned and smiled at Ryou. "Hi, I'm Yuugi. Your name's Ryou, right?"
Bakura froze, but quickly recovered. //Ask him about the gold Puzzle around his neck.//
"Um… yes," Ryou said, smiling faintly. "It's nice to meet you. Uh… What's that big gold thing around your neck?"
Yuugi wrapped his small hands around the gold pyramid. "It's my Millennium Puzzle. Jii-chan got it for me in Egypt. It was the hardest puzzle I've ever solved, but I managed it."
Ryou's eyes lit up. "Oh, I –"
//TELL HIM AND I KILL YOU BOTH!//
Ryou gulped. "I… like it. Tou-san's been to Egypt, and I'm interested in Egyptian history."
"Really?" asked Yuugi, cheerfully oblivious to Ryou's inner conversation. "You should talk to my jii-chan some day. He owns a game shop not far from here. Come by some time, Ryou-kun!"
"A… Arigato, Yuugi-kun," Ryou said, grateful for the other boy's friendliness but unsure how Bakura would react.
Just then the teacher came back and it was getting close to time to start class again. Ryou hurried back to his seat and got out his pen.
//Hmm… Watch that boy, he may not be as innocent as he seems.//
/Bakura, he seemed very nice…/
//That's what he WANTS you to think! But you did well. You need to stay close to him. Like a distant shadow. Get close to him without letting him get close to you. Get him to talk to you, but offer nothing in return.//
/Bakura, can't I just be his friend? I haven't had a real friend in ages./
//You haven't even been live for ages. Call him a friend if you want, but DO NOT let your guard down. Ever. That boy is dangerous, so you need to be as strong as you can.//
/But Bakura, how –/
//Silence!//
Ryou sighed. /All right, I'll be careful./ He settled down for a long day of taking notes and keeping on guard.
Endnote: Well that wasn't too bad, was it? Not as fun as the last chapter, but oh well. Give me ideas if you can, but I won't continue this for a while yet… Until then, review! In an e-mail if necessary! My review alert doesn't seem to work, but oh well. It's more fun to check reviews on here anyway, for some reason!