Funny how time flies.

I started this story in my sophomore year of high school, fully intending it to never be more than a oneshot. And then someone challenged me to make it more than that, and this is what I end up with. Truly a Cinderella story.

After going through this story countless times to make sure grammar was acceptable, that the plot was polished enough to pass scrutiny, and being a slave to many reviewers, I finally have polished everything that I published years ago. It should flow smoother and be an easier read than it was two years ago.

A reminder: this is non-yaoi. I also own nothing but the plot and my OC's, so no stealing it please. Any flames will be reported, and I do not hesitate.

Without further ado, you may read.

EDIT: Thanks to the anonymous reviewer who pointed out a rather embarrasing typo. Honestly, I have no idea how that happened D8

Ryou could tell that it was going to snow soon. Those thick and gray clouds above him certainly were indicators of the weather; he'd learned to recognize when it was about to snow, even as a child. As he walked outside he wondered idly what Bakura would think about the snow; the old thief usually made his thoughts clear when it came to anything cold related.

Only a second passed, however, before Ryou remembered that he didn't need to worry about Bakura's reaction anymore: the old spirit was gone.

Four months ago the Millennium Items had been lost to the depths of the earth, sealed away forever. The Pharaoh had returned to the afterlife—as had Bakura, if one existed for the old thief. Despite everything the thief had put him through, Ryou often times found himself wishing that the tomb robber had found a peaceful paradise waiting for him on the other side. He'd heard from Yugi about the trauma Bakura had undergone, and though it did not diminish his actions it still warranted pity.

His life had resumed, of course, now that there was no longer any crazed Yami running his life. Yugi and his friends had asked him over to the Turtle Game Shop for a small Christmas party and Ryou had no desire to be late for it; it was the first party he had been to in his memory, since Bakura usually had forced him to stay away from such activities.

"Hey girly boy, wait up!" sneered an evil voice abruptly, breaking into his thoughts.

Ryou let out another sigh and quickened his pace, hoping to outrun the group of boys he could hear snickering behind him. They had not given Ryou any peace at all—since his first day at middle school, in fact—and they comprised of three seniors who immensely disliked the soft-spoken boy. The best that Ryou could figure, it had something to do with their old P.E. coach.

Ryou continued to walk as quickly as he could manage without making it appear as if he was running; Bakura had often warned him of such an occurrence, and so it was out of habit that he did not immediately start running. He didn't know the names of any of them—hadn't bothered to learn them, in fact—but he did know their appearances and knew when to duck out of sight whenever they showed up.

"Yo, girly! We just wanna talk to ya about bein' a man!" said one boy, shooting past him to step in his immediate path. Ryou inwardly rolled his eyes—if these boys even knew the half of what he had been through they would probably run home with their tails between their legs

Almost as if his thoughts had been read, a sardonic voice called out from behind them."Look in the mirror sometime, guys. You don't even the meaning of the word."

Noa Kaiba stepped out from the doorway of the school—where he had been waiting for Seto to pick him up— watching boredly as Ryou and the small group directed their attention to him. Despite the fact that the boy was only marginally taller than Yugi (and was fairly sensitive on the subject), the mint haired boy was no pushover; the boy had a razor-sharp wit about him that was evident whenever he opened his mouth.

The fact that Seto Kaiba was his stepbrother also helped things.

Ryou found letting out a small sigh of relief at the familiar face. He had met Noa two months ago when he had first arrived, and after a rough start had become close friends with the boy. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Ryou had been unconditionally accepting of Noa at a time where others weren't; perhaps not. But either way, the two of them had become friends.

"Yeah, greenie, and you think you're so tough with your stupid brother standing behind you…but we ain't afraid of him, are we?" said a black haired boy, grabbing Noa by the collar of his school jacket and hoisting him into the air.

Noa regarded the other teen coolly. "You should be, Sir Smells-A-Lot. My 'stupid' stepbrother owns half the city."

If it weren't for the fact that it was absolutely true, Ryou might have laughed.

The antagonist growled, hoisting Noa into the air higher. "I'll teach you to mouth off to me," he growled angrily.

Ryou watched this in alarm, moving forward to assist Noa. Before he could take even one step closer to them, though, someone grabbed him from behind and pulled his arm behind his back painfully, halting any further movement.

Noa had not struggled at all when the foul-smelling boy had grabbed him. It seemed that Noa really had no need to, for he was looking beyond the boys assembled and now had a grin plastered to his face. "Hey, Seto."

The raven haired teen holding him had just enough time to visibly start before he turned and met a fist connecting with his face. He howled, holding his nose and dropping Noa; the mint-haired boy landed lightly on his feet, scowling at the gang. Most likely, thought Ryou with a grimace, the nose was broken.

Seto Kaiba ignored the pained wails and agonized cries, his attention drawn solely to the other members of the gang. The brunette gave a cursory glance to Ryou's predicament. "Let go of him," he snapped coldly, his eyes boring holes into the other teen's eyes.

The pressure on his arm lessened abruptly and his captor released him, stepping back fearfully. He'd already let go of him and had started running. His friends followed suit, the injured teen whimpering as he held his nose.

The two Kaiba brothers watched with identical dark looks and narrowed eyes until the gang had completely vanished around the corner. When they were out of sight, Noa let out a sigh of relief and turned to the taller Kaiba. "Any later, Seto, and you might have had to wipe me up with a mop."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come at all. It seemed like you had the situation under control," replied Seto in a bored tone of voice.

Noa shook his head, looking to Ryou with a grin. "It's so ridiculously easy to get under his skin…you okay?"

"I'm fine, though my arm just hurts a little bit," Ryou replied with a nervous smile.

"Seems to me like that guy forgot a key factor about your arm—it's attached to your body."

Ryou laughed aloud, reaching down to get his schoolbag. As he grasped its handle, he suddenly remembered what he had been doing before the gang had arrived. "Oh no, I'm late!" he cried anxiously, picking up his bag and turning for the school gate.

"Ryou, hold up!" Noa called after him. "We're heading that way anyways. Wanna catch a ride with us?"

Ryou ran through his options quickly before sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I would be grateful to you if you did."

"'Kay, no prob. Oi, Seto! We're going to take Ryou here to Yugi's place!" called Noa after the retreating back of the CEO.

"Whatever, Noa. While you're at it, be sure to invest in a bullhorn—I'm pretty sure that Canada didn't hear your announcement."

Noa made a face and stuck his tongue petulantly at the other teen. "Smarty pants," he grumbled, earning another laugh from the white haired teen beside him. He took a few steps forward before looking back at Ryou and asking, "You coming?"

Ryou started, nodding as he followed after him. "Thanks for giving me a ride," he said gratefully.

The other boy shrugged. "No biggie. Seto's anti-drug is working himself into insanity. And as for those seniors, they were asking for a whooping. Jounouchi had a run-in with them a while back, and they were raising Cain when I first got here for my hair color," replied Noa easily.

He looked up at Ryou and frowned. "I noticed they caught you off guard. If you're going to interfere with something like that, you're going to have to react faster than that."

Ryou nodded mutely, remembering how easily he had been detained. "I'll certainly try harder," he said, though he knew he would likely be getting some practice later. That particular group of boys were likely to try and harass him again.

They wouldn't pick on you so much if you actually bothered to defend yourself, moron.

Ryou stopped moving entirely, eyes widening in disbelief. No…it was not possible…he'd just been hearing things. He couldn't have…it wasn't possible!

Nonetheless, he tentatively tried the mental link. He had to make sure that it wasn't…he'd probably imagined it. B-Bakura? Is that you?

Not to his surprise, there was no answer.

"Ryou?" asked Noa concernedly, noticing his taller friend's sudden and abrupt halt. "You comin'?"

Realizing that he was worrying his friend, Ryou put a smile on his face and said, "I was trying to figure out if I had left anything in my locker, but I have everything. Shall we go?"

He hated lying, but he really did not want to have to explain to Noa that he had possibly heard the voice of a five-thousand year old tomb robber in his head.

As it turned out, Ryou barely avoided being late to the Christmas party at the Turtle Game Shop. Noa and Seto both declined from the friendly invitation that Yugi offered them as they had walked in the door (mainly because Seto had an inordinate amount of work to complete before Christmas arrived, but also because his pride probably would not have let him stay).

"I hope he chokes on his coffee," muttered Jounouchi with narrowed brown eyes as Seto disappeared from view. "He thinks he's too good for us."

"Jounouchi, be nice," said Anzu distractedly as she helped Yugi put up a Christmas wreath above the doorway. "It's Christmas and he has a lot to do. Give him a break."

"Christmas is three days away, Zuzu."

Anzu whirled on the blonde with a death glare on her face, and Jounouchi inadvertently backed up. "Don't call me 'Zuzu', Jounouchi Katsuya, unless you want to die an early, slow, and painful death," she said coldly, eyes flashing.

"Y-Yes ma'am."

Anzu now turned to Ryou, her blue eyes no longer spelling death; they were radiating concern. "Are you feeling well, Ryou? You look distracted."

The white haired boy hesitated, uncertain as to whether or not tell the others about hearing Bakura's voice. The subject was rather tender for the others to talk about—seeing how as Bakura had nearly succeeded in killing them all at one time or another "Oh, um...my father's out of the country on another business trip and he won't be home in time for Christmas," said Ryou at last, easily avoiding saying anything about his Yami.

"That sucks, Ryou," said Honda, munching on a Christmas cookie. He swallowed and looked over at the silver haired boy. "Why does your dad have to travel so much, anyway?"

"Because my father is the curator of the museum and his job requires him to travel a lot," replied Ryou, helping himself to fruit punch. "But enough about me. Let's get this party started, shall we?"

Jounouchi grinned. "All right! That's the kind of talk I wanna hear. Let's do it!" he cried, immediately heading for the buffet table with a greedy light in his eyes.

The festivities lasted for a full three hours; gifts were exchanged, happy laughter echoing through the house and delighted smiles lighting all of their faces. But all good things must come to an end, and so the group departed from the shop late into the night. Ryou was the last one to leave.

"Ryou?" asked Yugi tentatively as the boy shrugged into his overcoat.

"Yes, Yugi?"

"...Have you heard anything from Bakura?"

Ryou stiffened as the question registered, alarm flashing through him before he pulled his face into a carefully controlled mask. Had Yugi realized that he had been lying earlier? "Why?" he asked at last, avoiding answering the question once again. "Have you heard anything from the Pharaoh?"

Yugi shrugged sheepishly, the intent look vanishing to be replaced by an awkward smile. "I don't really know…I just had a thought. Don't worry about it," he continued with a laugh. "Have a merry Christmas, Ryou!"

"You too, Yugi," replied Ryou with a warm smile as he exited the shop. Once he had gotten outside of the little store and he had begun walking for home, his thoughts returned to his Yami.

Frankly, Ryou had actually never remembered what his other half had done whenever Bakura had taken over his body. He had become aware of his presence during the Duelist Kingdom tournament and later on in Battle City. Bakura had rarely ever come to the defense of his Hikari; whenever he had, Bakura claimed that he needed Ryou's physical body to stay alive himself.

Ryou had no idea how many times Bakura had been banished to the Shadow Realm; he only remembered one time out of the countless others. Towards the end of the Pharaoh's stay in the mortal plane, it seemed that the Pharaoh sent Bakura to the Shadow Realm more out of habit than anything else—it would be too much to hope for that the stubborn thief would stay put.

But still...his Yami had actually come to his aid more than once; he'd defended him from bad people, hadn't he? Would he be glad to see the tomb robber...if somehow he had returned?

He sighed. "This whole mess is a bother," he said aloud.

Yugi stared out into the night sky through the sky light in his room, mulling over several thoughts.

He'd gone to his room shortly after he'd helped Grandpa clean up the mess left from the party and had laid down on his bed, puzzling over his thoughts. Yugi knew that both Atem and Bakura had passed on to the afterlife, so he really wasn't sure why he had asked Ryou if he'd heard anything from the tomb robber; perhaps it was due to the strange matter of his dreams.

All of them had started a few nights ago, each starting with Atem's return to the afterlife and each ending with his return to the present...but the details always varied in between. Sometimes Atem would just appear in a flash of light—other times, Atem would be in pain and disappear in a flash of smoke.

Yugi sincerely hoped that his other half was all right.

When the Pharaoh had left, it had felt as if a large part of his soul had vanished. Although he had been happy that the Pharaoh had finally found rest after spending thousands of years wandering restlessly, it had hurt to see him leave; in the days after Atem's departure, he'd been prone to small episodes of mild depression. As the time had passed, though, these episodes had soon faded to nothing. Atem was back where he belonged—that was all that mattered.

Tonight Yugi gazed into the sky, watching the stars twinkle merrily. The overhanging clouds had—for the moment, anyway—dissipated. The moon shone through a cloudy haze, softly bathing Yugi's room with faded moonlight. Yugi yawned and realized that he was tired; it was late, and he wanted to go to sleep. Changing into his pajamas, he climbed under the covers and continued to gaze into the sky. As he started to fall asleep he murmured softly, "I wish you were here, Atem."

As if in response, one star shone brighter than all the rest for a brief moment before fading once more.

"Thank you and come again soon," said the salesclerk in a false cheery voice, pretending to be awake for his sake and acting as if she cared.

Ryou nodded politely to her and took up his grocery bags. Stepping out into the cold night air, he shivered slightly before setting off once more for home. It had occurred to Ryou on his way back that he needed some important essentials from the grocery store and therefore he had stopped at the nearest store for them.

Ryou walked along steadily, lost in his own thoughts; the subject of his Yami weighed heavily on his mind and distracted him from everything else that was going on around him. It was not much of a surprise, therefore, when someone bumped into him.

"Oh dear, I'm dreadfully sorry!" he cried, returning to the present abruptly. "I wasn't watching where I was…going…"

He inwardly dratted his luck when he recognized who he had bumped into. Of all the people in the world, he had to run into those blasted seniors again; he'd walked into the black-haired member of the group, who now sported tape on his nose. It had been broken, he noted absently.

Ryou heard movement from behind him and knew that the other two members had closed off his only escape route. His gaze returned to the first teen and repressed a sigh—showing annoyance would not help him here. If anything, it would only provoke them. Instead, he said, "I have to be going home. These groceries will spoil if I don't."

"I don't think so," said one of the boys coolly, punching Ryou in the small of his back; Ryou gasped and fell to his knees. The grocery bags fell to the ground and the contents scattered all over the place. "We want to finish what we started, girly boy. And this time there isn't anyone to bail you out."

Noa's earlier warning came back in full force, and Ryou squared his shoulders resolutely. "Why don't you bother someone else for a change? I couldn't have done anything to deserve this," he said coolly, keeping an eye out for any abrupt movements as he put his back to the nearest wall.

When the seniors only chuckled and moved in closer, Ryou frowned and shifted his stance. Having a temperamental tomb robber share his body for several years had rubbed off, and since he knew it was not likely that anyone else was going to come for him he figured now was the time to enact a little self-defense.

A tall and skinny brunette stepped a little too close for Ryou's comfort and he moved, pivoting on his heel and bringing his elbow sharply into the older teen's midriff. The teenager grunted in surprise, doubling over, and Ryou instantly took advantage of it and slipped past him. When the shortest member of the group moved in the way as well, Ryou simply dodged the thrown punch and continued toward the alleyway entrance—at least until one of them tripped him and he went sprawling to the ground.

The wind was knocked from his lungs as he hit the cold concrete and stars burst in his vision. He found that all he could do was simply lie there, blinking in stunned confusion while his vision blurred and spun. Someone delivered a savage kick into his solar plexus and he let out a strangled gasp as large black dots began dance in his eyes.

Don't just lie there, you idiot—run!

Ryou froze, the angry sounding voice in his mind breaking the shock. He blinked away the cobwebs from his mind and stumbled to his feet. He managed to stumble forward a few tottering steps before finding himself on the ground once again, hardly able to breathe. I can't get away…he told the voice wearily.

Call for help.

He ignored this latest suggestion, since he knew it would probably not do him much good. He was still trying to catch his breath and he doubted anyone would hear him; he dimly noted that it had started to snow, which told him that no one else was out to help him. He felt something collide with the back of his head and he cried out in pain, fighting to stay conscious.

STAY AWAKE, DESCENDENT!

No mistaking it now—very few people called him that. It had to be him…

Sorry…I can't…

As Ryou sank into unconsciousness, he thought that he heard a familiar voice call his name urgently, but he was too weak to respond to that gruff voice. Besides...he knew that Bakura couldn't help him anyways.

Dead people can't help me.

And with that thought he sank into the darkness threatening to engulf his senses.

The three boys grinned savagely when they realized that Ryou had been knocked out. He had initially put up a fight, but thanks to a well placed kick he had been knocked unconscious and was now at the mercy to his tormentors. They all wasted no time, beginning to beat their hapless victim with ill-concealed delight.

"Aw man, my leg cramped up. It hurts!" complained one of them at last, backing away and bending down to massage his leg.

"Believe me, you will be wishing for that you had only an injured arm when I am through with you," said a venomous voice darkly.

The three boys started violently and turned in unison.

A figure stood in the entrance to the alleyway, his features obscured by the gathered shadows. His brown eyes were flashing dangerously, filled with a warning and a darkness that chilled them all to the bone; the boys could see the almost crimson orbs dimly reflected by the moonlight.

As they watched, the other teen stepped further into the light, revealing his appearance in a beam of moonlight. He bent down to where their unconscious victim lay, gently placing his fingers to the base of Ryou's neck. Something that briefly looked like relief softened his features some, but was instantly gone as he rose to his feet. The malevolent look was once more in place.

"Dude…he looks exactly like Girly Boy…" whispered one of the gathered seniors, eyes wide.

"Wh-who are you?" asked another one nervously, clutching his arm.

The figure said nothing for a moment. But then a dangerous smile lit his face and the gang shrank back in fear.

"I…am your worst nightmare."

Yugi, meanwhile, was having troubles of his own.

He had initially been fast asleep in the grips of a deep and dreamless sleep, but now something had entered his thoughts and he found that he was stumbling around, trapped in a nightmarish scenario in his mind.

Yugi finally stopped walking, looking around him in confusion and grim alertness. The only light that he could see was a soft glow, which seemed to be emanating from his own body. But beyond that, the inky blackness around him threatened to swallow him in its depths.

Something menacing and evil lurked just out of his line of sight and he only knew that it was there because he could hear it growling and snarling savagely at him. He shivered reflexively, rubbing his arms in an attempt to keep warm; it had gotten suddenly colder in this wretched place.

Another snarl sounded closer to him and Yugi took a step backward, gasping for breath. The darkness all around him made Yugi feel as if he was slowly being suffocated. "Who's there?" he said sharply, peering uncertainly in the darkness.

Suddenly a black furred creature appeared in front of him, crouching down in front of him and snarling savagely; instinct made Yugi duck an exploratory but deadly swipe of its taloned paw. It was half human, half wolf; its yellow, bloodshot eyes were full of a murderous light and his talons extended towards Yugi menacingly. It gave a guttural growl and advanced on him, saliva coming out of his mouth in small rivers. Another creature joined the first one and also advanced on Yugi.

Yugi's eyes narrowed, backing away slowly from the creatures as he tried to come up with a plan. When the animals tried to attack him again, however, Yugi decided that perhaps trying to fight two monsters with no weapons was not the smartest thing he could do. He waited until one of the creatures snarled at the other and tried to attack its companion before he turned and fled.

He was not certain how long or how far he ran in the darkness, aware of the creature's snarls and his own ragged gasps for air as he ran, but the chase ended as something heavy crashed on top of Yugi's back and dragged him to the ground. Yugi placed his hands over the back of his neck at the last second to protect himself, just as he felt fangs slash into his arm

He yelled in pain, trying to get up, but the creature would not let him go so easily. He fought against it for a few more minutes before he realized that it was futile—he could not get away. It was more out of panic than anything else that made Yugi call a name he had not used in months.

"ATEM!"

A blinding light suddenly filled the darkness and the beasts howled in pain, stepping away from Yugi and whimpering fearfully at the light that they instinctively feared. Yugi rolled onto his back, sitting up and watching with wide, purple eyes as the light pierced the dark shadows around him.

RETURN TO THE SHADOWS FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!

The thundering and authoritative voice broke through the oppressive and thick darkness as easily as a knife. The words that were spoken quivered in the air, filled with a power and cold regality that was so achingly familiar…and the funny thing was that it was almost as if the speaker was right behind him…

Almost immediately, the creatures vanished in a puff of black smoke with howls of anger and pain, unable to stand up to the light. Yugi rolled back onto his back and simply lay there, basking in the warm light…there was no telling how long it would last until those creatures returned once again.

He felt a pair of hands gently grip his shoulders and help him sit up once again. Yugi blinked, confused, and turned to the owner of the hands to thank them.

The words died in his throat.

Atem was the one who was supporting him.

Nothing had changed about the former ruler since he had left four months ago; even the outfit he wore was the same, from when he had last dueled Yugi before he entered the afterlife. Other than the fact that he was noticeably taller than Yugi and his golden bangs were arranged differently than Yugi's were, he looked as if he could pass off as Yugi's older brother.

Currently, he was kneeling beside Yugi, his matching violet eyes narrowed in concern. "Yugi, are you all right?" he asked, examining him briefly before determining that the shorter boy was all right.

"I-I'm fine," Yugi said shakily, staring at his Yami with wide eyes. "Are you a part of my dream, Pharaoh, or is it really you?"

"...It's really me, Yugi," said Atem, looking at him with a warm smile on his face. "I am truly here."

"But...I don't understand. You're supposed to be in the afterlife, aren't you?"

Atem opened his mouth to answer, but before he could the Puzzle around his neck flashed even brighter. The Pharaoh gave a gasp of pain and fell to his knees.

"Atem!" said Yugi in alarm. He moved to assist his friend but found that a searing pain had filled his chest as well. It took everything he had not to scream. "Atem...what...?" he managed to choke out before another wave of pain enveloped him.

A swirling vortex suddenly appeared, drowning out the light around them and sucking the two boys into it. Yugi feebly reached out for his Yami as he fell, pain overwhelming his senses. "Atem!" he managed to gasp.

His hand managed to take hold of Atem's for one brief moment. But his grip was not strong enough and he could not hold on to his other half, and Atem's hand was yanked violently from his own. He lost sight of the Pharaoh and continued to fall.

Yugi sat bolt upright with a scream, falling completely out of his bed and hitting his head on the nightstand as he fell to the floor; he lay there dazedly with his eyes closed, unable to do much else.

That dream…that one was decidedly different than all the others…

He heard footsteps come to him and someone pulled the upper half of Yugi's body off the ground, their voice calling his name urgently. Yugi frowned slightly, trying to determine who it was.

Grampa...? No...that doesn't sound like Grampa...

With an effort, Yugi forced himself to focus on this new voice.

"Yugi, answer me!" it called, its tone filled with urgency. The pitch of the voice was different, deeper than Grampa's own voice…it sounded almost like—

Yugi's eyes abruptly snapped open.

Atem's face filled his vision, his violet eyes—the ones that matched Yugi's own—full of concern, though they now filled with a relieved light when he saw Yugi awake. "Are you all right?"

Yugi sat up quickly, looking at his counterpart with disbelief. He was unable to believe that Atem was actually sitting in front of him, unable to believe that Atem was here in the flesh, unable to believe anything at that moment.

"It...It can't be...Atem…Atem, you're back!" he cried at last, enveloping his Yami in a hug. Atem, initially startled, returned it with a warm smile.

"But how is this possible?" asked Yugi, frowning in thought as he backed away from his friend.

Atem's smile faded and he suddenly looked serious. "Yugi, I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you," he said, looking moderately confused. "What I do know is that I'm mortal. I don't know much, but from what I can immediately tell I'm the same age that I was when my soul was sealed into the Millennium Puzzle," finished Atem, gesturing to the Millennium Puzzle around his neck with a wry smile.

Yugi stared at the golden Puzzle that hung around Atem's neck before looking up at Atem with something of alarm. "So does that mean that the Millennium Items are back?" he asked, suddenly gasping as a thought occurred to him. "Is Bakura back too?"

Atem held his hands, palms up, in the air. "One question at a time, Yugi," he chuckled, amusement briefly flickering in his eyes. "First of all, I don't know if my presence here means that Bakura is back; I suspect that he as well has returned, since he is directly linked to the Millennium items. As for your first question...I don't know, though if Bakura has indeed returned then the Millennium Ring is with him."

"And the afterlife? What was that like?"

Atem frowned for a moment, obviously thinking on the subject before a perplexed look appeared on his face. "Would you believe me if I told you that I have no memories of it?"

Yugi stared at him for a split second before he began to laugh. He couldn't help it, he knew it was the wrong thing to laugh at, but he simply could not hold the laughter in.

"This is going to be hard to explain to your friends," said Atem in amusement. Yugi nodded in agreement, realizing this as well. "What's happened since I left? I couldn't exactly keep track of things since I wasn't here," said his Yami, a trace of a smile on his face.

Yugi immediately began to fill him in, ignoring how tired he felt. He could always catch up on his sleep—he had a whole three weeks to do that— but not right at the moment.

He had Atem back. That was all that mattered now.

While he floated, he dreamed.

Ryou felt as if he was slowly drifting downward, staying in between consciousness and unconsciousness. Everything around him was a mixture of reality and darkness; he could not tell if he was dreaming. Everything was so surreal…

Now and then he heard someone crying out in pain; he wondered dimly if it was him. But how could it be him if he wasn't opening his mouth? He felt a brief and fiery pain sear through his chest, but the pain soon faded away to nothing. He could hear maniacal laughter more than once...laughter that was familiar to Ryou...

Slowly he became aware of his throbbing body, each inflicted injury seeming to cry out in protest. Ryou also became aware of the fact that someone was carrying him, bridal style, and ranting in Egyptian. After a few moments, his rescuer switched to something Ryou's muddled mind could understand.

"Of all the foolish mortals I've had to deal with, you are by far the most danger-prone one I've met. You have once again demonstrated your infallible ability to land yourself into a dangerous situation! Curse you, Ryou Bakura! Can't you even keep yourself out of trouble for a few months, you incompetent moron?"

Ryou tried to open his eyes, unable to grasp what he was hearing, but he was unable to muster the energy to do so. Could it be…? He moaned, finally prying his eyes open.

Bakura's face swam in and out of focus. His eyes were narrowed and he was looking down at Ryou with a half annoyed, half concerned look on his face. "About time you woke up, fool. We're almost to your home."

"...Bakura...how...?" mumbled Ryou feebly, unable to say much more. Ryou knew he was slowly returning to unconsciousness, but he desperately struggled not to do so. He focused all of his energy on Bakura's annoyed voice.

"He's nearly dead and he asks me how I got here...how should I know, you moron?" Bakura answered, his scowling face looking up to focus on what he was doing. "I haven't the foggiest how I got here! You manage to somehow call me back from the afterlife and I find that it's snowing. You have to be the most moronic mortal I've ever had to deal with!" he finished with a slightly exasperated tone in his voice. "Then, I find that you are bloody getting beaten to death and I had to send those sniveling cowards to the Shadow Realm! Really, is it impossible for you to stay out of trouble?"

"Bakura...you...you're worried about me…?" asked Ryou, realizing that the only reason Bakura would rant like this was if the old tomb robber genuinely had been concerned about Ryou's safety.

Sure enough, his Yami flushed. "Of course not! It's just that if you die then I'll have nowhere to stay and I'll have to go fend for myself…oh what's the use. Fine, I was slightly worried about you. Happy now?" he growled in frustration, looking down at his Hikari with annoyance flashing in his eyes. "Now shut up and rest, you fool."

"But…the groceries…"

"Who cares? Shut up and lay still!" Bakura commanded with an annoyed growl. "We're almost back; I can see the house. You better hope that you have a key, because otherwise I'm kicking down the door."

From his vantage point, a mysterious cloaked figure watched the tomb robber carry his Hikari into a house. "Good. Both the Pharaoh and the tomb raider have returned now…looks like events are soon going to be set in motion," he murmured to himself.

He turned his cloak and vanished into the night.