He was eight, the first time he heard the voice of the spirit. Eight years old, his father had given him The Millennium Ring, more for safekeeping than anything else. However, the darkness started sweeping through the young boy. At first, he took no notice of the whispers, just sounds and noises, he had friends to play with, adventures to go on. He ran around the school, laughing and joking. It had been a long time since that a smile graced his lips.
He was eight, when his father was in a car crash, killed him instantly. He was eight, when he was forced onto the plane, and dragged over to Japan to live with his Aunt and Uncle. The darkness grew stronger with the situation. He was forced into isolation. He could not understand much of the language. The children bullied him for his accent. His Uncle and Aunt were strict and firm. Kind, of course, but they had rules he had to get used to. And for a boy with no friends, rules made him feel even more isolated.

He was eight when he first heard The Spirit's voice.

The Spirit killed someone when he was nine.

It was the first of many years of torture, when he was ten, The Spirit killed his pet goldfish. Ryou vowed never to get another animal.
When he was fifteen, The Spirit killed his Aunt and Uncle.

They deserved it He would say, a scowl on his face. They wanted you to move to a private school. You don't need them, you have me
And then, he met Yugi and his friends.

It was during the first duel that The Spirit took control of his body while he was conscious. Though they had no idea why The Spirit hated Yugi so much. Until Yugi's dark side appeared.
The hatred Ryou felt from The Spirit that day, locked in the soul room while they duelled. He could remember that, but also the fear. The suffocating fear of Yugi's dark side.

However, during the duel against Yugi's dark side, and his own. The hatred grew. He became a prisoner in the soul room more and more. When he was in control of his body, he was in severe pain, or hunger. There had been no care in looking after his body. The Spirit deemed him as a vessel, and nothing more.
When The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle finally won against The Spirit of the Ring, it had been eleven years. Eleven years of whispers, cruel words and dark thoughts. Eleven years since he felt safe, and at peace. He was nineteen. Nineteen years old, and missed so much.

Though he was intelligent, he had never received a proper education. Though he had friends, he had never really spoken to anyone. He didn't know how to act, didn't know what to do. He was hostile at first, scared of everything. He hated living alone, hated being on his own.
Then Yugi came to his aid. He and his friends were moving to their own apartment. And they wanted Ryou to join them. Finally, he felt accepted. And for three years he rebuilt his life.

He made new friends easily, he worked hard in both his jobs. Mainly to keep himself occupied, so he wouldn't think of the Spirits that haunted his nightmares. Brought fear to his every, waking moment.

When he was twenty-one, The Spirit returned.
No one knew how it happened. First, The Spirit of the Puzzle, who called himself Yami, appeared outside their apartment. With The Pharaoh.
They said it was Shadow Magic, explained that a spell must have forced them back to the world of the living.
Two days later, Ryou saw The Spirit again.

It was just a glance, out of the corner of his eye. White hair, crimson eyes.
When he turned to look fully, there was nothing. He scolded himself, he was getting paranoid. Atemu and Yami returning didn't mean The Spirit would be back.
However, he was wrong.