A young boy of sixteen was on his knees, his head bowed, crying silently to himself. He was fragile-looking, with his silky white hair and large tear-rimmed eyes. The boy's name was Ryou Bakura, and Ryou had never felt more confused in the whole of his life. He couldn't remember anything, only moments ago, he had been resting on a bed in the Hospital. His pale hand, deathly white, was clutching the upper half of his right arm which was bleeding heavily. The red of his blood stood out so clearly on his paper-white skin, almost translucent in its frailness. His grip tightened as he tried to hold the slipping bandage in place.
Before Ryou stood another youth, only a year or two older, his name was Yugi Motou, or that was the name of the body. The person was Yami no Yugi, the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle, the golden upside-down pyramid hanging from a chain around his neck. The Sennen Puzzle was in actuality built from golden puzzle pieces, and the centre piece had a wadjet eye carved in it, which was staring at the sobbing boy trembling merely a few feet away. This scene is strange enough as it is currently written, but to make things even stranger, behind Yami no Yugi was a dragon whose snake-like body was wrapped around the whole of the blimp the two stood on.
It wasn't a real dragon, of course, but the most realistic hologram that anyone watching had ever seen. The dragon's name was Slifer the Sky Dragon, and he was a beauty that can hardly be described: his scales were a brilliant shade of red, and his body was perhaps hundreds of feet long, which was why it was wrapped around the blimp. Its head was enormous as well, it's wide mouth filled with many razor-sharp teeth, and its cruel yellow eyes wide open in anticipation as it waited for the order to attack. As he is currently described, Slifer could be mistaken for any common dragon. What made this particular specimen unique was the fact that it had two heads, one directly on top and attached to the main lower one. The holographic dragon's breath came in small tufts of white smoke, although not because Slifer breathed fire, but because the wind on top of the blimp was far below freezing.
The platform the two adolescents stood on was a raised field made especially for the game that the two had been playing and that was currently paused. Although, it wasn't the boy Ryou who had been playing, but his other, the spirit who lived within the Sennen Ring that he possessed and occasionally possessed his body: Yami no Bakura, the polar opposite of Yami no Yugi. His control over their body had wavered and this was how the current situation was born. Ryou was weaker than his other; the deep knife wound festering on their right arm had overcome the young boy. To someone as ancient and powerful as Yami no Bakura, the wound was nothing to fret over.
The silence dragged on, the silence that had possessed the field ever since Yami no Bakura had lost control of his and Ryou's body. Yami no Yugi was perhaps even more confused than Ryou of what to do, if such uncertainty was even possible. His wine-coloured eyes were wide with the pain of indecision. Ryou Bakura was his friend, not his closet friend or his loudest, but he was still a member of their group, his group. He was so close to winning, so close he could have tasted victory, but now everything was ruined. He could not blame Yami no Bakura for his current problem, since it was entirely Marik's fault. He had simply walked onto the top of the blimp, with his Sennen Rod, and changed everything:
...
The tall, tanned man with the hieroglyphic tattoo on the right side of his face stepped forward from the shadows. He wore a dark, billowing robe and hood that fluttered menacingly in the cold autumn wind and covered his thick body and bald head. To the knowledge of Yami no Yugi and his friends, this man's name was "Marik Ishtar", their sworn enemy. He was heartless and ruthless, with no consideration for human life: even his own, as long as he achieved his goal. In order for his plan to succeed, or to at least carry things along smoothly, Yami no Yugi could not win this duel with Yami no Bakura: seeing as Yami no Bakura was Marik's alley.
To make things simple, Yami no Yugi was "good" and Yami no Bakura was "evil", if such things as "good and evil" exist. Marik was "evil" too, so the two joined forces to achieve their goals. The game Yami no Yugi and Yami no Bakura were playing was none other than Duel Monsters, perhaps the most popular card game ever invented. America and Japan were where the game was most popular. This tournament, Battle City, was currently holding its preliminaries and finals on a blimp. It was one of many, but this tournament was special, it was more than a tournament, it was destiny.
Continuing the previous story, the cloaked and hooded man stepped forward to the jeers and hisses of the active audience. He shrugged the insults off easily, and locked gazes with Yami no Yugi. Yami no Bakura was watching, his sharp eyes darting between Yami no Yugi and Rishid (known among the others as Marik) unsure of what exactly was happening. "Listen carefully, Yugi, that boy is being controlled by my Sennen Rod." Using his Sennen Item, he pointed at Yami no Bakura, who blinked in surprise. What did Marik's servant mean by that? He was under his own control, not Rishid's, so why was he saying that? He silently wondered whether it had anything to do with how he was about to lose to Yami no Yugi: this was supposed to be the last turn, his last turn.
Yugi paid no heed to Yami no Bakura either and shouted to Rishid, "You're the one who brain-washed Ryou!" he remembered how strange Ryou had been acting earlier, before Yami no Bakura had revealed himself. How his eyes had appeared so blank, as he stated emotionlessly that the Hospital had released him early so he could come to the tournament preliminaries. How Ryou had left the Hospital in enough time to collect six locater cards (the cards needed to enter the last rounds) was very unclear.
"I'll show you proof." Rishid, playing Marik's part effectively, continued, "I'll release his true personality." Yami no Bakura couldn't say a word, or make any kind of movement before he felt his hold over Ryou's body slipping and Ryou's soul emerging, passing his as it rose and his own returned to the Sennen Ring, hidden beneath Ryou's shirt. Once Ryou was fully in control, he gasped painfully and fell to his knees, his hand grabbing at his wounded right arm as it began to bleed once more. "Agh! My arm- It hurts-! It hurts-! Ugh-" Ryou half shouted, half moaned. Such pain, he could feel blood pooling beneath his fingers and spilling down his arm. Where was he? What had happened? Why wasn't he at the Hospital?
"Ryou!" Yami no Yugi shouted, staring as his immortal enemy became his severely-mortal friend, beginning to bleed as his wound reopened. He had known that Ryou wasn't ready to be out of the Hospital. Yami Yugi didn't run to Ryou, in fear of being disqualified from the tournament. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but this card game was a lot more than what it appeared to be at first. Rishid continued, although the distressed Yami no Yugi was only half-listening. "As you can see, that boy is badly wounded. An attack from the sky dragon will grant you victory but the shock could very well take that boy's life. Are you willing to do that?"
Yugi was enraged, he thought angrily, 'You're using Bakura's life as shield! Why you filthy-!' The audience cried and shouted from beneath the raised duel platform. "That's not fair!"
"Ryou! Wake up!"
"Ryou, no!" the last cry was Yugi's who was one step closer to Ryou, not daring to take another step forward. 'If I attack him then-!' The real Marik, in the back of the crowd, who will not yet be described was feeling very pleased with himself. 'Yugi, if you hesitate on this last turn all five letters will appear on Bakura's side of the field, and you will lose. It's either you or him.'
Isono, the announcer who watched over the platform's control and enforced the rules shouted "Continue the battle, Yugi! Players may only have five minutes to think on each turn. You have thirty seconds left!" Yami Yugi could only stare ahead at his friend, he couldn't take the life of his friend! "Ugh- Yugi, it really hurts-! Please-" Ryou whispered, feeling his strength rapidly leaving him. Yami Yugi bit his lip as Isono called out he had twenty seconds, 'Ryou doesn't have enough mental strength to withstand Slifer's attack!' Kaiba couldn't watch this any longer, as Yugi's rival he wanted to face him and not Ryou in the last round of the finals.
...
A young boy of sixteen was on his knees, his head bowed, crying silently to himself. 'What do I do?' He was fragile-looking, with his silky white hair and large tear-rimmed eyes. 'If I lose now, I will never be able to face Marik, and recover the lost memories from my past life.' The boy's name was Ryou. 'I won't, I can't kill my friend!' But just as Yami no Yugi was raising his hand to surrender the duel, the strangest thing happened: 'Even I have ways I like to win, and ways I hate to win! Stay out of this, Marik!' Yami no Bakura returned, having taken possession of their body once more, he rose steadily to his feet. "Bakura!" Yami no Yugi shouted in surprise.
"Yugi-" Yami no Bakura began in his high, raspy voice, "I'll let you win this time! Attack me! Don't worry, your little gaming buddy won't die- so strike!" How would he justify his actions? After he had refused to let Marik handle things his own way, he had taken control of Ryou's body once more, to save his life. It had stirred something within his dark heart to see his host crying and slowly dying before him, he didn't know how to explain it. He couldn't let Yami no Yugi, 'The Pharaoh', kill Ryou: he simply wouldn't allow it. "I need this host in the end, to gain the power of darkness." His eventual goal, would it ever happen? Without Ryou, it was impossible.
"Do it Yugi!" Yami no Bakura screamed the words, he couldn't wait any longer, this had to happen now! "You asked for it!" Yami no Yugi shouted back at him, secretly relieved that Ryou was no longer in danger. The great dragon, Slifer the Sky Dragon, opened his first enormous mouth and with one tremendous blast of lightening knocked Bakura straight off his feet, slamming him into the metal floor of the blimp roof. Yami no Yugi was breathing hard, as if that had been exhausting, he wasn't exactly what you would call worried for Yami no Bakura, but he was curious to see what would happen now. He had attacked his wounded enemy and won the duel, now was he alright? He ran forward, shouting Ryou's name, just to be sure his mortal friend was still alive.
...
Yami Bakura could remember that so clearly, looking out of the 'Battle City' blimp window from Ryou's tournament participant room. Heavy clouds rolled over the night sky, and blocked the silver stars from view. Although the atmosphere would normally indicate an upcoming storm, Yami Bakura knew that it wasn't going to rain, somehow or other it didn't seem that way. Yami Bakura had always been good at predicting things, not the future necessarily, but the outcome of a situation. His guesses were often correct, simply because he had lived, or existed long enough to just 'know'.
Because Yami Bakura possessed Ryou's body in place of owning one himself, he took on Ryou's appearance, but because of his powerful aura the two were not identical. Ryou's long white hair, so thick and soft, falling to his shoulders became a lot wilder when the other was in control: the front of his hair lifting in a way that reminded some people of a rabbit's ears and the pieces in the back sticking out more noticeably then they had before. His eyes were another thing that changed a considerable amount: Ryou's chocolate orbs became a violent red. After that, the lids narrowed, the brows furrowed, and his lips tweaked creating a forever mocking expression. Or sometimes, the eyes widened and the lips pursed, having him appear frighteningly angry.
The spirit of the Sennen Ring is quite the character, but you will come to know him better later. The Sennen Ring is almost as important though, it was Yami Bakura's permanent home and Ryou's possession. The Sennen Ring was not truly a ring, but a pendent hung around the neck. It was a beautiful object, made of pure gold in the shape of a circle. In that circle, a triangle was firmly fastened, a wadjet eye carved in the centre. From the bottom half of the ring five needles were fastened, shaped more like thin cones. It was sinister-looking, and even those trained in the lore of the Sennen Items didn't know exactly what the ring and its hanging needles were used for.
Frustratingly enough for Yami Bakura, he did not currently have his Sennen Ring, the girl Anzu did. She was one of Ryou's friends, a brown haired girl with wide blue eyes and a permanent smile on her rounded face. Of course, Marik had been speaking through her, using his Sennen Rod to posses her mind, the same way he had with his host earlier today. He knew that Marik would return his ring eventually, but he wished that he would hurry. He knew better than to think that Marik could have had Anzu return his ring while she and the other members of Yami Yugi's group had been visiting the unconscious Ryou, but still, it was uncomfortable to be without it.
Yami Bakura was lying so stilly and silently on his and Ryou's bed that when there was a sudden knock at the door he actually jumped at the sound. Muttering a few swearwords under his breath, he glanced at the door without turning his head in that general direction, looking with his eyes. He doubted that it was another member of Yami Yugi's group, they were all surely sleeping by now. Since the rules of this tournament stated that the participants would fight a duel a day in the preliminaries he was nearly positive they would be resting for tomorrow. However small the possibility though, he wouldn't blow his cover, Yami Yugi and his gang couldn't know that he was still here.
So he remained silent and said nothing at all, there wasn't a noise from the other side of the door either, so just as he was ready to assume that his guest had left, the door opened. Yami Bakura quickly shut his eyes, he had to pretend that he was sleeping. The only noise his visitor made was the soft fall of their footsteps, which was unnerving, especially since there was only one set. The person came closer and closer until they were at the edge of the bed, now that they were this close he could hear their light breathing. What did they want? Yami Bakura wished they would go away and leave him in peace.
That's when he heard Anzu's voice, not her true voice, but the monotone she spoke in when Marik was speaking through her. "Open your eyes, Bakura, I know you're awake. I have something of yours." After these words Yami Bakura felt the presence of his ring, the home of his soul. His eyes shot open, and the 'wounded' Yami Bakura sat up quickly. Taking the ring from Anzu, (or Marik, if you preferred) he quickly placed the object around his neck and tucked it into his shirt so that the cold metal was against his skin. He suddenly felt so much more energetic, like he had been incomplete without his ring. He suppressed the desire to let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Marik, I was actually just hoping that you would return this to me." The doll, Anzu, smiled as she answered "There's not need to thank me, you should be apologizing for ruining my plans earlier." Yami Bakura didn't say anything, just when he was beginning to think Marik was occasionally decent he went and screwed everything up again. He didn't answer, deciding to keep his nose clean and his tongue in check, when Marik spoke again. "Why don't you spend the night in my room, Bakura? I'll let you sleep in my bed." At this Yami Bakura blinked, why would Marik offer him something like that? "Why?" was all the spirit asked, not feeling like beating around the bush. A smile came over Anzu's lips, if Marik was actually in front of him he knew it wouldn't be a smile, but one of those malicious grins of his. "Come and find out."
...
When Yami Bakura reached the door, he knocked to see if Marik was even there, and this whole thing wasn't all some farce of his. "Come in, Bakura." There was a small click: Marik had unlocked the door to his room. Yami Bakura walked in cautiously, as though expecting some sort of trap, but when nothing happened he relaxed and looked to Marik, lying awake on his bed. Marik, the sun-kissed Egyptian foreigner, as always, was looking his best. Like Ryou, Marik was in his late teens. His fine, bleach-blonde hair was thrown back and wind-swept, almost to his mid-back. To match his oddly-coloured hair, Marik owned a set of two gorgeous eyes, pale lavender in colour, with a rather dangerous, mischievous look to them. Unlike Ryou, whose body was both slender and fragile, Marik's was heavily built for his age: his tanned skin decorated with gold bracelets, armlets, and rings. Yes, Marik was definitely the Jewel of the Sahara, and his many fans and lovers knew it.
Marik grinned wickedly at Yami Bakura, eyeing him attentively "Bakura, you came. How happy this makes me-" Marik's voice was alive and playful (as always) and despite the late hour, he got up from his bed, and looked Yami Bakura up and down from a different angle. For sleeping clothes, Marik wore only a loose black T-shirt. Yami Bakura looked Marik up and down, and found himself drawn to his exposed legs- they were nicely formed and hairless, but marked with scars. "I thought you would have had too much pride to sleep in my bed- I somehow had the impression you would refuse my offer immediately after I suggested it." Marik started tauntingly, letting out a little laugh. "Tell me Bakura, where did your pride go? I'm almost worried Ryou's rubbing off on you!" When Yami Bakura didn't answer Marik continued, but in a softer tone. "Well, since you're here I'll sleep on the floor. My bed is too small for both of us."
Yami Bakura looked away from Marik's legs, and lifted his eyes to his face. His manner as harsh as ever. "You haven't done anything to the bed, have you? Because if I wake up and you've done something stupid you'll regret it, Marik-" Marik only giggled mischievously, eying his filed nails. "No, Bakura, there is nothing in my bed. How would I sleep in it the next night? You're only here because I'm your friend now. If we're to be allies, we might as well try to get to know each other if we can." Though his words meant well, the way Marik said them you'd think he was still taunting. As he spoke Marik kicked at heaps of unidentifiable objects to clear a space, unrolled a spare blanket onto the floor, and curled to one side on top of it. There were many things Yami Bakura had wanted to ask him then, but Marik seemed as though he was finished for tonight, and he was tired anyway. So for now, Yami Bakura stepped over him, lay down on his bed, and went to sleep.
...
Marik couldn't get to sleep, ever since Yami Bakura had come into his room, this strange feeling had crept up inside of him. It was hard to explain, and there was no other emotion Marik could match it too. The best way he could have described it was a tingling feeling, from his forehead. Marik rolled his eyes and snorted at the irony. 'I wonder why my foreheads aching, when it's my back that's going to be killing me tomorrow. I should have known better than to let Bakura sleep in my bed, I'm going to be feeling this floor for weeks.'
He turned to his other side, and pushed himself to his knees, where his face was even with Yami Bakura's on the bed. The spirit was sleeping, and for one who usually appeared so cold and sarcastic, his features twisted into smirks and glares it was strange to see him looking so- peaceful? His features were calm and relaxed, his breathing slow, gentle, and absent of snores or other bothersome noises. Ryou's cotton nightclothes worn loosely over his skin- Marik blinked as he realized what he was thinking and shook his head. 'Since when have I had thoughts like that?' Marik worried, turning away from Bakura in fear of being entranced again, 'Surely they weren't my thoughts, they couldn't have been-' Marik winced as his forehead burned sharply and painfully, almost as if the spot had come in contact with a stovetop burner. With a surprised gasp he pressed his hand over his head in an attempt to stop the pain, it took a while to fade completely, and when it had Marik's light eyes were streaming. 'What was that? I must be going out of my mind: looking at men, unexplainable jolts of pain, they've been happening ever since I met him. Is he doing this?' He looked over at Bakura again, 'No, I don't think so. Only the Rod, my Sennen Item, can change another's thoughts like mine have been changed.'
...
A few hours later and Marik was sleeping, the morning coming fast. When the first few rays of golden sunlight drifted in through the blimp-window and hit the gold of the Sennen Ring and Rod, lying dormant on the table, perhaps it was the light, or maybe something else, but at that time both of the items flashed brightly: lighting the room in a way the sun never could.