Hello everyone! Please let me know what you think! I plan to tailor this sotry to how it is received. I can stretch it out or get down to the point and make it shorter.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh obviously.

In this story Malik is Marik and Marik is Dark/Marik- seems unfair doesn't it? To let the imposter keep the name?

-Begin-

Ryou

He sat, kicking his bare feet back and forth… back and forth. As the tips of his toes brushed the grass it almost made him smile… almost. Not much could take away the dull, aching pain deep in his chest but sometimes, when he had a free night and he found himself wandering the streets of Domino, it lessened enough for him to forget about it.

'Wandering the streets' was being a bit dramatic. Every now and then, on nights when he didn't have to go into work and stay there until just before dawn, he became so restless in his apartment and felt so confined that he just ha d to get out. It wasn't really like him but then again nothing felt like him anymore… so who could say really? What he should do was go to Malik… Malik could always help him smile or distract him with some ridiculous new hobby… but when this mood overtook him he always wanted to be alone. Just wander the streets and be alone… unseen… in the dark… creeping around corners and even ditching his shoes in order to be stealthy and silent… like a thief… NO. He shook his head vigorously and pushed himself off the park fence he had been perched on. A startled couple on a bench nearby yelped and stared as he stormed off. They hadn't been able to see the small teen dressed in black pants and black shirt in the near darkness.

Ryou, he thought to himself, get out of it. You're nothing like him and you never have been, thank goodness. Just let it go… it's over… it's been so long.

And it had been. His demon other half had disappeared over four years ago now after putting him through nothing but hell. And, as far as Ryou was concerned, that was where he could rot for eternity. He made his angry way, making as much noise as possible just to prove a point, towards his friend's apartment though he was unable to keep the scowl off his face.

He had never been easy to anger or frowns before Bakura. He'd never as much as squashed an offending mosquito. But now every person who passed him (granted it wasn't many at 1 o'clock in the morning) sped up and averted their eyes when they looked at his stormy expression. These moods came from time to time, but this one felt so strong… so much like when Bakura would take his body from him, rip him from himself and take over…

He was knocking hard on the second floor apartment door, startling even himself. He hadn't paid one ounce of attention to where he was going. He could hear his own breath catching slightly in his throat and wheezing from his chest. His hands were shaking slightly so he clenched them tightly… no need to worry him... and he worried so easily now-a-days…

"What the effin' hell.." He could hear Malik making his way towards the door and suddenly felt much more like himself. Reddening slightly, he backed away from the door and looked sheepishly at his feet… it was pretty late to come banging unceremoniously on someone's door.

The door swung open.

Malik stood there in a towering temper. Ryou hadn't seen an expression like that on his face since Battle City. He took another step back.

"What- the- FUCK- oh… Ryou."

His expression softened a bit, then without warning he reached out and pulled Ryou roughly into his chest, wrapping an arm around him tightly.

"Hello."

Ryou stood frozen.

"Uh- Malik… let me the hell go now please."

He felt every muscle in Malik's body tighten and then loosen. He released Ryou and looked worriedly at his hands.

"I'm sorry I don't know what is going on with me today."

He turned around and walked into the blackness of his apartment not bothering to invite Ryou in. Ryou followed anyway, the worry he had felt all day mounting.

"You've been feeling weird today too- OW! Damn it what the hell was that?"

Ryou crumpled to the ground holding his foot.

"Ryou what- where are you?"

"Turn a light on Malik, and help me up!"

The light clicked and Ryou's tear-filled eyes widened in shock. The usually spotless and organized apartment was in complete chaos. Books were strewn everywhere, loose pages littered the floor… mostly crumpled around the trashcan. Glass bottles, the ones that held Malik's plant and herb specimens, had been dropped (and possibly even thrown) everywhere. One of which lay smashed under Ryou's foot. Blood droplets mingled with the paint smears all over the tiles of the entryway.

"Oh. My. Malik… were you robbed?"

"Shit! Ryou I'm so sorry, I haven't had the lights on since this evening and I guess I hadn't paid attention to the mess I was making… come here!" He commanded sharply and suddenly making Ryou jump and then tense as he felt arms wrap, once again, around his torso and jerk him up. He was thrown on the couch and looked dazedly after Malik as he made his way to the bathroom, completely ignoring the paint tubes he stepped on, squirting even more color over the debris.

Ryou was now convinced something was wrong. Malik would always be somewhat of a free spirit. The charcoal he continued to use as eyeliner and the gold earrings and bangles continued to express that much. But ever since his own demon had been separated from him he'd been much more even keel. He threw every ounce of energy he had at anything that even remotely interested him (hence the painting supplies, botany, and library littered everywhere) which probably helped keep him in check. These mood swings were not encouraging.

Malik returned with a giant first aid, yet another hobby he had acquired. He was First Aid, CPR and CPI certified. He began washing the cut and pulling out the small slivers of glass with a dark look clouding his tan features. Ryou flinched when he applied the alcohol based cleaning solution. As Malik wrapped a bandage around his foot… he spoke in a much calmer tone.

"Your feet were pretty beat up already…"

Ryou blushed, "I was waking around without my shoes."

Malik stared, "Why?"

"I felt like… I didn't want to be seen. I don't know I've felt weird all day. Restless."

"Well I'm glad it's not just me. I've been on edge all day, can't keep my emotions in check. Haven't felt this way since... well… you know."

They exchanged a look.

"Do you think… They're gone right?" Malik blurted out and looked Ryou dead in the eye.

Ryou bristled. "Of course they are!" He said, slapping Malik's hand away from his foot and tying the bandage himself. "Don't even say that."

"It's just, today I felt… this weird shock and then I felt like… like I wasn't alone anymore… like I wasn't safe anymore." Malik hung his head.

Malik was terrified of the personality he had created as a child. It had been torn from him, expelled to the Shadow Realm and still he acted like it was just sitting in jail waiting for parole. Ryou took quite a different stance against his past. He hated every inch of his dark side. Hated him deeply and loudly.

"You shouldn't be so scared."

Malik looked at him like he had three heads.

"Like you wouldn't be scared…"

"I wouldn't be." Ryou scowled at the carpet. "I hate- I wouldn't care less if he-"

"Yeah like hell." Malik spat, "At least your dark side is- was a person… someone and not some kind of monster…"

"Can I sleep here?" Ryou interrupted bluntly.

Malik nodded.

"Good... maybe you'll be less of a raving lunatic in the morning." Ryou sighed. "I mean not a completely sane person… I know that'll never happen…" They looked at each other and cracked a smile.

"Come on, get up and get a wet rag." Ryou directed.

"What?" Malik gave him a confused look.

"I can't sleep in a place that looks like it just got raided for drugs." Ryou threw a pillow that had fallen on the coffee table at him. Malik laughed and put it on the couch, stretched, and then walked towards the kitchen. Ryou's smile slid off his face as he looked outside. Those thoughts had felt too familiar when Malik voiced them. He felt a little light-headed. The ache in his chest throbbed. He couldn't help raising his hand to just above his heart.

"It can't happen… it can't…"

He walked away from the window and began scooping up books.

Bakura

Five miles away a tall, lean, gray-haired man stood rubbing his head and peering around himself. He started walking towards the small pond in front of himself and peered in. His skin was pale and his deep green eyes looked slightly sunken. He smiled hugely and turned, walking confidently towards where he knew the one he needed to find would be… he'd never move from that stupid apartment where he'd been so happy once. As he passed by a couple sitting on a bench he gave them his best leering and intimidating smile. They stood up quickly and scurried away.

"This stupid park." He grumbled, "Why did I have to arrive here?"

He kicked at the fence as he passed through it…. The same fence where not long ago his light had sat cursing him.

Ryou

Ryou sprang up. He stood bent slightly over, his long white hair in a tangled mess and spilling over his eyes, every muscle tensed. He was gasping for breath. The strangest feeling had woken him, a mess of nerves and worry and a strange, leaping swooping feeling in the pit of his stomach. He collapsed on the couch and groaned quietly, pulling the pillow over his head.

"Well that was quite dramatic." Ryou rolled onto his back and glared at Malik, sitting at his leisure on the armchair next to the couch crunching on a bowl of cereal.

"Hope you're feeling better today…?" Ryou spat back. His foot hurt quite a lot and he was not in a good mood.

"Aw stop, those death glares are just too much!" Malik grabbed at his chest as though a hole was being burned into it and smirked spectacularly.

"You've made a full recovery back from Crazyland then?" Ryou mumbled, feeling exhausted. After they had finished cleaning the apartment and chatting about Malik's classes at Domino Community College it had been about 4:30am. "I've got to get home. I need a proper rest before work."

Malik's smirk disappeared. "I wish you'd do something- anything else."

Ryou glared, "Don't do this, not now, I'm exhausted. I need to borrow a pair of shoes."

A half hour later, Ryou was tromping up to the front of his apartment building in shoes two sizes too big for him. He hated being so slight. He swept his hair out of his face and fumbled for his keys. He went to unlock the door and found it was already open, and very very broken. He frowned. What the hell happened here...

He walked up the stairs four flights and felt a mounting panic he couldn't explain. When he reached his door, he couldn't help his shaking hands as he reached for the knob. He tried it before reaching for his key. Just as he'd been afraid of. The knob turned and the door opened. He stepped in, terrified to run into a robber or some kind of crazy homeless person who had somehow targeted his apartment for 'inspection'.

"Ah finally, I've been waiting quite a long time hikari."

Ryou thought he might faint. Or throw up. Run back down the stairway screaming like a banshee. Which one was appropriate for your worst nightmare?

"Shut the door and face me. Stop being a child."

Every drop of fear drained out of him. Ryou turned slowly toward the taller version of himself. Taller, at least by 5 inches, with flowing gray hair and deep green piercing eyes with a rim of red… no, no red… strange. Ryou could have sworn he remembered red in those eyes that stared back at him out of the mirror when he was torn from himself. He walked forward slowly staring at the change in the eyes and stopped just in front of him. And then he raised his fists and lost it.

"Ryou- Shit. Hey! Stop it- Stop UH!"

Every inch he could reach was pummeled. Ryou beat down directly on his face a felt, rather than heard, the snap. He grabbed a nearby lamp and broke it over his head.

"You- Ruined- My- LIFE. Get the FUCK OUT!" Ryou screamed and dragged the man to the door and out into the hallway. He slammed the door and crumpled to the ground wheezing with tears pouring down his face. His chest began to throb even worse than it had last night. He crawled towards the phone and picked it up.

"Malik. Listen… He came here… he's back… no SHUT UP! I'm not messing you. Please he came here. No I'm fine… but I hit him… I- YES of course him is Bakura!"

-End-

Like? Review!? I plan to put up chapter 2 very, very soon.