Title: Just Scattered Pieces

Pairing/s: YYxY, plus a sort of twisted BxY and Y-R friendship.

Disclaimer: The song 'Pieces' is owned by Red, Kazuki Takahashi owns Yuugiou, and I only pervert his characters to my will. Bleh.

Summary: AU on the Memory World saga. In which Bakura is smart for once and realizes he can't defeat both Yami and Yugi at the same time. So, instead of creating the Ultimate RPG within the memory world, he creates an RPG that takes place in the "normal" universe, with one exception: Yami is sealed in the ring, and Bakura is in the Puzzle. Stuck in Ryou's body, Yami is forced to search for his aibou. But will things be the same when he finally finds his other half?

Based on this prompt: What if Yami was sealed with Ryou instead of Yugi?


...i'm here again, a thousand miles away from you...


The first thing Yami was aware of was that he was alone in his mind, and darkness had taken the place of his friends. He drew a quick breath (he couldn't actually breathe, but the gesture was comforting) and closed his eyes. All right. This was okay. He'd been here before; he just needed to concentrate. Find Yugi. That was his first priority.

The spirit steadied himself and began to clear his mind of all thought other than his aibou. He imagined sitting by the window in the Game Shop, watching Yugi set down Dark Magician in Attack Mode, a slight smile on his face as he yet again destroyed Joey emotionally in a game of Duel Monsters.

No, no, that made him think of gaming. He couldn't afford to be distracted now. Think Yugi.

Yugi, all smiles and awkward laughs, blushing at the mention of Anzu. Yugi, sleepy-eyed and hair a mess, drowsily telling him not to move right now, he made a nice pillow. Yugi, washing the car with his shirt off, the water sliding down his chest and…

Because that thought wasn't distracting at all.

Yami sighed and tried again, with slightly more success. /Aibou, where are you? Aibou? Aibou?/

His calls became increasingly panicked as he realized that, for whatever reason, he couldn'tfind Yugi. /Aibou? Mou hitori no ore! Where are you? Yugi!/

No response.

With his heart thudding loudly in his ears, Yami began to take in his surroundings for the first time. To his shock, his eyes were not met with the familiar endless steps and doors of the puzzle. Instead, he found himself staring at wall-paintings, like the ones he'd seen in the museum. Hieroglyphs, his mind supplied. As he looked closer, he began to recognize some of the images engraved in the stone.

One told a child's story about a young prince who grew to be Pharaoh. Peering at the ancient lettering, he realized that the story wasn't finished. The pictures at the end were faded and discoloured.

As he looked around the room, he saw that the story wasn't the only thing incomplete. The walls were covered with half-finished drawings and descriptions, like a child had come in and scribbled all over the place, and then got bored with his own antics. Yami swallowed. He had an idea of where he was now.

He'd never seen his own soul room apart from the one the puzzle had provided. He hadn't quite been sure he wanted to. After witnessing the playful innocence of his partners', and coming to understand he was the exact opposite of Yugi, he wasn't sure his soul room would be such a great place.

Now, however, he didn't even care. Because for all the unfinished stories and pictures, to him, there was only one thing missing.

A door. There was no door in this place.

Which could only mean…

Frantically, Yami began to pound at the walls. /Aibou! Aibou! Please, if you're here, please, please respond!/

Nothing. Just darkness, and the sound of his own thoughts echoing in his mind.

Yami sank to his knees in despair. "Aibou," he moaned out loud, not even caring that his voice had apparently changed to a much deeper tone than he was used to. For the first time in his remembered life, his mind was truly his own. He had his memories back (most of them, anyway, if ancient hieroglyphs were to be trusted), and he couldn't have been more miserable.

His eyes were lowered, so he couldn't read most of the hieroglyphs. But he frowned as he suddenly caught sight of some writing near the bottom of the wall beside him. Unlike the rest of the room, this writing was in Japanese, hastily scrawled into the sand.

The game begins, your Majesty, it read mockingly.

Yami's frown turned into a snarl as he recognized who the writing belonged to.

Oh, the tomb-robber's death would not be swift.


Yugi Mutou drew his knees up to his chest and tried his hardest to be invisible.

His parents were arguing again. They always did, when his father was home. But couldn't they just get along for one day? Just this day, and then he would never ask for anything ever again.

Just today.

He wasn't even sure what the fight was about, this time. Something to do with how much the cake had cost, or the way his father's relatives tended to treat his mother. That was probably it. It was his fault either way. He didn't need to have a stupid birthday party. And even if he did, he could have just been normal and invited some friends over, instead of relatives. Then everyone would have been happy.

His toes curled into themselves as he struggled desperately to ignore the fact that he didn't have any friends, and probably never would.

"Yugi?" The voice wasn't soft, but had a quiet firmness to it that was unmistakeable, even in the chaos of the room before them.

Yugi turned and widened his eyes further so that the tears wouldn't fall. "Grandpa!" he whispered, relaxing as the old man's arms wrapped around him. "I thought you couldn't come."

The old man smiled and hugged the boy to his chest. "Of course I'd come. It's your birthday, after all. How old are you now? Eight? Nine?"

"Eight," Yugi confirmed, grinning into his grandfather's shoulders. Grandpa Solomon always smelled of old soap and cheap cigars, but Yugi didn't mind. To him, the scent was strangely comforting.

"And damn this house straight to hell! Just because I'm not home, you think it's okay to-"

"This isn't about you, dammit!"

Grandpa winced at the sound of a chair crashing into the far wall. "What's the problem this time?"

Yugi shrugged, staring down at his sneakers as if they were the most interesting things in the world. "I dunno," he answered absently. Then, ignoring the apparent war going on outside the hallway, he forced the smile back to his face and asked in a shy voice, "Ano, Grandpa? Do you have any… um…?" he trailed off, drawing back from his grandpa's embrace.

The old man reached into his bag without a word, eyes crinkling at Yugi's open-mouthed stare as he withdrew a small, golden box.

"What is it?" the newly-turned eight-year-old asked with wonder.

"It's yours," the old man replied. Yugi took the object from his grandfather's hands as if it were made of glass. "Go ahead, open it."

Yugi did as encouraged, eyes impossibly wide. He set the lid gently on the floor, and then carefully lifted one of the many pieces out of the box. He stared at it for a moment, then grinned.

"A puzzle?" he asked.

Grandpa nodded. "Just a little something I picked up from Egypt. I'd be careful with that though," he added in mock-seriousness. "It says on the side that whoever solves this puzzle inherits the will of the Pharaoh."

Yugi blinked. "It's never been solved, Grandpa?"

"Never."

"Wow! So I'll be the first person to ever solve it, then," the boy mused, his violet-eyes lighting up with anticipation. Puzzles had always been his favourite sort of game, which was saying a lot. Yugi adored games.

"It's been a part of our family for decades now," Grandpa told Yugi, though Yugi knew the old man was just trying to add to the puzzle's mystique. He didn't care, though.

Throwing his arms around his grandfather, Yugi whispered, "Thanks, Grandpa. But you're the best birthday present I could ever get."

Grandpa just smiled.


Years went by, Yugi growing inch by inch, though still lagging far behind other boys his age in height. He and his mother moved to Domino, leaving behind his father's house for his grandfather's home behind the old Kame Game Shop. "Dad's on business far too often," his mother explained when he hesitantly asked one day. "So we're staying with Grandpa until he comes to visit next."

Of course, by the time Yugi turned ten, he'd already figured out that his father wasn't going to come visit ever. So, he contented himself with toys and games, ignoring the fact that he had no friends, though it worried both his mother and grandfather. He wore long sleeves to hide the bruises from his daily beatings at school, assured his mother that yes, he had eaten today, and no, he didn't have money left over because he'd spent it on a new game at the mall, and went on with his life

The puzzle had become the most precious thing he owned, because it was the only thing that was all his. Everything else could be taken by bullies, used by his grandfather, or thrown away by his mother in hateful disgust. But for some reason, whenever he took the puzzle to school, no one dared to touch it, and whenever he ignored his homework to work on it, his mother never commented. He found it strange, sometimes, but usually just shrugged it off and went back to solving his beloved puzzle.

He didn't doubt that it would take him years. The thing was incredibly complicated, far more so than he'd first expected. But neither did he doubt that he would solve it, because it was his, and because just holding it gave him this strange feeling in the hollow of his chest. It was powerful. It made him powerful.

When he turned 12, however, he discovered the power was not his to wield.

See, someone had gotten tired of waiting.


Yugi held his breath as the last piece clicked into place. "…I did it," he breathed, not quite believing his own words. He let out a stupid little laugh, falling back against his chair. "I- I did it! Grandpa I-"

His elated cry was suddenly muffled as strong arms wrapped around his mouth. /Hush, now, child,/ a voice murmured with sickening sweetness. /It's past your bedtime. Wouldn't want to wake Grandpa up with our shouting, now would we?/

Yugi bit into his captor's sleeve, struggling. The arm drew away without protest. "You're… you're in my head," the boy realized, voice trembling with fear. "Stop it! Stop talking in my head!"

He pressed his hands to his ears, trying to block out the sound, but the unknown voice just chuckled. Slowly, Yugi turned around to see a young, white-haired man standing there, a smirk on his face. It wouldn't have been quite so strange, he guessed, except that this man was totally see-through.

"Wh- who are you?" Yugi asked shakily.

The man grinned and jabbed a finger at Yugi's forehead. Yugi winced in pain. /Dunno,/ he replied flippantly, lips moving, though there was no actual sound. /Well, actually I do, now. But let's pretend I don't./

Yugi's eyes wandered to the box that had held the puzzle. He swallowed. "The, uh, the puzzle-box says that whoever solves the puzzle inherits the will of the Pharaoh," he said finally, avoiding the man's piercing gaze. But the man just smirked again and lifted Yugi's chin so they were making eye-contact. Yugi's lips quivered. "…Are you the Pharaoh?"

The man's face was suddenly sombre. /…No,/ he replied, after a moment. /No, I'm not the Pharaoh./ His serious expression gave way to a wicked grin. /But I am your king./


Yami wasn't sure how long he waited. From what Yugi had said, he had lived in the puzzle for at least 3, 000 years. But Yugi wasn't here now.

The ring was different, but not much. It had a different sort of feel to it, a different sort of power. He didn't like it. The ring was darker, much darker, though he knew that was probably just his perception of things. It had been Mahaado's, after all. The only reason it seemed darker to him was that Bakura had been the one locked away in it, the first time.

He'd given up screaming after awhile, and given way to despairing moans. 3, 000 years without Yugi. How had he ever managed it?

Of course, time was different in the ring, as it had been in the puzzle. It could either pass blindingly quick, or infinitely slow. He had no idea how much time had passed before he realized someone was actually holding the Millenium Ring. Yami was instantly on alert.

Was it a thief? Or the man who would eventually bring it home to Ryou?

A thief had tried to steal it once. Yami had delayed killing him, thinking for a moment that he would soon be released from this prison. Fortunately, Shaadi had shown up, and he'd realized what was happening.

He'd almost collapsed in his soul room later, thinking of how close he'd come to losing everything.

There was one difference between the puzzle and the ring that he was actually grateful for, though, and that was having the ability to see the world around him. So when the man picked up the ring, Yami looked closely at him, into his heart. Then he snorted, disgusted.

So this was the man that was Ryou's father. Hn. Cheap idiot, but he would do.

Yami allowed the man to take the ring, impatiently waiting for the return to Domino. Domino meant Ryou, and Ryou meant Yugi, and Yugi meant the end to all this madness. His heart twittered a little at the thought. Aibou…

What would he do when he finally found his other half? A soft growl emerged from his low in his throat. First, he would kill the tomb-robber. Then, he would take what was rightfully his, and hold him and never let go. Then, he would… he would… he'd…

Yami felt himself scowl as he stared out at his surroundings. This wasn't Domino. He'd know if were Domino, he'd feel it. This was not Domino.

"Ryou, I brought you a present-"

"Dad!" A soft thud against the ring. Yami winced.

"Dad, you were gone for so long, I thought…"

"S'alright, I'm here now. Here, look, I got you a present."

"R-really?"

Yami rolled his eyes and waited for the ring to be handed to its rightful owner. Then he tensed. What if it doesn't work? Ryou isn't the other half of my soul. What if… what if…

But it had to work. This was an RPG, specially designed by the tomb-robber. No game could be played unless there was a challenge. If he couldn't merge with Ryou, then there'd be no challenge for Bakura, and the game wouldn't be a game.

There always had to be a game.

"Ryou, go up to your room now. I've got work to do."

Ryou's face fell. "But I… you just got home! Can't we…?"

A sigh. "Sorry." With that, the man turned, hefted up his briefcase, and left the room.

Ryou frowned and stared at the ring in his hands. Then he slowly started up the stairs to what Yami could only assume was his room. With a strangled grunt, the boy slammed the door closed behind him and flung himself on the bed.

Yami flinched in distaste. Yugi never slammed things. He never wallowed in self-pity, either.

Slowly, Ryou raised his head to glare at the ring. "Stupid necklace, anyway," he muttered, tracing a finger along the circle. The shiny gold had dulled with time and the sweat in Ryou's hands. With a sigh, the boy rolled onto his back and raised the ring above his head so he could gaze at it cryptically.

"He probably just bought you off some stupid vendor," he said, wrinkling his nose with disgust. "I'll bet you're not even real gold."

Heh, if only you knew, kid…

"Whatever." Ryou looked at the thing for a moment more, then threw it at the ground as if it were dirty. Then he rolled back onto his side and shut his eyes, not even bothering to slip under the covers. Yami started.

…Wait. Put it on, you idiot!

But Ryou's breathing had already slowed, moving his side up and down in a gentle rhythm.

Oh, come on. No one could go to sleep that fast. Yami scowled.

Wake up. Oi, er, yadonushi. Wake up!

Hmm. No, yadonushi wouldn't work. That was what the thief called the kid. But aibou was reserved for Yugi and Yugi alone. And mou hitori no ore was definitely out of the question. Ryou was as far from being his 'other self' as Kaiba was from giving Joey half his mansion.

Yami frowned at the kid. Pathetic? That word certainly described his new host, but Yugi would be mad at him for dubbing one of his friends with a bullying name. He sighed. Baka? No again, for the same reason. This was harder than it looked.

The spirit sat forward and let his chin drop to his hands. Maybe he would be better off just leaving the kid to himself. He wouldn't have to talk to him at all, just give him a few nudges in the right direction and they would be fine. He'd find Yugi and-

But that was a dick move. The tomb-robber himself had done it. And he was not going to become 'the voice in Ryou's head'.

Yami leaned back and closed his eyes, deciding against thinking for once. Things would get better, now that he was finally at least halfway to where he belonged.

He had never in his life been more wrong.


A/N: Written in six days. Urgh. There will be lots of unprecetendted time skips in this, I'm afraid, and typos, and all that good stuff. I am such a terrible author. *hides* Also, I will be the first to admit that I am not completely familiar with Yuugiou's plot, so if I make mistakes in canon, or if this entire story is totally impossible, please forgive me! Otherwise, please R&R! :)