Bakura awoke late one morning to find the sun streaming in his bedroom. He tried to turn his head to look at his alarm clock, only to discover that he was painfully sore from head to toe. What happened? He thought, grimacing as he read the time. 12:30.

With some effort, he forced himself out of bed, and stepped on something sharp walking to his closet. "Ouch!" he cried out, removing the sharp piece of metal that had stuck to his bare foot. It was a spike from the Millennium Ring. He looked down at his chest, only to find that the ring was missing from his neck. He sighed, and put the spike on his dresser while he found something to wear.

Bakura had wanted to visit Yugi for quite some time, and decided that today would be perfect. He smiled in the sunlight as he walked to the Game Shop, enjoying what he was sure would be a great Sunday. He would finally get the answers he'd been searching for.

He arrived at the Game Shop to find a very busy Grandpa Moto ringing up a long line of customers. He smiled when he heard the ding of the bell and saw Bakura enter. "Why hello Bakura," he said cheerfully. "It's been a while."

"Hello Mr. Moto," Bakura returned the smile. "You're awfully busy today."

"It's the new Platinum Red Eyes Black Dragon cards. They were purchased exclusively by my shop and they're super rare and valuable. Duelists just can't wait to get their hands on them! Would that happen to be why you've come in today?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Yugi," Bakura replied.

"Alright then," Grandpa Moto chuckled. "Yugi's in the back with his friends. Good to see you again, Bakura."

When Bakura entered the room, he first noticed Yugi and Tea sitting on the couch, holding hands. Good for them, he thought, and smiled. Joey and Tristan were sitting on the floor, playing a violent video game.

"Umm…hey guys. Sorry to interrupt," Bakura said, smiling shyly at the group. They all turned and looked at him. "Hey Bakura," Tea said. He felt ashamed when he saw what he believed to be fear in her eyes.

The room was awkwardly silent for a moment. "We're just hanging out. Would you care to join us?" Yugi chuckled, trying to break the tension.

"Uh, actually Yugi, would you mind going for a walk with me? There's something I would like to talk to you about." Yugi and Tea glanced at each other for a second. "Sure," Yugi replied.

"So how have you been, Bakura? Yugi asked. "Ready for graduation?" Graduation. Things had been so crazy lately, Bakura had forgot all about his high school graduation.

"Yeah, I guess so," Bakura answered honestly. "But right now, I'm a little worried about some things."

"What is it?"

Bakura pulled the spike out of his pocket, showing it to Yugi.

"The Millennium Ring?"

He nodded. "It's missing. I believe it must have been stolen, because I never take it off, and I found this piece on my bedroom floor."

With wide eyes, Yugi looked down at his own Millennium item, which still hung around his neck. "There may still be people out there who are still interested in the Millennium items. They're still very valuable."

"Yes, but actually, I feel relieved that it's gone. Strange things happen to me when I'm wearing it. I find myself saying and doing things I wouldn't otherwise, and I sometimes black out for days, even weeks at a time. I would have gotten rid of the thing a long time ago, but whenever the thought crossed my mind, I would just lose control again." Bakura sighed. He still felt like he'd been run over by a truck.

"I'm sorry, Bakura," Yugi said. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?" The two stopped walking in front of the entrance to Domino Park. Yugi joined Bakura on a bench in front of a large fountain just inside the park's gates.

"Yugi," Bakura looked into the boy's eyes, making sure he was paying attention. "Do you remember what happened at Duelist Kingdom, when you dueled Kaiba on the roof of Pegasus's castle? Something happened…you directed an attack on Kaiba that would have surely ended his life…and then changed your mind at the last second. I had a hunch about what really happened, then you confirmed what I suspected when you told us there was a spirit in your Millennium Puzzle…and that you almost couldn't control it."

"Yeah," Yugi said. "I used to let the Pharaoh duel for me, especially in difficult situations, but we didn't always agree on things. The Pharaoh was good at heart, but he was willing to do anything to get us what we needed. Sometimes, that meant hurting people that got in the way. I'm different. Winning doesn't matter if it means hurting someone, and after Duelist Kingdom, the Pharaoh realized that."

"You mean you were able to-" Bakura was cut off by what sounded like a woman's scream. The two hurried in the direction of the scream, unsure of what they would find.

(A/N: thanks for reading. This is my first fanfic, and I like where it's going. I hope you enjoyed it, and review if you'd like!"