Greetings Readers! This is the beginning of a series of one-shots I am writing about the Ceremonial Duel in the perspectives of different Yu-Gi-Oh! characters. This one-shot is in Ryou's point of view, and takes place three weeks after Yami journeys back to the Afterlife. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. But I can dream.

Rolling the pencil absent-mindedly in my fingers, I looked down at my test paper and sighed. In my opinion, it took a particular kind of sadistic tendency for teachers to set a test within the first two weeks of school. Although it could've been worse – they could have asked for us to have written an essay on "What I Did During My Vacation." I hid a smirk at the thought as I bent back over the test. That would be an interesting paper: "During my vacation I traveled to Egypt. I didn't do the usual sight-seeing thing – I didn't see any museums or pyramids, but I did go inside an ancient tomb. Unfortunately, I was unable to take photographs as I spent most of that time unconscious when the malevolent being residing in my body unceremoniously ripped itself from me in an attempt to take over the world – again. When he'd been defeated, I regained my senses just in time to see one of my good friends fight a battle with himself – literally – and then saw the spirit of an ancient pharaoh journey to the afterworld. Then I read a lot of books. The End." The look on the teacher's face would have been hilarious – but it probably wouldn't be worth the perplexed inquiries of the school psychologists.

Grinning, I circled the final answer and walked to the front to turn in my test. As I turned back around to go to my seat, I looked at the others and smiled. My friends. It still seems incredible that I have them, especially considering all that my yami put them through. Téa looked up from her test and smiled at me, Tristan's eyes were focused as he drummed his fingers on the desktop, and Joey gnawed at the eraser of his pencil. Yugi, the only other student who'd finished the test, gave me a big smile, and then returns to the brainteasers he'd brought for such an occasion. If I'd been close enough, I'd have asked for one to pass the time, but as it was I was stuck in the classroom for the next hour with nothing to do. I cupped my chin in my hand and sighed. If only I'd brought a book or something…

Something hit the side of my foot, breaking me out of my vague depression over my impending boredom. I looked down. Besides my foot, I saw a small booklet of brainteasers. I looked up in time to see Yugi pulling another booklet out of his backpack before he caught my eye and gave me a clandestine grin. He must have seen me looking bored and kicked the brainteasers over to me – that would be a typical Yugi move, making sure his friends were happy. I was glad he still had something for himself – I wouldn't put it past him to give up his only source of entertainment and resign himself to an hour of boredom. I mouthed, "Thank you," when the teacher wasn't looking, to which he responded with a nod and a thumbs up beneath his desk.

Yugi had been tearing through the brainteasers so quickly that I wasn't expecting too hard of a challenge, but looking down at the problems give me a headache – an interested headache, but a headache nonetheless. I am not dumb – I'm one of the smartest people in our year – but I had forgotten that Yugi was the King of Games for a reason. His strategic knowledge and the malleable quality of his brain required to solve puzzles and riddles was unmatched – it required more than brain power to be an expert, it required instinct.

I was debating on the best possible way to communicate my need for a cheat sheet of some kind when I heard a subdued snap coming from Yugi's side of the class. Looking over, I saw Yugi slide his booklet into his desk and close the lid before turning his head to gaze out the window. His gaze was calm and precise, with his usual smile tugging at his mouth. Suddenly, his expression brightened a little and he tilted his head slightly to the side as though straining to hear something. Yugi held that position for a few moments before the sound of a pencil falling to the floor behind us snapped him back to reality. With a sound that was part sardonic chuckle and part resigned sigh, Yugi shook himself before returning his more sober gaze to the window.

It took a moment of knitting my eyebrows together before I realized what had happened. My heart sank. He thought that he'd heard the Pharaoh.

Three weeks had passed after we all returned from Egypt, but it was still hard to believe that the Pharaoh was gone. The group had all dealt with it in their own way, but residual feelings of grief still remained with us, with the knowledge that the spirit was at peace only providing slight relief. It had been hard for even me to accept so I could only imagine how difficult it had been for the others – and especially for Yugi. The loss of the Pharaoh had hit him the hardest, for obvious reasons, but he'd tried to hide those feelings in an effort to not worry the others – his own grief was only revealed in his more frequently occurring serious expressions and in moments like this, when he craned his neck to hear the spirit's voice. The others could see right through him, and consoled him when they could – but in the end, they could only sympathize. I could empathize.

I knew what it was like to lose a yami – as much as I had disliked and even feared the spirit that had taken up residence in my body, it didn't change the fact that his absence left a great emptiness inside me. I didn't regret his defeat or passing – he'd shown no pity or mercy for me as his host or for my friends as he plotted his way into power. I no longer had to fear losing control of my body to a malevolent being who would not hesitate to orchestrate my body as thought it was a puppet. To feel if you have no control over your own actions, to fight for dominance within your own mind, is a terrifying feeling that only those who have experience it could possibly comprehend.

Perhaps that was why I didn't try to rush Yugi back into dueling after his duel with Kaiba during Duelist Kingdom like the others did. They didn't understand that he wasn't afraid of losing more duels, he was afraid of losing control. Not that that was surprising – after all, none of them remembered the duel in the Shadow Realm when we were trapped in our favorite cards, and if they did, they thought it had only been a dream. But Yugi and I knew better. I recognized the dull look on Yugi's face that barely concealed his terrible fear as Joey tried to shake him back to normal – I'd felt the same way once I'd finally become aware of my yami's presence. Fortunately, in time Yugi made his peace with the spirit, and they'd gone on to save the others. They'd become inseparable – and then Yugi had had to say goodbye.

When my yami had finally been defeated, I was relieved and grateful to have full rein over my body again after such a long imprisonment – and I also felt empty. I was happier than ever before, but I could not ignore the enormous emptiness within myself. In time, I learned how to carry on despite the emptiness and fill in the empty spaces – but it had not been easy. And I didn't even like my spirit.

How much harder it must be for Yugi to deal with it, then – not only with the emptiness, but with the loss of a friend? The Pharaoh had been as different from my yami as two spirits could be towards their hosts – even during the Shadow Game, before Yugi had truly realized the spirit within him, the Pharaoh had been worried about his hikari's safety and that of his friends. They'd only grown closer as time had passed and more plans to conquer the world had been failed. Yugi was the spirit's aibou – his partner – and the Pharaoh had been Yugi's protector as well as his yami.

They'd relied a lot on each other – we'd all relied on the Pharaoh's strength and cunning during his duels, and on Yugi for his encouragement when we'd been ready to give up hope. The Pharaoh had been so strong, so untouchable that we'd assumed that he valued Yugi as a friend but did not require his help. And then the Seal of Oreikalcos had ripped the two of them apart. I was not there to see it, but the others told me how the Pharaoh had fallen into despair and depression after Yugi's soul had been captured. I have no doubt that had my soul been taken away, my yami would not have given me a second thought. It wasn't until then that we realized how much the Pharaoh depended on Yugi for strength.

While the rest of us had watched with awe, trepidation, and impending grief, Yugi had gone into a duel with the spirit with an enviable kind of determination, as though it was his duty. He proved that he was strong enough to duel without the Pharaoh, and to come out victorious. It was only at the end that he allowed himself to cry – and he still played the winning move through his tears. He fell to his knees when it was all over, finally allowing himself to grieve, but the spirit had lifted him to his feet with the comforting tenderness of a father or brother. We were too far away to hear what he said to Yugi, but whatever it was made him stand a little taller and the sorrow in his eyes receded a little bit. It made him strong enough to say goodbye to his closest friend. I wonder what it was –

"Mutou! Bakura!" The teacher called in a stentorian voice.

We both straightened our backs quickly. "Yes, miss?"

"You two are finished with the test – you do not need to be in here. I do not need you inciting the others to cheat off of you."

Joey took his attention off of his pencil to glare at the teacher. He looked like he was about to say something, but a quick glance from Yugi cut him off.

Yugi looked back at the teacher, "Yes, miss. We'll get out of here."

I waited until the door closed behind us before I heaved a quick sigh. "Phew. Joey sure didn't like it when that teacher accused us of that. I thought he was going to start arguing with her."

Yugi shrugged, "I'm sure the teacher didn't mean anything by it. But he probably was going to start telling her off – it's a good thing I cut him off. He's made it through school so far without getting detention, and I don't want to be the reason he ends up in there." He grinned, "Besides, we get to get out of there early, and we have time to kill."

We both laughed, but I noticed that Yugi stopped rather quickly as his face fell into a somber set. "What's up, Yugi?"

He looked startled. "Nothing's up, Ryou."

"You sure? You didn't look very happy in class today – what were you thinking about?"

"It was that obvious?"

"I don't know if it was obvious, I just happened to notice. Were you thinking about the Pharaoh?"

"Yes. I know he's happy now and he's where he belongs – but I still miss him. It's not just that I've lost my best friend, it's like I lost a part of myself. But that sounds kind of pathetic, probably."

"Not really, Yugi. I know how you feel. It's weird walking around by yourself when you're used to another presence being around all the time. And I didn't even like my spirit. I don't know how you deal with it."

"Well," Yugi brightened a little at the memory, "I remember what Yami told me right before he left, and it makes things a little bit easier."

"What did he say?"

"Well, I'd just realized what winning that duel had meant and I didn't think that I could let him go. Then he said to me, 'You do realize we'll never be truly apart, right? The gift of the kindness you've given me, and the courage I've given you will remain with us. And that will forever bind us together.' I'm not sure how much my kindness helped him," Yugi laughed, "but I know that the courage he gave me is still with me – and I still have a connection to him when he's gone."

"So, you'll be okay?"

He gave me a genuine smile, "Yeah, I'll be okay – it'll just take a while. Want to grab something to eat before our next class?"

I nodded, "Sure." Yugi started walking down the hallway, but I paused a moment before I joined him. He didn't realize how influential he was on all of us: to go through all that he had and still be the caring, optimistic person that he was carried more power than he could possibly know. Of course he would be okay in the end.

He was strong.

A/N: And there's the first part! I hope you enjoyed it.

I've never written for Bakura's character, so hopefully it turned out all right. I am still writing the other characters' perspectives - these will not be in chronological order. Some will occur right after the Duel, others will take place a few weeks later.

Which character's perspective would you care to see next? I'm saving Yugi's and Yami's POV for the final two chapters, but the order of the others is up for grabs.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Please push that little button at the bottom and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but purely mean comments will be sent to the Shadow Realm without hesitation. You have been warned.