So this gem here is a beautiful creation entirely of my plot-god imagination. I didn't think I'd get to actually write it, so I assigned it to Jem Kallop. After a bit of talk, I didn't feel comfortable with her doing it all, so we're cowriting it so I don't slack off and actually pursue this. This is Deathshipping, but Jem is a demanding wench and wants Thief. I don't really intend to have "Thiefshipping" in here, but I've been playing with some … ideas.

Jem is glorious enough to actually stick to my American English (though I get double Britishness outside this story from her), and we will spell Ryo the RIGHT WAY (because I'm making her). Stupid fanon adds that stupid, worthless u in his name even though it ANTI-helps. Anyway, enjoy the story!

The late sunlight slanted through the small shuttered window, sending little flutters of dust shimmering through the warm summer air. The sweltering day practically melted Ryo, the heat of Domino city causing sweat to slide along his skin and his hair to stick to his dripping forehead, eyes half-lidded and drooping in the bright, almost unbearable glare. Ryo had hidden in his apartment, as he did most days. One reason was the hot, blinding sun that would burn through his pale skin as easily as a sharp knife slipping into melted butter; another was that he really didn't want to deal with any other people anymore. He was trying to forget.

Four months passed since the Memory World, when the Pharaoh had finally reclaimed his life in Ancient Egypt, and Ryo's own dark half had finally been dragged back into the pit of shadows. Ryo shuddered even at the memory, his white hair falling into his eyes and sticking to his sweaty forehead at the violent movement. Ryo's memories of his life before were hazy at best; his experiences had been reduced to sporadic instances of sudden feeling, usually filled with pain inflicted by one person or another, before he was once more locked back in that dark, cold metal with that even darker, colder voice whispering threats into his ear. Ryo's face creased. Better to just forget about it now, he would constantly tell himself. You're done with it, and you can move on.

The only problem with that was that no one else wanted to move on with him.

Yugi was distraught once the Ceremonial Duel was over, his tears and wails enough to remind Ryo just how different the two truly were. Atem leaving took more out of Yugi than any of them had previously realised, and while he was doing a good job of starting over, anyone could tell from looking at him that he wanted his other half back. The rest of the group – Joey, Tea, even Tristan to some extent, all missed the Pharaoh's calm, assured presence, too. They did not want to move on. Hell, there were times when Ryo was not even completely sure that he wanted to move on. Ryo's crueler self may not have been benign like Yugi's, but there had still been a definite attachment. Ryo could not help it; he was Bakura's reincarnation, after all, and the two had been more similar than Ryo honestly liked to admit. Sure, Ryo had not hated the Pharaoh or been hell-bent on revenge, but he could not honestly say that, had he been placed in Bakura's position, he would have acted in nearly the exact same way. Ryo shuddered a little at that thought, remembering Bakura's immense pain. Well, at least he is at peace now.

All the Yamis were at peace, and the Millennium Items were gone, just as they should be. Ryo curled up on his sofa, the TV on in the background although he was far too caught up in his thoughts to pay any real attention to it. Yes, the Items were gone, but they had left a legacy behind; their previous holders still retained small amounts of Shadow Magic. Yugi and Ryo had realised it at the same time, back when they first returned to Domino after the Ceremonial Duel. They had instantly gone to the Ishtars, who had remained in Egypt, only to find that Ishizu and Marik felt the same thing; they all possessed Shadow Magic. Ryo could feel it still – that small pulse in the back of his brain, the final remnant of the Ring. Ryo missed his Item's comforting weight around his neck from time to time, and this little piece of darkness was a reminder, however small, that it all had really happened. He was not actually going crazy. It was real.

That shouldn't even comfort me, Ryo would often think bitterly. Why should I care about it? I should want to forget it all. I should want to move on. I'm not like Yugi, or Marik. I never welcomed this power. I never wanted it. And I couldn't be happier that he is gone. For the most part, that was very true. Ryo had his body back, his bouts of amnesia had stopped, and he was perfectly in control of his surroundings at all times, but a dull ache in his chest always throbbed when he went out, when he had to see the faces of Yugi and his gang, and realize that he had never truly been one of them. They were open and friendly to his face, but he could see in their eyes that when they saw him, they saw Bakura, too. Sometimes, Ryo hated that damn spirit more than he ever thought possible. The way he saw Yugi fawning over Atem, bringing him up in every conversation with his eyes always welling up in tears, often made Ryo feel sick to his stomach. The dark sides of anyone should not be treated like that. Those beings should be hated and feared – that was their only purpose. They were dark by definition.

One other person seemed to share Ryo's opinion on that matter, and that was Marik. The Egyptian teenager had moved back to Domino about a month prior, muttering something about getting away from memories whenever he was quizzed; Ryo had run into him once or twice, and they always shared a quick, mumbled conversation before going their separate ways. They both kept mostly to themselves, and certainly away from Yugi and his friends. They would be civil, but both were too different. Both had darknesses they wished to forget.

Ryo's memories of Battle City were blurry at best, but after running into Marik a few times he went to work, trying to unravel the pieces that would explain why the Egyptian teenager was so familiar to him. He had heard from Yugi that Marik had been shunted out of his body by an evil spirit, whom Atem had then banished to the Shadow Realm, but Ryo had yet to work out his own body's connection to the whole scenario. It had taken a while, but Ryo had delved into his own darkness and had, eventually, worked it out. Marik had used Bakura, and Bakura had used Ryo. Then, when Marik was banished from his own body, he had turned to Bakura for help, and they had lost. They had all been banished to the Shadow Realm, and Ryo had been left unconscious in a hospital bed, only for Marik to eventually reclaim his body with the help of the Pharaoh, banishing the dark spirit to the Shadow Realm for evermore.

Ryo wondered about that.

As he curled up on his sofa, clothes sticking to his skin, Ryo tried to work out just why that would have happened. Sure, Marik had a right to be angry that his body had been used against his will – Ryo knew that feeling all too well – but, well, it wasn't exactly the dark spirit's fault, was it? In fact, to Ryo, the spirit was the victim in all this. From what he had gathered, Ryo presumed that the spirit had been born out of Marik's own emotions, and as such had never known a life of its own. To banish it to the Shadow Realm, when it had merely been trying to save itself, seemed to Ryo a little harsh. He felt a sudden rush of sympathy for the dark spirit; after all, how many times had Ryo felt the consequences of some evil act of Bakura's? Was it right to judge a spirit when it had had no opportunity of a life of its own?

Ryo didn't think so.

As he sat there in the dwindling light, Ryo arrived at a decision. This dark spirit fascinated Ryo in ways he didn't fully understand; he had been born out of horror and blackness and hate, and he had never been given an opportunity to see the good things in life. Ryo realized that he wanted to change that. He wanted to help. A part of him existed– a very small, deep part – that quietly wondered what life was like from a dark half's perspective. A being made of darkness. Fascinating indeed.

Without fully realizing that he had made a decision, Ryo was leaving his apartment. The sun was low on the horizon now, its rays slanting at just the angle to hit Ryo's eyes; he blinked, raising one hand to shield his too-pale skin. He could already feel it burning.

Ryo made his footsteps quick and light as he headed through the streets, not all that surprised when he saw exactly where his feet were leading him. Marik's door was old and flaking, the wood thin and undertreated beneath his knuckles. Ryo knocked twice.

There were distant sounds of movement, and a low grumble before the door was opened a crack and one violet eye peered out. It widened when Marik saw who it was. "Ryo?"

Ryo nodded once, shifting on the doorstep, his head surprisingly clear. "Yes, it's me. May I come in?"

Silence held for a moment longer before Marik slowly opened the door, stepping back just enough to allow Ryo entrance. He stepped inside without hesitation, following Marik deeper into the house. They entered a kitchen, larger than Ryo expected, with a table big enough to seat four people comfortably. Ryo sat as Marik closed the door. "Ishizu's visiting," Marik explained, his eyes still questioning as they took in Ryo's appearance. "You look warm."

Ryo nodded, half-smiling. "It's August in Domino. What do you expect?"

The briefest of smiles crossed Marik's face, and he switched a fan on before taking the seat opposite Ryo. They watched each other in silence for a moment, eyeing each other carefully, before Marik eventually spoke up: "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but what is it that brought you here today? No offense, but I never got the impression that we liked each other very much."

"You're right." Ryo smiled a little at Marik's confused expression, his tone amused as he continued, "There is absolutely no reason for me to like you. You stabbed me, used my body along with him, and then threw me to the Shadow Realm without a second thought."

Marik flinched slightly at his words, but a gleam glowed deep within his violet eyes. "Oh, those were the days." Marik hesitated, looking down before finally looking back at Ryo, his expression carefully guarded. "This isn't about ... Bakura, is it? I mean, he isn't … he doesn't want to speak to me … does he?"

Ryo frowned, a little surprised by the question; surely Marik knew that everyone's worse half were gone, beyond their reach now? Although, that would sort of negate his reason for being there … Ryo shook his head, returning Marik's guarded look. "No, Bakura is gone. I don't hear from him anymore, thank God. Also, just to clarify, I'm Bakura, too. Don't make it seem like I can't have my own name."

"Oh. Right." Ryo gave credit to Marik for trying not to sound as disappointed and conflicted as he obviously was. Marik quickly looked away again, his hands clasped tightly together on the warm wooden tabletop. "So, what is it that you want, then? Did you wish to speak with Ishizu?"

Ryo shook his head quickly. "No, it's you I want to talk to. Well, sort of..." Ryo looked up, finding Marik's eyes trained directly on his face. How exactly should he go about this? From what little that Yugi had told him, Ryo knew that Marik hated his Yami with a passion. Still, Ryo needed more information if this was going to work. Seeing Marik's intent expression, Ryo decided it would probably be for the best if he just spit it out. "Marik, what happened to your other self?"

Minutes ticked passed as Ryo sat silently. Marik simply stared at Ryo, violet eyes confused, worried, and even slightly offended. The two never broke eye– contact, but Ryo mentally kicked himself every passing moment that he gazed into Marik's unblinking stupor. Marik broke away first, a sigh in his eyes that he refused to release out loud. Marik stood and quietly walked into the main part of the kitchen, Ryo still visible across the counter. "Would you like anything to drink? I buy tea when Ishizu visits, but I have water, milk, coffee, juice – "

"Marik," Ryo cut in softly, standing and walking to Marik before he realized it. "Marik, please answer the question. I'm sorry for suddenly barging in with such a personal question, but … "

"But what?" Marik's shoulders shook a little as his back was turned to Ryo. Ryo could tell that Marik was trying to keep himself composed, yet the blond was probably not even aware of the little things he did that gave away his inner turmoil. Ryo could understand how Marik's darker half was created from the blond's lack of control, even though he thought he could control himself and probably never completely knew he actually had a problem. "The monster was sent to the shadows for eternity. Or his life. Or however the damn Shadow Realm works, but the point his he's there and not here, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly the point," Ryo mumbled to himself. "Actually, I would like some tea. It would calm us down."

"Well, too bad. The offer is closed. You don't … I don't need to be calmed! All our dark halves are gone, so that's it. Nothing else needs to be said or known!" Marik tried to keep his voice down, but his temper took reign. As Ryo watched Marik with increasing trepidation, footsteps could be heard approaching from the hall, and Ishizu appeared through the kitchen doorframe. Marik spared her a glance and sighed. "You can leave now, Ryo."

Ryo's eyes narrowed at Marik. The older male was not mad – he completely understood, actually – but he could not help but try and scrutinize Marik a little for any possible hints of what happened. Ishizu stepped into the kitchen and placed a gentle hand on Ryo's shoulder. Ryo softened his eyes slightly at her, but still ached with confusion.

"Let me escort you outside, Ryo. My brother seems too upset to do so." Marik humphed from the side, but Ishizu ignored him. "Come, please."

"Goodbye, Ryo," Marik spoke a bit more civilly than he had previously. "Do … Do visit when you have the chance."

"Thank you, Marik. I'll be sure to be more pleasant next time." Quietly, Ryo walked beside Ishizu out of the house. The wise woman remained just as silent, but Ryo expected as much from the cryptic sage.

Once the two stepped outside, Ishizu bowed politely and smiled at Ryo. "Need I ask what happened?"

"Knowing you, I guess not really." When Ryo saw Ishizu's smile turn into a smirk, he knew that he guessed correctly.

"You should not have asked about my brother's dark half, Ryo."

"Darker, actually. Marik isn't all that sweet, you know."

Ishizu shot Ryo a scolding look, but recognized the truth of the harsh joke. "Regardless, you should not have asked. In all honesty Marik hardly even knew his darker self. He lived most of his life not even aware of his existence. My brother only met him twice, when the monster banished him to the shadows with your darker half and when the Pharaoh and Marik banished him into the shadows.

Ryo frowned at that. "You all keep calling him a monster, but what did he actually do?"

"Other than try to kill Marik, Odion, the Pharaoh, and enslave humanity within endless darkness of his beckoning?"

Ryo actually raised an eyebrow at what seemed like Ishizu trying to be a smart aleck, continuing with a crease in his forehead. "Wouldn't it make sense for him to do that? He was born of the hate Marik had, the hate that made him want to destroy all that wronged him, wasn't he?" Ryo saw Ishizu nod, and questioned further. "If Marik created him as a child, wouldn't a child assume that the world itself cursed him? Not to mention you all treated him like a monster for doing what Marik actually wanted, and then locked him away! If the world was cruel, then isn't it natural for him to act as such as a defense?" Ryo clenched his fist and turned away. Ishizu sighed, but said nothing, which in turn spoke volumes to Ryo. "Why did you really send him away?"

"Because he simply was not my brother." Ishizu fixed Ryo with a stern look. "Regardless of what you may think, he is – was – a monster. Monsters should not exist in the same world as true people. My brother's dark half was little more than a cruel spirit, and was rightfully sent to the realm of monsters."

Ryo shook his head. "That sounds rather pretentious. After all, what about my darker half? The way Marik acted when I first arrived, he seemed to want and prefer the monster who used and controlled me over my 'true person.' And what about the Pharaoh? He used to curse bad people without any chance of redemption, and he is still absolutely adored by everyone else!"

"Those are different cases, Ryo. Please understand more before you make such brash comparisons. Until you understand Marik's darker half, do not come back and burden my brother. Farewell for now, Ryo."

Ryo needed no more prompting to leave. The pale male all too eagerly walked away, seemingly as answerless as when he had arrived. The walk home felt hours longer than the walk to Marik's had done, but Ryo attributed that to his accelerated thoughts buzzing more rapidly and copiously than usual. Ishizu told him that he simply had to understand Marik's darker half, which was worthless because the psychopath had already disappeared, gone as a supposed monster in a realm of monsters, reduced to nothing but his own morphed spirit and forced to create a form and feign a reality that barely existed in the never-ending and ever-changing darkness. Even the thought of the devil himself entering such a cruel world angered Ryo, and before the usually gentle male realized it, he was already slamming his front door in a rage he did not even catch himself feeling.

Ryo frowned, reflecting on his own behavior. He knew that the subject was sensitive, but the two Ishtars could have tried to better understand where he was coming from, except deep down Ryo was sometimes not even sure that he knew for sure himself. Ryo knew what those shadows were like, and he could feel great empathy to anyone stuck in there, but from what he heard everyone emphasized that the deranged darker half deserved to be there. If nothing else, Marik's Yami was not Ryo, and Ryo should only care about himself after all he had endured at the expense of others. Ryo should have already repressed those dark times of his past and moved on completely for a bright future, but those memories lingered as Marik's dark self probably lingered onto nothing in an intangible monster realm.

Ryo checked the clock, 5:23 at night, too early for bed but too late to really begin something new to calm him. Ryo sighed and resorted to his backup plan for easing his nerves. Many nights Ryo would rest his shot nerves by horror movie marathons, or playing table-top RPGs online, or most often he would even try to create his own games, but for the moment Ryo was too upset to really appreciate those other things. When all else failed, Ryo would take out his old dueling deck – his, not his dark self's – and play a few rounds against himself or simply admire the beauty in the cards (no matter what anyone else thought, Ryo considered Pegasus a true artistic genius for being able to create cards from the sweetness of Manga Ryu-Ran to the sinister Swordstalker.) In those moments of childlike awe as he stared at his cards, Ryo calmed as he remembered many good adventures with his dueling deck and the adventures he had hidden by the bad. Ryo figured that a small game against himself would not hurt, and grabbed his old duel disk to make the silly game more interesting and lifelike.

After shuffling and picking up his first turn's cards, Ryo had Monster Reborn, Change of Hearts, Millennium Shield, Yami, and a blank card he found from Duelist Kingdom and kept as a sort of dream-catcher item to hold any wandering monsters he would encounter. All things considered, Ryo had a lousy first hand. Change of Hearts was banned from official dueling ages prior, but Ryo forgot to remove his favorite card; Monster Reborn only worked when a monster died, and none had; Millennium Shield had too many star levels summon right away; Yami could boost Lady of Faith, but she had such a low attack, Yami would barely help. Worse was that Ryo had accidentally slipped his blank card into his actual deck. What could he honestly do with a blank card? Still, Ryo only played for fun in the moment, so he decided to leave things as they were.

Only really having one move, Ryo played Lady of Faith in defense mode along with Yami. The spell card created a dark world, shadows lengthening and deepening the air around him; Ryo chuckled at the irony of having created an abyss that surrounded him according to his own will. Ryo still remembered his first time the shadows were summoned, with the Ring and his first friends, though he did not know what was happening at the time. Still, Ryo drew another card, omitting his "opponent's" turn, to gain Skull Servant. Skull Servant was weaker than his Lady, so Ryo put it on the field to replace it with his Millennium Shield in defense mode.

Ryo pretended that his fake opponent had destroyed his Lady of Faith, but his Millennium Shield's impressive 3000 defense points guarded his life points well. Yami did not work on the Shield, but the card remained on the field, which meant the eerie darkness remained. Ryo ended his "opponent's" turn and drew Doomsday Horror. Doomsday Horror made for an impressive card under the right circumstances, but Ryo knew to play it later when the card's special affect would be better utilized. Ryo laughed to himself that he still held the empty card in his hand, but decided that he could simply play his blank card as a monster while his Shield acted as real protection. Obviously the blank was not supposed to be in his deck at all, but if he drew it then he had no reason not to try and use it. Ryo continued to hold Monster Reborn, tempted to revive his Lady and go for a direct attack of life points.

Ryo actually put his other cards down to simply stare at his Monster Reborn. As the card seared into his vision, Ryo's head began pulsing painfully, and any distractions from the card increased the pain. Body trembling a little, the weak hands dropped the Monster Reborn card on the duel disk in an awkward spot. Ryo sank to his knees and reached for the floor with his hands, seeking support only to realize they practically slipped through the shadowy ground, which was somehow not as solid as it ought to be. His head pounded, pain increasing, and a sense of dread and glory swelled in Ryo's veins. The surroundings did not change, but everything felt wrong; the familiar head pounding always preceded his dark half taking over and summoning the malicious shadows. Ryo clutched his skull in one hand while lifting his Duel Disk arm. Monster Reborn had landed on a trap card spot, so Ryo picked it up and placed it on its proper spell area, neither knowing nor caring what was summoned or could be summoned, merely hoping for a creature that would end the duel soon for him.

From the field came a horrific, ominous power, accompanied by searing electricity that sizzled threateningly through the trembling, shadow-filled air. Ryo saw the back of a dastardly figure spawn on the blank card he set down previously, so unlike his Lady of Faith. Like a fool caught in the moment, Ryo's still trembling body rushed to the creature. Mouth agape, eyes widened, and body longing, Ryo took in the sight before him, disbelieving yet mesmerized. Something had gone very wrong.

fooposjc. Yup. There's the first chapter. I began a bit of the next chapter, but I dunno when it'll be up. Also, choosing the cards that Ryo would use took WAY TOO FEBSKING LONG. I was like, "does this suit the occult theme"; "does this fit in the story?"; "what the heck is THAT"; "would Ryo have access to a blank card?"; "Is Ryo the sentimental type to keep a blank card?"; "Didn't be have this card in the anime?"; "Oh Em Gee, this card is perfect; I must use it!"; "Hey, the card actually works!"; "Ugh, I hate my liiiiife"; "I hate Ryo,"; "Duel Monsters sucks!"; "Fhemhfjs! DONE!"

That is basically my life when I do research of any kind. It's the most annoying process, but it makes it all worthwhile when those cards will work their magic~

PLEASE REVIEW. We need reviews desperately. Plus we shall weep and never return without your beautiful love. Seriously, this story is a pain, and I need to know if this is all in vain. T~T