All right. This story goes out to all those Yami/Bakura fans. I know I'm one so if you know a good Yami/Bakura story, drop me the link. I'm looking for a good one. And I don't care about Yaoi. So send me any good stories.

And this chapter may move kind of fast, but trust me after this things will slow down. The whole point of the story is Bakura trying to figure things out. So please read and keep that in mind.

Oh! And be kind and review!!

I Know How the River Feels

"They say for everyone,

There's that certain someone,

Out there, somewhere

I'd been looking hard, searching every heart

Getting nowhere,

Didn't know I was making my way to you

Now I know how the river feels

When it reaches the sea

It finally finds the place

It was always meant to be

Holding fast, home at last

Knowing the journey's through

Lying here with you

I know how the river feels

Miles of loneliness

Now make perfect sense

Here beside you

Tears like water fall

It was worth them all

Just to find you

And yours are the last arms

I'll run to

Now I know how the river feels

When it reaches the sea

It finally finds the place

It was always meant to be

Holding fast, home at last

Knowing the journey's through

Lying here with you

I know how the river feels."

~Diamond Rio- "I Know How the River Feels"~

CHAPTER ONE: LONLIENESS

            So this is what it truly feels like to be lonely. The dark that eats at your soul, consumes your every thought. The rage and immense emptiness you feel every time you see another couple cuddle or kiss. The sickness that digs into your stomach every time you hear someone speak that one word that seems to evade you…

            Love.

            Maybe it was for the better. Love shouldn't embrace him, not after everything he's done in his life. All the pain and torment that he had caused others was now coming back to bite him in the ass.

            Damn karma.

            Stroking the golden ring that hung heavily on its cord, the idea came. Maybe love didn't have to evade him. Maybe he could bring it to him. Force the love that he knew should belong to him to rear its head.

            Reaching deep into the magic that resided in the ring, he ripped it open, allowing it to pour over him. He walked over to the window and slid it open. Looking out into the silent night he began chanting in his ancient tongue. When he felt the power reach its peak he slipped back into his modern speech.

"Turn the tides,

Pull forth the moon,

Bring the cosmos to me.

Take the hand of cupid,

Clip his white wings,

Make him a pet to be.

Love is missing,

I crave it now,

Bring her straight to me."

            He felt his magic exit his body in a rush and disappear into the night. Sighing in relief he settled back into his bed. Tomorrow he would start his hunt for his one and only. And tomorrow, she would be looking for him…

~*~

            Ryou glanced at Bakura as he trudged from his bedroom to the kitchen. There was something different in his posture, something terribly wrong. Bakura seemed depressed. As long as Ryou had known his yami he had never seen him depressed. A soul like Bakura's could never feel that way. He had so much pride and dignity for it to ever fade away. With curiosity overcoming his worry, Ryou crept into the kitchen after his dark.

            He spotted Bakura searching through the fridge, his movements unusually sluggish. Ryou choked back a gasp when he realized what was really wrong with Bakura. He was spent, his magic drained for some odd reason. Cocking a brow, he slipped into the small room behind his yami. He coughed lightly into his hand, hoping to get Bakura's attention without frightening him too badly.

            But it was to no avail. Bakura let out a tiny cry and jerked. There was a loud bang and louder cruse as his head slammed into one of the shelves in the fridge. Bakura was rubbing his head when a soda can rolled off the top shelf and bounced unceremoniously off his head.

            "Fuck!" Bakura growled, not feeling up to this at the moment. He needed at least another hour of rest before his energy was back to its peak. Turning swiftly towards the sound he heard behind him, he spotted his light smiling sheepishly.

            "Uh, hey Bakura." Ryou gave a quick and obviously frightened wave. "What are you up to this morning?"

            Bakura rolled his eyes and returned to his raiding. Food would help him regain energy quicker. Normally a yami didn't require food, but other times it did have its perks. He waved at Ryou over his shoulder.

            "Nothing aibou." He said as though nothing had happened. His days of beating his light where far behind him. During the Battle City finals his loss to Yami and Marik had taught him not to take certain things for granted. And Ryou was one of those things. After all, if it weren't for his hikari, he wouldn't be here raiding the fridge and getting slammed in the head by soda cans.

            "I'm just hungry." He grabbed a baggie of cold cuts from the crisper drawer and tossed it on the counter. "You want something while I'm already making something?"

            Ryou raised an eyebrow. Granted Bakura hadn't hurt him in a long time, but he still wasn't used to his nice behavior. He nodded slowly and watched as Bakura bent and grabbed the soda can off the floor and grabbed another from the shelf. As he went about making the sandwiches while Ryou could only stare at him in wonder. Feeling his light's eyes on his back Bakura turned slowly.

            "Why don't you go put a movie in?" Bakura suggest with a shrug of his shoulders. "We can eat while we watch it."

            Ryou nodded again, words still failing him. He ran into the living room and Bakura turned back to his sandwich making. Sitting through a whole movie would be hard for him, considering how much work he had ahead of him for the day, but by the time the movie was over his energy would be back to its peak. Then he could go out and be able to sense the girl that his spell had worked on. Placing the two sandwiches on a platter and then adding the two sodas, he placed the platter on the coffee table in front of the TV and flopped down beside Ryou. His light gave him an uneasy smile and reached forward to grab the soda that sat in front of him. Cracking it open he gave a sputter of surprise as foam sprayed out of the can, soaking him with the sticky liquid.

            Bakura burst out laughing at the shocked expression on his aibou's face. He forgot to warn Ryou that one of those sodas had been the can that attacked him. Wiping the soda from his eyes, Ryou peered at his yami through his damp bangs. There was something off with Bakura. But Ryou wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.

            But whatever it was, something was defiantly off with Bakura.

~*~

            Yugi sighed and rolled over in his bed. It was official, he loved Saturdays. He loved not having to get out of bed until the late hours of the afternoon. Yami always chose to sleep in the guestroom on weekends, knowing that trying to wake Yugi before noon was impossible. And seeing as Yami himself was an early riser, they discovered him sleeping in another room helped in avoiding sleep deprived arguments.

            Rolling over, Yugi buried his face deep in the pillows, blocking out the early sun. The morning light woke him easily, but he always fell right back to sleep. He'd be damned if rose from this bed before noon and no sunlight was going to change that.

            Suddenly he felt shock run through his system, centering from Yami's soul room. Yugi sat up in bed, worry filling him. He tapped into his mental link and felt Yami's shock surge stronger. There was something wrong and Yugi knew it.

            'Yami are you all right?' Yugi knew that he probably wouldn't like the answer.

            "Uh, yes aibou, I'm fine." Yami's voice had a slight waver that led Yugi to believe his yami was lying through his teeth. "I just over slept. I hadn't wanted to get up early for something, but I fear I'm late now. So I'll talk to you later, okay?"

            'Um, okay Yami.' Yugi closed off their mind link, not fully believing his dark. He heard the frantic footsteps outside as Yami ran from the guestroom and down the stairs. Guess he really was late for something. Glancing at the clock that sat beside his bed Yugi read the bright red numbers. 10:30. Wow, that really was oversleeping for the spirit of the puzzle.

            But that also meant Yugi could get another hour and a half sleep in before his grandfather started yelling. Rolling over he stuck his face into the fluffy lump he called a pillow.

            "YUGI!!"

            Groaning Yugi pulled his covers up over his head. Scratch that. He could get in another ten minutes of sleep.

~*~

            Bakura and Ryou gave each other curious glances when the doorbell rang. Ryou had cleaned up the soda and got himself a new one. Now the movie that they were watching was almost over.

            "Are you expecting anyone?" Bakura asked his light as the doorbell rang again.

            "I invited Yugi over if he could get out of bed before noon." Ryou shrugged. "But since that's highly unlikely, no, I'm not expecting anyone."

            Curiosity now got the better of Bakura and he rose to his feet. Making his way to the door, the guest gave up on the bell and had begun banging on the door. Now this was beginning to irritate him.

            "I'm coming!" He barked to the person on the other side of the door. "What?"

            Throwing the door open and snapping the last question in the unknown guest's face. He stopped immediately when he came face to face with a fuming girl. Bakura raised an eyebrow.

            "Can I help you?" He asked in a questioning voice.

            Suddenly the girl let out a cry and lunged through the doorway. Her hands wrapped firmly around Bakura's throat. He let out a choked cry and he fell backwards, the mystery girl landing firmly on top of him.

            "I'm going to kill you!" The girl screamed, tightening her grip on Bakura's throat, stopping his much needed air supply. "You did this to me you damn Tomb Raider! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AND SEND YOUR SOUL TO THE FARTHEST CORNER OF THE SHADOW REALM!"

            Now Bakura recognized that. Glaring up into the eyes of the girl that was slowly strangling him, he saw a familiar sight. Fiery crimson eyes burned into his own, the power behind them obvious. The eye of Horus glowed brightly, framed by golden bangs. Long ebony hair with crimson tips spilled down over her shoulders as she leaned all her weight into killing the unsuspecting spirit of the ring.

            "Yami?" Ryou voiced the question that Bakura didn't have the breath to do. "Is that you?"

            "Can't talk now Ryou." The girl ground out between clenched fists. "I'll talk to you after I kill Bakura."

            Well that wasn't about to happen. Bakura drew his energy into himself making his form disappear. Once deposited in his soul room he quickly remerged to see the girl staring blankly at the hands that had just held his throat. He rubbed the rapidly forming bruises and growled.

            "What in the hell is your problem?" He snapped approaching the lithe female quickly. "For minute there you almost succeeded in your hormone crazed attempt to kill me!"

            "Good!" She shot back. "After you did this to me, I'd want to kill you, bring you back to life, and then kill you again!"

            Bakura was now utterly confused. This girl had to be Yami. Everything about her reminded him of the King of Games, except for the undeniable fact that he was now female. Cocking his head to the side, Bakura circled the fuming girl.

            "Yami this really can't be you." He mused.

            She snapped back away from Bakura, feeling like she was being scoured by a vulture. She flicked a long strand of ebony and crimson hair over her shoulder.

            "Well it is." She growled. "And it's your doing. I woke up like this and felt the receding presence of shadow powers. And seeing as Marik and Malik haven't been around in a while I figured it was you. Why in the hell would you do this! This still doesn't give you the right to my puzzle!"

            Her hand reflexed over the gold trinket in question. Now why hadn't he noticed that before? Oh yes, because female Yami had jumped him as soon as he opened the door. Rubbing his throat again, he waved a hand at her.

            "I don't want that stupid thing." He said shrugging it off. "Marik made me realize that the millennium items don't hold the true power so I no longer seek them. Besides, I didn't do that," He pointed at the swell of Yami's newly developed chest, "To you."

            Yami scoffed, switching her new shapely hips to the side and placing a slender hand on her waist. Bakura had to hide his amusement. Yami made quiet a beautiful woman. She was still on the short side and her hair, though now hanging down and long, was the same unusual color. Her eyes, still crimson, held their same regal fierceness but were now placed in a softer, more feminine face. Her normal leather pants hung loosely around her waist and her black tang top fitted her generous breasts to bit too tightly. Her lower stomach showed and Bakura could see the well toned muscles. If it had been someone else, Bakura could defiantly see asking for her number.

            "What are you looking at?" She suddenly snapped, bringing Bakura back to his senses. "Admiring your work?"

            Bakura sighed and threw his hands up in the air.

            "I already told you," He growled, "I. Didn't. Do. It."

            "I have to back my yami up on this one." Ryou suddenly spoke up, coming to stand in between the two fuming lights. "If he had done anything, I would have noticed the energy drain from him using that much magic, and I haven't noticed him acting stranger."

            Bakura shot his hikari an amused gaze. Ryou was lying. He could sense it in the waver of his voice. But he knew that Yami didn't pick up on it. He'd have to ask Ryou about that later. There was really only one question now.

            "Well what are we supposed to do about this?" Bakura pointed a finger at glowering female.

            "One thing's for certain, I can't go back to the Game Shop yet." Yami demanded, stomping her foot and having to catch the waist line of her pants as they dipped dangerously low. "I can't explain this to Yugi or his grandfather until even I get this sorted out in my head!"

            Bakura almost choked on those words. He looked at Yami with wide eyes and immediately began shaking his head.

            "You don't think you're going to stay here do you?" He asked, pure shock filtering into his voice.

            Yami's eyes grew steely. She glared a Bakura until he thought he would burst into flames. He began to wither under her stare. He had stuff he needed to do. Like go out and start searching for the girl that would be his. He didn't have time to deal with some stupid curse one more jealous person had placed over the Game King. God this was just what he needed.

            "Of course she can stay here." Ryou jumped in before the two dark halves could go at it again. "There's a fold out cot in the closet in your room. We can fold that out and he can stay in there with you. You're both yamis. It'll work out."

            Both Yami and Bakura's mouths dropped open. Bakura's mind was racing. Yami was going to be staying in his room. A female Yami was going to be staying in his room. Oh Ra, this was going to be a long curse.

            "Fine." Bakura threw his hands up in defeat. "But you make the bed. I have to go out for a little while."

            "Going to tell your accomplices that your little hex worked?" Yami snapped at his retreating back.

            "Exactly!" Bakura yelled back with out turning around. "I'll see you later!"

~*~

            Bakura stormed through the park, face flushed an angry red. This just hadn't been his day. First he woke up, hoping to get an early start on his hunt for his lover instead feeling tired from such an energy drain. Then Yami had come over, some how now female, and tried in earnest to kill him. His throat was still throbbing dully. And then Ryou had invited the crazed girl to stay with them until she got things all straightened out, in his room to top things off.

            And to officially end the shittiest day of his life, he spent an entire day searching all of Domino and not once did he catch the slightest twitch of what he could consider the workings of his spell.

            He sighed and kicked at the ground. Life was just perfect. Here his conscious was finally catching up with him and it had to happen when everything was falling apart around him. Ra, his second life sucked just as much as his first! Maybe he should head back home. See how Ryou was doing to the new addition to their family. Yami could be a real pain in the ass, but Ryou some how got a long with the ego inflated ex-Pharaoh. Bakura on the other hand never really got along with his fellow spirit. He didn't understand why he hated the other so much, but every time Yami walked in the room the he felt had to put some kind of defenses up.

            Oh yes, living with her was going to be hell.

~*~

            Yami sighed and tucked the last corner of the sheet under the edge of the cot's mattress. This whole thing was surreal. He shouldn't be making up the spare bed in Bakura's room. He shouldn't feel an odd extra weight on his chest every time he shifted. He shouldn't be she!

            With an angry sigh she threw the pillow down on the bed and flopped down. Great, the bed wasn't even soft. God damn, how was she going to explain to her aibou? Um, sorry Yugi, I woke up this morning and realized that I was missing a major piece of plumbing and gained two new, um, appendages.

            Ra, life sucked. She had fallen asleep last night normal. Well as normal as an ancient spirit could get. He had spent the night in the guestroom knowing that come early morning his aibou would not be fun. Dreams had racked his mind last night. Dreams that he had been in the arms of some mysterious lover. And when he had awoken he was a she.

            The dark energies she had felt fleeing from the room let her know that some one with a grasp on the shadow realm and its powers had done this to her. Of course she instantly blamed Bakura. He was the only one around with those powers that she knew of. Oh yes, and of course. Bakura had always hated her. Well, him. Ra this whole thing was confusing!

            She didn't want to be this way, a woman. Why couldn't Bakura play his cheap games of amusement with some one else? Well, until this whole thing was figured out, she would just have to make Bakura's life miserable. And now being a woman would make that a hell of a lot easier for her.

            She was chuckling to herself when the door cracked open. Ryou poked his head in to see Yami sitting on the bed. Her eyes read of her misery but her lips were pulled up in a twisted grin. Ryou sighed. That couldn't be a good sign. He slowly crept over to the changed spirit and sat down next to her.

            "I know you don't believe him but Bakura didn't do this." He spoke quietly, scaring Yami out of her thoughts.

            She looked down at him, her eyes some how more intense as a woman. Ryou squirmed a bit, but calmed down knowing that Yami wouldn't hurt him.

            "How can believe him?" Yami snorted. "After all he's done to me in the past you expect me to think that this wasn't his doing?"

Ryou sighed. Dealing with two yamis wasn't going to be easy. He had enough trouble with just Bakura. He hoped that Yami would tell Yugi soon. With two hikari's this could be a hell of a lot easier.

"He's changed." Ryou tried to put his whole heart into the answer. "He hasn't tried for your puzzle in a long time and he hasn't even attempted to do anything to you. Bakura's been distracted lately, like he's looking for something, waiting for someone. His mind hasn't been on what it normally is."

Yami stopped in her accusations when she read the worry on Ryou's face. He was worried about Bakura. That was something new. Usually the only time he worried about Bakura was when he was worried when he would get his next beating. But according to the gentle light, that was over and gone along with Bakura's unbridled evil. Something in that duel during Battle City had changed his thinking. Sighing she nodded towards Ryou.

"All right," She gave in, "I'll believe you. But I must tell you, I plan to find out who did this. And if Bakura's lying I'm going to kill him."

Ryou laughed as he rose to his feet.

"All right Yami." He chuckled. "But until something we should really do something about your wardrobe. I dread the moment those pants will finally fall around your ankles."

Yami blushed and lowered her head. That would be more embarrassing then waking up a woman. Her hand tightened around her waist and she shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

"Yeah," She mumbled. "But I wouldn't even know what to look for."

"We'll think of something." Ryou said, giving his friend's yami a sympathetic glance. "But until the why don't you put on a pair of Bakura's pajamas. The waist is elastic so it will fit."

Yami nodded and watched as Ryou left the room. She pulled open the top drawer of Bakura's dresser and fished through his clothes. Her hand brushed a soft, smooth material and she let her eyes drift towards the black surface. Pulling the outfit out of the drawer she smiled. In her hand was a pair of black silk pants and a black silk button down shirt. It was large so she knew that it would be baggy enough to cover her new, um, chest.

She quickly stripped down and slipped into the pajamas. The silk was soft against her skin and she gently ran her hands over her the fabric. Yami walked over to the full length mirror and scrutinized her reflection. The pajama top was missing the top two buttons so the shirt's front opened dangerously low, ending only inch above her new chest. She shrugged her shoulders. Oh well, it wasn't like she cared. There wasn't anybody here that she had to worry about ogling her. Turning on her heel she was about to stride out of the room when she felt Yugi's end of their link open.

'Yami?' He called out, his voice sounding as though he wouldn't get an answer.

"Yes Yugi?" Yami said a silent prayer that her mental voice still sounded the same.

'Where are you?' Yugi now let the raw emotion into his voice. Yami winced at the sound of it. 'It's getting late and I'm worried about you. Are you okay? Nothing happened to you did it?'

"I'm fine aibou." She sighed. This was going to hurt and confuse Yugi but he had to do something. She needed at least one night in her new body before she went around telling everyone. And she'd be damned if anyone (specifically named Jonouchi, Honda, or Anzu) find out. "I just need a break. I'm spending the night at Ryou's. He needs me here for something and its going to take a while to get it worked out."

Yami felt Yugi's concern filter through their link. Guilt stabbed at her chest. She hated doing this to her aibou. He always entrusted her with his deepest secrets, and now she couldn't tell him what was really going on.

'All right Yami.' She felt the confusion fade into a faint hurt. 'But what does Ryou need your help for? Bakura's nice now and can help him with his problems.'

"That's just it," Yami panicked desperately seeking a lie. "Bakura is the problem. At least his ring is. There's something wrong with the magic in the ring and Bakura's been having energy drains lately. Ryou wants me to stay and see if we can find anything wrong with it. They think if there really is anything wrong the puzzle will be able to detect it."

Yami felt the relief that flooded through Yugi. She grinned. Her aibou was really worried about her. But he didn't need to be. The only thing wrong with her was just that. She was a her!

'Okay Yami, as long as you're all right I'll talk to you tomorrow." Yugi spoke those last words softly before cutting off their link.

Yami groaned. Just perfect! Yugi wanted her to feel guilty. She slipped the chain of the Millennium puzzle over her neck and dropped it onto her bed. Well she did feel guilty. She hated lying to her aibou, especially about something this serious. Anger crawled up in her throat and made its way out in the form of choking sob.

"Damn it all!" She shouted as the tears began pouring down her cheeks. "I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for any of this!"

She was about to let the sobs overtake her as her knees went weak. They buckled under her sudden weight and she collapsed forward. But instead of crashing to the ground she slammed into a solid chest. Figuring it was Ryou she clung desperately to fabric of his shirt. The sobs racked her small frame, ravaging Yami into a much despised weakness.

Damn being a girl! Her emotions were much more fragile, coming to the surface easier. She didn't want to cry; it was just feeling as guilty as she did and having all the added pressures of what was happening to her.

After a few moments, the tears slowed down and Yami was able to control herself. She pushed off the chest she had been clinging too and wiped at the damp trails on her cheeks.

"You all done now?"

Yami stiffened when she heard the voice that belonged to the person whose chest she had been clinging to. It defiantly wasn't Ryou. But the white hair and chocolate brown eyes were still too familiar.

"B-Bakura?" She gasped quickly pulling away from his dampened shirt.

"Yes," He nodded picking absently at wet spot. "Can you explain that whole thing to me, or is this little lake on my chest going to remain a mystery?"

Yami blinked. Was Bakura being civil about this? He had held her why she cried. And to top that, he hadn't mocked her after it was over. Instead he asked her if she was okay.

"I-I'm sorry." She murmured, suddenly aware of the blush that rose in her cheeks. "I just talked to Yugi and had to make up some lie as to why I was staying here. I must have hurt him and the guilt just got to me. I-I hope I didn't ruin that shirt."

Bakura chuckled deep in the back of his throat. Yami's brows rose. Was Bakura chuckling? At her? Cause she really didn't see the humor in this situation. Bakura noticed the look that had crossed Yami's face and tried to be more serious.

"No, the shirts fine." She tried to hide the humor. "I'm just glad you didn't ruin my good pajamas."

Yami flushed as he ran a hand gently over the silk. She looked back up at him.

"Ryou suggested it until I could get some new clothes." She gave him a sheepish grin. "But I really don't know what to buy."

Bakura rubbed his chin, still smiling.

"Maybe we should call an actual woman tomorrow morning." He suggested.

"I swear if you call Anzu I'll rip those beautiful brown eyes out of your head!"

Yami gasped and slender hand shooting to cover her mouth. A blush ran across her cheekbones. She hadn't said that, she did not just say that! Bakura was also staring at her with wide eyes, so it was obvious that he had picked up on her added adjective. If Yami had thought things couldn't get worse, fate had to prove her wrong.

But why had she said that? It wasn't like it was wrong. His brown eyes had a soft chocolate color to them that made them hard to stop looking at. But this was Bakura she was talking about! There was no way that she should find anything about him attractive.

"It's, um, it's late." Bakura mumbled fumbling through his top drawer and pulling out his own pair of pajamas. "You should rest up. Tomorrow's going to prove to be one hell of a day for you."

Yami nodded and quickly climbed into bed, hoping to do anything that would give her the chance to break eye contact with Bakura. She snuggled deep into the blankets and squeezed her crimson eyes shut. She heard Bakura climb into bed a few seconds before the light went out.

"Yami?"

She jumped slightly after hearing his voice. Ra, don't let this be the mocking. She knew that at the moment she wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Y-yes?" She choked out.

"I don't know how this happened to you." Honesty was thick in Bakura's voice. "But I can promise you I'll help you figure it out."

Yami gasped into her pillow. Her heart hammered in her chest. What was going on? Bakura was being nice to her. And she, well she was finding his eyes beautiful. Oh Ra!

She was falling for the Tomb Raider!!