AN/ I saw this really cool documentary on hookers and johns, which gave me some new ideas for this story, and I'm trying to focus more on Ryou's personality this time around. sniff I miss all my reviews. Oh and this chpt is more of an intro so the next chpt will be longer. Don't forget to r and r. ja.

Disclaimer: right...

Pairings: MalikxRyou in later chapters. Minor YamixBakura (May have other pairings later on.)

Warnings: this fic contains violence, mild cursing, prostitution, mentions of rape, one or two blow jobs, and yaoi.

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Shadows: Ryou's Story

Chapter One

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Life was funny. One minute you're walking down a street looking for a cheap place to live, the next you're suddenly going to school and have a last name. If I didn't know better I'd wonder what God was thinking. Then again you should never look a gift horse in its mouth, or something like that.

So here I am now labeled 17 years old and a transfer student who had lived abroad for 10 or so years. My father, who shall remain nameless, is an archaeologist so he's rarely home. M y mother, who shall also remain nameless, died giving birth to me. I've been an average student all my life, getting A's and B's, and once a C. I spoke English and supposedly Egyptian rather fluently.

I also work as a janitor at the apartment building me and my father are living at. Well actually me alone since father is never home, though he calls now and then.

I also work as a hooker and now the manager of my apartment building has somehow become my pimp. I'm not really clear on how that happened. Probably shouldn't have told him what I did for a living.

I had been upfront with him when he asked me how I expected to pay rent since I had no job. So I told him I did have a job, I was a whore.

Actually I like the term professional companion better, but whatever works.

You'd think I'd given him the miracle of life or the winning lottery ticket the way he lit up and started to be all agreeable and nice. Should have known he wanted something in return. No ones ever nice just to be nice. Especially fat tubes of lard like Mr.Oto, the manager.

So anyway he offered me a deal. I could stay here free of charge, but only if I worked as the building's janitor. I would also be given a new identity of sorts, so the cops or some nosy people won't find out about me and take me away to some foster home. Of course if I didn't take the deal Manager Oto told me he would call the cops himself, which was warning enough. Not the best choices if you ask me, but apparently my opinion doesn't matter. I took the deal. Knew I shouldn't have told him the truth. Oh well.

And olla! Ryou Bakura was born.

The manager just forgot to mention one little detail. He would occasionally "visit" me, and let some of his "friends" "visit" me as well. So yeah, I now have a pimp. Yeah me.

Oh so thats how it happened.

Not that I'm complaining. I got the better deal after all, I think.

So now I'm 17, suddenly have a father, and go to school. I still can't believe it. I mean when do things like this happen?

Like I said before, life is funny. Weird but funny in an ironic kind of way. I've never had a father before so this is sort of a novelty for me.

Amazingly enough I'm actually excited. I wonder what if will be like.

I've never gone to school either.

Though I did meet this kid who did. He was standing on this bridge ready to jump off when I stopped him. I mean who jumps off a bridge? That is so unoriginal.

Yeah well then he started babbling about how horrible school was and how no one understood him. Well I called him an idiot, and walked away.

I mean how unoriginal can one person be?

His body was found three days later by some stray fisherman, who lived, well let's just say very, very far from the bridge. Terrified the poor man to death it seems, or was it that it was just the same old some old to him. I hear bodies pop up in the water all the time these days.

Just goes to show you, our society needs serious help.

If these people want to kill themselves why don't they find some other way to do it? Like beat their heads with a baseball bat, or hang themselves from a tree, people don't do that anymore, or even jump out of a moving car while the lights green.

I mean come on! Show some creativity why don't you. Well anyway I gathered school was some horrible place to him. I should be prepared…for what? Then again now that I think about it, that kid had a lot of issues.

Well anyway this is so exciting. It was even worth having to play "train in the tunnel" with Manager Oto yesterday.

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Au/ so I'll get into the story in the next chpt, I decided to make him less depressive. Last thing he needs is to be all suicidal and bitter like I had him in the other version of this story. well this personality fits the story better, at least the way the story is heading. ja.