I almost forgot to add in the disclaimer. I do not own YuGiOh, and I never will. This covers both sections of my story.

Escape Yourself

Have you ever woken up not knowing where you are, and found blood dripping down your hands? Have you seen large gashes on your arms, and watched as glistening drops of ruby slid over your skin onto the stained cement, without knowing how they got there? It's not something I ever expected to experience, and I'm afraid. When I look into the mirror, I dread seeing another gazing out of my eyes. Outwardly, my reserved attitude hides what I'm feeling, but if anyone looked close enough, I'm sure they would see the cracks in my smile.

Who have I become?

Ryou Bakura handled the object in his hands with care. The golden ring glinted in the late sun, and the five spikes jingled slightly as he shifted closer to get a better look at the design in the middle. It appeared to be an eye of some sort, imbedded on a triangle. Gripping the edges of the rope it was strung onto, he lifted it over his head and let it settle around his neck. The weight felt awkward for a moment, but the feeling quickly passed.

Looking down he admired the foreign object; there was no doubt in his mind that it was made out of solid gold. When his father finally came home he would have to thank him for the present. While he was staring absently at the ring, it flashed once catching him off guard. The white light filled the room, and blinded Ryou's instantly. When theglow had faded, he was left seeing burnt images dancing throughout the dark room.

Shaking, he reached out an arm behind himself to find the edge of his bed. Sure enough his hand met the soft quilt, and he stumbled backwards onto the covers. Blinking, he tried to regain his sight. He fingered the edges the rope around his neck in nervous thought, wondering about what had just happened. Maybe there was a lightning storm outside, or perhaps he was so tired that he was seeing things. Stretching out along his comfy bed, Ryou stared up at the ceiling. Time rolled by slowly, and the numbers on his digital clock changed gradually. Eventually he could stay awake no longer and was swept away into a peaceful sleep, but not before he heard a faint noise.

Kukuku

"Ryou, do know anything about this?" His father gazed at him for a moment, and then turned back to concentrating on the road.

"No," his answer was so soft that Ryou barely heard it himself.

"If you know what happened, you better tell me." The hard edge in his father's voice left no room for argument. "If they were taking some kind of drug, or if they were part of some gang-if your part of some gang-"

"I'm not!" Ryou's words were louder now, and he felt his cheeks flush with anger. It was anger not aimed at his father, but at himself. He knew something odd had happened, but what precisely had taken place was a mystery. The past few weeks had been strange, and full of holes. Numerous times he had woken up to the sight of an unfamiliar place. Why only three nights ago, he had suddenly found himself in one of the shadier back allies of the city, and sometimes people would refer to an incident in which they would say he was present, but Ryou himself had no memory of it ever occurring.

This of course, he kept completely to himself, for what good would it do his father to learn this information? It did not explain what had happened to his friends, or how to help them. It would not change the fact that all of them were in comas. Ryou tried to push aside his depressing thoughts, but one lingered and would not leave the back of his mind, and nothing he did would still its taunting voice. You were there, it whispered. You were there and playing Monster World with each one of them, and it was while they were with you that they fell into comas. Everyone thought he knew what had happened, but he did not.

The car came to a stop, and Ryou saw that they were in front of the school now. While it was nice to get a ride from his father, Ryou knew that the older man was only doing it in hopes that he would let some sort of information slip. Opening the car door, he stepped onto the sidewalk. Classmates and other members of his school who walked by stared at him, and kept a safe distance. He was about to close the door, when an arm on his hand stopped him. It was his father.

"Please Ryou," his father whispered.

The white haired boy only shook his head, and stepped away from the car. Looking at the giant clock on the school building he said, "I'm going to be late." Then he was off, walking swiftly towards the entrance of the school. Ryou's father watched people skirt around his son, and whisper amongst themselves, while casting anxious galnces around the area. With a defeated sigh, he reached over to shut the car door himself.

Author's Note:

I know, I know, this was very short. It was originally going to be a one shot, but I need to fix up the ending, so I'm posting it in two parts. Oh, and this takes place before Ryou met Yugi, so it's before we even meet him in the manga. I hoped you've enjoyed it so far.

Bye!