A/N: Hey everyone, it's MissVipera. So I've been reading fanfics on here for quite a while, and just recently I've gotten the inspiration to write one myself!

This is an M rated Bronzeshipping (with some other side shippings) fanfiction- I don't really wish to corrupt any children with upcoming violence and yaoi.

So to clear things from the beginning:

"MissVipera" - talking

'MissVipera' - thinking

MissVipera - writing

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! No suing please.

On with the story.

Chapter 1: Shadows

Diary Entry 1

From the darkest corners of an underground tomb, to the shadows of my mind; I, Malik Ishtar, have had enough crossings with darkness to suffice for a lifetime.

Shadows unbearable, more traumatising than hell itself.

I believe no one fears the dark as more than I do... Every night I go to sleep in pure terror.

The terror of what lurks in the dark.

He might have been the one to inflict that upon me, but I could never hate him for it.

I created my own darkness, my own personal hell. But he... He guided me through it, he took my pain away.

They may have forgiven me, in spite of the horrors I have put them through, but I can never forgive myself. Ever.

Not only for the mistakes am I to blame, or for endangering the entire world due to my own personal, selfish desires. No.

I can never forgive myself for letting him go. For so carelessly losing my saviour to the shadows I've always feared myself, after all that he's done for me.

For failing miserably in bringing him back.

Oh yes, that I did. Or at least I thought I did. He should have been back, but he isn't.

They can never know of what I have done. They'd try to eliminate him, send him away once again- if he by some miracle is back for real.

Marik...

He ever so gladly took the blame, not once flinching when all the accusatory fingers pointed at him and him alone.

It should have been me at the receiving end of those fingers.

Not Marik.

Not my saviour.

Nothing can shake off the guilt I'm feeling deep inside. No matter how many times they'd tell me that it would all be okay now that he's gone, that he was dubbed the convict, the villain, the 'bad guy' of the story; they only succeeded in amplifying the guilt and pain that now reside within my very soul and being.

It doesn't even matter any more. He's gone now, and it's entirely my fault.

And for that, I can never forgive myself.

"Malik!"A white haired teen called for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, his voice screeching in exasperation at his friend's odd behaviour. Said tow-headed Egyptian snapped from his thoughts, turning slightly in his chair to find wide chocolate brown eyes eyeing him with concern.

"Err- sorry Ryou, what was it that you were saying?" He tried giving his friend the best smile he could manage, in an attempt to will away any incoming questions from his British friend.

"Were you even listening to what I was saying the whole time?" The snow-haired Briton narrowed his eyes at the now flustered teen, knowing better than anyone else that his friend's smile was nowhere near real, "Is something wrong, Malik?"

Consequent to the seemingly worried inquiries and the knowledge that his fake smile manoeuvre has not succeeded, not that he expected it to anyway, he sighed in frustration. Even though Ryou is one of his only two close friends, he could never find it in himself to voice his thoughts or feelings out to him- or to anyone for that matter, "Nothing is wrong, Ryou." He stated almost inaudibly in response.

Luckily for Malik, the teacher stepped into the classroom right then, effectively cutting off any questions that Ryou was most likely going to ask. Malik knew better than to think that his friend would just forget about his peculiar behaviour as of late, yet he hoped he would somehow do just that.

He, nevertheless, couldn't bring himself to pay the slightest attention through the lecture. Instead, his eyes started roving the classroom, his gaze shifting between the faces of his classmates, stopping only at the sight of a particular group of students having painfully familiar faces.

A dirty blond haired teen with honey coloured eyes, Joey Wheeler. Another boy sitting across from him with hair shaped as a single spike consisting of two shades of brown and matching eyes, Tristan Taylor. A girl with shoulder length brown hair and ocean blue eyes, Tea Gardner. And finally the famous tricolour haired boy with jewel-amethyst eyes, Yugi Mutou, also known as the King of Games.

Malik understood why he never wanted to return to his homeland, Egypt, but never quite grasped the real reason why he decided to stay in Domino City, and most importantly attend the same school as the people he caused so much pain for.

The same people who had been to hell and back as a result of his careless actions.

It's been almost a month now since the ceremonial duel took place, the supposed end of the story of the five millennia old spirit that resided within the Millennium Puzzle. But it had seemed like fate had other plans for the once reigning Pharaoh...

"I'm gonna miss you..."

It was all over. The ceremonial duel was concluded with Yugi's victory, meaning the spirit of the Pharaoh would finally proceed to its final resting place, along with the seven Millennium items. The two tricolour haired lookalikes stood before each other, each in his own body, saying their final goodbyes.

Meanwhile, the flaxen haired Egyptian, the Pharaoh's tomb keeper, stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed intently on the two lookalikes. A side of him sympathised with the two of them, he did know how hard it was to lose someone as close. Another part of him, however, liked every moment of it, enjoyed the pain they were being put through. They, after all, were the reason he had to lose his own other half, even though it was inevitable if they actually wanted to save mankind from the destruction both he and his dark side were going to inflict.

By the time that Malik had snapped out of his bipolar thoughts and back to reality, the Pharaoh, Atem, was already walking through the door that led to the afterlife. Soon after the door was closed, the underground cavern started to shake uncontrollably, indicating incoming danger.

Needing no second warnings, the place was evacuated immediately by everyone that witnessed what they believed was the greatest duel of the millennia, leaving behind all evidence showing it ever took place to go down with the collapsing cavern.

When they had all reached the safety of the outside, Malik retained his posture of folded arms once more, only this time eyeing the entrance leading to the staircase they just escaped through.

"...Well, sometimes the end of one adventure is just the beginning of another." He heard the victor console his distraught friends and himself.

'They really thought it was the end, we'll see if it really is in just a few.' The Egyptian mused to himself; he knew very well it was far from the end, there was still one more phase left in order to determine the fate of the Pharaoh's stray spirit.

Ishizu may have been the previous owner of the Millennium necklace, which enabled her to see the future, but he was the one who received the tomb keepers' initiation. He had foreseen some of the events that were to come regarding the Pharaoh, though he never understood exactly how or why.

"If only you knew how wrong you are." He muttered, earning himself a couple of quizzical looks from the group of friends. He, however, decided against voicing his thoughts once a familiar star shaped hair came into view at the temple's entrance, thus widening the smirk he didn't realise he was wearing until then.

"What Malik is trying to say is that you won't be able to get rid of me that easily." An all too familiar baritone voice spoke, making every pair of eyes turn to the direction it's coming from.

Right there, standing in his usual glory and aura of confidence and irrepressible power, stood the ex-Pharaoh, dressed in the same attire his other half wore, along with a warm smile pasted on his handsome face.

Malik couldn't help but smile at the sight of an excited Yugi jumping into the waiting arms of the Pharaoh in an uncharacteristic action, throwing his arms around him in a hug, and watched as the friends questioned Atem's return, or Yami as they preferred to call him.

Just as he was about to join the group in returning back to the boat that brought them there, he caught a glimpse of an unruly mane of white, making him stop dead in his tracks with widened eyes.

Now that is interesting.

"You can come out now." He called out after making sure everyone had left except for him. As expected, the former King of Thieves stepped out of the shadows and into eyesight.

"Now how you were forgiven by the gods is beyond me," the Egyptian laughed in amusement, before smiling genuinely at his snow haired friend, "But it's good to know you're back."

"It's good to be back!" Bakura joined in the laughter, "Well, for whatever reason, I'm not going to complain now."

The two once partners in crime, newly formed friends, walked side by side. One looking forward for the life ahead of him to make up for his past, the other lost in glum musing about how his' would turn out to be from this point.

Since that very day, everything seemed to be going ordinarily for everyone, but not for Malik. It never was normal for him.

He thought that now that he was done with his tomb keeper's duties he would be able to live his life normally to some extent, but every passing day only proved to him how wrong he was.

Everything was still the same, and it was killing him from the inside out every single day.

He was broken from his somewhat melancholy reverie by the sound of the final bell, indicating their freedom from school for the day being. Hastily, in order to avoid any questions from his pearl-haired friend, he gathered his things and made to dash out of the classroom, only to be stopped by the 'Yugi Clan', as he preferred to call them.

"Hey Malik, we're gonna head to the arcade later t'day, d'ya wanna join us?" The Brooklyn blond addressed him with a boyish grin on his features.

"Umm actuall-

"Yes! He would love to join us!"

Malik groaned inwardly, he should have known his whitette friend would manage to pin him down for answers eventually. Oh well, he had no choice but to give in at this point. "Sure, I'll meet you guys there."

Yes, everything was the same.

If only Malik knew what fate had in store for him, he would have never wished for anything to ever change.

Things were about to get really, really strange.

There it is. More chapters to come soon.

So, R&R?