For the Diversity challenge, the Phrases Boot Camp (phrase: I just don't understand you) and GeorgyannWayson's awesome minor character challenge. Now why did the anime have to give Ryou such a minor role when he was one of the main characters in the manga?
Ryou didn't understand anything concerning the pharaoh, his memories, or even what a simple game of Duel Monsters had anything to do with it, but he didn't mind helping the spirit that dwelled within him. Even if he was confused by half of it.
The spirit never really told him anything – it seemed to have a problem with trust – but with its interests in Yugi, he got the gist of it.
Yugi was just an average boy; friendly, but nothing really special. Ryou really couldn't why the spirit was drawn to him. Sure, he had a pretty odd necklace, but it wasn't anything special. Then again, there was a lot the spirit didn't explain.
It was easy to become friendly with Yugi, but Yugi never really considered him as a friend, which Ryou was glad for. While he did promise himself that he'd help the spirit, it would've been hard to betray Yugi's friendship. And while it was easy for Ryou to betray someone's trust – he had gotten a lot over the years – friendship was something precious to him. He never really had a friend before.
-0-0-0-
He was greeted with a whole lot of pain.
Ryou knew that there would be times when he wasn't in control of his body – the spirit had taken over him a couple of times before – but he didn't expect to be locked up in his mind room for days, or weeks (he had no way to tell of the time). And the worst part was that it wasn't even his mind room.
From the short place swaps with the spirit, Ryou had visited his mind room for a grand total of ten times. And it was always some kind of a welcomed sight. Not the best thing, but not the worst thing either.
The room captured his innocence nicely. There wasn't anything harmful about it at first glance – the walls were painted white and there were various games scattered around – but from several trips there, he knew it wasn't at all like that. A feeling of loneliness was there, lingering in the air. And a knife was hidden cleverly in his table-top RPG. Still, Ryou always found comfort in there.
Here, however, was different. The room was pitch black with absolutely no way to tell what direction he was facing.
This must be the spirit's mind room.
It scared Ryou to think that this was the room his spirit dwelled in while he was in control of his own body.
He couldn't even do anything in there. Every time he tried to do something other than thinking or sitting, he would be forced back down by some force. And even if he did stay down like a good little boy, pain would just randomly make its existence known.
-0-0-0-
He was finally greeted with the light. Or more precisely, the darkness of light.
It all came down on him. Pain that brought him down to his knees, confusion as to what was going on, and the realization that it was Yugi who brought him this pain.
It's only fair. But it didn't even seem fair to him. Maybe to the spirit, but not to Ryou.
He noticed how Yugi showed concern for him, only to launch a direct attack on him right after.
Really, he did lose all of Yugi's trust.
It didn't really matter though. Ryou had gotten the spirit's trust, and that was all that mattered to him.
-0-0-0-
The cold hard floor awoke him.
Ryou happened to find himself sprawled out on the steps of some pyramid, all sore, tired, and with a headache. He could even feel a slight absence in something.
Is this how you repay me?
He had to think the answer was yes.
Thinking back, the spirit never really did help him. Aside from that protection from the direct attack, there was nothing. Unless pain counted as a reward.
I wasted my time.
Slowly, Ryou picked himself up and walked up the steps. It hurt every bit and he really wanted to simply lie down and rest, but nothing hurt him more than the fact that the spirit abused his kindness.