Answers

"Don't you ever get sick of them?"

Ryo heard that voice time and time again. He knew full well that throwing away the Millennium Ring wouldn't help his status as a host, but he was still bitter about it. He sighed, wrapping his fingers around the metal of the Ring. It was cool against his skin. Good. His hands had blood flowing through them from his formerly clenched fists, so the metal felt nice.

"Maybe." Ryo said in response. The spirit probably didn't care, but at least he asked.

There was no comfort in that fact though. The spirit inhabited his body for a reason and had hurt him many times in order to go through with its plan. Ryo was merely a tool. Ryo sighed once more, watching his breath as it dissipated into the frigid cold. Would it ever change? Would he ever be more than a tool?

"Your thoughts are clouded much more than usual." The spirit commented. It was like he was talking about the weather. Small talk was something the spirit never bothered with. What changed today?

"So? It's not like anyone cares anyway." Ryo smiled to himself. "Why are you talking to me?"

"I thought I was the one questioning you. Don't switch it around." The spirit growled.

Ryo toyed with one of the pointed ends of the Millennium Ring as he pulled the collar of his jacket up. "What if I want to know why you're here? What if I want to know what's going on? My body had been through everything in order to do something I don't know about." Ryo said, his brow furrowing. "At least tell me what you're trying to accomplish with my body as your vessel."

"So you have been listening to me and not just whining like a crybaby," The spirit noted.

"Answer me!" Ryo repeated, garnering a few odd looks from passers-by. "Why can I never remember whole chunks of time in my life?"

The spirit fell silent. Ryo grimaced. It looked like his questions would never be answered. He knew the spirit was there, he had always known somehow. It hadn't been until it had actually started cackling on about his plan to do something to do with a Pharaoh that Ryo had been certain of it being there. A few minutes passed with silence as Ryo continued his walk home. Yugi had invited him to go along with everyone to the arcade. After that, they went for pizza. Time flew by, and when Ryo finally remembered to check his watch, it was eleven o'clock at night.

"Why do you hang out with them?" It seemed like the spirit wanted questions answered too.

"I don't know." Ryo answered simply. "I just do."

Ryo didn't know why he felt so comfortable answering the spirit. It was strange, but he guessed it was just his nature. No matter how much the spirit hurt his body while using it, Ryo still lived with it there. Yugi would always look his way with concern and Ryo always acted oblivious as to not make the others worry. It was his way of dealing with this unknown inhabitant of his mind. He shared it, albeit unwillingly, but he had gotten used to the presence within him. Yugi had a spirit within his own Millennium Item too. The Millennium Puzzle was home to a spirit whose past was unclear. He had amnesia. Regardless, Ryo's spirit seemed to hate the spirit inside the Puzzle.

Many times the two spirits would duel: Ryo's hoping to win and obtain the Puzzle and Yugi's hoping to win and gain back his memory. Ryo was always in the middle, playing the bait, or sometimes the pawn. He didn't like being used like a tool, an item to be thrown away after the spirit was done with him, but it didn't matter anymore. Ryo was so used to being taken over by that dark presence that he figured he might as well not exist in order for the spirit to always be in control.

"And what makes you think that?" The spirit asked, an angry tone tinting his voice.

"Why shouldn't I think that?" Ryo countered. "You're using me. I don't even know what my life is anymore because of you. I randomly found myself in the Battle City finals, then I was duelling and I could barely see or breath, and the next thing I knew I was sick in bed!" Ryo blew hot air into his now-cold hands. "I never know what's going on. You're taking over my life as well as my body. I thought I'd be okay, but I'm not. Why am I still here? It's pointless."

"You're here because I still need you."

"That's the biggest lie you've ever told me, as well as the first question you've ever answered. I'm not sure how to react."

"Then don't."

"Fine."

Another silence passed between them. Then, "That wasn't a lie."

"Oh..."

Now Ryo really didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to getting such blatant answers from the spirit of the Ring. He frowned, looking down over his high-collared black coat to see the metal glint under the streetlights. He wondered vaguely how long he'd been walking, since he was almost certain that this was the longest conversation he'd ever had with the spirit. Not only that, but it was taking longer than usual to reach his street. The roads weren't too busy and the pedestrians were few. Ryo rubbed his hands together, blowing hot air onto them again. It was quite chilly out and he wasn't about to get sick again. Ever since the spirit started inhabiting his body, his immunity to sickness had almost completely vanished. Whether it had been the shadow games, the frequent switches between body and mind, or even just the freaky blimp ride that the finals of the Battle City tournament had taken place on, Ryo was no longer safe from hacking coughs or sudden jolts of pain in his limbs. He supposed he could blame it on the cooler weather as of late, but that was a lame excuse. He knew the real reason lay in the Millennium Ring.

"What's your purpose?"

Ryo honestly didn't expect to get an answer, but he asked anyway. He wanted to know why his body was so important to the spirit. It wasn't exactly a crime to want to know what was happening to him while he was unconscious.

"Revenge." The spirit replied.

And that was all Ryo felt he needed to know, for now.

Hello all :) I haven't submitted anything in what feels like ages (it probably hasn't been that long, but whatever!) I know I have other stories to be working on (like the two chapter stories I started that I should be finishing) but they're on my other computer, which is overridden with viruses, so you'll have to wait a while.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot!!

PLEASE READ:

I'm doing a project at school on Fanfiction -- it was one of our choices for our ISU's -- and I'd like to include some of the reviews I get from readers, so please take the time to write one so I might be able to include it in my project!