A part of him ached every time he saw that look on Yugi's face. Ryou loved his life, free from the Spirit, the Ring, and the fear that had come with it. No longer did he have to worry about what could happen if he accidentally let his feeble control slip or if something bad would happen to his friends if it did. No more memory loss, no more chest wounds, no more terrible Bakura!

Yugi was still Yugi, he still laughed and loved games, but there was a change. The change Atem had brought- the stronger stance, the look in his eyes, the confidence. Then, the changes his disappearance had made. Sometimes though he got this look in his eyes, distant, longing. His hand would come up to clasp the Puzzle, but it was never there. Ryou noted he took to wearing a pendant around, just to hold it whenever he did so. Whenever Ryou saw it, everyone else did. They all knew what he was thinking about.

Ryou knew why- Yugi had loved Atem. Atem had been a part of his life, soul and mind. Where Ryou and Bakura had never had a good relationship, if one could even call it that, Yugi had been friends with the spirit. Adored him in a way Ryou was sometimes, ashamedly, jealous of. A little bit of it hurt, but his longing was far outweighed by his friend. Before all else, they were friends who had been through thick and thin. His brows creased, and the very next time Yugi got that look on his face, a steely resolve forged inside of his heart.

Some way, somehow, he would bring the Pharaoh back.

As soon as he got home that day, Ryou dug up several old, dusty books. He blew them off, sending a slew of grey particles floating and making him wheeze. Beside the books were cheap, plastic crates stuffed with scrying crystals and stones, an old Ouija Board and its glass cup. He looked at the board, lips pursing, before he turned his attention to his books. A worn red book with its spine beginning to come out in strands, and a green book in slightly better shape. Gold lettering adorned them, titles about connecting to the spiritual worlds. Icy Shadow Magic still remained in his veins. He could work with this while it lasted. Kneeling down, the teen rummaged through the crates. He pulled out his best scrying crystal, old dusty scarlet bath candles, and with some hesitation, the Oujia Board.

Ryou hoped his neighbors wouldn't mind.

Despite the dangers of evocation alone, Ryou felt he had the skills with spirits enough to handle the situation should anything go awry. He sucked in a deep breath, feeling the Shadows prick his skin as he tapped into that thrumming energy. Not inherently bad, not inherently good. It was still Bakura's old magic and had hints of hunger to it. He shook his head and placed the bath candles down, gripping the scrying crystal in his hand.

Find Atem. The Pharaoh. Please.

The Shadows pricked again at his fingertips, spreading from his arm to the string, then the crystal itself. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the deep purple gem twitched.

Ryou's eyes snapped open, excitement coursing through his body as it slowly drifted to the right.

"Oh, thank you," He murmured aloud, watching the mist curl around the crystal, bobbing it in the direction Ryou hoped some remains of the Pharaoh's self was. Slowly the magic gathered inside of him, its power making his hair stand on end as he scrambled about, lighting the candles.

"I'm calling you, Pharaoh." Ryou murmured, pulling the curtains over the windows and letting the room darken. Sitting cross-legged, the albino placed the Oujia board before him, glancing about, grasping the glass cup over the lettering.

"Are you there?"

A pause, then the glass moved.

Y-E-S

Ryou looked about and smiled. "Good. Do you… want to visit? You're… very missed."

Y-E-S

P-L-E-A-S-E

"If only for a little while… I'm using leftover Magic for this. Okay? So just… hold tight. I'll open a way."

Impatient, the Magic stung inside of him as he stood. Ryou took in a deep breath, calming his fraying nerves. He had only seen Bakura doing this a few times, and he didn't have the Ring anymore. He thought of Yugi's forlorn face, and the gold pendant he wore as replacement for the Puzzle's presence.

It was worth the risk.

Murmuring to himself, it was on that day Ryou managed to open a portal right to the spirit world, the Shadows prying at the edges of the jagged tear.

There was familiar energy. Very, very familiar. And light that made the Shadows shy back.

Escape.

Escape.

Disbelief faded into utter joy, and he scrambled to his feet and ran. He ran the fastest he'd ever run, panting raggedly. His hands came to grasp the portal, and booming laughter echoed around him, yanking himself through the portal.

With a cry, he came tumbling from the tear in realities, landing clumsily upon the floor with a hiss of discomfort, tipping over a few candles and the wax spilling on the carpet. The portal snapped shut behind him.

He looked up at Ryou, whose eyes were wide in shock, taking several stumbling steps back. He surveyed his surroundings lazily, noting the candles, the summoning, the hint of Shadow Magic in the air.

"Y-you're… not… n-no. No."

And the former Yami Bakura's lips twisted into a horrible smile.

"Yadonushi,"

A/N: Bahaha I kind of dislike this first chapter. I just really wanted to get the ball rolling. It ended up being really short regardless. With summer here, after I recover a little bit more from finals, I'll get to some other things! Connect the Dots will get its fourth chapter, and Hate Me is getting a two-part sequel! Yaaay! The Hate Me sequel is already in the works, and Connect the Dots is going through some outlining.

Sometime soon I'll be making an AO3 account under the same username, posting the same fics.

Regardless I'll be as active as I can manage!

-Boo