K, first chapter of Sparking Hate, (since technically the first ''chapter'' was a prologue.) Now, don't expect Ryou to be like Bakura just yet. He is a teen in MODERN times, not in Ancient Egypt, so he is just more of a 'rebellious teenager' (for now) Also, though this takes away a bit of the realistic-ness of Ryou being rebellious, I don't swear, and neither will my characters. So even though someone like Ryou (in this fic) should swear, he won't.

Here's my Disclaimer (am I supposed to have one??): Once upon a time, somone made YGO. They made thousands and thousands of dollars and lived happily ever after. It wasn't me.

Also (sorry, you can ALMOST read it!) This fic is going to have flashbacks to Ryou's childhood after the fire and possibly Bakura's. If its a flash back, I'm going to Italicize it okay? But there aren't any in this chapter, so you needn't worry about it yet.

ok, SORRY! YOU can read it now...go ahead, don't be shy!


The first day Ryou Bakura arrived at Domino High School was the definition of 'gloomy weather'.

The sky was filled with black thunderheads and lightning flashed every few minutes, reflecting off the clouds and turning the sky into a black and gray jigsaw. Each flash was followed closely by deafening cracks of thunder. The sky was heavy and looked as though it was sinking, making the atmosphere in the city claustrophobic. Eventually the heavy clouds couldn't hold in their load of rainwater any longer and they burst at the seams, releasing a torrent of wet, cold, rain.

At first it fell softly, a quiet pattering on the roof of the school, but so sooner had the bell rung, it was coming down in icy sheets. A consistent hiss of wind and water pelted the city, and the windows of Domino High were blurred with streaming rivulets.

The class was chatting, whispering, and talking in general as they milled about the classroom. Each group talked about their own lives, gossiping until the teacher, Soniran, finally walked in.

"Sit down everyone! I have an announcement to make…"

The whole class groaned simultaneously and filed one by one into their seats.

"Ok, we have a new student joining us today." Soniran began with a smile. "He's a little bit late today, but it's natural to be tardy from jet lag when you're coming from so far away. His name is Ryou Bakura, and he is a foreign exchange student from England."

Whispers exploded around the room, boys and girls discussing their views about the news. Soniran continued, undaunted.

"He is fluent in Japanese, so language isn't a problem. I expect you all to welcome him when he arrives."

The teacher moved to his desk, straightening some files and pulling out a red pen and a packet of un-graded papers. The whispers escalated into full-blown conversations. It wasn't every day a new student from Europe joined your school.

"I wonder what he looks like…"

"I bet he'll have an accent…"

"I hope he's nice…"

On the far side of the room, a boy with spiky hair shifted in his seat to speak to a blonde teen that was sitting behind him.

"What do you think, Joey?" Yugi asked softly.

Joey shook his head thoughtfully. "I think he sounds pretty cool, I mean, England…But we don't know a whole lot about him yet."

"He must be pretty smart if he was able to learn Japanese and can speak it fluently." Yugi supplied, "What do you think Tea?" Tea had come over from her desk on the opposite side of the room near the windows to see what Joey and Yugi were talking about.

"I think that when he gets here, we should all be really nice to him. England is really far away…I bet he'll be shy. He sounds nice enough though..."

The door clicked open loudly, silencing the class. Soniran looked up from his papers and stood in greeting. A man in a gray suit walked in, and he was followed by a very wet, silver-haired teen. The man walked over to Soniran and they began speaking conversationally. The gray-suited man had a slightly concerned look on his face, but Soniran looked completely at ease.

Unlike the rest of the boys in class, the new student wasn't wearing the blue school uniform. He wore a pair of loose, worn jeans. Holes marred the knees and there were patches that were worn to threads purposely. He wore a tight black and white shirt, and had a black leather jacket on. His long silver-white hair was drenched, as were his dark clothes, which stuck to him like a second skin. Faint splashes sounded as water dripped off him and onto the tile floor. His brown eyes glanced around the room with minimal interest.

The teacher nodded to the man and then walked past him and over to the new student. He began speaking in hushed tones, seemingly informing him of class information he would need. The teen shook his head slightly, but other then that, completely ignored everything. He looked back at the door with a bored expression, as though wondering if it was worth it to try and escape the torture before it had begun.

Soniran nodded matter-of-factly and made a simple gesture to an empty chair. The man in the suit momentarily placed a hand on Soniran's shoulder, said a few more words, and then exited silently. The teacher spoke up.

"Class, this is the new student, Ryou Bakura. Bakura-san, we hope you will enjoy your time in Japan."

Ryou made no acknowledgement to the introduction and made his way to the seat the teacher had directed him to, which was to the left of Tea and directly behind Seto Kaiba. He had the window to his right. He slumped down, dripping water on the floor and dropped his leather book bag, which slid to the floor with a loud thump.

Slouching in his chair, and ignoring the stares boring into him, Ryou half-listened as class finally began. He yawned and stared out the window. What a school year this will be, He thought to himself sarcastically.

Tea glanced over at the boy to her left and frowned. Ryou wasn't making the best of first impressions...but she should still give him a chance. His hair shifted slightly as he looked out the window, exposing part of his pale neck and revealing the beginnings of a black tattoo. Tea's eyes widened. That wasn't all though. It also showed that he had his ear pierced. Twice. Twin silver rings, about the diameter of the tip of Tea's pinky, glistened with droplets of water.

She leaned in unconsciously trying to discern the tattoo when she noticed Ryou wasn't facing the window anymore, but was looking at her. She flushed deeply, having been caught staring, and looked at her pencil intently. But she heard his voice, the soft accent flowing neatly with his flawless Japanese.

"Enjoying the view?" He laughed, she looked back up at him, embarrassed.

He was smiling, his lips curved up in a smirk, but his almond eyes were hard.

"Uh-uh no. I was just, um, noticing your…" She trailed off awkwardly. She couldn't place it, but there was something about Ryou…besides his obvious rebellious streak. It was like he thought he was better then everyone else, or maybe he felt that he was inferior and felt a need for attention, which would explain the earrings and tattoo.

"What, this?" Ryou swept his hair off his neck with a thin hand. Droplets of water flung onto the student behind him, a tall boy with sandy hair, and he glared in annoyance. Ryou ignored the look and said, "Stare all you want, I don't care."

The tattoo, primarily black, stood out against Ryou's pale skin. Ryou's dark eyes held Tea's blue ones for a moment before she leaned forward again to examine the art decorating Ryou's skin.

It was a Yin-Yang symbol, but instead of two circles in the centers of the symmetrical sides, there were opposite colored skulls. A snake wrapped itself around the symbol, its tail disappearing around Ryou's neck and the head held up in a hiss. The long fangs were tinted red. The surface the snake was supported on was made of bones, chains, and other things. Ghost-like shadows were in the background, flowing up just barely until they faded onto the underside of Ryou's jaw.

Tea frowned and leaned back, and Ryou gave her a feral grin, laughing quietly at her unsettled expression. He let his hair slide fluidly back, hiding the tattoo and his pierced ear. "I have more if you want to see them sometime…" Ryou said suggestively, his voice laced with mocking sarcasm.

Tea flushed "Tattoos and piercing are against the rules Ryou. I'm Tea by the way." She said quietly, trying to be helpful, but still uneased by Ryou's behavior.

"Well that's nice, but what are they going to do? Peel off the tattoo? Take out the earrings and fill up the holes?" Ryou glanced around at the rest of the class, the smile gone. Everyone was glancing back at him their eyes darting to and from his face every few moments, and he knew that all their whispers concerned him. One student especially caught his eye. It was a short kid; his hair was black. And blonde. And red.

And people accuse me of having unnatural hair. Ryou rolled his eyes.The kid was looking at him strangely, his wide violent eyes moving back to him every few minutes, and Ryou didn't miss the frequent glances in the direction of the girl next to him. So the short tri-colored kid had a crush on Tea…and he was jealous.

Ryou knew that he could get amusing reactions from him and mentally stored the information away. Ryou also noticed the blonde behind him and a pointy-haired brunette sitting to the right, speaking quickly. It reminded him of a pair of gossiping women…a pair of dunces then.

He let his eyes continue their self-guided tour of the room.

There was a black haired teen with a red and black headband in the far back right hand corner of the room. He had a dice earring hanging down beside his neck, so apparently Ryou wasn't the only one who broke the rules in this school. The boy was staring at him, curious and thoughtful at the same time, and totally unashamed of his blatant interest in the new student. His head was tilted slightly to the side, his finger twirling a strand of dark hair methodically. When his and Ryou's eyes met, he smiled just barely. His eyes were penetrating, their green gaze the kind of which could stare down any opposition. But Ryou let his own gaze slip off his face and move on to the rest of the class.

The teen in front of Ryou had longer, brown hair, and had his nose in a book called 'Theories & Hypothesis of the Virtual Cosmos'. He also had an air of superiority. A small group of girls in the front of the class were all talking at once and glancing at him at random intervals. Ryou was obviously a topic of interest here. Just like he had been in all the other schools. The interest would die soon enough, after they learned that he wasn't interested in any of them.

Ryou was almost finished with his survey of the class. He had thoroughly taken in almost every student. Then there was the teacher, who, despite the lack of attention and interest in his class, was continuing his lecture and writing numbers and symbols all over the white board. So Soniran-sama was lenient and would probably not care, or even notice, if Ryou slept through his class.

Tea spoke up again, breaking Ryou's train of thought, "You also might want to consider cutting your hair." She said, ever helpful. "The gym coach has some problems with boys who have longer hai-"

Ryou turned full in his seat and glared at her, interrupting coldly, "Like I care what anyone here thinks." She looked away from him, embarrassed tears coming to her eyes, and began writing notes quickly.

"Whatever…" Ryou muttered darkly in English.

Smack! The loud crack resonated around the room. The source, a ruler held by a serious looking Soniran. The ruler had fallen on Ryou's desk, a mere inch from his pale fingers. The sound had caused Tea to jump a good six inches, Ryou on the other hand didn't even flinch. The class looked at the teacher. The teacher glared at Ryou. Ryou looked up through his messy bangs questioningly.

"Bakura-san. I do not tolerate improper etiquette in my classroom. That includes talking out of turn about off topic subjects and slouching in your chair. Have some respect for your teacher and your fellow classmates."

"Yes, Soniran-sama. So sorry." Some students giggled at Ryou's sarcastic tone. Soniran didn't seem to notice. "I'll do my best to behave and not let it happen again." He made a show of sitting up straight in his chair, flicking his hair casually, and folding his hands properly on his desk.

"See that you don't, Bakura-san." Ryou nodded, his eyes wide and innocent. The teacher nodded back smartly and returned to the board. He didn't see as Ryou's 'innocent' eyes turned mocking and he slid back down in his chair deliberately.

By this time, Tea was hardly surprised when she saw him pull out an I-pod. Not only that, but it was the latest version of the I-pod. It was extremely expensive and Tea wondered how in the world he had earned the money to buy it, but maybe it had been a gift from his parents or something. Ryou surreptitiously slid the earplugs into his ears, his hair doing a tremendous job of hiding the thin white chord and silver plugs. She could just hear the heavy metal and rap that must have been blasting into Ryou's ears.

Across the room, Yugi and Joey were whispering to each other quietly.

"He looks like the literal term 'White Trash'." Joey gave his opinion outright.

"Well…we don't know about his background. Maybe we're being too judgmental." Yugi said trying to be nice, but his voice was doubtful and his eyes held hints of suspicion.

"Come on Yug. He's totally ignored Soniran-sama, and made fun of him. And I know you didn't miss the I-pod. He's even hitting on Tea!"

"He is NOT hitting on her!" Yugi snapped, his face going bright red.

"All's I'm saying is that Bakura is going to cause problems. He's gang material. You saw Devlin looking at him? Yeah, well I hear Devlin's got a gang. Maybe he'll ask Bakura to join. Bakura's probably got a knife in his locker and hangs out in alleys and drinks and…"Joey trailed off at Yugi's shocked, disbelieving expression. "Maybe I'm going a little overboard on the assumptions, but I still think he's trouble."

"We don't know anything about him yet!" Yugi insisted again, but it was half-hearted and in his mind, he was agreeing with Joey.

"Look at him! His hair is like half way down his back, and it's white! Who dyes their hair white unless they're total rebels? Coach will have something to say about that, lemme tell you! And his bangs are almost completely covering his face. It's like... he's an albino emo! Maybe his eyes are red…don't albinos have red eyes?"

Yugi shrugged, glancing for the hundredth time at Ryou Bakura.

'Other me? What do you think about Bakura?' Yugi thought at the Spirit living in his Millennium Puzzle. He fingered the golden pendant, holding it carefully. Though he had only just recently discovered the spirit, but he already felt like he could trust him with his questions and problems.

'I think that it's up to you to decide, Aibou. You should do what you think is right.' Said the Spirit kindly. Yugi couldn't help but feel the Spirit's response was totally unhelpful and he huffed, frustrated.

"Joey, we need to give Bakura-san a chance. He could be really nice for all we know!"

Joey looked at him incredulously, "Not likely!" He protested, "But whatever. When he beats you up, don't say I didn't warn you!" Yugi looked at him, then back to Ryou fearfully, and Joey reassured him, saying, "Hey! I'll back you up! Even though I'll think you're an idiot for trying to talk to him." Yugi nodded, wondering if he should be comforted, or offended.

Finally class ended. Ryou stood quickly, and although he was on the far side of the room, was out of the class before the majority of the other students.

He pulled a white sheet of paper out of his book bag as he walked towards the Common's Area in the front of the school. The man in the suit, the Principal apparently, had given it to him before his Home Room period. It was his schedule, his locker number and combo, and his Student Number, which he would need to get his lunches. If I even eat lunch thought Ryou, glancing down C hall towards the cafeteria. The smell of cheap, frozen school food almost made him gag and he turned towards A hall instead, where the gym was located.

Physical Education was his second class of they day. He stalked into the locker room where boys were yelling at each other. Clothes flew threw the air and Ryou dodged a pair of gym shorts nimbly. He walked into the Coach's office where a tall, broad-shouldered, man was yelling at a lanky student with square rimmed glasses. The student's knees were shaking slightly and he was pale.

"Get to the Nurse, Okashii-chan. And don't you dare blow chunks in my Locker Room, or you'll be cleaning toilets for a week!" The boy ran out of the office, and the man, presumably the Coach, looked up at Ryou. His eyes were squinty and he looked Ryou up and down analytically.

"You're the new student? Huh…Bakura, right?" Ryou gave the slightest of nods in reply.

"Well, I'm Coach Muzukashii…I feel that as the Coach, it's my job to lay down the rules for you. I'm not going to play games with you Bakura. First of all…you have to do something with that hair of yours." He scoffed "I don't care what, but get it cut and colored before Friday."

Ryou just looked at him, eyes narrowed stubbornly, then he said lowly "My hair is like this naturally. I'm not going to get it cut, and especially not colored, just because you don't like it."

"Alright. Have it your way…We'll see how long you keep that pretty hair of yours after a week of detention with me. After school, Bakura-chan, 3:30 pm. You'll be cleaning the locker rooms."

Ryou sighed, shaking his hair out of his face. "Ok, fine. Whatever. Don't I need a uniform or something?"

Muzukashii looked confused, but then said roughly, "Oh, yes. What's your size? Small or Medium?"

"Medium." Muzukashii pulled out a folded shirt and pair of long P.E. shorts.

"Here. You're required to where this to gym class, but the school is not responsible for getting them cleaned. So if you want clean gym clothes, you get to take them home and do your own laundry."

Ryou took the clothes and, without a second glance, returned to the locker room. Boys were still goofing off and throwing towels at each other, but more noticed him when he reentered and many gave him odd glances. Understandable, Ryou thought skeptically, Who isn't interested in the 'new kid'?

Ryou shook off his jacket, stuffing it into one of the lockers that lined the brick walls. Then he pulled off his shirt, revealing a well-sculpted torso and toned arms. But his right arm was anything but perfect. The forearm had dark red marks covering it, and also paler skin where the burns from his childhood had left their traces. All the other boys, who had been staring at him periodically, looked away. Ryou smiled slightly, knowing that he was better then the majority of them, and enjoying their embarrassment. Then, rubbing his right arm, he frowned, but he pushed away the memories from his past. They wouldn't do him any good, and they had only caused him pain.

When the whole class was dressed and ready, they all filtered out into the gym. Muzukashii was last, and when he finally did exit the locker room, the first thing he did was blow an ear-piercing whistle. It echoed for a few moments after he had stopped only to be replaced by,

"Line UP!"

Ryou assumed he would be last and went to the end of the line. He was incorrect though as Muzukashii bellowed, "Bakura! Get your butt in alphabetical order!" Ryou followed Muzukashii's pointing finger and stood between too stereotypical nerds. The looked at him distrustfully, exchanging glances around Ryou.

Muzukashii wielded his graffitied clipboard and began taking role. After a five minute role-call, they went outside and ran a mile. Ryou ran it in seven minutes…three minutes faster then the first of the other students. It earned him an appreciative nod from Coach, but got him nasty looks from the Coach's other personal favorites. Not that Ryou cared.

For the remainder of P.E., Coach said they would be playing Dodge ball. They all lined up on opposite sides of the gym. Red, rubber balls were stretched across the middle. When the whistle blew, they all ran. Ryou picked up a dodge ball, aimed, and fired.

--

Riiiing! The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Ryou lifted his head off his desk and picked up his bag. His eighth period was English…and the English teacher, Ms. Shinsetsu, already despised him. She glared at him as he exited, shooting daggers with her sharp, grey eyes. It was probably because he had slept through most of her class…or because he had flipped off the boy sitting beside him because he was commenting about his hair.

Either one was a sure way to earn a teacher's loathing.

Ryou exited the school building with a sea of other 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. He remembered quite well that he was supposed to be going to Muzukashii-san's office so he could clean the Locker Room, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he had never had, and skipped, detention before. They would get it in their heads that he didn't do detention, and they'd get over it. The worst they could do was suspend him, something he would actually appreciate. If they wanted to ban him from school…by all means, let them.

Ryou rambled over to his transportation, a sleek black Suzuki Motorcycle. Its shiny surface reflected the cloudy sky. It was threatening to rain again, but Ryou had driven to school in the rain, and he was capable of driving back home in it. He swung his leg over, starting the engine. It roared to life, making a pair of girls strolling down the road jump, and he pulled out of the school parking lot.

He pressed the gas hard, speeding ever faster west towards his apartment in West Domino. He veered through traffic, narrowly avoiding bikers and other cars alike. He dutifully ignored the blare of horns complaining after him.

Finally he pulled up to a large glass and stucco apartment complex. He pulled into the subterranean parking lot, showing his ID to the guard, before pulling into an empty space next to a beat up jeep that looked like it might have been yellow once. He rolled his eyes at the jeep, knowing exactly who it belonged to, and kicked the tire in frustration. The torture just didn't end, did it?

He pulled his book bag onto his shoulder and followed a dimly lit hallway. At the end was a metal door. Ryou pressed a green arrow on the right-hand side of the door and waited. After a few seconds, the metal door slid into the wall to reveal another metal door, which also slid away and gave entry to a spacious elevator. He stepped in and pressed the lit 3 on the side panel. A circle glowed around it, the doors closed, and the elevator began moving up slowly.

When it reached the third floor, a bell chimed, and an electronic voice said, "Level Three". The doors slid open and Ryou exited into another hall. This one, unlike the subterranean hall, was brightly lit with dangling light fixtures. The carpet was a deep blue with grey leafy patterns sprawled across it. He walked down the hall a ways until he reached the door number 613. Pulling a silver key off a chain around his neck, he jiggled the lock. The tumblers sprang and the knob turned easily.

As soon as Ryou entered, he went straight to the kitchen. As he expected, his father was sitting at the table. He was eating an English muffin and holding a tall glass of milk. Ryou dropped his bag loudly to the tile floor and folded his arms across his chest.

"What are you doing here?" He snarled in English, glaring angrily.

His father looked up. A look of mild surprise crossed his face, and then was replaced with a white-toothed smile.

"Ryou! Son, how are you? It's been a few months, hasn't it!" He stood in welcome.

Ryou ignored his father's pleasantries and demanded, "Why are you here? Do you need something…or were you just coming to check up on me again?"

A frown crossed his father's face and his eyebrows furrowed. "Ryou, I just wanted to come see how you were settling in. Japan is quite a ways from England. It's my responsibility as your fath-"

"I don't care about your 'responsibilities'. You came all the way from Egypt…just to see if I could take care of myself? Do you think that I need a chaperone? Just stop trying to make up for how screwy my life is! I'm almost seventeen, I don't need you to hold my hand!" Ryou voice escalated, and when he stopped the room had a sharp silence that neither could break at first.

Ryou's father shook his head and ran his fingers through his thick hair, at a loss for words. "Son, I don't understand." He finally said. "Why don't you talk to me? We can get you a councilor or something, if that's what you need."

"I don't need any help. Not from a councilor, and especially not from you."

His father nodded and shifted uncomfortably. His eyes pained, and said, "Well, I guess I'll go then. I'll be in town for a few days before I head back to the excavation in Egypt. It's the local motel, the number's on the fridge." He shuffled past Ryou and into the entry hall. His coat hung on a hook and he shrugged into it. The door clicked open and Ryou followed to watch his father exit. He stepped out, but just before closing the door he said, brightening just slightly, "Oh yes! I got you a little something. Just a souvenir from work, but it's an antique. Real gold, too, if I'm not mistaken. I left it on the counter in an envelope. Hope you enjoy it, son." And with that he left.

Ryou closed the door, shaking his head at his stupid parent, and then slouched into the living room. He flicked on the television, grabbing an energy drink from the fridge before flicking through channels aimlessly. It wasn't until almost 10:30, after he had eaten, surfed the web, and done a minimal portion of his stack of homework, that he remembered his father's 'souvenir'. He reentered the kitchen, immediately spotting the envelope his father had mentioned.

It was a tan, manila-colored envelope. It was thick, and when he picked it up, it weighed more then he expected. His eyebrows rose in surprise, at the very least, he could probably sell it and buy himself something useful. He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket and sliced open the packing tape. Then, slipping the knife back into his jeans pocket, he dumped the package upside down with one thin hand, shaking it slightly. A gentle jingle came from the envelope, then the object came tumbling out. It rang onto the counter, the gold gleaming brilliantly.

Ryou picked it up by a thin chord tied around a golden loop connected to the top. It was a pendant of some sort, he assumed. At least, that's what it looked like to him. It was a ring, with a triangle in the center. And in the center of the triangle was an eye made of trails of darker gold that went all the way to the sides of the triangle. Definitely Egyptian.

Ryou once again raised an eyebrow, this time in skeptical disgust. So this was his father's 'souvenir'. He shook it, listening as the five dagger sharp tassels hanging off the ring chimed against one another. The sound reminded him of wind chimes that had hung in his apartment back when his mother and sister had loved to hear them as the wind blew through the open windows…

He closed his eyes momentarily, remembering. Then his eyes opened and narrowed darkly, the memories shredded. He promptly tossed the artifact back on the counter where it clattered noisily, and returned to the living room where heavy-metal music poured out of the TV set.

He sighed leaning back. Suddenly he shivered as a rush of cold air flowed over him. The room felt much colder then it had moments ago. He stood to check the thermostat, muttering something about his father always screwing things up, but he was interrupted. A laugh as cold as the air flowing over Ryou filled the room, seeming to penetrate his mind, and at the same time feeling solid as it pressed on his ears. He froze, What the he- he was cut off as the laugh grew stronger. He put one hand to his head where the voice felt less like a sound and felt more like a physical pain...

"…Hello, Host."


Ok, A/N: The names of the teachers, I don't know if they are 'realistic' for this taking place in Japan...but they are real Japanese words (I'm not creative enough to come up with original names!) So if they're suckish...sorry!

I'm going to try something new with reviews. I am NOT going to update this until I get at least 5 reviews for this chapter. Got it?? So if you read this, and you don't review, you can know that I when I don't update, its YOUR fault. Ok, I'm done threatening now!

really...please review. IT MAKES ME HAPPY -BIG smile- I'll even give you a SHOUT out! Cuz you know you love those...