Set before the Millennium World (as in before Dark Bakura gives Yugi the Millennium Eye).

Aqua girl 007 wanted to see some interaction with Ryou Bakura. Here it is!

Summary: Their fates were similar, but one was more unlucky than the other. Bakura makes a surprise visit. Yugi gets depressed.

Ring

It should have been a perfectly normal evening in the Mutou household. School and homework were a distant memory that would remind itself in the morning, and Yugi's mother had asked her son to clean up the table after dinner. It had been an almost mind-numbingly peaceful day. So peaceful that everyone was a bit fidgety. The Pharaoh probably mostly so. Well, one couldn't really tell that unless one shared a body with him. The Pharaoh's feelings were usually deep under the calm surface, but they bubbled to the back of Yugi's mind often enough for him to be almost constantly aware of them. Yugi had decided to leave the Millennium Puzzle into the living room while the Mutou family was eating. The television was on, and sometimes it was okay to let even the ancient king to indulge in some very passive entertainment. Yugi doubted even the lowest forms of reality TV would be dumb enough to be able to dull the genius level intelligence – which they had tested on another equally boring day – that millennia of nothingness hadn't managed to touch. Now the Pharaoh seemed to be asleep, or as close to asleep as a spirit could get. Yugi put the plates he had gathered from the table down to wait for a wash and then halted when he heard a slightly restless knock at their door. Odd. They weren't expecting visitors. Especially not ones that didn't see they had a perfectly functional doorbell. Yugi quickly washed his hands and hurried to open the door.

"Hello. How can I-?"

Yugi's words died in his throat. His first instinct was to... well, there were two things his instincts were trying to tell him to do simultaneously, and it was very confusing. One instinct was telling him to run straight back to fetch the Puzzle just in case and the other was gently asking him to invite the friend at the door inside.

Yugi remained still, hand clutching the door handle.

"Bakura?" he managed to say.

Ryou Bakura had seen better days. He was out of breath, his white hair messy and eyes dull with dark circles under them. He was clutching his chest and doubled over to catch his breath. Yugi took a step forward, his automatic desire to help winning over the fear that Bakura might have gone back to wearing the Millennium Ring that housed the evil spirit of a thief.

"It... it's good to see you, Yugi," Bakura said and smiled weakly, "It's me. Don't worry. See?"

Bakura unbuttoned his shirt with shaky hands, showing a glimpse of pale chest. It would have been a very strange thing to do if it wasn't Bakura's only way of showing Yugi that he indeed wasn't wearing the Ring. There was no cord around Bakura's neck, no sign of the golden, ancient pendant. Yugi glimpsed five scars that looked like they were from spikes that had been pushed through the skin on Bakura's chest. He winced. Bakura looked up at Yugi.

"He's not with me at all."

Yugi nodded slowly. He managed a smile.

"It's good to see you. Do you want to come in?"

Bakura nodded.

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not."

Yugi stepped aside to let in Bakura, who buttoned his shirt back up on the way in. Yugi briefly considered fetching the Puzzle anyway. Not because he didn't trust Bakura, seeing how he did, but because the Pharaoh would no doubt soon realize they were having visitors and would want to know who it was. Sometimes the Pharaoh was like an overzealous personal security guard. Most of the time, actually. Bakura seemed to notice Yugi's glances towards the living room and also noticed the lack of golden pyramids on Yugi's person.

"Is it okay if we could talk one on one? I need to tell you something."

"Oh? Okay," Yugi said hesitantly, "Let's talk in the kitchen. Do you want something to drink? You look exhausted."

Bakura nodded, smiling gratefully.

"I'd love to have some water, please."

Bakura sat down on a chair and looked at the floor without really seeing anything. Yugi knew that look. His other self had it often. It was the kind of look that was watching something in the mind rather than in the physical world. Sometimes it was just a sign of exhaustion, a look someone gave when they were drained and empty. Bakura seemed like he was both drained and lost in his mind, now that Yugi thought about it. This was a Bakura he hadn't really seen before. At school, Bakura was quiet, shy and maybe a bit jumpy at times, but he looked like he could function all right even with all the stress that came from being the wielder of the evil Ring. But now, here in the Mutous' kitchen, Bakura seemed to shed all energy and joy, like he was tired of pretending he had some strength left. The last few years hadn't been kind to him. The Spirit of the Ring hadn't been kind to him. It had used Bakura's body for who knows how long periods without permission, without any care for Bakura's wishes or even safety. Yugi felt a sharp sting of sympathy for his friend and anger at himself. He should be able to help Bakura more than this. Usually they could save the poor teen only after the Spirit of the Ring had already wreaked an untold amount of misery on Bakura and everyone around him. Yugi poured a glass of water and handed it to Bakura, who took it without still looking at anything.

"Thank you," he said politely; Bakura was always polite, "I... I'm really sorry for everything I've put you people through."

Yugi bit his lip. Was this why Bakura was here? To apologise for things he hadn't really done?

"It wasn't you," Yugi said automatically, "You know that. We all know that."

Bakura sighed, sad eyes fixed on the water that swirled lazily in the glass. Yugi hesitantly touched his friend's shoulder just to make sure Bakura was still with him. Bakura almost flinched at the touch. Just how badly had the Ring really broken him? Yugi pressed his mouth into a tight line.

"If anything, we're sorry we haven't been able to help you with this more," he went on in a quiet voice.

"It's all right," Bakura said, "I think this is one of those things that just have to go this way. It's like it has all been written long before any of us was born."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The Ring... you haven't been wearing it lately, have you?"

Bakura was lost somewhere else again before he finally took a sip of the water and then let out another sigh.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure. I just try to keep it safe, not really touch it. But I can still feel the spirit somewhere in my mind. I know he won't leave me alone until this is over."

The glass shook a bit in Bakura's hands.

"The spirit has been... gleeful lately. It's like he has finally got close to what he's been waiting for all these years. I came here because I wanted to warn you about that. I know you want to find the Pharaoh's memories, and I know the Spirit of the Ring will be a part of it somehow. And he won't play fair."

Bakura suddenly laughed. It was cut short and almost hysterical. It didn't suit him at all.

"I think you all know to expect that already. I just felt like I had to tell you. He's even more powerful than I thought before. It's like he's not... I don't know. Just... whatever happens, be prepared for anything around him."

Yugi nodded.

"We will. Thanks for telling me."

Bakura took another sip, closing his eyes as if in pain. Yugi hated seeing his friends like this, in obvious distress, with no real way for him to help him. Except just trying to end this all. To banish the Other Bakura for good.

"You know, you could just give the Ring to me for safekeeping," Yugi blurted out without really even thinking, "The Other Me could keep the spirit at bay."

Bakura froze and then looked at Yugi, his very fragile smile made his face look even sadder.

"I know," he said simply, "But like I said, I feel this is how things are supposed to go."

"But you keep getting hurt," Yugi argued, "That's not right. You deserve to be happy just like everyone else. There has to be another way we could..."

Yugi trailed off. No. There was no other way. The Other Bakura was tied to the memory of the Pharaoh, whether they wanted to or not. And Ryou Bakura was the Ring's chosen host. No one else could wear it and survive. Yugi didn't like it, but he knew he just had to accept it for now.

"I know it sounds strange," Bakura said slowly, "But I want to do this. Because that's how it can end. The Other Bakura wants a game, I'm sure. And I'm sure you and the other you can beat him. So I feel like I'm doing something to help. The Pharaoh needs to face him again at some point anyway."

He laughed again.

"And maybe it brings some closure to the Other... Me... as well."

It was strange. For someone to want good things for a person who had made their life miserable. Then again, Yugi figured he would probably feel the same if his other self suddenly became – he shuddered at the thought – abusive as well.

"You think you can help him?" Yugi asked.

Bakura nodded.

"He almost cares sometimes. Maybe. Or then it's just a reflex. A spirit must protect its host, after all. He needs a body to move around. He may think of me as just a tool, but sometimes I feel sorry for him. I don't want to defend his actions, but I also don't want to think people are born bad."

The water sloshed in the glass when Bakura set it down. There were scars on Bakura's hands as well. One particularly nasty one was from when the Other Bakura had impaled his hand to keep Bakura from meddling with his plans.

"I think something happened to him, a long time ago. He feels he's been wronged. I... I don't think he can be saved, but at least he can have his rest."

Bakura slid down from the chair he was sitting on.

"And, well, I do want him out of my life."

There was a trace of strength in Bakura's voice then. The Spirit of the Ring hadn't managed to beat everything out of him. That didn't mean that the sight of the timid but kind and caring Bakura being reduced to this almost broken husk didn't break Yugi's heart. Yugi put his hand on Bakura's shoulder.

"I promise we'll sort this out," he said.

Bakura just nodded.

"I think I should go," he said, "There are a lot of things I still need to take care of this evening."

"I... okay."

"Sometimes I wish my spirit was more like yours," Bakura admitted idly, almost like he hadn't meant to say it out loud, "Someone who cared about me."

Yugi squeezed Bakura's shoulder, giving his friend an awkward, one-armed hug. He felt like Bakura really needed it.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry," Bakura whispered in an almost non-existent voice, "I... thank you for the water."

He broke away from Yugi's hold and walked briskly to the front door, quickly putting on his shoes before opening it. He stopped there, and turned once more to look at Yugi, managing an almost genuine smile.

"I hope that once this is all over, we can properly be friends again."

Yugi smiled back, fighting the tears of sympathy that threatened to fall.

"We've never stopped being friends."

Bakura hummed quietly in what Yugi guessed was gratitude. Before Yugi could say anything else, Bakura was gone. The door clicked shut, and through the window Yugi could see Bakura running away. There was no way Yugi could catch Bakura on foot. His legs were way too short for that. He sighed. He turned around in the now empty room. Grandpa was in the game shop, dusting the shelves, and Mum was upstairs. None of them had probably even realized they'd just had a visitor.

Partner? Are you alright?

Their mind link was a bit faint when the Puzzle was farther away from Yugi, but it was still there. The Pharaoh had probably stirred when he had sensed Yugi's impending tears. Yugi walked into the living room, lifting the Puzzle from the coffee table and putting it around his neck. He slumped on the couch and took deep breaths. When it came to Ryou Bakura, he felt like he had failed as a friend. Friends were supposed to help each other, right? And he guessed Bakura felt something similar. Friends also weren't supposed to be threatening each others' lives. Once this was over, things would be different. Bakura would be free. And Yugi hoped Bakura could be fixed as well. He had been through so much.

The Pharaoh was quiet, probably scanning Yugi's thoughts to figure out what he'd missed during his rest. Yugi felt his other self in his mind, the Pharaoh's comforting emotions curling around his soul. Yugi almost felt guilty about the comfort. He realized couldn't even imagine how hard it was to be Bakura, having someone you could never really escape being abusive, and just not really caring. He suppressed a sob.

"We have to help him," he said out loud.

He didn't need to specify who him was. The Pharaoh nodded mentally.

We will. I promise.

Author's Note: I seem to really like making friendship moments have really depressing undertones. This chapter might be a bit more of a stretch in canon, because I don't know if Bakura was at this point at all free of the Ring's influence. The times we see the nice Bakura in the manga can always be actually Dark Bakura pretending to be him. But hey, I guess even Dark Bakura needs to rest sometime. And poor Ryou really needs a hug! I think that the damage done to Ryou was kind of just hinted at in the manga, so I wanted to explore it a bit more.

For the non manga readers, all specific scars (the chest scars and the hand impalement scars) mentioned in this fic are from incidents that are canon to the manga.

Shameless self-promotion time: I wrote a separate, Orichalcos -arc based one-shot named Berserker Soul some time ago.Check it out if you want. :)

Response time:

Yami E: Thank you again for the love. And I'm glad you liked Berserker Soul as well. Thanks for that website recommendation. I think I've been to that page before but then I forgot the address so thanks for reminding me! And no, I don't think it's silly to like Yu-Gi-Oh! nor do I think the card game itself is silly. :)