Raseleane: Ohayo minna! For the record, this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic. This is also my first shonen-ai fanfic! It's a Seto/Ryou pairing (even though Seto's not in the first chapter) with a few scenes of Yuugi/Anzu, Jounouchi/Mai, Honda/Otogi, Yami no Yuugi/Yami no Bakura (probably just jokes unless you want some actual interaction between the two spirits ^^), and of course the one-sided Malik/Ryou(Bakura). *nods* Yep, that's it for the pairings. I'd really appreciate it if you review.

Ryou: Anou… This is also probably the first story she's written that she actually has planned out.

Raseleane: Oh yeah, I'm using the characters' Japanese names, so please, if you have any questions, ask them!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! has a copyright and is owned by Kazuki Takahashi. *looks around* Oh yeah, I don't own Soul Calibur II. I don't know who that belongs to though. I just know it doesn't belong to me. ^^

Names:

Yugi Moto = Yuugi Motou

Bakura = Ryou Bakura

Tea Gardner = Anzu Mazaki

Joey Wheeler = Katsuya Jounouchi

Tristan Taylor = Hiroto Honda

Duke Devlin = Ryuuji Otogi

Serenity Wheeler = Shizuka Jounouchi

Seto Kaiba = Seto Kaiba

Marik Ishtar = Malik Ishtar

Ishizu Ishtar = Isis Istar

Yami = Yami no Yuugi

Bakura (Yami) = Yami no Bakura

Speech:

--words-- = Yami no Bakura to Ryou Bakura

-words- = Ryou Bakura to Yami no Bakura

//words// = Yami no Yuugi to Yuugi Motou

/words/ = Yuugi Motou to Yami no Yuugi

Current Music: "Needles" -- Depswa

Seven Days to Wonder

By Lady Raseleane

Day 1: Sunday

He was covered in cold sweat and shaking when he suddenly awoke. He didn't remember why he was so terrified. He didn't even remember what he had dreamed. He looked over to his bed stand at the blaring red numbers that stood out against the sullen black of the alarm clock. 10:30 in the morning. Strange, he usually woke up earlier than this.

He closed his eyes and shook his head as if to ward away the faint traces of the nightmare. He put a hand to his forehead and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He stood up, swaying slightly from the sudden movement. Slowly he made his way to the washroom just outside the door of his own room. He grabbed a washcloth off of the counter, turned the knob on the sink, and, as he waited for the sink to fill with warm water, gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

Ryou Bakura blinked. His reflection looked exactly the same as it had everyday before then, but it looked different somehow. Pale skin, long white hair, a long scar running down his left arm, brown eyes… Wait, brown eyes? The boy leaned forward to see his reflection closer. Indeed, his eyes were brown instead of his normal shade of green. He remembered the last time his emerald orbs had stared back at him. It had been a few months before Duelist Kingdom. He would never get used to the fact that his eyes were now a chocolate color.

Leaning back, he turned off the tap to the sink. He splashed the warm water onto his face. Wiping his face dry, he thought for a minute. Why had his eyes darkened to the color brown? Could it be that he and his other self's eye colors had mixed at some point? Red and green blended to make the color brown, right? He nodded as if satisfied with his unspoken answer to the situation. Perhaps no one had noticed the small change. Of course, he concluded after another moment of thought, if they had noticed they would have said something quite some time ago.

He exited the bathroom and made his way back to his quarters. He started to change into his school uniform when he noticed that it was Sunday. No school. He blinked a few times before slipping into a pair of blue jeans and a light green button up shirt. He pulled a light sweater over the shirt and nodded, pleased with his choice in clothes today.

His brown eyes flickered over to the mirror hanging on his door as he slipped the Millennium Ring over his head. It had spider veins crawling throughout it from where it had been shattered earlier that year. He shuddered involuntarily. His other self hadn't been too kind in those times. Then he noticed that he was wearing the same outfit he had worn during Duelist Kingdom. Again, he shivered without meaning to. He shook his head. That nightmare was making him remember bad times. He didn't want to remember those times.

Suddenly the phone rang and startled him from his thoughts. He made a mad dash to the kitchen and picked up the phone on the fourth ring. "Moshi moshi?" He hadn't meant to be so curt to the other person. "Ryou-kun?" It was Yuugi Mouto, the reincarnation of the pharaoh who was currently known as Yami no Yuugi. "Yuugi!" "So it is you. Mou hitori no boku was convinced that it was the other you." Ryou sighed then explained that he had just woken up. "Oh." The response was short and sweet, but the white-haired hikari could tell that his friend was speaking with, probably scolding, his other self.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot to ask you!" Yuugi's voice startled Ryou, who had been thinking about his dream, once again. "Everybody's going to the arcade later! Do you want to come too?" A smile tugged at Ryou's lips. "Sure Yuugi, I'll go." "That's great! We'll be sure to wait for you! Can you meet us around three o'clock?" A frown soon replaced his smile as he remembered something. "Anou… Yuugi. I have to wait for my dad to call. He's supposed to call today, and I haven't talked to him in a while." Disappointment laced his friend's voice. "Okay then. Just be sure to call me and tell me if you're going to come. Well, I have to go now. Bai Ryou!" "Bai, Yuugi!"

Ryou placed the phone back onto its cradle with a sigh. The truth was, he wasn't really looking forward to talking with his father. Actually, he wouldn't have minded had the circumstances been different. What circumstances, you ask? He wasn't really sure. He just had an odd feeling of despair in the pit of his stomach. The white-haired hikari shook his head. It wasn't just the feeling he had. It was the lingering sense of foreboding that seemed to hang around him that made him feel uneasy about talking to his father today.

--Pathetic, yadonushi…--

Ryou flinched upon hearing the voice. It had been a while since the spirit of the ring had last spoken to him. He decided not to reply to what the spirit had said. After all, it was probably true in some warped way. He felt the Millennium Ring glow softly for a moment from under his sweater before it stopped. Ryou breathed a sigh of relief. His other self had decided to stay in the Ring for once.

Twelve o'clock came and went. One o'clock came and went. Two o'clock came and went. Three o'clock came, and Ryou still sat in the kitchen waiting for the phone to ring. Brown orbs nearly glared a hole into the device as the white-haired teen's patience snapped. "Ring already, you piece of-!" His insult was cut off by the shrill ring of the phone. Ryou's eyes went wide as he gaped at the device. "Sugoi… It really worked…" He heard his other self scoff at his sudden amazement.

--Answer the damn phone already…--

Startled by the voice, Ryou reached out and grabbed the phone from its cradle. He put the receiver up to his ear and spoke, "Moshi moshi. This is the Bakura residence. Can I help you?" He hadn't meant to sound so formal, but that was the only way he knew how to talk at the moment. "Ryou, how have you been?" A brief smile flitted across the white-haired boy's features when he heard a man's voice. "I'm fine. How are you, father?"

The man on the other line laughed, "Great, Ryou. Listen, I have something important to tell you." Curiosity struck the bearer of the Millennium Ring. "What is it?" "I got the job at that Egyptian museum I told you about some time ago." Ryou felt his stomach lurch in fearful anticipation, "That's nice."

"Ryou, I've heard about some of the things that have happened in Domino recently." He heard the hesitance in his father's voice. That was never a good sign. "Oh?" "I think it would be a good idea if we moved to Egypt. I know it would be a lot easier for us to keep in touch." Ryou was appalled, "You want me to move…?" "Yes, I do."

"What about my friends?" "You can write to them if you want to." "What about my school?" His voice was rising. He hadn't felt this angry for quite a while. "There are schools here Ryou." He was very upset. "What about my feelings?! Don't I get a choice in this matter?!" He was hysterical, and he knew it. "Ryou, calm down! I'm sending you a plane ticket for next Sunday! That's final!" There was a click. Ryou stared at the phone with tears in his eyes. "I hate you… I hate you!" He threw the receiver back onto its cradle, dried his eyes, and stormed out the door.

"I wonder if he's coming…" Yuugi Motou's large violet eyes looked out the window of the arcade. "I'm sure Bakura will, Yuugi. He's probably just running late," a girl with blue eyes and short brown hair said. "Maybe he's still waiting on that phone call," a brown-haired boy with a strange hairstyle added. Yuugi looked to his friends and smiled, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Anzu. Thanks Honda." Anzu winked, "No problem!" Honda grinned, "Besides Yuugi, Jou's running late too." Yuugi grinned back, "Yeah, but that's normal for him though."

The doors to the arcade burst open and there stood Katsuya Jounouchi. Go figure. He walked over to them and grinned, "I made it!" Anzu looked down to Yuugi, "Okay, it's official. I'm worried about Bakura." "Eh? Ryou?" Everyone turned to look at Ryuuji Otogi who had just entered the arcade. "Yeah. Have you seen him?" The boy with the dice earring blinked and cocked his head, "Maybe?" The quartet, or rather Yuugi, Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi, looked at him, "Maybe…?" "I think I saw him, but he looked rather… pissed… to put it mildly."

//The tomb robber?//

Yuugi jumped at his yami's voice. /You thought that this morning too./

//Well, you have to admit that it's a plausible idea…//

/Give me a break yami. I swear, we should just lock you and Yami no Bakura in a basement together./

//We hate each other.//

There was a pause. //We would kill each other.//

Yuugi almost laughed aloud at his other self's bluntness. /There's a fine line between love and hate…/ He pointedly ignored the many curses and denials bleeding through their mind link.

"Hey Yuugi, you in there?" The short teen finally noticed the hand that was waving in front of his face and sweat-dropped. He hadn't meant to space out like that. "Yeah, I'm here. I was just talking to mou hitori no boku." "We didn't notice," Otogi drawled in sarcasm. Yuugi laughed slightly.

The arcade's door opened once again. A teenage boy with fairly long sun-kissed blond hair, lavender eyes, and tanned skin walked inside. He wore a lavender sleeveless lavender shirt, black cargo pants, black boots, and many pieces of gold jewelry. He blinked as if adjusting to the dim light of the building and went over to a particularly violent fighting game.

The group of five stared at him for a moment, looked to each other, and blinked. They seemed to be mentally asking the same question: Was that Malik Ishtar? Jounouchi was the first to speak, "What the hell is that creep doing back in Domino?!" Anzu smacked the blonde on the back of the head, "Quiet down! He can hear you!" Yuugi felt Otogi's eerie green eyes upon his back. "Where are you going?" Yuugi turned around and smiled, "I'm going to say hi!" Four sets of eyes stared at him, "Why…?" The spiky-haired teen blinked, "I think he deserves a second chance." With that said, the small boy calmly walked over to Malik Ishtar.

Malik frantically pressed the buttons on the console before him. He wasn't going to lose this time. He always lost. "Just a little more," he muttered to himself. He smirked. So long as no one screwed up his concentration, he would win this game. "Almost there."

"Hi Malik!" Malik's eyes widened in shock as his character, Ivy from Soul Calibur II, was knocked out thus finalizing his defeat. He turned to glare at the person next to him, but blinked when he saw no one. He looked around before deciding to look down just to prove that he wasn't crazy. Lo and behold, there stood Yuugi Motou, the reincarnation of the pharaoh.

The Egyptian took a few steps backward, sweating nervously, "Hey Yuugi. Long time no see." He glanced over at the four other teens standing a few yards away from them, "I guess they aren't too happy about seeing me again." Yuugi gave the others a disapproving look to which they all looked away to the ceiling, floor, etc.

The short teen with violet eyes looked up at Malik, "So, why are you back in Domino?" The blonde Egyptian shrugged, "I really don't know. I suppose it's a vacation of sorts. Although, I have to leave on Sunday. Isis said something about escorting some Ryou kid back to Egypt." Yuugi's jaw dropped, "Ryou?" Malik blinked, "Yeah. Do you know him?" Yuugi was puzzled. Why didn't he know who Ryou was?

//The tomb robber?//

Yuugi sweat-dropped. /Why do you always ask that?/

He could feel his other self blink. //Well, Malik only knew Ryou as Bakura. Bakura was in control for most of Battle City.//

Yuugi felt like hitting his head on a wall. It had been the tomb robber this time. /Thanks./

//Not a problem.//

Malik was startled when Yuugi suddenly let out a nervous laugh. "I get why you don't remember Ryou now!" "Why's that?" "You know his yami better. Yami no Bakura is the spirit of Ryou Bakura's Millennium Ring." Malik seemed to immediately cheer up, "Oh, so that's who he is! Okay then. Thanks Yuugi."

Five o'clock came. It had been two hours, and Ryou still hadn't arrived at the arcade. Even Otogi who didn't know the boy too well was beginning to worry. Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi had already left, claiming that they had other stuff to do.

Six o'clock came. Otogi left.

Seven o'clock came. Ryou still hadn't shown up.

Eight o'clock came and went.

Nine o'clock came. Malik and Yuugi left when the arcade closed down for the night.

Ten o'clock came. Yuugi tried to call Ryou, and, to his surprise, someone answered.

"Moshi moshi?" "Ryou?" "Hai." "This is Yuugi. Are you okay?" There was a sigh. "I'm fine." "Honto ni?" "Hai." Yuugi frowned, "Well, I was just checking on you. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bai Ryou!" "Bai Yuugi." Yuugi heard the click. It was a strange sound to hear. He was usually the first one to hang up on the phone.

//Something's wrong.//

/Let me guess; the tomb robber?/

//No…//

/Really? That's a first. Let's not worry about it tonight, yami. I'll ask him tomorrow at school what's wrong./

Ryou stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. To think, he would be living somewhere completely different in a week. A week. Seven days. He let out a short sigh. Seven day to wonder. Seven days to wonder what, you ask? He wasn't sure.

He flipped over onto his stomach and grabbed his journal and pen from his bed stand. He wrote a small entry under the current date. Out of anything. The last question stood out the most:

"Seven days to wonder, seven days to know, the answer to that dreaded question: Will I always be alone?"

What a great question that is for one to dwell on at night…

To be continued…

Raseleane: Ryou, do the honors please!

Ryou: *kawaii little smile* Please review!