Priestess: I wrote this chapter

An Egyptian boy stared resignedly out the window. His name, Malik, means Master, but he is in no way a master-in fact, his life has been manipulated by others for so long that he became a control freak. Fitting that he has the power to control minds. The first thing you would notice about him was how incredibly hot he is.

*Why does it feel like night today?
Something in
here's not right today.
Why am I so uptight
today?
Paranoia's
all I got left*

His body is slim, borderline skinny, but muscular. His arms and legs are wiry and powerful, the outlines of his veins visible on the tight skin. His skin tone is the perfect shade of smooth mocha, no scars, no wrinkles, not a single mark on it. Completely flawless. I haven't even gotten into his hair, yet-limp and straight but silky with the most unusual hue. It's like a sun-kissed blonde, bleached from years spent in the blistering desert sun. His exotic appeal is further maximized by his stunning purple eyes, ranging from a torrential violet to the clearest lavender depending on his mood.

*I don't know what stressed me first
Or
how the pressure was fed
But I know just what it
feels like
To
have a voice in the back of my head*

He was one of three souls who are the lightest of elements, whereas others are a mixture of dark and light, but unlike the others' his darkness was of the purest element, and his light wasn't-or so he believed.

His dark side was named Mariku; though he had many other names-he was the nightmare to Malik's dream, the war to his peace, the death to his life.

*Like a face that I hold inside
A face that
awakes when I close my eyes
A face watches every
time I lie
A face that laughs every time I fall
*

Yeah, yeah, the Pharaoh got rid of Mariku and Malik should be in Egypt with Rishid and Isis, but there were some complications.

*And watches everything*

There was a terrible storm during the return to Egypt and Rishid was thrown overboard. Isis rescued them and got them safely back to Japan, where Malik returned the Ring (Bakura included) to Ryou, begging him not to tell Yami about Bakura, believing he owed him.

It was a mistake.

*So I know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the
face inside is hearing me
Right underneath my skin
*

Bakura didn't like losing, and his terrible defeat at the hands of Mariku made him very bitter. Eventually, he decided the only way to satisfy his thirst for revenge was to kill Mariku. But Mariku had to be alive for him to do that.

*It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a
whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm
hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
*

So he decided to recreate Malik's suffering and fury in the way he knew best-

Torture.

*I know I've got a face in me
Points out all my mistakes to me
*

He tortured the boy three days strait, trying to ignite the same feelings which had made Mariku before.

It worked.

But Mariku reminded him of the fact that he was in Malik's body, and after everything Malik had done for him, murdering him would hardly be fair.

So Malik had his evil side returned permanently.

*You've got a face on the inside too and
Your paranoia's
probably worse
I don't
know what set me off first
But I know what I can't stand
Everybody acts like the
fact of the matter is
I can't add up to what you can but
*

Boy, was he mad.

He refused to speak to Bakura for months, and probably would have stayed mad forever, until the high-and-mighty Bakura actually apologized.

Malik was so stunned he accepted the apology.

* * *

A white-skinned boy stared out the window, tapping his pencil. Usually a model student, even he wasn't interested in this useless crap.

His gentle, bulbous eyes were inhumanly emerald, glimmering brilliant lime. White hair flowed around his pale, childlike face onto his shoulders. Named Ryou Bakura (also known as Bakura, Yadounushi, and Weakling) He was a lady's man-sweet, cute, polite-but wasn't interested in ladies. He wasn't like other people, and he could blame that on what resembled an intricate gold dream-catcher hidden under his cream-colored sweater.

*Everybody has a face that they hold inside
A face that
awakes when I close my eyes
A face watches
every time they lie
A face that laughs every time they fall
*

It was the Millennium Ring, and within it resided Bakura (a.k.a Soul-Stealer, Thief King, Tomb-Robber, Evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring, Why-Can't-You-Just-Die-Already, and He-Who-Likes-Raw-Meat), the ambitious, sadistic spirit who had given Bakura a real life and ruined his life in one foul swoop. Yes, Ryou was the second of the three souls who are pure light, and yes, it is the same Bakura.

*And watches everything*

"Mister Bakura!"

Ryou jumped. A few kids snickered, and Ryou blushed. He was glad Bakura was bored by school and didn't much hang around in his mind-it would be difficult to explain a roomful of lifeless bodies, especially considering I wasn't supposed to let anybody know that Bakura had survived-Yami had even checked when I returned from wherever I had been, not knowing that Malik person had returned him into the Ring in return for helping him and didn't return the Ring until he returned from Egypt. Ah, well.

*So you know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face
inside is watching you too
Right inside your skin
*

* * *

Yugi looked pityingly at his friend. Old bat he thought grumpily. //Hmm?\\

Yami's voice made Yugi jump, much as Ryou had jumped. "And what is your problem, Mutou?" The teacher sneered, glaring at me. "N-nothing!" 'Nothing' is what she misses //Sorry\\ Yami's voice amended sheepishly. Ah, the old bat's got it in for me.

//You want me to mind crush her?\\

No! Yami took things far too seriously. Yugi was the third of the souls, but his darkness had given up being dark the year before. Now he was simply hyper-competitive and over-protective. Which meant he took things far too seriously. "Mutou!!"

*The sun goes down
I feel the
light betray me
The sun goes
down
I feel the light
betray me*

Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin. The bat was about an inch from him. He had been so absorbed in their discussion that he hadn't even noticed.

"Your attention span is growing worse by the minute. Detention."

Everybody was staring openly at Yugi-except Malik, who was staring into space, and Kaiba, who was fervently typing way at his laptop.

//The offer to mind crush her is still open.\\

Don't tempt me.

*It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin*