Change of Heart
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
(Aisling): *Does happy dance*
(Yami): What in the several Egyptian hells is wrong with her?
(Ryou): People actually reviewed this and like it...0___0
(Seto): *In a less than happy tone* Greeeeeat...there'll be no living with her now.
(Aisling): Well, can you blame me? I thought ppl were gonna flame the crap outta me for this.
(All): *Sweatdrop*
(Aisling): And now to answer my reviewers. *Ex-Angel, Dice, and Bakura* ::Really big sweatdrop:: I'm glad you liked it. I just hope this next part isn't too horrible. *Lady Blade WarAngel* Who doesn't love angst? Although half of it makes me cry for like an hour...*Cazzy123* Arigatou! Things are just gonna get more angsty from here on for a while...::hugs Ryou and Bakura:: It won't be too bad, though. *Digimagic* ::Blinks:: You're putting this on your faves list? ::Does happy dance:: YAY!!!!! I'll check out your fic, too, promise. And yes, Duke and his cheerleaders have to *go* for what they did to poor Joey. ::Glomps him:: *Shadow of a Rose* ::Sweatdrop:: Is my fic really that good? Wow. I didn't know it was an "edge of your seat" kind of thing. And no, I'm not being sarcastic. Anyway, here's the next part. More angst for right now, but a little shounen ai later on for you other R/B fans out there. ::Glomps said Yami/Hikari duo:: Oh, and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, either. *Sobs*
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(Chapter Two: Bitter Memories)
(A/N: This chappie is pretty much a flashback to when Ryou first gets the Ring. ** = Ryou's thoughts. Oh, and if anyone knows Ryou's dad's name, please let me know, otherwise I'm keeping it the way it is.)
::Flashback::
"Ryou, come in here for a moment, please. I have something for you," Ryou's father, Donovan, called.
"I'll be right there," Ryou called back in his soft British accent from the kitchen. (A/N: I LOVE his accent. I think it's so kawaii!!!!)
A few moments later, Ryou emerged from the kitchen and came into the living room, carrying two cups of hot cocoa. Donovan gestured for Ryou to sit down next to him on the sofa. The boy did so, handing one of the cups to his father and keeping the other one for himself.
Donovan drank some of the cocoa before placing the glass down on the coffee table. Then he picked up a small, flat box and handed it to Ryou. The boy put his hot chocolate down on the table as well and took the package.
Slowly, Ryou lifted the lid from the box, absently letting it slip from his lap to the floor, and pulled away the tissue paper that concealed whatever was in the package. His dark, chocolate brown eyes went very wide and he gasped softly when he saw what lay within.
It was a gold ring dangling from a length of dark brown cord. The gold looked as though it was obviously very expensive. Inside the ring was a gold pyramid with an unusual version of the Egyptian Eye of Ra engraved in the center of the pyramid. Five gold pointers dangled in almost a semi-circle from the bottom and sides of the ring.
Ryou lifted it by the cord and gazed at it, mesmerized, as the light reflected off the gold. He thought it was beautiful. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. He shook himself mentally after a few minutes, though, and looked up at his father, curiosity shimmering in his innocent chocolate brown eyes.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's called the Millenium Ring. I found it when I was shopping in a merchant bazaar near Cairo. When I saw it, I got the strangest feeling, like you were destined to have it," Donovan explained.
Ryou nodded, glancing back down at the Ring, lost in his own thoughts for a long time. The Ring and his father's words had intrigued him, and his curiosity was starting to get the better of him.
"Destined to have it?" Ryou asked curiously, tilting his head to one side in an endearingly cute manner.
Donovan nodded. "Yes, though what I find even more unusual about it is that the man who sold it to me said it had something to do with Duel Monsters," he answered.
Ryou stared at his father in shock for a long minute before turning his attention back to the Millenium Ring. His father's words didn't make any sense to him. The card game had only been around for a few years, but the Ring looked like it could have been centuries old, despite the shiny, glittering luster of the gold item. There was no way the two could possibly bear any kind of connection.
After a few minutes, he shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside for the time being. He was about to say something, but he was interrupted by a tired yawn that he couldn't quite suppress. (A/N: KAWAII!!!) Donovan chuckled, shaking his head.
"It's getting late, son. You should try to get some sleep, and we'll do something tomorrow, okay?" he said.
Ryou nodded as another yawn escaped him. He stood up, still holding the Millenium Ring, and hugged his father.
"I'm glad you're home, dad," he said as he stepped back.
"So am I. Now, go on, get some rest," Donovan said.
"All right. Good night, dad. Thanks for the Ring," Ryou replied.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. Good night, Ryou."
With that, Ryou turned and made his way upstairs. He wandered down the hallway to his bedroom, turning on the light and shutting the door behind him. He walked over to his dresser and put the Millenium Ring down on top of it. He opened the top drawer and pulled out an old pair of black shorts and a t-shirt that was a size too big for him. (Again, totally kawaii!!)
He quickly changed clothes and took his other ones into the bathroom, dropping them into the hamper. Then he went back into his room and picked up the Millenium Ring again. He stared at it for a long time, mesmerized by it again as he watched the light reflecting off the gold.
After a few minutes, he slipped the pendant around his neck, lifting his snowy hair out from underneath the brown cord. He reached up idly and batted at the pointers gently like a kitten would play with a piece of yarn. (A/N: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. He just reminds me of a cat. Don't ask me why, maybe it's the eyes, I don't know.)
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light from the Millenium Ring that temporarily blinded Ryou. Startled, the boy stumbled backwards, crying out softly as he fell back onto his bed.
*Well, at least I didn't land on the floor,* he thought to himself ruefully.
When the light vanished and Ryou could see again, his chocolate brown eyes went very wide and he cried out in shock again. He blinked once or twice, wondering absently if he was hallucinating or something, but quickly realized that he wasn't.
Standing there in front of him was a boy who appeared to be about a year or two older than him, wearing what looked like Egyptian garb. This didn't startle Ryou as much as the fact that this newcomer looked almost exactly like him and had seemingly come out of the Millenium Ring somehow. He had the same features, the same white hair, though his was a bit spikier than Ryou's, and the same dark, chocolate brown eyes, though they were much colder than Ryou's, and didn't have that same sparkle of innocence in them.
"Who...who are you?" Ryou stammered, finally finding his voice.
The newcomer didn't answer at first. He merely stood there, watching the boy sitting on the bed, (A/N: Get your minds out of the gutter, you hentais! No lemon in this fic, but probably in the sequel.) his gaze roaming over Ryou's delicate features and slender form. As he did so, he couldn't help but wonder if this boy was really his Hikari.
He shook his head and finally spoke, breaking the awkward, uncomfortable silence that had inevitably fallen down in the air between the two look-alikes.
"You may call me Bakura," he answered, his tone a little wary.
His voice was deep, and purely masculine, and it seemed to give off the impression that he was not one to be triffled with. But it was the accent that seeped through his voice that seemed to have caught Ryou off guard. It had an edge of both British and what sounded almost like Egyptian. It was an exotic combination of two different worlds.
*Just like us,* he thought to himself before he even realized it. Then, *Wait a minute, where the hell did _that_ thought come from?*
Ryou shook his head, shrugging it off to fatigue. Then he turned his attention back to his twin, regarding him in awe and wonder.
"Bakura? The famous Egyptian tomb robber?" Ryou asked, his eyes lighting up in innocent fascination.
At that particular observation, Bakura's dark eyes narrowed, becoming almost stormy, really. He approached Ryou and, without any warning, suddenly backhanded the boy, the blow knocking him backwards.
Ryou sat up, shaking his head to clear it. He stared up at Bakura from underneath his snowy bangs, his brown eyes filled with shock and hurt as they welled up with unshed tears.
"What was that for?" Ryou asked softly, his voice trembling slightly.
Bakura didn't speak for a few moments. It seemed that Ryou saw something like regret flicker briefly in Bakura's eyes. Ryou couldn't be sure, though, for if it was ever even there, it was gone just as quickly as it had come, only to be replaced with a cold mask of disgust, hatred and anger.
"Pathetic," Bakura spat, disappearing back into the Ring.
Ryou stared down at the Ring for a few minutes, finally letting his tears fall. He lay back on the bed, shifting onto his side so that he was facing the window, and drifted into a blissfully dreamless sleep. Bakura had closed off his end of their fledgling link, so Ryou never took notice of Bakura's regret in hurting the young boy that night.
::End flashback::
To Be Continued. Please nobody hate me for this. Like I said, things will get better for them later on in the fic, and this was just Ryou's memories of when he first got the Ring and Bakura came to him. He was fourteen *in my fic, anyway* when he got the Ring, so...yah. *Hugs Ryou, apologizing profusely to him for this* Reviews and *constructive* criticism is welcome, but any pointless flames will be cheerfully ridiculed, so if you don't have anything to say other than "this sucks!" or something stupid along those lines, then don't bother. Because I will just ignore and ridicule your ignorance. Yes, this is shounen ai, so if you have a problem with that, then I'd rather not hear about it. But to those who actually have something nice to say or constructive advice to offer, ignore my rant. Well, ja ne!
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
(Aisling): *Does happy dance*
(Yami): What in the several Egyptian hells is wrong with her?
(Ryou): People actually reviewed this and like it...0___0
(Seto): *In a less than happy tone* Greeeeeat...there'll be no living with her now.
(Aisling): Well, can you blame me? I thought ppl were gonna flame the crap outta me for this.
(All): *Sweatdrop*
(Aisling): And now to answer my reviewers. *Ex-Angel, Dice, and Bakura* ::Really big sweatdrop:: I'm glad you liked it. I just hope this next part isn't too horrible. *Lady Blade WarAngel* Who doesn't love angst? Although half of it makes me cry for like an hour...*Cazzy123* Arigatou! Things are just gonna get more angsty from here on for a while...::hugs Ryou and Bakura:: It won't be too bad, though. *Digimagic* ::Blinks:: You're putting this on your faves list? ::Does happy dance:: YAY!!!!! I'll check out your fic, too, promise. And yes, Duke and his cheerleaders have to *go* for what they did to poor Joey. ::Glomps him:: *Shadow of a Rose* ::Sweatdrop:: Is my fic really that good? Wow. I didn't know it was an "edge of your seat" kind of thing. And no, I'm not being sarcastic. Anyway, here's the next part. More angst for right now, but a little shounen ai later on for you other R/B fans out there. ::Glomps said Yami/Hikari duo:: Oh, and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, either. *Sobs*
**************************************************
(Chapter Two: Bitter Memories)
(A/N: This chappie is pretty much a flashback to when Ryou first gets the Ring. ** = Ryou's thoughts. Oh, and if anyone knows Ryou's dad's name, please let me know, otherwise I'm keeping it the way it is.)
::Flashback::
"Ryou, come in here for a moment, please. I have something for you," Ryou's father, Donovan, called.
"I'll be right there," Ryou called back in his soft British accent from the kitchen. (A/N: I LOVE his accent. I think it's so kawaii!!!!)
A few moments later, Ryou emerged from the kitchen and came into the living room, carrying two cups of hot cocoa. Donovan gestured for Ryou to sit down next to him on the sofa. The boy did so, handing one of the cups to his father and keeping the other one for himself.
Donovan drank some of the cocoa before placing the glass down on the coffee table. Then he picked up a small, flat box and handed it to Ryou. The boy put his hot chocolate down on the table as well and took the package.
Slowly, Ryou lifted the lid from the box, absently letting it slip from his lap to the floor, and pulled away the tissue paper that concealed whatever was in the package. His dark, chocolate brown eyes went very wide and he gasped softly when he saw what lay within.
It was a gold ring dangling from a length of dark brown cord. The gold looked as though it was obviously very expensive. Inside the ring was a gold pyramid with an unusual version of the Egyptian Eye of Ra engraved in the center of the pyramid. Five gold pointers dangled in almost a semi-circle from the bottom and sides of the ring.
Ryou lifted it by the cord and gazed at it, mesmerized, as the light reflected off the gold. He thought it was beautiful. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. He shook himself mentally after a few minutes, though, and looked up at his father, curiosity shimmering in his innocent chocolate brown eyes.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's called the Millenium Ring. I found it when I was shopping in a merchant bazaar near Cairo. When I saw it, I got the strangest feeling, like you were destined to have it," Donovan explained.
Ryou nodded, glancing back down at the Ring, lost in his own thoughts for a long time. The Ring and his father's words had intrigued him, and his curiosity was starting to get the better of him.
"Destined to have it?" Ryou asked curiously, tilting his head to one side in an endearingly cute manner.
Donovan nodded. "Yes, though what I find even more unusual about it is that the man who sold it to me said it had something to do with Duel Monsters," he answered.
Ryou stared at his father in shock for a long minute before turning his attention back to the Millenium Ring. His father's words didn't make any sense to him. The card game had only been around for a few years, but the Ring looked like it could have been centuries old, despite the shiny, glittering luster of the gold item. There was no way the two could possibly bear any kind of connection.
After a few minutes, he shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside for the time being. He was about to say something, but he was interrupted by a tired yawn that he couldn't quite suppress. (A/N: KAWAII!!!) Donovan chuckled, shaking his head.
"It's getting late, son. You should try to get some sleep, and we'll do something tomorrow, okay?" he said.
Ryou nodded as another yawn escaped him. He stood up, still holding the Millenium Ring, and hugged his father.
"I'm glad you're home, dad," he said as he stepped back.
"So am I. Now, go on, get some rest," Donovan said.
"All right. Good night, dad. Thanks for the Ring," Ryou replied.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. Good night, Ryou."
With that, Ryou turned and made his way upstairs. He wandered down the hallway to his bedroom, turning on the light and shutting the door behind him. He walked over to his dresser and put the Millenium Ring down on top of it. He opened the top drawer and pulled out an old pair of black shorts and a t-shirt that was a size too big for him. (Again, totally kawaii!!)
He quickly changed clothes and took his other ones into the bathroom, dropping them into the hamper. Then he went back into his room and picked up the Millenium Ring again. He stared at it for a long time, mesmerized by it again as he watched the light reflecting off the gold.
After a few minutes, he slipped the pendant around his neck, lifting his snowy hair out from underneath the brown cord. He reached up idly and batted at the pointers gently like a kitten would play with a piece of yarn. (A/N: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. He just reminds me of a cat. Don't ask me why, maybe it's the eyes, I don't know.)
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light from the Millenium Ring that temporarily blinded Ryou. Startled, the boy stumbled backwards, crying out softly as he fell back onto his bed.
*Well, at least I didn't land on the floor,* he thought to himself ruefully.
When the light vanished and Ryou could see again, his chocolate brown eyes went very wide and he cried out in shock again. He blinked once or twice, wondering absently if he was hallucinating or something, but quickly realized that he wasn't.
Standing there in front of him was a boy who appeared to be about a year or two older than him, wearing what looked like Egyptian garb. This didn't startle Ryou as much as the fact that this newcomer looked almost exactly like him and had seemingly come out of the Millenium Ring somehow. He had the same features, the same white hair, though his was a bit spikier than Ryou's, and the same dark, chocolate brown eyes, though they were much colder than Ryou's, and didn't have that same sparkle of innocence in them.
"Who...who are you?" Ryou stammered, finally finding his voice.
The newcomer didn't answer at first. He merely stood there, watching the boy sitting on the bed, (A/N: Get your minds out of the gutter, you hentais! No lemon in this fic, but probably in the sequel.) his gaze roaming over Ryou's delicate features and slender form. As he did so, he couldn't help but wonder if this boy was really his Hikari.
He shook his head and finally spoke, breaking the awkward, uncomfortable silence that had inevitably fallen down in the air between the two look-alikes.
"You may call me Bakura," he answered, his tone a little wary.
His voice was deep, and purely masculine, and it seemed to give off the impression that he was not one to be triffled with. But it was the accent that seeped through his voice that seemed to have caught Ryou off guard. It had an edge of both British and what sounded almost like Egyptian. It was an exotic combination of two different worlds.
*Just like us,* he thought to himself before he even realized it. Then, *Wait a minute, where the hell did _that_ thought come from?*
Ryou shook his head, shrugging it off to fatigue. Then he turned his attention back to his twin, regarding him in awe and wonder.
"Bakura? The famous Egyptian tomb robber?" Ryou asked, his eyes lighting up in innocent fascination.
At that particular observation, Bakura's dark eyes narrowed, becoming almost stormy, really. He approached Ryou and, without any warning, suddenly backhanded the boy, the blow knocking him backwards.
Ryou sat up, shaking his head to clear it. He stared up at Bakura from underneath his snowy bangs, his brown eyes filled with shock and hurt as they welled up with unshed tears.
"What was that for?" Ryou asked softly, his voice trembling slightly.
Bakura didn't speak for a few moments. It seemed that Ryou saw something like regret flicker briefly in Bakura's eyes. Ryou couldn't be sure, though, for if it was ever even there, it was gone just as quickly as it had come, only to be replaced with a cold mask of disgust, hatred and anger.
"Pathetic," Bakura spat, disappearing back into the Ring.
Ryou stared down at the Ring for a few minutes, finally letting his tears fall. He lay back on the bed, shifting onto his side so that he was facing the window, and drifted into a blissfully dreamless sleep. Bakura had closed off his end of their fledgling link, so Ryou never took notice of Bakura's regret in hurting the young boy that night.
::End flashback::
To Be Continued. Please nobody hate me for this. Like I said, things will get better for them later on in the fic, and this was just Ryou's memories of when he first got the Ring and Bakura came to him. He was fourteen *in my fic, anyway* when he got the Ring, so...yah. *Hugs Ryou, apologizing profusely to him for this* Reviews and *constructive* criticism is welcome, but any pointless flames will be cheerfully ridiculed, so if you don't have anything to say other than "this sucks!" or something stupid along those lines, then don't bother. Because I will just ignore and ridicule your ignorance. Yes, this is shounen ai, so if you have a problem with that, then I'd rather not hear about it. But to those who actually have something nice to say or constructive advice to offer, ignore my rant. Well, ja ne!