Lighnting-Dono: Bakura is Ryou's YAMI, just to let you all know! And I thank you all I got this far! It's not much, but I hope that I've made this one long enough for your enjoyement. ;

Lightning-Dono: Mweh...Joey is so awesome...Should I turn this fic into a PG-13?

Joey: NO MORE FANGIRLS!

Lightning-Dono: . . HOW CUTE!

Joey: !!

Lightning-Dono: Oh, and if you're a non-violence person, don't read this chapter.

Joey: No, I like violence.

Lightning-Dono: I don't.

Joey: Then why'd you write it?

Lightning-Dono: Because it fits the theme of the story and went along with the plot.

Joey: Hey, why am I BEAT UP IN IT!?

Lightning-Dono: It's not that bad. You got kicked.

Joey: TT

Yugi wasn't touched. He felt hurt, pity and anger inside him. He jerked away from Joey's grasp and ran out of the room, crying.

"What have I done wrong!?" He yelled.

"Where did Ryou go? Was he hurt because of Bakura?" Yugi choked slightly as he felt the mucus flow into his throat. Joey was running in a paced manner after Yugi, panting.

"Okay, your legs are shorter than mine and I'm letting Yami's, er, decision get to me, but really, shouldn't we be doing something besides worrying about how Ryou is?"

Yugi's eyes flashed violently. "No. Ryou is hurt, he's not in the hospital and he must be bleeding inside OUT by now!"

"Yes, but-," Joey's voice faltered as Yugi's turned upon him again in distant rage.

"BUT NOTHING! HE COULD BE HURT RIGHT NOW! HE COULD BE KILLED...Well, hopefully not, BUT HE COULD BE ON THE EDGE OF DEATH!" Joey shrugged and indicated for Yugi to start running.

They eventually arrived at Ryou's house...it was evening. Ryou was a transfer student from Britain and he didn't really have his parents with him anywhere other than in his heart, so it was like home...away from home. They heard torturous yells and panicking cries from inside, and altogether, everything went silent. Yugi's eyes became wider and the hair on the back of Joey's neck lifted unintentionally.

"Let's...anou...go in...?" Yugi whispered in a frightened voice, his tri-colored hair waving precaiously towards the window in which it could be seen. Joey gulped loudly and nodded.

Once inside, they closed the smoothly designed door without any creakiness. "Dang, Yuge, what did they DO to dis place?" Joey asked in awe in a quiet voice. Yugi shrugged as they crept along the dark, corridor. Not very long after, they came across a door in which they could hear quiet sobbing from. They knelt beside the door quietly, listening.

"Poor sweet Ryou, aren't we enjoying this? Or do you plan to be a pathetic weakling for the rest of your worthless life?" Asked Bakura in a taunting voice.

"N-no...please stop..." Ryou's voice cracked and they heard him sniffing.

"STOP YOUR SNIFFING!" Bakura snapped dangerously, and from the keyhole, Yugi could see Bakura kick Ryou in the leg so much, there was a loud crack. Ryou cried out in pain, his large brown eyes filled with pain.

"W-why?" He asked before clutching his leg from the pain jolting through it.

"Ryou, you're like a delicate flower...So easy to torture. Take you away from the ground and pluck the life out of you slowly...It's how it is with you. Always complaining. Always upset. Too kind to admit that you need something. I'm trying to knock some toughness into you, you baka!"

"Bakura is kind of evil," Joey said as it though it took a genius to figure all of this out.

"Very observant, Joey," Yugi replied without much enthusiasm as he saw Bakura's sick expression as he grinned at Ryou.

"That guy is a sicko..." Tea's voice said from behind them. Joey and Yugi whipped around to find her standing there, smiling serenely.

"What happened? Yami Yugi just made me toss the Millenium Puzzle over the railing into some forest somewhere. That's the only thing I remember from yesterday. Watcha gaping at?" Tea shoved them both out of the way and peered through the keyhole.

"Yes, the sicko I was talking about. Bakura. What does he think he's doing?" She stomped her foot and the ceiling crumbled and they could even feel the fragments falling on them.

"Tea, don't be so loud!" Yugi said hurridly, but they were too late. Bakura approached them through the keyhole.

"Hm, spies, are we?" He opened the door and grinned evilly, his knife used for self-mutilation in one hand, blood on the tip. Tea gasped and walked backwards quickly, landing in an open broom closet.

"Y-Yugi...P-P-Please help me, Yugi..." Ryou reached out his hand helplessly, a look of longing in his eyes.

"YOU! Stop waving around your hand. You look ridiculous. Only weaklings need help!" He stabbed Ryou in the shoulder, not holding back.

"EWWWWW! URGH!" Tea screamed and ran from the house just as Bakura withdrew the knife from Ryou's shoulder with a great satisfaction, licking the knife. Joey's eyes widened, picking up on what was happening.

"I don't kill...I simply seek blood and rare flesh..." He used the knife to cut into a finger and suck it. Yugi cringed and shook uncontrollably. How did Ryou live in this enviroment? Yugi could see Ryou covering his eyes in fear and he drooped, looking much lighter than before.

"DAMN! Don't give in to the pain, Ryou!" Joey shouted, scrambling up, grabbing the knife from Bakura's tough grip and chucking it into the wall. "I'm going to kick some serious Bakura butt, but I need to save Ryou, first!"

Bakura was furious. He licked his fingers greedily, jumped up and kicked Joey in the back so hard he was sent flying into the wall.

"JOEY!" Yugi screamed, tears flying from his eyes. He couldn't take all of this in. His best friend was half-conscious and hurt and Ryou...his other friend, well, he was giving up. Yugi wanted to believe this was the end. It was so painful...He wasn't hurt, but he didn't want to see what was coming next.

Bakura retrieved his knife from the wall with great rage.

"How dare that little blondie touch my knife!" Bakura shouted.

"As if that knife is so big a deal..." Yugi managed to get back on his feet. Bakura turned around, facing Yugi and his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Little Yugi...What are you going to do now with your friends hurt? What will you do when you're hurt? But of course, I will never be able to kill you...You posesses the power of the Pharoah...and I can't let you all rot here and die...Where else will I get the flesh and blood I survive off of?" Bakura licked his thin lips hungrily and dove for Yugi. Joey raised his head just in time to see Bakura bite into the back of Yugi's neck. "No..." Joey lost consciousness. Bakura sucked in the blood without hesitation. "Not as good as Ryou's...But he needs blood to live."

"I no longer have the Millenium P-Puzzle," Yugi spluttered as blood came into his mouth and he had to talk through it. The taste of blood was digusting. How did Bakura find the strength and time to love this stuff? Bakura loosened his tight grip around Yugi.

"Delicious...But, I wish for the Millenium Puzzle." He grabbed Yugi by the collar. "WHERE IS IT, YOU IDIOT!?" Yugi choked and spat blood into Bakura's grayish-white hair.

"It's with Seto," Yugi lied. Bakura let Yugi go with a happiness Yugi had only seen when he had been sucking blood.

"Yes...Seto. Typical of him to have such a valuable item." Bakura left in a flash.

It was then that Yugi realized how much that lie was going to cost him...And how much harm it would do to Seto Kaiba.