Gomen nasai for the long wait. Originally, I had planned to update over the winter break but um…well my computer kept crashing (god knows why) and I couldn't post a single thing! Grr! Newayz here I am with the long awaited forth chapter so enjoy. :P

Quick thanks to all who reviewed! Luv u all!!! (I'd write a longer thanks but it's 11:30 on a school nite so I gotta hurry this up. Please excuse any spelling errors as I didn't have time to go over this. Heh heh. Yeah…

" " Speaking

' ' Thinking

(A/N:) Me!!!

Chapter 4: Mind games

Ryou and Bakura soon met up with Yugi and the others, in his grandfather's new game shop and arcade, just blocks away from the restaurant. The tri-colour haired hikari looked a little red and irritated as the gang stood back watching him converse with his grandfather.

"C'mon grandpa, you've gotta let my friends hang out here," he beseeched desperately.

"Oh but grandpa," Yugi whined. "I promised them."

"Then it's your fault for setting their hopes so high."

"This isn't fair!" the small boy suddenly exploded. "You never let me do anything I want!"

"Little Yugi," the old man laughed. "How do you possibly expect this new arcade to stay in business, if you keep letting all of my customers in for free?"

"Not everyone," Yugi muttered. "Just six people…. Please just this once," he asked pouting, his eyes wide.

Yugi's grandfather let out a long sigh, that look always got to him. "Oh all right," he gave in. "But this is the last time."

"Thanks grandpa!" Yugi chirped, before gripping him in a bone-crushing huge. The elderly reached into his pocket and took out a handful of small, colourful plastic cards. "Instead of using tokens to operate the game machines, just slide these through the game slot of each game you play and you're good to go," he explained handing them out. "Should give you quite a few good hours of gameplay."

"Let's get going everyone! Friends till the end! Hooray for friendship!" Anzu giggled almost manically, and cheerfully pranced off with her long, spidery legs. (Gomen Anzu fans, I just really don't like her, must be her ignorance………as well as every other characteristic of her personality.)

Yugi and Jono raced off towards the DBZ videogame area to battle each other once again, Honda right behind them. Anzu went off to challenge other teens on the Dance Dance Revolution arena and lost miserably. While Yami and Bakura decided to try their hands at Soul Calibur II.

"Ryou are you certain you don't want to join us?" Yami asked him for the final time, before he and Bakura headed off.

"Don't worry about me you guys," Ryou said with a smile. "I'd rather play this," he said pointing to a popular racing game.

"All right," Yami sighed. "But if you ever change your mind, you know where will be," he said before walking off. Bakura gave his hikari one last worried look before walking off as well.

Once the two yamis had left Ryou let out a long sigh, he didn't know he was holding, he then swiped his special access card through the token slot on the machine and watched as the racing game began to load. When the game finally commenced the light-haired teen placed his hands on the controls, but he quickly lost focus.

Staring at Ryou with a blank expression on its face. It stood there like that for a moment, then finally let its hands fall to its sides revealing a deep gash on its chest that was bleeding badly.

"M-Marik!" Ryou gasped in utter disbelief. He spun around only to find himself completely alone once again.

'No way,' the hikari shook his head. 'There's no way I could've imagined it. It just seemed…so real….but then again….'

"Hey there Ryou!" a familiar voice squealed, interrupting his train of thought. Startled, he jumped and turned around to see Yugi.

The smaller teen smiled warmly, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry if I frightened you."

His mauve-coloured eyes were exuberant and bright, like those of a young child, as he gazed up at his friend.

'Wow,' Ryou thought to himself. Marik's eyes never looked like Yugi's. I mean sure they were just as beautiful, but they…they were always clouded by darkness, misery, anger, lust and want…nothing more. Love just was never really there…'

"Listen Ryou," Yugi spoke up finally, seeing how silent Ryou had become. "Uh…Joey and I are talking a break from DBZ and…"

"Our match isn't over yet Yug!" the blond yelled from across the arcade. "I'm serious! I plan to clean your clock!!!"

"Make sure to polish it nicely," the other responded with a laugh. "Anyway," he said fixing his gaze back to Ryou. " I came over to see how you were," he explained. "You're the best at racing games and you're swerving all over the road," he said softly, pointing to the game screen. "You just seem a little out of it today," he finished, purposely leaving his last comment open-ended so that perhaps, Ryou would take the chance to tell him what was wrong.

"I've just been reflected a lot lately, that's all," the dark-eyed hikari confessed, aware that he could not look his friend straight in the face and lie to him.

"Well what have you been reflecting on?" Yugi enquired with a genuine interest.

"Uh…" the other hesitated. 'Tell him what you saw,' a voice in his head urged him. 'Tell him who you saw.' 'No way! He would never believe you…no one would,' he tried to reason with himself. "It's not that important, so just forget it."

"Oh come on Ryou…"

"No! I said just forget it all right!" he erupted. Yugi looked taken back, and hurt, and Ryou groaned inwardly he hadn't meant to hurt his friend. "Quit wasting your time worrying about me," he told the other kindly, forcing himself to smile for effect. "Besides, isn't there a certain someone who still wants to beat you in a videogame?"

Yugi glanced over at Joey, he had his game face on and was currently stretching his fingers, hell-bent on winning. "That's true….I suppose," the smaller hikari sighed. "I'd better not keep him waiting, later Ryou!" he called running off. Ryou waved after him, and tried to relax and stop worrying about what had happened earlier.

He placed his hands on the controls once again, but this time however he was focused, steering and racing other cars like a pro…that's when he heard it. An inaudible whisper in the distance. Ryou tried to ignore it at first, deciding it was just his mind playing tricks on him again and he resumed playing.

"You…" the whisper came again and this time the silver-haired teen was certain he hadn't imagined it. He spun on heels and stared round, trying to find the voice's origin but to his surprise no one in the arcade was anywhere near him at the moment. Off in the distance was a large crowd of cheering teens, watching as a dark-haired teen beat Anzu at the DDR arena.

No one seemed to notice as a young man suddenly materialized among them. It was Marik again only this time he looked much worse than before. His platinum blond locks were matted down on his head. His normally glowing golden brown skin was sickly pale as he stood in the crowd utterly covered in his own blood and a pool of blood growing at his feet.

"You," the ghostly figure whispered, pointing to the flabbergasted hikari. "Y-you did this to me," it said walking toward him.

Ryou, who had been paralysed in fear, finally managed to back away from the manifestation. His chest was racing, pounding wildly against his ribcage. "Wh-what do you want from me?" Ryou asked in a whisper so low he was practically mouthing the words. The ghost-like figure said nothing as it came nearer, its strides quickening with every step.

No one seemed to know the danger Ryou was in for it was a danger only he could see. 'Run away,' he told himself, but it would prove to be a difficult task as his body was completely stiff as though under a spell, and the figure was getting ever closer. Frustrated and desperate Ryou sank to his knees, grabbing his hair tightly. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!!!" he screamed. The arcade feel utterly silent at this, and everyone stopped dead in their tracks and turned to stare at the cowering boy.

"Get up," a stern voice ordered after a few moments, breaking the ringing silence.

Ryou's head shot up at once but he did not move. His chestnut-coloured eyes met those of his yami's and he shrunk back slightly. Behind Bakura stood the rest of the gang, and dozens of strangers looking on in worry and confusion. It was rather unnerving for Ryou to have captured the attention of so many unintentionally.

Bakura knelt down before his other half. "What was that about?" he demanded.

Ryou blushed deeply aware that that was the question on everyone's mind, his eyes downcast. 'I…" he began, when he was cut off by his yami.

"What is everyone gawking at!" he snapped at the crowd around them. "Will you people leave already, the kid's clearly fine!" The crowd dispersed reluctantly, however that did not stop a few people from staring from afar.

"What happened Ryou?" Anzu asked peering anxiously into his face.

"Yeah," said Yugi. "Are you all right?" he asked placing a hand on his shoulder. But Ryou would have none of it. He pushed Yugi's hand away and lunged at his yami, seizing his shirt by the collar.

"Take-me-home," he ordered, his voice void of emotion. "I want to leave now…please," he implored, a hint of passion returning to his words.

Bakura just sat there dumbstruck and apparently confused, he looked at the others who all had familiar looks on their faces. The light-haired yami sighed heavily, "fine," he agreed.

TBC

Not much of a cliffy but I hope it's still enough to keep u all begging for more of what's to come in the future. The faster you review the faster I update…fair is fair, right? Besides, u all know how I luv my fair share of them! Keep em coming and I promise not to skimp out on the good stuff. Tootles for now.

Till next time Ciao!

Silverstorms