Bakura was in his soul room at the time, inside the millennium ring. His latest plot to steal the items had failed, and the Pharaoh had once again thwarted his best efforts. It all seemed so significant back then.
He had closed off his mind link to Ryou, like he always did when he was scheming. He always feared his light's desire to foil his evil plots, and for good reason. Ryou would automatically step in the way the moment he felt that one of his friends' lives were in danger. Sometimes for the better, but often for the worse.
Bakura didn't realize it at the time, but Ryou had been scheming too. He knew of Yugi's plans to set his yami free. Rumor had it that a simple card game would send him on to the afterlife forever. They had traveled to Egypt once already. The next trip would surely be their last. To Ryou, this was troubling.
His yami wasn't the most lovable spirit that he could have been attached to, but he still cared for Bakura. He knew what his spirit had done in his actual life. And he knew the fate that would await his yami in the afterlife.
After all, Ryou himself had been judged once, on that trip to Egypt. He had seen Bakura's soul on the scale, alongside his own. It was far too heavy. Trapped in the ring, sealed with such palpable evil, it was only getting heavier.
So while Bakura plotted, so did Ryou.
On the last trip to Egypt, he learned of a spell that could set his yami free, and give him a mortal body. Then, Ryou thought to himself, Bakura would be able to start a new life. The hardened exterior he wore every day, a product of millennia trapped in the darkness of the shadow realm, would start to fade away. The millennium items would loose their meaning to him. He would become pure again. Or, so Ryou hoped. He didn't know exactly what would happen. But he was still going to try.
It had taken several months, but he finally gathered up the items needed for the spell. And on the first night of the month, when the moon wasn't visible, he set up for the strange ritual.
He collected the ashes from several important dueling cards, the Change of Heart in particular. He gathered traces of hair, skin, and most importantly, or so the scroll said, his own blood. He mixed together tinctures of various herbs, leaves, and seeds. Ryou leaned over to sniff the strange yellow brew. The smell alone made him sick to his stomach.
Carefully, so as not to alarm his yami, he slid the millennium ring over his head. Just as gently, he placed it in the center of the makeshift altar.
"Curse of binding, set us free." He whispered, pouring a generous amount of the odd potion on the ring. "The spirit bound must be released."
He took a deep breath and put the bowl to his own lips.
"The sacrifice is now complete." He closed his eyes and gulped a generous mouthful of the potion. It burned like gasoline down his sensitive throat.