Bakura wandered the streets of Domino for what felt like days. Having exchanged the jar of useless coins for a bottle of what could, or so a strange old man had said, numb his misery, all he had left was the millennium ring and a bad headache.

He finally stopped to rest in an abandoned alleyway outside of town.

For the first time since he died back in ancient Egypt, he felt completely hopeless. At least, or so he recalled, in the ring, there was always revenge to keep his mind occupied. Now, with even that taken away from him, he could do nothing but wallow in his memories. And do what he needed to do to survive.

For the next few years, Bakura lived off the streets, stealing food from outdoor markets and sleeping in dirty unlit corners. And each day, he was haunted by Ryou's face. The boy had sacrificed everything to give him a second chance, and this was all he could do with it. He was nothing except the King of Thieves. That was his life, both then and now, and that was his fate. He couldn't stand himself.

He never saw any of Ryou's friends during those years, except for one cold winter morning. He was about twenty-four.

The winter had been harsh. The outdoor markets closed when it snowed, and food was hard to find. The last time he had tried to steal from one of those indoor markets, he barely escaped with his life. The metal ball from the strange loud weapon his pursuers carried had grazed right past him. He had watched other street wanderers die from those little metal balls. And he would have died too, if it weren't for the convenient wall he was able to scale.

But that was a week ago, and the scraps he stole had long been eaten. He leaned against a brick wall, trying to keep himself warm. The clothes that had once been Ryou's had been reduced to mere snippets that hung off his painfully thin body. He suffered from a chronic cough on top of that. He was about to simply lay down in the snow and let nature take him, when an open truck caught his eye.

One of the indoor markets was getting a supply of food. A young blonde man was unloading crates from the vehicle, but there were several boxes that remained unguarded. Bakura smiled. If he were quick, he could eat today.

Carefully, he snuck around the alley. But his senses, dulled from lack of food and energy, betrayed him. The instant he laid a hand on a crate of fruit, he felt someone grab his arm.

"Stop right there, ya' lousy thief!" the voice shouted. Bakura tried to pull away, but fell onto the boxes. It was no use. He was too weak to escape. He slowly looked up to see his captor.

"Joey?" he whispered. The man's eyes met his.

"Bakura?"

Joey studied the man he had caught trying to steal part of his shipment. Bakura's once white hair was now grey with dirt. His skin was just as filthy. His dark eyes revealed nothing but pain and suffering.

"Bakura, what happened to you?" he gasped, finally letting go of the thief's arm.

Taking his opportunity, Bakura snatched an apple from the now open crate and greedily devoured it. Joey didn't try to stop him. He just watched the man eat as though he hadn't seen food in days.

"Where have you been?"

Bakura didn't answer him. He wasn't sure if that was because he was too ashamed, or whether he just didn't want to relive the recent past. Either way, Joey didn't press the issue.

"Do you need someplace to stay?" he finally asked. Bakura looked up. He thought for a moment that the thief might actually say something. "Mai won't mind."

He was painfully silent.

"At least a hot bath, a good meal, a change of clothes…" Joey pleaded. "Bakura, you're a mess…"

Bakura considered taking him up on the offer. But eventually just shook his head. If he went with Joey now, there would be a lot of questions to answer. And those answers would just remind him more of Ryou and his useless sacrifice. A thousand lifetimes indeed…

"At least…" Joey finally pleaded. "Wait here… let me buy you some real food. Some meat, some milk… you look so hungry…"

Bakura finally nodded. He waited a few minutes, and Joey came out of the market with some deli meat, a loaf of bread, a package of cheese, and a carton of milk. It wasn't much, but that was all the money he had in his pocket at the time. He took a few more apples from the open crate, and handed those to Bakura as well.

The former spirit of the millennium ring stared at the feast in front of him, his eyes as watery as his open mouth.

"Thank you…" he whispered, in a raspy voice. He took off his light blue jacket, and gathered the food inside of it. The cold wind against his uncovered arms made him shiver, but it was offset by the prospect of food in his stomach.

Before Joey could respond, Bakura had disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway. When he was finished unloading supplies, Joey went looking for him. But, just like before, Bakura was nowhere to be found.