Author's note: I own nothing that doesn't belong to me . Whoo! The plot thickens…

Chapter 10- Breaking

Ryou once again lay awake in bed, staring into the darkness. Only this time he lay on his side facing the door, with the Millennium Ring clutched tightly in his hands. Just in case. Besides, he felt like he needed to talk to his darker half.

How do you think they made the card change?

The spirit sighed, mentally. At the moment he wasn't visible even to Ryou.

'I sensed magic when the image appeared. Not particularly dark or powerful magic, simply magic.'

But doesn't it take a millennium Item to use magic?

'Not really. Mahaado's apprentice, eh, what'shername, Mana, had magical powers without an ite- do you sense that?'

Ryou, half-closing his eyes, stared at the door. He had locked it from the inside, but there was a strange sound coming from the outside. But it only locks from the inside, Ryou thought, so it can't get in. With a quiet click and a squeak, the door opened once more.

The doll hadn't changed at all from the last time, it still radiated with a dark force. And this time, instead of making a bee-line for Ryou's belongings, it was staring straight at the white haired teenager. Slowly, its face broke into a cruel grin.

"Oh, so you Can see me? Last night you gave me a scare, but I didn't think you could see me. I suppose I should have used a stronger spell…"

Ryou shrank back as it padded up to the bed, never breaking eye contact. The shadows enveloping it's form dissipated, but it never lost the dark feeling radiating from it.

"Are you a magician, child? Funny, you don't LOOK like a magician and you yourself don't seem to have any really useable abilities, besides being able to break illusions. But I DO sense a dark spirit within you. Come out, come out, dark force. I know you're innn theeerrreee…"

The Millennium Ring flashed and in Ryou's place lay Bakura. The thief sat up and, replacing the Ring around his neck, glared at the tiny little toy that stood before him. It LOOKED Egyptian, and was dressed in a style that was old even in his own time. Whatever the hell it was, it would be dead in a moment.

"You've broken into my poor little Yadonushi's room twice. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't destroy you."

The doll's grin widened.

"Oh, there you are! I was worried that I'd never get to properly meet you. To answer your question, I sensed a dark presence in Vessel's home and I wanted to.. cut it off at the source. Don't think you can destroy me, Oser knows it took three-hundred of the False Pharaoh's finest to do me in the first time…"

Bakura sighed.

"Alright, you're dead! COME FORTH MAN EATER BUG!"

The Duel-Monster materialized and the doll snickered.

"THAT'S PATHETIC! I CALL FORTH GEREH THE HEKAU!"

The doll put one hand out and. Nothing. The doll stared blankly at the space in front of itself.

"Oh sh-"

"HRRROAR!"

The man-eater bug charged forward and the doll squealed like a little girl and took off running down the hall, Bakura (In pajamas! Imagine what you like) and the man-eater on its tail.

"VESSEL! VESSEL! YOU SET UP A BLOCK DIDN'T YOU! DIDN'T YOU?VESSELVESSELVESSEL! HEEEELP!"

The little toy reached the basement stairs, tripped, and tumbled down into the darkness where it landed with a soft thump. There was a click and a half-alseep Nic was standing, looking down at the doll and rubbing her eyes.

"Nes'? What'cha up'ta now?"

As the Bug made its way down the stairs and Bakura glared down at them confused, Nicole looked first at the white-haired boy, then at the monster, then back at the boy, and sighed.

"Call off your monster, it'll just aggravate the situation."

"THAT THING OF YOURS HAS BROKEN IN A TIME TOO MANY! I must punish it."

"Call off your monster and come down here, there won't be any explaining with Nes' dead and gone."

"Fine."

Bakura dismissed the monster, which disappeared into the shadows, and climbed down the stairs to glare at the girl eye-to-eye.

"Alright Nes', why did you break in to Ryou's room?"

The doll shifted it's feet.

"Because I sensed a dark force and didn't want you to get hurt…"

The girl raised an eyebrow.

"And yet you've dragged me through more occult-powered Hell then most human beings go through in any number of lifetimes. Come on, can't you think up a better excuse?"

The doll stayed silent, so Nicole shifted her gaze to Bakura.

"I am sorry that I didn't tell your host about this earlier on. This is Nessert, who happens to be my, eh, original incarnation? Or something."

The doll crossed its arms.

"I am Sau-Sekhmet-Hekau, Great Lion of Egypt under the rule of the Pharaoh Tamose, Embodiment of Sekhmet, Summoner of Apep!"

It was Bakura's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"….alright Nes', how do you… exist? There can't be any more Millennium Items, and the other six have been sealed away in the tomb of Atem."

The doll scratched its head and turned back to Nicole.

"Could you…?"

"A few years ago we were visited by a certain mage named Tait, who insisted that I was the reincarnation of the thief Sau-Sekhmet-Hekau. While he was here one of our 'great enemies' showed up and he.. sort of forced Nes' into my head to keep me safe."

"…that's just dumb…"

Sweatdrop.

"We're sure he had a reason, he's never been very direct with his answers though. Would it be alright if I spoke to Ryou?"

"How do you know I'm not he?"

"I've had lots of experience with possessions. And your voice changed, you hold yourself differently, and your eyes are a completely different color then the were today."

"…. And it took the Pharaoh's friends being turned into figurines for him to tell the difference. Fine."

The Ring flashed again as Ryou was put in control. He eyed the doll wearily.

"So that thing is…you?"

"I AM NOT A THING!"

"Yep."

"….how did it get in the doll?"

The girl beamed proudly.

"I stuck it in the doll. We thought it was better then blacking out and waking up covered in blood. Andro said we should of just re-animated her corpse, but we couldn't find it and I wasn't sure I wanted Nes' wandering town at full power."

"…that's brilliant! But Nes' still hasn't said why she broke in."

"That's easy! She kind of hoards magical things and I guess she sensed your necklace."

"…"

"Oh come on Nes', you know it's true."

Ryou yawned and Nic blinked.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know, late."

They both shrugged.

"See you in the mourning."

"Good night."

Oser is the Egyptian name of Osiris, which is a Roman or Greek version of the name. Other Egyptian gods with names modified like this are Isis, Ra, and Horus, which were Est, Re, and Heru.

Great Lion of Egypt was a title given to the greatest fighter in any division of the Egyptian military. The title directly below it is Best of 10,000, which is exactly what it sounds like.