EDIT (10-16-04): Hey. If you're just reading this for the first time – welcome!

This past summer, I finally went back and revised all existing chapters. Not substantially – I couldn't really change my content that much, but I caught a few errors. Keep in mind, I probably didn't catch everything, though. Feel free to lemme know if you find anything, though I'd prefer any comments on actually content, development, that sort of thing. Just for future reference.

If you had read this before, you might notice I did change everything written in first person (except for this chapter) – it wasn't working. Also, I originally had the names for Bakura & Ryou opposite of what they usually are. And yes, this was on purpose. But it made things difficult for more people reading, so I've thought for a while, and changed it to what most people are used to.

Bakura – yami
Ryou – hikari
Yami – yami
Yugi – hikari

I still use the americanized names. I still feel those work best for this story.

Otherwise, as I said before, this is rated mostly for violence and intensity. Angst is all well and good, but I know I definitely put more into this story than I usually do. I suppose you could say that this is my version of the typical Bakura-torture fic, though I really hope you'll find it anything but typical.

A final heads-up: there are some original characters in this story – a couple that pop up randomly and say mysterious things to lead the rest of the characters towards their destiny. There's also one main OC too. Yes, it's a girl, yes she does have a yami at one point, yes, she has a rather mysterious destiny intertwined with the rest of the cast. However, she is not in any way meant to be me, nor will she necessarily be the one to ultimately save the day, nor will she be a serious romance intrest of any of the characters...

I say this because some people commented on this being a mary sue. I've hopefully gone back and changed a few things that might have caused that opinion. And it might still seem like that in the beginning, but I ask you to bear with me. Yugi will always and forever be my hero. And all my characters are going to have their own chances to fail and their own chances to shine.

With that said, go on and enjoy the story.

Part 1 (Chapter 1) – More Than a Dream

"Up, slave!" A man with white hair and the physique of a young boy stood with a saber in hand, glaring at something beneath him. A white loincloth had been fastened meticulously around his waste, and a golden falcon hung across his bare chest. I recognized the outfit immediately as Egyptian, though what class he belonged to, I couldn't be sure.

"Bakura!" a deeper, more melodic voice reached my ears. I turned to find another Egyptian approaching from behind. He walked smoothly, with an air of superiority and confidence. His red-gold hair wafted gently from his movements, but his eyes remained cold. The newcomer's robe and jewels were fine enough for any prince, but only one servant followed.

The boy behind the royal person was much shorter, and although he remained in the shadows, I could see that he wore clothes of a more modern style, and seemed to be anything but an Egyptian slave.

Bakura hid the sword at his side and bowed, "Pharaoh. It is good to see you again."

The pharaoh scowled at the other man, "I doubt you believe that."

Still bent over, the white-haired man spoke again, "You mock me, my lord. I only wish to do your will."

But the pharaoh didn't seem satisfied. "I don't believe that you follow any will but your own. Still, I can only wonder at what possesses me to let you live. Watch where you tread, Bakura." The pharaoh turned to leave.

"Of course, my king." Bakura lifted himself again as the other man walked off. He scowled once he was alone again, "Watch where I tread? My Pharaoh, it is you who needs to watch out. My power is growing while you do nothing but fawn over the needs of that boy of yours. Someday I will be the greater." Bakura pulled out his blade once again. The miserable creature at his feet which had begun to stand now fell back into a frightened huddle.

"Here now," I shouted out suddenly, surprising myself and the other man. "Leave it alone!" Bakura lifted his head and stared into my face with absolute disbelief. "What right have you...to..." I swallowed as Bakura's gaze turned to menace, unable to finish my sentence.

Then, the Egyptian did the most unexpected thing. He threw back his white hair and laughed. "Right! You ask me about right? What right have I?" He sneered, "More right than you have to even speak to me in such a way." He paused, "But perhaps I will pardon you. What is your name?"

I couldn't speak even if I had wanted to. My tongue lay frozen behind my lips. Bakura demanded again of me, and again I could not answer. He grew frustrated, and I feared that he might strike out at me, but no blow ever came. The next thing I knew, he brandished his sword, and with a string of Egyptian curses, he was gone.

A long moment of silence passed before I dared approach the bundle on the ground, and spoke softly as I came near it. "The one who beat you is gone. I won't hurt you. You'll be safe now." With these words, I rested a hand on the person's shoulder. The rags jerked convulsively away, then from beneath the tattered guise, a face etched with pain made itself known to me. I gasped and jumped back with a scream, tripping over something and falling into darkness. It was Bakura.

My eyes opened again to find myself on my bedroom floor. My head throbbed from smashing against something. The glow of my clock penetrated the darkness. Only two in the morning. I stood and crawled back under the covers, unable to get the dream out of my mind. Something about this one worried me more than usual.

I have a gift. My friends often joke that it's a "sixth sense". But I prefer to think of it as a second sight. You see, there's a world within ours, a world of spirits, of extreme forces of good and evil, and of magic. Few people believe this, even less have ever seen it. For the most part, these powers leave us mortals alone. However, there are always exceptions.

My ability shows itself in that I am often granted a glimpse of what happens in this world. I see the never-ending war between good and evil, and the occasional plotting of either side. Sometimes, what I see has already occurred, or has the chance of occurring. There's not much I can ever do about it, and it rarely has an effect on me. Sure, a few minor natural disasters have resulted from battles in this other world, and I know one or two people that mysteriously went bad one day. But nothing too terrible as far as I'm concerned.

It's more like a story really. Most of it comes in my dreams, and if I sleep deeply, I am rewarded with another chapter in this magical saga. A couple times, I had the chance to get to know a spirit involved – just as an observer of course. I tend to see a variety of beings involved in a fight, a deep discussion, or possibly, an infrequent celebration. They talk in strange tongues, but I can always understand them. They use names; but until tonight, I have never had any of them speak to me. So now I'm wondering what this might mean...

After several more hours of uneasy rest, I gave up trying to sleep and got ready for the day ahead. As it was my first day of high school, the last thing I wanted was to be late. The bell rang seven o'clock, and I stumbled into the school yard with a yawn, precisely on time. Class would start in twenty minutes, leaving me enough time to check in, find my locker, and introduce myself to my teacher.