my deepest and most sincere appoligies - though i guess that can't really make up for the past several months.

i really only even owe this post to sumiko - who kept badgering me to update all summer.

but yeah, here it is - i am actually back with more story. wow.

IMPORTANT NOTE: in the meantime, between updates, i also went back and revised all my previous chapters. i notice so much wrong with my earlier chapters now. i didn't change any major content, but there are a few things you need to know. first, i took out all the use of first-person in part 1. also, more importantly, i have switched the names of Ryou and Bakura. if you read this story previously, you'll know that i had Ryou as the yami and Bakura as the hikari. it is now the other way around. i gave this a lot of thought before switching. i didn't want to confuse anybody, so if it messes any of my former readers up, i still have the original and can switch back. otherwise, most everybody commented on that, and i figured it would be easier to avoid any more confusion among any new readers i might have. that, and i confused myself a couple times writing, and figured that was a good sign to change things.

that said, my thanks goes out to anybody who's stayed with me all this time. i loved all the comments i got on the last chapter - kala, darksilverdragon, cettie, ryou's angel, isis, sakura, ryou's kitty, linka - you guys rock!
those of you commenting on bakura (hikari) dying may or may not find your questions answered in this chapter, though more info will be coming in the future. i'll say this - i'm not completely evil to my characters, and - there's a lot more to this story that still has to happen - all of part 3, remember? though part 3 will be a little more yami & yugi centric...

i know this chapter won't make up for the wait - it's nothing exceptional, but it'll have to do for now. i'd suggest going back and reading the last chapter of part 2, just to get your bearings - this picks up pretty immediately after it left off.

Part 3 (Chapter 1) – It Can Only Get Better

"Ryou?!"

Well, the voice spoke into Bakura's head after a long moment. Part of him, anyway.

"Which part?" Bakura asked.

The voice paused just momentarily. Not the physical part obviously.

"Obviously," Bakura replied with a sigh. "So you're the soul that I've supposedly acquired?"

Yup.

"You don't sound like Ryou. I don't remember him ever being so sarcastic," Bakura spoke wryly.

Ryou laughed. I don't think I ever was, though I doubt you would have taken the time to get to know me that well anyway. No, he continued, like I said, I'm only part of Ryou. You changed everything when you brought me into you with your magic.

"How so?"

Well, part of you is mixed with my personality, just like part of me is in you. You've changed, Bakura, whether you like to admit to it or not...

Bakura scowled and made an effort to block the voice out of his head. Unlike Yami and even that fool Kali, he had never bothered to open the mind link between himself and his hikari, preferring the outright conversations in the shadow realms. That this voice – he wasn't quite ready to acknowledge that Ryou was back, even in this form – could enter his mind freely was a new concept for him, and he didn't really like it.

"Yugi!" The rather short teen was greeted by a couple shouts and worried glances. Still bogged down in his own heavy thoughts, Yugi barely had a chance to raise his head before Tea surrounded him in a tight embrace.

"You're all right!" She sounded close to tears.

"Umpf," Yugi found his face pressed up against her shoulder and couldn't quite prevent the pale pink tone that climbed up his cheeks.

"We were worried," Joey spoke up from behind her, his grin a little more shaky than usual. "You disappeared from Kaiba's house last night."

"Yeah," Yugi finally managed to free himself. "I...uh," he paused, "went home." Seto gave him a funny look from the other side of the group, but didn't say anything.

"Did you hear the news?" Tristan asked. "About Kira?"

"Kira?" Yugi's blood froze and Tea finally let him go, feeling him stiffen within her hug.

"Yeah," Joey's face grew serious. "The police are here right now investigating. Apparently she's gone missing."

Large black eyes sparkled with amusement as they watched the scene unfolding in the mist. After a few moments, a glistening white hand waved to the side, and the figures dissolved into a solitary spirit – white hair disheveled around his face – seeming to speak angrily to himself. The owner of those black eyes allowed herself a soft chuckle.

"Unmei..." a more masculine voice came from behind. The white hand waved again, and the images dissolved completely into the mist.

"Well," destiny turned around, smiling widely. "You can't say that it isn't amusing. Not one of them ever would have believed things would turn out as they are."

"Unmei," the deeper voice tried again.

"What?" She drifted off to the side before shooting a sharp glance back at the shadow figure. "You're not enjoying it?"

Saishu sighed, leaning on his staff like an old man. "It's dangerous to become too interested. Even we have rules by which we must abide. You can't become too involved."

Unmei sighed and her form shrank slightly. "I know."

"They need a chance to choose their own fate. You can't force them to accept the plans you've made."

"I'm not forcing anything!" Unmei glowered. "Besides, you forget. I'm destiny. If people weren't ever pushed into believing in their potential," she smiled a small smile, "then I wouldn't exist."

"Missing?!" Yugi exclaimed. It wasn't quite what he had been expecting.

"Yeah," Mai gave him a curious look. "Do you know something about this? Did something happen last night?"

"Last night..." Yugi gave an odd sort of laugh and slumped backwards against a row of lockers. He stared at the floor, and when he spoke again, his voice was uncharacteristically flat. "She's dead."

Tea gasped, Joey swallowed hard, and Seto and Mai exchanged glances. No one seemed to know what to ask next. But Yugi was still oblivious to their reactions, staring down at his feet, lost in his memories. "And Ryou too," he added, almost as an afterthought, though his voice was more husky. "Bakura killed them both, and I couldn't do a thing about it."

A long silence hung over the group. Yugi's shoulders shook in silence for a while, before he finally looked up to meet his friends' eyes. The smile that crossed his face was forced and mechanical. "Well," he said in that strange voice again, "I tried my best right? Destiny was just against me."

"Yugi?" Tea asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?' "Mai demanded. She bent down to meet Yugi's eyes. "What happened, Yugi?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. "It's my fault. All of it."

Yugi...

No, Yami. It's true. "If it wasn't for my selfishness... Kira died for my stupid pride! Because I was so sure I could do anything!" Surprising even himself, Yugi glared up at his group of friends. "I don't need your pity! I don't deserve it!!" Pushing away from the lockers, Yugi darted past Joey and took off running in whatever direction would take him the farthest from his friends.

Yugi, stop!

Why?

It's only going to wear you out...you're out of room to run anyway.

Yugi sighed, knowing that his dark was right. Avoiding a few odd stares, Yugi ducked underneath the back stairwell, taking a seat in the corner.

You need to stop blaming yourself.

But it's true, Yami. If I hadn't been so insistent on saving Ryou, Kira wouldn't have come with me, and Bakura might not have been pushed to what he did.

It's not over yet...

Isn't it? Do I even deserve to try again?

Yug—

I'm serious, Yami. Did you see her eyes? Kira knew she was going to die. She knew!!! And I still made her come!

You didn't make her do anything! She came of her own free will. And none of us knew what Bakura was going to do. She may have been ready to die, but she couldn't have expected it.

Yugi was silent, keeping his thoughts to himself. Finally, I'm sorry Yami. It's just – I don't think I have any more in me left to give.

Its fine, Yami smiled. You've already achieved more than many people may in all their lifetimes. We won't search anymore for now – Destiny has something up her sleeve, so this time, we'll wait for her to come to us.

sorry it's so short...
--;
at least compared to the last several chapters i've put up.

thing is - i'm starting to finally have a solid idea of where i want this part of the story to go and how i want it to ultimately end. i just need to figure out how the next few chapters are going to pan out so that i still have good development up to my third and final climax. so i still have some thinking to do.

i certainly don't intend to leave you hanging like i did this last time, but beyond that, i dunno. depending on when creativity hits, i may update in a week, or it may take me another month or so.
if you don't want to bear with me, that's understandable. i'll appreciate whatever support i'm given.

one more thing - i've revamped my profile. i'll try to at least leave notes there on my progress on this or any of my stories. so if you're wondering how things are going, check there.