well, back again - not too great, but not too bad timing-wise, i suppose

this chapter should be a little more interesting - i'm starting something with unmei that was something of a spur-of-the moment idea, and things are developing with bakura & "ryou" better than i planned, at least for this point in the story, so we'll see how things go. it's a bit disjointed though - a lot of separate scenes and such - prolly will be like that for a little while, just snippets of the several developing situations while i build up to more excitement.

anyway, thanks to Sumiko and Cettie-girl for reviewing!
Cettie - i emailed "clips" a few days ago - lemme know if you didn't get it

and in respons to Sumiko and anybody else who was wondering - in reference to the comment i made about what unmei was refering to in the last chapter - about getting her own orb back and all that stuff - that'll happen in the next few chapters, but if you're really curious, it's originally referenced back to part 2, chapter 2 (ch26 according to to the menu)
i know, i know, i like tying things together, but sometimes i overdo it on the details...lol

Part 3 (Chapter 3) - Grey Area

"He called in 'sick' again today."

"Huh?" Tea half-turned her head.

Joey sighed and flopped down into his seat, a few minutes early to class for once. "Yugi. You were spacing out in the direction of his seat." Joey shrugged and reached down to his book bag and began sorting through it. "He's going to be absent again today."

"Oh…" Tea looked away and instead, found her gaze crossing with Seto's for a brief instant before he dropped his eyes, looking away.

Joey's fingers finally found a pencil, and he straightened back up, prize in hand. He seemed to take a rather unusual interest in it and twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. "It has to be tough for him," Joey's voice was soft. "I can't even imagine what's going on inside his mind right now."

"By Ra, I'll…" Bakura continued to swear loudly, knowing no one could hear him from within the emptiness of the warehouse in which he had barricaded himself. He threw Ryou's deck of duel monsters to the ground in frustration. The cards flipped apart with a soft splattering sound, landing in a loose pile on the cement floor.

What is it? Ryou asked, peering over Bakura's shoulder – or at least that's how it seemed to the dark spirit. He couldn't actually see the echo that remained of his light – there wasn't supposed to be anything there. But the best way Bakura could describe it was that the more he talked to his light, the more Ryou's voice became solid. The hairs on his arm quivered just a little as Ryou seemed to flow over Bakura's shoulder and closer to the ground to examine the few cards that had fallen face-up. What are you trying? he asked again.

Bakura sighed and let himself slip into a sitting position on the floor. "Nothing," he sighed. He was becoming more and more used to Ryou's sudden comments and questions, as annoying as they still were.

Were you trying to summon something? Ryou asked with a touch of innocent surprise.

Bakura scowled. "And if I was, what is it to you?" He dropped his forehead to his palm and gave a bitter laugh. "All this power and I don't even know how to use it."

Oh… Ryou murmured, letting his presence trail across the cards, pausing over his favorite. Is that all?

"All?" Bakura repeated with some disbelief.

Here… Bakura felt something of a smile from Ryou's voice. I'll show you. Bakura felt a warmth suddenly start in his fingers from the hand closest to the scattered cards and quickly move up his arm. Unnerved, Bakura yelped and scooted backwards, holding his arm out awkwardly in front of him. A moment later, though, that strange feeling had flown straight into the center of him, touched something, and was now flowing back out.

Bakura stared and slowly pulled himself to his feet as his entire right hand began to glow a brighter blue than he had ever seen before. One of the cards on the ground, still face-down, began to glow the same color. "Ryou?" What are you doing?" But the lighter one didn't answer, and Bakura soon forgot as he watched Man-eater Bug begin to materialize within the blue glow.

It was really quite remarkable – the last time he had tried summoning this particular beast, it had still been half in the shadow realms…and it certainly hadn't possessed a material shadow. "Impressive," Bakura murmured and clenched his fist, enjoying the warmth of raw magic against his palm. A dark glint came to his eyes. "Where did you learn this?" Bakura addressed the voice in his head.

It's not so much "learned" as it is innate… Ryou thought about it. At least in this form.

Bakura frowned, not quite understanding. "Then why did you help me? You know what I'm going to do with this…" he glanced down at the monster, beginning to prowl a little ways away, "…knowledge."

I have some idea – terrorize, harm, wreck havoc, and just generally nothing good.

"Probably even kill to get what I want," Bakura added, a bit curious.

Probably. Ryou spoke neutrally.

"And you won't try to stop me?"

Why should I? Ryou's voice sounded more foreign than it had ever been. You're the only one my voice touches. Why care about what I can't reach?

Bakura frowned and reached out toward the monster still wandering the room. A moment later, a playing card was fluttering to the ground in its place - his original enthusiasm for the day had evaporated almost as quickly.

"Seto!" Tea jumped just a little as his face came into view when she slammed her locker door shut. "I…"

Seto's grin was wry. "Going to see Yugi?"

Tea bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to say.

Seto waited a moment before shrugging. "Anyway… If you do see him before me, give him this," Seto held out a small package wrapped in brown paper.

"What?" Tea was lost.

"Well," Seto shrugged again. "I was just thinking how nice it is when you smile – I mean really smile. When's the last time you managed that?"

"Hikari? You're supposed to be asleep."

Yugi frowned as he came up behind Yami, still a little disoriented. "I think I am."

"Yes, but," Yami gestured to the misty shadows around him, "if you're here, you can't be doing your spirit much good."

Yugi shrugged and sat down next to his dark, "I suppose, though I think I've slept enough lately even my spirit should be satisfied. Besides," Yugi half-grinned. "When we're not fighting or chasing someone, it can be kind of relaxing even here," he leaned back on his hands.

Yami's voice was cold, "There's nothing to like about a place of darkness."

Yugi looked up in surprise, "how do you figure?"

Yami gazed into Yugi's eyes for a long moment. "This place really doesn't affect you like it used to, does it, hikari?" Yugi shook his head. "I'm sorry," Yami squeezed his eyes shut. "You never should have had to grow used to it."

Yugi shook his head, "I don't mind. And if it's for my friends, I'll stay here as long as I have to…" he choked slightly on his words.

Yami looked over to see a tear on Yugi's cheek. Nearly heartbroken at the sight of it, Yami wrapped an arm around Yugi for comfort.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop crying," Yugi whispered.

"Hikari…"

"It's funny," after a moment, Yugi sniffed and wiped his eyes, pulling back so he could look up at Yami. "You say there's nothing to like about a place of darkness, yet, your name means just that—"

Yami tensed at the reminder. "And you are my light," he added hesitantly.

"Maybe," Yugi shrugged. "But through it all, you've been the one to give me hope and strength. You've fought for what's right. Even though you're darkness, there's nothing to hate about you." He looked out at the shadows and said thoughtfully, "And when the light can't go on, it's the darkness that holds it up. There's nothing particularly good or bad about either."

"What do you think he meant?" Tea finished relaying her story to Mai as they walked back from school.

Mai sighed. Next time you concede defeat, Kaiba, remind me to write the speech for you… Aloud though, she only said, "I don't know, hun. It sounds like he just wants you to be happy."

Tea frowned. "Why would he say that? It doesn't make much sense."

Mai rolled her eyes. And maybe you're just too dense to realize it. Maybe you are more suited to Yugi. I still have trouble figuring out what exactly Kaiba saw anyway… It wasn't so much that she disliked Tea – to be sure, the girl was sweet in her own way. And she had proved herself on the point of friendship, if only to Mai's constant aggravation. It was just that…

It's just that she's not Seto's type… Mai decided. He's been tolerant, but they're too different. It wouldn't work… Not that I care! Mai added hastily in her mind. She massaged her temples with her fingertips, continuing to ignore Tea's chatter. I need sleep. My mind's been taking me strange places lately.

"You know, hikari?" Bakura twirled the shadows listlessly through his fingers. "Sometimes, I really don't get you. No," he hesitated. "Make that all the time."

Me? Ryou sounded surprised.

"Who else?" Bakura grumped. "I don't make a habit of talking to people in my head."

Well, Ryou's voice was still somewhat bewildered. I don't really know what you mean. What's to get?

"You!" An edge of frustration crept into Bakura's voice. The dark spirit flopped backwards onto the semi-solid ground that he had found, still playing with the shadow mist in his right hand. He put the other arm behind his head. "That's the problem, there's nothing to get. You should hate me, yet you help me, and you're nothing like you used to be."

I told you, the voice chuckled. I'm not completely Ryou; I'm just the part that you stole – his soul. You never hurt me directly, even if Ryou often cried at your doing.

Bakura felt an ever-so-slight tug at one corner of mind, but shook it off. "He was a weakling… And why do you refer to yourself in third person anyway?!"

Hmm? Ryou had to think for a moment. I suppose, because I'm not really me anymore. I don't really think about my dreams anymore…or even the people that Ryou called friends. I don't feel pain, or any emotion really – just faint echoes of it all. I'm sorry.

"Sorry?"

There was a long pause before Ryou answered. I would have let you take over more often if I had known how cold it sometimes was.

"Hmph." Bakura let go of the shadows and dropped his free hand to his side. "I don't need your pity."

Unmei blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, the dark shadows around her had been overcome by a swirling sandstorm of color. Thin traces of the cool colors swirled about with thicker streams of red and orange, all lit by a golden glow that would have easily blinded any mortal. Unmei just smiled and waved her hand across her vision, dimming the glare.

Her own shimmering white body had been replaced with one that was a little more human and childish. Black hair again cascaded around her shoulders and her solid black eyes shrank to dark pupils surrounded by a lighter grey. Unmei just shrugged and pulled her blue cloak in a little tighter around her shoulders. She began to walk forward.

Soon, her feet were no longer shuffling through multi-colored mists, but instead trudging through what appeared to be something like sand. As Unmei continued further into the area, the swirling clouds faded and pulled back at an invisible border that continued far above the white spirit, encasing the entire region in a colorful dome. And though there was no sun in the sky, heat waves still rose occasionally from the ground, and shimmering in the distance stood a handful of pyramids. Unmei frowned but continued on in a straight line.

A short while later she began to hear it: voices carried on the wind. Soft moans, giggles, and the occasional scream. A few of the voices had been daring enough to draw close to the unusual traveler in their realm. Nearly invisible themselves, these ethereal beings clutched at Unmei's form then drew back as the touch somehow seared them. But their curiosity only grew, and the cloud swirling around destiny continued to thicken.

anyway, hope you liked that... shrugs clue me in even if you didn't. maybe there's something i can do to make it better, though there's only so much i can really change at this point...
anyway, i had fun writing it, but now i have to get back to all my real papers for school. prolly won't have another chance to write until after finals... just trying to survive at this point...

love you all!
joey