Well, this is what I've been waiting for.

Even though I'm not terribly good at writing Angst. So I sort of…glazed over it a little. But I like this part.

Again, a short chapter, but…what can you do?

Phase Nine

"Manako…please, talk to me."

When the spirit finally spoke again, it sent a shiver through Jounouchi. This was a different voice - not the soft, barely helpful of the former spirit, but a new, harsher voice.

'You're right,' it hissed. 'It is your fault.'

Jounouchi's eyes widened as it spoke. "W- what?"

'If you had been smart enough to figure out that the Eye seemed to have gained some new powers, it would never have happened.'

"But - "

'No buts, Jounouchi. I am right. You are too stupid to deserve a Sennen item.'

Jounouchi stared in the mirror, watching the Eye glint at him. 'You cannot get away from me,' Manako said. 'I am with you all the time.' He shut his eye, trying to block out the image, and was suddenly struck by a thought. This was how Ryou had felt, wasn't it? Unable to escape his Yami?

His thoughts sent him crashing to his knees. It was always Bakura, wasn't it? Bakura was always the reason for these feelings.

Suddenly, his head swam again as more visions hit him. He touched the Eye, trying to stop them, but they kept on coming - visions of people he had never met, people he saw in the street, people from school, his friends -

Jounouchi frowned and tried to focus on them. 'No, no, no,' Manako said. 'Why look at one person in particular when you can see the whole city?' Manako kept flooding his mind with the visions. They came faster, and voices even seemed to be louder than before.

'I've been waiting for this,' Manako said over the noise. 'Waiting to unleash my power on you.'

"Why?" Jounouchi asked in a strangled voice.

'Shadow magic is wasted if someone without destiny uses it. Both Pegasus and you have no destiny with the Sennen Items. You are useless for us.' A dark chuckle. 'But you killed someone extremely quickly. Even if it was through the Thief's interference. Well done.'

Slowly, the visions began to die down. "This is - all Bakura's fault," Jounouchi said weakly. "He did this to me."

The dark laugh began to echo around Jounouchi's mind, and he shut his eye, holding his head in his hands. 'You have killed before, Jounouchi Katsuya. The capabilities were there…you just needed to tap into them. You killed Honda Hiroto.'

"No…" Jounouchi murmured. "No…Bakura…he was the one who made me do it…he put the Eye in…"

'No. You killed him. Not Bakura.'

In a sudden flare of anger, Jounouchi's head shot up. "It was Bakura."

'Wrong,' Manako taunted, even as Jounouchi stood up and made for the door, all thoughts of food forgotten. 'It was you.'

"It was Bakura's fault," Jounouchi said, his voice dull. "He's done this to Ryou, and to me…hurt us so much we'll believe anything." One brown eye darkened. "But I'm not Ryou. I don't believe you."

'Do not deny it,' Manako hissed.

Jounouchi opened the door and began to walk, constantly telling Manako - telling himself - that it was all because of Bakura. Manako kept on talking, repeating over and over that he had killed his best friend. Flashes of visions began, almost in desperation, and Jounouchi could hardly see for blurred images of other peoples lives. They came thick and fast, emotions filtering out into Jounouchi, making the blonde feel as though he was being torn apart.

He walked as though sleepwalking, oblivious to the world around him, focused only on one house, on one door. Slowly he made his way up to the door, and with a twisted smile, knocked.

The door opened.

"Come back to me, have we?"