"I do…" Ryou just sighed. He was standing behind his yami, leaning on the door to his soul room. He had been standing there for a long time, contemplating, everything he had seen in his yami's memories slowly running through his weary mind.

His yami's perception was dead on. This was merely a stalling tactic. But even after all this time, Ryou didn't have any tangible way to stop the spirit of the millennium ring from going after his friends. If anything, he was starting to wonder whether stopping him was even the right thing to do. And that thought haunted him just as much as the rest of the memories he had observed.

Ryou turned his eyes on the floor, lest he incite even more rage in the former king of thieves. Yami Bakura stood up, and turned to face his host.

"Yeah, you do."

Ryou watched the spirit of the millennium ring carefully. He made no sudden movements towards the door. Instead, he simply stood there. Ryou wasn't sure what was going on inside his head, but he feared that it involved some sort of punishment.

"Yami… I… I'm sorry I went into your soul room."

He stared and sneered, but didn't say anything.

"I… I went into your memories… trying to find a way to stop you from hurting my friends. But… you… you probably know that…"

"Yeah, so what." Yami Bakura stared at him, finally finding his voice again. "You wasted my valuable time making me trot through your little picture show. So what do you have? Go ahead. Try and stop me now. You know what? I dare you! Go ahead!"

He laughed a little, though it seemed hollow for a change, waiting for Ryou to make a move.

If anything, hearing his own memories play out from behind the soul room door reminded him how many times he had tried such a plan in the past. It also reminded him of how many times he had failed.

"I… I can't."

He smirked, and shoved his hikari out of the way. Ryou fell back on to the floor. His face slammed into the stone as he fought to stifle any forming tears.

Yami Bakura pushed the soul room door open, and started to walk into the hallway. The battle was over, before it even began.

"You… you're not alone, you know…" Ryou finally whispered, not even bothering to stand up from where his yami pushed him down.

Yami Bakura froze. And he turned back around.

"What did you just say?"

Ryou looked up.

"I said… you're not alone, yami… You… You've been alone for a long time, but you're not alone anymore."

"Yeah right." He scoffed and started walking away again.

"You… You do have me..."

Yami Bakura froze again, hearing the little child's voice again. 'Can't we play with Mister Yami? Please?' He could even feel the warmth around his legs from where the little version of his hikari hugged him.

He hated to admit it to himself, but he liked the memory of sitting in the ice cream parlor with the Bakura family, watching the kids nibble on their cones. For the first time in his entire life, he felt like he belonged somewhere, even if it was only at a little table in an imaginary world.

"… I guess I do have you." He whispered from the hallway. He paused for what seemed like an eternity to Ryou. "And you're right… Nothing will change."

Ryou listened, hearing the door to his yami's soul room slam.

And he sighed.

If nothing will change, then all of that was… for nothing…