Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.
Ryou: Material, charge, rate, fee
Ryou carefully calculated how much these new figures would cost. He would alter them to look like his friends himself, of course. The first set was still in that diorama he had made to celebrate their battle.
When Bakura had been… he had always had new figures, never questioning where they came from, although he had still made some himself. He liked to make them.
Monster World was an expensive hobby, in both money and time, but what wasn't? Dueling could get very expensive, look at Kaiba.
He had gotten packs from Yugi and brought some himself so he could play with the others. Bakura had stolen his decks, Ryou knew now. Including Ryou's favorite card Change of Heart.
It was ironic that Bakura had picked that card to show to them as a hint of what was about to happen yet it was still Ryou's favorite. Even after he had been trapped in it, saving his friends at the cost of himself.
Just like in the Monster World game.
The clerk was looking at him oddly as he stood there staring at the price tag of a blank figure. "Sir?"
"Oh, sorry." He smiled at her. "I'm ready to pay now."
It would be worth it to have a grand game, all of them around the table again, well worth it.
After he got home, he spent time working on the table and remembered why Bakura had imprisoned the souls of the 'friends' he had had before Yugi.
He had said that they were just using him, that they always made him be Dark Master and do all the work instead of letting him play.
If he charged an hourly rate for this, well. They would have owed him a lot of money for having their fun at his expense.
But still, Bakura doing that had robbed Ryou of his fun as well. Made all that effort worthless. Inventing a plot, setting up the table, making figures: all that was fun in itself but what made it really worthwhile was to see it come to life. To see people enjoying themselves because of what you put your heart into doing.
He set to work carving the soft plywood figures with a knife he was pretty sure Bakura had stolen for him. It was hard to find good quality knives like these.
It seemed that everything he liked reminded him of Bakura.
Or Yugi. Ryou smiled thinking about him.
It was always wonderful to get together with him and talk. Yugi was so full of hope and joy despite everything he had been through. He had gained power, but not at the cost of his innocence. Ryou was trying to stay the same way.
He had almost lost himself, turned away from having friends before Yugi had approached him. Not wanted any more friends to get hurt and let himself be alone.
Bakura had changed that. Bakura had invited them to play and Ryou had known he wouldn't fail these people who had reached out to him.
Despite everything, he smiled at the memory of the day he had lost so much and gained his strength.
His hands stilled and he knew a knife wasn't the tool he wanted to hold right now.
He carefully put everything away, he'd just paid a lot of money for some of these things and he didn't want them to get wrecked, and went over to his desk.
Pushing his economics homework to the side he got out one of the special pieces of paper and a good pen.
Dear Bakura, he felt right about using that greeting now. He wondered what Bakura would have thought of him using it before.
He probably would have thought he had finally pushed Ryou over the edge, that all the things he had done to him had been at a cost. Would he have been sorry?
Ryou thought so.
Making everything ready for the Monster World game with Yugi and his friends is going well. It was, even though it had been a long time since he had designed a game.
The Millennium World didn't count, he hadn't designed the ideas behind that. Only done what Bakura told him to as best he could.
I'm sure you're sorry to miss it, although you might not be interested since it's Yugi and not the Pharaoh I'll be playing against. He remembered when Bakura had watched Yugi and Otogi duel. He had been interested then, even though it wasn't the Pharaoh who might lose.
Bakura had been certain that Yugi would win.
He was the chosen of the Puzzle, after all.
Ryou was the chosen of the Ring. I think it will be a long and very fun game. I'm not going to go easy on them just because they're my friends! I am the master of Monster World, after all. I'm better at it than you.
Bakura had been playing Ryou's game, had taken it over. Ryou had beaten him that day. At the cost of his life.
Still, he was alive now.
Bakura wasn't. I'll have to play a game with you in the afterlife. You can be the Dark Master, since you always hated people making me be Dark Master and do all the work. You owe me a game.
What would it be like? Would it be against an evil Pharaoh? Or an evil High Priest? His pen stilled.
Sorry. I didn't want to remind you. All that valuable time, wasted. Bakura's life and… undeath, wasted.
I hope you and Atem are getting along. Yugi said he hoped you were. You shouldn't waste the chance to become friends. You respect each other, that's a good basis for a friendship. Yugi respected him, he could tell, even though he'd seen Ryou be weak.
You'd better have that game ready when I see you again. Just as in dueling, a game revealed the player's true character in Monster World. He thought he was right about Bakura, but he wanted to be sure.
After all, you'll have a long time to prepare. Are there gaming shops in heaven? Or will you have to steal things? Or can you just wish them into being?
I know! Why don't you work together with Atem on the game? The two of you together, that would be a fiendishly difficult game, Yugi and I would have a lot of fun playing it! Ryou smiled at the thought. Imagined Bakura's face at the idea.
In any case, I'm looking forward to it just as much as I'm looking forward to the game I'm going to be playing soon with Yugi. He's become an even closer friend. Now that Bakura was out of the way, he thought, and felt awful for thinking it.
I need to get back to work, so goodbye and I'll write again soon.
Ryou.