A/n: WOOT! It's done- finally done! The LAST CHAPTER is HERE!

I worked really hard on this one, guys. I edited and edited and I'm sure it could use more editing still. But this should work for now.

I just hope this goes with the rest of the story... I'm wondering if it kinda strayed. Especially at the end.

Anywho! I don't believe that I ever indicated at what point in time all this was taking place. So, this chapter will be a mixture of an anime episode, a bit of the manga, and my crazy weirdness. It should give you an idea of when all this is happening. Have fun!

It was a clear day. Sunlight poured through the windows that morning, illuminating the class room to the point where synthetic lighting was completely unnecessary; it appeared downright dull next to the pure, brilliant rays.

Several students were participating in various activities during the short period of time before school. Two, on one side of the room, were dueling, and had gathered a small crowd of spectators. The other side of the room was used to conduct idle conversation, rush through previously neglected homework, and stare contemplatively into space, thoughts straying far from the present and digging long and hard into the recent past.

Ryou Bakura closed his dark brown eyes and sighed, trying once again to direct his attention to his school books, lying open on his desk. He had plenty of catching up to do, given what an... interesting day yesterday had turned out to be.

He tentatively touched his shoulder, and winced slightly. His wounds were actually doing quite well, all things considered, but they still caused him some slight discomfort. The limp was hardly noticeable now, and the bruise on the side of his face lay safely underneath a thick layer of white locks. With luck, no one would notice that anything was in the least bit out of the ordinary.

...Then again, why would they? No one knew him well enough to even know what 'ordinary' was.

Ryou frowned inwardly. When had he become so cut-off from people? He never spoke, never shared anything with anyone. A mother's death, a father's negligence, a dark soul's invasion of his body and heart... all secrets. Dead-weights, difficult to bare on one's own.

But... did he ever have to go it alone? Maybe... maybe it was easier when you had someone by your side. And that person doesn't always find you; oftentimes you have to find them.

He looked slowly over at the dueling students, cheered on by a small circle of friends. They were probably perfectly nice people... perhaps he should introduce himself to them. But Ryou hesitated to approach, mind always drifting to the same apprehensive thoughts.

'This isn't abandoning him,' he reassured himself. He would always try, always be there, ready, waiting for any change of heart... (A/n: -gags-)

He would always love Bakura.

But if he didn't start living, and soon, he too may become a victim of self-inflicted torture. He wasn't like Bakura. He now recognized the need for the support and kindness of a friend.

His mind set, Ryou stood, and watched the duelists from the back of the small crowd, waiting. A heaving groan emitting from one of the boys, followed by an almost apologetic smile from the other, seemed to signify the end of the game.

"Damn it, Yuugi- you won again!"

"I've had more practice, Jounouchi-kun," the boy modestly reminded his opponent. He was the first to notice Ryou, who was still standing awkwardly before them after the crowd had dispersed. "Hello," he greeted, smiling brightly.

Ryou softly returned the enthusiastic smile, uttering a small "Hi." (A/n: Aww, he's so shyyyy!)

It was then that he noticed it, ominously gleaming from a chord around the boy's neck.

He froze.

It bore the eye... the same eye on his own pendant. It was shaped like a pyramid- golden, ancient; power seemed to drip from its jagged edges and onto the floor. (A/n: That's a movie! Haha! ...Yea.) It... was...

-/The sennen puzzle.../-

Head suddenly spinning, he bolted for the restrooms before the other boy could blink and ask what was wrong. He nearly collapsed onto the sink, gripping its sides as though for life, and glanced up at his horrified reflection.

/Yami.../ he pleaded.

The spirit's voice made his head ache, thrashing against the walls of his mind; so full of greed; so... violent...

He was shaking, trying to fight... but his heart wasn't in it. He gave a small cry and lurched forward suddenly, abruptly halting before coming in direct contact with the sink. The trembling stopped; he was immediately calm.

He slowly lifted his head, the mirror reflecting his ugly sneer. His eyes had darkened considerably, general features now sharpened.

"Ku ku ku..."

One thought passed through Yami no Bakura's head as his fingers pressed so hard into the metal that they were bruising.

'Kill...'

TO BE CONTINUED...
A/n: Yes, you heard me. Sequel time!

Did y'all get this chapter? Basically, this is all under the presumption that Ryou's had the ring for a while, and knows about Bakura.

The manga indicates that he has no more than a vague awareness of his presence until he touches the sennen puzzle. He suddenly feels sick, and the voice in his head gets a little louder (he hears "ku ku ku" from time to time). In the bathroom, he can't stop thinking about the item, and he slowly opens his jacket and undoes the first few buttons of his shirt to pull out his own 'pendant'. Then he hears Bakura's voice speak to him directly for the first time, and he gets taken over, and havoc wreaks.

The anime leaves a little more room for interpretation. In the first episode of the second series, Jounouchi and Yuugi are dueling in class. There's a group of kids watching them with only mild interest- Ryou is one of them. There is no indication that Ryou is a big character, as he's only shown fleetingly like the other classmates. I've heard, however, that when he goes to sit down once the two have finished dueling, he turns and sees the puzzle. His eyes then suddenly widen and a bunch of images quickly flash through his mind.

So, I just figured I'd smush those two together and add my own rendition of their past. I got this. Does that work, do you think?

Anyways, that's why I want to do a sequel. I was going to leave it there and indicate that from here on out, their future interactions would be taken care of in the anime/manga. I thought this was a good idea, because it would imply that every action taken from then on would be with this experience in mind. I realize, however, that it would be hard to explain every little thing in relation to this whole craziness.

So I'll just make another story going through anime/manga events with slight changes, and further explanations of their actions and thoughts. I still don't know if I want to move all the way to the end of the series and do a different ending, an extended ending, or the same ending with different reactions.

Either way, it'll be a long while before I'll be anywhere near finished.

PEACE OUT!