A/N: I could say sorry for not finishing this chapter earlier but I figure you would want to read this chapter than read my apologies. I do have one thing I wanted to share. Usually I don't try to put Yuugi and Haruto in the same chapter but I figured I would just this once. I sort of skimmed through the manga for when I wanted Yuugi to start again since the anime was never that clear on what happened before Duelist Kingdom and I like the different variations of Monster games Kazuki Takahashi created. That and his duel between Seto and Yuugi were way better. Anyway, enjoy and don't forget to review!

Chapter 6
Blood red eyes

Yuugi was sure he was going crazy. Since he had finished his puzzle he was sure he kept having black-outs, but in stead of waking up where he blacked out he would wake up somewhere completely different. The other students at school, who were first making fun of him, seemed to be in awe of him now. Most avoided him, whispering to their friends about things Yuugi knew he hadn't done. Fortunately Jonouchi and Honda were always by his side these days together with Anzu. If he had only been with Anzu he would have gone insane. She kept staring at him with a strange kind of adoration and it seemed like she kept expecting him to turn into a different person. It was very frustrating.

He didn't tell them about his black-out's, not even his Jii-chan knew, or the fact that he would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night almost at the other side of town. You would think that he would refuse to wear his puzzle because of this, but every time the puzzle wasn't in his vicinity Yuugi would get nervous and antsy. This is why he still carried it around in either his bag or around his neck. It was surprisingly light for such a heavy looking object and it didn't seem to attract any attention at all.

Yuugi blinked as he stepped into the bright sunlight calling over his shoulder to his grandfather that he was going to school. All that stuff happening with the new card game, beating Kaiba Seto, meeting Shadi at the exhibit and then Kaiba's little brother. The fact that Kaiba had built a theme park just to get revenge on him had been disturbing, but had it really been him who the CEO had wanted to get revenge on? Yuugi was sure that it hadn't been him who had duelled both Kaiba brothers and won, at Duel Monsters as well as Capsule Monsters.

The short High School kid sighed and kicked a pebble across the pavement. He felt slightly guilty about how his reputation seemed to grow while he didn't actually do anything. That and he still hadn't found a way to contact his little brother. He had skimmed the internet about anything which could lead him to Haruto and had even considered trying to contact the Japanese Magical Community, but he had found nothing. Not a trace of any magical community around the world. Not even strange sightings which could lead him in the right direction, like owls during the day or strange phenomenon.

Of course there were a lot of different 'sightings' posted on the internet from UFO's (Unidentified Flying Objects) but he had discarded them right away. Yuugi couldn't imagine a society so obsessed with secrecy that they would let themselves be seen by 'non-magic users'. He found the word 'Muggle' which the professor of that school had used slightly offensive. Yuugi still wasn't sure if his brother had not just been kidnapped, which had caused a major panic attack the first time he came to this conclusion, but his grandfather had snapped him out of this thought. Sugoroku had agreed with his grandson that they should have insisted on more information and a way of contact, maybe even to accompany Haruto to that school, before sending their youngest off to Britain.

And something else had happened, something Yuugi wasn't sure if it was real or his imagination. The new game of Duel Monsters, which had took off two weeks after his brother's disappearance, had become quite popular, which wasn't too surprising since it was a card game which required more then just luck to win. There was just something about it which Yuugi found fascinating. The pictures were slightly familiar to him, it even felt like he had been reunited with old friends the first time he held those cards. The pictures were painted in an almost life like fashion which made it look like they moved every time Yuugi held them in his hands, but that wasn't even that strange. No, the strangest thing about this new game was, that whenever he was alone in his room, he could hear them whisper.

It was yet another secret he kept from his new found friends and he made sure they would never find out any of these secrets. Not even his grandfather knew and he always told the old man everything.

Jonouchi was waiting for him at the school gates, and Yuugi waved half-heartedly with a fake smile in place. The short blue eyed boy, though his eyes were more violet then blue these days, hoped sincerely that this school day would be over fast. There was a surprise though the moment they entered the classroom. "Have you heard?" the girls chatted excitedly. "There's a new transfer student joining our class today! They say it's a guy!"

While the girls squealed at how cute the transfer was supposed to be, the blonde shared a look with Yuugi. "You would think there weren't any guys in this classroom."

"Maybe they think that this guy will be a little more civil since it's a transfer," Yuugi said with a deadpanned expression, curious about the new transfer.

Jonouchi snorted before realising that he was being insulted. He opened his mouth to retaliate with a slight frown when Honda interrupted them and Anzu joined seconds later. They were all speculating about who this new transfer could be when the teacher entered with the new boy. The first thing Yuugi noticed was his long, white hair. His eyes were cast down, hiding the colour of them together with most of his face as his bangs cast a shadow over it. He was of medium height and slender and with a shock Yuugi was reminded of his little brother.

"Class, this is Bakura Ryou and he's moved here from Britain to…" but everything else fell to deaf ears. The moment Ryou looked up and let his bright blue eyes wander around the room, Yuugi was a slave to his mind. This boy, this white haired stranger, was his key to finding his brother. He was sure of it…

Bakura was a strange individual, Yuugi decided. The white haired transfer was all smiles and kindness, the corners of his eyes crinkling in mirth at the jokes which circulated the classroom. He had already become good friends with Jonouchi in the short few hours before the break and the blonde was quick to introduce them to Ryou. Yuugi swallowed his burning desire to demand that the white haired transfer told him about Britain, Ryou might not know anything about the magical communities after all, and was happy to trail behind his friends as they guided the transfer around the school.

"What do you think?" Anzu whispered as Jonouchi and Honda commented loudly about their outside sports fields, wanting to know if Ryou was into sports.

Yuugi frowned and she was gesturing almost franticly with her head towards Ryou. He shrugged his shoulders. "He seems nice enough. It's a little early to give my opinion on him." He gestured with his own head towards Miho, who was waiting on the other side of the playing fields for Anzu. "I think she wants a report. Maybe we should introduce her into the group."

Anzu pulled a face and shook her head. "Not with Honda around. Anyway, I better go over there. See you after fourth Yuugi-kun."

Yuugi smiled and waved at Miho, who gave him a small smile from across the playgrounds and was quickly conversing with Anzu about Kami knows. "I envy you Yuugi-kun," Honda muttered as he stared after Anzu and Miho with an almost longing expression. "I don't know how you do it."

"I don't know what you mean Honda-kun," Yuugi said with a shrug. "I only long for my friends and family to be well, nothing more. What more could we want for?"

It was silent for a moment as the four boys watched the gossiping girls, each with their own thoughts Yuugi was sure. "Maybe it's your height," Jonouchi said playfully and to give power to his words placed a playful hand on the shorter boy's head. Yuugi pouted, looking up at the taller blonde, a faint blush spreading his pale cheeks. "See, who could resist a pout like that and those huge eyes." Was Jonouchi flirting with him? Whatever it was, it made Yuugi feel even more embarrassed. He was used to the teasing, but this sounded different, even if it was only for a second. Honda was already dragging Jonouchi away, complaining about how unfair the world was and Yuugi was about to follow when he noticed the look in Bakura's eyes. It was a mixture of pity, playfulness, humour and grief.

"So," Yuugi said quickly, tearing his eyes away and following his friends across school grounds. "How do you like Japan so far? It must have been quite the culture shock."

Ryou looked at him in amused confusion. "It's doable so far. The time difference got to me in the beginning, but at least I have family here to fall back on when the apartment gets too lonely."

"At least you speak Japanese really well."

"Thank you," Ryou said with a pleased smile and a light blush appeared on his slightly tanned cheeks. "It would have been a bit strange if I had come to Japan not knowing the language. I guess I'm lucky too that I have some family here who could teach me, we don't really get Japanese at school in Britain. Can you already speak any other languages?"

Yuugi nodded. "We get English, but I have a little brother who's originally from Britain. He taught me English while I taught him Japanese." Ryou looked at him quizzically, hearing Yuugi's sadness. "Haruto… he…"

"It's okay," Ryou said quickly, looking very apologetic. "You don't have to tell me. I don't really know you after all and you don't know me. We can talk about something else." Yuugi felt a sigh of relief escape between his suddenly dry lips and they entered the school once more talking excitedly about their shared love for games. Bakura Ryou was easily to like, Yuugi decided there and then, not noticing the slight red shadow which passed over those blue eyes as they talked about his puzzle and games.

Maybe surprising Ryou at his apartment hadn't been such a good idea after all. Yuugi seemed to be the only one who noticed the abrupt change in the white haired transfer the moment he opened the door. Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu were happily trailing into the apartment, telling Ryou all about what he had missed at school. Yuugi followed a little slower, keeping both eyes on the Brit in case he saw the change again. Gone was the gentle Ryou and here stood a more disturbed Bakura.

The change wasn't unfamiliar. He had noticed it in himself, the moment something happened to his friends it, at first, felt like his brain shut down. But now he knew better because he had been fighting the black-out's, trying to remain conscious. It is how he became aware of the other him, the presence which he was sure was linked to his Millennium Puzzle. It was what Haruto had always warned him about, but for some reason Yuugi felt that whoever was taking over was not trying to harm him or his friends. It was trying to protect.

Yuugi recognised the feeling and the change. Ryou must have been taken over completely as well, but whoever had taken over was hostile. "I have it all set up here," Bakura purred and he guided the four friends to the backroom which Yuugi suspected had been a bedroom once. Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu were in awe at the table set up for them. So it was a game Bakura wanted to play with them? It didn't make any sense.

The game of choice was Monster World, a role play where Bakura would be the game master and Yuugi, Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu would become pawns on his board. All seemed to be going well until the first casualty fell. Anzu was the first to become trapped in her doll and Jonouchi soon followed. Yuugi felt his helplessness and anger build as his friends turned to him for help, but what could he do? He wished for strength to help protect his friends, but all he could do now was sit back and watch as Bakura took them away from him.

Honda was stronger then him and took Bakura head on, but even he could not match the Brit's power. Even Honda became a 'mind doll' in Bakura's insane world. "Now what will you do Yuugi?" Bakura laughed the insanity clear in his voice. His friends had gone, turned into the figures of the Monster World game. What should he do? What could he do? His friends were more then happy to cheer him on and encourage him to fight, but Yuugi was who he'd always been. The doubts he had in his own strength, which had increased ever since his little brother had disappeared, resurfaced in full force. Indeed, what could he do?

Yuugi had to make a decision, but could he really trust this other him with his body and his friends. And himself, because if it were to work then he himself had to become a player on the field. He couldn't leave his friends while he sat in this chair supervising their moves. No, the spirit (or whatever it was) had to take over. There was no other way. "Make your move Yuugi!" Bakura called from the other side of the table, clearly getting impatient. He had to free his friends, and Ryou too.

Yuugi nodded to himself and with one last glance at his friends, made up his mind. He stared into the red gleaming eyes of Bakura. "Before I do that," he said with a determination which made his friends stare. "I want you to transfer me into my player doll."

He ignored the confused cries of his friends and even paid no mind to the shocked feeling which coursed through his own body which had nothing to do with him. Yuugi calmly watched Bakura's reaction of surprise before a manic grin nearly split the usually gentle face in two. "I would ask who is going to roll the dice for you then, but who am I to worry about trivial things," Bakura said. "I will honour you request to be with your friends. Have fun in this world because with this move it will be GAME OVER!"

The feeling that he was ripped out of his body wasn't entirely pleasant and Yuugi wonder if his friend had the same experience. The moment of darkness left him feeling quite shaken and cold, but also confused. A pressing silence was interrupted by soft whispers and lonely sobs. But before Yuugi could recognise the voices, or move to look around, his eyes opened to the miniature world which was Monster World. His friends had immediately surrounded him, demanding answers but all Yuugi did was look up from where he had once been.

In his seat, in his body, sat a stranger who felt eerily familiar. He looked like Yuugi apart from the blond bangs which had been blasted upwards to mix with his red hair. His postured had turned from small, timid and insecure to proud, tall and confident. The sadness from loosing his little brother had disappeared from his face only to be replaced by a different lingering sadness which ran much deeper and much stronger. But what surprised him the most were his eyes. The blue, almost violet, eyes which usually expressed innocent now held a red glow. The same glow which was present in Ryou's eyes. This red glow was different though and Yuugi sighed in relief. The other's eyes held respect, awe and determination. I will win this for you Yuugi!

Change to Haruto…

Haruto's third escape attempt went unnoticed by the school population and even the teachers, because the small raven head didn't get far. Neville and Hermione, who had also taken to following him around ever since Haruto saved her from the troll, had stopped him before he had got even out of the Common room. His first escape attempt had been in the second week of school and it had been professor Snape who had caught him and dragged him back for the entire student body to see. He did not go quietly of course, it had been one of the rare moments where Haruto had vocally expressed his opinions in a louder voice then they were used to. The ghost of Hogwarts had intervened with the Potions Master's attempt to drag Haruto to the dungeons for detention, something which hadn't happened before.

His second attempt had been just before Halloween. This time it had been Madam Pomfrey who had stopped his attempt for freedom because he had been injured at the time. When she had asked him why he had tried to run away, he had answered that he had been frightened and fed up with professor Quirrell. He hadn't explained why the DADA instructor had scared him so, Haruto was sure they wouldn't understand even if he tried to explain.

The third attempt was only half heartedly done. Haruto had long since given up on escaping this castle and Christmas was approaching fast. If professor Snape could keep this promise, the promise of being allowed to return to Japan around Christmas break, it meant that he was out of here soon. Why did he try? Because two students had finally driven him insane. Malfoy Draco and Weasley Ronald had done it again. Though Haruto was sure that the youngest Weasley was only doing it to be his friend, the fact that he constantly tried to pick fights for him was frustrating the younger boy. Probably just as much as Haruto frustrated Ronald. The fact that he would not respond to Malfoy's taunts annoyed the youngest Weasley, who was easily provoked.

This time however even Haruto had reacted, slapping the Malfoy heir across the face as the blonde insulted his former parents for the thousandth time and making a snide comment about Yuugi and his Jii-chan. Horrified by his actions Haruto left a stunned Malfoy and Weasley behind and ran off to the Gryffindor Dormitory's. Completely disgusted with himself that he had raised his hand against another, even provoked, Haruto grabbed his coat and rushed downstairs again only to bump into his friends.

Tears, which had been threatening to fall, finally cascaded down his cheeks and he sank to his knees. Haruto wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth in a desperate attempt to rid himself of the dark thoughts and images which invaded his mind. "Who am I? Who have I become? Am I still me or has this strange magic finally addled with my mind into making me who they wanted me to be? Who am I? Am I Harry Potter, wizarding hero and boy-who-lived, or Mutou Haruto, loved by my Yuugi and Jii-chan?" His soft confused mutterings in Japanese made his friends worry and for the first time since they learned of, what Haruto had described as Shadows, did they see the dark shapes on the wall.

Neville sank to his knees next to his friend, trying desperately not to touch him while Hermione rushed to find a teacher. "Haruto-kun," Neville pleaded his heart in his throat as he tried to snap his friend out of his depressed thoughts. "Haruto-kun, please stay with us. I'm sure you meant no harm. Malfoy-san provoked you and it wasn't the first time." Haruto continued to rock back and forth. His teeth rattled and his body shivered as he continued to battle the cold which had started to invade his body. The dark shadows, which looked like smoke, were curling around them moving over the floor like fog.

"Haruto-kun," Neville whispered, trying to hide his own panic wondering if it was actually his friends who was summoning these creatures of dark fog. "It was nothing. No one was harmed. Malfoy-san was a little startled but other then a red cheek nothing was wrong. I'm sure he will be laughing it off with his friends by now, knowing that nothing had actually happened. Haruto-kun, please stop this." Neville finally grabbed his friend and pulled Haruto into a hug. "Haruto, it is not your fault!"

Haruto was sobbing uncontrollably by now, pulling the young wizard close in a desperate attempt to warm his cold body. "I just miss my Onii-san and Jii-chan so much," he wailed, clinging to the other boy like a life line. "When Snape-sensei brought me here, he promised that I could leave when I wanted too, but every time I ask he says he can't. He broke his promise, the same one he made to my Onii-san and Jii-chan."

Neville's heart broke. His one true friend, only friend, was not happy here and was desperate to leave this place. He could understand of course, they had only known each other for, what, three months or so now? The fact that Haruto never wanted to be at Hogwarts in the first place and was positively frightened off their way of magic didn't make matters much easier. The hostility directed towards him by the Malfoy heir and the youngest Weasley' constant pressure in wanting his friendship could not be easy on poor Haruto either. Sure Neville had tried to be there for his friend and now that Haruto had saved Hermione on Halloween, she had decided to follow them around as well. Haruto didn't look all too sure about her presence, or her strange questions about the summoning of a man (apparently). It had confused Neville to no end, but seeing these rolling wisps of dark smoke which seemed to take form and even become strangely solid, made him wonder just what Haruto's powers really were. No wonder they didn't want to let Haruto leave.

"Haruto-kun," he whispered uncertainly. "I don't want you to panic, but could you tell me about the dark smoke." Haruto abruptly let go of Neville and looked around in panic. His eyes grew wide in fear and shock, sucking in a breath as he pressed himself against his friend again. "They're here again," Haruto muttered, almost crawling into Neville's lap.

"Again?" Neville asked, twisting slightly so he could look into those bright green eyes. "Haruto-kun are these the shadows?"

Haruto blinked and took another, closer, look. He tentatively reached out his hand to the nearest gathering of dark smoke and pushed out a tiny bit of his magical energy towards it so he could decided for himself if it was menacing or not. This did not feel like a Shadow, nor did it look like one. There was something warm and comforting about it, like a pet he could cuddle with. The moment the thought crossed his mind, the black fog began to take a much more solid form. Warm, soft hair was pushed against his hand, tickling Haruto's skin and big round eyes appeared in the ball of hair. A soft "Kuri," came purring out of it and two stocky arms and legs appeared, waving animatedly at him.

The raven head gaped at the small creature, before smiling broadly. This little creature felt like Chaos Command Magician! It was kind and full of cheerfulness. There was something different about the loyalty it seemed to radiate towards him. It was not the same as his Magician, which seemed to be absolute, whereas this seemed to be linked to something (or someone) else. Its big eyes stared into his own green eyes, waiting slightly impatiently for Haruto to make the first move.

Haruto turned again towards Neville and smiled at the blonde Gryffindor. "He's a friend," Haruto whispered and while still leaning against Neville he opened his arms towards the little creature. "Kuri," it purred excitedly and launched itself into Haruto's embrace. This was indeed a friend, someone he could now rely on whenever he felt lonely or sad. Someone he could cuddle into when the Shadows would get too close. Something not even Neville had been able to do.

A sudden flurry of activity broke Haruto and Neville out of their comfortable moment. Hermione rushed in with professor McGonagall the exact moment an owl rapped at the window. Neville startled upright, nearly knocking Haruto flat on the floor but he quickly placed a hand on smaller boy's shoulder so he would remain upright. Neville rushed towards the window to let the owl in, letting it soar in together with a small gust of cold November wind.

Haruto buried his face in the soft hairs of his new friend, peeking over the small creature momentarily at the sharp intake of breath which echoed through the room. Professor McGonagall stared at them, or rather at the small creature, in pure shock. It was quite a comical sight and Haruto hid a small smile at the comically wide eyes and slightly slack mouth. Her spectacles would have fallen off her nose if her hand wasn't raised towards her face, frozen in place. Hermione had quickly supressed her shock when she saw the amusement in Haruto's eyes and approached though with caution. She had seen what Chaos Command Magician could do after all.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked uncertainty clear in her voice and Haruto nodded cheerfully, nearly bouncing where he sat and pressing the small creature firmly against his chest. Professor McGonagall was still frozen in the entryway making Haruto wonder if he should ask if she was alright. "We're fine," he said, glancing back at Neville who stood frowning at his letter. "Well that is to say, I'm alright. I don't know about Neville-kun. His letter seems to have upset him." His voice trailed away as a sudden thought entered his mind. Could it really have been that simple all this time?

Neville shook his head. "There is something… but it can't be… I mean Gran couldn't have…" and he lapsed again into his silence. The frown on his round face worried Haruto and he shifted so he could stand without letting go of his new friend. At first Haruto wanted to stand next to Neville to offer comfort of some sort, but the owl screeched where it sat on the chair by the table drawing his attention. Neville waved at it, still distracted by the letter, at which the owl flapped its wings. It looked clearly annoyed.

"Does it need anything?" Haruto asked, turning to Hermione when Neville did not answer. For being labelled the brightest witch of this year, she too looked a little lost concerning the owl. "Isn't it supposed to return to the Owlery?"

"Not if it is waiting for a reply," professor McGonagall interrupted, finally snapping out of her confused daze. "Magical Owls are trained to follow orders and if a witch or wizard were to have an owl as a familiar it may even be possible to communicate with the owl on an entire different level. I remember a student of mine once who had an owl as a familiar. Flew like a bird on a broom and the owl could sense his mood like no other. They were quite inseparable. Still alive today which makes for fifty-two years this December."

Haruto frowned at the cat-lady and bit his lip in fear of offending the professor with his quest to get home. Professor McGonagall had been most kind to him, especially since Halloween when Chaos Command Magician had saved Hermione from the Troll. She had even resigned to calling him Mr Mutou instead of Mr Potter, but Haruto could see that it pained her to do so. No, professor McGonagall had been most kind indeed. "Is there a way," Haruto started hesitantly, pressing himself more firmly against the hairy creature. "I mean, your letter came the same way… and so I was hoping… well maybe it could be possible…"

Professor McGonagall's usually stern features softened slightly and Hermione's eyes brightened a little as she realised what Haruto was trying to ask. Even she could benefit from this information. "Do not worry Mr Po- Mutou," she said, hastily correcting herself and Haruto could see her resisting the urge to place a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "You are free to use the owls in the Owlery to send any letter you might have to your family. They are trained to find anyone, anywhere. Just tell the owl where and who the letter is for and they will be able to find it."

The raven head bowed at her kindness, which was a little awkward since he was still holding onto his new friend, but he managed all the same. "You can use my family owl Haruto-kun," Neville spoke suddenly, turning to him with half a smile. The letter still seemed to worry him. "Ophelia is trained to fly long distances and is known for her fast deliveries."

Haruto's eyes brightened considerably as hope blossomed in his heart. Maybe, finally, he would be able to at least send a letter to his Onii-san and Jii-chan.

A/N: This Author's Note is for explanation about the chapter since there will be questions of course and I didn't want to explain before the chapter because that would ruin the chapter. Anyway, the confrontation between Ryou and Yuugi worked better in the manga. Also the fact that Ryou has blue eyes in the manga and brown in the anime was making me wonder if I should switch between these colours to note the switch between our sweet Ryou and the Thief Bakura. Let me know if you see any merit in this idea.
The confrontation between Yuugi and Atemu seemed much more genuine when they play Monster World instead of have them argue who get's to play and when. In the anime Yuugi is all 'oh, I have another presence which I am vaguely aware off' and at the confrontation 'I kept trying to shout instructions but you wouldn't listen'. I liked the manga version better where he volunteers to be with his friends and sort of trusts the other presence to take over. It shows thrusts rather then submissiveness. In this story Yuugi is much wearier of Atemu because he took care of Haruto for so long, worrying about everything concerning the little wizard. Sure he worries about his grandfather's health as well, but Haruto is a special case of course.
I skipped the confrontation with Seto and Mokuba because I am still unsure of how to fit them in the story. The Duel Monsters game has been mentioned but will only start to reach its popularity once Duelist Kingdom nears which will be around the summer (in my story).
It was quite funny, when I was writing Haruto's part of the chapter I was watching Jane Austen. Sudden all my sentences became much more formal. I had to switch because Haruto and Neville are only eleven and Hermione is twelve of course. They do not say 'I am quite alright' rather 'I'm okay'. It was quite distracting. *giggles*
I'm so excited; Yuugi and Haruto will be reunited soon! I was thinking of having Neville accompany Haruto to Japan and maybe Hermione too if Haruto will let her. She will follow willingly but whether the friendship between Haruto and Hermione is strong enough for Haruto to let her follow is something I am not sure of. Maybe have Lady Longbottom push her weight around a little, that would be something to see (or read).

Updated 21-07-2013