Disclaimer: I have not, do not, and will not ever own either "Rurouni Kenshin" or "Yu-Gi-Oh!".

Also, my story is taking place after Duelist Kingdom, but before Battle City.

Chapter 7

The rest of the school day was uneventful, and the hours after school found Kenshin at the arcade with Yugi and the rest of his friends. They had chanced upon Ryou Bakura and he had joined their group. They were just standing around talking, every now and then playing one of the games, but mostly just hanging out. Kenshin, however, had a disinterested expression on his face as he let his gaze wander around the arcade. He was actually trying to see everything without being too conspicuous. He was amazed by all the games this "arcade" had to offer and at all the technological improvements made in the past two hundred years, such as moving pictures that you can actually control. As such, he was not following the conversation between his new friends.

"You know, Joey, you really do look like a dog when you inhale your food like that," Tristan pointed out, laughing at his friend.

"Enough with the dog jokes already! I get enough from Kaiba, as it is!", Joey complained, annoyed.

"Well, if you didn't act so much like a dog, then no one would make fun of you for it!" Tristan taunted.

"All right, that's it! You're gonna get it now!" Joy said as he tried to punch Tristan. Tristan moved back and Joey's momentum propelled him forward into the person next to Tristan, which just happened to be Kenshin.

Unfortunately, Kenshin was too busy trying to see everything in the arcade without drawing attention to himself, and didn't realize Joey was coming towards him until he felt Joey's fist connect with the wound in his side--hard. Kenshin's eyes widened as he gasped at the unexpected pain. He fell to his knees, clutching his side as his vision flickered. He sat there for a few minutes waiting for the pain to subside and his vision to clear.

//Little brat! What'd he do that for?!// Battousai demanded, enraged.

/I...don't think...that he meant...to hit me/, Kenshin managed to reply between the throbs of pain he was experiencing.

Yugi immediately ran over to Kenshin, kneeling on the floor beside him. "Joey, what'd you do that for?! Kenshin didn't do anything to you!" Tea yelled.

"I'm sorry! I meant to hit Tristan! It was an accident! Besides, I didn't hit that hard! He must be a real wuss, if he can't even take a hit like that!" Joey said, trying to defend his position even though he looked shocked at what he had just done.

"Joey, there was a reason Kenshin was in the hospital. He has a pretty deep slash in his side," Yugi explained before turning back to Kenshin. "Are you alright?

Kenshin drew a shaky breath. "Hai. I'm fine," he said quietly.

Joey looked even worse than before. "Hey, Kenshin, I'm sorry man. I was trying to hit Tristan..." Joey glared at Tristan.

Kenshin managed to push himself to his feet. "It's alright, Joey. No lasting damage done," I hope, Kenshin said, adding the last part silently to himself. Kenshin smiled, trying to assure his friends that he was indeed all right. Ten minutes later, Kenshin's side was still throbbing, so he decided it was time to go home.

"Yugi, I am a little tired, so I'm going to go home, alright?

Yugi looked at him. "I'll come with you, so you don't get lost.

Kenshin shook his head. "I'll be alright. You can stay, and hang out with your friends a while longer," Kenshin replied.

Yugi did indeed want to stay with his friends, but he couldn't leave Kenshin alone in a city he didn't remember. Ryou, seeing the conflict within Yugi, decided to help out. "It's about time I headed back to my house, too. Yugi, if you'd like I can make sure Kenshin finds the shop alright," Ryou volunteered.

Yugi brightened at that. "Thanks, Ryou! Well, I guess I'll see you later, Kenshin!"

Kenshin nodded, and headed towards the door. He didn't want to be around anyone, but it might look suspicious, if he outright refused any company. His side was still hurting, and it took a lot of energy to act like he was fine. If he was lucky, maybe he could convince Ryou that he knew his way home.

Ryou followed Kenshin out of the arcade, and they started walking down the street.

"So, Kenshin, where are you from?" Ryou asked, trying to make conversation.

"I don't remember anything prior to waking up in the hospital," Kenshin said shortly. He was not in the mood for small talk.

"Oh."

There was suddenly a drastic change in Ryou's ki, but Kenshin was too preoccupied to think anything of it.

"Let's take this alley. I know a short-cut to the Game Shop," Bakura said. Kenshin noticed a slight change in Ryou's voice, but the thought of being home sooner was appealing to him, so he ignored it. They walked on in silence for several more minutes. Soon, Kenshin noticed they were at a dead end.

"Ryou, I thought you said that this was a short-cut home?" Kenshin asked, confused.

"Did I say that? Well, it's a short-cut to your new home--right in here." Bakura held up the Glory of the King's Opposite Hand card that he had received when he was invited to Duelist Kingdom.

Kenshin was confused. "What are you talking about?

Bakura liked to gloat, so he explained it to Kenshin. "I'm going to seal your soul in this card, and then I will not only have your soulless body at my disposal, but also your Millennium Mask! And to make it even better, I'll also be in a prime position to steal the Millennium Puzzle from Yugi!" Bakura exclaimed, with an evil laugh. Had he not been so caught up in his success, he might have noticed Kenshin's warm violet eyes turn into the cold, glowing amber eyes of a hitokiri.

Battousai closed his eyes, concentrating. If Ryou's yami did indeed attack with Shadow Magic, Battousai would need to be alert and ready to dodge it. Kenshin's body was injured, so it was likely that he wouldn't be able to dodge a second attack. He extended his senses, feeling everything around him, readying himself for the attack. Bakura was an idiot to give him time to prepare himself, a mistake he would not get to make twice.

/Don't kill him. /

//What?// Battousai asked, startled.

/I said, don't kill Ryou./

//Why not? He's trying to give you a fate worse than death! This is merely self-defense, kill or be killed. This is as it always has been, and as it always will be.// Battousai argued.

/While that may be true in a time of war, there is no war here. People deserve second chances. As for Ryou...it's not his fault. It's his yami. Would you kill an innocent hikari for something his yami did?/ Kenshin asked.

//Yes. The end result is still the same. The yami cannot act without his hikari.// Battousai answered without hesitation.

/Well, I'm asking you to spare him. I will do everything in my power to fight you, if you refuse, and you know I'll win. Just like last time/ Kenshin said, remembering his wife.

//Yes, but you were too late, weren't you? Fine, I'll do as you ask. I'll spare his life--for now// Battousai conceded.

/Thank you./

Bakura looked at him. "I hope you're done praying, or whatever, cause I'm ready now." Bakura called upon the powers of the Ring and held the card up while sending a wave of Shadow Magic at Kenshin. Bakura watched as Kenshin...disappeared? Confused, he looked at the card, thinking that he might have accidentally sent Kenshin's body to the Shadow Realm with his spirit. A soft, deadly voice spoke softly in his ear.

"For my hikari, your life shall be spared."

Suddenly, something hard connected with the back of Bakura's head, rendering him unconscious. Battousai stood over him, returning his sword to it's concealed place beneath his trench coat (A/N: think of Highlander). He had flipped the blade, so that the dull side had struck his mark. However, his actions had cost him dearly. The wound in his side that Joey had accidentally hit had reopened from his attack, and possibly the wounds on his legs when he had dodged. The wound on his right arm was also hurting, from the force of the impact when his sword hit Bakura's skull.

//No wonder the Kuzu Ryu Sen is the ultimate technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Even if it doesn't kill you, it sure limits your fighting abilities until you've completely healed!// Battousai complained as he picked up the card that Bakura had been holding and slowly made his way back to the street, limping slightly.

/Why are you taking the card?/ Kenshin asked, confused.

//I'll let him live because you asked me to, but I'll not leave him armed. I'm not sure what this card has to do with anything, but it seemed important to whatever he had in store for you, so I'm going to relieve him of it.// Battousai said, simply.

Battousai looked around as they reached the street. //Do you know where we are?// he asked.

/This place looks familiar... Oh, wait! We passed this building on the way to school this morning. Head back down this street, and we should come to the Game Shop. To think, we already passed by it! We could have been home already, if Ryou hadn't volunteered to escort us,/ Kenshin said, excited at the fact that home was so close.

//Convenient, wasn't it? I think that he and his yami had that planned when we left the arcade. Are you regretting your choice to let him live?// Battousai asked, smirking.

/No. I still think that Ryou had no part in this whatsoever. Do you think that I would have killed Tomoe to ensure that I defeated my enemy?/ Kenshin asked, anger and sorrow apparent in his voice.

//I am truly sorry for what happened that day-// Battousai began.

/Don't. Just, don't. I know you'd do the exact same thing, if a similar situation arose/ Kenshin said, bitterly.

//I didn't want her to die-//

/Stop it! Just stop it already! What's done is done, and neither you, nor I can change that!/

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Battousai kept control of the body until they reached the Game Shop. He wanted to spare Kenshin as much of the physical pain as he could. He had already caused Kenshin enough mental pain and even Kenshin's wounds could be blamed on Battousai. It was him who Hiko had been trying to kill, after all.

When they reached the door, Kenshin took over. The pain hit him hard, and he had to grab the door for support until he found his balance. After centering himself, he took a deep breath and stepped inside.

~#42;~

After Kenshin and Ryou had left, the conversation between Yugi and his friends had continued, as if there had been no interruption. After a few minutes, Yami felt someone using Shadow Powers in the direction of the Game Shop.

\\Yugi. We need to get out of here now. I just sensed some Shadow Powers being used in the direction Kenshin and Ryou left in.\\

Yugi's eyes widened. "Uh, guys, I gotta go.

"Hey what's the rush, Yug?

Yugi shuffled his feet. If he told his friends what Yami had said, they'd want to come along and they might end up getting hurt.

"I know, you feel bad for ditching Kenshin and talking to us when you're the only person he really knows here, right? You want to go and apologize, and make sure he's alright." Tea, of course.

Yugi jumped at the opportunity to escape. "Yes! I feel bad and I want to make sure he's okay!" Well, that was true. He was worried that something had happened to Kenshin.

"Alright, Yug. We see you tomorrow in school, right?

"Right. Bye!" Yugi called over his shoulder as he left the arcade. As soon as his friends were out of sight, Yami took control and sprinted to where he had felt the Shadow Magic coming from.

~#42;~

"Hello, Kenshin," Grandpa said as he saw Kenshin enter the store. "Where's Yugi?"

"He wanted to stay at the arcade and hang out with his friends. It's okay, Ryou made sure I didn't get lost on the way home," Kenshin said, noticing Grandpa's disapproving face at Yugi leaving Kenshin to find his way home alone.

"Kenshin, is your side hurting you?" Grandpa said, gesturing to Kenshin's left side.

Kenshin looked down and saw that he had his hand pressed firmly over the wound. I guess that was a little too obvious. Oh well, at least I have an excuse... "One of Yugi's friends, Joey, was trying to hit Tristan. Tristan dodged and Joey ended up hitting me. I must say, he has a pretty good punch," Kenshin said smiling slightly.

Grandpa looked concerned. "Kenshin, maybe you should let me take a look at it.

"No, it's alright, I would just like to lie down for awhile, if that's alright with you?" Kenshin asked, hoping Grandpa wouldn't push the subject. Joey probably wouldn't hit Kenshin hard enough to make the stitches break.

"All right. Go ahead on up to your room. You already had dinner at the arcade I presume?" Grandpa asked. Kenshin nodded. "Then I'll see you in the morning. Let me know, if your side is still causing you pain.

"Hai. Goodnight, Grandpa.

"Goodnight, Kenshin.

Kenshin went to the bathroom upstairs and pulled off his shirt. Sure enough, the blood was starting to seep through the bandages covering the left side of his stomach. Sighing, he pulled the bandages off and tossed them in the trash. He then took the ointment the doctor had told him to use and spread it liberally on his now open wound before reapplying fresh bandages. He checked all his other wounds and found that they had thankfully not reopened. He applied the ointment and changed the bandages anyway. Then he went to his room, placed his sword back under the bed, changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and, crawling into bed, was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

~#42;~

Yami was getting closer to where the shadow power had originated from. Yugi's body was not athletically built, so Yami had slowed down to a fast walk. Yami was a little surprised when he walked right past the Game Shop, but kept heading to where he could sense the remnants of shadow magic lingering still, like a residue from the spell. Yami reached a dead-end alley where he concluded the magic must have been cast from. Looking around, he was startled to see Ryou on the ground towards the end of the alley. Running over to him, Yami gently turned him over and checked his pulse. It was strong, so that meant Ryou had probably only been knocked out. After several unsuccessful attempts to wake him up, Yami ran back to the Game Shop and allowed Yugi to tell Grandpa that they had found Ryou unconscious in the alley. Grandpa called an ambulance and went to the hospital, since Ryou's father was out of town, leaving Yugi home with Kenshin.

\Yami, what do you think happened?\ Yugi asked.

\\Someone with a Millennium Item tried to send someone else to the Shadow Realm. It's as simple as that,\\ Yami stated.

\You think Kenshin tried to send Ryou to the Shadow Realm? Why would he do that? There's no point,\ Yugi argued.

\\The more souls one sends to the Shadow Realm, the more powerful one's item becomes. It's what Pegasus was doing, before we stopped him. Bakura was doing it, too, before Tristan got rid of the Ring. Besides, there are no Millennium Items, aside from the Puzzle and the Mask, that are currently within Domino City. Who could it have been?\\

\Well, I don't think that it was Kenshin. I trust him, Yami. I don't think he attacked Ryou. Besides, Kenshin was coming home. Why would he attack Ryou way over there? Why not sooner? I don't think he did it,\ Yugi said, stubbornly.

\\Yugi, all of the evidence points to Kenshin. He probably didn't want us to get suspicious, so he made it seem like it happened after he was already home,\\ Yami said, gently.

\I still don't believe Kenshin did it. End of conversation.\

\\As you wish, aibou. But you will have to accept the truth sooner or later.\\ With that, Yami broke the link.

Yugi sighed, and went upstairs. It was late, so he decided to go to bed. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, but something in the trashcan caught his attention. Bloody bandages. Kenshin had somehow reopened one or more of his wounds. If what Yami said was true, why would Kenshin attack Ryou when he was already injured? And Ryou didn't look like he'd been in a fight. What really happened? Yugi thought as he wandered down the hall to Kenshin's room. He opened the door quietly. Kenshin was asleep in his bed, breathing softly. His clothes had been discarded and lay where they fallen on the floor. Yugi turned to go when something caught his eye. Sticking out of Kenshin's pants pocket was what appeared to be a Duel Monsters card. Yugi quietly walked over, and picked it up. He gasped when he turned it over. It was Glory of the King's Opposite Hand. This was the same type of card that Pegasus had used to hold Grandpa's, Mokuba's and even Kaiba's souls. Pegasus would've put Yugi's soul in one of those cards, had Yugi lost his duel with him. Yugi shuddered at the memory. The only people who had those cards were people who had been invited to Duelist Kingdom. But, Kenshin didn't even have a dueling deck. What was he doing with this card?