Disclaimer: See chapters 1-18. It's there in every single one.

Nekotsuki is writing a RK fanfic called "Tantabata Jasmine". It's a wonderful story—check it out!

Also several people have asked the whereabouts of a certain white-haired thief. Yami banished him to the shadow realm a few chapters back and I have no plans to brig him back into this story. I'm sorry if I inadvertently got anyone's hopes up.

Chapter 37

Kenshin sat at the kitchen table a few minutes longer before standing up determinedly. Well, I suppose there is no use in agonizing over this recent turn of events. Might as well take a look around my new home, he thought, closing his eyes as he concentrated on sensing the Ring. He could see it clearly in his mind and he willed himself inside it.

He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar surrounding. It looked like a tomb of some sort. Why am I not surprised? he thought, wryly. He decided to do some exploring.

Suddenly, something appeared before him, blocking his path. The being had no identifiable shape, just a mass of darkness blacker than any of the shadows in the soul room. Kenshin was startled when the entity spoke.

You do not belong here. The voice was soft, like a breath of wind across Kenshin's mind. It was also ancient and held an unknown power behind it's words. Kenshin decided to try and learn more about it.

/What are you?/ he asked, no fear in his words only curiosity.

I am the essence of the Millennium Ring. You do not belong here, it repeated.

Kenshin was surprised by that answer, to say the least. /Why do you reject me?/ Kenshin asked.

You are the hikari of the another Millennium Item's spirit. Only yami's can reside within Millennium Items as their darkness allows them to control the shadow powers granted them by the Items. No hikari can ever reside within a Millennium Item, or hope to ever control the shadow powers within. Without warning, the entity attacked Kenshin with shadow magic, driving him from the Ring the only way it knew how. Force him to leave or destroy him.

Kenshin, being in his spirit form, defended himself the only way he knew how—by manipulating his ki. Without thought, he formed his ki into a shield to deflect the attack and countered with a wave of ki. Even though he had manipulated his ki countless times before, there was something different this time. It was as if he were drawing the power out from another, darker source. Not having the time to dwell on such things he dismissed the feeling, concentrating instead on his attack. He was considerably surprised when his ki appeared as a black wave, colliding with the dark shape before him. There was a brilliant flash of light, forcing Kenshin to cover his eyes. When he could see again, the entity was gone. It's voice brushed across his mind once again.

A hikari with who possesses the darkness of a yami and already has mastery over the shadow powers… Interesting. Never before have I seen one such as you. You have proven your worthiness. I shall allow you to stay in the Ring.

Kenshin was baffled. A hikari with the darkness of a yami? Mastery over the shadow powers? Was that shadow magic I used just now? But, how did I do it? It just felt so natural…. It had been a long day, and all the events were starting to give him a headache.

He walked over to the wall, sinking down to the floor with his back resting against it. He just felt so tired all of a sudden. He propped up his knee, resting his arm on it while the other rested in his lap. Bowing his head, he wearily closed his eyes, sighing. He was asleep in minutes.

The next day, Yugi woke up nervous. Kenshin obviously wouldn't be going to school today, and neither he nor Yami had been able to come up with a believable reason as to why. They were going to have to tell Grandpa something, and that was their current problem.

\We could just say he's sick,\ Yugi suggested.

\\And what do we say when Grandpa tries to wake him up?\\ Yami countered. He didn't like shooting down all of Yugi's suggestions, but someone had to point out all the holes in the stories.

\You're right. Well, the only option left is to tell him the truth,\ Yugi said, sighing.

\\Or, you could feign ignorance,\\ Yami suggested. They both though about that for a minute.

\Nah, I'm not really all that good at lying,\ Yugi said, dismissing the idea.

\\Very well, aibou.\\

Yugi finished getting ready and went downstairs for breakfast.

Grandpa already had breakfast on the table. Yugi was more than a little surprised to see that there were only two places set on the table.

"Um, Grandpa? Shouldn't there be three places on the table?" Yugi asked, a little nervously. Grandpa just shook his head.

"Yugi, I may be old, but I'm not senile. Do you think I didn't notice that Kenshin had the Millennium Mask? Although yesterday was the first time I had seen his yami. I went up to his room to wake him up this morning. It's obvious his soul is absent from his body. I'm assuming Yami banished the spirit of the Mask somewhere. My only question is where is Kenshin's soul?" Grandpa asked. He laughed at Yugi's astonished expression.

"B-but how did you find out about Battousai?" Yugi asked.

Grandpa laughed. "Battousai, is that his name? As for how I found out about him, do you honestly think I couldn't tell my own grandson—adopted or not—from someone else? Give me a little credit, Yugi," Grandpa said. Yugi couldn't help but stare.

\\Well, at least now we don't have to make up a believable story.\\

Yugi just sat at the table, still stunned that his Grandpa had known this whole time. Grandpa just laughed. He hadn't had a clue about any of this until he had overheard Yami talking about it last night. He was a little surprised at how easily Yugi had accepted his explanation. Yugi really trusts me, he thought, a pang of guilt going through him. He brushed the feeling off, and went back to his breakfast.

Ryou woke up to the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. Groggily, he reached out and flipped it off. He lay in bed a moment longer before throwing the covers off himself and sitting up. He stretched, yawning, before tiredly making his way down to the kitchen. He got a box of cereal out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter. Retrieving the milk from the refrigerator, he placed it next to the box of cereal. He grabbed a bowl from another cupboard, and a spoon from the drawer beneath it.

/Oh, so you're finally awake, I see./

Startled, Ryou dropped the bowl he was holding to the floor. It was a glass bowl and shattered on impact.

/I'm sorry, Ryou. I didn't mean to startle you,/ the voice said, apologetically.

"Who…?" The tendrils of sleep still hung about Ryou's mind, making his conscious thought a bit hazy. His eyes widened as the previous nights memories came flooding back to him. "Kenshin!"

/I really am sorry Ryou. I didn't mean to startle you,/ Kenshin repeated.

"It's alright. Bakura never talked to me so I wasn't expecting to hear someone in my mind," he explained as he cleaning up the broken bowl. He looked around.

"By the way, where are you?"

/Actually, I needed to discuss that with you,/ Kenshin said, sounding a bit reluctant.

"Oh? What is it?" Ryou asked, dumping the broken pieces of the bowl into the trashcan. Kenshin decided to take the direct approach. He appeared in front of Ryou.

The boy stepped back, startled. "Don't do that! At least give me some warning next time, okay?" It was then that Ryou's eyes traveled down to Kenshin's chest.

"Why are you wearing a replica of the Millennium Ring?" he asked, confused. Kenshin sighed. Apparently, Ryou didn't know what that meant.

/Ryou, do you remember yesterday when I took over your body the first time?/ Ryou nodded and Kenshin continued. /Well, there was a barrier surrounding you, protecting you from being possessed. However, the barrier didn't come from you—it came from the Ring. I had to enter through the Ring to take over your body. Apparently, the Ring doesn't like not having a soul residing in it,/ Kenshin said, a little bitterly. There is a limit to how many things can go wrong before it starts to affect your mood.

Ryou seemed to catch Kenshin's meaning. "So, you're basically saying that you are now the spirit of the Millennium Ring?" Ryou asked. Kenshin nodded. Ryou walked over and got another bowl from the cupboard and poured some cereal into it.

"Well, on the bright side, this doesn't affect any of your immediate plans. After all, you had planned to stay with me at least for a few more days. Although, you do seem to have a lot of bad things happening to you," he said, pouring the milk over his cereal.

Kenshin walked over and sat opposite Ryou. /You are right, on both accounts,/ Kenshin conceded.

They sat in silence while Ryou ate his breakfast. Kenshin broke the silence with a new question.

/What do you plan to do about Yami?/ Kenshin asked. Ryou looked up, a little confused by Kenshin's question.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

/Well, it's obvious that Yami has been looking for me. If you would like to inform him of my whereabouts, I will not stop you,/ Kenshin said.

Ryou paused to consider this. "Well, I don't think he should have told Joe, Tristan or anyone else about you. It's none of their business, and you obviously wanted to keep it a secret. I won't tell anyone about you," Ryou said, seriously. Kenshin allowed himself to smile.

/Arigato, Ryou./

Ryou, being distracted by actually having someone there he could talk to, ended up practically running to school. He walked in the classroom, a little out of breath, and looked for an empty seat. He found one that was about four seats away from Yugi, and sat down. He then scanned the classroom for Battousai. Ryou didn't see him there, so he turned in his seat to ask Yugi but one of the girls sitting next to the short boy beat Ryou to it.

"Hey Yugi, where's Kenshin? He didn't get hurt again, did he?!" she asked with more than just a passing interest. Ryou noted that more than a few of the girls seated around them had turned to hear Yugi's answer.

"No, he's just not feeling well today," Yugi replied. The girls all looked a little disappointed that Kenshin would not be in school today. Ryou laughed silently.

Kenshin was in the Ring, meditating to pass the time. Upon feeling Ryou's amusement, questioned him about it. /What's so funny, Ryou?/

Oh, nothing. It just appears that I'm not the only one with a fan club at this school anymore, Ryou answered, his voice filled with mirth. Kenshin was confused.

/What do you mean? What's a 'fan club'?/

Well, to put it simply, it is a group usually made up of the opposite sex that is infatuated with you for one reason or another, Ryou explained.

/Oh, I see. What did you mean when you said you're not the only one? Who has the other fan club?/

You, apparently.

/Me?! I haven't noticed any sort of fan club./

Well you just moved here, according to public knowledge, so they were probably giving you time to adjust to your new surroundings before they took action. Either that or they needed time to organize. Either way, you've got one now.

/How can you tell?/

Well, about half the girls in the classroom started getting depressed and sighing when Yugi told them that you weren't coming to school today.

/Battousai isn't coming to school today? Why not?/

I don't know. I didn't get a chance to ask Yu--

"Mr. Bakura!"

Ryou snapped out of his conversation with Kenshin. The entire classroom was looking at him. He felt his cheeks start to burn at all the unwanted attention.

"Please at least try to pay attention in class," the teacher admonished him, turning back to the board.

"Hai, sensei," Ryou answered, looking thoroughly humbled. The class continued rather uneventfully after that.

At lunch, Ryou got a chance to pose the question that had been bothering him all day. "Yugi, where's Kenshin?" he asked.

Yugi looked up from the conversation he'd been having with Tea. Joe and Tristan were too busy arguing over their food to notice.

"I don't know where Kenshin is, Ryou," he said seriously. Tea looked down at the table. Ryou was a little confused.

"What do you mean? Didn't he come home from practice yesterday? Or did he leave in the middle of the night or something?" Ryou asked, trying to think of why Battousai would do something like and where he would go. Yugi's answer interrupted Ryou's thoughts.

"Well, Battousai came back, but we don't know where Kenshin is," Yugi explained. Ryou panicked slightly.

Kenshin! I'm not supposed to know about this, but I'm a terrible liar! he said a little frantically.

/Would you like me to take over?/

Would you please?

No one at the table noticed the muted flash from under Ryou's shirt where the Millennium Ring hung. Similarly, the fact that Ryou's blue eyes took on a slightly more violet hue went undetected by the less than observant group seated around the table. Kenshin looked confused at Yugi's words.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you've lost me," he admitted.

Yugi elaborated. "Well, you remember when we used the Ring to find the Mask?" Kenshin nodded and made a mental note to talk to Ryou about that later. Yugi continued. "Well, it seems that Battousai had been in control when we saw him practicing. We don't know what happened, but somehow Battousai became lodged in Kenshin's body. He could even take off the Mask and still remain in control. So, Yami challenged him to a shadow game. It was set up as more of a lie detector test than anything else, but Battousai got hit with Yami's attack and is now confined in the Mask once again. We don't know where Kenshin is," Yugi explained, bringing his friend up to date.

Ryou didn't have to act surprised as he suddenly found himself in control of the body once again. Kenshin? he said, timidly.

As soon as Kenshin opened the link to respond, Ryou's mind was flooded with anger. His eyes widened at the intensity of it.

/I'm sorry, Ryou, but I am trying to not act irrationally. Having the object of my frustration within arms reach was too much of a temptation for me to withstand./ Kenshin's voice was clipped and business like. It held no emotion, but none was needed when Ryou could feel it in his mind. Kenshin closed the link as soon as he had finished speaking, releasing Ryou from the rage he had been feeling. Most of it, but not all. Ryou looked at Yugi.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes narrowed. Yugi was startled by the sudden change in Ryou. "What?" he asked, a little confused.

"Why did you feel the need to challenge Battousai to a shadow game? Those are serious, they shouldn't be taken so lightly. Why did you feel the need to step in at all? What proof did you have that Kenshin had been injured? Or that Battousai had done it or would even know anything about it?!" Ryou demanded, fueled by Kenshin's anger, mixed with his own.

It was right about here that Yami took over Yugi's body to defend himself. "I was doing what I believed to be right," Yami said, calmly.

This only added a little more fuel to the fire. "Doing what you believed to be right?! Do you think that makes it alright?! You are like a child. You don't have your memories or any of the wisdom that comes with experience. Shadow games are like a toy for you, just like a child playing with a loaded gun, only far more dangerous! Bakura believed that it was his right to rule the world! He was doing what he thought was right! You're turning out to be just like him!" Ryou said, surprisingly managing to keep his voice within the normal range, so as to not attract any unwanted attention.

Unfortunately, Yami's action attracted more than enough attention. Accusing his of being just like the thief was about the most insulting thing that could be said to him. Without even thinking, he reached across the table and backhanded Ryou.

Ryou's head snapped to the side, his hair falling forward to cover his face. Tea gasped, and all conversation in the groups immediately around their table stopped, waiting to see what would happen next. Joey and Tristan were too surprised to react. Yami looked horrified at what he had just done.

"Ryou! I'm sorry! I didn't—I didn't mean to--" Ryou turned his head back to face him, a bruise already forming on his cheek. The disbelief and anger in his eyes effectively silenced Yami. Without a word, Ryou gathered his things and stood to leave the table. He turned back to Yami, a cold look in his eyes.

"I was right, Yami. You're jus like him," he said before walking away. A detached part of his mind noted that his voice had almost sounded as cold as when Kenshin challenged that gang the previous night. Almost.

Kenshin, upon feeling the myriad of strong emotions flowing from Ryou, decided to ask about it. /Ryou, what's wrong? Did something happen?/

Ryou sighed. I don't really want to talk about it.

/Perhaps I could look through your most recent memories?/ Kenshin suggested.

Sure, why not. Knock yourself out.

Although Kenshin was unfamiliar with the saying Ryou used, he took his response as a positive one. He looked through the memories and was angered by what he saw.

/He hit you?! Just because you spoke the truth?!/ Kenshin practically yelled, infuriated. He had been feeling rather protective of the boy since he had taken up residence inside the Ring. Ryou sighed.

It's not important, Kenshin. I deserved it, I shouldn't have said those things, Ryou said. He felt Kenshin's anger rise a little higher.

/That's nonsense! You have every right to state your opinion, especially when it's the truth! He had no right to touch you!/

Drop it Kenshin. You have bigger problems to worry about.

Now Kenshin sighed. /As you wish./ It was Ryou's body he was inhabiting, so Ryou had the final word. Kenshin would respect that. He decided that now was a good time to change the subject. /Ryou, I have something I would like to do that requires the use of a body. May I borrow yours, for a few moments?/

Yugi felt an immense amount of guilty radiating from Yami for the rest of the day, especially every time he looked at Ryou. A large, dark welt had appeared on Ryou's cheek and he had avoided the entire gang for the rest of the day. He would have to talk to Ryou later.

After the last class was over, Yugi went to his locker to put his books away. Surprisingly, there was a note inside addressed to Yami. He picked it up and read it's contents.

Yami,

What gives you the right to play with other people's souls?! You may have once been called Pharaoh and decided who would live and who would die, but that was long ago. The times have changed and you are no longer in command. I understand that you will step in when your friends are threatened. That is acceptable. However, not once have either Battousai or myself threatened anyone close to you. Yet, you still challenged Battousai to a shadow game. You can't stand the fact that something happened that doesn't involve (or revolve around) you. So, you banished him from my body. You had no right to interfere in our affairs. I've overlooked each and every instance you've done so these past few weeks because we were guests in your home—in your world. However, you've gone too far this time. I can no longer stand idly by and allow you to do as you please. You have been warned. I suggest you stop before you dig your grave any deeper than it already is.

Hitokiri Battousai,

Kenshin Himura