Hey, everyone, I'm here and this is the last chapter BEFORE the epilogue (yes, there will be one). I'm sorry it has taken so long to finish this story, but I just finished up my first semester at my music college .. I really lost interest for awhile and was really pushing it so if this does not meet your expectations, I'm sorry. Although at some parts it was difficult, this was a fun story to write and I thoroughly enjoyed all your reviews! Thank you so much for your support through the writing of this fanfic!

Reminders:
'Thoughts.'
voices

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or Harry Potter.

Ryou sat at dinner stirring his food around his plate. He had been trying to keep an eye on Malfoy for the last few days, but the blonde always seemed to disappear. Due to this fact, Ryou knew something was up, he didn't even need to consult the inner eye to suspect.

"And then the whole cauldron blew up!" Ron exclaimed throwing his arms up and spilling his pumpkin juice. "It was great!""Wonderful, Ron," said Hermione with a quickly mumbled cleaning spell.

"Next time, don't pretend that your pumpkin juice is a potion."Ron grinned and took a bit out of his chicken. Joey and Harry laughed as Hermione made a face.
"Boys," she muttered.

Ryou sighed. No matter how much he used to enjoy time with his friends, he just could not bring himself to these days. If only Bakura hadn't…Its time, the last step will begin tonight.

Ryou tensed as the voice entered his mind and looked around the Great Hall, his hair whipping Hermione in the face.
"Ryou, what are you?" Spotted!

"Sorry, guys, I've got to go," Ryou left as fast as he could without appearing suspicious having just seen Malfoy leave.

"Ryou?" Harry called and ran after him. He stopped his brother in right before he left with Ron, Joey, and Hermione not far behind."What? I have to go, now!" Ryou shouted as Harry spun him around.

"Why," Harry asked. "Why are you leaving so fast?"

"Look, I found out that the one who is after us is Malfoy and he just left! I need to stop him before he does anything else."
"How do you even know its Malfoy, Ryou?" asked Ron.

"The millennium eye," Ryou pulled the ancient object from his pocket earning a gasp from Joey.

"How did you even get that, I thought Pegasus was killed and…"

"Apparently my Yami stole at least one of the seven items," Ryou's quiet voice caused shivers down all their backs. His eyes became distant and cold, all light leaving them. "I won't let him hurt anyone else, so don't try to stop me." With that said he swiftly turned around and with his robe swishing behind him stalked out of the castle.
Harry looked at his other friends and they all nodded in agreement before running to catch up with Ryou who was almost halfway to the Forbidden Forest.

Truthfully, Ryou had no idea where he was going, only a feeling that Malfoy would be at the site where he had exorcised Bakura. He was moving quickly across the grounds knowing he had lost a lot of time talking to his half brother and friends.

"I knew you'd be here at some point," drawled a voice Ryou had been listening for. "You have been watching me like a mother hen."

"It was you the whole time," Ryou stated as Malfoy smirked.

"Of course it was, Potter," he laughed. "You and your idiot brother destroyed my father and family name."

Ryou's eyes narrowed. He knew Lucius Malfoy had been found as a death eater, but didn't realize the man's son felt so strongly about it.
"What are you doing, Malfoy?"Malfoy raised his eyebrow.

"You don't know, seer?" he sneered. "I'm going to kill you and your meddlesome brother." Harry and crew stopped behind Ryou. "Oh, look who just showed up."
"Harry, Hermione, Ron, Joey, you guys shouldn't be here," Ryou said without turning around.

"Hey, we're in this together, Ryou" Joey said. "I won't leave you alone."
"Me neither," Hermione piped up.
"Right."
"Yeah!"

A warm feeling entered Ryou's heart that had not been felt throughout most of the year thus far and he couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips.
"How touching," Malfoy drawled and pulled out his wand. "Unfortunately, you will all die tonight. Expelliarmus!" He must have been practicing because all five of their wands flew to his outstretched hand.Harry almost lunged forward, but with a quick threat from Malfoy's wand and Joey and Ron holding him back, he didn't get very far.

Ryou glared at Malfoy as the blonde turned to look at him, his closest victim. Hermione tried to hold her hair down as a supernatural wind picked up that neither Malfoy nor Ryou noticed.

"You destroyed my happiness and the best friendship I ever had came to a sudden stop because of you," Ryou's voice grew deep and sinister and his hair unnaturally spiked up in the wind. His glare intensified and in a sudden motion he had thrown a knife at Malfoy's arm forcing the blonde to drop his wand and grasp it in pain. Another well placed throw had him pinned to the tree trunk behind him. Malfoy was paralyzed in fear as Ryou continued to slowly walk towards him. "I can never forgive you."
Hermione gasped as the shadows grew darker and swirled around Ryou who had stopped a few feet from the pinned boy. Ron and Joey's hold on Harry fell and Harry stared at his brother in shock and awe. 'What is going on?'

"I call upon the darkness of the shadow realm," a gruff voice escaped Ryou's lips as he stared emotionless and indifferently at Malfoy. "Since you have ripped my soul into pieces, I will steal yours."

A light surrounded Ryou's body and his hair stuck up even more as the millennium ring glowed with raw power. All dark creatures of the forest scurried away from the light and Unicorns whinnied as the ground shook. Hermione fell to the ground as the boys tried to stabilize themselves on each other and surrounding foliage. Ryou's blood curdling scream broke through the chaos as a light flew from his pocket where the millennium eye rested and surrounded the pinned blonde.

As quickly as it had begun the world became calm and Malfoy slumped in his bindings, soulless. Ryou's breathing was labored and he held a hand to the millennium ring as he stared at the boy in front of him. Tears fell unchecked down his cheeks as a sense of calm overcame him.

Professors came running to the clearing having seen the light and felt the earth shake. Madam Pomphrey rushed to Malfoy's side, checking for damage. Ryou sunk to the earth and clutched the grass between his fingers trying to catch his breath. The millennium ring fell into his line of vision and glinted in the light from the Professors' wands. The light winked at him and he stared at the ring as he caught his breath. Words he had forgotten came back to him.

…I'll always be there with you…I'm a part of you now, Ryou…Thank you.

Sobs racked his body and he smiled and laughed for the first time in a while. 'Yes, Bakura, you are a part of me. I never saw it before. I am you, your reincarnation, and you've been here all along.'"May you rest in peace, spirit of the millennium ring," Ryou whispered. "May you rest in peace."

The rest of the school year flew by and Ryou was finally able to smile again. He realized that Bakura would always be with him, in himself and his memories and nothing would ever change that.

There is the last chapter. I'll try to get the epilogue up soon, possibly around Christmas since I have a weeklong clinic this coming week.Send me some comments on the chapter, hope you enjoyed and see you in the epilogue and end of Falling Leaves.
-Maki-sama-