Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again, my attempts to merge Japanese with 4Kids is evident in this chapter. I've always felt Joey/Jounouchi was American, though maybe he was raised in Japan. *shrugs*

...i've tried so hard...

Moving wasn't half as bad as the people in movies portrayed it to be. Nor was it particularly great, either. When they finally began to unload all the boxes into the new house, no neighbours came rushing over with cookies and excited introductions. For everyone else in their new neighbourhood, it was just another day.

For Ryou, it was the first day of the rest of his life.

…Heh. He'd always wanted to say that.

Ryou sighed and hefted his bag up to his shoulder, staring up at the new house with indifference. For the past few days, his father had been giving him a crash course in common Japanese phrases, though he still sucked at the language. But since he was only two years from graduating, they'd decided it'd be less expensive for him to learn on his own without hiring a translator. So, Ryou was stuck with having a bad accent for the rest of high school.

He picked up one of the boxes labelled 'Ryou' from the garage and took a step into the house, looking around critically. He'd been here a few weeks ago, but it was different now that he knew he was going to be living here for the next two years.

The place was smaller than his home in Blackwater, but not nearly as small as some of his friends' houses. Both he and his father had mutually decided a small house would be better, in any event. More space meant more emptiness that should have been taken up by Amane and Mum.

He shrugged inwardly, began to make his way towards his new room. It was in the basement, this time, as the house was a one-story. That would take some getting used to.

With a grunt, he dropped the box and the bag and stood in the doorway that was now the entrance to his room. The walls were white, unlike his old room which had been painted a faded blue, marked with half-scrubbed Crayola drawings and a couple scratches from moving furniture around.

His eyes wandered to the window, and the sky outside. From what he had seen so far, Japan wasn't all that different from England. It was somewhat busier, yes, but no worse than London at rush-hour. Ryou took one more glance around the room, drew a breath, and made his way back to the garage to pick up the rest of his stuff.

/When do you register for school?/ the voice in his head asked pensively. Ryou scowled.

He and the Pharaoh hadn't talked much since the day Mum had died. Not for lack of trying on the Pharaoh's part, of course. It was entirely Ryou's fault, and he knew it. He wasn't really bothered by it though. Ryou had this tendency to act like a petty child at times. It had never bothered him.

/In two days,/ he replied, irritated. /And if I have any say in it, it won't be at Domino High School./

He could hear the weary smirk in the Pharaoh's 'voice'. /Domino High is the only high school this city has,/ he informed Ryou, but he sounded to tired to be properly smug. For once, Ryou couldn't really blame him. The spirit had spent the last few weeks worrying, barely sleeping at all. That ,too, was Ryou's fault.

/Unless you want to go to the one for mentally challenged and troubled teenagers,/ he added, and Ryou glowered.

/Fine. I guess I'm going to Domino High. Doesn't mean you'll ever see Yugi,/ he insisted stubbornly, though it was only a half-hearted protest. With all the whining the spirit had been doing as of late, Ryou was genuinely concerned the guy might die without his aibou.

For all his childish anger, he had never been cruel.

/We'll find him,/ the Pharaoh told Ryou with firm conviction in his solemn tone. Then, with a slight smile, he added /He's kind of hard to miss./

Ryou raised his eyebrows as the spirit took shape beside him. He couldn't really imagine anyone more eye-catching than the Pharaoh himself, whose long, reddish hair stood up in thick spikes along his head. That wouldn't have been all too bad, but for the blond forelocks that lined his face, and his piercing, scarlet eyes.

He could feel the Pharaoh's inner amusement, warm in the back of his mind. /Aibou's looks might be just as surprising./

/I doubt it,/ Ryou replied, smiling despite himself. Of course, he wasn't really one to talk, with his stark white hair and wide brown eyes. Though he was half-Asian, no one could look more Western than Ryou.

/Aibou might, actually,/ the Pharaoh mused in response to Ryou's thoughts. /He has the widest eyes I've ever seen on anyone, and his skin is unusually pale./

/Are there any actual Westerners in this group you told me about?/ Ryou wondered.

The Pharaoh considered. /…Joey, I think,/ he answered. /Is 'Joey' a Western name?/

/Very,/ Ryou replied with a grin. He looked up suddenly as his father entered the garage, a sombre look on his face. Instantly serious, Ryou brushed the dirt off his clothes and walked toward the man.

"Something wrong, Dad?" he inquired. His father just shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly. "I just thought…"

He trailed off, lost in thought. Ryou waited a moment for him to continue, then prompted, "Dad?"

"…I just thought I saw this boy wandering outside the garage," his father finished, looking out at the street across from their driveway. "But it had to be some kind of animal. There's no one alive who could have had that kind of hair."

Ryou winced inwardly. No one alive, maybe…

His father shrugged and picked up a box from the ground that was labelled 'silverware'. "Oh, well. Doesn't really matter, I guess." He smiled absently at Ryou. "What with how fast the moving's going, we might even be able to go down to Domino High and register you today. I'll bet you'll be in school by the end of the week."

Ryou's eyes widened. The end of the week? Today was Wednesday.

…He'd be in school in at least two days?

He felt his heart sink as in the back of his mind, the Pharaoh began silently celebrating. Two days? Two days before he was forced into a completely different environment, with everyone speaking a language he could barely understand? He knew he'd be listed as a 'transfer student', and that most Japanese kids his age could speak at least a little bit of English, but still. Two days?

"…That's great, Dad," he managed weakly. "I, uh, I'll just be in my room, then…"

Dazed, he wandered back downstairs, listening to the Pharaoh's cries of elation echoing in his thoughts. Two days, and he'd actually meet this Yugi. Two days, and he'd see… well, the entire circle of friends the Pharaoh spoke so fondly of. And, if anything the Pharaoh said was to be believed, in two days he'd be introduced to the best friends anyone could ever have.

Ryou smiled.

"Ah, hello?" Ryou nervously peeked around the corner of the door. The school office was empty, save for a small aquarium sitting on the far end of what he assumed was the principal's desk. He sighed, dropping his bag and crossing his arms as he turned to face the busy corridor.

/What's happening?/ the Pharaoh asked, sounding confused.

/I'm not quite sure,/ Ryou replied. /Sasaki-sensei said he'd be meeting me here, but I don't see anyone./ He glanced around curiously. It appeared to be break time, with kids of all sizes pouring into the hallway. His face lit up a little as he caught sight of quite a few Westerners in the crowd.

"Hello, may I help you?" a man's voice asked in Japanese. Ryou turned, startled.

The man was tall, with wavy blond curls and a tired smile. He offered his hand. "I'm Yamado Benjiro," he told him. "What's your name?"

Ryou took the hand warily. "Ryou Bakura," he answered, looking the man up and down. He seemed nice. Clearing his throat, Ryou added, "I'm new here. Have you seen Daisuke Sasaki around anywhere?"

Yamado blinked, then nodded. "Ryou Bakura-kun? I'm supposed to be your guide for the next few weeks. Sasaki-sensei is working with some students today. Would you like me to show you to some of your classes?" Ryou let out a relieved sigh as he realized the man had switched to heavily accented English.

"Yes, thank you," Ryou said gratefully, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

They spent the rest of the school day wandering through the halls, Ryou attempting to memorize the ways to all his new classes. The Pharaoh, for his part, mostly remained silent, but there were a couple times where his excitement seemed to bleed through.

When the last bell rang to signify the end of school, however, Ryou had to actually lean against the cool brick wall as a sudden wave of dizzying disappointment washed over him. He drew a deep, ragged breath.

/Pharaoh?/ he called silently.

/…I am here,/ the Pharaoh answered after a moment. /Aibou… aibou is…/

/He might not have been here today,/ Ryou said uncertainly, running a hand through his hair. Another deep breath, and he forced himself to a standing position. /Or maybe I don't have any classes with him. This is a big school, after all./

He sounded unconvincing, even to himself. With a sigh, he grabbed at his bag and started for home.

/I was usually in the puzzle for most of them, but I have aibou's classes memorized,/ the Pharaoh blurted. Ryou stopped mid-step.

…And you don't think you love him that way, do you? he thought to himself with a small smile. Aloud, he said, "That's great! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

/He has Science first period,/ the Pharaoh said, ignoring him. A wistful tone entered his voice. /He was always so tired in the mornings… sometimes he would fall asleep, and I'd have to take over so he wouldn't get in trouble./ The regal teenager materialized beside Ryou, staring out at the street across from the school.

Ryou still wasn't sure how the relationship between the Pharaoh and Yugi had worked. From what little the spirit had said, they had constantly switched who was control of Yugi's body, whether they were gaming or just talking with friends. Sometimes, they had even done it to tease each other. But Ryou had never once let the Pharaoh take control. The thought… made him uneasy, just a little.

Sometimes he wondered what it would be like. Would he become like the Pharaoh? Just a spirit hovering beside, watching as his actual body moved and spoke without his control? Or would he be stuck in his soul room?

He didn't think he'd really mind that, actually. He liked his soul room. The walls were worn and the paint was chipped, but they were covered in pictures of Amane and his mother. The floor was spotless, just like his real room. He liked it best when things were clean. Other than that, there was a box of letters sitting in one corner of the room.

Some of the letters were exact copies of the ones he'd written to Amane. Others were half-finished thoughts, trailing off at the end. There were millions of those. Apparently, his mind took every thought he ever had composed it into a letter. Some made him giggle. Others made him blush horribly and duck his head in embarrassment, which always ended up giving the Pharaoh a good laugh.

Ryou'd never seen the Pharaoh's soul room, however. That was one difference between him and Yugi, he supposed. According to the Pharaoh, the two had been able to enter each other's soul rooms, even interact together in them. But though there was a door at the end of Ryou's soul room, it was locked tightly shut.

He wasn't the other half of the Pharaoh's soul, after all.

/Oi. Baka./ The Pharaoh sounded faintly bemused. /Rise and shine./

Ryou glanced up, startled from his thoughts. "Sorry!" he said immediately. "Science? Well, my first class is Math…"

The clock was ticking far too slowly.

Yami crossed his arms and shifted his weight impatiently, staring down at the sleeping white-haired boy with narrowed eyes. In exactly 2 minutes, 42 seconds, that clock's alarm would go off, waking Ryou. 10 minutes after that, the kid would make his way downstairs for breakfast. And about 30 minutes after that, he'd be at school, crisp and ready for first period.

Yami had been waiting 3, 000 years. But to him, 42 minutes might just have been the longest wait of his life.

Ryou had given him strict orders not to wake him up before the alarm went off. Of course, at the time, Yami had been talking about getting ready an hour or two early so they could try and to squeeze in a visit to the Game Shop before school started. He had even been willing to grant the kid 45 minutes at the very least.

Yami scowled at the sleeping teen. Ryou had sworn to burn each and every one of his Duel Monsters cards if the spirit even thought of waking him early. But one minute couldn't be all that bad, could it?

Reaching out one long, slim finger, Yami turned off the alarm and nudged the boy's foot.

/Wake up./

Ryou snored soundly, rolling over onto his back with deflated sigh.

/Baka. Oi. Wake up./

Nothing.

Yami gave the boy a black look. Then, grimacing slightly, he wooshed the blankets off the bed in one smooth move.

Ryou just curled into himself and shoved a hand in his mouth.

Ra, that boy can sleep. Yami exhaled exasperatedly. Ryou was the deepest sleeper he had ever known. The instant the kid's head hit the pillow, he was out like a light, and nothing, save maybe the promise of food, could wake him up until he chose to do so.

Letting out a breath, Yami moved closer to peer at Ryou, raising a fist to gently knock the boy's forehead. /Wake up! I said wake up, damm-/

"Wah!"

Yami grunted as he was suddenly knocked to the floor by a flailing hand. He wiped at the blood on his cheek, then looked up to glare at Ryou. /Ouch,/ he said pointedly.

The kid had backed up against the wall, squeezing the life out of his stuffed dolphin. He blinked a couple times, the confusion in his eyes fading as he registered the scene before him. A flat expression crossed his face. "Sorry," Ryou said, though he didn't sound very sorry at all. "Not so close next time, Pharaoh."

Yami glowered, but otherwise ignored the advice and pulled himself up to the bed. /Get dressed,/ he ordered curtly. /It's time for school./

Ryou gave him a suspicious glance. "I didn't hear my alarm go off…"

Without a word, Yami swung around the clock to face Ryou. The kid sighed good-naturedly and clambered out of bed.

"Where's my unifor- there it is," Ryou cut himself off dryly as said uniform was abruptly flung in his face. "You seem rather excited today, Pharaoh. Never thought an ancient Egyptian king could like school so much."

/Aibou,/ was all Yami would say.

Because that's all he could think about as Ryou dressed and headed upstairs. It was the only thing on his mind while the boy ate his breakfast and said goodbye to his father. And as they made their way to the school, Yami could barely quell the excitement and even slight fear that flittered away in the hollow of his chest.

He would get to see Yugi today.

That was the only thing that mattered.

"Good morning, Bakura-kun," a voice chirped cheerfully. Yami found himself irritated by the obviously fake animation in the man's tone.

/Tell him to go away./

/No. That's rude./ He watched as Ryou forced a smile and rubbed the back of his neck, a moderately annoying habit that the boy had. "Ah, hello, Yamada-san! How are you today?"

The man smiled back. "I'm good, thank you. Would you like me to show you to your first class?"

Yami felt a thrill of panic course through his veins. /No!/ he shouted before he could stop himself. /Dammit, Ryou, make this guy go away!/

"Um, no thanks," Ryou told the man cautiously. "I think I can find the way on my own."

With that, Yami breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Ryou turned away from Yamada and began to walk briskly down the hall. /Where exactly is the science hall, anyway?/

/Turn left here,/ Yami answered gleefully. In all his excitement about finally seeing Yugi, he'd forgotten how amazing it felt to walk down these halls again, albeit in a different body. He'd been almost afraid he might forget something, but to his satisfaction, everything was the same as he remembered.

"Bakura-kun? You're going the wrong way."

Ryou hesitated, but inside his mind, Yami had frozen.

/…Ah, shit./

"Oh! Right!" he heard Ryou say, gritting his teeth in a fake smile. "Um, the halls look alike, I guess. Thanks, Yamada."

Yami bit back a weary smirk. Of course this would happen. Damn Yamada. Damn him straight to hell.

Ryou turned and followed the stupid little man, wincing inwardly in response to Yami's angry thoughts. Yami found he didn't care. They were so close! So close to finding Yugi, to getting everyone out of this stupid mess. And what was stopping them? Some idiotic man with an irritating voice.

/Be nice,/ Ryou told him sternly.

He glared and refused to respond. What was the point?

/We'll find Yugi eventually. Getting mad at people isn't going to help any. Neither is acting like a spoiled child./

/No, but it feels a hell lot better than sitting and waiting,/ Yami snapped. He sank to his knees and put his head in his hands. Aibou…

He was dimly aware that Ryou was calling at him, but right then, nothing mattered more than the fact that he'd lost a chance at seeing his aibou. He'd been waiting for so long now, it was beginning to feel like he'd never find Yugi. Yugi was everything, everything.

Ryou's calls were getting starting to aggravating, so Yami quickly shut himself off and hid in his soul room, angrily shoving some ancient Egyptian artefact to the floor. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. He wasn't supposed to be able to survive without Yugi. Why was Bakura doing this to him?

"Dammit!" Yami shouted, punching the wall. Then he turned and slid down the hieroglyphs, closing his eyes in despair.

He hated his soul room, more than he hated anything in his entire life. Because for all the beautiful paintings and stories, there was nothing of Yugi there. It was as if he had never met the boy, as if his life had never been changed completely by one simple smile.

It was as if he were alone.

It was a few hours later that Yami finally came out, glowering at the world.

Ryou raised his eyebrows at his sudden materialisation beside the boy, but otherwise did not comment, simply taking a bite out of the apple in his hand.

/…It's lunchtime, then?/ Yami asked finally. He didn't look at Ryou.

"Yeah," Ryou answered anyway. "Do you know where Yugi eats lunch?"

Yami just shrugged. /It depends on the day,/ he replied. /Usually he eats with Joey, Anzu and Honda at the park across the school, but…/ He trailed off, thinking. He'd often wondered, in the 3, 000 years he'd been sealed in the ring, how Yugi's life would be without him. Would he still be friends with the others? Yami desperately wanted that answer to be yes, but he'd always been a realist. If the tomb-robber had sealed himself in the puzzle, he'd probably do all he could to keep Yugi away from his friends.

/I never really asked him what it was like before,/ he admitted quietly.

Ryou gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well," he began.

"Oi! Honda! Gimme back my jacket, you loser!"

"Only if you promise to apologise to Miho-chan. School policy states-"

"Aw, you know I don't care about that shit! My sister gave me jacket as a present and-"

"Liar! You bought that thing last month!"

"You wanna fight about it, bastard?"

"Like you could- ARGH, get off me, already!"

Yami froze as Ryou glanced up, looking irritated. "Can't they just be quiet?" the boy complained, but Yami clamped a silencing hand over his mouth.

/Baka! That's Honda and Joey!/

Ryou blinked. Then he stared. Then he frowned, looking incredulously up at Yami. "That's your so-called best friend?"

/The blond one, yeah. The guy with the crazy hair… I don't really know. He's just sort of there, most of the time,/ Yami said absently. /What are you waiting for? Go up and talk to them!/

Ryou looked as if Yami had just suggested he jump up on one of the picnic tables and do a strip tease. "…Are you nuts?" he demanded at last. "Those guys could cream my face in!"

/Only the blond one. The other guy's kind of a pussy. And Joey's actually really gentle, once you get to know him./

"You're crazy!"

/Yup,/ Yami agreed gleefully. At Ryou's blank stare, he added, /If you're too scared, I could always take over./

"Nuh-uh," the boy stated immediately, which was basically Ryou-speak for "like hell". With a pointed glare, Ryou picked himself up off the grass and started in the direction of the two feuding boys.

"Um, hey, guys?"

/Be firm. They won't respect you otherwise./

"I was, uh, just… just wondering if…"

"What're you staring at, limey-boy?"

"A-ah, um… I… Wah!" Ryou cried out as he was abruptly shoved to the ground.

"Catch you later, pussy-ass!"

/…Then again, they never really respected you in the first place,/ Yami recalled ruefully.

Six days. They'd been here for six days and they still had not caught sight of Yugi. Part of Yami was beginning to think his aibou had disappeared off the face of the planet, but that part was squashed by the more optimistic part of him that said Yugi was invincible, and both parts were pushed to the back of his mind and forgotten by the part of him that was still blissfully happy about his "meeting" with Honda and Joey.

/Try talking to them again. I think they're starting to like you./

His current host groaned and leaned into the ice pack the school nurse had given him. "For the last time, no. I really don't like having my face disfigured on a daily basis, thank you."

Yami gave Ryou an appraising once-over. The boy was covered in bruises from his face to his chest, one eye even beginning to swell over. His lunch was constantly being stolen, and his pockets held a surprising lack of cash, considering the fact that he received a 250-yen-a-day allowance.

"They hate me," Ryou continued relentlessly. "They despise me."

/No, they just like destroying you in gym class./

"And math class, and break, and at lunchtime…"

/It means they like you./

"It means they like my face. Breaking it, I mean."

Yami shrugged shamelessly. /You do have a beautiful face./

"Thank you, I- Pharaoh?"

Ryou nearly choked on his own saliva, dropping his ice pack in an effort to stop the hacking coughs that resulted. But Yami had frozen.

A small boy stood there, talking to the nurse. His hair was wild and greasy, and large bruises circled under his eyes. He was speaking in a tone so quiet even Ryou's sensitive ears couldn't pick up what he was saying, but Yami could recognize that voice anywhere.

The boy was utterly, unmistakeably Yugi.

"But Pharaoh, that's- that's you!" Ryou managed in a strangled whisper. "What… who…?"

Then Yami did something he had never done before. Without thinking, he pushed Ryou out of the way and took control of the boy's body.

And then he was a sudden blur of movement, mindlessly moving toward the child who was his aibou, his light, his everything. In the back of his mind, he could hazily hear Ryou's affronted cries, but they suddenly didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

Yami drew his first real breath in 3, 000 years, spoke the first word and the last word and the only word he had ever spoken.

"Aibou," he whispered.

...then i see your face...

TBC