Shandy: So many reviews... are we in heaven?

Candy: I'm pretty sure we're not... let's respond.

GGMJ: I will, and I'm glad this is you're favorite story now! I'm personally very proud of it.

Darkhouse Douglas: Alright! But Yugi and Ryou really are the only ones that have switched gender, Malik and Joey will still be male. (SPOILERS!)

Marco-Guest: Well guess what, flatline, THIS STORY ISNT FLIPPIN COMPLETE YET! So don't tell me that this story has no YOAI, I know what YOAI is and it's coming later in the story.

whitlaw123: I shall.

myrackle-Guest: Thank you! And it's ok, I'm pretty sure we all are XD And I will.

Guest: I'll be writing a chapter after the whole series is done about how all that goes down... I hope you can bear with me on that. And yes, I decided to use some of the Japanese Names- specifically for their friends.

Shandy: Well, without further ado, here's the next chapter!

Candy: We hope you enjoy!

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Ryou gulped at the mere size of the mansion that she was driven up too. Her long white hair was done in a single braid down her back at her dark's insistence. A young man waited for her up front along with an older woman. He had golden blonde hair and soft green eyes that reminded Ryou of her mother's and maybe even her own green eyes. She, however, had black hair with part of it dyed red, some intelligent looking glasses over her brown eyes.

"Ms. Bakura." She spoke in a business type tone. "It is a pleasure to see that you made it safely."

"Oh, uh, pleasure is mine Mrs…"

"Just call me Nathalie." She replied, looking down at a clip board in her hands.

"And I'm Adrien." Adrien spoke in practiced English, and Ryou relaxed, knowing that language inside and out. "It's wonderful to meet you, Ryou. I've heard much about you from your father."

"Oh…" Ryou mentally winced, but she continued. "I wish I could say the same, father hardly ever talks to me anyway… and I'm sorry to hear about aunt Annalise." Adrien grimaced, already knowing the feeling, and knowing that Ryou knew it too, from what her father ever admitted to say about it.

"Yes." He smiled and gestured to offer her inside. "Come on in, I'll show you to your room." Ryou nodded with a vague smile. Yes, Adrien was her cousin on her mother's side, but she had no idea that he even existed until her father had sent her a letter notifying her that they were welcome to stay for a year at their mansion, as her aunt Annalise had died just about a year prior and Gabriel admitted missing her presence.

Her father had known that Ryou was like her and thought it would be a great family bonding moment (the hypocrite, leaving Ryou to live alone in an apartment complex for five years after her own mother's death and hardly sending any words besides that he was alive and well). The only reason Ryou agreed was because Yugi had agreed to be an exchange student to the same town, so at least she'd have someone to talk to.

Idly, Ryou's fingers brushed against the outline of the Millennium Ring underneath her jacket. Bakura was always on the forefront of her mind now, ever since she had discovered his presence a little less than two years ago, though he had been with her almost two years longer than that since that was when her father had first sent it to her as a birthday present. Knowing him, he would take over at some random point and steal something, get her in trouble, and have her sent back to Japan.

In the depths of her mind, the said spirit scoffed, claiming that he would only do it at school because wealthy clothes he only stole if he needed them. He was much more into jewels, which appeared to be absent in this rather large and quiet mansion. He was sure they'd be at school though.

Ryou mentally rolled her eyes and sent that he wouldn't be getting any should he steal anything.

Unlike Yugi and Yami, they didn't have a bond so strong as to speak to each other in the mind unless Bakura was already out and about as a spirit- something about doing that would mean sharing all secrets and thoughts with each other. It hurt Ryou that he didn't trust her that much, but she understood that he mostly wanted to protect her from his horrid past and all of the gruesome things he did when he was alive. Ryou herself still had nightmares of the fire that took her mother and sister- and if she still woke up screaming about that, there was no way that she could handle seeing not only his whole family, but his whole town murdered to forge the Millennium Items.

"And here's your room." Adrien said, bringing Ryou out of her thoughts. "Your father arranged everything in a way he hoped you liked."

"And this comes with the end of our tour. I'll be at the secretary desk if you need anything." Nathalie said stiffly, bowing a little and Ryou bowed as well before she left. However, Ryou didn't even touch the door to her room, simply staring at it. What her father hoped she liked? Since when did he know her?

"I get it." Adrien whispered after a moment. "If you don't want to see what your father thinks." He smiled at her a little nervously. "If you don't want to be alone, we could always go up to my room and play some video games?" He asked, and she smiled.

"I'd like to get to know you too." She said, turning fully away from the room as Adrien turned as well to lead her to his room. "Yugi told me that you were in her class."

"You know Yugi?" Adrien asked, a little surprised. "She didn't mention much of Japan at school."

'Probably because it's infected with magic.' She thought, but smiled anyway. "Her past in Japan wasn't a pretty one- I know that and we met about two years ago." She bit her lip but pushed on, knowing Yugi wouldn't mind. "She was often bullied by boys twice her height and girls much much more popular because of her size, personality, and obsession with games. She only just started getting friends two years ago- I'm surprised that she's still herself after all that."

"Ah, I see." Adrien spoke after a moment. "Up until this last year I was homeschooled- I was supposed to be able to go last year, but mother died and father started to keep me on a chain and almost locked in this house."

"I'm sorry." Ryou muttered, before giggling. "Strange how our father's are so alike- mine couldn't bear to look at me for the first two years after mother's death." Adrien laughed, and Ryou sent a threat should Bakura do anything to scare the boy.

The spirit merely chuckled, sending that he would consider it.

Ryou huffed slightly, but payed attention to her surroundings again when Adrien opened the doors to his room.

"Sorry for the smell." Adrien spoke, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "A… friend of mine likes Camembert."

"Oh, I don't mind." Ryou said with a small smile. "Mother loved Camembert." He paused before nodding, leading her to his couch. She looked around, observing all of the details only to giggle.

"It looks like someone has a crush." She really had only pointed this out to soothe any jealousy that Bakura might've been feeling, as the spirit was very possessive and harsh when it came to her. Adrien paled and tried to stumble out some sort of explanation for the many posters and pictures of a certain red and black-spotted heroine only to sigh.

"Yeah." He finally admitted, his face red. "Yeah- L-Ladybug is amazing."

"Ladybug?" Ryou asked. "Yugi mentioned her- she saves Paris along with… Cat Noir, Honey Bee, and Vixen?" She half asked, and he chuckled.

"Queen Bee and Volpina." He corrected. "But yeah, they're all super heroes."

"Do have pictures of any of the others?" Ryou asked. "I would love to know, Yugi didn't mention much about them." Adrien blinked before nodding.

"Yeah, just give me a second…" He walked over to the bunch of posters and selected one that had each of the other three superheroes on it. "Here we go." He sat down next to her, and while they were looking down at the photos, Bakura separated himself from Ryou in order to get a more in depth look at the surrounding room.

"So, This is Volpina, And there's Queen Bee…" He pointed to the heroes as he spoke. "And that's Cat Noir."

"Cat… Noir…" Ryou mumbled, squinting at the picture. Wasn't that Adrien? At feeling Ryou's confusion, Bakura floated overhead to look at the picture, only to burst out into laughter. Ryou froze and Adrien literally jumped off the couch in shock, turning around to stare at the source of the maniacal laughter.

"Cat Noir?! HAHAHAHA! More like Kitty Agreste! HAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA!" He held his stomach as he floated in the air, not giving two craps to Ryou and her shocked cousin, who stared up at him. Ryou glanced at Adrien as he lifted a shaky finger at Bakura, opening and closing his mouth in pure shock. So he had seen him.

"BAKURA!" Ryou shouted, glaring daggers at her Dark. She sighed. "Sorry Adrien- this is Bakura, the king of thieves and the spirit of the Millennium Ring." She unzipped her jacket to show the said object as proof.

"S-Sp-Spirit?!" Adrien exclaimed, his mouth forever hanging open after he had forced the one word out, looking closer at Bakura. He looked like a male version of Ryou, only his sharp and narrowed eyes were a dark lavender instead of her green eyes. His hair was also spiked up lightly and has a silver hint to it, whereas Ryou's was a soft white.

"Bakura, apologize!"

"For what?" Bakura asked, mischief sparkling in his eyes as he smirked, showing his white teeth.

"For scaring him!" Ryou replied, before looking down at Adrien apologetically. "Sorry about him- here." She offered Adrien her hand and he finally closed his mouth, accepting it as she helped him up. "I probably owe you a huge explanation now- I'm so sorry-"

"N-No problem." Adrien replied. "Actually, he reminds me of another mischievous phenomenon that loves Camembert…"

"Kid, I know you're talking about me, no need to sound like that." A small black cat with green eyes that had a single black slit in them as a sign of a pupil appeared on Adrien's shoulder without any warning but his voice. Ryou blinked before cooing.

"Aww, he's so cuuute~!" She squealed. "And he talks? A talking kitty!"

"Hey, hey!" Plagg, slightly offended, flew up in front of Ryou's face with a small glare. "Let's get things straight- I'm a Kwami, not a kitty! If you address me as any animal- it best be a-"

"SO CUTE~!" Ryou squealed, reaching up to scratch Plagg behind his ears, interrupting him and causing him to purr, his train of thought lost. Adrien couldn't help but think that she looked like one of the girls in anime that he sometimes watched. Okay, correction, whenever he was bored, but that didn't matter at the moment. Bakura actually pouted lightly, a growl emitting from his own throat.

Well, things went down quickly.

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