A/N: Spoilers for the Pharaoh's name. And don't ask why He and Bakura have 'come back'. They just did because I needed them for this story XD And I'll go with the names from the dub since I've only watched that.

Black and White

Tea, Joey and Tristan stood outside the gameshop as Yugi and Atem finally got out and greeted them.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, but Grandpa wanted me to help him with something," the smallest of the group smiled guiltily.

"Don't worry about it," Joey said as the girl in the group started walking and the others followed. "So, Tea, why'd you gather us today?"

"Yes, what's wrong, Tea?" Yugi's other looked at her. "You sounded quite urgent when you called."

"You guys heard about that brutal murder from two days ago, right? That… body that was found Thursday morning in the alley?'

"Of course we heard about that!" Tristan's face went grim. "Everyone at school was talking about it and they said it on all of the news. They still haven't found the murderer, have they?"

"No, but I read something in the newspaper," at that she stopped and gave said newspaper to the group to see. "It says a person claims to have seen the victim about an hour before the murder is presumed to have taken place. If his words are true that person walked into an alley after a white haired teenager," As she kept talking the others examined the article. "Guys, don't you think it's strange that Ryo called in sick Thursday morning?"

"What? No way, that guy couldn't kill a fly!" The blond was first to react, looking up at the girl.

"I'm not blaming him, Joey. It's just… strange, don't you think?"

"The King of Thieves comes to mind immediately if you ask me," surprised the group turned towards Atem, who didn't stop there. "It ads up – he could easily be mistaken for Ryo, but the question is why would he do such a thing."

"What do you mean 'why'? The guy's a freaking killer!"

"It's not that simple, Joey," Yugi seamed thoughtful, too. "He can't just run around and kill whoever he wants to. Besides, from what I heard the murder was really cruel… He mush have had a reason…"

"Now what do you think that might be?" Tristan seamed in as much of a loss as everyone else.

"There's only one way to find out," Tea snatched the paper from them and put it back into her purse, before finishing: "Go ask him. What do you say?"

"That might clear a lot of mysteries. Let's go!" voicing everyone's thought, Tristan started walking after her again and the rest followed with a nod.

"I still don't get why that guy had to come back, too" Joey grimaced in annoyance. "He's nothing but trouble!"

"Don't say that!" Tea almost snapped at him.

"Hay when did you get on his side!? Don't you remember what he did in Atem's memories?"

"But Joey, she's right."It was the blond's time to look at his smaller friend with a confused expression. "Haven't you paid any attention? Lately Ryo seamed… "

"Happy. Happier than before, at least," His other finished for him, earning an approving nod from the smaller boy.

"Yes, Ryo seamed to open up more lately. Don't tell me you haven't noticed," the question sounded more like scolding as Tea looked at the blond with disapproval.

"Now that you mentioned it, he has been acting a bit differently," Tristan seamed to think about it for a few seconds.

"I can't understand him," Joey refused to give up his own. "That spirit possesses his body, uses him, then gets a body of his own and Ryo gets hyper because of that… Shouldn't he be more like worried of what Bakura might do?"

"I don't think he even knows how dangerous the Thief King is," Atem reasoned. "He couldn't know what happened in my memories since he was never there… And now that Bakura doesn't need his body any more he had nothing to fear."

"I can understand that, but I still can't imagine Bakura as a bringer of happiness. Ryo must have lost his mind if he's making him happy…" Saying that Tristan seamed somewhat disturbed.

"Hush, you guys! We're here," with that Tea went up the three steps in front of the door of one of the many two-floored houses that could be found around and pushed the bell.

A ring could be heard from inside and just seconds after that some grumbling accompanied it, before the door was suddenly opened and the irritated face of the Thief King greeted them with a scowl.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Pharaoh and his friends?" He said with a sweet voice that sounded just too fake. Then his face darkened even more and dropping the act his voice became annoyed. "Get out of my face. I'm not in the mood for dealing with you."

Just when he was about to shut the door, Atem stepped up and put a hand on it.

"Stop, Bakura, we want to talk to you." His tone was truly the one of a Pharaoh and the look in his eyes was something really resembling superiority.

"Oh, would you look at that, acting all big and mighty," at that the white head couldn't help but laugh evilly.

"Bakura!"

"Don't think you can boss me around, Pharaoh! You reign ended five million years ago. Now you are nothing more than a normal human, so you and your friends better get away before I grasp the opportunity and send you away."

"Please Bakura, at least let us see Ryo," at this point the Egyptian leader's smaller partner came next to him. "We only want to talk to him."

For a few seconds the spirit of the ring seamed like considering the idea, until the answer came in a way that sounded like it couldn't be questioned.

"No."

With that single word he started closing the door, before suddenly Joey prevented him from doing that by pushing it open one more time.

"What do you mean, 'no!? He's out friend and we get to talk to him if we want!"

"Yeah and who do you think you are, deciding who can and cannot talk to him!?" Tristan was fast to back his friend up, but all they got was a low growl.

"Listen here, I don't even care who talks to the light, but right now he's buzzing trough the mind link to sent you away, so just act like the good little idiots you are and go sulking over it somewhere where you won't bug me."

"Why you-"

Before the blond could finish, though, the door was slammed practically in his face as he caught it in his hands, stumbling back the stairs and ending up in a sitting position on the ground.

"Joey!" tea's scream was followed by everyone running to him and helping him get up.

While the only girl in the group was scolding him and insisting how he should have a little more understanding of Bakura's situation, Yugi's gaze moved towards the window on the second floor and then he saw it – there, between the curtains that were pulled over the window a single brown eye could hardly be spotted.

Then their eyes locked Ryo immediately seamed to pull back and close the curtains over the small gap trough which he had been watching.

"Guys?" Everyone turned towards the smaller boy and were surprised to see him with the somehow saddened look on his face. "I think we really should go…"

\\What's wrong, partner?\\ The sound of Atem's voice sounded in his head.

/I'm just kind of worried… What could have happened?/