Author Notes: Greetings! Thank you for reading this and giving it a chance. This story will be long, but I hope you stick around to see where it goes! This whole story, starting with this chapter, was ultimately inspired by this piece of fanart: . (all credit to its creator). All reviews/critiques are welcome!
I must say, my favorite part in writing this chapter was Yami Bakura's rendition of Hansel and Gretel. XD
"Bakura!" Marik hollered at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing throughout the stone tomb they shared. At least, Marik had decorated it to be like the tomb he'd grown up in. Really, it was a basement apartment they rented in Domino City.
"What is it this time Marik?" Bakura growled as he followed the sound of Marik's voice down the hall. "I was in the middle of ordering a new knife online for my collection, so this had better be bloody important." He stood in the doorway to Marik's bedroom and put one hand on the doorframe, leaning against it and blocking the light from the hallway. Marik was sitting up in bed, looking absolutely terrified in the darkness.
"Bakura, can you please tell me a bedtime story?" Marik whimpered, sounding absolutely pathetic.
"What?" Bakura was clearly exasperated, and so irritated that he was about to leave.
"Please, Bakura? That movie was friggin' horrifying, and I'll have nightmares if you don't tell me a happy story!" Marik's pitiful, quavering voice and appearance would have been enough to sway a softer heart. Bakura started to turn away, but paused when Marik added, "And if I do have nightmares, then I'll wake up screaming for you in the middle of the night and disrupt your sleeping!"
Bakura sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, and walked over to Marik's bed, sitting down on the edge and glancing over at his partner in crime. Marik lay down, pulling the blankets up to his chin and hiding his bare chest. "Once upon a time, there were two children named Hansel and Gretel. They were naughty little children, and ran into the forest where their mother told them to never go. They found a house made of candy and began to eat it, at which point the witch who lived there came out and butchered them with a chainsaw. She then baked them into pies and fed them to the children's parents. The end." He began to stand up, but Marik grabbed a hold of his shirt.
"Oh, come on, Bakura, that didn't help at all!" he whined. "Apparently you don't know what a proper bedtime story is!"
"No, my parents never read me any bedtime stories," Bakura muttered matter-of-factly.
"Can you please just stay here until I fall asleep?" he murmured.
Bakura sighed deeply. "Fine, but I'm leaving as soon as you do fall asleep."
Marik tugged on Bakura's shirt and got him to lay down on the bed beside him. Soon, Marik had fallen asleep, and Bakura glanced over at his companion. Bakura stood up carefully and stripped, dropping all of his clothes on the floor before sliding into bed beside the equally naked Marik. Because Marik was asleep, Bakura felt comfortable enough to put his arms around him and close his eyes, sleep quickly overtaking his depraved mind. He just loved trolling his host like this.
In the morning, Marik was confused to wake up and find himself in Bakura's arms. Surprised and secretly, extremely pleased, way deep down. He smiled and bopped his partner on the nose.
"Good morning, Fluffy!" he chimed cheerfully. Bakura stirred, and after a few moments, opened his eyes. It was Ryou, not his Yami, and Ryou was deeply startled to find himself in this situation. His eyes grew wide, and he scrambled across the bed away from Marik, hugging the blankets over himself, starting to blush with embarrassment.
Marik was confused by the sudden appearance of Bakura's host. "Bakura, Bakura, wake up!" Marik yelled at the Millenium ring where it lay on the floor. "Bakura, wake up! Your host is giving me a funny look!" When Marik got out of bed to go get the Millenium ring and see if there was any way to cajole his frienemy from his soul room, Ryou high-tailed it out of there. He went to his room, grabbed his cell phone and some clothes, then locked himself in the bathroom. He dialed Yugi's number, then held the phone to his ear, praying Yugi would answer it.
"Hello? Bakura?" Yugi answered tentatively, unsure if it was Ryou or his Yami who was calling. Although, when it was Yami Bakura and Marik calling, they usually called from Marik's phone.
"Yugi, I'm so glad you answered," Ryou breathed out in relief.
"Is everything alright, Bakura?" Yugi asked worriedly. He had very little contact with Ryou these days, mostly because his Yami was in control so much of the time.
"Can I meet you for coffee in about an hour? There's something I want to talk to you about." Ryou was sitting on the floor by the bathroom door, listening for any signs of Marik approaching. That lavender-wearing fruit-tart terrified Ryou in a very specific way.
"Sure. At the usual place?" Yugi was worried about Ryou; his Yami had far too much power to suppress Ryou's soul, which he cared to do for most of the time, it would appear. Yugi was relieved that he had a cooperative relationship with his Yami and not a manipulative one.
"Yes, that sounds good. I'll see you soon." Ryou hung up and took several deep breaths before standing up. He showered, dried off, and dressed as quickly as he could. He didn't know how much time he had before his Yami decided to come back. He got out the lock-box he hid under the floorboards under his bed and pulled a twenty out of his wallet before putting the lock box back and hiding the key. He slipped the twenty and his cell in his pocket then ducked his head out of his room. Marik was still yelling at the Millennium Ring. The coast was clear.
Ryou snuck out of the basement and closed the door quietly behind him, emerging into the outside world and feeling the sunlight for what was the first time in months. He immediately began walking at a brisk pace towards the designated meeting place, drinking in everything with his senses, not knowing how long he'd get to enjoy his time above ground.
When Yugi reached the coffee-shop, Ryou had eaten a sandwich and was drinking a cup of tea at a table by the window. He seemed tense, but looked a little bit relieved when he saw Yugi. Yugi went straight to the table and greeted Ryou, sitting across from him.
"So, you wanted to talk to me about something?" Yugi asked. Ryou looked so stressed, he didn't want to beat around the bush and waste time with small talk.
"How do you do it, Yugi? Interact with your Yami, I mean. I have no control over what's happening at any given point in time, when it comes to my Yami. Sometimes weeks go by before I even get to surface again, and when I do, I'm always starving and not awake for very long. And I always find myself in the strangest situations." Ryou's cheeks turned red, and Yugi decided not to ask. "And he's got this huge knife collection! Every time I wake up, it's gotten bigger, and I'm certain that it's not just for show."
Both hikaris were silent for a few moments. "So . . . What can I do?" Ryou asked quietly, looking desperate.
Yugi paused and touched his Millennium puzzle, closing his eyes for a moment.
"You must exert your will over the spirit of the Millennium ring," the Pharaoh said sagely, looking up at Ryou, who immediately sensed their soul switch. "It is possible, but it will be difficult. It is important, though, that you don't back down to him. Given that he prefers a life of crime to one of honor, you're relationship will be tricky. He'll hardly settle for being trapped in the Millennium ring all of the time, and he's clearly too strong for that to even be an option for you. It will be a struggle, and you'll have to learn to negotiate with him. You'll need to find a compromise that you can both live with. If the Millennium ring works anything like the Millennium puzzle, you should be able to summon the spirit for a 'meeting of the minds' simply by holding the ring and focusing your energy on it. Good luck, Ryou."
"Thank you Yugi, and Pharaoh," Ryou said with a small smile, looking a bit more relieved and a bit hopeful as well. He sipped his tea, draining the cup, and smiled. "I really hope this works. I don't know how much longer I have, so I suppose I should go and try it out now. I left the Millennium ring with Marik; he was yelling at it trying to summon my Yami when I left." Bakura stood and stretched his arms. "Thanks again, Yugi. If I can, I'll let you know how it goes."
Ryou sat on the edge of his bed with the Millennium ring in his hands, the door locked for the sake of privacy. He closed his eyes and focused his spirit energy on the ring, summoning the spirit. He felt the spirit's energy, and his resistance, which Ryou took as a good sign. Then he felt his Yami yield. It was working.
Ryou opened his eyes to see his Yami's spirit standing in front of him with an extremely smug smirk. "It's about time," he rumbled in his gruff British voice.
"We need to talk," Ryou said, standing up. "I'm not going to let you bully me anymore."
Bakura laughed, sending chills down Ryou's back. "And how exactly do you plan to accomplish that?"
"Well, to start with, I'm forcing you to have an actual conversation with me. Usually you just stuff my soul into the ring and take over for indefinite periods of time." Bakura's eyes narrowed, and Ryou continued. "It stops here. This is my body, and you have to respect it and me."
"I don't have to do any such thing," Bakura scoffed. "Up until now I've been capable of getting away with whatever I want; last time I checked, nothing has happened that would change any of that."
"I talked to Yugi this morning, and he gave me some advice on how to overcome you," Ryou said, steadily meeting Bakura's gaze. "So I suggest you start getting used to this, because you're not going to run free anymore. There need to be some ground rules for you to follow. And it is in your interest to listen to me. After all, if you don't take care of this body (which you don't), it could end up getting sick. You need to allow me more time in control to ensure your own wellbeing."
Bakura pondered this for a moment. "What exactly did you have in mind?" he growled, looking dubious.
"You have to give me at least three days of the week. It can be any three days, it doesn't matter which ones, but I have a life too, you know, and I hardly see my friends anymore, or anybody for that matter. And no more tattoos!" Ryou added, turning pink with anger. "We're getting that removed; actually, you are, since you're the one who got it. And no piercings, for that matter." Bakura had started chuckling, which made Ryou indignant. "I'm serious! Also, I'd like to know why the last three times I've woken up, it's to find myself naked in bed with Marik?!" Ryou was fully flushed now, beyond embarrassed that this was his lot in life.
Bakura began laughing hysterically and maniacally. "What can I say; I'm gay," he responded matter-of-factly, sadistically pleased by how much that bothered his host.
Ryou was still red as he said, "But you can't just go around doing those things with my body…"
Bakura suddenly stepped very close to Ryou, and though he was immaterial, Ryou almost flinched. A waft of cold air made Ryou shiver. "Trust me," Bakura muttered menacingly. "If I'd actually done anything sexual, you would have felt it in the morning." While Ryou was stunned by those words and still groping for a response, Bakura asked calmly, "By the way, what's Marik doing now?"
"I-I think he's trolling Yugi's YouTube account," Ryou stammered, averting his eyes. It was unnerving to be faced with someone who looked exactly like you, and was yet so very different in mind and spirit. Again, Ryou envied Yugi and his relationship with his Yami. Yugi didn't have to negotiate with a murderer for time in his own body.
"You can have more time to use your body, but you're doing all the chores around here: dishes, laundry, cooking, and anything else we tell you to do."
"Fine," Ryou breathed out, relieved. He didn't mind having to do chores if it meant that he actually got to live his life. "But do we have to live with Marik?" he asked, clearly distressed by this fact.
Bakura smirked. "Just look at him, he's hardly equipped to handle real life all on his own!"
"Doesn't he have an older sister?"
"Yes, but he doesn't want to move back to Egypt. Besides, we're partners." Ryou blushed, which made Bakura laugh yet again. "Not that kind of partner; we're partners in crime, and it's so much more convenient if we live together." He suddenly turned serious, a menacing note entering into his voice. "Don't even think of trying to move out or run away. I can still hurt you if I want to." Yami Bakura lay his hand on Ryou's chest, over the spot where the Millenium ring had buried its prongs under Ryou's skin in the past.
Ryou shuddered and nodded somewhat meekly. That had been one of the most physically painful experiences of his life, and he was not keen to repeat it.
Bakura smirked with satisfaction, then took a step back from Ryou. "Well then, you'd better get started. We're almost out of clean clothes." With that Yami Bakura disappeared back into the Millenium ring, to do only heaven knew what.
Ryou sighed and sat back down on the edge of the bed, shaking. He hadn't faced his Yami in a long time, and he was just as threatening now as he had been when they'd first met. It never got easier to talk to him. Ryou shuddered again and ran his hand over the spot on his chest where Bakura had pressed his ethereal hand.
Well, this was progress. They'd never be one and the same, like Yugi and the Pharaoh. They'd never get along perfectly, and they'd never have the soul connection that Yami and Yugi had. But this was a viable arrangement. It was progress.
And with that thought, he put his hair up in a ponytail and set out to get started on the laundry.