Ah, now we get to the good stuff~~~Sorry for the wait. Renagade had some things to deal with on her end. Anyway here's the chapter! Longest one we have yet! They may get longer with the duels coming up but we'll find out when we get to that. This chapter was by Renagade with a little editing by me.

Also! Rengade has an fanfic account now! Her pen name is Renagade Rex Sphinx! You can find her stories in my favorites! Their really good check'em out!

Renagade: Thief Bakura

Miss-DNL: Ryo, Pegasus, Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu & Grandpa

Chapter 7 Kings Ransom

As the light faded away, and the room resumed normal light, Yami Yugi lowered his arms from his eyes and turned in the direction of the sound, blinking several times to clear his blurred vision, "What happened?" he froze as he observed the heap on the floor, "Grandpa!" he cried.

Anzu, also stunned turned to look and gasped at the sight of Yugi's grandfather who now lie motionless on the floor staring sightlessly into nothing, "What happened to him?" Anzu gushed fearfully, rushing to his side.

Ryou balled his fists and frowned sadly as he watched the group gathering worriedly around the elder man, his prediction correct, "I'm afraid his souls' been taken from him…" he said aloud shaking his head in dismay, taking no amount of delight in his words, wishing he could say otherwise.

Akefia, watching the scene emotionlessly from within the Ring, hummed to himself, 'And so a new game has arrived….' His thoughts stalled and he shuddered from an odd cold sensation, the Ring shuddering in unison as he looked around for the fleeting source, '….What was that…?' he wondered to himself, narrowing his eyes and keeping silent like a cautious lion.

Yami Yugi shook as he stared at his grandfather's motionless form, his fearful shaking swiftly becoming pure rage as he turned a fierce glare at Pegasus, his glare alone demanding an explanation, to which Pegasus simply gazed back calmly, his ever present seemingly amused grin on his lips, "Now then, let's meet at my Kingdom. If you beat me, your "something Special" will be returned."

With that and a friendly wave of his hand, the TV turned static and an image of Yugi's grandfather appeared on the screen calling out to him in clearly worried fear,

"Grandpa!" Yami Yugi cried, feeling his host's sheer distress as he grasped the Television staring in horror at his grandfather's image.

Anzu gasped in shock, her hand reflexively rushing to her mouth as she saw the phantom image on the screen, "He was put into the TV?!"

Akefia, no longer sensing the chill hummed to himself and then turned his attention to the scene only to snort at Anzu's comment, 'Hardly…. He's taunting. Putting a fire under his tail so to speak…. Nothing less of a Millennium Item wielder.'

Ryou, being the only one to hear the Thief's voice, sighed despondently, both at the events still unfolding before him and the Thief's rather insensitive words, 'Wonderful…. Looks like Yugi will be joining a tournament, more school-skipping I guess.' He grumbled as he moved to allow the two stronger boys to tend to the downed man. Yet another item capable of stripping the soul from its rightful place… Ryou blinked and hummed at the thought, 'Akefia? Just how many of these things are there? Just three… or more?' he inquired to the Thief.

Akefia turned his attention to his host, bored with the sight anyway, 'There are seven Millennium Items in all. A Ring, Scepter, Necklace, Scales, Ankh, Eye and the Puzzle. Each with its own access in ability as well as Shadow Magic.' He smirked as the thought once more presented itself to him, 'Whoever holds them all, holds the world essentially~'

Ryou listened intently to the Thief as he spoke, taking notice of his chipper tone as he spoke, 'I get the feeling you tried to get all of them when you were alive…' he replied hintingly.

Akefia merely grinned proudly, 'I wasn't called the Thief King for nothing…. I aimed for only the best.'

Ryou mulled the comment over and nodded a bit, 'That explains why you're in the Ring I guess.' He mused before he felt his spirits lower at the sight of Yugi, who had regained control and was now cradling his grandfather to him crying freely. Ryou bowed his head sadly, knowing well the feeling of loss.

A growl drew his attention to Jonouchi as he pounded his leg frustratedly, "What are we gonna do? Nothing we were given tells where this stinking kingdom is!"

Anzu, now holding the proverbial can of worms, sat back down on the floor in front of the coffee table trying to keep her voice as level as possible, "Calm down, yelling won't do anything. Let's try digging through the packaging peanuts. Something might be hidden." She reasoned and then proceeded to sift about the little pink puffs of foam, even going so far as to spread them on the coffee table to make sure. Finally she was forced to draw a disappointed sigh, "Nope… I guess not."

Honda sighed as they finished setting Yugi's grandfather onto the couch and even more so at Anzu's declaration, "Guess we'll have to wait. Pegasus wants Yugi to come, so he'll send something." He pointed out, not exactly pleased with his comment as he watched his friend.

Anzu looked to Yugi sadly as he knelt beside his Grandfather, "You going to be okay Yugi?"

Yugi remained in place, his face still streaked with tears, for a short while before finally nodding to her, "Yeah… I'll figure something out." He replied before smiling ever so faintly, "At least he's still here."

Anzu watched her friend and nodded slowly as she observed him, knowing he likely needed a moment alone with his grandfather, "Alright…. Call us if you need anything. We'll go with you to this "kingdom"of his." She offered, hoping to help encourage his spirit.

Yugi paused and looked up at her, slightly startled, "How?" he inquired.

Anzu merely winked at her friend, telling him not to worry, "We'll figure something out." Yugi simply blushed lightly in response and nodded.

"Yeah, no way we're letting you go to this creep's place by yourself!" Jonouchi declared as he stood up confidently, Honda nodding in agreement.

Ryou smiled and also stood; there was no way, he was going to sit by while his friends were suffering, "Don't worry Yugi. I'm used to skipping anyway." He said with a laugh, earning a return lighthearted smile from his friends.

"My dad isn't going to like this…." Ryou sighed aloud as he shut the door behind him. Even though he'd said it, skipping wasn't something he liked to do at all, it only caused problems for him in the long run. Sighing once more, he headed to his room, "Oh well. Might as well pack, I doubt an American will hold the tournament here."

Ryou hummed as he thought about the situation. If it were him, he'd play it a lot like an RPG master, "It'll be somewhere where he can keep an eye on everything while staying in complete control." He thought aloud as he looked around for his things, pausing as he thought about his friend sadly, "Wonder why he's after Yugi?"

Quickly his mind flashed Pegasus' Millennium Eye and Ryou gulped as he recalled that even his Yami had been after the Puzzle, 'Think he wants his Puzzle Akefia?' he thought to the listening Thief.

'Undoubtedly.' Akefia replied without a pause, 'If he has the one item, he's more than likely to be after the rest. I doubt he acquired that one without knowing of the power given.'

Ryou listened intently as he emptied his backpack to make room and began gathering his necessities, 'He did seem pretty knowledgeable of it,' he thought before he shuddered, 'Still he took his own eye out….' He shuddered a little harder at the mere thought at how one would work up the nerve to do that. Quickly he shook it off and continued to pack, sighing as he did so, 'I wish we knew where he was holding this place, but he didn't say anything on TV…'

Akefia sensed Ryou's lowered spirits following his disgust over the Eye from within the Ring and chuckled as Ryou answered his question for him; he was worried over one little detail?

'Is that all? He issued the challenge… He'll send a blunt invitation soon I'm sure.' He replied with a huff.

Ryou exhaled a breath and muttered aloud, "Yes, that figures…."

'Failing that, The Ring is all you'll need in that endeavor.' Akefia finished with a grin, once more recalling the Ring had regained that particular ability. He sensed Ryou's curiosity rise as he looked up blinking,

'How so? To be honest I don't know much about it other than what I found out recently.' Ryou admitted as he set his backpack to the side.

Akefia chuckled at the question, 'The Ring was specifically made to locate the other items in the event they are ever separated. It reacts in the presence of one, or if the wielder desires to locate them directly.'

Ryou sat on the edge of his bed and held up the Ring to observe it, 'Interesting… So that's what the pointers are for, not just…' he paused and then gripped his chest, small aches from his still tender wounds greeting him.

Akefia nodded and then frowned to himself irritatedly, 'However… it does seem a bit weaker as of late.' He announced. That much he was well aware of; once the Ring would easily and without fail point him in the direction of his desire, no matter how far away. But now he was lucky to get so much as a twitch out of it; for a moment he pondered over the fact that it had started when the Yami had lost the Shadow Game. Had He had such influence over the Ring and its energy?

Ryou blinked as he realized Akefia was right, The Ring hadn't done anything at all, and it didn't have that strange energy it once emitted. It had in fact seemed to have gotten weaker, 'Really? Think it's because he's gone?' he inquired, but just as swiftly dropped the subject, unwilling to speak of HIM again. The feeling seemed mutual as Akefia gave him a curt uninterested response and Ryou shifted the subject a bit, 'Is it capable of anything else?'

Akefia hummed a moment and found that his knowledge of the Ring had been somewhat limited, 'It holds many other secrets, a few that I'm not even familiar with.' he admitted, 'I do know it is able to place portions of ones soul into a separate item… but that is a last resort.' And not one he was willing to execute anytime soon, mostly due to the fact that he didn't necessarily know how, nor could currently even if he wanted too.

Ryou nodded and reclined, letting the Ring fall back down and hummed, 'I'm aware of that one…' he sighed recalling his fight with that ugly thing his Yami split from himself, 'I doubt I'll be messing with it anyway. Not that I'd know how.' He replied. Frankly he didn't like the idea of fracturing his soul… it sounded painful and possibly… disastrous.

Akefia merely hummed, shrugging off Ryou's reflections and continued, 'This particular Item focuses more on greed in its own sense. The more you want it, the greater its response.'

'That makes sense.' Ryou thought to him as he slipped his now full backpack under the bed and then went to his closet to retrieve another one to work as his school bag, which he then proceeded to fill with schoolbooks and supplies, "I hope Yugi is ok…" he muttered as he thought of school…he wondered if Yugi would even turn up tomorrow considering it all. He doubted it.

Akefia watched for a few moments as the boy continued packing before he huffed at the items he was selecting, 'Hmph… Still setting up for that scholar's temple? Honestly…' he scoffed almost mockingly. For all that was going on, he was still going to pay something like that any thought?

Ryou looked up and then looked to the Ring, his tone confused, 'Scholar's Temple? This is just stuff for school, I haven't really decided what job I want. This is just the standard stuff really.' He paused as he spoke and hummed, 'Although I wouldn't mind getting a job writing stories… hmm…'

Akefia blinked confusedly as he listened, 'Is that not what this "school" is? A place of learning?'

'Yes…' Ryou replied slowly as Akefia explained the word bluntly. He then thought over what had been said and quickly realized what had gone wrong in the conversation; a simple difference in culture wording, 'Oh, so that's where people went to learn in Egypt? You are from Egypt right?'

Akefia "nodded", 'Yes… same as here I assume,' he replied before grinning, the pride in his voice non-withheld, 'that's right~ Born and bred.'

Ryou gave a curt laugh at the response, 'Probably… Though 'temple' would be too prestigious a word for a school... Maybe for private schools.' He explained before smiling interestedly, 'I guessed as much! It's where Father got the Ring in the first place. I think Yugi said something about his grandpa getting the puzzle there too,' he trailed off as he thought about how the items had been obtained. Immediately his mind drifted once more to Pegasus, 'How'd Pegasus get his I wonder… more interesting is how he got his eye-' Ryou grimaced and felt ill as his mind began throwing ideas at him before he shoved them away, 'Never mind.'

Akefia shrugged and hummed in amusement, 'Whether from a thief or a negligent guardian… in any case, it matters little. By the end of this, there will be another item in someone's hand…' he ladened his eyes as the thought arose and thought to himself, 'It might even be yours, Boy.'

Ryou sighed as he set his backpack down, 'I guess, I just want to help get Yugi's grandpa back…' after all, that was the least he could do for his friend. He had to help in any way he could. Ryou yawned and looked up at the clock, blinking in surprise by the latening hour, "Time for bed." He said aloud to himself. He then proceeded to clean up properly, darkened the apartment and slipped into bed, closing his eyes as he made himself comfortable, "Good night." he muttered to the Spirit.

Akefia merely grunted at the now sleeping boy's comment and turned his attention to the darkened part of the Ring, where the still present second soul room still lingered. Akefia frowned as he attempted in vain to shift against his binds as his soul ever so slightly detected something forebodingly familiar emanating from the dark corner, 'Ever since that shadow game…' he stopped, narrowing his eyes. Was something off? Or was it just him imagining that something was off?

Akefia hummed as he allowed himself to "relax" into his binds. No… no there couldn't be anything wrong. The Shadow Games had seen to that; that was a finality akin to death…and yet. He wondered…

-next day-

"Morning everyone," Ryou greeted as he entered the classroom, to which a dull greeting was returned him making him frown sadly but expectantly, 'I guess they haven't gotten over it…' Not that it was easy to do, obviously… but it was something he himself had been forced to do for a long time just to try and move on.

Ryou paused as he noticed a video camera sitting on Yugi's desk. Tilting his head curiously he looked down at it, "Yugi? Why do you have a camera with you?" he froze and nearly jumped when the image of Yugi's grandfather appeared, waving at him with a friendly smile,

"Hello Bakura! How's your day going?" he inquired rather cheerfully.

Taking a breath to calm himself Ryou smiled to his awkward reaction to little avail, 'He's oddly chipper considering the situation…' he thought as shyly he waved back, "Good so far…" he managed before looking to Yugi, "How'd you do this?"

Yugi looked to his friend and nods to the camera, "Turns out his soul is just in the video tape. Other me picked up on it when we tried to figure out what to do. So we moved him here to keep an eye on him…" he then sighed sadly. Ryou nodded understandingly; no doubt that little fact wasn't exactly comforting,

Akefia, meanwhile shifted to stare at the spectacle in confusion of not only the situation, but the item itself, 'Well that's a new one on me!'

'I wouldn't doubt that…' Ryou thought to Akefia as he stared for a moment, 'I'm not sure what to make of it. At least he's not freaking out I guess…'

A shifting drew Ryou's attention as Jonouchi gave Yugi a halfhearted punch to the shoulder, "Getting depressed won't help him Yugi."

Yugi looked up to his friend and nodded after a moment, "You're right I guess…" he paused and unconsciously placed his hand to his Puzzle, "But other me isn't." he declared.

Anzu straightened up in surprise, "You've learned to talk to him!?" she gasped, everyone else also looking to Yugi in surprise.

To everyone's confusion, Yugi shook his head, "Nope, but if I focus and close my eyes, I can sense how he's feeling."

Ryou blinked in puzzlement, 'He can't talk to him?' he stopped as he thought about it. In actuality, it wasn't unbelievable, 'Then again, I couldn't talk to Him until a few months ago, but I could pick up on his emotions… other than what he'd let me at least.' He thought quietly as he looked at Yugi. Perhaps this whole thing wasn't that simple after all, 'Curious…'

Akefia huffed at the Boy's thoughts, although inwardly couldn't really blame him for them, 'Not likely… He's only recently solved the Puzzle. It's no real surprise… Especially considering the sheer size of the thing, More than this Ring anyway…' he muttered noting the clear difference in the bulk of the Puzzle, 'That…. and he has his,' the Thief paused ever so slightly as he nearly spat the last of his sentence like poison off his tongue, 'Little secrets…'

Ryou shifted uncomfortably under the clear hostility emitting from both the Thief's words and the Thief himself, the spike of emotion making Ryou shudder distinctly. For a moment he thought whether to ask him why, but decided it best be left alone for the time being, 'I see..' he thought before looking back to Yugi, only to notice Jonouchi seemed to be gazing at the Puzzle intently, making him quirk a brow.

Yugi sat staring down at the Puzzle sadly, his only guess for why the Spirit was upset was due to the fact he'd lost the duel causing the whole mess, which although natural, wasn't true. Everyone, especially Yugi tensed and partially jumped as Jonouchi suddenly reached for the Puzzle and proceeded to basically scream at it, "HEY OTHER YUGI! CAN YOU HEAR ME IN THERE? CHEER UP!"

Ryou stared stunned for a moment before fighting to repress a giggle at the ridiculous attempt, 'Akefia… would he even hear that?' he inquired, still trying to hide his amused smile.

Akefia had simply bristled as the blonde yelled, 'Moron,' he sighed irritatedly before answering, 'With a voice that loud and annoying I don't doubt the dead didn't hear him!'

Ryou sweatdropped at the rather ironic comment and chuckled to him as Jonouchi released the Puzzle back to Yugi, 'Sounds about right…'

"Anyway the only way to fix this is to go to that tournament and beat that creep Pegasus!" Jounouchi declared as-a-matter-of-factly, to which Grandpa drew an exasperated sigh,

"The problem is we don't know where that is…" he said shaking his head slowly for yet another time that day.

Everyone drew a disheartened sigh as they all once again began picking their brains for an answer. After a long stretch of silence, Yugi blinked, an odd look on his face as he suddenly sat up from his desk, an excited look in his eyes.

Anzu, momentarily startled by the motion looked to him worriedly, "Yugi, what's wrong?"

Yugi blinked as his thoughts were interrupted, blinking he looked to Anzu, "Sorry, but I need to be alone- I mean the other me needs to be alone for a minute…" With that, Yugi turned and left the room, leaving the group looking after him, still confused,

"What a mess." Jounouchi muttered as his friend left.

Ryou hummed and then glanced at the clock, "Class is about to start…" he announced, the others not really taking much heed to the fact, 'I guess school is the least of our worries right now though,' he thought as he headed to his desk. He gulped at the thought, 'Father isn't going to like me skipping to go to a tournament though…' he thought sadly. Ryou had never had real issues with his father; in fact he loved him more than anything, and not just for the fact that he was the last of his family. It was for that reason that he was sad he never saw him; he was always away due to his job, but even distance couldn't protect Ryou from the multiple missing attendances… Explaining why was not an option. One was simply due to how fantastic a story it would sound like, the other…. How could he possibly tell his father how much he had suffered due to a gift he gave him in good faith?

Akefia merely chuckled at Ryou's comment as if it was a simple answer, 'The man looked well garbed and strikes me as a high class buffoon who loves to throw his riches about… if he invited anyone I don't doubt expenses and pardons would be provided,' he paused momentarily and hummed at the circumstances expectantly, 'Given he plans to let any of you leave at all…'

Ryou sat at his desk and nodded at the response, 'That makes sense, he could at least for the other contestants,' he thought as he looked towards his friends, 'I wonder how we're going to get on board. None of us are duelists…' he thought, mindlessly tapping his pencil eraser on his desk.

Akefia merely snorted at the offhand question, 'And what does one require to become a "Duelist"?'

Humming at the question, Ryou pondered the requirements only a moment, 'Well a Duel Monsters card deck and a reputation. Yugi's Yami beat Kaiba, the best duelist so he's really well known.'

Akefia hummed to himself, his mind going to work. It didn't seem that obtaining a deck was an issue, but to have a reputation in it was a class all its own. And one he was familiar with. In any place or time, having a reputation in anything was no small feat. And considering the Boy's demeanor, he wasn't one to seek such glory and obviously lacked that kind of prestige, 'That may be a problem. And yet…' he reviewed the circumstances of the tournament and the recent Shadow Duel and hummed as he shifted within the Ring, 'We may have all the "Reputation" we need.'

Ryou shifted and sighed, 'Perhaps… I'll bring my deck just in case. Probably should look over it. Haven't used it in a while…'

'Would be a good idea,' Akefia thought smirking at him interestedly, 'Let's see what you've got.' He commented, wondering what silly creatures lurked in Ryou's deck.

Ryou grinned sheepishly as he thought about his untended deck, 'Alright… but I don't promise anything…'

After school, Ryou headed straight home rather than linger at the school. His friends had a lot to worry about currently, and although he felt he should be there, they were all still stuck on square one til further notice. So until and if they got information, it was best to simply prepare.

As he stepped out of the elevator and headed to his apartment, Ryou immediately took notice of the box before his door. As he approached it, he realized it was more than a simple box, 'Oh? A package-' Ryou felt his heart skip and he stiffened, "A package…." He repeated slowly with a gulp as he then walked up to it more cautiously, glancing around as if expecting someone to jump him. Even the Thief King seemed to have grown suspicious judging by the tense waves of emotion he began to feel.

Seeing no one, Ryou looked down at the package at his feet; a label atop it sporting a friendly toon Rabbit waving hi, the label reading simply, "From: I2". Ryou could only stare at the label disbelievingly, 'How can he be evil and chipper at the same time…?'

Akefia also found himself bewildered by the oddity and simply stared at the creature adorning the cover. Never in his life had he seen such a thing and could only find one word to describe it, 'That thing is grotesque…'

Ryou laughed nervously at the comment, a bead of sweat now sliding down his face, 'It certainly is something…' he replied as he carefully side stepped around the object as if still expecting some nasty surprise; only until the door was opened did he carefully take up the object and retreat inside, shutting the door with his heel before setting it before the TV.

Making sure the door was locked, Ryou took up a box cutter and neatly opened it. Setting the sheathed box cutter to the side, Ryou sifted through the packaging peanuts... True to his expectations, he extracted a glove adorning two small star chips and a cassette tape. Ryou gave a tense nod to himself, 'I think this answers that he wants the items…'

Akefia bristled within the Ring as he observed the cassette, not at all comfortable with his first experience of the other video, 'Obviously…' he muttered. Huffing, he banished his thoughts in light of the situation and replaced it with one of intrigue, 'I'm rather curious to know how he plans to bait you.'

Ryou gulped at the comment nervously, "…I don't really want to know but," he stopped there as he took up the cassette and stared at it a long while. Did he really want to know? Did he really want to put this thing in? No doubt he'd be getting a personal audience with Pegasus just like Yugi, and that couldn't be a good thing. Ryou blinked slowly at that thought… it was a risk to be sure. But what if it had a clue to help his friends in it?

Taking a breath, he flicked on the TV and slipped the cassette into the VCR.

The TV flickered only a moment when the long haired man known as Maximillian Pegasus popped onto the screen as if waiting, immediately smiling and waving as he sighted Ryou, "Hello there Bakura-boy~ Glad to see you got the package." He said before his smile turned into a faint smirk as he observed his audience, "I'm sure you know why I've sent you this." he said in a low knowing tone. He smiled as he watched Ryou's hand reach instinctively for his Ring, "That's right, I want your Ring."

Ryou felt his mouth start to dry as the man spoke to him so placidly and directly; regardless, he steadied himself as he looked back at the waiting man, "What do you want the Item's power for Pegasus…?" he inquired.

Pegasus simply hummed at the question; for a moment he pondered over whether or not to tell the Boy.

No… Put simply, no one save himself truly needed to know his motives. However, considering how things obviously seemed to the youth, he decided he'd put his worst fears to rest… for the moment, "I'll tell you this; It's not for world domination or things like that, oh no!" he replied with a wag of his finger, "I have no interest in such things, but I DO need their power. To get what I want I need all of them, and you will give me the Ring~." He replied with a rather final tone.

The tone was not lost on Ryou and he braced himself, knowing this little question was the one he dreaded, "Or…?"

Pegasus smirked at the boy, noting the clear look of apprehension in his body language alone. The boy's fear was justified… but he had no idea. Tilting his head back nonchalantly he responded, "Or.." he paused only briefly as he gestured off screen almost wistfully, "You lose your Father."

Ryou's eyes widened in horror as the screen shifted from Pegasus to the image of an unconscious man sitting with his wrists bound to the wall of a dungeon-style cell. Even with his head down, there was no mistaking it, "FATHER!" Ryou cried, his pale skin now five shades lighter, his hands and body shaking he gripped the TV. This couldn't be happening! NO! He was all he had left!

Ryou recoiled and drew back as the horrific image was replaced once more with the triumphant face of Pegasus, who simply brushed the hair out of his face as he continued, "It's a rather simple trade Bakura-Boy. In exchange for the Ring I'll hand over your Father. I'm a man of my word, you will get him back unharmed." He finished curtly as he gazed back to the clearly shaken boy.

Ryou stared back at the man, his mind racing furiously as he gripped his Ring tightly, unable to speak. While the whole of his very being was screaming at him to act, to speak up to claim the deal…. Ryou found himself hesitating...

"Or," Pegasus suddenly continued as he motioned to the box, "Like Yugi-Boy, you may enter the tournament, beat me and get to keep the Ring AND get your father back. Your choice… I'll give you a few seconds." He purred as he folded his hands on his lap, awaiting an answer. To give the Boy only one choice wasn't very sporty; as a man who enjoyed games, this way it was more interesting to see how the Boy would react. The easy way, or the fun way; given the boy's history… the choice would be a swift one.

Akefia glared at the man from his confines within the Ring, shaking angrily. Despite the man's appearance and peculiar mannerisms, he was every bit as conniving as a man of power was known to be. The introduction of the Boy's father had caught him off guard as well; the man meant business, and he aimed straight for the vulnerabilities of his prey… Akefia felt the Boy's immediate flare in spiraling panic and knew that the man had won and simply bared his teeth and glared anywhere but at the man as he awaited the Boy's choice….

But it didn't come, and Akefia found himself looking towards the Boy, '….Why are you hesitating?' he inquired as evenly as only a thief could as he concealed the clear, genuine confusion in his voice as the Boy continued to remain silent, his emotions in odd unreadable turmoil, 'He's offering you a point blank opportunity; The Ring for your Father with little attached.' He explained pointedly as if to snap him out of his stupor to decide.

'I-I….I'

Ryou remained kneeling on both knees unable to properly respond to the Thief's comment, only managing to stammer mentally, simply far too panicked and freaked out to properly answer as he looked to the box containing the glove and star chips… in one split moment, he felt his panic recede and he gripped the Ring tightly; his choice was made.

"I'll enter the tournament." He said firmly a he looked up at the man in red.

Pegasus felt his features contort in confusion as the boy stared back at him defiantly; despite the part of him that would have preferred that decision, he couldn't help but feel taken aback by it. The boy was willing to risk his father over a piece of gold? Surely that had been a slip of the tongue!

Curious, Pegasus brushed the hair concealing his eye back and peered into the boy's mind. There was clear concern and worry for his beloved Father… oh yes. That love was most definitely there. But he turned his attention to the more concealed area, the one concerning the Ring….. Pegasus blinked in surprise at what he found. A quick shifting told him that was indeed the reason for the decision, "Oh I see now, there's a spirit attached to the Ring… or rather sealed in it." he frowned slightly at the notion, despite what had transpired between them, the boy hadn't known the Spirit long at all and clearly the bond, although beneficial, had not exactly been for one another, "You do realize what you're risking here?" he inquired, still baffled by the decision.

Ryou simply glared back at the man undauntedly, even in the light of his mind being invaded, a fierce determination burned in his green eyes.

Pegasus blinked at the look the boy was giving him only a moment before he simply shrugged, "Very well, It's your decision not mine. In the box is also a pack with cards explaining where to go and more about the tournament. You'll need two of them to enter the final round…If you make it…. Until then, your father will remain unharmed." He smirked slyly as he observed the boy one last time, "Until then Bakura-boy.~"

With that the screen flicked off on its own and left the apartment silent. Ryou, very much shaken, exhaled a breath as he remained in place... his mind now racing to catch up with himself.

Akefia stared at the boy from his confines, completely shell shocked by what had just happened. By the time he found his own tongue he still found himself at a loss, '….Why?'

Ryou blinked at the Thief's break in the silence, more so at how his usually arrogant and confidently firm voice had actually wavered; the confusion not at all withheld. For a moment Ryou didn't say anything, as he simply bowed his head; but then he grit his teeth, 'I'm tired of losing everyone I get close to… I don't want to lose anyone anymore!' he clenched his fists as he spoke, his frame shaking as images of his life thus far flashed in his mind. Gritting his teeth, he snapped away from those thoughts and forced himself to calm down. It was time to start taking the reins; he couldn't let anyone threaten him or his friends like this anymore… He wanted his life!

The boy's words confused him; Akefia could only stare in surprise and shock at the spike in emotions the boy was now emitting, the sheer force of them radiating confidence to back his words, 'He's… fighting not only to save his father… but me as well…?' he just couldn't grasp it… it made no sense to him.

The Thief King simply stared at the boy for several minutes before he finally just gave up trying to find the logic, and huffed acceptingly, 'Hahah… Fighting to keep not only your father whom you share actual bonds too…. And me… the King of Thieves….?' He chuckled amusedly as he said it aloud, 'As you wish. And as such… You will not go in alone. You have my support, Ryou Bakura. I'll lend any tricks I may have for this little "tournament~"' where he lacked in the knowledge of the game, he knew there was bound to be obstacles in the near future.

Ryou perked slightly at the Thief's words and smiled faintly, 'Thank you, Akefia… I'll need it.'

'Just keep in mind that I can be quite… Aggressive.' Akefia commented with a chuckle. He then frowned as he attempted to move only to simply twitch, 'What I wouldn't give to move…' he thought irately in the light that the help he had to offer would be considerably hindered…

'Considering who you say you are, I'll believe that.' Ryou thought with a light smile as he looked back to the box. Ryou felt himself perk significantly as he recalled Pegasus' mention of instructions. Immediately he sifted through the packaging peanuts and located a card pack, which he eagerly tore into, extracting two cards which he then began reading with excited hope, his eyes widening as he read.

The ringing of his cell phone broke his attention from the cards to his phone. Picking it up he blinked in surprise, his brows furrowing as he answered it, "Yugi?"

"Bakura, could you come to my house? There's something I need to tell you." Yugi inquired swiftly and urgently.

Ryou blinked as he looked at the cards in his hand, nodding as he placed two and two together, "So do I, I'll be over as soon as I can." He replied before the two exchanged a hasty goodbye.

Ryou looked at his phone for only a moment before he quickly took up his backpack and headed to his room where he heedlessly dumped the contents out onto the bed and proceeded to retrieve a full binder from the closet, a deck case and the items from his package which he then stowed into the bag as he rushed out his apartment door, barely taking time to lock up, and rushed to Yugi's home as quickly as he could manage.

We're heading to Duelist Kingdom folks~! :3

I'm typing the next chapter so I'll get that done soon as I can :D

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