Hola~ well, yeah, its been more than a week or so, haha. Couple in school and everything, I didn't have much time to type! ^ ^; in fact this chapter was typed during school during my lunch break. ANYHOODLES, I had another asthma attack D: FAIL!

But yeah, enjoy this next chapter PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU HIT OR SEE OR EVEN JUST READ THE FIRST CHAPTER! TELL ME ANYTHING! DX

Chapter 3

"Hey cut it out you!" Ryou giggled as Marik smeared brownie batter on his face.

"Never! Screw baking! This is way more fun!" Marik cheered, dabbing the sweet mixture on his own face. The two hikaris had gotten out of school early, on account of a few inches of snow earning them a two hour early release. With nothing better to do, they decided they were going to have some fun, uninterrupted by their brooding yamis.

"Were supposed to bake it Marik— don't you dare eat that batter!" Ryou scolded when Marik took a heaping spoonful and was about to stick it in his mouth. Marik frowned, but then an idea popped into his head and he couldn't help but smirk.

"What're you smiling about?" Ryou asked, taking a step back and eyeing the full spoon in the Egyptians hand.

"Oh nothing… just this!" he yelled as he took the entire bowl and flung its contents at Ryou.

"Eeek!" Ryou screamed, ribbons of batter pooling at his feet as it dripped from his body. "Marik I'm gonna kill you!"

"Come get me batter ass!" Marik teased, turning to run. "WAH!" he yelled, slipping on a stray puddle of batter that had dropped from the spoon. "Ouch…" he groaned, sticking his tongue out at Ryou, who was doubled over in laughter.

"Yeah whatever, laugh while you can! But it will be me with the last laugh because this isn't my kitchen!" Marik pointed out, smirking when realization struck the white haired hikaris face.

"You're not gonna clean?" Ryou asked incredulously.

"Nope." Marik said, crossing his arms defiantly and smiling victoriously.

"And that's where you're wrong." Came a chillingly familiar voice that made both hikaris blood freeze. Marik turned his head slowly and met the crimson eyes of his best friend's yami.

"Er…hey there Bakura…" Marik said, shrinking down a little when all he received was a narrowing of the eyes.

"What the hell happened in here, and why aren't you in school?" He demanded, pointing at the various smears of chocolate on the tiled floor.

Both hikaris looked up at him pitifully, eyes widened. He could've swore he saw Marik trembling.

"WELL?" he yelled, putting his hands on his thin hips, making Marik grasp Ryou's arm. Ryou looked just as scared, gripping the other teens arm also.

"Well, there's no reason to yell at the poor things." A smooth voice said, surprising everyone in the kitchen. Malik stepped in the door, a bored expression on his face.

"How'd you get in here?" Bakura asked, looking at the blonde yami suspiciously.

"Where else?"

"I locked the door when I came in."

"Why does that matter?" Malik said, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Bakura glared at him before turning back to Ryou and Marik, who were still clasped onto each other.

"Don't scream at them, they might get scared." Malik added behind the spirit.

"You two…" He began. "Need to clean this mess up."

Ryou and Marik looked at each other with their jaws slack.

"Malik…How the heck did you do that?" Marik asked.

Malik just looked back at his Hikari with the same apathetic expression and turned to leave, when Bakura put a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" He asked, tensing at the sudden contact.

"Next time knock you asshole."

Malik shrugged off Bakura's hand with a smile. "What an underhanded invitation into your home on a later occasion…"

Bakura just crossed his arms and a tinge of pink crawled across his face. Ryou and Marik giggled, beaming with happiness.

"So does that mean you guys are friends?" Ryou asked.

Bakura blushed even harder. "No, I don't need friends."

" That strikes me as a yes, little one." Malik said before he strolled out of the door.

"See ya!" Marik called as he closed the apartment door softly, his shouts for his yami to wait echoing throughout the corridors of the building.

Bakura rolled his eyes and looked down at his Hikari, who was tracing circles aimlessly in the chocolate.

"Aren't you going to clean that up?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah…" He groaned, crestfallen.

Bakura sighed and knelt down beside him.

"I didn't say you had to do it alone you know." He said, licking a small spot of chocolate off of Ryou's cheek.

"Really? Y-you'll help?" Ryou stuttered, blushing.

"Yeah, I guess. Don't blame me if I create some kind of nuclear meltdown because I mix chemicals or something though." He scoffed, running a hand through his wild hair, standing and opening the cabinet to start the long process of cleaning the kitchen.

Bakura huffed and plopped down on the couch. Lately he'd been feeling weaker than usual, and the reason why was a bit of a mystery to him. Ryou, who was seated on the loveseat across the room, looked at him with concern.

Ever since he found Bakura lying in the hallway he'd been a little more attentive to when the yami's usual attitude was off.

"Bakura, are you feeling sick?" He asked quietly.

"No, I'm just a little dizzy…I'm just going to go to sleep early tonight." He replied, heaving himself up and staggering down the hall to their bedroom. Ryou watched after him until he closed the door, then switched on the TV to buy himself some time before he himself got tired.

"Three men evading arrest," Droned an anchorman. "For armed robbery and arson."

Ryou watched, interested.

"Hey Ryou, can you come here a sec—"

"Shh Kura, I'm trying to watch." Ryou said, hushing his darker half.

"Earlier this evening, a bright blaze was put out by firefighters in south domino. Authorities say this fire was caused intentionally, and fingerprints have been recovered from the scene of the crime. If you have any whereabouts on these two men, please contact the police. Their names are Tsukoshi Matsumoto and –"

Bakura switched the TV off, throwing the remote across the room.

"Hey! I was watching that!" Ryou shouted.

"I don't care. I don't want you watching stuff like that."

"What am I, four? I can't watch the news?'

"Not the evening news."

"Ugh, you're impossible sometimes!" He said, grabbing the remote and turning the Television back on. "Oh man, I missed the rest of it!" He complained, pouting.

Bakura stalked off silently back into the bedroom and slammed the door that being the only noise the spirit made.

"He is so confusing sometimes…" Ryou groaned, reluctantly turning the TV back off again and shutting off all the lights. A part of him was a little bothered by the fact that the police hadn't caught the two men yet, but he shook that thought off as he walked down the hall and peeked into his bedroom.

The room was still illuminated by a small desk lamp, and he noticed Bakura curled up tightly in the sheets, his face rather pallid. That caught Ryou's attention. He climbed across the bed and shook his yami's shoulder.

"Hey, do you think I should make a doctor's appointment for you?" he suggested.

"I don't need a doctor…" He groaned, turning to face his lighter half. 'What I REALLY need is an exorcist…' He thought, but he refrained from thinking back on the harrowing night that left him terrified.

He couldn't keep his eyes open, as much as he didn't want to go to sleep. He knew if he slipped into a dream he ran the chance of being brought back to that horrendous slaughter. He had been wondering though, if he was having the nightmares for a reason.

He knew it was going to come back to bite him later, but he asked anyways.

"Hikari, is it possible for me to be the host of another spirit?"

The question caught Ryou off guard.

"Why…why do you ask? Is that even possible?"

"That's why I asked you." Bakura replied, trying to rub away weariness from his eyes.

Ryou sat with his legs crossed, his hand on his chin in a concentrated fashion, Bakura eyeing him curiously.

"Well," he began. "It might be possible that you have a suppressed portion of yourself that's still inside the millennium ring…Bakura?" Ryou asked, noticing the dark spirit staring at him with a relatively frightened expression, which rarely occurred.

"Oh come now, don't tell me you actually think—"

"Yes Ryou, I think that's what's going on!" He spat, glaring at him and storming out of the bedroom. Ryou scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to be so mean!" he shouted at the closed door, which had been slammed.

When a sharp reply didn't come from the other side, he opened the door just a crack to look out into the dark apartment.

"Oh not this again..." he muttered as he felt around in the dark, taking careful steps.

"OOF!" He yelped as he tripped over something warm. "Bakura, why the heck are you on the floor?" He scolded.

"Bakura?" A deep voice said with a chuckle. Ryou's blood ran cold as he watched a large shadow loom over him.

"That must be his little boyfriend's name." another booming voice grunted as the lights were switched on. A tall, stalwart man smiled down at Ryou, who was now trembling in a corner. He was about six foot eight, much taller than the petrified teen, and had a messy unshaved face.

"Tsukoshi matsumoto, nice to meet you." He snickered, licking his lips.

Ryou stared up at him in wide eyed terror. He recognized the two men immediately as the vigilantes from the news.

"Hey kenshi," Tsukoshi called over his shoulder. "You think I should teach this little guy a lesson?"

The one Ryou presumed to be kenshi smiled crookedly.

"Yeah, go for it man. Doesn't seem like he'd put up much of a fight."

Ryou's breathing quickened when he figured out what they were suggesting.

"Hey kenshi, what happened to that other little twerp I saw? I got into it with him earlier today. The little bastard pulled a knife on me though."

"The mean looking one? Right here boss." He replied, dragging Bakura up by the hair. "We found him on the floor passed out not too far from the door remember?"

Bakura's face was red and he looked oblivious to what was occurring, spared by sleep. Ryou's eyes started to water, his expression on of confusion, fear, and frustration. Why were these criminals in his apartment? And how…how on earth could Bakura be asleep during this all?

Tsukoshi's gruff voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm gonna have fun with you kid."

"No…no!" Ryou pleaded as the man crept closer to him. He was stuck in the corner like an animal. He had nowhere to run.

"Drop fluffy over there and join in kenshi." Tsukoshi demanded, running his finger along Ryou's chin and breathing heavily. Kenshi did exactly that and let go of Bakura, letting him drop to the floor.

"STOP!" Ryou shrieked, kicking and flailing when a hand slid up his shirt, another snaking its way into his pants. His efforts were useless on two people at once. He would shake one off, but the other would come back just as ravenous.

"Bakura!" he cried, tears slipping down his flushed cheeks. Bakura lay on the carpet, completely unconscious.

"Bakura!"

Bakura opened his eyes to thousands of people crowded together, yelling loudly. He looked around in confusion, wondering what the fuss was about. Then a wave of panic surged through him. He remembered collapsing on the floor, weakened beyond belief. He also remembered seeing Tsukoshi and a second thug kick the door in before he finally surrendered to sleep.

And here he was, trapped in his own troubled mind. He knew by now that whenever this happened he had no control over his body, which was basically rendered useless when he fell into his subconscious, and the very thought of that lecherous pervert in the same place as Ryou made his blood boil.

"There he is!" a woman cheered, pointing to a balcony. A young boy stepped out, wearing luxurious jewelry and clothing. Bakura felt a faint pang of raw hatred pluck at his nerves. He knew nothing about the young Egyptian except that some part; some dormant part of him loathed his very existence. The boy raised his hand awkwardly, making everyone drop to the ground and bow. All except for Bakura, who wasn't visible to them to begin with and glared up at him with malice. He stormed away from the celebration and stalked off into a shaded alley, a partial shelter from the sweltering sunlight. He sat on a crate and sighed, closing his eyes and desperately wanting to be in his own home again to protect his Hikari. Opening his eyes again, he found himself staring straight into a pair of heliotrope ones.

"What the—'

His voice was cut off when the hooded figure seized him by the throat. His vision swam, and he clawed at his attacker, who had a vice like hold on his neck. A laugh that sounded hauntingly familiar to his own rolled out of the assailant's throat, silken and cold. Bakura went limp from lack of oxygen. How was this person even touching him? All of the other people ran through him like mist in the morning, but this man…

"Scared?" Came that chillingly proverbial sound, much too similar to his own voice.

"Who are you?" Bakura asked, slightly afraid of the answer he might receive, even though he had no idea what to expect.

"You should know." Came the childlike hum of the stranger.

"Why should I?" Bakura demanded, grabbing once again at the man's hands.

"You remember…" he crooned.

"Tell me already!"

He simply huffed, sliding his hood off. Bakura's eyes widened. His eyes were a striking amethyst, and his hair was as white as the moon itself. He had sun kissed skin and a slightly feminine appearance to his face, masked over by apparently male features.

"You're that kid!" Bakura shouted, taking in a gasp which stung his throat.

"You're that kid."

"What happened in that village? How did you manage to escape…what happened?" Bakura asked, ignoring the comment made by the now teenaged child he saw in his last nightmare. He ran his fingers along the jagged scar that covered his entire cheek. Noticing he had reached out and touched the stranger, he drew his hand back quickly, blush crawling across his face.

"You know already." He said, his voice harder than before. He let go of Bakura, watching him with a small frown on his face as he coughed and took in deep breaths. "You remember. Look into yourself and you'll see." He said before he stepped into a dark corner of the alley.

"Wait a second!" Bakura called out, reaching out to him in the blackness. When his hands met nothing but a cold wisp of air, which he disregarded as a breeze, he stood puzzled.

"It's time to wake up, Bakura…" Came the boy's voice, echoing in Bakura's head, a ghostly smoothness to it.

"Quick, let's get outta here!" kenshi said, rushing out of the door and buckling his belt.

Tsukoshi grabbed a bag of the two teen's belongings, halting before he fled.

"You utter a WORD to the cops, or that waste of oxygen on the floor over there, and we'll be back for more than just your sweet ass." He said, jabbing a finger at Ryou's bottom.

Ryou stared at him with tired, bloodshot eyes. Nodding his head weakly, tears stung his eyes as he cradled himself, wincing as his hands brushed across a bruise.

With that, the two men dashed out of the disheveled apartment, leaving Ryou to tremble in the darkness. He sobbed softly, hoisting himself off of the couch with the help of an end table and leaned against the wall, his strength waning with every choked cry he let escape his mouth.

"Bakura…" He said, his voice barely audible. He limped over to him, a flicker of hope showing in his face as the spirit began to stir.

"Ryou?" He groaned drowsily, reaching out into the inky darkness.

"I'm right here yami…" He answered, intertwining his fingers in Bakura's and putting tremendous effort into talking with a steady voice.

"Are you alright?" He asked, panic lying under the serious tone of his question.

"Why of course, why wouldn't I be? Come now, let's go to sleep…" Ryou said, his voice cracking slightly. He pulled Bakura up and placed his hand in the others, guiding him through the hallway and into their bedroom without so much as glancing over at a light switch. He knew that if Bakura saw him, he'd be discovered. Even though he had an even greater reason to be afraid of the dark, right now he used it as his ally.

"Didn't…wasn't someone in—"

"No. Hush and sleep." Ryou interjected stonily. He wasn't going to let Bakura know about what happened. Not yet. He was already having problems of his own, and he didn't need rape added to one of his stressors.

Bakura did as he was told, climbing into bed uneasily. He swore he saw Tsukoshi…

Without so much as a sound he shoved past Ryou and flicked on the bedroom light. Ryou's eyes widened when he did so, and he quickly ducked under the sheets, facing away from Bakura.

"Ryou?" Bakura said, gripping his shoulder.

"Ouch!" Ryou yelped. He clamped his hands over his mouth, immediately regretting his painful shout. Bakura tore the sheets off of him, nearly screaming at the sight.

"Stop it!" Ryou squealed, trying to cover himself again. It was too late though. Bakura's face went blank and he had to hold onto the bed frame for support. Ryou's pajama top was torn at the collar, and his pants were hanging precariously on his waist, for they had been obviously stretched by greedy, wanting hands.

"What is this?" Bakura asked, his voice shaky.

"Nothing." Ryou answered, hugging himself to protect his body from Bakura's knowing eyes.

"What the hell IS this?" He roared, slamming Ryou into the mattress by his wrist and pinning him down.

"Ouch let me go!" Ryou whimpered, trying to struggle out of his grasp.

Bakura nearly wretched when he saw a bruise on his hikari's neck, followed by another on his collar bone. He looked at his own hands as they held Ryou's tiny wrists together and noticed more dark marks, indicating that he had been held down before now.

He lifted Ryou's shirt slowly, his eyes widening as he came across more of the disgusting blotches on his once milky torso.

"They were here weren't they? Tsukoshi and the other bastard."

"Wh-what are you saying? No one was here." Ryou lied.

"Don't toy with me Ryou…" He hissed venomously, squeezing his wrists until he cried out.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone! Please stop Bakura that hurts!" Ryou pleaded, a fresh torrent of hot tears streaming down his face.

Bakura released him, getting off the bed abruptly and pacing around the room.

"Bakura, please…"

"I'll kill them."

"Stop it!"

"No you stop it! Shut the hell up Ryou, just shut up!" He screamed. He was absolutely furious. He stomped down the hallway, muttering spiteful words as he flung open the closet door, grabbing his black coat off of its hanger and putting on a pair of sneakers.

"What are you doing?" Ryou asked, staggering out into the now illuminated hallway and leaning against a wall.

"The fuck does it look like you idiot?"

"Don't talk to me like that! You don't think I'm going to let you out of my sight do you?"

"I let you out of mine and look what happened!"

"Bakura—"

"You're not changing my mind. I'm going to make sure that prick see's the light of day no more…" He said darkly, a sinister smirk playing on his lips as he gazed at the hilt of his knife in his hand.

"No…you can't!" Ryou cried hysterically.

"Who touched you first?"

"I'm not telling you—"

"Tell me now or you'll regret even waking up this morning."

Ryou was taken back. His yami hadn't threatened him in a very long time, and it frightened him a bit.

"The tall man…I think his name was—"

"Tsukoshi? Hm." Bakura scoffed, smiling widely again. He rifled through the closet, and chuckled darkly when his fingers met something cool.

"I've been waiting a long time to use this again…" He snickered, pulling the millennium ring out and stroking it lovingly.

"You're going to—"

"Yes, my little angel, yes…"

"Please please Bakura don't he doesn't deserve to die that way—"

"Yes he does. He deserves every last bit of it. I will not lose you to some foolish mortal. This ends now." Bakura said, his voice hash and threatening.

He walked briskly through the apartment and slid outside into the cold unforgiving night, a murderous glint in his crimson eyes.

"Tonight were going to taste blood, Bakura?" came an excited voice from inside his head. Bakura blinked twice before continuing towards south domino, dismissing the sound as nothing but a stray thought.

What he didn't know was that he was just feeding the darkness what it wanted. Hatred. Murder. Everything it needed to be reawakened.

Well, there you go. Chapter three is finally up! Fitst of all I'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed. You really make me happy when you give me feedback you endangered species you! Secondly, I'd like to apologize for such a delayed update. I was procrastinating because I didn't feel like typing such a long chapter o_O But now its done! VICTORY! It took me all of two days though because im on punishment so I have lots of extra free time…eheh…FAIL.

But yes, I worked pretty hard on this chapter and I skipped dinner and stayed up late on a school night TWICE for you people! Review so I can get some nourishment!