Hey…*Epic defeated face* I'm upset because I wanted to update a lot sooner than this but I have state exams and I have to study for it and everything, and I found out im moving next month *SAD FACE* So I might not be able to go to the High school I wanna go to. Lets cross our fingers and hope I do. But anyways, concerning this fanfiction. I got 4 reviews for the last chapter~ And the shippings I got requested were:

Kaiba x Bakura

Ryou x Marik (Yami)

And Bakura x Akefia x Ryou

OOH HAPPY DAY THOSE ARE FAIRLY SIMPLE TO WRITE!

The prize for you gorgeous reviewers is : A chapter based mostly around these pairings. So, since I got a fairly nice little amount of them, the next 3 chapters will have these shipping incorporated into them. The first one, mainly for the purpose of plot convenience is Ryou and Marik.

I'm gonna stop talking.

Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 7

"You would think you would've brought a thicker jacket…" Malik grumbled as Ryou coughed loudly, shaking subtly. Ryou just glared over at him tiredly. His expression was vacant and haggard, and he tried his best to ignore the soreness in his body. Looking up with reddened and puffy eyes, he glanced up at the neon lighting around the trio. Loud and vulgar music rang in his ears as they passed many nightclubs, and Marik had gotten himself touched oddly by a passing woman. He of course thought nothing of it and continued to be mystified by all of the flashing signs. Ryou had to admit that it was a bit nice, despite where they knew they currently were. Of course they were in the under belly of Domino, even worse than east and west Domino, where blood feuds raged constantly. No, south domino was notorious for its high crime rate and kidnappings, not gang fights. Still though, he found himself entranced by the way the electric pink and green flashing signs glittered in the rain, and he took on the expression of a baffled child.

"Hey you're falling behind buddy!" Marik called, grabbing ryous hand and nearly scaring him half to death.

"Ow stop pulling me around Malik !" Ryou hissed, yanking his hand away and rubbing his wrist. Marik looked a little confused but backed off, looking a lot like a dejected puppy. Ryou sighed guiltily and settled to wrapping his arms around his body. He shouldn't have yelled at his friend, but he wasn't exactly in the best shape, or mood for that matter. He'd just gotten raped for god's sake, and now he was wet and freezing to death looking for his significant other who had a little more than an attitude problem.

"Malik, are we close yet?" He asked, tugging on the tall teenager's sweater sleeve. He wasn't going to lie; he was a bit intimidated by him. He was tall as all outdoors, and he always had a strangely blank expression in his face that kept you guessing. At the same time though, he had a mischievous glint that rivaled Marik's, and it was ever so attractive.

"Were getting closer, but I'd say we have a bit of a ways to go. Your Bakura sure does know how to get himself lost." He said, raking his hands through his golden hair. "You look really…sickly."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Ryou scoffed, wrapping his arms tighter around himself.

"…Here." Malik said simply, peeling off his sweater and shoving it at Ryou, who sputtered and insisted that he was completely fine the way he was, only to have his refusals ignored. Defeated, he slipped on the black garments and immediately started warming up. Having been previously heated by Malik, Ryou breathed in the scent of the Egyptian. His sweater smelled of almonds and cherry, and he had to admit that it soothed him, and he blushed a little. A few sizes too big, it draped over his hands and hid his fingers, making him look like a child in his older brothers clothing.

"Are you sure this is okay?" He asked quietly, peeking up at the blonde.

"Yes." He said simply, glancing down at the boy. His lavender eyes looked distant, and he looked as if his mind was in a completely different place as they walked along the streets of southern Domino.

"Is something wrong Malik?" Marik asked, as if a sixth sense that only a hikari and yami shared had just been set off.

"We're here." He answered, halting abruptly. They stopped in front of the entrance to a particularly dark alley, and it made Ryou shiver despite the huge sweater he was being swallowed up by. Marik's hairs stood on end and he stepped closer to his yami, who had a stony expression on his face. The millennium rod glowed a warm golden light, and that's when all three of them knew that this is where Bakura was.

"Is that…?" Marik said, trailing off when he realized that pooling up next to their feet was bloodied water. He paled visibly and brought a hand up to his mouth has he stared into the blackness of the alley way. "You don't think he's—"

"Shut up." Malik barked, his grip around his millennium item tightening as he began walking into the alley. "You two stay here and I'll be back."

"Hell no." Marik barked back, a determined look on his face. He was a very convincing young man when he wanted to be, and when he had his mind set on something he went with it. Grabbing Ryou's hand reassuringly, he stared up at his yami with an unfaltering gaze.

"…Fine. Stay close though." Malik conceded, letting the millennium rod guide them into the unknown. Ryou's eyes seemed like they would roll straight out of his sockets they were so wide. A feeling of absolute danger washed over him, and his breathing quickened exponentially. Whatever forces were at work here, they weren't like the shadow magic Ryou had come across before. Before, Bakura was careful about how much of it he used around him, because ultimately if Ryou was swallowed up by it then so was he. But that was only because he was Bakura's host.

"M-Malik, I'm gonna go back to the sidewalk…" Ryou stammered his breathing shallow and his voice pitched higher.

"Were already too far in for you to leave now Hikari-kun." Malik said, pulling the frightened teen closer to him reassuringly.

"I see him!" Marik chirped, a smile popping onto his face bright enough to pierce even the darkness of the place they were in.

"Wait." Malik hissed, grabbing his Hikari by the shoulders and shoving the disgruntled teen behind him protectively. "Something's not right…"

"Bakura?" Ryou squeaked, peeking form behind Malik fearfully. He didn't know why, but he was absolutely terrified of the person he'd known for years now like he had never been before.

"Yuugi, wake up, come on." Yami begged, shaking the shoulder of his second half.

"Yes…?" He groaned, rolling over and opening his eyes slowly, smiling softly at his Yami.

"Something's wrong…the puzzle is acting strange, and I have a bad feeling…"

"A bad feeling? Like what?" Yuugi questioned, sitting up and looking into Atem's eyes deeply.

"Something evil is among this world… Get dressed. Were going out for a walk."

"Now? Atemu, its so late! And besides, where would we go at this time of night?"

"Wherever the puzzle leads us, aibou."

"Well," Bakura slurred, a lackadaisical smirk on his face. "Looks like you found me."

"You aren't Bakura." Malik growled, unsheathing the blade on his Millennium rod. Ryou gasped loudly and clung to Marik desperately.

"Neither are you, but I'm not threatening to stab you now am i?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Bakura, and Bakura is me. We are one and the same. Heehee!" He trilled, smiling creepily. Malik wrinkled his face at the being in front of him. He radiated darkness and his aura felt demonic and intimidating, yet his demeanor was loose and taunting. He didn't like it.

"Just what the hell happened here?" Malik demanded.

"Why do you think something's happened? Nothings wrong here." Bakura answered, tilting his head to the side childishly, successfully irking Malik even further.

"Don't play stupid with me. It's quite obvious that there is shadow magic involved, you can practically feel the darkness feeding off of our souls. So I'll ask you again. Who are you?"

"My name is Akefia." Bakura answered simply, twirling about in a circle and smiling impishly. "But that's Bakura's name. Bakura is Akefia."

"What?"

"We are each other, I thought we had this settled." He giggled, moving fluidly towards Malik and bringing his face within inches of the blonde yami's. "You are of Egypt, yes? Where did you come across that rod?"

"Call it a family heirloom…" Malik growled, not faltering or stepping back from the strange boy. He knew that Bakura want himself. There was another presence involved, one that, despite the way it was behaving, wasn't very safe.

"That belongs to me, give it." Bakura hissed, his eyes narrowing. His attitude suddenly turned hostile, and the playful smile on his lips was replaced by an angry scowl.

"I don't think so." Malik scoffed, holding his millennium item behind his back. "You have no idea what I had to go through—"

"What you had to got through? Hm…keh heh…" Bakura chuckled, the small sound quickly escalating into full bodied cackling. "Don't you dare. Stay out of the way of my goal." He said, his laugh completely deadpanning.

"Yami, it's dangerous down here!" Yuugi whimpered, gripping Atem's hand fearfully as they walked briskly down the sidewalks in south domino. Finding a bus at the late hour was hard enough, but trying to console Yuugi was even harder.

"Were right by our destination aibou, just hold on a little while longer."

"How can you be so sure? I've never been down this way with you."

"My breathing feels as if it is being stifled, and I have a throbbing pain in my chest. In other words, there is shadow magic being used not too far away."

"Well why on earth would we be going towards it then?"

"Who is the one person we know that dealt directly with shadow magic most often?" Atem said, stopping and staring into Yuugi's eyes intensely.

"….Bakura." Yuugi replied, a dire tone in his voice.

"Malik don't hurt him!" Ryou shouted, reaching his hand out desperately as he watched the blonde slam the possessed yami against the hard brick wall savagely. With a maniacal giggle, Bakura shoved him off roughly and smirked.

"Wanna play this game, hm?" He jeered, whipping out his knife.

"No!" Ryou pleaded, struggling to get out of Marik's grasp. "Stop fighting!"

"Gladly, whoever bleeds the most loses." Malik chuckled, caressing his millennium rod possessively and ignoring Ryou. "Come at me bro."

"Kukuku…" Bakura laughed, a laugh that belonged to someone completely different. Lunging forward almost at a blindingly fast speed, Malik grunted and just barely jumped out of the way, avoiding a blade to the chest. Bakura growled in an animalistic manner, yanking is knife from the wall he had struck with unnatural force. Malik's eyes widened at the agility of the white haired boy, and knew immediately that he was dealing with a furious and malevolent spirit, hell bent on destruction. And he wasn't talking about normal Bakura.

Ryou stared terrified at the skirmish on front of him. His friend and his Yami—or whoever was inhabiting his Yami's body, were locked in a deadly battle, each equally matching each other's skills. He knew that it was only a matter of time before one of them got worn-out, and he knew that whoever that happened to be, they would most likely be killed by the other. Noticing with a shiver, Malik's breathing was beginning to get louder and more ragged, meaning he was beginning to tire. He seemed to notice this too, because his movements began getting more frantic with every swing he dished out and dodged.

"Oooh~ getting a little winded? I can go all night, but it'd be no fun to just beat the hell out of your dead body. You'll run out of blood eventually, after all." Bakura giggled, holding his hands palm side up and shrugging his shoulders.

"Hmph, I don't think you'll be getting too much of a chance with me." Malik snarled, standing in a defensive stance once more, ready to spring at any moment.

"Bakura!" A deep and familiar voice bellowed, Catching the white heads attention. Atem stood at the mouth of the alley, breathing heavily from the running he had just done to get there. "No… you're not Bakura."

"…Yes, I am—wait. Pharaoh?" Bakura said incredulously, his violet eyes widening in awe and dropping his guard.

"Watch your back!" Malik shouted, taking the momentary opening to his advantage and driving the sharp end of the millennium Rod into the boys gut.

"Gck!" The whitehead winced, a sickened expression on his face. "You bastard…!" He hissed, sinking down to his knees with a pained expression.

"NO!" Ryou screamed, ripping away from Marik roughly and sprinting towards the fallen Yami with fresh and hot tears in his eyes. His hands trembled and his breathing had once again gotten shallow and labored. He hoped he didn't hyperventilate.

"Ryou get away from—" Atem began.

"Fuck you!" Ryou shrieked, whirling his head around so fast that his hair nearly smacked him in the face. The young teen rarely cursed, and when he did so it was only in a dire situation, unlike his yami who was now bleeding out on the ground.

"Ryou…?" Came Bakura's voice, frail and frightened. His eyes were still stormy purple, but they had began to take on more of a red tint. He looked scared, weak, and more or less like a sickly child, his face paling as his blood leaked from the wound In his stomach.

"Bakura! Youre gonna be alright, we just need to get you to a hospital so we can fix you up right away." Ryou blathered, talking so quickly that most of it just came out as incoherent high pitched nose. Lifting him gently, Ryou slung bakura's arm over his shoulder to held the injured yami walk.

"Ryou, I still feel a little…weird about him. I don't think you should be near him." Atem warned, a worried look on his face. Malik, Yuugi, and Marik shared the same feelings.

"Whats the matter with you guys? He's hurt for god's sake, cant you show an inkling of compassion?" Ryou said in an accusatory tone, narrowing his eyes at the group. "Bakura?" He said, looking down when he felt the teen stand by himself. He had a blank expression on his face, and his eyes looked lifeless. "Are you alright—Ah!" Ryou yelped, his question interrupted by Bakura wrapping his hands around his neck and shoving him into a wall, his face stoic the entire time.

"Hehehehe…AHAHAHAHA!" Bakura screeched. "You are such an innocent child now aren't you? Reminds me of myself when I was younger. But then again, I do not wish to be reminded of such a horrific time in my life soooo…I do believe you'll have to be removed from the picture."

"Bakura…! Please stop!" Ryou whimpered, trembling with fear as he brought his hands to his yami's.

"Why?"

"Because this hurts…! It hurts…" Ryou said, his voice getting quieter as Bakura's hands got tighter.

"Feh, that's too bad. They didn't stop when everyone in my village pleaded, did they? Nope~! Isn't that right pharaoh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Release Ryou this instant spirit!"

"Wrong answer…" He hissed, sinking his nails into the thin skin on Ryou's neck until it drew blood. "One more soul for me~" He sang, the golden eye on his forehead glowing brightly.

"Ryou! Run!" Yuugi cried in spite of himself.

"No!" Ryou shrieked, slamming his knee into bakura's belly.

"AGH!" He screamed, drawing his hands back to cover his mouth before retching once, good and hard, and widening his eyes as blood spilled from his mouth and slipped in between his fingers.

"Bakura—" Ryou began, but couldn't finish before Malik snatched him away from the sputtering yami and hugged him tightly into his chest.

"No! let me go you have to help him!" Ryou sobbed desperately, pushing on the tall teens chest trying to get free.

"Shh…It's okay, he'll be alright…" Malik crooned repetitively, calming the white head and stroking his hair softly. Marik threw a glance over in Atem and yuugi's direction before walking cautiously over to Bakura.

"What do you need?" Bakura asked weakly, a small smile on his face despite the small trails of blood dripping from his mouth and pooling on his chin.

"We need you to relinquish this body for now." Marik said. "If he doesn't seek medical attention he'll die and he can no longer be of use to you."

"oh, so that's what you need…Well, he does seem a tad worn out, so just this once I'll relinquish my hold…on my body. It was nice playing with you, in this new world. It hasn't changed very much, hm?" He said, swiping his long white bangs from in front of his eyes, which were beginning to turn back to their normal blood washed red. "Bye bye…" He sighed, before letting Bakura back into control.

Marik smiled, and Atem and Yuugi sighed in relief.

"Ow goddamit…everything hurts…" Bakura winced, trying to sit up but learned that his injuries were a lot worse than he anticipated.

"Were going to get you some help buddy." Marik said warmly, helping the pale teen to his feet. In the back of his mind he knew that Bakura was enduring something awful internally, and he wanted to know why it seemed as if he, a reincarnated spirit, had become a host to another entity claiming to be him.

"Atem, give me a hand over here will ya?" He asked, as the former pharaoh slipped under Bakura's arm and helped walk him towards the mouth of the alley.

"Rough night huh kiddo?" Malik said softly to Ryou, who fell asleep standing up. His face was flushed red and he had bags under his eyes, but otherwise looked peaceful. Picking him up gently, he held the boy bridal style and pressed a small miss to his forehead before strolling out of the bloody area, not noticing the tiny smirk on the resting whiteheads face.

Well. That was a pain to type. It took too long. ARGH. I passed all of my finals, whoopty doo. Excuse me for being unenthusiastic, the school year is dragging by ridiculously slow. EDITING. It nearly killed me -_-

This chapter was kinda long, as to make up for the shortness of the last one. Next chapter will be the kaiba x Yami Bakura shipping that was requested, and it'll make sense once you read it. If I get around to typing it anytime soon -_- TWO MORE WEEKS SOLDIER. TWO MORE WEEKS UNTIL SUMMER. Um, as for anything else, yeah akefia is the bipolar kinda creepy-ish type. For now at least. Once he gets his own body (It'll be soon I swear) Then I may or may not tweak his personality a bit. What do you guys think? Oh, and as you might be able to tell, Yami and Yuugi aren't my favorite character's to write about. Honestly, I like Egypt! Yami better. Atem. WHATEVER.

Until next time darlings, sorry I took so long to update. Leave me reviews so I can pull myself out of this depression -_-