A/N: Hey, we're a day late with the posting of this chapter, but considering the posting history, that's not too bad. With any luck we'll be on schedule for the next one. :)

Historian's Note: This story takes place before, during and (eventually) after the original story through Millennium World, following the canon established in the manga. There will be spoilers, so proceed with caution.

Soundtrack: 'Haunted' on 8tracks.

Beta: SkyTurtle.

Warnings: TRIGGER WARNING. Fairly graphic descriptions of wounds, injuries and near death.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and related characters are © to Kazuki Takahashi.

Haunted

Part IX

Raven Ehtar

Transferring into a new school when the academic year had already begun was generally thought of as something of a hassle for all parties involved. For the school there was the question of being certain the new student was up to date on all of the course work, as well as paperwork to be filed which ought to have been finished at the beginning of the year with everyone else. For the rest of the students there was the disruption of routines, a new distraction to take their attention away from their studies when distractions were already plentiful. Of course, this was also considered something of a positive by the students themselves, as a fresh face added a small piece of excitement to the monotony of school life.

To the student being introduced midyear, there came a whole set of discomforts. Coming into a class were one is unknown and friendships and cliques have already formed was an obvious one, a personal challenge to be faced and overcome in any way the new student could. The regular challenges of becoming acquainted with a new school, with the curriculum, teachers, and particular traditions of that school are thought to be heightened for the transfer student who must do all of this when their peers have already done so.

To some extent Ryou still agreed with this perception that was held about transfer students and the trials they faced. For himself, many of them no longer applied.

Over the last six years he had been shuffled so often from one school to another that it now felt normal to begin school partway through a quarter. To him the disruption of routine was routine, and he found that he could stride through it all with aplomb. It was one of the few points on which he felt he was on firmer footing than any of his peers, and while he reaped the benefits of that greater experience gladly, he hated the necessity which had granted it. And while repeated experience of being the new face may have given him a measure of calm and familiarity with the process, it also jaded him as to any hopes of actually staying in his new school.

Still, he had more hope for this school than he'd had for the last dozen. It was a whole new city as well as a new school. No one had ever heard of him or his checkered academic past. There was every reason to hope that this school would be the one where he could stay.

"Attention, everyone. We have someone new joining our class today…"

Ryou looked out over the small sea of faces that made up Class 1-B of Domino High. It was a very mixed lot, which was about what he had expected on enrolling. Domino High was a public school which, while not quite on what would be called the rough side of town, was close enough that a good number of students seemed to come from there. There were several students in 1-B who looked as though they came from a rough life - something in the way they sat, the disinterested or belligerent way they stared back at Ryou standing at the front of the class. Ryou took careful note of each of them, their looks and their placement in the class, should it become necessary to avoid them.

The majority of the class did not fall into this category, Ryou was glad to see. Most of the faces turned up to him seemed friendly and open, curious of their new classmate. Some of the girls, Ryou noted, seemed especially interested.

Ryou maintained the gentle smile he'd put on before entering the room. First impressions were important, and he wanted to get this right. He wanted to be seen as friendly and good natured, even if he couldn't manage outgoing. This was his fresh start, and he wasn't about to mar it so early by giving himself a reputation as being antisocial.

When the teacher finished his introduction, Ryou gave a formal bow to the class, carefully keeping his smile in place. "My name is Ryou Bakura. Pleased to meet you all."

There. A friendly greeting, neither too formal nor too slack. Surely that was alright?

The teacher nodded his approval, and then cast his eye around the classroom. "Now, where should we have you sit…? Ah," his face lit as he found a spot. "The seat next to Jonouchi is open, you can sit there."

Ryou looked over the desks, searching for an empty seat rather than anyone who looked like they matched the name 'Jonouchi.' He didn't look long. Before he found the one empty desk in the room a boy directly in front of him in the second row sat up out of a slouch and waved energetically. "That's me! You can sit over here!"

Ryou's smile stiffened slightly. He covered the expression by adjusting his grip on his bag. The boy gesticulating so wildly at him was one of those he had marked down as a person to watch and behave very carefully around. And Ryou was meant to sit right next to him. He could only hope that his energy was as positive as it appeared to be, and that their nearness to the front of the class - and the teacher - would keep the boy on his best behavior.

Any worries Ryou had of anyone noticing his expression slip were soothed as he sat down. Everyone's attention had been diverted by a small argument that had sprung up between Jonouchi and the girl seated on his right. A quick glance at the teacher told him that the bickering was an annoyance, but not one likely to be clamped down on unless it escalated. Ryou decided to intervene before that happened.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, Jonouchi!"

The boy turned around, blond hair flipping across his eyes as his expression went from a scowl to a friendly grin in an instant. "Yo, same here! Let's be friends, eh?"

Ryou was startled into a wider, more genuine smile. He hadn't been expecting so warm a reception from anyone, and from one who looked like Jonouchi even less. His shaggy, bleached hair, wrinkled uniform left unbuttoned, and his general slovenly air had all marked him down as one of a type Ryou had become very familiar with on his tour through various schools. It wasn't a type which lent itself to affability, let alone open petitions to become friends.

It gave him hope, and at the same time raised red flags in his mind. Instead of answering directly, he kept to his smile and turned his attention to the first lessons of the day.

The class went by quietly, with nothing to take Ryou's attention besides what the teacher was presenting. Despite the mixed impression he'd been given on the student body itself, the hours slipped by in a peaceful and orderly manner until the lunch hour.

Ryou sat back in his seat, pleased. It was always a question whether what he knew on a given subject would match well with that a new school was teaching or if he would have to spend a lot of time catching up. It seemed this time he had no cause to worry; he was actually a little ahead of the rest of the class. It was one less thing to distract him.

His new fellow students were still something which required his attention.

At the lunch bell most of the class left the room, supposedly all headed to the cafeteria or some other suitable place to have their meal. There were many who opted to stay, however, or were simply lingering. Ryou had brought his own meal and planned to eat at his desk, but decided to wait and see if any more would leave before digging in.

Jonouchi was still sitting at his desk, and rather than making any move to get up, several other students had clustered around his desk. Without turning his head, Ryou listened in to the conversation they were holding just beside him.

"Hey, Yugi! I meant to ask ya this morning: have any good monsters for Monster Fighter come into the shop?"

"Mm, a few. But none that you would like, I think. Most of them are designed after bugs."

"Ick. What is it with the bug obsession everyone has lately?"

"I agree. But I thought you were practicing your yo-yo tricks, Jonouchi. Isn't Monster Fighter a little old to still have your attention?"

"That's rich coming from someone who's still feeding their Digital Pet."

"She just means it's weird for you to still be focused on something more than a week old, Jonouchi. You do tend to rip through the trends pretty quickly."

"Right. Besides, I'm not the only one who still has a Digital Pet. Right, Yugi?"

"Uh. R-right."

There was a slight pause in the conversation going on beside him. Ryou tensed slightly, suddenly certain he was being scrutinized. Had his eavesdropping been noticed? Embarrassed, he began stooping for his bag, to dig out his lunch and give himself a visible reason to be lingering, rather than just sitting and staring off into space.

"Ah, hey, Bakura," Jonouchi called his attention. Ryou winced, then quickly put his smile back in place and looked over.

Three other students had gathered around Jonouchi, two boys and one girl, and all four of them were looking at him. The consolation was that they were all smiling, and didn't look as though they were about to scold him for listening in.

Jonouchi grinned as he motioned to the three with a proud sweep of his arm. "These are my buds!"

Ryou blinked, and then his smile spread as he took in the new comers, looking them over more carefully than before.

It was almost as though the mixed impression Ryou had gotten on looking at the class as a whole had been boiled down to the four in front of him. Jonouchi he had already decided was a street tough of some kind, or had been one. From the way he acted now it looked as though that had changed or was only a look he had adapted without actually being a thug.

The girl was by far the most respectable looking. She was pretty, with medium length chestnut hair, and her uniform was clean and the blazer fully buttoned. She watched Ryou with interest, but he was happy to see none of the over-eagerness which was becoming more and more the norm from girls.

The taller of the two boys looked a little more respectable than the average of 1-B. His uniform looked as though it had been pressed, and his hair was clipped neat and close to his head. However, his jacket was open all down the front, and the way he slouched in place made him resemble Jonouchi more than his clothes did.

The last boy was short, even shorter than Ryou, who was far from tall, and he wasn't at all sure what to think of him at first. The gentle look on his face and the set of his shoulders suggested timidity, but the way he was dressed… Judging only by his clothes and hair, Ryou would have said that the small boy was even wilder than Jonouchi. His hair was dyed in streaks and styled into spikes like an 80's punk, and a wide, buckled choker at his throat furthered the impression. The school must have been very lax in its dress code, Ryou reflected, if they allowed their students to go about as these three were.

The small boy raised one hand, smiling wide. "Hi, I'm Yugi."

Ryou raised his hand, mouth open to return the greeting, when a golden flash at Yugi's chest caught his eye and arrested his words.

It was a little like taking a step and the ground you expected to meet your foot suddenly being jerked away. Resting against the black of Yugi's shirt, a familiar golden eye stared at him coldly.

Ryou felt his heart trip over itself, shuddering in his chest. The hand he'd raised in greeting almost snapped to his own shirt front, to be certain that the pendant was still there, tucked beneath shirt and blazer. Before the hand made it, though, he comprehended the rest of what his eyes were telling him.

The golden eye was similar to the one set into his pendant, but the one hanging about Yugi's neck was set on an inverted pyramid, a heavy chunk of a pendulum.

Realization brought back Ryou's sense of balance, and he dropped his hand back to the desk, forgetting to say anything.

There was a slightly awkward pause, a glance or two shared between the friends before Jonouchi motioned to the other two. "And this is Hiroto Honda and Anzu Mazaki."

The boy - Honda - nodded, and Anzu waved. "Nice to meet you!"

Ryou nodded back, doing his best to shake off the last of the odd unbalanced feeling. "It's nice to meet all of you." He tried to think of something to say, something which would present him as normal, friendly, and not as socially inept as he felt. He could only think of one thing, and it was a subject he had been hoping to avoid. But it was better than nothing. "I couldn't help overhearing you before, but you all seem to enjoy games?"

Yugi's face lit up, and Jonouchi grinned, leaning forward. "Aw, yeah, we love 'em! If it can be played, we've played it - and mastered it!"

"Wow, really?"

"Heck, yeah!" If Jonouchi grinned any wider, Ryou thought the top of his head might come off.

Honda gave the blond a sideways look, lips quirked in a half smirk. "Well, sort of. We enjoy games and have our favorites, but it's these two who are the hardcore game buffs." He nodded at Yugi and Jonouchi.

Anzu nodded her agreement, and added, "We really all started to get into games more after we became friends. Yugi's grandfather runs a game shop, so we get to see all the newest things as soon as they come out. And really, Yugi's the real master when it comes to games."

"Hey-!"

Both Jonouchi and Yugi blushed, though for different reasons.

Ryou looked at Yugi again, and couldn't help the old thrill that went through him on finding someone who shared his interest. Games, and someone to play with… Games had caused him nothing but trouble over the last few years, but he couldn't help but still love them. He still had all his old boards, figures, dice, rule books… he'd even kept the old broken figures. If Yugi and Jonouchi and the others were really so enthusiastic about games, then surely at least two of them would be familiar with tabletops games…?

"Your family runs a game shop, Yugi?"

The boy's smile widened a little. "You like games, Bakura?"

"Yes, very much." The thrill wouldn't be quashed. But surely there was no harm in just talking about games… "I especially like board games and tabletop games. My favorite is a game called Monster World. Have you heard of it?"

His face lit up again, if possible even more than before. "Oh, wow, Monster World!"

Jonouchi tapped Yugi on the arm, getting his attention. "What sort of game is Monster World?"

Ryou listened as Yugi explained, with no small amount of enthusiasm, the basics of how Monster World worked to the others. More than knowing his grandfather owned a game store, hearing how well and with what familiarity Yugi laid out how Ryou's favorite RPG worked convinced him that the boy was very well versed. He spoke as one who often explained how a game worked, and his excitement, the particular note in his voice and the light in his eye bespoke the real passion he had for what he was talking about. The others listened, their own expressions brightening the more they heard of the game.

The grin came to Ryou's face without any sort of effort, now. He'd given up on ever finding someone, let alone a group of people who shared his enthusiasm for games. It seemed like the older he got, the less those around him had time for things generally considered childish. He was only sixteen, but more and more often he found any friends he made were more focused on their schoolwork or more serious hobbies.

Finding a group of gamers on the very first day at his new school seemed almost too good to be true.

"I'm impressed, Yugi," he said through his grin. "You know a lot about games!"

Yugi flushed slightly, scratching the back of his spiked head. "Nah, not really…"

Ryou felt an odd kinship, a sort of connection with the short gamer. He had met others before who liked games, of course, they weren't that rare, but normally it was a pastime that was buried rather than shared openly. Yugi was completely open about his interest, proud of it and yet bashful of his own expertise. Had there been a time when he had been less open about his interest, a time when he'd felt as apart from his peers as Ryou had, simply because of his hobby? Ryou's eyes drifted down.

And that was all without taking into account the strange coincidence of his pendant…

"That sounds like fun!" Jonouchi's exclamation shook Ryou out of his thoughts. "How about we all play Monster World tomorrow! Huh, Bakura?"

Ryou's heart about stopped. "Uh…" Not already. He seemed to have met at least potential friends on his very first day, a personal best and more than he had ever expected would happen. But to actually play those games… he couldn't risk that. Couldn't risk them. They'd understand if he refused, wouldn't they?

He looked at the faces arranged around him. They were all bright, eager, looking to him to accept or reject the idea. Yugi looked especially eager at the prospect of a tabletop game, his oddly colored eyes shining.

Ryou felt his resolve dissolve a little under the pressure of those looks. "O-okay…"

The pause which followed his lackluster answer felt awkward and loaded. His scalp prickled a little under the stares he imagined leveled on him. He dared not look up for fear of confirming that was exactly what was happening. He didn't want to look up and see the look in their eyes, to see the openness he had just seen turning to concern, to suspicion.

In a desperate bid for anything which might distract them from his own awkwardness, Ryou seized on the one other thought that presented itself. "By the way, there's something I've been wondering about. Where did you get that pendant, Yugi?"

The concern on Yugi's face melted into another smile. One hand came up to touch the pendant. "Oh, this? It's called the Millennium Puzzle." The boy's eyes were warm as he looked at the pendant, full of fondness. "It came from the tomb of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh!"

With everyone's attention drawn to the pendant, Ryou felt free to stare at it himself. The design of his ring was ingrained in his memory so well he could have drawn every detail blindfolded. Looking at Yugi's Puzzle, Ryou felt as though someone had sketched some of those details on another object. The shape of the central eye of the Puzzle was very similar to the one on his pendant. In fact, the longer he looked at the Puzzle the more convinced Ryou became that the two were companion pieces, forged by the same hands in the same place. That they would each end up, by separate ways, in the same place thousands of miles from where they had come from, and that their bearers would meet was all almost too much to a coincidence to believe. And yet.

"Wow," he breathed, then stopped short when he realized that he'd begun to reach out towards the Puzzle. He snatched back his hand. "Ah… would it be alright if I…?"

If Yugi was insulted by how his Puzzle had almost been handled without permission he didn't show it at all. His smile was still in place as he nodded. "Sure!"

Ryou returned the smile and reached out again. "It's actually a little strange," he said. "Because I also have-"

His fingertips touched the cold surface of Yugi's pendant, and two separate but equally intense sensations choked his voice. The first was a familiar, almost overwhelming sense of the metal feeling cold, even lying against Yugi's body; cold and slick, like the metal was damp with oil, and that the unblinking eye was suddenly watching him. The familiarity of it all washed over him and almost drowned out the sharp, tugging pain at his chest, as though a set of claws had dug in around his sternum.

He gasped a little, grabbed at his chest. Beneath his clothes he felt the cord of his pendant and the top arch of the ring. It was still in place.

Had he thought it was gone?

"Bakura? Bakura! Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath as the pain in his chest would allow and tried to give a reassuring smile. "Yes… it's nothing, I'm fine. Thank you for, ah…"

Before Ryou could think of what exactly he was thanking Yugi for, he was interrupted by a shrill voice. Looking up and seeing exactly who it was that saved him, he wasn't certain just how grateful he should be for the rescue.

A group of four girls, who had been clustered in an opposite corner of the classroom, were gathered round Jonouchi's desk and, for some reason, glaring at the blond. "Jonouchi! Quit hogging Bakura all to yourself, would ya?"

Jonouchi looked about as startled and puzzled as Ryou felt. He pulled a face at the girl that had spoken to him, reminding Ryou of the first impression he'd had of the boy. "Wha-at? Whaddaya talkin' about, now, bossy?"

All of the girls drew up at Jonouchi's words, his natural drawl worsening in his annoyance, but none so much as the girl who had spoken, her cheeks coloring. "It's bad enough you get to sit next to him all during class, but now you're keeping him to yourself during breaks! Let someone else have their turn."

"Someone like you four?" Jonouchi sneered at them. "What are you meant to be, the Domino Welcoming Committee?"

"And why not?" One of the other girls demanded, blushing furiously. "Bakura is new, he'll need to know where everything is, and staying here with you isn't going to teach him anything,"

"C'mon, cutie," the first girl said with a smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. He was still off balance, the pain in his chest too distracting to offer any real resistance. "We'll give you a complete tour of the school!"

"Uh-"

There was no stopping himself from being swept along by the impromptu committee. He didn't feel up to a tour, or to having to figure out how to behave around a bunch of girls who were obviously more interested in spending time with the new boy than in actually being helpful, but what was there he could politely do to prevent it?

"We've already started a fan club for you," the shortest of the girls said shyly. Ryou held back a wince.

It was a slight relief to be taken away from Jonouchi, Yugi, Anzu and Honda, though, if only because things with them were quickly turning awkward. Bad enough he'd agreed to a game with them, something he had wished to avoid at his new school, and within the first fifteen minutes of talking with any of his new classmates, as well. So much for restraint. He would have to find some way out of it, make some sort of excuse to keep them away. Ryou still wasn't certain why it happened, but whenever he sat down with friends to play games, they fell victim to that strange illness. The 'Kagome Virus.' All he could think was that if he kept from playing games then everyone might be safe. Safe from him.

"Down that way is the Nurse's office…"

"Out there you can see the old building where a lot of our clubs have rooms. Do you think you'll join a club, Bakura?"

"I hadn't really thought about it much…"

"Oh, you should! We have a lot to pick from: Kendo, archery, flower arranging, cooking…"

Ryou nodded as he listened without actually processing anything that was being told to him. He was certain he would be just as lost after the tour as before, he was taking in so little. He was too distracted, trying to puzzle out the sharp pain in his chest. It was a new sensation, and it wasn't going away. Every dozen steps or so it would flare back to life, radiating outward so every nerve in his body throbbed. He was too young for either a heart attack or a stroke, wasn't he?

Maybe once the girls had finally released him he would try to find the Nurse's office that had just been pointed out…

"Hey, you!"

The group came to an abrupt halt in the hall. Ryou looked back and saw a teacher with a severe haircut and wearing a tracksuit. He was large, well muscled, and glaring at all five of them with startling ferocity. Had they missed the bell calling everyone back to class?

The teacher focused on them, dark eyes narrowed and heavy brows drawn low. "You! You think you can just walk around the halls with a flock of girls all day?" The man's lip curled like a dog's into a snarl. "Whose class are you supposed to be in? Where do you belong?"

One of the girls, the one who'd mentioned the fan club from before, murmured just loud enough for him to hear. "Oh, no… That's Mr. Karita, the PE teacher. He's such a tyrant…!"

Ryou didn't reply, either to the girl or to the question Mr. Karita had thrown at him. There was no use in being deliberately antagonistic, but he wasn't certain how to reply to questions practically screamed at him by a teacher. It brought back unpleasant memories of grade school, when he'd been targeted by any boy larger or older than him as easy prey. He did his best not to remember those times, the apprehension and the anger that had been his constant companion…

On receiving no answer, Mr. Karita's face grew darker. He strode forward, the better to tower over them.

"Hmph… You're the new kid who just transferred in, aren't you? I hear you had some problems in your last school."

Ryou started, shock rocking through him. The pain in his chest flared again, and he had to fight not to clutch at it. How would a PE teacher have heard anything of his past school? Ryou had been told his history was on a need to know basis and his privacy would be closely guarded. What reason would a PE teacher have to know any of it?

He didn't need everyone in the school knowing all that had happened, to be watching him from the corners of their eyes. This was meant to be his fresh start…!

"However, there are rules in this school, mister. Like this hair!" Mr. Karita's hand shot out and caught a handful of Ryou's hair. Instinct had him try and jerk away, but the man was too fast. He got a good grip of the white locks and twisted ever so slightly.

Ryou gasped at the pain. His first instinct had been to flee. His second, once caught, was to freeze and hope whatever came next wouldn't be too bad.

His chest throbbed.

"Long hair for boys in against the rules." The girls were all speaking at once, pleading with the PE teacher to not hurt him, to let him go. Karita ignored them to lean in close to Ryou's face. The boy kept as still as possible, old experiences replaying in the back of his mind.

"Listen, Mister Fashionable," he growled in Ryou's face. His breath stank. "I want you to have a crew cut by tomorrow, understand? Then maybe I'll treat you like a student of this school! Show you're willing to leave your past behind you and we'll see about your future!"

Karita gave one final stinging twist of his hair and then released him suddenly, making Ryou stumble as the teacher walked away, laughing to himself.

The girls clustered around him, worry writ on every face. Kind hands were on him, kind voices asking if he was alright, but Ryou felt as though he were being smothered.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm sorry, but I'd like to be alone for a minute. Is there a restroom nearby?"

The restroom was mercifully empty when Ryou walked in. Rather than have the committee waiting for him, he told them he could find his way back fine and to go on without him. With many a concerned glance, they had done as he'd asked.

Now he stood in the relative cool and peace of the tiled room, staring at his own reflection. He looked worse than he would have liked, even after splashing himself with water. Too pale, the skin around his eyes and mouth tight, his eyes holding a familiar, wary look.

It was a much rougher start to his new life than he would have liked. It had seemed to be going well enough before today. He had an apartment all to himself, small though it was. He was developing a routine that served him well, made him feel independent, in control. He'd gotten himself enrolled into Domino High with very little help or involvement of his parents - a circumstance he was sure they appreciated as much as he did. He was functioning well, with no hint of the problems which had led him here.

And now his first day was shaping up like this.

He'd agreed to play a game with the first people he'd spoken more than a dozen words with, which was something he'd made a resolution not to do at all, however strong the temptation was. He'd been herded around a good portion of the school by a gaggle of girls, none of whose names he could remember but who he was certain would make themselves felt over the future weeks and months. He'd met a man who seemed, within two minutes, to embody every bully he had known over the years.

Ryou wondered about that encounter. Karita had cited a school rule as the reason for needing to cut his hair, but there were inconsistencies with that. The most obvious one could be seen in his own class. If Domino High really cared about how its students wore their hair, then Jonouchi wouldn't have the hairstyle he did, let alone Yugi. And when Ryou had met with the Principle during his intake and enrollment, she had said nothing about having to cut his hair. Neither had his homeroom teacher, and either one of them would have more right to tell him to alter his appearance. Karita, as a PE instructor, had no direct sway over him.

The man was just an overgrown playground bully, Ryou decided. Bullies followed no real logic in how they tormented their victims, and wouldn't bother with something as trivial as consistency. In Ryou Karita had seen an easy target and seized on him, that was all. What Ryou had to decide was how to deal with him. Would the Principle listen if he went to her with a complaint? If the assessment of his Welcoming Committee was generally believed - that Karita was a tyrant - then she might.

Ryou sighed, gripping the edges of the sink until his knuckles went as white as the porcelain.

To top it all off, his chest wouldn't stop hurting! It continued to throb and sting, so even his outside worries of heart attack or stroke were thrown out. Heart attack and stroke didn't feel like this, he was certain of that. In fact, he was beginning to think that the pain was familiar. He'd felt this pain before… but for the life of him he couldn't remember from where or when. With pain this severe, he should remember what had been happening at the time.

He was tired, though. The stress of the first day combined with the pain was exhausting him. It was getting hard to concentrate, or to even think clearly.

Ryou unbuttoned his jacket, revealing the golden ring he wore beneath it. He always wore it these days, ever since Amane had… It just felt strange not to have the ring with him. He'd grown used to the weight of its cord around his neck, the feel of it tapping against his chest with every step. If he tried going out without it on it felt as though he were unbalanced, like trying to walk with one leg abruptly shorter than the other.

He pushed it out of the way and unbuttoned his shirt as well to examine himself.

There was nothing to be seen. No scratching, no bruising, no marks at all on the pale skin of his chest. He wasn't certain what he'd expected to find, but it seemed like this much pain ought to leave some sort of visible mark. Even the barely there suggestion of memory said there ought to be something. But no.

Ryou touched the pendant, as he often did when he felt the need to ground himself. He traced the outline of the eye, his thoughts going soft as tiredness seeped deeper into his bones.

The pain had first hit the moment he'd touched Yugi's Millennium Puzzle… Maybe that had something to do with it? Maybe it had something to do with why they looked so alike. Or maybe Yugi's Puzzle just didn't like him…

A deep, throaty chuckle made Ryou jump, interrupting his thoughts. He drew his shirts together self-consciously and looked round the bathroom. He was certain he was the only one…

"Hello? I'm sorry, is anyone else in here?"

There was no answer, and the absolute silence worked to convince him that he was alone. He was also just as certain he had heard someone close by, with him, laughing.

Ryou shivered, buttoning his jacket and hiding the pendant from sight once again.

Perhaps he was just going insane.

"Hey, Bakura!"

Ryou stopped, cursing under his breath.

The rest of the school day had managed to go by without further incident. Even the pain in his chest had subsided to a dull kind of ache. He'd sat quietly through every period, doing his best to avoid eye contact with anyone but the teachers, drawing as little attention to himself as was possible. It had seemed to work, as well. The final bell had rung and he'd gathered his books, changed his shoes in the entrance hall and left the building all without having to speak or interact with anyone.

It was only on the literal threshold of the gates where he was stopped.

So close.

He turned, not quite managing a smile, but keeping any negative expression at bay. As he'd dreaded, it was the same four who had been talking with him at lunch. The same ones he'd promised to play a game with. "Hi, you guys."

Yugi came up close to him. With both of them standing Ryou realized just how short Yugi was. It wouldn't be surprising if he were often mistaken for a junior high student rather than high school - or even younger.

"Hey, Bakura," he said, a shy smile on his face, his eyes bright. "I was talking with everyone, and we'd all love to play Monster World with you tomorrow! What do you think? Could we come to your place? If that doesn't work we can play at my house. I know my grandpa's got enough parts of the game for at least a short play through." He nodded behind him to the other three. "We're all good with whatever works best for you."

Warring impulses jostled inside of Ryou. The first and overwhelming one was to joyfully accept Yugi and the others coming to his apartment to play his favorite game. It was such a rare opportunity to have so many other people to play Monster World with at once, and they all seemed so genuinely interested in playing. Ryou wanted nothing more than to tell them yes, to come straight after school. Then he would spend the rest of this evening preparing an interesting campaign for them all to play, making certain there were plenty of snacks and comforts for his new friends to enjoy their time with him.

Yet he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. More than just his resolution to not play games with any new friends at this school, was a strange kind of bone deep knowing that if he did, bad things would happen. It was more than just past experiences. Ryou knew, as certainly as he knew himself, that if he played then he would lose these new friends as well.

But the look on Yugi's face stopped him from just saying no, from telling them all that he'd changed him mind. He looked so happy, so eager to play. How hurt would he be if Ryou suddenly changed his mind?

How hurt would they all be if they did play?

Ryou stayed silent too long. Yugi's face clouded slightly, his head tilting. "You don't want to…?"

"No, that's not it," he said quickly. "I want to play with all of you, it's just that…" He stopped, uncertain.

After a moment, he sighed. He'd hoped that Domino City would be a completely fresh start for him, untainted by the last six years or so of his life, but it didn't seem as though it would be that simple. Karita was proof enough of that. His past life would continue to pursue him, but it would be up to him to make sure his past didn't go on to be a part of his future. He wouldn't let it all repeat, but he didn't want to ruin the new friendship that had only just begun.

The only way he could see, the only hope to achieve both of those needs, was to be honest about why he couldn't play with them. To escape his past he would have to acknowledge it.

"The thing is…"

He explained it as well as he could, this bizarre situation even he didn't really understand. As much as he wanted to look away, he watched their faces as he spoke, seeing what their reactions were. It was hard to tell how much they believed him. They all looked a little surprised by what he was saying, Jonouchi wore a small frown, and Yugi looked more worried than incredulous.

"I made a decision," he said, finishing up his explanation and turning away. "I don't want to lose any more friends. So you shouldn't get too close to me."

He left before anyone could reply, walking out the gate and towards his apartment. The others called out to him, but he ignored it. He couldn't stand the thought of the questions they must have, the reassurances that whatever happened wasn't his fault - which his gut would tell him was false. He didn't want to see just how much they believed his story, how little they might think of him already.

Ryou walked home to his empty apartment, his plans for the evening considerably different from what they could have been.

There wasn't very much homework to do after only one day. There would have been a set of assessments to complete to be certain he fully understood all the previous material everyone else had already covered, but he'd long since filled all of that out. The homework only took about an hour to finish, and then he was on his own for what to do.

After several minutes of running through his limited options, Ryou decided to write a letter to Amane. Writing to her was normally a good way to settle his nerves and put his thoughts in order. Besides, he had been rather lax in writing to her of late, and she deserved to know what all was happening.

He gathered up paper and pen and sat down to write. He began with the basics, wording it just as he would any letter addressed to a friend or family member, while his mind raced ahead to how he would word some of the more serious sections of the letter. He had told her his original intentions on coming to a new city, his hopes for a fresh start unhampered by everyone around him associating him with people felling into comas. How would he tell her how he had already, ruined that dream by telling his story to his classmates? For that matter, how would he tell her about Karita, and how he seemed to know more than he ought to about the past Ryou tried so hard to abandon?

He paused in his letter, sidetracked in his thinking. He still had to decide what he was going to do about that situation. Should he take the incident to another teacher, or to the Principle? If he did then he ran the risk of one of them backing Karita, and of being forced to cut his hair anyway. He doubted that would happen, though. He doubted anyone else would be quite so willing to be blind to all the other dress code violations blatantly walking up and down their halls. But then if he were supported and allowed to keep his hair, he then ran the risk of retaliation from Karita, probably something worse than a crew cut. In Ryou's experience, bullies did not take well to being chastised, and would take out their humiliation on the one who dared tattle on them.

It wasn't as though he had much choice at this point, of course. It was late and there wasn't like to be any salons or barbers open. What would he even look like in a crew cut? Would he be able to give one to himself if he tried…?

Ryou jumped at the sudden sound of a chuckle. It was the same as what he had heard in the school restroom, and it sounded as though it were directly beside his shoulder!

When he looked round, though, there was nothing. There was no one in his apartment besides himself.

Hah. So, you can hear my voice, can you? Interesting. That's been some time…

Ryou's heart froze over, he leapt to his feet. There was no mistaking that for his ears playing tricks on him. That was a clear, distinct voice speaking to him, and it was terribly close. It was also… familiar?

"Who is that? Who's there?!"

The voice, whatever it was, ignored the question.

I guess from now on, I'll be able to speak with my host. Truly this is a day to remember. The voice laughed again, apparently enjoying a private joke of its own. Ryou was beginning to feel dizzy, held the edge of his desk to steady himself as panic built in his chest, filled his limbs until they trembled.

Ah, yes, the voice went on, lest we forget, there is something else worth remembering. We've finally found him. That one, and the one who holds his Millennium item. At last, after 3,000 years of waiting. The items must be resonating with each other after being apart for so long, increasing their power. That's why you can hear me so easily now…

Ryou's head throbbed, almost like a vise had clamped round it and he could feel every beat of his pulse throughout his skull. It was as though the pressure of another person's thoughts in his head was straining on his skull. Or, as he was truly beginning to suspect, the break into insanity was just as painful physically as it was psychologically.

He dug his fingers deep into his hair, into his scalp, as though trying to dig the voice out with his hands. "Who are you?! What is this voice in my head?!"

Don't worry, Ryou. You've not gone mad yet. I am very real, and I have been with you for a long time, just out of sight. I am a part of you, and the Millennium Ring you wear.

Ryou blinked. The words felt strange in his head, just how a foreign voice butting against his own thoughts ought to feel, and yet he could feel the sense of them, the wordless meaning that lay beneath all thoughts just as he could his own. The voice said 'Millennium Ring,' and while the words themselves meant nothing, his fingers were already reaching for his shirt front.

"Ring…? You mean my pendant?" He tore open his shirt, looking down to the golden eye… and his stomach lurched sickeningly at what awaited him.

The pendant, his pendant lay against his chest just as it always did, its golden eye flashing up at him like a live, blinking thing. And all five of its wickedly sharp points were buried beneath his flesh, the skin raised so sharply he could still see the shape of them. Blood trickled down his chest and on to his belly. The voice laughed again.

Now, now, Ryou. No taking me off. Thanks to you, we've finally found the Millennium Puzzle and the one who possesses it. It is good I decided those years ago to keep you as my host.

Ryou's heart felt as though it were about to explode. It was beating too hard, too fast, surely it would give out any moment now. "Get out," he screamed out loud. "Get out, get out, get out of my body!"

Don't be so cold, Ryou Bakura. You can believe me when I say it is comfortable in here. In you. And besides, I am a most thoughtful tenant. I don't pay rent, but I grant your wishes! I've been granting them practically every day for the last six years…

Ryou's breath came out in a rush. His mind was working fast, almost too fast for him to keep up, but he had a suspicion, a terrible premonition of what the voice in his head meant by that.

What was it you always thought to yourself whenever you were playing one of those games with your friends…? 'How fun this is!' 'I wish I could play games with my friends forever!' I granted that wish for you.

All at once Ryou was glad he'd not had dinner yet and that he'd been too distracted to have lunch at school. "…What are you talking about…? You can't mean all of those…"

Well, you'll realize soon enough just what I mean. For now, let's focus on something a little more important, and why we can speak to each other at last! The Millennium Puzzle is within our reach! If we let this opportunity go by, who knows how long we'd have to wait for another one.

Something shifted inside of Ryou, like the voice was moving from one place to another in his brain.

But we must wait a little on that, I think. In the meantime, since I'm in such a good mood tonight, allow me to pay my rent…

The presence shifted again. It might have only been Ryou's perception, but it felt threatening. He threw out a hand, useless against something inside his own head. "What are you up to?"

That chuckle again, with a knowing tenor. So you want a crew cut, Yadonushi? You may not believe it just now, but I care for my gracious host. That gym teacher, he was very rude, wasn't he? And you know even if you report him, it's not safe to leave him free. Who knows what he really knows, what he could do with that information…

Once again, Ryou felt the meaning behind those words, saw what the voice intended much more clearly than if he'd only heard the words spoken. A wave of numbness washed over him.

"No, don't-!"

Sleep, Ryou Bakura. Sleep

Heaviness washed over him, slowing his thoughts, turning his limbs to lead. He remained aware just long enough to feel as the voice, that other mind took control of his body. He felt that moment, the wave of foreign exhilaration, of dark joy as it took hold of his body.

Then the heaviness became too much, and he knew nothing for some time.

A/N2: So, we're finally into the actual canon timeline of the manga, and finally get to meet the rest of the main cast. Huzzah!

Yadonushi: For those not in the know, 'Yadonushi' means 'host' and is how Yami Bakura refers to Ryou in the manga - or at least in the original Japanese. The interesting thing is that Yadonushi could mean host as in 'landlord' or host as in 'host for a parasite' with equal ease.

A lot of the dialogue (most, actually) for this chapter was pulled straight out of the English translation of the manga, with a few alterations to make it flow better in a non-visual medium. Yes, the classroom these kids are almost never in is actually 1-B, and no, I'm not sure if the Principle is female or male, I'm winging that.

Next chapter should be up on the 19th, see everyone then! Thanks for reading!

(There's a fairly significant announcement on my Bio page. Please take a moment to give it a look. Thank you.)