I was asked by thor94 if anything bad or lemony was gonna happen to Yugi, or if it was reserved for Bakura and Ryou. I replied in the Chapter1 reviews, but since I did it on my phone it just posted as a new review. So I will reiterate what I said:

Yugi is safe from harm and lemon. Ryou is as well. The only ones NOT safe are Bakura, Marik, and Yami. Because I am a wicked, wicked person. I would like to add, that before any lemon happens everyone will have their own bodies.

Yugi spent the next several hours keeping an eye on Bakura. It was baffling to him why the spirit was attending school instead of Ryou. It was obvious by the way he spent the majority of his time staring out the window that he didn't want to be there. On occasion he would glance down at the paper he was probably faking notes on, or pretend to be following along in the textbook. He scoffed and snickered quietly throughout history (though not quietly enough Yugi noted after seeing the teacher glance around looking for its source each time). Literature and Algebra he was probably writing down random gibberish (Yugi even wondered if the spirit could read or write for that matter). Halfway through Science was where things got interesting. The teacher had decided to start off the year with reviewing chemical formulas. The middle aged man had written a few chemical rings on the board and was explaining the difference of each when he was interrupted by none other than Bakura.

"That's wrong," said the spirit, not even attempting to change into his usual Ryou facade.

The room went silent as the teacher turned and angrily glared at the white haired student that had dared disrupt him. "Mr. Bakura, I am going to ignore the fact that you just interrupted my lesson on the basis that I am curious as to what exactly you mean by 'That's wrong'."

All eyes shifted back and forth between the adult and the teen, waiting anxiously for whatever was about to happen next.

"You forgot to draw the bonds for the Benzine rings. Without the bonds, you are writing a formula with Cyclohexane, which changes the resulting chemical drastically."

Everyone's focus slowly shifted back to the front of the classroom, where to their surprise the teacher was staring back at the formulas. The red shifted from his face, being quickly replaced by a slight flush across his cheeks.

"Oh my...you are indeed correct. Looks like I should have had more coffee this morning," the teacher replied with a chuckle of embarrassment. He regained his composure, drew in the missing bonds, then continued on with his lesson.

Yugi sat through the remainder of class, his mind completely flabbergasted on what had just occurred. How was it possible that an ancient spirit knew anything about modern chemistry? Surely it wasn't knowledge that he had access to through Ryou. Also, why hadn't he pretended to be Ryou at all for that matter? Was he tired of pretending? Or was this another one of his elaborate schemes? Whatever the reasoning, Yugi (and Yami, who had been watching Bakura with just as much interest throughout the day) decided that he would get answers and determine why the spirit was here instead of his friend.

The bell finally rang, signaling the start of the lunch period. The students rushed to the room's exits, gossiping excitedly about the awkward exchange that had taken place during science. Yugi and his friends were quiet until they reached the roof of the school where they usually hung out and ate lunch together. They looked around, assessing that their conversation wouldn't be overheard by someone outside of their group.

Joey was the first to break the silence.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED IN THERE!? WHY IS DA EVIL RING SPIRIT GUY WALKIN' AROUND IN OUR BUDDY RYOU'S BODY!? AND WHY IS HE SMART!? I DIDN'T THINK EVIL SPIRITS COULD ACTUALLY KNOW STUFF!" He grabbed his head as if it were about to explode.

"Just because he's an evil spirit doesn't mean he doesn't have a brain, Joey." Téa replied while looking at Joey as though that should have been obvious.

"Okay, I get dat, but how does he know the stuff he spouted off earlier? Hasn't he been locked away in da Ring for the past five-thousand years like da Pharaoh? I highly doubt they were teaching Chemistry in ancient Egypt."

Marik spoke up at that remark. "No, but they did study alchemy. It's true that they wouldn't have understood basic chemical formula breakdowns, but they were very adept at knowing how to mix ingredients to get certain results. Perhaps he combined Ryou's knowledge with his own?"

They sat for a few moments, pondering the possibility. Yugi had opened his mouth to say something when he noticed Bakura wander past them. The spirit gave a quick sideways glance towards him, stopping at the railing not far away. Resting his elbows on the railing, the spirit then proceeded to look out over the landscape below. Yami tugged at the back of Yugi's mind, almost demanding that he be permitted to interrogate Bakura on their friend's whereabouts, but Yugi refused. He and the others continued to observe Bakura for the next several minutes in silence, taking this time to eat their lunches.

"Question?"

The silence had finally been shattered by the irritated growl of the spirit, who was now gazing off into the distance.

"Why come to a place like this to learn anything when those teaching are completely incompetent? Majority of the nonsense they spout off is absolute bullshit. They dare claim to know the truth of history? Unless they were there to witness it, then the only truth they know is the lies that were written. I can only surmise how low the qualifications are for teaching here if they allowed a halfwit like that in here."

The group stared at him with mouths agape. No one knew how to reply. Even the Pharaoh lingering beside Yugi was left speechless.

"What? Did you naturally assume the 'Evil Ring Spirit Guy' was just some dumb idiot that only feeds off the knowledge of his host? Believe it or not, I am actually very well educated," he scoffed, referring to Joey's earlier exclamation. He didn't bother to look at their reactions to this bomb of information as he sauntered off and back into the building.

The rest of the day proceeded without any more incident, and without any more traces of Bakura. By the time the final bell had rung, Yugi and the rest had concluded that the spirit probably most likely wandered off to do whatever it was that he normally did while controlling his host (which Joey and Tristan had argued over whether it was plotting world domination, or just wandering around creating as much random chaos as possible). After parting ways from the rest of the group, Yugi and Marik made their way back to the game shop while discussing the day's events.

"So, I'm going to assume that today wouldn't be what you consider a 'normal' day at school?" Marik chuckled, setting his schoolbag at the end of his bed.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I can't remember that last time anything was ever 'normal' around here," came Yugi's chuckled reply, followed by a sigh.

"Do you ever regret it? Completing the Puzzle that is."

There was a brief pause before the shorter teen replied. "No. I got to meet all of my friends because of both the Puzzle and the Pharaoh. Sure things can get pretty crazy, but I don't think I would have it any other way," he said with a smile.

Thinking back, Yugi realized he couldn't remember much of anything before completing the Puzzle and meeting his friends. There just wasn't anything remotely interesting to remember. The past few years, however, were filled with so many interesting things happening that he could recall nearly all of it. He started to wonder how much everything would change when his journey with the Pharaoh finally ended. Would life go back to being so uneventful that he wouldn't remember anything? He shook his head, trying to dismiss the negative thoughts around that idea. Right now, the Pharaoh was still with him and was no closer to finding his missing memories than when the two had first met, even with Marik now helping.

"That's good. As much as I regret the circumstances of how we met, I don't regret meeting you and your friends. And I'm glad that the inscription that I bear will finally be of some use. I look forward to the day that the Tomb Keepers will be of no use. I don't wish to impart the life I had to endure on another." Marik smiled. The smile was soon replaced by a sigh and a look of concern. "I wish I hadn't been a part of everything that happened with Ryou though. I'm beginning to wonder if those events lead to what we saw today. From what I remember of Bakura, he has little tolerance for anything he deems not worth his time, and I don't see how he would have even considered going to school in Ryou's place worth his time. Plus I recall his personality being a lot colder than what we witnessed today."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed he seemed...different. It's almost like he wasn't Ryou or Bakura."

"You don't think there's a third spirit in the Ring do you? Or maybe like what happened with me when I unintentionally created my dark self? Do you think it's possible that Ryou created another version of himself to combat Bakura?"

This thought hadn't occurred to Yugi, but after considering what he witnessed, nodded his head. "It's entirely possible I think. After all, didn't you say your dark half was created during the trauma from receiving the inscription on your back?"

"Yes. And having witnessed Bakura lock his host away in his own mind as well as physically injuring him to help me gain your trust..." Marik winced at the mentioning, but continued, "...plus I witnessed the fear Ryou showed towards Bakura. He was terrified of possibly angering Bakura. I can only assume he was abused repeatedly in his own mind, and I have no doubt he bears other physical scars brought about by Bakura's wrath. It would be a safe assumption that he created another entity that could possibly fight on his behalf. Perhaps the reason this entity resembles Bakura so much is because the scariest thing Ryou could think of was the being he feared the most?"

"Hmm, that does sound like the best explanation for what we saw today," Yugi said in a much deeper voice. Yami had taken over. He still had his reservations towards Marik, but he put that aside to discuss the possibility of another spirit controlling Yugi's friend. "Think about it, he obviously has the knowledge of a person from this age, and not from five millennia ago. Plus he mentioned that he was 'well educated'. The spirit we know as 'Bakura' has always struck me as possibly being a former thief or bandit. There is no way someone like that would have had access to any form of education in ancient Egypt. Even I don't need my memories of my time as Pharaoh to know that."

Yami sat on the edge of Yugi's bed, across the room from Marik (who was on his own bed in their shared room). He rested one leg across the opposing knee, crossed his arms, squared his shoulders, and closed his eyes while lowering his chin slightly. Marik had grown accustomed to this posture, knowing it meant that the Pharaoh was putting a great deal of thought into something. He often wondered how much thinking during those times was purely Yami, or if Yugi was involved in the mental exchange. Yami's brow went from its normal focused state to a scowl. It was obvious whatever the Pharaoh was contemplating, he disliked whatever thought had recently crossed his mind (or whatever suggestion Yugi had made, Marik still wasn't sure).

"I don't like it, but it sounds like the most logical approach," Yami said with exasperation. He opened his eyes and glared distrustfully towards the Egyptian teen sitting across from him. "Yugi has suggested that perhaps you could use the Millennium Rod to peer into the Ring. I suggested doing it myself, but having never used the power of the Rod, Yugi felt it was best left in the hands of someone with experience. Plus, having already made a connection to the Ring before might give you an edge before being discovered."

The hairs on the back of Marik's neck bristled and his eyes grew wide in horror. He already feared the possibility of his darkness finding a way to return, yet knowing this Yugi had still suggested he once again take up the very item that connected them. Worse yet, he wanted him to peer back into the Ring. What if a portion of his darkness was hiding within? He doubted it, but really didn't want to take that chance.

"I'm sorry….I...I can't..." the fear in Marik's voice was apparent.

The scowl from the teen across from him vanished, his face changing to that of concern.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought you couldn't do it. I have faith that it will be okay. Plus both Yami and myself will be there to bring you back," said Yugi's softer voice. "If your darkness returns, we'll just have to banish it again," he said with a smile of reassurance.

Marik hung his head. "If...if you really think it's the only way to go about this...then I guess I can try. Just promise me that if my darkness does return...you will do anything to stop him. Even if it means sacrificing me." He looked up to see the concern in his friend's face.

"We won't let that happen."

"I don't care! Promise it or find some other way." He fixed his gaze on the spiky haired teen. "That is my condition for picking up that cursed relic again."

Yugi sighed. "Very well. I promise. But I'm also going to promise that I will exhaust every option before I even consider the notion of sacrificing a friend." He steeled his gaze towards his friend to affirm that he meant every word.

If somewhere along the line it appears that I wrote something in the context of me obviously knowing what's going on, but forgot to relay it in text, please feel free to let me know!

I would like to plainly state, writing Joey's Brooklyn accent is an absolute nightmare. It gives me eye-twitches. I'm not even certain I wrote it right. If there's someone out there that actually speaks/writes Brooklynese, I am more than open to suggestions. I have no problem back-editing.