As the weeks went by, Ryou got accustomed to the new routines in his life. He went to school, went to the museum to work on the diorama, did his homework, took Arabic lessons from the Spirit, and went home to sleep. Every Wednesday he saw the therapist, and every Thursday was the Spirit's turn to front for the afternoon so that he could socialize with Malik and do whatever else he wanted. Every Saturday Ryou held a game night with his friends at this apartment, where they played Monster World. Malik was often at the museum to help Ryou with whatever he needed for the diorama.

One Thursday after school, Ryou invited Malik over to his apartment. Ryou thought it would be a great idea to have Malik and the Spirit hang out at his home instead of the museum, and that way they could do things like watch TV or play video games. What he hadn't anticipated was that Malik would show up carrying a bag full of books.

"Here's a book about Ancient Egyptian culture, and this one's about Ancient Egyptian architecture," Malik said as he took books out of his bag one by one. "I also have one that contains pictures of what the people and buildings should've looked like, and this one's about…"

"Woah, Malik, slow down!" Ryou said. "You really didn't have to bring all these. Like I told you before, the Spirit has a perfect replica of Ancient Egypt in his soulroom. I have all the resources I need in there."

"I thought you could use some outside sources too, just to verify for accuracy."

"No offense, but I think I trust the accuracy of a magical soulroom more than books. One time while reading a book about Ancient Egypt, the book mistook the Ancient Egyptians for wearing wigs, but I know it's really just black people hair. You can tell that a lot of archeologists are influenced by racism and other possible biases."

Malik shrugged. "I suppose that's true, but take these anyway just in case. And also I have some psychology books you might find useful. Here." He took out a book and handed it to Ryou. "This one's called 'The Haunted Self,' a highly recommended book if you want to learn about DID. Although I have to warn you that the terminology is kind of weird. It's old so it's a little out-dated."

"Let me see." Ryou turned the book over and flipped through a few pages. "It looks brand new. You didn't check this out of a library? You bought this with your own money?"

"It's a gift. You keep it."

"Do you want me to pay you back?"

"No need. Just take it," Malik said as he practically shoved the book into Ryou's arms.

"Ok…thanks…" Ryou hesitantly took the book. "I'll go put these on my bookshelf in my room."

"No need, I'll do it for you," Malik said. He quickly took all the books, including the one in Ryou's hands, and put them all back into his bag. Then he hurried away into Ryou's room to put the books away.

Ryou stood where he was, bewildered. "Why's Malik going through so much trouble to help me?" he wondered out loud. " I can understand wanting to be helpful but he is going way overboard."

"It's because he feels like he owes you a few favors after what he did to you during Battle City. He does it more for himself than for you. Helping you is one of the only ways that helps relieve guilt. Just let him do whatever he wants. It's his coping strategy," the Spirit said.

"I see." Ryou rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

A few moments later Malik came back, and he was holding a small object in his hand. "I found this on your desk. Why the fuck do you have this?!" he demanded.

Ryou looked closely at what Malik was holding. It was a small golden sphere with an eye engraved upon it. "Oh that's a replica of the Millennium Eye! It was in the soup that Pegasus served to Yugi when we were in Duelist Kingdom. I thought it looked cool so I asked Yugi if I could have it."

Malik was silent for a moment. Then, with a dark look in his eyes, he said, "I think it's time for the Spirit to front."

"Oh yes, where are my manners?" Ryou laughed. "Alright, you two have fun. See you around." Then he closed his eyes, activated the power of the Millennium Ring, and switched places with the Spirit.

As soon as Yami Bakura was here, Malik immediately said, "Alright tomb robber. You have some explaining to do."

"Oh whatever could you mean?" Bakura said as he batted his eyes innocently.

"Don't play dumb! You think I can't tell the difference between the real Millennium Eye and a fake one? I am a tomb guardian! I can tell this is the real Millennium Eye. Why the fuck do you have it? And on top of that, how in the name of Ra did you manage to convince your host that this is a fake?"

"I simply did what needed to be done. The Pharaoh needs all seven of the Millennium Items in order to get his memories back. If I don't retrieve the Millennium Eye for him, who will?"

"Pegasus disappeared after the Duelist Kingdom tournament ended. I figure you had something to do with that?"

Bakura laughed. "Hey well like I said, I did what needed to be done. The Pharaoh should be thanking me."

"Right. Anyways, you know I'm going to have to confiscate this," Malik said as he started to put the Millennium Eye in his pocket.

With a flick of his wrist, Bakura swiftly snatched the Millennium Eye from Malik's hand before anyone could even blink. "No, actually you won't be doing that. If my host finds out you confiscated it he's going to suspect it might be the real one. If you want him to continue to trust me and for things to work according to plan, you will allow me to keep it for the time being."

Malik glared.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to keep it forever. I'll give it to Yugi when the time is right."

"Why do you even want to summon Zorc in the first place?" Malik wondered. "You do know he's going to destroy the world once he's unleashed."

"Yeah, I know."

"So why are you doing it?"

Bakura shrugged. "Because it's fun."

"It's fun. That's the only reason? You don't have any motivation for wanting to destroy the world other than it being fun."

Bakura laughed.

"Destroying the world is fun." Malik leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "It's only going to be fun for about fifteen minutes. What are you going to do after the world is destroyed? Everything's going to be ashes and rubble. Wouldn't you get bored? Even my plans for world domination made more sense than this."

Bakura wanted to respond but he was laughing so hard he couldn't speak.

"Last time when I asked you why you wanted to steal the Millennium Items, you said you wanted power. You can't exactly have power over anyone when you're the last sentient being on Earth."

Bakura swallowed his laughter enough to be able to form words. "Fine, fine, you have a point. I'll adjust my plans to kill only 90% of the human population so that I can rule over the last 10%. That sounds fun too."

"Are you taking any of this seriously?" Malik asked dubiously.

"I take my roles very seriously. I am Yugi's ultimate villain. What kind of villain would I be if I didn't plot world domination? Can't disappoint my fans, obviously," Bakura said as he continued to laugh.

Malik's patience was gradually waning. "You laugh too much," he said.

"I'm the evil cycle-path-tic villain. I'm supposed to do that," Bakura said with a coy smile and flirtatious wink.

Now Malik remembered why he hated the Ring Spirit so much. He was so annoying.

"What about Ryou?" Malik suddenly asked.

Bakura paused, becoming silent for half a second. "What about him?" he asked.

"Doesn't he deserve better? He's been trying so hard to help you. He's given you everything. Don't you care what happens to him at least a little bit? You can't care about anyone but yourself."

"My relationship with my host is purely business and nothing more. Once he finishes the diorama I'll have no more use for him."

Malik sighed.

"Why do you care if the world ends or not? It's not like the world has ever been kind to you," Bakura pointed out.

"I care because if the world ends, it'll destroy the life I recently built for myself! I only just managed to start a new life alongside my siblings, and you're trying to take that away from me! You're such an asshole! I hope you die!" Malik shouted.

Bakura shrugged. "If you ask nicely, I might let you and your siblings live. You can join the 10%."

"No thanks. I don't want to live in a world with you as the dictator."

"Fair enough."

Bakura whistled as he paced around the room, throwing the Millennium Eye up and down a few times in his left hand.

"Don't you have something you should be doing right now?" Malik asked.

"Oh yeah, I've got to work on those character cards to go along with the Shadow Game." Bakura stuck out his tongue at Malik, then turned to leave the room. "Are you coming to help?"

"I don't think you need my help."

"You know helping me is supposed to be part of your duty as a tomb guardian."

Malik sighed. "Alright, what is it you need me for?"

Bakura grinned a toothy grin, showing up his sharp canine teeth. "This way. I'll show you."

When Malik came home that day, his sister Ishizu was in her office talking away on the phone.

"Yes, yes. I'll have everything taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Bakura. Good night," Ishizu said into the phone, and then she hung up. When she looked up and saw Malik, she greeted him warmly. "Ah, Malik! Great news! I spoke with the owner of the Domino City Museum. We have arranged for a new exhibit on Ancient Egypt to open in about eight months, just like you said. If everything goes to plan, the Pharaoh should be ready to battle against Zorc in about eight months. Now all we have to do is find the Millennium Eye and we should be ready."

"Actually, I know where the Millennium Eye is," Malik said.

"You do?"

"Yes. Bakura has it."

"The museum owner?"

"No, I mean the museum owner's son, Ryou Bakura. He has it. But the good Bakura thinks it's a fake, and the evil Bakura knows it's the real one. He must've stolen it from Pegasus."

"Indeed he must have. Who has the Millennium Eye now? Did you take it from him?" Ishizu asked.

"No, he said he'd give it to Yugi when the time is right. I believe he'll follow through on that promise. He has to if he's going to battle it out with the Pharaoh."

"Then we should be all set. The final confrontation between good and evil will finally play out as foretold by prophecy," Ishizu said with an air of solemnity.

"Yes, I actually wanted to talk to you about that. I think that maybe the way we're setting things up for the final battle might not be the best of methods?" Malik said, nervously rubbing his arm.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, we have to think about who's going to get hurt in the end."

"If Zorc wins, everyone will get hurt. But if the Pharaoh wins, no one gets hurt."

"Except for Bakura. He's going to get hurt even if the Pharaoh does win."

"You're concerned about the boy who's possessed by the Millennium Ring?"

"Yes, the boy is going to be terribly heartbroken once he finds out his dear friend has been planning on betraying him this whole time."

"I'm sure he'll get over it. I wouldn't exactly call his relationship with the Spirit of the Millennium Ring a 'friendship.' They're barely acquaintances."

"That's not true," Malik insisted. "I've spoken with the host Bakura. He's much more attached to the Spirit than you think he is. He always talks about how he's worried about the Spirit's well-being, even going so far as seeing a therapist for help. He's in pretty deep."

"A betrayal isn't going to kill the boy. Besides, he has his friends to help him through the emotional wreckage once this is all over," Ishizu said reassuringly.

"I'm not sure if Ryou's even going to want to be friends with them anymore after they kill the Ring Spirit. In fact, he might not be able to forgive them for it."

"What do you mean?" Ishizu questioned. "Surely Ryou wouldn't be upset if anyone killed the Spirit after finding out he tried to destroy the world? Killing the villain is justified."

"About that whole villain thing…I don't think the Ring Spirit is the villain most people think he is. He's not really that evil. I'm not sure if killing him is the right course of action."

"Not that evil…" Ishizu paused. She gave Malik a stern glare. "Malik, I do hope you're not starting to care about the Spirit."

"I'm not! I…"

"Because that's not part of your duty as a Tomb Guardian. Your assignment to assist the villain is merely transactional. You are to make sure everything is ready for the final battle, nothing more, nothing less."

"I know! It's just…" Malik was flustered.

Ishizu stood up from her chair and glared down at her brother sternly. "You're not supposed to do anything beyond your duties as a Tomb Guardian, and that includes befriending the enemy," she said.

"But he's not really our enemy!" Malik said. "He doesn't even have any serious reasons for wanting to destroy or rule the world! The only reason he's doing it is because of peer pressure! The Millennium Items assigned him as the Pharaoh's chosen villain, and everyone treats him like a villain, which is why he believes himself to be the villain. It's hard to be anything else when that's what everyone expects from him."

"Malik…"

"There's got to be a better way than this! What if there's a way for the Pharaoh to defeat Zorc without killing the Spirit? That way Ryou's heart can be spared, and no innocent lives will be lost."

"The Spirit of the Millennium Ring is not innocent," Ishizu hissed, her voice seething with malice.

"He's not innocent," Malik conceded, "but he's still a human being with rights. Human rights should be unconditional. I was a villain too once, and I was spared. Even when I was at my worst, you still saw me as having human worth. Why can't you extend the same courtesy to the Ring Spirit?"

"Malik…" Ishizu sighed.

"And besides, I have a hunch that the Spirit actually does care for the boy. He won't admit it outright, but…"

"Malik that's enough." Ishizu stook a couple of steps forward, crossed her arms, and gave Malik a scolding look. "We defied tradition once and it ruined our family. I don't want that to happen again. I order you to do your duties as a Tomb Guardian, nothing more, nothing less. Do not go against tradition. Do not challenge the status quo, and do not, I repeat, DO NOT get involved more than necessary."

"But…"

"We are not discussing this any further. Good day to you, brother," Ishizu said as she stormed out of the room.

Malik sighed. He took a moment to stand alone in silence, then he said, "I know you were listening, Rishid. You can come out now."

Rishid peeked out from behind a wall he was hiding behind. "Master Malik…"

"I told you, Rishid, you don't have to call me 'Master' anymore. Just Malik is fine."

"Malik," Rishid said. "Whatever it is you want to do, I will help you."

"No, I'd rather not involve you in this. If I'm going to challenge the status quo again I'd rather do it alone. Why don't you go prepare dinner?"

"As you wish Mas… Malik." Rishid bowed his head and went to the kitchen.

"Actually wait," Malik said as a second thought, "I'll help you prepare dinner. You're my brother, not my servant."

"Oh no, it's perfectly okay! I enjoy cooking," Rishid quickly said as he speed-walked towards the kitchen.

Malik followed a ways behind Rishid, hesitantly stopping in the doorway before reaching the kitchen. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, positive. You have been working all day. You should rest." Rishid pointed to the staircase that lead to the bedrooms. "Go on, take a break. I'll have dinner ready in no time."

Reluctantly, Malik went up the stairs and into his room, where he shut the door and took a moment to think. There were still so many adjustments his family had to make now that they were living on the surface.

Technically, they were already breaking Tomb Guardian tradition by choosing to live on the surface. So what if they break a few more rules? Technically, what Malik had suggested wasn't even breaking the rules; it was just bending them a little. Nowhere in the prophecy did it state that the Ring Spirit needed to die in order for Zorc to be defeated. And besides, it's not like the rules of the family clan made much sense in the first place. Lots of the things the Tomb Guardians did were questionable. Why were they required to live underground? Living in plain sight would actually be a lot less suspicious. Did the Pharaoh's secrets really have to be engraved on the skin of Malik's back with a heated knife? Tattooing it would've made more sense. And then the most important question of all: Why were they placing the responsibility of saving the world on the backs of a bunch of emotionally stunted high school teenagers?

Ryou sat on his bed that night, staring at his left hand. There was a scar in the middle of it. For reasons he couldn't identify, he couldn't stop thinking about that day when he first officially met the Ring Spirit. It had been a terrifying day for him, the day he found out that there was a spirit living inside the Millennium Ring who possessed him and stole other people's souls by trapping them inside little Monster World figurines. When Ryou fought back, the Spirit had subdued Ryou by stabbing his left hand through the pointed end of a plastic tower. His hand still had a scar from what happened that day. Ryou remembered every detail of it; the cruel words the Spirit had said when he did it, his malicious laughter, and the desperation Ryou had felt as he struggled to fight back.

Ryou had been reliving this event over and over again. At first it was only about once a month, then it was every other day. Now it was several times every day. He couldn't explain why it was happening, and he didn't know how to stop.

"Yadonushi."

Ryou sucked in a small gasp when he heard the voice of the Spirit calling out to him. "Oh, you startled me."

"Yadonoushi, why are you staring at your hand?"

"Oh, it's just that I can't seem to stop reliving the moment you stabbed it through the tower. I don't know why I can't stop thinking about it."

There was a tone of worry in the Spirit's voice. "I've seen this before. I know what's happening. You're having emotional flashbacks. This is what's known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD."

"What? No way! This isn't PTSD! It's not severe enough." Ryou hugged himself and curled up on the bed, taking shallow breaths. His hands were visibly shaking. "No, I'm not gonna be one of those people with a victim complex. I'm not that easily traumatized. I can take care of myself."

"It's okay to ask for help."

"But I don't need help!"

"You sound exactly like me when I refused therapy at first. Asking for help doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong. It takes a lot of guts to admit that you need help. You're not a burden, and you're not dumb. You're not weak for needing help."

"I still don't think it's severe enough to be considered PTSD," Ryou said weakly.

"If you won't go to the therapist and tell her about your PTSD, I'll drag us there and tell her myself. Don't make me have to force you."

Ryou opened his mouth as if to argue, but then he sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Fine. Whatever."

"Listen," the Spirit said awkwardly. "I'm very sorry about what I did that day."

Ryou rolled over on his bed. He grabbed his phone to check the time. "It's getting late. I should be going to sleep. I have school tomorrow."

But instead of getting up to turn off the lights, Ryou lay in bed a little longer with the lights on, staring blankly ahead of him, his mind restless and running a mile a minute.

The Spirit sighed. "You know what? I'll just take over and do it."

The Millennium Ring shone with a flash of light, and a moment later Yami Bakura was fronting. He got up, turned off the lights, and went back to bed, where he switched places with Ryou again. Ryou was disoriented at first, having lost a few seconds of memory to the switch, but he quickly realized what happened. He closed his eyes and used the magic of the Millennium Ring to fall asleep.

The Spirit stayed awake a little longer, staring at Ryou. This was not good. This was not good at all. If he did something bad enough to traumatize Ryou, then their relationship was done. D.O.N.E. done. Ryou would not be able to be near him anymore. Perhaps a little Millennium magic could help, but using magic alone would be too dangerous, as it could accidentally hurt Ryou more than it helped. Ryou needed professional help if they were going to solve this.

What kind of mess had they gotten themselves into?