See Liz screw up the plot! See ideas that lead to Nowhere! See the things that just don't fit!
And yes, these were really chapter ideas that I scrapped... well almost. I changed all the endings. :) 

Disclaimer: The characters belong to no one but themselves. If anyone cares to disagree, they can take it up with Kaiba's lawyers. 

Chapter 3 Blooper (Take 1)

Ryou's eyebrows threatened to join his hairline as Kanto finally pinned his pleading gaze on him. The redhead just copied his actions, his eyebrows raising as well. Fighting the urge to throw the arms up in the air, the hikari settled for rolling his eyes. Returning a few moments later, the hikari ushered the redhead to the side and knelt in front of the offending door. Pulling out a set of wires of varying thickness and shapes out of what appeared to be a wide leather belt, he eyed the lock critically and selected his tools. 

In layman's terms: it was a lock-pick set. 

About half a minute later, three boys stood in varying degrees of shock as a *click* resounded in the hallway. 

"...The heck?!" Kanto exclaimed, jumping around like a madman as the new student blinked, looking at the pieces of twisted metal in his hands. "The door broke the bloody lock-pick!" 

Taro looked at the door as if he was seeing it for the first time. 

"It does seem to be a remarkably resiliant door," Ryou mused, smiling serenely. 

"Props!" 

Attempt at Chapter 3 (Take 1)

Friday: every student's answer to school... no more until Monday, please. 

Of course, it never really worked that way, since it was every teacher's time to say "Now you have two days to do your homework!" and pile it up to make up for "lost time". 

Apparently the teachers at Hokushin were not the exception to the rule. 

"Ryou, man, c'mon. You can do that later!" 

But then, we can't forget the all important procrastination factor. 

"I know, but I'd really rather get it out of the way now. I don't know what might pop up later." 

'Cause I might not be able to move later, much less do homework.

His Yami had been eerily quiet lately, and the hikari feared it may only lead to something big. 

Kanto rolled his eyes in exasperation and snatched the pen out of the white-haired boy's fingers. Sitting himself on the table, he grabbed Ryou by the shoulders and turned the other boy to face him. 

"Ryou, it's lunch time. It's Friday. There are rules about this sort of thing." 

"Rules?" the transfer student asked flatly, one white eyebrow arching. 

"Yeah, man. Unspoken Rules of Student Conduct. Like 'No student shall so much as think of doing homework on a Friday', 'No student shall steal a teacher's answer sheet unless they're sure they won't get caught' and 'No student shall covet another student's chicken nuggets and fries on chicken nugget day 'lest they incur the Chicken God's wrath'." 

Ryou blinked. 

"You're making this up by the seat of your pants, aren't you?" 

The redhead sighed dramatically. "I get no respect," he whined, pouting. 

Offstage, Taro sniggered. "Dammit, Kanzaki! Memorize your lines!" 

Attempt at Chapter 3 (Take 2)

Ryou was slouched over his desk, head cradled protectively in his arms and tried not to feel sorry for himself. 

Loud music blared through the walls like they were made of paper instead of... whatever those walls were made of. Hell, they might as well be non-existent. The deep bass rhythm felt like it was shaking the whole damn building. 

I'm not supposed to have to deal with this until university! Ryou moaned, covering his head with a notebook. 

Sleeping was out of the question. It wasn't really all that late anyway. Studying was blasphemy. School hadn't even started yet and there were certain Unspoken Rules of Student Conduct that even a goodie-two-shoes didn't dare break. 

//Baka,// his yami retorted. 

/Yami, please, I'm not in the mood./ 

//Go out baka!// 

/Nherg?/ was the coherent reply. 

//Go out! Meet your so-called dorm-mates. Tell them to shut their holes or something, if it bothers you so much. It's no fun to watch you mope.// 

/Yami?/ 

//Much better to watch you make a fool of yourself.// 

And here I thought you cared, Ryou rolled his eyes. 

//Of course not.// 

The hikari sighed. Unfortunately, his yami was probably right. He couldn't lock himself up in his room forever.
Tightening his ponytail Ryou glanced in the mirror to see a red blotch on his forehead where it had leaned against the desk for a little too long. 

Bakura snickered. 

Lips pressed into a line, Ryou covered that as best he could with his bangs, unlocked the door and stepped through. 

...And was practically run over. 

Ryou stared wide-eyed at the group of various animals collected outside his door and at the flora that was definitely NOT supposed to be there... for goodness sake, where did they manage to find an elephant let alone stuff one into the studio? 
Not to mention the fact that tropical plants and low-hanging vines just didn't grow in a Japanese boarding school dorm. 

Pressed with his back against the wall, he heard his Yami practically choking on laughter. 

//It's a jungle out there...// 

In the middle of the throng of wildlife, a little boy with dark skin and chin length black hair blinked up at the hikari, arms still around the bear he had been play-wrestling with. 

Ryou blinked back. 

"Um... I think you're on the wrong set..." The little boy smiled weakly. 

A pause. 

"Was that door always there?" 

Crickets chirped obliviously. 

"Alright! Who messed with the stage settings?!" 

Attempt at Chapter 3 (Take 3)

Anger be used on many ways. Sometimes, it can be lashed out at others at random, like a destructive wave that left wreckage in it's wake. Sometimes it can be used as a tool, focused to cut like a surgeon's knife and dealing damage that healed painfully with agonizing slowness. Bakura knew the benefits of both. 

Eyes seething and glinting dangerously, he grabbed his hikari's arm at the exact same spot Kurokaze had gripped so tightly before. 

"You'd like me to be more like the pharaoh, wouldn't you?" he sneered, grinding at Ryou's arm so harshly it began to feel numb from lack of blood. 

"You like me to jump to your rescue at the slightest provocation? Chase away the all the big bad monsters from your life?" he voice was dripping sarcasm. 

Ryou didn't dare make a sound. 

"Ever wonder what would happen, then, dear Hikari, if I'm not around? I'm not a guard dog," he smirked, "Don't mistake me for Jounochi. You think the Pharaoh kind for his compassion? I say the Pharaoh's weak for his dependence." He laughed bitterly, the sound grating harshly against the hikari's ears, "Because one day he'll either realize that his little aibou's outgrown him or that he's conditioned the brat so finely that his precious hikari no longer has a life of his own." 

The tomb raider leaned down, his cheek brushing against the white hair of his other. 

"So tell me, ore no hikari," he whispered, "What would happen if I'm gone?" 

Ryou didn't hear his Yami leave. 

Alone in the darkness of his room, he sat quietly, knees drawn up to his chest. 

/Gone?/ he repeated, his fingers absently brushing at his arm which tingled painfully as circulation was restored. 

He tried, he really did, but... 

With the sinking sensation of a drowning man, Ryou was horrified to realize that he couldn't even imagine it. 

//We're the same, you and I,// he heard his Yami call, voice faint as if he were miles away. //...unfortunately. But I don't hide from you, do I, Hikari? I am what I am.// 

/No,/ came the reply, equally distant, /But that doesn't mean I have to agree with you at every turn.../ the hikari pointed out tiredly. 

//Of course not,// his yami admonished, almost gentle, //Only when you get really, really, drunk. Then you get a hangover in the morning and start acting just like lil' old me.//

Bakura's lips twitched, and he waited. 

.... 

/YAMI!!!!!/ 

Bakura: It's not my fault! Liz can't make up her Ra-damned mind on what the frick I'm really trying to say. 

Lizeth: I needed a break, so I just took stuff I'd already written and modified it. See why chapter 3 felt weird to me?! I had to go through alla that first! 

Bakura: In other words, she's being lazy right now. 

Lizeth: Blah. :P **grins** Hope this made you laugh... or at least do that lip-twitchy thing Bakura-chan likes to do when he's trying not to smile... 

Ja ne!