Jounouchi

I really wish I had ignored my discomfort and gone with Yugi to see Bakura. Hospitals had always made me so nervous. Maybe this was because my sister had been in so many of them, and would be in another real soon. I can't be sure. I was just never able to stand 'em. But I felt this was no excuse, and I should have gone anyway. Both for Bakura and for Yugi. It wasn't fair for me to make Yugi shoulder this alone. But still...

Everybody seemed to understand this. Nobody blamed me for not going. None of them were angry. I sorta wished they would be. I was being a coward, and I wanted somebody to tell me that. If challenged, I would have gone, despite my fear. But left alone, I did nothing about it. I was determined to make this up to the others. No matter what was needed of me.

I was a nervous wreak waiting for Yugi's call. Since the others were busy, I had to wait for information. When the phone finally rang at about eleven, I nearly jumped out of my skin! 'You're being pathetic' I scolded myself.

I answered the phone, unable to hide the creak in my voice. Sure enough it was Yugi. I readjusted myself and spoke again.

"Hey Yugi. What's up?"

"Bakura's awake," he said, sounding solemn. "The doctor said there was no brain damage, and he can go home this afternoon if we keep an eye on him."

"Why do you sound like that about it?" I asked. "Did they give you problems about the millennium eye, or something?"

"They asked, but Bakura gave them a story. A lie, but they believed it," he answered.

"Bakura LIED?!" I exclaimed. "Since when does he do that? He never was able to lie. At least not believably."

"I know," Yugi said with worry in his voice. "But since the accident, he's been...different. Not only did he lie, but he lied well. He had an attitude and he did things I thought he would never do."

"Like what?" I asked. What could Bakura have done that had Yugi this upset?

"He used the millennium eye on me." I voiced my disbelief at this but he continued. "He read my thoughts, and he threatened me when he didn't like what he found out. I was just worried that the doctor may have missed something because Bakura was acting so weird. I was thinking that I should ask him if Bakura should stay longer. When Bakura found this out, he warned me not to tell the doctor anything because he didn't want to stay in the hospital."

"The doctor had said something like this might happen. But I'd have never thought Bakura was capable of that. It sounds more like something else... What does Yami think about all this?"

"It took everything I had to restrain him," Yugi said. "He's thinking along the lines you are. He said that it HAD to be Yami Bakura. But Bakura didn't even have the ring. It was confiscated when he got to the hospital. I saw that myself. Yami has no clue as to what exactly is going on. But Yami Bakura can't control the real Bakura without the millennium ring. I don't understand it. I guess this must be the way Bakura is now."

"Don't think like that Yugi!" I said in the most upbeat voice I could muster. "Bakura has just had a rough time. He'll snap out of it! We just need to remind him who his friends are!" This was my chance to make up for being a coward. "Tell you what, Yugi. I'll call the others and tell them what's going on. We can all meet at Anzu's house to welcome Bakura back. Her folks won't be home. We'll show Bakura that we care. Maybe that will make him realize that he's being a jerk and he'll go back to the way he was." Okay, this was a bit of positive thinking on my part, but Yugi liked the idea.

"Jounouchi, that's great!" Yugi exclaimed. He always was one of those "glass half full" people. Even if I thought that it was no more than wishful thinking, I was glad it made Yugi happy. He was hopeful.

"I'll bet you're right!" Yugi continued. "It probably IS just temporary. We'll snap him out of it! Thanks! I won't tell Bakura. That way, it will be a surprise!" I almost told Yugi that I didn't know how well we could surprise someone who could read minds, but I didn't want to burst his bubble.

"What time is Bakura being dismissed?" I asked.

"The doctor said around five."

"Great! The others will be done by three. I'll get in touch with them. Don't you worry about a thing, Yugi! I'll take care of everything!"

"Thanks Jounouchi!"

After I hung up, I wondered if I should be getting Yugi's hopes up. There might not have been anything we could do. This was probably way over our heads. But it was worth a try, right? I mean, what harm could it do...?
 

Yami Yugi

I didn't believe for a second that this was all due to some head injury. There was no way that a knock on the head can make a person's personality change this much. It wasn't possible. I tried to explain this to Yugi once we were away from Bakura, but he didn't agree.

<Yugi> I said, <There is something more behind this. I'm sure of it! I don't know how, but that is not Bakura back there!>

<Yami, I don't want to believe it anymore than you do.> He seemed so upset. I really didn't want to argue with him, but I had to make him understand.

<There was a disturbance in the shadow realm at about the same time that Bakura's attitude changed. I wish you would allow me to go to the shadow realm and make sure.>

<There is no point in you going there to start trouble. And you know that's what will happen, whether Yami Bakura is there or not. You're still mad about last time.>

<Be that as it may, I would never allow it to affect my judgment.> I answered.

<Yami, the doctor SAID this might happen. It's a medical mystery, not a spirit possession. He doesn't have the ring, and you said yourself that he could do nothing without it.>

<I know.> This had been bothering me. I was so sure, but I could not explain this one thing. Had the spirit of the ring found a way to exist without it? How was such a thing possible?

<Look Yami,> Yugi said, a note of sadness in his voice. <This is something you cannot do anything about. We can help him along the way the best we can, but Bakura has to face his own demons. I just hope he comes to his senses. I don't know if I can handle him like this...>

I did not press the matter further. Yugi was upset and did not want to argue. I offered to give Jounouchi the bad news for him, but he would not allow it. I must say that phone call put Yugi in higher spirits. Jounouchi had always been good at that. I envied him for it. I still had a bad feeling about what they were planning, but it gave Yugi hope, so I said nothing. We would be there the whole time. If anything happened, I would be waiting, ready to react.
 

Yami Bakura

My lie had worked perfectly and it put me in a good mood. Not only this, but I could sense the millennium eye regaining its power. This was a bit confusing at first. I had thought that Ryou would not be foolish enough to allow his shield to fall. I guess I had overestimated him. He was obviously too weak to manage a power like the eye. He would pay for it with his very existence. All the better for me. No more competition.

They eye's magic was exhilarating. I could not wait to try it out for myself. This made me a bit careless, though, I'm afraid. The first person I tried it on was Yugi. When I discovered that he was plotting to make me stay in the hospital even longer, I had to scare him out of it. Apparently, I had been acting a bit too much out of Ryou's character. What kind of fool has magic like the millennium eye and does not use it? Ryou was more pathetic than even I had assumed. Power like none other and he lets it go to waste after he already suffered for it. And now, because I was using it, it was raising suspicions. Little Yugi was actually outraged that I had used it on him. I decided to make sure he did not find out the next time I invoked the eye's magic, which would be soon enough, no doubt. I felt that he and his Yami were plotting something. I could sense it. Yami Yugi had been suspicious ever since I came back. I would not let him get me by surprise.

Perhaps I was taking too many risks. I might be asking for trouble. But I did not really care. I'd seen enough of Yugi's mind to know that he truly believed that this was all due to the injury. Just so long as he kept thinking that way, he would be easy pickings. I knew the fact that I did not have the ring had them stumped. 'Oh, how could it be Yami Bakura if Bakura does not have the millennium ring? In order for a spirit to control his host, he needs his millennium item.' Heh. Those doctors did me a favor by taking it away, though if I did not get it back soon, heads would roll.

Yugi left, saying he had to inform the others of my condition. I suspected that he wanted to go where his thoughts could not be heard so that he could talk to his other. Fool. Was he really naive enough to think that mere walls could protect him from my all-seeing eye?