Yugi

Because of all the stops along the way, it took over forty-five minutes to get within walking distance of Bakura's house. By that time, it was storming. I ran as fast as my short legs would carry me until I reached the covered back porch of Bakura's house. I was soaked to the bone. I stood there for a moment, rung out my jacket, and got as much water out of my hair as I could. The sky was a dark shade of gray in all directions. The storm had come up fast. Two hours earlier, there had been little sign of any rain. Now, lightning streaked across the sky and thunder rumbled at regular intervals. What a day for a party. I was glad Bakura was doing better, but other than that, the day had not gone well.

I reached under the mat as Bakura had instructed. Sure enough, the key was there. I unlocked the door and walked in, leaving my wet jacket and shoes on the porch. With all the shades drawn, it was very dark inside. I fumbled around for a light switch. I finally found it and blinked against the sudden brightness. I was in his kitchen/dining area. There was furniture that you don't see too often in Japan, but I knew it was for his dad's comfort. From there, I walked into the den. There was no sign of the mess I had seen there six months before. I was amazed that Bakura had been able to get all the blood off the floor. I looked around a bit more. There was a shelf with several pictures on it that caught my eye, and I walked closer to examine it. I'd never gotten a proper look before. The first picture was of a woman, Bakura's mother I assumed. She had fair hair (though not quite the white of Bakura's) and deep brown eyes. She was sitting on a swing and was obviously pregnant. This must have been one of the last pictures of her before she died.

I looked at the other photos. There was one of Bakura, probably no more than six years old at the time. Another of his father and an excavation crew. Another of Bakura from about three years earlier, just before he got the millennium ring. There was another, more recent one of Bakura and his father. It was taken within that last few months. I could tell because one side of Bakura's face was covered.

I moved on the answering machine. A small, red light blinked on it. I pressed the "messages" button and the robotic voice was heard.

"You have one new message."

'Must be his father,' I thought. I was right.

"Hey, Ryou. I was hoping to catch you, but I guess you're asleep. Just wanted to let you know I arrived okay. It's hotter than blazes here. Hope your burn's feeling better. I don't have a number here yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. I'll try you again later. Talk to you soon!"

The machined beeped as the message ended. That done, I went down the hall to Bakura's room. Top drawer, he said. Figures. I could just reach the top drawer enough to open it. But I couldn't see a thing inside. In the end, I had to pull the chair from his desk over and climb onto it to see. Jeans were neatly folded on one side, shirts on the other. Bakura was too neat for words. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt from the very top of the stacks and climbed down. I returned things to the way they were. I found an empty shopping bag at the foot of Bakura's bed and placed the clothes inside. I was a set to go. As I was heading back down the hall, the phone rang. I thought it was his father again. I didn't want to be the one to tell him that his son was in the hospital, though I knew I probably should. He had a right to know. I walked up to the phone, debating on whether or not I should answer, after four rings, the decision was made for me and the machine picked up. There the usual short message (stated by Bakura's father) to leave a message after the beep. The voice I heard reply made my blood run cold.

"Hello, Yugi..."

I was started to hear myself addressed by such a harsh voice. No one was supposed to know I was here. No one except... I suddenly realized that voice on the phone was Bakura. Why did he sound so...sinister? I made no move to answer.

"I know you're there. I can sense your confusion. Just wanted to let you know that there is no point in going back to the hospital. I checked out. Decided to meet you at my 'surprise' party. I'm at Anzu's."

My heart skipped a beat. He's used the eye on me again and found out about our plan. I was too shocked to be mad. I hastily picked up the phone. "Bakura, what are you doing?!"

"Ah, so you finally decided to answer. I was wondering when you would."

"What's going on?" I asked, trying not to sound as scared as I was.

"Not much, I'm afraid," Bakura answered. "Such a lifeless party. Your friends are so dull. No spirit whatsoever." He chuckled at this. Yami was every bit as excited as I was as he yelled at himself from the back of my mind. But I had too much on my plate as it was to worry about him at the moment.

"Bakura, what have you done!"

"Bakura, Bakura," he said with amusement in his voice. "You still talk to me as if I were little Ryou. Don't tell me you still don't see the truth."

My mouth dropped. "W-what?" was all I could manage to say.

"You really should have listened to your other half. But it's a little late now. If you cherish your friends' lives, you will come here now. I'm waiting, little Yugi."

The phone clicked. He had hung up. I'd made a mistake. A big one. And now my friends were in trouble.
 

Yami

I could have kicked myself for not trusting my instincts. I should have been more insistent! I still didn't understand much of what was going on. Yugi was in a state of total shock. He was in no condition to help anybody, so he willingly retreated to his soul room and left me in charge. He sobbed his apologies to me, saying he was sorry for not listening to me. I comforted him as much as I could as I left the house and ran through the storm to the bus stop under Yugi's direction.

The question of how all this was possible still plagued my mind. I had seen that the ring was vacant myself. How had Yami Bakura managed this? And what of the real Bakura? My major concern was of the others. I would have to put the rest aside for a moment.

The bus ride was torture. So long I had to wait there with nothing but my concerns and a distraught Yugi.

<It's all my fault, Yami!> he sobbed. <Why was I so naïve? I'm so stupid!>

<Don't confuse stupidity with innocence.> I said.

<Whatever it was, Yami, this is bad. He's got the others hostage. He's got two millennium items. And he's in control of the situation. And it's because of me that he got this opportunity.>

I tried to tell him that we had all been fooled, but he would hear none of it. He was taking this hard. I sighed heavily. So much had gone wrong. I did not know if I could fix it. But I did not tell Yugi that. I insisted with him that everything would be all right in the end.

At long last, I arrived at the appropriate stop. The closer I got to Anzu's, the darker it seemed to get. Yugi said there was probably a power outage. I approached the house. There was no point in being subtle. Yami Bakura knew I was coming. He probably already knew I was there. Which meant he also probably knew that I was concerned as to how I was going to come out of this well. Psychology is important in a shadow game. Yet another advantage he would have over me.

I reached the front door and opened it slowly. It was dark inside and eerily quiet. I stepped in, closing the door behind me. I paused momentarily, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was no sign of any struggle. There was also no sign of the others or Yami Bakura. I moved into Anzu's dining room. There were no windows here. It was solid blackness. I stared into it, trying to see something, anything, when I was blinded by a sudden flash of light. I blinked as my eyes readjusted. Sitting there was Yami Bakura, the millennium ring glowing around his neck as he stared intently at me. He no longer bothered to keep the physical differences that usually separated him and Bakura hidden. His gaze had all the harshness I remembered. His hair flared with the power radiating from him. He was stronger than ever. This was not going to be easy.

"So nice of you to join me, Yami," he said. His arrogance was already obvious, but then there was really no reason why he shouldn't be arrogant. Everything WAS in his favor. But that didn't mean I was happy about it.

"Is there no way to be rid of you?" I said, not bothering to hide my anger. "Like a rat you seem to return no matter how many times we think we have disposed of you."

"Insult me all you like. But do remember I hold your friends' lives in my hands. Quite literally, in fact." He lifted his hand to the light to reveal three cards. I could not make out the pictures, but I did not need to. I knew what they were. I was sure that somewhere in this house (perhaps even right next to me in the dark) lay the soul-less forms of Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda. This thought enraged me further. More suffering of those who did not deserve it just to get to me. I don't think I could have felt more guilty.