#millenniumgod1

As they traverse the city, Ryou sips nervously at his drink until it gets to the point he’s just sucking up air. It keeps him from having to say anything, keeps them both from having to talk about what’s going on. He almost appreciates the silence that’s fallen over them. At least the ring is quiet, too.

When they reach the door, he hesitates for but a moment. Are they really going to release his darker half on purpose? If it’s going to happen, though, it’s best that it’s happening now. Atem is really the only person that Ryou would trust to keep control of the situation.

The Pharaoh lets go of his hand, and he’s left with little choice but to continue. He punches his combination into the lock, and pushes the door open. This is the last thing that he will remember for the next little while.

As he crosses the threshold, his entire awareness is immediately consumed by a familiar inky blackness - as if he’s just had a sack forcefully pulled over his head and been shoved into a box. No matter how many times he ends up here, it never gets better. It’s a violent shift, one that leaves him disoriented and disconcerted. There is only nothingness here - no books, no games, no light. He’s left to just while away the time in his own head, surrounded by the void. He closes his eyes.

Ryou’s body pauses briefly mid-step. It takes just a second, and then he is in control. As he climbs into the driver’s seat, the weight of being hits him, and he has to get used to it again. He pulls the bag off of his shoulder and tosses it to the floor near the door - hopefully, in Atem’s way. He steps out of his sneakers and kicks them to the side discourteously.

Bakura brings a hand up to play with the new necklace and slowly turns to face his most hated visitor.

“It’s been a long time, Pharaoh. How have you been? After you took the puzzle from this plane of existence and nearly destroyed me, I really thought you weren’t going to come back.” He sneers. “Seems I was wrong. That’s a shame.”

The shift is immediate and incredibly apparent. The energy shifts around the boy. His posture, his movement, everything becomes sharper and more jagged. That is not to say that the spirit does not have grace, which he does. Merely that the shape of that energy takes on the form of knives or claws. 

Atem stepped into the apartment, scooping up Ryou’s bag before he closed the door behind him. He hung the bag on one of several hooks on the wall and looked to the other with a stern expression. 

“It is a shame that I did not actually manage to destroy you. How incredibly sloppy of me. For all of your flaws, no one can say that you are not resilient,” the Pharaoh replied as he scrutinized the other’s form. There was quite a lot of him that wanted to lash out at the thief then and there, but there was the tricky reality that it was still Ryou’s body there. The boy was serving as an unwilling shield made of flesh and bone. 

Atem tilted his head and said as he rested one hand on his hip, “What game are you playing? What could you still possibly hope to accomplish? And give me one good reason that I should not take this conversation to the shadow realm and rip you out of that vessel.”

Bakura’s sneer morphs into a wicked smile as he turns the gold disk charm of the necklace between his fingers.

“It’s not your fault. I’m not entirely sure there is a way to get rid of me. Too many little bits scattered about, you see.”

He sidles over to the kitchen counter and leans against it as nonchalantly as possible.

With Ryou’s life hanging in the balance, he’s almost eighty percent sure that his eternal adversary isn’t going to do anything to him. Actually... now that Atem has his own body, he’s far more vulnerable than he had been while inhabiting Yugi’s. If Bakura were to, say, stab him...

The spirit offers a small shrug, eyeing the puzzle around the man’s neck. There’s still a small part in the back of his mind that tells him... if anyone could actually get rid of him, it would be Atem. Maybe he should be careful.

“You know... I’m still considering my options. I have a couple of ideas floating around, though.” He lets go of the necklace. “I could start my own business, maybe write a blog, whatever that is... Of course, plunging the world into darkness is always a classic.”  

A sigh. His eyes casually sweep across the room, looking for anything sharp that he might casually pick up. Unfortunately, all of the cutlery has been put away. No sneaking anything out of a drawer without drawing suspicion.

“But you know as well as I do that taking us across the border also puts my lovely little host in danger. I might drag him with me, wherever you try to send me from there.” His voice takes on a sickly sweet tone. “His chances of coming back are a lot slimmer than mine, however.”

The shift in the boy's demeanour is staggering. It is truly hard to stomach the fact that someone like the Theif King could reside within Ryou. Almost as much as the fact that someone like him could have had the sweet and loving Yugi as his own host.

He did not falter in the slightest at the man's words. He was not afraid of him, nor did his teasing find purchase to crawl beneath his skin or raise his hackles. The Pharaoh cocked a brow at the spirit and dutifully removed his shoes, placing them in the entryway of Ryou's door before stepping into the home properly.

As he approached the other he said, "You'd be better off blogging than trying to call upon any powers of darkness. Should you decide that plunging the world into chaos and terror is still your goal, there are a few things that you should consider, old friend."

The faintest of smiles tugged at the corner of Atem's mouth as he said, "The first of which is that the last time that we did battle, I was merely a fraction of the man I am now. I was still piecing together who I was and scrambling to regain my power and life. That is no longer the case and you couldn't even beat me when I was a ghost. The second of which is that Yugi always served as my moral compass. You are no longer dealing with a bleeding heart, but rather, someone who will not hesitate to drag you into the shadows to sever you from my friend and make sure that you are wiped from history even more effectively than I was."

“You might be right about that.” His other self is fairly fond of the metal, too. He’s found a good amount of jewelry in his bedroom that he definitely did not purchase. He can only hope that it was acquired without anyone getting hurt. “But there are worse things to carry across time.”

Grudges, malice, misfortune… He’s seen plenty of horrible traits carry on past death and persist into life beyond. Not just in the instance of his darker half, but in the cases of a lot of his clients as well. There are more ghosts that exist because of negative emotions than there are because of positive ones.

“Thank you. One day I should like to be half as radiant as you, Atem.”

Ryou places a hand over the Pharaoh’s, gives it a little squeeze. It’s as if he’s trying to reassure him without acknowledging the problem. He offers a small laugh that he hopes is enough to alleviate at least a small amount of concern.

He shifts his bag a little on his shoulder to keep the weight from sending his arm to sleep, allows himself one last look over the wares on offer. No, he doesn’t really want anything else here.

“Would you like to look at any of the other stands? If you’re through, I think I might be ready to get something to drink.”

As much as he would like to pick over every seller at the market today, he’s already been out for a while. He’d like to sit down somewhere for a few minutes, get a short rest. And recent developments have his mouth going dry.

The Pharaoh flashed a bright smile at the boy as his hand was gripped. He knew that the boy was in trouble. But he was still in there, still lovely and sweet. His soul was strong to be able to withstand the spirit of the ring. He would help him, but he had to be careful.

He shifted his own hand to lace their fingers together, leading the boy toward the drink shop and replying, "You are radiant, Ryou. You do not have to do a single thing beyond being you to accomplish that."

And he did truly believe that. A should like Ryou Bakura was a rare thing. That beautiful innocence that could withstand even the darkest of evils and remain soft. He could see even from a glance that there was damage, cracks in his being in which the spirit had settled and made his home, but Ryou still endured.

Ryou is already looking through the offerings of the next stall as Atem speaks. There’s not much on sale here, or at least not much that is interesting. Just odds and ends - and some ugly socks. Handmade. He’s tempted.

He feels a hand on his own and has to turn to see what’s changed. The other man’s expression is one of concern. Uh-oh. He’s already managed to slip up.

“Good, good! I’ve been meaning to stop by the shop and see you both.” But I haven’t had it in me to leave the ring behind and I figured it was a poor idea to bring it with me. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to sit down and play anything.”

He’s trying to circumvent what he knows the Pharaoh is talking about. He’s surprised the man had managed to pick up on it so quickly - he’d barely said anything. Atem has always been sharp - and he cares so much. Ryou feels bad for making him worry.

“Uh - thank you! Thank you. I’m just…” He sighs quietly, smile now a little strained. He turns his eyes back to the wares available. “I’ll let you know. Thank you.”

With his free hand, he picks up a necklace and begins to inspect it. He’s not truly interested, but he’s also afraid of the amount of disappointment he might find on his companion’s face.

And now… He hears something - whispering. He has to fight to not look over his shoulder; he already knows exactly where it’s coming from and that he wouldn’t find anything behind him.

“Where would you like to go for tea?”

Atem does not push. That won't be helpful. If anything, it is going to scare the boy off. Especially if his suspicions are correct. Instead, he gives the boy a reassuring smile.

"You're welcome, Ryou," he began softly before taking the boy's lead and shifting the conversation away from his observation. "I would love the chance to play a game with you again, if you did find the time for it. And I am always happy for an excuse to leave the cash register to Yugi to play a game. For product research, of course. Certainly not a lack of work ethic, you understand."

The Pharaoh chuckled to himself at that and then nursed, "There is a little boba shop a few blocks up. They make a lovely mango tea that I would not mind at all."

He then tilted his head to look at the necklace the boy was holding up and commented, "That is lovely. The stones match your eyes. Though, I think you'd look nice with something a bit more like hmm. Like this—"

He can’t see Atem’s kind gesture, but he can feel it. A warm hand on his own, reassuring and thoughtful. He knows - he must. The struggle Ryou is having is an unfortunately conspicuous one right now. Gone are the days where he was quietly rendered unconscious by the malevolent spirit within him. Every changeover is a struggle now, likely on purpose.

“You make a good point; it doesn’t really matter. Still, I’d like to be a good host.”

There’s a laugh over his shoulder, louder than before. More aggressive. It feels like there are arms wrapped around him, a head next to his own.

You make me feel quite at home.

There’s the slightest bit more pressure on his hand, as if the spirit is reaching out to stack his over the Pharaoh’s. Is he trying to be funny? Threatening?

At the suggestion that they head somewhere more secluded, he gets the affirmative from his darker half.

Do it.

Ryou doesn’t think that this is the best idea. Not having anyone around as a witness might lead to some unsavory results. He’s seen what the ring is capable of. But it feels as if he’s wandered into the middle of a fight between two titans that he initially had nothing to do with, so he’s not sure he wants to disagree.

He nods and when he opens his eyes, his vision is back to mostly normal. There’s still the hint of a shadow around everything, but nothing is a blur. His head is still pounding.

“Yeah - yes, that’s probably… yeah.” He’s not quite capable of forming complete sentences right now, it seems. His words are all muddled. That’s okay, though; the gist is there. “It’s not far.”

He holds on to Atem’s hand like a raft upon a stormy sea, tumultuous waves crashing down upon him as he gets to his feet. He’s steady for now, but as soon as he lets go… it’ll be over.

He makes sure to at least hang on to his tea as they depart.

The struggle the boy is facing is quite tangible and the Pharaoh cannot help but feel a tribe of guilt. It is entirely possible that You might have had a good day where the spirit let him be if he had not shown up.

But now that he was here, he was involved. He couldn't walk away from this situation and could not leave Ryou to face the malevolent spirit alone.

He gripped the boy's hand tightly as they walked. He was not afraid of the Theif. He was not afraid of spirits. But we was afraid for Ryou. The boy was gentle and sweet. He had strength in him, yes. But Ryou was a boy who deserved a sweet and comfortable life. He did not know that he would ever recover from the nightmare he had been given instead.

The walk was not far and under normal circumstances, it would have been a lovely walk. It was a beautiful day. But he could feel the oppressive weight of the spirit around them, watching their every step. They did not even speak as they made their way to Ryou's flat.

This is perhaps the happiest Ryou has been in a while. He’s with a great friend, has a good drink, a nice cream puff. It’s idyllic - his favorite kind of day. If he could stay here like this, he would. Though, he does briefly mourn the loss of the heat in the palm of his hand; he’d just gotten used to it.

As they sit, he sips at his tea, sucks up one of the tapioca pearls and chews on it for a second.

“That would be lovely! I need to clean up a little… That shouldn’t take but a day, though. I’ve gotten into the unfortunate habit of leaving my reading material scattered around.” He allows himself a moment to finish off his pastry. While he does, he begins to notice something: it’s a little darker - not as if the sun is going down, but in general. It’s like the colors of the world have a film on them. Ah, that’s… not good. He blinks a couple of times, and things return to normal. “…Just let me know when you’d like to come over, and I’ll set things up.”

Leaning back in his chair, he rotates his cup in his hand. The condensation wrinkles the receipt that’s stuck to it, makes the surface a little slick. The pearls at the bottom slide around as he watches. It’s almost entrancing.

And suddenly, his vision is fuzzy. His cup becomes a general shape. The table beyond is a blur. His eyes close, he brings a hand up to his forehead to rub at the temples. It feels as if a migraine has appeared without warning.

“Any idea what you’d like to play? I’m not quite sure duel monsters would be a fair match.” He tries to work through it. “We would need a couple more people for a lot of the board games I have on hand.”

"I am sure that any game will do. I can bring some along," Atem muses as he watches the other boy closely. It is clear that he is beginning to struggle and the Pharaoh is almost certain that he knows what the source of that discomfort is.

The Egyptian hummed softly and reached a hand out, resting it on top of Ryou's which had not been lifted to his head in the hopes of grounding him. He let his thumb graze the boy's knuckles and watched for the tell tale signs of a switch coming.

In an attempt to keep things light and casual for him, Atem continued, "I do not mind books being scattered about and you need not change or clesn your space for me to be happy to be in it. It is the company and not the space that I wish to share, Ryou."

He wished that he could solve this problem for his friend easily. He wished it was a simple matter to sever the ties of the ring to the boy's mind and soul. But magic was not a simple thing and the power of the millennium items was not so easily undone.

Perhaps there was no undoing it at all. It was possible that the only way to help Ryou was to accept the dark spirit within him. Not by means of pretending the thief wasn't there and skirting around the issue with gentle encouragement, but by making a stand.

Ryou feels his face beginning to flush. It’s been a while since he’s been complimented so much, to be honest. He used to be badgered by fans at school, sure, but he’d never really put much stock into their opinions; they didn’t really know him. Atem does.

The comforting gesture on the way to the shop does not go unnoticed. Of course, things wouldn’t be glossed over so easily. He’s not sure why he’d tried. The Pharaoh is a persistent individual, after all. He has a strength and conviction that Ryou has always admired.

It brings a small smile to his face.

“If there are any pastries around, I wouldn’t say no.” It’s been a while since he’s had anything sweet enough to suit his tastes. “We’ll have to go on another outing soon so I can repay you. It’s only fair.”

This is something he’ll have to insist on later, because he knows Atem will say that there’s no need. It’s something he wants to do, though - not something that feels like an obligation. And it means they’ll have another chance to hang out, which he would enjoy.

Just as the boy had predicted, Atem gave a laugh and said, "Oh there is no need to repay me for a tea and a pastry, Ryou. It is a gift from me to you."

The Pharaoh did then look at the other with a softer look and add, "But I am happy to spend time with you whenever you would like or need me to."

He knows that he does not need to expand on that. That it would be clear that he meant that if the boy found himself in trouble— if the spirit was causing him trouble, that he could call on him. He was not going to leave him to cope with this on his own.

As they approached the tea shop, Atem was quick to hold open the door for the other and lead him inside. It was not all that busy, so they did not have to wait long to put in their orders. It was a small break in the conversation, but Atem did not let go of the boy's hand. It was as much a gesture to comfort Ryou as it was one to threaten the thief.

He only let go when they had their drinks and pastries and had found a little café table outside at which to enjoy them. As he sipped at his tea, he mused, "I would love to see where you are staying these days. Perhaps I could bring over dinner and we could have a game night."

Ryou is… relieved. At this point, he isn’t sure what he would do if pressed about his situation. He’s gone over it countless times in his head, but none of the scenarios come with a happy ending.

It doesn’t seem fair. All his life, he’s been plagued by this darkness, by misfortune. Every once in a while, like now, there is a ray of light that cuts through it, a hand reached out to try and pull him out. And every time, he’s unable to reach. He’s blinded.

“Oh that sounds wonderful! I don’t often go for the milk teas, but every once in a while I get a craving for those little tapioca pearls.” Thinking about it is already making him thirsty. “Hopefully they aren’t too busy.”

Unlikely - it’s a weekday during business hours. Most folk are at work or school.

As Atem picks up the next necklace, Ryou puts the one he’d been holding down. The Pharaoh does have a good eye; he’s immediately interested. In the back of his mind, he knows that it might not be an item he wears often, but it would be nice to have. Today is a day that he said he’d get a few things for himself, anyway.

“It is quite striking.” His smile returns. He gently reaches to take it by the ends. “Why not? I trust your judgement.”

You know the only thing that belongs around your neck is me.

He freezes for a microsecond. It’s faint - as if the voice is a short distance away. Usually, it’s as if the entity is right behind him. Is it hanging back for some reason?

The train of thought is abandoned as quickly as it started; he just wants to pay and move on. He catches the attention of the seller with a quick “excuse me” and pulls out some cash. It’s a little more expensive than he’d anticipated, but it’s not a huge deal. Once the transaction is through, he feels a little more at ease.

He clasps the accessory around his neck, doesn’t think about the weight that already hangs from it.

“What do you think?” He smiles wide, a little laugh escaping him. “We’ve spent five minutes together and you’ve already got me decked out in gold.”

The Pharaoh keeps things light and casual as he watches the boy purchase the necklace. Casual outwardly, but he is vigilant and calculating as he observes the other.

It was troubling thinking that Ryou was still being plagued by the spirit of the Millennium Ring. The idea that the dark reflection of the boy was lurking beneath the surface. There was a part of him that wanted to push, to solve the mystery and make sure the boy was safe.

But that was the issue. Pushing the spirit could very well out the boy in grave danger, asking him to be the handler of a cornered animal.

One that was likely rabid, from his experience.

He pushed the thoughts away for a moment as the boy looked up to him and instead, flashed him a vibrant smile as he said, "Well, that simply cannot be helped. There are a few predispositions that even lifetimes cannot seem to dim, and a love for gold is certainly one of them."