Ryou Bakura sat at his seat, staring out of the window. He was alone in the classroom. He kept having flash backs of what life was like in the past for his own self. Before he came into contact with the Millennium Ring, he thought it was normal to have strange dreams of the past. But the Thief King's spirit, his past self, made most things clear. Ryou squinted his big brown eyes. 'Why is this so bloody difficult to figure out?' He thought to himself.

"Hey, Ryou!" Eleanor, probably the most annoying and idiotic girl he'd ever come across to his desk. Feigning a smile, Bakura turned to her.

"Yes?" He said politely. She looked up at him and batted her hideously fake eyelashes at him. 'Ehhh-gad!' He thought. She perched herself on his desk, her skirt riding up, as if you couldn't see enough already.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to go to the movies with me tomorrow?" She smiled at him. Eleanor wasn't ugly, far from it. She had naturally bright blonde hair, a pretty mouth and dazzling eyes. High cheek bones and a perfect nose set off her look. But her aura, the radiation of spite from her had always bothered Bakura. She made his skin crawl. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't. He owed his time to another girl he'd not visited for a long time.

"I'm sorry Eleanor, I'm afraid I'm busy tomorrow." Ryou sighed. Eleanor's brow furrowed.

"I can always come with you?" She asked, desperately. A shadow fell over Ryou's face. The spirit of the ring had long since left his body, but some things stayed with Ryou. Mood swings, attitude changes, and a new outlook on life. Now Eleanor was pushing into his private life. He leaned closer to her.

"No you can't 'always come with me'." Bakura turned from her. He sensed her gaping away at him. "Look Eleanor, don't make this anymore irritating than it already is. Please just go, before you make a fool of yourself." Bakura plugged his headphones in, and tuned her angry mutterings out. Glancing out of the window, he saw an unfamiliar car role up to the school gates. It was a black sports car, obviously belonging to some rich kid. Glancing over to Seto Kaiba's desk, Ryou noticed he was there already, playing on that laptop he never seemed to part with. No, it wasn't him. So, who was it?

As if to answer his question, a girl stepped out of the car. Her legs were long and slightly tanned, her hair long and black. She wore the school uniform, a white blouse with a large blue bow tie at the neck, a blue skirt that wasn't really on the long side, and a pink blazer. Her hair fell down to her waist, and it flowed straight and heavy. Ryou couldn't see much else, but his attention was soon distracted again when he saw two men, dressed completely in black, step out of the car. They flanked the girl's sides, and were staying behind her. They were big and burly man, with biceps the size of footballs, and stood so tall even Seto Kaiba would be at least a head shorter than them. Ryou blinked. Who was this girl?

Ryou found out the answer to that fifteen minutes later. There she stood, at the front of the class , eyes to the floor. Her face turned more and more red. Mr Kutosaki opened his mouth to talk. "Class. This is our new student. Why don't you introduce yourself, miss?" The new girl looked terrified. But still, she looked up and her eyes swept the classroom. They locked with Bakuras momentarily, and then he felt it. This was the girl that had haunted his dreams for so many years. Her eyes were blue and clear, and so beautiful he flinched, as he felt the metaphorical dagger piercing his heart. But as soon as he thought this, her gaze moved from his. "Umm... Hi?" The girl sounded like she was questioning herself. "My name's Willow Matthews. Call me Will. Up until recently, my dad and I lived in Miami. Before that, we lived in Egypt. Until now, I was home schooled. My dad was my teacher. My dad's part of a huge archeological dig, so he's in Egypt right now, and I've had to start mainstream education." She finished her speech with a small smile, one that made Bakura's heart flop. Mr Kutosaki smiled. "Well done. Now then Will, where shall we sit you?" The only two open seats were next to Bakura, and Seto Kaiba. Seto had his bag and his laptop case on the chair, and showed no signs of moving them. "Here, sit next to Ryou." Again, Willow looked up. Putting two and two together, she walked over to the desk. She sat down gracefully, and smiled at Ryou. A bigger smile than before, but ten times more dazzling. She took out a notepad and black ink pen from her side satchel, and opened it up. Ryou inhaled. Even her smell was the same. Ryou stiffened, alarmed by this. This was too surreal. His stomach curled, his face twitched. He looked down at his hands. They were white and strong. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Willow's hand dance across the table, arranging things. Her hand, a sun kissed colour, with nails that were short and painted a sophisticated blue, came into such a close proximity to his hand that he curled his hand up in a fist. He felt her gaze on him. Her soft, sparkling gaze. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep. Her aroma still attacked his nostrils. Then, he felt it. The familiar pain in his chest. Oh no. He had to get out of there. "Mr Kutosaki I need to go to the nurse. I don't feel well." The teacher nodded, and Bakura grabbed his things and all but ran out of the classroom. Leaving behind a very puzzled Willow. 'I swear I've seen him before...' Willow thought to herself, as she looked at the chair he'd just left empty. She noticed a small Polaroid picture on the floor, next to were his bag had been. Reaching down to pick it up, she saw it was a picture of a boy and girl, similar in looks. The girl was a few years younger that the boy. Eyes widening slightly, she realised that the boy in the photo was the guy who just ran out of class. Bakura. Turning it over, she read 'Aname and Ryou Bakura'. She quickly pocketed the picture, and resolved to give it back to him when he returned.

When he did not return, Willow worried as to what she could do. The bell rang, and Willow sped up to leave. Walking through a classroom, she overheard a conversation between a short kid with purple and blonde starfish hair, and a taller girl with shoulder length brown hair.

"I hope Bakuras ok. He seemed really terrified. You don't think..." the boy asked quietly. Apparently the brunette understood, and responded by vigorously shaking her head.

"No no no! That's all over now." Willow walked over to the pair. She stood at the desk the two were seated at. "Hey. I'm Will, mI've just moved here. Look, I overheard one of you talking about Ryou, and he left something behind in class, and I was wondering whether you could tell me where to find him so I can return it."

"Hey. I'm Teá. And this is Yugi. What is it he left behind?" The brunette asked. Willow withdrew the picture, and showed it to Teá. Without another word, the brown haired girl took out a pen and a small piece of paper and scrawled down an address. "This is his apartment. It's not far from here, but it's in a really rough area, so be careful. The only reason I'm giving you this is because he's probably tearing his hair out over losing this picture."

Willow thanked the pair and rushed off. She had to call 'her keepers' and tell them she'd be home late tonight. Taking out her cell phone, she rung the number that said 'Big Man'. He answered on the fourth ring. "Hello Miss Willow. How can we be of assistance?" Sawyer, answered the phone.

"Hey Sawyer, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to a friends house to study. We have a project due in next week, and I really need to catch up. I'm already two lessons behind." The lie flowed from Willow's mouth easily. Now her father was in another country, she could easily wrap Sawyer and Simpson around her middle finger.

"Of course. Just remember to call us when you need us, and we'll pick you up. Stay safe, young Miss." The phone line went dead at his end. Yes! Willow smiled. She bounded from the school, in the direction she had been pointed in.

Teá had been right, the area was pretty rough. It was set aside from the part of Domino that radiated healthy clean energy and happy civilians. The part that Bakura lived in was horrible. Mostly abandoned warehouses and boarded up shops, the area she was in scared her. Winter in Japan had made the sun set at four, and as Willow had taken a detour to the information kiosk, night settled in before she'd has a chance to start her journey properly. A car alarm sounded in the distance, shouting was heard. A dog howled. And a woman in a short skirt, fishnet tights, a corset, a pair of high heels, and a small bag stood on the corner, talking to a shady looking man. Willow looked at the map she'd been given by the kiosk owner. She just had to go through the alley way and she'd be less than a block away. Entering the alley, she felt uneasy. It was so dark, she could barely see in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the shadows. That's when she heard a noise behind her. Spinning around, she saw a huge, creepy man heading straight for her. She backed up, but she tripped. The man was nearly upon her. "Where you going sweetheart?" He grabbed a handful of her hair, and yanked her to her feet. "You're coming with me." Willow struggled with all her might, but couldn't get away from them. "Please let me go." She begged. The man started to laugh, but then she saw a flash of light, and heard a familiar, British voice. "Leave her alone." It was Bakura. His school coat was glared out, and a strange ring hung around his neck. It glowed an eerie white-gold light. The man holding Willow laughed again. "Make me." Ryou snarled and advanced on the man. In response, the man pulled a knife out of his pocket and held it to Willow's neck. "One more step and it'll be her blood on your hands." He grinned and pressed his lips to her neck. Bakura growled dangerously. "Ryou, please. Just go. I'll be ok." Willow assured him. They both knew she was lying. Ryou looked into her eyes, and a recognition fluttered in tier depths. Suddenly, a burst of light came from the ring around his neck. Willow was dazed momentarily, and then, darkness.

It didn't take long for Willow to come back around to her conscious state. This also made her realise that her attacker had also let her go. She lifted her head, and saw Bakura standing above her. Her attacker was no where to be seen.

"Are you alright?" The soft, British voice asked. Ryou leaned over her and extended a hand. Just as she was about to take it, Willow's vision blurred, and she lost consciousness once again.