• 1-Chapter I
• 2-Chapter II
• 3-Chapter III
• 4-Chapter IV
• 5-Chapter V
• 6-Chapter VI

Kamilah: Wow, I’m thrilled that people are liking my story
so far…

I’d like to respond to my Chapter 1 reviewers:

From f/f.net:

Dark Spirit Sage: Thanks for your support!

Mina-chan AMD: Haha, thanks for the compliment. I’m
glad you AND your yami like it, lol. ^^

Misura: I’m really glad to hear that you like the
realism of the story; I was afraid it would be too practical…

Blaze Girl: I’m really sorry, but it’s only going to
be some minor Internet RyouxIsis. It won’t be anything physical. But it will
turn into a friendship between the two.

LittleDarkOne: Like I said, it won’t be any physical
RyouxIshizu. It will be over the Internet for a while, and the eventual pairing
will be MarikxBakura. *grins sheepishly* I know it was really short, and I’m
sorry about that. . .I will try to update as often as possible. I’ve been
really bogged down w/ homework these past few weeks.

heatherthegreatone: Yea, I know it was kind of short.
^^;; This fic is definitely on the weird side. Also, I hold this belief that
Jou is A LOT smarter than people make him out to be, at least in some ways.
But, just as an example, Jounouchi is based on a friend of mine who is very
loyal, like Jou is in the manga and the TV show. And Ryou/Bakura are based on a
former friend of mine, who has these weird personality swings. But you’re right
about the AN; it was a bit jarring. ^^;;

From AFF.net:

Bambi: I really appreciate your support. And no, this
is technically not my first fic. I am posting this story on a friend’s account
and under her name, due to the content.

Also, I’d like to mention I don’t wish to offend anybody by the
language used in this fic. I know some people who are British are really
offended by the word “bloody”, and I am using it because I am doing my best to
convey how I think Ryou would think/speak.

Here goes chapter 2…

Oh, I almost forgot: There is an IM convo towards the end of
the chapter, so of course there is some (or a lot of) Internet slang used. Here’s
a small key you can refer to: (most of them are self-explanatory, or ones you
most likely already know.)

nm= nothing much

sup= what’s up, what’s going on

u= you

2= two, to, too

4=for, four

b= be

c=see

r= are

ppl= people

M. [Item]= Millennium Item

brb= be right back

w/= with

b/c= because

w/o= without

w/e= whatever

plz=please

IM=instant message, instant messager

lol= laughing out loud

j/k= just kidding

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If You Still Believe

--

~Chapter II~

> 

--

Yugi’s POV

-

I managed
to confront Ryou the next day before first period Orchestra started. I just
happened to be walking by when he was at his locker.

“Hi, Ryou!
How are you today?” I asked cheerfully.

“Oh, hello,
Yugi,” he replied politely. “I’m doing well; how are you?”

“I’m okay,”
I responded. Drawing in a deep breath, I continued with what I’d been itching
to say ever since I heard about this whole Internet thing. “Ryou, I don’t thinhis his is a good idea for you to be interacting online with people you don’t
know.” I stared him straight in the eyes when I said these fateful words,
glowing with confidence.

“What do
you mean, Yugi?” Ryou inquired, tilting his head out of curiosity.

“I don’t
think you should be communicating online with unknown people,” I explained.
“It’s a bad idea. You could end up in some serious trouble.”

Ryou
sighed. “Don’t worry about it, Yugi. I’ll be just fine.”

I couldn’t
believe what I was hearing. Was this really Ryou who I was talking to? Ryou,
who was probably one of the most sensible people in our group, actually
believed that what he was doing was okay?!

< !su !supportEmptyParas]> 

I had
always liked Ryou because I felt like I could relate to him. He was somewhat
quiet around people he didn’t know, but what went on inside hea head was
uncharted area according to everyone else. However, as my friends and I got to
know him, we recognized his wisdom and rationality.

I felt my
courage diminish as soon as I heard Ryou’s defense, but was overcome by the
reason that my other half felt. Yami came to the surface, hoping to bring him
back to reality.

“Ryou, this
has to stop now,” Yami ordered. “As your friend, I am obligated to ensure your
safety.”

“Yami,
don’t worry about me. Trust me, these people are different.”

“Ryou,”
Yami stated urgently, “do you have any idea how many people believed the same
thing when they met someone online? And the majority of them got beaten,
killed, or even worse?”

“It’s not
like I’m going to meet them…” Ryou objected.

“It doesn’t
matter,” Yami disagreed, dismissing Ryou’s statement. “For all you know, this,
‘Isis’ could be a fifty-year-old man who happens to be a hacker, smoking weed
and drinking. Or ‘she’ could be a schizoid, an alcoholic…‘she’ could be
essentially anything! Don’t you understand?”

“Yami,
you’re being paranoid again…”

“I most
certainly am not. Ryou, this person could hack into your computer if ‘she’
wanted to, find out your personal information, and then literally stalk you!
You have no idea what this person can do. You’ve got to be careful; you’ve got
to suspect that everyone you meet online is like that! Because most of them
are.”

“It’s
nothing to write home about,” he muttered before slamming his locker closed and
striding away.

What in
the name of Ra is his problem? I wondered. What he’s doing is
dangerous--he ha> to> to see that!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ryou’s POV

-

What the
bloody hell is wrong with Yugi? He’s acting like my parents would, I
realized. It’s getting on my nerves…ugh! Yugi doesn’t know his arse from his
elbow, anyway…

I met
Ishizu’s brother, Marik, online last night. He seems really neat, and so does
Isis. I just can’t seem to keep my mind off of her…

Isis is
wonderful. She sent me a picture of her--she’s beautiful. Not in just her
appearance, but in her personality as well. She’s…perfect. She’s the type of
person I want to be--strong, confident, and adventurous. Sure, she and Marik
are a tad perverted--but they’re quite a laugh. I like how they treat me with
respect, and they don’t treat me like a freak. I feel normal. I fit
in.

Everyone
else has treated me like a freak, ever since the incident in fifth grade.

~It was
a dark, gloomy day, and we were stuck inside during recess. I was walking
around the playground, mind my own business. I was reading one of my science
fiction books when I few of the popular kids came up to me.

“What
are ya readin’?” Yukio asked me. Yukio was the most popular boy in our school,
but he picked on everyone who he didn’t like. And he never liked me, for
whatever reason.

“I’m
reading Star Wars,” I responded quietly.

“‘Star
Wars’?” Yukio’s pitiful friend mimicked. He snatched the book from my hands. “Only
freaks read that stuff.”

“Give
that back to me,” I ordered, feeling rage rise to my throat. Normally, I wasn’t
so quick to anger. But that time, I was not going to put up with their rubbish.

“Hold on
a sec, mate,” Yukio sneered, doing an utterly awful imitation of a
British accent. “We’re just lookin’.”

“Well,
look somewhere else!” I shrieked. Moments later, I found myself straddling
Yukio’s friend, beating the living daylights out of him. And he still wouldn’t
let go of my book!

I felt
myself being yanked off of the boy’s form by an irate lunch aide. I didn’t feel
bad at all for giving that boy a black eye or a bloody nose. At least I got my
book back.~

And they’ve
all been scared of me ever since. All of them. Even Yugi and his little
cronies. Those eticetic mortals! They haven’t got any balls to stand up to me,
‘the Crazy Albino’. And I’m not an albino; just to let you know. My hair is
naturally white, like my father’s.

Well, I
suppose I should be thankful. Yugi and his friends were the only people who
would come near me after the incident. Everyone else was afraid that I’d
literally rip their heads off. There were even rumors that my Millennium Ring
was an item involved with performing black magic, which made me “evil”.

I simply
could not fit in with the people at school. Not even Yugi’s crowd. Although
Yugi possessed the Millennium Puzzle, I could not fit in with his group. I can’t
explain how or why…I just don’t feel at home.

However,
with Isis and Marik I do. We got into a conversation about magic the other day,
and I asked them if they knew anything about the Millennium Items. Apparently,
Isis owns the Millennium Necklace, and Marik holds the Millennium Rod. I can’t
believe my luck--becoming acquainted with two additional Millennium Item
holders over the Internet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi’s POV

As usual, I
talked to Jounouchi at the end of the school day, on the bus ride home.

“Did you
hear about Ryou’s new Internet friends?” I inquired.

“Yea,” he
replied. “All he talks about is Isis and Marik.”

“I know,” I
agreed. “He’s become obsessed with the Palace.”

A few
minutes of an uncomfortable silence stretched, but I finally broke the tension
once more with my unspoken thoughts.

“I’m
worried about him. What if these people hurt Ryou?”

Jounouchi’s
eyes met mine, strong and sure. “Let’s not worry too much about it now. It may
just be a phase.”

Although I
trusted Jounouchi’s words, something inside of me wasn’t so sure that Jou was
right…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ryou’s POV

As soon as
I arrived home, I immediately launched my computer and logged onto the Palace.
I noticed that both Isis and Marik were logged on, so I went into a three-way
chat. My screen name, “MSeeker”, stood for the Millennium Ring’s ability to
seek out other Millennium Items. Isis’ user name, “SeeroftheFuture”, symbolized
the Millennium Necklace’s capability of looking into the future; Marik’s login
name, “MindControl”, represented the Millennium Rod’s power of taking over the
peoples’ minds.

[WARNING: Pervertedness and vulgarity ahead]

MSeeker: Good afternoon!

SeeroftheFuture: Hey

MindControl: Sup

MSeeker: nm, u?

SeeroftheFuture: nm

MindControl: same

MSeeker: how was school?

MindControl: boring. It sucked @$$, as usual

SeeroftheFuture: yep XD

MSeeker: so what’s today’s topic of discussion?

MindControl: how Isis wants you to take her up the
ass…

SeeroftheFuture: Haha, very funny, Marik

MindControl: it’s true, Ryou, I read her mind

MSeeker: I thought your M. Item only allowed you 2
take control of ppls’ minds

MindControl: That doesn’t mean I still can’t read
Isis’ mind

SeeroftheFuture: Marik, there’s no way in hell u
could ever read my mind

MindControl: yea, I could. The other day u were
a-dreamin’ bout Ryou…

SeeroftheFuture: shut up!

MindControl: a-dreamin’ bout Ryou naked…

SeeroftheFuture: Marik, I’m gonna kill u…

MSeeker: guys, stop fighting…

SeeroftheFuture: Ryou, can I talk 2 u in a private IM
plz?

MSeeker: Very well

[MSeeker has now entered a private conversation with SeeroftheFuture]

SeeroftheFuture: haha, don’t mind my bro

SeeroftheFuture: I 4got to force-feed him his meds
today

MSeeker: lol…

SeeroftheFuture: u know I was j/k, right?

MSeeker: …it’s not hard 2 believe u’d have 2 give him
meds…

SeeroftheFuture: lol

MSeeker: …what did u want to talk about, Isis?

SeeroftheFuture: …eh…well…

SeeroftheFuture: I love you

MSeeker: what?!

SeeroftheFuture: I love you

MSeeker: I don’t know what to say to that…

SeeroftheFuture: …I was wondering if you felt the
same way…

MSeeker: …I do…

MSeeker: …but I don’t know where that will take us. We
can’t meet each other. And online relationships never work

SeeroftheFuture: Who says we can’t meet? Your parents?
And we can’t know that our relationship won’t work out until we try it!

MSeeker: I don’t know…

SeeroftheFuture: Well, think about it, Ryou. At least
give us a chance.

~*~

~*~

~*~

Now, I know some people may get angry because I used ‘mate’,
but I do know that the British do use that term sometimes.

Jou is definitely OOC, ne? A little too serious, but his
loyalty to his friends is what got him the part.

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