DISCLAIMER: T'was the voice of the lobster, I heard him declare, you have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair!

Yami's sleeping at the moment.

Sleeping. That's what I call it. It's not really sleeping, but I prefer that word to what it actually is.

When you think about what it actually is, it's kind of scary. But it rests your spirit, and sleeping is supposed to rest your mind, so I call it that.

I made sure he was asleep before I came out here. Well, actually, it's more that I came out here when I realised he was asleep. He would have been suspicious if I checked. But I would never come out here if he was awake. I wouldn't be thinking these thoughts I'm trying not to think.

It's not that I want to think them.

But I still do.

Do you know that in exactly two months and two days, it will be two years since I solved the puzzle? To the very day? In about four hours it will be exact, even.

But I don't think I'll celebrate it. The way things are going, the other me won't even be around in a month's time, let alone two months and two days. And four hours.

My hands pick up the puzzle and I turn it through my fingers. I don't know why. I don't know why my hands are always touching it. Why I wear it every morning and sometimes even to bed. I don't even know why I cradle it in my hands whenever I'm thinking about something.

Anzu asked me the other day. She was angry at me because the other me and I are going to leave for Egypt in a few days. So she yelled at me and asked heaps of angry questions that she didn't want me to answer. In the end she slapped me for some reason, and that's when Yami took over. I don't remember much of a few hours after that.

Someone sits down on the bench beside me, but I don't have to look up to know who.

I don't know how he does it. The spirit of the ring just keeps coming back, no matter what happens to him. The ring comes back to Bakura even without trying. Maybe the spirit possesses someone to bring it back to him.

I like that explanation, because it gives a reason as to why I brought it with me today.

Bakura – the evil Bakura – leans back on the bench with a sigh and pulls a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He must have stolen them from Bakura's – the good Bakura's – dad. He isn't wearing the ring, so I don't know how he's in control. But I don't care much, either. Maybe he only has to be near it. Maybe he just has to be in the same city.

He offers me the packet, but I just look at him sideways, as sardonic as I can manage. It makes the spirit laugh. I guess the expression doesn't suit me.

"You gonna give me back the ring?" he asks, sliding a cigarette from the packet.

"What do you think?"

"I don't think when you're concerned. It's a waste of time."

I glance at him, but he just puts the wrapped drug between his lips and cups his hands around it. I don't know how, but when he lowers his hands, the cigarette is lit, and he holds it between two fingers to speak.

"No matter what anyone thinks of you, you always end up a little different than first thought. I figure it's a time saver to just not expect and therefore think anything of you."

It's a fair enough explanation, so I shake my head. "If I gave you back the ring, then I can't unlock the other me's memory."

"Lousy excuse, brat."

I know. But I won't let him see that I know.

I wonder why he's out here. Did he see me leaving school and decide to follow me? Or is it just coincidence that we wound up at the same park? It's not the first time we've wound up sitting together. It's not always him that joins me. It usually just works out that way.

Normally, I wouldn't ask, even if it occurred to me. But this might be the last time we sit together. "How are you in control if I've got the ring?"

Normally he doesn't answer me if I ask questions. But maybe it's occurred to him that we might never do this again. "Don't know. Never know. Just am."

Well, what would you say to that? I just nod and go back to playing with my puzzle. He's looking at me, but neither of us will admit it.

"Newspaper said he won again."

"Mmhm."

"Win anything worth having?"

"Mm-mm."

"Shit, eh?"

"Mm."

"You almost die this time too?"

"Only during the win that you didn't hear about."

"Well, that takes the fun out of it."

"Mmhm."

It's a pointless conversation. But we're just as important as each other. No one else is on our level of importance. That means we can have pointless conversations with each other. It's because we both have very important things to worry about.

Bakura – the evil Bakura – is evil, and the other me's archenemy. That makes him incredibly important. He should be constantly plotting to destroy the world or something. I am the other me's aibou. His vessel. The eventual world saviour, apparently. Though I'm still not sure when the saving the world bit transfers from Yami to me. I'm kind of incredibly important that way.

But right now we're nobodies. Since I have the ring, the spirit doesn't exist as far as everybody but me is concerned. And since Yami's the current world saviour, I'm just here so the other me doesn't have to sit through six hours of school and two of homework.

Nobody notices us. Not even the other people in the park.

We don't draw attention to ourselves. Despite the fact my hair is… my hair, and the fact that Bakura – the good Bakura – could very well be walking around with his own spotlight the way everybody seems to see him, for some reason the spirit and I have gotten very good at blending in.

It's what we do best.

Except for coming back from the dead. We're both very good at that, too.

"How'd you die this time?"

"Took the place of the other me when he lost a soul stealing duel."

"That's very aibou-like of you."

"It's what I'm here for."

"I've noticed."

It's time for another silence. We can only exchange words for so long before we have to stop talking again. It's why our conversations take so long, most of the time.

I wonder why he's out here. What problem does he have that requires so much thought that he couldn't do it inside Ryou's body? I don't really care, but it takes my mind off my own problems. Worrying about his problems means I don't have to think about my own.

Yes, I know, that's not a very healthy attitude. But it's worked for me for nine years now.

It was easier when I didn't have any friends except for Anzu, because then I could just make up problems for the people. And I would worry about their problems, and think up thousands of different ways to solve them, because I didn't know the people well enough to really know how to fix it. But now I have friends, it doesn't take as long to fix their problems.

"Said goodbye to king muck-a-muck yet?"

I blink and look around at the spirit in surprise. That was a short silence.

"Or are you leaving that to the last minute so you can't have the tearful goodbye because everyone else'll be watching?"

The shock leaves me a little. But only because he's right. I know he's right. I'm not going to say goodbye to Yami. Not a real goodbye. I'll just nod and smile and say I'll miss him the way everyone else is going to. I think the other me has been wanting me to say something so we can have the real goodbye. He would never start it. He likes to pretend he doesn't have emotions and that he only puts up with mine because it's who I am. We both know that's bullshit, but no one else sees through his charade so he thinks I don't, either. And I couldn't be bothered to correct him.

But I'm not going to say goodbye.

"I haven't even said hello to Bakura-" – the good one – "-yet, so I don't have to say goodbye."

He wouldn't, even if he did. He doesn't have emotions that he'd let anyone see. He does what Yami tries so hard to do. I wonder if I'm good enough to see through his games, or whether I just see fake emotions that he lets me see.

One of my hands moves over to the bag beside me. I can feel the ring through the fabric. It's another silence as I think about what I could say. I'm the talkative one; it's strange to have Bakura – the evil one, no less – doing all the speaking.

But there's nothing.

That's why I came here. So I didn't have to talk to my friends. So I could think things through.

Maybe that's why the spirit came, too. So he had something to look at. Somewhere to be. So he could think.

More silence.

Bakura's cigarette has almost run out. It's going to burn his fingers soon.

I wonder if he'll care… or if it'll just be another strange mark Bakura – the good one – finds one day and wonders at.

"Do you want me to give you the ring?"

It's the spirit's turn to look at me.

"I know you can't be in spirit form if you don't have it."

His eyes narrow back to their usual size. It's a kind of softening. His version of it, I suppose.

He won't admit it, but he cares for Bakura – yes, the good one – and he has grown to like him. I think that's part of the reason they've never actually met each other. Bakura thinks the spirit of the ring is an evil entity with no heart, or feeling, or compassion. He wouldn't even know for sure if the spirit existed if our group didn't assure him he did.

Not like me. I know Yami. I know there's more to the other me than strength, power and an evil sense of justice. I know about his sense of humour and his heart. I know the feeling I get when he smiles at me – strengthened by the fact he only smiles like that at me. He is my everything and my nothing. He is my other self.

But Bakura – the good one – doesn't know any of that about the spirit of the ring. All he knows is that there is an evil force in the Millenium ring and when it's gone the world will be safer.

He doesn't wonder if the end is worth the cost.

He doesn't get scared about having to say goodbye.

Because he doesn't have to.

I look at Bakura – the… the spirit one – and we share a look.

It's not a smile. It's not a sign of friendship or even a bond. We have no connection.

Just an understanding.

I get up, taking a deep breath as I do, only to choke on the cigarette smoke. The spirit swears as the stub finally burns his fingers and he throws it to the ground, stamping on it with his heel.

Yami is starting to wake up, so I turn away, throwing the bag over my shoulder, and begin wandering. It's a little aimless, but it will eventually lead me home. I know the man I've left behind will wander off soon as well.

Sometimes Yami gets worried that he's like the spirit of the ring. In the things he does and the way he thinks. He worries that they're the same, on the inside.

But…

The other me is the opposite of my soul.

We don't think – me and Bakura (only the evil one) – that he's got a lot to worry about.