Harry Potter Yu-Gi-Oh crossover – Disclaimer: I own neither
/Ryou and Bakura mind link/
Koe – Voice (What Ryou calls the spirit of the ring)
Yadonushi – Landlord (What the spirit calls Ryou)
0
Brown eyes tracked the majestic creature in the sky. He still couldn't get over the surprise of seeing a snowy owl in Little Whinging of all places. Surely they weren't native to England. He pressed his hands against the lip of the sink and leaned closer to the window, watching the bird circle above.
"It looks so happy." He murmured as he continued to stare.
/How the hell would you know that when it's so far away? Something is wrong with you Yadonushi./
"yeah… I already knew that…" He said, keeping is thoughts to himself and biting his lip to stop the grin. The only problem was it was a bit difficult to keep his thoughts away from the spirit in his head.
/I don't mean me./
Ryou had to try harder to keep his smile down. The dark growl only he could hear was pretty sufficient in halting his amusement. He nervously reached for a towel to dry his hands and didn't say another word. He took a deep breath and glanced out the window again. The bird was gone.
Ryou walked out to his living room, brushing his hand along the entertainment center as he passed it. He had tried to make it feel more like his apartment in Japan by setting up some of the trinkets and photos he brought with him, but it was still pretty bare. He walked over to the couch and let the cushion mold around him as he sat down. He hadn't used the television once since he'd been there. Now was as good a time as ever to see if it worked. He picked up the remote and clicked the power button. He tried again.
"Oh. Probably needs batteries." He shook his head at his own mistake, placing the remote down and manually turning on the TV. The screen buzzed with pictures. He made a mental note to pick up batteries later that day. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. He crouched down in front of the television, finger on the channel up button.
"And the Lord sayeth—" with a single push, the channel switched.
"-cademy, a local high school for girls, was found with a large hole in the far wall. Reports point to a gas leak that-" He pushed the button again, switching the image.
"On sale now at th-" He clicked passed that channel as fast as he could, feeling blood rush to his cheeks.
"-idge collapsed overnight. Amazingly, there were no witnesses to this horrible occure- " He let out a tiny yawn as the image changed once more.
"Mysteriously went missing at some point during the day. The owner is baffled by the disapp- " Another click, another channel.
"Unexplained. The fires are now believed to have been caused by faulty wiring, although the owner— " Ryou was disappointed there was really nothing on as he continued to click through channels.
/Yadonushi, stop. Go back./ Ryou jerked and felt his hand move without his say. The channel went back to the news and Ryou furrowed his brow.
"What's wrong Koe?" Ryou questioned the voice in his head, and naturally he received no answer. He returned his attention to the TV. There were a lot of accidents being reported in the news today. Was that what the spirit was concerned about? He heard a slight chuckle at the back of his mind, though he could tell it wasn't directed at him. The spirit wasn't even paying attention to him right now.
0
Ryou stretched his arms up over his head as he stepped into the sunlight. Even though it was the summer time, it wasn't too hot out. It was a nice warm day, no rain clouds in sight. It was the perfect type of weather to go for a walk. This time he was going to take the long way to the store on purpose to take in the scenery, not to avoid a potentially nasty encounter. After a quick adjustment to his blue flannel shirt, he was off.
His walk was briskly paced, but he didn't tire from it. He stopped every so often to observe people enjoying the nice weather. One of the adults, or possibly an older teenager, had loosened the cap of the fire hydrant on the corner. Parents were sitting on their front steps, watching the little kids play and splash around in the stream of water that was leaking out and down the street. Along another street, Ryou watched a father teaching his son how to fly a kite. His daughter was trying to get him to play catch instead. Ryou saw a mother and daughter walking their dog, a kid running to hug his dad as he returned from work, and a family of four coming back from the park with an empty picnic basket. A ghost of a smile fell on his face and he moved on. Soon he was under the shade of the trees and crisp grass crunched under his sneakers.
"Koe, what's your favorite food?" Ryou asked. He didn't usually talk to the spirit like this in public, but the park was deserted. He quickly scanned the area, just to be sure. Yep. He didn't see anyone.
/What the hell Yadonushi?/ Ryou shrugged as he walked.
"I was just curious is all." He muttered. The spirit scoffed. He scanned through Ryou's thoughts. The boy was not curious about his preferred tastes and the spirit had no intention of having some sort of worthless conversation just to make Ryou feel better.
"Koe?" Ryou prodded, stopping his walk and touching the ring that lay under his shirt. He wasn't getting any type of response, not even a stray feeling from the ring. He sighed and leaned against a swing set that sat in the play area of the park. Even here, the place had few people. They were probably heading home with their families; preparing dinner to eat together and spending quality time with one another. Ryou gently placed his hand on the ring again, calling to the voice locked inside of it with a silent thought. The spirit still didn't respond. Though he was silent and acting as if he wasn't even there, Ryou knew he was. The spirit's presence… it was a feeling that had become familiar. He could usually feel the existence of a second mind, even if it was just subconsciously. Had it always been that way? The ring had been under his care for so long, he couldn't remember what it was like before. He had been ignorant of the spirit's residence in the ring, hadn't even heard the voice, until after he met Yugi but the spirit had still been with him for years before that encounter. Ryou sighed and sat down on one of the thick plastic seats that dangled beside him. His hands loosely gripped the metal chains and he slowly swung back and forth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The swing was making a soft noise, but Ryou realized the sound wasn't very metallic sounding. He focused on his hearing and listened more intently, listening to the soft whistle before the gentle 'cree' erupted into a much louder call. Ryou jerked and his eyes snapped open, whipping up to the source of the sound. He met intelligent golden eyes and he was once again stunned into silence. It released the sound again, a mix between a meow and the sound of the wind itself. It suited the white plumed bird well.
"Well hello there." Ryou said softly, looking fondly up at the owl that had landed on the upper bar of the swing set. He stayed as still as possible so he wouldn't scare it off.
"You sure are a beautiful bird." It was almost as if the creature knew what he said. It blinked at him and dipped its head as if in a nod. Ryou let out a soft chuckle at that. "I wonder though. Not many snowy owls fly through England. What are you doing so far away from your home?" He asked the bird as he continued to smile up at it. The bird cocked its head to the side and let out a series of clicks and hisses. Ryou continued to watch the bird as it spread its white feathered wings out wide and took to the air with a powerful collection of flaps. It circled the white haired boy in a large widespread loop before racing higher and higher into the sky.
"Goodbye little owl" Ryou said quietly to the fading sight of the white bird. The sun was already starting to set. This was why he didn't like getting up so late. The days went by so fast. He started to swing again, this time moving his feet back and forth with the motion so he too could feel the wind against his face.
0
"Welcome back Hedwig" The white owl hooted in reply to her master, landing gracefully on his outstretched arm. Harry reached up and rubbed the bird's head.
"In a better mood now that you've stretched your wings?" He asked his friend. She nipped his finger in a token sign of affection. Harry smiled and took her back into the house. The Dursleys were due back any minute now and the last thing he needed was for them to know he had let his pet out of her cage for a few hours. He was barely in his room when he heard the door open and the stomping of three noisy muggles waltzing into the living room. Hedwig gave him a look as she stepped off his arm onto the perch in the cage. Harry honestly felt terrible about closing her up again. He apologized to her and clicked the lock on her cage shut just as the door to his room was slammed open. He lazily turned to face his uncle, who was giving him a look over. He seemed satisfied – well, as satisfied as he could when it came to Harry – and closed the door with a loud bang. Harry grinned in triumph.
0
The darkness had always been a magnificent cover. For a boy like himself the dark was not quite as effective in hiding him, but it wasn't just the cover that made night so wonderful. He enjoyed the cold touch of the shadows that surrounded him, and they enjoyed their master's presence. The boy pulled up his hood, letting the black fabric hide his stark white hair. Even for him, a legend in his field, his hair was simply too noticeable especially outside of Japan where unusual hair was common. There his white man acted as perfect camouflage. Here it did not. He didn't mind though. He just considered it another challenge in his game.
Bakura turned the corner of a street, gliding through the town like a wraith. He laughed silently at those foolish mortals who couldn't seem to stop snooping around and making up rumors about him and his landlord. Nobody knew he was here tonight even when he was the spotlight of their pathetic little conversation. At last his target came into view. 4 Privet Drive. He tugged his hood further over his face, letting it engulf his features in shadow. His black gloved hands tightened the strings of the hood on his hoodie, making sure it wouldn't fall back if he had to make a quick escape. He headed towards the front door without a care in the world. Seconds later, he pulled his knife out of the doorknob and the door slid open. He smiled at his handiwork. Not even a single stray scratch on the knob. He stepped into the darkness of the house, his footsteps quiet no matter the surface. He glanced around, his eyes catching photos. He frowned in slight disgust but smirked as a sound reached him. A tiny gasp.
/Koe! This is Harry's house! What are we doing here in the middle of the night?/
Bakura chuckled. "I told you we didn't have to worry about money Yadonushi." He purred in a silent whisper. His landlord didn't seem to accept that as an answer.
/But Koe, Harry is our friend. We can't steal from our friends!/
"Consider it their payment to us. They owe us new windows after all" The spirit was completely dismissive of his host's complaints as he wandered around the house, picking up an item every now and then to inspect before placing it back down or slipping it into one of the pockets of his obsidian cargo pants.
/Koe I don't want – / Ryou did not get a chance to finish his train of thought as the spirit who now controlled his body was cutting him off.
"You should be happy Yadonushi. I thought you didn't like being put to sleep while I'm paying my rent. But if you don't want to be awake then that's fine with me. I'll be sure to suppress you completely next time I take control" The spirit said with a pretend sigh as if he was doing Ryou some huge favor.
/No no, please! I didn't mean it, I don't like not knowing what's happening. Please Koe!/
"Heh heh. Poor poor Yadonushi. So confused on what you want. I suppose I'll think about it." The spirit smirked again as he placed yet another tiny bauble into his pocket. He stopped and glanced at the ceiling. Ryou was keeping quiet in the spirit's mind, too afraid he would be put to sleep if he interrupted. Soon Bakura was pressed against the wall, deathly still yet in plain sight. His completely black outfit did nothing to hide him against the pale beige wall, and yet he did not move from his spot. A large man was tromping down the steps and looked around suspiciously. Bakura grinned as the man walked right passed him without even a second glance. Not even Ryou could hold his tongue this time.
/How? Why didn't he notice us?/
Bakura grinned even wider but kept quiet. He waited until the man left, heading back upstairs. At last he stepped away from the wall and took a deep breath.
"Figures porky came from fatman himself. I'm surprised the wife ain't a cow too." Bakura mocked as he slipped into the kitchen and took an apple from a basket on the counter. He took a bite and looked around some more. He was disappointed in the lack of valuables in this place. Most of the stuff was cheap junk that only a swindler could sell for a decent profit. A thief such as himself had a much more refined eye. He walked back to the door and glanced at the steps.
/No Koe, they're awake upstairs! We're going to get caught!/
Bakura had humored his host earlier, but now the voice was getting annoying.
"I don't get caught Yadonushi" he reminded him. Still, he turned and opened the door to leave. He could always come back. Harry had said he didn't mind if he visited after all. A grin splintered across his face once more as he headed down the street towards the park.
/Thank You./
His smirk vanished.
"I didn't leave because of your whining Yadonushi. It will be much more fun to take their treasures right out from under their noses during the day. They'll know I'm there, be in the same room with me, and still won't know what hit them." Bakura's smile reappeared at his own challenge.
/Doesn't matter what your reasons are. I can still thank you./
"Fine. I'm glad you finally approve of your rent." He purred as he pulled out a golden necklace from his pocket. The wife had left it out on the table, still in its case. No doubt she had been showing it off to her friends or something. Ryou didn't say anything, but unlike the spirit, Ryou was not good at hiding his thoughts and feelings from the link between their minds. Bakura could feel the disapproval. He smiled even wider.
/Koe… how come that man didn't see us?/ Ryou asked again. Bakura slipped the trinket back into his pocket and walked through the trees. He tugged the strings of his hoodie and let his white hair flow down. He pulled off the gloves and slipped them into his pockets as well.
"The shadows, Yadonushi. Don't tell me you've forgotten them already."
Ryou contemplated what he had just heard. The shadows had been at work, but he hadn't seen them. Why not?
"Because Yadonushi, we were within them. You did not feel it? Interesting." Bakura wondered if his host's tolerance of the shadows had grown. Perhaps all that time they had spent in the shadow realm had actually done something useful. His grin became bitter and a trickle of that bitterness seeped to his other half's mind.
/I'm sorry Koe. Was I supposed to feel it?/ Ryou disliked what he had just felt from the spirit. He had learned by now that if he could feel even the tiniest something from the spirit of the ring, it had to be a strong feeling. Strong enough to slip through the cracks of the spirit's guard.
"Mortals and apprentices tend to lose their strength when faced with the shadows." Bakura didn't respond to anything else Ryou said to him. He ignored his host and walked on deep in his own thoughts. Finally he just pulled back into his soul room, surprising Ryou with the sudden control of the tired body. The spirit stared at the door that connected his mind to the corridor of souls. The door that connected his mind to Ryou. He thought he had regained his old strength. He thought by now he had recovered enough to suppress his host as he used to do before Battle City. Had his latest banishment to the shadow realm really weakened him so?
0
The hurried clicking and clanking of multiple locks, followed by the door slamming open, was what greeted Harry in the morning. He barely blinked and his uncle was pulling him out of bed by the collar of his pajamas. What had made the man such a shade of red so early in the morning?
"Tell me what you did with them boy!" He was yelling. Harry stared in true confusion.
"Do with… what?" He finally asked. His uncle shook him and turned another shade of red.
"You know what! Where are the things you stole from downstairs? Are they in your bloody luggage for that ridiculous freak school?" barked Vernon as he released his nephew and started searching his room from whatever it was that was apparently missing.
"I'll take this time to remind you I was locked in my room all night. I didn't steal anything" Harry stood and walked over to his Hogwarts bag, placing a firm hand on the latch just as his uncle made a move to open it.
"What? You've got something to hide boy?" Barked the man as he glared at his calm nephew.
"No. I'm just letting you know before you go snooping around in my school supplies that one of my textbooks for class likes to bite." Harry said flatly. He grinned at the thought of setting the Monster Book of Monsters loose on his unsuspecting uncle. It was the smile that made his uncle back off. After a thorough search of the rest of Harry's room, Vernon left in a huff and returned to his wife in the living room. Harry waited a few minutes before he got dressed and headed downstairs. Sure enough, there was his aunt Petunia sitting on the couch weeping as her husband tried to comfort her. Harry looked around. He didn't really notice anything amiss.
"Come to confess boy?" Barked his uncle once he realized Harry had entered the room.
"What's missing?" Harry asked as he walked around the room, heading towards the kitchen. His eyes scanned everything. He couldn't really remember what had decorated the room before, but if a thief struck, they'd have taken whatever they could right? He glanced at the table. Maybe it hadn't been so empty before, but he couldn't for the life of him remember what had been there placed there. His uncle had a short list of things and started ranting them at the poor green-eyed boy.
"Really. I didn't take anything" Harry groaned in annoyance. "What would I possibly do with such useless things anyway?" He added as he headed towards the fridge to scavenge for food. He could hear the Dursleys talking in the other room. His uncle had heard mumblings in the night but after finding nothing and double checking the locks on the boy's door he headed back to bed. According to his aunt, she had left a brand new gold necklace on the table that had a diamond gem in the center. It was gone. Even more alarming was she didn't have to unlock the door when she went to water the plants this morning. Harry shook his head. He wondered if it had really been a break in or if they just forgot to lock the door.
But then again, that didn't explain the random missing items.
0
It took a lot of work, but somehow Harry finally convinced his aunt and uncle of his relative innocence. He was finally able to escape to the outdoors, away from that stingy house and its accusatory glares. There had been a condition though. He sighed as he looked over his shoulder to see his cousin staring at him like some king who was looking down on a mere servant. Dudley was his new shadow. His aunt and uncle said if Harry was lying he was probably going to go to where he stashed their stuff, so Dudley was going to stick by his side just in case.
His family was so annoying.
Harry had started his usual day of wandering, but Dudley was quickly becoming quite the irritant. He mocked him in the park, repeatedly tried to trip him as he walked, and couldn't seem to stop talking about how he was so much better than his cousin and how he couldn't believe they were related. Harry was seriously tempted to just whip out his trusty wand and turn his cousin into something more useful like a cushion. He was sure Dudley would make an excellent cushion. Extra fluffy.
Harry was pulled out of his musings when Dudley was pushing him and telling him to look across the street. Harry obliged out of curiosity and curiosity only. A blob of white was heading into a store and there was only one person with hair like that. Harry instantly started across the street with Dudley nipping at his heels. On the positive side, his cousin had finally stopped berating Harry.
As he entered the shop, he had to stop a moment and look around. It was a game shop filled to the brim with figurines, board games, starter packs, cards, consoles, puzzles, dioramas, and anything else you could possibly play. He wandered over to one particular set up that had a banner with 'Monster World' hanging overhead. So this was the game Ryou had been talking about. The table set up in the shop was more detailed than Harry had expected.
"Isn't it amazing? It reminds me of the one I have at home"
Harry lifted his head to see Ryou smiling across the table. The white haired boy was examining the table fondly, looking over the different area pieces and the tiny figures that made up the townspeople.
"So this is where you buy your supplies? You buy the boards and characters at shops like these?" Harry asked as his cousin wandered up beside him, staring at Ryou instead of the merchandise.
"For the bigger pieces and materials and stuff, yeah. I prefer to make my own characters though." He replied as he at last broke his gaze from the game display. "I think it's more fun to play when you have a piece that you can really call your own, so I make them look like whoever is playing them" He added. Harry was impressed. He kind of wanted to see some of the figures Ryou had made, wondering to himself if they were any good.
"You must have a lot of pieces then." He noted and Ryou nodded.
"Yeah, but my board is also a lot bigger than this one. I also have display cases on the wall to store the characters I'm not using." Harry stared at Ryou a moment before dropping his gaze to the table. Ryou's game board was bigger than this? Harry didn't even know what to think. What, did Ryou have an entire room dedicated to this game or something? That couldn't be it. That would be completely unreasonable.
"You actually like this nerd stuff?" At last Dudley had found his voice and for a moment Ryou looked hurt that Dudley had insulted his favorite past-time, but he shook it off.
"Yes. It's my favorite." Ryou said proudly making Dudley scoff. The heavier child couldn't remember why he had been excited when he saw the white haired loser across the street. He was quickly reminded.
"Hey hey, you're Ryou Bakura right?" Ryou turned to face the man who had spoken. He was a young employee at the store, stocking shelves. Of course, he was standing with a box of Duel Monster booster packs in his hands. Ryou nodded shyly. The young man beamed at him.
"Can you sign something for me?" He asked, placing his work down on the ground and retrieving something from behind the counter. The cashier rolled her eyes as the man returned with a gaming magazine. He flipped to a page that showed Ryou on one side and Yugi on the other. They were standing with duel disks activated and cards in hand, staring each other down. Ryou's eyes were cold and he was wearing a sadistic smile on his face in the magazine. Harry watched as Ryou signed it, blushing faintly. Once the man thanked him and left to finish up his work, Ryou glanced up to see Dudley gaping at him. The boy had just remembered that Ryou wasn't just a weird looking kid; he was a famous weird looking kid. Ryou's hand reached up to his hair as he scratched the back of his head and looked away with a tiny forced laugh.
"You're in a magazine too?" Dudley let out. Ryou turned red again.
"Only a few really. Yugi's the one— " Ryou started before he was rudely cut off by the approaching Dudley.
"Wait, so you're in more than one?" he asked. Ryou nodded and took a step back. Harry's cousin was freaking him out. Scarier still was being suddenly hugged. He went rigid and spun around immediately, eyes narrowed and stance guarded. He blinked at the girl who was smiling at him. She began spilling out how she had heard he was in England but she was shocked to see him here of all places. After signing her card shaped autograph book Ryou let out another sigh.
"Maybe… I should apply for work somewhere else" He murmured as Harry walked over to him and smiled.
"apply for work? You're looking for a job?" He asked. Ryou nodded.
"I thought I might as well earn some spending money and a game shop seemed like a good idea at the time…" He said as he noticed a little boy staring at him. The little kid tugged his mother's coat and was whispering frantically to her and not so subtly pointing at Ryou. Ryou smiled at the boy and politely waved which made him jump in excitement. Ryou hadn't really been bothered by people about his fame so far, but the game shop was a store aimed to please die hard gamers. Naturally, it was these people who would be the store's customers. Ryou glanced down the isle of dioramas for Monster World, then at the rare Duel Monster cards cased at the front of the store. He wanted to browse and maybe pick something up, but he was confronted by another fan and he soon followed Harry out the door. He decided next time he'd wear a hat or a hood or something.
"Well, now that we're out of there… how have you been Harry?" Ryou turned away from the store and gave Harry his full attention. Before Harry could even speak, Dudley was interrupting again.
"Wait, you really hang out with this freak? Why?" He asked, motioning to his bespectacled cousin. Ryou stared at Dudley and frowned.
"Harry is my friend. You shouldn't call people freaks you know." He said like he was reprimanding a toddler. Harry snickered.
"He IS a freak. I'm not calling him anything. I'm just stating what he is." Dudley replied flatly. He either didn't realize Ryou had been scolding him or was too oblivious to notice. Ryou grinned and stepped closer to Dudley.
"Oh? Well then tubby should I just call you pig from now on? How about Vandal?" He asked as Dudley furrowed his brow. "Admit it fatty, you could really drop a few pounds" Ryou purred as he leaned in close to Dudley, flicking him in the gut, and smirked. He locked his dark eyes with Dudley's stunned ones. Against that cold glinting gaze, Dudley couldn't find any words to say. Finally the white haired boy backed off and he walked back over to Harry.
"Hey. You said I could come over before. I'll come by your house once I finish with an errand." Ryou said as he turned on the spot and headed down the street. He hadn't even given Harry a chance to respond and Harry watched him go. Dudley was staring after him too. The muggle was confused as to what just happened and he wasn't sure if he should be angry or impressed. Harry had to snap the boy out of his sudden stupor. Apparently they had to get home and prepare to have a guest over.
0
Ryou smirked as the little bell on the door chimed at the entrance to the store.
"Yo. How much can you give me for this?" He asked as he plopped a decent looking and freshly acquired watch on the table of the pawn shop. The man behind the counter picked it up and studied it carefully before naming his price. The white haired boy accepted and pocketed the cash. He smiled an almost polite smile, waving and saying goodbye in his sweetest voice before he headed back outside.
"See Ryou? The necklace was enough to pay for some of the windows, and that watch will go towards a new knife and dinner. The Dursleys are so generous." He chuckled as he walked down the street. The boy faltered a moment before he continued at a more hesitant pace.
"You really don't like Dudley do you?" Ryou asked as he walked. He caught a glance from a passing stranger and he immediately looked at his feet.
/Don't act like you think very highly of him either Yadonushi/
"Well I don't hate him. Besides he's Harry's cousin so I'm going to give him a chance."
/You don't hate anyone and you've already given him a second chance./
Ryou shrugged. "I'll give him as many chances as he needs. What's he going to do when he finally does want to be a better person? I think anybody can change if you give them time." He said with a smile.
/You're too naive Yadonushi./
