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Ryou, Yugi, Mai and Marik are all meant to protect the 4 millenium items and their masters which have existed for all eternity in all different forms. For now, they are the ring, the rod, the pyramid, and the key. The items cannot be handled by their guardians, only the ones the items have chosen by judging their soul.
Guardians & Keepers:
Ryou -> Bakura - meant for those who can spot evil
Yugi -> Yami - meant for quizzical and strategic thinkers
Marik -> Kek - meant for those with pride and power
Mai -> Joey - Key, meant for curious or knowledgeable keepers
“What the… who the fuck are you?”
“Please don’t panic, I’m Ryou, your guardian.”
“My f- my what? My guardian? How the fuck did you get in here?”
“I didn’t. I live in the ring you hold and only exist when you’re in contact with it, so please keep holding it while I explain.” Bakura scoffed and dropped the ring on the floor, not expecting the angelic person before him to actually fucking disappear. He walked around the room, looking under the bed, in the bathroom before sitting on the bed and staring at the ring.
“This is actually fucking happening…” He stared a bit longer before leaning forward and picking the pendant up with tentative fingers.
“That was rather rude.” Bakura spun around in a flash, his lip curling as the ivory haired person reappeared right back where he was standing before.
“Explain this fucking shit right now or I’m throwing this shit into the road.”
“Alright, my name is Ryou. I am one of the four guardians of the Millenium Items, one of them being the ring you now hold and you are it’s chosen keeper.”
“Millenial items? What the fuck? What does that mean ‘keeper’?”
“ Millenium ,” he corrected. “And it means the ring has chosen you as it’s caretaker. You are to keep it safe, and I am to keep you safe, as my guardian did for me and their guardian for them.”
“Safe from what?! You kept this thing too?”
“I did. I am to keep you safe from any spirits or monsters who seek to use the ring for dark purposes. If a keeper dies while in possession of an item they are replaced with the next best mortal to be the next keeper, but when a guardian dies the keeper takes their place as guardian until they too are killed.”
“So, what happened to your guardian?”
Ryou looked down, his chocolate eyes swimming with memories. “Her name was Angelica. She was a Queen before her guardian died and she took their place. Luckily, her husband, a king named Pegasus, was the next keeper of the ring and she was able to protect him until his own death, luckily from old age. She was killed protecting me from a demon inhabiting my own sister. The last thing I remember before becoming a guardian was my sisters confused look as the demon was defeated and Angelica’s body fading away…”
“...a demon?”
“Yes.”
“Are… is a demon going to come after me ?”
“Maybe.” Bakura looked down at the floorboards, shaking his head with an apprehensive look on his face.
“I can’t fucking do this! I’ve got nothing, no money, no home, I’m constantly on the run and in fact am one of the shit heads this ring is supposed to notice! How do I get rid of this thing?”
“I’m sorry… It’s impossible to refuse it.”
“How about I just take the damn thing off and-”
“It will follow you.”
“It will what the fuck now?”
“People have free will, what you do with it it can’t control, but release it into the world and the world will lead it back to you.”
“Why the fuck me!? ”
“It’s as the saying goes I guess, takes one to know one.” Bakura sneers and sits on the bed rubbing his face with his hands exhaustively, the ring sitting in his lap. Ryou gave him a concerned look. “You don’t even need to do anything... just wear it.”
“With monsters and spirits coming after my ass?” He scoffed. “Yeah things won't change at all.”
“Does my presence bother you?” Bakura gave him a look.
“You said your guardian was a queen? What fucking age did you come from then?”
Ryou blinked. “I became a guardian maybe two hundred years ago. I’ve been successful in my purpose to three keepers now, all living full and flourishing lives.”
“Well great, now I’m going to live a long, shitty life.”