Chapter Text
It really is funny, you know. That any of you are actually here to listen to what I have to say. Although, for all I know, I could be the only one who feels that way- I'm the first to admit that I'm not very perceptive when it comes to people's opinions of me. But I suppose it's justified, in a way– no one ever really listened before, after all. Not one of the people who said they cared for me is still here. Not even him.
Yes, him. He IS the one you came for, isn't he? Did it surprise you, when you realized that the one in front of you was someone other than the spirit of the millennium ring? You wouldn't be the first; it wouldn't matter to me in the slightest if you did. I mean, he is the more… theatrical of the two of us. His tendency to laugh in his victim's face as he kicks them while they’re down and threatens their life is extremely hard to miss. It doesn't help, I'm sure, that my tone is slightly off from the innocent, naive image that I always projected back then. I never saw the difference, but most of the people I speak to nowadays that knew me back then mention the changes in me more than anything else.
No, you won't find any of the baseless, selfless loyalty to my former friends, nor the kindness that I always liked to think formed my original personality. That was then, and this is now; and now is the time in my life where I not only recognize the ugliness of the world, but have even come to accept it.
I won't hold back anymore. For years I stayed quiet, and held everything– negative and positive alike– deep inside myself. But now, I've finished doing my time in complete silence. The stage is set for the story of Ryou Bakura, the simple, lonely child who was caught up in circumstances beyond his wildest imagination, circumstances he would never have the chance to fully understand.
I'm going to tell you everything. Why shouldn't I, really? I made my way through every grueling second of it already, and now I'm going to make a story out of it. I won't be anything except a character; a pawn, even, the type found in anything from fairy tales to tragic soap operas. Even if it's beyond painful to relive those days, it doesn’t matter. My feelings are a catalyst in this story, and nothing more. As long as someone– anyone– is listening to me, my story exists for them, and their entertainment- however cruel their tastes may be. And I know for a fact that no one will be satisfied until every single minute detail has been laid bare. Unless I'm honest, this entire thing will be meaningless.
And who knows? Maybe in the end, there's a happy ending waiting for me. I am still alive, after all, and that alone guarantees me a future. It could last a millisecond or it could stretch on for several years from now. Maybe by the end, I'll know something that I don't right now. And maybe- just maybe - that piece of knowledge will lead to something akin to happiness. Closure , if you will.
Maybe someday, I really will be my own self again.
So please, enjoy my life story. Fascinate yourself with the character of Ryou Bakura, and break him down in your mind until you find the actor somewhere within him. Then, maybe you'll understand his actions. Maybe you'll even gain a bit of insight into my thoughts- my past thoughts, my current thoughts, and the thoughts that have yet to materialize. Maybe you'll see past the twisted spirit you've always known that possessed my body, and go far enough to reach the other residing soul, corroded from the very beginning by the darkness inside him.
That, I suppose, is my challenge to you. Break apart the mask I've worn for so many years, and discover for yourself the true Ryou Bakura behind the elaborate disguise.
The curtain is rising, and the show is beginning.