Title: Never Let Me Go

Summery: Bakura leans against the brick wall in the back alley of his apartment complex. On this rainy night he will finally speak to Marik again for the first time in almost 3 years. With intentions to kill, what will Bakura do when finally confronted with his ex-partner? Will he go through with the plan, or will old love blossom into a new and long-lasting romance? Post-cannon, thiefshipping oneshot.

Rating: T

Warnings: Some innuendo, swearing, mentions of blood/violence, nothing too bad. Mostly just angst and romance.\

Bakura stood in the back alley, smoking a cigarette. The clouds of white he blew out his mouth quickly dissipated in the heavy rainfall. The pale man cursed himself for not bringing a jacket. His thoughts lingered to his old trench coat fondly.

"He better show up… He better not fucking skip tonight because of the rain…" He grumbled, pulling at his wet T-shirt that was sticking to him. He could feel the squishing of his socks where the water seeped through his sneakers. He finished his cigarette and threw it on the ground, not bothering to stomp it out. Though the violent action would ease the tension.

He'd been back for only a few weeks, but he managed to steal himself a good amount of money. Enough to get back to Japan from the Egyptian desert he woke up in. He considered staying, but the language they now spoke there was foreign, and there were too many memories there that he would rather forget. He was relatively surprised: after so many thousands of years you'd think the security in a bank would be better than the security in tombs. So far this modern world had disappointed him.

Soon after he arrived back he started smoking. He saw other people doing it and thought he's try.

Well he thought, I guess that's one thing good about this changed world…

He liked the soothing effect it had on his mind. He had a short temper, often his own thoughts threw him into rage, and they helped calm him. On the balcony of his cheap apartment he'd lean over the rails and smoke, making a game out of trying to drop the ash on some passerby's head as they walked through the alley. The occasion was rare though.

One night a few days ago when he was particularly angry he stayed out on the balcony till well after midnight, smoking and thinking. It was a full moon that night. That's when Bakura just happened to look down, seeing the familiar face of someone he once called a friend. Marik… He was almost not recognizable without his signature midriff-showing top and armbands, but Bakura would recognize the hair and the eyes anywhere. The way the moonlight hit his hair gave it a sparkling, angelic effect. Bakura dropped his fag and watched him pass, shocked that his old partner was still in Domino. His eyes, though Bakura only saw a small glimpse of them from underneath the long bangs, still had the same sadness from Battle city, but the fire inside was gone. He'd changed a lot in only a few years.

Bakura had fought himself over what to do about it. Should he talk to him? Did he even want to? After all, the man had betrayed him to his arch enemy and left him to rot in the shadows.

Left me to rot in the shadows…

Oh, yes, Bakura would talk to him. He's kill the bastard for what he did. To think Bakura actually believed he cared, that the man actually would stay in the shadows with him… But Bakura found a way out after Marik abandoned him, and never saw him again. That was almost 3 years ago, he never thought the Egyptian would have stayed in Domino after Battle City. Over the course of a few days, Bakura stayed up, waiting. And sure enough, every night Marik would show up, walking through the alley, then turning the corner and disappearing from sight. Bakura just watched him every night until he couldn't any more. He just had to talk to him.

Bakura shook his head, pulling himself back into reality, "Bullshit… I don't care for him anymore…" He told himself, fighting the urge to light another fag. Marik would turn that corner and Bakura wanted to have both his hands free to wring the tanned neck.

Bakura's heart sunk. I kissed that tanned neck before… Laid my head on it… he thought, his thoughts trailing back to Battle city.

"Bakura," Marik said, arms crossed.

"What is it now? Thanks to you I'm stuck in this bed, there's not much I can do," he growled bitterly. He never put it above Marik to start invading his mind.

"There's…Something's happened," Marik said, a concerned look on his face.

"Damn right something's happened! What? Want me to stab myself again? Need my host to nearly kill himself?"

Marik grabbed both Bakura's arms tightly and looked him in the eyes, "I need you to help me."

Bakura stopped talking and looked at his tanned partner. That look in his eyes was one he'd never seen before. It looked like desperation, "Marik? …What happened?"

Marik took a deep breath, "I have a split personality."

Bakura blinked, "What do you mean?"

Marik squeezed his arms tighter, "I mean exactly what I said!"

"And how does this affect me?"

Marik just looked at him, gradually releasing Bakura's arms, "It doesn't."

"Then why are you bothering me about it?"

Another long pause, "Because you're the only one who can help me."

"Why's that? I'm sure they make a pill for that or something."

"It's taken over my body and kicked me out."

Bakura scowled, "I don't understand."

"It took over, Bakura!" Marik yelled, frustration finally showing through his usual coldness. "It took over my body and sent me away! The only place I could go was here in your mind…"

"You mean you're a spirit?"

Marik nodded, "Rishid was duelling, but when he summoned the fake Ra card, he was struck by lightning. His hold on my dark self was broken, and it took over… It sent me away. The only place I could think of going was here. I need your help."

"And what's in it for me?" Bakura said, trying not to let his concern show through.

Marik looked away, "I don't have anything to offer…"

Bakura huffed, "Like hell I'm going to risk my life trying to get your body back! You've just been one failed plan after another-ah!" Bakura cried out when Marik wrapped his arms around him and buried his face into Bakura's chest.

"I'm desperate… I want my body back… This emptiness is unbearable… It's only been a few hours, but…."

"And you don't think I feel the same way?"

Marik looked back up at him, their eyes meeting, "I think you feel exactly the same way… So please, help me."

Bakura looked at Marik for a long time, trying to decide what to do. Duelling Marik's dark half would be dangerous, but a part of him couldn't just abandon the tanned mess before him.

"I'll do it."

Bakura slammed his fist into the brick wall he was leaning against, "Bullshit! He was just using me to get his body back!" He yelled, anger getting the better of him as blood splattered against the wall with every punch. Bakura panted, not even feeling the pain.

"I should have just left him. I should never have agreed to duel the darker half…" Bakura muttered, remembering the pain he felt after he lost. Not so much the pain of being burned by Ra's fire, but the pain of being in the shadows. The only succour was that Marik was with him too, so he wasn't completely alone…

Bakura groaned, "Fuck, I lost…" He muttered, blinking several times but only seeing shadows.

"We lost," came a voice. Bakura turned his head sharply to the left. There hugging his knees was Marik, face buried in between his long legs.

"You're here too…"

"Of course. With you here my last connection to the real world was shattered…"

Bakura growled, "Have a plan for getting us out of here?"

After a long time Marik lifted his head to look at Bakura with tear-filled eyes, "Not a single idea."

Bakura's eyes widened at seeing Marik so emotional, "Marik…." He whispered, reaching an arm out to touch Marik's shoulder.

"Thank you, though. For helping me."

Bakura growled and took his hand away, "Hell of a lot a good it did me…"

Marik took Bakura's hand and held it tight, "I'm so sorry…" Marik whispered, closing the distance between their lips. The kiss was short and neither of them moved, and a second later Marik pulled away, "You can go back, right? Through the ring?"

Bakura looked stunned, but quickly got over it, "A piece of my soul is in the puzzle, too."

Marik laid his head on Bakura's shoulder, "I guess you'll be leaving, then."

Bakura spoke without thinking, "I'll bring you back."

Marik looked at him, "You know you can't."

"But I will," He said, closing his eyes and kissing Marik's lips. Marik kissed back and wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck, and Bakura wrapped his around Marik's torso. The kiss turned passionate, every second getting more and more fierce, like they had an infinitesimal time to do an infinite number of things. Marik's tongue explored Bakura's mouth and he moaned softly, tugging at Marik's clothes. The kiss turned into love making as they both tried their best to be as close to each other as possible in a place where darkness separated them both. Neither knew how much time past, but they were both panting when they finished.

"Marik…"

"Bakura. I lo-" Marik stopped mid-sentence when he felt a burning sensation in his chest as his soul was ripped back into reality.

"Marik!" Bakura yelled before Marik was gone, leaving the pale man alone in the darkness.

"He never even checked to see if I was still alive after he got his body back… He knew how I felt yet he just abandoned me!" Bakura yelled angrily, pain welling up in his chest, "He never actually cared for me… I'll kill him!"

Bakura calmed down enough to check his watch. 1:27. Marik always walked by at 1:30. Bakura sighed and leaned up against the wall, bloodstains now washed away by the rain.

Sure enough, Marik was right on time. He came around the corner and Bakura's heart skipped a beat. His hair was matted and soaked, his kohl was running and his eyes were dull, contrasting with the usual spark of fire contained in those lavender orbs. He walked by slowly, not picking his eyes up from his feet and thus not seeing Bakura in the thick shadows. He's wearing my coat….

Before Marik could get away Bakura put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey."

Marik froze for a second, his head shooting up and staring straight forward. He slowly turned around, eyes widening when he saw Bakura's face. Unlike himself Bakura hadn't changed a bit over the years.

"Y-You…"

"Me," Bakura said, unsure of how to reply. He never actually planned what he was going to say to the man in front of him. All his thoughts were clouded by the situation.

Marik shook his head violently and pushed Bakura away, "You can't be here! You're dead!"

Bakura growled, "You wish I was! I'm alive for no other reason but to fucking kill you for what you did to me!"

Marik stared, mouth dropping open, "Bakura… Oh, Bakura!" Marik cried, running up and wrapping him in a tight embrace.

"Get the bloody hell off me!" Bakura growled only half wanting him to actually let go.

"Bakura….Partner….I've missed you…." Marik whispered, looking into Bakura's eyes. The pale man's will faltered.

"If you missed me you wouldn't have given me away," he said coldly.

Mari looked surprised, then grimaced and looked away, "I had no choice, Bakura! If I'd have known you were still alive…"

"Bullshit you had no choice! You didn't have to hand me over to the Pharaoh!"

Mari's eyes quickly found their way back to the other's mocha orbs, regret plastered in them, "My hands were tied! He got my body back, I owed him…"

"Well if you want to be his bitch then go! Because I sure as hell don't want you! You betrayed me! After all I did for you, you gave me away like I was nothing!"

Marik looked pale, "You don't want me?"

"No. I hate you, Marik! You used me!"

"Then kill me," Marik stated flatly, eyes void of emotion.

Bakura didn't even falter at the sheer sincerity in the words, "I plan to. It's what I wanted to do all along."

"I loved you," Marik stated, though Bakura couldn't tell if he meant it in past tense.

"I don't believe you. Lovers don't throw each other like garbage."

Marik's eyes grew wide and emotional, fierceness finding a way back in through Bakura's harsh words, "What was I supposed to do?!" He screamed, "My dark half dragged me into the final duel with the Pharaoh, it was either surrender the duel and get my body back or beat the Pharaoh and get sent back into the shadows!"

"If you really loved me you wouldn't have forfeited. You would have come back to me. You would have defeated the man I spent my whole life trying to kill and come back to me."

"I couldn't go back into the shadows! Not when I knew you would leave me in the end!"

"I could have brought you back!"

"Bullshit! I would have been stuck in there forever!"

Bakura paused for a long time, trying to figure out what to say, "You still didn't have to give me away. That…That hurt. You were just using me that whole time."

"That's not true! I never used you! I… I really did love you… But in the end I knew you would do what you had to even if I gave you away, and I would just get in your way… You have no idea how much it hurt to give you away like that…"

Bakura stared at him for a long time, "You… did it for me?"

Marik nodded, "I wanted so badly to stay with you… But I knew you had a job to do. I couldn't get in your way. I trusted that you would come back to me when you won, but…"

"I lost."

Marik nodded, "You lost…" They were both silent for a while, then Marik squeezed his eyes together and balled his fists, "They said you were dead! They said the Pharaoh won! That…That killed me. I blamed myself for letting you go on with what you were doing. I should have stopped you."

"You couldn't. I had to do it."

Mari nodded again, "I know… The only solace was that the Pharaoh disappeared in the ceremonial duel."

"That's what brought me back. When the Pharaoh died the souls of those in my village were set free. But I had nowhere to go… I couldn't go with them. I was stuck in the middle of life and afterlife. So they used their power set me free and gave me a body. I woke up in the sands."

Marik listened, then suddenly threw himself at Bakura, holding him tightly, "Never let me go…"

Bakura wrapped his arms around Marik, all thoughts of killing him gone, "I won't…"

"I've missed you, partner… I longed to hold you again like we did in the shadows… I prayed every night that you would come back…"

"Prayers do nothing. The gods don't listen," Bakura said bitterly, stroking Marik's wet hair.

For the first time that night Marik smiled, "You haven't changed at all."

Bakura couldn't help the small smile that formed, "And you've changed a lot."

"Is that a good thing?" Marik asked, concerned.

Bakura thought for a second, "Yeah. Change is good."

Marik kissed him, loving the feeling of his partner's lips. He missed this. They both did.

"Do you live near here?" Marik asked.

"My apartment is in this building," Bakura replied.

"I don't feel like walking all the way home. My knees are shaking…"

"I only have one bed," Bakura said, a slight smirk on his face.

Marik smirked back and stepped away, taking Bakura's hand, "I'm sure we'll make due."

Bakura nodded and squeezed Marik's hand. Perhaps this modern world isn't so bad after all…

"Marik?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too."

Do I have to say it, or do you all know the drill? And they lived happily ever after! :3

Gah, I can never sleep on a plot bunny. I had to finish and upload this. I like how it turned out. There were more things I wanted to add, but I didn't think there was a good place to put it all in. I wanted to add some mentioning of attempted suicide/sibling abandonment and even more stories and flashbacks, but it would have been to much. Too much for one story. I figure what I put in there was good, the rest can be imagined up by you guys :) Thank you for reading!