I can't believe I'm doing this. I've seen them around, and now I'm finally going for it. I'm doing the 100 themes challenge. I always swore I never would, but here you go. I am going to angstship the hell out of this thing. Most of this will be OOC, and it will mostly- if not always- take place in an AU setting. But if you read anything I write, you're probably used to that.

For almost everyone in Mrs. Smith's third grade class, when you went out for recess, it was the best time of your entire day. It was one of only two times (besides lunch, the other best part) that you could talk with your friends, run around, and generally do whatever you wanted.

Except for Ryou Bakura.

He didn't know why, but nobody ever wanted to play with him. Sometimes he would go up to the other boys playing kickball, but the only response he would get was, "Go away," followed by the cruel laughter that children often use when they bully someone. Ryou tended to get that a lot.

But that didn't stop him from trying. Every day, he would go up to a different person, asking them to play a game with them- they could pick which one. But they would shake their heads, Ryou would smile dejectedly, and sit in the corner for the remainder of the period. Sometimes he would make up his own games and stories, things that could be enjoyed without the help of another person. But even Ryou had to admit, it was sad.

Xxx

"Class, this is Marik Ishtar." Ryou looked up from his desk, suddenly paying much more attention to his teacher. If there was a new person in their class, maybe he would finally be able to make a friend! He was so excited, he could only hear snippets of the rest of Marik's introduction. Something about being from Egypt originally, and how everyone needed to be nice to him.

Okay, Ryou thought, now completely determined. At recess, I'm going to try to make a new friend. Watch out, Marik Ishtar!

Xxx

…I can't do it. Despite how excited Ryou had been only about an hour ago, as soon as he saw the huge crowd surrounding the new boy, he lost all hopes of making friends with him.

He's only going to become one of them. He's smiling and laughing with them; they're probably already best friends! Ryou felt his face fall as he slowly and dejectedly retreated to his usual corner.

I can still have fun without him, he thought, fighting back tears. I can have fun without any of them. He cleared a spot in the dirt in front of him, and absently started drawing. It was one of his favorite activities when he was down. His mother said that he was creative, and that that was one of his best qualities. Today, he decided, he would draw a face. Or rather, it was decided for him, by his mind. And before the rest of him picked up on it, he was well on his way to another drawing in the dirt. First a circle for the head, then some lines for the hair…

"Whatcha doing?" An energetic voice brought Ryou out of his trance, causing him to jump ever so slightly, drawing a jagged line through his artwork in the process. The boy standing over him laughed, but not in the way Ryou was used to. This seemed friendlier, much warmer than the cold, cruel laughter usually directed towards him.

"I-I'm drawing…" Ryou couldn't even look the boy in the eye; he was too terrified to find any hint of cruelty in them. Besides, even by the voice, he could tell who it was. "Why?"

Marik shrugged, staring down at what Ryou had been working on. "You looked a bit lonely, all by yourself. That's all. Hey, that's really good, though." Reluctantly, Ryou slowly moved his eyes up from the ground to meet the other boy's.

"…They sent you, didn't they?" he finally said softly. "They wanted you to act like you wanted to be friends with me, and then leave me alone all over again, didn't they?" Ryou didn't want to believe the words he was saying. But the truth of the matter was, that was exactly the way he had been treated in the past. And besides, he had looked so happy with everyone else. What other business could he possibly have with someone as introverted as Ryou?

Marik looked a bit taken a back for a moment, then shook his head softly clearing a spot to sit down next to the other boy. "Like I said, you looked lonely. I don't think anyone likes being alone, do they?"

"I-I'm fine," Ryou muttered, although he was shaking as tears pricked at his eyes. "If you stay over here, you'll only get made fun of, too. You shouldn't have to go through that, it isn't worth it." Marik grinned in response.

"But at least I'll have you as a close friend, won't I?" He stuck out a tiny hand. "Marik Ishtar. We met in class. Now, what's your name?"

"…Ryou. Ryou Bakura."

"Ryou, huh? Well, we're going to be best friends from now on! If any bullies come and try to beat you up, I'll help you stand up to them!" Finally, after a heavy debate inside of himself, Ryou allowed himself to smile. He took the other boy's hand in his, and gave it a gentle shake before letting go again.

"Then… what do you want to do?" Ryou asked. "You can pick, if you want."

"Hmm…" Marik looked thoughtful for a moment, before snapping his fingers in realization. "I want to draw in the dirt with you! You can't just leave a perfectly good drawing like that, after all." He found another stick and started a drawing only a few inches away from Ryou's. They sat like that for the remainder of the recess, and by the time they were called in by their teacher to return to class, there was a simple drawing of two children, smiling and standing next to each other.

Two boys, who had only been introduced that day, yet were already close friends.

Xxx