A/N – Beginning is really stupid. Sorry about the shortness. Please review at the end!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own Mary!!!

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Life's little Lessons

Chapter 1

A soft rumbling sound was the only thing heard in the quiet, sleep filled atmosphere of the room. A digital clock on the bedside table then broke the silence by clicking slightly as it changed the time and started the radio alarm:

"GOOD MORNING DOMINO CITY!!!" you could almost hear the damn guy smile through the radio; absolutely overjoyed that he had disturbed everyone's sleep. "IT'S 6:03 SO RISE AND SHINE IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUT-" CRACK! A fist slammed down on top of the clock, not only putting it in sleep mode, but breaking it as well.

Crimson colored eyes blinked open to glare at the golden sunshine pouring through the window next to him. Groaning, the white-haired tomb robber sat up, blinking furiously in the bright light. Squinting so much he could barley see, he stood up and made his way over to the window, wearing only a pair of black boxers. He looked out, glaring at the sun, before shutting the blinds, darkening the room once more.

He collapsed back on to the bed, pulling the sheets over his head, hoping that sleep would overtake him once more, and he would get SOME peace!

Unfortunately, he never got it.

It seemed he was just about to fall asleep, when the phone rang. "RA DAMNIT!" Bakura shouted, his voice muffled a little by the sheets. Cursing under his breath he hit speaker on the phone, not leaving his bed. "What the hell do you want?"

"Bakura?" came an exotic voice that belonged to none other that Malik Ishtar, and Marik's constant giggling in the background did not go unnoticed either.

"Malik, it's 6:00! Why won't you let me sleep?" Bakura shouted at the phone, hoping silently that he broke Malik's ear-drum.

"6:00? Bakura, did you break your alarm clock again? It's 11:30, you were supposed to meet us at the boardwalk half an hour ago!"

"WHAT!" Bakura snapped his attention to the clock, which read 11:34. "SHIT!"

"Shit's right. Get your lazy ass down here!" Malik mocked before hanging up, but Bakura was already busy raiding his closet.

Sometimes Bakura wished Ryou was still there to remind him of these things.

It had been about a year since Bakura had got his own body (along with the rest of the yami's) and about 6 months since he moved out of Ryou's house. Sure, living on his own was hard, but he really needed to get out of that house, and away from Ryou's dad, who not only really creeped him out, but wouldn't leave him alone. Now Bakura had a job, and apartment, and a life of his own. Not Ryou's, not theirs, his.

Even if it was a pain in the neck sometimes.

Grumbling to himself Bakura made his way down the 10 flights of stairs in his apartment building, his black trench coat almost floating behind him, mostly caused by how fast Bakura was falling down the stairs. Fingering through his keys he made his way over to his motorcycle. He started up the engine and sped out of the parking lot and on to the streets of Domino.

Turning corners sharply all the while keeping perfect balance, he crossed town in record time. But stopped abruptly, lurching himself forward into the front of his bike, because of a large cluster of non-moving cars in front of him. "Damn traffic." Revering his motorcycle he started to weave in between the cars, till he really couldn't go any more with out running a red light, it would turn green soon anyway.

Putting his feet down to support the motorcycle Bakura drummed his fingers impatiently on the rubber handles waiting for the light. He looked up to the car in front of him to see a little girl, about 5-years-old with big blue eyes and long golden blonde hair. She was standing on the seats it looked like, staring at him. Bakura looked up at her, slightly cocking his head to the side, smirking at her. She must have thought he was smiling because she blushed furiously and waved a little, reminding Bakura of Ryou. The girl was way to shy.

Focusing above the car, Bakura saw the light turn green and kicked off. Driving past the car with the girl as it turned left Bakura proceeded across the inter-section, but failing to notice the SUV.

Everything seemed to happen so fast.

The SUV crashed into him, sending Bakura and his motorcycle into the car that had been in front of him. The motorcycle flipped over the roof, Bakura skidding across it, and crashing the window, the people inside screaming bloody murder. The car swerved violently, sending the motorcycle, along with Bakura, crashing into the brick wall of a building near the street. Then the SUV slammed into the car that swerved even more before flipping over completely and into a light pole, while the SUV crashed into a fire hydrant. Oil, gasoline, water, and blood blanketed the street as ambulances rushed towards the scene.

But of course, Bakura didn't see this, he was unconscious.

Bakura blinked open his eyes, to see something clear and plastic covering half his vision, nose and his mouth; a breathing mask. He eyes felt so heavy, as did his whole body, and his head felt like it was split open it hurt so much. But, he also felt like he was being carried. Looking around through half open eyes, he saw people rushing past, water spraying into the air, and a large, white van. 'Great an ambulance,' he thought to himself.

He then noticed he was strapped down to a stretcher, and why he felt so heavy was because his clothes were soaked with water and blood. Suddenly, his vision started to waver, Bakura didn't think he could stay conscious any longer . . .

Meanwhile:

"Man, we missed it!" Marik said as he appeared from the alley way between two brick buildings.

"Wonder what happened," Malik muttered.

"Three-way car crash," came a voice from beside them. A junior high kid stood, leaned up against the building, a smug look on his face.

"What happened," Marik said, standing next to the kid. Malik rolled his eyes, and looked around, maybe this 'disaster' would attract Bakura and they could find him.

"Well, this SUV crashed into some guy on a motorcycle, that crashed into a car, flipped over, and smashed into the wall right here." The kid pointed past Malik to the very smashed remains of a motorcycle. "Then the SUV crashed into the car, flipping it over and sending it into the light pole, before crashing into the fire hydrant."

"You saw the whole thing?" Marik said, then looked up at the soaked streets. "Well the guy on the motorcycle is dead alright." He looked over at the pile of scraps then started towards the crowd, a smirk on his face. "Maybe I could find his body."

"Marik, get back here!" Malik called, not wanting another scene today.

"Why?" Marik whined. Malik sighed and followed his yami, but stepped on something first. The license plate to the motorcycle. "Hey let me see," Marik then snatched the plate from beneath Malik's feet.

"Wait a minute," Malik said, his voice panicked, he snatched it from his yami's hands, staring at the plate then up at the group of paramedics with the 'victims.'

"What is it?" Marik's words never made it to Malik's ears, he stared back at the scarps of metal.

"That's Bakura's motorcycle."

Bakura opened his eyes a little as a familiar voice met his ears, he looked through half opened eyes to see the blurry image of Malik and Marik Ishtar rushing towards the stretcher. Groaning a little he closed his eyes again.

Just what he needed.

"BAKURA!" Two paramedics lifted the white-haired tomb robber and started moving him into the ambulance. Malik rushed up only to be stopped by a different paramedic.

"I'm sorry sir, but he's in an unstable condition, only family or close relatives are allowed to see him now." Malik growled under his breath.

"I'm his adoptive cousin now LET ME IN! (-.-) I'm going with him," Malik lied as quickly as he could. The paramedic didn't really buy it, but let Malik into the ambulance anyway. "Go get Ryou," Malik said to Marik quickly before the doors were shut and the ambulance took off.

Bakura's eyes shot open and he lurched up into a sitting position so fast the lady next to him almost had a heart attack. He looked around nervously, to see he was still in the ambulance, and Malik was sitting next to him.

"Who stuck something into my arm?" He asked. Malik had to stifle his laughter. The lady next to him tried to hide the shot she had just given him. It was supposed to make him sleep so they could take him into surgery, but she didn't know that most liquid medications have the exact opposite effect on the tomb robber.

A green eyed woman with long black hair took off one of the bandages around Bakura's chest before laughing a little. "I still don't know how you do it, but most of the wounds are gone." Bakura had gotten into many fights and healed himself on the way to the hospital, and the woman, Jill, was usually the one who picked him up. Bakura just smirked.

"It's a gift," he scoffed.

"Don't be so modest Bakura," Malik mocked. "Some of those won't heal right away, you're lucky to be alive."

"I've cheated death many times Ishtar, this is yet another," Bakura said with a smirk.

"I'll add it to your list," Malik added, smirking as well.

The group arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, Jill let Bakura walk in on his own, he obviously no longer needed a stretcher. "You will need to get some bandages for your chest and arm though," Jill added as she drove the ambulance around the building.

"I'M NOT STAYING!" Bakura roared as the nurse wrapped his arm in tight bandages. The doctor in front of him was a little scared, but held his ground.

"We just want to make sure you're alright Mr. Bakura. You crashed into a brick wall on a motorcycle, we really need to keep you under surveillance."

"You took X-rays, you've checked me over a thousand times, I'm fine!" He dragged out the word 'fine' to emphasis that he really wasn't going to give in any time soon. Sighing, the doctor gave in instead.

"Okay, just wait here until someone comes to get you."

"My hika- uh, younger brother will be here soon to pick me up," Bakura said, glaring at the doctor, who nodded and calmly walked out of the room, but almost ran down the hallway as soon as he closed the door.

When the nurse finished, Bakura snatched his trench coat, putting it on, and rushing out of the room. Wandering the hallways he made his way to the waiting room, where Malik sat asleep in a chair. Smirking a little, Bakura came up to a chair, coming up close to his ear before-

"MARIK'S RAPING ISIS!!!!"

"WHAT!!" Malik shouted before falling out of the chair. Bakura burst into fits of hysterical laughter. Malik scowled, grabbing a nearby pillow and smacking Bakura with it. "That wasn't funny."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOUR FACE!!!" Bakura shouted through his laughter, before leaning back and falling off his chair as well, but ended up rolling on the floor, still laughing.

"Shut up baka, people are staring at you," Malik said in a quiet voice. Bakura eventually stopped laughing, and the two sat in the waiting room for Marik and Ryou, it was getting late and Malik was starting to get mad.

"That's it, I'm calling Marik!" He stood up and flipped out his cell phone, dialing up Marik.

"Hey Einstein, why didn't you call a taxi or something 3 hours ago," Bakura said, irritation obviously showing. Malik flipped Bakura off and stepped outside to yell at Marik. Bakura sat there for about 30 seconds before getting bored and got up to walk around. He wandered the hallways that were filled with the quiet muffled voices of people and things being moved around in the different rooms.

But then Bakura heard something familiar to him . . . almost like a child, crying. Looking around he saw the little girl that was in the car before. She was running around the hallways frantically, looking about ready to break down and cry. The kid was obviously lost, Bakura thought how amusing it would be to just leave her there . . . but for some reason . . . it wasn't amusing at all.

Bakura found himself walking over towards the girl, who looked up at him, tears brimming her eyes. "You lost kid?" The girl nodded a little. "Where are you're parents?"

"I-I don't k-know," she cried softly, tears streaming down her face. Bakura felt something then that he had never felt before, not even for Ryou. He couldn't really put a tack on it, but it might have been sympathy. 'She's just a whelp,' he thought to himself. Bakura soon found himself kneeling on the floor, comforting the child. He didn't even know he could comfort anyone!?!

"Shh, it's okay kid, don't cry." The girl buried her face in his jacket, sobbing. 'She must have been wandering around for a while then.' Not knowing what else to do, Bakura picked her up, she was only five. The girl cried into his shoulder, her arms around his neck. The position was a little uncomfortable for him, but Bakura tried his best to ignore it. "I'll help you find your parents, okay kid?" The girl nodded, resting her head on his shoulder as Bakura walked back to the waiting room.

"Um . . . excuse me?" Bakura stood in front of the information desk in the waiting room. 'Great, now I'm being polite.' Bakura sighed as the lady looked up. "Um, the kid can't find her parents, do you know how we can find them," Bakura asked, nodding to the child in his arms. The woman put on a sorrowful look.

"Were you in the crash as well?" Bakura was taken back by her question, but nodded. "So was her family, she was in the car as well, but in the back thank God." Bakura then noticed that the girls face and arms were covered in cuts and scraps. "But her parents . . . have past away." Bakura was silent while the girl, who had no idea what the woman meant, looked at Bakura confusingly.

"Who is she staying with then?"

"No one, she has no other family."

"So, she's staying here?"

"Until the trial tomorrow, which you are supposed to attend as well." Bakura looked shocked. 'No one tells me anything.'

"What trial?"

"The man in that SUV, James Frost, caused all of this on purpose, even confessed it." Bakura's blood ran cold, that man did this on purpose, not even he was that black hearted. He looked at the girl, her large blue eyes blurred with tears. Why was he helping her?

He really didn't know, but there was something about her that made him feel like he had to help her in any way he could.

What was wrong with him?

"And they have to find a home for Mary." 'Must mean the girl.'

"So, does she have a room here?" Bakura asked. "I could take her there before I go."

"We don't have any more rooms-"

"THEN WHERE IS SHE SUPPOSED TO STAY!!!" the woman looked shocked at Bakura's sudden outburst. He himself didn't know what to say after that. "She's only a kid," he lowered his voice at that statement. The woman shrugged and went back to whatever she was doing. She wasn't going to help him, or the girl, Mary was it? Growling, he left the front desk and went back into the waiting room where Malik was waiting for him.

"Marik got side-tracked and is coming with Ryou, they'll be here in about 20 minut- where'd you get the kid?" Malik was staring bewildered at the sight before him. Bakura was carrying a five-year-old girl who looked like she had been crying.

"I'm not leaving," Bakura stated.

"But what about that whole scene before? I thought you weren't going to stay, you're fine." Malik mocked. "But who is the kid?"

Bakura was silent for a minute, before speaking again. "This is Mary, she was in the accident as well." Mary turned to look at Malik, who sat up as Bakura spoke. "Her parents are gone."

"Gone? As in-" Malik shut up as Bakura glared at him. "oh." Bakura sat down next to Malik, sighing a little.

"There's a trial tomorrow, I'll stay with the kid till then." Malik just nodded, a little surprised that Bakura would do something like this. He wasn't really one to give out charity, what made this little kid so special?

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The Next Day

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Bakura attended the trial the next day, he was last to speak. He told about his morning and how he was involved in the accident. From the moment he woke up to last night in the hospital. But even after he stepped down from the podium the judge asked him to stay until the trial was over.

'They better not think this was my fault,' Bakura thought bitterly to himself and slumped down into his seat, not noticing where he was sitting. It wasn't until he felt a tug on his jacket that he noticed the little blue-eyed girl next to him. Mary hugged Bakura's arm, biting back tears, she didn't understand a thing that was going on except her parents weren't there. Bakura's bitter mood melted.

"It's okay kid," he whispered so as not to interrupt the trial. There it was again. That weird feeling, it was either sympathy or . . . . something else. It just made him feel like he needed to look after this little kid. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted his arm out of her grasp and put it around her. Mary then scooted closer to the white-haired Tomb Robber and held onto his jacket, leaning her head against him.

Suddenly she relaxed, and Bakura felt . . . contented, almost at ease with the little girl next to him. He looked up at the judge who was speaking with the appointed head jury. Both looked his way before continued whispering.

The man went back to the jury table and the judge cleared his throat. "We have come to a decision." The court went silent. "James Frost's sentence is not yet decided but he will resign in jail until it is decided. As for Miss Hansberry," Bakura looked down at the little girl as she held on to him tighter when her name was mentioned, "we have just contacted a foster association and they currently have no families for her to stay with.

"But we must find a place for her to live, in her parents will the have refused to let her go to an orphanage so we have to decide right here and now where she is to stay for the next six to eight months.

"Miss Mary Hansberry will be living with . . .

"Mr. Yami Bakura."

TBC . . .