Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters. The only rights I own are to my own original characters. I do not gain any money from this work.
Love is one of the strangest phenomenons ever documented. It is a force strong enough to turn even the most pathetic and scared individual into a hero that will sacrifice themselves for another without a second thought. It can start wars and calm them, yet it is so easy to gain and lose. It comes and goes, sometimes strong and sometimes weak. But no matter how well it is documented or researched, it is unexplainable how it can occur. Some say that is destiny that decides, a force that writes the events of time without disruption. Others believe it is merely a chemical reaction in the brain that compels animals to multiply. If there is one thing that all people can agree on, however, it is that love is a wonderful and cherished feeling.
Unless, of course, you are Marik Ishtar. Everyone of his friends had a different saying for love. Yugi thought it was caring for someone, Katsuya believed it was undying loyalty and devotion, Seto said it was when you were willing to put someone above yourself in terms of worth. But no matter how many times they tried to explain the importance of love or how great it was, Marik still resented it. Not because he wanted to be alone, in reality he enjoyed others company and could be quite clingy to those he liked. Nor was it due to the fact that he couldn't catch anyone's eye. Anzu had told Marik a million times about how many girls dreamt about him, and he could easily get around if he wanted. It wasn't even the fact that he was gay, most people accepted it nowadays and a few guys even proclaimed their love to him, although he hadn't officially come out of the closet yet.
It was simply the fact that the one person he was in love with hated him. Not only did they hate Marik, they despised him. They went out of their way to hurt or humiliate him, with no thought for his feelings. The one person who wouldn't hesitate to break his bones or ruin his life if Marik confessed his love. Bakura, the Domino High School bully.
Marik beat himself up over it constantly. There was no need to love someone so horrible. Bakura had done atrocious things, he constantly picked on anyone smaller or weaker than him, especially those coming from horrible situations or homes. You would have thought that Bakura, being from a bad situation himself, would have some empathy to those struggling, but Bakura simply didn't care. In his eyes, it was a dog eat dog world, and he had to be on top. It didn't matter how he got there, or who he had to betray, all he cared about was being seen as the top dog, the head of the school. If Marik didn't know any better, it was as if Bakura wanted to become a god.
As he laid in his bed, Marik chuckled a little at the thought of Bakura becoming a god. Would he turn into a fluffy angel with bright white clothing? It would certainly make sense, considering his soft, snowy hair. Or perhaps he would turn into a monster or dragon, similar to the ones on Marik's Duel Monster cards. Marik daydreaming was interrupted by the small alarm clock on his bedside table, it's systematic beeping filling the silent room with noise. He pressed the button on the top to silence the clock, then sat up in his bed and began stretching. He rubbed his back, feeling the scars that his father had made, before quickly stopping. His scars had always made him feel self conscious, and even touching them too much made Marik shiver.
A soft knock came from Marik's bedroom door, and Ishizu entered his room. "Marik, breakfast is ready," she said calmly, closing the door again. Marik sighed a little, and began getting dressed. As much as Ishizu tried to fill a motherly roll, she often came across as cold and uncaring. Work stressed her out enough as it was, but she also insisted on cooking for them after Marik accidentally destroyed their microwave. With the amount of work she took on, Ishizu was often tired and cranky, and it came across in her voice often. Marik respected how much work she and Rishid did to keep them away from their father, but he still wished that his sister would smile a little more, or hug him like a mother.
After Marik had dressed himself in the Domino High School uniform and double checked that his hair was fabulous as always, he rushed downstairs and grabbed some toast and his school bag. Rishid had left early for work once again and Ishizu was getting ready herself, so Marik took whatever food was left over and began walking to school. "Have a good day," Ishizu said, sighing as she organised her bag for work. "See you," Marik replied, walking out the front door and closing it behind him.
As Marik walked down his front steps and towards the school he began to shiver. The weather was getting quite cold now that they were in December, but Marik was happy about it. Sure, the warm sands of Egypt were nice and he would definitely prefer to be on a tropical beach, but December meant that he would be having his birthday in a few weeks time, and that was always something to look forward to. Marik smiled as he walked to school, and began thinking about what he wanted for his birthday this year.
"Normally Yugi and his friends plan something for me, which is always nice. Maybe this time they'll take me to the movies, or to that new restaurant they were talking about. I wonder who they'll bring along," Marik thought. "Yugi and Yami are sure to come, considering they always plan it. Katsuya might if he can afford it. Seto doesn't like parties and probably has work, so maybe not. Anzu will be, and she'll probably bring some of her friends as well. Honda will go if Katsuya does. Is there anyone else…?"
Bakura's name popped into his head, but Marik quickly shook his head and disregarded the idea. Bakura didn't just hate Marik, but he hated Yugi and his friends as well. Besides, Marik shouldn't even want him there anyway, he's just a jerk who would break his heart. Marik could feel his heart beating a little faster, and he mentally smacked himself on the head for thinking such things. "Bakura's a jerk, I wish I could just forget him," he thought angrily.
Marik arrived at the school on time, and sat down at his desk to get ready for his classes. Although he was somewhat popular, Marik was quite academic as well. However, his academic habits mixed with Yugi and his friends meant that he was considered a nerd to some students, Bakura in particular. Even though he knew that he would have the last laugh when he had a good job and a secure future, he couldn't help but feel a little bit bad about it. Still, his subjects were quite fun, and so Marik carried on.
Yugi walked over to Marik's desk and waved to him, getting Marik's attention. "Morning," he said cheerfully. "It's been getting so cold in my house, I swear I almost froze to death last night." The two laughed and began chatting as Yugi took his seat next to Marik. Most of his friends were sitting on the opposite side of the room, as Marik sat by the windows, but luckily he had Yugi to sit next to. "I know how you feel, they're saying it might snow for my birthday. I hope we can still go out." Yugi gave him a thumbs up and a wink. "Don't worry Marik, this year is going to be great!"
The two talked for a while more, but stopped when the teacher entered the room. Everyone quickly made their way to their seats and stood up to greet the teacher. "Alright class, be seated. Let's take the roll," she said, pulling out a few sheets of paper and a pen. The teacher called out the students names and began marking who was present and who was absent. Marik sat quietly, waiting for the morning announcements, when he felt something press against his arm. Yugi had nudged a note over to Marik, which Marik took and carefully unfolded.
"Do you have a preference for anything, or should I plan a surprise?"
Marik thought for a moment before writing a reply and passing it back. Surprises were always fun, and it was always hard for him to pick what he wanted to do. Plus, it made the day a little more magical.
"Alright students, we have some morning announcements. As you know, Christmas and New Years is only a few weeks away, which means that you won't stop talking about your holidays when you get back. So, before your attention is on your friends, I will be moving the seating for the next year." The room filled with groans and everyone slowly stood up, moving towards the sides and back of the room. The teacher pulled out a small glass jar filled with pieces of paper, and began rummaging her hand inside to pick out a name. Marik held his breathe as the paper slip was drawn, but the classroom door slammed open before the teacher could read out the name.
"Sorry I'm late sir," Bakura said coldly, obviously not happy to be at school. The teacher dropped the paper into the jar, and turned towards the tall albino boy, a sly grin on her face. "Ah, Bakura, you're just in time to receive your new seat. Since you obviously don't care about making it to roll call on time, you can be the first to be seated."
"Whatever," Bakura grumbled, irritated that he was getting called out. The teacher pointed to the window desk at the very back of the classroom. "There's no way I'm sitting by the window, it's way too cold," Bakura argued, but the teacher simply stared back with a forceful look on her face. Knowing that he would get in trouble if he didn't listen, Bakura groaned and sat down. The teacher rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the glass jar of names. "Alright, I'll be starting from left to right from the front of the classroom, so start from the front and work towards the his back. First..."
The teacher began calling out names, and slowly the students made their way behind their respective desks. Anzu had been placed near the middle of the room, next to Ryou and Honda. Katsuya was at the back, near the door, but he didn't have anyone he knew near him. Yami and Yugi were next to each other towards the front, with Seto sitting in front of them. Most of the seats had been filled at this point, making Marik nervous. The closest friend was Katsuya, but he was to the left of the classroom. "I guess I won't be sitting near anyone I know," Marik thought.
"Marik Ishtar, lucky last," said the teacher. Marik awoke from his thoughts and looked towards the empty desk, gasping a little as he did. He had been the last name pulled, meaning that he had to sit right in front of Bakura. Marik quickly took his seat and setup his desk again, getting ready for the lesson. He shook slightly, panicking at the situation. It was bad enough that he wasn't sitting near his friends, but Bakura would most definitely make his school life hell.
For a while, everything seemed fine. The teacher was writing notes and explaining the material, and Marik wrote down the information with no interruption. It was almost like the calm before the storm. Marik kept an ear out for Bakura's movements, half out of fear and half due to his crush. It was just like in his shoujo manga novels and romance books, a situation that forced the two lovers together so they could grow closer. Marik's mind filled with thoughts of what could happen. Perhaps Bakura would ask Marik for help and they could slowly fall in love, or maybe Bakura would drop his pencil and the two would stare into each other's eyes as Marik handed it back. Maybe Bakura would pass him a note with a love confession, or offer to eat lunch together at their desks.
Marik was jolted back into reality as Bakura answered his question of what would happen between them. The albino began swaying his legs back and forth rhythmically, hitting Marik's chair. He let out a squeak of surprise, but quickly regained himself, hoping that Bakura didn't notice. It was only a light tapping, but it was still annoying enough to get into Marik's head and ruin his concentration. He tried writing down more notes and rereading them, but the tapping from Bakura's kicks only made Marik more irritated. "If I ask him to stop, it'll only make matters worse," Marik thought to himself. "On the other hand, if I don't do anything it won't stop. Maybe I should wait it out."
Bakura kept kicking Marik's chair, but the bronzed boy stayed quiet and continued his work as best as he could. After a few more minutes, Bakura stopped swaying his legs and groaned. Although Marik wasn't looking at Bakura, he was certain that Bakura had rested his head on his desk, as evident by a soft thump on Bakura's wooden desk. Marik resumed his work as normal, glad to be rid of Bakura's annoying kicking, but the peace was not kept for long. Marik felt something small hit his head, followed by another and another. "Great, now he's throwing paper at me," Marik thought. "All he wants is a reaction, he just wants to know I'm annoyed. I just need to ignore it."
The small paper balls hitting Marik's head were even more annoying than the chair kicking, and he curled his hands into fists. Each time one hit his head, Marik grew a little more enraged, and was soon furious with Bakura. His notes became scribbled and he eventually stopped, unable to concentrate. Marik's brow furled and he began to turn his head to speak to Bakura, but was stopped by the sound of the school bell. The teacher closed her book, packed up and walked out of the room, followed by students eager to have a break. Bakura's chair squeaked against the floor as he sat up and moved it, and Marik watched as he walked out of the classroom, pushing a few students along the way.
Marik blinked a few times, surprised at how quickly everything had resolved itself, before regaining his composure and collecting his lunch box. The morning's events had stressed him out, and Marik needed to talk to someone about it. Although they seemed like an unusual pair, Marik and Ryou were best friends. Ryou was quiet, but he was also good at listening, and could offer rational advice. Not to mention that he had been linked to Bakura for a time before they broke free, so he had some understanding. Ryou got up from his desk and walked over to Marik, lunch box in hand. He gave a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry you had to get put right next to Bakura," he said, grabbing a chair and placing his lunch on Marik's desk. "Just bad luck I guess, no need to apologise." The two opened their lunches and began eating as the room cleared. Eventually everyone else had gone, and the two were alone together. "Ryou, you know Bakura, you gotta help me," Marik said desperately. Ryou looked up from his food and focused on Marik, ready to listen. "I don't even know why I'm so into him. I mean, all lesson he kept kicking my chair and throwing paper at my head. If I say something, he'll beat me up or make my life hell, but I can't just do nothing. Argh, why'd I have to get stuck next to such a jerk?"
"I understand how you feel, I had to put up with all that too. I think that you've convinced yourself that he's someone else, a 'hard to get' kind of guy, like on television or in books. Maybe it would be good for you to find someone else, get someone else stuck in your head," Ryou replied, trying to offer some advice. Marik thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think it would work. I mean, it's certainly a good idea, but I don't think that it would be fair on them if I was still in love with Bakura. Plus, finding someone might be hard."
"I wouldn't say that Marik. If you like a jerk like Bakura, your standards must be lower than the bottom of the ocean," Ryou replied, causing Marik to laugh. "The most likely scenario is that Bakura will get bored with you, or start skipping classes, and soon enough things will be back to normal."
"You're right," Marik replied cheerfully. "It's not like anyone's forcing me to talk to him."
"Alright students, I'm going to hand out the last assessment for the term before Christmas break so that you have a little extra time. Keep in mind that this will be a group assessment. Everyone in rows one, three, five and seven, look to the person behind you. They'll be your partner for this task."
Marik's blood turned ice cold and he sat completely frozen. It was as if time stood still for a second. His heartbeat increased and his hands began sweating, but Marik stayed still in his seat, unable to move out of fear. The teacher began handing out sheets and the people around him began talking to one another, but all Marik could hear was the sound of his beating heart. He stared down at his desk and noticed his hands were shaking, but Marik was so stunned that he couldn't move or hide them. He simply sat at his desk, unmoving, in a state of complete panic. The teacher placed a sheet in front of him, but Marik couldn't concentrate on the worlds properly. For a few moments he sat completely still, trying to think of what he should do or what he should say, but was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder that made Marik jump. Marik turned his head, and his lavender eyes met sparkling hazel ones.
"Hey, blondie. Just so you don't get the wrong idea, I'm not doing the work. Have fun by yourself," Bakura said, a hint of boredom and irritation in his voice. Marik's tongue was caught in his throat, and he knew that he couldn't reply even if he wanted to. Bakura leaned back in his chair, his arms raised with his hands behind his neck. His hair was messy and spiky as usual, but it also appeared soft and gentle, like wisps of cloud. His hazel eyes were turned towards the window, and although he looked quite angry and annoyed, his eyes still remained calm and mysterious. Most of all, his lips looked pink like cherry blossoms and soft like velvet, perfect for kissing. Marik could only stare at Bakura in awe of his beauty. Ryou insisted that Bakura wasn't that good, that he was just scruffy and messy, but Marik thought differently. It was almost like Bakura tried to hide the fact that he was so gentle and fragile-looking.
Marik's thought were once again interrupted, as the teacher walked over to Bakura's desk, and the albino boy looked up with a scowl. "I know you plan on handing all the work over to Marik, so I have an offer for you Bakura. When class is over, meet me in my office, both of you."
Bakura rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the window, trying to ignore the teacher's presence. "Whatever," he mumbled. Marik's anxiety calmed a little, and he quickly turned back around towards the front. He began reading through the assessment task, but with each sentence he grew less and less enthusiastic. The task he had been set was to create a speech and powerpoint presentation on a genre of movies or novels, and deliver it to the class. Marik didn't mind getting up in front of the class and speaking, he was known for being quite chatty and friendly, but it was going to be awkward having to talk with Bakura and figure out what genre to do. Plus it meant using a few examples, and Marik doubted that Bakura was into sappy love stories or steamy, gay manga novels.
The class had been given time to choose their genres and start working, so Marik began brainstorming a number of topics to chose from. He enjoyed reading but didn't watch many movies, especially considering that they were expensive. "It would be good to write down some of my favorite books, that way I'll be able to give a better explanation of the genre," Marik thought, happily writing away. The bronze boy continued working until the bell rang, almost lost in his work. When the teacher left and everyone began packing up, Marik put his work away and stood up to see the teacher about the offer. He carefully turned around to see if Bakura would be walking with him, but the albino had vanished, as if by magic.
"Guess I'll be working on my own," Marik whispered to himself, sighing as he walked out of the room. He opened the backdoor of the classroom and stepped out, only to see Bakura getting dragged towards the office by some teachers. Bakura started swearing and kicking, but the teachers simply tightened their grip on him and dragged him faster. "Or maybe not," Marik corrected himself in his mind.
"Now listen here Bakura, I've been taking a look at your grades recently, and so far they're the lowest they've ever been," said their teacher, who was sitting down and rubbing her temples. "You're barely passing your classes, at this rate you're going to be expelled or have to repeat." Bakura crossed his legs while sitting down on the plastic chair he had been given, avoiding eye contact with both the teacher and Marik. "Who cares if I don't pass? It's not like it affects you," he snapped back, his words dripping with irritation and disgust. The tension in the room was incredible, and Marik simply played with his hands and kept his head down while seated next to Bakura. Although the timing and setting was horrible, Marik couldn't help but be nervous sitting next to Bakura. He had crossed his leg over towards Marik, who was observing his shoes and trying to keep himself distracted.
"Listen Bakura, maybe you don't think that it's a big deal, but if you don't start improving your work then I'll have to start making calls home. Do you really want to explain this to your mother?" Bakura's eyes widened a little, but the look was quickly replaced by an angry scowl at her. "Are you trying to blackmail me?" he asked. The teacher shot him a smirk. "No, but I am warning you about the repercussions of your actions if you don't improve. It's school policy, and I don't want to make that call just as much as you Bakura." The albino teenager continued to scowl, but turned his head away again. "You know the difference between right and wrong and you understand the consequences, it makes me sad to see so much potential wasted. You don't do sports or clubs, you don't hang around anyone. Don't you think that maybe you should at least give this a try?"
"I'm fine with things being the way they are," Bakura replied coldly. Their teacher sighed and took a sip of coffee, before looking back at Bakura. "Alright then, I guess I don't have a choice. From now on until the holidays you'll be taken out of class to do your assessment together. Every Wednesday and Friday you'll be taken out of PE classes and I'll be monitoring your work. I also expect you to do some of the work together when I'm not forcing you. I can tell your work apart, so don't just dump all of this on Marik. If you can't put the effort in and make a passing mark with Marik's help, then we'll have to discuss this matter further with your parents."
Bakura scoffed and mumbled something inaudible, but the teacher simply turned towards Marik. "As for you Marik," she stated, getting Marik's attention. "I know you would much prefer another partner, and I'm incredibly sorry to put this on you, but you're quite the academic student and Bakura would benefit greatly from your help. I won't force you to do it, but I would appreciate it deeply. Would that be okay with you?"
In that instant a vision filled Marik's mind. Marik and Bakura, sitting side by side in a classroom together. Bakura would be nervous of course, but he would rely on Marik and require his help, like a poor helpless kitten. Not only would Marik be helping Bakura's grades, but he would be able to grow closer to Bakura. And when it was finished, Bakura would grab Marik's sleeve, his face a shade of deep red, and ask him if he would still hang out with him. Or perhaps Bakura would meet up with Marik and the two would be alone, allowing Bakura to reveal his true feelings for Marik. Or maybe even the other way around!
Marik knew that this opportunity was once in a lifetime. Even if Bakura hated Marik and didn't want to participate, Bakura may at least grow to understand him better and respect Marik. Plus the teacher would be there to make sure Marik was okay. If it didn't work out in the end, at least Bakura would know that Marik didn't force him into it, and hopefully he wouldn't make his life hell. Marik looked up at the teacher, a nervous look on his face despite his courageous feelings, and gently nodded. The teacher's face lit up with a smile. "Well then, it's settled. When you have PE tomorrow, go to the homeroom instead. I'll be keeping a watchful eye on you Bakura, so don't even think about running off. Now off to lunch you two!"
Bakura grunted and stood up, almost knocking over the fragile plastic chair. He walked over to the door and left, slamming it behind him without a single word. The loud bang from the door made Marik jump slightly, and he began to reconsider his decision. The teacher gave Marik an apologetic look, then turned towards her desk and began doing some work. Marik stood up and left the room, making sure that he didn't slam the door. "At least I can talk to Ryou about this," Marik thought hopefully. "He'll know what to do."