Full summary: If one were to go back in time to ask Malik Ishtar if he'll ever consider Bakura a friend, let alone become his best friend, the answer would have been a resounding no. And yet here they are, considering each other as their partner-in-crime while working side-by-side for their guild's 10th anniversary. Life was going great for him until the world turned topsy-turvy with Bakura's recent revelation.

"I'm getting married!"


Shout-out to everyone who helped me work on this! Here's to my awesome beta Lilyliegh who taught me the essence of tenses. I really appreciate it- thank you! I would also like to thank Admin T for the wonderful banner and theazureavenger for the amazing artwork that can both be seen here[1]. And lastly, DistractedDream for that really great playlist- I love it! You all made my first big bang really special, thank you so much!


"She was a strange child, quiet and thoughtful; and while her sisters would be delighted with the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared for nothing but her pretty red flowers, like the sun, excepting a beautiful marble statue. It was the representation of a handsome boy, carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck."

- Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid

If one were to go back in time to ask Malik Ishtar if he would ever consider Bakura a friend, let alone his best friend, the answer would have been a resounding no.

Who would want to be that boy's friend really? He was an asshole of massive proportions with a mouth that rivaled that of a sailor. Bakura had made quite a reputation for himself; he was known all over Domino as a downright rotten apple: failing grades, endless records of truancy, reports of theft, and so much more. It was really surprising how he and Malik became the closest of friends. Practically polar opposites by appearance alone—Malik's tanned skin and blond hair against Bakura's bleached skin and ashen hair— the two were also different in such a way that Malik was practically the poster child of society's ideal child: highest marks in class, overflowing talents, polite demeanor—everything a parent could have ever asked for. Truly, the only thing the two shared with one another at that time was their mutual indifference for everyone around them and, apparently, each other.

Thankfully, all of those habits changed due to a certain white-haired adviser. If Pegasus had not forced the two to join his then-upstarting theater guild, none of this would have been possible and the world would forever bemoan the loss of two of its greatest theater actors.

'Come to think of it, he is running late to his own meeting.'

Ever since the day it was established, members of I2 had agreed to meet every Sunday morning unless otherwise stated by their "magnanimous" president or because it was a holiday. And would you look at that, it was the first Sunday after their last performance, a rendition of the classic Genie of the Lamp. It was one of Malik's many favorite stories.

Malik frowned and jumped down the crate he was perched on. Glancing around the room, he spotted a certain blue-eyed brunette flailing her hands away while speaking with someone on her phone. He made his way to her to ask just what was keeping Pegasus and sighed in relief when he saw her slumping her shoulders. Not that Malik minded waiting for her to finish the conversation; it was just that Malik hated standing around near people without doing something. Call him an attention-whore but Malik Ishtar simply could notstand by waiting for someone to turn their attention to him when he was clearly in need of it.

"Hey Anzu, any news?" Malik said casually with his left hand resting on his hip.

"Oh, hi Malik," Anzu replied while pocketing her phone. "Did you see that?" she asked, covering her face in shame when he nodded. "That was so embarrassing… Anyways, Pegasus said that he'll be running late." Seeing Malik raise an eyebrow, she immediately raised her hands in mock-defense before continuing. "Don't look at me. I have no idea what's going on either. Maybe it's related to the next show?"

"I won't be surprised if it is. It is pretty important." Malik grinned along with Anzu.

After all, every member of the guild knew just how important the upcoming show would be. Not only would it be their last show of the season, it would also mark the guild's 10th anniversary. To think that the guild first started as a punishment program for a couple of delinquents back in highschool. Even Malik couldn't believe it sometimes. Granted his joining of the guild had been an accident, Malik can't help but be thankful for it. If it weren't for the guild, he wouldn't have found his passion in life, he wouldn't have been able to fix his bond with his family, and he wouldn't be able to befriend Bakura.

Come to think of it, where was he? He should have been here ages ago. If there was one thing Bakura's reputation got wrong, it was that he was always late. Between the two of them, it was usually Malik that ran late during their meetings while Bakura quietly scolded him with his eyes from afar. Malik voiced his concerns to Anzu and received a confirmation that she hadn't seen him either.

"Sorry I can't help more, Mal," she said with a placating tone.

"Don't sweat it, you already got your hands full with Pegasus anyway; I'll just stay in a corner and sulk until he gets here."

Fortunately, before Malik could fret anymore, the theater's mahogany doors opened with a resounding click from its golden knobs. All actions halted within the room and all heads turned to welcome the newcomers. There standing in all his glory was their beloved adviser and founder, Maximillion Pegasus, once again wearing his favorite burgundy suit. With the grace of a man swimming in his own pile of money, Pegasus strutted inside followed quietly by a pale ghost.

Hair as white as snow and skin as pale as a man's bones, his trademark black leather trench coat was practically the living embodiment of death itself. If that was not enough, his brown eyes were dark enough to appear red from a distance. Sometimes the thought of Bakura low-key cosplaying 24/7 crossed Malik's mind, but it was always ignored. After all those years of being together, Malik had enough evidence to disprove anyone who claimed that Bakura's features were fake.

Regardless, everyone settled into their respective seats for the meeting: new recruits in the front, seniors at the back. Except for Malik. Malik was special.

From the day the guild was just being formed, Malik remained seated on the stage itself, just a few meters away from the podium. This seat was special because it was while sitting in this exact same spot back in highschool that Malik decided to join the theater. Many argued that if Malik was allowed to sit anywhere he liked, then they should be allowed to too. Unfortunately for them, Pegasus was a very organized man. Thus, all their complaints were met with a vehement no. And besides, Pegasus had grown rather fond of Malik. Very few things made the boy happy at that time, who was he to take that privilege from him? Before long, all arguments were forgotten and everyone learned not to question Malik's special seat.

Noticing Bakura was still following Pegasus onto the podium, Malik raised an eyebrow and whistled to get his attention. He then nodded to the space beside him with a grin. For a while, Bakura did nothing but glance at Pegasus and Malik. Then with a resigned sigh, Bakura headed towards the spot Malik allotted for him.

"What was that about?" Malik whispered the moment Bakura was comfortable in his seat.

"You'll see," he simply replied with a secretive smirk, earning him a raised eyebrow courtesy of Malik. A moment of tensed silence passed between the two before Malik decided to just let it go and focus more on what Pegasus was saying.

"It better be good, or I'll punch you."

Bakura, the guild's resident asshole, just snickered. Why was he friends with this guy again?

"Good morning, everyone~!" Pegasus greeted with a smile for all of them. Once the murmur of greetings being said back died down, he continued on with his remarks. "Once again, I would like to thank you all for a job well done during our last show. You've all made me so proud." A round of applause followed his statement before he nodded and continued on. "As you all know, this season's end is fast approaching. And as was tradition, we need to make our last show amazing. But this show should also be more extraordinary than usual because of it is also this guild's—"

"10th anniversary celebration!" the entire room hollered and cheered, effectively cutting off the poor man.

"Yes, yes, quite. Now, if you'll all settle down and let me finish," he said sternly but the pleased smile on his face was enough to let the rowdy guild know that they were not in trouble. "We will be accepting suggestions for the new play later but for now—" Pegasus' smile seemed to falter a little before he continued sullenly "—someone will be sharing a short message with us." He then moved away from the podium.

Bakura stood up and walked towards it. This new discovery was enough to cause hushed conversations to occur within the room; Bakura wasn't exactly into socializing, every member knew that. Other than Malik, and the occasional conversations with Anzu and Pegasus, Bakura usually avoided talking to people unless necessary. The only time people could actually talk to him properly was when they were practicing, and even then it was usually to criticize them or to be crude towards them. The members were all used to this and wouldn't trade these interactions for anything else; Malik said that that was just how Bakura showed he cared for people, and if that was really how it was then they were happy to be part of the select few the Ice Prince cared for. However, be that as it may, the curiosity sparked by Bakura's sudden appearance on the podium was something that couldn't be ignored.

"Hello everyone. For those who don't know me, I'm Bakura," he said, arms crossed and an air of apathy around him that enticed the crowd to listen. "As some of you may know, I've been in this guild ever since it was formed. It's been fun working with all of you, but I believe it is time for me to go."

A couple of shocked gasps followed the bomb Bakura just dropped. Not from Malik, of course. Malik was Bakura's best friend, his wing man, his partner in crime—he already knew about this way before Bakura even told Pegasus. Bakura personally asked him to keep it a secret in order for the guild to remain ignorant about it until the time was right. Obviously, Malik readily agreed. Bakura would always be a troublemaker at heart so this wasn't surprising. And besides, the chaos that resulted from Bakura's confession was amazing, even Malik had to admit that. And so with a grin, Malik remained quiet from his seat and continued to patiently wait for Bakura's big surprise. He honestly had no idea what it is, but he'd trust Bakura's word for it to be amazing.

"Oh come off it, we all know it was going to happen sooner or later," Bakura remarked with a scoff before proceeding with a smirk on his handsome face—a smirk that promised nothing but chaos in its wake but it's okay. Everything would be all right, Bakura said so.

"We all have a life outside of the guild, which leads me to this point..."

Bakura paused to look around at everyone's excited faces before settling down by his partner in crime. With a fond smile, he wondered just how Malik managed to change him during the course of their friendship; then again, he managed to rub off Malik too, didn't he? Malik used to be apathetic to everything but now he was always smiling, enjoying everything the world had to offer. It suited him. Malik would always hold a special place in Bakura's life no matter what happened. If it weren't for him, Bakura would have never learned to see the good in people and would have continued to see them as fiends. He admitted that without Malik, he wouldn't have been able to do this; Malik gave him the push he needed to move on to the next level. And so, with one last affectionate look at his partner, Bakura turned to the crowd and gave his announcement without looking back, completely ignorant of how the light faded from his friend's eyes much like how the world was cast into darkness when Apep finally succeeded in devouring Ra.

"I'm getting married!"

Bakura expected applause and cheers to follow his revelation, not deafening silence. Scrunching his eyebrows up in confusion, he turned to see Malik looking down, unable to maintain eye contact. Frustration crept up Bakura. With ragged breaths, he clenched his fists tightly enough for blue veins to paint his pale hands. Thankfully, Pegasus seemed to notice this and hurriedly clapped his hands, snapping everyone out of their shock.

"Congratulations, Bakura!" he cheered half-heartedly, a tone which Bakura ignored. "I must say, this is a surprise!" He laughed, happy to alleviate the mood in the room a little. "So when is the wedding? Most of all are we invited?"

"Dibs on being the best man!" someone from the back hollered.

"Like hell! Malik's going to be my best man!" he immediately retorted before growing unsure of his response. With how Malik reacted to his surprise—Bakura cautiously glanced at his friend. Malik seemed to be out of whatever trance he was in earlier and was now staring at him with wide, shocked eyes coupled with a blush visible through his dark skin. "I mean…" Bakura mumbled as he stared at Malik's stunned form. "…if you want to—" His face grew hot with each word uttered. Brows wrinkled in irritation, Bakura cursed himself for being embarrassed by such a simple thing. Looking away to save what was left of his dignity, he was forced to look back at Malik when chiming laughter reached his ears.

"Stupid fluffy," Malik snorted while wiping away the tears that formed due to his laughter. Maybe it was because he was already embarrassed but Bakura chose that moment to glare at Malik's usage of his personal nickname for him, causing laughter to fill the room. "Of course I'll be your best man. No one else is more qualified for that spot other than me, you know." He stretched his hand out to Bakura.

With a huff, Bakura helped Malik up and said with their hands still linked together, "I know. That's why you're not allowed to leave my side until I'm dead."

"You sure about that?" Malik raised an eyebrow before continuing, "You already look dead so…"

"Be serious!" Bakura punched his arm and smirked. "Then again, I suppose you're simply stalling seeing as you can't do it."

"Oh please, I can do so much better. I'll bring you back to life and force you to haunt the living."

"…don't be a dick, Malik. You know what Ryou does to the ghosts he captures."

The two stared at each other's eyes, neither willing to back down until Malik's lips started to curl upwards.

"Okay, I admit that was a bit harsh. You've already suffered enough from Ryou after all," he said before snickering at how Bakura's hair rose up at his statement, just like a cat that had been drenched in water.

The two went on teasing one another, blissfully unaware of how to their co-actors who were still seated and quietly watching them, the pair seemed to be covered in an ethereal glow from the spotlight on stage. And while many thought of the two as some sort of actors portraying a love story, Anzu couldn't help but feel as if she was witnessing the opening of a tragic play.


[1] hates links. Kindly copy-paste the link, delete the parenthesis and spaces in between to see all the wonderful art associated with this fic - www. ygobigbang. dreamwidth (.org) (slash) 9474. html