Ryou sighed tiredly as he walked to school. He'd had a late night, cramming an extra hour of study for his history test. It didn't help that his cousin, Bakura, had called at three in the morning, demanding to know whether or not they'd had homework. Just what Bakura was doing up at three, Ryou preferred not to know.
He trudged slowly up the school steps, reaching out and lazily pushing the main doors open. He stumbled slightly, using the door to brace himself and shook his head. He really needed some sleep.
"Hey, Ryou. Whoa. What's the matter with you?" His friend, Joey, asked as Ryou nearly fell when he let go of the door.
"Late night." He answered through a yawn, holding on to Joey's shoulder. "I was up studying then Bakura called when I finally managed to get to sleep."
Joey grinned and helped Ryou to steady himself. "Try not to fall all over the place then. It looks like you've got a hangover or something."
Ryou made a face as their other friends came walking in the door. How they all managed to show up at the same time, he never knew, but it took away from the all the time he had to wait for them.
Ryou yawned again and began to walk to biology, the others following. When they took their seats, Ryou noticed Yami, who had dropped his head onto his desk.
"Uh, Yami? You alright?" Joey asked as Bakura snorted with amusement and Ryou looked at him curiously.
"I wush up all night waiting for shat shlow, old guy." They heard Yami grumble into his desk.
"What old guy?" Ryou asked.
Yami seemed to come to life at the simple question. He snapped his head up and looked defensive. "Never mind what old guy. It's none of your business."
"Alright." Ryou said, holding his hands up, "I was just asking."
"What's up your ass?" Bakura asked as Yami slumped in his seat.
Yami glared. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
Bakura just looked at him incredulously as Kaiba walked in and took the seat next to Yami, it being the last seat in the back as the class started to fill. Yami shifted his glare to Kaiba for a moment before looking back at Bakura.
"I need your help with something. " He managed to grind through gritted teeth.
"Must be important," Joey stated idly, "or you wouldn't be asking Bakura for help."
Yami sighed and rubbed his temples. "He's the only professional thief I know."
Everyone raised their eyebrows and looked at one another before looking back at Yami. He was normally the one who gave them lectures whenever they did something wrong. The fact that he needed a thief was as surprising as him coming out and telling them that he was dying.
" 'Thief?' You need me to steal something?" Bakura asked, surprise evident in his normal drawl.
Yami opened his mouth to answer when the door swung open and Marik walked in, wearing his usual pair of sunglasses. He slowly ambled toward them and sat down in front of Kaiba, turning around to face them.
Yami blinked and continued. "Yes, but I'll be going with you. What I want you to take isn't something to be messed around with and the people guarding it aren't forgiving."
Bakura smirked. "I enjoy a challenge. Now, tell me, where I can find this object you want me to take?"
"At the docks, in one of the warehouses. I'm not sure which one, but I'm sure it'll be in a basement." Yami answered, taking out his notebook as the teacher began to lecture about vertebrae and invertebrates. He hesitated a moment before turning to Kaiba. "I think I'll need your help as well, Kaiba."
Ryou and Joey's eye's widened, Bakura raised his eyebrows and Marik blinked.
"What are we talking about?" Marik asked as he tilted his head to the side a little.
"Yami wants Bakura to steal something from a warehouse and he needs Kaiba's help." Ryou answered promptly.
Marik looked surprised for a moment before turning to look at Yami. "A warehouse on the docks? In a basement? Yami, are you sure you want to do that?"
"Yes. What I want Bakura to steal is something valuable and I need it badly." Yami answered, starting to draw a pair of eyes in his notebook.
"Well, what is it?" Kaiba asked after a pause as Yami started to color the eyes a shade of purple.
He hesitated a moment. "It's called a Shadow Sphere. And when you take it, Bakura, do not drop it."
They were taken aback by the sudden severity in Yami voice, but simply assumed that the sphere was dangerous if handled roughly.
"I need a map of the warehouses, Kaiba. I assume you'll be able to provide some." He went on.
Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "And you expect me to just do this for you? Out of the goodness of my heart, maybe?"
Bakura and Marik snorted. If there was any goodness in Kaiba's heart, then it was way, deep, very well hidden at the bottom. Ryou, however, knew there had to be something other than calculating cruelty and aloofness there. If there wasn't, then he wouldn't treat his brother the way he did, with a strange sort of standoffish demeanor but obvious respect and care.
"I knew you'd want something. Name it. Anything. I'll get what ever you want." Yami said as he finished the violet eyes.
"'What do you get a guy who has everything?' " Marik quoted, pushing his sunglasses up.
Ryou watched Kaiba think for a moment. There really was nothing that Yami could give him that Kaiba wouldn't have been able to get himself. Except for one thing.
"I want a rematch." Kaiba finally said. "That's all I want."
"A rematch?" Yami asked. "Seems like a waste, but yes, I'll give you a rematch if you give me a map."
Kaiba nodded and started to take notes, obviously satisfied. Yami had quit dueling a while back, choosing to move on to other things and had refused to duel Kaiba ever again. Giving him a rematch was perhaps the only thing Kaiba wanted from Yami, so he could have one more shot at winning his title back fairly and not having it handed back.
"So, when are we gonna take this 'Shadow Sphere'?" Bakura asked, leaning back in his seat.
Yami looked back at his drawing of the eyes and he looked a bit guilty as the eyes stared back. Ryou looked at the eyes as well and decided that they were a pretty shade of violet. They almost looked amethyst.
"We'll have to go tonight." He said as he looked at the drawing apologetically.
They all turned their attention to the teacher, who was now talking about some lab or another. No one noticed the shadows slipping under the window or the piece of paper that seemed to be in its grasp. Just as no one noticed the hostile glare that promised death, which was sent from a green haired person to a certain blonde.