With Malik tended and settled, Ryou began to plan the dinner he'd promised the demons. Bakura had several slabs of steak preserved in his root cellar, and he brought the salted beef up to the pantry.

"Oh, those look great!' Ryou nodded as he looked over the portions. "Hmm, but they'll still need some spices... these woods aren't all that far from town... maybe I can find some seasoning herbs in the forest? Although I'm not sure what would be fresh at this time of the year... we usually buy our herbs from the market." The uninjured human explained.

But the paler demon snorted and waved a hand in dismissal. "I have some spices- you should be able to make due with them."

Ryou was guided over to the tiny kitchen (not much more than an iron stove, a rough stone sink, and a few hickory cabinets) and given instructions.

The wood-burning stove was very old, but quite clean. The property owner explained where the various supplies were (spices, skillets, skewers) and Ryou set to work cooking up four fresh steaks.

The boy was obviously skilled, and he made good use of the spices and stove.

It only took a few minutes for the small house to fill with the mouth-watering smell of sizzling sirloin.

Malik wasn't much of a meat-eater, but even he woke up when the scent reached his nose.

Marik was gracious enough to set the small, wooden table, and he and the other demon each took a seat. Bakura's apprehension of the unknown chef's skill vanished the instant he was handed his plate.

He'd never seen such a perfect looking piece of beef. Marik seemed to agree, and the two carnivorous demon quickly tucked in.

The homeowner paused as the flavor enveloped his senses. It was delicious. Bakura had never tasted meat this flavorful; so juicy and tender and smokey...

He savored every bite.

Meanwhile, the human chef was hovering anxiously by the table, still not taking a seat. "Was... was it alright? I don't make steak often, so it might be a little under-cooked..."

Bakura didn't bother hiding his astonishment. "It was perfect."

Ryou flushed at the high praise. "Oh, thank you. Would you like more-" There was a sudden choking sound from Marik's direction. His eyes had grown wide, and he started gasping for air.

"Marik?!" Ryou could only stare in shock as the blonde demon began twitching violently in his seat.

*THUD!* The dark-skinned fiend fell to the floor and laid still.

"Marik?! Marik!" Ryou screeched in horror. Was the larger demon somehow allergic to the herbs?! But why wasn't Bakura also-

"Nnh-ck... heh- heheh- BWHAHAHA!" The tanned demon couldn't hold it in any longer- he began laughing like a maniac as he rolled on the floor.

Ryou's jaw dropped as Malik began snorting as well. "Oh, that was priceless!"

The smaller human gaped in shock as his friend snickered. "Wha- that was ajoke?! Marik?! Malik?! Did you two plan this?!"

Malik grinned and tried not to laugh as he shook his head. He failed. "No- *hah!* it was all his *haha!* idea!"

Ryou fumed as Bakura began snorting as well. Marik resumed his seat, his mouth still stretched in a mischievous grin.

"Hmph. Fine. See if I ever cook for you three again!"

Malik snickered. "Sorry, Ryou; I couldn't resist!"

The white-haired human sighed. Perhaps all demons were accomplished pranksters?

He looked around thoughtfully. 'Maybe Malik is part demon too.' He glanced at the two still-chuckling blondes. 'That wouldexplain a lot.'

Shortly after finishing his own plate, Malik fell back into a deep slumber. Ryou carefully checked his friend's wounds again before heading out with the two demons.

"I should head back home for the night, and you need to learn the boundaries if you're going to stay with Bakura." Marik explained. So the unusual trio walked towards the edge of white-haired demon's territory. Ryou still had to use the rough 'cane' that Bakura had given him, but he was able to hobble a little faster than before.

Marik casually pointed out different parts of the forest, and Ryou listened aptly. It barely took them half an hour to reach the faint signs that marked the border- the trees were all marked up with the same deeply-scratched symbol. The carving looked rather like an 'M' with a half-circle connecting the bottom 'legs.'

"This mark means that these woods belong to me." Marik explained proudly.

"I see..." Ryou nodded thoughtfully as he memorized the carvings. "..and, what is Bakura's symbol?"

"Four legs, two long ears, and a short tail- it's a jack-*ss!"

*THWAM!*

"Owowow!" Marik whined as he rubbed his head. "I was just kidding!"

The unamused demon scowled and pointed to a nearby oak trunk. "This is my symbol."

Ryou saw the deep gouge in the bark- it looked like a 'B' with the top and bottom lines extended past the left edge.

"Study it well. You will need to be careful if you do not wish to accidentally trespass on yet another demon's lands."

Slightly abashed, Ryou nodded quietly as he studied the markings.

"I'm going to head back now- you guys take care, alright?" Marik gave a final wave as he disappeared into the thick woods past the border.

"Thank you for everything!" Ryou called after the tanned fiend.

Bakura frowned and muttered, "Good riddance." But he didn't bother saying anything more- he knew he'd see the berserk blonde soon enough. Marik was like a tick- barely noticeable at first, but quickly growing into a huge pain that was impossible to remove. "Come on, we should head back."

Ryou dutifully followed the red-eyed demon back along the same forest path.

The march back was far quieter (mainly due to the more muscular demon's absence).

"Um..." Bakura paused and turned around when he heard the strange youth speak to him. "I'm so glad that Malik is doing better now... thank you." The short human bowed, his pale hair falling over his thin shoulders. "Truly."

The demon blinked- it was odd, being thanked in such a heart-felt way.

"Um, sure. Whatever."

They walked along in a fairly comfortable silence. Eventually the non-human spoke up again.

"So... how long?"

Two hickory-hued eyes blinked in confusion. "Um, 'how long' what?"

"How long have you two been mates?"

Ryou stared, but he soon started laughing. "Thankfully, never! Malik's been my best friend for years- we met when we were children."

"So, you were friends from way back in childhood?"

The shy youth rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm, not exactly... he used to kinda beat me up... a lot."

"..." The fiend stared with a flat expression. "...the midwife dropped you, didn't she."

"Hey!" Ryou pouted and Bakura smirked- he had to admit, it was a very cute pout. "You saw his... home life. Malik had a hard time growing up. He didn't know how to treat other people, so he did the only things he learned when it came to others."

"Like his father."

The human youth nodded sadly. "It took him a while to start trusting people- it didn't help that they rarely trusted him back. My father even forbade me from playing with him- but I would sneak out whenever he was busy."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't have taken you for a rebel."

The boy flushed. "Well, Malik was my only friend- he's a bit crazy, so maybe some of that rubbed off on me." Ryou gasped as he realized how that sounded. "Oh, but he's very loyal and sincere!"

The demon snorted. "Funny, that sounds a bit like Marik."

"Is he your friend?"

Bakura paused for a second. "...hmm… I haven't killed him yet, so yeah; I guess so."

"...ah."

Ryou gasped as he suddenly stumbled- he was still having trouble walking, even with his 'cane.'

He was just getting his balance back when, without warning, Bakura grabbed him and lifted him up.

"Ahh!" The human youth cried out in shock as he was tossed over the demon's shoulder. "Bakura?! What are you doing?!"

"You shouldn't walk on that ankle all day. You're going to make it worse if you stress the joint while it's still healing."

"Oh." Ryou's pale face flushed and he fell quiet. "Um, thank you."

'Hnn?' The demon was bemused by the boy's red face, but attributed it to pain.

There was a short stretch of silence as the two made their way back through the forest undergrowth. Ryou was still quite curious about demonfolk and their culture, but wasn't sure how to voice his questions. He didn't wish to anger the rugged fiend who was currently carrying him. Still, his curiosity grew as he marveled at the ease with which the demon had hoisted him up.

"So, um... I know humans don't know much about demon-kind; in fact, I think most of what I've heard is just legends or old wives' tales..." Ryou couldn't see Bakura's face, so he spoke as politely as possible. "W-would you be offended if I asked a few questions? I'm very curious, and I hate to be misinformed..."

Bakura didn't really comment- he knew the walk back would be slower (seeing as he was carrying over 100 lbs of excess weight). It'd probably be less dull with some conversation.

"Sure. Fire away."

Ryou felt himself smiling slightly- as irritable as he could be, it seemed the fair-haired demon wasn't a total anti-social grouch.