Haha, so many people said my story was cute XD I'm just like… how is it cute? XD other than the fact that Ryou's in it… And a few (a few mind you) people said they like my writing style… what writing style? I don't know what mine is… ^_^" (I would have updated earlier, but there was an error with updating so... it's not my fault! Thank aem82 for telling me how to get rid of the error! (= )

Warnings: Confusing Ryou thoughts, Otogi OOCness (I think...)

ON WITH THE CHAPTER! (If you like Otogi… then you probably won't like this chapter… fair warning)

Chapter 4: Questioning

"Bakura!" Ryou called through the house, "Wake up! You're gonna be late for school!" The only response Ryou got back was a loud groan. Ryou laughed and then turned his attention back to his breakfast. Bakura always slept until the exact minute they had to go, scarfed his food down, and then walked with him to school. It was how he had always been, though Ryou tried to change that whenever he got the chance.

Soon, Ryou finished the blueberry pancakes he had been making and put them on the table to start eating. He loved pancakes, and he also loved cooking so he figured, why not cook some pancakes? Once he was done with his delicious breakfast, he did the dishes, went upstairs to brush his teeth, and grabbed his backpack. His backpack was sort of an aquamarine color, and he loved it. He walked downstairs and started putting his shoes on. "Bakura! I'm leaving!" he called upstairs. Sure enough, he heard a door open and footsteps coming down the stairs. Bakura looked like he was the living dead - he was not a morning person at all. He rubbed his eyes as he went into the kitchen, "Why does it have to be so bright so early…?" he mumbled as he shoved an entire pancake in his mouth.

Ryou laughed, "I'll walk to school with Marik-san today," he said to make Bakura hurry up. But he wasn't lying, so he walked out of the front door and started walking over to his friend's house. He didn't walk for long though before Bakura appeared next to him. "Did you do your dishes?" Ryou asked.

Bakura scowled, "Yes, I did my damn dishes. Why does school have to be so early in the morning? Why can't it start at noon?"

"Even if it did you would still complain."

"Damn right. School is stupid."

Ryou laughed again before they arrived at Marik's house. It appeared he had been waiting outside for them, cause he had been standing in the driveway and walked forward when he saw them. "Hey Ryou-san!" he greeted, completely ignoring the other twin.

"Hey Marik-san! I hope you weren't waiting long?"

"No, not long at all," he looked at Bakura, "I think your brother turned into a zombie."

Ryou laughed, "He's always like this early in the morning. He cheers up when we start walking."

"Though I don't think that will be a possibility since I have to walk with him," Bakura said, glaring at Marik.

"It's not exactly a walk in the park for me either," Marik commented as they began to walk to school, "but as long as Ryou's here, I can tolerate it at least."

Ryou sighed. And he had thought they were getting along better too…

They managed to arrive to school without someone being hurt, and they met up with the rest of 'The Friendship Gang.'

"Hey Ryou-san!" Anzu greeted, "How was your morning?"

"Well, his brother turned into a zombie, so I don't think it went that well," Marik commented.

Ryou giggled as Bakura glared at the tan boy, "It's not my fault I'm not a morning person; I'm a creature of the night! Not of the light."

"I just can't sleep," Atem interrupted.

Yugi sighed, "Tell me about it, whenever you can't sleep you always bug me. You may not be able to sleep, but I can!"

"Are you telling me you never sleep?" Jounouchi inquired.

Atem shrugged, "Not really, no."

"That's impossible," Honda said, "you have to sleep sometime."

Atem just shrugged again, "Sometimes when I get home I just crash on the couch for a few hours."

Everyone looked at him strangely, "… I don't think that's good for your health…" Kana-chan told him.

Atem shrugged, "It's fun to go around the house at night. See what's going on in the world."

"I bet you get all your homework done then huh?" Ryou asked.

Atem laughed, "Oh yeah! That's how I get all my projects done!"

"Doesn't your grandpa make you go to bed?" Marik asked.

Yugi shook his head, "No, as long as he doesn't get woken up he doesn't care."

"You live with your grandpa?" Bakura asked.

Yugi and Atem shared a look, "… It's a long story…"

Ryou nodded, understanding long stories perfectly well, but then he noticed Amora seemed as if she was looking for something avidly. "Hanamia-san," Ryou said, "what are you looking for?"

"I'm keeping lookout!" she said simply.

"Lookout for what?"

"Otogi of course!" she said turning her full attention to Ryou, "He's going after you, remember?" Almost everyone's expressions hardened at the mention of that name.

Bakura snapped to attention as Ryou blinked, "Eh… I kind of forgot…"

"How could you forget?" Kana-chan asked, disbelief written all over her voice.

Ryou shrugged, "I've never met the guy -"

"Good!" Marik interrupted angrily, "I hope you never have to meet that jerk!" Everyone stared at him for his sudden outburst. He just avoided eye contact and said, "I'm going to class…" before walking off to the classroom.

Bakura raised an eyebrow at this development, determined to find out more later, but right now there were more important things to worry about: "Ryou," he said, "what does she mean that this boy is 'going after you'?"

Ryou laughed nervously, "Um… I'm not really sure myself…"

Bakura crossed his arms, but decided to drop it - he'll find this 'Otogi' person later anyways.

"Er…" Jounouchi said, trying to make the awkward silence that had erupted go away, "so… Does anyone know what's for lunch today?"
No one answered for a little bit, then: "I think it's sushi…" Honda said.

"No, that was yesterday's lunch…" Yugi said.

"Today's is… noodles I think?" Atem said, trying to remember.

"I think it's soup…" Anzu input.

As everyone tried to remember what the lunch was for today, Amora continued her lookout, but she couldn't find him anywhere… maybe he had gotten smart and decided to show because of her… She only hoped that was the case.

Soon, they decided to go to class as well, even though they still couldn't remember - or agree on - what the lunch was today, so Bakura said they should make a bet out of it. Whoever guessed the lunch right would have their lunch made for the rest of the month by everyone who participated. Everyone figured that was a fair trade and agreed on it. Although, Ryou couldn't help but notice that Bakura seemed very smug after the bet was made, and wondered what was up… Bakura had guessed that the lunch would be spaghetti, even though he doesn't eat and, therefore, should have no idea what the lunch menu was, so why did he make a guess? Furthermore, he hated cooking, so why would he risk having to cook? Ryou tried to figure it out as he took his seat, but couldn't come up with anything. He decided it wasn't important and shrugged it off as he took out the necessary supplies for his first class today - English.

Soon however, he found his head being tilted upwards by a finger under his chin. "Hey there good looking," said a man with spiky raven hair with part of it in a ponytail, emerald eyes, a dice earring in his left ear, eye-liner going down from his eye like a teardrop, a red and black headband, and wearing a black T-shirt with a red jacket, "I heard you're new in class, and we haven't been properly, acquainted, yet." He brought his face dangerously close to Ryou's causing him to blush - even he knew the implications of what he was trying to do. "My names Otogi Ryuji, and you are…?"

"Not interested," said a harsh voice behind Otogi. The dice-man looked up as he felt a firm grip clasp his shoulder, and what he saw was pretty frightening: a person who looked exactly like Ryou, only like he belonged in a psych ward. His eye was twitching and his mouth was curved into a wicked smile. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave right now," he said dangerously, threateningly.

Otogi raised an eyebrow at him, "Who are you?" he asked rudely.

Bakura crossed his arms, "Who do you think I am genius? I look exactly like my sister, so why don't you take a wild guess? Geez, if you're going to flirt, at least be intelligent."

Otogi narrowed his eyes, "I realized you're her twin, but I don't know either of your names - no one in the other class knew except for Sagaki-san, and no way was I going to ask her!" Ryou tilted his head at that statement - why wouldn't he ask Anai-chan? She was nice, if not a bit shy.

Bakura smirked, "I am death itself - and soon you'll be on my to-do list if you even think about going anywhere near my little sister, got that dice boy?"

Otogi smiled, "Isn't it up to her whether or not she wants to see me?" he turned around again and brought his face close to Ryou's again, causing Ryou to back up till his back was straight against the chair. Otogi chuckled, "C'mon, I don't bite… much…" Ryou blushed an uncomfortable crimson. "…P-please go away…" he said weakly. He had never been good at sticking up for himself, Bakura had always protected him. He especially didn't like how close his face was to his…

"What's that doll?" Otogi asked, "I can barely hear you over that beautiful hair of yours." Suddenly, the boy felt another hand grasp his shoulder, and he turned around to find a very angry Egyptian. "She said go away," Marik told his arch nemesis with barely concealed anger.

Otogi smiled at the blonde-haired boy and brought his face right up to Marik's, "Aw, the little faggot's sticking up for a fellow girl?"

Marik raised an eyebrow, "You're invading my personal space and I'm the faggot? That's messed up logic Otogi."

Otogi scowled, "I'm not the gay one here! You are!" he said, pushing Marik in his chest.

Marik scowled, "Do you want me to hurt you?"

Otogi scoffed, "Like you could!"

Marik took a step forward, his fists clenched, "Do you remember that day I pushed you into the lockers? I wouldn't mind doing that with a window this time!"

Otogi laughed, "You don't have the guts faggot!"

Marik lunged forward, but found himself being held back by an arm lock. He turned around to yell at the person to let him go, but found it was Bakura.

"Don't kill him just yet," Bakura whispered in his ear, "I have a plan that'll satisfy us both."

Marik raised an eyebrow, "What kind of plan?" he asked curiously before Otogi smirked and said, "Look everyone! Ishtar finally got himself a boyfriend!"

Marik growled and tried to lunge again, but Bakura held him back while he smirked. "You're just jealous 'cause you don't have one," he said arrogantly.

Otogi blinked, then his face contorted with anger, "I wouldn't want a fucking boyfriend! I have a girlfriend!"

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Well, if you're happy with your girlfriend, then why are you flirting with my little sister?"

Otogi crossed his arms, "Just having some fun."

"M-hm, keep telling yourself that," Bakura said as he released Marik.

Otogi scowled, "What are you saying?"

Bakura smiled with fake innocence, "Me? I'm simply implying that you're never happy with your girlfriend because maybe you don't like girls."

Otogi stepped back in anger, "How dare you -!"

"He has a point Otogi," Marik joined in, realizing what Bakura meant now, "why else would you have a different girlfriend every day?" The students watching this scene started whispering to each other, saying things like, "That is true…" and "Why does he have a different girlfriend every day?"

Otogi blinked, and Bakura swore he saw fear in those eyes as he heard the whispering turn more accusatory and curious.

"I-I'm a player!" Otogi said, trying to make everyone stop whispering, "I can't be tied down to one girl!"

"Are you really sure about that?" Bakura asked, enjoying the tension in the air as everyone was now silent - watching and waiting to see what would happen next; to see who would be victorious in this battle of words, "Are you sure you're not just confused, not just trying to prove to yourself that you're straight?"

"I mean," Marik joined in again, "if you weren't confused, then why would you wear only one earring and mascara on one of your eyes? Can't decide which way to go?"

"Th-they make me look cool!" Otogi managed to stutter.

Bakura took a step forward, "Cool? How can they make you look cool, and make Ishtar look gay? It doesn't work like that Otogi."

"It's either one," Marik said, taking a step forward as well and causing Otogi to take a step back, "or the other. Which side do you play for?"

"I-I," Otogi stammered, "I don't have to prove anything to you!" he shouted.

"You're right," Bakura said, looking at his fingernails carelessly, "you don't have to prove anything to us, only yourself -"

"And that's proving difficult, isn't it Otogi?" Marik finished for him.

Otogi seemed at a loss for words, but just then the five-minute warning bell sounded. Otogi scowled at Marik and Bakura, "This isn't over queers!"

Bakura wiggled his fingers at Otogi with a fake smile, "See you on the flip side Otogi!" he said with fake sweetness.

Marik smiled, "Can't wait to see you again!" he said with mock eagerness.

Otogi just scowled again and stalked out of classroom 9-B.

All was silent for a little bit until the classroom erupted with cheers. Bakura grinned and took a bow, "It was nothing really," he insisted. Marik just laughed. "How did you know he was confused?" he asked the older Bakura twin.

Bakura chuckled, "Oh please, all of his actions just screamed, "gay questioning." I didn't know he changed girlfriends every day though - that helped a lot."

Marik laughed, "He won't be messing with us anytime soon, right Bakura?"

Bakura chuckled darkly, "You got that right Ishtar," he turned to Ryou, "You okay little sis?" he asked.

Ryou, who had been watching the display with pink cheeks and a goofy smile, nodded. "I'm okay, thanks Bakura, Marik-san."

"It was no trouble at all!" Marik insisted, "I've been wanting to put him in his place since I first met him!" The bell rang just then, causing everyone to take their seats as the teacher walked in. "Okay class!" the teacher said, "Today we will learn…" as the teacher discussed the plan for the day, Ryou couldn't help but feel so lucky that he had two people who would protect him. He hadn't thought that Otogi could be that bad, he had just thought that he would flirt and that was it. Ryou could deal with flirting - most of the time he didn't even realize it when he heard it, so he figured he could deal with that and then he would just leave him alone. He didn't expect Otogi to get so… physical. He wasn't used to that - back when he had a girlfriend, he couldn't even kiss her without blushing like crazy. He just couldn't handle close contact like that. Not at all. He could handle pain - that was easy - but he couldn't handle… the kind of things Otogi was doing and implying. And it was even worse since Otogi was a complete stranger to him. He hoped he never had to meet the boy again. But he couldn't help but think… Marik and Bakura sure do make a great team… when they're not going against each other.

"Ha!" Bakura said at the lunch table as Yugi and Atem sat down with a plate of spaghetti, "I knew the lunch was spaghetti! Now you have to pay up!"

They looked at him oddly, "But you don't even eat lunch… why would you want to win?"

Bakura put his hands behind his head and smirked, "I may not eat lunch, but Ryou does. Make lunch for her."

They sighed as Ryou just took his seat. He looked at his brother curiously, "How did you know it was spaghetti?"

Bakura smiled and pointed to his head, "Intuition. You now have free lunch for the rest of the month Ryou - you're welcome."

Ryou laughed, but his laugh was cut short as an enraged cry broke through to their table, "Bakura!" Marik said angrily as he plopped his food down next to the pale boy whose name he just screamed. He was grinding his teeth and he looked positively livid.

"What?" Bakura asked, confused, "What did I do? I think I'd remember doing something to make you this mad."

"Do you know what people are saying?" the angry Egyptian said through grounded teeth.

Bakura shook his head, "No, what are they saying?"

Marik pounded his fists on the table, "They're saying that we're a couple!"

All was silent at the lunch table until Bakura finally reacted by his jaw dropping and his eyes going wide in shock. "What?" he asked, incredibility mixed with anger and a little fear, "Why?"

"That little stunt you pulled this morning! Otogi's been going around telling everyone that we're together!"

Bakura's face turned so red with anger that Ryou feared it would explode, "Bakura!" he said, his voice etched with worry, "Calm down! It's just a misunderstanding! You can clear it up in no time and -"

"That…" Bakura said, causing his twin to stop talking, "That… That bastard! Is he really so immature that he'd stoop to that level? Where is he right now?" he asked, scanning the cafeteria through a red-hazed gaze for signs of the offending jackass.

"I already asked, no one knows."

Bakura's fists clenched in rage, "I just can't believe people are buying this! How could these… idiots believe for one second that we're together?" He had been expected to be met with murmurs of agreement, but was met with silence other than Marik saying, "Exactly!" He turned around to find that during their talk, all of the other gang members had showed up, and they were all looking down as if their food was more interesting than the current situation. Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Is there something you're trying to tell me?"

Yugi coughed, "Well…" he said, avoiding the two angry teen's glares and fidgeting nervously, "You do… um… fit well together…"

"What?" the teens said, outraged.

"It's true," Kana-chan said, "you may fight and yell at each other, but the little show you put on this morning shows that you can work well together."

The teens blinked in astonishment.

"Yeah," Amora joined in, "besides, it's a proven fact that if you're in a relationship that doesn't argue or fight sometimes that you loose interest in the other and become distant and just don't talk at all because you're tired of them just agreeing with you all the time. So actually, fighting and arguing is healthy." Everyone stared at her in amazement, to which she just smiled smugly back.

"Wow," Jounouchi said, "I didn't think you were actually serious about that internet dating service thing you were talking about."

Amora stuck her tongue out at him, "Well believe it now, and I think that you two could work, if you stopped being so dang stubborn."

Both teens scoffed. "As if!" Bakura said indignantly, "I hate him!"

"As do I!" Marik said.

However, everyone still had amused looks on their faces and the two angry teens could tell that they weren't convincing anyone of their truth.

Bakura stood up angrily, "I'm going to go look for that half-out lying freak," he said before stalking off angrily before anyone (Ryou) could stop him.

Ryou sighed, "I'm sorry…" he told Marik.

Everyone looked at him confused, "Why are you sorry?"

Ryou picked at his food, "If I could just stand up for myself you wouldn't be going through this…"

Marik looked at his newest friend and felt his stomach twist with just a little guilt. "It's not your fault, it's Otogi's fault for being so direct. And Bakura's for holding me back when I could have just knocked him out right then and there."

Ryou looked up and found Marik's eyes instantly, "But if I had told him to just go away…" he said quietly, "I'm sorry," he said again, extremely sincere, "can you forgive me?"

Marik blinked. Ryou's eyes were wide with guilt and the want to be forgiven, his lips parted slightly as he waited to hear Marik's response, his fingers fidgeting with the chopsticks in his hand. His whole body just screamed: "please forgive me" and "cuteness." Marik never saw anyone more cute or adorable at that moment; it should be a crime for anyone to be that cute! "Th-" he finally managed to stutter though heat was slowly rising to his face from the sheer cute-ocity of Ryou, "there's nothing to forgive!" he insisted.

Ryou smiled slightly, but still looked guilty, bringing his cute-o-meter to maximum and causing the heat to come more steadily to Marik's face. "Thanks Marik-san," he said right before he hugged his friend.

Marik swore his face was a hundred degrees at least, "Eh… n-no problem!" he said as he hugged 'her' back.

Everyone watched this development with interest, and Amora was having a hard time figuring out who was better for Marik - Ryou, or Bakura? However, she never got to figure this out, because just then everyone's least favorite homophobe showed up to the table. "Hey there everyone," he said arrogantly as he grabbed Ryou's shoulder, "sorry to interrupted female bonding time," he said as he pulled Ryou away to face him, "but we didn't get to finish our talk this morning."

Ryou looked up at Otogi and paled, just a little. "Wh-what do you want to talk about?" he asked, trying to take the fear out of his voice and failing. He couldn't get the memory of Otogi's face close to his out of his mind - and he didn't like the memory. Not at all.

"I want to know more about you doll," he said, bringing his face close to Ryou's again and making him blush and try to back away, but Otogi wouldn't let that happen as he grabbed Ryou's chin roughly and forced him to stay where he was, "Tell me all about yourself.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here Otogi!" Amora said, "Do you remember me? Yeah, I'm the girl that kicked your ass!"

Otogi scowled at the familiar, annoying voice and looked up - taking his face away from Ryou's but not letting go of his chin, "Yeah, but you won't be able to do it again girlie."

Amora scoffed, "I'll play along and assume that were true," she said with clear contempt, "I wouldn't be fighting alone, you have everyone at this table to worry about."

"Yeah!" Jounouchi spoke up, "You want to get to Ryou, you have to get through us first!"

"That's right!" Honda said, joining in.

Otogi looked at the table, as if noticing the other members for the first time - which was probably the case. Ryou just wished he'd let go of his chin; he didn't like this, but he felt frozen with fear. Otogi scoffed, "Yeah?" he said, "Well, everyone at this table has my friends to worry about," he said gesturing to his table where about twelve other people were sitting. They all looked tough and mean, and willing to do anything that Otogi told them to do. Occasionally they smiled at a few girls at a different table, and they would swoon over them. Marik felt sick at the sight - how could anyone fall for those jerks?

"I think you should just leave Otogi," Atem spoke up, his voice hard and indifferent.

Otogi looked over at Atem and smirked, "Atem," he said like he was greeting an old friend, "long time no see, when was the last time we played a card game together?" Atem scowled. "Surely the Twin Kings of Games have been practicing?"

Yugi looked at Otogi, "Of course we've been practicing."

Otogi smiled, "Then how about a bet," he said, "we play one round of poker, if I win," he said as he put his face close to Ryou's again, "I get to take this adorable gal on a date, and if you win, I'll never bother you again, sound fair?"

"That is not for us to decide," Atem said coldly, "it is up to Ryou-san. Why don't you ask her if she even wants to go on a date with you?"

Otogi scoffed, "Of course she does!" but he looked at Ryou with his penetrating eyes anyway, "So, Ryou-san, if I may call you that," he said for 'her' ears only, "how would you like to go on a date with me this weekend?"

Ryou swallowed, although his throat had gone dry. "I-I," he managed to choke out, "I… have other plans…"

Otogi seemed surprised, but then he scowled, "What?" he asked, his words soaked with disbelief, "Say that again! I don't think I heard you correctly." He tightened the grip he had on Ryou's chin, and Ryou feared that he would soon move his hand to his throat and start strangling him or something if he didn't agree to his demands.

Luckily for Ryou, Marik noticed the raw fear and pure panic in his eyes and pulled Otogi away from 'her' so that he was facing him instead. He had been trying to let Ryou stand up for 'herself' so that 'she' would feel better, but Otogi had went to far for him to continue that plan. "She said she had other plans Otogi," he said, his voice cold and contempt, "just leaver her alone."

Otogi sneered at him. "Ah, so you're alone this time huh? Where's your little boyfriend now? Did he ditch you because he couldn't deal with your mood swings?"

Marik's eyes burned with hatred and anger, but he managed to reply, "Ryou's brother is right behind you looking extremely pissed off."

One spark of fear lit up his emerald eyes as he turned around to see if the fear-inducing, white-haired boy was indeed there, but he wasn't. He clenched his fists and turned angrily back to yell at Marik, but was met with a fist to the mouth instead. He recoiled and covered his jaw instantly, taking a few steps back instinctively before looking up to see an extremely pissed off Egyptian standing before him - and he didn't look like he was ready to play anymore, he looked like he was ready to kill.

It scared the crap out of Otogi, who had never seen him get that angry.

He looked at Ryou one last time. "This isn't over babe," he said, a definite tone in his voice, "you will go on a date with me." He straightened his red jacket and walked away.

Marik sat down at the table extremely pissed off, but once he calmed down, a proud and satisfied smile took over his features. "Ah, that felt good," he said as he held his fist at eye level.

Everyone laughed, but then quickly tried to change the subject as Ryou was still looking down, embarrassed at what just happened. Why can't I stick up for myself? he thought, Why is it that all I could do was sit there? Ryou felt disappointed in himself. He couldn't rely on others all the time - he needed to learn to stick up for himself, but how?

Meanwhile, no one noticed a white-haired boy leaning against a cafeteria wall, looking at "The Friendship Gang." He had been standing there for a few minutes, watching the scene with Otogi. He had been about to intervene when Marik had taken care of the problem himself. And now he was talking to Ryou, trying to cheer him up. Well, he thought, I may not like him, but at least I can trust him to protect Ryou if I'm not around.

He wasn't sure if he should feel happy that another person would help keep Ryou safe, or wary that someone else was getting so close to Ryou.

"So let me get this straight," Bakura said, trying to conceal his anger as class 9-B walked to the music room - their last class of the day for that day, "Otogi actually made a bet to go on a date with my little sister?" he demanded to know from Atem.

Atem nodded. "Yes, he challenged me and Yugi because we're knows as the "Twin Kings of Games" because we've never lost a game in our life," Atem sounded a little proud and conceited as he said that - just a little, "we told him that it wasn't our decision to make, and - long story short - Marik punched him in the jaw so he would leave."

Bakura chuckled and turned his attention to the tan boy walking nearby. "Ah, I didn't think the little princess had it in him," he said mockingly.

Marik glared, "Believe it fluffy."

Bakura stopped walking and grabbed Marik roughly by the arm (noticing a surprising amount of muscle as he did so), making him stop too, "What did you just call me?" he asked with disbelief and a touch of anger.

Marik smirked, "You heard me. Fluffy."

Bakura was about to retort when Ryou stepped in and said, "Please guys, we're going to be late to class."

They walked the rest of the way to class with little talking, though Marik said right before the bell rang: "Maybe you'll be a soprano again Bakura!"

Bakura glared and was about to yell at him when the teacher walked in, forcing him to be silent lest he want a detention - and he had a feeling that he had promised Ryou he'd try not to get so many detentions like he had promised him so many other things that he was seriously regretting. Ryou was lucky he was cute…

That day in music class they were playing the recorder - an instrument that the Bakura twins had been forced to buy. It didn't cost much, but that money could have been used for something more useful than an instrument that they were never going to even look at again when they were done with school. During most of the class, Ryou was thinking about the fact that he and Bakura were both going to have to find a job to make life more comfortable… what place would hire them though? Were there even any jobs available? He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had barely even noticed when the teacher asked him a question, but luckily he said the right answer anyways. Bakura noticed his brother's flightiness, but didn't say anything.

Pretty soon, Ryou was in the girl's locker room for another Girl's Club meeting. Amora was filling the girls in on what happened at lunch, and Ryou clarified anything that needed clarification, though he would rather just forget about the experience and Otogi altogether. Every time he thought about it he felt… uncomfortable… it wasn't just because Otogi was a boy and that he couldn't handle that kind of physical contact, no. It was because of the way he acted… that low, seductive voice, those penetrating, emerald eyes, that rough, warm touch, that cocky, overconfidence… It all made Ryou feel uncomfortable, but mostly because… a small part of him - a very, very small part, miniscule even - sort of… when he leaned in close like that… he wanted him to just lean a little bit closer…

But of course, when he thought this he was stricken by fear and panic so strong that any miniscule amount of desire he felt was banished completely. Honestly, what scared him more than Otogi himself was the way he responded to it. He would rather just have Otogi not touch him at all, but when he did… he couldn't help but feel that little part of him… and he didn't understand that part at all. How could he think like that? He barely even knew Otogi, so how could he think that thought? He was afraid of that part inside himself, small as it was, it was still there and it scared him. He didn't understand where it came from. Where did it come from?

He remembered thinking that girls and boys alike were good-looking, but that was as far as his thought process had gone - they were good-looking. STOP. Because of that, he wanted to get to know them better. And, even Ryou had to admit, Otogi was certainly good-looking, but that acknowledgement had never caused him to want to be… kissed before, especially not by a complete stranger! Or by someone so physical. What was he feeling? Small wanting mixed with immobilizing fear? What would you call that? Why did he feel that? He had known Otogi was good-looking but… he was something else too… but Ryou couldn't decide what that something was… He wished he had never met this boy, this…

Suddenly, Ryou knew exactly what Otogi was, though he couldn't make his brain process the word fully. He was almost afraid too.

He had been questioning his own… sexual preferences for a little bit, though he didn't know how to exactly go about it. He didn't like people how you should, he wasn't… hm… what's the word… attracted to people, he started to like them when he knew them better. After he knew them better - their likes and dislikes and everything in between - then he felt what he called love. He wanted to be near them whenever possible if not always, he wanted them to always be happy, he wanted them to like him too; it was then that he started to become attracted to the person. That's why he didn't believe in love at first sight - you need to know the person before you liked them or were… attracted to them. If Ryou was completely honest with himself, gender didn't matter to him at all - it was on the inside that counted and he firmly believes that.

So when Ryou thought of the perfect word to describe Otogi, he began questioning his entire methods, his entire belief system that you have to know a person before you could be attracted to them. But… he had to admit that… Otogi was… lustful… But that was it - he didn't like Otogi (how could he after what he did?) but he was sure that if he asked any of the Girl's Club members that they would agree with him.

And that scared him more than anything else.

Could he really think of someone as… er… like that… and not like them? Shouldn't it be the other way around? You like the person for who they are and then… for… what they are? Ryou was trying to work out his thoughts - his very confusing and questioning thoughts - that he didn't even realize when someone called his name repeatedly.

"RYOU-SAN!" Amora finally broke through by practically yelling in his ear.

Ryou gave a little yelp of surprise, completely breaking his thought process. "I-I'm sorry," he said, "I wasn't paying attention… what is it?"

Amora sighed, "You've been sitting their looking nervous for so long we were starting to get worried."

"Oh…" Ryou said, noticing his voice sounded soft, "sorry… I'm just…" what could he say? He was questioning his entire belief system? Yeah, like they'd understand that unless he explained all of it…

Ryou was so lost in wondering what to tell them that he didn't realize the worried stares he was receiving. Actually, even if he had noticed them, he wouldn't have thought they were worried for him, he never thought like that. He didn't think that people felt sorry, or sad, or bad, or worried for his sake even though he felt those exact same things for everyone he ever met. He didn't think that if he was sad that people would try and cheer him up, even if he did exactly that if someone looked sad. Honestly, he didn't like it if someone was worried for him - he felt that people had enough to deal with already without him adding to their troubles. He just gave without expecting anything in return, so even if he had seen the worried stares, he would've just smiled to make them not worried anymore and assured them that he was fine.

Suddenly, he felt a pat on his back. He turned his head around to see Mai behind him. "It's okay Ryou-san," she said, "we just don't like seeing our friends like that. If these thoughts of yours are causing you to feel bad, why don't you share them?"

Ryou looked down. "I-I can't…" And he couldn't - he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking about - it was embarrassing, they'd all think he was bad and sick if he said that he was… attracted to Otogi. He already felt dirty for thinking such thoughts, how could he share them? He just couldn't.

All the girls felt sorry for 'her,' but they couldn't force Ryou to share if 'she' didn't want to, so they dropped the matter and decided to talk about something else.

"Remember the talent show last year?" a random girl asked.

"Oh yeah!" Mandai said, laughing, "remember that one guy who was balancing plates? He broke every single one!" she started laughing hysterically and all the other girls joined in.

"The funniest one was the guy who tried to make people disappear and just couldn't!"

"That wasn't funny, that was sad…"

"Remember the guy who tried to dance? He looked like a fish out of water…"

"Ha! That guy was hilarious!"

That girl who did baton twirling was good."

"I think the girl who did gymnastics almost broke her neck…"

"Who won anyway?"

"I think it was this one singer guy…"

The girls began talking about the talent show last year in an attempt to cheer Ryou up - and it was working. With each new act he heard he began to smile bigger and bigger until he was asking them questions and laughing hysterically at the answers. Leave it up to the girls to make him stop thinking about Otogi.

"See you tomorrow girls!" Ryou said as he walked out of the locker room and into the hallway. He saw Bakura was waiting for him, and he was almost disappointed when he saw that Marik wasn't there too. Though he didn't blame him - he didn't have to wait for him, he had other things to do. "Ready to go Bakura?"

His twin nodded, "Yeah, what were you talking about in there? You guys were laughing like hyenas…"

Ryou giggled, "They were telling me about their talent show last year. From what I've heard, I want to see this years! Though I hope no one gets hurt…"

Bakura rolled his eyes at the worried tone his brother's voice took on at the end. "Got everything?" he asked.

"I think so…" Ryou said as he looked into his backpack again, "Oh wait, I'm missing my history notebook…"

"Well let's go get it."

"Oh! You don't have to walk with me, it's my fault I forgot it. Why don't you go outside and I'll catch up?"

Bakura looked at Ryou and sighed. "Fine, hurry up." He walked away as Ryou began fast-walking to his locker. He couldn't believe he forgot his history notebook - he wasn't usually so forgetful. Before he knew it, he was opening his locker and reaching for his red, spiral notebook when he felt someone grab him by the shoulders and turn him around. He felt his back being pressed against a locker and soon he was looking into emerald eyes. "Fancy meeting you here," he whispered enticingly, "how have you been doll?"

Ryou felt his face heat up as he felt that one part of him rise to the surface again. He froze with fear, and he wanted to cry out, but couldn't because his throat clogged up - he was choking on his own fear and panic.

"Have you reconsidered my offer?" Otogi asked. What offer? Ryou wondered, he was having trouble remembering anything at the moment.

Otogi chuckled deeply, "Speechless huh?"

Ryou didn't say anything as he felt his heart beat irregularly. He was trying to think of ways to get out of this, but none seemed possible unless he moved or spoke or did something.

"You're so cute Ryou," he said, dropping the honorifics altogether, "it's a shame that cuteness isn't put to good use…"

Ryou briefly wondered what he meant by that statement, but soon all of his thoughts were eradicated as he noticed Otogi's face leaning closer, and closer… Causing his heart to beat even more erratically and that one small part of him to start dominating his thoughts -

"NO!" Ryou cried mechanically as his body moved of it's own accord and pushed Otogi away from him, "No! Go away!"

Otogi stepped back in shock - he didn't think the 'girl' had it in her. He was about to step forward and trap 'her' - this time by pushing her wrists against the lockers, but Ryou quickly grabbed his backpack and the red notebook and ran for it. He ran faster than he's ever run in his entire life, but he needn't have run so fast or so hard because Otogi never chased anyone - they chased him. Eventually.

Ryou ran all the way outside until he came face-to-face with Bakura. "What's wrong?" his twin demanded as soon as he saw the condition he was in, "What happened?"

"N-Nothing…" Ryou lied, "I just… wanted to… run…" he was panting heavily at this time, and not just from the running.

Bakura grabbed Ryou by the shoulders, and his eyes widened when his little brother winced. "Something happened Ryou," he said forcefully, "and I'm going to find out what it is whether or not you say something, so you may as well just tell me.

Ryou felt tears well up in the corner of his eyes, "I-I… Otogi, he was there… at my locker.."

Bakura's eyes glazed over with anger as he squeezed Ryou's shoulders tighter, "What did he do?" he said in a demanding voice, "Tell me!"

"H-he didn't do anything!"

"That's an obvious lie Ryou! He had to have done something to get you like this!" Though Bakura was getting a little frustrated, he had to feel a little proud that Ryou was finally learning to lie.

Ryou closed his eyes, "H-he… pushed me up against a locker… and said some things… and he-he tried to k… kiss me, but I pushed him away."

"You pushed him away?" Bakura asked, astounded.

Ryou nodded. Bakura's eyes widened. He had never seen Ryou fight back or do anything to defend himself - ever. He must have really not liked that if he actually reacted…

Soon, Bakura stopped wondering why his brother had actually reacted this time when Ryou said hysterically, "I-I'm so confused Bakura!" he sounded on the verge of tears, "I don't understand these feelings at all!"

Bakura blinked, "… What feelings?"

Ryou opened his eyes, allowing Bakura to see the fear and confusion that had settled there. "I-I don't know! I…" he looked down, ashamed, "I… I almost… want him to kiss me… and…"

"And?" Bakura pressed, not sure what his little brother was trying to tell him.

"And… I thought… i-is… is Otogi… lustful?"

Bakura blinked, not sure if he had heard Ryou right. "What?" he asked.

Ryou bit his lip, "I-is Otogi… l-lustful?"

Bakura stared at Ryou. "Uh, honestly? Yes, but what does that have to do with -"

Ryou gave a cry that sounded like he was in pain and squatted down on the floor, covering his head with his arms as if something was going to fall on his head.

"No!" he screamed, "Isn't that wrong though? Aren't you supposed to get to know someone before you think of them… that way?"

He sounded so confused and lost, it was starting to crack Bakura's toughened heart. He knelt down to Ryou's level, "Ryou," he said, trying to sound comforting, "lots of people like people for their looks and think they're… lustful… but it's only wrong if you… act on these thoughts. It's perfectly normal."

Ryou looked up at Bakura, "… But -"

"No buts!" Bakura said as he stood Ryou up, "Where's Otogi? I need to have a little talk with him."

Ryou's eyes widened, "Bakura no -!"

"I'm just going to talk to him."

"But -!"

"I'm just going to talk to him."

"Bakura –"

"I'm just going to hurt him."

"That's what I'm afraid of..."

Suddenly, Bakura stopped and turned to his brother. "You're afraid I'm going to hurt him? Why?"

Ryou looked down again, "He's already gotten punched…"

Bakura's eye twitched, "By Ishtar! I want to punch him for hurting you!"

"But…"

"You've never had a problem with me punching your other bullies."

Ryou raised an eyebrow.

"… Okay, you minded, but still, Otogi's gone too far Ryou!" it was then that Bakura realized something, "Wait… Ryou, you said you think Otogi's –" he was about to say 'lustful' like Ryou had said, but the fear still present in his eyes made him stop, "… good-looking, so…"

Ryou twiddled with his fingers, "Um… I think I might be bi… but I'm not sure…" Ryou was surprised about how easy that was to admit…

"…Oh…" At that moment, Bakura felt a little happy. If Ryou liked both boys and girls, then that would give him a better chance and reason to like Ryou the way he does. "Is it because of… what Otogi did?"

Ryou shook his head, "I've been questioning for a little bit… but I don't think I'll find out. I don't want to be in a relationship anymore…"

Bakura didn't push the subject – knowing that Ryou was referring to his old girlfriend. The older twin pushed a hand through his hair, "So… I'm going to go back to our lockers."

"Bakura!"

"I won't hurt him!" Bakura said, putting his hands up in a defensive position, "You know me, I can put fear into people's hearts without even touching them – I'll do that."

Ryou pulled on his fingers – a sign that he wasn't sure what to do.

"I won't be long – stay here."

Ryou hesitated before he nodded slowly. Bakura took off before his indecisive little brother could change his mind.

As Bakura walked through the school, his anger kept building, and building, and building, until he was sure that as soon as he saw the raven-haired boy that he was going to push him against the lockers and slowly choke him to death. How dare he trap Ryou like that! There's obviously something very wrong with this kid if he would do that to his little brother. Of course he did think that Ryou was a girl…

Bakura's eyes widened as he cussed and kicked the lockers closest to him. Of course! If Otogi knew that Ryou was a boy, he'd leave him alone! But… if he did know that Ryou was a boy, then he'd tell everybody and then Ryou would probably never come to school again…

Which means he'll just have to make sure Otogi won't tell.

He walked down the hall, a plan forming in his mind. Who said he had to tell Otogi right away? Why not have some fun first? … Oh yes… Oh yes, this is perfect! Bakura felt a low chuckle build in his stomach until he let it out. It started out quiet and then became very loud, and if anyone had been within earshot, they would have thought for sure that they were hearing the devil's laugh. He walked down the hall with new determination, trying to make his features less like himself and look more like Ryou. He flattened his hair to make it look more put-together, he straightened out his eyebrows so it didn't look like he was immediately pissed off at everything he saw, and he opened his eyes as wide as they would go to make them look more round. Soon, he came to the hallway with his and Ryou's lockers, and sure enough, he saw Otogi leaning on the lockers next to Ryou's locker, the door of which was wide open. Otogi turned his head to the side and smirked, "I knew you'd come back my sweet," Bakura felt like gagging, his sweet? "Did you rethink my offer?"

It was at times like this that Bakura was glad that he could do impressions well: "Yes," he said, surprising himself by how much it sounded like Ryou, "I… I've… thought it over…" oh, he got the hesitation down perfectly! This was all going so well.

Otogi smirked, completely convinced that this was in fact Ryou, "Good choice." He walked forward cupped 'Ryou's' chin with his hand. "So," he whispered as he leaned in, about to bite 'Ryou's' ear, "where should we go?"

"I-I don't know…"

"How about we go back to my place?" he said as he nibbled what he thought was Ryou's ear, "I'll teach you a special dance."

"Hm…" Bakura said, trying to make it seem as if he liked the teeth in his ear even though he felt completely disgusted at the touch, "I-I don't know… Will it… hurt?"

"Of course not babe," Otogi said as he stopped biting the ear to look into 'Ryou's' eyes, "it won't hurt a bit."

At this point, Bakura had had enough of fooling Otogi and pushed the raven-haired boy back until he was trapped on the other side of the wall just like Ryou had been, only this time he did trap the wrists so he couldn't move or push him away. "How about we talk about something more important," he said as he dropped his Ryou voice completely. He lifted both of Otogi's arms up and trapped both of his wrists with one of his hands so he could put a fist in his face, "If you ever go near Ryou again, I'll make sure that you'll miss school for the rest of your life," Bakura scoffed, "you know, you're even dumber than I thought. Me and Ryou are wearing completely different clothing, and you didn't notice!"

Otogi scowled, wondering how he could have missed that – usually he was more observant. He ignored this and smirked, "So," he said, his voice sounding cocky, "you pretended to be your sister to be touched by me? Little Marik didn't satisfy you eh?"

Bakura punched Otogi in the stomach, making him gasp for air. Fuck his promise to Ryou about not hurting him – this guy was getting on his nerves! "First of all," Bakura said over Otogi's coughing, "I absolutely hate Ishtar. Second, if you were so easily fooled and believed that I was Ryou, that obviously means that you don't care about gender as long as they look pretty, doesn't it?"

Otogi turned red with anger, "That's not it! It's not my fault you look so much like a girl!"

Bakura smirked, "You're right," he said, "It's not your fault. But, because I look so much like Ryou, how can you be sure that you won't make the same mistake again?" he stopped a minute so he could watch the gears turn in Otogi's eyes, "what if you thought that I was Ryou, say… in the classroom? Where other people are?" he smirked as he saw his captive pale slightly, "You'll have a hard time convincing them you thought I was my sister. And even if you convince some, you won't convince all, and who knows what they'll tell others. You know how people like to over-exaggerate what they see – don't you?" he accented the last part by pushing his writs deeper into the lockers.

Otogi glared fiercely, "You don't scare me Bakura."

"Well," he said as he let Otogi go, "that right there is a mistake." They stared at each other with pure hatred for a second before Bakura said, "Stay away from Ryou, or the next time we meet alone won't be so nice." He started walking away, satisfied that this idiot was being silent for once, when Otogi had to ruin it by saying, "I hope you and your boyfriend work out your issues!"

Bakura froze and turned around slowly, pasting a sickly sweet smile on his face, "You know," he said, "you bring up Ishtar a lot – why is that, I wonder?"

He walked off laughing heartily, the picture of a red-faced Otogi fresh in his mind.

I was going to keep going, but this seemed like the perfect place to stop. Oh Bakura, you're such a good older brother XD But Otogi's not done yet, oh no. Poor Ryou, he's so confused… he's not used to these types of feelings… Lol, I've been getting so much inspiration for this story, so that should explain the fast updates. Although... I will be busy for the next week or so, so don't expect an update soon ^^"

So! Review and tell me what you thought about this chapter! Were the reactions believable? What were your favorite parts? What were your least favorite parts? What do you want to see happen later on? What do you want to see happen to Otogi? After all, he hurt Ryou and caused him to question his entire belief system, what do you think should happen to him? If the ideas are good, I'll probably do them =) Tell me if you find any mistakes or if something just plain bothers you about the story - I'll try and fix it to make it better. In other words, REVIEW! As long as people keep reviewing – I'll keep updating. ~~~{REVIEW REPLIES!}~~~

Vi: Haha, glad you liked it! XD And yeah, Marik and Bakura hate each other, yet they could get along fine XD I enjoy writing them when they hate each other – it's fun. And what's my writing style? ^_^" I just write… I didn't even know I had a style… I don't agree with homophobic people either, and I love how fast I'm updating this XD And you are hyper, thanks for the review! =)

SAYONARA! HOPED YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER! =)