"Tomorrow's Casual Day!" Ishizu announced as she plonked her tray down next to Marik's. She had to bunch up her skirt to make way for her legs as she slipped onto the hard plastic seats in the cafeteria. Marik froze, about to pop some salad into his mouth, before studying his sister.

"Excuse me?" He questioned over the loud cafeteria noises. He heard kids squealing everywhere, and he was sure he saw some food flying by. It was quickly replaced, however, by Tea, who flopped down next to Marik, smiling happily at him.

"Casual Day is this random day where we don't have to wear our uniforms!" She explained happily, as Ishizu began eating her own salad. Kaiba soon joined them, and Marik felt uncomfortable with so many people. He was especially shy around Kaiba. After all, it was just yesterday that Kaiba had come storming in, saving Marik from his own brother.

However, from the brown haired boy's cold attitude showed that he obviously didn't care. Sighing, Marik fiddled with the Millinium Ring. Tea noticed.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" She said ecstatically, peering at it. "It kind of looks like Yugi's puzzle." Ishizu frowned, but Marik knew this already. Yugi had told Marik just this morning that he'd had the puzzle for over eight years, so Marik knew it wasn't genuine. His father had only sold the Millinium Items six years ago.

Bakura came out of the Ring then, glaring at Tea. She was smiling, blithfully unaware, up at Marik's face.

"So, Marik," Tea continued, picking up a french fry and popping it into her mouth. "Will you come to my dance recital?"

"Sure," Marik said, not really thinking about Tea. He could see Bakura coming fully out of the Ring, taking on his full body form as he perched on top of Marik's shoulder.

"You should text me sometime too," Tea continued, tapping her phone that was sitting on the cafeteria table. Marik arched his eyebrows as he studied the piece of technology.

"I don't have one of . . . Those," he said vaguely, waving his hand at Tea's phone. She giggled softly, before winking at Ishizu, who grinned, before turning and engaging Kaiba in conversation.

"Well, if you ever get one, we should text!" Tea continued, before scooping her phone off the table. She craned her neck, before spotting Yugi. "Oh, Marik, I really wanna hang some more, but I need to talk to Yugi about a project of ours! I can't wait to see you tomorrow, though," she giggled, before hopping up and scurrying over to Yugi, taking her tray with her.

So now Marik was virtually alone. Ishizu was to busy talking to Kaiba to even notice that Tea had left. Turning to Bakura, he saw the spirit was resting on his shoulder, his arms crossed as he scowled.

Marik stood up then, muttering something about the bathroom, but Ishizu didn't even care. After that was said, he scuttled from the cafeteria, avoiding all the jeering preps as he made his way to the exit. He hurried into an abandoned hallway, where he slid down to the floor, before looking at Bakura.

"Something's bugging you . . ." He started, but Bakura just sneered at him, before drifting off of Marik's shoulder. He settled on the ground, facing the caramel skinned boy.

"Well, aren't you just the best bloody detective out there?" Bakura said, sarcasm dripping from his voice in a lethal amount. Marik glared at him, but said nothing. The ghost just sighed.

"C'mon Bakura, spill." Marik frowned, crossing his arms. Bakura scowled.

"I just think . . . That she's . . ." Bakura struggled for words. "A bit too friendly," he finished lamely, lowering his lids.

Marik laughed, before shaking his head. "Oh, spirit-"

"BAKURA!"

"Fine. Oh, Bakura you worry to much!" Marik snarled, but he lightened afterwards, giving Bakura a reassuring smile. "Seriously, lighten up!" Bakura frowned, but said nothing.

He didn't like this Tea girl. There'd been a girl like her in Ryou's class named Miho. She had been really pretty with long purple hair always tied back in a ribbon. She'd taken an immediate liking to Ryou, because of his good looks, and she'd strung him along, happily taking her time with him. Bakura actually heard her laughing it up with her friends how she was going to go for the "older, hotter Touzouku brother". Bakura had felt awful, but hatred for this Miho girl was stronger. She'd never had a chance, however, to aim for Bakura, since the two boys had died. Bakura sometimes wondered how awful she felt, if at all, after she found out.

Either way, Bakura didn't want to see this happen to Marik, and this girl Tea was reminding him way to much of that Miho girl. He brushed it aside though, and hopped back onto Marik's shoulder as the bell rang. Marik stood up and continued his school day.

In his final period, Marik noticed that Miss Valentine was a lot more subdued. She wasn't cracking jokes with students, or strutting around. She was just standing there, giving them the lesson in a monotone voice as she wrote out notes on the board.

Marik felt a twinge of guilt that his brother was to blame. He entertained the idea of confronting her after school, but apparently the rest of the males in the class had the same idea, so Marik just exited the classroom, fiddling with the Millinium Ring as he walked.

"What's eating at you?" Bakura questioned, but Marik just shook his head as he saw the bus pulling away. The second day in a row he'd missed it. Apparently, though, he wasn't he only one, as he saw Ishizu exiting the school building with Kaiba. She, however, wasn't heading towards home, she was clambering into a limo that Kaiba was entering as well.

Marik's eyebrows rose, but he just shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking home.

"Are you going to answer my question now?" Bakura asked as soon as they were on a deserted street.

"Oh yeah . . ." Marik sighed. "It's nothing, really. I just feel bad for Miss Valentine. After all, it was my fault she got in trouble . . ."

"How so?" Bakura questioned, crossing his arms as he scowled down at Marik.

"Well, she was trying to defend me . . ." Marik said slowly, but Bakura just snorted.

"If she can't keep that nose of hers out of other people's business, then it's her own problem," Bakura said, glaring at the boy.

Marik scowled at him, but just rolled his eyes, offering Bakura a small smile. Bakura grinned back, before deciding to make the flowers uproot and sing songs for Marik on their walk home.

Laughing hysterically as they strode through the door, Marik made his way upstairs. His mother appeared, then, looking at him suspiciosly.

"What's so funny. . .?" She questioned, scanning the hallway as if searching for something.

"Oh, well . . ." Marik coughed. He wasn't sure his mother liked the whole idea of him hanging out with Bakura. "Bakura made the flowers dance and sing, so . . ." His face flushed as his mother's eyes narrowed.

Bakura appeared, then, letting his mother see him. She flinched a little, no doubt recalling images of Sphynx dragging himself through the halls, all because of this ghost. She'd probably heard from Melvin about the spirit tripping him up, and no doubt the other antics that Bakura had been up to.

"Why, hullo there, mummy," Bakura sniggered, smirking as his tounge flickered from behind his lips and ran the length of them, keeping his gaze locked onto Mrs. Ishtar. She shuddered, before turning her head away.

"Marik . . . How was . . . Um, how was school?" She questioned, doing her best not to let her gaze travel to Bakura.

"Oh, it was fine," Marik told her, a small smile playing across his lips as he remembered Bakura blasting a huge tunnel through a huge cluster of kids, giving Marik a free walkway. His memories also traveled to once, when he'd gone to use the bathroom, and three boys had crowded around his stall, asking if he wanted them to do naughty things to him. They'd cackled maniacly, before heading to the urinals.

Bakura had phased through at thise time, and caused all of the toilets to blow up, spattering the boys with their own urine. He and Marik had escaped just before a teacher came barging in, and they had collapsed in the hallway, laughing crazily.

"Did you make any friends . . .?" Mrs. Ishtar asked softly.

"Oh . . . Well, kind of, I guess." Marik shrugged. "Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, and Tea Gardner." Marik thought about adding Kaiba in there, but decided against it. He didn't really know the boy. "None of us are friends though," Marik added, "I've just talked to them . . ."

Bakura snorted on his shoulder, but he had the smarts to keep his mouth shut.

"Well that's. . . Nice. . . Yugi Moto. I've heard of him. His grandfather runs the Kame Gameshop downtown." Marik merely nodded at his mother's words. "How're classes?"

"Fine . . ." Marik said. He was fidgeting nervously now, seeing that Bakura was growing increasingly bored.

"That's lovely. Tell me about your teachers," his mother prompted. Marik knew she was doing this for him, but he really couldn't sit here anymore.

"Look, mom, Bakura and I need to do our homework, and-" Marik stopped at how that sentence sounded, and his mother even quirked an eyebrow. Bakura, however, just gave a smug smirk to Mrs. Ishtar, before twirling around her.

"That's right. Marik and I need to do our work, so just let us alone." Bakura's tone was mocking, and Mrs. Ishtar knew it. She scowled angrily at the albino, as Marik rolled his eyes, glaring at Bakura.

"Spirit-"

"My name is fucking Bakura!"

Marik sighed. "Bakura, please leave my mother alone. Mother, I apologize. We're going to go up to our room now." Marik didn't even pause as his mother's eyes narrowed even more at the word "our". The spirit floated over to Marik, though, clearly satisfied, as he sat on Marik's shoulder, before thumping him on the head.

"Mush, bitch." He grinned at Marik's scowl, and the two headed upstairs.

-(-o-)-

An hour later, and Marik's homework was still incomple, since Bakura kept distracting him. First, he'd taken to possessing Marik's pencils, making them let out a high pitched scream everytime he pressed them to the paper or tried to sharpen them.

After that grew stale, he took over Marik and drew dirty pictures all over Marik's homework. Flushing at the pictures, Marik quickly wadded them up and tossed them into the trashcan. Bakura knocked the paper off its flight, making Marik have to get up and walk over to throw it in the trashcan.

"Dammit, Bakura, I need to focus!" Marik exclaimed, plopping down in his chair. Or, that had been his intentions. Instead, he was sent toppling to the floor as Bakura span his chair around, sitting in it as he zoomed it across the hardwood floor.

"Oh, screw it all, I'm going to take a shower!" Marik snarled, standing up and brushing off his uniform. Retrieving a change of clothes, he headed into the bathroom, Bakura trailing after him. He and Bakura had an agreement that Bakura was to do nothing while Marik was in the shower; in return, Marik would talk to him to keep him entertained.

Bakura turned his back on Marik as the boy undressed and clambered into the tub. He started up the shower, loving the feel of the hot droplets rolling down his skin as he enjoyed this small amount of Marik-time.

"Hey, Marik?" Bakura's voice traveled through the curtain to Marik's ears, and the boy paused with his loufa still clenched in his hands.

"Yeah?" He questioned, resuming rubbing soap across his skin.

"Do you actually like school, or did you just say that for your mother?"

Marik pondered the question, taking it quite seriously. He rubbed some more soap on his body, before finally answering.

"I don't hate, or like it. I don't really like people all that much . . . But . . . It is kind of nice to have people to talk too. . ." His answer was quite honest, but he heard the spirit laughing from behind the curtain. Marik scowled, before reaching out a wet hand to pull the curtains back just a little, fixing his gaze on Bakura, a glare erupting across his features.

Bakura sniggered at the look, seeing Marik's wet hair falling into his face, sticking to the sides as more water dripped from the edge of his nose.

"What's so funny?" Marik demanded, his hand tightening into a fist around the fabric clenched in his hand.

"Your answer was stupid and cheesy," Bakura teased, his tongue slipping from between his lips, clearly mocking Marik. Marik just let out a groan of annoyance, before slipping back under the water. It had started growing chilly, so Marik hurried and finished, before yelling out a warning to Bakura.

The spirit just shoved his hands in his pockets, turning away as Marik slipped from the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist, before scooping up his dirty clothes and padding from the bathroom to his bedroom.

Upon entering, though, he saw Melvin sitting on his bed.

Fuck.

"Why hello, little brother," Melvin smirked, his face cruel. Marik's hand automatically went to the Millinium Ring around his neck, and he felt Bakura next to him.

"What the hell do you want, Melvin?" Bakura snarled, making hismelf visible. Melvin seemed to rethink his plan for a moment, with the appearance of Bakura, but soon he had regained his regular attitude, as he hopped up from the bed and made his way over to Marik.

"Look, Marik," Melvin grinned, "you're a cute little boy, and you see, there's this girl who's got her eyes on you." He smirked as he ran a hand up Marik's exposed chest. Marik yelped, and jumped back, while Bakura lurched forward, bristling.

Melvin rolled his eyes. "Chill, Casper. Either way, I owe her a favor see," Melvin's grin returned as he studied Marik. "And, well, I need you to go on a date with her. Just be her boyfriend for a little while."

Marik stared at Melvin.

"Why should I?" Marik growled.

"Because," Melvin snarled, lowering his face to Marik's, scowling threateningly at him. "If you don't, I'll make your life hell, and I'll beat your little ghostie boyfriend over there with the bible until he's nothing but a shriveling, mewling kitten on the floor before me." Melvin's gaze turned to Bakura, threatning as well.

Marik examined his options, before biting his lip. "Fine," he spat, and Bakura jumped in surprise. "Who's the girl?" He asked, in a tired sort of voice. He could feel goosebumps breaking out over his naked body, and he wanted to get Melvin out so he could get dressed.

"Tea Gardner," Melvin grinned. "Only," he held up one finger, "you can't let her know. She's not so desperate as to ask me to get her a date, but I know that's what she wants. I'll just make it seem like I talked to you, made you realize that you kinda got a thing for her, and bing bang, I've repayed my debt, and you get a chic. Everyone wins." Melvin sniggered. "And, hey, she's got a good bod. Maybe you'll finally get some."

With a flushed face, Marik watched Melvin exit his bedroom, slamming the door behind him as Marik walked over to his bed and collapsed there, burying his face in his hands. Bakura looked like he wanted to talk, but Marik simply made a motion for him to turn around as Marik got dressed in a wife beater and pajama pants.

Sliding into bed, he heard Bakura shoot over almost immediatly. The spirit floated over top Marik, hovering there so he could look directly at Marik when they spoke.

"Why did you agree?" Bakura demanded, glaring at Marik.

"Because!" Marik replied hotly, turning his head to the side. "I don't think either of us should provoke Melvin anymore. He already doesn't like you. Or me, for that matter. But he really can live up to his promise!" Marik lurched up into the sitting position, looking at Bakura, who had decided to adopt the sitting position on the bedspread.

"To make our lives hell?" Bakura queried, examining his nails, as if dirt could get in them.

"Yes! And if he hit you with that bible again . . ." Marik's voice trailed off, and he bit his lip nervously. The spirit opened his mouth, as if to say something comforting, but he mentally slapped himself, and forced his eyes to roll in their sockets.

"You're an idiot. . ." Bakura muttered instead. "So . . . You're going to go out with that Tea girl?" he questioned, tilting his head before laying down on his side. Marik did the same, facing Bakura.

"Yeah, I guess so . . ." Marik frowned, biting his lip. "I've never 'gone out' with anyone before though. . . ." Bakura laughed, but stopped when he saw Marik's expression.

"Aw, man, it's nothing." He grinned, baring his fangs slightly.

"Will you . . . Will you help me?" Marik blurted out, a hopeful expression taking over his face as he moved forward slightly, letting his hand hover uncertainly over Bakura's. He knew that touching it would be like submerging his hand in a bucket of iced water, so he refrained from that act.

"Help you date a girl?" Bakura chuckled, tilting his head.

"Well, yeah. Someone like you . . . You've had tons of experience, right?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" The spirit scowled, hating how Marik made him sound like a man whore.

Marik fumbled over the words for a moment, before finally saying, "Well, someone outgoing and h-. . ." he practically choked on the last word, "handsome . ." Bakura felt a grin creeping over his face as Marik blushed and averted his gaze.

"Fine, I suppose I'll help as much as I can." Bakura chortled, rolling onto his back. "Now get some sleep kid. Knowing you, you're going to be scanning your closet all morning for Casual Day."

"Bastard . . ."

-(-o-)-

Psh . . .For once I got nothin' to say. . . . o. O

Please Review and whatnot!

Seeya!