"Alright, admit it," Marik said over his shoulder. "Who's the better evil mastermind?"
"Your plan may have succeeded where mine failed, but that does not make you better," Bakura bantered, though he was grinning.
Marik didn't argue as they left Domino City. Instead of driving away, or even going to their old campsite, however, he turned as soon as possible once he was outside the city limits, and went straight to the top of the closest hill.
He stopped, put the kickstand down, and dismounted. Bakura followed suit. Above Domino City, they could just make out a dark cloud of smoke that was starting to rise into the night sky. They stood side-by-side, admiring what little they could see, remembering and imagining the rest.
"Thank you, for tonight," Bakura said after a minute.
Marik glanced at his partner. "You really enjoyed it that much?" he asked, surprised.
Bakura gave him a truly evil grin. "To be completely honest with you, it might be fair to say that this is the happiest day of my existence so far," he told Marik.
"Wow," Marik commented. "Over three thousand years, and burning down a card shop is the happiest time of all?"
Laughter escaped Bakura's chest as he pondered that statement. "It sounds rather silly when you put it that way," he admitted. "But really…seeing that pathetic little champion of Light broken down all the way, tortured to within an inch of his sanity, just as we were…if there's one thing in all the millennia I spend walking this earth that I want to remember, it's that."
"It is only fair, isn't it?" Marik agreed. "I wonder if he'll stop being so goody-goody now?"
"Probably not," Bakura growled. "He's too pure for that. If anything, he'll probably try all the harder to champion the force of Light from now on." His smile didn't waver. "But it was worth it."
Marik nodded in agreement. "And stabbing his hand was fun," he added.
"Yes, that was beautiful," Bakura said, turning to look Marik in the eye. "I owe you another thanks for that alone." He chuckled. "Tonight has been so much fun…I could kiss you."
The words hung awkwardly in the air for a few seconds as both of them blinked.
"Er, not that I would," Bakura added hastily. "I'm just saying…"
"Right," Marik nodded.
They both turned back to look at the smog that was well within sight now, enjoying everything about who they were and what they'd done. They didn't get to bask in their work like this very often - even Marik's other works of arson lately had been slash-and-burn style. It was like that when things were impersonal…but what they'd done tonight had been anything but.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Marik asked eventually.
"Well, I can't top your performance tonight, so we should stop competing," Bakura said teasingly.
Marik blinked and turned to his partner. "You knew?"
"Knew what?" Bakura asked, his eyes dancing with merriment in the moonlight. "That you've been trying to impress me by outdoing me? Yes. You weren't very subtle about it."
"I'm not good at being subtle about things, not like you," Marik grumbled.
"No, you're not," Bakura agreed. "You wear it well, though. And you don't have to worry about impressing me; tonight has been delightful. You've nothing more to prove."
"Thanks," Marik said, unsure how else to respond. "So…what are we going to do now?"
"Hmm…" Bakura looked back at the smoke that was still filling the sky and thought. "Well, we can carry on as we have, I suppose."
Marik sighed. "Pretending tonight didn't happen wouldn't feel right," he said. "I feel like we need to do something different now, if only to celebrate."
"Agreed," Bakura concurred, almost surprised to hear that Marik felt exactly the same way he did. "But what does that mean?"
"I guess…we could take that road trip," Marik suggested, almost shyly. "You know, just go in one direction and do what we want whenever we want? Maybe we'll even find someplace we'll want to stay."
"Can you handle an indefinitely long road trip?" Bakura challenged. "You'll be giving up a lot of luxuries."
"I can make do," Marik told the pale creature, shrugging.
Bakura made a sound that suggested doubt, but he didn't argue - tonight wasn't a time for fighting with each other, it was too precious. They both looked up at the sky over Domino City again. The plume of smoke was still rising, fading at the edges now - maybe it had been put out, or simply burned out. Either way, the mark was still there.
A sensation of an unusual temperature got both Marik and Bakura's attention at the same time. They looked down, and were both equally surprised to see that they were holding hands, their fingers interlaced - Marik, warm and alive, and Bakura, cold and dead.
They stared at the sight, the fire and the future momentarily forgotten. Then they glanced at each other, the same bewilderment mirrored in each other's eyes. Should we let go? they both wondered at the same time. Neither of them wanted to, but both were concerned what the other thought - Marik worried that Bakura would be angry, and Bakura worried that Marik might think him soft. When neither of them made any objections known, they decided to just let it be, and they turned back to the smoky sky as one.
~X~
Nothing of the card shop was left except ashes - everything had been obliterated. The police were quick to determine that it was the work of arson, but Yugi had already known that, and it didn't help.
Yugi himself, apart from the stab wound in his hand, had suffered multiple first- and second-degree burns that he hadn't even noticed until the medics looked him over. He let them do their job, but it was like he was in a trance. They determined that he didn't need to go to the hospital, and he found himself just hovering around the scene like a ghost. Everything felt surreal, and wrong…
When Yugi's friends heard about the fire later the next morning, they all dropped whatever they were doing to join Yugi, knowing he needed them. When they gathered, Yugi told them the worse news.
"No way…" Joey breathed, shocked. "I can't believe it…the old man…"
"Yugi," Tea managed. "I'm so sorry…"
Tristan, who had only just gotten out of the hospital, said nothing.
"I couldn't…I didn't even notice the fire until…" Yugi tried to tell them through tears that had somehow replenished themselves. "If I'd noticed sooner…"
"Yug, don't blame yourself for this," Joey said sternly, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
But Yugi shook his head. "You don't understand," he told them. "Marik did this."
This elicited a round of surprised gasps from all three.
"Are you sure?" Joey exclaimed.
Yugi glared at him. "He was waiting for me outside so he could gloat," he growled. "Him and Bakura. Apparently, he has a thing for fire now."
"Oh man…" said Tristan.
"Who's gonna tell Ishizu?" Joey asked.
Yugi didn't respond, didn't care. He felt like he should have run out of tears by now, but they kept pouring out of his eyes. Helpless. He was so helpless…so powerless…
"Yugi…" Not knowing what else to do, Tea stepped forward and hugged her friend. She was still a bit taller than him, but Yugi still managed to break down on her shoulder and cry openly as she held him tightly. Tristan and Joey stood back, respectfully silent.
They stayed like that for a while - none of them knew how long. Then, someone approached, without a word. They turned, Yugi lifting his face from Tea's shoulder, and saw Ishizu standing in front of them, her eyes wide and sad.
"I heard about the fire," she said softly. She turned her gaze to each of them, one at a time, then added, "This wasn't an accident, was it."
"No," Yugi choked.
"No," Joey said bluntly, "it was your crazy brother."
"Joey!" Tea chided.
Ishizu gasped. "Marik? Are you sure he did-?"
"Yes," Yugi said, struggling to get ahold of himself. "Yes, it was him. He told me so."
"He was here…?" Ishizu breathed.
Yugi looked down and clenched his fists, trying to get himself together. He had to tell Ishizu exactly what had happened the previous night - she needed to hear all of it, he knew.
"What, are you jealous he didn't visit you?" Joey sneered.
"Joey!" This time it was both Tea and Tristan who exclaimed at their friend's brashness.
Joey stepped forward. "Listen, lady," he told the beautiful Egyptian maiden, "you need to realize there's nothing left for you. Your brother's gone psycho, and you need to accept it."
Every word was another tiny dagger in Ishizu's broken heart.
"I know you wanna believe differently," Joey went on, his tone softening a bit. "If I found out my little sister had started strangling people for kicks, I'd wanna believe differently, too. But at a certain point, you gotta accept the truth."
Ishizu held back her tears and forced herself to meet Joey's eyes. "Joey, I've met your sister," she said softly. "She's the sweetest, most gentle person I've ever met."
The stern, brown eyes went soft.
"If you found out that she'd started strangling people for fun, even if you accepted it was true, wouldn't you want to believe that you could talk sense into her?" Ishizu asked. "Wouldn't you hold onto the hope that the sweet, kind person you knew was still in there, and that you could bring her back if only you had a chance to talk to her?"
Joey swallowed. "Well…yeah," he admitted. "But it's not the same. Marik's been pullin' these stunts for a long time! He killed your father when he was ten years old!"
"That wasn't his fault!" Ishizu cried. "He wasn't himself! And our father…well, may he rest in peace, but he deserved it! If he'd just let Odion take on the family duty rather than forcing it on Marik, none of this would have happened!" The admission that had been nagging at her for so long ripped its way out of her, and she couldn't hold her tears back anymore; a drop of liquid slid down her face.
Joey, Tristan, and Tea stared at her.
"Before initiation, Marik was a good person," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I saw him…He was a sweet, gentle boy, full of goodness and laughter. I have to believe that that person is still in there somewhere."
"It doesn't matter now."
Everyone turned in surprise as Yugi spoke up. His maroon eyes no longer leaked, and he met all of their gazes as strongly as he could, especially Ishizu. "You need to know what happened last night," he told her. "You need to know everything. I owe it to you to tell you."
And he took a breath, then began to tell her.
~X~
On the other side of the world, Odion pursued the Millennium Necklace doggedly. He had one duty, and he was determined to perform it. Without any leads at all, it was difficult, but he refused to focus on anything else.
Then, late one night, a man came in. He seemed nervous, even panicked, and Odion's eyes narrowed at the sight.
The man came right up to him. "Are you the one looking for those gold things they announced on the news?" he asked.
"My name is Odion Ishtar," Odion said. "Yes, some artifacts belonging to my family were pawned off recently. Most have been returned…"
"Except the necklace, right?" the man said, still oddly anxious.
Odion nodded.
The man pulled the Millennium Necklace out of his pocket and held it out. "Take it," he said quickly. "Please, take it."
Odion stared at the man for a while before reaching out and accepting the golden amulet.
"I'm sorry I ever bought it," the man said. "You don't have to worry about reimbursing me or anything - just keep it away from me."
"What happened?" Odion asked.
"Er, uh, well…" The man glanced around, as though afraid he was being watched. "It's going to sound crazy…"
"Tell me what happened," Odion said in a tone that left no room for argument.
The man flinched. "Uh, o-okay," he stammered. "You see, I, uh, I was out one day, just looking around, and I saw that necklace for sale. It reminded me of a friend of mine - she loves this stuff - and even though I wasn't going to see her for a while, I just, I had to get it for her, you know?"
Odion said nothing.
"A-Anyway," the man went on after a moment, "this morning, I got a call from my friend telling me she was in town, and I asked if I could see her because I had something for her. She said yes, so I went to get that…and as soon as I picked it up, I swear, it started glowing, like the sun was shining directly on it but there wasn't any sunlight. I thought it was weird but I tried to ignore it…and then I suddenly got this…I don't know, it was like a vision or something - I saw my friend fall down a set of stairs, then slam into the trim of the wall at the bottom with her head, and her neck twisted at an odd angle…" He shuddered. "I didn't know what to make of it, but I went to go see her, trying to act like nothing happened, right? And when I got there…" He stopped, visibly shaking now.
"She was dead," Odion finished for him, "exactly as she was in the vision."
"Yeah." The man hugged himself. "I'm telling you, man, that thing's cursed."
Odion said nothing.
"Y-You don't believe me!" the man exclaimed. "Look, I'm telling you, I'm not crazy-!"
"I believe you," Odion told him. "I'm sorry about your friend. Please, tell no one of what happened to you."
The man's eyes widened. "You know," he breathed. "You know about this thing."
"The necklace shows visions of the past and the future," Odion told him. "It does not cause disaster, only tells of it." As he said this, a bit of doubt nagged at his mind, but he didn't show it. "Thank you for returning it. Again, I ask that you please not tell anyone about this."
"Whatever you say, man," the guy said, and he turned and ran out.
Odion looked down at the golden necklace in his hand. Here it was, the last of the Millennium Items - all of them were now accounted for, five of them secure. Unfortunately, they hadn't found it in time to prevent misfortune - surely, the Necklace hadn't caused the woman's death, but the fact that it predicted it for an unsuspecting innocent was exactly what they'd been trying to prevent from happening. People panicked when magic popped up without warning. That was one of the reasons the Millennium Items were so dangerous.
But they were all safely in competent hands now - even if some of those hands were wicked. He went to store the Necklace with the others, wondering as he did so what would happen next. Would Ishizu want him to join her in Domino City? Or would she rather he stayed here? He had an uneasy feeling, but decided to wait to talk to her before making any decisions or assumptions.
~X~
Ishizu wasn't sure how she managed to stay standing as Yugi finished his tale with the threat her brother had made against her.
She shook her head, almost manically. "He wouldn't…hurt me…" she whispered.
"I'm not so sure," Yugi said. "I don't think he wants to hurt you, but if he runs into you, he might."
Yugi's friends all stared at him, wide-eyed. His detailed recount of the previous night had driven a lot of things home. It seemed unbelievable that what had once been something like a fair fight had gone so awry.
Tea didn't want to, but… "I've heard things on the news lately," she said softly. "Reports of arson in the area over the past week or so…"
"I've heard that too," Joey agreed, nodding. "I didn't think it had to do with this, but…"
"I saw other stuff in the news while I was in the hospital, about random murders happening around here, too," Tristan spoke up. "People with their throats slashed, eyewitnesses only being able to say there were two men on a motorcycle who grabbed people off the streets seemingly at random. You said Marik and Bakura had a motorcycle, Yugi?"
Yugi nodded gravely. "Yes," he said, "and I think I know who's behind those murders." He gestured meaningfully to the wounded arm of his that had almost healed.
Joey shook his head. "This is crazy. How did those two freaks end up doing stuff like this?"
It was all Ishizu could do not to fall to her knees as her heart broke more and more again and again with every word the four friends spoke. Never, in her wildest nightmares, had she dreamed things would ever go this far.
~X~
The morning air was sweet as Marik rode his motorcycle aimlessly, his spirits higher than they'd ever been before. It didn't matter that neither he nor Bakura would be able to top what they'd pulled off last night; they could now leave Domino City behind without regret. Not that they'd never come back, but they'd gotten what they wanted out of the place for now. And now, there was no direction, they were completely cut loose. Fitting, really - spreading chaos in a chaotic manner.
Bakura was less elated, though he too rode the high from the fun last night. In truth, it had been a very long time since he'd acted without a specific goal to work towards - so long, he actually couldn't remember the last time it had been that way. He knew his purpose, it was woven into his very soul at this point, and he trusted the Zorc in him to guide him, but it was still a bit off-putting. Not enough to make him unhappy, though.
Both of them enjoyed the memory of the fire last night, the various ways in which they'd tormented Yugi Moto - in particular, Bakura loved reliving that sound Marik had drawn out of Yugi, that exquisite sound identical to the sound of Pharaoh Atemu crying out in pain - and they looked to the future…uncertainly, but overall, contentedly. Neither of them thought about that weird hand-holding experience that had happened. No, that wasn't on either of their minds - especially not considering that Bakura had to hold onto Marik as they drove. Not at all. It had been a strange, random thing, not worth pondering.
They rode together in silence, until Marik started finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. Sleep hadn't really been a priority of his lately, especially not since Bakura didn't need it at all - he wanted to keep up with his partner. But as he found himself drifting off in the middle of the road going several dozen miles per hour, he remembered that Bakura had told him that he had nothing else to prove; and besides, the fact that he was human wasn't his fault.
So, without really thinking about it all that much, he pulled over…and wasn't able to concentrate quite enough to avoid falling into a ditch.
BANG!
The next few moments were a jumble of tumbling and crashing and getting hit by a large metal object repeatedly, and then Marik and Bakura were at the bottom of a short, steep hill, with Marik's motorcycle on top of them.
"Get off me, you bloody thing," Bakura grumbled angrily, tossing the motorcycle a short ways away with the power of his Millennium Ring - a bit excessive, perhaps, but he really did hate that machine, and all the more so now.
Bakura pushed himself up and gave his heart a single beat to asses his injuries, not noticing the one or two good samaritans who had stopped to see if they were okay - at any rate, his movement reassured them, and he was left alone. Ryou's body was a bit bruised and battered, but nothing appeared to be broken, so he shrugged off the damage as negligible - he would have to let the body live for a little while so it could repair itself, but that could wait. It was a good thing Marik had been slowing down before they'd fallen, or it would have been much worse.
Marik…
Bakura turned around to look at his companion. Marik was still on the ground, his eyes closed. Bakura felt his heart give another beat involuntarily at the sight as he momentarily feared the worst…but no, Marik was breathing, even twitching - he'd probably live.
And then, finally, Bakura registered what had happened. He got down on his knees, grabbed Marik by the shoulders, and shook him angrily.
"What the bloody hell was that about?!" he demanded.
Marik groaned, half-opening his eyes blearily. "Wha…?"
"Why did you crash?!" Bakura roared at him. "I thought you could handle that bloody thing!"
"…Crash…?" Marik repeated, as though he wasn't entirely sure what the word meant. Bakura should have gotten angry, but for some reason, a different sensation tightened his chest. Marik was stupid, but he wasn't normally this stupid…
Marik groaned again and tried to get his balance, and Bakura let his grip go slack. "Ohh, my head," the idiot human moaned, sitting up. "What happened?"
"I just asked you that!" Bakura exclaimed. "What the bloody hell did happen?!"
"I pulled over…" Marik said slowly. He blinked a few times and looked up. "I guess I went off the road."
"Yes," Bakura said with forced patience. "Yes you did. Would you mind explaining why?"
"I didn't mean to," Marik said, not quite as angrily as he should have. "I just…needed to rest."
Bakura's mind quickly put a few things together, and he blinked. "Marik," he said slowly, "when was the last time you slept?"
"Um…a few days ago?" Marik said weakly. "I don't know."
It was Bakura's turn to groan, with frustration, and he threw himself back against the grassy slope. "Why haven't you been sleeping?" he moaned, rubbing a hand over his face, completely fed up.
"Well…I didn't want to slow you down," Marik answered sheepishly. "I mean, you don't sleep. I just wanted to…keep up."
Bakura took a few very deep breaths, forcing himself to ignore the knife in his pocket that almost begged to be used. When at last he thought he could face Marik without killing him, he opened his eyes, looked directly into Marik's bleary, violet irises, took him by the shoulders, and said, "Let me make something very clear to you." He hesitated, registering that Marik didn't seem fully conscious, then added, "And I'm going to repeat myself after you've gotten some rest so I can be absolutely sure you understand me: Do not try to 'keep up' with me. I'm not human. You are. It is physically impossible for you to 'keep up'. And while you would stop slowing me down if you worked yourself to death so that I didn't have to deal with you anymore, I'd like to believe you aren't that bloody stupid."
Something flickered in Marik's hazy eyes. "Do you…want me to die?" he asked faintly. "Would that make things better for you?"
Bakura opened his mouth, but no answer came out, and he was surprised to find that he wasn't sure of one. He'd always worked alone through a host, or with subordinates, but never with someone who was something like an equal…and though Marik was exasperating and baffling and exhausting to deal with, they'd had a lot of fun together already. He closed his mouth and took a few moments to imagine Marik dying right here and now, and how his life would go afterwards. Would it be better?
"…No," he finally answered, as much to himself as to Marik. "No, I don't want that."
A smile tugged at Marik's lips. Then, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out.
Bakura sighed and let the impossible fool lie down. In all the millennia he'd been in existence, he had never had to deal with anything even remotely like this. It was a very strange sensation, having a new experience - and an unpleasant new experience at that. It was an even more strange sensation to realize that he would miss Marik if he died. Bakura had never felt that way about anyone before, not in three thousand years. How had he gotten attached - and to such an exasperating moron, at that? This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Attachment was for those who walked in the Light…
He felt a headache start to come on - the kind that came with mental strain, not physical injury - and looked around for something else to think about. He couldn't move Marik, not like this, especially since he didn't know how to drive a motorcycle…
That damn motorcycle.
Cold brown eyes fell on the hated monstrosity, lying a little ways down the ditch on its side. Was it even off, or was it still running?
Bakura sighed and stood up, deciding he might as well do something productive. He carefully stepped over Marik and approached the machine; it was still making some noise, so it was probably still running, but he realized that he didn't even know how to turn it off.
And that meant desperate measures.
Are you awake in there? he thought at the person sealed in Millennium Ring.
Yes, the reply came readily.
Do you know anything about motorcycles? Bakura asked him.
I could look, Ryou replied.
You do realize taking over would mean having to deal with whatever sort of damage this body suffered? Bakura pointed out. I can't tell myself, but it would probably be too painful for you to be able to do anything useful. Just tell me how to turn the bloody thing off, maybe how to tell if something's bent or broken.
I was watching just now, Ryou said; I know none of my bones are broken or anything, and it's probably even less severe than what you guys did to me last time. I can handle it, really.
Bakura scowled.
Do you want my help or not?
Why would you even want to help? Bakura demanded. I despise you, and you should hate me too, considering what my existence means for you.
Well, yes… Ryou said slowly. But…it's not like there's anything I can do to make you go away. Besides, it's kind of sweet how you care so much about Marik.
Bakura's eyes widened, and he turned on Ryou's heartbeat and all the other functions his body performed, then channeled all the resulting pain signals that were sent to the brain straight through to the Millennium Ring. I don't bloody care about Marik, he snarled as Ryou cried out from the sudden agony. I just don't want to deal with him whining about his precious toy when he wakes up - and I also have nothing better to do.
It seemed the flesh wasn't as damaged as Bakura had all but hoped, though, as Ryou was able to get a grip on himself even though Bakura was still sending all the pain to his consciousness. I was listening before, he told the malevolent spirit. I heard you admit to yourself that you care about him.
Shut up! Bakura snapped. Shut up right now or I swear I will take out my knife, carve the Eye of Wdjat on your chest deep enough to scrape your ribs, and then make you take over so you have to deal with it!
Ryou was silent in response to this.
Now, Bakura said, I'm going to let you take over so you can take a look at this bloody machine like you so badly want to. And I am going to watch. And if you try to say anything to me about Marik, I will take back control, and I will hurt you. Am I understood?
Yes, Ryou said meekly.
Good, Bakura spat, and he did as he said he would.
As Ryou looked over the machine Bakura hated so much, Bakura forced himself to focus on everything that was happening in Ryou's mind and through his eyes. Even thinking about motorcycles was a much better option than thinking about Marik.
~o~
Hours passed. A few people stopped to ask if they were alright, and Ryou sent them on their way with a smile and a few reassuring words of explanation. One or two good samaritans offered various forms of help, which Ryou politely declined for the most part, though he did convince Bakura to let him accept some help assessing the damage to the motorcycle. It, too, seemed relatively unharmed, and Bakura wasn't sure whether to be happy or unhappy about that.
Sunset had passed, and the moon was high in the sky, by the time Marik finally woke up. He groaned the moment he started gaining consciousness, as his body quite loudly trumpeted its injuries and protested all the abuse Marik had been putting it through and having slept in an awkward position at the bottom of a ditch for a whole day. Before he was even fully awake, he tried to speak. "'Kura…"
Surprisingly warm hands were on his arms a few moments later, trying to help him. "Can you stand?" a gentle voice asked as he was pulled up.
Marik moaned again. He had a fair number of bruises and a bump on his head, but, like Bakura, he had somehow managed to escape serious injury - by some miracle, he didn't have a concussion, so it was good that he'd slept. It was still difficult for him to find his balance, though, especially in the uneven terrain and the dark.
"I hurt all over," he managed.
"You were both lucky," that gentle voice told him. "We could have gotten seriously injured. But you seem to be alright."
Marik suddenly registered the voice, and he blinked his eyes into focus and looked up at a pale face whitewashed by moonlight. "Bakura…?" he asked.
"Erm…no," the shy boy said awkwardly. "It's Ryou, right now. Your, um, partner…is, um…a bit grumpy at the moment."
"Is he mad at me?" Marik found himself asking nervously.
Ryou hesitated an oddly long time before replying, "You could say that. Not too angry, though - he just wants a bit of a break."
"Okay," Marik said slowly. He looked around. "My motorcycle…?"
Ryou chuckled, the sound oddly serene and pleasant after over a month of Bakura's evil laughs. "It's fine," he told Marik; "we've been working on it all day to make sure it works properly. He was afraid you'd start complaining if something was wrong."
Marik blinked. "Oh," he said. "That was, um…nice of him."
The Millennium Ring gleamed momentarily, and then Bakura hissed, "Don't get any ideas, you idiot."
"Oh, Bakura, there you are," Marik said quickly. "I'm sorry about-"
"Don't bother apologizing," Bakura cut him off. "I know what happened, and as long as you promise not to be so bloody stupid again, I'll let it go." His eyes, sharp and cold once more, narrowed into a glare as he met Marik's nervous gaze. "I'll say it again, just to make sure you heard me: Do not ever attempt to 'keep up' with me. You can't, and you won't be doing anyone any bloody favors by trying."
"I'm sorry," Marik said meekly.
"As long as you start using common bloody sense from now on, I'll forgive you," Bakura spat. "Now come on, your bloody monstrosity is working just fine, and we can't stay here. Help me lift it."
Marik nodded. "Thank you for not just leaving me here," he said as they got ready to heft the machine Bakura despised with every fiber of his being back onto the road. Bakura took the far end, Marik the near; they lifted in sync without even having to say anything to each other.
"I told you, I can't leave you," Bakura said as they climbed out after Marik's motorcycle. "Honor among thieves, remember?"
"I remember," Marik said, smiling. Then he glanced over Bakura, suddenly noticing his battered appearance in the occasional glow of headlights as cars passed. "Wow, do I look as bad as you?"
Bakura went very, very still. A few moments passed. Then he sighed and admitted, "Worse, actually." Please don't please don't please don't please don't-
"Ugh!" Marik exclaimed. "We need to clean up!"
I said don't, Bakura thought, rolling his eyes.
Marik climbed onto his precious vehicle and started it up, relieved to find that it was indeed working properly. "Come on, Bakura," he called over the noise. "We're stopping the next chance we get."
"Of course we are," Bakura grumbled, getting on behind Marik. How could he have thought, just that morning, that he was attached, that he would be anything but relieved to be rid of this insufferable buffoon?
But as they got back on the road, Bakura was surprised to find that in fact, despite Marik's impossible nature, his own feelings were even more impossible than the human - somehow, he was still glad that Marik was okay.