Author's Notes: Not much to say about this chapter, other than it is ridiculously short. I just got the important bits over, and ended it there. For I am lazy, and that is my way. Also, I thank you all heartily for your reviews.

Sesen Chapter 14: The Great Snipefight

The former pharaoh stirred, yawned, and blinked his way into wakefulness. His back made a soft crackling-popping sound as he twisted about sharply. That couldn't be a good sign. He sat up dispite the unsettling sound, and took in his surroundings. A sterile, white living room. This had to be Ryou's apartment. Bakura was seated in the armchair a few feet from the couch, lazily munching on a large sandwich. His chest and sides were bandaged, and his expression was rather listless. He probably hadn't even noticed Atem waking up. Bakura's eyes were half-shut with darkening semi-circles under them, and Atem could clearly see blood showing through his bandages. The familiar ache of guilt came over him, settling as a hard knot in his throat.

"Bakura?" he said, trying to get the other's attention.

The thief looked back at him, blinking sleepily. "So the pharaoh has finally woken up," he said with an indignant snort.

"You're bleeding," Atem said, ignoring the comment.

"Not very much anymore," Bakura said lightly. He took another bite of his overstuffed sandwich and swallowed it. "Food helps a lot. Ryou made me this. After all the shit I put him through, he bothers to feed me."

Atem smiled awkwardly at the thief, feeling the obligation to ease any anxieties he might be having. How odd that only hours before, he had been cursing Bakura's name. Strange, what profound change a single event could bring. "Maybe he forgives you," he offered. "But forgiven or not, I don't think that Bakura-kun would let you starve."

The tomb robber took another bite of his sandwich and leaned slowly back into the chair, wincing at the motion. "You only know half the shit that transpired between us," he retorted. "If you knew anything about what I put him through when you weren't around, you'd wanna kill me."

"More than I do now?" Atem asked lightly, trying to remain amiable dispite his growing sense of dread.

Sleepy red eyes glared at him in response as Bakura spat his words. "Don't try to be so familiar with me, you," he hissed bitterly. "I hurt him, Atem," he said, dropping his voice to a low murmur. He cast his eyes down at the floor, seeming almost subdued. "You could never know what it's like. Sometimes, it was like I wasn't even in control of what I was doing. Those sharp charms on the Ring. The tower in Monster World. He had to have surgery on his hand, you know. I did even worse things to him emotionally. I didn't care then, but it's like I can fathom what I was doing, now, and..." He sighed. "Just fucking forget it, pharaoh."

Atem looked back at Bakura for a moment, stunned by the thief's words. He had always figured that Bakura knew exactly what he was doing, even that he enjoyed tormenting his friend the way he had. "How can you expect me to 'just forget it' after you unload like that?" he near-snapped.

"Just drop it," the thief deadpanned.

"I'm not going to drop it, Bakura!" the pharaoh barked.

Bakura snorted, chomping down the last of his meal before getting up with a wince. "Get the fuck out of my face, pharaoh," he muttered. Ryou and Yuugi were peeking in the living room doorway, at this point. they hadn't tried to break the snapping match up, which was probably a sound decision.

"Fine!" Atem shouted, the volume of his voice rising above the reasonably sane level one liked to maintain in a civil disagreement. He practically jumped off the couch, cringing at the sudden pain in his ankle and biting back a swear. It must have gotten twisted when that stupid whatever-it-was grabbed him. "If you don't want to tell me, then maybe I don't want to know!" he hissed through clenched teeth. Something about Bakura's behavior was so infuriating. He couldn't put his finger on it, but somethign about it made him feel profoundly betrayed. "Maybe all this moping and angst is an act, just like when you pretended to be on our side." The pharaoh stomped, or rather, limped, off in a righteous huff while Bakura stood motionless behind him and his friends watched him with a pensive interest. "Bakura-kun, thank you for letting me sleep on your couch. Yuugi, call Jiichan and tell him to come get us. I'm going to take a shower."

He swung the bathroom door open with enough force to send it smacking into the wall. It didn't damage the wall, thankfully, but it made an awful bang. He considered shouting at Bakura once more, even calling him a stupid tomb robber. Then, he remembered the promise he had made to himself as Bakura carried him away from certain death, and changed his mind.

"Stupid fucking tomb robber!" he hollered, stomping into the bathroom and giving the door a good slam.