Author's Note: In one of the reviews I was asked if Bakura was living with Yami. I'm sorry I didn't make this clear before, and I shall now outline living arrangements for everyone.

Yami lives at Yugi's house, but Yugi spends so much time at Kaiba's it's practically Yami's house now.

Bakura lives with Ryou but spends so much time at Yami's house that he's sort of a permanent guest. So no, Yami and Bakura are technically not living together, but they might as well be.

**

In Which Things Get Complicated

**

"And… the Dark Magician destroys the Flame Swordsman." Yugi sighed. "I win again." He looked critically at Joey across the table from him as he gathered up his cards. "You haven't played this badly since I was first teaching you to duel. What's the matter?"

Kaiba lowered the newspaper he was reading and glanced at the cards set out on the table. "I knew you were an amateur, puppy, but even you should know better than to send such a weak card up against the Dark Magician."

Joey blinked as if just now realizing his mistake. "Oh…" he began to pick up his cards and absentmindedly shuffle his deck. "Sorry Yuug, guess I'm just a little distracted today. Want to play again?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't think playing again would help. Want to tell me what's the matter? You're not acting like yourself."

Joey shrugged. "Just been thinkin'…"

Seto snorted and turned the page of his paper, muttering, "Definitely not acting like himself…"

And as if to prove something was seriously wrong with him, Seto's thinly veiled insult failed to even get a rise out of Joey. Joey just sat there, flipping through his deck, that same blank, contemplative look on his face.

Yugi shot Kaiba an annoyed look, getting up from the table. "Let's go talk in another room and leave Kaiba to his business news." Joey got up slowly and followed Yugi into the other room.

Seto sighed as he watched them go. Yugi only referred to him as "Kaiba" now when he was really mad at him. Perhaps he'd pushed him a little too far this time.

Yugi rounded on Joey the moment the door was closed behind them. "Alright. What's the matter with you? The only time I've seen you this quiet is when you're asleep, and sometimes not even then."

"I do not talk in my sleep," Joey muttered.

"Yes, you do," Yugi said. "But that's not the point. You've been moping around all day. Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Joey sighed. "I've been thinking about Marik."

"Marik? What about him?"

"Nothin'. It's just… I wish he wasn't such a greedy prick." Joey sat down on the edge of the table. "Was it ever like that for you? Like, you wished Kaiba wasn't such a jerk so you didn't have to feel bad about liking him?"

Yugi shrugged. "Well, I guess. There were plenty of times he frustrated me. But I know he really loves me, so I just emotionally blackmail him into being nicer."

Joey shook his head. "I don't think that'd work on Marik. He 'said' he liked me… but with guys like that it's hard to believe 'em."

"But you like him anyway?"

"I dunno." Joey shrugged slightly. "I think I 'could' like him. We get along when he's not being psycho. But I think he likes being psycho a little too much to put it aside for me. I think he's tryin' to use me to get the Millennium Puzzle again. I'm really getting sick of him doing that."

"Well…" Yugi said slowly. "Maybe you should do what I did with Seto."

"Spend so much time around him being cute that he finally couldn't take it anymore?" Joey guessed.

"Um, something like that," Yugi said, flushing slightly. "Just get to know Marik. Talk to him, and try to understand why he does these things. And when you guys understand each other, things will just… click. You can't change a person, you have to make them want to change for you."

Joey raised an eyebrow at Yugi. "You really think that will work?"

Yugi shrugged. "My other idea was to lock you both in a closet together."

"I'll go with the first idea."

**

"Why are we doing this again?" Bakura asked. His hands fiddled with the pendants hanging from the Millennium Ring.

Yami glanced up at him from where he was writing hieroglyphics on a piece of notebook paper. "Because if we get this right, Joey will finally be happy."

"Oh." Bakura thought about that. A moment later he asked, "And why is it that we should care if Joey is happy or not?"

"Because he'll quit calling and taking my attention away from you," Yami said with a smirk, ripping the paper out of the notebook and getting up to give Bakura a quick kiss. "And hopefully keep Marik from bothering us as well. Good enough reasons for you?"

Bakura nodded. "Sounds good to me. Might as well get this over with then."

Yami lit the think white candle on the desk, holding the notebook paper above it. The paper caught fire burning away into ashes that floated lazily onto the table. Slowly, hieroglyphics etched in green light began to take shape in the candle's smoke.

Bakura clutched the Millennium Ring and began to chant in Egyptian. Yami took a step back so they were standing side by side, his deep voice joining into the chant as he held the Millennium Puzzle tightly.

Shadow Realm energy rose up around the candle, then carpeted the walls in thick darkness. Neither spirit ceased the incantation even as the candle went out. The eyes of Horus on their Millennium Items began to glow, chasing the darkness away.

As the dark energies dissipated, they found themselves standing in a throne room of a lovely Ancient Egyptian palace. Yami smiled faintly at the place, seeing that it was exactly as he remembered it.

"Of course it's exactly as you remember it," someone said from the doorway behind them. "This is your memory we're standing in."

Yami and Bakura turned around to face the massive form of a Blue Eyes White Dragon lounging calmly on the polished Egyptian tiled floor. The Dark Magician stood calmly beside the dragon, bowing low to Yami.

"An honor to see you again, Pharaoh," said the Dark Magician politely.

"And a pleasure seeing you again as well, Hansha," Yami replied.

Bakura peered up at the dragon. "You're a lot bigger than I remember, Shiroi; you been gaining some weight?"

"Speak politely, little tomb robber, lest I eat you," Shiroi purred back sweetly.

Hansha tapped Shiroi's shoulder with his dark magic staff in reprimand. "None of that, Shiroi, we're here on business." He turned back to Yami. "You wished to speak to us on the matter of your friend, I believe?"

Yami nodded. "We've been trying to set our friend Joey Wheeler up with a… not so close friend, Marik. Unfortunately it's not been going so well."

"And we figured since you two were such hot-shot matchmakers, you might be able to help," Bakura added, already looking kind of bored.

Hansha looked uncomfortably. "That is more a matter for their own Guardians. We are not really permitted to interfere with someone else's charges."

"Can you put us in contact with their Guardians then?" Yami asked.

"Leave it to us," Hansha said. "We'll talk to them for you." He looked up at Shiroi. "Would you happen to know who this Joey Wheeler's Guardian is?"

Shiroi thought about it, then made a face, which was most impressive looking on a dragon his size. "The Red Eyes Black Dragon of course. Damn, I was really hoping to not have to talk to her in my lifetime again." At Yami and Bakura's questioning looks, he explained, "Scorned lover."

"And who is Marik's Guardian?" Yami asked.

"Oh, that one's easy," Shiroi said with a laugh. "Obelisk, of course."

Bakura's eyes widened. "Obelisk the Tormentor?"

Shiroi snickered. "Is that what you mortals are calling him these days? More like Obelisk the Crybaby. He's my sister Midori's youngest son, and he bawls like a little child if he even scrapes his knee."

Hansha sighed, poking the dragon. "You summon Ruby, I will call for Obelisk."

The two duel monsters concentrated, and slowly two Shadow Realm portals opened, thick with sapphire light and darkness. Out of one stepped a beautifully regal lady, her gleaming black hair tied back, her eyes glimmering brightly red. She paused a moment, shivering slightly, then reshaping herself into the form of the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

The two dragons in the room took up quite a bit of space, and Shiroi grumbled a bit and finally reshaped into his human form, dressed casually in white sweatpants and a t-shirt, inching a little closer to Hansha so he was not so close to the Red Eyes.

The Red Eyes inclined her head toward Yami. "Why Pharaoh, I'd never imagined I would be summoned before you."

Hansha cleared his throat. "Pharaoh Yami, allow me to introduce Ruby, the Red Eyes Black Dragon."

"An honor meeting you," Ruby murmured. "Is there a problem perhaps?"

"Not at all," Yami said. "We're here to discuss the mortal you guard, Joey Wheeler."

Ruby nodded, then narrowed her crimson eyes. "I have protected him well, no harm has come to him lately," she announced defensively.

"No, that's not why we called you here," Yami said calmly. "We're not accusing you of doing a poor job. Actually, we need your help with something."

"As soon as Obelisk gets here…" Bakura grumbled.

The other portal spit lightning, thunder rumbling throughout the room. Everyone flinched as a massive hand reached through, tearing the portal open much wider, and the ever impressive Obelisk stepped through, shadow realm energy crackling all about him in an impressive display of might. "WHO DARES CALL ME?" thundered his powerful voice, causing the walls to shake.

"Quit showing off and get your butt down here!" Shiroi shouted up at him.

Obelisk was silent a moment, the thunder and lightning dying down around him. "But Shiroi…!"

"Down!" Shiroi ordered.

Obelisk folded his arms. "You're no fun." And he shrunk to a size a little shorter than Yami, looking intensely pouty. At that size he really did look like the little crybaby kid Shiroi had described him as.

"That's better," Shiroi said. "Now, where were we?"

**