The usual not owning any Yu Gi Oh…bla bla bla…here's ch 3…

                                     *Apologetic*

"You shouldn't have come here." Mariku spoke softly as he held the little boy in his arms. They had just finished their most recent lovemaking session and the two were snuggled up in Malik's bed.

   "You know I can't stand to be away from you." Little Ryou told him. "Besides, I don't care what Bakura does to me."

   "Yes, but I do. Ryou you just cant let him catch you." Mariku paused. "As much as I hate to see you go, I think you should leave before he gets back."

   Mariku also wanted him to leave before Malik got back. He was scared that Malik, out of jealously would tell Ryou about last night.

   "Yea I guess you're right." Ryou sat up and reached for his clothes. Pulling them on, he hopped off the bed and gave Mariku one final kiss goodbye before he left.

    Not even minutes after the boy had walked out of the room; Mariku heard footsteps outside the bedroom door.

   "Ryou, I thought I told you to…" Mariku's mouth dropped when he saw who was standing at the doorway.

   "It's not Ryou. And don't worry, I don't care anymore." Malik slumped into the room and flopped down on his bed.

   //What's up with you?//

   "You don't wanna know…god damn that bastard…" Malik sighed as he gazed out the window.

   "Hey, watch it. Ryou didn't do anything to you." Mariku snapped.

   "No, not him…Bakura." Malik muttered his name with a hint of indigence.

   "Gods, what happened now? I don't see any fresh wounds." Mariku scanned over Malik's face, and the only bruises that could be seen were left over from the previous night.

   "Mariku just drop it."

   "You're forgetting something aibou." He smirked as he crossed his arms. "I can read your thoughts…so are you going to tell me or do I have to force my way in?"

   "Mariku, no…you promised you would never-"

   "It's for your own good Malik…because I can sense what's going on."

   "Wha!!? But…but…I mean, I don't know what you're talking about." Malik turned his head as he blushed slightly.

   "C'mon Malik. It's obvious. You don't care that Ryou was here today, you are blushing like mad because we're talking about him…face it, you-" But Mariku was cut off when Malik jumped off the bed.

   "Ok! Ok! You win. So I find Bakura…attractive…gorgeous…extremely…So what?!"

Malik was staring out the window. He couldn't look Mariku in the eyes.

   "Whoa, slow down…I mean, you know you see something else in him besides his looks." Mariku stood up from the bed and walked over to Malik.

   "Nope, no, definitely not. I hate his guts…I still find him attractive, but what does that have to do with anything? Can't I find my enemy attractive?" He whined as he moved further away from Mariku.

   "Malik…shut up. Now are you gonna tell me what happened today, or…"

   //Do I have to read your thoughts?//

   "Ok, fine. Yugi Mutou called me this morning, asking me to come over Seto Kaiba's house. And I did…but when I got there, Bakura was there. Then they locked us in the room together…what?!?"

   Mariku was struggling to hold in a laugh. "Nothing…continue."

   "We got in another fight…but then, when we stopped…we just sat down, occasionally giving each other nasty looks. Then I had to be dumb enough to open my mouth and try to talk to the bastard." Malik paused for a moment as he tried to figure out why he would try and talk to Bakura in the first place. "Anyway, we started talking and things were going ok…but then he apologized to me, for last night."

   "HE WHAT?!?!" Mariku nearly fell over at those words.

   "Yea, that's how I felt. But I knew it was too good to be true."

   "And just how do you know that?" Mariku asked.

   "Because he said so! I was a fool to believe that Bakura could ever have a heart!" Malik couldn't take it anymore. Disgusted with himself, he turned to walk out of the room, but Mariku held him back.

   "You know…I think you two have more in common then you realize."

Malik just grunted as he ripped his arm free and stormed out of the room.  

* * *

  Ryou ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. When he ran into Malik on his way out of the house, his heart jumped. Not because he thought Malik would beat him up. But because he hadn't realized how long he had been at his house. Bakura would be home at any minute.

   Arriving at the house huffing and puffing, Ryou didn't take the time to catch his breath. As for what he could see, Bakura wasn't home yet. So he crept around back and opened the door, sliding in the house unnoticed; or so he thought.

   He was only inches away from his room when…

   "Ryou!" Came the deep voice from the living room.

He felt his legs go numb and every muscle in his body tense up. He had half the mind to run away, but he knew that Bakura would only catch up to him and beat him more severely.

   "Ryou! Come here." Bakura called again.

Taking in a big gulp of air; for he thought it would be his last; Ryou timidly made his way to him.

   When he rounded the corner, he saw Bakura standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. Bakura was staring at him, and making him feel like a helpless puppy.

   "So." Bakura muttered softly.

Ryou merely gazed at the ground.

   "Look at me Ryou!" He snapped, uncrossing his arms. "Did you think for one minute that you would get away with it? Is he really worth what you know is coming?"

   Ryou stared at his darker half, and slowly, he nodded.

What? That wasn't the response that Bakura expected. He didn't know what powers love had over this boy, but whatever it was; it was something that couldn't be broken. But Bakura was going to try.

   Brutally he brought his hand up and whipped it across Ryou's face. The small boy cried out slightly as he stumbled back, placing a hand to his cheek. Tears formed in his chocolate eyes, and when he blinked they fell down his pale cheek.

   Bakura was angry. He was angry with Ryou, with Malik, Mariku and himself; but mostly himself. What happened at Kaiba's house still tormented him. He actually apologized to another human being. That was something that he had never done before. And not just any person; it was Malik. He still couldn't figure out why, but he actually meant it when he said he was sorry, even though he told Kaiba and Yugi otherwise. What made him even angrier wasn't just the fact that he said it, but the fact that he meant it.

   Shaking his head a little, he snapped back into reality and saw Ryou staring blankly at him, with tears in his eyes.

   "Get out of my sight." Bakura whispered hoarsely as he turned around and walked over to the couch.

   Ryou took this opportunity to run, and he went straight to his room.

   Bakura sat, rubbing his temples, and thinking. What could he do now? For the first time in his life he had a strange feeling in his chest. He felt horrible for apologizing to Malik, and then telling him in front of Kaiba and Yugi that he didn't mean it, when he damn well knew he did. But then another question arose in his mind. What could he do to make it up to Malik? This was something he really didn't want to do…well, not really. As much as he hated to admit it, he did find the young blonde to be attractive, and who knew? Maybe there would be something deeper to Malik, if only he took the time to know him.

   Now Bakura felt like a total hypocrite. He had just hit Ryou for being with Mariku, when he himself was going to try and talk to Malik.

   Before he could give himself time to change his mind, Bakura stood up and walked over to Ryou's door. Knocking softly he called out to him.

   "Ryou, come out here…don't worry I'm not going to hit you again."

Bakura heard the footsteps coming closer to the door, and then Ryou's red face appeared.

   "Come with me." Bakura turned and walked away, with a confused looking Ryou trailing behind.

   The two walked in silence on the familiar city street that led to Malik's house. About five minutes into the journey, Ryou figured out where they were going, but he didn't ask any questions. He was scared that Bakura would hit him again, even in front of all the other people that were walking around them.

    Nearing Malik's door, Bakura hesitated.

   'Why am I doing this?' He asked himself.

Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants he brought his hand up to the door and knocked.

   The two waited in a tense silence for someone to answer the door, and when someone finally came, it wasn't who Bakura wanted to see, however, it was exactly who Ryou wanted to see.

   When Mariku opened the door, his eyes fell immediately on the red mark on Ryou's face. He then gave a quick glare to Bakura.

   'You…' Mariku made a fist, out of sight.

   "Can I help you?" He asked, trying to calm down.

   "I need to speak to Malik," He said, walking through the door. "I'm sure you two can keep each other busy."

    Ryou stood slack jawed as he and Mariku stared at each other.

Bakura had disappeared into the house, leaving the two alone…together.

   "What's up with him?" Ryou asked, stepping closer to Mariku.

   "Not sure…but I have a pretty good idea." Mariku took the boy in his arms, and lead him around back. "I think we should stay outside though, you know, incase they go at it again." But he knew that that was the last thing that would happen.

* * *

   Bakura wandered around the house until he heard a noise coming from Malik's bedroom. He walked over and peered in.

   "Ah! Bakura what the hell are you doing here?!?" Malik yelled, quickly ripping the covers off his bed and covering his body with them.

   "Oh…s-sorry…I didn't mean-you were changing…yea, next time I'll knock." Bakura blushed as he turned around, allowing Malik to finish getting dressed.

   Malik quickly pulled his clothes on and walked out of the room.

   "That's funny Bakura, I can't believe you just said sorry. Did you mean it or were you just lying?" He asked harshly, walking down the hallway to the kitchen.

   "Uh…yea, that's what I came to talk to you about." Bakura said softly, following Malik into the kitchen.

   Malik walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. Looking up from the chair where he sat he raised his eyebrow indifferently.

   "Uh huh, I'm listening." He folded his arms and stared at Bakura. His beautiful amethyst eyes nearly making Bakura melt.

   Bakura walked closer to him and leaned against the counter top, gently drumming his fingers on the marble surface.

   "Are you really?" Bakura asked smugly, glancing down at Malik with a smirk on his face.

   "What the-" Malik was about to get up from the chair, but Bakura pushed him back down again.

   "Just shut up and listen. I'm not one to take pity on someone, or to feel bad about an action that I have committed." He lifted himself up and sat on the counter, resting his arms on his legs casually. "But today…at Kaiba's, when I said sorry, I meant it."

   Malik took in a deep breath. Was Bakura telling the truth this time? This had been what Malik wanted to hear. But now the question was, why was Bakura apologizing?

   "How do I know you're not just lying to me again?" Malik asked coolly, leaning back on the chair.

   "I assure you, Malik, I am telling the truth about being sorry for last night, and every other fight for that matter. However, when I said sorry earlier about walking in on you…well, I'm really not." He stared at Malik, licking his lips slightly.

   "Bakura, what's up with you? You've changed." Malik stood from the chair and walked over to the counter where he was sitting. "Yet, it is a change that I don't mind at all." Malik positioned himself in between Bakura's legs and rested his hands on his legs. He wasn't really thinking about anything but how gorgeous Bakura was. His body was taking control, telling him yes, while his mind screamed no.

   Bakura's eyes widened at the sudden feel of the others hands on his body. For the first time, it wasn't a punch or scratch, but a tender feeling. He gazed at the beautiful boy that was in between his legs. All of the doubts that he had before were gone. He did want Malik; there was no doubt about it.

  At the moment, Malik was looking down, but Bakura brought his hands to the blonde's face and moved him in closer.

   "You do know that I still hate you, right?" Malik whispered, his face being only inches from Bakura's. He said those words, not knowing if he meant them or not. But Bakura silenced him when he softly placed his lips on Malik's.

   He didn't know what made him do it, but he was glad he did. It was a spur of the moment thing, and he thought he would just die if he couldn't at least kiss the boy that he had thought was so gorgeous for the longest time. Malik's lips were so soft and warm. He closed his eyes and nearly moaned at the thought of deepening the kiss, but he knew that it would be pushing it a little too far.

   Malik fell into Bakura's lap as he kissed him back, tightening his hold on Bakura's legs. He too, desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, and to taste Bakura for the first time, yet, something held him back. This came as a shock to the little Egyptian. He had never before dreamed about even being able to be in the same room with Bakura, let alone being in-between his legs and kissing him.

   Malik was really starting to enjoy the kiss, but, to his dismay, Bakura slowly pulled away, placing his hand on Malik's cheek.

   "I…think we should stop," Bakura paused and looked away. He had to stop, for his own good, or he would have wound up doing something that he might have later regretted. Then he brought his gaze back to Malik, "For now anyway."

   Malik smiled coyly at him as he backed away from the counter, allowing Bakura to hop off.

   "I suppose you're right." He whispered, almost sounding sad. "Hey Bakura…"

   "Huh?"

   "Oh…never mind." 'What just came over me? I kissed Bakura!!' Malik thought, but for some reason, he was glad he did, and he wished that he could have more of him. But then, another part of him regretted it. It was such a foolish move. Now he was open and vulnerable, now Bakura knew his true feelings.

   "Tell me." Bakura stated simply.

   "I don't know. What just happened here? We…well just this afternoon we were rolling around on the ground trying to kill each other, and now, well…"

   "I know what you mean." 

   'Now I'm hoping we'll be rolling around on the ground…not trying to kill each other though…' Bakura smirked at his own lewd thoughts.

   "What?" Malik questioned, noticing the slight grin on Bakura's face.

   "Oh, nothing." Bakura smiled innocently. "But, I think I have to go now…I-I'll see you sometime."

   "Ok." Malik muttered, sounding disappointed.

He followed Bakura to the door and walked outside with him. They walked around for a while, in silence, when they came upon Mariku and Ryou in the back yard lying on the ground together.

   Malik felt his anger growing, but decided not to say anything. After all, he was on good terms with Bakura now, and he wanted to keep it that way.

   When Ryou saw Bakura approaching, he was quick to stand up and move away from Mariku. Mariku noticed Malik, and he could do nothing but smile. Malik was walking with Bakura, and there were no more bruises on either of their faces.

   //I take it that went well?// Mariku eyed him curiously as Bakura and Ryou began to walk away.

   //I suppose.// Malik had a small grin plastered to his face.

   "Goodbye Ryou." Mariku yelled to him as the two boys started down the street. Then he turned back to Malik.

   "Well?" Mariku stepped closer to him.

   "Well what?"

   "You aren't going to let him get away that easy, are you?" He nudged Malik in the ribs.

   "He said he has to go."

   "You know he's lying. You have nothing to do and neither does he."

   "Well, what do you want me to do?" Malik questioned irritably.

   "Go after him fool! Don't let him get away that easy! Invite him to dinner, go somewhere with him, I don't know, just call him back! Hurry before they go to far!" Mariku said this for Malik as well as himself. As long as Bakura stayed, so did Ryou. Mariku pushed Malik hard in the direction of Ryou and Bakura.

   "Bakura!" Malik yelled down the street.

Bakura stopped and turned his head. He waited for Malik to run up to him.

When Malik reached him, he hesitated, not really knowing what to say. Bakura chuckled softly to himself as he watched Malik fumbling over his words.

   "Bakura, you wanna…I don't know…that is, if you're not busy…how bout we hang out for the rest of the night?" Malik looked down at Ryou, who had a hopeful look on his face. If Bakura said yes, then he would get to be with Mariku.

   Bakura too, looked down at Ryou, and he understood why the boy had a grin on his face, and as much as he hated seeing the two together, it didn't seem to matter that much anymore. He really…really wanted to be with Malik tonight. After that kiss, it seemed as though Malik had him wrapped around his finger. He hated feeling this helpless, yet at the same time, he loved it.

   "Sure." He finally spoke up.

   "Yey!!" Ryou skipped around Bakura, unable to hide his glee. "I mean…uh, that's nice." He said quickly, noticing the look on Bakura's face.

   "So, what did you have in mind?" He asked Malik as all three began to walk back to the house.

   "Not sure, maybe we could head out tonight, go downtown, then take a ride on my yacht." Malik looked at him as he thought, 'My yacht has a nice bedroom.'

   "Sounds good." Bakura smiled a little. 'Wonder what we can do on that yacht…'

   Mariku was standing at the end of the driveway, and Ryou ran up to him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

   "I'll pretend I don't see that." Bakura mumbled as he and Malik walked past the two. Malik grinned, he was glad that someone else felt the same way.

   "You find it gross too huh?" He asked, holding open the door for Bakura.

   "No, I just don't like Mariku."

   "Uh huh." Malik glanced away, thinking it best not to go deeper into this topic. He still hated Ryou, but decided not to voice his opinion. As the two walked back into the living room Malik decided to change the subject. "Anyway, where do you want to go?"

   "I wanna come! I wanna come!" Ryou bounded through the door and into the living room where they were.

   Malik fought the urge to kick him in the head.

Sensing the tension, Bakura spoke up.

   "No, you're not going." He said sternly.

   "And just why not?" Mariku asked, coming up behind Ryou and grabbing him around the waist.

   "Because-" Bakura started.

   "It's ok. If you guys want to come, then you can." 'I need somebody to steer the yacht while…' Malik smirked.

   "What the?" Bakura stared at him.

   "It's ok Bakura. The more the merrier, right?" He whispered as he winked at him.

   "Oh…Oh! Right." Bakura couldn't help but laugh.

   "Yey!" Ryou yelped. "So, where are we going?"

   "Not sure. Just don't come too close to me alright." Malik brushed past him and grabbed the keys to his motorcycle and yacht. "I don't wanna have to hit you."

   Ryou gulped as he took a step closer to Mariku.

   "Don't worry Ryou, he won't hit you." Mariku said, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

   //Do I make myself clear?// Mariku looked right at Malik.

   //Whatever you say.// "You coming Bakura?"

   "Yea."

Malik grabbed his jacket and headed out the door with Bakura right behind him.

   "Meet us at Domino station!" He yelled back in the house.

   Then he hopped onto the motorcycle and Bakura climbed on behind him.

   "Hold on tight." Malik said loudly over the sound of the engine.

Bakura wrapped his arms around Malik's waist, and moved in closer, until his body brushed up against Malik's. He held on a little tighter than was necessary, but neither one minded.

   Malik knocked over the kickstand and they left, speeding down the road towards Domino Station.

Another chappie done and gone!! Hurray!! *Throws everyone a Malik plushy*

Malik: *sighs*

Here's one for you Malik *hands him a life size Malik plushy*

Malik: Yey!!

Oh, Malik, here's another one *hands him a life size Bakura plushy*

Malik: Why would I want this? I don't really like Bakura, that's only in your story. *runs off with Bakura plushy, leaving the Malik one behind*

Hopeless case ^_^

                                     Ja Ne!