Author's Notes: This is a response to a LiveJournal challenge to write something that indicates why you think your favorite pairing is particularly 'beautiful'. I, naturally, had to choose Darkshipping, because I just adore the thought of Bakura and Yami getting past the misunderstanding at KuruEruna – let's face it, we all know it wasn't Yami's fault; even Bakura – Yami was an INFANT at the time... ::is rambling::

Anyhow, this fic is very short (there was a 60-minute time limit for the challenge), and it may seem a bit plotless and random, but it's just my take on how their relationship would work. As it is kind of an obscure pairing, why not make the way they discover their feelings for one another obscure as well? ::grins::

Warnings: Swearing, as usual... not much else this time. XD

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! = not mine. I never have liked math.

Enjoy!

A Good Challenge

We sit, facing each other across the low table in Yugi's – my aibou's – living room. I am not entirely sure what possessed him to challenge me to yet another duel. He knows he cannot beat me – he never has, and he never will. He is doomed to come within a hairsbreadth of defeating me, putting on a show, but falling short in the end.

I tell him this, and he laughs at me.

"Shut your royal mouth and duel me, Pharaoh," he sneers, drawing his first hand of the game.

I draw my own hand with a flourish; it's all just a game, after all – I might as well make it fun.

He taunts me, the way he always does, with a slightly manic gleam in his eyes. His determination is clear, and I am infatuated by it. He is not willing to give up, no matter how many times I trounce him. And it is not as if trouncing him is a particularly easy feat, either – no, Bakura is a very skilled duelist; he is nearly my equal.

I just have a lot more luck.

He has two face-down cards, and I wonder vaguely if they might be traps. I can tell by the leer he is directing at me that he knows I will attack anyway. Traps are easier to deal with when you know what they are, and the only way to determine that is to set them off.

Bakura is probably the strangest person I have ever come across. No matter how many times I send him to the Shadow Realm, he always manages to slip back into the mortal world. I have no idea how he does it, and honestly, I do not think I WANT to know.

That will not be the outcome today, however.

When he showed up at the Game Shop, I was surprised, to say the least. He swaggered in here, all confident and smug, as usual.

"Duel me, Pharaoh."

I asked him why, and he said he was bored. I did not believe this for a second, naturally; he never does anything just to do it. There is always a catch with him, and I told him so.

"I won't even try for the Puzzle, if that's what you're worried about. I told you – I'm bored out of my damn skull."

I asked him what he expected in the case that he won, although we both know that he will not. He seemed to consider it for a moment, although I could tell from his amused look that he had already thought of that ahead of time.

"Loser does any one thing that the winner asks for."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"So in other words, if you win, you intend to demand that I give you my Puzzle."

He scowled at that.

"Don't be dense," he snarled, and I could tell I must have offended him by hinting that he was predictable, which is, admittedly, far from the truth, as he proved by his next statement: "If I win, you're taking me out somewhere, and you're paying for the whole damn trip."

I did not bother to hide my astonishment. He glared at me like he wished me dead, and I couldn't help but wonder,

"Why would you want to spend more time in my presence than absolutely is necessary?"

He just sneered.

"Are you going to accept my challenge or not?!"

I never back down from a challenge.

So here we sit; he, in his usual arrogant way, has managed to diminish his Life Points down to eight-hundred and thirty with very little help on my part, and is still prattling about his imminent victory. But to his credit, he has brought my own down to five-hundred and ten.

I just smirk and draw the card that will dismantle his strategy.

Moments later, the table is clear, and he is glowering down at his deck, as if blaming it for his... how many times is this? His third – fourth loss to me? I am beginning to lose track.

I feel the corner of my mouth twitch up. He is rather cute when he is being all petulant. I think I like him more each time he takes me on.

"What's your prize, Pharaoh?" he snaps, the malice in his words toned-down a bit in face of his defeat.

"That trip of yours sounded kind of fun, actually," I admit, and his head snaps up. I can see the wary look in his eyes. He thinks I am trying to mock him. How touching.

"I mean it," I say. "And as the victor, I get to decide where we go and who pays." He scowls. "And I decide that we can go wherever you wish, and I will pay." Now he looks positively floored. I stand, and he quickly follows suit.

"You're joking," he says, and gives me a searing look, trying to root-out my ulterior motive. Poor thing can look for days; he is never going to find it.

Because there is none.

"I do not 'joke'," I tell him calmly, and he seems to agree with this, albeit reluctantly.

"Tomorrow, then," he says, straightening his posture a bit; he is trying to impress me. It is working. "At six o'clock. I'll meet you here. Be prepared for anything, Pharaoh – I'm not a cheap date." And then he is gone. Bakura is one big mystery to me.

I always have liked a good challenge.

End Notes: No matter how unloved Darkshipping is, it will always be my favorite... ::contented sigh::