"MAAAARRIKKK!!!" Yarik called from the bedroom. "Why do you own so much purple?" he yelled.

"Because it's my favorite color. Will you hurry up? I have things to do today."

Several more minutes, Yarik emerged from the room, dressed. Bakura couldn't help but stare. Yarik had managed to find tight clothes in Marik's way-too-loose-for-Bakura's-liking wardrobe. Tight, black leather pants, a not-too-tight black short sleeve shirt over a black fish-net long-sleeve shirt, black ankle boots, and random bits of gold jewelry.

"Damn..." Bakura whispered.

Marik elbowed him. "Come on, let's go."

---

Yarik rested his chin on the top of Bakura's seat, next to the headrest. "Where are we going?" he asked like an innocent little kid.

"Put a seat belt on," Marik warned.

Yarik obliged. "Where are we going?" he repeated.

Bakura climbed into the driver seat. "Marik's got some shopping to do but I gotta stop over at my apartment and get my wallet."

Yarik looked around the car. "Why doesn't your car have walls?"

"It's American," Bakura explained, starting the engine. He leaned over and planted a kiss on Marik's lips. "I like imports," he joked, smiling.

"Are you two dating?" Yarik asked.

Before Marik could answer, Bakura turned on the CD player, tuning out the surrounding sounds.

Yarik sat back in his seat, startled by the wall of wind he was met with. This was his first time in a car, so he settled in for the ride, watching the world speed by him.

Bakura pulled into a parking spot, then led the two blondes up to his apartment. "Hey, Jounochi," he said, upon entering the apartment. "Have you seen my wallet?"

Jounochi sat on the couch, his back to the trio. "Try in your pants. Where I stripped them off of you last night," he said shortly.

"Uh...thanks, I'll go get--"

"I thought I was your friend, Bakura."

Bakura stopped. "Huh?"

"You. Me. Friends. Like Marik and you."

"We are," Bakura said, confused, missing the change of expression on Marik's face.

"Then why did you use me?" Jounochi asked darkly.

"I..."

"You what? Were too drunk to remember? Confused to wake up next to me, barley clothed? Got the hell out of there and called Yami to make out with?"

"What is he talking about, Bakura?" Marik asked, his voice starting to get the same edge as Jounochi's to it.

"We, uh...went drinking last night," Bakura explained. "Nothing happened, I swear."

"Nothing," Jou repeated. "So kissing someone is now 'nothing.'"

"It was the heat of the moment, Jou, gods, I'm sorry."

"And if I hadn't been tired, huh? The sex would have just been 'the heat of the moment?' We could put it behind us like nothing? Like just a mistake or some way to get off without a commitment? Who do you think I am, Bakura?" Jounochi stood up and whirled around. He ignored the other two, not even registering who they were. "If I wanted easy sex, don't you think I could get it from someone other than my friend?

"But god," Jou continued, tightening his grip on the couch, closing his eyes. "You had to just top off the betrayal with leaving me in the morning." He had explained to Bakura how he felt being alone, but even worse after falling asleep with someone. Several times, they had fallen asleep together on the couch after a movie, and each time, Bakura was careful to wake Jou before getting up.

"And then I got up to find you, to ask you what happened." Jounochi's eyes welled up with tears. "And I find out it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what happened, because you don't care."

"Jou, I care, I--"

"NO! If you cared, I wouldn't have found you curled up with Yami on the couch! You DON'T care about me!" He wiped away the tears that were falling down his cheeks. "I'm so stupid," he whispered, falling back on the couch, sobbing.

"You're a jerk," Yarik broke the silence.

"Shut up, Yarik," Bakura grumbled.

"No, he's right," Marik voiced. "And what we were doing? It's over. I was just as stupid to think you cared about me."

"Huh?" Bakura asked, confused. "We were just--"

"Friends with benefits," Marik finished for him. "Like before. Only this time, I thought it meant something."

"Marik..." Bakura moaned.

"-What?- You do this shit with my ex and the fucking PHARAOH? Don't you know me at all, Bakura? Or do you just not care? Consider the friendship over," he spat, whirling around and leaving.

"Fuck," Bakura muttered, going to his room and slamming the door.

Yarik looked between the two doors, then over at the couch. "Uh...Jou? That's your name, right?"

Jounochi sat up, looking over at Yarik. "Uh..."

Yarik walked over to Jounochi and gently wiped his tears away. "Please don't cry. Not over Bakura."

"Yami Marik?" Jou whispered, scared out of his mind.

"Just Yarik. I'm different then I used to be. Or at least I hope to be."

"What are you doing here?"

"Bakura was giving Marik a ride to do something and he had to stop here, and now that they both ditched me, I'm--"

"No, no...I meant...here...existing. Yami banished you forever--"

"Forever never lasts for an eternity. Don't you know that? You know how many times Yami Bakura's been sent to the Shadow Realm? And yet, here he is. Fucking people over one way or another. You want to know why he's here and Yami's here and why I'm here? The same reason they exist in this time and part of the reason I was created in the first place."

"The...Items?"

"Yup." He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "We're anchored here indefinitely. You can't tell me you think Marik would have done that entire shit over the God Cards and crap if it were as simple as banishing Yami to the Shadow Realm? If I was to--could--banish you to the Shadow Realm, that's it, done. Because of the ancient magic investing in it. And as everyone knows, you fight fire with fire. Only strong magic can undo strong magic."

"Very informative," Jounochi said softly.

Yarik sat up and adjusted himself to face Jounochi. "You know what the best part of being alive is?" he asked excitedly.

"Um....no..."

"Well, what are your favorite things to do?"

"Eat and sleep, what else is worth doing?"

Yarik looked into Jounochi's eyes. No, really, he was face-to-face with Jounochi, staring deep into his eyes. "You don't mean that," he finally said.

Jou knocked him out of the way and stood up. "Don't tell me what I do and don't mean."

"But Jounochi...you have to have more reason to live! There's got to be! Like...well, like, Marik always says that the ocean and sky amaze him."

"I like the ocean," Jou said softly, sitting back down.

"And friends and love and all the stuff that I never knew existed. So don't let a little set-back make you turn off the world."

Jounochi stared at Yarik, impressed. "Alright."