Chapter 6

"What were you doing up in your room for so long?" Harry asked Bakura at dinner. "Marik came back and said you were doing something but he didn't know what. You were almost late for Charms"

"Nothing important, just finding out a few things," Bakura winked at Yami, "I didn't know I was so popular."

Ron gave him a weird look and Marik blushed. Yami's eyebrows rose noticeably but he didn't say anything. Bakura just turned his attention back to his food.

"Hey," Malfoy had come up to sneer at them. "I know what you are."

"Really, what's that?" Marik asked him.

"No, not you, I mean the freaky one. You're not only stupid you're a bully. And you know why bullies do what they do don't you?" Malfoy sneered at Bakura.

"Yeah, 'cause they're afraid, will you leave me alone now?" Bakura asked him dully not looking up.

"What's with you? Are you okay?" Malfoy looked concerned for a second but when he didn't receive a reply he shrugged and swept off muttering "Whatever,"

"Wow," Ron looked impressed, "I've never seen Malfoy actually be civil to a Gryffindor before."

"Malfoy's never been civil to anyone outside of Slytherin before. What's happened to him?" Hermione joined in.

"Maybe he's actually growing a brain to fill that empty skull of his." Yami suggested.

"Or maybe you just don't know him." Bakura's comment caused all of them to turn and stare at him.

"Are you sure you're okay? If you're seeing some good in Malfoy there must be something wrong with you."

"I'm fine, just tired. If you don't mind I'm going to bed." He left without waiting for an answer and the others just shrugged and went back to their conversation.

"So why did Malfoy act like that do you know?" Harry asked.

"No idea myself but Bakura's probably right." Marik told them absently.

"What, you actually think that Malfoy's really a good person. If so then you're way too trusting. I mean Malfoy of all people!"

"I'm sure he doesn't mean anything like that." Yami said, "Isn't Umbrage a terror though!"

"She's horrible, and I've still got that detention with her tonight. Speaking of detentions I've gotta go. I should be there in two minutes."

"Okay, Harry, see ya tomorrow then." Ron said.

"Yeah, later. So what did you think of the ancient runes class?" Hermione asked, turning to Yami. "I took that class one year but quit because it was too hard trying to do everything at once."

"It was okay, I guess. Not much good really, they got a lot of things wrong but better than I would have expected."

"Wrong? The teachers don't get things wrong. The things they teach have been carefully researched and have been proved to be correct." Hermione looked shocked that he would even consider thinking such a thing.

"Yeah, but then this is ancient stuff so it is logical to assume that there is a margin for error is it not?" Yami said, amused.

"Well, yes, but-"

"We know they got some of the things wrong. They're studying hieroglyphs and I grew up in Egypt." Marik told her.

"Well, I guess you could be right."

"Hey, I wonder when Quidditch tryouts are going to be. When are you guys going to learn how to fly?"

"Does it matter? I mean learning to fly on broomsticks just so we can play this weird sport of yours? We already know how to fly."

This got them Ron's immediate undivided attention as he tried to persuade them that it was worth it. Unluckily for him he said that Quidditch was the best game in the world. This, of course, triggered another argument and they spent the rest of the evening arguing about which was better, Quidditch or Duel Monsters.

When they all pronounced themselves ready to go to bed it turned out that Yami and Marik didn't remember which dormitory was theirs. Harry showed them the door and tried to open it. Instantly a pit appeared under him and he fell through into the Gryffindor Common Room. The pit vanished as soon as he had fallen through it.

"Are you okay?" said Yami who had rushed down as soon as he had seen Harry fall through. "Sorry about that I should have warned you."

"What happened?" Lavender asked

"Oh, Harry here activated our safety feature. We forgot to tell him that we'd spelled the door." Marik was smirking as he said this.

"Oh, okay, I'm fine, see ya tomorrow."

"Ya see ya." Marik waved and dragged Yami up the stairs with him.

"Mind explaining why the door was booby trapped Marik?" Yami asked him in an undertone.

"I left Malik up there and forgot about it. That's probably what 'Kura was doing for so long, cleaning up the mess I made."

"Ah, I see. Negate magic, activate." The card glowed and Yami and Marik were able to pass safely through. Once in they stopped, staring at the scene before them. Bakura and Ryou were curled up on his bed together, a small smile curving Bakura's lips as he lay there with his arms wrapped around his hikari.

Marik looked envious although he was obviously trying to suppress his emotions as he stared at the pair on the bed. Then his attention shifted to Malik who was sprawled out in the corner. "Malik," he snarled. The boy jerked awake, trembling at the sound of his voice. "What happened here?"

"W-when do you mean master?" Malik's voice was shaking as he spoke.

"Ever since I left this room, fool. And why are you wearing Bakura's shirt." Acid dripped from Marik's voice.

"W-when you l-left B-Bakura c-cleaned my back off and gave me this shirt instead of the other one. My one is over there." Marik nodded looking slightly mollified. "Then he left and I went to sleep over here. I didn't wake up until he came in again."

Here Malik paused obviously unsure of what to do next. "Go on Baka." Said Marik, annoyed at the hesitation.

"H-he changed into his PJs and then couldn't seem to stay in his bed. He jumped out like it was full of hot coals. Then he put the trap on the door and separated from Ryou. Ryou was asleep already and Bakura just picked him up and put him in his bed before climbing in himself and going to sleep. I don't know what happened after that; I sort of fell asleep again."

Marik nodded and took over Malik's body again. Yami smirked and grabbed his clothes disappearing for a moment and reappearing ready for bed. The two soon joined the rest of the castle in sleep.

Bakura yawned and stretched, waking up from one of the most comfortable nights he had ever spent. It took him a while to notice the terrified Ryou staring up at him from the bed. When he did he smirked and trailed a lazy hand through the boy's hair. Ryou, if anything, looked even more terrified than before. Bakura shrugged at that, and vanished, once again taking control of Ryou's body.

Back in his soul room Ryou breathed a sigh of relief. When he'd woken up in Bakura's bed like that his mind had immediately jumped to the worst conclusion. What had happened, though, had convinced him that nothing like that was going on. Nothing would have stopped Bakura from having his fun if that had been what he'd wanted. It had been a shock waking up like that because Bakura had never shown any evidence of wanting to do anything like that to Ryou. Apparently Ryou's translation of Bakura's actions had been correct though, as Bakura hadn't acted like anything unusual was going on. Now Ryou's biggest concern was his hunger.

The yamis went down to breakfast but Bakura excused himself, taking some food and heading off to eat by himself. Marik looked wistfully after him and Yami whistled. "Whatever it was you did, he sure is taking it hard."

"But that's just it; I didn't do anything." Marik protested as Bakura's figure vanished from sight.

Bakura, meanwhile, climbed up to the top of one of the more isolated towers, getting himself completely lost in process. Once at the top he separated from Ryou again and calmly perched on the edge and started eating a piece of toast. After a minute he noticed that Ryou, who was kneeling in front of him, was staring at the food. As he looked at the boy Ryou's stomach gave an audible rumble and Ryou both blushed in embarrassment and trembled in fear.

Bakura just smirked again and broke off a piece of the toast, placing it against Ryou's lips and waiting. He was pleased by the reaction. Ryou's eyes got huge and he stared at the toast like he had never seen anything like it before. Glancing up at Bakura for permission the hikari took the food with his teeth and consumed it. He ate it slowly, trying to make it last, as he wasn't sure when he would next get to eat.

Bakura chuckled and alternated between feeding himself and Ryou. It wasn't much but Ryou was grateful for anything Bakura gave him. Bakura wasn't nice often so this was an occurrence to be savored. Unluckily for this plan Bakura had a class to get to so as soon as the food was gone he tossed Ryou back into his soul room and took over again.

During classes Bakura and Marik both seemed distracted. During Defense Against the Dark Arts Yami drew random pictures and Bakura just stared off into space. Marik spent most of his time alternating between staring at Bakura and his desk.

At lunch Bakura again grabbed some food and ran off. This time however, Marik followed him. When Marik finally caught up with him he found Bakura again sitting on the parapet of the tower feeding Ryou tidbits while he ate lunch. Marik was understandably surprised at the scene. He half expected Bakura to glare at him and order him to go away. With the way the fiend had been avoiding him it would be the obvious course of action although he wasn't planning on acceding to the other's wishes.

"Hey Marik, care to join me? I just hope you brought your own lunch 'cause I'm not sharing."

Marik laughed relievedly, displaying the tin full of sandwiches and separating from Malik as this was obviously the correct thing to do at the moment. He perched on the edge next to Bakura and started eating as Malik came over to kneel on the other side of Bakura, purposely staying as far away from Marik as possible without breaking the rules.

"So I guess I owe you an explanation." Bakura wouldn't look up as he said this.

"Only if you want to explain, I don't care as long as you stop avoiding me."

Bakura laughed and tossed Malik an apple, "Alright then, I was sorta dreading having to explain anyway. Just, don't use whips again. Ever." It was not a request.

Ryou's eyes grew as wide as saucers at the mention of whips. He'd never had one used on him and didn't want to; and if Marik had been using one then that meant Malik...

"Okay, whatever you say goes. Why are you feeding my hikari by the way?"

"'Cause I feel like it. You don't mind do you?"

"No, just wondering. Do what you like with him, I don't care." Malik shivered at the words spoken so calmly that could decide whether or not he would be able to move tomorrow. Ryou looked slightly envious for a moment before shrugging and ignoring it.

"I don't really want to do anything. Except sit here of course." Marik chuckled at that last. After a silent lunch they headed off to Divination which was again an interesting lesson as Marik led them into a discussion of how the future can be altered; using the way Isis's vision had been nullified by Seto's actions as a basis for his ideas. Professor Trelawney was adamant in her view that the future could not changed while Bakura stayed out of this argument, spending his time instead on looking through the Professor's cupboards at all her stuff.

Some of the things he seemed rather impressed by although most of them he passed over disgustedly. There was one crystal ball that he pulled out and asked where it had come from. "Oh, it was given to me dear." Professor Trelawney trilled happily looking at the black crystal held in place with delicate twists of silver wire. "The most delightful man, he said that someone would come for it someday who would be able to use it. Apparently it's destined for a special person. There's another like it, only that one is even more special. I've never been able to see anything in either of them."

"Of course not," Bakura was matter-of-fact about it. "Only the true owners of these can see in them. Could you bring out the other two please?"

"How did you know there were two others?" The professor's voice shook slightly at this revelation, "I only told you about one."

"Look," Bakura held out the crystal which he held between his cupped hands out to the professor and everyone could see the images which flashed through it. Yami and Marik dressed in strange Egyptian garb gazing into the brother crystals which hovered in the air before them. Yami's was of gold wire with a ruby stone and Marik's was also gold although his stone was a milky white with veins of light violet running through it.

"Wow," the students breathed in amazement. This was the first time they had actually seen anything in a crystal ball other than the strange half formed cloud shapes that normally appeared. These clear, sharp images were much more than those.

The professor looked and brought the others giving them to their respective owners. Yami stared at his in shock. "I never thought I'd see this again."

"So this did belong to you before?"

"In my past life, yes it did."

The bell ringing signaled the end of both class and conversation and they left with their crystals. The chatter of the boys in the hall swirled around them as they stared at the crystals. Finally Marik looked up at them.

"I remember, but, how? I wasn't there was I? Malik made me; I'm not some ancient spirit or anything."

"No, you've been reincarnated like Seto."

"Oh, I get it now. Cool."

Bakura completely ignored everything during Potions class, instead fiddling with his crystal, twisting the wire into different shapes. Snape was not happy about this and swept up to him staring inside his empty cauldron. "I thought you were here to learn potions Mr. Bakura. Why are you not making the Draught of Peace that I have been instructing you on?"

"I hate potions." Bakura's voice was calm and devoid of any emotion.

"And why do you not enjoy this class?" Snape was hissing now.

"It's not the class. I just don't like the subject matter." Bakura still wasn't letting emotion into his voice.

"Would. You. Mind. Explaining. Why. You. Don't. Like. Potions."

"Yes, I would. If you want to know then read my mind and find out."

"If you want me to then I will." Snape glared at him. "Report to me after dinner. In the meantime I strongly suggest you make the potion as I told you to."

Bakura sighed and poked his wand at the cauldron which immediately became filled with a liquid the surface of which was a light silver vapor just as it was supposed to be. "What did you do?" Snape hissed at him.

"I just took a shortcut so I wouldn't have to actually make the potion when I could simply conjure up the finished ingredients."

"Potions is not simply a case of the results. It will be interesting to see how it tests out." Snape turned to address the class. "Fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name and bring it up to my desk for testing. Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion making, to be handed in on Friday."

Bakura filled one flagon with a sample and poured the rest of his potion into a small glass jar that couldn't possibly have held that much liquid. The other yamis did the same before they brought their flagons up to Snape and left.