Bouncer

Inside his soul room Ryou sighed and shifted again. It was hard to get comfortable on the hard floor and the lack of any interesting occupation didn't help. Bakura was attending History of Magic classes and they were boring the white-haired look-alikes to death.

He could tell that his problems were shared because his soul room walls were constantly shifting color, something Bakura resorted to only when his boredom had reached massive proportions. Of course, normally when Bakura got this bored he would just go destroy something with Marik, tease Yami, or go terrorize innocent people. If all else failed Ryou was always available as a boredom buster. Ryou shuddered at the thought. Bakura hadn't done anything physical or actually hurt him, just... ugh, the mental chaos he'd been thrown into had been awful.

He quickly diverted his mind to other things. Like Yami, who hadn't even seemed to notice how horridly boring this whole thing was. The pharaoh was staring at Hermione, a dreamy look on his face, completely oblivious to the way Ron was glaring at him. Bakura picked up on his train of thought and smirked. /Pharaoh's got it bad./

/Yeah/ Ryou agreed tentatively. He didn't think Bakura would mind him talking, he was in a relatively good mood now that his attention had been diverted anyway.

/Think we should help him/ Oh good, Bakura was just bouncing ideas off him. That was always nice when it happened.

/I think so/ Ryou replied uncertainly/He is your friend after all./

/I know that hikari./ Bakura's tone turned suddenly frigid. /Just because I don't like your friends doesn't mean I don't know what friendship's about./

/S-Sorry./ Ryou stammered, taken off guard by the sudden turn of events.

/Oh whatever/ Bakura dismissed him. /Class is almost over now anyway/ he added in a slightly conciliatory tone /So there'll be something else for you to do then put up with me./

/Yes Bakura./ Ryou said quickly. He didn't want to create problems now. Not when Bakura was being so nice.

/Good hikari-chan./ Bakura smirked at the startled look on Ryou's face as he quickly scribbled down his notes. The boy was so fun to tease. He always reacted and then got all flustered about reacting. And he had some good ideas sometimes too. Like this latest thing with Yami. He'd have to talk with Marik about it. Yami was no fun when he was moping.

Yami sat on his bed, brooding. Things were never like this in Egypt... he drifted into a trancelike state, remembering...

"Pharaoh, Pharaoh." A voice called. Yami ignored it, tired of listening to his advisors. He knew that they were only trying to help him learn how to run his country better; but still, they bored him. He was the Pharaoh Atemu Sa-Ra and as such his word was law. He didn't need their advice. He would do what he saw fit.

"Atemu hm." They called again. This time he sighed and slipped out of his hiding place, keeping in the shadows as he made his way towards the throne room. His people were waiting for him.

Yami sighed again, this time in the real world. Must everything remind him of his duties? He just wanted to relax, maybe talk to Hermione. She was the only one of these wizards that wasn't completely clueless. None of the others had the intelligence to be worth his time. Like Yugi's friends.

At the thought of them his head sagged. After the 'incident' at Battle City and his brief state of madness none of them had wanted to be around him anymore. And that had meant that they avoided his hikari too. Yugi understood them. He always did. Yami on the other hand didn't even want to understand them. He just wanted them to get out of his life if they wouldn't be a part of it. They could be his friends, or nothing. He wasn't going to accept rejection from them. Instead he left.

"Hey Yami," The voice was soft, surprisingly gentle, or surprising to anyone who didn't know the former thief as he did. "What's up?"

"Just... thinking." Yami's reply was hesitant. He still felt that it was wrong to open up to anyone.

"Come off it Pharaoh." Marik this time, sitting next to him. "You've been like this for a week now. We know something's the matter and we won't leave you alone until you tell us what it is."

"It's nothing." Yami insisted. "And since when do you two gang up on me?"

"We gang up on you only when you insist on lying to us." Bakura said, as the white-haired teen flung himself onto his bed and lay there, staring up at Yami. "So spill."

Yami sighed. He knew that he couldn't win here. The two of them wouldn't let up until he managed to satisfy them. "All right." He said finally. "But don't you dare interrupt me." The two fiends laughed and nodded, agreeing with Yami's terms.

"It's nothing big really. It's just that ever since... then; I've been afraid that people won't like me. Normal people I mean; not you. You two don't count. You're even less sane than I am."

"Finished?" Marik asked him.

"Yeah I guess," Yami admitted. "Looks like it didn't take that long after all. It just feels like it should take ages to tell about."

"I know," Marik agreed. "I've... oh what the hell, let Kura answer you. Ra knows I've got my own problems to worry about without trying to analyze yours."

"Idiot," Bakura agreed, a hint of tenderness creeping into his voice. "Anyways, the answer to your problem, Pharaoh, is obvious. Go ask her."

"What. Why. Who. HOW?" Yami stammered. "I'm not that obvious am I?"

"Yes." Marik replied firmly. "You are. Haven't you noticed the looks the redhead's been giving you when he thinks no one's looking? He's jealous because Hermione spends more time with you than she does with him. That alone ought to tell you what her answer will be."

"But don't ask her out on anything really... official yet." Bakura agreed, smirking at him. "Start with something ordinary, or rather, something that would be ordinary if not for it being just the two of you."

"Yeah," Marik agreed; standing and moving over to sit on Bakura's back. "Make her want you before you actually let her know you like her."

"Get off me," Bakura snarled at him, twisting so that the taller yami fell to the floor. "I'm not a chair." He reached down, catching Marik's hand in his and pulling him to his feet. "Okay?"

"Okay." Marik agreed, smirking, "But that doesn't mean I can't do other things..." He ran his fingers along Bakura's sides and in moments the two were engaged in a ferocious tickling contest.

"You have a point." Yami said softly, staring down at the two fighting spirits. "I'll do it." And he walked out of the room, a new purpose in his step.

Behind him two pairs of eyes watched him go, two identical smirks gracing the Egyptian's faces.