Chapter 20

"I beat you," Bakura called cheerfully, coming into the light, where Yami and Marik were sitting. Hermione would have been there but one of the teachers had called her off to discuss her grades and Hermione could never resist talking about schoolwork.

"Beat us how?" Yami asked him curiously.

"I got to tell about our past thingy first." Bakura replied cheerfully. "Now you'll probably get to explain the details to Hermione. Is something wrong?"

Yami shook his head. "There's nothing wrong really. I was just thinking."

"Ra," Bakura shook his head disgustedly. "You and Marik both just thinking. Isn't there anything else for you to be doing?"

"It's better than studying," Marik defended himself. "And besides, it's something I've been wondering about for a while. Ever since Malik made me as a matter of fact." He smirked and stuck out his tongue. "So there."

Bakura just sneered at him. "That doesn't change the fact that you're no fun when you do that. I'm going to talk to Ryou. At least he won't be obsessing over things he can't control."

The other two stared at him as he walked off. "What's got into him?" Yami asked finally. "He's never this angry. Or that rude."

"Dunno," Marik shrugged, "I think he's just mad that we're having DDA with Snape next time, seeing as Lupin still hasn't arrived. They've hated each other ever since that mind-reading incident, remember?"

"Yeah," Yami laughed. "That was funny. Or at least it was funny the way Bakura told it. Must have been really embarrassing for Snape though. Imagine if you tried to read someone's mind and they ended up reading yours instead."

"Bakura would never let me hear the end of it." Marik groaned. "Can you imagine the taunts he could think up about that one? Ugh." He shuddered. "I'm glad I'm not that incompetent."

"Same here," Yami agreed. "That would be awful if I couldn't even do such a simple spell as reading someone's mind – and if Bakura gave Snape permission to then he wouldn't have put up any resistance – without messing up. Can you imagine? That would mean I was like Joey!"

"Awful. And that's probably why Snape hates him so much."

"What about Bakura?" Yami asked. "That's an explanation for Snape's behavior, at least, that which is not inspired simply by the fact that Bakura's in Gryffindor, but why does Bakura hate him so much?"

"Simple," Marik replied. "It's the one thing about him that even I managed to figure out quite easily. He likes being in control. I'd call him a control freak if I didn't want to be polite. And since he obviously was not in control with that mind reading episode, he hates Snape. I think he'd just dislike him if it weren't for Snape's hatred of him. But wouldn't you hate someone who hates you that much?"

"Yes," Yami found himself agreeing. "I would." He shook himself quickly. "But you know, that does explain a lot about him. I never actually thought about it. He's not the most pressing of subjects for thought, or at least, he isn't in my mind. Still, that would be why he treats Ryou the way he does. Control."

"Exactly." Marik smirked; satisfied that he'd made Yami think about it. "It's all there once you get that one piece. And that's part of what I'm thinking about. If the hat would truly send all who are evil to Slytherin, and it didn't insist on sending me there, or him, then does that mean that our extenuating circumstances are things like that? That Bakura's obsession with being in control of things somehow makes up for what he does? And that the same applies with me? Or is that just something I made up to try and justify myself?"

That's a hard one." Yami remarked. "Really hard. But I think that he's right. If your past gives you a reason to want to do something, or to hate someone, then it's not as bad as it would be if it was simply something you wanted to do. It's not just your own fault that you are the way you are, and that means that what you are isn't as bad as it could be. Does that sound right to you?"

Marik nodded. "Yeah... I think that's what I was trying to figure out. Thanks Yami." He looked up suddenly, "Hey, I wonder if Bakura really is talking to Ryou-baka. Wonder where he is."

"Go find him then," Yami replied, smiling, "I know you want to."

"Thanks," Marik smiled back at Yami. "I wouldn't want to offend you or anything but... Bakura's just special. I don't know why."

Yami just rolled his eyes as he watched Marik run off.

Bakura was indeed talking to Ryou. The hikari quite enjoyed those rare occasions when Bakura actually wanted to talk to him and so provided excellent company. Neither had to worry that Ryou would forget something and get into trouble, because his lessons had been drilled into him so thoroughly that he wouldn't even hesitate if Bakura told him to jump off a cliff. His yami would probably have a reason for it though, if he ever did that.

They were on their tower, deep in a discussion on the occult symbolism, if any; of the ingredients for the potion they had been making that day, and whether the potion would work just as well without those few ingredients that had an occult significance. Ryou didn't even notice when Marik came up the stairs, though Bakura did. Bakura noticed everything.

"Hey, Marik," He called cheerfully, "You're the potions expert. Do you think that this would work the same way if we replaced these ingredients?"

Marik shrugged helplessly and came over to check the lists. When Bakura got interested in something it was impossible to make him think of anything else. And besides, this sounded sort of interesting.

"I think that if you took that one out then the potion wouldn't work the same." He said finally, "But the others could just as easily be replaced with the ones you specified."

"Hmm," Bakura looked thoughtful. "What if you replaced them with these? Would it work as well then? Or would it still have the same results?"

Marik blinked at the list he was holding. Bakura's choices were... interesting to say the least. "I'd need to look these ones up." He told them. "I don't know the uses of half of them."

Bakura produced a couple of fat books and handed them to Marik. "Would these work? They're what I've been using but I've been looking for different stuff in them."

"They'll work fine." Marik told him absently before returning to his study of the book. "And I think that these should work. Except for the snakeroot. That's not a magical ingredient." He looked up just in time to see Ryou stick his tongue out at Bakura. "And what do you think you're doing?" He glared at the offending boy.

Ryou cowered backwards, not answering, just staring at Marik wide-eyed. "He's fine." Bakura said calmly, reaching out to pull his hikari closer to him. "We were arguing about whether or not that would work earlier." He pulled a face at Ryou. "Looks like I lost."

Marik stared for a moment and then shook his head. "You put up with a lot from him don't you?"

"No, I don't think so." Bakura said, looking at Marik strangely. "Ryou's just gotten good at keeping within the boundaries I set. Hasn't Malik? I should have thought that would be normal."

"I don't set boundaries." Marik replied with amusement evident in his voice. "I don't really care what Malik does. He's there for me to use as an anger management tool." Marik smirked at his own joke. "I don't know what you think Ryou is, but whatever it is Malik isn't that."

"Ryou is my hikari." Bakura's lips twitched at some private joke. "And whatever else I want him to be. Right Ryou?" Ryou just nodded.

"You know..." Marik trailed off.

"What?" Bakura asked, curiosity roused by Marik's behavior.

"I don't actually need Malik around anymore..."