I'm Not Like You Chapter 2: Romancing, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

WowWowWow! I never expected my first chapter of this to be such a big hit! I'm glad all of you like it so much! I guess it's because I'm basing it on what I go through damn near every day. Well, to all of you who reviewed...

THANK YOU!!!

Now on to more pressing matters...the group liked my song well enough, but now they want me to try writing more! I think the easiest way to test them is on you, my loyal readers. Hope you don't mind!

Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything in this fic.

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Malik fumbled in his pockets, looking like the world had collapsed around him. Which, in all manners of speaking, it had. How could Ryou? They had barely been together for one day, and then there he was with Bakura's tongue shoved down his throat.

A little open-mouth sob passed by Malik's lips. Where were his keys?! He threw the little plastic...thing that he had pulled out of his pockets after shoving it in there over a week ago on the ground.

Firm arms grabbed him from behind, holding him to an even firmer chest. "Stop that. Didn't anyone ever tell you that throwing a tantrum is not the way to get what you want?" "Let me go, Marik!" "No."

Sharp teeth found his ear, nuzzling his hair. "I never want to let you go, baby." Malik pulled away with a cry. "Just stop it, already! I don't like you!" Marik just looked at him evenly. "Do you hate me so much that you won't even give me a chance with you?"

Malik panted, a wide-eyed look upon his face. "You have no idea how much I hate you! Ever since I started going to that school, you made my life hell! Why, huh? Why? What did I do to make you hate me that much?! Am I such a horrible person that you took it upon yourself to torture me?!"

Marik caught the bundle of Malik that was...Malik, and pulled the boy into his arms. "Malik, I don't hate you! Gods..." Marik slipped a hand against Malik's neck and under his chin, forcing him to look into his eyes. "I love you."

Malik gasped at the admission, seeing all of the emotions swirling in Marik's eyes. The taller smiled softly at him, moving a bit closer to the outcast. Malik let his eyes fall half shut as Marik moved in for the kill....

BAM!!!

Marik stumbled back, holding a hand to his aching jaw. Malik looked at him fiercely, fire in his eyes. "Just how gullible do you thing I am??? Just because Ryou and I had a fight doesn't mean that I don't care about him! And I will not go around making out with any boy that comes my way because of it!"

Marik could only stare. "But I thought...that you were interested." "Maybe I am. And maybe I'm not. But you have no right to try and take advantage of me just because of a little wave with Ryou!"

Marik let out an unintelligible sound. "Malik, I wasn't trying to take advantage of you, really!" "Bullshit! That's all anyone ever tries to do! Everyone thinks that just because I'm a pretty boy, I'm a slut!" The look on Malik's face sent out the message that he didn't know what to do; hit Marik or burst into tears.

Now, Malik Ishtal does not cry. With that thought in mind, he pulled his fist back and swung at Marik, the other just dodging him. "Why? Why do people keep doing things like this to me?" Marik caught the skinny wrist and pulled the body attached to it into his arms.

Malik openly sobbed into Marik's strong chest. "Everyone sees me as just a piece of ass anyway. All of the thugs that are always following me home. That creepy gym coach that is always staring at me. You. That jerky police man...."

Malik got off of Marik and tried to make himself look presentable, despite his red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Marik. I don't know why I'm acting like this. I guess I'm just a little emotional right now. Sorry. I'm going to head home." Marik reached for Malik's hand. "I'm the one who got you so upset. At least let me take you home."

"You don't have to-" "Malik. I want to." Their eyes met. "I wasn't lying to you before, Malik. I love you." The smaller looked away from him, his eyes on the ground. "Shut up, Marik. I can't deal with this right now."

Marik stepped closer to Malik, shoving him up against a wall. "I can't hide my feelings from you, Malik. And if you want me to lie to you, then I would have to deny you. I have loved you from the first time I laid eyes upon you."

"Don't lie to me, Marik," Malik said, looking away. "You hated me. And I hated you, too. You're first word's to me were 'first time I had a stalker get the look right.' I was nothing to you. I'll never be anything to anyone."

Marik slipped a hand up Malik's shirt, brushing it over a soft nipple. A light gasp slipped through the smaller of the two's lips. "What are you doing?" "Shh. Hush now, Malik. Just hear me out, okay? I promise that I'll make it worth your time."

"Get away from me, Marik. I'll call the feds on you if you don't back off." Marik pressed his lips against the area just beneath Malik's ear. "I don't want to back off. I want to be near you. To be touching you. You set me on fire, Malik. You make me alive."

Malik was breathing in little gasps, Marik sending sensations through him like he'd never felt before. "Un, god.... All right, all right. I'll hear you out. Just stop it, already." Marik grudgingly pulled away from the velveteen skin.

"Good. But not here. Let me take you to someplace where we can talk." Malik gulped. "If you say 'a hotel room', it's grounds for your castration." Marik gave him an odd look, then started laughing, heartily. "I promise, no hotel rooms."

Malik smiled, softly. "Great. Now if I can just find my damn keys, we'll go." Marik dug into the inside pocket of his letterman jacket. "You mean these?" he asked, pulling out… Malik's keys!

"You thief! When did you grab these?" "You dropped them on your way out. I figured that I would find out which vehicle they went with and total it, but I suppose I could return them. On one condition." "What's that?"

Marik leaned right down into Malik's face. "Kiss me." Malik froze and responded coldly. "I'm sorry, I just hallucinated." "Oh, I doubt you did. Kiss me, Little Lotus. Or you'll never see them again."

"Marik, that's blackmail! No fair!" Marik placed a hand upon Malik's butt and pulled him close, their crotches rubbing together. "No one ever said life was going to be fair, my desert flower." "Marik, stop it—hrmph!"

Marik had placed an abrupt stop on Malik's protests, using the smaller's already parted lips to his advantage, pressing a firm kiss upon them. Malik whimpered, slightly, hands moving up to push Marik off of him. Yet, instead, he grabbed the taller boy's shirt, taking their kiss deeper.

Marik slid one arm around Malik's side, hugging him, lightly, and broke the kiss softly and slowly. "My little flower." "Marik...that was a mistake," Malik said, firmly, turning away from Marik. "You seemed to think it was an enjoyable mistake."

"Can you just give me my damn keys?" Malik asked, weakly. Marik smiled softly and handed them over. "Remember... you promised to go somewhere with me." "I know...." "I know of a great smoothie shop in the mall. If you want to go there."

Malik frowned. "My ex-girlfriend is a waitress there... not a good idea." Marik winced. "Evil ex's. Can't fight them." "She's not evil. She just hates... you know, 'your kind'."

Marik cocked his head. "What's 'my kind'?" "Well... God, you know what I meant." "No, I don't. Enlighten me. What do you see as being 'my kind'?" Malik blushed and answered softly. "Jocks, preps, people like that."

"I just love the way you classify people," Marik scoffed. "After years of 'you stupid outcast', what do you expect me to be like? You were the ones to separate us into groups, first. We just returned the favor."

Marik looked at him softly. "I... I'm sorry. I guess I didn't know. Or didn't realize. How much it hurt." Malik didn't respond to that. "I know a place we can grab a shake or something." Malik climbed on his bike and gave Marik a sad look over his shoulder.

"Well, get on."

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Ryou sat in the cool, hard chair in Rage Beat's lounge, head in his hands, sobbing. Bakura stood behind him, warily, not sure whether it would be appropriate to try and quiet his fellow albino's sobs at the moment.

"Hey, come on, Bunny. If he left you that easy, he couldn't have been much of a prize, anyway," he offered in comfort, ignoring the icy glare that Ryou sent him. "Oh, be silent! This is partially your fault as it is!"

"My fault? How is this my fault?" "You kissed me! When you knew that I was going out with Malik!" Bakura snarled. "Well excuse me if I missed the memo. Besides, you know that you were flirting with me first."

Ryou looked scandalous. "I most certainly did not!" "Oh, sure you didn't." Bakura lifted Ryou's chin to get a look at the bruise forming where Malik had hit him. "He popped your butt good, Bunny."

"Oh, just leave me alone." Bakura instead picked Ryou up and into his lap. "Do you want me to tell you why I kissed you? It's because I'm absolutely infatuated. Your voice, your beauty, everything about you just sets me on fire. I want you, Ryou. I want you to be mine."

Ryou tried to pull out of Bakura's arms. "E-excuse me?" "You heard me. I want you. And come hell or high water. You. Will. Be. Mine!" Bakura growled into Ryou's neck, tightening his hold on him.

The smaller quivered in Bakura's lap, looking like... well, a bunny. Bakura chuckled. "Imagery a little too strong for you?" "J-just a bit," Ryou stuttered out, shaking. "Well, I guess I've said all that I wanted to. Besides, I think you more than hate me at the moment."

When Bakura made to leave, Ryou grabbed his arm. "Stay...." The taller looked back at him. "Why? We both know that it won't do any good for me to stay with both of us worked up from tonight."

"I don't want to be alone...." Bakura pressed a kiss onto Ryou's forehead. "You won't have to be. What do you want me to do?" "Stay with me. Please don't leave me all alone."

Bakura sat down again and simply looked at Ryou. Seeming to notice him. Just staring off into space in Ryou's general direction. "What is it?" "Did you know that about 80 of teenagers think that they have found their soul-mates before age 16?"

Ryou tilted his head. "No. Really? That's a lot of people." "Mm. And most of those relationships end in less than a year." "Wow. ...Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because. Usually, when someone feels that way, he or she and the person were friends beforehand. Didn't you feel that you and Malik were destined to be together?" Ryou blushed. "I guess. I mean, we were always close, so I suppose I might have felt that way."

"Were you right?" Ryou scoffed. "Obviously not. But I never thought that he would get so mad. Wouldn't even let me explain...." Bakura rolled his eyes. 'Malik this, Malik that. God, this kid needs fucking therapy!'

"Are you listening to me?" "No, not really," Bakura answered, cruelly. Ryou huffed and pouted. "You asked for my opinion, you know." "I changed my mind, so shut up." "Why you bloody ingrate!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on in here?" Yami asked, poking his head in the doorway. "Fuck of, Yami. We're just having a conversation, is all." The more be-spiked boy gave him a knowing look as if though saying 'how long were you planning to keep it that way?'

Yugi peeked around the elder and cocked his head, curiously. "Hey, Ryou. Why did Malik leave?" "You saw him? Where?" Ryou asked, hurriedly. "He was in the parking lot getting on his bike with that Marik guy."

The room froze. "He...left with...Marik? Oh God." Ryou and Yugi exchanged a look. "What? What is it?" Yami asked, wondering as to what would cause that reaction. "Malik sees that bike as a Goddess. If he let someone else on it...it means that he doesn't even care anymore." Ryou sobbed, lightly.

"Ryou was the only person he ever let ride it because 'she's picky'. By letting Marik on, he threw the gauntlet, saying 'you've been replaced'." "Do you have to put it so bluntly?" Ryou whined. Yugi muttered an apology.

"So...what, Malik has...accepted Marik, or something? Like, now he likes him?" Bakura asked, cluelessly. "Mmhmm." Yugi crawled into Ryou's lap as Bakura thought to himself, 'way to score, Mar! Well, at least part of the plan is going as we wanted. Now all I have to do is get Ryou over your new toy.'

"That's low. And you two just broke up, too," Bakura said, voice full of fake sympathy. "Oh, like you care. Anyway, I'm sure that Malik and I are still friends. I mean, we've been friends forever. I don't think some un-working relationship could mess that up for us."

Yami and Bakura exchanged looks and the more spiky-haired of the two shrugged. "I guess you know him best. But a word of advice: don't get your hopes up too high." A glossy, pink lip was snared between two rows of pearly, white teeth as Ryou nibbled on his bottom lip, softly.

"I guess you're right...."

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A sleek, black limo drove through the streets of Domino City. The person inside was obviously late, for the car was going very, very, fast. Seto Kaiba sat in the back section of the limo, clicking away at his laptop.

"Can't you go any faster?" he asked into the speaker, talking to his driver, Ron. "I'm sorry, Sir. The traffic is very bad right now." "Well, we wouldn't be having this problem if we were on time, would we, Ronald?" "No Sir, Mr. Kaiba."

The only sound that penetrated the silence was the clicking of the keys. For you see, Seto Kaiba was a very rich, very important man. He alone was in control of the company that owned half of the city.

So for him, being late was not an option. Ever. "Stupid teacher. Making me stay late because I'm not 'participating constructively' in the classroom." His grumbling and muttering was cut short by a loud honk of the horn.

"What is going on up there?" he screamed into the speakerphone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba. It seems that there has been an accident. Traffic has come to a dead halt." Seto punched the seat. "You have to be fucking kidding me!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba. It looks like we're going to be even more late than we thought." 'Perfect. Just absolutely perfect.' "I'll handle this myself." The tall brunet opened the door and stepped out of the limo.

True to report, traffic was at a standstill. More people than him were stepping out of their cars. "What is going on? Why has traffic stopped?" Kaiba demanded of another person on the street.

"Well, from what I can gather, some kid ran out into the street and caused a wreck." 'Oh, wonderful.' True to the Kaiba 'tude, Seto walked haughtily up to the front of the traffic jam.

Up towards the blockade's beginning, it appeared that a fight was breaking out. "Why don't you avoid running into the road next time, you bone head!" "We' I wouldn' a been out in da street if dat jerk ova dere 'adn't pushed me!"

Seto stepped into the crowd that gathered around the fighting pair before the group around him all fell back as one of them had been shoved into the crowd. As the fallen one fell into his arms, Seto didn't even bother to catch him.

When he looked down to see exactly who was on the floor, he couldn't really say that he regretted that decision.

"I know dogs belong at their master's feet, but this is ridiculous." "Oh, shu' up, Kaiba, an' 'elp me up." "No, I don't think I will. After all, why should I take orders from an animal?"

The blonde splayed across the road before him growled before getting up. "Shut up, Kaiba! You 'ave no righ' ta be talkin to anyone like tha!" Seto sneered. "With that accent, you have no right to be talking at all, Wheeler."

Joey Wheeler made a move to flatten Kaiba's face, but was stopped by the man that had shoved him in the first place. "I'm not through talking to you yet, you useless kid! What did you think that you were trying to pull? You might not have anywhere to be, but the rest of the world does!"

He took a swing at Joey's face, pretending to forget that Joey was at least 10 years his junior. The Brooklyn blonde thought to himself. Which was a bigger threat; this attacking fool, or turning his back on Kaiba.

Kaiba answered his question for him. He stepped past him and grabbed the man's arm as it neared Joey's face. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's," he threw the man back into the crowd, "impolite to interrupt?"

The man blinked, shaking his head, trying to clear it, when Seto leaned down into his face. "If you have somewhere to be, I suggest you go there. I wonder just what the current punishment is for attempting to strike a minor, don't you?"

A shudder raked the elder's form before he glared at the brunet. "Fine. But if I see him in the streets again, there is no saying that he'll be safe!" "I don't care! Move it!"

Joey blushed at the idea that his sworn enemy was standing up for him and decided to get rid of the crowd gathered around. "Wha are you freaks starin a? Da show's over!" Slowly but surly, the crowd began to dissipate.

"I didn't need your help, Kaiba. I can take care of myself," he said to the taller teen once the general crowd had left them alone. Kaiba ignored what had been said to him and started a whole new conversation at a hat's drop.

"Do you get some kind of sick thrill from making people hate you, or are you just lucky that way?" Seto straightened out his wife-beater and fiddled with the collar of his ever-gravity-resistant trench coat.

"Wha?! Kaiba, you jerk! The only person dat 'ates me 'round here is you, and I ain't so fond'a you, eitha'!" "Is there some kind of book to translate that horrible accent? You're in Japan, learn to talk like it!" "I'll talk howeva' the hell I please, and no stuffed shirt like you's gonna' stop me!"

Seto just rolled his brilliantly blue eyes. "Get in the car." 'What am I thinking? I'm not really going to help this fool dog, am I?' "I'm not goin' no where wit'chu!" "I wasn't kidding, dog. Get in the frickin' car!" 'Since when have I been so crass?'

Joey thought about this. On one hand, this was Kaiba. Kaiba! The guy that went out of his way to make Joey's life a living hell! On the other hand, how many other choices did he have? Would he really be able to go back to that apartment and watch his father drink himself into a monster once again?

"All righ'. I'll get in da car, but chu better not pull any funny stuff." He got into the limo through the door held open by Seto's butler/driver/person-thing. "I wouldn't waste my time to 'pull any funny stuff' on a useless frivolity as yourself."

Joey sulked, both from the rudeness of the words, and the fact that he had no idea what that 'frivolity' word meant, anyway. It was so much worse to have a name called of you when you didn't even know what it means.

"Where are you headed dog? Kennel? Pound, maybe?" Joey glared. "I am not a dog!" he growled, with a very dog-like expression upon his face. "Whatever." An uncomfortable silence filled the automobile.

"Could ya drop meh off at da Kame Game Store? Dat's where I nee' ta go." Seto nodded, thoughtlessly, and repeated the location into the speaker, receiving a crisp "yes, Sir," in response.

After a few minutes, the endless clicking of the keys of a laptop was once again all throughout the limo. Every time that Seto would pause without warning then start up again with more ferocity, Joey would shift in his seat. Finally, an over-exaggerated sigh was heard as Kaiba put his computer away.

"Why a game store? Planning to make yourself an even bigger laughing stock by learning a few card tricks? Or do you hustle for money in the slums?" "Don' gimme tha tone like you're betta than I am because you livin in your own little fantacy world. Anyway, it ain't your business where I choose ta go."

Seto shrugged. "Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought him back." The blonde's nose crinkled at the cutesy rhyme that just did not suit a man like Kaiba. "Muh friend's family runs da place, not like you care."

"Mmm, actually I do. I like games. They're very good for relieving stress. Perhaps there could be something of interest in this 'game shop' you speak of." "Mr. Kaiba," the voice crackled over the speakers, "we are already very, very late for the meeting at Kaiba Corporation. Are you certain that we have time for a detour?"

Kaiba glared at the source of the voice, knowing that his icy gaze went unseen by the one it was meant for. "My little brother is there, and he can handle those useless windbags just as well as I can." There was a crackle that Joey accepted as being the driver sighing into the phone.

"Yes, Sir, Master Kaiba." Seto nodded curtly at the speaker as if to say 'so there!' Joey stared out the tinted window of the speeding limo. 'Aw, hell, wha did I get muhself inta?'

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Yawns Okay, this only took about...4 times as long as I expected it would. I'm sorry this chapter is so short. Really, I can't believe I made the last one so long! But somewhere between this one and the last one is my limit. Problem? Deal with it!

Anyway, I hope you guys like this!