Chapter 2: Better or Worse

"You'd better have a good explanation," Malik said, taking a step back. A scowl was on his face as he stared at the imposter before him.

Bakura only deepened his smirk as he stared down the blonde. Did this blasted girl think she could intimidate him?

"Listen," he spoke calmly. "I know you're probably a bit shocked, but this is all just one big misunderstanding."

"You pretended to be a priest," Malik pointed out, his grave demeanor never once faltering.

"Yes, well, you surprised me, that's all. I just didn't want to alarm you by jumping out of this stupid, er- wonderful-" he gritted his teeth, "-confessional."

Malik didn't look convinced. "Do you even practice a religion?"

"Hell no."

Okay, that was the one thing he wasn't going to lie about. It gave him shivers just thinking about it.

Malik, on the other hand, seemed utterly repulsed by his comment. "How dare you traipse in here and speak such cruel words."

Bakura narrowed his gaze. She didn't want to give up without a fight it seemed. That was more than okay with Bakura. Verbal assaults were his specialty.

"It was raining outside," he said sternly.

"Don't you have somewhere you could go?" Malik asked, raising his eyebrows.

Ding, ding, ding. There was Bakura's ticket out of this whole mess.

"No... I'm homeless," he answered, trying to put on a sad face. He failed miserably.

Still, that was Malik's soft spot. His many, many years working to protect the humans had rubbed off on him a little.

"You don't have a place to live?" Malik inquired, his face falling somewhat.

Bakura frowned. "No."

Even though he faked a disheartened look, Bakura couldn't help but want to smile. This girl seemed to be buying into the whole lie, and hey, she was cute too. "What is it with me and blondes?"

"What?"

Bakura's eyes went wide when he realized he had said that aloud. "Nothing."

Malik finally sighed, his arms crossing over themselves. "Fine. I think I have a solution to this."

Bakura's ears perked up and he waited in anticipation for what he knew was coming. 'You can live with me,' she would say. Not too bad. First day on earth and he had already scored a room with a hot chick.

"I don't have a place to live either, so-"

Bakura groaned and fell back in the soft, cushiony chair. Just great.

"Excuse me," a voice behind them spoke.

Malik nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to face the person. "Yes?"

It was a boy, who looked about the age Malik looked, with wispy honey-blonde hair and kind brown eyes.

"If I overheard you two right, you don't have a place to stay, but this church is renting out rooms for free in the extra apartment they own. You could try there if you want. I just do extra work here, so I'm not sure about the details. Just lettin' you know."

Malik lit up with excitement. "Thank god! And thank you!"

The boy blinked in surprise at him. "No problem. See ya around," he said and smiled, exiting through the doors in which Malik had entered.

"Holy shit," Bakura said in astonishment. "That was Kaiba's boy toy- Jounouchi!"

Malik simmered quietly then turned an evil glare on the ivory-haired stranger. "Listen, I was going to suggest that we stay together, but if you're going to continue to use such foul language, it's just not going to work out."

Bakura rolled his eyes, then stood. "Fine, but I think we should get out of this confessional. It's starting to freak me out."

Malik agreed and they exited into the dim church light.

"I'm Bakura," he outstretched his hand.

"I'm Malik," he said pleasantly, outstretching his own hand, but he was VERY surprised when Bakura took his hand and leaned down and kissed it. So surprised, in fact that he jumped back, recoiling his hand at lightning speed.

Bakura stood there, dumbfounded. He could've sworn that women were suckers for that kind of stuff. "What's up with you?" He slapped himself mentally. "I mean, such a beautiful lady like yourself should be honored that I have set my sights on you."

Ha ha, the sucker. Bakura knew he was attractive, so he used it to his advantage whenever he could. Soon, she'd practically be melting... and hopefully in his arms, because she was pretty cute. Who knew, maybe he would score at least once while on earth. Humans were so manipulative.

"Lady?" Malik repeated, mouth hanging open in shock. "You think I'm a girl?"

Bakura's defense seemed to falter. "Yes, why?" She was wearing a goddamn dress, for Satan's sake.

Malik sighed in relief. Thank goodness that was the problem. Living with a guy who liked guys... would leave much room for caution.

"I'm a guy," he said calmly, surprised with himself when he didn't feel like looking Bakura in the eyes. Was he... embarrassed? But why? Surely that wasn't the case...

Bakura started fake spitting and wiped his mouth. Yes... that was definitely immature. "You're a dude too!? I kissed your hand!"

It wasn't like he disliked guys... he had been with plenty before, but this one just seemed freakishly different from all the rest and he refused to figure out why.

Malik gained the courage to look back at him. "Don't worry about it; plenty of guys have kissed me before."

In heaven, it wasn't uncommon to greet people with a small peck on the cheek or occasionally lips. We're not talking about a full-fledged make-out session, just simple subtleness.

And holy crap... that sounded wrong.

And like Bakura, he was quick to pick up on it.

"So you're into guys?" he quipped, a leer upon his face.

Malik kept his calm. "I never said that. It's just family tradition."

"I wanna live in your family," Bakura commented snidely, but quickly shut his mouth, and Malik really had to wonder what he meant by that.

In truth though, Bakura preferred guys to girls. There was so much less drama and like Marik favored, rarely were there any strings attached. Bakura definitely must've inherited Marik's liking for a subtle almost non-existent relationship, but definitely not his taste in men.

While Marik liked the helpless, innocent (or somewhere close to it), and pretty boys, Bakura preferred the cute ones that could take care of themselves in tough situations and didn't need to constantly be babied, and shit, it was starting to sound exactly like this Malik fellow.

"We should probably go check out that apartment thingy," Bakura said. Yes, he was very graceful with words.

Malik nodded saying "I agree," and they both exited the building in silence.

Something tugged at Malik's mind though. He was somewhat a sucker for compliments and this common fool, almost the epitome of stupidity, had accoladed him respectfully. True, at the time he had been thought of as a girl, but still, that did not change what he had felt at the time.

He had kissed his hand, and then said he was beautiful...

Both in Heaven and Hell, plans were beings rushed about and scheduled for the next Bridge meeting. The Bridge was the place where, every so often, angels and demons met to discuss things and whatnot. It was going to occur in two earth days, so hastiness was not uncommon and often enforced.

Yami upheld his graceful stature, though he rushed as well. He was one of the head planners for the meeting. The rules of the symposium as well as the laws regarding it were his strict duty.

Passing into the large coliseum for respite, he was greatly relieved to find that he was alone. The birds there quietly slept and the water was stagnant and no sound pierced the silence.

"Thank goodness," he breathed, a sigh escaping his lips. It was good to be alone. That was how he preferred it.

Noticing a small spring ahead, he approached it, slight wonder in his heart. Upon reaching it, he noticed first his wavering reflection stretching across its surface many times.

A pond.

But not just any pond. Ah, this was a Keeper Pond. They were spread in various places throughout heaven, and when an angel looked hard enough, they would be shown a person upon earth who was or would be in need. It was a strange and almost inexplicable phenomenon that not many angels understood. Protector angels, like Malik, were trained to master the pond's powers to perform their duties, but it was a tedious task for those weak of heart.

Feeling the childish urge to do so, he touched the water, liquid flowing through his fingers like silk.

"How strange..." he barely whispered, backing away slightly from the water. Staring for a few moments longer, he felt as though a picture started to begin to knit itself together in the water, like threads forming a tapestry. Just as the picture became somewhat clear, he heard a voice, disrupting him from his thoughts and causing the scene to vanish.

"There you are Yami," Ryou said softly, somewhat out of breath. His wings were still outstretched behind him and he held a hand over where his heart would've been. "I'm really sorry to bother you-"

"No, that's fine," Yami said quickly. "What is it you need?"

"Well," he began, his wings fading into the thick air, "I was wondering about the shrouds. Will we be wearing them again this time?"

"Of course. Are you still going to sing?"

Ryou blushed slightly, and smiled uneasily. "I've decided that I will. Though, I'm not too excited about singing in front of the... you know..."

"Demons?"

Ryou unconsciously flinched. "Yeah."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Your voice should calm them down..."

"And I should hope so. Well, that's all I needed," he curtseyed politely, "Farewell."

Yami nodded and watched him hastily leave, but turning back to the water he was somewhat surprised to see it still empty.

And yet, something wouldn't get out of his thoughts.

He had seen for that brief moment in the lucid water, a boy who looked almost exactly like himself...

"Yeah, yeah," Marik shrugged off the lesser demon that shrank away quickly.

Damn those Bridge meetings. He hated them with the fiery passion of hell itself. To make matters worse, Bakura wasn't there to sulk with him. At least he'd be at the meeting, and if he didn't return by tomorrow, he'd go to earth himself and drag him back.

"Time to terrorize more unlucky souls," he said flatly, no amusement in his voice. Being evil was fun, but it did get boring. He needed some kind of spice in his life. Maybe even someone covered in some kind of delicious spice.

Damn. How was it that he turned every thought into something crude? Maybe he was just cool like that.

"But I'd never EVER go to that stupid earth just for a little fun," he mumbled. "Your such an idiot Bakura. Sexy yeah, but an idiot just the same."

In Hell, the preparations for the consultation weren't as hurried, as the demons weren't that keen about the idea of having to face those "stupid angels" as everyone called them. All they had to remember was to TRY to be on good-ish behavior.

One of the assumptions about demons was that they were always going around terrorizing human lives... which was true, but they weren't all bad. Some had just made a horrible mistake at one time in their life and were doomed for all eternity to pay for it in the Underworld. There were even a few, mind you I mean FEW, nice demons. They were polite occasionally and mannerly. Then there were the loners, the ones that kept to themselves as much as possible and were rarely known to speak a word.

Yes, like Kaiba, who at the moment just happened to be playing with his favorite toy.

Kaiba sat quietly before the large mirror that hung in his dark chambers. The silvery glass had an ominous black frame surrounding it on all sides with a small metal gargoyle that perched at the top of the mirror, it's mouth frozen in a scowl.

Ah, but his toy was not the mirror, yet rather the image reflected upon its surface.

A boy, no older than sixteen, walked home dejectedly in the pouring rain. His clothes were soaked straight through and his hair hung in wet strands that covered his eyes.

Blonde hair. Brown eyes.

Katsuya Jounouchi.

In a last-minute effort to shield himself from the rain, he reached into his book bag and pulled out a folder, holding it over his head as a shield.

Yeah... that lasted five seconds. A harsh wind blew all of a sudden sending the folder flying.

"Alright that's it!" the blonde suddenly yelled, popping into a fighting stance. "Someone up there's probably laughing," he said shaking a fist toward the sky. Close but no cigar.

Kaiba shook his head, a smirk threatening to tint his hardened features, but as always, it was subdued. Kaiba... smirking... well, it wouldn't go too well with those who had never even seen him blink.

Standing, a brush of shock hit him and he closed his eyes.

One who shows kindness and pureness of heart,
Has lived long enough and they may soon depart.
Hidden with silence and blinded by hate,
There's danger that comes from a "minute too late".

... A prophecy

Rarely did prophecies strike him when he hadn't called upon them himself. This one seemed... strange. Someone was going to die... or at least that's what it sounded like.

"Ah," Malik sighed, walking happily into the fresh-scented apartment. "Home sweet-"

"Out of my way," Bakura said, rudely shoving past him.

"You could show some manners," Malik said, crossing his arms. "I'm the one who got us this room. You just starting cursing away nearly scaring that man half to death."

"Sometimes you have to show people that you're in charge," Bakura said in a monotone voice.

The apartment room had a few things in it; a dresser- filled with various clothes, couch, TV, and restroom, equipped with a tub and shower. One final room branched off near the back and Bakura walked in and turned the light on.

"I call the better bed," he said rushing into the room.

Malik rolled his eyes and walked into the room, surprised to find Bakura standing there stupefied.

"What is it?"

"Well," the demon replied dryly, "There's only one bed."

"Oh," Malik said, sighing slightly. "Well, you can sleep in it."

It seemed like the right and more polite thing to do, seeing as Malik would only be there for one day. Even if this Bakura guy was a complete imbecile, he was still a human. And who knew, maybe his kind nature would rub off on him?

"You're too frick'n nice for your own good."

Yes... maybe...

"Anyways," Bakura said, "That won't be necessary. We can just..." he had to fight back a leer, "Sleep in the same bed?"

All right... so maybe he was still thinking of fooling around with this Malik character. So what? It's not like he was planning on staying there forever. One day. That's all. Hopefully the kid wouldn't miss him too much. And who knew, maybe his evilness would rub off on him?

"That's very considerate of you," Malik said, smiling, "Yes, we can."

Yes... maybe...

Well... this was definitely going to be interesting... for lack of a better, or worse, word.

---TBC---

I love making Bakura think Malik is a girl. It's just fun to do. (I'm sure some of you recognized that from one of my other stories) The next chapter will be VERY interesting to do. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you. Yes, there will eventually be an S/J pairing. And... despite what I said, there is ONE Yami/hikari pairing. Heh, I'm really sorry. I was going to do a S/Y cuz it would work for this fic, but I also wanted to try out something different. BUT, i will fit an S/Y-ish part in. You'll just have to see. Thanks for reading. Please review.

AmethystRoze