Whew. I had so much trouble uploading this thing. Grr.

Anyhow, this was supposed to be the last chapter but it was turning out way too long, so I split it. This is pretty much the Bakura/Malik chapter, and the next chapter will be the last, where Seto finally comes back into the story and everything is resolved with those two. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 5

Two days went by; then three; then four; and Malik made it to Saturday without looking at, talking to, or have any other sort of contact with Bakura. Thinking about him, however… that was a different story. He had left Bakura's apartment shortly after Yami on Monday, giving the tomb robber a curt goodbye, and gone directly home, where he had stayed holed up for the remainder of the week (except on Thursday when Isis made him go out and buy milk). Ryou and Yami had made him think, and Malik decided that he wasn't going to fool around with Bakura anymore. He was tired of degrading himself, and even if he never got Bakura's love he could at least have some self-respect. Therefore, he needed to separate himself completely from Bakura, at least until he got used to not being around him and lost the urge to throw himself shamelessly at the good-looking thief.

Malik sure did miss him, though.

Nevertheless, the blond was determined to stick it out. He would wait inside his house until he got over Bakura, no matter how long it took. And Malik would get over him. He would. Really. Well, maybe.

However, as it turned out Malik never got the chance to find out, since an extremely loud knock sounded on his door at around eleven o'clock on the previously mentioned Saturday morning. Malik knew who it was instantly – no one else would ever knock that rudely – and he paled, rushing back toward his room to hide at top speed. "Isis! Don't answer that—"

"Oh hello, Bakura. Looking for Malik?"

"Hn."

"He's in his room, just go on back."

Malik slapped his forehead. Damn Isis! And damn her for not letting him have a lock on his door. Maybe he could run into the bathroom and hide with the door locked until Bakura left… or he could hide in the closet, make them think he'd gone out…

"Hey."

Too late. Bakura stood in the doorway, looking sexy as ever in his black trenchcoat, slouched over slightly with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and a t-shirt reading "XXX STRIPPERS! Paint Stripping and Exterior Restoration" hanging loosely on his slim frame.

"Um… what are you doing here?" Malik crossed his arms self-consciously over his chest, noticing the way Bakura's eyes swept over his body. The blond wore faded jeans and a plain blue t-shirt that was a little too small and didn't quite reach his waistband. His shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the shorter bits around the front escaping and falling in wisps around his face.

Bakura took a few steps forward. "I like your hair like that." He reached up and brushed the loose strands from the other's face, causing Malik to step back, out of his reach, until the backs of his knees hit the bed. Bakura followed.

"Uh… thanks." Malik tried to step sideways but Bakura stopped him, wrapping his arms around Malik's waist and drawing him flush against him, grinding their hips together until Malik gasped. "Stop it Bakura! My sister is right there!" He pushed against Bakura's chest until he managed to break them apart.

Bakura grinned and stuffed his hands back in his pockets. "Let's go back to my apartment then; Ryou's gone off somewhere."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Malik snapped.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Geez, what's got you all pissy?"

Malik just shrugged and looked away – then immediately wished he hadn't when Bakura took the opportunity to grope him and attach his lips to Malik's neck. "Are you mad because I wouldn't kiss you the other day? That's easy enough to make up for," the thief murmured, and set about placing a series of sweet kisses along the base of Malik's throat.

Malik lost most of his resolve right then and there. But still, somehow he summoned his dignity and shoved Bakura away. "I mean it, get off!"

Bakura leered. "I was trying to." He laughed when the blond scowled at him and he raised his hands in surrender. "Aww, come on. I'm bored!"

"Then go jack off and leave me out of it," Malik retorted.

"Fine, I get it; you're not in the mood. But let's do something, anyway," the tomb robber pleaded, looking at Malik with his best imitation of Ryou's innocent eyes.

"I already told you I'm not going anywhere with you. Now go away!"

"Come on Blondie, don't be like that," Bakura whined. "I promise it'll be fun; we can break in rich people's houses and you can freeze them with the Rod while we steal all their stuff in front of them! Or see how much we can take in thirty seconds, or something."

"Well…" Malik hesitated. "Yeah, alright then."

456456456

"Yami, you want some more soda? Yami? Hey, Yami!"

A hand waving in front of his face brought the spiky-haired teen back to reality and he blinked, glancing up into Yugi's enormous worried eyes. "Oh… No thank you, Aibou, I'm fine." He smiled weakly and Yugi gave him a suspicious look before going off to refill his own glass. The shorter teen had convinced Yami to go along with him and the rest of Yugi-tachi to Burger World for lunch, stating that he was tired of Yami 'sitting around the house and moping.'

However, it seemed he couldn't avoid 'moping' wherever he was. Yami just couldn't get his mind off of Seto. He knew that Malik was right and that Seto couldn't possibly just stop caring about him so fast, no matter how hurt or angry he was, and though Yami couldn't help being frustrated that Seto insisted on blaming him, he still wanted more than anything for the CEO to forgive him and let them start over, to give Yami another chance to be with him.

Yami had finally figured out what he wanted. Unfortunately it was too late for him to have it.

"Yami man, are you sure you're alright? You really seem down," Honda commented from the other side of the booth.

Jou took advantage of his friend's momentary distraction and snagged one of his French fries. "Heh, at least he's not still hung up on Kaiba. That was scary," he chuckled through a mouthful of food.

At that Yami's head snapped up, his crimson eyes blazing dangerously. "And what exactly is wrong with liking Kaiba?"

Jou and Honda's eyes widened and they glanced at each other before grinning weakly. "Er… no offense. Heh…" Jou stuttered.

Yami frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but a soft hand on his shoulder stopped him. Anzu smiled up at the former Pharaoh from her position between him and the window and squeezed his shoulder. "Jou didn't mean anything by it. It would just be strange for you to have a crush on Kaiba; you don't seem like the type to like men, anyway."

The spiky-haired male slapped a palm to his forehead and groaned loudly. "How much more obvious do I have to make it?" He stood up and gestured widely at his outfit – a silver, almost sheer, glittery long-sleeved shirt and skin-tight black pants, complete with two belts and a generous collection of shiny necklaces and bracelets – then stomped out of the restaurant.

Anzu blinked after him. "Is Yami saying he's gay?"

Honda gasped and grabbed Jou's shoulder in a death grip. "Yugi dresses that way too! Does that mean…?"

"Hey guys, I'm back with the soda! Where'd Yami go? …Guys?"

456456456

"A truly excellent haul, Blondie, truly excellent," Bakura proclaimed gleefully, examining his trenchcoat pockets as he and Malik hid in an alley to inspect their loot. "You didn't do too bad for yourself, either," the tomb robber added, glancing at the ropes of pearls around Malik's neck.

"Yeah," the blond sighed and fingered his necklace. "I'll have to get rid of them though, or Isis will notice. I'd give them to her for her birthday but she'd know…" He shrugged. "Guess I'll just sell them."

"Nothing wrong with that." Bakura finished counting his treasures and straightened, looking over to where the other leaned against the brick wall. "We'll both be eating steak for a month."

Malik's face fell noticeably. "I'm a vegetarian."

"A what now?"

"I don't eat meat, Bakura. If you paid any attention to me at all you would know that." He pushed off from the wall and started to walk away, but Bakura grabbed his arm and forced him back before he could even take two steps. The white-haired male braced both hands against the wall by Malik's face, pressing his entire body against the blond's and working a knee between Malik's thighs.

Bakura grinned. "I pay plenty of attention to you, baby."

"Baby? Baby?"

Bakura's incredibly sexy, intoxicatingly warm body was pressed so close to his, so enticing, so inviting… but for once Malik didn't feel the least bit aroused. Instead he was angry. Furious. He shoved hard against Bakura's chest, sending the other reeling back and nearly toppling to the ground. "So it's 'baby' now? What happened to Blondie? You might as well call me jackass, or idiot since that's exactly what I am for putting up with you!"

"Blondie, what the hell?"

"Stop it! Just shut up!" Malik shrieked, close to hysterics now. "I'm tired of putting up with you. You ignore me and treat me like crap; then hit on me whenever it's convenient! I'm sick of it! Don't ever touch me again!"

"Blondie…"

"Don't talk to me either! I hate your stupid nicknames! I'm not your baby, or some brainless blonde Barbie doll for you to use and throw away. Just leave me alone!" Malik crossed his arms and glared at the other, who was staring at him in wide-eyed wonder, his mouth hanging slightly open. The blond huffed and started to walk away once more.

"Malik…"

"What?" he snapped, not turning around.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

456456456

Yami stood on the sidewalk outside Burger World for a few long minutes, his head bowed and hands shoved uncharacteristically into his pockets. Maybe Jou was right, and it was bizarre for Kaiba and him to want to be together. After all, it certainly wasn't as if it had been easy for them to do it – just constant misunderstandings and embarrassments rolled into one big misery.

It sure was nice while it lasted, though.

Was it really fair for Yami to even think this? He never touched Seto of his own volition; in fact he could barely remember what it felt like to kiss him… like the ghost of a touch in a faint and distant dream… but that just made him want it all the more. He wanted, needed to know how Seto really felt, to know the touch of warm hands that were so cold to everyone else. Perhaps that was selfish, but Yami didn't really care anymore. After that failed attempt to call Seto and his rather disturbing confrontation with Malik Yami had done nothing but brood, stuck in a weird sort of limbo while he tried to figure out what to do about Kaiba.

Though really, Yami decided as his feet started to move on their own and he caught sight of the gleaming KaibaCorp building in the distance, he had probably known what he wanted all along.

456456456

Malik froze at the question; then whirled to stare at Bakura in disbelief. "Breaking up with you? Breaking up with you? We were never dating, you sadistic bastard!"

He glared at the white-haired thief, who stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and looked away, muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like, "Well I thought we were…"

The blond clutched his hair in frustration, tugging more wayward strands loose from his ponytail, and slowly counted to ten. "Bakura. We never talk. We don't go on dates. You hit on other people in front of me, for God's sake! I'm just your… your fuckbuddy. Probably one of many. How can we break up if there was never anything there?"

"That's not true!" Bakura scowled fiercely. "Have you ever seen me screwing anybody besides you? Not that we ever got that far, anyway," he added sourly.

"You hit on Ryou last week!"

"Yeah and he slapped me for it." Bakura stepped forward, Malik stepping back to avoid him until his back hit the alley wall once again. "That was just a joke and you know it. He knew it too."

"Well it wasn't funny," Malik sulked.

"Blondie… come on now…" The tomb robber had Malik cornered now; he raised his hand to touch the other's cheek – and suddenly his own hand swung around and punched him in the face. "OW! Dammit what the hell was that for?" Bakura rubbed his sore jaw and scowled at Malik, who held the Sennen Rod at his side with a smug smirk.

"I told you not to touch me," Malik replied, his smirk widening as Bakura's right leg hooked his left ankle and sent the thief toppling to the ground.

"But— Ow! Dammit, stop!" Bakura cringed as his left hand started pulling his hair while his right clawed at his face. "You're leaving scars!"

"It didn't even break the skin. Stop being such a baby," the blond snorted, but gave Bakura back control of his body.

He immediately wished he hadn't when the tomb robber used the opportunity to sweep his leg under Malik's feet and bring him down on the ground beside him. Bakura rolled and pinned the other down, lying flush against him with one hand holding both Malik's wrists above his head. "You evil little bitch," he purred in Malik's ear, pausing to lick the delicate skin just beneath his earlobe. "Don't break up with me."

Shaken from his moment of frozen shock, Malik bucked wildly, nearly managing to dislodge the other until Bakura lifted himself slightly and sat firmly atop Malik's hips, silky strands of his snow-white hair tickling Malik's cheeks as he leaned over him. "We're... We're not together," the blond panted, "you stupid… crazy…"

"Please?"

Malik stopped struggling instantly and stared up at the other in disbelief. "What?"

"Please don't break up with me." Bakura repeated the sentence, rather sullenly. He let go of Malik's wrists, though he stayed seated atop the blond, and crossed his arms sulkily across his chest, obviously not liking what he'd been reduced to.

Malik sat up slightly, leaning on his elbows. "But we're not… We were never… Kura… Why?"

"I mean, I like you. You're an evil, psychotic little bitch, even if you do try to act like stupid Ryou-tachi sometimes. And I like touching you. I don't want to stop. So. Whatever." Bakura looked off to the side, as if the alley walls had suddenly become extremely interesting.

Malik bit his lip, hesitating, before he allowed himself a tiny smile. "Hey Bakura?"

"Hn. What is it Blondie?"

"Kiss me?"

The brick walls of the alley were suddenly much less interesting. Bakura looked down at the blond pinned beneath him, Malik's smile widening as he wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck and drew him closer until their lips met in a slow, sloppy kiss, which quickly degenerated into something much less chaste as the tomb robber shoved him hard against the ground and slid his hands under Malik's shirt in search of his nipples, his mouth breaking away from the blond's to work on a hickey at the base of his neck while his hands continued to wander.

As far as Malik was concerned, it was perfect.