Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh characters.

Warnings: This will get very angsty in later chapters, sometimes gory so this is not for the faint of heart. Also, this is AU. (My first AU story, wee!)

Her Sweetness: Hey there, here's the next chap. To answer a girl's question, Ryou acts this way because it's necessary to the plot. Besides that, this is AU and I get to make up the rules! Hooray for Robyn's World!

— Everybody, Everybody —

Chapter Four

Lately, it seemed that no matter how hard Ryou Bakura tried, he could not pay attention to anything and certainly not his classes. As Ms. Sinclair continued to speak, addressing the entire class, concerning something on the board, Ryou Bakura looked around. Everyone else seemed to be understanding, or else they were all simply wonderful actors. No, he rethought as he scanned the room, no, they were all in sync with the teacher, with the appointed lessons and projects, upcoming events and such.

He tilted his head to fit the groves of his delicate hands, folded in each other on the desktop. He should not have to care about that sort of thing. He had the highest grade in the class, in almost all his classes. Ryou smiled inwardly. Oh how everyone must whisper about him. Ryou Bakura, he's so smart, but he seems to never study!

Does it come to him naturally?

Oh yes, it must. Beauty and brains. What a lucky boy.

Yes, he thought rather bitterly, yes, I am lucky. Breaking his train of thought was a folded piece of paper that had seemingly launched itself onto Ryou Bakura's desk. It landed by his hand and he immediately picked it up, unfolding it and revealing the message in sloppy handwriting: What are you doing, Ryou?

He looked to his side and saw a girl waving at him, her dyed blonde hair in her eyes, shading them. He knew that face. A girl from his lunch table. Ryou looked back to the paper barely hiding his disgust. I'm sitting in a classroom, same as you, he thought but instead wrote down: Nothing.

Flicking it back across the desks, he ripped a sheet of loose-leaf paper from his notebook and began to write a note of his own.

-

It was so nice outside, Marik Ishtar noticed, his lavender eyes fixed on the window and the beautiful view it provided. The sun had fully bloomed, rising from the east like a flower in the morning, full and luscious. Beams of fresh light exploded through the naked trees in the school's courtyard and hit the building's windows, hit those lavender eyes and entranced them.

But little did the sun know that Marik Ishtar was only pretending to be entranced. He was not all that interested in the outside, that big beautiful flower, but in the sweet dandelion right in front of him. He had been watching Ryou Bakura ever since they had entered the classroom and he had taken his assigned seat behind the boy. He admired the curves of Ryou's elegant back, adorned in a light, white sweater and the silver hair that matched it perfectly, making the boy appear to be the very essence of the upcoming winter.

He had been savoring the words that Ryou Bakura had said to him on the way into the classroom, talking in a carefree way, seeming so laidback, while he himself had been tongue-tied and nervous.

Thanks for returning my binder. He'd said, First that thing with Mr. Pearson and now this. I certainly owe you a favor or two.

Thinking of that now, he turned back to the sun still radiant outside the window. First that thing with Mr. Pearson…Marik Ishtar did not want to think about that 'thing' but there it was, that image in his mind, Ryou kneeling down, sucking and nibbling — Was it wrong to want to be on the opposite end of that mouth? — Marik could not pretend it didn't happen, that he hadn't seen it. But that was none of his business, he told himself, What Ryou Bakura does is none of my business.

A piece of paper landed on his desk.

Marik Ishtar stopped and looked down at the square little thing, then around at the others in the classroom. He had never been handed a note, who was he supposed to give it to? When no one looked back at him, he examined it closer and found that his name had been written on the front. It was almost unbelievable to him. The only time he had seen his name was when he wrote it, or possibly on report cards when it was printed — by a computer, of course, no human would know his name.

He picked it up and unfolded it, careful not to rip a corner or tear a side.

Hi, Marik. I hope I'm not bothering you, I'm just a little bored, I have no idea what's going on. You're so quiet back there, I can barely hear you breathing, what are you thinking about? You couldn't be listening to Sinclair, I don't think anyone really is.

Hey, you sit by yourself at lunch, don't you, Marik? I see you in that corner sometimes. Why don't we sit together today? We don't even have to be in the cafeteria if you don't want. Just tell me if you want to.

—Ryou

All he could think of to write was: Okay.

There next three classes went entirely too slow for Marik who was anticipating much more than eating today. He had something special today, someone special was coming to see him and that made his heart jump. No one ever came to see him, no one cared about Marik Ishtar. For the longest time, Marik Ishtar felt that he had faded. Had become invisible and no one could see him, hear him, no one knew that a Marik Ishtar existed. And suddenly this angel had stopped what he was doing and looked straight at him.

He was not sure whether he had left the fade or maybe Ryou Bakura was simply that wonderful that he could see what no one else could.

That single thought made Marik Ishtar believe in miracles.

The lunch bell finally rang and all of Marik's classmates left without being dismissed. Marik Ishtar looked up from his desk at Mr. Pearson who seemed not to care and so he followed the rest of the class. For some reason he did not know, Marik felt the urge to turn around and tell that man his name. But he continued down the hallway, ignoring this desire and discovered himself in the cafeteria, sitting at the table that he occupied daily, in the corner of the large, fluorescently lit room.

He realized, shortly after seating himself, that he did not get anything from the lunch line. Though he wasn't hungry at all and the thought of food made him nauseous, he wondered if Ryou Bakura would think it strange, him not eating. Less than a moment had passed before Marik blinked and looked to the side where a soft tapping had occurred on one of the cafeteria's windows. Ryou Bakura looked down at him, smiling — beautiful smile, angelic smile — and waving him outside.

He stood right in front of the shorter teen and tightened his fist inside his jean pocket, trying to fight off these jitters. Ryou looked calm and relaxed as he looked back at Marik, something that seemed to come naturally to the boy like so many other things.

"Well don't look so happy to see me." Ryou laughed and Marik felt a twinge of guilt for not having said anything to contradict Ryou Bakura's sarcastic statement. He felt elated to see him. "We can sit over there, if you want." Ryou continued and pointed behind himself at the area under the once lush and green oak trees. Four or five picnic tables sat under the trees, desolate and lonely.

"Alright," Marik nodded, walking with him to the wooden tables. Marik sat on the bench, hands and forearms placed on the tabletop. Ryou seated himself on the actual tabletop, his sneakers planted on the bench and he immediately reached for a slice of pizza on a tray that was next to his hip.

Ryou stopped right when the slice was heading for his mouth, "Oh, wait, aren't you going to get anything to eat?"

Marik stopped starring and shook his head, averting his eyes, "No, I'm not all that hungry."

There was a second when Marik flickered his eyes towards the paler teen and he could've sworn he'd seen a small frown on Ryou's lips. That second passed too quickly for him to be sure and Ryou was smiling again, one eyebrow raised. "Hope you don't mind if I eat, I'm starving. I had to skip breakfast this morning because I overslept. Guess I could've gotten something from the cafeteria in the morning but I had other things—"

"You have a brother, don't you?"

They both were rather surprised at what Marik Ishtar had said. He lowered his purple eyes to the table, starred at his hands and wondered why he asked such a thing. He already knew the answer and yet he had asked. Whether this sudden outburst was to confirm the existence of Ryou Bakura's brother or to change the subject was not clear, and there may not be a single answer.

He leaned back on the hand he had not been eating with. "Yeah. I have a brother, my twin. You probably haven't seen him around much, he likes to skip school." Ryou ended the sentence with a wistful smile at the clouds overhead.

"I have seen him," Marik said. "He's in my sixth period class and I see him sitting with you during lunch."

Immediately Marik reprimanded himself for that statement. It made him sound as if he were watching Ryou Bakura every second, starring in jealousy as his twin brother sat next to him with his arm around his waist where no one else could see it. It almost looked as if Ryou's brother was protecting him from the other teens who craved his attention every second. He looked up at Ryou who was not looking down at him, his big brown eyes focused on the overcast sky. He said, "Marik, I need to ask you something."

A flinch before speaking. "Alright."

Ryou Bakura's head instantly fell foreword, he looked into Marik's lavender eyes that nearly quivered under the boy's gaze. "Marik, about earlier, in Mr. Pearson's room… I know you were outside the door, watching, I saw the look on your face when I opened it."

"No, I—"

"You know," He cut Marik off but did it with a knowing smile, suddenly laidback again as he took in a deep breath and his eyes softened. "In the three years that I've been giving favors for grades, I don't think anyone but my big brother has ever figured out what I've been doing. It's been a secret. It was kind of a heavy secret to carry on my own but then my brother found out and it didn't feel so bad anymore… Like since my big brother knew about it, it couldn't be so bad, right? But now you know."

Marik felt a lump in his throat, stuck right in his windpipe and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. He felt as if he were going to die.

Ryou took Marik Ishtar's right hand in both of his and held it, stroking the palm tenderly with his thumbs. He continued speaking while bringing the teen's hand closer to his upper chest, at the base of his neck. "And I feel terrible. Marik, the second I saw your face, for the first time in my life, I felt as if I were doing something really bad. Still I used you to get away from Mr. Pearson but, Marik, I'm sorry you had to find out about it. It… It's a stupid secret," He sniffed, taking one hand away to wipe at the corner of his eye, "But we all know it, don't we? Me, Bakura and now you."

Marik had to say something. He shook his head, taking the liberty of squeezing Ryou Bakura's hand. "Y-You don't have to apologize to me. Everybody has a secret."

I have a secret, he confessed to Ryou Bakura in his mind.

"Heh, yeah… Everybody. Marik Ishtar," His smile struggled to take over the boy's face once again. The smile was pitiful, rigid and forced. Marik Ishtar loved it. "I don't believe that everyone has a secret. You're so innocent; you wear your emotions on your sleeve. How could you have a secret? But now… Marik, I have to ask you to have a secret."

Already have one, Ryou Bakura, he thought but instead said to him: "It's okay, I can keep your secret." He added, "I don't have anyone to tell, anyway."

Ryou was still holding his hand, now looking at him with a tilted head. "Poor Marik Ishtar. Heaping you with my burdens."

"You haven't heaped me with anything, I… I want to help you."

Ryou Bakura let go of Marik's hand, placing it on top of the other tanned body part. He hopped off of the tabletop and continued to face the school as he said, "Well, the bell is going to ring in a few minutes. It doesn't seem like we've been out here long, but… Marik, I'd like to sit with you again. Tomorrow?"

"You don't owe me anything…" He said, trying not to sound as bitter as he felt. Was this why they had sat together? So Ryou Bakura could secure his secret with him?

A beat of thought. "You're right, I don't." Ryou moved his head, giving Marik the view of one coffee-colored eye. "You wouldn't have said anything about what I do, I know that. But, Marik, I like you. So, tomorrow." He began to walk away, towards the other side of the cafeteria, brown and yellow leaves crunching under his sneakers. Marik could not contain what he said next.

"Do you know why I like you, Ryou Bakura?"

The crunching of the dead leaves stopped.

"You're… the only one who knows my name."

"Oh, everybody knows your name, Marik. I'm just… the only one who can say it." He shrugged and the leaves were massacred even after death.

-

The door opened and it was quiet inside the house. Ryou Bakura did not expect to hear the sounds of people, voices or laughter. His parents were on vacation for a week, but that was their estimate. Over the years, Ryou and his brother had figured that one week meant two or three. Business trips; he rolled his eyes at the very idea. As he continued down the unlit hallway, he began to take off his school bag, ready to throw it on his bed when he entered his room.

In the middle of the corridor, he was taken and pushed up against the wall, the school bag down on the floor in a matter of seconds. A warm mouth covered his own and muffled his surprised yelp. He relaxed instantly, as he felt the familiar curves of his attacker and the silky hair that he tangled around his index finger, pulling back shortly from the kiss and smiling though it was unseen in the dark.

"You're late," He mumbled, nuzzling the soft skin in the crook of Ryou's neck. There was no disappointment in his voice, merely a playful tone as he nipped his way to the pale collarbone, his hands resting on the boy's hips.

Ryou craned his neck, giving his brother better access. "You're in a good mood, then did you beat your game?" He received a grunt in response. Ryou continued, "Then will you come to school tomorrow, Bakura?"

"Neither of us may be going to school tomorrow. They're gone. We could skip three weeks of school. Stay in the bedroom and try to break that world record…"

"No," Ryou shook his head, moaning as his jeans fell around his ankles, the cool air hitting his erection. "I-I'm going to school tomorrow."

"You don't have to."

He smiled, "Yes, I do. Marik Ishtar and I are sitting together at lunch… like we did today. I…" His legs quivered and he forgot what he was going to say.

A low chuckle sounded throughout the lonely hallway. "Marik Ishtar, your new boyfriend? Then are you dumping me, Ry?"

"N…"

To be continued…