Yami no Yugi x Yugi x Yami no Marik x Marik x Yami no Bakura x Ryo
(Then again, maybe Admireshipping would have been easier than this one. O_o )
Ryo clicked the last piece into place.
"That ought to do it," he said to himself.
He stepped back to admire his handiwork. This was by far the biggest and most complex Monster World board he had ever created: full of hills, mountains, several villages, and, of course, Zorc Castle at the head.
"You didn't add the swamp."
Yami no Bakura's dry voice echoed in the young boy's mind, and Ryo winced softly.
"I thought you were sleeping."
"You started moving around a lot. It's quite a set up you've created here. Any special events I should be expecting?"
"No, of course not," Ryo lied.
Yami no Bakura laughed, a harsh echo in Ryo's mind.
"You can't hide your thoughts from someone inside your head, little Ryo," he said. "But I admire you trying. So, Marik and Yugi are coming soon, hm? The pharaoh's not bringing his little friends?"
"Not today," Ryo said. "And I won't appreciate it if you try to kill them again, you got it?"
"Don't worry, my dear host. I wouldn't dream of trying the same trick twice."
Ryo sighed, running a hand through his long white hair. It was probably about time he got an inch or two cut. It was getting too long to deal with. He glanced at his board, biting his lip. Then he walked over to the cabinet to get out the swamp pieces.
He had just finished adding a swamp to his fantasy world when the doorbell rang.
"Best go greet your friends, dear host," Yami no Bakura said, with a tone that made Ryo worry he had made a mistake in inviting his friends over.
Ryo jogged down the hall to the door and pulled it open. The tall, tan-skinned figure that was Marik Ishtar stood outside, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"Hello, Ishtar-san. You're a little early. Yugi's not here yet."
"I know," Marik said, stepping in and sliding his shoes off. "But Ishizu insisted that I had to be ten minutes early."
Ryo couldn't help but smile, but there were dark circles under Marik's eyes, and he was worried.
"Are you okay?" Ryo asked. "You look tired."
Marik shook his head, as though to clear it.
"My other half won't leave me alone," he said. "I haven't been able to sleep because he won't shut up."
Ryo grimaced. He knew how that felt.
"Are you saying that I keep you up at night, dear host?" Yami no Bakura drawled.
It sounded so inappropriate that Ryo couldn't stop his blush. Luckily, Marik wasn't paying attention.
"Yugi's coming," he said.
"Oh, he's early too."
The spiky haired teenager hopped up the last step at the end of the hall.
"Morning!" he said cheerfully, looking much more well rested than Marik looked or Ryou felt. For a split second, Ryou envied Yugi's Yami half, but he suppressed the thought quickly so Bakura wouldn't notice.
"You guys are just in time," Ryo said. "I just finished the board."
Marik brightened a little.
"Thank Ra. I really need to play a low stakes game for once."
"I thought we all needed that," Ryo said. "That's why I thought it would be fun."
"Thanks, Bakura-san," Yugi said. "You really think of everything."
Ryo blushed a little and led the other two into the next room.
"Hm. A game without a little gambling is no fun at all," Yami no Bakura mused.
"Don't you try anything," Ryo said under his breath.
Yami no Bakura didn't answer, and Ryo sighed. Why was it that his dark half knew everything he was thinking, and yet he never knew what Bakura was thinking?
Yami no Bakura withdrew into Ryo's consciousness, careful that his host would not sense anything he was doing. Cautiously, he pushed at the minds of the other two vessels in the room.
"I agree with you, Bakura," Yami no Marik said, stepping into Bakura's soul room. "A game without stakes is absolutely no fun at all."
"Ah, you caught that, didn't you," Bakura said, barely able to hide his grin.
Despite nearly dying at Yami no Marik's hands, it was difficult for Bakura not to like him. They had the same gamer's spirit, the same blood that ran hot when the stakes were high.
"What are you two planning?" Yami no Yugi said, hovering just outside Yami no Bakura's soul room.
Yami no Bakura grinned.
"No need to be shy, pharaoh. You're our guest here."
Yami no Yugi frowned, eyes narrowed.
"I'll keep my distance, thank you."
An idea tickled at Yami no Bakura's mind, and it was difficult to hide the smile it brought on.
"Here's an idea," he said. "Why don't we make a friendly little wager, hm?"
"Sounds like fun," Yami no Marik said, grinning.
"There's no such thing with you two," Yami no Yugi said.
"Oh, come, come, pharaoh," Yami no Bakura said. "Where's your sense of fun?"
"Your idea of fun is betting your life," Yami no Yugi countered.
"And you've never done the same, pharaoh?" Yami no Bakura said teasingly.
Yami no Yugi's jaw clenched.
"That was necessary at the time."
"This is a game, pharaoh," Bakura said. "You should try to have fun!"
The pharaoh blinked.
"But our Hikaris have not started playing yet. Aren't you paying attention?"
He had stepped just a little bit closer to the door of Bakura's soul room, almost involuntarily. Bakura grinned inwardly. Oh, this was fun.
Just a little closer, dear Pharaoh, he thought. Just a little closer.
"No, they haven't started playing yet," Bakura agreed. "But we have."
The pharaoh's eyes were curious. He stepped a little closer, almost inside Bakura's soul room.
Bakura and Marik exchanged glances. Yami no Marik grinned maliciously.
He would take the bait. And then this game could really begin.
Yami no Bakura bit his tongue to keep from smiling. This was going to be more fun that he had anticipated.
A/N: okay, so maybe this turned out to be more of Yamishipping and Hikarishipping, but I really can't stand it when the Yamis and Hikaris are suddenly in separate bodies for no reason. I think it's more interesting and challenging to have them in their shared bodies, the way it's done in the canon. And come on: polygamy is hard. No, I have no idea what Bakura was really planning. I was just thinking that all of them have the same gaming spirit, and each one would love trying to lure the other in to take the bait or something. Yeah. This probably wasn't the greatest place to start. Next is Yujoshipping (Possessed Jonouchi x Yugi).
