Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed the mostly fluff-filled chapter last week. And now for something completely new – plot!

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Bon appetite!

Ever since he met Marik, Bakura quickly learned that making plans was a fruitless activity. After dealing with the unpredictability with Marik, he figured he had seen it all. But since befriending Marik, he realized that not only do things not go according to plan, but things often changed rapidly so Bakura shouldn't become comfortable with how things are. And yet in spite knowing this, Bakura was oblivious of the coming storm.

The storm started off as nothing more than a tremor. Bakura was – where else – in Marik's living room, studying the case coming up. Marik, to Bakura's surprise, was working rather diligently, helping Bakura take stock of what they had, what they needed to buy, and researching a timeframe for extraction. He was becoming a true hardened criminal (to Bakura's horror and delight). The news was playing on the TV in the background, providing white noise between the two as they worked.

As Bakura tried to decipher what sort of security system they would be dealing with, he heard Marik call his name. "What?" He grumbled, not eager to break his train of thought. "Do you know if you have the chazz.. chat- this item?" Bakura raised an eyebrow and glanced over at what Marik was reading. "It's a chassis. It's for the radios. I don't know. I'd have to check my supplies." Marik just rolled his eyes at him. "All right. Well where are those?" Bakura looked up momentarily, thinking. "Uh, probably back in my apartment."

Marik sighed loudly at that comment. "Well how am I supposed to keep inventory when the inventory's not here, Bakura?" Bakura growled under his breath, annoyed as he lost track of where he was in his notes. "What do you want me to do? I'm not going to haul all that equipment back and forth every day. That shit's heavy." Bakura leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling, running a hand through his bangs. Marik could still be a real pain in the ass.

Bakura looked down in confusion when he felt Marik rest his head on Bakura's lap, still holding his list up to read while talking to the albino. "Well if it's such a problem, why don't we research at your place?" Bakura chuckled, dismissing the suggestion. Like hell that would happen. Marik, however, didn't let go of the issue. "I'm serious Bakura. It doesn't seem fair that you always drag all your stuff over here to do work and hang out. I can go over to your place every once in a while."

Bakura flicked his eyes down, lavender eyes staring back. He didn't speak for a minute, trying to think of how to reply. He didn't want to make Marik suspicious, but Bakura still had his brother to think about. Part of him told him that there would be no harm in the two finally meeting. Yet an instinct telling him to remain on guard forced Bakura to take precaution. "I told you before. We don't need to go to my place – I don't mind researching here. No point in you making that journey out just to work."

Bakura returned his attention back to his papers, only to watch Marik slowly pry the papers from his hands. "I wasn't just thinking for work, Fluffy. I haven't seen your place before and I can't help but be a little curious." Bakura raised an eyebrow, still trying to read his papers. "Why, so you can see how a master criminal lives? It's not as luxurious as you would think." Marik laughed, sitting up to better face Bakura.

"I wasn't thinking that, though honestly you having the 'pretentious mob boss asshole décor thing' going wouldn't surprise me in the least. I was just wondering when you're gonna invite your boyfriend home." Bakura finally set down his papers, turning to meet Marik in the eyes. So that's what this is about. He didn't sense anything malicious and suspicious in Marik's question – in fact, Marik seemed genuinely curious. But Bakura knew that he couldn't invite him home. At least, not yet.

"Perhaps one of these days, we'll take a gander in my neck of the woods. But not yet." He quickly noticed the slight sag in Marik's shoulders. Bakura smirked, ruffling Marik's hair as if he were petting him. "I didn't say never. Just not yet. Okay?" Marik glanced up from under Bakura's hand, giving his best pouting face. Nice try Marik. Not going to cave. A few moments of silence passed before Marik finally gave up, swatting Bakura's hand away.

"Fine." Bakura chuckled as Marik grumbled, who now sat next to Bakura glaring at the papers in front of him. Marik could be quite childish and stubborn, but Bakura had grown to expect that at this point. He glanced up at the TV for a moment, discussing something unimportant about the gaming industry. He noticed Odion walking from his bedroom to the kitchen, most likely to fetch a snack. It was strange how much like home this place was becoming. Bakura suddenly felt a strange lurch in his stomach.

What will happen after the case was done?

Bakura had been forcing that question from his mind, unwilling to confront it. He figured he could dissuade Marik from his quest for vengeance. If he couldn't… well Bakura supposed he couldn't let his idiotic boyfriend go on a suicidal mission. But then Bakura would become the idiotic brother who couldn't keep his word. This situation was entirely avoidable and somehow, I manage to fuck things up. I swear to god, it'll be a miracle if I make it out this in one piece. Bakura turned to stare at Marik, who kept reading unaware of Bakura's gaze.

He knew that Marik wanted revenge. But to be honest, Bakura wondered if Marik truly wanted to revenge. Yes, he was angry that Yami had taken everything from him, but Marik had made it clear that it was not for the death of his father. It seemed like Marik was seeking justice. But even then, that didn't feel like Marik at all. If Bakura didn't know any better, he could swear that Marik wasn't even sure why he needed to meet Yami. What would that accomplish? If he knew he was guilty, wouldn't it make more sense to just start researching the business lord and start there? Why pursue this case to meet Yami in person. Something just didn't line up.

Marik finally noticed Bakura staring, glancing up in surprise. "Uh, hey Fluffy. Is something wrong?" Marik asked rather cautiously, almost embarrassed under the albino's scrutiny. His lilac-colored eyes were wide, a light blush growing across his tanned features. Bakura chuckled, smirking at the youth. Damn, he's attractive. "No, nothing at all. Just admiring the view." The unimpressed look that Marik gave him made Bakura laugh out loud.

"Oh shut up." Marik rolled his eyes, though a small smile grew on his face. Bakura's smirk grew wider as he raised an eyebrow. "You know you like me." Marik snorted as he turned to stare at the wall, annoyed that Bakura had thrown his own words back at him. "Tell me how I ended up dating an asshole?" Bakura shrugged, tossing the papers from his lap onto the table in front of them. "Beats me. I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up with a moron."

Bakura saw how Marik would react and was ready. Just as Marik turned his back to make a snappy response, Bakura leaned in and stole a kiss. Marik blinked in confusion before melting into the kiss. Bakura pulled away before they could go any further. As much as he would like to mess around, they really had to get word done today. Marik's eyes fluttered open as he smirked at Bakura. "Hey Kura, got any plans this weekend?"

Bakura sniggered, leaning away to grab his papers again. "Yeah, I got a hot date with research and crime. Wanna come along?"

Marik let out an annoyed huff, shaking his head in exasperation. Marik fell back, laying on top of Bakura as the albino tried to read. "Fuck, you're hopeless."

"Not as hopeless as you. Now get up and do your work, you lazy ass."

"I can't. My papers are too far away."

"Marik, they are two fucking feet away. They're on the table. Just grab the damn paperwork."

"… They're too far away."

"Why are you so damn lazy. Get off me."

"No. That requires effort."

"What the hell is your problem? Grab your papers"

"I don't have a problem. And I don't want to. That's why I have you. You grab them for me."

"Fuck no."

"Please?"

"Fuck. No."

"Pretty please?"

Bakura let out a loud groan as he finally reached forward and dropped the papers on the couch next to Marik. "You are such a damn pain in the ass." He felt Marik start to giggle, pleased to still remain lazy. "You know you like me." Bakura rolled his eyes as he glanced down at Marik, who was finally getting off of him and sitting up properly. I suppose I do. He smirked at Marik, who smirked back at him before leaning in for a quick kiss.

Before Marik could pull away, Bakura placed a hand on the back of Marik's head, changing the angle of the kiss. His eyes closed as he deepened the kiss, hearing Marik let out a note of surprise. Bakura held back a chuckle, instead tentatively flicking his tongue against Marik's lips. Marik let out a soft sigh that sent down a chill down Bakura's spine. Marik opened his mouth to let Bakura in, setting off fireworks in Bakura's mind.

Bakura pulled away momentarily, breathing heavily before attaching his lips to Marik's neck. The shuddering moan Marik let out made Bakura nearly swoon at the sound. Bakura continued to pepper his neck with kisses, his hands running through the golden hair. He felt Marik grab at his t-shirt, pulling and tugging almost as if in frustration. Bakura knew that despite his aroused state, Marik wouldn't take off his shirt. At least not yet.

It was an unspoken rule that Marik wasn't ready for that level of intimacy. Though Bakura was rather eager to move forward with this side of their relationship, Marik still had some serious self-image issue, at least regarding his scars (Lord forbid Marik needed an ego boost about anything regarding his appearance). Marik had asked early on if it was all right if they took it a bit slower and kept their clothes at least for now. Bakura knew this was subtext for "please don't touch my bare back." Bakura agreed, knowing if they went too quickly, it would probably cause more harm and even traumatize the already insecure youth.

So while Bakura agreed to keep their pants on, that didn't mean they would be sexually repressed. Hardly. Bakura smirked as he heard Marik growl in frustration, as if desiring more but afraid to get it. The albino decided to tease his boyfriend more as he pulled Marik into his lap. Marik adjusted so that he straddled Bakura, moving his hands from Bakura's shirt to run his fingers through the white hair. The albino hummed with pleasure as he pulled Marik closed so their chests were pressed together.

Bakura glanced up at Marik, seeing a hazy look cloud over his eyes. The wanting look sent a shiver right down Bakura's spine as he decided to push his luck. Bakura gently nipped at Marik's collarbone as Marik shuddered with pleasure. He felt fingers tighten in his hair, not painfully so but enough to cause a pleasant sting. Bakura grinned as he repeated the action, Marik hitching his body up towards Bakura's.

Without waiting, Bakura rocked his hips upward; a powerful shiver running through his body as he heard Marik moan loudly. Bakura's hands slipped downward to Marik's hips, longing to slip underneath to feel the warm skin underneath. He instead tugged at Marik's shirt, wanting more but not wanting to scare Marik. He rolled his hips up into Marik's, causing Marik to groan again. The desperate sound and Marik's tightening grip weakened Bakura's resolve as he found his self-control quickly disappearing.

Before Bakura could lose himself completely in the moment, he was vaguely aware of noise in the background. He flicked his eyes open and glanced to the side to figure out the distraction. He saw the TV was still on. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, trying to reach to turn off the TV so he could turn his attention back to more important matters. Just as Bakura found the remote, the story on the television caught Bakura's attention.

"We go live to Miho Nosaka at Industrial Illusions where CEO Maximillion Pegasus is holding his first press conferences in months. During his absence, Croquet has been serving as acting manager to the company. Despite this, the coalition between Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp had been put on halt until further notice. With the return of Pegasus, many believe this means the coalition will form as previously planned."

Bakura blinked as he pulled away, turning his focus to the television. Pegasus had been out for weeks? How had he not noticed that? Bakura felt Marik's head cock to the side, curious as to what his boyfriend could have gotten distracted by. Bakura was about to shake off the incident and turn the TV off when the camera changed to the press conference. Bakura dropped the remote in shock, his eyes widening.

On the TV screen, there was Pegasus standing in front of a podium. He wore a striking red suit and his silver hair flowed past his shoulders. Despite hair falling into his face, Bakura couldn't miss the startling change in his appearance. He wore his hair to cover the injury, but there was no disguising the gruesome wound that scarred his left eye. He was careful to avoid an unflattering camera angle, but a quick turn was all Bakura needed to see the gaping hole where his eye used to be.

What the fuck?

Bakura stared in horror, his stomach giving an uncomfortable squeeze. Bakura didn't have to ask but he knew what had to happen. Even without asking, he knew that something was terribly wrong. He hadn't thought about it since Marik had retrieved the Millennium Eye weeks ago. He remembered seeing a TV broadcast mentioning a delay in the forming business relationship between Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions. But he never thought that…

Bakura turned to look at Marik, who had slipped out of his lap and was now watching the TV, shock and revulsion evident on his face. His hands trembled slightly as he reached for one of Bakura's hands, the intimacy of the moment now completely gone in the shock of the new horror. "Kura… what-" Bakura blinked, bewilderment and suspicion quickly replacing the horror he felt. This didn't make sense on any level. Marik said he retrieved the Eye and hadn't even touched Pegasus. The rumor that Pegasus had surgically implanted the Eye into his socket was nothing more than a hoax. And yet, all evidence on the screen suggested otherwise.

"Marik." Bakura started sternly, knowing that Marik hadn't been completely honest with him. "What did you do?" Marik started at that question, a hurt look crossing his face. "I didn't do anything. What are you talking about?" Bakura took a deep breath, studying Marik. Just because Marik claimed innocence didn't necessarily mean that it was true. That's why this sucked more – Bakura wanted to trust and believe Marik. The evidence before him was overwhelmingly against him though.

"Marik, I sent you to retrieve the Eye weeks ago. Right after you got the Eye, Pegasus disappeared and stayed away from all public appearances for several weeks. Months later, Pegasus makes his first public appearance and it looks like someone gouged out his eye." Bakura turned to meet Marik's scared gaze. "And you're telling me there's no connection at all?" Bakura struggled between anger and disbelief, not sure what to settle for. His voice seemed to settle for anger however.

Marik blinked before looking away, raising a hair to run through his bangs, his expression becoming more distressed. "But I didn't do it! I swear! I couldn't have – there's no way that I would-" Marik stopped talking as he dropped his head into his lap, his breath now shallow and quick as he fought off the urge to panic. Bakura leaned forward, resting a hand on Marik's back and gently rubbed. Marik tensed for a moment before relaxing, struggling to take deeper breaths.

"Marik, I need you to think. Think back on that night when you broke in to steal the Millennium Eye. What exactly happened and don't leave out any details." Bakura spoke softly, carefully watching Marik. The Egyptian closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down as he focused. "Okay… I broke into the house and waited down in the cellar until nightfall. Around midnight, I began to make my way up to Pegasus's bedroom. I didn't know which room it was so I ended up checking almost every room on the first floor before moving upstairs. In the second hallway on the second floor, I found his room. It was the only one with a guard."

Marik lifted his head slightly, his hands held in front of him almost as if trying to grasp something as he thought out loud. "I was thinking on how to break in when another security guard came by and requested the guy by the door's help with something. I wasn't entirely sure what but I didn't waste any time. I got into the room and went over to Pegasus who was asleep in his bed… Yes… Then he… No I…" Bakura narrowed his eyes, confused as Marik seemed to backtrack in his story. Marik had always insisted that he never touched Pegasus. Had he been lying this entire time?

"Then what, Marik? What happened next?" Marik didn't turn to look at Bakura, instead running both hands through his bangs to clench his hair with his fingers. Marik's breathing took a distinctively panic tone to them. Bakura focused on rubbing Marik's back, trying to help him calm down again. "I… I saw the Eye. It was there. No, it wasn't there. It was… on the table? No – but then where was it? Why can't I remember?"

Bakura rested another hand on Marik's shoulder, becoming more confused by Marik's distressed behavior. Marik let out something resembling a pained moan, his fingers tightening in his own hair. What the hell is going on? Bakura figured Marik had left out the truth early on to improve his image to Bakura, a thief he had wanted to impress at the time. Marik wasn't lying before? Did he not remember? Why the hell could he not remember? Why couldn't he remember now? What the fuck happened to Pegasus? There's no way this was all a coincidence, so what the hell happened?

Bakura was about ask Marik to continue, to try to gently encourage him and help him to recall the events more clearly when a voice interrupted them. "Hey, you two. I just made sandwiches if you guys are looking for some dinner." Bakura looked up to see Odion eating a sandwich as he walked into the living room, seemingly oblivious to the developing drama. This seemed to break Marik out of his stupor as he glanced up at Odion, blinking.

A smile grew on Marik's face. "Yeah, let's do that. I'm hungry." Bakura didn't have time to stop Marik before the Egyptian stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Bakura sat a moment longer, watching Marik as he left before slowly standing up. It was just lousy timing that Odion came by when he did – there were lots of things that didn't make sense with Marik that was starting to really bug Bakura. He wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Bakura suspected that Marik didn't mean for these things to happen, but too many suspicious things have been going on for Bakura's liking. From Marik's selective memory to his missing knife to the Millennium Eye – something was up. Bakura watched as Marik turned the corner to go into the kitchen, wondering how he should talk to Marik next. Perhaps he should leave the issue and think more carefully on how to bring up the topic.

As he was thinking about it, his eyes quickly flicked over to Odion who was still standing at the corner between the kitchen and the living room. Odion held a sandwich as he watched Marik walk from the living room to the kitchen. As soon as Marik turned the corner and out of view of both of them, Odion closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. Bakura stopped walking and stared at Odion, realization suddenly dawning on him. Odion opened his eyes, pausing for a moment when he saw Bakura staring at him before following Marik into the kitchen.

Bakura's expression darkened as he glared at the back of Odion's head. Bakura had just figured it had been bad luck that Odion came and interrupted him from trying to get answers from Marik. He figured Odion didn't realize what had been going when he brought the news of food. But Bakura quickly realized this was no accident but instead a calculated decision. Bakura realized Odion was relieved, as if… Odion knows something. That's why he stopped me from trying to get answers from Marik. I know I'm right. Fuck.

Perhaps Bakura didn't need to interrogate Marik to figure out what was going on. Marik clearly had problems trying to recall these events and it caused him a lot of pain or misery. Bakura wasn't even sure if he could trust Marik to be honest on these issues. But that brief moment where Bakura saw Odion's relief told him that the elder brother knew more than he let on. Odion wasn't oblivious to these issues – he was well aware of them and knew something that Bakura didn't know.

Bakura intended to find out.

Bakura took his time walking home, the cold winter air biting at his face. He barely was aware of the freezing wind tossing his wild mane about, as he was lost in thoughts of the events of the day past. After dinner, Marik, Odion, and Bakura had all acted as if nothing had happened. Nothing about Pegasus was addressed and instead, they focused on their respective work. Despite this, it was a futile effort trying to focus.

All Bakura could wonder was what the hell was going on with Marik.

Truth be told, there were a lot of things about Marik that had been bugging him. However, in typical Bakura fashion, he pushed off the issue until the last minute. He avoided dealing with the elephant in the room until he had no choice. Much like how he didn't acknowledge the issue that remained after completing the Millennial Case, he had pushed off Marik's odd behaviors and anachronisms until they became problematic to the issue was trying to resolve. Perhaps it wasn't the best strategy, but it had worked until now.

I need to figure out what's going on. I need to catch Odion alone and ask what he knows. He definitely knows what's going on. Even a little bit will help. Bakura was tired of being played the fool – he wanted answers. If Odion had them, he would get them from him. Bakura always got what he wanted, after all. Bakura spotted his apartment complex as he turned the corner, jogging the last few steps to be greeted by the warm air in the reception area.

One trip up the elevator later, Bakura found himself sorting through keys as he unlocked the apartment door. He assumed that meant Ryou was out but was surprised to find the lights on when he opened the locked door. As he kicked off his shoes, he heard a voice call out from the living room. "Bakura? Is that you?" Bakura took of his jacket and hung on the hook next to the door. "Yeah, I'm back. I already ate dinner so I hope you weren't waiting for me to eat."

"Okay. Hey, Bakura." Bakura raised an eyebrow as he hiked his bag higher on his shoulder. "We… have company." Bakura paused for a moment before continuing down the hallway. There was something odd about how Ryou was talking, but perhaps Bakura was just reading into it and acting paranoid. It was probably just one of Ryou's idiotic friends. "Well, if you have company, I'll stay out of your way." He called out as he turned into the living room.

"Oh no, by all means, please stay Bakura! I don't mind at all. The more the merrier! To be honest, I was hoping that you would come."

Bakura stopped breathing as he heard a new voice call out from the living room. He took a few paces out from the walkway. Bakura stared in shock at the two people sitting in the living room. His eyes first rested on Ryou, who sat in an armchair across from the couch. He sat cross-legged, hunching over slightly as if to make himself appear smaller. He didn't meet his brother's eyes but instead focusing on a piece of carpet in the corner of the room. The discomfort and worry was clearly written across his face, his hands clasped together tightly in an effort to channel his distress.

Bakura dropped his bag when he spotted their guest, who was sitting on the couch. She was completely relaxed, his arms crossed in front of his large chest. Her blond hair flowed down over her shoulders. Her violet eyes rested on Ryou before casually glancing in Bakura's direction. A smirk grew on her face as she observed her prey. In that moment, Bakura knew he had been caught. Every barrier and defense he built over the years in his career quickly came crumbling down with that arrogant smile on the woman's face.

"Hey babe. That's a cute little brother you have there. Care to tell me why you haven't been answering my calls?"