Author's Note: Guys, I don't have many chapters left. By this time next week, this story will be done. Holy crap.

Enjoy! I update weekly!

Bon appetite!

Bakura hadn't thought he would dwell on Anzu's invitation as much as he did. He had done his good deed of the week and figured that there was no more he could do. Despite her insistence, Marik didn't seem to make any more progress with Bakura showing up. He was a shell of the lively and energetic teen Bakura had known. While it had been good to see Marik again, Bakura didn't hold high hope for recovery for him.

So Bakura was baffled when a week later, he called Anzu to ask if he could come visit Marik.

These little day trips out on his weekends started sporadically. He came after work or before a night class or on the weekend to drop in and see how Marik was doing. Most of the time, Marik would ignore him or Namu would verbally threaten the albino until he thought it best to leave. Anzu seemed delighted that Bakura was making the effort to come out and insisted that this was a good thing.

Bakura was skeptical on whether this was actually making progress, but he found himself falling into an unlikely schedule. Slowly, his trips to see Marik became less sporadic and more consistent as he went out every other Saturday and every Wednesday night to see how Marik was doing. Bakura was fairly certain that Marik didn't even care that he was there. In some ways, he was sure that these trips were more for his own benefit and comfort than they were for Marik.

So it was a month later that Bakura found himself sitting at Marik's desk, watching the youth sit on the bed drawing. Bakura's only disappointment that it wasn't Marik actually there, but rather Namu. The only time Marik would use the gifts Bakura gave him was if Namu was in control, and the alter ego liked to make a point by using these gifts to irritate Bakura in some manner. Bakura sat back talking to Namu, who drew a stick figure that look suspiciously like the albino being mutilated and killed in brutal manners.

Again, Anzu said this was all progress.

Bakura leaned back as he glanced out the window, rambling on about nothing. "So my classes finish up in two weeks. I ended up speaking to a counselor – a college one, not a shrink – and she said that I need to take another lit course and another math course and I should be able to apply for my diploma. I think I'll do that this summer. There's another summer session starting a week after my classes are done and that runs from mid-July to the end of August. After that, I'm not entirely sure what I'll do."

Bakura flicked his eyes over as he heard Namu rip out another sheet of paper, the stick-figure albino now joining a small collection of sheets being formed. Bakura thought it oddly suspicious that he would only start drawing when Bakura was around. He suspected that in the counseling sessions, Namu and Marik were being taught that "violence wasn't the answer" and "to find a healthy way to expression your emotions" and all that shit. Bakura wasn't sure – he'd never had to deal with a shrink before. I probably need one with all the emotional baggage I have going on.

Bakura cracked a knuckle as he returned his focus on the window. He still believed that Anzu was just saying a bunch of bologna, but he did notice that Namu was more expressive when he thought Bakura wasn't watching him. Though Bakura wished to finally talk to Marik and see him again, he would have to settle for Marik's other self for the time being. Still, he kept hoping to catch a glimpse of the bright-eyed youth again. Perhaps that's what really drove him to keep coming back.

"So Dr. Mazaki told me that you skipped your appointment with her this week. What's going on with that?" Bakura could see Namu just smirk in his periphery but said nothing, happy to draw daggers flying towards the stick figure effigy he was working. Bakura resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Namu's almost childish behavior but didn't remark on it. He would take Namu drawing mean-spirited doodles than acting on his violent urges.

"Dr. Mazaki thought that you'd want to join the group therapy session and see how you'd fare. How does that sound?" Bakura heard the nothing except the sound of more paper being torn from the sketchpad. "Don't you want to make a friend?" Bakura couldn't help the smirk growing on his face, knowing that the suggestion would piss off Namu. He knew he shouldn't try to pester Marik's alter ego, but he certainly made it quite easy at times.

He heard Namu swear softly as he pressed the pencil down too hard on the paper and broke the tip. He tossed it onto the floor before grabbing a new pencil and continue his colorful myriad of "dumb ways to die" starring Bakura. The albino let out a sigh as he leaned back in the chair, quickly hiding his smirk with a grimace. If Namu knew he was being picked on, Bakura wasn't entirely sure if Anzu had the strength to keep the Egyptian from trying to murder Bakura.

After a few minutes of silence, Bakura opened his eyes to look at Namu, his mind surprisingly blank at the moment. He rested an elbow on the desk as he propped his chin on his palm. "I'm hanging out with Ryou and some of his friends next weekend. Since it's hot out, they wanted to go to the amusement park. Personally, that sounds like an awful idea, but apparently my twin insists I need to socialize with people that are not him, my pain-in-the-ass coworker or my psychotic… whatever we are."

Perhaps spending time at a mental hospital with Anzu and Marik was helping Bakura more than he realized. Before, even thinking about Marik was painful. Even now, Bakura had no clue what his relationship to the admitted youth was. They certainly weren't dating, and he wasn't even sure if they were even friends. Ex-boyfriend was too juvenile for Bakura's liking, but then again Marik himself had always been rather juvenile. Whatever the case was, Bakura had gotten into the mess that was Marik Ishtar. He was going to see this crazy ship through.

"… I was thinking how I'd rather ditch those dorks and do something really fun. Like make smoothies and watch movies." Bakura didn't look at Namu when he said those words, knowing the effect those words would have on Marik. Part of him wanted to believe that what Anzu was saying was true. Week after week of seeing no change certainly made it hard to believe. Bakura felt his breath freeze in his throat as he heard the pencil clicks stop for a few seconds.

That was all the indication that Bakura needed to know this all wasn't a lost cause.

Bakura stood up with no preamble, stretching briefly before heading towards the door. "Well, I'm out of here. Try and make a friend while I'm gone."

Bakura let out a loud sigh as his twin dragged him out of the car. It was the first weekend of July and the weather certainly matched the season. Bakura swore under the hot and humid air, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Ryou just smiled before handing a pair of sunglasses, which Bakura snatched quickly. Why on earth Ryou thought this would be a fun adventure was beyond the former thief.

He glanced over at his twin, who wore his hair up in a ponytail. Bakura rolled his eyes, knowing it was pointless to talk Ryou out of hairstyle of choice. Since neither brothers wanted to cut their hair short, Ryou often had to compromise during the summer weather and would put it up. Bakura, not needing another reason to be mistaken for female, refused to do so, willing to suffer with his long hair in the summer heat than imitate his brother.

Ryou raised an eyebrow at the sulking albino who was following him. "Kura, you make going to an amusement park look like a freaking chore. Come on, let's have some fun!" Bakura rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets as he brushed past his brother. "You and I have very different ideas of what fun is. Fuck, I hate summer. It's too goddamn hot all the time."

Ryou just smiled as he caught up to Bakura. "Are you kidding? Summer is the best season. We can go to the beach, the pool, the park – there's so much to do now."

"Yeah, like stand in line for an hour for a thirty second ride. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo."

"Roller coasters are amazing. You know you love them."

Bakura growled, resisting the urge to gag. "Not enough to stand a whole goddamn sixty minutes in line for it. It's too hot to be doing this shit."

"It's not too hot. It's perfect shorts and t-shirt weather."

"Yeah, and we end up looking like tomatoes every summer. I honestly have no idea why you like summer so much. You burn just as easily as I do."

Ryou rolled his eyes in amusement. "Bakura, just put on the sunblock and you'll be fine."

"It never works!"

"I swear, you just like to complain for the sake of complaining."

Bakura bit back a retort, knowing that it would just be another complaint and god knows Ryou didn't need to be proven right. Their conversation was thankfully cut short as Bakura noticed a figure waving to them. Bakura raised a white eyebrow as he spotted the midget game enthusiast, his spiky purple and black hair making him easily recognizable. Bakura let out a sigh as he followed Ryou who greeted Yuugi back.

"Hey Yuugi, where is everyone else?" Ryou asked, looking around at the crowd. Yuugi mimicked the motion, though not able to see much further than Ryou due to his vertical debilitation. "No idea! You guys are the first to arrive." Bakura started tune the two out, resisting the urge to bitch and moan. It's going to be a long day with those two. After several minutes of waiting, the other members of their party were spotted.

"There! I see them!" Bakura turned his head lazily before groaning out loud. "Oh fuck." Bakura muttered, feeling a migraine start to form. Ryou waved to the two blonde figures that were making their way towards them. "Ryou, hon! How've you been?" Ryou just chuckled as the smile on his face grew wider. "Not too bad. How have you two been?" Joey just chuckled as he surveyed the growing crowd around them. "Can't really complain. Pumped about roller coasters."

Bakura refused to acknowledge the new members, knowing that no introduction would be needed for them. Ryou had met Jounouchi a few weeks back when he and Mai decided to have girl talk. Bakura noticed the ponytail yet again as Ryou turned his head, resisting the urge to smack his head against a brick pillar. Fuuuuuck this is going to suck. "Yuugi, I'd like you to meet Mai and Joey. I ran into Mai at the store one day and well, the rest was history."

Yuugi smiled before politely bowing. "A pleasure to meet you both." Bakura raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at the blonde duo. He caught the surprised look on both of their faces, both of them noticing how similar Yuugi looked to a certain employer they knew. Mai caught herself first, quickly masking her surprise with a large smile. "Please. The pleasure is all mine, love." Yuugi raised an eyebrow, almost as if puzzled by Mai's behavior. Bakura smirked, realizing that Yuugi's oblivious and innocent nature might be entertaining when juxtaposed with Mai's personality.

Joey finally caught himself, realizing he was still gaping at the short man as he shook his head, an awkward look on his face. "Alright, enough talking. I'm ready for roller coasters. Let's go!" Joey led them into the fray, Mai rolling her eyes at her juvenile companion. Yuugi, however, seemed excited by the prospect and ran up to join Joey in leading the group. Ryou chuckled as he trailed more slowly, chatting with Mai along the way. Bakura let out a sigh as he followed the effeminate duo, already sensing the long day ahead.

It took then twenty minutes to get into the park and Bakura knew the waits would only get longer from there. Ryou, Yuugi and Joey insisted on going to the fastest roller coaster in the park first. Once they arrived at said-death trap, Bakura feigned a headache (though he suspected a real one develop later in the day), saying he wasn't feeling well enough to go ride. This hardly hindered the trio in the adventure of excitement and thrills. Bakura sat down on a park bench as he watched them run to the lines. This would give him at least thirty minutes of quiet away from the group.

"Don't mind if I join you, do you love?"

Well, so much for fucking peace and quiet…

Bakura opened his eyes as Mai smirked down at the albino, looking at the bench for an open space. After several moments of silence, Bakura groaned as he scooted over, letting Mai sit down. Mai smiled, a rather devious look on his face. Fucking she-devil. Before Bakura could even brace himself for their conversation, Mai began her interrogation. "So what convinced that great and mighty Thief King to come out this fine weekend?" Bakura felt his eye twitch as he raised a hand to shield his face from the burning sun.

"Nothing except the fact that my twin was sick of me rattling around the apartment by myself." Bakura raised his hand that was blocking out the sun to push his hair off his forehead, the hair feeling disgustingly slick with sweat. It's too damn hot for this shit. God, I hate summer. Bakura pulled his hair off his back and twisted it over his shoulder, trying to catch a breeze across the back of his neck. Despite how miserably hot it was, he wasn't going to put up his hair in a ponytail.

Mai smirked as she glanced over in Bakura's direction. "Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to make a friend." Bakura swore and flipped the bird in Mai's direction. Last thing he needed was Mai lecturing him on being so lonely – that's why he had his annoying coworker after all. "Fuck that noise, I don't need friends."

"Ryou says that you made a friend at work."

Bakura couldn't hide the grimace on his face. "More like a migraine in human flesh."

"You talking about Kaiba or your co-worker?"

"Is there a difference? Everyone pisses me off."

"Is she cute?"

"Hell no. I'm not interested."

"I wasn't implying you should date her. Though you being a lonely bachelor is somewhat depressing to watch."

"I'm fine. Mind your own damn business, woman."

"No need for such foul language. I'm only being concerned."

Bakura snorted, dismissing the claim. Mai was no more concerned about him than he was for her. They had shared job experience – that was it. If it weren't for the fact that his twin had somehow becoming freaking friends with the she-witch, he would have ditched Mai the moment the commission was over. Bakura was hardly in the mood to deal with Mai on a good day – he was in no condition to do so on hot and humid summer day at a loud amusement park.

Bakura was thankful for the silence that grew between the two, Mai taking a piece of gum out of her purse and started chewing. Ryou had made Bakura ditch the cigarettes at home, worried that his brother was going to an early grave with those cancer sticks. The albino sighed as he tilted his head back to stare at the pale blue sky, already feeling his skin starting to burn under the intense sun. Why did I let Ryou talk me into coming?... Correction – why did I let Ryou drag me out here against my will?

He heard Mai sigh next to him, putting on a pair of sunglasses as she brushed some hair out of her face. "So I heard you've been visiting Marik." Bakura flinched at the remark, his head snapping around to stare at Mai in shock. How did she kn-… Ryou. Bakura groaned internally as he realized that his private life wasn't so private living with his brother. Making a mental note to yell at his twin later, Bakura decided to own up to the fact. "Yeah, I've been dropping in to see how he's doing."

Mai nodded, popping her gum as she did. "And how is he?" Bakura furrowed his brow, glad that his sunglasses would obscure Mai's view of his eyes. She wouldn't be able to see the hint of concern that flashed in his eyes. "… He's as good as he can be in his situation." Bakura rolled his head back and started to stare at the sun. Perhaps if he were lucky, he would get a heat stroke right now and wouldn't have to suffer through the rest of the day.

"… Can I ask you something personal?" Bakura raised a white eyebrow, hiding the amused smirk that wanted to grow. "And the other questions you asked weren't personal?" He caught Mai turn her head, almost as if she was embarrassed. What would she even be embarrassed about asking? Bakura allowed his silence to indicate to Mai that she could ask whatever was on his mind. Honestly at this point, he wasn't sure what he would keep as a secret from her that would make her uncomfortable.

"Did… Did Marik attack you when you met him before his court meeting?"

Bakura felt himself froze, almost startled by the question. Oh… That… Yeah, I can see why… For some reason, that question felt more taboo than anything else. Despite Mai's knowledge of his relationship with Marik, she didn't really know any details of what happened in their falling out. Bakura sighed as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he cracked his knuckles. His long hair that he had tossed of his shoulder now conveniently provided a curtain so that he didn't have to look directly as Mai while he spoke.

"Yeah… Sorta. Marik has DID… Dissociative identity disorder. Split personality. So his other personality came out and was super pissed with me for screwing them over. So yeah… He tried to strangle me to death. Hence why we broke up." Bakura added the last part somewhat dryly, almost as if trying to make a joke. It came off flat as Bakura closed his eyes, exhaling. He thought he had successfully repressed those memories. Perhaps I should actually look into seeing a shrink. God knows how fucked up my mind after all the shit I've been through.

"… I'm sorry. I had no idea." Bakura opened his eyes, leaving them as slits as he glared at the ground. "You must've had an idea or you wouldn't ask the question." Bakura knew better than to assume that Mai didn't have a reason for asking questions. Mai seemed to consider his accusation a moment before sighing. "Ryou was worried. He noticed the bruises on your throat afterwards but didn't want to ask. He said he hadn't seen you so broken and defeated… he didn't know what to do."

Bakura snorted, shaking his head slightly. He had been careful to wear turtlenecks and jackets to cover the bruises afterwards, but it was no surprise that Ryou would have noticed. Even his attempts to keep his twin from worrying only continued to fail. Why do I bother trying if Ryou will find out anyway? Bakura bit his lip, still not looking up to Mai. That was the first time he verbally admitted what happened between them.

Mai shifted in her seat, Bakura hearing her gum pop a second time. "Don't worry. I won't say anything to Ryou. That's your business if you tell your brother." Bakura perked his head up, almost surprised by this. Mai seemed to have picked up that Bakura still didn't want to tell his brother about this incident and gave him the reassurance he needed to hear. Maybe she's not entirely a bitch to me all the time. "… Thanks." He muttered softly as he leaned, slumped in his seat.

He saw Mai nod, using her hand to block out the sun as she looked a roller coaster taking off. Bakura wondered if Ryou and his friends were on that ride right now. He should have found better seats in the shade somewhere. "Not a problem. Everyone has their secrets they're not ready to admit. Even I can respect that. Sometimes." Bakura snorted his head, rolling his eyes as he chuckled. At least Mai was aware that she was nosy and often forced her way into people's business.

"I guess I'm just going to have to accept your nosy attitude." Mai smirked as she flipped her hair out of her face. "Damn straight you do." Bakura felt his eye twitch but bit his tongue back. Just because Mai was tolerable didn't mean he had to like her. He turned his head slightly to watch Mai, who popped her gum, still people watching. Well… if she can be nosy, why can't I? Bakura wondered how far he could push it.

"So… when are you and Jounouchi going to finally tie the knot?" This got a laugh from Mai as she shook her head. "Great question. Ask Joey. I've been waiting on him for too damn long." Bakura smirked, glad to hear the annoyance in Mai's voice. Good to know I can push her buttons too.

"Well if it bugs you too much, why not ask him yourself?"

"Call me old-fashion. I want him to ask me."

Bakura wrinkled his lip up, not really buying that excuse. "That's a pretty dumb reason, even for you."

"Excuse me for wanting commitment."

"This coming from a woman who prostitutes herself out for her job."

"I'm not a whore, I'm an agent. My body's an asset. Gotta make a living."

"Bet Joey's thrilled about that."

Mai smirked as she leaned back, though Bakura noticed a flicker across her face as she thought about something. "So Yami has a look-alike? That's a juicy tidbit I didn't know." Bakura didn't miss the fact that Mai had quickly changed the topic. He raised an eyebrow, but decided to go along. After all, every person has their secrets. "Yep. Even better, Yuugi is an avid gamer." This brought a larger smirk to her face. He could tell Mai was intrigued by this news.

"Really? Well, Yami will have to play a game and see how good this opponent would be." Mai stood up and stretched a moment, her face relaxing to a gentler smile. Bakura furrowed his brows as he turned, spotting the rest of their companions joining them. The albino sighed as he stood up, preparing to be dragged to another ride only to wait again. At least Mai was more bearable company and he could endure.

And then a shrill voice destroyed Bakura's hope for their afternoon.

"Bakura! O-M-G! I'm so excited to see you here?" Bakura groaned as he loud and energetic coworker came running towards him, leading Ryou and his friends towards him and Mai. "Rebecca, what the fuck are you doing here?" Before Rebecca could snap back, Yuugi intercepted the two. "Oh great, you two met? Rebecca's grandfather and mine are old friends. We ran into each other in line. You don't mind if she joins us?"

Before Bakura could yell "fuck no," Mai cut in front of him, a huge grin on her face. "Not at all! I would love to spend time with this cutie! You work with Bakura, you say?" Rebecca's face lit up, a large grin on her face. "Oh yeah, Bakura and I are super close." Bakura could only gape in horror as he saw the devious grin on Mai's face as she urged Rebecca to tell her more. Bakura stood as the rest of the company followed the two blonde girls, Ryou, Joey and Yuugi gushing about the ride they had just gotten off of.

Mai, you fucking bitch… This is going to be a long day.