.:Chapter four - Small Problems:.

Mariku dashed off, seeing his precious pet under the same tree he'd left him. "Princess!" he cried, throwing his arms out, and lunging at the poor feline. It lifted its head and moved back some, so it wouldn't get crushed by the large male, and then let Mariku pick him up, cuddling the small animal to his chest lovingly.

Ryou and Yuugi both thought the site was rather cute, if not slightly disturbing at how excited the tanned being was to see the cat. Malik, on the other hand, still thought Mariku was stupid.

Bakura informed Yami that they'd left all of their luggage in that alley they appeared in at first, and the short prince realized that the other was right. Together, they slunk away, and left to check on their things.

Low and behold -- it was all gone. Both stood, aghast at the sight. Someone had...stolen their clothing! And equipment! And every thing else they had on them! 'Beings of this planet have no sense of morality!' thought Yami, in shock, mouth hanging open. Bakura, next to him, was furious, and showing it. In his rage, he turned and kicked over some metal cylinder filled with all kinds of foul-smelling things. He screamed, ripping at his hair. "The bastards!" he cried to the sky, panting. Slowly he slid to the ground, resting against the wall.

Just then, Yuugi came jogging up, along with Ryou and Malik following close behind, wondering what the shout was about. Mariku came walking into view a few seconds later, holding his little friend like a child holds a toy; the cat's arms splayed out in front, since he was being held up by his armpits, and feet dangling. Princess meowed mournfully, blinking up at the group.

"What is wrong, short prince-man?" the tanned Althasian asked, tilting his head curiously.

"All of our stuff's been stolen, Mariku!" Yami said, fisting his hands into his hair at the sides of his head. "It's gone! We have nothing!"

Mariku gasped. "They took Blankie!" he screamed, looking horrified.

"..."

With that, the others chose not to reply. Yuugi stepped forward, looking worried. "All of your stuff's gone? Where'd you leave it?" he asked, frowning.

"Well, we left our things here..." Yami explained, gesturing to the empty alleyway.

Yuugi, Ryou and Malik exchanged glances. "You're not serious, are you?" the tanned one asked, tone unbelieving. "If you did, you're incredibly stupid--you can't just leave your things out in the open and expect them NOT to get stolen!" he spat, fuming. These newcomers were just getting weirder and stupider by the moment, in his view.

Bakura turned, eyes absolutely smoldering in his rage. "Your species knows nothing! Do not speak to me as though you are the higher power! You know NOTHING." he hissed, body trembling. Oh, he was mad.

Malik was taken aback at how fierce the other was, and had quite a look of shock on his face. That soon melted into stony confusion, however, and his scrutinizing gaze returned. "Species?" he asked, frowning until his face was slightly distorted. "Just where are you from, anyway?"

The white-haired one was about to reply, when Yami held him back with his hand. Bakura glared at him, ready to snap at the other, but the prince just met his stare, his own eyes burning. "Now's not the time for you to get in a rut, one of your fights, over worldly possessions," he said quietly. This shut the other up--he was too angry to say anything else. So he just simply stood against the wall, his arms crossed, and glaring off at anything that happened to move in his line of vision.

Mariku watched all this in silence, his face expressionless. He listened to every word said, eyeing the way the two looked, and moved. Despite how he acted normally, right now his eyes shone with intelligence, and wisdom, which was quite uncommon from his usual insanity. He shifted Princess in his arms, cuddling the cat lovingly, burying his face in the other's furry head. He didn't like it when Bakura got like that. It scared him--he didn't know if he would lose his friend or not.

"I think you're all crazy..." Malik trailed off, snorting. "Let's just leave these guys here, and go home," he said, this time to his friends. Yuugi looked at him incredulously, and Ryou looked nervous.

"Malik!" the short boy exclaimed, "You're such an ass! I'm not going to leave them like this--even if they ARE strangers! They don't have anything right now, and they're new to this place!" Ryou nodded slightly behind him, eyes sorrowful.

Malik blinked, almost not believing this. His mouth was hanging open slightly, trying to find his words. After a few seconds of it flopping around, he finally shut it, his jaw locking in place. "Well, have fun, then." he said coldly, turning his back and starting to walk away. "I'm going home. If you're dead by tomorrow, I won't have to say I told you so...but I did." And with that, he was gone.

Ryou looked incredibly hurt by his friend's words, and Yuugi, who stood next to him, looked angry. "Jerk," he muttered, before turning back to the others. "I'm sorry about him..." he said quietly, noting out of the corner of his eye, how Mariku, who was on his side, watched the other go. In the background, thunder rumbled softly, warning everyone of the upcoming shower.

"Great," the short one went on, looking up. The evening sky was now littered with black clouds, making it look as dark as night, and way too soon. The pale, frail-looking teen looked shaken, and worried.

"You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" he asked, fidgeting with his shirt. This day was going downwards from the happy one it had once been, and fast. He watched as Yami stared up at the sky in something akin to awe.

"Is this rain?" he asked, a fresh smell wafting into his nose. He closed his eyes, and let his senses absorb this. They had a controlled environment on Althastrus, but there was one distinct memory that stuck in his mind. He couldn't have been more than a few years old, his mom holding the small boy to her bosom, smiling and chattering to him as though he could understand everything she said. The small prince was hanging onto every word his mother uttered, eyes shining, though he didn't understand some of it. Oh, how curious everything was! Then, suddenly, a drop of cool water fell on his small, chubby face. Yami blinked up, large eyes widening slightly. His mother, however, answered without him asking. She explained to him that it was rain, and that it cleansed the world of dirt, and made it clean again. That was the only time he'd seen it, but that was also before they moved to Althastrus.

Opening his eyes, the short prince saw that he was in the present, not with his mother. He heard Bakura made a sound like a grunt to his side, and also saw how Ryou was watching the said male. He smiled slightly, watching the sight. If it hadn't been for what Yuugi said about males going for females, he'd of thought that the species was closer to theirs than he thought. But apparently this race had their own beliefs.

"No," came the answer from Bakura's mouth, after several long moments of silence with nothing but the sound of rumbling in the distance.

Looking slightly worried, Yuugi stepped forward. "You don't have any money at all to stay somewhere, either?" Hey, he might have just met these people a few hours ago, but no one deserved to be out in the rain without a place to sleep! 'Even Malik, despite how he's acting...' Yuugi added as an afterthought. He knew his friend to be temperamental at times, but that was just who he was.

A small wet droplet hit Ryou's nose, and he squeaked slightly, flinching from the sudden contact. Afterwards though, he wondered if he'd been touched at all. Lifting a hand to his face, he realized that it was, indeed, water. "Yuugi," he said quietly, looking to his friend.

Nodding, the smaller boy looked at the three, somewhat uneasy. "Well...I know we don't known each other very well," he began, lifting his eyes to lock with Yami's. "But... Grampa has a spare bedroom, and... well, I can take two at most, but... Well, just for the night, until you get a place to stay, at least," he rambled, making motions with his hands.

Yami blinked, slightly shocked. This child was so different from his tanned friend... He smiled reassuringly at the small boy. "That would be lovely," he said, pocketing his hands.

But this still left a problem. Ryou looked back and forth between the people in their group, eyes darting about shiftily. "But, Yuugi..." he asked, tugging on the other's shirt sleeve. "What about them?" he asked, indicating to Mariku and Bakura with his eyes and head. The tri-hair-colored boy blinked, looking at the two as well.

"Um... You have room, right?" he asked, smiling nervously. The paler one blanched, blinking dumbly at the question.

"W-what!" he asked, voice really worried now. "Yuugi--my father's not home!" he whispered under his breath, looking nervously over at Bakura and Mariku. "He'll be gone for another week!"

"Exactly! He won't need to know they stayed over!" the other persuaded, nudging him into a descision. Seeing the desperate look on Ryou's face, he continued; "And it'll only be for one night! Tomorrow, we'll find a place for them to stay for a while, okay?" he urged, hoping the other two wouldn't have to be crammed in with him.

"Yuugi..." Ryou whined, shoulders slouching; "We don't even know them! We just met today--they could be serial killers for all we know!" trailing off, he suddenly felt somewhat guilty for saying that. Okay--he felt really guilty. But...it could be true... right? Remembering his mother's words; 'Do to others as you want done to you,' and 'Always give others the benefit of the doubt,' Ryou looked down. "I'll... I'll see what I can do," he mumbled, trying to ignore Yuugi's eyes lighting up in delight.

"It's settled, then." the small boy stated, turning around to face the group. "Yami, you'll be staying with Grampa and me, and you two--you'll be staying with Ryou." he nodded, placing his hands on his hips with those last words. From behind him, Ryou had an incredulous look on his face, clearly asking every entity he knew; 'What have I done...?'

---

Yuugi was now safe at home, with Yami in tow, having already explained everything to his grandfather, and gaining the old man's approval on the subject. Ryou, however, lived in an apartment complex quite a while from Yuugi's shop, so he, Mariku and Bakura were still walking along, trying to get to the next bus stop before it started raining.

Currently though, it was only sprinkling lightly on them, though the white-haired teen was sure it would lead to something much more than just that, taking the loud and almost constant thundering bangs and flashes of light into consideration. He sighed, holding his hand over his eyes to keep the small amount of water out. Bakura had been quite hesitant to stay with anything on this planet, though he knew Ryou couldn't hurt him even if he wanted to. Yami told him he was just being stubborn. Psh!--like he cared.

Mariku had his shirt unzipped slightly, a rather large bulge hanging down on his stomach. Out popped a small head, wide eyes glancing around warily, though happily. Princess was quite dry from his spot inside the large male's clothing; and warm, too, seeing as how he was pressed up against the other's soft skin. He showed his contentment by purring loudly, staying where he was. Mariku just kept smiling in a brain-dead way, as if he didn't even notice the rain, though he was holding his tongue out to catch the falling water.

Finally getting to a bench, Ryou plopped down, heaving yet another sigh, not even looking up at the other two, who came to a stop a few feet from him. "I really don't know if the bus is going to come within five minutes, so you might want to sit down," he explained, pulling his light blue jacket closer. It was starting to get cool outside; the wind picking up a crisp feel from wherever it was traveling from. Letting out a small shiver, he curled in closer to himself.

Mariku sat down heavily next to him, hugging the feline in his shirt lovingly. He reached down in there and started scratching the animal gently, hearing the purring get louder. Ryou eyed this out of the corner of his eye. 'Maybe they aren't so bad...' After chancing a glance up at the white-haired one, he gulped. 'Or maybe they are...'

Bakura was currently giving him a glare that could tear down a building with sheer contact alone. It sent shivers down Ryou's spine, forcing him to look away. He didn't like Bakura at all, and right now he was such a scary person to be around, he wasn't sure if he'd make it home! 'And yet, I've been suckered into letting him stay with me for a whole night... I'm never letting him in my apartment again after they leave...If I'm still alive, that is.'

"Baku-Baku scares young Baku-lookalike." Mariku explained, looking up at his friend. The said male snorted and kicked at the tanned one, baring his fangs.

"You shut up," he hissed, folding his arms over his chest. Mariku had dodged the attack and stuck his tongue out at him.

"Baku-Baku is mean! No wonder the little one scared of him. Mariku would be too, if he was not stronger than Baku-meanie." He giggled afterwards, dodging another swipe at him. "See? Baku-meanie!"

And from there, came another one of their fights. Princess was tired of all the movement and leapt from Mariku's shirt, jumping up on the seat next to Ryou and curling up, beginning to clean himself in...er... certain areas. That smallest boy smiled slightly, reaching out to scratch the creature under its chin, when suddenly, Princess spat at him, hissing. Ryou jerked his hand back in surprise, blinking down at the thing. He'd never done any mean thing to a pet in his life, and yet this creature acts as though he's a horrible animal-beater! Scowling, Ryou crossed his arms and replied that he didn't really want to pet the filthy ally-cat anyhow. The said cat, in turn, clawed the boy on the arm, causing him to squeak and move away. "Evil thing!" he accused, pointing. He held his arm, a burning pain pulsing through it. Taking his hand away, he could clearly see blood on his fingers. That thing had ripped his jacket!

Mariku ran over and picked up his lovable feline and cuddled him to his chest. "Princess did a bad thing!" he said, rocking the animal in his arms. "No hurt nice Baku-lookalike!" Princess, as though he could understand, looked down, almost as if he was guilty. Ryou watched all of this in wonder, blinking when the cat was set down, and slowly walked up to him, rubbing its head against the boy's pant leg in apology.

"Er..." was the only thing Ryou could possibly think to say. "You're forgiven...?" he said, feeling quite awkward talking to a cat. Princess 'mrowed' his little happy tune, and started clawing at the boy's leg harshly, causing the white-haired boy to yelp in surprise and pain.

"Hey, do you need a ride, or not?" came the stern and demanding voice from behind the small threesome. Ryou turned, now holding his leg up in the air with his hand, and blinked curiously at the man. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he blushed.

"Oh! Yes, so sorry," he said quickly, bowing. He turned and motioned for the other two to follow him. He quickly jogged over the few feet and lifted himself up onto the bus steps, digging in his pocket to make sure he had enough. Smiling when he realized he did, he looked around for a seat. His face fell when he saw there was barely any, and some of the people were even standing, holding onto the railing lined around on the ceiling. Sighing, he spared a glance over at his back, to make sure the others were following him, when he realized that only Mariku was there. Frowning, he lightly moved Mariku out of the way, gracing himself with a quiet; "Excuse me," and got off the bus, shoulders once more slumping at the site.

"Please Bakura, if you want a place to stay, get on the bus," he said, quite intimidated by the taller male. Bakura just kept staring at him, until finally, he pushed by the smaller boy, getting onto the bus. Ryou stumbled back slightly, shocked, then shook it off, and climbed on once more. "There's not many places to sit," he explained, glancing up at the two as the driver got back on, and closed the door, starting up the bus, not waiting for them to get prepared. Mariku giggled quietly, causing Ryou to look back at him curiously while reaching up to grab hold of the bar so he would keep from falling. He gaped, when he noticed the large lump in the other's shirt once more.

"Mariku!" he hissed quietly, several people watching the scene curiously, others either not hearing or caring. "You can't bring a cat onto a public bus!"

Now this made a few people look up at the small group. Mariku just giggled all the more, waving the small teen off. Bakura glared and smacked the other on the back of the head, causing the tanned one to whimper and whine, and make quite a fuss. Ryou's face heated up. If he'd a known that the two would be so much trouble, he wouldn't have taken them home via public transportation. It'd be much better walking through the rain, than to live through them. Deciding it would be best; Ryou moved a few steps away, looking as though he had no idea who the two were.

After the few minutes and several stops through living hell, it was finally Ryou's stop -- only a few blocks from his apartment. He got off, paying the driver for the three of them, not looking back this time. It was pouring down rain now, soaking them all to the bone (save Princess), though Ryou just continued to walk on, his face downwards to the ground. 'Why is it always me...?' Hearing footsteps behind him, he knew the two were following along, silently. The silent part shocked him, but he didn't show it...Though, it was kind of hard to tell they were, in fact, being quiet, what with the thunder and all. The three trudged to the small boy's building, the two Althasians following obediently behind the human, Mariku still holding his pet close, keeping him warm and dry.

After several flights of stairs (the elevator was broken), Ryou and his new companions were at his doorstep, dripping puddles onto the floor and waiting, while the host was having a rather large fight with his keys, in which he was losing...badly. Finally, he managed to jangle the lock open, and the door swung in after a kick or two. Turning, Ryou let out a small bout of nervous laughter, rubbing the back of his head. "Well...um... welcome to your one-night home." was all he got said before Mariku dashed in, shaking himself dry, and letting his cat out, before scavenging everything in the room. Bakura followed more gracefully, shoes squishing against the carpet, and Ryou once again wondered why he even bothered cleaning the place up.

.:Chapter end:.

:D I hope you guys enjoyed:) And I hope you had a happy holiday, too. X3 I know I did! Time off from school! w00t!

Oh, and I know Ryou doesn't live with his dad, but... meh. It's an AU...deal with it.

-Cecilia