A/N: "Your first words of love that you whispered in my ear, eyes that hide nothing. If I could hold you and know that I can keep you warm, I am not afraid of any punishment or sin." A part of the lyrics of Tsuki no Kaasu, I just feel so inspired to write this right now .


It was already late at night, possibly nearing midnight, but the thief was unable to sleep. The full moon was casting it's light through the window and there was just too much light to sleep. He was just staring at the bloody ceiling, vaguely wondering how could Malik see palm trees and what-not on it.

Actually it seemed unlikely that the boy was asleep either, his breathing was just too irregular for a sleeping person. Bakura knew this because the boy's back was pressed against his side, he could feel the other's breathing. Malik was covered from head to toe with the blanket he had, only a few strands of blond hair peeking past the corner of the blanket. He apparently liked to sleep in a some kind of cocoon position, curled up and fully under covers.

It was not quite clear to Bakura when had he started taking notice of small things like the boy's sleeping habits, though that was probably near the time he had started sleeping closer to him. He knew how his nose would wrinkle a bit and he would frown when there was something he didn't like and how those eyes would lit up when he was enjoying himself, like when he was with Pharaoh. The boy seemed to be very attached to the horse, and the other way around too. The reason why Bakura knew all those things was because he had started paying closer attention to the boy for some reason, though he had deemed that it was just because they spent more time together these days since he hadn't had much else to do... And maybe the boy was a bit more than just a part of his possessions.

The... conversation they had had about Malik not wanting to be his property the other week had managed to convince him that the boy wasn't just a childish brat, or at least he had matured some during this time. Sure he still had his own childish antics but it was sort of... Cute wasn't the right word, it was that too but that wasn't the word to fully describe it. Interesting? Attractive? He didn't know.

"...Are you awake?" Came the quiet voice of Malik from his side.

"Yeah... Can't sleep."

"Hm."

They fell into silence. It would probably been a comfortable one if there didn't feel to be some many unsaid things and unasked questions between them.

"How long are we going to stay here?" The boy suddenly asked.

"I don't know." Bakura shrugged. "Not too long anyway."

"I think I liked the cave better..."

"Me too..."

The boy shifted on his side. "Um... Could you teach me how to ride?" He asked hesitantly and Bakura turned to look at him, seeing that he was facing him now, a waiting look in his eyes, moonlight making them sparkle a little.

"I'm not sure if Pharaoh would let you, and besides, how am I supposed to know that you won't just ride away then?"

Malik looked disappointed. "But-"

"I didn't say I wouldn't. Now go to sleep and stop looking at me like that." He interrupted, looking pointedly back at the ceiling. If he hadn't, he would have seen Malik smile brightly and would have seen the hug coming.

"Thanks." The boy whispered and let go to curl back up under his blanket.

Bakura blinked and glanced at the boy who was already fully covered. Now all his chances of getting any sleep were shot by the confusingly warm, funny feeling. What was that all about?


Much to Malik's disappointment, a few days passed with no riding lessons. Bakura always excused himself when he asked about it and told that he had too many things he needed done to have time. Sometimes he would just stay in the building and do something supposedly important, once he rode away for the day without a word. Malik had no idea where he went and why but that was probably none of his busyness anyway...

Right now he was sitting in the shade of the building, drawing on the sand. He just needed to do something to keep himself entertained and there wasn't much to do around.

"What's that supposed to be?"

Malik turned to look at the direction of the familiar voice and saw Bakura leaning on the wall, arms crossed and eying the drawing.

"It's Pharaoh." The boy informed like it was obvious and went back to his drawing, moving a finger around on the sand. He could hear how the other approached and knelt next to him.

"It looks like a disfigured camel or something." The thief commented, getting a quick glare from the artist. "That's not what a horse looks like."

Malik pretended not to care and ignored the other's presence. It didn't matter what he said or thought, he was the one who avoided him, only to come back to mock him. Something moving in the corner of his eye caught his attention, Bakura wrote something on the sand.

Disfigured camel by Malik

The boy frowned. "You're a terrible jerk." He stated and wiped off the whole thing, drawing and all.

"Whatever, come on." The man got up and Malik finally looked at him.

"Where to?"

"To Pharaoh."

Malik couldn't help the smile that tugged his lips, having already forgotten the jerk-ness.


The horse had been surprisingly co-operative and now Malik was on his back, grabbing the hair to keep himself from falling. Bakura did own bridle but rarely used them himself so he had figured that the boy didn't need to either. The horse was moving slowly, as if trying to prevent the boy from falling and the thief was walking next to him.

"Just relax and sit up straight." Bakura told and placed a hand on the lower back of the boy to get him to sit straight and give him some support. Malik did so, the thief clicked his tongue and Pharaoh sped up to a slow trot.

The boy jumped with the movements and grabbed the hair tighter to prevent his fall. It felt like he would just slide off anytime now. He tried to concentrate on the instructions Bakura was giving, about how to tell the horse where to go and in what speed, and most importantly, how to stop. That was one of the first things Malik decided to try.

"Had enough already?"

"No, I just wanted to see if I could do that." No way he was giving up now. It was a good thing that Pharaoh seemed to be listening him so well, otherwise it would probably be much more difficult.

"Good, time to try something else. Pharaoh." Bakura clicked his tongue again, this time a bit louder. The horse did as told and began galloping.

"Ah!" Malik let out a startled sound and clang to the horse's neck to keep from falling.

"Sit up and lean back a bit!" The thief called to him and he tried his best to do what he was told though he didn't wish to fall, Pharaoh was a big horse and it would be a long way down.

To his surprise it was actually much easier to keep himself balanced once he sat up properly. The movements were soft and easy to sit in, much easier than trot had been. Malik found himself enjoying the ride a lot and a smile lit his features as he galloped around Bakura in a large circle. A laugh escaped him as Pharaoh sped up a bit on his own accord but he didn't really mind.

After a while Bakura told them to slow down and stop, it was enough for the day already. Pharaoh slowed down and went to his master while the boy was grinning like there was no tomorrow.

"We have to do that again sometime!" He said, excitement evident in his voice. Bakura glanced at him with a small smile and nodded.

"There's a lot for you to learn still, down you come." He held his arms up for Malik who placed his hands on his shoulders and slid down with the thief's help. He wrapped his arms around the thief's neck to give a grateful hug while he still could before he was placed down.


It was already evening and the darkness was beginning to fall, and Malik had just finished his babbling about the little riding session. Bakura was just grateful of that.

The boy was leaning his arms on his pillow, head on his arms and waving his legs in the air, humming a random tune. He seemed to be all smile and good mood, which was kind of nice in the thief's opinion. Well, of course it was better than having him be all moody and brat-like.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're not really that bad person?"

That was kind of sudden... Bakura just looked at the boy from the corner of his eye. "No, why would they?"

"Because it's true." Malik said, eyes shining with all his child-like honesty.

"If I remember right, you were the one who last told what 'a terrible jerk' I am." The thief pointed out.

"Well, I didn't really mean it and you were making fun of my drawing."

Bakura 'hmph'ed but the corner of his lips went up a bit. "I guess you're not that bad yourself kiddo."

Malik smiled, noticing the hint of a smile on the other's face. "Thanks."


A/N: Aw! This is seriously getting cute xD I hope not too cute though, but that was kind of necessary...

Please review!!