Author's Note: I love my reviewers! :3

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Chapter XIV: Feelings

School was lonely that week after. Bakura went to school alone, Ryou faking the flu so that he could stay home until his black eye healed. Bakura told him that he could milk his injury and get some special attention, but Ryou insisted on staying at home. He argued that someone had to watch Melvin anyway.

Chemistry was quiet as well, due to the fact that a certain bratty teenager had had an… unfortunate accident and would be transferring schools after she recovered.

So, that left only Atem to pester the hell out of Bakura.

"I know you did it."

Bakura didn't look up from his painting. He was in the zone. So, he merely questioned as he continued to concentrate, "Did what, Pharaoh?"

"That 'unfortunate accident' that happened to Kepi from science class," Atem used air quotes. He insisted, "I know it was you."

"So what if it was?" Bakura inquired, trying to maintain his focus.

"And, I suppose you didn't do it alone," Atem guessed, "Being that Yugi and I had an unwelcome visit from the third yami." Atem crossed his arms, his crimson eyes narrowed.

Bakura put down his work and smirked at the past Pharaoh. "Ah, yes, by the way, how'd that go?" He was thoroughly enjoying how agitated Atem was.

Atem responded sarcastically, "Just wonderful." He sighed and told the thief, "You can't just go around hurting all the people you dislike, Bakura."

"Why not?" Bakura asked. He added, "It worked five thousand years ago, and it works now."

Atem growled, "Yes, and I'm still sore about it."

Bakura shrugged this off and presumed, "So, does this mean you're going back to being a goody-goody and you're not gonna cause havoc with me anymore?"

"Correct," Atem confirmed and explained, "Yugi found out about it anyway. I'm not allowed to do anything even remotely evil anymore."

"Fine!" Bakura exclaimed, looking down on the short past Pharaoh, "I can cause destruction myself!" He yelled this a little too loudly, and now the entire class was staring at the quarreling spirits.

Atem whispered, "Way to go."

"Shut the hell up!" Bakura hissed just as loudly as before. In a fit of rage, he stormed out of the classroom, leaving the class to wonder about what the heck happened and Atem to consider just what to do about the troubled thief.

Bakura stomped down the school hallway, not caring where he was going. Why was he taking this so hard? It was just the Pharaoh, disappointing his people again. Nothing new. So, why did it hurt so much?

Bakura had to admit; having a partner in crime was nice. Atem and his pranks, (although juvenile), were somewhat entertaining. Could Atem be considered more than just a fellow yami? Dare he say it, a friend?

That word nauseated Bakura.

The spirit sunk down to the school hallway floor and leaned against the lockers, making it easier to sort his thoughts.

Yami Bakura had only ever counted one person as a friend.

Ryou.

But, Ryou was less of an equal and more of a child Bakura had to look out for and protect. He was much more a chore than a pleasure, though the yami loved his hakari all the same.

Melvin and Marik were considered equals as well. But, Melvin scared the living hell out of him and Marik was much too annoying to put up with.

Only Atem seemed to fit the role of Bakura's ideal friend.

How could he let something as nauseating as friendship cloud his mind?

Bakura hit the back of his head against the steel lockers behind him in frustration.

He had always been alone. Alone for far too long really. So, how could have this friendship thing slipped in so easily? Shouldn't he have detected a change in his usual arrangements?

No. Friendship was too comfortable a feeling. It had escaped under his radar.

Never mind the bloody Pharaoh, Bakura chastised himself, I can slowly turn this damn school upside-down myself. And, this time, I'm not holding any of my brilliant and devious ideas back. No, I'll start with-

"'Kura!"

Bakura cocked his head to the side and spotted Melvin sprinting down the hall in his direction. He finally reached Bakura and panted in place, regaining his breath.

"Melvin? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be at home, annoying the hell out of my hakari." Bakura stood up so that the yami's gazes were even.

Melvin finally caught his breath and held out a paper bag, reporting, "The fruitcake sent me here to deliver this to you. It's your lunch." Melvin smirked. "He stressed that I should tell you that there's a peanut butter sandwich, a pudding cup, and some tuna for Kitty."

"Ryou…" Bakura muttered, snatching the bag from the spirit. He sunk back down to the floor and ran his hand through his thick, white hair, mumbling, "I'm gonna kill that kid someday."

"No, you're not," Melvin immediately countered, sitting down against the lockers next to his mutual yami. He stated, "You're too soft."

"Am not," Bakura argued.

"Are to," Melvin retorted.

Bakura really wasn't in the mood for games and sighed. He ordered, "Go back home, Melvin. I got to get back to class unless I want Ryou to kill me."

"Soft," Melvin coughed as he stood up. He waved behind him, and without looking back, said, "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya."

Bakura growled but followed suit, standing up after the other yami had rounded the corner and had disappeared from sight. He began hiking back to class.

Though, his return was interrupted first.

"Hey, 'Kura," Atem greeted, intercepting Bakura's hike back.

"What do you want?" Bakura hissed.

Atem held out Bakura's backpack and informed him, "You forgot Kitty."

Bakura took his backpack from the Pharaoh, muttering a very low and almost undetectable, "Thanks." Then, he noticed some sort of cloth wrapped around the other yami's hand, blood seeping through it. He asked, motioning to the injury, "You slam your hand in your locker or something?"

The Pharaoh grew a subtle shade of pink from embarrassment and mumbled, "Your cat bit me again…"

Bakura grew a smirk and whispered into his backpack, "Good, Kitty."

Atem narrowed his eyes. Bakura shrugged.

The albino spirit departed, dismissing himself, "Well, I've got some innocent civilians to terrorize. You know, the usual. Later, Pharaoh." He walked away, leaving Atem to go get his hand checked out by the school nurse.

-transition-

"I hate that bastard Pharaoh," Bakura stated immediately as he walked into his and Ryou's dorm after school had ended.

Melvin was perched on the couch, enjoying some cartoons and a bowl of noodles. He heard Bakura's statement, and without taking his eyes off the TV screen, he responded, "Join the club."

Bakura collapsed on the sofa next to the other yami. "What will we call it?" Bakura wondered aloud, playing along.

"We'll call it… The League of Criminal Masterminds."

"The L.C.M.?"

"Wait, doesn't 'masterminds' count as two m's or is it just one?"

"Does it matter?"

"Guess not… Anyway," Melvin shifted the subject, slurping up one of his noodles out of a multicolored bowl, "What'd the Pharaoh do today that made you so agitated?"

"Does there have to be a reason besides the fact that he exists?"

"No," Melvin reasoned, "But, there must be some particular reason you, and I quote, 'hate that bastard Pharaoh' today."

Bakura pouted and admitted, "Atem said he won't cause destruction with me anymore."

"You mean those juvenile pranks you guys have been playing?"

"Yep."

"Why do you care?"

This question caught Bakura off guard. He lied easily, "I was just so close to bringing him to the dark side. But, he slipped my grasp."

"I'm sure you'd love the Pharaoh in your grasp…"

Bakura punched Melvin's arm causing him to spill his bowl of noodles onto the carpet.

"Dude, uncalled for!" Melvin complained, leaving the upturned bowl on the floor, muttering, "Ryou will get it."

"Where is Ryou anyway?" Bakura asked, his narrowed eyes glancing around.

"The store," Melvin reported.

Bakura picked up a phone, saying, "I'll tell him to pick up more noodles."

"You can't," Melvin informed, "He left his phone."

"Well, that's irritating…" Bakura whipped his trench coat from the back of a chair and put it on, saying, "I'm gonna go meet Ryou at the store. I need him to pick up some more catnip for Kitty anyway…" He left the dorm, muttering behind him, "If this place is in ashes when I come back, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"You wouldn't and you couldn't," Melvin quipped, smirking. The door slammed and the abandoned muttered after him, "'Cause you're too soft."

Author's Note: Kind of a cliffhanger… Kind of.

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