A/N: Back with a new chapter! I'm not really sure if I like the way this chapter turned out…

I left the chapter short on purpose. Please read the author's note in the end and answer the questions. (insecurity has got me, help)

"Finally. It's began."

…………………………………………………

What a terrible headache! It was already afternoon and the Egyptian was still suffering from a headache that had started that morning. He tried to take pills for it but that didn't really work. The house was empty; everyone else had somewhere to be. The ringing of his cell was the last thing he needed; the sound only worsened his state. Marik picked it up and answered with the first way that came to his mind.

"What do you want?" There was a surprised pause, then the person in the other end spoke with a voice the Egyptian recognized as one of his so called friends.

"We're having a get together in the park. You coming?" It was the mime, whose name was still a bit of a mystery since everyone just referred to him as "The mime". He had a rather unsuccessful career as a mime because he had trouble in the shut up-ing department.

Maybe some fresh air would help to get rid of the ache. "Ok. When?"

"In half an hour. You don't sound so good, what's up?"

"Nothing." The blonde just answered and hung up.

The park was only about five minute walk away but he now wanted to get out of the house as quickly as possible so he decided to go and wait for the others in the park.

There was almost no one in the park. That's weird; it was normally filled with couples…

The boy walked around enjoying the rather nice park with a small lake and all. The headache was beginning to lessen-

"HELP MEEEE!" Okay, scratch that, it was worsening. The screamer was who else but the lovely cousin person, Shadi. He was running towards the tanned teen like death himself was chasing him.

"I-I… He… Don't…" Well that made a lot of sense… The cousin was out of breath and apparently being chased by someone. Rustling was heard from the bushes they were standing next to and the turban clad Egyptian hid behind the mildly confused Marik.

"Come back here you pest!" The guy emerged fully from the bushes holding a piece of paper in his hand and the younger Egyptian recognized him now. How does he keep running into him?

"If it isn't everyone's favorite bushman." Said the blond tauntingly to Bakura who was trying to get leaves of his hair. The white head just gave him a quick glare and turned to Shadi.

"You. What the hell is this?" He was waving the paper in his hand. There was something written on it with a sloppy handwriting. The turban just tried to cover behind the blond and wasn't answering.

"Let me see." Marik held out his hand and the albino gave the paper to him.

KICK ME!

Said the paper and the Egyptian holding it looked questioningly at the teen who still had a leaf in his hair.

"That idiot" pointing at Shadi "tried to tape it on my back."

The situation was just plain stupid; Shadi saw Bakura walking around the park and wanted to get back at him for trying to steel his food, and kill him, that one time. Of course the Egyptian couldn't just go and beat him up or anything like that so he had figured that the paper would make someone do the job for him. When he had tried to tape the paper on the albino's back he had been noticed and ran away. The albino followed behind him taking a few short cuts through the bushes, easily caching up with the turban without even running.

"Why am I the only one with brains?" Marik half muttered half whined after finding out the truth.

"It's not so bad. Maybe you're just the only one with brains in your family." Said Bakura with a consoling voice. Shadi had somehow disappeared after explaining the situation; the guy had a habit to vanish when things weren't for his favor.

The remaining Egyptian over looked the fact that the other had just insulted his family and began walking along the path. Surprisingly, the paler one started walking with him.

"I was going this way anyway…" The kleptomaniac explained without looking at the other. The awkwardness of the albino almost made Marik want to smile.

"Hey…" He stopped walking and Bakura turned to look at him.

"What?"

"You…you still have a leaf in your hair." Said the tanned one quietly and reached out to remove the offensive piece of nature from the white mass of hair. For a second Bakura looked like he was going to back away from the hand, but stayed still and let the Egyptian remove the green leaf. The hair was bit rough and tangled, not so unlike it's owner.

The leaf seemed to be stuck in few of the tangles and was proving surprisingly hard to get out.

"What's taking you so long?" Whispered the owner of the hair.

"It's stuck, hung on."

………………………………………

All leafs be damned.

"I can do it myself, you know." It couldn't be that difficult to remove one tiny leaf. The other just ignored him.

"Help me out, will you. Come closer and bend your head down."

"Don't tell me what to do and let go of my hair."

Marik rolled his eyes then yanked the albino closer and lower from his hair without a second warning.

"Hey!" was the only protest the one yanked could say before he found himself pretty close the other. His forehead hit the Egyptian's shoulder and he nearly lost his balance. To prevent himself from falling down he grab the other's waist. If someone were to pass by and see them, he or she would probably think they were hugging each other.

"Aw, I didn't know you felt that way for me." Kidded Marik while fiddling with the hair.

"Hmph. Hurry up already, I don't have all day." Well actually he did but not everyone needed to know that.

"Shut it; your breath is tickling my shoulder." Told the blond.

"What if I don't feel like it?"

"Then I will pull your hair off."

"Try it and I'll bite you!" That was the best threat the albino came up with in this situation. He wasn't used of being this close to anybody, excluding his brother, and his mind was in bit of a blur.

"Bite me?" questioned Marik. You could almost hear a raised eyebrow in his voice. "That's the best you got? I expected more of you. Now stop talking and tickling me."

"Oh would you like me to stop breathing too?" asked Bakura wryly.

"Yes, that'd be nice."

At this point the white haired boy should have been pissed at the other, but he just sighed and let his head rest against the shoulder. The situation could be worse. Actually, it didn't feel half bad to have Ma-er… someone this close, almost petting you.

"Okay, done." Sleepy…

"Bakura?" He knew that voice… "Are you… uh… awake?"

Damn! He almost fell asleep! This has never happened before…

"Yes!" The albino snapped his head up, let go of the boy and backed away in top speed. "Let's just… go!" He started walking again and ran straight into someone. The person looked freakish; sick pale skin, black around the eyes, a few piercings and the guy was shorter than Bakura. He reminded the teen of a… mime.

"Watch where you're going!" The short one spat. Bad move.

"Hey, the mime!" Marik suddenly called to the short-y and at the same time saved him. The white head looked first at the blond then at "the mime". They knew each other?

"There you are, Marik." Spoke the mime to the teen who just gave him a sideway glance before directing his attention towards the now irritated Bakura.

"Meet the mime." he said nodding towards the person in question "He's… a friend of mine."

Snort. "That freak show?"

"Hey, don't-!" the 'freak show' started to protest but the Egyptian just told him to shut up and the guy did.

The albino had certain distaste towards people who took orders from others without a question so he immediately didn't like the mime. He seemed to listen everything the blond said like some kind of servant. Even when Marik told him that he didn't want to meet with the "other idiots" after all, the short guy just nodded and tottered off.

"Are all your friends like that?" He asked the blond.

"They're not my friends." Came the bitter answer and Marik started walking away. "I have to go home." He didn't look at the albino; his eyes were glued on the path in front of him.

"Hey, Marik!" Bakura called to his retreating back and he stopped but didn't look behind him.

"I guess I could stand you around some other time too." The Egyptian turned his head around at this and looked at the caller. For a second Bakura could have sworn that he smiled at him but then Marik turned his head away again, lifted his hand as 'bye' and disappeared behind a corner.

Bakura turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, a corner of his mouth turned slightly up in a half smile.

………………………………………….

Something just happened that made Marik come to a realization; he didn't have friends. He never did. It was all some show they put on to avoid being completely alone. Friends didn't treat each other like he and the re-named idiots did. He didn't give a damn what happened to them and they didn't care about him, they just hanged around him for…what? To avoid being complete losers by having one cool friend? Yes, something like that.

But then there was Bakura… He was different. He was rude, harsh and treated himself like he was the center of the universe. And yet, despite all that, the albino was the closest friend… No, they weren't friends. They were just thrown together by some cruel twist of fate. The thought pained him but he knew it was the truth.

"I guess I could stand you around some other time too."

Then there was that one sentence that made all the difference. He wanted to see him again? Isn't that something a friend would say? Well, actually a normal friend would say something like 'See you later'… But the kleptomaniac wasn't exactly normal and neither was Marik.

A/N: I have a question for you who are reading this: Do you like the way this fic is turning out? I feel like I just wrote the first chapter for the heck of it, then turned completely around and started to add a bit too much drama. What do you think?