Disclaimer: You've heard it before; I don't own Yugioh or any of the characters seen here.

Tenshi: Okay, Malik is a bit out of character in this chapter...

Malik: A bit?! More like not in character at all!

Tenshi: It's for the sake of the plot!  Now go eat the candy I left for you!

Malik: Okay!

Tenshi: Anyways...yes, Malik is highly out of character in this chapter, but is also very cute so I hope you all enjoy it.  Main idea: Malik + sugar makes for a very interesting combination...

~+An Interesting Combination+~

Inside of the Embassy Suites Hotel, Bakura was angrily heading back to his room to return the pharaoh's deck that had been so graciously requested of him. With the current look on his face, no one was getting in his way, either.

//Stupid, good-for-nothing hikari! Now I have to spend valuable time that I could be using to plot against the pharaoh, just to give him back the deck I stole in the first place!! Hmpf...it can't get any worse than this, it just can't...// he thought while storming down the hallway.

"KURA!!"

//On the other hand...//

Bakura stopped and turned around slowly to see a cheerful Malik bouncing his way over with a bag of jelly beans. "Me and my big mouth..." he groaned.

"Hi Kura!!"

Bakura flinched before fixing the happy blonde with one of his best death glares.  "Malik, for your own sake; don't call me that."

"Aww, why not? It's cute! Besides, it suits your image! Kura: the greatest thief in all of Egypt.  No wait-the whole world!!"

"Yes, just tell the whole world, why don't you? For Ra's sake, Malik, why the hell are you here?"

"Me? Why I've come to watch the duels, of course...and Isis promised me candy if I came along to cheer her on. I just couldn't refuse!"

"Yes, I see that. What a pity..."

"Aww...what's wrong Kura-kun? You look down! Here, have some jelly beans! They're very good!"

"No, Malik, I don't want any jel-ack!" Bakura was cut off by the blonde, who had become preoccupied with stuffing half the bag of jelly beans down his throat.

"There! Good, ne? I thought so! A little sugar always makes you feel tons better! So where are we headed?"

Bakura spat the candy out and then resisted the urge to throw the blonde over the handrail of the staircase. "We are not headed anywhere," he established, "I am going back to my room to give Ryou the pharaoh's deck."

"Why would you give it to Ryou and not Yami?"

"Because Ryou was the one who asked for it back."

"Well, why would Ryou ask and not Yami?"

"I don't know! Probably because Ryou is the only one with a mental link to me?!"

"Well, do we have to go now? I wanna get some more candy first and the machine's right over-"

"Yes, we have to go now!" Bakura exclaimed; forgetting what he had just said about the situation. "Stop asking questions and come on!" he continued, before beginning to storm down the hallway again.

Malik, of course, was more than happy to comply and began skipping happily alongside of him.

"What are you, five? Stop doing that, it's annoying."

"No! I'm having fun and I'm not hurting anyone, anyway."

"Yes, you are. You're giving me a headache."

"But I'm not hurting you."

"The headache is!"

"Exactly."

"Gahh!! I don't know why I bother!"

"It's okay Kura, I know the perfect way to make you feel better!"

"Oh, and what's that? Letting me shove you over the handrail and watching you plummet four floors?"

"No! Don't be silly! That would hurt!"  Malik replied heartily.

"That's the point..." Bakura growled; his eyebrow beginning to twitch.  //Just keep reminding yourself that Isis will come looking for him sooner or later, and then you'll be free.  Now, if freedom didn't require so much self-control, this would be much easier...//

"No, it's something much nicer than that..." Malik added, bringing the thief back to reality.

Bakura waited a few moments for him to continue, but when he didn't, he began to worry.  Just what was the blonde up to now? He prayed to Ra that the boy didn't have anymore jelly beans tucked away somewhere.

"Well...?" he finally inquired.

"A GLOMP!!" Malik screeched, jumping onto his back and wrapping his arms as tight as he could around the thief's neck.

"Ahhhh!! Get off of me this instant you pesky wretch!! Oww (gasp) you're cutting off (gasp) my air supply!!"

"Hmm! Now doesn't that feel better? Pesky? Aww Kura, your vocabulary is just like your hair now; colorful and fluffy! You're so kee-yute!!"

Malik tightened his grip on Bakura's neck while the poor spirit tried to pry him loose.

"Can't you go and annoy someone else?!"

"Annoy? Bakura, you must have a really awful headache to be acting like this. Don't be so hostile; you sound like Yami when Kaiba's been taunting him all day. Speaking of which, look who's right over there!" the blonde proclaimed as he pointed down the hallway at the group gathered in front of the hotel room.

Judging from the expression on Yami's face; he was either going to double over with laughter or rip Bakura's lungs out for stealing his deck. The silver-haired thief noticed this as well, and he wasn't too happy about it...

"Oh no." he groaned, still trying to get Malik off of him while focusing his attention on the pharaoh.

"Hmm...is Kaiba actually here? Yami doesn't look very happy."

"No you nitwit! I took his deck, remember?"

"Yes, why did you do that?"

"To piss him off; why else?!"

"No wonder you two don't get along. Maybe you should be nicer."

"Maybe you should go to hell!!"

"Aww, Kura's having a temper tantrum...how adorable!" Malik chirped.

"Hi you guys..." Yugi greeted as soon as Bakura dragged himself and Malik over to the group.

"Long time no see." Ryou added before laughing at the look on his darker half's face.

"Get. Him. OFF OF ME!!"

"But why, Bakura? I think it's an improvement to your current style." Yami chuckled.

"Stuff it, Pharaoh, or you'll never get your precious deck back!!" Bakura hissed.

"Touchy..."

"Anyway...Malik, are you here for the tournament?" Ryou asked, earning a death glare from his yami.

"Not exactly, I'm only here to watch and cheer Isis on. She promised me candy if I did, so here I am!"

"So that explains it." Yami laughed; sticking his tongue out at Bakura.

"Can we please just get on with this?!" the thief yelled.

"Of course. Bakura, can I have Yami's deck now?"

"Yes! And please don't bother to thank me, I've had more than enough with 'pleasantries' for one day!"

"Don't worry, we won't." Yami replied nonchalantly as he checked to make sure that all of his cards were where they should be.

Bakura stared back at him blankly before looking around at everyone else. The pharaoh was right; they didn't seem to be in a thanking mood at all.

"What we will do, however," Yami continued, "Is let you hang out with Malik for the remainder of the day, while we go and enjoy the first round of the competition."

Bakura's face went pale as he looked at Yami for any sign of sympathy. "No!!  Anything but that!! Yami, if there is any decency in you, you will not condemn me to that!"

"Sorry Bakura, indecent happens to be my middle name." the pharaoh grinned as he watched the shock gradually sink into Bakura's features.

Yugi and Ryou just giggled as they followed the "indecent" spirit down the hall toward the tournament. Bakura fell to his knees staring at the carpet and cursing every Egyptian god he could think of.

"What did I ever do to deserve this...?" he whimpered.

"Aww...Kura, what's wrong? Yami just said you could spend the whole day with me! It's going to be so much fun!"

"Oh Ra! Kill me now!!"

~+End of Chapter+~

Tenshi: Mwa ha ha...well that was fun! Er...I mean, poor Bakura.  I wanna know what you guys think, so please review!