A Little Fall of Rain

Summary: When the angel Ryou becomes smitten with a mortal who he believes can do no harm, he creates a misunderstanding, resulting in the wrath of the young demon Malik whose unrequited love was never satisfied in life.

Rated: T

Genre: Supernatural/Romance

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to XxMalik LoverxX for being the fifth reviewer! I am so serious about my review quota. I will not update a story until I am satisfied with the review count. I know there are people out there that read the story all the way through. I don't bite! And it's not like reviewing takes a huge chunk out of your life anyway.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi. Even Malik! …That lucky bastard.

Look Down

Malik and Marik walked together quietly through the darkened streets of Domino City, tears of rain pounding a soft rhythm on their sweeping umbrella. The taller blonde had an arm around the young demon's waist, holding him close in a rare gesture of kindness. They had been walking for who knows how long, not really knowing where they were going when they started. It was late, very late. So late that most of the ghost hour diners had been closed for some time. But still they walked, boots padding in unison on the slick sidewalk. Saying nothing. Hearing nothing. Just happy to have someone to walk with.

The street lamps casts a hazy ghost of light on the reflective streets, some blinking quietly shut. Mannequins in a nearby shop window stared soullessly out at the two blondes, their painted mouths smiling at nothing. The demon shivered, unnerved by the white faces looking back at him. He instinctively pressed closer to Marik's body, trying to hide from the blank eyes. Marik smiled, giving his old neighbor a reassuring squeeze. He would never let anyone scare Malik. It was always that way. Always.

The streets grew darker and yet they continued to press forward, oblivious of the sightless world surrounding them. The walk itself had begun strangely enough. Marik had woken up with a dry throat, and left the warmth of his bed to get a glass of water. However, he had found Malik seated in front of the window looking up into the midnight sky, his lilac eyes reflecting an unseen sorrow. The rain was gently tapping the window pane, whispering muted invitations to the young demon. Suddenly feeling less tired, Marik tapped Malik on the shoulder and motioned to the door, holding a single finger up to his lips before looking to Bakura's sleeping form. The small blonde blushed and slowly nodded in understanding, moving to find more appropriate clothing. But as soon as he stood, Marik draped a large black coat over his shoulders, already wearing one himself. The two blondes left the small room, closing the door noiselessly. With nothing except an umbrella they set off into the night, allowing the silvery streets to take them to their unknown destination.

Somewhere a bell tolled, four dull cries, signaling the life that would begin in just two hours time. The pair had been walking to nowhere for four hours straight. Malik yawned, heavy eyes struggling to stay open. Slowly they came to a stop, Marik looking at the smaller blonde with slight concern.

"You finally tired Malik?" Marik said softly, his voice cracking from hours of silence.

"Maybe. Just a little. But tonight was worth the price I'll have to pay in the morning." Malik smiled, laying his head on Marik's chest. "Everything was perfect."

"Yeah, the rain made everything really beautiful," the student mused, looking around at the infinite blackness, "even though it's dark, the pavement shines like silver. Pretty cool, right?"

"Mmmhmm…"

"Wanna head back now?"

"Marik…I need to ask you…"

"Yes?"

"What am I…to you?"

Marik looked down at the Malik's quiet form, sensing the seriousness of his question. "What brought this up?"

"Bakura…he said that you only saw me as a friend. And I want to know…" Malik looked into Marik's dark eyes, endless years of bottled up pain leaving his body in the shape of tears. "What do I have to do…to be worth more to you?"

Marik looked away, his arm dropping from Malik's shoulder. For the first time that night, the demon felt cold. There was a sharp pain in his chest, the pain of a heart beginning to crack

"Marik I-I'm sorry…It was a stupid question, and you obviously… You know what, just forget I even asked-"

"I love you," Marik said quietly, turning to the frightened blonde and grasping his hands reassuringly, "And I'm sorry…I made you cry. I just never thought you'd feel the same way about a stupid asshole like me. I know it was selfish…but I didn't want Bakura to look at me any different if it turned out you didn't like me. I mean your sister-"

"Isis doesn't rule my life anymore," Malik said truthfully, bitterly remembering her tragic death. "No one tells me what I can't do. And even if she didn't approve…I'd kill her with my own hands before if she ever tried to take you away from me."

"Heh, possessive much? You should take it easy Malik. Forget whatever Bakura said, don't get yourself worked up about things like this. You know I'll always be there to look after you." Marik gave the smaller blonde a warm hug, burying his face into the boy's sweet smelling hair. "Not even the Devil himself could tear us apart…"

A loud crash of thunder awoke Malik from his dream, and he found himself dry and rather cold inside the boys' college dorm. He was lying alone on the bottom bunk; Marik had decided to sleep on the floor. Bakura was snoring lightly in the bed above them. Both were fast asleep. Malik sighed heavily and placed his head back onto the plush feather pillow. It was just a stupid dream. Marik would have never done anything like that out of the blue. And besides…they were just friends.

A single tear dropped. There was one thing real about that dream.

It was raining outside.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the heavens have decided to grace us with a visit from one of their angels! Too bad he's pathetic."

"You talk big Kaiba, but you'll never be able to back it up," Yami sneered, unfurling his white wings to their full extent, "Demons are of a lower class than us angels. Why, I bet even a human could bring you to your knees."

"You take that back!" Jounouchi snarled, lunging for the offending angel before getting elbowed in the gut by an extremely irritated Seto.

"Not now puppy. Mommy and Daddy have a little grudge match to settle."

"D-Damn it Kaiba!" The blonde choked, struggling to his feet, "I just wanna help you kill this asshole!"

"Don't take this too personally Katsuya, but I don't want to spend the next century gathering your fallen limbs from the four corners of Hell. In other words, you're not strong enough to burst this cherub's ego. Leave it to the professionals. Now then," Seto smirked, turning to the scowling angel, "what brings your unwanted visit my dear comrade? What reasons do you have for tainting your ethereal feathers with the fine dust of the damned?"

"My business with you is best discussed in private," Yami breathed, unsettled by the endless sea of cat eyes surrounding him. "I'm afraid this news is too important to be heard by the scum you call customers."

"Listen to the pretty boy talk," cackled Varon, a regular patron, "Thinking he's all high and mighty just because he's got those big pearly wings. Let me tell you, I'd rather spend my eternity as a damned soul than be cooped up in the same place this guy comes from!"

A loud rumble of agreement followed.

"I shall honor the angel's request," Seto laughed mockingly, motioning for Yami to follow him upstairs, "But believe me, this is the last time you'll ever order me around."

"Kaiba! Don't trust that guy! He's already tried to kill you once and-"

The demon ignored the blonde's violent objections and shut the bedroom door loudly, leaving the two rivals standing face to face.

"What do want now Yami?" Seto sighed. "If this is about the mirror-"

"The mirror is the least of my worries," Yami said quickly. "What in Hell's name possessed you to give the Ebony Pearl to a baby demon? Do you have any idea how much damage he'll cause?"

"Why is this any of your concern?" Seto replied smoothly, "What my charge and I do is none of your business. Shouldn't you be spending your time trying to stop global warming or something?"

"This is deathly serious Kaiba," the angel insisted, "the safety of those humans and your charge are at stake."

For the first time in the conversation, Seto looked worried. "What do you mean? Malik's not in any danger at all. If he willingly breaks the pearl in a year's time he'll return to me. Where's the danger in that?"

"You make breaking the pearl seem like such an easy task," the shorter spirit said quietly, "but it takes more than physical strength to shatter it. Don't you know? If the wearer's magic is too weak, the pearl won't break."

"That isn't true," the demon retorted, azure eyes widening, "you're lying! There's never been an incident when the pearl has refused to break-"

"There's also never been someone stupid enough to give the pearl to a two year old demon," Yami snapped, "until now that is. You know what happens if that pearl isn't broken; the wearer's spirit will fall into limbo. You'll never see him again."

"That isn't true…"

"Believe what you want Kaiba, I'm just telling you what will happen. Angels don't lie. The head council is already planning an attack on your charge; they don't take things like this lightly. Even if he doesn't cause any harm, they'll kill him. You need to find a way to bring him back Kaiba. I know you've no concern for the humans' safety, but would you really risk the life of your charge?"

"You expect me to believe this drivel?" Seto growled dangerously, though he looked extremely pale, "You just want the rest of those white winged air heads to execute me for trespassing on human ground. I am not going to fall for this Yami. There's nothing endangering Malik and nothing you can say will make me change my mind. I refuse to take anything you say with substance. You're a snake."

"We'll just have to see Kaiba," the angel shrugged, "I may despise what you've become, but I hate watching the innocent die. I really do hope you come to your senses soon. For Malik's sake."

Yami turned and silently exited the room, closing the door with a muted thud. He leaned against the wooden frame and smiled. Everything he had just spoken was a flat out lie. The Ebony Pearl could be broken by a young demon as easily as an elder. However Yami adored the raw anxiety and fear he had seen on Seto Kaiba's face that grew with every single barbed word he had said. He knew that despite Kaiba's rough façade, the heart of an overprotective fool still beat within him. That was his rival's greatest weakness.

What would the demon do? Would he sacrifice his own life to needlessly 'save' his charge? Or would he wait for the angels to punish the hapless blonde for endangering the lives of mortals? Either way, Kaiba would end up getting hurt. The revenge Yami had lusted for so long would finally be fulfilled. Phase one of his plan was completed. The malevolent angel flexed his soft wings and walked down the stairs. Phase two would begin in a week's time…

Ryou sighed and nibbled quietly on his powdered donut. It had been six hours since the angel had arrived on Earth, thankfully (or not) already fully clothed. He was sitting outside a small café, watching hundreds of unfamiliar faces pass by, none of them belonging to Bakura or the demon. But Ryou was a dutiful angel. He ordered several more sweet pastries and continued to wait, a tiny voice inside of him starting to think his mission to thwart the blonde demon's motives (whatever they may be) was utterly hopeless. However, as a nearby clock chimed two, Ryou felt a suffocating darkness heading in his direction. Past experience told him that his sickly feeling was being caused by the Ebony Pearl, which reeked of evil to ethereal beings like himself. The angel bit his lip. The duel between two worlds was about to commence.

"Hey! Malik got a bigger cup," Bakura complained irritably, referring to the size of the blonde's frozen coffee. "How come you only bought me a medium?"

"Because you're you," Marik said simply, giving the white haired teen a playful shove. "And you're not my super special awesome guest. Besides, you never finish your coffee."

"And you think someone smaller than me will?"

"No. But that just means I get to have his leftovers!"

Malik blushed and sipped the vanilla flavored drink shyly. There was a sort of childish happiness bubbling inside of him, but as Marik had said, he was only getting this special treatment because he was a guest. There was nothing romantic about being a guest. The demon began to sigh in light misery when Marik suddenly draped an arm around his shoulder.

"You cold?" The taller blonde said casually.

"Y-Yeah," Malik stuttered, thoroughly enjoying every moment of Marik's friendly closeness. "Thanks for the coffee. You really didn't have to punch the barista in the face though."

"He was looking at you too long," Marik muttered darkly. "I hate it when people do that."

"I hate when people look at me too long too," Bakura said suddenly, "It makes me think I have something in my teeth. Or that the person has special powers that allow them to see into the deep recesses of my soul."

The two blondes stared at him blankly.

"What? It could happen," the other insisted, walking right into a shorter boy carrying a box of creampuffs. That boy, as you've probably already guessed, was Ryou. I'm also betting you assumed the box of calorie packed pastries fell to the ground.

But they didn't.

First, they flew up into the air and kissed the afternoon sun, and then the box found a landing spot on Malik's sweet little head. There was a loud squeak, and before anyone knew it, the blonde's prized locks were covered with patches of sugary cream, and to be honest, he was taking it better than anyone had expected.

Marik winced. Bakura cackled. Ryou gasped.

"Ahh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going and… Here, let me help you-"

"That won't be necessary," Malik ground out, trying very hard to keep his temper while trying to get all the whipped cream out of his hair, "I heard sugar does wonders for the scalp."

Meanwhile, Marik was busy beating the stuffing out of a breathless Bakura.

"Ahahahahahaha! Right on his head!"

"I swear if you don't shut up I'm locking you out of the dorm and throwing you into the filthiest dumpster in the city!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You don't know me very well Bakura," Marik growled.

Ryou blushed and offered the demon a small smile. "If it's any consolation, I'd love it if a box of cream puffs was suddenly dropped on my head."

Malik laughed sarcastically, "It's a shame this one didn't huh?"

The angel quietly rolled his eyes the blonde's horrible attempts to hide his annoyance and walked over to the still laughing Bakura. Marik had gone over to try and comfort Malik.

"Don't worry about it. Cream comes off really easy in the shower!"

"But I don't want to go home just to wash my hair," the other whined, "I wanted to hang out with you guys today!"

"I never said were going home," Marik scoffed, "I just said not to worry about it." He took a strand of Malik's hair and quickly ran it through his mouth for a taste. "Hmm, not bad."

"Are you okay?" Ryou asked concernedly, tilting his head to one side. "That other guy looked like he was giving you a hard time."

"Eh, he's just mad because I was laughing at his boyfriend," the medical student said scathingly, giving his roommate an ugly look. "That was a nice move, even if it was accidental."

"Thanks…I think," the angel blushed, "but it really was an accident. I didn't mean for such fresh creampuffs to go to waste so quickly-"

"Waste? Are you suggesting that those creampuffs went to waste? On me?" Malik hissed as Marik combed fingers through his hair.

"Actually, I wasn't," Ryou replied shortly, "but if you're going to be immature about it then yes. I was planning on giving those creampuffs to some children down at the orphanage, but-"

"Please," the demon spat, "don't try to make this look like it was our fault. You walked into us. And I bet those creampuffs were going straight into that belly of yours with all the other helpless candy you've probably devoured this morning."

"Are you trying to suggest I'm fat?"

"Well, you're certainly larger than my gorgeously perfect self."

"You'll forgive me if I find starving myself to the point of death just to fit into a pair of size 0 jeans idiotic. But then again someone as shallow as you are would value beauty over intelligence. Most dumb blondes are guilty of that flaw."

"Unfortunately for you, I've been blessed with both," Malik twitched. "And you know what? I'm smart enough to know that a butterball like you walked into us on purpose just to get the attention of Mr. Clean over there."

Ryou turned bright pink and clenched his fists tightly, "Why you horrible little-!"

"Bring it Whitey!"

Marik, knowing from experience that Malik was more than capable of holding his own in a fight (especially a fistfight), forcibly pulled the blonde away from the angel. Despite fervent protests from the demon, the tanned blonde continued to steer him away from a possibly physical confrontation.

"Marik let me go! Ungh! I'm gonna kick his ass! NO ONE CALLS ME A DUMB BLONDE AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"Bakura," the taller blonde called back, dodging the demon's flailing limbs, "I'm gonna take Malik and look for some outfits for tonight. We'll meet you back in the room at around six!"

"LEMME GO!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!"

The white haired teen watched in amusement as his roommate hoisted the enraged Malik onto his back.

"Those two are so into each other," he smirked.

"The little one's a bit of a loose cannon," Ryou giggled, looking into Bakura's rich brown eyes. "I don't know how the other puts up with him."

Bakura shrugged, "They've known each other a long time. I'm guessing they've learned to deal with one another's imperfections. If you ask me, that's what the definition of a couple is. But that idiot's too much of a loser to admit he has feelings for the kid."

"You seem to enjoy analyzing their relationship," the angel grinned, raising an eyebrow, "but I'm more concerned about who's going to pay for my breakfast. Those creampuffs weren't exactly cheap you know."

"So you were going to eat them! You're a little sneak."

"I hope I don't rub off on you," Ryou joked, "wouldn't want you to stray from the path to salvation."

"That's pretty profound," Bakura scoffed, "do you work for the church or something?"

"Something like that. Oh! How rude of me! I haven't even introduced myself properly. They call me Ryou Bakura. And you?"

"Bakura Touzoku. Hey, my first name is your last."

"Weird huh?"

"I guess. It's kind of… Oh shit! I totally forgot that I had to buy a new book for the dissection tomorrow!"

"You're taking medicine?" Ryou asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I'm only on my second year though. Crap, I don't think I have enough money for it…damn. Hey Ryou, do by any chance-"

"I'll pay for it," the angel said eagerly, taking the mortal's hand, "I wouldn't want you to fail any of your classes on account of your financial trouble. Come on!"

The two platinum haired teens raced across the city in search of a bookstore. Ryou was trying hard not to burst with sheer joy at the thought of actually spending the afternoon with the boy he had been watching for so long. However the grim mission of 'breaking' the young demon still lingered in the back of his mind. Although beautiful, the blonde certainly was violent, and his presence seemed to have already affected the two innocent students that had taken him in. Never before had Ryou heard such coarse language coming from Bakura when he had spoken in the mirror, and the angel could only conclude that Malik had caused his darling to temporarily slip. The other blonde appeared to have been greatly tainted by the young demon, enough to brutally punish Bakura for a simple laugh. Whether the consequences of Malik's meddling were intentional or not, they had already caused the two mortals to fall into the hands of damnation. But he would change all that. An angel's guidance would be able to thwart any demon's temptation. And if saving his Bakura meant breaking Malik's spirit, then so be it.

TBC

What will Seto do? What's Yami's plan? Will Marik ever confess his love for Malik? Will Ryou succeed in 'breaking' our adorable blonde hero? STAY TUNED FOR MORE!

Five reviews for the next chapter, blah blah blah, OKAY GO!