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: I really enjoyed writing this (short) chapter. Moderate SetoxMalik, because I love the pairing.

Disclaimer: It's not mine, HAPPY?

One Day More

"I don't believe this…"

"Problem?" Seto asked, examining the glossy photograph in his hand.

"Why'd you say yes?" Jounouchi groaned, running a clawed hand through his messy hair, "The bar's starting to lose customers, we need to spend our time on improving the quality! The last thing we need as is a little newborn flying around the room crying its friggin' head off! Not only that, but we gotta change diapers and read bedtime stories and…and…watch our language!"

The taller demon sighed and pocketed the picture, "You seem to be confused. Once again, out of the kindness of my heart, I shall explain the situation to you slowly. When Pegasus said, 'I want you to take care of a new baby,' he didn't actually mean a baby. He meant a newly reincarnated soul, or to put it more bluntly, someone who'd just died."

"Then why the hell couldn't he have just said that?"

"Because individuals with an IQ higher than a table cloth's would know what he was talking about."

Jounouchi scoffed. "Whatever. Where's the brat supposed to be anyway? Did he tell you?"

"I thought it'd be more fun to look for him ourselves," the blue-eyed demon smirked, "he shouldn't be too hard to find. Just follow the smell of burnt incense and we should find our new charge. Come on, pick up the pace! We don't want him to get killed before we get a change to say hello!"

"Speak for yourself…"

"Arrgh! That kid!"

Seto looked up to see one of his more frequent customers, Varon, bounding down the streets, searching under tables and even underneath a few skirts in search of something. The two demons walked up to the shorter, trying to stifle a laugh after witnessing him getting slapped by an indignant female, and basically poked him.

"Did you lose something, or are you just trying to find an excuse to rape women with your eyes?" the blonde asked moodily.

"What? No! No, I was just walking over to Ivory and I saw some blonde kid wrapped in nothing but bandages," at this, the short brunette blushed an odd shade of red. "I kind of felt sorry for the guy, so I offered to help him out and the next thing I knew I was up thrown through a brick wall and my damn wallet's gone!"

"Did he look like this?" Seto asked casually, showing Varon the picture Pegasus had given him earlier.

The demon's dark brown eyes narrowed in frustration, "Yeah! That's the guy! Why'd you have his picture, is he a wanted demon or something? Yeah, I bet that's it, Pegasus and his goons want to show him what happens to thieves around these parts!"

"Actually, I'm supposed to care for him until he finds his bearings," the taller brunette sighed tragically, "you see, he's only a few days old and the poor little thing's probably all confused and scared…"

"What? Two days old? But I…he…!"

"You just got beat up by a baby," Jounouchi smiled, showing his fangs, "but don't worry, our lips are sealed."

"However, it'd be wise to drop by the bar every now and again. You know, to make sure we haven't slipped up. Now, do you know what direction the kid flew off to?"

"I think he ran off towards the bar actually," Varon blinked, "he's kind of clumsy, I think you can still catch up to him if…"

The brunette was cut off as the other two demons had left in haste, leaving behind a small pouch of coins.

"You hurry."

Malik pulled on his gloves impatiently, trying his best not to look completely ignorant of his surroundings. If there was one thing the blonde didn't care for, it was being the only one who didn't know what the hell was going on. Speaking of Hell, the lithe blonde was extremely shocked that he had managed to screw up so bad that it cost him a pair of white wings. Why the fates had decided to damn him into an eternity of pain in the fiery pits of the underworld was unknown, but so far, it actually wasn't that bad.

Well the initial surprise of seeing yourself with black wings and claws was rather troublesome, but being the morbid optimist he was, Malik had decided that his new features helped him transition the gap from being just cute to being drop dead sexy. Yes, that would work. Then there was the inconvenience of being covered from the shoulders down in bandages, surrounded by a mob of lecherous old men. Fortunately, the ever resourceful Malik solved that problem by feigning innocence and stealing money from the first sap that tried to help him. He was quite good at that.

With that 'borrowed' money, Malik began to shop for some plain clothes to wear. However, the plain clothes were a bit too conservative for his tastes, so he instead bought a loose black hooded tank top and a pair of black cargoes that came up just short of his belly button. He also slipped some fingerless black gloves into his pocket because for some reason, his palms were extremely sore. While the rest of his unearthly body was relatively irritant free, his delicate hands felt blistered and throbbed with an unseen pain, despite looking perfectly normal.

While trying to ignore the pain, he accidentally bumped into an older, grizzled demon with a bandanna of the American flag around his head. Bowing and muttering a hasty apology Malik moved to step aside, but was grabbed rather forcefully by the other blonde demon. Much to his disgust, the other began to smell him suspiciously, from his light blonde hair to his newly formed wings. After the uncomfortable inspection, he expected that the taller demon would let him go, but instead his gripped tightened.

"You're a newbie."

"What?"

"You don't smell right. You have the scent of burnt incense…which means you're still a baby…"

Malik cringed as the other's face came very close to his own, "You're cute. Maybe I should show you around…then we could stop by my place and…get to know each other…"

Lilac eyes narrowed and Malik raised a clawed hand in an attempt to attack, but he was quickly caught by the older demon's free hand.

"Now that wasn't very nice! Let's try this again. I'm Bandit Keith…and you are?"

Malik snarled. "None of your fucking business old man."

"Excuse me? For something so pretty to have such a foul mouth, tsk, what is the world coming to?"

The smaller blonde grunted and used all of his strength to pull the other demon's bare arm in front of him. Silently cursing himself for even considering it, Malik licked his dry lips and bit the pale flesh, hard, drawing as much copper flavored liquid (blood?) as he possibly could. Bandit Keith howled in pain and wrenched his arm from the rabid demon's mouth, tears forming on the corners of his eyes.

Malik squeaked and spat out the disgusting taste, stumbling backwards into a chain link fence. But before he got a chance to escape, another hand was placed on top of his head, this time belonging to a handsome looking brunette with eyes that resembled chips of ice. Malik opened his mouth to protest, but was quickly scooped into the tall demon's arms and held like a small child.

"Stay calm kid, we're here to help…"

"Let me go!"

"I would, but then I'd have to find you all over again. I'll explain everything to you later, but for right now you'll just have to trust me."

"Oh gag me with a spoon," Malik spat, baring his fangs dangerously, "now put me down unless you want a piece of your hand missing!"

"It's not my intention to hurt such an attractive, helpless little thing such as yourself, but I won't hesitate if it means shutting you up."

Seto flashed five very sharp looking claws as he said this, hoping that the young demon in his arms would stop talking. Fortunately, he did, and as a reward, the brunette began to stroke Malik's head, as one would a cat. The blonde attempted to resist but eventually allowed his captor to continue holding him as he was. It was degrading, but it was comfortable. Malik looked over his shoulder just in time to witness another blonde demon beating the living (dead, actually) daylights out of Bandit Keith. A small smirk pulled at his lips and he snuggled in warmly between Seto's arms.

"Don't get too comfortable in there kid," Jounouchi said nastily after chasing Keith off, "Seto's already got me as his number one blonde!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really!"

"Huh, that's surprising, considering I'm the one being babied while you stand there like a wet dog waiting for its master to toss it a bone."

"You little-"

"Jounouchi, be nice," Seto said exasperatedly, setting Malik down on the street corner and placing a hand on the young demon's wings to ensure he wouldn't escape. "We owe this little guy an explanation. We don't want him thinking we saved his ass out of compassion, now do we?"

"Of course not," the other blonde huffed, looking down on Malik's lithe form. "Now allow us to introduce ourselves. My name's Katsuya Jounouchi; 80 year old demon from New York City. Nice to meetcha kid!"

"And I'm Seto Kaiba, your new keeper."

Malik blinked blankly, "Am I supposed to know what that means?"

"It means that the big guy left you under our care," Jounouchi said smartly, holding a finger up, "which means you gotta listen to us from now on."

"And if I don't?" The smaller blonde said defiantly, raising a golden eyebrow.

"Then we'll turn you over to Keith and you'll be raped from sunrise to sunset," Seto said irritably, picking up the 'child' once more, "now stop being such a baby and marvel at your new home."

"I'll stop being a baby when you stop carrying me like one! I'm seventeen years old, I CAN WALK! And another thing, stop calling me 'kid,' you freakishly tall monsters!"

"Can't help it, you're too adorable." The brunette said mockingly, pinching Malik's tan cheek. "I'm sure the bar patrons will think so too. Katsuya, what do you think? If we place the kid as a server, we'll be sure to attract more customers."

"Wait, WHAT?"

"Hey yeah!" Jounouchi said excitedly, "He'll be our new attraction! This is perfect! Who knew taking in a brat would be so profitable!"

"Hey, HEY! Don't I get a say in this?"

"Psh, no," the other blonde scoffed, opening the door to a very empty bar slash restaurant. "This is Ivory, up and running since…well, since Seto started it up! Upstairs are the bedrooms, bathrooms, and I think we've even got a comfy little closet you can sleep in."

Malik growled lightly, only to be squeezed tighter by Seto. "He'll be sleeping with me."

"WHAT?" Both blondes gaped at the taller demon, who merely shrugged and began walking up the stairs with a protesting Malik in tow.

"Is that a problem? Katsuya clean up the bar and tell as many people as you can about our new charge. I can guarantee you we'll have a full house tomorrow."

"PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW! UNGH! I'M NOT SLEEPING WITH YOU!"

"What? Where're you going! I can't do all that by myself! SETO!"

Jounouchi was answered by the quiet click of a closed door. Amber eyes narrowed, glaring hatefully up the empty staircase. What was wrong with Seto? It was unlike him to show any kind of kindness toward anyone. It took five years for Jounouchi to even be able to hold a conversation with the enigmatic demon.

'Come on Seto…quit playing around with me…'

"Your hands are so blistered…"

"Hunh?"

Malik blushed as the blue-eyed demon took both his hands tenderly, inspecting them closely.

"You need something for this. I think I have some crème in by the dresser-"

The small blonde quickly withdrew his hands embarrassedly, "It's nothing. I…I died in a house fire, it's probably just a weird after effect. "

"Kid, I already told you you're safe around me," Seto sighed, "I'm not going to poison you, just let me see them."

The brunette took the boy's hands again and gently rubbed a light pink paste into his tanned skin, watching with light amusement as Malik's expression seemed to relax as he did so.

"Just like mom used to do, right?"

"I wouldn't know," the blonde scoffed, "I didn't know my parents. My big sister Isis was the one who took care of me…and she wasn't exactly mother material if you know what I mean."

Seto noticed the bitterness reflected in the young boy's eyes, and set his hands down on the soft bedding.

"I don't actually, care to elaborate?"

"It was like having a mother minus the love," Malik stated rather bluntly, lying down on the dark covers, "I mean, yeah she disciplined me, fed me, and told me to be nice and all that, but…I dunno. It didn't feel like I thought a mom would feel like."

Seto nodded mutely, understanding where the boy was coming from.

"I had a friend who I'd lived next to for a really long time, and his mom was exactly what I thought a mom should be like. She was really cool, let him spike his hair, let him wear whatever he wanted and everything! But she'd also talk to him like an equal whenever he wanted her to…she never talked to him like he was…"

"A child," the brunette finished, instantly realizing why Malik disliked being referred to as a kid.

"Uh huh…yeah, I think that was it."

Malik played with his fingers idly, now that they didn't hurt so much and sighed briefly.

'Marik…looks like I screwed up big time, huh?'

"Malik, if you'd prefer sleeping in the guest room then by all means go ahead. I wouldn't want you feeling uncomfortable during your first night."

"No thanks," the small demon said coolly, "I like this bed. It's soft and warm and squishy…and it's big enough to share with a giant mutant like you. So I think I'll sleep here from now on, 'kay?"

Seto smiled and ruffled the boy's hair playfully, failing to notice the intense sadness overcome his charge as he did so.

"If you insist."

Ryou glared.

Malik glared.

Ryou glared back.

Malik glared back.

Ryou glared even harder.

Malik glared even harder.

Ryou glared harder than he had ever glared before, in fact, he glared so hard he felt that if he glared any harder his eyeballs would burst.

Malik responded by slapping the angel's face harshly.

"Oh, you wretched little-!"

"BACK. OFF. BITCH!"

"Make me!"

"Oh I'll make you," Malik growled, exposing his canines.

"No one's going to make anyone do anything," Bakura barked, pulling Ryou behind him, "this is going to be a safe, happy, alcohol filled night in a raunchy club. No biting, scratching, or spitting allowed, got that Malik?"

"Oh sure, reprimand me," the blonde scoffed, "I didn't start anything, it's that little cotton ball cowering behind you that's to blame."

"I was not cowering!" Ryou retorted, turning pink.

"Malik please-" Bakura grinded.

"Oh shut up Bakura! If I see him anywhere within two feet of Marik, I'm gouging his eyes out!"

"But you're just friends," Ryou purred, batting his eyelashes innocently.

"You slut-"

"Ah! Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Hmm? You disappoint me Malik; I thought you were supposed to be perfect."

"Ha! Don't try to lure me into ripping your throat out; I'm way beyond letting stupid comments like that get to me."

"Right...tell me again why you insist on applying your eyeliner in the dark?"

Bakura sighed and proceeded to drag an enraged Malik away from a very smug looking Ryou, who stuck his tongue out childishly.

"Will you grow up? Quit acting like such a baby!"

"When Marik gets here-"

"Then you'll be his problem, not mine," the medical student said sternly, running a pale hand through even paler hair, "now if you promise to keep a level head, I'll try to keep Ryou out of your way, alright?"

"Ryou has germs on him," Malik breathed, eye twitching, "I saw them, they were all moldy and wormy and deadly, ooh, I think I saw a few strands of Ebola."

Bakura's eyes darted to his bottle of hand sanitizer briefly, but resisted the temptation to cover himself with it.

"Nice try Malik. Now please, just-"

"Right, I'll stay out of your hair. You don't need to spell it out for me, I'm not a baby."

"Could've fooled me," Ryou snapped irritably.

"Shut the fuck up!" Malik shot back.

"Malik-"

"Right, right, sorry…"

Malik pouted and went into the bathroom, wanting nothing more than to wash his hands. They had mysteriously begun to sting a bit after he had made contact with Ryou's cheek. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was rather annoying. After a minute or so of holding his hands under the running water, he dried them off, took a deep breath, and stepped back into the living room. Marik had finally returned from his trip to the grocery, and was currently placing a very large bottle of wine in the refrigerator. The small blonde blinked and walked in casually, making sure that the light hit his new outfit perfectly.

Marik rolled his eyes at Malik's attempts to discreetly show himself off. The boy was currently sporting a light purple tank top hoodie that came up just short of his belly button, paired with black cargo pants. He resisted the urge to grab the boy and begin make out session number two, what with the endless teasing he had received from Bakura after the whipped cream incident.

"You ready?"

"I was waiting for you," Malik sniffed, thoroughly enjoying how Marik's tight black shirt showed off every single toned muscle in the taller blonde's chest, "You're looking…nice."

"Thanks," Marik blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Now then, what's our plan of attack for tonight?"

"We go to the bar, eat some hot wings and drink until Malik strips for us," Bakura offered, earning a harsh glare from Ryou.

"Ugh, I don't wanna drink all night! Can't we dance?"

"We can do both, can't we?" the angel coughed, "I mean, we're all very responsible young adults here…"

"Yeah, right," Marik said disinterestedly, pulling the smaller blonde closer, "You and Bakura can drink until your livers expire, me and Malik are gonna sex up the dance floor, right kid?"

"R-Right," Malik squeaked, turning pink. "I…I can't wait!"

"Oh please," Ryou glowered, allowing Bakura to place an eager arm around his shoulders, "you'd think that child was raised by a couple of demons."

"Whoa, hold up! Malik may be a bit unruly, but I wouldn't go that far," Bakura laughed, unaware that the boy's words held the truth.

"Malik, later tonight I want to talk to you in private, okay," Marik whispered into the shorter boy's ear, "after the other two have had a few shots come with me outside, okay?"

"Oh…okay," Malik blushed, trying to hide his excitement.

"Cool. Oh, and another thing. Bakura, before you say anything, this isn't a group date. It's a group outing."

Any hopes Malik had of a wedding proposal were promptly shot dead.

Five reviews for the next chapter, in which Malik's life goes hideously out of control.