Chapter 2

'What should we do? Should we confront him? What if he's here with Yugi and the others? We should go. Yes we should definably go.'

'Calm down Bakura, he looks alone doesn't he?'

'Yes, LOOKS. Marik we should go home. Now.'

Marik sighed and took a moment to think. A whole year of hiding out in a wastepaper flat Ryou's dad owned, how had they given their location away? Or was this just coincidence?

Duke, for his part, didn't notice them but stared at a nearby game with the focus of a daydreamer. He was ragged, worn down. The special twinkle in his eyes that he had when he was with Yugi and his friends seemed to have died out a long, long time ago.

'Bakura, I don't think he's with Yugi' Marik said in a concerned tone.

'What do you mean?' Bakura replied, confused at Marik's gentle voice. 'You're saying he came all the way from Domino City to here for no reason at all?'

'Look at him Bakura' Marik cautioned. 'He looks…broken.'

Bakura nodded, understanding. He knew that feeling all too well.

'We should talk to him' Marik suggested tentatively.

'Bloody hell Marik, why?

'Well…look at him Bakura, don't you just want to give him a hug?'

Bakura began to back away from Marik, an animalistic look of panic began to set in and he instinctively checked for the exits, like a deer who is used to being hunted. Marik shook his head.

'Don't worry, I haven't felt his presence in a long time' he replied nonchalantly as Bakura began to calm down.

'We might as well Bakura' Marik went on. 'Even if we don't give him a hug, we can at least find out whats happened. To Yugi that is, maybe Aishizu or Odion as well!'

Bakura nearly slapped himself. He had been so concerned by his own well being, his own fear, he hadn't once thought about Marik's needs. That he might be missing his sister or his best friend. He felt a fool.

'I guess we can force a few words out of him' Bakura grumbled.

'Really? Oh wow Bakura you won't regret it!' Marik hugged him in galavanting glee, his dark brown skin felt warm against Bakura's own bone white skin.

'Yes, well, don't make me regret it' Bakura blushed, pulling gently away from the embrace.

'Now I suppose we can ambush him while he's coming out of the-.' Bakura might have finished an articulate plan if Marik hadn't yanked him up and called straight at their victim.

'Hey Duke! Long time no see!' Marik called cheerfully.

Duke Devlin glanced up at Marik and Bakura like a rabbit trapped in the headlights, those green eyes that once attracted the gaze of so many women now old and tired but still ready to run.

'Is, is that you Ryou?' Duke called, his voice hoarse like he had swallowed sandpaper.

'Hazard a guess' Bakura snapped, eyeing Duke up and down in case he broke for a run. Not that it looked like he would have be running anytime soon, his woefully thin limbs were like twigs in a hurricane; just waiting to snap under some unforeseen straw.

'W-w-well if you're going to kill me' Duke stammered, the small pinpricks of tears forming in his eyes. 'Do it now. P-please just get it over with.'

'We're not going to kill you!' Marik exclaimed, genuinely shocked by Duke's defeatist assumption.

'Not yet anyway' Bakura muttered, averting his eyes from the quivering stick before him.

Duke seemed to compose himself after that and wiped the shimmering slivers of tears from his eyes.

'If you're not going to k-kill me, w-why are you here?' Duke questioned gingerly. Bakura let out what could have been a cough or a laugh. Either way it made Duke nervous.

'Oh, well, I was wondering if you could tell us about Domino City and maybe' Marik paused a moment to collect his thoughts. 'Maybe tell me about Aishizu and Odion? I haven't talked to them since Egypt.'

Duke seemed taken aback by this, as if confused to the intentions of the simple question. His empty green eyes betrayed that lingering fear of Bakura, the white-haired rouge that had nearly caused the destruction of the entire world.

'Oh, okay' Duke stuttered out eventually, his pupil darting around his eye like a pingpong ball.

'But not here. My place. I'd f-feel safer there.'

Marik turned to Bakura with a pleading smile on his face. Bakura groaned with frustration, but nodded gruffly in agreement.

'Away we shall fly!' Marik exclaimed with unquenchable joy, flapping his hands like an excited pre-teen. 'Do you have a car? Or should we take Bakura's Or should we walk? Maybe we should hire out bikes!'

'Marik its pouring outside, we're not hiring bikes' Bakura corrected.

'Details Bakura, details' Marik dismissed. 'Away. Away! AWAY!'

To put it frankly, to say that Duke's home had seen better days is a smaller understatement than calling the ocean a lake. The hovel was fit for not even pigs, trash and the bursting black plastic bags that were surely once their home prevented any member of the trio from walking in a straight line. Fungus and droppings infected the place worse than locusts and gruesome graffiti marred the walls like a broken mirror. The stench of weed was overpowering, a rolling wave of green funk that slammed straight into the face of Bakura, but Marik strolled straight in as if he was just popping round the local deli.

Duke sat himself down at the edge of his bed, the once red sheets stained a vile brown upon a matters soaked with vice. Duke, unconcerned, took a crumpled joint from the trashed bedside table and dug out a lighter from his pocket.

'Really?' Bakura sniffed, openly disgusted.

'Don't be rude Bakura!' Marik chided 'do as you please Duke.'

Duke took a long drag and looked Marik softly in the eyes.

'Thanks. Really.' Duke mumbled softly, that mile long stare coming back into his eyes.

'Hey, hey!' Bakura called angrily. 'Stay with us pothead; wouldn't want you visiting the Shadow Realm just yet.'

Duke seemed to snap out of his daydream and took another drag.

'S-sorry. That seems to h-h-h-happen more these days.'

'Its alright' Marik comforted 'just tell us, why are you in London? Where's Yugi? And my sister? Odion?'

Duke took a few deep breaths and another drag before answering, as if he was about to take the plunge in a roller coaster ride.

'I left Yugi and the gang' Duke said, shooing a great elephant out the door. He gave them a moment to soak it in with another drag.

'After P-P-Pegasus retired, it all went down the t-toilet.' Duke went on, a sadness mixed with nostalgia creeping into his voice. 'I couldn't find work and my dice kept on failing me. I went to every d-d-dice ring and casino in the c-city. No luck. I t-tried to set up a European b-b-branch of Dungeon D-D-Dice Monsters, but again it g-got me nowhere. I got into drugs. I had a friend who u-used to live here with m-me. The p-place was actually hers but when she d-d-d-died last m-month, she left the place to me. S-sweet huh? Now all I can do is s-sit here and w-wait until they evict me I g-guess.'

There was a very long silence after that. Duke seemed to have calmed down, drawing deeper puffs of smoke until the herb burned out, then flicking the stump somewhere into the gloating mess.

'Wow' Marik finally spoke. 'Thats pretty hardcore.'

Duke let out a small snort at that.

'Yeah' he dazed. 'I guess.'

'What about Yugi then?' Bakura asked with toned down aggression. 'Whats happening to the runts?'

Duke looked a little shocked by that.

'You mean you g-g-guys haven't heard?' Duke quizzed. 'Y-yugi's holding a t-t-tournament. P-p-people don't believe he's the K-king of Games anymore. Any major d-duelist is gunna be t-there.'

Marik turned to Bakura with an odd gleam in his eye.

'Well you can count us out' Bakura sniffed, turning his back on the burnt out junkie. 'Me and Marik are quite happy how we are. Now thank you for your hospitality but we really must be going. Come along, Marik.'

'Bakura, wait.' Marik called after him.

'Hm?'

'I, I think we should go.'

'What? Bloody hell Marik whats gotten into you? Do you honestly want to go back to those…kids?'

'Bakura they're not bad people, stop hating them and let it go.'

'No, you're right Marik, they aren't bad people. I am. All I've ever wanted to do is wring that Yugi's neck and send his soul to the Shadows!'

'I don't believe you.'

'What? What do you mean you don't believe me?! Marik I tried to destroy the world and loved every moment of it. The only thing that stopped me from that dream was Yugi and his pesky friends.'

'You're not like that anymore Bakura.'

'I meticulously planned everything, down to the tiniest detail. I had waited 3000 years to put my plan into action and even then they still they beat me! Now tell me Marik, why am I not evil anymore?'

It suddenly occurred to Bakura that he was shouting, but he didn't care.

'I've lived thousands of generations and sacrificed everything for evil's sake. I'm not going to throw that away. We are NOT going to that tournament and that is final!'

Bakura was panting hard, his hands gripped into tight fists of anger. Marik stood there stunned, Bakura had never talked to him like that before. Slowly, but surely, tears began to spring to the Tomb Keeper's eyes.

With a sudden wail, Marik ran out the room, his face buried in his hands. Bakura reached out for him but Marik shouldered past with an angry thud, slamming the door behind him.

Silence settled like a cold, wet sheet.

'W-way to go dude.' Duke commented dryly, lying back onto his bed as the weed kicked in.

'Shut up Duke' Bakura snapped. Duke raised his arms in mock defence as he began to drift away into an unforeseen nether space.

Bakura waited a moment, collecting his thoughts. He opened the door and followed Marik outside into the rain. The Egyptian was sitting on the curb, the rain still pouring around him, soaking into his clothes and hair. Bakura sighed and sat down next to him. Marik jerked away, turning his body to face away.

'Listen Marik.' Bakura began as Marik continued a stony, relentless silence.

'Marik I'm sorry. I lost my cool. I should never have spoken to you like that. But you have to understand, I'm evil to the core. My entire life has been revenge and evil. It's who I am.'

'Tell me Bakura.' Marik said softly, wiping the tears from his eyes. 'If you're evil, why do you like me?'

'What?'

'I'm not evil, or I'm not evil anymore. I turned my back on that when Yami defeated Malik, I didn't want to kill him anymore. So if I'm everything you hate, you despise, why do you like me?'

Bakura was silent for a while after that.

Then, Marik felt a warm brush against him as Bakura threw his arms around him.

'Marik' Bakura said softly. 'You're the only one who's ever cared for me, despite my evil. That is why I lo-.' Bakura stopped himself short before Marik could catch on. 'That is why I like you Marik.'

Marik took a moment to respond to that, but when he did he unfurled his arms and returned Bakura's embrace. 'Okay.' Marik sniffled. 'Okay.'

'Although I will definably regret this and I'm probably going to kill you for it, but yes, I will go to this tournament with you.'

'Oh Bakura do you mean it?'

'Yes, although I won't be taking part. But I'll be there.'

'Well I suppose its better than nothing. Thank you Bakura, you'll find it more help than you think!'

'Don't push it, I'm not partaking. Deal?'

'Deal.'

Marik, with large amounts of ecstasy from the good news, pecked Bakura on the cheek and hopped up off the curb. Bakura, furiously blushing, followed suit.

'Okay, Domino City, here we come!' Marik exclaimed.

'Except we don't have enough money, how are we going to get there?' Bakura asked.

'Ah. I hadn't thought of that.'

Just then, a white sports car came tearing down the street, aimed like an arrow directly at Bakura.

'Bakura look out!' Marik cried as he tackled him to the floor.

The sports car swerved and spun out, crashing into Bakura's own sedan and finally resting itself in the middle of the road with a few minor dents.

'Watch where you're bloody going!' Bakura shouted.

'Oh great, it just had to be you dweebs didn't it?' A familiar voice sounded from the driver of the car. Hopping out of the luxury leather seat, was Seto Kaiba.