A/N: I am very sorry everyone! This took so long because I'm still having problems with a virus that keeps coming back like a boomerang! In return I made this a long chapter! I hope that's good news for you. Speaking of Good News:

1) The cover to this fanfic is up! The link is on my profile.

2) This story is going to have a sequel! There's (very little) information on my profile. I hope you want a sequel because I have really good ideas and would appreciate some readers!

Thank you J. L. Lunar (I'm so happy you like both of my stories! And that alone is super special awesome enough!),

ToriPANDAkun (I'll see what I can do about the humor :)),

Kuracakes (tut mir leid, es ging wirklich nicht schneller. Bring mich bitte nicht um! Kriegst auch nen prank in diesem Chapter!),

LadySunami (thanks for correcting me! And yes, having them have their own dates was my intention, you're sharp ;) Oh and you're right. I must have forgotten to write it in the end. I did imagine people giving them strange looks but yes, I kinda forgot to add it, sorry! That's Malik for you, not even Bakura can resist~)

and KittyScarlet (I can only promise that I'll try my best :))

Chapter 5

Let Go And Dance - part 1

Run for it, was all Malik could think of as he ran out of the classroom and towards the exit as quickly as his legs would allow it. 'I can't believe them!' he yelled in his mind, 'Such nosy people!'. The poor Egyptian boy had been plagued by curious students all morning. Not only his own classmates, oh no, if it were only them then Malik would be able to cope with that. But students from other classes had confronted him about it ever since the incident a few weeks ago. It meant what Miho had been spreading throughout the entire school. It was a rumor. A rumor about Malik and him. And by him they meant none other than the Bakura Touzoku, the so-called 'Thief King' and 'Mister Right' for many girls - even boys - attending this school. The rumors differed depending on whose mouth they came from. From Miho's mouth, for instance, it was mostly the truth, only it was told a bit... suggestively. And if you asked a girl from an upper class, Bakura's class maybe, the rumours would contain, well... 'mature content'. While the girls of Malik's class and age thought the reserved Egyptian and the handsome trouble maker were already dating or very close to it, the older students were placing bets if they had already... - Malik gulped as he remembered some older students asking him that question - if they had already done it. He shuddered at the mere thought of having intercourse with another guy. He would never ever take part in such activities with another male, let alone that certain male. Oh no, that would definitely never happen! Not even on the day hell froze over, Malik actually swore this to himself.

And now, approximately three whole weeks after that fateful trip to the movie theatre, he could hardly escape those rumors anymore. In the beginning it had not been as bad and it had not been common for other students to approach him about it but that had, of course, changed. Now even boys were asking him about his relationship with the older albino. In the beginning he used to answer them, the answer was naturally that there was nothing going on between the two of them except for 'hanging out together'. He should have dropped the 'together' after all. But the questions had become more in quantity and they had become more and more personal which bothered him greatly. He had meant to ask his friend whether he was being bothered by those questions just as much but he never asked. He thought asking Bakura might give him and everybody else the wrong impression. So he kept silent about it and avoided even looking at other students. Malik decided that this semester had started off even worse than when they had just moved here. He could not talk to anyone anymore without being asked about that topic again. He felt even more left alone than ever before. When he was younger he still had his brother. However, now Mariku prefered spending time with his lover over being there for him. He could not blame him though, it was understandable. And since the lovebirds had not had any date-like meetings in a while, he also never met Bakura anymore. And that left him completely to himself again.

He was now exiting that hellish place called 'school' and finally slowed down. Panting, he loosened his grip on his bag, letting it slide to the floor, and leaned back against the rough wall. He had enjoyed the peace before everything turned upside down. He had been lonely, too, but at least they never bugged him like this. More than once he had hoped that this whole 'mission' of separating his brother from his lover would finally end. He would not have anything to do with Bakura anymore and the rumors would disappear one by one. And peace would return to his life.

Having caught his breath again, he closed his shining lavender eyes and hung his head, focusing on the ground beneath his feet. A ridiculous thought came to his mind. Did he want that? 'Bakura...' Did he want to give up his new-found friend? His very first and only friend? He shook his head gently. Sacrifices had to be made. To regain his peace would also mean regaining his brother. And that was alright. In exchange for his best friend he would get his brother back. He mused. And then his eyes widened. 'Whoa! Since when was there a 'best' before the 'friend'?'. No, no, no. Just because Bakura was his only friend did not mean he was his best friend. Thankfully, he had only thought that and it would definitely not slip out on accident. Especially not in front of Bakura. That would only give him another reason to tease him which he wanted to avoid at any cost.

"Hey there", he heard a husky voice say. His head jerked up immediately. He had been spacing out again, he urgently needed to sort things out with himself. But for now he had no time to worry about that. What he was now worrying about where the three figures in front of him. They were other high schoolers, no doubt. The young Egyptian let out an annoyed sigh. They were surely here to ask him those questions again. But he remained calm, for now, since that was one of his major strengths. The teen in the middle, a boy with navy blue hair and deep brown eyes, spoke, "You're Malik, ain'tcha?"

Malik successfully refrained from grimacing at the horrible speech and instead nodded. All of them grinned widely and the tanned boy thought that maybe this was not going to be a nice round of simple questions this time. On closer inspection, he noticed that they had to be about as old as his brother or the twins. He did his best to hide his unease towards this uncomfortable situation, but he could not deny that he never felt quite alright around older students. And these did not look very friendly, he might add.

"We gotta talk to you." With a nod of his navy head he motioned for the younger student to follow him around a corner where they would be able to talk privately. Malik did not at all like where this was going but did he have a choice? Probably not. Who knew what they would do if he refused to 'talk' to them. And so he obeyed and followed the three students behind the nearest wall in the shadow of the school building.

With the wall against his back again, this time not quite of his own free will, he crossed his arms over his chest to signale that he wanted to get this over with and was not willing to stay longer than needed. He hoped to seem more confident by doing so. In his opinion, he was doing a fine job. His analysing amethyst eyes fell upon the two other high schoolers. They were both taller than the boy that had spoken earlier. One of them had common brown hair and, in all honesty Malik could only marvel at the well-built, tall figure. The blond unconsciously shifted his weight from one foot onto the other, a nervous gesture. His impressed orbs drifted to the other figure. The third member of the little group had wild black hair and was the tallest and most robust-looking one of the three. What especially caught the blond's eye was the scar on his left temple that gave him an aura that told everyone who dared to approach him 'Don't mess with me or else...'. He silently gulped when imagining what might follow the 'or else'. He admittedly felt anything but comfortable around these guys and the smug grins on their faces were not helping either.

"Heard you're friends with Touzoku", the blue-haired 'leader' explained.

Malik raised an eyebrow, playing the uninterested. "So?"

"So, you see, we could use your help, if ya know what I mean." As he said that the tallest of the three started to clench and unclench his fists and Malik got the hint. This was not about 'help'. Helping means you do not have to do it. This was forcing him to 'help'. Yet Malik kept his cool and remained in his role as the annoyed and uninterested. He watched the other through bored, half-lidded eyes.

"'Help'?" he repeated with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yeah, you see Touzoku owes us quite a lot. Used to be our leader an' all but one day he decided he didn't need us anymore and left the gang", the blunette began. So this was not about their relationship after all. Malik narrowed his eyes in suspicion. No, this was solely about Bakura and his problems. "So we thought that maybe you could convince lil Touzoku to give us what we want."

"And you really expect that I can convince him?" Malik huffed in annoyance. "Why don't you ask him yourself? Scared?" Watching the tallest teen's face twist with anger, Malik cursed his big mouth. To his surprise, the leader smirked smugly.

"Scared?" he repeated in an amused manner. "I must say, blondie, I like your guts. Unfortunately..." Malik did not even have the time to blink when a rock hard fist collided with his nose, making a cracking sound. His skull hit the brick wall behind him and he slid down, sitting on the floor. He clutched his hurting nose with both hands, blood dripping and staining his uniform and the dirty ground. He let out a pathetic whimper that forced itself out due to the excruciating pain. His shoulders trembled and his eyes were shut tightly. He hardly paid attention to the leader who bent down to be on eye level with his crouching figure, a smirk ever present on his smug features.

"Unfortunately that won't help ya", he finished, earning a pained yet furious groan from the beaten boy. Malik cracked open one eye, his vision blurry from unshed tears. But he still managed to glare daggers at the teen who was slowly straightening up again.

"Now go crying to your little friend and tell him to give us our stuff back."

"Like hell I will", the blond hissed dangerously.

The other shook his head mockingly. "You just don't know what's healthy for you, huh? Okay, listen you little fuck." He bent down once more to grab the collar of Malik's bloody uniform, faces mere inches apart. "If Touzoku don't return the stuff then you will be first to pay, and Touzoku's next." The blood stained shirt was released with a push against the wall and Malik winced in pain.

All three of them turned away from him. "And don't even think about hiding, cuz we'll find you anyway", the leader said over his shoulder as they walked away.

Now aware of the iron taste in his mouth, Malik spit out the blood and carefully rubbed his damaged nose. "Bastards..." He remained on the ground for a while thinking about what to do next. 'Telling Bakura is not an option. That's exactly what they want. This might be his problem but now it's my problem, too. I'm not doing them the favor of running to him. I'm no freaking tattletale. But if I don't tell Bakura then they'll come after me again... I'm no coward! And unlike them I know how to use my brain. Next time I'll be prepared. Just you wait.' Having his mind set up, he finally stood up and brushed his clothes off of dust and dirt. He glanced down at the blood stains on his shirt and pants. How was he going to explain this?

"Hey, princess, who or what ruined your pretty face?" came the mocking voice of his older brother. Malik stared irritatedly at the taller blond who was sprawled out over the couch.

Great, he thought. He had hoped that nobody was home. Hope crushed, he had to come up with a believable excuse now. Fortunately, he had taken off the midnight blue jacket of his uniform. The dark purple shirt he was wearing underneath had been turned inside out, just in case the stains were visible. He had also tried to get rid of the now dry blood on his face. Of course, the damage was still visible because his nose was slowly turning from red to violet. What he was glad about was that the bleeding of his nose had finally stopped and he would not have to worry about this anymore, at least.

"...ran into a door", he said at long last.

Mariku was obviously trying to hold in his laughter. How considerate. "You serious?"

The youngest Ishtar ignored the question and left for his room. He had explained himself and his brother seemed to buy it. Nothing to worry about. In his ignorance, however, he did not notice the pair of violet orbs watching his every move. They narrowed suspiciously as they observed the boy climb the stairs.

"A door, huh...?" Mariku muttered to himself, not loud enough for the other to hear.

Malik locked the door behind him and went to the mirror. He sighed hopelessly as he inspected his reflection. He looked horrible. His nose was swollen and almost completely purple by now. Dried blood was still visible beneath it and on his clothes. He might have been able to fool Mariku - which had been suspiciously easy, but Malik was too worn out to care - but he would never be able to convince his other siblings. He needed to wash his clothes and make sure Isis would not see them. He wanted to rip his hair out. Why blood? It was so hard to get blood stains out of clothes. And what about his nose? There was only one way: Make-up. Unfortunately, the only person in the whole house who possessed something as girly as that was, of course, the only female.

So, after he had put his clothes into the washing machine he went to sneak into his sister's room. Ra help him if she ever found out about this. He found a small box on her bedside table and, to his luck, there was everything he needed.

He sighed in relief when everything had been taken care of before anyone returned home. His nose looked as good as new and so did his uniform. The only thing that might raise suspicion was the missing make-up. He could only hope Isis would not notice.

"Malik, could you...", Rishid started and turned around to look at the boy he had addressed, only to see that the other was not even listening. What he was listening to was his pair of earphones, filling his ears with music at a probably deafening volume. The oldest Ishtar sighed and approached the couch the boy was currently sitting on, trying to deal with his homework. How he could concentrate when the music was so loud that even Rishid coul hear it, he did not understand. When he was close enough, he reached for the cables and freed his brother's ears from the blaring music. Malik instantly looked up at him. Attention gained, mission accomplished.

"Rishid, what's the matter?" he questioned, maybe a bit more harshly than he had intended but he really did not like being interrupted so suddenly. Fortunately, Rishid was no person that liked to beat around the bush.

"Isis just called."

"Yes?"

"She wants you to come to the museum." Malik gave him a puzzled look but got off the comfortable couch regardless, leaving his ipod where it was, not even bothering to turn it off. Mariku who just turned off the TV was immediately struck by curiosity and picked up the earphones to hear whatever his little brother had been listening to. "Is that Lady Gaga?" Malik flinched and heard his older brother begin to laugh maniacally in the background. He merely closed his eyes and massaged one of his stressed out temples.

"So, Rishid", he began, trying his very best to ignore his cackling brother who was by now laughing so hard that he had to hold his sides. "What..." Another fit of laughing and a blond eyebrow twitched dangerously. "Why does Ishizu want me in the museum? ... And you! Shut it, will you! And that's NOT Lady Gaga!"

Ignoring the loud background as best as he could, the bald man went on. "She said it was about the Sennen Items." And Malik did not need any more words. He was about to leave when he decided he wanted to take his ipod with him after all and went to retrieve said object. It proved to be an easy task since Mariku was too busy laughing his sorry ass off to even notice his brother approaching. The 'chick of the nest' huffed irritatedly and took his jacket and keys before he finally left the house.

He sighed contently at the sight that greeted him - his very own motorcycle, his beloved motorcycle. Oh how he had longed to possess it and on his sixteenth birthday finally, finally his wish had been fulfilled and he got this wonderful, incomparable vehicle. Its red, shiny surface, the metallic detail on every other part and its amazingly, according to Malik, hot design. He approached his 'baby' and affectionately stroked the leather-covered seat. He never got tired of riding it. If there was anything that could make him cheer up when he was in a particularly bad mood, then it was this bike. One ride and he was over the moon. With a smile he took the helmet from the handlebar and put it on, just in case.

He drove rather quickly because he had a bad feeling about this. If Isis wanted him to come to the museum, then something must have happened. Rishid had mentioned the Sennen Items. Those were artifacts that were officially property of the Domino Museum in which his sister worked. All seven of them had been imported from their homeland, Egypt. Two of them originally belonged to the Ishtar family but they were both given to the museum. And one of them - the Sennen Ring - had been stolen over a year ago. Until now they still had not gotten it back. The police had probably given up long ago.

When they had moved to Japan and Isis got her job at the museum she decided to get rid of the two items they possessed together with the bad memories. Lost in his thoughts, Malik was almost too late to brake in front of a red light. Once still, he put a hand to the bridge of his nose, squeezing slightly. 'Don't think about it. Don't think about it', he chanted inwardly. Thinking about Egypt was still not an easy task for him and it would never be. And no one except for those who had seen it would ever understand him.

Malik lost no time and literally stormed into the large building that was the city's only museum and the biggest in the whole region. He quickly greeted the lady at the reception and went to the room the Sennen Items were kept in. He was about to round the last corner when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and hid behind the wall to... he really did not want to call it 'eavesdrop' but it was exactly that. There stood a woman with long ebony hair and a long traditional Egyptian tunic, a red jacket to cover it - his sister. But she was talking to someone. Malik's eyes widened. He knew that face.

"Please Mrs. Ishtar. I can understand that you have a certain attachment, seeing as two of the artifacts belong to your family but-"

"Exactly", Ishizu rudely interrupted the man. The man with long blue hair, bound together in a low ponytail, big, round glasses and behind them emerald eyes - Hideaki Touzoku. "But I'm not handing any of these artifacts over. They are property of this museum. And besides, it was only a year ago that one of them was stolen."

Mr. Touzoku seemed to struggle for the right words. Sweat was already forming on his brow. Ishizu could be very intimidating if she only wanted to. To emphasize this she put her hands defiantly on her hips and practically glared him down. "Mrs. Ishtar, we need these artifacts. Look", he said and pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket to hand it to the angered woman. Malik was not able to see what was on the piece of paper but from what he could decipher it looked like a photo. "This is a photograph of the inscriptions we recently discovered in a tomb in Egypt. And look at this", he said excitedly and pointed at something in the picture. "This, can you see it? It looks exactly the same as one of the artifacts here. We also discovered that-"

"No."

"What?" the man asked, taken aback by the cold reply.

"I said 'no' and I am not going to change my mind. If you needed to compare them, take photos of the artifacts. But they are not leaving this museum. Did I make myself clear, Mr. Touzoku?"

"But, Mrs. Ishtar-!" he tried to protest but Isis was literally pushing him out of the room. Malik, alerted by the fact that they were coming his way, quickly vanished around another corner and watched his sister drag the archeologist out of the building.

"And now I would appreciate it if you could leave. Come again if you want to take the pictures. Other than that..." They were finally outside now and Isis let got of the startled man who whirled around to face her with a desperate look on his face. "Have a nice day." And suddenly that sweet sentence did not sound so sweet anymore with the venom dripping from each word and the death glare she was giving the poor man. Without another word she turned around to reenter the museum, leaving Mr. Touzoku as shocked as he was. Back in the room of the Sennen Items she turned to a massive stone tablet that hung on the wall behind protective glass. Her eyes were fixed on the inscriptions before them but did not care about them at all when she said "How long are you going to stand there, Malik?"

"It was really horrid of you to treat him like that", the boy commented as he came out from his hiding spot. His sister turned to face him with an unaffected expression.

"And you were eavesdropping", she countered.

Malik shrugged his shoulders casually. "You told me to come here so here I am. What was it you wanted?"

His sister went into the other direction to the glass that protected the remaining six Sennen Items. The one on the far left was the Sennen Scale, a golden, old-fashioned scale that was said to be able to weigh the heart of people. Beside it, on a red pillow, sat a golden eyeball, the Sennen Eye, which was said to have the power to read a person's thoughts. Next was the Sennen Key, a key in the shape of an ankh - the only Sennen Item that did not have the usual eye pattern - which allowed the weilder to see a person's soul. Then, in the middle, there was the Sennen Puzzle, an upside down pyramid pendant of which only little was known. Some believed that it once belonged to a Pharaoh whose name was never mentioned in any inscriptions or stories. And then there was the Sennen Torc which once belonged to their beloved mother and was passed down onto Isis. It was said that its weilder would be able to see the future. The last one in the far right corner was what Malik never wanted to lay eyes on ever again - the Sennen Rod. A long gold rod, decorated with an eyeball and two wing-like parts sticking out of it. It already looked wicked in Malik's opinion. He hated it with every fiber in his body. There was only one emotion he held for this item that was stronger than the hatred - fear.

Isis pulled a bunch of keys from her pocket and opened the show case. Malik could imagine where she was going with this and his guess was proven right when she took out the golden necklace and rod. She held the two items out for him to take. "I want you to take those and hide them."

Malik held a hand up to build a defensive wall between him and the artifacts. "No. I'm not touching that thing", he said and pointed at the Sennen Rod in her one hand.

Isis sighed frustratedly but gave him a sympathetic look. "Malik... Look, I know you didn't even want to see it ever again but they need to be protected."

"Why? Are they not safe where they are?" Malik retorted.

"No, they are not and you know that just as well as I do. The Ring was stolen a year ago and only a few weeks ago someone tried to break into the museum again. They are definitely not safe even if the safety measures have been improved. And I don't trust this Touzoku."

Malik's heart skipped a beat when his sister said the last line and he had to quickly mask his shocked face. For a moment he had thought of Bakura instead of Hideaki Touzoku. Many confusing thoughts entered his mind all at ones. He was friends with Bakura after all. Isis did not seem to remember that his name was Touzoku as well or else she would have questioned him about his friend already. So what if she found out that he was friends with the son of the man she did not trust? That he was friends with the 'Thief King'? Now he was wondering which one was worse in her eyes, being dating another male or being friends with a criminal? He had never even thought about it in that way. That was probably because he had not planned on befriending his 'partner in crime' in the first place. He had to stop thinking about it. This had absolutely nothing to do with what was going on right now.

"Still you can't just take them, Isis", he said at long last.

"Oh yes, I can. Those two belong to our family after all", she reasoned.

"You can't hide them forever."

"No, but at least until Mr. Touzoku gives up and leaves the country again." Malik sighed in defeat. She could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Guess you've made up your mind already", he muttered under his breath. "And where am I supposed to hide them?"

The raven haired woman smiled and approached her brother with the artifacts in her hands. "I'll leave that to you. Hide them well and don't tell a soul."

"...alright"

'Today has been a screwed up day...' the young Egyptian thought as he sat in front of his opened journal. 'I haven't made an entry in ages.' Keeping a journal was for girls, or so he had heard, but he had gotten this small, black book as a gift when they had just moved to Japan and therefore it meant a lot to him. He had not had the time to make any new entries for a while. Most of the time he had been too absorbed in his school work or learning. Living up to Japan's standards was no easy task which he had been taught the hard way by his sister. She wanted him and Mariku to be successful later on. Of course she would. It was usually something a mother should worry about but they had no mother. Not anymore.

Malik picked up a pen and began to write:

'It's been ages since my last entry and quite a few things have happened since then. There's a lot I could write about but the biggest news is that Mariku has a boyfriend - weird right? Could hardly believe it myself in the beginning but Ryou, the boy he's dating is a really kind person. I can see what he sees in him...

Oh, and I have... well, I've made my very first friend I guess. Or rather, I hadn't meant to, hadn't even tried to. It just happened. He's Ryou's twin brother and his name's Bakura. He's the type of person I would have never seen myself hanging out with. He's rude and ruthless and he doesn't care a lot about others. But he can also be considerate and caring if he only wants to. He cares a lot for his brother. He might treat him harshly but he's very concerned about him. He's a lot different towards me though. He mocks me whenever he can. But I think it would be boring if it was different. And admittedly, sometimes it's quite funny. He also thinks he's the best. Of course he is not. That idiot...'

Malik paused thoughtfully for a moment. He had not seen Bakura in a while. It was Friday already and the last time had been at the beginning of the week and then he had not seen him again. Malik had been surprised when he did not show up again but did not want to ask Ryou or anybody else. It would seem as if he was worried and with all those rumors he did not need anyone to think that. Because he was not worried. 'Why would I?' he asked himself coldly. But who could he fool? Not even himself, honestly.

He laid his arms on the table and crossed them to place his chin on them. He sighed. 'I'm not worried. I'm just...' He blew an irritating strand of hair out of his face and pouted to himself. 'I'm just a little... concerned, that's all', he confessed and came to the conclusion that he was indeed worried, if only a little bit. This was his bes- only friend he was talking about. He closed his journal, deciding to continue later on. He got up and out of the room, grabbing the key for his motorcycle and his beige coat and headed to the front door.

Isis who had come home about an hour ago poked her head around the corner when she heard the rattling sound of the key. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Malik stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "To... to a friend", he said before he realized that this had probably not been the best answer.

But his sister gave him a knowing smile. "Alright, but don't come home too late. Or are you staying at your friend's place?" What had the emphasis been for, Malik wondered but shrugged it off. He turned around fully and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well... no. I had meant to come back today", he said uneasily. What was wrong with her? Since when did she offer him to spend the night somewhere else? He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as she replied with a cheerful 'Alright!' and went back into the living room. He decided to simply ignore it for now and leave.

"Why am I doing this?" Malik mumbled to himself, now standing in front of an impressive mansion. He took off his helmet and hung it on the handlebar of his bike and went up to the front door. Only a few seconds after he had rung the bell, the door opened to reveal the head of the Touzoku family - Hideaki Touzoku.

"Oh, it's you. Good evening", the man greeted with a polite smile.

Malik returned the gesture and added the customary Japanese bow out of mere politeness. "Good evening, sir." For a brief moment he thought back to earlier that day when he had seen the same man in the museum, arguing with his sister.

"Well, what brings you here? Oh, please, come in", he urged and held the door open for the young Egyptian to enter who muttered a quick 'thank you' in return.

"I wanted to... to visit Bakura", he said hesitantly. Saying such a normal thing had been more difficult than expected. He had never needed to use that phrase before because he never visited anyone by himself. The older male kept smiling regardless.

"He is up in his room, I think. It's nice of you to pay him a visit. He's been bored out of his mind ever since he'd fallen sick."

Malik blinked in surprise. "He is sick?"

Hideaki returned the surprised expression. He had probably assumed that Malik had known about this. "Well, he is better now. He actually wanted to go to school yesterday but I insisted that he recovers fully before going back to school. Strange, he used to despise going to school so much that I had to force him when he was younger."

The blond would have laughed at the image of a little Bakura clinging to his bed, screaming that he did not want to go to school, if not for the great amount of worry he was feeling. If he had known that his friend was ill, he would have visited sooner.

"Anyway, you know where his room is right?" But the teen shook his head no. "It's up the stairs, the third door on the right."

"Thank you", Malik responded briefly and lost no time in ascending the stairs to his destination. He knocked carefully on the mahogany door and waited for a response. None came. Hesitantly, he opened the door and peered inside.

The room was at least three times as big as Malik's own. The walls were painted in blue, the carpet was blue with black embroidery, the curtains, however, were pitch-black. The bed in the center of the room was, like the desk and doors too, made of mahogany wood and had midnight blue covers. And in the middle of this dark blue ocean lay a figure, sprawled over the satin sheets. Bakura lay there, fully clothed, on the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly sound asleep.

Malik silently entered the room and reflexively closed the door behind him. Without making a sound he approached the bed on which his friend lay. He knelt down and was face to face with the sleeping boy. Cocking his head slightly to get a better look he observed the peacefully set features. The uncontrolable mane of white hair lay fanned out beneath his pale cheek. A soft, steadily breathing sound reached his ears, almost inaudible. The chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Malik had never seen him so calm and peaceful. Then again, he thought, resting his elbows on the edge of the bed, he had not known him long enough to think like that. Yet it felt so comfortable to simply watch the other sleep. It was relaxing in itself and Malik felt so at peace himself now that he did not feel like leaving. But he should. He should leave and let the albino rest and recover. He let his chin rest on his palm and heaved a sigh. He really did not want to leave just yet. He found a strand of white hair entangled with equally snowy white eye lashes. He moved his hand up and gently brushed the irritating bangs out of the teen's face, letting his fingertips stroke pale skin while doing so. Staying for a bit longer would not harm him, right?

He shook his head and pulled his hand back as if it had been burnt. No, he really should leave. With that in mind, he began to stand up. He never got the chance to do so, however, for a pale hand shot out to grab his wrist and keep him down. He let out an inevitable yelp of surprise and turned to the now fully opened mahogany eyes staring at him. That grin returned to his features as if it had been waiting for the right moment to creep up. Malik quickly recovered from his shock and masked it with a furious expression.

"What the hell? Where you just pretending to be asleep?"

The other only smirked. "I'd been asleep until you came up the stairs."

"I wasn't even loud. You can't have heard me", the Egyptian reasoned.

Bakura sat up on the large bed beside his friend, letting go of his wrist, and stretched his sleepy limbs. "No, you weren't, but I still heard you."

Malik huffed in annoyance. He was sure the other had just woken up and was too proud to admit it. Distracted by those thoughts, he was too late to realize how his partner took advantage of this by pushing him down into the soft sheets and placing himself over him. His eyes widened at the sight of the other on top of him, straddling his hips. Bakura leaned down so close that Malik could swear they were breathing the same air. That was reason enough for him to stop breathing for that moment. Tips of unruly white hair were tickling his face and neck. The Egyptian was too frozen to react in any way, not to mention say something, he simply stared. Bakura chuckled amusedly as the teen's tan cheeks turned red with alarming speed.

"So tell me, Malik", he began, saying the younger one's name with a proud British accent, "What brings you here into my room?" But the frozen teen had no idea how to reply even if he had been able to think clearly. With this proximity it was especially hard. He kept silent except for the rather audible gulp. "Well? Missed me?" the older teen mocked. He would have never guessed that this was not far from the truth though.

Malik finally found his strength again and used it to put his hands on the other's chest, pushing him half-heartedly. "Get off, Bakura." But there was no meaning in those words and Bakura heard it.

He leaned further in to whisper in the blond's ear "Beg me."

Malik looked away, embarrassed. "You wish."

"Maybe I do", he purred and took in the scent of the Egyptian's hair. He grinned as he recognized the fragrance to be jasmine. How fitting. He felt the other pushing him again but it was just as half-hearted as before.

"I... heard you were sick", he said, changing the subject.

And he was successful because Bakura leaned back to look at him but still did not get off of him. "So? Were you worried and came to visit me?"

"Actually... I did not know until I came here."

"What did you come for then?" the albino asked, curious now.

"Well..." Malik shifted slightly to get more comfortable. "I thought it was weird for you to be away from school for the whole week so..."

"So you came here", Bakura finished and the other nodded. "Well", he began and rolled off of Malik to sit on the edge of the bed again, the Egyptian following suit. "It was nothing, really. My old man just wanted me to stay home for the whole fucking week. He just wouldn't shut up until I agreed."

Malik chuckled slightly. "He sure is concerned about you."

Bakura snorted in return. "Yeah right."

The door flung open unexpectedly and revealed the albino's twin brother. Ryou's round brown eyes grew even wider as he noticed that his lover's brother was sitting in front of him.

"Oh, Malik! I didn't know you were here."

"And you seem to have forgotten how to knock", Bakura countered with an evil grin. "What if I'd been naked? I know it's nothing new because we're twins but still the s-"

"B-Bakura!" the embarrassed whitette chimed in, barely silencing his brother before he could finish his sentence.

"What's with that outfit anyway?" Bakura asked as he pointed at his brother's clothes. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans with two belts - brown and blue - a sky blue top and a black vest. His wrists were both adorned with belt-like bracelets. Malik did not see what should be wrong with the outfit. If anything, it looked good on him. And then he realized what was wrong. "Are you going out?" his twin brother inquired.

Ryou scratched his cheek sheepishly. "That's why I came into your room in the first place. Yes, I'm going out and I don't know how late it's going to be until I come back so..."

"Ah, I get it. Fine, do whatever you want. It's not like I can stop you." Bakura waved his hand dismissively and turned away from his brother. Ryou did not say anything and wordlessly left the room. When the door closed with a soft clicking noise, Malik turned to Bakura. He was smirking again.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" the older teen said with an amused glint in his eyes.

Malik, too, grinned with understanding. "Yep."

"To me that looked like they're going to a club", Bakura mused aloud.

"Agreed. Maybe it's that one everyone in school wants to go to."

"You mean 'Checkmate'?"

Malik nodded. "Yes, that one. I heard some of my classmates talk about it. Everyone goes there because they're not as strict about age as they are in other clubs."

"I know. Mariku and I went there a few times." The older teen stood up and stretched once more. "I suggest we put some appropriate clothes on."

The Egyptianed grimaced at that. "I didn't bring any clothes with me. It's not like I planned this, you know."

Bakura turned to grin at him confidently. "Like we don't have any clothes in this house."

Two car doors opened, two figures got out and the two doors closed again. Lavender orbs gazed up at the flashing sign that read 'Checkmate'. It was dark already and therefore all the lights in the street were on, every and each one in a different color, making the colorless night bright like a colorful day. People were streaming in and out of clubs with their friends, lovers and one-night-stands. Music was coming from every corner and no one could tell where which song was coming from without entering. The club which they were facing was the typical teenage party location, a place without rules where no one cared where you came from if you could dance and knew how to properly make out. A bronze nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought.

"Are you sure they are going to let us in?" the Egyptian teen asked over his shoulder.

Bakura approached from behind, clad in a pair of black jeans and a midnight blue satin shirt of which the upper part was unbuttoned to reveal perfect pale skin. Malik had told him to button up his shirt - telling himself that it was only distracting because he felt perfectionistic about clothes - but Bakura had simply refused. "They have to", he replied coolly and went up to the entrance without hesitating.

Malik on the other hand was rather reluctant about it now that he had seen this place close up. He looked around and noticed that people were staring strangely at him. 'On second thought...' He quickly caught up with his friend, seeking the presence of someone familiar. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he felt lost in such an environment. Bakura was the one who knew this place, this situation and he knew what he had to do, so Malik decided it was best to simply follow his lead.

Bakura knew exactly that Malik was feeling uncomfortable and his ego fed on that. To worsen the boy's predicament, he strode past the long queue of people and directly went to stand in front of the doorman. He grinned up at the tall, muscular man who looked down at him indifferently. Malik stood near his friend but used him as a wall between him and the doorman. For a moment he was afraid that they would not be let in but his worry was short-lived when the doorman's face lit up with a smile.

"Yo, Bakura! Long time no see. How's it going?" the man said cheerfully.

"Hey, Teku", Bakura greeted back. "I'm here with a buddy of mine." Malik immediately shrunk further into the background behind the albino but the other guy, Teku, had already noticed him.

His eyes widened for a moment but went back to normal and then he laughed. "For a moment I thought it was Mariku! But that's impossible coz he's already inside."

'Jackpot', Bakura thought victoriously. 'He's here.'

"And he's with your brother. I first thought it was you. By the way, who is your friend? Care to introduce us?"

At that Bakura turned a bit so he could look at the teen hiding behind him, put a hand on his lower back and pushed him into the light. "This is Malik. Mariku's little brother. Malik, this is Teku. There, satisfied?"

The young Egyptian shifted uneasily under the older one's eyes roaming over his body from head to toe. He was reminded of the outfit Bakura had made him wear. The tight, blue jeans, adorned with two silver chains, and the equally tight black top. He chose a blue-ish violet, sleeveless hoody that would reveal a good amount of his waist if not for the black top. He had to take his gold jewellery off but only obeyed because Bakura gave him something different. Bakura had snuck into his father's bedroom and taken a piece out of his collection. It was a silver necklace with an ankh with outstretched wings as the pendant. Malik almost wanted to keep it but knew that after this evening he would have to return it. As for the outfit his friend had picked, it was not only cold so long as they were out but it almost made him feel self-counscious. If Bakura had not granted him to wear something beneath the revealing hoodie he would not have left the house.

"No wonder I thought you were Mariku. You look so much like him", Teku said cheerily. "Only that you look too adorable to be him." Malik was taken off-guard by the unexpected compliment and blinked dumbfoundedly. It also distracted him too much to notice the warning glare Bakura sent the doorman after his comment.

"Whatever", he snorted. "Care to let us in?" The man then moved aside for both of them to enter and so they did. When they were inside and Malik was able to properly check his surroundings, he had to admit, he was positively impressed. The club was not as shabby as he had expected it to be. Everything still looked new although the club had opened a few months ago. It had two floors but the bar was on the first one. There was a large dancefloor which was almost completely crowded by dancing people. There even were cages which were currently occupied by young women or maybe mature girls in outfits that were a lot more revealing than his own, to say the least. Flashing lights in different colors and with different patterns came flooding the otherwise dark club from above. People were everywhere, laughing, drinking, making out. They were so many. Finding Mariku and Ryou in such a crowd might prove to be a difficult task.

Bakura suddenly turned around to face his blond friend. "How about we get something to drink first?"

Malik frowned at him in response. "We're not here to party. We have to find the lovebirds."

"Come on", the albino groaned. "Not like they're gonna run off or something. We might as well enjoy ourselves before we get to work."

But Malik shook his head. "They might be enjoying themselves too much already and it is our job to prevent that from happening."

"...Fine", Bakura agreed reluctantly. "But after that we won't leave right away. So, let's find those faggots and get it over with so we can have some fun."

"But where do we start looking?" the Egyptian asked as he looked around in search for the two boys. "This place is so crowded. At this rate, we're never going to find them."

The thief smirked at him darkly. "You underestimate me once more, kiddo."

'Oh, back to pet names, aren't we?'

"I told you, Mariku and I have come here before."

"So? What's your point?" The younger teen crossed his arms over his chest defiantly and pretended to be uninterested.

Bakura gestured up to the second floor with a nod and Malik followed with his eyes. "Up there's our favorite spot when we want privacy."

"When you want privacy?" Malik repeated in an intentionally disgusted tone which Bakura caught.

He rolled his eyes at the Egyptian's implication. "Not with each other. With girls."

A blond eyebrow raised in question. "With girls?"

"Yes, with girls. At least that used to be the case until your brother decided he was gay and went for Ryou."

"Thanks for reminding me", the blond replied sarcastically and Bakura rolled his eyes once more.

"Not my fault. Guess it runs in your family." He grinned smugly and went to the stairs that led up to the second floor.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Malik pushed himself through the sweaty crowd to catch up with his partner who was still smirking widely.

"Oh, nothing..."

They ascended the stairs where both came to a halt. They spotted the couple they had been looking for seated in a booth in the far away corner. And they were anything but idle. The older Egyptian had his lover pressed to the backrest of their couch, one hand supporting his weight and the other one around the smaller boy's neck. Ryou had both hands gripping Mariku's black shirt to keep him close. Both had their eyes closed as they kissed passionately, obviously oblivious to their surroundings. But the two teens watching were not. Especially not Bakura whose fingers twitched, ready to beat the living daylights out of the older Egyptian. Malik noticed this and although he did not like the display either, he still did not want his brother beaten up. Besides, Bakura would unnecessarily reveal that they had been following the couple around.

Malik's eyes scanned the rest of the place. They settled on a booth where a group of girls was sitting. Not any girls, though. He recognized them as his classmates. To his horror he realized that one of them was Miho who, admittedly, looked anything but like the little girl she usually pretended to be. She wore her hair down which seemed to be a bit curly by nature but suited her well. She had also put some make-up on to go along with her outfit. She wore a short turquois dress and a fitting choker with a satin ribbon. The girl beside her was Anzu who was dressed in a short, white skirt, decorated with three small chains, and a sleeveless pink shirt with the word 'Friends' printed in black on it. She looked very much bored out of her mind as she kept nibbling on her straw more than actually drinking.

An idea struck him.

He turned to Bakura who looked even angrier than a few seconds prior. "I have an idea." At that the albino shifted his hateful gaze from the couple to the blond beside him.

"Now that's new."

"Shut up and do as I say", Malik commanded to which Bakura frowned. He detested being ordered around but if Malik had a good idea then maybe he could listen just this once. If the idea was nonsense he would handle things by himself. After all, that was the easiest way to get something done. "Distract Mariku and get him to leave Ryou for a few minutes."

Bakura raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What are you planning?"

Malik's lips curved up into an evil grin, something that Bakura had never seen before. The sinister glint in his eyes resembled his own so much. 'Maybe I'm rubbing off on him', he concluded with satisfaction. "You'll see."

"I hate it when people say that. But fine, let's see whether it works. If it doesn't and they find out about everything, I'll blame it on you."

"Believe me, that won't happen. Now get to work. The sooner we're finished here, the sooner you can go and do as you please", the Egyptian said dismissively.

"Sounds good to me", Bakura said with a smug grin and Malik could not help but return the gesture.

"Mariku...", Ryou began breathlessly as he pulled away from his lover. "We really shouldn't... this is a public place and you promised me-" He was cut off as the other leaned in to reconnect their lips once more.

He pulled away after a moment. "I know, I know", he said and before Ryou could say anything he had put his finger to his now pink lips to silence him. "But in this place no one cares about who's doing what and where or with who."

"But..."

"No buts, Ryou", the older teen insisted and nipped the other's earlobe with his teeth slightly, knowing exactly that it was just another way he had discovered to silence the boy. Ryou almost immediately gave in to the temptingly beautiful sensation and turned his head a little for the other to do as he pleased. "It's been so long", Mariku whispered sensually as he kissed down his lover's neck. Ryou sighed dreamily as the other proceeded to place kisses on his collar bone. "And I missed you so much."

"I...", the white haired teen started but had to stop when gasped as he felt hands run up under his shirt. "I missed you, too."

Suddenly their rare, sinfully wonderful moment was stopped when a sound tore through the air. Someone had cleared their throat and it sounded as if they were standing right in front of them. Both heads shot up to look at the intruder.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something", came the mocking comment from none other than...

"Bakura?" Ryou said incredulously and quickly scooted further away from his boyfriend.

"The one and only."

"What are you doing here?" Mariku asked, less politely than his lover. Of course, he was angry. That idiot he called his friend had just interrupted one of their precious moments together.

"Funny that you ask. I wanted to talk to you actually", Bakura stated calmly. His friend gave him a suspicious look in return and Bakura decided to add "...alone", to his statement.

Mariku was anything but willing to talk to his friend at first. But he came to the conclusion that the sooner he would talk to Bakura the sooner he could go back to Ryou. He still did not have a good feeling about this. Not only that Bakura had never wanted to 'talk' to him for nothing. But also because he could put two and two together which told him that he probably wanted to warn him to keep his hands off of Ryou. That was most likely it although he did not understand why he wanted to threaten him now. He had let him be for weeks. Why now and here of all places and times?

He looked back to Ryou's confused eyes and then stood up. "Fine, but make it quick." Bakura nodded and lost no time in leading the older teen downstairs to the bar. They sat down and Bakura ordered himself a drink. He turned back to Mariku and casually asked "And what will it be for you?"

"Stop fucking with me and say whatever you wanna say."

At that Bakura raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't come to fight, 'kay? And I meant that question."

Mariku snorted angrily but ordered himself a glass of gin regardless. They were silent until both had received their drinks. "So? What do you wanna talk about?" the Egyptian asked suspiciously.

Bakura took a sip from his drink to buy himself some time. "Well... take a guess", he challenged.

"Bakura", Mariku hissed dangerously, "I'm not in the mood for your stupid games. Just spit it out already!"

"My my..." Another sip. "And to think that there was actually a time when you called me so we could beat up some random guy. You've changed."

"Look who's talking. At that time you weren't as fucking annoying as you are being right now, so quit your ranting and tell me what you wanted to talk about. And if this is what you dragged me down for then I'll just leave you to rot here." With that the furious Egyptian stood up from his seat, ready to make his threat true. And in that very moment he took notice of something in the corner of his eye. It was Ryou. But he was not alone like he should.

"Good evening, ladies", a honey-sweet voice greeted. At that the bunch of girls sitting in their booth all turned their heads to the voice that had joined them. A pair of violet eyes blinked in surprise and in the next moment the girl smiled.

"Malik-san!", Miho exclaimed as cheerfully as ever, "What are you doing here?" Whispers were exchanged among the other girls after recognizing the male.

Malik invited himself to sit down beside Anzu who seperated him from Miho. "I'm here with a friend."

"Oh. Who?" the lavender haired girl asked, feigning curiosity as she could guess it could only be Bakura Touzoku who was with him.

"You see, I came here with Ryou", he explained and pointed over his shoulder where a white haired boy sat lonely in his seat, looking uncomfortable. The girls' heads turned to where he was pointing. Miho's eyes narrowed in disbelief. 'Ryou-kun?' But why him and not his twin brother? Malik caught her expression and had to fight the urge to grin. "However", he continued and put on a saddened mask to go along with his act, "he is very shy and I just can't get him to leave his seat and enjoy himself." He then turned to face Anzu who, he was sure, would be glad to help. "I thought that maybe you could convince him?"

The brunette started to beam at that and nodded vigorously. "Sure! Just leave it to me!"

Malik smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you, Anzu-san."

"Just call me Anzu", she asked and the boy nodded. Within seconds they were both on their feet and on their way to the lonely whitette. Miho and the other girls did not follow them but watched them intently as they strode over to the corner where Ryou was sitting. Ryou, who had previously been preoccupied with his own thoughts, finally realized someone approaching and looked up. However, he had not expected to see anyone else than Mariku and maybe Bakura. Who he saw where his lover's little brother and a brown haired girl whose name he did not remember. So he addressed the only one he recognized.

"Malik?" he said as if not sure whether it was really him. Before the younger teen could answer, the brunette had already bent down to be on eye level with him and smiled at him.

"So you're Ryou? My name is Anzu! Would you like to dance with me?"

Ryou, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar situation, could not say anything except for incoherent words. Anzu, on the other side, did not seem to be bothered by that at all and continued.

"Dancing is so much fun, you really should try it out, too!"

"I... I really don't want to dance right now, thank you", Ryou said politely but the girl's spirit was just invincible.

"You don't have to be ashamed or anything."

"N-no, really, I'm fine just sitting here", the white haired boy rejected once more. He had expected her to grow frustrated but she still tried and even offered to teach him how to dance if that was the reason why he was being so shy about it. Ryou assured her that he knew how to dance and hoped that she would give up soon. "I appreciate your concern, but I really don't want to dance." He was starting to wonder what Malik had to do with it all and why he was just standing there watching instead of taking his side. Until he felt a tug on his wrist.

"Aw, come on!" Anzu was actually trying to pull him off the couch now. Ryou did not resist and let himself be dragged, afraid he might hurt the strange girl.

"Please, I really don't want to", he begged again but Anzu would not listen, convinced that he was just being shy. But suddenly something was blocking her way - or rather someone. She gazed up to find the person's face and was now looking straight into a pair of enraged violet eyes. She could not help but gulp thickly as that icy glare was sent straight towards her. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards.

"Let go of him, bitch", he demanded and grabbed Ryou's captured wrist to free it from Anzu's grip. The girl flinched and took another step backwards.

"But I just wanted to-"

"I don't give a shit about what you want. Leave Ryou alone or else you'll dearly regret the day you were born", Mariku threatened in a voice that dripped venom as toxic as that of a king cobra. Anzu looked hurt. She had meant to help and this is what she got?

Ryou yanked his wrist free from his boyfriend and turned to give him an equally hurt look. "Mariku, how can you say something like that? She just wanted to dance with me", he defended.

The reaction he had hoped for never came. If anything, it only served to make the Egyptian even more furious. "And you would have let her if I hadn't come", he stated in an accusing tone.

"I didn't want to but-"

"You would have let her."

"Maybe, but-"

"No buts, Ryou!" Mariku interrupted yet again, voice risen anger. "Do you even realize what you're saying?"

Ryou sighed exasperated. He did not want to fight, especially not now and here but Mariku was being so unreasonable and he had also insulted an innocent girl. "Do you?" he countered and his boyfriend was effectively silenced for a moment. Anzu took that chance to back off until she was beside Malik who she sent a questioning look but the Egyptian pretended he had not noticed.

"Why are you so mad? She was just trying to help."

Mariku grabbed his lover's abused wrist once more and pulled Ryou in so no one could hear them. "Ryou", he began in a low, warning tone, "you are mine. And that bitch is not stealing you away from me."

"I can't believe you! You're just overreacting." With that Ryou freed his wrist once more and stepped away from the other male. There was so much he wanted to say right now but he was wise enough to end it right then and there. "I think I should go now." Without another word, he passed the other by. Mariku did not stop him, did not even look at him after that. After a few minutes he went back downstairs to get himself another drink. However, he did not fail to notice his brother standing with the girl who had tried to snatch his lover away from him. He would have to have a word with him, too.

The sound of clapping hands reached Malik's ears. "Not bad, I gotta admit." He turned to the origin of the voice with a victorious grin.

"That's about the nicest thing I've ever heard from you, Bakura."

A/N: Not true, he called you his friend, Malik~

Ah, anyway, enjoyed the tiny bit of Deathshipping-ness? I did! What a shame Bakura and Malik have to destroy everything. And yes, I had to make this two parts because the chapter was already too long. Next chapter will continue with the disco because Bakura wanted to 'have some fun', remember?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And hopefully I'll see you in chapter 6, I promise it'll be worth it! Thanks for reading!