~12/21/20~

Marik walked through the alleyway, taking a shortcut home through them to avoid the worst of the storm.

However, someone else had the same idea...

Bakura walked through the alleyways as well, looking for some poor, ignorant, and unlucky soul to attack and rob. He did this at least once almost every week. And this week was no different.

In the alleys they were both in, they noticed someone approaching from the other direction. Marik moved aside to give whoever it might be room to pass, while Bakura acted innocent and casual so as not to alert his victim.

The alley was dark and a bit wet from the snow that fell between the buildings above. They didn't recognize each other.

About two feet away from each other, Marik put his head down, Bakura picked his head up. Bakura lunged at him and punched him in the side.

Caught off guard, Marik quietly cried out in surprise and was thrust against the wall. He hit it sideways and slumped down to the cold and wet ground.

Bakura ran to him and grabbed him by the collar of his coat and slammed him against the wall. Marik screamed. Bakura covered his mouth with his gloved hand. "Do not scream again or I will hurt you more than I have to. Now what do you have on you?" He removed his hand.

"Oh my gosh please don't kill me I didn't do anything I don't have anything on me let me go plea-mmgmhph!"

Bakura had put his hand on Marik's mouth again. The alley was dark, but he had excellent eyesight and could still make out some shapes and colors. He saw purple. In the person's clothes and eyes. And he recognized the voice! It was...!

"Marik?!"

Marik suddenly recognized his attacker's voice as well. "Bakura? What the hell! Why would you...?"

Bakura let him go and backed away fast. He covered his mouth and shook his head. "Oh no... I'm sorry I didn't know! Why are you here?!"

"To get out of the cold. Why are you here?! Trying to rob me?!"

"No no no no no! I didn't know it was you! I do this often and it's become habit for me. It was just automatic! Honestly! But you really shouldn't have been walking here at this time anyway! Wouldn't you be at least a little bit wary of this kind of place?"

Marik's anger had worn off and was replaced with confusion. He didn't know Bakura very well, but he somehow felt that Bakura wasn't one to be apologetic or care about the wellbeing of others. So why was he like this now?

Marik walked up to Bakura and punched him lightly on the shoulder to make him shut up. It worked. He stopped his apologetic rant. "Shut up and calm down. I forgive you. It was an honest mistake. Well actually it was criminal, not honets, but still a mistake. If I didn't know I was me, I would beat me up too if I wanted to rob me."

Bakura laughed a bit and shook his head. "That made absolutely no sense."

"Yeah well... Whatever."

Bakura finally realized how desperate and apologetic he had sounded. He had no idea where that had come from... No wait... He knew... It came from the same place that he had felt that warmth just yesterday. Was it really yesterday? Yes... He and Marik had run into each other three days in a row. And although he usually said 'screw destiny', he had no doubt that it would probably keep happening this week.

"So... Three days in a row," he said. "What are the odds. Why do you keep coming out in this mess? Haven't you learned your lesson when you fell yesterday?"

"Haha no I didn't. I'm out because... Well I'm bored... I just like to roam around. And I have nothing better to do."

"No one at home you could be bothering instead of getting yourself
into trouble like this?"

"No..."

"I thought not..."

"Well I have a sister," Marik said as he rubbed the spot on his arm where he had hit the wall. "But she doesn't live with me. She lives in Egypt. But she sends me stuff sometimes. I wish I could see her even though I know she's too busy to visit..." Marik shook his head realized that he was rambling on about his private life to some stranger that he had only met three times and only knew by name. "B- But that doesn't matter. Why are you out here? Being a criminal?"

"Actually yes I am. I'm a thief. And I'm good at it too. Had I not recognized you, you would have probably been bleeding on the floor and I would be waking away with your valuables."

"No you wouldn't because I don't have anything of value on me, like I said. And why are you stealing stuff? You don't have any money or something?"

"No... My uh... relative.. gives me money as well from time to time. Kind of like an allowance. Actually more like bribery. He sends me money, I leave him alone, and we don't bother each other."

"Your brother?"

"No... Not really... We live near each other but don't visit often because we have no reason to."

"So you're lonely as well then?"

"Ye- No!" Bakura shouted defensively. "I'm not. I don't have or need anyone. I am perfectly fine being on my own. I'm not like you. I can take care of myself. I'm just bored, that's all. I don't need someone to talk to, I need something to do."

"And I don't need something to do, I need someone to talk to."

With those two complementary statements, another silence fell upon them. The only sound to be heard was the wind. The only things moving were the snowflakes that fell from the sky, their coats as the wind played with them, and Bakura's hair. And their blinking eyes.

They finally felt like it was time to leave.

"So, Marik... I guess... Hehe... I guess I'll bump into you tomorrow
then."

Marik laughed as well. "Yeah right. I'll try not to get mugged or fall in any snow tomorrow."

They smiled and turned away. They continued walking as if nothing had happened. The two were actually in very similar situations. They both needed something in this white, boring, and lonely world.
But the difference was that Bakura knew what he wanted and knew where it was. Marik knew what he wanted, but couldn't see where it was.
The difference was that Bakura still felt the way he did two days ago, while Marik had shoved those feelings aside and ignored them.

The difference was that Bakura was going to do something about it.

.

Bakura headed home. He reached the building that he and Ryou lived in. And as he always did, he spent a few seconds reading the last names of the other people who lived here. Taylor, Samoa, Aifeka, Soren, two Bakuras (Ryou, who's label said R. Bakura, and his own, which just said Bakura), Smith, Jeoviah, Kiram, Ovlia, Ishtar, Samson, Carlos... The list went on. He lived on the 6th floor, Ryou on the 5th floor in the apartment directly below his. The building had 7 floors. Sometimes, he liked to hang out on the roof. Both the stairs and the elevator went all the way up there. Once, he had actually tried to jump from the roof to the fire escapes of the 7th floor. Obviously with his mad skillz, he was successful.

He went up to the roof now and sat on the edge of the building. He looked out at the city below him and sighed.

"That Marik guy..." he said aloud to himself. "Why did I suddenly start caring about someone? What's happened to me? Maybe I'm just going soft. Ryou is corrupting my emotions. I... Oh who am I kidding? I-" He didn't want to say it out loud, even though he was alone and no one could hear him. I'm in love with a stranger. "I'm going to find him again. I just... have to I guess?"