Bakura had been so angry after his last encounter with Marik that he'd gone and challenged some guy to a shadow game. Well, not just any guy- a guy who held five Puzzle cards. Bakura had won, of course. And that meant that the loser- hell, Bakura almost felt guilty about what had happened to the loser. Almost. But the guy had agreed to the shadow game, after all. And anyways, the win had gotten Bakura what he needed. He now had enough Puzzle cards to get into the Battle City Finals. Now all he had to do was get there.

So he walked along the road leading to the stadium where the blimp would be waiting. He hoped he would be able to get there before the blimp took off. He needed to be on that blimp so that he could beat the Pharaoh. And so that he could fulfill his part of the deal and get the Millennium Rod from Marik. The Millennium Rod was all he needed from that little brat, really, because-

But then his thoughts were interrupted by a sound that was starting to become familiar. It was the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching. The sound was coming from behind him, but Bakura resisted turning his head to look. If it was Marik again- as it likely was- he would just continue to walk and act as if he didn't notice the vehicle speeding by.

However, to Bakura's surprise, the motorcycle skidded to a stop next to him once again.

"Hey, Bakura!" called Marik.

Bakura whipped his head around to face Marik.

"What?" Bakura asked, putting as much venom into his voice as he could.

"I just wanted to know if you held up your end of the deal and managed to get enough Puzzle cards."

"For the record, that was not our original deal," said Bakura. "But, yes, of course I got six Puzzle cards. It's not like it's hard to do. Not for someone like me, anyways."

Marik smiled, but his smile was just slightly tinged with malice. "Well, then, do you need a ride?"

A look of shock passed over Bakura's face for an instant, and then it was gone. But Marik seemed to notice it.

"Don't be surprised. I mean, I know you're crazy and all," Marik said, earning a scowl from Bakura, "but I need you for my plan...and you need me for your plan. So it would be best for both of us if we actually made it to the stadium before it's too late. You'll get there faster if you don't go on foot."

Bakura sighed heavily. Marik was right. He didn't say so, though. Instead, he wordlessly climbed onto the back of Marik's motorcycle, trying not to think about what he was doing.

"Hang on!" Marik yelled in an oddly cheerful voice.

Marik gunned the engine, and then the bike shot forwards, causing Bakura to grab Marik around the waist instinctively to keep from tumbling off.

Bakura tried not to think about anything. Not about the fact that they were hurtling down the road at an insane speed, and certainly not about the fact that his arms were around Marik and his face was buried in his shoulder. But the ride just went on and on. How far away could this damn stadium be? He wished that they would just get there already. As much as he didn't like to admit it, riding on Marik's motorcycle was a bit unnerving to him. But he couldn't blame himself, really. He was a three thousand year old spirit from ancient Egypt. He wasn't supposed to be comfortable riding on one of these strange, unfamiliar death machines.

But then something else occurred to him. As uncomfortable as this was for him, he wouldn't have particularly cared to walk such a long way. He might not have even been able to make it on time if he hadn't run into Marik and caught a ride from him.

So he supposed he should be thankful. And maybe he should even tell Marik so. Apparently he still had the insane, irrational urge to be nice to Marik, even after all Marik had put him through. Well, he rationalized to himself, they were working together towards the same goal, if nothing else. It couldn't hurt to at least try to get along with each other.

"We've been on this road for a really long time!" he screamed into Marik's ear, trying to make himself heard over the rushing wind. As he spoke, he unconsciously tightened his arms around Marik. "It's a good thing I found you! I wouldn't have liked to walk this far!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bakura felt Marik's body tense in his arms, and then he immediately heard the screeching of tires- the same screeching he'd heard on the day he'd first found Marik, when he'd stood in front of the motorcycle with his arms out. That time, Marik had expertly controlled the crazy machine, skidding to a perfect sideways stop in order to avoid running him over.

But this was different. This time, Marik had quite obviously lost control of the vehicle. Bakura hung onto Marik for dear life as the motorcycle tipped much too far to the right, and he felt his stomach drop with the sensation of falling.

But at the last instant, Marik somehow regained enough control to skid to a halt and save them from crashing out and splattering their brains all over the pavement.

When Bakura opened his eyes- he hadn't even realized that he had closed them- the motorcycle was stopped in the middle of the street, and Marik had one foot on the ground, balancing them precariously.

Bakura immediately jumped away from the death trap that Marik supposedly rode for fun- maybe the kid was suicidal, on top of all the other mental problems that he apparently had in this life- and screamed, "What the hell, Marik?"

Marik was obviously flustered. "I'm sorry," he said. "That never happens. I just felt weird for a little bit. Like-"

But he didn't finish the sentence. It would have sounded stupid to tell Bakura that a sudden, intense feeling of déjà vu was what had made him almost crash his bike and kill the both of them.

Bakura didn't wait for him to finish, though. "Well, good job, idiot," he spat. "I can't help you with your convoluted scheme if I'm dead, you know."

Marik turned away, as if he didn't want Bakura to see his face.

"Look, maybe you'd better walk the rest of the way," Marik said. "It's not too far now."

"If you think I'd do anything other than walk the rest of the way, you're crazier than I thought," Bakura said.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," said Marik crossly. "I need to go talk to Rishid anyways. And it will probably look less suspicious if we don't walk in together. So really, it's better if we split up."

Bakura didn't even dignify that with a response. He simply began walking away. He turned back, though, when he heard Marik start the engine of his motorcycle again. Was that stupid kid actually still planning on riding the horrible thing to wherever he was going?

"I'll meet you there!" Marik yelled over the roar of the engine when he saw Bakura looking back at him. "And you'd better show up like you promised, and keep your end of the bargain, if you want my Millennium Rod!"

And before Bakura could even blink, Marik was off like a shot, riding down the road ahead of him.

Bakura grimaced to himself, shaking his head in disapproval as he watched Marik's tail lights fade off into the distance. Then he sighed and started walking again. He'd meet him at the stadium, all right- he had no intention of missing this tournament.

Nor of breaking his deal with Marik.

Bakura somehow managed to get to the stadium first. He supposed that Marik was still off somewhere talking with his brother, but he didn't doubt that he would show up- Marik had made it clear that this plan was important to him.

But for the moment, Bakura was alone with Yugi and his friends. At first, Bakura was so flustered by recent events that he forgot to affect the Ryou persona. But he soon picked up on the fact that the others were becoming suspicious and so he quickly shifted to acting as Ryou.

He tried to convince the others that he was fine, that his injury barely hurt at all, and that he'd managed to win the six Puzzle cards required.

Bakura was glad when Marik finally entered the stadium. He knew that Marik would help him with the charade.

Marik approached the group, and then Bakura felt Marik using the Rod on him. Marik made Ryou confirm that Marik was a friend, and that Marik was the one who had saved him when he was hurt.

Bakura was offended by this invasion- did Marik think that Bakura couldn't control Ryou himself? That he wouldn't do a good enough job of covering for them?

Bakura asserted his own will, so that his control over Ryou was equal to that of Marik's.

But before he could do anything else, the entire group was herded onto the blimp as it readied to take off.

And then, Bakura realized that he was receiving images from Marik's mind. There were no words- Marik wasn't speaking to him. He could simply see what Marik was thinking. In this way, he found out who Marik's brother was- so he knew who he and Marik were supposed to point out as being 'Marik Ishtar,' so that they could fool Yugi and his friends into thinking that Rishid possessed the real Millennium Rod.

Bakura did not need to tell Marik this- it seemed that Marik could read Bakura's thoughts, just as Bakura could read his. Marik knew that Bakura knew what they should do, so then they both exerted control over Ryou in tandem, creating a combined force strong enough to make one of the Millennium Ring's tines point to Rishid, indicating that he held the Millennium Rod; in reality, Marik had never let go of the Rod and Rishid's was a fake.

But the plan worked perfectly- Yugi and his stupid friends completely believed that Rishid was Marik.

And as the blimp took off, cutting them off from the world until the tournament was over, the reality of what had just happened hit Bakura like a punch in the stomach. Bakura had seen Marik's thoughts, and he knew that Marik could see his thoughts as well. He flashed back to earlier that day, when Ryou had been in the hospital and Marik had entered his mind. It had been the same then, too- Marik had seen exactly what he was thinking without him having to explain. At the time, he hadn't fully realized what was happening, and he hadn't given it much thought. He was thinking about it now, though. And now he realized what this could mean- how it could mean something far more than getting Yugi and his group of losers to believe that Rishid was really Marik.

Bakura realized that it was a terrible idea. And he also realized that he was going try it anyways. But this was the last time. After this, it would be over, one way or the other.

Bakura then purposefully put up a wall in his mind so that Marik couldn't read his current thoughts. The blimp was flying by now, and Bakura observed as Yugi and his friends stared out the windows like slack-jawed idiots. He noticed the one with spiky black hair and a single earring and he suddenly got an idea. Ryou's memories informed him that the boy's name was Otogi, but Bakura didn't really care about that- the spiky haired kid seemed to be a likely target. Bakura walked close to the teen and deftly reached into his pocket- and yes, this was what he had been searching for. He stuffed the item into his own pocket, trying not to think at all about what he was doing, knowing it was ridiculous. Otogi didn't seem to notice what he'd done- Bakura's skills as a pickpocket were as good as ever. There was no point in making this theft, of course, because he probably wouldn't even need to use what he had stolen, but it was really no trouble, so what did it matter?

The blimp had almost reached its full height now, and Bakura noticed that Marik was the only one, besides himself, who wasn't standing in front of the windows like a moron. So, as Yugi and his friends stood around talking to each other and looking at the view, Bakura managed to corral Marik away from them.

Then Bakura grabbed Marik roughly by his hair, forcibly turning Marik's head so that he was facing him.

"Let's go somewhere private. I need to discuss something with you," said Bakura in a hushed voice.

"What is it?" hissed Marik, jerking away from Bakura's grasp.

"It's about our plan," Bakura said as he began walking off.

Marik followed, but mumbled something about how this had better be worth his time.

Bakura ignored his complaining and searched the airship. He didn't have to lead Marik around for too long before he found what he was looking for. He came upon a door with a number on it, and since it was in an area that was so far from the main cabins, Bakura thought that it might lead to an out-of-the-way room which wasn't used much, if at all. Which meant it would be perfect for a private conversation, if he could just get inside.

Though some kinds of modern technology were alien to him- Marik's awful motorcycle came immediately to mind- Bakura had made sure to keep up on his skills at breaking and entering. So he had no trouble overcoming the electronic lock and opening the door. He entered, and Marik followed, shutting the door behind him. Marik then stood to face Bakura.

"Enter my mind," said Bakura.

"Why?" asked Marik.

"Do you always have to be such a disagreeable brat? Just humor me. It can't hurt."

Marik rolled his eyes, but entered Bakura's mind as he'd been asked- he figured that, if nothing else, he might gain information about the spirit that he could use to benefit himself.

Once Bakura felt Marik's presence in his mind, he retreated to the soul chamber that he occupied inside of Ryou, encouraging Marik to follow along with him.

When Marik met him there, Bakura spoke.

"I need to show you something. Look into my memories."

"Does this have a point?" asked Marik.

"Would I be wasting my time if it didn't? Just do it!" said Bakura irritably.

Marik let out a put-upon sigh as Bakura opened himself to allow Marik deeper access into his mind. Marik took the invitation and began searching through Bakura's memories.

Bakura knew from recent experience that Marik could see his truth, just as he could see Marik's truth, and he hoped that that would be enough. After what had happened the last time he'd tried to tell Marik about their past, he hadn't been sure that he even wanted to try again. But then he'd realized that he and Marik could see each others' thoughts, and some stupid, irrational part of him had told him to try just one more time. If Marik could see their past for himself, then maybe he would believe. Almost every iota of Bakura's being rebelled against the idea of letting another so deep inside of his mind- but this was his only chance, his last chance, and in the end, he couldn't stop himself from trying.

"I know you didn't believe me before, but look," Bakura told Marik, as he pushed Marik towards his memories of Egypt, starting from the point at which he had met Mahes.

Bakura then led Marik through the events of his past, and as he did, he virtually relived it all himself- meeting Mahes, becoming partners with him, the years they lived and stole together, the nights they spent together. The associated emotions were so strong that Bakura desperately wanted to pull away- to relegate these memories to the back of his mind as he normally did, so that he could maintain a level of emotional detachment from all that had happened. But he had to leave his mind open so that Marik could continue down the chronological path of his memories- their memories- and hopefully recognize himself in them. It didn't help Bakura's discomfort to know that Marik was so deep inside his mind that Bakura's emotions were laid bare to him; all that Bakura had felt, Marik was now feeling.

Once Marik reached the point in Bakura's memories when Bakura had left for his final assault on the Pharaoh's palace, Bakura decided that it was enough and that he could finally shut Marik out of his memories. Relieved that the ordeal was over, Bakura closed his mind abruptly, and then returned to the physical world. Marik felt the sudden closure and followed, returning to his own body as well. Now they were back where they started, standing there and facing each other in the room on the blimp.

For a while, they just stood staring at each other. The relief that Bakura had felt when he'd finished with the task of showing Marik his memories was short-lived; now he was consumed with apprehension as he waited to see whether Marik understood. Had Marik felt a connection with Mahes? Had he been able to recognize Mahes as himself?

Bakura stood waiting, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral, trying not to hope.

Finally, Marik spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "Where have you been, partner? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

Without hesitation, Bakura pulled Marik into a hug, and Marik squeezed him tightly.

"I was trapped in the Ring, and for a really long time I couldn't get out," explained Bakura. "But I finally did, and I found you."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you before," said Marik.

"Doesn't matter now," said Bakura.

Marik laid his head on Bakura's shoulder.

"Bakura..." sighed Marik.

Bakura tilted Marik's head up and kissed him. As their lips met, Bakura instinctively reached out to Marik with his ba, and he could feel the duality within Marik at that moment: the fiery arrogance that was Marik still burned inside him, but now he was also awash with the emotions that had belonged to the softer, kinder Mahes.

Something about it made Bakura want to be slow and gentle, to further draw out the part of Marik that was Mahes, to connect Marik more strongly to their memories. He began kissing along Marik's jawline, and Marik threw his head back as Bakura's fingers ran down his neck. When his hands reached the front of Marik's shirt, he unclasped the chains one by one. Leaning down to lick along Marik's collarbone, he began opening Marik's shirt from the top of the seam that ran down the middle. He did so slowly, and Marik gasped softly as Bakura bent to trail kisses down Marik's newly exposed skin.

When Marik's shirt was fully open, Bakura rose and ran his hands up Marik's bare chest, pausing to toy with his hardened nipples. Marik panted lightly, but Bakura didn't linger there for long; his hands traveled further up and pushed Marik's shirt off over his shoulders.

Marik suddenly captured Bakura's lips in a possessive kiss, and wrapped his arms tightly around Bakura's waist. As their tongues wound around each other, Marik began walking backwards, pulling Bakura towards the bed that was in the room. The kiss broke as Bakura allowed himself to be drawn down onto the bed with Marik. Bakura positioned himself on top of Marik, and brought his hands down to the waist of Marik's pants. His fingers trembled slightly as he began to unbutton them.

Marik rose up partway, leaning on his elbows. "You're nervous," he said teasingly.

"I am not!" said Bakura defensively.

Marik laughed a little, then laid back down. Bakura scowled for a moment, but then he looked at the half-naked teen underneath him, and all he wanted was to continue doing what he'd been waiting lifetimes and lifetimes to be able to do again. So he leaned down to place a kiss on Marik's stomach, and then went back to the task of slowly removing Marik's clothes, ghosting soft little touches and kisses over Marik's skin as he exposed it. Marik arched into his touch, enjoying the attention Bakura was paying to his body.

Once he had Marik fully undressed, Bakura threw off his own clothes, and then he remembered to reach into the pocket of his discarded jeans for the bottle of lubrication that he'd stolen earlier. He readied Marik, and then finally did what he'd been wanting to do.

"Oh, you feel incredible," said Bakura softly as he entered Marik. Bakura hadn't meant to let that thought slip out, but he'd been waiting so very, very long to be this close to his partner again, and it was overwhelming.

And after that, neither of them said anything coherent for quite a while.

The two moved together in rhythm, sweating and crying out, Marik's legs locked around Bakura's hips. When Marik came, he raked his nails down Bakura's back, leaving reddening lines along his pale skin as evidence of his ecstasy. The tightening and spasming of Marik's body drove Bakura over the edge too, and he gripped Marik's shoulders tightly and growled into his neck as he reached his own climax.

After Bakura pulled out, they laid together, sticky and panting, limbs intertwined.

"I remember it all now," said Marik quietly. "All the memories you showed me- I remember being there, I remember everything we did...I remember how I felt...I...I love you, Bakura."

"Oh, stop with that sentimental nonsense," Bakura chided him.

"I also remember that you always were a bastard," said Marik. But he was smiling.

Bakura smirked and pulled his partner closer.

AN: Thanks for reading; please let me know what you think? I really appreciate all reviews, even if I don't always respond to them personally.

About the motorcycle ride at the start of this chapter: remember back in chapter 10 when Mahes had that vision right before he died? And he was riding on something smoother and faster than a horse and looked down and saw that it was red? And then he realized that Bakura was behind him with his arms around him and Bakura said, "The road has been long. It's a good thing I found you." And then he felt himself falling? OK so, that was supposed to be a vision of the future he was having, and it was supposed to be obvious that it was him riding on his motorcycle with Bakura in the future. But it was total author fail on my part, because apparently that wasn't obvious at all. So in case you didn't get what was happening at the start of this chapter, it was supposed to be Mahes's vision coming true.

Anyways, regarding the next chapter, it shouldn't take too long, and also, for the next chapter, I hope you like uke!Kura as much as I do.