A/N: Okay, okay! I'm done teasing you all. The answer to that question "what are these insane family rules?" is finally in this chapter, I promise! Hopefully it satisfies all your burning curiosity ;)

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

I remember the first time I really saw Bakura get fed up with something.

I'd seen him angry, but never annoyed to the point of action. We'd been…well…I don't know what exactly, for around two months.

It was a frustrating process.

For one thing, Bakura had his plethora of 'family rules' that were the worst cock blocks you can possibly imagine.

That's not to say I never got any. His mouth was good for more than just spouting vague suggestions.

But try as I might I couldn't get him to go any farther than that.

It didn't make any sense. The more I talked to Ryuji and Mariku and even Ryou (all of whom liked to tease Bakura about his 'young charge' as they called me) the more I was certain Bakura didn't have a problem with sex.

Their lewd suggestions and Ryou's extreme embarrassment about his former nighttime activities all told me that that couldn't be it.

Of course, that left me to believe it had to do with me, and I couldn't think of a single good reason why he wouldn't want at least an easy lay from me.

Ryuji had taken to joking that I could date Bakura and screw him and that way we'd all get the best of both words. He wasn't serious, but that didn't stop Bakura from giving him a dangerous look whenever he suggested it.

If there was one thing Bakura did do, it was be extremely possessive. While he seemed stubborn with his family rules, he also didn't seem to be keen on letting me be free enough to be with anyone else.

Not that I wanted to be with anyone else, anyways. Bakura might have been frustrating as hell, but he never failed to keep me interested.

So our give and take relationship continued. He'd drop me a time and place and then drag me off to wherever he decided.

A bar.

His apartment.

Mariku's house.

Ryuji's bar (as an unspoken rule we never visited his mansion).

He even took me to the movies once. That was probably the closest we ever got to a 'real' date, though we spent plenty of time alone together.

Bakura, for all the things he was very good at, definitely wasn't very good at dating. But I was alright with that.

His very presence was intoxicating enough to make up for any of the more conventional things I might be missing.

Of course, the other frustrating part was Ishizu. Try as she might to control me, I wasn't making it easy for her.

I didn't want to hurt her, I really didn't. I wasn't even angry anymore. I just wanted to be with Bakura. And that was the only thing she didn't want.

She let me get a licence (not that I had a vehicle) and go to parties and have friends over.

She just couldn't understand why the only friends I wanted were the one's she couldn't stand to let near me.

It was a constant struggle.

If I defied her and went out with Bakura regardless of her wishes, I had to deal with the constant guilt of knowing I was letting her down and hurting her.

If I stayed in like she wanted, though, I felt like I'd lose my mind.

Honestly, I never really noticed any of this bothering Bakura too much.

The lack of sex didn't seem to perturb him in any way.

The not-so-real dates obviously weren't a problem for him either.

As far as my problems with Ishizu went, I couldn't see why that would bother him. It wasn't like he needed to feel guilty and if I decided to stay in, well, I always figured he just thought it was my loss.

I guess I just always assumed I was the dog and he was the master that kept me running around.

Sometimes, it made me feel pathetic.

Mostly, it just made me want to prove myself more, do more, show him that he needed me as much as I needed him.

I never realized how true that was until the day I finally, accidentally provoked him into acting on his invisible irritation.

I'd had another fight with Ishizu. She was having problems with Seto and she could hardly handle my unruliness and her own romantic issues at the same time.

I felt bad (mostly because she was still dating that asshole when she could do better) so I told Bakura I wasn't going to be able to go out for awhile. Bakura was just dropping me off for the evening, so I figured he wouldn't care.

Normally when I informed him of one of my 'dry stretches' as the other guys called them, he'd just stare at me blankly and shrug like he couldn't care less.

This time, his reaction was a bit different.

"Why?"

"Because she's my sister and she's done a lot for me in my life. I owe her to not stress her out more than I have to."

"Because drawing it out like this and constantly bringing her hopes up and down is really making it better."

Next thing I knew, his seatbelt was off and he was out of the car. He never got out of the car at my place. I sometimes joked that he was afraid of getting shot if he showed his face.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to introduce myself to your sister and get this fucking mess sorted."

With that said, he walked straight up to the intercom and pressed for my place, despite my avid warnings that this was, in fact, a terrible idea and was just going to make our 'fucking mess' even worse.

"Hello?"

"This is Touzoku Bakura. I demand that you speak with me. You can buzz me in if you'd like, but I'm coming up either way."

"…by all means, Touzoku-san. I've been meaning to have a…conversation with you as well."

With a buzz, to my shock, Ishizu opened the door for Bakura. I followed after him, half stunned. What was going on with these two?

We arrived at my apartment, and I unlocked it with great trepidation. The first thing I saw upon entering was Ishizu, with arms folded harshly across her chest.

Uh-oh. That was not a good sign.

Matters were only helped along on their merry way to hell when Bakura entered behind me, placing what was his usual, possessive arm around my waist.

"Ah, Touzoku-san. I'd wondered when I'd get to meet the person who keeps my brother out at all hours."

"I was also beginning to wonder when I'd get to meet the woman that tries to keep him in like this place is an insane asylum."

"Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that from you. I suspected that Marik was getting his lip from you."

"I'm flattered, really, but unfortunately he's had that 'lip' of his since before we met. I'd seriously consider thinking about whether or not it might come from you."

Ishizu sent me an enraged glance. Her face looked unusually pale. I wondered if she hadn't been sleeping well. It worried me.

"Bakura…at least give her a chance to talk before you mow her down."

"Keh, tell her that. She decided a long time ago that I wasn't worth her time."

"Excuse me, but I think I can speak for myself without you making assumptions. And Marik, stay out of this."

"Ishizu, I just" –

"No, she's right. You should stay out of this. It's between me and her. So what exactly is your bloody problem with me?"

"I don't think you're a good influence on my brother. You're a thief and he doesn't need that. His life has been hard enough."

Her voice had become tight and was rising in volume. I got the sense that this 'calm conversation' was about to escalate.

"I know more about his life than you think."

"You don't know anything about our family."

"I could say the same to you. While I'll be the first to admit I haven't lived a saintly life, I wouldn't say what I do is criminal. Against the law, yes, but I do for a purpose."

"People like you are the reason the law exists. You're simply excusing your own behavior, like you're above others."

"Oh? Is it being above others to try and support my family? Isn't that what you're doing dating a rich snob like Seto Kaiba?"

"How dare you" –

"How dare I? How dare I know things about your family? Like, maybe that you're only dating him for his money, and he knows it? These things aren't hard to figure out."

Ishizu`s face had become positively ashen at this point. I wasn`t sure if she was going to fly off the handle and attack him or start crying.

At the moment I didn't care which.

I just wanted to know if what Bakura was saying was true.

They couldn't be. No, they couldn't. My sister wasn't some slutty gold digger. It just wasn't possible.

The look on her face said otherwise, though.

"Sister? Is he telling the truth?"

"The…terms…of my and Seto's relationship were always very clear. But its"-

"Changed? Because he realized he had a heart after all and you fell in love for real? That's all very nice but what do you plan to do about that ring around your neck?"

I didn't think it was possible for me to be any more shocked, but Bakura's words in cutting off her explanation certainly did so.

Ishizu pressed her hand to the gold chain that was tucked inside her shirt. Glancing at me, I saw that she looked more afraid than anything else.

Her gaze flickered back to Bakura, and he rolled his eyes at her fearful expression.

"I'm not a stalker if that's what you're thinking. I just made a calculated guess. You may have realized by now that I know a thing or two about jewellery. I know when a woman is wearing a ring on a chain verses when she's wearing a pendant. And I'd wager everything I have that there's a nice chunk of diamond on the end of that chain."

For a moment, there was a lull where no one spoke. It wasn't exactly a golden silence. I glared furiously at my sister. I didn't like what Bakura was implying but she wasn't exactly denying it either.

Looking back to me, my resolve faltered as I saw the pain on her face.

"Ishizu…is he telling the truth? Did Seto really give you a…ring?"

"I meant to tell you, it's just…it's just…"

"She hasn't said yes yet. That's probably why they've been arguing and why she hasn't been sleeping."

"I…I didn't want to upset you, Marik. I thought the truth would hurt you too much. I'll admit that our relationship wasn't pure of heart at first, but I just…I didn't want you to miss out on the opportunities that I did because of father. You deserved to go to high school. You deserved to live in a proper home. You deserved to be…happy. I was just trying to protect you, but then Seto and I really did fall in love, and…I know you dislike him. I thought if I accepted his proposal you would hate me."

My innards twisted painfully. She had really done all that…for me?

I always knew my sister loved me, but I never thought she would go so far just to give me a better life. And now she was even refusing someone she apparently loved (even if he was a dick) just because she thought I wouldn't like it.

"I would never ask you to put your life on hold for me. You've done enough for me just by giving me a place to live after father…after he did what he did. You've always been there for me."

She swept across the room, pulling me into her arms in a tight embrace.

I felt my back itch. Talking about father always did that to me.

It was like she knew, because she held me even tighter. I even hugged her back a little.

When she pulled away, she seemed to have recovered from whatever emotional onslaught she had experienced, because she seemed calm when she turned to face Bakura again.

"I suppose I must thank you for that. But don't expect me to owe you anything for barging into our home like this. What exactly is it you want from me? You've never bothered with this before."

Despite Ishizu's words, I knew she was lying. She felt she owed him something now, at least for mending this rift between us.

I wondered if that had been Bakura's strategy all along.

"And don't expect me to again. I'm only here because it's what my mother would have wanted. Don't think I'm here for the pleasure of your company."

"I never did. So if you'll be so kind as to make your request, I will see what I can do about it."

"I would like permission to date your brother. Seeing as you've also lost your parents, as have I, you'll understand why I'm asking you."

"P-permission? You…want my permission?"

"I'm not going to ask again. I'm not even going to promise that I won't keep on seeing your brother if you say no. But I figured I'd give you a chance to approve."

"…Well you're certainly shrewd enough."

"I call it honesty."

Ishizu looked at me carefully. My heart leapt and I gave her my most pleading look.

While I knew I'd have to have words with Bakura about this conversation later, it didn't change my desire to…date him. (Oh, Ra, he wanted to date me)

"Sister please…this is all I want. And he'll…take care of me. I know he will."

"Marik, do you really think your pleading is going to change her mind when it hasn't up until now?"

"That only proves how ignorant you are about this family, Touzoku-san. Marik's desires mean a great deal to me. I only wish for his safety and happiness. And as long as you provide that…I will allow you to see him."

Bakura stared at her for a moment, as though assessing the honesty of her answer. Giving a small head jerk in acceptance, he turned and headed straight for the front door.

"You've got five minutes if you're coming."

With that, he was gone out the door, like he'd never been there. I blinked, stunned at his abrupt exist.

"You should go with him, brother."

"Are you sure sister? About…all of this?"

"If you can put aside your distaste for Seto in order for me to be happy, then I won't stand in your way."

We embraced tightly, once again loving siblings. It seemed impossible that our conflict could suddenly be resolved. I wished I could show her how grateful I was.

An idea occurred to me at the last second as she pulled away, the large diamond ring swinging out from behind her shirt. Reaching out, I grasped the chain, pulling it off her head.

I removed the ring, studying it for a moment before offering it to her.

"You should really be wearing this on your hand. I think Seto would like that."

I gave her one last reassuring smile and then bounded out the door. Five minutes wasn't a large margin, and I wouldn't put it past Bakura to leave without me.

I made it down the stairs, through the lobby and out to the curb in the fastest thirty seconds of my life.

Collapsing into his passenger side, I tried to catch my breath, glaring daggers at him.

He shot me an amused smirk, and then yanked me forward for a languid kiss. It really did nothing to help me catch my breath.

"You bastard."

"I wanted to see how fast you'd run if you thought I was going to leave."

"You definitely know how to turn a situation into a hot mess."

"Are you referring to yourself or the heart to heart I just had with your sister?"

"You're a dick."

"I'd say there's more to me than just my dick."

"Shut up."

More kissing. Always my favorite way to stop his stupid witticisms.

I was pretty sure dating such a clever person would probably kill me someday, but until then, I'd stick around for the ride.

He broke away from our kiss, earning a mewl of disappointment from me.

"Even if your sister hates me, there is some good news, you know."

"Oh?"

"You managed to clear the last of my family rules."

"That's great…I think. Not that I even know what those are."

"Something my mom used to do before she died and my dad abandoned us. She'd decide on a rule and write it down on a list. Eventually it got so long she had to break it down into categories."

"Stuff like your first time having sex couldn't be in the back of some guy's car?"

"Yah. She had pretty high standards for us. Another was that if we ever really cared about someone, we needed the approval of their parents before we let things get serious."

"O-oh…and I've…made it through the list?"

"I figured if Mariku could, you'd manage somehow."

"Does that mean…we can…you know?"

"If you want to come back to my apartment with me, we can tonight."

"I thought you'd never ask."

And that was when I knew, for the very first time, that Bakura truly cared about me.

A/N: Was it worth the wait? I really hope so! Please, please, please let me know! I'm really excited for feedback about this chapter! :)