Disclaimer: I don't own YGO, and I don't own the ideas I borrowed from Reaper.

Posted: 10/21/07

AN: Sort of a crossover, except no characters from reaper, other than the Devil. Loosely based off the new TV show Reaper.

AN: Malik is the hikari

Ryou The Reaper

By Fired Icicle

Chapter Five: The Work Bench

Ryou ran after the two idiots as they walked towards the bus stop. During the short wait for the bus, Ryou glared at the back of two giant heads of hair. When they got on the bus, Ryou paid for all three of them. Ryou unfortunately had to spend the whole ride listening to Malik and Bakura argue over plans on how they were going to catch the murderer. And not one of these plans ended with the city in good shape.

They got off the bus in downtown Domino. Ryou, now depressed by the sad turn of events, silently followed Bakura and Malik to Marik. They didn't have to walk long before they arrived at the Work Bench. The Work Bench was a home improvement store which ended up hiring many of Domino High School's dropouts. It was where Ryou usually got replacements for the stuff Bakura broke.

Ryou followed the two in, noting the large broken window next to the door. He was careful to hide the sword. He'd hate to have the police called on him. All three of them headed back towards the gardening section. It was humid and smelled like dirt. They looked around the whole section before anyone said anything.

"Where's Marik?" Malik asked.

"How should I know?" Bakura rolled his eyes. "I did come in with you, remember."

"Shut up. I was talking to myself."

"You guys please don't start fighting." Ryou cut in. "Let find Marik. Malik are you sure he's supposed to be here today?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Malik said nodding. "Maybe he's hiding again."

"Or he could be elsewhere in the store." Bakura told Malik.

"Or that." Malik agreed. "Let's check the electronics department then." They headed in that direction. Ryou sighed tiredly and followed. "That's the other place he usually is at."

"Marik!" Malik shouted among the rows of computers and laptops. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" a call came back, sounding as if it were above them. They looked up. No Marik.

"And that would be where?" Bakura asked.

"Here," the voice repeated. Carefully listening, the three tracked the voice to a tall storage shelf holding boxed electronics. They looked to the top.

There was Marik, huddled between two boxes. He was wearing the store uniform. He also looked rather frightened.

"Marik, what are you doing up there." Malik asked.

"Hiding from that Nazi leader's reincarnate." Marik whispered.

Ryou sighed.

Bakura started laughing, the kind that is very difficult to stop.

"Marik, get down here!" Malik snapped. "You're embarrassing me. You're practically the epitome of evil. You can't be seen hiding."

"No!"

"Yes, "Malik nodded. "How can you let yourself be scared of a human? Or let Bakura laugh at you?"

"You know exactly how I can." Marik whimpered pathetically. "You've met him."

Malik had indeed met Marik's manager and, to be honest, was not all that surprised to see Marik cowering in fear. Manager Tatsu was a rather fearsome ex-bodybuilder and former army general. Still, it was embarrassing.

"What did you do anyway?" Malik asked.

"I broke a pot when I threw it at one of my coworkers."

"You're worried over a pot? I would really hate to be you." Bakura said. He had barely managed to stop laughing.

"No, you idiot! There's more." Marik snapped. "Because of the pot incident, Tatsu moved me to the electronics department."

"Oh," Malik and Ryou said in understating at the same time.

"Yeah, then I threw a somewhat expensive laptop at a costumer. I've been hiding ever since."

"How long has that been?" Malik asked.

"Five minutes." Figures, Malik knew his yami had a rather short attention span. If it had been much longer Marik wouldn't still be hiding.

"That means he's still fuming around somewhere." Malik muttered quietly so that Marik wouldn't hear. "Come down! He can't do anything while we are here."

"Yes he can. If only your sister and Shadi hadn't sealed all my powers. He would so be in the shadow realm." Marik muttered angrily.

"And so would all the costumers and half of Domino."

"Would serve them right for pestering me!"

"Marik get down here!" Bakura yelled up. "We are going to look for an escaped soul from hell. Don't worry about Tatsu. Ryou can talk him into letting you came with us."

"Bakura!" Ryou whined. "Please don't volunteer me."

"Don't bother. Volunteering people is Bakura's favorite thing to do." Malik informed Ryou

"Really?" Marik questioned as he began his clime down.

"Yeah and check out Ryou's new sword. It's from the Devil."

"Bakura, we are not showing the sword to Marik in the store. I do not want to be arrested."

"Chicken."

"Let's go find Tatsu so that Ryou can talk him into letting you come with us." Malik said. The group began walking towards the employee area in the back where Tatsu should be. Bakura filled Marik in on Ryou's new bounty hunter duties and such.

By the time they had reached the door to the employee area Marik was fidgeting.

"Stop being a wimp." Bakura said as he bravely walked in. The door shut behind him. Seconds later he walked back out.

"Well! Is anyone coming with me?" He snapped. The others followed Bakura as he reentered.

They walked down a hallway to the manager's office. By the time they reached the office, Ryou was somehow in the lead. Ryou knocked.

"Enter." A gruff voice replied.

"Go on Ryou. We'll wait out here for you." Malik said. "Be careful."

"Yeah." Marik nodded.

Ryou sighed. "Sometimes you guys can be so pathetic." He went in. The door shut behind him.

"It's a good thing everyone likes Ryou." Bakura said as he and the others stared at the door.

"Yeah, cause if one of us went in…" Malik added. A minute passed.

"There's no screaming." Marik said. "Think he's aliv-"

The door opened and Ryou walked out. He seemed fine.

"Well?" Malik asked. "Can Marik come?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Ryou said. "Though under some conditions."

"What?" Marik asked eyes narrowing.

"That you will work the next two weekend shifts and pay for the window you broke."

"That's not fair!" Marik yelled angrily. "I didn't break that window, he did. When he threw me though it!"

"He threw you through a window?" Ryou asked incredulously.

"Do it, or you won't get to come evil spirit hunting with us." Bakura commanded.

"I will, the window can't cost that much and I don't care for weekends." Marik sighed. "Let's get out of here before he changes his mind."

"Sweet! This is gonna be so much fun." Malik said excitedly.

"No, it's gonna be a disaster." Ryou muttered quietly as he followed the others as they headed for the exit.

"Marik, why don't you quit?" Bakura asked.

"He can't, my sister won't let him." Malik supplied. "It's work, school, or the shadow realm."

"School is for losers." Marik stated. "You're lucky Ryou's dad is so cool and he doesn't force you to work."

"My dad sold my soul to the Devil." Ryou commented. "He's not cool."

"Isis practically did the same. So, what's the plan?" Marik asked the others.

"Well, first we need more information." Bakura said.

"We can't exactly ask the Devil." Ryou supplied.

"True, but we can ask a demon." Bakura informed.

"How?" Malik asked.

"By summoning one of course." Bakura smirked.

Ryou groaned. "Oh, that's so does not sound like a good idea."

Poor Ryou