It was early evening, and Bakura had just finished stealing another token.

One hand was curled around the little blue token in his left pocket, and the other was curled around the gold Ring in his right one.

A mere stroke of the gold, and Bakura felt its power. He knew the Ring no longer had the capability of initiating Shadow Games- not that he'd want to initiate one anyway- but there was still magic buried in the ancient relic. It wasn't as powerful as the Shadow Games, but it would still be effective should he need to use it. In fact, he'd used this power against Marik's dark side during the Battle City tournament, when he'd slammed Marik's dark self against the wall to prevent him from killing Rishid.

It was this knowledge that had made tonight's steal so incredibly simple. Knowing that he had the Ring again was all it took for Bakura to craftily make his way to the duelist and lift the token. No contrived conversation, no messy missteps, just a swift steal and adrenaline rushing through his body.

He turned the corner and then Marik's apartment was finally in sight.

"That was quick," Marik said when Bakura handed him the token as he walked in. "I don't think you were even gone for an hour."

Bakura just smiled as he laid his coat across the couch, and slipped into the kitchen.

"The Ring helped," he said simply.

Marik glanced at him. The worry was clear on his face: he wanted to know if Bakura had used the Ring against anyone.

"I didn't actually use it, but it was good to have it anyway," Bakura answered before Marik could ask.

The worry immediately disappeared.

"Good. Well, thanks for that-"

Before Marik could finish, there was a sharp knock at the front door, and Bakura turned to Marik with a bewildered look on his face. They practically never had visitors. And if anyone from Luxor should ever find out that Bakura was back, and hiding in Marik's apartment-

The lock suddenly clicked, as if someone had turned the doorknob.

Without even finishing his train of thought, Bakura bolted from the kitchen, through the hallway, and to Marik's bedroom in mere seconds.

Marik strode back into the hallway, just as both his bedroom door shut behind Bakura, and the front door opened and revealed Ishizu, bright and flustered as she walked in.

"Sister," Marik greeted her, his palms breaking out into a sweat as he realized that he had both his sister and Bakura in the same apartment, with merely the stretch of the hallway separating the two.

"Is something wrong?"

But Ishizu had a smile on her face.

"Nothing, no. I just came to tell you the good news," she said, still catching her breath, as though she'd walked here quickly. "We found the Millennium Rod today."

"You did?" Marik asked, surprised.

"Seto Kaiba agreed to our arrangement, and with his help, we were finally able to excavate it. You can't imagine how happy and overwhelmed the museum officials are about finally being able to locate the item. I told them that it was your idea about contacting Seto Kaiba since he had a connection to the Rod, and I think they were impressed that it worked. I think they were impressed by you, Marik."

Marik found himself smiling. "Were they? I'm glad."

Ishizu nodded. "I also told them you had the idea to contact Yugi sometime soon to see if he would help us find the Millennium Puzzle."

So now Yugi might possibly travel down to Egypt, following in the footsteps of Seto Kaiba to find one of the Millennium Items.

"If Yugi travels over here, it's possible that he might want to drop by your apartment and catch up," Ishizu continued.

"Yeah, that should be fine," Marik said, lost in thoughts.

This could really work out for him, Marik was thinking. If the museum officials noticed how useful he could be to the digging project, without him stepping on anyone's toes by actually participating in the excavation, he could really make a name for himself, particularly since they were crediting him with the ideas of contacting both Kaiba and Yugi for the items.

"I really think you stand a great chance at getting a promotion at this rate, Marik," Ishizu said, as if reading his mind. "They're already starting to think highly of you. All you have to do now is stay focused at your job. I think you've been getting a little distracted lately, so you should watch out about that."

Marik sighed. "Yeah, the tournament has really been draining me, but once it's over, I'll definitely work harder at the museum."

"Good," Ishizu said. "As I said, I think this is a great opportunity for you. Make sure you take advantage of it."

"I will," said Marik.

They talked for a little bit longer about the excavation progress and Marik's potential future at the museum, but when Ishizu realized how late it had gotten, she bid Marik goodbye and left.

Marik's head was teeming with thoughts about the conversation as he locked the door behind Ishizu. Foremost was his excitement to win the tournament. He was already starting to impress the people in Luxor, and especially the museum officials. If he won the tournament, he couldn't even imagine how much respect he would get.

His thoughts continued along those lines as he headed back to his room to talk to Bakura.

As he opened the door, he said, "That was close, she almost caught-" Marik stopped mid-sentence when he saw what Bakura was doing.

He was sitting on Marik's bed, casually smoking a cigarette.

"Are you smoking in my room?" Marik sounded incredulous.

"Well, I didn't have anything else to do while I was hiding in here waiting for you to get done talking to your sister in that stupid Namu voice of yours." There was an annoyed tone in Bakura's voice, but he looked as casual as ever as he flicked an ash onto the floor.

"Well, stop it!" Marik said. "There's not even an ash tray in here!"

"Who cares?" snapped Bakura.

Marik didn't know why Bakura seemed so irritated- hewas the one who should be irritated.

But before Marik could say anything else, Bakura cut him off. "Marik, the way you act around other people, and all these things you say you're planning to do...it isn't you, can't you see that? You're just being totally fake-"

"No, I don't see that, and I told you I don't want to talk about that again," Marik said dismissively. He looked at the floor around Bakura's feet and scowled. "And you're just getting ashes all over the carpet!"

"Fucking hell!" Bakura yelled, throwing the cigarette on the floor and grinding it out with his shoe. "There, happy?"

"Obviously not! What is wrong with you? I can't believe you-"

"Oh, calm down, Marik," said Bakura. "Pretty soon you won't have to worry about your precious carpet getting damaged anymore. Once I'm done stealing tokens for you, I'll be moving on, and you won't see me again."

Marik stopped dead. "Wait, what? Why?"

"Didn't I just hear you say that Yugi could come visit? I told you I never want anything to do with any of those people again, especially him."

Marik shrugged. "So you'll hide in my room while he's here, like you do when my sister comes to visit."

"And what if he finds out I'm here?" Bakura asked. "And that's not even the point. Right now it's your sister dropping by unannounced, and next it will be Yugi, and then what will come after that? Where does it end?"

Marik was bewildered. "I guess it ends there?"

"No!" said Bakura. "Not if you keep going down the road you're on."

Marik shook his head. "I don't get it."

"How can you be so clueless?" Bakura asked vehemently. "You want to be good, to be accepted. And I don't want any part of that. We're on completely different paths, Marik."

"And why does that matter?"

Bakura sighed and looked at Marik derisively. "Marik, where do you think this- this- arrangement- can possibly go in the future? How do you think having me here is going to work out long term, if you get what you want and become a part of respectable society, with a bunch of respectable new friends who can never find out about your association with me?"

"I guess-" Marik faltered. "Well, I guess I never really thought about it."

"Of course you didn't, because you never think about the consequences, you never think beyond today. That's why all your plans failed so badly in the Battle City tournament," said Bakura, the disdain evident in his voice. "Do you really think you can just keep me hidden in a back room for the rest of your life? Was that what you were planning to do?"

"I guess not?" said Marik, looking slightly lost.

"Of course not. You can't keep playing both sides forever, Marik," said Bakura. "You're going to have to choose. If you get all that respect and acceptance that you want so much, I'll be a detriment to you, and you'll be one to me."

Now Marik was staring down at his shoes. "I suppose I never thought of it that way."

"So you realize that I can't stay here indefinitely," said Bakura, slightly more calm now. "Not if you keep trying to be someone you're not, to fit in with these people who would shun the real you-"

"I told you, I've told you time and again, this is the real me!" yelled Marik, snapping his head up, finally back on the defensive. "This is what I've wanted for years, to finally be normal,for people to know I'm a good person, so that I can have a real life, and now I might finally have a chance at that!"

"If that really is the real you, then I don't even know if I want anything to do with that guy," Bakura said flatly, his eyes cold.

Marik opened his mouth as if he were about to respond, but he couldn't seem to come up with anything to say.

So Bakura spoke instead.

"Let me ask you something, Marik. Let's say Ishizu, or Yugi, or someone else, actually does catch me here sometime. It will happen eventually, if I stay long enough. What would you do? Would you admit to them that I've been living here, and that you know I'm not 'reformed,' that I've been stealing things and have no intention of changing? Would you tell them you plan to keep hanging around me, despite their disapproval? Despite the fact that after that, everyone would find out that you were letting a criminal room with you?" Bakura paused, giving Marik a hard look. "Or would you lie and say that I just showed up and that you have nothing to do with me? Knowing that you couldn't keep hiding me after that? Because once they knew I was back, they'd be looking for me, and I'd have to go, because neither of us could risk me getting caught here a second time."

Things finally seemed to be clicking for Marik, and Bakura looked at him steadily. "When everyone finds out I'm here, will you give up everything you've been working for all these years just to continue your association with me?"

Marik took a deep breath, and looked Bakura in the eyes. "No, I guess I wouldn't."

"Then it looks like you've made your choice."

Before Marik could react, Bakura jumped up from the bed and shoved violently past Marik, walking quickly from the room. Marik was stunned for a moment, but then he followed. When he got out to the kitchen, Bakura was almost to the front door.

"Wait- where are you going?"

"I'm going to steal another one of those tokens that are so important to you," said Bakura. "That's why I'm here, right?"

"You just stole a token earlier today. You don't need to steal another one right now."

Bakura turned, anger sparking in his eyes. "Yes, I do, because I want to complete my obligation to you as fast as I can so that I can get the hell out of here as soon as possible."

Suddenly, Bakura ripped the Ring from around his neck and tossed it forcefully onto the table, where it went skidding almost to the edge. "Oh, and I can do it without the Ring. I wouldn't want you to worry about me hurting some poor innocent with it, and getting caught, and ruining your reputation."

Marik started toward Bakura, but Bakura turned his back to him and slammed the door in his face.

He moved on adrenaline and instinct alone. There was nothing but thunderous turmoil in his head, but he shut it out with quick steps and shallow breaths and roaring blood pounding in his ears. He needed to get this done fast.

Bakura found a duelist. Or rather, he slammed into him. He'd been walking down the winding, dark streets of Luxor so fast that he ran into the bastard before either could even realize what had happened.

The man's duel disk fell upon collision, along with several of his cards.

"Give me your tokens," Bakura demanded, jamming his hand into the man's coat collar and pulling him forward.

"Who the hell are you?" the duelist asked, bewildered.

"Give me your fucking tokens, and I won't hurt you," Bakura growled.

The man attempted to get out of Bakura's grip.

"You fucking asked for it," Bakura said, before he reached back and punched the guy right in his face.

But the man wasn't a wimp, despite his lanky physique. He reeled back from Bakura's punch, but when he looked up, his eyes were narrowed and his jaw was set. Before Bakura could react, the man grabbed Bakura with both of his hands and slammed him into a business complex near the sidewalk.

"Take them from me, then," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I dare you."

Bakura struggled in the duelist's strong grip before the man's fist looped back and slammed into Bakura's gut, making him double over. His head was pounding from where he'd hit his skull against the concrete building, and his stomach was roiling and clenched tight. He looked up, attempting to stop another oncoming punch, when his blood stilled.

The man pulled a knife from his jacket, and edged closer.

"Fuck," Bakura said under his breath.

Without warning, the duelist slashed the blade across Bakura's side. He felt the fabric tear and the skin break. He bit his lip before he could cry out. Before the duelist could attack again, Bakura tried to thwart him by blocking his arm, but the blade still managed to get a clean cut just above his left eyebrow, and then it slid across his shoulder, slicing through his coat. Bakura's hand instinctively fell to his right pocket, where the Millennium Ring had been just a few hours ago. But it was gone now. He missed the touch of the familiar gold.

Bakura bit his lip hard, trying to ignore the pain, but the wounds were slowing him down. His breath was shallow. He was losing focus. The next series of events became a blur.

He felt the man punch him in the face, making his head slam back against the concrete again. He heard his jeans rip as the knife sliced across his thigh. Then he felt himself being dragged forward by his coat collar, and as he struggled to fight back, the man ran another set of knife strokes across his arm. Everything stung. Bakura fell to his knees, fighting to stay conscious, and then he heard laughter.

"That should teach you better than to attack innocent people for their tokens," he heard.

And then the man was gone.

Bakura lay against the concrete building. His whole body hurt. The blood trickled down his arms, and as the cold night air struck his torn and bruised skin, Bakura glanced up at the light pole gleaming down at him like a useless beacon.

Finally, he shut his eyes against the strong glare, and fell unconscious.

AN: We told you there was angst coming. Sorry for the wait! We plan to have the next chapter up in about two weeks. Thanks for reading! Please review!