Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters. The only rights I own are to my own original characters. I do not gain any money from this work.

Ryou stood in front of Marik's bedroom door once again, though entering it seemed to be a strenuous task this time. He had hardly slept after being kept up by his worried thoughts, and all of Marik's possible reactions ran through his head. Perhaps he had completely forgotten about the events of the day before and things would be normal again. Maybe he would be worse than he previously had been. Knowing that his thoughts would only stress him further the longer he delayed entering, Ryou pushed open the door and stepped into the room, looking across to Marik's bed.

The Egyptian boy was still deeply asleep and hanging slightly out of the bed, with a small glob of drool hanging from his mouth. Ryou made sure to close the door as quietly as possible, and tiptoed over to the side of the bed. The bucket he had placed was still empty and hadn't been moved, which was a good sign that Marik had managed to sleep okay. Without thinking, Ryou gave a sigh of relief, and Marik's eyes began to flutter open.

"...ku...ra?" he mumbled, still not fully conscious. If the situation hadn't been so serious Ryou would have chuckled, but he managed to maintain a straight face and kneeled by the side of the bed. Marik blinked a few times, trying to adjust his vision, before rolling over to face Ryou properly and smiling at him. "Good morning," he said with a yawn.

"Morning Marik," Ryou said back. "How are you feeling today? Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm, yeah. I had a dream about B-" Marik's eyes shot open as he caught himself, and he gave Ryou a sheepish and embarrassed look. "Oh, um, I mean...yes, I slept fine." Ryou couldn't help but give a small smile this time, and reached his hand out to stroke Marik's hair off of his face. "I'm so glad to hear that," Ryou replied. Although he was trying to keep up a strong face for Marik, it wasn't a lie that he was indeed glad and joyful about Marik sleeping alright. Perhaps it meant that things would be different this time? That Marik would be okay?

"What time is it?" Marik asked, scratching his head and yawning. "It's about 30 minutes until school starts," Ryou replied, ripping Marik from his sleepy state and causing him to jump out of bed. "Crap, I'm going to be late!" he cried out, rushing to get his uniform. He leapt from the bed, but was stopped by Ryou instinctively reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Wait, Marik! You shouldn't rush your recovery!"

"My recovery?" he asked, giving Ryou a quizzical look. He spotted the towel on his pillow and the bucket at his bedside, and after a few moments the cogs in his head managed to begin turning. "Oh, you mean...my memories."

A slight sadness washed over Marik, and he moved back to the bed and sat down, with Ryou moving to sit beside him. Their hands intertwined again, a sign of friendship and care in their eyes, and Marik let out a sigh. "I just…" Marik began, trying to find the right words to express himself. "I don't know how to feel. On one hand I have so many questions about what happened, and about Bakura, but I don't know if I want to hear the answers. And on the other hand, it's so hard to think about that when I'm terrified of Malik coming after me again." He cradled himself into a ball on the side of the bed, and Ryou began rubbing his back to console him, just as he had done the day before.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen or what you should do, but the fact that you slept alright has to mean something," Ryou said reassuringly. Marik wiped his somewhat wet eyes and looked up at Ryou, nodding at him. "You...you're right Ryou," he replied with a mild smile. "I have to try and be positive about this, for everyone and for myself."

"There we go, there's my strong Marik," Ryou said teasingly, causing Marik to crack a proper smile and laugh. "I'll cover for you at school today and come visit you after, so you take the day off alright? Don't worry about coming back until you're ready," Ryou said, standing up and walking back towards the door. He hated to leave Marik so suddenly, but it was quite a walk from Marik's house to the school, and he needed to make sure he was on time to let the teacher's know about Marik's absence. Marik seemed down about Ryou having to leave, but put on a brave smile and nodded, climbing back into bed.

"Thank you," Marik whispered, smiling. Ryou waved back at him and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway and off towards the school. "See you later Marik." With a small creak the door was finally shut, and Marik lay awake in his bed. His mind raced, as did his heart, and it seemed like nothing could calm him down. He thought back to what Ryou had said yesterday, and about all the events that had supposedly taken place. Some of what Ryou had described felt familiar, as if he knew the memory was tucked way back in his mind, but some of it seemed impossible to him. He had no recollection of ever being close to Bakura, barring the time they had spent together in Duelist Kingdom. He had been so convinced of all the rumours. He had seen it with his own eyes. And yet there was still a part of Marik that believed Ryou's words. As crazy as it seemed, Bakura had genuinely been nice to him. Making him soup, protecting him from Malik, apologising to him. Marik tried to shake the conflicted feelings from his head, and instead focus on what he would do next.

"Well...maybe 5 more minutes first."

With a ring of the bell, students began filing out of the classroom, excited for the long awaited lunchtime to begin. Ryou's parents had prepared him a small bento, and although his appetite wasn't good today, he forced himself from his seat and began making his way to the roof to eat. A hand landed on his shoulder causing him to jump, which wasn't a surprise since he had been on edge all day. He looked over to see who was trying to grab his attention, and stared into a very familiar pair of brown eyes. "We need to talk," Bakura asserted, grabbing Ryou's arms and pulling him out of the classroom. "Wait!" Ryou shouted, grabbing at Bakura's arm and trying to escape his grasp unsuccessfully. He knew that he was weaker than his counterpart, and after a few moments of struggling to regain control, he gave up and followed Bakura as they began walking around the school. His pace was rushed and Ryou struggled to keep up with him, but luckily they reached their destination within a few minutes. Bakura had taken Ryou out from the school building and over to the sports equipment shed, where he had seen Bakura and Yami arguing months ago.

"What did you bring me here for, Bakura?" Ryou asked, not afraid to let out a snarl. Bakura turned to face him, and his expression was difficult to pinpoint. He appeared to be concerned and determined, but also angry and pissed off, with a hint of guilty mixed in. "Where's Marik?" Bakura asked, completely monotone. The question was short and to the point, which for some reason pissed Ryou off even more, and he squinted his eyes aggressively. "He's at home resting, not that you should care," he answered, his words dripping with hostility. Although Bakura was bigger than him and known for being violent, Ryou didn't fear him at this moment. He couldn't, not after seeing Marik's weakness and knowing that Bakura had played a role in it. He had to be strong for his friend.

Ryou's answer infuriated Bakura, and he crossed his arms while grinding his teeth. "Am I not allowed to care?" he spat, taking a step towards Ryou. The two stood only a few feet from each other, but neither dared to break eye contact, and Ryou refused to move from his spot. "I don't know Bakura, you certainly didn't care when something like this happened the first time." Ryou completely threw Bakura's words back in his face, but this only served to make Bakura more irritated and vexed, and he took another step towards his hikari.

"If I didn't give a shit about Marik, would I really have protected him from Malik this whole time?" he asked, enraged at Ryou's nerve, but the smaller boy refused to back down and raised his voice. "You didn't protect him! I trusted you and your gang enough to not show up there, to not be that out in the open, and look at what happened!" Ryou shouted. Bakura snarled, stepping over and shortening the distance between the two. They were only a foot apart at this stage, but Ryou continued to stand his ground. He could feel himself sweating with fear slightly, but he remained strong by reminding himself of what Marik was going through.

"Oh, and I suppose I just let this happen to me for no reason then?" Bakura asked sarcastically as he popped his jacket open, revealing his damaged chest. Bruises and scrapes littered his delicate pearly skin, though Ryou only had a moment to take it in before Bakura began buttoning his shirt up again. A pang of guilt hit Ryou's heart, and for the first time he took a step back, revealing his weakness to Bakura. Ryou hated others getting hurt, and Bakura took full advantage of this. "I didn't have to hold Malik back, but I did. The only reason Malik didn't tackle Marik and kidnap him was because I fought him off while you ran away, so you can thank me for that too!"

"Thank you?" Ryou asked with an appalled tone. "Do you even know how scared Marik is right now? Do you know how terrifying it was to try and explain what was going on to him, or having to tell him that Malik remembered him? You don't! You don't care enough about Marik to protect him, and you don't care enough to offer any sort of explanation to him!" Bakura's pupils shrunk and his face began to turn red, indicating that Ryou had taken it too far. Ryou took another step back, regretting how angry he had become with Bakura, while the taller boy walked up to Ryou's face and growled.

"No, you're upset that you didn't get an explanation. If you want to have a fucking tantrum about your hurt feelings, go right ahead, but don't drag Marik into this. I stood up for you, I did my best even though I didn't want to, and even now I'm trying to make sure that Marik's alright. Why should I have to explain myself to you? If Marik wants to know what's happening, then I'll be the one to tell him. Don't act all high and mighty just because you rubbed his back and said it would be okay. You aren't the one getting hurt," Bakura spat.

For a moment, the two were silent, staring at each other with an intense hate. The next moment, a loud clap echoed by the sports shed, and Ryou stormed off. Bakura didn't move an inch, though his head had turned away slightly from the slap, and he carefully reached up to touch his cheek. Ryou was particularly weak and it didn't sting physically, but mentally it felt as if he had uppercutted Bakura. Bakura tried to contain his emotions and feelings, and struggled to hold back his anger. Without a word he turned and punched the shed with his bare fist, causing the material to crack slightly and his knuckles to bleed. "Dammit," he whispered under his breath, taking in what Ryou had said and watching the smaller boy disappear out of sight.

Some part of Bakura knew that Ryou was right. He knew that he should have been more careful with Malik, he knew that it was possible for Marik to take that route. He knew that Ryou had done a lot to protect Marik, and that he had failed more than anyone. He understood that he really did owe it to them to tell them what had really happened if he truly cared about Marik. Yet there was no way he could explain what had actually gone through his mind to Ryou. There was no way he would admit that he had let his guard down after being distracted by the events of the weekend. Even he didn't know how to explain the strange feelings that had been messing with his head and his eyes. Being around Marik sent him crazy, and it was a struggle to contain himself. And yet, he just couldn't accept things as they were. He couldn't be truthful to Marik or Ryou, or even to himself. Since Marik had been gone, Bakura's symptoms had only grown worse, and Ryou shouting at him certainly didn't make it any better.

"I just need a breather," Bakura gasped, struggling with the pain of his condition as he walked back to the classroom. "I just need to visit him and stop the pain, just for a little bit. I can just...check on him."

Since Marik had woken up from his nap, things had been going so-so for him. A day off from school meant a day for relaxation and self-care, and Marik was determined to get better quick. Although he was terrified of Malik, it was as if his body was numb from the shock, allowing him to act somewhat normal. Rishid had taught him when he was little to find comfort in life's smaller pleasures, and he did just that by dressing himself up. He didn't spend a huge amount on clothes, but Marik made sure to keep an updated and stylish wardrobe, and he knew that the best thing to improve his mood was to wear his favourite outfit. It took no time for him to jump out of his pyjamas and into his favourite pair of black leather pants and a lavender hoodie, topped off with golden Egyptian jewellery from his family. There was something about the clothing that made him feel like he was at home, as well as exceptionally fashionable. Marik didn't wear it much, both due to the cold and due to his anxiety about showing his skin off, but around the home he felt safe to wear it. A knock came from his bedroom door as he began applying his kohl and fixing his hair, and he turned around quickly to check who it was.

"Marik, are you awake?" Ishizu called from behind the door. "Yeah I'm up!" he answered, walking over to the door and opening it. His sister had bags under her eyes and her hair was a mess, but seeing Marik so cheerful surprised her and brought a smile to her face. "You're up, you're okay! That's good! I've made a big breakfast for you downstairs, so come join Rishid and I before he eats it all."

Marik's stomach growled at the notion of food, and he grinned as he stepped out and walked downstairs with his sister. The table was set with a large platter of food, ranging from toast, beans and eggs to cereal, juice and fruit. Rishid sat at the table with a cup of black coffee, reading the newspaper for the day. The two took a seat and Rishid looked up from his paper, a look of anticipation on his face. "Better today?" he asked, and Marik nodded in response. A small smile broke out on his face and he returned to reading his newspaper while Marik took the box of cereal and began pouring it into his bowl. "I'm glad that you're doing alright Marik. Ishizu was worrying about whether or not to call in sick today at work to take care of you."

Ishizu smacked Rishid's arm gently to tell him off, while the two boys had a little laugh. "Honestly, you two," she sighed as she fixed herself some breakfast and began eating. "I just wanted to make sure Marik didn't feel alone today, I didn't want anything to happen." Marik felt a little guilty at her words, and paused for a moment as he poured his milk. He knew that they did of their own free will, but Marik couldn't help but feel guilty for making everyone worry and tend to him, and he hung his head a little lower as he picked up his spoon.

"I'm really sorry," Marik apologised, causing Rishid and Ishizu to look up at him with confused expressions. "If it weren't for me you wouldn't be worrying like this, or having to take care of me, or-"

"That's enough of that," Ishizu cut him off and shoved his spoonful of cereal into his mouth, giving him a stern look. "I don't want to hear a single apology from you Marik. We're more than happy to care for you, you're our brother. We want you to be happy and healthy, so don't worry." Marik pulled the spoon from his mouth and chewed his cereal begrudgingly, though he was happy for his sister's reassurance. The three of them continued their morning ritual with Marik enjoying cereal and fruit, Ishizu having beans on toast and Rishid sipping on his coffee with his english muffin and eggs.

"Your birthday's coming up soon, isn't it Marik?" Rishid said, trying to make small talk. "What have your friends got planned for you this time?"

"Dunno," Marik answered between mouthfuls as he shovelled the delicious sugar-covered cereal into his mouth. "Yugi said he's gonna organise a surprise for me. It'll be the last school day before the holidays so it'll probably happen in the evening, so I might be out late. And Ryou wants to have a sleepover before Christmas, so I can crash at his place if that's okay with you." Ishizu gave a slightly worried side glance to Rishid, but he reassured her with a nod and a smile. "Make sure you don't stay out too long and get home safe," he reminded Marik, taking another sip of his coffee and glancing at his watch.

"Better start getting ready now," Rishid told his sister, and the two quickly cleaned their plates of any remaining food. "You know our numbers so call if anything comes up," Ishizu called out to Marik as she took the dirty plates to the kitchen and began cleaning up for work. His two siblings danced around between the living room and kitchen, grabbing bags, shoes and notes while Marik calmly continued munching his breakfast and sipping some milk from the carton.

"Right, we're off," Rishid said a few moments later, walking out the front door with Ishizu. "We'll be back earlier tonight, so don't worry! Lunch is in the fridge!" With that note the two shut the door and hurried off for work, allowing Marik to enjoy some long awaited peace and quiet. His cereal had begun to get soggy and he had finished his glass of juice, so he leaned back in his chair to think.

"What should I do today…" he whispered into the silent room, putting his arms behind his neck and relaxing. It wasn't a bad day outside, but he wanted to stay indoors and rest, not to mention he didn't want to risk bumping into...Malik. Thoughts crept into his mind about Malik, like whether or not he had followed Marik home when he passed out, or whether he could find his address. "No!" he scolded himself. "I need to take this time to relax. I can't panic about it, I need to stay strong." A less than pleasant smell filled his nostrils and he sniffed around, looking for the source of the scent. The trash had already been taken out and the cereal certainly wasn't the source. Still, the scent was close by, and Marik sniffed himself to check.

"Ugh, I could use a bath," Marik exclaimed, standing up and putting his bowl in the kitchen sink. "It feels like a waste to get dressed and then take a bath, but I guess it's not a huge deal." Jogging up the stairs, Marik stepped into his bathroom and began running the bath, making sure to add lots of bubble mixture. The gold jewellery was a pain to remove, and his tight leather pants were a struggle, but the rest was fairly easy to slip off. His hoodie brushed against the scars on his back, causing Marik to shiver and jolt. Memories of what had happened that day shot into his mind, and he leaned against the bathroom sink to steady himself. "Just breathe," he instructed himself. "I just need to get in the bath and calm down."

It took a few minutes to fill up the bath, as Marik generally enjoyed the water level being higher than average, but once it had finished he turned the taps off and tested the water. It wasn't exactly warm water, but the crisp Winter air gave it the illusion of being perfectly hot, and Marik dipped himself into the tub with a sigh of relief. With a satisfying splash, Marik made himself comfy, and craned his head back against the cool ceramic bathtub. It was perfectly sized for his body, though it was a little cramped, but Marik had always enjoyed it. After a bad day of school or something exciting, it was an amazing feeling to climb into the water and let his stress melt away down the drain. Not to mention that the silky water cooled down his scars and eased his pain, which was always something to look forward to.

With the bathroom being silent and the water stagnant, Marik took the opportunity to talk to himself and let his thoughts wander. "I wonder if Ryou will bring me anything today," he thought to himself out loud. "Some ice cream would be nice. I need to make sure to get back to school soon."

Thoughts of his school filled his mind, eventually leading him to think about Bakura. He remembered the events of the weekend again in his head, replaying them in his mind like a movie. He paused when he recalled Bakura using the same bathtub he was currently in, and Marik pulled his head under the water slightly in embarrassment. As nice as it was to think of his crush naked, he was in no state to worry about his romantic life right now, and shook the idea from his head sadly.

"I wonder what Bakura's doing right now," Marik pondered as he pulled his head up from the water and began scrubbing his body with soap. It was an exotic and unique soap that his friends had purchased for him last year on his birthday, scented like chocolate and strawberries. "I wonder if Ryou was telling the truth. I know he wouldn't lie to me, but maybe there's something missing about what he said. Or maybe I'm just overthinking things." The memories of last night made his heart heavy, and he leaned back to take a break from cleaning himself and think instead.

"He's an absolute jerk. He's insulted me, mocked me, belittled me...but he was nice. When Malik tried to run up to me, the first thing he did was push him back. And the look in his eye was just…"

He looked over at the small plastic duck they kept on the side of the bath, staring into the painted unchanging eyes. "If we were friends before, then I just want to know what changed." His heart began to ache and droop, and his body felt heavier than before. The bath water's effect lost it's grip on Marik, and his muscles tensed as he closed his eyes with a sad expression.

"I just…"

A single tear welled in his eye, but he was quick to brush it away and resume his cleaning, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. Bakura crept into his mind despite his efforts, but he continued bathing himself, making sure to clean every inch of his body to try in an effort to make himself feel better.

"I just want to be close to him."

After struggling to find comfort in a warm bath, Marik opted to watch some television shows after redressing himself and getting some snacks. School still had a few hours to go until it was over, so Marik decided the best course of action to help himself recover would be to distract himself until Ryou arrived. Most of the channels didn't have much to offer, and hosted shows for housewives and stay at home parents to enjoy. There were the usual cooking channels, daytime dramas and talk shows, but none of them were entertaining enough for Marik to sit through for hours. He got himself comfy for a long session of TV by laying on his side on the sofa, remote in one hand and chips in the other, and began flicking through the channels.

"Boring. Boring. Already watched. Boring. Watched. Watched. Oooh, I haven't seen this episode."

The screen sprung to life with colour as reruns of old cartoons started playing, and Marik tossed the remote away, using his now free hand to shovel potato chips into his mouth. The cartoon wasn't anything new or original before, but the plot was alright enough to warrant watching. Marik gazed at the TV, taking in the fight scene that was occurring. The main characters had managed to collect enough tokens to enter the final battle arena, and the antagonist and protagonist had begun battling with their magical card game. The screen filled with images of dragons, mammoths and lots of posing, which Marik happily enjoyed while munching down his snacks. "Not so fast, if you attack now I'll lose my footing and fall from the castle. Make your choice," the antagonist called out. The protagonist continued preparing for an attack, but his friend jumped in to talk to him. "Don't do it! It's not worth his life!" she cried, convincing the protagonist to reconsider. "Fine, you win this time. I'm never duelling again!" he shouted, walking away and beginning to cry.

"Man, how unrealistic," Marik commented, stuffing another chip into his mouth. "I must've seen this episode before, seems familiar. Maybe the writer was just ripping off another series or something."

A knock came from the front door, and Marik groaned as he peeled himself from the couch and dragged himself to the door. His plan to distract himself had worked too well, and he didn't think as he walked over and twisted the knob, opening the door. The sunlight hit Marik's face with a blinding glare, causing him to realise his mistake. Ishizu and Rishid were still at work, not to mention they had keys to the house. It couldn't possibly be Ryou either, as he had never left school early to visit Marik. Marik's heart pounded in fear as the door swung open slowly, unable to react as the events played out before him. A pair of sharp eyes appeared in front of him, staring deeply into Marik's own, followed by fluffy white hair and a familiar scowl.

"B-Bakura?"