CHAPTER 1.

Bakura rarely went out without Mariku. Unless he really wanted to be alone.
Of course, Mariku had gone to find him, cursing at a certain boy as he was leaving the Bakuras' house behind.
"What happened with him and Yugi?" Malik asked the white-haired light.
"I really don't know... Yugi told him something that hurt him, though..."

Violet eyes widened in surprise.
"YUGI told KURA something that hurt him...?"

Ryou nodded sadly. "They had a fight. I don't know how it started... Yugi was yelling and Kura was...well... hissing! It sounded serious... Then, Yugi just left and Kura locked himself in his room.
He didn't come out all night. I tried to talk to him, but he kept sending me away.
He finally came out this morning. He didn't speak to me all day... and ended up fighting with Mariku because he was trying to make him talk...
He didn't eat anything all day, either..."

Ryou was worried. He knew his yami would get terribly drunk and get involved in a fight with the most dangerous people available.
"So, you went out with Mariku and when you came back... he was gone?"
Malik was worried as well. Even though Bakura never spoke of them, he knew the thief's feelings for Yugi were strong.
He was never the "touchy-feely" kind with Yugi in front of others, but there was something in the way they looked at each other... in the way they touched.
Some people thought it was impossible for Bakura to love.
Was it, really?

Ryou nodded. "He left the Ring behind, too..." He sighed. "You know, I thought about calling Yugi..."
"Don't- this is between them. They will work it out."
Malik lied on the couch and smiled at the worried albino. "Let's face it- they can't live without each other!"
Ryou smiled sadly. "Believe me, I know! Sorry if we upset you, by the way..."
Mariku wouldn't leave his best friend alone out there in the state he was in, but the thought of leaving behind a worried Fluffy (as he loved calling Ryou) by himself was awful. So he called Malik to come keep him some company, until Mariku would bring Bakura home.
"Don't worry... I'm gonna have some explaining to do to my sister, tomorrow, but that's okay."

It was 4 am when Mariku finally came back, carrying a white-haired young man covered in blood.
Malik and Ryou helped him carry the half-unconscious yami to his bed.

"What happened?" Ryou asked.
"Finding him was easy. When I saw people running away, screaming at each other "RUN!", I knew he was close." Mariku answered.
"Is he hurt?" Malik said, as he was trying to hold the uncooperative thief down to see if he was injured.
"A bit. Some motherfucker attacked him with a broken bottle. He has some really deep cuts, but nothing we can't handle."

Bakura muttered something really rude in response. His clothes were torn and he couldn't move his left leg without cringing in pain.
"If anyone touches me, I will-" Bakura hissed, handing out death-glares to all three of them.
"Sure thing, love..." Malik interrupted him, sounding too much like Kujaku Mai.
"So... you two hold him down, I patch him up?" Ryou sighed.
"You said it, Fluffy..."