Leo: Okay! Starts out a Darkshipping, and becomes a Clashshipping! That's right! I'm doing something OTHER than a Bakura pairing! But don't you worry! Bakura plays a nice BIG role in this XD

Gentle Persuasion

Part One!

Yami groaned as he heard Bakura and Marik approaching. He was never happy to see them. They usually meant trouble. And 9 times out of 10 he wasn't proved wrong. He leaned against the counter as he heard the chime of the game shop as Marik nearly threw the door off the hinges.

"Hey there Pharaoh Jack of all asses!" Marik greeted.

"Yes, nice, and what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected appearance today?" The pharaoh replied dryly as he felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"Oh relax pharaoh, I'm not here to kill you today!"

"Yes, yes 'TODAY', I suppose I should worry about tomorrow then?"

"OH can it, be happy that I'm being decent!"

"Speaking of which why ARE you being decent? It's so unnatural for such a creep like you and I think you're beginning to scare me like that, are you wanting me to send you to the shadow realm? Have you begun to miss it? I can see why you would, I mean you've been there enough times..."

"YOU'D BETTER WATCH IT YOU POMPOUS MIGIT A-" He ranted, but was cut off mid-way by Bakura who decked him in the side of the head with a fist.

"Knock it off! We're here for a REASON you idiot!" Bakura sighed as he folded his arms.

"What the FUCK do you think you're doing Thief? You think you can hit me like THAT?"

"Yes I do, now shut the hell up and get over it!"

"Why the hell shou-"

"AHEM!" Yami cleared his throat in an impatient manner. Marik growled and folded his arms, looking away angrily.

"Hey pharaoh," Bakura started keeping his eyes away from Yami's. "Look, I'm not going to sugar coat it because that kinda shit is what Hikaris do, so, would you go out with me this evening?"

Yami blinked. He shook his head and looked at the thief as if he's grown a second head. Unable to understand exactly what Bakura had said, because shock had wiped his mind clean, he muttered, "What...What did you say?"

"You fucking heard me! Damn it! Now go out with me tonight!"

"Um..." Yami was unsure of how to answer that. Or if he should even...After all it could be a trick. He never put anything past those two.

He really wanted to though...He wanted to say yes. He'd been asked by several others, but that's not what he wanted. He wanted someone more like him. And despite the beliefs of others, he and Bakura weren't as different as they thought. Yami wasn't the innocent angel everyone liked to think he was. He'd done his share of destroying souls and killing people too.

"Just say yes..." Marik rolled his eyes, after Bakura elbowed him, giving Yami a look that Bakura couldn't see.

"Um...okay..."

"Good, glad you've decided! I'll be by around 8-ish? That sound good? Good! Be ready by then! Ciao!" Bakura smirked, winking at the pharaoh as he walked out dragging the other fitful yami with him.

"OH my Ra...why did I do that?" Yami said out loud, not realizing that his power of internal dialogue had left him.

"Done what yami? You didn't make another mistake at the register did you?" Yugi asked carrying in a case of brand new packs of cards. Grandpa had decided to put the boys to work and in return they always got dibs on any new cards that came in. So it wasn't so bad, though Yami had quite a hard time getting used to the register...

"No...Not yet anyways...But I did do something else that was quite stupid..."

"What's that?" Yugi placed the box on the floor in front of the glass case. He sat down and opened the sliding door and began to place the items out on display.

"Bakura and Marik came in..."

"OH?"

"Yeah...Bakura asked me out..."

"...and you...accepted didn't you?"

"Yes..."

"I'm actually shocked...yami...?"

"Oh...shit..."

"What?" Yugi looked up blinking large amethyst eyes.

"We're out of register paper again..." Yami groaned, though grateful for the change in subject.

"Okay there's new rolls under that counter. I showed you how to replace it right?"

"Yeah, you take this thing out here, and-" He fumbled with the register itself.

"Don't forget to do a Z reading!"

"A what?"

"Never mind yami, I'll get it...You might want to go call Jou and tell him you've changed your plans tonight..." He said not wanting his yami to screw up the machine he and his grandpa absolutely needed.

"Oh, yeah he was doing that thing tonight wasn't he? Well you'll be there so I'm sure he won't miss my presence much. But I'll go call him."

"You should probably go ahead and take the rest of today off...Dealing with Bakura's going to take energy you know." Yugi suggested smiling like he always does.

"Are you sure hikari? I mean if you need my help..."

"No I got it I promise! So go!" Yugi stood up and pushed Yami out of the room. Yami blinked, shook his head then headed for the phone.

xxx

Bakura and Marik finally made it back to the Bakura house. Marik turned to Bakura and gave him a questioning look.

"What the hell was that!" He finally spoke.

"What?" Bakura rolled his eyes, growling deep in his throat.

"What you ask! You asked the fucking pharaoh on a date! YOU said we were going to torment him! So what do you do you ask him on a flipping date! I'd smack you right now if I wasn't lazy! Why the hell'd you bring me for THAT!"

"At least you're honest...And if he said no I was going to stick my tongue down your throat and laugh at him..."

"You're pathetic you know that?"

"Shut up you idiot, or I'll lock you out of your house." Bakura said opening the door and walking in, clearly aware that Marik was walking in behind him growling slightly. "And don't you get an attitude with me...I could easily do it."

"Yeah but that won't stop me from breaking your fucking front door down."

"Oh please, you know how much crap that is. Let's remember that I am the BADASS here? Okay?"

"Tch, what ever."

xxx

Yami blinked looking in the mirror. It wasn't exactly uncommon to see him clad in leather. That was the majority of what he owned after all. Part of him was still baffled at what made him say yes. After all the two were supposed to be mortal enemies and all.

'God, why am I making such a big deal out of this? This is all probably some big joke...Oh well, I'll be ready to banish him if it is. I'll think of a good reason to grace the shadow realm with his presence if need be.' He smirked, turning to look at himself one last time, knowing damn well he was looking good.

"Go knock him dead, yami."

Yami nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to see his hikari standing in the door way watching him pose at himself in front of the mirror. He couldn't help but blush as he realized that he must have looked pretty damn stupid from Yugi's point of view. He coughed and tried to make it like he wasn't embarrassed, but it was a bad attempt as Yugi could see right through it.

"He's already dead hikari." Yami replied with a slight hue of red gracing his face.

"You know what I meant. I really do hope you have fun. You don't do this sort of thing often. And if he's just messing with you make the best of it. At least it's something other than duel monsters."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"You have no outside life Yami, you could do anything you wanted. By god you have enough fame from winning many tournament. You could go any where you wanted, most likely free of charge, or really cheap. You should really make the best of it. Be sure to tell me how it went when you come back. I'm going to go close down the shop now." Yugi smiled walking out of the room.

"Alright..."

"Oh and yami," He returned. "If you see Anzu, duck, run, tell her I'm dead if she sees me."

"Eh?" Yami blinked shocked by Yugi's intent on avoiding her at all costs.

"I don't want to talk to her, she's clinging on to me as if I like her and it's driving me crazy. Or, or you could tell Bakura that Anzu is trying to get between Ryou and me! Ryou's his hikari, he'd go nuts! He'd fly into super protective yami mode and eliminate our problem!"

"Yugi, you really ought to just tell her you hate her and get it over with..." Yami shook his head chuckling at Yugi's inability to fully communicate with the brain dead dip stick.

"I guess I could...Either way, have fun!" He smiled and skipped away.

'Hmm, who knew Yugi had the heart to hate someone...I guess stranger things could happen.' He said buckling the last belt and grabbing his jacket to head down stairs as 8 o'clock quickly approached.

xxx

"Bakura I still think this is pretty pathetic! I mean if you want to get a piece of ass you could find it from someone better." He spoke idly, promptly receiving a shoe to the side of the head upon the completion of his statement. "OW GOD DAMN IT!"

"Shut up, that's MY decision to make. Don't even tell me you're jealous! Didn't you get enough ass from me already? For the love of Isis, we've done it in every place in BOTH houses, isn't that enough for you?"

"What if it isn't? What if I want more than the occasional fuck?"

"We've already been through this, Marik," Bakura said applying a touch of eyeliner looking in the mirror, as was his daily habit of life since he'd gotten so used to it in Egypt. At least modern eyeliner was easier to apply than Kohl was. "A relationship more than friends between us wouldn't work, you and I both know it."

"You say that but we've never tried it so how would you know?" Marik scowled sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"Because we can't even get along as friends. There's more to a relationship than sex, though I do agree it to be the best part." He smirked at himself in the mirror.

"I know that! And if we tried-"

"Marik, just quit. I'm not worth all this fuss. Besides I don't want to HAVE to try." He picked up a brush and ran it through his unruly hair just enough to make it look presentable.

Marik scowled glancing over Bakura. He was like the unreachable pot of gold, waiting for a master thief to come steal it away. But when it's protector is an even better thief than you could ever search out, how do you go about winning that battle? To Marik, Bakura was within reach, but the part he wanted the most wasn't even close enough to spot: His heart.

"Marik stop mulling over it." Bakura sighed placing the brush back into its respective drawer. He knew Marik had some affixation with him. And he also knew that he had no intention of pursuing it further. He'd have to smother Marik's fire for him. Other wise the relationship he really wanted would never happen.

xxx

Yami waited outside the game shop door. There was no way he was walking alone. Besides Bakura said he'd come by. Why not let the thief actually come get his date. If he was going to be tricked by him, as yami truly thought was going to happen, than he might as well make Bakura go through real effort.

It wasn't long before he saw a black clad figure with glowing white hair. He nearly lost his breath as Bakura came into full view. He had a dark red body fitting shirt that came high up the neck but had no sleeves, a nice snug yet fitting pair of leather slacks, and a pair of boots that truly made him look like bad ass material.

"So Pharaoh, you gonna quit gawking at me and say something?" The thief snipped with sarcastic humor laced into his words.

"Eventually." Yami replied with an equal tone.

"Let's go then! You know I'm impatient!"

Their outing went exceptionally well from Yami's point of view; he actually enjoyed his time with Bakura, and learned that Bakura was an amazing dancer as well. Well...until he got up on the bar of the dance club...that was, well it WAS hot, but it almost got the two of them kicked out. However, Yami was not about to wish that scene away, and he was willing to let it replay in his mind for a while.

Bakura was surprisingly civil toward him and he was curious to this development. As far as he knew the two were never deemed friends, let alone anything more, yet Bakura seemed to have other things in mind. He didn't care really. Lust or not, he was more than willing. This was Bakura after all. And he was sure Bakura would leave him with something to remember. If nothing else.

Oh and that thief certainly did. And he was surprised when Bakura asked not but a few days later for a repeat performance. This time however...Marik and Malik were with them. Not really 'together' but as tagalongs.

"So where we going?" Malik chirped from the back receiving an irritable glare from Marik. Malik had been acting odd, and he didn't like the change. Especially when he wasn't the only one acting 'odd'. Well, Bakura was always odd, but this was a different case.

"Somewhere..." Bakura glanced back at Malik. "I have an idea!"

Marik and Yami spent an unusual amount of time together as they watched the two flit about, at random moments showing them something and chit chatting, much resembling two women shopping while tagging their husbands along against their will. But neither could really lie and say they hadn't enjoyed themselves. Because they really did...Yami learned that Marik wasn't as much of a freak, well okay he was, but not the sort of freak he's originally deemed him. Yeah that kind that rips out a person's heart and eats it raw. He swore to never tell Marik he thought that, just in case it was true.

Bein forced to be civil was hard for Marik at first and Yami could definately see that. But he seemed to soften up a bit more. And that was actually nice.

Yami thought over these things in his mind. So much had happened in the span of a week. And it almost seemed that Bakura was becoming a little imperious. And darn it all if he wasn't right. And he had to do something before Bakura drove him mad with his constant demand for his attention. After all, there are only so many times a person can call in a day before it gets to be irksome.

And so, as a last resort, he pulled his jacket off the rack and made his way toward the Ishtar house.