A/U: I've been working on this for the past couple weeks and I decided to post the first chapter as a mini-present to me as I mourn the fact that I have to go back to school tomorrow...hope people enjoy this new story! It's a Thiefshipping (Yami Bakura x Hikari Malik)/Deathshipping (Yami Marik[u] x Hikari Ryou) high school AU. If Bakura and Mariku seem OOC please let me know and give me suggestions as to how to write them better but it's hard to write them into a high school AU (alternate universe AKA non-canon) and make them as 'evil' as they normally are. I mean come on; they're high school kids for crying out loud! I wrote Bakura more on the sarcastic side and Mariku on the 'crazy' end.

Warning(s): Foul language ahead. Also, I sincerely hope no one is offended by any views expressed in this story. Some of them may be mine but since I try to stay as IC as possible, it might just be me writing what I personally think the character would have to say on the issue. After all, we all know some of our favourite Yu-Gi-Oh villains lack manners. Marik: My name is Marik Ishtar. Bakura: I don't care. Point in case? I thought so.

Disclaimer: Not Mine!

"Mariku, he doesn't like you give it up," Bakura snapped bluntly as Mariku began his usual routine of 'staring out the window' while carefully arranging his already ridiculously spiked blond hair. He shot his friend a dirty look, shaking he head firmly.

"I know he doesn't like me now but that doesn't mean he won't like me eventually," He replied enthusiastically and Bakura collapsed forward on his desk, chin resting on his arms as he considered taking a nap to escape another sweltering hot day in this stupid 'place of learning'.

Please, high school didn't teach you anything except how to skip detention and make out without getting caught by the hall monitors. Mariku rotated his cheek against his hand so he could stare in a no doubt longing way at the single window in the entire prison box they called a class room.

His desk was one to the left of Bakura's and then between Mariku and the window was two more desks. The first housed a mousy haired girl who quickly learned the first week of the new semester to sit as low to her desk as possible and stay out of Mariku's way at all costs.

That said, it was only because on her left sitting right beside the window was the twin of the boy criticizing his friend right now. Ryou looked similar to Bakura with his shaggy white hair though the unruly locks were combed as neatly as possible and his eyes didn't contain the crimson tint that made his harsh twin appear truly demonic.

Their skin was the same lily white having grown up in England and they both held the same slightly British accent but from there on out it was all opposites.

"He's so sweet and innocent and...pretty!" Mariku cooed in his smitten lovesick voice as though reading his friend's thoughts and highlighting all the differences between him and his twin. Bakura scoffed, picking himself up off his desk to run both hands through his knotted hair irritably.

"And smart enough to stay away from you," He replied dryly as Mariku let out another pathetic sigh, turning his deep purple eyes to his desk, tracing a bored pattern into the wood with one finger.

"I know I was a prick before but...he'll forgive me one day..." He said quietly and he was serious enough that most people would try and show him some sympathy. Bakura just scoffed, rolling those crimson brown eyes with disgust as he tilted back on his chair. He'd heard this monologue far too many times to take it seriously anymore.

"Oh my God you're even more pathetic today then you were yesterday," He said in his own comforting way that received a glare from his friend.

"Ass," He grumbled but let it go with one last glance at Ryou. It wasn't that it bothered Bakura that his best friend was in love with his twin or that both of them were males or even that Mariku was completely pathetic while Ryou rarely acknowledged his existence outside of polite encounters.

In fact, Mariku was possibly the only person in the school who could drool over Ryou without getting a black eye. The simple truth was that Mariku was Bakura's partner in crime, always had been since the start of ninth grade and three years later sitting in second semester English Bakura was sick of Mariku's failed approaches.

The girl seated between Mariku and Ryou, the latter who hadn't even noticed the daydreaming gaze on him, turned to give Bakura a meekly appreciative smile. He smirked and accepted it silently but didn't bother doing anything more to catch her attention.

Why bother leading her on? Unlike Mariku who was firmly gay with little respect for the female population and even more gay over Ryou, Bakura didn't care about his own sexuality nor felt the need to figure out what it was.

Everyone around him was a can of soup, wearing labels like designer clothes. Gay, straight, bi, lesbian, transvestite, drag queen...these were the words used to separate who was in and who was out depending on what social circle you were in.

Considering that Bakura was his own social circle he'd never felt the need to become 'soup' like everyone else. Mariku was his partner in crime and if asked, admittedly his best friend. Ryou was his twin brother but despite his coldly protective attitude towards him, Bakura considered him more of a friend then a sibling.

In sports when he joined a team, he worked with the team but he didn't become a part of it. Unlike Mariku who could possibly be classified as a jock or a 'queer' Bakura was just Touzoku Bakura to most people.

He'd lusted for both girls and boys but never felt a strong attachment to either which some people would say made him bi but Bakura didn't care enough to correct that. If you out and out asked him he'd explain that he wasn't 'bi' he simply had never been attracted romantically to anyone. Ever.

That was about to change.

A knock sounded formally on the classroom door and then slid open, revealing what appeared in one side glance to be a very masculine girl or a very effeminate boy. One of the school's guidance councillors, Mashido-san, had his hand hooked around the person's shoulder as though holding them in place while they swept their eyes across the classroom coldly.

Bakura rocked forward on his chair, bringing it back to all fours as he observed the person carefully. They looked extremely familiar for some reason...Mashido-san was pushing the person forwards now, trying to subtly edge him into the room but the masculine girl/effeminate boy merely shrugged him off and walked alone to the front and centre, still observing the now silent classroom with sharp narrowed eyes.

Now with a frontal view of the person's face Bakura could immediately tell it was a boy. A very different looking boy to be sure with his slender frame, tanned skin and white-blond hair falling in neat layers to his shoulders, bangs nearly tangling with his eyelashes, but a boy nonetheless.

He was broad shouldered though with a straight set mouth and dark kohl marks curving across his cheekbones under his eyes. It only took one glance at those lavender eyes for Bakura to recognize him.

They had met before, albeit briefly, and on closer inspection now Bakura recognized him from a couple other occasions as well. After all, how many tan skinned, blond boys with traditional Egyptian markings and jewellery attended Domino High?

Only two, and with a sharp glance to his left he was right on time to catch Mariku rolling his eyes with exasperation. He recalled vaguely that despite being a foster kid Mariku lived with his younger brother and really, how could this kid not be related to Mariku and look like that?

As in utterly exotic and, yes, extremely gorgeous. At least three girls were at this very moment checking him out and measuring themselves up to be his next make out behind the portable after school. Oh if they only knew how unlikely that was...

Bakura sneered as the kid at the front of the room who flashed his dazzling lavender eyes in every direction before shooting a confident smirk in Mariku's direction, then turning even more smugly back towards Mashido-san.

"Permission to announce myself, sir?" He asked and there was a definite curl of contempt to his words. Huh, Bakura was definitely going to have to get to know this kid. He had sparked his curiosity, something that was hard to do, but then again they had met before. Mashido-san was not oblivious to the contempt and scowled, folding his arms.

"Why don't you ask your new teacher?" He asked gruffly and the kid's smirk only grew more pronounced, a look crossing his face that had Mashido-san's expression falling. That was the look of someone who was going in for the kill.

"I would but I don't think she was expecting me sir, nor have you informed me of her name," He drawled lazily and Bakura felt a twinge of respect for his cheekiness. It reminded him, unsurprisingly, of Mariku when he wasn't being pathetic over Ryou.

There was something darker to his theatrics though. Bakura considered momentarily that perhaps he was more like himself then like Mariku but discarded the thought after brief pondering. He'd yet to meet anyone quite like himself after all.

He smirked inwardly, wondering if that was why he'd never felt attracted to anyone. It was hard for others to live up to the expectations he set for himself after all. Seeing the two males at the front of the room revving up for a verbal fight Bakura got legitimately interested.

Obviously Mashido-san was not a fan of the kid's nor was the kid of Mashido-san. Evidently he wasn't the only one sensing a power struggle about to take place because Sato-sensei, their regular teacher, stood up from her desk, straightening her skirt nervously.

"I have an idea, why don't we settle this like grownups Mashido-san and have you introduce our new student to me and then he can introduce himself to his classmates," She suggested in a slightly cutting voice and the kid rolled his eyes subtly. Mariku groaned aloud, shaking his head until his wildly spiked blond hair waved with the motion as the kid opened his mouth to speak again.

"Care to wreck some havoc?" Bakura suggested calmly, putting his feet up on the desk in front of him, grinning slightly as Mariku hesitated then nodded enthusiastically.

"I don't know his name so it's up to you, but I can start the introduction," The white haired mischief maker continued and Mariku adopted a similar grin, catching his drift. Clearing his throat slightly, Bakura ran a hand through his hair unconsciously, wild horns of hair springing back up immediately.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, residents of this classroom who are currently as bored as I am with today's class," He announced loudly in his most nonchalant voice, immediately gaining stares from everyone, including the three people at the front of the room.

"Touzoku-san please do not do this today," Sato-sensei begged with exasperation from the front of the room but it only fuelled Bakura's dramatic need to spice of the 'lesson'.

"As you can all see we evidently have a new student. Since nobody else seems capable of introducing our new friend," A lovely sneer to accompany the word friend, "I will take on the honours myself. I'm sure you've all noticed that he has blond hair and tan skin which either makes 'him' a girl or related to the only moderately masculine person in the room who also has blond hair and tan skin. Ishtar?"

"Why thank you for the lovely introduction Touzoku-san," Mariku replied dryly. "What Touzoku-san began to explain is correct. This smartass brat is my younger brother, currently a tenth grade student at Domino High and the only person I know who is capable of bitching until the school will let him take some of his classes early. I assume his excessive whining is why our wonderful Mashido-san is arguing with him like a five year old. Either way, welcome Ishtar Malik to the class," He said in a dramatically exasperated voice though a playful spark flickered in his deep violet eyes which stared straight at his younger brother who was smirking victoriously.

"Thank you for the introduction Mariku. Is there somewhere I can sit as I do plan to join his class?" The newly named kid, Ishtar Malik, addressed Sato-sensei politely with a small humble bow. She blinked, looking uncertain as he swung from argumentative to practically submissive.

Bakura narrowed his eyes, not buying the act at all. Mariku stifled a snicker and Bakura looked up, glancing around to find the source of the joke. Funny, come to think of it there were no open seats except...

Except for the one behind Mariku himself.

Oh the irony.

"Of course Ishtar-san, I will seat you..." She trailed off, visually paling slightly as she saw the two smirking devils in the back and she quickly put two and two together. After all, you couldn't have two troublemakers in one class for more than two weeks and be oblivious to their tricks.

"I suppose you'll have to sit behind your brother," She murmured with an irritated look on her face though there was really nothing she or anyone else could do about it. Malik nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking over to the desk behind Mariku's cheerfully.

After ushering a very irritable Mashido-san out the door, she had only five minutes left for class and seeing that she had clearly lost most everyone's attention she allowed them to talk amongst themselves, returning to her desk so that she could swallow what looked to be several ibuprofens before collapsing in her chair.

Smirking broadly Bakura dropped his feet from the desk and stood up, making his way over to Ryou's desk. Seeing the direction his troublemaking partner was headed, Mariku was immediately out of his seat, tagging along behind him enthusiastically and completely ignoring his younger brother who was being eyeballed curiously or distastefully by a good portion of the class.

"Pathetic," Bakura mumbled as he reached Ryou though whether he was referring to the fact that his brother was still faithfully finishing the work assigned during class, the people staring at the new Ishtar or Mariku who was fidgeting shyly as he stared at the Touzoku who actually had a work ethic, it was unclear.

Likely he meant all three.

Turning, his piercing gaze sliced through the air, stopping abruptly two desks over and one back to where the new kid was sitting looking strangely innocent and demure. Yah right, Bakura didn't buy that for two seconds.

"Kid," He barked sharply and as though sensing his gaze, the boy looked up, shaking pale blond hair out of his wide lavender eyes. His questioning look said 'why are you talking to me?' At least it was better than not acknowledging he'd been called at all. Bakura strongly disliked oblivious people.

"Come here," He ordered, beckoning him over impatiently and the kid stood up gracefully, walking over on light footsteps, a mix of curiosity and contempt in his gaze.

"I'm not a kid. What do you want?" He asked bluntly and Bakura smiled not-so-nicely, showing sharp canines.

"You're a kid compared to me and since there's two Ishtar's I'm not calling you by your last name."

"Afraid to call me by my first name?" The kid questioned airily with a small glare that made Bakura chuckle dryly.

"Why would I be afraid of you?"

"He might bitch at you until you go insane," Mariku joked, referring to their introduction of him and Malik rolled his eyes. Bakura followed the pattern obsessively. This kid sure was strange to say the least; it was hard understand where he was going with his seemingly random mood swings.

"I'm not scared of bitches," Bakura taunted out loud, trying to draw a reaction.

"Make up your mind, first I'm a smartass brat, then I'm a kid, now I'm a bitch. I'm not going to respond to any of them in the future fluffy, so you better get used to calling me by name," He said stubbornly and Bakura's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"If you ever call me" –Their 'discussion' was interrupted by a small light hearted laugh. Mariku looked like he was about to faint which meant it could only have been one person...standing up from his desk which the other three males were crowded around, Ryou extended a hand to Malik politely, a small smile on his soft face that glowed every sugary emotion you could name.

"Anyone who isn't afraid to call my brother fluffy seems worth getting to know to me. I'm Touzoku Ryou and from their earlier introduction I'm pretty sure you're Ishtar Malik," Ryou said kindly, encouraging the very suspicious teen who slowly nodded, then slid his hand into Ryou's shaking quickly once before retreating again. Mariku looked heartbroken over the gesture.

"Why doesn't he smile at me like that?" He whined and Bakura snorted slightly.

"I'm sure your brother smiles at you all the time," He replied and Mariku glared.

"You know I was talking about" –

"Touzoku...aren't you supposedly in love with one of the Touzoku twins?" Malik asked curiously, eyes shifting between Bakura and Ryou.

"None of your damn business," Mariku growled, eyes flashing.

"Is it you, fluffy?" Malik demanded, rounding on Bakura who bared his canines again in a vicious smile.

"If it was I'd be breaking up with him so that I could kick your ass guilt free," He responded nastily and Malik just rolled his eyes.

"Good, I knew my brother had better taste then that," The kid responded, "Although despite being a complete fruit I didn't think my brother's taste would lie towards such a, ah...pretty...person." Malik's lavender eyes swept over Ryou uncertainly who acted completely oblivious towards the scrutiny.

Bakura snorted, not liking the way Malik's eyes raked over his brother's physique even if it was just to try and figure out what Mariku saw in him.

"Just say it, he looks like a girl, and since he's already gay you'd think he'd be into someone more masculine," He said bluntly and Malik's lips quirked up into a smirk.

"He doesn't look like a girl," Mariku snapped fiercely, glancing between Malik and Ryou quickly. Bakura wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't like the way his brother was 'checking out' Ryou either. It had always been a bit of an unspoken rule between the two that they never let anyone hurt Bakura's far more innocent defenceless twin.

He was a danger magnet as it was although normal people tended to go out of their way to be nice to him like Malik's use of the word 'pretty' instead of 'feminine' or 'girly'.

"Ryou is just as much a man as you are Baku-chan," The older, larger and overall stranger of the two Egyptians insisted.

"Baku-chan? I'm not sure about the 'chan' ending but I think baka would suit him better as a nickname," Malik added to the taunting and Bakura blinked, narrowing mahogany eyes at the two. He was starting to think this kid rivalled his brother in strangeness.

Was it fear of his brother that had him taking his side in the argument? Dislike of Bakura? Or something else entirely...what made this kid tick? Bakura wasn't used to being so interested in someone but it didn't really bother him.

Interesting people were just that: interesting. Simple people were no fun to figure out but this kid with his mood swings and unexplained jumps from one side of the argument to the other was extremely interesting.

"Insolent brat, I should kick your ass just to show you your place...but then who would help me with my computer problems?" He asked innocently and noticed with the glee that Malik immediately looked uncomfortable. Hah, he had remembered!

"You two have met before?" Ryou questioned politely, looking curious. That was the 'interesting' thing about Ryou though he was a fairly simplistic if still different person. Despite his sweet, giving disposition his curiosity set him apart.

Unlike Bakura who was only curious about people who proved themselves to be very interesting, Ryou acted like he wanted to know everything about everyone all the time no matter who they were or how they met.

"Not real" –Malik began quickly now thoroughly taken aback by the subject turn but Bakura's smirk shut him down as he said, "Just briefly, I never even caught his name, but yah we met before. Think I should share, Mariku?"

Mariku caught the teasing tone of his devious white haired partner's words and grinned cruelly, nodding enthusiastically, Ryou insults forgotten.

"Oh poor kid looks embarrassed. Well he needs some sort of initiation, do share," Mariku egged him on, throwing an arm around his younger brother's shoulder who shrugged him away with disgust.

"I'm not embarrassed; I don't give a da" –

"Ah, ah! You're too young for such language," Bakura chided patronizingly getting the appropriately frustrated response.

"I'm only a couple months younger than all three of you! I can say whatever the fuck I want," The younger Ishtar snarled childishly, dark kohl marks wrinkling with the folds of golden skin around those gorgeously intense eyes.

Wow, was that lust Bakura felt? Damn right it was. Ryou had looked like he was going to cut in and beg Malik out of the situation but his fighting response had him muffling a laugh carefully.

"How about you Ryou, do you think I should tell the story?" Bakura asked mischievously rounding on his much nicer twin who widened his chocolate brown eyes, pink lips parting a little like a surprised little kid –or a girl.

"I...um...no comment?" He offered with a cheesy hopeful grin as he glanced worriedly from an irritable Malik to his eager twin. Bakura didn't miss the way his eyes had barely strayed in Mariku's direction before pulling them away.

Ouch, poor Mariku, even Ryou's mere body language rejected him on a daily basis. Such a hopeless romance just waiting to happen...but that wasn't Bakura's focus right now. He could care less about that for the most part, if Ryou ever gave into Mariku it would be one less pain in the ass.

It wasn't something he was in a position to deal with anyways. But this brat who needed a lesson in controlling his tongue...

"Close enough to a yes," He said dryly with a small eye roll.

"So? Tell us already," Mariku said impatiently, mood not improved by Ryou's avoidance of him.

"Alright, keep your pants on, fruit," Bakura responded with a cruel twist of his brother's earlier words.

"Oh but Bakura you know I" –Mariku's usual snappily teasing response of how much he wanted to get out of his pants and into Bakura's was brought to a jagged uncertain halt as he glanced at Ryou who was not one for sex jokes.

He mumbled something under his breath, glaring at Bakura who smirked victoriously. He loved taking advantage of Mariku's 'disease' as he so fondly called it. Glancing at Malik who folded his arms and sighed harshly, obviously ticked, Bakura decided to tell the story.

Actually he'd decided to get it out there from the moment he recognized Ishtar Malik but they didn't need to know that...

A/N: Next chapter the story of Bakura and Malik's previous meeting will be revealed! So if anyone is actually reading this, what'd you think? Hope you liked it! Try not to die all you kiddies (including me) who are going back to school!