A/N: This was an answer for an prompt from my friend Urpo: The prompt being my preferred YGO-ship and the sentence "This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you've ever had. Of course I'm in." This here is called Thiefshipping (and the story itself is rather slight form in any case). My favorite part of the YGO-fandom is the tons and tons of shipping names. I don't think I've ever written this myself before. But I do like it. A lot.

Anyway, it has spoilers up until the end of Battle City.

Best Laid Plans

Things had not been as easy as Marik had thought. Certainly they had not gone according the plan. Yugi Motou was still in the possession of the Millennium Puzzle.

"Your henchmen are a bunch of morons."

Marik heard a familiar gruff voice behind him. He turned to look at Yami Bakura, who had appeared in the warehouse where Marik's current secret hideout was. Although, he might have to scratch that secret off the name, since Bakura wasn't supposed to be there. Yet there he was, white messy hair and a glare that could make a weaker man's legs shake. It didn't for Marik, since he knew Bakura would not lay a finger on him. They were allies.

"Incompetent, the whole lot," Bakura spat out, marching up to Marik.

"I am aware that they failed their mission. Again," Marik said, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"When I agreed to this alliance, I thought you would have more to offer."

"Ah yes, because you have a lot to offer yourself. One teenage boy, and what else?"

"One teenage boy who happens to be a friend of Yugi's. It's a long-term plan."

Marik let out a dramatic sigh, and flipped himself down to the couch. Bakura was right, and he hated to admit it. It was rather clear that Yugi couldn't be dueled out of the Puzzle, and simply stealing it had not worked either. Something else had to be done.

"I've got it," Marik said.

"Hm?" Bakura hummed.

"Here's what we do…"

"We?"

"We're allies, aren't we? So we're doing this together. You feign an injury and I will use that moment to introduce myself to Yugi and his friends. They'll take me in as a new friend and I'll get closer to the Puzzle."

Bakura stared at Marik for a time, then he started to laugh.

"Hey!" Marik let out a noise of protestation.

"That is, without a doubt the stupidest plan I've ever heard, from you or anyone."

"Well I'd like to see you come up with a plan that doesn't take years to complete," Marik said. Bakura ignored his mutters and wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, said:

"I'm in."

"You are?"

"Of course, I'd love to see you try to explain how you found me beat up in an alleyway or something. Make it good. Oh, let's make it bloody."

Marik rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe that worked," Bakura said, and he did sound amazed. He was laying on a hospital bed, and there was a rare lopsided grin on his face, that made something in Marik's stomach move; a rare moment of pride and happiness, and no, Bakura's approval shouldn't be causing this.

"I told you, didn't I?" Marik said, trying to hide the straining of his voice. Bakura did not seem to notice.

"There's nothing better than well-executed plans," he mused.

"Anyway, I need to go, Yugi and others are waiting for me."

Bakura just nodded and Marik turned to leave.

"Don't screw this up."

"I won't."

Things didn't go according to plan. They never seemed to go. And there was no henchman to blame. Only Marik, and the being, the darkness that lived inside him. They called it Marik, not sure who it was, and it laughed.

Things didn't go according to plan. Marik's plan at least. Stranded as he was, only a spirit, his body taken over by the other Marik. For a brief moment, he thought that this must be how Ryou felt. But that thought was quickly taken over by plain old desperation.

"You should have told me."

Marik shifted, a strange feeling of weightlessness made it hard to turn around, but he did. Bakura was looking at him, shuffling a deck of cards.

"You should have told me there was someone else inside you."

"I didn't… He shouldn't have appeared. It was what they did to Odion. I couldn't…"

Marik trailed off, the desperation once again grasping at his throat. Bakura let out a sigh, turned his eyes on the cards in his hands.

"I'm sorry that the plan didn't work out," Marik said.

"Such an odd thing to worry about in a time like this. Nevermind that. I have a new plan."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to challenge that, that, what's it called? They still call it Marik? That isn't right. Anyway I'm challenging it. To a duel. For your body."

"That's… That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard," Marik said. "You can't."

"Oh but I will."

"You shouldn't…"

Bakura did not answer. He extended his arm towards Marik, offering his hand.

"You coming?"

Marik stared at the hand and Bakura. Bakura, looking completely unmoved by the mere idea that he was going to go face down Marik's biggest demon, for Marik and with no other offered reason. Like this wasn't a huge deal. Like this wasn't stupidly dangerous. Like this…

Marik placed his hand on top of Bakura's. He couldn't hold on to it, although he so desperately wished he could. In this moment in fact there was hardly anything he wished for more.

Bakura's lips twitched up a bit.

"Don't screw this up," Marik said.

"I won't."