My first fanfic! K, so this is completely Kleptoshipping, and I'm trying to keep it as in-character as possible or as believably ooc as possible. I'll try not to make this very similar to the other fanfics that this idea is based off of.

Summary: Yugi Muto is neglected after the return of Yami, and Yami Bakura (Bakura) just happens to be trying to steal the puzzle. This leads to Yugi becoming Bakura's "apprentice".

"…": Yami-Yugi mindlink

/…/: Bakura- Ryou mindlink

Japanese names used

Chapter 1

POV Yugi

At first, I was just being overlooked. Then I was being ignored. I thought, sure, Yami just came back from the afterlife. He needs some time with real, live, people to adjust. Everything will be just fine and dandy in a few weeks. But no, Anzu was the first to completely ditch me. It was clearly obvious that she was very attracted to Yami, but it was merely an infatuation and crush. After Yami came back, she became a leech. Latching on to his arm, clinging to his clothes, and worst of all, attempting to kiss (!!!) him. And Yami never noticed! He merely thought that was the way she acted, since of course, she never acted otherwise with him around. Next to go was Jonouchi. Even though we were the best of friends, and I mean literally, he began to follow Yami around. Just like the mutt Kaiba always claimed him to be. (Ooops, maybe I'm hanging around him too much. He must really be influencing me.) Then Jonouchi began to physically push me aside. The first time, I was so surprised I fell sideways and hit my head against a locker. I mean, the last time he pushed me was 3 years ago! The last time I ever got bullied! My resistance obviously went ka-put. Guess who turned on me next? No? Well it was Tristan. We weren't as close as Jonouchi and I, but still. Who headbutts the person that saved them from the worst beating they'd ever receive? His hairstyle must have been influencing his choice of attack. He charged me like a rhino. A great, big, hulking, clumsy, dumb, rhino. After that little episode, I finally smartened and left my "friends" for better people, aka Ryou, Malik, and Kaiba. Actually, I should say Seto, since I have his permission and am his "friend". Yami didn't even really socialize with me. He was bent on exploring the world, experiencing life, and generally doing it all without his aibou. He was truly the last to go. This makes sense because I did host him for 3 years. If he had left first, I probably would have blown my top much earlier. But back to Yami.

Yami was completely oblivious. Even though I'd come home with bruises, he'd just ask if I was alright, and of course, I'd lie and say I fell down the stairs or something. And the worst thing was that he believed me! Me, the innocent, guileless, no good at lying, guy. The "kid" that couldn't lie to save his or anyone's life. And after his little questioning, he'd just leave with a backwards "I'm going to meet up with so-and-so, see you later." No enthusiasm whatsoever. The most distracted I've ever heard him. I let this go on for months before I finally snapped. My cheery demeanor stayed "cheery" and forced, and nobody but my real friends noticed.

Ryou was the first to sympathize. He was never part of our group because of Bakura. In short, we were both in the same boat. We began to hang out and eventually became friends. It's quite surprising, really, because he's so shy and I'm so hyperactive. We never went anywhere that had a chance of meeting up with the posse, but when we occasionally ran into them, we'd have to suffer awkward silences or insults. They were even cruel to Ryou, the sweetest and most gentle boy that did nothing to them. Kaiba, surprisingly, came next. We just began running into each other, and since my little posse was completely gone, he'd have no option but to either ignore me or glare at me. After the first few encounters with freezing shoulders, the glares came. I was thankful for some sort of acknowledgement, even though Kaiba didn't know my predicament. Perhaps a month later, he finally noticed my lack of posse and questioned me about it. Appearing dissatisfied, annoyed, and uncaring, we parted ways. He really did care, though, since we gradually became acquaintances, and finally "friends". Oh yes, the god-awful F word. Not even Ra would be able to save me if he caught me saying that. Malik somehow appeared, and since he was new, I was alone, mostly, and nobody else was paying attention, we were drawn together. Two pathetic loners who everyone gave up on and abandoned. And so my new circle of friends came to be, until Bakura had to go and ruin my illusion of normality.

I had just arrived back at the Kame Game Shop, and Yami was in his bedroom. Grandpa was still managing the shop, so I just called a quick greeting to him and headed up the stairs. It had been three months since I left the original group. Three entire months since I'd been in Yami's room. Seeing as Yami was in the bathroom, I decided to snoop. Ryou was a little bit of a kleptomaniac (must come from associating with Bakura), and it was rubbing off on me. So I sneakily entered into Yami's room with intentions to make off with something, and who do I find? Bakura! Trying to take off with the puzzle again. When he spotted me, he was so surprised he actually froze for two seconds. Either I had been very sneaky, or he had just been too preoccupied. After recovering from shock, he was all action, trying to rush out the window and escape with the puzzle, all the while expecting me to sound the alarm or attempt to stop him. When I merely stood there, he turned around, halfway out the window, puzzled. "Why aren't you trying to stop me from stealing your oh-so-precious Puzzle?" he asked.

"Pfft," I snorted. "Precious, Puzzle? Where've you been for the past 3 months. Take the Puzzle for all I care. Break it, even! Maybe it'll get rid of Yami." Wow, I sounded bitter. Hn, comes from being ignored, I guess. Suddenly, I found myself on flat out on the ground with Bakura on top.

"Who is this awful Yugi-imposter????" he growled.

"This is Yugi, Tomb Robber. Now get off me. Do you want Yami to come back and see this?"

"Who cares about the stupid Phar…ahh, good point," he concedes and promptly begins dragging me out the window. After we finally clambered out and ran a safe distance away, he turns to me and snaps, "I want answers. NOW."

"Sure, sure, whatever," I reply. He looks a little miffed at my nonchalance.

"Ok, first, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO 'Hey, give me back the Puzzle!' and the fear? Where's my respect, huh? What happened in the past 3 months, and why'd you let me take the Puzzle?"

"Stupid Pharaoh and my 'friends' are no longer my friends. They may merely be considered vague acquaintances, Seto-speak. I have nothing to fear from you, since I'm not in your way. In the past 3 months, I've been ignored and beat up by my friends. And you don't even have the Puzzle," I state, dangling the hunk of gold in front of him.

"Hey! How'd you get that? Give it BACK!!" he exclaimed.

"Simple, really. You were distracted enough during your little rant to not even notice the missing weight from your pants," I point out smugly. "No, I'm not giving it back. King of Thieves can't even steal a stupid, flashy, big, golden Puzzle, huh? Can't even notice when someone is stealing from him. My, my, you're getting cocky, 'Kura."

"Don't you DARE call me that you chibi KID. And it isn't my fault you're always in the way of me getting a hold of that Puzzle!" he snapped. /Host. I forbid you from seeing Yugi./

/Huh? Why?/

/Because I said so. Don't you dare go against me. You'll not like what'll be coming for you./

/…/

/Well?/

/Errr, how long? He is one of my only friends./

/Forever!! Or until I say you can!/ and abruptly cut off the mindlink.

"Bakura," I said, "I'm going home now. Come over if you like! Maybe we can play a game or something *winkwink*," promptly turning around and heading back.

"What! You can't just turn around and leave! Gahh!! What am I going to do now?!" he spluttered. Stupid light of that blasted Pharaoh.

/What was that?/

/Nothing! Now shutup and leave me alone./

POV Bakura

How could he, the mighty Thief King and Tomb Robber, get stolen from by the Pharaoh's pathetic light?? It was unthinkable! That little teen was brimming with innocence. There was absolutely no way he could have learned to sneak around and make use of distractions. Maybe Marik is experimenting with some mind control. I'll go ask Marik was a problem, though. He wasn't at home for obvious reasons, and there was no way of contacting him. Hmm maybe he's at the pier. After all, that's where he was almost successful.

When I finally arrived at the docks, I was awarded with the sight of him, wild, spiky hair soaring over his head and majestic cloak waving in the slight breeze. I silently strolled over to him, intent on scaring him, but he saw my reflection (damn water!) and whirled around right when I was about to jump him. This resulted in my being caught off guard and nearly toppling into the water. Gah, maybe I am becoming senile.

"May I help you, Tomb Robber?" he inquired. His façade did not go unnoticed, however. The crazy psychotic freak was incapable of even sounding genial.

"What did you do to Yugi," I demanded. No point in playing nice, since it would be an invitation to him.

"Why 'Kura, I didn't know you cared so much about Yugi! I would never harm poor little Yug'. It would absolutely devastate you, wouldn't it," he replied. His face was beginning to stretch into its characteristic mask of insanity.

"You know what I'm talking about. He's becoming mischievous and a kleptomaniac! His eyes turn dark purple now, and he always sounds bitter." I make sure not to reveal my sources. One hint at what happened and I'd be the laughingstock for eternity!

"Dear, dear, 'Kura, I already told you. I have done nothing to your precious light. I'd suggest you go and find out on your own."

"….never mind," I mutter darkly. I run back to the game shop in time to see Yami leaving with the posse. Where was Yugi? Walking out of the shadows, I confront the group. Never have I had so much pleasure in watching the fear grow in their eyes and their fidgets that betray their uncomfortableness with my glare.

"What do you want, Thief," Yami demanded. "You'll not get the Puzzle. Yugi's guarding it back in his room."

"Ah-ha! Never mind. I've gotten what I've come for. Later!" I cackle maniacally and walk away. Turning at the cross streets, I quickly dart into an alley when I've left their vision. No need to announce my destination to those bakas.

POV Yami

What the hell? He's acting abnormal, well, weirder than his normal weird. He said he already had what he came for after I spoke. Maybe he managed to pilfer off something of ours while he walked past? I pat down my pockets, making sure my phone and wallet are still there. "Hey guys? Are you missing anything?" A chorus of no's quickly follow the pat downs. Huh. Maybe the Tomb Robber is losing his touch.

"Come on!" Anzu whined, tugging my arm. "You promised we'd go shopping. Don't worry about that idiot. You get the hang out with us, your buddies!" She then proceeded to march off towards the mall with my arm. My arm was nearly ripped out of its socket by the time I noticed what was happening.

"Kiyouch! Anzu, I need my arm back!" I exclaim. She immediately stopped for me to catch up. When I finally got to my arm, she latched onto my arm and gingerly showed me the door. Meanwhile, Honda, Jonouchi, and Otogi headed off to the new Kaiba Corp. store to check out the new holographic tech. Anzu dragged me to every single girly store and forced me to comment on her clothing. I generally wouldn't mind, but the encounter with the Tomb Robber had fazed me a bit. Anzu, oblivious to my inner turmoil, continued shopping for the next 5 hours. We met up with Honda, Jonouchi, and Otogi for lunch then split again. Anzu told them we'd see them tomorrow, and took me to the park. It was really beautiful that afternoon. We hung out for a few hours before heading back to the game shop. Night had already set in when we arrived. I bid Anzu farewell and dodged her goodnight kiss.

After climbing up the stairs, I was relieved to see my room. Before entering, I noticed that Yugi's light was still on. Deciding to talk to him, I knocked on the door. Instead of the expected 'come in', he told me to wait a minute. Okay, now that was odd. Yugi never told me to wait for him to open the door. From outside, I could hear some muffled scraping and scuffling. Hn, I wonder what that was? Yugi finally told me I could come in after 2 min. 48 sec. Upon opening the door, I was greeted with the sight of a flustered face and messy room. The closet door also seemed to be a little skew. Yugi's face was slightly red, and he seemed to have a racing heartbeat. His beautiful amethyst eyes gazed expectantly at me. When I didn't say anything for a minute, he finally became impatient and asked me what I wanted. "Nothing," I said. "I just wanted to wish you a good night."

"Oh," he replied, sounding disappointed.

Not sure if I actually heard disappointment, I ignored it and went over to hug him. "Goodnight, aibou." I proceeded to plant a kiss on his forehead and leave. Never had I ever been so exhausted. After getting ready for bed, I flopped onto my comfy mattress and fell asleep.

POV Yugi

Whew, that was close. Knocking on the closet door to let Bakura know it was safe to come out, I went back and sat on my bed. Bakura cautiously climbed out of the closet. "I'm so glad you came over!" I whisper excitedly. "What do you want to do?"

"Why don't we go on the roof?" he suggests.

Wow, an actual suggestion? Something must be wrong. "Sure," I comply. We quietly opened the skylight and climbed onto the roof. The night was cloudy, and the moon veiled, so the environment had a curious gray shade. After situating ourselves into comfortable positions, I turn to look at Bakura. "So what do you want to do?" I ask.

"I see what you mean," he cryptically replied.

"Huh?" I was so confused. What did I mean?

"About the Pharaoh, baka."

"Oh," was my response. There really was no response adequate for that kind of statement. It spoke volumes to know that someone could truly understand my situation. Sure, Ryou and Malik could sympathize, but none could truly empathize.

"I also wanted to give you this card…"he started. Where'd it go? He just had it on him.

"Oh, you mean this one?" I ask, waving around a Joker.

"What? How? When?" he spluttered.

"Umm just now. You had it in your back pocket, and when you turned to look for it, I just picked it up," I sheepishly explained.

"What the hell," he growled. This was not going as planned. "Dang, you are one very talented pickpocket, Yugi," he complimented as sincerely as he could. This could still turn in his favor.

"Really? Wow, coming from the King of Thieves, that really means a lot!" I exclaimed. I'd really only been practicing for a few days. Ryou was such a great teacher. Hands-on experience for the win.

"How would you like to train under me? You can be my official apprentice." Oh, how he love manipulating people. There was so much satisfaction in seeing Yugi's eyes light up like fireworks. The hug was very unexpected though. It nearly sent both of them rolling off the roof.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, 'Kura!! You have no idea how much this means to me!" The excitement was threatening to explode from me. After sitting on the roof for a few more minutes, Bakura suddenly interrupted the silence.

Gruffly, he said, "I'd better head home and get more sleep. Be ready at 5 AM sharp. We can get 2 hours of training in before school, then test out your skills during your time at that Ra-forsaken building." He nimbly jumped off the room and ran off.

I stared at him until he disappeared before entering my room. Getting ready for bed in record time, I sunk into bed to get the most sleep possible.

TBC

Was this OK? Please R&R about the general story, plot, and writing! I'm open to constructive criticism. Ideas would be nice if you want me to incorporate something!