Note: This chappie contains bad language. I know I never use this as a warning, but it's warranted.

//………..//-Bakura's thoughts to Ryou through Mindlink

[………..]-Marik's thoughts to Malik through mindlink

J-Happy face!

First Encounters

Ryou woke up and stretched, wincing at the pain shooting through his back. The alarm beeped incessantly, giving him a pounding migraine.

He stood up, wincing again at the pain around his hips and inside his lower body.

"I hope a shower takes care of this. It wouldn't look too right if I go to my first day of high school with a limp."

Ryou staggered into the bathroom and removed his boxers. The warm water sprayed on his abused skin, making tears run down his eyes.

//Aww….my little hikari can't take a teensy-weensy little rape? Poor pathetic hikari!//

Ryou lathered up the soap, trying to ignore his yami's taunting, sarcastic voice. He rubbed the washcloth on his bruised skin.

"So dirty," he whimpered as he tried to wash himself clean of Bakura's touch.

It wasn't working.

"I'll never get clean….so dirty."

//You are mine to taint. You are mine to enjoy. You belong to me for the sole purpose of my enjoyment and pleasure. Get used to it, Ryou Thomas Bakura.//

Ryou wet his white hair and lathered it up with peach shampoo. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the delicate scent of the fragrance.

//You are so weak……using a Ra-Damned fruit to scent your hair with! Now We're going to walk around all day smelling like fucking peaches! Just great! This is what I've been reduced to! Fucking peaches!//

Ryou rinsed out his hair, watching the suds slip into the tub below. He turned off the water and dried himself off. He dressed and ran downstairs to make himself breakfast.

Bakura emerged from the Millennium Ring and sat at the kitchen table. "Make me my breakfast!"

Ryou looked at the clock. He would have just enough time to make Bakura something, he would have to grab a fruit bar for himself.

Bakura ordered waffles and a coffee. Ryou quickly made Bakura his breakfast and packed his copybooks, pens, pencils, and erasers.

"RYOU!"

Ryou ran into the kitchen at his yami's call. "What is it?"

"Your waffles taste like shit. Make me pancakes."

Ryou hurried to make Bakura pancakes. Bakura ate quickly and threw the plate into the sink, making it shatter.

"There, I ate your lousy cooking. Happy?"

Ryou stood quietly, looking away from Bakura. The yami stood up furiously.

"I asked you a question, Ryou! Answer me!"

Bakura grabbed Ryou's collar and lifted him off of the ground. "When I ask you a question, you answer me! Do you understand?!"

"Y-Y-Yes, Bakura!"

Bakura backslapped Ryou and watched him fall to the floor in a shaking heap.

"Now, get your ass out of here before you make us late for school!"

Bakura disappeared and Ryou grabbed a fruit bar. He picked up his schoolbag and grabbed some money from the envelope his dad sent him.

****************************

Ryou arrived at school and went to his assigned locker. He opened his locker and arranged his books in his locker and felt someone knock into him from behind.

Startled, he jumped and pressed his back to his locker. He looked down at the teen with tri-colored hair.

"Excuse me," the smaller boy said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Ryou shook his head. "You didn't."

"It's so hard not to be knocked around."

Ryou sighed. "I know all too well about being knocked around."

Yugi cocked his head to the side. "That's a shame. I'm Yugi Motou. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ryou Bakura. Nice to meet you, too."

Yugi looked down at his locker assignment. "My locker is right next to yours!"

Ryou looked down in amazement as the pointers of the Ring pointed to the Millennium Puzzle hanging around Yugi's neck.

//I sense power that could only come from a Millennium Item!//

Ryou felt the world spin, the sensation that came with Bakura taking over his body.

//It can't be! The pharaoh! He's here, too?! SHIT! That boy looks just like that son-of-a-bitch, too!//

Another dizzy spell hit Ryou and Yugi was holding his arm.
"Ryou, you okay? You almost fell over."

"I'm…I'm okay. I'm just a little tired."

Yugi opened his schoolbag and put his school supplies in his locker.

The first bell rang and Ryou ran to homeroom. His first subject was English. Ryou sat in the front seat where his teacher ordered him to sit. The teacher sat Malik Ishtar beside him.

Ryou's Ring pointed to the floor….directly at Malik's schoolbag.

//Two Items in one place?! Today is my lucky day!//

Bakura looked at the world through Ryou's eyes. //That boy must have another Item! I have to find out what it is!//

As the class progressed, the teacher handed out an assignment.

"Every one in this class is going to do at least one project. Ryou Bakura? Malik Ishtar? You will be the first team since you're at the front of the room. You will need to do a presentation on Shakespeare's Hamlet. You will have plenty of time to decide what you are going to concentrate on during your presentation."

Ryou and Malik exchanged glances. Ryou's Ring was still pointing to Malik's schoolbag.

**************************

Inside Marik's soulroom……….

Marik's POV

What is that presence I sense?

Can it be…..Itemri?

I have to see this for myself! Let me see what is going on out there!

I took control of my hikari's body and looked beside me.

There he was……just with smoother hair and so much more thinner!

Itemri?

Please let it be you.

****************************

Inside Bakura's soulroom………

Bakura's POV

That couldn't be!

That energy feels too familiar!

Give me control, you pathetic weakling! I just took control and looked over.

Oh dear Ra!

It's Marik!

Marik's hair is not as spiky as I remember it.

Where's his Millennium Item?

My Millennium Ring pointed at the schoolbag that mortal is carrying!

His Item must be in there!

It has to be!

After five thousand years without my lover……I think I may have finally found him.

*********************************

Malik and Ryou had the same lunch period together. Ryou only had time to pack himself a quick lunch.

Malik looked at his sandwich.

"Aren't you hungry, Malik?"

Malik shrugged. "It's hard for me to eat sometimes. I think I look fat."

"Fat? There's nothing on you! You're skinnier than me!"

A loud commotion started at the other side of the room. Seto Kaiba was standing up while two of Seto's personal body guards were trying to keep a blond boy from punching Seto in the mouth.

"Do you know him?" Malik asked Ryou.

"The tall one is Seto Kaiba. He runs KaibaCorp. They make all the Duel Monsters stuff now."

Malik's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Ryou nodded. "Seto Kaiba is the richest man in America. All he has to do is sneeze and it's all over the newspapers. England's papers had an entire newspaper devoted just to Kaiba. I swear that paper reported everything about him except what he ate for breakfast every morning."

Malik picked up his sandwich. "I wonder what he's doing here, then. Why doesn't he have tutors if he's so famous?"

"I don't know. I've never talked to him. I've heard about him, just never spoken to him."

Malik took a bite of his sandwich and rubbed his side. Marik had kicked him in the ribs to wake him up that morning for school. At least it wasn't half as bad as the punch which put him to sleep on the couch.

"I know the blond kid from my math class. His name's….Joey Wheeler, I think."

Ryou bit into his fruit bar. "Well, he certainly is loud, isn't he?"

A piercing shriek filled the room as a green-eyed, raven-haired boy entered the cafeteria. Four girls suddenly surrounded him, screaming and rubbing themselves against him.

"Ladies, please, Otogi Ryuugi can only handle so much oogling today," the boy said, tossing dice up and down in his hand.

Malik turned and saw a shaking teen by the beverages.

"What do you mean you can't serve me coffee?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have coffee available. We have soda, juice, iced tea…."

Ryou watched the brunet sigh. "That's Tristan Taylor. He's in my American History class."

Malik sighed. "I don't know anything about English Literature. I don't know if I'll be good enough to help you with the Hamlet report."

Ryou shrugged. "Well, we'll work through it together."

//Ryou, don't make me laugh! You'll fail like you always do! You're a complete loser!//

/Malik doesn't seem too bad, Bakura./

//Please, Ryou….nobody likes you. He doesn't know you like I do. You're pathetic! I bet you won't even finish your education! You have the brain of a slug!//

Ryou looked down and put his bar on the table. "I don't feel like eating now."

Malik looked at the piece of Ryou's jewelry. "That's a nice necklace."

"My father called it the Millennium Ring. He sent it to me for my birthday four years ago. He said it had something to do with Duel Monsters."

In his soulroom, Marik jumped off of his bed. "THE MILLENNIUM RING?!"

Malik reached into his schoolbag. "I have a souvenir from Egypt, too."

Malik pulled out the Millennium Rod. "It's the Millennium Rod."

In his soulroom, Bakura stood up quickly. "THE MILLENNIUM ROD??!"

//Ryou, you will go over to Malik's house tonight!//

[Malik, you will order Ryou to come to our home tonight!]

"We have to work on our project, Ryou. My sister and I just moved into our house, so we're not unpacked yet."

//Order him over my house, Ryou!//

"Malik, would you like to come to my house and we'll do our homework assignment for English?"

Malik's jaw dropped. "You'd help me with English? It's not exactly my first language."

"I'll help you. Where are you from?"

"Egypt. My sister and I moved here recently."

"I see. My father and I came from England, but my father is digging in Egypt. He's an archaeologist."

Malik bit into his sandwich. "Really? That's neat. My father……Is dead."

"Sorry to hear that, Malik. My mother died when I was only four. I'm alone most of the time."

//You're not alone…..you have me, my little toy.//

Ryou felt a shudder spread through him. "Come over to my place. I can make us dinner."

//Great. While you two losers chat, Ishtar and I will be having our own little party!//

"Sounds good, Ryou. It's so hard being new in town. I don't know anyone or anyplace."

Ryou shrugged. "I'll show you."

Malik smiled. He had finally made a friend.

******************************

Ryou made barbequed chicken and noodles for dinner. He set out two plates when Bakura appeared.

Bakura stood by Ryou, glaring at him. "I expect my time with Ishtar to be uninterrupted. If I hear so much as a word out of you, Ryou, you'll be doing your homework with broken hands! Am I perfectly clear?"

Ryou nodded. "Clear as crystal."

"It had better be, hikari," Bakura growled.

Bakura shoved Ryou against the wall, making the mortal cry out in pain. "If you so much as tell anyone what I have done to you, you are going to find yourself worse off than you have ever been!"

"Yes, Bakura!"

Someone knocked on the door.

"That would be Ishtar. Do screw ups, Ryou!"

Ryou ran to the door and opened it.

Malik stood there with his schoolbag and holding the Millennium Rod in his hand. "Hello, Ryou."

"Hello, Malik. Come in."

Bakura stepped out of the kitchen. "Ishtar."

Marik emerged from the Rod and stood there. "Itemri."

Bakura turned to Ryou angrily. "Leave us alone!"

Marik narrowed his eyes at Malik. "Get the hell out of here!"

Ryou and Malik scurried into the kitchen quickly.

The two yamis stood there staring at each other for a moment. Neither of them moved. Their eyes scanned each other from head to toe.

"Is it really you, Itemri?" Marik asked, approaching the other yami slowly.

Bakura stepped forward toward the spiky blond-haired yami. "Ishtar? After all these years?"

Marik and Bakura stood toe to toe. The blond raised his hand slowly to Bakura's cheek. His fingertips brushed Bakura's white cheek. Bakura could tell the other yami's eyes were filling with tears.

"It's been….five thousand years since I have seen you last, Itemri."

Bakura brushed Marik's blond hair behind his ears. "There's so much that I've wanted to tell you in the five thousand years since we last saw each other."

Marik leaned into Bakura. "Tell me, Itemri. Tell me what you wanted to say, Bakura."

Bakura grabbed Marik's face. "I've missed you. I've been lost without you."

Marik licked his lips. "What else did you want to say?"

"I love you, Ishtar."

Bakura pulled Marik to him, bringing him into a deep and passionate kiss.

Marik pulled back slowly. "I've waited five thousand years for you to kiss me like that."

Bakura smiled. "I wish I could kiss you for five thousand years. That still wouldn't be long enough."

Marik pressed his lips to Bakura's again and started unbuttoning the other yami's shirt.

Bakura grabbed Marik's wrist. "Not here. Upstairs. Ryou won't mind if we use his mother's bed."

Marik followed Bakura up the stairs, anticipating making love to his lover for the first time in five thousand years.