And now he realized that the same problem had come around again: a very fundamental misalignment of what their agreement had entailed. Things that he had thought were implicit were evidently not, and the same appeared true for Pepper. It's telling however that he bristles slightly at the idea that she might quantify this as cheating.

Watching her pace, Bakura's nowhere near as fretful as she is, but he's unable to keep a note of testiness out of his voice. "Why would I have said something? It still has nothing to do with you and I. I'm not where you come from. We're not where you come from either, we're here in Keeliai."

"And this," he said sharply, gesturing to her agitated state. "Is all the more reason why I've not only not done something wrong, but done something right instead. If it's so hard for you to separate emotional and physical, why would I do something to purposely complicate them more?"

He folded his arms in front of him, eyes sharp, although he didn't rise from his lean on the arm of the couch.

"Is that something you want? To take Eisso's place? For me to treat you as simply there as someone to sleep with when I feel like it, when you'll know very well it's for that alone? Explain to me how that is less offensive to you."