"Class, we have a new transfer student joining us today." The teacher announced loudly in the second hour of the day. That was the start of all of the chaos that was to be ensued in Domino High. Joey Wheeler stood and stretched. "I hope it's another person like Ryou. Well, without the evil counterpart." Bakura glared at the blonde and growled, but Ryou put his hand on his other's shoulder. No one had realized that the Tomb Robber had been a part of their class, not even the teacher. And Bakura was sick of being talked about like he didn't exist.
The door swung open and the gang's jaws dropped. Even Seto Kaiba looked surprised. A blonde and tan, very familiar boy walked into the room. He looked ashamed and put his head down. "I'm Marik Ishtar…" He whispered softly. The teacher looked at him and pointed him in the direction of his seat, on the opposite side of Ryou.
"Hello Marik!" Ryou chirped happily. "Nice to meet you!" Marik nodded and flashed the boy a small smile. Bakura was the most shocked in the room. He looked at the blonde as if he were part of some dream. There was no way in Hell that the Egyptian boy had managed to return. No way in Hell.
Marik let his head fall to his chest. He could feel the rage in the glares he was receiving upon the sensitive skin of his back. He knew that moving to Domino was going to be hard, but he realized that Bakura was in the room as well. Maybe they had accepted him. Maybe he was given a second chance, so maybe, just maybe, they would accept him too.
He felt something hit the back of his head. He unraveled the piece of paper. "Not Likely." it read. 'Great,' he thought, 'they still hate me…'
! # $ & ( - )
Marik sat, quietly mixing every piece of food on his tray together, staring off into space at nothing in particular. His violet eyes seemed displeased and disturbed. He looked as though he was contemplating suicide. Soon, he stood and dumped his food into the trash bins. He walked outside into the sunshine and looked around the courtyard. Everyone was laughing and happy. The gang was dueling in the shade of the tree that inhabited the middle of the yard. Marik shuddered and started to walk away.
"Marik!" He heard the dreaded call from the young boy named Ryou, which he had so willingly harmed in Battle City. He turned and forced a polite smile to his tanned face.
"Yes Ryou?" He asked sweetly.
"Come meet the rest of the gang! You seem to not have very many friends here yet! Come on!" The white haired teen dragged the older boy over to the place where the gang was sitting. "Hey guys! You all remember Marik from earlier today don't you!?" Ryou asked excitedly.
The group nodded. "Have a seat," Yugi whispered. "It's not fair to have to be sitting all alone."
Marik smiled graciously at him for at least trying to be kind, even if the star-headed teen didn't seem very happy to see the blonde. Marik sat away from them, but not far enough for Ryou to be suspicious. "I thank you for inviting me to sit, but I really should go. I don't really like to be around so many people. I… I'm kind of afraid of them…" Marik whispered, getting up to leave. Joey snorted.
Yugi stood as well. "Marik? Can I speak to you?" He asked, grabbing the blonde's arm. "It will only take a minute." Marik nodded and turned to face the boy with a gulp. "You know that Yami is gone now. I thank you for helping us with all of that. You seem pretty nice and all, but, I don't think the rest of the group sees it that way yet."
Again the blonde nodded. "Not to be mean or anything, Yugi. I thank you all for your kindness. But I really have no need for friends. I never really got along with people. I have been kicked out of every school in Egypt for my behavior with the other students."
Yugi looked up into the lavender eyes of the taller teen. "You seem like you have changed Marik. Really you have. I understand if you want to give it time for the bad things to fade away. And I'm willing to give you a second chance. The others will follow my choice. If you want, we're all meeting at the arcade tomorrow for pizza. You're welcome to come if you wish."
Marik smiled forcibly again. "Thanks. I'll consider it." He waved and walked off, leaving the soft, warm sunlight of the courtyard.
"Hey, I wanna talk to you." The voice pierced the blonde's mind like a knife edging slowly into an old wound. "Turn around and face me Tomb Keeper!"
Marik turned and looked straight into the mahogany eyes of the ancient thief that had caused him so much trouble. "What is it that you want Bakura?"
"Getting a little close to my hikari's friends are you?" he asked. "How come you can just walk in and have everyone accept you? I hardly even exist! The only one that will talk to me is Ryou! And that's only at home! It's like he's ashamed that I'm here! No one notices me unless I do something to stand out."
Marik closed his eyes. "That's because you have not proved your loyalty to them. I have changed. I am no longer the reckless soul I used to be. And, you are a Tomb Robber. That's a reason in itself."
Bakura grabbed his shoulders, rage burning in his eyes, making them look like blood. "You aren't as changed as you'd like to think! You still have a long way to go! And what makes you so damn perfect!? When did you become such an angel!?"
Marik looked into his eyes, pure horror flooding his body and clouding his mind. "I.. Uh… Well…" he stuttered. Bakura threw the blonde to the ground and pinned him there. Marik flinched, a small scream escaping his throat, tears filling his eyes. "P-please… d-don't…"
"What's wrong with you!? When did you become such a damn wimp!?" Bakura yelled, his voice echoing down the hall. Marik cried softly, trying to choke back the hot tears that flowed freely down his cheeks. Bakura raised his fist.
"Stop!" Bakura looked down at the boy. "Please! Please stop! Don't hurt me! Please!! Not again… Please not again…"The sobbing increased making the blonde shake uncontrollably. "No…"
Bakura lowered his hand and gently touched the boy's cheek with his fingertips. Marik flinched at the soft touch. "What's happened to you, Ishtar?" The bell began to ring and Bakura looked down the hall to see Ryou and the gang laughing about something stupid someone had said. They stopped and looked at him and the crying Marik.
"Yami! What have you done to him!" Ryou shouted, anger and shock in his voice. The rest of the group just glared and whispered about the many things that could've happened.
Bakura stood and took the Egyptian in his arms. "Listen to me Ishtar! Snap out of it." The blonde paid no attention, for he was long gone. "I need to get him to the nurse. Ryou, help me!" Ryou blinked and obeyed Bakura's orders. They forced their way through the group and to the nurse's office.
! # $ & ( - )
Marik opened his eyes tiredly. "Ra…" he groaned. The searing pain in his head told him something had happened, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what. He felt a cool hand on his arm and moved his stinging eyes to the silvery haired male beside him.
"He hasn't left your side since he brought you in here." Ryou's usually singsong voice was now soft and concerned. The blonde turned towards the noise. "I don't know what has passed between you two, but it has scared him."
He looked back to Bakura's sleeping form. "What time is it?" he asked. Ryou looked at the clock and told him it was somewhere near one in the morning. "What!?" Marik looked at Ryou. "How did I get here! I should be going home!" He felt Ryou's hand on his forehead, pushing him back down.
"Not with a fever like that. I won't let you leave this bed without a normal temperature. For now you rest." He pointed to Bakura. "He carried you the four miles from school to here when you fainted."
Violet eyes settled on the Tomb Robber. "But why? Why did he help me?"
Ryou shrugged. "Something happened. He's not as bad as you think. He has yet to hurt me again. He must've finally gotten a guilty conscience. Something in you made him change. It's actually quite nice to see him like this."
Understanding passed through the blonde. He closed his burning eyes and let the sleep wash over him for the rest of the night.
! # $ & ( - )
Marik awoke and yawned, the pain in his head having finally subsided around noon. He heard a noise down the hall and decided to get up and investigate. He opened the door a crack just wide enough to fit his head through. He peered down the hall to see Bakura with his head down in front of the bathroom door. Marik closed the door and grabbed a blanket to wrap around himself.
! # $ & ( - )
"Bakura?" A soft voice awoke the Tomb Robber from his thoughts. He looked up to see a fuzzy tan shape. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked again at the blonde teenaged Egyptian. "Are you alright Bakura?"
Bakura nodded. "Yeah, fine Ishtar. How are you feeling this fine morning?"
Marik forced a smile onto his face. "I am just fine. However, I do have to leave this afternoon. I must be getting home soon."
Bakura stood and looked deep into the violet eyes that had captivated him so. Never in his life had he seen such an amazing color. They were like the finest gems in the world. And he wanted them. "Listen to me Ishtar. I need you to stay here until Ryou calls alright? I promised that I would watch over you until he said it was alright for you to leave."
Marik nodded in understanding, yet he was so confused at the thief's actions. Arms wrapped around him gently as Bakura hugged him. Marik blinked in shock. "Bakura… Why are you...?"
Bakura pulled away. "How about something to eat?" He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, leaving Marik behind to ponder about what had just happened. He had began to cook when he heard the call for a shower. The white haired male laughed slightly. "No, Ishtar, the water doesn't work! Just kidding… Go ahead!"
Marik smiled as he slid into the hot water of the shower. He made sure to lock the door in case the Tomb Robber had decided to join him. He took out a binder, letting his hair fall to the middle of his back. Then another, letting it drape down the rest of his body. He wet it down and smiled happily. He sighed as he pulled the shampoo out of the corner of the tub and placed some in his hands. His fingers massaged his scalp and let his troubles wash away in the water.
! # $ & ( - )
"What is he doing up there?" Bakura sighed and decided to meander up the stairs and knock on the bathroom door. Marik had been in there for an hour at the least already. "Hey! Blondie! Get out! Some of us need to use it too ya know!" He tapped his foot impatiently and waited until he heard the lock to the door click open. He opened the door and gaped at the sight before him. The beautiful sun-kissed skin that rippled across the Egyptian's taught chest and stomach muscles. The long golden blonde hair that Bakura didn't even know the boy had. Those gorgeous lavender eyes that darkened in annoyance.
"Quite gawking." Marik growled smacking Bakura over the head with a brush. "Hurry up. I have to go soon." Marik walked down the hall and back into Ryou's room to retrieve the rest of his clothes.
Bakura blinked. "Snap out of it. He's not that sexy."
! # $ & ( - )
"So Yugi, who are we waiting for? Ryou's already here, and he's usually the only person we have to wait for!" Joey asked, impatience growing within him.
Yugi leaned over to Ryou. "He is coming right?" Ryou nodded and perked his head to the rumbling noise of a motorcycle. Yugi smiled. "Yup, he's here."
"Sorry I'm late! I had some difficulties getting out of Ryou's house," Marik said bowing apologetically. He shook his head not wanting to go deeper into that subject.
Yugi took the blonde's arm in his own, Ryou doing the same, and marched into the arcade where the others were waiting. Joey's jaws dropped, nearly to the floor. "Why is he here!?"
Marik placed his head down. "Ya know Yugi, I don't think this is such a good idea."
"Nonsense! Be nice Joey! You used to be just like him, remember?!" Yugi blurted.
Joey looked at the midget, confused. "I didn't used to control people's minds against their will to get what I wanted." Again, Marik lowered his head so that his chin was touching his chest. He hated what he did, he really did.
"He did free everyone he had controlled," Yugi looked at Joey with a serious look that was almost like a myth because it was so rare.
Marik tried to pull away from the grasp of the two teens that were holding onto his arms, but he could not. "I… I am sorry for what I did… But I was being controlled just as much as everyone I used. I was being used by my evil half, remember?" His voice was soft, barely audible to the group. He was fighting the urge to scream and break down in tears.
Ryou patted the boy's shoulder. "It's okay Marik. You and I can go somewhere else to hang out, and whoever else wants to join. However, Wheeler can stay as far away from you as he pleases." Ryou turned towards the door with the blonde in tow. Yugi followed them, as did Tea and Duke. Tristan and Joey remained behind.
"So… Marik, you are good now, right?" Tea asked nervously, she had been used many times by the boy who she was walking next to. Marik nodded slowly. "What would you like to do?"
Marik shrugged. Ryou looked at him in a concerned way. "What time did you wake up this morning?"
"Noon," he whispered, his voice was strained. "Hey! Wanna come over to my place for a little while? It's not very far from here, and well, I could make us all something to eat, then we wouldn't have to pay." He shoved his motorcycle off of its kickstand and began to walk it.
"Sure! How far is it?" Yugi asked, excited that Marik was willing to give them all a chance to see how he lived. Marik pointed to a building a few blocks away. "Wow! You live really close to the arcade! Maybe we should all come over more often!"
Marik forced a polite smile. "Yeah!"
! # $ & ( - )
Around seven o' clock everyone but Ryou had left the small apartment that the Ishtar child called home. They had fun listening to Marik play his guitar and took turns playing different games. He found the gang quite interesting. They had a decent meal of Koshari, an Egyptian dish, that evening, that the blonde teen had cooked himself. Ryou sat on the couch reading one of the many books that had lined the living room of Marik's apartment. "Hey Marik?"
The blonde poked his head out of the kitchen, a piece of block cheese sticking out of his mouth. "Yesh?"
Ryou giggled. "Why do you have so many high level books? These are all college texts and things. Did you get them from your sister?"
Marik picked one of them up and shook his head. "I had all of the Egyptian texts from a child. My sister bought me the English versions so I could learn how to speak your language properly and compare the two side by side."
Ryou blinked. "You read these when you were young?"
Marik laughed. "Yes, actually I finished college when I was nine."
Ryou looked at the boy with wide eyes. "Really? Then why are you failing all of your classes here in Domino."
Marik smiled lightly and ran into his room. He emerged with a pile of at least a hundred sheets of paper. "These are all of the assignments for this year. Until I turn it in I will be failing. But I don't want to turn anything in incomplete. I will have this packet finished by next week and move on to the next grade."
Ryou looked at the neat handwriting that filled the pages. "This is just one class?"
Marik nodded. "I finished the rest already, but I want to turn them all in at the same time."
"If only I could get Bakura to do his work like this." Marik laughed at Ryou's comment about the thief.
! # $ & ( - )
