AN: This fic runs chronologically backwards. As in, the first scene is actually the last scene chronologically, and the second scene is the second-to-last, and so on, until the last scene in the fic is actually the first event that takes place chronologically. Set in the Memory World arc and after. Thanks to Individually Packaged for the beta!
"You look different," said Marik.
"You look the same," said Bakura.
Marik reached out tentatively to touch Bakura's face, gingerly brushing his fingers across the skin underneath Bakura's right eye.
"I got that scar in Egypt, when I was still alive," explained Bakura.
"What's it like to die?" Marik whispered breathlessly.
"You should know, since you're here," said Bakura.
"I don't remember dying," Marik said. "I don't remember anything after you."
"That's okay," Bakura said. He reached up and gently took Marik's hand in his own.
"I did everything you asked," Marik said.
Bakura intertwined his fingers with Marik's.
"I know you did."
When Kaiba stepped out of his jet, the Ishtars were there waiting for him.
Marik kept his face impassive as Kaiba insulted himself and his siblings. It didn't matter, he told himself.
Then Kaiba brought out the Millennium Eye.
"Bakura handed this to me just before he walked out on our duel. I'm here to finish things," said Kaiba.
At hearing the name, an image of Bakura's face rose unbidden in Marik's mind. "Bakura..." he said, before he could stop himself. And then, composing his thoughts, he said, "We have to stop him. But how?"
Ishizu looked at Kaiba. "The Memory Tablet holds the answers you seek," she told him.
Kaiba agreed to go to the Memory Tablet, and Marik smiled inwardly.
"Rishid," said Marik.
"Yes, Master Marik?"
"I've told you not to call me that anymore," said Marik.
Rishid smiled apologetically, but said nothing.
"Seto Kaiba will be arriving in Egypt soon," said Marik. "We must be there when he arrives- you, Sister and I. We must tell him to go to the Memory Tablet, just as we told Yugi and his friends. For the sake of the Pharaoh and his destiny."
"Yes, Mas- Marik."
"It would be a favor to me if you would speak of this to Sister," said Marik. "I'm still not sure she...entirely trusts me."
"I'm sure she does, but I will do as you ask."
"Thank you," said Marik.
"You look tired," said Rishid, the concern plain on his face.
"I didn't sleep well last night," said Marik.
"Nightmares?" asked Rishid.
"Something like that," said Marik.
Marik arched up into Bakura's kiss, putting his arms around the spirit.
He knew it was a dream- or some combination of dream and memory. In some back corner of his mind, he always knew when he was dreaming- there was no true respite for him, even in sleep. Because he could never completely forget that Bakura was gone, Bakura was dead, had died trying to help him-
Then Bakura's lips were gone from his and he felt a sharp pain on the side of his neck. He awoke with a gasp and tried to sit up, but found that he could not- a weight on his chest was holding him down.
"I thought you'd never wake up, Ishtar," said Bakura dryly. "I guess the bite did it, though."
Marik tried to focus his eyes in the dim light. All he could see was wild, white hair and wide brown eyes. "B-bakura? Am I still dreaming?"
"Aw, you dream about me? How sweet," said Bakura sarcastically.
Marik's eyes widened in alarm and he instinctively rolled over, violently shoving Bakura off of him.
"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me," said Bakura mockingly.
Marik squeezed his eyes shut. It was all too much. Finally, he said, "Bakura, I thought you were dead."
"I assumed you did," said Bakura. "Otherwise, why would you have given my Ring and my Rod to the Pharaoh?"
Marik glanced down, eyeing the Ring that laid against Bakura's chest, its golden surface reflecting the small bit of light that was coming through the open bedroom window.
"Well, I see you've already taken care of one of those problems," Marik said.
"Of course," Bakura said.
Belatedly, Marik realized that the bedroom window was, in fact, open. He always closed and locked it at night.
"You couldn't have called first?" Marik asked irritably. "Did you really have to break into my room in the middle of the night with no warning?"
Bakura only looked at him.
"Of course you did," Marik sighed, answering his own question. "You could have woken up my brother and sister, you know."
"I can be quiet," said Bakura, smiling. "Can you?"
Bakura put his arms around Marik and drew him close.
"Bakura- wait!" cried Marik, putting his palms against Bakura's chest to push him away. "Aren't you going to tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Are you sure you really want to talk about this right now?"
"Yes," said Marik firmly.
An exasperated sigh. "I called out to Ryou. We managed to regain the Ring. And I'm going back to Japan in a few hours, Marik, so I suggest we make good use of our time."
Bakura reached for Marik, but Marik only pushed him away again. "What do you mean, going back to Japan? Did you come here just to tell me that you're leaving?"
"I didn't come here to tell you anything," said Bakura.
Marik gave Bakura a warning look.
"Fine, Marik, if that's the way you want it," said Bakura. "The time for my vengeance is close at hand. I'm going to draw the Pharaoh into the Memory World and defeat him."
"Bakura...don't..."
Bakura looked at him steadily. "You know I have to."
Marik closed his eyes again, a look of resignation on his face. "There's something that I promised you."
"Oh, really? I'd completely forgotten," Bakura said, a false sweetness in his voice. "Of course, I wouldn't want you to go against your precious clan..."
"Don't be stupid," said Marik tiredly. "The eighth key is the Memory Tablet. That's the secret written on my back."
"Good," said Bakura. "That will be helpful to me. Once I begin the game, I believe I'll give the demon control of this body- it will make me more powerful. But when the time is right, I'll send Zorc an image of the Memory Tablet. He should understand."
Marik looked at Bakura, opening his mouth to speak, but Bakura cut him off before he could say a word.
"No," said Bakura.
"What do you mean, no?" asked Marik. "You don't even know what I was going to ask."
"Yes, I do," said Bakura. "I can see it in your eyes. You were going to ask to come with me. And the answer is no. Did you hear me when I said I was going to give the demon control of this body? Trust me, Marik, you don't want to see that. Besides, I need you here."
"Why would you need me here?" asked Marik.
"I have a plan," said Bakura.
"Of course you do," sighed Marik. "Don't you always?"
Bakura smiled deviously. "I'll be giving the Millennium Eye to Seto Kaiba. I need to lure him to Egypt so that I can use him in my game. Once he gets to Egypt, your job is to make sure he goes to the Memory Tablet, so that I can pull him into the game."
"I'll do it," said Marik.
"I know you will," said Bakura.
Bakura pulled him close again, and this time, Marik didn't resist.
"Bakura..." Marik said against his lips. "What if you don't succeed?"
"Then you'll make sure the Pharaoh goes to the Ceremonial Duel and that he dies, his spirit passing from this world, as it should," said Bakura. "And you and I will see each other again in the afterlife, in the Fields."
"Bakura...I don't..."
"Shut up, Marik," whispered Bakura. "Shut up and fuck me."
And Marik did.
AN: If it's not clear, they're supposed to be in the afterlife (Fields of Reeds) in the very first (which is actually the last) scene. Can I say they lived happily ever after if they're technically dead? Well, they existed together happily ever after.
So I was thinking about the episode where Kaiba arrives in Egypt, and the way Marik says Bakura's name and pictures his face. And how Bakura's plan was to give Kaiba the Eye so that he would go to Egypt with it and then because Kaiba's in front of the Tablet Bakura can draw him in and use his soul energy. And then the Ishtars end up telling Kaiba to do exactly what Bakura wanted him to do. Well, in the original, Ishizu specifically tells Kaiba to go to the Memory Tablet- in the dub she just says that they'll help him find Bakura. So then I thought, maybe there's a fic in there somewhere? Like what if Marik was secretly working with Bakura the whole time and set all this up, having Kaiba do just what Bakura wanted him to do? And then I thought about how, in the anime, Bakura just sort of randomly realizes that the Memory Tablet is the 8th Key, even though nobody told him, so I thought- what if Marik DID tell him, and that's how he knew?
Anyways, this fic is largely based on the start of the Memory World arc from the anime. But I'm not overly familiar with that arc of the anime because I usually go by the manga version where all that stuff with Kaiba never happened and Marik never knew that the Memory World stuff was going on until after Bakura had already been defeated. So hopefully there's nothing crazy-wrong here. The dialogue in the scene with Kaiba is based on lines from the dub and original. You can ask me how Marik died in this fic, and I'll tell you, but trust me, you DON'T want to know.