A/N: Yo! I haven't updated Nothing Special for a while, and I honestly have no excuse except for this! For this fic, I'm not going on a whim, per se. I actually have a good plot in mind. I honestly love nice, long fanfictions with a good plot, and I hate that I can never think of one good enough. So, hopefully, this will be a better one than any fanfic I've ever written! (And trust me, I've written a lot of fanfics in my time.)

Also, you can find the full picture of the cover on my tumblr. It's the same as my PN, and under the tag doodles.

Now, without further ado, I present to you, Bring Me The Stars.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own YGO. Only this story.

NOTES:

1) Sometimes, I will add the explanations in the fanfic. This is only because I don't want anything spoiled beforehand.

2)There are 5 nations. These nations are named after some Greek mythological creatures, and correspond to the nation's geographical layout, the Capital excluded. Helios is Titan of the sun and guardian of oaths. Cerberus is the three-headed hound who guarded the gates of Hades (though that's more known). Scylla is, well, a monstrous sea goddess. Apollo is the god of healing and medicine. More on these nations as we go along in the story.

3) Other Greek mythological creatures mentioned: Euphrosyne - goddess of good cheer, joy, mirth, and merriment. Nemesis - goddess of revenge, balance, righteous indignation, and retribution. You'll learn what these are in the fic as you read.

4) Legion is the Capital's militia/police, you could say. I can't remember the exact word.

5) I'm using Mai's Japanese name, aka Kujaku Mai. But I'm making it Mai Kujaku for convenient purposes. It just sounds better.

CHAPTER 1:

ESCAPE AND ESCAPED

MONTH 9 . DAY 20 . YEAR 2099 .

He ran. Oh, how he ran. Away from the tyranny, away from the Capital, away from anything pertaining to himself. He knew it was a bad idea to run away. He knew it, and yet he kept running. Farther, farther, and farther still, away from his fate.

For most of his life, he dreamed of this world. He dreamed of the outside; the sand beneath his feet as he ran around and played games with some non-existent friends. But those dreams weren't like this. Those dreams didn't contain him running from something with all his might. This was not a dream, this was a nightmare, and he knew it. He knew it, and so he continued to run.

He chanced a glance back, the Capital slowly leaving his sights. It's high towers glowered at him; he wondered how he had even escaped. He held no remorse that he was running away, only relief. He was escaping, something he thought, in all of the 11 years of his life, he would never be able to accomplish. When the thought finally sank in, an overwhelming happiness settled in with it.

As the towers finally disappeared from sight, he laughed. He laughed boisterously, the sound ringing throughout the sands. Even when he stumbled over his own feet, and fell on the ground, he still rejoiced. Instantly, he decided that no greater pleasure could be felt; this was bliss at it's finest. And by the Gods he was loving every moment of it. With gleaming lilac eyes, he stared up at the starry sky with a large smile. The full moon beamed down at him, as if sharing the emotions coursing through his veins. How could something so beautiful have been above his head this whole time?

In the back of his mind, he wondered if they had even noticed his lack of presence. Truth be told, he hadn't planned much farther than where he was now, sprawled out on the cold desert sand. It had seemed near impossible to him that this plan could even succeed! But it did, and here he was, out.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the lukewarm smell of the foreign area, then exhaled heavily. Exhaustion was nearly taking over him, as all the excitement of the past few hours was catching up. But he couldn't sleep here. That much, at least, he knew. Reluctantly, he stood up, eyes examining his surroundings. He never imagined just how desolate and barren the desert could be until now. Sure, he'd seen it in textbooks and the like, but experiencing it first hand like this left a completely different impression.

Deciding he had wasted enough time, he put one foot in front of the other, and trudged through the cold sands of the outer Capital. As he walked, his mind began to crank. If he met someone, what exactly would he tell them? Almost no one knew exactly what he looked like, or his exact name, but he was at least pretty well known. And why wouldn't they? He was basically royalty!

Shaking his head, he banished those thoughts from his mind. No. He was no longer royalty. He gave that up as soon as he ran off. But what should he tell them? In the end, he decided he would have to just keep his mouth shut if he was found. That is, if he was even able to.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he brought the thin, black cloak closer to him for more warmth. "It's cold..." he whispered to no one, looking down at the soft, cloth shoes he wore. "I'm sleepy..." But he knew he had to continue to walk. It was dangerous at night, and there were numerous critters that could kill him as he slept. With a covered yawn, he looked at the night sky. The stars continued to gleam down at him; they were beautiful, even better than the pictures in text books. Like the barren desert, experiencing it first hand left a completely different impression.

For hours he continued to walk. The sun began to rise, and everything got hotter. His throat began to ache from dehydration. He panted, uncurling the cloak from his body and now tying it around his waist. His ashen hair stuck to his face. Water... he needed water...

"Hey, you! Kid!" A voice. Someone had spotted him. Slowly, he turned, examining the speaker as the stranger walked over to him. Said stranger was much taller than him, by at least 3 feet. He wore strange clothing, a black shirt without sleeves, and pants that seemed to be uncomfortably tight. Blonde bangs hung in his face, the rest of his black hair spiked up, the edges lined with a reddish color. He also noticed this man was of a paler complexion, one he's only seen in the colored pages of textbooks. The stranger took in the boy's appearance and frowned. "What are you doing all the way out here in these desert sands?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a squeak. His throat was too dry. Catching onto this, the stranger took out a canister and thrust it towards him. "Drink," the older man commanded. The boy grabbed the canister and drunk heavily, exhaling loudly once his throat was quenched enough to talk. "I'll ask again, what are you doing out here in these desert sands? It's dangerous."

"I-I know," the smaller boy squeaked. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't tell the truth! "I... was out shopping with my... my mother in the Capital. We... got lost and I was supposed to look for help. But... then I got lost and... I don't know my way back!" He looked up at the stranger, tears perking out for extra believability.

The taller man sighed, taking the bait. "Do you want to go back to the Capital? I know the way there..." he offered.

"No!" the boy quickly exclaimed. The stranger stared at him, taken aback by the boys reluctance. "M-mother... she's out in the desert somewhere! I can't go back without her!" The boy was getting used to this story. He decided it would have to do, for now.

The stranger frowned at this, pausing for a moment or two, then smiled. "Alright," he said. "You can come with me, if you wish. Me and my friends only came to the Capital for a bit of shopping." He gestured towards off in the distance, where the boy noticed a vehicle he'd never seen before. A car, was it? "But we finished our shopping, and were on our way back to camp."

The boy stared up at the stranger skeptically. Outside of his so-called "home", he had barely any other interaction with others. Why was this stranger inviting him? He'd read stories about kidnappings and the like for ransom money, but he was sure this man didn't know who the boy was. He was a traveler, not from around these parts. Plus, the boy had nowhere else to go, and no one else would be around to offer. "...Alright," he said reluctantly.

"Okay! Then it's settled," the stranger said, stretching slightly. He turned, and the boy followed. "By the way, kid, what's your name?"

"My name?" the boy asked. The taller man simply nodded. The boy reminded himself that this man was a traveler, not from around here; he wouldn't know who he was. "Oh, um... My name is Marik. Marik Ishtar. Thanks for taking me with you..."

"Well, Marik. My name is Yami Muto," the man chuckled. "And you don't have to thank me, kid. I'm just helping someone in need. It's my thing."

Marik laughed softly. As they neared the car, exhaustion was taking back over. And man, did he need sleep...

The year 2105. The past six years had changed the world greatly. The rulers of the Capital went to war with the other nations, Cerberus, Helios, Apollo, and Scylla. The Capital won; it's enormous military and political power overwhelmed the other nations.

Cerberus was the first to go. The land there was mountainous and black, covered in death. While it's military power was one to fear, it's area had been devastated with drought and famine for at least 5 years beforehand, making it's power decline. And soon, they were beat, with the record of the most casualties throughout the war.

Helios followed suit; their military was weak from the start. Their land was flat, and grassy; it was no place for a war zone. With their rulers being the usual peace keepers between the five nations, they had surrendered. Their casualties were minimum.

Scylla was next. It was also a large, flat area, by the ocean. It was plentiful with water. But by some dumb luck, an earthquake had struck the area, causing a tsunami during the war. Everything went to chaos, and they were soon afterward defeated. Their casualties were close behind that of Cerberus.

Apollo was last to fall. Their land was forested, flourished with many medicinal herbs. Their citizens were very practiced in the old healing ways, so that when the Capital shut down their hospitals as a near last minute effort, they were still okay. The forest provided a great hiding place for battles, as the people knew it well. In a final attempt to triumph over Apollo, the Capital burned down about three-quarters of the forest, along with it many of the medicinal herbs the citizens had used throughout the war. They surrendered as well, not wanting any more damage to come to the forest. While their casualties were also minimal, they had suffered a great loss – their forest.

This war was known as the First Great War, now more commonly referred to as the Impact. No one knew what started the Impact, and what exactly brought the Capital into such an outrage, they had brought suffering upon its fellow nations. However, one boy – or now, man – knew the truth. It was why he had run away, to escape from the inevitable. And his name...

"Ishtar! Get over here! We've got twenty two orders for all this garbage and I can't do this all by myself!" a loud voice yelled.

A tanned 17 year old bolted up from his chair, ashen hair falling gracefully over his shoulders as earbuds fell out of his ears. His sleeveless lavender top, cut off above his midriff, fluttered over his skin, along with tight, tan camo pants hugging his legs. "Coming, Yami!" he called back, quickly stuffing away his Player in his work bag. He rushed over to the owner of the voice, the man who had found Marik only 6 years ago, fitted in tight black jeans and a sleeveless black shirt. "What do you need help with?"

Yami sighed, pointing towards a large pile of boxes. Marik gulped at the numbers. "Sort those out from smallest to biggest. Put the bigger ones nearer to the left corner, and set the smaller ones aside. Those are ones that will be picked up personally by our customers," Yami explained. "The bigger ones we ship out. I'll take care of putting them on the belt. Got it?"

"Got it!" Marik answered enthusiastically, and rushed over to the pile of boxes. He immediately began to follow Yami's instructions, putting the bigger boxes left and setting the smaller boxes aside.

Yami smirked at the younger male. He had to admit, the kid had a certain unique quality to him. When he had picked the kid up from the desert sands of the outer Capital, he didn't know what to think. The kid Marik was always on the lookout, on the brink of paranoid. But as he grew older, he seemed to open up more. And before Yami even knew it, the kid and grown on him, not to mention grew up. Now Marik was 17, and nearly as tall as himself.

Huffing as he finished sorting the boxes, Marik stood and wiped his forehead. He turned to Yami and grinned. "Anything else, Yami?" he asked.

Yami snapped out of his daze and sighed. "Nothing to do with boxes. But I do have a favor to ask of you," he said. He looked at Marik straight in the eye, making sure the younger man was paying attention. Marik simply nodded for him to continue. "Can you go check on Yugi? I asked him to label some packages back in the garage. He didn't seem too hot this morning, and I'm a bit worried."

"Oh, yeah. Sure thing, Yami," Marik said with a soft nod. He turned and walked off, frowning. He never was a big fan of the younger Muto, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Yami. If he was asking Marik, it meant it was important.

Making his way past the many doors and other hallways, he had finally arrived at the garage. He took out a card, stored in his pants pocket, and swiped it through the reader. The garage door opened with a groan. He entered, looking around the big area. "Yugi! Are you in here?" Marik called out. The garage was dark. Too dark. "Yugi! Yami wanted me to check in on you! Are you okay?" he called out once more, frowning when he was met with silence. He grumbled to himself, turning to head back to where Yami was, when a crash sounded behind him, followed by a groan. Immediately, he whipped around to the source of the sound.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Marik hissed, eyes searching the darkness. A groaning came from his right – it was Yugi's voice. He rushed over to the other boy and knelt down to him. Yugi was a mess; he had bruises on his arms, and a cut across his cheek. His blue jacket was a bit torn, though still zipped up. His dark blue jeans had some holes in them. A patch of his hair was tinted crimson; Marik guessed he suffered a blow to the head. "Woah, Yugi! What happened? Yami said you weren't feeling well, but I'm sure he'd notice this!"

Yugi coughed, opening his eyes and staring at Marik's silhouette. "N-Nemesis... they came for the Euphrosyne we have in... stock..." he wheezed, closing his eyes. "You have to help... Joey and Tristan... They were the ones handling... the Euphrosyne..."

Marik's eyes widened. "Nemesis? A-are you serious here, Yugi? They found us?" he rushed, shaking Yugi softly. He got a groan in response, and realized he would get nothing else out of the younger Muto. Sighing, Marik stood and slung the other over his shoulder. Yugi was way too light. "I'll get you to Yami first, Yugi. Then I'll go help Joey and Tristan. Okay?" Another groan was his response. With a heavy exhale, Marik rushed to Yami.

As expected, once he entered the room, Yami rushed over to Yugi and began to freak. He demanded Marik the story, so the younger man told. Yami's eyes widened gradually as the story was relayed, and ordered him to go check on Tristan and Joey. "Was already planning on it," was Marik's response, before he rushed off to find the other workers.

It seems it's time for more explanation. Euphrosyne is a drug that can both enhance and induce good feelings and emotions, like happiness and love. It's a very powerful drug. Scientists started working on it around a year after the Impact, for the people were suffering. There are rumors of forced human experimentation, which, Marik could vouch for personally, are not true.

Nemesis is a resistance organization, created for the purpose of restoring the world back to pre-Impact. Their numbers and leader, or leaders, are currently unknown. They have no exact slogan that they go by, though there are many. Their known symbol is a silver dragon with gleaming crimson eyes, wrapped around a old, worn out skull. Usually, Nemesis groups go around and steal and/or destroy Euphrosyne. Some claim it's because Euphrosyne was developed after Impact. Others say it's because the drug gives everyone the feeling of a blissful ignorance, corrupting society. The organization is known for being ruthless, and doing everything in their power to get their way.

Marik skidded to a stop as he finally made it to to the stock room, where they kept the majority of the Euphrosyne. He steadied himself, putting up his guard as he shakily swiped his card. The door unlocked, and he silently opened it. He entered, forgetting to close the door behind him.

The room was dark, like the garage had been. Maybe even darker. Marik reached over to the wall, attempting to switch the lights on. It didn't work. He noticed a figure that stood in the middle of the room. "Joey? Is that you?" The figure whipped around, though it was near impossible to make out who it was – the room was too dark. "Who are you? Are you Nemesis?" Marik hissed, forcing himself to steady. He was scared – he didn't like the dark.

The figure chuckled – a deep sound that Marik didn't recognize. It sent unpleasant shivers down his spine. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Why do you want to know?" it asked. From the way the voice sounded, Marik could tell it was a guy, at least his age. He also had a hint of an accent, the kind you would hear from someone from Cerberus.

"I work here. You gave yourself away to my co-worker. He said you were Nemesis. Plus, you're in the Euphrosyne storage room," Marik answered, his voice wavering slightly. "I keep up with the times, I know that Nemesis steals and destroys Euphrosyne. So answer me!" He stomped his foot, the sound echoing off the walls. "Who are you?"

The figure just laughed, chilling Marik to the bone. "You know, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have places to go and things to do," he stated, voice dripping with sarcasm. There was a ruffling sound – Marik guessed he was picking up the bag that he'd probably put the Euphrosyne in. As the figure walked towards him, he was frozen. Was he going to hurt him? Marik was scared, shaking in place. Suddenly, crimson eyes met his gaze. And those were all he could see of the stranger. "By the way," his voice purred. "Thanks for keeping the door open."

And the other left, leaving Marik frozen in spot. The slamming of the door snapped him out of his daze, however. Spinning around, he wordlessly opened it. As he stepped out, he scanned the hallways – the figure was nowhere to be seen. He'd gotten away. Marik bristled, growing angry with himself. He'd gotten away with all that Euphrosyne, and it was all his fault! How could he live with himself, knowing he'd let Nemesis get away? With the Euphrosyne!

"Marik!" Yami's voice called from down the hallway. Marik turned his head, watching as his co-worker made his way towards him. He blanched. "Are you okay? You look... pale." Marik turned his gaze to the floor slowly, too ashamed of himself to meet Yami's eyes. "Well, what happened with Nemesis? Did you catch them?"

Marik squeezed his eyes shut. "I-I'm sorry, Yami... By the time I got here, Nemesis was long gone," he lied. "I didn't make it in time. Joey and Tristan weren't inside, either. I don't know where they went..." He hated lying to Yami. Why wouldn't he? The older man had saved his life.

Yami cursed under his breath. "Well, how was the damage? How much Euphrosyne did they steal?" he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

Marik nearly corrected Yami, almost saying it wasn't a they but a he. "It was a big blow, at least. I couldn't check that much, though. The lights were blown out for some reason. I tried to flip the switch, but they wouldn't come on. Sorry..." he muttered, shaking his head.

Yami patted the tanned teenager on the back, making him look up into the red eyes of his friend. "Don't worry about it, Marik. There wasn't much you could do. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt," he said honestly, shooting the other a smile.

Marik had never felt more miserable in his life.

"Rejoice! Bakura's back with a major victory!"

Cheers filled the room as the white haired teen with crimson eyes burst into the hideout, a large bag slung over his shoulders. He grimaced at the strong smell of alcohol. "Hey, Bakura! How much d'you get this time?" one drunkard asked, before gulping down his beer.

"Around 30 or so packets," Bakura answered curtly. He tossed the bag onto the wooden table in the middle of the room, making it creak. "It wasn't so hard." Deciding to leave out the part where he got caught by some dumb... whatever, he scanned over his so-called comrades. "Where's Ryou?"

"He's upstairs. You should check on him, since he's freaking out so bad," a woman answered from the bar stools. She pushed back some of her long, slick blonde hair, batting her gorgeous purple eyes at Bakura. "You were running late."

Bakura snorted. "Only by a couple of minutes, Kujaku. I got held back by traffic – you can't blame me for that," he scoffed at the woman. It was a lie - he was actually a bit paranoid after the whole confrontation in the stock room. Though he was certain the other... man? couldn't see him, he didn't want to risk any chances.

"Oh, please. Like you'd let some traffic hold you back. Something happened, didn't it?" Mai accused. The room went quiet, the other Nemesis members staring at Bakura. They were curious as well as to why Bakura was so late.

Luckily for him, Ryou came down at that moment. "Bakura!" he exclaimed, throwing himself at his brother. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick! You're late you know!" Bakura grimaced as he saw Ryou's teary expression.

"Don't worry," he grumbled. "I'm fine. Nothing happened, just traffic." Ryou stared at him, backing up a few steps. He examined the way his brother's eyes refused to meet his, and how his hands fiddled behind his back.

"Well, let's go upstairs and talk, alright?" the younger brother suggested. Bakura looked at Ryou, eyes slightly widened, before nodding once. He followed his sibling upstairs, where they headed to their shared room. Once they left, the bar area became lively once more.

The door closed behind Bakura, and Ryou was on his case in a flash. "Tell me the truth now, Bakura. What held you up?" he questioned, watching as his older brother went to sit on his bed.

Bakura exhaled, falling back onto the soft mattress. "Well, I guess you could say I was found out?" he said uncertainly. "But, since it was dark, I think the person didn't see me. He was scared, though." He smirked. "I wonder if he was scared of me. It'd be wonderful if I knew what expression he had on... Or if I could even see his face at all..." Bakura licked his lips, remembering the way that other guy's voice had wavered in fear.

Ryou sighed, walking over to his bed and sitting on it. He hated when his brother got like this, making him look like a sadistic bastard. (Though, to be honest, he kind of was.) "Well, do you think he told his boss, or whatever? It'd spell trouble for us if he could even describe anything about you!" he groaned.

Bakura grunted. He hadn't thought of that. "With the way he was acting as I left, by which I mean frozen in place, I doubt he'd tell. Plus, he didn't seem the type," he replied simply, sitting up.

"The type?" Ryou repeated in horror. "You- you didn't talk to him, did you?" Bakura sent him a look, confirming his fears. "Bakura, he could recognize you from your voice! And if you walked by him, he probably could've at least partially seen your face!" He stood and began to pace. "Oh, what'll we do? We'll get caught! I know it!"

"Relax, Ryou! We won't get caught," Bakura huffed, rolling his eyes. "If push comes to shove, we'll leave the others behind and be on our merry way. Simple as that." Ryou turned, looking at his older brother with wide eyes.

"Leave the others behind? You mean Mai, and... and everyone else?" he asked softly. "There is no way I'll allow that, Bakura! They're our friends! They've been with us through thick and thin; how could you even think of such a thing?"

Bakura scoffed. "The world's a terrible place, Ryou. You should know that personally. Or have you forgotten?" he asked. Ryou's brown eyes hardened as he stopped pacing. He looked down at the floor, a mournful look on his face.

"No... I haven't forgotten..." he whispered. "I haven't forgotten about how the Legion took away our mum and Amane. I never will."

Bakura shot Ryou a smug grin. "Then you understand. In this world it's do or die; there's no in between," he said smartly. Ryou simply frowned at him and sat back down on his bed.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Ryou broke it. "Bakura... do you think the world will return back to the way it was pre-Impact?" he asked, tightening his hands into fists. Bakura turned to his brother, blinking. "Sometimes I wonder if... all our fighting and effort will be in vain. Everyone's suffered a heavy loss from the Impact; most people will never be the same."

Bakura contemplated this in silence. "Who knows?" came his answer. He shrugged, looking at the wall. "But we'll never know unless we try..."

Ryou snorted. "Who are you and what have you done to my brother?" he asked, letting out a small laugh. "The Bakura I know is never optimistic."

Bakura glared at his younger brother. "Oh, shove it!" he hissed. He stood up, walking over to the door. "I'm gonna go and get some drinks. Do what you want." He strutted out, slamming the door, making sure to ignore the laughter behind him.

A/N: I tried. I tried my hardest to make this 6k words long. But in the end, I have failed. I really don't want this to go jumping back and forth between Marik and Bakura like a bazillion times each chapter, so I'll have to end it here. Please let me know how you like it, and leave a review!