Yu-Gi-Oh! © Kazuki Takahashi

Blood+ © Production I.G / Animax

This work of fiction is for non-profit entertainment purposes only, and the characters and plot all belong to their respective owners.

If any of the original owners are against fanfiction that contain their creations, please let me know and I will remove this story from this and all sites.

This Chapter Contains . . .

Violence: Explicit violence and gore.

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: Porn is mildly mentioned.

Sexual Content: None

Edit Update: 11/20/2015

Edited it a little bit.

Warning: This is a 1st draft, which means that it's far from perfect. Once I have completed the story, it will be entirely re-written for the 2nd draft.

She remained motionless as Monsters tore her village apart.

One that had no skin, exposing its skeletal structure and muscle tissue, and resembled a demon with its horns and bat-like wings grabbed her neighbor with clawed hands, shooting volts of electricity into him. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream, which was drowned out by everyone else's as his head thrashed from side-to-side. His eyes melted and cascaded down his gaunt face like thick tears as his dark skin formed grotesque blisters that burst at random intervals, releasing a spray of blood and puss that shot out of his body like arrows from a bow. Not long after that, the man went limp. When the Monster saw that he was dead, it opened its mouth, dug its teeth into the corpse's arm, and ripped off the flesh from the bone.

A little boy with a missing tooth - whom she had played with many times in the past - tried to run to the desert, hoping that the blazing sun and sea of sand would be more forgiving. But before he could reach the possible safe haven, a shadow appeared over the boy and a giant stone hand came crashing down on top of him. When the rock creature walked off in search of another victim, the girl stared at her friend. His head was cracked open, gray brain matter mixing with the blood covered sand. His limbs were at unnatural angles, bones broken free and jutting out of their vessel; one of which was pointing towards the clear blue skies, as if it were asking the gods how they could sit up there in the heavens and watch this happen to their people below their feet.

There was a loud screech before she saw a mother run from the noise while carrying a squirming baby, who was trying desperately to escape from the confines of its blanket. When the mother turned her head to see if they were being pursued, she stepped on the boy's broken carcass and fell to the ground, her child still clutched tightly in her arms. When she tried to get back on her feet, the woman and her infant were lifted off of the ground and the mother watched in terror as the villagers and Monsters became smaller and smaller with each passing second. She was being taken high up into the air by a reddish purple dragon with a chain around its neck and a head ornament with blue gemstones. The woman and her child both cried out as a group of harpies surrounded the two. One pried the baby from its mother's grasp and let the blanket fall to the ground below as she licked her lips, impatient to sink her teeth into the infant's frail body. Another harpy screeched in protest and tried to grab the child away from her sister before the rest of them joined the foray. In a matter of seconds the baby was torn apart and devoured. The woman wailed and tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched her child's blood drip down the chins of the harpies until the dragon placed the mother's head inside its gaping mouth and tore it clean off of her neck, leaving a bloody stump.

And still the little girl couldn't move. She didn't even feel afraid. In fact, she didn't feel anything. It was as if her soul had left the land of the living, leaving behind an empty shell that could only observe her surroundings. Maybe it was the shock. If it was, the Monsters were not the cause of it. It was the betrayal.

As the unearthly creatures continued the slaughter, they were assisted by a sixteen-year-old boy. His purple, black, and blond hair turned red as the blood from the mother fell down on top of him like crimson rain. The dark magenta cloak that he wore was tattered from when an elderly woman had grabbed onto it, begging the boy to save them from the bloodthirsty creatures. But instead of helping her, he had drawn his blade and sliced her clean in half, cutting off a portion of his cloak in the process, and he had watched in silence as the old woman's intestines spilled out in a jumbled heap. Sunlight reflected off of his golden crown when he turned his head, his purple eyes staring into the little girl's brown ones before he began to walk straight towards her. The girl's brain finally came back to life and told her to run, even though she knew that doing so would be suicide, but all she could do was stand there as her legs trembled. The once great pharaoh of Egypt stopped when he reached her, his blank expression hiding all emotion.

When the little girl opened her mouth to beg for him to spare her, she heard a low growl come from behind. Teeth cut into her sides like knives and she was dragged back into her home, where smaller Monsters were feasting upon hunks of various limbs that were her parents. The last thing she saw was the Pharaoh, standing in her doorway as Monsters gathered around him.

Yugi Mutou snapped back into consciousness when his body collided with the hard wooden floor. It had happened again. Whenever he had that dream, he always tossed and turned until he rolled off of his bed. Or at least, Yugi assumed that it was always the same dream. He couldn't be sure because he was never able to remember it. Not visually, anyway. When he had that dream, he always felt uneasy; like he was supposed to remember a distant memory that was long forgotten. The short boy picked himself up and shrugged it off with a yawn right when his alarm clock began to ring. After turning it off, Yugi sluggishly made his way downstairs, not caring that his multicolored hair was in every direction or that his pajama top was only halfway buttoned up. Until he saw who was waiting for him.

"Good morning, Yugi!" A short haired brunette wearing a school uniform said with a cheerful smile when she saw her friend.

"A-Anzu!" Her sudden appearance made Yugi notice how he looked and frantically began trying to put his hair back to its usual star shape.

Anzu tried not to laugh at his feeble attempt to make himself more presentable. "You don't have to make a fuss. We've known each other since Elementary School, after all."

"Yeah, but-"

"So you're finally awake." His grandfather, Sugoroku Mutou, said as he placed a puzzle box on a shelf. "It isn't polite to keep a girl waiting."

"I wasn't asleep that long." Yugi said defensively. After all, he had woken up right before his alarm clock rang.

He gave his grandson a wink, letting him know that he was just messing with him, and Yugi smiled and nodded in understanding before getting ready for school. It didn't take long for Yugi to change into his school uniform and make some toast to eat on their way to school; and before he knew it he was walking alongside his friend while munching on the piece of buttered bread, the occasional crumb breaking free to land on the sidewalk where ants would most likely gather later that day to carry them off to their colonies.

"Are you okay, Yugi?"

"Wuh?" Yugi asked through a mouthful of toast.

"You look like you haven't been getting much sleep lately."

Yugi swallowed his food. "Yeah. I've been having this dream."

"A dream? What kind of dream?"

"I'm not sure. I just know that it's important."

"An important dream . . ." Anzu thought about it before shrugging. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're great at that."

"Dreams aren't the same as puzzles. And how can I figure it out when I can't even remember it?"

Anzu saw that it was bugging him and gave her friend an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, Yugi. Everything will work out."

"I sure hope so."

"Over here, Yug!" Katsuya Jonouchi, one of Yugi's classmates and close friends who had blond hair and a constant grin that made some question his intelligence, called out from his desk when the spiky haired boy entered their classroom.

"Hi, guys."

"You look terrible." Hiroto Honda, another friend and classmate with brown hair and strong features who was almost always with Jonouchi, told him frankly.

"So you noticed too, huh?" Anzu leaned against her desk. "He's been having trouble sleeping."

"Why?" Jonouchi looked at Yugi. "Are ya bein' bullied again? If so," he held up his fist, "me an' Honda will clobber 'em for ya!"

"It's not that!" Yugi said quickly before explaining about the dream he couldn't remember.

"Weird." Honda said.

"It's just a dream, Yug." Jonouchi said dismissively. "It's probably nothin'."

When Anzu saw the look on Yugi's face, she hit Jonouchi's arm with her elbow.

"What was that for?!" He asked as he rubbed his sore limb.

She didn't get the chance to answer because a fellow student with long white hair and a gentle smile walked over to them. "What's going on?"

"Hi, Bakura." Yugi said as the boy approached them. Even though they didn't know Ryo Bakura very well because he was a transfer student who only recently arrived at their school, they still treated him like a close friend.

"Anzu was just assaultin' me for no reason." Jonouchi said with a grimace.

"I did have a reason, you idiot!"

"I couldn't help but overhear," Bakura said to Yugi while Anzu irritably explained to Jonouchi why she had hit him, "but did you say that you're having a problem with dreams?"

"Just one dream, I think."

"You think?"

"Please take your seats." They had been so wrapped up with their conversations that they hadn't even noticed that the teacher had entered the room. After everyone complied, their teacher smiled. "Class, we have a new transfer student."

"Another one?" Jonouchi whispered to Yugi, who also found it strange.

"Please come in and introduce yourself."

Before the new student walked in, Yugi tried to imagine what they might look like. He guessed that it was either going to be a cute girl - because what young boy didn't want that? - or some big and ruthless bully who would instantly target Yugi because he was such an easy target, what with his size and the fact that he was probably the weakest kid in their class. The transfer student was neither of these things.

All of the students murmured to themselves when they saw the boy's foreign appearance. His skin was bronze - which was not common in Japan, especially where they lived - his shoulder length hair a bleached blond color, and his eyes were dark lavender. Many of the girls giggled, thinking that he looked quite dashing, while most of the boys groaned. It was bad enough when Bakura had arrived, but now there was yet another cute guy to contend with for the girl's affections.

"I am Marik Ishtar." The transfer student announced without emotion, his eyes cast downward.

There was a gap of silence before the teacher asked, "And?"

Instead of answering, the transfer student sullenly walked across the room to an empty desk that he assumed was his and sat down in silence. The female students thought it made him a cool bad boy while the males found it annoying.

"Well then." The teacher coughed uncomfortably before grabbing a piece of chalk to write that day's lesson on the blackboard.

Yugi turned his head to look at Marik, who was sitting in the far back. He was the opposite of Bakura, who had introduced himself with a smile and was polite to everyone. It didn't look like he was from Japan. Was that why? Or maybe he just felt uncomfortable in his new surroundings. After school, Yugi decided, he would introduce himself. Yugi loved making new friends, and it looked like Marik needed some.

"Where are you from?" One of the many girls that surrounded Marik at his desk asked.

"Egypt." He replied flatly.

"So cool!" All of the girls grabbed each other's hands and squealed in delight.

Bakura watched the spectacle with sympathy in his brown eyes, for he knew the feeling all too well. "Should we try to save him?"

"I don' know . . ." Jonouchi looked suspiciously at the dark skinned teen. "There's somethin' off 'bout that guy."

"Come on, you don't even know him yet." Anzu said.

Honda put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Afraid he'll be the new tough kid and kick your butt?"

"'Course not!" He pushed Honda away. "My gut's just tellin' me that he's bad news."

"Just give him a chance." Anzu argued.

"Anzu's right." Yugi said. "Everyone deserves one."

This made Jonouchi pause. If anyone knew about being given a chance, even when it seemed like a lost cause, it was him. "Fine." The blond boy placed his hands in his pockets. "But if anythin' goes sour, know that I've got your back."

"It's not like he's carrying a knife or anything." Anzu said.

Honda looked at Marik and raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be surprised if he is."

"Ya see?!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "Even Honda thinks he's bad news!"

"Let's just go already!" Anzu began pushing the others towards the back of the room. "We don't have all day, you know!"

When they reached the transfer student's desk, Yugi and his friends were somehow able to convince the fangirls to leave long enough for them to introduce themselves and stood in front of Marik, smiling down at him as if they had known him for years. Except for Jonouchi, who was doing a mix of a squint and a scowl that he thought looked intimidating but was in reality quite comical.

"Hi, Marik." Yugi said.

The Egyptian boy looked them over once, stood up, and then headed for the open door.

"Wait!" Yugi called out.

Marik continued to make his way towards the exit but Jonouchi got there first and blocked it with his arm, slamming his fist against the doorframe. There was nothing comical in his expression now. "Don't leave like that when someone's talkin' ta ya."

"It's okay, Jonouchi." Yugi said, holding up his hands in a feeble attempt to calm him down. "We can't force him to talk to us."

"It's not 'bout him not talkin' ta us or not. It's this guy's better-than-ya attitude."

"Let the guy go, Jonouchi." Honda said.

After glaring at Marik for a second more, Jonouchi reluctantly lowered his arm.

"Sorry about that." Yugi apologized. "We just want to get to know you."

"Yeah." Anzu put in. "If you ever want a tour of the place or just want to hang out, just let us know."

Marik once again stared at them with unblinking purple eyes before wordlessly leaving the classroom. Yugi and his friends watched as he walked down the long hallway, where the love-struck girls had been waiting, and soon enough he was once again surrounded as they bombarded him with questions and hyperactive giggles. Bakura knew from experience that Marik wouldn't have a moment to himself at school for at least another day or two.

"Well, that was interesting." The white haired boy said. "I wonder why he's avoiding everybody like that."

"I told ya!" Jonouchi clenched his fist. "That guy's trouble!"

"I hate to agree with him, but maybe he's right." Honda placed his hands in his pockets. "And even if he isn't, it looks like the guy just wants to be left alone."

"Can't we try again tomorrow?" Yugi asked.

Jonouchi crossed his arms to form an X. "No way, man! I ain't goin' anywhere near that guy!"

"Too chicken?" Honda asked before giving his friend a noogie.

While the two of them roughhoused, Anzu let out a sigh and said something about boys being boys, which made Bakura chuckle, while Yugi tried to come up with a course of action. He knew that they shouldn't force Marik to be their friend, but they couldn't just give up on him either. Maybe they had come on too strong. Next time they would ease up on him, and maybe after he got more used to their school, Marik would open up a bit. It was worth a shot.

The next day, they all decided to keep their distance during P.E. But they kept an eye on him, trying to figure the foreign boy out. It proved to be more difficult than they had first assumed. Marik kept to himself, sitting far away from everyone else as he stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in his thoughts. If Yugi didn't know any better, he would have thought that Marik was a ghost. He was certainly as quiet as one. And there was something about him that Yugi couldn't quite put his finger on. A faint recognition that caused a blurred memory to appear in his mind. But when he tried to concentrate on it, the image faded. What was it about Marik that seemed so familiar . . . ?

"Hey, you!" The group of teenagers quickly turned their heads towards the shouting and Bakura flinched when he saw that it was Mr. Karita - their P.E. teacher - who was pointing a finger at the high jump while yelling at Marik, who stared back at him with disinterest. "Get your butt over there!"

As the Egyptian boy got up, Anzu said, "Is this going to be like those anime how the mysterious transfer student comes in and is perfect at everything he does?"

"There's anime like that?" Jonouchi asked.

"Of course there is. What have you been watching?"

He and Yugi exchanged glances and shared a nervous laugh. They couldn't tell her that Jonouchi had porn videos that he sometimes lent to his short and equally perverted friend; even if all of the nudity was censored with pixels.

"He's about to jump!" One of Marik's admirers squealed before the rest of the excited girls began shouting his name, cheering him on.

"That's annoying." Honda groaned.

Marik looked up at the horizontal bar, as if carefully analyzing it to determine how high he should go to avoid it, and everyone leaned forward, holding their breath as he ran and jumped into the air. His female classmates all gasped and even some of the boys looked impressed. Until Marik collided with the bar, which landed next to him when he landed. All of the girls let out a long "awww!" while most of the boys cheered, happy that he wasn't as great as the girls had thought, and they hoped that this would cause some of them to leave Marik's fan club, giving the rest of the male students another shot to win them over.

"So much for your anime theory." Honda said, intertwining his fingers behind his head.

Bakura watched the tanned boy dust himself off before heading back to his original spot. "I think he did that on purpose."

Yugi's eyebrows raised slightly. "You think so?"

"That's what it looked like to me. I could be wrong."

"But why would he do that?" Anzu asked.

Bakura was about to answer but Jonouchi beat him to it. "Cuz he wants the girls ta get off his back. No better way of doin' that than disappointin' 'em."

Honda pointed at his friend. "He should know. Jonouchi's an expert at disappointing women."

"Say what?!"

"Would you guys please cut it out?" Anzu groaned.

When P.E. was over, Yugi and Anzu - Jonouchi and Honda had decided not to join them in their attempts to befriend Marik, not wanting him to feel surrounded by too many people - casually greeted Marik upon entering their classroom. In response, he opened his schoolbag and pulled out a magazine on motorcycles, completely ignoring the friendship brigade.

After class was no different. Whenever they tried to approach him, he either kept himself busy with reading and studying, or he would leave the room altogether. This carried on for the next couple of days.

"Let me try." Bakura suggested, after Yugi and Anzu had once again been given the cold shoulder, and he walked over to Marik's desk where he started a conversation.

Anzu and Yugi watched from a safe distance. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they saw that Marik's lips were moving, which meant progress. Bakura's shoulders leaned back as he crossed his arms over his chest before the Egyptian boy's eyes half closed. If only they could make out what was being said!

A few moments later, Bakura came back with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but no luck. I think he just doesn't like being around other people."

"That's sad." Anzu said. She couldn't understand how anyone could go on through life without friends. A life without Yugi and the others was unthinkable.

Bakura shrugged slightly. "Some people prefer it that way."

Yugi looked at Marik once more, who had his chin in his hand and was staring out the window. "At least we tried."

"So we're just giving up?" Anzu asked, and from the tone of her voice he could tell that she didn't want to. She was a fighter.

"No, we're just going to leave him alone for now. And maybe one day he'll be ready to make friends and come to us."

"Maybe . . ." Anzu didn't sound convinced.

"He sounded quite annoyed when I spoke to him." Bakura said. "I think it would be best if we left him alone."

Anzu sighed. "Okay. I'm not happy about it, but okay."

"It's for the best." Bakura told her reassuringly.

"How about we find Jonouchi and Honda and go to Burger World together." Yugi suggested, changing the subject. "It's been a while since we've all been there together."

Anzu smiled. "Okay, but you guys are paying."

"These are the best burgers anywhere!" Jonouchi said as he stuffed his ninth one into his mouth.

"They're going to have a burger shortage if you keep that up." Honda told him.

"Thanks, Yugi." Anzu said. "This was a lot of fun. And it distracted me from thinking about you-know-who."

"Glad to help."

"It's starting to get dark outside." Bakura pointed out. "We should probably be heading home soon."

Anzu looked at her watch. "It's that late already?"

"Party's over!" Honda announced and everyone left their seats before heading out of the building.

"See ya tomorra, Yug." Jonouchi said with a wave.

"Bye, guys." And with that they all went their separate ways.

Yugi jogged at a fast pace as he made his way through the city, hoping to get home before the sun was completely out of the sky. While the crime rate wasn't too bad, it was still a good idea to be cautious. He turned a corner and then decided to go through an alley that he knew was a shortcut but instantly regretted it. The last bit of sunlight was blocked out by the looming buildings and every sound, including his own footfalls, seemed to echo all around him. If only he was tough like Jonouchi and Honda. Those two could take care of themselves. And then some.

The sound of hurrying footsteps made Yugi jump and he turned around to see if anyone was behind him. No one was there. Was he only imagining it? He quickened his pace just in case he wasn't and let out a sigh of relief when he was out of the alley, making a mental note not to use that shortcut ever again. Yugi turned another corner and came face-to-face with a giant insect.

Yugi fell to the ground and stared wide eyed at the creature in front of him. It looked like a cross between a praying mantis and a human, with large red eyes and long arms that had razor sharp blades for hands. It made a clicking noise before raising one of its arms, ready to pierce the blade through the shocked teenage boy. With a yelp, Yugi rolled out of the way just in time, the blade hitting the sidewalk instead. He wasted no time in getting out of there. And of course, the praying mantis-human hybrid followed.

Yugi ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, his fear of being killed giving him a little extra speed. Knowing that going home would only put his grandfather in danger, he ran in the opposite direction, to a location that he knew was almost always deserted: The warehouses.

When the warehouses came into view, Yugi looked over his shoulder to see how close the praying mantis was to him. To his surprise, it was nowhere in sight. Yugi slowed down until he came to a complete stop and bent over, grabbing his shaking legs as he gasped for air. He wasn't used to running so hard for so long. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, as if it were trying to rip through it and escape; he felt lightheaded as sweat traveled down his brow, and the burgers he had eaten with his friends were trying to resurface. But he couldn't stay here. Yes, rarely anyone was ever here, but those few individuals who did were street thugs and minor criminals. Why did he come here again? Suddenly the thought of being mugged seemed worse than the possibility of being killed by a giant insect. He turned back the way he came, hoping that the creature was gone for good.

"Hey."

Of course.

"What's a kid like you doin' on our turf?"

A group of hooligans casually walked over to him and chuckled to themselves while they showed off their weapons, which consisted of knives, chains, and a few lead pipes thrown in for good measure. All Yugi wanted to do was go home and sleep; but instead he was alone, trying without success to hide his fear as he backed up from the gang until he hit a wall. He was trapped.

"Just pay up and we'll let ya be on your merry little way." The biggest of the bunch, who was obviously the leader, said while tossing his knife from one hand to the other.

"But I don't have any." He had used the last of his pocket money to pay for burgers. Jonouchi was an expensive eater and was seldom able to pay for his large appetite himself.

"That's too bad." The strong muscled thug licked his knife, a murderous glint in his eyes. "I guess we'll just have ta kill ya than."

His minions all smiled and held up their weapons, more than ready to do just that. But they all stopped when they saw that a blade was now protruding from their leader's stomach. Blood sprayed out of his wound and landed on Yugi's face and school uniform as more of the red liquid and saliva poured out of the thug's mouth, and his bloodshot eyes bulged while he made gargling noises in the back of his throat.

"Boss?" One of the gang members asked shakily. "You okay?"

The blade was pulled out, letting the body fall and hit the ground with a loud thud, revealing the praying mantis. Its right arm was now covered with blood.

The now leaderless gang members screamed and ran for it, some of them dropping their weapons in their hurry to get away. The insect ignored them and cocked its head to one side as it looked at Yugi, who was staring down at the body in front of him. He had never seen a dead body before, and the smell of fresh blood was overpowering. This had to be a nightmare, right? There was no way that all of this could actually be happening.

The clicking noise that the praying mantis made snapped Yugi back to reality, and yet he still found himself looking downward at the red puddle at his feet. Was he going to die here too? Images of his friends and grandfather flashed through his mind. Would they ever figure out what happened to him? No, he couldn't die here. He couldn't.

The praying mantis began to walk towards him while getting its blade in position to strike, and Yugi shut his eyes as tight as he could, preparing himself for the blow.

It didn't come. Instead, he heard angry clicking from the insect, followed by grunts and metal upon metal. What was going on? Yugi carefully opened his eyes, wondering if it was safe to look, and his mouth opened in shock. The praying mantis was now attacking someone wearing a dark purple cloak with two gold chains - one below the collar and the other hanging from the edge of his hood that had the image of a golden eye where the forehead was, and Yugi saw that he was fighting off the insect with a golden dagger of some sort. Yugi walked along the wall, trying to stay out of the way as he wondered what he could do to help. The praying mantis tried to slice off the stranger's head and Yugi's rescuer managed to dodge it, but his hood fell back in the process, revealing his face.

"Marik?" Yugi said in disbelief.

The sound of his name distracted him just long enough for the insect to strike. Marik backed off before it could cause any serious damage, but it was still able to cut into his shoulder, and the Egyptian grimaced as blood clung to his cloak.

"Are you all right?" Yugi knew that it was a dumb question, but what else could he say?

Marik looked at him, looked at the praying mantis, then back at Yugi again, trying to decide what he should do. A moment later, Marik began running towards Yugi. Before the spiky haired boy could react, Marik had sped past him. At first Yugi just stood there as he tried to process what had just happened, but the sight of the praying mantis readying itself to charge at him made Yugi turn on his heel and chase after Marik.

The two of them raced towards the warehouses, the praying mantis still pursuing them, and then they entered one of the old buildings, locking it behind them by putting a wooden beam through the door handles. The giant insect tried to use itself as a battering ram and Yugi flinched each time it hit the door, expecting it to break through at any moment. Thankfully that didn't happen. After realizing that it wasn't going to get through that way, the insect stopped and all was calm again. The only sounds that remained were Yugi and Marik's heavy breathing and the overhanging chains that occasionally touched each other when wind blew in through the cracks in the walls.

Marik ripped off his cloak, revealing a sleeveless lavender crop top with two more gold chains on the front and a pulled back hood, over an also sleeveless black shirt. The insect's blade had cut through both fabrics and into his flesh. The tanned boy cursed in a language that Yugi guessed was his native tongue before he snatched up his cloak, tore it with his dagger, and used a piece of it to wrap up the wound, grabbing one end of the cloth with his teeth when tightening the knot. From how quickly he worked, Yugi guessed that bandaging himself up was something he did often. As he watched him work, Yugi noticed that he was also wearing a large array of gold jewelry: Kite shaped earrings, a three banded choker necklace, bracers, and arm bracelets. It made Yugi think of the pictures and sculptures of ancient Egyptians he had once seen at the museum, which he guessed made sense, considering where Marik was from.

"What are you doing here, Marik?"

"I'm supposed to protect you." He didn't sound very happy about it.

"From that thing? Why? What is it? And what does it want?"

"Someone wants to use the Pharaoh's power to bring Monsters into our world."

"The Pharaoh's power?"

A loud crash prevented Marik from explaining any further. The praying mantis had found a weak spot in the roof and broke through, creating a cloud of dust when it landed. Marik held up his dagger as the insect charged and it rammed into him, pinning Marik against the door they had blocked just moments ago.

Yugi saw a wooden beam on the ground and grabbed it, raising it above his head before bringing it down on the insect. It shattered on impact, leaving Yugi with a splintered stump. The insect turned to look at its new attacker and jumped away from Marik before running towards him, its blood covered blade poised for the kill. Marik tried to catch up to it, but they both knew that he wouldn't make it in time. Yugi was as good as dead.

"Yugi."

This wasn't Marik's voice. It was coming from inside Yugi's head.

"Yugi, let me take over."

Yugi tried to speak, to ask the voice who he was, but his eyelids became heavy and his body felt numb before everything went black.

Marik remained still as he watched the slaughter in front of him. First he threw the stump at the insect to give him enough time to grab a crowbar that lay nearby, and as the praying mantis tried once again to attack, he thrust it into its stomach, causing the insect to stop and look down at the green liquid that was dripping from its wound. The crowbar was pulled out, causing the green blood to pour out freely before he hit the side of its head with great force, sending it to the ground. He stood on top of it and brought the crowbar down upon its head. Again. And again. And again. All the while its attacker didn't make a noise or show any emotion - except for the occasional grimace when green blood hit his face, threatening to land in his eyes. When the insect's head was nothing more than an unrecognizable mess, he finally stopped and turned to look at Marik, like a king looking down upon his subjects from his thrown. No. Not a king. A Pharaoh.

Marik clenched his fist and spoke the Pharaoh's name with as much malice as he could muster. "Atem."

The two of them continued to stare at each other, one with pure hatred and the other with indifference, and then Atem began to change.

Yugi looked drowsily at his surroundings, as if he had just woken up from a long nap, and then he collapsed on top of the bloody carcass.

Marik dragged the unconscious boy away from the insect's body and knelt down beside him. He tightened his grip on the dagger as he imagined thrusting the blade into the boy's heart. It would be so easy. And if he was asked about it, he could simply say that he didn't make it in time. The insect had killed Yugi and then Marik had killed the insect. It was a believable story. But he knew that it wouldn't work. His sister could see the future. She had probably seen all of this already. The fact that she had sent her little brother, knowing full well how much he despised the Pharaoh, told him that she knew he wouldn't kill him. Marik squeezed the dagger's hilt enough to make his fingers begin to ache and grow stiff. He wasn't going to pass this up. This was his chance to have his revenge. Marik grabbed the lethal weapon in both of his shaking hands and brought it down on his target.