Uh oh. someone let me listen to Korn again..
So I bring to you another Malik/Ishtar/Rishid fic inspired by having "Freak on a Leash", "Thoughtless", "Hollow Life", and "Right Now" stuck in my head for the past three days.
I'm writing this as a couple of shorts that I'm using to explain why things are like they are in the series, so this is mostly a fic written for my personal enjoyment, but let me know if you happen to like this thing too. ^_^
I don't own Yugioh or anything else I may happen to use in this fic that's not obviously mine. I thank both the creative team behind Yugioh for supplying the characters and Korn for the music to write by.
I forget what the exact age it says Rishid is compared to Malik, and I have no clue as to how old Malik was when he got his yami, so for the purposes of this fic my artistic license says that Malik is 13 and Rishid is 23.
I also know that Rishid is adopted, and I do make a point of mentioning that a couple times in this fic. But, just as I call my adopted brother "my brother" in regular conversation, I feel that Malik and Rishid would do the same with each other.
And as always, Malik is the hikari, "the voice" is the yami in this chapter.
~*~*~*~*~
Malik lay motionless in his underground bed, seemingly staring in to nothingness as the world moved around him, both outside of the pyramid and in the domain he shared with his close family. Older brother had said something about having to bury father, but was that just a hideous nightmare? Life was all just a dream, and he prayed to every god he could think of that could help him wake up and experience reality.
"Malik dear," The ebony haired matriarch of the Ishtar Family walked over to its youngest member, kneeling in front of her son to run a mocha hand through his platinum hair, brushing it from his tear-filled eyes. "I know you didn't mean to do it, but please, we can all go on a holiday to the surface if it will make you feel better."
The young boy turned from his side to his stomach so he could press his face in to the pillow. "My back feels as if it's on fire Mother. I can't move."
Saddened, the dark haired woman gently played with her son's hair, not wanting to cause him any more pain than his father already had. "Do you want anything to eat? Isis has been in the kitchen all day making a special dinner, and I'd like for you to try to eat with all of us."
"I'll come if you'll leave." Came the muffled reply; the woman sighed, standing from her spot next to the boy and left the room.
Malik waited for his mother to exit before he sat on the edge of his bed, his back not seeming to bother him now. Rishid had promised to help him take the bandages off this afternoon, and though he didn't want to be around people at all, Rishid was at least tolerable. He genuinely wanted to help Malik, unlike everyone else in the family.
Though if Rishid had really wanted to help, he would have kept Father away from him, and Father would still be alive.
Stepping in to his canvas slippers, Malik silently trotted to Rishid's room, disappointed to find the chamber empty. Where could Rishid be? Did he go to the surface without Malik?
The little blond shook his head as he stared at the empty room. Rishid would never leave him, ever. That's what the voice said the other night.
The voice had been getting louder in his head since Father died, but Malik was not about to tell Mother or his brother or sister about his looming insanity. He decided that the voice was indeed Father come back to haunt him, and how would telling other people about a personal ghost come to make that ghost go away? It would just make the ghost angry.
Sitting on Rishid's bed, Malik settled in with one of his brother's books of study to wait for the elder's return, reading the words carefully, because some day he would be the Pharaoh and would need to know all this stuff about Egypt and Duel Monsters. Rishid even said he'd help him build a deck with cards he would buy on the surface during their next trip there.
~*~*~*~*~
"Where were you?" The young master of the Ishtar family growled as sat on Rishid's bed, the room dark from its lack of candlelight in the nighttime hours. Malik had not bothered to search for matches in his anger, hoping that he would scare his brother when he returned. "I wanted to go to the surface so you could teach me the game."
Rishid sighed as he lit a few candles, stripping from his heavy outdoor robes until he was wearing just a pair of dark pants, something that Malik was certain his father would have been quite angry about, with bringing in influences from the West and all.
"I'm sorry Master, but it was time for one of us to go buy the essentials so we can spend another month in seclusion here, so Mother asked me to go. We can go tomorrow to get you cards, I promise."
"We have enough cards down here." Isis stated as she stood in the doorway of the room. "Mother doesn't want any of us going to the surface without her permission ever again."
Rishid narrowed his eyes. "You've done well in your studies, sister, so you should know that the chosen ones should have their own decks."
To that comment, Isis just shrugged. "Well, it's up to you boys if you want to risk Mother's wrath right now. She's more upset with you than you think Malik because of what happened with Father."
"I'll kill her too if I have to." Malik grumbled to himself as she stood from Rishid's bed, pushing Isis as he walked past.
Sighing, the eldest son ran over to his ten year junior, scooping the blond up in his arms, making sure not to put too much pressure on his sore back. They needed to talk without Isis nearby, so Rishid left the girl behind as he carried his little brother toward the surface, grabbing a t- shirt as he walked past his closet.
"I order you to put me down!" Malik yelled before glaring up in to Rishid's cold eyes, but quickly decided not to test the young man's patience from the look he gleaned from his elder's eyes. Instead, the younger boy nuzzled his cheek against Rishid's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his neck so he could be carried easier. "Sorry." He whispered. "I don't want to be angry or yell or do bad things, it just kinda happens sometime. you know."
"I forgive you master." Rishid smiled down at the boy in his arms, leaning down to kiss his forehead before setting Malik down on one of the slabs of stone outside of their residence so he could slip his shirt on. "Anytime that you need help with dealing with your anger, just ask me. I will always be at your side, no matter what happens."
Malik's features brightened for the first time since the incident with his father, and he smiled as he hopped from the slab of stone he sat on to grab Rishid's hand, dragging the elder toward the brightly lit marketplace. "It's so cool!"
Allowing himself to be led to the marketplace by the young boy, Rishid hid his amusement at Malik's awe at the sights around him, as the blond would point out every tiny detail of life on the surface that seemed fascinating. Of course, Rishid had seen the surface much more than either of the Ishtar siblings because Mother trusted him to return and Father hadn't cared too much what happened to the adopted son, so nothing was seemingly amazing anymore.
Malik stopped suddenly, causing Rishid to almost knock him over as he bumped in to the small boy. "Look at it.." Malik whispered, his eyes full of reverence. "It's just like that picture I saw.." Not taking his eyes of the chrome-bedecked motorcycle, he tugged on Rishid's sleeve. "Can I go see it up close?"
"Malik, we can't just walk up to other people's property and.." Rishid just sighed as he watched the little blond dash over to the motorcycle to look it over, immediately striking up conversation with what appeared to be its owner and a few women.
"Gods, why?" Rishid shook his head as he walked over to where Malik was standing with the young man and women wearing western style clothing eyeing the motorcycle as if it was a god unto itself.
"Malik, I TOLD you not to run off. What if something happened to you? What would your mother and sister say?"
The little blond looked sadly at the motorcycle before biting his lip and returning to Rishid's side, thanking the people that he had been speaking with for letting him look at the machine as the two of them started toward where the game shop was located.
"Hey Rishid!" One of the girls from the group called out as she hurried behind the two, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"
Rishid gently tugged on Malik's robe, stopping the young boy, so he could speak to the girl that apparently knew him.
"I'm Sahri. from the market?" She added when the look of uncertainty registered across Rishid's features. "You probably haven't seen me with my hair down."
"Oh yeah." Rishid smiled, leading her away from Malik just so the younger boy couldn't hear what was happening. "What's wrong?"
Sahri's eyes traveled over toward Malik. "When did you have children? You never mentioned anything like that before."
Rishid didn't want to chuckle, but he did as he patted Sahri's arm, watching Malik take in the sights of the brightly colored marketplace. "Oh, that's my master's only son. I wanted to get his mind off his father's passing, so we came here to look around and buy him something he can be amused with for a while."
The girl smirked, leaning up to kiss Rishid's scarred cheek before turning and walking away, her hips swaying as if she was a model in her tight blue jeans. "It's tough being an heir, isn't it Rishid?"
~*~*~*~*~
Malik sat across from Rishid in the elder's bedroom, holding three Duel Monster cards in his hand, with a seven colored fish laying in front of him on the table, obviously debating on what his next move should be. "So who was the girl? And I play confiscation. Give me your hand."
Rishid obliged, leaning back against the wall as the younger boy debated over which card to choose. "She's just someone that works at the market where I buy our food, that's all."
"This one." Malik handed Rishid back his cards, keeping a Monster Reborn separate so it could be shuffled back in to the elder's deck. "And I attack your life points with the 7 Colored Fish, so you only have 200 left. Go." He watched as Rishid drew a card, then chuckled.
"Exodia. I win." Rishid smirked as he deposited the five cards of the Forbidden One on the bed where they sat.
"Man! I knew that was gonna happen." Malik groaned as he tossed the cards in his hand to the table. "So why'd she kiss you? Do you think she's pretty?"
Rishid picked his cards back up, shuffling again. "Let's try another game. You need the practice."
Malik's eyes twinkled as he giggled. "Rishid's got a girlfriend!" He sang as he continued shuffling his deck, much to the elder's disapproval.
"Concentrate Master. It's your sacred duty-"
"-to learn the ancient ways and how to survive in the Shadow Realm so I can help the stupid Pharaoh save the stupid world from the stupid high priest." Malik mocked his father's words, rolling his eyes as he dealt himself a new hand. "I KNOW that I've got to help the stupid pharaoh and I have to learn to play Shadow Games, but Rishid can't we talk about something else for a change? It's GOT to annoy you to think about ancient prophecies all day."
"Loser goes first, Loser." Rishid's gaze was hard as he glared at the young boy across from him, who sighed as he drew a card, silently making his moves. "I don't want to speak of the surface any more tonight Malik."
"Yeah, whatever. Go."
Rishid sighed, knowing that with as much disappointment as the young boy suffered throughout his life, he would rebel one day, and the world would learn to fear the adorable, innocent boy.
"What's so great about girls?"
"Huh?" The question caught him off guard, snapping him back to the reality of the situation. "Girls? I don't know. Sometimes they're fun to be around."
"Well, Isis is a girl and she's stupid. I'd punch her in the nose if she ever tried to kiss me."
Rishid chuckled. "Isis is your sister, that's why you think she's stupid Malik. She's actually really nice and really caring."
"She's a tattletale." Malik layed a Raigeki on the field, destroying Rishid's five monsters, leaving him wide open for an attack by Malik's two Harpie's Brothers. "But I wouldn't let her kiss me, no matter what."
Rishid, to his dismay, spoke without thinking. "You let me kiss you, so why couldn't she?"
"Because I like it when you kiss me." Malik stated matter of factly as if nothing could be implied as wrong by his statement. "Makes me feel good."
Rishid set his cards on the bed, placing his hand on Malik's cheek and leaning close. "Don't ever say anything like that again around anyone, do you understand?"
Instead of acknowledging, Malik layed his smaller hand on Rishid's nuzzling his cheek against the palm. "But it does."
Moving to his knees, Malik leaned up to brush his lips against his elder's in the faintest kiss he could have given. He wanted to prove how nice the time spent in each other's presence really did feel, but instead, Rishid was taken aback, his features registering first shock, then anger.
Pushing Malik down on his back and keeping his shoulders pinned, Rishid leaned over the young boy, leaning most of his weight down on Malik causing him to squirm in pain.
"Don't you EVER do that again!" The elder was furious, shaking the boy as he accented the words. "You are not to be like.. THAT!"
"GET OFF!" The voice was deeper that came from the young boy, and as Rishid's vision focused on the boy under him, he could not place what was different about his young master, but the boy had a different, more feral appearance. "Unless you want ME to finish what you've started."
Backing away, Rishid finally recognized what had happened. The evil presence that had killed Father had come back to Malik. He would surely die tonight at the spirit's hands, and Malik would be devastated yet again.
"Master, no.. calm down." The elder backed away, picking both decks of cards up and placing them on the table near the bed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
Malik chuckled, a deep, hideous laugh that seemed to come from the bowels of the underworld itself. "I was Rishid." Standing from the bed, Malik backed his brother against the wall, playing his hands across his bare chest. "Perhaps you need to be taught a lesson in humility."
So I bring to you another Malik/Ishtar/Rishid fic inspired by having "Freak on a Leash", "Thoughtless", "Hollow Life", and "Right Now" stuck in my head for the past three days.
I'm writing this as a couple of shorts that I'm using to explain why things are like they are in the series, so this is mostly a fic written for my personal enjoyment, but let me know if you happen to like this thing too. ^_^
I don't own Yugioh or anything else I may happen to use in this fic that's not obviously mine. I thank both the creative team behind Yugioh for supplying the characters and Korn for the music to write by.
I forget what the exact age it says Rishid is compared to Malik, and I have no clue as to how old Malik was when he got his yami, so for the purposes of this fic my artistic license says that Malik is 13 and Rishid is 23.
I also know that Rishid is adopted, and I do make a point of mentioning that a couple times in this fic. But, just as I call my adopted brother "my brother" in regular conversation, I feel that Malik and Rishid would do the same with each other.
And as always, Malik is the hikari, "the voice" is the yami in this chapter.
~*~*~*~*~
Malik lay motionless in his underground bed, seemingly staring in to nothingness as the world moved around him, both outside of the pyramid and in the domain he shared with his close family. Older brother had said something about having to bury father, but was that just a hideous nightmare? Life was all just a dream, and he prayed to every god he could think of that could help him wake up and experience reality.
"Malik dear," The ebony haired matriarch of the Ishtar Family walked over to its youngest member, kneeling in front of her son to run a mocha hand through his platinum hair, brushing it from his tear-filled eyes. "I know you didn't mean to do it, but please, we can all go on a holiday to the surface if it will make you feel better."
The young boy turned from his side to his stomach so he could press his face in to the pillow. "My back feels as if it's on fire Mother. I can't move."
Saddened, the dark haired woman gently played with her son's hair, not wanting to cause him any more pain than his father already had. "Do you want anything to eat? Isis has been in the kitchen all day making a special dinner, and I'd like for you to try to eat with all of us."
"I'll come if you'll leave." Came the muffled reply; the woman sighed, standing from her spot next to the boy and left the room.
Malik waited for his mother to exit before he sat on the edge of his bed, his back not seeming to bother him now. Rishid had promised to help him take the bandages off this afternoon, and though he didn't want to be around people at all, Rishid was at least tolerable. He genuinely wanted to help Malik, unlike everyone else in the family.
Though if Rishid had really wanted to help, he would have kept Father away from him, and Father would still be alive.
Stepping in to his canvas slippers, Malik silently trotted to Rishid's room, disappointed to find the chamber empty. Where could Rishid be? Did he go to the surface without Malik?
The little blond shook his head as he stared at the empty room. Rishid would never leave him, ever. That's what the voice said the other night.
The voice had been getting louder in his head since Father died, but Malik was not about to tell Mother or his brother or sister about his looming insanity. He decided that the voice was indeed Father come back to haunt him, and how would telling other people about a personal ghost come to make that ghost go away? It would just make the ghost angry.
Sitting on Rishid's bed, Malik settled in with one of his brother's books of study to wait for the elder's return, reading the words carefully, because some day he would be the Pharaoh and would need to know all this stuff about Egypt and Duel Monsters. Rishid even said he'd help him build a deck with cards he would buy on the surface during their next trip there.
~*~*~*~*~
"Where were you?" The young master of the Ishtar family growled as sat on Rishid's bed, the room dark from its lack of candlelight in the nighttime hours. Malik had not bothered to search for matches in his anger, hoping that he would scare his brother when he returned. "I wanted to go to the surface so you could teach me the game."
Rishid sighed as he lit a few candles, stripping from his heavy outdoor robes until he was wearing just a pair of dark pants, something that Malik was certain his father would have been quite angry about, with bringing in influences from the West and all.
"I'm sorry Master, but it was time for one of us to go buy the essentials so we can spend another month in seclusion here, so Mother asked me to go. We can go tomorrow to get you cards, I promise."
"We have enough cards down here." Isis stated as she stood in the doorway of the room. "Mother doesn't want any of us going to the surface without her permission ever again."
Rishid narrowed his eyes. "You've done well in your studies, sister, so you should know that the chosen ones should have their own decks."
To that comment, Isis just shrugged. "Well, it's up to you boys if you want to risk Mother's wrath right now. She's more upset with you than you think Malik because of what happened with Father."
"I'll kill her too if I have to." Malik grumbled to himself as she stood from Rishid's bed, pushing Isis as he walked past.
Sighing, the eldest son ran over to his ten year junior, scooping the blond up in his arms, making sure not to put too much pressure on his sore back. They needed to talk without Isis nearby, so Rishid left the girl behind as he carried his little brother toward the surface, grabbing a t- shirt as he walked past his closet.
"I order you to put me down!" Malik yelled before glaring up in to Rishid's cold eyes, but quickly decided not to test the young man's patience from the look he gleaned from his elder's eyes. Instead, the younger boy nuzzled his cheek against Rishid's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his neck so he could be carried easier. "Sorry." He whispered. "I don't want to be angry or yell or do bad things, it just kinda happens sometime. you know."
"I forgive you master." Rishid smiled down at the boy in his arms, leaning down to kiss his forehead before setting Malik down on one of the slabs of stone outside of their residence so he could slip his shirt on. "Anytime that you need help with dealing with your anger, just ask me. I will always be at your side, no matter what happens."
Malik's features brightened for the first time since the incident with his father, and he smiled as he hopped from the slab of stone he sat on to grab Rishid's hand, dragging the elder toward the brightly lit marketplace. "It's so cool!"
Allowing himself to be led to the marketplace by the young boy, Rishid hid his amusement at Malik's awe at the sights around him, as the blond would point out every tiny detail of life on the surface that seemed fascinating. Of course, Rishid had seen the surface much more than either of the Ishtar siblings because Mother trusted him to return and Father hadn't cared too much what happened to the adopted son, so nothing was seemingly amazing anymore.
Malik stopped suddenly, causing Rishid to almost knock him over as he bumped in to the small boy. "Look at it.." Malik whispered, his eyes full of reverence. "It's just like that picture I saw.." Not taking his eyes of the chrome-bedecked motorcycle, he tugged on Rishid's sleeve. "Can I go see it up close?"
"Malik, we can't just walk up to other people's property and.." Rishid just sighed as he watched the little blond dash over to the motorcycle to look it over, immediately striking up conversation with what appeared to be its owner and a few women.
"Gods, why?" Rishid shook his head as he walked over to where Malik was standing with the young man and women wearing western style clothing eyeing the motorcycle as if it was a god unto itself.
"Malik, I TOLD you not to run off. What if something happened to you? What would your mother and sister say?"
The little blond looked sadly at the motorcycle before biting his lip and returning to Rishid's side, thanking the people that he had been speaking with for letting him look at the machine as the two of them started toward where the game shop was located.
"Hey Rishid!" One of the girls from the group called out as she hurried behind the two, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"
Rishid gently tugged on Malik's robe, stopping the young boy, so he could speak to the girl that apparently knew him.
"I'm Sahri. from the market?" She added when the look of uncertainty registered across Rishid's features. "You probably haven't seen me with my hair down."
"Oh yeah." Rishid smiled, leading her away from Malik just so the younger boy couldn't hear what was happening. "What's wrong?"
Sahri's eyes traveled over toward Malik. "When did you have children? You never mentioned anything like that before."
Rishid didn't want to chuckle, but he did as he patted Sahri's arm, watching Malik take in the sights of the brightly colored marketplace. "Oh, that's my master's only son. I wanted to get his mind off his father's passing, so we came here to look around and buy him something he can be amused with for a while."
The girl smirked, leaning up to kiss Rishid's scarred cheek before turning and walking away, her hips swaying as if she was a model in her tight blue jeans. "It's tough being an heir, isn't it Rishid?"
~*~*~*~*~
Malik sat across from Rishid in the elder's bedroom, holding three Duel Monster cards in his hand, with a seven colored fish laying in front of him on the table, obviously debating on what his next move should be. "So who was the girl? And I play confiscation. Give me your hand."
Rishid obliged, leaning back against the wall as the younger boy debated over which card to choose. "She's just someone that works at the market where I buy our food, that's all."
"This one." Malik handed Rishid back his cards, keeping a Monster Reborn separate so it could be shuffled back in to the elder's deck. "And I attack your life points with the 7 Colored Fish, so you only have 200 left. Go." He watched as Rishid drew a card, then chuckled.
"Exodia. I win." Rishid smirked as he deposited the five cards of the Forbidden One on the bed where they sat.
"Man! I knew that was gonna happen." Malik groaned as he tossed the cards in his hand to the table. "So why'd she kiss you? Do you think she's pretty?"
Rishid picked his cards back up, shuffling again. "Let's try another game. You need the practice."
Malik's eyes twinkled as he giggled. "Rishid's got a girlfriend!" He sang as he continued shuffling his deck, much to the elder's disapproval.
"Concentrate Master. It's your sacred duty-"
"-to learn the ancient ways and how to survive in the Shadow Realm so I can help the stupid Pharaoh save the stupid world from the stupid high priest." Malik mocked his father's words, rolling his eyes as he dealt himself a new hand. "I KNOW that I've got to help the stupid pharaoh and I have to learn to play Shadow Games, but Rishid can't we talk about something else for a change? It's GOT to annoy you to think about ancient prophecies all day."
"Loser goes first, Loser." Rishid's gaze was hard as he glared at the young boy across from him, who sighed as he drew a card, silently making his moves. "I don't want to speak of the surface any more tonight Malik."
"Yeah, whatever. Go."
Rishid sighed, knowing that with as much disappointment as the young boy suffered throughout his life, he would rebel one day, and the world would learn to fear the adorable, innocent boy.
"What's so great about girls?"
"Huh?" The question caught him off guard, snapping him back to the reality of the situation. "Girls? I don't know. Sometimes they're fun to be around."
"Well, Isis is a girl and she's stupid. I'd punch her in the nose if she ever tried to kiss me."
Rishid chuckled. "Isis is your sister, that's why you think she's stupid Malik. She's actually really nice and really caring."
"She's a tattletale." Malik layed a Raigeki on the field, destroying Rishid's five monsters, leaving him wide open for an attack by Malik's two Harpie's Brothers. "But I wouldn't let her kiss me, no matter what."
Rishid, to his dismay, spoke without thinking. "You let me kiss you, so why couldn't she?"
"Because I like it when you kiss me." Malik stated matter of factly as if nothing could be implied as wrong by his statement. "Makes me feel good."
Rishid set his cards on the bed, placing his hand on Malik's cheek and leaning close. "Don't ever say anything like that again around anyone, do you understand?"
Instead of acknowledging, Malik layed his smaller hand on Rishid's nuzzling his cheek against the palm. "But it does."
Moving to his knees, Malik leaned up to brush his lips against his elder's in the faintest kiss he could have given. He wanted to prove how nice the time spent in each other's presence really did feel, but instead, Rishid was taken aback, his features registering first shock, then anger.
Pushing Malik down on his back and keeping his shoulders pinned, Rishid leaned over the young boy, leaning most of his weight down on Malik causing him to squirm in pain.
"Don't you EVER do that again!" The elder was furious, shaking the boy as he accented the words. "You are not to be like.. THAT!"
"GET OFF!" The voice was deeper that came from the young boy, and as Rishid's vision focused on the boy under him, he could not place what was different about his young master, but the boy had a different, more feral appearance. "Unless you want ME to finish what you've started."
Backing away, Rishid finally recognized what had happened. The evil presence that had killed Father had come back to Malik. He would surely die tonight at the spirit's hands, and Malik would be devastated yet again.
"Master, no.. calm down." The elder backed away, picking both decks of cards up and placing them on the table near the bed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
Malik chuckled, a deep, hideous laugh that seemed to come from the bowels of the underworld itself. "I was Rishid." Standing from the bed, Malik backed his brother against the wall, playing his hands across his bare chest. "Perhaps you need to be taught a lesson in humility."