"Marik?"
A small, terrified voice rang out over a large deserted ruins, echoing among the brick walls that had sunken into the damp terrain below. Several whimpers emerged following the call, and gentle footsteps rang out on the hollow floor.
"M-Marik, Are you there?"
There was no reply, no sound, only the wind passing through the walls and carrying the voice with them. The hikari paused for breath, looking around the ruins with terrified eyes wide and in sheer terror.
"T-this isn't funny, M-Marik!"
A daunty crow, almost invisible against the indigo sky, fluttered to the top of the ruins. Its eyes followed the boys every move, before letting out a shriek of calls. The boy stumbled in surprise, holding his hands above his face in protection against an invisible enemy.
"Marik, Please!"
The voice was begging, pleading, just itching to be set free from the landscape that ruined its calm and pure nature. The mist rose from the floor, a deep shade of brown to reflect the effects of the ooze running down the bricks. The boy pressed himself against the wall, trembling madly. The crow let out another taunting screech, and it was enough for the hikari.
"MARIK!"
"What the bloody hell, Malik?"
Malik awoke from his nightmare, finding the bed he was in wet with sweat. He was still trembling, fingers unable to grip the bed sheets as they fluttered back down from where he had thrown them up. His breathing was fast paced, panting almost, as if the dream had been real, as if he had actually been running. It had felt real, like a cold dark vision that his sister sometimes saw. Or was it just a normal nightmare? The more he thought about it, he believe it was a trick of the stress he had been feeling over the past few days from everyday business.
Beside his bed was his yami, Marik. He was dressed in a thin black shirt with matching pyjama bottoms, holding a torch that was aimed just below Maliks face to prevent the light burning his vision. Marik raised an eyebrow at Maliks expression before clicking out the torch, reaching for Maliks bedside lamp. As soon as the room was illuminated Marik sat down beside Malik, whose pale face had recovered a little colour.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Malik? I heard you screaming, and came in to find you asleep."
Malik grinned sheepishly, "Sorry to wake you, yami. I had a nightmare…"
"Oh?" Marik frowned, blinking slightly, "What about? It must have been bloody bad to wake you up screaming."Malik bit his lip, wondering how to express his nightmare in words. "It was like you had vanished off the face of the Earth," He whispered. Marik raised both eyebrows before bursting into a deep chuckle, one that seemed to soothe Malik a little more. It was good to see his yami laughing for once, rather than threatening to feed his eyeballs to the cat next door. He was tempted to join in the laugh but didn't dare.
"Oh Malik," Marik grinned as his laughing died. He shifted onto the bed further and pulled Malik into his arms, "That's all? You know I wouldn't do that."
Malik melted in the embrace, feeling a lot better. Maybe it was his imagination, because he couldn't picture life without his yami beside him. It was just the scary thought of losing him and being alone. Malik pushed that thought away and cuddled up into Mariks chest - It smelt of sweat, a smell Malik knew well. Maliks' eyes flickered a little and he yawned. Marik hesitated, wanting to get up but he didn't want to put Malik off going back to bed. Instead, he sat back a little and slipped into the bed beside Malik, still holding him in his arms. Once he was in beside Malik he took the hikari by the waist and sat him on his lap, holding his head against his shoulder.
"Go back to sleep, Malik. It was only a nightmare. To prove it, I'll stay here and watch you sleep."
Malik raised his face to look at Marik curiously, "But, yami, wont you need to sleep too?"
Marik shook his head, causing his fringe to bounce a little, "I wont be able to, you'll probably end up waking me up again. Besides, its only a few hours until sunrise."Malik let out a gentle sigh and leaned up to kiss Marik on the collarbone, "Alright. I'll see you in the morning, Hopefully," he added that last word quickly. Marik chuckled and ran his hand through Maliks hair, and soon enough, the gesture lulled the hikari back into his sleep. Marik had been right, he guessed. It was only a nightmare.