Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Enjoy!

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Chapter Four – Marik's Help

As Marik drew closer to Yugi, the latter did not look up from what he was doing. Marik sat down on the chair opposite Yugi and watched him. The only noise for a little while was the sound of Yugi's pen scratching on paper until the pen was placed on the table and eyes found Marik.

"Hello Marik, How are you? Wow. It has been a long time."

Marik responded in the usual way. As he opened his mouth to ask him about the supposed obsession, Yugi spoke.

"You know, I am really jealous of you."

Marik blinked and stared at Yugi.

"Why?"

"Because you're Egyptian! I mean how cool! You've felt the sand beneath you! You live in similar housing to the Pharaoh and his people. How could you turn down that to come here?"

Marik frowned slightly. Did he not remember that in fact Yugi had been to Egypt and also that Marik had lived underground?

"Yugi, I lived in an underground tomb I only saw light once in my childhood."

"But still!"

Marik examined the longing for knowledge which had entered Yugi's eyes. Marik inquired into what Yugi was doing. Yugi went through showing Marik every single piece of research he had uncovered, the words he had translated. He went to into so much detail telling Marik everything he had learnt. Marik was beginning to see that actually this thing with Yugi was an obsession. The amount of information and the detail it went into was far from a healthy interest. Something had to be done and maybe being friendly was not the way. Marik would need to take a different path when it came to talking Yugi out of his weird, twisted obsession.

"Yugi, I have a feeling that you have taken this interest to far."

A frown crossed Yugi's face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this –" Marik said, pointed at the vast amount of notes, "is not exactly a healthy interest in something."

Yugi sat back in his chair and frowned. Was Marik like his friends? Were they trying to say that there was something wrong with him? Because there is nothing wrong with him, he was fine.

"All I am doing is note taking." Yugi said, coldly.

"Yes and don't you see. All you do is note take and your friends are worried, they told me that you are not doing your school work."

"Oh hi mum."

Marik closed his eyes and sighed, calming down.

"All I am saying is you have to stop this."

It was Yugi's turn to sigh. He did not want to stop this. In some ways this all gave him closure, it could even be said that by knowing how the pharaoh lived comforted him. Also Ancient Egypt is so interesting all the things they discovered. Like writing and medicines etc. With all this fascinating knowledge that had been within their reach when the pharaoh had been here, how could they just get on with normal work?

Marik was just like the others, trying to convince him that he was getting obsessed. This was not an obsession, just because he thought about Egypt and the pharaoh nearly every minute of everyday did not qualify this as an obsession. No an obsession was when you thought about something every second of everyday, so in Yugi's mind he had no obsession.

"Yugi, please. Stop this."

Yugi made eye contact with Marik.

"What Atem think of you now?"

"I think the Pharaoh would be proud to see I am taking an interest into his life." Yugi spat.

Marik, again, frowned. He had used Atem's name but Yugi had not. Odd.

"Say his name."

"What?"

"Say the Pharaoh's name, Atem."

Yugi bit his lip, hearing the Pharaoh's name sent daggers through him. He could feel Marik's eyes pressing into him. He was waiting to hear Yugi use the Pharaoh's name.

"Did the people back then call the Pharaoh by his name? No. So I will not."

Marik threw his hands into the air, exasperated.

"Atem was a person too. He does not deserve to only be called by his title. Don't you see how that would affect him if no one calls him by his name?"

It made no difference. Yugi had read that the Pharaohs didn't mind only being referred to by their title. Although Yugi remembered how sad the Pharaoh had been, on that journey to find his name, disheartened and frustrated by the fact that everyone around him knew his name but yet did not call him by it.

"But my rese-"

"Screw your research." Marik snapped, "You've forgotten that Atem was a person too. He is not just the Pharaoh, he was your closest friend and yet by what you are doing now you have turned your back on everything he taught you."

Yugi looked down into his lap. Maybe some of what Marik was saying held some truth.

"He taught you how to be strong. But you are not being strong now, are you? Reading books on the past rather than accepting the fact that Atem has moved on and that you should also be moving on."

That was true. The Pharaoh had moved on and Yugi should too. But he couldn't. There was no way of moving on. How was Yugi meant to move on when there was the Pharaoh's world which they had never seen? Yugi thought, deeply.

Maybe I should stop all this…

No. I can't.

Ancient Egypt is just so interesting and there was so much more to learn. Plus, Yugi had not yet translated the Tablet of Lost Memories and that was so important to him. Screw school work and what other people think. This is not an obsession. He was not obsessed. Yugi could stop researching anytime he liked, but he was not going to because people only care about school work rather than the events of the past. You can't move on without looking back, Yugi thought.

"Now Yugi, why don't we give all these books back. Throw away these notes and go have fun with your friends." Marik said.

Yugi glared up at him.

"No. You all think I am obsessed by this stuff but I am not. I can stop anytime I like. I chose not to. There is so much more I have to learn and no one will stop me from learning it."

Marik's mouth nearly fell open. After all that! After all he had said and Yugi had not come round. He would have to admit what Joey had said was true. There was no way of just simply talking Yugi out of this. They would have to try something else.

"Now. Why don't you and my friends go away and let me work." Yugi said.

With that Yugi flicked the pages of the books, picked up his pen and began to scribble down notes. Marik stood, looking down at Yugi who did not look up. Without even saying a word of farewell Marik strolled away. He strolled past Yugi's friends and out the building.

In the fresh air, Marik breathed in deeply, calming down. Joey, Tristan and Tea came quickly out of the library to join Marik.

"What happened, man?" Tristan asked.

"You were right; talking him out of this would not work. We'll have to try something else."

"But what?" Tea asked.

"Come on, let's go back to Odion and Ishizu."

With that they set off back to the Ishtar's house to plan their next move.

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I hope you enjoyed that!

Marik was so close but didn't quite make it..

One question from me: What will the others do next to help Yugi?

Please Review, make suggestions, criticisms.. anything you guys say will help me make YO better for you guys :D

Thanks for reading, as normal Chp 5 will be released next Saturday

:D