Author's Note: So sorry for the late update (again). Busy busy. Thanks to my beta, sarcasticrocker86. You always seem to be giving me a hand, don't you? Alright, let's get going then. Ooooh wait! Remember what I said about the romance? Well... I think you can scrap everything I said now...
The White Mage stared at his dark foe towering over him. At his side, his companions had fallen; a bad move had led to bad consequences. Only a few minuscule health points remained with his friends, their movements paralyzed. The enemy let out a bellow of a laugh.
"You've made a sloppy move, and now your friends are paying for it!" Zorc stared down at the little Mage, the sinister claws ready to ensnare his friends. "So, Mage, what will it be? Protect your companions, and follow them to exhaustion, or chance an attack on me?"
Zorc was the game master, the ruler of the realm. To defeat him was near impossilble. What could the lone White Mage do?
"It's your move," Zorc said.
The White Mage's jaw set. He raised his hands high, wand pointed toward sky. He chanted deep and mysterious words, ready to activate his spell—
The roar of the motorcycle engine snapped the two white haired males from their deep game. As though waking from an intense dream, Ryou blinked, his White Mage piece in hand. Bakura, on the opposite side, shook his own head groggily at the game computer.
Ryou stared at the Monster World board in a confused state. "Yami," he asked gingerly, "how long have we been playing?"
"Eh..." Bakura typed something quickly. "Three hours, apparently."
"Bakura! Then that must be Marik! I can't believe we forgot!" Ryou lept up and ran for the door.
The Thief King reflected on the board before calling, "You have been getting better, Landlord." He regarded the the game thoughtfully. "Perhaps if you had not been so busy texting on your cellular phone, you would have had me on the ropes, rather than the other way around."
But Ryou was not listening. Instead, he focused his attention on the knock at the front door. Hurriedly, he pulled it open, revealing the Egyptian blonde waiting for him.
"Hey, Marik!" Ryou's face was bright.
"Ready to go?" Marik was smiling back.
"Sure! Let me just..." Ryou swiftly turned to grab his things. He yelped in surprise when he nearly crashed into his Yami's body. Bakura, however, stood unflinching, arms crossed as he stared down at the boy.
"So, who was it?" Bakura's lips curved in amusement.
"Who was what?"
"Who were you just texting so obsolescently? I doubt it was Marik, since you quite obviously forgot about him."
"I didn't forget him!" Ryou fave a fleeting glance back at the blonde.
Bakura chuckled. "So you don't want to tell me? Very well. Although I believe I can take a guess..."
"Bakura!" Ryou pushed passed him. "I've got to go! It'll get dark soon!"
The Thief King smiled a clever smile and said faintly, "As you wish."
Marik watched Ryou run off, turning his attention toward the Yami. He stared, Bakura stared back. There was a moment of silence, a time of reflection of who they had once been, and who they were now. Two men, once uneasy allies, bonded in spirit, now separated, living new lives, and moving on. Forgetting the past, and moving forward.
It was the closest thing to a bond they had.
Finally, the shoulders slacked, and bodies relaxed. Bakura smirked, his hair covering an eye, the picture of mischief. Marik raised an eyebrow. "It isn't polite to steal," he said.
"I have no idea what you speak of." Bakura allowed himself to stretch casually before revealing the cell phone in his hands. He began to play with the buttons.
"I know about the other night."
The white haired man made no sign of emotion.
"Do you think that teasing him and violating his trust for something so trivial will take away the hurt you've given him?"
Bakura stopped and glared. "Do you give your own Yami these lectures, or is simply me?"
There was a deep sigh. "Only the once."
It was a night that should have been raining. The house was filled with a cold feeling, every noise a threat. Marik didn't understand this uneasiness. His stomach turned as he approached the rapping door. It creaked open with a slightly trembling hand as Marik peered into the darkness, eyes meeting the dark silhouette. The hair was wild, the eyes bloodshot, insanity incarnate before him.
An amused smile greeted, "Hello, Marik."
"Marik!" Marik felt his heart race, fear hit him like being drenched in cold water.
The two halves stared, Yami Marik keeping the sinister smirk on his face. Marik shivered at the stare, thousands of horrified questions in his mind.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
Yami Marik chuckled. "I missed you, too. And where are my sister and brother?" Yami Marik leaned against the door coolly, arms crossed. There was something threatening in his appearance...
"You stay away from them!" Marik stood tall against his darker self. "You nearly killed them both. I don't know the how's or the why's that brought you here, but you are leaving. Now."
Yami Marik shrugged, looking uncaring. "Fine, then. But you seem to have forgotten: I am you. I am what you try to sweep under the rug and say is not there. I have told you before, and you refuse to listen. I am Marik. I am simply the part of you you hate. I have the power and strength to do what you wish in your darkest thoughts. But fine, if you wish to deny your responsibility, I can go out into the world and make Marik Ishtar a true name to never be forgotten..."
Marik winced. He knew his dark side was very capable of all that he said.
"So," Yami Marik continued, "Are you going to take responsibilities for your creation, or are you going to hide behind Odion again?"
Marik stopped. He stared at his Yami... at himself. "A-alright, Marik. You're right. But I am in charge of you. Do you understand? You can't do whatever I say you can't. I won't allow it, and I won't take no for an answer."
"Excellent choice, Marik..." Yami Marik stood up straight, and stepped towards the boy. He did not get far, however, before his expression changed to a shuddered look, and he collapsed in Marik's stunned arms.
A bluff! Marik dropped the now unconscious body furiously onto the floor. How could he have fallen for his tricks again! Marik glared at his dark side, eyes burning. He would give his Yami a good wake up call later. No one made Marik Ishtar a fool, least of all himself.
Marik suddenly paused. His Yami had his own body. Did that mean...?
Gingerly, Marik bent over Yami Marik's body, tugging the dark shirt up, revealing the tanned back.
Nothing.
Not a mark. The body was tainted with no scars.
Marik, for feelings he wished he didn't feel, shivered.
The deepest, darkest personality of his nature had been reborn. And he was even purer than himself.
"But we aren't discussing my Yami. We're discussing you."
"No," Bakura shook his head at Marik. "We are not."
Marik grit his teeth. "You're acting like a child. Ryou took you in! Are you going to spit on his trust?"
"Would you be silent for a moment? I have almost found what I am looking for."
"You hurt him. You bruise him. You confuse him. And now you're stealing his privacy. Thief, this is your last refuge. You've decimated everything in Ryou. Everything, except his privacy."
Bakura growled. "You are starting to annoy me. Let me alone."
"He respects yours. You know how public you are now. The world knows all of your secrets. But he keeps away from them. He knows you want that to be respected." Marik stepped forward. "Are you going to even attempt to reciprocate that respect? Or are you always going to be the parasite?"
The Yami stared down at the phone. The text messages inbox was right there. All it took was a simple press of the button...
"...Damn you," Bakura hissed as he tossed the phone at the tanned boy. "You are worse than your Yami."
Marik caught the phone with ease. "You made the right choice, Bakura."
"Okay!" as if on cue, Ryou called to Marik as he returned from getting ready. "I am so sorry I took so long!" Ryou paused at the sight of the two. "You guys get along?"
"Yeah," Marik replied with a grin. "And you dropped your phone in your hurry."
"I did?" Ryou cocked his head. "That's funny, I had thought I had put it safely in my pocket..."
"It doesn't matter." Marik opened the door wider. "Come on, let's go."
"And just where are you two off to?" Bakura asked sulkily.
Ryou beamed. "Marik's going to try to teach me how to ride his motorcycle."
Bakura stifled a laugh. He raised an eyebrow at Marik. "Try to return him in one piece, then."
"He'll be fine," Marik returned.
"Bye, Bakura!" Ryou followed Marik out.
Bakura did not reply as the door shut tightly behind him, leaving him alone in the house.
AN: I should have another update done very soon! I just didn't want this chapter to hit Proust kind of length! Don't forget to review!