A/N Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a pancake? NO! IT'S AN UPDATE.
And actual update! People, is that awesome or what? That only took me about a damn year, and I'm quite sorry about that.
-but babies thank you so much for all your reviews, faves, alerts, EVERYTHING! It so motivated me to get this done! Love you all!
Nothing else to say, except enjoy, and do keep in mind that no matter how long I make you all wait for my crazy shit, stuff shall be updated. I'll never discontinue anything. Ever.
X
Bakura groaned as another intersection doomed up in front of him. That was the fourth one already, and he was also already having trouble not turning around at every single one of them. He wanted to go back. Back home, back to Marik and his screaming. Maybe he'd been a little to harsh? Marik did just tell him about his most painful memory, and on top of that he'd looked so close to crying.
Bakura's stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought. He really was being a jerk leaving Marik behind like that, but still...
'I don't love you and I never will. It's just a game, and you lose.'
Marik's cold words echoed through his mind, over and over and over.
At first he'd been angry, hurt. His pride would not allow him to stay in that room with someone denying him any longer. But now, he just felt sad. Sad for Marik, mostly. He had to be lying... he had to be. But why would he lie about what was in his heart? Because he was scared.
But was it really so scary? Was he so scary? Was loving him honestly so damn scary? Bakura instantly stepped on the gas pedal harder. This wasn't even his fault, there was no need for him to feel bad. If Marik still couldn't make up his mind there was no use sticking around him.
Right.
Right?
Bakura's foot eased off the gas a little. They'd been constantly tearing each other apart, from the very first start. It was bound to come to an end eventually, Bakura knew this. It was only logical.
So then, were they better off without each other?
No. Bakura's heart said no. Screamed no.
But logic said yes. Logic hissed yes. Yes. Over and over, chanted it in his mind until he almost believed it. Almost.
But for Marik, what was best for Marik... Maybe, just maybe Marik was happier without the constant conflict of having someone near him, someone expecting him to love in return.
Bakura swallowed hard, and crossed the intersection with his hands tightly gripping the wheel.
X
Marik was starting to panic. He'd been speeding about the road for twenty minutes now, but still no sign of Bakura anywhere.
It was a nauseating feeling, somewhere deep in the pit of his stomach, tugging at his heart and tightening his throat.
Maybe I should've taken a left at the last intersection... or maybe Bakura didn't even go this way... oh god oh god... what if I can't find him?
Yes. definitely panicking now.
"You are such an idiot. Idiot idiot idiot!"
Screaming at himself for his stupid mistakes would do nothing, Marik knew that, but still... if only... If only you weren't such an Idiot.
Marik was following the main road, the one leading out of the city, since he was fairly sure Bakura had taken the same road, the one that would take him away from Marik the furthest. Because what better way was there, to leave someone behind, besides just leaving the whole city itself. And it hurt to realize that, Marik knew now, Bakura was leaving him. Leaving. Him. And if he didn't catch up on the, no, histhief, chances of ever making amends where getting slimmer every passing second.
Marik bit his lip. Eyes scanning the road ahead. He was such an idiot.
X
Bakura's mood was worsening by the second. First he'd left one of his babies, his Marik, behind, and now his other baby was starting to protest. The black smoke rising up from under his hood quite a bad omen for his journey to come.
He cursed loudly before steering off the road a bit to check out the damage, but since it was the dead of the night he couldn't see a damn thing, let alone what was supposedly wrong with his engine. He cursed again. This had officially made it onto his list of worst days ever. Ready to just pull on his hair and melt into a puddle of miserable defeat Bakura finally noticed some dim lights in the distance. A gas station maybe, or a roadside bar. A bar. That'd be good. Sighing Bakura climbed in his car once again, and slowly, as to not upset his clearly unwell baby more, made his way to the lights ahead.
Bakura hopes for a bar were crushed rather quickly when as soon as he drove a little closer it became obvious what the lights actually were. Some docks small and old, appearing rather abandoned.
Not willing to spend any more time than necessary he parked his car next to some old rusty containers and started to check under the hood, annoyed as could be.
Lost in his thoughts and quiet frustrations about oil and how the hell he was going to get some of it in the dead of the night and the middle of nowhere, Bakura hardly noticed the sound of hushed voices, coming from nearby. Moving back into the shadows a bit Bakura furrowed his brows as one of those voices struck him as quite familiar, though he couldn't exactly place it, yet.
X
`Idiot idiot idiot!` Marik screamed in frustration kicking his front tire. Now he was officially lost. Up ahead he could smell the faint salty fragrance of the ocean, but other than that he had no idea which way was home, or Bakura, or anywhere safe and fine and not horrible. Marik huffed. This had officially made it on his list of worst days ever. Ready to just curl up into a ball of horrible desperation Marik finally noticed some dim lights in the distance. Good! Maybe it was some fat friendly trucker, or maybe a roadside bar. A bar. That'd be good. He would just about kill for a nice shot of something strong.
Taking a deep breath and forcing himself not to start panicking again Marik climbed back on his bike and started to speed towards the lights, desperately hoping to find something good there.
X
Short brown hair, an arrogant tone to his voice, classical tasteless white suit.
I know this man. That's the brat who tried to screw Marik over at that business deal! Bakura all but hissed coming to that realization. So the little bastard did live! But what the hell has he doing there? Despite the anger boiling up from the pit of his stomach Bakura remained where he was, crouched in the shadows eavesdropping because apparently that creep had company.
"...why yes, ten grand a piece and I assure you they're top quality..."
Doing illegal business huh? Let's see how well you'll do with a knife stuck between your ribs you slimy shit! Bakura smirked, fishing a handful of knives from his pockets, this would be the perfect way to get rid of some frustrations before he'd inevitably have to go look for that oil.
Making his grand entree Bakura grinned widely, locking his dark eyes intensely with the young man's, whose widened in recognition before he pulled a gun somewhere from his ass in a rather clumsy manner, widening Bakura's grin even more if possible.
Not intimidated in the least Bakura eyed his nasty little victim with the looks of a predator, all the while very aware of the two other men trying to close in on him from the sides. They were no match for him at all, just a little closer and he'd have them, they'd be dead like they deserved for harming his Marik.
Marik-
Bakura's smirk suddenly disappeared completely when the familiar sound of a roaring motor came from somewhere right behind the men inching in on him, and then it all happened so fast.
Marik hopped off his bike not realizing who he'd just stumbled upon, and Bakura only got distracted for one second in which he mumbled his lover's name and then the deafening sound of a gun firing echoed loudly.
After that, all was silent.
Too silent, and the seconds seemed to freeze. In reality the young man dropped his gun and made a mad dash for his car while the other two men quickly followed, but all Marik saw were those deep brown eyes, narrowed. Expression unchanging, except then Bakura stumbled backwards two steps, right foot slipping before he tumbled over the edge of the docks and hit the cold water below with a splash loud enough to finally snap Marik out of his shock and got him moving, running and diving right in to save his lover from drowning.
The water was cold. Freezing and as soon as it engulfed him whole Marik completely lost his sense of up and down, but Bakura- a wave of panic fresh and new and horrible flushed over him as he blindly grabbed around him in the ice cold water. After what seemed like minutes -but what could've only been seconds, Marik's hand caught onto something -hair. Long hair, and then an arm and an armpit and Marik was swimming as fast as he could towards what he prayed was the surface.
Somehow he managed to haul Bakura's unconscious body up on dry land, but he was freezing and blood was oozing out of his side. Not good.
Marik's mind was overdriving, yet completely frozen all at once. He found Bakura's car with the hood still open, closed it with a loud clang and sped back to the road praying he'd find the way back to the intersection he knew would lead him to the highway and thus the hospital. He hadn't even realized he'd started crying until the road up ahead started to blur, but he wouldn't ease off the gas not for a moment. Not even when he noticed the smoke coming from under the hood, or the loud noise the engine was making. They had to make it. And this wasn't happening, but it was and if he hadn't been speeding at 120 miles per hour he would've probably thrown up and never calmed down again.
Maybe it was the panic, and the way it cleared his mind from anything but what was the most urgent, but somehow he made it to the highway, and before long he was carrying Bakura through the doors of the emergency room.
Marik watched numbly as at least 6 doctors stood at Bakura's bed, removing his coat and shirt and attached machines to him and put some sort of tube down his throat -Marik heaved as he sunk to his knees, shaking.
Too much. All too much.
A warm hand on his shoulder, and a kind quiet voice snapped him back to his horrifying reality.
"Please sir, you're really not allowed to be here. Please come with me to the waiting room and let the doctors do what they can for your friend-"
"HE'S NOT MY FRIEND! You don't understand... he's not... he's my-" And just as Marik was about to push the nurse away the sound he'd come to hear in every single nightmare that was yet to come pierced right though his very core.
A high-pitched beep, and all bright colored waves on the monitors turned into flat, still lines.
Marik could've sworn his heart stopped the same time Bakura's did, but somehow, he was still moving. Deaf to his own raw scream and deaf to the nurse trying to calm him down.
A strange sense of mute came over him, and all he saw was Bakura. So pale, so vulnerable. Beautiful. Somewhere something was still tearing at his chest, screaming at him, that it couldn't be happening, that it wasn't right. But Marik saw the way the doctors slowly shook their heads at each other and something just broke. And it was all over, and he never cried as much as he did when he ran away from the emergency room, down the hallway and out through the doors.
The worst kind of stalemate, the worst way to end a game, to forfeit.
Because it wasn't suppose to end there, and yet...
Somehow, it was all over. No second chance, perhaps he'd been given those too many times already.
"…but sometimes you can't help falling in love. It happens, and all you can do is hope that things work out."
"...all I know is that I love you, and you love me and we can do this. Trust me. We can."
"Fine. If that it truly how you feel I'll leave you be."
"But that's not what I wanted! That's never what I wanted!"
And Marik kept un running until his lungs burned and his knees shook.
This was never what I wanted. It was just game... just a game...
A/N Is it a totally bad sign when your own story makes you cry like a drooling two year old?
Damn.
Sorry for the honeys that were expecting happy fluff-shit.
-however, did you notice how it doesn't say 'complete' yet? That totally means you should stick around for the next chapter, that'll probably be the last of the story as well.
In the meantime -because you KNOW how long it takes me to update lately- REVIEW. Review review review!
I really want you to. I need to know what this does to you. Do you hate me for it? Do you love Marik's breakdown? Do you love ice cream? Let me know!
xxxx Ninjabelle
PS, -because why not, that 'young man' is NOT SETO. I just realized he could very well be, but nope. No dragon obsessed card-fapper is coming in between my psychoshipping!