Ah what a wonderful day, eh? Just finished the religious ceremony for my graduation. On to the actual grad ceremony, then grad bash, then all the open houses for my friends, my own open house, freshmen orientation for my college, finding a job...meh! I want a freakin' BREAK! -.-;

ladygoddess: A new reviewer! (tackleglomps) Hi honey! Glad you've joined us! Think Malik "took care" of someone, hmm? Perhaps perhaps...or not. hehe. Glad you're enjoying the ficcie so much! Whoot! Onward!

Tabby: (sighs) Yes yes we all want to know what happened to Marik. You'll find out about his whispering thing next chapter. Whoot! Ah of course: what does Anzu's father have to do with all this? Welllll...I decided she wasn't going to be part of the gang in this fic sooo...(cackles) Sorry, I really hate the girl...as much as I try to hide that fact for the sake of her fans...(grins)

DayDreamer23182: (nods enthusiastically) Yes yes! Very evil cliffie! Mwahahahaha! I love to watch you guys squirm. hehe.

The Walking Dictionary: Mum's the word. (winks) Who's covered in blood? (shrugs) "Why?" Cause someone beat them up, honey. (grins) I didn't think that was too complicated. (Malik: You're very sarcastic in the mornings, aren't you?) Hmm? (smiles innocently)

Under Finger and Thumb: (laughs) No licks for Kaiba, eh? (Kaiba: -.-) Liked all the blood? (smirks) Pretty pretty color! Yes Marik is incredibly smexy! My smexy smexy wittle boy. (Marik: Help...)

Shakspeare'sWorstNightmare: (cackles) Awesome name, honey! New reviewer! (tackles) There. Now you've been initiated. I tackle/glomp all new reviewers. (nods happily) An evil place to leave the chapter, huh? Well this one doesn't have such a bad cliffie...I think...maybe...sort of...

Silver Mirror: Ya. I liked the principal. My prinicpal was never like that. Stupid bastard...heh. Anyway, you didn't like the cliffie? (blinks innocently) Well I liked it. (Minkah: Yes but you know what happens next) True true.

hdr: New reviewer! (tackleglomps) Yes yes, poor little Marik. He's so adorable, frightened and...hot. (grins) Review again, honey!

DarkRoseDamael: (blinks) I was just wondering: Where'd you come up with your name? Awesome,that's what it is.Ooop. I'm getting ahead of myself...(huggles) Sorry to hear you get confused by multi POV fics. (sighs) I reccomend you read SOS and BTBT. They're all in third person. (nods happily)

Spryte: (laughs) No no and again NO! This is NOTa Anzu/Kura fic. I hate Anzu. I shall never write such a thing. (Kura: Thank you)

Soki-Chan the Great: Erm...can't hurt Marik huh? (takes hammer away) Okay, now you can keep reading. (runs away)

Joey-lover: (cackles) So if it was Minkah you're gonna woop his ass, neh? Interesting...and what if it's not? (minkah: such disloyalty)

Kura&Yugi--a love like no other: Wow. That's quite a long name, honey. Whoop, I'm getting ahead of myself. (tackles) New reviewer! Hi! Glad you like the chappie so much. Judging by your name I think you'll like my new ficcie that I'm going to be posting very soon titled Beneath the Surface. (winks) Later!

xxxJennxxx: I shall indeed let you see the sketches...just not yet. It would give away some things. Oh, Ryou's in it too. Whoot! Bad stuff will happen if I don't update quickly? (blinks) Oh, I don't think so. It usually ends up with more reviews. (nods happily)

Lorna Shadows: (laughs) I wasn't insulted honey. It was sarcasm. I wuvs you. (Huggles) Anyhoo, who's blood is it? Quite a few peoples, actually. (cackles)

dragonlady222: Yup, time to kill anzu's family. Whoot!...(Minkah: her fans aren't going to appreciate that.) Hmm...too bad! (Minkah: O.o...) anyway, yes there are lots of possibilities of whose blood it could be! oh the angst! hehe!

TheGodFish: Holy shit! that's a looong review! Whoot! (laughs) Threatening not to love me unless I tell you the pairings? There are quite a few...many one-sided. (cough) Kaiba (cough) Anyway, I can't reveal some of them otherwise...(shuts mouth) Yeah. Wow. Sorry about all the shit going on in your life. I shall keep you and all those peoples in mind. (nods)

This chapter shall be dedicated to Kura&Yugi--a love like no other, hdr, Shakspeare'sWorstNightmare, and ladygoddess! Whoot whoot! Look at all the new reviewers! That makes me sooo happy! (gushes)

There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery. --Joseph Conrad

Chapter 9: A Different Light

(Minkah's POV)

I walk out the side door, cutting across some tennis courts and past some basketball courts. I glance around the corner of the nearest building, waiting. She's going to come this way. I know she is. I have the map to her house. I slink back slightly when she and her two friends come into view, chattering on as wenches do. I'll go as soon as…

I freeze at the sound of muffled voices, turning to see three figures standing in one of the nearby basketball courts. I quickly straighten; can't have anyone suspecting anything. I narrow my eyes when one of the two larger ones grabs the blonde boy by the neck, ramming him against the pole of one of the hoops. Ah well. Another bullying incident no doubt. Some kids are such weaklings. I turn back to see the girl continuing on down the street. Just a little further…

I grit my teeth as one of the burlier boys yells something, gripping the tan blonde boy by the collar. Why can't they beat him to a pulp somewhere else? Gods! This is so aggravating. Oh well. It's not like they're paying attention to me anyway…She's crossing the intersection. I tense when none other than a Kaiba Corp. limo pulls into view. Oh hells no. Of all the…! Ra damn it! I thought I told that ass to keep away…especially when I'm working...and on a time limit too!

There's the sound of struggling coming from behind me. For the love of Anubis! How am I supposed to think with all this going on…? My mouth goes dry when I turn and spot the boy on the ground. The front of his uniform is ripped open, exposing a tan chest and…His neck. My eyes widen when I spot the deep scars covering his throat, recognizing them for what they are in an instant. Now it makes sense why the kid's not screaming. He can't. He's most likely from…I glare angrily. All right, now I'm getting involved. Not sparing the limo or the girl so much as a glance I storm over to the poll where the two bullies are in the process of viciously kicking the kid who's curled up in a quivering ball. One of them tenses when he spots me, jabbing his partner in the side. They're both scruffy teens; I wouldn't call them muscular as much as I'd call them overweight, but then again the kid on the ground is a twig.

"Who're you?" the first boy growls taking a step forward.

"Hey, isn't this the cousin of that other wimp?" the second questions, eyeing me up and down.

Guy number one (I'll call him Ass-hole) smirks. "Oh yeeeeah. Hey there. Come to join the party?"

"Got a name, freak?" Blubbery (the second guy) asks. Oh sure he's not blubbering now …not yet.

"None that you need hear," I state.

"Huh. Well then, I'll just go by last names then, eh Bakura?"

Ass-hole falls to the ground as I slam my fist into his over-sized gut. Gripping him by the hair, I pull him up and ram him face-first into the poll repeatedly. He shrieks as I kick him viciously in the gut again before I turn my attention to his friend who's backing up apprehensively.

"W—wait! I'll leave him alone…I'll…!" he stutters.

"You'll pay," I grin.

(Marik's POV)

I open my eyes warily when there's a voice I haven't heard before. Looking out from in between my arms that are shielding my head I spot none other than Minkah. Oh gods. What's he doing here? Damn! I didn't want to get anyone involved!

In an instant one of the bullies is on the ground. I watch in horror as Ryou's cousin ferociously beats him down. The bully lays in agony a few feet from me, face a mass of blood and broken bone. He's struggling to get up as his companion screams in the background. I close my eyes tight, gritting my teeth. The screams. I can't stand the screams. The stench of blood attacks my nostrils and I try to hold my breath to block it out. I don't want to smell it…taste it…breathe it…Make it stop…gods, someone make it stop!

There's suddenly no more screaming. I hesitantly open up my eyes, looking up to find Minkah all alone. He's staring down at me with his cold gray eyes, blood slowly dripping from his crimson-drenched fingers.

(Malik's POV)

I skid to a halt when I spot two figures ahead of me on one of the basketball courts. The first thing I notice is Marik lying on the ground, blood splattered about him. I start running as fast as my legs will carry me, eyes flaming when I realize who's standing over him with bloodied hands. Minkah. Growling in fury I lunge at his back, fists raised.

"Malik? Malik!"

I open my eyes to find Marik's worried face staring down at me. I groan, sitting up slowly. Ow. My head. I tense when I notice the blood trailing down Marik's chin from a small cut on his face. Behind him are Yami and Otogi as well, both eyeing me with concern.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Well…" Yami begins somewhat uncomfortably.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that," a gruff voice states.

I look over to find none other than Ryou's cousin staring down at me. His face is impassive, hands no longer covered in blood. I furrow my brow, glancing at Marik then at the blood lining the court. That small cut on my brother's face couldn't have…

"There were two bullies beating Marik up. Minkah…erm…took care of them," Yami continues glancing uncertainly at the white-haired teen.

I put a hand to my forehead. "Did I black out?"

"Umm…"

"This ass knocked you out," Otogi growls jabbing a finger at Minkah.

"It was a reaction, idiot," the Egyptian mutters darkly.

"Your reaction to people coming up behind you is to knock them out?" Otogi snarls angrily.

"When they're racing at me full force with fists raised, you mean?" Minkah replies smoothly eyeing Otogi scornfully.

"All right all right! That's enough you two!" Yami chides as he helps me stand shakily to my feet.

"Are you all right, Marik?" I ask, noting Yami's jacket is draped around his frame, pulled up securely around his throat.

He nods though it's obvious he's shaken. I sigh, just relieved all that blood wasn't his. If he ever were subjected to something that bad again…

"Yami! Guys!"

We all turn to find Yugi and Ryou racing towards us, anxious looks covering both their faces. They skid to a halt, eyes widening at the sight of the blood pooled over the pavement.

"We're all fine," I say reassuringly before they can say a word, pulling my brother tightly against me.

"Thanks to Minkah here…" Yami's voice trails off. We all turn to find the teen has vanished without a word.

(Minkah's POV)

I storm into Kaiba's office in a torrid fury. He's sitting back in his leather chair, eyes narrowing when he spots me.

"What are you doing here?"

"You had people trailing the girl!" I state irately, crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighs melodramatically. "Oh come on…!"

"I saw it," I growl, slamming my fists down on his desk. "I thought I'd made myself clear before…"

"You did. My goodness, it was just a limo! It wasn't even trailing her…"

"The fact that it was there…"

He stands in one swift movement, towering over me. Yes he's about two heads taller than me. Stupid lofty people.

"Have you finished the job?" he hisses quietly.

I glare. "No. And I'm not going to lift a finger until there's not any Kaiba Corp. personnel, cameras, limos, et cetera within a twenty mile radius of that mansion."

He leans over the desk, hands fisted on its polished surface. "Done. Now get your ass over there before I change my mind."

I would argue. Hell, I would butcher him on the spot. But I can't. He's a client. A very powerful wealthy client. They like doing business with his kind of people, leaving me to do the dirty work. Pursing my lips, I turn sharply and stride from the room. He'll get his. Ra, mark my words. He'll get his.

(Yami's POV)

We sit quietly in the living room, Malik, Marik, Yugi, and I curled up together on the couch. I'm still in a bit of shock over all the occurrences of today. I think we all are. None of us are sure what to think of Minkah. First he's taking a shower with Kaiba, then he's threatening me, then he's saving Marik (and knocking Malik out, though I think we'll have to forgive him for that one.) He's definitely an extremely complex individual. Yugi was positively beaming when he was told Minkah had protected Marik. Something about there being a bit of good in everyone…meh. Whatever.

"What do you think?" my brother asks pulling me out of my internal ranting.

"Hmm?"

"That we should find Minkah tomorrow and invite him over," Yugi laughs.

Malik winces. "I'm not sure I feel that warm towards him…"

Yugi frowns. "Think what could've happened to Marik if he hadn't…"

"All right! Just don't go there," Malik sighs, running a hand through his sleeping brother's golden hair. The boy sighs contently, snuggling closer against my koi's chest.

"What was Marik doing out there anyway?" I ask suddenly curious. "Hell, what was Minkah doing out there?"

Yugi shrugs. "Does it matter?"

I sigh. "I guess not. I'm not sure we should all just approach him all friendly-like tomorrow though. Let's talk to Ryou first. I'm not certain Minkah wants to be around us, judging by the way he ran off."

Yugi pouts. "Can you blame him? All you new people staring at him accusingly and mistrusting? The poor guy must've been really uncomfortable."

"That makes two of us," Malik mutters.

"Malik!"

"Well I am. There's something incredibly unnerving about that guy," my koi says darkly.

Yugi rolls his eyes in exasperation. "You could try and get to know him before you go making assumptions about him."

"Oh I'm willing enough to try," Malik says earning an appreciative nod from Yugi, but mutters quietly. "…if I have to."

(Ryou's POV)

I sit quietly on my bed. The house is silent. Otousan's no doubt at the museum. I don't think I'll tell him about what happened today. He wouldn't see it as Minkah protecting someone as much as he'd see it as my cousin getting into trouble. Minkah's an impossible person to understand. What does he want, exactly? Does he want friends? Perhaps he's just not good with communication skills. A small smile forms on my face. I can help him with that. He's most likely feeling overwhelmed and isolated right now…for goodness sake, where is he?

I came home after all the goings on today only to find the house empty. Wherever my cousin went, he didn't come home. Did he go to Kaiba's? Just how exactly did those two meet in the first place? What's their relationship to one another?

I sigh heavily, taking out my notebook and begin writing meticulously in it. I've got to figure this out. Otousan's still planning something. I don't like it at all. Just how long has he been lying to me? Has there even been any truth in his words at all? The only one who might have any answers to these questions is Minkah.

There's a knock on my bedroom door. I sit up straight, alert.

"Come in."

Otousan's head peeks in glancing about. "Hey there. Have a good day today?"

I shrug, trying to look indifferent. "Was all right I guess."

He frowns. "Where's Minkah? His room's empty."

I wince, knowing what's coming. "Erm…he… just went for a walk."

Otousan eyes me suspiciously. Gods, why do I have to suck so bad at lying? It's like my curse. I smile innocently, standing up.

"I made dinner. I'll go heat some up for you," I state brushing past him and hurrying down the stairs. The last thing I want right now is to be interrogated.

(Minkah's POV)

I stand over the two bodies, crimson pools beginning to form around them contrasting with the light blue carpet. I'm in one of the studies. The wife just had to come in. Ah well. Rules are rules. No witnesses. They both stare up at me with wide dead eyes, a single slit across each of their necks releasing a torrent of blood onto the expensive carpeting. It didn't take too long to break in. The security wasn't as tight as I originally had predicted. Made the job boring, really. There was no real challenge. I take out the cloth that's stiff, covered in blood of the countless people before, running it over the blade. Another addition to my collection. Call it a souvenir, if you will. Personally I enjoy the assignments where I can kill them with my knife. It's much more pleasurable than hitting them with a bullet while I sit hidden atop some Ra-awful building, the wind biting into my skin.

I tense at the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor. Moving swiftly, I slink around the corpses and over next to a large grandfather clock, waiting in the shadows. Unfortunately for whoever it is, they decide to come in.

Knocking softly on the door an airy voice asks lightly, "Mom? Dad?"

I narrow my eyes. It's her. The door creaks open somewhat haltingly, the girl stepping into the room. Her blue eyes widen in horror at the sight of her parent's dead bodies strewn on the floor. Her mouth opens and I rush at her from behind, my gloved hand flying over her mouth. Her entire body freezes in fear and alarm, too stunned to react.

"Not a sound," I hiss in her ear before deftly slashing her across her apricot throat.

There's the strained rupture of the air escaping through the gaping wound in her neck. It's almost a hiss and groan all at once. Impossible to describe unless one's heard it for oneself. She falls slowly as I've seen so many people do, as if she's just dizzy or feeling lightheaded. Then she collapses flat on her face with a thump, all elegance and life having left her stiff form. I sigh, taking out the cloth again and letting it glide over the fresh blood on the blade. No witnesses. I turn, striding for the large window overlooking the extravagant courtyard below. The moon's already risen into the darkening sky, the last glowing embers of the day fading in the horizon. I stand there quietly for a long moment, eyes sweeping across the city. Lights are beginning to come on in the nearby homes and businesses. He'll be waiting for me.

I step up onto the window ledge, strapping my equipment onto my belt before turning momentarily to look back in the room to see if I've forgotten anything. My eyes roam over the area in extensive quickness. No, that's it. I don't so much as give the bodies a long glance, turning and disappearing into the evening's shadows.

Assignment one: complete.


Yay! So what'd you all think?

Readers: What the HELL is wrong with Marik?

Ferris: -.-; That's all you care about, isn't it?

Marik: And for a good reason!

Malik: Why does he get all the attention? And why'd you knock me unconcious?

Ferris: Cause it was amusing.

Malik: You're amused by anything that involves bugging me, aren't you?

Ferris: hehe.

Minkah: I got to kill someone! I got to keeeeeeeeeell someone! (does happy dance)

Malik, Marik, and Ferris: -.o;

Yugi: erm...review!