Hello everyone! Thanks for supporting the story until now. This is the final chapter of the story! I'm sad that it's over, but this is a long chapter (the longest actually) and I don't plan to disappoint you all. Please enjoy this final chapter and review! Happy reading!

A special thanks to Helena Light for following/favoring the story!

Chapter 10

Parting

The next morning, Marik woke up before Mimiki and quietly left the room. Mimiki woke up minutes later to an empty room. She regained more energy than she had the day before and sat up in the bed. After stretching, she was caught off guard by Marik.

"Ah, you're awake Mimi. Good morning!"

Mimiki smiled at him. "Good morning, Marik. How are you?"

Marik came closer with a tray of food and sat it on the desk while taking a seat next to her in the chair.

"I'm good, but I think that I should be asking you the same thing. How are you feeling? You look a bit better than you did yesterday. I'm glad." he said, smiling. He then turned his attention to the food tray.

"Are you hungry? It's not much, but I brought you some molokheya soup and bread."

The scent of the spices made Mimiki's stomach growl loudly and she blushed out of embarrassment as she placed her arms over her stomach. "I guess that I'm hungry. Thank you, Marik." Marik grabbed the tray and placed it on her lap.

"Is it okay that I eat in your bed like this? I don't want to soil your sheets…"

Marik nodded. "No, it's okay. You're my patient and it's fine with me, so eat up! This should tie you over until I take you home." Marik noticed that he forgot to bring something.

"I forgot to bring you a cup of water! I'll be right back!" Mimiki watched the young Ishtar leave the room as she began to eat her meal. She smiled as a light blush took residence on her cheeks once again. 'You're wonderful, Marik.'

After finishing her food, Marik stashed the dishes away and grabbed Mimiki's belongings.

"I packed all of your things in your backpack." he said as he handed it to her. She placed it on her back and Marik bent down in front of her.

"Come on, get on my back. I'll carry you home." Mimiki's eyes widened. "I can't let you do that! Besides, I'm in a dress! Everyone will see me..." she said, blushing bashfully.

"It's okay, we'll be fine. It's still early. If we leave now, a bunch of people won't see us. Now come on, princess."

Mimiki sighed in defeat. "Okay, if you say so." She lifted her dress a bit and gently grabbed a hold of him and he slowly lifted her up easily.

"Wow...you're really strong. Are you sure that you'll be okay carrying me that far?"

Marik smiled bashfully. "Thanks! Yeah, I'll be fine. Now let's go!"

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Mimiki's house. She reached over him and rang the doorbell. They were instantly bombarded at the door as everyone made a commotion about her return. Marik let her stand on her own as her parents inspected the situation.

"Mimiki! We were so worried about you!" her mother exclaimed as she hugged her tightly. A groan of pain escaped her lips.

"I'm okay mom. You know that Ishizu wouldn't let anything happen to us." she assured.

"Yes, but she told me that you were bitten by a snake! You could've died!"

The two teens flashed a quick look at each other before anyone noticed. 'Yeah, you have no idea…'

Sumie released her daughter from her suffocating hug while Masahiro inspected his daughter carefully. He then noticed that she was wearing different clothes and that her hair was disheveled. He especially didn't like that the dress showed off her shoulders and the top of her chest.

"Mimiki, what were you doing with Marik?! You look untidy!" Then he turned to Marik who was unaware of the man's angry gaze. "What did you do with my daughter, Marik?!" he asked defensively.

Marik jumped and quickly pointed at himself. "Who me? I didn't do anything! I helped Mimiki recover and…"

Masahiro didn't like the words and his mind went south quickly. "Marik did you touch Mimiki? Did you-"

"Daddy!" Mimiki shouted. She couldn't believe that her father's mind had gone south that quickly. It was bad enough that he had given her the 'talk' right before her birthday, but she couldn't imagine doing such mature things with anyone.

"You're being ridiculous! Marik and I did nothing of the sort! He helped me recover from my illness and that's it! My dress was a present from Ishizu for my birthday!" Masahiro gasped his daughter's outburst. She took the matching jewelry from her bag and showed it to them. "See? Here's the matching accessories. Now apologize to Marik, dad!"

Masahiro suddenly felt bad. He felt a tad ashamed at his over-protectiveness, but he didn't want anything to happen to his children, especially on a special occasion like a birthday, nor did he wish to think that his oldest daughter could've possibly been deflowered at such a young age. "I'm sorry, Marik. I should be thanking you and your family for helping Mimiki during her time of need. Thank you."

Marik didn't know what to think as he was very confused about what the two Minami's had fussed about, but he accepted the apology. Suddenly Mika pulled on Mimiki's dress, prompting her to look down towards her baby sister. "What is it, Mika? Did you miss me?" she asked as she picked the young girl up. She lost her footing a bit due to the stinging pain of the bite, but Marik caught her. "Thank you, Marik."

"I missed you Mimi!" the young girl exclaimed as she hugged her big sister. "I missed you too, Mika."

"Yay! Can we eat the birthday cake now? Mom said that I couldn't have any until you got home." Everyone couldn't help but laugh at her comment. "Is that all you missed me for? We'll eat it later, okay?" Mika pouted a bit and replied "Okay Mimi."

"I'm glad that you're okay Mimi." Makoto chimed in. "Mom said that we were going to have a party for you later. Wanna join us, Marik?"

Mimiki smiled at Marik. "Yes, Marik. Join us later, okay? Bring Ishizu and Odion too. Is that alright with you dad?" she asked. The older man nodded."Yes, that's alright."

Mimiki turned to Marik and flashed him a smile. "We'll see you all later on today, Marik." Marik nodded. "Okay. See you later."

Her family helped her into the house while Marik watched. Before the door closed, Mimiki gave him a longing smile. Marik blushed with a bashful smile and waved goodbye.

Later on, everyone had gathered at Mimiki's house for her party. A few of her classmates had also joined in. They celebrated with a yellow cake with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. Afterwards, she had opened a few presents and they danced the night away and played games after having dinner. After a few hours, everyone started to leave while the Ishtars remained as the last guests. Ishizu signaled for them all to leave, as she didn't want to impose any further. Mimiki walked them outside and quietly closed the door behind her.

"Thanks for coming, everyone. I'm glad that you could come. I can't believe that I had two parties this year! I hope that you enjoyed yourselves." They all smiled at her.

"Yes, it was very nice. Thank you for inviting us, Mimiki." Ishizu responded and Odion nodded in agreement. "We'll be taking our leave now, Miss Mimiki. Have a good night."

The Ishtars started to make their way home while Marik trailed slowly behind them, stealing glances of his beloved as she disappeared. Before he could leave the yard, Mimiki called out to him and skipped over to him, and he met her halfway. She smiled sweetly at him again and hugged him.

"Thank you again, Marik." He smiled and returned her hug, wishing that he didn't have to leave.

"I'm glad that you had a great birthday."

"Yeah, I did. And you know what makes this the best birthday ever?" she asked him. He thought about it before giving up on an answer.

"No, what is it?" Her answer was one of his favorite things to do with her: a sweet kiss. The two separated, faces as red as a beet and smiles on their faces.

"That's what makes this the best birthday ever. Goodnight." she said quickly before returning to the house. This would be something that they would remember for a long time...and her father too.

Months later, the two teens were closer than ever. It was now December 23, Marik's fourteenth birthday. Ishizu and Odion had a small celebration with him early that morning. He had invited Mimiki over to hang out later as well. His mind thought back to the party that they threw for her six months prior. He couldn't believe that it had been that long since their first kiss. He blushed at the thought of those sweet times they had shared together since then. He found himself being guilty of wanting to kiss her often because he loved the feeling it created, it felt like an addiction and Ishizu and Odion had given him a few talks about the importance of boundaries, respect and exercising self control. He heeded their advice and respected Mimiki, but he couldn't help how he felt about her.

'But today is a special day, so I should be able to steal a kiss or two…' he thought as he snickered. 'They can't stop me then!' he thought as he laughed.

"Marik, what's so funny?" a familiar voice asked. Marik jumped up from his bed and found Mimiki standing in his doorway with a hand basket in tow. She was wearing a pink sweater dress with a matching hair band with a ribbon and black knee high boots. "Mimi! You're here! You look extra girly today."

Mimiki gave him her signature puffy cheek expression.

"Do you want your birthday present or not?" she asked as she walked up to him. Marik laughed and hugged her. "Of course I do! What'd you get me?" he asked excitedly. She pulled a small brown box out of the basket and handed it to him.

"It's not much, but I hope that you like it. I asked my cousin to send it to me. Happy birthday, Marik!"

Marik opened the box to reveal about two decks worth of duel monsters cards. His eyes lit up and he hugged her tightly, causing her to drop the basket. "Wow! Thanks Mimi! You're the best! You got me so many!"

Mimiki returned his hug and smiled. "I told my cousin back home a while ago which cards I wanted to give you and she sent them to me. I thought that it'd be nice for you to have your own deck of cards to choose from. Maybe you'll stand a fighting chance against me." she said as she stuck her tongue out at him and laughed. Marik rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Mimi."

She picked up the basket, looked inside and sighed in relief. "I brought you something else too. Here."

She pulled a small personal sized cake out of the basket.

"I'm sorry that this is so small. We didn't have a lot of ingredients to make a bigger one, but I made it this morning. Happy birthday!"

Marik's heart felt warm at her kindness. He smiled and hugged her again.

"Thank you Mimi. This has been the best birthday ever." She blushed at his words, happy that she could return the kindness that he gave her during her birthday months ago. The two stayed entwined in the hug for a little longer, his thoughts continuing to fill his heart with warmth.

'I want to stay like this with you forever, Mimi.'

Mimiki broke the hug and turned to the box of trading cards. "Why don't we build your deck now? Then we can duel while we eat your cake!" Marik snickered at her and replied

"You're on!"

The two enjoyed each other's company and cake for a few hours. Marik had won a couple of duels and was proud of himself at the fact he had finally beaten her. Afterwards, Marik had suggested that they go to the surface for some fresh air. Mimiki agreed and he linked his hand with hers, guiding her up the stairs. Once they reached the surface, they sat down on a nearby stone half wall. Marik took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled as he watched the sunset with Mimiki. It wasn't too hot anymore and the air felt light and refreshing.

Everything felt so perfect to him at that moment and he didn't want it to end. He watched as she was also enjoying the scenery and peace with their hands still embracing the other. His heart started beating rapidly with each passing moment they sat there.

"Mimi…" he whispered.

"Hm?" Mimiki replied as she turned to him. He blushed when his lavender eyes met her blue ones and felt his voice leaving him. Mimiki noticed his silence and smiled sweetly at him.

"What's wrong Marik? Are you okay?" She placed her hand on his cheek and started to worry. "You're a little warm and red. You're not getting sick, are you?"

His blush became more apparent and he looked away. "No...I'm okay...I'm not sick." he replied as he looked back into her eyes. 'Does being in love count as a sickness?' he thought.

Mimiki blushed a little as he held her hand on his cheek with his intense, yet cute stare. 'Just come out and say it, Marik!' he yelled at himself. He took a deep breath and started to speak.

"Mimi...I-I have something to tell you..."

Mimiki pipped up and gave him a "go on" gesture. Marik's heart continued to beat faster.

"You're my best friend..."

Mimiki smiled at him and then gave him a small hug. "You're my best friend too, Marik. I'm really happy that we're friends."

"Yeah...me too...but I like spending—I mean I—what I'm trying to say is that...I really like you...a lot...no! That's not right!" he confessed. Mimiki grew a little worried for her best friend.

"Marik, what—" He quickly silenced her lips with his finger. "No, Mimi. I have to say this! What I'm trying to say is...is…that I—"

Marik was suddenly cut off by the sound of Mimiki's phone ringing. She pulled away from him and gave him a "I'm sorry" look and answered the phone. "Hello? Dad?"

Marik watched her intensely as she continued her phone call. Her curious face quickly turned to disappointment. "But why now? I wasn't going to stay out much longer!"

Her father finished their argument and Mimiki gave a sigh of defeat.

"Okay. I'll be home soon." She ended the call and closed her eyes. It amazed her how great the cell tower signal was out in the desert. She looked at Marik with a sad face.

"I'm sorry Marik, but my dad wants me to come home. He's been really bugging me lately about coming home early. Can we talk again tomorrow?"

Marik's heart sank at her request. She was right. Her father always called her home earlier than they were accustomed to, and it really bit into their hang out time. He was against having their time cut short, but he didn't want to upset her father and be on his bad side.

'But I really wanted to tell you…'

"Yeah that's fine. It's getting dark anyways. I'll walk you home." Marik stood up and offered his hand to her. She accepted and they walked as quickly as they could to the front of her house. She turned and waved goodbye to Marik. "See you tomorrow!"

He quickly waved back and watched her disappear behind the door. His heart sank a bit; he really wanted to admit his true feelings for her today after failing to properly convey them over the past 6 months. His heart sank even more when he realized that he didn't get a birthday kiss. He pouted a bit before walking back home.

'Tomorrow will be better! I'll definitely tell her tomorrow!'

Mimiki closed the door behind her and slipped her boots off. She was a little irritated that such a nice moment was interrupted that way, but she didn't want to argue with her father. He had been pretty overprotective of her ever since her birthday and it had grown worse as time went along. She walked into the hallway to find something peculiar.

'What happened to the table? Did mom move it?'

She also looked around the find pictures missing from the walls.

'Are we redecorating or something?'

She dismissed the thought and went into her bedroom to change into her pajamas, only to find most of them missing. She checked other drawers to find them empty as well, aside from one outfit and some essentials. Other things were missing as well; books, trinkets and the like. Her heart started to sink as she quickly left the room and called for her parents.

"Mom! Dad!" she called. She found them in their room packing things into boxes. Sumie looked at her worryingly while Masahiro had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Mom, dad, where's my stuff? Why are my drawers empty? Why are you packing up that box?" she asked with a cracked voice.

She hoped what she was thinking wasn't the answer to her question. Sumie looked towards Masahiro to see how he would handle the situation. Masahiro sighed and turn to his daughter and sighed. He knew that this was coming.

"Mimiki, our time in Egypt is over a bit earlier than expected. My job wants us back in Domino immediately. We're leaving tomorrow."

Mimiki's eyes widened as her heart broke into a million pieces. It was like time had stopped and she could literally hear her heart shatter. Her eyes had become glassy as she began to shake, a wave of nausea rushing over her. She wanted to vomit. The words finally registered in her mind: she would never see Marik again.

'No…'

She continued to stare at her parents until Sumie spoke up with a worried voice.

"Mimiki dear...are you okay?"

Mimiki didn't respond and continue to stare as her world was slowly collapsing.

"No!" she yelled as she ran back to her room and threw herself on the bed, finally releasing her tears. She let out a loud weep as she crunched her sheets in between her fingers. Her crying was overheard by her siblings as they passed her room. They quietly entered and rubbed her back. She quickly looked over to them.

"So mom and dad told you, huh?" Makoto asked.

He took her continued crying as a "yes" and rubbed her back again.

"I understand that you are sad, but why are you this sad?"

Mimiki sat up and looked at him as if he was crazy, scaring Mika a bit. She had never seen her older sister like this before, so she hid behind Makoto. The two younger children noticed this and a pang of guilt hit Mimiki's heart. Makoto stood behind his question and spoke again.

"Why are you this sad, Mimi? You were upset at about leaving Domino and everyone behind and now you don't want to leave?"

Hearing the word "leave" made her heart sink even more. Makoto asked sadly "Is it because you don't want to leave Marik? I thought that he was just your friend. It's not like you're in love with him or anything, right?"

Mimiki's eyes widened after hearing his words. The remnants of her heart questioned her emotions and her true feelings. Did she love Marik? Is that why she was so upset? She remained silent as the two stared at her worryingly.

"Uh...Mimi?"

She remained silent for a while longer as she continued to stare down at her tear stained sheets.

"Get out…" she said quietly. "Please leave...I need to be alone…" she stated.

The two siblings honored her request and left the room. She quickly turned the lights off and buried herself in the covers, leaving herself to come to terms about her impending future and her true feelings. Crying eventually tired the young teenager and she fell victim to a deep sleep, tears continuing to stain her face.

When he arrived back home, he had a fire of determination burning within him. Marik practiced on how he was going to confess his feelings to her and even used Ishizu as practice. He kept fumbling his words and eventually gave in to his nervousness. Ishizu couldn't help but laugh at him after he dramatically fell onto his bed.

"I give up, Ishizu!" She sat at his desk, taking note of her brother's emotions as she took a sip of tea from a cup.

"I still can't believe that you haven't told her yet, Marik. Didn't I tell you to just be yourself and that girls appreciate honesty?"

Marik shot her an annoyed look and while she smiled back at him.

"I love how you act as if you have all of the answers, Ishizu."

Ishizu took another sip of her tea. "But I advised you to confess your feelings to her during her birthday six months ago, little brother. And it just wasn't me, Odion had advised you as well."

Marik sighed. He hated when she was right. "I know."

Ishizu stood up and grabbed her tea cup. She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her lips. "Please don't wait an eternity to confess your feelings Marik. Act when opportunity strikes before it's too late. Good night."

"Good night." he replied as she walked out from his room. Her last comment struck a chord with him. 'Hmm...she spoke as if something bad was going to happen…'

His heart felt a little heavy, but he decided to brush it aside. He was determined to tell her his feelings tomorrow no matter what, so he believed that nothing would go wrong. Marik yawned a bit before rubbing his eyes and retired to bed. He forced himself to go to sleep despite his anxiousness, convincing himself that the morning would come faster if he did so.

Marik heard crying under the light of the moon. He followed the crying for what seemed like hours until the sobbing became louder. He saw Mimiki curled into a ball, her crying apparent. He walked up to her, bent down to her level and rubbed her shoulder.

"Mimi, why are you crying? Are you okay?"

She continued to cry a bit before looking up at him. He could feel the despair and sadness in her eyes and it worried him greatly.

"I'm sorry…" she said. "I'm so sorry…"

Marik questioned her words and reached out to hug her. "What are you sorry for?"

When he wrapped his arms around her, she disappeared into vapor.

"MIMIKI!" he yelled as the last of the vapor disappeared from his sight, his eyes widened with horror.

He looked around frantically for her, calling her name, only to find no one as his vision slowly faded until black.

Marik was shaken awake until he finally screamed.

"MIMIKI!"

Marik screamed as he jumped up from his bed. He was drenched in a cold sweat and was breathing heavily, his eyes widened as he gripped his sheets. He was met by his older siblings by his bedside.

"Master Marik, are you alright? You were screaming and moving erratically in your sleep."

He looked at them in panic, still breathing heavily. "I had a nightmare about Mimi! She was crying! She disappeared when I touched her!" Ishizu wiped his head with a spare towel.

"Calm down, Marik. It was just an unpleasant dream. I'm sure that Mimiki is alright."

For once, Marik couldn't believe her words. He almost felt like he did when he had almost lost her forever at his own hands. He never wanted to feel like that ever again and the thought of that memory made him sick.

"I have to see her! I have to see her now! Something isn't right! Mimi's not okay!" The two elder Ishtar's were surprised at his outburst and tried to calm him down.

"Marik, please! Calm down!" Ishizu pleaded. "I think that you're a little too anxious about telling her how you feel. Everything will be alright."

"No! I can't! I need to see her now!"

He tried to jump out of his bed to make a mad dash for her house, but was stopped by his siblings. He gave them a look of fear and disbelief.

"If you're going to leave now, at least get ready for the day! Luckily it's morning already. Fix yourself up and then you can leave." Ishizu said calmly. "You're still in your nightclothes and they're soaking wet! I don't want you to become ill."

Marik listened to her. He quickly prepared for the day and left the tomb.

Mimiki looked out of her window to see the last of their belongings being packed into the moving truck. She had reluctantly gotten ready for the day, as she felt like her body and heart was like an empty shell. She desperately wanted to see Marik one last time and tried to sneak away, but was always caught by her parents asking for help with the packing and helping with the kids. She cursed inwardly as she realized that seeing him again was hopeless. She couldn't imagine the way he'd feel once he realized that his only friend suddenly left without warning.

She turned around to see that her bed was bare, drawers were empty and the only thing that was left was her lapis lazuli bracelet that Marik had given to her for her birthday. She slowly walked up to the dresser and picked up the beloved item, slowly putting it on. As she looked at it, tears started to fall.

"I'm sorry, Marik...I'm so sorry…"

Her crying was interrupted as her parents called her to leave. She grabbed her backpack and took one last look at her old room before heading down slowly to the cab that awaited them. She looked down the path that lead towards the market and shed more tears before she was called into the cab.

'Goodbye Marik…'

Marik ran as fast as he could to her house. In the distance he could see the cab driving away from the house. He questioned the sight and forced himself to run faster. By the time he had gotten there, the cab was out of his view. He stopped to catch his breath and a driver had noticed him. He ordered his partner to close the cabin door while he approached Marik.

"Are you alright young man? You're out of breath." the man asked. "Are you lost? Do you require any assistance?"

Marik looked up at him after he felt well enough to speak. "No, I'm alright. My friend lives here and I was on my way to see her." he said as he pointed at the now empty house. The man started to feel confused.

"What's going on? Are you delivering something for her family? I can give it to them, if you like."

Now the man started to feel bad for Marik, but he told him the truth.

"I'm sorry young man, but we've just packed their things away. They're moving overseas. I'm supposed to be taking this shipment to the airport now. The family just left for the airport not too long ago. Didn't your friend inform you that she was leaving?"

Time stopped for Marik instantly as his nightmare was becoming his reality. The man noticed his behavior and grew concerned as Marik's eyes started to glass over.

"I'm sorry young man. I hope that you at least have her contact information. We have to leave now. Have a nice day."

The man turned around to head for the truck until Marik pulled his vest. His lavender eyes pleaded with the man as he cried.

"Please take me to the airport with you! I need to see her one last time! Please! She's my only friend, I beg of you!"

The man pitied Marik and felt the deep sadness in his eyes. His heart got the better of him as he allowed the young Ishtar to tag along. He felt like no one deserved the sadness that Marik was experiencing.

The Minami family had surrendered their luggage to the baggage handler and proceeded to the security line. Mimiki slowly walked behind the rest of her family. She looked back towards the entrance and wished that she could see Marik one last time. Feeling like her wish was impossible, she continued to walk until she caught up with her family. She pulled out her passport and ticket, gripping the items rather tightly as she looked at the information displayed on it and started to beat herself up.

'You knew this day was coming, Mimiki. You didn't want to move here in the first place! You couldn't wait until the year was over!'

She almost crushed the ticket in her hand.

'But I didn't think that I'd meet such a good friend!'

Before she knew, it she was at the front of the line and the security agent waiting for her to hand over her passport and ticket.

"Hello young lady. May I have your passport and ticket please?"

Mimiki looked up at him sadly, reluctant to give him said items. She took a deep breath and gave him what he asked for. After receiving the items back, she looked longing at the distant entrance hoping to see him again, desperately wanting her wish to come true.

'Get over yourself, Mimiki! It's over.'

She proceeded to follow true with the airport security measures and joined her family as they started to walk further inside the terminal. She only walked three steps ahead until she heard her name being called by a familiar voice.

"MIMI! MIMI!"

Mimiki turned around to find Marik restrained by the security agents, trying his best to wrestle out of their grip.

"MARIK!" she yelled. She tried to reach out to him, but was met with a wall of agents securing the terminal.

"Young man! You're not allowed to access this area unless you have a ticket!"

"Please! I need to see my friend! She's leaving!" he stated between grunts.

"No ticket, no access!" another agent stated.

Mimiki pushed through the barricade of agents enough to see his face. Her heart melted as their eyes met. "MARIK!" she yelled as she started to cry again.

"MIMI!"

"Marik I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell you that I was leaving!" she yelled through her struggle. Her words reminded him of his dream and tears started to fill his eyes—he had to tell her.

"I LOVE YOU MIMI!"

Mimiki stopped struggling as she let his words ring through her heart. Her eyes began to sting as she started to struggle again. She desperately wanted hug him, but the agents began to pull her back. The two teens reached out for each other, only to be pulled further away from each other.

"Marik I—"

Her words was drowned out by the PA system and struggling security agents. Mimiki disappeared from Marik's view as the agents pulled him away. Other agents ordered the passengers to leave the area to board their respective flights while they detained Marik.

It was over. His struggle was pointless as he felt his world dissolve into nothing.

Everything felt cold and dark, hearts were broken, but one thing was certain: his heart had died that day.

I know that the ending is sad, but don't fret! This is not the end of their story. The story shall continue in the sequel, Kizuna.

Thank you all for your support, it really means a lot! I hope that you all enjoyed Worlds Apart and that you'll enjoy and support Kizuna as well.