I don't own any of these characters that are familiar. I just borrow them. X3

Sorry about the first version of this chapter being so short. It was all that I could think of at the time. Monster writer's block, I'm telling you. So, to make up for it, here is a bit of a longer chapter with some fun stuff added. I hope you enjoy! ;)

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Yami had run for what seemed like forever to him before he finally started to slow down. Two to three hours had to have passed since he left the diner. He looked around and noticed that nothing was familiar to him. There wasn't even a payphone in sight to call Yugi. He continued to walk until he came across an abandoned park. He stood there and stared at it for a few minutes before entering and heading over to the swing set. He leaned his head against the chain holding the swing and started a gentle left to right swing. The sun was starting to set when he heard faint footsteps nearing the park. He lowered his head and hoped that whoever it was, wouldn't come over to him. As usual, nothing went the way he had hoped, and whoever it was came and sat down on the swing next to him.

"Are you okay?" Marik's familiar voice rang to him.

"I'm fine." Yami answered simply.

"You know, you shouldn't lie to people." Marik told him with a small laugh, causing Yami to look up at him.

"It helps if you talk about what is bothering you."

"What is there to talk about? Nothing is wrong. I'm perfectly fine." Yami told him.

"Why did you run out of the café like that earlier?" he asked the spirit.

"If I left, then he would have too." Yami told him. It wasn't entirely a lie, but mostly.

"You didn't have to leave. You didn't do anything wrong." Marik told him.

"I always do things wrong." he told him with a small sigh.

"Like what?" Marik asked.

"I've done nothing but cause problems for everyone around me since I was first released from the puzzle. That pretty much sums it up for you." he told him.

"No you haven't. None of that was your fault." Marik told him before lowering his head a bit. "If anything, I caused more trouble in a short period of time than you ever could in your whole lifetime."

"I wish that I was never trapped in that stupid puzzle." Yami said, hanging his head again. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Marik stood up.

"It's getting late. We should be getting home." Marik said before stretching his arm out to Yami. "Come on. It's too late for you to be heading back to you house. You can stay with me tonight."

"I couldn't." Yami told him, refusing to move.

"There's no point in arguing Yami. And I'm not giving you much of a choice." Marik said before grabbing Yami's arm and pulling him up off of the swing. "And besides, I owe you for helping me today. It's the least I can do."

"Well, if there is no point in arguing, than I guess it wouldn't hurt." Yami said before Marik lead him out of the park and down a darkening street. This part of town was a lot different than the one he was used to. He guessed that it was just because he never came here before, and never truly wanted to. It looked like it was an all in all boring place, and it never once crossed his mind after that. He looked up a little to see the sun setting over the horizon.

'It must be easy for you. To simply rise and fall each day, without a care in the world.' Yami thought to himself, wondering if the sun god was even watching what went on, or had simply given up on the people and only did their job anymore.

"Wow. It's never got this dark so quick before." Marik said to break the eerie silence, only to quickly feel a jolt in his hand from startling Yami a bit. "Sorry about that. I did't think that I would scare you."

"It's not your fault, but mine once more. I should not have my attention in so many places at once." Yami apologized.

'This is going to be a long night.' Marik thought to himself as they continued walking along. "My house is just around the corner here."

"Alright." Yami replied simply as Marik lead him into a large apartment complex. It had an old, antique look to it from the outside, but on the inside it had been completely redone and made one think they were in a completely different building. Marik walked up to the elevator and pushed the button. He watched for the light to turn on the signal which floor it was on, but it did nothing.

"Ah, Marik. Evening." a females voice came from behind him. Yami nearly jumped out of his shoes, not knowing the she was standing right next to him.

"Are you okay?" Marik asked, helping Yami up from the floor.

"Heh. Sorry about that." the girl said with a small laugh.

"She does that a lot. After a while you sort of get used to her. Guess I should have warned you about what people here call the 'unwelcoming party'." Marik said with a smile before turning to the girl. "Elevator out again?"

"This thing? Yeah. I broke it again. She's going to kill me one of these days. In fact, I got told this morning after I did it that I'm not allowed near it again." she said with yet another laugh.

"Got orders not to touch it again?"

"Yeah. Again." she said with a sigh. "You can call me Kitty by the way."

"This is Yami, and old friend of mine." Marik said after a moment of Yami simply standing there staring into oblivion again.

'Friend? How can he call me a friend after all I have done?' Yami thought to himself, simpy causing him to become more remorseful than before.

"Nice to meet you Yami." Kitty said before someone in a long, hooded, black trenchcoat walked though the door. Kitty leaned towards Yami and whispered "I'd be careful of her. She's kind of mean by nature."

"If you would quit breaking the stuff that makes it easier for the tenants to get around the building, I wouldn't yell at you too much." a woman with long, platinum blonde hair that fell loosely in her face said as she pulled her coat off. She wore a business type suit that shown off bits and pieces of her figure, making her look attractive, but sensible and business-like at the same time. What would catch anyones attention the most would be her eyes. She had one eye a deep, blood red; while the other was a deep lavender color, darker than Marik's violet colored eyes. Yami could swear that he had seen her before somewhere, but wasn't sure where. Perhaps he was just reminded of someone else?

'I think it's time to ask myself what I am doing here still.' Yami thought to himself about his current form of company.

"I hope that Kitty is not causing you and your friend any trouble Marik. I would hate to see one of the few with a head on their shoulders leave here." the lady said as she walked up to the elevator.

"I find her company rather enjoyable after a day at work, actually." he laughed. "I think that I will take my leave though. It has been a long day, and I really need to relax."

"Bye Marik!" Kitty waved as the two walked away.

"Have a nice evening Marik. Be sure to get some sleep Yami." the older woman said as they started their way up the stairs.

"You know, it's kind of creepy how she knows what everyone's name is before she meets them." Marik said as they started walking up the fifth flight of stairs.

"Who?" Yami asked, not knowing who he was talking about.

"Oh, that's right. She didn't introduce herself while we were down there. That's Shouri, the complex owner and manager. She is a remarkable person. This entire building used to be her family home, but she comverted it into apartments for people who can't afford a lot. I've been told by this nice old woman down the hall from me that she also helps people get started in life if they have nothing left. She's really generous." Marik said as they came to the door leading to the floor he lived on. "Well, here is at least the entrance to where I live. Still a little ways to walk. Sorry it's taking so long to get there."

"It's fine." he said to him as he followed him down the hallway. They walked down three hallways, and then finally came to the fourth door on the right the had 534B wrote on it in large, bold, golden writing.

"Can't say that you get lost in here. All of the rooms are labeled by floor, hallway, how many down and what side." Marik said as he opened the door to his apartment. "Go on in."

"Thanks." Yami said as he walked in, followed closely by Marik. He took off his shoes and put their coats away in the closet. He then proceeded with showing Yami around the house so he knew what was where. "This is the living room here. And through here is the kitchen. You can eat whatever you want when you get hungry by the way, okay?"

"That's fine." his overly silent companion told him as he walked through the kitchen and into the hallway where the bedroom and bathroom was.

"There's only one room, but you can sleep in here tonight. I'll be fine on the couch." Marik said as he turned on the light in the bedroom. "The only bathroom is right through that door."

"The couch is fine. It's better than having to sleep in the same bed with Yugi. Love him to death, but sometimes I think that he is going to be the death of me. If he isn't kicking me, he's shoving me off the bed. I don't see how, since it's a queen size, but he does." Yami told him.

"Are you sure?" Marik asked, only to recieve a nod in answer. "Umm...okay. I'll get you some blankets later then. Let's go back to the kitchen and I will maek us something to eat. I'm famished."

He led the pharoah back into the kitchen and pulled a couple cans of soup out of the cabinet. He figured that right now Yami wouldn't care too much about what he ate. Come to think of it, he wondered what kinds of nasty food he would have had to eat with Joey around. A faint blush grew on his face when he realized what he was just thinking. He quickly emptied the cans into to the pot and started warming it up on the stove. After a few minutes, he removed it from the stove and poured it into two seperate bowls. He rinsed out the pot before grabbing the bowls and going to the table. He sat a bowl in front of Yami and then took a seat himself. Marik began gorging himself due to not having time to eat at all that day, while Yami simply took a few bites and sat there stirring it, staring into a faint reflection of himself. When Marik was done, he looked over at Yami.

"Did you not like that kind of soup?" he asked.

"It's fine. I'm just not really hungry." he told him, keeping his eyes on the bowl.

"That's fine. Let me take care of that for you." Marik said before Yami handed him bowl. "Let me just wash what little bit of dishes there are, and then I'll grab some blankets for you."

"I'm sorry." Yami said as soon as Marik started drying off his hands.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Everything."

"Like what?" Marik questioned, only to have the spirit sit quietly for a moment. "If you mean all of what I go through with Joey, don't worry about it. He's done it for so long that I'm starting not to care anymore."

"For that, and everything else that has happened. And for whatever will happen in the future." Yami told him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. The pharaoh seemed to be talking in riddles. It seemed like he was tired, but didn't want to go to sleep. That, and he had so much on his mind that he wouldn't be able to sleep.

"The more I think about it, the more I realize that I am the cause of all of the trouble that everyone has went through. The more I think about it, the more I wish that I was never released from the puzzle. Or even that I was never kept inside of it to begin with." he wasn't sure why he was saying all of this to Marik. He couldn't even say anything like this to his hikari, Yugi. And considering that he confided in the boy for a lot of things, that was saying more than anything about him. "If I didn't start all of this foolish monster duel business then, nothing like this would have happened now."

"Don't talk like that. And besides, if anything, I should take more of the blame than you. I did try to kill you after all." just saying it felt like someone had stuck a knife in him and twisted it around. The thought of killing someone, even the pharoah made him feel sick to his stomach. But then again, killing Joey would be a nice thing, but he still would never do it.

"How can you talk about it like it's nothing?" Yami asked, turning to face the blonde haired, violet eyed egyptian.

"I guess that you could say that I have come to peace with all of the decisions that I have made." he shrugged. "You on the other hand, are over-exhausted. I can tell by the look in your eyes. Let's get you set up to get to bed. I'll even get you something to change into so you can get your clothes washed."

"I'm not really tired." Yami protested, but was met with a tug of the arm by Marik who led him out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

"You take a seat on the bed, and I will get everything ready for you." he told him as Yami reluctantly sat on the bed. He went into the bathroom and grabbed a few extra blankets from the closet, and then grabbed a shirt and pair of pajama pants out of his dresser. "Here are some clothes you can wear to bed. Just go ahead and put your stuff into the washer, I'll take care of it later. Now you get changed while I get to couch ready for you."

"Alright." he told him, not wanting to end up losing another argument with him. "Is it okay if I use your phone when I'm done. I want to call Yugi and let him know that I'm okay."

"That's fine. There's one right there by my bed you can use. And another out in the living room too." he told him before he walked out of the room. He turned on the small lamp next to the couch and proceeded to pull the coffee table away from the couch. It's times like this that he was thankful he bought that couch with the pull out bed. It only took him a few minutes to make the bed so he figured that he would give Yami enough time to get done what he needs done and sat down on the bed and turned on the the tv.

Yami wasn't sure what to think at the current point in time. One minute, he is knocking out Joey in the diner, and the next, he is at Marik's apartment. And wearing his clothes. He grabbed his clothes and put them in the washer like Marik has said. After starting the washer, he made his way to the phone next to the bed and dialed Yugi's number. It rang a few times before Yugi picked up.

"Hello?"

"He there?"

"Yeah. Not in the room though."

"Don't tell him it's me. Okay? I don't want to talk to him. At all."

"I don't really blame you. And don't worry, I won't. Where are you?"

"Staying with a friend for the night. I ran into them a few hours ago and they wouldn't let me go home because it was so late. They insisted that I stay with them for the night."

"Please tell me you're not lying to make me feel better?"

"I'm sure that by now you recognize the payphone numbers. How many times had someone tried the same thing to you?"

"I know. But I'm not going to take the time to remember every single number in the phone book."

"I'll stop by home tomorrow, okay?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I need to grab some clothes to wear. I'm not going to sit here and wear someone else's clothes all day."

"Tea wants to go to the arcade in the morning. We will probably be there until early afternoon. That should give you enough time to get by with. Right?"

"Thank you, Yugi. I really appreciate all that you have done."

"Your welcome. And Yami?"

"Yeah?"

"Please get some sleep. Okay? I can feel that you really need it."

"I promise. I will probably call you tomorrow evening or something."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"Bye." and with that he hung up the phone. After sitting there for a minute, he finally got up and made his way to the living room. He saw that Marik had already prepared the bed for him, and was sitting there watching t.v. He made his way over to the couch and sat down under the covers.

"Clothes fit you okay?" Marik asked.

"Yeah. Thanks. For everything." he told him.

"Don't worry about it. It's best to get it all out before it all explodes anyways." he told him. They both sat then sat there in silence watching the television. An hour and a half had passed since Yami walked into the room. Marik looked over to see that the spirit had finally went to sleep. He sat there gazing at the sleeping spirit. How he would have killed for a moment like this to happen before. Slowly and carefully he got up and made his way to his room. He wasted no time in changing his clothes and getting in bed. He felt so tired that he thought he would fall asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Much to his surprise, he simply lay there wide awake and staring at the ceiling. He turned over and stared out the window. For the first time in a long time, he could see the stars shining brightly above the city. How long had it been since he had gazed upon their beauty? Far too long, that was for sure. He loved the stars, they always seemed to brighten his mood. That, and they always made it easy for him to fall asleep, which is what he realized when he heard a noise in the bedroom. He slowly opened his tired eyes and loooked around, but saw nothing. Maybe he was imagining things. Yami was sure to still be asleep, he did seem to be exhausted from the long day that he had. Marik simply shrugged it off and moved so he was lying on his back. Now that he thought about it, wasn't he lying on his left side before? He lifted his head up and looked around the living room.

'I could have sworn that I went to bed.' he thought to himself before looking towards the t.v. It was still on, but the channel was in standby for the night and had the usual starry sky picture on it. That would at least explain him thinking that he was in bed. He didn't remember falling asleep watching t.v., but he was waiting for the pharaoh to go to sleep. That was right. Yami was at his house for the night. He couldn't believe that he had forgot that he was there for the night.

"...sorr.....please.....me" he heard Yami mumbling in his sleep. He even apologized for stuff in his sleep. Now that was weird. He slowly turned to his side and sat up on his elbow and looked at the pharaoh.

"....mean to....accident.....belie..me...." he mumbled again, starting to flail a little.

'I want to do something, but I don't want to end up scaring him away. But I can't just sit here and do nothing.' Marik fought with himself about if he should do anything to calm to sleeping spirit.

"...please don't.....eave." he said before grabbing ahold of Marik's shirt. An alarm suddenly went off in Marik's head when he felt Yami suddenly pull him down to the bed and wrap his arms around him.

"Umm....Yami?" Marik asked, trying his best not to start panicking.

"...don't go....." he mumbled as he tightened his grip on him. Marik wasn't quite sure what he was dreaming, but it couldn't have been too good if he was mumbling something about not wanting someone to leave and holding onto him as tight as he was.

"I'm not going anywhere." Marik said without realizing, but it seemed to calm the pharaoh down, but not loosen his grip any. feeling that there was really no way out of the situation now, Marik gave in and lay there, letting the pharaoh hold onto him tightly. It was the least he could do to help ease his pain. 'I don't know what you're dreaming, but I'm here for you right now.'