Marik strolled into his History class, walking to his desk in the back of the room. Bakura floated along behind him, hands in his pockets as he waited for Marik to sit, before hopping onto the boy's desk. Marik scowled at him, but said nothing.
A slow trickle of students came in, before finally the whole class was in.
Someone else walked in, and Marik's jaw dropped.
It was a man with white hair to his shoulders, and tanned skin. A cut went beneath one of his eyes; pink and giving off the appearance of old pain. He was wearing the school uniform, and Marik's History teacher, Mr. Scott, was standing behind him, ready to introduce him.
The man-well, boy apparently-let his scarlet eyes scan the room, taking everything in. Mr. Scott stepped forward then, and gave a reassuring smile to the boy, who just gave a sneer in return.
"Well, class," Mr. Scott said, shuffling his papers, "this is Akefia Touzouku. Please welcome him." Mr. Scott turned to mutter something to Akefia, as Marik turned an incredulous stare to Bakura.
Bakura just shrugged. "We're not related," he explained, before letting his eyes roam back over Touzouku, who was slouched slightly with his hands in his pockets. Gears started turning in Bakura's head, as he watched Touzouku avidly.
Eventually, the tanned man was allowed to step away from Mr. Scott, and he made his way back towards Marik, where he slumped into the seat next to him.
"You. . . Were at the movie theatre last night . . ." Touzouku said, turning his crimson gaze onto Marik, mistrust glittering there. Marik said nothing, just kept his gaze split between the whittete, and the board where Mr. Scott was writing down their new assignment.
Marik also didn't see Bakura sneaking around behind, since the spirit had decided to make himself invisible. He grinned, as he moved behind Touzoku.
"Either way. . . That teacher said you are to show me around." Touzouku scowled at Marik. "I'm to shadow you." Marik nodded slowly, keeping his gaze on Touzouku as he reached blindly for his History book beneath his desk. He saw the whittete do an odd little jerk, and Marik straightened his back up, watching the boy.
"Touzouku. . .?" He questioned softly, trying to not attract attention. Marik's hand shot to the Millinium Ring, where he clutched the golden item tightly. Then he noticed Bakura was missing. A sinking feeling came onto him, as he watched Touzouku straighten up, before smirking at Marik.
"Touzouku isn't here right now, Marik," the man let out in a croaky voice, and Marik scowled.
"Bakura!" He hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Touzouku's eyebrows rose, and he studied his fingernails. "Well, I do believe it is called possesing."
"I know that!" Marik snarled. "I mean . . . You can't just. . . Y'know! You have to release him," Marik finished, just as Mr. Scott cleared his throat. He sent a meaningful look to Marik, who sighed in frustration, before pulling out a text book.
"Ah! Oh no!" Bakura cried out theatrically. "It appears I don't have a book. Why, Marik, could I share with you?" Marik groaned in disbelief, but Bakura just chuckled, before scooting his chair over to Marik's desk. He put his elbow on Marik's desk, before leaning against the palm of his hand.
"Bakura," Marik muttered now that they were closer. "You really should let him go! This is his school life you're messing wi-"
"Would you rather see Touzouku then me?" Bakura questioned, leveling his gaze with Marik's. Marik stuttered for a moment, before scowling angrily at the boy. He just decided to ignore the question, and he set to work on his classwork.
Bakura didn't say anything for the rest of class, but as soon as the bell rang, he jumped up, and gripped Touzouku's backpack. He shoved his hands in his pockets, before turning to a furious Marik.
"What?" Bakura smirked, exiting the door with Marik. Exasperated, Marik said nothing; he only walked side by side with Bakura until they entered their English class. Tea spotted Marik immediatly, and rushed over to him. She hugged him, smiling warmly at him, as Marik flushed.
"I heard there was a new kid have you seen . . ." Tea stopped as she saw Bakura-or, technically, Touzouku. "Oh, hello . . ." Tea clearly remembered Touzouku's appearance from the movie night, and she extended her hand slowly.
Bakura smirked, before taking the hand, shaking it firmly. He then let go of her, before reaching over and smacking Marik in the ass.
"Get a move on, girlie," he sniggered, as Marik yelped and lurched away from Bakura, glaring at him with an accusatory stare. Tea's face flushed for a moment, and Bakura could tell it was partially from embarrasment, and the rest from anger.
"D-Dammit Bakura!" Marik snarled, before he realized his mistake. He clenched his teeth, but Tea had paused, before letting her eyes roam over to Touzouku's body; which had gone rigid.
"Bakura. . . . Wasn't that the name of some kid who died?" She asked, suspicion clouding her blue eyes.
"Um . . . We didn't know that. . ." Marik mumbled. "Bakura is just a nickname." Tea didn't look convinced, but she decided to shrug it off.
"Okay, then . . . Will you sit by me today?" Tea questioned shyly, and Marik returned the smile, though his was more awkward then anything.
"Sure. . ."
"Don't mind if I join, do you?" Bakura interrupted, a smirk stretching his features as he watched Tea with cold eyes. She returned the look, before nodding slowly, offering a shrug as well.
"Sure . . ." Tea then slipped her hand around Marik's, and they both walked over to the edge of the classroom. Their English class was fairly easy. They were just reading a story, taking turns with reading it aloud.
Bakura had Marik's in fits of laughter all throughout class as, everytime he came time for him to read, he'd jump up and put his foor on a chair, holding his book aloft as he recited the words in a lofty tone.
"Jeez. . . You have to much confidence in yourslef," Marik mumbled, letting his laughter die in his throat as Bakura took his seat, and it was now Marik's turn to read.
"Ore-sama?" Bakura sniggered. "To confident? Never." Marik just rolled his eyes, before reading his few paragraphs. Yugi and Tea were in their group as well, though they were much like Marik; they just read their lines and didn't add anything extra.
The bell rang, just as they finished the chapter they'd been working on.
"Lunch time!" Tea called, before turning to Marik.
"Just go on ahead without me," Marik said. "I need to pack up some stuff."
"Okay," Tea smiled. "We'll be at the usual table." She gave a wave, before turning away. Yugi tailed along behind her, though he was cupping his Millinium Puzzle in his hands, pressing his ear close to the gold with a frown creasing his face.
Bakura watched them go, before looking to Marik. Marik pretended to busy himself with his stuff, until their English teacher shooed them out of the classroom. He saw that the hallway was empty, and turned to Bakura.
"Bakura, you need to release him." Tanned hands flew to their owner's hips as purple eyes glared up at Bakura's face.
"Why should I?" Bakura snarled angrily, glaring at Marik. "What harm's it going to do, anyways?"
"A lot of harm! You're taking over somebody else's life, and you don't know a thing about them!" Marik hissed.
"So what? We're having fun! You can finally talk to me in public, too. . ."
"A stupid reason like that," Marik deadpanned, "is reason enough for you to do something like this?" Bakura glowered, not at all liking the tone in Marik's voice.
"Look, I'll release him after school! No harm no foul!" Bakura held up his hands, grinning at Marik, hoping to lighten the mood. Marik wouldn't be deterred so easily.
"It's just not right, Bakura," Marik droned on, disaproval written all over his face.
Bakura snarled, before pushing past Marik. He stalked down the hallway, and he heard Marik's footsteps behind him as the blonde tried to keep up. Touzouku had a much bigger stride then the smaller boy.
"Look, Bakura, you already had your chance at life! It's time for you to let others have their cha-" Marik had started to say that, except for a fist collided with the side of his face. He gasped in pain as he fell to his butt, staring, bewildered, up at an angry Bakura. Marik's hand flitted up to his face, and he could feel a large bruise forming there. It stung to the touch, and Marik knew, from experience, that it would be there for quite some time.
"Don't bring up my death," Bakura hissed. "I had my chance. . ." the spirit spat, before lurching forward, hands curling up into fists again. Marik didn't move, though, he just kept his hand on his face, staring up into those blazing eyes.
"I had my fucking chance all right! But it's not like I did something stupid to where I deserved to die!" He snarled. Marik frowned, but still remained silent. He stood up slowly, keeping his hand to his face. It felt like it was pulsing with pain beneath his palm.
"Look . . . I didn't say it was your fault," Marik said, but he spoke in an awkward way. He was attempting to keep his jaw stationary, since it felt like somebody was stabbing it everytime he tried to move it. "But . . ." Marik continued, "it's not Touzouku's fault either."
Bakura's fist curled up again, and Marik saw them, before letting out a harsh laugh. Blinking in surprise, Bakura watched as Marik lowered his hand away from his-sure enough-bruised jaw.
"Oh, please, Bakura," Marik smirked, "hit me agian. You think you can hurt me? You're just a little bitchcompared to my father." Bakura paused, wondering if Marik was finally going to open up. . . .
But then Marik started walking, heading towards the cafeteria.
"Wait . . . Wha-?" Bakura stomped after Marik, who talked to him without stopping or turning his head in the slightest.
"Look, you wanna keep that body, fine . . ." Marik shrugged. "It's not like I can physically drag you out of there." Bakura smirked. "But you need to be extra careful . . ."
"Whatever," Bakura grunted, and soon a wall of noise hit them as they neared the cafeteria. They entered it, and saw Tea sitting at a table, fidgeting nervously as she kept looking around. She spotted Marik then, and let out a cry before dashing over to him. She hugged him around the waist, before looking into his face.
"Oh my gosh!" She yelped, her fingers dancing lightly over his bruise. Bakura scowled as he saw Marik wince slightly from it. "Do you need me to get some ice for it?Who. . . Who did it?"
Marik sighed, before just shaking his head. He looked to Bakura.
"I just fell and busted my face on the table," Marik said simply, and Tea believed it.
"Oh, jeez! You've gotta be more careful, Marik!" She squealed, giving him an almost exasperated look.
"Yeah . . . I'm going to go get some lunch, okay?" Marik said, and Tea nodded before heading away. Bakura snorted, before Marik glared at him.
They headed up to the line together, but Bakura paused at the line. He didn't have any money. . . Sighing, he shoved his hands in his pockets, preparing to wait for Marik. Marik saw him, though, and walked over to him. Marik gripped the sleeve of his blue jacket, before dragging him over to the line.
"Marik, I don't have any mone-" Bakura started, but Marik just crossed his arms, ignoring Bakura completely until they got up to the actual food. Marik looked at him, before grabbing a tray.
"Tell me what you eat, and I'll grab some," Marik said, and Bakura did as commanded. Unsuprisingly, he chose all meats. Marik curled his lip in disgust, but payed for the food. He carried the tray over to where Tea and Yugi sat, before plonking the tray down in the seat next to him, where Bakura sat.
"Wha-?" Bakura started, but Marik just pointed at the food. Understanding, Bakura muttered a quick thanks, before he began to rip into the food, savoring each and every bite as the juices erupted in his mouth. Gods it felt amazing feeling the sweet morsels sliding over his tongue that he hadn't had in two years . . .
Marik watched with mild interest, as Tea watched the blonde nervously.
"Are you not going to eat?" She questioned, giving him a worried look.
"Ah . . . Um, no," Marik said, and he saw Bakura pause for a moment, before returning to eating.
"Okay then. . ."
Ishizu walked up then, before sitting down in the seat across from Bakura. She looked at him with mild interest, as Kaiba sat next to her, clearly annoyed at all the people that were crowded around.
"A new friend?" Ishizu asked, studying Bakura.
"Yeah," Marik mumbled. "This is Akefia Touzouku." Bakura sniggered a little, finishing his food as he shoved the tray away a little.
"Well, nice to meet you," Ishizu smiled softly, extending her hand to Touzouku. Bakura stared at her hand, before taking it into his own.
"The pleasure is all mine," he smirked, and Marik rolled his eyes. Ishizu giggled a little, and Kaiba's eyes narrowed. Marik jumped up.
"C'mon, Touzouku, I need to show you where our next class!" Marik didn't even wait for Bakura's response, he just grabbed Bakura's arm, and dragged the boy away from the table.
"What the hell, Marik?" Bakura questioned as they reached the exit of the cafeteria.
Marik scowled at him. "Be careful what you say. Do you really want Kaiba angry with you?" Bakura thought about it, then he remembered Kaiba storming in and saving Marik when he, Bakura, could've done it himself. He scowled a little, before nodding savagely.
Deciding to ignore this, Marik marched Bakura to their usual spot, before they plopped down on the tile.
"So . . ." Marik said softly, studying Bakura. "How does it feel being back in your old school?"
Bakura smirked. "Tell me something about yourself, first. I'm tired of always answering your questions, but getting nothing in return."
Marik looked like he was going to argue for a minute, but then he stopped, sighed, and nodded slowly. "What do you wanna know?"
Blinking in surprise, Bakura asked, "Well . . . Um. . . How did you get those carvings on your back?" Marik went stick straight, and he bit his lip, obviously not wanting to share this with anybody.
Bakura thought he wouldn't share, and sighed, shifting so his legs didn't fall asleep. But then, Marik spoke.
"Well. . . . When I was little," Marik began, his voice quiet, "my father was drunk one night. . . And no one else was home so . . . He was looking at Duel Monster cards with me, and we were laughing, and having a good time. And I told him my favorite card was the Winged Dragon of Ra. He said, 'oh', and then began to stare at me. Well, after that, I told him how I'd love to have the power of the three God cards, and become the Pharaoh so I could protect our family.
"Well," Marik sighed, "then he just said 'oh' again. After a few minutes, he pulled the cards from my hands, and he grabbed me. He tied me up with some old sheets, and he took off my shirt, before he laid me down on the couch. He gagged me, before taking a knife and heating it over a candle. Then he carved-" Marik's voice broke for a moment. "Then he carved the three God cards onto my back . . ."
Bakura stared for a moment, before nodding slowly. "May I ask why?"
Marik gave a harsh laugh. "Well, turns out what my dear mommy didn't tell us was that my father was technically insane, and he hadn't taken his medication."
"Well, why weren't Ishizu and Melvin there to help you?"
"Because," the blonde's gaze was staring at the ground now, "she took them away so they wouldn't be hurt." Bakura paused for a moment, before blinking a few times.
"Why not . . .?"
"Why not me?" Marik lifted his gaze, and Bakura could see a cold, detatched look had come over it. "Because my father requested I stay. See, my dad got along better with me then the others, so my mother figured maybe he wouldn't hit me so much. Actually," Marik let out a dark chuckle, "d'you know why he said he carved them onto my back?"
Bakura hesitated, before nodding.
"Well, he said it was strengthning our bond. Said that he was giving me what I wanted. That he inserted the powers of the Gods within me." Bakura frowned, before watching Marik. The boy's eyes were cold, and those unnatural tears were leaking out of them.
Frowning, Bakura scooted closer, before awkwardly patting Marik on the back. Marik looked up, and saw that Bakura had a constipated look on his face. He sniggered a little, and his tears stopped.
"Now, answer my question," Marik commanded, looking up to Bakura.
"Well, it feels okay I suppose. Nothing's changed, except, of course, my class is gone." Bakura shrugged, and Marik gaped at him. "What?"
"You ass!" Marik laughed, jumping to his knees before swatting playfully at Bakura. "I gave you a whole story, and you barely gave me a sentence!"
"And it's my fault you felt the need to go into such detail?" Bakura smirked, catching Marik's hand. He leaned in close, as Marik scowled.
"You asked. And your breath stinks," Marik joked, wrinkling his nose. Bakura glared, before pinning Marik to the lockers.
"Oh, it does does it?" Bakura sneered, as Marik struggled playfully in his grip.
"Oh, yes!" He cried out. "It stinks so bad I just might die!" His head lolled to the side a little, and his eyelids fluttered closed.
"Maybe true love's kiss will awaken you?" Bakura said, leaning in close. Marik's eyes snapped open and he glared at Bakura.
"Don't you even think about it, pervert."
"Pervert? I am offended." Bakura chuckled. Marik rolled his eyes.
"Okay, c'mon, lemme go. These lockers aren't exactly comfortable, y'know!"
Bakura released Marik, and the bell rang, loud and clear. Jumping up, the two boys headed off to class.
-(-o-)-
"Ah~," Ms. Valentine cried, clasping her hands to her chest as she saw Bakura enter her room. "Another cute new student!" She giggled, before heading over to him. Marik laughed at Bakura's expression, before looking to Ms. Valentine. It was nice to see her happy and smiling again.
Bakura was directed to a seat next to Marik after introductions were made.
"Okay, class. Today we have partner work." Ms. Valentine stood at the front of the class. "See, now that we're nearing testing time, we don't really have that many lesson plans, other then studying." She shrugged. "So we Biology teachers go together, and decided that you students will raise an animal. You will also observe it and take notes on it in a journal."
Several students were whispering exitedly, and Marik could see Joey slump over in his desk, obviously dreading this assignment.
"You'll be drawing animals from this," Ms. Valentine reached over to her desk and scooped up a little kitten jar. "Now, choose your teams."
Bakura immediatly looked to Marik, who smirked.
"Oh, I think we need to go find partners, Bakura," Marik said, standing up. Bakura wrapped an arm around Marik's waist, though, and pulled him in close.
"Listen you little shit," Bakura snarled, "you're partnering with me. Got it?" Marik's eyebrows rose, and he rolled his eyes.
"Of course, master," he sighed, before glaring down at Bakura's arms. "Now unhand me, fiend." Bakura's cheeks flushed for a moment, and he quickly released Marik. The blonde sank into his chair, before scooting it over to Bakura's, signifying that they were teammates. All around the room, other children were doing the same.
"All right!" Ms. Valentine exclaimed. "Time to choose!" She walked down the aisleways, heels clicking as she let each team pull out a slip of paper. She reached Marik and Bakura, and let the latter stick his hand into the pot. He retrieved a slip, before scanning it. He quickly crumpled it up, and shoved it in his pocket.
"What the hell?" Marik hissed, as Ms. Valentine clacked away.
"What?" Bakura questioned, feining innocence.
"Don't you think I wanted to know what animal we're studying?"
"Nah."
"You fucking little-"
"Marik," Ms. Valentine's voice interrupted. Marik's face heated up, and he quickly sat down. "Thank-you. Now, as I was saying, we're heading to the classroom next door, where the animals are being kept. Everyone up, now." The class was soon standing, chattering exitedly as Ms. Valentine hearded her class to the new classroom, where a variety of cages were.
The room was massive, and there was plenty of space in each designated area, where multiple tools were set out to expierement with the animals. Two journals were at each station too.
"Go to your animals, now," Ms. Valentine commanded, and kids shot forward to their assigned cages. Marik sat there stupidly, until Bakura dragged him over to a cage. Marik took one look inside and let out a strangled cry.
A vivid green serpent lay within, curled around a branch. Its pink tongue flicked lazily from within its mouth. Bakura let out a noise of approval, not even noticing that Marik was shaking next to him.
Bakura looked down to the instructions written out. They were propped up against the cage, and he reached out a hand, snagging them as he rifled through them, letting his eyes scan them quickly as he took in what they said.
"Says here that this is a female garter snake. We're to name her, and take care of her, and observe how she reacts to different things." Bakura looked up then to Marik, who was still shivering. He arched an eyebrow.
"Marik, you okay?" Bakura asked, and Marik jerked his head towards him, and Bakura could see fear hidden in their depths. Bakura sighed, before scowling. "Are you scared of snakes?" Marik nodded slowly. "Dammit, Marik!"
"Well ex-fucking-scuse me!" Marik yelped, his voice high pitched as he rounded on Bakura. The whittete merely blinked, before looking to the snake.
"I can't excuse you," Bakura replied, before he leaned down, crinkling his nose at the snake. "I mean, why would you be scared of her? She's a beautiful little thing she is," Bakura had a slightly crazed look on his face, and Marik shuddered. "Now, what're we gonna name her?" he asked.
"How about Odjit, for wicked?" Marik hissed, and Bakura gave him an exasperated look.
"Jeez. . . This's been a long day, and I don't feel like arguing with you over a name, so let's just call her Emerald and end this." Bakura picked up a black journal, leaving the purple one for Marik. He scribbled down what they named her.
Marik reached forward, to do the same, but he saw that the journals were close to Emerald's cage. He let out an undignified squeak, before hopping back a little. Bakura's eyebrows rose, and he studied Marik.
"Honestly," he sighed, before dragging Marik bag to the table. "C'mon, don't be such a pussy." He saw Marik scowl, and he smirked. "That's right. I knew ya were to much of a girl to even bother going near a snake." Marik was slowly getting angrier. "A sissy like you could never do something like that, after all."
Marik's hand shot forward, and he grabbed the journal, before using it to hit Bakura. He didn't get the chance too, though, as Bakura grabbed the hand clasped around the journal, and pulled the struggling blonde boy into him, putting his other arm around Marik's waist. Bakura smirked, as Marik stood there, panting, glaring hatefully up at Marik.
"Wonderful," Bakura smirked.
"You ass! How dare you say all of that stuff and then touch me!" Marik hissed, struggling more. Bakura rolled his eyes.
"I made you get your journal, though, didn't I?" He smirked as he saw Marik's anger falter for a moment, and the boy went lax in his grip.
"Oh. . ." was all the boy said, and he looked up at Bakura. "Well . . . Thanks . . ." Bakura chuckled, before nodding. Ms. Valentine walked over then, though, and smirked.
"All right, all right. No PDA, remember?" She giggled, seeing Marik's face flush as he started fighting in Bakura's grasp again. Snorting, Bakura released Marik, before turning to Ms. Valentine.
"Well, please excuse us, madam," he grinned, bowing slightly, as Marik huffed angrily next to him.
"Whatever. I just came over here to tell you to pack up." She strutted away, though Marik could've sworn she sent a devious grin over her shoulder at them. Marik growled, before writing down his summary of the day. He plopped down the journal, and glared angirly at Bakura.
"Oh, relax," Bakura said.
"You made us look like complete and utter-"
"Fags?" Bakura interrupted, grinning at Marik's angry face. "So what?" he shrugged. "You're dating Tea, anyways, right?" Cackling at Marik's angry face, he leaned in close. "So what's it matter?"
Marik sighed, before crossing his arms. "Whatever . . ."
The bell rang, then, and they raced out of the classroom, heading out the door and onto the sidewalk. He and Bakura walked side by side down the street, before Marik finally turned to look at Bakura.
"Aren't you going to release him yet?" He asked. "Touzouku, I mean."
"Yeah . . . I guess I should. . . Let's get you home first though," Bakura answered, and Marik nodded slowly. So, down the street they went, until they neared Marik's house.
"You should release him here. I don't want him knowing where I live," Marik said, crinkling his nose. Bakura nodded, and left Touzouku's body. The spirit shot forward, gripped Marik's arm, and he and the blonde boy took off. Marik turned to look back, and saw Touzouku watching him, a confused look on his face.
Then Marik noticed it. . .
The scar beneath his eye was gone . . .
-(-o-)-
Man, on several occasions while writing this (though not quite sure why) I kept imagining Marik with his Singapore voice, and I kept having to mentally smack myself and be like "No! No! Think of the Japanese!" Lol. Cuz, I watch the American Yu-Gi-Oh! most of the time, but I've watched the Japanese a little too, and I HATE Marik's English voice. . .
But then again, I HATE Bakura's (yami) Japanese voice. So, give and take give and take.
Ah well. . . I feel kind of bad for Touzouku, since he's not going to really be in the story at all. . . Just his body . . . Hn. And Bakura was telling the truth. They're not related.
Wonder if anybody can guess it now, since there's a new little clue in there, as to what's going on with Touzouku's body.
Seeya!