DIS: I wrote this whilst in the middle of painting my room, although when I finished it, my room was done and I just had a stroke of inspiration...Anyway! Thank you all SOOOO much for reviewing. I have to say that I had forgotten what it was like to get reviews because I haven't written in so long...It's a wonderful, warm feeling. In any case, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Fingerprints: Part XI

Anzu opened her eyes slowly, staring across her at the man that seemed to be falling asleep, his newspaper clutched in his hands. The rock and uncommon silence of the train had even relaxed her tense mind somewhat; enough so that she could rest, at least. She turned her head slightly to look at her companion. She was unsure of what to make of this abrupt change in her plans. Marik appeared to be unfazed by her gaze, sitting with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. She turned away from him again and staring at the brown shoes of the man across from her; they were scuffed around the front. I don't understand what's going on, she mused to herself, blinking slowly. Her mind felt sluggish, as if she had been drugged. How did Marik even know that he had become involved in my so-called friendship with Yuugi and Jounouchi? Shizuka, I don't think, is as bothered by Marik and I as friends as the other two are, Jounouchi especially I would bet. I don't even care what they think. The Ishtars, even Isis on some level, have treated me as a better companion than they ever have. I can't let myself back down this time, though...I've always been afraid of what they were going to think or how they would react. This time I don't care.

These were not just words for Anzu; she knew that she would be able to stand up to them. However, she also knew that she was drawing on Marik's strength, using it as her own and bolstering herself against what she knew was going to be a tough encounter. Yuugi used Jounouchi in a similar way, the latter being the prime aggressor in such situations. Yet, she wondered if Marik did not already know this and he did not intend to start any real conflict, but to be there so that she might be given a chance to show a stronger side of her of which her friends were unaware. If that were the case, she could not help but be unnerved.

If that is true, she thought, he knows me better than I know myself.

She threw a look at him and this time he opened his eyes and glanced at her through the corner of her eye. She almost looked away, but held the stare. He chuckled through his nose, a smirk forming on his lips. "You're becoming more confident, I see," he remarked, closing his eyes again.

"I've always been confident of myself," Anzu replied, immediately on the offensive.

"No," he responded, "you were simply good at lying to yourself and others. How does it feel to deceive yourself so well that you don't even know who you are any longer, Mazaki?"

Stung, Anzu fell silent and dropped her eyes to the floor again. "Sometimes," she began quietly, "I wonder about you, Marik. Not in a passing kind of way, but where I will sit and think for a long time. Sometimes I think you're trying to help me, other times I think you're just trying to hurt me. I would like to think the best of you. It's really hard when I look at where that type of thinking has gotten me. So I try to look at the surface, and do you know what I see?" He opened his eyes and turned to her, a vague look of interest crossing his face. "Nothing. I didn't spend all my time observing humans and trying to understand them – I spent my time making relationships with those humans. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do seeing as how I've ended up getting hurt so much, but I learned from it, too. You don't always have to stay on the sidelines to learn things. Life isn't a constant scientific experiment, Marik...it's something you interact with."

"Touching, Mazaki," he sarcastically drawled after a pause. "I've heard it from you enough times, though, so I hardly need to hear it again. I interact in life more than you imagine." He turned away and resumed his comfortable position. "Simply living has changed the course of several people's lives. That change which evolves from my life source is enough dramatic interaction for one person." Anzu stared at him, her lips parted slightly in surprise. She opened her mouth and then clamped it shut. She was attempting to argue with a man that was planning on assisting her in his own strange way; she knew this to be true.

Once the train came to a stop in Shibuya, Anzu was the first to get off and leave the subway on her own. She paused outside, however, waiting for her companion. He was not far behind and throughout the walk they were silent. Although she was unbothered by any argument that she would have with Yuugi or Jounouchi, she was still somewhat anxious. Exchanging fighting words with people was nothing – she had constantly done so with Kaiba. But this? This was an entirely different thing altogether. She had not ever truly despised Yuugi and Jounouchi – they had been her friends.

A pain in her wrist brought her attention to how tight she was gripping her purse. Loosening her grip, she sighed heavily. "This is something that has to be done, right? I'm not making a mistake?"

"Your view on mistakes is what constitutes it as a mistake," he replied blandly. Anzu turned to look at him, a worried expression on her face. There was a growing shadow on his face, signaling that although his words were indifferent, his real opinion was something altogether different. She turned her eyes away from him, unable to handle any disappointment or lack of respect that she might see upon his face; she watched her feet and listened to the hum of noise around her instead. It was impossible to ignore Marik, though. He walked close, with little to no regard for her personal space.

"It isn't a mistake," she said at last.

"Good to see you regained your reason," he coldly responded. To this, she said nothing.

Every step to Shizuka's seemed heavier and when they were at the apartment complex that Shizuka lived at, she paused uncertainly. Marik continued a few steps and then stopped, turning round to look at her with his usual, distant gaze. Strangely enough, he did not say anything. Any other person would have said, "Come on," or "Hurry up, let's get this over with," but he was letting her make her own moves. He offered no encouragement and no discouragement, only his presence. Which, in reality, was enough to keep Anzu moving forward. As she came up to him, he did an odd thing. His arm moved up behind her and his fingers glided from her shoulder to her elbow and then along her back before his arm returned to its natural position by his side. She glanced at him in surprise. He acted as if nothing out of the original had happened, simply staring ahead of him.

It almost seemed like he was reassuring me, Anzu thought to herself. The gesture both pleased and confused her.

As soon as they came to the apartment number that Shizuka lived in, Anzu felt another hint of anxiety. She stared at the door, hearing voices inside, one of which was louder than the others; loud and wild, which could only belong to Jounouchi. Anzu tightened her fingers into a ball and then raised a hand to knock, but Marik abruptly put a hand on her fist. She turned to him in question.

"Are you prepared?" he queried. "Remember the fantasy that you made out with these people, Mazaki. You followed them through several tournaments and endeavors without receiving an appreciation. Can you handle ending what you have believed, until recently, to be a healthy friendship?"

Anzu looked away, interested in spite of herself at how he worded it. He used her positive view to combine with the realistic facts. "Yes," she answered, looking at him, "because I can finally move on and be myself again."

"Oh, indeed, move on. I wouldn't go so far as to the latter part of that statement, though." An amused, almost playful smirk lifted his lips and he raised a hand, stroking her face. It wasn't a brush of skin on skin, but a lingering touch. "You don't even know who you are anymore, my dear." He lowered his hand, brushing her hair from her face and then knocked on the door, keeping his eyes trained on her. He stepped back after knocking. The voices inside grew hushed, but Anzu's mind had become absorbed in Marik's touch and the warmth of his hand. She was not allowed to occupy herself with the thought for long, though, as the click of a lock jarred her back to the present event that was unfolding.

"Anzu," Shizuka said as soon as she opened the door and saw her friend. "You were fast, thank goodness." She embraced Anzu and then sucked in a shocked breath. "Oh...Oh, no, what is he doing here?" she lowered voice and then shut the door. "Anzu, this isn't a good idea!" Her frightened gaze flicked between Anzu and Marik. "Jounouchi will freak, he really will. You know how he feels after Mai was in the Shadow Realm during Battle City and then him ending up there, too..."

"It doesn't matter to me anymore," Anzu calmly told her. Shizuka looked puzzled. "I don't care what either Yuugi or Jounouchi think about what I do or who I associate with." She took Marik's hand and added, "He's my friend." Marik did not remove his hand from her grip, although his fingers twitched somewhat. She suspected he had not been expecting it. Shizuka's lips parted and she stared at their hands and then she simply blew out a long breath.

"This could end yours and my brother's friendship."

"I don't think Jounouchi and I were ever really friends."

Shizuka bit her lip and shook her head, but opened the door to allow them inside. As they went inside, Anzu's fingers began to release Marik's, but his loose, uncaring grip tightened so their hands remained in each other's. It startled her, though she did not jerk away as she might have had it been someone else. Oh, what is this? she wondered, adjusting her hand so it fit better in his. I introduced him as my friend, but Yuugi and Jounouchi are going to assume otherwise. I could even see it in Shizuka's eyes that she thought there was something else going on between us. And...even though I keep saying he's my friend, a part of me knows that there is more to it than that. There is something there that Malik feels for me...that I feel for Marik. The feeling frightened her. She didn't even care about her break with Yuugi and Jounouchi anymore. It was this confusing new relationship that she cared most about.

"Anzu," Yuugi greeted when they walked in the living room. He smiled at her and then smiled at Marik. "Hello, Marik."

"Please, sit down," Shizuka bade them, ushering towards the couch. It was farthest from Jounouchi and had an empty seat between it where she sat. Jounouchi glared hatefully at them both, his expression turning even more hostile when he saw that their hands were clasped. "Thank you so much for coming when you did, Anzu," Shizuka said as a brief silence passed in the room. "You see, I...Well, I told Jounouchi about your friendship with Marik – " here Shizuka made an indicative gesture with her hand towards where Marik seated beside Anzu " – and he told Yuugi and they, um..."

"We're just concerned," Yuugi explained when Shizuka turned towards them a bit pleadingly. "Marik wasn't that great of a person last we checked and we wanted to make sure you weren't making a mistake." He smiled kindly, as if to dull the hidden insult in his words. "Nothing personal of course, Marik," he added to Anzu's male companion, "it's just a precaution. We don't want her getting hurt, you know, like being sent to the Shadow Realm, hahaha..."

"Hm," was the noncommittal response that Marik offered.

Inwardly, Anzu was seething.

"Nothing personal?" Anzu repeated in a tight voice. Her grip on Marik's hand tightened and instead of trying to calm her down and returning her grip, he gave her free reign. Yuugi's smile turned quizzical. He was completely oblivious of what he had unleashed. "Are you kidding me, Yuugi? This entire thing is personal! You guys are just butt hurt because I'm friends with one of your worst enemies! Just look at Jounouchi! He's clearly reliving Battle City and thinking he's the same person. You wouldn't even give him a chance. All of you two wanted to do was rant and rave at me and you can't because you're afraid because Marik's here."

"What?" Jounouchi snapped. "Afraid? Why would I be afraid of him? He's nothing! And yeah, I'm gonna think about Battle City and expect him to be the rat bastard that he was then – "

"You don't know anything!" Anzu exploded unexpectedly, lurching to her feet, releasing Marik's hand. Jounouchi rose to his as well, not to be towered over by a woman. "You have no idea what he and Malik have been through since returning to Domino!"

"Oh, that's right," Jounouchi sneered, "you talk to Malik, too. So not only are you foolin' around with him, but – "

"Excuse me? What did you just say? How dare you even imply that I would be that kind of person – "

"Well you sure like to hold his hand, don't ya?!" Jounouchi's voice rode over hers. Anzu was good at arguing, but Jounouchi was good at being loud. "Just look at you! You're defending someone that put two of your best friends' in the Shadow Realm and wanted to kill Yuugi and the Pharaoh! And this is how you're gonna do it, huh? You're gonna go off and be friends with a murderer, Anzu!"

"Best friend?" she scoffed. "Come off it, Jounouchi, as if you and Yuugi ever treated me or Honda, Ryou, or Otogi or Miho like friends. It was always you two! Always! Honda and I just tagged along and helped you guys but you never even cared. It didn't matter to either of you, we were just your little fan club and that's all you viewed us as. If you had cared so much about us and weren't so self-centered, then the four of us would still be friends. Why do you think Honda never talks to you, huh? Because you both are jerks! You're nothing but selfish, childish JERKS. If you actually think that I give a damn about what you think about me or who I hang out with, then you've got another thing coming. Neither you nor Yuugi mean a thing to me. You're just these people that treated me like dirt for the majority of my life and ruined my chances of getting into Julliard. I hate you and I hate him and I hate how close-minded you are when it comes to other people."

There was a long silence after Anzu had fallen quiet. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and Jounouchi simply stood in shock, staring at her. Yuugi's smile seemed to have permanently vanished and he was staring at his lap in some shame. Shizuka looked hurt, as if she had been included in the pair that she hated, but Anzu knew it was because she was hurt more for her brother than anything. Anzu closed her eyes to calm herself and then cleared her throat.

"I'm done with you two," she said in a much quieter voice. "Don't try and become my friend. It's not worth your time." She turned slightly to look at Marik, but he was already rising off the couch.

"Wait," Jounouchi said as they started to leave. "Why did you even come, Marik? You didn't even say anything." There was a bit of fight left in his voice, as if he were attempting to provoke Marik into an argument. Anzu raised her eyes to Marik's face. He met her gaze and smirked, amused, before turning to look back at the blonde. Jounouchi stiffened when his heavy-lidded gaze settled on him.

"To make you realize how worthless you both really are," he said in a smug, languid manner. "You lost something valuable that you are never going to get back from me." Yuugi raised his head at last and seemed a bit infuriated by his words. That did not compare to the livid red colour of Jounouchi's face. When the act of constructing sentences left a man's mind, he always resorted to violence. Jounouchi plunged forward, cocking his arm back. Anzu stumbled away to avoid getting in the midst of it, confident that Marik could handle it, which he most certainly could. He grasped Jounouchi's wrist and his knee pummeled into the latter's gut. A choking sound was heard from Jounouchi before he went limp. Marik dropped him unceremoniously on the ground and Shizuka gasped and hastened to her brother's side. "Perhaps you should teach your brother some manners."

"Anzu!" Shizuka cried as Marik turned and joined Anzu. She hesitated, looking at her friend's upset face and then to Marik. She was vaguely aware that if she turned away from Shizuka now, she might not be able to come back to her. At the same time, if she turned back, she would have lost all the victory she received from her long exposition to Jounouchi.

"Your view on mistakes is what constitutes it as a mistake."

It won't be a mistake in the long run, she decided, lowering her eyes. Marik's hands were in his pockets, so she took his arm instead. I can't keep letting myself be controlled by Yuugi and Jounouchi...and Shizuka, on some level. If she were a real friend, she will understand and get over it. If not, then that means I've just eliminated another person who has been faking it. She didn't look back in the living room where Shizuka, Jounouchi, and Yuugi were. She put her shoes on and continued out the door with Marik. Her heart didn't feel as heavy and she felt stronger and happier than she had in days. She smiled to herself and then, realizing what she was doing, removed her hands from his arm. He did not even look at her, continuing forward silently. As she followed him through the streets of Shibuya and towards the subway, she pondered vaguely upon his comment to Jounouchi.

What did he mean by that? It almost sounded like he was...calling me valuable, she mused silently to herself. I would say that it's stupid to actually think that he feels that way about me, but I know that him just being interested in me is enough to make it seem that I'm different. I'm not, really, and I still don't know why he even decided to start talking to me. "Marik," she began, "I have a question."

"And I suppose you require an answer," he remarked.

Ignoring the sarcasm, she continued, "Why did you ever start talking to me or taking an interest in me?"

"That is a presumptuous question, Mazaki," Marik said, "and an interesting time to choose to ask it." He paused, as though he were collecting his thoughts and then continued, "There was no initial motive behind it. I was simply bored. Your obvious self-delusion is what motivated me to, as you say, 'take an interest in you.' Other than that, I can say you are the more intelligent of your group, unless you count Kaiba." He stopped walking when they were fairly close to the subway and asked, "How do things feel now? After stripping yourself of the delusions?"

"It feels..." She sighed and shook her head, smiling. "I don't know what it feels like, but compared to the dread and depression that I felt when I was still their friend, it feels amazing. It's like I'm free and can actually smile at anyone without fear that there is going to be any disapproval from them. Wow, I never thought it was that bad. I never realized what they were doing to me until now, I guess."

"Mm." Anzu turned her smiling face to his and felt a tiny frisson run up her spine at the probing look he gave her. There was something foreign and unknown in his expression that she was unable to interpret. It was hard enough trying to understand Marik as himself without adding an additional complication. "I do not believe that you could say what you did without my being there or without me even saying something. Would you have been able to?"

"No," she slowly told him. "No, I honestly don't think I could have." She folded her arms behind her and closed her eyes, leaning backwards a bit. "It's weird, because I never thought that I would put so much trust in you, Marik. Never would I have thought I would get as close to you as I have. You and Malik have become my strength. I seemed to have lost it since Jounouchi left Domino. Now that I don't even have to depend on him or Yuugi...I feel like I've developed my own strength."

"That is how it should be," he told her. "Despite how many modern humans depend on one person or another – or one thing or another – it is unnatural. Isis, Malik, and even Rishid all depend on their own strength."

"And you?"

"If I am your strength, would that not suggest that I am the same as Malik and his family are?" The conversation was at its end, or at least that seemed to be his conclusion. He continued to walk and after standing for a few seconds, Anzu followed, stepping quickly so that she might catch up to him.

"I think there are still things that you don't understand even if you think otherwise, Marik," she said to him.

"There is one thing, for certain, that I don't understand," he calmly replied.

"What is that?"

In his usual fashion, he ignored the question as if she had never spoken at all.

TBC

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DIS: So, the original chapter ended in a very smutty, OOC scene, so I had to modify it and rewrite the last two pages. In any case, a little bit of romance – as much as I can give when writing their relationship in this manner – and some more cryptic remarks from our favorite guy, lol. Please leave a review telling me how you liked it and whatnot. Ciao!