Oh my goodness! I thought I'd have had this chapter up sooner! But one of my forums had a Secret Santa and I ended up writing a 7 page Pokemon oneshot with HoennChampionshipping for anyone who knows what the devil that is (lol I know and personally love the ship atm so woo). So once I brushed that aside, I got hit with an idea for a YGO vampire fic though trust me, it's got some twists to the usual vampire fic. For starters, Marik will have the ability to screw around with reality... Oh and there's a crap load of character death in this idea. OTL Check my LJ on my profile for more, haha.

Um, the stuff in the centre italics are lyrics from Matchbox Twenty's song 'Unwell'. I heard those song and plonked in the lyrics for the heck. I also feel bad with this chapter because I know it's the first chapter in a while and well... It's not all hugs and smiles, let's just put it at that, shall we? XD I also get annoyed with dialoguey based chapters too somehow. Even if I like the dialogue, I like delving into inner thoughts and crap more. I swear I will respond to reviews eventually, my goodness. Fun thing is that I read rohanfox's really long one in the middle of an airport in Bangkok. You have to admit that's pretty damn epic.

Anyway, I'll shut up and let you all read on!

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"I'm not crazy

I'm just a little unwell

I know right now you can't tell

Just stay a while and then you'll see

A different side of me."

Chapter Twenty-One: Unwell

In the Kaiba mansion, a brown-haired blue-eyed CEO was typing away at the computer with a smirk on his face. Even though he made it clear that Marik needed to be found by somebody pronto and whoever found him first wins, Seto was not worried in the slightest. His younger brother Mokuba watched him from a corner of the lowly lit room with confusion. Shouldn't Seto be out there tracking Marik?

"It's down to the wire, Nii-sama!" Mokuba pointed out. "What are you going to do?"

Seto swivelled round on his computer chair to look at his younger brother. His smirk remained there, if only to twist a little more. The devious look upon his face sent shivers down Mokuba's spine. But this told Mokuba enough. "I've stationed my henchmen so that no matter what happens... Marik will be mine!"

"Aren't you at least a bit worried though?" A useless question to ask, Seto thought. He shook his head and spun his chair round to face the computer once more. Mokuba grinned. Not a single worry about the mission! He knew Seto was the greatest!

-

People moved aside when they saw two rather identical teenagers sprinting down the street. The two were headed to the neighbourhood where the Ishtar residence was. Yugi, the shorter one of the two was starting to get tired and began to slow down. The taller of the two noticed this and so he and Yugi stopped at the end of the block to catch their breath.

"I'm glad we've been able to memorize the way to get to Marik's by heart... But I wish he didn't live so far!" Yugi managed to breathe out. He rested a hand on Yami's shoulder for balance. In a way, he really wanted to ask Yami about what Anzu said. Does Yami have feelings for him? He got the feeling it wasn't a lie, which made him happy but even so... He wanted to hear it straight from Yami's mouth.

But the problem was Yami himself. It felt like he wouldn't say it, not for a long time.

"Anzu, unlike Bakura and Otogi, we did not have a bet... I know I'm slow when it comes to things like... But yes, I do lo-"

He was going to say it then, wasn't he? But that phone call had cut him off. Even if he was about to say it, that didn't mean he was going to search for opportunities in which he can say it again. Even if he really did have feelings for him.

'Yami... When I reach for your hand, it's because I want to be beside you... I yearn for you. What I do, it's all for you...' Yugi thought with a feeling of melancholy. 'I think we both know what's there. This world of our own. Marik and Bakura have it too. That's right. We need to consider the situation now...'

The taller Mutou patted Yugi on the head. "Are you ready to continue running, Aibou?"

Yugi hadn't really thought much about the need to find Marik. He knew it was the most important thing for the time being but somehow, it wasn't what concerned Yugi the most. Then again, Yami had always been his top priority.

"Hey..." Yugi said in a low voice. "Marik-san said that you erased his memories. So I wonder who erased yours?"

Yami blinked. "Ah, so you've considered it too. I get the feeling at some point; my powers were backfired and used it against me. When I think about it, my head hurts... I need the answers but I get a headache just thinking about it..."

"Okay and when Marik-san's found, will you really tell everyone the full story?"

"I wouldn't go back on a promise."

Yugi breathed a huge sigh of relief and hugged him tightly. "I'm so relieved! I felt uncomfortable not being allowed to tell anybody!" He pulled away and Yami beamed at him.

"You know what? You're free to be as honest as you want from now on."

-

Another pair had stopped running a while back and found themselves at a different park beside a river. They were sitting beside this very river, dipping their feet in despite the freezing temperature of the water. The girl, Shizuka had finished drying her tears while the boy, Ryou half wondered how Yami and Yugi were doing without him.

He felt it was a bit unfair how he bailed like that. But still, his body felt lighter once they were out of that situation.

"Ryou-san?" Shizuka said shyly, looking straight into her friend's chocolate brown eyes. "I-I..." Ryou blinked a couple of times, waiting for her to finish her sentence. She sighed and hung her head low. "I don't know..."

"I don't know either..." Ryou agreed. In a way, he felt like he knew what she was going to say. "I'm just not strong enough..."

"Neither..." Shizuka admitted; her voice weak. She understood though. Neither she nor Ryou felt ready for that kind of confrontation. It was too much. The reason why she followed him as he ran was that while it was bad to just run away, she knew that Ryou didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to be alone either. So she chose to follow him.

And now here they were: two lonely, weak teenagers relying on each other to stop themselves from breaking. Thinking like that made Shizuka somewhat sadder.

"Um, Ryou-san? How are things with Bakura-san and Ishtar-kun?" she asked, remembering what happened back there. She had no idea how all her friends had picked up on Bakura having feelings for Marik. But it surprised her even more the way Marik reacted. He looked so troubled. And he mentioned how he thought they should've left it to Bakura. That would suggest he wanted Bakura to confess to him.

"I feel bad honestly... But at the same time, perhaps Marik needed the wake-up call!" Ryou replied. Shizuka titled her head to one side in confusion. A wake-up call? Ryou giggled slightly. "You see, both Bakura and Marik are really uh... dumb in the romance department! It's kind of funny in a way!"

Shizuka stared at Ryou as he tried to laugh it off. She decided not to quiz him further about that. Of course, Ryou had feelings for Marik too. But he must've realised at some point that it wasn't going to work out. Bakura had gotten there first. Seeing everyone all in on the drama between Marik and Bakura, Shizuka figured it was something Ryou didn't want to see.

Why did Ryou have to feel like the loser in the end? That statement, 'the winner takes it all' felt oh so true. Shizuka leaned over and rested her head on Ryou's shoulder.

"You know, Ryou-san... It's going to be okay," she told him. "Because you're such a good friend to Ishtar-kun. But you're also such a good brother to Bakura-san." Ryou grinned after hearing these words.

"Yeah... it's going to be okay."

-

Marik starting climbing up the spiral staircase. Flashes of memories went through his head as he walked up. Like the first time he and Bakura really argued. They really did yell out a lot of throwaway insults that day. Yet it was so long ago. What had changed since then?

They still argue. Things go wrong between them all the time. Yet there was something that kept the two returning to one another. But this time, Bakura was intentionally staying away. Up in his room, Bakura bolted to his feet with a start. He threw his tape recorder to the ground, smashing it in the process. Then he made sure his bedroom door was locked. It was.

Good.

However, he could hear Marik's thoughts. That meant Marik was within the hundred metre radius. His thoughts grew louder and louder. If Bakura were to pinpoint Marik's location right now, he'd say that Marik was almost directly outside his bedroom.

No! Bakura felt himself panicking. He didn't want Marik to be here! Ryou must've brought him, that bastard! It wasn't fair. Couldn't they just have left him be?

He glanced at the smashed up pieces of the tape recorder. The words that once projected from its speakers. "I am Kurufodo scum. My mission is to watch over Marik and report back what I learn to Pegasus. Nothing more..."

"You are not Kurufodo scum!" A voice interrupted him. Bakura gasped to himself and looked at his bedroom door. "You are more than that! Let me in, Bakura! Open up!"

Part of Bakura wanted to take a crack at what Marik said. But what he'd felt since he last talked to Pegasus. No, he can't let himself get attached. Marik had to leave, no matter what. Even if it meant driving him away by force.

"No! Don't come near me!" Bakura yelled back, rushing to a corner of the room to get as far away from the door as possible. He pressed his back against it and his nails began to claw into the wallpaper. One of his fingernails broke but he barely noticed. Marik's voice... Marik's thoughts... They were the last things he wanted to hear! But he didn't know how to shut Marik's mind out. It was just impossible.

"Why have you been acting like this lately?"

Bakura ignored this question and slammed his left fist into the wall. "Why are you here?"

On the other side of the bedroom door, Marik stood with a hand pressed against it. The way Bakura was speaking worried him. He had never spoken like this before. It frightened him. The Bakura he knew had a lot of confidence and was able to say and do what he wanted without a care in the world. Bakura was not supposed to sound so broken. He almost wanted to ask if it really was Bakura within that room. Just because he didn't like what he was hearing.

He felt something watery slide down his cheek. Glancing at a giant mirror in the hallway, he peered closer and realised it was a tear. No. He had to be the strong one.

With a deep breath, he started to answer back. "Ryou said you'd been shutting yourself off from everyone. He said that I should-"

"Shut up, Ishtar! I don't want to hear any of that!"

Clenching his fists, Marik choked back his tears. Bakura was not going to brush him off. Not this time. Not this time.

Not anymore.

"You want to know why I came here? Even though a part of me didn't want to?"

"If you don't want to be here, then leave!"

"Yugi said I was the only one you ever hung around," Marik began.

"Shut up!"

"Jounouchi mentioned what you said that time you and Kaiba were fighting over me. Honda mentioned what happened at the Christmas Party about us getting caught under the mistletoe!" Marik slammed his hands against the door. He started banging his fists into the door repetitively.

"Shut up, okay?! I don't want to hear it!"

Marik shook his head. Bakura wasn't going to escape hearing this. He was going to make his point. Otherwise he would've come to the Kurufodo household for nothing. There was no way he'd forgive himself if he left now. But why did Bakura have to behave like this? What had happened to him?

"Otogi said it was that look in your eyes. And Anzu, she said that they'd all come to the conclusion tha-"

"Conclusion that what?" Marik froze this time. He didn't know how to finish it now. Never mind, Bakura decided to continue. "That I'd fallen in love with you? So what if it's true? Why can't you listen to a guy when he tells you to go away?"

...So what if it's... true? Marik's heart skipped a beat. Did that mean it was true after all? Bakura actually loves him? But at the same time, the way he replied felt horrible. Marik wondered if Bakura was telling him that he did love him but he was rejecting him regardless? No. No! Marik clutched his head in his hands. Things weren't supposed to go like this!

Bakura fell to his knees and began cursing himself. It was too much for him to keep on doing this. But he had already made things worse. Now Marik knows the truth. Whatever Marik was thinking right now didn't matter. He could hear it but he disregarded it all.

You can hear me, Bakura! Listen to me! You have to listen to me! If you love me-

The white-haired teenager threw a book at the door. The sound made Marik jolt and disrupted the flow of his thoughts. Marik realised that Bakura was refusing to listen to his thoughts. He felt rage building up inside him.

"I can't just leave with matters unresolved!"

"Yes you can! Get the fuck away from me!"

"I'll still keep on thinking about it!"

"I don't care what you think!"

"I'm not even sure what you care for anymore!"

"Good! Go away!"

Marik kicked the bedroom door. Pain surged through his foot but he did his best to brush that aside. He cursed loudly. "Fine! You obviously don't give a shit! I'm leaving!"

Obviously you're not mature enough to sort things out with me. Something clearly has fucked with your brain.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "About bloody time!"

The Egyptian decided to leave one last food for thought. "To think I even began to consider you in that way!"

And with that, he sprinted down the stairs and left the Kurufodo household. As his thoughts faded, it started to sink in what Marik said. Bakura stared at the bedroom door for a minute. Did Marik say what he thinks he just said? And did he really mean it? In fact, why did he let Pegasus' words get to him? But he promised himself not to think about Marik in that way. In order to protect him. That's right. If he went against Pegasus' wishes and fell for Marik, bad things would happen.

But what was the point now? Marik is going to leave in a couple of days. Bakura sighed and held his head low. His forehead was sweating and he felt sick. Those days of hardly eating were getting to him. He tried to talk but his throat felt too dry.

'Marik... I'm not well at the moment... Come back... Come back... Don't go... Don't go!'

-

Once he was sure he was out of the one hundred metre radius from Bakura, Marik got out his cellphone and turned it on. He stared at the screen and saw that Anzu had left him a voicemail. There were also many texts from his friends. He didn't bother checking them properly.

The teenager began scrolling through his list of contacts on the phone until he found Seto's number. He couldn't quite remember why he had the number but part of him figured it would come in handy sometime.

If there was someone Marik knew personally that Bakura disliked, it was Seto Kaiba. If he wanted to get back at Bakura, Seto Kaiba was the perfect person to talk to.

Marik knew he couldn't really accept Bakura's behaviour. It just seemed so irrational. He grew sick and tired of Bakura pushing him away all the time. The only way to get along with Bakura seemed to be going along with what he wants. Marik knew he wasn't always going to do what Bakura wants. Hell, Bakura hardly does what anyone wants.

'Not everything goes smoothly in life!' Marik thought irritably as he pressed some buttons. The cellphone began calling Seto's number. He waited. Suddenly there was a pick up on the other line.

"If Bakura were to ever say... piss you off too much, you can come to me."

The Egyptian tensed as he heard Seto speak. "Kaiba here. User recognition means I know it's you calling, Marik Ishtar. Something must be up."

Marik glared ahead of him. "I remember you telling me to talk to you if Bakura pissed me off. And I have a hunch that if I went with you, all this shit about me and the Sennen Items might just be over." It was true, he had considered that before. Bakura may be bothered by the situation with Marik, his memories and the Sennen Items. That had to be it. If that ordeal was all over, then maybe he could start anew. That had to be the solution. Marik felt surer of it than ever.

"Oh? Are you sure you're okay with that? I could be the wrong person to go to..."

"Yami and Yugi live in a common house that happens to have a game shop! Bakura is a fucking idiot. Ryou is Bakura's brother so he's no help either. You on the other hand, Kaiba..." Marik paused to scowl at the people walking by that were giving him strange looks. "You have technology and lots and lots of money at your disposal! Out of all the people to turn to, I find you to be the most useful to turn to! I want this whole thing to be over!"

Seto chuckled on the other line. "You're smart. I know that Bakura has been relying on your thoughts to get good grades."

"L-Let's not bring him up..." Marik laughed nervously.

"What did he do?" Seto asked. He didn't particularly care how Marik felt about this. Also he was curious as to what Bakura did. It seemed like it would take a lot to really make Marik crack, especially since he's able to put up with someone like Bakura most of the time.

"Nothing!" Marik answered quickly. Perhaps too quickly.

The CEO chuckled a bit more. "Fine. So you called me. What do you want?"

Marik had a gut feeling he would hit himself for this later. Then again, he was sure this would speed up the process of ending the ordeal. He had to take this chance. "Kaiba... I need to see you immediately."

"I'm not crazy

I'm just a little impaired

I know right now you don't care

But soon enough you're gonna think of me

And how I used to be."

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Next chapter: Marik's next destination is the International Airport of Domino City! But Bakura's finally willed himself to get up and go after Marik. Now's it's time to talk face to face. Ryou also confronts someone that's been frustrating him for long enough. And has Bakura gotten his senses back too late?

Adios!

Mel-Girl.