This chapter is brought to you by: TWO SNOW-DAYS OFF OF SCHOOL BABY! OH YEAH! XXDD
Warning: Awkward parts, goes kind of fast so try to keep up, other things… yeah… Marik and Bakura basically go on a date in this chapter, but they don't really think of it that way.
Also, I did not REALIZE how long the Christmas special was until I looked back at it. Gosh, I had not trouble making it longer than the Halloween special. That thing was like, 35 pages! I don't think I've written something that long before… And a lot of you liked the "Bakura Claus" thing, but I don't think he'll come around next year…
Anyway, here's the next installment of "A Vampire Story." Hope you like it!
(Also, I looked up some stuff and found out that New Years is the most important holiday in Japan, but, since Marik travels around a lot, and Bakura is from Egypt, they don't really care about the New Year that much, besides, to do a New Years special right after a Christmas special is ridiculous in my opinion.)
Chapter 24: Doing Something (Had no idea what to call this chapter… Ideas? After you read it of course.)
Marik and Bakura have fallen into a rut.
It seems as if after the Christmas party, all they ever did was do research on where the f*ck the Millennium Items could be. Since they had absolutely no idea, this was very difficult. And when they weren't doing research, they were either reading(Bakura), drawing(Marik), writing(Bakura), eating(mostly Marik), or watching TV(both).
It was slowly driving them both insane.
Marik realized that he didn't like being in one place for more than too long. Actually, he learned that he despised it, he learned that if he spent too much time in one place that he started to go insane. Literally. He kept seeing spots in his vision and he swore he could hear voices. He was even starting to talk to himself more than usual, and he kept thinking about things he had never thought before. Like, what would happen if he stole a motorcycle and just drove off? He could erase the minds of anyone who saw him… Or what would happen if he just went and controlled some random person and made them do crazy stuff? Like dance in the middle of the street? He could probably gain money that way, and he would definitely gain some entertainment, but then he would just be bored again. Maybe he'll control a mime and make him speak. Nah, that's too cruel.
In other words, Marik was very bored and was thinking about using his Millennium Rod for some much-needed laughter. His job was okay he guessed, except for when Bakura decided he had nothing better to do than come over and torment him. And while that was great entertainment for Bakura (and his boss) it was hell for Marik. Since he was so bored and angry, he usually went out early and didn't come back until late, but he was still bored and tense.
It was ten times worse for Bakura.
When he had become a vampire, he had been expecting to be cooped up in a house all day, he had actually gotten used to it, but then Marik came and disrupted his whole shut-in attitude. Also, before he had no friends and, ergo, no one to do anything with, so that made being a shut-in much easier. Think about it; if you have nothing to do and no one to do it with then why would you go out? But now Marik was here, and he felt like doing something more than staying inside a house all day doing research and other various activities. He'd even go and see that horrible vampire movie again if it meant he could do something. Hell, right now he'd even go to the park if it meant he could go somewhere, and Bakura hated the park. He just didn't see the point; it's a place you go to see nature and hang out or something. Little kids play on the playground there. Why would an adult go to the park? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with Marik there with him. Actually, he'd probably want to go on the swing or something… Bakura snickered to himself at the idea of Marik on a swing, smiling like the little kid he was at heart.
"What're you thinking about?" Marik asked; still bored stiff, but not wanting to go out and depress himself further.
Bakura looked at him, "Parks."
"Parks?" Marik asked, curious.
"Yup."
"How do parks make you laugh?"
Bakura smirked, "Want to find out?"
"Huh?"
"Let's go to a park."
"A park?"
"Yes!" Bakura yelled, "I'm so bored, can we do something? Please?"
"Woah, you must be really bored; you never say please."
"I'm just bored stiff doing nothing but research all the time."
"Yeah me too, when was the last time we did something?"
"Um… two weeks ago?"
"Exactly! That's forever."
"It's fourteen days."
"Didn't you just say you were bored too?"
"True, so we're going to a park?"
"Why not? Hey! We could go sledding!"
"I don't have a sled."
"Then we'll improvise, or buy one."
"Fine, but then we're also seeing a movie -"
"And then getting something to eat?"
"Sure. Then how about we just walk around town?"
Marik smiled, "Sounds like a good day! Let's go now!" Marik stood up.
Bakura stood as well, "Where's the nearest park?"
"I like how you live here and yet you don't know where anything is."
"It doesn't interest or concern me in any way, why would I bother? Besides, that's your job. I'm just the spunky vampire along for the ride."
"Spunky?" Marik asked incredulously.
"It's a word."
"I know, just not one that describes you."
"Oh?" Bakura asked, "And what word does describe me Marik?"
Marik thought about it. "… Fluffy?" he offered.
"Get outside before I lose my temper."
"It's not already lost?"
"Get outside."
Two young adults walked down the snow lined streets as white puffy flakes floated gently around them. They both were covered from head to toe with winter attire. Puffy winter coats, scarves, hats, gloves, scarves, and earmuffs. However, their color schemes were completely different.
The blonde-haired boy wore a bright red winter coat with mauve earmuffs, violet gloves, and an eggplant colored hat. He also wore a light blue scarf with little snowflakes sewn in it.
The white-haired boy wore a pure black winter coat with aquamarine earmuffs, sky blue gloves, and a lapis colored hat. His scarf was all white with zigzags of red on the ends.
"So which park do you want to go to?" Marik asked his covered-up friend.
"Hm… One with lots of trees," Bakura responded.
"Minus the little kids I'm guessing?"
"You know me so well."
Marik grinned. "Where do you want to eat after that?"
"I don't care."
"Fine, then we're going to a fancy place."
"Just tell me where to go."
"I'm going to go to the fanciest restaurant in town. Traditional Japanese food, haven't had that in a while."
"Whatever."
"It's going to be super expensive."
"Whatever you want."
"You know, it'd be more fun if you would actually talk."
Bakura shrugged, "What is there to say?"
"I don't know, come up with something!"
Bakura pretended to look like he was thinking, then he put his hands to the side palm up, smirking, "Still nothing… Hey, do you think vampires could invade people's dreams?"
"Where the hell did that question come from?"
"Just wondering, I mean, since we can erase minds and practically mind control people, could we go inside their dreams too? Because that would be awesome!"
"I don't know, you could try I guess. Seriously, where did that come from?"
"I'd like to know what people dream about. Plus, you talk in your sleep."
"I do?" Marik asked - he had no idea.
"Yeah you do. Most of it is incoherent, so that's really annoying. I mean, if you're talking in your sleep I want to know what the heck you're talking about!"
"… Okay… I'm changing the subject, what kind of sled should we get?"
"How about we just roll down a hill? That's sure to be fun."
"You just want to see me hit a tree don't you?"
"Maybe."
Marik rolled his eyes. Bakura insisted on continuing his dream talk by saying that Marik also yelled and laughed in his sleep. Marik continued to try and change the subject because he didn't really remember his dreams at all, and the ones he did remember were… kind of weird… Like, once he was in a marsh full of marshmallows and he just started laughing because he's in a marsh of marshmallows. How could you be anything but happy? And then he lit a fire and started eating roasted marshmallows… And then it started raining chocolate. He actually told Bakura that and he started to laugh and wanted to hear more. After that, Marik tried to recall as many dreams as he could, some of them made absolutely no sense, like he started flying over oceans and islands and then he started talking to vegetables, and others made some sense, like him walking around in a random house and seeing what was going on in each room. Bakura asked all kinds of questions about each dream Marik recalled, to which he couldn't really remember well. "Why are you so curious about dreams?" Marik asked.
"Because I rarely sleep and I want to see what I'm missing. I think I'll sleep more, some of these dreams sound intriguing."
Marik laughed, "You won't dream the same things you know."
"I know, but how much different could they be? Hey, aren't dreams supposed to mean something?"
"Sometimes I suppose, but I don't see how the one where I'm in charge of a circus could mean anything."
"Well, a circus is crazy and random, maybe it means you want control over your crazy, messed-up life?"
"Wow, that makes me feel so much better Bakura, thank you."
"Just trying to help." They continued talking about what Marik's dreams could mean all the way to the mall where they picked out a sturdy blue sled. There had been a purple one there and Bakura suggested they get it with a smirk on his face: "Since that's your favorite color" and received a punch in his shoulder which he laughed off. After they bought the sled they walked to the nearest park. "Why'd we only get one sled?" Marik asked.
"Because I didn't feel like buying two," Bakura said, "we can just share it."
"You don't seem like the sharing type."
"I'm not, but I make exceptions."
"Am I the only exception?"
"Yep," Bakura admitted. Ah who cares, let Marik assume whatever the hell he wants, he thought.
For some reason, that made Marik smile. "So who's sledding first?"
"You. I still want to see you crash into a tree."
"That's so thoughtful of you."
"I know, I'm just a thoughtful guy."
Soon, they arrived at a park surrounded by trees with a perfect sledding hill. They ran up the hill seeing who could get to the top first (Bakura won - vampire speed and all that) and then Marik got on the sled and rode down. He almost did hit a tree the first time, but he was able to move out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, that caused him to fall out of the sleigh. When he walked back up the hill he saw Bakura laughing his head off. "Y-you fell out of the sleigh!"
Marik's eye twitched, "It's better than hitting a tree."
"And a lot more entertaining too. My turn!" He took the sleigh out of Marik's hands and did a running jump down the hill on his stomach. He screamed all the way down and Marik wondered how the hell he did a running jump. After a few seconds he came back to the top with a huge smile on his face. "Oh my god Marik, that was so fun! I had no idea sledding was so invigorating!"
"You've never been sledding before?"
Bakura shook his head, "You have?"
"Once, Rishid and Isis took me while mom distracted dad. He never found out, we told him we were covered in snow because we were chasing a vampire and wrestled in the snow. Which we actually did but…" Bakura shoved the sleigh at Marik, "Just keep sledding." And so, they sledded for a while. They even had a contest to see who could scream the loudest. Marik actually won that one because he kept almost hitting trees and screamed in terror. Once, he actually did hit a tree - Bakura vowed he would never hear the end of that one. He looked so funny though, his sled hit the tree and then he went flying through the air into a snow bank. His head emerged and he started spitting snow from his mouth and wiping the cold away from his eyes, but he was grinning like an idiot and claimed that was really fun. He was so convincing that Bakura actually wondered if he should hit a tree too, but decided against it - he didn't want to break the sleigh.
Eventually, Marik began to feel tired and said they should stop. "Just one more time down!" Bakura demanded - he was really enjoying sledding.
"Fine," Marik handed Bakura the sleigh. Bakura took it and smirked. He put it on the ground. "Hop on!" he said to Marik. He looked at him quizzically, "Huh?"
"Get on the sleigh."
"But I'm tired."
"Just sit on the damn sleigh Marik."
"Fine! Geesh." Marik sat down on the sleigh, and immediately began to be pushed by Bakura. When they were at the peak of the hill Bakura jumped in behind Marik, put his arms around his waist, and they both descended super fast, screaming and laughing like little kids all the way down. When they reached the bottom they were still laughing, and Bakura buried his head in Marik's back, causing Marik's face to go red. "Uh, B-Bakura? You can let go of me now…"
"No," Bakura said simply.
"No?" Marik asked, his face going redder.
"No."
"…" Marik didn't know what to say to that.
Bakura chuckled, "What would you say if I said I wanted to stay in this position forever?" Bakura asked in a serious voice, "What would you say? How would you react?"
"W-what? I-I don't know…" Why was Bakura acting like this?
"Think about it."
"I-I," Marik thought about it, but he couldn't come up with an answer, "I, I don't know…"
Bakura sighed and stood up, "Right, I'm just being weird. Come on, what are we doing next? A movie?"
Marik looked at Bakura, "…Yeah…" he stood up as well, "We should probably go home first and drop off the sled.
"Good thinking." Bakura grabbed the sled and started fast-walking back home, Marik jogged to keep up.
What the hell was I thinking? Bakura thought, I shouldn't have asked Marik that question… Although, I would like to know the answer. Then one thought entered his mind. "Home…" he mumbled out loud.
"What?" Marik asked.
Bakura looked at him with something (sadness?) in his eyes. "What is home Marik…? A house where you live? Is that all? Or is it something more? Something… A place…" With the people you love… or the person you love… Bakura's heart began to feel heavy. What was wrong with him? Why was he feeling this way now? He already knew how he felt for Marik… he knew that it wouldn't be easy, subconsciously he knew, so why was he feeling sad now? He felt sorrow well up in his throat, it began to get hard for him to breathe.
Why…? I know that Marik… he… doesn't think of me that way… but I… I thought that maybe he did just a little… I thought maybe I could change his mind… but this is Marik we're talking about! He probably doesn't think of anyone that way… let alone me…
Bakura's thoughts began to more depressing by the minute, tearing his heart out and filling his head with dark clouds of sorrow that tormented him, brought him down, thoughts that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried. How could Marik ever love someone like me? It doesn't seem possible… he couldn't… I have too much baggage, too much sorrow… Marik just stood by and watched. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Bakura was going through something, something that he obviously wasn't supposed to know about. He thought that it might have something to do with "home." Marik's eyes widened, Does Bakura remember his home? In his past life? Where did he live? Is he homesick or something? Maybe he misses ancient Egypt… this world is pretty different from that world… As he watched his friend, he knew he had to do something, but what?
Marik stared at Bakura, who's head was down so his bangs would cover his eyes. He put a tentative hand on his shoulder. Bakura looked up and found Marik's eyes instantly. "I think…" Marik began, "I think a home is a place where you live, and where you feel most comfortable. Whether it be alone or with your family or with someone special… it depends on what you think home is Bakura. That's what I feel anyway…"
Bakura looked into Marik's eyes, those pools of violet that he could easily lose himself in… They were so genuine when he said that, Marik was speaking from his heart, trying to comfort a friend…
Someone special… the words echoed in Bakura's mind. Out of all the word's Marik could have chosen… he said someone special, and that made Bakura smile. If Marik used those words, maybe there was hope for him after all? Maybe he could convince Marik to love him, show him why… why they belonged together. You couldn't force anyone to love you, they have to feel it themselves… so that was Bakura's new goal, to get Marik to love him. He didn't care what it takes, he was going to do it, he always got what he wanted.
Besides, he could make a fun game out of this, two actually. "How long until Marik realizes he's loved" and "Convince Marik to love him." Bakura found himself chuckling and laughing. He had to make a game out of it didn't he?
He looked at Marik with seductive eyes (he might as well have fun right?) and said, "Yes… that's a perfect description of home… Alone, with family, or someone special..." he gave an even more seductive smirk, "Am I your "someone special" Marik?"
Marik's cheeks heated up, though he didn't really know why, "Oh yeah, you're someone special, someone special who changes moods like girls change clothes!"
"Or like you change clothes?" the comeback came easy to Bakura.
Marik's eye twitched, "I don't change clothes that often!"
"Oh really? I have pictures that say otherwise."
"You took pictures of me?"
"Well you draw me, so yes. I take pictures."
"I only draw you when there's nothing else to draw! Stop bringing that up!" Marik threw his hands up in exasperation, "Geez, one minute you're depressed and looking suicidal and the next you're joking and making fun of me? What the hell is wrong with you Bakura!"
"Oh if only you knew… or rather, if only you'd realize."
"Huh?" Marika asked dumbfounded.
Bakura laughed heartily, "You're so dense Marik! I'm not even trying to hide it!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Marik asked, feeling as if he was missing something blatantly obvious.
Bakura sighed and put his arm around Marik's shoulder, "Just forget about it… I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Only problem is how long that's gonna take… hurry up and realize it damn it!"
Marik looked at him like he was insane, "Why don't you just tell me what it is?"
Bakura hesitated before admitting: "I can't…"
"What do you mean you can't?""I don't know if… I can say it yet…" I love you… could he say it? Should he tell Marik right then and there and see what happens from then on? Would it speed up the process? Or stop it completely? Bakura thought, and decided that, he had it pretty good right now.
He saw Marik everyday, they talked everyday, they had fun together everyday, they could laugh and be themselves around each other, it was perfect as it is right now… Should he really ruin that? Should he really ruin the good thing he had now? Should he really ruin their friendship by saying, "I love you"? Now Bakura wasn't sure… What if Marik never felt the same way? What if all they can become is friends… and nothing more? Bakura felt a pang in his heart…
That would be fine he supposed, it would certainly be easier he knew… but he had never been one to do things the easy way… he had always liked the more difficult path, and this time was no different either. Friends? That's what they were now right? Friends? That was good, that was wonderful. They felt at ease around each other, they didn't judge each other, hell, how could he judge Marik when he himself had killed thousands?
… Should we just stay friends…? Bakura thought. That would be the perfect solution wouldn't it? Marik could never reject him that way… If they just stayed friends…
Bakura looked at Marik, But, would I be able to control myself? What I want from Marik… it's more than just a 'friendship,' it's… it's…
What did he want from Marik? His body? His love? His soul? (maybe not his soul… that sounds like something occult…) Is that what he wanted? What if Marik couldn't give him that? What if…
"Bakura…?" Marik's word interrupted Bakura's thoughts, "Could you try to stop looking so depressed? You're bringing me down…"
Bakura blinked, "My sadness… is bringing you down?"
"Yeah, you're my friend, I don't want you to be sad."
Bakura looked at him. "Friends… Yes, that's what we are…"
"What? Yeah, we're friends, didn't we already establish that?"
Bakura smiled. Friends… he thought, Yes, we're friends… but I want more than that… And no way will I settle for anything less, I don't think I could settle for anything less… It's just a matter of time… Oh great, my patience is going to be tested here, I just know it… Ugh, stupid fate, feeling the need to test everyone all the time…
And with that, Bakura set his sights on new goals. Marik would love him, he knew it. It will happen, it's just a matter of time… but while he's waiting, he was allowed to have fun right? He could still make fun of him right? Argue? Make him angry, push his buttons, make his life hell… He could still do that right? Cause that was fun. Yes, there's nothing saying he couldn't have fun while he waited right? Right.
Bakura smiled, "Okay, no more depressing thoughts. What movie do you want to see?"
"No, we are not seeing that movie," Bakura said as he glared at Marik in front of the cinema. The snow was still coming down heavily, creating a hard-to-see-through blanket. But it was easy for Bakura to see Marik's face, since his eyesight was better than that of a humans.
Marik could see pretty well too, he had been trained to see underwater, in the dark, underground, through a hailstorm, and blindfolded (technically he couldn't see while blindfolded; he just used his other senses to paint a picture in his mind), a little snowstorm was practically nothing. But it did keep getting in his eyes, which was very annoying. "Aw come on," he enticed Bakura, "The sequels are always better than the original."
"You've got it backwards Marik - the original is always better than the sequel, and as long as those fucking vampires still sparkle, then the movies will always suck."
"Aw come one, Twilight wasn't that bad was it?"
"Do you really want me to answer that question?"
"Well -"
"Because I could go on for days!"
"But -"
"For one thing, we do not sparkle like fucking fairies in the damn sunlight, we burn in the damn sunlight! And that main vampire guy thinks he has it tough? Never being together with a human which he could easily turn into a vampire and be with forever which is what she wants too the selfish bastard… Yeah, he thinks he has it bad? Try never seeing the light of day again and then talk to me!"
"Okay, okay! We won't see the movie! Calm down!"
"Another thing -"
"Enough! If you talk for any longer we're not going to be able to see any movies! Besides, the crazy Twilight fans are starting to glare at us…" Marik looked around at all the girls wearing "Twilight," "Edward + Bella," or "Jacob + Bella" shirts glaring at them, one was even making a slicing motion across her neck at them… "Damn, fans are freaky…"
"Fans are insane Marik, and you haven't seen anything until you've seen Ryou's fan girls."
"I don't get it, you say you have a ton of fan girls, but I never see any."
"Most of them are in America, you know, those girls that are obsessed with Japanese things, especially anime? Hey! If we make a manga we'd probably be famous!"
"… Can we please just pick a damn movie and go see it?"
"Have you used those colored pencils yet?"
"Oh yeah! Are you kidding?" Marik's eyes lit up - he really did love his pencils, "I love those colored pencils! I went back and colored in all of my old pictures and added new ones… they look so much better now!"
Bakura smiled when Marik's eyes lit up, "Told you so, now let's see a movie…" Bakura looked around and saw a poster that read Tangled in English letters under a picture of a girl and boy surrounded by golden hair. Bakura assumed the girl was Rapunzel and immediately smirked. "Hey Marik, I didn't know you were in a movie," Bakura pointed at the sign.
"I'm not -" he saw where Bakura was pointing and could tell that the person was Rapunzel right away. He rolled his eyes, "Ha ha ha, very funny Bakura, would you please pick a movie?"
"Now I want to see the Rapunzel movie."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I'm dead serious."
"But you are dead."
"You and I both know that is a horrible stereotype. We're just different."
"Whatever floats your boat -"
"I never got that saying. What floats my boat is water, how does that make any sense?"
"It's just a saying Bakura, can we please just pick a movie?"
"Let's see a romantic comedy!" Bakura said enthusiastically.
Marik stared at Bakura, confused by his enthusiasm for something that didn't suit him at all. "… Why?"
"To make fun of it of course!" Bakura's eyes glinted.
Marik laughed, "Twilight is a romantic comedy."
"I meant one that didn't have to do with vampires. Though I could make fun of that… but then the fans would kill us."
Marik laughed again, "All right. How about that one called "Chocolates or Flowers?"
"Oh I'm going to have fun with that one, I can tell," Bakura said mischievously.
"Okay, let's buy the tickets before the movie starts."
"But I was planning on buying the tickets after the movie!" Bakura said sarcastically.
"The movie starts in five minutes! Buy the damn tickets already!"
"Don't rush me boy!"
"But you're the impatient one!"
"I'm only impatient when I want to be -"
"Buy the damn tickets already!" Marik yelled.
"Who's impatient?"
"Bakura!"
"All right, all right! Two tickets for "Chocolates or Flowers" please," he told the ticket holder. The Ticket Teenage Man (TTM) had a bored expression on his face punctuated by red zits. "That will be 1306 (1) yen please," he said in a tired voice. Bakura handed TTM the money, received his tickets and then proceeded to the movie theatre slowly just to annoy Marik.
It worked. "Hurry up Bakura!" Marik said.
"What is with you and getting to a movie on time?"
"It just irks me," Marik said "irks" in English, causing the people around him to stare at him and wonder, "Is he foreign?" or "Was that English?"
"Irks?" Bakura repeated in English.
"It's a word."
"I know - I irk you all the time."
"… It sounds wrong when you say it…"
" 'I irk you,' " Bakura said, testing how it sounded, "You're right… that does sound wrong…"
"How about we never use that word again?"
"Agreed," Bakura said as he pushed open a door into the dark theatre. The previews were already playing, which annoyed Marik a bit - he didn't like arriving late to a movie.
They sat through the movie, and Bakura said that every time anyone in the movie said the word "love" that they should laugh loudly and annoy everyone else. Marik agreed, thinking that they would only say it two or three times.
They said it twenty times - Bakura counted. The movie was only an hour and a half, so they laughed a lot, earning tons of "SHHH!'s" and "Be quiets!" by the females in the theatre.
It was then that Marik noticed that the theatre was populated mainly by females. Some in groups, some with dates (though the dates looked bored out of their minds) and some alone. Marik pointed this out to Bakura, and Bakura just smirked and said, "The men in this room probably appreciate our loud laughter," with no attempt at quieting his voice. Marik swore he heard and saw a man laugh, but then his date elbowed him in the ribs and held her finger to her mouth to silence him. "See?" Bakura said.
They didn't just laugh, every time something unreal happened they complained about it saying, "That would never happen!" or "No one would do that!" and sometimes they argued about how a certain scene should have went. People kept threatening to call the usher, but no one dared leave their seats while the movie was still on, so the threats were empty and the two young adults knew that.
At the end of the movie, both boys were still laughing. "How dumb was that main character guy?" Bakura asked, "You're supposed to get girls chocolate if you're going to give them anything. Not flowers!"
"Some girls like flowers," Marik argued.
"Flowers wilt and decay and remind females that they're doing the same. Chocolate is sweet and delicious - making them feel good."
"But chocolate is fattening, so they'll feel guilty after they eat it."
"Why are we talking about this? We're not girls - well, I'm not anyway."
"I am not a girl!" Marik yelled, causing people to turn and stare.
Bakura snickered, "Way to get everyone to stare at you Marik."
Marik's eye twitched, "It's your fault!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever 'floats your boat.' Did you decide where we're eating?" Bakura asked.
"There's this place downtown, let's go there."
"Lead the way," Bakura gestured with his hand.
Marik smiled, and started walking in the opposite direction that Bakura gestured too. "Actually, it's this way," he said as Bakura caught up with him.
"I should probably learn my way around huh?" Bakura asked.
"That would be a good idea considering you live here."
"I don't live here by choice - I'd much rather be in Egypt right now. I don't care if it got modernized - at least the climate would be the same."
"Complaining gets you nowhere Bakura."
"Neither does not reading."
"That's a double negative."
"You got the point."
Marik rolled his eyes. "I don't know if you'll like this restaurant."
"Why?"
"It might be too fancy for your tastes."
"Are you implying that I'm not classy?"
"That's exactly what I'm implying."
"I can be very classy if I try!"
"That's the problem - you don't try. Also, they don't serve raw steak there."
"Darn, I was looking forward to a bloody meal…"
"That's what I'm talking about! How is drinking blood classy? And if you need to, you can bite someone when we're done."
"Can't I just bit you? It'd be easier than finding someone."
"You've gotten lazier than when I first met you."
"That's because I can be."
"Find someone else to bite!"
"But I wanna bit you!" Bakura said before he realized what he was saying, "You're blood tastes so good!"
Marik stopped walking and stared at Bakura. "…What?" he asked as his face went red, having absolutely no idea how to respond to that statement.
Bakura smiled weakly, not knowing how the hell he was going to dig himself out of this one. He lifted his hands so that his palms were facing Marik, "Ah… Your blood… It tastes really good…"
"… Bakura, how in the hell am I supposed to respond to that?"
"I don't know…"
"Well neither do I!"
"It just tastes good 'cause you're my Blood Pack!" Bakura said quickly.
"Is there anything else about Blood Packs I should know about?" Marik asked, "Because you could have mentioned that the first time I asked!"
"I didn't think it was important!"
"Then why'd you say that now?"
"Because I wasn't thinking when I spoke okay? It's not a big deal!"
"You tell me my blood tastes good and you say it's "no big deal"? How is that not a big deal?"
"Just forget about it okay? I'll find someone else to bite!"
Marik decided that the best course of action at that point was to just ignore what Bakura said and keep walking. "Okay - whatever." Marik had absolutely no freaking idea how the hell he was supposed to feel about his blood tasting good. What does that even mean? He felt his eyes start to swim and he had to close his eyes hard for a few seconds. Luckily he didn't run into anyone.
My blood tastes good… Uwah, I'm never going to get that out of my head… Marik thought, Does it only taste good to Bakura though…? Marik felt like hitting his head against a wall to clear it, but he just kept walking and tried to distract his mind with other thoughts. Okay… I'm going to stop thinking about this… NOW.
… I'm still thinking about it…
While Marik was trying to forget about the whole thing, Bakura was feeling like an idiot. What's wrong with me today? First I do that thing at the sledding hill… now I tell him his blood tastes good? I'm going insane. There's no other explanation, it's finally happening. How long until I just completely lose it and go on a killing spree? Actually that sounds like fun… Feh, Marik wouldn't like it if I killed millions.
Wait, what the hell did I just think? Since when did I start caring what Marik liked?
Oh right… when I realized how I felt… damn it, love is confusing… and sacrificial I guess…?
They arrived at the restaurant in silence, and were immediately greeted with, "Irasshaimase!"(2) by a small, black-haired girl wearing a black and white maids outfit and white stockings that went up to the knees. "Table for two?" she asked. Marik nodded. "Would you like a low table or a Western table?"
"Low table please," Marik said.
"Good choice! Could you please take your shoes off first?" The two boys took off their shoes and left them with the other ones (3), then they handed their winter attire to the lady. "Right this way then! Follow me please!" she said cheerfully as she started walking to their table. Marik and Bakura followed, although Bakura hoped that she wasn't going to be the one taking their order - he didn't like overly cheery people. Luckily for him, she just showed them to their table and left. They sat down pretzel style across from each other and started looking at their menus while a waiter set down two glasses of tea in front of them. The chopsticks were in a box in the middle of the table - the wooden kind that you have to break apart into two pieces before using.
The restaurant itself was pretty nice; the walls were an attractive orange, the cushions were red with various pictures on them, the tables were all a nice cherry wood, the floor was tatami mats(4), plenty of windows, and there were various plants around - ferns, flowers, etc. In the background there played soothing Japanese style music. It was a very relaxing atmosphere, and it worked wonders on the two young adults. They found all their cared just slipping away…
They chose what to eat fairly quickly, and found themselves waiting for the waiter to show up to take their order.
"What are you getting?" Marik asked.
"Rice, beef, steamed broccoli, and seasoned bean sprouts. You?"
"Noodles, some weird fish that I won't even attempt to pronounce correctly, steamed carrots, and spinach with bonito flakes and soy sauce."
"You don't know what fish you're getting and yet you're eating it?" Bakura asked amused.
Marik shrugged, "I'm not very picky."
"What if you don't like it?"
"I'll steal some of yours."
Bakura stuck his tongue out at Marik, but just then the waiter came. "Have you decided what to order?" he asked as Bakura put his tongue back in his mouth. They placed their orders and waited some more (In Marik's case he just pointed at the dish he wanted).
"… I've been thinking," Bakura said suddenly.
"Really? What else is new?"
"Good point. Anyway, I've been thinking about… Well, you know how we have no idea where the other Millennium Items are?"
Marik groaned, "Don't remind me."
"And how they could be anywhere around the world?"
"Yeah I know that, I'm the one who told you that."
"Right, well, Yami wanting to travel around the world had me thinking that maybe we should do the same."
Marik was quiet for a little bit. "You mean, travel the world in search of the Millennium Items? Now we are sounding like a movie. Or a book."
"Or a fanfic," Bakura mumbled.
"What's a fanfic?" Marik asked.
Bakura stared at him, shocked, "You, you don't know? I never told you?"
"No."
"Oh, we'll get into that later. So what do you think? Should we travel the world?"
Marik stared at the table for minute, thinking. Suddenly, he looked up into Bakura's eyes, "If we're going to travel around the world, we need a basis - a place to start."
"Good point… Where would we start? America? France? Germany? Italy? China?"
"Look, how about we just think about this for a while? I mean, when we get to our destination, what would we do? We can't just wander aimlessly through the country."
"We'll have to ask questions, see if anybody's seen anything."
"What if there in someone's grave?"
"We'll have to dig him out."
"Easy for you to say, I don't want to touch a dead body!"
Bakura rolled his eyes, "That's the least of our problems Marik! Think about the transportation."
Marik thought about it and then his eyes went wide. "… We can't take a boat can we?"
"Not to all the places. It would take too long."
Marik stared at his hands. "… We'd have to take a plane…"
Bakura frowned, "Yeah…"
All was silent, then Marik sighed. "Well," he began, "I've already ridden in Santa's sleigh, I guess I could handle a metal contraption of death… Oh god, I can't handle those freaking metal contraptions!" Marik felt himself start hyperventilating.
"It's okay Marik," Bakura said, trying to get Marik's mind off of planes, "You're not on the plane yet, you're in a restaurant about to eat a strange fish that you don't know the name of and that could possibly kill you. Personally, I'd be more worried about the strange fish, but that's just me."
Marik found himself laughing, "I've been trained to be immune to most types of poison - I think I can handle a strange fish."
"I don't know, some fish are pretty weird. There are fish that have fangs!"
"Seriously? You're kidding me!"
"I'm not! I saw a picture of one!"
"Oh man, I hope I didn't get that fish…"
"We'll just have to wait and see." They continued to talk about their travel plans, and before they knew it their food appeared. They both grabbed wooden chopsticks from the box and broke them apart. Marik began to eat right away, realizing that he was starving, and Bakura just kind of stared at his food. He tried to pick up a beef piece and found that he couldn't. He kept trying over and over and over, getting more and more frustrated with how he couldn't do this - how he could never do this. Soon Marik noticed Bakura's struggles. He looked at Bakura, and smile tugging at his lips, "Bakura… Do you not know how to eat with chopsticks?"
Bakura let out a frustrated scream and threw his chopsticks down, "No! No I don't okay?"
"Bakura keep your voice down -"
"I could never eat with these damn wooden sticks! How can you expect me to?"
"Bakura, calm down!" Marik said in English, hoping that would cause Bakura to talk in English too so people wouldn't know what he's saying.
It worked: "How do you expect me to calm down?" Bakura asked in English, "In my day we just had spoons and knives! That's it! We didn't even have forks! And you expect me to use tiny wooden sticks to eat my food with? It's insane!" Soon a waiter appeared at their table. "Is everything all right sir?"
Marik gave an apologetic smile, "Excuse my friend, he's foreign -"
"Sí, no hablo español," Bakura said in Spanish.
Marik smiled, "Could you please get us a fork?"
"Certainly sir…" the waiter said, looking at Bakura oddly before walking away.
"So," Marik said with an amused smile, "You don't speak Spanish huh?"
"Nope."
Both boys laughed, and the waiter arrived with the fork so Bakura could eat his meal with less frustration.
"That was a good meal," Marik said, "Luckily my fish didn't have fangs in it." By now it was nighttime and it stopped snowing. Bakura was just carrying his winter attire because he didn't feel like wearing it anymore now that he didn't have to.
"I enjoyed the meal too, after I received a fork."
Marik laughed, "I can't believe you can't eat with chopsticks!"
"You wouldn't either if you lived in ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago!"
Marik elbowed Bakura in the ribs as he said, "I'm just messing with you, no need to get all defensive about it." But as soon as Marik's elbow made contact with Bakura's ribs, he let out an odd giggling sound. Marik stared at his friend curiously. He poked him in the ribs again, getting the same result. Marik grinned mischievously. "Bakura…" he said accusingly, "Are you ticklish?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Bakura snapped, "I'm not - gah!" Marik began tickling his friend mercilessly in his stomach, and Bakura found himself laughing. "St-stop! I-I can't take it! HAHAHAHA! STOP IT! STOP IT!" He laughed hysterically while telling Marik to stop. He couldn't get out much more than that though; he was very ticklish. He kept trying to shield Marik's hands, but they easily went around the blockade. He tried backing away, but Marik kept up. Apparently, it's hard to tap into vampire speed when you're being tickled.
Marik, on the other hand, was having a blast. He finally found Bakura's weakness! And he fully intended to use it against him. Plus, it was fun to see him smiling and laughing. Marik found himself laughing with Bakura, not even caring about the stares they earned from the few people still out at that time.
Eventually Marik stopped tickling Bakura, and he tried to get his breathing back to normal. He had to hold his stomach, and he couldn't wipe that smile off his face no matter how hard he tried. "… I hate you so much right now Marik…"
Marik laughed, "I would have never thought. I mean, Bakura? Ticklish? It doesn't add up, but it is hilarious!"
"Whatever, you can't tell me you're not ticklish?"
"I'm not."
"Really?" Bakura asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Really. I don't know what it is - I'm just not ticklish."
Bakura chewed the inside of his lip. Marik wasn't lying - he could tell. "All right, so where should we go now?"
"Let's just walk," Marik said as he took a step forward.
"How about we go get a couple of drinks?"
"No. Never again," Marik said flatly.
Bakura laughed loudly and fell behind. Marik just kept walking, knowing that Bakura would join him whenever. Soon, however, he felt something wet hit the back of his neck. He turned around to see Bakura standing there with a smirk on his face and a snowball in his hand. His winter clothes were abandoned on the ground - it's not like he needed them much right now. "Consider that payment for tickling me."
"Oh no Bakura," Marik said as he bent down and molded snow in his hands, "now it's war!" he threw his snowball and hit Bakura's stomach. Then all hell broke loose. The two boys started throwing snowballs left and right, up and down, always aiming for the face, but sometimes missing and hitting another part of their body, or just not hitting them at all. The snowball fight took place mainly close to the restaurant they had eaten at, causing them to lose business for the hour that they were there. Most people didn't want to cross past flying snowballs.
They messed up the snow, making it look dirty and uneven. Before it had been even and sparkling, but now it looked as if someone had romped through it. Which someone did technically. After they had had their fun, they called a truce, and walked down the street, laughing and talking and having a good time. They did a lot of window shopping, never going inside the store and just looking through the store display windows. They laughed at the odd types of clothing they saw and Marik impersonated some of the manikins with a stony face, causing Bakura to laugh. Bakura made fun of the odd items displayed in the pawn shops bringing up good points like, "Why'd they set out an old rusted lamp? Who in their right minds would buy that?" and causing Marik to laugh too. They were having a wonderful time, but as it began to get late, they decided they should head back home. "Hold on, I'm still thirsty," Bakura said as he lifted his left shirtsleeve to reveal that his mark was red.
"Well find someone and then we can go home," Marik said, trying desperately to get the idea of Bakura biting him out of his head.
"Right," Bakura said, looking around. He soon saw a young lady tripping over her own two feet. Perfect, she's obviously mental or something, meaning she'll be easier to drink. He ran forward, bit her from behind, and took her blood greedily, not realizing how thirsty he actually was. He couldn't help but notice that this blood didn't taste as good or feel as satisfying as Marik's blood did though…
After his thirst was quenched, he released his mouth from her neck and she fainted. Bakura placed her gently in the snow, and then immediately his head began to pound. He ground his teeth together and held his hands up to his head. What's happening? Bakura thought. He began to feel butterflies in his chest. The butterflies started spreading across his body to his very fingertips, bringing numbness with them. His thought began to get scarce, and he found it hard to concentrate. Ugh… what the hell is happening…? he thought.
Marik, who had just been standing idly by waiting for Bakura to collect his blood, noticed the sudden change in Bakura and he ran forward to help. "Bakura? You okay? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
Bakura stared at Marik with a haze over his eyes. He smiled drunkenly, "I'm just fiiiine!" he said, putting extra emphasis on the "i" in "fine."
Marik looked at Bakura confused. What the hell? Why was he acting like this? "Why are you acting like this?"
"What'cha talkin' 'bout? I always talk like this!" Bakura responded.
"No you're not. You're acting kind of…" Marik's eyes widened, "drunk…"
Bakura put a finger to his chin and closed his eyes as if in thought. "Hm… That's impossible! Vampires can't get drunk! Silly Marik-kun."
Marik's cheeks burned, "… Please don't call me that…"
"Eeeeh? Why not?" Bakura's vowels had an obvious droll in them, reminding Marik of Pegasus for a second.
"Just don't," Marik said, wondering how Bakura became drunk so fast. He glanced at the lady. Maybe she was drunk when Bakura bit her… Of course! That makes sense! He took the alcohol out of her system and the alcohol must have fused with her blood to create alcohol for vampires! Marik smiled triumphantly, glad he figured this out. He wondered if his dad knew about this…
"Oi! Sleeping Beauty! Quit daydreaming already!" Bakura's annoyed voice rang in Marik's ears, causing him to turn his attention back to his now drunken friend. "What's wrong?" Marik asked out of habit.
Bakura held his arms out, "I can't stand up."
"… Seriously?"
"If I could stand, would I be holding my arms out to you? Think a little!" Bakura said, sounding just a tad bit like a little kid.
"Okay, okay! Geez, you're temper stays the same when you're drunk, that's for sure," Marik said as he helped him up. Bakura found that it was really hard to stand and he kept tripping over his own two feet. If he had been in his right mind he would have made fun of himself. But as it was, his mind was practically empty except for idiotic, babbling thoughts. Eventually, Marik got tired of Bakura's not being able to stand and slipped his arm around his waist and Bakura's arm around his shoulder so he would stop falling. Bakura immediately cracked a smile and rested his head on Marik's shoulder, finding it hard to keep his head upright any longer. "Hmm… You're so warm!" Bakura purred. Literally; he purred. Marik's cheeks began to go red again. "Okay," he said, "Let's just go home. Start walking, yes, take a step…" Wow, that lady must have been really drunk… Marik thought. It seemed as if Bakura couldn't even walk straight anymore. Is this what I'm like when I'm drunk?
"Ne," Bakura said, interrupting Marik's thought, "Have I told you your blood tastes good?"
"… Yes, yes you have Bakura," Marik said awkwardly.
"I mean really, really good, like, all of the sweets in the world combined."
"I take it you like sweets?" Marik said, hoping Bakura would change the subject.
It worked, "Oh yeah!" Bakura said happily, "I especially love chocolate! Chocolate is sooo gooood! But not as good as you though."
… I don't know if I like drunk Bakura or not… "Can we stop talking about blood please?"
"Is it makin you queasy?"
"No; I'd just like to stop talking about it."
"M'Kay!" They walked on in silence for a while, but then Bakura spoke again, "Ne, Mari-chan," Bakura purposefully dropped the "k" in "Marik," "Can I bite you?"
"What?" Marik said. His heart skipped a beat.
"Can I bite you? I can smell your blood and it's soooo tempting you have no idea…"
"Wh - I-I, wha…What?" Marik stammered, "No!"
"Aw come on!" Bakura whined on "on," sounding like a pouting kindergartener, "Please? At least I asked first…"
"Well…" Marik said, thinking it wouldn't be too bad if Bakura bit him, it might get rid of the drunkenness… Wait, what am I thinking?
"No, you can't take my blood, sorry."
Bakura sighed, "All right," he said, "I like your blood, but I like you more, so I'll respect your wishes I guess…"
'I like you more…' Bakura's words rang in Marik's head. Marik knew that what vampires enjoyed more than anything in the world was blood - it was built into their DNA and instincts. And Bakura had told him that his blood tasted the best, so saying that he liked him more than his blood was actually a huge compliment. It was like a human saying, "I love you more than life itself." Marik felt heat all over his body now, though he didn't know exactly why, and he found words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them, "All right…" he said compulsively, "Just one bite…" Bakura didn't need a second invitation; he bit Marik's neck gently, not wanting him to feel pain, and began to drink.
His mouth exploded with the flavor, sending pleasure all across his body in a way he never experienced before. With each drop of the savory, sweet, amazing, delicious, irresistible, crimson liquid his senses began to return. Marik's blood was flushing out the alcohol-stained blood.
Marik also felt an odd sort of pleasure from this. The blood leaving him didn't hurt that much, and he found the sensation… enjoyable. It felt as if he was being massaged all over, but mostly on his neck. He really liked this, and the fact that they were pressed close together somehow made the pleasure that much more pleasurable. He felt his knees start to go weak - the only indication that things weren't quite right - but even that seemed to comfort him rather than scare him. Besides, he trusted Bakura - he knew that he wouldn't drain and kill him. He had said so himself, "I like your blood, but I like you more."
And Marik was right, Bakura stopped soon, and this time he was the one supporting Marik, who was dizzy from the blood loss. "Ung…" Marik mumbled, "I feel light-headed…"
"That'll pass," Bakura said as he decided it would be easier to just pick Marik up (bridal-style) and carry him home. He tried to recall what happened, but his memories were fuzzy from when he bit that one girl up until he bit Marik's neck. He wracked his brain to recall what happened, but then Marik - who was feeling very sleepy now due to blood loss - yawned and curled up into Bakura's shoulder.
…Then again, Bakura thought as pink appeared on his cheeks, It's not really important how I came to this position is it? He stopped trying to remember what happened before now and just kept walking.
Marik woke up a about a block away from their house. His brain was a little foggy though: Where am I? he thought. Then he saw Bakura and felt himself lifted off the ground and he put the rest together. His cheeks burned, "Uh, I'm awake now…" Marik said.
Bakura seemed startled, "Oh, right," he said as he set Marik down. His knees still felt a little weak, but he could walk. They walked in silence, until Marik voiced a completely random thought, "Ever notice how much the snow looks like your hair?"
Bakura looked at him. "… Can't say that I have, no."
"Well it does," Marik smirked, "Only, your hair is fluffier."
"My hair is not that fluffy!" Bakura growled.
"You wanna bet on that?"
"No - I'll just win again."
"Hey! Most of the time we tie!"
"Exactly, when was the last time you won?"
"… I don't remember…"
Bakura laughed, "See? I'll just win!"
"You won't win this one because your hair really is fluffy! Look at it! You look like a human Furbie for Pete's sake!"
"I'm warning you Marik," Bakura growled, "Another crack about my hair and I'm locking you out!"
"But I'll freeze out here!"
"Then don't talk about my hair!"
"Fine. You're sensitive about your hair, I get it."
"Damn right I'm sensitive about my hair." It was then that they reached their house. They walked up to the front door, and noticed a white piece of paper taped to it. Marik took it down, read it, and his face immediately went white. Bakura snatched the paper from him. It read:
Dear Marik,
I need to talk to you. Meet me at our house in Japan next Friday.
With lots of love,
Your sister,
Isis.
Bakura looked at Marik, who's face was still white. He looked his vampire friend directly in the eyes. "… She found me…" He whispered, "and if she found me… dad's not far behind…"
(1): About 16 American dollars.
(2): Meaning "Please come in" or "Welcome."
(3): "Low table or Western table" - I did some research and found that some Japanese restaurants are equipped with Western style tables and chairs as well as low tables and cushions. I decided to do that type of restaurant, though I did a lot of guess work on the actual protocol, so do not take this for cold-hard fact.
"Take your shoes off first" - in traditional Japanese interiors, you are usually required to take off your shoes at the restaurant's entrance, or before stepping onto the seating area. (Google is my best friend…) Although I don't know where they put them…
(4): Tatami mats: woven straw mats traditionally used as a floor covering.
Gasp! What will happen next? XD I already know ;P
Don't really know what my goal for this chapter was… I kind of just say down and started writing ^_^" I guess I just figured it was time to go ahead and introduce Isis. I kind of have an idea for how the meeting will go… But that's it - an idea. Haha, hope you liked the chapter! I keep thinking that it went too fast or something… Tell me what you think! I love hearing from you guys! (Thanks for all the reviews too! (= )
~~~{REVIEW REPLIES}~~~
Bec: I'm glad you liked the Christmas special! I worked really hard on it… Which is why it took so long. My goal for the holiday specials is to make them different, more comedy, more… pizzazz maybe? I don't know, I just want them to be memorable, like how in cartoons the Christmas/Halloween/Valentines specials are all so different and funny, I wanted to do that.
I happy with how this story's progressed, but I'm also not. This story kind of went differently in my head, but my problem is, I don't really know how to continue. In the planning in my head, I actually got up to Pegasus' castle before I wrote this all down, and so I don't really have anything planned. I have ideas, but… I don't know, they're kind of ridiculous. (Sorry I'm being cryptic.) I try to make the characters grow, and I have a feeling they'll grow more when I get to explaining their back stories. Especially Bakura's.
I was also shocked that people didn't figure out the colored pencils, and yes, Santa gave Bakura mistletoe to help him get what he wants. Isn't that wonderful? XD I'm glad you enjoyed the kissing scene, I was afraid it was too short. And Marik's gonna be in denial for a while~~~
And thanks! I really love to sing, so being in the play is good or me =) And yes, stressing is no fun, and neither is feeling depressed. Glad you still like this story!
Littlekuriboh1fan: I want to bring Ryou into this story soon, I really do. I kind of want him and Bakura to be like close brothers, and I think I know how to get there, but… the trouble is writing it. Glad you like this story though!
That's What Cheese Said: Lol, sorry, didn't know you went camping XD that's pretty funny though, and I'm not doing it on purpose! Things just work out that way.
And yes, only monsters don't like Ryou. Evil, terrible, ugly, homophobic, ignorant, arrogant monsters.
I really wanted to make Otogi and Jounouchi fight, cause I thought that would be funny ^^ Glad you liked it! And glad you liked drunk Marik. From the beginning I'm like, "Jounouchi + spiked eggnog = drunk Marik!"
An don't worry, you're not a horrible person, just forgetful like me ^^ And stop burning yourself… unless you like that or something… And Santa's real! YOU LIE WOMAN! LIEEEEE! Lol, I didn't think it was that creative, I just thought it would be funny if Bakura knocked out Santa… XD And yes, Marik is a sexy little elf.
I was having such trouble deciding what Marik would get Bakura. I just couldn't think of anything and then a collar just randomly popped into my head, but I'm glad I win at life! That's good news XD
Glad you liked the kiss, I was afraid it was too short, but I'm glad it was sweet ^^ And Bakura's fallen pretty hard, there's going to be angst about that later on… And, Marik's going to be in denial for a while, or else I don't think this would work well.
I don't know if the Princess of Doom will make another appearance, I mean, why would Marik put on a dress again? It doesn't make sense, but it is funny XD
Glad you like the fic and think I'm a genius! =)
Swirly: I'm glad you liked the Christmas special! But I don't think Bakura is going to be Santa Claus again, but you can always hope right? =)