"What the hell did you do, Ishizu?" I demanded, once I was well enough to sit up and to speak above a whisper.

"I don't know what you're talking about, baby brother." Ishizu said, busying herself with unpacking a bag of food she brought from home.

"Don't play stupid. You did something! There's no way Ryou wouldn't be by my side right now!"

"Maybe he doesn't like you as much as you thought."

"…. Don't you dare say that, Ishizu. Don't you dare. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy! Why did you have to go and fuck that up?"

"I didn't fuck anything up, Marik! I haven't even talked to Ryou since you were brought here!"

"Yeah, about that…. Why the fucking hell am I in a hospital in EGYPT?"

I had known that we had left the town of Domino when a group of tourists were rushed in suffering from heatstroke. After I had figured out where I was, my anger and suspicion grew until the breaking point. If I wasn't still bedridden, my hands would be at Ishizu's throat.

"Because the hospital at Domino couldn't give you the care you needed."

"Oh, so I'm expected to believe that an Egyptian hospital could. Cut the bullshit, Ishizu."

"Shut up, Marik and eat your damn lentils."

"FUCK YOUR FUCKING LENTILS!" I threw my blanket off and swung my legs over the side of the bed, shaking putting my legs on the ground. As far as I could tell, it had been a month since I'd stood.

"Marik, get back in bed right now!"

"Piss off, bitch! I'm going home!" I shoved her aside and walked to the door as a gurney was rushed past with a pale, white haired person on it. "….. Ryou?"

"Looks like another case of heat exhaustion." A paramedic informed the doctor rushing towards the gurney. A couple of nurses moved the patient onto a bed and put a curtain around them. I walked over and pushed a few people out of the way, pulling the curtain open to behold….

"M-Marik!" Ryou attempted to sit up. His porcelain face was flushed bright red and his clothes were saturated with sweat.

"Ryou!" I leaned down and hugged him tightly.

"Excuse me, sir!" The doctor tried pulling us apart. I hissed at him like a feral cat.

"What happened, Ryou?" I asked him, stroking his poor overheated head.

"W-Well…."

-flashback—

Ishizu ran up to the bathroom. "What's wrong? What happened?" Ryou was cradling Marik, rocking him back and forth.

"H-He just passed out! H-He's extremely ill!"

"What? Why isn't he better?"

"I-I don't know... Call for an ambulance!"

Ishizu ran to the nearest phone and dialed 911. She came back and knelt beside Ryou, checking Marik's pulse.

"…. This is all your fault…" She whispered, giving Ryou a side glare.

"Wha-?"

"This is your damn fault! He was too fucking busy taking care of your sick ass!"

"B-Bu—"

"Shut your Ra-damned mouth!" Ishizu wrenched Marik from Ryou's arms and managed to lift him up. "You don't deserve to be with my little brother! You don't deserve anything but Bakura!"

-end flashback—

"….. That fucking bitch…." I growled. I climbed onto the bed, sitting behind Ryou and pulling him against myself. "And you came all this way to find me…"

"Y-Yeah…" Ryou murmured weakly. "I-I didn't come very prepared th-though…. I-I didn't know where to look for you….."

"Well, you found me…." I stroked his hair slowly. "You! Doctor! Get over here and make him feel better!"

The doctor came over, looking baffled as he inserted an I.V. into Ryou's delicate arm. He hung a bag of something on the I.V. tree and hooked Ryou up to a bunch of monitors. I glanced over at one and saw that his temperature was at a dangerous 105 degrees.

"Shit, we gotta cool you down." I fanned him with my hand, hoping that it would help until the incompetent doctors could provide more adequate treatment. After awhile some nurses brought over bags of ice, packing them around Ryou. One grabbed a fan and water bottle and had Ryou get undressed down to his boxers, spraying him with water and putting the fan on him.

"Mmm…" Ryou closed his eyes. I kept stroking his hair, keeping a careful eye on him and his temperature.

After an hour or so, Ryou was down to 100 degrees. I removed the ice bags from around him and moved the fan closer, gently rocking him back and forth.

"How do you feel?" I asked gently.

"Better…." Ryou mumbled sleepily.

"MARIK!" Ishizu wrenched open the curtains isolating us. Ryou jumped and began to shake, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Ishizu, get the fuck away from us." I growled, holding Ryou protectively.

"Marik, get your ass back in your bed right now!"

"FUCK YOU!"

Ishizu looked startled and took a step back.

"I know what you fucking said to him! Why can't you let me be happy? You never wanted anything to do with me until Ryou came along! You can't have me! Not when you haven't done a Ra-damned thing to help me! You can go die in a hole for all I care!"

"….." Ishizu turned on her heel and walked away. I glared at her retreating form, breathing heavily from all the shouting.

"M-Marik…. C-calm down, please…." Ryou whimpered, putting his hands over mine.

"How dare she do this to me…." I growled, not hearing him. "She'll pay…. She'll fucking pay….."

"…"

I was brought out of my mutterings by a sniffling sound. "…Ryou?"

"I-It's all m-my fault…." His voice quivered and broke. "A-All of th-this i-is my f-fault…."

"Ryou, no… none of this is your fault…. Don't ever blame yourself…. Nothing has been or ever will be your fault….. Come on…. Let me see a smile…. I haven't seen one in weeks…."

"….." Ryou sniffled and wiped his eyes. "I-I can't smile r-right now…."

"…..Not even if I… tickled you? TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!" I began an onslaught of tickling.

"A-Ahahahaheeheeheee! M-Marik, st-haha-stop!" Ryou squirmed, trying to avoid being tickled as his face lit up with giggles.

"Rawr!" I bit his ear playfully, wrapping my arms tightly around him. "Mine."

"A-All yours…." He said, catching his breath and leaning back against me. "All yours, forever…."