"Domino City"

The next day Anzu woke up early and took a shower. That they she knew she would be meeting Yugi finally. And she was quite happy with that. But there was something bothering her. Something related to the last night's talk with Bakura. Something wasn't right, and she knew it.

Anzu didn't see Marik for almost one hour. But she couldn't wait anymore, so she just left to the reception and checked out. It was 7AM, and Bakura was already waiting for her outside the hotel.

"What took you so long?" he asked harshly.

"I... can't find Marik-kun." she said. Bakura stared blankly at her.

"And why would you find him?" he asked, with sort of a laugh at the end of the sentence.

"Well..." Anzu tried to explain, but he cut her off.

"Really, I don't care for explanations." Bakura said, and started walking slowly.

Anzu sighed, where was Marik?

"I'm right here." a voice answered behind her. Anzu turned around.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I... was sort of busy." he answered, and started walking. And so did Anzu.

They walked for a long time, without speaking. Once in a while Anzu tried to speak to Marik, but Bakura kept giving her odd looks.

"How much more are we going to have to walk?" Anzu asked all of a sudden. Bakura ignored her.

"The city is over there." Marik said, five minutes after Anzu's question. "Can't you see yourself?"

"Oh, right." Anzu muttered.

Minutes later they were walking around the city. Anzu looked around like a little girl in a toy's store. She was so glad to be back! She would be back to her friends and her family, and she would even help Yugi get rid of that horrible Pharaoh. And it was even worse just to think that once she had liked him... trusted him.

"Now, where does the Pharaoh live?" Bakura asked himself, taking his Sen Nen Ring from under his shirt. It started pointing to a direction and Bakura followed. Anzu walked right behind him. Her heart was beating faster than ever.

After a few blocks they were in front of Yugi's house, the game shop. Anzu knocked on the door and tried to pull it. It was locked.

"I don't know if he's home..." she said.

"He is." Marik answered slowly. He was really quiet that day.

Bakura slowly stepped back, until he was far from Anzu and Marik. He watched Anzu with a grin, amused. 'What's wrong with him?' , Anzu thought. Of course Bakura was hard to understand, but that day he was too weird.

Anzu touched the doorknob again and concentrated. Maybe she could open the door with Marik's powers. And so she did, the door opened with a 'click!'. She pulled the door and walked in.

"Anzu?" Yugi's voice asked, and suddenly Yugi appeared from the back of the store. "What are you doing here?"

"Yugi!!! Becareful, he's trying to possess you definitely!" she exclaimed, running toward him.

"Anzu... what?" he asked, confused. "How did you get here?"

"Yugi I thought I was going to lose you but I'm here now to stop the Pharaoh!!" Anzu said, hugging Yugi. "Marik-kun told me everything. He helped me!!"

"Marik? Ishitar Marik?" Yugi asked, as Anzu let go of him. "You don't look good Anzu... you should be at the... well... hospital."

"But I'm fine Yugi! And you know, Marik even helped me with his powers. He is really nice to me and... and..." she looked for the right words, but couldn't find them.

Suddenly Yami took over Yugi's body. Anzu's eyes widened. He was still there!

"Anzu... now is your chance to get him." Marik said, behind her.

"I WON'T LET YOU POSSESS YUGI!!!" Anzu shouted and pointed her finger to Yami Yugi, but nothing happened.

"Anzu?" Yami Yugi asked softly. "Calm down..."

[ I feel really bad.]

"What is happening to my powers? Marik! I just used them!!" she shouted.

"Anzu... calm down. What are you talking about?" Yami Yugi asked.

Anzu shook her head and tried to speak but she was so nervous... she couldn't.

[ I didn't mean to hurt myself this way but... ]

"Marik's powers! The ones he gave me!"

"Anzu, you have no powers..." Yami Yugi said slowly.

"They're Marik's! See?" she said pointing to the door. "I unlocked the door to come in! A-And I used them to escape from that horrible place and everything!!"

[ Sometimes we don't have a choice. ]

"Marik-kun!" Anzu cried. No answer came. "Where are you? MARIK-KUN!!!"

No one answered again. Where was Marik? He couldn't have left her alone. And Bakura was gone too. Anzu looked around, tears wetting her pale skin.

"He did not... Oh... Marik-kun... don't leave..." Anzu cried, slipping down to the floor.

She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

"Marik-kun... don't leave like they did... no... Marik-kun..." she sobbed more.

[ Because sometimes things don't turn out the way we wanted. ]

Yami Yugi stepped backwards slowly. Two men dressed in white kneeled beside Anzu and slowly tried to put a straightjacket on her.

"No!!" she shouted, punching one of them. "I'm not crazy!! Stay away from me!! I just want my normal like back!!"

Anzu tried to run but the men were twice her size and easily got her. They put the straightjacket with a little difficulty, as she tried to kick them. But suddenly she stopped. Marik was in front of her. He wasn't smiling sweetly as he had done once in a while.

His expression was empty. He was just staring at her. She tried to call him, but she was her voice wouldn't come out. Anzu tried as hard as she could but not much came out.

"Don't..." was the only thing she could say, before she faint.

[ But all this helped me figure out something: ]

Bakura approached Yugi slowly. He was staring at the ambulance in which Anzu was.

"What happened?" he asked innocently.

"She had so much problems... and I didn't know... that's all." Yugi explained.

"Oh..." Bakura said, looking down.

"I didn't know she would come looking for me after escaping from the hospital. Actually, I'm surprised she even escaped. They said she just ran through the front door and no one could stop her." he laughed. "And they said she even broke into someone else's house and stole clothes and money. And all that unconscious."

"Really weird." Bakura muttered.

A moment of silence followed. Yugi was the one that broke it all of a sudden.

"She said a lot of things about Marik. Do you know why?" Yugi asked.

"I have... no idea..." Bakura answered, with a grin.

"But do you..." Yugi turned to look at Bakura, but he was gone.

[ Everything is inside our own heads. ]

Anzu was sitting on her white bed of her white room again. Crazy, they called her. Just crazy. And she almost believed that.

It was hard to think that Marik had left her like that. She would miss him, though. He was a good company. And the dreams about him just gave her something to think about when she was tired of trying to understand why her "friends" had locked her up there.

[ I wish I could change myself... but I can't. ]

Anzu lifted the mattress of the white bed and took a piece of glass. She stared into it. She could see half of her face only, but it was enough to know she looked like shit. There was nothing left inside of her but a little conscious mind that just made her state worse.

She sighed.

Marik sat beside her and hugged her.

"No... Marik-kun. This time I'm not stopping."

[ Perhaps in some alternate universe... ]

Anzu fell on the cold floor. Her wrists were bleeding a lot and quickly took away the little consciousness she had left.

Marik stayed by her side until the very end, when he had to go away himself.

He was part of her, and he would always be.

[ Where things are really all they seem, and everyone is happy. ]

[Sincerely, Mazaki Anzu ]

FIN

_____________________________________________

A/N: I'm really sorry I took so long to finish this story. But I completely lost interest in YGO and it's hard to write if I don't like something, obviously. ^^;

I hope one day you forgive me. ;-;

Thanks to everyone that reviewed my first fanfic with more than 1 chapter to be finished. ^.^ Thanks a looot!

08/24/2003