"Daddy, Maser Mawik maked me!" Victoria ducked another swat of her father's belt. She'd already been hit several times with it.
"What did I tell you about lying?! How did you get out?" Her father demanded.
"Maser Mawik gotted it open!" The little girl insisted, tears streaming.
"More lies! You are the worst child I've ever met!" He turned, and walked out of Victoria's room,slamming and locking the door.
Victoria stared at the door, through blinding tears. Why couldn't Master Marik just blast him into nothingness? He did it any other time! She crawled into her little bed, wincing from the pain in her little legs. She curled up with her toy Rod. If this was real,I'd blast him right into the Shadow Realm! Victoria closed her eyes, tightly,ignoring the angry slam of the door from downstairs. Her father was gone again.
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Ishizu and Rishid were sitting on either side of their younger brother's hospital bed, looking very concerned. Marik,who'd been perfectly conscious at first, had passed out during his treatment. He was in this state when his sibling arrived to be with him.
"Marik……dear Brother, please don't leave us." Rishid held his brother's hand gently.
Ishizu prayed in silence for Marik's recovery, as she looked down on his nearly motionless form. "You have to come back."
"He will,Sister. He's a very strong willed boy." Rishid spoke up, trying to convince himself, as well as Ishizu.
"Yes. That is true. I only wish he did not have to be here at all." Ishizu agreed, as she brushed a lock of his blonde hair out of Marik's face.
"Of course." Rishid nodded. He hoped Marik would wake up soon.
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Later in the night, Marik awakened in a strange room. It didn't look like a hospital room in the least. There were posters on the wall, toys scattered on the floor. He looked around in disorientation for a light switch. He turned the lights on a minute later, and gasped. He was in bedroom. A little girl's room, his mind told him. What on Earth am I doing here? I must be dreaming! He stiffened suddenly, when he heard a distinct moan. He looked towards the bed. A very small child was staring back at him expectantly.
"Maser Mawik? What doing here?" The little girl spoke up now.
"Master……it's just Marik." Marik was stunned. How did this child know who he was?
The child giggled. "You're funny." She got out of bed, and walked up to him.
Marik watched her silently,not sure what to do.
"We goes?" She asked him expectantly.
"Go? Go where?" Marik asked her now. He had the feeling he was supposed to know.
"To the portal. In the Sadow Wealm."
Marik's eyes widened. "No! That place is dangerous!"
"But you sayed you takes me." The child pouted.
"I did? I think you've got me mixed up with somebody else. I don't associate with the Shadow Realm anymore." Marik informed her. What is going on? Has someone been impersonating my old personality?And would they be so mean to such a young child? Marik hadn't missed the dark bruises on the girl's legs. "Who did that to you?" He asked, withholding the anger in his voice. No child deserved that kind of treatment. He pointed to her legs.
"You know. My Daddy did." She told him,with an odd look."
Marik winced. He really could relate to that. He tried to pat her arm reassuringly, but his hand went through her. He gasped. "What's wrong with me?!"
"You ghos'?" The girl's eyes widened too, as she backed up. "You not Maser Mawik."
"No? Why not?" Marik asked in somewhat irritation. Whoever this person was impersonating him was in for a rude awakening if he found him.
" 'cause, Maser Mawik's not deads."
"Well, technically he is. I don't act like that anymore." Marik tried to explain again. "No one's called me Master Marik for years." He added firmly. He had knots in his stomach. Someone was out to bring up his past again, and he really despised that. "Maybe you can answer this for me. Where am I?" He wanted to get off the "Master Marik" subject quickly.
"My woom." The girl responded.
"Yes, I know that, but where is this place?" Marik asked desperately. It was very unlikely he would get the answers he wanted from such a young child.
This time, the girl merely shrugged, before yawning. "I sleepy." She crawled back into her bed, her toy Rod falling to the floor as she did so.
Marik's eyes narrowed at the toy, then he attempted to pick it up. "Um….you dropped your toy."
The girl picked it up, with a slight giggle. "If dis was weal,I bwast my Daddy to the Sadow Wealm!"
"Goodness! But you don't really want to hurt him, do you?" Marik asked. He realized then that this girl probably needed help to get out of that environment and he wondered how he could possibly help in his current state. He watched her nestle into her covers, with a deep sigh.
"Night night,Maser Mawik." The girl said sleepily.
"It's just Marik, and good night." The Egyptian boy settled on the floor, glad he didn't go through it,to watch over her. Maybe whoever it was would come, and he would have a chance to mix words with him. He certainly wouldn't let this person corrupt the child's mind any farther. That much he knew.