Victoria finished putting a flag on a Lego castle she'd been building. "Wooks, Maser Mawik, it's finished." She grinned up at Yami Marik proud of herself.
"That's a disgraceful structure! Do it over!" The evil spirit commanded, before glancing over at Johanna and Rakura. "Have you picked a day yet, Tomb Raider?"
"No." The old thief replied. "Jo, you're putting that on backwards. " He turned to his "charge" now, and helped her glue a roof on a construction paper house. He didn't really understand the purpose of this activity at all, but it seemed to be keeping the other children in the small kindergarten class quiet. "This is idiotic, this activity!" He muttered to himself, causing Johanna to giggle. The evil thief smiled despite himself. "You agree with me don't you?"
"Dis fun!" Johanna persisted, as she reached for another piece of paper. "What makes now?"
"How should I know?" He shook his head, watching her in exasperation. "This is a waste of time! We've got more important things to do!"
"Pipe down, Thief! You're scaring Victoria!" Yami Marik hissed.
"Oh? Since when do you care?!" Rakura grumbled. "Come, Jo. We have other things we must be doing."
"I wanna 'tay!" Johanna insisted, pouting up at her "pretend" friend.
"Fine. Only a few more minutes." Rakura muttered, not happy in the least. He wished he didn't have to be so nice to Johanna. She's just a child. What's stopping me from sending her to the Shadow Realm? That Yami Marik. He needs me to use Johanna as leverage to gain Victoria's cooperation. Pfft! Like I don't have my own agenda for Johanna! Suddenly deciding he'd had enough, he pulled Jo to her feet. "Come. I've had enough of this!"
"No!!" The young girl refused to budge from her project.
"Yes! Now come along!" Rakura picked her up, and carried her out.
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Marik was still trying to figure out what to do about the child from the other world. His brother and sister were both willing to help, as he'd known they would be. "I just don't know what to do!"
"Well, it would be a lot easier if we knew how you'd come to be there in the first place." Ishizu decided.
"That is true. You cannot get back to her unless you know how you were brought there in the first place." Rishid agreed.
"I can perhaps answer that." A new, and familiar voice broke in from Marik's hospital room.
The two older Ishtars turned to see their old friend Shadi standing there. Rishid was the first to recover from the shock of his sudden appearance. "Shadi? You know who did this?"
"It was I who sent your brother's soul body to young Victoria. She is in grave peril, but not only by her father's wrath. Your brother's yami is out to hurt her as well." The mysterious Egyptian man replied. He moved into the room,crossing to the bed. "I needed to get a message to Victoria, telling her that the person she thinks is Marik isn't. "
"What kind of mischief is my yami causing?!" Marik demanded. He remembered with a great amount of distaste that the girl Victoria had insisted upon calling him Master Marik. The Egyptian boy scowled.
"I take it that the meeting between you did not go well, Young Marik?" Shadi questioned.
"It went fine, but she thought I was him, apart from me being see-through." Marik told him quietly. "I wonder how he puts up with her father…."
"He dislikes him, I imagine. The man who dares to call himself her father keeps her locked away most of the time." Shadi replied, somewhat annoyed. "As for mischief, your yami is causing plenty of it, and Ryou's yami is no better."
"Bakura's yami is there as well? It's never good to hear that!" Marik moaned, part from the pain of the gash on his side, and partly from disgust.
"Yes. He is playing the part of imaginary friend to Victoria's best friend, Johanna. I'm not sure the extent of the damage the pair of them have done,but it is a substantial amount, I can assure you."
"Is it really true we are merely cartoon characters to her world?" Marik asked, suddenly remembered the cartoon version of himself he'd seen.
"Of that, I am not so sure. It would seem so. I see the likeness of you, Kaiba and Yugi all over the place there. However, for these two girls, your yami and Yami Bakura are very real."
"But…he looks nothing like my brother." Ishizu said quietly. She was angered that the spirit would dare to impersonate her younger brother.
"Indeed not!" Rishid shared his sister's sentiments completely. "Can she not tell the difference?!"
"No, and there is a very good reason for it. He has taken the form of your brother." Shadi said gravely. "We must get back to her, before it is too late."
"I can understand you sending Marik there when he was unconscious, but how do you propose to do so now that he has awakened?" Rishid wanted to know.
Shadi didn't answer right away. "It is not for me to do. Victoria must call for him back."
"But…..if she thinks I'm my yami…won't he come too?" Marik asked worriedly.
"It is a possibility. Then again, since your yami is there willingly, it may not be the case." The Egyptian man studied the Ishtars. "This task I appointed to you, for you all have the heart to do it."
"Yes." Rishid nodded his understanding.
"Yami Marik will desert her for a time, to make plans with Yami Bakura. This is when she will call for him, but in his place, you shall go." Shadi predicted, before disappearing.
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Later on, Yami Marik was leading Victoria home, and, with obvious annoyance, listening to the girl go on about a duel Yugi Moutou had beat him in. "Enough! Victoria, if you utter one more word about the Pharaoh, you'll be sorry you did it!"
Victoria pouted. She was really confused. Just the day before, Master Marik had been so good to her. He'd helped her when her father beat her, and now, he was back to being mean. "Maser Mawik, you sick?"
"Sick?! Why in the world would you ask such a ridiculous question? Of course I'm not sick!"
"Den why not nice no mores?" Victoria countered fearlessly.
"What on earth are you talking about, Child? I'm never nice! Now move it,or your father will beat you being late!"
Trying not to let her fear show, Victoria moved ahead of the evil yami, and up the walk to her house.
"Victoria Amber Carter! You get in this house this instant!" Her father was on the porch waiting for her.
"I sowwy,Daddy…" The little girl began to apologize. "I maked you something…" She held out a folded piece of paper.
"I don't wanna hear it!" The man grabbed her by the wrist tightly, yanking the picture of a heart with the words "I love you" written on it from her. He threw it to the ground, and stepped on it, successfully tearing it, before yanking her into the house.
Yami Marik narrowed his eyes, growling low. Foolish mortal! You're going to get her killed, treating her like that! He sighed in disgust, noting the sun was setting. He had to meet with Rakura, to discuss further plans for their plot. She best be able to walk when I come back, Mortal, or you and I are going to have a little chat! I can't afford for you render her useless to me! With those final words, the yami shifted to his natural form, before walking towards the park.