"I won't help you get her back, and that's that! I'm busy enough as it is!" Rakura glared at Yam Marik. He had put Johanna to sleep in his hideaway hut in a vacant lot the girls played in. "She's your problem."
"What if I offer you..a..a….deal?" Yami Marik asked. He knew he wouldn't be able to get anywhere near Victoria with the Ishtars around.
"What kind of deal?" The thief wanted to know.
"An "I owe you" of sorts. Whatever you want in the future…it's yours."
"Anything?" The thief smirked. "Fine. You'll have to watch Johanna while I handle this."
"Oh…. One more thing. If we don't them to catch us, we'll have to take the girls to the Shadow Realm."
The other yami nodded, knowing this to be the case. "But they could very well die there…."
"As long as we can use them before that, it doesn't matter." Yami Marik replied coldly.
Rakura narrowed his eyes, not liking that at all. "Unlike you, I do need Johanna a little longer. It's not my fault her parents don't give second thoughts to her whereabouts." Well, this wasn't exactly the case. Johanna's mother had died in a fatal crash en route to Cairo, while her father had died the summer before that. Jo lived on the streets with his supervision, most of the time. Those things, only the ancient thief knew. Victoria didn't know, and Yami Marik needn't know either. "I will bring you Victoria, but I will not allow you to put Johanna in such danger." He disappeared, leaving the other spirit to watch over Johanna.
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The next morning, Ishizu, Marik and Rishid set out with Victoria to find her a family. She seemed to be in better spirits than the night before, as she walked hand in hand with "her Marik". "We go your house?" She asked him.
"Well…. No. But, we're going to find you a mother and father who will love you." He smiled at her. He was still in a little pain from all that he had suffered, but to see her so carefree right now made everything worthwhile.
"Will you 'tay toos?" She asked him now.
Marik was taken aback at this. Did she really expect him to be able to stay with her when all this was done? "I don't think that is going to be possible…." He told her, not wanting to lie. "We weren't meant to live together, Little One."
"But I wants you toos…." Victoria began to whine.
"Sometimes what we want and what is to be are two very different things, Child." Marik explained. His heart was breaking already. Our departure will be devastating for the both of us. He picked her up now, carefully. "Listen, Victoria. As much as I would love to live with you…It just isn't meant to be. You can rest assured though…You will always be very special in my heart."
Burying her sad face in Marik's neck, Victoria merely mumbled. " kay."
Marik looked at his siblings, helplessly. How was he supposed to explain things to her? She was so young. Had Shadi foreseen this predicament? How would he handle this?
"Let it go for the time being, Marik. We still have time for you to be together. She needs a home to go to first. " Rishid advised. He too was worried about the time when they would have to depart. He hated to see his brother sad, but he also knew that Marik would do what was necessary.
Ishizu nodded in agreement. "We are en route to breakfast first. She didn't seem to like the food that hotel was offering."
Victoria scrunched up her little nose, causing Marik to laugh. "I'll take that as it was really bad?"
"Yesh!" Victoria giggled.
Marik grinned. He hadn't even attempted to eat, since there'd been meat involved. He and his brother and sister hadn't had much meat in Egypt, and so had decided to do without. "Well, perhaps we'll find something more suitable for all of us to eat elsewhere."
They walked a little longer, and Ishizu listened to Victoria, as the little girl began to open up more to Marik. She told them all about the great portal that only she could open. The Egyptian woman wondered if this was the reason why her brother's yami needed the small girl so badly.
"What sort of portal is it, Victoria?" Marik asked curiously. He, too, had been wondering about the true reason why his yami was so insistent upon having the girl.
Victoria shrugged. "I jus' maked it."
"Hmm…." Rishid had been listening to the tale too, and looked at his siblings. "We must look into this subject further. Perhaps we can find things out from Shadi."
If only Shadi was around… Ishizu thought silently, as she stopped the group in front of a restaurant. "This looks promising, doesn't it?"
"It does." Marik replied, smelling the delicious aroma of the establishment as people came and left the building. "Let's try it. Why do you say, Victoria?"
"Uh huh." She was watching someone behind them. "Mawik?"
"Hmm?" He'd been following Ishizu into the building, when the young child pointed behind them with her little finger. He turned to stand face to face with Bakura's yami.
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"What do you want? " The Egyptian boy tightened his hold on Victoria protectively.
"That child. Something terrible has happened to Johanna, and she's asking for her." Rakura lied.
"What has happened?" Marik demanded. Something in the way the yami spoke told Marik not to trust him.
"Nevermind that. Just you hand her to me!" The tomb raider demanded, reaching for Victoria.
"What wong Jo-jo?" Victoria ventured suddenly.
"She really misses you." Rakura replied.
"I don't believe you!" Marik exclaimed. "For all we know you could be working with my yami!"
"Please. He's weak. I sent him back where he belongs." The evil thief returned.
Marik looked down at Victoria, who seemed anxious to see her friend now. "Do you want to see your friend?"
She nodded. "I dos…" She looked up at him almost pleading. "Pwease?"
"Alright." He let the thief have her. "Know this. If anything should happen to her, you will live to regret it!" His words were barely out before there was a flash, and Victoria, and the yami were gone. Marik narrowed his eyes, and went to his siblings what had happened. He had the distinct impression he'd made a mistake.