Disclaimer: Still don't own Marik or any part of Yu-Gi-Oh. I do own Alex though. :D Mine! Mine Mine Mine! ^_~
Rating: PG-13 for some cursing, mildly adult scenes, etc.
Summary: *Sequel to Soul Mates* A few years later, Marik and Alex have progressed further than their little 'date'. Alex finishes school, and (that very evening) Marik presents her with an engagement ring. Are they ready to live as a married couple? Or perhaps there are still some secrets to be let out- not to mention an old grudge to dissipate.
Author Notes: Whoa, I'm on a roll here. Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone. I was afraid that maybe I'd waited too long (in my opinion, anyway) and no one would care anymore. Way to prove me wrong! ^_^
The Married Life
Have Some Fruit!
"Stop it!" Alex gripped the doorway so hard that her knuckles turned white. "I have to go! I made the appointment!"
"What about a private physician!" Marik cried, his arm latched around her waist and left leg. "You can trust them more!"
"You wouldn't trust one either way," she said calmly, extracting herself from his iron grip. He reluctantly allowed her to do so.
"But..." he trailed off, knowing there was nothing left to try and move her cemented mind.
"Exactly." Alex presented him with a gentle, but firm kiss on the lips and skipped down the walk to the private garages. She refused to be driven in a limo like Marik had pleaded her to do. "I'll be back in about two hours."
The said man rubbed his temples and watched her go, eyes fondly following her figure as it slid behind the wheel of a lime green Jaguar and gunned the engine to the front gate.
"Master," ventured a voice behind him. Marik turned to survey the servant, who cringed. "Phone, sir."
He snatched the offered receiver up and pressed it warily against his ear. "Yes?"
"Master, greetings from your humble slave. I and my partner have gathered information on-"
"Wait." Marik interrupted with curt relief. "Use the private holophone." (**-cringes- What? Can't he have a holophone to himself? Lol!**)
"Yessir," came the voice after a brief moment. "Waiting for your screen to be activated."
Choosing not to reply, Marik dashed through the doorway and up the stairs to his study. He slammed the door behind him and pressed his palm onto a gel pad, muffling the phone against his side.
"ID confirmed." replied a female computer voice. "State your name."
"Marik Ishtar."
"Confirmed." A plasma screen unfolded from his desk and blinked on automatically.
"Good morning, sir."
Marik eyed the pair of hooded and robed men who were shown on the screen. It crackled as the other inquired, "May we speak freely, Master?"
"Go ahead."
"As I was saying before, my partner and I have gathered information on the subject's companions."
"Continue."
"One of the subject's friends is known as Joey Wheeler. Wheeler has gained experience in Duel Monsters due to the aid of the subject. He lives in an apartment with his father and has a sister, Serenity Wheeler. The two siblings are very close, as is Wheeler to the subject.
"A friend of Wheeler's and the subject's is Tristan Taylor. He has little or no dueling experience, as does another friend, Tea Gardner. They are of less importance to the subject than Wheeler-"
"Is there a point to this?" Marik interrupted, tapping his fingernails in poorly-suppressed impatience against the table.
"Sir, you ordered us to find information-"
"Relevant information." he ground out. "Don't contact me again until you have something worth your mangy lives!" He twisted the knob to render the screen blank and discontinued the connection.
Marik leaned back in his chair with a sigh and stretched his arms behind his head. He wished Alex was here. He would never reveal his plans to steal the Millennium Puzzle and the pharaoh's power to her, but she would know he was frustrated and cheer him up...
At such a crucial pause in his plans, it was imperative that his Rare Hunters continue to duel against Yugi and his friends in the Battle City Tournament while he schemed and hid phone calls like these from his fiancee.
An idea suddenly lit in his mind, and he grinned. Next to Alex, of course, what better thing could there be to do than torture the pharaoh?
Marik slid a hand inside his pocket and retrieved the Millennium Rod, rubbing his finger absently over the top of it. He never had figured out exactly how Alex identified it immediately the first night he'd captured her...
Shaking his head, he concentrated on the task at hand. His eyes closed as his mind sought the energy of the particular duelist he had assigned to battle little Yugi the day before. They should be dueling about now-
***
Marik watched, bored out of his mind, as Yugi and the pharaoh defeated one of his slaves.
Again.
"Slifer, attack!" the pharaoh yelled, and the less powerful Summoned Skull withered beneath the great dragon's attack.
The Leader of the Rare Hunters groaned and banged his head lightly upon the desk. Millennium Rod glowing brightly, he seized control of his defeated minion and sneered at the short teen across the field from him.
"Yugi, I see you've defeated another one of my slaves- easily replaceable."
"Marik!" his enemy roared, striding toward him. "Show your face, you coward!"
"All in good time, Pharaoh. In fact, I'll even autograph a photo of myself just for you if you hand over the Millennium Puzzle right now."
"As if I would surrender it to the likes of you!" he fumed.
"It was worth a-" Yami Yugi felt the connection between Marik and his mind slave waver as another voice broke in.
"Marik!!! What have you-" The power held like a taunt wire, stretched, then snapped with a crack of power that tossed the Millennium Puzzle holder ten feet backwards.
Yugi regained control and was silent for a moment, catching his breath, then asked, in puzzlement, "What was that?"
***
"Marik?" Alex questioned as he suddenly gasped and whirled around. "Ahhh!"
"Sorry." he said, passing a hand over his brow. "You startled me."
"Who were you talking to?" she asked, glancing curiously around the room.
"What?"
"C'mon, you must have been speaking to someone, right? Tell me it wasn't just yourself." Alex laughed nervously.
To tell the truth, Marik had no idea that he'd spoken out loud at all. To him, it was just inside his mind. Before Alex, there'd been no one to tell him so...
Before Alex.
"Ah..." he fumbled for an excuse. "This... this little mini phone I have. Right here. Yep." He pointed to the trenchcoat he had donned that morning.
"Where? I don't see a phone." his fiancee peered closer.
Marik spun around so fast he nearly fell over. "It's really small. That's it."
Alex frowned. Why's he acting so weird?.... oh! I get it...
He was stunned when her inquisitive face broke into a grin. "I get it!"
For the second time: "What?"
"You're nervous." she chided. "The doctor was very professional-"
Marik's eyes narrowed. He'd forgotten about that bastard.
"- and he said I was healthy and to come back in a couple months." she finished, feet dancing in place. "How great is that?"
In answer, he swept her off her feet and caught her lips in a long, hard kiss. When they finally withdrew, panting, she said, "But really, who were you talking to?"
Marik paused and stared at her like a deer framed in headlights. "Uh..."
***
"His MOM?!?" Alex's friend, Cory, squealed.
She winced and held the phone away, recovering her hearing, only to bring it back again.
"Yeah, how weird! I never knew he had a mom. I mean, you just don't think of guys talking to their mothers like that."
"He really said he'd autograph his picture for her?"
"I'm pretty sure he said it." Alex confirmed. "I missed most everything before and after it, but I heard something else-"
"Alex!" Marik's voice echoed up the stairs from the hall. "Dinner!"
"Hey, I've got to go-"
"Aright, don't you two be too busy." Cory teased.
"Can't promise anything." Alex said cheerfully. They exchanged good-byes and hung up.
"Alex?" Marik asked, poking his head through the door. "Did you hear?"
"Dinner! Right!" She leapt off the bed and tackled him. "Mmmm, mashed potatoes."
Grinning, he nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent. "Steak."
Alex laughed, squirmed from his hold, and bolted through the doorway. "Last one downstairs doesn't get any of the cake!"
Marik shot upright. "You can't have cake!" he yelled, chasing after her with a passion. "It's unhealth-"
"Screw health!"
"What do you mean, screw health! Have some fruit!"
"All this cake just for me!" she sang, darting towards the dining room.
"Noooo!" Her fiancé dove for the doorway, effectively tripping her.
"Yah-" Alex started to shriek, half flailing her arms, when she noticed Marik had caught her. "Woah... awesome!"
The butler rolled his eyes as he stepped over the laughing couple, carrying a platter of steak.
"Ah, young love..."
Author Notes: Interesting... the butler has no part in this story at all, yet here he is again- ending my chapter! Weird! I must incorporate him into my plot! (runs around in quick frantic circles)
Please review! ^_~
~Aithril