Reminisces
Chapter 2: Reminisce
Suchan: Awww... thanks for reading this guys! Special thanks to Girl_on_the_edge, Blue Demon, Woodelf193, and Kittengrl39! Thanks, guys! I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get any reviews! ^^; Okay? Here's the next installment!
*
Malik liked school, even though he had to sit next to the psychomonkey girl in Algebra. Ryou had introduced Malik to his friends. Normally, Marik would have been pleased to have his hikari so close to the Pharaoh, the better to get the puzzle and all, but he was distracted.
He was still angry with Bakura. He really didn't know why. He was .... not really angry. Just in a fit of raged fury that is pretty inexplicable. He sighed out loud.
Lucky for him, Malik was sighing too.
Malik stared at his sheet of algebra problems. Marik took a glance at them. Feh. Those were child's play. Ishizu was out at a meeting, so he had no one to help him with his homework. But, maybe someone else could..... He picked up the phone and, after consulting the phone book, dialed in Ryou's number.
After about three rings, someone picked up. "Hello?" Sounded like it would be Ryou's mother.
"Yes, is Ryou there?"
"May I ask who is calling?"
"Malik Ishtar, I'm in Ryou's class at school?"
"Oh yes." Even her voice seemed to be smiling. "He told me about you. I'll go get him."
After about a minute, someone else picked up the telephone and Ryou said, "Hello!"
Malik smiled. "Hi! Um... have you finished your math homework?"
"I'm about finished. Why? Did you need help?"
Malik laughed nervously. "Um... yeah, actually. My sister's not around, and... there's like, no one else here."
"Do you think it would be okay if you came over here for a while? We could work on it together!"
"Sure! Okay, I'll see you in a bit."
"Alright, bye!"
Malik hung up, smiling. Marik smirked. This could be interesting.
***
Humming to himself, Malik slipped his jacket over his shoulders, grabbed his math book and stepped out on the porch, making sure he had locked the door and had an extra key. He took a deep breath of the nippy autumn air.
Marik recognized the tune Malik was humming. Some song a hobo had been singing on the corner next to the bakery a couple of weeks ago... the last line went "how can I keep from singing?" In fact, Marik couldn't keep it out of his mind either.
It was a pretty song, but the only words they both remembered was the last line.
[AN: The song is "How Can I Keep From Singing", and I know it's a religious song, but I can't get it out of my head either!! *giggle* Oh, damn, it just started raining again. ;-;]
The air was cool, and had that fresh autumn scent that Suchan likes so much. Rusty colored leave tumbled past Malik's feet as he almost skipped along the sidewalk. The old hobo on the street corner was singing again. But this time, a different song.
It was almost as if he were humming. Or some weird language. But Marik recognized it at once. His language. Not a chant, exactly. But, some sort of message.
"Don't be angry, forgive and forget, love and be happy..." (1)
"Yada yada yada blah blah blah." Marik finished for him, silently. "The end. Shut up, go away." He looked over to the left and saw a girl with a green shirt that read "I'm not anti-social, I just don't like you."
"Yup. My thoughts exactly."
**
Malik erased something on his paper. "Ohhhhh.... I see now. Thanks."
"It's no problem. That's what you're here for right?"
Malik smiled. "Yeah, I guess." Ryou smiled back.
**
Marik yawned, and blinked sleepily. All this talk about Algebra sucked badly. It was so friggen boring. So, instead of paying attention to Malik, his thoughts involuntarily turned back to Ryou's dark half, the wonderful (*coughyeahrightsneeze*) Bakura.
Bakura. What else is there to say about the guy? He's evil and wants to take over the world, he's not concerned about his light half except for the fact that he needed Ryou's body, and he has a passion for gummy bears. Not much else.... What, you didn't know Bakura liked gummy bears?
He really just liked biting the heads off the poor, innocent little colored bears, but.... Whatever.
Some days, he woke up and thought about calling Bakura, then remembered he was gone. Then he remembered that Malik didn't know he was there. It could be really frustrating.
Malik laughed suddenly. Ryou was laughing too. Marik blinked. What was up with these two.
"I knew they'd fail eventually. Marik was too arrogant to realize all his plans would be foiled." Malik was saying.
What?...
"Yeah. Besides, Yami was too smart for them, even working together...."
"Hey, Ryou?" Ryou looked up at Malik. Malik fidgeted with his fingernails. "Do you ever get this feeling that there's a part of you missing somehow, now that they're gone?"
Ryou was silent for a minute. "Yes, actually."
"Sometimes I wish he really wasn't gone." Marik felt something well up in his eyes, but wiped it away hurriedly. He wanted to talk to Malik now. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.
Ra, what do I do now? Marik hugged his knees to his chest and pressed his forehead against them, silent tears sliding down his face. Why didn't I just let go of him? Then I wouldn't be like this. It's just torture. More unanswered questions, and he couldn't ask anyone, because no one could know that he was there.
**
School resumed the next day, and Marik spent it trying to make sense of what the teachers were saying. Anything to keep his mind off of....
The day finally ended. When Malik was sound asleep, Marik flew out to the bay window in Malik's room and sat there, staring at the moon. Why did life have to be so cruel? Why couldn't he be like Bakura was, pretty much dead. Why did he have to be pent up in what stupid piece of gold for five thousand years anyway? What was the point? Punishment?
He never did anything wrong. The pharaoh was just an ass, that was all. A big, stupid bastard with no regard for anyone's feelings. He wondered why everyone liked him so much.
The radio was still playing softly next to Malik's bed on a soft rock station.
A familiar song poured out, and suddenly, the words touched him in a way he didn't want them to.
*Have I lost my mind?
I don't care
You're here tonight...
I can be your hero, baby
I can kiss away the pain...
I'll stand by you forever
You can take my breath away....
*
Marik cringed, bit back tears, and sighed. He debated turning off the radio, but what if Ishizu walked in and saw the radio shutting itself off? That would be really bad, especially because of her stupid Necklace. She would probably be able to see him anyway. He couldn't be found.
Resigned, he went to explore Malik's dreams. Maybe Malik could save himself tonight.
Maybe Marik would have to save him... again.
**
"AAAAAAAIIIIEEE—Urp! Wha—?!" Malik's eyes widened in shock when he saw who had rescued him this time.
RYOU?! What the hell was going on here?! HE had fallen when the ground he was standing on opened up and now he was being saved by his secret crush?! Ah, well. At least he was safe now.
Ryou smiled at him gently, then opened his mouth as if to say something, but he suddenly turned into a robot and went "BEEEEEP!! BEEEEEP!!" sounding vaguely like his alarm clock......
BAM!!
Malik's arm hit the snooze button with a little too much force, causing it to fall off the night table. "Damn...." He kicked off the covers and groaned. School again today. Algebra test. Biology quiz. Mystery meatloaf for lunch. Ra.
Slowly but surely, Malik dragged his tired ass out of his nice, warm, fluffy bed and took off his nice warm pajamas, and then put on some not-nice, cold, dorky school clothes. He yawned again. The scent of waffles wafted up into his room and he smiled.
Marik almost wished he could eat again.
Almost.
*
"Don't run with that, you'll choke!"
"Sorry, sis!" And Malik ran out the door with half a waffle in his mouth. The chilly fall air blew threw his school jacket and made him shiver, but he felt better with breakfast. The school bus slowed in front of the driveway, where Odeon was waiting somewhat impatiently to back his car out. He waved at Malik as he ran quickly to the bus.
Malik hitched the backpack over his shoulder and retreated to his usual spot at the back of the bus. He went, almost half-blindedly, courtesy of sleepy eyelids, to set his book bag down on the seat, but someone was already sitting there. He blinked somewhat.
The tough-looking guy with the Mohawk from his Algebra class looked up at him, annoyed. Malik blinked again, and yawned. "Could you scoot over, please?" The guy made a small snort and didn't move.
Malik blinked again and moved to another seat behind him. "Have it your way, punk."
The mohawk snorted again, and turned to look out the window, where Odeon was still waiting impatiently, drumming his fingers on the side of his car. (To tell the truth, he looked a bit odd in his security guard's uniform with the prince-tail, shaven head, eyeliner and tattooed face...)
Malik yawned, yet again, and pushed his backpack up against the window to serve as a pillow while he slept for most of the ride to school. Marik was busy trying to decide whether to keep poking the inside of Malik's skull in Algebra to keep him awake, or just make sure he woke up in time to get off the bus.
*
Something tapped Malik's back. "Malik, could you scoot over, please?" Malik groaned sleepily and scooted over to the window side. Ryou smiled at him. "Have a good sleep?"
Malik ruffled his hair and smoothed it down again. "Yeah..." He yawned (again). Ryou yawned right after.
"They're contagious," Ryou commented as the mohawked guy gave such a huge yawn, they thought he would fall off his seat. They giggled nervously.
*
Algebra 1. Marik was poking the inside of Malik's skull as Malik tried desperately to focus. Finally, Marik gave up and retreated to Malik's long-term memory to watch flicks of his childhood, which thoroughly amused him.
Malik rubbed his temples with his eyes squeezed shut, trying to make his headache go away. (We blame Marik.)
"Mr. Ishtar, I believe I asked you a question."
"Um... what?"
"I said, do you have the answer for number twelve?"
"No, sorry, still working on that." He picked up his pencil and tried to finish the problem.
*
End Chapter 2
(1) Okay, okay, I know, stupid, stupid, stupid... But I had a bit of writers block and it gets me so frustrated I put down something stupid and later I can't think of ways to fix it.
Suchan: I know, I know it was SOOOOOOOOOO boring. Yeesh. It'll get better, though. I promise.
SDSI: ............
Malik: ....WHAT?! Ryou's my secret crush?!!?
Suchan: Calm down, it's only a fic.
Malik: ..... *seethes* \./O*U
Suchan: @____@ Ah. Oh dear. YAY! Five pages, not bad. And if anyone know's Odeon's correct Japanese name, I'd like to use that. Odeon sounds... a little weird. o_O;
*~**~**~*R& R, PLEASE!*~**~**~*