Heh, in response to someone's question to make the chapters more exciting, stories are never really interesting in the first few chapters, so just please BE PATIENT; this next one has some interesting action in it, and chapter six really gets things going! Enjoy this next one!
5. Hidden Emotions~
She awoke much later at the sound of a door opening. Dad must be home. Wow, I must have slept a lot; it was an unusually long and complicated dream.
She sat up, stretching, and opened her eyes. She was still in Marik's house, on her bed, and the door sound had come from Marik entering her room. Damn. She thought miserably.
Marik shut the door behind him and leaned against it, eyeing her. Kinou stared right back with her arms folded.
"Well?" she asked.
"You want to know why you're here," he said, bowing his head.
"I'm not really interested in that anymore. I just want to know how long you're going to keep me here, so that I can know when I'm going to wake up."
"You still refuse to believe that this is real? It would make it a lot easier if you just accepted the fact that you're in my world now, not still sleeping on your couch at home."
Jeez. She thought angrily. He's really starting to annoy me. "I'd think that would make it difficult for you," said Kinou thoughtfully. "What would happen if my dad came home and found me missing? He doesn't work twenty-four seven, you know."
Marik smiled darkly. "Obviously you don't know about the other special power contained within my Millennium Rod. I may stop time in your world for however long I want. So, even if I kept you here for several years, the time in your world would stay at 10:03 AM, and I would simply start it back up again when I brought you back."
Kinou stood up, thinking fast. "But... if you keep me for too long, I will have grown, and I won't be the same age when you put me back. How are you going to fix that?" She folded her arms again, quietly marveling at how good she was at pointing out problems. Her gloating was cut short, however, when Marik laughed again.
"Surely, you have watched enough 'cartoons' to realize that people never get any older unless they are having visions of the future?" he stepped close to Kinou and her heart began to pump very fast: her last attempt at ruining his plan had failed. His face was barely two inches from hers when he continued. "So, even if I keep you here for years, you will stay 15 years old, as yourself." Kinou loved being that close to him, but she didn't want him to know that, so she backed away. He walked over to one of the bookshelves and picked up one of the books and started reading it with mild interest. Kinou stared at him, distracted, marveling at how sexy he could be by just standing. She had the urge to walk over and take him back to her bed and read the book with him.
"What are you reading?" she asked.
He looked up at her with his beautiful eyes. "Nothing important. I just remembered this book from somewhere and thought I would figure out where."
"And…?"
"This was a part of the scriptures my father forced me to study before my initiation," he replied, putting it back. "I remember the pictures as clearly as if I had learned them yesterday." He had a somewhat pained look on his face when he moved to pick up one of the small artifacts on top of the shelf.
Suddenly Kinou wanted to just hold him and comfort him; she had seen and read about what his childhood was like: forced to study day after day, not being able to see the world above the ground, waiting for the pharaoh to return… Kinou walked over to the bookshelf as well and sat on it, watching Marik. He looked at her, then leaned against the bookshelf and folded his arms.
"It must have been hard, not being able to see anyone but your family," Kinou said.
Marik closed his eyes. "I hated my father for keeping me underground. My sister increased my hate by bringing me above ground to show me the world I was missing." He glanced at something in his hand.
Kinou reached out and opened it up. There was a small, crumpled up piece of paper in it, and she picked it up and smoothed it out. It was the picture of a motorcycle that Marik had taken back from his visit to the world. "I can't believe you still have this…" she murmured.
He took it back and stared at it. "I only look at it when I need to remind myself of how innocent I was; when I need help keeping back the evil inside me."
"You mean Yami Marik?" she asked.
He closed his eyes. "That spirit took over me the day I saw the world and he killed my father and almost killed Odion, too; all in front of my sister… I was so ashamed I allowed him to take over. He still does sometimes, when I'm alone and Odion's not there to help me."
He looks so troubled, thought Kinou. She was just about to reach out and put her hand on his arm, when he stood up and walked away, shaking his head. Someone knocked on her door and Kinou jumped.
"I'm busy, I will speak with you later!" Marik snapped, and the person muttered something and left.
Kinou was brought sharply back down to reality. "You still haven't told me why I'm here," she said, suddenly remembering that she was angry with him.
"Nor do I need to," he said, turning to her.
She stood up. "You came in here to tell me and now you're not? Make up your mind!" she shouted.
"Yet you said you weren't interested in that anymore! You said this was just a dream!" he retaliated.
Kinou stared at him with her mouth open. He's too smart, damnit. Now I feel stupid.
Marik put his hand to his chin, thinking. He smirked. Before she could think of what to say, he walked up to her and peered into her face. "So, if this is a dream, it would not matter what happened, now would it?" he asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked hastily, backing away a few steps.
"It means," he said, stepping forward. "that since this is a dream, I may do whatever I want and it won't matter because dreams are not real." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, looking into her eyes. "Whatever I want."
Kinou tried to pull away from him, terrified, but he wouldn't let go of her. She did the first thing that came to her mind and stamped on his foot; he yelled and let go of her and she fell hard on the floor. Wincing, she looked up to see him holding his foot, his face twisted with fury. Suddenly a bright Millennium Eye appeared on his forehead and his voice sounded distorted as he looked down at her.
"You will learn to show some respect!" he shouted at her, and he put his hand to his face, as though it hurt him. He turned abruptly and stalked out of her room, slamming the door behind him.
* * *
