Okay, here's chapter 3! Thanks to Yami no Marik, Darks Light, and the Uncreative One for reviewing. I would probably get more reviews if I waited longer to update, but the story's already finished and I'd just like to get it out there... Anyway, enjoy! (Oh, and Dark's Light; of course they'll get together, b/c it's my story and I want it that way! lol)
Warning: this chapter contains Anzu-bashing. Sorry to those of you who like her; but I don't care about her one way or the other and it's funny to make fun of her.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
Chapter 3: The "Date"
The Pharaoh hovered before me, his sneering face taunting me with every breath he took. "Tomb Robber, you'd best abandon your quest right now. You will never succeed, and it will only bring you heartache," he lectured. My Sennen Ring glistened around his throat and I reached for it, but my hand swished through the air as the Pharaoh vanished like a phantom.
I whirled around and saw that he had reappeared behind me, standing under a flickering fluorescent lamp. As I glared at him a bone-chillingly cold stone wall suddenly appeared behind me, and shackles clamped around my wrists and ankles. The Pharaoh drew a sharp knife, heated so that the tip glowed a dull orange, and brandished it over his head.
"Please," I scoffed. "I'm not afraid of that; I've been stabbed more times than I could count!"
The Pharaoh smirked and swung the lamp so that it illuminated a rusty metal table, with a platinum blonde young man strapped face down across it. His back was bare and his violet eyes glistened with tears. "This knife is not for you, my dear thief," the Pharaoh explained, and he suddenly transformed into an Egyptian wearing long, flowing robes, with hair the same pale shade as the boy on the table. "My son needs to be taught a lesson," the man snarled.
"MARIK! No, don't hurt him!" I screamed, as I struggled to break free of the bonds. "Leave him alone!" I cried desperately. The man just smirked wider and swung the red-hot knife in a shining arc...
"Bakura! Wake up!" Tanned arms shook me gently, and strands of platinum blonde hair tickled my face as Marik leaned over me.
"Marik?" I whispered, slowly returning to consciousness. I reached under the button-up shirt he still wore and felt the old scars tattooed across his back, sighing when I confirmed no new ones had been added during the night. "What... What time is it?" I asked distantly, tracing all of Marik's tattoos (just in case).
Marik climbed onto the bed beside me, making it easier for me to reach across his shoulder blades, and yawned widely. "About 6:00 in the morning; you've only been asleep for a couple of hours. I heard you screaming and figured you were having a nightmare," he explained sleepily. I finally pulled my arm away, satisfied with my inspection, and Marik yawned once more. "But if you're okay, I'm going back to sleep for a few hours," he added.
Marik began to crawl from the bed but I grabbed his arm in a vise grip. "No... Stay with me," I ordered. Marik stared at me and I blinked, wondering at my own actions, but he just shrugged and crawled under the covers beside me.
One thing I've always liked about Marik is he never asks questions.
I cautiously released his arm and Marik sprawled onto his back, closing his eyes. Little snuffling snores escaped him mere moments later, and I closed my eyes as well, quickly entering a sleep now devoid of nightmares.
I woke to the afternoon sun shining lazily through a crack in my black curtains and directly onto my pale face. Yawning, I sat up in bed and rubbed my face harshly to banish the lingering sleep from my features, when I heard a snuffling sound beside me. I glanced down in surprise to find Marik curled up on his side, snoring lightly, with a peaceful smile across his features.
I pushed him off the bed.
"Wha- ow!" he cried as he hit the floor. "Bakura! What was that for?" he grumbled. Without waiting for an answer he climbed to his feet and stomped out of the room, muttering to himself.
Heh heh. Being evil is so much fun.
A few minutes later I strolled into the kitchen, cheerful after so successfully annoying Marik, and whistled as I prepared a pot of coffee. Marik stomped in shortly after, and I handed him a cup I'd made for him- cream, no sugar, just how he liked it. "Er... Thanks," he said, eyeing me warily.
I sipped my coffee and observed him casually. "So, what did Kaiba have to say?" I asked. Marik sighed.
"Well, I think it's a good idea, but I can tell you right now, you aren't going to like it," he warned.
"And why is that?" I asked indifferently.
"Because one of us has to date Anzu."
"This is so unnatural," Marik grumbled. I just rolled my eyes and straightened the blue button-up shirt Marik had insisted on wearing (At least he'd buttoned it. And washed it.). Quickly scanning him from head to toe, I nodded and handed Marik a bouquet of grungy-looking weeds I'd pulled from the side of the road.
"Okay, you look good enough. Now go win her heart," I smirked. Marik scowled and stomped to Anzu's door while I hid behind a tree.
I had to admit, Kaiba's plan was clever. One of us would date Anzu and convince her to steal the Sennen Ring (and maybe a few other Items) from Yugi. Since she was by far the dumbest member of Yugi-tachi, she should also be the easiest to manipulate; all we needed was a good-looking guy and a little flattery.
Marik knocked dejectedly on the door, still scowling sulkily. "Marik! Look happy!" I hissed.
"How?" he pouted.
"I don't know- think of something happy. Imagine she's someone you like; or she's dead, or something," I replied, and quickly ducked back behind the tree.
Marik gazed after me for a moment, wearing a thoughtful expression, until Anzu opened the door, her stupid cow eyes glazed over in idiocy. "Oooh, hi Marik! Why are you staring at that tree?" she giggled.
"Er... Because it's almost as beautiful as you, my darling," Marik breathed, holding out the weeds. "An... My dear, I've found that I can no longer live without you in my life, close to me; and I long every day just to hold you in my arms," he continued. Wow, Marik was pretty convincing, even if he couldn't bring himself to say her name.
Anzu squealed, greatly resembling a pig, and grabbed the weeds from Marik. "Are these flowers for me? Marik, they're beautiful!" she cried, grinning happily, and buried her nose in the weeds. A bee flew out and stung her directly between the eyes, but she didn't notice.
Marik took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I love you, darling; please say that you return my love, with at least the tiniest bit of your heart, so that I may die in happiness," Marik pleaded. Anzu dropped the 'flowers' and squeezed Marik in a bone-crushing hug.
"Oooh, that's so romantic!" she shrieked. "I thought I loved Yugi, but I guess I don't, since you're SO much cuter and you say such ADORABLE things," Anzu simpered. "I have to call my friends and tell them about you! Come back tomorrow, 'kay?" She let go of Marik and clomped back into the house.
Marik ran a shaking palm over his face and sighed. He trudged back to my tree and leaned beside me, closing his troubled violet eyes. "I can't believe I had to say that to her," he groaned. Suddenly he scooted against my side and propped his head on my shoulder. "Was it convincing, at least?" he asked me.
My throat had somehow grown extremely dry. "Y-yes," I rasped. Then I gulped, moistening my vocal cords, and added sourly, "If slightly exaggerated."
Marik laughed gently against my shoulder. "Well, she seemed to like it," he murmured.
"How could she not?" I muttered under my breath.
"Just wear a different shirt for ONCE !" I groaned in exasperation. "Anzu is a girl, and girls notice what people wear, especially if they wear the same stupid shirt EVERY DAY!"
It was the next morning, and I was trying to get Marik ready for his 'date' with Anzu, but he insisted on wearing that same button-up shirt that I gave him. I was getting more than a little frustrated with him, and I had to consciously restrain my fingers from reaching for my knife.
"I don't care! I want to wear this shirt!" Marik sulked, holding it tight against him so I couldn't rip it off (which I'd actually considered).
"Why? You wear it every day," I replied impatiently.
"If I don't you might take it back," he muttered.
"What? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! You know what? Wear the ratty old thing- see if I care! Why should I care if you ruin our plans and I never get my Ring back, just because you wouldn't change your shirt?" I fumed, and stomped to my bedroom. I slammed the door loud enough to rattle the hinges and fell on my stomach across the bed, burying my face in the pillows. Why did the most ridiculous things always make my schemes fall apart?
The bedroom door creaked open, but I kept my face in the pillow. "Go away, Marik," I muttered. I felt the bed sink as he sat beside me. "I mean it," I grumbled. But the bed didn't shift again. Instead, I waited silently for a minute, until I felt gentle fingers brushing the long hair from my face. Marik stroked my hair thoughtfully for a while before he finally spoke.
"Bakura... Bakura, I'm sorry. I don't mean to ruin your plans- I know how much that Ring means to you. I just wanted to wear that shirt because it's yours, and it reminds me of you, and I wanted something remotely pleasant to cling to while I have to pretend to...to love Anzu."
I could feel his disgusted shudder through the fingers that still gently swept my hair, and I felt immediately pacified. Getting an idea, I sat up and grinned at him. "Well, you still can't wear the same shirt every day," I admonished, and pulled off my striped T-shirt. I handed it to Marik, who stared at my pale, exposed chest with a dumbfounded expression, and added, "You have to give this one back, though."
I handed Marik some of my hard-earned (stolen) cash and gave him a shove toward Anzu's door. He hesitated, watching me apprehensively. "Bakura..."
"What is it now?" I asked, tapping my foot impatiently.
"I was just wondering... You'll be there too, right?" Marik questioned tentatively.
"Why in the world would I go on your date with you?" I snapped in annoyance. "Can't you handle the friendship freak by yourself?"
"What if... What if something happens and I need to talk to you; or there's a chance for you to steal the Ring back without even using Anzu? I could distract Yugi-tachi while you...steal...the..." Marik trailed off when he saw my irritated expression and sighed. "Alright, never mind then," he mumbled, staring at the ground.
"Fine," I sighed. "I'll go; I'll find some way to stay out of sight."
"Thanks, Bakura," Marik beamed, sounding extremely relieved, and he hugged me impulsively before running to Anzu's door. I ducked my head to hide the blush that had involuntarily crept across my cheeks, and hurried behind my tree.
"Marik! You're here!" I heard Anzu squeal as soon as I was out of sight.
"Hello, my dear; you look lovely, as usual," Marik drawled seductively, and Anzu giggled.
"So do you, hunny-bunny," she trilled. Hunny-bunny? I fought down a guffaw of derisive laughter and chanced a peek at the pair. Anzu, of course, looked completely atrocious in red slut-shorts that barely covered her enormous rear and a banana-yellow halter top. I shuddered.
Marik, on the other hand... Since he was more muscular than me, my striped T-shirt clung tightly to his chest, and it barely reached the waist of his low-rise black leather pants, so every time he moved he showed the slightest hint of his lower abdomen. What a waste for him to date Anzu.
The next thing I realized, Marik and Anzu were striding down the sidewalk, arm-in-arm. I saw Marik glance briefly toward my hiding place and I hurried to follow them. "Don't you have a car, Marik-sweetie?" Anzu whined.
"I have a motorcycle, but don't you think it's much nicer to stroll under the stars with the one you love in your arms?" Marik replied dreamily, with a glazed-over look in his violet eyes. He was a little too good at this.
"AWW!" Anzu squealed, and hugged him tightly. "You're so precious!" she giggled.
"Yes, well..." Marik said uncertainly. "Oh, look, there's the restaurant." Marik gestured to a seafood restaurant nearby, and Anzu steered him toward the brightly lit building, not releasing her talons even the slightest. I followed at a distance and snuck in behind them when a chattering crowd of people pressed through the doors.
Marik told the hostess his name and reservation time, and a waiter led Marik and Anzu to a romantically lit table for two just under the window. I crept behind them and seated myself at a table with an old couple and their adolescent granddaughter, sure to situate myself so that Marik and I could see each other, but Anzu remained oblivious. (Need I add, as usual?) A grateful smile lit Marik's face as soon as he and I made eye contact, and he stared at me for a long time over Anzu's shoulder. I reddened slightly.
"A-hem," said an annoyed voice beside me. Oh, right, I was sitting at a table with strangers.
"I need to keep an eye on my friend over there," I explained, giving the old lady my most heart-melting expression. "He has a rare blood disease, and this is the first time he's had the nerve to take out a girl on his own, but I have to be near so I can give him his medication in case something happens."
"Oh, you poor dear!" the old woman cooed. "Peter, we can let him sit with us, can't we?" she appealed to her husband. I blinked innocently up at him, and he sighed.
"Fine," the old man agreed, and the family resumed their meal. I glanced back at Anzu and Marik- Anzu had launched into one of her boring lectures, and Marik nodded his head occasionally whenever she paused. He was still watching me. I gave him a little grin and a wave, and he beamed.
Casually I picked up the glass beside me and took a long sip. "HEY!" the girl cried. I guess it was hers.
"Shizuka, don't be mean to the poor dear; let him have something to drink," the old lady scolded. Shizuka... why did that name sound familiar? "What's your name, hon?" the old woman asked me.
"Bakura," I replied distantly, still trying to place the girl's name.
"Bakura!" Shizuka gasped. "You were at Battle City! My brother said you disappeared!"
"Oh really? Who's your brother?" I asked disinterestedly, turning my attention back to the 'couple' at the next table. Marik picked at a shrimp salad while Anzu gluttonously devoured a lobster (she had to pick the most expensive thing on the menu, didn't she?).
"Jou," Shizuka replied proudly. I turned to her with a raised eyebrow and sent her a knowing smirk.
"Is he? Did you know that your brother has a thing for Yugi?" The three gaped at me, but I didn't bother to elaborate, as Anzu had finished her lobster and was currently dragging Marik out the door. "Well, have a good night," I sneered, and followed.
"So... Have you told your friends about us yet?" Marik asked Anzu as I stalked along the street behind them.
"Yep!" Anzu trilled. "They were all super-nice about it, except for Yugi; he seemed a little sad."
"Okay..." Marik said, obviously unsure how to reply to that inane comment. I snickered under my breath. "Well, anyway, I was going to say that I think it would be fun for the two of us to go to the game shop with the rest of them; as a couple, I mean," he continued.
Anzu gave him a yellow-toothed grin and cheered. "Oh, hunny-bunny, that's a great idea!" she cried, and grabbed his elbow, dragging him toward the game shop where the Pharaoh and his cheerleaders spent most of their free time. She pulled him so quickly that his heels dragged the ground and I had to run to keep up with them.
As she lugged his suddenly hesitant form to the door of the game shop, Marik dug his heels in the ground. "Wait! B... Anzu, my love," he spat through gritted teeth. "You go inside and tell them all about us; I saw some flowers I wanted to give you." Anzu squealed happily and trotted through the door.
"Bakura! Bakura, are you there?" Marik whispered desperately. I plucked a handful of grass from the sidewalk and approached him.
"Here," I told him, and handed him the clump of grass, which still had dirt clinging to its roots. He raised an eyebrow but accepted it, once again without asking questions. "I heard what you told her," I explained anyway. "Now, what did you want?"
"What am I going to do while I'm inside? You can't sneak in there," he answered, sounding slightly panicked.
"Relax, stupid, you're doing fine. Just say the same things you've been saying all night; they're romantic enough, if slightly insipid," I told him dryly.
He grinned a little but his expression quickly faltered. "Bakura, I can't; you won't be there, and Yugi-tachi will all be scrutinizing me," he protested, with his voice rising to a higher pitch with every word. I put a hand on his shoulder to placate him and gazed thoughtfully at the game shop.
"Well," I mused, "It looks like there's a window in the first-floor bathroom..." (As a professional thief, I've had a lot of practice determining such things from the outside of a house.) "...so maybe you could excuse yourself to the restroom and let me in. I'll check around the house for my Ring, just in case, while you suck up to the Pharaoh and the others."
Marik nodded in agreement and headed reluctantly into the game shop. "I'll meet you there in ten minutes," he called softly.
I barely heard him over the shriek of "HUNNY-BUNNY!" that came from inside.
Snickering over Marik's plight, I headed for the bushes under the bathroom window to wait for my partner in crime. Almost before I'd hidden myself, the window opened and violet eyes peered through the square of light into the darkness. "Bakura?" Marik whispered cautiously.
I grinned fiendishly and decided to tease him a little bit. Not answering, I crept close against the wall, knowing he couldn't see me, since he was blinded by the light from inside. "Bakura!" he whispered again, slightly more desperately. I waited until he leaned his head and shoulders out the window; then I suddenly tugged him out the window by his collar, covering his mouth so he wouldn't scream.
His eyes widened in shock as he flipped over the windowsill and landed on the grass outside. "MMMHHH!" he cried, into my hand, and I chortled (evilly). "Hi," I said, and removed my hand.
"You scared me to death!" he hissed, scowling.
"Well, that was a really short ten minutes," I quipped in return. Just then the sounds of the 'friendship song' wafted through the open window. 'Friends are friends forever...'
"Well, you try spending that much time alone with all of them," Marik replied sourly. I opened my mouth to make a witty retort, but someone began pounding on the bathroom door.
"Marik, are you in there? Jou's sister just called, and she said Bakura the tomb robber is back, and he was at the seafood restaurant tonight! We're all going out to look for him so we can give him a makeover!" Anzu called.
"No, we're not! We're going to stop whatever fiendish plot he's currently scheming," the Pharaoh interjected crossly.
Marik and I glanced at each other, wide-eyed. "Er... I think I'm just going to go home, then," Marik said.