Maurelle: Got more than 2 reviews...Looks like i'm continuing on...AS long as you review of course. ;) I must say i really liked this chapter...It let me explore the character of yami no Marik... I mean that was the reason i started this fic, right? Let me know if he seems out of character to you...My beta's mentioned it a litttle... Neway...

Duke: doing disclaimer b/c he stole authoress's new blue eye liner, and lost it Maurelle Isabella Drow owns neither Yugi-oh! or No doubt. Leave her alone. Besides, she hits like a mac truck.

Sunday Morning

You're trying my shoes on for a change

They look good, but fit so strange

Out of fashion so I can't complain

No Doubt

chapter four

Yami no Marik watched kare no Kanraku tenshi sleep. He looked so peaceful like that. No sign of the struggle he faced daily. He looked just like the fallen angel he had named him. He pushed a stray lock of hair out of his light's face. Marik rolled over in his sleep at the touch. A small smile played on the darkness's lips. "Lie to yourself long enough and you start to believe it." He would never let Bakura know how much his parting words were haunting him.

Was that what he was doing? Lying to himself about his light? Telling himself that it was an addiction and nothing more? He shivered. If any one of those things were true… Was he in love with this Kanraku tenshi? He couldn't be. And yet… And yet, Bakura was right. He would do nothing that chanced him loosing his little piece of light. He turned as he thought he saw something move in the shadows. He would never tell his haikri, but the darkness of the shadow realm haunted him. He shuddered. The whole time he had been there, his one thought had not been of revenge. No, it had been of kare no Kanraku tenshi's smiling face. When he had cried out in pain, it had been his name. He felt a chill go down his back. It was an old torturer's saying that the one you cried out for in pain was the one you had the most feeling for. Suddenly angry, he snarled and stalked over to the single window in the room. He ignored the protest his light gave at his leaving. The city was so beautiful at night.
"Yami?" came the half-whispered question from the bed. "Is everything ok?" Yami no Marik turned so he was silhouetted against the moonlight.
"Everything's fine. Go back to bed, uchi no Kanraku tenshi," he told his light. He heard the sound of movement coming from the bed. A second later, his light stood next to him bathed in the moonlight.
"I always stand here after the nightmares," Marik told him. "Somehow the fact that all those people out there can go on with their lives is soothing." Yami no Marik looked at his Kanraku tenshi. Acting on the feeling, he wrapped his arms protectively around his piece of light, and rested his head on his.
"The nightmares have stopped, now," Marik whispered. "Now that you're here. Don't ever leave me, Yami." He turned in his darkness's arms so he was facing him.

"I love you." Yami no Marik disappeared into his soul room, shaken by the words uttered by his Kanraku tenshi. What was he coming to if he fled from mere words from his addiction? Snarling, he retreated deeper into his room to brood.

Marik sat down to his coffee wondering what had possessed him to tell his Yami that. He had no fear of rejection. He was quite aware that the feeling was not mutual. He had expected disgust, or maybe a feeling of amusement, not the shock he had felt before his Yami disappeared into his soul room to broad. It unnerved him, and made him wonder what had caused it. He had just about finished his cup of java, when the doorbell rang. Someone was buzzing him from downstairs. He wondered who it was, and prayed it wasn't Isis remorseful for what she had said. He pushed the intercom button.

"Marik," he said as he had been drilled by his sister. The sound of giggling was heard on the other end.

"Marik-chan, it's me, and Yûgi-chan, and like everybody. We, ah, kinda decided to share the Christmas cheer," Jyou's voice filtered through. Marik felt like hitting his head against the wall. How could he of forgotten that the group always came over to decorate his place for Christmas? It had started right after Battle City, and was like a tradition now. He pushed the button to open the door downstairs. Quickly he did a once over of his little apartment. He made sure no sign of his Yami could be detected. He was so engrossed in this he started at the knock on his door. He opened it and found himself face to face with Anzu.

"Merry Christmas, Marik-san," she said putting a garland around his neck. Everyone came parading in, even Kaiba. It never failed to amaze him that Kaiba would actually take time out of his schedule to do something as trivial as decorate his apartment. Soon, they had the fake tree up, and were putting the bobbles on it. At the top, a star made of crystals perched. Marik smiled lightly at it. He felt foolish thinking that perhaps it may have had something to do with the return of his Yami. They made short work of his apartment, as it was so small, and sat around his living room sipping hot chocolate.

"Isis called last night," Yûgi said watching Marik's reaction. He winced at the mention of her name. "She said you kicked her out of your apartment."

"Way to go, Marik-chan! It's about time," Jyou said grinning. Marik felt his face begin to flush. She was not that bad. Yûgi cleared his throat before starting again.

"She went on at length about some evil presence having taken over you. She went so far as to suggest it was Yami no Bakura," at this Bakura glared in his direction.

"See here, Pharaoh, I've got nothing to do with this. Jyou said himself it was about time he let her know who was in charge of his life," Yami no Bakura said glaring full at the diminutive Pharaoh. He merely shook his head.

"I know. You are many things thief, but stupid is not one of them. I am merely satisfying a promise to a friend. Marik-san, do you have anything you'd like to tell me?" At the pause for an answer, Marik felt all eyes on him. Did he have something to tell the pharaoh? A part of him screamed that he should tell him his Yami was back, as was only right. Yet another, selfish, version of him yelled back that his darkness was not hurting any one. The silent battle was waged for only seconds, yet it felt like an eternity.

"No," he said a felt the part of him that had argued against this sigh. Why had it even bothered? Yûgi smiled and the conversation returned to less dangerous thoughts.

Carefully unheard, and unfelt, Yami no Marik watched as kare no Kanraku tenshi lied to the pharaoh about him. He remembered a time when his light would gladly have told him about his darkness, and pleaded with him to take that darkness away. What had changed in his piece of light?

He slid back to his soul room, more questions than answers on his mind. How had things gotten so complicated so fast? He had only wanted to return and pick up on his plans were he had left off, with maybe a little extra pain on the pharaoh's side. Instead, he found himself questioning how he felt about his addiction. His toy. Snarling he figuratively threw the covers over himself and decided that sleep was in order. A nice little piece of oblivion.

Maurelle: Well, that was almost fluffy…

Yami no Bakura: Almost sickening actually…

Maurelle: ignores comment Good news is Christmas at the Kaiba mansion is still on, thanks to Mokuba. Gets an evil glare from Seto And I have promised in return I will refrain from writing that Kaiba/Jyou fic any time soon.

Isis: You make me sound cold, and heartless…

Maurelle: Sorry, dear, but it's necessary. You think you're doing what's right. You're like an anti-villain. Winces I'm actually using lit terms. Runs screaming until she hit's a wall

Kaiba: snickers Guess that's all for tonight.

Reviews

Glitter-Kitten:Hello again I love this chapter u put in. It is not that slow it was enjoyable how you made it so that he did something about Isis. Keep up the good work. And I love the Choclate Yami no Marik yumie... If only he were real. I would die for him Please update soon.

Seto: doing reviews b/c author is out cold The authoress thankx you for the praise. And from my experience w/fangirls, i think all of them would die for the Yamis. She's also glad you liked the chocolate.

Kotori-chan & Rapturous Voice:

Seto:She haslooked up work on you both, and loves it! But unfortuantely, something doesn't like her, and won't allow her to review. So keep reviewing, and she'll keep writing, preventing that other fic from showing up. shudders