Chapter 4: Mind Games
Marik stood silently as a statue outside, the cold not affecting him in the least. Actually, one might've thought he was a statue, for he moved not once and his eyes were focused on the shining crescent moon in the dark night sky.
That was the only thing that remained the same, the only similarity between Egypt and this frighteningly new place. No matter where one was, at night there was almost always a moon. But, as Marik looked around the strange streets and oddly shaped buildings, he knew that he didn't want to, nor would ever, belong there.
He loved Egypt; if there was one thing Marik would ever dare shed emotions on, it was his birthplace. He knew it would always receive him back with open arms. It wouldn't reject him, and it most definitely wouldn't forget him. Humans were so undependable. Marik had to wonder why he had wasted his energy to steal the beautiful healer who had caught his eye that fateful evening in the palace.
Even now, Ryou was so far, yet so close. What had happened to that meek but caring boy who had loved him so? But...maybe Marik was asking the wrong question... More importantly, what had happened to the heartless shadow-dealer who had almost fallen victim to foolish feelings?
Well, the heartless part of him was still there, but the other half would have to be pushed away. It was just too painful.
"Can't sleep?"
Marik straightened at the voice and turned, half expecting and maybe hoping to see Ryou standing there, smile on face and cloak in hand. He had been so endearing then.
Instead, Malik's piercing violet eyes that matched the color of his own stared right back at him.
"No," Marik answered simply, ready just incase Malik was ready to verbally assault him, though those childish games he and Bakura played seemed a bit immature.
Malik sighed, seating himself wordlessly on a small wicker chair. "Neither can I. My Egypt time and Japan times are out of whack."
Marik wasn't too sure what he meant by 'whack', but he got the gist of what he was trying to say.
"Why are you doing this?" Malik asked suddenly, the anger in his face replaced by tire.
"Doing what?"
"Marik, I'm well aware that Ryou may have loved you once... but that was once, and nowhere in that word is there room for twice. If he doesn't remember, then maybe there's a reason for it."
Marik waited until he remained finished. "Is that all?"
Malik was dumbfounded. "Is that all? Have you not been listening?"
"I stopped listening to you the day you got yourself killed in Yami's palace."
The blonde's eyes widened and he clenched his fists and glared once again. "You are impossible!" And with that comment said, he stormed back into the house
Impossible? No... Maybe daunting, but not impossible.
-
"So anyways, they say Marik's in the city today," one of the guards said.
Ryou looked up from his orange.
The other guard looked surprised, "Really? Is that why Yami has had extra guards placed around the city?"
"Yep."
Ryou cut into the conversation, "Marik? I've heard of him before. Is he really as bad as people say he is?"
The first guard nodded, "You better believe it kid. He's ruthless."
Ryou shifted slightly in his sleep as the dream progressed, though he seemed to be watching a screen as the scene upon it continued.
"…They say Marik lives off of people's deaths. They say the last thing you see is that shining gold Eye of Ra."
"Yeah, but it's only a fable. How can someone live off of a death?"
"I don't know."
Ryou interrupted their conversation once more, "I doubt that anyone could live like that. How would they be able to live with themselves?"
Both guards stopped and looked at Ryou like he was crazy.
The first guard spoke again, "I guess you don't understand, Marik is a cold-blooded killer. If he got ahold of you, there's no telling what he'd do to you."
The second guard continued with, "I think all of his victims have been raped come to think of it. Raped, then killed."
Ryou shot up, his breathing quickened and heartbeat practically slamming against his chest. What an odd dream. That was what it had been... wasn't it?
"Strange..." he sighed softly, running a hand through his snow-white hair. The rising sun outside calmed him somewhat and he slipped on his blue slippers and yawning, opened his bedroom door.
Totally unexpected for whom he saw standing in the doorway, he literally jumped back ten feet before stumbling on the carpet and falling backwards onto the floor.
"My, my," Marik smirked sadistically, walking in quietly. The whole ordeal probably wouldn't have been that frightening had the door not mysteriously then closed of its own accord. "I didn't know you would be that eager to submit to me..."
Ryou opened his mouth to speak, and he honest-to-Ra wanted to, but no sound came out. Backing up, he froze when he ran out of crawling space, feeling the edge of the bed touching his back.
Marik, strangely calm, kneeled down, now face-to-face with the near trembling teen. What had instilled such fear in him?
Oh yes... the dream...
Grasping the finely chiseled chin in his hand, Marik looked Ryou over before finally they locked gazes. "Feelings better?"
Ryou still remained silent and all he could look at were the dangerously beautiful amethyst eyes that- though they held within them hazard- were strangely soothing at the same time. At that exact moment, Ryou would've given anything to be the person Marik wanted him to be... but it passed quickly as Marik's glare turned more grave.
"Dear Ra!" Marik exclaimed. "Could you be any more anomalous? Yesterday you were practically fawning over me and today you look at me as though I were a common criminal."
Criminal? Well, he used the word and not Ryou, though he did relate that to how he felt. Then, for some odd reason, Ryou's sight went to the golden eye on Marik's forehead. Commonly known as the Wdjat eye, he was puzzled to why the guard in his dream had called it the "Eye of Ra". And oh, what if it was the last thing he saw? What if Marik was planning on killing him? But surely, he'd have to rape him first...
"That damned Eye will always be there," Marik commented dryly, "Though my patience will not. Now..." Reaching over, he had intended to grasp Ryou's shoulder slightly help him up. Of course though, that didn't happen.
Ryou jerked back his arm quickly, and absentmindedly his hand covered where the matching tattoo on his shoulder remained safely hidden.
Marik is a cold-blooded killer. If he got ahold of you, there's no telling what he'd do to you...
That was an easy answer, Ryou thought. Certainly raping and killing wasn't out of the question.
Marik stood and Ryou breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thank goodness he was leaving.
As luck would have it though, he firmly intended to stay put. It was Ryou who'd be moving. Grabbing resolutely onto the boy's pale shoulders, Marik hoisted Ryou up and pinned him quite painfully onto the bed. Naturally, Ryou prepared to scream but Marik pressed one tan hand over his mouth to stifle any sounds. His own strong legs held Ryou's from kicking and his over arm pressed not one, but both of Ryou's arms so he couldn't use any blasted nails to scratch.
"I'm sorry our relationship had to come to this," Marik said, and Ryou wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Probably not. "But you need to calm the hell down. I haven't done anything to you yet."
Yet... Ryou's mind cruelly echoed that word many times.
"Now listen," Marik snarled, actually baring a sharp tooth and scaring Ryou half to death, "I don't want to be here... You don't want to be here-" he motioned to beneath him, "But regardless of either of those facts... we're here. So, you can either learn to deal with it and go around flashing your little grin or whatever you call it, or you can send me back to Egypt and we can part ways for good but you'll be stuck with that crybaby of an Egyptian and a no-good thief who will probably be so interested in each other that they'll ignore you. You might as well not exist."
Ryou swallowed hard. And that was a bad thing?
"At least with me here," he leered sinisterly and lightly stroked Ryou's pale cheek with something akin to affection, "Someone will want to play with you."
Ryou gaped. He got the feeling that Marik's playing didn't involve laughter.
Cautiously moving his hand that held Ryou's arms down, he waited to see if the teen would protest and when no hostility followed, he rested it on the bed beside Ryou's face.
He found this all quite amusing. It reminded him of a time long ago when a certain healer had resisted his advances... yet still ended up with him in his bed. Hm, yes, he'd have his fun while here. After all, the kid looked identical to the Ryou of the past, even peculiarly sharing his name, so Marik was more than confident that it'd be simple to lure the gorgeous boy to him once more.
"You're someone who loves things full of mystery," Marik murmured, their faces suddenly close. "That's why you were drawn to Egypt. Yes, your father was there, but can you deny that another force also pulled you, that the reason you really came to Cairo was...something else?"
Ryou took the words in slowly, marveling at the truth they held. He couldn't deny it. When he had decided to meet his father in Cairo, it wasn't necessarily to see him... Gah! Why was he listening to Marik? He was positive that he was just toying with his mind; manipulating his thoughts to his own liking...Yami had told him that was Marik's specialty after all. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried in vain to stop the magic Marik was working upon him.
Marik chuckled low. "You still aren't a believer? Very well. I'll bet you're still the outcast though..."
Ryou paused. That had caught his attention. Marik had to have been shooting out of the left field though. He didn't know anything about him...
How wrong he was. "Let me guess... you're the person everyone comes to for help and you gladly offer it each time. But, when you yourself are in need of aid... there's no one there for you."
Bull's-eye. How on earth did Marik know? Had he somehow gotten into his thoughts? Had he been watching him in the time prior to their actual meeting? He was so right it was scary, but in truth, Marik simply related Ryou's life in the past and made the assumption that not much had changed.
"Look at me, Ryou," a demanding voice said.
Ryou opened his eyes and looked up at Marik. It was strange... he had beautiful eyes. They were an enchanting lavender that seemed to have unimaginable depths and contrasted so well to Marik's deeply tanned skin. Then there was that sand-colored hair that seemed to have a mind of its own shooting up in many spikes.
Strange that he would be thinking all these things at a time like this but he couldn't help it.
So familiar, once again, but Ryou couldn't quite place it. Feeling a change in the bed beneath him, he averted his gaze and immediately gawked. The room had completely morphed, much like the time in the kitchen, though now, the wooden canopy that was affixed to Ryou's bed was replaced with spiraling marble and the sheets on his bed were now coarse and jet black. Clothing was... more rare this time; now only a small, skirt-like garment clothed him, and Marik was probably bare beneath his thin black garb.
"Do you remember?" Marik whispered seductively, his hand uncovering Ryou's mouth to intertwine with Ryou's pale hand. Both of their hands were now linked, both pressed softly on either side of Ryou's face.
This... was quite awkward. From Ryou's point of view, there was Marik, a mysterious man who seemed to know him as no one else did, and see a part of him that everyone else couldn't. All of that aside, Ryou wasn't blind to Marik's obvious and very candid desire for him and while it did freak him out somewhat, on the other hand, Ryou had considered himself to be what some would call straight… until now.
Marik was attractive; Ryou wouldn't deny that. He had a look about him that screamed dangerous and yet those eyes told another story... A sad one...
"I could show you anything your heart desired," Marik's voice suddenly filled the room. "I know you have excellent tastes for the finer things..." his eyes raked over the petit frame below him, "As do I. But I digress," he sighed. "Do you have anything to tell me?"
Ryou shook his head and utter a quick, "No." It felt good to finally speak.
Marik raised a brow. "You do love your father don't you...? Because, I'd hate for something to happen to him..."
Ryou suddenly looked horrified. "My father? Please don't hurt him! I swear I'm not hiding anything!" For the first time, he fought against Marik's strong grasp, but to no avail.
"Oh really? Then what is this?" Letting go of his hand, he pulled up Ryou's right sleeve exposing the black ink that knitted together a pattern that by now was well known. "Well, well... It seems you still bear the Eye..." His expression was dark. "Why did you lie to me?"
Ryou looked regretful. "I'm sorry..."
He was apologizing? What an intriguingly odd boy!
"I didn't want to tell you because I knew it'd upset you... and I was afraid."
"Ryou," Marik looked at him like he was insane, "I'm more upset that you didn't tell me."
Despite his calm, cool, and collected manner, Marik was irate. All of his plans of going back to Egypt alone just flew out the window. If he was going, Ryou would sure as hell go with him. Before, there had been nothing proof-wise that connected the past and present Ryou, but now...
"How long has that been there?" he inquired.
"As long as I can remember," Ryou admitted. "My father doesn't even know how it came about."
"And you mother?"
Ryou frowned, "She died when I was born..."
"I see. Had you said she died in a fire, I would've been worried." (1) "So you're still an only child, eh?" Not like he cared, just wondered.
"Yes. I did have a sister, but she died in a car accident when I was younger."
"You might as well be an orphan then. It seems your father could care less about you-"
"My father cares!" Ryou defended. "He just doesn't like to stay here at this house, around things that remind him of his lost wife and daughter..."
Marik sat up slightly. "And I suppose those things include his only son..." Naturally. "I can't believe you still have that affect on me."
"What affect?" he questioned warily.
"You make me want to kiss you and slap you at the same time... I could do it too..." Ryou cowered slightly, but frowned at his lasting spot beneath Marik. "But I won't. I've got far better things to do."
"Like what?"
"Like none of your business," Marik snapped. "Though I am ever curious... Does that blasted Pharaoh happen to reside anywhere near here?"
"Pharaoh?" Ryou repeated, confused. "I suppose you mean Yami. He... well, yes."
Marik rolled his eyes. That was both good and bad news.
"But please don't cause trouble," Ryou continued. "Yami is my friend."
Marik raised his hand and was moments away from backhanding Ryou right there, but reason settled in and he stopped. "That was most definitely a moment when I wanted to slap you."
Ryou flinched. He really wasn't trying to infuriate Marik... it just kind of happened and with regards to what Marik had said on the previous day, he was most definitely scared witless of this Marik fellow. Still though, he couldn't bring himself to hate him and that very well could've been his downfall.
"Before I go," Marik smirked, "Why not a kiss goodbye?"
Now, Ryou fully intended to do everything in his power to stop Marik when he leaned down again, but something went terribly wrong. Like the time in the kitchen when he sat there as Marik kissed him, he now found himself defenseless again as Marik crushed their lips together, quite painfully this time, and coaxed his mouth open with his tongue. While their first kiss was short, this one broke that barrier, with Marik gorging himself silly and Ryou unable to do anything. It was that damned power! Marik was using his ability to manipulate the mind to stop Ryou's inhibitions but Ryou made sure he stiffened himself up as well as he could, because while Marik could control his body, he couldn't control his heart, and Ryou refused to kiss the mongrel back.
Marik immediately laughed into the kiss and broke back. "Trying to fend me off, are we?"
Ryou glared at him. "How dare you! That's the second time you've kissed me without so much as a thought to my own feelings!"
"Oh Ra," Marik ran a hand over his face. "The old Ryou's definitely in their somewhere..."
"Stop it!" Ryou said heatedly. "All you've done this entire time is control my actions and talk to me like I don't matter! Like I'm just some mask covering your precious "old Ryou"!"
Marik stood up, his expression unchanged. "You know, that's a perfect way to put it. I honestly don't hope you thought that anything I've done is for you... Though, I do pity you. After all, it must be somewhat depressing to find out that you're just a vessel for my healer when he comes back." He shrugged. "Oh well, but don't worry, I'll treat you nicely for as long as we have to wait, so you might want to get comfortable."
Ryou was furious! How dare he! He had no right! "Marik... I..." he scowled even though tears were ready to roll down his cheeks, "I hate you!"
Marik froze for a moment, facing Ryou with an unreadable gaze before smirking and turning away from him. "I told you that you would. And, sorry to burst your bubble, but I only used my powers once, and that was during our most recent kiss... Anything else was purely your own actions. Goodbye."
Ryou could've sworn there was mockery in his voice as he exited the room, automatically returning it to normal. He was shaken, scared, and hurt. The worst part of it all was that he didn't hate Marik. Rather he found that a part of him sickeningly found himself attracted to him, but that was as far as it went.
But Marik had said that he had only controlled his mind once, so everything else was actually Ryou's own actions. That was why he couldn't figure out why he hadn't stopped Marik from kissing him the first time, and he knew it would bother him for a while, especially the fact that at one point... Ryou had actually wanted to kiss Marik. He could only hope that he was going through a short phase.
A very short phase.
-TBC-
(1)- That was a reference to how Ryou's parents had died in a fire in his past life and he would've been worried had his mother again.
Okay then, this was interesting. There's a lot that I took from the old story that you probably forgot already, (like ch.1 stuff) Ryou's got a bit of spunk after 5000 years but he's still no match for our evil Marik. I still like making connections to the MarikVs.RyouDarkVs.Light. I always see that with those two. Yes, Marik's evil again, and a tad extra-heartless. You should know that will all change, but how is the real question. Next chapter, Marik makes a very interesting and familiar deal with Ryou, in exchange for something he might not be able to do for him, but Ryou will have to try, because his life is at stake... again.
AmethystRoze
