I Cry Tears Of Blood

Chapter 3: Good-bye, Dear Sister

Bakura knocked on the door while Ryou stood behind him, biting his lip and looking worried. Marik quickly opened the door.

When he saw Bakura he threw himself at the thief, crying and hugging him tightly. Ryou looked at the floor nervously, unsure of what to do.

He sighed as he looked at Marik, "I ... I'm sorry Marik ... if there's anything I can-"

"Shut the hell up!" Bakura cut him off.

Ryou looked back at the floor while Marik shook his head, "No ... don't. Don't yell at him ... it's not his fault."

Marik broke away from Bakura and held out his arms to Ryou who hugged him tightly.

"Oh Marik ... I'm so sorry ..."

"Shh, Ryou ... it's not your fault ..."

Ryou started crying himself, "Oh but it is!"

Marik froze, "What!"

Ryou turned away, "I-if i hadn't asked you to come with me ... us ... you could have ... I don't know! Maybe prevented it!"

Marik hugged Ryou, "Oh no ... don't blame yourself ... not for that. It's ... it's okay."

Once again Marik burst into tears and retreated into Bakura's arms, who refused to release him even when the paramedics and the police came.

Many questions were asked of him by various people whom Marik didn't even look at. All he wanted was for Bakura to never let go of him ... to be away from all the comotion ... and to have Ishizu back.

He did break away when he saw a stretcher with a blanket over it being brought out of his house. He ran to it and grabbed the sides, "NO! Don't take her away! Please ... Isis ... please, come back ... ISIS!"

Then there was the hands pulling him away while he gripped the sides harder.

"NO! Don't take her away ... PLEASE!"

Then there was Bakura's voice, "Marik ... Marik you have to let go ... I'm sorry, please let go."

Then came the stinging in his left arm and Bakura yelling, "YOU IDIOT!"

And blackness engulfed him.

The next thing Marik knew he was in a bed. A strange bed, all white sheets.

He looked around. Neat ... everything in its place. Not a single spec of dust.

'Ryou's room ...'

Marik sat up and rubbed his eyes, "What happened to-"

It all came back to him in a rush like a flood.

Ishizu dead.

His sister dead.

His only relative in Domino ...

She who had been like his mother ...

Dead. Gone. Never to return.

Marik burst into tears and almost immediately the door opened. Bakura and Ryou came rushing in. The thief got there quicker, took Marik into his arms once again, and held the crying boy to his chest protectively.

"Oh my Marik ..."

Ryou's eyes shifted nervously from Marik to the bed and he awkwardly reached out to pat his head. He ran his fingers through Marik's tangled, blonde locks.

Bakura whispered to him, "Odion should be back by tommorow ..."

"Odion? Thank you for calling him ..."

Marik's sobs gradually decreased to sniffles as he fell asleep. Bakura tucked him in again and left with Ryou.

Outside Ryou sighed, "I feel so bad ... he's so sad ... "

Bakura, however was angered, "Whatever son of a bitch did this ... oh, when I find out who it is ... THEY'RE DEAD!"

Ryou merely nodded, "You heard what the guy carrying the body said? She was poisoned ..."

Bakura shivered, "I know! But I don't know WHAT is it they poisoned ... I mean what if it was a drink! Marik could have drunk it and ..."

The thief shivered again.

Ryou smiled, though, "Then let's be glad he's okay ..."

Bakura frowned, "You care about him as well, right Ryou? As more than a friend? Am I correct?"

Ryou turned away, "I have to make dinner Bakura ... Marik might get hungry later."

Bakura nodded as his hikari walked away, "Alright Ryou ... alright ..."

'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to ... but Marik's still mine.'

Marik woke up later ... and as Ryou predicted, he was hungry.

"Bakura? I'm starving ..."

Bakura smiled, "Okay."

Nobody dared mention anything about the murder, or Ishizu, or anything.

Bakura blew on the liquid until it was cool enough and looked at Marik, "Kay, open your mouth!"

Marik did so and was 'fed' by Bakura while Ryou watched, a curious smile on his face.

Bakura turned to Ryou, "What!"

Ryou stood up and walked away, "I've got to call Yugi for homework, it's 4:30 now ..."

Marik cocked his head to the side, "I forgot ... school."

He looked away, "Now there won't be anyone to force me to ..."

The tears came again and Bakura glared at Ryou and mouthed, 'Fuck off.'

Ryou nodded and quickly left. The ex-tomb-robber. was left to comfort Marik in peace.

"And the gods rest her soul ..." finished the priest.

Marik was once again hiding in Bakura's arms and crying. Odion and Ryou were on either side of them. They stood in front of Ishizu's open coffin along with Seto Kaiba, Noah, and Mokuba.

Marik couldn't bear to see Ishizu, lifeless in the wooden box. Mokuba and Noah, likewise, cried over the loss of their friend and what could have been a potential 'sister-in-law.'

Even Seto shed a tear or two over his lover. He soon left, though ... not being able to bear the grief.

Although the two white-haired boys had known her only for a short period of time, the suffered for Marik.

Odion was distressed as well, but as he had always been good at hiding his feelings, he wept inwardly.

Presently Marik tore away from Bakura's protective grasp and threw himself at Ishizu's body. But he did not feel the warmth he had expected to feel. Instead there was only the cold ... of a corpse. And even the corpse itself wasn't his sister ... he felt her and instead of flesh ... there was some weird ... (Marik gasped in horror) stuffing sort of thing.

Marik fainted then and there.

Ishizu was buried the next day when Marik had been emotionally stabilized. He had told himself and his friends that he could do it. That he could handle it. But as he looked at Ishizu's coffin, ready to be lowered into the cold, dark abyss of death, he threw himself at it and cried over it again.

"Let me see her! Please! Let me see her once again!"

The men who were lowering the coffin were forced to put it back on solid ground and open it up again. Marik hugged his sister's corpse tightly. His tears stained her makeup and her burial clothes. He took out a scroll from his pocket and slipped it in by her side.

"There Isis, the Book of the Dead ... you'll be safe now ... have a good journey ..."

For even though they were not in Egypt, in a dark tomb, nor had Ishizu been properly embalmed ... Marik could never tear himself away from his beliefs.

Ryou took his arm and gently led him away from the open coffin to Bakura's arms, where Marik hid once more.

The white-haired boy walked back to the coffin and placed a single white rose on her chest. He placed Ishizu's hands over it and closed the coffin. Ryou then walked back to Bakura and Marik with tears in his eyes.

He whispered, "It's done ..."

Marik looked at the place where his sister's coffin had been, now being buried. Once it was all convered Marik walked over and knelt in front of the tombstone, which had an angel on it, its wings spread protectively over the site in which Ishizu now rested, and under the words:

May your reach heaven safely and have a happy after life, my sister.

Marik tried to control himself from crying. Instead he placed his hands on the fresh dirt and kissed it.

"I love you Isis ... and I'll never, never forget you."

Slowly, Seto Kaiba walked over and placed a large bouquet of roses on the dirt. Then he walked away with his brothers. It took him a long time, but Marik soon stood up and started walking away ... hiding in Bakura's arms.

'Though you leave me now Isis ... we'll meet again in that other world and ... never be separated ever again!'

A/N: "sniff" "Sniff" WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

This was so sad and hard for me to write! Is it sad? Is it? Or is it jus lame? "sweatdrop"

So yeah, tell me what you think and R&R PLZ!