Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Gi Oh

Thank you for all your reviews and ideas that you've given me. I will be sure to use them in future chapters.

Warning to readers! This chapter contains mild cutesy scenes later on. If you are of a gothic type nature, these scenes may cause vomiting or in worst case scenario, conversion. Read at your own risk!

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Unrequited Love

Chapter 10: Shocking Discoveries

Marik sat on the bed beside the sleeping girl. He had his rarehunters use chloroform to send her to sleep. She was extremely distressed, not to mention frightened by the ambush. Plus, if she was asleep, it didn't look as suspicious to anyone passing by then if they saw her struggling.

Marik was furious by the treatment she received from one of his rarehunters. The man deliberately set out to hurt her. That blunder was punishable by death, however sentenced to spend the rest of eternity in the shadow realm was more horrifying, so he did that instead. His soul would suffer for that mistake.

"I ordered them to bring her to me unharmed!" he thought angrily as he watched the girl beside him.

This little incident would not improve his chances in seducing her. This was more like taking one pigeon step forward and fifty giant ogre steps back. She would be even more wary of him now then she was before. Marik sighed in frustration and turned to look at the girls face again.

"She looks just like an angel when she sleeps, so innocent…" he thought longingly.

He watched the girl breathing, her chest rising and falling at a slow and steady rate. Marik's gaze wandered over her body. Curves like hers were meant to be explored and he couldn't wait for the time when she would willingly allow him to do 'that' and maybe more. Her frame was tiny compared to his. He first noticed this when they danced together at the nightclub. The top of her head came a few inches below his chin. He had to bend down a bit so he could embrace her properly. She looked very delicate, almost as if the slightest movement would cause her to break.

"She looks so frail, a woman as beautiful as her needs protection. I can give her that" Marik thought, smiling gently.

He moved a hand over her face and pulled a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Her hair is so soft…"

Marik began to run his fingers through her long black tresses. The girl stirred in response to these actions though she was still deep in sleep. The Egyptian twirled a lock around his finger. He leaned closer to her face and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He just couldn't get enough of her scent.

Marik reluctantly stood up to leave. He took one last glance at his sweetheart before closing the door behind him. He locked it just to be sure. If she woke up while he was gone, she wouldn't waste any time trying to get away from him. His rarehunters were not to be trusted either. They would certainly make a move if given the opportunity. Marik went to his bike and drove off. There was one other thing he had to do before returning to his queen's side.

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Ipet was frantically pacing back and forth in the living room. Glancing out of the window every time she heard a noise.

"Where is she, It's late! Anu would never stay out at this hour without calling to let me know she's safe!"

The elderly woman was beginning to think something terrible had happened, but she couldn't jump to conclusions. If she did call Anuket's friends or the police, then more then likely, she would walk through the door a minute later. Ipet made herself sit down on one of the sofas in front of the fireplace.

"I'll give her one more hour. If she doesn't come home then, I will start making calls to her friends. They might have seen her" She thought hopefully.

Ipet stared into the fireplace. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. After all, this wasn't the first time Anuket had gone missing for hours on end.

---------------Flashback

"Where is she?!!" bellowed Anuket's father.

His daughter had done a disappearing act and had been hiding from him for hours. Everyone was looking for her, servants, guards; even he had been brought into it.

"I'm sorry sir, I can't find her anywhere" Ipet said quietly.

She hated it when Mr Benu lost his temper. There was no reasoning with him when he was like this. That didn't stop her trying though.

"She's only eight years old. The poor child is still upset over her mother's death. There will be no one to help her through this ordeal. She's probably very frightened right now" Ipet reasoned.

Mr Benu's temper seemed to subside a little bit. It was true. His wife had passed away only months before and he was too caught up in his own grief to notice how his daughter was coping. He confined himself to the library and worked non stop. He was still annoyed though. Finally after a few moments he spoke.

"Find her Ipet. Reassure her that everything will be fine, she trusts you. You can be with her when the time comes. When she has calmed down enough, bring her to me. She 'will' receive the mark as her mother did. It is tradition. Make her understand that"

He turned and walked away from her. Ipet sighed, this could take a while. Anuket was very good at hiding. She began to walk towards her living quarters to get her robe. It was getting dark now and would get very cold as the night wore on.

It was understandable as to why Anuket had run off. She was due to have a mark carved into her hip to show she was promised to someone. It would show her origins as a member of the Heka clan and also her future as a Tombkeeper. Each clan had their own crest. Anuket's family's was a phoenix; the Ishtar's was an ankh. Not just any sort of ankh, there was a specific pattern to it. It had hieratic text inside the band. Usually in these circumstances, the two crests were brought together. Anuket's mark would have the phoenix perched above the ankh with its fiery tail coiled around it. It would look nice to anyone else, like a tattoo almost, but the fact remained that is was just a physical, ritualistic contract to show she was destined to become an Ishtar.

Anuket would bear that mark for the rest of her life. No other man was allowed to touch her, or be involved with her romantically once she received it. That was the law amongst the clans in Egypt

Once Ipet reached her room she headed towards her simple dresser and pulled out her servants robe. She was about to leave when she noticed something out the corner of her eye. There was a bump in the slightly creased bedsheets. It was small, about the size of a little girl. Ipet smiled faintly and walked over to the bed. She sat down carefully and tilted her head to see big green eyes peeking back at her from under the covers.

"Hello sweetheart" she whispered fondly. "We've been looking for you"

The girl looked up at Ipet, eyes red and watery from crying.

"Daddy shouted at you earlier" Anuket stated. "Im sorry, it's my fault…"

Ipet leaned towards the youngster and picked her up, still wrapped inside the blankets. She sat her in her lap and cuddled her tightly, rocking back and forth like her mother would have done in this situation. They sat like that for a while. Eventually Ipet remembered why she was looking for Anuket in the first place.

"Anu, your father is looking for you…" she felt the girl tense up again. "It has to be done sweetheart, and I'll be there with you. You have to look on the bright side of things, it won't last forever. Once it's over, you will never have to experience it ever again"

This offered very little comfort to the eight year old, but she understood that it was going to happen eventually. She couldn't spend the rest of her life hiding away from her father. He would find her eventually. Ipet was going to be there with her, that thought alone made things easier. Anuket gripped the older woman's robes and nodded meekly.

Ipet stood up with the bundle in her arms to find the father who would soon cause his daughter this excruciating pain. She couldn't understand why the written contract wasn't enough, but also knew there wasn't anything she could do about it. All Ipet could do was be there for the girl when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

------------------End Flashback

Anuket had endured the ritual. It took a lot to hold her down. Ipet still had nightmares about that night. Anuket's screams could be heard through the passageways, she was told. The girl recovered from the ordeal very quickly, physically anyway. It took years for her to get over it mentally.

A knock on the door made Ipet snap back into reality. She jumped up from the sofa thinking it might be Anuket. She bolted to the door and opened it expectantly, hoping to see the girl she had cared for, all these years. It wasn't her. Ipet's face fell in disappointment.

Instead of the young fifteen year old girl, she saw a man with sandy blonde hair and tanned skin. She looked him over. He was wearing a sleeveless hooded purple shirt with chains on the front and black pants with pockets on both sides of his legs. He was wearing Egyptian jewellery on his arms and neck. He looked back at her with piercing violet eyes. Ipet finally found her voice.

"May I help you?" she asked him.

"Yes, I am here to pick up a few things for your…" he looked at her thoughtfully "granddaughter, I assume?"

Ipet looked at him wide eyed. "Who are you and where is she?" she asked frantically. She didn't trust this man.

"She is safe, for now…" he strode past Ipet and began to walk up the staircase. "Where is her room?"

"Wait a minute! You can't just charge in here and expect me to show you to her room without an explanation!"

She couldn't believe how rude this man was. Barging into her home like this, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears because he was already upstairs and opening doors to the various rooms. Ipet ran up after him, she caught him just as he was about to open the door to Anuket's room. She put her hand out and stopped him.

"Who do you think you are? Barging in here like you own the place. Where is my granddaughter?" Ipet was becoming angry now, he looked rather menacing but she didn't care at the moment. He knew of Anuket's whereabouts.

The man looked at her before answering. "My name is Marik"

Ipet's anger turned into shocked. "So this is Marik…" she thought "now I understand what Anuket means. He seems very cold. It's a shame that things have turned out the way they have, he's a very handsome young man…"

She quickly shook her head clear of these thoughts. Marik was the source of Anuket's misery for the past nine years and she mustn't forget that.

"What do you want…?" she was worried now. "What is he looking for? She doesn't have anything of value here?"

Marik took hold of Ipet's shoulders and moved her away from the door. He was very strong; she couldn't free herself from his grip.

"I sent your granddaughter a few gifts over the past week; I have come to collect them. She cannot use them while they are here" he opened the door and began to rummage through the drawers and cupboards.

Ipet was confused. If he had sent any gifts to Anuket, then why hadn't she told 'her' about it? She glanced up to see Marik looking at her with an amused look on his face.

"Did she not mention it to you? I thought women told each other everything…" he said turning away to look through the cupboard again. "Here they are…"

Marik pulled out several boxes with elegant ribbons around them. Ipet remained silent; she didn't know what to do. This man had Anuket somewhere and was about to leave without telling her anything, like how she was. She stood in front of the door, glaring at Marik. He simply laughed at her and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "If looks could kill…"

He turned and put the boxes on the bed. When he turned around again he had pulled out his millennium rod. Ipet knew about this particular item. She had over heard Anuket's father talking about it when they had returned from the Ishtar's home. The millennium item's were very powerful and had the ability to send people to the 'shadow realm'. Ipet didn't know what the 'shadow realm' was exactly but it sounded nasty. This particular item could control people's minds and body she remembered.

Ipet flinched slightly. Marik noticed, it reminded him of a question he wanted to ask.

"You seem familiar with my millennium rod and the abilities it possesses, which brings me to ask how you know about it. Who are you, or more importantly… who is your granddaughter? What is her name?"

Ipet remained silent, she couldn't tell him that, they had only just begun to live they're lives in freedom. Instead she breathed deeply and faced him, more determined then ever, not to let him intimidate her.

"I will tell you nothing" she said firmly.

Marik frowned at her but it quickly turned into a smirk. "I wonder if you'll say the same when your granddaughter's safety in on the line…"

Ipet's confident look turned into a worried one. He wouldn't harm her would he? Not after he had kidnapped her, sent her gifts and spent an evening with her? Ipet was sure he was bluffing.

"You wouldn't…" she said quietly. Marik smiled even wider. He had a feeling the old woman would change her mind if she thought the girl was in danger. He decided to try this plan.

"I wouldn't be to sure of that, it doesn't matter to me what happens to her, as long as she lives… You'd be surprised what you can live through you know. Now ask yourself this, do you want to be the cause of her suffering or do you want to help her by telling me her name now. I can always ask her friends if you don't tell me, but the difference being that if you do, she remains unharmed"

A conflict was raging in Ipet's mind. She wasn't sure what to do. Marik couldn't possibly mean what he had said about harming Anuket, but if he did, that meant she would be the reason for Anuket's pain if he carried out his threats. In the end Ipet decided she couldn't risk the girl's safety. Marik knew he had won seeing the struggle on the woman's face disappear. He was finally going to learn the name of his lotus flower. He waited in anticipation as the woman looked up at him.

"You met her nine years ago in Egypt. Her name is Anuket Benu…"

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#Dum Dum Dum#

Marik knows!!!! What is going to happen when he gets back to his luxury boat? You'll have to wait and see. Look! I can do cliffhangers too. Hee Hee -

Im really pleased with how this chapter turned out. It only took me six hours to write! Coolness! I thank those who gave me suggestions for this fic. Especially the one who said about the tattoo. I've decided to add both ideas into the story as I couldn't decide which one to use. Expect some Marik/Anuket scenes in the next chapter. Not romantic ones though, that's not gonna happen for a long time yet. She hates him remember?

Poor Ipet. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place there. You have to understand where she was coming from though; she doesn't want to risk Anuket's safety. Marik would never hurt her by the way. He only used that to get Ipet to tell him.

Anyhoo. Here are a few replies to my dear dear readers. Oh and by the way, if you wanna read some other stories besides this one the go to my bio page and check out my favourites list. I have loads. Don't forget to check out stories by loveliesbleeding2 and sakura mitsukai oooh and minor arcane as well.

If you like marik/oc fics then you will love "all things new" it's about an Egyptian girl who gets kidnapped by Marik because her father can't pay his debt to our beloved tombkeeper. He takes her to Japan and it follows the battle city storyline. She hates him but he lusts for her, he wants to break her spirit and teases and torments her. It flashes back and forth between past (battle city) and present. I can't tell you anymore then that but I swear to you it is a fantastic story! Please read it and review. If the author gets more reviews she will update faster hopefully. You will love it.

And please take the time to read loveliesbleeding2's fics. They are also really good! They are all linked together and make one big story about a girl called katarina kamera. You will love them I swear.

Im really picky when it comes to fics so if I say it's good, then you know it is! I will check the reviews on these fics and I expect you all to read them. If you don't I may have to hunt you all down and kill you.

(Not really but I will be very sad, you don't want me to be sad do you?)

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Kuramas Girl Angel: im sorry!! I didn't mean too. Its just that I had a lot of reviewers and I felt kinda lazy at that point. Hope you like this chapter. I'm very proud of it.

LoneGothic: there you are. Marik knows. Wonder what he's gonna say to that… well I know. You'll have to wait and find out hee hee

Fish and Chips: you know, I don't think Marik will ever get the message but it cant help trying can it? Confrontations in the next chapter. Enjoy!

Mya starnight: thank god for those reviewers then! You would have been waiting for something that would never be completed otherwise. Its funny how things works out you know… oh well. Its all good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing this one.

Lady Hunter: hows about that then? Im gonna use both of your ideas. I just couldn't decide which I liked best so I decided to put both in. I think Anuket already knew who was behind this. Next chapter they meet again (officially!, names and all)

Daughterofraif slaps are what you want to see, then slaps you will get. Poor Marik. He's gonna be purple by the end of this fic. Oh well, he's a big boy. He'll get over it

DaRkNeSsApPrOaChEswhy do you like seeing him tortured I wonder…? Oh well, he's gonna be tortured emotionally in the next chapter… aww what the hell. Physically too.

Loveliesbleeding2: hoo ha. There you go! I promoted you fics. I'm a good girl. Hope you liked this chapter. It came along rather well I think…

The Gothic Girl Over There: is that still your name? You sure? Ok then… how bout now? Alright. Hope you liked this chapter. I think its one of my better ones. Hop the next chapter comes out like this.

Leave nice reviews please