Alley Cat: Hey everyone! I'm back!

Seto: ...Wahoo.

Dark Conscience: About time...

Alley Cat: Yeah, I know. But I was getting bogged down by evil homework and my computer's having problems and stuff...yeah.

Seto: (rolls eyes) Sure...

Alley Cat: Oh. Shut. Up.

Seto: n.n

Alley Cat: -.- Anyway, this chapter is the longest chapter I've written so far so I hope you all enjoy. And also, I'm kicking Marik out for a little while...

Seto: ...A little while?

Alley Cat: ...Okay. A long while, but he'll be back. I also have to tell you all that his sadistic side came from my really demented mind which came from obsession over a really good Fire Emblem fic called "Set Me Free", written by Miserikordi. It's really good if you want to check it out. But, you know, I was having writer's block...and...I guess...I kinda...stole the idea of the whole sadistic nature thingy...but, you gotta admit, it does fit Marik well.

Seto: O.o "Stole the idea"? You didn't steal. You outright PLAGIARIZED!!!!!!!!!!!

Alley Cat: No I didn't! ...Well, kinda, but not really!

Dark Conscience: Sure...

Alley Cat: Oh be quiet. Well, that's why I'm kicking Marik out a little bit...let my retarded mind settle down for a little bit. n.n Heh.

Dark Conscience: ...Crazy girl...

Alley Cat: Well, once again, I want to thank all my reviewers!

Kaiba's Slave - n.n I'm so happy you like Marik! But he's going away for a while...but never fear! He'll be back! And also, he'll be gone in the next chapter or two, but not in this one, so don't get so disheartened. Keep reading and reviewing like you always do! You are so awesome!

Skyring - ...Marik? ...A rapist? (cries) That hurts! Well, he'll be gone. So be happy! ...but, in this chapter, Marik's worse than the other...so sit tight. Hope you enjoy? See ya!

Black-Lightniing - ...Are you really so lazy that you can't even sign in? ...Geez.... n.n Glad you like my fic. I'll count that review as one of your good ones! I'll try to put Mokuba in more...try. Well, Marik gets even worse in this chapter so enjoy!

MagicianQuill - n.n Glad you love my story. I'm so happy! I have more readers than I thought! Well, keep R&Ring please!

happybutterfly - n.n Oh! All you reviewers make me sooooooooo happy! Well, please keep R&Ring. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Alley Cat: n.n Now, on with the chapter!

Seto: ...Alley Cat doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh...

Anippe opened her eyes, hoping that her belonging to Marik was just a dream. The Pharaoh would never give her away...never. She was just having a bad dream, a really bad dream, but it was just a dream... That's all it was.

She tried to move her arm to get up, but fell back onto the bed because of the pain. Now that she was completely awake, she noticed that the bed that was unfamiliar to her. She was in new clothes... Her wound was, once again, bound, but the cloth was fresh. It was stuffed with new herbal remedies. The pain coursing throughout her entire body brought her back to reality. Tears, once again, welled up in her eyes. "I must not cry... I must not cry," she kept repeating to herself, but to no avail. Silent tears of rage and sadness streamed down her face, in addition to the tears from the pain. Every muscle, in her, ached so badly.

She sighed, not knowing how she was going to be able to deal with this...this "Marik situation". The Pharaoh would no longer be there to protect her if she misbehaved. Even if she didn't misbehave, Marik would still torment her nevertheless. It was a "lose-lose" situation. The more she thought about it, the more she hated the Pharaoh for giving her away. Her thoughts continually led to the question: Why would the Pharaoh do such a thing? There must have been a reason...at least one reason for giving her away...especially to a creep like Marik. But what was it? Anippe was more confused than ever. As much as she hated the situation...and how the Pharaoh had put her in it, she refused to think the Pharaoh had the heart to do such a thing. Marik could have...must have tricked the Pharaoh...somehow... She sighed. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that her perceptions of the Pharaoh were completely wrong. She thought the Pharaoh had a kind heart, a kind soul. He was also brave, courageous. She shook her head. She was wrong. He may have been brave...but he was brutal, cold, and relentless. He had only had her for a few days...and he probably already got bored of her... She groaned. How could she have been tricked? How could she have not sensed this coming? She cursed herself for being so...stupid, so foolish...so gullible. She was one of the best in her hometown to sense danger...to sense imposters...to sense the truth... What happened? What changed? Anippe shook her head. Nothing made sense anymore.

There was no use weeping about it now. She had come this far; there was no backing out. She summoned her strength for the new day. No day was a good day for her now. All she could do...was hope for the best. But the best was the worst in her mind, which made her shudder to think of what the worst might possibly be. She sat up in bed as someone walked through the door.

Yami casually leaned against the window, his eyes blank. Obviously, he was somewhere else; his mind was distracted. Anippe...How could it have come to this? Be brave... He tried with all his might...to tell her that he didn't mean to put her in such a state...to not hate him...to keep up with Marik's punishment for just four more days...just four... Then she would be back with him...safe. A voice called out from the distance. My Pharaoh, is there something troubling you? Yami was taken aback for a second, returning him back to reality. He noticed the High Priestess, Ishizu, standing beside him, looking out the window as well. "What?" he asked again.

"Is something troubling you?" Ishizu asked again. "You seem...adrift today," she pointed out.

"It's nothing," Yami muttered. He didn't want anyone to know that he was worrying so much over a simple slave.

Ishizu looked worriedly at the Pharaoh. She had feelings for him, feelings that she would never reveal. She noticed that it was a troubling topic, so she decided to change it. If she couldn't help the Pharaoh, she could at least make some decent conversation with him. "Did you hear of the High Priest's faint?" Ishizu inquired. Her feelings were torn between the Pharaoh and the High Priest. But still, neither one would know of her feelings until she knew that they felt the same for her.

"What?!" Yami asked with a mixture of surprise and worry, turning his eyes to meet Ishizu's. "How—When did this happen?"

"It happened two days ago. The High Priest was restless...I guess. I'm not positive what exactly the cause was. Maybe it was some curse put on him...who knows? Would you like me to look into it, my Pharaoh?"

Two days ago? That was around the same time Anippe was taken away by Marik... Yami groaned. Everything that he thought of strayed back to Anippe.

"Excuse me?" Ishizu asked. That groan sounded like she had offended the Pharaoh in some way. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up..." She didn't want to ruin her whole relationship with the Pharaoh just over something so trivial.

"No. It's fine," Yami muttered. "It's just...it reminded me of something...that's all." He stared out the window again, unable to look at Ishizu without pouring out the cold, hard truth.

Ishizu relaxed a little bit. So she hadn't offended the Pharaoh. "Then, do you want me to look into it?" she asked again. She was pushing her limits with the Pharaoh a bit, but if she could cure the High Priest of what was ailing him...then maybe she would be in better graces with the Pharaoh. After all, the High Priest was quite important to the Pharaoh.

"No. It's fine," he muttered, returning back to his cold state. "I'll check on him later... If I think it's necessary, I'll have you look into it."

Ishizu was disappointed a bit, but the Pharaoh didn't say "no." She sighed.

"And Ishizu? you bring me Marik? ...I need to talk to him."

"As you wish," she replied as she walked down a corridor.

Yami waited until her footsteps were gone before letting the tears he had held back fall down his face. Everything was going wrong...terribly wrong. Uncontrollable...that's what they were...everything was uncontrollable. First Anippe...now Seto... He was helpless...so helpless...with no one to help him... He stayed by the window a little more, letting his tears fall before going off to see the High Priest.

Seto woke up to find his brother, asleep, on his chest. He smiled and wrapped an arm around his brother's waist. These moments were rare, but often comforting for him.

Mokuba slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Seto. "You seem better today," he commented, sleepily.

Seto nodded, agreeing with his brother like always. "You can sleep more if you want," he replied, noticing the tiredness in Mokuba's eyes.

Mokuba nodded and, with a yawn, decided to go back to sleep.

After a while, once Seto was sure Mokuba was asleep, he gently slid Mokuba off him. Then he went to get dressed. He had already missed two whole days. Even though he wasn't completely re-energized, he was still, probably, able to work. Besides, Yami must have been anxious by now. Anxious...Layla would probably be anxious too. Where was she anyway? He hadn't seen her since yesterday... He shrugged. She probably checked up on him when he was sleeping or something. Just as he was about to go out the door, Yami walked in.

"Seto?!" he said in surprise, amazed to find the High Priest even able to walk.

Seto signaled for silence as he pointed to the sleeping form of Mokuba on his bed. Then he pointed towards the door, saying that they could talk outside.

Yami nodded and headed out the door as Seto followed.

They walked in silence for a while.

"How have you been?" Yami asked. "I heard you fainted two days ago. What happened?"

Seto looked back at Yami. "I'm fine. It's none of your concern anyway. I guess I just...overworked. That's all..."

Yami gave him a curious glance before continuing. "You haven't been around recently...what happened?" Ever since a couple of weeks ago, they hadn't been meeting up with each other so often...

"I'm not sure...I guess too much time getting my new slave to behave... She's has a strong spirit." Seto was worried about Layla. Where had she been? He hadn't seen her anywhere... He'd go look for her later.

"Your slave...Layla, right?"

"Yeah."

Yami sighed. Thinking of Layla reminded him of Anippe...and what he was putting her through... He shook his head. No matter how far he tried to stray from the subject...it just kept coming back. ...And how unworthy he was to be the Pharaoh...for doing such a thing... Tears once again tried to force their way through his eyes...but he wouldn't let them pass...not in front of Seto...not in front of anybody. His body started to tremble a bit.

Seto noticed the change in Yami and cast him a concerned glance. Yami had tilted his head towards the ground, so it was impossible to see his facial expression...but it seemed like he was crying...but why? He stopped walking abruptly and turned toward Yami, causing him to stop too. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

"N—nothing," he muttered.

Seto let a chuckle out before becoming serious again. "I've known you for a long time, Yami. What's wrong?"

"I told you!" he nearly shouted down the corridor before lowering his voice. "It's nothing."

Seto was well aware how hot-tempered Yami was...even though it wasn't always easy to get him angry... But when one did, it was dangerous, so he decided to back off. "Alright. But—"

"It's nothing," Yami said through gritted teeth.

"Alright, alright!" Seto exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. An uncomfortable silence followed. They continued walking, giving Seto some time for his own thoughts. Now, he was even more and more curious about where Layla was... "I need to go," he said abruptly. "I need to check up on my slave...sorry."

Yami nodded silently and walked back toward his chambers.

Seto stared after him worriedly for a while before going to search for Layla.

Anippe looked fearfully at the door, knowing exactly who was going to walk through. She laid back down into bed and just waited for the torment that would certainly ensue. But wait...she heard something, or rather someone, with him. She sat up because her curiosity had overpowered her common sense. She gasped at the sight she saw.

Marik had a tight grip on Layla by the wrist. Layla's body fell limply and her eyes were closed, but her whimper showed that she was still conscious. Her hair was matted, and Marik stared at her possessively. He slammed her against the wall as he had done with Anippe. Layla made a yelp as she crashed against the wall and flinched as her body fell back to the floor. Seeing that Layla was too weak to recover, he turned on Anippe.

Anippe gasped in fear and backed up a bit.

Marik smiled and advanced o her slowly. He pulled out a dagger with expertise and smiled at Anippe again.

It took her brain a few seconds to understand what he was going to do. She gasped in fear again and tried to back up even more, but she had no place to run away...

"Now, now my little pet...don't be scared," he said comfortingly.

The more Marik advanced on her with the dagger pointed out, the more rigid her body became. All her muscles seemed to be frozen in one place. She couldn't move... Marik was now an arms length away from Anippe...

Marik ran his finger upon the blade of the dagger, which was around six inches long. He put a comforting arm around Anippe's shoulders. "Don't worry," he purred, noticing how much she was shaking. He smiled. "It'll only hurt...just a little," he whispered as he rubbed his cheek against hers.

Anippe went on a shortage of breath, the fear welling up inside her.

Marik smiled and decided to draw his torture out a bit. He ran the flat of the blade along her neck, allowing her to feel the coldness of it.

Anippe shivered, feeling her heart thundering in her ribcage. She closed her eyes and just hoped it would be over soon, but knew that it definitely wasn't.

Marik smile only widened. The arm that he had held around Anippe pulled in, having Anippe lean against Marik's chest.

Anippe tried to pull away from Marik's grip, but Marik took this opportunity to show her a little fear.

He pushed the dagger far enough into her shoulder to draw blood, which wasn't very deep.

Anippe gasped as the blade pierced her skin, allowing blood to run. Although it didn't hurt that much, it gave Anippe enough of a scare. She immediately stopped her struggling and allowed Marik's arm to guide her back to his chest.

Marik pouted a bit. Who knew she would give up so easily? Oh well... He looked at the blade and the red substance that continued to run onto it, allowing just a trickle to run down Anippe's skin. He looked at the blood longingly. Eventually, he gave into his urge and licked the blade clean of Anippe's blood, cherishing the taste. It tasted so good... Marik immediately pushed Anippe onto the bed, flat on her back. He smiled at her possessively and leaned over her and licked the blood straight off her skin.

Anippe stiffened as his rough tongue made contact with her skin.

Soon, Marik became so absorbed in her blood that the hand that he was using to hold him above Anippe's body completely collapsed.

Anippe flinched, for Marik had landed on her wound, causing her to struggle against him a little bit. She whimpered softly as she felt his body breaking further into her wound. Her breath shortened dramatically. "M—master," she pleaded. "P—please stop," she whispered, barely audible. "I—I'm sorry." Her breath was shaky once more.

Marik stopped for a brief moment, smiling at how easy it was to break her spirit. He chuckled and stared at Anippe for a minute, through those blue eyes of hers. Perhaps... He smiled at her. He decided to leave her alone for a while... He could find something more amusing...

"Damn it," Seto said through gritted teeth. "Where could Layla be?" He had searched the entire palace at least five times already. He sighed. Now he understood how the Pharaoh felt when Seto ran away from him. ...But Layla wouldn't dare go out of palace grounds without his permission...would she? He shook his head. That made no sense. According to Mokuba, Layla had been so worried about him the whole time...she wouldn't just leave...

He closed his eyes and mapped the palace layout in his mind. The only places he hadn't checked were the chambers of the nobles... "Including Marik's," he whispered, fear knotting up in his stomach. No. It couldn't be...he needed permission to take Layla away from him... He wasn't low enough to just take her...was he? He was so confused. A flash of anger and worry ran through his piercing, blue eyes. He decided to question Marik...just in case.

Layla slowly opened her hazel eyes to find a white room, with no windows. She tried to move, but noticed that her ankles and wrists were bound to the wall by black, magic orbs. She shook her head and felt slightly nauseated. She wasn't positive what exactly had happened, but she felt bruises everywhere. She groaned a bit before noticing that the room was full of magic. Even though she did not know how to use magic, she could sense it. This magic was strong... That's all she knew, but was unsure of what it did. The magic was sealing the room somehow...

Suddenly, the door opened and Layla snapped her head to focus her attention to the intruder. Marik walked through, smiling widely.

Layla glared at him. Never had she felt so much rage toward a person...and so much fear, she realized. She watched him advance, something gleaming in his hand. Was that...a dagger? Layla stiffened. Marik was planning something...something horrible... She shuddered.

Marik managed to see this and gave a content smile. As he advanced on her, he showed off the dagger's blade, the shimmer of it in the sunlight, the sharpness of the edge...

Layla looked aside. She couldn't look at it anymore. It was just too much...

Marik watched Layla's reaction while continuously inching towards her. His smile only widened as he ran his finger down his neck. He wanted a spot that would hurt...some place where he could cut deep... Perhaps her stomach...maybe two inches below her collarbone... He stared at her, contemplating the thought... Unconsciously, he ran the dagger along her body, cutting her shirt as he went, exposing the top portion of her breasts.

Layla felt the slight prick across her skin and tried to contain the fear that continued to well up inside of her.

Marik finally made up his mind. He carefully marked the area two inches below her collarbone with the blade, just enough to pierce a thin layer of her skin, but not enough to draw blood. Then, he took the point of the dagger and pierced it through her skin.

Layla felt the cold blade run into her body, cold and slow. She tried to contain the shout of pain, but failed miserably. The blade was cutting too deep... Tears rolled down her face as a scream of pain escaped from her lips.

"Scream as much as you like," Marik said soothingly. "This room is coated with magic that will not allow any sound to penetrate this room. No one can hear you." He smiled possessively as he watched the blade sink deeper and deeper into her skin. Then, he snapped out of his possessive state and a whole string of curses flew out of his mouth. The blade ran too deep into her body. It would definitely leave a scar... He growled, watching the blood run around the blade, down Layla's body. Suddenly, all that mattered to him now was the red down... Was it as good as Anippe's blood? Without taking the dagger out, he leaned in and tasted the blood. Not as good, but it was still good.

Layla whimpered a bit, knowing that it'd be no use screaming. The feeling of Marik's tongue...she shivered. The blade...it hurt...the fact that it was still in her made it worse. She could feel the iciness of the blade, pushing against her skin.

Marik watched Layla's every reaction as he carefully, slowly, licked the blood from her chest. Was that a knock? It wasn't a large knock, but it was, inexplicably, a knock. Marik growled. He was just in the middle of his torture and somebody had to ruin it for him. For Ra's sake, he was busy! He walked toward the door of the room and into his chambers...leaving Layla whimpering, with the blade wedged in her chest.

"What do you want?!" Marik snarled as he opened the door.

"Excuse me?" Ishizu asked suspiciously, staring him down. "What's with the attitude?"

"What attitude?" Marik asked as politely as he could once he noticed it was Ishizu. "I was just...busy. That's all."

Ishizu gave him a doubtful glance. "What were you doing?" she pressed.

"N—nothing!" he stammered, wondering if he had left any evidence of his torture.

Ishizu sighed. She was getting nowhere like this. "Okay," she drawled out, wondering if she should inquire more. "The Pharaoh wishes to see you," she added. "I suggest you meet him as soon as you can."

"That might be a while," Marik countered, wanting desperately to get back to his torment. "I'm busy right now."

Ishizu was getting more irritated by the minute. What could be more important than seeing the Pharaoh? "Well," she said scornfully. "If what you're working on is that important, I should know what it is."

Marik went pale in the face. If Ishizu knew what he was doing, then she would surely punish him good; or she would tell the Pharaoh or High Priest, which was even worse. "Well, I—uh..." he stuttered, unable to come up with an excuse.

"Well?" Ishizu pushed more. "What were you doing?"

"...I..." he faltered. Immediately, he just said the first thing he was thinking of. "I was working on a present for you." It was the only reasonable thing he could come up with.

Ishizu looked relieved before replying, "Well...my present can wait. You need to go see the Pharaoh. Go!"

Marik slouched slightly as he walked out of his chambers toward the Pharaoh's. Great. Now, not only do I have to meet the Pharaoh, but I also have to make a present for Ishizu. I am so blessed...

Seto: (dumbfounded)

Dark Conscience: (dumbfounded)

Alley Cat: ... (sweatdrop) You didn't like it, did you...

Dark Conscience: ...no comment...

Seto: (laughs really, really hard)

Alley Cat: (whines) (goes to mope in a corner)

Dark Conscience: ...I'm actually happy that Marik will be going away for a little while...

Alley Cat: (cries)

Seto: (still laughing)

Dark Conscience: Oi. Why do I hang out with a pyromaniac and an overemotional friend? ...Oh woe is me.

Alley Cat: ...I'll be alright. I knew it was bad anyway. Partially why I'm kicking Marik out in the next chapter.

Seto: (still laughing)

Alley Cat: ...I think something's wrong with him...

Dark Conscience: Something was ALWAYS wrong with him...

Alley Cat: ...Do you think we should get him to the hospital or something?

Dark Conscience and Alley Cat: (look at each other) Nah!

Dark Conscience: ...See the button down there? CLICK IT! Please R&R!

Alley Cat: Yep! You will make me ever-so-happy!