Mew: Alright, I admit it. I've been really lazy about this and my other chapter stories lately. Of course, if I just start writing then I usually can't stop. It's weird. Anyway, it took me forever just to start this chapter. Sorry!
Draiku: You'd better be.
Yoko: Shame, shame.
Mew: Yes, if you wish, you may shoot me with a rifle or some sort of gun, especially if you think the chapter sucks arse. Anyway, like I mentioned in the last chapter, this one's mostly about Marik and Bakura, so you might not see Malik or Ryou very much.
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
The Prince of Thieves and the Slave
Chapter 5: The Death of a King
Marik rode through the desert swiftly, trying to escape from a few soldiers that had happened to see him. He glared at them and kicked his horse's sides to speed up. He went faster, then got an idea. He grabbed a small dagger from his belt and threw it at one of the guards. The dagger hit its target, right in the center of one guard's forehead.
The other two guards stopped in surprise and Marik took it as a chance to get away. He kept running until he came upon his camp, where he saw his men waiting for him.
"Marik!" one said happily. "Was your journey safe?"
"Partly. There are two guards after me, but I managed to get away," he said, getting off his horse and taking his steed to water. The horse drank gratefully.
"Really? Shall we take care of 'em for you if we see them?" one man said. Marik nodded.
"Sure, thanks," he said. He looked around the camp for Bakura, but saw him nowhere. He looked to one of his men.
"Is Bakura around?" he asked.
"'E said that 'e 'ad important business t' tend t', so 'e left a few days back," the man replied, looking up from a piece of wood he was carving out of boredom. Marik's eyes glazed over sadly.
"I see," he mumbled and went back into his tent to rest.
-
Bakura rode through the desert until he came upon a recent tomb. He grinned wickedly and opened the door, reading the warning inscriptions.
"'He who enters this tomb awaits a lifetime of pain and misery, followed by even more suffering in the Underworld,'" he read aloud, grinning still. He entered the tomb, watching for traps of any sort. He found a loose stone and saw holes in the wall to his right, then he pressed the stone and immediately threw himself to the floor. Huge spears flew out through the holes and hit the other wall, clattering next to him.
"Idiot tomb builders," he muttered and picked up a spear, just in case. He kept going forwards until he came to the next room, which was the burial chamber. He smirked and opened the many golden sarcophaguses until he found the mummy's body in the center. He took the gold and the various other trinkets, slipping them into his pocket.
"Idiot pharaoh. Did he really believe that he could stop me?" he said, cackling. He found the treasure room and took out as much as he could hold, stringing necklaces over his head and around his arms. He even found a few small golden statues that he could easily stick into his pocket.
"That was one of the easiest tombs I've ever stole from," he said as he left the tomb. He laughed, then slowly stopped, staring at the deep blue horizon.
"Marik," he murmured sadly. He missed that man so much, wishing that he could have stayed longer. But no, he had to get his revenge on the pharaoh's son. He needed to appease the spirits of his friends and family from Kul Elna. He always wished that it had never happened so he could live a normal life.
He stared in the direction of his footprints, which were slowly being blown away. He turned towards them and got onto his horse, then rode back in the direction of the camp.
"I'm coming back, Marik," he muttered under his breath, then he yelled it out loud. "I'm coming back, my Marik! And this time, I'm staying!"
-
Bakura stopped at the camp, noticing everyone's bleak moods. Many were crying and praying to the gods. He stopped and tapped one man's shoulder.
"Where's Marik?" he asked. The man pointed towards the center of the camp.
"Right over there," he said softly. Bakura hurried in that direction and gasped, seeing an inscribed stone. He knelt in front of it and read the words carefully.
"'Here lies Marik, leader of all bandits. A great, courageous man, with strong words and a determined spirit. May he live in the Sacred Realm of Osiris for all eternity.'" Bakura gritted his teeth and lowered his head, fisting his hands until his palms bled. He felt a tear, something he hadn't felt in many years, trickle down his face and he quietly cried in front of the stone, mentally cursing himself for leaving.
He stood and walked over to another man.
"How did this happen?" he asked. The man sighed sadly and began crying himself.
"Marik left one day with two other men. He was ambushed by twelve soldiers. He tried to fight them off and he killed four of them, but one of them killed him with…with a spear, through his stomach. The other two managed to kill the rest of the guards, and Marik, right before he died, told the men to tell you that he said good-bye, and that he hoped to see you again in the Afterlife," the man said softly. "One man said that he managed to do what he loved, stealing, right before he died. In his hand he had the earring of a soldier, and one soldier's ear was bleeding somethin' horrible."
Bakura kneeled in front of the stone once more, crying even more.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, putting his forehead to the stone. "I love you always." He stood and draped a necklace with the symbol for love and care on it over the stone. He left the camp and went back to his horse, knowing that Marik's brother, Malik, should know of his brother's death.
-
Marik rode through the desert swiftly, looking for Malik's home. Marik had told him of the place one day while he was still healing. He touched the scar underneath his eye that Marik healed himself, wanting nothing more than to get revenge for both his village and Marik.
"I swear to you, Marik, I will avenge you," he muttered and prayed to the gods to allow Marik entrance to the Sacred Land of Osiris.
He continued riding until he found an oasis to stop at to rejuvenate. He took a long drink and took a large handful of dates from a tree, stuffing the fruit into his pocket. He then noticed the sun going down and decided to continue his journey in the morning. He spread out a blanket and lied down on it, falling asleep, his dreams filled with his lover.
-
After many days and nights, Bakura skidded to a halt in front of the cave Malik was said to live in. He got off of his horse and walked to the entrance of the cave.
"Is Malik there?" he called into the dimly lit cave. The infamous prince of thieves stepped out of the darkness and gasped.
"You're…Bakura!" He bowed quickly.
"Never mind that, Malik. I come with grave news." He told Malik of Marik's death in a solemn voice, leaving out no details. When he finished, Malik stared into space, disbelieving.
"No," he whispered. "That's not true. Marik can't be dead."
"I know how you must feel, Malik, but I'm afraid that it's true. I loved him as much as you did, and I miss him as well, believe me," Bakura murmured, trying to soothe the crying boy.
Malik let out a cry of anguish and fell to his knees, sobbing into his hands. Bakura kneeled next to him and did his best to comfort the boy by putting his arm around his shoulders gently and patting his back.
"He's gone," Malik wailed. "He's really gone. And he's never coming back! Never!" He hit the sand with his fists. Ryou came running towards them, his hair wet from the bath he was taking in the river.
"Malik, I heard you crying--," he started, then gasped when he saw Bakura. "B-Bakura!" he stuttered.
"Ryou," Bakura mumbled.
"What happened?" Ryou asked, turning his attention to Malik.
"Marik is…he's dead," Malik hissed, clenching his teeth. Ryou gasped, clapping his hands over his mouth.
"Oh, gods," he mumbled. "We only saw him just a few days ago."
"Gods…" Malik murmured, then began reciting a prayer to the gods, begging them to allow Marik entrance to the Sacred Land.
TBC
Mew: Well, that was probably the saddest chapter here so far. I actually cried while writing it. –sweatdrop-
Draiku: You always cry when you're killing a character.
Mew: That's 'cuz I hate seeing them miss each other! –cries- And again, I apologize for being lazy on my chapter stories. And I'm also sorry for making this so short.
Draiku: -sweatdrop-
Yoko: -sniffle- Please R&R!