Marik sighed as he began shopping. The days seemed to pass painfully slow without Ryou near him. Things that had once amused him, amazed his lover were...dull.
"Ryou..." he mumbled waiting in the checkout, his shopping didn't take nearly as long anymore...no curious piece of heaven constantly asking questions. No brighteyed myth begging to learn the mysteries of his world.
The woman at the register smiled at him. "You look like you've been stuck by a truck...maybe you should go look in a mirror sometime..." she cooed at him. "Pain eventually goes away." Marik sighed. "Maybe someday..." he replied taking his change and picking up his bags, heading to his car. On his windshield was a flyer. 'Come to club Mirrorz!' He groaned and pocketed the flyer, opening the car and getting in, setting the groceries in the passenger seat.
The day continued despite his heartache. He was stopped several times, throughout his walk through it however. An african mirror vendor on the corner, a chinese woman gave him a haircut for no fee asking him every so often to look in the mirror at it, a spanish woman had been tinkering with his rearview mirrors, before running off giggling to herself. By the end of the day Marik was wondering why his day had seemed to revolve around mirrors, though he did crave to look into them. Somehow the longer he looked, the deeper he gazed, the better the world behind him seemed to be.
A woman smiled behind him, tapping his shoulder and nodding. "Mirrors are wonderful things...a wonderful gift to this world. We can see things in mirrors we couldn't before...and no matter how long you stare into one the image will always smile back at you." She said calmly. "The world is always better when you look into mirrors, if only for a moment." She said picking up the mirror and bowing. She was going to buy that mirror.
Marik returned home once more, the sun was setting at his heels, and he'd spent the better half of the day gazing into mirrors. It did make him feel slightly better, to look into the mirrors. If he just wished hard enough, he could imagine that the world inside the mirror was a world where Ryou was still alive. It always explained the smile on his face. "In the mirror, I still have Ryou..." he reasoned sitting on the couch and leaning his head back against it. "I envy my reflection...that's sad..."
xoxoxoxo
Marik was just laying down to sleep, when he groaned and patted his pillow. It was unusually hard tonight. He sat up and pressed on it. He blinked. "Since when did I put things under there?" he mumbled pulling out a rather odd looking mirror. It was round and decorated with gold and silver stars, a moon at the top and a sun at the bottom. He smiled slightly. "Well...this is interesting...I wonder where I got this thing...it's kind of gaudy..." he mumbled laughing slightly and holding it out, looking into it.
Ryou couldn't have been prouder. "I knew you'd find it!" he chriped clapping his hands as Marik gazed into the mirror. He moved behind Marik and hugged him. "Marik..." he mewled softly.
Marik's eyes widened considerably and he dropped the mirror onto the bed blinking. "I'm dreaming aren't I?" he blurted pinching himself harshly. He winced and shook his head, slapping his cheeks a few times with both hands. "Brrr! No more late night beers for me." he grumbled, picking up the mirror once more. Once again he looked into it, and again, there was a a beautiful image of his lover curled up behind him, his chin resting on the scientist's shoulder.
"Marik..."
Marik stared in shock for a few moments, hardly believing his ears, his eyes. "Oh god Ryou...is that you?" he asked, his voice breathy and shaking. The youth behind him nodded, opening his eyes.
"Your eyes..." Marik said starting to turn and look at his shoulder. "They're different..."
"Dont, you wont see me if you look away from the mirror..." Ryou said quickly. "Listen Marik...I'm not dead." he cooed smiling as Marik turned back to the mirror.
"What do you mean not dead! I saw you dead with my own eyes!" Marik said shaking his head. "I saw your body turn to sand!"
Ryou nodded somberly, the stardust in his eyes glimmering. "Well...I um...suppose I'm kind of dead then." he said wrinkling his nose. "That's not the point! I'm not gone. I...I was a mistake. I wasn't supposed to have lived. Marik...listen I'll never...die." He said softly, kissing Marik's cheek.
Marik smiled, feeling the lips brush over his cheek. "Oh god Ryou I missed you...I'll carry this mirror everywhere with me...I'll never let you leave my side again..." he breathed in wonder.
Ryou shook his head. "That wont work Marik...I can only come visit in the night...I'm well...I'm a servant of the moon goddess..." he mumbled looking down. "I might be able to stay tomorrow during the day...but...after that I'd have to go home...I will be exhausted." He cooed nuzzling into his lover, glad to be seen and heard, felt once more.
Marik frowned. "Ryou...I cant live without you..." he said sadly closing his eyes to keep from crying infront of his lover. Ryou always hated seeing him in pain.
Ryou sighed softly. "I...I know Marik. I came tonight...with my mistress' mirror...The gods...you have to get the favor of the gods...if you do, you can come live with me!" he said smiling. "Eros and Aphrodite...Athena all already favor you...The Muses and Graces as well...b-but that's not enough...the gift of...living on Olympus is...not so easy to get..."
Marik's eyes widened once more. "...are we talking...Greek gods? But they're just myths!" he said shocked. "They were disproved a LONG time ago by the christian god!" Ryou wrinkled his nose. "Quiet down or you'll make them mad! If they didn't exist, I wouldn't...merpeople wouldn't..." he said softly. "To gain the favor of the gods Marik...it will be so hard, but I promise I will help you! If you cant be with me, then I swear I'll find a way to you...but for now this is the best Eros and I could think of."
xoxoxoxo
Marik yawned and looked in the mirror, scanning over the room. He smiled when he caught sight of his little lover curled up on the bed snoozing. "Ryou. Ryou wake up." he mumbled gently nudging him, eyes never leaving the mirror.
Ryou grumbled and swatted at Marik's hand. "Lemme alone Eros...five more minutes..." he mumbled softly, his laurel crown crooked from the angle he was sleeping in. Marik chuckled softly and laid back, holding the mirror so he could admire his lover once more. He was truly spectacular...even more beautiful than before, if that were possible. He glowed with a soft light that could only be compared to a nightlight. Marik sighed reaching over and gently brushing Ryou's bangs from his eyes, glad to feel the soft hair against his fingers.
He grinned and plucked the laurel crown from his head and pulled it over. He blinked as the crown materialized in his hand. "Amazing..." he mumbled putting down the mirror to look at the crown. It was made from silver leaves and gold stem, decorated with...small stones that glowed brightly, twinkling like stars.
"Marik..." he heard softly, and closed his eyes smiling, holding the crown. "I...um...I'm going to need that back. Mistress Selene will absolutely kill me if she sees it missing."
Marik laughed loudly at that, even though he couldn't see Ryou, he could hear him. "Explain to me Ryou...all those days I taught you...today teach me. How are you like this? What is going on?"
xoxoxoxo
Marik nodded as he felt Ryou climb over him and kiss him. "So...I wasn't supposed to have lived...b-but I did. I love you..." his little lover cooed, nuzzling him. It was awkward to be kissed and nuzzled by an invisable force, but Marik knew it was Ryou, and welcomed the affections gladly.
"So...you said I'd have to get the favor of the gods...how am I going to do that? I'm not going to have to kill some crazy mythical beast am I?" he added making a face.
Ryou laughed and curled up against Marik, the mirror lifting by itself to show Ryou's amused face. "Of course not! Hercules killed them all anyway." Marik gave a sigh of relief as the mirror seemed to levitate around.
"Each god will ask you to do something...kinda like Hercules' twelve tasks...only there's fourteen...cause well..that's the number you'll need to outweigh all other minor gods and immortals. You need the votes of the fourteen original Olympians. You have Athena...that's a start."
Marik frowned. "I thought you said I had more." Ryou nodded and wrinkled his nose cutely, the stardust in his eyes glimmering. "Yes, but their votes dim in comparison to an Olympian vote. The most important three is Poseidon, Zeus and Hades...they're the three hardest to...well convince." He said softly. "I'll try my best to help you...I dont want to see you die while I continue on forever alone..."
