Chapter 10: The Chase! Dun dun dun dun dun duuuun!

«Marik, qu'est-ce que tu as fait ce weekend? As-tu mangé un ananas? »

"HUH!" Marik snapped back to reality, surprised. Had he just been daydreaming in French? Was Malik saying something important, or being annoying and excursive again? Were the Backstreet Boys still cool? He didn't know!

"Marik, what's going on? Who was out the door?" Malik looked at him with curiosity mixed with suspicion. It wasn't like his yami to daydream. …Well, ok, it was, actually, but usually he was stroking a knife, the veins on his face were stretched out, and he was laughing maniacally while he daydreamed. But now his darker half was frowning, and seemed to be actually thinking about something.

"Yugi," the dark-spirited platinum blonde answered finally in a low voice, as if he was making some dark confession that had been locked up inside of him for only a few hours, accumulating guilt.

Malik's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Did he give you my five bucks?"

"Not exactly."

A vein stuck out on Marik's head. "WHAT?" He kicked Marik in the back of the leg. "GO GET MY MONEY, YOU BUM! GEEZ!"

"Malik, your mom goes to college!" Marik said.

"WHAT!"

Marik ran outside. Since Yugi only had a head start of two minutes, and he had been walking, Marik figured that if he ran twice as fast as Yugi walked, he could catch up to him. Assuming Yugi was walking at one block a minute, and he'd already walked two blocks… It would take Marik two minutes to catch up with him. Math is power.

The night had suddenly become warm. Because of this, swiftly summoned sweat slicked the nape of his neck. Heat made the atmosphere somniferous, as if one could treat the humidity as a blanket, snuggling under it and falling into the arms of Morpheus like a reunited lover. Marik's jog quickly became a walk. He was lucky that he could see Yugi two blocks in front of him. The caped yami dashed with all of his strength towards him, figuring that even if he couldn't stop himself, he could still knock over Yugi and strangle him. Hell, he could use Yugi as a mattress. .. He was tired. (Those two periods are supposed to have an underscore between them. It's a face.)

Yugi heard the slap of shoes behind him and turned around. After catching sight of his pursuer, he quickly looked away, peeved, flustered, bewildered.

What the heck is he following me for? Oh, puh-leeeeeeeez don't tell me that he's gay and that he's going to say that he likes me. o.o That would just be too cliché. He probably just wants to laugh at me or something. Or maybe it's my glasses.

Yugi sighed and touched his glasses. Suddenly he didn't feel like going to the movies. Somebody from school might see him and ask about them. Walking through the humid air had tired him out; he wanted to go home now. The sky was beginning to gray, which Yugi knew would swell into black, and the muggy night air would be unbearable. It wouldn't be worth watching the movie if he had to walk through the Hell on the way home.

He made me feel really self-conscious about my glasses, Yugi mused. Everybody does. It's probably because they always slip, so I always have to push them back up my face. I had to banish my right hand to my pocket to keep from meddling with them. Man, I hate glasses…

I wonder why Marik is showing such a prolonged interest in me? …Ew, rephrase that: I wonder why he won't stay away. I guess it's because, well, I'm the Pharaoh's other half… He probably wants to use me for the Millennium Puzzle, even though I gave it to Yami to wear as a gift. Ha ha, I still remember falling over and over the next couple of days because I was thrown off balance, since I was so used to wearing an extra five pounds around my neck. He he he… That was pretty funny. I always look stupid. I can laugh at myself, usually. But why does Marik get me so flustered inside? Is it because of the New-Me program? Maybe I should cancel it…

But then I would never find out what Marik is up to!

Marik was creeping up behind the more petite blonde. A dark snicker found its way to his lips; Yugi heard it and turned around. The yami froze.

For five seconds, Yugi just stared back the way he had come. Marik wondered what he was looking at. Then, not seeing Marik behind the tree, he turned and continued along his way.

He was mumbling to himself. Loudly. Marik was immediately struck with curiosity.

Creeping closer, he found that Yugi was still muttering out loud to himself, grumbling. Marik reached out to tap him on the shoulder, scaring the bejabbers out of him, but Yugi said something important first…

"I'm never going to listen to Marik. I don't care what he thinks. Ever!"

Nani…?

Marik froze. He doesn't care what I think…? How can I instill fear, if he doesn't care what I think? How can I defeat the Pharaoh if he doesn't care what I think? How can I get back the five dollars if he doesn't give a hoot what I say, or who I am, or what I've done to him in the past?

Marik let out a feral growl of frustration and dashed madly into the bushes. This motion, due to a coupling of the growling and the rustling of many leaves, was quite noisy. Yugi turned around and saw Marik run off.

I have to find a way to instill fear into the pip-squeak. If I don't, gaki-me will be able to walk all over me. I don't have the Millennium Rod, so intimidation is my only choice, Marik concluded as he kept running. I have to think of something…! …Malik says rushing water helps thoughts. That might help.

I shouldn't feel guilty… but I do, Yugi thought. Shoot. I thought I was past feeling empathy for bad guys. What would Yami say if he were here?

A Yugi-imagined Yami pranced around in the smaller blonde's brain. "It's time to DUEL!"

Yugi sweat dropped. "That's not exactly helpful…" He looked at the place where Marik had thrashed through the bushes, observing. It seems like an easy enough path to follow, he thought, and so concluded: I should go after him and apologize. No, wait, the New Yugi wouldn't do that. …Well, he might… Besides, the Old Yugi wants to and he's more important so there. :P

Malik looked at the clock. "What the heck is taking him so long?" he howled. "He should've been back here by now. How long does it take to steal something from Yugi!"