Tragedyshipping (Mark x Amane)

(I know I said Tradeshipping would be next, but SerenePanic was kind enough to tell me about a shipping that was not already on the list that I'm using. It happens to fit alphabetically into this spot, so it's here now. I hope I do justice to it!)

He first starting reading the forbidden chapters of the ancient scriptures when he was eight years old. The old hieroglyphics came slowly to him, but he didn't dare ask Ishizu to read it to him. He knew what he was doing was against everything he had been taught. He wasn't old enough to read these chapters – in fact, only his father was allowed to read this part of the scriptures.

But his father was never in the archive. Marik felt safe there. And very curious.

Ishizu read the scriptures to him a lot. Marik secretly preferred it when Rishid made up stories for him – his older brother's voice was so rich, and made even the most boring of stories more interesting – but Rishid wasn't allowed to read the scriptures anymore. Not since Marik was born.

At first, reading the old, forbidden scriptures was more of an action of boredom rather than rebellion. They were fascinating: detailing old battles, secret societies, ancient conspiracies, prophecies, even things that belonged to the world above him. He wondered who learned about these things to write them down. He didn't know of anyone who was allowed to go to the surface.

But later, while his back twinged with ghost pains and the tears threatened to spill over once again, he turned to forbidden tomes as a secret, personal rebellion.

It was best when he stumbled across the passages about spells and curses. He would mouth the words slowly, silently (never aloud for fear they might work), allowing himself to fantasize about what would happen if he used them. Everything from finding water to killing your enemies was listed somewhere in the ancient words – but he could never find a spell that would allow him to escape his earthen prison.

He was ten years old and just barely recovering from the Tombkeeper initiation when he realized that someone was watching him.

A soft rustle caught his attention, like the swish of robes, and he jerked upwards with terror. The scroll in his lap clattered to the floor as he crunched up as small as he could go. But no shadow appeared the doorway. He chanced a peek. What was that shadow in the corner? Was it coming from the shelves? No...the candlelight should fall there...maybe it was a stain.

He looked nervously at the scroll he had dropped – the scroll with the spell for summoning spirits. Maybe he had given a little more breath to the words that usual...he might have tried to actually say the spell...but it couldn't possibly have worked, could it?

The candle flickered – and went out.

Marik yelped – so did a small voice in the corner with the strange shadow.

He tumbled from his chair and winced as he hit the hard stone floor. Instantly, he curled up into a ball as tightly as he could manage.

It's not real, he whispered to himself. It's not real. It can't be real. It can't be. It can't hurt me.

Nothing happened for the longest time. He chanced a peek.

In the darkness, the shadow in the corner seemed a little more solid. He could almost make out features, like a little child crouching down with its hands over its head, looking just as scared as he felt. The longer he looked, the more he could make out: eyes squeezed shut, with her pale hands clutching fistfuls of her silky white hair that fell around her blue-clad shoulders.

Neither of them moved. Both children huddled in their tiny balls. Finally, the girl cracked one eye open, and caramel brown eyes met Marik's violet ones.

He lipped his lips, which had become suddenly dry.

"Um...hello."

She trembled slightly.

"...hi."

She was as terrified as he was, he realized. This thought bolstered his courage, and he sat up.

"Who are you?" he asked. "How did you get down here? I've never seen anyone as pale as you. Where do you come from?"

She shivered, and slowly, slowly let her hands drop from her head.

"I'm...Amane," she said softly. "Bakura Amane. I live in Tokyo."

"Where's that?"

"In Japan."

Marik chewed on the inside of his cheek. Ja-Pan? He had never heard of such a place, not in any of the scriptures, or from Ishizu or Rishid or his father.

"Um...who are you?" she asked.

"Oh," Marik said, blushing a little for forgetting. "I'm Marik Ishtar."

"Pleased to meet you," Amane said shyly, ducking her head in what appeared to be a bow.

Marik blinked, surprised by the gesture and wondering if he was supposed to return it. People from this Ja-Pan place were a little odd, he thought.

"How did you get here?"

"I don't know," she whimpered. "I was telling momma all about my trip, and then everything got loud and bright, and there was this loud screech, and then it hurt all over, and then it was all dark and light and dizzy and then I was here. Where is here?"

Marik felt himself drooping a little. She was a ghost, after all, not a stowaway from the surface. But...the spell had worked. She was here. She looked real – she talked like a normal human being, and got scared like a normal human being...

He crawled over to her and sat down beside her. She shuddered a little, but didn't shy away.

"Where is here?" she said again, a little more desperately.

"You're in Egypt," he said.

Her eyes drooped.

"Oh," she said softly. "I was here just two days ago with papa. I found a nice birthday present for Ryo-nii."

Her words died in the silence, and then the silence grew.

She spoke first.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" she said.

Marik jumped a little.

"W-what kind of question is that?"

She ducked her head, not looking at him.

"I told Ryo-nii to smile," she said. "I think that's the last thing I said. Then everything got dark and light and dizzy. I didn't think death would feel like that."

Marik had absolutely no idea what to say. His mouth flapped open and closed a few times, and then he closed it again. Neither of them spoke. He licked his lips for perhaps the hundredth time.

"I used a spell," he whispered, as if speaking loudly would make her vanish. "I didn't think it would work. It was for summoning a ghost."

"Is that why I'm here?" she said.

"I guess so."

"How do I go see momma, then?"

"I...don't know. You'll probably just...vanish, after a while."

She didn't answer. Slowly, she hugged her knees to herself and hid her face between them.

"Marik-san?" she said quietly, without lifting her head.

"W-what?"

"If I died in Japan...and we're in Egypt...then why did your spell bring me? I was so very far away."

Marik blinked. It was a valid question. He hadn't thought of it before.

"I...I don't know."

Again, the silence grew between them. Marik dug his fingers into the ground.

"Um, Amane," he said. "Could you...maybe tell me about what life is like...in Japan?"

Amane peeked out through her arms at him.

"You want to know? From someone who's dead?"

"No one else will tell me. I've never...seen the sun before."

Amane lifted her head fully, staring at him with wide brown eyes. Surprise flickered in those eyes, but Marik didn't elaborate. They held each other's gaze for a while.

And then Amane started to talk.

Words painted pictures in the recesses of Marik's mind: things called cars that could travel across the land without anything pulling them, sprawling towns called cities that had towers that reached hundreds of feet high (Marik could barely understand the concept of something that tall), hundreds of thousands of people bustling up and down the streets, telephones that could be used to talk to people hundreds of miles away, factories that could make just about anything, festivals and school trips (he had to ask her to elaborate on what a "school" was), airplanes, and motorcycles – he could barely breathe for wonder.

Amane's voice trailed off. Marik reached out to her, about to ask her not to stop, but he noticed the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm never...gonna see any of that ever again," she said. "Marik-san...I'm afraid."

Marik's hand, paused in midair above her shoulder, tentatively moved. He brushed his fingers against the strange weaving of her clothing. A shiver ran through her.

"I think...you'll be okay," he said softly, wishing he could say something better.

She hugged her knees tightly. Then she took a deep breath.

"I can feel something tugging at me," she said. "You were right. I'm going to vanish in a moment."

Marik opened his mouth, but he had nothing to say. Slowly, she turned to look at him. Then she leaned over, and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Thank you, Marik-san," she said. "I'm glad I got to talk to you. I think we could have been friends if we had time."

"I – me too," he said, still feeling hot on his cheeks.

The shelves started to show through Amane's body, and Marik's fingers no longer felt anything solid.

"Marik-san!" Amane said in a hurried whisper. "Marik-san, I know why I came for your spell!"

"What?"

"It's because of nii-chan – you're going to meet my nii-chan – please, Marik-san, please make sure that he's smiling for me –"

And then she was gone.

He started at the spot where she had been, his hand still hovering in midair where it had once touched her shoulder.

"Nii...chan?" he said, testing the word out on his tongue. "I wonder...what that word means..."

Seven years later

Sunlight glinted off of white hair, imitating the light that glinted off the ocean foam. Marik had a job to do, but his eyes couldn't help but be attracted by the sight.

He drew in a sharp breath.

Then the figure turned, and soft, boyish features looked out at him. Gold glinted at the boy's chest: the familiar sight of the Eye of Horus greeted Marik.

He forced himself to remain calm. He had a job to do. A mission. He couldn't be distracted.

But for the briefest moment, he had thought it was her...

A/N: Aw, it's so sweet! And to think I might have missed this one! Thanks SerenePanic, for letting me know about it! And I managed to throw in some implied Angstshipping as well. :) We fangirls are a dangerous breed...heh, heh. Okay, so next will be Tradeshipping for sure this time (Seto x Sugoroku). Geez...at least I got to postpone it for a little bit...