Standshipping (Rishid x Jonouchi)

His first thought when he hopped up onto the battle field was: that's not Marik. But it was a stupid thought, and he didn't know why it popped into his head. Of course this was Marik. He was waving that stupid Millennium Rod around like he was trying to scare him. Not that that was gonna work – Katsuya Jonouchi didn't scare easily.

But still...what was it? What was it that felt off? It was like something wasn't quite clicking. But he shrugged the thought aside and kept playing. And yet...it didn't take long for him to forget who he was playing. It didn't take long for what was at stake to slip from his mind. He knew he shouldn't be, but he was actually having fun! This tall, tan-skinned man played like a master, and not a single underhanded trick tainted his game. It took all of Jonouchi's skill and thoughts to play him – it was the most exhilarating game he had ever played in his life!

"You know what...I don't think you're actually Marik."

He had such a bright spirit, that boy. A fiery, fighter's spirit that Rishid couldn't help but admire. He took care to hide these thoughts from Marik, but it grew harder and harder as the game continued. The bleach-blond boy was one of the most challenging opponents he had had in all his time on the surface. Even in spite of Marik's assurance that this would be an easy duel, the young boy was giving Rishid a hard time of it.

It was the kind of game, the kind of personality, that just made Rishid want to smile.

"You know what...I don't think you're actually Marik."

For some reason, he was not shocked by these words. He felt guilty, though, because he knew why the boy had figured it out. Rishid had put his soul into this game. He had allowed himself to bleed through, instead of continuing to emulate Marik.

He couldn't help it; Jonouchi was such an intriguing player. He wanted to be himself when he faced Katsuya Jonouchi.

And that's why he wasn't worried when the lightning of Ra struck him down, when the last thing he saw was a mere glimpse of Marik's shocked, almost hurt face, and the worried faces of Jonouchi and Yugi. If Yugi was at all like his friend, perhaps...perhaps...Marik could be saved.

But in spite of his trust in Jonouchi's fire, he did not reveal his name before he blacked out.

Because, in the end, he was only a shadow of Marik.

A/N: Well...I think I'm losing my touch. And that's really all I have to say about this one. Next up is Stalkshipping (Kaiba x Ryo x Miho). Oh, and I would like to let you all know: if you have a favorite shipping, even if its not coming up, and it's not a particularly popular one (e.g. Puzzleshipping, Puppyshipping, etc), then let me know so I can make sure it's on my list. I've almost missed a couple of good ones, so I don't want to miss your favorite. Even if it's not coming up any time soon, let me know so I can either confirm that it's on the list or add it. And that's it, so have a lovely weekend!