ne was SO much fun to write!

Continuity note, this takes place right after Duelist Kingdom, so roughly around the same time as the last chapter but from Marik's perspective. Next chapter will see them all back at home in Domino :)

This was very loosely inspired by GoddessRougue's Libra doujinshi Malik's in Love on Deviantart, which resurrected my love of Librashipping (special thanks to her for coming up with the concept of Malik falling in love with Yugi at first sight!)

Shout out for my Girl Orochi-Dragon14 who got me hooked on Libra to begin with!


Lovestruck

For some, love is a feeling growing steadily over time. For others, it laps gently like low tide waves before it rolls in quickly. But for some, it comes like a light strike to the heart: quick, sudden, all-consuming and changing everything you thought you once knew—-at least that was how Marik felt when he first set his eyes upon Yugi.


Marik purposely waited until Rishad had left to gaze upon the Face of the man he was destined to kill. Ever the loyal servant and dutiful brother, he'd obeyed Marik's request for solitude unquestioningly and proceeded to carry out his wish. Pity, what he's found already was what Marik already knew...

"Domino City, hm?" Marik asked without looking up. His gazed focused on the Rod's single, staring eye.

"Yes." Rishad answered unemotionally. "It is not public knowledge yet but we have it on good authority that all the best duelists from the country will be gathered there for a tournament to be held by Seto Kaiba."

The man paused in a way only Marik noticed.

"And what else, Rishad?"

Another pause then finally he answered. "We have also confirmed that Ishizu is already within the city. This...tournament...is her idea. She is planning on meeting with Kaiba just before the exhibit goes public in about a week's time"

"That's no surprise. This whole thing stinks of our sister's scheming." He snorted in disgust, memories of their last encounter as fresh in his mind as he was certain it was in hers. There was only one reason why she'd go to such lengths. Why she'd hide the third God when he already had two. Only one person she would go against him for.

"So it's true then." It wasn't a question. Anger, hate and absolute revulsion laced every single one of his words. "The Pharaoh has finally returned but the coward is possessing the body of a young man."

Rishad wisely said nothing.

He didn't have to.

Marik snorted again and do nothing to hide his disgust. "How predictable."

The very Memory reviled him all over again.

Pulling his fingers away from the Rod's axe blade he faced the embedded Sennen eye sparklingly tempestuously in the flickering candlelight.

"Let's take a good look at who I'm up against," He informally addressing the Rod, which shone obediently, then demanded "Show me this so-called Pharaoh."

The rod obeyed with a dusky golden glow and the eyes of his puppet spy on Duelist Kingdom Island opened.

The boy who dared to call himself king still dominated the flesh he wore like an old coat. Marik probed deeper, digging through the fool's memories for more information. He saw duels between the false king and the fool Pegasus, against worms who called themselves champions and unscrupulous scum who were doubtless rotting in Amit's bowls for their arrogance.

To his immense disgruntlement the man was attractive, though he'd expect more from a being meant to be a living god.

A jacket covered his broad shoulders and corded arms but he boasted a slim torso, much less muscular than one would expect, though he carried himself well. His every step was sure-footed and confident. He stood tall and assertive giving him an air of dominance and control despite his demur height. His face was not that of a god's but it was nonetheless a face that could lead kingdoms, command armies and charm the throngs: a round face with sharp cheekbones and a strong chin, smooth as if chiseled from stone but the healthy glow gave its pale color a more innocent look like a poisonous plant seducing all with the flower of his smile. If it could be called a smile, it was more of a smirk—sharp, fearless, and arrogant. Even more intimidating than his smile were his eyes: Seth's eyes, the bright bold color of freshly spilt blood or a blazing fire. Fire suited him and then, Marik thought, his flaming eyes smoldered with it, the fits of temper he displayed when he enraged like a conflagration, the ethereal way he carried himself so much like a flame itself, dangerous but beautiful. Even his outrageous crown of black spikes dropped in crimson swayed and burned like a black blaze, above a golden forelock.

Regal, Marik thought bitterly. Even memory-less he radiated confidence and regality like a fallen god.

Marik hated him even more.

A strong duelist, as well. Marik thought with dull resentment, commanding his army of monsters with the skill and fearlessness of a seasoned commander. There was a sharpness to his eyes and smirk that spoke of strength and strategy. There was a bluntness, a confidence to his eyes that blazed with spunk rather than pride. But there was also a gentleness to him that softened his indomitable spirit and spoke of a kind-heart: he had the beasts' loyalty as well as their love.

Marik's eyes narrowed to a hateful glower. His kindness was a mask, a false face and he wore it as well as he wore the body he invaded like a parasite.

A parasite that knew nothing of pain or suffering.

A parasite that expected to be obeyed like all around him were obedient dogs.

A parasite that murdered his father in cold blood.

This is the one for whom my family spent generations rotting away in the dark.

Marik would never forgive him.

He would defeat him.

He would defeat this parasite who dared called himself king and become Pharaoh himself and finally free his family from the jaws of shadow and suffering!

Resolve strengthened, he commanded the rod, "Now show me the keeper of the millennium puzzle."

The image the rod showed swirled: sharp angles softened, bright reds darkened to purples and the fierce and fiery face of the pharaoh softened and smoothed to the cherubic face of the false King's vessel.

Marik's heart skipped a beat.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another until all but completely stopped.

Then suddenly it hammered so rapidly it could put a hummingbird's to shame.

His brain short circuited and his mind blanked of all but the dazzling creature before him.

Was he having a stroke?

He was the vision of a goddess: he was a petite thing with a slim, slender build and long arms that were reminiscent of a dancer with soft lily-white skin. The uniform he wore clung to his hips and chest revealing a slender build with small muscles and a very lovely waist. And when he walked, he walked like a Queen: kind but confident, gentle but unyielding, delicate but determined.

For the briefest of moments Marik wondered what it would be like to have his arms around that waist. To have that slender chest flush against his, to have that lovely dancer's body pressed against his. To feel the softness of that lily-white skin.

Was it warm in this room?

He pulled down his hood, suddenly flushed.

He has the face of an angel, and oh what a lovely face it was! Round and cherubic with a small pointed chin and plump cheeks made for smiling and the whole thing curved into a heart when he smiled—Marik wanted to die when he saw that smile and settled for collapsing back in his chair instead.

Seriously had someone turned the heat up?

He started fanning himself, and tried to shift his heavy robe off.

Crowning that beautiful face, silky hair black as midnight dipped in magenta blazed in the same fiery shape as the false Pharaoh's but where the imposter's was all hard lines and sharpness, this young man's a was wild softness. His golden forelock curled cutely about that cherubic face like a diadem, the shadows of his smile hinted at something playful, and oh, how Marik wondered what it would've been like to run his fingers through it. To see if it really was as soft and silky as it looked.

But by far the most magnificent and mesmerizing of all were his eyes. They were the most beautiful thing Marik had ever seen: round and large as gemstones and just as violet. So big and expressive they radiated kindness and purity and their color—-their color, it was too simple to describe them as just purple, for they flickered in the light brightening and darkening with each emotion they expressed: a brilliant lapis lazuli blue with happiness, a mysterious purple like the last flicker of twilight, the deep, dark and penetrating violet of the night sky...

By Ra and all the Gods he could stare into those eyes for all eternity and never feel another negative emotion as long as he lived.

By Ra, he was an angel!

But who was he?

He leaned in closer, commanding the Rod to look deeper until he could both see and hear the beautiful creature speaking to his companions.

And now, now that Marik actually heard that voice, he all but died at what came out! Holy Baset, Lady of Love and Sexual Pleasure, that soft sweet voice was like a bell in Marik's ears. It was so kind and gentle and so...so...husky, that any who heard it would fall to their knees in worship of it!

True in that moment all Marik wanted to do was fall to his knees and prostrate himself in front of the boy and cry out at his majestic, regal beauty!

Who was this gorgeous creature? This sweet angel who has fallen from Ra's heavens for surely that's what he was no mere mortal human could possibly be so perfect, so sweet. So...so...cute.

He listened closely through the ears of his servant, hoping, begging, for his sweet angel's name. The strain would come back to bite him he knew, but he didn't care! In that moment no headache or pain could possibly be worse than the unbearable suffering of going another second without knowing the name of this precious, wonderful, lovable, adorable angel whose sweet smile and beautiful bright eyes made his heart do back flips.

Then he heard someone say the angel's name, and Marik heard music: the first note was a relaxed roll, the second, high and sweet.

Yugi.

Yugi.

Yugi.

He tested the name over and over on his tongue, loving how it tasted, how easily is rolled of it.

A breathtakingly beautiful name for a breathtakingly beautiful boy. Marik slumped back in his chair with a loud relaxed sigh. Oh God, why was his face so hot? Why was his heart beating so fast?

Was this...

Was he...

Could he possibly be...

"Master Marik?" Marik nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard Rishad.

Said man quirked an eyebrow at the strange reaction. It was odd seeing anything other than rage, hate or arrogance on Marik's face. This sudden, almost embarrassed surprise following what, had he not known better, sounded like a lovesick swoon was almost unheard of and was he...was Marik blushing?

"Rishad!" Marik sat up immediately but the command lacked the harshness and the greed it had before.

"In addition to your investigation into this so-called Pharaoh returning get me anything and everything you can find on a boy called Yugi Mouto!"

There was an unfamiliar brightness to Marik's eyes and the smile he now wore was neither a snarl nor a smirk. Again had Rishad not known better he would have called the look of curious enthusiasm joy?

"The vessel?" Rishad asked and grew even more concerned when Marik's entire expression shattered like a glass painting to one of horror and shock.

Marik skin around on his chair clutching the Rod and the image of Yugi it held like a lifeline.

Ra, Sekhmet and all the Gods above this was Yugi Motou! This precious, wonderful, loveable, adorable angel blessed by Ra's heavenly light was the vessel of the pharaoh? The very pharaoh he was supposed to destroy?

"Gah! What's wrong with me!" Marik shook his head in horror. "Oh God why can't my heart stop beating!?"

"Master Marik?" He heard rather than saw Rishad's inability to fathom what his younger brother was doing. Oh Amut, swallow him while had he just said that out loud?

He shook his head it didn't matter if this boy was the vessel. No, the pharaoh was a parasite he reminded himself unworthy of this this precious, wonderful, lovable, adorable angel who was a gift from Ra himself, and in that moment Marik resolved to find out everything he possibly he could about this this precious, wonderful, lovable, adorable angel who Ra saw fit to bless him with.

"Yes, Rishad!" He shot to his feet answering the man's earlier question to his clear surprise. "And inform me the moment you have his location! In the meantime recall all the Rare Hunters and ready the jet. We make for Domino City!"

Now that took Rishad by surprise.


Hope you all enjoyed Marik's little bout :) this was VERY fun to write! i love his pov and i can totally see him seeing Atem as an anime and falling head over heels in love with all of Yugi's strength and cuteness. Stay tuned for more segments!

NEXT TIME: The Dungeon Dice Arc the way it was SUPPOSED to be (aka in the Manga) has Bakura turned over a new leaf? Or does he have something far more sinister planned for out Favorite pharaoh and Yugi? Meanwhile Marik relocates the rare hunters to Domino determined to learn all he can about his hated rival Yami-and the super cute young man he inhabits.