Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters, not do I own the song. Please support the official releases.

Inspiration: "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden. I suggest you listen to the song before you read the story and while you read it.

This is entry two for Legend Of Derpy's Challenge ( topic/121058/82287428/1/#82383264).


So high.

So high. That's all Marik could think as he stared down at the empty streets below him. 600 feet below him. His breath quickened. His palms sweat.

"I can do this," Marik stated reassuringly. He gulped.

It was scary, the thought that a single gust of wind could send him plummeting to his death. That just the smallest step forward could end all the pain and suffering. Most of all, it was scary that he was about to do it.

The nearly-full moon glowed eerily in the sky, and the stars dotted the night. It was ironic, to Marik. The stars and the moon had the entire universe to freely float about in, yet they were forced to stay in one spot, follow one route devised for them. An item, surrounded by so much space yet unable to travel it, all because of a responsibility it couldn't let go of.

Sometimes Marik wondered if the moon and the stars minded it. Maybe they liked their daily routine of coming and going. Maybe Marik was just, once again, the odd-one-out. Maybe if Marik had stayed in his tomb and been a tombkeeper as he was expected to be, he wouldn't feel so utterly alone. Maybe staying in the dark and lonely tomb would have made him happier. But, it was too late now.

It was all too late.

Tears threatened to leak from Marik's eyes as he pushed all the thoughts from his mind. But he couldn't subdue them all.

'What will Isis and Rishid do when they find out? What will Yuugi and the others think? What will-...what will Bakura think?' All the answers were the same. They would move on, find something new to stimulate their rudimentary minds. All except, maybe, for Bakura...

Marik's thoughts fell back on Bakura. Bakura, the only one who seemed to care about him anymore; the fuck-buddy-gone-wrong. He had probably found the note Marik had left. Marik felt bad for leaving Bakura with nothing but a note. No parting words, no kind good-byes, nothing but a note.

Marik choked on a sob as he climbed over the rails of the apartment building he and Bakura lived in. He briefly remembered the time they had sex on the rooftop under the stars. It wasn't exactly the most high-class love spot, but with their low income it was good enough.

He sat on the rails, gripping them tightly as he looked down one last time. He leaned his weight forward, and-

"MARIK!"

Marik gasped and spun his head around. His lavender eyes met anxiety-filled brown ones.

"Bakura..." Marik breathed.

"What do you think you're doing?! Get down from there!" Bakura screamed.

"Bakura... I'm sorry."

"Wh-what?" Bakura stuttered, taking a step forward.

"I'm sorry," Marik stated again.

"You-you're sorry?" Bakura stated, dumbfounded. He growled, "You were about to leave me, and all you can say is 'I'm sorry'?! Get over here and-" Bakura's eyes widened and his heart stopped at Marik disappeared over the edge of the building.

"MARIK!" Bakura screamed. In a split second he was running across the roof and jumping over the bars and plummeting off the edge after Marik. He put his hands to his sides and quickly caught up to the tan boy. He wrapped his arms around Marik's waist and held him tight.

Marik's eyes widened as he felt Bakura's arms engulf him. Bakura's eyes squeezed shut as he prepared to die.

Everything happened in slow motion. They were flying! Marik saw the bright lights of advertisements flashing before his eyes. He could feel the wind rushing against his skin as they flew. And through this wind, he could hear the whisper in his ear.

"I love you. You're not alone."

He felt the teardrops falling on his neck. They were falling again. Everything went back to normal speed, then double, then triple. They approached the ground faster and faster and faster.

Neither could scream before they hit the ground. The crunch of bones upon the pavement and the splatter of mingled blood upon the ground was the only sound that could be heard in the deserted streets of Cairo, Egypt.

It was comforting to Marik as he ascended from his mangled and bloodied body. The thought that Bakura was always there. The thought that Bakura jumped with him, flew with him, crashed and burned with him. He wasn't alone. Even then, Marik could feel Bakura's arms around him as they flew away together into the night, as they flew away from the realm of the living. And although Bakura couldn't break his fall, it was comforting that he tried.


This story is inspired by the song "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden. I must have listened to the song fifty times while writing this. This is kind of an 'I'm sorry' gift for my girlfriend. Just meant to say 'I'll always go with you, through anything and no matter what.' Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please review and favorite!