Guess what everybody!!!!!! My best friend Katana has written a fanfic at last, and I'm sure she'd really love it if you guys read!!! It's wicked awesome!!!!!!!! A BIG THANK YOU to seto'swifey for the review!!!!!! Alrighty, let's get on with the show!!!!

Chapter 6

That night, Marik laid on his bed, wondering what had made those terrible wounds in Bakura's flesh, and why the thief was acting so strangely towards him now.

Just as Marik's thoughts had begun to quiet and his mind was drifting in that nebulas world between asleep and awake, he felt those very same arms that had tried to strangle him once before, gently shake him awake now.

"What's going on?," Marik whispered groggily, his mind still hazy with sleep.

Bakura put a finger to his lips and motioned for the blonde to follow.

Obediently, Marik followed the thief out of the underground sanctuary, out into the beautiful night air. Marik breathed in the wonderful scent of the outside world, drank in the sight of the dark hues of the Egyptian sands, and the pristine of the wind caressing his cheek.

The thief, sensing once again that Marik was acting extremely peculiar, decided to find out why.

"First, you tell me that you've never seen a papaya fruit, and now you're going to say that you've never seen Egypt!?!?!" Bakura said, astounded by his captives lack of experience.

Marik blushed fiercely, " Tombkeepers aren't supposed to leave their tombs!," he countered, " My father would never have approved of this!"

Bakura scratched his hair, a puzzled expression on his features, " Oh no? Then what about your sister?"

The blonde lowered his head, "She was selected to be the High Priestess before she was even born….." his voice trailed off, leaving nothing but an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The albino paused for a moment, thinking about what Marik had just said, and decided that it was time for a change of mood.

"Come with me.," Bakura all but commanded, while grabbing the blonde's thin wrist. Marik blushed hotly and he internally punished himself for it. Ever since he had looked into those mesmerizing eyes, he had felt strangely towards the thief. A feeling that was beginning to replace his pity.

Higher and higher up a sand dune Bakura led him, until his feet ached and his limbs screamed for mercy. The thief, however, did not tire so easily and took the blonde by surprise when he wrapped his arms around Marik's legs and lifted him onto his back.

Marik was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of heat, as his loins came into contact with the small of Bakura's back. Eventually, this feeling was replaced by a wonderful sense of security which enveloped the egyptian in a different kind of warmth, one that was threatening to seduce him into slumber.

"We're here.," was all Bakura said, before setting Marik down with surprising gentleness. He took the blonde's hands and led him to the ledge of the sand dune, while covering his ever curious violet eyes.

"Okay," Bakura whispered and simultaneously released Marik's eyes.

A sea of glittering lights greeted Marik, bathing him in a glorious wave of white. The moon, as large and brilliant as anything the blonde had ever seen, was in it's full form tonight, smiling as if in contentment. The glittering, shimmering twinkle of the millions of tiny stars were reminiscent of tiny diamonds, adorning the nights elegant black gown. All around, Marik could see the beauty that was Egypt, even the legendary Nile, asleep and babbling quietly as it basked in the delicate light.

"Oh my Ra……," Marik finally managed to gasp, recovering his breath, "It's like nothing I've ever imagined…..," The blonde then turned to Bakura, only to once more have the air stolen from his lungs.

Although Bakura was handsome by day, the sun did not do him justice. It seemed to Marik that every strand of Bakura's hair was transformed into sparkling pieces of starlight and his scars seemed to melt away, leaving his skin to shine like polished ivory.

And those eyes, those eyes that in the sunlight were stained a hellish blood red, shone like the freshest of roses when kissed by the moon.

For this reason, Marik did not know which was more beautiful, nor which he had been waiting for his whole life to see.

" What do you think?," Bakura whispered so quietly that his voice seemed to mesh with the wind.

Marik sat down, exasperated and overwhelmed by a sudden surge of emotion. Bakura followed and for a while, the pair sat in silence, both lost in the exquisiteness of the world.

The blonde glanced over to find that the albino was staring at him with a strange kind of intensity. With a hesitant, shaking hand, Marik reached out to touch the thief's lovely face. When nothing happen, the blonde tentatively placed his other hand on Bakura's cheek, stroking the skin tenderly with his thumb.

Then, as if being compelled by the Gods themselves, Marik leaned over and gently pressed his lips to Bakura's. Although at first the albino's body tensed with shock, it quickly relaxed as Bakura responded by wrapping his arms protectively around the blonde, deepening the kiss.

As they slowly broke apart, Marik looked up into Bakura's eyes, to find the same tearful expression he had glimpsed that afternoon.

" I think that it's beautiful," Marik whispered tenderly, " I think that you're beautiful." And with that final reassuring remark Bakura's defenses came crashing down, allowing the albino to pull him into another warm embrace.