Author's Notes: Well here it is! My weekly update! Chapter 14! I am very excited about this chapter since we get a lot of Bakura and Marik and a big question is finally answered! So without further ado, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

Unreal Truths

Chapter 14: Stranded

Marik's POV

It really didn't get much worse than this.

I gave a frustrated sigh and ran my fingers through my bangs, observing our new surroundings.

Bakura gave a huff and moved past me to kick a stray piece of driftwood, "How the fuck did we end up in the middle of nowhere?"

I rolled my eyes and fixed him with a glare. This was his fault after all.

I watched as my brother and sister make their escape on Odion's motorcycle and I gave a triumphant laugh. There was no way Bakura was going to catch them now.

Speaking of Bakura, I could hear him giving chase behind me and I pushed myself to run just a little faster.

I knew if I provided enough distraction, I could get Bakura to follow me instead of my sister. Of course that plan would have only worked if Bakura valued me more than the millennium items. Well, that's at least what I kept telling myself as I raced further into the hot desert.

I could hear Bakura's footsteps getting louder and I knew I couldn't keep up my pace much longer. That still didn't mean I was just going to let him catch me.

I cried out as I felt Bakura collide into me from behind and we both went crashing into the sandy ground, tussling with each other before I ran out of energy and let Bakura pin me.

"You really think you could run from me?"

I scowled and weakly struggled, "No, but at least I got you to leave my brother and sister alone. By now they are probably so far gone that you would never catch them! Plus, I don't know where they are heading so you can't threaten me into helping you!"

Bakura scowled and pushed me further into the sand, "It's no matter. I will get all the items eventually. This is just a small kink in my plans."

I gave a small smirk of triumph as he got off of me and brushed his clothes off.

"Get up Ishtar. We're going back to Japan."

I blinked my eyes in surprise, "We're going back to Japan? We just fucking got here!"

"Well there's no reason to stay now is there? I am not going on a wild goose chase all over Egypt just so I can maybe find the necklace when I already know where the puzzle is."

I could not believe what I was hearing. "We just freaking GOT here Bakura! We just spent several terrifying hours on a plane ride here to only turn right back around and leave?"

He gave me a look, "Yes Marik, we are going back to Japan, but by all means go ahead and stay in this wretched hellhole. I am sure you're old home is still here, you could go back and reminisce."

That had been the final straw. I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists before taking action.

Bakura's eyes widened in shock mere seconds before I plowed my fist into his face, and I watched as he fell to his knees, clutching his now bloody and hopefully broken nose.

"I am so SICK of your constant tormenting and taunting! You think that just because you push me around and bully me that I am going to give into you! I have some news for you though Bakura. You're wrong! I don't care what you do to me! I will never ever help you! You can threaten me all you want now, I don't give a shit. I'm done."

I crossed my arms and started the long trek back to the house. Turns out I ran a lot farther than I had first thought.

I didn't turn around to look at Bakura, but I knew it wouldn't be long before he would probably get up and begin chasing after me again. If I knew anything about Bakura, it was the fact that he just didn't give up. An admirable trait in most people, but Bakura wasn't most people.

Sure enough, it wasn't more than a minute before I heard footsteps behind me. I expected to get plowed into, but I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to reach the house without eating sand for the umpteenth time today. I walked up to the car and turned around to lean against it and looked at Bakura.

I was expecting to see anger in his violet gaze, but instead I got an ambivalent stare in return. His face and the front of his shirt were covered in blood and he shuffled over to the car.

He stopped a few feet from me and gave me a hard stare, "You broke my nose."

Somehow I didn't feel as joyous about that fact as I thought I would, but I wouldn't let Bakura know that.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

He took in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, "You think you could take me to the hospital?"

I cocked an eyebrow, "I probably could."

He ran a shaky hand through his now sand coated hair, "Will you?"

I gave him a blank look.

"…Marik….will you please take me to the hospital so that my nose doesn't heal looking all fucked up courtesy of you."

I smirked slightly at that and unlocked the car, "Alright. Let's go."

He slowly eased into the car and I drove to the nearest hospital. Neither of us said a word for the entire trip or during the time that we were there. It was only after we left that he said anything to me.

"We're going to steal a boat."

Why wasn't I surprised?

"Is that how we are going to get home?"

He nodded and looked out the window, "Just drive to the docks and I will take it from there."

"Right."

I drove to the docks in complete silence. Bakura stared out the window the whole time with a distant look in his eyes. For a few brief moments I actually felt guilty about breaking his nose, at least I did until I remembered what he had said and done earlier and I got angry all over again.

I pulled the car into the docks and turned it off. I looked at Bakura but he didn't spare me a glance as he slid out of the car and headed towards where the larger yachts where anchored.

I left the keys in the car and got out to follow.

Catching up to him, I saw that he had already picked out our ride home.

The yacht was at least twice the size of mine and was painted red with white zigzagging stripes down the side and had been affectionately named 'The Red Baron." I crossed my arms and walked up to Bakura, "How exactly do you plan on stealing that thing?"

He answered me by climbing up over the side of the boat and ducking into the ships interior.

I sighed and climbed up after him, after all there wasn't much else I could do at the moment.

I jumped in surprise when a few moments later I felt the boat's engine rumble to life below me.

The door to the cabin opened and Bakura walked out with a devilish smirk on his face, though the effect was sort of ruined by the large bandage covering his nose.

"There is nothing I can't steal Ishtar."

I sighed and gave him a slightly shocked look, "Well Bakura I must say I am…kind of impressed."

He gave a snort, distorted because of the bandages and I smirked.

Bakura gave a growl and went over to the anchor and used the automatic pulley system to hoist it up, "We're leaving now."

"Let me guess. You don't know how to drive a boat either do you?"

Bakura scowled but didn't say anything.

"I will take that as a yes then." I grinned and walked into the cabin, going up the ships wheel and feeling quite smug about it.

Bakura walked in and took a seat on the co-captains chair, focusing his eyes on me and watching my movements intently.

I glanced at him before carefully easing the boat out of the docking area, "It will take us about four weeks to get back to Japan, so I hope for your sake and mine that there is some food in this boat."

"There is, I already checked. There should be enough to get us back if we ration carefully. Basically Marik, don't be a fucking hog and we will be fine."

I rolled my eyes and considered going down to the food storage area and checking myself, but if Bakura learned anything from living as a thief, it would be how much food he and several others could live on over large amounts of time spent away from home.

"Alright, well…" I looked around before turning the boat full throttle and setting the coordinates for Japan. "I am going to go check things out. Just don't touch anything okay?"

He gave me a look and I returned it, "I am serious Bakura. We don't want to be stranded out in the middle of the ocean because you were a complete idiot and fucked the boat up."

"Just relax Ishtar, I am not going to sabotage our only ride home."

Sighing in defeat, I walked out of the cabin and went to check everything out.

All the necessities were in order and I didn't find anything wrong.

Luckily for me, there were several bedrooms so Bakura and I didn't come into much contact for the entire trip.

Things went relatively well for those weeks that I was confined on the ship with only Bakura as company. We never said much to each other and if we found ourselves in the same room, the tension was usually eased by one or the other leaving. It seemed that ever since I punched Bakura and let him know I was serious, he reconsidered his approach of how he treated me.

Not that I was complaining, but it was a tad bit disconcerting.

Everything was going well and as planned until the last leg of our trip. We had been on the open water for three weeks and I was down in storage taking stock of what food we had left.

I finished counting the boxes and put my hands on my hips. We had just enough left for another week and a half. This was good. Smiling in triumph I began to make my way back to my room when the entire boat lurched forward and threw me off of my feet and into the wall in front of me.

"Bakura!" I cried out and raced up the stairs and burst into the captain's area.

"Bakura what is going on?"

He looked at me with wide eyes, "I don't know!"

I clenched my fists and grabbed the wheel, "You had to have done something!"

Giving a frustrated cry at his clueless expression, I ran outside to the deck and moved quickly to the stern of the boat.

My eyes widened in shock as I saw a huge tear in the yacht's haul.

"SHIT!" I cried out and ran back to the cabin where Bakura was still standing with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Marik what is going on?"

"There's a breach in the haul!"

Bakura gave me a blank look, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

I gave a moan of frustration, "There's a HOLE in the side of the boat and we are taking on water!"

I could practically see Bakura's brain working through that particular piece of information and his eyes widened in shock, "We're sinking?"

"Yes!" I stomped my foot and raced back to the wheel. "There is a small island not far from here. I think I can get us there or pretty damn close."

"You think!" Bakura was by my side in an instant. "And what happens if you can't get us to the island in time?"

I glared at him, "Then I guess we are going to have to swim!"

"Swim?" He looked out the window at the still far off islands, "We'll get eaten by fucking sharks if we have to swim that far! There's no telling if we will even make it!"

"Not like we really have a choice Bakura!" I put the throttle down and the boat rocketed towards the island.

We were only a few hundred feet from shore when the water began to pour into the upper cabin area. I looked around and spotted Bakura on the deck.

Racing out I waved my hands and yelled to him, "Bakura we have to abandon ship!"

He looked at me then down at the water and back at me, "Right now?"

"Yes right now!" I grabbed a small bag of my important items and leaped over the side.

After a moment's hesitation I heard a loud splash as Bakura joined me in the water.

He swam up beside me and we began the tedious task of working our way through the water to the shoreline.

It seemed like it took forever but we finally reached the grainy shore.

I weakly crawled up onto the sandy beach and felt my heart drop as I saw the 'Red Baron' sink slowly to her watery grave.

Bakura crawled up beside me before collapsing into an exhausted heap, "Screw this shit. I am never ever traveling ever again."

I gave him a look then rested my head against the sand and let out a heavy sigh. What else could possibly go wrong?

So that's where we were now, stranded on a deserted island with no proper food, water or shelter on hand. We were completely and totally screwed, and all thanks to Bakura who finally admitted he had accidently bumped into the steering wheel the second day we were here.

"We are in this situation because you couldn't watch where you were freaking going! You just had to bump into the steering wheel and sink our only way home! So now, we are stuck here on this God forsaken island with no food or water with nothing but each other for COMPANY!"

Bakura make a grumbling noise and moved to stand in front of me. "Blaming me for this whole ordeal is not going to solve anything. Plus, we are fine! We found coconuts to eat and there is that small stream where we get our fresh water from, so quite frankly I don't get why you're bitching and complaining like an old woman."

I growled and clenched my fists tightly, seriously tempted to re-break Bakura's nose.

"First off I am blaming you because it is your fault! And it makes me feel better to do it so I will continue to do so! Secondly, I am complaining because we have been STUCK on a FRIGGIN' desert ISLAND for the past five days!" I kicked the sand in Bakura's general direction then walked over to a fallen tree and used it as a bench to sit on.

Granted the island was very beautiful, with a long shoreline that overlooked the ocean and a large spread of tropical trees. The whole thing reminded me of some sort of romantic getaway. Although my situation was anything but romantic at the moment.

Bakura gave a huff and began pacing across the hot sand, and when I say hot, I mean hot. The sun was directly overhead and with no protection other than the trees behind us, the sand had become incredibly hot. I scowled as I watch Bakura move back and forth with seemingly no regard for his probably scorched feet. Why he had taken off his sandals in the first place was beyond me, but whatever, I didn't give two shits about what he did to satisfy his possible masochistic urges. I looked down at the sand and frowned. I may be Egyptian but that didn't mean I had to like the grainy substance. In fact, I hated it, and that went double for when it was hot. The faster we got out of here, the better it would be for both my mental and physical well being.

I let my eyes wander to Bakura's pacing form and I watched as his muscles moved together in tandem making him look like some elegant feline predator.

How did he get his body back? How had he and my dark half managed to escape the darkest depths of the shadow realm and come back to wreak havoc on our world yet again?

These were the questions I really wanted the answers to, but I never figured I would get them. I guess there is no harm in trying now though. There was no better time than the current since I had Bakura alone and away from his cohort in crime.

"Bakura?"

He paused in his pacing and looked over to me, "What is it Marik?"

I studied him for a moment before speaking, "I know you didn't just appear out of nowhere because the gods willed it or some cheap crap like that, considering you are like the devil incarnate." At that he rolled his eyes. "So how are you and my darker half here? How did you manage to both bring yourselves and the millennium items back?"

He cocked a single eyebrow and walked over to a nearby palm tree. He looked at the trunk for a brief moment before leaning against it casually, "I don't owe you that explanation Marik."

I scowled and gave him a hard glare, "I think you owe me something Bakura. You've invaded Ryou and I's home, taken over everything we own and have insulted both him and me on a regular basis. I think that constitutes at least some partial explanation as to how you were able to come in and fuck our lives up."

Bakura's gaze hardened and he scoffed.

Okay, time for a different tactic.

"I would at least think you would want to brag about being able to drag your sorry ass out of the shadow realm."

"Insulting me is no way to get your answers Marik."

"As if you're any better." I kicked at the sand, "Come on, who am I really going to tell your trade secret to? That coconut tree over there?"

"Magic. That's how we did it."

I blinked. I really didn't expect him to answer me, although his response was less than satisfactory. "Well no shit Sherlock. I want to know details and just saying 'it was magic' isn't going to cut it."

Bakura gave a heavy sighed and uncrossed his arms, "You're not going to let this go are you?"

I shook my head no and have him an expectant look.

"Well fine." He gently rested his hands on the millennium ring. "It's shadow magic, very complicated and very powerful shadow magic."

He looked at me and I gave him a look. "Go on."

"Mariku and I were able to create enough power between us to recite several ancient spells and combine them together to get the result we ultimately desired. The first spell allowed us to send the millennium items back to whomever was chosen by them last. I think that was the most difficult part of the spell. It required a lot of energy and concentration and took several failed attempts before we finally succeeded."

He took in a deep breath and looked out towards the ocean.

"The next part was a little easier but more complicated in the mechanics of how it worked. First we had a ritual that allowed us to escape the shadow realm for short periods of time and we had another accompanying one that allowed us to form bodies from shadows; again for very short periods of time. We could give the illusion of having a body but we could only remain solid for maybe a minute tops and even then we were relatively weak."

He ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze back to me.

"Before we wanted to get the items back to the original owners we wanted to perfect keeping our bodies solid so that when we came after the items we would be able to grasp and keep them. So, now we had a way to get the items back from where they were buried and a way to get them, but there was one piece still missing. We had to figure out how to get permanent bodies."

I found myself surprisingly enraptured by his story. This was something purely out of my realm of belief and yet here the proof stood in front of me explaining it all. I found myself amazed as he continued on.

"That is the other main purpose of the millennium items. Through the final ritual we would be able to harvest enough dark magic from the millennium items themselves in order to fully form permanent bodies. We would need to get a single millennium item that we could keep with us all the time in order for it to work. We took the rod and ring because they were what we were used to and the items had already accepted us. That and they were among the easiest to get."

I scowled at his subtle insult but he only smirked and continued on.

"Over time, we would be able to draw on the item's powers and begin to form our permanent bodies, though it takes a lot of time." He pushed off the tree and walked over to me. "Let me show you what I mean Ishtar."

I swallowed hard as Bakura made a fist and reeled his arm back. I squeaked and froze as I watched his fist come flying towards me. I closed my eyes and braced myself for an impact that never came.

I slowly opened up my eyes to see Bakura standing there with a smug look on his face.

I swallowed and blinked as he chuckled.

"Didn't feel a thing did you Ishtar?" He waved his hand in front of my face and then put it on my shoulder and I gave a surprised yelp when it went right through.

"I won't be able to do that for much longer though. It's become opposite of what happened when we first started. Now I can only become shadow for short periods of time before I have to become solid again." His body gave a shudder as it must have re-solidified itself.

"T…that's….amazing Bakura!"

Bakura snorted, "Of course it is." He looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Any more questions Ishtar?"

I swallowed and thought about that. I could have sworn there was something I still wanted to know.

"O…Oh! Yes! How did you find us then, and the items?"

Bakura moved back over to his coconut tree, "That too is simple. We knew who had the items last so we knew where at least five of them would end up. It was all a matter of flipping through the Domino City phonebook. Or Facebook." He grinned and I felt my jaw drop slightly.

"You look as though you were expecting something much more complicated Marik."

I paused, "Well I was, but, I guess that makes sense." I shrugged and folded my hands in my lap. "Thanks for answering my questions."

Bakura stared at me for a moment, shocked by my response, "Oh uh sure." He swallowed and looked around.

I allowed my own eyes to wander out to the spot on the water where 'The Red Baron' had once been, "Too bad you don't have a spell to get us off this island and back home."

He cocked his head to the side and a slow grin grew on his face as his eyes focused somewhere off in the distance, "I don't think we need magic to do that Ishtar." He chuckled and nodded his head to an area further down the shoreline.

There, pulling up onto the beach was a small boat full of people.

I grinned and looked at Bakura and he gave a sly smirk in return.

Waiting until the people unloaded and wandered into the tree line with all sorts of camping gear, Bakura and I snuck over to the moored boat.

"Really Bakura, we can just ask them to take us back with them."

He rolled his eyes and jumped into the boat, "You can either come with me now or stay here with these idiots roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs. The choice is yours but make it fast."

Sighing, I internally shrugged and got into the boat with Bakura. As long as it wasn't me I really didn't care.

I swear Bakura was beginning to rub off on me, and the thought of that surprisingly didn't even bother me in the least.