AN: just wanted to say thankyou to all of those who have reviewed my fic

Chapter 18

Bakura looked from one blonde Egyptian to the next blonde Egyptian before remembering their target still lying unconscious against the wall; shifting Ryou off of him he went and dragged the guy over to the chair he had been using before looking around for something to secure him with. After coming back and securing the target Malik still hadn't made a move.

"You said you were going to leave us, join the royal guard and hand me to the pharaoh, well you have and now you have a chance to kill me and avenge your parents so why do you hesitate?" Marik asked, and it was obvious to Bakura that he didn't understand Malik's motives as he may have thought he might.
"That's not why I left!' Malik shouted, glaring at Marik hotly, however besides the slight presence of confusion Marik remained unfazed. Unshouldering his bag he dropped it onto the table in front of Bakura and Ryou before removing his cloak and adding it to the pile.
"Don't you miss your parents?" Marik asked plainly, glaring at the younger boy who was all dressed up like a sex slave, before taking a step forward, sword drawn and ready. Marik watched as the boy trembled slightly knowing that intimidation was an easy way to get to the point of something.

Malik looked away; enable to meet the fierce purple eyes that pierced through his body, mind and soul.
"yes…" He mumbled, the then his free fist clenched and he suddenly looked up, unshed tears in his eyes, "No! No I don't! I barely knew them! I barely saw them! They never paid any attention to me! They were always busy serving the pharaoh! They, you, never acknowledged me, never spent time with me…you never pay any attention to me, even when I said I was going to the pharaoh you remained unfazed… they spent all their time worshiping the pharaoh that it got them killed… you never said anything or did anything, you never paid any attention to me…" by now Malik was out of breath and the hall fell silent once more; even if it was only a brief silence.

Panting and trembling, hand clutched angrily around the dagger so hard that his fingers were turning white while he felt the tears begin to roll down his cheeks.
"That's the real reason I left, yes I was shocked… but I've seen it happen, the killing, on both sides it happens… but that's why I left, I left because I wanted you to come after me, try and stop me, but you never… you never did anything," Malik gasped before he collapsed onto his knees on the stage, head hung low so no one could see the tears that trailed along his cheeks before falling to the floor.
"I wanted you to notice that I was alive!" He sobbed and once more the hall was silent except for Maliks occasional sobbing; but then Bakura's keen ears picked up another sound.

"Sorry to break up the happy reunion but more patrol guards are headed up the steps," he informed them when suddenly Marik chucked him a dagger.
"Aye I thought you were the cold blooded killer," Bakura joked, eyeing the gem studded handle he stashed it away before pulling out the one he had tried to get Ryou to use earlier. Marik throw on the cloak once more before shouldering the bag and heading towards the stairs with Bakura and Ryou who were dragging their target; the one and only Joey Wheeler.
"You're just going to leave me here!" Malik cried looking up at Marik's retreating back but quickly looking away as the older Egyptian turned and glared at him. Marik reached into his hood, drawing a dagger before throwing it at Malik in such away that the handle hit him sharply against the side of the head causing him to slump onto the ground in a daze between consciousness and unconsciousness.
"It's easier with you like this," Marik muttered as he walked towards the fallen body that was – unlike the rest throughout the place – still breathing. Marik draped the boys body over one shoulder and quickly headed towards the stairs where the noise of cautious guards and the smell of fear lingered.

With one hand busy holding onto the strap around the boys thigh to keep him from falling, Marik began to literally cut his way down the stairs with Bakura, Ryou and the target following in his wake, picking off those who weren't hurt enough and could attack him from behind. Wincing as a Spear cut through his cloak and cut into his arm Marik managed to cut a path to the outside courtyard only to find it occupied with more guards than they had imagined.

Halfway across the courtyard Marik felt Malik squirming beneath his grasp,
"Put me down!" Malik demanded, moving his arm just in time to avoid being sliced by a guards spear tip which instead sliced through the back of Marik's cloak.
"I'd be more use if you'd let me fight!" Malik protested but it seemed like Marik was ignoring him until Malik suddenly found himself lying flight on the hard tiled courtyard floor as a sharp pain shot through his back.
"Get him out of here," Marik ordered Bakura who instantly grabbed Malik by the arm before trying to lead him in a dash towards the opening in the ranks Marik was making for them; but Malik resisted.

"How can you just leave him here?"
"Killing the Pharaoh's men is something he needs to do, everyone has there reasons," Bakura muttered pushing Malik and Ryou to the ground as he grabbed a spear off of a dead man before plunging it into another mans chest.
"But why?" Malik insisted, agitated at always being shoved to the ground.
"Feel free to try and ask him that later if any of us get out of this alive; I won't stop you. However for now you're coming with us, when Marik first found you he was going to kill you and now he has just saved your life again so pay your respects and just move it!" Bakura argued.
Shoving the boy forward Bakura had them break into a run past the guards who were more interested in ganging up on Marik than pursuing them; 13 to 1 wasn't exactly fair but there was nothing they could do when the aim of the mission was to get the target to the Priest alive.