Author's Quickie: Thanks for the review iloveyugiohGX93! It means a lot to me xD Please do continue reviewing, tell me all the constructive critique and stuffy stuff! Enjoy this next chappie :)

Disclaimer: I ain't own no Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 3:

White Room

"Ai...Ai... Ai!"

Ai awoke with a gasp and sky-rocketed out of the twin size bed, sputtering and sweating, the last encounter with Marik still numb on her mind. Chills of cold sweat and heavy breathing overtook Ai until—

"Ai, it's over, you're safe."

The voice registered in Ai's brain to be the boy who Marik called out to before she fainted...

What was his name...Ben...Len…?

"My name is Ren, if you remember me. The last time we met you… fell into my arms," Ren sheepishly grinned and sat at the foot of the bed.

Ai had a pounding headache and tried to get out of bed, but Ren stopped her, reminding her that she was still too frail to walk. She wanted to protest, but found she could not speak. Ai placed a hand around her neck, and then the painful memories drowned her thoughts.

"You might not be able to speak for a while… Marik cut you pretty deep..."

Ren took her hand and placed it on the covers gently. Ai wouldn't have any of this though; her mind was spinning with questions.

How did he know my name? Why am I here? Where is this place anyway?

She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. Ai lifted her hands in an attempt to show Ren what she wanted. She pointed for him to walk to the door and fetch Marik (Ai used a stabbing motion to associate with Marik).

"You...want me...to go get..."

Ai nodded eagerly in agreement to what he understood so far.

"…more painkiller?"

Ai face-palmed in frustration.

"Alright, I'll get you something,"

Before Ai could grab a hold of Ren's wrist, he left through the door. Ai sighed and leaned back against her...surprisingly comfy bed.

Well, I can't be in jail with this cozy of a bed…

This must be some kind of hospital...maybe…

Ai glanced around at her new surroundings: spotless white walls, huge glass doors, and the smell of sterile objects…making her want to gag. She turned her head to the left, which was a big mistake; the pain made Ai's eyes water and bite her lip, but nevertheless, she saw another bed. In the bed was what appeared to be a mummified body. Intrigued, and with one painful step at a time, Ai stood up.

Heh, this isn't too hard-

Oof.

Ai crumpled to the ground in defeat; apparently her legs were not as sturdy as she assumed.

No matter, thought Ai, I'll just crawl.

Ai made her way, hands and knees, to the other sick-bed. This area of the room looked much different from her side. Clear tubes of liquid were pinned into the mummy's body, an IV stuck into their arm. Ai could hear the body breathe very wanted to get nearer, and so she used her arms as support to stand next to the bed. Just as she was about to reach out and touch the body, a voice stopped her.

"Don't touch her."

Ai knew the voice; it was Marik. It was the same Marik who had sliced her throat.

"She's in critical condition, and I ought to know,"

Marik was leaning casually against the white wall, staring at the girl in the bed.

Ai turned to Marik and used her hands to try to ask if he had done this to her.

"Did I do that to her…? Why, yes, I did," Marik smirked, "She resisted me, and those who resist pay the price...it's her fault for fighting back."

Ai frowned and turned to look at the girl again. A heart monitor was the only thing that blocked out the silence in the room. Finally, Ai turned around again to ask another question.

"What was her...name? Heh, Ra if I know, all I know is that her and her pack of monkeys were ruining my plans," Marik snickered, apparently recalling a memory in this head.

Ai asked another question with her hands,

Why is she here?

"Why is she…oh, she's here because I ordered my rare hunters to bring her to me...I think she'll be a nice addition...really bring the spunk into my group,"

Marik strode toward the girl and brushed back a bit of her hair from her partly covered face. After a while, Ren came back into the room and saw that Ai had left her bed. In his hand was a syringe; Ai crinkled her nose in horror, oh how she hated needles. She used her hands a swift shakings of her head to show that she, in fact, did not need or want anymore medication.

"Ah…you didn't want this, huh?" Ren's face turned a shade crimson for perhaps a second or so, not anything too drastic for where Ai would notice, but Marik most certainly did.

Marik snickered at the teen; Ren, slightly offended and feeling idiotic, smiled nevertheless, seemingly unbothered by Marik's remarks.

"Well it's a good thing you told me or else you'd probably get knocked out again," Ren said with a shy, nervous air.

"Heh, well I wouldn't have minded that."

Ai glared at the blonde and stuck out her tongue, much to the tan boy's pleasure.

"You're too amusing, " Marik laughed, but Ren did not, in fact he looked rather…upset.

Ai looked back at the girl and sighed, this time, trying to use her own voice to ask another question.

"Ow…h-how long...has s-she... b-been...out?" Ai managed to mumbled.

"About 28 hours…and I don't suspect her to wake anytime soon," Marik said as he looked at the bandaged girl.

After moments of silence, Ren suddenly scooped Ai up into his arms and spoke quietly to Marik, "I guess I'll put Ai where you said you wanted her to be, master Marik,"

Ren bowed his head slightly and got ready to go out the door.

"Fine...I'll stay here for a little longer..."

"By the way Master, I believe two rare hunters had a quarrel and left a mess in the food hall," Ren just so happened to remember to mention.

"Alright, fine, I'll make it quick."

And with that, Ren and Ai left the white room, and Marik was left alone to gaze at the girl. After a few moments, he too left the room.

May looked down and saw she wasn't wearing a top at all but bandage wrapped by bandage to the point that it looked like she was wearing a strap-less top. Every cut and stab was rapped as well and became tender if May reached her arms up too high. The practically mummified girl could feel thick bandages randomly secured to her head and a brace on her left ankle. She tried to get out of bed but was greeted with several waves of pain starting from her hips and ending at her collarbone.

"Well," May said to the empty room, "I definitely broke something."

Determined to get off her godforsaken bed, May forcefully pushed herself off the bed and bit her tongue to stop from screaming. No sooner did she get off her bed, than a little alarm went off in the room and echoed through the halls.

May rolled her eyes and would've face palmed if her limbs would let her.

"Friggin hospitals having alarms to keep their patients in bed."

The doors in front of May's room flung open and to May's surprise, instead of a panicked nurse coming to assist her back to bed, one of the cloaked men from last night came and the tanned Egyptian boy as well.

"What the-" she started,

But was violently shoved against the wall by the unknown man. May's eyes widened with pain,

"Guaaah," she breathed and tried to hold back the screaming her body was making.

"Worst. Hospital. Nurse. Ever."

The man holding her angrily squeezed the not-so-currently-mighty-ninja's wrists.

"Aaaaaaaah I take it back! You're an amazing nurse," May blurred out.

"That's enough," Marik told the man holding the girl.

"Did you think you could just get up out of bed and stroll out the door?"

"I can't say the thought didn't cross my mind..."

Marik was about to reply, but blinked and took a double take at May's face.

"Where did u get that cover for your face?"

"...I found it."

"Ok new question, why are you wearing it?"

"Because the last thing I remember was getting the crap beaten out of me and I had no clue where I was!"

By this point, Marik's henchman had released May from the wall and was spectating the unfolding argument. Marik took notice of this, and waved the expendable man out of the room. Once the cloaked man had left, Marik looked back at May only to find her bright blue eyes hatefully staring into his equally bright lavender ones.

"Déjà vu."

"What? Does this remind you of something?"

Marik brushed the sarcastic comment aside and replied, "Yes... But this time I can do this!"

He quickly reached for the covering around May's face and whipped it off of her.

Shocked, and unable to do otherwise, May just stood there with a 'what the heck?' expression plastered on her face.

Marik smirked, "I'm sure your face has seen much better days..."

May rolled her eyes and circled around her completion with her hand, "Curtsy of your purple friends."

The Egyptian strode over to the defiant girl, sighed, and held her chin,

"You need to get some rest,"

Marik explained, "I have an event I'm planning to go to at the end of this week and I want you to accompany me... So, do me a favor and stay in bed."

May slapped the boy's hand away,

"You'd have to keep me sedated in order for that to happen," she harshly spat out each word.

Marik held his millennium rod to the girl's face.

"That could be arranged," he coolly answered.

"And when you awake, I'll whisk you off to a fabulous black market auction."

May almost fell over... attend a black market auction?!

"Like heck I'd go with you!"

"I'll let you sleep on it..."