Another chapter as the ideas are flowing for me on this one, so enjoy!

Warnings: M for the safety side and some bad language for now … I own nothing!!

Chap 6: Mist!

A young woman trudged through the busy hot streets, the sun though it was in the afternoon was hot enough to fry an egg on the pathway and eat it, if that was sanitary to do so. She wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled as her house came into view. Hauling her few shopping bags up higher in her arm as she prepared to cross the road.

She took a few steps onto the road and stopped, her eyes dulled over as a pain shot through her head and images flashed before her minds eye, not hearing the sound of her name being called over the sound of a car blasting its horn at her to move.

She found herself standing in someone's house, a dark mist floated around her ankles as if it was the floor, looking about she was standing in someone's living room a messy living room, books lay on the floor, the couch tipped over as well as the coffee table. Perhaps a struggle of some kind happened here? She turned and stopped in the living room's threshold upon seeing someone fall to the floor, blood gushed down his face and other wounds covered his body. She gasped and rushed forward to help but fell right through him as if she was a ghost, rolling over onto her back to watch with wide and worried eyes, as the, boy? She wasn't sure, got up to his feet and took a few steps and fell against the door fumbling for the doorhandle. "You can't run from me!" A voice called out from somewhere upstairs. "There's no one left to take you in, no one cares, there's no one left, I'll find you no matter where you go, Ryou." The boy gasped and ripped open the door and fled.

The world around her was fading as if someone had thrown water over a freshly painted picture and suddenly she saw him, familiar tanned skin, wild off blonde hair and dark eyes with a scowling look.

"Ishizu?!" She gasped as her shoulders where being shaken and worried wide light lavender eyes stared at her.

"Marik!" She started to cough as the air in her lungs had been knocked out of her; the car blowing its horn sped by.

"No it's me, Malik." He turned his head back to his Sister after watching to see the car pass them. "Did you hit your head?" He bit his lip for a second, as he looked her over. "I don't think you did." Malik pulled back with a sigh. "You could have gotten yourself killed, what were you doing?" He demanded angrily, that the possibility could have been just that.

"My mind still plays ticks on me." She smiled apologetically as he helped her up and gathered the fallen groceries from off the road and back into the bag.

Malik just grunted as he now carried the bags for her, knowing it was a side affect from being the caretakers and holders of the Items their family was entrusted with, it affected her Sister more then anyone else. "Just be more careful next time." Malik warned her, the last thing he wanted was his Sister to die in some freak accident over a so called 'mind-vision.'

Once inside the house Malik placed everything he was carrying onto the counter in the kitchen. "Malik I want you to call that thing for me." The teen twitched glancing at her a look passed over his face and he shook his head no. "Please." She pleaded with him. "I think something is going on and I want to know."

"I haven't spoken to him in over…"

"Malik what happened to your eye and lip." She noticed for the first time and rushed over to him, taking his chin and face in her hands and turned his head this way and that to get a better look at his abrasions, also seeing his clothes a little torn up.

"You know the usual, give me your money or we beat the shit out of you." Malik heaved a sigh.

"Oh Malik." She growled at him. "How many times have I told you not to fight?" How worn her patience were for this matter showed in her tone of just how fed up she was of hearing about it and seeing her brother coming home black and blue and getting phone calls from parents about how badly beaten up their kids were.

"What am I meant to do? Stand there and let four to five guys beat the crap out of me over a few bucks?" Malik snorted as he stepped away from her. "It's survival of the fittest and if a few get hurt then they shouldn't have started it if they can't handle it."

"No." She growled at him. "That's Marik, not you, you're better than him." Oh she remembered how he was, that abomination, sending people's souls to the realm at a whim or killing who he wanted to gain what he needed. Some of Marik's attitude had rubbed off on her innocent little brother.

"Don't talk about him like that." Malik mumbled not angry, he just didn't want to hear it.

"In any case Malik I want you to ring him." She said getting back to why she had almost been run over.

"I'm not calling him, I have no reason too." Malik downed a glass of water and wiped his hands on his jeans after placing the glass back into the cardboard again without washing it.

"That's disgusting, Malik." She wrinkled her nose at him as she walked over and pulled the glass back out and placed it into the sink to be washed later. "I want you to call him, I think he may have killed someone or is going to… I'm not sure but the boy's name sounded familiar somehow."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "Familiar how, who was it? Because if it was his Lordship then good riddance." He hissed out, it was because of that Bastard that he was alone and half the reason why Marik had left, 'holiday my ass.' Malik thought bitterly to himself.

"Ryou." She frowned trying to recall the events in her head.

"Ryou!?" Malik's eyes widened, why would Marik want to or try to kill the one person that had stayed out of everything and had kept his mouth shut, the strange Host like himself was just that, strange. Ryou had never fought back or spoke out of turn no matter what they were doing to him; did Bakura hand over his Host to Marik in some kind of sick deal? Malik stomach twisted up in knots on the thought of just how cruel Marik could be to others.

"Please Malik, call him and talk to him." She asked again.

"I haven't spoken to Marik in over ten months, he's not going to talk to me, he'll just hang up on me like always." Malik warned her again there was no way he could persuade Marik to stop whatever he was doing or about to do, no one could. "I don't even know where he is or what his phone number would be and that's even if he has a phone."

Ishizu grabbed a pen and paper and jotted down a number and handed it to her brother with a grin. "Call him find out what he is up to, if you can't, then we'll go for a holiday." With that she walked out of the room.

"Don't say that!" Malik shuddered unpleasantly; snatching up the bit of paper he followed her.

"Wait! Bakura!" Marik called out and once the group had passed, the Dark Soul was gone. Marik searched the place and asked the girls if they had seen him, he came up with nothing.

Marik ran a hand through his hair as he looked about the jam-packed room and spotted Bakura again walking through the back hallway. Marik ran after him, the bouncers would ask question and seeing how Bakura looked… well there would be nothing left of the already beaten up Soul.

Marik burst into the hallway causing a few of the working girls to gasp and jump out of his way, not stopping, Marik went on ahead to the back door that he had entered through when he had started work earlier that night.

The cool air hit his face and the sweat on his brow and body made him shiver, he stepped out passing the still sleeping bouncer and the door snapped shut behind him, all the loud music had been reduced to a dull thumping noise. "Bakura!" Marik hissed as he walked slowly out towards the road, the alleyway was empty now; all the girls must have found work for the night. How could he have gotten so far when he was so injured? Bakura was almost as badly injured as Ryou had been the first night he had stumbled over the boy… what the hell was going on?

Marik stepped out onto the street and glanced about, only seeing the few people wanting to get into the club and a few leaving, stumbling down the pathway and passing Marik with incoherent mumbles of a hello and a goodbye, he ignored them and sighed, he couldn't chase down the thief right now as he had his shift to finish and get back to his apartment where Ryou was most likely waiting for him. Marik gave the street one last glance frowning as fog crept its way over the city and through the streets, he backed up a little as memories of being in a similar but darker fog which caused a shiver to run up his spine, he pushed his ridiculous thoughts aside, this was just merely fog and not a dark mist.

Marik growling under his breath, turned around heading inside, missing the pale figure that was concealed in that fog across the road, he to, turned walking off and vanished into the thick of the fog.

Ryou stirred from his sleep as the front door opened and closed, then the sound of two heavy boots hit the floor with a thud and something hit the kitchen table. He sat up pulling the covers off himself to get up and greet Marik at the door, but stopped upon seeing him walk by the doorway and into the bathroom, the smell of alcohol seemed to drift into the room, Ryou wrinkled his nose up knowing full well where Marik worked and didn't mistake it for the other being drunk.

The sound of running water came from the shower and Ryou laid back down and waited, glancing at the alarm clock next to the bed, it was six in the morning. Ryou had sat up until four that morning waiting for Marik to come home; he had even made Marik's bed up in the living room ready for when he returned, Ryou had drifted off to sleep listening to the running water.

The bed dipped and moved as Marik crawled in beside Ryou and under the covers, he said nothing as Marik snuggled down for sleep; he was too tired to drag himself into the living room. "I saw Bakura tonight." He mumbled out. Ryou bit his lip as he rolled over facing Marik's back, not sure what to say or ask. "He didn't say much, looked like shit though." Marik yawned his words were starting to slur together.

"He… he did?" Ryou frowned, he really didn't understand this Bakura person, even when Marik had told him what Bakura meant to him and still Ryou felt that it was so strange.

"Think later…" Marik yawned again. "Tired." Soon the room was filled with light snoring, Ryou snuggled up to his back for warmth and soon fell asleep as well.

Later that morning ringing had penetrated the still dark and quite apartment, as the phone demanded to be answered, Ryou got out of bed as Marik didn't look like he had moved at all at the sound.

Stretching his arms and body as he walked into the living room and then the dinning area and found the phone on the kitchen counter, Ryou picked it up and pressed the 'talk' button and said. "Hello?" while rubbing at his eye.

'Hey Marik, long time no talk, huh.' Came a very nervous voice from on the other end.

"No." Ryou mumbled going to the fridge for a drink and remembered that it was still empty. "Marik's still asleep." Ryou turned and lent on the fridge door wondering who it was he was talking to.

The line was quite for a moment. 'I umm… who am I talking too?' Before Ryou could answer, the phone was taken from his hands by an irate Marik, Ryou took a step backwards as the others eyes were blood shot, his hair a mess and the glare he gave was enough to the kill anyone.

"I told you not to answer my phone." He snapped at Ryou, the reason was that he wanted to avoid who was on the other line; yes he knew just who it was the second Ryou had picked up the phone.

"I didn't want it to wake you." Ryou shot back just as irritated, he was only helping.

Marik placed the phone to his ear turning his hated glare elsewhere. "What the fuck do you want, Malik?!" Ryou flinched at the tone used.

'I needed to talk to you, I haven't heard from you in awhile… I kinda miss…'

Marik knew what he was going to say and cut him off before it was said. "Cut the crap, I don't want to talk to you! How did you even get my number?" Ryou felt sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of Marik's anger, remembering something that Marik had said and Ryou started to move about the kitchen.

'My Sister saw…'

"I don't care." Marik was snarling at this point. "I don't care what you think, feel or know." Marik's tone had changed it lowered but still held the biting cold tone. "If your Sister had been anything close to what she boasted about then she could have warned me about you. Don't call my number again." Marik hung up and threw the phone with a growl; luckily it landed safely on the couch in the living room.

Marik glanced down, as a hot cup of black coffee was placed into his hands, he raised an eyebrow at Ryou who stood perfectly still watching him. "You said, coffee in the mornings or should I run now?" Ryou tried to make light of Marik's very dark mood and of the situation.

"I'm sorry." Marik mumbled as he glanced at the coffee and here he was again feeling guilty for what he had done. "I shouldn't have snapped like that, especially at you." Always talking to Malik or knowing that he had called always placed Marik in a bad mood and it had always been from time to time that his Host had always and somehow got a hold of his phone numbers with the help of his Sister, Marik truly didn't want anything to do with them again.

"Forget it." Ryou shrugged his shoulders. "I'm done sleeping anyway and I thought I would at least go and make myself useful and do a little shopping for us."

"Whatever, I'm not your keeper, Ryou." Marik took a sip of his drink sounding his usual none caring self; he glanced back at the boy then glanced about and walked to the table and picked up his cell phone. Marik flipped it open and pressed a few buttons and then tossed it to Ryou, who caught it with a puzzled look. "Press one it'll call here." Marik downed the rest of his drink and placed the cup onto the table, he then picked up his wallet and tossed it at Ryou as well. "Buy what you want, I'm going back to bed." As he neared the bedroom he called out over his shoulder. "Just call if anything happens."

"But Marik I have money." Ryou said wanting to pay for his share, he glanced down at the two items in his hands; a knock came at the door followed by a few more. Marik growled as he turned about, Ryou was already at the door and pulled it open just as Marik came up behind him.

"Oh shit!" The new comer gasped and took a step backwards his eyes widening.

"What the hell?!" Marik growled. "Are you stalking me you little freak?!" Yugi blushed and shook his head no but then nodded yes. "What is it? Yes or no?"

"I wasn't stalking you, though I did follow you home." Yugi was looking anywhere but at the two before him.

"That's still stalking." Marik hissed. "What do you want?" It was right then that he noticed what they must have looked liked, Ryou was only in long cotton pants and topless and still looked fresh out of bed, and as for himself, Marik wore boxers and looked the same, if not worse from the nights work he did. "It's not what it looks like."

"What?" Ryou glanced over his shoulder at Marik then at Yugi.

"Hey it's none of my business what you guys do." Yugi bit his lip and shifted from one foot to the other.

"What do you want Yugi?" Marik growled ignoring what the short teen was implying about him and Ryou.

"Well, I still didn't get to talk to Ryou the other day and the more I think about it, it maybe a good thing that I talk to you too Marik." Yugi glanced about nervously for a moment.

"Look, whatever it is I'm sure the Righteous Bastard will be more than happy to help you out if not eager too." Marik placed his hand on Ryou's shoulder and pulled him back into the apartment. "So run along." He shut the door on Yugi.

He sighed and said nothing as Marik walked off back to bed, Ryou took a quick shower and dressed, checking in on Marik one last time before he left the apartment after pulling on his sneakers and locked the door noticing Yugi had left.

Ryou took to the streets and headed in the same direction that he and Marik walked in the mornings to get breakfast, knowing there was a store nearby to buy all he needed in food for the two of them.

Marik cracked open an eye and his blurred vision focused on the window, he rolled over wondering what time it was, considering that he was feeling better and more rested.

Not too long Marik was up and stumbled into the living area and headed into the kitchen. "Ryou?!" He called out scratching at his head, he stretched and yawned, his hair more messed up and his eyes now back to their dark state.

Marik opened the fridge and surprised to find it still empty, he glanced at the oven for the timer that read close to six, Marik turned his glance to the windows in the living room and noticed it was getting dark out, where the hell was Ryou? The boy had left about ten that morning to do a little shopping and should have been back hours ago.

Marik picked up the phone and pressed a few numbers and waited, an automated voice came and told him he had one miss call, his stomach knotted up and he felt sick that Ryou might have gotten himself into trouble and he been in to much of a deep sleep and missed it. Marik pressed the button to listen to the message. 'Marik work has been called off for a few days due to problems, call the office when you get this.' It hung up and Marik instantly dialled in the number for his cell phone and waited, it rang for a few minutes and it was picked up.

"Ryou, where are…?" Marik growled down the phone line in worry but he was cut off, the line went dead suddenly, his growl was louder as he called back again, perhaps Ryou had pushed the wrong button, it rang and this time it was hung up again.

Had the one that hurt Ryou got their hands on him once again? Was it Bakura that took Ryou back while the boy was out shopping? Marik rushed into his room to get dressed, he would find Ryou and get his answers.

Soon Marik locked his door and took the stairs down to the basement floor knowing the old man would be there. Marik opened the side door to the Super's office, it was a small room that held papers and files for apartment owners or renters or people who were looking for a place and keys to every apartment in the building. "Spooky?" Marik said as he rummaged through all the keys that hung on the far wall.

"Huh?" The old man turned in his chair, holding an instant hot dinner meal in his hand and a fork in the other, a white napkin tucked in the shirt of his overalls and under his chin, blinked a few times at Marik.

"I'm taking your bike." Marik snatched up the keys.

"Be sure to fill it, I may need it later." The old man called out as he turned back to watching his TV.

The old man hadn't driven the old bike in years, but it was in top working order and he was the only one that was able to use it. Walking by the laundry and out the back door, Marik came to an under cover garage for the tenants of the building and located the motor bike right away, ripping off the protective covering, to reveal shiny chrome and dark paint. Marik straddled the bike and placed in the key and kicked it into life and sped out up the ramp and onto the small side street at the back of the apartment building and headed into the city with one person on his mind, the stalking little freak was a good place to start with.

TBC

I have absolutely no comment for this chapter O.o but I did enjoy writing it, the next chapter should be interesting, Review please, (Love and Cookies)