.:Author's Note:. New chapter~! It's a bit daunting how few reviews I get on this story despite all the effort put into it. I'm not even really into the YGO franchise anymore, but I'm still writing this because I want to finish it and I'm sure the few readers I have would greatly appreciate it.
-DxH
Discalimer: I do not own the rights to Yugioh.
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One step before the other, Marik dragged his body through the sun-beaten gorges. How much time had passed since the morning? His mouth was dry as parchment, his body as heavy as lead, and his eyesight constantly blurred. He could hardly feel the soles of his feet, numb against the touch of the stone as they pounded through the canyon at a steady pace. Akefia, despite his injury, showed no sign of faltering. Every so often, the thief would spare a glance over his shoulder at Marik to make sure he was still there, before pressing on. Marik heard his stomach gurgle and readjusted the pack's strap on his shoulder.
Earlier that morning, the boy was jerked awake by an ungainly kick from the thief, who ordered him to get up. As he groggily rubbed his eyes awake, Marik noticed all the gold and trinkets from the night before seemed to have vanished, replaced by three leather side packs. The thief was wearing his cloak and shoes, and any hint of last night's discomfort was no longer present, except for in his occasional stiff movements when he was required to bend over. Akefia threw him a handful of dates and allowed the boy a few meager mouthfuls of water before wordlessly dropping one of the packs into Marik's hands and slinging the other two over his own shoulders.
"Let's get moving. The guards will be on our trail soon." Marik glanced down at the pack, heavy with contents he only suspected at, and slipped the single strap over his shoulder and across his chest, following the thief as he padded out of the shelter of the cave. Blinking at the glare of the sun, Marik looked around, marveling at the wide expanse of green palms and laurel bushes, and the blue bubbling of the nearby river, against the burgundy red of the canyon's walls. The thief had immediately launched them on a trek through the wild, on an invisible trail seemingly visible only to Akefia himself, who staunchly advanced with determined eyes glued in front of him. He would occasionally halt and look up, likely to observe his surroundings and find his bearings, or, unbeknownst to Marik, to allow the sheltered tombkeeper a quick rest.
Thus, the two plodded on under Ra's insufferable gaze, which beat mercilessly down upon them both. Finally, as Marik felt as if he could go no further, he nearly ran into the thief who briskly turned on his heel and stepped off his imaginary trail and sat on a small boulder in the shade of the canyon, dropping his packs at his feet. Marik gratefully pulled off his pack and slumped on the ground, laying on his back with no regard for the dirt or insects crawling through the cracks of the earth.
The young boy gasped in lungfuls of air, his head dizzy with exhaustion. The thief smirked, pulling out a gourd and swallowing a mouthful of water. Marik glared at him enviously through half-lidded eyes, licking his parched lips eagerly.
"You really are a sheltered brat, aren't you," the thief sneered, swirling the gourd around with a hand. The water sloshed around inside, earning a pleading growl from the prone boy. Akefia tossed him the gourd, and he greedily brought it to his lips and drained it in seconds. With a satisfied sigh, Marik wiped his mouth and handed the gourd back to Akefia, who took it wordlessly and dropped it back in one of his packs.
"I'm just not used to this kind of life," Marik finally said. The thief's lips twitched as he pulled out some dates, half a loaf of flatbread, and a few slabs of dried camel meat.
"Doesn't surprise me. I bet you've never done a single day's worth of hard labor." Marik frowned, but his attention was diverted when Akefia divided the rations out between the two. The ivory-haired man watched with keen amusement as the boy wolfed the food down.
"Slow down, kid. You'll give yourself a stomach ache and everything will heave out before you can take a step more." Marik growled, but heeded Akefia's warning and slowly chewed every mouthful before swallowing.
"I was never allowed outside." Marik finally said around a date. "I was fragile as a child, since I was premature. My mother…" he paused, wondering why he was telling this all to a stranger, "my mother died when I was born. My father forced me to study all day and didn't let me leave the tomb. He said it was for my own safety, but I'm sure it was because he was afraid that if I left, I wouldn't want to come back."
"And was he right?" The thief asked, eyes keenly focused on the boy.
"…I guess," Marik said in a strained voice. "It's… it's not like I could return if I wanted to."
"Mmmm isn't that true," Akefia murmured. Marik suddenly lost his appetite, but swallowed the last few dates and crackers, knowing that it would be a while before Akefia would allow him another rest. Besides, despite the thief's relaxed position, Marik could see the exhaustion showing through.
Akefia's chest heaved in slow, uneven breaths, and dark rims under his eyes proved that he hadn't slept much last night. The sweat lining his chest, the wince as he sat down, nothing went by unnoticed. The thief was tired and in pain, even if he wouldn't show it. Marik was tempted to mention it, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. He'd managed to get on Akefia's good side, even if only for a minute, and he didn't want to ruin it.
"Do you usually walk this much?" he asked instead. The thief finished his rations without looking up.
"Sometimes. I usually have my horse though." Marik opened his eyes wide.
"You ride?"
"Sure."
"Well then," he mused, "why don't you have your horse with you?" The thief cocked an eyebrow.
"Do you really expect a horse to be able to scale this path?" Marik looked down, realizing what a ridiculous proposition he'd made. Akefia sighed and stretched his arms over his head with a groan. The welts and bruises lining his flesh had begun to heal, but were still prominent beneath the light of the sun.
"A mule could probably make it," Akefia continued, "or a mountain goat, though you can't ride those." Marik blinked.
"Then couldn't you… I don't know… rent a mule or something." The thief stared at him for a few minutes before he burst out laughing. Marik stiffened, surprised at the sudden outburst. It seemed that the thief would always shock him every time he laughed. However, he was relieved to realize that there was no trace of bitterness or hostility in the man's laugh, if for a little ridicule. The thief promptly shuffled through his robes and before Marik could move, threw the small dagger at his feet, staring at the boy expectantly, a small grin touching his lips.
"If you want a mule, I suggest you take that dagger, find the nearest resident of the canyon, slit his throat, and take his ride. Otherwise, there's no way you'll get a mule here." Marik felt all the blood drain from his face at the sight of the dagger at his feet, which earned another chuckle from the thief. Akefia stood upright, sweeping up the dagger and placing it back beneath his coat.
"Alright. Enough time has been wasted." The young man's face hardened and his voice returned to a rough, ordering tone. "Let's move. I want to get to the camp before the sun sets. Once it's dark, I'll be the least of your worries." Marik swallowed, wondering what kinds of dangers lurked in the desert at night. He looked at his bag with distaste, and reluctantly brought it back over his shoulders.
Akefia stood ready, both bags already fitted over his shoulders and on his back, and looked expectantly at Marik, who inspected his feet. The boy was relieved to see no more than some chaffed skin and bruising, and hurried behind the thief as he began to walk along the trail.
The two trekked through the day, stopping every few hours to breath and take a sip of water. Marik noticed that Akefia's pace was slowing, and he was having more and more trouble breathing, but said nothing for fear of upsetting the proud thief. As they joined the river at the base of the Canyon, Marik cooled his feet by wading through shallow, ankle-high water, careful not to venture in too deep. However, the boy found the sharp, uneven rocks to pose quite a beating to his sore feet, and quickly rejoined the thief on higher ground.
Finally, as the sun began to climb behind the canyon, Akefia began to lead them closer towards the canyon walls. Winding through bushes and grasses stubborn enough to grow through the sand and rocks, the two made their way further into the dark shadows. Marik winced as he slipped on a sharp rock, hopping forward to catch up with the unrelenting thief. Finally, they reached the edge of the canyon – a steep wall of dark, red-orange earth and clay. Akefia stopped in a small clearing of smooth rock, where he dumped his packs down and untied them.
"We're settling here for the night," Akefia growled. Marik started and obediently lifted the pack off his back, setting it gently on the floor with a grateful sigh. Akefia began unpacking, only pulling out their necessities – a few thick covers, some rations, and the bag filled with bandages and other healing necessities. Marik stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do when the thief looked up at him with narrowed eyes.
"Make yourself useful and fetch some dry wood." Marik nodded and padded away, squinting at the ground in what slowly receding light remained. He forged around, back bent, picking up stray sticks and twigs. There were few large sticks apart from the occasional piece of driftwood, which was usually still damp. When he had finally gathered as much as he could carry, Marik straightened, looking around. Marik suddenly realized he had strayed too far from the campsite and began to panic. He whipped around, searching for a familiar landmark, or even a wisp of the thief's ivory hair. But everything was the same each way he turned. Bushes and rock. The bubbling of the stream nearby and the chirping of the cicadas, accompanied by the occasional hoot of an owl were the only disturbances of the darkness.
Heart pounding, Marik took a few tentative steps forward, until he heard a rustle. Whipping his head to his left, he tried to trace the source of the noise, but his paranoia caused every other sense to pique as well, disorienting the lost boy. He heard the rustle again, followed by a light scuttling sound.
"Akefia?" He asked tentatively, taking a few steps back. Marik's eyes darted back and forth, searching around him for signs of something or someone. The scuttling sounded again, closer this time. He jerked his face around, and saw it; a black scorpion, about the size of his hand, scuttled less than three feet away from him, stinger raised aggressively behind it. Marik yelped and stumbled back, dropping the firewood. His heel caught against a rock and he fell back, tunic snagging on a branch. The scorpion crawled forward, snapping its claws as the boy in warning. Marik froze, whimpering and drawing his feet in as close to his body as possible. Suddenly, he heard something wiz by his head and the scorpion froze, pinned to the spot by a thin dagger. Marik almost screamed when something emerged from the bushes beside him, but was thankful he didn't when the white-haired thief appeared beside him, a peeved expression on his face.
Akefia grabbed his dagger, flicking the corpse of the creature away and wiped the blood off the blade before turning to the trembling tombkeeper.
"I leave you alone for two minutes and you already manage to get yourself in trouble." Marik averted his gaze, wincing at the criticizing tone of the thief. He heard Akefia sigh heavily and slip the dagger back into his coat.
"All right, enough. Let's go. At least you managed to find some wood." Marik pushed himself upright and helped gather the spilt firewood, bringing it back to the makeshift campsite. He helped Akefia set up their bed, laying out a tougher leather sheet to shield them from the harsh cold of the ground, and setting the thicker sheep's wool blanket and fur quilt on top of it.
As Marik stroked a hungry fire and fed it dry bark and bits of driftwood, Akefia skillfully skinned a small rodent of some kind and plucked the feathers off an animal that could have passed for an obese sparrow. Both animals had mysteriously appeared at the campsite when Marik returned from the wood-gathering incident. The boy wanted to ask, but held his tongue for fear of upsetting the thief. He reasoned that it was more than likely the man had killed them himself, and honestly, Marik wasn't all that surprised. Once the animals were skinned, Akefia pinned them to two medium-sized sticks and roasted the meat in the fire. The scent of burning feathers and fur that had remained released a sickening odor, but before long, Marik's mouth was watering at the scent of the grilled meat.
After the food was finished cooking, the two settled on the blankets and Akefia shared out their portions, offering the rodent to Marik and settling on the small bird for himself. Though the meat was hard and gritty, and there was barely enough for a half-dozen mouthfuls, Marik eagerly cleaned off the animal's flesh, nibbling the small bones clean. Akefia did likewise, even going so far as to eat some of the bird's smaller bones. Every crack and crunch from the thief's mouth caused Marik to flinch unconsciously.
After they finished the food, they shared some dried fruits for dessert, and Akefia rustled the fire until it settled down into glowing coals. At this time, the night had completely settled. Cicadas and owls sang into the night air, accompanying the gentle symphony of the flowing river.
Marik glanced up and gasped.
"Akefia, look!" he whispered, pointing at the skies with wide, round eyes. In the wide expanse of darkness above him, billions of tiny white lights glittered as if painted in. A thick veil of milky white stars swept across the sky. Akefia rolled his eyes at the boy's fascinated expression.
"It's just the sky. Go to sleep," he motioned towards the makeshift bed. Marik nodded and slipped into the blankets, laying on his back to stare up at the stars. He decided to count them, and within minutes had fallen asleep.
Akefia awoke in the middle of the night to the sounds of muffled whimpers. He blinked his eyes open, letting his pupils adjust to the darkness of the night. Choked sobs pierced the usual sounds of the night, and the thief narrowed his eyes as he felt Marik trembling beside him.
"Hey, kid, quiet down and go to sleep," he hissed. Marik flinched, but continued trembling. He released a hiccupping sigh, and suddenly went quiet. Akefia assumed the boy had fallen asleep, and nestled deeper into the covers, closing his eyes. A few seconds later, he felt the covers shift and Marik slipped out of bed, padding towards the gently gleaming remains of the fire. Akefia growled under his breath and sat up.
"Marik, we have a long journey tomorrow. Get back to sleep." The boy sat down by the fire, his back turned to the thief.
"I don't feel like it." Akefia's blood ran cold as the words left the boy's mouth. He recognized that unnatural, lifeless, and ice-cold tone.
"I see," he replied bitterly. Akefia slowly stood up and padded towards the fire, sitting across from the huddling boy. The light glow of the dimmed fire gave the boy's face a warm glow, barely bright enough to recognize his features. But those deep, unfazed eyes, staring detachedly into the coals, were unmistakable.
"So," Akefia began, "it's you." A small smile touched the tombkeeper's lips.
"Yes, it's me." The thief stared at the boy.
"Who are you, exactly," he asked cautiously. Marik's gaze wandered up and rested on the thief.
"I'm Marik." Akefia snorted.
"No you're not. Marik is a clumsy, naïve child. You," he narrowed his eyes, "you are a merciless killer." The boy smiled in amusement.
"Really? And who's to say 'Marik' isn't both?" The tombkeeper spread his arms. "I am Marik. A part of him. I was created by him as an escape for the pain, the misery and loneliness of his life. I am all his hatred, all his anger and fear and everything he kept bottled away and hidden from his father." Akefia listened to this in quiet contemplation. Marik paused, and nudged at the coals with a small stick, sending a flicker of light over his calm features.
"I am what Marik fears the most – everything he has pushed away from himself. All his jealousy, contempt, anger. Every sin and dark thought he has had feeds me. And one day, I will own this body." Akefia narrowed his eyes.
"But his father is gone now, he is free. He doesn't have anything more to hate." A steady chuckle bubbled from the boy's throat, sending goosebumps across the white-haired man's body. He shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the boy, who fingered a lock of unruly dark-blond hair.
"Do you really think that just because he left the tomb, this boy will live happily ever after?" He smiled crookedly at Akefia. "Already this boy is tumbling in sorrow and regret over his actions. Like you said, he's a naïve, childish boy. Just a child," Marik's eyes gleamed ominously, "a child with blood on his hands, who committed the ultimate crime of killing his own father." Akefia returned Marik's dark gaze, until the boy broke it off, flicking his attention back to the dying coals.
"Besides, he's free, yes. But he is free in a wild, unknown land filled with dangers and threats he could never survive alone. And the tomb will not stop searching for him. His brother will never stop searching for him." Akefia stayed silent.
"Or," continued the tombkeeper, "will you take him in?" The thief jerked his head up, narrowing his eyes. The boy smiled cruelly. "Will you take Marik with you? Teach him how to become a thief? How to survive? Or will you shelter him like a fragile flower, just as he had always been raised." Akefia growled.
"I'm merely using him as a hostage right now. I have no desire to get caught by the tomb. Besides, he has connections to the Sennen items, and I need to find the others. The boy will help me. Then, he'll be on his own." Marik grinned and his face melted into false-sorrow.
"How cruel," he mocked, "abandoning an innocent child to the elements!" Akefia snorted.
"Like you said, if you're around, that child is more than capable of handling himself." The boy's features returned to a placid state.
"Indeed," he said quietly. "As the boy's negative emotions grow stronger, so do I. I may perhaps manage to completely overtake this body, one day." He grinned up at the thief, his eyes too dark and sinister to reflect the gesture.
"I wonder if you'll truly accept Marik if that happens." Akefia narrowed his eyes.
"As cold and cruel as you are?" Marik's lips twitched, and for a moment, Akefia saw something else glisten in the boy's eyes – something besides a cold, cruel, hardness.
"Yes," he repeated softly, "as cold and cruel as I." The two remained silent for a few more minutes, listening to the song of the night.
"Well," Marik finally said, standing up, "I would say it's about time to sleep, no? Fear not, the whole time I've been awake, Marik has been sleeping. He should be fine tomorrow morning." Akefia grunted and followed the boy to the bed.
"By the way," Akefia said as they settled into the covers, "I don't want to call you Marik. It's too confusing when you're so entirely different." He heard the boy chuckle beside him.
"Alright then, what would you like to call me?" He asked playfully. The thief pondered for a moment.
"Malik. I'll call you Malik. It seems relatively appropriate." A short hush fell between them.
"Malik…" the young tombkeeper smiled, "Ruler of the body and mind. I rather like it." Akefia snorted.
"Of course you would," he noted, but only the gentle, even breaths of the sleeping boy replied. Akefia burrowed beneath the blankets.
"Wonderful," he thought irritably, "now I have two brats to deal with."
...
.:Author's Note:. So, a few updates about the story.
This story has now been separated into three parts. The next chapter will be uploaded in about two weeks time and mark the end of part one. Part two should be relatively short, and part three will be marked by the time lapse (and so will likely have the most slash romance, though there should be some fluff in part two). Don't worry, Part two and three will be uploaded as part of the same story, not separately (unless you feel I should separate the parts into several fics...?).
So please stay with me! I know the romance is slow to come, but I prefer a realistic to rushed storyline.
Please take the time to give me some feedback, even if it's a sentence or two. Thank you so much to Sun-Flavour for the detailed review (I wasn't able to respond personally because FF was being weird)! Those always make me smile!
-DxH