Chapter 6
"Hey! Get up!"
Mariku grumbled. Something pressed uncomfortably against his side and he reluctantly opened his eyes. Ryou stood over him with his foot pressed into Mariku's side.
"Stand up and come out. Both of you! You have five minutes!" With those words, Ryou left the room.
Yawning, Mariku lift himself. He shivered as the blanket slid to the ground. Mariku rubbed his arms. The wound on his arm was itching uncomfortable, his shoulder, however, seemed to be fine. He got out of bed and stretched.
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Malik didn't respond, although Mariku knew he was already awake. He had probably already woken up as Ryou had entered.
"Come on, we don't want to piss off Ryou even more. In the end, he'll leave us alone in the snow." Suddenly, he had thought of Ryou's grin and started to feel uneasy. But then he shook his head. Ryou spoke lots of threats but never did anything. There was a saying on Earth, "Barking dogs don't bite". It fit Ryou quite well. He opened the closet and took out his bag. He hoped he had packed something for cold weather.
When he opened the bag, a display appeared. He keyed in a code and a greeting appeared on the screen, followed by a selection menu. With his finger Mariku moved between menu items until he found what he was looking for: clothes for cold weather. A submenu opened and he chose "Snow". A loading bar appeared and Mariku tapped his toes uneasy.
A faint signal sounded, as the loading bar reached 100%. Mariku undid the clasp below the display with a finger tap. His bag was filled with sweaters, socks, gloves and caps. At least half of the stuff was still brand new. Mariku smiled. His mother had really thought of everything. The thought of his mother made him sad. He missed her and the rest of his family.
He took out a new sweater and threw it in Malik's direction, followed by a pair of pants. "This stuff is brand new. You can wear them."
Malik pushed them from him with a disapproving glance. "I don't need that!"
Mariku rolled his eyes. "Now take it already. Think of it simply as a..." he searched for the right word, "sacrifice."
Malik hissed and refused to change his clothes.
"Don't complain when you're freezing." Mariku didn't know if cold was even able to harm Malik.
"What's taking you so long?" Ryou's voice echoed through the hallway.
Mariku sighed. He pulled on a sweater and the door slid open. Malik followed him in silence.
Ryou threw them a brief look of disgust; he then turned to the rest of his team and Bakura. Honda was also present. He seemed to be better already.
"Anzu, you're staying inside the ship. You wouldn't survive five second out there. Jou, I want you to stay here too. Look if you can find any errors in Amane's system." He glanced at Honda and then further to Bakura. "Cold doesn't bother you much, right?"
Bakura nodded. "Still, I'd like something warm to wear."
"Don't worry." He turned to Mariku and Malik and looked at them a long while. "You come with us."
"No," Malik disagreed hissing.
"Oh yes, you're not staying on my ship," Ryou replied coolly.
"I can take care of him," Mariku offered. He didn't want the situation to escalate.
"You?" Ryou seemed close to bursting into laughter. "A finger snaps of him and you are doing everything he says." He looked at Mariku disdainfully. "I don't trust you any more than him."
Mariku opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to respond. He made an approach, but Ryou cut him off: "You'll get special clothes, so you don't freeze to death outside." He grinned at Malik, who tensed his body.
"I won't go out there, slave."
"Oh, yes you will."
Malik snorted. "What are you gonna do, force me?" A grin appeared on Malik's lips and this time it was Ryou, who tensed his body.
"Malik please..." The rest of Mariku's sentence was drowned in a cry of pain, as Malik grabbed his wounded shoulder and squeezed it. Mariku sank to his knees. He couldn't even raise his right arm to push Malik away. The pain almost made him faint.
"Be careful what you say, scum," Malik hissed. The others watched the scene, but no one helped Mariku.
"You will leave this ship and either with us, and you'll get special clothes like everyone else or Honda will throw you out and you'll freeze to death immediately, do you understand?"
Malik looked from Ryou to Honda and narrowed his eyes. He made a series of sibilants, then he let go of Mariku, who fell forward panting.
"Maybe you should put on some warmer clothes as well, just in case." Ryou enjoyed it; to have a hold on Malik.
Trembling Malik turned around and stomped back to Mariku's cabin. Mariku sat up and leaned against the wall as he tried to come back on his feet. He could hardly put one foot in front of the other. He heard Ryou chuckling and gritted his teeth.
"What was that?" He snapped at Malik. The pain made him angry.
Malik spun around and struck with his claws at Mariku. Only by luck, Mariku managed to dodge the strike. Malik caught his sweater and left four long cracks in it. The fabric around the holes stained darkly and Mariku drew a sharp breath. It was Malik's poison which stained the fabric. Mariku swallowed. If he hadn't managed to dodge, he'd be dead.
Malik turned away, and put both of his hands on the table. Something was wrong with him, but Mariku was too angry to care about it. After last night he had hoped that Malik would open up a little, but he was back at his arrogant self.
Mariku took off his sweater and threw it in the corner. He grabbed the clothes he had offered Malik and pressed them against Malik's chest. "Put them on!"
Malik took the clothes, but didn't look up. His jaw was tensed. Mariku took a new sweater out of his bag, and a pair of thick socks.
The door slid open and Bakura entered. He avoided looking at Mariku. "Here are your clothes."
"Bakura..."
"Hurry up." And with that he was gone again.
Mariku stared at the closed door. Great, was everyone against him now? He ran his fingers through his hair and sank down on the bed. Was everything he did wrong?
Malik moved and Mariku looked up. He watched Malik as he took off his shirt and raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw the scars on his back. They were clearly visible on his dark skin, and even the scales were scarred.
"Where did you get those scars?" Malik quickly pulled the sweater over his head to hide the scars. "Are they battle scars?"
Malik rolled up the sleeves. The sweater fit him, but the sleeves were a bit too long.
"Yes," he replied hesitantly.
Mariku knew he was lying. His hesitant response made it quite clear. If it were battle scars, he would be proud of them. Where did he really get the scars? Mariku they had seen them only briefly, but they were long and spread over his whole back. He looked at his sweater in the corner. Long scars like scratches. He looked up at Malik, who rolled up his pants. Abuse? He wouldn't get a response when he asked Malik and Malik didn't even deserve his worries. His shoulder throbbed.
Malik grabbed the special clothes Bakura had brought. His face was a stoic mask.
Mariku stood up again and got dressed. The jacket Bakura brought was heavier than ordinary clothes, and he began to sweat immediately. He took a deep breath. "I feel like a yeti," he murmured as he was dressed.
Along with Malik, he left his room. In his hand he held safety goggles and a black cloth mask. Malik already wore his mask, and Mariku could only see his eyes. His goggles were on his forehead.
When they reached the others, their conversation trailed off and their eyes turned to them.
"Well, since everyone's ready now, let's go." Ryou pulled the mask over his head.
"Do we run around without a plan again?" asked Mariku while he pulled the mask over his head.
"No, we have a scan performed" Ryou adjusted his glasses. "Half a day's march from here is some kind of village or city."
"Will they eat us?"
Ryou snorted. "No." He turned away from Mariku and opened the door of the spaceship. Mariku watched Malik, who looked straight ahead. Honda was the only one who was not wearing protective clothing. His body was glowing but stronger than Mariku had seen it before.
Despite the special clothing Mariku felt the biting cold. He put his arms around himself and trudged after the others through the waist-deep snow.
Honda cleared a path for them, but the snow fell so fast that it had little benefit. A strong wind tore at their clothes and whirled up the snow. It was impossible to see farther than a few steps. Malik remained close to Mariku, looking down.
Silently they tramped through the snow and Mariku rubbed over his arms incessantly. He had grown up in a sunny country, snow he had only just known from pictures. And he would have preferred if that had never changed. Even though they wore protection goggles, small ice crystals formed on his eyelashes.
Mariku felt like a block of ice. Bakura, Honda and Ryou, however, seemed not to care about the cold. Malik on the other hand suffered most. He walked slightly hunched over; his breath was visible on the lens of his glasses. His steps had slowed down and he seemed to have trouble to keep on going.
"Are you alright?" Asked Mariku with slight concern in his tone.
"Leave me alone." Malik wanted to push him away, but he had no strength to do so. Even his voice sounded as if speaking would exert him. Malik paused, shook his head and then went on.
Mariku looked forward. He could still see Ryou and the others, but they would lose sight of them if Malik didn't hurry.
"Wait," he called after them, and he had to admit he was surprised that they really stopped. At least they could catch up to them again. Nevertheless, Malik didn't feel better.
"Please," Mariku turned to Ryou, "let him go back. The cold isn't good for him."
"I can talk for myself, scum," Malik hissed, but stumbled in the next moment. Reflex, he grabbed Mariku for support, but quickly pulled his hand back.
"We move on." Ryou turned around, but Mariku grabbed him by the shoulder.
"He's going to die!"
He could only see Ryou's eyes, but it was enough to guess how his face looked. "I know." Mariku could hear the grin in his voice.
"You know...?" Mariku repeated incredulously and dropped his hand.
"Maybe I can't kill him myself, but I can watch how the cold wrecks him."
"This is cruel!"
"This is justice!"
Malik fainted. He fell between Mariku and Ryou in the snow.
"Malik!" Mariku dropped to his knees and turned Malik on the back. Malik's eyes were closed and his breathing weak.
"Leave him and let him die."
Mariku rose again. "You're no better than him!"
Ryou's face twisted with rage, even if Mariku could only see his eyes. "What do you know, stupid human?" He shouted at Mariku, his voice muffled by the fabric. "You have no idea what I've been through!"
"That's true, but it doesn't give you the right to decide about his life or death! You hate the Notechis so much and yet you act like them!"
Ryou shook with rage. "Do you know who his father is?" He pointed at Malik. "Ishtar. The name is enough to make me scared. The Notechis were cruel, yes, but for General Ishtar you had to completely redefine the word! And I will watch his son die here with joy!"
Mariku struck before he had thought about it. He lunged at Ryou and they fell back in the snow together. Mariku let off steam and only stopped to strike Ryou as Bakura pulled him off Ryou. Mariku didn't resist Bakura's grip.
"Calm down, damn it!"
The blood on Ryou's feathers froze almost immediately. His glasses had slipped down and the glass was cracked. "You're welcome to die with him," he hissed.
Mariku had again knelt beside Malik and tried to wake him up.
"We move on." But Bakura didn't move. "You too?"
Bakura sighed. "It's just..." He felt visibly uncomfortable in his own skin. "We can't leave Mariku here."
"It's his choice."
"But... Mariku, what are you doing?"
Mariku had started to unbutton his jacket. "I'll keep him warm, simple as that."
"Are you crazy? You'll freeze to death!"
Ryou rolled his eyes. "I told you he is stupid."
Mariku immediately regretted it taking off his jacket, but there was no turning back. He wouldn't allow that Malik froze to death. He trembled violently as he wrapped Malik in his jacket and lifted him from the ground. He pressed Malik against his chest and tried to ignore the coldness, which crept under his clothes. It was like he only wore a thin shirt.
"Walk at least close to Honda," suggested Bakura.
"No," contradicted Mariku and shook his head. He rattled his teeth.
"Don't be such a stubborn idiot. You'll freeze to death!"
"It's not like anyone would mind." Mariku knew his defiance was inappropriate, but he didn't want to have anything to do with Ryou and his people anymore.
"But if you die, Malik dies too and Ryou gets what he wants."
This time Bakura's words showed effect. Mariku caught up with Honda, who didn't look too happy. Honda looked at Ryou, who shrugged, then nodded.
The cold seemed to devour him literally. Although his legs, his hands and his head were still protected, he might as well be naked. He was trembling all over and felt the muscles twitch at every step. He clung to the unconscious Malik in his arms. From Honda's heat, he barely noticed anything, but at the moment it was probably the only thing that prevented him from freezing to death. His arms were heavy, but he didn't think of letting Malik go even for a second. He also didn't want to ask for a break. Mariku gritted his teeth. He wouldn't give up. He would get Malik and himself alive out of this ice hell and Ryou won't ever get his satisfaction.
Suddenly the earth trembled, or rather it was as if it would move. Mariku wasn't the only one who lost his balance. He was expecting a soft landing, but he hit on hard rock ground. Pain shot through his body. Instinctively he pressed Malik closer.
The soil piled up in front of them and yelled...? The creature had glowing blue eyes and a mouth so large that it could swallow them all with just one bite. So much for no one would eat them.
As Mariku tried to get up, he slipped. His shoulder hurt like hell. He cursed. The monster looked like a snake made of ice and stone. Ryou and Honda had drawn their weapons and Ryou shouted commands, but snow got whirled up, blocking the view. The ground vibrated, as the alien moved through the snow.
Mariku remained sitting on the ground and looked around frantically. From which side would it attack?
"All this fuss will cost me at least a hundred years off my life," Bakura cursed.
"Shut up!" Ryou snapped. "Can you not just once be quiet?"
"Only because you're asking me so nicely, honey."
Their little dispute was interrupted by a deafening roar; the monster re-emerged from the snow. Mariku guessed its size to at least five meters. At least the part he could see.
Would he ever be able to land on an alien planet without fearing for his life?
Suddenly a hook flew toward the monster and buried itself in his icy skin. Loud voices were heard. They yelled and sounded like monkeys. They seemed to come from all directions. The monster squirmed and tried to shake off the hook, but more and more got attached to his body.
Something ran past Mariku but it was too fast to see anything. Not until their rescuers, at least Mariku hoped they were here to rescue them, dangled upwards at the body of the ice snake, Mariku could see a little bit more of them. And it was really just a little bit. The aliens were gray-white and merged almost completely with their surroundings; even on the body of ice monster they were barely recognizable.
The creature roared and tried to shake off its attackers. It swayed dangerously and Mariku got back on his feet clumsily. He'd to take Malik down for a bit, but he picked him up again as soon as he stood on his feet. His shoulder throbbed painfully, and Mariku gritted his teeth.
He had risen not a moment too soon, because a boulder crashed down on the spot where he had just been sitting. The creature roared. More snow was whirled up, blocking Mariku's view.
Suddenly he was jerked off his feet. He crashed against something or someone and judging by the heat, it was Honda. Mariku screamed and for the first time he was happy about the snow around them. It eased the pain for a moment, only to turn into pain as well soon enough. Honda's skin had burned a hole in Mariku's sweater and the cold reached the bare skin. Mariku had problems standing. There was a crack in his glasses.
The earth shook as the monster crashed to the ground and stopped moving. When the snow calmed down, Mariku tried to orient himself. He knew that Honda was close to him, but where were Ryou and Bakura? He looked around, but he couldn't see them.
"Bakura," he shouted. "Ryou?" Honda appeared beside him and joined the shouting. "Bakura! Ryou?"
An arm emerged from the snow and Honda ran toward it. The snow melted and Bakura appeared. He had lost his glasses and the mask was torn. He coughed and spit snow. He pulled Ryou, which he held by the hand, from the snow. Ryou's jacket was torn and he had a few cuts. Nothing looked like a serious injury. The blood had been frozen.
"He passed out." Bakura wiped his mouth. "Oh," Bakura looked up, "we have visitors."
Mariku followed his gaze. Around them, on the snow, stood creatures, not larger than a human child, and with gray-white hair, which was wrapped around them like a cloak. Their faces looked dented, and they had no nose, but a wide mouth and small pale blue eyes.
Mariku couldn't believe that such small creatures were able to bring the ice monster down.
"Guests," said one of the aliens, in a voice deep, like out of a cave. Mariku almost expected an echo.
Honda stepped forward. Since Ryou was unconscious, he was now in command, but Mariku cut him off. "We need help! Our friends are injured and we need warmth."
Honda shot Mariku a disapproving look, but Mariku ignored it. He had no time for diplomacy. He had to get Malik to a warm place or he would die sooner or later.
The spokesman for the snow aliens saw from Malik to Ryou and then nodded. "Warmth," he repeated. "Come with me."
Nivtas was the name of the small, hairy aliens and their village was, as expected, build of ice. The buildings reminded Mariku of igloos, but they had abstract shapes and looked strange to him. He didn't feel comfortable at the thought that he had to enter one of the houses, but the Nivtas had promised them warmth and that was all that mattered for Mariku at the moment.
Ryou was awake already, but he could barely stand on his feet. Although he had initially resisted, he now let Bakura support him. Bakura had offered to carry him, but Ryou had firmly rejected.
"Warmth," said the leader of the group and waved Mariku closer. "Warmth," he repeated, pointing at the front door of one of the houses.
"Thanks," Mariku whispered through chattering teeth. He had to duck to get through the door. As soon as he was inside, it was as if needles would be drilled into his skin. Still, it was a pleasant feeling.
Mariku had expected that the furniture were made of ice too, but the sparse furniture was dark, almost black wood. A staircase led down into the earth, but Mariku didn't care. He was much more interested in the blue fire that burned in the center of the room.
He put Malik as close as possible next to it and pulled the goggles and mask from his head.
"Malik?" he asked, but he received no answer. He stretched out his hand, hoping for a moment that Malik's arm would shoot up and grab him, but nothing happened. Mariku tried to feel his pulse, but he found none. In panic he touch along Malik's neck, then he leaned down and sighed in relief when he felt Malik's weak breath on his cheek. He leaned back and rubbed his arms. His body was still shaking, but at least he didn't feel like he would collapse at any moment anymore.
He stroked Malik's cheek. His skin was ice cold. Mariku yawned. He was exhausted and the heat began to make him sleepy. He rubbed his eyes and held his hands against the flame. His body began to warm-up again, but the pain in his back got worse. He really had leased misfortune. A new injury on his list. How long it would take him to lose a body part?
Malik and he were alone. The others talked to the Nivtas, in hopes of they could help them to repair the ship. Mariku sighed. He wanted this trip to be finally over. He looked at Malik. He could have saved himself so much trouble if he had never stood up for him. He stroked Malik's cheek again. At least, his skin wasn't so cold anymore.
What was it that attracted him to Malik? He wasn't in love with him; at least he didn't feel that way. He didn't have butterflies in his stomach and his heart didn't beat faster when he looked at him. He had no desire to kiss him or anything similar, and yet he could not get away from him. Sighing Mariku sank back and shot straight back up as his back touched the ground. He had forgotten the wounds on his back.
"Damn," he muttered. "Why me?"
"Because you're an idiot," suddenly a soft voice said. "A stupid, stupid idiot."
"Malik! You're awake!" Mariku sat next to him. "How do you feel?"
"I'm alive," Malik answered dryly.
"Yes."
"Why?" Mariku didn't know how to answer this question. Malik looked at him. "Because you have played the hero."
"I... no... it's just..." stammered Mariku. He cleared his throat. "I couldn't let you die."
"Why not? It would have spared you a lot of trouble."
"What do you care?" He sounded angrier than he was.
Malik smiled and closed his eyes. "That's right. I don't care."
"Why did you do that shit back at the ship? That fucking hurt!"
Malik opened his eyes again. "It should, idiot."
Both fell silent. It didn't make much sense to talk to Malik anyway; he never got a serious answer. Maybe he really shouldn't have saved him. He looked at Malik, who had his eyes fixed on the blue fire. Was he really an idiot? Oh yes, and what an idiot he was.
Sighing Mariku stood up, Malik's gaze followed him. He stepped to the door and almost collided with one of the Nivtas. The little creature let out a bright, surprised scream.
"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Eat," said the Nivtas and handed Mariku a pot. "Food," it repeated, with a smile.
The wooden pot was pleasantly warm. He placed it next to Malik. Malik sat up and watched as Mariku removed the lid and a steaming soup appeared. Two wooden spoons stuck at the side.
The soup tasted of earth, but for Mariku it was a feast. It warmed him from the inside and all the tension seemed to fall off him. If the pain would disappear as well, he would be really lucky. But the pain remained and reminded him that he was an idiot after all.
Malik let the spoon fall into the soup and pulled up Mariku's mantle, so half of his face was covered. Mariku rolled his eyes and fished the spoon out of the soup. He placed it back on the edge of the pot.
As soon as he had finished, two Nivtas reappeared. Together, they carried a fur coat. The color was garish blue and didn't fit into the drab colors of their surroundings.
"For friend," said one of the Nivtas, pointing at Malik. "Warm."
"Um, thank you," murmured Mariku and took the fur from them. They nodded in sync, then grabbed the empty pot and carried it out. Mariku handed Malik the fur.
Malik wrinkled his nose, then he pushed Mariku's jacket aside and wrapped himself in the fur instead. His expression changed and became a little gentler. Apparently the fur really held him warm; better than the jackets Ryou gave them.
Bakura entered the house, but stopped at the door. "The will Nivtas help us. We're going back. You better come, or Ryou leaves you here."
Mariku grabbed his jacket and put it on. He drew a sharp breath as the fabric touched the wounds on his back. Malik walked past him. He had his mask back on and wore his glasses and didn't even look at Mariku.
Reluctantly Mariku stepped back into the cold. The warmth immediately disappeared and it was as if it had never existed. A group Nivtas stood beside Ryou. A kind of sledge stood behind them and a large animal, a mix of bear and penguin, was harnessed to it. His fur was garish blue and Mariku didn't know if he should find it threatening or funny. The small webbed feet didn't fit the huge body at all. But it moved more graceful than expected. It waddled through the snow, leaving a wide furrow.
Malik felt better on the way back. Although he was breathing heavily, but the fur seemed to keep the chill off of him so he remained at least conscious. Mariku still walked beside him, just in case he collapsed again.
Ryou walked ahead and chatted with one of the Nivtas. Mariku thought so at least. While he saw Ryou's lips moving, he couldn't hear a sound.
Bakura dropped back and went with his arms crossed next to Mariku. He had narrowed his eyes to slits and looked rather grim.
"Everything okay?" Mariku wanted to know.
Bakura grumbled something in his mask. It had been torn on the right side and just poorly patched with a few threads. "I'm getting a headache from their talking."
"Whose?"
"Ryou!"
Mariku looked at Ryou, who was still moving his lips. "I don't hear anything."
Again Bakura grumbled. "Be happy. It's terribly reedy."
Mariku raised his eyebrows in surprise. The voices of Nivtas had occurred so deep to him, how could they now talk at a frequency that was too high for Mariku's ears? He shook his head. Aliens - he would never understand them. He glanced at Malik, who almost drowned in the fur because it was so big. Mariku sighed.
Back at the ship Ryou sent them inside and Mariku didn't complain about that.
He took off goggles and mask and laid it on the table. The jacket he just dropped to the floor. He opened the closet door and turned his back to the mirror on the inside of the door. Over his shoulder Mariku looked at his back and wished he hadn't done it in the next moment. The skin was split open and the flesh beneath gleamed wet.
Mariku tried to take off his sweater, but all he managed was a whimpering sound. With a curse on his lips, he sank down on the mattress, where Malik sat. He was still wrapped in the blue fur.
Mariku took a deep breath. His hands were shaking. The mattress moved, but Mariku didn't bother to turn around.
"Stay still," murmured Malik and the next second he tore Mariku's sweater into pieces.
Mariku wanted to make an ambiguous comment about Malik tearing his clothes all the time, but he was too exhausted.
The scraps fell on the floor and Malik slipped back against the wall and disappeared under the fur.
Only a moment later Bakura came into the room, the first-aid box under his arm.
"You really have a talent for getting yourself almost killed, don't you?"
"At least that's one thing I'm good at," Mariku replied with a sigh and sat down on the chair at the table, his back turned at Bakura.
"Oh, that looks nasty." Bakura placed the box on the table and pulled out a spray can. "This will burn."
Mariku cried out. If he hadn't been sitting, he would have gone to his knees. His back was on fire and he wiped tears from his eyes.
"I'm surprised you're here."
Bakura sighed. "I've nothing against you and actually I like you quite well, but I don't really understand your priorities." They both looked at Malik. "Once we're back on track, he will stand trial and I can already tell you, he'll get executed in the end. You can't save him forever."
"I don't want to save him," objected Mariku. "It's just; in my opinion more people than just Ryou have the right to see him die."
"That's... unexpected cruel..."
Mariku said nothing. He never wanted to excuse Malik's behavior. Especially not his past.
"Are you going to be there?" Bakura questioned.
Mariku shook his head. His gaze was still fixed on the blue fur. He wouldn't watch when they executed Malik. He didn't know if he could watch it silently without raising his voice for him again.
"Here" Bakura held a small piece of rubber in front of Mariku's face.
Mariku took it from him, confused. "What should I do?"
"Bite down. This will hurt; you'll wish you were dead."
Mariku looked over his shoulder at Bakura, who grinned at him. With a sinking feeling in his stomach Mariku put the rubber piece in his mouth.
His scream was muffled. He clutched the edges of the table. The pain brought tears to his eyes. With a forceps Bakura removed the burnt material from Mariku's wound. The pain was almost unbearable. If someone had told him that Bakura peeled the skin of his back, Mariku would have believed it immediately. His teeth dug deep into the rubber and tears dripped onto his trembling hands.
"Try not to faint."
Mariku answered nothing. He was breathing heavily and it brought the sweat to his brow. He sobbed suppressed. He clutched the edge of the table so hard, his knuckles stood out white.
"I think that's all." But Mariku didn't hear Bakura's words. His face was pale, tears streaming down his cheeks and he wanted to throw up. "Besides, these are the last bandages, so please no more injuries." Bakura put a metal container on the table. "Drink this, it helps with the pain."
With trembling hands Mariku grabbed it. The lid fell from his hand and he almost spilled the liquid. Eagerly he drank everything and didn't care that some of it dripped down his chin.
"Rest now."
Mariku nodded weakly.
He kept his seat for a few minutes after Bakura was gone, then he stood up, only to sink back again. He tilted his head back.
Mariku took a deep breath and tried standing up again. He staggered and supported himself on the table. He was glad that the bed wasn't so far away. He lay down on his stomach and didn't care how much space he needed. The pain had drained him and he just wanted to be left alone.
Malik moved. Mariku had thought he had fallen asleep because he hadn't said anything as he and Bakura had talked about him, but apparently he was wrong.
Malik came out of his fur cocoon, at least his head. He had taken off his glasses, but was still wearing the mask.
"Are you still cold?" Malik shook his head. He was surprisingly tight-lipped when they were alone. Malik pulled the mask off his face and threw it on the floor. He took off the jacket and pants beneath the fur.
Mariku closed his eyes. He just couldn't keep them open any longer. "I hope the next planet is less cold," he murmured.
"No," Malik said. "We're going to Abulu, it's very hot there. The Nivtas don't have the material to repair the ship properly, but it will be enough to get us out of here." He paused for a moment. "In Abulu they will tell you where you are."
"You and your super-hearing" Mariku sighed. Suddenly something warm was put over him and he opened his eyes. Malik had spread his fur over both of them. Mariku managed a small smile.
Soon they would finally leave this galaxy and he would return home. He looked at Malik, who was curled up next to him. And Malik would be put to death and never see his home again...