Title: Fork in the Road

Pairing: JounouchixMaixVaron/Conflictshipping

Season Eight. Round Seven.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

My heart hammered beneath my ribs, making my chest ache with that familiar uncomfortable feeling.

The corridor was as dark as it usually was as I continued to run aimlessly down it. There never seemed to be an end to it, no light at the end. But every time, I find myself running down it with a reckless abandon that I don't understand.

There are no other sounds besides my heavy breathing and footfalls against the stone beneath my bare feet. I never take a care to look down and see what I'm wearing, though. I could be naked for all I know, but it just all seems unimportant to me as I keep running.

But this time, something different happens. There's a fork in the tunnel I'm surging through, and I stop to catch my breath while I decide which one to take.

As I look down into the darkness to the one on the right, a wave of emotions hit me. I can't decipher them, but they're powerful enough to make me stagger back a step. In response, I turn to the tunnel on the left, surprisingly hit by the same wave, just as vigorous.

I don't know what this means. My head is muddled on what's going on and it annoys me that I don't understand it all. I feel oddly weak as I try to make this decision, realizing all the while that I'm struggling – another thing I'm not used to.

The longer I stand in the fork the more I get frustrated by it all. The heavy waves of emotions oddly feel familiar, but I can't pinpoint what they might be related to. I decide to go to the right, but the left pulls me back. When I try to go down the left, I'm pulled back by the right.

My head starts to ache along with my heart and tears sting my eyes as I recklessly run my hands through my hair, trying to calm myself down. Just as soon as I feel like I'm going to fall to my knees in defeat, a hand covers my shoulder, startling me.

'I need to be strong,' I tell myself, blinking my unshed tears away before I turn around. Whoever's behind me, though, is radiating something off, and I don't like it. I can't give it a name, but I can already tell that whoever it is, is only here to break me down, if anything.

As I shuffle around, I am met with the last person I'd have thought to turn up.

His hand caresses my cheek, and I am frozen as he speaks, "You seem so surprised. You can't get rid of me that easily."

His lavender eyes pierce right through me as I merely stand there, letting his tan hand move against the side of my face. It had been months since the Battle City Tournament ended – since this guy was destroyed. I've only had one or two nightmares of this guy since that, but even then, they were immediately after the tournament. So why was he here?

"Marik," I hiss, finally regaining back my ability to react. I jerk out of his soft hold, backing away from him. He chuckles at my move and crosses his arms. "What are you doing here?" I managed to ask spitefully, my voice strong.

He taps a finger against his lips in fake thought, and I notice that he has the millennium rod at his hip. It sends a shiver through me, but I don't think he notices.

"I think my appearance only suffices to this little problem you have," he replies with a smirk.

He could only mean the fork I'm struggling over, but what role does he play in it? I don't let him see my confusion and take on my own defensive stance.

"Like you would have any knowledge on this," I say, gesturing to the two channels.

To my horror, he prowls forward to take his place by my side, observing the two dark corridors, his smirk never faltering. I scowl; he thinks I want his help.

He chuckles after he looks down the halls, confusing me further. I unconsciously take a step back as he turns to me. "You really can't figure this out?" he asked, his eyes dancing with amusement, making me angry.

"I never asked you!" I snap back, and I'm suddenly frightened as he grasps my arm, pulling me forward. I expect the worse, but he merely drags me toward the mouth of the right hallway, and I'm instantly bombarded by those emotions again.

Unsure of what he's trying to do, I'm surprised when he merely holds me there, as if I'm a child who's being forced to understand something important. Neither of us says anything, but my frustration and annoyance goes up another notch as the emotions hit me full force.

Then suddenly I'm out in the middle of a desert, looking down an abandoned road. I'm wearing a pink tank-top with a sleeveless black leather jacket and a jean skirt with some pumps, and again I'm immediately confused. The sun above hovers in the clear blue sky, its rays beating down heat, making me unbearably hot.

Just out of pure curiosity, I quickly scan the area for Marik, but he has seemed to disappear. I wonder if he pushed me down the corridor, but I can't be sure. I can still faintly feel his hand on my shoulder, and it makes me shudder.

Reprimanding myself on the small show of weakness, I bite my lip as I try to figure out what to do. Then suddenly a noise erupts from the end of the road to my right, and I realize that it's a motorcycle engine cutting through the silence.

My heart starts it's hammering again as I immediately understand who it is.

He rides up faster than he should have, and I find myself speechless as he takes off his helmet and pulls up his goggles to rest on his poofy brown hair. His blue eyes pierce through me just like Marik's did, but I forget about the latter in that moment.

"Mai?" he asked uncertainly, his slight accent messing me up a little. But I manage to shake myself back to awareness. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

The words jumble out of my mouth before I can even think about them. "What does it matter to you?"

Varon looks at me like he's unsure of how to answer that, but he doesn't back down. "Well, you're out in the middle of the desert," he answers logically.

I scream at my stupid comment, but I also refuse to back down. Some part of me wants to become weak and I sneer at it, not fully understanding it as I look at him. "I don't know what I'm doing out here," I answer neutrally.

He doesn't seem deterred by my words and gives me a smile, stepping closer to me. I find that my hands are gloved as he takes them into his own gloved hands. I stand my ground as we just stand there, and I can feel discomfort seeping through my skin as he merely looks at me.

I'm completely at a surprise when he envelopes me in a fierce hug.

It goes on forever, and it gives me the time to return the embrace just as enthusiastically. My fingernails dig into his leather shirt with emotion, and I can't help but mirror him as I rest my chin on his shoulder, taking in his scent.

"I was so worried about you, Mai," he murmurs into my hair, and my heart erupts with emotions I don't quite understand. I want to stay like this in his arms forever, but I fear that my expression would betray me if I try to stay emotionless to him. I cling tighter to him, some part of me enjoying the closeness…

I gasp as I'm pulled back into that dark corridor, Marik still beside me, his hand still clutching my arm.

Blinking, I can feel my chest swelling with emotion of sorrow and longing, and part of my mind comprehends what this is all about. But I'm too busy trying to breathe and compose myself in front of this forgotten madman.

I can tell he has a smirk on his face despite the fact that he doesn't utter a word as he leads me to the left passage. Again, I'm hit with the same emotions from the right. We stand there like before, and suddenly I'm taken.

Dressed in a nice white blouse and dark washed trousers with some heels, I find myself on the streets of Domino. I can tell that it's rush time. Cars and people alike are moving like busy bees and the sky's darkening, signaling neon signs to flicker on.

Again, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. People who pass me don't seem to notice my confused presence, and I idly wonder if they could pass right through me.

I don't put that theory to test, but I do move out of the heavy flow. A weird feeling of apprehension overcomes me, and I stick to the wall of a building. I suddenly feel like a little girl who's lost her mother in a crowded place, and without a second thought, I bolt.

My heels click noisily against the pavement, and I can tell that they are getting progressively faster. The night sky is spreading, the lights giving off an eerie glow to everything as shadows are cast everywhere.

Before I know it I'm running at full speed, moving blindly against the crowd, unsure of what I'm running from. Then, unexpectedly, I hit something solid. I let out a startled gasp, backing up before I realize who it is.

"Katsuya?" I exclaim in a heated whisper, backing up unconsciously when I notice the shadows covering his form.

He steps into the light, a confused look on his face that oddly reassures me that he isn't a threat. His brown eyes have the look of genuine concern, and I can't help but feel touched at it.

"Is everything alright, Mai?" he asks, and I cannot help but find this situation almost just like the one with Varon. But I put it at the back of my mind as I try not to look vulnerable in front of him.

As he comes closer, my confusion over the whole thing gets to me, and I end up backing up again until my back hits the stone wall of the building. What is all this supposed to mean? My heart buzzes when he drops down when I slide down, trying to make sense of it all.

Just like Marik had, Jounouchi lets a hand run over my left cheek, softly caressing it as he took my expression in. I had no idea what it may have looked like, but his eyes softened considerably.

My chest swelled like it did with Varon when he moved even closer. I was getting anxious again in a way that it was addictive and that I wanted it. This abrupt realization hit me and I frantically stood up, surprising the blonde. He stood up to his full height as well, and I felt myself closing off from him.

"Mai, what's wrong?" he questioned again, trying to pull me closer to him, but the inflation of emotions within me was starting to become too much to handle.

"Get…ge…" I tried to voice, but as he cupped my face in his hands, I couldn't protest. His lips me mine and I lost it, indulging myself.

Just as I was starting to take a liking to it, I was pulled back yet again.

I could hear Marik chuckling at me as I once again tried to recompose myself, feeling utterly embarrassed and uninformed on what had just taken place.

The only thing that was really running through my mind was that both Varon and Jou held a certain place in my heart.

I was jerked back away from the still filtering emotions of the tunnel, and I ripped myself away from the blonde. I could feel anger bubbling up inside me as I stared hatefully at the man as he laughed cruelly.

"Don't you see?"

"See what?" I quipped, wanting to get out of this place and away from him.

Those lavender eyes shot me an uncomfortable look, but I refused to back down. "You can't choose."

His words came on as more of a shock than I thought they would. My heart felt like it was being suddenly squished in a giant hand that would never relent. My stomach did flips and flops in every direction. My head swam uncontrollably.

I had to get under control.

"Who are you to say such things?" I asked defensively, trying to ignore the rush of blood coursing through my body as I became suddenly nervous. I hated the feeling as I stood there staring him down, but I couldn't shake it away.

Marik moved to lean against the black wall, his arms still crossed as he chuckled at me, making me even more aggravated at him. "Because I know the answer."

This confused me. How on earth was he of all people supposed to know that answer? An answer that only I could know? An answer that belonged in the depths of my heart?

He wasn't supposed to even exist.

"Get out of here, Marik," I said bitterly, my voice low with hatred.

He didn't budge.

"Now!" I shouted, my throat closing in on itself. I felt like a child when I shouted this, and I could feel tears of frustration welling up again as he made no move to leave.

Without a word, he pushed himself up and walked toward me, letting his finger twirl a strand of my hair. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. I just continued to stare hatefully at him.

He leaned down, his mouth by my ear. "You can't have either of them," he whispered, and I could feel that smirk radiating off his face as he gave me this answer.

I didn't realize it when my fist connected with his jaw. I could only concentrate on the anger that was suddenly coursing through me at his bold answer. He backed up considerably, and I was satisfied to see that I wiped that stupid smirk off his face.

"Who the hell are you to say that?" I demanded with my newfound strength, able to move to advance on him now. "What gives you the right to even consider yourself important enough to invade such an issue?"

That pissed look crossed his face, and I immediately recognized the look from the tournament. It didn't completely extinguish my forte, but something inside me shrunk as he pulled himself to full height.

"You are so ignorant," he simply growled, backing me against the wall. I silently begged him not to enforce any physical contact, and I was relieved when he chose to stand there, blocking my escape. "You're just a scared little girl…always left behind."

His words echoed through my being, making me think immediately back to the Battle City Tournament, when he had me trapped. The thought of that glass imprisonment made me shudder.

"They will never return your feelings, no matter which path you choose," Marik sneered, and I was successful in blocking out the previous memory.

Looking him square in the eye, I could tell what he was trying to do. "No matter what you say, I'll let you know that it won't work."

He was trying to make me insecure on what I saw was clear now. He was a figure that frightened me in the past…having returned to haunt me again with such a personal choice. It didn't matter what he tried to plague me with, I knew I was stronger than what he was trying to meld me into.

"Get. Out." My voice was stern unlike before as I coached myself on what exactly what was going on as bits and pieces came together to create a clear picture of what this dream was about. To my pleasure, Marik stepped back with a glare before disappearing from my sight altogether.

Letting out a sigh I didn't even know what I was holding in, I let my gaze wander to the two corridors as I pushed myself off the black wall after a few moments.

Despite my resentment towards Marik, I couldn't help but silently thank him in the back of my mind for clearing some of my confusion up on what these two tunnels meant. Walking toward them, I stopped just short of where I'd start to feel emotions, taking the time to look down them both.

Even without the barrage of emotions from the passages, I could feel my heart tightening as I finally comprehended what kind of choice I've been struggling over. Both Jou and Varon held their certain places in my heart, equal in every way.

I remembered the brief feeling of Varon holding me in my confusion, the reassurance of Jou's lips against mine. Their eyes both held a sincere kindness to them as they both looked at me in concern.

It was an addictive feeling they both gave me, whether they meant it or not. I wouldn't admit it out loud, but I certainly enjoyed it to some level.

But the fork in this long hallway still had me at a standstill. I didn't know which to take.

I couldn't make the decision. Not yet.

Unsure of what I was doing exactly, I found myself creating a whole new corridor, and I started to run down that, sure that it would give me some kind of answer that would eventually help.

A/N: Well, I like it. I had to mull over whether or not I should put Marik in this, but the more I look this over, the more relevant he seems. Hm. Thanks for reading!