I know some people will probably drop dead on the spot at the sight of such a quick update, but in the next few weeks I will genuinely have little or no time to do anything, so I thought I should post this while I can.

And also, it makes me feel somewhat saintly, updating early.

Ryou woke up in a cold sweat.

His arms instinctively scrabbled at the duvet, freeing him from the suffocating mass that was preventing him from breathing. When he eventually found the energy to draw in a desperate breath, the air was ice cold, and Ryou felt every inch of its path into his lungs.

He coughed twice and sat up, pupils dilating in the darkness.

So much for an undisturbed night.

Concentrating on calming his erratic heartbeat, Ryou looked around furtively, as one instinctively does when faced with a dark room, a cold night and an unwelcome awakening. The recurring dream had woken him again, and he knew that no matter how hard he tried he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Dreamless sleep requires a state of utter relaxation; in all his 16 years, Ryou had not yet managed to reach it.

Stupid dreams. Stupid insomnia.

Ryou clambered out of bed, eyes adjusting to the darkness. Everything seemed strangely alien; in shades of black and grey, Ryou barely recognised his own home. That was why he didn't like the dark; he didn't recognise himself, either. As he walked into the cold, silent hallway he stretched, his hair falling back from his face; in the dark, his eyes were frightening, so he tried not to look in the hall mirror as he passed it.

Get out. Get out while you can.

First came the walking boots – two sizes too big. Then came the front door, the horribly loud groan of hinges, and then the first exhilarating rush of dry outdoor air, laced with winter and freedom.

At least, that was how it seemed to Ryou, in his sleep deprived state.

Seeing this wraithlike figure wandering the frosted streets, black eyes barely visible behind long silver hair, you might assume he was lost. Homeless. You might start, certain you had seen something otherworldly.

Perhaps you'd be right.

However, it wasn't to last. Soon enough, Ryou's mortality was laid bare.

The freezing weather had turned the pavement into a sheet of black ice; a death trap for a klutz like Ryou. He felt his foot slide to the side and twist painfully, and the inevitable fall came a half second later. He fell hard onto his left wrist.

His yell of agony echoed across the street. Ryou heard himself over and over.

A sharp pain jolted up his arm as he clutched it to his chest. Lying there, dizzy and bewildered, he realised quite how asleep he'd been.

He sat up awkwardly, swallowed hard and tried to think.

I can't get up, I can't move. What the hell do I do?

Ryou shivered. The cold was starting to settle in him, finding its way deep into his bones and numbing him slowly, bringing goosebumps up on his arms and sending his teeth chattering. He'd heard of people getting hypothermia, but he'd never expected to be one of them. He tried his ankle once more, but recoiled with a whimper of pain. He could feel the tears of frustration starting in his eyes, and vaguely considered whether they would freeze to his face, as a cruel little reminder of his anger.

He wasn't sure quite how long he lay there. Every now and then there would be the sound of a distant engine, and Ryou would feel hope fluttering in his chest, but it inevitably turned into nothing. He could feel himself getting colder by the second; never had one of his night-time strolls gone so horribly wrong.

But I hadn't had the dream back then...

Suddenly, there was a blaze of headlights, painfully bright to Ryou. Ryou turned away from the blinding light as the car turned and he heard the roar of its engine die away. It rolled up right next to where he lay crumpled on the pavement, and Ryou tensed.

It could be some nice person, just thinking to help me...But on the other hand...

Ryou tried not to think about that, instead examining his wrist.

"Hey. Long time no see, little Ryou."

Ryou turned in surprise, the remnant smudges of the cars headlights blocking his vision. Leaning from the cab of a battered looking truck was Marik – his dream man's doppelgänger, eyes glinting in the moonlight. Marik looked suitably confused at seeing Ryou lying in the street in the middle of the night.

"What are you doing?" He asked, sounding both amused and concerned.

Ryou was torn between crying with relief and dying of embarrassment. This came high on the list of his most humiliating moments. At least it was dark, so Marik couldn't see his cheeks darkening to the colour of a beetroot. Still, better embarrassed than frozen.

"Erm... I...sort of f-fell over and t-twisted my ankle... you d-don't think you c-could help me...?"

"No. I'll just leave you here and come defrost you in the morning."

"I...b-but.."

Marik rolled his indigo eyes and kicked open the door of his truck. Ryou followed his heavy boots on their path round the front of the vehicle, as they crunched their way through the shattered ice on the tarmac. Marik crouched down behind him, and Ryou craned his neck to see just what he was doing. He was examining the swathe of crushed ice Ryou had carved out as he fell.

"Do you sleepwalk a lot?"

"No. I wasn't r-really s-sleepw-walking, though. I-i... i'ts hard t-to explain."

"Weird. Anyway." Marik stood up and turned to Ryou, who was watching him nervously, his face having finally returned to its usual ghostly colour.

"Back to the situation at hand."

Marik leaned down, and before Ryou could protest, had grabbed him unceremoniously around the waist and lifted him under his arm.

"Ah!" Ryou yelped. The entire street spun. "P-put me down!"

"Don't be difficult." Marik grunted, pulling Ryou into a vague bridal style hold and attempting to manoeuvre him through the open door of his truck. Ryou, disoriented as he was, couldn't help but admire Marik's strength. He didn't appear to be struggling at all; maybe picking up people was a regular pastime of his. Then his injured foot hit something and he was distracted.

Marik didn't miss Ryou's hiss of pain.

"Sorry."

"T-that's okay..." Ryou answered, almost inaudibly. Marik frowned. Ryou was finally in place in the passenger seat of the truck, but he didn't look better at all. In fact, if he wasn't shivering visibly, he could've been mistaken for a corpse. His lips were a rather alarming shade of blue, his dark eyes half shut and out of focus.

"You're shivering."

"N-no, I'm f-fine." Ryou lied.

"Don't be masochistic. I don't want you to freeze to death." Marik started taking off his coat, still watching Ryou carefully. He looked like he would pass out at any moment. Still, he was pretty energetic when it came to denying assistance.

"You'll b-be cold-d."

"No I won't. I haven't been lying out in the street for hours. Why do people like you always put others first? You're obviously near enough frozen, and you know I'll make you wear the coat anyway, so why bother?..." Marik scrutinised Ryou's face, looking for something. Ryou flushed and looked away.

"Hmm. Fine. Let's go." Marik threw his coat into Ryou's lap and slammed the door. Ryou could feel the heat coming from the heavy fabric, and however much he may have wanted to, he knew he wouldn't be able to return it now. Besides, the coat smelled nice, and Marik seemed pretty indifferent to it.

Poor coat, Ryou thought. Don't worry, I'll appreciate you. He wrapped the thing around his shoulder with his uninjured hand, and managed a smile.

I'm grinning to myself and comforting an inanimate object! The rational part of his brain nudged him.

Well, I'm also getting into the car of a complete stranger... A bizarre, gorgeous stranger...

The irrational part of his brain had apparently been brought to life by a spell out in the cold. The warmth of the cab and the coat and the vibrations of the engine soon had him asleep.

"Hey. Ryou! We're here. Wake up." Someone poked him in the side. Ryou grudgingly opened one eye.

Marik smiled crookedly. "You were talking to yourself. I called the men in white coats."

Ryou flushed. What exactly had he been saying? He hadn't even realised he'd been sleeping.

Marik laughed. "Don't worry; they'd go for me first anyway. Besides... I would have been mad to get rid of you so soon."

Ryou might have been imagining the sexual intonation behind those words, but either way he blushed darker. Marik just seemed to find him amusing.

"How red are you intending to go?" he said teasingly.

"It's not funny! It's just because I'm so pale normally."

"What's to blush about?" Marik probed, apparently dead set on making his companion as embarrassed as possible.

"Nothing. It's just hot in here." Ryou tried to fold his arms, forgetting that he'd hurt his wrist.

"Ow! Damn it." Ryou's face crumpled in pain.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a klutz?" Marik said, grinning even more widely as he climbed out of the cab. Ryou couldn't bring himself to complain as Marik lifted him out of the car and carried him across an unfamiliar car park. He attempted to look around, but only succeeded in hurting his neck. The pain from his ankle was making him feel slightly sick, so he decided to relax while he had the chance.

"Are you kidnapping me?" Marik heard Ryou ask sleepily.

"Yes."

"Right. Okay... I..." Ryou's little speech was interrupted by an involuntary yawn. He appeared to give up speaking and instead slumped against Marik's shoulder, eyes closing. Marik sighed.

Eventually the strange pair arrived at the front door of the flats where Marik lived. They certainly weren't your average flats; they appeared to be a huge rambling house, rather than a tower block. Marik banged the door with his hip; it was locked, as usual.

Crap. I forgot the midnight 'curfew'.

Marik leaned down to press the little intercom whatsit with one finger, this being made especially difficult by the deadweight of a half asleep Ryou in his arms. Not just that, but Ryou was distracting. His silky silver hair tickling Marik's neck, his disarming fragility fixing Marik's attention without fail. Marik shook the thought off and yelled into the intercom,

"Sarah! Get down here now!"

Ryou twitched in his arms. There was a scuffle behind the door.

"Get down, you stupid cat!" The door was eventually heaved open, and a tiny blonde woman stood there, adjusting her nightdress with one hand and holding a vicious looking cat with the other . She scowled at Marik. Marik scowled back. The cat hissed, keen to join in.

"Inconsiderate bastard. If you're going to keep coming in at God knows what time of the night, I'll give you your own key."

"I had good reason today." Marik indicated a semi conscious Ryou and walked on. "But," he paused and glanced over his shoulder "I wouldn't say no to my own key."

Sarah scowled and stormed out, muttering something about men and God-awful timekeeping.

"Nice catch, bad boy." A girl sitting on a faded living chair glanced up from her book to appraise Ryou, smoke from her cigarette curling towards the ceiling.

"He's not a 'catch'." Marik said absently, glancing down at Ryou, "He is nice, though."

"Like I said." The girl muttered, rolling her eyes.

He started walking up the stairs, wanting to be back in his own flat; preferably in bed. With or without Ryou.

They arrived after what seemed like an eternity of climbing; Ryou opened his eyes a little to take in his surroundings. The flat was a strange room. The living room was in a dip in the floor and all the other rooms had a little step leading up to their entrances. Ryou found himself dreading the morning; he'd be over one of those steps in a flash, and off to A and E.

Wait, the morning? Am I considering staying the night?

And shouldn't I be at A and E anyway?

He was jerked from his thoughts once again by being half dropped on the battered couch he'd seen from across the room. He moaned slightly, his ankle cramping after the long journey. Marik stretched out his arms, bones clicking, and Ryou noticed for the first time a tattoo of intricate black swirls that started on his left bicep and shoulder and crept up to the back of his neck, like a fire or perhaps the ocean.

Definitely fire.

Marik rubbed the insides of his elbows, making the flames dance.

"Man, Ryou. You killed my arms." Marik wandered into the kitchen and started searching the cupboards, feeling the feeling creep back into his fingers. He was cold, despite what he'd told Ryou. That reminded him; Ryou was still wearing his coat. He glanced over; the black material swamped the smaller boy, making him seem even frailer than before. Marik felt his pulse suddenly jump.

Ryou is beautiful. He's fucking beautiful.

It was true, of course. Marik wasn't sure if he liked the way his blood ran cold when he thought Ryou's name, the way his huge dark eyes seemed to see right through you. This wasn't a safe, sexy thing. This wasn't some stranger in the street. This was new.

You need to sleep, said the sceptical voice in his head. Marik half agreed.

"Um...Marik?"

Damn, that voice! So shy and polite, but so... piercing.

"Er...yes! Right." Marik quickly grabbed the things he'd been after. He'd think about this later.

Ryou hadn't meant to interrupt Marik's thoughts, but he'd looked troubled, and Ryou's arm and ankle were both throbbing painfully.

Marik stepped down from the kitchen, so effortlessly graceful that Ryou felt a spark of jealousy. He dumped a first aid kit on the sofa and sat down next to it. Ryou shrugged off the coat as quickly as he could.

"Take as many of these as you want..." Marik said, placing a tub of painkillers in Ryou's uninjured hand.

"...And give me your leg." Ryou blinked and flushed, for about the hundredth time that night. Marik laughed. "To put a bandage on, Ryou. You really are out of it!"

"Oh! Right. Do you know how to tie a bandage?"

"Please. I'm training at Domino City Hospital."

"Wow. I wish I was so practical."

Marik only grunted in reply. Ryou unscrewed the lid of the pills and was slightly concerned to see only a few left.

"Do you get headaches a lot?" Ryou asked, glancing at Marik's face. He looked like he was concentrating, so Ryou was surprised when he answered, smiling ruefully,

"You could say that."

Ryou was intrigued, but didn't ask further. He tried to think about something other than Marik, and failed. He was so interesting. He winced, thinking of what his mother would say to that.

"Where were you last night?"

"I went to a strange man's flat."

"Why!"

"Because he was interesting."

Yes. That would go down a treat.

Still, Marik isn't really a stranger. Well, not anymore.

Ryou thought about other people. Would they climb, or rather, allow themselves to be placed, into a stranger's car without hesitation? Without even a flicker of fear?

Would they fall into conversation as easy as breathing, and treat this stranger like they treat their best friend? It was a scary thought, and Ryou didn't want to consider the implications if the answer was no.

"Arm now. Aren't you going to take those?" Marik said, impatiently. Ryou looked up, and found himself staring into the most incredible eyes. They were animated, churning, flickering whorls of black-purple, and Ryou imagined he was seeing straight into Marik's soul.

"What?" Marik tilted his head bemusedly.

"Sorry." Ryou took a pill, and Marik took the tub.

"Those things knock you out. By the way." Marik began wrapping a bandage around his swollen wrist. Ryou watched his hands. He had a silver band around his ring finger that Ryou had never noticed before, and another tattoo on the base of his thumb. A tiny L, which moved as he manipulated the material around Ryou's hand.

"You'll have some nice bruises here in the morning."Marik commented, touching Ryou's elbow. Ryou glanced down and noticed the rather large graze. He hadn't even felt it.

He wondered what to say next. Marik made him lose his train of thought, as well as not notice noticeable injuries.

"Are you married?" Ryou asked, thinking of the ring and trying to nudge Marik into speaking again. The jewellery seemed rather at odds with what Ryou could guess of Marik's personality, but then again, so did marriage.

He soon realised that that had been the wrong question to ask. Marik seized up completely, his hand holding the bandage in place, but his eyes far away. The atmosphere went from amiable to tense in a heartbeat. Ryou was sure he felt the temperature in the room plummet.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marik tied a rough knot in the bandage and stood abruptly. Ryou felt guilt rising inside him; whatever he'd said had hurt Marik, whatever unpleasant memories he'd churned up. Ryou hated stirring. He hated the idea that he'd made someone feel bad, even unintentionally. Marik packed up the first aid kit, clearly still brooding and pointedly ignoring Ryou.

Ryou glanced down at the pill in his hand, the white circle even paler than his near- translucent skin and Marik' earlier comment took on a whole new meaning. Ryou looked up at Marik again, feeling the same as he had in the tattoo parlour; slightly afraid, curious, and bemused. Once again, he felt he'd found another part to him, another mystery to unravel, like a cat prising apart a ball of wool. He watched as Marik disappeared into one of the rooms, and a few seconds later he heard him rummaging around, clearly searching for something. Ryou wasn't sure quite what to expect.

A few seconds later, Marik reappeared, carrying a pile of random bedding. Marik realised with a wry smile that he'd never had anyone to stay that hadn't been sharing his bed. He dumped them on the end of the sofa, while Ryou watched. Marik turned to leave, to disappear into his bedroom, to leave Ryou alone in the dark, to sleep.

"I'm sorry!" Ryou said, almost desperately. Marik looked to him, eyes seeming to soften from cold indigo to warm violet as he felt his heart melt and buckle under the pressure of Ryou's pleading gaze like plastic folding in a microwave, or a tin can being crushed underfoot.

"You're forgiven."

And then he snapped off the lights.

First hint of a backstory, ladies and gents!

Anyway, after Chapter 7 you may find that everything becomes a little better written. This is because most of these early chappies are adapted from a story I wrote about 2 and a half years ago. So don't be too alarmed; I haven't had a lobotomy :)

Reviews?

Kal277 x