The sun was shining high and bright in the sky, the grass was green and lively, and there was Rod Guy as happy as he could be looking out at the big, beautiful world surrounding him. A fluffy cloud floated overhead. Marik hmped happily. "It looks like a puppydog" he mwaghed. And it was true. The puppydog cloud was in the beautiful blue sky, smiling down upon him (much like God) as Marik smiled right back up. And with him today down below on this Earth is his very own dog. "Woof" said Spot, signalling his presence. "I know, I know! When the going gets tough..." he said and picked Spot up and put him on his broad, muscular shoulders. "THE TOUGH GETS GOING!" Whoosh! Together, he and Spot were soaring, rodding through the wind.
Today was a big day for the Rod Man, his roses, and every last one of his pals. There was very important business to attend to. In seconds, the duo made their arrival in front of the Domino City Petco. "Hello it's Rod Guy" he said stepping through the door. All the animals greeted him happily in their own languages. They loved him instantly.
"Nice to meet you Rod Guy, it's Petco" Leanna said from the front desk. "Nice to meet you too, Leanna. I am here to apply for the Manager Position" Rod Guy replied with a rodlike smile to Leanna. "Oh, of course. Right this way" she said and took him by the hand, leading him off of his path of darkness and into the arms of the Lord and his light.
"So Rod Guy, what leadership qualities do you have that would be beneficial as manager?" Leanna asked with her award winning smile. "I love dogs. They are all my friends. Especially Spot the Dog here!" Rod Guy gestured to Spot who gave a little woof of approval, and licked Roddy's face too from up on his huge shoulders. Leanna took what he said to heart and jotted it down in her little notebook. "Well sir I think our company would love to have you. When can you start?" she asked and stuck out her flawlessly pedicured hand. Rod Job gasped! "Are you serious? Oh my God thank you so much! I'll do my best with each and every day!" "Woof!" said Spot the Dog in agreement. They both had been convinced.
On his way home from the interview, Roddy thought he would surprise his Rose with one of his favorite meals to celebrate his success. Goodbye poverty! "Hello it's Walmart!" said the lovely worker at Walgreens. "I would like to purchase the steak" said Rod Bod, and he pulled out the money from his pocket, paying upfront. No exortion, no fear, no problem. "Here is your steak thank you for shopping with us!" Said Jessica, handing him the steak. "You know what Jessica, thank you for your customer service." Roddy said and handed her a 20 dollar tip. Who knew that being nice could feel so good! "Why thank you...thank you very much, Rod Guy!" Jessica waved with tears brimming as he rodded his way out the door.
Once successfully outside in the Target parking lot, Rod Guy kneeled down. "TIME TO GO!" he said and sprung up into the sky at speeds never thought possible by the scientosts who curse his name. He landed, on his feet of course, right outside the lovely Ishtar Household. He couldn't wait to see the look on his mindslaves face when he smelled the steak he had purchased for him from that Costco.
"Honey, I'm home!" Marik said and danced inside. There was a spring in his step on this day and not from his massive jump from one side of the city to the other. His power was beyond your wildest dreams and in all areas if you know what I mean. But anyways, Bakura was not responding so Marik danced onwards into the house! He was on the hunt now. "BABE" Marik screamed into the living room. "BABE" Marik screamed louder into the living room. No answer. This was normally where his mindslave was (eating all of his food and leaving crumbs all over his nice sofa, of course) so Marik was confused. Where could his mindslave rose, his most valuable mindslave, possibly be?
"BAB" Rod bob was ready to squack full throttle into the bedroom but... there he was. Marik had found his mindslave, sleeping peacefully and looking oh so beautiful in the not fluorescent lighting. He had forgotten it was still only 1PM! This beautiful day had only just begun.
That Rod Guy knew just what to do. He rolled his way into the kitchen and grabbed his steak cooker. "Breakfast In Bed" he said to himself cheerily as the steak sizzled and was being cooked. After it was done (medium rare, don't worry about it) he put it on a plate and even poured a glass of orange juice to complete the meal. He sure was a keeper! Barreling back up to his bedroom, he smiled with love in his eyes at the sight of his mindslave sleeping. "Wakey wakey eggs and bacy!" he said softly but loudly enough to wake him up. This was a lie and he did not have eggs and bacy but he thought this would work too. He really was from the bottom of his heart doing his best.
"I made you some Breakfast In Bed for you beauty rose. Good morning" Roddy rodded a smile his way. "What? Why?" Bakura asked, a little surprised. His mouth was in a little 'o' shape and everything. Marik was very used to seeing that 'o' shape if you know what I mean. But anyway, "Just wanted to surprise you! Thought it'd make your morning. By the way, my morning was made. I got the job!" Rod Job would have clapped but his hands were holding the steak. Beauty Rose took it from him and had a little blush too. "I love it!" he said, a true smile on his face. The Rose was loving it! The feeling was right, so they both leaned in and joined together for a mindslave kiss. It was worth it.
Marik broked the kiss. "Babe... I love you so much. You're the light of my life, my reason for waking up in the morning - no, not even just that, my reason for trying. You're my everything and I just wanted you to know that" he said truthfully. Bakura rolled his eyes but was still smiling anyway. "Whatever Marik!" he said and the Rod Man mindslave kissed him for the second time and Bakura felt himself fall even deeper in love with him. But then... he is hearing it! A cat in need and according to his Rod Senses it was from 73 miles away!
"MWAGH" he screamed, picking up his beautiful mindslave in his bundle blanket because he couldn't bare to be without him for any more time, and then swiftly rolling out of the house and back into the sun's rays. Bakura stuffed his steak in his huge gaping mouth hole and munched happily as they broke the speed limit. It was okay though because he was flying through the air and not on the street so the cops could not incarcerate him this time! He was done with that life of crime and had put it behind him.
Rod Guy stopped outside of a giant weeping wollow tree. She was stuck in it and on the tallest branch as well! The sad meows for help stopped when he waved up at her. Marik knew what he had to do and in a flash put Bakura down softly on the grass. "Be back in a sec" he said. Bakura burped.
Marik reached deep down into Rod Storage and pulled out a gigantic ladder. He pulled down his fireman hat seriously, shadows covering his eyes. It was time to get serious... and also time to get climbing! Step by step he rose high, high, high into the sky! Soon, the cat was in view. "Meow! Meow!" the cat said. "Rod to the rescue!" he said and took his new friend into his muscles. She nestled right in, already feeling safe and sound. Rod looked down at her fondly. "I will call you Stripe" he said to Stripe the cat.
"Meow!" said Stripe the Cat. "What's that? You want to go to the vet to make sure you're okay? Well I'll be damned if I don't agree with you!" Marik adjusted his cowboy belt without letting Stripe fall. "Come on Rose, we're on our way to the vet" he yodeled to his mindslave rose, who didn't really see a problem with that on a day as good as this. "Rod later?" Bakura asked hopefully, waddling beside him loyally. "I don't see why not. Just as long as we make sure Strip is A Okay." Roddy chirped like a bird (chirped, not squawked).
Soon he was at Doctor Veterinarian Dictator Seto Kaiba's Veterinary. "Hey there Doc!" Roddy waved at Kaiba who was sitting at the front desk. That doctor guy turned around and smiled. "Hello Rod Guy, it's been a while. Glad you stopped by." The two pals did a fist bump to show their respect for each other. The sun continued to shine through the windows, beams never wavering. "Sad to say I didn't come to chat. I found this lil feller up on a tree and I rescued her. Think you could take a look at her and make sure she's alright?" Marik asked, gently handing over Stripe the Cat. She was very small and needed to be handled with care. "You did a wise thing bringing Stripe the Cat to me. I'll see what I can do." said Kaiba and led them into his lab.
Doc Kaib took out his stethoscope and put it on Stripe the Cat's small animal tum tum. Silence entered the laboratory. "So what's goin' on with her, doc? Is everythang gonna be ok?" Marik asked. Kaiba removed the stethoscope. "Good news, rod guy readings say that Stripe the Cat is in perfect health" he said in his wise doctorly voice. "THANK GOODNESS" Marik said and thanked the heavens above for this blessing. "Meow" said Stripe the Cat and jumped down from the thingy. She padded right on over to her new friend and owner Rod Guy and nuzzled her face against his leg. She was purring.
Marik felt happy tears bubbling from deep inside him. The gang was all here! Him, Spot, Stripe, one of his closest and most trusted mindslaves Kaiba, and his treasure. He hadn't even known something was missing til he found Stripe. It was like a hole had been filled within him, much like he was going to fill some of Bakura's holes later if you know what I mean.
Rod Job couldn't be more happier with the way his life was turning out. Doc Kaiba put a hand on the Rod's shoulders. He smiled. "Doc, I want to show you something. Rose, could you take Stripe the Cat back to our place and give her some food and water? I'd much appreciate it." Now Bakura was no mindslave, but he did what Marik asked without hesitation, taking the little kitty and walking out the door. Rod Job rodded with Kaiba by his side to a very special place. His garden.
"This is a very special place. It's where I feel most at peace, and very few I trust enough to show. You've been...a real good friend, Kaiba. A damn good friend. I know things were rocky at first but...thank you. For everything." Maki-chan and Nico-chan's petals looked so beautiful in the sunlight, and it nearly brought tears to the Rod Man's face. Roddy looked at Doctor Lawyer Seto Kaiba with sincerity in his muscular eyes. He was speaking from way down deep in his heart and Kaiba knew it too. He smiled. He put a hand on his shoulder. "I feel the same, Rod Guy. How about...we go take a walk."
Marik's smile grew even wider. "I'd like that, Kaiba... just wait here a sec. This won't take long." he roddled and ran quickly inside to say goodbye his most important flower out of all the gardens in the world. "Hey, rose... I'm leaving." he said to that flower. Bakura rolled his beautiful big brown eyes. "You better be back soon!" he yowled like the kitty cat named Stripe. Marik hugged him close and gave him a kiss right on the lips. "I love you so much. I'd never leave you for long" he said and then off he and the doctor went went, side by side. Marik returned to his rose garden and Kaiba's hand returned to his shoulder, with that hand he was leading him farther and farther away from his rose garden. He couldn't help but look back there to them. Nozomi-chan's leafs were outstretched to him, desperately trying to reach but he was too far now.
Houses and houses pass them by - all blurred together after seeing so many, and then those houses become fewer and fewer and the road they walk turns to dirt and then that dirt becomes no road at all. Only sand is left. "We've come out pretty far, Kaiba. I think it's about time we head back now. My rose'll be looking for me." His hand was still on Marik's shoulder, tense and unmoving. Much like that doctors lips. He was not saying a word in response to the Rod Bob's plea.
"I... I said I want to go home-" Kaiba shoved him forward. "Keep walking." and he did, not because he was a mindslave or because he had any hope left that if he listened and obeyed him that he would ever get to see his rose again but because he knew deep down that he didn't have a choice. A Rod Man is never wrong. Their instincts are good, much like that of an animals.
Marik choked quietly and kept on walking and walking and walking in this seemingly never ending desert, sweat beading and falling down his large and muscular face more and more with each passing second. Then, he is seeing it! A large shadowy figure in the distance! It was... a mirage? But why would he hallucinate the letter t-
FUCK.
OH NO. NO, NO, NO.
Kaiba turned to look at him for the first time since they had started walking together. He was smiling.
"I told you to keep walking, Rod Guy." He shoved him again, this time harder than before. Hard enough for him to fall face first into the ground, in fact. Hard enough for his head to hit a cactus.
Hard enough to knock him out.
Rod Guy wakes up to pain. It's in his fingers, it's in his toes. He doesn't have to open his eyes to know that there are nails going through the palms of his hands and feet, connecting his flesh to the wood behind him.
"Like the crown, Rod Guy? I made it for you myself" Kaiba evilled. Though he didn't want to, Marik slowly opened his eyes at the sound of that voice. The sun was setting and it made the sand below look red like blood.
(Or was it blood.)
(His blood?)
"Please, please just let me down from here. We can go back home and pretend like this never happened, ok? I won't bring it up to anybody, I swear. This is all just a-" "Mistake? Were you just going to say 'mistake'? Don't make me laugh, Rod Guy." Kaiba laughed anyway, low and as doctorly as ever. "See, I had this all planned from the start." Marik would have widened if he had the strength, but he didn't, so he mwaghed pitifully. "Why?" he croaked. Kaiba laughed harder but said nothing.
Neither did Rod Guy. The desert was still with the quiet of his death, no noise comes from the slow trickle of his blood softly dripping down the wooden cross and onto the sand, or at least not one he could hear.
It was quiet like that for a long while, until eventually, Marik lifted his head to the heavens and screamed a scream so heartbreaking in it's enormity that the ground beneath them trembled and shook like a dying, scared animal. (Like him.) It hurts, Rod Guy would wail over and over, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, please someone make it stop.
But no one did. A god might have been watching them, some cruel god up in a heaven for no one but those as cruel as he - but if there was, he did not answer. "My god, my god, why have you forsaken me?" Marik asks the sky, blearily looking up to where that heaven, his heaven, is supposed to be. It's dark now. No clouds floated past, no white kingdom or pearly gates - only darkness and god's silence.
A single tear trickled down his cheek and then the rod man rodded no more.