Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction / Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ Then came an angel ❯ It becomes more complicated ( Chapter 26 )

Chapter 25

 

By Sapadu

 

A/N: I'm really really really sorry… for those who are awaiting updates. But I am trying to update.

 

“Somehow, we ended up becoming at least tolerant of each other…” Ken mused, drawing patterns on the floor with his fingertip. Marik was now sitting waist high in sand, looking somehow miserable and sullen at the same time, as though he had been scolded by a parent for something he'd done wrong, and was wearing the face to be rebellious, yet at the same time, knew what he'd done wrong…

 

“Sorry pair we are, huh?” He asked, which made Ken laugh.

 

Then he was quiet. Marik didn't find this odd, but he didn't know Ken that well- at least, not well enough to realize that if the other boy wasn't talking, it meant he was depressed, or thinking about something serious.

 

“Naa… Marik-san…” Ken mumbled, before Marik snapped,

 

“Don't call me that- using a Japanese honorific with my name sounds really bizarre.” Ken blinked, then tried again.

 

“O-kay then… Marik…” He said, quieter than before, “I know why I'm here… but I don't know quite why YOU'RE stuck in here…” Marik shot him a look.

 

“I don't WANT to be here, if that's what you mean…” Ken shot him an equally nasty look back.

 

“I never SAID you wanted to be here.” He growled, feeling very bad tempered, before it cooled again. Geez, this person…

 

“I'm just curious why you and I had to be the exact combination of people to meet, that's all…” Ken muttered, bringing his knees to his chest. Marik glanced at him, before looking back down.

 

“Maybe its just chance.” He suggested, with a shrug and the air of someone who should have known that from the start. Ken shook his head.

 

“That's not what the Tree says- `There's no such thing as coincidence: There is only Hitsuzen.'” Marik rolled his eyes and groaned.

 

“Not you, too…” He growled, putting his hands over his ears. Ken glared at the other boy, who continued, “I get enough of that fate crap from my sister and my now-deceased parents- I don't need to hear it from you.” Ken felt himself puff up, much like he imagined C-3PO might if he could do so.

 

“WELL, EXCUSE ME FOR GIVING MY OPINION!” He snapped, and Marik snarled right back at him.

 

“You're excused.” This only served to further irritate Ken.

 

“Fine!” The Jedi Prince snapped, spinning around to face away from Marik, before it occurred to him that he was behaving very much like the kid he DIDN'T want his parents to treat him like.

 

No wonder mother hadn't wanted him to come on this assignment. And, for that matter, no wonder Luke had always told him to stay at home when he'd been his caretaker…

 

Screw having a perfect memory- Ken just wished he could be a bit more mature.

 

“…Sorry…” Ken's head snapped around at the sound of Marik's voice. Apparently, he'd been thinking the same thing…

 

“It's just… I'm so sick of being told that all life's events are determined by fate… If everything is fated, it makes me feel so helpless and… I hate that…” Marik seemed to be explaining to himself, more than to Ken, but it was helpful, nonetheless…

 

“Oh…” Ken mumbled, shifting himself so that he no longer had his back turned to the other boy, “I'm sorry, too… for snapping at you about it…” Ken hung his head, “I shouldn't be so childish.” To which Marik seemed interested.

 

“How old ARE you?” He asked. Ken didn't look up as he answered.

 

“Twelve. Almost thirteen…” He mumbled. Marik gave him a look, halfway between shock and amusement.

 

“Um… considering that I'm fifteen, almost sixteen and still just as childish, I don't think you have any reason to feel like you should be mature.” This, however, only made Ken angry. One of his fists came towards the glass that separated him and Marik- and that glass was the only thing that stopped Ken from punching Marik square in the jaw.

 

“My mother was able to take care of herself and live independently when she was my age- hell, she taught herself how to walk and was more mature than the Jedi Master who taught her when she was SIX. I most certainly DO have a reason to be mature.” Marik sat through this without flinching, finally saying, completely blunt,

 

“So your mother is a freak- who cares?” Ken bashed his head against the glass, making a very ferocious face and snarling.

 

“If this glass weren't between us, you would be SO DEAD, right now!” He growled, and Marik could have sworn he saw the other boy's teeth mutating into triangles.

 

“Whatever.” He mumbled, edging away from the glass a little, just in case it did give way. Besides, the face that Ken was making, combined with the fact that it was smooshed up against the glass, was distinctly unpleasant to be sitting close to.

 

“Hmph.” Ken sat back down, his rage apparently channeled and gone. Marik made a face at him.

 

“What is WRONG with you? Just a few minutes ago, you were being… I don't know… nice… almost girly about it… and now you're acting like a boy with narcolepsy.” He grumbled, while Ken slumped forward, resting on his stomach and tracing on the floor again, as though contemplating something.

 

“Narcoleptic? That's a good word to describe it… it seems to run in the family… my mother will have moments where she's screaming about the littlest thing, and then, five seconds later, it will be dead silent and she doesn't even seem to recall that she was mad about anything…” Ken mumbled, his eyes slipping shut for a moment.

 

“…How did we get onto THIS topic…?” Marik suddenly wondered out loud. Ken didn't answer, and after a moments pause, the two of them started to snicker.

 

“I have no clue…” Ken finally chuckled out, before he finally started again, “Marik-sa… I mean Marik… maybe you could at least tell me why you're asleep like this… I remember asking you, and you got… agitated about it.” Marik let out a sigh, before speaking.

 

“Get comfortable- this is going to take awhile.” The Egyptian boy told him, to which Ken snorted.

 

“Oh, sure- I'll just pull up a chair.” He retorted, sarcastically.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The ship dove toward the water, as though a hand was pulling them in. The entire vessel tipped forward so that any and all persons not secured shifted on their feet and ended up sliding into the closest wall.

 

For Tristan and Duke, who were in the common room trying to fight it out over Serenity's heart, this was a very bad thing, as they slid right into the large window, which shattered and caused them to go flying out.

 

It was more luck than fortune that Samantha grabbed one of the boy's ankles and the one she grabbed caught the other's wrist.

 

Duke, whose ankle was being held by the vampire, looked back up, seeing a very grim expression on her face.

 

Both of them gulped, dreading that she'd pull them up and bite them both.

 

To their surprise, Samantha didn't. She merely tossed them back inside and repaired the window. The two boys, however, remained cowering against the wall when she turned to look at them, somewhat disappointed.

 

“You two were fighting over Serenity, weren't you?” She asked. Tristan managed a nod, while wondering how she'd known. Samantha gave them another look, then walked away, not saying anything else.

 

On the main bridge, Kaiba had decided to take initiative and got into an empty pilot seat, strapping on a headset to hear the other pilots and taking the steering controls in hand.

 

What he saw as he just managed to pull slightly out of the nose dive was that there was a large platform rising out of the water. And from what Kaiba could see, they would have been better off in the nose dive, where they'd just hit the water and then have a chance at swimming. At this angle, they were more likely to crash and burn.

 

This was the panicked observation of everyone looking out the window further back on the ship.

 

“We're gonna crash!” Tea screamed, holding onto the window ledge, at though that was going to stop her from being killed. Hell, even Serenity was holding onto the ledge in a similar fashion, while Joey took action in running out of the room with the intention of going to scream at the pilots.

 

He was blocked by Kendalina in the hall, who was smoking a cigarette despite the `No Smoking' sign right next to her.

 

“Man, I've never seen a crash where holding onto the vehicle has saved a person's life.” She muttered, giving the girls a disdainful look, “Maa taku… you think that's gonna stop you from being killed?”

 

“WELL, EXCUSE US IF WE'RE NOT DEAD AND SO HAVE TA WORRY ABOUT GETTIN' KILLED!” Joey shouted, before he realized something, “WAIT, AIN'T YOU A JEDI OR SOMEDIN'? WHY DON'T YA PULL THIS DING UP LIKE YODA DID IN `THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK'?”

 

Joey, not realizing that Kendalina had never seen the movies, and thus had no clue what he was talking about, was rather surprised when Kendalina's face assumed an interested expression.

 

“What's that? Master Yoda saved a ship and all its passengers from crashing?” She asked, with a look of someone more interested in a daily soap opera than a news broadcast about a bombing attack. Naturally, all this did for Joey was make him angry.

 

“HOW THE HELL CAN YOU BE SO CALM!?” He demanded. Kendalina seemingly ignored him, smoking her cigarette with an arrogant air of uncaring. Yugi emerged from the room to see this, mostly looking like Kendalina was blocking Joey.

 

“Miss Kendalina, please!” Yugi pleaded, looking desperately afraid, to which Kenda gave a scornful glance.

 

“Please, I'm begging you, please do something to stop the ship!” He screamed, putting his hands together and bowing his head. Kendalina quirked an eyebrow.

 

“Yugi!” Joey shouted, looking angered that his friend would beg scum like the woman before him. Kendalina smirked.

 

“There is a policy I have as a Jedi- one which Anakin Skywalker himself is responsible for teaching me.” She said, leaning against the wall and obviously only drawing this out for the drama.

 

“It is that the duties of the Jedi are there to be fulfilled. A Jedi who does not follow the code, who does not do his duty… is called trash.” She said, slowly. Joey glared at her.

 

“So, isn't saving innocent people from certain death the duty of a Jedi?” He demanded, angrily. Kenda shrugged.

 

“Not particularly. You're nobody important. And besides…” She gave him a sharp look, “In war, there will ALWAYS be death. No matter what. A soldier learns to accept that. So I don't really care if you die or live.” The old Jedi glared very sternly at Joey, who was looking down with an expression of anger, and frustration, but resigned at the same time.

 

And then, with a jolt, the ship sharply leveled out and hovered above the platform it had been meant to land on.

 

In the cockpit, Kaiba stood and looked out the window with a frown. He knew that this was clearly not natural… maybe something had caught on a spire or the like… he went below to check.

 

Everyone who had been standing had been thrown to the floor- aside from Kendalina, who was really floating above the floor with the use of the Force. Joey gave her a mixed look- one of confusion and annoyance, but gratitude and amusement at the same time.

 

“What was that about doing your duty?” He asked, and Kendalina stared blankly down at him.

 

“In the world of the Jedi, those who don't do their duty are called trash. Anakin Skywalker was trash… because he abandoned the mission to arrest Chancellor Palpatine. However… he did it to save the life of someone who he loved dearly. In the end, she wasn't saved… but he had had the best intentions.” She explained, taking her cigarette from her lips and crushing it so it extinguished, “But… because of that… I believe that Jedi who would leave behind those who need help… are lower than trash.”

 

Kendalina grinned, then set herself back on the floor, walking away.

 

(A/N: Yes, I did take that from Naruto, but… it applies so WELL to the Jedi…)

 

Tristan and Duke came in on the scene, looking as though they'd both just run a marathon through a hailstorm.

 

“Is everyone okay?” Tristan asked, looking into the room, where everything had accumulated next to the wall. Tea and Serenity were staggering to their feet, and Joey was pulling Yugi up.

 

“Looks that way…” He noted, brushing his own shirt off. And then, all present departed to the bridge, only to be somewhat ambushed by an angry Seto Kaiba.

 

“The ship hasn't landed yet- it's still floating a good three feet off of solid ground and I want to know why.” He snarled, almost talking to himself, and giving everyone a glare as though they were responsible, before Joey turned around and went storming off to find Kendalina, snarling her name, before she popped out of a doorway.

 

“Somebody call?” She sang, pleasantly smoking another cigarette.

 

“PUT THE SHIP DOWN, DAMMIT!” Joey shouted, stomping his foot and pointing at her. Kendalina shrugged, smirking.

 

“What if I LIKE it, floating in midair? It feels artistic, to me…” She argued, much in the same manner of a child insisting they liked their room messy.

 

“You WILL put it down.” Kaiba said, with a deadly edge to his voice, threatening bloodshed if she didn't do as she was told. Kendalina gave him an unimpressed look.

 

“What, do you think you're some kind of Jedi, talking like that?” She asked, mockingly. Kaiba glared and made a growling noise, before Kenda sighed.

 

“Mou, maa taku…” She grumbled to herself, ruffling her own hair, “Fine… I'll set it down if you can say `Please', first.” She sulked, crossing her arms and giving Kaiba an exasperated look. He gave her a look that implied he'd rather stick his tongue in a beehive with honey all over it, but gritted his teeth for a moment, then straightened, looking her in the eye.

 

“Please set the ship down.” He said, in a calm, albeit shaky voice. Kendalina tapped one finger against her chin, as though thinking about it, before there was a drop and a thump as the ship landed.

 

“You people are no fun.” Kendalina pouted, sitting down and finishing her cigarette, before using the ashes to draw on the floor. Kaiba resisted the urge to step on her hands as he saw this, mostly from the fact that he knew that she could quite literally hand his ass to him if he tried anything beyond a glare.

 

A voice broadcasted, beckoning all of them to step off the ship. All living and awake members did so, aside from Marik and Ishizu, whom nobody had seen.

 

Kendalina lit a third cigarette, letting herself vanish from the sight of mortal eyes for a moment, and wondering why, precisely, she felt she'd heard that voice before.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Four weeks…” Triclops' head was resting on the table. For Luke, this was a delicate situation- one which he simply didn't know how to handle. The best he could do was remind Ken's father to take his medication for his ulcer, and even then, Triclops seemed to deliberately forgetting, as though he intended to let the ailment kill him.

 

It was hard enough settling his own nerves, but Luke had never been quite close enough to the Jedi Prince's parents to know how to handle them if something like this happened. Besides, it wasn't really his place to try and comfort the older man- especially since Luke had designated himself as Ken's `bodyguard' of sorts, never letting the boy out of his sight, so he had a feeling that saying anything would just alert Triclops to his incompetence, and create an even worse tension. With just the two of them in the house now, that wasn't a good idea.

 

Of course, thinking like this led Skywalker to thinking to himself that he was only making excuses. At least some words about the Force and how that would at least bring them closer to finding Ken would probably be appropriate right now… but…

 

“Something's happened to him…” Triclops said, causing Luke to jump.

 

“I'm sorry?” He asked, hoping that he hadn't heard that correctly.

 

“Something… no, someone has happened to Ken… I can't even See into his dreams anymore… and even when someone's dead, they have dreams…” Triclops mumbled, staring into his cup of milk, “So somebody's blocking it…” Skywalker blinked at this statement, a kind of dread building in his stomach as to what that would mean.

 

“That also explains why I can't feel him through the Force anymore…” Luke voiced, alarm quite apparent in his voice. Triclops looked up at him, his face passive.

 

“If somebody is blocking it, that would leave a gap in the Force, though… a kind of blank spot, and, while you wouldn't be able to feel it, you'd feel where the hole was, and that's as much of a warning as being able to feel Ken…” He whispered. Luke gave Ken's father a look, not expecting this twisted kind of reasoning.

 

“There's more than one blank spot.” The Tree said, appearing over their heads, vines creeping down the walls and her hair hanging down so it barely touched the floor, “Which means that it's entirely possible for somebody to not be blocking it, but for someone to just be hiding in one of those spots, where it was impossible to be detected. So if… where did you say you met the shinigami, again, Skywalker?” The Tree turned to Luke.

 

“I didn't- it was a city called Kyoto.” He said, with a bit of a tired sigh. Hana seemed to think it over before she nodded.

 

“Okay… I'm going to go ask the other Tree and see what I can find. You boys just sit tight and hold the fort.” And then, she was gone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yuuto had always been a dignified man. He wore his hair combed and well washed, dressed impeccably, cared for his personal hygiene, from his back molar to under his toenails, every morning before work, and never got sick. The food he ate was refined and elegant, the dishes it was served on were beautifully simplistic, and he even drank such things as proper English tea with crumpets, and fine, vineyard wines.

 

Yuuto Kigai thus considered himself to be quite beyond the reach of mere beastly instincts- the hunger for violence, the lust for blood, the desire for the hunt, the thrill of all those animal traits that kept the man connected to his ancestors.

 

He preferred the company of other humans anyway. Particularly if they were like himself.

 

This young man seemed to be the perfect comparison. He even seemed to be close in age to Yuuto, his hair was dark and fine, his skin well cared for- except for the hands, but then, Yuuto had a feeling the man had a career, so obviously it would show- his clothes were neat, well coordinated, and completely free from wrinkles. Yuuto noted with a slight hint of interest that he was a smoker as the young man brought a cigarette to his lips. Only out of instinct did Yuuto offer him a light, for which he received a suspicious look, but accepted it all the same.

 

To be frank, this man seemed to remind Yuuto more of Sakurazuka- perhaps it was the way he behaved, so quietly and withdrawn, but there was this sense of familiarity to this man, which Yuuto couldn't shake.

 

This sensation seemed familiar, similar to when he'd first laid eye on the Kamui, but he couldn't be sure entirely.

 

“So, since it's so cold out, may I ask what you're doing without a jacket in this weather?” He asked, casually. The other man shrugged and smoked his cigarette.

 

“It doesn't feel that cold to me. Besides, I'm normally in good enough health that things like this don't affect me much.” He said, giving Yuuto a careful glance, “Why do you care?”

 

“Ah, it's only my duty to inquire of the well-being of the citizens of Tokyo as a humble civil servant.” Yuuto replied, gracefully. Of course it was his duty to ask. It wasn't his duty, however, to be sure the answer was `Yes, I'm fine.' Quite the opposite, but this young man didn't need to know that…

 

“I'm sure.” The other replied, wearing no apparent signs of annoyance, but Yuuto could tell that his presence was no longer appreciated.

 

“Still, I suppose you must have some knowledge of such things, if you can be so assured of your safety.” Yuuto pressed, really quite determined to know as much as he could about this person. And, of course, he couldn't resist adding in the remark about safety, knowing full well that this man would be dead sooner than later.

 

“I'm a doctor.” The other confirmed, looking away, as though he sensed the menace intended beneath Yuuto's words.

 

“Ah, so you also have a duty towards other people. That's a lovely coincidence.” Indeed- this man's duty to save humans, Yuuto's duty to kill humans. What wonderful comparisons.

 

“Please go away- I'm supposed to be returning home, anyway.” The younger turned away and walked in a direction opposite from Yuuto's destination. Yuuto smiled, watching the man as he walked out of sight, then leapt to the rooftops, watching him from above, as he entered back in through the main gates of an enclosed, traditionally styled compound. Quietly leaping to the ground, Yuuto read the nameplate on the door.

 

“Sohma…” He mused.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Everything was ready. The preparations were complete.

 

Even as a doctor, he'd never fully appreciated how intricate the human body was, until he'd been forced to grow every single part of it. The tiny bones of the feet and ears, to the individual bones- all twenty-two of them- in the human skull. The delicate ligaments and muscle fibers that laid over them. The work of veins and arteries that was to be woven throughout the body. And then the skin- he was amazed at how perfect and smooth it was, even for the operation- each piece grown in such a shape that stitches could be made on just the edges of the body, where nobody would see them.

 

The fact that all of the pieces had been grown at the exact same time, at the same speed is what had shortened their development so drastically. When a body formed in the warmth of it's mother's womb, different pieces formed at different intervals- first the flesh, then the vessels and chamber for blood to flow and pump, then the brain, with the nerves slowly taking root, and all other organs slowly coming into place, with the lungs coming last, just before the mess and pain that constituted birth- that was the reason for the nine months that children spent, embedded inside their mother's.

 

This child would have no mother. The original had had no mother, in Kazutaka's eyes, but had still known the protection and love of the womb. Yet, in spite of that, he'd never known how to envelope others in that similar warmth- instead, had manipulated the protection his mother gave him before birth, and abused the life he'd been given.

 

This child, therefore, must be perfect. He must be completely empty- a mere doll of flesh and bone with a hollow void to be filled with that utter corruption.

 

And then...

 

Kazutaka laughed as he plunged his hands into the water solution, sterile gloves on his hands, and a sterilized needle in his fingers, first to secure the skeleton structure. Each bone's ligaments had to be attached exactly right, or it wouldn't work- he was even referencing an anatomy book as he went as a sort of step-by-step instructions on building it.

 

The body wasn't that of a grown man- Kazutaka imagined it was because of the boy who had supplied the original samples may have not been properly constructed. For a boy of his age, he looked drastically undeveloped, so much like a doll that had been poured from a male mold, but whose maker had shaped it to be a female.

 

Kazutaka was only mildly curious if it was imposed or chosen. From the turn-out of the pieces thus far, it seemed imposed was more likely.

 

He laughed as the figure took shape.

 

He laughed at how much of a waste it was- to create something so perfect, just to break the doll in the end, to ruin the rotting core that would be placed in the spot where the soul rested.

 

"Soon, Saki..." Kazutaka murmured, running a finger over the delicately constructed face bones, "Soon, we will meet again..."

 

Soon, that bastard would die.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Wow..." Ken mumbled, looking away, and abashed, as Marik finished his story. The first thing that occurred to him was how similar it was to his own, and the second thing that he thought was how drastically different the other's experiences had been.

 

On one hand, there was such an extreme relation between them- both sheltered so extremely and kept underground, away from virtually all human contact, and all for the sake of tradition and raising them to be 'appropriate'. They were both by-products of some cruelty or another, though Ken admitted he was a second-hand by-product...

 

They were both scarred- though by different means and causes...

 

Yet, at the other end of the scale, Ken couldn't help feel lonely in his circumstances. If Marik had told him everything- Ken was going to trust the other on that- then he was at least still... pure... in some way... while Ken was most definitely NOT... And this one had at least known humans growing up- he knew warmth and affection, expressions of emotions and the changing of appearances as time went by... Ken remembered the sterile, monotone environment of the Lost City- certainly not like the catacombs this one had lived in...

 

"'Wow'? I just give you my life's story and that's all you have to say for yourself?" Marik demanded, though without venom in his voice. Ken gave him a sad look.

 

"We're so alike... and yet so drastically different..." He mumbled, pressing his face to his knees. Marik raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

 

"Your... your father scarred you, right?" Ken asked, just to make sure. Marik made an annoyed sound, as though to say 'I don't want to talk about it' and 'Weren't you LISTENING' at the same time.

 

"Yes." He snarled, and Ken pulled off his left hand glove, reaching towards Marik to show his palm.

 

"My mother did the star mark- the rest I did myself." He said, in a dull voice. Marik turned to look at the palm and was shocked to see the broken scars and lines all over it- the fingers and palm had been completely dissected and rearranged so that no finger or hand prints could be discerned without taking a picture of the print and then cutting that up and repiecing it so there was a clean image. It was as though the younger one had scrambled his fingerprints completely.

 

"... Didn't that HURT?" Marik whispered, frowning at the lines that were on Ken's palm and fingers. Ken nodded.

 

"Like a bitch." He confirmed. Marik gave Ken a considering look, then asked.

 

"Why?" Hell, even his own branding made sense, but THIS... the only thing Marik could think of was that the boy had committed some crime and was covering his identity.

 

"To hide." Ken answered, just as Marik expected, but the rest of his answer took the Egyptian boy off-guard, "Because of what my family does... and also because of who my grandfather is... I've been on the receiving end of a lot of nasty prejudice... so I need to keep my identity a secret." Ken explained. Marik cocked his head, but didn't inquire further.

 

"So, you run away..." Marik mused, looking off into space, thinking about his own poor strategies for dealing with stress.

 

"It's better than sticking around and causing trouble for everyone." Ken replied, sullenly. Marik sighed, feeling put out, before he looked towards the other.

 

"Well... I've told you MY tragic history. Your turn." Marik demanded, giving the younger boy a look. Ken glanced sideways but relented.

 

"Well... you already know that I grew up underground, too- except I was the only human in the place I was. My caretakers, teacher, even playmate were all droids... So... even when I saw pictures of things like facial expressions that only living creatures had... it took me forever to learn what they meant. Or rather, I knew what they meant, but I didn't understand it until years later." Ken mumbled. Marik made a non-committal noise, but listened anyway.

 

"Just to be fair, there's a lot which I don't mind telling when I'm asked, but there's also a lot of stuff that happened that I absolutely canNOT talk about... just so you know..." Ken added. Marik made a face.

 

"I told you even the stuff which I didn't want to talk about..." He muttered, sullenly. Ken shrugged, and didn't respond to the comment.

 

"Not much really happened to me while I lived underground, so it really started when I heard about the famous heroes of the Alliance- Luke Skywalker, Captain Solo... the like... and I wanted to meet them... so I ran away from home one day..." Of course, Dee-Jay had CAUGHT him within two minutes, but that was beside the point.

 

"And you thought you'd just... MEET them?" Marik guessed, giving Ken a 'What are you: Stupid?' look.

 

"Ironically, that was the one thing I HADN'T expected... I thought I'd find the temporary base that the Alliance had set up, maybe hide in the cargo hold of some ship, or sign up with the recruitment... But just as I was getting lost, I heard somebody talking on the other side of the bushes, Chip freaks out, and... it was Luke..." Ken mumbled, with reflection, "I mean... it would have been one thing if I'd had to go FIND him but... HE was LOOKING for me... he didn't even KNOW who I was or what I looked like... and he was LOOKING... for ME..." Marik raised an eyebrow at Ken, with a somewhat disgusted look.

 

"So... who was he looking for, again?" He asked, sarcastically. Ken shot the other boy a dirty look, but didn't call him on it, instead continuing on.

 

"Well, it was still something incredible for me... This person whom I'd admired for so long... had been trying to find me... and knowing that... made me feel like I was worth something... not like all the pomp and so called prestige of being a 'Jedi Prince'... the droids told me that over and over... kind of how you were told over and over about how your markings made you 'important'... it was the kind of importance I didn't want... but to be sought out by somebody... and somebody who didn't care that I was supposedly this 'Chosen One', but instead just for the fact that I EXISTED... made me feel like I had some meaning, as a human being among other human beings..." Ken's eyes were starting to glaze over, but Marik didn't notice, as the mention of being valued reminded him of Odion's sacrifice... of wanting to take Marik's place in the ceremony, and when he couldn't... scarring his own face so that Marik wouldn't be alone...

 

The other boy had a point- it was... a powerful thing...

 

"You sound like a girl in one of those bad soap operas." Marik muttered- he hadn't seen much television, but during the time he'd gone around gathering followers, he'd been sure to cram in as much of the delights of the outside world as possible, and T.V. had been a primary on that list.

 

"You say that as though it's a BAD thing..." Ken retorted, keeping his head this time. Marik cocked an eyebrow, but didn't rise to the bait.

 

"After that, I left with him, but, at the same time, there was somebody on my tail because he'd heard that I would destroy him... something he wasn't too keen on letting happening... So, I spent a lot of my first few weeks running away from him... then, by accident borne of a miscommunication and a hijacking, I met my father for the first time... about one month into my life on the surface... I didn't know it at the time, which he didn't seem too happy about... according to my father, he was really more upset that I was clinging to Luke the whole time, who bore a striking resemblance to my mother's Jedi Master, who'd had a crush on her..." Ken paused, examined his statement, then said, "Did that just make sense?"

 

"Aside from the fact that it was a string of run-on sentences, yes..." Marik replied, without any sarcasm this time.

 

"Okay... well, in any case, that happened, then the guy who wanted my head was assassinated, so he suddenly wasn't much of a problem- he supposedly died because of a weapon disguised as a person shooting him in the chest, but my father kept insisting that it was my mother's curse which made it happen... I still don't get that..." Ken took a breath, then started to talk again on topic, "And then I found out that my father was my father, what that meant about my grandfather... the whole loss of innocence bit, you get the picture..." Ken finally said, making a gesture, which made Marik realize this was what Ken meant when he said he didn't want to talk about things.

 

"Hey- how did you find out? I don't know what the 'loss of innocence bit' IS. Don't chicken out." He snapped, determined to get it out of the other. Ken flinched, and was silent for a long time.

 

"Promise you won't laugh or give me any crap about it?" He finally whispered. Marik blinked, not expecting this.

 

"...Sure... it can't be THAT bad..." He said. Ken shot Marik a venomous look that actually made him jump back a bit. Unlike the previous death threats, Marik had written those off as jokes... this look... was very seriously angry...

 

"G-go ahead... I'm listening..." He finally said, feeling more than slightly cowed.

 

Ken stared at his knees, finally talking.

 

"We were captured..." He whispered to his skirted knees, "Luke and I... we were captured... by a man named Kadann..." Marik didn't need to look closely to see Ken shudder at the mention of the name, "The first thing he did... was feed me a cup of tea... I still remember what it was like... it wasn't liquid-like at all, it was... thick... like glue... it tasted like salt and... bitterness... I didn't want it... I didn't ask for it..." Ken suddenly glared up at Marik, as though he'd suggested that Ken HAD, and it wasn't hard for the older boy to recognize the look he'd worn so shortly after receiving the tomb keepers mark.

 

"Okay... so you didn't want the tea..." Marik said, backing away. For some reason, this boy, who moments ago had been so comical in his anger, now seemed quite capable and ready to commit murder.

 

Ken turned back to his knees, his face suddenly falling, as though realizing he'd gotten angry and shaming himself for it.

 

"...The tea was drugged... so when he started asking me questions, I couldn't tell anything but the truth... He asked me for my name... I told it to him... He asked me where the Lost City was... where my home was... and when he threatened to kill Luke... I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer... I told him..." Ken paused and Marik heard him swallowing very hard. He glanced over to see the twelve-year-old wiping his eyes.

 

"After he'd learned the location of the Lost City, he wanted me to lead him to it, and I had to..." Marik could guess why- this boy's beloved 'Luke Skywalker' had been the cause of everything else... "So... once we were there... It really hit me exactly what I'd done... like I'd been cut earlier, and was only just now comprehending exactly how deep and bad the cut was, how it was infected, and how much blood was being lost, kind of... and by then, Kadann had found out what he wanted to know about the Alliance, the Jedi, and virtually everything... and then proceeded to tell me everything I didn't know... who my mother was, who my father was... who my grandfather was... at this time, and probably for the rest of forever, my grandfather is considered an evil person- he was a dictator; harsh, demanding, and insane... and somebody who I'd always been told was evil and a monster, and deserved to be hated for any association with him..." Ken paused again to swallow and Marik interrupted.

 

"You can stop if you're having so much trouble crying..." He said, partly because he didn't want to listen to it, but also because he was starting to get seriously worried about the very bad turn this conversation was taking.

 

"I'm NOT crying." Ken spat, emphatically, though Marik could tell that he didn't WANT to say that.

 

"Fine, you're not..." He said, complacently- he might not be a people person, but Marik knew himself well enough to know that when a person snapped like THAT, they were not to be trifled with.

 

"So... There you have the ugly truth. Nihil ex nihilo." Ken mumbled, and it was only because Marik had read a book his father had once had on Latin that he understood the phrase 'Nothing comes from nothing'.

 

"You're right- I guess this grandfather of yours must not have been THAT bad if this is what comes out of it..." Marik replied, feeling no small measure of pride that he could answer with his sister's wit against an argument which had seemed utterly omnipotent.

 

Ken looked up from his knees and gave Marik a long look, finally sighing in what sounded like relief.

 

"Thanks... Captain Solo heard the story and started going on a rant about how I 'Traded all the secrets of the galaxy for a cup of tea'." He said. Marik snorted.

 

"And you called him your FRIEND?" The older boy asked. Ken shrugged.

 

"It was better than calling him something else." He replied, in a despondent voice. Marik made a disgusted noise.

 

"You're hopeless." Was the conclusion he finally reached. Ken didn't respond.

 

"So... In any case, you're here, right now, and don't know how to get back out?" Marik finally continued, clarifying his suspicions. Ken shook his head.

 

"No- I know where I am, and how to get out... I just don't want to." Ken corrected him, which drew Marik's attention to detail suddenly out.

 

"You know how to get out? HOW?" He demanded, turning awkwardly and pressing his hands against the glass. Ken jumped and scooted away, but obliged him.

 

"You just have to go back to your body- that's all..." Ken explained, the sentence seeming simple to him, since he was used to it, but didn't expect to see the other one wilt.

 

"I've TRIED... but I can't do it..." Marik growled, in frustration and disappointment. Ken sat up a bit straighter, giving the box Marik was trapped in a considering look.

 

There was a long pause, and Marik backed away from Ken, growing uncomfortable with the look he was getting.

 

He heard Ken's knuckles crack as he flexed them.

 

"Well... let's see if there's something I can do about THAT..." He said, putting his hands on the glass and pressing.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"I cannot hold the dream for much longer."

 

"That's alright- Ken-chan will have Maa-kun out in no time. However, this little favor isn't enough to cover the cost of your Wish entirely..."

 

"What else must I do?"

 

"If you could be of some assistance in a rescue mission. Partly, the prices you must pay are a way to disrupt the flow of what would otherwise be the future. However, the fact that you have two Wishes, and I have agreed to grant only one poses a problem..."

 

"There is... another here..."

 

"I see... So you intend to ask her."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"No need- you have every reason to want these Wishes granted."

 

"I appreciate what you are doing for me."

 

"Not at all- it's not only your Wish that I'm granting."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

0101011101100101 011000010111001001100101 01101000011001010111001001100101

 

"I know, BEAST." Satsuki agreed.

 

Unlike most computers, this place seemed to have scenery. Plants, trees, a sky with a horizon... There were clouds in the sky, and a sun. Why would somebody go to the trouble of creating a computer database THIS intricate if all they wanted to see was outside? Satsuki knew that SHE had built the BEAST because she wanted to AVOID outside. She hadn't seen the sun in so long- not that stopped her eyes from adjusting, as it was all a mental state of mind. If she manipulated her data well enough, she could appear to be a blond, fair-skinned, smiling schoolgirl.

 

That was all that mattered.

 

What she wanted to know, however, was where this supposed other Kamui was. Or what 'Solar-san' wanted her to do here.

 

"Heyya, girlie!" Satsuki wouldn't have said that she'd jumped at that, but of course, she never admitted to when she'd screwed up- it had always been 'losing interest halfway through', but never actually making a mistake.

 

Behind her was a woman, also with wires trailing from her skin. However, she was dressed in an outfit that looked like it had come from a sci-fi samurai movie, which renewed Satsuki's pride that she was at least a better dresser than this woman. Her short hair was dark, almost black, but very decidedly brown. Her eyes were gray.

 

"See I'm not the first to get the ider of talking directly to the 'puter..." The woman said, grinning. Satsuki didn't respond and kept her face perfectly neutral. If she reacted in the slightest it would give her away.

 

"I know that the Solar told you to come here, an' that's why I'M here- to tell ya what yer job is and what yer gonna get for it." She said. Satsuki still refused to reply.

 

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