Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Paranoid ❯ Why did I do that, again? ( Chapter 3 )

After half an hour of silent driving, Bakura finally pulled over in front of a big estate. Marik had been thinking about his predicament all this time…What was he going to do? Could he escape Isis and Bakura's grasp? He had to get out before Rishid saw him and had the chance to exorcise him.

 

“Come on, Mariku!” a clear voice echoed, and Marik turned to see Bakura motioning towards the entrance of the villa. “We're home”

 

Marik's eyes widened considerably. THIS was home? Well, at least it was spacious…did it have a pool?

 

Marik stepped out of the car, while Bakura told Isis he would put it in the garage later. Isis excitedly took Marik's hand and led him inside the house. They were followed closely by an equally enthusiastic Bakura.

 

“This is the living room!” Isis toured Marik in a grand platform full of massive, possibly expensive furniture. Marik noticed the oriental touch of the decoration and smirked inwardly `So they DO come from Egypt…Humph! I'll show them in a while…'

 

Absolutely nothing looked familiar to Marik. The kitchen and the bathrooms were just normal. Everything was going fine, until Isis led him to the upper floor. She pointed at a seemingly rusty, wooden door.

 

 

“This used to be your room.” She said simply. She reached in her bag and pulled out an old key. After unlocking the door, Marik stepped inside and inspected the surroundings. Isis followed reluctantly, but Bakura didn't even approach the doorstep. The albino chose to turn his back at the room and pace up the hallway.

 

Marik decided he'd question this strange behavior later on. For now, he was only observing the room. He instantly noticed that everything was dusty and old-looking.

 

There were posters of water-sports and music bands hanging from every wall. Marik noticed that there were two beds instead of one: one had purple covers, while the other had night blue. Next to one of the beds was placed an electric guitar. Marik approached the instrument curiously, and stretched his hand to touch it. It was merely a graze, but he still felt something snap inside of him.

 

He'd felt that thing before…

 

He grabbed his head with both hands and shook the uncomfortable thoughts away. He was Marik Ishtar, remember? The one to murder Pharaoh Yuugi-ou!! He had nothing to do with guitars!! Only blood!

 

He turned around and looked at the blue-covered bed. There was something shiny placed right next to it. Out of curiosity, Marik approached.

 

It was a basket-ball and a stack of CDs. Marik picked the first one up and dusted it off, almost sneezing from the dirt that flew around. He finally got a chance to look at the cover of the CD. `Linkin Park' it wrote.

 

`Oo-kay…who are these people?' he thought idly as he put the CD down. He looked around him some more and spotted a closet nearby. Now eagerly, he went to the closet and opened it, only to be assaulted by a wave of dust and a hideous stench.

 

This time, he couldn't restrain himself, and sneezed. Isis giggled lightly and Marik had to suppress the urge to HIT her.

 

“Sorry…” she started “It's just that no one has entered this room for so long…”

 

Marik nodded idly and finally took a look at the old clothes. There were two kinds of hangers in the closet: green and red. The red ones had sophisticated dark clothes, while the green ones had light-colored shirts and tight trousers.

 

Something caught Marik's eye, and he stretched his hand to take a single green hanger out. He gasped at the clothes he saw.

 

It was a light-blue colored shirt. Two silver chains were attached to the front of the shirt, while a hood protruded from the back. Marik's eyes widened. It looked just like the shirt he used to wear in Battle City. Only his shirt had been lavender with golden chains…weird…very weird…

 

Shakily, hesitantly, Marik took the shirt and placed it lightly above his torso…A perfect match.

 

He gasped, and tossed the shirt away from his body as though burned. He had touched that thing before as well…He held his head desperately in both hands. Oh shit…What was going on?

 

Isis rushed and reassembled the shirt from the floor. She closed the closet quickly and focused on Marik.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked worriedly. Marik nodded wordlessly, and took a last look around. Suddenly, something caught his attention. Next to the purple bed was a nightstand. And on that nightstand was placed a frame.

 

Unable to contain his curiosity, Marik approached the picture. He took the frame slowly in his hands and turned it around to see the picture clearly.

 

His eyes widened and he choked on his own saliva as he saw the photograph. It was him!! It was him...In the photo, he was wearing knee-long `Hawaiian' trousers, while his chest was bare. He looked much healthier than he ever thought he could be…In the picture, his eyes were sparkling with lilac mirth, and his golden hair seemed to barely reach his shoulders.

 

But what really disturbed him was the boy standing next to him in the picture. Oh, yes…There was the albino. He was wearing tight, completely long khaki jeans and had a light green t-shirt on. The boy's hair was short and fell around his head in unruly silver spikes. Marik gasped. Those eyes. Those flaming red eyes in the albino's face…

 

Bakura!!

 

Marik noticed the background of the picture. It was a tropical beach, and people could be seen playing and swimming. Marik himself was holding a surf-board, whilst Bakura had a football trapped in his armpit.

 

What shocked Marik the most was that the boys in the picture were smiling. His own face smiling like that…He had never seen it…He had never realized his own face had the ability to twist so beautifully…

 

He let the picture back on the little table with shacking fingers. He tried to calm himself down. Why was he freaking out, anyway? He was the evil Marik, set to destroy…right?

 

Oh God. He was going crazy!!

 

He stumbled a bit and came to stand at the entrance of the room, next to his sister.

 

“H-Hey, Isis…” he started with a stutter in spite of himself “W-Why are there two beds in here?” he questioned.

 

Isis looked exultant that Marik was actually having trouble breathing and speaking!! Maybe he was having flashbacks!!

 

“Um, well…” she started saying “You and Bakura used to sleep here together…It was the room of both of you…His bed was the blue one and yours was the purple one…And as for the clothes…Yours were the green hangers and Bakura had the red ones…” the smile suddenly faded away from her face “Bakura didn't want to touch anything in here until you returned… and he said nobody was allowed to touch anything either… He doesn't stay in here anymore…”

 

A troubled expression came over her face as she glanced at Bakura's direction. Marik followed her eyes, only to realize Bakura was gone. Now where had that underhanded idiotic albino gotten to? Marik hoped it had nothing to do with Millennium Items…

 

“Oh?” the tanned boy finally questioned “So where does he sleep now?”

 

Isis seemed uncomfortable and reluctant to answer, which only made things more intriguing and suspicious for Marik. He only hoped he would make her tell him without too much pressure.

 

“Well…” she started “He's set up a room for himself in the attic…but he never lets us enter…”

 

Marik was VERY suspicious by now. That's where Bakura was probably hiding the Millennium Rod…'Oh, you're dead now, albino…'

 

He understood that Isis would probably forbid him from going to the attic…so he would pay Bakura a little visit at night…Mwahahaha….soon, he'd be out of this creepy place…soon…

 

Suddenly, a thud was heard as Bakura walked up the staircase.

 

“The car is in the garage, Isis!” Bakura stated with what Marik clearly recognized as fake cheerfulness. It was nothing like what he'd seen in the photograph, and it irritated him to know so…Why couldn't he smile like that? Why? Why didn't Bakura smile like that anymore?

 

“So…let's give you a tour of the upper floor.” Isis said as she sauntered to the next door of the mansion. “This is my room.” She said, as she revealed a room decorated with oriental beads and flowers. A huge, double-bed was placed in the middle of the room.

 

“Me and my husband stay here…” she left that statement hanging, and Marik's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Husband? HUSBAND?

 

“Sister! You're married?! When did that happen?!” Marik exclaimed in a very uncharacteristically surprised voice.

 

Isis looked at him with surprise and then compassion. Bakura, however, seemed utterly crushed by Marik's lack of memory.

 

“Marik…Rishid and I got married two years before you graduated…You were at the wedding…don't you remember?”

 

“Rishid?! You're married to HIM!!? I can't believe it!!!” Marik had this horrified look on his face, and Isis was beginning to worry.

 

`Oh no!!' Marik desperately thought `I won't be able to avoid him for long!! Damn! I have to find the Rod immediately!!! Before I get to see Rishido and he banishes me to the darkness!!'

 

To Marik's surprise, a light chuckle was heard. He turned to Bakura and noticed that a fond, reminiscent smile had spread across the albino's face.

 

“Yup…that's the way you reacted the first time we told you…” Bakura laughed and gazed upwards with that glazed look over his eyes “I remember how you kept throwing eggs at Isis's door in order to avenge her…haha!! At the time Isis told us, you almost choked on your nachos!!”

 

Isis mirrored that dreamy gaze but in lesser degree “Yeah…we still have a video of that wedding…Remember Bakura? Actually, I still haven't forgiven you about that…”

 

Bakura seemed guilty and ashamed all of a sudden. He pointed rudely at Marik, having this weird pout on his face that Marik had never seen before.

 

“Don't look at me…it was his idea!!” Bakura whined at Isis, who shook her head dismissively.

 

“I'm still not very happy about that…” she commented. This little interaction was both annoying and interesting to Marik. These people seemed so happy at their memories…memories about himself. Memories he didn't know about…He wanted to know what unearthly force made Bakura pout and smile, and he wanted to learn what was his own `idea' in the first place…

 

“Umm…guys…what are we talking about?” Marik asked out of the blue. This simple comment wiped off Bakura's reminiscent grin and Isis's playful glare. They both turned to Marik and Isis just shook her head lightly. Bakura sighed heavily.

 

“Forget about it Marik…It's nothing. Anyway, these are two bathrooms, a guestroom and up there…” she pointed to a secluded looking stairway which led to a hatch on the ceiling “Is the attic.”

 

Marik tried not to smile demonically. Yes…the attic…his Rod…he'd get to feel that magical gold again soon…

 

Bakura cleared his throat at the mentioning of the attic and Marik was becoming more suspicious with each and every passing moment.

 

“Hey, sister…” the blonde boy started finally “How come we're so rich?”

 

Isis eyed him with an amused stare “You mean you don't remember anything? Not even the library?”

 

Marik was starting to get seriously pissed off. Isis must have sensed that, because she rushed to continue “Well, never mind.” She said “We inherited a huge library from our father” a shiver run up Marik's spine involuntarily at the mentioning of his father “so we got some money from there. Then, we met Rishid and we opened a bar together…”

 

Marik's attention snapped “Bar?”

 

Isis smiled “Yes, brother. You and Bakura had spent all your childhood making a fuss in the library, while I was the librarian…so we decided you'd both do well in a bar…And so we opened a club where Bakura worked as barman and you served as….a guitarist…in a group. That's what made us rich…And the library, of course….”

 

Marik's eyes were wide by now…Guitarist? HIM??? And Bakura was the barman? No way…And Isis was married to Rishid? What was this, some sick joke? And that picture…that picture of him and Bakura…it seemed so real…

 

“Well, I'll just cook something fast…It looks like they haven't been feeding you properly, Marik…”

 

With those words, Isis left the two boys standing there and descended the stairs. Marik could sense the tension in the air…now that he was completely, brutally alone with Bakura.

 

The albino kept his mouth shut, and Marik had the inexplicable urge to hit him. Why wasn't he speaking? Eh? Maybe he had to ask about the Rod…But then again, Bakura was a slimy little bastard…He could get panicked and hide the Rod...and that was the last thing Marik wanted.

 

He'd pay the attic a little visit that night…

 

Meanwhile, Bakura was starting to move towards their old room. Marik watched him wordlessly as he closed the door with small movements, and used the key to lock it.

 

Marik frowned in spite of himself. What was that all about?

 

“I'm here now aren't I? Why are you locking the door?” Marik sounded less harsh than he'd intended. He cursed himself for that. Bakura, however, was startled and jumped a little at Marik's voice.

 

“Umm…” Bakura started uncomfortably “Uh…Aren't you staying in the guestroom…until the cleaning lady fixes this room?”

 

Marik narrowed his eyes ominously “That doesn't mean you have to lock it…Unless of course you're hiding something…”

 

Bakura's eyes widened in surprise and he visibly squirmed around at Marik's intent glare. Finally, the albino sighed and surrendered.

 

“Here you go, Mariku” he handed Marik the key to the room “All yours” he finished. Marik kept his eyes narrowed at the albino.

 

“Thanks” he said with an obviously ironic tone. Bakura winced slightly and turned to go downstairs, after Isis. “Wait!” Marik suddenly shouted at the back of Bakura's head.

 

The albino immediately turned, a strange gleam of hope sparkling in his eyes. “Yes?” he inquired.

 

Marik suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. “I…want to ask you something.” Marik concluded. Bakura turned to him entirely and stepped closer. That hopeful spark was growing in intensity in his red eyes.

 

“….yes?” he asked in a lower tone. Marik was confused. Bakura seemed a bit eager. But eager for what? Marik was immensely mystified again…

 

Slowly, the tanned man unlocked the door that Bakura had just locked. He stepped in the room, and waited for Bakura to follow. When he sensed that the albino was not following, he turned around with a questioning glance.

 

Bakura was standing there, at the doorstep. He looked reluctant and stiff. Marik was intrigued again. Why was Bakura not entering? What was with this room?

 

“Come in, Bakura! What are you waiting for?” Marik commanded in aggravation.

 

The albino seemed to take a step backwards. “I…I can't”

 

Marik's eyes widened and he huffed inwardly “It's just a room.” He commented dryly, although he felt it meant much more than that. His feelings were mirrored in Bakura's expression.

 

“W-What do you want from here?” the albino asked distantly.

 

Marik smirked in an elusive way “Why don't you come inside and I'll show you….” He stepped closer to the door with a hunter's stealth.

 

Bakura gasped in shock and something pink spread over his cheeks. Marik could not clearly see why…why Bakura was so jumpy… This was Marik's normal attitude, right?

 

`Right…' Marik thought `Maybe I'm acting TOO normal for him…'

 

Marik motioned airily for Bakura to step inside and Bakura shakily entered the room. Immediately, a loud bang was heard, and Bakura spun around, his long hair swishing along with his head. Oh…it was just Marik…he had hit the door shut…

 

Marik grinned maniacally inside his brain `You little rat…I've got you trapped, now…Let's see if you can tell me anything about the Millennium items…'

 

But something caught the blonde boy's attention and he stopped his musings. It was that picture again…Why did his eyes always have to fall on it?!

 

“S-So…what did you want to show me…?” Bakura started. Marik sighed inwardly. The Millennium item interrogation would have to wait. His curiosity always came first.

 

Marik stepped past Bakura, who was just standing there lifelessly and rushed to the nightstand. He picked up the picture and looked at it briefly. He heard Bakura gasp almost immediately.

 

Marik then slowly approached the other boy and pointed at the picture he was holding.

 

“When and where was this?” Marik asked with a somewhat brash tone. Bakura gingerly let his fingers touch the picture. Marik had never seen such love and care erupt from those ruby eyes.

 

Bakura slowly took the picture in his hands and stared at it. Marik clearly saw tears gather in the boy's eyes and felt petrified and disgusted at the same time. Disgusted at Bakura's weakness and petrified at the fact that he had managed to make the boy cry…

 

Why couldn't he make Bakura smile like that picture? What was it that could make the albino smile like that? Marik's eager curiosity was killing him alive.

 

Bakura ran his thumb lovingly over the frame of the picture. “I…I haven't seen this….in…” he murmured, and Marik honestly thought he was watching a lover talk to his long-lost mate.

 

“This…” Bakura started slowly “This was in Miami Beach…When I was fifteen years old…you were about sixteen, Mariku…”

 

Marik's ears perked up, Impossible!! He didn't even know Bakura when he was sixteen!! But the picture was there, right?? And Bakura was here!! While his tattoo was not…And his Ra Card was not…and his Rod was not…

 

Maybe he WAS going crazy.

 

Bakura seemed lost in memory. He had this dazed, loving grin on his face again, as he talked more to himself than to Marik. “You wanted to…teach me how to surf, see?”

 

The albino pointed at the surfing board that the Marik in the picture was holding. “But I am albino…and Isis said that the sun would hurt my skin…I'm always wearing t-shirts and stuff while you are in your bathing suit, see?” Bakura asked again. Marik nodded slowly, memorizing each and every one of Bakura's weird expressions. How was it possible? The Bakura HE knew was arrogant and stubborn, not loving and…soft…

 

“So I said I'd play beach-volley with the others while you'd surf…” Bakura continued “and then you won that stupid little surfing contest…” Marik withheld the urge to snort. That sounded just like himself, really…”You won this stupid little prize…it was a football. And you gave it to me…”

 

Bakura pointed at the football he was holding in the picture and Marik blinked. It was true “…you said you thought rugby was vulgar, and that it would go great with me...”

 

Marik snorted loudly this time. It really DID sound like him. But Bakura didn't seem at all insulted or bothered. Actually, he seemed…flattered.

 

“And then we took that picture…see how your hair is dry? You didn't even fall once with the surfing board…” Bakura commented, and Marik felt strangely proud. He didn't even know he could surf…or play the guitar…

 

“…I still have that ball, by the way…” Bakura commented and Marik's attention was diverted again.

 

“You do?” he asked curiously. Then, with an amount of eagerness that he had not meant to express, he turned to Bakura and urged “Show me!”

 

Bakura turned to Marik slowly, his eyes showing something that Marik had never seen before. “Y-You actually want to see it?” Bakura asked in shocked disbelief.

 

Marik shrugged and pretended to be indifferent “I have nothing better to do, anyway…” That answer seemed to strike Bakura as more believable.

 

“Okay…” The albino quietly said, as he set the picture back on the nightstand. Bakura approached his old blue bed. He bent down and groped around under the bed.

 

Marik just watched with his customary curiosity, as Bakura pulled out a huge card box from under the bed. Marik's eyes widened. All that stuff was shoved in there!! So many things to ask about! So many things to discover!!

 

Suddenly, he realized what he was thinking, and smacked him self inwardly. `No, Marik. First, you kill the pharaoh…then comes everything else, remember?'

 

Marik was trying to occupy himself with his thoughts and not with Bakura's form. Suddenly, as he watched Bakura, Marik had this sudden impulse… to grab Bakura by the waist, shove him up against the wall and glue his own body against that lithe figure…And then he'd…

 

Marik gasped at his own thoughts. Then, he'd…he'd…he'd ask about the Millennium Rod, of course.

 

 

What else could he have possibly meant to do….?

 

He shook his head dismissively, as he saw the tall, thin albino finally find what he was looking for. He stood up again, and left the carton on the floor.

 

Marik saw what he was holding and gasped. It was that ball. That football from the photo…Bakura cradled it in his arms with absolute adoration, and Marik vaguely questioned himself why.

 

Bakura reached Marik and extended his hands to show him the ball. The blonde boy somewhat ceremoniously took the ball in his hands and looked at it carefully.

 

It looked brand new -as if it had never been used. It had shrunk like a grape from all these years of safe keeping, but Marik could still recognize it as the same one from the picture.

 

Bakura reached in Marik's arms and took the ball. Marik momentarily froze. His hand…had touched…Bakura's fingers…

 

He became irate at his own mind.

 

SO? What was the problem about that?

 

Bakura seemed troubled for a few seconds as well, and Marik could clearly see the albino bite his bottom lip. Marik smirked inwardly. `He probably fears I might strangle him…Well, he should…I might as well do that…But first…the ROD! MWAHAHA!!'

 

Bakura studied the ball until he found what he was searching for.

 

“Here, see?” he pointed at some white scribbling on the ball. Marik looked at it curiously. Now where had he seen that sloppy handwriting before?

 

“You wrote it with white-out…” Bakura commented with that same groggy smile on his face “…we didn't have anything else that could stand out…See? You wrote it for me…”

 

Marik's eyes narrowed slowly. He had written this? Slowly, shakily, he traced his finger over the writing. His eyes widened yet again. It was right! It was his hand-writing!

 

Marik hadn't tried to write anything for a long time, so how was he supposed to recognize his own writing right away? Besides, the letters on the ball seemed more childish…more…primitive than his usual ones.

 

`Hey Babe, don't be so mean.' It wrote.

 

Marik turned to Bakura with a questioning gaze. “Babe?” he inquired. Marik was surprised to see Bakura squirm a little and a shy pink hue spread over the albino's pale cheekbones.

 

“Um…that's how you used to call me…it actually comes from a ridiculous movie for kids…It was about a pig named `Babe' and you decided it matched my personality completely the moment you saw it…”

 

Marik smirked out loud “I would have never watched a kids' movie about a pig named `Babe'…” he commented dryly.

 

To his surprise, Bakura chuckled good-naturedly “I know, Mariku…That's what you said the first time…But in the end you came along with us to the movies just so you could throw popcorn at the `unsuspecting' spectators…”

 

Marik snorted loudly “Now that sounds more like me…” he said, and Bakura froze. He looked up at Marik's smirking face in surprise, and Marik understood his `slip-up'.

 

`Damn it!! ' he thought `Why did I say that? Of course it doesn't sound like me…It sounds nothing like me!!'

 

Suddenly, a new smart-aleck idea flashed in Marik's head, in order to twist the embarrassing situation around “So, is there any hidden meaning behind `Babe'?” he questioned Bakura, and the albino almost bit his tongue at the question.

 

“W-What are you talking about?” the silver-haired boy asked. There it was again?! That pink tinge on Bakura's cheeks!!! Oh, how it annoyed Marik! Actually, what really pissed him off was the fact that he didn't know the reason behind that blush.

 

“I mean…” Marik pressed on “Is there a certain aspect of your personality that made me call you `babe'…?”

 

Bakura's cheeks smudged with uncharacteristic red “Umm…I don't know, Mariku…You'll have to ask yourself that….B-But I don't really think so…we were about twelve when you came up with that…”

 

Marik writhed in liveliness and curiosity. He wanted to learn more! More! So Bakura said they had known each other since they were….at least twelve…And where was that blush coming from? And where had he first met Bakura?

 

Marik opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden shout.

 

“GUYS!! LUNCH IS READY!!” Isis yelled from the kitchen downstairs. Bakura smiled uneasily and pulled his hair up in another sloppy ponytail.

 

He shot up immediately after that, and exited the room. Marik stiffly followed his companion outside and saw Bakura taking the key to lock the door.

 

“Don't lock it.” Marik said a bit too eagerly- which wasn't what he had planned. Bakura raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and Marik felt trapped for once. Why had he said that, again?

 

`What do I say now?' Marik wondered and opened his mouth “Let's come back later.” His mouth betrayed him. That wasn't what he'd wanted to say, right? Right? He didn't want to see some stupid kiddy stuff…he only wanted his Rod…and his God of Ra…and Yugi's head in a platter…

 

Bakura nodded quietly from beside him and started walking towards the staircase with his ponytail splayed over his left shoulder. Marik started descending the stairs also.

 

`Why did I say that, again?' he thought.