Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Paranoid ❯ Questions ( Chapter 4 )

Lunch was silent. That was the best way to describe it: silent. Marik's appetite was limited and apparently, so was Bakura's. Isis was obviously trying to lighten the mood by making some pointless comments about the weather, but nothing seemed to work.

 

Occasionally, Bakura and Isis would exchange a few words, sometimes laughing in fake relaxation…But the blonde could feel the tension in the atmosphere. As usual, the Egyptian kept sensing red eyes gaze at his face from beneath silver bangs of hair.

 

Marik was getting very annoyed. He just hated the way Bakura kept staring at him!! Why? Why was he staring like that? Especially when there was silence around…it felt even MORE uncomfortable.

 

“Oh…” Isis suddenly piped up, in another effort to start a conversation “By the way…Rishid called. He has a night shift today so he won't be coming home until dawn tomorrow…I didn't tell him Marik came home…” her eyes started to sparkle “It's a surprise!”

 

The blonde boy felt inclined to do the victory dance. So he had gotten rid of Rishid!! Now he could steal the Rod unperturbed. Then, he would use it to slaughter the bald man…just to be sure! MWAHAHA!!!

 

A small tug pushed Bakura's lips upward into a grin. “That's great Isis…imagine how happy he will be…” the albino let that statement trail on as he took a bite of rice “…after all this time…” he murmured wistfully.

 

This was very frustrating for Marik. His spirit of exploration and discovery was throbbing in his body. Why was Bakura so wistful? What the heck was wrong in this place? Why was everyone silent? They didn't have much to talk about, of course…He practically came from another world and had no memories to share with these people….But still!! Why was Bakura acting so…wistful?

 

Marik's curiosity was killing him already…so where had he met Bakura? What other stories or memories did these people have?

 

“Finished already, Bakura?” Isis suddenly said. The blonde boy took a look at the albino and noticed that Bakura had pushed his untouched plate away.

 

“Well…I'm not really hungry, Isis…but your cooking is great!” Bakura said simply, in a cheery voice that Marik instantly knew was fake. The blonde mimicked Bakura's movements and pushed his plate away. The others granted him a strange glance.

 

“You too, Marik?” Isis inquired “And I who thought you were tired of hospital food…” she sounded a bit disappointed.

 

“I'm just not really hungry either…” Marik simply said, receiving another hidden glance from Bakura.

 

“We don't want you to become anorexic…That stands for you too, Bakura. You've lost some serious weight, you know, Mariku…” The woman commented.

 

“I know, last time on the B-” but Marik froze. He had almost said `Battle Ship'!! Damn…He'd have to watch his mouth …He almost betrayed himself.

 

“On what?” Isis asked, clearly expectant.

 

 

“Oh, nothing…I just thought of something…” the blonde answered with a very strained grin. `Damn you' he thought stiffly. Isis shook her head and tried to pretend the little incident had never happened. She stood up suddenly and took the plates in her hands. After she'd walked to the sink, she started washing the plates, thus leaving Marik alone with Bakura. Again.

 

The albino didn't even try to hide his stares anymore. Marik stubbornly pretended he was playing with his napkin so as not to be forced to face the weird red eyes.

 

Usually, Marik would rival people's eyes with his own, but there was something about this kind, weird Bakura that made him wonder…

 

Finally, the inevitable questions came.

 

“Since I don't remember a thing in general…” Marik started “Would you mind telling me about our family?”

 

Bakura looked absolutely flabbergasted, and the Egyptian felt clearly annoyed. Geez…so what was the big deal? He only wanted to know about his supposed `background'…

 

“I mean…” the blonde continued “…I don't get it, Bakura…are you my brother or something?” he asked, hoping for Bakura to take the bait, and recite the whole story of how they met…

 

Bakura smiled slowly at the blonde's words and then shook his head in refusal. The albino's piercing gaze was freely fixed on Marik “No…I'm not your real brother…although we grew up as siblings.” The smile seemed to widen as Bakura recalled memories “Actually, we were considered inseparable best friends…ever since we met…”

 

Marik was growing eager to hear the memory, and was sure that Bakura would tell him…Too bad that the wistful smile on Bakura's face started to fade slowly, until his expression sobered up again. `Damn' Marik simply thought, and scolded himself inwardly for ever thinking like that.

 

“Never mind that…” Bakura sighed “So, you wanted to know about your family…”

 

Although Marik was troubled that Bakura dropped the subject, he was content to hear another set of information. “Yes…” the blonde started.

 

Bakura smiled and nodded reassuringly. “Well…You and Isis used to live in Egypt with your father only…your mother died when she gave birth to you” Bakura's expression darkened and so did Marik's “Your father had a chain of shops going on in Cairo, and the business was going great…At some point, when Isis was about fourteen and you were eight, your father came down with a heavy disease…I think it was cancer or something.”

 

Bakura sighed loudly at Marik's blank, heartless expression “And so your father sold all your belongings in Egypt in order to move here, in the US. He wanted to come to a country where great doctors could help him recover…But no such luck.”

 

“After two years of living in America, and after your father had built a library full of Egyptian History books, he died…That was when you were ten and Isis was sixteen. Round that time, Rishid was sent to America in order to take care of you by your relatives in Egypt -Rishid was their servant all these years.”

 

Marik nodded appreciatively. He remembered absolutely nothing, but it was interesting watching Bakura recite his own past with such detail.

 

“Well, let's see…then Isis used your father's heritage to go to college, and then she became a librarian and improved the library with the help of Rishid…well, while she was working in the library, you and me went to primary school and returned to help her with the house chores…When we started high school, we opened the bar and found out that Rishid and Isis had been dating for a long time…and then-”

 

“Wait!!” Marik suddenly interrupted “You never said how I met you!” he observed. He could see another one of those smiles light the albino's face, but it was gone as soon as it came.

 

“Never mind that…” he said with finality “I'll tell you some other time…”

 

But Marik was never the one to accept such evasive techniques and kept pressing on Bakura. “How am I supposed to remember anything if you don't tell me?” he asked with a secretive smile. Bakura huffed lightly and nodded.

 

“You're right…I'll tell you, then…” Bakura sighed lightly and gave Marik a wary glance which angered the Egyptian to no end. Why was Bakura so reluctant to tell him?

 

“First of all,” Bakura continued with that loving, dreamy grin “You must know that when you and I first met, you were ten years old and I was nine. It was the second year that you spent in America and at that time…”

 

 

 

-FLASHBACK-

 

The ten-year-old blonde little boy was running. He was in the clinic, and had just found out that his Father was angry…Ow… and his father hurt him when he got angry…

 

He didn't want another one of those beatings. He would die if his Father used that leash on him again…But now, Father was in the hospital…he was lying on a white bed and Isis was always sitting near him…A nurse always sat next to Father…

 

The Egyptian little boy didn't really understand what was going on. He only knew that Father was ill…Very ill…Isis was crying in her room this once, and when Marik had tried to ask her what was happening, she simply answered that their Father would leave them forever…

 

That was a year ago…but now little Marik knew what it meant. Their Father was going to die. Shouldn't he be sorry? Why was he not sorry?

 

`It was either me or him…' the little boy thought rigidly, as his dark lilac eyes stormed over with pain and hate `I won't be sorry for his death. I'm all alone in this world now…I'm alone to find my destiny. Nobody understands me and I don't understand them. Friends are useless...a thing like friendship does not exist…'

 

These were the boy's thoughts as he ran down the dark clinic corridors. Father had found out he had no chance to live…And he was angry…and Marik knew that until his last breath…that man would haunt him down.

 

And so Marik ran quickly in the middle of the night. He was searching for some kind of exit, but he was slowly getting lost in the hospital maze. Marik stopped for a moment, and tried to catch his breath. Warily, he saw a half-open door nearby.

 

`What's that?' Marik's exploration spirit kicked in again. That boy didn't even care about death or pain as long as he could satisfy his curiosity…Slowly; he approached the door and slid it open, revealing a room bathed in moonlight.

 

There was a single bed placed in the middle of the room, but it was empty. Marik turned to look around and spotted a figure sitting by the window. The full-moon shone from the sky, and the outline of the stranger was illuminated by the light. Marik reveled at the thought of his discovery.

 

He could clearly distinguish very long, seemingly silky white hair shining in the moonlight. What the heck? White hair? The person had their back turned to him, so he couldn't see their face. He could clearly see, however, that it was a child. It showed from the small fingers and thin limbs.

 

`It's obviously a girl, since she has long hair, right? Then again, I too have long hair…and I'm a boy…' Marik shook away the confusing thoughts and decided to give it a try.

 

“Hey there, you okay, little girl?” he asked, and watched the figure jump in surprise. Now Marik was never one to care about other peoples' well being -especially since no one cared for him…But this was an exception. He did it to satisfy his curiosity.

 

The figure beside the window quickly turned around to see him. Marik couldn't really make out the characteristics, so he squinted his eyes a bit. The only thing he could distinguish was a bandaged-up face, and hands which were also bandaged. Two sole gems of blood protruded from the bandage-covered visage.

 

“I'm not a girl. And I'm not little.” A surprisingly hard, deep voice barked back. Marik was a little taken aback. Why was this person so harsh anyway? And wait a sec…it was a boy???

 

“Oh…” the blonde one started slowly “I saw your long hair so...-”

 

“What do you want?” the stranger with white hair and unseen face asked. He took a step towards the blonde and Marik noted that he was taller than the other boy. But then again, the other child's glaring red eyes didn't look at all phased by their difference in height…

 

“Umm…I was just walking and I saw your door, so I thought-” he started slowly, inwardly shouting at himself to be more brash towards this brat. The white-haired stranger smirked loudly and interrupted him once again.

 

“-so you thought: why don't I go see the freak, too…Eh? Isn't that what you see me like? A freak!!”

 

Marik's eyes widened. Now that was going way too far. “What are you talking about?”

 

The other boy's eyes narrowed “Go ahead! Deny it! That's what they all do!!” he shouted savagely.

 

“What do you mean by that?” Marik demanded again and watched the shorter boy take a step closer. The space between them was becoming dangerously smaller- Marik noticed uncomfortably.

 

“I mean they all want to see the `freak with white hair'! And when I ask them what they want, they all say they came here by accident!!” the boy hissed at the Egyptian's bewildered expression.

 

“I didn't even know you were in here!! I was just running away from my Father!” he defended and watched the stranger take a step backwards.

 

“Your father?” cruel, glittering red eyes asked. “Why?”

 

Marik huffed with annoyance “What does it matter? Now that I left, I'm never going back!!” he stated. The stranger narrowed his eyes.

 

“And what are you doing in here?” he asked suspiciously.

 

“Hiding.” Marik lied profusely. It was actually his curiosity that had driven him in there. Now he was getting more intrigued by the second. This mysterious kid was very…interesting…

 

“Why?” the persistent eyes said.

 

“He haunts me.” Marik simply stated although he had no wish to confess to a stranger “What are YOU doing here, anyway?”

 

The other boy snorted “What does it look like I'm doing? Recovering.” He pointed at the bandages that were tangled around his face and arms.

 

“Recovering from what?” Marik insisted while feeling the other's patience wear out.

 

“Sunburn.” Was the simple answer which made Marik's eyes widen.

 

“The sun did this to you? Why? It never hurts me!!” he stated the obvious. The stranger took an impending step towards him again.

 

“Are you saying I'm a freak?” the boy barked making Marik shake his head furiously in refusal.

 

“No! No! I'm just making observations!!” he defended. The boy's red eyes narrowed.

 

“Well make them in your head. Now go.” With those last words, the stranger spun around and returned to his calm position on the windowsill.

 

Marik made no move to leave. Instead, he took a risky step towards the other boy. “My name's Marik, by the way.” He started in a somewhat hopeful voice. He noticed the fact that the other boy resembled some sort of angel in the moonlight. `Wow...' he thought `his white hair is really cool…it looks silver…'

 

Marik waited for the boy to tell him his name in return, but no answer came. Marik took another hesitant step. “What's…your name?” He asked slowly.

 

The other turned to him with a somewhat surprised gaze. No one had ever asked him that question. They all came, they saw, they left.

 

“I don't have a name.” He finally said. “My parents didn't give me a name when theyleft me.” Was the bitter, sarcastic answer. Marik almost choked from the shock.

 

“W-What? Your parents left you?” he stuttered, trying to act sober. The boy turned to him.

 

“Yes. Because I'm a freak.” He simply said “Now go away.” And he turned back to gaze outside.

 

But Marik was relentless “So who do you live with? And why are you here?”

 

The boy turned to him warily “Would you cut it out with all the questions already? Leave me alone!” he ordered and Marik narrowed his eyes determinedly.

 

“No.” he stated “I want to know.”

 

The angel-like boy shot him a glare as if to say `why the hell should that be my problem?' but responded after all.

 

“When I was a baby, the Bakura family found me lying out of their doorstep. They took me in- good people. I use their last name: Bakura, since I have no other name. No one ever gave me one.” He glared at Marik “NOW will you leave me alone?”

 

Marik gave a grin and shook his head in refusal “No way. This is just getting interesting.”

 

Bakura shot him a customary glare. “What else must I do to get you out?” He asked.

 

“Where is your family? And how did you end up here?” he questioned.

 

Bakura sighed in frustration. “If I tell you this, THEN will you get out?” he questioned and saw Marik nod fervently.

 

“When I grew up, kids at school called me a freak. Everyone called me a freak. So I locked myself in my room, but eventually my foster-father forced me out. He said I should watch my manners or I'll become a real freak. I got pissed. I ran away during the day. I was left under the sunshine all day long. I fainted. Someone took me here. Now are you happy?” Bakura finally finished with a furious glare and a hopeful tone at the last question.

 

Marik smiled slowly “I don't think you're a freak...” he started, and observed Bakura narrow his eyes.

 

“Nice try.”

 

Marik shrugged in defense “No, I really don't. I think you're cool.”

 

Bakura glared harder “Get out. You said you would.”

 

Marik grinned devilishly “Hey, Bakura…I think I can relate to your problem…Everyone sees me as a weirdo too, because I have no friends and I don't talk often…”

 

Bakura stood up and stepped closer to Marik “And your point is…?”

 

Marik smiled “I was wondering…How about we show them just how freaky we can be??” he left that statement hanging, obviously promising much pain for the rest of mankind “How about I help you with your problem…if you help me with mine..?”

 

Bakura's eyes narrowed ominously as he walked around Marik like a ravenous wolf- or hawk.

 

“I'm all ears, Mariku…”

 

 

 

 

END OF FLASHBACK

 

 

 

 

By now, Marik was completely enraptured by Bakura's lovesick, dreamy smile. Bakura was spinning two ice-cubes around his glass of water as he gazed at absolute nothingness, remembering each and every little detail with unbelievable cautiousness. Marik heard his companion continue.

 

“…After that, things sort of found their own way…” Bakura's deep voice mused “We were always wreaking havoc in the hospital…many patients almost died because of us…I remember we used to want revenge on the way people treated us…so we did all these crazy stunts. You lived in the hospital with Isis in order to watch over your dying father, but Isis had never met me…She always wondered where you were all day- and all night- long. And then, after nearly two weeks of that insane crap, I took off my bandages…and you first took a normal look at my face. A couple of days later…your Father passed away.”

 

Bakura stole a fleeting glance at Marik, who was staring right back at him. “You didn't even cry.” Bakura commented and Marik inwardly congratulated himself “All you did was let Isis hold you and cradle you and say everything would be okay…during that night, you told me about it. And you told me you were leaving the hospital the next day. You asked me where I would be, but I gave no answer. I remember I was so angry at you, for leaving…And then, you said you'd introduce me to Isis…and that you would beg her to let me live with you…”

 

By now, Isis had finished washing dishes and was listening to Bakura's story too, a giddy smile apparent on her features.

 

“Me?” Marik asked incredulously “Beg for you? No way!! You give yourself way too much credit, Bakura.” A heart-broken grimace of pain slipped over Bakura's face and Marik didn't really understand why…It was only a joke, right?

 

“I-I guess so…” Bakura softly said, and he was clearly trying to keep from weeping. “Anyway…”

 

Bakura grinned forcedly. “It really was a difficult decision for you at that time…I remember you took me to Isis that night…”

 

 

FLASHBACK

 

“What's wrong, Marik?” a sad girlish voice asked “I told you not to wander around the hospital at night. What's wrong this time?”

 

“Sister!” the voice of none other than the Egyptian boy started “I…I've been meaning to…to tell you something.”

 

Isis nodded slowly “What's bothering you?” she softly inquired.

 

Marik tugged on something which was hidden in the darkness on his right. “I have to show you first.”

 

Isis raised a slender eyebrow and watched the subtle candlelight flicker around her, as Marik whispered something.

 

“COME OON!!! She's not going to bite!!”

 

“I...I don't want to…she'll call me a freak…”

 

“Oh, for the love of-”

 

Suddenly, with a rough pull, Marik revealed his mysterious companion. At first Isis thought it was a girl, but the voice of the person was definitely masculine. She gasped as she saw the tell-tail hair and eyes. He was albino!! An albino little boy!

 

“Marik? What's the meaning of this?” she questioned, as she watched the albino divert his rabbit-red eyes to the ground.

 

Marik's eyes sparkled childishly, and for once the pride and arrogance was gone…it was replaced with…hope? “Sister!! I present to you my friend, Bakura!! I met him here in the clinic -but he's recovered by now, so don't worry…” Marik rambled on in his boyish voice.

 

“C'mon Bakura. Say hello! This is my sister, I've been telling you about…” Marik nudged the other boy's back, and the albino was vaguely motivated to look upwards. Isis met a couple of reluctant, frightened eyes.

 

She didn't really know what to say to a frightened little child, so she settled on a simple “um…hello there…”

 

Bakura turned to Marik hastily, as though trying to make Marik answer for him. But the blonde boy just laughed “Go on, Bakura…she won't say you're a freak...” And he gave another little nudge on the albino's back.

 

Bakura turned his reluctant eyes back to the girl. “Um…H-hi…” he started quite uncharacteristically. Bakura didn't have a problem communicating with people for whom he didn't care about…He did however have a problem with people who he wanted to like him.

 

“I take it your name is Bakura…I'm Isis or Ishizu. Whatever you like best...”

 

Bakura gave a shaky smile and turned back to Marik for support. The Egyptian had an exultant smile plastered on his face. The next few words came much like a ramble from Marik's part.

 

“Um…sister…Bakura doesn't really have a place to stay right now and since Father is not with us any more I was kind of hoping you would let him come stay with us but if we can't then I'll understand but please try to let him come over, cause he really has no place to stay and I still want to play with him and I promise we'll cause no trouble at home, just please let him come!! Please!! ”

 

If Isis understood one thing from that rant, it was the fact that she had never seen her brother act this way. So...hopeful…so carefree…How ironic that their father had just died…

 

“Marik…” she started in a low tone “You know father has left us now…I'm not really sure we can support ourselves…Do you really think we can make it with another family member? Haven't you ever considered the circumstances under which we will be living? Rishid might be here to make sure we won't go in an orphanage…but…”

 

Marik nodded feverishly, surprising even Bakura by his antics. The Egyptian boy fell to his knees in front of his startled sister, and took her hand in innocent desperation “Please, my beautiful sister…Please let my friend come stay with us…I promise we'll both be good…I'll…I'll wash the dishes every day…and I won't eat as much -I'll share with Bakura…and I won't buy many toys any more…please…please…please nee-san…I'll do anything!! Anything!!”

 

Bakura was just standing there with wide eyes, watching his friend beg desperately -pride be forgotten. Bakura himself turned around and looked at Isis's shocked and moved expression. Her brother obviously never did such things…

 

Shakily, Isis stretched her hand and grazed Marik's forehead. “Of course he can come stay with us, Marik…If it makes you so happy…if you want it so much…”

 

Marik let out a cry of joy and hugged his sister in a steel embrace “Oh, thank you!! Thank you so much, sister!! Thank you!! You'll never regret it!!”

 

Isis genuinely laughed for the first time ever since their father's death. She relished the feel of her brother's rare, sincere hug. She watched the little boy called Bakura observe the scene with wide eyes. Immediately, Marik let go of his sister and ran excitedly to Bakura. He offered a high-five at the albino, and the boy obliged.

 

“Ha! You owe me one, my friend!! Wait till I show you our house- you can sleep in my room!! You won't believe those neighbors…”

 

And Isis watched them walk away- into the dark corridors of the hospital. Maybe this was meant to be…She smiled lightly. Had her brother finally found a friend? His attitude had changed already…And that boy, Bakura…

 

He seemed so frightened of the world…Surely those two boys would help each other…

 

END FLASHBACK

 

Bakura finished with a long sigh “…Nobody had ever done something like that for me…the world hated me…” he mused, totally ignoring the ones listening to him. Isis was smiling, too, gazing at the horizon.

 

“Do you remember what you boys did when you first met Rishid?” she suddenly questioned, and Bakura smiled even wider “We didn't understand that he was our new guardian right away…so Marik decided we'd play a little prank on him…”

 

Marik blinked. He could sense the question coming to his lips…But Bakura was too quick. He turned to Marik himself, and answered the pregnant question before it could even be posed.

 

“You actually said you hated bald heads, and so you coaxed me into cutting my own hair totally short. Then we put super-glue on the strands and stuck them on Rishid's head while he was sleeping.”

 

Marik grinned lightly while Bakura smiled fondly at the memory “I remember that the next morning, you took a recording of the screams…”

 

Marik grinned `Oh yes, that sounds EXACTLY like me…' He turned to watch Bakura's smile fade slowly, as the memory left his mind.

 

“…And that's about it…” he finished.

 

Marik nodded lightly and remained shocked at Bakura's flashbacks. Him begging? Now that didn't sound very realistic…He only remembered to have begged once in his life -when his father had carved the scar on his back- his father didn't listen, of course…But in this weird world…he had no scar on his back.

 

Was it possible that he'd wanted Bakura so much, so as to reach the stage of begging?

 

Marik didn't think it wise to ask such a question. Maybe he was a bit afraid of the answer… He settled on planning what he would do once he laid his hands on the Millennium Rod.

 

`My first task will be to remove these annoying doubts from my head…' he thought idly. Suddenly, he noticed that outside had gotten dark. Had they really been talking for that long?

 

“Hey Isis…What time is it?” Bakura suddenly asked.

 

“About 21 pm. Why do you ask?” she questioned.

 

“I guess it's time to show Marik his room…” Bakura stated. “Com' on Mariku.” He stood up and motioned for the Egyptian to follow him.

 

Marik couldn't help but let his eyes drift downwards, along the lines of Bakura's smooth body, stopping to stare at the tight jeans and the effect they had on the boy's alluring...

 

Cough cough. On the boy's alluring…hair.

 

Marik felt the urge to pluck his hair out of his skull. Oh yes. He would definitely have to remove all these disturbing thoughts the moment he set his hands on the Rod.