Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Paranoid ❯ The Power of God ( Chapter 17 )

My God, I'm SO sorry for the late update!!! I promise that I'll start updating every three or four days from now on. It's just that I've been depressed for a long time and my grades have been falling. Anyway, I felt much better, so I decided to write a new chapter.

 

Personally, I'm pleased with the outcome. These few chapters are quite informative. By the way, I know that the story line of the Egypt Arc. doesn't stick to the original. There are many new elements I added to make it sound more interesting and a bit innovative (reading about something you already know about can be b-o-r-i-n-g for some people.)

 

THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS!!! I'VE RECEIVED SO MANY!!!! I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! OVER 100 REVIEWS!!! THAT'S JUST UNREAL!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, HONESTLY!!!

 

I unfortunately have no time to answer reviews but I would especially like to thank all new reviewers for caring to write constructive criticism. Winter-Peacecraft Yuy suggested I use some songs! Thankyou!!! I've been looking for some suitable songs, actually. But I don't really want to turn this into a songfic coz ppl rarely read the lyrics! However, I will use your precious suggestions in the final chapters- you'll see! I'm so glad ppl like this so much! Wow! I can't believe this story is so inspiring- it all started out for fun!! By the way, I also like lemons, but I'm afraid that if I write one, ff.net will ban me out of my account like they did last time. When I finish this story, however, I'll give you all a present - a steamy Marik/Bakura one-shot in my account in mediaminer.org! My penname is Nehti over there too!!

 

THANKYOU SO MUCH!!!! The PPL who last updated:

 

Chibi-B channie. Seren147, duenna, Daemon rara-avis, Winter -Peacecraft Yuy, A Person, Remy2004, Anime-fan Meepa, mecha Shadow C23, deliciae, Evil Kitty Seto, Lady Larrabee, Satanic Yami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marik's bright violet eyes roamed the ceiling as he let his fingers thread in that silky silver hair he so adored. He could feel Bakura's smile against his skin and mirrored it with one of his own. Now this was bliss.

 

But, alas, the peace could not remain. After all, he had a story to tell…and he felt oddly good about spilling his guts to someone.

 

Maybe it was because of Bakura's deep odor intoxicating his mind, or maybe it was the albino's soft breathing. Whatever it was, Marik was lost too deep inside it. His mouth opened on its own volition, his voice floating with a breathy, unfocused quality.

 

“Thus, I murdered Father…I was about to slaughter Isis too, when I caught sight of Rishid's face and the hieroglyphics he had carved on it, for some reason, Yami Marik left my body…When I finally snapped out of it and realized what I'd done, I couldn't cope up with my guilt...so I invented a new character for myself, as I've already told you: Yami Marik, Marik of Darkness. Nevertheless, nothing changed. Father's blood was still on my hands, reeking with that sick, metallic smell. He was hanging limp from the wall in front of me.”

 

Marik sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

 

“Even now I remember the feeling…I can't believe it's all a lie. It never happened…I fell to my knees before the corpse. I didn't understand immediately…First I saw the blood…then the defiled body…Rishid pulled me to his embrace before I knew what was happening. Only then did I wake up from my trance…Only then did I start screaming and wailing…”

 

Bakura's grip tightened around Marik's waist, as the blonde boy continued his narration.

 

“Isis ran to help but it was no use…tears blurred my vision as I thrashed around, fighting to push Rishid away…I wanted to help Father…I did…'Chichiue!!' I shouted again and again…but his pale, thin lips were open in a mute scream…He didn't answer…I wanted to know who did it…seems like I was too blind to acknowledge the blood in my hands was his…Probably some of my instincts conveniently blocked it out. It wasn't me who did it…it couldn't be. Suddenly, the ghost of a man's figure materialized in the room. Those frosty blue eyes…they burned holes into me- pierced my body. I didn't now who the man was, but he wore a turban and a shawl around his body, and I was sure I'd seen him before. As if sensing my upcoming question, he answered automatically. `The one who killed your Father was the soul of the Pharaoh.'”

 

Bakura's head whipped up abruptly, his twin red eyes twinkling with confusion.

 

“The Pharaoh's soul?”

 

Marik grinned bitterly “Yes. The Pharaoh. The one who had ruined my life from the moment I was born. The one whose name I was forced to pray for. The one who had locked me up forever in that slimy dungeon. The one whose MEMORY was carved on MY back!”

 

Bakura closed his jaw slowly, demonstrating a sense of understanding.

 

“I guess that it wasn't enough for his Majesty, though, everything we did…At that moment, when I heard the words pour from the man's lips, I knew my faith in the Pharaoh was over. My faith in the tombs was over. My faith in Ra was over. I just believed in one thing: vengeance. I wanted a life and they never gave it to me! I wanted to ride a motorcycle in the sun and they had forbidden it before I got the chance to ask! I had been forced to study a dead language for years- forced to whisper the name of a king I never knew about. And how was I repaid? By the death of my Father!

 

“Now that I really think about it, I don't believe I did it to avenge my Father's death at all. Honestly, I didn't even care if the bastard was dead- that would grant me my freedom, actually. I did it for my self. It was MY revenge. For ME! For all I'd been through! For the screams I'd hear from my sister's chamber every night! For the marks of whip scorching Rishido's back. For the thick air of the catacombs I had breathed in all my life. At the time I didn't even realize all these things were caused by Father. All I could see was him. That bitch. That Pharaoh bitch. ”

 

Marik had unconsciously been shouting during his little rant. The albino patted his shoulder lightly, signifying for him to calm down. Marik nodded briefly as he took a deep breath to relax.

 

“So I get it…You thought the Pharaoh was responsible…” Bakura mused lightly.

 

“Sorry `bout that…” he mumbled grudgingly “Even the thought of him irritates me. For my people…for the loyalty of a good son to his father…for myself…I started my crusade. Revenge was my Holy Grail, and I was going to find it. No matter how many of us had to die, no matter where I had to go or what I had to do…I'd get what I wanted: the Pharaoh's head hanging from my bedroom wall as a mask!”

 

At this, Bakura shivered involuntarily and buried himself deeper against Marik.

 

“After all…Dear Daddy was dead and there was no one to rule the tomb keepers…his heritage would pass to the last forbearer- me. That sick mark on my back had a little use after all…I was the King of Slaves- the one who would deliver them…take them to the Promised Land. I would wipe the Pharaoh out of all existence, steal his power and his crown and defile it in the worst possible way. It wasn't about power- I couldn't care less who was king and who wasn't- personally, all I wanted was a bike and the sun. But I had to do it. I had to take him down. The mere knowledge that he was alive would never leave me at peace- never let me rest.

 

“And so, the next day I told Rishid of my plans. I was delighted to hear he agreed with me, though reluctantly. The Pharaoh had to die as the retribution of our Clan. We packed and left that very evening, leaving Isis and the other women behind. Naturally, I stacked the Millennium Rod and lots of remaining gold along my other belongings. Finally, we left the tomb- Rishid, about a hundred more men and me.

 

“Thebes was easy to escape unnoticed. It was dark and secluded, as far as I can remember. And cold…really cold…I had never breathed such cold, fresh air…We had no problem reaching Cairo. That's when the hardships began. Where to find an ancient, nameless Pharaoh that you aren't even sure is reincarnated yet? We found a hideout in the alleyways of the city and intended to stay there until we found a way to reach the King. Only then did I hear of it. A card game. Cards with monsters drawn on them- duel monsters. Card trading with monsters…It was developed in Japan and was rapidly traveling all around the world.

 

“It only took observing a couple of cards and it hit me: Shadow games. Shadow monsters in ancient Egypt. These `cards' were just like them! Shadow games! The reason why the Nameless One died all along! I had studied the long lost ancient scripts all my life- I knew how Shadow monsters looked like. And I knew that where Shadow Games were involved, the King/God of Games would be involved also! Nameless Pharaoh!

 

“If Shadow monsters were back, even in the form of paper cards, then it had to mean something…it had to mean that their guardian was back also, fighting to lock them in the Shadow Realm all over again. And then, a delicious thought entered my mind, almost too good. Pharaoh was the `King of Games' wasn't he? Well what if I BEAT him? Wouldn't that take his power away? Wouldn't that vaporize his spirit- if he was sent to the Shadow Realm by my already unclean hands?

 

“All my life I had studied Shadow Games, learnt the complex strategy and studied the ancient patterns. I KNEW how to play the ancient game. And I KNEW one, sole, ultimate, undefeatable strategy: GOD. No card could surpass the power of GOD. I had learnt this lesson all too well, when the secrets of the Pharaoh's memory had been imprinted on my back. The symbols on my body wrote of the tangible, bone-shattering power of the Gods.

 

“Pharaoh was the King of Games and technically, he could not be defeated. But, could his own memories betray him? Could his memories that I so loathed lead me to redemption? Could I beat him with the ultimate strategy I knew he could never know about- the one marking my back? How ironic, his own memories would be his downfall!

 

“As the signs on my back instructed, there were three ultimate cards that brought to Earth the wrath of God: the card of Ra- the Winged Dragon, the card of Osiris- the Slypher Dragon, and the card of Anubis- the Tormentor of the Dead. The three ultimate Gods of Ancient Egypt: God of the sun, God of life and God of Death…And oh! How truly unfortunate for our beloved king! I already knew what all three of them looked like!

 

“There had to be three cards…three doomed cards that could carry God's fury…It was time to use my Millennium Rod. As you might have guessed, it possessed strong Shadow powers and the ability to trace things that the user wanted. I used it hesitantly at first, knowing that a Millennium item can steal your soul away if you're not careful…Soon, I found the cards. All three of them in Egypt. It was far too good to be true…So close! I was so close to ensuring my victory!

 

“One by one I tracked them down. Fought for them, stole them if I had to. Rishid was with me through it all, guarding my every step, protecting me along the way. By the time I had acquired two of three ultimate cards, Ra and Osiris, three years had passed. Three long years of starving ourselves in Cairo. Three years of collecting all kinds of rare cards to create undefeatable decks…

 

“I had just turned fourteen and was searching for the third card: God Anubis. No matter how hard I tried, though, I could not track the card. I demanded the Rod show me the location of Anubis's powers, but the Rod showed nothing. I was beginning to get hexed. It had to be Anubis! I was sure of it! It was carved on my back, for God's sake- I should know. But the days went by and as my addiction to the Millennium Rod grew, I lost contact with the world. I tried the name of every Egyptian God I knew…Just in case. But nothing came. Nothing!

 

“All we could do was concentrate on the cards we already had…We made dozens of replicas of Ra and Osiris for my men to use, while I kept the original. We soon realized that the replica of a God card could not be used. When one tried to fool God, God got angry…and his fury would rain down in the form of thunder. It wasn't a pretty sight, I'll tell you that. Some of our men died because of it…God's thunder struck them dead.

 

“I was becoming desperate about Anubis. If I couldn't collect all three Gods, then the quest would be impaired. My victory was much safer with Anubis in my deck.

 

“The answer to my long plight came one night, in a secluded bar in Cairo. I heard people talking about it. Talking about a new exhibition in a museum- one that featured an ultra rare card. A card that was said to have never met human expectations. Immediately, I rushed to assemble the Rare Card Hunters or GURUS as I had renamed our Clan. The description of that card had surely sounded like Anubis…even if it wasn't, though, an ultra rare card would surely serve my collection well. Since an individual's free will is most disorientating when it comes to mass attack, I used the Millennium Rod to control the minds of my men. They listened to my every command, my brain-washing…

 

“We went to the museum at night and all we met there were ancient mummies and wall-paintings. I'd had enough of THAT, all right! It was an unpleasant reminder. Suddenly, the lights opened and I met the unbelievable sight. Isis. My long lost sister. `Long time, no see, sister' I told her, not really understanding why she was here. It all clicked when she asked us GURUS to surrender. I asked for the God Card but she evaded the question. I tried to make her see the light, I really did. I gave her a full-fledged explanation of why I was doing what I was doing and that it was for her own sake, her own revenge. But she wouldn't listen to any of it. She just kept repeating the same old mantra 'Marik snap out of this foolishness, the darkness has clouded your mind.' Only then did I finally flip.

 

“I showed her the power that the Millennium Rod possessed over my men- showed her the intensity of my strength. Her attitude enraged me- couldn't she understand? I demanded she tell me where the Pharaoh and the God card were. That's when it slipped. “The card of Obelisk has been safely transported to a foreign museum. As for the Pharaoh, I don't know what you're talking about.' she said. I froze. `The card of Obelisk'…What Obelisk? Obelisk was no God in ancient Egypt- I should know of all people! It was Anubis!

 

“The card had been renamed to Obelisk from Anubis! And while I had been searching for the God of the Dead, the card had been renamed and the Millennium Rod couldn't trace it!!! Now there was no chance of laying my hands on it…When I realized sister had called the police, I commanded my men to leave and we disappeared in a heartbeat. While I left to sulk in our hideout about my failure with Anubis, Rishid tried to comfort me. I had become awfully harsh with him and I didn't even know why…all I could focus on was the Pharaoh and how I had to make him pay…

 

“And then, enlightenment came. The legend of a short, tough duelist from Eastern Asia... Words had it he was unbeatable. He came by the name of Mutou Yugi, and was considered the strongest card duelist in the entire globe. One picture on a magazine cover told me all I had to know. The same irritating hairstyle, the same detached eyes with those portrayed on the ancient glyphs…Mutou Yugi WAS Nameless Pharaoh. I had found him. Found him at last. The king…

 

“I wasted no time. I used up all the gold I had in my possession to buy a yacht and -one of my greatest dreams- a street rider bike. Japan was our destination, and I had already started looking for mind-slaves in Tokyo. But of course, Yugi Mutou WASN'T in Tokyo. My Millennium Rod informed me he was located in Domino (1) city. The city I had heard was to become the host of a great upcoming card tournament. Little Yugi was out for action, and I had found the perfect timing to crush him. The tournament started on a Friday while we were still traveling through the Pacific with our ship. I brainwashed many people in Japan to fight Yugi. My Rare Hunters had arrived much earlier than me and were already looking for more cards. Most of my fights with Yugi ended with failure, but I wasn't the least bit shaken.

 

“Anubis- or Obelisk as he was now called- was not by my side…but the other Gods were. I sent God Osiris in the city that had been renamed `Battle City'.

 

“I was sure that God would defeat Mutou. But my plan had to fail yet again. Mutou won, against all odds, portraying his knightly, disgusting, heroic personality once more. Only then did I discover that the man who had organized this tournament was none other than Seto Kaiba. The spitting image of Priest/Pharaoh Seth, of course. Things slowly started fitting into place…the prophecy was coming true. Yugi…Seth…fighting to take over the Shadow Games…the whole freaky love story…Seth watching Yugi from the sidelines, as he won battle after battle...Watching with those sick, sultry eyes…

 

“Seeing this enraged me even more! Seeing that Seth's hopes were coming true in his reincarnation and my Clan was being blatantly ignored once again. I swore to ruin their little romance, just as they ruined my life! I would not let Yugi do this to me! I wouldn't let him get away!

 

“That same morning, I reached Battle City with my boat. I got off the yacht and took my motorcycle immediately. Since I had already ensured I would be in the finals from my Rare Hunter puppets, I had much more interesting things to do…like find Yugi's friends and brain-wash them into betraying him! It came as a little surprise when…when…”

 

Marik finally paused, seemingly pondering what to say next. Bakura noticed Marik's grip had tightened around his body and also noted the uncomfortable and somewhat pained expression on Marik's face.

 

“When…what? Mariku…” Bakura inquired softly, wiping a few loose blond strands away from his partner's brow. Marik trembled all of a sudden, as he continued with a shaky voice.

 

“When I met…you.”

 

Silence came after that. Suffocating, defeaning silence in Marik's opinion. He moved his expressive eyes to the floor, obviously afraid to face Bakura's thunderstruck face.

 

“M-me?” the albino softly asked “This is where you met me? `Battle city'? Out of the blue?”

 

Marik slowly nodded, still not turning to face his lover. Bakura tilted the boy's chin up so he could stare right in Marik's eyes. “So tell me…what happened? How was I like?”

 

Marik sighed and moved his face away from Bakura's grip. He eyed the boy guiltily. “I-I hated you…you were such a slimy bastard.”

 

Bakura was taken aback to say the least. He didn't slip away from Marik, as the Egyptian expected, just stared at the blonde, aghast. “Well…” Bakura started slowly, his eyes showing red confusion more than anything else “That was…enlightening…”

 

Seeing that his friend wasn't the least bit mad at him, Marik grinned and pulled Bakura to his arms affectionately as he ruffled the white hair he adored so. “You have no idea how enlightened I was when I met you…you just popped into my life, literally.”

 

Bakura raised a slender eyebrow at that comment. Marik grinned.

 

“Well, as I was carelessly driving down the alleyway, thinking about different ways to decapitate Yugi Mutou, I revved up my bike. And then…somebody jumped in the middle of the street. Somebody tall, lean…”

 

“Oh yeah?” Bakura asked with a small grin, as he pushed himself further against his love.

 

Marik leaned in and nuzzled Bakura's cheek playfully “Somebody with long, slim legs…” He ran a palm over the creamy thighs that were so freely offered to him and stared at Bakura's smiling face “He had shimmering silver hair…” the Egyptian let the statement trail on as he teased the albino further, bringing their lips tantalizingly close- enough to feel Bakura's very breath blow in his lungs. Marik watched the pools of deep blood slide closed slowly, as Bakura arched his body to kiss…

 

“But to be honest, he just seemed like a lunatic at the time! Jumping in the middle of the street like that! I could have killed him- that sick weirdo!”

 

The blood-eyes snapped open and Bakura promptly smacked Marik across the face. “Wanna know how much of a sick weirdo I can be?”

 

Marik grinned lightly and took Bakura in his arms, instantly placating the other boy. “But seriously,” the Egyptian started “Bakura was crazy. He was masochistic.”

 

Bakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Marik suddenly spotted a very rare emotion to cross his lover's features. Jealousy.

 

“And how would you know that?” the albino inquired starkly, drawing a chuckle from the blond. “You haven't been intimate, have you?”

 

“Don't worry, babe. I never did anything with him…but even if I had, I don't understand what's wrong…it's only you, after all!”

 

Bakura's eyes narrowed into poisonous slits, reminding Marik of the good ol' Bakura he always knew and hated.

 

“Oh, come on, please don't do that! It reminds me of him!” the Egyptian pleaded

 

A sadistic grin came over Bakura's features as he enhanced the level of narrowing his eyes. “What, this?”

 

Marik rolled his eyes “Yes, that, you dork! He always used to do that! Ugh! It sucks!”

 

Bakura immediately stopped glaring and gave a serene smile. He spoke with a girly, funny voice “I'm sorry, darling, did it upset you?”

 

Marik rolled his eyes once more and could already picture Bakura doing the victory dance for managing to get to him.

 

“Whatever…So, as I was saying…Bakura suddenly popped up out of nowhere. I had to stop the bike just in time in order not to hit him. He wasn't really like you. Well, I mean he was Bakura…and you are Bakura…It's just that…”

 

Bakura raised an unimpressed eyebrow, making Marik sigh exasperatedly.

 

“Well. He was just plain freaky. He had this golden dream-catcher thing wrapped around his neck. I knew at once that it was a Millennium Item- the notorious Millennium Ring, to be exact. Bakura watched me with those slimy, sick eyes of his…he was so completely, utterly…Occult…”

 

Marik suppressed an obvious shudder, making Bakura sigh deeply.

 

“He wanted to know if I had any Millennium Items in my possession and I refused, of course. Only when he took his dream catcher did I pay extra attention. The dangling metallic parts of his Ring pointed straight at me, and he claimed that I did possess an Item. Thus, I couldn't hide it anymore, and took out my Rod. It didn't come as a real surprise when he asked me to hand it over. I challenged him, said that whoever wins a battle of shadow aura will gain the other's Millennium Item. We were about to start the fight when he called it off. He said he didn't want to get all mixed up in battles…I didn't quite understand him, but he said it was dangerous.

 

“I told him my name and asked for his. When he answered…that was the first time I heard the name…'Bakura'…I despised it right away. The name and the man to go with it. Bakura had this sick way of watching me. He saw me as an inferior, a bug in his way. Naturally, I leveled his gaze with my own, but I could never shake off that sultry leer he kept tossing at me. God, I hated that sick bastard…I still do…”

 

Bakura remained quiet after that, trying to process all the information he had suddenly found out. He didn't speak nor interrupt, and when Marik sensed his discomfort, the Egyptian rushed to correct his mistake.

 

“But that was him- a different man, not you! You're totally different! I could never hate you- no matter what you did!”

 

Bakura's eyes had turned deep and sad, and only lightened a little with Marik's words. The boy nodded wearily and Marik really wanted to kick himself for saying the things he had.

 

“I promise, Bakura…I swear…” the blonde took the other boy's head in his hands and pressed their foreheads against each other softly.

 

“I love you so much…” Marik whispered the words in the boy's parted lips, before he crushed their mouths in a searing kiss, drowning their love in a whirlpool of passion and need, bringing heated memories of desire and emotion. They both had their eyes wide open, staring into each other through the windows to their souls. Marik watched the red orbs warm into volcano lava, burning at a hundred degrees, scorching all in its path.

 

The Egyptian didn't even have time to react, before he felt Bakura's cool digits fist into his platinum hair and tug at it softly. All he could do was stare into those sincerely grateful eyes, as Bakura pushed him further into the mattress, digging his hips into the other's overly sensitive flesh.

 

Somewhere in the back of Marik's mind, he knew that he STILL hadn't finished his story…but Bakura's hot, wet muscle swirling in his mouth swept that distracting thought away.

 

“I love you…” Marik groaned again, when his lips momentarily left Bakura's to nip at the albino's lower lip. Bakura gasped into the kiss and his eyes miraculously started burning even more, almost ripping into Marik's soul.

 

“I need you so much…” were the next choked words. Marik wasn't sure if it was Bakura or he who had said it or himself, but he was still immobilized to see slow tears form in his partners red eyes. Marik wanted to move away from the kiss, wanted to inquire what was wrong. But before he had time to react, Bakura pulled at his head and forced their lips back to a lock. Marik felt something wet roll on his cheek and knew it was Bakura's tear. Instinctively, he squeezed Bakura's waist and resorted to the only comforting method he knew would affect Bakura. Passion.

 

As the Egyptian drove his hips onto the other boy in frantic angst, he sensed Bakura's thundering pulse and the boy's crazed need. It suddenly hit him: Bakura was crying not because of hurt, but because of need. Once again, Marik was shocked to understand the magnitude of what two years of separation had done to the albino. He could only watch, stunned, as his lover tugged frantically at his body, begging for some sort of erotic release. Their breaths mingled as one, their heartbeats pumped together, their fingers laced over the silken sheets. All was lost in a sea of sensation as mumbled words were uttered.

 

“I love you…” Bakura whispered dazedly, and finally let his eyes slid closed to enjoy pleasure blindly.

 

And as Bakura's suddenly aggressive form towered over him, the red eyes back to shining with a vivid, bright quality, Marik knew that Bakura had gotten the answer the wanted.

 

 

(1): Domino isn't a real place. I just use it because…well…that's where all the Yuugi-ou story takes place.

 

 

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