Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Little Liar ❯ Chapter 2
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Celestial Reign 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Horror / Psychological | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.09.2010 | Updated On: 07.09.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 388 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Horror / Psychological | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.09.2010 | Updated On: 07.09.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 388 | Status: Completed
Chapter Two
Rain splattered against the window, softly at first, but then it hardened until it sounded like someone was throwing rocks at it. I lay down in the floor, still naked, coated in cold sweat, tear streaks starting to dry on my cheeks, and I stared up at the ceiling, reality finally hitting me full force.
I...I had just been raped. Not by just anybody, but...by him. He raped me, h-he took me and I sat here and let him take me. I lay here in this same spot, like a slut, as he tore my insides up until they bled, he came inside me, his semen still dripping lightly out my entrance, just a reminder that he had been here only mere minutes ago, and I didn't do a damn thing about it.
The cold air started getting to me, freezing my bare body that had just been cruelly abused by someone stronger and bigger, and I finally sat up, sucking in air like I was suffocating. I flinched when I felt that gross sticky stuff flow out of me. God, it was disgusting, but I found that sitting up at least just got it out of me, so I shakily stood on my knees and let it drip to the floor, just wanting it out of me as fast as possible. I didn't want any part of him lingering in this room, I wanted nothing that showed he had...raped me, and even as I sat there, letting that white stuff drip out of me, almost mimicking the rain dripping down the window, I bent on my hands and knees and cried like a baby.
This was just too much. I had finally overcome him, finally gotten control of my body back, gained the trust of the Pharaoh and his friends, was just about to start getting my life back in order once we returned to Domino City and atone for all the sins I'd done, but then he shows up and ruins it all. Not only that, he...took me and I let him. I let him, I let him, I let him rape me, so then it wasn't really rape, was it? What could he possibly gain from doing something like that? He'd tried everything he could to get rid of me during this tournament, so why was he suddenly coming back out of nowhere and claiming that he 'needed' me?
I am darkness, Hikari, and you are my light. We are two sides of the same coin, and no matter what I said earlier in this stupid game, I cannot...survive without you. I cannot be.
He had said that earlier, before...everything. What did that mean? I didn't understand any of this. He was back, but I had defeated him, he claimed he needed me, but he tried killing me earlier, and now he was threatening to expose something I had kept secret from everyone my entire life unless I gave into his demands. Blackmail, pure and simple, and he was so childish to do something like this.
Once I no longer felt anything seeping out of me, I deemed it safe to move around again. I hadn't moved much, afraid of getting that stuff everywhere, but it seemed all gone now and I made a move to gather up my discarded clothes he'd thrown into a corner. I found my lilac shirt and grimaced when I saw a small tear he'd made when he had licked up and down my neck and I shuddered in repugnance, throwing the shirt over my head before pulling my pants back on. I looked back at the spot I had been on the floor and shrank back in disgust as I saw that horrible white substance still there, almost in perfect view of the window where the moonlight hit it.
The moon was becoming more and more dim as the rain continued to pour down, so I worked quickly to clean up the mess before it got completely dark. It was horrible, having to clean up and try to wipe away the evidence of what he'd done, but it still lingered in the air, the moans, the sweat, the-- Oh God, I felt sick. I dropped the rag I'd been cleaning the floor up with and rushed to my bathroom, feeling around in the dark for the toilet and vomited once I'd popped open the lid.
My stomach hurt, my head ached, my...private areas were sore from abuse, and I leaned over the toilet bowl, clutching at the side and sobbing into it, tears falling and plopping into the water. I was so stupid, so damn stupid. How could a weakling like me ever overcome someone like Mariku? Yeah, I had created him, but I couldn't get rid of him. How stupid, stupid, stupid could I be? It was mockery, that he'd come from my hatred, anguish, and pain, and here he was, coming back only hours after I'd deemed him gone from my life forever and having his way with me like I was a doll. Another sob, another downpour of tears into the toilet.
He'd said this blimp would remain in the air for three days. How was that possible when we'd reached that island earlier in only one night? A boom of thunder overhead told me my answer. The storm, of course. It looked like it was getting worse and I bet Mariku figured we'd take a detour to avoid it, but how could he know that it would take exactly three days? He was mysterious, even to me, but I shouldn't have been surprised. He was the darkness after all, he'd stolen the Sennen Rod from me, so it shouldn't have come as a shock that an evil entity like him could predict the future.
And then there was the matter of his body. How had he attained his own body? Well, Yuugi told us times before that he could see the ghostly image of his other half sometimes, so maybe this was the same thing. He was still there, deep inside of me, and since I'm just crazy, I swore I was seeing him as if he were right in front of me.
My aching lower regions didn't agree with me. He's real, my ever-pessimistic mind told me, and he's back. He's going to kill you, Malik. When these three days are up, after he's tortured you like this, he's going to kill you. No...what would the point be then? Just, what was the freaking point in all of this? If he wanted to kill me so bad, why didn't he do it in my room just now? Everyone was sleeping, the storm would've drowned out any noise, and it would've been easier than pie to kill me then, so...why didn't he? Why just rape me and let me live? It would've made sense for the psychopath to get what he wanted and then slit my throat. It would've all been done and over with, so...why the threats?
Three days...the blimp will remain in the air for three days, he'd said. I was to tell no one of what had happened, that he had...taken me, and we would reach Domino by the third day and until then, I was to submit to his selfish needs and let him take me whenever he wanted. So, he was just prolonging the inevitable? It was understandable, for him anyway. He would be the type to drag out a torture as long as possible before finally going in for the final blow. He would eat and break me down as low as I could go before spitting out my bones and tossing them away.
More tears sprang out of my eyes, more or less from confusion, exhaustion, and fear. That terror of the dark never left me, and he did frighten me very badly. I hated him for it, the way he got me like this, and I knew he fed off of it and it empowered him because he was the darkness. He was all that I was not and...I envied that a little.
Two sides of the same coin. If one side were to disappear, what would happen to the remaining one? He'd tried to kill me before, but now he was back, saying he needed me, that he couldn't be without me. Was I then not able to live without him in return? Could he truly not be destroyed like I'd hoped?
You can't get rid of the darkness that easily, Hikari.
My vision blurred and I collapsed from pure exhaustion onto the bathroom floor, the cold floor slapping me in the face before I passed out.
***
"Attention all duelists, due to current weather conditions, we will be taking a detour to avoid the storm. We shall reach Domino City as soon as possible and we apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you and please have a pleasant day."
Ugh, my head. That scratchy voice over the intercom wasn't helping my aches and pains any, but...oh yeah. I passed out on the bathroom floor and the speaker was right above my head. No wonder it was so God-awful loud.
I tried sitting up, gripping the side of the toilet for support, but hissed in pain when a jolt of pain struck through lower half. The sting of pain brought back those awful memories of...what had happened last night.
He raped me, he raped me, he raped me, Mariku raped me. Oh God, he really did it. Tears threatened to spring forth again, but I bit my tongue and forced them down. No. As hard as it was, I would not cry. He wouldn't get the better of me like this. I would...I would defeat him somehow. I created him after all, so that meant I could take him out, too...right?
Yeah right, I knew it was false. The little nasty voice in the back of my head mocked me as I tried to gain my footing and stand. There was no defeating him because he was me. The only possible way to get rid of him for good would be to...would be for me to die. Wasn't that right? I couldn't just overcome him and say, oh look, I can defeat you if I think hard enough. No, it didn't work that way. He was a physical being now. He had complete control over me, if not directly by controlling my body. He was blackmailing me, that was just as bad as taking over my body.
A knocking coming from my door nearly made me pee my pants, it was so loud and unexpected. "Malik-kun! Hey, Malik-kun! Are you coming down for breakfast?"
I could recognize that hyperactive tone anywhere. "Yeah...just...give me a second, Yuugi. I'm, um...tied up a bit right now."
A mumbling from the other side of the door (was there someone with him?) and then he yelled back through my door. "Alright, see you in the cafeteria in a bit!" Footsteps clattering in the hall, signifying that there had been more than one person at my door. Maybe that blonde kid had been with him. The one whose...mind I took over.
I was still hugging the toilet, having no luck with standing. Mariku said I would regret it if I told anybody, so I would just have to suck this up. Gritting my teeth to an agonizing extent, I shakily stood up, reaching over to grip the edge of the sink for more support. It...it wasn't so bad now. Yes, the pain lingered there, throbbing just to remind me that the evidence wasn't gone for good, but...if I just got to walking around and ignoring it, I would be fine. I smiled a little in triumph as I was able to stand without gripping the side of something and walked out the bathroom door and into my room where the dreary sight of outside bore against my window. It was still raining from last night, and the occasional boom of thunder was heard overhead, but as long as it wasn't lightning, we should be fine....I hoped. I remember it lightning last night, so I just hoped we would be able to avoid the worst of the storm.
My gaze drifted from the window and landed on my messy bed where the sheets were still thrown everywhere from when I had thrashed trying to get away from Mariku. The memory stuck to my brain like glue and I tried not to flinch when I made the bed back up.
I wouldn't falter. I would beat him. I would beat Mariku and show him that I could overcome the darkness, even if all I did was stand like I was doing. I wouldn't writhe on the floor like a coward. I would stand against him, endure him, take this like a man, and I would not give up. That's right, I just had to think more positively about things. Having a pessimistic outlook was always depressing. It felt nice to think of the glass as half-full this time. Yes, I could fight this. I could beat him. He would not win.
Already smiling and feeling a little better (despite the physical pain I was still in), I practiced walking around without being stiff and hiding the pain, took a shower, changed into some new clothes (which consisted of a black, oversized T-shirt and jeans), and finally deemed myself appropriate to face those people again.
I looked in my bathroom mirror, at my flaxen hair that was halfway dry already, and let out a long sigh. This...this was me. I was Malik Ishtar, the youngest and last of my clan, the only one left who bore the horrible scars of the secrets of the Pharaoh. I was...I was Mariku's creator. He was not me, he was an evil entity bent on destruction and power, he was not me. I was Malik, he was Mariku. We were two different people. And I was the stronger one, he came from me, he was born from me, so that meant I could fight him.
I smiled. Right. I would win this time, for sure. Turning away from the mirror, I exited my room and made my way down to the cafeteria to face those people again.
***
"Malik-kun!"
Almost immediately upon entry to the cafeteria, I was bombarded by a small body and almost knocked over when his little arms wrapped around my waist and he attached himself to my body. "Um...good morning to you too, Yuugi." I tried not looking uncomfortable, but the unexpected shift my body had to take while supporting both myself and another made the pain creep back up, but I bit it down, concentrating on anything but it.
"Yo, Malik." The blonde kid whom I had suspected was outside my door along with Yuugi walked up beside his small friend and pried the excited teen from my waist. "Sorry. We should've never have fed him chocolate for breakfast."
Yuugi's round face gushed with red and he stared at his shoes, twiddling his fingers. "I'm sorry, Malik-kun. I'm just so happy right now, I guess I over did it." His shaky laugh was barely heard as he stared up at me with those big magenta eyes.
I waved him off, smiling to show it was no big deal, and moved over to a table where food sat. My nose crinkled up when I noticed that almost everything had some sort of meat in it. Bleh. Meat. "Why must every food in this place contain some sort of meat?"
The blonde kid sidled up next to me and shrugged. "Dunno. Here." He picked up a roll of sushi from a blue platter and held it out for me to take. "These just have vegetables in them."
Well...my question was meant to be rhetorical, but...whatever. I smiled, showing my thanks, and plopped the sushi in my mouth. My hunger was activated by that small little serving and I picked up a plate, gathering more.
"Why don't you sit with us, Malik-kun?" Yuugi's big eyes were staring up at me again as I moved to grab a glass of water and I turned my head to the side where a long table stretched across the room. All of his friends were there (whose names escaped me), and they were all laughing and carrying on, seemingly having a good time. I noticed my older brother and sister were nowhere in sight. Before I could question their whereabouts, Yuugi had grabbed my arm and was leading me to the table.
Realization hit me like a ton of bricks and I planted my feet to the floor, almost causing Yuugi to fall when he didn't expect my retaliation. He looked up at me, the dark pink in his eyes sparkling. "I...I'm sorry, Yuugi...I..." Mariku was right, he was always right. I was just as much in the wrong as he had been. These people hated me, so who was I kidding? I tortured them all, me, Malik, not Mariku. He only came into the equation later. Everything else had been me.
"...Malik...kun?" Yuugi looked lost, just staring up at me. He gave a weak tug on my arm, trying to coax me into going with him, but I wasn't budging.
"Yuugi...I'm so sorry. I...your friends must all hate me for what I did to them." The telltale signs of tears were threatening to spring up again, and I cursed myself for being so weak. Why did I have to be this way? I didn't want to look into his eyes, so I stared at my plate full of sushi.
"Malik, that was the other you. You didn't--"
"No." I knew he was going to say that. He really didn't understand, none of them did. "Yuugi, I was the wrong one all along. It was all me." They finally fell, the tears, and plopped onto my plate. I slammed my eyes shut, my face burning, I didn't want to see him look at me with pity. Pity was worse than anger. I rather he'd be mad at me. "He came from me, came from my hate, my pain, so everything has been my fault."
That tiny hand of his left my arm, only to return, stroking my back in as comforting a matter as possible as I shook, not bothering to hold back the tears anymore. It felt...good to let it all out, to be able to cry in front of him, and have him comfort me. "Malik-kun, you're trying so hard to get your life back in order. I'm not saying I approve of all that you've done, but you've changed. You're trying to do the good thing now, so stop dwelling on the past. It's over and done with now." I opened my eyes, staring at him through the haze of tears and saw the small smile he was giving me. "You defeated Mariku, Malik, we all saw it, so you don't have to worry about him anymore, okay? He won't bother you any longer."
If only that were true. God, how I wished that were true.
"Come. Come sit with us."
Again, I was being pulled by my arm, but I let him this time and I gulped once we reached the table and all those people's gazed turned from one another to me. I shifted under their stares, already uncomfortable from the beginning, but now nervous as I sat down.
The lady next to me shifted a little when I stared at my plate and refused to look at anyone. I couldn't remember her name, but I knew she was the one the other me had trapped inside her own mind and slowly tortured her, saying if he wasn't defeated within 24 hours, she would die. I remember the whole tournament as if I myself had participated. Mariku had me bound within myself, helpless to take over my body once more, and I witnessed everything first-hand as if I had done it with my own hand. In a way, I had, though. I couldn't pin the blame on someone else when I was the one at fault from the start.
"I...I am sorry." Words a little shaky and choppy, I spoke to the woman on my left, feeling her gaze on the side of my head. "I was wrong."
I expected her to huff and ignore me, slap me for putting her through all she had been through, but her hand flew out of nowhere, clapping me on the back and she let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, kid, you're still worried about that? You've apologized enough already! Relax and enjoy your breakfast."
The tension was no longer hanging in the air as I looked up to see everyone smiling at me in some shape or form, either nodding in agreement with the woman, or just giving me small looks of encouragement. I smiled back, nervous still, but looked down at my food and was only half-aware when someone new sat down in the empty seat on my right.
"Malik-kun, we all forgive you." Yuugi's eyes were almost piercing, shining to the brim with innocence, something I've never had, or if I did, never realized it. He had a giant hamburger slapped in front of him and I grimaced at the tender meat that slithered out.
"Do you have to eat that in front of me?" I asked in a joking manner, eyeing his burger.
Yuugi looked appalled and hugged onto his burger like it was his baby. "You're just crazy. Hamburgers. Are. LIFE!"
I rolled my eyes, laughing along with everyone at the boy's strange antics. Despite the forgiveness they showered me with when I definitely didn't deserve it, I knew that if my secret were to become exposed...things wouldn't be the same. Everything, everything I've ever done, lived for, fought for, it would all be gone. Meaningless.
I tried to shove the distressing thoughts away and concentrate on my sushi and listen to the woman next to me ramble on about being in high school and dating some guys when I suddenly felt someone's eyes on me and looked up at the entranceway that sat directly in front of me.
Mariku was in the doorway, arms crossed and shooting me a grin that caused every bone in my body to freeze. 'Three days,' he mouthed, backing away into the shadows, that sinister smile never leaving his face. The rain from outside seemed to grow heavier and the thunder roared louder than ever. 'Three days, Malik. You'd better uphold your end of the bargain.' He was gone once again and I set down the sushi I had prepared to devour, no longer feeling hungry.
Rain splattered against the window, softly at first, but then it hardened until it sounded like someone was throwing rocks at it. I lay down in the floor, still naked, coated in cold sweat, tear streaks starting to dry on my cheeks, and I stared up at the ceiling, reality finally hitting me full force.
I...I had just been raped. Not by just anybody, but...by him. He raped me, h-he took me and I sat here and let him take me. I lay here in this same spot, like a slut, as he tore my insides up until they bled, he came inside me, his semen still dripping lightly out my entrance, just a reminder that he had been here only mere minutes ago, and I didn't do a damn thing about it.
The cold air started getting to me, freezing my bare body that had just been cruelly abused by someone stronger and bigger, and I finally sat up, sucking in air like I was suffocating. I flinched when I felt that gross sticky stuff flow out of me. God, it was disgusting, but I found that sitting up at least just got it out of me, so I shakily stood on my knees and let it drip to the floor, just wanting it out of me as fast as possible. I didn't want any part of him lingering in this room, I wanted nothing that showed he had...raped me, and even as I sat there, letting that white stuff drip out of me, almost mimicking the rain dripping down the window, I bent on my hands and knees and cried like a baby.
This was just too much. I had finally overcome him, finally gotten control of my body back, gained the trust of the Pharaoh and his friends, was just about to start getting my life back in order once we returned to Domino City and atone for all the sins I'd done, but then he shows up and ruins it all. Not only that, he...took me and I let him. I let him, I let him, I let him rape me, so then it wasn't really rape, was it? What could he possibly gain from doing something like that? He'd tried everything he could to get rid of me during this tournament, so why was he suddenly coming back out of nowhere and claiming that he 'needed' me?
I am darkness, Hikari, and you are my light. We are two sides of the same coin, and no matter what I said earlier in this stupid game, I cannot...survive without you. I cannot be.
He had said that earlier, before...everything. What did that mean? I didn't understand any of this. He was back, but I had defeated him, he claimed he needed me, but he tried killing me earlier, and now he was threatening to expose something I had kept secret from everyone my entire life unless I gave into his demands. Blackmail, pure and simple, and he was so childish to do something like this.
Once I no longer felt anything seeping out of me, I deemed it safe to move around again. I hadn't moved much, afraid of getting that stuff everywhere, but it seemed all gone now and I made a move to gather up my discarded clothes he'd thrown into a corner. I found my lilac shirt and grimaced when I saw a small tear he'd made when he had licked up and down my neck and I shuddered in repugnance, throwing the shirt over my head before pulling my pants back on. I looked back at the spot I had been on the floor and shrank back in disgust as I saw that horrible white substance still there, almost in perfect view of the window where the moonlight hit it.
The moon was becoming more and more dim as the rain continued to pour down, so I worked quickly to clean up the mess before it got completely dark. It was horrible, having to clean up and try to wipe away the evidence of what he'd done, but it still lingered in the air, the moans, the sweat, the-- Oh God, I felt sick. I dropped the rag I'd been cleaning the floor up with and rushed to my bathroom, feeling around in the dark for the toilet and vomited once I'd popped open the lid.
My stomach hurt, my head ached, my...private areas were sore from abuse, and I leaned over the toilet bowl, clutching at the side and sobbing into it, tears falling and plopping into the water. I was so stupid, so damn stupid. How could a weakling like me ever overcome someone like Mariku? Yeah, I had created him, but I couldn't get rid of him. How stupid, stupid, stupid could I be? It was mockery, that he'd come from my hatred, anguish, and pain, and here he was, coming back only hours after I'd deemed him gone from my life forever and having his way with me like I was a doll. Another sob, another downpour of tears into the toilet.
He'd said this blimp would remain in the air for three days. How was that possible when we'd reached that island earlier in only one night? A boom of thunder overhead told me my answer. The storm, of course. It looked like it was getting worse and I bet Mariku figured we'd take a detour to avoid it, but how could he know that it would take exactly three days? He was mysterious, even to me, but I shouldn't have been surprised. He was the darkness after all, he'd stolen the Sennen Rod from me, so it shouldn't have come as a shock that an evil entity like him could predict the future.
And then there was the matter of his body. How had he attained his own body? Well, Yuugi told us times before that he could see the ghostly image of his other half sometimes, so maybe this was the same thing. He was still there, deep inside of me, and since I'm just crazy, I swore I was seeing him as if he were right in front of me.
My aching lower regions didn't agree with me. He's real, my ever-pessimistic mind told me, and he's back. He's going to kill you, Malik. When these three days are up, after he's tortured you like this, he's going to kill you. No...what would the point be then? Just, what was the freaking point in all of this? If he wanted to kill me so bad, why didn't he do it in my room just now? Everyone was sleeping, the storm would've drowned out any noise, and it would've been easier than pie to kill me then, so...why didn't he? Why just rape me and let me live? It would've made sense for the psychopath to get what he wanted and then slit my throat. It would've all been done and over with, so...why the threats?
Three days...the blimp will remain in the air for three days, he'd said. I was to tell no one of what had happened, that he had...taken me, and we would reach Domino by the third day and until then, I was to submit to his selfish needs and let him take me whenever he wanted. So, he was just prolonging the inevitable? It was understandable, for him anyway. He would be the type to drag out a torture as long as possible before finally going in for the final blow. He would eat and break me down as low as I could go before spitting out my bones and tossing them away.
More tears sprang out of my eyes, more or less from confusion, exhaustion, and fear. That terror of the dark never left me, and he did frighten me very badly. I hated him for it, the way he got me like this, and I knew he fed off of it and it empowered him because he was the darkness. He was all that I was not and...I envied that a little.
Two sides of the same coin. If one side were to disappear, what would happen to the remaining one? He'd tried to kill me before, but now he was back, saying he needed me, that he couldn't be without me. Was I then not able to live without him in return? Could he truly not be destroyed like I'd hoped?
You can't get rid of the darkness that easily, Hikari.
My vision blurred and I collapsed from pure exhaustion onto the bathroom floor, the cold floor slapping me in the face before I passed out.
***
"Attention all duelists, due to current weather conditions, we will be taking a detour to avoid the storm. We shall reach Domino City as soon as possible and we apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you and please have a pleasant day."
Ugh, my head. That scratchy voice over the intercom wasn't helping my aches and pains any, but...oh yeah. I passed out on the bathroom floor and the speaker was right above my head. No wonder it was so God-awful loud.
I tried sitting up, gripping the side of the toilet for support, but hissed in pain when a jolt of pain struck through lower half. The sting of pain brought back those awful memories of...what had happened last night.
He raped me, he raped me, he raped me, Mariku raped me. Oh God, he really did it. Tears threatened to spring forth again, but I bit my tongue and forced them down. No. As hard as it was, I would not cry. He wouldn't get the better of me like this. I would...I would defeat him somehow. I created him after all, so that meant I could take him out, too...right?
Yeah right, I knew it was false. The little nasty voice in the back of my head mocked me as I tried to gain my footing and stand. There was no defeating him because he was me. The only possible way to get rid of him for good would be to...would be for me to die. Wasn't that right? I couldn't just overcome him and say, oh look, I can defeat you if I think hard enough. No, it didn't work that way. He was a physical being now. He had complete control over me, if not directly by controlling my body. He was blackmailing me, that was just as bad as taking over my body.
A knocking coming from my door nearly made me pee my pants, it was so loud and unexpected. "Malik-kun! Hey, Malik-kun! Are you coming down for breakfast?"
I could recognize that hyperactive tone anywhere. "Yeah...just...give me a second, Yuugi. I'm, um...tied up a bit right now."
A mumbling from the other side of the door (was there someone with him?) and then he yelled back through my door. "Alright, see you in the cafeteria in a bit!" Footsteps clattering in the hall, signifying that there had been more than one person at my door. Maybe that blonde kid had been with him. The one whose...mind I took over.
I was still hugging the toilet, having no luck with standing. Mariku said I would regret it if I told anybody, so I would just have to suck this up. Gritting my teeth to an agonizing extent, I shakily stood up, reaching over to grip the edge of the sink for more support. It...it wasn't so bad now. Yes, the pain lingered there, throbbing just to remind me that the evidence wasn't gone for good, but...if I just got to walking around and ignoring it, I would be fine. I smiled a little in triumph as I was able to stand without gripping the side of something and walked out the bathroom door and into my room where the dreary sight of outside bore against my window. It was still raining from last night, and the occasional boom of thunder was heard overhead, but as long as it wasn't lightning, we should be fine....I hoped. I remember it lightning last night, so I just hoped we would be able to avoid the worst of the storm.
My gaze drifted from the window and landed on my messy bed where the sheets were still thrown everywhere from when I had thrashed trying to get away from Mariku. The memory stuck to my brain like glue and I tried not to flinch when I made the bed back up.
I wouldn't falter. I would beat him. I would beat Mariku and show him that I could overcome the darkness, even if all I did was stand like I was doing. I wouldn't writhe on the floor like a coward. I would stand against him, endure him, take this like a man, and I would not give up. That's right, I just had to think more positively about things. Having a pessimistic outlook was always depressing. It felt nice to think of the glass as half-full this time. Yes, I could fight this. I could beat him. He would not win.
Already smiling and feeling a little better (despite the physical pain I was still in), I practiced walking around without being stiff and hiding the pain, took a shower, changed into some new clothes (which consisted of a black, oversized T-shirt and jeans), and finally deemed myself appropriate to face those people again.
I looked in my bathroom mirror, at my flaxen hair that was halfway dry already, and let out a long sigh. This...this was me. I was Malik Ishtar, the youngest and last of my clan, the only one left who bore the horrible scars of the secrets of the Pharaoh. I was...I was Mariku's creator. He was not me, he was an evil entity bent on destruction and power, he was not me. I was Malik, he was Mariku. We were two different people. And I was the stronger one, he came from me, he was born from me, so that meant I could fight him.
I smiled. Right. I would win this time, for sure. Turning away from the mirror, I exited my room and made my way down to the cafeteria to face those people again.
***
"Malik-kun!"
Almost immediately upon entry to the cafeteria, I was bombarded by a small body and almost knocked over when his little arms wrapped around my waist and he attached himself to my body. "Um...good morning to you too, Yuugi." I tried not looking uncomfortable, but the unexpected shift my body had to take while supporting both myself and another made the pain creep back up, but I bit it down, concentrating on anything but it.
"Yo, Malik." The blonde kid whom I had suspected was outside my door along with Yuugi walked up beside his small friend and pried the excited teen from my waist. "Sorry. We should've never have fed him chocolate for breakfast."
Yuugi's round face gushed with red and he stared at his shoes, twiddling his fingers. "I'm sorry, Malik-kun. I'm just so happy right now, I guess I over did it." His shaky laugh was barely heard as he stared up at me with those big magenta eyes.
I waved him off, smiling to show it was no big deal, and moved over to a table where food sat. My nose crinkled up when I noticed that almost everything had some sort of meat in it. Bleh. Meat. "Why must every food in this place contain some sort of meat?"
The blonde kid sidled up next to me and shrugged. "Dunno. Here." He picked up a roll of sushi from a blue platter and held it out for me to take. "These just have vegetables in them."
Well...my question was meant to be rhetorical, but...whatever. I smiled, showing my thanks, and plopped the sushi in my mouth. My hunger was activated by that small little serving and I picked up a plate, gathering more.
"Why don't you sit with us, Malik-kun?" Yuugi's big eyes were staring up at me again as I moved to grab a glass of water and I turned my head to the side where a long table stretched across the room. All of his friends were there (whose names escaped me), and they were all laughing and carrying on, seemingly having a good time. I noticed my older brother and sister were nowhere in sight. Before I could question their whereabouts, Yuugi had grabbed my arm and was leading me to the table.
Realization hit me like a ton of bricks and I planted my feet to the floor, almost causing Yuugi to fall when he didn't expect my retaliation. He looked up at me, the dark pink in his eyes sparkling. "I...I'm sorry, Yuugi...I..." Mariku was right, he was always right. I was just as much in the wrong as he had been. These people hated me, so who was I kidding? I tortured them all, me, Malik, not Mariku. He only came into the equation later. Everything else had been me.
"...Malik...kun?" Yuugi looked lost, just staring up at me. He gave a weak tug on my arm, trying to coax me into going with him, but I wasn't budging.
"Yuugi...I'm so sorry. I...your friends must all hate me for what I did to them." The telltale signs of tears were threatening to spring up again, and I cursed myself for being so weak. Why did I have to be this way? I didn't want to look into his eyes, so I stared at my plate full of sushi.
"Malik, that was the other you. You didn't--"
"No." I knew he was going to say that. He really didn't understand, none of them did. "Yuugi, I was the wrong one all along. It was all me." They finally fell, the tears, and plopped onto my plate. I slammed my eyes shut, my face burning, I didn't want to see him look at me with pity. Pity was worse than anger. I rather he'd be mad at me. "He came from me, came from my hate, my pain, so everything has been my fault."
That tiny hand of his left my arm, only to return, stroking my back in as comforting a matter as possible as I shook, not bothering to hold back the tears anymore. It felt...good to let it all out, to be able to cry in front of him, and have him comfort me. "Malik-kun, you're trying so hard to get your life back in order. I'm not saying I approve of all that you've done, but you've changed. You're trying to do the good thing now, so stop dwelling on the past. It's over and done with now." I opened my eyes, staring at him through the haze of tears and saw the small smile he was giving me. "You defeated Mariku, Malik, we all saw it, so you don't have to worry about him anymore, okay? He won't bother you any longer."
If only that were true. God, how I wished that were true.
"Come. Come sit with us."
Again, I was being pulled by my arm, but I let him this time and I gulped once we reached the table and all those people's gazed turned from one another to me. I shifted under their stares, already uncomfortable from the beginning, but now nervous as I sat down.
The lady next to me shifted a little when I stared at my plate and refused to look at anyone. I couldn't remember her name, but I knew she was the one the other me had trapped inside her own mind and slowly tortured her, saying if he wasn't defeated within 24 hours, she would die. I remember the whole tournament as if I myself had participated. Mariku had me bound within myself, helpless to take over my body once more, and I witnessed everything first-hand as if I had done it with my own hand. In a way, I had, though. I couldn't pin the blame on someone else when I was the one at fault from the start.
"I...I am sorry." Words a little shaky and choppy, I spoke to the woman on my left, feeling her gaze on the side of my head. "I was wrong."
I expected her to huff and ignore me, slap me for putting her through all she had been through, but her hand flew out of nowhere, clapping me on the back and she let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, kid, you're still worried about that? You've apologized enough already! Relax and enjoy your breakfast."
The tension was no longer hanging in the air as I looked up to see everyone smiling at me in some shape or form, either nodding in agreement with the woman, or just giving me small looks of encouragement. I smiled back, nervous still, but looked down at my food and was only half-aware when someone new sat down in the empty seat on my right.
"Malik-kun, we all forgive you." Yuugi's eyes were almost piercing, shining to the brim with innocence, something I've never had, or if I did, never realized it. He had a giant hamburger slapped in front of him and I grimaced at the tender meat that slithered out.
"Do you have to eat that in front of me?" I asked in a joking manner, eyeing his burger.
Yuugi looked appalled and hugged onto his burger like it was his baby. "You're just crazy. Hamburgers. Are. LIFE!"
I rolled my eyes, laughing along with everyone at the boy's strange antics. Despite the forgiveness they showered me with when I definitely didn't deserve it, I knew that if my secret were to become exposed...things wouldn't be the same. Everything, everything I've ever done, lived for, fought for, it would all be gone. Meaningless.
I tried to shove the distressing thoughts away and concentrate on my sushi and listen to the woman next to me ramble on about being in high school and dating some guys when I suddenly felt someone's eyes on me and looked up at the entranceway that sat directly in front of me.
Mariku was in the doorway, arms crossed and shooting me a grin that caused every bone in my body to freeze. 'Three days,' he mouthed, backing away into the shadows, that sinister smile never leaving his face. The rain from outside seemed to grow heavier and the thunder roared louder than ever. 'Three days, Malik. You'd better uphold your end of the bargain.' He was gone once again and I set down the sushi I had prepared to devour, no longer feeling hungry.