Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Rewind 1 ❯ Yango ( Chapter 6 )

Thanks for reviewing! Thankyou! Thankyou! Please check out this story in fanfiction.net! It has more chapters there!! This is a huge story, I'll tell you that! Kaiba will eventually be redeemed in the eyes of the reader, but I'm warning you: don't expect his story to be all about Kaiba.

Disclaimer: I don't own YUGIOH!

"So everyone is really into these new virtual reality games, huh?" Ryou's soft voice asked through the calm atmosphere.

"Yup! There are all kinds of virtual reality adventures. They can be played by one player or multiple players, and it's very common for a group of friends to play virtual reality together in the arcade…Each virtual reality has a different world and different characters…It's kind of hard to explain…you have to play in order to understand… " Kenji explained to the awed Ryou.

After Ryou had learned the basic principles of taking off with a spaceship, maintaining speed and landing the ship, Kenji and Taichi decided to rest. The others had also come back to the bridge. So, the threat of KaibaCorp was temporarily forgotten and everyone was now spending some well-earned relaxing time.

Ryou and Kenji were sitting in the commanders' seats, talking about all kinds of things while keeping an eye for any KaibaCorp ships.

Sitting on the chairs in the back of the room was Marik and Taichi, who had long since engaged in an interesting conversation about biological engineering. The main theme was: Should illegal drug detector chips be infused in policemens' body or not? Marik was saying that it would surely be cruel to mutate a person biologically while Taichi said it had been done before with hyper- arms and believed it was worth it as long as policemen could detect drugs more easily.

Marik had forgotten his troubles for a while, and was relaxing at the presence of an interesting discussion and some cocktail.

A few feet nearby, Lena, Rika and Serenity were sitting lifelessly on three armchairs with what looked like metallic helmets on their heads. Kenji had explained to Ryou that this was called the `Visualizer' and it was the actual console for virtual reality games. When the player wanted to play a certain game, he had to take the game data microchip and insert it in the special slot on the back of the helmet. Just then, the game would start.

When in multi-player mode, all the players sat near each other and inserted the same kind of chips. With the help of electromagnetic power, the Visualizers had the ability to work together and allow the players to play in the same game. Ryou didn't really understand everything, but he did understand, however, that the girls were now playing a common virtual reality game.

Sometimes, one of the girls would say something incomprehensible as though in a dreamlike state or jerk violently around. At first, Ryou had been worried about Serenity, but Kenji assured him there was no danger.

"So what kind of game are they playing now? Can we watch?" Ryou eagerly inquired and Kenji chuckled lightly.

"Right now, they' re playing a `Pokemon' game. Pokemon was a real hit a few years ago, but I'm not sure if it's still so groovy nowadays... It's the only thing we have available in this ship right now, any way. If we had a giant screen to plug in we could watch the game from 3rd person point of view, but this stuff happens mostly in tournaments…"

"So does each player represent a character of the game?" Ryou inquired, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Uh-huh" Kenji explained, "Each adventure has a specific goal. Each player is a game character and they are trying to complete their goals…the winner is the one who succeeds first, obviously."

"How cool!!" Ryou exclaimed while glancing back to the seemingly unconscious forms of Serenity and the other girls. "I wish I can try it someday!" Ryou silently hoped, his eyes resting absently on a certain auburn haired girl's body.

"You definitely will." Kenji assured while taking a sip of his drink absently. Ryou nodded cheerfully and slowly turned to look at the full mug in his hands. All these 25th century things were exciting and tiring at the same time and all this change was driving him crazy. Even their drinks and food were different from what he used to know!

His best friends, Serenity and Marik were the only good things that happened to him in this confusing new world.

As Ryou was staring absently at the stars outside the spaceship windows, a sudden yell was heard.

"Ehhh!" Rika whined somewhat comically. "Why did you stop, Serenity? It was just getting interesting!!"

Everyone in the room had stopped talking and had focused their attention at the girls. Ryou observed like a hawk as Serenity's eyelids fluttered open beneath the helmet and she shook her head lightly.

She slowly and groggily tried to stand up. She almost fell during the effort. Ryou kept eyeing her with a harmless gaze, but it soon turned into a frozen frown when he noticed the tear cascade silently down her soft cheek.

He didn't really see it. It was just the shine of the small droplet that caught his attention. Marik had obviously noticed too, because he stood up abruptly and started to walk towards her. "Serenity…" Marik started saying and tried to approach her.

She slipped aside quickly and turned away from him. "I-I'm S-sorry…Rika…p-play without me…" Serenity murmured in a pitiful voice. She urgently strode to the exit. Marik made a move to follow her.

"Serenity! What's wrong?" he shouted and ran towards the exit, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Marik turned around to meet the brown thoughtful eyes of Ryou Bakura. Ryou's hand was resting on Marik's shoulder, preventing him from lunging towards the door.

"Wait…" Ryou told Marik slowly "I'll go."

Marik seemed a little confused at that but soon understood Ryou's need to comfort her. She was his beloved after all - Marik was completely sure. The golden haired exotic boy nodded in understanding.

Ryou granted him an expensive grateful look and he sauntered towards the exit in a slow, relaxed way. Marik's eyes were fixed on his retreating form, whilst all other residents of the room had resumed their previous activities.

`What's wrong with her?' Marik mused `I hope it's not my fault…'

Just then, Marik's eyes widened considerably. Through the door that Ryou had just exited, came a green smoke. Marik was only too shocked to see a see-through, pale man walk THROUGH the door in a casual manner.

Marik swallowed an unexplainable lump that had settled in his throat. The invisible newcomer turned to him and grinned ferociously. Marik really wanted to grin back in his usual sly manner and pretend to be really cool, but he somehow lost that exotic aura when Bakura was around.

The spirit swayed slowly towards Marik whose usually lithe body had tensed awkwardly and felt as though his feet where curiously rooted to the floor. He tried to act normal. He really did. But Bakura's eyes that bored into his own tense violet orbs were intimidating enough.

Bakura had now reached the space next to Marik and was towering ominously above him. The tanned tropical boy cautiously looked around. Taichi and Kenji were talking to each other and the girls were absorbed in their game again. No one could see Bakura. Suddenly, Marik realized how tense his whole body was and thought about having to face curious questions like `Marik why are you standing all alone and very tense in the middle of the room?' Not good. Time to move.

Marik trudged towards the wall stiffly, only to feel a cold shiver run through all his body. Chills ran all around his skin and he knew at that moment that it had happened again. He had walked through Bakura. Bakura was now walking behind him, after having been walked through. `I hate it when that happens.' Marik decided.

Marik had almost reached the wall. He leaned on it and closed his eyes blissfully.

"I don't like to be stepped through. It makes me feel so…see-through…" Bakura gruffly said with a somewhat frightening hiss.

`You ARE see-through!' Marik had the indescribable urge to shout but he knew he couldn't retort or speak to Bakura because everyone else would think he was talking to thin air. He was slowly starting to realize Ryou's problem. Marik settled on furiously glaring at the spirit, trying to convey his words through his eyes.

Bakura seemed to love this problem and smiled evilly. "Tee-hee… what' s a matter? Cat got your tongue?" the vicious spirit inquired. If possible, Marik looked even more furious. Bakura smirked and turned around to walk a few lazy, sly steps away from Marik. Marik watched the spirit cautiously and somewhat suspiciously.

"My Brightside kicked me out because he didn't want me to `invade in his private conversations'…" Bakura said in a tone full of mirth. Marik thought he heard a tint of sadness in that voice, though.

He heard an unfamiliar soft sound and realized Bakura had sighed. The ancient spirit hid his face from Marik's view and Marik now really wished he could speak to the spirit.

"I can't blame him, though…" Bakura continued seriously and somewhat ironically " He would find his own way sooner or later…You can't have a partner in all eternal life…he'll want his own personal space sooner or later…I'm a bit of a parasite really, but Ryou never thought of it this way…" his voice faded away and Marik felt a gigantic amount of compassion for this being.

Poor Bakura had to face the greatest challenge of all: eternal life that he didn't even wish for and eternal loneliness that would inevitably follow. `No wonder he is reduced to a bloodthirsty, vengeful freak…all this pain and passion for darkness and death has caused this. He hopes that if he kills and provokes death enough…maybe it will come to him.' Marik just wanted to comfort Bakura as a lost soul, but he knew the spirit would push him away and deny any human part of him that remained.

`Why would Bakura even trust me with these few sad thoughts?' Marik wondered `maybe he sees me as a friend too! I wish I could help him.'

Bakura had obviously shaken his dark thoughts away by the time Marik refocused on reality. Now, Marik was horrified to notice Bakura wander around and do all kinds of things, like bend over Lena and Rika' s unmoving forms and start to inspect every inch of their faces.

Marik shook his head and jerked away from his thoughts. He stiffly kicked away from the wall and walked towards Bakura.

Bakura turned around and came to stand besides Marik, who seemed ready to start lecturing about `Things we are and are not allowed to do while other people can't see or touch us'.

A loud voice made Marik jerk around in an annoyed manner. Bakura turned towards the source of distraction too and seemed ready to kill.

"Oi! Marik! Why the hell are you standing alone and glaring at the air? Come' ere!" Taichi yelled at his handsome friend. While Taichi had been talking, Bakura had grabbed Marik's shoulder and was now completely leaning on his the boy.

"…" Marik just stared at Bakura, irritated to no end. Although he couldn't feel Bakura, he was still pissed. Bakura smirked slyly.

"HELLLOOOO…Oi! Marik!" Kenji yelled.

Marik nodded briefly and started walking towards the boys, thus escaping Bakura's feathery grip. Bakura stabilized himself and followed his exotic friend. When they reached Taichi and Kenji, Marik tried to seem normal and not squirm around reflexively when he saw Bakura jumping in front of him. Bakura couldn't touch him, of course, but reflexes were reflexes.

Taichi noticed Marik's weird behavior and questioned him "Hey man, are you ok? You look a little jumpy…"

Marik smiled reassuringly with his charm engines at full power. "I'm fine." He simply said and the others were instantly convinced.

Bakura smirked. "How gullible." He said and Marik really wanted to guffaw at the disgusted way he had said it.

As the boys talked, Bakura started going around and messing with Taichi and Kenji as they talked. Marik was truly fighting not to laugh at Bakura's vicious, hungry expressions, which promised that he would surely destroy Taichi if he had the chance.

"Pff…" Bakura said loudly, as Taichi was talking about what a good- kisser he was, "I really hate these machos…I mean would you please look at his trousers size?! The guy wouldn't get a date at a civilized society even if he paid a hundred grand for it! Might as well drain him of his blood and serve him for dinner."

Marik pretended to listen to Taichi and Kenji talk lightly, but he was really listening to Bakura's occasional side comments. Bakura, of course, knew this, and was fighting to make Marik crack. Bakura really was a fun guy if he really felt like it, Marik thought.

Suddenly, Kenji turned to Marik "We should have this kind of man talk more often, right M?" he asked.

Marik watched in amusement as Bakura stepped beside Kenji with a disgusted face and imitated Kenji's somewhat idiotic expression. "We should curse rotten scumbags like this dork to oblivion so we could just keep calm more often, right M?" Bakura asked.

A slight tug at Marik's lips made him grin slyly.

"Yes." He answered with a mysterious smile.

No one understood who he was REALLY directing the answer to, except a certain invisible spirit.

Ryou finally reached the door. He felt this unexplainable and very unfamiliar nervousness tighten around his stomach. He knew this was very unbecoming of an old man but he couldn't help but feel this way before entering Serenity's room.

`Damn…you started this…now finish it!' he desperately urged. He watched his shaking hand in fascination as he stretched it on the door surface. `Thank God my Yami isn't here to start teasing me…Things can be hard when Bakura is in one's head.'

He bent his head on the door slightly. He was just contemplating on how to relax and go inside when he felt the door slip away. Granted that he had been supporting his entire bodyweight on that door, he fell forward headfirst.

He immediately shut his eyes and awaited the collision with the hard floor. It was quite a surprise when he fell on a soft, featherlike surface.

He opened his eyes slowly to meet non other than the tearful auburn orbs of his dream maiden: Serenity.

He had fallen in her arms and her eyes had widened to the size of saucers. She was frozen to the spot.

`Hey' she thought `I didn't know I could have my own personal Ryou hug me whenever I open the door…oh shit…Ryou is HUGGING me?'

That was a friction of the inner turmoil Serenity felt at the moment. On the outside however, all she managed to say was the incredibly intelligent comment of "H-hey…"

Ryou noticed that her voice still had the wetness of tears. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked as if she could really use some rest. He decided that the whole `falling in her arms' episode had to wait for now.

He gently slid away from her tight embrace and stood normally. "C-Can I come in…?" he asked, the nervousness leaving his stomach and progressing to his heart, making it pump erratically.

Serenity couldn't find the right words, so she settled on nodding. He smiled gratefully and entered her room. She looked very calm and composed but she was secretly having frantic thoughts.

`What the heck is he doing here? He shouldn't see me like this- I look like crap! Oh my God, is he angry about something? Is he worried? Why is he here?!' she was excited and desperate at the same time.

Ryou sat gingerly on a nearby armchair and motioned calmly towards the other seat. Serenity got the message and sat down while looking anywhere but in his eyes.

A few moments passed in absolute silence and Serenity was feeling more nervous by the second. She realized she had been very jumpy when his low baritone voice broke the silence.

"So…" he started slowly. `Oh no' Serenity thought `here it comes….I knew he'd be worried' she slightly raised her eyes to look into his warm brown orbs. Luckily, they were turned to the floor, studying each and every crack thoroughly. He looked very thoughtful- and concerned too.

"…What happened back there, Serena? Care to tell me why you left so suddenly?" he turned his worried, wise eyes towards her and she felt a pang of guilt attack her again. Who was she to make this immaculate being worry about her, anyway?

Her guilty eyes focused on the floor and Ryou studied her patiently. A few sniffles escaped Serenity and she seemed suddenly lost in a world of sorrow. Her white haired friend was beginning to get very worried. It was only after quite a while that Serenity spoke up.

"I…" she started silently, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears "Every time I play virtual games, I…" a long moment passed and she kept silent.

Ryou was waiting expectantly and with some trepidation. "…yes?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt her confession.

The auburn haired girl's head suddenly dropped into her hands and her whole form started shaking uncontrollably. Her desperate, heart-wrenching sobs filled the room. Ryou had somewhat been expecting such an outburst, but was surprised to witness it nevertheless. It wasn't every day that a cheerful, kind young girl broke down into a river of tears.

After that, things came tumbling down. Ryou stood up at once and reached her shaking form. Serenity had dropped to the cold spaceship floor and was trembling in sorrow, so Ryou took her in his arms and rocked her up and down silently.

Serenity was vaguely aware that she was being held and comforted by someone for the first time in her life. At that moment, the moment she had been waiting for her entire life, she just wanted to tell Ryou everything: about her dirty past, about her unstable family, about her long-lost brother…everything. At least she knew he would be there to listen.

She choked on her own sobs as she tried to speak, and the white-haired boy ran his hands through her hair as a sign of compassion. "M-My brother…" she barely whispered and a tear slipped away from her cheek and onto Ryou's hand.

"H-he loved v-virtual g-games…" she buried her face in her palms yet again and Ryou waited patiently for her to relax. Her voice then came muffled from behind her hands "E-every time I play virtual reality…" she murmured miserably "I-I remember him…"

It was all hazy for Serenity. She just started wailing uncontrollably, completely hysterical by now. Ryou wordlessly gathered her shaking body in his embrace and stayed silent. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck and her hands were tangled in his sweater. All she wanted right now was the presence of another human being, and Ryou understood that.

This kind of breakdown had happened to her before, of course, but this time there was someone to take care of her and all she wanted to do was express herself. So she cried like that for a long time and Ryou's arms tightened mutely around her every time a sob racked her throat.

It was all an outburst of emotion. She needed his presence, she needed his arms around her and every time she thought of the happiness she was finally experiencing, more tears filled her eyes. It wasn't about Joey any more. Now it was for herself. She needed to cry and be heard finally. She wanted to be held and caressed by someone, at last. She craved to feel something real apart from her mothers hugs and kisses. She needed another person.

Ryou realized all this and held her tighter. He himself had longed for another person. So many years locked in a cell had almost driven him to real insanity. All the pain and desperation of being left to the mercy of an enraged, homicidal Yami Bakura had finally found its way to his heart. He thought he only needed rest and death, but soon he realized that there was more he wanted. He wanted to share his feelings with someone. He wanted a person to come along and say they need him. So far, only Bakura had said he needed Ryou because they were partners, but there was no sign of actual compassion…

The thing Ryou craved the most was to be accepted and wanted by others- after all, he was detached from his own world. The only thing that could give his new life true meaning was the need to help another person. Serenity needed him now, and in a way, he needed her too to complete his psyche.

Two lost souls just stayed there, embracing and holding onto each other desperately. Who knows what pain and torture had been bottled up inside both their hearts? So Serenity cried and cried for what seemed like an Eternity, but her tears had been turned from sad ones to happy.

Someone was there for her. Someone she had respected and even liked was holding her and comforting her. Finally, she was being taken care of. Finally, another man had recognized her inner turmoil and was helping her. All these years of pain had not gone to waste. Finally.

After what seemed like hours of compassion, Serenity's sobs ceased and only silent tears escaped her eyes. She hesitantly detached herself from Ryou's embrace, distantly realizing she had completely wet his sweater with her tears. He let his grip on her body loosen lightly and he silently waited.

She noted inwardly she would repay him for that later and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. No words were needed to express what his warm mahogany orbs told her. He was waiting for her to finish, waiting for her get it totally out of her system. She blinked slowly, and more tears ran down her cheekbones.

Instinctively, she fell back deep in his open arms, sinking in his warm body, cherishing the feeling of being able to do that. He immediately wrapped his hands around her, this time holding her in a gentle hug.

Her hands were held against his chest and her fingers played absently with a few long white strands of his hair. Her rivery eyes watched her own finger twirl his hair around in a loving fashion. She suddenly felt in debt for this man. He had helped her so much…he at least needed an explanation.

She sighed heavily, not caring to compose her actions because she wanted to take full advantage of the new- found feeling of freedom around another person. All the fake smiles and all the unwavering cheer had gotten to her at last. Now she just wanted to be her true self and was finally show her feelings.

It felt awkward to open her mouth and speak after all that time, but she knew Ryou was waiting for an explanation.

"I…I have a brother…his name is Joey…and he really likes virtual reality games…" more tears slid away from her eyes and were absorbed by Ryou's thick white blazer.

And so Serenity's tragic story came to the open for the first time. She told him everything: about the Catacombs, about her drunkard father, about her brother and his dreams of making virtual games, about the way she had fled from home…everything. He just stayed silent and listened, occasionally interrupting her to ask a few questions in a friendly manner. He would urge her to continue every time she seemed hesitant and she reached even the darkest corners of her memory to spill out for him.

She revealed her never-ending guilt and the sorrow that plagued her in her sleep every night. As she talked to him, her voice was gaining courage and self-confidence. She was finally opening up to someone and she was trying to make the best of it.

At that time, she didn't really acknowledge the fact that it was Ryou who was holding her. In her eyes, Ryou's form had become the imageless fantastic figure that would finally listen to her story and take all her troubles away from her.

"And so…I came to KaibaCorp…to gain enough money…and save my brother. That's where I met you." She finished distantly and suddenly became aware that Ryou's back had found its way on a nearby armchair and head was settled on his lap. How had THAT happened? She didn't remember moving a muscle all this time, but she was probably too absorbed in her memory to notice anything at all…

Ryou really felt the urge to ask her about how he had become young again, and what had everyone meant when they talked about `Operation Rewind 1'. Nevertheless, he knew that these questions would have to wait. Right now, he had to help her with her own problems.

He felt her squirm around and she slowly -almost solemnly- left his embrace. He felt strangely cold and detached now that he wasn't in contact with her body any more and he fought the urge to take her in his arms yet again. After all, that would seem crazy to her.

She was now sitting on the floor, her back facing him. He just waited for what would come next. He saw the back of her head turn around slightly "Thank you." She said quietly, a grateful tone filling her voice.

She turned around to fully face him and locked her gaze with his. "Thank you for listening to me. I've never told anyone about this before…" She murmured and her voice broke lightly. She blinked slowly, making unshed tears threaten to spill again.

Ryou quickly reached his pocket and took something out. He stretched his hand towards her and she could only stare.

He has holding that white handkerchief. It was her own hanky, the one she had given him before Rewind 1.

Now it was her turn to take that hanky from his hands, how ironic, really. That hanky was kind of their secret, special bond. Albeit she was sure that Ryou didn't feel the same way about her, she reveled at the thought of sharing something special with him. Yet she couldn't bring herself to take it from his hands.

She just smiled at him and tears totally blurred her vision. Crystal droplets fell from her eyes, but this time it was pure happiness that made her cry. He realized she was not going to take his offering so he reached out and wiped her tears himself.

The thin, silky handkerchief absorbed all her tears and she smiled at the feeling of being taken care of. He smiled in response to her feelings.

His hand was on her cheek when she reached her own palm and put it over his.

The roles were suddenly reversed, but it was the same scene. It was replaying in his mind over and over again. He remembered his aged hand touching hers as she put that same piece of cloth on his cheek.

This moment was so magical in its own way... This time they were both smiling, and Serenity was looking at him with such admiration in her eyes. That unconscious attraction was making them both lean forward.

They were getting dangerously close to each other and his hand now had a steel grasp of her face. Their faces were just inches apart and Ryou felt his heartbeat quicken painfully.

`Oh my God…?' he heard his mind shout to him frantically `what' s happening to me? Why am I not relaxed? Wha-?' his eyes had a glazed look and they were starting to close as he neared her face even more.

Serenity felt her own breath catch in her throat and she didn't know whether she was dreaming or not. She closed her eyes in fervent anticipation. He was so close that she could breathe his hot exhalation. He was so close- so close…

"BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP." A loud alarm pierced their ears. Their eyes snapped open at once and they jerked violently away from each other, each one having a frantic heartbeat in their chest.

Ryou's hand had become a fist and he was unconsciously squeezing the delicate, wet handkerchief. His eyes fixed on a suddenly very interesting spot on the floor and he just couldn't bring himself to speak. `So close…' he only kept thinking.

Serenity was dumbfounded completely. Her eyes had focused at the wall with an absent-minded stare. The incessant ringing of the alarm was penetrating her ears, but all she could think of was `W-Was he trying to kiss me?' her blood throbbed painfully in her heart `Am I the one he…loves?'

That was the only thing that crossed her dazed mind before the annoying alarm stopped and a manly deep voice echoed from the spaceship speakers.

"Everyone report to the bridge!" Taichi yelled in exasperation. `I repeat, report to the bridge! Kaiba spotted us! We're under attack! Hurry!'

Serenity's frantic heartbeat suddenly accelerated even more in anxiety. She saw Ryou hop to his feet instantly. Kaiba was here! Attacking them! What would they do? They were lost and alone in the middle of space! What to do?

One shock was coming after another for Ryou, who didn't know which was worse: almost totally losing control and kissing Serena or being killed by that tall, blue-eyed maniac?

Unable to take control of his actions, he shoved his precious handkerchief in his pocket and turned to the sitting, and apparently still shocked, Serenity. He really didn't want to have eye contact with her after the recent events, but the urgency of the situation left him no choice or time.

"Come on, Serena!" he shouted to be heard above the impending alarms. He grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her upwards. She quickly avoided his eyes and he felt a huge weight pull his stomach down. Did she hate him now?

No time to contemplate, though. He roughly pulled her towards the door. They ran to the outside corridor with was lighted by red flashing lights of alarms.

Serenity was feeling very nervous suddenly. She felt Ryou tug at her arm and she ran behind him, their hands still keeping a death-lock.

She marveled at the resolved way he moved and the delicate- yet strong- way he ran. Just as she watched him she felt her frantic heartbeat cool down. She was with him, right? Nothing could go wrong if he was there to protect her. And he would always be there, Serenity knew that much. She smiled a unique, sincere smile that seemed out of place at that moment.

She took a long look at the man running in front of her. His white hair sparkling with red light, his long limbs hitting the hard floor fervently making his boyish figure take a new dimension as he ran… She had trusted this person with everything. He knew everything about her that no one else -not even Mark- did. Her smile became wider. She would never regret trusting him.

Ryou accelerated his pace, forcing his companion to go faster. They reached a corner and Ryou violently ran around it. He suddenly felt his grip on Serenity break and he turned around. She had stopped and was panting for breath.

"Come, Serena!" he said as he approached her "We're almost there!" she looked at him tiredly and nodded. She grasped his arm and held on it. They started running again and they soon saw the door of the main deck greet them. Ryou gave one last tug at her hand and they went through the door.

The sight that greeted them was one of confusion and mayhem. Red flashes were shining in alarm as Rika and Lena were standing fearfully next to the commander's seats. Taichi and Kenji were occupying the said seats and Marik was nearby, messing with some controls that Ryou recognized as the `radar panels'. Ryou thought that no one else could see his Yami, who was standing ominously next to Marik, trying to see what the tanned boy was doing.

Marik saw them come in and shouted to Kenji to switch off the alarm. Kenji obliged and the ringing and flashlights of the alarms were finally set off. Ryou let go of Serenity's arm and ran to Marik.

Unbeknownst to everyone except Marik, Ryou threw a meaningful glance at Bakura's direction. Marik realized Ryou was possibly talking to Bakura through their mind link. Who knew what they were saying? To Marik's fascination, Bakura didn't disappear in his ring. Instead, he stepped beside Ryou and looked around.

Ryou didn't seem phased and he simply ignored his Darkside. Marik realized that Ryou probably believed no one could see Bakura and so he left him stay outside.

Marik saw Serenity run beside Ryou with a curiously tearstained face. She didn't know she stepped right through Bakura in the process of running to Ryou.

Marik and Ryou heard Bakura growl. `I hate it when that happens.' Bakura murmured. Ryou glared at him in a disapproving way. Marik, of course, pretended not to notice. Bakura glared back at Ryou insistently but he was obviously too late. Ryou's golden ring flashed with a soft glow and Bakura disappeared.

//Brightside!!// Bakura growled from within Ryou's head. //I'll get you for that!//

Ryou rolled his eyes inwardly and decided not to mess with an angry Bakura. Instead, he turned his gaze to Serenity who looked a bit confused. He averted his gaze to Marik who had stayed mysteriously silent all this time.

"…What's going on?" Ryou asked urgently.

Marik took his queue to answer. "A couple of Kaiba's spacecrafts tracked us down! Now they're hot on our trail…"

"MARIK!" Taichi screamed at the top of his lungs. Marik's attention snapped to the ship's commander "CHECK THE THERMO RADAR!" Taichi continued.

Marik turned back to the control panels he had been tinkering with. Ryou and Serenity rushed to each of his sides and looked at the radar. Two red dots were flashing in a blue background. Although Ryou was clueless, Marik seemed extremely alerted.

"They're very close!" Marik shouted to Kenji. "The thermal scan proves they have missiles equipped!"

Kenji nodded quickly and focusing on the ship controls. Meanwhile, Ryou turned to Marik "Isn't there some sort of weapon we can use?!"

Marik was very alert and somewhat jumpy "This is an escape pod! Escape pods don't have battle stations!" he told Ryou.

Ryou looked somewhat thunderstruck "Then what ado we do?" he asked. Marik glanced around "We pull the shields up and try to run!"

Serenity was keeping a steel grip on Ryou's shoulder and gasped "But we'll be like sitting ducks for Kaiba's fighters!" she exclaimed.

The loud shout of the captain interrupted the three friends' conversation "Activate shield!" Taichi yelled. Then he became occupied with some gauges next to him.

Serenity registered distantly that Rika and Lena were hugging each other desperately and seeking cover under a metallic table. Serenity turned to Ryou and Marik, who were standing stiffly, like frozen.

Just then, yells and curses came from Taichi and Kenji. Marik grew impatient and ran to the two commanders. Ryou followed suit, with Serenity right behind him.

They were now standing beside Taichi and Kenji and were just observing the captains mess with multiple levers and steering wheels. A great hologram simulation suddenly appeared in front of them. It represented their ship being chased by two others. Suddenly, and most unexpectedly, everyone felt the ship walls tremble.

"HIT THE DECK!!!" Taichi screamed at the top of his lungs and at that very moment, everyone felt a savage force pull the ground away from their feet. They fell to the shaking floor, great thuds and crashing sounds echoing from around the ship.

"We've been hit! Those bastards hit the shield generator!" Kenji yelled.

Suddenly, the computerized voice broke out "Shields down. WARNING. Shields down. WARNING. Fuel leak. WARNING. Fuel leak. WARNING. Reporting 63% overall damage. WARNING. Evacuate immediately. WARNING."

"THE SHIELD GENERATOR?" Marik shouted in rage. "HOW DID THEY MANAGE TO AIM AT IT??" Ryou was holding a frightened Serenity tightly while Rika and Lena were also curled up in defense.

"QUICK! WE HAVE NO SHIELD!" Kenji yelled at no one in particular while taking the controls of the ship and trying to lead it to a direction. Apparently, the crash had made the ship totally lose course.

Marik searched for Taichi but couldn't find him.

"Oh my God, he's hit!" Rika suddenly screamed, pointing at the lying body of Taichi. Serenity gasped and ran to him, escaping Ryou's grasp. She turned to Marik "He hurt his head!"

Marik and Ryou's eyes widened. Kenji turned to them in lightning speed. "The ship is highly damaged!" he shouted "There's no way we can reach Earth! Our fuel supplies are running low!"

Marik ran and stood behind Kenji "It doesn't matter!" he shouted "Just land it at the closest planet!"

Kenji nodded vigorously and gasped. "They're still after us! They'll follow us!"

"Whatever!" Serenity cried while cradling Taichi' s hurt skull in her arms "Just land the god-damned vessel!"

Ryou seemed a bit more composed as he rushed to Kenji's side. "Can you escape them for now?"

Kenji didn't speak for a while. All he did was press buttons and give orders to the computer. Ryou watched intently. Every time a violent maneuver took place, the girls would scream and Marik and Ryou would hold on to each other for dear life.

Soon, Kenji sighed heavily and pointed to a hologram of a map. "This is the closest habitable planet, Yango." Kenji pointed to a planet on the map. The map zoomed in and everyone had a closer look at what seemed to be a secluded, light yellow planet.

Marik's eyes widened instantly. "Yango?" he asked in disbelief "Is Yango the only close stop?" he seemed thoroughly disgruntled.

Kenji nodded. "It's our only hope!" he finished as he returned to his maneuvers. The whole ship shook suddenly and Ryou fell to the floor along with Marik.

"So…" Marik murmured darkly, his clear lavender eyes taking an unreadable violet shade. "…I'll go back again…"

Ryou didn't hear his friend reminisce and was currently standing up next to Kenji. Marik stood up too and settled on checking the map to report how far the planet Yango was located.

"It's really close!!" Kenji yelled "Marik! I need a co-pilot to land the ship!"

Marik looked frozen to the spot "I have no idea how to drive a ship!" he told Kenji.

Everyone then slowly turned to stare at the only available candidate…Ryou. Ryou just looked around in a frightened way. He truly resembled a mouse caught in a trap. He raised his arms in defense.

"H-Hey guys…" he started, but immediately two sets of strong arms led him to the second commander\s chair. `Oh no…' Ryou shouted "I've only practiced once!" he shouted.

Seeing Ryou at such a predicament, Serenity left Taichi and rushed to her beloved's side.

"You can do it, Ryou!" she pleaded. Marik, who was standing next to her, nodded "No time to talk, Ryou!" He said. "You're our only hope!" Ryou gulped uncomfortably.

Seeing Serenity's pleading eyes and Marik's eerie gaze was unnerving enough. Ryou looked decisively at the controls in front of him.

"I'll do it." He said finally and felt everyone sigh in relief. Serenity smiled reassuringly. "I always dreamed of this when I was young…." Ryou murmured.

//How cheesy.// a brutal voice echoed from inside his head.

Ryou smiled in spite of himself and turned to Kenji who fixed his resolved gaze on the albino boy in return.

Kenji kept instructing Ryou what to do next. When the time came and Kenji had to pull weird escape maneuvers in order to escape the offensive Kaiba ships, Ryou was the one who had to take full control of the landing process.

Marik watched in fascination as the white-haired boy tried to order the main computer. "Outstanding learning ability…" Marik started saying. His lips curved to a grin.

Too bad that for the next five minutes of the landing process, all that came from those tanned, juicy lips was yells, screams, and pleas for help.

The scorching yellow sun of the secluded planet Yango burned the sands of the Great Desert. The heat was unbearable in Yango, and all natives had grown accustomed to the blazing sun and the occasional sandstorms. The two thirds of Yango' s surface were covered with desert sands and only one third was left for the poor, isolated residents.

Yango only had one town, Virna, where all the overly poor and scum of the universe was gathered. There was no technological development whatsoever, no skyscrapers, no Catacombs…nothing. All there existed in the town were igloo-shaped huts and underground crypts.

Most residents of Yango had never even seen the sea or a river. Their knowledge of water was restricted in the few glasses they drank a day, provided to them by the government, which took water supplies from underground coves. It was in the outskirts of this ghetto-town and near the desert sands, that our heroic ship finally landed.

Surprisingly, the sparkly green pod produced metallic legs that gracefully touched the ground. Inside the pod, Rika and Lena were laying on the floor, unmoving and exhausted from screaming.

Marik and Serenity were trying to recover from the shock of experiencing Ryou's first time as a pilot, while taking care of a hurt Taichi. Kenji was limply sitting on his chair, thanking all holy powers for keeping him alive.

Ryou, on the other hand was bouncing up and down on his armchair excitedly. "Did I do well? How about it? Let's do it again!" he was saying.

At that last phrase, Serenity and Marik exchanged panicked glances. Kenji looked even more exhausted and groaned. "I think I'm gonna throw up…" he murmured and Marik couldn't help but sympathize.

Serenity stood up abruptly and glanced at everyone. "Taichi' s hurt! We need help, fast!"

Marik recovered at the sound of her urgent words. "Yes! Kaiba's ships are probably still after us!"

Ryou blinked at that and was brought back to reality. "But the ship is damaged…we can't take off…we have to repair it!"

Kenji looked at Ryou with a look that clearly stated `No shit, Sherlock.' Going through hell while trying to land a ship could make people bitter, after all.

Marik, however, seemed to listen carefully and reflect. Serenity mimicked his actions, while the other girls were trying to recover from all the shocks that they had been through.

"We know nothing about this god-forsaken place…who knows if we can ever repair our ship…" Kenji started saying but was interrupted by a triumphant Marik.

"Think again!" he shouted, thus shocking an already irritated Lena "Haven't I told you I went to Mercury when I was seventeen? Where do you think I used to live the rest of my life?"

Kenji and Serenity just stared, while Ryou looked positively exuberant. "Yango!" Ryou, Serenity and Kenji yelled simultaneously. Marik smiled his trademark seductive smile.

"I know every little piece of dirt on this land…" he said darkly "and they will never get us while we're here…"

Ryou looked very thoughtful "We must hurry, then! Kaiba's goons are still after us! What will we do with the ship until we can repair it?"

Marik looked thoroughly amused. "Those dorks are completely ignorant! They'll probably land their ships in the middle of the desert -which covers more than half of this planet, by the way." Marik chuckled. "Even if they do somehow manage to land around here, we can always camouflage our ship…Right?"

Kenji looked devastated "No do." He said "The generators are destroyed…actually, everything's destroyed. We'll never get this piece of junk fixed in time."

Marik didn't look very happy about that, his lavender eyes flashed awkwardly and he sighed. Ryou took his turn to speak.

"You know what, Marik?" he started. "Let's leave this pod here and go to the town in search for a new one…or even a way to repair this one…Let's just leave it here. If Kaiba's people find it, at least we won't be inside…"

Marik seemed thoughtful "But that will only serve as a reassuring that we're on this planet." He countered. Ryou nodded.

"You say you come from this place, right?" Ryou asked and Marik nodded in response "Well then it will be easy to mingle with the locals…we'll go unnoticed. Even if they find the pod…they'll need to search extra hard to find US."

Marik nodded lightly in understanding, a bright gleam suddenly lighting his troubled orbs. "Maybe we can stay at my old place! Rishid will help us!"

Everyone seemed a bit lost at that, and Marik laughed in a deep, earthy sound. "You'll meet Rishid soon. Don't worry, he'll surely help us."

Serenity piped in the conversation suddenly "We also need to get Taichi to a hospital."

Marik seemed alerted at that. "No, Serenity. No hospitals. We' re going incognito, remember? We're all Doctors, so we can take care of Taichi at home."

Serenity nodded somewhat worriedly. Ryou glanced at her and understood her problem at once. "How will we carry him around without attracting attention?"

Marik gave a sexy, lop-sided grin at that. "If you're a part of Yango…you must dress like a part of Yango…" he said mysteriously.

"Whatever…" Kenji started worriedly "But we have to be quick. Kaiba may be lurking around every corner. He might be on his way here as we speak."

Marik smiled darkly, his lavender eyes shining with their mysterious, exotic glow.

Marik had just come back from his little trip to the town bazaar. Along with him he brought multiple white linen clothes, even more white shawls, brown sandals, some brown sheets and what looked like black paint.

"Okay…" Serenity said. Marik chuckled.

"Any news from Kaiba? Did they find our ship?" Marik questioned.

"No. Everything' s quiet." Ryou answered wearily.

Marik chuckled childishly at that "Those idiots. I told you they'd never find their way around here!" he exclaimed. Kenji just shook his head signaling `Whatever, boss.'

Serenity was tending to Taichi' s wounds with the help of Lena and Rika who had obviously decided to be useful for a change.

"Come on, everyone!" Marik yelled in a sing- song voice "Camouflage for everybody!" -this planet seemed to trigger Marik's seductive, childish behavior- Serenity and Ryou noted.

Rika and Lena rushed to the handsome boy's side and Kenji rolled his eyes. Serenity and Ryou smiled wordlessly at each other and walked to Marik's side.

Marik told Rika to take out her handy make-up kit. He instructed her to cover everyone's face, hands and legs with make up, so that their skin would look dark and tanned.

Ryou almost had a shock when he looked at his reflection. "I look like Marik!" he shouted. "I'm black!"

Marik had just huffed indignantly and made no comments. All he did was give a pathetic sniffle and turn to occupy himself with Taichi' s recovering body.

"Next stage!" Marik shouted when everyone's skin looked tanned enough "Wear these!" he shouted. He handed everyone with a linen white robe.

He, himself, preserved a short-sleeved, square collar robe, which reached a little under his knees. Ryou and Kenji came out with similar attire, while the three girls appeared wearing no-sleeved, ankle-long white dresses. White shawls were pulled around their faces, hiding everything under their nose. (AN: how Arabian…)

Marik nodded in approval. He then grabbed the `black paint' vase he had bought. He took out a little black brush that went with the whole set and dipped it in the paint.

He motioned for Ryou to stand next to him and he carefully drew black outlines under each of his eyes. Marik did this with every single person and everyone was shocked to realize they now had Marik's tanned skin AND Marik's trademark black eyeliner.

Marik grinned at their puzzled faces. "Remember: " he chuckled "Look like a local!"

They covered Taichi' s unconscious body with brown thick sheets and carried it on their backs. "Let's go!" Marik shouted fervently. "Don't get lost in the sand! Just follow me!"

They left the smashed spaceship as quickly as possible. When they got off, a sudden wave of nauseating heat struck them. No wind blew whatsoever, and the sand was hot beneath their sandals.

Especially Ryou, who was not exactly used to being exposed at such intent sun, was having a hard time to keep from fainting.

They suddenly found themselves in what looked like a huge, endless desert. Sand mountains and pits flew all around them- everything bathed in the color of sand.

"This way!" Marik yelled as he progressed towards a sand mountain. Everyone groaned at the prospective of having to climb up the hill. It was worse for Ryou and Kenji who were carrying Taichi' s body, which was wrapped inside the brown sheets and looked like a huge sack of potatoes.

"Won't he suffocate?" Serenity asked Marik as they walked, her voice slightly muffled by the shawl.

"Don't worry. He can breath. I'd worry about how hot he probably is…" Marik answered in a casual tone.

Ryou's jaw dropped and he realized how hot Taichi must be right now. He turned to the three girls who looked identical in that clothing. Their hair was also covered by the shawls so they couldn't be distinguished. Ryou's own hair had been replaced with a brown wig. `How irritating' he mused. That wig was quite itchy.

He hadn't finished his thought when he felt Marik stop from the front. They had already reached the top of the hill. Marik stretched his arm forward and pointed. Everyone's eyes widened at what they saw.

Stretched below them, bathed in the scorching sunlight was the city Marik referred to as Virna.

Bazaars and alleyways completed the roads of the town. Small huts and perhaps some old shacks were located everywhere, and there was no building that succeeded the height of three meters above the ground.

They could all see cloths and objects hanging from windows and doors. Ryou almost felt at home with this seemingly primitive, poor town.

As they scanned the monotonous landscape, everyone's eyes stopped at a single building. It looked more like a tower, and it had the shape of a tube. It probably was the only skyscraper on that planet, since it seemed to reach the desert sky. Lights were flashing on the sides of the tower and what looked like a gigantic screen was placed at the top of the architectural wonder.

Ryou noticed that Marik looked just as clueless as everybody else. The lavender eyes took that violet dark shade again and he scowled thoughtfully. "I saw it when I came to the bazaar earlier…" he said distantly "I have no idea what it is. I don't remember it being here." He finished as he turned to Ryou.

Ryou nodded quietly and motioned forward. Marik turned and took a step to signal they had been gawking enough. Time to move.

Everyone walked downwards and to the entrance of the city. No walls or gates guarded the city whatsoever and Ryou could only guess that the city didn't NEED guarding. It's not like anyone ever visited, anyway.

"Marik…" Ryou started "Don't they have a port or something? Don't they have a shield for the sandstorms?"

Marik seemed thoughtful. "They don't need ports coz no one has enough money to afford ships. They don't need shields because they run to the underground hideouts when sandstorms come…this is mainly why tall buildings don't exist."

Ryou nodded in understanding. Such small talk and comments brought them to the first isolated little huts that signaled the entrance to the city.

"Okay, guys…" Marik instructed "If anyone asks…we're carrying a pack of rare silk fabric but we can't sell coz it' s preordered! Okay?"

Everyone agreed and they began a casual stroll down the city alleyways. Now they had gotten well into the city and everyone was keeping close for fear of getting lost.

At the sides of the alleyways, poor beggars rested tiredly. Sometimes Marik and his friends happened to pass through bazaars.

Ryou curiously noticed that there weren't only food or fabric that the people sold. There were also peculiar engines, maybe some parts of spaceships and other merchandise…who knew? He wanted to ask Marik about it but he could see that his exotic friend was too occupied with leading everyone down the right path.

Some people threw their company peculiar glances but no one seemed to focus their attention for too long. The brown `cargo' was what attracted most people's attention.

Serenity noticed that everyone in this place had tanned skin and black lines under their eyes. Most people really looked like Marik, but no one had that truly exotic, natural touch that the blonde boy possessed.

`Unbelievable.' Serenity mused `Even among the people who look like him, Marik looks special.' Serenity also noticed that Marik had taken all forms of jewelry off. `Logical' she thought `Everyone in here seems to not know what jewelry IS.'

As they walked further and further into the city, the heat seemed to get worse. Everyone around was talking feverishly, and Marik caught some parts of conversation like "-Who will win the tournament?" or "-I don't think he's that good…'

Marik and everyone kept walking steadily and Marik and Ryou had to take turns in order to carry Taichi' s body. More than three quarters of an hour had passed when everyone finally saw the impending tall tower stand directly above them.

Serenity felt a little shaken by the feeling of that skyscraper towering over her, but soon shook it off.

For Marik, all the sudden commotion in the town was highly unusual. Things in Virna rarely -if ever- got interesting. What was all this traffic about? When his curiosity couldn't be held any longer, he motioned for the others to wait for him under a shady alcove. He asked Serenity and Ryou to accompany him in his little quest.

The three friends noticed a nearby man talking about some kind of championship and decided to ask him what was going on.

Marik casually approached the man and shook his shoulder lightly. The old man turned immediately and looked at Marik suspiciously.

"Who' re you, kid?" the man asked in a country accent.

Marik was a bit dumbfounded. He had forgotten how `polite' the people of Yango were to strangers. "Um…I'm sorry my good sir" the blonde boy started saying, his charm flowing freely in the air "But could you tell us the reason for all the commotion around here?"

The man gaped at Marik as though the young boy had just come from another planet -which he had, actually, but the man didn't know that.

"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously, but Marik seemed unshaken. "You mean you don't know about the Great Virtual Reality Game Tournament?!" he asked.

Marik blinked in an innocent way "Um…no. You see, me and my friends have been trying to track down all kinds of fabric sellers in the desert and have been away for quite some time…"

The man seemed enlightened "Oh…I see" he eyed Marik suspiciously once again "So how's old man Gretti? You know, the best seller in the Northern Desert?"

Marik gave a sly, mystical grin. His clear lavender eyes sparkled with mirth and amusement. Ryou, on the other hand, was watching intently with Serenity shaking in trepidation.

"Haven't seen him since he died six years ago." Marik finally answered.

Ryou and Serenity tried not to jump up and down and laugh at the man's face.

The old person chuckled heartily and patted Marik's shoulder. Marik laughed along with him and the man obliged to tell the handsome boy about this `tournament'.

"Ya know how boring it's been these last few months, so the government thought they'd spice it up a little…" the old man started in a hearty voice, completely different from the suspicious one before. Marik seemed immensely interested, which made the man continue.

"They arranged this huge tournament around here, where players would be able to play in all the arcade bar shops! Each player was given a see-through locator card. The first four people who could manage to get six of those cards would enter the semi-finals. The two people who would win the semi-finals would compete to the finals! "

Marik's interest was captivated and his eyes sparkled lightly "Really? Cool! Too bad we missed most of it!"

The man shrugged lightly. "The good thing is you'll get to see the finals! " he exclaimed. Marik raised a slender eyebrow.

"Finals?"

"Uh-huh…" the man said "I'm surprised you didn't see it! Look!" the old guy pointed at the humungous screen that was placed on the tall tower. The screen was flashing occasionally. Marik saw the faces of two people flash on the screen. Then came the words `Yugi VS Pegasus Match of the Millennium'

Marik raised an inquisitive eyebrow yet again. "Yugi? Pegasus?" he asked in disbelief `How come I don't know anything about these people…and this tower?' he thought.

The old man noticed Marik's stare. " The heat is on for the final match between Pegasus and the little lad, Yugi…Yugi and Peg will fight at the roof of the tower. We'll all see the game through that screen! Cool, huh?"

Marik really wanted to ask about that tower, but thought it would be a little too weird to ask about that. Thus, he settled on simply getting rid of his current source of information.

"Totally…" he said in an innocent tone. "Listen, man, I gotta go! Thanks for filling me in! All this traffic was getting on my nerves!"

The old man smiled and nodded. Marik took his friends' arms and walked back to where the others were standing.

"What a suspicious old man!" Serenity told Ryou quietly. The former albino boy nodded.

"Did he absolutely have to make sure he could trust us with all those trap questions?" he wondered aloud.

Marik turned to them and smiled mysteriously. "Do you understand how I learned to lie and seduce?" he asked "It's necessary if you live in this place…."

Serenity huffed and shook her head disapprovingly. Ryou lifted Taichi' s body with the help of Kenji and everyone started walking again. Serenity told Rika, Lena and Kenji about what they had learned and now everyone looked at the great screen of the tower.

"Yugi VS Pegasus Match of the Millennium."

`Why match of the Millennium? What's with the tower? Who's Yugi and Pegasus?' Marik wondered `I'll ask Rishid about everything.' He concluded.

When he noticed that the crowd was slowly starting to disperse he turned to the others and whispered "Be patient…we're almost there…"

"Thank God." Rika exclaimed "I can't bare this heat any longer!"

"Think about poor Taichi!" Lena answered as she watched Marik switch places with Kenji in lifting Taichi up. "What will he have to say about this?!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Marik who suddenly stopped walking. They were now standing in front of a casual little hut, which was surrounded by blue looking fungus.

Marik shook his head `Rishid never changes.' He thought. Slowly and somewhat hesitantly, he reached the panel beside the door. He pressed his finger on it and at once, a doorbell rung.

Ryou looked at him curiously and Marik shrugged. "Yango homes don't have internal computers, they have doorbells…thus they're what you call "normal", Ryou." Marik said and everyone chuckled.

Everyone waited a bit impatiently for the door to open. Finally, the metallic door snapped and slid open, to reveal a blue cloaked, tall, and overall intimidating figure. Marik was the only one who seemed completely unfazed.

"Hello Rishid! How are you'?" the bleach-blonde boy asked.

The man that Marik called Rishid raised his head. Everyone could see the outline of a strong jaw and protruding cheekbones. Rishid raised his hands and let his hood slip down, revealing a tanned face with tropical characteristics and sparkling, seemingly snake-like green eyes. Black lines outlined Rishid' s unearthly eyes and at the side of his face, an intricate scar was forming shapes of hieroglyphics.

Serenity gulped involuntarily as she saw the slashes of the scar. Blood had long ago dried up, only to be replaced with black paint that sparkled as a weird tattoo.

"Lord Marik" Rishid spoke with an overly serious, humble voice. `Lord Marik?' Serenity thought `Now were did that come from?'

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, as Rishid sunk to his knees and fell in front of Marik's feet. Marik smiled in a way Serenity had never seen him smile before. It was such a tender and wistful grin. Rishid must have been of great importance to her handsome friend.

Marik ethereally bent down and stroked the back of Rishid' s bald head. "Get up, Rishid." Marik kindly said. Rishid instantly rose up again and looked exuberant.

"My lord, may I speak?" he questioned humbly, his eyes always plastered to the floor.

Marik nodded in the same kind and tender fashion. Ryou felt Bakura's interest spark in his mind and quickly hushed the curious spirit.

"My Lord I am so happy to see you!" Rishid said with a wistful look "You have grown."

Marik smiled in a slow, charming way. "I'm happy to see you too, Rishid." He then turned to the others. "This is Rishid." He introduced "A loyal friend and servant of mine for as long as I can remember…these are my friends, Rishid. We've come along way…Marik said meaningfully.

Naturally, Rishid caught the point and led them into the house. The door closed behind them and everyone immediately sighed in relief. The inside of the house maintained a perfect cool temperature. Ryou wasn't very curious about how that could be done…he was just glad that he had the chance to enjoy normal climate again.

They unceremoniously dropped Taichi' s body to the floor. This alerted Rishid, of course, but he chose to say nothing.

"Marik…" Serenity said urgently while tugging on her friend's sleeve. "Taichi needs help."

Marik nodded quickly. "Rishid and I will take care of him. Make yourselves at home."

The girls were more than happy to oblige and fell limply on a couple of armchairs. Kenji followed their lead, while Ryou helped Marik and Rishid carry Taichi to a bedroom.

Serenity realized they would need her help as a doctor to mend Taichi' s wounds, so she rushed to follow Ryou. As she walked, she absently noticed the decoration of the house. Gold ornaments hung from every wall and mysterious carpets spread on each floor. The whole house had this peculiar smell of palm trees and cinnamon.

All this screamed `Marik ' to her and she would have investigated some more if Ryou hadn't come out of a door suddenly.

"Marik said he' ll take care of Taichi himself." Ryou told her calmly. "Let's go relax, Serena." Ryou ushered her back to the living room, where all their friends were talking about the virtual game tournament.

"I hope Taichi is okay!" Serenity told Ryou and he just smiled tenderly at her. At that moment, a scene from earlier that day flashed in her mind and she remembered the way Ryou had almost kissed her.

`So close…' she thought dejectedly, as she smiled back to Ryou's calm face. `So close.'

Marik had finally managed to use their supplies in order to clean and properly aid Taichi' s wounds. Now the boy was resting soundly on Rishid' s bed.

While tending to Taichi, Marik had made sure to tell Rishid all the story about Kaiba and becoming fugitives. Nevertheless, Marik expertly avoided telling his old friend about his sudden mind-controlling abilities and the fact that he could see an ancient spirit called Bakura.

He advised Rishid not to mention anything about Rewind 1 in front of Ryou, because Ryou didn't know anything about it and some things were better left unsaid. When Marik was done with his story and Taichi' s wounds, he turned to his servant.

"What about you, Rishid?" he asked. "What happened here?"

Rishid looked blank for a minute but answered nonetheless "Nothing interesting happened here, my Lord. Ever since you left to go to university in Mercury three years ago, all the kids got obsessed with these new games."

Marik huffed "Kids these days only think about electronics! I remember I only liked to mess with machines when I was a kid."

"But, my Lord, aren't those electronics also…?" Rishid asked seriously.

Marik blinked simply. "Ahem…I'm sorry, Rishid, you were saying?"

"A new game company moved in town. The owner is that man called Pegasus. He built that huge tower as his company's headquarters and they produce this game called `Digimon'…now the tournament finals are here…you know the rest, I suppose…"

Marik nodded absently and observed Rishid thoroughly. The tall man's eyes were turned to the ground as a sign of humility.

" So, how have YOU been, Rishid?" Marik asked.

"I'm fine, Master." Rishid simply answered, without turning to look at the blonde boy. It was a shock for Rishid when he felt his own Master's arms lift him up and hug him tightly.

"I missed you, brother." Marik said while holding Rishid's tall form. "You should have come with me when I asked you to."

Rishid smiled and closed his eyes, cherishing the rare moments Marik showed TRUE compassion to anything or anyone.

"I missed you too." He murmured as he held the frail young boy tightly.

"Come, brother, we must go." Marik said quietly as he released Rishid and walked slowly to the door. Rishid started to follow his master outside.

Marik then suddenly paused. He didn't turn to look at Rishid, but he did pose a question. "Why didn't you come to Mercury?" Marik asked silently and a little brokenly.

Rishid just blinked, feeling absolutely flattered that Marik cared so much "You needed to learn how to survive on your own, my Lord. I stayed since you gave me the choice."

Marik smiled wordlessly and walked outside. Rishid followed suit behind him.

When the two of them reached the living room they were greeted with Lena and Rika's giggles as they watched Kenji, Ryou and Serenity act like Kaiba.

Rishid raised an unseen eyebrow and Marik shook his head lightly. Ryou noticed them and smiled cheerfully. "Is Taichi okay?" he asked immediately. The others hushed and Kenji seemed intent on hearing about his friend's wellbeing.

"He's fine. He just needs some rest." Marik said with a smile. "And you, my friends, need to renew your melting make up!"

Serenity and Ryou smiled kindly while the others cheered. Suddenly, the doorbell started ringing. Rishid stoically stood and marched to the door. He stood behind it as it opened.

To everyone's surprise, it revealed a brunette young girl. Her skin was clear porcelain white and she was wearing a baby-blue dress, which seemed curiously modern for this planet -where everyone always wore white linen.

The girl's sparkling blue eyes matched her blue dress beautifully and her whole essence seemed to smile.

Marik raised an eyebrow at this. Did this unknown girl have an affair with his servant? The girl seemed to be about nineteen to twenty years old. When the door opened, she skipped inside happily and sighed in relief.

The cool house temperature was always refreshing, compared to the heat outside.

"Welcome, Tea." Rishid said calmly.

"Hi there, Mr. Rishid!" she smiled brightly, her sapphire eyes glinting proudly "I'm here for the cleaning!" Just then, the girl seemed to notice everyone else in the room.

"Oh, you have visitors! Is it an inappropriate time?" she worriedly asked Rishid as she threw worried glances at the friends' direction.

"Not at all." Rishid said "I promised you your salary this week. Just…don't clean the bedroom today." He finished. She nodded and thanked him. She immediately skipped inside and searched for what she needed.

Rishid shook his head dismissively. He came back to his seat next to Marik. Lena, Rika, Kenji and Serenity were all looking at Rishid with wide eyes.

`You actually have to use your HANDS to do the cleaning here?' Lena voiced everyone's thoughts. Ryou found it perfectly normal and wondered why everyone was so astonished at that.

Rishid shrugged. "It is a poor planet." he simply said and left the statement hanging.

Marik turned to his servant curiously. "Since when do you get lazy in cleaning, Rishid?" Marik questioned.

Rishid's eyes turned respectfully to the floor at addressing his master "My lord, it's not that I'm lazy. I obliged at allowing the girl to clean the house because her family really needs the money. Her parents asked me to do it."

Marik just raised an eyebrow at that but decided not to question any further. He knew that Rishid was telling the truth.

"Anyway!" Serenity interrupted "Would you happen to know why the final match of the tournament is called the `Millennium match'?"

Marik's attention snapped alert. "Oh, yeah, Rishid! I wanted to ask you about that too!"

Rishid bowed his head respectfully "It's quite simple, really!" he started " Firstly, it's because `millennium' has something to do with the game they will play and secondly, it's because the winner of the final match will gain a thousand Yashta ( local currency), a brand new spaceship and the title `King of Games'."

At that last sentence, Serenity's conscience broke. `Joey always said he'd create a game with a kid that would become the `King of Games ' or `Yu-gi-oh'…'

Before she could stop herself, the whisper `Joey…' left her lips. Ryou was sitting next to her, so he heard her whispers. He gathered the information he had recently learned and understood her problem. He slowly reached an arm around her shoulders.

She raised her eyes and smiled at him, her gaze of sorrow becoming slightly comforted. His arm around her felt so right. Everything about him felt right.

The sudden movement went unnoticed by everyone except the observant Marik, who smiled lightly. `They have come close.' He thought.

"So you say that the winner will gain the prize of a new spaceship beside other things!" Kenji asked suddenly. Rishid silently nodded.

Marik and Ryou instantly followed the trail of thought.

"Hey!" Ryou suddenly exclaimed. "We need a spaceship, right??"

"If we could only gain that prize!" Marik answered. "Hey! Maybe we can compete and win!"

"Helloooo…" Rika's feminine voice reprimanded "Aren't we forgetting something already? The finalists have already been chosen!"

Rishid nodded quietly and Marik's face fell slightly. "It's true, my Lord." Rishid commented "It is best if you forget that idea…"

Marik shoved his head in his palms. "How are we gonna get out of this place then? We can't BUY a ship coz there aren't any around here. We can't REPAIR our ship, coz we don't have enough money…what are we gonna do?"

Ryou sighed solemnly "At this rate, all my efforts to learn how to fly a ship from our captains will go to waste..." At this, everybody glanced at the rookie in exasperation, except for Serenity who giggled.

Suddenly, an overly sweet, unusual voice echoed around them. "I'm sorry, but did you say you can drive a spaceship?"

Everyone turned around to look at the newcomer, but all they saw was a mop of brown hair peek around from the corner. Rishid stood up immediately.

"Tea! Why are you eavesdropping? Go away!" he shouted. The sweet girl's face contorted in fear and she backed away shamefully.

Marik stood up instantly when he saw that Rishid was about to practically bite her head off. "Enough, Rishid. That's enough."

Rishid bowed humbly. He threw Tea a last disgusted glare before he left to sit back to his place at the couch.

Marik shook his head dismissively and turned his attention to the now ashamed and intimidated Tea. He eyed her somewhat suspiciously.

"Why do you want to know if we can drive spaceships?" he asked her somewhat wearily. Tea bashfully raised her head to stare into his piercing, attractive purple eyes.

"I-I…" she stuttered. "I just want to know about your damaged pod." She blurted out. Marik felt Ryou stand up and walk next to him. Ryou bent near Marik and held his handsome friend' s shoulder.

Ryou' s honest, sincere eyes sparkled with subtlety. "Give us one good reason to trust you." he wearily said, his innocent eyes forming a thoughtful scowl.

Tea blinked silently, eyeing what seemed like a brown haired, brown eyed kind boy and his handsome blonde friend. (Remember…still camouflaged)

"My best friend is the famous finalist Yugi." She stated carefully, watching everyone's expression snap in attention instantly "I think that you'd probably like to…talk to him."

She watched them all glance at each other warily and decided to take matters in her own hands.

"If you can truly drive a spaceship…" she chose her words carefully "Then you and Yugi may be able to come to some sort of…deal." She finished.

Marik turned to look at Ryou. Lavender eyes caught in deep brown.

"Yugi is a finalist…if he wins he gets a new spaceship, remember? There might be a chance we…" Marik murmured to Ryou.

Ryou nodded numbly. His eyes became glazed with wisdom once again. "We should be careful now. This might be a trap. There might be a catch."

Marik nodded slowly, his lavender eyes glazed over with trouble.

"But…making a pact with the near champion IS our one and only shot." Marik reasoned.

"Whatever we do…we must keep our eyes open." Ryou told his friend and Marik nodded. Once this little council was over, Marik turned his eerie eyes to the sweet girl.

"All right, Tea. We'll take your offer." His deep, sensual voice echoed.

Tea smiled brightly. She might have finally found what she was looking for.

"Take us to him." Ryou said and Serenity instantly jumped to her feet and locked her arm protectively with his.

Tea skipped happily to the door.

"After you!" she exclaimed.