Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Watch Over Me ❯ Memories of Our Past ( Chapter 33 )

Joey's Gal: Yeah, Aria's gonna need more anger management classes. Well, Dragondreamer and I were handfasted together on August 14th of this year. A handfasting is almost a pagan wedding ceremony. It's a commitment ceremony. We are both also married to Dragondreamer's husband. She and our husband are legally married, I joined the marriage to make a triad. We are both in a polyamorous marriage and loving every minute of it! Also, Melissa and I are both bisexual, not lesbians, though many think that when they see us holding hands.

ssjgoddesschico: I HAD TO! It's one of those things that came out of the blue!

Elizabeth Marie Rose: Yup. I know. A naked anzu asking Seto if she could have his baby is the most frightening thing of all. Well, as far as the baddies for the sequel are concerned, Steven is coming back, but he's not alone…..*gives evil grin*

Cynical Spirit Valea: Well, I'm glad you didn't have a heart attack on me. That wouldn't have been good….but, yes, I was going for shock value, that's for sure.

Bwuebewwy Sugar Pwincess: *hugs* it's ok…..I'll have two lemons later that will cure your temporary blindness from a naked Anzu.

Angelic Mouse girl: Yes…I was insane when I wrote that scene…..I know it's hard and terrifying to picture, but I'll make it up to you with a naked Malik soon….k? I promise.

Shadow of Light: Anzu is like a boomerang..she keeps coming back….all for my benefit of bashing her more! *evil grin*

Ryou's mistress: hehe…I know I traumatized you for life, but it's only temporary. I'll make it up to you.

IYYASHI: I never said who she was for a reason….yup..shock value and it was fun to torture Seto like that.

Lady Elfskye: me and my wife loved your review! You're so cute! *hugs*

Gralnak: *hands Syrup of Ipecac* I know you don't need this to help you vomit, but it may haelp.*hands naked Seto plushies*

Disclaimer: I do not own "Melodies of Life" from Final Fantasy IX or Final Fantasy IX itself. If I did, Zidane would have to fight every battle naked (OO)!!!! *grins*

Memories of Our Past

Bakura's POV

Alone for a while,
I've been searching through the dark
for traces of the love you left
inside my lonely heart

Marik stood in front of the mirror with his back turned to me. Moneybags had offered to perform the marriage ceremony at his summerhome. I watched Marik put on a long, white coarse robe that he found in his soulroom. Marik smoothed out the material as I watched him.

It has been so long since I seen him in that robe. I remember how he looked when I first saw him on that cold night in the desert. I've waited so long for Marik. Ever since I was banished to the Shadow Realm, I searched for him desperately. It was a sad day when we had to say goodbye. The Shadow Realm was our lonely home for five thousand years. Before I knew Marik, my life was lonely and dark. I only knew how to look after myself and distrust everyone I saw, seeing them as potential threats to my well-being.

Marik was my first real love, though. And it hurts to see the one you love drift away…especially because of an arrow and dagger in the back.

To weave by picking up the pieces that remain
Melodies of life - love's lost refrain

After all that happened, I had to continue alone. I was left to wallow away in a cold cell dreaming of what we had done together. How we had fought side-by-side. How we protected each other. But, nothing compared to the way we loved each other back then. I lingered hungry, cold, and bloody in Pharaoh Yami's dungeon. Only my dreams brought Marik back to me. There was some solace, however. Marik died in my arms. He took his last breath cuddled against my chest. Myself? I died starving in a cold, damp dungeon…alone. No one was there to cuddle me. No one was there to comfort me as Yami's general strangled me to death. My body was too weak to put up too much of a fight.

Our paths they did cross,
though I cannot say just why
We met, we laughed, we held on fast,
and then we said goodbye

It was hard saying goodbye to Marik. He was my lover, my comrade, my friend. Was it destiny or fate that brought us together? Was it destiny or fate that we met again through our hikaris?

And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?
Let them ring out loud, till they unfold

Marik turned to me and sighed with content. "This is something I wanted for a long time, Itemri."

"You deserve each other, just like me and Ryou. Our hikaris make us complete, Marik. I tell you, though….I never had a hikari like Ryou. He is the only hikari I have ever loved so much."

Marik sat on the edge of the bed beside me. "It has been a long time since I felt this way about anyone. The last one I loved this deeply was you, Itemri."

In my dearest memories
I see you reaching out to me
Though you're gone
I still believe that you can call out my name

A smile crossed my face. "I remember our first night under the stars in the middle of the desert. I remember you reaching out to me. You were afraid. I was afraid."

"You were afraid?"

"You were never…taken by another man. You had only slept with your wife, correct?" Marik nodded.

"So, Ishtar, I was afraid that you would leave me when we fell asleep. I was afraid that you did not like me. I was afraid you would love me and leave me. That is what I was afraid of."

Marik turned to me and took my hand. "But I didn't, Itemri. I stayed for you."

"Now you are going to marry your hikari. That is a big step."

Marik nodded solemnly. "I will be Malik's. That doesn't mean, Itemri, that I love you any less than when we were together in that desert. I still love you, but, Malik means more to me than anyone else in the world. You, Aten, Ryou, and Malik…even Aria, are more important to me than anything else in the world. And I have wanted to do this with Malik ever since you and Ryou married."

"Malik is good for you, Marik. I think you should go through with it."

A voice from the past,
joining yours and mine
Adding up the layers of harmony
And so it goes on and on
Melodies of life, to the sky
beyond the flying birds, forever and beyond

Marik looked up at me with those piercing eyes. "I just don't want anything to change between us, Itemri. I love Malik."

"And I love Ryou. So, what's the problem?"

"There is no problem, Bakura, I just never want us to forget what we once were."

I raised my hand to my former lover's cheek. "Nothing can make me forget what we used to be. The sands of time will never change that."

Malik gripped my hand tightly. "What about the other night? When we broke into the cemetery?"

A smile raised to my lips thinking about Steven's twitching form and his blood-stained body. Ra, did he look good enough to eat….with a side of A1 sauce! I drooled almost thinking about it.

"The other night," I said trying to control my body's reactions to the other night, "The other night had to be done. As far as us in the park, it was just like old times, Marik. We committed a crime, run from the authorities, hide somewhere and screw each other senseless! That's how it was between us for a long time. I enjoyed that night."

Marik grinned. Apparently he did, too.

"Yes, it was like old times."

"But, now you have to make memories with Malik. We don't have to worry about aging or illness anymore. Our mortal halves are aging every day. You have to begin making memories for yourself with you and Malik."

So far and away,
see the bird as it flies by
Gliding through the shadows
of the clouds up in the sky

I have many good memories of me and Ryou. Yes, other memories I still retain of him, but, I have more good memories of him now than I ever did before. We watched the sunrise together since the day we were married. When I thought I was going to lose him to his deteriorating heart, I made every opportunity to make sure we watched the sunrise together. Who knows when it was going to be our last?

I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings

Then there are my memories with Marik in the desert. There was nothing like watching the sunsets as we ate our stolen dinners. By the fire, we made love. Each time we made love, it was almost as if we were going to do it for the last time. Who knew if we were going to get caught the next day? Who knew if we were going to be killed by either a bounty hunter or by the intense heat of the desert? Life was a gamble in the desert with nothing to eat but what we stole and no clothes to wear other than the ones on our backs.

In your dearest memories
Do you remember loving me?

Was it fate
That brought us close and now leaves me behind

Fate has reunited us once more. We haven't been so happy in our mortal lives or in our afterlife. It was fate that we both fell in love with our hikaris. I love Ryou more than anything else in the world. Marik loves Malik. Marik deserves to know the happiness that Ryou and I share. Ryou has become my priority. His safety and his protection is in my hands. Marik will have the same responsibilities for Malik.

I have to come to accept that what we once were together is no more. We both have our responsibilities to our hikaris and our children. It's not that we both will forget our past relationship. We cannot do that to each other. But now our obligations have changed. My biggest fear is that Marik will forget. Marik will be too busy taking care of Malik to pay any kind of attention to me.

Ok, I may be overreacting here, but that is what I fear. He will forget everything that we have been through.

A voice from the past,
joining yours and mine
Adding up the layers of harmony
And so it goes on and on
Melodies of life, to the sky
beyond the flying birds, forever and on

"Do you think I am doing the right thing, Bakura?"

I was broken from my reverie suddenly by Marik's query. "I think so, Marik. I don't doubt that you and Malik will be happy together."

"We were happy, Itemri…..weren't we?"

I brushed his hair over his shoulders. "Yes, tenshi. We were very happy. We still are. And we will be happy for the rest of our afterlife knowing we love Ryou and Malik."

Marik cupped my cheek in his hand. "You made me so happy, Bakura. It was so hard to leave you behind in the mortal world."

I gripped his wrist gently. "It was harder for me to bury you, Marik. You at least deserved a better funeral than being thrown face-down in a shallow grave."

"But, you buried me, Bakura. I'm honored that you at least were able to do that."

I gazed into those eyes. "I think you are doing the right thing and even if we are married to our lights, it does not mean that we can't be close friends. It doesn't mean we have to forget what we've been through together."

Marik smiled slightly. "I'm glad. I don't want us to forget what we have been together in the past. I love Malik so much. You love Ryou."

I nodded. That's the way it was and that's the way it had to be.

If I should leave this lonely world behind
Your voice will still remember our melody

Now I know we'll carry on
Melodies of life, come circle 'round
and grow deep in our hearts
As long as we remember

I took Marik's hand and kissed it. "Nothing will change our past or our future together, Marik. Ryou and I will do anything to help you two through adjusting to married life. It's not too bad. There are benefits."

"You always were a good friend, Bakura." Marik stood up and kissed me on the cheek softly as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "And one hell of a lover, Itemri."

My grin appeared once again. "So were you, Ishtar." I looked at the clock and went to the window.

Below, Yami was holding a snarling Aria in the air while Hayden was hiding behind Joey. My little girl. She's so jealous of Hayden it's not even funny. It's going to take her some time to adjust to sharing Seto, but it's going to take her even less time to adjust to sharing her M&M's. Yugi and the pharaoh were standing by the refreshments. It doesn't surprise me that the pharaoh went for the banana.

Monkey-boy.

"I'll be right back, Marik."

I ran next door to see how Ryou was handling Malik's robe and jewelry. Malik looked great. He had the same robe as Marik. It wasn't hard to get his made. Who knew Malik could sew? He sewed his own robe and I gave him some of my old jewelry consisting of a gold armband in the shape of a cobra, a belt that I had stolen from Yami's father's tomb, and I saw that Ryou offered Malik the Millennium Ring, which he wore around his neck.

Ryou folded his arms and smiled as I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind.

"How do I look, Bakura?" Malik asked me holding out his arms happily.

I kissed my koibito's neck as I watched Malik. "You look damn good, that's how you look."

"How's my yami?"

"He's getting ready now. Nervous?"

Malik shrugged. "A little."

"I had that, too, Malik," Ryou confessed. "That's normal."

I kissed my hikari on the cheek. "Let me know when you are done here."

I returned to Marik who was looking outside. He put his arm around my shoulder as we saw Aten play on the lawn. The little boy was throwing a large ball into the air and trying to catch it. He couldn't throw the ball too high, which was somewhat surprising.

"I hope Aten doesn't get his clothes dirty. He has to be our ring-bearer."

"Malik sewed his robe as well? He did a good job."

Marik sighed and began to bite his nails. "I love Malik and Aten so much, Bakura. I just hope that Isis' prophecy doesn't come true. I don't want to lose either of them."

"We'll do all we can, Marik."

We watched Aten play for a short while before he pulled on Joey's pants. Joey picked the chibi up and Aten yawned tiredly. Within a few minutes, Ryou knocked on our door and entered.

"We're ready, Marik."

Marik nodded and sighed. He took my hand tightly.

"You'll be fine, Marik. Let's do this."

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