Holy eff, I wrote a chapter? What is this madness? I just want to say a huge huge thank you to everyone who has been supporting me with this fanfiction. Thank you so much. I'm sorry to keep you all waiting. We're almost at the very end, so you only have to bear with me and this fic of mine for a few chapters more! I really want to see it through to the finish! And it seems the trend is doodling fanfic covers..? Or at least from what I've noticed on deviantart... I should consider that, hurrr... though my colouring is lame, ew. Anyway, I'm immersed in university life nowadays, so I finally have an excuse for my procrastination! Also I was wavering in my inspiration towards stuff... I'm unlikely to continue my other YGO fics, but this one is most precious to me, so I want to finish it!

So um... GO AHEAD AND READ, AWWWW YEEEAAAA.

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Chapter Thirty-Five: The Boy Who Lived

Bakura's POV

The platform was sent plummeting back to the ground, Marik's body going with it. There was nothing I could do as Shadi suddenly lay limp in my arms but... But then I saw it. One by one, a Sennen Item flew at the spike and got pierced straight through, turning into nothing more than dust. The dust was gone too. But all I could think as the others noted the destruction of the Sennen Items was whether Marik was okay or not! Fucking hell, this can't be it..!

I flew back down to level with Marik. "Marik, wake up..!" Placing Shadi's body on the ground, I went to try shake him awake. Did he really survive? He seemed to think he had a chance. I believed in him. But he wasn't moving!

"Bakura..!" Ryou called out to me and I turned to him. Then my surroundings became apparent. "The Tower's starting to crumble..!" And with that, I scooped Marik up into my arms and made a beeline for the exit. We all did. Then we watched from a safe distance as the Tower of the Sennen Items sunk into the sand, never to be seen of again, I presume. Ryou again, was the first to speak. "Is it all... over..?"

Normally we'd all turn to Shadi, but the man was lying unconscious in Rishid's arms, a similar state to Marik. So we were all quiet for a good ten minutes. I don't know what was going through anyone's mind; all I could think about was Marik. Only Marik. How did it get like this? Marik's become a huge part of me. Why does he have to look so peaceful..? Why can't he open his eyes and look lively again? Wake up, wake up! I was silently egging him on. Then Mana broke the silence.

"Let's go back."

"Y-Yeah..." Ishizu agreed, looking nervously at Marik. "Bakura... may I examine my brother first..?" I nodded and carefully lay him on the ground, treating him like a precious ornament. Except Marik was worth so much more to me than that. She checked his pulse and if he was breathing and then looked up at me with a smile. "He's alive."

It was pretty amazing the way everyone all reacted. Yugi and Ryou both breathed out a "thank goodness", tears welling in their eyes. Mana punched the air with her fist and let out a cheer to express her delight. Rishid and Ishizu both look relieved and mentioned that Shadi too was alive. Yami however, looked contemplative. Suddenly Mana took my hands and forced me to spin around with her.

"It's over, Bakura! Isn't that cool?" she beamed.

But all I could think was the following. Marik's alive. Wake up already. And why does Yami have the expression of someone who thinks there's still another hurdle? The Sennen Items are gone. Destroyed. Never to be seen ever again. What more is there still to come? Yami looked up and noticed me staring at him. He gave me this look that suggested he would explain things later. That bastard better damn well explain things.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

We wound up back at the Ishtar residence. Everyone seemed to be feasting, feasting and celebrating but I really wasn't in the mood. I took to staying in the same room as Marik and Shadi, who both still hadn't woken up. They were taking too long. My concerns were growing bigger, I couldn't stand it. After all, apart from those two, I have the most knowledge of what happened.

I remember standing there during the whole process thinking that there was nothing I could do. And quite literally, there was nothing I could do. I wanted to be able to protect Marik but... it hurt me how much I couldn't do a damn thing! It was the most important step in Marik's life and I couldn't be of any help to him. I thought, 'if only I could reach his mind, if only..!' And the frustration, it was too much to bear..! I felt like I was going insane. There was nothing..! Nothing!

And then my body froze as a voice echoed in my head. I must've looked a sight. But the first thing I did was yell out "Who's that?" And then I listened carefully when everyone else only responded with looks of utter confusion.

Marik!

It was Marik's voice! At first, all I thought at that very moment was 'Holy Ra, I can hear Marik again!' and that was all I cared for. Then I sensed his distress. It was so overwhelming. The thought of Marik losing his memories again; it was too much. I never wanted Marik to go through anything like that ever again. And his thoughts, his memories, his feelings... Marik treasured all of those things! He was always able to cherish so much more than I could. No, Marik couldn't lose his mind! Never again.

So I finally spoke up. Everyone stared at me as I cried out, "I heard Marik's thoughts! I need to get into the sacrificial procedure! He needs a mind to sacrifice..! And... He doesn't want anyone to go through it but I don't want him to go through it! I'll sacrifice my mind..!"

Shadi was quick to speak. "I'll do it." I stared at him. Everyone did. Ishizu gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Even Rishid looked horrified. But Shadi went on to explain how his entire life was centred on the Sennen Items and that without him, there wasn't much more. He told me that I had so much more to live for than he did. And the decision had to be made in an instant, because I sensed Marik was about to resign to sacrificing his own mind.

Without further ado, I flew Shadi up there and had him enter Marik's mind in the sacrificial process. Shadi's body suddenly glowed and then we went limp. He sacrificed his mind. He may be even less likely to wake up than even Marik.

It only occurred to me now how amazing it was that I heard Marik's mind speaking. I really truly thought that I would never hear it again. How? Seriously, how? And as I thought about this, I heard someone's footsteps.

Yami entered the room. "Bakura," he said my name and kneeled down beside me. I didn't say anything. "The Sennen Items have been destroyed. What do you plan to do from here on out?"

"I..." No proper answer. I wasn't sure. I really wasn't. Before I could even panic and try to summon a proper answer, Yami continued to speak.

"You cannot go back to the Kurufodo Mansion."

That... that was true. It was something I'd kept in the back of my mind. Shit, where will me and Ryou live..? "We... have a lot of money still. We could rent an apartment or... something like that. Get jobs and shit. I don't know; I used to cope before... Barely..."

I thought of how Ryou and I were on the streets. Ryou got sick and... There wasn't much more we could do. It was true that Pegasus saved us and... I think a part of me must've been grateful for the new lifestyle we'd been given. If it weren't for Pegasus, I would never have met Marik or... either that or the circumstances in which we met would've been too different. It would never have been the same. I easily saw Marik falling for other people. I hated that thought. I knew that I could only be the one he chose if all the pieces fell into place right. Marik could've easily not survived through the sacrifice.

"You need parental permission, I believe..." Yami bit his lip. "I wonder if Marik wants to go back to Japan."

That's true; he may want to stay in Egypt. I'd do anything to stay here. But Ryou... he doesn't belong here. He needs to go back to Japan. He and Yugi need to go back to Japan. But what about Yami? Eventually I sighed.

"The extended family I have live in England. Ryou and I may go and seek them out," I replied, unsure what else to say. I remember telling Marik I wanted to go to Europe. Would he go with me..?

"Would you be leaving Marik..?"

"...I'd rather not."

There was a silence.

"You know, Bakura... I think I may be leaving Yugi too." I turned and stared at him. What? Why? He already had a home in Japan to return to! I pointed out all of that and he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I am not finished with Egypt. Bakura, I did not get all of my memories back. There was not enough time. But I know how I lost my memories."

"Alright. Tell me how then," I responded. What else could I say?

"The vengeful spirit of the Sennen Items... That being of hatred that emerges under certain circumstances... When I tried to erase Marik's memories, I did not do it completely. That's why recovering his memories was an easier task than it was to recover mine. Partway through the process, that spirit reversed my powers and used them against me. I don't know all of the powers that spirit is capable of using but... he was much stronger than I was. I really want to tell Marik about this discovery but..."

"That idiot would blame himself," I cut in. Yami nodded. We both knew what Marik could be like about that sort of thing. Marik kept burdening everything onto his own shoulders. He doesn't really know how to ask for help, that idiot. It was just like him to want to take on the heavy task of destroying the Sennen Items and it was just like him to risk putting himself through more pain to get that task done.

"That's what I think also," Yami commented. "I don't know how to tell Yugi that I want to stay. He looks forward to seeing all of his friends again. However, Egypt was where I was born. It was my home. I want to find my parents and I want to learn everything about my background and get all my questions answered. So I can't leave yet. But if I said that, Yugi would want to stay too. Even though on the inside, he would ache and miss his friends. I want him to go back to Japan and I want to stay in Egypt. Even though the Sennen Items are destroyed and many things have been resolved, the aftermath can still be difficult. Difficult and painful."

No kidding. But what can anyone do? Things will never go back to the way they used to be. The story's coming to a close and it feels like everyone's going to go their separate ways. But I'm selfish. I want to go back to reading Marik's mind and I want to go back to that old routine where we'd be at school and being together was so easy. However, I fell in too deep. What the fuck, Bakura? Now I'm starting to give a shit about Marik's take on things, not just looking out for my own interests.

Yami had considered everything. I never did like the way Yami always seemed to be ahead of me. Even though he lost a lot more than Marik did, he always seemed to have more knowledge than both Marik and I combined. It pissed me off. Why was it like that?

Perhaps his keen intelligence and sharp eye for things was just something he was born with.

"Bakura..!"

I blinked and Yami pointed at Marik. As I turned, I watched as Marik's eyelids fluttered open, awake at last. Hell, I didn't need any moment's hesitation. I flew my arms around him and squeezed him tight. Fuck, I don't want to let him go. I buried my head into his shoulder and didn't say a word. Then Marik's arms slowly wrapped around my waist and he rested his hands on my back. We didn't exchange any words in this moment. It was just us and our embrace. I could hear light footsteps and Marik exhaling.

"Yami ditched," he commented. I didn't want those to be his first words after he woke up. Goddamn, I wanted at least… uh… what could he say..? 'Hello'? 'I'm awake now'? 'Sorry I made you fucking worry and turn into a nervous wreck'? Just something that wasn't about anyone that wasn't us! "…I wouldn't mind waking up to you more often…"

Muuuuuuuuuch better.

And fuck it, I'm going to make the most of this. I pulled back so I could examine his face. He blinked a few times at me and grinned. I grinned right back, just before leaning in to capture his lips. He made a small noise of surprise as I tilted my head to deepen the kiss. I could feel him smiling against my lips as he returned the kiss. He began to nibble on my bottom lip as I slowly ran my hands down his sides, getting a feel for him.

Yes, Marik was all mine again. That fear of losing him, it had made me consider everything I could have lost. The quality time, just knowing that someone in this world gave a damn for me and everything I'd been through, knowing that there was someone in this world I could dedicate myself too.

Shit, I love strongly, I've realised. Even now, I'm already climbing on top of Marik and plunging my tongue past his lips and the poor bastard has barely been awake for three minutes. I don't care. I really don't. But then Marik broke the kiss as if he wanted to say something. I raised an eyebrow at him. He gave me this look, as if to say 'Fine, no talking' and then he leaned up to brush his lips against mine again. Damn fucking straight. I pressed my lips to his roughly and raised a hand to entangle my fingers in flaxen locks, hooking a thumb in the waistband of his pants.

We didn't get much talking done for the rest of the night.

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"Marik and I will be returning to Japan," Ishizu announced at breakfast. Marik spat out his drink in surprise, the liquid splattering the face of the unlucky bugger sitting opposite him. Thanks Marik, thanks. I returned the favour by flicking some of my food into his bowl of weirdo health cereal shit. He didn't notice, questioning his sister's sudden announcement. "I have a job there, one that I do not wish to leave yet."

My boyfriend wiped at the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, mouthing an apology to me about getting milk in my face. Yeah Marik, next time you're going to splash white liquid all over me... "But it's okay for me to return with you?"

Rishid paused his eating. "Marik, the curse of the Ishtar family is broken now. You are free to do whatever it is you want to do with your life now. You wish to return with..." he narrowed his eyes at me. Sup Rishid. I raised a brow at him. "...with Bakura, correct?"

Marik glanced between his two siblings, blushing. "Yeah, but... that's okay?"

Yugi smiled at him. "You're free, Rishid-san said. I think I'm speaking for everyone when I say that we want you to return to Japan." Ryou nodded in agreement, though he looked worried about something. I think I know what it's about. Yami also...

"Then..." Marik bit his lip. "If I'm free... of the Sennen Items... Bakura... Bakura and Ryou are free also!" he pointed out, glancing over at Ryou and I, then back to Ishizu. "They can't go back to the mansion they used to live in. They won't have a home... What about them?"

Yami suddenly spoke up. "There's room at the Mutou household for one more." Yugi's eyes widened at this and he was about to open his mouth in protest when Yami cut him off. "Ryou could live there."

Ryou stared in disbelief. "M-Me..? Live with the Mutou family..?"

"Mm," Yami nodded, "you and Yugi are good friends. I think it would work out well." Yugi still looked confused, but I think I understand. There's going to be room there because Yami will no longer be there, that's got to be it. And he wants to ensure that Yugi won't be lonely without him, by having Ryou there for him. He's... considerate, I suppose. In a weird, bastard sort of way. Hmph.

I decided to speak up at last. "And that leaves me nowhere. Whatever. I'll rent out some apartment for a year, so I can finish up my final year of Domino High."

"No way!" Marik snapped. "Asshole, you should come live with me!" That brought about a silence to the table. He looked around at everybody. "...He's my boyfriend, I want him with me. Besides, I'm the best person to keep an eye on him. He can't manage living alone, I'm sure."

"Hey, I resent that!" I can live on my own just fine!

"It's true! You don't do any chores at the Crawford mansi-"

"Well, I didn't have to!"

"Just live with me, you idiot!" he huffed. Another silence. And then Mana decided to speak. I really wish she didn't.

"Heh, you both are blushing," and then she reached over and poked at my cheek. Bitch, you have three seconds to back off before I knife you.

Ishizu sighed. "...Marik... if that is what you want... then Bakura can live with us, at least for his final year at Domino High."

My eyes widened. Whoa, shit! Really? Even Yami was looking shocked! However, Marik looked ecstatic and immediately went off on a happy tangent about what life was going to be like with us living in the same house. I'm not sure if he should be that excited, I'm kind of hell to live with. But the fact that Marik was so excited to have me around... I guess that was pretty awesome. Well, we are badass partners in crime, duh.

The final year of Domino High is going to be awesome.

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A week later, all of us were back at the Cairo International Airport to catch a flight back to Japan. Mana and Rishid had come to see us off, Yami also. Yugi kept commenting that Yami wasn't bringing back as much as he'd taken over. What kind of killed me was that he sounded like he didn't know the truth. Yami, we're about to fly back and I know... I know you're not getting back on that plane! When are you going to say it?

Rishid focused his goodbyes on Marik and Ishizu mostly, so I left them too it. Meanwhile the rest of us got armfuls of Mana and I was the only one who actually minded this. Fucking sheesh. I know these guys think I'm their friend now, but I'm only in it for Marik. Is it really that hard to see?

"I'll miss you all!" Mana cried out, as she clung to Yugi tightly. "You have to visit, lots and lots, okay? This time I'll take you all for tours around Egypt! I'll show you the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx and well, everything!"

"We will, we will," Yugi assured her as he pulled away from the hug. "Yami and I would love to visit." I glanced at Yami, who immediately averted his eyes from me. Subtle.

Mana blinked. "Eh? Yugi... Atemu didn't mention that... um..." Then she too glanced off to the side. Ryou tilted his head to the side in confusion and I pulled my best poker face. Yami cleared his throat and took a step towards Yugi, who looked absolutely puzzled to say the very least.

"Yami... what didn't you mention to me..?"

Marik finished speaking with Rishid and joined me at my side. He glanced between Yami and Yugi, feeling the awkward tension that was filling the air. I reached for his hand and held it tight as the two of us watched on. Finally, Yami spoke up.

"I have decided to stay behind in Egypt."

Oh hell, did he have to be that blunt? Yugi looked bewildered, disbelieving. Actually, it took a good few moments for the comment to be registered in his brain. But it was Ryou who raised his voice in protest. "What do you mean, you're staying behind? Why didn't you mention it to the rest of us beforehand? Yugi and the rest of us are going back to Domino City, to see family and friends, to finish up our education, to return home and... you're not joining us..?"

Yami flinched at that. I glanced around at the others. Marik was looking surprised, but he didn't say anything. Mana knew; I could see that. Same with Rishid and Ishizu. Ah, so Yami mentioned it to quite a few of us. But why was Ryou speaking up more than Yugi? Yugi hung his head low, unable to speak a word. Poor bastard.

"...Ryou, you're misunderstanding me," Yami replied, though his voice sounded a little more awkward than before. "Egypt was my original home. I haven't gotten all my memories back and there's still so much I want to do here. I cannot wait to do such things. My parents and my home, I have to find them too. And I do not wish to have Yugi miss out on doing the things he wants to do back in Domino City. I do not want Yugi to think that means I no longer care about him either, nor do I want any of the others to think so too. It's not just the Ishtar family who are free from the Sennen Item curse. My life was bound to them also and now I am free too. I have a whole life ahead of me and I want to discover myself properly. Thus I have chosen to stay here, at least until I have found my family again."

Part of me wondered how Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda, Otogi and Shizuka would react to such words. They treasure Yami so much more than I do. Marik's hold on me tightened. Ah, he too cares for Yami a great deal. Ryou was tearing up. As for Yugi... he was wiping furiously at his eyes, trying to summon a response.

"A-And there's no reason I... I can think of to deny you of what you want," Yugi answered at last, smiling tearfully. "I... I want to support you with such a decision... and I think I can still do that from Domino City..." He shook his head. "No, I know I can. And all our friends, they'll be supporting you too!"

Yami took a step closer to him, taking both of Yugi's hands in his own. "Thank you, aibou. It means a lot to hear that."

"But that's not all!" Yugi blurted out, his cheeks reddening. Yami waited for him to continue. The shorter of the two took a deep breath. "I'm not going without... without telling you the most important thing of all..! Yami, no... Atemu! I... I love you!"

I craned my head round to examine the different reactions. Ishizu brought a hand to her lips in surprise, while Rishid looked a tad confused. Ryou was surprised but smiling widely, while Marik was muttering to himself, something along the lines of "I so called it, I so called it!" Sure thing, Marik. Mana was sparkling in delight and as for Yami...

Earth to Yami?

A magnificent blush had spread across his cheeks, going all the way to his ears. I think everyone kind of expected Yami to be the first to say it, huh? But when I think about it, maybe it made more sense that Yugi said it first. Even though Yami is so observant, he is actually pretty awkward in social situations where he's not necessarily in control. And Yugi is an honest person, kind and caring, I guess. He's a lot like Ryou and they're both very sensitive sorts of people. So I guess Yugi is better with expressing himself... or at least he is now.

But Yami's face is fucking hilarious. He looks so awkward and he's a flustered mess, yet he's trying to keep his default serious face intact and I'm trying not to double over laughing. And looking at Marik, it seems I'm not the only one.

"I-I-I love you too!" Yami responded at last, bringing about the same flustered expression in Yugi. Man, those two are made for each other. Fucking hell. The pair of them stared at each other, as if unsure what to do next. Mana looked as if she was this close to yelling out suggestions of what they should do. So I decided to round up Marik, Ryou and Ishizu to go with me and give Yami and Yugi more space. Or at least that was the plan.

However, I got distracted – Yami suddenly leaned in and pressed a kiss to Yugi's lips. Yugi's bags fell from his hands as he slowly raised them to clasp at Yami's sleeves. Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi's waist to pull him closer as they continued their kiss.

"All that sexual tension must be being relieved now!" Marik whispered to me as he pulled me away with him. "Though someone should probably tell them that the airport isn't the place for it."

Marik, don't you even think about it. You know that if it was us kissing, we wouldn't care where we were, just that we were getting some lip action. I sighed and reached over to tap Ryou's shoulder. He flushed a little, realising that he'd been watching Yami and Yugi the whole time and began to follow us also. Finally Yami and Yugi broke the kiss, only to share another. And another. Come to think of it, it really is goodbye for them, at least for a while. Ryou seemed more distressed by that fact than Marik and I.

But I nearly lost Marik for good. Compared to Yami and Yugi, I felt my potential loss was far greater. Even if they're not going to be in the same location for a while, they can still get in contact with one another and arrange to meet each other again. If Marik died, there was no way I could do that. Or maybe I just immerse myself far more in my own problems rather than feel empathy towards others. Hmm.

Still, Yami and Yugi finally exchanged their goodbyes. And Marik, Ryou, Yugi, Ishizu and I went back to Domino City, Japan. The flight was long and the most part boring. Marik kept taking naps and leaving me to my own devices. Tch, what a useless boyfriend. Yugi and Ryou talked and talked for hours about the future and Ishizu immersed herself in magazines and newspapers and in-flight movies. But there were times where Marik was awake and when he was awake, we talked. We talked about a lot of things.

What stuck with me the most though was the conversation of what we would do after our final year of Domino High.

"You should save most of your money, Bakura," he commented when I asked what he thought I should do. Honestly, I had no clue. What are my talents? What are my interests? I'm not sure about university... luckily, neither was Marik. "... You wanted to go to England, didn't you?"

My eyes widened. "W-Wait! Back then, that whole Europe shit I mentioned... that was a way to get far away from Pegasus and-"

"And your family heritage traces back there, you said," he cut me off. He placed his hand over mine. "Bakura... this whole time we've known one another, it's been all about discovering me. My memories, my family, my connection to the Sennen Items... We even travelled out to my home country to solve everything. Well, okay... I ditched you guys to travel back and you all followed but... I want to know everything about you, Bakura. And if you do nothing, I'm going to run away to England to find your family and... you know I would."

Those words meant so much to me. That's right; I do know a lot more about him than he knows about me. Hell, there's a lot I don't know about my own family. I want to know so much more. The fact that Marik wants to be with me to discover all of that means so much. The fact that we can do it all together. That's what I wanted the most.

"Then... I guess we'll be wreaking havoc in England, yes?" I replied with a smirk.

He nodded. "Let's take over Buckingham Palace."

"And the London Eye."

"We had to deal with the Millennium Eye. The London Eye's got nothing on an ancient artefact that shoots laser beams. We're so taking that down."

"And Harry Potter?"

"That boy hasn't lived until he's met us and you know it."

I really cannot wait to go to England with Marik now. I really can't.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The others were waiting for us at the airport when we arrived back in. And the first thing that happened was the biggest group hug I'd ever experienced in my life. And hopefully that'll be the last one I'll ever experience. Anzu and Shizuka burst into tears with happiness, and then they cried even harder when they saw someone was missing from the group. I led everyone to a cafe in the airport and Yugi explained why Yami hadn't come back with us. Anzu looked the most hurt by this and I couldn't help but notice Otogi slipping an arm around her. Then she leaned into him as she wiped away her tears. Something's totally developed while we were away, I'm betting you.

To my surprise, Marik explained everything. He explained how he'd lost his memories and how me, Ryou, Yami, Yugi and even Seto wanted him to get those back. He explained about the Sennen Items and what they did. He spoke of why he left Domino City to go with Seto to Egypt. He even spoke of the near death experiences and how Shadi sacrificed his mind for him. And he spoke also of his and my relationship, which surprised me a lot. But it just goes to show how comfortable he was with these guys, which uh, I guess it's good for him? I still don't like the concept of sharing Marik time with them, even if they are his friends too...

But what amazed me the most was how everyone took it in stride. No, neither of them thought much of that was 'normal', nor did they make it out to be anything other than what it was. The whole situation of it all was not unique and that was obvious. Nothing they could say would change a single thing and that was acknowledged. It was accepted, all of it.

I guess that's something friends do.

Even after we ate our food, everyone kept on talking. To my surprise, even I was joining in the conversations. Though I mostly stuck to chatting with Marik and Otogi, I guess. I found out though! Otogi and Anzu had recently started dating. He said they had been kind of starting something ever since they were each other's date for that Christmas Party... I barely remember all that much from that night though, except that Marik was thinking about me a lot and we kissed. Oh, and Otogi said something about confessing to Marik, I think... In any case, this was news to me. Uh, good for them?

Ryou and Shizuka certainly kept to themselves though. They clearly only had eyes for each other. I think my brother missed her a great deal while we were in Egypt. Oh man, they're going to be the fluffiest couple on the planet, I can tell.

Oh, Jounouchi pulled the most hilarious face when I told him that I could be his future brother in law.

It was bloody brilliant.

Just when I thought everything was falling into place, with Marik and I finally going back to our home, my idiot boyfriend had to ruin it. We stopped at the front door to the Ishtar residence, with Ishizu already inside, and Marik turned to me with the utmost serious expression.

"There's still something I have to do, before I consider everything done."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

His gaze flickered to the ground for a few seconds and then back up at me. "I need to talk to Seto Kaiba."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT? I have to tell you something.

The next chapter will be the second to last, with the chapter after that being the epilogue.

It kind of amazes me in a way but... I'm really keen for the next chapter because... one, it features a TV broadcast and two, there's going to be a throwback to someone who appeared in Marik's past... Mhm~

Anyway um, thank you as always, my lovely lovely readers and my lovely lovely lovely preciously amazing reviewers! You know the drill.

Until next time! Whenever that is, lmao

Adios!

Mel-Girl.