Disclaimer: I don't own YGO

Continuity: English Version

Gum

X -x-x-x-x- X

Marik Ishtar sat in his chair looking at the two hunters prostrating themselves before him. His Millennium Rod tucked nicely in his hand, he hid his face in the shadows as they presented their spoils to him.

"Master, I managed to retrieve a Revival Jam," the one on the left proclaimed.

He scowled even further than usual. "That might be useful to me. But that isn't a very rare card."

"It was the rarest one in his deck."

Marik growled. "Who have you been dueling, then - real opponents or children?" His eyes came out of the darkness, glowing purple with menace.

He fell further to the floor. "I..."

Marik was about to scold him for being so foolish when he heard a light sound. It was like someone sucking on something and he blinked, looking around. His eyes fell to the one on the right, who was chewing something in his mouth. He looked like a camel eating grass. "What in the world do you have in your mouth?"

His head popped up, his face paling. "Uh...I, uh...Gum, my master."

A blonde eyebrow quirked up. "Gum? What is that supposed to be?" The two exchanged looks of confusion and disbelief at each other and the leader of the Rare Hunters felt something he didn't like much; Self consciousness.

It was true he didn't know much of modern society and was often finding himself not knowing the simplest of things. This had to be one of them. The irritation was building as he watched the lowly hunter before him struggle to explain what this gum was.

"It doesn't matter," he finally snapped. "You are obviously stupid enough to come here with food in your mouth, but at least be smart enough to swallow it." The man blinked in surprise.

"S-Swallow it?"

Marik growled. "Did I stutter? Swallow that immediately." The two men looked at each other again.

"But - "

Marik's eyes went wide. "But? Are you disobeying me?" He held up the Rod and it began to glow.

"No, Master! No! I would never!"

"THEN DO IT!" He roared and the hunter promptly swallowed, looking uncomfortable. The Rod stopped glowing and Marik sat back in his seat. "Oh, get out of my sight," he sighed and they got up and bowed, running away with haste.

He sighed again as he felt a familiar presence behind him. "Something wrong, Master Marik?" The brash voice asked.

"Odion...What's...Gum?"

It was silent and Marik began to wonder if his older adopted brother knew either. "Gum... It's...something that people do for entertainment, I believe."

Marik tilted his head, though still keeping his face from the older male. "What do you mean? It's food, isn't it?"

"It's like candy, I think." Odion answered.

"Candy. I see."

"But you can't eat it." Marik blinked. "You can only chew it."

Marik turned to face him finally, looking up to meet his gaze. "You...you can't swallow it?"

His tone and expression reminded him of when Marik was a child, but he pushed that thought away. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master Marik."

Marik turned back around. "Heh. Oops. What happens if you do?"

"I don't know." Odion paused to think. "I heard it stays in your stomach seven years."

Marik chuckled and shook his head. "How utterly pointless. Why would anyone waste time or money buying such a worthless thing? Stupid." He waved his hand. "You may go now." Odion nodded and walked away, leaving his younger charge alone.

The big man sighed heavily. 'If only he would let himself enjoy something...'

He rode around getting the feel of the streets, and trying to memorize them. The wind in his hair was quite calming and he found himself loving the power of this machine. However, it was getting hot and he was becoming thirsty, so he stopped at what people called a "Fast Food Joint."

He parked the motorcycle and secured the Duel Disk on his arm, just in case someone was dumb enough to challenge him, and fastened the Rod on his belt. He could care less what anyone thought of it and strolled in as if he owned place. The smell of cooked meat made his nose curl up and he was glad he wasn't hungry. He came up to the counter, ignoring the giggles of several young girls and looked at the red-head at the register.

"What would you like?" She asked.

Suddenly all his confidence was gone. He was all alone; no hunters, no Odion and had no idea what he was doing. He had never been in a place like this before and his mouth became dry while his words fumbled around. 'It would be so much easier to just control her mind and make her get it for me...' He mused.

Finally he pointed up at a picture of drinks. "Just a soda."

"What kind?" She asked.

"I..." He had no idea 'what kind.' "I...something natural." She looked confused but nodded.

"Lemon Lime. How about that?" He nodded at her question and she went to it. He could care less what flavor the stuff was. Soda sucked no matter what, but he was thirsty so he would have to deal.

His lavender eyes peered over at a child whining. He was standing in front of a red...thing with colored balls inside of it. "But mama! I want some gum!" He cried.

There it was again. Gum.

"No!" His mother chided. "We're leaving."

"Just one! Please, mommy! Please?!" The woman sighed and gave in.

"Oh, alright." The boy squealed and went to the machine and put in a coin. He turned a handle on it and opened a small door, revealing a blue ball. He jumped and put it in his mouth, the two leaving hand in hand.

For a brief second, Marik felt the emptiness of having no experiences like that with his own mother.

"Here you go." The woman behind the counter said, putting down his cup. He nodded as she told him the price and he paid the small fee of a dollar fifty.

He went to the door stopping at the odd machine. It was obviously geared to catch people on their way in or out, to gain more money. He looked at all the multiple balls and wondered why they were all different colors. What did that mean? He sat the cup on top of the square machine and rummaged around in his wallet. He looked for a coin to fit and found the quarter one to be correct. He did exactly as the child did and was rewarded with a pink ball.

The child got blue but he got pink? "You gotta be kidding me..." He rolled his eyes and took it out of the little compartment.

Holding it in his fingers, he took a closer look. The outside was hard and shiny and he brought it to his face for a sniff. Another girlish giggle make him turn and he found a teenager gawking at him. "Ugh." He grabbed his drink and walked out, finding a bench to sit on.

With his drink next to him, he continued to study this odd confection. What in the world was a food you couldn't eat? That made no sense. People were starving all over the world; at times he was one of them, yet people were making this? Wasting the world's resources to make a food you couldn't eat?

Made him angry he even spent money on it.

But since he did, he might as well see what was so darned cool about this. Why his Rare Hunter had the audacity to chew it in front of him. He frowned and popped it in his mouth, crossing his arms like a pouting child as he chewed.

First it was hard and uncomfortable. It almost hurt his jaw and he was about to spit it out, but after a few seconds, it got soft and the flavor started filling his mouth.

It was...unique. Quite unlike anything he had ever tasted before. Sweet, but not too sweet, and just...what was this flavor? He kept chewing as the flavor got stronger and his arms uncrossed, settling on his thighs.

The wind blew gently in his hair as he sat back a little, vigorously chewing this gum. He actually had to resist the urge to swallow it, it was so good.

The scowl left his face and softened his features, revealing how young he truly was, despite the years of horror he had endured. And in those minutes everything disappeared. There was no tournament, no pharaoh, no scars on his back, no loneliness, no pain, no anger.

He was just a guy sitting on a bench, chewing gum.

This is what it must feel like to be normal. This is what it must be like to just...stop and enjoy something.

A flicker of thought flashed in his mind that maybe he didn't have to do this anymore...

His phone rang and jumped him from his thoughts. He answered with a curt, "Yes," and heard one of his hunters reply.

"Master, Yugi Muto is near Sixth Street not far from me. Do you want me to engage him?"

The scowl returned, eyes flaring with wrinkles someone his age should not posses as he clenched his fist. "Yes. Go now." He hung up and stood, all the hatred back in full force.

His drink forgotten, he marched toward his bike, pausing as he got halfway there. He may not be back on this street soon, or ever again. He looked back at the restaurant and pulled out his wallet.

How many quarters did he have left?

~End