Marik Sighed Softly From Where He Sat Beside Ryou, Occasionally Sneaking A Glance Toward Him. He Almost

Marik sighed softly from where he sat beside Ryou, occasionally sneaking a glance toward him. He almost regretted it everytime.

Dark bags circled the pale boy's eyes, making him look weary and aged far beyond his years. He looked almost skeletally thin, his clothes hanging off of him far more than they did the last time the two of them had been in a room together. Everytime he shifted his shirt sleeve moved up, the dark scar on his upper arm peeking out and sending a sharp flash of regret through Marik and making his chest tighten.

Ryou had joined his friends on their trip to Egypt, to lay the Pharaoh's soul to rest, and they'd all been staying with the Ishtar family during their time in the country. Everyone seemed tired, Yugi's nervous energy almost managing to make even Rishid ansty. But none of them seemed quite as weary as Ryou, who's very frame seemed wracked with the sorrows of a life he hadn't lived. 

Marik was lost, unsure if he could help and much less what he'd even be able to do. It wasn't even like they were particularly friends, the last time Marik had even seen him was when a vengeful spirit had been puppeteering his body and that didn't really offer much in the way of bonding. The group in the room with them played games, bantering and laughing like they weren't planning on sending another of their dearest friends off to the afterlife come the morning. And Ryou tried his best to participate, leaning in when Yugi spoke to him and smiling up at Jonouchi as he danced around the room with Rishid.

But his mind seemed far off, so distant no one could seem to hope to reach him. Marik sighed again, almost sad at the thought of a soul like his so battered and worn down so early on in its life. Marik certainly wasn't much different, he still bore the marks of his own inner darkness and everyday he found himself worn down with exhaustion.

Ever since Battle City, he'd done everything he could to atone for his actions and as far as he was aware, he'd gotten redemption from his new group of friends and his family. Not that he felt he deserved it. It'd take much more than that to ease the burden he bore, the guilt that still gnawed at him from the depths of his soul. The fear that some semblance of the evil creature who'd taken his body over was still inside him, lying and waiting for its next chance to take him over again. 

"Are you ok?" A soft voice came from beside him and Marik jumped, blinking as he stared around the now empty room. Well empty save for him and Ryou, the latter of which was looking at him with eyes so full of warmth and understanding it almost made him uncomfortable.

"I…where did everyone go?" He asked quickly, narrowly avoiding the question as he looked away. He could still feel Ryou's eyes on him, a gentle gaze he didn't deserve. 

"They went to bed," he said quietly, shifting a bit on the couch so he could hug his legs, resting his chin on his knees. "They were tired. You should head to bed too I suppose, it's an early morning for everyone."

Marik paused, glancing towards him slowly and frowning. Ryou's gaze was fixed on the coffee table, empty eyes staring off into the endless void before him.

"What about…you?" Marik asked quietly, stiffening at the soft sad laugh Ryou let out.

"Oh no, I'm not tired," he murmured weakly, tilting his head a bit to glance at Marik again. A piece of his hair fell off his shoulder, exposing the pale expanse of his neck and Marik's heart stuttered. "I find sleep doesn't help me much these days."

Marik froze, his eyes widening as he stared at Ryou before letting out a weak sigh. "It doesn't…do much for me either, I'm afraid," he muttered quietly. Ryou's soft hum of understanding eased the tightness in his shoulders a bit and Marik smiled at him softly. They stayed quiet for a long moment, reveling in the moment of peace they'd seemed to find in each other's company before Ryou let out a quiet sigh.

"It's not your fault," he said softly.

Marik took a long moment to process the words that left Ryou's lips, his heart stuttering as he stared at him. Ryou's tired gaze returned to him and the pale boy smiled, soft and warm and so full of gentle kindness Marik felt like he was suffocating.

"What?" He breathed shakily, his shoulders tense as they stared at each other.

Ryou's smile widened and he hummed quietly, seemingly leaning in a bit closer. "It's not your fault," he repeated quietly, slower. So Marik could understand him. "I know you blame yourself for a lot but it's not your fault. None of us are mad at you, ok?" Marik's chest tightened and he could feel his eyes stinging, almost like he was going to cry but he couldn't. Not now. Not in front of Ryou. 

Ryou's hand reached toward him, gently placing it on top of Marik's and he gasped, almost flinching as he stared down at where their skin touched. Marik felt like he was on fire, his heart hammering so hard he was certain it would pound right out of his chest and land in his lap but the small brush of Ryou's fingers over the back of his hand managed to calm the inferno just a bit, the first bit of water after a drought. 

"I'm not mad at you," he said quietly, squeezing Marik's hand and watching the way tears pooled in his eyes, overflowing before he could stop them. 

Marik felt like he had spent his whole life drowning in the dark, clawing his way through it and frantically looking for any morsel of light. And Ryou seemed to have his own personal sun radiating from within him, banishing away any semblance of night and bathing Marik in his heavenly glow. 

"How could you…how could you not be?" He murmured weakly and his voice sounded strained even to him, raw and broken and full of longing. Ryou gently brushed his hand through Marik's hair, pushing some back from his face and smiling at him. 

"Because I know what it's like to be trapped in the dark," he said quietly, softly brushing his thumb over Marik's cheek to wipe away his tears. "It's scary and it's hard and everyday you think you could just die, you wish you would. You lay down and almost pray you won't wake up and then when you do it's disappointing, like peace has been ripped away from you."

Marik's eyes widened as he stared at Ryou, pausing before slowly reaching his own shaking hand out to clumsily tuck a piece of white hair behind his ear. Ryou sighed softly, leaning into his touch with a weak smile and nodding at him slowly.

"I understand," he said quietly, gently touching Marik's wrist and pressing his cheek into his palm. Ryou's skin felt cold and Marik shivered softly before slowly leaning in closer, letting Ryou rest his head on his shoulder. They melted into each other, the comfort of one lost soul finding another and finally letting themselves fall. It felt warm. It felt safe.

"I'm sorry," Marik whispered quietly, resting his head on top of Ryou's as their battle worn bodies relaxed.

"I know," Ryou breathed, melting into Marik's warmth and sighing softly, gently tangling their fingers together. "But you don't have to be. Not to me."