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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:55:44 GMT -5
Chapter 1: Arranged Marrage
Preparations were being made in the great hall of the Ishtars underground home. A young boy with sandy blonde hair and violet eyes was wandering the passageways watching all the chaos surrounding him. They were expecting visitors, that much he knew, but he wasn’t interested in the reason behind it.
He was nine years old and all his young life he had been told by his strict, slave driver of a father to study about a dead pharaoh and the ancient history of Egypt. He felt bitter at this thought because all he wanted to do was play with other children his age and go to the upper world and explore. There was a problem though; because he was the first born Son of the Ishtar family he was condemned to spend the rest of his life in this underground prison.
’This is going to be so boring! Why is he even inviting these people? What’s so special about them anyway?’
His thoughts were interrupted by his ‘brother’ Odion calling his name.
”Master Marik! What are you doing down here? Your father told you to go to your room and prepare for the arrival of the Benu family!”
Marik looked at his brother warmly. He had always been there for him since he was a baby and loved him just as much as he loved his sister Ishizu. He couldn’t understand why his father treated him the way he did.
” I just wanted to see what was going on. Do you know? Who are the Benu’s?”
Marik decided just then that he wanted to know the reason behind their visit. Plus when Odion said ‘the Benu family’ the thought came to him that they might have a child as well that he could make friends with.
Odion looked at his little brother wondering if he should tell him or not but decided to play it safe and give him a little information to satisfy his curiosity for now, but without giving away the exact reason for their visit.
“The Benu’s are the leaders of the Heka Clan” he explained to Marik.
Marik looked interested now, he didn’t realise that there were any other clans out there besides themselves.
”What do they do?” he asked looking up at Odion with his big violet eyes.
”The Benu’s are a very important high class family like yourself that protect the ancient texts of Egypt containing written magic. They have the ability to protect and even heal using these skills”
Marik looked very interested.
’maybe they’ve come to show us how to use some of this magic!’ he thought growing even more excited.
He was about to ask about this when out of the corner of his eye he saw the angry form of his father coming towards them. If you were to stand them next to each other you could tell they were father and son. They both had the same hair colour and hair style and Marik obviously had his father’s eyes.
“Marik! I thought I told you to stay in your room and get ready! I’ve been looking for you all over the place! They’ll be here any minute now!”
Mr Ishtar grabbed Marik’s hand and dragged him to a chamber that was essentially a living/dining room.
“Sit!” he ordered.
Marik sat down quickly not wanting to cross his father. It wouldn’t be very wise of him to disobey him twice in one day. Marik watched his father pace back and forth glancing at his son every now and then. Eventually he turned to speak to his son.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m going to so much trouble to welcome these people” he stated.
Marik nodded slightly.
“As you are well aware, we tomb keepers are restricted to stay underground until the pharaoh returns. This could happen at any time, it could happen tomorrow or hundreds, maybe even thousands of years in the future. Because we don’t know, we must prepare for that scenario. That is why I have invited the Benu’s to come here. I have found you a wife to ensure our family line continues”
Marik didn’t expect this. His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth was hanging open slightly.
He didn’t want to get married! He was only a nine! He wasn’t supposed to even like girls at his age. They had germs! You could catch something fatal! And while he knew he would have to marry someday, he would prefer it if he got to choose who he married. He knew better then to argue with his father though; if he did he would surely pay for it later.
Just at that moment Ishizu walked into the room with three people following behind her. One of them was a little girl wearing a pink dress. She was quite plain. She had blonde hair that fell down just below her shoulder blades, she had tanned skin and big icy blue eyes. She was quite skinny too. The girl looked no older then seven.
“That must be her!” Marik thought to himself heatedly. “Well I’ll make sure she knows what I think of this marriage and her! She’s probably looking forward to it! She’s not even that pretty! She looks a little scruffy too! How do they expect me to marry this girl?”
During the time he was thinking all this, their parents had sat at the other side of the room and were talking and signing papers to complete the marriage contract. The girl had a feeling he was looking at her and glanced up to see the most vicious look she had ever seen on a person.
'Why does he keep looking at me like that for? It’s not my fault! I don’t want to marry him. He seems so arrogant for someone so young. I bet he takes after his father. Oh joyous' she thought sarcastically.
A few minutes later after the signing of the contract the adults stood up, shook hands and walked back over to the now betrothed couple. Mr Ishtar began the official introductions and looked at his son.
“This is your future wife Merissa Benu” he turned to face the girl “This is my son and your future husband Marik Ishtar”
They both bowed their heads as a sign of greeting and muttered a quiet hello to each other whilst secretly thinking to themselves “How am I ever going to get out of this?”
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:56:11 GMT -5
Chapter 2: Nice to meet you too
A few weeks had gone by since the Benu’s arrival and things were not any better between Marik and Merissa then when they had first met. Marik seemed to make it his life’s mission to create as much hassle and distress to the girl as humanly possible.
He was constantly mocking her, especially about her appearance. Merissa was an insecure girl at the best of times. At first she couldn’t understand why he was being so malicious towards her. After a few days though she realised it must be because of the marriage arrangement. She had met Ishizu when he had first started the verbal insults. She sent Marik away on an errand after making him apologise to her. Apparently he had never acted like that before! Merissa found that hard to believe, was that supposed to make her feel better or something!!?
The seven year old girl sat in one of the guest rooms that was reserved for her family. She had just been crying her heart out…..again.
“How many times have I cried since I first came here, I must stop or I’ll become dehydrated…” she joked to herself miserably.
That was one thing she would never do. Cry in front of Ishtar. That was exactly what he wanted!! Well she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he had succeeded.
“I wish mama and papa would hurry up and finish this whole business so we can go home, I don’t know how much more I can take of him” she whispered to her rag doll, hugging her tight and rubbing her eyes. She wished she had someone to talk to, but her parents wouldn’t hear a bad word against her future ‘husband’.
Marik was always careful when he insulted her, making sure they were alone. Especially after Ishizu heard him the first time. What made it worse was he was very polite and charming towards her and her family whenever people were around. She remembered telling her mother what he had said to her only to have her say she was overreacting and that Marik was such a sweet boy who would never say things like that.
Merissa felt so alone. She didn’t want to get married to someone like him in the first place. All she could hope for was that they be civil towards each other and possibly become friends but all chances of that happening were destroyed when he made the first move to speak to her.
----------------Flashback
The three adults walked out of the room where they had first met to tour around the Ishtar home. Merissa tried to think of something to begin friendly conversation with her intended only to have him sneer at her and remark. . .
“Listen to me! I don’t care what my father says but I refuse to marry you! So why don’t you just do everyone a favour and take that ugly mug of yours and shove it up a Donkey’s backside!”
Merissa stood there wide eyed and shocked that he had said such a thing to her. Marik smirked.
”Do you need help to do that? Because I know where to find one…...”
There was no way she was going to risk that! No way in the seven hells!! Even if he was bluffing, which she wasn’t too sure he was. She muttered a quiet farewell and turned quickly to catch up with her parents. Marik stifling a laugh behind her.
---------------End Flashback
It wasn’t so bad the insults. In reality they were quite stupid and Merissa knew this. It was just the fact that he kept repeating them over and over and over again, that she started to feel as if they were true.
She was plain and she knew that. She was only seven and wasn’t too bothered about her looks at the moment. There was plenty of time to discover her own sense of style, but she wasn’t butt ugly like he was making her out to be….was she?
“Arrrrrrggh!!!!! Stop it you’re letting him get to you!!” her grip on the rag doll grew tighter.
“But he has a point, I mean look at you! Your hair is disarray, your dress is creased to high hell and you talk to dolls. You are pretty…..pretty pathetic that is!”
That voice in her head was her biggest enemy. She managed to shrug off what Marik had said to her only to have some voice nag at her that he was right! She hated that voice.
Merissa decided to have a walk to clear her head. She hid the doll in her room under her pillow. If Marik were to see her with it….. Well she didn’t want to feed the flames of insults.
“He’s going to get worse as he gets older, I just know it”
She walked towards the library to get something to read only to find Marik sitting there studying over some scrolls. Merissa backed up slowly past the door and around the side of it, accidentally kicking a stone behind her. “Please Ra! Don’t let him have heard that” she prayed squeezing her eyes shut.
Her eyes shot open again when she heard him get up and walk towards the door. She quickly turned around to leave trying to make it look as if she had just passed by.
Marik poked his head out of the library to see Merissa practically running down the passageway. He smirked at her and decided to have a little fun.
'I need a break anyway'
He kept following her as she tried desperately to find somewhere with people so he would leave her alone. But then the thought came to her that even if she found someone they would shoo her away not wanting a child standing around watching them. “Great! Now what am I gonna do, he’s waiting until I give up then he’ll start with the insults again”
Merissa spun around to face him “what do you want Ishtar?!”
“Nothing from you Benu”
“Then why are you following me? Have you come to throw more insults at me?!!!”
“I don’t need to anymore; I think I’ve finally gotten through to you….or have I? Oh well just to make sure......”
Merissa turned around again and began to walk away from him not wanting to hear anything he had to say. She wasn’t feeling any better from their last encounter and wasn’t sure if she could hold back tears this time.
“Where are you going? Are you going to hang yourself? Do you want some help? I know where we could find a nice high place to throw you off. It won’t hurt for long.....” he looked up to see her walking away from him “Come back here!!”
She continued to walk away. Marik grew angry at this. He had expected her to answer back with a stupid remark like she always did, and he would start to taunt her until her eyes watered up and she ran away. He knew she was close to breaking point and wanted to see her cry before she left tomorrow. This was his last chance. He strode up to her and grabbed her arm.
“Let go of me Ishtar!!!” she struggled to loosen his grip on her arm but he was two years older then her and a lot stronger, so she had no choice but to be pulled along with him. “Where is he taking me? What is he going to do?” She was frightened now. He had never done anything like this before; she thought he really was going to find that place to hang her from, until he dragged her into her room and slammed the door shut behind them.
“When I tell you to do something… you do it!! I can’t stop this marriage so I suppose I will have to make it as bearable as I can for myself. So listen to me!
1. You will be quiet and never speak unless spoken to and never say more then you have to!
2. Make sure that you wear a veil when in public; I will not suffer the humiliation of an inadequate and unsightly wife such as yourself!
3. I don’t find the idea of having children with you very appealing, so I may have to look around for a more suitable girl to do that job in your place, and finally…..”
He grabbed her by the hair and pulled hard making tears roll down her face.
“You will obey me and like it….unless you wish to be severely punished. Do you understand me?!!”
Merissa nodded her head vigorously. If he was doing this to her now when he was supposedly ‘young and innocent’ then what would he be like when he was older and more likely to carry out his threats?
“Good girl” he said mockingly patting her on the head, as if he were talking to a dog.
He turned around wiped his hand on the bed and left her alone in her room sitting on the floor. He shot her a nasty smirk as he closed her door behind him satisfied that he had broken her spirit. He looked at his closed hand. He had pulled quite a lot of her hair out “never mind” he chuckled letting them fall to the floor as he made his way back to the library to study.
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“Thank you for your hospitality” said Merissa’s father shaking Mr Ishtar’s hand. “You have been very kind to let us stay here” Merissa stood behind her Mother clutching at her skirt, staring at the floor.
Ever since Marik had cornered her last night her despair had dropped quite a few notches. “Marik meant every word he said. How can I marry him knowing full well what’s waiting for me?”
Marik walked into the hall to say his farewells to the Benu’s. Especially to his future wife. The young girl looked up at him anxiously. He was smiling in such an innocent way it made her nauseous.
“Thank you for staying with us, it was a pleasure!”
He looked at Merissa significantly. The adults surrounding them mistook it as a sign of young love and smiled at the young couple. Merissa knew what Marik meant but knew also that if she told anyone they wouldn’t believe her and would see it as an attempt to try and get out of the marriage.
“It was nice to meet you” she replied quietly.
“Well then” started Mr Ishtar “we will see you again when Miss Benu here comes of age, we look forward to it. Have a safe journey” he turned around and began to walk back into the darkness, Marik following behind him. Merissa followed her Parents out into the scorching hot upper world.
Her eyes took a while to adjust to the brightness of the midday sun. Some servants from their clan had arrived with a few camels to take them home. She walked up to her father and he picked her up easily, sitting her in front of him. As they began to ride out towards the town her Mother spoke, looking to her young daughter.
“I think it’s high time we made you into a lady Merissa, when we arrive home I will have Maka begin teaching you your place as a wife. By the time she’s through with you Mr Ishtar will be very glad he agreed to this marriage”
Summary of next chapter: Merissa is now 15 years old going and she runs away from home to begin a new life in Domino with Maka her carer/nanny.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:56:55 GMT -5
Chapter 3: Escape
"Miri! Your bath is ready!" called an elderly woman in the room joining Mirassa's bedchamber.
Mirassa looked up from the book she was reading. "Hold on Maka, I'll be there in a moment" she said quietly but loud enough so she could hear her. The young woman stood up and closed the book. She walked over to her desk and slipped it in a secret compartment down the back. Her father didn't want her to learn any of the spells they're family had been keeping secret for all these millennia. He saw it as something only men were entitled to learn. If he were to find out his daughter had been copying spells into books and practicing them behind his back he would be outraged and would more then likely punish her for it.
"I'm coming!" she called walking into the bathroom.
Maka was waiting for her with towels, a bath robe and scented oils. Mirassa stepped behind a screen placed by the bath and undressed. She carefully descended the steps into the bath which was set into the floor. The oils and scented petals that were already in the water gave it a milky look. Mirassa dipped her head back into the water and breathed deeply. She needed some aromatherapy to calm her down. Maka noticed that she was particularly stressful today and wanted to help alleviate that feeling.
"The poor girl, she's been getting increasingly more troubled this past year. I suppose it's because of her upcoming marriage to that Ishtar boy" she thought to herself.
Mirassa had been very quiet the moment she had returned from that place. Maka remembered asking her what was wrong several times over many weeks only to be answered with "nothings wrong, I'm alright" Maka knew she wasn't telling the truth. She had never seen Mirassa so depressed before so she continued to try and get her to confide in her, until eventually she broke down in tears and told her everything that Marik had said and done. Maka was shocked. She couldn't believe that he would say such things and told the girl to tell her parents. Mirassa told her that she had already tried but they didn't believe her. All Maka could do was comfort her and be there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on.
As a result they both became very close. Mirassat saw Maka as a mother figure rather then a servant, especially since her own mother passed away seven years ago. A year after the arrangement was made.
Her father decided that Maka would care for his daughter and teach her how to be a respectful wife. Maka did so and also helped Mirassa become more outgoing then she was before. Maka also couldn't help but spoil Mirassa a little. She loved her so much. Not like her older brother Baal, He was just like his father. He seemed to think he was superior to everyone. He was overprotective of his baby sister; he didn't allow her to do anything because he didn't think she could handle it. This angered both Mirassa and Maka but as they were 'only women' they couldn't do anything about it.
Maka had worked hard on Mirassa to make her more confident about herself. She helped her improve her appearance which to tell the truth didn't need that much work anyway. Mirassa was a pretty girl but because she was a late bloomer she didn't really care about what she looked like, that is until some boy pointed it out to her over a period of several weeks.
There was no way he could say those thing to her now. Mirassa had changed dramatically over the past eight years. She had matured into a fine young woman with long blond silky hair that reached down to the middle of her back. She had a side parting with a fringe that hung a little over her face. Her bright icy-blue eyes had long dark lashes; she had a delicate nose, rosy red lips and a slender neck. Her figure could put supermodels to shame. She was very curvy and put simply, she was stunning.
"Miri sweetheart are you feeling alright? You know you can tell me anything" Maka said trying to get her to share her feelings.
Mirassa looked up at the ceiling "To be honest I don't know, time is passing by so quickly now that I'll be on my way to marry Ishtar before I know it!"
She looked down again with a deep sigh. She was feeling very miserable but didn't want to bother the older woman with her problems. She couldn't hide anything from her though, Maka wasn't stupid. She knew her better then anyone.
"I know you're feeling upset about this marriage and believe me if I could do anything about it I would, but you know what? Things may be different now… Marik may be different. He's probably matured a lot over these past few years, most boys do"
"It doesn't matter whether he's changed or not!" she cried "I hate him! I don't want to marry him! I will always remember how we met, how he enjoyed making my life a misery! How he threatened me….. I will always remember…" tears were falling fast and furious.
Maka leaned forward and pulled her over to give her a hug being careful not to fall in the water. She didn't know what to say to make thing better so she decided it was best if Miri just cried it out.
Once she had washed up, Mirassa climbed out of the bath behind the screen dried herself with a towel and put on her robe. She walked back into her bedroom and sat down at her dressing table. She picked up her hairbrush and began to work the tangles out of her wet hair.
Maka gathered the wet towels and worn clothes and went to leave but not before turning to Mirassa and saying softly to her "everything will be alright…you'll see"
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In the morning Mirassa woke with a start. Maka was talking to someone outside of her bedroom door. They both had hushed voices so she couldn't make out what they were saying but Maka sounded happy that was for sure.
Mirassa pulled the veil curtain surrounding her bed aside and stood up. Maka walked in at that moment with a big smile on her face.
"What are you so happy about?" the young woman asked curiously. "What's happened?"
"I've been speaking to some of the other servant women; I mentioned to them that you were feeling down about your betrothal to Ishtar. They didn't press for details but they got the point that you don't exactly like him very much. I told them that I wished I could take you away from all this, and that was when they said there might be a way…"
Mirassa's eyes lit up "there's a way for me to get out of this?!" she whispered excitedly.
"Yes but we need to plan for it, it may take a week or two but if all goes well we should be alright" Maka smiled
"What's the plan then? When do we start?" Mirassa was shaking with excitement. Maka hadn't seen her this happy for over ten years. She missed it.
"Well" Maka thought for a second "the plan is to leave this place and set up home far away from here. In order to do this we will need an item that we can sell to get enough money together to set up home. Once we have that we need to barter a passage out of Egypt. That shouldn't be a problem; the only thing that will be tricky is getting you out of here without anyone noticing"
"Oh no" Mirassa said miserably "that's going to be impossible. People will notice if they see me. Papa has guards all over the place, they're not stupid. They'll realise what we're up to if they see me leaving"
Maka's smile widened "Don't worry about that. The girls and I have been talking about this all night long and we have a solution. As you may or may not know, a few times a week many of the servants go to the oasis near here and fetch water. We will disguise ourselves and follow them. As the last of them goes to leave, we will pretend to get water. When they are out of site we can gather our possessions that a few others will have brought and hidden around there and make our way to a boat"
"You 'have' been busy!" Mirassa said sounding very impressed. "That seems like a good plan! Can we start now? I'll look around for something we can sell. We have lots of artefacts here, but it'll have to be something papa wont miss, at least until we're gone anyway"
"Yes, you do that Miri. In the meantime I will get the others to make arrangements for the boat and I'll gather the supplies we'll need. We will only be able to take one bag each with us though, so we'll have to take things that are necessary and no more" Maka turned to leave.
"Wait" said a soft voice behind her. She looked back to see the young woman with an indebted look on her face "Thank you so much, you have no idea how grateful I am for this"
Maka smiled and gave Mirassa a tight hug. "Thank me when we've settled into our new home"
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A few days had passed since their little conversation and things were getting underway for the escape. Mirassa had looked around for something that they could put up for sale and make a nice tidy sum of money. She also had to make sure it was something her father wouldn't notice was gone straight away. This wasn't too much of a problem though because there were lots of rooms with ancient artefacts decorating them. Mirassa decided on a vase with an elaborate pattern on it. It was gold plated, very old and very valuable.
"This'll do" she thought to herself and hid it away as she left the room.
As it turned out though, the vase sold for a huge amount of money to a private buyer in an auction. We're talking almost a million here!
Maka had her friends take care of other things like hiding their luggage at the oasis and arranging transportation to the boat as they were able to leave the clans home without suspicion. Everything was arranged. The time was approaching for the escape.
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Mirassa ate her dinner in silence. She looked at her father and brother who were talking to each other, unaware that they were never going to see her again after tonight. At this thought Anuket's eyes watered slightly. She didn't particularly get along with them, but they were her family nonetheless and she would miss them.
"Papa would you mind if I went to bed early, I feel really tired"
"Yes I suppose so. Just don't forget that tomorrow we begin to talk about the wedding arrangements" her father replied.
Mirassa bowed her head to her father and brother "goodbye" she said quietly.
They looked at her strangely. "Goodbye?" her brother laughed. "Why Miri, Are you going somewhere?" Mirassa smiled and walked out of the room. That was the last time she would see her family ever.
She walked down the corridors until she came to her room. When she closed the door behind her, she began to go through her drawers. Mirassa knew that when dawn came she would have to leave, and she didn't want to go without a certain item. She took out her jewellery box and set it on the desk. She opened it up to hear a tune playing. Her mother used to sing that to her when she was a little girl. Tears formed in her eyes. Anuket missed her mother very much; she reached into the box and lifted out a necklace.
It was a very beautiful gold necklace. There was a miniature ankh hanging on a delicate looking, but sturdy chain. It belonged to her mother and there was no way she would leave that behind. She put it on and lay down for bed, Ipet would be calling for her early in the morning when it was time to leave.
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"Miri" an old woman's voice whispered through the door "are you awake?" Mirassa sat up quickly recognising the voice as Maka's and ran towards the door to let her in.
"Are we ready to leave?" the young girl asked, both excited and nervous at the same time.
"Yes, its time. Do you have everything?" she asked handing Mirassa a brown servants robe. "Yes, there's nothing else here worth taking with me"
Maka nodded and handed the girl a water jar. She motioned for Mirassa to follow her. They made their way out into the corridor and walked along hiding their faces under their hoods from the guards. Ten minutes later, they eventually found the servants who were going out to the oasis. They waited until all the servants had exited through the door and ran up behind them so that they were last in line. "This is it, there's no turning back now, not that I'd want to anyway" Mirassa thought to herself as they walked into the desert.
It seemed to take forever for the servants to collect the water. There were a lot of them. Soon enough though, it was their turn. "Now what?" Mirassa whispered as the last servant gathered her jar of water and turned around to go back. "Wait a minute, let's pretend to gather water until she's further away from us" Maka replied.
They slowly walked over to the oasis and bent down. They made out to be filling their jars, and it was just as well they did because the woman glanced over her shoulder as she walked away. Ipet watched her carefully as she shrank into the distance. She looked at Marassa and whispered hurriedly.
"Now when I say go, run towards those trees, there should be a man waiting through there who will take us to the port in Cairo"
Mirassa could feel her heart racing. This was it, she was almost free! If things went to plan, she would soon be living a life she had only dreamed of. No more living with two sexist males who believed her only purpose in life was to marry and raise the children of a man who had power and high status. This thought made her even more terrified, what if the man wasn't there? She would have to go back home and face her father the next day to begin the wedding arrangements. She was broken from her chain of thoughts when the elderly woman next to her spoke.
"Ok, wait…….." Mirassa held her breath. "Alright let's go" They ran towards the trees as fast as they could. Mirassa was amazed at the sudden burst of energy her tutor showed. She must be at least seventy years old but ran as if she was only thirty. "Maka must be really excited about this; I doubt she's ever done anything like this before" she mused giggling to herself.
As they ran through the trees, they saw a middle aged man waiting for them. He was standing by a land rover. The moment he saw the two women running towards him, he opened the door to the passenger seats.
"I've already put your things in the back ladies, have a seat and buckle up" he said smiling to them.
Mirassa had never been in a car before and was looking forward to it, as well as all the other things she would soon experience and learn about. She got in and after a bit of fumbling, managed to buckle her seatbelt, Maka did the same. The man sat in the driver's seat and started up the car.
"Next stop Cairo" he announced.
As they drove away, Mirassa looked back towards the oasis and the desert she had called her home for the last fifteen years. She breathed a long sigh of relief. That wasn't so hard; it just seemed so at the time.
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A forty minute drive later and they had arrived in Cairo. They drove past the buildings through the crowded streets until they came to the pier. Mirassa had never seen so many boats before in her life, hell she'd never even seen one until now what with her growing up in the desert and all.
She got out of the land rover and gathered their belongings. Both women made their way towards the boat with big smiles on their faces. It was 9:00am and by the time anyone noticed they were missing they would already be sailing across the ocean to their new home in Domino.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:57:49 GMT -5
Chapter 4: New Beginnings
Mirassa and Maka had been living in Domino for a month now and they were very settled into their new life. They had stayed in a hotel when they first arrived and soon began looking for a home of their own. Eventually they found a house just on the outskirts of town. It was on a quiet street and was very cosy. They moved in not long after due to the fact that they could pay the full asking price right away. During that month, they had bought furniture and appliances to make their new home comfortable and as different as possible from their previous dwelling back in Egypt. Between the two of them, they had been very successful.
Mirassa was in her room smoothing out the creases in her school uniform. She was very excited because as of tomorrow she would officially begin her life as a normal teenager. She remembered the day when she first started exploring Domino with Maka. There were lots of girls and boys her age carrying bags, and wearing some sort of uniform. They all seemed to be coming from the same place.
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Flashback
"Look at all those people!" Mirassa said in awe as group upon group of teenagers walked by in smart uniforms.
"What about them?" questioned Maka, looking back and forth between Mirassa and the passing youths with a knowing smile on her face.
Mirassa had wanted to make friends, and seeing so many young people altogether had reawakened that desire.
"I've never seen so many people my own age before... can we see where they came from?" she asked, already pulling on the older woman's arm towards the direction of the oncoming students.
"Alright then" Maka sighed with mock exasperation.
She was reminded of how Mirassa used to pull her sleeve years ago when she was small and wanted to go somewhere or show her something.
They walked on, keeping an eye out for the place the students were coming from, until they saw it.
"Domino High" read Mirassa looking at the sign above the entrance.
She looked confused until she heard a boy nearby say the words 'school' and' teachers'.
"It's a school!!" she whispered excitedly to Maka "please can I go!, I'll be just like everyone else then, and I can make friends and learn new things and…" she was cut off.
"Miri, you don't need my permission, I brought you here so you could live your own life. If this is what makes you happy then by all means do it"
Mirassa smiled warmly at Maka and gave her a big bear hug before running into the building to enrol, her guardian following close behind her.
End flashback
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She sat on her new bed and crossed her legs, feeling herself sink into the soft mattress. She looked around her room smiling. She had decorated it all by herself. She had wanted to assert her own individuality and was very pleased with the results. The walls were pale yellow and the curtains and lamp shades were apple green. Her bed sheets were a patterned mixture of the two colours together, and the floor boards and furniture were made of maple. A typical teenage girls room.
"School starts tomorrow; I'd better check and see that I've got everything I need. Knowing my luck I'll leave something important behind" She thought to herself as she got up and rummaged through her school bag.
Everything was there, that must have been the tenth time she'd checked.
"Ok I have everything, I think I'll watch some teli-vis-ion" she said, taking care to pronounce the word correctly. She flicked through the channels finding nothing worth watching at this hour.
"I may as well just go to bed; I'll only keep looking for things to do. And besides, the sooner I go to bed the sooner I get to go to school"
She bounced up off the bed and changed into a black vest top and shorts. She snuggled under the covers with a contented smile on her face and fell asleep.
--------------------------- Morning
The next morning Mirassa woke up at 6.00am. She knew she would never be able to get back to sleep again, so instead she got up and changed into her school uniform.
It consisted of a short blue skirt and matching bow finished off with a pink Jacket. She looked on her dresser and found her necklace. After Mirassa put it on, she brushed her hair and put it up into a clip, loose bits of hair hanging down on both sides of her face.
She grabbed her school bag and went downstairs, being careful not to wake up Maka. As far as she knew, Maka had never been able to sleep in for so long in her life, due to the fact that she used to be a servant and had to get up early.
Mirassa went into the Kitchen and made herself some breakfast. Once she had eaten, she decided to walk through town and get some fresh air before going to school. She left a note for Maka on the kitchen table saying this, and left.
Several people were staring at her as she walked through the town, most of them were male. They had never seen the Egyptian girl before and thought she was one of the prettiest girls they had ever seen. Mirassa didn't notice the appreciative looks she was receiving and carried on walking taking in the sights.
As she walked down the street, she came across a game shop. "I may as well have a look" she mused.
The girl opened the door and stepped in. the first thing she saw was a boy with tri coloured hair. "That can't be natural!" The boy was also very short but must go to the high school because he was wearing the uniform too. He looked at her and smiled.
"What can I do for you?" he questioned politely.
"I'm just browsing. I'm new here in town you see and Im curious. There's nothing like this from where I come from" she replied looking at some cards.
"Really? Where do you come from then?" He asked, genuinely interested.
"Egypt. I moved here with my guar... Grandmother a month ago" she quickly changed the word guardian to grandmother. She didn't want to be associated with clans anymore.
"Cool! Well anyway, if you're new here then take these. Consider them as a welcoming present to Domino" he said handing her a pack of cards.
He saw her puzzled look and explained "it's a game called duel monsters. You'll learn how to play soon enough. It's really popular all over the world, Im surprised you haven't heard of it"
Mirassa put the cards in her bag "thank you very much"
She looked at the clock on the wall. She had been wandering the town for almost an hour and should probably be heading to school.
"Oh! I have to go now; I don't want to be late on my first day. Maybe I'll see you around" She smiled and turned around waving to the boy as she left the shop.
As she walked out the door a group of other people went in. "they must be friends with that boy" she thought as she heard them greeting each other.
-------------------------------------------
"Everyone!! We have a new student joining our class today, she will be here very soon" announced the teacher.
As if on cue the principle walked in with the new student following behind him.
"Class this is Mirassa Benu, she comes from Egypt. I hope you will all make her feel welcome" he said glancing at everyone, it was more of an order then anything else.
He turned to face Mirassa "Now then, you can take the empty seat over there behind Ryou; he is also a transfer student and knows what it's like to be new in a foreign school. If there is anything you need to know I'm sure he will help you"
"Thank you" said Mirassa, feeling uncomfortable with everyone watching her.
She sat down at the empty desk and looked around. She saw the boy from the game shop a few desks across to her right. He waved and gave her a thumbs up. A smile graced her lips. It seemed she had already made a friend. She recognised the other people sitting around him. They were the same ones that went into the gameshop as she came out. They flashed her a smile and she waved at them. The boy must have told them about her being new in town.
The white haired boy turned around and spoke. He had a British accent "Hello, Im Ryou. If there is anything you want to know or if you get lost then come to me, I'll do my best to make things easier for you while you're adjusting to life here".
Mirassa's smile grew wider "Thank you Ryou, Im sure I will. This place is huge"
As the lesson began Mirassa thought about how perfect her life was. "No one can take this away from me"
Her life was changing for the better and the only person who could ruin it was a certain sandy blonde tomb keeper, but he was forbidden to ever leave that place.
Or so she thought…
------------------At sea a few miles off duelist kingdom
"Forgive me master!!!!! Please don't send me to the shadow realm!!"
A young man wearing a purple robe stood over the cowering man. He was holding a golden rod with an eye on it. "You are useless!" he raised it towards the man.
"No please!!"
"I have no use for a rarehunter who can't even do the simplest of tasks" he continued, a malicious smirk growing on his face.
He was enjoying making this fool squirm. He focused his millennium rod and the man collapsed on the deck of the ship. The other rarehunters who were watching stayed silent. They knew better then to cross him.
Marik turned around and lowered the rod. His sandy blonde hair blowing in the wind from under his hood.
"Throw him overboard! He's making the place look untidy" several rarehunters went to pick him up.
Marik made his way towards his cabin to rest. It was hard work watching over these fools.
All of a sudden a rarehunter called out "There's someone in the water!"
Marik turned around "so there should be, I just told them to throw that idiot in".
He looked overboard to see what the fuss was about. Sure enough there was a man, and not the one he just sent to the shadow realm. He was holding on to a broken bit of wood and he looked weak. He must have been floating for days.
"Get him up here!" Marik shouted "I could always use more mind slaves"
Marik watched his rarehunters haul the man onto the deck. He was wearing a bandanna with Stars and stripes, he also wore sun shades
'How he's managed to keep those on after all this time is beyond me' he smirked to himself taking in the mans pitiful appearance.
The mans eyes shot open as he felt himself being pulled and prodded by the rarehunters. He fumbled around for a second. He had absolutely no clue as to where he was, and who were all these guys in purple robes anyway? Marik walked up to him and held up his rod. The mans eyes went wide as if he knew what was going to happen. Marik was about to make him a mind slave when he heard the man mutter something about "Not another one"
He decided he had better investigate this. "Not another what?" he questioned, still pointing the golden rod at the man.
"I've seen an item like the one you're holding before" he muttered.
"What did this item look like?" he pressed, growing more and more interested. If it was the one he was looking for, he could begin his plan for world domination. The man continued.
"It looked like an upside down pyramid, it had an eye on it just like that one" he said pointing to Mariks millennium rod "It belongs to a kid called Yugi Motou"
Marik's face lit up. A smile slowly spread across his face "you know this Yugi Motou?" he asked "What is your name?"
"Bandit Keith, by the way thanks for saving me" he stood up. Marik regarded him, lowering his rod for a second "Tell me, where does this Yugi Motou live?"
Bandit Keith looked at him. "This guy seems interested in Yugi. Probably wants that necklace of his, oh well I may as well tell him. This'll be payback for what he did to me back in duelist kingdom"
"Domino city, in Japan". He raised his voice "Look if you're gonna get back at him then I want in!"
"Yes. You will help me get to little Yugi, but not in the way that you think"
Marik raised his millennium rod again. The millennium eye appeared on Bandit Keith's forehead. He turned around and headed back to his room. He focused the rod again and spoke to the rarehunter at the ships controls.
"Take us back to Egypt" he commanded. Now that he knew of the pharaoh's whereabouts, he could put his plan into action. That Keith person would be the perfect tool to lure him into a trap.
"You will pay for what you did to me pharaoh!" an evil grin spread across his face. Oh he would pay!
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:58:24 GMT -5
Chapter 5: Plans set into motion
The bell rang in the student's ears, letting them know that it was time for lunch. Mirassa reached into her locker to put her books away. When she turned around she saw the boy with tri coloured hair walking towards her.
"Hey Mirassa, how are you doing in lessons so far?" he asked
"Not bad! I think I need to speed up a bit though" she replied with a thoughtful look "its not as easy as it looks is it?"
"I guess not… hey listen! You're new here so why not hang out with me and my friends? We could show you around, how about it?" he suggested "Im Yugi by the way"
"Pleasure to meet you Yugi, and yes that would be great. Thank you so much. I was worried I was going to be an outcast here!" she laughed. "Well then! Shall we go and find your friends?" Yugi nodded
They started towards the cafeteria and eventually found them sitting at a big round table. They were waving for them to come over. They all looked at the new girl. Yugi began the introductions.
"Ok everyone, you remember Mirassa from class? Well she's going to be part of our group from now on!"
He pointed towards each person and introduced them one by one one, starting with Joey.
"This is Joey wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Tea Gardner and Ryou, you remember him don't you?"
Mirassa smiled "Of course I do, it's nice to meet you all" they all replied with a "Nice to meet you too"
"So what sort of things do you like?" Tea asked.
She was happy that there was another girl in the group now. She would have someone to talk to about boys makeup clothes and all the other things girls talked about.
Mirassa hesitated "Well... Im not really sure yet. In Egypt, my culture didn't involve things that you've grown up with. This is all very new to me"
Tea looked at her and replied with a reassuring smile "Don't worry! We'll show you how things are done around here" Mirassa returned the smile. "Thanks"
Joey and Tristan were staring at her with big eyes, their mouths hanging open slightly during this conversation between the two girls. It was then that they decided to show off their manliness. Joey got there first.
"Yeah, and you know that if anyone gives ya a hard time I'll pound em for ya!"
He sat up a bit straighter and tried to show off his muscles by sticking his chest out, hoping it didn't look too obvious but enough for the female to notice. Ryou tried hard to contain his laughter seeing this, so did Yugi. Tristan saw Joey's attempt to draw Mirassa's attention
'Oh I see what he's doing; he's trying to get the new girl! Well not this time pal'
Tristan hooked his leg under Joey's chair and pulled it, sending him flying onto the floor face first.
Tristan looked up at Mirassa and said "He's all talk, if you need any help then come to me. Everyone in this school knows that he can't hold his own in a fight"
Joey sprang up from the floor shouting "Oh yeah!! Well I'll take ya on right now!!" everyone in the cafeteria was looking at the commotion going on between the two boys.
Fists were being curled up in preparation to make contact with the other persons face until Yugi shouted at them
"Hey guys! Stop it! What's gotten into you?"
They stopped fighting and looked at each other. They moved their heads to look at their friends and finally the Egyptian girl who was staring back in slight shock at the display. Obviously this method wasn't working. Silently agreeing through eye contact that this wasn't over, they shook hands and sat back down.
"Sorry" they murmured to each other.
They continued to eat lunch as though nothing had happened, which Mirassa found very odd, but entertaining. The group started to ask her questions to get to know her better and they all seemed to hit it off very well.
All this time they didn't notice cold blue eyes glaring at them from the other side of the room. Seto Kaiba looked at Tristan and Joey with disgust.
"Brawling in public. How pathetic" he thought to himself as he turned the page of the book he was reading.
He then glanced at the new addition to the group. His eyes lingered on her for a while before he realised he was staring. He broke his gaze and questioned to himself
"Why would she want to hang around a bunch of geeks like them, she's above them…"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Here we are" Mirassa said to her new friends.
She had invited them to come over to her house and hang out. Joey and Tristan were more then willing. Not just because it was 'her' asking, but she had mentioned at some point that there was food. They walked in through the side door into the kitchen.
"I'm home!" The girl called.
Maka came through the door and looked at all the teenagers standing there. She smiled at them
"Hello there, I see Miri's made some friends already" they all grinned at the elderly woman.
"Everyone this is my grandmother, Maka" Mirassa turned away from the group and gave Maka a look that said go along with it.
She seemed to get the message and invited them all into the lounge. Once she had 'fed' everyone, they sat talking about random things in general. Ryou told Mirassa about when he first came to Domino and how strange it was at first. He also told her about how he made friends with everyone. They sat there for most of the afternoon watching TV and playing duel monsters. Yugi vs Joey. Needless to say, Yugi was winning. Joey was really good and could have put Yugi in several tight spots but his attention kept getting drawn away from the game by a certain blond haired, blue eyed female with tanned skin.
They spent the later part of the afternoon teaching Mirassa how to play. She was quite good, and with some practice she could be one of the best. Eventually it was getting late and they had to break up the gathering.
"We'll see you at school tomorrow" waved Tea as she started down the street. "Ok! Thanks for coming around, it was fun!" Mirassa called to everyone. "No problem! Next time we have to go to Yugi's" said Tristan
When they had disappeared from view, Mirassa closed the door and walked back into the lounge where Maka was sitting in her chair.
"So what do you think?" she asked. Mirassa wanted her opinion because Maka had proved to be a good judge of character over the years.
"I think you've made some very good friends. They seem quite sincere and really seem to like you. You know what? You should invite them around again for your birthday"
Mirassa mock slapped her head. She had forgotten her birthday was only a month away. She would be sixteen.
"Yes, that's a good idea, we can all go out afterwards and… how did Joey describe it? Par...Tay? Oh well, either way we'll all have a lot of fun!"
---------Egypt Rarehunters Hideout---------
Marik was sitting at a rectangular table in his room. He was sorting through the cards his rarehunters had gathered over the years to make a deck powerful enough to defeat the Pharaoh. He looked at the two most powerful cards in his possession. The Winged Dragon of Ra and Slifer the Sky Dragon.
"With these two Egyptian God cards in my possession I will be unstoppable! Now all I need to do is find out where Ishizu has hidden Obelisk the Tormentor"
Marik frowned as he remembered the last time he saw his sister back in the Valley of the Kings.
------Flashback------
"If you want to carry out this madness, you're going to have to find the last card!"
"Im warning you…" Marik said slowly, raising the golden rod at Ishizu
"You'd use your millennium rod on your own flesh and blood Marik?" She said in disbelief
"If you continue to stand in my way…then yes, I'll have to" a flash of light and he was gone
------End Flashback-----
Marik hadn't used the rod the way she thought he would. How could he? Despite the fact that she opposed him she was still his big sister. Instead he had used it on himself, 'his own flesh and blood' to transport him away from that place. It had proved to be very strenuous and he wouldn't repeat it again anytime soon unless absolutely necessary.
Marik had a plan all set out in his head, plus several others just in case his rarehunters failed.
'For their sake they had better win' he thought to himself.
He had spent a lot of time creating decks for his more skilled rarehunters that focused on Yugi's weaknesses. He had managed to gain access to the database at duellist kingdom and saw that his favourite card was the dark magician, just as it was in the stone tablet depicting the pharaohs battle against a sorcerer of unknown identity.
"I will duel the pharaoh through my mind slaves! Nothing will prepare him for my god cards. Victory will be simple. When I have the puzzle, I will banish him to the shadow realm where he will wander forever in darkness."
This brought a wide smile to his face. Marik was just imagining his moment of glory when he was rudely interrupted by Odion entering the room with a box of rare and powerful cards. The older man put the box down on the table and glanced at the happy look on the young leaders face
"Master Marik, is it true you know the pharaohs whereabouts?" he asked slowly.
Marik smirked without looking at his servant "Yes I do, it won't be long now Odion. Soon I will be king! Not the spirit in the puzzle!" he laughed "things will soon be going my way…"
Marik stopped to think about his past and how up until a few years ago all decisions regarding his future were made for him. Memories flashed in front of him when suddenly one particular memory came up. His marriage. He thought for a moment, she would soon be coming of age and that meant the wedding was supposed to take place soon. However he hadn't heard from the girls family since they left his underground home nine years ago.
"I wonder if age has done her any favours, probably not. It would take a miracle to sort that mess out" he chuckled to himself "The wedding is most definitely off now that I'm in charge, perhaps when I am pharaoh I will go easy on her… lock her up in a dark cell for the rest of her life. She is not worthy of becoming my wife and I will take great pleasure in proving that to her"
Odion cleared his throat. Marik looked up quickly, he had forgotten he was still standing there. He handed several of the decks to Odion that he had been putting together and told him to give them to each of the rarehunters they were assigned to.
"Prepare the ship. All rarehunters chosen for this mission leave for Domino tonight" The young man ordered. "Yes master Marik" Odion bowed low and turned around to leave.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:58:55 GMT -5
Chapter 6: Love at first Sight
Two weeks had passed since Mirassa first started school at Domino High and life was never better. She had made some great friends who accepted her, despite her lack of enthusiasm to talk about her life in Egypt. She was particularly good friends with Tea who showed her all the best places to shop, which sort of music was decent and pointed out all the cute boys to her that were single, much to her distaste. She came here to get away from boys. Oh well, at least she had a choice of who she could date here.
Mirassa was currently watching TV. She sat on the couch, twirling her hair around her finger in boredom. It was half term and there wasn't any school for the next few weeks which was good because her birthday was in a fortnight.
Mirassa thought back to the day before. She asked her friends if they wanted to do anything on her birthday. Joey suggested that they all go out to a night club which was a popular idea amongst the group. Ryou seemed a little hesitant as they were all underage but it didn't take much to persuade him. The worst that could happen to them was they be thrown out of the club. In which case they would find another one to continue their boozing sessions.
Mirassa's thoughts were broken as the face of Seto Kaiba filled the screen on the TV.
"What's going on?"
Her question was soon answered when he began to speak.
"Greetings duelists, welcome to the town of domino. But more importantly welcome to my tournament. I see you each received your private invite to Kaiba corps very exclusive duel monsters Tournament and you had enough brains to show up here tonight"
The crowd got fired up at this remark from the young CEO. He continued.
"Being that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament just for experts, for example…" the tv screen flashed to Kaiba's new invention "You will duel with these new and improved Duel Disks. Another new rule that I have designed for the tournament is that before each duel, both players must give up their rarest card and the loser of the duel forfeits his card to the winner. My competition will make Pegasus and his duelist kingdom look like a joke"
Suddenly a view of Kaiba on his chopper came onto the screen. He was hanging onto the open door and looked deep in thought before he raised his hand into the air.
"Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disk because exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament Begins" the TV screen flicked back to the program that was showing before Kaiba's broadcast interrupted.
"A duel monsters tournament? I have a feeling that Yugi and Joey will want to compete in this. After all, they both came top in duelist kingdom! This Kaiba guy… I get the impression that there is some competition between him and Yugi. I wonder why? What happened between them?"
Obviously they hadn't told Mirassa about the incident with Kaiba the first time they had met, where he tore up Yugi's grandpas 'blue eyes white dragon' they decided it was all in the past now. No need to dwell on it.
Maka walked in from the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate. She handed it to her newly titled 'granddaughter'.
"Who was that then?" she asked, directing her gaze towards the TV.
"That was Seto Kaiba, I don't know much about him except that he owns Kaiba Corp and is a ruthless businessman" her brow furrowed slightly in thought
"I may be mistaken but sometimes in school I feel as though he is watching me"
She wasn't wrong however. Over the past few weeks Kaiba had been purposely sitting himself behind her. For whatever reason she didn't know. Apparently he had always sat in the same seat in class, but when Mirassa arrived he had begun moving around and usually sat somewhere near her. She decided not to worry about it. It's not like he had been looking at her or anything. She had always glanced back at the row behind her feeling someone's eye's roaming over her, but it was never him. Or so she thought. She wasn't exactly sure. He had quick reflexes she heard; he could have quickly dropped his eyes to the book he was always reading.
"Nah! Im sure it's not him. I must be imagining things. He's far too cold for that, and plus he has his own multi billion dollar company to run. Im just being silly"
Her thoughts returned to the upcoming tournament. He said to register tomorrow and don't bother if you weren't willing to gamble your rarest cards. It would be interesting to see these duel disks working. Holographic battles… She was impressed. Yugi had shown her the duelling arenas they had in Dominos 'Kaiba land theme park' and they were incredible. The duel disks were supposed to be even better then those, and portable too.
She turned to Maka "I hope Yugi or Joey do decide to enter! This tournament looks like a lot of fun!"
---------------------------------A few days later
Mirassa and Tea laughed and joked as they wandered through the town. They were looking for outfits to wear at Mirassa's birthday bash at the nightclub. They had to make it believable that they were the legal age for drinking.
"That won't be too hard for us!" said Mirassa rather loudly "We are very mature for our age..." she pulled out a lollipop and put it in her mouth.
She swirled it around in a childish way. Tea couldn't help but laugh at her friends antics. They had been café crawling and Mirassa was very high on sugar from all the coca colas she'd been knocking back.
"Ooooooh! Let's have a look in there" Tea pointed to an expensive clothes store.
She dragged Mirassa in by the collar when she showed no sign of moving. They spent nearly half an hour looking around the racks of clothes the store had to offer before finally picking out the outfits they wanted. Tea decided on a baby blue strappy dress that went down to her knees. It was a light, flowing sort of material. She found a pair of shoes to match. She looked very snazzy.
Mirassa decided on a red, off the shoulder dress with long sleeves. The length of the dress went down to her thighs and she chose a pair of heeled black suede boots that came just below her knees. The dress fit her beautifully and complimented her curvy figure.
They came out of their dressing rooms to inspect each other. Tea looked at the other female in awe.
"Oh my god Mirassa! You look SO beautiful! The guys will be drooling all over you!"
"I hope not, this dress isn't cheap you know! You look really sophisticated too Tea; I think we've found our outfits, don't you?" Tea nodded in agreement.
They went back into the dressing room and changed into their regular clothes. They paid at the checkout and left the shop. By this time they had been shopping for hours and were beginning to get a little tired. They decided to stop one last time at a little café and have a coffee to wake them up a bit.
Mirassa looked down the street and saw Yugi coming towards them. He hadn't noticed them yet because he was struggling with a big box. He looked pitiful.
"Aww look at that... should we help the poor boy?" questioned Mirassa mockingly.
The two young women walked over towards him. Tea spoke first
"Hey Yugi, what's that you have there?"
"It's the new duel disk that's being used for Battle City" the boy explained "Its not so much the duel disk itself that's heavy, It's the case that it comes in. I don't think Id be able to take part if it was this heavy!!"
Yugi put the box down on the pavement and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Look, Mirassa and I were going for a coffee; do you want to come too? You look like you could use a break" suggested Tea hopefully.
"That would be great" Yugi replied, hauling the heavy box onto his shoulder once again. Once sat down, they ordered their drinks and began to talk.
"Is Joey taking part in this tournament also?" asked Mirassa. She hadn't seen him since before battle city was announced.
"Yeah but he still has to register, he's been busy making preparations for his sister's operation. He should hurry though if he wants to get a place" replied Yugi.
"Operation?"
Tea looked at the girl sitting next to her. "Oh yeah, we never told you… Just before the duelist kingdom tournament, Joey got a video message from his little sister Serenity. She has this deteriorating eye condition. She will eventually go blind if nothing is done to correct it. The operation is VERY expensive so Joey entered Duelist Kingdom to try and win the prize money to pay for it. He came second to Yugi. But as Yugi was only there to umm… sort some business out with Pegasus, he gave the money to Joey. If all goes well, Serenity's eye sight will be saved"
Mirassa was very impressed and also touched by this new information regarding Joey. "That's so sweet of him, Serenity is very lucky to have a brother who loves her like he does"
She thought back to her own brother. She couldn't help but feel slightly upset that Baal didn't care for her as much as Joey did for Serenity, or if he did he didn't show it. She quickly shook off the feeling. There was no point living in the past.
As the trio continued to talk, they didn't notice a man watching them from a nearby alley. He had a purple robe and a glowing eye symbol on his forehead. Marik was spying on the Pharaoh through one of his mind slaves.
This was the second time he had seen the pharaoh or at least his vessel. The first encounter was in the warehouse where he tricked Yugi into following Bandit Keith by stealing his Millennium Puzzle. He couldn't believe the boy actually handed it to him in the first place! He nearly succeeded in destroying the pharaoh but it was not to be, not that time anyway.
"You won't be smiling for long Yami" Marik thought, growling to himself.
He shook with anger as he remembered the day he received the tomb keeper's initiation.
"I will make you pay dearly for cursing my family with this stupid ritual" he glanced at Tea.
"She will make an excellent tool to take the pharaoh apart… but how to use her?"
He grinned, bearing his pearly white teeth which stood out against his tanned skin. He would find a use for her when necessary.
Marik glanced at the other female sitting at the table and stopped breathing. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he watched her wide eyed, laughing along with the others. She was wearing a matching outfit consisting of a white blouse and long skirt lined with blue. Her blouse was low cut and he could see a tasteful portion of her Chest, but not too much. Marik studied her figure, she was very curvy and while he stared at this level, he noticed the sunlight catching a piece of jewellery on her stomach. Her shirt opened up at the bottom to reveal a belly button ring. She was sitting with her legs crossed in a very elegant way and sat straight against the chair, which showed she had good posture. Marik couldn't believe such a beautiful creature even existed in this world. His heart was threatening to jump out through chest at this point like that scene in alien.
He closed his eyes quickly and took several deep breaths.
"I don't have the time to think about girls! I have more important things to do… but she is so gorgeous… NO!!! She is friends with the enemy"
Marik finally managed to calm himself down after a few minutes of slow and steady breathing. He opened his eyes and glanced at the girl again. Big mistake! His heart began to thump painfully in his chest once more.
"Dammit!"
He knew then that this feeling wasn't going to go away.
"I suppose this wont be such a bad idea. After all, when I am pharaoh I will need a queen. She will do very nicely"
He thought for a few minutes while watching her talk to Yugi.
"I will have to persuade her somehow to join me"
The young man looked at her face. She was perfect in every way. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of Icy blue he had ever seen. Her kohl lined eyes were sparkling and her tanned unblemished skin looked soft to the touch. He wanted to go over to her and kiss those rosy lips of hers, but she would more then likely become distressed because the mind slave whose eyes he was looking through was really quite hideous.
"Now I have one more task to carry out. Women are easier to manipulate when it comes to romance so I will have to take the time and effort to win her over. I must also make sure no other man makes a move on her. I will have my mind slaves watch her every movement. She will be mine" Marik thought possessively.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 6:59:29 GMT -5
Chapter 7: A Secret Admirer
A few days after the shopping trip with Tea, Battle City had finally begun. Everywhere you went, duels were taking place. Mirassa was hoping to watch a few of them today, when she could eventually be bothered to get out of bed.
It was a beautiful sunny morning and it seemed such a shame to waste time lying in bed so she used this as her reason to get up. Mirassa swung her legs over the side of the bed and looked at the clock on her bedside stand. It was 8:00am, which was quite late for her. She looked through her chest of drawers and found a pair of jeans and a black strappy top. She wore her usual necklace and earrings and went downstairs for breakfast.
Maka wasn't up yet either which was strange. She fixed herself some food and went to check for mail. Letters were shoved through the letterbox and as she went through them, one in particular caught her eye.
"What's this?" she asked quietly as she opened the red envelope addressed to 'the young woman of the house'
Mirassa put the rest of the mail on a nearby table "I suppose they can't mean Maka cus she's not exactly young" Mirassa reasoned as she tore open the paper.
Everything was handwritten so it couldn't be junk mail. She pulled out a letter on the same red paper as the envelope and looked it over. There wasn't much writing, all it said was
'Words can hardly justify your beauty
Look outside; I have left a small gift for you
I will reveal myself to you soon enough but for now, farewell my lotus
With all my love
Your Secret Admirer'
Mirassa was shocked to say the least. She had only been living here for two months. She barely knew any of the people here besides Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan and Ryou. It couldn't be any of them because none of them had handwriting like this. Tea wouldn't even dream of sending this sort of letter to her, unless she was hiding something. It had an Arabic look to it the way each letter was formed, but she didn't know anyone else around here to even have a guess who it was from.
"Who on earth could have sent this? It's not like I know anyone in Domino well enough to receive something like this" just then a thought struck her "Oh Ra! I hope it's not a stalker"
The thought lingered in her mind making her a little nervous, especially because the anonymous person promised to reveal himself eventually. Well she assumed it was a 'he' at least.
She remembered that the letter mentioned a gift outside. Mirassa wasn't sure she wanted a gift from a man she didn't know but her curiosity got the better of her. She slowly opened the door and looked around. The street was quiet. There were no cars driving by as the town center had been cut off to drivers due to Battle City. She looked down on the doorstep and saw a small box with a ribbon wrapped around it.
Mirassa picked up the box and sat down on the step. She looked at it for a while, debating again whether or not she should open it.
"It can't hurt, and it's not exactly like I can give it back to whoever sent it. Besides if I somehow do know this admirer, I wouldn't want to offend him. At least this way I may have a clue as to who he is"
Mirassa slowly pulled the ribbon off the box and lifted the lid off. She gasped and covered her mouth in surprise, eyes wide with shock as she looked at the most beautiful piece of jewellery she had ever seen in her life. It was a traditional Egyptian necklace made out of solid gold with white gold hieroglyphics written on a pendant. The pendant itself was shaped like a cartouche which represented royalty.
"Princess…?" she read as she removed her hand from her mouth to study it more.
This was a beautiful gift but Mirassa knew she couldn't put it on. She really wanted to, but she wouldn't be comfortable wearing it without knowing where it came from.
She stood up from the step and walked inside with the necklace closing the door behind her. But not before having one last glance down the street.
Little did she know, violet eyes were watching her from a hiding place behind a tree just opposite her house.
---------------------------------
Marik had been watching the girl the moment she came out of the house. He had been waiting to see her since the early hours of the morning and wanted to see her reaction when she opened his gift to her. His smile spread further across his face when he saw her shocked expression.
"She really is the most attractive woman I have ever seen. I look forward to seeing that necklace around that beautiful neck of hers…" he closed his eyes. "If she thinks THAT gift was beautiful, she will love the next one"
He had purchased an entire outfit for her and would give each part to her separately. He would write more and more romantic letters to her, each time giving her more complements until the time was right to meet her in person.
"By then she will be completely under the influence of romance and will be more then willing to come to me, of course she won't know exactly who I am until later, but if I am successful that wont make any difference at all"
Just the thought of holding her in his arms was enough to make his determination to win her affections even stronger then it already was. Marik turned to get on his motorbike and make preparations on his boat for his future guest.
----------------------------------
Marik pulled into the harbour where his boat was waiting. He got off the bike and had his Rarehunters wheel it away somewhere safe. Odion was standing at the top of the steps, keeping an eye out for unwelcome visitors and saw his master approaching with a satisfied look on his face. Marik strode past him and through the door behind Odion without even looking at his brother.
He walked down the corridor until he came to a room. He pushed the door open and walked inside, closing it behind him. Marik had been making changes to one of the guest rooms on his boat to accommodate the female destined to become his queen. This included bedsheets, flowers, perfume, toiletries and other things to make life more comfortable for her. Marik knew exactly which products the object of his affection used. He had sent his mindslaves to look through her rubbish to find out. However, looking through garbage couldn't tell him everything about her.
"I still don't know her name" he thought sadly "but I will soon enough" he placed a few items in a drawer he had purchased from town and turned around exiting the room.
He locked the door behind him. He didn't want anyone to know about this. Not yet anyway. He knew that such a thing wouldn't stop his rarehunters from fearing him; he just wanted to keep it secret. Marik knew he was obsessing over her but didn't care. As long as he got his prize in the end.
He stopped at his own room as he walked further down the corridor. He threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes. He imagined having 'his' girl right beside him on the bed. His smile widened as he thought of a few activities they could participate in once she arrived. Marik drifted off into peaceful slumber thinking about his love. It would only be a matter of time before these dreams were a reality.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 7:00:00 GMT -5
Chapter 8: Introductions at Club Enigma
Over the following days, Mirassa had received more gifts from her unknown admirer. The gifts were very beautiful and looked very expensive, but she got the impression that whoever sent them to her was only into her looks and more then likely wanted to see her wearing them at some point.
Mirassa had received an off the shoulder dress made out of white fabric that went down to her ankles. It was lined with gold embroidery at the sleeves and hem and had a sash around the waist that went down the front of the dress. It had an ankh symbol at the bottom. Shoes to match, earrings made of solid gold, bracelets and anklets as well to finish it off. It was very fashionable back in Egypt and only the wealthy would wear something like that. At least it gave her a clue as to his culture at least. There was no other way he could pick out an outfit like this unless he himself was from Egypt.
Mirassa had decided to put the dress away for safe keeping. That way, if she did like him she could wear it at some point, but if not, she could return it undamaged.
Mirassa had been up every morning to retrieve the gifts before Maka found them. She didn't want anyone to know. Not yet at least. She didn't want to worry anyone, she didn't really want anyone's opinion either and her silence would ensure that.
"There's no point worrying about it right now. I have more important, not to mention more fun things to do tonight" she thought excitedly.
Tonight was her birthday bash at the night club enigma. Because of the Battle City finals taking place around her birthday, they decided to celebrate early. Just in case Yugi or Joey managed to get to the finals. They seemed very confident that they would.
Mirassa pushed all her thoughts and worries to the back of her mind as the phone rang. It was Tea. She was coming over to get ready for tonight. They would be able to talk on their own without interruption until they met up with the boys later. It turned out that Tea was just confirming if it was ok for her to come over still.
There was a knock at the door twenty minutes later and in came Tea with all her things. It was around 7:30pm. The two girls went upstairs and began getting ready. They put on their outfits, styled their hair, did their makeup and put on their jewellery.
They were pretty hyped up when the time came for them to leave and meet the guys. They grabbed their coats and purses. By this time it was 9:00pm
"See ya Maka!" waved Tea, who was slightly drunk from the Alchol pops they had been drinking earlier.
"Bye Bye!" Mirassa called following close behind her "I'll try not to be too noisy when I come back" she added mischievously.
Maka could only laugh at the two girls' antics. If only she'd had the freedom Mirassa had now, when she herself was young. Oh well, she could make up for lost time.
There was still a little light in the sky. It wasn't very far to the nightclub and the streets were well lit so they would be reasonably safe walking there. Tea and Mirassa walked towards the town laughing and joking completely unaware that they were being watched by a man wearing a purple robe.
Marik had posted a mind slave just outside the girl's house to keep an eye on her. If she went anywhere or if anyone came to visit her, then he would know about it. Marik was laying down on his bed half asleep when he sensed a change in his slaves mind.
"Something is happening at my future Queens home" he thought, bolting up and grabbing his millennium rod.
He focused and looked through his mindslaves eyes. Sure enough, there was his sweetheart walking down the street with 'friendship girl'. She was wearing a 'very' alluring outfit that hugged her every curve he noticed.
"Very nice" he thought longingly "I would much rather see her out of it though" he chuckled, licking his lips slightly.
Marik took control of the rarehunter and followed them at a distance to see where they were going. When he saw their destination, he began to rethink his plans.
"This place will be swarming with 'boys'. I could lose my chance with her. I'll have to go and make sure no one touches her but me. Screw this patience plan! I guess tonight is as good as ever to introduce myself"
Marik shot up and ran towards his drawers. He quickly picked out his outfit. A black sleeveless top that showed off his muscles and a pair of black pants that made his arse look very nice to anyone who cared to look. He pulled them on and ran to the bathroom, where he quickly brushed his teeth and hair.
Marik had never gotten ready to go somewhere so quick in his whole life. He grabbed his millennium rod and left his room. He quickly got off the boat jumping over the rails and ran towards the place where his bike was being kept. He jumped on and sped off into the night. Odion was watching as his brother left.
"Master Marik has been acting very strangely. What could possibly have happened to make him act this way? Whatever it is, it must be very personal. I hope he'll tell me when he feels the time is right"
Odion wished Marik would tell him what was on his mind like he used to, but that was in the past. He hoped that things would change for the better but it was a long shot. Marik would never be the same, unless he knew the truth. Odion could never tell him though. It would crush him.
-----------------
As Marik drove through the traffic, darting between cars, his only thought was
I have to get there before anyone else does!"
He knew what other men would think of his flower and also knew that some would make a move if he didn't get there soon enough. He screeched to a halt outside enigma and parked his bike opposite.
Marik used his Millennium Rod to get past the bouncers quickly. It was dark inside. The only lights were of the disco sort and continuously flashed over the room. He soon caught sight of her. She was with her friends.
"Good, at least I can keep an eye on her now" Marik thought relaxing a bit.
He went to the bar for a drink and stood in a corner out of sight. He enjoyed watching her. He only wished it was him making her laugh and smile like that. He couldn't hear what it was exactly she was laughing at because of the music booming around them.
Marik saw several men looking in her direction with lustful looks on their faces. He growled in anger and used his rod on several occasions. He'd never claimed so many mind slaves in one night before.
After about an hour of waiting for the young girl to be left on her own, Marik was beginning to get impatient. There was always at least one of her friends with her. He would have to stop that.
One by one, Marik had found a partner for each of them using his Millennium Rod and made sure that they were kept occupied, away from eyesight of the girl. When the last of her companions had been led away, she was wide open for him to approach.
He was nervous now, but didn't let it show. Marik took a deep breath and started towards her, straightening his hair and clothes as he went. He noticed the light switch and flicked the lights down low on his way so he could be more mysterious. He liked playing that role.
"She looks breathtaking" he smiled possessively "And she's all mine"
-----------------
"It's not fair! How come I'm the only one who hasn't got a dancing partner?"
Mirassa tried not to feel too bitter, but it was hard. She had been abandoned by her friends at her birthday celebration and she didn't like it. She just wanted some company. The lights were turned down low. She sat looking at the couples on the dance floor.
A hand on her shoulder broke her thoughts. Mirassa spun around in her seat to see the outline of a tall male standing behind her. He seemed quite young, almost roguish from what she could see of his longish hair and dark clothes. She couldn't make out very much at all, although he did seem to have a smile on his face.
"You look a little lonely sitting here by yourself" he began. He held out a hand to her "Would you like to dance?"
Mirassa blushed a little, very thankful for the lights being so low. She took his outstretched hand and was gently pulled up from her seat. He led her to the dance floor away from her friends and the other people and pulled her close to him. He snaked his hands around her waist and rested them on her hips. Mirassa smiled shyly and blushed even more as she brought her arms around his neck.
She leaned in while the slow music played around them. Mirassa breathed in slowly, taking in his scent. He in turn smelt her hair; both were equally contented in this embrace as the other. They swayed to the music as they continued to enjoy each others company. The man leaned in closer to her. He buried his face into her neck and began trailing kisses across her soft skin. Mirassa couldn't seem to get rid of the blush on her face but allowed him to continue with what he was doing.
After a few songs, slow dancing and nuzzling later, the man looked at her and whispered into her ear.
"Do you want to stand outside for a minute? It's getting quite warm in here"
Mirassa nodded slowly. What was the harm? He could just make out her nod in the darkness and smiled even wider. He took a hold of her shoulders and guided her towards the exit.
As they walked out through the door, a rush of cool air hit Mirassa. She didn't realise it was so hot in there. She turned round to face the man she had danced with, the smile on her face vanishing. A look of disbelief crossed her features and was quickly replaced with a look of horror as she looked into the violet eyes of the one person she hoped she would never see again.
'Marik… it can't be!'
He was smiling at her until he saw the look on her face. Now he looked concerned.
"What's wrong?" he asked taking a step towards her. Mirassa stepped back as well.
"I can't believe I've been dancing with the one person I hate more then anything else in this whole world!"
"If I've done anything to offend you I'm sorry" Marik continued, desperately trying to calm her down. "Listen, if you're worried I'll take advantage of you then don't be, I wouldn't do that to you. What's your name?"
Mirassa didn't know what to do. Marik didn't seem to recognise her. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage. She thought quickly, if he 'didn't know' her then maybe she could somehow turn him down without him catching on. It was worth a shot. She smiled slowly to make it look as if that was what was bothering her before.
"I'm sorry, I guess I find it hard to trust men. I had a bad experience a while back that I don't want to repeat" she thought back to her childhood.
Marik smiled again, relieved. "Oh right, thank Ra I thought she was going to do a runner, well please, don't worry, you can trust me…"
Mirassa smiled back but was secretly thinking "Yeah right! I can trust him as far as I can throw him, which isn't very far I'll bet! I have to tell him now or he'll never leave me alone"
She put on a serious look on her face and tried to gather up enough courage to reject him in a way he wouldn't get angry, which might prove difficult because she knew what he could be like. After all these years he still managed to unnerve her, even though she was a lot more confident then she was nine years ago. Perhaps if she succeeded in doing this, she could finally get over her past without fear of him bothering her again.
She looked into his eyes. The hate inside her bubbled up furiously. She could barely contain it but kept a straight face somehow. She decided to just be blunt with him.
"Look, I'm sorry if I led you on but I'm not interested in seeing anyone right now and I don't think I will be anytime in the near future" the girl said plainly.
Marik looked taken aback by this statement, as well as her bluntness. He was not expecting her to say anything like that after tonight.
"She was more then willing a minute ago!" He wasn't going to let her go that easily. He tried again.
"I really think you'll change your mind, how about I take you out to dinner and then you can you can decide whether or not you want to see me again?" Marik said confidently flashing her a sexy smile.
He grabbed hold of her wrist lightly but firm enough so she couldn't pull away. Mirassa panicked slightly. He wasn't getting the message.
"I'm sorry Marik but I'm not interested in you! Will you please let go of my wrist!" she tried to wriggle out of his grip but he was too strong. She looked up at him. He was eyeing her strangely.
"What's he looking at me like that for? I ….oh no!"
She realised her error by calling him by his name. Not once had he mentioned it to her this evening so she couldn't use that as an excuse. They had hardly spoken at all as a matter of fact.
Marik pulled her away from the clubs entrance and turned her to face him. He held her in place by her arms. He looked deeply into her blue eyes.
"I never told you my name… have we met before?" he started to look at her more carefully now.
Mirassa was terrified and it clearly showed on her features. What would he do if he realised who she was? She didn't want to find out. She had an idea.
"Alright…" she pulled softly out of his grip and looked down in defeat, making him think he had won and was about to get an explanation.
Instead, while he waited for her to speak, she kicked him hard in the shin making him fall to the pavement in pain. She jumped to the side and her knee connected with his ribs. She slapped the side of his face hard for good measure.
Mirassa ran as fast as she could away from him, only glancing behind her when she was almost around a corner to see him sitting on the ground in pain, his arms clutching his side. He looked furious.
The adrenaline was coursing through her body at a tremendous rate. She didn't want to see his temper as a result of her assault on him. Mirassa continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her.
When she reached her home she fumbled with the key at the door. And as soon as she was inside, she slammed the door shut locking it. The girl leant her back against it and slid to the floor, crying uncontrollably.
Maka came around the corner from the lounge to see what was going on. Upon seeing Mirassa in this state she ran over and took her in her arms .
"It's alright" Maka whispered soothingly.
Whatever happened, it must have been serious, Mirassa didn't cry very often.
"What happened?" she asked once the young girls sobs had reduced to small hiccups.
"He's here" she said simply burying her face in her hands.
Maka didn't need to ask who 'he' was. She should have known. There was only one person in the world that could upset her like this. She held Mirassa even closer. This wasn't supposed to happen…
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 7:00:34 GMT -5
Chapter 9: Kidnapped
Later that night, Mirassa was laying in bed trying to get to sleep. That seemed impossible though, her thoughts about what had happened earlier were still lingering in her mind. She sat up and turned on her tiny reading lamp. Mirassa brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly.
"Why, of all places did he have to come here?" she asked herself miserably burying her face into the sheets.
------------------Flashback
Mirassa was sitting in the lounge with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. It was more comfortable here then on the floor in the hallway. Maka sat down next to Mirassa, and pulled her in for a hug, which she needed very much right now. The elderly woman sat there, waiting for Anuket to tell her what had happened.
"Are you ready to tell me yet, or do you want a little more time?" she asked, trying to get the girl to confide in her.
"No, I'm alright now, well… as much as I can be in these circumstances anyway" replied Mirassa wearily.
She began telling Maka about the events that happened only an hour or so earlier. Everything had been going so well. They had all sat together laughing, joking and overall having a great time. She explained how all her friends had been asked to dance until she was the only one left.
"I was sitting at the bar when the lights went low. I was just thinking about how I was the only one left, when a man came up to me from behind. I couldn't see his face. It was too dark. He asked me if I wanted to dance, I felt a little left out because I was the only one who didn't have a partner, so I accepted. We danced for about half an hour, he seemed really nice. He asked me if I wanted to stand outside for a few minutes because it was really hot in there. I agreed to that as well. When we were outside and I turned around to face him… He looks just like he did nine years ago, only older now. But I recognised him straight away"
Maka looked a little stunned. "Marik was the one you were dancing with?! I thought he was going to come into this later"
"No. that was him" Mirassa continued miserably, "But the thing is… he didn't recognise me at all"
Unlike the other news, this bit didn't surprise Maka at all.
"Well you have altered a lot over the years you know. I probably wouldn't have recognised you if I hadn't seen you for, how long did you say? Nine years? You were only seven Miri. You've had time to grow and develop your own sense of style"
Maka leaned in closer to her with a smirk "And let's face it, physically, you've filled out very nicely since then"
"But that shouldn't matter. I can't have changed that much in appearance!"
"Well that's because boys are thick, it's a fact of life" Maka said plainly. "I suppose you should be thankful Marik didn't remember you. He might have taken you straight back to Egypt otherwise.
That might well have been true, but in a strange way Mirassa almost wanted to find him again and tell him who she was. She wanted to see if he would treat her the same way he did when they were children. If he didn't, that would most definitely prove he was just a typical, shallow male, only interested in physical appearance. She was suddenly aware that Maka had just asked her a question.
"Marik didn't follow you did he?"
"No, I don't think so. The last I saw of him, he was still on the floor" Mirassa replied thoughtfully. Maka looked confused.
"Why was he on the floor?" she raised an eyebrow, she hoped Mirassa hadn't done anything to infuriate Marik but it was wordlessly confirmed when Mirassa gave her a shifty look. "You didn't hit him…"
"No! Well, I only slapped him… and kicked him a couple of times. But he deserved it! That was a long time coming! Don't look at me like that Maka, I had to. I accidentally called him by his name! He never mentioned it to me once. He grabbed my arms and wouldn't let me go until I told him who I was"
Maka now looked worried "Oh Miri…You do realise that now Marik knows you've met before, he may try and find you again don't you?"
'If his temper is as bad as you say it is Miri…he wont take kindly to being hit by a woman' Maka thought to herself, not wanting to worry the girl even more.
"I realise that, but I'm sure it'll be ok. He didn't follow me and wouldn't even know where to start" Mirassa replied trying to convince Maka, and even more so, herself.
--------------------End flashback
Mirassa was certain that Marik hadn't followed her. She kept looking over her shoulder the entire way home. That kick in the ribs would most definitely have winded him for a while. But what if he did find her again? Would he take her back to Egypt or just let her be?
"Why was he even here in the first place? I thought the men in his family were forbidden to leave the tomb…"
She couldn't think of a single reason as to why his father would allow him to leave that place. Mr Ishtar was very strict. What could have happened?
Mirassa casually glanced across her room while she tried to come up with an answer to this but stopped suddenly, her blood running cold as her eyes landed on something. The box containing the necklace. Could Marik have been the one who sent them to her?
Everything seemed to point to him, the style of writing, the Egyptian dress and jewellery. The way he acted towards her also made more sense. It was almost as if he had seen her before, Mirassa had just never thought about it at the time. She was too distracted with the moves he made on her. The way he held her when they danced together, she noticed how he kept smelling her hair and nuzzled into her neck.
Now that she thought about it, you just didn't do that sort of thing if you had only just met that person minutes earlier. If he had only just seen her at the night club, he would have been more talkative and verbally flirtatious. She only danced with him because she was feeling lonely, perhaps that was why she allowed him to kiss her like that.
"I can't believe it, he's been stalking me! Everything points to him, he must have followed me there…"
Mirassa felt nothing but fury towards Marik but her anger quickly turned to fear as she realised something else.
"He knows where I live…oh please no" she whispered desperately.
Mirassa quickly and cautiously jumped out of bed and looked out of her window onto the deserted street. It was eerily quiet. Mirassa looked around carefully, trembling slightly. She kept thinking she could see something in the shadows across the street but thought it was just her paranoia.
She closed the window and locked it. The curtains were drawn as well for added security because she didn't feel safe anymore knowing Marik was around. Mirassa crawled back under her bed sheets. She wouldn't be able to sleep with the light off so she dimmed it a little instead.
"I can only pray that Marik doesn't come back for me" She thought as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
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Marik watched her every move from his hiding place across the street. She had closed the window; there was no point in watching her now.
He was still reeling from the fact that she dared to attack him, but quickly pushed that feeling of anger aside as he reminded himself that he didn't want to scare her away any more with his temper. He had done nothing but show his affection for her and she threw it back in his face.
She was definitely enjoying herself, he could tell, from the way she held on to him while they danced. He could feel her blush and smile as he kissed her neck and pulled her closer to him.
She changed the moment they stepped outside and she saw his face. Marik was very interested now as to who she was. He had no memory of ever seeing this girl in his whole life. She was strikingly beautiful and he would never have let one as elegant as her pass him by.
"Who is she? Why does she look upon me with such fear and resentment?" he asked himself as he remembered the look of terror that crossed her features.
As far as he could remember, he had never given any woman reason to fear him. He had been with more then his fair share of women over the past few years. Actually, he had never been out with the same woman more then once.
"Could she have been one of them?" Marik thought, straining his memory for traces of the girl he had become so infatuated with but to no avail.
"Aaargh! It's no use, I just don't remember!" he growled in frustration.
Marik sat down on the curb.
"What could I have done to make her react the way she did? I never even got the chance to tell her it was I who sent her those gifts and letters…" he thought sadly.
Marik sat for a while longer, his legs brought up to his chest, his arms folded and resting on his knees. Thoughts swirled around in his head; he didn't know what to do. Surely he should just leave her alone; she had made it perfectly clear that she didn't want him the way he wanted her. A plan formed in his head, he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. Not after all the trouble and effort he had gone to.
"She will probably hate me at first, but that will change. Soon she will see that I am the only one for her" Marik thought, smiling confidently.
He continued to scheme, thinking about how he would achieve this and the problems he could encounter if he didn't. The fact that she knew him and was friends with his greatest enemy was one of them. If Yugi ever told her about him and his plans to become the next pharaoh and take over the world, she might start talking. His appearance for one thing. He might need to get closer to the pharaoh at some point and at the moment, using the millennium rod to control others was his form of a disguise. She could ruin everything if left to wander free!
"I have no choice; she must be separated from her friends. I can be very persuasive. Eventually she will come to me willingly. We were meant to be together…" Marik said standing up, walking back into the shadows, casting a final glance at the girl's dimly lit bedroom window as he went.
-------------------------next day
"Mirassa! Where did you go last night? We were worried" Tea asked with a concerned look.
"I felt a little tired after a while and decided to go home, must have been the drink. You guys looked like you were having a lot of fun so I decided to let you be" Mirassa lied.
She didn't want to explain what happened last night all over again.
Yugi had a thoughtful look on his face, or at least that's what it looked like. In reality he was having a conversation with the spirit in his millennium puzzle, Yami.
"I don't think she's being entirely truthful with us Yugi, she seems distracted, frightened even" said Yami.
"I agree, but Mirassa really doesn't seem like she wants to talk about it does she? I think she'll tell us when she's ready. She might tell Tea first. You know, girl talk. It's probably nothing to worry about" replied Yugi.
The spirit looked at Yugi from his soul room with a serious look on his face.
"I hope so. Yet, I can't help but feel she's keeping something very important from us. I think it's best if we don't involve her in this situation with Marik. She might get hurt along the way; he's very dangerous and won't hesitate to use our friends to get what he wants"
"Maybe… I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out"
The conversation ended between Yugi and Yami. Everyone else seemed to buy Mirassa's story. Yugi hoped that whatever it was that was bothering her, she would share with them soon.
-------------------------------- later on
"That was a great duel Joey!" exclaimed Tea.
Joey had just been up against Weevil Underwood and emerged victorious despite the fact that the worm had cheated by sneaking a card into the blonde's deck that could potentially ruin his chances. Joey very was relieved. Not only because he'd won a rather difficult duel, but because he finally got his chance to impress Mirassa. If he had lost against Weevil, he was certain he would have lost what little respect she held for him. At least that's what he believed anyway.
"That was very impressive the way you turned the whole duel around, we thought you were going to lose! I bet that's what you wanted everyone to think wasn't it? To throw him off guard" Mirassa said, trying to boost his confidence a little.
Joey smiled widely at her and began to brag. "Yeah! It was all part of the plan. I'm sorry I had to worry ya like that. I was never in any serious trouble; I just had to let that bug think so. It's called tactics. That guy always lets his guard down when he thinks he's winning"
Joey glanced quickly at the other three which included Tea, Tristan and Mr Motou, who were looking at him in disbelief thinking
'Part of the plan my arse!' but they decided not to say anything as Joey had obviously tried hard to win that duel.
Even Tristan decided to keep quiet this time. 'You've won this round Wheeler'
The five walked through the town looking out for potential challengers for Joey. They continued to chat about random stuff until the talk changed to the recent string of thefts.
"Rarehunters?" Questioned Mirassa. "Who are they?"
Joey began to explain "They're a group of thieves who go round stealing rare cards from duellists! Ya have to be really careful if ya ever come across one of em. If ya don't have any cards they want, they'll probably beat ya up or something"
"Not that we'd ever let that happen..." Tristan added quickly seeing the troubled looks on the girls' faces. "It's ok. They probably wouldn't go for you ladies, you don't have a deck. I guess they'll only go after duellists participating in Battle City. Like our own little Joey here"
Joey looked annoyed "I'll have ya know I've already met one of them! They took my red eyes from me, but Yugi showed him who the man was!"
Mirassa looked surprised at this "You've met one of them? What do they look like? Are they really that bad?"
"Yep! He beat me with a really powerful deck. He had three complete sets of Exodia in there! I couldn't tell Yugi how be beat me cus he said he'd tear up my red eyes! When it was over though, the rarehunter guy went crazy. He got this glowy eye thingy on his head and started screaming. Turns out he was being controlled by some guy, I know it sounds weird but it's true. He's after Yugi's millennium puzzle, you know, that thing he wears around his neck all the time? Anyway, this guy started to speak through this rarehunter telling us about how he was going to be the new pharaoh blah blah blah, said his name was Marik or something…"
Mirassa's eyes went wide as Joey continued to talk about what happened.
"Did you say Marik?" she asked Joey, needing to confirm the name just in case she was going crazy.
"Yeah, are you ok? Ya sound a little spooked. Don't worry! I'll protect ya. Marik won't lay a finger on that pretty head of yours!" Joey said rather loudly putting an arm around Mirassa's shoulders protectively.
Tea looked at the young girl standing next to Joey. She seemed really distant.
"Mirassa?" she asked waving her hand in front of her face. "Do you know this Marik guy?"
Mirassa quickly looked up.
"No… I don't, I thought Joey said Mark. I'm just relieved I was wrong, that's all" she lied, smiling cheerfully trying her best to brush off the feeling of dread that was in her stomach.
"I'll never get away from him; it seems that we were destined to meet again Marik…" Mirassa thought dejectedly.
There was no way she would be able to forget about him now, her friends would realise something was wrong. She couldn't handle telling them the truth about her past, she decided to go home. She quickly thought of an excuse.
"Oh no! That duel must have lasted longer then I thought. I have to go; I promised Grandma that I would help her with something. She's probably waiting for me right now, I'll see you tomorrow ok?"
Mr Motou spoke up "Are you sure you're alright Mirassa? You look pale, well paler then you normally do anyway" he said correcting himself quickly.
The Egyptian girl smiled down at him "I'm fine, don't worry. It's just that time of the month"
They all looked confused, except for Tea, until she whispered something to them. The men looked slightly uncomfortable.
They waved goodbye as Mirassa ran down the street. When she turned around the corner, she reduced her speed to a walking pace.
----------------------------
Mirassa walked along the street, deep in thought. She was too engrossed in her own problems to notice she was being followed by four men in purple robes.
As she walked further away from the town center they began to pick up their pace. Mirassa felt cold all of a sudden, she had this awful feeling she was being followed and glanced behind her. She saw them; they all had their eyes fixed on her. As she watched them they picked up their pace to a fast jog. Mirassat's heart stopped.
'These must be those rarehunters everyone's been talking about, what do they want with me? Marik couldn't have sent them could he?'
She didn't wait to find out. Mirassa bombed it down the deserted street. It was late and most people had gone home. Only the nasties were out now.
She was still quite a way from home. Mirassa knew she wouldn't be able to out run them for long. After all, she was only a fifteen year old girl and they were men most likely to be in their late twenties to early thirties.
She was starting to panic now. She could hear them catching up to her.
Suddenly a foot hooked her ankle from behind and she went falling to the ground. Mirassa was sprawled over the pavement, her ankle was killing her and she had scrapes all up her arms and legs from the impact to the cold concrete.
She felt a rough hand grip her by her collar and pull her up. There she faced the rarehunter who tripped her. He had a superior smirk on his face and raised a hand. Mirassa's face stung as his hand made contact with her cheek.
She looked up at him, her eyes beginning to water. He raised his hand again; this time she closed her eyes and braced herself as she waited for the blow. It never came.
The girl slowly looked up at the rarehunter, his hand was frozen midair and he was shaking uncontrollably.
"What's happening?" she thought fearfully.
The rarehunter started to beg "I'm sorry Master, I didn't know!"
He fell to the ground in a heap. The other rarehunters looked scared. They had distant looks on their faces which remained for a minute or two; they all glanced down at the girl at the same time before answering together "Yes Master"
Mirassa was too confused to understand what was going on. Her mind was still dizzy from the slap on her cheek.
The other three rarehunters gathered around her. One of them gently picked her up avoiding her injuries. Another placed a blindfold over her eyes. Her hands were carefully bound to prevent rubbing against the scrapes.
She didn't know what to do. There was no way she could escape with her ankle the way it was. Mirassa was terrified, she hated not being able to see or move at the same time and the fact that these men were rarehunters didn't make it any better.
Suddenly Mirassa felt a damp cloth being placed over her mouth. She began to struggle and tried to scream but couldn't find the energy to do it. Her eyes became heavy and she soon found herself giving in to the sleep that called out to her.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 7:01:05 GMT -5
Chapter 10: Shocking Discoveries
Marik sat on the bed beside the sleeping girl. He had his rarehunters use chloroform to send her to sleep. She was extremely distressed, not to mention frightened by the ambush. Plus, if she was asleep, it didn't look as suspicious to anyone passing by then if they saw her struggling.
Marik was furious by the treatment she received from one of his rarehunters. The man deliberately set out to hurt her. That blunder was punishable by death, however sentenced to spend the rest of eternity in the shadow realm was more horrifying, so he did that instead. His soul would suffer for that mistake.
"I ordered them to bring her to me unharmed!" he thought angrily as he watched the girl beside him.
This little incident would not improve his chances in seducing her. This was more like taking one pigeon step forward and fifty giant ogre steps back. She would be even more wary of him now then she was before. Marik sighed in frustration and turned to look at the girls face again.
"She looks just like an angel when she sleeps, so innocent…" he thought longingly.
He watched the girl breathing, her chest rising and falling at a slow and steady rate. Marik's gaze wandered over her body. Curves like hers were meant to be explored and he couldn't wait for the time when she would willingly allow him to do 'that' and maybe more. Her frame was tiny compared to his. He first noticed this when they danced together at the nightclub. The top of her head came a few inches below his chin. He had to bend down a bit so he could embrace her properly. She looked very delicate, almost as if the slightest movement would cause her to break.
"She looks so frail, a woman as beautiful as her needs protection. I can give her that" Marik thought, smiling gently.
He moved a hand over her face and pulled a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Her hair is so soft…"
Marik began to run his fingers through her long blonde tresses. The girl stirred in response to these actions though she was still deep in sleep. The Egyptian twirled a lock around his finger. He leaned closer to her face and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He just couldn't get enough of her scent.
Marik reluctantly stood up to leave. He took one last glance at his sweetheart before closing the door behind him. He locked it just to be sure. If she woke up while he was gone, she wouldn't waste any time trying to get away from him. His rarehunters were not to be trusted either. They would certainly make a move if given the opportunity. Marik went to his bike and drove off. There was one other thing he had to do before returning to his queen's side.
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Maka was frantically pacing back and forth in the living room. Glancing out of the window every time she heard a noise.
"Where is she, It's late! Miri would never stay out at this hour without calling to let me know she's safe!"
The elderly woman was beginning to think something terrible had happened, but she couldn't jump to conclusions. If she did call Mirassa's friends or the police, then more then likely, she would walk through the door a minute later. Maka made herself sit down on one of the sofas in front of the fireplace.
'I'll give her one more hour. If she doesn't come home then, I will start making calls to her friends. They might have seen her' She thought hopefully.
Maka stared into the fireplace. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. After all, this wasn't the first time Mirassa had gone missing for hours on end.
---------------Flashback
"Where is she?!!" bellowed Mirassa's father.
His daughter had done a disappearing act and had been hiding from him for hours. Everyone was looking for her, servants, guards; even he had been brought into it.
"I'm sorry sir, I can't find her anywhere" Maka said quietly.
She hated it when Mr Benu lost his temper. There was no reasoning with him when he was like this. That didn't stop her trying though.
"She's only eight years old. The poor child is still upset over her mother's death. There will be no one to help her through this ordeal. She's probably very frightened right now" Maka reasoned.
Mr Benu's temper seemed to subside a little bit. It was true. His wife had passed away only months before and he was too caught up in his own grief to notice how his daughter was coping. He confined himself to the library and worked non stop. He was still annoyed though. Finally after a few moments he spoke.
"Find her Maka.. Reassure her that everything will be fine, she trusts you. You can be with her when the time comes. When she has calmed down enough, bring her to me. She 'will' receive the mark as her mother did. It is tradition. Make her understand that"
He turned and walked away from her. Ipet sighed, this could take a while. Mirassa was very good at hiding. She began to walk towards her living quarters to get her robe. It was getting dark now and would get very cold as the night wore on.
It was understandable as to why Mirassa had run off. She was due to have a mark carved into her hip to show she was promised to someone. It would show her origins as a member of the Heka clan and also her future as a Tombkeeper. Each clan had their own crest. Anuket's family's was a phoenix; the Ishtar's was an ankh. Not just any sort of ankh, there was a specific pattern to it. It had hieratic text inside the band. Usually in these circumstances, the two crests were brought together. Anuket's mark would have the phoenix perched above the ankh with its fiery tail coiled around it. It would look nice to anyone else, like a tattoo almost, but the fact remained that is was just a physical, ritualistic contract to show she was destined to become an Ishtar.
Mirassa would bear that mark for the rest of her life. No other man was allowed to touch her, or be involved with her romantically once she received it. That was the law amongst the clans in Egypt
Once Maka reached her room she headed towards her simple dresser and pulled out her servants robe. She was about to leave when she noticed something out the corner of her eye. There was a bump in the slightly creased bedsheets. It was small, about the size of a little girl. Maka smiled faintly and walked over to the bed. She sat down carefully and tilted her head to see big icy blue eyes peeking back at her from under the covers.
"Hello sweetheart" she whispered fondly. "We've been looking for you"
The girl looked up at Maka, eyes red and watery from crying.
"Daddy shouted at you earlier" Mirassa stated. "Im sorry, it's my fault…"
Maka leaned towards the youngster and picked her up, still wrapped inside the blankets. She sat her in her lap and cuddled her tightly, rocking back and forth like her mother would have done in this situation. They sat like that for a while. Eventually Maka remembered why she was looking for Mirassa in the first place.
"Miri, your father is looking for you…" she felt the girl tense up again. "It has to be done sweetheart, and I'll be there with you. You have to look on the bright side of things, it won't last forever. Once it's over, you will never have to experience it ever again"
This offered very little comfort to the eight year old, but she understood that it was going to happen eventually. She couldn't spend the rest of her life hiding away from her father. He would find her eventually. Maka was going to be there with her, that thought alone made things easier. Mirassa gripped the older woman's robes and nodded meekly.
Maka stood up with the bundle in her arms to find the father who would soon cause his daughter this excruciating pain. She couldn't understand why the written contract wasn't enough, but also knew there wasn't anything she could do about it. All Maka could do was be there for the girl when she needed a shoulder to cry on.
------------------End Flashback
Mirassa had endured the ritual. It took a lot to hold her down. Maka still had nightmares about that night. Mirassa's screams could be heard through the passageways, she was told. The girl recovered from the ordeal very quickly, physically anyway. It took years for her to get over it mentally.
A knock on the door made Ipet snap back into reality. She jumped up from the sofa thinking it might be Mirassa. She bolted to the door and opened it expectantly, hoping to see the girl she had cared for, all these years. It wasn't her. Maka's face fell in disappointment.
Instead of the young fifteen year old girl, she saw a man with sandy blonde hair and tanned skin. She looked him over. He was wearing a sleeveless hooded purple shirt with chains on the front and black pants with pockets on both sides of his legs. He was wearing Egyptian jewellery on his arms and neck. He looked back at her with piercing violet eyes. Maka finally found her voice.
"May I help you?" she asked him.
"Yes, I am here to pick up a few things for your…" he looked at her thoughtfully "Granddaughter, I assume?"
Maka looked at him wide eyed. "Who are you and where is she?" she asked frantically. She didn't trust this man.
"She is safe, for now…" he strode past Maka and began to walk up the staircase. "Where is her room?"
"Wait a minute! You can't just charge in here and expect me to show you to her room without an explanation!"
She couldn't believe how rude this man was. Barging into her home like this, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears because he was already upstairs and opening doors to the various rooms. Maka ran up after him, she caught him just as he was about to open the door to Mirassa's room. She put her hand out and stopped him.
"Who do you think you are? Barging in here like you own the place. Where is my granddaughter?" Maka was becoming angry now, he looked rather menacing but she didn't care at the moment. He knew of Mirassa's whereabouts.
The man looked at her before answering. "My name is Marik"
Maka's anger turned into shock. 'So this is Marik…' she thought 'Now I understand what Mirassa means. He seems very cold. It's a shame that things have turned out the way they have, he's a very handsome young man…'
She quickly shook her head clear of these thoughts. Marik was the source of Mirassa's misery for the past nine years and she mustn't forget that.
"What do you want…?" she was worried now. 'What is he looking for? She doesn't have anything of value here?'
Marik took hold of Maka's shoulders and moved her away from the door. He was very strong; she couldn't free herself from his grip.
"I sent your granddaughter a few gifts over the past week; I have come to collect them. She cannot use them while they are here" he opened the door and began to rummage through the drawers and cupboards.
Maka was confused. If he had sent any gifts to Mirassa, then why hadn't she told 'her' about it? She glanced up to see Marik looking at her with an amused look on his face.
"Did she not mention it to you? I thought women told each other everything…" he said turning away to look through the cupboard again. "Here they are…"
Marik pulled out several boxes with elegant ribbons around them. Maka remained silent; she didn't know what to do. This man had Mirassa somewhere and was about to leave without telling her anything, like how she was. She stood in front of the door, glaring at Marik. He simply laughed at her and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "If looks could kill…"
He turned and put the boxes on the bed. When he turned around again he had pulled out his millennium rod. Maka knew about this particular item. She had over heard Mirassa's father talking about it when they had returned from the Ishtar's home. The millennium item's were very powerful and had the ability to send people to the 'shadow realm'. Maka didn't know what the 'shadow realm' was exactly but it sounded nasty. This particular item could control people's minds and body she remembered.
Maka flinched slightly. Marik noticed, it reminded him of a question he wanted to ask.
"You seem familiar with my millennium rod and the abilities it possesses, which brings me to ask how you know about it. Who are you, or more importantly… who is your granddaughter? What is her name?"
Maka remained silent, she couldn't tell him that, they had only just begun to live they're lives in freedom. Instead she breathed deeply and faced him, more determined then ever, not to let him intimidate her.
"I will tell you nothing" she said firmly.
Marik frowned at her but it quickly turned into a smirk. "I wonder if you'll say the same when your granddaughter's safety in on the line…"
Maka's confident look turned into a worried one. He wouldn't harm her would he? Not after he had kidnapped her, sent her gifts and spent an evening with her? Maka was sure he was bluffing.
"You wouldn't…" she said quietly. Marik smiled even wider. He had a feeling the old woman would change her mind if she thought the girl was in danger. He decided to try this plan.
"I wouldn't be to sure of that, it doesn't matter to me what happens to her, as long as she lives… You'd be surprised what you can live through you know. Now ask yourself this, do you want to be the cause of her suffering or do you want to help her by telling me her name now. I can always ask her friends if you don't tell me, but the difference being that if you do, she remains unharmed"
A conflict was raging in Maka's mind. She wasn't sure what to do. Marik couldn't possibly mean what he had said about harming Mirassa, but if he did, that meant she would be the reason for Mirassa's pain if he carried out his threats. In the end Maka decided she couldn't risk the girl's safety. Marik knew he had won seeing the struggle on the woman's face disappear. He was finally going to learn the name of his lotus flower. He waited in anticipation as the woman looked up at him.
"You met her nine years ago in Egypt. Her name is Mirassa Benu…"
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 7:02:02 GMT -5
Chapter 11: I Remember You
------------- Back on the boat
Mirassa dazedly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her head was throbbing. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.
“What happened? Where am I?” she thought worriedly, looking around at her unfamiliar surroundings.
The room she was currently in had been beautifully decorated. It was truly a woman’s room. She couldn’t help but notice the feel of the soft mattress and silk bedsheets covering her. Mirassa gazed around in awe until she felt a slight chill touch her skin.
She moved to wrap her arms around herself to defend against the cold, only to discover she was wearing significantly less then she was the night before. Mirassa’s gaze shot downwards, her eyes widening with horror. Her outer clothes had been removed, leaving her in her rather adult lingerie set. Mirassa quickly pulled the silk sheets up to cover herself. She tried to subdue the blush that had covered her face. She was so embarrassed. Mirassa knew exactly who was behind this and she did not like thinking about it.
“How dare he violate my privacy like this!” she growled under her breath. She had never felt so angry in all her short life. “When Marik shows his face, he will be in serious physical danger”
Mirassa swung her legs over the side of the bed. There was a wardrobe on the other side of the room; perhaps her clothes had been put in there. As she stood up, a sharp pain tore through her ankle. She collapsed onto the floor swearing in Arabic. Mirassa glanced at her foot. It was swollen and had a big ugly bruise on it.
“This must have happened when I was kidnapped by those rarehunters…” she thought, memories flooding back to her from the night before.
Mirassa attempted to stand up again. This time she put her weight on her uninjured foot. Using the wall and furniture for balance, she limped across the room towards the wardrobe. She smirked to herself when she finally reached her destination.
“Ha! There is nothing in this world I can’t do! Now then, let’s see what we have in here…”
Mirassa opened the door, a small problem emerging. There was absolutely nothing in it, except a few hangers. The girls smirk vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“He can’t possibly expect me to walk around like this!” she exclaimed.
Mirassa’s chances of escaping were growing ever thinner. She had a twisted ankle, she was stuck in a room which was probably locked and under tight security and even if she could escape, she had no clothes to wear. She did not plan on walking through Domino her undies anytime soon.
Mirassa slammed the wardrobe door shut in frustration. She slowly limped towards the small round window and looked out onto the pier.
“Well at least I know where I am, sort of…” she thought.
The girl had never been to the Domino pier before. The ship that was due to bring them here had to re route to the next town, leaving her and Maka to drive the rest of the way.
Mirassa continued to gaze out of the tiny window. There was no use trying to catch anyone’s attention, the glass looked sound proof, plus the fact that the men below were all wearing purple robes. This was probably a private dock.
“A ship full of rarehunters…” she thought bitterly.
A shuffling sound from behind made Mirassa spin around in surprise. Marik was leaning against the door frame with his arms across his chest. He was regarding her with a very apparent smile on his face. Mirassa felt very uncomfortable right now. She had hoped she could find something more suitable to wear before he came back.
Marik looked at her tiny form with much more interest now then he had shown at the club. Mirassa clutched the silk sheets instinctively, the last thing she needed was for it to fall in front of him. She stood up straight, looking him eye to eye, sending him a hateful glare. This was no time to let him intimidate her. She had to show Marik that she wasn’t weak, despite the anxiety she felt inside.
Silence filled the room. After what seemed like an eternity, Marik began walking towards the girl, closing the door behind him.
“It seems that Shai has brought you to me again my dear. I must say, you have certainly blossomed since I last saw you nine years ago…” Marik was very close now.
Mirassa’s glare faltered ever so slightly. It looked like Marik had finally remembered her, but that didn’t matter, she would still stand up to him.
“And you haven’t changed one bit; you’re just as arrogant now as you were then, if not more so” she spat back.
The sandy blonde Egyptian smiled down at Mirassa fondly. She was obviously trying to put on a brave face, he found it rather endearing.
Marik couldn’t believe his luck when the old woman had told him the girl’s name. Not only did he find an incredibly beautiful female to be his queen, but she was promised to him anyway by law. There was a marriage contract, and even if she refused him, all he had to do was show it to officials. It was a win/win situation. He decided to keep this information to himself for now.
“I don’t know what to say, it appears that I was wrong about you” Marik started.
“How about an apology!” the girl cried out.
Mirassa wanted to hear him say sorry for what he said and did to her, but that didn’t mean she would forgive him afterwards.
“Yes, I suppose that would be the best place to start” he said quietly. “I am truly very sorry I said all those things to you Mirassa, I was under a lot of pressure what with my tombkeepers initiation coming up. My father didn’t help the situation either, he was controlling my life and I hated him for it. I guess the reason I picked on you was because you were a walking talking symbol of the life my father was committing me to. But now that I’ve put that life behind me, would you ever consider giving me another chance?”
Marik took hold of Mirassa’s hands in his own. It was just as well she had tucked the sheet in to prevent it falling down. He looked deeply into her bright blue eyes, hoping to receive a smile or a hug, anything, other then the filthy look she was giving him right now. Mirassa pulled her tiny hands out of his and swung one of them, slapping him hard across the face.
Marik stumbled, looking shocked. He hadn’t expected her to react like that after he made his apology. He had meant every word he said to her as well. No one regretted his actions more then he did. If he had been nice to Mirassa instead of teasing her and hurting her emotionally as well as physically, he would be marrying her in the next few months. She might have been more willing and could possibly have held feelings for him too. Marik wanted to kick himself for making such a mess of things.
“I refuse your apology Marik! I just wanted to hear you say it. I couldn’t give a d**n about the pressure you were under; you think you were the only one who had problems back then?!”
Mirassa's pent up rage was finally being released. She figured that Marik would be angry afterwards, but right now she just didn’t care. She needed to get this off her chest.
“If things had been different, then I would have cared. We could have helped and comforted each other. I was prepared to do that, despite the fact that my father was forcing me to marry someone I didn’t know. I was just as unhappy about the marriage as you were, the only difference being that I would never have acted that way towards you, or anyone for that matter. You were so hurtful towards me, and don’t you dare try and tell me it was stress! You enjoyed every minute of it; I could see it in your eyes! I hate you and I always will!”
Mirassa was shaking now. She had never let her temper get the better of her before, but this was an exception. She could tell that her words had affected Marik. He was very silent; she hoped that she had finally gotten through to him. Perhaps he would give up and let her go home.
Marik turned away from Mirassa. He walked over to the door and picked up a few boxes he had brought in with him earlier while the girls back was turned. He set them down on the bed.
“I don’t know if you knew this Mirassa, but it was I who sent those letters and gifts to you…” Marik spoke softly. “I spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the perfect gift for you; I never heard your opinion, what do you think?”
Mirassa looked at him incredulously. “Have you not heard a word I just said to you?”
Marik pulled the white dress out of the box and turned to look at her. His voice was low and serious.
“Yes Mirassa, I heard every word. But you don’t seem to understand the situation here. It doesn’t matter what your opinion of me is. You and I are to marry as the contract says. Unfortunately, I have some business here in domino but as soon as I am finished we will return to Egypt where the wedding will take place as planned by our parents. I assume you are of age now?” he asked.
“Not yet…” Mirassa answered slowly. This wasn’t what she hoped would happen.
“How long until you are then?” Marik pressed.
Mirassa remained silent. Her sixteenth birthday was less then a week away and fast approaching. She didn’t want to tell Marik how close it was because whatever business he had, the timing would be perfect anyway. She couldn’t believe her bad luck. Marik was set on marrying her no matter what she said or did to him. How could she argue with someone who would just brush it off like this? Marik, seeing the look on her face, had a thought.
“Is that what you and your friends were celebrating the other night? Your birthday takes place very soon, doesn’t it?”
The young girls silence was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. He smiled as he held the dress out to Mirassa. She made no move to take it.
“Look, I have no objection to you walking around the way you are, but im sure that you do. This is the only thing for you to wear anyway. I suggest you take it. My rarehunters may get a little excited if they see you walking around in that little number” he said smirking at her. “Besides, as my future queen, you should be wearing something more fitting then bedsheets”
As much as she hated to admit it, Marik was right. She couldn’t walk around wearing bedsheets while she was here, nor could she walk around in lingerie. Those rarehunters of his had given her a perverted look when she was being kidnapped; she didn’t want to encourage them further then that.
Feeling defeated for now, Mirassa snatched the dress out of Marik’s hand and limped towards the bathroom to change. Marik watched her slowly retreating form from his spot next to the bed. He didn’t realise that his rarehunter had hurt her that much. He was very glad he had sent him to the shadow realm now. Marik walked over to a drawer and found a first aid kit. There he pulled out some bandages. He walked back over to the bed and sat down, waiting for his future bride to return.
Five minutes later, the door opened. Mirassa slowly limped out again carrying the sheets she had used to cover herself up. When she lifted her gaze to see Marik waiting for her she let out an annoyed sigh.
“Why are you still here?” she asked angrily.
Marik’s eyes looked up at her from his deck. He couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. The dress suited her. She was incredibly beautiful and thanked the gods once again for giving her to him. Now he had to win her over. Marik still believed he could do it. All he had to do was show her his kind side, something he hadn’t seen himself for years.
“Come here” he said gently, patting the space next to him on the bed. “I’ll wrap that foot up for you, it will heal quicker”
“No thank you! I’d rather it go sceptic and fall off then let you near it” she replied bitterly.
Marik reached behind his back for the millennium rod that was tucked in his belt. He didn’t take control of her mind as such, but made her more willing to sit down on the bed. She did so. When she was settled he released his grip on the rod. Mirassa didn’t know what had happened, but she dismissed it quickly as Marik took her ankle and rested it on his lap. He began to wrap it up, taking care to wrap it tightly but not so much that it caused her pain. Mirassa was surprised with by gentleness that he showed her but hid it by sulkily crossing her arms like a small child.
“By the way Marik” she started. “Who took my clothes off?”
“I had one of my female servants do it” he lied.
Mirassa was already angry at him; he didn’t want to get another slap from her. He had taken her clothes off to make her more comfortable, and a little bit for himself he had to admit. He was a teenager after all, if given the chance; any other young man would have done the same. She was a very appealing female after all and someone like her would bring out anyone’s curiosity. She accepted that story, thankfully. She seemed a little less stressed as well. Perhaps that was the thing bothering her more then anything else. Marik didn’t want to guess how a woman’s mind worked.
Marik soon began to think of other methods he could use to change Mirassa’s opinion of him. This was going to be harder then he thought. He finished wrapping the girls foot up and carefully set it down on the bed. He stood up and began to walk towards the door.
“I have some business to attend to now, but I will come by and see you later. For now you need to rest. Don’t try and walk, you’ll only strain your ankle more, and don’t worry about my rarehunters. None of them will touch you here, they wouldn’t dare…”
With that, Mirassa was on her own again. This was going to be an interesting few days. She tried to think of a plan to escape but it would be tricky with her ankle the way it was. She needed a miracle.
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Post by Sailor Universe on Dec 10, 2007 7:13:46 GMT -5
Note: This fic might remain discontinued, as I can't locate the other chapters I've written
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ami
Great Fighter
Posts: 520
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Post by ami on Mar 7, 2008 13:00:47 GMT -5
aw to bad i was happy to read this.
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Post by minako on Jun 8, 2008 17:35:32 GMT -5
i liket to bad i dint read the end.
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