Chapter 1 - Forgive Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!



This is just a one-shot fic I thought up a few days after the duel between Mai and Yami Marik. In case any of you are wondering what “My birthday present to Mai” means, today is her birthday. That's right - the 28th of November is Mai Valentine's birthday. (FYI) Well, anyway, here it goes...(Don't forget to leave a review please!)



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Yami Marik walked slowly through the empty halls of Kaiba Craft 3. It was perfectly quiet. `What a melancholy way to spend my day...' he thought dolefully. Even if this Noah kid was an enemy of Yugi and Kaiba, he didn't like being left with nothing to do to `entertain' himself. He hit his fist against the icy wall in boredom, but this only caused his hand to hurt. He turned a corner into another hallway, much like the one before it. Except, this hallway had people in it. Or, more specifically, people in the adjunct rooms. Ishizu and Odion's doors were shut, but the other one was open. The one to Mai's room. Yami Marik stood and stared at the doorway for what, to him, seemed like an hour, lost in his thoughts. `Why did I send her to the Shadow Realm again?'



“Oh, yes...to torture that stupid pharaoh and his friends,” he told himself to boost his confidence. He tried to walk past her room, but something made him stop. Perhaps the urge to see what evil he had caused again. Nevertheless, his feet directed him into the dormitory against his will. There Mai lay, covered by the sheet from feet to chest. Everything was still. Not even her eyelashes swayed in the breeze. Yami Marik walked over to the window and closed it. He wondered why there was a breeze when the blimp was entrapped within a closed fortress.



“Who cares!” Maybe he shouted this in frustration, or maybe for some other reason. He sank onto the foot of the bed and sighed. “Boredom is making me go crazy.” He chuckled at the thought of how his nicer self believed him to be already crazy. He began to occupy himself by throwing his shoes into the trash barrel across the room, but he was too tired to retrieve them the third time. Rotating his body around so that he was facing Mai, he placed his feet on either side of her legs. `Why don't I want to leave?' he asked himself. `It's not like anything bad is going to happen to her.' By why did he care? Isn't what he did to her bad?



“Get back to reality, Marik,” he ordered himself, but then grinned. “Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity.” He looked at her face. To the everyday person, she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. But to anyone who knew what happened, it was exactly the opposite. He wondered how much time was left before she lost all her memory, and what places and people she had already forgotten. `The Shadow Realm is cruel and merciless...an excellent place for my evil.' He tried to curve his mouth into a malicious smile, but it refused. For some reason that he couldn't think of, his feelings would not travel to the content side of consciousness.



So he stood up. Then, he sat back down again, but this time it was next to the Sleeping Beauty - on the side of the bed facing the wall. He stretched out his long legs and rested his head against the headboard. And sighed deeply. He was terribly confused about everything. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He turned his eyes toward her face again. `Such perfect skin...' His mind ran off with such uncontrollable thoughts. Practically on its own, his hand reached out to touch her hair. He thought about stopping it, but instead let it fall on the golden tresses. He felt this soft blanket over and over between his fingers, letting it fall slowly out of his grasp, then brushing his hand against it once again.



Accidentally, one finger touched her forehead. It was cold. As glacial and lifeless as that of a corpse. He shuddered and yanked his hand away. Such thoughts as those brought terror to his mind. `But why?' he asked himself again. Her arms were freezing as well. He pulled the thin sheet closer around her. He stared at her body for a few minutes, then turned his head towards the outside wall. After a short time, he sank into the sea of slumber. His dreams were few, but torturous. Spinning, turning around and around...crashing down into Hades, never seeing her again... Her. Mai. Why did he want to see her again? Why did he care!? He never cared about anybody before in his entire life. Even in his dreams, he shook his head to try and clear this confusion surrounding him. This feeling, different than before...



“Marik!?” This shout brought him forth from his nightmare of turmoil. When he opened his eyes, he discovered he had fallen off the bed and was lying on the floor. He sat up as quickly as he could to discern the origin of the voice. And she was standing right in front of him. Mai - she was there. Standing. Upright, with her violet eyes open and staring at him. He didn't care that she glared at him with hatred. He only cared that she was there, but he hadn't figured out why.



“What are you doing here!?” Her voice was angry, but also somewhat scared and tense.



“I-I...I'm...” He was at a loss of words. Nervously, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her, much to her surprise. “I'm sorry, Mai.” A few tears dropped from his eyes and splashed lightly on her shoulder. “Please forgive me...my dear.” She smiled and returned the embrace. The salty liquid that fell from her lashes formed a small stain on his shirt.



“I forgive you...sweetheart.” They stood there for many minutes, until Yami Marik broke the silence. He released her enough to look her in the eyes.



“Mai...I-I love you...”



“I know. That's why that Shadow Realm place sent me back here.” She smiled again. “And now I also know, I love you too...Marik.” He placed his hands against the back of her neck and leaned towards her. As their lips met in a sweet kiss, their need for happiness was fulfilled at long last...

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