This is in response to millieyre’s school AU post about Valentine’s day. 
I hope this is okay.

Having just one month to come up with a gift was going to be torturous. Handing out presents was never his strong suit and if it had been someone he knew but did not really care for then he could have settled for something cheap and generic or maybe even just ignored them altogether. But this was Ryou and Ryou had given him something nice.

Marik pulled out a chocolate shaped like a pair of lungs, admiring it for a moment before popping it into his mouth. The rich sweet melting away between slow bites. He had no idea where Ryou got the candy but it was delightfully creepy which ensured that none of his family would steal any from him, not that he planned on letting any of them know he had such a thing in the first place. He could practically hear the sneer in Malik’s voice as he wondered out loud who the gift had really been meant for.

A sense of doubt settling in his stomach so Marik checked the tag once more in fear his imagined scenario had been right. The to and from signed out properly and he let go a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he had been holding. At least it had happened though that still left him with one glaring problem. He was still drawing a blank on what to do for White Day.

Maybe he should pester Rishid for an idea but leave out what happened. His oldest sibling did have a knack for being useful once and a blue moon.

Hearing a dull set of thumps from down the hall outside his room, Marik growled in annoyance as he picked up the lid to the box of sweets and put it back on. The box itself being stashed back into his backpack just before his bedroom door burst open. In stepped his father, Amen, and he was looking sour as usual.

“Where are they?” the old man hissed. Marik turned to face him in his chair with a dull expression on his face that he almost always seemed to wear. “Tell me now, boy!”

Already he was resorting to not even calling him by name. That was not a good sign at all. Figuring he was already in trouble for something he had no clue about, Marik shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Want to tell me what is missing first or are you going to keep on accusing me of shit you’ve misplaced?”

The vein in his father’s forehead began to pulse as his anger was more evident though Marik stared at him still unimpressed.

“You ungrateful little brat!” The two spoke in unison which only further served to spike the elder’s anger.

“You might want to come up with something original or-” he was cut off with a crack to the face he knew was coming but he had thought he could have at least finished his sentence first. A hand soon sinking into the mess of hair on the back of his head as Marik found himself dragged out of his seat and towards the door. “I don’t know where your stupid whatever is!” Marik hissed as he tried to free himself though his struggling only seemed to make things worse.

The lack of response was more alarming though Marik had little time to think about it as he was forced head first into something hard that went on to clip his side. Eyes closed tight as he attempted to shove back and wrench himself free. The old man releasing him shortly after as Marik fell forward and stumbled down some steps, crashing into a handrail that kept him from taking a swan dive the rest of the way down.

Something was said but he failed to make sense of it as the door was slammed shut and undoubtedly locked immediately after. Great. He was stuck in the basement again and the sun was already starting to set. What was the dusty, old, bastard even going to at this time of night? Was he working late? No, he would have just stayed there and had Ishizu run things in his absence. Maybe it was some kind of meeting?

“Whatever,” he grumbled before taking his time on finishing his decent down the wooden steps and huddling up in his usual spot near the small window. The sun would be down soon and everything would be dark unless someone decided to flip the switch on the other side of the locked door. Doubtful. No one in the household besides himself ever stood up to that miserable excuse for a parent, he thought bitterly.

It would be morning before he would be allowed out to get ready for school. The youngest Ishtar having gotten used to the drafty basement though he was strangely grateful he had managed to get most of his homework done before the abrupt and unpleasant punishment though he thought himself lucky because being stuck in the basement was one of the more mundane punishments his old man could dish out.

---

Days were going by too fast. Each one fairly similar in pattern. School, after school detention, homework, random father-son time (as he called it because he didn’t seem to know better), sleep. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes the way it played out was changed up a little in order but over all it didn’t seem to matter.

---

Marik sighed wearily as he lazily sketched a single eyeball onto a bit of lined paper. His other hand dangling over the back of his seat as he was already bored with serving detention seeing as his usual partner in crime managed to keep his nose clean for once. Damn Bakura! At least he could have done something minor so they could clap erasers together for a bit but no. He was one of two people left and he had no idea who the other kid was.

His mind drifting back to what he should do for the dreaded holiday coming up. He had only a week now and he still was blanking on what to do. The pencil stopped moving as he closed his eyes to sigh again.

“That’s pretty good,” came a chipper voice. The student nearly snapping his pencil in half from being startled and then seeing a river of silver hair before him. For a split second he thought it had been Ryou but as the other moved back it became clear it was one of the teachers. “But I can’t help but feel like it’s missing something,” Pegasus added.

“Canaliculus,” Marik suggested as he started to etched it in. His initial shock fading fast though he was surprised to see this particular teacher all the same. What happened to Ms. Chono?

“Hmmm… It’s not that,” Pegasus mused. “I feel like it’s inspiration that it is lacking.”

“What?” The Ishtar stopped again to shoot a quizzical stare. “Since when do eyes need inspiration?”

Pegasus tsked as he leaned back and wagged a finger to shame his pupil. “It isn’t the eye but the beholder that lacks the inspiration.” He paused his finger wagging only to briefly run his hand through his hair as if to correct some unseen flaw though it drew Marik’s attention up in time to see a glimpse of the eyepatch that the vain other tended to keep hidden under the cascade of straight silver.

“…So are you going to explain that or am I supposed to ignore you?”

Pegasus was taken back and groaned in his own bit of frustration. “You clearly are having a stroke of artist’s block,” he clarified. “So tell me what is it that you are stuck on and maybe I can help loosen up some inspiration.” He pulled out a seat from the desk in front of Marik and hooked one leg over it to sit upon the chair backward so he could lean against the backing and keep facing Marik who had captured his interest.

“-Can I use the bathroom?” another voice chimed in. The student Marik failed to recognize daring to butt into their conversation.

“Yes, yes. Take the pass off the desk and be back within ten minutes,” the teacher murmured, waving the other child off without even sparing him a glance. The fact he was given ten minutes even caught Marik off guard though only for a moment. “Well?” Pegasus pressed on after he heard footsteps leave the room.

“I,” should he even mention it to him? Pegasus was one of the more interesting teachers this school had to offer. He even seen a few things the other had made in the past and they were actually really good. “I have a friend who I want to do something for, for White Day,” he confessed. “I just… Haven’t figured out what to do. Buying something just seems… wrong?”

The teacher hummed as he leaned back in thought as if mulling the information over though he was most likely trying to guess who this friend was. His suspicions strongly leaning to one particular student but even so it was even more amusing that it was a gift for a holiday meant to express returned affections. How delightful!

“Well, what does this friend like?” The shrug however dampened his smile. “Come now. Surely you know more about this person than nothing.”

“I don’t know,” Marik muttered lowly. “He’s kind of a dorky, little, nerdy thing.” Had he said he? Violets looked over to the teacher who looked quite pleased with himself which left Marik hoping he was imagining that wolfish grin.

“That’s a good start but a poor description. What sort of ‘dorky, little, nerdy’ things is he into?”

Another shrug but it was backed up this time with quizzical sounding words. “Board games, books, b rated horror movies I guess…”

“Hm… I see.” Pegasus rocked a bit back and forth in his chair for a few moments before stopping long enough to gently drum his fingers over the back of the seat. “Why not a bookmark?”

“What?”
Pegasus’ expression remained cheery though it was evident that he was thinking that the little Ishtar was quite dense every now and then. “A bookmark,” he insisted. “You know. A little place holder to help you skip to the page you want to find easily at a later point in time.”

“I know what a bookmark is,” Marik snapped. “But how would I make one? And what of?” His train of thought still clearly parked at the station.

“Dear boy, I can help inspire you, not tell you what to do. But-” he added as he stood up to loom over the student. “I would recommend something with a horror theme. And before you ask, something familiar for the theme. Something vague and yet iconic.” Pegasus finished stepping over the chair only to shove it back into place moving towards the door just in time for Ms. Chono to return. A tiny bow of his head and the other was gone from sight.

“What happened to Mr. Hanasaki?”

“Who?” Marik asked in a deadpan voice as he gathered up his things when he realized he was free to go and with that he was on his way out. His mind whirling now with a few ideas as he tried to decided on the basic shape to go with and what medium to use. Perhaps later he would find something to give the oddball teacher as a token of thanks but for now he had more important matters to tend to and a dozen or more drafts to spit out before he could decide on which to go with.

---

Time moved on as it does and the wild haired Ishtar was looking his pet project over. Such a simple design but that had been the initial beauty of it really. He had decided that Pegasus had been right about a horror theme though it took him nearly two days of flipping through his own small collection of movies to get further inspiration.

Out of all the baddies there were; ghosts, ghouls, werewolves, swamp monsters, and other various things that went bump in the night, he had settled on zombies. It was a classic choice really and still growing in popularity with the mainstream media.

Class was still in session and he carefully held the in one hand as he pretended to be reading his text book. Algebra was easy really so he hadn’t felt the need to pay attention.

Ryou would like this, he thought confidently. The bookmark having a green skinned hand popping out of a mound of dirt, clearly worn with time just like the tombstone behind it. A bit of knuckle bone poking out through the broken index finger complete with jagged yellow fingernails.

Yes. This should do. Marik peered up to make sure he hadn’t missed anything important but as he had expected there was nothing worth paying attention to. A tiny smile on his lips as he admired his pet project. Now he just had to give it to Ryou before the day was over and lunch would have been the perfect time if Ryou hadn’t decided to allow himself to get roped in with Yugi and his gang. A thicket of girls also joining their table in desperate need of attention they had assumed they could glean from Yami and Malik.

“Disgusting,” Marik muttered as he pulled his bitter gaze away from his somehow popular brother. How anyone could fall for such a pompous brat was beyond him. Perhaps that was part of why he just couldn’t fit in with anyone.

Violets dropped down to his backpack where he had stashed his gift. A sense of doubt eating away at him again. A series of cruel and ludicrous /what if’s/ popped into his head but he just grabbed his backpack and headed out, abandoning his untouched meal on the otherwise empty table.

---

Eventually school was out for the day. Kids were all around and many were holding hands or carrying presents as they headed home. Marik stood at the bottom of the stairs that lead into the main school entrance. A folder in his arms while everything else remained in his backpack strapped behind him.

Perhaps this had all been a mistake. He took in a calming breath to start building up his wall again. This holiday was pointless. Who was he kidding? Ryou had his own little throng of followers though many had shied away over the years but a few still lingered in hopes of catching the odd boy’s interest. What made him think he even had a shot?

Speak of the devil. Ryou was walking down the steps, or rather, attempting to. A few people locking his way and trying to get him to stay a bit longer though it appeared that none of them could tell that he was just too nice to tell them all to piss off.

“Screw it,” Marik muttered as he plucked up his courage again and moved to the steps. “Hey, get lost.” The small crowd turned to see who dared to talk to them that way before seeing it was Malik’s little brother and they lost interest in him. “I told you lot to fuck off,” he growled pushing his way through to grab Ryou’s arm and try to pull him through the mess that was blocking his exit.

“Let go of him! You have no right to touch our Ryou!” A chorus of agreement followed.

“He doesn’t belong to you simpletons.” And then an an unexpected thing happened. A hand shoved him though it felt more like a weak shove by a two year old. The Ishtar’s placid expression quickly growing more irritated as he straightened himself up to tower over the crowd who despised him, releasing Ryou in the process so he could have at least one hand free while the other held onto his folder. “So is it a fight you want?” he asked. A low fit of almost gleeful laughter following after that set the group back a step. An uneasy feeling flooding them all as they realized their potentially fatal mistake. Mariku was rumored to be a demon. As ridiculous as the rumor was it was moments like this that made it seem all too plausible. The slight tilt of his head as a deranged smirk began to spread across the Egyptian’s face causing the last shred of bravado the group had to dissipate. All of them hightailing it out of there just in time though it was almost disappointing. A fight would have at least allowed him to vent some of his frustrations but even that hope was lost when he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Ryou still standing beside him.

“Thank you. You have no idea how difficult it is to get rid of them.”

“Seemed easy enough to me.” Ryou just chuckled nervously in response. “…Want to walk home?”

The question seemed to suck the rest of the good mood right out of the air. “Can’t,” he sighed. “Father is picking me up for a doctor’s appointment. Um… Rain Check though?”

“…Sure.” He decided it was now or never and opened up the yellow folder to pull out his gift. One last glance to it before he looked back up to make sure the cute little nerd he had for a neighbor hadn’t disappeared again. “Happy White Day,” Marik muttered.

Curious, Ryou blinked a few times before it registered just what was happening and gradually his usually pale face began to fill with color. Large doe eyes admiring his gift though he was more pleased with what it possibly meant.

Marik had given him something in return for his Valentine’s Day gift! Not just that but he actually took the time and effort to make something for him! Him! Did that mean- Did Mariku really like him back?!

Excitement was flooding Ryou’s senses but before he could hug the Ishtar out of pure joy and glee a car horn had honked behind them and he instead jumped out of unexpected fright. His face now red due to embarrassment.

“I-I um… I have to go but-” he collected himself just enough to give Marik a quick hug. “Thank you. I love it!”

“Come on, Ry! We needed to on our way five minutes ago!” Marik grunted in annoyance for Ryou’s father having ruined the moment he been waiting for all day. “You can see your little friend tomorrow. We got to go now!” The elder honked the horn now just for effect.

“I…” Ryou stole another hug and quickly peeled away to get to the car. “Thank you!” he called back just as Marik realized what had happened. The two taking off and he was left by himself. A tingling sensation from the tight albeit quick hug still lingering around his frame.

That feeling… That feeling was still so new to him. Gods, it felt nice though he couldn’t quite explain why. Something so simple and yet… so hard to place on why it gave him conflicting thoughts.

“No problem,” he murmured before rubbing his other arm absentmindedly. His folder still clutched tightly in his other hand even as he started his journey back home.

---

The real problem however was not White Day at all but occurred several days after. At first Marik was pleased to see Ryou using his gift as he intended it to be for, however, the more he saw it, the more aware Marik became of all the flaws it contained.

The colors were a poor choice, the pen strokes for accents unnecessary, the overall choice just bland and cartoony. What once was decent was now hideous with each passing day. To make matters worse, Ryou seemed to actually love it. The little dork refusing to let him change it or make a better replacement one.

“You’re lucky I like you.”
“What?” Ryou looked up from his book, wedging the handcrafted bookmark between the pages for the moment.

“I said I’m bored,” Marik lied. Ryou closed the book and sat it aside.

“Alright then. Let’s play tag.”

“Hmm…. Okay.” Marik looked around the room only to spot the iconic Ghostface mask. “But let’s make it more interesting. Whoever is it has to wear that,” Marik suggested while pointing to the mask that hung in the corner of the room.

“Do they have to carry buck knife too? It’s plastic of course but it does that neat thing where it looks bloody when held a certain way.”

Ryou had the knife to go with it? “Yes.” Marik watched as the other moved to collect the items mentioned. “The person not it is the victim.” This was already starting to sound like their greatest game yet. “You want to be it first?”

“Sure.” And with that Ryou was starting to slip the mask on. “You should ask Bakura if he wants to join us.”

“Alright. I’ll do that now.” The Ishtar slipping out of the room as Ryou started counting but there was just one little detail. Marik didn’t plan to tell Bakura anything. The best part though was the horrified scream that followed nearly a moment later.

Knife Tag was going to be a game they were just going to have to play again sometime later.

(Pics of what the bookmark should look like in the following read more. Apologizes for the poor quality but I only have a webcam to use and a bad sense of how to use it. XP)