13 From Hard To Nightmare

"Hah..." Joachim couldn't help but exhale a long-drawn-out breath. He managed to bluff his way out by saying he got lost while looking at the scenery, and that's why he arrived a bit late. Big Momma was waiting at the door with a look that promised pain if the answer was not satisfactory.

'Scary... I didn't know she was this overprotective. Even more so when considering that I am an outsider.' She looked strangely like a mother bear, ergo his tired mind while he laid on his bed resting on this cold night.

There was much to think about, and much he did NOT want to think about. The main events he would have to go through hadn't even arrived and he was already feeling tired.

A deep sigh carried him through the migraine, and he took advantage of the brief moment of clarity he had before sleep took hold of him.

Almost lethargically, he took his Deck from the nightstand next to his bed and proceeded to rummage his repertory, eventually taking out Tachyon Dragon. He stared at the card for a few moments while feeling the monster also looking back at him. If he were in the old world, he would say to himself that he was seeing things. Now? He was pretty sure that it was not a figment of his imagination.

"Thank you for helping me, and sorry you had to go through that miserable death on our first duel together." At this point, he didn't care if he seemed deranged by talking to a card. Stranger things have been happening to him.

A small, momentary glow was his answer. Joachim put the monster back in its place, somehow feeling reassurance coming from 107. He would be counting on him for a while, so he was glad that there was no resentment left.

'I am surprised you already have formed a connection to him. I expected for it to take much longer.' Ra chose that moment to make his opinion known, yet the content brought no surprise to him.

"Mhm... It's nothing, really." Joachim shook his head, not completely agreeing with the statement.

'Are you that confident in yourself?' Even if he couldn't see it, the blonde-haired man could imagine the God raising an eyebrow in doubt.

"It's not that; quite the opposite in fact. 101 to 107 don't really mind me using them. They are more like...picky? I guess you could say. As long as the situation is of their interest, they will gladly join." It was hard to put into words, but he did his best so that his companion could understand.

'I assume the others are not of the same mind.' His assumption might as well have been the truth if the bitter smile on Joachim's face was anything to go by.

"Yeah... 1 to 99 are a special case. Instead of responding to the situation, they respond to my feelings or something like that. If you are a leader, you can't send a subordinate who is fond of children to kill a newborn child. Following that logic, I wouldn't be able to use Numbers 54: Lion Heart if I was fearful of my opponent. He would just magically disappear from my Extra Deck." Honestly, it was a real pain in the butt, but complaining wouldn't make the situation better, so he just abstained from doing it.

'Do not forget that at our core, we are sentient beings. We will not join the cause of someone we do not believe in. That aside, there must be some that resonate with you. Ninety-nine emotions should be enough for you to at least communicate with one of them.'

"That's... yes, there are. However, they are a special case among special cases. For both their sake and mine, it's best if we don't interact too much—at least until I can sort out my own thoughts and feelings." Unwilling to speak any further, he placed his Deck back in its place, tucked himself in, and closed his eyes to get some sleep for what was to come.

Ra felt puzzlement invade his being. He could not understand what he was talking about. Nonetheless, a quick moment of thinking revealed the answer, bringing honor to the wisdom of his namesake. 'Certainly... You, as well as them... are too much alike.'

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Urgent, or rather, annoyed knocks came from the door, making Joachim open his eyes to a new day. The faint light coming from the curtain in his window was enough to tell him that he had overslept. He didn't like getting his sleep interrupted, but considering he was basically freeloading, he just had to man up and accept it without a fuss.

Like a zombie while rubbing his hurting eyes, he exited the bed and went to answer the door; offering a single "Coming!" to stop the banging, which was only working to give him a headache instead of getting his attention.

Different from the last time, he didn't panic when he opened the door and found Gloria together with Grace. For what reason they came to him, he did not know. Nonetheless, the blonde didn't bother thinking about it and instead just asked directly.

"So...yawn... what brings you here? I figured you would be even more tired than me after coming back." It was not an excuse. He literally thought they would not be around until afternoon with how they usually behaved.

"I see you are still being a waste of space as always." Hurtful words, but he couldn't deny them, and at this point, he knew Gloria didn't really mean them... probably.

"Thank you for your kind words. So? Don't tell me you missed me that much?" He had never dodged a punch straight to his face that fast during his both lives.

"All right, all right. Geez. It was just a joke. Gonna tell me now why are you seeking me?" Despite his question, the two sisters remained silent, causing him to tilt his head slightly in puzzlement.

"Meet us downstairs and we will explain. Be quick since our mother just went out." In other words, it was something important that they couldn't discuss openly, and the only thing that could be about was Academia, or something related to it.

Not wanting to say more, Gloria turned around and left, leaving him and Grace awkwardly looking at each other. "Um... Hi."

She just made it way more awkward than it had to be.

A chuckle escaped his mouth involuntarily. He couldn't believe these kinds of things were the ones that made him forget about all his troubles.

"Hi, Grace. How did your trip go? Also, welcome back." His belated greeting was met with an eye smile. She was probably excited to tell him all about her experiences.

"It was a little boring as always, to be honest. Ah! But some interesting things did happen this time, though! However, you will have to come downstairs or Gloria will chew my ears off if I spoil you! Hehe~" Joachim actually imagined that happening, which was why he went back to pick some extra pair of clothes, as to speed up the process. Considering how cold the days were getting, he figured that tigress would understand a little bit of delay.

"Yeah. Despite not knowing her for long, I can kind of picture that, so don't worry. You can tell me those things in her presence if you wish. I am sure she won't mind it then." Unaware to him, Grace followed him into 'his' room.

"Huh... I see you aren't into decorating things. Considering you don't even have a job to do, it is understandable, to some extent." Imaginary arrows pierced his back mercilessly at her words, yet at least they helped to realize what she was doing, but by that point, it was already too late.

"Hm? Is this your Deck?" Grace noticed the stack of cards on his nightstand, and as quickly as she did, she picked them up. Joachim nearly suffered a heart attack when she did so. There were not only fusion cards in there but also his XYZ Monsters as well. If she found out, he could consider himself screwed big time.

"You..." Grace turned around with widened eyes; an expression of visible shock on her face. Joachim knew then that it was finally over and the cat was out of the bag.

"I am sorry for not telling you before..." For some reason he didn't even understand, he was apologizing to her while scratching the back of his head with a complicated expression.

"You should have!" At her shout, he just released a sigh of resignation. Depending on how things developed, the situation could turn really ugly.

Grace approached him with heavy steps, causing him to tense. His eyes darted to the window, ready to make a run for it with Yami's help if it was necessary.

Without hesitation, the white-haired girl shoved the Deck into his chest, which he caught by reflex, before grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the door. "You should have told me that your Deck was in a heavy need of some cards! How do you expect to win against my sister if you don't even have good Spells and Traps there save for a few?! After Gloria is done, we are heading straight for the card shop!"

"Come again?" Joachim blinked owlishly—his brain failing to process what was happening. Going from hell to heaven seemed to have frozen his capability to think straight.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Marik! If you needed some cards to perfect your Deck you could have told me sooner. Is this what people call "A man's pride"? Anyways, let's hurry!" Unsure of what was happening, he turned his gaze to the Deck still resting near his chest. A quick movement of his hand brought the source of his dismay to view, revealing random cards he had never seen before—ones that quickly shifted while releasing black smoke, revealing those he was already familiar with. However, what caught his attention the most was the one at the frontmost part.

'You...? What are your intentions? If it is my thanks you are expecting, then you can wait a long while, you fake liar.' The Monster didn't respond; it didn't express its emotions toward his words. It just couldn't. And yet... 'Why do I feel like you will still wait, even if it is an impossibility?'

While he was busy staring at the card with dead eyes, lost in his own world, Grace finally managed to drag him down to where Gloria stood in waiting with folded arms. Her eyes narrowed once she saw how close they were.

"Did you make me wait that long because you found it more interesting to flirt with one another?" Grace hastily let go of his arm before doing a fake cough with flushed cheeks, only now realizing her behavior had been a little over the top.

"Yes, we were getting lovey-dovey. So, what is it that you so urgently wanted to talk about?" Seeing as the subject they were going to discuss had the impression of being quite heavy, he decided to throw some humor in. The way Grace almost choked on air and Gloria's lips twitched made it worth it. He took a chair from below the table, turned it, and sat down with his arms and chin resting on the back while the other two remained standing.

The smirk he had quickly disappeared as soon as the blonde-haired woman spoke, though.

"Marik. You... do you know the Professor?" A question so random but one that possessed many implications. Almost by reflex, he showed a shocked expression that would have given at least something away. Thankfully, though, he was able to change it swiftly into one of puzzlement. Joachim being confused about how she arrived at that conclusion certainly helped.

"Huh? What's with you all of a sudden? I don't know anyone by that title, and if I did, I have amnesia, remember? For some reason, I can't recall a thing of who I was or what I had done before your mother found me on that bench." It was pretty suspicious. However, he couldn't ask directly why she came up with that. At any rate, he was almost sure that Gloria would follow up, and that would clarify some of his doubts, at least.

"I begrudgingly acknowledge your skills—"

"Oi."

"—which is why I asked the Professor if we could make you accompany us during our...missions. However, when I mentioned your name, he suddenly adopted a strange attitude. He looked shocked and excited at the same time. It was as if... he had discovered a priceless treasure out of nowhere." Joachim brought a hand to his chin, outwardly thinking about Gloria's words; while inside, he was screaming to the four winds for his shitty luck and cursing her for ever mentioning his name to that bald guy. No. To begin with, the one with the most fault here was him. He should have lied and said he was called some common name like Bob or something.

The crazy guy was someone that belonged to the "original" Dimension. Although it was never explained, and the YuGiOh timeline is a mess, it wouldn't be strange for him to know about the name Marik. 'Thinking about it now, I am really such an idiot. Ugh...'

He was not perfect, he knew. Yet, if he was going to make mistakes, he hoped they would be ones that happen because of his inability to prevent them, not because he didn't bother to stop and think for a second. The only saving grace was that he didn't have the guy in front of him right now, so it allowed some respite.

"Hm... This might be crazy, but what if I am some kind of experiment of that Professor, and while escaping my imprisonment I lost my memory?"

"Another joke and you will be the next meal of the Amazoness Queen's Tiger." She was scowling—more than usual, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"I am sorry, okay? But I really don't know. If I were someone that Professor of yours would get so excited about, then I should have been pretty famous, no? At the very least, you two would know of me, but that's not the case. If you are in the dark, how do you think I fare?" He could only answer with a helpless sigh. Joachim preferred not to tell them about Marik's true history, since that would make things harder for them. He bet that baldy would go to hell and back to get any information on him even through bizarre means.

If there was one thing he wasn't willing to forget, it was how he allowed the versions of his daughter to be mind-controlled by some parasites that nested in their brains. The guy was clearly a psycho that couldn't be trusted to make sound judgments.

"I doubt it is anything like you say, but I would not dismiss something similar from being the truth. After all, he described your appearance as if he knew you from before." Grace brought up some details that killed completely any possibility of this being a false alarm. If Akaba Leo knew how he looked, then it was certain that the Marik he was referring to was Marik Ishtar and not some other person with the same name.

"..."

"...I just hope you haven't thrown me into the hands of a pedophile or something." Grace quickly covered her hands to stop the fit of incoming laughter, while Gloria also tried to prevent some chuckles from escaping. However, she soon returned to reality with an added frown marring her face.

"He said that he would take care of 'it'. Whatever that meant. I don't want to shed some bad light on the Professor, but I would be careful if I were you. Judging by the expression he had at the time, you seem to be important to him. I doubt he would accept a rejection from you." It would be the first time he heard something akin to worry in her tone, which made him smile wryly. He guessed he had grown used to this lifestyle where the thing he had to worry about the most was not to arrive late from his escapades.

'It seems my days here are numbered.' It was not something he could say. Just to be safe, he would hide that decision from them. 'I feel like a cat going to the woods to die alone so as to not make my owners sad...'

"Right... Though, I want you two to promise me something." His whole expression and body language shifted to a more serious undertone. Both sisters, never having seen him like that, unconsciously stood straighter while giving him their full attention.

"No matter what happens, if I end up being... persuaded by the Professor; don't look for me, nor ask questions about me. Just forget I even existed. It would be for the best." The reaction was instant. Gloria's hands that were clutching her arms tightened further, and Grace, who always gave the impression of a happy-go-lucky person was looking at him as if she was about to rip his head out. However, this time, he kept a serene expression, and didn't react in an exaggerated way; only looking at them calmly as if he wouldn't budge on what he said.

"...You talk as if you would die." Grace's voice was firm—almost daring him to prove her wrong. If he was truly clueless, if he truly did not know a thing, then there was no need for him to utter those words.

Although Gloria didn't speak, and only conformed herself with a glare, she was of the same mind as her sister. She found no reason for him to have said that. Similarly, she didn't understand why the look he had was one of certainty; as if he was aware of something they were not.

For his part, Joachim shifted his gaze, now dulled with a bit of resignation, to the window. The world outside shined bright, contrasting with his new current situation.

A sigh of defeat escaped his lips. He was not meant for these kinds of things.

"Maybe... I already did."

He never was.