Sorry it's been so long guys! My life has been insanely busy and I had major writers block, plus my laptop is pretty broken and it only works sometimes. But anyway! Here is the last chapter of Bullshit Ishtar! I want to thank you all for reading this story and to thank everyone who followed, Favorited and reviewed. I love you all! xx 3

supersteffy- Well you now get to find out :) Thanks for your review 3

HermioneSakuraGardner07- That's such a good idea! I may have to write another chapter/epilogue-y thing.. haha :P Thanks for your review 3

YamiNoIcexIcuo- Awh thankyou! And yeah, the suicide scene made me sad :'( But he's okay now and he has Kura! Thanks for reviewing 3

WARNINGS- Strong language, Eating disorder references

"Alrighty, take your gown off and step onto the scales please."

I swallowed, before doing as the nurse said. I removed my thin hospital gown and stepped onto the scales in my boxers, skeletal legs shaking as they struggled to support me. The nurse bustled around me, taking notes on her clipboard, adjusting the scales slightly, trying to hide the shock and pity on her face.

"Okay, you can step off and put your gown back on now Mr. Ishtar." The nurse said with a sad smile.

Once I was dressed again she gestured for me to sit in a chair opposite the one she was now placed in.

"Right, so the scales place you at 77lb. That's about 5.5 stone, which makes you dangerously underweight."

I nodded, I'd already known that I was underweight, but not to that extent.

"We need to get you a specially tailored diet plan from one of our dietitians, you will also need to see a therapist twice a week. I'll make the necessary appointments for you and contact you with the details."

I smiled, thanking the lady and left the room, walking through the halls of the hospital back to my own room, where Bakura was waiting for me.

He looked up and smiled when I entered the room. I sat on the bed beside him and he pulled me into a hug.

"How did it go?" he asked, releasing me from his warm arms.

I looked at my feet anxiously, I didn't want to tell him how underweight I was.

"Marik?" he asked warningly.

"77lb, 5.5 stone." I recited flatly, avoiding his eyes.

I heard him inhale sharply, "Fuck Marik! how are you even managing to walk?"

I shrugged, then risked a glance at his face. It was missing the anger I'd been expecting, instead it was full of concern and love.

"Oh Marik," he sighed, wrapping his arms around me and kissing one of my hollow cheeks. "You need to stop thinking I'll be angry, I just want you to get better."

I smiled, and leant in to plant a small kiss on his lips. "I will Bakura. I'll get better for you."

I promise.

As the car turned the corner and headed up my road I began to feel sick and gripped my hands into tight fists, nails leaving red indentations on the tanned skin. I swallowed and looked out of the window, watching the houses of my neighbors pass by in a drug induced blur. My mouth felt dry and my stomach was unpleasantly full. For the first time in a while I had the urge to purge, to empty my stomach and feel the relief that hunger brings. A gentle hand squeezing my own removed me from my self-destructive thoughts and brought me back to reality.

"We're nearly there now. You okay?" Bakura's crimson eyes flashed from the road to settle on me for a few seconds. He watched as I nodded and shifted his focus back to the road, mouth turned down as he saw through my obvious lie.

"You don't need to lie to me Marik, I know you're nervous."

My throat was horribly dry as I heard the hurt tone in his voice.

"Sorry Kura." I managed to croak out as I twisted my hair nervously around a slender finger.

Bakura sighed as he brought the car to a stop outside my house, removing his hands from the wheel and placing one on my bony shoulder and one on my cheek. "Listen to me Marik, Ishizu loves you. She's not going to be angry with you, okay?"

I nodded but the tears that had been threatening to leave my eyes since we left the hospital slipped down my cheeks and dampened his palm.

He sighed and pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me and allowing me to cry on his shoulder. He shushed me gently and stroked my hair reassuringly, rocking me until my tears ceased and my breathing became normal again. He shifted away so he could see my face, but kept hold of me, knowing I needed to feel his presence.

"I'll be with you the whole time Marik. I won't let anything bad happen I promise."

I smiled shakily and wiped my cheeks dry. "Thank you Kura."

Bakura smiled in return, then released me, opening his car door and walking round the battered vehicle to open mine, offering me his hand and helping my to my feet. I blushed at the chivalrous treatment and moved closer to him, gripping his hand tightly as we turned and walked up the drive to my house. The white paint still covered the windows, cruel words forever burnt into my memory clearly scrawled on the doors. Ishizu's car was still parked as it had been all those weeks ago, shiny red paint ruined by a hastily thrown amount of white. I felt my stomach convulse and bent over, fighting the urge to throw up even as Bakura rubbed my back and growled softly to himself about being stupid.

"Shit Marik, I'm so sorry, I forgot this would still be here." His voice was panicky and I could sense his eyes darting around in panic. "Shit, shit!"

I swallowed the taste of bile and stood upright, fighting the dizziness throbbing in my skull.

"Bakura it's okay." I placed a hand on his back. "It's not your fault."

"It is! I should've thought. I thought you were, I mean I thought you might.." His voice trailed off and his crimson eyes met my lavender.

I shook my head sadly and let the unspoken word pass between us, both our fears reflected in one simple word, a word that could shatter us, shatter him, shatter me.

Relapse.

Neither of us said anything, we just stood there for a moment, me shivering despite the warm spring air and my many layered outfit, him searching my face with eyes full of fear and hope. I eventually took his hand in mine and led him to the front door. Each of us reached up with our free hand, and together we knocked on the door.

The door opened and the next thing I knew a blur of white had flown at me, knocking my hand out of Bakuras, wrapping itself around my neck and clinging onto me tightly, as if I might disappear. The person was taller than me, tanned, and sobbing into my hair.

"Ishizu." I whispered, wrapping my own arms around her and clinging on as if for life itself.

"Marik I'm so sorry! I didn't know. I thought you were okay. I wouldn't have gone if I'd known. I.. you... they..." Her words descended into unintelligible noises and I simply held her and allowed her to cry. After about ten minutes Bakura cleared his throat awkwardly and Ishizu pulled away from me, wiping her eyes with a trembling hand. Her eyes filled up again as she took in my slender frame, still underweight even after weeks in hospital.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, voice cracking with emotion.

I didn't know what to say to that, my mouth opened and closed uselessly and I brought my arms up to wrap around myself, trying to rub some warmth into my icy body.

Guilt. Shame. Disgust.

I could feel them bubbling through my veins, I began to panic, my breathing grew heavier and my skin felt itchy, I gripped myself tighter, fingers digging into pronounced ribs through my thick jumper. I could sense eyes on me, waiting for an answer, waiting for something. I felt myself shaking and my breath came in uncontrolled gulps, I stared at the ground and tried to focus on something else, anything to get me away from here. A hand on my arm startled me and I jerked my head up with a strangled cry.

"Marik, are you okay?" Ishizu's cornflower blue eyes bored into mine and I felt my breath becoming more and more ragged. There were spots dancing in front of my eyes and I felt weak.

"Shit, he's having a panic attack." I could just make out Bakuras panicked voice over the drumming of blood in my ears. "Lie him down."

I could hear Bakura issuing orders, feel gentle hands lay me down, feel Bakura placing a heavy palm onto my chest to slow my breathing and stop the erratic heaving of my chest.

"Oh my god, does this happen often?" Ishizu's voice floated to me through my half unconscious state.

"Only when he gets really anxious, I knew he wasn't ready for this. I knew!" Bakura spat, pushing down harder on my chest. "Marik! Marik, listen to me, you're okay. I'm here. Bakura's here okay. I won't let anything hurt you remember? You have to breathe for me. Breathe Marik. In, and out. In, and out. Yes, like that Marik. Just stay calm, I'm here."

The clouds on my vision faded and I could see Bakura's face above mine, cheeks damp with tears as he continued to speak, dictating when I would inhale and exhale. I reached my hand out to take his and he gripped it tightly, a relieved sigh leaving his lips.

"Thank fuck," he whispered, gently pulling me to a sitting position, mirroring the way he had when I'd first passed out from hunger. "You okay?"

I nodded slowly as my vision cleared and the blood roaring in my ears quieted.

"Thank fuck." He whispered again, resting his head on my shoulder and exhaling a shaky breath. "You sure know how to worry me."

I smiled and chuckled lightly, "Sorry."

Once Bakura had calmed down Ishizu and reassured her that I in fact, was not about to collapse and did not need to go to a hospital the visit became much more pleasant. Ishizu showed me and Bakura to my bedroom with a secretive smile and pushed the door open, telling us to come down when we were ready. The room was full of flowers, cards and other gifts. I gasped and felt a lump in my throat as I read each card, containing get well messages and overflowing with love. There must have been at least fifteen bunches of flowers, some with crispy petals and browned stems, some newer with blooming blossoms that filled the room with a delicate perfume. I read each tag and smiled quietly. There were other gifts too, plush teddies with bandaged paws and ripped ears, and bizarrely, a box of chocolates from Joey. Bakura chuckled as I passed them to him to read the tag and he muttered something about stupid mutt's. There was even a card from Kaiba, written in formal style with a rather forced seeming message. Everyone of my friends had got me something, Anzu, Ryou, Malik, Joey, Tristan, Yugi, Yami, even people I didn't expect, like Kaiba, Mai Valentine and Joey's sister Serenity. My eyes filled with tears as I walked around my room and finally stopped to sit on my bed, allowing happy tears to fall from my eyes. Bakura came to sit beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"I told you people would miss you." He whispered.

"I didn't believe you then." I replied, looking into his eyes, filled with love and pride.

"Do you now?" He asked, voice growing quieter as his face moved closer to mine.

"Yes," I breathed, and he moved forwards and placed a gentle kiss on my lips, holding me tightly.

When we went back downstairs about half an hour after Ishizu had left us we found her sat in the front room with a tray of tea and biscuits in front of her. She smiled at us and gestured towards a sofa. We sat down, staying close to each other, each needing the others support.

"So, what did you think?"

I went to reply but my voice failed me, coming out as a light sob.

"They're beautiful." Bakura spoke, the tenderness in his voice surprising me.

Ishizu smiled and rose from her seat to offer around the mugs of tea, which both me and Bakura accepted.

"There's biscuits too if either of you want one." She offered, looking at Bakura.

"I'm alright thanks," he replied, deciding not to comment on her exclusion of me and simply giving my hand a squeeze.

We sat there in an awkward silence sipping our drinks. I could feel Ishizu's eyes flickering up to me occasionally, sense the blue orbs running over my frame.

I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. I hated the way I had caused this awkward atmosphere. I longed for something to break the silence. My eyes landed on the biscuits on the tray. Ginger nuts. My old favorites. I felt a smirk grow on my face as I reached forward and picked one up, bringing it to my mouth and crunching on it. I smiled as the familiar taste exploded across my taste buds, god, why had I denied myself this for so long?

I continued crunching through the biscuit, before finishing and reaching for another. As I straightened back up with the biscuit in my hand I became aware of both Bakura and Ishizu's eyes on me. Bakura's overflowing with proud tears and Ishizu's wide in confusion.

"What?" I asked, snapping the biscuit in half, "I'm hungry."