Your encounter with Yami Malik... #69.... Reality & Fantasy

Ishizu Ishtar, more than any other person in Domino City,
knew that. Sitting in her office in the Museum of Ancient History she was
completely abstracted in translating a manuscript text from Sanscrit to Spanish,
as the director of another museum -in Spain- had requested. On her desk were
scattered different volumes and dictionaries which she used to compare, as well
as other reference texts. Among those, the casual observer could see the famous Description
de l'gypte and Le voyage dans la Basse et la Haute gypte, by the
French eminence Vivant Denon, and some brief translation notes by no other than
Jean-Francoise Champollion.

The prominent woman was an eminence herself, at the age of
25 she was the head of the Domino City Museum of A.H. (Ancient History
>>), and spoke and read fluently Arab, Ancient Egyptian, Sanscrit, French,
Japanese, English, and Spanish.

And conveniently handled a Sennen Item. It was true she
had given it to Yuugi after the Tournament had ended, but the Tauk had been
returned to her and she had been keeping it since then.

Her office was large, simple and somber. On the creamy
white walls hung some neatly framed papyrus scrolls, and in a privileged spot
was an spectacular painting by the Scott David Roberts: the entrance to the
temple of Hathor in Dendera, which gave the room a distinguished ambience. Most
of the guests who visited the Museum were thrilled to find such priced works of
art in such good conditions.

A teapot was sat on a tray as well as two empty cups.
There was no need for sugar, because neither her nor the guest she expected
drank their tea with it.

The door was slammed open, and then shut, and a face
Ishizu wasn't particularly fond of stormed into the office.

"Take a seat," she offered calmly, motioning
towards a wooden chair with a cushion which had been prepared with anticipation.

Yami Malik eyed her with evident hostility, but
nonetheless did as told, and that took the woman slightly by surprise. But she
reminded herself that what the Tauk showed could be changed eventually, and that
a year in an unlikely company could change a person.

She couldn't bring herself to smile.

Ishizu poured the tea slowly, amidst a gelid silence. His
eyes were following her movements, and she couldn't say she was comfortable with
that. But she had always felt weak when she was around him, Malik's darkness.

"I know what you're thinking," he started
calmly, a small, twisted smile curving his lips, "It's time to stop
considering me 'Malik's dark side', don't you think, sister?" His
voice came out surprisingly smooth, venomous.

"I don't recall you being more than that..."
Ishizu said, no distinguishable emotion hinting in her face.

He chuckled mockingly, slowly. "It became obvious the
moment we no longer shared a body. You're not about to deny that, are you?"

Ishizu offered him a cup of tea, which he took with total
normality.

"No, I am not. But give me a reason to consider you a
normal person..."

Yami Malik shrunk his shoulders. "I'm not a 'normal
person', dear sister. I'm just not Malik's darkness...
anymore."

She nodded. He'd won the battle. Something inside him, he
didn't know what, had led him to smile in a foreign way. Ishizu took
notice of that.

She took a sip of her tea and asked, "What's Ancient
Egypt like?"

He sneered. "Awesome. Especially because I got to
stand a bitch who wouldn't stop babbling and whining."

Eyes closed, she hinted a smile. "It looks like you
enjoyed it, brother. I'll tell Khemet about it."

YMalik's eyes widened. "You mean she's
around...?!"

Ishizu smiled enigmatically...

"Sometimes, Destiny gives us jokers in our poker
hands."

The door slammed open once more, and a grinning Malik
entered the room, followed closely by you, who were trying unsuccessfully to
catch him. You let out a short laugh, "Malik! Stay still!"

He heh-ed. "No way, I won! Hahaha XD"

You laughed too, both of you completely unaware of the
other two people in the room. And of the tension that was slowly building up...

Malik was smiling widely, and in a lapsus of... something,
he took you in his arms and said, "I'll let you win next time..."

You weren't expecting that, and you didn't feel
comfortable with being so close to Malik, so you pushed him aside.

"Ehehe... it's ok this way..."

You were sure Ishizu had seen that, and you were sure the
gesture had given a thoroughly wrong idea. Your eyes that were set in
eyeing Malik's sheepish expression, diverted and looked at the older sister
apologetically, and then immediately to...

"No way..."

Your eyes opened so wide it was almost unnatural. Yet
again, Yami Malik didn't look much different from you. He was subconsciously
gritting his teeth, shocked.

"Hey Khem, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a
ghost or somet-----------" Malik's eyes shot open. "You"
he hissed, eyes squinted and sporting a hateful shine. Yami Malik stood up.

"Hey, isn't this a lovely family
reunion?" He said with a twisted smirk, recovering from the shock almost
immediately, "Oh, even you, dear Khemet, are here. Isn't it a
pleasant surprise." The way he said it made it evident he didn't think it
was. Turning round to face Ishizu, his tone didn't vary in the slightest bit.
"I'm sure I have to thank you, right sister? Oh, I'd have killed
to meet you two in the same room." His suntanned hand motioned vaguely
towards you and Malik.

You couldn't move. Hell, was it possible to feel so
fucking happy and terrified at the same time? And besides... he was also
probably thinking there was something going on between his former host and you
now... Oh, you were starting to have a headache!

"M-Malik..." you stuttered, taking a shaking
step towards him... after all, you hadn't seen him since Ancient Egypt.

Ishizu kept on sipping her tea as if nothing had happened,
but the stern look in her eyes betrayed something else.

Malik was the one who broke the silence, finally.
"What the fuck are you doing here, you bastard!?"

"Oh," Yami Malik replied, unphased
apparently, but his words were tinged with sarcasm and, why not, hate. "Sister
called me to that I could tell her a bit of my awesomest life. So how
have you been, my weak side? Or should I say brother, now?"

Malik gritted his teeth in annoyance at the nonchalant
yami. "I don't know how the fuck you got yourself a body, but dream on that
you psycho will ever be my brother. And watch how you talk to my
sister, freak."

"Share her, hikari," Yami Malik suggested
sarcasically, and, eyeing you, he added, "My my, seems you got youself a
loser that corresponds you." He snorted. "You're taking the leftovers,
smart girl."

"Go to hell," Malik hissed.

"It's a bit inconvenient, since I've just come back
from that place." Yami Malik walked slowly towards the exit door,
"Though you could use some time there, Malik."

Your eyes were still wide in shock as he walked out of the
office, barely stopping to say, "Thank you for the tea, Ishizu, and all of
you can fucking go to hell, they're missing a couple of losers down there."

The Egyptian curator's eyes remained tranquil. Malik's
gleamed in badly kept rage, and yours were still fixed in the spot where YMalik
had gone out of view. In a lapsus of conscience, you rushed out after him.

Malik intended to follow you, but Ishizu stopped him with
these mysterious words: "You shouldn't, brother. Foreign terrain is always
sloppy."

Besides the sound of the cars passing by outside, the only
other recognisable sound was Malik's voice uttering curses in Arab.

****

"Malik...! Malik, wait...!"

You ran to catch up with him, because no, he wasn't about
to stop.

"........Malik...!"

You were so happy you felt stupid.

"What, won't you call me 'Yami Malik' now that you've
become anquianted with the real one?" There was a hard look to his
eyes that was just hurting you.

"You were always the most real for me... " You
blushed deeply. That had sounded too damn cheesy. "I-I mean...
err...."

He didn't even waste as much as an annoyed glance at you,
he kept on walking. You reached out and grabbed his elbow, and wrapped your arms
around his arm, and he had no option but stop.

"I missed you. A lot, a lot. Won't you say you did,
too?"

He blinked in annoyance. "I didn't."

Still latched to his arm, you couldn't help it when your
eyes softened, remembering that night in Cairo before you'd taken the
plane back to Domino... that night when none of both was really sure if what was
happening was reality or fantasy. He'd seem to care, if slightly, then...

"Can I propose something?" you suggested
sweetly.

He death glared at you. "Only if you let go."

You sighed in relief. "Let's meet in a less crowded
place another day, and we could talk... "

...............no response...............

"I'll wait for you in that deserted square... what's
it name? Admiral Perry square, yeah, next Sunday at... let's say, 5:00 pm. I'll
be there... so I guess it's upto you if you want to see me or not."

You let go immediately after, seeing how he looked down at
you (he was still taller), with his eyes impassive and inexpressive, and as
beautiful as ever. You gave him a hurried peck on the cheek, mouthing a silent,
"It was good to see you again, even if you don't think the same," and
mixing again with the crowds of people... after all, when has a crowd given two
shits about a member of it crying?

****

"I saw him today, Sen..."

"Come on, you should be happy...." she
whispered, rubbing your back. You were lying on your stomach on the bed, and had
stayed in that position since you'd arrived from the infortunate events in the
street outside the museum. "I swear, if going to museums does this to
people I'll never again step into one in my life...!"

You cracked an evanescent, lopsided smile. "I saw
him, and I told him I missed him a lot, and he stayed silent, just... looking at
me with stray eyes... he hurt me with that look, Des..."

She diligently kept rubbing your back, and that sort of
made you feel better.

"Malik was an idiot... I bet he knew Yami Malik was
seeing everything all the time... I bet he... he.... he wanted to hurt him or
something."

"Envy does that to people, Khem," she muttered,
"But don't let that get to you."

"I told him I'd be waiting for him on Sunday at 5:00,
in Admiral Perry square... I... I hope he goes to meet me."

"Go to bed," Desheret said gently, ending the
whining, "It'll do you better than a ton of advice."