Disclaimer: nothing in this story really belongs to me, not even the goddess; she belongs to the Babylonian who founded her religion. All others are trade mark the company who makes yu-gi-oh.

Malik sighed, blinked his eyes tiredly, and leaning back slightly in his chair. It had been a long day for him, between hauling the exhibits around the museum, and his sister deciding that having a child was an experience whose pain had to be shared, he was exhausted. The seer had run him ragged as he searched the shops of Cairo for, of all things, sour gummy worms and tartar sauce. He had been putting up with his sisters cravings for a good month and they were getting harder to explain to the clerks with each new combination.

He considered picking up the phone and calling Yugi but decided against it. It was late in Japan, Yugi must have been sleeping or playing with the pharaoh on the video game system that the pharaoh had purchased with his first pay check.

Malik smiled as he thought of the pharaoh, who after the duel that had freed the young host of his responsibilities to him had walked away into the after world to live in peaceful bliss for the rest of eternity.

At least that's what they had thought. Not six months later Malik had been called to investigate a break in at the museum and found, sitting quietly on the floor playing with some game stones, none other than Atemu and The thief king themselves. The only things they could get out of the two were that they were there to stay, by the will of the gods, and that they wanted some food.

Yugi had gladly accepted Atemu was back, he had been lonely, and was proud to show how much he had grown. Even though he still worked in the Game shop he had his own apartment which he shared with Ryou and Joey while they all went to university.

Ryou had been a little more reluctant, having been told the things that had been done to his friends by said entity. It had taken a lot of wheedling but it was only after Atemu had assured him there had been precaution taken, had Ryou let the ancient thief in the house.

Malik sighed, at last check Ryou had been trying to adjust, and it had not been going well. The reason that Bakura, as the other had begun calling the former Zorc vassal, had come back was still a mystery as he seemed to hate everything about the culture of the 21st century and tended to be very grouchy.

He closed his eyes and let his mind drift away from the dusty old office to the feel of wind in his hair as he raced across the desert. Free from the burdens of his life in the museum, just a normal 18 year old , not worried about work, his other half, crazy pharaoh who could not seem to stay dead, the will of the gods or even his knocked up sister.

"Malik Ishtar, are you working on that translation?"

Speak of the devil.

Malik stood, dusted his shirt off, and turned to his sister who stood in his offices door way looking grumpy. He had to admit that despite the extra weight and constant bad mood, she still looked beautiful. Her blue eyes were set against nearly glowing olive skin and her shining black hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail. She still dressed in a white cotton dress though much to his despair.

"Yes sister I have." He replied obediently though he felt a rumble in the back of his mind as his other half muttered quietly. Malik thank the gods that his other half had calmed down since his little sojourn in the shadow realm but he was still the same rebellious person he was before.

'You should tell her off for running you about king' Malik sighed and pushed the other persona back. Malik sighed as he clamped his mental control on to Marik, reminding himself quietly not to let the other half used his body to watch bleach, which Yugi delighted in sending him over the internet, the nicknames were getting annoying.

Isis sighed lightly as she saw Malik's eye glaze over; he was talking to his other self again. She was nervous that the Absence of her husband was wearing on the younger Guardian.

"What have you got so far?" She asked, and smiled when the violet eyes snapped back into focus. She didn't like trapping Malik in the museum like this, after all he was the one who preferred to ride all over the desert checking in on the various archeology teams they employed, but without Rishid around she needed someone to take up his job.

The younger of the two walked around the desk, signaling for the other to sit and pulled out the paper he had been writing on.

"It was only a fragment of the poem but it seems to be about scared whores." Malik looked up with raised eyebrows, "Sacred Whores?" He knew he should have had heard that term; he had to have, after all this tablet came from one of their own sites.

Isis reached over to the desk picking up a small copper disc that had come with the tablet to be translated. It was a small intricately carved pendent, through the tarnish and the wear you could barely make out woman and a man embracing in a rather intimate way. She had seen many like them, after all fertility symbols were common place. This one had most likely been dropped by some young woman who had been trying to make a family. After a moment she responded as if quoting a text book. "They were servants of the Goddess Ishtar, matron of among many things: fertility, healing, and war. It was said that the head of the order would bless the king yearly by spending the night in his company and if she did not the king was not the true king." She turned the copper disc in her hand and chuckled. "Talk about pressure in the bedroom. The goddess was renowned for her fickleness and anger if displease so the kings tried their hardest to please the order. She even sent he own husband to hell."

"I have never heard of a goddess Ishtar, and I think I would have." Malik said as she looked over the translation. He felt a little embarrassed that his sister had outstripped him. Marik laughed 'Pride cometh' he taunted. Malik blanched in embarrassment at his treacherous thoughts but sighed. Was it his fault his sister was such a nerd?

"She wasn't Egyptian, but rather Babylonian in origin, your education was only really in the Egyptian magic's." Isis said as she pushed the paper away "Now about this Amulet that came with this." She held it up.

"We could shine it up and use it as a door stop." He sighed "That's about how much it will be worth." He looked at the carving. "I'm not even sure it can be shown to the public without having a censor bar." He stood up and began to pack, already feeling the wind on his face. "Now if we are done I hav-"

"I meant what is written on the back of this?" she held up the disc and sure enough there was almost unreadable inscription. When she saw the disappointment on the younger man's face she sighed "I can do it. I just need the translation books. You have worked enough today."

Malik moaned "Rishid would kill me if he knew I let you work half the night on a fertility symbol. "

Isis shook her head but didn't put up a fight, since the near miss on the battle city blimp she had seen Rishid and Malik's relationship change from master and servant to protective brothers. What's more he had suddenly seem to have the revelation that she was, indeed, a woman, who wasn't really related to him.

She touched her belly and smiled. This was the result, though she had to admit, she had never seen it coming.

"Sister?" she blinked as she came back to the present. She smiled and nodded

"You are right brother, Rishid would kill you. I think I shall spare you that fate." She slowly stood and hugged her brother. "I will see you tomorrow. "She walked to the door and stopped.

"Oh, and could you pick me up some tartar sauce?" she said as she shut the door

She chuckled as she heard Malik's disgusted groan float through the door.

The light from a full moon shone through the window as Malik stared at the copper disc, then turned back to the books. This was the part of his job he hated, the slow tedious work that occurred more often than the midnight calls about exciting new discoveries that could shake the foundation of the earth.

'It's boring isn't it?' came the quiet voice from his mind. 'It's a life without the items, without the world to save. The others have gotten used to it easily, but you, you still feel like a dog in a too small cage.' Marik sighed. 'They took your teeth my king, they took your teeth.'

Malik set down the disc and scribbled on the paper a bit, adding a letter here and there ignoring the other. He knew he was right, and though Malik knew that he had hated the problems the items had brought him, he felt like the rest of his life would never compare to those moments he witnessed.

One more word remained. One more word remained in the puzzle.

I TURN THE ____ TO THE
FEMALE. I AM SHE WHO
ADORNETH THE ____ FOR THE
FEMALE; I AM SHE WHO
ADORNETH THE FEMALE
FOR THE____.

He pushed back from the desk and stretched slowly before refocusing on the paper he had written the rough translation on. It wasn't that he couldn't read the word but that the word had been scratched out. Malik supposed that it had been by accident, though the spacing of the words seemed to dispute that.

'Malik'

"What?" he snapped, jarring his other from the recesses of his mind.

'I didn't say anything!' Said the angry persona before retreating to the back of his mental cave.

Malik sighed and shook his head. That was it, he had been up for way too long. He stood and began to pack up, putting his books away in a stack on his desk, and picking up the pendant and paper. He dropped them in his bag.

'Taking a note from the thief my king?'

'stop calling me that you psycho, and no I do my best thinking when I am in bed, I may be able to divine the meaning of this poem if I bring it along' he stopped and turned to lock the door.

'Malik! King of my heart.'

"That's a new one Marik, good thing I am gay. " he chuckled slightly though the confusion from his other half made him worried, maybe he was losing his mind

'Too late for that'

Malik wasn't sure what time he got home but when he pulled into the drive way of the apartment he shared with his siblings he saw Isis's light on and knew something was up. He quickly put his kickstand down and rushed up the stairs to his door, bursting into the foyer and down the hall, half expecting his sister to be in labor.

What he found was not something he had ever wanted to see in his life: Rishid's naked ass in the air and his sister sprawled on the bed in a rather compromising position.

Marik paused a moment and then mechanically turned around and shut the door before going into the kitchen to grab a beer to clear away the images.

15 minutes later Rishid strolled into the kitchen, looking sufficiently embarrassed and nodded to him.

"Have a good time?" Malik said teasingly as the other man fixed himself some coffee. After a moment he continued "I am glad to have you back man, really glad."

They shared a knowing look.

"How was work?" Rishid finally said.

Malik stopped and thought for a minute, really considering the question.

"Boring as usual. How was your trip to the site?" Malik said, knowing that Rishid's trip hadn't been just to escape his wife. Some new discovery had been found by an American team and the Idiot translator they had brought along had gone and gotten himself sick. They had called the museum and asked for someone to help. It was they who had sent the pendent and tablet, but they claimed they thought there would be a temple around and needed an onsite translator.

"Not much happened, the head archeologist just wanted me to 'hang around' until the guy was better. She took the fact that her new discovery was an ancient form of Viagra really well, all things considered. Between the dig and an intern who loved stories about ghosts and tricks, it was the most interesting one I had been to."

Malik laughed and considered telling him about the voice he had heard while looking at the 'ancient Viagra' but thought better of it. Things had just settled down. He could handle his own dark side.

"That's what she gets for digging around the city of Uruk." Isis said as she emerged from her room with a night gown on. "Welcome home Love." She moved to Rishid and kissed him softly. Malik grinned happily and walked towards his bed room. "I will leave you two alone."

"Isis and I actually wanted to talk to you" Rishid said motioning to the kitchen table. "Your sister and I have been worried, you seem to work constantly and with your schooling over for the year we thought you might want a present."

Rishid smiled as his brother-in-laws eyes lit up. "A present?" he said, his voice strained with excitement. "It wouldn't be the new bike I have been eyeing would it?"

"Um no, it's not." Rishid said, almost laughing as the younger Egyptian deflated as if he were a balloon. "Well if you don't want it." He said turning to walk away.

"Rishid!"

"Alright alright. We figured you might want to visit Yugi, so we got you plan tickets. We asked Yugi and he would love to meet you again." He pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to his brother. "So what do you say?"

A chuckle came from behind him "Rishid he was gone the moment you said Yugi. He must be calling Japan." His wife slipped over to him. "Let's go back to bed. We can talk in the morning, when he's calmer."

YAOI

Kit: now that we have your attention

Darkersides: so that's my story

Its my first non drabble so I am unsure of it but It was a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone.

Please review.