~prologue~
Taptaptaptaptatatatap---That damned rain…would it never stop? It seemed that, in this place, it was forever raining…except, or course, for the winters; wherein it snowed. Natives of the area, or even those who had been there for a little while, would most likely have had a better outlook on the weather conditions than someone accustomed to the parched dry of the desert.
Japan was no place for Malik Ishtar.
At this moment, he was inside, away from the rain and its chill, but still it wore at his nerves. The endless rapping, the constant shhh of drops bursting on the roof and outside the house was making it impossible to think, even on his very favorite subject. Every time he got a particularly clever idea regarding how best to deal with that accursed pharaoh, the noise of the rain would drive it from his mind. Quiet…he needed quiet…and most of the time, it was easy enough for him to come by. His sister, the house's only other inhabitant, shared his appreciation of tranquility and was usually quiet enough---except, he mused now, when she was prattling endlessly on about what her necklace had shown her. It was downright annoying sometimes, useful as it may have been. Besides, that overrated collar had never provided him with any good news.
It was as he pondered this thought that the particular figure in his mind made her presence known, in her subtle way. There was the sound of water running from the kitchen, and moments later the soft hum of a stove heating up. Malik turned where he sat upon the living room couch, glancing back towards the kitchen and the dark-haired girl bustling near-silently through it.
"Tea?"
"Chocolate." One-word question, one-word answer…or so it had seemed, for one moment, and then Ishizu continued. "We'll be having some company soon, and I think hot chocolate would be best." Her brother, well-versed in her mannerisms, recognized it immediately. That tone…it had a cryptic gleam to it, one that seemed to show off the half-smile he no longer even had to look for. She knew something, he didn't, and it would be a safe bet to assume that she wouldn't tell him right-out what that something was. Either he could prod at her for hours, trying to get a sensible explanation, or wait and find out himself. As it were, the rain had him in an unamused mood, so he chose the second option and merely returned to his thoughts.
Eventually, as it did from time to time, curiosity got the better of him. Visitors were not common to the Ishtar household, as neither sibling was especially…sociable. Once or twice Yugi and his yami had stopped by to talk with Ishizu about something or another; she had the good sense to send Malik on an errand beforehand, not trusting or foolish enough to place her brother and the pharoah in the same room, and so he had only found out about these visits after the fact. So it wouldn't be him…most likely none of those wretched friends of his either, the blond punk or the one with the bad hair…and if it was that girl that always followed them around…well…he wouldn't be held responsible for any –unfortunate accidents- involving her and the pointed end of his Sennen rod. With a quiet defeated sigh, he glanced to where Ishizu had seated herself at the other end of the couch.
"So who's coming?" Ishizu perked a fine brow, and for a second Malik had his hopes up thinking that, for once, she'd finally give a straight answer to something. Unfortunately for him, that was not to be today. Instead, she merely sighed and looked to the door.
"Perhaps you should go see for yourself, Malik."
She was impossible. He'd just as soon stay where he was, not in any hurry to greet whatever 'guest' might be stopping in, but there was that tone again. That "I-know-what-I'm-talking-about" voice Ishizu used that made him want to strangle something…or at least go see what she was going on about. The doorbell hadn't been rung, nor had he heard any car drive up, but she was watching him expectantly, and that meant "go on, go see who it is". And so, for lack of anything better to do and feeling somewhat foolish about it all, he did. Over to the door he went, pulling it open and staring out into the rain.
He had been glad, moments ago, to be out of that weather.
Not everyone seemed to be so fortunate, and the rain-sounds that had so irritated him before were the last thing on his mind as a soggy mess of striped fabric and dripping white hair fell forward into his arms.
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(A/N: Welcome to my first ever real, half-decent Yu-Gi-Oh fic! Just a few notes…I follow one of the common systems for naming characters in this. Malik is the hikari, the less evil one…when his hair's all big and evil, that's Marik, with an "r". The cute british one's full name is Ryou Bakura, so generally -and in this fic- the hikari is Ryou and the yami is Bakura. Yami and Yugi are self-explanatory. Oh, and I would just like to say: Malik's opinions in this fic are not necessarily those of the author. Well…er…some of them are. Ishizu talks too much sometimes, Honda has –awful- hair, and…I personally wouldn't mind seeing Anzu come in contact with something sharp. –snicker- Sorry. Moving on. Next bit up soon…and it's not gonna be all short and lazy like this one ^-^;; )