Volume

Music blared in Shizuka's ears as she and her friends entered the building. A quaint little brick building on the outside, only the abundance of cars in the parking lot gave away the possibility of what went on inside. She would have believed it if anyone had told her that it was the only one in town.

The atmosphere inside was clean and not anything at all like she expected. The theme was a deep, sultry purple with golden trimming, which Shizuka supposed was supposed to class up the gaudy name: Crown Jewels. Why on earth her friend wanted to venture to this place for the bachelorette party, Shizuka would never care to know. Being glad to say that she wasn't getting married would have to be enough.

All in all, the place didn't look bad. It was organized, the tables circling the center stage in symmetry. The room was perfumed, each area was provided a crushed velvet curtain instead of a door, and there were tassels everywhere, even on the chair cushions. A woman's touch would be Shizuka's guess, as she highly doubted that a man could think all of it up on his own. Even if he did, the execution required a bit of meticulousness that she was aware most men didn't possess.

"Do you think it looks nice?" The bride to be, Kana, was one of her co-workers. Her boss, in particular, and Shizuka was reminded nearly every second that it was good to make a positive impression that evening, regardless of her opinions. "You're staring at the chairs like they're antiques. They do have a foreign feel, though…"

"I was…" she thought quickly for an acceptable excuse, "I was trying to figure out what sort of stitching was used for attaching the tassels to the chair." As stereotypical as it was, her mother had taught her a lot about sewing and crafts, and Shizuka only need to say enough to appear knowledgeable. "It would take thin thread to make the invisible stitches. It's unnerving, actually, how well-done this place is."

"I'm so excited we could make it. It was really a lucky thing I got the reservation in, isn't it?" Another co-worker, Tomoyo, chimed in and Shizuka held herself back from making a face. Tomoyo was nice enough around the office, but it was obvious that she very badly wanted a promotion. She'd gone out of her way to arrange everything, and it was a little hard not to notice what she was aiming for. She had long, dark hair and, despite being a short woman, plenty of attitude. She was very rarely seen without a suit, and even in a place like this she was wearing one.

A few others were banded together in small cliques, the same way that they did at work, talking about the music and the lighting and the room in general.

Shizuka tried to keep her eyes away from the stage in the center, and the blush away from her cheeks. She wasn't used to it, being in places like that, and she didn't really want to be. How pathetic would someone have to be to visit a strip club, anyway? Unfortunately, the fact that the place was packed with other visitors wasn't easy to miss. Raising her voice would be necessary if she wanted anyone to hear her.

The group, which consisted of about a dozen or so women, were shown to a large table on the edge of the stage, with Tomoyo making sure everyone knew who had gotten them such good seats.

Shizuka sat at the far end of the table, the furthest away from the stage as possible. She didn't want to be constantly plagued by dancers. She frowned and picked up the menu, realizing that her choice in seating gave her the best view of the stage in front of her, and made a face at the drink prices. They were at least four dollars more than they would have been in any other restaurant or club, and that was already more expensive than buying it at the store herself.

"Isn't this great?" Tomoyo screamed over the music, and Kana nodded, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

The men currently on the stage were modestly clothed, but still clothed, and they exited the stage pretty quickly. It seemed as though they were making an announcement of some sort.

"Would any of you lovely ladies like a drink?" said a deep voice from behind Shizuka, and she jumped. The rest of the group stared at her for a moment, and then laughed, and one of them muttered something about her needing to relax.

It seemed that her table hadn't been ready to order drinks so soon, and so Shizuka turned to face her waiter, taking a deep breath to prepare for whatever uniform they required their employees to wear. "I'll just have a water for now, but I just wanted to – "

"Do I know you?" he asked her. The others were surprised at the question, and everyone focused their eyes on her, waiting for her answer.

When she could finally get a good look at him, she gasped. "N-no, I don't think so." There was no way she could keep from blushing now, and she leaned away from him.

"Are you sure?" Tomoyo shouted from across the table. She'd sat the front, with Kana. "I wouldn't mind knowing him - "

"I'm sure," Shizuka said a little too quickly, her heart pounding. What was he doing in a place like this? Why was he in a place like this? She had hoped she would never see him again.

Dark fingers tapped themselves against a leather clad thigh. "I know you look familiar. When I think of it I'll tell you, but that water's coming right up. We serve food, too, you know." He flashed a charming smile at the rest of the table and flipped his hands through pale strands of hair. "I'll come back in just a few minutes."

And then he was off, a little more quickly than some of the other ladies would have liked, apparently.

"I wouldn't mind knowing him," someone said.

Kana had been silent the entire time, and had been polite enough to wait until he'd gone away. "Do you really know him, Shizuka? I thought you haven't been here?" She smiled in Shizuka's direction, but it was a kind smile, a don't be embarrassed that you know a man who works at a strip club smile.

But Shizuka shook her head. She didn't need their sympathy. "I don't really know him," she lied. "He and my brother worked together once, I think." Her heart rate hadn't gone down yet, and she wasn't sure which she would have been more ashamed to admit – that her brother had professionally played Duel Monsters or that she knew Marik because of it.

There was no mistaking him. He looked as though he hadn't aged at all, aside from being a teensy bit taller than she remembered. He wore the same pants as before, tight and form fitting. Shizuka had tried not to gaze at the view his waist length hoodie afforded her. It was the same one, and the same color, too. Lavender, if she was remembering correctly.

What no one knew were the memories that stuck with her from that experience. The sounds of anguish and evil and screams. And, finally, the sight of her brother fighting for what he believed in and losing. Marik triumphant, stopped only by Yuugi and his dueling skill. Casualties and everything that followed.

Shizuka wanted to leave.

"Do you think you could get him to give Kana a dance? He's kind of yummy," Tomoyo informed her, and Kana nodded.

"I… I don't think that would be appropriate," she answered, still frowning. Then she stood. "Excuse me." She was too uncomfortable with this situation to stand there any longer.

Whatever renovations had been done to make the place look so… royal, Shizuka was intently focusing on them and any changes she could spot. She needed something to distract her from her thoughts while she tried to find the bathroom. The room's interior was elliptical in design, a large oval containing guests and dancers and waiters. The outsides and corners were occupied by small buffets, curtains which Shizuka suspected led into VIP rooms, and other employee areas. The open bar (weren't they always open in clubs?) was directly behind her, and she assumed that the restrooms wouldn't be too far away. She knew that by skirting the edges of the room she'd find one eventually.

Shizuka didn't particularly care what the women at work thought. She wasn't there to win favors or secure a position. In fact, she had agreed to attend because everyone else had ulterior motives. Kana could handle herself, Shizuka knew, but that wasn't the point. Her conscience wouldn't let her simply ignore the situation.

As she reached the bar, she wondered what direction to take. It seemed that the kitchen was on the left, and the collection of VIP or private rooms were on the right.

The skin on the back of her neck bristled, indicating that someone was passing by a bit close to her personal space, and then she heard him speak.

"Looking for something?"

Of course, if was him. No other waiter would bother to help her. No one would want to help, so long as he was around. Wasn't that how it had been at Battle City? No authorities, no aid, even all the way up in the sky.

"The bathroom?" she asked, turning slightly to face him but not completely. He didn't deserve her complete attention. Her question was simple, and she hoped that the answer would be, too.

"Do you know Yuugi Mutou? Half-pint duelist? I'm very sure I've seen you before, and it would make sense if you knew him."

Shizuka frowned. At first she'd thought he was just being polite by pretending not to place her. It made her feel more offended, somehow, that he really didn't remember her or the trouble he had caused her. The worry or the pain.

"Hm, I guess not." He answered himself when she didn't. Then he flashed what she was sure was supposed to be a charming smile. "I think I would have remembered a woman like you. Sorry – "

"I'm Katsuya Jounouchi's sister." Shizuka crossed her arms. "You know, the guy you almost killed during Battle City?"

For the first time that evening, Marik frowned. "That doesn't tell me very much, let me tell you – Oh!" He paused. "OH! You mean that sidekick with the green jacket! Yes! I remember." He hesitated again, and Shizuka's lip curled in disgust.

…that sidekick with the green jacket! Was that any way to address someone harmed by your actions?

"I suppose offering a private dance wouldn't make up for anything, would it?"

Shizuka couldn't help clenching her fists. Honestly, that would have been the perfect moment to deck Marik in the face, but she wasn't the violent type. She had no clue how to punch anyone in the face without hurting herself. And from what Marik had shown before, that wouldn't be a good move, even in a crowd of people.

"How about a fucking – " Shizuka took a deep breath. No swearing. It wasn't something she'd ever done regularly, and she wasn't going to start any time soon. "How about an apology?"

To her surprise, he bowed immediately. It was a deep bow, from the waist. "You have it. I'm very truly sorry. It was years ago, and I'm on better terms with everyone – but you're still bothered by it. So I offer… well, this apology. I really am sorry. I know that this sounds like an excuse, but I wasn't well while all of that was happening. I wasn't myself."

Shizuka flushed red. What would it look like was happening to any passersby? "Ah, okay. Um …okay." She hadn't been expecting a serious apology, and now she didn't know what to think.

When he stood up again, he smiled. "I supposed you're wondering what I'm doing in a place like this."

Honestly, her first thought after recognizing him was a small hope that he'd been destitute enough to need this sort of work for money. But she nodded, politely, to try to make up for such an evil notion. He made her blood boil with suppressed anger, but that was no excuse to wish ill on anyone. What would Jounouchi think of her?

Ew. She'd have to contemplate that later, when she wasn't standing in a strip club next to a man wearing a halter hoodie.

"Well," he said, and Shizuka wasn't sure how to react to his bubbliness, "I have a lot of spare time on my hands. And, you know, Domino's a pretty serious town. I didn't want to work somewhere serious. I'm kind of a flirt already, really. So I figure…"

Was he becoming chatty? Was a man that had once aspired to be ruler of the world at the cost of everyone in it just turn chatty about why he decided to work in a strip club? Shizuka couldn't at all process this situation. It was simply too unlikely. Too much of it was unreal. Any moment, she was sure that she would wake up and find out that it was a weird dream or something.

A shout from the bar grabbed their attention and Marik cut himself mid-sentence, which suited Shizuka just fine because she hadn't been listening anyway.

"Ah, that's right. My shift's up soon," he told her. "I'll do a special dance for you."

Flabbergasted at his offer, her hands went up defensively as soon as he'd spoken. "No, that's really not – "

"Bathroom's past the kitchens. See you soon!" He squeezed her in a very brief hug and then rushed away into one of the curtain, VIP-looking rooms.

Oh, god.

Had he just hugged her? Had she just been hugged by someone who had attacked her friends and her brother? This wasn't happening.

"This would be a wonderful time to wake up," she told herself.

Left there in the middle of the place, with people talking and chittering around her, she wasn't sure what to do. Leaving, unfortunately, wasn't an option.

Shizuka ended up sauntering back to her table, sullen faced and her arms crossed protectively, as though she felt she was going to be assaulted. If she were honest, that's pretty much what she felt going to a strip club was. Paying lots of money to be assaulted. Well, if Marik thought he was going to give her a dance he had another thing coming – she wasn't even the guest of honor for this party and she'd be damned if hands that she knew killed others would touch her, no matter how sorry he was about it.

"We saw you!" Tomoyo shouted as Shizuka took her seat again, and clapped her hands together. Kana was smiling next to her. Someone had delivered drinks to their table, as there was a glass of water in front of her seat. "What did he want to talk to you about?"

Shizuka tried to keep from grimacing. Behind the two of them, the stage was showcasing a pair of men in very skimpy underclothing. No imagination required. "He just really wanted to know how I knew him." She had to explain away the bow. "He thought my brother was brilliant and he just wanted to tell me he was sorry for not recognizing me before." There, that should be good enough.

Several of the glances she caught were suspicious, so she added, "He said he would do a dance for the table."

Then she had to cover her ears, because the squeaks and giggles were somehow more disturbing than the hard, over-sexualized music.

"You're the best!" Tomoyo screamed, and Shizuka wondered how she could have had multiple drinks when she was only gone for a few minutes. This whole outing reeked of disaster. Taking a sip of water, she tried her best to enjoy herself.

It wouldn't be terrible to admit that there were some good looking guys around, right? Not wanting any of them to touch her didn't mean that she couldn't acknowledge how attractive they were, right? Right?

Several minutes passed with Shizuka just looking around, glancing, and meeting eyes with everyone at her table so that they didn't think she was trying to drag the mood down.

Kana rose from her seat and made her way around to Shizuka. "Are you okay? You don't look too happy."

"I'm not a fan of these places, that's all," she said. "Not to mention that I've never been here before."

She chuckled. "Yeah, me too. But you should loosen up a little. That's the point, isn't it?"

It's hard to do that when the guy who tried to murder your brother is skipping about like nothing happened.

"Well, Kawai-kun, if you want to leave I wouldn't be upset. I think it was very nice of you to come."

Of course it was, Shizuka thought, especially when the cover is about twelve dollars.

It was too expensive getting in for her to chicken out now. "It's alright. I'll stick it out. I might go out for a breather, though, if you don't mind."

"Take whatever it is you need. It's fine."

Kana was being nice, and although Shizuka felt that the nicest thing would have been to have her bachelorette party at a place other than a strip club, she appreciated it. Kindness in hindsight was still kindness.

The lighting was dimming a bit more, and the music changed, playing something with a weird, foreign twang in its rhythm. Spotlights led to the stage, and Shizuka frowned, instinctively burrowing her gaze into the table.

Kana hastily made her way back to her seat.

Shizuka's stomach curled over itself, and she had this feeling that when she looked up…

Yep, there he was. Women were oohing and aahing, a few of them leaving their tables to get close enough to the stage to take picture. He hadn't changed out of his usual hoodie, but her wore leather shorts and matching fingerless gloves – they were like biker gloves, she noticed.

Shizuka rolled her eyes. He wasn't that good looking. Not very.

He surprised her in being so toned, though. She hadn't been expecting Marik to look as though he exercised regularly. He had a swimmer's body, almost, with lots of lean muscle. She would never say it out loud to anyone, but it suited him well enough. It was the skin, she was sure, that put him over with the ladies. He was easily the darkest in the room, and although it was only by a few shades it was very noticeable. His skin gleamed with oil, which Shizuka thought made him look like someone's fantasy doll, almost metallic, like a bronze.

Being the only dancer on stage, it was difficult to find someone else to focus on. A lot of the waiters also took a few moments to look at him as he started his routine, and in the back of Shizuka's mind she wondered what sort of quality he possessed that seemed to automatically disarm other people.

Marik blew a few kisses into the crowd before heading towards a small microphone stand at a corner of the stage. He gave a shout out to Kana and her table – the spotlight flashed in their direction for a second – for their bachelorette party, and Shizuka realized that even if he hadn't been their waiter, they'd been destined to see each other again. He was apparently their preferred dancer for parties as well.

She covered her face for a moment, chuckling at the coincidence of it all, and then promptly pushed back her chair and got up again. She'd be taking that break now.

Everyone else was too excited and enamored to stop her from leaving. Tracing the edge of the wall, she found a solid, wooden door that apparently led outside. She had to get a stamp put on her hand for re-entry, but that was good enough for her. She just had to remember to wash it off before work the next day.

To her utter surprise, there were two servers outside talking – two women, at that – holding empty serving trays and laughing about some joke or another.

Leaning against the wall to the right of the door, Shizuka sighed. What was she supposed to make of this? Marik, dancing at a club, apologizing to her – it was all too much to handle. She hadn't thought of any of this when thinking about hazards for the evening. Her worst worry, really, was that her co-workers would pay someone to give her a lapdance. Wishing that she could call someone, she hugged herself instead. What would it sound like to call someone and complain about being in a strip club? She'd made the decision to go, and she definitely wasn't telling anyone about Marik. Not at all. Nope.

She laughed at herself, imagining how such a conversation would go with Jou. What would he be more upset about? Marik being present, Marik being a dancer, or the fact that she was in a strip club in the first place? Shizuka's bet was on the latter, but Jou had a way of picking the strangest details to focus on.

She stood there, with her thoughts for a short while, contemplating what the reaction would be having that conversation with everyone: Yuugi, Otogi, Anzu (the only other girl she spoke to, really), or Honda. She missed not seeing them as often.

Then she spoke with the workers. They were on a fifteen minute break, it seemed, and they were more than willing to answer her questions about their workplace. It was a good way to pass the time without seeming desperate or being bored out of her mind. From their accounts, most people didn't pay attention to them because they weren't buff men, so having someone ask questions was refreshing. Then they asked if she was considering employment there.

"I'm keeping my options open," she told them, so that they wouldn't be insulted. But a strip club would never be a consideration for her. Ever.

When Shizuka headed back inside, several minutes later, she was sure that his dance would be over. Sure enough, two other men were on stage, and she could see that her table was being given attention by two new dancers. Foreign, large builds, and one of them had blond hair. She didn't really want to go back.

"You didn't even watch me dance!" the voice reached her ears before she could spot a shirtless Marik hurrying toward her, and Shizuka froze. What would she do? He looked a bit cross, eyes narrowed, like he was really offended that she hadn't watched.

Without warning, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back out of the door with a nod at the doorman. They pushed past the two female workers, who winked at her as they passed by.

No! Don't leave! Shizuka thought, as though they would be able to hear her. Were there cameras outside?

"Uhm…" she said nervously. "Aren't you cold?" She tried to focus on something else, other than the fact that he was barely wearing clothes, and trying to distract him from doing anything rash.

"I'm fine for now. You were gone the whole time! I was gonna give you a dance!" he pouted, as though she'd ruined his day by not being there to watch.

Well, I'm watching now… the stray thought appeared, and she blushed, realizing that she was rather staring at his crotch. Eye contact… she reminded herself. It was just hard not to look when it was – well, it was right there!

"It was just too weird. I had to take a break outside." Shizuka made sure she was as close to the door as possible. If the doorman didn't leave his post for any silly reason (which would be her luck around Marik), everything would be fine in the case that she had to make a break for it.

Marik rolled his eyes. "You've spent the evening glaring daggers at me but watching me dance is weird?"

Shizuka wrinkled her nose. "You don't get to call me out on things like that. You tried to kill my brother."

"I apologized for that!"

Was he serious?

"Yeah, because an apology makes up for all of that. The murderous intent, him being in a coma, my first moment of sight being what I thought was witnessing my brother dying. All of that."

"Well… can't you forgive me, just this once?" His hands were on his hips, and Shizuka just didn't know how to react to any of it.

"Why would I?"

"Because you're cute and I'd love to dance on you."

Shizuka scoffed. "You – you're kidding."

"Not really. Is it hard to believe you're attractive?"

"Is it hard to believe that I wouldn't let you do anything to me?" She was becoming far too accustomed to hugging herself protectively. Shizuka made a mental note to take self-defense classes.

"Are you sure?" He frowned. "Dancing is fun."

"Not someone dancing on you, no."

His eyes were lavender, she noticed, now that the hoodie was off. And she didn't like the way that he was staring at her. He looked almost hungry.

"You should give it a try."

He took a step closer, and Shizuka glanced at the door.

"Oh, come on, live a little."

"Nah, I don't think so."

Another surprise for the night: he took another step, and put his hands on her hips. Shizuka shut her eyes, half expecting to feel a blow, her body tense.

She could feel his breath on her face as he said, "You're really afraid, aren't you? Even in a place like this?" He smelled like vanilla.

She opened her eyes. Well, she wasn't dead yet.

He sighed, and she felt it across her nose. "I guess there are some things apologies can't fix, huh? Well, you only live once, right?" Shizuka felt his body roll with a small shrug, and then the wet press of lips on her forehead. "I'm really sorry." His hands squeezed a bit on her hips, and she could only think of how much oil was going to rub off on to her good work pants.

Then the pressure was gone, so was the breath and the smell, and she could hear the music from the inside increase in volume as the door was opened.

And she was left alone.

{FIN}

This was… well, this was. I'm not really sure where this came from. I wish that I had time for more detail, but contending with finals caused me to brush over this more than I wanted.