Day 2 in Cairo, Egypt

Miko woke up before her alarm even went off. The sun was just rising over the tops of the buildings, casting an eerie orange and red haze onto the horizon. She could hardly contain her excitement as she planned her day out in her head. She showered and dressed in a simple dark blue and green sleeveless shirt and loose black capris. She grabbed her long black Kaiba Corp. jacket and bag then headed out of the room. Miko ordered a simple crepe from a nearby café for her breakfast. She decided to sit outside and read her Egyptian Reptile's handbook. She had her eye on one particular animal and she would not rest until she found it. After she was done eating, she began walking around the town looking for some sort of museum. She walked into the building and scanned the map for the reptile exhibit. Once in the exhibit she located the nearest guard.

Tripping slightly on a thin cable, Miko made her way to the security guard. "Excuse me?" she asked. The man turned to her but didn't say a word. She tried to put on her brightest smile. "I was wondering if the head of the reptile exhibit was in."

The man clicked the button on the side of his ear piece and spoke in Arabic. After a few minutes he seemed to get a response. "The curator to the museum is the head of all reptilian exhibits and studies."

Miko blinked a few times and then let out a small giggle. "Does that mean he is in?" The guard nodded. Her smile widened. "Great, do you think you can see if I can have a small word with him?"

The guard talked into his earpiece again. After a few more minutes and a few strong Arabic words, the guard turned his attention back to her. "Dr. Andrew Ichor can see you now for a few minutes. He has a meeting in an hour so you have until them."

Miko thanked the guard and started wondering around the museum. After passing the same statue of Anubis for the fifth time she sighed. 'I got myself lost again. It maybe would have been a good idea to ask the guard how to get to the curator's office. I swear I need to think things through before I rush off, especially when I am excited.' Miko wandered around the Egyptian room for a few minutes before finding another guard. She walked up to the new man and smiled. "Hello, I'm a little lost. I was supposed to be going to Dr. Ichor's office. Do you think you can point me in the right direction?"

The guard glanced down at her. He looked around the empty wing and then back to her. "Go back to the Roman room and then hang a left. At the end of the hall you'll see a red and black door. That's his office." The guard went back to staring blankly at the statue of Isis.

Miko quickly walked away from the guard. 'That guy was a little freaky for me.' Miko wandered into the Roman room and started down the long, dimly lit hall. She glanced at all the rooms she passed. One of the doors was open and she saw a woman sipping tea and watching the morning news. Another had an older man reading the daily paper. 'I wish I had a job that was this carefree. I can't wait to get my major, and then I can start working for a research lab or all reptile museum.' Miko, deep in her thoughts, forgot to keep her eyes in front of her and ran into the curator's door. She shook her head just as the door opened.

A short gentleman was staring at her. He had a balding head of white hair and his face was full of wrinkles. His skin was sun beaten and tan but he appeared kind. He smiled up at her as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead. "You foreigners sure do have a funny way of knocking." The older man laughed at himself. "And who might you be Miss?"

Miko straightening her jacket and held out her hand, "My name is Miko Hayashi. I was hoping to ask you a few questions about a reptile I am researching."

The man smiled wide, showing off his aging and yellow teeth. He seemed all too much but thrilled to have someone to talk to about his own passion. "Ah, come in then and have a seat. Tell me, what is a young woman like you doing studying the fabulous would of reptiles?" He sat behind his cluttered desk and motioned for her to sit in front of him.

Miko sat in the cushion chair. "Well, I have always been fascinated by reptiles ever since I was little. I take classes right not at Domino University to get my Herpetology degree. I'm hoping that once I have it I will be able to work as a research until I retire."

The old man's smile widened more; his wrinkles seemed to stretch out as he did. "It's not often that you see young people pursue a career in my field so you can imagine the pride I am feeling at the moment. So what brings you to Egypt? You are an awfully long way from Domino City for just research."

Miko smiled and brought out her notebook. She began flipping through the pages as she responded. "I work for the Kaiba Corporation as a game designer and I was sent here for a meeting. I have a few days before the meeting so I was going to do a little lizard hunting. I wanted to ask you for a few tips on this one in particular." Miko stopped at the page she was looking for.

The old man didn't offer to take the notebook. "What lizard are you looking for, Miss Miko?"

Miko smiled and pulled a pen from her bag, ready to take any notes. "I am most interested in the Spiny-tailed lizard."

The man leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He seemed to be running through the many volumes of information he learned over the years. "Ah, so you are looking for the Uromastyx family. The only one you will find in Egypt would be the….well why don't you tell me?"

Miko looked down at the notes she had complied before her trip. "According to my notes, the only one that is found in Egypt would be the Uromastyx aegyptia, better known as the Egyptian Mastigure or Egyptian dab lizard. Am I correct?"

Dr. Ichor nodded. "Yes you are. The Mastigure is an endangered species and, I am sorry to tell you, will be no easy creature to find. You would have a good chance of finding one near a gravel plain. Any sort of dry, rocky terrain would be the optimal place for sure."

"Have you ever seen one, Dr. Ichor?" Miko questioned while taking down her notes.

"I can't say that I have ever personally seen one outside of a zoo. You would be an extraordinarily talented young researcher if you were able to find and capture one."

Miko smiled at the man's words. Little did he know that she was going to be the greatest researcher in the world, it was her goal in life. All she needed to do was just keep her normal work drive going and it wouldn't be long until she was known around the world for her research. She thanked Dr. Ichor for his information and left the office. It took her a few minutes, wandering around the museum, before she was quickly learning she was lost again. 'I really should have taken that survival class when I was in grade school. I might have learned how to get un-lost when I am lost. I swear I would lose my own head if it wasn't firmly attached to my shoulders.' Miko sighed and walked into the Egyptian wing of the museum. 'At least I have been here before. So where is that lovely security guard that I was talking to?' Miko wandered aimlessly around the Egyptian artifacts, looking for the man from before. After ten minutes of no success, she paused on a nearby bench.

She noticed a woman walking towards her, mere moments after she collapsed onto the bench. The woman had long dark hair and wore white robes that hugged her curves. She had adorned around her head and neck, gold jewelry on her neck, waist, and head. She stood in front of Miko and smiled warmly. Her radiant blue eyes full of curiosity, she spoke in a kind and welcoming voice, "Hello, is there something I can help you find?"

Miko stood up and scratched the back of her head. "My name is Miko and I was here to talk with Dr. Ichor. But now I'm afraid I have lost my way out of this place. This museum is huge and unfortunately I'm not the best person for remembering the direction I should go."

The woman laughed a little. "Yes, I find that a lot of the museum's guests get lost in our wondrous halls. This is the largest museum in Egypt so it is no wonder that it happens. I was just on my way out for the day as well if you want to accompany me."

"You would be a life safer Miss….come to think of it, I don't believe I caught your name." Miko smiled as she walked beside her new friend.

The woman laughed again. "Pardon my rudeness, I am Ishizu Ishtar."

Miko nodded. 'I think I heard that name before…..crap my head hurts.' Miko rubbed her temples lightly. "So do you work here at the museum?"

"Yes, I have the head research and keeper for the Egyptian wing of the museum. I was just on my way home to pack for my trip." She said as she guided them through the various halls.

They reached the entrance soon after and parted ways. Ishizu hurried off towards the east. Miko stood outside of the museum for a while before pulling a Cairo map from her bag. She twisted it this way and that, trying to make sense of the various roads and map symbols. "Really should have taken that survival class. Stupid Kaiba, he was the one that told me I am retarded for even considering it. I really wish he would but out of my personal life." She griped to herself.

Miko suddenly felt like she was being watched. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and a few seconds later she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. Miko spun around and pushed away from the potential attacker, tripping herself in the process. She fell into the unknown person and they both cascaded onto the museum steps. The man laughed as she tried to scramble to her feet.

Miko stood up fast only to trip backwards and land onto her butt. The man, still laughing, got to his feet and extended his hand to her. "I just wanted to surprise you Miko." The man said in a heartwarming voice.

Miko shook her head to clear the dazed feeling of being scared and looked up into the face of the Egyptian blonde. "Marik? You certainly did surprise me. I thought you were trying to attack me."

Marik helped Miko to her feet and smiled wide. "I'm sorry, I just thought I would say hello since I saw you coming out of the museum."

Miko nodded. 'I keep literally bumping into this guy. I swear one of these days someone is going to put me in a bubble so I don't hurt myself….or others.' She brushed the sand from her clothes. "Yeah, I went in there looking for information on where to find this lizard."

Marik furrowed his eyebrows. "What lizard? Can I help?"

"Maybe, here let me get the picture in my notes." Miko dug her notebook from her bag and handed it to Marik. "Dr. Ichor said that a rocky, hot terrain would be the best place to look."

Marik's eyes lit up. "I have seen these before. There is a small family of them out where I live."

Miko clasped the man's hands and gave him her biggest smile. "Oh, Marik can you take me to them? I would be so appreciative. I'll take you out to dinner or whatever for payment."

Marik's eyes flashed a hint of nervousness. "I can but you're going to have to listen to me."

"Okay, I'm listening."

Marik looked around, scanning the people around them. No one was close enough to overhear. "I can take you but you need to be quiet when we get there. The family is in the back so once we find them you can talk but until them I can't let you be seen. My family wouldn't understand and would be angry with me."

Miko nodded. "I understand, I think. I'll be as quiet as a church mouse okay?"

Marik smiled. "I'm going to take you up on that dinner offer after we get back from my home okay?"

Miko shared a laugh with the man and they both began walking to the east, towards the outskirts of town.

Next time: Miko finally finds what she is looking for but is she in over her head. Odion and Ishizu made their appearance and Marik is put to the test.