I think I'm going to make it a Merina/Marik pairing, but not till later on…way later on… In my stories, Marik is the semi-normal one, while his Yami is Malik.


She was riding across the desert…under her was the strong body of a horse, tense and sweaty from a long and hot journey that had only begun. The desert sun beat down harshly on her already tan back. The clinking of metallic objects filled her ears, and the glint of the sun off of her pendant was more comforting than annoying…

"Miss Suzuto. Miss Suzuto. Miss Suzuto!"

Finally Miko snapped out of the daze she'd been in.

"Huh?"

The teacher shook her head. "Miss Suzuto, please do not space out in my class anymore."

"Sorry M'am…"

Neither teacher nor student noticed the faint glowing beneath her shirt fade and disappear entirely. But three other students in the class did. Students who understood what that glow meant, or at least suspected it.

The teacher went back to what she was saying about history, and Miko tried to concentrate, but she could only remember the dream from her daze. It seemed so real…like she'd been there before…like she'd done that….

No duh! She had. Sometime last year she surely had ridden a horse across the desert, though not as fast as she had in the dream. And it might have been after she received her gift, so that would explain the shiny pendant, and the clinking could have been the equipment she had with her.

But she was certainly not tanned, not even then.

The bell rang and Miko stood and packed up, still lost in her thoughts. Confused as she was, she didn't notice the people following her. One kept to the shadows, even though he could have walked in the light, while the others walked openly.

She opened the door to class still oblivious to her followers. Ryou walked in right after her, and after him came Marik. Someone else lingered in the back, then took off. Miko took a seat in about the middle of the room. How the heck did her mind drag up that memory…so insignificant…nut something hadn't seemed right…it had been her, but not really.

Why did life insist on torturing her so?

Miko shrugged and pulled out her notebook for this class. She felt someone tap her shoulder and turned around, to see Ryou there looking like he was about to say something. But before he could, the teacher walked in and class began. They had been working on the play for while now, and today they got to title it.

Miko thought for a log while, and just as they were about to give up for the day, she raised her hand.

"Yes, Sumiko?"

"How about 'Rose of Egyptian Thieves'?"

The teacher smiled. "Excellent choice, as of what our story is about. Our story does remind me of the legend that bears the same title."

"Legend? You never told us about a legend?" One of the other students said.

"Well…I don't know all of it, but it tells of a certain Thief King and his female counterpart. But that's all I know. Perhaps Miko or Marik could shed some more light on it."

Miko shook her head. "Sorry, I've never heard of it…"

Marik, if he did know something chose not to add anything. The teacher sighed.

"Ah well. I think the title will work nicely." She wrote the title on the board and then let them have some free time to converse about the roles.

Miko turned to Ryou. "You want to say something to me earlier…what was it?"

She was leaning on her desk with her head in one hand looking over at him.


Ryou blushed slightly and managed to stammer out his question. "I...well…I was wondering if you'd like to spend some time with me and my friends after school. He watched with joy as a smile crept across her face.

"Sure. That would be great! I'll have to tell my sister though. She'll have to take care of getting everyone together."

"You have a sister?"

"Four actually…and a brother."

"Wow…you must never get bored…"

"Never much privacy either."

"I know how that feels…"

"Do you?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmm…Annoying isn't it?"

He nods.

/Yami/

/Hikari/

/What are you doing Ryou/ Bakura peered out to see Miko. /New friend of yours/

/…. Yes…. /

/Is this what you were doing the other day when you were late? Hanging out with a girl//

/No./

/Hmm…you're telling the truth…so who is she/

He wasn't going away anytime soon, so Ryou decided it would be best to comply.

/A classmate of mine. /

/That's all? Do you know anything about her/

/Only that she has four sisters and a brother. /

/Well…anything else? Does she have a name, or is she just a slave/

/We don't have slaves anymore…and her name is Sumiko, though she goes by Miko. /

/Hmm…so what plans are you making/

/Yugi invited me over today and asked me to invite Miko as well. /

/Hn. And you didn't even ask me first/

/I was getting there Bakura-sama…/

/Hmm. Despite that Is should make you come home for your near impudence, I'm going to let you go…on one condition. /

/What/

/You let me come out at one point, of my choosing. /

Ryou sighed. Even though Bakura had his own body now, he could still take over his whenever he felt like it, though it took a lot of energy for him to do so. /Fine. /

/Excellent! Now…continue with your flirting…/

/I'm not flirting/

/Of course not, did I say that/

/Yes. /

/I meant talking…/

Then Bakura left his mind, though Ryou could still feel his presence in the back of his mind.


Ryou looked like he had just spaced out, like she herself was prone to do.

"Ryou?"

She was about to wave her hand in front of his face when he snapped up.

"Huh? What were we talking about?"

Sumiko shakes her head playfully. "Ryou…you spaced out…"

He looks a bit abashed as he rubs the back of his head, making her hastily add. "Not that I'm one to talk. I do it all the time…"

He seemed glad to hear that…

The bell rang making her jump. "I hate it when it does that..." Ryou nodded and the both of them packed up. She knew Ryou was following her as she went to find Kisane, She found her next to the drinking fountain. After explaining the situation Kisane agreed, glad that Miko was getting out of the house. Miko smiled and followed Ryou off, glad that she was going to have some free time.

Seemed all she did nowadays was work, work, work…


Kisane was quite glad Miko was finally getting out of the house. She didn't leave very often, at least not for recreation. At least…not since their parents had…

Once again, lost in her thoughts, she ran into somebody. Unfortunately, it was the same somebody.

"Ow." Kisane said as she fell flat on her butt.

"Again, girl? How many times are you going to run into me today?"

"As many as I please Seto Kaiba." She snapped back. She was tired of his smart comments and his cold stare from those arctic blue eyes…those beautiful blue eyes.

AH HECK NO! She did not just think that. Nu-uh, not possible! She turned to stare defiantly at Kaiba.

"Hn. Mouthy, aren't you?"

This was sounding familiar…

"Yes I am, want to do something about it?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. But now is neither the time nor the place. But trust me…you'll get what's coming to you…"

Was that a threat? "As will you, Seto Kaiba… As will you…" she muttered under her breath as she stormed off down the hallway