Day Five – The Last Day

Miko awoke to her phone alarm going off. The reminder was set for seven in the morning, three hours before her plane was scheduled to leave. She sat up in bed, a feeling of dread overcoming her senses. 'I know I have to get back to work and my life, but I can't help feeling this is wrong. That me leaving is…wrong.' She looked to the nightstand as her phone began to ring again. It was an unavailable number. Miko shook her head and tried to ignore the phone; she didn't answer numbers that were not familiar unless she was on her office phone. When the caller persisted, she finally gave in. She picked up the phone with a yawn and pressed the send button. "This is Miko. How may I help you?"

There were a few minutes of silence before the caller cleared their throat, followed by a very faint sniffle. "Hey Miko, it's me."

"Marik? Oh, I forgot I gave you my cell number." Miko let off a little nervous laughter, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "So, how are you this morning?"

Marik shuffled the phone around and then finally spoke in a quiet, meager voice. "I can't go with you to the airport Miko. I'm sorry."

Miko's heart dropped and she frowned despite trying to remain upbeat. She shook her head. "That's okay Marik." she said in a soft and kind voice. "Did something come up?"

Marik sighed and a faint sniffle again could be heard. "I just can't come. Good-bye Miko, it was nice to meet you."

Before Miko could reply he hung up. She slowly brought the phone down and stared at the screen. 'I wonder what came up. I was really looking forward to seeing him again, especially after last night.' Miko blushed as she remembered dancing well into the wee hours of the morning in Marik's arms. He brought her back to the hotel afterwards. They found a movie to watch on the hotel's listing. Marik willingly cuddled with her on the bed. Miko feel asleep listening to his heartbeat. 'His skin was so warm. I just wish there was some way I could stay or he….' Miko shook her head. "Enough of these thoughts, I knew this was going to happen. I knew I would have to leave Egypt and therefore leave behind any friends I made. I just will have to plan to come back in the future when Kaiba finally gives me time off." Miko sighed and hung her head. 'Yeah, that man ever caring that you have a life outside of work is about as big of a chance as me spontaneously combusting.'

Miko swung her legs to the side of the bed and heaved herself up onto her feet. She raised her arms above her head and stretched. Looking around the room, Miko surveyed just what needed to be done before her flight. She quickly gathered the scattered worn clothes and put them into a pile beside her luggage. She pulled out a small black duffle bag from the suitcase and opened it. The dirty clothes were then fold neatly and placed inside of the duffle. She gathered her clothes for the day and went into the bathroom. After her shower she folded her prior night's clothes into the duffle bag, which was then placed into the side of her suitcase. She packed the rest of her shoes and toiletry items into the luggage bag. Miko got up and went to the small desk in the corner of the room. She packed her awaiting laptop into its case that would be one of her carry-on bags. Finally, Miko gathered her purse up and made sure that everything was inside it; she would hate to leave something here.

Miko zipped up her suitcase and looked at herself in the closet's full length mirror. She wore a pair of comfortable black slacks and a long, short sleeved pink top. 'Wow, even for the few days I spent out here it looks like I still got a slight tan. At least now Kaiba can't joke on me for being so pale, not that he has any room to talk.' Miko grabbed her bag and shouldered it. She made sure she had the key for the room. "Well I guess all I have left to do now is to make sure my taxi will be here on time. I guess I will get breakfast downstairs then."

Miko walked down the hall and into the elevator. An old man was waiting for the elevator to go down into the lobby. He eyed Miko as she entered the lift. She smiled kindly to him; in return he smiled as well. "Lovely day for a stroll isn't it?" the old man said in an English accent.

Miko smiled wider. "I suppose it is although I haven't even seen the weather yet to say."

"Every day is a good day for a stroll as long as you're healthy and living. Rain, snow, even on your worst days possible, you should always take time to stop and smell the flowers." The old man said, a small hint of laughter etching his voice.

Miko nodded, this old man seemed very wise to her. "I only wish I could do that every day."

The old man turned towards her, his light grey eyes scanning her face. "And why couldn't you young lady? You seem fit and healthy; you should have no excuse not to enjoy life while you can."

Miko nodded in agreement. "Oh I know sir. I just work for someone that doesn't believe in taking life slow and having fun at all. It makes me going out and smelling the flowers as you put it, hard."

The old man let out a loud and hearty laugh that shook his small frame. "Then maybe that boss of yours should consider getting out himself." The elevator opened and the old man strolled out. "You take care of yourself missy and stop to smell the flowers sometime."

Miko followed him out of the elevator and watched as he skipped out of the hotel. She smiled. 'I wonder who that was. He seemed like one of those old men you would run into in a movie that shows you the right way to go.' Miko let out a small laugh and entered the hotel's small café. She approached the counter and looked into the pastry cabinet. "I would like a bagel with cream cheese and a pumpkin muffin please."

The barista smiled and retrieved the pastries. She rang them into the register. "Would you like something to drink with that?"

Miko nodded and looked up at the drink menu. "Hmm, I don't know exactly what I want. Something sweet and cold preferably, why don't you surprise me?"

The barista looked up at the menu and rang in a drink. Miko handed the woman her credit card and retreated to a small table by the hotel's window. She made herself comfortable. The barista approached a few minutes later with a medium white concoction. "This is a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino. You should love it."

Miko smiled and took a small sip. "Thank you, I think you hit my craving on the head." She slipped the woman a tip and thanked her again. Miko sat back in her chair, nibbling on the warm bagel and watched the news. Surprisingly it was in English. She watched as everyone was scrambling into the newest Kaiba Corp. attraction, Kaiba Land. 'Go figure; instead of just taking time off and enjoying someone else's theme park Kaiba decides to just build one himself. I hope he at least took time to enjoy all the rides before opening it to the public. Knowing him though, he probably designed and had them built and that was that.' Miko laughed to herself and looked out the window. The early morning foot traffic rushed past the window without so much as a glance in to the hotel. She watched as the locals made their way to work, no one in particular stood out. Just then a young man with sandy blonde hair and tanned skin strode past the window. He looked in the glass, directly at her. 'Marik? I thought he said that he was busy today. Did he lie? No, why would he feel the need to lie to me?'

Marik walked into the hotel and a few minutes later appeared in the small café. Miko tried not to look directly at him until he sat down in the chair across from her. He smiled wide. "Hey Miko, how are you this morning?"

Miko finished her bagel before she spoke. "I thought you were busy today and wouldn't be able to see me off today." She said without even a hint of happiness. Her voice was flat and toneless.

Marik's smile fell and he scratched the back of his head. "Well, I thought that I would miss you because of something I was trying to finish. Turns out I managed to finish it in time and I ran right over here as fast as I could."

Miko sighed and sat up straight. She looked back out the window. "That is good to hear. I wanted to say good bye to you in person when I left. I was kind of sad to tell you the truth when you told me you wouldn't be able to come with me to airport."

Marik nodded. "So how long do we have?"

Miko glanced at the television's clock in the corner. "We have about an hour and a half. I already called the cab and it should be here in thirty minutes."

Marik smiled again. "We should get your suitcase then. I really wish you didn't have to leave Miko. I mean we were just becoming close friends."

Miko looked down into her cold coffee. "Me too, Marik." she said in a small voice. She felt a few pangs of sadness in her stomach and tears were threatening to form. 'The one time I make a friend, a good friend, and I have to leave.'

Marik tried to smile and helped himself to her pumpkin muffin. "Do you think you'll ever come back?"

Miko shrugged. "I don't know. Kaiba probably won't have me come back here for a long time, if ever. I mean I would love to come back when I have the time off but again Kaiba would never give me the time off to come all the way out here. He doesn't believe in vacations."

Marik growled softly, glaring at her boss that was now doing a televised interview. "I wish he would realize that not everyone's life revolves around him." Marik looked back at Miko and stood up. "Come on, let's get your bags. The cab should be here any minute."

Miko followed Marik to the elevators. They climbed in behind an older couple. Miko unlocked the room when they arrived. "The big suitcase is my only really heavy luggage. I'll grab my laptop." Miko went to the desk. She did one last scan of her hotel room, looking for anything she might have missed. "It doesn't look like I missed anything." Her eyes fell onto Marik. "What in the world are you doing?"

Marik had both his hands on her suitcase's handle. He was trying to lift it but was struggling. He made a funny face as well as a few funny sounding groans. He struggled to lift and when he finally did he made a funny sounding yelp as he fell onto his butt, the suitcase in his lap. Miko laughed, clutching her sides. Marik looked over at her and stood up, the suitcase in his hand. He held it normally, no longer trying to play that it weighed a few thousand pounds. "I'm glad I could make you laugh. Your eyes ever since I came here this morning were dark and full of sadness. I want the eyes that I first met to be there when you leave."

Miko stopped laughing and wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You're such a dork Marik." She pushed his shoulder gently and followed him back out into the hall. She made sure the door was locked before they went to the elevator.

Marik blushed and entered the empty life when it arrived. "At least I'm your dork right?"

Miko blushed and pressed the button for the lobby. 'My dork? I don't know whether to be flattered that he wants me to be his girlfriend or be mad because he wants me to own him. Either way he is so cute when he blushes.' Miko smiled and laughed slightly, she wanted to put him on the spot. "What do you mean by my dork anyway?"

Marik looked at his feet, trying not to stumble over his words. "Well I….I just thought that…."

Miko put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. "You don't have to be so nervous Marik, we are friends. You should be comfortable around me."

Marik swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump in his throat. "I just thought that maybe you would want to…..well for lack of a better term….go out with me?"

Miko's heart surged and she smiled. The smile was short lived as she remembered the reason he was here that day, to send her off and back to Domino. "Marik, you know that I'm leaving today."

Marik nodded. "I know, I thought we could try long distance dating."

Miko sighed and looked at the sandy blonde's profile. "I would love to try that Marik but with my life and working as much as I do, not to mention the time difference, do you think it would work?"

Marik looked up at Miko, determination in his eyes. His voice was serious, the first time Miko heard him like this. "I would make it work."

Miko gave him a small smile. "Marik, I just don't know if it is the best thing for us right now. I mean we just met and I would hate to say yes and then because I'm so busy all the time you feel neglected. Do you understand?"

Miko returned her smile, only a hint of small sadness in his violet eyes. "Yeah I understand, just forget I mentioned anything."

"Marik…." Miko said as they walked out of the elevator.

Marik shook his head as he led the way to the awaiting taxi. "Don't worry about it Miko. It isn't like I'm going to be mad and not talk to you ever again. I still want to be good friends and maybe one day I'll be able to suede you into dating me. I'm not the type to give up easily you know." Marik gave her a small wink as he finished loading her suitcase into the trunk.

The taxi driver waited for both of them to climb into the back of the car before pulling back into the busy traffic. It was a matter of ten minutes before the first section of Cairo's huge airport loomed into view. Miko felt butterfly's in her stomach. "What airline?" the driver asked.

Miko shook her head. "I'm flying on a private jet."

The driver nodded in understanding, his heavy accent making his words funny sounding. "Okay, okay, you special case."

The driver pulled into a smaller section of the airport where the private jets were parked. Miko locked eyes onto the Kaiba Corp. jet. 'At least he didn't send the Blue Eyes craft this time. I would have to wring that skinny neck of his; he knows how much I hate that thing.' The driver pulled up to the jet as the pilot was climbing the stairs. Miko paid the cab fare and tip. Marik retrieved her bags and gazed up at the stunning jet. "Pretty neat huh?"

Marik nodded his head slowly. The cab driver waited since he was to take Marik back to the hotel. "I just wish that you didn't have to go."

Miko nodded and sighed. "Unfortunately I have to but hey you have my cell number. You can call me anytime and keep in touch. I would like that."

Marik smiled. One of the attendants approached them and took Miko's bags from them. She climbed back up the stairs. "I will I promise. I'll call you once a week until you get sick of me!" Marik pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise this will not be the last time I get to hug you." he whispered into her ear.

Miko hugged him back. His warm body finally separated from hers. "I will be back Marik, someday."

Marik nodded his head eagerly. He reached into his pocket and brought out a small envelope. "Don't read this until you're in the air okay?" Marik opened the door to the cab.

Miko took the envelope and stared at it for a good long while. She looked back up at Marik, who was gazing at the jet as if wishing it would break down. To his horror the engine's started to life, purring as a well-oiled machine should. Miko's eyes welled with fresh tears as she looked at the young Egyptian. "I guess that is my cue. Thanks for the best couple of days of my life Marik."

Marik nodded, a tear springing from his lavender eyes. "Thank you for letting me get to know you Miko. It means a lot to me."

Miko smiled softly and mounted the first few steps into the plane. She stopped and looked back down to Marik. "Well this is good bye Marik."

Marik shook his head. "This isn't good bye. Good bye is when you know you will never see that person again. This is be seeing you later."

Miko nodded, the tears slipping from her eyes. "Be seeing you around then Marik."

Marik waved his hand. "Likewise my friend and don't you dare forget about me."

"I won't Marik Ishtar." Miko soaked in the young man's lavender eyes for a few more minutes before ducking into the plane's cabin.

Marik got into the cab and it drove away from the jet. He looked back only once, smiling. "I will never forget you Miko, how could i?"

Miko sat in one of the seats as the attendant produced the morning edition of Domino Times and a small glass of water. She thanked the young man and watched as he buckled himself into one of the attendant's seats. As the jet began to taxi off towards the run way, Miko pulled out the envelope. She retrieved the folded letter and began to read Marik's laborious handwriting:

Dear Miko,

At least I hope that is how I'm supposed to start this letter, I haven't written a lot in my time. Anyway, I wanted to give you a little something that you can remember me by. I guess you'll find it a little later when you land and open your suitcase, I just hope you like it.

The past few days have been amazing and I can honestly say that I'm going to miss you. I know that you probably won't feel the same or maybe even care but the time we shared meant so much to me. I don't get the chance to meet, let alone become friends with a lot of people because of the lifestyle my family has adopted. I resent that fact sometimes but then it also is a good thing I suppose. I never have to worry about meeting the wrong people; you know the kind that would just want to be your friend to take advantage of you. But this lifestyle also makes it hard for me to meet the right people, like you.

Wow, I guess I do tend to babble a little (LOL). Anyway my point to writing this letter was to tell you everything that I know I can't in person. I don't know whether it is because I am a chicken, too embarrassed, or that I'm scared you will hate me for whatever I have to say but whatever I'm just going for it.

This morning I called you and told you that I wasn't going to come because I was busy, well that was a lie (you probably already figured that out). The truth is I was so torn up about you leaving that I didn't know what to do. I cried all night like a baby and I guess I just thought that if I didn't see you to say goodbye I could live in the fantasy world that you never left. But after I thought about it I couldn't do that. I ran down to the hotel as fast as I could. I needed to see you one last time so I would never forget your face.

I shared my first kiss with you, something I thought I would never do. It was magical and I felt like my body was on fire. I just didn't want to have to say goodbye to that feeling. Miko, I know that I'm going to ask you to date me today and I'm scared about what your answer will be. I know in my heart that I want to make something work between us but something is pulling at me and telling me that it will be impossible. You probably don't feel the same or feel like it wouldn't work. I just want you to know that I WILL make something work. I know I can. I just want the chance to prove myself to you and prove to everyone that just because my family lifestyle dictates me to be alone, that I can make something of my life. I want to make that something with you.

However, if you disagree and deny me the chance then fine, I just ask that we remain close friends. You mean a lot to me Miko. I guess in the end, no matter what you decide to do when you land in Domino, I just want you to know that. Thanks for the greatest days of my life these past few, short days.

Sincerely,

Marik Ishtar

P.S. I bought a laptop this morning before I came out to see you. I'm going to figure out how to use this Skype thing and I'll get in touch with you soon. Take care my dear friend.

Miko let her tears fall onto the letter. 'He really did care about me. Why did I tell him no?' She looked out at the passing clouds. 'I think I just ruined the best thing that could have happened in my life. I wonder if he will ever forgive me or is it too late.'