Chapter Twenty-One, Confrontations

Malik drummed his fingers on the table, watching his sister across the room, knowing that she was thinking heavily about something by the way she stared at her glass of tea. Marik had gone to his gaming hell, claiming that he had been gone from it and his Pleasure Pavilions for far too long. Malik, instead, had gone to check in on his sister. Ever since this incident had begun, he hadn't been given the chance to make certain she was doing well enough. Although she had seemed fine in the beginning, Seto's sudden appearance must be weighing in on her, as it clearly was.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" He ventured, taking a drink of his tea, deciding he could only be straightforward when it came to Isis.

"I visited Anzu today."

Hell's teeth. I can't imagine Anzu gossiping about my performance in bed to my own sister, but... A horrible image came into his mind of the two of them laughing, comparing the size of him from when he was a baby (something Isis had seen) to how he was now (which Anzu had seen.) Or even worse, comparing Seto's performance in bed to his own. He didn't want to know who would come out as the winner in that comparison. He preferred to keep his ego as high as it was presently.

In a voice that sounded calm and politely interested, he questioned, "Is that so?"

"Yes...Did you know that she never saw Otogi while she was married?" A sliver of relief washed over him as he realized this had nothing to do with his lovemaking. His sister was, as he assumed, brooding over Seto.

"I actually was aware of that small fact." He looked down at his empty cup, frowning, and set it down dismissively. "Did she tell you of this?" Isis bobbed her head and turned her gaze to his, away from her cup.

"I suppose it surprised me to discover that we were so alike. Marik and I...Our relationship was strained when Seto was here and I know that, even though he sympathized with me for losing him when he supposedly died, he was secretly glad. Now that Seto is back, though, I just don't...I can't figure out what I should do, Malik. I still love him, as much as I always did. I'm hurt by what he did, but it was for preservation. And really, he could have taken everything he would have given me for when I really was a widow, but instead he chose to leave me with that and suffer himself." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I haven't even spoken to him civilly."

"He's living at my house, Isis," Malik told her mildly, raising his eyebrows. "In the eyes of the ton, you two are still technically married. I don't talk to him much myself, but I can say, simply by instinct, that he loves you yet." She drew her eyes from his, looking across the room at the fireplace. Because of the weather, which was growing cooler, a warm fire crackled in the fireplace. It was low and small, but as they grew closer to winter, it would have to be more powerful. "Why not visit him? It isn't improper for you to see him if I'm not home." It was a subtle hint that he would make sure he wasn't home.

"And if he doesn't feel the same as he did years ago?" Malik shook his head, as if his sister were a half-wit. He stood up and went to the cupboard where the claret was, pouring himself a glass. He returned to the table to place the bottle there, but his eyes were on the fireplace.

"Trust me, Isis, those sort of feelings don't go away so easily." He took a drink of the claret and turned to her with a charming smile, dissuading any thoughts or comments she might have had. "He should be at home now. Go talk with him. I'll stay here and relax for awhile. I don't have any plans until tomorrow anyway." His eyes brightened a bit at that, making her suspicious.

"What plans are those?"

"Nothing important, just a ride in the park." She frowned and then sighed, standing up. She wouldn't get over this unspoken problem with Seto until she faced him and Malik was giving her the perfect opportunity to do just that. Still, she hesitated. As if Malik realized that, he set his glass down and went to her, placing a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the room. "If anything, Isis, just get it done and over with so you don't worry yourself over it longer." His hand was strong and supporting, a touch that she needed.

"Thank you, Malik." Isis turned her face to him and saw a shuttered look in his eyes that evaporated as soon as she looked at him.

"Anything for my older sister," he assured with a smile.

X

Isis stepped out of her carriage just as a hackney rumbled to a halt behind her. Puzzled, she watched as Otogi Mazaki hopped out, his face set grimly. He held a hand up to the coachman, saying, "I shouldn't be long." The man merely grunted and Isis watched, curious, as the young man shoved his hands in his pockets and started towards her brother's manor, looking deadly determined. As Isis hurried after him, he paused, turning slightly. Seeing her, he halted altogether and said, "Ah...Lady Ishtar..." He glanced to the manor and back to her, torn.

"I hope you're not looking for Malik," she stated as plainly as she could. Otogi turned a blank look to her. "He's not home at the moment. Currently, he is at my manor."

"Oh. I see..." He hesitated. "Would you mind if I visited him there? I promise I have no intention of causing conflict with him. I need only to arrange some business with him and I will be out in no time." He flashed a smile that was meant to reassure her. His words, however, had alarmed her.

"Business? As far I know, you and my brother have no business arrangements thus far, my lord." Her stomach turned circles as Isis came to the sudden, sickening conclusion that the business she had originally thought of wasn't what he was referring to; he was talking about his sister. She quickly ran through the days events in her mind, starting with the maids' remark at Anzu's home about how her mistress had slept in late that morning. "Please, do not tell me you are about to call him out – "

"Lady," he interrupted, raising his hands. "This is not your matter to consider over – "

"It is when Anzu is my friend!" Isis snapped. His mouth tightened, but he didn't say anything. "I am sorry if I am about to insult you, but Malik and Marik have been in more duels than you could possibly count. I would not like Anzu to mourn over the loss over her brother, much less Shizuka over a husband."

"I know that the possibilities of me...dying...are fairly high, but he has ripped my sister's honor to shreds! I warned him already, my lady, and he chose to ignore that warning." Isis could see by the clear reluctance in his eyes that he didn't want to go and confront her brother about said sister's honor. He was, however, honestly furious. Isis was trying to gather her thoughts, wondering why her brother would have gone forward with the act if Otogi Mazaki had already threatened him. "Now. May I go to your home or should I wait until he returns here?"

If Malik truly cares anything for Anzu, she thought, then he will make the right decision when Otogi goes to him. "You may go." He nodded curtly and gave a stiff bow before moving back to the hackney. With a tiny sigh, she ascended the steps to the doors of her brother's home and beat the metal knocker on the door. Hodges answered, smiling in greeting at Isis. "Hello, Hodges. Is...Seto in?" The butler's eyes sparked with interest, but he merely gave a nod and stepped aside to allow her through. She gave him her cloak and reticule to put away and stepped past the foyer towards the drawing room. Her heart was fluttering frantically in her chest as she stood in the doorway as Hodges went to fetch the earl.

She settled on the divan, smoothing her dress's skirts out. She had been to Malik's as often as her youngest brother had been at her own home, if not as long. She had never been uncomfortable, as the settings reflected him so much. They were warm, the furniture engulfing and comfortable. The only thing that gave any intimidation was the colours that were blended into masculinity. It showed nothing of the man she was meeting there today, but somehow, it felt as if she were just meeting him for the first time all over again.

Isis stiffened as Seto appeared, looking neither expectant nor surprised at her presence. He shut the doors and then folded his arms across his chest, letting a sigh escape him. It was the only hint that she had that he was as anxious as she was for this meeting. "So...You're allowed to talk to me alone again, I take it?"

"Marik knew nothing of me coming here," she answered simply, grateful for her steady tone. His cobalt eyes narrowed in disbelief. "I wouldn't have come if Malik hadn't visited me, Seto."

"Malik encouraged you to come?" This, unlike her visit, did shock him.

"Would he be absent if not? You are forgetting that Malik was always the more understandable and forgiving one between my brothers. You used to be friends with him. Why should you be so surprised?" His mouth kicked downward unpleasantly and she knew that he felt as if she had been mocking him. She hadn't, but wasn't about to apologize for it. Isis knew Seto Kaiba better than anyone else in this world and his moods were predictable to her after dealing with his cool attitude and being married to him. "But I didn't come here to come discuss yours and Malik's friendship."

"A good thing you didn't," he replied sourly. "He seems to have an aversion to discussing any type of relationship these days." She stifled a smile at the tone he took. "Dare I assume you came to discuss our relationship, Isis? What is left of it, anyway?"

"To the eyes of the ton - since you never died - we are still married, Seto." Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips and she quietly added, "I have no qualms with still being married to you, but if you would prefer otherwise, we can sign for divorce." He stood, seemingly frozen by her words. "It is odd, though, if we remain married and live in separate homes, especially if you are living with my brother. As you are aware, there wasn't enough money to keep the estate running, so you can certainly fix that up to live there while I live in town. It would take some of the strangeness from the situation..."

"Do you think," Seto demanded in a cold, dark tone, "that I want that? I wanted to talk to you in the beginning about this! I never wanted to leave you and pretend I was dead! How dare you even presume that I might be considering over a divorce?" She stared at him, startled by his words.

"What are you saying?"

He gave a dry smile. "That, as always, I love you. You're the only woman who has succeeded in turning me into a puddle of emotions and it is going to remain that way, I hope." Isis blinked quickly and then looked away, biting down hard on her lip as tears spilled from her eyes.

"Of course I love you still, Seto," she mumbled. "But...It's just...I'm afraid of breaking my family up again."

"Mmm..." He went to her on the divan and slipped a hand over the bare skin of her neck. She shivered, having missed the feeling of his long, cool fingers on her flesh. She leaned against him as he cupped the back of her head, her long tresses falling through his fingers. He smoothed the hair away and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck briefly. "I think we will have to talk to Malik about this. He has always acted best as the patriarch of the Ishtar family, even if he is the youngest. He can talk some sense into Marik if anyone can."

"Not yet," Isis breathed. "We will have to wait. He will be dealing with his own problem at present..." He smiled and turned her head, bending down to kiss her. A soar of triumph and joy overwhelmed her as she pressed her warm mouth to his, drinking in the familiar taste of brandy and cheroot on his lips.

X

Malik raised his head, his blonde brows furrowing as he heard the commotion coming from the foyer. He set the book he had been reading aside and glided to his feet, taking no care to fix his disheveled, comfortable appearance. The butler was insisting, "Please, sir, you cannot come in. Return later when Lady Ishtar – " He was cut off by an angry voice that Malik knew well at this point. Frowning, and wondering why Otogi Mazaki was visiting his sister's home, he called to the butler and waved a hand.

"Can I ask, Otogi, what it is that you're doing here?" Malik crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the wall. Otogi blinked and then his jaw tightened at the rogue's appearance. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that Malik might take comfort in his sister's home, but if what his looks suggested were true, he would hesitate no longer in dueling him. Malik was close to being undressed, with a few buttons undone on his shirt, his cravat and jacket missing, and his sleeves pushed up to his elbows. "I don't recall calling you here for my own amusing."

"This isn't about me, Ishtar." Malik raised his eyebrows slightly and pushed off from the wall, turning and moving back to the den. Otogi followed him, abandoning the frazzled butler in the process. Shutting the door behind him, Otogi instantly said, "You compromised my sister."

"She is a widow, not a blushing virgin straight from the schoolroom. I would advise you to remember that fact." Malik settled back on the settee he had been draped on only earlier. "As for the actual fact on compromising her...Well, I will not tell any lies. I imagine you found out from Marik or Bakura since they have no notion of discretion. I didn't seduce her, if that's what you initially thought. She invited me, and I accepted. There was nothing more to it than that."

"I don't believe you."

"That's all well and good, but it's the truth. Ask your sister." Malik gave a slow, smooth grin. "Or are you afraid that she'll tell you more than you want?"

Otogi gritted his teeth. "She doesn't deserve to be treated like a mistress, damn you! After this, you'll probably toss her away and say that it was all a mistake! Am I right in my assumption?"

"No. In fact, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm not about to elaborate on this further, Otogi." He rose to his feet and ruffled his hair, looking slightly uncertain as he threw a glance around him. "I have other matters on my mind presently, so if you have lost your resolve to call me out at dawn, then..." He gestured towards the door, but Otogi stood in place, his brow furrowing.

"My sister thinks very highly of you, Malik," he carefully said. "If what you did with her was...for nothing...I'll make certain you're dead."

"Why are you so protective of her, hm?"

"Because the last man she was with was murdered and she was left with a broken heart." His expression was guarded as he continued, "I don't want for her to get her heart broken again, Malik. That's not something I can handle a second time. It's nothing something she can handle a second time. Do you understand? I can't let you hurt Anzu." Malik stared across at him, seeing the raw agony in Otogi's eyes. It was a look he knew well. For the first week after realizing Seto was alive, every time he looked in the mirror he saw that same, pained stare in his own eyes.

"I have a sister, too, Otogi. I understand very well. All I can tell you is that the last thing I would want to do is hurt Anzu. Give me...time...to adjust." Otogi eyed him suspiciously and then relaxed.

"It's not so hard, you know, once you get used to the feeling." He inclined his head and left Malik to his thoughts.

X

Isis and Seto arrived shortly after Otogi had left. As soon as Malik saw them, he knew what decision they came to by the slightly feverish look in his sister's eyes. With a dry look, he straightened and stretched his arms above his head. Dropping them, he stood up, taking his glass of brandy with him. His encounter with Otogi had left him in a bit of an unpleasant mood and he didn't need to take it out on his sister. "So," he commented, taking a generous drink from his glass, "what decision did you come to?"

"We haven't yet come to any decision," Seto answered calmly. One of Malik's eyebrows rose in question. "There's an obstacle in the way, as you should know." Seto had always admired Malik calmness in difficult situations and that had never changed, especially now. They knew that Marik would have Bakura's support and that they could dredge up a relatively dangerous threat if they wanted to. Marik had endured him once before – and barely that – so Seto and Isis hadn't been certain he would do that again. Malik must have thought of that, too, but seemed unbothered by that fact.

"You want me to placate Marik?" Malik questioned, filling his glass with brandy.

"Yes."

"Hm...I can't do that." Isis's face dropped in shock. Seto was sufficiently surprised himself. Malik had nearly always agreed to such requests when it came to talking with his overly irrational older brother. "Isis, you should know better than to ask me something like this now of all times. I can't take sides until after I conclude this mess with Anzu's life. Once we figure that out, I would be more than glad to talk to Marik. At the time being, whatever side on that matter he takes, I'll be only a step behind." He shrugged. "I am sorry." He drank his brandy and then set the glass down, taking his black jacket from the back of the settee and slipping his arms through the thin sleeves, smoothing the fabric down.

"You cannot be serious." Malik raised his eyes to Seto's hard ones. He had assumed, when he was preparing to leave soon after Otogi had departed, that this wasn't going to be as simple as cake and had been right. His sister, who owed him enough favors, would not have spoken up, but her husband would. He was beginning to predict things all too well lately.

"I assure you, Seto, that I couldn't be any more serious."

"You told her to come to me!"

"Because I didn't expect you two to have me make the decision for you. Whether Marik accepts it or not doesn't matter at the time being. I'll deal with it after my own engagements have been settled. I need him and Bakura with me at the moment. I can't have Marik throwing a tantrum when I need his and Bakura's insight. Are you going to let me leave or are you planning on locking me in here?" Seto frowned and moved from the door. Malik started towards the door and then paused. "I am happy for you, even if you choose not to believe it."

"You can tell your brother that we're back together," was Seto's muted response.

"Alright."

X

Bakura looked up from the hand of hazard he was playing to see Malik strolling towards him through the crowds of his gaming hell. He smiled and said, "I fold," rising to his feet and meeting him halfway. "Marik is supposed to meet me here soon. Come upstairs for a drink."

"I need one. I take it you are the traitorous bastard that told Otogi that I took his sister to bed?" Malik asked, flicking a look around the gaming hell. It was busier than usual tonight in his friend's hell. All three of the rogues' gaming hells were generally busy, whether it be day or night, Bakura's being the second most successful. Marik's was the least successful since he took more time with his Pleasure Pavilions, which were by far one of the most successful businesses in London, even though his wasn't exactly a "business." Malik, because of his certain flair for finance, had done best with his gaming hell.

"I might have let it slip."

"I do not doubt it for a second," Malik grunted. He followed Bakura upstairs, his hands tucked in his pockets. Bakura said a word to two men that were coming down the hall where his office was located. They nodded and barely cast Malik a look as they moved past him. People were accustomed to seeing the two Ishtar brothers and Bakura with each other, no matter where they might be. "Bakura, you should have known better."

"Than to tell him?" He queried as he entered his office and shut the door behind Malik. "Please, Malik. I knew that you would be able to stop the boy." He took a bottle from the glass case in the waiting room beside his office and poured them both a glass of brandy. "He needed to get his head out of the water and realize that she was better off in bed with you now than without a man at all." He gave his head a slow shake as he leaned against the window frame, watching Malik as he stood some feet from him, his hand holding his glass absently.

Quietly, Bakura continued, "If I had given him a lecture about it, he wouldn't have listened to me. I had tried to calm him and make him a little less resentful towards the situation, but I am Marik's best friend and Otogi is known for despising him. He respects you, Malik, and I knew if he heard the words from you, he would back off more quickly."

Malik gave a disgusted snort and took a long drink of his brandy, draining the glass. "I have never had to deal with brothers before. It isn't easy when a brother is involved in everything. They tend to be meddlesome." Bakura smiled knowingly; Malik and Marik knew best how meddlesome brothers could be, as they were just that with their own sister.

"We are bastards a bit, aren't we?" The two males turned to see Marik float into the room, his expression guarded. "I stopped by your manor tonight before coming here. If I had known that you would be meeting us as well, I might not have bothered. Incidentally, I am rather glad that I did, Malik." Bakura stiffened slightly, seeing the lazy look on his friend's face. Malik faced it calmly, his eyebrows lifted slightly in question. "Hodges told me Isis came by when you were gone to speak with Seto."

"Ah, yes," Malik drawled, smiling pleasantly. "They have decided to steer away from a divorce and remain together. I am sure you're not surprised by this." He set his glass down, pushing his hands in his pockets. The two brothers stared at each other, Marik with a deadly expression.

"Why weren't you home, Malik?"

"I was at Isis's. I felt it best that I was out of the house when she went to see him." A low growl erupted from Marik's throat, a subtle warning of how he felt about that. "Oh, stop it, Marik." There was a hint of disgust in Malik's tone as he turned away from him, putting some space between the two. "Isis has been more miserable now then she was when Seto supposedly died. She was afraid you would have a tantrum and, as we both predicted, you are." He turned around, glaring. "We both know that Seto is the only thing that truly makes her happy, so – "

"So, what?" Marik snapped. "She has to choose between us or him? It's a bunch of bullshit, Malik, and you know it!"

"There is no us about it, Marik. There is only you. I adapted, because I could see, unlike you, how happy she was with Seto. We have been trouble from the start and wouldn't have even been on the guest lists to parties if Isis hadn't married Seto. I'm not going to try and convince you to accept him because frankly, right now, I need you a good deal more than her." That startled the older Ishtar from his blind rage and he blinked, staring at Malik.

"...I'll put up with him, Malik, as I always have." His expression was moody as he said this. "The only reason I did last time was because I didn't want to lose my little brother to the revolting characters in Society."

"Then we stick together?" He threw a look to Bakura, who had remained silent throughout the brief tirade. "All three of us?" Bakura raised his eyes from his glass and smirked.

"I go with the winning party, Malik," he reminded him. Marik chuckled.

"We stick together, then," Marik concluded.

End Chapter Twenty-One