To Remember Light

By: Rikku24

Chapter 3: Encounters

"If I weren't Egyptian, I would have loved to be one" -Mustafa Kamel, a historical national Egyptian leader.

I arrived at my inn and continued onto my room. Then I started to unpack the few belongings that I had, I was only staying here for seven days after all.

The phone rang, its ring echoed through the silence. I turned my head towards the sound and scanned the room for a phone. I couldn't see any. It rang again and I searched again. Ring. Ring. There! I leaped over the bed and dashed to grab the phone before the person could hang up.

"Hello? This is Trinity speaking," I said.

"Oh good, it's you. Is everything okay?" a familiar voice asked.

I recognized it. Who did it belong to though? Think Trinity think. … Who was it? And then it hit me…

"Ow! Dang bookshelf!" I exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" the voice asked.

"Isis! How are you? Me? Well there's a tilted bookshelf and some of its contents just hit me on the head. Other than that I'm fine. The ride? Boring. However I met some new friends. It was strange since we were the only ones on the plane. Them? Oh they were nice. We dueled, played games, slept in. It was kind of like a big weird sleepover on air. Malik? I haven't seen him but I just got here. I'll keep my eye out for him. I'll probably run into him tomorrow. That all? Okay, good night. Bye!" I said, hanging up the phone.

Now to fix that bookshelf…~

"(Language in Arabic)"

"Ugh…what the? Where am I?"

"(More Arabic)"

"What's that noise?"

"(The time in Arabic)"

"Oh it's the radio. How do I turn it off? I wish I knew what time it is…"

After figuring out how to get to a radio station in English and setting my own hand watch to the accurate time, I figured out that it was 9a.m. My stomach, however, said it was time-to-eat. So I got dressed and went to the lobby.

"What kind of food is this?" I asked myself, looking at the food.

"Let's see what the market has," I told myself on my way out the door.

"I'm back brother. How was everything while I was gone?" Isis asked, entering the underground home.

"You…you returned," Malik said in disbelief, his eyes slightly wide.

"Of course I returned. And I returned with an empty stomach too," Isis said entering the kitchen.

Malik just stared in the direction his sister went. He had never expected her to return. Wasn't she a lot better off without him? Well it didn't matter. She returned and that was good enough.

"Malik, where's the food?" Isis asked.

"Food? What food? Hehe…what do you mean food?" Malik asked innocently.

"Malik…how are we going to live without food?" Isis asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"What do you mean we? You may need to live but that is something I do not know," Malik replied.

"Malik don't test me! You need to get a life. So you are going to the market NOW and getting us some food. Got it?" Isis ordered.

"Sheesh. It's not that big of a deal. Right? Plus I haven't been there in so long. The lights…the people," Malik whined.

"As I said before. Get a life. You're too lazy, too dark, and too hopeless. Find the light within yourself. In other words, you could use some fresh air. Now go to the market and get us some food before I starve and you find out that you're a human who needs to eat," Isis said flatly.

"Okay, I'll go. But I'm going in my black cloak. Ugh, why do you do this to me Isis?" Malik complained.

"You really are hopeless. A cloak…and black too. You'll roast! Why do I do this, brother? I do it to help you. Now here's some money. Use it for food, okay?" Isis explained.

"Okay. Bye, see you later," Malik said leaving.

The figure of a fourteen-year-old boy swathed in a black cloak emerged from a spot in the ground. The hot sun burned ahead and the boy's hand immediately covered his eyes. The black cloak soaked the heat in, causing sweat to bead the boy's forehead. His figure began to cross the mass of ruins. He headed towards the local market in Luxor. This whole world was new to him. It was the first time for him to see it in like four years. The sun, the whole area was a lot brighter than his dim home.

It took the boy about fifteen minutes to get to the little market. The vendors sold an array of cheap souvenirs, vegetables, bread, meat, fruit, grain, and other things.

Malik scanned the little stands for some fresh food. It was hard, however, since this season had been a dry one. However, he did find some fresh food when…

I scanned the little souvenirs while trying to read the hieroglyphs. Some of them made sense while others misused the symbols and left out others. The most popular thing was names and cartouches (a symbol that a pharaoh's name was placed in). Those, amazingly, were very accurate.

My stomach growled, reminding me that I came here for food rather than criticizing souvenirs.

I looked up and saw the bright sun. It was extra bright today. I decided to take a moment and breathe in the bright rays. After a few strange glances passed my way, I decided to continue my hunt for fresh food.  After scanning a few shops, I found one with a few fresh vegetables. I went over and bent down to grab the reaming food items. A few were bruised but I decided it was better than nothing.

I got up and turned around only to run into someone. This caused my vegetables to scatter and both of us to fall backwards. I quickly recovered and offered the person my hand. He looked up at me but then got up by himself. He brushed some dirt off of his dark-colored cloak and gave me a look that said leave-me-alone. However, this person interested me.

I mean, how many people go around Egypt in dark-colored clothes while the sun is at its hottest. There is usually some strange reason. So…I decided to start a conversation.

Ow…people need to watch where they're going. Huh? Oh, she's offering me help to get up. Ha! I don't need help. Maybe if I ignore her she'll go away.

"You don't like to socialize, do you?" the girl asked.

Or maybe not. I grunted in reply.

"Not very polite either," she sniffed.

I got up to turn away. I looked at her face though and it seemed that the mere glance between us caused a light bulb in her head to turn on.

"You, you're Malik Ishtar," the girl said with a look of surprise on her face.

"Huh?" Malik asked, with a look of confusion

"Malik Ishtar. That's your name. Mine is Trinity Ariake Soradanomi," Trinity said, grinning slightly.

She was pretty, with her blue-green eyes and short dirty blonde hair. Her mouth was normal sized with lips just perfect for…um…uh…Malik shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking these things. The girl's eyes sparkled but had the infinite depth of the ocean. The lost look like a lost puppy. The loneliness of a lone wolf. She wasn't tall but was tall enough not to be called short. She looked to be about fourteen, the same age as Malik.  

"Um…yeah, that's my name. How did you know?" Malik asked, still confused.

"My ways are my own to tell," Trinity said with a wink.

"But…" Malik tried to say.

Trinity pressed a finger to Malik's lips. "Shh, no more questions. We will meet again sometime soon. Good bye Malik Ishtar," she told him.

The girl went to pick up her spilt vegetables and then pressed two into Malik's hands, " Here, take these as a gift.  "

Before Malik could reply, Trinity had disappeared into the crowd.

Malik stared into the place where the girl disappeared. Maybe he would see her again. He found himself wanting to see her again. But why? I only talked to her for a few minutes. This feeling is so strange.

/What the heck do you think you're doing?! You cannot fall in love! Besides, not only will it ruin your plans but ruin you as well/

Great. Now Yami no Malik wanted to involve himself in Malik's affairs. It was no use tuning out the spirit so Malik was forced to listen to him.

//STAY OUT OF THIS!//

It was all so confusing. To love or not to love? But that's life. And life doesn't show mercy. All life had for humans was eternal suffering with maybe a few good moments in it.

So that was whom I was supposed to help. This would be very interesting. Well, at least he wasn't ugly or stupid. He was actually kinda cute. He seemed really sad and dark, though. I mean, I was sad and dark but not that much. It was sad, it made me sad to see someone else like that. I was determined to save him! No matter the cost! I just hope that the price isn't too high…

Hopefully we would meet again like I said. I really hoped we could meet again.

As I drifted deep in thought I could hear my name being called.

"Trinity! Hey! Is that you?" I heard a familiar voice say.

I turned and saw Yuugi and his friends running up to me. However, Ryou wasn't with them.

"Hey guys! Nice to see you again! But…where's Ryou?" I asked.

"We don't really know. He started acting funny after you left. He spent the night at the inn but in the morning he was gone. Maybe we'll run into him later," Jounouchi explained.

"Oh…" I said, how strange this was.

"Do you want to come with us to the Valley of the Kings?" Yuugi asked.

"Sure! Just let me get some stuff. I'll meet you here in a few minutes. Be right back!" I said, heading towards the place I was staying at.

~

At the entrance of the valley stood two statues. These statues were of Amenhotep III and a few thousand years old. Despite the need of repair, the statues were in awe. Near these two giant monuments was a group of adolescents, most of them staring open-mouthed at the statues towering above them. These statues were known by the name of the Colossi of Memnon.

The group chitchatted in the shadow of these statues and under the June sun.

After a bunch of comments on the statues and other things, the group headed towards the Valley of the Kings: a place that held the tombs to pharaohs over three thousand years gone.

I could almost feel the spirits of the past. The whole place was shrouded in ancient mystery and sleep. However, I could not see why the spirits still rested peacefully when their treasures, bodies, and possessions were stolen from them and put in museums or some person's home. Maybe they already had their revenge. Maybe they were waiting for the right moment.

My thoughts caused shivers to run up my spine.

"Man, this place is creepy," Jounouchi said, clutching my arm.

"Um…you can let go of my arm Jou," I said, slightly annoyed.

"Can we leave? I don't like the feel that this place gives me," Jounouchi whined while slowly loosening his grip on my arm.

"It's okay Jou. C'mon we can't let fear stop us. I'm not afraid of what lies in that valley! Now lets go," I said full of confidence even though my stomach was full of butterflies. (Kingdom Hearts fans- didn't that sound vaguely familiar? Coughrikucoughwhenthedooropenscoughcough gak! I need a cough drop…)

What I said was true though. Nothing could stop me now for this was the day I had dreamt about since I was young. Today was the day I waited my whole life for….

A cloak figure approached a pace of ruin. A place that had once been the home to an ancient Egyptian. The figure approached a place in the ground and opened a door. That was the entrance to his house. His underground house that is.

Waiting within one of the rooms was a woman that looked like an ancient Egyptian. She had long black shiny hair and traditional clothes on. Around her neck was a golden item with the Eye of Horus on it. This item was known to some as the Millennium Tauk.

"How was your day brother?" the woman asked the figure.

"It was strange. I met some girl who accidentally ran into me. Her name was Trinity um… Ariake Soradanomi. Yeah, she was strange," Malik said shaking his head.

"Interesting. Sounds like my little brother has a crush on someone," Isis teased.

"Isis! Not true! Besides…I just can't fall head over heels in love with some girl I barely know," Malik said.

"And why not?" Isis asked.

"I…don't know," Malik replied sadly.

"Whatever you say brother…" Isis said.

So he has fallen in love, has he? It will ruin everything. I have to stop this. The good thing about this connection was that I knew his thoughts but he didn't know mine. The plan to kill the Pharaoh and his Soul Vessel would be stopped by this "distraction". Unless…hehe. A casualty or two wouldn't make that much of a difference to the plan.

The Valley of the Kings was an awesome experience. I was able to see the tombs of the Ramses family along with Tutankhamun's tomb. The whole experience was awesome! We mainly explored the East Valley since the West Valley had only a few tombs and most of them were a mystery to even the Egyptologists.

Now night had fallen upon Egypt. I looked out the window of my room in the inn and saw that all of Luxor was dim. Not bright like New York City or the towns back in the U.S. This whole trip had been a dream so far. But all dreams ended some time. When would mine end?

~Next Day~

At dawn a figure left the underground home that lay under the ruins of an ancient Egyptian home. He was swathed in a black cloak despite the heat. At the entrance of his home stood his sister. She watched him leave, not taking her eyes off of his form. Her plan was coming together while his was falling apart.

However, Malik was the key to his plan. If he lost concentration, then all of it would fall apart. However, Isis' plan was completely in the hands of a girl named Trinity. Hopefully she would not betray Malik for that betrayal would be a permanent scar. Only time would tell the result of the plans.

"Good morning Luxor. The current time is 9:02 am. The skies are looking sunny today however there will be a few clouds in the late afternoon. Blah…blah."

"Stupid radio alarm…" I murmured while trying to turn it off.

Wait…9am? I had to get to the market! I quickly put my clothes on while praying that Malik would be there.

Malik wandered aimlessly through the market searching. He was searching for a certain someone. However, he could not find her. Malik sighed. Maybe his effort was all in vain, maybe she hadn't come here. Malik left the crowd and headed towards a bare tree. This tree was all alone and basically dead…just like him.

I walked quickly through the market, my eyes darting through the crowd. However I could not find Malik. Where was he? Wait…he wouldn't be in the crowd. He'd be away from it. He'd be watching from a distance. A then searched the outside area of the market. Bingo! Beneath a dead-looking tree lay a cloaked figure. This figure could only be Malik. I proceeded towards Malik.

"Hello!" I said, putting on a smile.

"Huh?" Malik said in a confused tone while looking around.

I pulled the hood of his cloak down, revealing semi-spiky platinum blonde hair. Immediately he looked up, showing me the true color of his eyes. They were a pretty light purple, kind of unnatural if I do say so myself, but pretty. Beneath each eye was a little black mark. Probably having to do with his origin or family or something like that. When he saw me, a flash of surprise showed on his face.

"What? I should at least know what my crush looks like. Don't you think?" I said in a half teasing manner.

Yet again his face showed surprise.

"Cru-Crush?" Malik asked, his eyes wide.

"Can I sit down?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

Malik just nodded, too dazed to say anything. He seemed to be a little bit shy and uncertain of what to do. So I sat down and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"So what was your life like?" I asked.

"Both of my parents died when I was young. My father was murdered and my mother died giving birth to me. Only my sister and I remain. My house is underground in the outskirts of Luxor. So what was your life like?" Malik said with a hurt look in his eyes.

"Well I became an orphan at age five. The traps of a tomb took their lives. I used to duel. I rarely duel nowadays now, though. I left the orphanage last year with my few possessions and inheritance. I don't get all of the money my parents left me until I'm eighteen.  However, I am able to use some of it to my benefit. I've been underage working for the past few months. I even dropped out of high school in order to work. But hey! I think things are turning for the better for me," I said happily, tears glistening in my eyes.

"Well that's good to hear," Malik commented.

"Yeah," I said staring at the sky.

The sun sank below the desert however the two figures beneath the tree lay there silently. People would glance at them and some even whispered about the two. What was an American girl doing with some dark figure like Malik? Was she abducted? Had they eloped? Soon a few rumors of the couple were floating around. But the two figures didn't care. In fact, who knew if they were even fully awake? The fact that the girl was almost in the guy's lap didn't help either.

Soon the sun was gone and night sounds filled the night.

"Huh…night already?" I said, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, funny how fast time goes sometimes," Malik commented.

"Yeah…" I said wearily.

"Do you want to come to my house?" Malik asked.

"I guess. Now?" I said, starting to get up.

"Okay," Malik replied, smiling for the first time.

He soon got up and started walking towards where I presumed his house was. I followed him silently and then held on to his arm.

It was like a scene from the movies. Two lovers walking in the moonlight, one holding on to the other. They soon approached the ruins of an ancient civilization. The taller one opened a door and let the other one in. Then he closed the door behind him.

When we entered Malik's house I loosened my grip on his arm and looked around. It was a dim place with a bunch of corridors. An eerie silence covered the place. I almost jumped when I heard someone approaching. I turned to see Isis stepping out of one of the rooms.

"I see you brought a friend," Isis said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, this was the strange girl I was telling you about," Malik replied.

I shot him a glare and Isis had an amused look on her face.

"What is your name, child?" Isis asked with a glint in her eye.

"Trinity A. Soradanomi. And what is yours, if I may ask?" I replied.

"Isis Ishtar," Isis replied.

Malik watched as the two women shook hands and exchanged a few kind words. This was all so weird. No one had entered this place, besides himself and Isis, since his father's death. Could he really fall in love? Would it affect his plan? Malik had no idea. This was all so confusing. Love is a confusing thing but entangling love with plans for murder…that's unspeakable.

It was kind of funny to meet Isis like this. I could tell she wanted to keep our meeting a secret, though. We exchanged a few words and such before heading towards the kitchen where we snacked on some bread and water (common Egyptian food). We had a nice long, boring conversation about my trip and how it is back in the U.S. and such. I didn't want to be rude, though, so I kept with the conversation. Within my own boredom and mind I thought of something. Something we could all do tomorrow. We could explore one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Perhaps we could visit one of the unknown or less popular ones. Wait…unknown tomb. I read something about one in the newspaper. It was all closed down do to an accident that happened a few years ago. It sounded really intriguing. So…I broke into the current conversation and suggested it.

"That's a good idea. One problem though, how do we get in the tomb? Wouldn't it be guarded or something?" Isis asked.

"I don't know but it's worth a try," I replied.

"Sounds fun. Let's do it! What time tomorrow?" Malik said.

"I dunno. Would 8am work?" I suggested.

"Works for me. What about you Malik?" Isis replied.

"Sure," Malik commented.

"Then it's settled. We'll meet here tomorrow at 8am and then head towards the tomb," I stated.

Malik and Isis nodded in agreement. 

Tomorrow would be the start of a new adventure. Something fun and exciting. I couldn't wait….

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Wow, to think I rewrote all of that. -_-

Malik: Dude…weird.

Me: I know what's going to happen!

Malik: No dur…you already wrote a bunch of chapters after this.

Me: ^_^ Yeah. And if you're reading this chances are all of those chapters are rewritten from their original forms.

Malik: That's a lot of writing.

Me: I know. It takes at least two days per chapter. Unless I'm lucky. Then it may be only one full day. Lucky for you readers, I'm dedicated to this story.

Malik: Unlike a few others *cough*

Me: -_-'' Hehe…

Malik: *rolls eyes*

Me: Anywho, please read and review if you haven't done so already. Ja ne!

BTW: The Cogumelos Portugese say hello!