Kara: The bartender knows about Serenity's eye problems, and this is set... before the operation, (but they knew about Malik) and she had been for a walk with Joey (she hasn't had the operation quite yet). I call the Bar-tender Claudia, but no description is given about her. shrugs So this is technically an AU.
Malik: This is random and fluffy. The pairing is Serenity/Malik, but it's only hinted (a lot) no other warnings.
Bakura: Yu-gi-oh does NOT belong to Karasea!
Kara: Diabolo isn't mine, it's a French drink. It's a syrup that you mix with Lemonade, like a much thicker ribena (black current juice). It's 100% sugar too... So please read and review!
Malik: As a last note, Kara would like to express her thanks to Jounouchi Kun Joey for Beta-reading this one! - It's so much better now!
Seventeen-year-old Malik Ishtar observed the Snack bar silently as he sipped at his iced water with lemon. He couldn't really think of the correct way to describe the place. It was like a bar but it had a few arcade games dotted around the place for the over thirteen's that came in there quite frequently. Like a bar, it had music playing and drinks, but nothing really happened until after half past ten, which was when those under 18 had to depart.
Beside him was his faithful servant and brother figure, Rishid, who never left his side. They had opted to come here because at least here he couldn't be accused of being underaged, and besides, was it so wrong that he wanted to be at least remotely normal for once?
"Diabolo cerie et glace, please," glancing to his right, he noticed the customer was a girl with long, bright red hair and a heart shape face. He hadn't seen her here before. Perhaps he had missed her.
"Here ya go, Hun," the woman behind the counter gave her the drink with a raised eyebrow, "don't go drinking that too fast," she said, leaning on the counter, "your brain'll freeze up, like."
"Don't I know it!" the Redhead laughed, taking a sip. Now that she was closer, Malik could just make out the colour of her eyes, and they were an earthy hazel colour. Malik took his time to try and figure out what her drink was, having never heard of it before. He couldn't come up with anything except for a great big blank, so he gave up pretty quickly indeed.
"So how long ya got, Hun?"
"I don't actually know," she replied in that soft voice of hers, after a moment's deliberation, she shrugged, "about four weeks or so I guess."
The bartender shook her head sympathetically, "Don't ya go giving up hope. Ya said that your brother migh' be able to help ya."
Malik listened in with increasing interest. What was going on in this kids life that warranted this sort of talk?
The girl laughed, crinkling her eyes in amusement and scrunching up her nose. Malik was trying hard not to melt and go 'awww.' he was supposed to be evil, cruel and getting revenge damnit! Not getting a crush!
"If he can persuade the doctors to let him sign for it. He told me what he going to try and do in the letter he sent me... I hope he can do it." she said.
"He will, Hun. You'll see!" she giggled and handed the girl some gummy bears, "it must be nice to have a big brother who cares about ya so much."
"It is." she smiled ruefully and stared hard at the counter before looking up again, "I just wish I could see him again... one last time."
The bar-tender stopped what she was doing and laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, "He won't fail ya kid. Did he ever?"
The Red-head closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, "No. He never has. He couldn't have done anything about what happened, but his face... I can never forget that. He looked so desperate. He was still chasing after us in the car as we turned the corner..."
Malik could tell that Rishid was now listening as well, and he himself was definately confused. What had HAPPENED her life? The way she was talking about it was enough to make him remember his own childhood. His father His... sister. But he couldn't face Isis now. Not after all he had put her through. At that moment it clicked who this girl was. He'd seen her at times talking with Jounouchi Katsuya; this was apparently his kid sister. Kawai Shizuka. He was such a genius!
It took him a few seconds to realise that he had finished his drink and wanted to order another one. Taking note of this, the woman left Shizuka for a second to waltz off to get him another one. Upon returning, she looked between him and Serenity with some degree of interest. Too much interest. Malik was getting nervous.
"You two know each other?" she asked, curious.
Shizuka glanced at him. "Acquaintances," she replied with a shrug.
After a few more seconds, the Bartender smiled almost slyly and returned to Serenity.
"So, what do you think of Seto Kaiba?" she asked casually. In a part of his mind that he wanted to grab and stuff in a cupboard, Malik saw red.
"He looks like a mop. I mean, get a brown one, stick on some blue plastic balls and a suit and hey presto! Instant Kaiba."
"That was rather blunt."
"Ah well." Shizuka shrugged, looking cheerier.
"What about his Blue Eyes?"
"Toilet roll tubes and acrylics."
After one of the adult supervisors announced that it was time for them to leave. Malik paused as Shizuka trotted away from the bar. Just as she was about to go though the large wooden doors, the bar-tender spoke up.
"Aww, you two'd make a cute couple ya know..."
Malik could have sworn, just as she passed him, that Shizuka blushed.
Kara: - Please review! The button is calling to you.