Beach Bumming

In Which There Is Sun, Sand, Surf, Sexy Swimsuits – And Secrets Revealed

Japanese

Ano – Um…
Baka – Idiot/Stupid
Ecchi – (Playfully) Pervert/Perverted
Kirei – Beautiful
Sabaku no Bijin – Desert Beauty
Nani? – What?
Suki da yo – Literally, this means, 'I like you best.' In most circles, however, it's come to mean something closer to, 'I love you.'

Egyptian

Amen Ma'at – Hidden Truth/Hiding The Truth
Kher Ma'at – Right Truth/Righting The Truth

Ding-Dong!

Hearing the doorbell sound, Malik looked up from her motorcycle magazine. Her nose wrinkled and she groaned slightly. She didn't want to have to answer the door – especially since it was, most likely, either someone here to see Duke, or one of Yugi's friends who for some reason wanted to see (read: pester) her – but Duke was at the shop doing inventory, so she was the only one 'home.'

The fact that she wished he were here – less for him to answer the door and more because she just wanted him here with her – was starting to seem less and less weird as the days went by.

It had been two weeks since she had last seen the four friends, and those ensuing weeks had brought many pleasant changes – all involving said aforementioned dice duelist – to her life. Along with one majorly unwanted change.

She'd gotten her period.

What a harrowingly horrific adventure that was. She'd actually broken down, swallowed her irritation at her sister, and called Isis for advice. And she was just now starting to feel like her old – well, new old – self again, and not a complete stranger in her own body.

She did not want to have to deal with the 'brat pack' as Bakura dubbed them.

Well, maybe it's Bakura, or Ryou, she thought. It would be good to see either – or both – of them.

Or…it might be Marik, a hopeful little voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Nah, she dismissed with a frown, tossing her magazine onto the bed. Even if he knew I was here, he wouldn't come looking for me just to change me back.

Reluctantly getting up, she made her way to the door, swearing that if it was either Wheeler or Taylor there to stare at her breasts that no matter what she'd promised Duke, she'd be getting in a little knife-throwing practice.

Bakura had given her some ideas concerning what she'd threatened Marik with the first time they'd shown up.

Stifling her chuckles at the memory, she undid the four locks – she supposed you could call Duke paranoid, but then, one was only considered paranoid if they weren't out to get you, and this was Domino City, after all – and opened the door.

To find Mai Valentine standing on her doorstep, a sulking Bakura in tow.

Bakura? Sulking?

All of a sudden, Malik was scared.

"The beach?" Malik asked, confused. She, Mai and Bakura were sitting in Duke's living room, Mai in the easy chair, her and Bakura on the couch.

She'd never given Mai much thought. But the fact that she was here to invite her to a get-together at the beach with Yugi and his friends…

Well, she normally would have considered Mai a dumb blonde for making the offer, but the fact that she'd convinced Bakura to go along with this spoke volumes for her persuasiveness.

Malik had a bad feeling she was going to end up on a sandy stretch of shore come Saturday. Whether she wanted to or not.

She actually liked the beach – but that was when she was male. She couldn't very well go to the beach in her normal swimwear of swim trunks and a T-shirt, now could she?

"This Saturday," Mai confirmed. "Everybody's invited – and that means you, too, Malik-chan."

Shooting the other blonde woman a glare at the nickname, Malik said, "What if I don't want to go?" For all that she liked swimming – really liked swimming – she really didn't want to attend this beach gathering. Because somehow she knew that if she went, she wouldn't be allowed to just stay on dry land and soak up the sun. Somehow, some way, she'd end up shirtless.

And she never went shirtless. With good – well, bad – reason.

And considering how her usual beachwear would look on her female body…well, there were no topless beaches outside of Nagasaki. Not that she thought most men would object…

Mai smiled smugly as she offered innocently, " Duke's going. And I hear from Téa that he looks really fine in his swim trunks." Her eyes twinkled with suppressed mischief as she watched Malik blush.

Malik was saved from her embarrassment when Bakura threw in, "And besides, I'm going." She rolled her eyes. "How Ryou convinced me, I will never know. But if you don't come, I'll have no one but him to talk to all afternoon."

"Like that's a problem for you," Malik shot back.

Bakura just stared at her, hard.

After a few minutes squirming under the white-haired yami's impenetrable gaze, Malik gave in. "Fine," she said less than graciously. "But I don't have anything to wear!" she protested moments later.

It wasn't an empty complaint, either, for all that it was unspeakably and stereotypically girlish. Hours after Marik had changed her, she'd tried on most of her old guy clothes trying to find something that would fit her. Now that she was female only the looser stuff still fit – which ruled out eighty-five percent of what she owned. As a guy, she was as whipcord thin as Bakura – more so, even. Leanly muscled and straight as a ruler. As a girl, she had more curves than the Great Wall of China. She knew they made her look good – as a girl, anyway – but she wasn't about to put them on display. Even if she thought she could get away with wearing her old swim trunks and a T-shirt to the beach – and even she wasn't brazen enough to wear a wet T-shirt in front of all those horny boys – the shorts wouldn't fit over her new wider hips.

Mai grinned a Cheshire Cat grin. "Oh, we can take care of that…"

And the fear that Malik had experienced upon the two females' arrival suddenly came rushing back tenfold.

The Mall.

Malik was at the Mall.

Domino City Plaza, to be exact.

A Mall by any other name is still excruciatingly, unspeakably horrid, Malik thought in dread as she followed along in Mai's wake, Bakura on her heels. The other blonde was determined to outfit her in appropriate garb for the upcoming beach party, and before Malik knew it, they'd been in Mai's car, on their way here.

Malik, Mai, and Bakura. For, after hearing that Bakura also had no swimwear, suitable or otherwise, Mai had decided to take them both shopping.

Malik had a bad feeling about this. What were the odds that Mai 'Less is More' Valentine would let her buy one of those shorts and tanktop swimsuits that were so popular at the moment?

About the same odds as Bakura wanting to get something in cotton candy pink and lime green. With purple polka-dots.

Sigh. She might have actually been able to cover up her back with one of those…

Visions of skimpy string bikinis dancing in her head like a parade of rainbow-colored scary sugarplums, Malik warily followed Mai into Hot Topic. A sea of neon-colored beachwear assaulted her eyes, loud techno music her ears, cool air her skin…

…and trepidation her mind.

"We're doomed," Bakura uttered fatalistically, panicked eyes roaming avidly over the store as she looked fervently around for exits.

"You said it, sister," Malik quipped.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Malik grumbled as Mai rifled through the racks of swimsuits.

"You bet," Mai agreed, narrowing her eyes at a navy blue two-piece. "Here, go try this one on," she said, handing it to Bakura.

Bakura grumbled a bit at the thinly-veiled command, but moments later found herself on her way to the changing rooms. The yami knew she had no idea what to buy, but that still didn't mean she had to like someone else choosing her clothes for her.

Watching Mai go back to her former actions, Malik frowned. "Why?" she asked. "I mean, most people would consider shopping with Bakura and me inhumane torture, not something to be enjoyed."

Mai paused in her browsing and turned to the other blonde. "Shopping is more fun with company," she said at length. "Téa doesn't like shopping all that much and Serenity's a little too young." She shrugged and smirked. "Besides, neither of you two have any clue about female fashion, and if I didn't take you in hand, you wouldn't have shown up on Saturday."

Malik made a face at the accuracy of the remark and was saved from having to comment by Bakura's return. The white-haired thief actually looked pretty good in the suit – if you overlooked the fact that the top was slightly baggy in front. Most bathing suits for women her age didn't take into account the fact that it wasn't just pre-teen girls who had very small bust sizes.

Bakura glared heatedly at the two blondes. "No way," she said succinctly.

Mai sighed. "Okay, back to the drawing board…"

One Hour Later

"I am not trying that on," Malik stated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest and staring with undisguised horror at the black bikini hanging oh-so-innocently from the hanger in Mai's hand.

"You've said that about all of them," Mai said exasperatedly. "Even Bakura tried on the last three and she's not the most sartorial of dressers."

Malik just huffed and looked away. You wouldn't understand, Valentine. If you ever had any scars you probably had them surgically removed. Mine run too deep to be fixed – and no, I don't mean that metaphorically.

Just metaphorically, anyway.

Sensing that there was more to Malik's refusal than met the eye – and she saw far more than people gave her credit for, which was why she hadn't encouraged Joey's pursuance of her with even mild flirting – Mai asked, "Malik? What's the real problem you have with people seeing your body?"

Malik flushed slightly and squirmed uncomfortably. No way am I telling her if she hasn't found out by now.

Bakura, who had finally been talked into a slim black tank suit less than an hour after they'd entered the store, had been leaning back against the changing room wall, watching the proceedings. Striding over to Malik, she grabbed the Egyptian's arm. "Mai, let me handle this." Receiving a nod from the blonde, she proceeded to haul her friend into one of the empty changing rooms.

"I don't want to tell her," Malik said as soon as the door was closed.

"You don't have to," Bakura assured her. "But you and I both know why you don't want to do this."

Malik nodded tiredly. Neither she nor Bakura were much for talking about their pasts, but in their little group consisting of themselves and their other halves, sometimes certain things were discussed.

"And I can help you."

One platinum eyebrow creeping up into her hairline, Malik asked, "How?"

Shrugging diffidently, Bakura said evasively, "You aren't the only one who has problems with people seeing your scars."

Confused, Malik just looked at her friend. She had thought Bakura considered the marks on her cheek as battle scars, and was justifiably proud of them.

Of course, she had wondered how anyone had gotten near enough to Bakura to wound her with such a grievously close-to-mortal blow…

A few inches higher and Bakura would have been dead. No question about it; ancient Egyptian medicine would not have been able to save her. Medicine had advanced a lot in the ensuing three thousand years since the thief was last alive. In today's modern world, her eye might not have been saved, but her life would have been.

But back to the matter at hand…

"I found a spell in one of your family's books," Bakura finally said, growing uncomfortable with the silence. "It's a concealment charm, meant to hide small things from the mind's eye."

Malik stilled. If she could use magic to cover up her scars…

Duke would never have to know. Never have to see. And she'd never have to explain…

She mentally shook herself. Baka. I could never do that to him; hide myself. If he can't accept me – all of me – then he's not worth it.

That doesn't mean it'll hurt any less if he rejects me, though, she thought sullenly.

"Have you tested it to make sure it works?"

In answer, Bakura waved one hand in front of her right cheek, fingers forming an intricate gesture as she murmured, "Amen Ma'at." The three crisscrossed lines disappeared, light pink color bleeding away, leaving her face seemingly unblemished.

Malik gasped. "How…" She broke off, wetting her lips. "Show me how?" she implored.

Bakura's lips twitched in a semblance of a smile at the other's eagerness. "Sure."

Once Malik mastered the new spell, Mai's project of getting her to try on bathing suits went much smoother.

Well…not all that much smoother, but at least Malik was now willing to try things on. Even if it did take a whole lot of convincing on the other two girls' parts.

As soon as Malik and Bakura had exited the changing room, Mai thrust a one-piece white suit at Malik. "Here, try this one on," she said.

Malik sighed and wrinkled her nose as she stared at the garment. "I don't think white is really my color, Mai," she tried to discourage the other blonde.

Folding her arms across her chest Mai gave the other girl a look, tapping one high-heeled shoe impatiently against the carpeted floor. "I need a baseline," she replied evenly, not to be dissuaded. "White is pretty much basic. I see how you look in this, and then we go from there."

Malik grumbled, but gave in, snatching the suit out of Mai's hand as she retreated to the changing rooms. Now that her worries about people seeing her back were alleviated, the other reason she hadn't wanted to try on clothes was brought to the forefront.

She was extremely leery of getting…reacquainted…with 'her' new body. For the first couple of days after she'd been changed, Malik had even avoided showering, since that would entail getting up close and personal with her new 'parts.' Going to the bathroom had been a real adventure.

And not a fun one.

The changing room door clicked closed behind her, the sound almost ominous in the quiet of the mostly deserted store. Malik made sure to the turn the lock before hanging the bathing suit on the hook provided. She just stared at it a moment before finally picking it back up. No use stalling, I suppose…

Holding the simple white tank suit to her chest, Malik made a face. It was too short – the bottom came only to her navel.

Though, I suppose since it's spandex, it'll stretch, Malik thought hopefully, before her thoughts took a downward turn. Of course, that means it will be completely form-fitting…

Malik's imagination oh-so-helpfully supplied her with a picture of what she'd look like once she put the bathing suit on. It would be as if she was wearing nothing more than underwear.

Women's underwear.

Malik brooded on that thought for a while, stewing in her irritation. A knock at the door startled her out of her reverie.

"Malik, are you okay in there?" came Bakura's husky contralto.

"Yeah, sorry, just got lost in thought," Malik replied. "Give me a minute; I'll be right out."

"All right."

Sighing, Malik surrendered to the inevitable and started stripping.

An hour later, after three more tank suits, five bikinis, and one aborted attempt by Mai to get Malik to wear a thong, Mai had finally decided on a bathing suit.

Unfortunately, she hadn't consulted Malik before making her decision.

"I feel naked," Malik complained, crossing her arms over her chest and trying vainly to ignore the fact that – for the sixth time that afternoon – she was only wearing a bikini.

A very skimpy, tight, hugging-every-one-of-her-new-female-curves lavender bikini. Thankfully, it wasn't a thong – was Mai out of her mind with that suggestion? – though, even if it was rather modest compared to some of the other items in the store, she still felt entirely too exposed.

Of course, that could have just been the air vent over her head. Exuding chilled air, it gave her goosebumps over her entire body and a reason besides modesty to cover her chest. What little warmth her crossed arms gave her was imminently preferable to freezing.

"You look naked," Mai quipped. She grinned saucily. "Almost, anyway. Which was the effect we were going for."

"We were?" Malik asked hesitantly, adjusting one of the shoulder straps so it didn't bite into her neck. What 'we,' blondie? "And what effect was that?"

"Yes," Mai confirmed. "The effect of Duke's jaw dropping when he sees you in that."

Malik stilled in her fidgeting and thought about that for a moment. She was bisexual, after all, for all that she liked guys better. If she saw a girl wearing what she was currently wearing…

Well, she was too controlled to drool, but her eyes would definitely rival an anime character's for bugging out of her head.

Malik sighed. "All right," she said grudgingly. "I'll wear it."

She was so weak.

Saturday

The sun overhead beat down warmly on her back, the sounds of children playing and waves crashing against the shore a soft, pleasantly distracting susurration in her ears.

And the annoyance that was Joey Wheeler was nowhere near her.

Which, aside from the beautiful day and how content she felt, was what made her so happy.

Completely disregarding the fact that Duke was sitting right next to her, playing with her hair, of course…

And yes, his jaw had dropped when he first saw her in her new bathing suit. The gobsmacked, yet awed look on his face was completely worth having to wear the Ra-damned thing.

Joey and Tristan's reactions, however, she could have done without. At least the Pharaoh had managed to hide his reaction to just a widening of his crimson-colored eyes; the mutt and Taylor had had a hard time keeping their hands to themselves.

She really didn't know how Bakura had managed to keep herself from killing them.

The soft 'Whump!' of someone dropping down next to her on the beach roused Malik from her musings. Lazily, she cracked open an eye to see who it was, only to find the final object of her thoughts sitting on the sand to her left.

"Bakura," Malik greeted her friend, not bothering to detach herself from Duke's caressing hand. Bakura was her closest friend, aside from Ryou, and if Malik couldn't be 'cuddly' with her boyfriend in front of Bakura, who could she be 'cuddly' in front of?

"Malik," Bakura returned. "Sunbathing?" she asked idly.

Malik nodded as well as she could with her head resting on her folded arms. "Mm-hm," she mumbled. "What about you?"

Shaking her head, Bakura said, "I'm trying to figure out what the appeal is." She wrinkled her nose, one hand coming up to push her hair out of her eyes, the other tugging the zipper at her neck down to the start of her cleavage. Both actions served to allow more sun to warm her skin.

And to show off more of her skin, which Duke manfully kept himself from staring at. Forcing his eyes downward, he focused on the cocoa-colored expanse of skin that was his 'girlfriend's' back. Much nicer to look at than Bakura's barely-there cleavage.

In his mind, anyway. Ryou most likely felt differently.

Which was as it should be.

"Swimming?" Duke guessed, having noticed that aside from Malik, Bakura was the only one who had yet to go into the water. Not that he minded spending time with his girlfriend on the shore. Malik was a desert beauty, and seemed born from the sand, her skin glistening in the sunlight.

"Yeah. It wasn't something you did in Egypt. Not really," Bakura said.

"Swimming for fun, anyway," Malik corrected, turning over onto her back and sitting up. Mouth opening in a kitten-like yawn, she stretched her arms above her head, a flash of amusement-laced pleasure running through her brain when she noticed Duke's appreciative stare. "Most people bathed in the Nile, but it wasn't considered recreation. Pity, that."

"If you like swimming so much, then why aren't you out there?" Bakura asked, gesturing towards the expanse of blue-green water in front of them.

"I like sunbathing better," Malik dismissed, though she stared longingly out at the ocean.

"And?" Duke asked, knowing there was more to it than that. He may not have known Malik as well as Bakura did, but living with someone – even for only five weeks – you still got to know them pretty well pretty fast.

Especially when you were attracted to them and were actively trying to learn everything you could about them.

Malik made a face and gave in. "And knowing my luck, this bathing suit will become transparent when it's wet. I've had enough of the mutt and his friend drooling over me and I'd prefer not to invite speculation." The corners of her lips lifted slightly as she noticed Duke seemed interested in the idea of her looking like an entrant in a wet swimsuit contest.

"Indeed," Bakura agreed mock-soberly. She rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I kept my shorts on?"

"For all the good they do you," Malik said, rolling her own violet orbs. Bakura was wearing a pair of low-riding cut-off shorts that were almost indecently short. It was pretty much a lost cause of her wearing them, since they covered little more skin than her black tank suit did.

"Ryou likes them," Bakura mumbled as an excuse, though a flush did rise in her cheeks at the scrutiny.

"Speaking of…" Duke drawled, looking off into the distance. "Here he comes now."

"Bakura!" Ryou called, loping across the sand towards the trio. Skidding to a halt next to Malik's multi-colored beach towel, he dropped down next to his girlfriend, panting slightly, his cheeks flushed with exertion and sun exposure. "We're having a sand castle building contest. Come join us, you guys," he invited.

"A sand castle building contest?" Duke asked archly.

Ryou shrugged. "You know Yami and competition," he said, as if that explained everything.

And it pretty much did. Yami hadn't been known as the King of Games for nothing.

"Are you really going to build castles?" Malik asked, flopping back down onto her stomach, face towards the shore where the rest of their group was gathered. "I would think with this crowd you'd make pyramids. Or maybe the Sphinx."

"That was actually what I was thinking of building – the Sphinx," Ryou replied. "Yami's been remembering more of his past and he and Yugi are going to try to build the royal palace." He rolled his eyes, gaze taking in Malik's back. Freezing on the expanse of bare skin, he did a double-take at what he saw – or, rather, didn't see.

Malik tensed as she noticed where Ryou's gaze was focused. Please, please don't ask right now. Don't bring this up in front of Duke, she silently begged. So far the other boys had been so busy staring at her 'assets' that they hadn't commented on – and might not have even noticed – her lack of body art. She didn't want Ryou to be the first.

And it seemed that Ryou heard her, for instead of voicing the question that was apparent on his face, he just flicked a glance Bakura's way. While both of them had left their Rings back with the picnic gear rather than deal with the metal objects on what had tuned out to be a scorching day, they could still communicate mentally through their bond. Which they were obviously doing now, Bakura answering Ryou's question.

The question was answered quickly; Duke never even realized there was another matter afoot.

"The Sphinx, huh?" Bakura voiced aloud.

Ryou nodded eagerly.

Bakura sighed. "All right," she said lacklusterly. "But first, you need to put on some more sunscreen. Your shoulders are turning pink."

"I think we left it over by the picnic basket," Ryou said, scanning the beach for the aforementioned item. Slanting his girlfriend a rakish glance, he asked, "Help me put it on?"

Bakura smirked. "Sure."

After the two atypical lovebirds had departed, Duke turned to Malik, a glint in his eye. "I don't suppose you need me to help you reapply your sunscreen?"

A slow smile spread across her face. "Well, we have been here a while…" she drawled, one slim hand coming up to tap against her lips in a mock show of thoughtfulness. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt…"

"So what type of Sphinx do you want to build?" Bakura asked after Ryou's sunscreen had been reapplied. The process had been interrupted by various moans on the hikari's part caused by tickling and kisses on the yami's part, so the other yami/hikari pair had already started on their sand 'palace'.

"There's more than one type?" Ryou asked as they settled themselves with their sand statue building tools a bit down the beach from the others.

Bakura chuckled, using a yellow plastic bucket to pile wet sand in a large, vaguely rectangular lump. "There were three types of Sphinxes, hikari. Only one was ever made into a tomb, and thus became famous, but there were three."

"Tell me about them?" Ryou implored. He always liked to hear Bakura talk about Egypt. She seldom did, and he understood it was hard for to think back to those times because most of them weren't nice memories.

But some of them were nice, he knew, and those were the ones he wanted her to dwell one.

"Well…" Bakura mused thoughtfully as she helped him shape the sand so that one end was higher than the other. "The one in Giza is the Androsphinx, which has the head of a man."

"Go on," Ryou said, when it seemed that Bakura would just leave it at that.

"The Criosphinx has the head of a ram," Bakura told him. "And the Heiracosphinx had the head of a hawk."

Ryou frowned. "But wouldn't that make the Heiracosphinx more like a griffin?"

Bakura cocked her head to the side, patting two handfuls of sand into rudimentary paws. "A griffin? I don't believe I know of that creature."

"A griffin was half-lion, half-eagle," Ryou told her, happy that for once he was the one imparting knowledge. "Like the Sphinx, only with an eagle's head instead of a human one. I always thought that the griffin might have been based on the Sphinx – the manticore, too – since some tales of the Sphinx said it had wings, too."

"The one in Giza doesn't," Bakura said needlessly. "And good thing, too, since I have no idea how we'd manage to make those out of sand." She gestured at the vaguely Sphinx-shaped lump in between them.

"True," Ryou said.

"And what about this 'Manticore'?" Bakura asked as they worked.

"Well, the manticore is like the Androsphinx, only it has the tail of a scorpion," Ryou replied.

Bakura frowned. "I wonder if the manticore was invented in Egypt after I died," she said thoughtfully. "Scorpions are very prevalent in the desert, after all."

Purposely ignoring the shiver that went down his spine whenever Bakura talked about her death, Ryou said, "It's entirely possible."

Picking up on her hikari's emotions, Bakura reached out one hand to squeeze Ryou's shoulder. He gave her a small smile in gratitude and they went back to building their sand Sphinx.

Across the beach, Malik and Duke were involved in their own tickle-and-kiss tease-and-torture session. Duke had finally stopped tickling her when Malik found it hard to breathe, and was now rubbing sunscreen into his 'girlfriend's' shoulders. "Malik?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Malik replied, trying vainly not to tense up as she felt his hands move further down her back.

"It's probably none of my business," he started, tone saying that he actually thought it was his business but was too polite to insist. "But…why do you tense up whenever someone touches your back?" He stroked a swath of sunscreen-damp warmth up and down her spine in demonstration.

Malik went rigid in Duke's arms. He noticed? How? "I…ano…" she stuttered, completely freaked out.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Duke rushed on, one hand turning her to face him. "We really haven't known each other all that well for very long, but…" He paused, obviously searching for a way to phrase his next words delicately. "I know there are things in everyone's past they'd rather not think about or talk of."

Calming slightly at his reassuring words, Malik sighed, nibbling on her lower lip. We do need to talk about this, she admitted to herself reluctantly. That thought engendered a wave of unease in the pit of her stomach. He needs to know…he deserves to know. I just wish it didn't have to be now. I was enjoying this day at the beach. Resigned to her fate, she said haltingly, "I don't…want you to have to know…"

"But?" Duke coaxed, sensing there was something more to Malik's situation than simple reluctance to talk about it. His hand left her shoulder and reached down to squeeze her palm reassuringly.

"But I want…no, I need…to tell you," Malik said softly.

Duke's free hand came up to card soothingly through her tangled white-blonde tresses. "You don't have to," he repeated his earlier words. "I'm perfectly content to remain blissfully ignorant." One side of his mouth quirked up in a grin.

Malik snorted softly. She lowered her gaze, focusing on hers and Duke's joined hands. Her slim, momentarily feminine, mocha-colored hand clasped inside Duke's pale olive masculine one.

Would it be too girly of her to find comfort in that strong grip?

Aw, screw it. It's not like a bisexual guy – or girl, for the moment – needs to worry about her masculinity.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it," Malik said at length.

Duke raised one raven brow in a show of silent skepticism.

She gave a wry grin and corrected herself. "All right, it's not just that I don't want to talk about it. But…" She trailed off, finding herself unable to continue. Why was it so hard to get these words out?

"But?" Duke prompted gently.

She swallowed, tears pricking at her eyes. But I think I need to…with you. "But I never have talked about it."

Duke's brow furrowed slightly. "Ryou and Bakura know." It was a statement, not a question, and Malik noticed that there wasn't even a hint of jealousy or censure in Duke's voice, for which she was extremely thankful.

Inclining her head in a nod, Malik said softly, "I didn't tell them. Any of them."

"Then who did?" Duke asked, voice hushed. He knew whatever this secret was, it couldn't have been known by anybody outside of Malik's family…before the others found out, anyway.

Malik sighed and looked away. "It…involves Marik." She frowned. "Sort of, anyway. Isis told the others during Battle City."

Duke digested that, then asked, "Would you rather I asked her?"

Malik was shaking her ahead almost before she even thought about her answer. "No, I…I need to tell you myself."

Duke nodded. "All right."

"But…" Malik fidgeted and once again examined their clasped hands, before turning her gaze towards him. "Later? Right now, I just want to enjoy this day." And you, she added silently, though by the expression on his face, Duke seemed to have heard her thoughts.

"Even with the emotional clouds hanging overhead?" Duke joked, pulling her near by their joined limbs, linking his arms behind her back once she was close enough to do so.

"Every cloud has a silver lining," Malik said facetiously, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Even 'gender change by way of Millennium Item-wielding yami' clouds." She gave a wry roll of her eyes.

"Well, red has always been more my color than anything metallic, but…" Duke chuckled and pressed his lips to Malik's in a soft, yet intense kiss, swallowing her combined giggle/moan.

Sunset – The Black Crown

It wasn't nearly midnight, and there was no pumpkin or fairy godmother involved, but somehow Malik still felt like Cinderella, having stayed too long after the ball. Her time as the princess was almost up – and not because Marik had come back and changed her back into a guy. Because the magic of the day was rapidly dwindling now that she and Duke were home – and when did Duke's apartment become home, anyway? – and she knew she'd have to tell her handsome almost-prince about her evil father.

Too bad Anubis Ishtar wasn't her stepfather. She really didn't want to claim a biological link with him.

But back to the problem at hand…

Malik and Duke were ensconced on the loveseat in Duke's small library/study. Neither of them was speaking, and the silence was deafening – but not frustrating. At least, not Duke's part of it. He seemed perfectly patient, willing to wait for all eternity for her to speak.

Before even an eon had passed, however, she'd have exploded from the anxiety-inducing anticipation.

Seconds ticked down like sand through an hourglass, and she was soon running out of time until she'd have to tell Duke about her scars.

She'd rather go shopping with Mai any day.

"It happened when I was ten," she said abruptly, eyes focused on the fire that Duke had built to ward off the evening chill. It was almost cozy – Japan was not nearly warm enough for her, even in the summer. She much preferred Egypt's weather. The days were more temperate, though the nights weren't nearly as balmy. "It was my duty as the firstborn son…" Her voice died out as her throat constricted, impeding her ability to continue.

"What was?" Duke asked, voice hushed.

She swallowed, clearing out the mass of memories that blocked her voice. "To undergo the Tomb-keeper's Initiation."

"And what exactly did that entail?" Duke's voice was calm, cool, collected…and practically vibrating with worry.

It was actually kind of nice, she thought.

"I had to…get the Pharaoh's memories tattooed on my back," Malik finally said. "Whether I wanted them or not."

"I'm sensing there's more to this than simply an unwanted tattoo," Duke said slowly, voice guarded.

Eyes glazing over with the memories, Malik said, "You know me and my family lived in an underground compound, right?"

Duke nodded slowly.

"We'd lived there since Yami closed the Shadow Realm, almost never venturing into the upper world," Malik revealed. "Consequently, things stayed pretty much the same – including our knowledge."

Dread was starting to fist in his gut, but still Duke made himself ask, "Knowledge?"

Malik nodded and, despite the warmth the fire brought, shivered with the phantom pains. "They're not technically tattoos by today's standards. You use ink and needles for modern tattoos."

Duke nodded.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Malik swallowed and forced herself to continue. "But in ancient Egypt, tattoos were made differently. Today it would be known as ritual scarring, I suppose. You carved them with a knife." She let out a silent sob, her voice breaking as she choked out, "And there were no painkillers."

Duke's indrawn breath of astonishment was loud in the suddenly silent room. "Malik…" he said, compassion etched in each syllable. Unsure what step to take, he focused on the impetus for this conversation. "And this…tattoo…is on your back?"

She nodded jerkily.

Duke frowned. "But today…at the beach…"

"It's a spell Bakura showed me," Malik murmured.

He nodded in comprehension.

Quiet reigned for a few moments, before the silence once again became too much for Malik to bear. "Do you want to see it?" she asked, gulping back her tears, and with them her fear. Stupid hormones. That's the only reason I'm crying. I haven't cried since the markings were first carved. And I wouldn't be crying now if it weren't for the fact I'm female.

And right at this moment, I'm more scared than I've ever been in my entire life.

"Do you want to show me?" Duke returned.

She didn't want to, no. But she needed to. And rather than answer him – because she wasn't sure she could say anything, force any words past the lump of memories in her throat – she decided to just show him.

After they'd arrived back at Duke's apartment, she'd taken a few minutes to change out of her beach clothes. She'd donned the shirt she was wearing now specifically in preparation for this moment. It was one of the few shirts she owned that zipped up the front. Actually, it was the only one she had with her.

She was certainly too nervous to deal with undoing buttons.

Rising from the couch, she turned her back to him. Flipping her hair over her shoulder to hang in her face, she murmured the nullifying incantation under her breath, feeling the tingle of magic along her spine as the markings became visible once more. Taking a deep breath, she carefully pulled the zipper down, the sound of the metal teeth parting loud in the quiet hush of the room. Saying one last prayer to a god she wasn't even sure she believed in, Malik reached up with both hands to part her shirt and shrug it off.

For the first time, someone other than herself or her siblings was seeing her back.

It didn't scare her as much as she would have thought. What scared her more was what Duke might think. She was suddenly glad the markings were on her back – this way she didn't have to look into his eyes when he saw them.

The soft tread of Duke's socked feet padding across the floor reached her ears and she forced herself not to bolt as he came closer. Blinking back tears, she fisted her shirt into a ball, hugging it to her naked chest. She'd never felt so exposed in her life – in more ways than one.

He came to a stop only inches from her. His warm breath caressed her, causing the strands of her hair to rustle against her neck. She tensed as she felt the currents of air shift when he reached out with one hand.

Is he going to touch them? She wasn't sure how'd she'd feel about that. On the one hand, she hated her tattoos. It was a constant reminder of a past she'd almost just as soon forget. On the other hand…it was her back. She shouldn't really have a problem with him touching her…

And she didn't, really. It was just… She didn't know what he was thinking.

And that scared her.

So she breathed a silent sigh of relief when Duke's hand came to rest gently on her left shoulder and turned her to face him. She could feel his gaze focused on her, then his other hand came up to tilt her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Malik…" he said, at a loss. He obviously didn't know what to say. "I…" he stopped, his voice tapering off, and then strengthened again. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Malik."

Malik snorted. "No more than I," she said, chuckling slightly.

His lips quirked up slightly. "True."

And she could keep the words back no longer, though she was unable to look him in the eye as she asked. "Does it…does it change things?" she asked in a rush. "Now that you know?"

Duke was silent for a moment as he contemplated her question, giving it due consideration. She was glad to see that he wasn't going to just shrug off her concerns with a pat answer.

Though waiting for his answer was still nerve-wracking.

"I'm not going to say it doesn't matter to me," Duke said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Of course it matters to me…"

Malik swallowed, tears brimming in her eyes once more. Please, Ra, no, she pleaded. I thought he felt the same way…

"…you matter to me," Duke finished, each word said with quiet deliberation.

Huh? Malik, though, tears drying up in her befuddlement. Does he mean… Or not?

"It does matter to me," Duke repeated. "But it doesn't change how I feel about you, Malik." He smiled softly, reaching out with one hand to tug her closer. "I… I… Suki da yo, Malik Ishtar."

Her lips parting in a soundless gasp, Malik felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her heartbeat was a thunderous roar in her ears, pounding out Duke's words over and over again: Suki da yo, suki da yo, suki da yo…

He…what? "You…really?" Malik asked incredulously.

"Yes," Duke promised. He caressed her face with one hand, his thumb wiping away the tears drying on her cheek. His body shifted minutely closer to hers, the knuckles of her clenched hands brushing up against his shirt.

It was only then, as she looked up into his love-clouded eyes, and felt his breath on her skin, that she realized she was standing there in front of him, practically topless.

Actually, she was topless. The bundle of her shirt she held clasped to her chest was her only claim to modesty.

And she was pressed almost right up against him.

But she almost didn't care.

The way he was looking at her was like…

She didn't know how to describe it, but it made her wonder if Ryou and Bakura weren't right about him being in love with her.

"I…" She shuddered as Duke's caressing fingers across her cheek sent a frisson of pleasure down her spine. "I…care about you, too, Duke," she said, unable, as of yet, to return his sentiments verbally. No matter how much she might want to.

It just wasn't in her to embrace this new relationship so completely. Impulsive she may have been, but careful was her watchword when something involved her heart. She may have given her heart to him, but as long as she didn't voice that fact aloud, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if things went wrong.

Though, for some reason, she really didn't expect them to. Go wrong, that is.

But Duke didn't seem at all disappointed with her answer – and that made her wonder if he could see through her as easily as if she weren't lying. If he could tell what she really felt, without her having to say it. Because she knew she was lying to herself if she thought that she wasn't halfway in love with Duke already.

Just her luck that when she fell, she fell not only fast, but hard.

"I'm glad," Duke said sincerely, his free hand wrapping around her waist. She shivered as his fingers danced up her spine, though unlike this afternoon, it wasn't from anxiety.

How had she never noticed how sensitive the skin on her back was?

She couldn't help but let out a whimper as Duke caught her mouth up in a kiss, his warm lips moving so softly against hers – just as his hands were kneading her shoulder blades – that it turned her bones to mush. Her grip on her shirt went lax and if it weren't for the fact that they were pressed so close to each other, it would have fallen to the floor, leaving her completely uncovered.

A moan escaped her throat as his fingers traced the patterns on her back, arousing her more than she'd ever thought possible. She melted into him, the slow, lingering kiss letting her feel the tingling that ran so deliciously through her everywhere their skin touched. One hand released her bundled shirt and crept up, winding through raven hair to play with the tight curls at the base of Duke's neck. Tingles and shivers of excitement danced up her spine as she devoured Duke's unique, spicy taste. She moaned again, the vibrations running through Duke's body delightfully.

It was too much. Too much, too fast. She couldn't breathe; she felt like she was going to explode if something didn't happen soon.

And she really wasn't ready for that 'something' to happen. Dreams were one thing…but the reality was much more intimidating, if not actually frightening.

Breaking away with a gasp, Malik stared up into Duke's desire-glazed eyes, blushing slightly at the look he was giving her. Duke smiled softly and took advantage of her stillness to press his lips to hers once more, in a quick, almost chaste kiss. Slowly, the raven-haired boy pulled away, just far enough that their lips were no longer touching, but close enough that Malik could still feel the heat from Duke's breath on her own.

The rush of hormones and endorphins thrumming through her system had completely obliterated any depression or misery on her part. All Malik could think of was that she wanted more. More what, she wasn't sure – and wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Kirei…" Duke breathed, seeming not to notice – or care – what he was saying. One hand came up to comb through her hair, his thumb rubbing teasingly across her kiss-swollen lips before coming to rest on her shoulder.

Beautiful? Malik thought, her heart skipping a beat. She'd been called sexy, good-looking – gorgeous, even – but never had anyone ever called her beautiful. Not and meant it… And the way Duke whispered it with such passion, such fervor…she really wanted to believe it… Me? But I'm not… Remembering her circumstances – and the state of her gender – she shook her head. "I'm not," she argued, pulling back slightly. She blushed again as she noticed her clothing – or lack thereof. "Especially like this."

Not noticing how his eyes followed – and drank in the view like it would quench a thousand years of thirst – she turned around and quickly slipped back into her shirt. Duke's hand on her wrist simultaneously prevented her from zipping it and turned her around to face him.

"You don't have to," he told her, casting an alluring glance at her exposed cleavage. "We could…continue this. If you wanted." He gave her a teasing look. True, this definitely wasn't the best time or situation for even thinking of such things…but a little boyfriend-induced self-confidence could go a long way to clearing up old insecurities.

Malik blushed yet again. She was quite certain her face had turned red more times in that one day than in her entire life previous. The idea was almost ludicrous – would have been, if not for the fact that it was also arousing. "I'm not about to have sex with you like this!" Malik exclaimed, gesturing with her free hand at her open shirt – and partially revealed breasts.

As a guy it would be one thing – or maybe more than one thing, considering the shorter rest periods needed when one's body was fueled by teenage hormones – but as a girl?

Not a chance. No matter how curious she was; she remembered that poor feline…

"Why not?" Duke asked blithely, not at all embarrassed about showing his appreciation of the view. "Not many men have ever had such an opportunity – to find out what sex is like for a woman." He stroked his thumb across the pulse point on her wrist, a smirk lighting in his eyes as he noted her quickening breath. He wasn't about to push her into anything, but this conversation was definitely taking her mind off less pleasant memories…

And he wasn't averse to any carnal activities she might agree to. Though it was mostly because he had a feeling she'd say no.

"Not many men would want such an opportunity," Malik shot back with a low chuckle, shoulders rolling back as she tried to tug her hand free from his grasp and failed. She smiled slightly as she watched his green eyes dilate at the sight. It was nice, the effect this body had on him, even if the body itself wasn't all that fun to have.

"Do you?" Duke asked, cutting straight to the heart of the situation. Of course, whether or not the answer was in the affirmative, it was all a matter of timing…

"I…" Malik blushed and averted her eyes. Do I? She wasn't sure…but even if she did, now was not the time to explore her options. She felt wrung out, almost completely done in. Malik swayed closer to Duke in her tiredness. "I've been riding an emotional roller coaster all afternoon and I'm about to crash," Malik said honestly. "I'm too exhausted to think, let alone make any decisions of this magnitude."

Just what I thought, Duke thought, a bit of pleased satisfaction sparking in him as he knew he'd received an honest answer. Malik trusted him enough to tell him the truth instead of trying to snow him – that had to count for something, right?

He did, however, know a thing or two about bad memories and how they tended to ambush you. Especially when you'd been giving them free rein to play in your conscious mind – they tended to take a mile with that given inch and take over your unconscious mind. Whether you wanted them to or not. Especially if you didn't want them to.

In other words, Malik would have nightmares tonight. He'd bet his favorite dice earring on it.

Turning back into the real world, Duke noticed with some disappointment that while he had been lost in his musings, Malik had zipped her shirt up again.

Damn. And I was enjoying the view, too, he thought mock-grumpily.

Ah, well. It wasn't like it was conducive to his ability to think, to have such beauty on display.

Malik looked at him and gave him a lopsided smile. Though she was tired – almost unbelievably so; it was amazing how an emotional bloodletting could take it out of you – she didn't want to leave. Didn't want to leave him.

Duke didn't particularly want to separate from her, either, but he knew she needed to make the first move. For her own piece of mind.

Thankfully, she did.

"Would you…stay with me tonight?" she asked hesitantly.

Duke smiled. "Of course." He swept a bow and said with mock-civility, "I may not be a knight in shining armor, but I'll do my best to slay your dreaming dragons whilst you slumber, milord."

She chuckled and shook her head at his arrogance, though she was touched at the sincerity of his offer. And that he didn't refer to her as 'milady.'

Duke straightened and joined in her mirth. "Go up and get changed for bed," he said quietly, once the laughter had died out. "I'll bank the fire and be up in a minute."

Malik quirked a wry grin. "Your room or mine?" she asked teasingly.

Duke chuffed a laugh and thought for a moment. "Mine," he said decisively. At her arched brow, he shrugged and explained, "My bed's bigger."

She rolled her eyes and headed for the stairs.

Duke watched her until she'd climbed out of sight before quickly putting out the fire. Turning out the lights, he followed Malik upstairs. When he arrived at the doorway to his room, he peeked inside and found Malik sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed, wearing her usual boxers and T-shirt. She was running a comb through her hair, working out the tangles that a day at the beach had snarled into her flaxen tresses.

Disappearing into the bathroom between his bedroom and Malik's, Duke quickly brushed his teeth and changed into his own pajama pants and tanktop before entering his bedroom.

Malik looked up and smiled as she saw him.

"Ready for bed?" he asked, coming over to stand beside her.

She nodded. "You think I'd be over this by now," she mused, giving her hair one last swipe with the comb before placing it on the bedside table.

"Some things you don't get over," Duke said softly. "You just get past them."

Malik's eyes closed for a moment and she made a sound of agreement. "Hopefully, anyway." She shook her head, rising to help him turn down the covers. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Are you kidding?" Duke joked to relieve the tension. "A beautiful girl wants to spend the night in my bed – why would I have a problem with that?"

She flushed and ducked her head, chuckling slightly. "When you put it that way…"

Duke lifted the sheet, holding it up as she slipped underneath it. He twitched it into place on top of her, before joining her. Malik had curled up against one of the pillows, facing towards him. He wasn't sure exactly how to do this – he'd never shared a bed with anyone before – but figured he couldn't go wrong with cuddling.

Tentatively Duke reached out and pulled Malik into his arms. She tensed slightly and he was just about to release her when she relaxed into his embrace, body going slack. A few more moments of minute shifting on both their parts was all it took to get comfortable. Malik lay on Duke's chest, his chin resting atop her head.

Snuggling up next to her boyfriend, Malik sighed in contentment, eyes going half-lidded as she listened to the beat of Duke's heart beneath her ear. For all that she would perform daredevil, reckless stunts on her motorcycle, safety was a big thing with Malik. Probably because she'd never had an overabundance of it in her life. She felt so safe with Duke – and she didn't know why. But she wasn't about to question it. "This is nice."

Carding his fingers through her hair, Duke had to agree. "It is."

"I'd forgotten how nice it is not to sleep alone," she murmured, almost as if she didn't realize she was speaking aloud.

Interest piqued by her comment, Duke asked, "Oh?"

Malik nodded against his chest. "The last time…I think I was ten. Right after my…initiation." She shivered at the memory and cuddled closer. "Rishid let me sleep with him at night until the nightmares stopped."

Pausing in his finger-combing, Duke started simply massaging her head, smiling softly when the lines of worry faded from her brow and a sound similar to a purr sounded from her throat. "That was the last time you shared a bed with someone, then?"

She nodded slightly and then stopped short. She snorted. "Well…on purpose, anyway."

Duke frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. "Nani?"

She chuckled and slitted her eyes open to smirk up at him for a moment, before closing them again. "When Marik first got his own body…he didn't think I knew, but he'd sneak out of his bed after he thought I was asleep and climb into mine. He'd be back in his own by morning, but I knew."

"I wonder why?" Duke asked, relaxing once he discovered the innocuous source of Malik's comment.

"He missed sharing a body with me," Malik said on a yawn.

A chuckle rumbled through Duke's chest, resounding under her ear. "Go to sleep, sabaku no bijin. Morning will come soon enough."

Beauty? was all Malik had time to think before she had descended into a dreamless sleep.

Hours later found Duke still awake, keeping watch on the bundle of contradictions that currently occupied both his bed and his thoughts.

He wondered if he would have borne up as strong if he'd been the one changed. He'd thought on it, and decided that he could have endured – if he knew the time limit. Anticipating the moment when he got his own body back would be the only thing that kept him sane.

But Malik had only her own firmly-held belief that Marik would come back and change her back. Her fate was left up to a capricious adolescent in a man's body.

He would have gone mad.

Malik, however, despite her change of gender, was unabashedly, unashamedly herself. Himself. Whichever pronoun you used, Malik was Malik. He really hadn't known her well at all back when she'd been a guy, but as far as he could tell, she hadn't changed her personality along with her gender. She was a bundle of contradictions – as beautiful as a lotus flower in bloom, and as deadly as an Egyptian asp. She liked drag-racing her motorcycle, watching action movies, reading mystery novels, and was a shameless sun worshipper and hedonist. She was a better housekeeper than a legion of professional maids – his house, the Black Crown, hell, even the back room inventory had never been cleaner – and was so vegetarian he wondered if she was a rabbit in a former life.

A Playboy bunny, maybe, came the whimsical and unbidden notion.

Shaking off his rather ecchi thoughts, Duke continued his solitary musings on the mystery that was Malik Ishtar. He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight – both because he wanted to be awake to safeguard Malik from any nightmares and because he wanted to enjoy this unique opportunity to hold her in his arms – and he couldn't imagine anything better to reflect on than the beautiful enigma in his arms.

Malik made a noise in her sleep and cuddled closer to Duke, prompting a smile from his lips.

" Sweet dreams, my little desert beauty," Duke murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Sweet dreams."