Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

"Come on Serenity . . . Pick up the phone . . . " Joey was pacing around Mai's livingroom, her phone glued to his ear. The phone rang . . . and rang . . . and rang . . . and finally, for the eighth time, the answering machine caught it. "Serenity, this isn't funny anymore. Pick . . . up . . . the . . . phone . . . Please, I'm not playing. Where are you? Please, Serenity, please . . . Pick up the phone! You are going to be in so much trouble when I get home! Serenity, I-" He groaned when the answering machine cut him off and immediately tried the call again, but Mai put her hand on his and handed him a cup of Hot Chocolate.

"Joey, I'm sure Serenity's fine." She said, slipping the phone from his hand.

"How can you say that! She's not answering the phone, there's a huge blizzard, I can't go home to see if she's okay, for all we know, she could be tied up with some old guy trying to-"

"Joey!" Mai grabbed his shoulders. "First of all, Serenity may be small, but she can take care of herself. Second, do you really think anyone would be out in this weather? And as for not answering the phone, did it ever occur to you that she might be sleeping? I mean it's . . . " She looked at her watch. "Ten-thirty. If it wasn't for you, I'd be asleep too."

"Oh . . . well, I'd better leave a message telling her to ignore those last messages . . . " he grabbed for the phone, but Mai held it away from him.

"Honestly, Joey, you're paranoid." She stood up and hung the phone back up. "Why don't you watch some TV or something to take your mind off of your sister?" She turned on the television and tossed him the remote.

"Okay . . . you're right . . . she's fine . . . " he said, trying to calm down. If only he'd known where she really was...

Malik stared down at the young girl in his arms. She must've been exhausted, she had fallen asleep in his lap about fifteen minutes ago. He, on the other hand, couldn't rest. He had become increasingly aware of a dull yet persistent throbbing pain in his shoulder that was keeping him awake. As time passed, it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore it. Maybe she would know what to do...

He sighed, still looking at her. Sleeping, she looked so peaceful, maybe even . . . happy. He couldn't wake her back up to face this hell hole again. It would be cruel to drag her back into the cold, harsh reality. Yes, he would let her sleep. She certainly deserved it. Maybe she was dreaming of being somewhere warm, and with someone that she didn't hate. For some reason, this thought made him feel ill. Hate. She hated him, there was no question about it. Well . . . she had a right to, didn't she? Of course, but still . . .

He shook his head sadly. No, she would never see him as anything more than an enemy, even as she lay in his arms. It was ridiculous the way he was starting to feel about her. She was so pure and innocent, and what was he? He was Malik Ishtar, the whole reason they were here in the first place. She would never care about him like . . . like how he was beginning to care about her. There was no way she could.

He gently moved her hair out of her face. She was pretty, even he had to admit it, but still . . . no other woman, no matter how beautiful, had ever had this effect on him. The feeling . . . it was a completely foreign emotion to him. Seeing her crying . . . seeing so much anguish on her face - anguish that had, in fact, been caused by him - had nearly broken his heart. All he wanted to do now was make it up to her, to make this time, no matter how terrible, a little better for her. She deserved at least that...

She was sleeping so soundly . . . What harm would it be if he were to try to . . . kiss her . . . just once to see what it would be like? It wasn't like he was going to rape her or anything, just a small kiss . . . She would never have to know, and then he could go on like it never happened. He was dying to try it, and this might be his only chance.

He leaned down and put his lips close to her ear. She didn't move. "You really are lovely . . . " he whispered, gently kissing her soft skin. "Do you know that?"

"Hm?" She slowly opened her eyes, and Malik sat up, horrified. Had she heard him! Did she know what he had just done! "What the- Oh yeah . . . " She mumbled, remembering where she was. "What did you say?" Obviously, she didn't.

"Uh . . . I just asked you . . . if you . . . knew what to do about my arm. It hurts." Truth be told, he had completely forgotten about the pain, but upon mentioning it, he felt a sharp throb in his shoulder.

"Mmm . . . do you have any Demerol in the bag?" She murmured, closing her eyes.

"Demewhah?" He asked.

"Demerol. It's pain medication."

"No, I don't have any." He said. Relief was flooding through him. She didn't know. And he wouldn't have to tell her, so she wouldn't ever know. He sighed. Everything was going to be okay.

"Hmm . . . then there's nothing I can do . . . " She said, turning over in his arms so that her head was resting against his chest. She remained that way for a minute before it dawned on her that she was sitting on Malik. She opened her eyes and looked at him, mortified. "Malik . . . I . . . I'm sorry . . . I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep. And when I woke up . . . I wasn't fully aware that I was . . . " She didn't finish, she was so embarrassed.

"It's okay . . . " He said softly. "You seemed content, so I didn't wake you. It seemed like you could use some rest."

"What about you? It must be uncomfortable to sleep sitting against a wall."

"I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. My shoulder hurts too much."

"Well, maybe I should move . . . This can't be helping."

"Serenity . . . " He looked into her eyes. "It's okay. Really. Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

" . . . Okay . . . " She whispered breathlessly. It was cold, and outside a storm was raging with full fury, but as she closed her eyes, cradled in Malik's arms, she had never felt safer.

A/N: Okay, I love you guys, but you're going to have to quit pressuring me for updates. I have my own reasons why I can't post this story faster. I have a lot going on right now, and it's really hard to keep up with this. Please stop cussing me and yelling because I'm not updating fast enough for you. It really hurts my feelings.

Lover of Seto Kaiba

(LoSK)