Yuugi was not happy when he was woken up by his grandpa's voice the next morning.

"Yuugi! Malik is here!" it called from downstairs.

Sitting up in bed, Yuugi checked his clock and groaned. It was only seven-thirty.

"Yuugi!"

"Coming," Yuugi replied. Still pajama-clad, he trumped down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. "Ohayou," he greeted his grandpa, Malik, Isis, and Rishid. Then he suppressed a yawn. "How are all of you so awake?" he asked the Ishtars, squinting.

"There's a seven-hour time difference," Isis answered promptly. "Right now, it's about two-thirty p.m. for us."

"Ah." Yuugi yawned and looked at Malik. "Weren't you tired yesterday afternoon then, Malik?"

Malik shrugged.

"Um, I was thinking we could go to a movie today," Yuugi said. "How's that sound?"

Malik nodded, not seeming particularly excited.

"Great! The one I had in mind is supposed to be really funny. I can't wait."

Rishid put a hand on Malik's shoulder. "It sounds like you're ready for us to leave, then, Malik-sama?"

Reluctantly, Malik nodded.

"We'll pick you up this afternoon," Isis said. "Have fun at the movie."

They left. Malik watched their rental car drive away for as long as it was visible, then turned and followed Yuugi up to his room.

"Jonouchi-kun and the others won't be here for a while," Yuugi told him on the way up, "so I guess we can just hang out until they come. What do you want to do?" He looked over his shoulder at Malik, who shrugged. "Hmm… Oh! I know!" Yuugi exclaimed. "Wanna duel?"

Despite Yuugi's enthusiasm, Malik hesitated. He bit his lip uncomfortably and fiddled with his hands.

"You don't want to?" Yuugi asked. Then he noticed that Malik's hands were shaking slightly. "Hey, are you okay?" Yuugi said in concern.

Malik's shoulders twitched up and down in a small shrug. He didn't meet Yuugi's eyes.

"I guess you don't want to duel then, right?"

Malik kept looking down.

"It's okay, we don't have to," Yuugi told him. When Malik still seemed uncomfortable, Yuugi added, "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have asked." Now it was Yuugi's turn to hesitate. There was something that had been on his mind all night… "I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday, too," he said softly. "I didn't realize that we were going to pass that dock. I didn't realize how much it would… hurt you. If I had, I would have chosen another route home or something. So… I'm sorry."

Malik had stopped fiddling with his hands. Now his eyes rose to meet Yuugi's briefly as he waved the apology away. The corners of his mouth went up in the imitation of a smile.

Yuugi's brow furrowed. "Is it really okay?" he asked. "I was really worried all last night, because you looked so… scared…"

Malik turned away sharply to face Yuugi's bookshelf. He selected a book and started reading.

Yuugi watched uncertainly for a second. Then he put on a small smile and said, "Good idea, Malik. We can read until everyone gets here."

Everyone (the same crowd as the day before) arrived around eleven, and the movie started at twelve. They were all very excited to see it—all except for Malik.

Honestly, he didn't really care. He supposed it was nice that they were going to see a movie—that way, for a few hours it wouldn't matter if he could talk or not. But he couldn't work up any anticipation, no matter how many times Yuugi's friends told him how funny it was going to be.

When the group took their seats in the theater, Malik wound up sitting between Jonouchi and the aisle. Jonouchi was mostly talking to the rest of the group, so Malik listened to their conversation. He felt strangely like an eavesdropper.

The feeling didn't vanish as the movie started. It was a live-action comedy based on an anime, and it didn't particularly fit Malik's tastes. The song played with the opening credits was enough to convince him of that. (A song mentioning the fluffy temptations of wheat, he reasoned, should be enough to creep anyone out, but no one else in the theater seemed bothered by it.)

And everyone… everyone was enjoying the movie so much. Every few seconds, there was a burst of laughter, followed by an outbreak of whispering in the group about how funny the joke had been.

Malik couldn't participate in their joy. It wasn't that he disliked the movie, or didn't get the jokes—there were times when even he wanted to laugh. But he couldn't even remember the last time he'd laughed, and somehow, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control it if he started.

Besides, laughing with them seemed like it would be an invasion, an intrusion into the secure group they'd formed long before Malik had even known of them. The bonds between the friends were almost tangible, almost visible, and Malik knew there was no such bond for him. He could only watch their excited interactions and feel like an outsider.

But he was an outsider, he reminded himself. So he supposed that was fitting.

The movie ended around two o' clock. Jonouchi stood up and stretched as the end credits began rolling. He turned toward the aisle, expecting to see Malik stand up as well. But Malik was still sitting, eyes closed and chin tucked into his chest—fast asleep.

"Malik fell asleep," Jonouchi told the rest.

"Well, Isis-san said there's a seven-hour time difference," Yuugi quoted, "so it's about nine o' clock for him, and I bet he's tired from being up so 'late' yesterday too."

"Yeah, I guess so," Jonouchi agreed grudgingly. To tell the truth, he was a little annoyed. We bring him to this movie to hang out with him, and all he does is sleep?

"You might as well wake him up," Honda said.

Jonouchi shook Malik's shoulder. "Hey, Malik. Movie's over."

Malik stirred and his eyes opened. As Jonouchi watched, a change came over Malik's face. While he'd slept, his expression had been peaceful and relaxed, but now his lips tightened and his eyes quickly took on the guarded look that he always wore.

"You were pretty tired, huh?" Anzu asked Malik.

Malik nodded in reply.

Bakura smiled slightly. "Or maybe he just really didn't like the movie," he suggested jokingly.

When Malik didn't respond to that, Jonouchi muttered, "Yeah, maybe he would have preferred a silent movie."

Malik quickly turned his face away, and Yuugi frowned. "Jonouchi-kun, that wasn't very nice," he reproached.

"It was a joke."

Malik started the procession out of the movie theater, everyone following behind him. But after a few minutes, Malik had gone from the front of the group to trailing several feet behind the rest. Jonouchi sighed. Typical.

Jonouchi wasn't really sure that what he'd said had been a joke. He didn't know if he'd wanted Malik to be amused or hurt, because he still wasn't sure what to think about the Egyptian.

He certainly wasn't making any effort to become friends with everyone—in fact, it seemed more like he was avoiding it as much as possible. He always trailed behind everyone else, responding minimally and wearing that tense, guarded face.

And, Jonouchi couldn't help but wonder, what was Malik trying to guard anyway?

For the most part, Jonouchi tried to ignore his suspicions. Yuugi trusted Malik, after all, and Jonouchi trusted Yuugi's judgement.

But Jonouchi knew he wouldn't accept Malik completely until that guarded expression was gone.

There is no, I repeat, NO Azumanga Daioh live-action movie. I made it up. It would be funny, but it doesn't exist.

So why is Malik watching an Azumanga Daioh movie? Mostly because I wanted it to be something funny, and Azu is pretty funny.

By the way, Malik didn't have any popcorn while he was watching the movie. Since the least favorite food of both Malik and Isis is "meat," I have reached the conclusion that the Gravekeepers are not allowed to eat meat. It follows that they may not eat animal products. (…) So Malik can't have any butter-drenched popcorn.

I'll do review-talk later, sorry I'm a little rushed right now.

By the way, all of these chapters have been divided into two or three sections with nice little spaces between them. FF.N has been "kind" enough to take those spaces out. Sorry if that caused any confusion.