Chapter Nineteen

"Asim!"

Asim turned from the doorframe he was leaning on, reading a letter. He dropped the letter as his mouth dropped open. "Samira?"

She hugged him tightly. "I missed you, Asim! How are you?"

He shrugged. "I'm okay. But I want to get out of this place." He looked around. "Where's Ramla?"

Samira shook her head. "I don't know. Skulking around somewhere, maybe. She's been very… moody lately."

Asim snorted. "And I don't think I'd like to meet her in a state like that."

"Eek!" came a loud, shrieking voice from down the hall. "Nasty beasts!" It was very familiar.

Samira spun around. "If that damn sparrow followed me all the way to Egypt I swear I'm going to-"

Then came a deafening scream, more of a war cry, as something small but painful collided with Samira right between her shoulder blades. She let out a little moan and slumped to the ground.

"Hahaha!" gloated Suzuko, skipping around the fallen falcon. "Today a sparrow has defeated a evil stupid beast!"

Asim crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, more amused than appalled. "And who might you be?"

"Sparrow," repeated Suzuko. "Stupid fool, did you no hear me?" Asim raised an eyebrow. Suzuko suddenly jumped as if someone had jabbed her with a hot poker and screeched even louder than she had before.

Before she could escape, Asim lunged forward and grabbed her by the collar. "Ah, it seems we have a little bird who has violated the rules."

"No!" screamed Suzuko, writhing in his grip, struggling to escape. "No eat me! I no… I no…" She drooped. "Yes. I break the law."

"And why might that be?"

Suzuko lifted her shoulders in the imitation of a shrug. "Sparrow is boring. Always getting et by nasty beast."

"I see." Asim glanced down at Samira, who was still out cold. "That was smart of you. You got her right in the pressure point."

"Pressure point?" asked Suzuko.

"Any point in the body in which an artery can be pressed against a bone, stopping the artery's flow to its part of the body. Apparently Samira has a pressure point right between her shoulder blades that leads to her brain. When the blood flow was cut off, she fainted." Seto frowned. "But that doesn't make sense, since no one has a pressure point there-"

"Birds," explained Asim, regarding Seto as though he was just returning after a short trip out of the room. "They have extra bones in their back that lead to their wings. Samira obviously doesn't have wings when she's a human, but she does have some shoulder blade extension and wing-base structure right underneath a major artery to her brain."

"I'm not just a science experiment, you know," scolded Samira, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She glared at Suzuko, who stuck out her tongue. Samira jumped to her feet, advancing on the little sparrow-girl. "Shi'irak amathis! Shinab'ush'meneb u'rehet shi'debelem-"

Asim grabbed her arms and pulled her back. "Calm down," he was saying.

Seto, however, was no longer paying attention. He felt complete and total shock. He had just hear Samira say, plain as Japanese, "You little bitch! When I get my hands on you-"

Besides being dreadfully obscene, it was mystifying that Seto could understand it. He had never spoken that language before… this was the second time it had happened… His head was spinning… he had said something like that… a long time ago… a very long time ago…

His legs suddenly felt very weak. He leaned against the wall for support.

And then Asim was coming towards him… introducing himself… extending his hand…

"Wikir a'emsheg'shim," said Seto.

Asim grinned. "Wikir a'emsheg'shim, teben," he replied.

Samira clapped her hands. "Seto, you're remembering!"

He realized he had just spoken the language again… without even thinking… it had just come out of his mouth…

"I said 'nice to meet you,'" he said hesitantly.

"In Late Upper Egyptian," added Asim.

"Áram!" shrieked Suzuko.

Samira gave her an icy look. "That's Arabic," she pointed out.

Suzuko lifted her shoulders. "Insults is universal,"
she said, grinning maliciously.

Samira aimed a kick at her. Suzuko nimbly dodged it and nipped in with one of her own. Cackling, she zoomed off down the hall. Samira dashed after her in hot pursuit, swearing furiously in Late Upper Egyptian.

Asim chuckled. "Fast friends, those two."

"I was going to ask if Samira would let Suzuko share a room with her, but I guess it's not to be."

He shrugged. "You never know. They might get over their differences." He yawned and stretched. "Want to come down to the bar with me and get a drink?"

Seto was alarmed. "What sort of drink?"

Asim laughed at the expression on Seto's face. "Not alcohol, smart one. That's illegal. I mean like soda."

"Oh," Seto said, relieved. "All right, then."

As they strolled down the hall, Seto pondered a new notion that had just occurred to him. Asim was nice, funny, and easygoing. His casual air made him easy to be around. Maybe, just maybe… they could be friends.

Seto had never felt this way before. Ever since Samira had come, it was like a door he never even knew was there had opened. Out of it came memories, feelings, thoughts… a whirlwind out of the past, come to spin him up into it.

Down at the bar, Marik had been swamped by a small crowd of girls, all begging for his attention. Seto marveled at how Marik looked so comfortable among them, chatting and laughing, flirting and joking. Seto shuddered at the very thought.

Asim ordered them both ginger ales. Seto sipped his silently, contemplating the future. He forgot he was supposed to be talking to Asim until his new companion tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Seto, who's that girl over there?"

"Huh?" Seto followed Asim's gaze. Sitting in a corner, talking quietly with Samira, Téa and Serenity was Meryl. Her glasses were off, and she looked a lot different. A lot… cuter.

What? thought Seto incredulously. Did I think that?

He shook his head mentally to clear it. No more such thoughts.

"That's… my secretary," he said blankly, still a little confused.

"You brought her along?" Asim said curiously. "Why? Do you like her?"

"No," said Seto so forcefully that Asim moved back a little.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I just wanted to know, cuz, you know, I wouldn't want to hit on your girl."

"Hit? What?"

Asim stared at him incredulously. Seto felt really stupid. Hit on… it was what Samira had said; back on the airship… he had thought it meant physically hitting someone. But judging by the expression on Asim's face, it meant something else.

Asim shook his head. "Never mind." He leaned closer, confidentially. "You sure you didn't hire her just for her looks?"

Seto shook his head, scandalized by the very thought. "Of course not!"

He grinned. "I was kidding, I was kidding." Asim got up and swaggered over to where the girls were clustered.

Sipping his ginger ale, Seto inconspicuously watched out of the corner of his eye. Samira was looking at Asim knowingly as he flirted with Meryl. Then, Serenity, Téa and Samira scattered as Asim returned to the counter with a flattered Meryl on his arm. He bought her a drink, chatted her up, and made her laugh… Asim made it look easy. But, Seto knew it would be impossible for him.

"It's shameless, the way he does that," remarked a voice in his right ear.

Seto almost knocked over his ginger ale. He glared at Samira. "Don't do that!" he exclaimed.

She gave him an evil grin. "Hey, I can't help it if you're off your guard."

He shot her a look that plainly said she was an insufferable bother, and, taking his ginger ale with him, strode out of the room.

Trotting footsteps informed him that she was still following him. He whirled around, squinting in the dark corridor. "Will you ever go away?" he demanded.

"No," she said sweetly. Dropping the fake voice, Samira turned serious. "Seto, please don't get all huffy on me. I was only kidding-"

"What does 'hit on' mean?" he snarled.

She was silent for a moment, plainly startled. "Seto, why-"

"Everyone seems to think I'm some kind of-"

"Womanizer," said Samira in a small voice. Seto had to restrain himself from doing something very rash.

"What?" he hissed poisonously, positively seething with anger.

Samira quailed under his burning gaze. "I…" she stuttered, and then regained her stature. "I know you're different now, but… before… um…" she trailed off, looking nervously at the floor. "You didn't… feel the same way… you do now… about… you know…"

Seto felt like someone had just told him that he was really an alien from a different planet. "I what?"

She shrugged. "It's just that, well, Asim was a little surprised that you seemed to be afraid of girls."

"He should watch who he calls womanizer," Seto growled, his hands clenching into fists.

"Um… Asim just flirts with them, Seto, he doesn't… er… ah…" If there had been some light in the corridor Samira would have been blushing furiously. "He doesn't go as far! Uh, good night!" She bolted down the hall, melting into the shadows, leaving a speechless Seto behind.