Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. Must I keep saying this?

Author's Note: This is a Christmas fic for abbysarajane. It's rather mild Rishid/Shizuka, with an open ending in case I decide to continue it. Reviews and suggestions are appreciated, as always, as well as constructive criticism. If I do something you dislike, tell me! But please, be polite. Enjoy!

He was staring at her again. Unconsciously pressing closer to her brother, nearly wedging between him and Yuugi, she glanced out of the corner of her eye, looking for him. It took a moment, but she spotted him, silent and keeping to the shadows as he always did. He had taken to watching her since that first duel between Yuugi and the sweet white-haired boy – what was his name again? – and almost everywhere she went, she could feel his eyes on her.

Had it been anyone else, she would have been frightened. He cut an intimidating figure, taller than Kaiba and more muscular than his bodyguards; but his green eyes warmed whenever they fell on her, and somehow she knew he would never harm her. Had his eyes been a different color, held that same coldness it held when he looked upon some of the others, she would have been trembling in her room, door locked and barred while her brother was out. Even the other Egyptian boy rang warning bells in that primitive, scarcely-used part of her brain, but not him. She got the odd impression that he was there to protect her, a guardian angel sent from the heavens, though considering who he was, the notion was rather ridiculous. After all, everyone had told her how dangerous Malik was, how cold and evil and single-minded.

And he had a Sennen Item.

She didn't really understand what the Items were, beyond the fact that Yuugi and that boy – Bakura, that was his name! – Bakura both had their own. And sometimes, they both appeared to be different people, like when they had dueled. Bakura had seemed like such a sweet, gentle person, at least from the small amount of time she'd spent with him before the duel, but he had changed into a frightening monster, using a deck filled with stuff born of nightmares. Yuugi had stopped slouching, standing tall and confident and even a little arrogant, voice more imperious as if he was used to his commands being fulfilled then and there. Her brother had said something about spirits in the Items, but refused to elaborate. He just wanted to protect her, she knew. Was that all Malik wanted, too, or was there something else he aimed for?

She bit her lower lip and his eyes lit up, a strange gleam in their depths that she did not recognize. For some reason, she hadn't told anyone about this, about her silent second shadow. A part of her was afraid that her brother and his friends would laugh at her, tell her she was imagining things, call her a silly little girl; another part was even more afraid that they would confront him about it, and he would stop. Whenever he was near, an odd thrill ran through her, making her feel as if her very blood were singing and calling out to him.

Before coming to Domino, she had never had any suitors. She had never remained in school for very long, always being dragged from specialist to specialist as her eyesight failed, and thus hadn't grown close to anyone her age, let alone potential boyfriends. When she was younger than that, when her family was still together, she had lived only for her older brother, doing everything with him and rarely leaving his side, even to sleep. It hadn't been an uncommon occurrence for their mother to peek into Jounouchi's bedroom and see the two siblings curled up together. However, in the small amount of time she had been in the city, two boys had already latched onto her, much to her brother's despair: the pretty green-eyed Otogi and the sweet, thoughtful Honda. She would have had to be truly blind to miss them vying for her affection, and more often than not, she hid behind her brother, unsure of what to do. The only boy she had shared any affection with was Jounouchi; all others seemed foreign, as if they weren't even human. Except for Malik. But Malik remained in the shadows, while Otogi and Honda tried to outshine him without knowing they had the competition.

But they were only boys, inexperienced and bumbling, whereas the Egyptian was obviously a man. He had to be in his twenties – an age forbidden to her, according to her mother – and he simply oozed self-assurance, much like Kaiba but in a warmer, more secure way. She had to admit it intrigued her more than it scared her. She wanted to know more. She wanted a taste of the forbidden fruit, wanted to do something daring for once in her life, but she couldn't bring herself to approach him, and he never spoke to her.

She leaned against her brother, half-listening to him and Yuugi discussing potential strategies. Jounouchi would be dueling against Malik soon, and both he and Yuugi were tightly strung with nervousness and anticipation. A lot seemed to rest on this duel – she briefly wondered if there were any unimportant ones with them involved – and yet, once again, they wouldn't explain themselves to her. She hid her disappointment and irritation well, resting her head on her brother's arm.

He was still watching her, and she wondered why he wasn't busy preparing himself for the duel. The other Egyptian entered the room, the one who called himself Namu – such a strange name – and he stole her gaze away briefly, goosebumps rising over her skin. There was something about him she didn't like, even though everyone treated him like a friend. He was attractive and soft-spoken, polite and endearing, but there was a cold glint in his beautiful violet eyes, seeming to mock anyone speaking to him. She was surprised no one else seemed to notice, as he made no effort to conceal it. She frowned, the Egyptians exchanged a look, and Malik left the room.

Feeling suddenly anxious – was she upset at Namu's presence or disappointed at Malik's departure? – she leaned close to her brother's ear, murmuring that she needed fresh air and she would await them at the arena. Jounouchi smiled down at her, ruffled her hair, and gave her permission. Heart swelling with love, Shizuka kissed his cheek and headed towards the stairs, fixing her hair. He'd taken to messing up her hair when they were little, since it never failed to get a rise out of her, or, at the very least, an interestingly vexed look. He seemed too distracted to notice today, though, and she felt Yuugi's eyes on her back, and Namu's, and she wondered why everyone chose to stare at her. Had her brother messed up her hair that badly?

She began ascending the stairs slowly, hands trembling a little. Somehow, she knew he'd gone to the arena, and that they'd be alone, and maybe she could ask why he followed her around. She would feel more confident with someone accompanying her, but he wouldn't say anything with the others around, else he'd have spoken to her already. And if he really was as dangerous as everyone claimed…

She refused to dwell on that, knowing that if she did, she would just turn around and return to her brother and never get the answers she so desperately wanted. And so she continued on, though her trembling increased with every step. She ran over possible scenarios in her mind as she walked the seemingly endless stairway, putting together what she would ask and how she would ask it, where she would stand and what she would do with her hands. It all blew out of her head, though, when she entered the arena and spotted him standing there, gazing out over the railing.

He was wearing his cloak – it was really a trenchcoat of sorts, but it made her think of those cloaks men wore at the history reenactments and it seemed to fit him more – and the fabric was flapping in the brisk breeze, slapping against his long legs occasionally. His eyes were unfocused, gaze distant, as if he weren't really seeing anything he was looking at. What was he thinking about? Her?

She needed to get his attention, but she paused several feet away from him, wondering why he hadn't noticed her presence yet. Or had he, and was he just ignoring her? Had she been imagining things the whole time, and he just wanted to be alone to mentally prepare for the duel?

"Shizuka…"

That one word, her name, spoken so softly, so reverently, was all it took to dispel her worries. He turned to look at her, his gaze unreadable, and she bit her lower lip nervously.

"Malik-san…I…"

"What are you doing up here by yourself?"

"I told onii-chan I'd wait up here for him. I…wanted to talk to you."

Flicker of surprise in those tired eyes of his, a glimmer of hope, and then the shields were back up.

"I'm not Malik-sama."

She blinked at him several times, trying to process that information. That was absurd, he had introduced himself, and if he wasn't Malik, then who was? Mouth opening, she wanted to ask him, ask him so much, but nothing came out.

"You know who Malik-sama is," he continued, voice a low rumble, powerful even when soft.

And after a moment, she did. Namu. She hadn't liked him from the start, and now she knew, though he hadn't had to say a word. She wondered if anyone else suspected, if she was the last to come to this revelation, or if their ruse had duped even Yuugi. But even so…he had the Rod…

"But…who are you?" Her voice was weak compared to his, the tone trembling slightly. She was up here, all alone, with a complete stranger who had lied about his identity. What else had he lied about? Had he done all of this on purpose to lure her up here, to do horrendous things to her before the duel with her brother, to throw him off and cause him to lose, and then do horrible things to him too? Mind whirling with unpleasant thoughts, she took a step back, freezing when his voice snapped out.

"Stop. I…promise I will not hurt you. I mean you no harm, I swear. My name is Rishid, and I am Malik-sama's…" He broke off briefly, as if he wanted to say something, then changed his mind. "His servant. Please, do not tell anyone."

"I…I won't." She didn't know why she'd agreed – she really should have turned and fled, told the others what she had learned, but for some reason, she didn't want to. He'd trusted her with this information, and he'd been watching her, protecting her. Licking her lips, she continued, "Why have you been following me?"

"There are dangers on this ship," he replied, his gaze flickering towards the stairs briefly. She turned back and looked, but there was no one there. "Dangers that everyone seems completely oblivious to. But I am not, and I won't let anything harm you."

He sounded so sincere, so confident, that she couldn't help but believe him. Right then and there, she knew that she could throw herself into his arms and he would shield her from all the creepy crawly bad things in life, hold her and protect her and…

Love her?

She felt an overwhelming desire to kiss him, to taste his lips and feel the strength of his hands. She'd never kissed anyone before, so the longing was strange to her, a little scary, and it made her that much more skittish. The earnestness in his eyes – the shields had come down again, she could see so much raw emotion in there, pain and suffering and exhaustion and devotion and determination and something else – kept her where she stood as he slowly approached her, allowing her ample opportunity to leave. When she didn't, he came to a stop mere inches from her, towering over her.

"I…" she started to say, but he shook his head.

"Sssh," he murmured, leaning down. One hand resting on her shoulder, the other cupped her cheek, tilting her head up as he closed the distance between them, lips pressing against hers ever so softly, as if asking permission. Eyes widening, at first she didn't respond, surprised by his actions and by the new sensations threatening to overwhelm her, and he pressed his lips a little harder against hers, coaxingly. Giving in, her eyes closed, arms sliding around him, and she kissed him back.

For a moment, he seemed to lose control. A low growl tore from his throat and his arm slipped down to wrap around her and jerk her against him, holding her tightly pressed against his body, fingers curled possessively against her back. His lips pressed against hers demandingly, his other hand pressing against her neck, holding her in place. Then his entire body seemed to relax, his grip on her loosening, his kiss growing soft, tender, and she felt herself responding with everything she had.

Eventually they broke for air, her cheeks flushed a fetching pink. The look on his face was so relieved and full of contentment that she wanted to cry.

"You have to duel my brother," she murmured when she could trust her voice.

The spell cracked, but did not break. "Yes," he replied grudgingly.

"I will keep your secret. Rishid-san."

He smiled down at her, raising a hand to brush at strands of her hair, tucking them behind her ears. "My little butterfly," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. They heard voices behind them, but when she went to draw away, his grip tightened again, his eyes hardening as they looked past her towards the stairway. Eyes widening, she panicked, knowing who was coming and not knowing how they would react when they saw the two of them so close, so entwined.

It wasn't long before a familiar voice broke the silence. "What do you think you're doing to my sister, you creep!"

And Malik – no, Rishid – Rishid smiled again, a darker smile she didn't recognize, one that didn't belong on his kind features. Within the space of a few moments, a complete stranger stood with her, the man putting on his mask and donning his fake identity and playing the part he had to play, and she shivered. Then his arm slipped lower, pressing her closer, sharing his warmth, sharing that little secret they had together, and everything was all right again.