The Ties That Bind Us

By:

Mystwalker

A/N: And YGOTAS references are present in this chapter too. I was originally going to have Marik order the kedah/kebab, but he's a vegetarian in the canon, so…oh well.

Amane's first chapter personality doesn't really line up with the personality I have planned for her in the future. So chalk it up to her being completely out of her element.

By the way, I need to ask. Do you guys prefer English names (Tea, Joey, Tristan) or Japanese names (Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda)? It doesn't really matter at this point, but it will when they get to Domino City.

Reviews are appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

The restaurant was barely more than a hole in the wall, lit by the glow of several fluorescent lights and furnished with plastic tables and chairs. The door was opened to let in the cool desert air. Amane ate ravenously, paying no heed to the less than stellar establishment. After seven years in ancient Egypt, any technology was something, and she hadn't realized how hungry she was until they entered the restaurant and the smell of onions and cooking meat reached her.

Koshari turned out to be an Egyptian dish made of rice, lentils, and chickpeas, although it wasn't old enough to have been present during the time period she experienced. Marik had mentioned it was his favorite. She and Marik had each gotten a serving, and she had gotten a kebab on the side. Earlier, she had been starving, but now, as she looked uncertainly at her plate, she wondered if she might not have gotten too much food.

"You want some of this?" she asked, gesturing at the skewer.

Marik made a face. "I'm vegetarian," he said.

"Oh," said Amane. She took a bite of food, chewing and swallowing. "Why? Do you like animals?"

Marik smirked. "No," he said, stabbing at his plate with his plastic fork. "I just hate plants."

Amane laughed at the remark, staring down at her plate again. "Oh, come on. Are you sure?"

"More than sure," said Marik.

"Well, I can't finish it," said Amane, frowning.

"So don't," said Marik with a shrug. "Wrap up the kedah and eat it tomorrow."

"I guess I can," said Amane. She paused, halfway to bringing her fork to her mouth. "Wait, what did you just call it?"

"A kedah."

"It's a kebab," said Amane.

"Says who?"

"Says everyone."

"Everyone's wrong," said Marik.

"Marik, it's quite clearly on the sign," said Amane with a frustrated frown, gesturing at the English letters on the menu.

"You're British. You don't know how to pronounce things."

"And you're a vegetarian, so you don't get a say," retorted Amane, taking a bite of her meal.

"Whatever," said Marik, rolling his eyes. "Be wrong, then."

Amane sighed in resignation, poking her food around the plate. They ate in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the ceiling fan spinning overhead and the occasional murmuring in Arabic coming from the other customers. Amane didn't understand their words—Arabic hadn't been introduced into Egypt during the Pharaoh's time period—but she could guess at their meaning. She wasn't exactly a usual sight in a local restaurant, with her pale skin, non-traditional clothing and shock of white hair. Marik, however, did understand them, judging from the way his eyes flicked towards them and he glared.

She kept her eyes on them too, but less obviously.

"…This is really good," she said to break the tension, turning towards him. "What did you call it again?"

"Koshari," said Marik. "It's common street food."

"Now, are you sure that's what it's called, or is that just how you pronounce it?" she teased, smiling.

Marik blinked at her. "Very funny," he said. "But I'm telling you. I'm right."

"Keep telling yourself that," said Amane, still smiling. She took one last bite of her food, pushing the remaining pieces together. Marik watched her, laying his fork down.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"More or less," said Amane, getting up. "I just need to get this wrapped up."

"I'll do it," said Marik, getting up and taking the plate from her.

"I can—," began Amane.

Marik glanced over at her, not facing her fully. "Let me," he said. "You don't speak the language. I'll get it done faster." He frowned, glancing over at the men seated at the other tables for a moment.

"Stay next to me," he muttered under his breath, walking towards the counter. Amane glanced at the men as well, before nodding once and following him. She didn't ask why. Seven years in Ancient Egypt had taught her that sometimes it was best to follow instructions and ask questions later. She stood one step behind him and to the right as he spoke to the man at the counter, glancing once at the people at the other tables again.

Her fingers curled loosely inwards as she turned away from them, watching Marik again.

So even back in her own time, there were still dangers…

"Alright, let's head out," said Marik, handing her a brown paper bag. Amane took the bag with one hand, nodding at him.

"Where to?" she asked as they left the restaurant, emerging back in the streets of the town.

Marik gestured at a small store across the street. "We might as well pick up some supplies while we're out here," he explained as she followed him across. "We don't know how long it'll be until your brother gets here."

Amane nodded, accepting the explanation. The store was a small, crowded room tucked between two other buildings. There didn't seem to be any other customers, and the man behind the counter looked up sleepily as the two of them entered. She looked around. Some of the usual tourist trap items were on sale, as well as a couple racks of clothing tucked away in a corner. At Marik's direction, she went off and selected a couple of things that she could wear while waiting for Ryou. They weren't particularly high-quality clothes, but they were wearable.

She tossed an off-white dress into the basket, looking around for Marik. He was thumbing through some magazines on the other side of the store, so she ignored him for now, going over to look at some of the other items available. There were packets of cards on a rack near the counter. Amane moved closer to those, picking one of them up and reading the name on the packet.

Duel Monsters?

She frowned, glancing at the picture on the cover. Her eyes widened slightly, and she ran a thumb over the image.

Dark Magician?

Why was Mahaado's Ka on display?

"It's a trading card game," said Marik from behind her.

Amane jumped and nearly dropped the packet of cards, mentally scolding herself for her lack of spatial awareness. She turned around to face him, a slight frown on her face.

"It's based off the ancient Spirit Games you probably witnessed," said Marik. "It became popular a few years ago. Your brother plays it…sort of. It's mainly Bakura that plays competitively."

"Do you play?" asked Amane.

"Of course," said Marik, folding his arms. "I was second place in the last tournament I entered."

"But you didn't win?" asked Amane.

"I lost to the Pharaoh," said Marik. "And that's really all you need to know about that time."

Amane raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask, turning back to look at the cards. She had a feeling that it wasn't something he was particularly proud of, although she couldn't guess why. Second place seemed like a good way to finish a tournament. Maybe he was just competitive. She put down the packet with the Dark Magician on the front, picking up another pack and looking it over.

"Here," said Marik, coming to stand next to her. "Pick out a starter deck and a few booster packs. I'll show you how to play."

"Really?" asked Amane.

Marik shrugged. "Why not?"

She frowned in thought and reached out, her hand hovering over the starter packs before she finally decided on one. She picked it up and tossed it into the basket, followed by three of the smaller packs that she thought looked interesting.

"Done," she said when she had finished, turning around to face him. He was holding something in his hand, she realized. Something white. "What's that?" she asked, pointing towards it.

He held it up for her. "It's a glove," he said, tossing it into the basket. "For your arm. It should cover that up nicely."

Amane smiled, picking it up and looking it over. It was a fingerless white glove, long enough to cover her whole arm from wrist to elbow. She smiled at Marik, setting it down in the basket. "Thanks, Marik," she said. "It's a nice thought."

Marik immediately glanced away. "Well, don't get any ideas," he said. "It's just…I understand wanting to cover up a scar." He had a look on his face that she associated with unpleasant memories and dark thoughts. She didn't ask. "Look, are you done?" he asked, sounding suddenly impatient. "We should be getting back. They're closing soon."

"I'm ready," said Amane, nodding and holding up the basket.

Marik took the basket from her, turning away and walking off to the counter.

XxXxX

"So…I…can summon this monster now?" asked Amane hesitantly, holding up a card.

"Sure," said Marik, nodding dismissively without looking at it. "But remember, you can only summon one monster per turn, and if it's above level 4, you need to use a tribute."

"Right," said Amane, nodding. "Unless I have a spell, trap card, or effect that says otherwise."

The two of them were sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing each other across the low coffee table. A duel had been set up on the table between them. It was slow going at first, as he had had to explain everything to Amane, but she was slowly picking it up.

"So…I summon this," said Amane, setting down a monster.

Marik frowned at it. "In attack mode?" he asked.

"Oh, you're right," said Amane, glancing at it. "Okay, so…its attack is lower than your monsters, but its defense is higher, so…I summon it in defense position." She frowned, biting her lip in concentration as she turned the card around.

"It has a flip effect."

"Facedown defense position," corrected Amane, flipping it over. She stared down at her hand. "And I can use as many spell cards as I want?" she asked.

"As long as the conditions are met," said Marik.

Amane nodded. "But I have to set trap cards first. So…I put this one facedown."

"You realize, you just told me that that's a trap card, right?" asked Marik, gesturing at the card.

"Oh, hush," said Amane. "I'm new at this." She glanced down at her hand one more time before nodding. "Okay. I end my turn."

"I sacrifice my monster," said Marik, replacing his monster with a higher leveled one. "And I attack your facedown card."

"I activate its effect," said Amane, flipping the card over. "You lose life points."

"Fine by me," said Marik with a shrug, writing it down on the notepad beside them. He gestured at another monster on the field. "I attack you directly."

"And I activate my trap card," said Amane, smiling as she flipped the card over. "So your attack is negated."

Marik nodded. "I end my turn," he said.

"Okay," said Amane. She grinned, looking down at her hand. "So I activate Call of the Haunted. That lets me bring back my monster."

"In attack position," added Marik.

"Right, in attack position," said Amane, putting the monster back on the field. "So I sacrifice this monster to summon Darkness Destroyer, and I attack that monster!" She pointed at the higher leveled one. "Then, I activate the Domino Effect, and destroy that monster too. And since Darkness Destroyer can attack twice, I attack you directly."

She smiled, pleased with herself as she put her hand face down on the table. Marik stared down at the field, a small smirk appearing on his face as he shook his head.

"Sneaky," he said.

"I know," said Amane, sitting back on her heels.

He picked up Darkness Destroyer as if to look at the effect. "And also illegal."

Amane blinked, her face falling. "What?" she asked.

He held the card between two fingers, turning it over with a smug smirk on his face. "Darkness Destroyer requires two tributes. And Domino Effect only works if you sacrifice a monster too."

"Really?" she asked, staring down at the cards. Her eyes widened, and she muttered a word in Egyptian that made Marik look up sharply. "Almost had it," she said, snapping her fingers.

"It was a good thought," said Marik. He frowned at her, looking over her expression. "I'm starting to see the family resemblance."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Amane, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," said Marik. He slid his legs out from under the coffee table, getting to his feet. "Think of your next move. I'll go see if my sister needs anything."

Amane nodded once, going back to looking at her cards and muttering under her breath. Marik glanced at her, then made his way back up the stairs to Isis's room. The older Ishtar hadn't said much to them since she returned. Although Isis no longer regaled them with visions of the future, she still had a tendency to act rather mysterious sometimes.

He knocked on the door before opening it. Isis was going through her wardrobe, as if she was looking for something. She looked up as he entered.

"Having fun?" she asked, a small smile appearing on her face.

"She's a quick learner," said Marik with a shrug, folding his arms.

"It's nice to see you talking to someone your own age," said Isis. "Odion and I worry sometimes."

"There's nothing to worry about," said Marik with a frown. "It's not like I have a lot of people to talk to."

"You've withdrawn even more since Battle City. That's all I'm saying," said Isis. "I think it's nice that Amane is helping you come out of your shell a little."

"I'm not in a shell," said Marik, starting to feel frustrated. "I've told you before. Everything's fine."

"Of course, but it's my job to worry," said Isis. "Go see to your guest. I'll be done here in a minute."

"What are you looking for anyway?" asked Marik, frowning at the boxes lying on her bed.

"Something Amane reminded me of," said Isis. "Don't worry about it."

Marik's frown deepened, but he nodded, turning around and closing the door behind him. When Isis didn't want to talk about something, continuing to ask wasn't going to help. He walked down the stairs towards the living room, intending to continue their duel.

He found Amane slumped over the coffee table, fast asleep. Her head was pillowed on her arms, her cards hanging loosely from her hand. She breathed softly, her thick white hair framing her face. Marik frowned, staring down at her. She had seemed so excited earlier. He had almost forgotten how tired she looked.

But she couldn't sleep there.

He reached over, gently shaking her shoulder. Amane opened her eyes, blinking up at him.

"You fell asleep," he said. "Go upstairs and go to bed. We'll finish this in the morning." For emphasis, he grabbed the cards from her hand, folding them into one stack and setting them aside. Amane sat back on her heels, rubbing her eyes.

"What about you?" she asked, sleepily.

"I'll take the couch."

"Alright," she said, getting up. "Good night, Marik."

"Good night," he said in reply, watching her walk up the stairs. When she was gone, he turned out the light and plopped down on the couch, closing his eyes and covering them with his hand. He opened his eyes a moment later, staring up at the ceiling as his eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom.

Isis was being stupid. He hadn't withdrawn. He just hadn't had anyone to talk to.

That in mind, he turned over, falling into an uneasy sleep.

XxXxX

Marik sat up as his ringtone suddenly blasted through the air, shattering the dream he was having and waking him up from sleep. He ran a hand over his face and rolled over onto his side, grabbing his phone from its spot on the end table. He didn't even look to know who it was. Why on earth did he ever think One Winged Angel would be a funny ringtone for Bakura?

"Bakura, what do you want? It's three in the morning!"

Bakura sounded particularly smug. "Payback's a bitch, tomb keeper," he said.

Marik scowled, running a hand through his hair. "Just tell me what you want."

"Oh, just thought I'd inform you that we'll be boarding Kaiba's jet as soon as it's ready. We should arrive in Egypt at your…ten o'clock."

"Great…" said Marik. "And you couldn't have told me this at…say…six or seven?"

"I told you, Marik," said Bakura. "Payback's a bitch."

The line went dead.

Marik sighed, pulling his phone away from his ear and staring at the screen. Stupid Ra-damned thief. He glanced over at the table next to him, and at the two decks of cards that still lay there, the duel half-finished. He hadn't expected Kaiba to agree so soon. It mustn't have been a particularly busy season for Kaiba Corp.

Ten in the morning…

He frowned, rolling over onto his other side and turning away from the duel table as he put the phone away. Good. Amane would be reunited with her brother sooner rather than later, and she would be out of his hair.

It wasn't as if he was disappointed or anything. He would be glad to see the back of her.

His frown deepened into a scowl as he threw the blanket Isis had given him further over his shoulders, closing his eyes and attempting to go back to sleep.

XxXxX

A/N: A note on Marik's reactions in the restaurant. Western women in modern day Egypt are usually thought of as being promiscuous, due to portrayal in the media, so female travelers are advised to wear loose clothing and warned that men might try to make advances. Since Amane is obviously Western, the other men in the restaurant were discussing something along those lines, and Marik was not too happy about that.

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