Well you guys, with a grand total of two reviews, I decided to go ahead with this. (Although more would have been nice, it's a normal amount for me, so I can't expect too much more.) This chapter is really more characterization on Ishizu's part and less plot development, mainly because the true plot of this story is still in development. All I really know is that this is gonna get pretty dark. I'm planning to have fun with Mariku's character, and how he affects Ishizu's mind as he does what he does. As for what created the world that was really only hinted at in the previous chapter, well, that's going to be explained later on, too. All I can really say is that this was meant to stick as closely to canon as possible, so keep that in mind, I suppose.

Xxx

I was surrounded by white.

It shone so brightly that I could see nothing around me at all. It was so different from what I had become accustomed to that for a fleeting moment, I wondered if I had finally given in to death. It was the only reasonable explanation, really- in Mariku's world of perfect darkness, such a place as this could never exist. He would have destroyed it, along with anything and everything else. So, where was I?

Sister…

I jumped slightly- at least, it felt as though I had. In this place that clearly wasn't reality, I had no way of seeing myself to know if I had a physical presence or not. But the silence had been broken by a voice. It was a boy's voice, and the tone it carried was mildly hesitant, with a hint of surprise. Something about it was familiar, but for some odd reason, it took me a moment to pinpoint its owner.

Sister… can you hear me?

It couldn't be. No, it had to be my mind playing tricks on me, taking advantage of my broken down state. There was no possible way that I could be hearing his voice, even in a place like this. Mariku had told me that he was dead, after all. And despite all the terrible things that had happened by his hand, he had never once told me a lie. He had no reason to.

Please, answer me.

Thevoice steadily grew louder with each sentence, until it became far too obvious to ignore. What had started off as a soft whisper in the wind had become a plea from somewhere right in front of me. I hesitated before speaking. If this truly was an illusion formed by my own mind, and I was going insane, then the last thing I wanted was to play along. I was already a pawn in one game, and I didn't intend to become one in another. But what if this was real? If I had learned one thing during my time in this world, it was that anything was possible. Spirits returned from the grave, and communicated with the people of the future they should never have seen. So really, wasn't it completely plausible for him to have returned?

There was only one way to find out, wasn't there?

"Malik?" I finally said. I could feel my voice shaking. Even though these circumstances weren't the best, it had been so long since I had heard my brother's voice that I couldn't help but tear up a bit. "Malik, is that you?"

…You can hear me… He sounded relieved. Sister, I-

"Where are you?" I asked. I was sure that I was coming off as desperate, but at that moment, it was the least of my worries. Malik was really here. I was hearing his voice for the first time in what was probably ages, and all I wanted was to see him again. Even if it was nothing more than a dream, I wanted to enjoy the moment while I still could. After all, I knew that as soon as it ended, I would be back in my cramped, dark room with Mariku. If I didn't take this small chance, I would have nothing to cling to anymore.

…I'm not strong enough… I can't show myself. I'm sorry; all I can do is speak with you. Still, we don't have much time.

A small part of me felt the slightest bit disappointed at Malik's words. Seeing him would have made the encounter feel more real, after all. But I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind, calling them selfish- wasn't I lucky to even have this small of a chance? This was what I had been waiting for ever since the beginning of Mariku's reign, after all. There was so much that I wanted to say to him, so many loose ends between us that needed to be tied up.

Ishizu… sister… I'm sorry. I could hear the sadness behind Malik's words, as though he were about to cry. I couldn't stop him. I wasn't strong enough. And now, he's… All I wanted was to see my brother standing before me, so that I could embrace him, comfort him in some way- words would never be enough to reverse the damage that had been done. But all that was beyond me was an endless expanse of white.

"Please, Malik, don't do this to yourself. I don't want you to suffer, and I'm sure Rishid wouldn't either."

Rishid is dead, isn't he, sister. I swallowed, immediately regretting bringing up the name of our adopted brother. Despite being phrased as a question, there was absolutely no doubt or hope in Malik's voice. I-I killed him, didn't I.

"Malik, you didn't-"

Sister, please. Please don't lie to me anymore. I want you to tell me everything. What has he done since he took over?

I couldn't bring myself to say a single word. No matter what came to mind, it all felt completely wrong. I didn't know why I was so desperate to keep the truth hidden away from this Malik, who may or may not have existed. Even if he did exist, lying to him and saying things were alright would do him no good. No matter what, he was gone. No amount of sugarcoating would bring him back. And besides, he deserved to know. I took a deep breath, preparing to say what could never be taken back.

"He's killed people, Malik. So many, that no one knows the exact number. The entire world is shrouded in his shadows. He created exactly the world of darkness and destruction that he always said he would, and he rules over it with an iron fist."

Now it was Malik's turn to be speechless. I was sure that if his face was visible, there would be too many emotions to name mixed into his expression. No, he said, his voice reduced to a mere whisper. Sister, I never wanted this…Why did things have to end up this way…? I started to form a response, but I was cut off as a sudden grey cloud formed around me, swirling so fast that I felt the wind whipping through my hair. I'm sorry… Malik's voice was steadily growing fainter, and the sound of the wind around me as it picked up speed was almost enough to drown him out completely. Still, there was one last thing I heard him say before I started to feel a falling sensation, as though I was being dropped from wherever I was.

Save… them…

Xxx

My eyes opened abruptly to see nothing except for the far-too-common darkness. My body felt drenched in a cold sweat, the type that commonly accompanied a nightmare, and my breathing was heavy, as though I had been screaming. Still, for the life of me, I couldn't remember what had caused it. It had most likely been a nightmare, but what had it been about? I wracked my mind for answers, but at first, nothing came.

Unconsciously, I raised my fingers and brushed them against my cheek, only for them to come back wet. Were they tears? It was strange- how long had it been since I had cried about anything?

Slowly, I worked my body up into a sitting position, as I attempted to clear my head and find answers. My head ached a bit, but I paid it no attention. This dream felt as though it had been important, which was why I was so desperate to remember it. Still, everything was a complete blur.

It was completely white.

That was the first thing that I recalled about my dream. The significance still escaped me, however, so I kept digging. I had the visuals solved, but that was only half of what I needed. It hadn't been a silent dream, that much I knew.

Sister…

My eyes, still half-lidded from sleep, shot wide open. Malik. He had been in my dream, hadn't he?

After that realization, everything flooded back to me at once. Malik's words, his voice… everything that had happened in what had seemed to be only a fleeting moment was coming back. And in that instant, I remembered the tears that had never disappeared, still lingering on my cheeks. I knew without a doubt that I had been crying in my sleep. I hated myself for it, but even after I gained more control over my body, I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Not for the life that I was being forced to live; I had grown used to that long ago. Besides, there was no use crying over something that could never be changed.

Instead, I cried for my brother, and everything that he had lost. I briefly flashed back to that eleven year old boy, smiling as brightly as the sun he was being exposed to for the very first time. If Malik was truly… gone, then he would never again feel the light brushing against his skin, as he had always dreamed. He would never experience so many of the basic things that made life worthwhile. And I didn't know what made my heart hurt more- this fact, or the fact that I was the one who failed to stop it. All I did to bring us back together as a family had been for nothing.

Yes. That was all I had wanted, wasn't it? I wanted us to be together and live a normal life, away from the darkness that had restricted us for so long. Malik, Rishid, and I, the sole survivors of the Ishtar clan, living as a normal family. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to be nothing but a faraway dream. Malik was gone- this was a fact that I had been forced to accept merely by being in his presence.

Rishid, I remembered with a shudder, was in the same situation. If he had managed to come out of his coma, then Malik would, I assumed, have returned. But that would have been nothing short of a miracle. I had been with Rishid the night that everything happened, and his motionless body was one of the last things I had seen before waking in this place. I was aware of how much Mariku wanted him dead, and I had no doubt that he had been killed on the spot after I had been knocked out. The only thing I managed to be grateful for was the small fact that I hadn't been forced to watch. If I had had to witness the most likely brutal death of another family member by his hand, I was positive that it would have driven me completely insane.

And now here I was, sobbing and breaking down for the first time in several years. And yet, the more I did it, the less terrible I felt for it. I had no one left to stay strong for, did I? All those years spent comforting Malik and telling him that things would get better were over, nothing but a distant memory. I had no one to impress, and thanks to Mariku, I never would again. So, what was the point of being strong anymore? Was pride even a factor in this new world?

I sincerely doubted it. Which was why I resigned myself to burying my head in my pillow and screaming for all that had been lost, as well as the future that would never be gained.

Xxx

Alright, guys. Now I suppose I can't hold the threat of not making this a series over your heads. Aaand I'll probably end up updating whether I get reviews or not. But still, they are the nice thing to do… I had a pretty terrible day today, after all. Don't you want to make the author happy again?