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Chapter 3

Trust

Mimiki slept deeply for a long time that night, so long that she had skipped lunch and dinner. Her family became concerned about her health. They figured that she hadn't completely adjusted to the time difference yet since they had only been living there for one week. It was also a lot hotter than they were accustomed to, so they also assumed heat might've been a big factor as well. They checked up on her, making her drink water periodically to keep her hydrated. But even after she consumed the water, sleep was still the victor.

The sun peeked through her curtains the next morning. She turned over and opened her eyes slowly. She laid there for a while as she tried to mentally wake up. She sat up in a daze and rubbed her eyes. She noticed that she still had her clothes on from the day before.

'Why do I still have my clothes on? Did I fall asleep while watching TV?' she thought.

Her hair was shambles and she felt dirty. She decided to get up and shower. After freshening up, she combed part of her hair into two buns and let the rest flow down her back. She grabbed a pair of white shorts and a blue top from her dresser. As she got dressed, she tried to remember what had happened the day before, but for some reason she couldn't remember.

'Mom and I went to the market...we separated and I bought…'

Nothing was coming to mind at the moment until she looked on top of her dresser. She had a couple of perfume bottles sitting beside a stuffed bear.

'Perfume...ah yes! My lotus perfume!'

She quickly rummaged through her bag and found the perfume. She smiled and sprayed some on her wrist. She inhaled the scent and felt more relaxed and let out a deep breath. She sprayed more on around her neck and placed the bottle on her dresser. She looked in the mirror to make sure she was presentable. Hair and clothes were in order and her tan skin was perfectly moisturized. She smiled softly as everything checked out. Her eyes roamed to her chest. Something was missing, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The faint smell of breakfast entered her room and made her stomach grumble. She decided to forget about it and went downstairs. She was sure that she would remember what she had forgotten after she had some food to eat.

Marik tossed and turned in his bed. He was still in shock from the day before. His father was dead and he understood that it was the pharaoh's fault. He was angry. Now he didn't have a mother or a father. His anger subsided when he thought about how he met a beautiful girl who lived on the surface and he still didn't know her name. She intrigued him and he wanted to know more about her and her world. She seemed to be knowledgeable about the things he was interested in and although he hated to admit it, his father wasn't there to stop him from leaving the tomb anymore. The clan seemed to be in a disarray now that he was dead. Marik thought about going out and trying to find her, but after yesterday's events, she seemed really frightened by him and he couldn't understand why. He balled his sheets in his fist.

'But how can I see her again? She could be anywhere…and even if I did see her again, what would I say to her?'

He sat up and looked at his desk. When he saw her necklace, he remembered that she had dropped it after she ran away. He grabbed the jewelry and prayed that the necklace would give him an opportunity to see her again. He hoped that she would accept him although he was so different from her. Marik prepared himself for the rest of the day. He was determined to see her again. He walked past Odion's room on his way to the entrance. He was still sleeping and Ishizu was still sleeping by his bedside. Marik took this opportunity to try to find her. As he walked up the stairs to the outside, his legs trembled a little as he remembered back to yesterday, but he threw his fear aside. He would make sure that nothing bad happened this time.

Mimiki's footsteps were heard as she walked downstairs. Her family quickly met her at the bottom of the stairs. "Mimiki you're awake! How are you feeling honey?"

"I'm fine, mom." They all hurried and hugged her.

"We were so worried about you! Especially when your mother said she found you on the ground at the market!" her father said.

Mimiki returned their hugs. "I'm okay, really. Thanks for your concern." As she stayed in their embrace, her mind started wondering. 'I'm okay...right?'

The silence was broken quickly as Sumie started speaking. "Come now! I bet you're hungry! Let's eat!"

She followed them all to the kitchen. She ate her food slowly, trying her best to remember what happened the day before. Most of it seemed like a blur, as if she didn't want to remember. While getting ready to eat more eggs, she dropped some in her shirt. She quickly cleaned her mess and touched her chest again. She kept touching it and felt like something was missing. Then it finally hit her — the necklace.

'My necklace! Where's my necklace?'

She quickly finished her breakfast and headed back to her room. She looked through her bag that she took to the market and searched every pocket.

"It's not here! Did I drop it at the market?"

She closed her eyes as she sat on the floor and tried to remember. Then she remembered the boy she met there. How could she forget him, especially after she accidentally stepped on his hand? When she thought about him again, she remembered his cute lavender eyes and his platinum blonde hair. Along with his lack of knowledge of the modern world, she couldn't figure out how she could forget such a person like him.

'I must've dropped it there after I met him! I hope it's still there…'

She grabbed her bag and ran out the door before her parents could say anything. She just had to have her necklace back.

Marik made his way to the market again. He searched around hoping to see Mimiki. So far his search was in vain, but he wouldn't give up; he had to see her again. After a short break, he began to search the stalls again.

Mimiki ran back to the place where she had met Marik and looked for her necklace. Unfortunately for her, it didn't turn up anywhere and she lost a little hope. She grew attached to it pretty quickly. She went back to the stall to buy another one.

"Excuse me, sir. May I buy another moonstone necklace please?" she asked as she pulled her wallet out. The old man looked up at her and smiled.

"Ah, the young lady from yesterday. How are you? Are you happy with your necklace?"

"Yes...but to tell you the truth, I misplaced my necklace. I've been looking for it all day and I can't find it. Is it okay if I buy another one from you?"

The old man's smile transformed into a frown. "I'm sorry young lady, but we're sold out. I sold that last one not too long after you had purchased yours. I don't know when I'll get another shipment at the moment."

Mimiki was heartbroken as she quickly stuffed her wallet back into her bag. "Okay...thank you sir."

The man nodded and she walked away with her head down. She became a little glassy eyed and walked to the edge of the market near the desert. She then sat down on a bench next to a stall and looked out to the desert and brought her knees to her chest.

'Lost among the desert sands…'

Marik continued to search for a while. His search was becoming a lot harder than he thought. He never thought that it would be this hard to find a girl, especially with the foreign clothes that she was wearing. He walked to the edge of another part of the market that met with the desert sands. He thought about giving up for now. Ishizu and Odion would surely be waking up soon. Marik sighed and started to walk into the desert. He walked a few feet in and turned back to the market. Then something caught his eye. He saw Mimiki stand up and walk into the crowd.

"Wait!" he yelled.

Mimiki didn't hear him and continued to walk further. She walked faster and faster, wanting to get home before her parents got too worried again. Marik tried to catch up with her, but he lost her in the crowd. He cursed under his breath at his lost chance. He gave up and decided to return home. His heart felt a little crushed. He prayed that he wouldn't miss his chance to see her again.

Marik arrived back just in time before his siblings awakened. He snuck back into bed and decided to take a nap. The hot desert sun took a toll on him more than he thought it would. Before he fell asleep, he prayed again.

'Please...give me a sign on where I can see her again!'

Soon sleep enveloped him and Marik started dreaming immediately. He found himself standing at a small oasis. The full moon was high in the sky, shining brightly on the water's surface.

'What am I doing here? Why am I here?' he thought.

He looked around and saw Mimiki sitting at the water's edge, curled up into a ball. She was looking up to the sky, admiring the stars. Marik's face instantly lit up. 'It's her!'

He ran up to her and smiled. He had eye contact with her as she stood up. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you." she said.

Suddenly, Marik jumped up from his slumber.

'What a weird dream. What did it mean?' he thought.

Marik started to remember what he dreamt about. A feeling of determination came over him. Maybe his prayer was answered after all. He would find out tonight.

The full moon was high in the sky. The streets were growing quiet as everyone retired for the night. Mimiki sat at her window looking into the night sky. The moon reminded her of her necklace and she released a disappointed sigh. She really wanted her necklace back. Soon everything grew quiet. She still had a lot of energy from sleeping for so long, so she was the only one awake in the house. As she kept looking at the moon, she felt like she had to leave, like she had to escape from her bedroom. She quietly walked downstairs and slipped out of the house. Mimiki walked around aimlessly, just letting her feet take her where she needed to go.

She ended up walking to an oasis nearby. She remembered seeing it when they moved to the town. The moon's light was calming and inviting as it danced on the surface. Mimiki walked up to the water's edge and sat down. The moon and the stars fascinated her and captured her attention. She finally felt some peace.

Marik snuck out once again to find Mimiki. He quietly closed the entrance and walked around until he found the area in his dream. After a short while, he arrived at the oasis. He quickly scanned the area and found his prize.

'She really is here!'

She didn't notice him as he walked closer to her.

'What would I say to her? She was frightened last time...' Marik buried his fears away and tried to trust himself. He could only do the best he could with his very limited knowledge on how to talk to girls. He got closer and she still didn't notice him. Marik decided to break the silence by clearing his throat. Mimiki quickly turned to him and jumped up while letting out a small shriek.

"You're that boy from yesterday!"

Marik smiled at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I frightened you."

Mimiki stood quietly for a minute as she calmed down.

"It's okay...I was too interested in my stargazing to notice you. I should be more aware of my surroundings...that's what my parents tell me to do, anyways..." she said as she dusted some sand from her shorts. "So what brings you out here? Did you come here to think too?"

Marik shook his head in disagreement. "No, not really. I was just taking a walk and I ended up here." he lied. He didn't want to tell her about his dream in fear of scaring her away again.

"Oh...yeah I kind of did the same thing. The moon and stars were so pretty that I ended up just sitting here. The moon also reminded me of a necklace that I bought yesterday. I lost it and now I can't find it. He man who sold it to me didn't have anymore left. I'm really disappointed."

Marik felt a little bad for her, but he knew that she'd be happy once it returned it to her.

"Are you talking about this necklace?" he asked as he showed it to her. Mimiki's face lit up instantly.

"My necklace! You found it!" she exclaimed as he handed it to her. She tried to put it on, but had a hard time.

"Here, let me help you."

Mimiki moved her hair out of the way as he clipped the clasp together. "All done."

Mimiki turned to him and smiled sweetly as she touched her necklace. "Thank you."

Marik blushed again. He was happy that he found her again. He found that she was more beautiful in the moonlight.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry!" he said abruptly. Mimiki looked at him weirdly.

"Sorry about what? You didn't do anything wrong. You managed to find my necklace. There's nothing wrong with that. It's not like you stole it from me or something..." she said before giving him a cross look. "You didn't steal it from me, did you?!"

Marik waved his hands in defense! "No, of course not!"

Mimiki giggled. "I know that you didn't. I was just playing around." she admitted. "But seriously, thank you for finding it! I was searching for it once I realized it was missing after I returned from the market with my mom. It was the worst!"

Marik was perplexed at her lack of fear towards him. "So you left from here with your mother? You didn't do anything else afterwards?"

Mimiki shook her head. "Nope. I was really tired and I fell asleep while waiting for my mom to finish shopping. She found me and we went home and I took a really long nap. I just moved here a week ago from Japan. I think that the jet lag caught up to me. Why do you ask?"

'She doesn't even remember what happened? How strange...maybe it's best if she didn't remember. I don't even want to remember what happened yesterday. I won't tell her about it until I'm ready to deal with my father's death myself.'

"Oh yes, of course. You're right. Naps are great, aren't they?"

Mimiki giggled again. "Yes, I love a good nap! By the way, what's your name? I don't believe we properly introduced ourselves. My name is Mimiki. Mimiki Minami. Nice to meet you!" she said.

Marik was surprised at how friendly was was. "You want to know my name?" he asked.

Mimiki nodded. "Well, sure! I just can't call you "the boy from the market" now, can I?"

Marik smiled at her comment. "No, I guess that you can't. I'm Marik Ishtar. It's nice to meet you too. You have a pretty name, Mimiki."

"Thank you. You're the first kid I've met here since I moved here. I haven't made any friends yet."

Marik's excitement got the best of him when she quickly asked "Do you want to be friends with me? I don't have any friends."

Mimiki felt sorry for him. She had friends her whole life and couldn't imagine how'd it be if she never had any. "None at all?"

"No. I only have my older brother and sister now." he sad sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't mind being your friend. I think that it'll be nice!" she said excitedly. "Friends?" she asked as she held out her hand.

Marik smiled as his heart jumped and he grabbed her hand. His hand felt warm and she felt a feeling of warmth with his handshake, as if she could trust him. Her doubts from yesterday completely vanished. She suddenly wanted to know more about him, especially after hearing some of the things he told her. He also felt a sense of peace with her as well. He instantly trusted her and felt like he could tell her everything...almost everything. He didn't want to bring up yesterday's events. He had to do his best not to tell her. The warm feelings that they shared felt natural, as if they had been friends forever.

"It's getting late. Shall I walk you home?" he offered.

"That would be nice. Thank you."

Marik followed Mimiki back to her house. She released a sigh of relief when she noticed that her family was still asleep. "Well this is my house."

Marik looked at it in amazement. He had never seen a real house before. It was a medium sized two story sandstone colored brick house with a moderate amount of windows. Potted plants sat near the door. The front yard was a bit small, but it blended in nicely with the rest of the quiet neighborhood. Before Mimiki unlocked the door, she turned to Marik. "Come and see me again soon, okay?"

"Sure. I'll be waiting."

Mimiki smiled and waved goodbye as she entered the house. Marik smiled widely as he walked back home. He felt like he could do anything. He was happy to finally have someone to call a friend.

Marik snuck quietly back into the tomb. He thought he was in the clear as he snuck into bed until an all too familiar voice alarmed him.

"And just where have you been Marik?"

Marik turned around to meet his sister's angry glare. She had been waiting for him once she found out that he was missing for the past hour and a half. She ran herself ragged around the compound to find him. She originally had awoken to fetch a cup of water for herself but had put in on hold. She was running on E and she had the dark circles under her eyes to prove it. He swallowed nervously as she walked towards him with a lamp in hand.

"Big sister! Hello!"

Ishizu glared harder at him. His acting as if he didn't nothing wrong wasn't going to help him this time.

"Don't you "hello big sister" me Marik! You've been gone for a while! We were worried about you! I couldn't find you anywhere! Where have you been?!"

Marik sat up in his bed and fumbled with his fingers to find a way to tell her the truth. He prayed that she didn't get too upset with him considering yesterday's events.

"I'm sorry Ishizu. I went to the surface again…"

Ishizu's eyes widened in surprise with a mix of anger. She almost dropped her lamp. "Again?!"

Marik flinched at her voice. She had yelled a lot louder than he thought.

"I'm sorry sister, but I had to! I had to return Mimiki's necklace to her!"

"Who's Mimiki?" she asked sharply.

"The girl that was here yesterday…" he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

Ishizu's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes held fire now. "Marik! I forbid you to see that girl! She knows too much about us! She could tell anyone! Didn't I tell you to forget everything you saw yesterday?! That included her too!"

Marik felt like his world was about to shatter. "But sister! You don't know her like I do! I feel that I can trust her!" he protested.

Ishizu placed the lamp on his desk and transformed into a dramatic fit.

"Oh yes, of course! You're right, Marik. You do know her a lot better than I do. Please explain how the hell you know her so well when you just met her yesterday! You don't know anything about her except for her name!"

Marik grew angry and growled. "I know enough to know that I can trust her! You can't stop me from seeing her! I'll show you! You'll see!" he yelled as he buried himself in his sheets.

"Marik!" Ishizu exasperated, gritting her teeth. 'Dammit boy!'

Marik continued to ignore her. Ishizu yelled in frustration and left the room. She would definitely make him understand. Unbeknownst to the siblings, Odion stood outside the room and listened. He managed to get out of bed despite his injuries. Ishizu had tended to them and wrapped him in many bandages. He felt sorry for Marik and wanted to make sure he was happy, especially now that Mr. Ishtar had passed away. He let out a stressed sigh before returning to his room. He decided that he would have to examine this recent development further.