DIS: Er, sorry for taking so long again. I’ve had a lot on my hands, relationship wise. Finally, though, I’ve gotten around to updating this. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for reviewing even though I took forever to update. You guys really are awesome. Here is the next chapter!!

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Fingerprints: Part IX

Anzu licked her lips and wiped sweaty palms upon her thighs. She felt as though she had been caught doing something dirty that she knew she should not have been doing. Very carefully and deliberately, she rose to her feet and pasted a fake smile on her lips. This seemed to reassure Malik somewhat even though she knew that he could see that it was not a genuine smile. Her mouth was dry, yet she managed to speak to Isis directly, “Isis, hello. I hope you don’t mind that I stopped by.” More smiling; a small, innocent tilt of the head. The familiarity halted the beginning frown on Isis’s lips. “I always see Malik, but I barely ever see you. It’s kind of sad...I don’t have many female friends in Domino.”

“I agree,” Isis said at last, giving a delicate smile. “Perhaps we should catch a bit now? I know you came with Malik, but I would like to talk with you, see how you have been lately. We can leave these two alone for a moment.” Anzu’s eyes narrowed slightly, watching as the elder female threw a dark look towards the male situated at the window. She quickly glanced to see Marik turn from Isis dismissively, clearly unbothered by her attitude towards him. Anzu’s mouth thinned slightly as she turned away from him and met Malik’s gaze. He moved his head to the side slightly, panic jumping into his eyes when he saw her aggravation. “Shall we?” Isis queried after the brief pause in conversation.

“Sure.”

Anzu was led away, down the stairs and to what appeared to be the living room. It was beautifully decorated with a combination of colours, giving it a bright atmosphere. The couches were of an older fashion, but comfortable, and did not seem to have the touch of a Japanese man. She would guess, by some of the carving done, that they had come from Egypt. Isis left her briefly and then returned with a teapot and two teacups. She poured them some tea and handed Anzu a teacup. There were some sweets on a plate that Isis bade her to eat. “Malik thinks I don’t pay any attention to things in his life,” she conversationally said as Anzu ate one of the chocolate covered biscuits. Anzu took a drink of her tea and glanced at her questionably. Isis smiled her small, delicate smile again and elaborated, “Anytime that he’s come home after he’s seen you, he’s always in such a lighter mood. He adores you. I want him to be happy. His life has been such a tragedy.” Her mouth turned down and she lowered her eyes to her own teacup.

I expected to come here and hate Isis, Anzu mused, gazing across at the older female. For a moment, when I saw how she looked at Marik, I did hate her. But Marik was right. She really is only doing all of this because of Malik. She wants to help him so bad that she ends up hurting Marik and maybe she doesn’t even know it. I don’t think what she does is right – Marik deserves so much better – but I do think she is misguided. Marik even admitted to that. He hates his position, yet he realizes it’s necessary. I didn’t even when he told me. Now, looking at this...I do. “I love Malik,” Anzu quietly said, making Isis raised startled eyes to her face, “but only as a brother or a best friend. I’ve told him this. I hate that I’ve caused him so much pain. He’s really trying to be my friend. I can tell it’s hard on him, though, and I feel so awful about it. I think he understands, though. On some level, anyway.” Isis took a drink of her tea and continued to stare down at her cup for a long moment. Anzu anticipated her question before she even asked it.

“And may I ask what is between you and Marik?” Her eyes flashed to Anzu’s face, as if expecting a change in expression. However, Anzu merely stared back at her calmly. She had nothing to hide from anyone when it came to Marik, much less Isis.

“I think of him as a friend.”

“A friend?” Isis repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “Anzu, forgive me but he is a monster. Do you not recall what he did to Mai Kujaku, what he did to Jounouchi and how much he put all of your friends through? He is nothing but a heartless...monster. Even now he plagues my brother. Oh, Malik tries to brush it off, tries to make him be better, to be like one of us. Malik just doesn’t understand that it’s not possible. He has no emotions. He’s nothing but cold, cold darkness, just like he was when he had corrupted my brother’s body.” Isis had become so passionate about what she was talking about that she was gripping her cup so hard that it was shaking. When realizing what she was doing, she set the cup down and closed her eyes to calm herself. After a second, she opened her eyes to meet Anzu’s gaze again. “I cannot fathom calling him anything like a friend. You have a kind heart, Anzu, kinder than any person I know, but forgiving him for what he did to you and your friends – ”

“They’re not my friends,” Anzu abruptly said. There was a tense silence in which Isis stared at her with some shock and Anzu blinked rapidly, a bit surprised by her own words. It had never occurred to her to say such a thing, to really say out loud the truth of the situation between her and the people she had believed to be her friends. “They...never treated me like I was their friend. Not really...” Neither female said anything for a long time. Isis seemed to be absorbing Anzu’s words and Anzu was feeling depression sink its knives into her. She wanted to sit down, hug herself, and close her eyes so that she would not have to face this new, ugly world she was discovering. She wanted to return to the world that she knew, where friendship could withstand anything, where nothing went wrong, and the only problem that she had was the occasional math test.

“I am sorry,” Isis said at last. “I see that much has changed since we last spoke.”

“Yes.”

“Would it help for you to talk about it?”

Anzu shook her head, clenching her eyes tight against sudden tears. “No...I just...Can I use your bathroom, please?” Isis nodded and rose to her feet, giving her the general direction. Anzu murmured a ‘thank you’ and hurried to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Her hands slipped from the knob as she leaned against the door and slid down, biting down on her lip to stop crying. I don’t really have any friends anymore, do I? I don’t have the friends that I preached about. Our friendship was supposed to hold against anything, but...But if that was true, Honda and I wouldn’t be left behind. She snorted to herself. When did Anzu Mazaki cry over every little bad thing in life? I’m finally in Malik’s house, talking to Isis, and I get all upset over something I’ve always secretly known. She drew in a deep, steadying breath and stood up, running warm water in the sink and splashing it on her face. She splashed her face a few times and then held her hands against her cheeks for a moment and then sliding them down to cup her neck. She stared in the mirror.

“Why do I always have to worry about everyone else?” she wondered aloud, reaching out to touch the mirror, smearing water on her reflection. Anzu sighed and turned away, wiping her face with the towel hanging from a wooden pole on the wall. She received one last glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and, satisfied that she did not look too bad, she left the bathroom. When she entered the living room, Isis quickly stood up, a genuinely concerned expression on her dark features. “I’m fine, Isis, I just needed a moment to myself.” She gave a small laugh. “I guess I’m kind of silly.”

“Sometimes it is not best to keep your emotions locked in yourself,” Isis told her. She took one of Anzu’s hands in hers and encased it in both of hers. “Life will always deliver you unpleasant things, Anzu. It could be people, places, or events. So long as you acknowledge them for what they are, there should be no reason to worry. If you pretend they do not exist...You could find yourself in trouble. I am certain that you will be able to overcome this hurdle that life has thrown at you. You are strong. I know this.”

“Thank you...,” Anzu said, surprised by how much her words helped. Isis smiled and released her hand after giving it a small squeeze.

“Please, sit. The tea will help. It is an herbal remedy from Egypt. It helps me relax. Sadness, anger, stress – it all causes tension in the body. This will make it a little easier to bear with.” She poured them both another cup of tea and they lapsed into silence. Anzu nibbled on a biscuit, trying to empty her mind and stop thinking about Yuugi and Jounouchi. “During Battle City,” Isis began slowly, “I was always drinking this tea, always wondering to myself what I was doing wrong, what I had done wrong. I always thought that there was something wrong with me, that it had to be my fault that everything was falling apart in mine and my family’s life. But...The first few days that Malik had returned to himself, he told me that it was not my fault. The things that he did, he explained, and what Marik did, where their own choices. My brother knows me. Even as children, I wanted to take everyone responsibilities upon myself, even Rishid’s, and he is older than me.” She gave a reassuring smile to Anzu. “I am only saying this because I don’t want you to feel that the reason for Yuugi’s actions is your fault.”

“I know,” she replied, lowering her gaze to her cup. “I tried to keep our friendship together, but he barely put an effort into it. Jounouchi didn’t try at all. But Isis...” Anzu paused, raising her eyes to Isis’s. The older female was sincerely trying to help her right then and Anzu appreciated it, more than she could put into words. She felt horribly guilty for how negative her feelings had been towards the woman only moments before she had sat down to talk with here. It was amazing how a bit of insight in a person’s mind could change things.

“What I think is the issue here,” Isis said quite deliberately, “is that you are always concerning yourself with other’s problems.” Anzu blinked, shocked by the too-knowing look in her eyes. “Anzu, do you think that I am unaware of your feelings towards me? I know that you dislike my actions towards both my brother and Marik. I knew when you first looked at me today. I could also see that there was a deep sadness in your eyes and wanted to discover that first. I had a feeling it had something to do with your friends or my brother.” Isis sighed heavily, seeming as weary as Anzu felt. “But now I see that you are still upset...simply not because of Malik.”

“Marik deserves better than this life you’ve offered him,” she quietly responded, averting her gaze. Earlier, Isis had been so passionately angry when Marik was the topic of their conversation. It seemed that in the time Anzu had been in the bathroom, Isis had resigned herself to accepting such a conversation between them. “He is human now, Isis, and has emotions just as you or I do. You can’t continue to treat him as though he were an animal...”

“Why do you care so much? What has he done for you to make you feel so warmly towards him?” Isis queried not unkindly.

Anzu considered over the question for a moment. It seemed that since she first met Marik in the park that he had been the only one she wanted to go to for help. He was blunt in his answers, whereas other people hesitated upon being honest. She was unaccustomed to this, especially when what he said ended up being facts rather than opinions. He knew how to listen without interrupting and shared his observations of human nature with her, allowing her an insight into a world that she had lived in her entire life, but had never seen in its true form. There was something kind about Marik without him needing to be kind. She could not explain this fully to Isis; she doubted she would understand. However, Isis deserved an answer after being so patient with her on this subject. She could have threw her out of the house. Instead, she welcomed her, treated her well, and was trying to negotiate through an incredibly awkward conversation.

“I’ve been pretty naïve, I suppose, even after all the crazy people that have attacked Yuugi,” Anzu slowly said. “Marik...He’s helped me see things as they are, rather than what I want them to be. He knows so much simply from watching. I don’t watch – I’m the person that people are watching. I’ve always liked to be active. He sits back and observes, sort of like a psychologist will when he’s out in public, just to think of the different possibilities in a person’s life. To Marik, humans are these creatures being experimented on by life and he records everything to lock it away until the information needs to be used. I never thought of going about things that way and I still don’t live the way he might, always watching and listening. He does it for me, I guess, and...helps open my eyes. I never knew how messed up my friendship with Yuugi and Jounouchi were until I met him again after he was brought back.” She sighed. “I learned a lot of things through him...” She glanced to Isis, wondering if she had annoyed her; on the contrary, Isis seemed amazed by her words, although there was a slight furrow in her brow.

“Why is it that I can’t see Marik in the same light as you?” she asked quietly. “You make him sound so decent, Anzu. I don’t even know if that’s who he truly is or if that’s you’re interpretation of his character.”

“Maybe you’re just using him to protect Malik,” Anzu cautiously ventured. She recalled Marik’s warning, that if he were gone, Isis would drag Malik back to Egypt. The last thing she wanted was for Malik to end up halfway across the world. She was sure that she could not bear being away from him; he was the one person that kept her on her feet after she and her friends began to drift away from each other. “Don’t we both know that it was Malik’s misguided thoughts that led to all that chaos during Battle City?” Anzu paused, watching Isis’s facial expressions. She seemed hesitant, as if she were struggling with herself to admit that Anzu’s words were true. After a pause, she sighed and nodded faintly. “Malik knows it himself. I am not saying that Marik wasn’t at fault because on some level he was. But you know that it wasn’t entirely his fault and it seems unfair to place all of the blame on him.”

“I know this,” Isis told her before she could continue, “but it makes my heart ache to think about it. When Malik was younger, he was always so eager to see the world, to learn new things. He hated the life he was born into and I know that it was our father’s rough treatment of him that turned him bad...I just can’t stand thinking of my little brother as evil.”

“Well, he’s not evil anymore. Everyone has a bad side, Isis.” Anzu dropped her gaze, thinking that there certainly was a naughty side to Malik. Feeling her cheeks warm, she scowled to herself and then raised her gaze. A mild, amused expression on Isis’s face made her blush harder. ‘But, um...”

“We’ll discuss that look later on,” Isis told her with a small smile. Her smile faded as she fell into a deep thought with herself. “Let us abandon this for now, Anzu. I need to think about it. I would like to treat Marik differently, but it will take some time. I will never forgive him for being born through my brother. He still stole his body when Rishid was injured and I will never trust him not to mistreat us modern-day humans. To him, we are nothing but toys. Lab rats. You even admitted that he only observed us. He doesn’t even bother to try and interact with us.”

“He did with me,” Anzu reminded her softly.

“That,” she murmured, “is something I don’t think I will ever understand.” They fell silent and Anzu knew that Isis’s treatment towards Marik wasn’t going to change much. There was just something about how this conversation was going that gave her the impression that not much of anything good was coming out of it. Isis was purposely evading discussing how she could begin to treat Marik better, focusing on the past and present instead. “Actually, Anzu,” she spoke up suddenly, “I had been thinking of returning to Egypt.” Anzu’s insides froze with fright. “I don’t want to take Malik from here, especially because I know how much he loves Domino...how much he loves you.” Isis met her gaze directly. Her face turned hot with shame. “However, it would be better for him and I don’t have to worry about Marik. In Egypt, people are always watching each other. They are very wary there because of the things that have happened in the past and the things that are happening now. I can trust him there, though I’m not sure that’s the word I would use...”

“But Isis, if you think that it would be better for Malik to stay here – ”

“There is only one thing here that he will truly miss, Anzu, and that is you,” Isis interrupted before she could go any farther with those thoughts. “I think you may be the only friend he has really had in his life.” She sighed, pushing her hair from her face wearily. Anzu could see that this entire discussion was beginning to wear her out and cause some stress. Speaking of moving to Egypt was surely causing stress, likely because she knew there was going to be a fuss from Malik. And Anzu, frankly, was beginning to feel herself fuss. Her heart was beating fast with panic. How could she let yet another friend leave her? And this wouldn’t be a situation where she could simply ride the train to see him – he would be in a completely different country! “I apologize, but I have had a long day and I think it would be best if we finished our talk on another date...”

“Yes,” she agreed numbly, “that would be a good idea.” The females rose to their feet and Anzu stared at her teacup on the coffee table, staring at her shadowed reflection in the still water. She could feel Isis’s gaze on her face and hastily raised her eyes, smiling reassuringly.

“Nobody knows of my plans to return to Egypt, not even Rishid. I would be very grateful if you told no one about it.”

“Of course,” Anzu said, shifting on her feet restlessly. She had to get out of this house. She screaming inside, desperate to move, to do something other than stand and plaster false smiles on her lips. Her grip on this façade was fading and she was sure that she was about to break into a thousand pieces if she continued to hold her emotions in. Isis smiled faintly and at last, left the drawing room with Anzu following. “Where is your front door? I, uh, really need some air.” Isis’s eyes moved over her face, seeing and knowing far too much. She made no comment, however, simply making an indicative gesture to where the doors were. Anzu managed a quick ‘thank you’ and moved to the doors at as normal of a speed as she could.

Once outside, she ran around to the side of the house and leaned against the wall, taking in deep, cleansing breaths. Anzu closed her eyes, her eyebrows knitting together. Now that she was alone, she collapsed within herself, her hands and knees shaking, her lips trembling when she parted them to draw in a breath. She had been standing there for but five minutes when the soft sound of footsteps on grass alerted her to another’s presence. She jolted upright, her eyes flashing open.

“Having another breakdown, Mazaki?” Marik asked rather contemptuously. He paused a few feet from her, his arms folded over his chest. She chose not to answer, not trusting herself with any type of speech. She merely stared at him, silent and attempting to control her shaking. He eyed her and then uncrossed his arms, saying, “I mentioned Isis moving Malik away, do you recall that?” She blinked, startled. “Her thoughts are transparent to those who actually watch her.”

“You knew, then,” Anzu stated flatly. “You knew what she was planning.”

“Stupid girl,” he said in his low, rumbling voice. “Of course I knew. Why else would I have said that to you? To prepare you, what else? I had hoped you would have the intelligence not to meddle so you wouldn’t find out until Isis had us on the plane back to Egypt. Instead, you chose to ignore me and do as you wish. You have only hurt yourself this time. You are the one to blame.”

“You...are really heartless! All I have right now is Malik as a best friend and you couldn’t have had the decency to be forthright for once in your life?!” She was suddenly angry at Marik, as if he were the one who had decided this rather than Isis. “You always have to be so cryptic and rude and...just heartless and awful!” She realized she was almost screaming at him and lowered her voice, hissing, “Do you take enjoyment out of my hurt? That must be why you even bother with me now. Every day I wake up something terrible happens and you must like that or something.” She closed the space in between them and shoved against his shoulders, to take her fury out on somebody. He remained in place, watching her without any expression. “I hate you!! I hate how you think you know everything and...and...” Anzu heaved in a needed breath to continue on why she hated him, but instead she let her thoughts trail away as she stared at her hands that had been raised to shove at him again. Seeing that she was finished, Marik took her wrists and leaned forward slightly so that she was forced to meet his gaze.

“What you hate,” he whispered, “is that it isn’t going to be just Malik that you’ll miss.” Anzu stared at him in disbelief, searching for the anger that had existed just a moment ago. Finding nothing but sorrow, her face crumpled and she released a low moan, lowering her face. She was sick of him always seeing her cry and, more than anything else, she was sick of him being right. It was Marik that she was going to miss. She wasn’t even sure if she would miss Malik more than him and that frightened her more than anything else. All the wisdom and silent support that Marik gave her had done something, warped their relationship from simple acquaintanceship to friendship, if that. She couldn’t even put a label on their relationship anymore; it was too strange to explain.

“I’m so tired of crying...,” she murmured, blinking away tears. She raised her head and added, “I’m so tired of everything.” He released his loose grip on her wrists and took a step back.

“Perhaps if you stopped comparing the real world to the fantasy world you’ve been living in, you wouldn’t have as many reasons to cry,” Marik said quietly. “Have you considered that?” He raised an eyebrow in question. Anzu simply stared at him, unwilling to admit that was likely the reason for most of her tears lately. “Go inside to Malik, Mazaki,” he suggested, “and not a word about Egypt to him.” He turned to leave, but Anzu’s voice stopped his footsteps.

“Will you ever trust me as much as I trust you, Marik?” she asked.

“I trust you more than I trust myself,” he replied, turning slightly to look at her. “If I can’t even get that much trust from myself, wouldn’t you say that is rather special?” He turned again and walked away from her, his hands in his pockets. Anzu watched him for a moment and then wrapped her arms around herself, one hand resting on her shoulder and her other arm twined around her waist. She rested her cheek against her hand and sighed.

“I guess so,” Anzu absently said to herself.

TBC

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DIS: It seems that the only time I get to update is when I am sick or skip work. I had a cold when I finished this, but the ideas came before I wrote it. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this. Sorry, once again and as always, for the late update. I really have been trying. Please leave a review, telling me how you think I did. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Ciao!