Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Did My Time ❯ School ( Chapter 3 )

Ok. Well, I'm probably gonna get some negative reviews for some things said in the last chapter, particularly about Isis being taught to be subservient to Malik.

Here are my thoughts on this:

Malik and Isis were raised underground and taught in the "old ways". So many "old ways" tend to have women as being subservient to men in about every culture.

That's just how it was, and I would believe that their father would impose those same beliefs on his children.

It's the same reason that Malik would know how to write and understand hieroglyphs.

But that's just my opinion.

And one more thing. . . .I'm having problems with italics in this chapter, so please understand that // // indicates italics, which indicates Ishtar's mental voice.

~*~Did My Time~*~

by BlueMew

Chapter 3

Malik stared down at his hands as he doodled the hieroglyphs he used most frequently when writing as a child in his exam booklet, bored as he sat in the cafeteria wearing one of Joey's extra school uniforms so he would blend in with the rest of the students. The entire senior class had exams today, and he sat in the middle of a pack of students taking this same exam as best he could without being able to read and understand the formal language on a higher level than he used at work.

So he would fill in an answer if he felt like it, but instead continued writing messages to Ishtar in the vain hope that his yami would come visit him just for a while today. Ishtar could be great company if he behaved; better than the company of silent companions, more concerned about the piece of paper in front of them than the new addition to their group.

"Psst. Namu…" Joey leaned over from his seat next to the Egyptian, calling him by his former alias because it sounded more like the names of the rest of the students. "Quit drawing pictures and write normal so the instructor doesn't yell at you."

Malik just narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the blond. "I am writing."

So instead of finishing his own exam, Joey stared over at Malik's test booklet and the hieroglyphs that he continued to etch on its pages. Sometimes, he noticed, Malik would write something, and then hold his hand with the pencil above a blank piece of paper, and it would scribble down some more pictures, which were similar to others Malik had drawn before, but the other set of hieroglyphs seemed sloppier, as if done by someone else.

But Joey didn't want to think on that. The two minute warning had just been given, so he had to quickly fill in answers so he could finish his exam.

"Pencils down." Groans of disapproval and sighs of relief filled the cafeteria as the students complied with the instruction. "Pass your tests to the left and then you are dismissed."

Malik followed suit, handing his test booklet along with all the others from the rest of the row to the girl on his left, then stood, shoving his hands in the pockets of the blue slacks as he walked next to Joey. "I can't believe more people don't go insane from the tedium. And thanks for letting me sit with you. If I would have known that Yugi was in a smaller class I wouldn't have come."

"It's no problem Namu. If Yugi trusts you now, I'll trust you too." Joey smiled as he led the platinum blond over to where Yugi, Tea, and Tristan were waiting so the five could walk to the game shop now that they were finally done with school.

Malik remained silent as the four friends caught up with each other about how their respective days had passed, and which exam they had thought to be the most difficult. Malik had to chuckle as Joey tried to describe the "picture-book" he had made, and laughed heartily when Yugi and himself had to explain about how the ancient Egyptians wrote to the chocolate eyed blond.

If having friends to laugh with was one of the perks of being schooled, Malik was devastated that his family had been so backward in their way of thinking.

It was not until they finally reached the game shop that attention began to focus to the real reason Malik was with the group. Tea had asked what brought Malik to school in the first place and also what had happened with him after Battle City, because he wasn't as scary as he had been then.

Malik just sighed as he sat in one of the chairs near a gaming table, pulling one of his old decks out of the coat pocket. "I've been surviving Tea, and well, time changes us all." He looked down at his deck, immediately pulling a change of heart card. "I haven't touched Duel Monster cards since Battle City, and I haven't wanted to."

Tea sat down at a table near his, turning the chair so she could see into his eyes. "Then why do you have a deck with you?"

"This?" Malik raised the deck so all could see it as Tristan, Joey, and Yugi sat down around the table as well. "Yugi gave it back to me this morning. See, one of my Rare Hunters came in here after all his years of service, and sold my cards to Yugi's grandfather, so Yugi kept the cards for me all these years."

Joey glared over at Yugi, who just shrugged as he smiled. "Something funny's going on here. . . .God Yugi, don't tell me you've taken Malik as your lover or something."

To that, Malik couldn't help but laugh. He'd been called many things during his life, but never a man's lover. "Gods Joey! I've been in the sanitarium, not prison! I've never had a man, nor have I wanted one!"

Tea, Tristan, and Joey froze upon hearing those words. They had known Malik to be insane while at the Battle City tournament, but to hear him admit to being institutionalized? That was quite unnerving, especially since Isis had explained how Malik had murdered his own father.

"I. . .I think I was supposed to go buy new ballet slippers tonight." Tea whispered, grabbing her purse tightly to her side as she hurried out the door.

"I'll go with you!"

"Me too!" Both Joey and Tristan trotted out after Tea, hoping to get as far away from the lunatic as they possibly could.

Malik just sighed as he watched them go. "Why don't you run with them too? Apparently I'm still not ready to live a normal life."

Yugi shook his head, standing and grabbing Malik's hand to lead him upstairs. "You've been living a normal life Malik." The boy whispered, closing the door behind the two. "You're just going through what I went through when Yami first started speaking to me."

//Malik. . . .I'm just in the other room. . . .come get me so we can be together, forever. . .//

Malik grabbed his head, slamming his eyes shut as Ishtar's voice entered his mind yet again. "I'm not releasing you."

//I love you Malik. Do you love me?//

"STOP IT!" The Egyptian screamed as he sank to his knees still holding his head. "I WANT TO BE NORMAL, SO LEAVE ME ALONE ISHTAR!"

"Malik!?!" Yugi shouted, shaking his elder by the shoulders. "Malik! Snap out of it! Send Ishtar away forever! Banish him to the Shadow Realm!"

//The pharaoh took everything from you Malik. . . .even me. I was the one who provided you support. I prayed to Ra every day for your safety and health. I am the only one you can count on, my beautiful boy. Kill the pharaoh and your suffering will end.//

"K-kill?" He was visibly trembling now as his body was plagued by sobs. "I can't kill anyone Ishtar, and especially not Yugi. He's my friend now."

//I SAID KILL THE PHAROAH!//

"MALIK!" With a crack of a hand across his cheek, Malik blinked back to reality, staring through tear-filled eyes at the boy in front of him. "Sorry, but I didn't want Ishtar to win, so I had to bring you back to reality any way I could. Do you want some ice for your cheek?"

"No, I'll be fine." Picking up his borrowed jacket from the floor, Malik headed toward the bathroom. "I'm going to shower first, then if I could have some dinner, I'll finish my story Yugi."