Our Whole New World

by RobynHood3

A telling of Aladdin through the use of Yu-Gi-Oh characters! An AtemxOC story.

Hi... I know I am probably the worst person on the planet right now since I haven't posted anything since... Oh... Last year give or take a month or so... I am absolute trash. 'Seduce Me' trash but still trash all the same.

I want to apologize profusely for leaving you guys in the dark for so long! College has been a pain, especially when it comes to my science and language requirements that I'm not excited about. I'm finishing those up this semester so things should be getting easier. Note the word 'should'.

I wanted to give you all a gift as an apology for my horribleness. After seeing many of the comments on my Yugioh 'Phantom of the Opera' story, including the one where I should do a Beauty and the Beast one which I am actually considering, I got this idea. I wrote this story after the last semester ended when I returned to my childhood Aladdin phase. Aladdin was always my favorite Disney movie growing up; I quote the Genie and many of the famous lines all the time at home. After putting a lot of work into this, I decided that I wanted to give this to you all as thanks for sticking with me for so long and as my apology.

Now for legal basis: I don't own Yugioh (Cast or anything else), and if you recognize anything from any other stories, I don't own those either (Nithul has an amazing Puzzleshipping Aladdin story that was a definite help when I was writing this since she had all the words for the songs, which had to be rearranged since my main character is a woman but I don't make Yami a total damsel in distress, and other things that watching the clips from the movie repeatedly can't get so a big shoutout to her!). This also uses one or two of the outtakes from the Aladdin movie that was released soon after Robin Williams' passing so letting you all know now.

So, without further ado, I present "Our Whole New World".

The sun was a little past noon in the market place and many of the stalls were surrounded by many people. Through the crowds, two children raced through the market as fast as their little legs could take them until the smaller one, a little girl, had to stop to pant for air.

"Slow down, Yugi!" She panted out. "You run faster than I do!"

The boy stopped before turning back around to face his sister. The boy had tri-colored gravity defying hair and light amethyst eyes. The little girl had dark black hair and light green eyes, so she was a near carbon copy of her mother except some parts were like her father's. The little boy was slightly darker skinned than his sister but nobody questioned it because of their parentage.

"Amira." He sighed. "I have shorter legs than you, so you should be able to keep up."

"That's not an excuse, Yugi!" Amira huffed petulantly, only making her older brother laugh.

She wanted to retort but something caught Amira's eye. A new merchant was setting up his stall across the way. The man and his partner were setting stuff out but it seemed like no one else but Amira and her brother could see them. She glanced at Yugi then turned back to the new merchants. Their hair was slightly wild from the desert winds but that wasn't the strangest thing about them. One of the men's hair, the one with the slight grouch, had bright white hair and the other, the man with the cackling grin, had golden blond hair. Amira had never seen strange hair like that other than the type her father and her brother had. "Do you know those two, Yugi?" She asked. Her brother shook his head.

"Let's go check it out." Yugi said before the two children went over to the stall and peeked their heads to see the stuff.

The men didn't seem to notice them at first but the white haired man elbowed his friend and the grinning man jumped over to the edge of the table to look at them.

"Salaam, good friends." He greeted. "Please, please come closer!"

Amira came as close as she could to the wooden stall so she stood on the tips of her toes to still be able to see. Yugi was just tall enough to see without having to come as close. "Welcome to the stall with the best merchandise on this side of the river Nile! Look at this! Yes, yes!" The man picked up a strange contraption that the two children had never seen before. "Combination Hookah and Coffee maker! Also makes Julian fries!" He began to knock it against the side of his table. "Will not break. It will not…." The object he was hitting on the table suddenly exploded into numerous pieces. "It broke…" Amira giggled and Yugi rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. The man suddenly picked another object up. "Oh, look at this. I have never seen one of these intact before. This is the famous Dead Sea Tupperware. Listen." A spitting sound came from behind the man as he lifted the lid of the strange object and it stopped when the lid was shut. "Still good!" The man laughed when Amira did. Yugi tugged at her wrist then.

"We should go." He suggested. "Mom and Dad will be looking for us."

"Ok…" Amira relented sadly.

She was going to wave goodbye but the other man soon spoke up loudly.

"Wait, don't go!" The white haired man waved his arms animatedly.

The two children stopped and looked back to the man. "I can see that you are only interested in the exceptionally rare. I think you would be most rewarded to consider this." He pulled out a small lamp. The shape of the lamp was similar to the design of their blankets and some of the artwork at home. They came back toward the table, curiosity shining in their eyes as they looked it over. "Do not be fooled by its common place appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts."

Amira and Yugi glanced to each other then back to the man. How could this little lamp mean so much? "This is no ordinary lamp! It once changed the course of a young woman's life. A young woman who, like this lamp, was more than what she seemed. A diamond in the rough."

That struck a chord in the elder of the children. Something in the back of his mind clicked but he couldn't remember from where. "Perhaps you would like to hear the tale?" Amira and Yugi nodded excitedly, all thoughts of their parents searching for them quickly leaving their minds. "It begins on a dark night, where a dark man waits, with a dark purpose…"

Years earlier

The night was dark indeed as the sun had set hours ago over the desert sands. A solitary man was waiting on his horse until he heard the stampings of another horse. The man jumped off his horse when they were next to each other and the brown haired young man, named Rex, looked up to the other man.

"You're late." The man huffed, his voice tight with annoyance.

"A thousand apologies, oh patient one." Rex gave the title with a very intricate huff of annoyance.

"You have it then?" The man asked.

"I had to slit a few throats but I got it!" Out of his tunic, Rex pulled out half of a golden scarab. The other man held out his hand for the piece but Rex pulled it back. "Ah ah ah…" He tsked and held out his other hand. "The treasure… Yeouch!"

The exclamation of pain had come because of the large bird that was perched on the other man's shoulder. It was a strange color, a sort of lime green shade adorned the feathers. The bird brought the golden half to its master, quickly dropping it into his hand.

"Don't worry, my pungent friend. You'll get what's coming to you."

"What's coming to you… Hehehehe…" The bird mimicked, its voice strained with bird like laughter.

The moon suddenly came out from behind the desert clouds and revealed the other man's face. He was pale and his hair, much like his bird, was a light shade of emerald green. The man's eyes were an entrancing yellow color but it only scared the smaller man. Out of the man's robes, he pulled…. To Rex's surprise, it was the other half! How in the gods' name did he manage to find the other piece?! The man placed the pieces together and the completed scarab began to glow brightly.

Suddenly, it flew out of the man's grasp, flew around him a single time before shooting off into the desert.

"Quickly, after the trail!" The man shouted.

Rex jumped back onto his horse and the two shot off following the golden trail left behind. They raced around countless sand dunes until the golden scarab plunged into the sand. The two men stopped just in time to feel the earth shake beneath them. They backed up slowly as the sand shifted and churned and soon, an animal like head appeared, created by the sand itself. The mouth was wide open and light somehow illuminated down the large throat. "After all my years of searching…" The man breathed. "The Cave of Wonders."

"By Ra…" Rex breathed as well but the other man didn't let him off too easily.

He grabbed Rex by his tunic and held him up to his face.

"Remember…" The man began in a threatening voice. "Bring me the lamp! The rest of the treasure is yours but the lamp… is mine!"

Rex nodded his head quickly so the taller man dropped him back to the sand and watched Rex begin his small trek to the opening of the mouth.

"The lamp!" The bird shrieked in its annoying voice. "The lamp!"

The bird then looked over to its master and began to speak in a very squeaky voice. "Seriously, where did you dig this bozo up?"

The taller man shushed him gently then they both turned back to watch Rex. As soon as Rex was just about in the large animal's mouth, a large gust of air blew him out and into the sand.

"Who dares disturb my slumber?!" The large sand animal roared.

"It… It is I, Rex, the humble thief." Rex slid to the sand in a low bow.

"Know this, only one may enter here." The large animal bellowed. "One whose worth lies far within: A diamond in the rough!"

Rex turned back to the other man, his arms in an expression that said fear and confusion.

"What are you waiting for?" The man asked before shooing Rex in. "Go on!"

Rex took a deep breath then walked back toward the cave mouth. He made the mistake of taking a relieved breath when he took the first step. The cave began to shake violently, the lights inside flaring brightly. Rex screamed and fought to escape but the mouth shut too fast. Nothing remained of the thief, even as the mouth of the cave began to speak again.

"Seek me out, the diamond in the rough." The voice of the sand animal echoed across the desert and when everything was calm again, the bird popped out of the sand, its face contorted into extreme rage.

"We're never going to get that lamp, are we?" The bird huffed petulantly as he collected the two pieces of the golden scarab.

"We will, Weevil. We will, just be patient." The man soothed the angry bird. "It seems that Rex was less than worthy."

"The understatement of the dynasty." Weevil deadpanned.

Weevil would have gone on but the taller man gave him a dirty look.

"Only one may enter…" He breathed out. "I must find this one, this diamond in the rough."

---

A few days later, miles away from collapsed pit of sand that was the Cave of Wonders, ran a young woman with an intricate loaf of bread clasped in her hands. She was average height for a woman but wore nothing of the sort that was fashionable for a woman. She wore linen pants, long dirtied from her running from the guards and a royal purple top that she had pieced together from things thrown away. Her long black hair was pulled back with only a small band to keep it out of her green eyes. She was on the top of a building, stopping just shy of the edge.

"Stop!" She froze and turned back.

The guards were close on her heels, just coming up the steps to the roof of the clay building. At the helm was Zigfried, with his iconic long pink hair. "I'll have your hands for a trophy, street mouse!" The girl sighed.

"All this for a loaf of bread?"

With another glance back, the girl then jumped off the side of the building. Of course this seemed like a dumb idea but the girl did this often enough that she figured that she could find a way down about half way to the bottom. Using the different clothes hung out to dry, she maneuvered herself around, eventually landing in a heap, covered with clothes. She pulled herself free and caught the loaf of bread.

"You won't get away from us that easily!" One of the guards shouted down to her.

"You think that was easy?" She called back.

The girl turned to where some of her friends, well more acquaintances, were sitting by and laughing at her predicament, out of the sun. The girl's attention was the taken by Zigfried's reappearance down the alleyway. She pulled free of the clothes and somehow landed gracefully among their midst, a cloth to cover her head as a disguise. "Good morning, dearies." She greeted.

"Getting into trouble a little early today aren't we, Hana?" Her 'friend' Mai teased.

"You're going to get yourself killed one day." Anzu huffed at her.

Hana waved her hand, gracefully ignoring their teasing.

"You're only in trouble if you're caught!" She taunted at the world.

The world liked to prove her wrong. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she was pulled out of her small disguise and into Zigfried's face.

"Caught 'cha!" He cheered.

"I'm in trouble!" Hana muttered.

"And this time…!" Zigfried wasn't able to finish his threat since his elaborate head piece was pushed over his head by a golden monkey.

The monkey squeaked happily at his victory over the taller man.

"Perfect timing, Malik, as usual." Hana commented and the words immediately went to the monkey's head as the monkey bowed.

Malik and Hana had been together since she was 10, about eight years ago now. After her parents had died in a bandit raid, Hana had come here to the capital to find sanctuary and perhaps a relative or two but found none. She and Malik often streaked across the town to gather anything they needed to survive, even if they had to steal it. "Let's get out of here!" Malik jumped over to Hana's shoulder and they took off down the alley.

"Get back here, you!" Hana heard Zigfried shriek. "You'll pay for the things that you've stolen!"

Hana loved to antagonize Zigfried, mostly because he made her life so difficult, so she just barely stuck her head out the window and called back to the captain.

"I steal only what I can't afford!" She called.

"That's everything!" One of the guards called back.

Hana and Malik looked to each other and both shrugged.

"Well, when they put it that way…" Hana left off with a giggle before she took off again.

They made it to the top of a large pile of beer before the guards caught them again. "Dang, these guys really don't appreciate that I'm broke!" She kicked one of the barrels down and it collided with the guards.

"Riff raff!" One cried up.

"Street mouse!" Two more groaned.

"Scoundrel!"

"Take that!" A guard had gathered some melons that threw them up at Hana but she dodged them quite easily.

"Just a little snack, guys?" She asked sweetly but her plea was answered with swords and axes thrown to which she had to dodge quickly. "I can take a hint, gotta face the facts." Hana jumped off the pile of beer caught Malik's open hands and into a window. "You're my only friend, Malik."

Of course, she landed in a male workhouse and while the inner girl inside was screaming loudly, Hana barely even looked at their exposed chests.

"Morning, gentlemen." She greeted.

"On the run again?" Tristan asked, a smile on his face.

"When would a day come when I wasn't?" Hana asked in a retort.

"Nice to see you too." Duke replied as he walked by.

The guard's voices appeared at the entrance. Hana looked to Tristan and he sighed.

"You know the way." He sighed.

"Thank you!" She cried out softly. "I love you!"

"Yes yes now go!"

She bowed dramatically before she dashed out the secret exit and back onto the streets.

"I think I'll take a stroll around the block." She said good naturedly to Malik, who giggled in his own way.

The stroll didn't last long as the guards had suddenly found her. "Let's not be too hasty, gentlemen." The pointed swords told her otherwise. Hana sighed. "Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat; otherwise, we'd get along!"

"Wrong!" All the guards shrieked before they jumped to dog pile her but she was too fast for them.

Hana bolted again. She ran down different alleys before they soon began to fill up with guards. The girl eventually climbed up the stairs, picking up a carpet off the ground, and before she enacted her plan, turned to face the guards that had come in.

"Better throw my hand in…. Wish me happy landing cause all I gotta do it jump!"

Hana threw herself out of the window, the carpet underneath herself and Malik and watched as the guards tried to throw themselves after her but only succeeded in landing in a pile of 'fertilizer' from a nearby merchant.

The two landed gracefully and with a high five, Hana broke the bread in half. "And now, esteemed effendi, we feast!" She handed one half to Malik but before she took a bite of her own half, she noticed something across the alley they had landed in. Two children were looking into jars to see if anyone had left anything. When they noticed that Hana was watching them, they shrunk back to hide behind the jar. The hunger that panged her stomach stopped and she figured that anything she would put in it for a while would taste like ashes. Hana remembered when she had to do that once and saw herself in those children.

Hana looked over to her monkey friend and Malik, like the petulant child he was sometimes, bit into the piece of bread with a loud chomp. Hana shook her head but stood up anyway. She walked over to the children and held out the half of bread to them. "Here." She said softly. "Go on, take it." After a moment of hesitation, the two did take it and Hana gave them a soft smile before she turned to walk out of the alley.

Malik, after watching that display, soon noticed that the bread turned to ashes in his mouth. He glanced down to his bread than to the children. As the children were eating the bread his friend had given them, Malik walked over and handed his over with a slight huff, like he didn't wish to be shown up. The children giggled and rewarded his good deed with a scratch underneath his chin.

Music erupted in the street so Malik raced after Hana to see what was going on. A small entourage was walking toward the palace. In the middle stood a woman like none Hana had ever seen and that wasn't entirely a good thing. Her face was practically pinched together, her lips hardly seen on her face. Her hair, just as dark as Hana's, was pulled up into two buns that hung at the sides of her head. The princess was Vivian of the Orient, supposedly a beauty that only comes every few hundred years. She was interesting to say the least.

"On her way to the palace, I suppose." A man beside Hana muttered.

"Another suitor for the prince." The other moaned.

Hana wasn't able to listen to anything else as the children from the alleyway ran out into the streets. Hana gasped when the leader of the entourage was ordered to whip the children by their 'princess'. With the speed Hana mustered, she managed to get there just before the whip hit the children.

"Hey!" She growled up. "If I were as rich as you, I'd be able to afford some manners!"

Malik rushed the children to safety before rushing back to Hana's shoulder to glare as Vivian came forward.

"I'll show you some manners!" She growled out.

She kicked Hana aside like she was no more than garbage and into the sand. It was infuriating to be laughed at by everyone in the streets but Hana payed it no mind. 'Don't get mad, get even', her mother would jokingly say whenever her father wasn't in ear range.

"Look at that, Malik!" Hana cried out to Vivian who was beginning to enter the palace gates. "It's not every day you see a horse with two rear ends!"

The princess froze. She turned back to give a deadly glare but Hana only smiled back.

"You are a worthless street mouse!" The Princess hissed out. "You were born a street mouse, you'll die a street mouse and only your fleas will mourn you!"

The anger Hana felt right then was more than she could contain. She burst to her feet and only if she were fast enough, she would have caught that princess in a choke hold. Unfortunately, the gates closed on her and with only a single pound, Hana pulled away.

"I'm not worthless." Hana spat out. "And I don't have fleas."

Hana sighed, the anger draining her, and turned back to her friend. "Come on, Malik. Let's go home."

Their 'home' was a hollowed out building at the edge of the city. It was nearly dark by the time they got back and the shadows simply reminded her of unhappy times. Hana had tried not to always steal to make her living, she had actually tried to work for money, to pay for things. Unfortunately, she lived in a kingdom where the men dominated every position and women… Well, women were expected to stay at home and care for her children. No one would hire her simply because of the gender she was born and while she did want to get married one day, who would marry a street rat?

"Riff Raff…" She sang softly, her voice too tired to go any louder. "Street mouse… I don't buy that. If only they'd look closer."

They two walked into their little home. It only consisted of a few pillows that they had found in the city and tattered cloth to cover them from the night winds. "Would they see a poor girl? No siree. They'd find out, there's so much more to me."

Hana looked over to her monkey friend to see that he had already fallen asleep. She giggled lightly but still tucked the monkey in. Then she pulled the large cloth aside to reveal the stunning view of the palace. The torches there reflected the gold plating on the walls, creating an ethereal glow to the large building. "One day, Malik. We'll have all the money in the world, we can live in a palace, eat all those little desserts you like, and not have any problems at all."

---

Sadly, life in the palace was not as care free as Hana hoped to believe.

The next morning, Vivian stormed out of the Prince's personal garden in an angry huff. Her hair was falling out of the nice buns it had been in and her face was contorted into an expression of pure fury. Following quickly behind her was the Pharaoh; his dark hair was quickly turning grey, especially after the past few suitors who have come to offer themselves as spouses for his son.

"I have never been so insulted!" She shrieked.

"Now, Vivian." The Pharaoh tried to soothe. "You're not leaving so soon, are you?"

Without even a backwards glance, Vivian shrieked her response.

"Good luck marrying him off!"

Aknamkanon gave a heaving sigh as he watched her leave before annoyance took its place.

"Atem!" He huffed and turned to walk into the garden. "Atem!" He called again.

Just as he was a few feet away from his son, a large feline face suddenly appeared in his view. Inside the mouth, was the remaining bits of Vivian's clothes. "Oh confound it, Sarabi!" Aknamkanon fought to get them back but only succeeded in ripping it even further. "So this is why Princess Vivian stormed out!"

"Oh father." The Prince, Atem, said with a chuckle. "Sarabi was only playing, weren't you?"

Atem was, in many of the suitor's minds, a perfect individual. He had tanned skin and his hair was three colors and defied gravity. One of the main ways to recognize him was the crimson eyes that he had inherited from his father. He always wore his golden jewelry and on his brow was a golden crown that dictated his status. Despite being a prince, Atem's only friend was Sarabi. The lioness was brought to the palace when Atem was a child and she immediately clicked with the boy. The two were always together and the lioness always enjoyed to harass any suitor that came to try to court her friend. "You were only playing with that self-absorbed Princess Vivian, weren't you?" Atem hugged the lioness and the large cat quickly returned the hug in her own way. Atem glanced to his father and could tell that he wasn't in the mood for funny business. He cleared his throat and pulled away from Sarabi.

"Atem." Aknamkanon tried to put gently. "You've got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call! The law says you…."

"Must be married to a princess or a member of another royal family." Atem sighed as he spoke alongside his father the extremely annoying words of the law.

"By your next birthday!" Aknamkanon finished.

"The law is wrong." Atem sighed as he stood up from his spot next to the fountain and walked over to the large mural that decorated the side of the wall. "Besides, didn't grandfather take the throne without a queen? Why can't I?"

"Because times were different then." The Pharaoh pulled him away. "And your grandfather created that law so that you, his descendent, could have a better chance with taking the throne than he did."

They walked back to the fountain and Atem sat down with Sarabi lying her head on his lap. "You only have three days left, my son."

"I hate being forced into this, father." Atem quickly replied. "Why can't I marry a girl I choose, someone for love?"

Aknamkanon sighed again.

"Atem." The Pharaoh sat beside his son and settled a hand on his shoulder. "It is not only this law… It's just that… I'm not going to be around forever. I just want to make sure that you are taken care of, that you and our people are provided for."

"Father…" Atem sighed. "How can you think that those two are one and the same? I want to help my people but you just have to trust me, let me out there! Let me learn about them…"

"No!" Aknamkanon quickly shut down the pleas.

"I've never done a single thing out on my own! I don't even have any real friends!"

Sarabi quickly picked up her head and gave a cat like glare. "Except for you, Sarabi." Atem quickly amended which placated the lioness. "I can't leave the palace walls unless I have a full bodied war machine following a few paces behind me!"

"That is demanded." The Pharaoh countered. "You are a Prince, the Crown Prince at that!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to be a prince anymore!" Atem finally snapped.

That got on his father's nerves. He huffed.

"May the gods forbid you have any sons!" He muttered under his breath before he stood and left the gardens.

Atem didn't watch him leave but he knew. When he was sure that he was alone and he heard the flapping of wings, he finally looked up from Sarabi's head. A falcon had been sent out of the palace and flew toward the horizon. If only Atem could be like that falcon and fly out of here as well.

---

The Pharaoh walked into the palace and sighed when the Priests Mahad and Seto approached him.

"Could the both of you look into more princesses?" He asked. "There has to be someone out there."

"Of course, Pharaoh." Priest Mahad replied.

The Pharaoh nodded his head and kept walking on his way. Mahad glanced out to the gardens then to Seto. "Maybe Atem has a point. We can't keep him locked up here forever."

"We have no choice in the matter." Seto sighed. "Let us just do our Pharaoh's bidding."

The Pharaoh walked into his own personal study where there was a small scale replica of his kingdom.

"I don't know where he gets it from." Aknamkanon sighed. "I've tried to be a good role model and his mother, oh bless her soul, was never a picky one."

A shadow then entered the room and the Pharaoh smiled. "Ah, Dartz, my old friend and advisor. I am in serious need of your wisdom."

"My life is but to serve you, my Pharaoh." Dartz replied with a kind smile.

Dartz had changed into his normal white and bright green robes. He was practically a different person especially with his large snake staff that he always carried around. Weevil still perched on his shoulders, his feathers preened to perfection.

"It's this suitor business." Aknamkanon sighed. "Atem refuses to choose a bride. I'm at my wits end!"

"Wits end!" Weevil shrieked the last few words and that made the Pharaoh chuckle.

"It's so sad that I don't have any crackers for you today." The Pharaoh chuckled.

Weevil didn't seem too upset, he looked mostly relieved. The feeling of a cracker being stuffed down your throat was never the best one.

"Now then." Dartz came back into the conversation. "Perhaps I can divine a solution to this informal problem."

"If anyone can help, it's you."

"Well…" Dartz fought off a grin that threatened to cross his face when his idea sprouted. "It would require the use of a mystic blue diamond."

"My ring?" Aknamkanon pulled slightly away from Dartz to look at the small ring that adorned his finger. "But… It was a gift from my father in law during my courting year."

"It is necessary to find his majesty a suitor."

Dartz readjusted his staff in his hands, holding the face closer to the Pharaoh's face. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Everything will be fine." Aknamkanon replied, his voice faint from the trance.

"The diamond?" Dartz repeated his demand.

"Here, Dartz." Aknamkanon said as he pulled off the ring. "Everything you need will be fine."

Dartz snatched the ring before the Pharaoh could utter another word.

"You are most gracious, my king." He told the man. "Now, run along and play with your… books."

"Right…" The Pharaoh replied, still in the trance. "That would be pretty good."

As soon as Dartz was out of the room, the man from the desert had returned. The smile turned into a grimace and Weevil made a very loud groan.

"When he gets more of those crackers… Bam! Whack!" Weevil shrieked aloud.

"Calm yourself, Weevil." Dartz tried to hush the bird.

"I'm gonna get a hammer and whack it on his head!"

"Soon, I will be Pharaoh and not that twit!" Dartz ignored the continuing grumbling of his bird as he walked into the secret entrance of his room through a corridor hidden in the wall.

"And then I stuff the crackers down his throat!" Weevil cheered.

Both of them laughed, the sound echoing in the open space before the door slammed behind them.

---

That night, the only moving thing in the Prince's garden was a shadow that that crossed the sand and grass until it reached the wall. The Crown Prince had hidden his fine robes and now sported a thin cloak. He brought along a coin purse that had a good amount of gold in it and if he needed anything else, he always had some of the unwanted gifts from his suitors. Atem adjusted his hood before continuing to the tree that would be able to take him over the wall. He barely took two steps up the tree before his cloak was pulled backwards and nearly to the ground. He looked down. Sarabi had his cloak in her powerful jaws though her eyes were sad.

"Oh, Sarabi."

Atem jumped down to his oldest friend and slid his hand along her ear. "I can't stay here and have my life lived for me. I have to know what my people need…. And what I need." Sarabi's eyes lowered but she didn't try to stop him. "I'll be back before you know it, girl." Atem pulled away and went back to the tree. He was able to fully climb it because Sarabi used her head to help push him up. Atem looked back down to her before softly calling out, "Goodbye" then jumped to the other side of the wall.

Sarabi kept looking up the wall, even as she lied down on the ground. She missed her friend already.

---

"Ahh…" Hana sighed from atop an awning. "Market day. My favorite day of the week."

She glanced at Malik. "You ready, bud?" Malik gave a very monkey-like salute. "Then go!"

Malik slid off the side of the awning and hung in thin air as he watched the melon merchant.

"Try this!" He cried to passers-by. "Your taste buds will dance and sing!"

Malik grabbed a melon then chittered loudly. That made the merchant turn around. "Why you…! Get your paws off that!" As the merchant fought Malik for the melon, Hana reached down and grabbed the one he had recently set down. By the time the merchant came back, he barely had time to realize what had happened.

"Nice job, Malik." Hana congratulated as she broke open the melon. "Breakfast is served."

Down the way, the disguised prince was walking by, watching everything that was now visible to him. With no guards around, he would actually see the objects on the merchant's tables.

"Pot?" A shopkeeper asked as he passed by. "You won't find a finer one of brass or silver!"

"Sugar dates!" The next merchant exclaimed. "Sugar dates and figs! Sugar dates and Pistachios!"

"Young man, would you like a necklace?" The next one over asked. "One for your pretty young lady?"

Atem shook his head with a soft smile then jumped a good few inches in the air when he passed the fish merchant.

"Fresh fish!" He called out. "We catch them, you buy them!"

"No, thank you." Atem replied while backing up, trying to get his heart back to normal.

Unfortunately, Atem bumped into someone. It was the fire eater who had unfortunately swallowed his match. "Excuse me." He apologized as the man struggled to catch his breath. When he did, a burst of flames shot out of his mouth, and while Atem couldn't help but admit the moment was amazing, he also couldn't help the disgust that surged as well. The surprise made Atem jump so much, his hood fell off. It only revealed a small bit of Atem's hair as he had pulled it back to avoid recognition. "I am so sorry" Atem apologized again as he went to move on.

The sounds piqued Hana's interest so she looked up from her melon and caught sight of the stranger fixing his hood near the fire eater. The sight brought back memories of her mother talking about the moment of love at first sight when she had met her father and Hana remembered laughing at the notion. Well, she wasn't laughing now. The young man was dashing in every way and Hana nearly wanted to swoon if her dignity didn't stop her.

"Wow…" She breathed out.

Malik must have noticed his friend's lack of concentration on food so he checked on her. He waved a paw in her face, chittering at her. Hana wasn't even acknowledging him, she kept her eyes on the stranger. She leaned across the awning when a post got in the way of her view, laying on her arm when in need of a pillow for her head.

The young man came closer to where they were sitting and his gaze suddenly caught the sight of a young homeless boy reaching for an apple from the next vendor over. The sight pulled at his heart strings so he decided to finish walking the distance to him.

"You must be hungry." He said aloud.

The child looked up to him and gave the tiniest of nods. Atem reached for the closest apple and handed it to the child. "Here you go." The smile on the child's face was the happiest thing Atem had ever seen. As soon as the child ran off, the vendor came around the corner.

"You'd better be able to pay for that." The man growled.

"Of course." Atem replied as he reached for his coin bag but to find it not there. "Where did…?"

"You little thief!" The vendor roared.

"No, wait please." Atem attempted to reason with him. "Just let me go to the palace and ask the Pharaoh…!"

"Do you know what the penalty for stealing is?!" The vendor didn't allow him to finish as he pinned Atem's arm to the cart and heaved his sword into the air.

"Please, no!" Atem tried to pull away but the grasp was too tight and the crowd that had gathered around them was screaming.

Nearly a foot away from Atem's arm, the sword was stopped mid descent and Atem's arm was freed. To the prince's surprise, it was a girl who had saved him. She was only a little shorter than him but she didn't look weak, the way she was holding onto the vender's arm proved that. The girl maneuvered the vendor's hand and quickly handed Atem the sword as she did something else.

"Thank you, kind sir." She was saying to the vender and shook his hand. "I'm so glad you found him."

She turned around to face the prince then. She wore a scowl on her face but Atem could see a little twinkle of mischief in her green eyes. The girl wore near tatters. A royal purple top that seemed to have seen better days and linen pants had a few patches in them from constant use. "You should know better than to run off." She seemed to be scolding him. "Father would have had my head if he found out I lost you." She quickly began to push him the other way.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a whisper.

"Just play along." The girl whispered back.

"Young woman, you know this man?" The vendor asked, coming into the hushed conversation.

"Sadly yes." Hana continued on as if she was in a play. "He is my brother. After an unfortunate accident where we lost our mother, he hasn't been the same up in the head."

She was calling him crazy….. Atem gave the girl a near glare. The vendor didn't seem to believe either as he grabbed Hana by the shoulders.

"He said he knew the Pharaoh!" He growled out.

Hana gave a shy laugh. She gestured to Malik, who was peeking into someone's coin purse.

"He thinks the monkey's the Pharaoh." She replied.

Atem glanced between the monkey and the vendor with the girl standing beside him. His pride wouldn't let him do it….. He then remembered the threat of a near cut off limb. Atem decided that he would rather have a dented pride than a lost limb.

"Oh, wise Pharaoh." He finally said, falling to his knees in front of the monkey. "How may I serve you?"

Ra, damn me… Atem thought but surprisingly, the monkey played along, bowing and patting Atem's head.

"Tragic, isn't it?" Hana asked the vendor.

She picked up an apple that fell over with her foot and bounced it over to the vendor. "But no harm done. Now come on, brother, it's time to see the doctor." The girl lifted Atem off the ground and started on their way away from the vendor.

"Why hello doctor." Atem kept up the charade as he spoke to a camel that was stationed nearby. "How are you today?"

"No, no, no, not that one." Hana wore a tight lipped smile but held in a laugh. "Come on, Pharaoh."

Malik gave an elaborate bow but unfortunately, the motion knocked everything that he had snatched from the vendor out of their hiding spots. The clinks got the vendor's attention again. "Come on!" Hana pulled on the hidden Prince's arm and high tailed it out of the market.

"Come back here, you little thieves!" The vendor cried.

Atem only chuckled as he was pulled away by his rescuer.

---

Meanwhile, at the palace, Dartz was putting his plan in motion. Weevil was the only one not amused.

"You know, your rottenness, couldn't we have just waited for a real storm!" He panted out as he was forced to power the large contraption Dartz had built to search for the diamond in the rough.

"Save your breath, Weevil." He commanded lightly and put the diamond between the two metal snakes. "Faster!"

"Yes, oh mighty evil one!" Weevil picked up the pace and the electricity formed from his running shot through the machine and eventually through the diamond and into the hourglass beneath it.

"Sands of time." He breathed. "Reveal to me the one who can enter the cave."

On the top half of the hour glass, an image of the sand lion head of the Cave of Wonders appeared then filtered down into the bottom of the glass. "Yes!" The image cleared out to reveal a young woman helping a cloaked young man up the side of a building. "A young woman? No matter. My diamond in the rough."

"A girl? That's our ticket in?" Weevil shrieked before he was sucked into the machine, making his feathers go flying around.

"Let's have the guards extend her an invitation to the palace, shall we?" Dartz asked, a sweet tone to his voice.

Weevil was then released from the machine and he made a large smack on the wall besides Dartz.

"Swell." Weevil managed.

Dartz turned back to the image in the hourglass then began to laugh.

---

The real Hana and her guest were just about to her house when the sun was starting to set.

"We're almost there." She told her guest.

She helped him over the ladder they had been climbing and onto the building top. Atem's foot then got caught in a looped rope and he pitched forward, unfortunately into the young girl's arms. Cursing slightly at the bright blush that adorned his face, Atem regained his balance. It helped Atem's pride to know that the girl had a small blush as well.

"I want to thank you for stopping that man." He said after a small clearing of his throat.

Hana shook her head to remove the blush from her face and gave a soft smile.

"Don't worry about it." She replied as she went to grab a pole. "I just wish I knew who stole your coin purse."

"I wish I could find out as well." Atem sighed.

Malik suddenly chittered. Hana and Atem both glanced at him and both of them gasped when they saw Malik hold out a coin purse.

"My coin purse!" Atem exclaimed.

"How on Ra's land did you manage to get that, you?" Hana asked her friend.

Malik gave a monkey like shrugged before he tossed it to Hana who tossed it to Atem. "He probably found it while he was looking through the crowd earlier." Atem turned to the monkey.

"Thank you."

Malik gave a light shrug again, brushing off the thanks, then ran over to Hana.

"So, I'm going to say that this is your first time in the market place, huh?" Hana asked before she vaulted over to the other building.

"Is it that obvious?" Atem asked.

Hana lifted a plank of wood to set it up vertically before she replied.

"You do kinda stand out." Hana replied, the girly instinct taking over and she gave a shy smile.

When the stranger smiled back at her, Hana shook her head again before crazed thoughts rampaged in her head. "I mean… You don't seem to realize how dangerous the capital can be."

She settled the plank of wood between the two buildings so that her guest could walk across but there was a gust of wind that told her that he didn't need it. Hana turned around to find her guest behind her with his own pole.

"I'm a fast learner." The stranger smiled and tossed her the wooden pole.

Hana and Malik both stared at him for a moment before she tossed down the pole and walked back over to her guest.

"Right." She grabbed his hand. "Come on, this way."

Hana took her guest the rest of the way toward her home. "Mind your head there." She told him. "And there too! I've hit my head plenty of times right there."

"This is where you live?" Atem asked.

"Yep, just me and Malik." Hana replied as they were fully inside.

"No family?" Atem asked another question.

Hana froze, she let go of his hand to take a few steps away, and Atem was worried that he had pried too deep for their present relationship. "Please forgive me if I insulted you."

"Oh, no no no…" She quickly soothed. "It's just…. I don't have a family anymore."

Hana walked into the caved out building. "I lost them in a bandit raid when I was 10. I met Malik soon after and he's become my only friend. And before you ask about a husband, don't. As much as I would love to marry one day, there is nobody in the world who would marry someone like me."

The words tugged at Atem in a strange way. The girl said nothing more on the subject but she rebounded back to him, tugging at his hand again toward a tattered curtain. "Malik and I simply come and go as we please but this has always been my favorite spot."

"It sounds fabulous." Atem breathed. To have so much freedom to do all that.

"It isn't much, but we have the best view in the capital." She pulled open the curtain to reveal the palace. "The palace looks marvelous, doesn't it?"

Atem's heart dropped slightly as he sat down to look away from the imposing building.

"Oh, it's wonderful." He droned.

"I wonder what it would be like to live there." Hana continued on, Malik jumping to sit beside her with the two apples he had kept. "To have servants, valets…"

"Sure, people to tell you where to go or how to dress." Atem sighed.

"Well, it's better than here." Hana chuckled, swiping an apple from Malik. "You're always scraping for food and ducking the guards."

"You're not free to make your own choices." Atem continued.

"Sometimes you feel so…."

"You're just…"

"Trapped." The two said at the same time and the both of them turned to each other.

Someone who actually understood. Atem smiled and Hana's face bloomed into another blush. She shook it off again and swiped the other apple from Malik, much to the monkey's annoyance.

"So, where're you from?" She asked as she bounced the apple in a trick shot off her elbow and to her guest.

Atem caught it with slight ease but didn't smile.

"What does it matter?" He asked. "I ran away and I don't plan on going back for a long time."

Hana tilted her head in a confused manner as she bit into her apple. She then handed it to Malik but didn't pay attention to the monkey's face.

"How come?"

Hana sat next to her guest who gave a heaving sigh.

"My father is forcing me to get married." He admitted. "And while I want to help the people that my future will affect, I don't want my future decided in such a way."

"That's… That's awful." Hana managed as her heart crumbled slightly.

The stranger was getting married… Hana shook the thoughts from her mind when she caught sight of Malik trying to take the apple from her guest. "Malik!" She scolded and the monkey shrieked at both of the humans.

"What?" Atem asked the two of them.

"Umm…" Hana thought of something to say. "Malik says…." A candle flickered on. "That's not fair."

Malik tilted his own monkey head at the words. Now she was just using him to get the guy.

"Oh, did he?" Atem asked a slight tone of teasing sarcasm in his voice.

"Of course he did."

Atem glanced back to the girl who rescued him today and listened to a voice deep in his mind.

"And does Malik have anything else to say?"

"Well, he wishes he could do something to help."

Malik gave a clear 'oh brother' sound but neither of the humans paid attention to him.

"Well, tell Malik that's very sweet."

The two had somehow gotten closer together and when Atem finished his last sentence, both had their eyes closed and lips only inches apart.

"Here you are!" A gruff voice suddenly appeared.

Both of them jumped apart in surprise then adrenaline kicked in. It was the guards! Ushio, one of the captains, was coming up the stairs.

"They're after me!" The both exclaimed then looked at each other.

"They're after you?" They both asked at the same time.

The guards were climbing the steps toward them, their swords cutting everything in their path. Fear filtered into the pit of Atem's stomach. Of course, he was so stupid! His father would have sent search parties after him!

"Father must have sent them…" He didn't get to finish his sentence when his savior shot him a question.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

She was standing at the edge of the room, tensed as if she was going to jump out the window.

"What?" Atem asked.

"Do you trust me?!" She repeated, holding out her hand to him.

It only took Atem a single second to decide.

"Yes." He took her hand.

"Then jump!"

The both of them jumped and fell a few stories before landing in a pile of sand. "Go, go!" They only ran a few paces before they bumped into someone.

"We just keep running into each other, street mouse!" It was Zigfried.

He grabbed her by the throat but he didn't hold on long as Malik suddenly pulled down the head piece again and Hana elbowed him in the gut.

"Go!" They only made another few paces before more guards came by. "Get out of here!"

Atem shook his head, he wasn't going to leave her. Zigfried finally got Malik off his hat and tossed him into an open jar. Just as they were passing by, Zigfried caught Hana's hair and tossed her to the other guards.

"It's the dungeons for you, girl."

"Get off of me!" She screamed as she fought the tight grips.

"Let her go!" Atem growled out.

"Oh look men." Zigfried laughed. "A street…"

He trailed away as he finally noticed Atem's eyes. Fear then replaced the absolute joy in his eyes.

"I said release her." He pulled off the hood he was wearing and allowed his hair to come back into its normal gravity defying shape. "By order of the prince."

The other guards joined in on Zigfried's fear as they bowed quickly, also pushing down Hana's head.

"Prince Atem..." Zigfried breathed out.

"The prince?" Hana raised her head.

Her guest… The man she saved…. Was the prince? The crown prince of her kingdom?

"What are you doing outside the palace?" Zigfried finally asked. "And with this street mouse?"

"That is not your concern." Atem snapped. "She has more worth than any of you. Do as I command and release her."

Zigfried looked as if he was going to comply but he fought of the urge.

"I would, my prince, but my orders come from Master Dartz." He and the other guards bowed again as they proceeded off. "You'd best take it up with him."

Atem made a light growl in the back of his throat.

"Believe me, I will." Atem sneered at them.

One of the guards offered to take him back to the palace but he brushed him off. Before he left, he gave a look to the girl he practically owed his life too. She wore an expression of amazement and fear. Atem didn't like that fear; he had secretly hoped that she would never realize his heritage; that she would remain ignorant of it but apparently it wasn't meant to be. He finally looked away but the determination didn't fade.

Now it was time to pay her back for her aid.

---

Dartz was sneaking out of his secret chambers that night and was shutting the door when he heard the clicks of claws coming toward him. Dartz quickly slammed the door, unintentionally slamming Weevil in between the door and the wall.

Sitting there a few feet away was the prince's lioness, the amber gold eyes staring at him. If she was here, the prince was never far.

"Dartz!" The Prince's voice echoed as he entered the room.

When he was close enough, anyone could tell that he was angry beyond belief. His crimson eyes swirled and his fists were clenched. Dartz took a deep bow.

"Your highness, how may I be of service to you?" Dartz asked.

"Dartz!" Weevil's voice could be heard slightly. "I'm stuck!"

"The guards just took a young girl from the market on your orders." Atem growled out.

"Your father has charged me with keeping the peace in our humble kingdom." Dartz replied smoothly. "The girl was a criminal."

"What was her crime?" Atem retorted.

"Dartz, I can't breathe!" Weevil's voice was still there and he began to tug on Dartz's cloak.

"Why, kidnapping the crown prince of course." Dartz answered, a small smile on his face from his brilliant idea.

Dartz got annoyed with the bird grabbing his cloak so he kicked him and the door finally slid shut as Weevil flew through it.

"Ohh that hurt!" Weevil screamed.

"She didn't kidnap me!" Atem groaned. "I ran away!"

"Oh…" Dartz pretended to be upset at the news. "How frightfully upsetting. Had I but known?"

"What do you mean?" Atem asked, his temper gone.

Dartz turned back to face the Prince, whose face clearly told of the inner fear going on in his mind.

"Sadly, the girl's sentence has already been carried out."

Atem's heart dropped as he prepared for what would happen if he asked this next question.

"What sentence?"

"Death." Dartz replied, smoothly.

The floor fell out from beneath him as the news hit him. "By beheading." Atem would have fallen had it not been for Sarabi keeping his balance for him. She was gone… "I am exceedingly sorry, your majesty." Dartz settled a hand on his shoulder but Atem shook it off.

"How could you?" Atem managed after a moment.

The prince fought not to run out of the room, Sarabi on his heels. Weevil managed to get out the door and over to Dartz's shoulder. After he caught his breath, he gave a smile.

"So, how did it go?" Weevil asked.

"I think he took it rather well." Dartz replied, smoothly.

---

Sarabi finally caught up to Atem when he stopped to slam something onto the table. He didn't give a damn about his pride anymore as he let tears slid down his cheeks.

The green eyed girl… the only one who understood him was dead… And it was his fault…

He sat down onto his bed and felt Sarabi rub her head along his arms.

"I'm so stupid, Sarabi." He managed to say. "If only I hadn't left, she would still be alive."

Sarabi rubbed her head along his arms and legs again until the prince wrapped his arms around his only friend. "I didn't even know her name." Sarabi didn't fight back against her friend and allowed him to cry out his frustration and sadness.

---

Miles below, Hana, head and all, was shackled to a wall in the dungeon. Her wrists hung above her while she sat on the sandy ground. It could have been worse, she thought, much worse. Hana figured that Zigfried and his guards would have come around and beat her for all the trouble she has caused them but they never did. When she asked herself why, her mind immediately went to her guest, the prince. Hana sighed aloud.

"He was the prince." She finally said. "I can't believe it. I must have sounded so stupid!"

A cry then echoed through the dungeon. Hana gave a smile then looked up. High above her was her monkey friend. "Malik! Down here!" Malik slid down the metal chains then onto her knee. "Come on, get me out of these."

Malik chittered loudly at her then. He jumped off her knee and gave a very convincing impersonation of the Prince before huffing at her again. "Hey, he was in trouble. But dang he was worth it." Malik chittered again, a sound that told her he was still pretty upset about it, before he started to pick the locks of her shackles. "Don't worry, Malik, I'll never see him again. I'm a street mouse, remember? And there's this law. He's gotta marry a princess…." Hana trailed away as Malik fully released her from her shackles. "He deserves one." Hana sighed. "I'm a fool."

"You're only a fool if you give up, girl." A sickly voice suddenly appeared from the other side of the dungeon.

Hana turned toward it and shivered lightly when the face appeared out of the shadows. It was an old man, his teeth in every which direction.

"Who are you?" Hana asked.

The old man stood up and hobbled toward Hana and Malik on his cane.

"An old prisoner like yourself." He replied. "But together, perhaps we can be more."

Hana repressed the second shiver of the night. This man creeped her out but she was curious to what he had to say.

"I'm listening."

"There is a cave, girl. A Cave of Wonders, filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams."

To prove his point, he pulled blood red diamonds out of the tatters he wore and held them out to Hana and Malik. They were the most incredible thing Hana had ever seen. The old man pulled them away quickly before Malik could snatch them and hopped a few feet away. "Sure enough to impress even your prince, I'll wager."

To only the old man's ear, a snarky voice suddenly whispered.

"Hey, Dartz?" Weevil muttered. "Can you hurry up? I'm dying in here!"

The old man, actually Dartz, whacked the bird before the girl behind him could notice.

"But the law says only a princess can…" Hana went to say but the old man cut her off.

"You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you?" The old man asked. "Whoever has the gold, makes the rules."

Hana then stood us as the old man backed up.

"So why would you share all of this treasure with me?" She asked.

"I need a young pair of legs and a strong back to go in after it." The old man tapped his cane on her legs and whacked her back as he spoke.

"One problem though." Hana went on as the old man hobbled off. "It's out there, we're in here."

"Ah ah ah!" The old man corrected. "Things aren't always what they seem."

To prove that, he used his cane to reveal a hidden passage way out of the dungeon. The old man then held out his hand. "So, do we have a deal?"

Hana and Malik glanced at each other and the monkey shrugged lightly. Hana's mind replayed that day and she walked toward the old man.

---

The sand raged as the two, along with Malik, crossed the desert. The old man rode on a horse while Hana held onto the reigns as they crossed it. It only took a few hours but they eventually made it to the lion headed sand cave. The voice reverberated through Hana's chest as it spoke.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" The animal bellowed down to her.

Hana took a deep breath before replying.

"It is I, Hana." She said with a slight curtsey to the animal head.

The sand lion raised an eyebrow, almost as if it was judging her. The next words surprised her.

"Proceed." The sand animal replied. "Touch nothing but the lamp"

The mouth of the giant beast then opened to reveal a long staircase down the throat with lights along the walls.

"Remember, girl!" The old man called. "First, fetch me the lamp, then you shall have your reward!"

Hana nodded lightly then started to walk down the stairs, Malik attached to her shoulders.

There were millions of steps. By the time Hana had reached the bottom, she already felt tired. A new light was on at the bottom so she walked through the door and her eyes widened.

"Would you look at that?!" She gasped.

Gold was piled all the way to the ceiling. Cups, bowls, artifacts; you name it, it was there. "Just a hand full of this stuff would make me richer than the Pharaoh."

Hana's eyes then caught Malik running toward a pile of treasure. "Malik!" She shouted. The monkey stopped dead in his tracks. The girl stomped over and held a finger at him. "Don't touch anything! We gotta find that lamp." Malik wasn't very pleased about this scenario but he didn't argue with his friend.

As Hana moved away, the carpet she had stepped on, a soft golden color with red and purple lotus flowers decorating it, to chastise Malik began to move. It flitted slightly then looked up. It saw Hana and Malik walking away and couldn't contain the curiosity about the two. The carpet flew to hover behind Malik, looking him over, before flattening down when the monkey turned around.

The monkey was confused. He was sure that he had felt a slight gust behind him. Though, when he turned around, there was only a carpet. The monkey had the strangest feeling about that carpet. Malik brushed it off and kept after Hana.

The carpet lifted up again to follow the monkey once more but was quick enough to wrap itself up when the monkey turned around again, noticing it.

Malik was starting to get annoyed. He turned around again but the carpet wasn't on the ground, it was wrapped up slightly to the side. Now Malik was concerned. He ran over to Hana and pulled at her linen pants. "Malik." She sighed. "Calm down, there's nothing down here." She continued on and Malik couldn't help but huff, annoyed that Hana didn't believe him.

The carpet slightly unwrapped itself to see if the coast was clear before flying after the monkey again. When it was close enough, the carpet tugged at the monkey's fur slightly making the animal jump up and around to confront the supposed attacker. The carpet then slid a tassel along the tail and the monkey again threw itself around to confront the attacker. The carpet then flew above the monkey's head and used a tassel to mess with the fur on top of its head. Slowly, the monkey froze then after a moment, looked up. The carpet waved a tassel but the reaction wasn't expected.

Malik was going to have a heart attack! He shrieked and after a few collisions with the carpet, he ran over to Hana again. In his freight, he managed to knock her over. Hana rolled to where she eventually was facing the other direction with Malik pounding at her back. "Malik, have you gone mad?" She asked and the monkey pointed in the direction they had come. Hana entertained the monkey and looked to where he was pointing.

Hiding behind the closest pile of gold was the magic carpet. "A magic carpet." Hana breathed in amazement as she sat up. It had to be one, Hana had never seen a carpet move on its own before. The carpet wouldn't come out from behind the gold; maybe Malik had scared it? "Come on." She cooed. "Come on out. We won't hurt you."

Sure enough, the carpet came out and gestured to itself, as if it was concerned that Hana didn't mean for it to come out. Hana smiled at it again and the carpet flew over to stand next to her and went to wave at Malik, scaring the monkey again. "Take it easy, Malik. He's not gonna bite." She teased the monkey as he climbed up to her shoulder. She then turned back to the carpet. "Do you have a name?" She asked.

The carpet hung the top part of it, the carpet's head if you will, shaking it slightly. "No name, huh?" The carpet then seemed to remember something. It floated up and hung mid-air so now Hana could read the small print on the edge. "Ryou…. Oh! This must be… I get it!" Malik gave her a confused look. "This is the name of the person who weaved the carpet. Ryou was a magician a few millennia ago that whenever he crafted something, it took on a sort of magical property or two. So this carpet took the ability to fly and has its own personality." Malik nodded its head along with the carpet. "Well then, since you don't have a name of your own, I hereby dub you Ryou, in honor of the man who made you."

The carpet was excited to have its own name and wrapped around Hana and Malik which the monkey chittered happily about. "Hey Ryou, do you think you could help us? We're trying to find this lamp…." The carpet grew excited again and waved the girl and her monkey to follow them. "I guess he knows where it is."

The two followed after the golden carpet through the large underground caves until they finally reached a large cavern. Inside was a moat with a single line of rocks to a large rock tower. A beam of light shone directly on the top. Hana climbed down onto the first rock but before she left, she gave Malik a dirty look. "Wait here." She ordered and the monkey huffed.

Malik, in his boredom, looked around the room until his eyes got caught on something. It was the biggest ruby he had ever seen and the monkey couldn't help but go towards it.

Hana had made it to the rock tower when Ryou noticed that Malik was gone. The carpet searched all around him before he found the monkey walking towards the forbidden jewel! Not that one! He tried to pull Malik away but the monkey kept trying to grab it.

Hana made up the stairs to where the light was shining down and saw the lamp. It was an old oil lamp, hardly imposing. "This is it?" She asked herself. "This is what we came all the way down…" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Malik trying to get to the large ruby down below. "Malik, no!"

It was too late.

Malik grabbed the ruby and the room shook as the large sand lion's voice appeared.

"Infidels!" It boomed. "You have touched the forbidden treasure!"

Malik tried to put it back but the damage had already been done. The ruby and the statue had begun to melt into molten lava. "Now you will never again see the light of day!" With the last word, the rock tower tip burst into flames and Hana figured that it was time to leave.

She jumped down the stairs but they flattened into a ramp that slid her into the air and nearly into the newly formed lava. Luckily, Ryou flew by and caught Hana before she made impact. They flew around the cavern, avoiding rocks, before Hana noticed Malik trapped on the rock path. Hana urged Ryou to fly down there and the two caught Malik just before his rock burst from the heat.

With the increase of lava, the molten liquid was now creating waves which followed them. "Ryou, let's move!"

Ryou burst forward through the caverns they had traveled through and Malik was now covering Hana's eyes. "Malik! This is no time to panic!" She growled out but when Malik finally came off her face, she also began to panic at the rock wall they were about to collide with. "Start panicking!" Ryou dived to avoid the wall and they rushed back into the treasure room. With each pile of gold the lava touched, another pillar of flames shot up.

When the exit was in sight, a rock fell from the ceiling, throwing Hana and Malik off and pinning Ryou to the floor. Hana hit the remaining stairs and clung for dear life. At the top was the old man. "Help me out!" She called.

"Throw me the lamp!" The old man called back.

"I can't hold on!" Hana pleaded. "Give me your hand."

"First give me the lamp!"

Hana decided not to argue so she pulled the lamp out from where she had attached it at her hip and reached it out to him. The old man yanked it out of her hand and held it above his head. "Yes! Finally!"

Dartz then noticed the girl climbing out with the help of her monkey friend so he decided to kick him out of the way and grabbed the girl's wrist.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed.

"Giving you your reward!" The old man replied, sounding awfully chipper. "Your eternal reward."

The old man's voice became a deep sound as he pulled out a crooked dagger from his tatters. Hana's hidden pleas for help were answered when Malik suddenly appeared and bit the old man on the wrist, making him drop Hana back into the cave. The old man, deciding to get rid of two birds, threw the monkey in after its master.

Ryou, seeing his new friends falling, used all of his strength to pull himself out from underneath the rock and rushed after them. Hana fell for a few more feet before her head collided with a piece of rock and her vision went dark. Ryou caught the both of them and floated back to the ground just as the lava was cooling and the sand lion head closed for the last time.

Dartz had moved just out of the blast radius and he began to laugh.

"It's mine! It's all mine!" He cheered and reached into the pocket where he had put the lamp but discovered that nothing was there. "Where is it? Where?" He gasped and searched through his tatters.

The horrible thought hit him. It had finally been in his grasp and it was gone again.

"No!"

---

Back at the palace, the Pharaoh had heard things that did not bode well for him. Isis had received a vision that concerned Atem but she couldn't fully discern it. Though that wasn't the only thing, Priests Seto and Mahad have told him that his son won't leave his room and when he asked what was wrong, they simply replied that they were to send the Pharaoh to his son.

Aknamkanon knocked on his son's door and when there was no reply, he opened it anyway. His son was seated on his bed, slightly hunched over with a single hand on Sarabi's head. Something wasn't right, normally Atem would be fondling the lioness' ears or her nose but a single hand? That was clue enough.

"Atem?" Aknamkanon called softly.

His son turned to him and Aknamkanon felt like it was the day he had lost his precious wife all over again. While Atem wasn't the hysterical child he was then, the silent tears still showed the emotions that had been coursing through his body. "My beloved son, what is the matter?"

Atem used the palm of his hand to wipe away a line of tears before speaking.

"Dartz…" He finally said. "He has done something terrible."

"There, there, my boy." Aknamkanon soothed as he sat down and slid a hand through his son's hair, like his mother used to do when he was a child. "We'll set it right. Now, tell me everything."

---

Hana still hadn't woken up yet. She was lying on her stomach on top of Ryou since neither monkey nor carpet wanted to move her. Malik and Ryou waited a while but she still was unconscious. When Malik couldn't take it anymore, he walked over and shook his friend's shoulder. It took a minute or so but it eventually worked.

Hana eventually opened her eyes and Ryou helped her sit up.

"My head." She groaned.

With a hand on her hurting head, she looked up to where she could last remember being. The top of the cave was completely sealed off. "We're trapped." Anger at the old man then surged through her. "That two faced son of a jackal!" She cursed him but the anger faded after that. "Whoever he was, he's long gone with that lamp."

Malik gave a smirk. Out of nowhere, he pulled out the lamp and Hana gave a long overdue laugh. "Why you hairy little thief." She cooed as she slid a hand through the monkey's fur and took the lamp from him. "It looks like a beat up, worthless piece of junk." She said aloud. Something on the side of the lamp caught Hana's attention then. "I think there's something written here but… It's hard to make out."

Hana, in an attempt to make the writing clearer, rubbed the old lamp with her hand and the metal warmed drastically. Not only that, it began to jump up and down on her palm. Ryou grabbed Malik and rushed them to hide behind a rock when the lamp began to spew lights and smoke. Hana desperately held onto the shaking lamp and it shot out even more smoke.

The smoke then split into two columns and two men appeared from it. One with stalk white hair and the other with wild blond hair. The white haired man wore simple under robes but a blood red upper robe. He also had a scar that that slid across his eye. The blond haired man also had simple sandy robes but his upper robe was a dark black. He had a crazy look in his eyes that made Hana slightly concerned. Both of them had bronze wrist bands around their wrists, like shackles.

"Oi!" The stalk white haired man grouched. "Thank the gods that your elbow is no longer in my face!"

"Well, I'm glad your knee is no longer in my neck!" The blond grouched back. "I can now stretch it!"

And stretch it he did and in the process, made dozens of popping sounds. "A few hundred years can definitely give you a crick in the neck!"

"It also doesn't help that there was a knee in my groin!" The white haired man suddenly huffed.

"Why you…" The blond growled.

"Ummm…." Hana finally intervened into the near argument. "What..?"

The two looked over at her and both of their eyes widened.

"Yes?" The white haired man asked. "Can we help you?"

Hana looked down at the lamp in her hands then back at the men and the blond one exclaimed.

"Oh, Bakura!" The blond one cackled madly. "She's the one who let us out!"

"How could you tell that?" The man named Bakura asked with a raised eyebrow.

The blond one simply smiled and jumped over to Hana.

"Hello, my dear." He shook her hand extremely hard and when he pulled away, the girl had to try to get the feeling back into it. "I'm Marik and this… dour fellow is Bakura."

"I'll get you for that." Bakura growled at him but Marik ignored him.

"And you are?" The blond continued.

Hana stared at them for a moment. These guys came out of the lamp she nearly died to get…. Marik and Bakura… Where were those names familiar? She then remembered that Marik had asked a question.

"Uh… Hana." She finally replied.

"Hana… Hana…" Marik mused. "No good nicknames."

"We could just call her shrimp." Bakura supplied.

Hana narrowed her eyes in a glare which got Marik laughing.

"Wow!" He smiled. "What a great glare! I'm impressed. And we've seen some good ones in our day, eh Bakura?"

"Indeed." Bakura agreed.

Bakura looked around where they were and finally noticed Ryou. "Hey! Rug-man!" Ryou flew up out of his hiding spot and over to Bakura. "It's been at least two hundred years! Give me some tassel!" They did some complicated handshake making Hana shake her head.

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought." She mused to Malik who had jumped to her shoulder.

"Hit your head?" Marik asked. "How'd you do that?"

"Long story." She replied.

"Ah." Marik sighed. "We can tell you all about that. So, I'm curious, how did a sweet little girl like you get the lamp?"

Sweet little girl? Hana's glare returned and she gave it to Marik who fell back away from her. "Ok, ok, master! You don't gotta be so scary!" The glare fell away.

"What?" She asked. "Master?"

Marik nodded. "I'm your master?"

"Actually both of ours, sweet cheeks." Bakura answered her question.

Hana elected to ignore the 'sweet cheeks' remark and stared amazed at the two men who had suddenly appeared. They stared at her like she was slightly insane and Hana couldn't help but agree.

"Okay." She eventually said. "I'm your master."

"She can be taught!" Bakura cheered.

"Sh!" Marik quickly shushed the other man.

"So, what are you guys?" Hana ignored the shushing.

"Essentially, sweet cheeks." Bakura leaned his arm on her shoulder, the opposite one Malik was sitting on. "We, meaning that bozo and myself."

"Hey!" Marik growled.

"Are two halves of a whole genie of the lamp." Bakura continued anyway.

Hana glanced down to the lamp in her hands.

"And a genie means….." Hana muttered.

"We grant your wishes." Bakura told her plainly.

"My wishes?!"

"Well, three of them to be precise."

"And no wishing for more wishes!" Marik butted in.

"No substitutions, exchanges or refunds." Bakura drawled.

Hana blinked then turned to her monkey friend.

"Malik, I'm dreaming." She told him. "Pinch me!"

The monkey did pinch her but all she felt was the pain and Marik and Bakura were still there. "Ok, maybe not."

"Master!" Marik suddenly cheered. "I don't think you realize what you got here so why don't you ruminate whilst I illuminate the possibilities!"

Marik made a finger gun, a small bit of light came out of his finger, and Hana lifted off the ground to wind up sitting on a rock nearby.

"I'm not singing, you bastard!" Bakura growled.

"But you know I love a good musical number!" Marik whined and continued anyway, despite Bakura's groan.

While Ali Baba had them 40 thieves

Scheherezade had a thousand tales

Master you in luck cause, up your sleeve, you got a brand a magic that never fails.

As Marik sang, Bakura made 40 thieves appeared and they all surrounded Hana, their swords drawn out. Suddenly, Marik and Bakura showed up on both sides and boxed all of the thieves away.

You got some power in your corner now

Some ammunition in your hand

You got some punch, pizazz, yahoo, and how

And all you gotta do is rub that lamp and I'll say…

Marik kept transforming into different things that Hana kept losing track of him. By the end of this section, he popped out of his lamp, grabbed Hana's arm and had it rub the lamp. Hana was then seated at a table where she was suddenly bombarded with a ginormous menu.

Mistress Hana, ma'am

What will your pleasure be?

Let me take your order, jot it down

You ain't never had friends like us!

Marik brought out a plate and set it in front of the girl. Bakura passed by and lifted the lid.

Life is your restaurant

I'm your maître d'

Come on whisper what it is you want

You ain't never had friends like us!

The plate was a piece of meat but it somehow turned into Bakura's head but Hana barely had time to register this as her chair tilted backwards. Two Mariks and two Bakuras were washing her hair and giving her a manicure and pedicure. There was another poof and Hana opened her eyes to see that she was now sitting on a plush couch with both Ryou and Malik fanning her.

Yes, ma'am, we pride ourselves on service

You're the boss, the queen, the shah!

Say what you wish, it's yours! True dish!

How about a little more baklava!

She actually had gone to try some of it but then the whole pile came and nearly buried her underneath it. She eventually wound up on top of a tower labeled 'A'. When she nearly lost her balance, she jumped to the next tower labeled 'B'.

Try some of column A

Try all of column B

We're in the mood to help you, girl

You ain't never had friends like us.

Hana did end up losing her balance but the both of them poofed up a giant cushion, to which Hana landed on, and Marik created a wonderful trick where he was dancing with a giant pair of his hands!

Can your friends do this?

Marik pointed to Bakura, who somehow had pulled off his head and was juggling with it.

Can your friends do that?

Bakura tossed it over to Marik and Hana where the both of them juggled it, with more heads popping up.

Can your friends pull this from their little hat?

Marik tossed Bakura's head back and flipped over his cloak to transform into a rabbit but soon transforming into a dragon.

Can your friends go, Poof!

The dragon breathed fire and out of the flames appeared harem men, topless and all.

How'd you get here?!

They surrounded her and while Hana thought the girlish part of her mind would scream like it usually would, it didn't this time.

Can your friends go Abracadabra, let 'er rip!

And make those suckers disappear!

With that, the men disappeared and Marik appeared right in front of her face.

So don't just sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed

I'm here to answer all your mid-day prayers

You got me bone fide, certified

You got a genie for a charged affair.

Both Marik and Bakura pulled out two halves of a Genie contract and held them together so that they stuck together and they wrapped Hana inside only releasing her when she was truly dizzy.

I got a powerful urge to help you out

What you wish, I really want to know

You got a wish that's three miles long no doubt

So all you gotta do is rub like, so- and oh!

Hana's ear felt strange when that list was pulled out of her ear but it was quickly ignored when she started laughing at the sight of Marik rubbing himself with the list.

Mistress Hana, ma'am, have a wish or two or three.

I'm on the job, you big nabob

Marik flung his hands and dancing elephants appeared. Bakura shot the other way and dancing camels appeared.

You ain't never had friends, never had friends

You ain't never had friends, never had friends

You ain't never… had… friends… like… us!

One of the elephants grabbed Hana with its trunk and the rest of them began to throw her up into the air. Ryou was dancing with the camels and Malik was trying to gather as much of the gold around them as he could. Then Bakura and Marik agreed that it was time to end the show so they both created a cyclone that sucked everything away.

You ain't never had friends like us!

With one big thump, everything was back to the way it was. Malik searched all over and was displeased to discover that all of the gold was gone. The only thing truly changed was that there was a glowing sign above both of the men that read 'applause'. Both Ryou and Hana clapped lightly and the girl couldn't help but laugh at what she had just seen.

"So what'll it be, master?" Marik asked.

"So, you two will grant me any three wishes I want, right?" She asked, trying to get things clear.

"Well, almost." Marik shrugged.

"There are provisos, a couple quid pro quos." Bakura counted on his fingers, growing more to count them all.

"Like?"

Both of the genies ran over to sit on opposite sides of the girl.

"Rule number one!" Marik began. "We can't kill anybody."

He sliced off his own head and the appendage landed in Hana's lap, a dour expression on his face. "Bakura's tried so don't bother asking."

Bakura didn't seem too upset at being called out but he continued on after Marik's head was reattached.

"Rule number two." He said. "We can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else."

"That's another guy's job and they don't like us crossing into his territory." Marik shivered at that.

"Understandable." Hana agreed.

"Rule number three!" Both of them exclaimed together falling backwards.

"We can't bring back the dead…" Marik came up first a zombie form of himself, scaring the beiges out of Hana.

"And while it may be great at Halloween Parties, it isn't great on a daily basis." Bakura added on.

Marik returned to his normal self and the both of them stood up again.

"Other than that, you got it."

Hana made a show of thinking. What if she could…. The girl glanced to Malik and the monkey jumped onto her train of thought and nodded with a smile on his face.

"Provisos?" Hana asked. "You mean limitations? On wishes?"

Malik was a great help at this part since he played the part of being disgusted for her. "Some all-powerful genies. Can't even bring people back from the dead. I don't know, Malik. They probably can't get us out of this cave. Looks like we're going to….!"

While Hana was talking, Bakura's anger got the better of him. He grew a few dozen feet taller and before the girl and her monkey could get far, he stomped down in front of her.

"Here we go." Marik sighed.

"Excuse me?" Bakura growled out. "Are you looking at me? Did you rub my lamp? Did you bring me here? And all of a sudden, you're walking out on me? I don't think so, not right now! You're getting your wishes, so sit down!"

In sudden freight, Hana jumped back and landed on Ryou. Bakura then took on the voice appearance of an air steward. "In case of emergency, the exits are here, here, here, here, here, here, anywhere!" He directed with growing arms in every directions then began to fly the carpet. "Keep your hands and arms inside the carpet!" Marik slid a seat belt across Hana's lap before the carpet took off. "Weeeee'reeeee…. Outta here!"

Hana only screamed a little as the carpet plunged through the sand and out into the open air. The smell of open air had never smelled so sweet.

---

Court was in session that morning. Many of the members of the Pharaoh's council were there including Isis, Mahad and Seto who glared down at the person before the Pharaoh.

Dartz was in a low bow before the Pharaoh's throne and he didn't dare look up to the man and his son.

"What exactly happened?" Isis whispered to Mahad.

"Dartz executed a young girl last night." Mahad replied. "No trial, nothing."

"Oh dear." Isis gasped. "How did the Pharaoh find out about her?"

"She is the one who rescued Atem from a vendor in the market place." Seto replied, having heard the conversation.

"He was pretty torn up about it." Mahad added on.

Isis couldn't help but think of her vision from the Millennium Necklace, the one she couldn't truly see. She heard a young woman's voice talking to her prince then the sounds turned to her talking to someone else and then fading away. There was no sign of death in the vision so if the girl she heard was the same as the one Dartz apparently killed, then it was possible for the girl to be alive.

"Sh!" Seto suddenly silenced the conversation as the Pharaoh began to speak.

"Dartz, this is an outrage." The Pharaoh said calmly. "If it weren't for all your loyal years of service…. From now on, you are to discuss sentencing of prisoners with me and my council of wielders before they are beheaded."

"I assure you, your highness." Dartz said in a mournful tone. "It won't happen again."

That seemed to placate the Pharaoh at the moment as he smiled.

"Atem, Dartz." He said as he took a hand from each. "Let's put this messy business behind us."

"My most abject and humblest apologies to you as well, my prince." Dartz smiled as he apologized to the prince as well.

Atem narrowed his eyes lightly when Dartz took his hand. Dartz's apologies wouldn't bring her back but Atem couldn't dwell on the past forever. Though, it wouldn't stop him from remembering.

"At least some good will come of my being forced to marry." Atem huffed, yanking his hand back. "When I take the throne, I will have the power to get rid of you."

Atem turned on his heel and began to walk out of the chamber.

"All settled." The Pharaoh sighed. "Now, Atem, back to this suitor business. I…."

"Umm… Pharaoh." Seto couldn't help but smile at the predicament. "He already left."

The Pharaoh sighed dramatically before chasing after him.

"You should tread lightly, Dartz." Mahad told the Vizier before he left. "The Prince will not forget this and in the girl's memory, he may make your life a little more difficult."

Dartz acknowledged the priest and when he was alone, his face returned to the grimace.

"If only I had gotten that lamp!" He growled.

"I will have the power to get rid of you." Weevil mimicked the prince perfectly before growling and returning to his actual voice. "To think! We gotta spend the rest of our lives, kissing up to that chump and his chump son!"

"No, Weevil." Dartz huffed in reply. "Only until he finds a chump wife. Then he'll have us banished. Or beheaded…."

"Ewwww…" Both of the moaned together.

Weevil then got a perfectly evil idea.

"Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute, Dartz!" Weevil exclaimed. "What if you were the chump spouse?"

"What?" Dartz huffed, annoyed at the bird for bringing up something stupid.

"Ok, ok." Weevil went on anyway. "You marry the prince! And, and, you become the Pharaoh!"

Dartz caught onto the idea as he gave a bright smile.

"Marry the brat?" He mused as he looked to the throne nearby. "And then I become Pharaoh. The idea has merit."

Dartz sat down in the throne and Weevil along his arm toward his staff.

"Merit! Yes!" He exclaimed. "And then we drop papa in law and our little prince off a cliff!"

He acted out the scene and the sound Weevil made when the two would hit the ground made Dartz laugh.

"Oh, I love how your foul little mind works!"

Both of them laughed with nobody stopping them. Things weren't going to end well if nobody showed up.

---

"Thank you for choosing Magic Carpet for all your travel needs." Bakura was still in the guise of an air steward as they were flying towards an oasis not far from the capital. "Don't stand until the rug has come to a complete stop."

Ryou stopped and created stairs out of himself. "Thank you! Goodbye now, goodbye, thank you, goodbye!" The guise fell apart then. "Weeell, how about that Miss. Doubting Mustafa!"

"Oh, you sure showed me!" Hana played along with a smile. "Now about my three wishes."

"Dost my ears deceive me?" Bakura asked dramatically. "Three? You are down by one, girl!"

Bakura flung his hand into her face with his pointer finger in the air. Hana smiled as she pushed it away.

"Ah, no!" She corrected. "I never actually wished to get out of the cave. You did that on your own."

Bakura looked like he wanted to protest but hung his head in shame.

"And you thought you were the smart one." Marik teased.

"Shut up." Bakura huffed. "Nobody asked you."

Marik smiled to Hana after he finished messing with Bakura.

"While that was pretty impressive, no more freebies."

"Ok, fair deal." Hana relented. "Three wishes. I want them to be good."

A candle flickered on in Hana's head. "What would you two wish for?" Both Genies, who were lying in magic created hammocks looked to her in surprise, then fell out of their trees, then to each other.

"Well, nobody has really asked us before." Bakura admitted.

"The one thing I can think of is…" Marik dropped his head. "No, forget it."

"Don't leave me there!" Hana walked up to the genies who had gotten uncharacteristically shy. "Come on, tell me!"

Both of them looked to the girl and sighed.

"Freedom." Bakura replied, holding up the bronze clasps that were around his wrists.

Hana pulled out the lamp that the two had come out of.

"You're prisoners?"

"All cause we got greedy." Marik sighed.

"That does bring up the question of how you two got into the same lamp."

Both genies sighed again.

"You do know who we are, correct?" Bakura asked.

"Well, the names do sound familiar." Hana admitted.

"They should." Marik gave a nostalgic smile. "A few hundred years ago, there wasn't anyone anywhere that could utter one of our names without running scared."

"Those were the days." Bakura sighed, nostalgia on his face as well.

Hana thought about it and remembered stories from her village's story teller. The Legendary thieves of old Egypt.

"The Legendary Thieves!" She exclaimed. "You two are them?"

"Yup." Marik nodded his head. "In the somewhat flesh."

"So, how did you two end up in a lamp?"

"So, there was this great rumor going around of treasure in a cave." Bakura began. "I got there first since I was close by and there was this freaky idol there."

"I'm still creeped out by that thing!" Marik whined.

"It was a really simple genie so I asked 'What can you do?' The idol replied with another question, 'Did I want to make anything I want with a simple wave of my hand?' "

"And you said yes." Hana guessed.

"Correct." Bakura sighed. "Next thing I know, I'm crammed into this tiny lamp. The idol tried to soothe me that it would get better over time but I didn't believe him at all. Then this fool showed up."

Marik huffed.

"So what?" He asked. "I was a few hours away and fell for the same thing this bozo did."

"Which makes you a bozo too!"

Hana sighed. She stepped between the two and gave both of them a bored expression.

"The story, please?" She asked.

"Right." Marik continued on. "Well, the idol ran out of lamps and Bakura's was already there and the asshole goes and thinks that it is a brilliant idea to stick both of us in the same lamp. There's hardly any room for one of us!"

"So…."

"The Phenomenal cosmic power is not worth the itty bitty living space." Bakura summed up.

"That sounds… terrible." Hana said.

"To be free…" Marik sighed, almost blissfully. "Not have to go… Poof! What do you need?! Poof! What do you need?! Poof! What do you need?!"

With each exclamation, Marik came closer and closer to Hana until he was practically shaking her shoulders. "To be my own master again would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world! But let's get real here, that's never going to happen."

"Why not?" Hana asked.

"The only way we get out of this is if our master wishes us out." Bakura explained. "And since we're still here, you can guess how often that happens. And besides, who would want to free two criminals?"

"I would!" Hana argued with them. "I'll free you two."

"Yeah, right." Marik sighed, not looking at her.

"I promise!" Hana grabbed both genie's hands to make them look at her. "I'll make my first two wishes then I'll use my third wish to set you two free."

Both genies looked to each other then back to Hana and smiled.

"Well, here's to hoping." Bakura admitted and they shook their already clasped hands.

"Let's make some magic!" Marik exclaimed.

The two of them moved around to where they were situated on both sides of Hana.

"So how 'bout it?" Bakura asked. "What is it you want most?"

Hana blushed lightly at the thought that immediately rushed to the forefront of her mind.

"Well, there is this… guy." She admitted.

Bakura made a buzzing sound and Marik shouted out 'Wrong!'

"We can't do the whole 'love' thing, remember?" Marik bopped her on the head.

"I know but guys…" Hana sighed and walked over to a palm tree and leaned against it. "He's smart, kind, gentle…."

"Let me guess." Bakura added on with a smile. "Sex god?"

Hana smiled and turned back to the genie.

"A drop dead one."

Marik decided to be funny and bit his knuckle at his friend. Bakura didn't find it funny but Hana laughed. "He's got these eyes… and his hair… and don't even get me started on his smile!" Hana sighed and slid down the tree.

"C'est l'amour." Bakura sighed along with Hana and Marik nodded.

"But, he's the prince." Hana brought her knees to her chest. "The only way he would even look at me is if…"

A candle flickered on in her head and she turned to face her new friends. "Hey, can you two make me a princess?"

Both genies hummed and glanced to each other. They then magicked up books and hurriedly read through them. Bakura's was entitled 'Royal Recipes' and Hana assumed that Marik was reading the same thing but his book was upside down. They both found something, showed it to each other, and nodded.

"To make a princess." Bakura read from his book.

"Now is that an official wish?" Marik asked, the crazed smile on his face. "Say the magic words!"

Hana stood up from her spot next to the tree.

"Marik, Bakura, I wish for you to make me a princess!" She ordered.

"All right!" Bakura cheered while Marik hollered behind him.

"First!" Marik poofed up a large mirror and changed his outfit into something of a tailor. "This brassiere and pants combo is much too third century. These patches." Marik pulled at the one on her pants. "What are we trying to say here, beggar? No." He pulled the patch off. "Let's work with me here."

He measured her arms, legs, even her hair before he tied a bow out of his measuring tape across her back and pulled it off quickly.

Her normal clothes were gone in an instant and Hana only realized what had changed when she glanced into the mirror. She was now wearing a halter top formal gown made from soft lilac silks that she had once seen in the market place. It just barely hid her feet but lifting the dress slightly, Hana could see that she now had a beautiful pair of golden sandals. It had a small train but nothing that she would trip on.

Hana then looked to her face. The green eyes she had were decorated with kohl, bringing them out even more. Her hair had been washed and arranged in a waterfall style and atop her head sat a silver tiara. She also had a different assortment of jewelry, like anklets and a tiger's eye ring.

"Wow…" Hana breathed out.

"I like it!" Malik congratulated himself. "Now, still needs something. What is it saying to me?"

"Mode of transportation?" Bakura asked.

"Yes!" Marik agreed. "Oh, monkey boy! Come here!"

Malik shrieked in disbelief and tried to hide behind Ryou but Bakura shot him with a beam of magic.

"Now, Princess Hana, what better way to make your grand entrance on the streets of Thebes than on your very own, brand new camel?! Watch out, they spit!" Bakura had become a sort of show host as Malik was brought over and suddenly changed into a camel. "Hmmmm. Not enough." He snapped his fingers and the camel then became a white horse. "Still not enough! Oh, what does she need!?"

Bakura repeatedly snapped his fingers, changing Malik into all sorts of things before he ended up as a monkey again.

"I got it!" Marik suddenly charged in and flashed a winning smile. "Trust me, this will be amazing!"

"Take three steps back." Bakura mouthed to Hana who did so hesitantly.

"Esalalumbo shimin dumbo!" Marik exclaimed and Malik was changed into an enormous elephant.

"Wow!" Bakura managed out. "That is amazing!"

"What did I tell you?!" Marik smiled again. "Talk about the trunk space, check this action out!"

Malik looked into the nearby pond and gave a shriek when the face reflected was not his own. In an attempt to get away, he climbed up the nearby tree but it bent under the newfound weight. When he hung there for a minute, Hana took the trunk and held it lightly.

"You look good, Malik." Hana smiled but the monkey turned elephant didn't believe her.

"She's got the outfit." Bakura listed.

"She's got the elephant!" Marik added with a smile. "But we're not through yet!

"Hang onto to your tiara, sweet cheeks!" Bakura rolled up his robe sleeves. "We're gonna make you a star!"

Magic flew in every direction and Hana couldn't help but wonder what she has gotten herself into.

---

Aknamkanon sat in his throne with his eyes shut, hoping for some guidance to come along. Atem has once again refused to consider any of the suitors that had come to offer themselves. The father was beginning to get worried.

After his little adventure in the marketplace, Atem had become much more withdrawn from his father and the court. Whoever that girl was, she touched his heart in a way that probably will never be repaired. The Pharaoh raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"Oh, great gods in the heavens." He pleaded. "Send me a sign that Atem will be taken care of, that his heart will be repaired."

The door to the throne room suddenly opened and the Pharaoh looked to who had entered. "Ah, Dartz."

"My lord, I have found a solution to the problem with your son!" Dartz cried as he quickly came into the room.

Weevil shrieked before he repeated the last few words of Dartz's statement.

"You have?" Aknamkanan's eyes brightened, perhaps the gods had heard his prayers.

"Right here!" Dartz unraveled the papyrus scroll that had the law his father had written decades ago. "If the prince has not chosen a wife by the appointed time, then the Pharaoh will choose one for him."

"But Atem hated all of the other suitors!" Aknamkanon argued, throwing a cracker down Weevil's throat when the bird yawned. "What kind of a father would I be if I chose someone my son hated?"

"Not to worry, my Pharaoh." Dartz placated. "There is more. If, in the event a suitable princess cannot be found, the prince must then be wed to….. hmmmm… interesting."

"Who is it?" Aknamkanon demanded.

"The Royal Vizier." Dartz answered. "Why… That would be... me."

The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed as he stared at the scroll.

"My father wrote this law." He argued with Dartz. "He would never put in a clause like that. I know every single inch of this papyrus. Let me see it."

Dartz quickly rolled up the scroll.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Dartz said then held his snake staff up to the Pharaoh's face as he began to step down toward the Vizier.

"Desperate measures…." The Pharaoh repeated back softly.

"You will order the prince to marry me." Dartz demanded.

"I will order the prince to…." Aknamkanon shook off the hypnosis and stared at Dartz. "But you're so old! I remember meeting you before I even met my own wife!"

Dartz's eyebrow twitched then he brought down the staff again.

"The prince will marry me!" Dartz demanded again.

"The prince will…"

Music then echoed through the air, shaking the Pharaoh out of the trance once more. "Oh, what is that sound?" He jumped out of his throne and to the nearby balcony. Coming toward the palace, was an enormous entourage. "Oh, Dartz, you must come see this!"

Marik led the enormous entourage. His outfit was brighter, a white robe instead of his black one that exposed his chest, and he was wearing a large assortment of gold armbands and jewelry.

Make way for Princess Hana

Say hey! It's Princess Hana.

Marik left his post at the front of the entourage and began to run through the crowd, bringing attention to the arriving group.

Hey, clear the way in the old bazaar

Hey, you! Let us through, it's a bright new star!

Oh come be the first on your block to meet her eye!

Marik jumped through the crowd, disrupting everything he could. He spun people around, spilt their drinks and caused absolute mayhem.

Make way, here she comes

Ring bells, bang the drums

You're gonna love this girl!

The blond man continued until he had finally jumped into the arms of the apple vendor who had tried to cut off Atem's arm and gestured to the elephant that had just crossed into the capital. Curtains surrounded the small carriage that lay on top, obscuring the person inside.

Princess Hana, fabulous she, Princess Hana Sennen

Genuflect, show some respect!

Down on one knee.

The curtains on top of the elephant opened and revealed a beautiful princess with soft green eyes and a bright blush from all the attention. Marik, after hearing many of Hana's stories of her life on the streets, decided to get even with the jerks who pushed his master and new friend around. When they stared up at Hana, Marik snuck up behind them and pulled the rug they were standing on right out from underneath them, making them fall to one knee to keep their balance. Malik gave a smile and waved his trunk at the guards, but Hana knew better than to think it was a polite wave.

Now try your best to stay calm

Brush up your Sunday Salaam

And come to meet her spectacular coterie!

The rest of the court had come out to the balcony to stand beside Dartz and their Pharaoh. Nobody noticed Weevil dancing on Dartz's shoulder along to the beat and quickly stopped when the green haired man gave him a dirty look.

Marik then grabbed one man by his feet, creating a wheel barrel out of him, and collided with numerous people. The dozens of people had soon created a tower that reached all the way up to Hana herself, who climbed out of her carriage to greet them.

Princess Hana, lovely is she, Hana Sennen

Though she won't admit it, obviously.

Hana only greeted a few of them before the tower began to fall. Bakura finally popped up, hidden in the crowd, and zapped the people so that they didn't fall on Hana. The girl was still slightly concerned about the men but they smiled as they raced back into the crowd.

She's known to be calm and collect!

Stopping a war with a glance

Who retrieved peace all on her own, why Princess Hana.

While Marik transformed into different people to talk amongst the crowd, Atem had come out onto his balcony. He had heard the commotion and was curious to see what it was. Though, seeing everything that was pouring in, he had a good hunch about what it was about.

She's got 75 golden camels!

"Don't they look lovely, June?" Marik asked as he transformed into a male commentator as the servants with the gold camels walked by.

Purple peacocks, she's got 53!

"Fabulous, Harry, I love the feathers." Bakura replied back, transformed as a female commentator.

When it comes to exotic type mammals

Has she got a zoo, I'm telling you

It's a first class menagerie!

A large balloon was brought in next and the people of the capital all stared, amazed at the size of it.

Atem wasn't really amused as his eyes wandered the parade until his eyes caught sight of a male brothel at the side of town with a strange man among them, actually Marik in disguise again.

Princess Hana, charming is she, Hana Sennen (There's no question this Hana is alluring)

Her demeanor, how I can I speak (Never ordinary, never boring)

Weak at the knees (Everything about the girl just plain impresses)

Well get on out in that square! (She's a winner, she's a wiz, a wonder)

Build up some muscle if you can (She's about to pull my heart asunder)

To gawk and grovel and stare and Princess Hana (And I absolutely love the way she dresses)

Hana blushed brightly at the words but she still acknowledged them. As taught from her father, she placed a hand on her heart, then her mouth, then her forehead before bowing her head slightly, her hand on her heart again. The men apparently liked this as they fainted into Marik's arms.

Atem rolled his eyes. The dramatics of some people. Especially royalty in his opinion. Though, it was the most modest greeting he had seen from a princess thus far. Atem didn't want to dwell on it so he walked back inside his room.

She's got 95 white Persian monkeys! (She's got the monkeys! Let's see the monkeys!)

Hana could see that Zigfried and the guards were getting into the song as well and couldn't help but laugh lightly.

And to view them, she charges no fee! (She's generous, so generous!)

Hana practically dumped a plate of gold onto the road and watched as people went to grab the coins. She then noticed that Malik was pointing his trunk at the children that had been caught in her crazy shenanigans the past few days. She made sure to toss them a bag each and blew a kiss down to them, making the two boys blush brightly and the girl laugh senseless.

She's got slaves, she's got servants, and flunkies!

Proud to work for her

They bow to her whim, love serving her

They're just lousy with loyalty to Hana

When the caravan, now beginning to split off to become easier to manage in the tight corridors of the palace, looked to approaching the throne room, Aknamkanon and the rest of the court rushed back to the throne room. Dartz, very unwillingly, waited by the door, but he kept his staff just as the corner to stop it from opening all the way.

Princess Hana!

Unfortunately, that didn't work, as Malik, using his elephant strength, kicked open the door. The force made Dartz fall back and slammed both of them behind the door. Marik had jumped onto the elephant and when he saw that the coast was clear, he slid down Malik's trunk and up to the Pharaoh, but still kept his distance.

Princess Hana

Amorous she! Princess Hana Sennen

Heard your prince was a sight, lovely to see!

And that good people is why, she got dolled up and dropped by

They then began to list the objects she had 'brought' along with her, with each one the music gave a grand swell.

With 60 elephants, llama galore

With her bears and lions

A brass band and more

With her 40 fakirs, her cooks, her bakers

Her birds that warble on key!

Make way!

Marik was pulled to the back of the crowd by Bakura and they both disappeared back into the lamp after giving supportive thumbs up to the girl, hidden at Hana's side in a velvet bag. The girl then jumped onto Ryou, ready to see if this was actually going to pay off.

For Princess Hana!

Ryou made a sudden stop low to the ground but Hana knew it was coming so she didn't trip and fall off the carpet. She bowed low to the man who ruled over Egypt as Dartz shooed out the parts of her entourage that had made it into the throne room.

"Absolutely marvelous!" Aknamkanon laughed with his amazement.

Hana stepped off Ryou with a gentle smile before bowing again to the Pharaoh.

"Great Pharaoh." She greeted. "I have journeyed from afar for the opportunity to meet your son."

"Princess Hana Sennen!" Aknamkanon rose from his throne, taking her hands to rise her up from her bow. "Of course, I am delighted to meet you. This is my council of wielders and this is my Vizier, Dartz. They are all delighted to meet you as well."

"Ecstatic." Dartz reluctantly said. "I'm afraid, Princess Senile…"

"Sennen." Hana corrected with the sound of clearing her throat.

"Whatever." Dartz shook it off. "You can't just parade in here uninvited and expect to-"

"Great Ra…" The Pharaoh breathed as he was inspecting Ryou. "This is a remarkable device. I don't suppose I might…."

"Of course, your majesty!" Hana agreed immediately. "Allow me. Ryou?"

The carpet lifted high enough so that the Pharaoh could easily sit in the correct position for flying. Hana helped the Pharoah sit on it correctly then held a finger at Ryou. "Please be careful, don't do what you did to me." Ryou lifted a tassel and gave a mock salute.

"And what was that?" The Priest Seto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He shot off so fast, I fell off the back." Hana improvised and she succeeded in getting some of the members of the council to chuckle.

Before the Pharaoh could take off, Dartz slammed his staff to the ground, pinning Ryou to the spot.

"Sire." Dartz tried to say calmly. "I must advise against this…."

"I don't see any harm, my Pharaoh." Isis quickly interjected and the Pharaoh gave a smile to Dartz.

"If Isis says it is fine then who am I to argue?" Aknamkanon smiled. "Button up, Dartz. Learn to have a little fun."

He kicked Dartz's staff and Ryou shot off with the Pharaoh clinging to him. Hana couldn't help but flinch when there were a few close calls but she figured that Ryou would take care of the Pharaoh.

"Just where exactly did you say you were from?" Dartz questioned her, pulling Hana's eyes away from the carpet zooming around the room.

"A small kingdom on the Peninsula." Hana replied with a gentle smile. "There are always sandstorms so it is hard to find unless you know how to get there. I'm sure you have never been."

"Indeed." Dartz replied but the sneer was clear on his face.

"Mind your heads!" The Pharaoh called out before he flew over Hana and Dartz's heads, making the both of them duck.

Weevil had flown up in freight after the first dive but he wasn't prepared for the second one. When the carpet got close, Weevil flew for it.

"Watch it!" He chanted. "Watch it with the dumb carpet!"

Ryou and the Pharaoh dived again which gave Weevil a reason to heave a sigh of relief but he then crashed beak first into a pillar. After sliding down, all he could see were multiple Pharaoh's on carpets chanting 'Have a cracker.'

"Coming in to land!" The Pharaoh called as Ryou took one final dive and landed gently close to the ground.

"Spectacular, you highness." Dartz drawled as the Pharaoh climbed off the carpet.

"Yes, I do seem to have a knack for it." The Pharaoh kept smiling. "Now that was an adrenaline rush! This is a very impressive youth! And a princess as well."

He walked over to Dartz and whispered. "If we're lucky, you won't have to marry Atem after all."

"I don't trust her, sire." Dartz whispered harshly.

"Nonsense!" The Pharaoh argued. "I am well known throughout the land to have an excellent judge of character."

"Oh, right." Weevil muttered, dusting his feathers off. "Excellent judge of character… Not!"

Nobody noticed Atem enter the room then. The entire court was there and in the middle was apparently the new potential spouse. The prince couldn't see her since his father stood in the way.

"I do believe Atem will like this one!" His father said happily.

The Pharaoh moved then and Atem caught sight of the Princess mid smile. She said nothing in regards to his statement but there was a small blush on her cheeks. Before it stayed there too long, she shook her head and the blush vanished. Atem had only known one other person who smiled like that and shook her head to focus herself again. His rescuer from the market place… Atem shook his own head. It was impossible, she was gone.

"Your highness, no!" Dartz threw himself between the Pharaoh and Hana. "I must intercede on Prince Atem's behalf. This girl is no different from the others. What makes her think she's worthy of the prince."

Atem narrowed his eyes at the Vizier. Who was he to know exactly what Atem wanted?

"I'm not." The Princess suddenly said aloud, making everyone turn to her. "I apologize my Pharaoh, may I?"

The Pharaoh nodded his head. "I know I'm not worthy of him but I am here anyway to see what he decides. That is the only decision that matters here."

"She is right." Priest Mahad answered with Isis nodding next to him. "Let her meet him and then a decision can be made."

Atem's anger spilled over.

"How dare you." He growled and everyone finally noticed him. "All of you! Standing around deciding my future? I am not some prize to be won!"

Atem turned on his heel and stormed out of the throne room. He wasn't angry at the princess, he was actually touched by her words, but he was definitely angry at the council and Dartz.

Hana's heart sank, did he hate her now?

"Oh dear." The Pharaoh sighed.

He turned to his new guest and saw that she looked genuinely upset at the words his son shouted at the group. He took one of her hands and began to take her into the palace. "Don't worry, my dear." He soothed. "Just give Atem some time to cool down."

"Of course." Hana replied, a faint smile on her face.

The two walked a few paces away, Dartz glaring at the new Princess.

"I think it's time we said goodbye to Princess Senile." He growled softly.

Her sudden appearance disrupted his plans and Dartz needed them back on track. She had to disappear.

---

Atem stood on his balcony after the sun set, staring off into the desert. For the entire day, he had avoided any members of the court that had tried to talk to him. He also avoided the new Princess, Hana. He still wasn't angry at her but the similarities between her and the girl from the market were too much and it made his heart hurt.

He looked down into garden below to see the Princess now walking through it. She settled herself on the side of the fountain and slid a hand across the water. After a moment, she dried her hand and stood to walk back to her companions already there. Atem lowered his eyes again and turned back into his room.

Hana was still trying to calm her heart rate after having her first conversation with the Priestess Isis. She had been walking through the palace with the Priestess when the older woman suddenly brought up a new topic.

"My dear." She said. "There is no need to lie to me."

"Lie?" Hana asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"My Millennium Necklace shows me many things but for you, the visions are hazy." She settled a few fingers on the golden necklace. "The day when the Prince vanished, I received a vision of someone, a young girl, telling a vendor that the prince thought a monkey was the Pharaoh."

Isis glanced to the young girl to see that her face was now an apple red. "I am grateful for what you did for him that day. And I will give you some advice to try and claim his heart."

Hana quickly turned her face up to the Priestess. "Do not try to be a princess, simply be yourself. That is all Atem wants." Hana went to argue that he wouldn't want her that way but the Priestess held up a hand. "Trust me on this."

The priestess then turned to walk the other way but she stopped to send Hana back another smile. "And do make sure that Marik and Bakura don't steal anything. It took us a few years to replace everything they took last time." Hana's jaw dropped as Isis turned around once more to walk on her way.

Hana in the present sighed and began to pace beside her friends.

"What am I going to do?" Hana moaned. "Atem won't even talk to me! I should have known I couldn't pull off this princess wish."

Malik was attempting to peel bananas but was failing every time. Hana stopped her pacing to peel one for the angry monkey but his relieved smile did not make her feel better. Marik and Bakura were hiding up in the tree, Bakura playing with a knife while Marik was cleaning his finger nails with his knife. "Guys, I need help! I don't know what to do!"

Both former thieves glanced to the girl, their eyebrows raised.

"And why are you asking us for help on this?" Marik asked.

"I don't know!" Hana sighed. "You guys have probably seduced hundreds of women, maybe even some men! Maybe you have some advice?"

"We did." Bakura nodded his head before turning back to Hana. "Though is seducing the thing ya want to do?"

Hana sighed and dropped her head in shame.

"No, it's not. Atem doesn't deserve that."

"Now that we have that settled." Marik jumped down from his spot in the tree to pat Hana on the back. "I say, you follow the Priestess' directions and simply be yourself! Which would include telling him the truth."

"Oh, no!" Hana quickly jumped away from the genie. "If I told him the truth…. That I was some street mouse, he'd laugh at me."

"Or maybe execute you for lying about knowing about that whole incident with him before." Bakura added on.

"Thanks, Bakura." Hana sighed. "I didn't think of that."

"Bakura!" Marik chastised the other genie but the white haired man simply shrugged off the words.

"In all seriousness, sweet cheeks." Bakura continued anyway. "I, reluctantly, agree with Marik and the Priestess, you should be yourself."

What if being herself wasn't what she wanted to be at the moment? Hana decided that the only way to truly figure out if this was ultimately a good idea, she had to go talk to Atem herself. It wasn't proper but it was the only way.

"Ok, I'm going to talk to him." Hana said out loud.

"That a good idea?" Marik asked.

"Most likely not but it's the only thing I can think of."

"Least she's honest." Bakura sighed.

"How do I look?" Hana asked, fixing one last strand of her hair.

"Like you're about to hurl." Bakura replied, bluntly.

"Thanks."

"What Bakura means to say is…" Marik sighed. "You look like a princess."

That was the best she was going to get so she woke up Ryou from his evening nap for him to fly her up to the prince's balcony.

Atem lounged on one of the couches in his room with Sarabi right next to him. The lioness could tell that her friend really was under the weather. She had done everything she could to try and cheer him up but nothing seemed to work.

"Your highness?" A voice called from the balcony.

Both Atem and Sarabi lifted their heads to look out to the balcony. Through the curtains at the edge of his room, the two could make out a figure but nothing recognizable.

"Who's there?" Atem asked, as he sat up fully.

"It's Princess Hana Sennen."

Atem made it to the curtains and sure enough, it was her.

"I do not wish to see you." He told her evenly, his voice betraying some of his anger.

"Please, your highness." Hana pleaded. "I just wish to speak with you."

Hana took a step closer to the prince and her path was quickly blocked by a lioness coming toward her. "Good kitty." She breathed out as she sat onto the rail of the balcony.

Marik and Bakura had jumped up underneath the balcony to float alongside Ryou, who wanted to listen in.

"So how is our little belle doing?" Marik asked with a smile.

Ryou held up a tassel and made the gesture of slitting someone's throat.

"That's never a good sign." Bakura sighed.

Maybe she did need some help with this.

Hana was still trying to shake off Sarabi when Atem noticed something in the green eyes she had. It was the same fear he had seen when the girl was being dragged off by the guards barely even two days ago.

"Wait." Atem stepped out onto the balcony and Sarabi, listening to her friend, moved away. "Do I know you?"

"Uh…" Hana stammered out. "I don't believe so. Why?"

"You remind me of someone I met in the marketplace." Atem answered.

"The marketplace?" Hana's heart soared, he remembered her! Though she quickly shook it off, stay in character. "This is my first time here, highness. I don't think it is possible."

"I see." Atem's eyes dropped to Sarabi next to him. "I guess not then."

"Enough about you!" A buzzing voice suddenly appeared in her ear. "Talk about him!"

It was Marik, disguised as a bright bee!

"He's smart, kind, gentle, the hair, the eyes! Anything! Pick a feature!" Another voice appeared in the other ear.

This time it was Bakura as a small bee as well.

"Um, Prince Atem?" Hana called to him. "You're very…."

"Wonderful, glorious, magnificent!" Bakura listed compliments.

"Punctual!" Marik exclaimed.

"Punctual!" Hana blurted out as that was the one said before she panicked.

"Punctual?" Atem asked, turning to her.

"Idiot!" Bakura growled to Marik.

"Sorry." Marik whimpered.

"Uh… Courteous!" Hana quickly fixed herself but the word came out louder than she wanted it to.

"Great word!" Marik exclaimed.

"Nice recovery." Bakura complimented.

Atem and Sarabi shared a look before he turned back to the blushing princess.

"I'm rich too." Atem added on as he started to walk toward her.

"Your palace shows that." Hana nodded her head, slightly transfixed on the prince walking toward her.

"The son of a Pharaoh." Atem added on again.

"I know." Hana nodded again, her face becoming even redder.

"A fine prize for any princess to marry."

Hana's face had become so red that her brain didn't have enough blood to completely process the notion that Atem didn't want to be a prize. She was too fixated on the prince that was so close to her!

"Uh, right…" She eventually settled on.

"Maybe, even a princess like you." Atem was so close that Hana could feel a hand brush against her own.

"Me?" For that moment, she had forgotten she was a princess. She had once again become street mouse Hana standing next to the newly revealed Prince Atem.

"Just like you." Atem purposefully slid a finger up her arm before tapping her on the nose. "And every other self-absorbed, spoiled brats, I've met!"

Atem shoved, well more tapped harshly, her shoulders back so that she hit the back of the balcony. Her lower back hurt from the collision but her pride was dented a little more. Bakura helped keep her from losing her balance while Marik was shouting out 'Mayday! Mayday!"

"I…" Hana went to say.

"Go jump off a balcony!" Atem snapped back at her.

Sarabi didn't seem too impressed by her friend's outburst of anger at someone who didn't seem to deserve it. The lioness gave a glance to the princess and saw a single tear slide down her cheek. She turned back to Atem who was walking back toward his room and the lioness figured that she could push him back out here to apologize. She ran after the prince, giving Marik and Bakura time to talk Hana.

"Stop him! Stop him!" Marik chanted out.

"Want me to sting him, sweet cheeks?" Bakura asked, stinger all ready.

"Buzz off." She snapped quietly wiping her eyes to try and conceal her pain.

"Fine." Bakura huffed with his hands on his bee body. "But remember…"

"Beeeeeeee yourself!" Marik exclaimed and they both disappeared back into the lamp in Hana's bag.

"Yeah right." Hana huffed at them, unfortunately becoming too loud.

"What?" Atem turned back to her.

Hana forced herself back into her situation and saw no way to fix it.

"You're right." She eventually settled on. "You aren't just some prize to be won. You should be free to make your own choice."

Atem stared at her, his eyes wide. He looked down at Sarabi who also looked amazed. When he looked back to the princess, she was seated on the rail turned slightly away from him. "I'll go now." She slid off near soundlessly.

The prince had the horrible flash back of watching the girl leave again and thought, 'Not again!'

"No!" He shouted and Hana's head appeared again on the other side of the rail.

"What?" She asked, a slightly terrified glint in her eyes. "What is it?"

Atem's stared at the floating head. They were a few hundred feet up, how was her head here?

"How are you doing that?" He asked, walking over to the side of the balcony.

Hana beckoned Ryou to fly up and over onto the other side of the balcony.

"It's a magic carpet." Hana explained.

"It's incredible." Atem mused as Ryou took his hand and bowed slightly.

A candle flickered on in Hana's head.

"You, uh, don't want to go for a ride, do you?" Hana asked, Atem's eyes went to hers immediately. "We could get out of the palace, see the world?"

"Is it safe?" Atem asked, suddenly questioning the abilities of the carpet in a sudden storm.

"Of course, it's safe." Hana smiled. "But do you trust me?"

Atem blinked before looking at her again.

"What?" Atem asked.

"Do you trust me?"

Without realizing it, Hana was in the same position, her hand outstretched to the prince, as she was two days ago when the two of them were about to run from the guards. Atem smiled as he finally put two and two together. The girl from the market was alive and standing in front of him.

"Yes." He immediately said and took her hand.

Hana pulled Atem onto the carpet and it quickly took off into the sky. Ryou flew toward the entrance of the palace where Isis was seated. As if she knew, and she probably did, she looked up to see Hana wave at her as she passed by.

"Have a good trip, you two." She said casually then looked to the prince. "There will be no hickies when you two get back."

"Isis!" Atem quickly shouted only making the Priestess laugh.

In sheer embarrassment, Hana covered her face with both of her hands and thankfully, Ryou kept moving on.

They had made it to the center of the city and Atem recognized the section of the market where he and the girl sitting beside him, though she didn't know he knew, met for the first time. Seeing Atem's bright face, she sang softly.

I can show you the world

Shining, shimmering, splendid

Tell me, my prince

Now when did you last let your heart decide?

Ryou flew under a bride and plucked a small lotus flower from one of the pots and handed it up to Hana. She glanced at it for a moment before she handed it to the prince sitting next to her. Atem seemed confused for a moment before he smiled and took it from her.

I can open your eyes

Take you wonder by wonder

Over sideways and under

On a magic carpet ride

After a few more turns around the city, Ryou then shot off into the clouds and the two aboard looked down to see how small the capital was becoming.

A whole new world

A new fantastic point of view

No one to tell us no

Or where to go

Or say we're only dreaming

Hana clamped onto Atem's arm at times when Ryou would dive through the clouds but Atem looked to be having the time of his life. Ryou passed by the moon, the object much larger than it was from Atem's balcony and with a glance at Hana, he continued her song.

A whole new world

A dazzling place I never knew

But when I'm way up here

It's crystal clear

That now I'm in a whole new world with you

Ryou flew through the clouds again and while they looked to be solid, Atem was quite surprised that when they flew through them, his hands were wet. He eventually continued Hana's song when it looked like she was going to stop

Unbelievable sights

Indescribable feelings.

Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling

Through an endless diamond sky

Hana was getting slightly dizzy with all of the flips and turns that Ryou was doing through the clouds and by the large flock of storks but he always caught them and made sure that the both of them were ok.

A whole new world (Don't look away now)

A hundred thousand things to see (Hold your breath, it gets better!)

They were flying south and soon saw a large mountain and a small village having their own festival. They had constructed a large wooden temple. The two on the carpet waved to the man on the top of the temple and the man was in such shock he seemed to have fainted. Slightly guilty, the two glanced at each other with a smile before taking off again.

I'm like a shooting star

I've come so far

I can't go back to where I used to be

Ryou shot off to the north east to where they caught sight of a herd of horses running across the plains.

Every turn a surprise (With new horizons to pursue)

Every moment, red letter

Hana carefully pet one of the foals on the head and Atem chuckled at the pleased reaction the foal gave off before Ryou shot back up into the sky. They then flew north where they entered a sort of garden, ivory statues everywhere and an apple tree.

I'll chase them anywhere

There's time to spare

Let me share this whole new world with you

Hana reached up into the tree, grabbed an apple, trick shot it off her elbow to Atem. He caught it and without her seeing, he gave a knowing smile.

Hana: A whole new world

Atem: A whole new world

Hana: That's where we'll be

Atem: That's where we'll be

The carpet drifted closer to the water and Hana reached down to slid a hand across it. Atem pulled at her other one after a moment. She stared at him, curious, until she began to blush brightly when he settled the lotus flower that he had carried all the way here into her hair. Hana shook her head but this blush didn't go away since the prince had interlocked their fingers.

Hana: A thrilling chase

Atem: A wondrous place

Both: For you and me

With a little persuasion on Atem's part, Hana moved over slightly so that her head was lying on his shoulder and their interlocked fingers settled along Atem's crossed legs. At that moment, Hana was the happiest being on the planet.

Ryou took off again soon after and the two were dropped off on the top of a strange building where the people below were having their own kind of festival. Fireworks and a large fabric dragon were apparently the cornerstone of it.

"This is all so incredible." Atem breathed out as another set of fireworks were set off into the sky.

Hana was sitting next to him with Ryou hanging on the prince's other side. She stared up at the fireworks as well but didn't ignore the prince's statement.

"Yeah." She agreed.

Atem glanced at the girl sitting next to him then the apple that lay in his hand. Now is as good of a time as any.

"It's a shame that Malik had to miss this." He commented casually.

"Malik?" She quickly raised her head. "Nah. He's not missing out. No offense to Ryou over there, he tends to get a little air sick…"

Hana trailed away as she suddenly became aware of what she was saying. "Oh no…" She groaned as her face fell into her hands.

"You are the girl from the market!" Atem exclaimed. "I knew it! Why did you lie to me?"

"Atem, I'm sorry!" She quickly said but it didn't placate the prince.

"Did you think I was stupid?" He asked, his voice harsh. "That I wouldn't figure it out?"

"No!" Hana argued. "It's just…. I hoped you wouldn't."

Bad words, Hana! "No, that's not what I meant!"

"Who are you?" The harshness in Atem's voice faded but it was still firm. "Tell me the truth."

"The truth?" Hana mimicked back. "Oh, the truth….. Umm…."

She could practically hear Marik and Bakura in the back of her head screaming to tell him the actual truth. Even Ryou was waving a tassel for her to do so.

"And don't even try to do the whole 'I'm a royal and dress as a commoner to escape the whole royal life' thing." Atem added on with a little smile. "I saw the truth in your eyes when you spoke about your family."

He actually remembered that? Hana finally sighed but didn't look to the prince next to her.

"Fine, you caught me, ok?" She told him. "I'm the silly girl from market."

"Silly wouldn't really be the right word for you." Atem chuckled.

"What word would you pick?" Hana asked, her voice showing her sadness.

"Endearing, is one." Atem replied and a blush began in Hana's cheeks again. "Stubborn. Unforgettable, is another. Want me to go on?"

"No, no." Hana shook her hands and her head. "You've made your point."

Atem seemed pleased with himself though he felt bad for pushing the girl around at his balcony and right now. Especially with the shove into the railing, that he definitely felt bad about. Atem slid his hand across her cheek and Hana turned to face him.

"I don't understand." Atem told her. "For near two days, I thought that you had been dead. Killed for some stupid crime."

Hana shook her head gently. She told him everything from the dungeon cell, to the Cave of Wonders, to Marik and Bakura's wish to be free once more and all the way to her first wish. "That does explain how the thieves up and vanished in a single day. But why wish to be a princess?"

"Why?" Hana laughed. "I wanted to see you again and I couldn't do that as a street mouse."

Atem took his hand off Hana's cheek and slid it around her waist so that she was against his shoulder like they were earlier.

"Why didn't you tell me this at the beginning?" Atem practically sighed and he could feel Hana chuckle.

"This is coming from the guy who a) ignored me all day because he was mad and b) told me to jump off a balcony." She retorted.

Atem gave an 'hmmm' sound before giving a chuckle as well.

"Maybe we can look over that?" He asked.

"Maybe." Hana giggled before her voice became serious again. "Are you going to tell your father?"

"No." Atem replied. "He may find out eventually but I'm sure Isis has something up her sleeve to help placate him, since she obviously already knows. And besides, who am I to argue with having a smart and beautiful girl on my arm at all times?"

Hana rolled her eyes and settled herself again on her prince's shoulder.

---

When the both of them began to get tired, Ryou flew them back to the palace. After letting Atem back onto his balcony, Ryou dropped slightly so that Hana was slightly below him.

"Good night, my sweet princess." Atem smiled down at her.

"Sleep well, my handsome prince." Hana replied back, thankfully no blush on her cheeks.

A silly idea then hit Hana's head. "Though, how can I sleep well if I'm still convinced I'm dreaming?"

Atem rolled his eyes and gestured at Ryou to fly up a little bit. "It is a completely reasonable question and…." Hana stopped speaking when the carpet began to fly up again. "Wait a minute, what are we doing? I am so-."

She was cut off when Ryou lifted high enough for Atem to settle his lips on hers. Her mind simply went 'Screw it!' and went along with it. It was a chaste one and it ended quickly.

The prince pulled away and gave her one last smile before he turned to walk back into his room. He turned back only once more to smile at Hana's slightly pink face before he walked back through the curtains and out of sight.

Hana floated there for one more second before she couldn't take it anymore. "Yes!" She exclaimed softly as she jumped and fell backwards. Ryou quickly caught her and they floated along the desert breeze back towards the ground. "For the first time in my life, things are starting to go right."

Unfortunately, things were about to go wrong again.

Four pairs of hands grabbed Hana at that moment. She kicked and fought but the guards were able to wrap chains around her wrists and ankles. "Malik!" She tried to call out but her friend was also in a trap, hanging a few feet off the ground. She turned and saw Zigfried tying Ryou to a tree. A staff slammed against the ground, making Hana look up to see the Vizier, Dartz.

"I'm afraid you've worn out your welcome, Princess Senile." He sneered down at her.

Hana went to curse at him but the guards quickly covered her mouth. "Make sure she is never found." Hana fought to go after the Vizier but something whacked the back of her head and, like in the Cave of Wonders, everything went black.

The guards carried the unconscious princess to a part of the Nile where it would be deep enough to drop the girl. They laughed as they dropped her into the river. Hana felt the wind whistling in her ears and woke up a few feet above the water line.

Hana fought her bonds but they were too strong for her to break on her own. An idea came. Marik and Bakura! She'd lose a wish but she didn't care, she had to get back to Atem! The bag where the lamp was still hung at her side so she adjusted herself so that when she hit the bottom of the river, the lamp popped out. Hana fought some more to catch it but she ran out of air and blacked out again. Thankfully, the current of the Nile pushed the lamp into her hands and rubbed it ever so slightly.

Smoke popped out of the lamp and out came Marik and Bakura. Bakura was reading a book while Marik was in a towel.

"Never fails!" He exclaimed. "Get in the bath and there's a rub of the lamp. Thank goodness I was able to grab a towel."

"I don't think anybody would want to see you like that, am I right, sweet cheeks?" Bakura turned to her and gasped. "Sweet cheeks!"

She was unconscious and both genies began to panic. Marik magically put on clothes and they both raced over to her.

"Hana!" Marik cried. "Snap out of it!"

"You can't cheat on this one!" Bakura groaned. "We can't help you unless you make a wish!"

"It's easy! All you gotta say is 'Marik, Bakura, I want you to save my life'. Okay?"

"Come on, Sweet cheeks!"

Bakura shook Hana's shoulders and the girl's head flopped up and down.

"You taking that as a yes?" Marik asked.

"Duh!"

Marik transformed into a submarine and Bakura grabbed Hana and the lamp to jump on Marik.

"Up scope! Here we go!"

To anybody passing by, it would have looked like a ginormous whirlpool had suddenly struck that point in the Nile but it was actually Marik reaching the top and both genie's hurling up to reach solid land. Magic destroyed the bonds and the girl began to cough all the river water out of her lungs. She turned to look at the genies, fighting to catch her breath.

"Don't you scare us like that, sweet cheeks." Bakura growled.

"Marik, Bakura…" Hana managed before she wrapped her arms around the both of them. "Thank you."

"Ah, don't worry about it." Marik brushed off the thanks. "I'm getting kinda fond of you myself. Not that I want to pick out curtains or anything."

Hana smiled as Bakura poofed up a horse for Hana to ride back to the capital.

"Come on." Bakura groaned. "We gotta go get lover boy."

"Lover boy?" Hana asked when she got onto the horse.

"My name for him." Bakura shrugged. "I'm gonna put it to good use now that you two are official."

Hana blushed brightly and whacked the genie on the head. Bakura didn't seem too upset, he was actually proud to get the reaction. Hana urged her horse forward and back to the capital.

---

Atem has already made Sarabi slightly upset twice in the past hour or so after he had tried to go to sleep but he couldn't help it. He started to hum the song again and in retaliation, the lioness flopped on his chest to get him to stop.

"I regret nothing, Sarabi." Atem smiled like an idiot.

The lioness grumbled and didn't climb off him. Atem chuckled again and looked to the ceiling.

Once he got up in the morning, he would rush to his father and tell him the great news. He had chosen a suitor like he wanted and that Atem wanted to be married right away. That would no doubt have the Pharaoh in near hysterics of happiness and agree immediately. Hana's face at the reaction would definitely put a blush on her face.

"Atem." His father's voice appeared as someone opened the door slightly.

Atem and Sarabi both looked over to the door and saw the Pharaoh's shadow. After Sarabi climbed off of him, Atem lit another candle so that there was more light in the room. Something did seem strange to Atem. His father never just waltzed into his room when he needed to talk to Atem, he normally knocked first. Maybe he was in a hurry and didn't have time?

"Oh, father." He walked over to greet him. "I just had the most wonderful time tonight. And since you are here, I can tell you the good news."

"I also have good news for you." His father said in a monotone voice. "I have chosen a husband for you."

"What?" Atem's thoughts screeched to a halt. That didn't sound good.

"You will wed Dartz." His father told him, his voice in a monotone.

Dartz pushed open the second door to his room and Atem couldn't suppress that gasp that came out. This wasn't possible, why was his father doing this?

"You're speechless, I see." Dartz commented casually as he took the prince's hand. "A fine quality in a spouse."

"I will never marry you." Atem snapped as wrenched his hand out of Dartz with a deadly glare.

The prince ran over to his father and shook his arms. "Father, I wanted to tell you in the morning but I choose Princess Hana."

"The Princess has left, sire." Dartz told the prince, faking sadness.

"Better check your crystal ball again, Dartz." Hana's voice came from the door to Atem's chambers.

She leaned against the frame of the door, a scowl on her face. Atem raced over to her and quickly noticed that the kohl that lined her eyes was smeared and slid a hand across her cheek.

"You're soaked." He pointed out.

Hana shook out her hair and a dozen or so droplets of water fell onto the floor.

"I took a very unplanned swim in the Nile, courtesy of the Royal Vizier himself." Hana huffed, her last few words directed at the Vizier.

"What?" Atem gasped out.

"She was found by a farmer who helped bring her back to the palace." Isis' voice also appeared behind Hana.

The court of wielders were now beginning to come toward the chambers as the commotion was spreading across the palace. Hana was much too angry to tell the story but the image of the poor elephant and the magic carpet in their separate traps was enough to prove that someone had been trying to alienate the girl from any possible means of escape.

Dartz gasped at the sudden reappearance of the girl and Weevil couldn't keep his surprise hidden quietly.

"How in the he-." The bird stopped himself from cursing aloud and reverted back to a safe language. "Awk!"

"Tell them the truth, Dartz." Hana growled as she stalked toward the Vizier. "You tried to have me killed!"

"What?" Dartz gasped in his own faux surprise. "What a ridiculous notion, your highness. She's obviously lying."

The serpent staff was brought toward the Pharaoh's face and the spell took hold.

"Obviously… lying." The Pharaoh repeated emotionlessly.

Everyone who knew the Pharaoh well gasped at the moment, even Hana. She knew from word of mouth that the Pharaoh was kind and never judged before he knew more about the subject, which was why his library had grown to such an immense size.

"Father!" Atem shook his father's arms again. "This isn't you! What is wrong?"

Hana's street mouse eyes finally noticed that the ruby eyes on the snake staff were glowing slightly and with a quick glance at the Pharaoh, his eyes were slightly glowing in the same way.

"I know what's wrong." Hana said before she snagged the staff from Dartz and before he could try and stop her, she slammed it, snake face first, onto the ground.

The Pharaoh's eyes cleared as he finally came to his senses, when had he walked to Atem's room? What was going on? Everyone was staring at him like he was insane.

"Oh, oh, oh, my." He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Pharaoh." Hana's voice pierced through the fog. "Dartz has been controlling you with this."

The princess handed him the serpent staff that his friend and advisor carried, the face smashed apart, and through the bits and pieces of memory that were left, the Pharaoh could remember that Dartz held up this exact staff before it all became black. The Pharaoh looked from the staff to the Princess and saw that her makeup was smeared and water droplets fell from her hair… Had Dartz tried to kill this girl? He held onto the staff in a death grip before turning to Dartz, his anger rivaling that of Atem's.

"You traitor!" He roared as he threw the staff down again onto the ground and stalked toward the Vizier.

"My Pharaoh." Dartz said in a shaky voice, obviously trying to keep his cool. "All this can be explained."

"Guards!" Aknamkanon roared again.

Dartz could find no way out of this. Weevil wasn't exactly making it any easier either with all of the infernal whispering in his ear.

"That's it, we're dead." The bird moaned. "Might as well dig a grave for both of us. We're finished."

Weevil continued to ramble on but Dartz's eyes caught onto something. The purse that the princess carried had been damaged in her fall in the Nile and ripped slightly and inside, much to Dartz's delight, was the lamp. The green haired man tried to reach for it but he was pulled back by the first two guards that had arrived.

"Arrest Dartz, at once!" The Pharaoh ordered but Dartz wouldn't go down without a fight.

With Weevil flying out the door, Dartz pulled a red vial out of his robes. Before he threw it, he locked eyes with the 'princess.'

"This is not done yet, girl!" He snapped out.

Hana knew that voice….. She dreaded hearing it again. It was the old man from the dungeons! The man who had tried to kill her and Malik at the Cave of Wonders! She snarled at him and when she tried to pull the vial away, Dartz threw it down and the room exploded in a red haze.

Hana, being the closest, coughed loudly as she fought for clean air. When it cleared slightly, everyone could see that Dartz was gone!

"Find him!" The Pharaoh roared out again and the court of wielders all dispersed immediately. "Search everywhere!"

Hana gave another cough and felt a hand at her back helping her stand up straight.

"Thanks." The girl smiled up to the prince.

Atem tried to hug her tightly but the Pharaoh, in his fit of anger, brushed right on through them, pushing them apart. Atem rolled his eyes and pulled the girl into his arms again.

"Dartz." The Pharaoh said, bemused. "My most trusted advisor! Plotting against me this whole time! This is horrible! Just….! How am I ever going to…?"

The Pharaoh stopped. He heard a strange noise. It was… a giggle? He turned around and couldn't stop the grand smile that took over his face. His son had the princess in his arms and wore the brightest smile on his face. "Can this be true?" He asked aloud and both prince and princess looked to him. "Has my son finally picked a suitor?"

"I was going to tell you tomorrow, father, but now is a better time than any." Atem smiled at his father and the Pharaoh had the reaction that Atem expected.

"Praise Ra!" The man cheered as he stepped over to take Hana's hands, practically pulling her out of Atem's embrace. "I am not going to even ask how you did it. I'm quite sure a brilliant young woman such as yourself had many plans to catch him."

Hana blushed in reply but that was enough for the Pharaoh to release the girl back into his son's arms. "You two will be wed at once! And yes, yes, you'll be happy and prosperous and then you, my dear, will become queen!"

"Queen?" She asked, a sudden fear coursing through her.

"Yes!" The Pharaoh exclaimed. "My kingdom hasn't had a queen since my own beloved wife passed. A fine, upstanding youth such as yourself, a person of your unimpeachable moral character is exactly what this kingdom needs!"

Hana tightened her arms, making Atem notice her fear, so he leaned down to her ear.

"Don't worry, I will help you every step of the way. I promise." He told her.

While it made Hana smile, it didn't help her feel any better.

---

On the other side of the Palace, Dartz and Weevil had finally made it to their room with Dartz heaving by the time he had closed the door.

"We gotta get out!" Weevil shrieked. "I gotta start packing, your highness!"

Weevil flew into his cage and began to throw the belongings around. "Only the essentials! We travel light! Bring the guns, knives, weapons, what about this picture? I don't know, I think I'm making a weird face in it."

Dartz was only listening faintly, his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't believe that he had been so stupid and didn't see it sooner. The green haired man began to laugh. A howling kind of laughter and it scared Weevil. "Oh, boy. He's cracked. He's gone nuts."

Weevil flew down and began to knock on Dartz's head. "Dartz? Dartz? Get a grip!"

Dartz quickly grabbed the bird by the throat and the bird's head began to turn a light purple. "Good grip." He gasped.

"Princess Hana is nothing more than that street urchin Hana." Dartz growled to his bird. "She has the lamp, Weevil!"

"Why that miserable, little-!" Weevil began to rant until Dartz interrupted him.

"But you are going to relieve her of it."

"Me?" Dartz smirked and began to tell the bird his plan.

---

Hana sat on the steps to her chambers and sighed into her arms.

"Queen?" She asked herself. "They want me to be queen?"

The garden wasn't giving her any solace at the moment so Hana stood and walked back into her room. Inside, Marik and Bakura were ready with a cheer.

"Huzzah!" Marik cheered.

"Hail the conquering hero!" Bakura began to play multiple musical instruments but Hana walked past them.

Bakura stopped and both genies looked to each other. Hana would normally crack a smile or laugh if they pulled something like that. The swooped over to her again.

"Hana!" Marik stepped in her way. "You've just won the heart of the prince. What are you going to do next?"

Hana looked at them blankly before walking away again. This was getting weird fast. Hana walked over to her bed, pulled her tiara off her head before she sat down in a heap.

"Your line is, 'I'm going to free Bakura from this miserable lamp'." Bakura whispered as he settled on the ground near her. "Any time."

"Don't forget me!" Marik huffed at Bakura.

"Guys, I can't!" Hana finally said before an argument broke out.

"Of course, you can, Sweet cheeks!" Bakura huffed. "All you gotta say is…"

He grabbed her jaw and began to move it up and down like she was talking. "Marik, Bakura, I wish you free."

"I'm serious, guys!" Hana slapped the hands off her face and took a few steps away. "I'm sorry. I really am! But they want to make me Queen! No, they want to make Princess Hana Queen. Without you guys, I'm just a street mouse."

"Hana, you won!" Marik huffed at her.

"Because of you two!" She gestured at them. "The only reason anyone thinks I'm worth anything more than just someone to warm a bed is because of you!"

Hana turned around from the genies. "What if the council finds out I'm not a princess. Or worse, the Pharaoh! I'll lose Atem…" The girl turned back to the genies. "I'm sorry, guys, but I can't wish you free."

Bakura's face was a mask of sadness and disappointment while Marik's was more open to the anger that he held back.

"Hey, I understand." Marik growled out, the anger only just being held back. "After all, you've lied to everyone else. I was beginning to feel left out. Now, if you'll excuse me, master."

Marik slid back into the lamp and in a desperate attempt, Hana looked to Bakura. The white haired man wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I'm going to calm him down. Someone has to before he tries to kill someone." He simply said before he too disappeared into the lamp.

It was silent again. Hana let a single tear race down her cheek before she walked over to the lamp and held it in her lamp.

"Guys, I'm sorry." She said.

A tongue popped out of the spout of the lamp and that made the sadness quickly turn into anger. "Well, fine!" Hana slammed the lamp onto the bed before she covered it up with a pillow. "Stay in there for all I care! And I…."

She was nearly going to say that she didn't care but that was completely false. She did care. Marik and Bakura had practically become her family other than Malik. She glanced to the window where Malik and Ryou had been but now they were gone.

She was alone for the second time in her life.

This time completely different from the last. Unlike the days when she had nothing but the clothes on her back, she had everything she could ever want and now she was throwing away the friends that she had grown close to. Her father would be sickened of her.

Hana was sickened of herself and let the sadness come back. When she finally felt calmer, she wiped away as many tears as she could then stood. "Marik and Bakura are right. I… I have to tell the Pharaoh the truth. Even if it costs me everything."

"Hana!" Atem's voice called out from the garden. "Hana! Will you come out here?"

And getting the prince's blessing was the best place to start. Hana quickly pulled her tiara back on and fixed the kohl around her eyes before she walked out of her room. Atem wasn't there.

"Atem?" Hana called. "I didn't expect you to be the type to play hide and seek."

Weevil was hiding around the corner of the rooms, cleared his throat, and then continued in a perfect impression of the prince.

"I'm heading towards my father's throne." Weevil said. "Meet me there."

"Wait up!" Hana called as she raced off towards 'Atem'.

Once she was out of sight, Weevil gave a mighty chuckle and flew into the room. He quickly found the lamp stuffed under a pillow.

"Dartz is going to be happy to see you!" Weevil cheered before slipping into Dartz's voice. "Excellent work, Weevil! Ah, go on! No really! On a scale of one to ten, you are an eleven! Oh, Dartz, you're too kind! I'm embarrassed. I'm blushing!"

Weevil flew out the room window and back to where Dartz was waiting.

---

Hana eventually found Atem near the gates of the palace and he quickly grabbed her wrists.

"Thank goodness, you're here!" He exclaimed. "Every village for at least four miles has shown up for father's announcement!"

He began to pull her toward the box where his father was speaking but Hana tried to pull him back.

"Wait, Atem." She pleaded. "Stop the announcement. I can't stand it anymore. I have to tell your father the truth."

Atem's smile flattened slightly but he wasn't able comment as the two were pulled apart by members of the council. Hana was pushed into the box with the Pharaoh just as he name was announced.

"Princess Hana Sennen!"

Thousands of people cheered below her and her face turned a bright red as she forced herself to smile and wave. Atem came out a minute later and tried to talk to her but the cheers were too loud for her to hear anything he said.

High above, Dartz and Weevil looked down on the large crowd assembled.

"Look at them." Weevil huffed. "Cheering that little pipsqueak!"

Dartz turned away from the window with a simple smile.

"Let them cheer." He said as he held up the lamp and rubbed it with his free hand.

Smoke shot out from the lamp and the backs of the two genies appeared.

"You know, sweet cheeks, I don't think now is….." Bakura turned around to stare at Dartz for a moment before he turned back to the way he had come out.

"Are we in trouble?" Marik asked.

"Maybe." Bakura replied.

"Mother-!" Marik went to curse but Bakura slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Idiot!" He snapped. "This is a Teen rated fic! We only have one chance to use that word! I'd like to use it at a more appropriate time!"

"Sorry." Marik's voice was mumbled under Bakura's hand but he was still heard.

The white haired man quickly turned around again.

"We seem to be in the wrong place so we're just going to go…."

The genies went to take a run for it but Weevil shot down at them and Marik gave a wild curse.

"Fucking bird!"

Bakura sighed and held his hands up.

"Pause!"

Everything stopped. Weevil was still in full dive, Dartz was staring at the two genies with a satisfied look and the crowd had gone silent. The two genies then turned to the one reading this story on their screen. Yes, the one who immediately went 'Who, me?' "Ladies and gentlemen. The word that Marik just said should not be in your regular vocabulary."

"But since we are thieves, we can get away with it." Marik added on.

"Anyway." Bakura continued after leveling Marik with a glare. "We would just like our regular reading audience to know that this is the only time where this word will be used, as per the rules of Teen rated fics on this website."

"Now that we are finished covering our legal bases." Marik gave a smile. "Let us get back to our regularly scheduled program."

The two genies turned back toward the bird, put on a scared expression, then started time again. The two ducked as Weevil flew over their heads and back onto Dartz's shoulder. "I'm going to say that that is not Hana." Marik muttered.

"Unless she suddenly got a really good mask for Mardi Gras." Bakura muttered back.

"It's not Mardi Gras!"

"Oh, well…"

They stared in silence before Marik suddenly went closer to Dartz's face.

"Who the fudge are you?" He asked.

Dartz, annoyed with all the stalling, shoved Marik to the ground and for extra measure, stomped on his face.

"I am your master now!" Dartz snapped down to the blond.

"I was afraid he would say that." Marik muttered, his voice strange from the foot in the way.

"Woah, woah, woah." Bakura suddenly intervened. "Nobody picks on this guy but me!"

"That has to be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Marik gave a sniffle.

"Don't get used to it!" Bakura huffed before he turned back to Dartz as the green haired man began to talk.

"So, two genies?" Dartz commented. "So does that mean double the wishes?"

"No." Bakura narrowed his eyes. "Still only three."

Dartz shrugged his shoulders.

"No matter." He said. "Grant me my first wish. I wish to rule over the entirety of Egypt as Pharaoh!"

---

The clouds began to swirl around the palace and the sudden increase in wind blew the top of the box off. Atem positioned himself over Hana to stop any debris falling on her but she quickly stood up.

"Good Ra." The Pharaoh mused aloud. "What is….?"

He stopped when his crown suddenly flew off on its own. Aknamkanon caught it but it flew out of his hands again this time with the rest of his robes flying off with it, leaving the great Pharaoh in only his under robes.

"Father!" Atem gasped as he and Hana raced over to the Pharaoh.

Hana watched as the robes flew over and settled themselves over Dartz's actual clothing. The green haired man laughed as the crown of both Upper and Lower Egypt settled itself on his head.

"Dartz, you vile betrayer!" Aknamkanon growled to the man.

"That's Pharaoh Vile Betrayer to you!" Weevil in his own Pharaoh attire said aloud and everyone who could hear the bird had their eyes widen.

Hana reached into her bag to find only open air. The lamp! She glanced around before remembering that she had left it in her room.

"Finders Keepers, Senile." Dartz laughed at her and the entire palace began to shake.

The palace began to lift off the ground, commoners screaming as they ran to take cover. Hana realized how this was happening so she ran to the side of the wall and gave her best taxi whistle, as Marik called it, and Ryou quickly came flying by. The carpet took her to where her genie friends were using magic to lift the palace.

"Marik, Bakura!" She cried when she got close enough. "Stop!"

"Sorry, sweet cheeks." Bakura said sadly.

"We have a new master now." Marik added, equally saddened.

Hana shook her head, her worst fear becoming reality. The two genies settled the palace onto a large magic made mountain and stood silently, as if they were waiting for their next command.

"Dartz, I order you to stop!" The Pharaoh commanded.

"Ah, but there's a new order now." Dartz smiled down to the Pharaoh and his 'council'. "My order. Finally, you will bow to me!"

"We will never bow to you." Atem retorted defiantly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Weevil moaned, a faux bemused expression.

"If you will not bow before the Pharaoh…" Dartz growled. "Then you will cower before a sorcerer!"

The green haired man looked down to where Marik and Bakura were hiding, Hana trying to tell them to stop. "Genies! My second wish! I wish to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world!"

Marik and Bakura both sighed and the blond genie held out his hand and light appeared in his palm.

"Marik, no!" Hana cried but she was too late and the small ball of light shot off toward Dartz like a lightning bolt. It seemed to zap him and his whole attire changed.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" Weevil announced. "A warm, Theban welcome to Sorcerer Dartz!"

His outfit wasn't unlike his attire as Royal Vizier but it was more pointed like his personality. His snake staff had reappeared but this time, the mouth was open.

"Now, where were we?" He asked aloud. "Ah, yes. Abject humiliation!"

A blast of green magic shot out of the snake's mouth and hit both Atem and his father, making them fall down into a deep bow. Isis and the rest of the council rushed over to pull up their leaders. "Don't think I forgot you all." Dartz shot another beam at the council members and they too fell into a bow.

Dartz heard a growl and out from the palace came the prince's lioness, her teeth bared in rage. "Good kitty." Dartz chuckled and fired another bolt of magic at Sarabi. The lioness soon became a kitten again, a cute meow escaping from her jaws. "Ah, yes, your majesty." Dartz added the title deliberately for a laugh. "I have something to tell you about your future daughter-in-law."

Aknamkanon growled from his bow and Atem fought to be free from the spell.

"Dartz!" Hana's voice was clear again as she landed next to the kitten form of Sarabi. "Don't you dare lay a finger on any of them!"

Hana was more grateful for years on the streets right then and there than any other time in her life. When Dartz shot a beam of magic at her, she was able to jump away, grabbing Sarabi quickly to get her out of danger as well. Dartz figured this whole thing a game of target practice.

After settling Sarabi near Atem, Hana continued to jump around, avoiding the magical strikes until, of course, Weevil flew in her path and forced her to suddenly have to change directions.

"Caught you!" Dartz cheered as he fired another bolt of green magic and it zapped Hana.

"No!" Atem yelled into the midst.

"Say hello to your precious Princess Hana."

There was a burst of smoke and when it cleared, every member of the council gasped. Instead of the beautiful princess that they had met yesterday, there stood a girl in rags, clutching at her chest in pain.

"Hana!"

The girl looked up and the same green eyes were there on her face.

"Can it be true?" Aknamkanon whispered.

"Oh but it is." Dartz chuckled.

When Malik came charging in, Dartz wasted no time in returning the elephant back into its original monkey form. "A peasant girl who impersonated a member of royalty…" Dartz mused. "I will be merciful in your sentence."

"Merciful?" Hana managed with a chuckle. "This is coming from the guy who tried to kill me and Malik in the Cave of Wonders. Hardly merciful."

Dartz simply shrugged. He summoned dark green mist and it pulled Hana and Malik into the air. It then shoved the two into a tower but not before Hana was able to cry out once more.

"Marik, Bakura!" She cried for help but the two genies were powerless to stop their new master.

Ryou looked up from his hiding spot nearby and made a quick decision. The carpet shot off and flew through the window into the tower to be with his friends.

"Where would a good stop be?" Dartz asked himself. "Ah, the ends of the earth."

"Don't you…" Atem growled and just to make the Prince's life miserable, Dartz swung his staff and the tower shot off into the sky. "No…."

Using the strength that he had, the Pharaoh was able to get his arm over to his son in an attempt to comfort him. He then turned his gaze to the tower flying away.

"See ya!" Weevil called after the tower.

"So long, ex-princess Hana." Dartz said before dissolving into a new fit of laughter.

Atem finally turned away from the tower and clutched his father as the fear began to set in.

They were trapped.

---

The tower finally crash landed onto solid ground and the impact threw Hana out the lone window.

By Ra, it was freezing!

Hana pushed herself up to see that the tower had stilled before it rolled off the cliff. She turned around her; Malik had clutched her the entire time but the crash separated them. Where was her friend? In a fit of panic, she shouted his name down into the chasm below.

"Malik!"

Her calls were answered with loud shivers behind her. Hana ran as quickly as she could, the wind not helping her situation. There was a pile of snow that was shaking so the girl fell to it and began to dig through the white powder. "Oh, Malik, this is all my fault. I should've freed Marik and Bakura when I had the chance!"

The girl finally came across the golden monkey and held him tightly to her chest, which probably wouldn't stay warm for much longer. "Are you ok?" She asked. Malik was a trooper and nodded with a smile. "I'm sorry, Malik. I was stupid and made a mess of everything. Somehow, I have to go back and set things right."

Trying to attempt the impossible, Hana began to walk through the snow, back up towards the remains of the tower. When she got close, a small mound of snow came popping up like she had stepped on a lever and out popped a golden rug, frozen stiff from the temperatures.

"Ryou!" Hana exclaimed.

She looked for a way to free him but figured it impossible since the tower was lying right on her woven friend. Well, she had done some pretty impossible things before, what was stopping her now? "Malik, start digging!"

With both of them digging, the idea that Hana had in mind didn't take long to complete. The tower began to roll again.

Hana just hadn't thought about where she would go once the tower had started to roll. She ran, after pulling at Malik's tail to get him away, but soon discovered the cliff edge. When the tower made another rotation, she saw her ticket and bolted toward it.

She somehow timed it just right that she managed to get under the tower just as the window hit the ground. The window was just large enough for both Hana and Malik not to be crushed and they both watched as the tower rolled off the cliff.

"All right!" Hana cheered but her monkey friend wasn't so happy about it since he quickly fainted into Hana's hands.

Ryou, freed from the tower at last, stretched his fibers out before flying over to his friends. Hana jumped onto the carpet and it took into the sky. "Now, back to Thebes! Let's go!"

---

Back at the palace, things weren't going so well. Dartz had changed the interior of the throne room to a sort of torture entertainment room. The council of wielders had been tied together in the corner of the room, their items far away as Dartz never found their power appealing in the light of his own new abilities, Sarabi had been thrown into a cage, and the Pharaoh, bless his soul, was remaining strong despite the torture that Weevil was putting him through.

The green bird constantly stuffed crackers down the man's throat but the man made no sound in retaliation. The true ruler of Egypt's robes were exchanged for a jester's outfit, a very unflattering one that was a deep red and green. Weevil had attached strings onto his arms and legs to make him a sort of puppet, which was amusing for Dartz.

Atem stood by Dartz's 'throne' and silently wished he could be that strong. He had been forced to change into harem's clothes which consisted of black harem pants, no shirt and in hard iron chains attached to the snake staff forced to wait on Dartz's every whim.

The Prince also couldn't help but give a glance to the two genies who sat far away from Dartz. Their faces were grim; they had been that way since Hana and Malik had been fired off into oblivion. The two obviously cared for her. The white haired man, Bakura the Thief King, finally gave a growl to Dartz.

"I would suggest not tormenting the Pharaoh as such, master." He said, using the title in a very sarcastic way. "If you kill him, you've got a riot on your hands."

Dartz didn't seem too worried about what the genie said but he held out a hand for the bird to stop tormenting the Pharaoh. Weevil did so, very reluctantly, and in his fit of anger, threw the remaining crackers at Aknamkanon's face. Atem gave a light sigh of relief and mouthed his thanks to the thief. Bakura only gave a light shrug of the shoulders and held up a glass of wine. "For Hana." He mouthed back.

Dartz shook Atem out of his silent conversation with the long dead thief king.

"It pains me to see you reduced to this, Atem." Dartz suddenly told him then took a bite out of the apple that Atem was forced to hold out. "A fetching young man such as yourself should be on the arm of the most powerful man in the world."

With a simple movement of the snake headed staff, the chains on Atem's wrists disappeared. Dartz then created a simple gold crown. "If the little girl weren't such trouble, she could have been the bearer of my heirs but it is safer this way. What do you say, my dear?"

Atem wanted to start laughing at the hilarity of it. Dartz, the man who had taken him and his entire kingdom hostage for the power, wanted him on his arm. The thing that made the prince's blood boil was his snark at Hana. Atem was convinced that she would rather die than become the woman who warmed his bed. The prince leaned back slightly until he felt the cool feeling of glass. "Why, with you as my…"

Atem didn't let him finish.

"Never." Atem growled and splashed the green haired man in the face with the wine.

Dartz definitely didn't like the refusal. He gave an animal like growl before glaring at the prince.

"I'll teach you some respect!"

The false king gave a wild swipe and in making the easy movement to avoid the hit, Atem slipped and fell down the small steps to the throne and to the ground, near the pile of Millennium Items. The prince gave no sound of fear as he glared up to Dartz.

Dartz had a wild idea of simply killing the prince. He was too dedicated to his love, well as much as he could be when she was a street mouse. Though he decided not to, as with the Pharaoh, if he killed the next in line for the throne, the people would revolt in the streets. A better idea came to mind. "No. Genies."

Both Marik and Bakura flinched when Dartz looked their way. "I have decided to make my final wish." Oh, boy. "I wish for Prince Atem to fall desperately in love with me." Atem's stomach dropped. There went his hopes to free his people.

"Ummmmm…" Marik drawled. "Other than the fact that what you want is a kid, who is more than half your junior, to fall in love with you; we just can't do it."

"We have a few provisos, a couple quid pro quos…." Bakura began to count on his fingers again before Dartz turned to snap at them.

"Don't talk back to me, you stinking thieves!" He snapped.

When Dartz moved, the window at the top of the throne room became visible at last. Atem's heart soared when he saw Hana poke her head through the window. The green eyes caught his own eyes and the girl quickly tapped a finger to her lips. Understanding the signal, he nodded tightly. Hana jumped to get closer to the ground and Atem suddenly had an idea to distract Dartz. As the genies and the green haired man were still arguing, he decided to put it into action. "You will do what I order you to, slaves!"

"Dartz!" Atem's voice suddenly pierced into the argument.

All three looked to the prince then. "I never realized how incredibly handsome you are."

Marik made a big show of letting his jaw drop while Bakura simply mouthed 'lover boy?' Nobody noticed the shadow slinking away on the floor towards the darkness of the room where it wouldn't be spotted.

Dartz didn't seem too concerned as he snapped Marik's jaw back into place.

"That's better." The man hummed in delight. "Now, my prince, tell me more about myself."

"You're tall, well dressed…." Atem began to list on as he walked closer to the other man and the two genies quickly went to walk away.

The blond genie caught sight of Hana and Malik slide down the nearby curtains and behind the column. He went the give a joyful sigh but Bakura shushed him and the two slid quietly over to the girl.

"You're ok!" Marik shrieked quietly. "We thought you were lost for good!"

"Not really." Hana shrugged as she turned around the corner to glance at where Dartz had put the lamp. "It was Ra damned cold where he shot me, my arms are still tingling."

Hana found the lamp. It was next to Dartz's throne, a good 20 feet away from where Dartz and Atem were now.

"We can't help you, sweet cheeks." Bakura sighed. "We work for Mr. Pedo Psychopath now! What are you going to do?"

"Relax." Hana gave a smile at the two of them. "I'm a street mouse, remember? By the time I'm half way there, I'll have a plan."

That didn't comfort the genies completely but they didn't argue with her. Hana took off again, sliding stealthily around corners and having to unfortunately listen to Atem talk seductively with Dartz.

"Go on." Dartz purred.

"And you're hair is so… smooth." Atem's hand, once it was over Dartz's shoulder, seemed to push Hana to get closer to the lamp.

Weevil had been eating a vine of grapes when he noticed the girl creeping up to the lamp and gave a loud gasp.

"Dar-!" Malik caught him and snatched his beak to keep him quiet.

"And the street mouse?" Dartz continued on with Atem, not noticing his bird calling him.

"What street mouse?" Atem replied, his voice seductive.

Hana reached as far as her arm would let her but she accidentally knocked over a plate covered in fruits. Dartz flipped around to try and catch the intruder but Atem made a split second decision and flipped the 'Pharaoh' again and kissed him right on the mouth.

Hana froze, horror and disgust filtering through her. Even Malik and Weevil both made a disgusted sound. When Dartz finally pulled away, he noticed something, a reflection in the crown he had conjured on Atem's head.

It was the girl's face.

"You!" He snapped around.

Hana made a wild grab for the lamp but a green bolt of magic shot at her, throwing her into a pile of gold on the other side of the room. "How many times do I have to kill you, girl?" In his fit of anger, Dartz swung his staff at Atem and the prince dissolved into shadows. "What?"

A sword swung around the sorcerer's neck and the prince's voice appeared behind him.

"If you wanted me gone that badly, why didn't you just do it sooner?"

Atem kicked the sorcerer into the wall and held the blade to his throat.

"How?" Dartz growled out then his eyes narrowed at the prince's neck.

Atem was wearing the Millennium Puzzle. So, the boy had tapped into the shadow powers of the items to create a double while the real Atem lay in wait for a perfect time to strike. Fortunately, Dartz's new powers easily eclipsed that of the items.

With a swift kick, Dartz kicked the prince away but Hana soon replaced him, keeping Dartz against the wall.

"Get the lamp!" She called to Atem and the prince took off.

Dartz, with his strength, threw Hana away after a few moments and gave a cackling laugh.

"Ah ah, dear prince!" He shot a bolt of magic which Hana hoped would miss when she slammed into him after she got up quickly. "Your time is up!"

It didn't miss.

The shot hit Atem just as he managed to pick up the lamp. The impact threw him off his balance, made the lamp hit the ground, and Atem wound up in an enormous hourglass.

"No, Atem!" Hana cried out from her spot holding down Dartz.

The sand began to fall, the first spout hitting Atem in the head. If Hana wasn't quick in getting the lamp, Atem would suffocate!

"Oh! Nice shot, Dar—." Weevil wasn't having a very good day as he was whacked over the head with a golden bowl by Malik.

The golden monkey then made a bee line to the lamp but the sorcerer saw it coming. Dartz threw Hana off again, grabbed his staff and threw another bolt of magic at the monkey.

"Don't toy with me!" Dartz shouted out.

Malik was hit and he was transformed into a children's toy, a monkey playing cymbals in circles.

"Malik!" Hana called out and saw that Ryou had flown down to grab the lamp this time.

"Things are unraveling fast now, little girl." Dartz gave a mad chuckle as he fired another shot of magic at the carpet.

When he went to fly over to Hana, the bolt of magic made his fibers come apart and both he and the lamp came tumbling to the ground. Hana, tired of all her friends getting hurt for her mistakes, shot after the lamp herself this time. "Get the point?" Swords fell on all sides of the lamp and Hana reached to grab it but Dartz picked it up first.

"I'm getting real sick of your jokes." Hana growled out as she picked up one of the swords and went to swing it at him.

"Oh, really?" Dartz asked with a smile. "Well, I'm just getting warmed up!"

Out of his mouth came a stream of fire. All of the swords became a part of his flame and Dartz made another cackle.

The Hana a week ago would have cowered at the flames, the memories of her village being burnt at the forefront of her mind. Though, now, all she felt was an overwhelming anger.

"Are you afraid to fight me yourself, you cowardly snake!" Hana screamed at Dartz.

"A snake, am I?" Dartz appeared through the flames like a mirage, the golden eyes glinting. "Perhaps you'd like to see how snake like I can be!"

A forked tongue shot through Dartz's lips and he began to grow dramatically in size. By the time he had stopped growing, he was half way to the roof. He had become a giant cobra and now Hana had multiple things to worry about like the strength he now possessed and the fact that if he bit her, Hana would not be far behind Atem if she didn't get him out of the hourglass fast enough. Hana held her ground but soon realized that she may be fighting a losing battle.

Hana dodged as often as she could, leaping from side to side. Dartz may have been big but apparently he was pretty slow. When he came down for another crack at her, Hana swung her sword and it sliced a bit of Dartz's face. The snake roared in anger.

"Rick 'em, rack 'em, rock 'em, rake! Stick that sword into that snake!" Bakura cheered, having become a sort of cheerleader.

"You stay out of this!" Dartz hissed down to the two genies.

"Time for Dartz's cheer!" Marik suddenly began. "Give me a B, give me a B, give m B, give me B, give me a B. What's that spell?"

Both genies blew Dartz a raspberry that Dartz didn't find funny at all.

While that was going on, Hana made a dash to the hourglass but Dartz struck, making the girl suddenly fall away. Hana landed on her chest with a big thumb and heard her sword slide away.

"Hana!"

The girl looked up to see that the sand was now up to Atem's hips. She didn't have much time.

Hana bolted again, jumping onto a piece of treasure and sliding across the floor to grab her sword. Dartz charged after her again but Hana was fast enough to make a turn that he couldn't Dartz hit the wall and created a hole to the outside. The girl popped back around to stab Dartz through his scales, making the snake give a loud wail of pain.

Hana then jumped to grab of debris from the wall and balcony that Dartz had slammed into and ran back over to the hourglass. Atem was up to his neck in sand.

"Hang on!" She called out.

When she was just about to lower her 'weapon', Hana was yanked backwards and into the snake's coils.

Dartz laughed before looking down to the girl he had caught. He relished crushing her and the moans of pain she gave.

"You insignificant fool!" He laughed. "You thought you could defeat the most powerful being on earth?!"

"Squeeze her, Dartz!" Weevil was cheering on from the sidelines since he had woken up from his battle with Malik. "Squeeze her like a….. Awk!"

He stopped because Marik and Bakura had both walked over to the green bird and slammed it over the head with pieces of treasure and debris.

"Without your genies, you're nothing but a little girl." Dartz hissed down.

Hana suddenly got an idea. It was probably a bad one but she couldn't deny that it just might work.

"Genie…." Hana gave a cocky smile up to Dartz. "Marik and Bakura have more power than you'll ever have!"

"What?!" Dartz growled out.

"They gave you your power." Hana pointed out. "They can take it away!"

"Hana?" Marik asked, his voice becoming high pitched. "What are you doing?"

"Yeah.." Bakura agreed. "Why are you bringing us into this?"

"Face it, Dartz!" Hana continued on. "You're still just second best!"

Dartz thought about it a moment and realized that the girl was right.

"You're right." The snake's eyes widened. "Their power does exceed my own!"

Then the snake smiled. "But not for long." Dartz began to slither toward Marik and Bakura to surround them.

"The girl's crazy!" Marik tried to reason with Dartz.

"She hit her head somewhere!" Bakura added on.

"Slaves!" Dartz snapped stopping the both of them. "I make my third wish! I wish to be an all-powerful genie!"

Both genies glanced to each other. Now Hana's gone and done it.

"All right." Marik relented. "Your wish is our command."

"Way to go, sweet cheeks." Bakura huffed.

Hana only looked back down to the genies, hoping that her idea worked.

The genies settled a ball of light into their hands and at the same time, fired them at Dartz. The snake recoiled slightly but then the genie form began to take hold. A bright green form with dark turquoise smoke as his legs.

"Yes!" Dartz exclaimed.

The coils surrounding Hana disappeared and with as much grace as she could, the girl landed on her feet. "The power!" She then ran back over to the hourglass and smashed it open with the debris that she had picked up earlier. Hana had never been so happy to see anyone cough and open their eyes before. "The absolute power!"

Dartz had shot through the roof and began to throw magic out into the air. Wind began to blow through the palace forcing Atem and Hana to hold onto each other to stop the other from blowing away.

"What have you done?" Atem called to her over the wind.

"Trust me!" Hana called back and turned to where Dartz's feet would be.

Sure enough, a black lamp had materialized. "Perfect! Go get your father and the council to a save place!"

"Not without you!"

Hana smiled at the prince.

"I won't be gone too long."

Hana let go and ran over to the black lamp.

"The universe is mine to command, to control!" Dartz was still throwing magic in the air, causing absolute mayhem.

"Not so fast, Dartz!" Hana called up to him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?" Dartz looked back down to the ground, supposedly at her.

"You want to be a genie, you got it!"

Bronze shackles, like Marik and Bakura's, settled onto the former Vizier's wrists.

"What?!" The new genie roared out.

"And everything that goes with it!"

Hana lifted up the lamp as Dartz was beginning to be drawn in.

"I'm getting out of here!" Weevil shrieked as he began to fly away.

He didn't get far as Dartz grabbed the bird's tail feathers and pulled him in as well. The lamp made a sort of slurp sound when the both were fully in and everything was quiet.

Hana began to laugh.

"I bet you're now beginning to realize that the phenomenal cosmic powers really aren't worth the itty bitty living space." She smiled down to the lamp.

"Hana!" Marik and Bakura both cheered and ruffled her hair.

"You're a genius!" Marik exclaimed out.

"I can't believe we doubted you…" Bakura sighed.

Hana laughed and turned to see that everything that Dartz had transformed was beginning to return to normal. Malik had returned to normal and the revived Ryou quickly grabbed the monkey and pulled him into a tight hug. Atem and the rest of the royal party were also returned to their former selves. Sarabi was especially happy to be back in her proper skin. The palace was returned to its normal spot and everything was pretty much the way it was before, except for the black lamp in Hana's hands.

"Get your blasted beak out of my face!" She could hear Dartz snap at his bird.

"Oh, shut up, you moron!" Weevil snapped back.

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

Hana glanced to Marik and Bakura with a smile.

"Allow me." Marik took the lamp and glanced to Bakura. "Bakura, would you like to help me?"

"I would be honored, Marik." Bakura bowed. "A few hundred years in the Cave of Wonders ought to chill him out!"

Marik threw the lamp like a baseball and Bakura whacked it with a magically created bat and they both watched it fly off towards the sunken cave in the desert.

Hana gave a laugh at the antics of her friends. The laugh stopped short though when a hand took her own. She turned around to see a smiling Atem. Hana felt guiltier than ever.

"Atem." She began. "I'm sorry. About lying to be a princess, about letting Dartz gain control of the kingdom. About everything." Hana sighed again.

"There is nothing you need to be sorry about." Atem brushed a hand across her cheek. "You came back and you repaired your mistakes, that's all that matters."

Hana only glanced over to the council of wielders and the Pharaoh, who were all having a very important conversation.

"They're probably deciding my fate right now. I guess… This is goodbye."

"Never." Atem's voice deepened and he took the girl's chin. "I won't let it happen."

Hana tried not to cry again, she had cried too much in the past few days and was tired of it.

"It's not like we could be together." Hana managed to say.

"That stupid law." Atem agreed. "It isn't fair."

Atem wrapped the girl into his arms. "I love you."

---

The Pharaoh glanced over to his son and saw the way he held the girl that had saved their lives from his mad man of an advisor. Although he was grateful, there was still something that had to be done with the fact that she had disguised herself as a princess to try and court his son.

"Pharaoh." Priest Mahad finally said. "Must we really condemn her for...?"

"We have no choice." Aknadin snapped. "She broke the law and she must pay for it."

"Even if it was meant to be?" Isis asked aloud and everyone looked to her.

"What do you mean, Isis?" Aknamkanon asked the woman.

Isis touched her Millennium Necklace gently.

"The vision that came when the prince returned from the marketplace." She began softly. "At first it was murky and clouded, but when Hana came into the palace, many parts became clear to me."

"So you knew all of this was going to happen?" Seto gave a slight glare to the priestess.

"Not all of it." Isis replied calmly. "Only the parts that came before Dartz was arrested."

Isis turned to the Pharaoh. "My Pharaoh, Hana came to this city when she was nothing but a child. Her village ransacked and burned by bandits. She came to our kingdom for aid and none was given to her, making sure that she had to live a life on the streets."

"None of this helps her now!" Aknadin argued. "She could have become….!"

"Aknadin!"Aknamkanon held up a hand to stop him before he mentioned the job that the Pharaoh despised in his cities. "Enough. Go on, Isis."

"She has so much worth, if only given the opportunity to use it!" Isis continued. "Let her live, my Pharaoh; if you don't, I believe that Atem wouldn't be all that far behind her."

That sent a shock through Aknamkanon's heart and he took another glance at his son and Hana and noticed the two genies, the Legendary Thieves come toward them.

"No problem, sweet cheeks." Bakura the Thief king said. "You still got one wish left!"

"Just say the word and you're a princess again." Marik the Prince of thieves tried to cheer.

Hana pulled out of Atem's grasp and over to her friends.

"But guys, what about your freedom?" She asked.

"Hey, it's only an eternity of servitude." Marik shrugged.

"And I think I can handle a little while longer with this guy." Bakura pointed his thumb over to Marik. "He's grown on me these past few days."

Marik gasped, a happy sound.

"I take it back!" He smiled. "This is the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"

Both genies shrugged at each other then pushed the two together again. "Besides, this is love!"

"Where are you going to find another guy like lover boy?" Bakura asked seriously beside Atem with the prince raising an eyebrow suspiciously at the nickname. "Not in a million years!"

"Believe us, we know!" Marik sighed beside Hana.

Hana thought about it for a second and found that she couldn't do it. She took the prince's hands again.

"Atem, I love you with all of my heart but…" Hana took a deep breath. "I gotta stop pretending to be something I'm not."

The prince lowered his eyes but he didn't argue with his love. It was her choice and one that came directly from her heart.

"I understand." He replied and pulled the lamp out from where he was keeping it to hand to her.

Hana took it gently then turned back to her genie friends.

"Marik, Bakura. I wish for your freedom."

"One bone fide princess pedigree coming up…..!" Marik exclaimed as both genies cracked their knuckles before Hana's words sank in.

They both froze and stared at each other. "Did she say what I think she just said?" Marik asked.

"I think so, but let's find out." Bakura replied.

The genies turned to the girl and both went 'Huh?!'

"Marik, Bakura, you're free!" Hana repeated.

Hana thrust out the lamp to them and it floated out of her hand. Smoke shot out of the lamp and obscured both genies from view. Atem walked back over to Hana's side as the smoke cleared and the bronze shackles came popping off the genie's wrists. The lamp finally came down to the ground with a loud clank.

The two stood there dumbfounded for a second before Bakura reached down to grab the lamp that had been his prison for so long.

"Freedom?" He asked aloud. "I'm free?"

Marik yanked the lamp out of Bakura's hands and thrust it back into Hana's.

"Quick!" He exclaimed. "Quick! Wish for something outrageous! Say, I want the Nile! Wish for the Nile! Try that!"

Both genies flinched back as Hana gathered her bearings.

"Uh…" She stammered. "I wish for the Nile…?"

"No way!" Both of them shouted at her before laughing aloud.

They bounced around the balcony that they were standing on before grabbing Malik and Ryou and Hana and Atem into hugs before jumping into the sky.

"I'm hitting the road!" Both exclaimed together as they poofed up suitcases to fill with random objects. "Gonna see the world! I'm getting away from that idiot! I'm gonna….."

Both genies stopped as they noticed the tears that had finally streaked down Hana's face.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys." She said with a smile. "It'll be quiet here without you."

"We'll miss you too, sweet cheeks." Bakura smiled, though it looked forced, as he even he was upset.

The two floated back down to their friend, and practically member of their family to see her face to face.

"No matter what anybody says." Marik pulled Hana into a tight hug. "You'll always be a princess to me."

"And me." Bakura added on, slightly awkwardly.

Hana pulled him into the hug but the King of Thieves didn't seem to mind all that much.

Aknamkanon decided that now was the best time to walk over to talk to the girl.

"You're right, my dear." The Pharaoh took the remaining steps to stand beside his son. "You've certainly proven your worth as far as I'm concerned."

Aknamkanon then placed a hand on his bearded chin. "It's that law that's the problem."

"Father?" Atem asked. "What are you thinking?"

Aknamkanon smiled to his son.

"Karim." He simply said.

"Yes, my Pharaoh?" The Priest replied.

"Bring me the law that my father wrote that pertains to royal marriages, I have to change it."

"What would you like to change it too?"

The Pharaoh smiled to Hana.

"From this day forth, the prince shall marry whomever he deems worthy."

Atem gave a bright smile.

"Truly?" He gasped.

"Go on, my boy." Aknamkanon gave a laugh. "I never expected you to be the type to be told twice."

Atem smiled back and pulled Hana into his arms, lifting her into the air.

"Her!" Atem exclaimed. "I choose you, Hana."

The girl smiled and the signature blush came back to her face.

"Just don't call me sweet cheeks." She told him. "That's Bakura's thing."

"Damn straight!" The thief called and Atem smiled brightly.

The prince tried to kiss his new bride but the thieves got in the way again.

"Group hug!" Marik called out pulling in Hana, Atem, Malik, Ryou, Bakura, the Pharaoh and even Sarabi into his harsh grip.

It was a tight hug and he quickly let everyone go.

"Let's go before we do anymore damage to this Popsicle stand!" Bakura exclaimed before he shot into the air, Marik not far behind him.

"Bye bye, you two crazy love birds!" Marik called down.

"And if we hear anything crazy going on, don't think that we won't come by and kick your ass, lover boy!" Bakura called down.

"I don't doubt it!" Atem called up to him and Hana whacked him, her blush there again.

"Yo! Rug man, ciao!"

"What exactly are we again?" Marik asked.

"I don't care!" Bakura snapped with a smile on his face. "We're free!"

The two disappeared and fireworks shot up into the sky. It was night and Hana and Atem's engagement had been announced.

"A whole new world."

"A whole new life."

"For you and me."

Atem kissed his bride before Ryou took off into the moon, ready to take the couple to where their next adventure lay.

---

The two children were all smiles when the white haired man finished his story.

"And they lived happily ever after?" Amira asked.

"Yup." He nodded his head. "Lover boy became the king and Sweet cheeks his queen."

"How come you haven't given the two any names?" Yugi finally asked.

"Well…." The blond haired man shrugged. "This guy likes to give people nicknames."

"Lots more fun!" The white haired man smiled.

Amira and Yugi both laughed at the words.

"Yugi?" A woman's voice called. "Amira? Where are you?"

"Mommy!" The children both exclaimed as they ran toward the voice.

They bolted around the corner, coming back around quickly dragging someone by their wrists. An older woman but anyone could tell that she was still beautiful. She was practically identical to little Amira with her green eyes and dark ebony hair.

"These guys just told us the most incredible story ever!" Yugi was telling his mother.

"Come on!" Amira was squealing happily.

"Ok!" Their mother had just come around the corner and caught sight of the two 'merchants'. "Oh…."

The two children stared at their mother. She had stopped dead in her tracks before she began to cry.

"Mommy?" Yugi asked as he tugged at her hand. "Is everything ok?"

Their mother didn't reply, she continued to stare at the merchants.

"Marik? Bakura?" She asked quietly.

The children looked to each other. Weren't those the names of the genies from the story? They then looked to the men. They both wore proud smiles.

"Hey, sweet cheeks." The white haired man smiled. "How's it going?"

Their mother laughed at the words and walked over to hug the white haired man.

"Sweet cheeks?" Yugi asked aloud to his sister. "Mommy is….."

"Does that mean…..?" Amira asked as well.

Their gaze turned to their mother, who was now hugging the blond haired man. "Mommy?" The woman turned. "Are you…. The diamond in the rough? Like in their story?" Their mother, the queen of Egypt, smiled and nodded.

Yugi and Amira both smiled and squealed before they ran back over to the small group. Their mother pointed out which one was Bakura, the white haired man, and Marik, the blond one.

"Then that means Daddy is lover boy!" Yugi pointed out.

"Nobody can call me lover boy, except for Bakura." A new voice appeared.

Their father had walked around the corner and was shaking his head with faux annoyance. Time had done nothing to the new Pharaoh's hair as it still stood gravity defying and his piercing crimson eyes were warm with mirth. The children hurriedly ran over to grab their father and drag him over to where they had been communing. "Been a long time since we've seen either of you."

Marik shrugged.

"The world's a big place, your highness." He simply said.

Their father chuckled and shook his head. The small company milled around for a while before Amira gave a big yawn.

"Bed time, you." Hana picked up the little girl into her arms but the little girl fought.

"I don't wanna go yet…" She replied sleepily.

"Why not? Her mother asked.

The little princess glanced at the two former genies before looking back into her mother's shoulder.

"They'll be gone when I wake up…."

"Nah!" Bakura waved a hand. "We're gonna be all creepy and follow you home."

Amira gave a laugh before she yawned again.

"You might as well come with us." Their father offered. "We have plenty of horses to ride back to the palace."

"Of course, you highness." Marik gave a dramatic bow.

Without even a word, Marik picked up Yugi, who didn't mind one bit as he laughed loudly as the blond haired man threw him to sit on his shoulder, and began to walk towards where the young Pharaoh and his small entourage had left their horses. Bakura took the nearly sleeping girl from her mother and followed after his friend. The little princess simply adjusted where her head was before settling in again.

Hana and Atem both shook their heads with a chuckle. Hana glanced over to the table. The only thing left on it was the lamp that the both genies were trapped in. The memories came flooding back into her mind and the queen made a smile. They had carried it around for all these years?

The Queen stuck it into her bag for old times' sake before she took her husband's hand to go back home.

Fin!

Did you all enjoy it? I hope so! I promise 'A Witchy Idea: Duelist Kingdom' will premiere soon. I am about halfway done writing it, nearly to the Paradox Brothers. With that said, I won't rush to finish it as I want to make it the best quality I can but I will begin to post the beginning chapters so that you all can at least begin it.

Have a good day! RobynHood3