The Dancing Jewel
"So now it's my fault?" The scarlet haired girl snapped at the violet clad boy.
"Yes, it is!" he retorted. Ruby raised her delicate eyebrows.
"You're impossible! The conceited pharaoh Yami! If you had listened to me, none of that would have happened!" She stormed off. Yami leaned against a nearby rock. Closing his eyes, he retreated into the Puzzle. Yugi grinned, turning to Yami.
"Was she always so sweet to you?" Yami scowled. "I sense a history here."
Yami sighed. "Tell me, Yami, tell me!"
"Well, it all started with a royal banquet…"
The pharaoh sat at the head of the long table, drinking his wine and listening with a vacant expression to his chattering courtiers. With a slight gesture he silenced the court, nodding at the musicians in the corner. With a clatter of instruments, they set up. As the first notes permeated the expectant silence, Yami glanced at the fluttering scarves carried by the dancing girls. Among the black haired dancers, there was one redhead. Her scarf swirling over her head, feet moving in time with the flute and drums, Her scarlet eyes seemed to spark when they caught those of the pharaoh. A slight grin split her features. He couldn't seem to be able to take his eyes off of her slender figure, red garments swaying as if invisible breezes were playing around her. Later, as all headed back to their chambers, Yami pulled aside the scarlet clad girl.
"I am sorry, majesty, but to what do I owe this honor?" She inquisitively asked.
"What is your name, girl?" She opened her mouth to retort nastily, then remembered whom she spoke to.
"Ruby, your-"
"Ruby, then. Come to my chambers at midnight." He grinned crookedly.
"I'm sorry?!?"
"No, not like that! I just need to ask you something."
"NO! I think you could tell me here." She indignantly crossed her arms. Yami stared at the pert girl. No one speaks that way to a pharaoh! Fine then! I will ask her here!
"Why are you heading towards the nobles wing?"
"No business of yours!"
"Yes it is!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"TELL ME!"
"Hmmmm… No."
"NOW!"
"Fine! My fiancé is your darling court magician." She glanced sideways at the empty hallway. "And it's past my bedtime. See you soon, buddy boy." She ran down the hall, into a doorway. A dull slam echoed in the silence. Yami stared at the spot where she had been moments before. He shook his head. No time for petty crushes, not when you were pharaoh. But at night a pharaoh could dream…
Ruby sighed loudly as she flopped backwards onto the soft bed. Seto growled and kicked at her as she landed on his feet.
"It's too late for you to be coming back. Where were you?" he grumbled under the sheets. Her mind was still churning around the night's events.
"Interesting confrontation." She breathed. "Very interesting." As she stepped behind the screen in the corner of the chamber, Seto turned over into the mattress. She slipped the silk nightshirt over her head. Why on earth had the pharaoh spoken to her, a mere dancer? What was that look in his eyes in the hallway? Why ME! I don't need any special attention from the pharaoh! She snuggled into the bed, cuddling up next to Seto.
"Good night, Seto."
"G'night, Ruby."
In his room, Yami was lying in his bed also. But he was far from sleep. Thoughts whirled around in his head. Seto's fiancé was a dancer? How did I not know about this? Why did I end up pulling her aside in the hallway like that? What on earth possessed me? It would have been scandalous if we had been seen. What was it in those eyes? It was as if molten pools of ruby were drawing him in, stealing his soul. Never had he felt this way toward any girl. Or human for that matter. As this crossed his mind, a rough tongue licked his face. Tokio, his dog, lay at his side, wagging his tail.
"Not now, boy." Too much to think about. Way too much.
"GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE!" Seto shouted as he yanked the sheet off of the bed and its occupant.
"AHHHHH!" Ruby yelped as she flew off of the bed, barely being rescued by a swooping Seto. As he swung her around, she grumbled and swatted at him. "Leggoame"
"Get dressed. Now." He threw her a towel and gestured to the washroom. "The pharaoh requested your presence on his boat today. We are to sail down the Nile, on a luxurious cruise." He grinned as she groaned. "I knew you would be overjoyed. Hurry up." She dipped her head under the water in the basin. Ugh. The gods may curse mornings such as this! The sun had barely risen. Why did the Pharaoh wake so early?
"Hurry, Ruby, he won't wait for you!" She swung out of the bathroom, grinning in her red vest and flowing skirt.
"No, but he'll wait for you." He gently shoved her on the arm. The red sandals on her feet padded silently upon the stone floor of the hall. As she walked she began to pin her hair up into a complicated pattern. The hot Egyptian sun would cause the hippos on the floor of the Nile to sweat. Yami and several others were standing near the boat. As the pair approached, Yami's eyes lit up.
"Who is this fine lady, Seto?" He asked as he leaned down to kiss her hand. Seto bristled slightly, his smile plastered on his face.
"Your greatness, this is the lady Ruby, my fiancé." He placed a possessive arm over her shoulders, and she leaned into the arch his body created. They all entered the boat, settling themselves in their various places. Ruby settled herself into the curve of the bow, basking in the early morning sun. Seto dozed off in the seat next to Yami. The pharaoh, looking jaded, stood and walked over to Ruby's side. He stood, staring at the water. He knelt besides her, staring at her vacant eyes. The red glistening hair seemed to flow like water down her back. Absently he leaned against the railing, reaching out to brush a hair from her face. He ran his fingers through the freshly washed strands, gazing out onto the Nile River.
"Excuse you." She quietly said. "But I don't think you have any right to be doing that." He turned her face toward him. In one swift movement, he leaned over, kissed her, and stood, retreating to his chair.
"I am the pharaoh. I do as I please." She gaped at him.
"You- you arrogant, self absorbed, CONCEITED PIG!" She stammered.
Yami sat bolt upright in his seat. None may speak to the pharaoh in such a manner! He was about to tell her so quite loudly, when he saw Seto snoring slightly.
"Do not speak to me in such a tone, my dear. You may well regret it."
"Well, it sounds as if you were being arrogant." Yugi commented.
"And he was. And he still can be." Ruby put in. She was lounging against the wall of the puzzle.
"Wait- how- you- here?" Yugi and Yami stammered in unison.
"I was bored, and your little bedtime story was beginning to sound interesting." She yawned, gesturing behind her. An image appeared, several sleeping forms around a campfire. Ruby was lying on an upraised air mattress, shrouded in red silken sheets.
"Champagne taste, I see." Yugi grumbled under his breath. "And you called him conceited?"
"I take pride in my appearance. He obsesses."
"Actually, you paint your nails every other day, your hair is washed twice a day. It's a proven fact. You're conceited."
"GET ON WITH THE STORY."
The people lining the shore were cheering and waving to the pharaoh. He waved back to them obligingly. Ruby sat on a cushion nearby, pouting. Hope a hippo jumps on board and attacks the pig, she contemptuously thought. As it passed across her mind, a splashing roar filled the air. As she watched, a giant crocodile leaped into the air, his jaw closing over the waving pharaoh's arm. In slow motion, it sank beneath the surface of the water, taking Yami with it. Almost without thinking, Ruby stood and leaped over the side of the boat. Once under the water, she searched for the thrashing movements of the crocodile. There! She lunged forward, gliding toward the limp boy and crocodile. Blood swirled around the two, clouding her vision. His eyes were wide open, full of fear. Slowly they rolled back in his head. NO! This beast would not take the life of this innocent boy, no matter how arrogant he was. Her scarves floating to the surface, she launched herself upon the reptile. It tried to whip her off of its back. She held on for dear life. Make it let go! She screamed at herself. She dug her heel into the beast's back. It whipped its tail, striking her upon the temple. Stars danced in front of her vision. She dug her nails into its muzzle, drawing blood. It released Yami, who floated in the water. The crocodile, now angry, turned on Ruby. She swam beneath it, receiving another love tap from its tail. She grabbed the lifeless form of the pharaoh, kicking furiously. They surfaced next to the boat, where Seto was being held back from jumping over by two guards. The two were dragged onto the deck, the blood from Yami's arm staining Ruby's shirt. She gasped for air. A salty flavor trickled into her mouth. Absently she realized her temple was bleeding.
"Pharaoh- all right?" She gasped. A bandage was being wrapped around her head.
"He'll be fine." As Seto pulled her into his arms, she felt herself sinking into a deep liquid pit of darkness. I'm dying, she thought calmly. And that was all.
Yami paced his chamber restlessly.
"I RARELY PRESS MY POWER LIKE THIS, BUT I DEMAND THAT ALL SEVEN ITEMS ARE UTILIZED IN THE RECOVERY OF HER SOUL!" Yami bellowed. The advisors scurried away, parting as Yami walked into the hall and into Seto's room. The magician sat with his head bowed against the lifeless Ruby's side, which was lying on the bed. She saved me, and I had done nothing but be cruel to her. As he gently touched her hair, comforting the distraught Seto, one of the advisors ran in.
"Majesty, we have found a way to return her to her body!" He held up a platter containing a sphere of gold. "This will return her soul to her body. But it will eternally be attached to the Item." Yami gave it not a second's thought.
"I care not! Restore her life!" Yami guided Seto into another room, glancing back as the priests gathered around the bed. A flash was punctuated by the slam of a door, and she disappeared from view.
"Ruby. "The two men whispered in unison. They each looked at the other, shocked. Did he just…? No, he probably didn't.
"Her heart is beating!" Slowly, Ruby opened her eyes. What the-? Where am I? Seto? She blinked slowly. Something was in her left eye. She squinted her eye, trying to rid herself of the itching sensation. She reached her hand to her face. Her eye was cold, almost metallic. WAIT JUST A SECOND! She sat up in the bed.
"My eye is metal! I'm not dead! Why is HE here?" She yelped. Yami glared at the girl.
"Nice to see you, too. Your boyfriend is in the other room. We had to knock him out so he wouldn't attempt suicide." He waved the arm that was not in the sling, waiting until all the advisors and priests had left the room. He sat on the bed next to Ruby. She glared at him. "Thank you for saving me. It means a lot to me." She spat out a laugh.
"Yeah, it would. You wouldn't have survived otherwise." He looked into her eyes.
"It meant a lot to me that someone cared about me, not the Pharaoh." He touched the corner of her eye. "Now you have this- the millennium eye. You will always- forever- be one with the eye. Even if your body dies, you will live on in the Eye. Just like me and the Puzzle." He lifted the small pyramid before letting it hang down once more.
"So suicide is out of the question?" she asked dryly.
"I do hope you are joking." Yami said.
"I was half kidding. I might have been serious, but I can't remember. I hurt too much." She groaned, flopping backward onto the pillows. "My nails are chipped. And they're stained." Crocodile blood blemished her fingernails. The color looks good on me. Ruby red. HA! She giggled.
"What? I was just getting some serving girls, to do your nails. What color?" Yami said.
"What colors are there?"
"Red, blue. Brown."
"Blue! Just for the heck of it." Yami stared.
"Um, alright, then, blue." He beckoned to the girls to enter, and they knelt beside the bed, beginning to file her nails. "See you soon, Ruby. I have to attend a meeting." He walked out. CROCODILE! She thought, laughing to herself as she dozed off silently.
When she awoke once again, Seto was in the corner of the room. He was not aware that she was awake until she spoke.
"Stop sulking, you big baby. I'm fine." She stood up and walked over to him, steady on her feet. "The Pharaoh still has his arm, I have a gold eye, and my nails are simply fabulous. Life is good. So what's wrong?"
"I saw you two. On the boat. You and him." He snarled gently.
"You kissed the Pharaoh. And you didn't say anything."
"WHAT!"
"It's over. I had my things moved to another room."
"Seto! That's bull! I did say something, and rather loudly at that." He shook the distraught girl off of his arm.
"No, Ruby. I should have known better than to fall in love with a common dancing slut." Ruby stepped back, stung.
"I'm sorry? If you are that- ignorant, then leave. And take this with you!" She ripped the shining ring off of her finger, throwing it at his feet. "This, too!" She threw a slender boot knife after him, missing him and letting it thud into the thick wood of the door. "I won't miss next time. Now GO!" He left, Ruby slamming the door behind him. She slid the lock into place, sliding to the floor. Seto is gone. She stood, changing into a pair of blue pants and a red scarf shirt. A trail tied to her waist flowed behind her. She walked down to the vacant hall, where a few musicians were tinkering with their instruments.
"Would you mind if I practiced here?" She politely asked. They hastily agreed, and the drum began to beat a steady rhythm as she went into position. The flute and other instruments began to play, and she began the first fluid steps of the viper's dance. This dance always calmed her down, the graceful motions flowing one into the other. She was one with the viper she imitated, her scales sliding over the sand of the desert in which she lived. In the last beat of the drum, she snapped forward, striking at invisible prey with her viper fangs. As she slowly stood, the musicians stared behind her. Her blood ran cold when she recognized the voice of her pharaoh.
"Beautiful!"
She ran. Once she had gotten to the top of a building, she avoided the crowds of people in the market. Jumping the gaps, she headed blindly for her last refuge, the last place she knew to be safe. A graceful leap from the rooftop brought to the ground outside of the temple. A viper curled up on the steps raised its head up, looking at her. She sat on the step beside the snake, which slid onto her lap and up her arm. Her name was Aisha, and she lived here at the temple of Vissaill'a. Several others of the vipers curled up around her arms, some crawling up to wrap themselves around her neck and head, forming a living crown and necklace. The ones on her arms stayed there, spiraled around her forearms. She knew not to panic, for these venomous beauties could kill in a single painless bite.
"Why do you trust me so, little ones?" She quietly asked the serpents. A voice from a corner of the courtyard caused her to jump slightly, startled.
"They recognize one of their own." The hooded figure was casually leaning against the pillar supporting the temple roof, her lean and graceful form seeming to float above the ground.
"What do you mean, one of their own? I am no viper." Ruby carefully replied. The stranger laughed softly.
"Oh, my child. Do you not know of your second form?" She stepped forward, reaching her hand toward the serpent adorning Ruby's brow.
"Aisha likes to give people love bites, so be careful." Ruby warned. To her shock, the snake went straight to the woman.
"My children are wary toward to those who are not of their kind. You are the first of an emerging new breed, child. You are the one who has been chosen as mine. Soon others will emerge, all shall gather, and you will be tested." Ruby swore.
"Damn it all, aren't things complicated enough? Who are you, anyway?" The strange woman pulled her hood back. Ruby cursed, falling to her knees before the distinctive viper goddess, her emerald eyes dilated as those of the icon of her reign. Vissaill'a sat gracefully beside Ruby, lifting the teenager's chin in her cool hands.
"Child, you have been given a gift, two, dancing, and the ability to change your form. You must use them well." The goddess kissed the girl's forehead gently, replacing Aisha to her spot upon the girl's head. "We will speak again soon." She disappeared with no trace of her having been there. As the snakes left her, Ruby felt a small red bump upon her forehead. It was a bruise, shaped as a serpent's head, on her brow.
"Wonderful! And I thought my life was supposed to be easier after I lived in the palace." She gasped. Yami! Seto! (Why did I say him first?) She had to get back. She bade farewell to the serpents, carefully unwrapping them from around her. Scrambling back onto the roof, she ran back toward the palace.
Ruby went back to the palace as it grew toward late afternoon. She looked around her room one last time as she pulled her few clothes together and packed them into a bag. The way down to the dancers' lodging was dark, and she tripped several times. As she reached the familiar door, she could hear laughs and music from the other servant rooms. The door opened, and the room went quiet as she stepped in. Ruby grinned gamely.
"You rogues haven't replaced me quite yet, I hope." The other servants roared with laughter, greeting the return of one of their number.
"How goes it in the bedrooms of the court, Ruby?" One of the men shouted. Ruby winked at him coyly.
"I hear the Lady Ishtar has taken with our dear magician in my absence, Ahmed. Certainly quick to change his tune when he realized we lower classes carry weapons about us and use them when we quarrel with lovers."
Her friends gathered about the rooms they shared, helping her unpack.