Cerulean Violet Sands
Disclaimer I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if I did, I'd be living in Japan and my name would be Kazuki Takahashi, unfortunately that's not the case T.T However, I do own my original character, Princess Millennia n.n
Author's Note Hey, everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read my fanfic, or even to click it, lol! I haven't posted any new stories since 2002, but now I have finally decided to post stories again. This is my little kick-off fanfic, though originally I had been typing it for my own fun, but during the middle of typing it, I thought "Why not post it on here?" So, here it is several weeks later after starting it. I have been writing lots of fanfics and joined rpg's for years, next to reading and reviewing fics here, but I finally decided to stop being lazy and post a fic finally Now that I got all of that off my chest, I'm now going to explain some things you may need to know while reading this. Warning: Possible spoilers if you have not seen the last season of Yu-Gi-Oh First, this takes place 3,000 years ago in ancient Egypt when Yami no Yuugi was pharaoh. The events are basically the same as they were in the Memory World saga of YGO, but some events will be out of order, because the pharaoh's memory was a 'Yami no RPG' (RPG of Darkness) created by Yami no Bakura. So even though in the anime and manga, the pharaoh's memory was close to the actual events of the past, but not exactly how the past had went, some of it was altered and changed by Yami no Bakura and because of Yuugi, Anzu, Jonouchi and Honda's interferences with the memory world. But besides that fact, everything else will be very canon or close to it. (End of spoilers) This fanfic is also a crossover of the YGO videogame for Playstation, "Forbidden Memories." I will be using characters from there as well. Here is the list of characters that will appear in this chapter (Possible spoiler if you do not know Yami no Yuugi's real name):
Original Character-Princess Millennia (She is my original character. I know too many people do not like OCs, but it'd be great if you gave her a chance. If you choose not to, then that's your opinion and I respect that.)
Yami no Yuugi-Pharaoh Atem (Atem is his real name; Atemu is the Japanese way of saying it, because of the writing system in Japan. The actual name is Atem.)
Anzu Mazaki-Anzu (If you're wondering why her name is not Téana, it's because in the Japanese version of Forbidden Memories, her name is still Anzu. Plus, in the videogame, her eye color is a reddish-brown, not blue, so I will be referring to her eye color in this fic to her videogame eyecolor.)
Katsuya Jonouchi-Jonouchi (same reason as applies to Anzu, his name is not Jono in the Japanese game, but Jonouchi; his eye color stays the same, lol)
Seto Kaiba-High Priest Seto (he will have the appearance and personality that he has in the anime, not the videogame.)
Grandpa Sugoroku Muuto-Royal Vizier Shimon (he will have his appearance as in the videogame.)
Black Magician-High Priest Mahaad (some may believe his name is Mahhado, but like Atem, his name is actually Mahaad.)
Black Magiacian Girl-Mana (You can't have an ancient Egypt fanfic without cute little Mana n.n)
Yami no Bakura-Thief King Bakura (Did you know that when pronouncing Bakura the Japanese way, Bahk-rah, it's actually an Egyptian food, I believe. Bakura will be seen in this fic with his usual attire, and a scene where he does not wear the red cloak, but the tan one underneath, just noting to not cause any confusion n.n;; )
More characters will appear in later chapters!
Sorry, for the lengthy introduction, but I just wanted to clear things up so that the story may be more enjoyable to read (but at least most of you will skip over this part most likely --;;) Anyway, please enjoy!
Diaha! One-Cerulean meets Violet
White orbs of light were scattered across the enormous black blanket entitled the sky, the silver moon at full. It was a fairly cool night, despite the scorching temperatures during the day that many must endure always. The deserts of soft, copper sand that engulfed the earth surrounded the premises of a fairly large city in Egypt. This city was Cairo; the clay buildings, old and new, the many pyramids of golden brick, the large statues of Egypt's gods guarding these lands as the protectors. Though, the most beautiful site that could unarguably be the eighth wonder of the world was the kingdom itself, which was inhabited by the royals themselves, the pharaoh included, the god of Egypt, so the people of this nation would say.
Tonight, the lustrous city of Cairo gleamed with many lights, and looked even more exquisite under the dancing stars in the darkness of the sky. People paraded around the streets, enjoying themselves in the celebration. Many stands of the merchants and traders were thrown about the city as crowds formed around and children played innocently. Musicians brought life to this city and dancers swayed back and forth before bonfires. The women in their gorgeous colorful clothing and the men drinking merrily their wine, the gamblers with their dice and the many people decorated the city in all joy. Life was obviously exuberant here and shone graciously throughout the country.
And Princess Millennia didn't want to miss out on even one minute of it.
bdbdbdbdbdbd
"Princess! Princess! Prinnnncesss!"
The voice of the royal vizier could be heard ringing throughout the darkened, golden halls of the kingdom. He was of short stature with gray hair and a black veil covering half of his face. He had wise, dark eyes and his attire consisted of the traditional royal vizier's tan and purple robe with a tall royal headdress placed on his head. He ran up and down the halls in an apprehensive state.
"Princess!"
"Oof!"
The old man fell on his behind after he collided with something taller and stronger.
"Uh . . . oh . . . um- good evening, Shimon!"
The figure he had hit was standing above him with a helping hand extended down to him apologetically. He received the slender hand and was now on his feet. He began to brush himself off as the other figure began to tip-toe away.
"Princess Millennia! The kingdom has been looking all over for you! Where were you, princess?"
The royal vizier scolded the taller figure, who stood at about five feet and nine inches, and the elder high priest waited impatiently for a reply. The figure stopped immediately in their footsteps and turned around toward the one called Shimon. They released a sigh of defeat and placed their hands above their head.
"You got me, Shimon. I just wanted to go into the city and see the celebration! It looks like so much fun! I have to go!"
Shimon sighed at the princess, Millennia, she was named. Even in the dimness of the hallway, her radiant beauty still glowed. Despite wearing an ashen colored robe which covered her entire body, her clear, cerulean eyes were luminescent in the darkness and could be seen from underneath her hood. Strands of her copper and minor other browns of her hair were slightly embracing her mischievous, child-like face. Her skin tone was a light peach, which was a rare find in this part of the world where mainly everyone had an olive colored skin-tone. She had a slim build, but don't let that fool you. The princess wasn't much for violence, but if it was necessary, she would have to take action; she had secretly trained with her older brother back in her previous kingdom, learning a basic fighting technique. She let her long locks of chocolate hair sway freely and ended at the middle of her thighs. The princess usually pulled it up into pigtails with golden accessories, but both items were absent. To top it all off, the usual multifarious, gold dress she wore and her family tiara with the millennium eye engraved in the center of it were replaced with a hood and a tan commoner's dress, which went down underneath her collar bone and ended right above her knees. A brown strap encircled her waist and the jagged sleeves ended at her small wrists. On her feet, were not shoes, because she was afraid to look wealthy, but she neither revealed bare feet, but white wrappings of what they had used for wrapping the mummies, was tightly bound to the soles of her slender feet. In this guise, she could truly pass for a modest villager.
"Oh, but, princess, you mustn't leave the palace! It's too dangerous! If I may recall, your highness, but just a few weeks ago before you were betrothed to the pharaoh, our kingdom was attacked by a group of devils on horseback that burnt down a quarter of the city! They were led by the heinous, 'Thief King Bakura,' the ruthless tomb robber who harnesses the destructive and hateful power of Diabound, a powerful ka beyond imaginable! He had assaulted the pharaoh and the royal court for the Millennium items, though fortunately the pharaoh fought back with the power of the gods and caused Bakura to retreat, but Bakura left recklessly. If he returned with his minions to destroy the festivities our people are having, you could be killed along with many others!"
The princess cocked her head to the side thoughtfully after hearing Shimon's explanation. Then, she smiled insouciantly and placed her hands on top of her hips, causing her midnight cloak to flair out a bit.
"The people are celebrating for the restoration of their city, nay? This will be my city soon too, so shouldn't I be able to go dance unto my heart's content before the torches of flames that illuminate this city of Cairo and admire the stunning stars in the night sky from a normal person's point of view? Do I not have a right, Shimon?"
The royal vizier protested against the audacious girl.
"Nevertheless, my princess, what if someone saw you? They may not know who you are and decide to stone you to death because of your light flesh color and blue eyes! 'An omen of evil' they would call you! Curse you for your appearance as a foreigner! We are in hard times, my princess, hard times. After recovering from a war just a few years ago and now this incident that happened a few weeks back, people will not trust anyone who is not of Egyptian heritage and will not hesitate to eliminate them, innocent or not. Since our utmost-respected pharaoh, Atem, is of age, the law decrees that he must be wed by his twenty-first birthday which is only in a few short days. You were chosen out of the many princesses in the world to be his bride; Princess Millennia, age sixteen, of Greece! Soon to be Queen of Egypt! Don't you see, princess? When you marry the pharaoh, perhaps our country's restlessness and aggressiveness toward foreigners will die down, and eventually stop. You are apart of this country's hope for the future! We cannot have anything happen to you! You have lived in the palace for a week already, and by watching our villagers from time to time around the palace garden, I think you may see my point. It is your destiny to be here."
"So you and everyone else may think . . ."
Princess Millennia's facial expression became more melancholy. Shimon blinked at her in surprise of her poignant response.
"To stay in the palace and be isolated from the world for the rest of my life is my destiny? Though, dear Shimon, I am reckless. I am a free-spirited human being who wants nothing more than to get away from this life-style. I may try again and again to escape it. However, even if did, I wouldn't last too long all by myself. For some reason, I am unable to summon my ka spirit. Heh . . . I don't even know what it looks like or what kind of power it may bestow. Despite that fact . . . just once . . . please, Shimon . . . let me go into the village . . . let me be with ordinary people! My people!"
After a moment's consideration, the old royal vizier sighed in surrender. He could never give into Princess Millennia's sad, blue puppy-dog eyes of torture.
". . . alright, princess."
A wide smile took control of the princess's face.
"Really?"
"Ay. I will act as if I had never found you. Go into the city of life and laughter that you desire and love so much. But please come back soon. Do not go in over your head or attract too much attention. I will wait for you at the palace gates when the guards are in the middle of their shifts. If you are still not there, I will have no choice but to send the guards after you to bring you back. Am I understood, princess?"
The vigorous brunette nodded coherently with a cheery smile.
"Yes! I understand! Thank you so much, Shimon!"
Princess Millennia bent down and gave the royal vizier a sudden, brief hug. He sighed in disappointment. How could he be such a push-over? One of these days he was going to lose his position because of this roguish girl! The princess then released him and pulled her cloak together in the front.
"I won't be long!"
She then ran through the dark halls and vanished into the blackness.
Shimon slumped to his knees and his face faulted.
"Oh, dear Ra, what have I gotten myself into?"
bdbdbdbdbdb
The night was young as they say, and Princess Millennia made her way through the guards, posing as an irrelevant villager who had just wanted to have a quick word with the highly honored pharaoh. After getting past the front gates of marble like sandstone, she tossed her midnight cloak into the air, her figure emerging from the dark blanket. Afterwards, she raced into the wondrous city of lights, her copper strands of hair floating gracefully after her.
The soft taps of tambourines and strumming of mystifying strings from musical instruments could be heard throughout the bazaar. People gathered and children danced. In her amazement, the princess gasped in awe at the beauty of it. Everyone was so happy! She smiled at a group of small children that ran by her and they laughed in delight. Suddenly, the smallest child of the group and the last one of the group tripped and fell forward as the other children continued on ahead of him. He was covered in russet colored dust and clear tears formed in the corners of his innocent brownish eyes. He then began to cry, the other children not noticing, caught in their own carefree fun. Tears mixed in with the dust and sand on the boy's face as he began to sob and his cries ringing out.
Millennia gasped at the scene and looked down in sympathy at the crying boy. She then smiled a bit to herself and bent down on one knee next to the small child. She placed a gentle hand upon his little shoulder and in return, glassy eyes looked up into Millennia's blue eyes. His crying became small muffles as he tried to calm himself down, but then he lost control and began to cry again. The princess shook her head and lifted the boy to his feet by his tiny shoulders and he looked at her in surprise with his wide, chocolate colored eyes. The boy had minor scrapes about his elbows and knees and his arm covered his mouth and underneath his sniffling nose.
"Come on now, you're a big boy. You have to be brave and stand up when you fall."
She helped brush off the child's clothes as small particles of dust shot up. The boy had ceased his sobbing and stared at her in amazement. Millennia gave him a small smile of encouragement when she was done. The other children that the boy had been playing with earlier had stopped a few yards ahead and watched in curiosity. The boy looked over Millennia's shoulder and peered at them with wide eyes. The princess took notice of this and smiled at him.
"See? Your friends are waiting for you. Go play with them, ok?"
The boy blinked at her and then a wide smile slowly grew upon his now glowing face. He jumped in the air a little and spun around and began to laugh. He then ran away after his friends, all of them running and laughing. Millennia turned her head and chuckled softly to her own self. Was she really that little when she was at that age? Barely three and a half foot tall? How cute and innocent he was; she probably was the same.
"Hm hm . . ."
From afar in the crowds of people, a figure a few inches taller than six feet, cloaked in a crimson red robe and a tan robe underneath watched the incident. A muscular, tan chest was revealed and a deep purple Egyptian kilt was wrapped around the bottom of his torso. A tan headdress was placed over the top of the figure's head and sandy colored shoes were on his feet. The figure smirked fascinatingly at the girl who now stood up. She looked around the crowd inquiringly with her wide, cerulean orbs. The figure's violet orbs widened; how beautifully captivating her eyes were! The girl's eyes widened as well. What was this she sensed?
"What a strong ka!"
Then, at that instant, their eyes had made contact for a brief second; cerulean met violet. And then, the girl had disappeared into the waves of tans and browns of the vast crowd. The figure then tried to fight a licentious smirk, revealing ivory teeth and a demonic fang on the right side of his mouth, near the corner of his full lips. He wanted to get to know this girl . . .
bdbdbdbdbdbd
Millennia wandered through the crowds inadvertently, searching for something to do.
"Ah ha ha! I win! Now pay up!"
A boy with messy locks of golden blond hair in a ragged tan robe rejoiced in his seat behind a wooden table as a man opposite of him fell off the wooden crate he had been sitting on as his cards flew off the table and on top of him.
"Well? Where's my money?"
The almond eyed blond stood up and slammed his hands upon the table as he demanded his pay from the other man. The other man grumbled to himself and then stood to his feet and threw a small bag of coins on the table in front of the blond boy who had appeared to be no older than sixteen years old. Some of the metallic silver and gold coins had spilt out as the bag landed sloppily on the table. Then, a group of men walked over to the other man and began to listen to the sighs and rants of the man who had just lost to the boy. The blond boy watched them in sheer boredom and hunched over a bit.
"Hey! Men! Any other contenders? Does anyone else want to challenge me in a game or place a bet? Anyone of you dogs?"
The boy smirked at them mockingly as they growled in anger at his arrogance. The men turned toward him. The largest one stepped forward with an angry grunt. He wore a soot-stained kilt and had dirty wrappings around his right wrist.
"Listen up, boy. We know you were probably cheating the whole time. No one can win seven games in a row! Now give us back our money or we'll make sure you become well acquainted with utmost pain."
The rambunctious blonde thumbed his nose with a smirk and stood straight to his feet and jumped in front of the group of rough looking men. The five foot and ten inches boy then stood in a fighting position and looked the six foot and ten inches leader straight in the eyes.
"Fine! I'll take you all on!"
Just as he was about to take a step forward, a smaller girl about five foot and five inches, ran from behind him and locked his arms back.
"What?"
He looked back while trying to break free to see that it was a girl with deep, brown hair that ended a little below her chin and auburn red eyes had a hold of him.
"Anzu! Let me go! I can take them on!"
The brunette released the struggling blonde and he immediately turned around and faced her.
"Jonouchi! Were you gambling again? You always end up in fights after you do this! Just give back their money and let's go!"
The girl, dubbed Anzu, scolded the one called Jonouchi in a maternal way, even though she was clearly the same age as him. She sported a tattered, sand-colored outfit similar to the other young girls' of Egypt's attire. She was a petite girl, but her personality seemed just the opposite.
"Oh, come on, Anzu! If they're going to be sore about losing, then that's their problem! Let them act like the big oafs they are!"
That did it. Jonouchi's last comment was not too complimenting, which angered the group of men.
"That's it, boy! You're going down!"
With a swift punch, the man's right fist swooped down toward the wide eyed blond.
"Bam!"
To everyone's surprise, Millennia had appeared just in time and stood before the man, having just thrown a brittle, wooden chair at his fist, the man crushing it and missing Jonouchi. A veil of copper hair swayed around her slim figure and revealed angry, narrowed cerulean eyes.
The man roared in pain at his bloody knuckles as the rest watched in shock.
"Ha!" Millennia had taken hold of the man's bandaged wrist and twisted it, causing the man to scream even more. Jonouchi smirked as opportunity arrived, Millennia moving aside for the blonde to take care of the rest. He then grabbed the large man's twisted wrist and successfully flipped the man over on his back with a loud thud. The leader lay unconscious with the whites of his eyes showing as he stayed immobile on the dirt. Millennia stared down at him with a glower and Jonouchi smirked approvingly to himself. The rest of the men began to panic as the princess dangerously raised her blue orbs up to them and stood in a fighting position.
"Who's next?"
Her reply was a bunch of screaming cowards that ran away in the opposite direction, leaving their helpless leader behind. Millennia shook her head in disgust and placed her hands upon her hips.
"Worms . . . leaving their boss behind like that. Hmph."
She then turned toward the enthused Jonouchi and Anzu. Her expression dramatically changed in to a more lightened and innocent expression and smiled kindly toward the two.
"Are you two alright?"
Jonouchi and Anzu blinked at each other. Then, they exchanged glances of approval and returned the smile.
"You were amazing! Thanks so much for saving us!"
Anzu exclaimed gratefully at Millennia as Jonouchi mumbled to himself that he "Was the one that knocked the idiot out." He received a nudge from Anzu's elbow into his arm and yelped while massaging his now throbbing right upper arm.
"Erm- yeah! Thanks! But, how did you know that his wrist was his weak point?"
Jonouchi had been itching to ask this for a few moments as Anzu nodded in curiosity. Millennia smiled gladly at the two, more than happy to answer his question.
"Well, I had noticed the weakness in his right wrist, being wrapped that is. If you can twist the weak point, the enemy tends to focus more on the pain in that instead and lets down their guard, conveniently letting you do whatever you want to do for a split second in battle. It's basically strategy."
Millennia shrugged modestly at her explanation as Anzu and Jonouchi nodded coherently. Anzu then smirked at the tall blonde.
"Strategy . . . maybe you should try it sometime instead of brute strength like some dumb idiot."
"What was that?"
Jonouchi began to have veins popping out from his head in wrath as the two brunettes began to laugh. The shorter brunette then looked up at Millennia.
"Hey, you know what? You're not from round here, are you?"
Millennia blinked in surprise at her new friend's observation. Oh, right, the skin color. Shimon had warned her about that.
"Better be careful," Jonouchi added cautiously. "Just last week, a foreigner from a neighboring country had gotten stoned to death by some of the villagers here. No one is taking any chances with a non-local."
Millennia just shrugged carelessly with a small smirk across her lips.
"Don't worry about me! It's pretty dark out here, so no one will know the difference of whether I'm Egyptian or not."
The two Egyptian teens sighed at each other, but couldn't help but smile at this girl's audacity. Then, Anzu's auburn orbs widened, shocked with her own forgetfulness of a proper introduction.
"Oh! We almost forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm Anzu."
"Right! The name's Jonouchi!"
Both of the teens smiled cheerfully at the princess and Millennia smiled in return. Anzu began to speak some more.
"I'm glad that we're friends now! But- hey- you never told us your name."
Millennia's new friends waited inquisitively for a response, but then the blue eyed girl took notice overhead of the crowd. The guards at the gates of the palace began to take their shifts!
"Oh no! I have to leave now!"
She began to take off, but Anzu and Jonouchi looked at her in protest.
"Wait!"
Anzu called out to the princess, and Millennia slowed down her pace, but kept going and turned to face the duo as she ran.
"Meet us right here in this same spot tomorrow at noon! Right when the sun is brightest! We want to repay you with something for helping us!"
Millennia blinked, but then smiled cheerfully and nodded a yes. She then turned around and sprinted, vanishing into the crowd. Jonouchi and Anzu watched her fade into the crowd with half-hearted smiles.
"You think she'll even come?"
Jonouchi looked down at Anzu with questioning almond orbs. She returned his gaze with her wide, reddish-brown orbs.
"Of course she will!"
Anzu looked ahead where Millennia had run into the crowds. Her smile became more cheery, but she still mentally wondered . . .
"She seems so different . . . almost like there was some hidden power in her. A beautiful goddess . . . she never even told us what her name was . . ."
bdbdbdbdbdbd
The large, golden orb in the clear, azure sky shone brightly as its rays caressed the majestic kingdom of Egypt. Grandeur the abundant and fertile palace garden was. It was secreted behind the grandiose kingdom with its lush fruits and vibrant flowers that were not known by any of Egypt's people. It was a secret paradise, a haven of beauty for the royals. It was a place to get closer to nature itself, a place to grow in tranquility, a place to escape troubles, a place for trouble to escape . . .
"Guh . . . ow . . . darn it . . ."
A long, braided vine of green with small, scarlet flowers decorating it was thrown over the golden wall that surrounded the garden. Dangling from a few feet in the air, a cloaked figure in a tattered, tan robe which covered their body clung onto the vine with two slipping hands.
"Almost . . . half . . . way . . . there . . ."
The figure gritted their teeth in strain so that they bared their teeth. They were struggling to keep a hold onto the vine and slid a few centimeters down the natural rope every several seconds.
"I must . . . meet . . . Anzu and Jonouchi . . ."
Wide, blue eyes kept focus on the top of the wall while they thought over and over again of their ambition. One of the figure's slim, peach hands gripped higher onto the vine. A toothy smirk from under the figure's hood was the response to this improvement. The figure slowly slid the other hand up the vine before reaching a destination . . .
"What are you doing, princess?"
"WHAAAAAHHHH!"
The cloaked figure fell to the ground from half way up the wall and landed with a thud. Their cloak came floating after them and landed gently next to the jumbled body of Princess Millennia. A girl around her early teenaged years and smaller then the princess stood blinking at the incident. She wore small, tan shoes and a short, sand-colored dress which bared her shoulders and was trimmed in gold. The girl had a very unique Egyptian sunhat that matched her dress and covered the majority of the mass of dark chocolate locks upon her head. Her hair was thick and went down to the length of under her shoulder blades. The olive-skinned girl had cheerful, wide, navy blue eyes which revealed innocence and a sense of lightheartedness. Lined underneath her eyes was black kohl, an Egyptian cosmetic for the eyes that people used to block out the sun. After processing the fact that the princess just fell from the palace wall flat on her face, the girl began to panic.
"Aiyee! Oh my Ra! Princess Millennia, are you alright?"
The small brunette ran over to the swirly-eyed princess and bent down over her. She turned the dizzy princess over on her back and grabbed a hold of the older girl's fair shoulders and began to shake her lightly.
"Princess! I'm so sorry! Did I startle you while you were playing your game? Are you dead- are you hurt- are you unconscious- are you hungry?"
The girl began to comically sob rivers of tears as she cried out apologies to the motionless princess. Slowly, the princess' lips began to move as she regained her composure.
"Calm down . . . Mana . . ."
Millennia began to stand to her feet as the younger girl, Mana, began to panic again.
"Oh, princess, I'm really sorry!"
Millennia chuckled as she started to brush herself off. Mana's eyes grew wide when she took notice of the older brunette's attire. Millennia realized that the younger brunette was scrutinizing her unusual appearance in the same dress she had worn last night at the festival. Mana gave a double-take at the crumpled cloak behind the princess.
"Why are you dressed as a villager? -and you let your hair down! You never do that!" Mana leaned in closer to the princess with suspicious, narrowed, navy eyes, causing Millennia to sweatdrop in apprehension. "And why were you trying to climb up that vine in a cloak?" Then, it hit Mana as Millennia gasped in fear of being caught. "Wait a minute . . . Princess, were you trying to run away?" The Egyptian girl eyed Millennia warily as beads of sweat rolled down the princess' face like waterfalls.
"Well –I -ouch!"
Millennia winced and held her right hand in pain. Mana took the princess' hand and opened it to reveal a crimson stained palm.
"Oh, princess! You hurt yourself when you fell! Lucky for you, I'm a magician-in-training as you know. Here, I can heal it right away with the new spell I just learned today!"
In the cheerful manner that Mana was in, she held her own right hand out with a jovial smile. In a brief flash of light, a bright blue and pink wand with a golden swirl ornament on the top of it appeared in midair. The trainee magician caught it casually with her right hand and then held it before Millennia's bleeding hand. The princess watched with utmost interest, wondering what could possibly be next. With the flick of her wrist, Mana began to ceremoniously wave her wand in the air.
"Here I go! Liquid of life that runs upon thy skin, return to thy body and be sealed in thy flesh. Crimson of man, be-"
Mana froze. Millennia blinked in curiosity. The young student magician examined her wand uneasily and gave Millennia a wavering smile of uncertainty. Millennia blinked again.
"What's the problem?"
Mana began to laugh nervously and placed her left arm behind her head as Millennia watched her.
"Um . . . well, you see it's quite funny! Uh, I kind of, well . . . I forgot the rest of the spell!"
Mana began to laugh even louder to herself as the princess sighed and sweatdropped.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Mana turned around with surprised eyes as Millennia waved cheerfully with her right hand, forgetting about it being injured.
A majestic, handsome looking young man about five feet tall stood before the two blue eyed brunettes with a cool smile plastered across his tanned face. He may have not been too tall, but his royal air of superiority and charm made up for the missing inches. He had eyes like jewels; two large amethysts smiled kindly at the girls. His attire was made up of a cream-colored, sleeveless shirt and layered on top of it was a golden wesekh, a collar worn by the rich. He wore a tan-white kilt with a long, light blue vertical cloth going down the center of it like a large stripe. He was wearing sand colored shoes usually worn by the royals. The elegant young man's legs and neck were wrapped in gold bands, along with his upper arms. Gold surrounded his shoulders and jeweled rings were bonded around some of his angular fingers. Golden earrings dangled from his ears with the ankh, a symbol for life, were engraved in them. His tri-colored hair of gold, black, and magenta stuck straight up and had a spiky look to it. A golden tiara with the millennium eye carved into it sat proudly across the man's forehead. To put it all together, a deep violet cape swayed behind the man. He glowed like an Egyptian god.
"Prince!-um, I mean, Pharaoh!"
Mana laughed nervously again, forgetting that the pharaoh had just become the ruler of Egypt recently and was having a hard time breaking the habit of calling him 'prince.' The pharaoh shook his head with a low chuckle at the girl.
"Mana, it's alright, you don't have to call me that when it's just us. We've been friends ever since childhood. We're like siblings."
Mana stopped her thoughtless laughing and smiled with a sigh of relief at her childhood friend's statement. The pharaoh then looked over at Millennia, who smiled gladly at him while waving her injured hand absentmindedly again.
"Um, good morning, Atem."
She made a toothy, slanted grin. Right when she wanted to escape secretly from the palace to meet her new friends again, it seemed as though everyone had to show up at that same exact time! Atem on the other hand, looked at her with concern and rushed over next to her aid. He gently took her right wrist and laid her hand palm-up, on top of his other hand, revealing a mess of dried blood.
"What happened to you? You are bleeding!"
The young pharaoh gasped in alarm at the site. Mana stared down into the dusty ground she stood upon and shuffled her feet awkwardly as Millennia nervously tugged at her own collar with her opposite hand.
"I . . . fell. Not a thing to worry about!"
The princess pulled her hand away from Atem and mimicked Mana's nervous laugh from earlier with a sweatdrop. Atem cocked a suspicious eyebrow at the princess. Fortunately, Mana jumped in between the two and faced the pharaoh before he could conjure up an idea of how the princess fell and seeing a braided vine out of place and up the side of the palace wall.
"I tried to heal her with my magic, I really did! I shall try again, though!"
Then, the student magician closed her eyes and repeated her arm movements from earlier, flicking her wrist slightly with each movement. Then, the words flowed from her mouth like a stream of water.
"Liquid of life that runs upon thy skin, return to thy body and be sealed in thy flesh. Crimson of man, be-"
Once again, Mana paused at the same spot from earlier. She had to admit it. She was stumped! Just before giving up on the spell, Atem chimed in.
"-be returned whence thou came from thy flowing veins of thy self."
The pharaoh smiled kindly at the young girl and she nodded cheerfully in understanding.
"-be returned whence thou came from thy flowing veins of thy self."
After Mana repeated Atem's words, a small orb of silver light was released from her wand and gently entered Millennia's open wound. In a matter of seconds, the dried blood had vanished and there was no sign of there ever being an injury. Millennia observed her hand with astonishment by turning it around before her face. She then looked at Mana and Atem with a satisfied grin of approval.
"Wow! It's all better now! Thanks, you two!"
Mana winked at her with a smile in return.
"It was not a problem, princess!"
The magician in training then looked over at Atem with a pouting expression across her face. Atem blinked at her in curiosity.
"Oh, prince– ah- pharaoh!"
She blushed at her mistake, but Atem gestured for her to continue.
"Uh-how come you know the spell already when you haven't been doing magic for years and I have been doing magic everyday, yet I cannot master all the basic spells?"
Atem sighed with a smile as Millennia sweatdropped with a nervous smile. The pharaoh then pointed his finger up as a teacher would.
"Well, Mana, I-"
Atem stopped in mid sentence, at a loss for words. Millennia and Mana waited for an answer. The pharaoh sighed.
"-I have no idea."
"Ah!"
The two brunettes collapsed to the ground at the 'almighty pharaoh's' response with sweatdrops. Atem began to laugh, and shortly afterwards, the two blue eyed girls joined in with him. As the laughter died down, Millennia and Mana stood to their feet.
Atem turned to Mana.
"When did Mahaad teach you this spell?"
Mana blushed in embarrassment and squatted down on the balls of her feet and began to move her pointer finger in a circular motion above the ground with her head lowered.
"Uh . . . this morning."
Atem became wide eyed in surprise and Millennia half-smiled with a sweatdrop. The pharaoh cocked one of his velvet eyebrows at the young girl.
"You . . . forgot the spell already?"
Mana fell backwards on the ground with a plop and sighed at the pharaoh's words.
"I-I'm still working on it! I will get it in time! I may not have learned it like you at a young age, but I still am Master's number one pupil!"
She stood proudly to her feet with a gleam in her navy blue orbs and hands placed on her hips. Millennia tried not to smirk, the laugh playing at the corners of her lips.
"Number one pupil?"
Mana literally jumped square in front of the princess with a defensive look upon her face.
"Well I don't see you performing any magic!"
Millennia opened her mouth to speak, but then sighed. Unfortunately, this was very true. She never learned any type of spell at all during her childhood or even now. Most of the time, she was taught how to be a proper young lady and be prepared to get married. The only times she had ever done anything different was when she lived back in her kingdom in Greece and her brother, Prince Andreas, now the current ruler and king of Greece, had secretly trained her in fighting one-on-one late at night for years. She had always wanted to also learn how to fight with a sword or some type of weapon, but her big brother claimed that it probably won't be necessary; he's already breaking enough rules by teaching her any type of fighting styles. Though, he was wed to a beautiful princess from another Greek province just two weeks ago and was too busy for her now. Even worse, her parents had this wonderful idea of sending her away to some faraway country where nobody was very welcoming to new-comers only a few days after her brother's wedding. She had been in this palace for a week now, maybe a little longer. Millennia was told her whole life that she was to be married to Pharaoh Atem, king of Egypt. She was never too thrilled about having an arranged marriage, it just didn't seem right. However, when she went to live in the palace for a week, she came to know Atem and the royal court, becoming quite friendly with everyone. Even so, she was only friends with Atem, and he even claimed that he felt the same way. There was nothing either of them could do, because of the law that Egypt's pharaoh must be wed by his twenty-first birthday. Atem and Millennia had an arranged marriage when they were both born to each other, but even so, everyday of her life, Millennia did not want her own life to be chosen for her. She had tried several times to escape the palace, all failed attempts, but now she couldn't come to leave. She had taken quite a liking to everyone here. Everything was just confusing. . .
"Princess, are you alright?"
Mana waved a hand in the princess' face as Atem blinked. Millennia's eyes widened and she blinked her cerulean orbs as Mana moved her hand from the older girl's face. Millennia shook her head and chuckled a bit when realizing that she had just been in a dazed state previously.
"I'm fine! I'm fine! I was just caught up in a reverie of the past I suppose."
Atem and Mana exchanged concerned glances, and then faced the princess. The amethyst eyed pharaoh folded his arms across his chest and slightly smirked.
"You too, hm? The reason I had come out here was to think over things, specifically the wedding. My birthday is only the day after tomorrow, and it's quite difficult to comprehend that I will be spending the rest of my days with someone I have only known for a week."
Millennia nodded in agreement; she was glad to hear the full extent of Atem's feelings about the situation. Likewise, the pharaoh continued.
"I don't know. It is almost like I am marrying . . . well . . . my sister. I hope that I am not offending you, Millennia. I believe we had gone over this before."
Mana looked guilty, like she had done something erroneous, keeping a fixed, navy blue gaze on the pharaoh. Millennia smiled childishly and placed her hands behind her head.
"Don't worry, as you already know, I feel the same way."
Atem sighed with a relieved smile, but Mana appeared disappointed. She began to fiddle with her petite wand.
"So . . . there won't be a wedding?"
Millennia and Atem blinked at her with their jeweled eyes and then began to laugh. Mana glared at them in frustration while throwing her arms up in the air.
"What's so funny? I'm being serious! Princess! Prince!"
Mana then clasped her hands over her mouth, once again forgetting to address Atem as 'Pharaoh.' However, Atem and Millennia just began to laugh even harder. Mana couldn't help but join in, realizing that no matter what she said now, it would be impossible to get the pharaoh and princess to regain their sanity at this time. The laughter began to fade and Atem finally took notice of Millennia's attire.
"Millennia, do you plan on going into the city?"
Millennia and Mana froze at the pharaoh's ability to realize what was going on. Atem waited for an answer as the two brunettes were attacked with sweatdrops. The young ruler raised his amethyst orbs toward the palace wall behind the girls, noticing the braided, flowered vine. He released a soft chuckle. Millennia and Mana were stiff in apprehension.
"Have fun and be careful."
"What?"
Both the blue eyed brunettes gaped at the pharaoh's reply. Did he just allow permission for the princess to go into the city? It had to be a dream! It just had to!
"Are . . . you serious, Atem?"
Millennia still couldn't grasp the fact that her friend was going to let her break the rules and get away with it. Atem nodded in reply to her question.
"I am guessing you went to the celebration in the city last night too since you were missing for quite some time here in the palace. I can't blame you for wanting to go back. If only I could go with you."
Atem let out a culpable smile as Millennia smiled considerately in return.
"Perhaps you two can come with me next time."
Atem's face lit up and Mana began to jump around, cheering and performing many acrobatic movements in the garden. Atem and Millennia watched her with sweatdrops. Millennia then remembered Anzu and Jonouchi. She grabbed her crumpled cloak which lay desolate on the ground and wrapped it around her body.
"Ah! Um-sorry! I think I better get going!"
Atem nodded in understanding and Mana gave her an encouraging thumbs-up. Before they knew it, the princess was half way up the vine she was originally climbing. Few of the scarlet petals from the flowers on the natural rope floated to the ground, one landing on Mana's nose, causing her to stare cross-eyed at it. Once or twice Millennia lost her grip, but Atem and Mana supported her to continue. Eventually, she reached the top, sitting on the wall while taking a deep breath. She flashed a thumbs-up at her friends, who were far down below her.
"I did it! See you two later tonight!"
After so, she disappeared behind the other side of the wall. Atem and Mana waved, but the pharaoh grew a sweatdrop.
"Later tonight? Millennia -wait!"
There was no reply. Both of them gazed up at the top of the wall. Something then occurred to Mana.
"How did she get down?"
The pharaoh and student magician stared into each other's eyes with utmost confusion.
"A little help here!"
Well, there was their answer. The princess' voice echoed throughout the garden area as her friends both sweatdropped at hearing the sound of her voice. Apparently, Millennia had been clinging to the top of the wall by her fingers, but not for long. There was silence.
"Princess?"
Mana called out reluctantly as Atem began to have beads of sweat roll down his olive toned face in concern. A comical scream rang out through the air. Once an unpleasant thud was heard, Mana and Atem gasped simultaneously. All that could be heard now was the song of the wind, the vivacious trees dancing with their green leaves glimmering in the golden sunlight.
"I'm . . . alright!"
"Ahh!" Atem and Mana performed an anime-styled fall onto the garden ground. Of course, there was no need to worry over such a person like Princess Millennia, not that it was necessarily a good thing. The shuffling of feet could be heard from outside the walls, so it was assumed that the absent-minded princess was leaving. Mana turned the pharaoh and sighed.
"I wonder if we will ever hear from her again."
Atem playfully pushed her shoulder lightly, so that the small girl lost her balance for a split second. She yelped, but then the two began to laugh jokingly.
"My pharaoh, I have urgent news to tell you."
A deep, masculine voice could be heard from behind the two and their laughter ceased. Atem and Mana turned around to face one of the high priests, who was on bended knee in reverence toward the pharaoh.
"Master!" gasped Mana in surprise. She hadn't expected to see her teacher here and wondered if he had seen the whole incident of Millennia leaving the garden. Her master gazed up at the two with narrow, mauve colored eyes outlined in kohl. He wore a tanned headdress decorated with a golden adornment over his forehead. Through the headdress, strands of light sienna hair could be seen and some caressed the man's bronze colored face. Dressed in an all tan shirt and long kilt and matching shoes, gold embellishments decorated his attire along his arms, legs, and shoulders. A light tan cape was draped behind his crouched figure. Hanging from an ocher colored rope across his chest was a large, golden ring. A pyramid with the millennium eye was engraved into the pyramid and along with that, gold spikes dangled from the bottom of the ring, each one resembling a douser's pendulum. This was a Millennium item; one of the seven objects used to protect the kingdom. This was one of the high priests . . . a master magician . . . this was-
"Mahaad? What's wrong?" Atem questioned his other childhood friend with worry masking over his facial expression. The high priest sustained his stern, mauve gaze into the pharaoh's amethyst orbs of distress.
"For some reason, our security has failed again. My most sincere apologies, pharaoh." Mahaad breathed heavily, trying to keep his calm composure. Mana's expression showed that she knew something good was not going to be the result of this news. Atem blinked his crystal eyes and bent down in front of Mahaad on one knee like he was. They were friends after all; Atem was never much for the ranking system.
"Please continue."
"I do not know how . . . none of us high priests do . . . though I am the one to blame, for I am ahead of security, pharaoh. However, a demon is lurking in our kingdom . . . the city more precisely. He is among the people. He has returned."
"Mahaad, who are you talking about?" Atem's amethyst orbs flashed spirals of questions, though only this one in particular stood out. Mahaad took a deep breath, his purple eyes darkening, and replied in a low voice.
"The Thief King Bakura . . ."
bdbdbdbdbdbd
Streams of gold streaked across the city of Cairo, the sun's harsh rays striking the city as darts. Ra was glowering down on the kingdom, as the villagers would say, for this was probably the worst heat the city has had in a long time now. The bazaar was very busy, with greedy merchants counting their money behind their stands and boisterously shouting their prices and must-buy items in a sort of competition to see who could attract the most attention. People crowded around stalls selling palm leaves, jugs of water or anything that could relieve them from the heat; the merchants and traders were more than happy to give the people these items for a price and the people didn't care, as long as they got what they wanted. How weak minded people could be, to plunge into desperation for money or riches, giving up their human pride and dignity to do so. That's what a certain, cloud-white haired, violet eyed man thought at the least while he wandered through the busy market place.
"Yes, the fools who demean their own humanity and give it up for the means of survival . . . disgusting creatures . . ."
Skillfully snatching an unguarded red apple off of an arbitrary stand, the man wandered through the crowds. Beads of sweat clung to his silken bangs, which few droplets rolled down his tan face and over a three-lined scar over his right eye. Standing at over six feet tall and with a muscular build, he could be considered quite fearsome. A short sleeved, beige robe wrapped around his body, but revealed a trimmed chest. A deep purple kilt that reached down to the man's knees swayed freely as he walked forward and on his feet were royal shoes of tan. A dark lavender sash encircled his waist to keep the robe together. Bound to his ankles were golden cuffs which could be mistakenly thought from the palace. Gold, jeweled rings were worn around the man's masculine fingers and expensive, gold bracelets dangled from his wrists. He was undeniably a handsome character despite a few rough features; even so, they improved his striking appearance.
Taking a crisp bite from the lush fruit with his sharp, ivory fangs, the man made his way casually through the crowded bazaar. The aroma of burning flesh could be sensed in the air now, as large pieces of meat hung from their stables and fresh meat could be seen behind the stands; the pools of blood from the hacked meat could be visible and the stench was overwhelming. Ah, oh yes. How he could sink his teeth into that tender flesh right now and savor the salty taste of that crimson liquid. How he longed to have a feast! It had been so long since he had had any real food; scrounging around for small provisions grew tiring after awhile. He bet the pharaoh could have whatever he wanted, when he wanted. How he loathed such a vile being . . . he could not bear to stand the thought of a murderer's son enjoying the pleasures that he deserved to have! To dine on gourmet meals every single night and have everything he desired! How the rich could live in dreams while the rest of humanity had to suffer in reality. The selfishness of it all . . . he hated humans, hated people. They were all stupid and morbid creatures, lack-luster beings that lived out repetitious lives and died without any significance whatsoever and forever to be forgotten. For example, he walked among them so freely and easily, the monster who had destroyed a good portion of the city only a few weeks ago! How they could simply let the murderer of many of their people walk around like this! They did not notice him; the fools had no idea who he even was! However, he was here to gain something that he had promised to take. The Millennium Ring, if you please. Another trip to the palace was called for, one he was sure the pharaoh and his royal court would certainly not anticipate.
However, he had arrived here last night during the festivities after coming from a tomb raiding more up north. Dressed in his prized, crimson cloak, he had arrived back in Cairo on horseback, pursued by his followers. Wanting to join in on the fun, he had decided to visit the bazaar here in secret, leaving his supporters behind. As he wandered aimlessly through the crowds of oblivious people, he had, only but for a split second, came across a girl with a power quite irresistible. Though, she had no power; it felt concealed, locked. Alas, how he wanted to see her again! To find out what this sensation of power was! That is, if there was any in the first place. Perhaps he had imagined it; perhaps not.
However, time was wearing thin. "Time to go give the pharaoh another visit . . . maybe not yet." The thief king tossed the slim core of his finished apple carelessly behind him and eyed a small pub next to him. A smirk spread out across his smooth lips. On the other hand, it may be quite amusing to have a warm-up session first . . .
bdbdbdbdbdbd
"If she doesn't get here sooner, then the flies will get to the piece of fruit we bought for her. I suppose she forgot after all . . . "
Holding two carmine pomegranates, one bitten and the other in perfect condition, Anzu sighed to herself in disappointment and leaned her back up against a stone wall of a clay building at the spot she and Jonouchi met their new friend last night at the celebration. Jonouchi squatted down next to her and bit into a juicy, alizarin pomegranate, some of the juices flowing down the corners of his mouth. Anzu glared at him and scolded him silently for his lack of manners. The golden blonde half smiled at the brunette, bearing a toothy, red-stained grin.
"Don't worry, Anzu! She might come, and if she doesn't, then may Ra strike her directly from the heavens and let the gods Osiris, Anubis and Thoth sentence her to be devoured by Ammut!" The boy began to laugh into hysterics at his own words. Anzu was not too pleased and stomped her foot in irritation at his ridiculous terminology.
"Jonouchi! How can you say that about our friend? Do you feel no shame in cursing the person who had helped you fight those men last night?" Anzu glowered threateningly at the almond eyed boy. The boy wiped his mouth upon his sleeve and then stood to his feet and placing his right hand over his eyes, as if he was searching for something in the crowd ahead of him. Anzu blinked her auburn orbs at him. Did he see her coming?
"Jonouchi, do you see her?" Anzu stood on her toes and mimicked Jonouchi's actions. The blond boy winced into the crowd and stood on his toes. His eyes then widened in excitement.
"Hey, I think I see her! She's coming this way!" Jonouchi exclaimed in excitement, causing the brunette's face to be enlightened.
"Really?" The girl jumped up and down in exhilaration while swiftly turning her head from side to side to search her surroundings. Jonouchi couldn't help but smirk at her, and while Anzu was focused on looking for Millennia, the blond haired teen quickly grabbed the extra pomegranate from the shorter girl and held the fruit high above his head with a childish smirk plastered across his face, and replying to Anzu, "No."
"Jonouchi! That belongs to our new friend!" Anzu shouted at him in anger while struggling to grab the fruit from his hand. Since there was quite a difference between their heights, Jonouchi laughed playfully at the persistent girl attempting to take the fruit back from his high up reach.
"Well, apparently it's mine now since she isn't here!" He had spoken too soon, because from behind him, he had felt the pomegranate leave his hand.
"Well, apparently it's mine now since I am here," a feminine voice was heard from behind the two. Anzu smiled enthusiastically toward where the voice was heard and Jonouchi turned around and nervously half smiled with a sweatdrop.
"Good afternoon, Anzu . . . Jonouchi," Millennia smirked while taking a bite into the luscious fruit. Jonouchi moped in disappointment and Anzu bopped him in the head, causing the boy to yelp while grabbing his head.
"Good afternoon, um, er . . . you never told us your name," the auburn eyed brunette stated as the almond eyed boy blinked in puzzled agreement. Right then and there, Millennia froze with a sweatdrop. "Ack!" What was she supposed to say now? That she was a Greek princess engaged to Egypt's pharaoh? How believable was that, despite it being the truth? Evidently, that's just about almost what she was going to say.
"Erm . . . if you really want to know . . . uh-it's Millennia . . ." She replied hesitantly, holding her breath in tension. She received two blank stares from her friends. Did they figure it out?
"Millennia . . . that's an odd name," Jonouchi stated bluntly. Anzu stomped on the boy's foot and he began to jump around in pain while holding it.
"Don't listen to him; I think it's a nice name! Where are you from by the way? I know that isn't a very common name," Anzu added with interest. Millennia smiled with a sigh of relief.
"That was a close one." The cerulean eyed princess then smiled and replied. "Well, actually, I'm from Greece . . . somewhere . . . there . . ." She began to laugh nervously at her vague answer while Anzu and Jonouchi exchanged eyebrow raising glances. Millennia had finally noticed their puzzled expressions and ceased her apprehensive laughter. Wow, she felt like such a fool.
"So, what do you two want to do first?" The princess asked, trying to change the awkward mood. "We could do things that normal people do! That would be so much fun!" Once again, she received weary glances from Anzu and Jonouchi.
"Normal people?" Jonouchi raised a confused eyebrow at Millennia, now becoming quite suspicious.
"Uh- did I say normal people? I meant to say nomadic people!" Millennia masked her face with a wide grin as Anzu and Jonouchi sighed with sweatdrops.
"Crap!"
Far back in the crowd, Millennia could see the people getting down on their hands and knees . . . bowing . . . to Priest Seto! His headdress could easily be spotted, along with the group of guards backing him up. But what was he doing here right now? Could he possibly be looking for her? No! She didn't want to go back to the palace just yet! For Ra's sake, she just got here!
"Are all Greeks like this?" Jonouchi craned his neck down to Anzu's ear and whispered with question, Anzu tugging his ear down hard in reply. Anzu's auburn orbs widened in realization and peered past Millennia. "Hey, what's going on up there?"
Millennia jolted nervously in her spot and then turned around to face her friends. She quickly finished off her pomegranate and then took a few steps past Anzu and Jonouchi.
"Well, I better leave. Maybe we can be together longer next time! Bye for now and thanks for the food!" Immediately after saying this, the princess took off, leaving a puzzled Jonouchi and Anzu behind watching her.
"Hey -wait!" Anzu called after her, but Millennia did not turn back. Jonouchi folded his arms in confusion. "How come she always takes off like that?" He pondered aloud upon this while Anzu thought aloud to herself.
"Millennia . . ."
"Millennia?"
"What?" The brunette shook her head and looked up in front of her to see the masculine voice that had repeated her. A man stood before her with narrow, azure eyes and a tanned complexion. Mainly in blue and gold, his royal outfit was quite luxurious. A blue and gold headdress sat upon his head, hiding all of his hair. At hand, he held a golden rod with the millennium eye carved into a winged sphere on top of it. He was a very attractive man, well built and a flawless face. Anzu and Jonouchi could not help but gaze into his hypnotizing eyes.
"H-High Priest Seto . . ." Anzu gasped, thoughtlessly getting ready to bow down, though stopped as the azure eyed high priest placed a hand up in protest.
"Do you two villagers know where we may find Princess Millennia, may I ask?" Seto questioned the gaping Anzu and Jonouchi.
"Princess Millennia?" The blond haired boy gasped in shock, stepping forward before the high priest. Seto scowled at the boy, quickly not growing fond of him.
"Yes, Princess Millennia. Have you not been listening, you mediocre boy?" Seto glowered down into the blond boy's almond orbs. Anzu tried to suppress a laugh as many veins bulged from Jonouchi's forehead.
"Mediocre? Ok, let me give you a piece of my mind, you-" Right before the fiery blond could finish his sentence to reach some sort of profane insult, Anzu had punched the blonde squarely underneath his jaw and knocking him down to the ground.
"Thank you for shutting up that barking dog," Seto nodded at the brunette coolly, infuriating Jonouchi even more as he struggled to get to his feet. Anzu placed her hands on her hips and eyed Seto suspiciously.
"Princess Millennia is not in any trouble, is she?" The auburn eyed brunette asked in concern. She was not just about to tell anyone where her friend was if they were going to be punished, princess or not. Seto frowned upon the girl's inquisitiveness; perhaps she and the dog were an acquaintance of the princess. "Not in the means you or she may presuppose. The princess is needed at the palace instantaneously. Please, if you may have any initiative of her whereabouts, it would be most appreciated by the pharaoh and his royal court."
Jonouchi began to tug on Anzu's sleeve, and shaking his head in a 'no' gesture. "Jonouchi, this is important the high priest says!" The brunette whispered admonishingly to the almond eyed boy. The blond teen growled at her and then stood before Seto with an annoyed expression across his face, pointing his right pointer finger toward the right side of him. "Listen up, rich boy! Even if we did know that she went that way, we would never let you know! So, there!" Crossing his arms in satisfactory across his slim chest, Jonouchi closed his brown orbs with a smug smirk and nodding approvingly to himself. The high priest casually replied, "Thank you for your assistance, mediocre dog," before turning around and heading off with his guards to where Jonouchi had pointed absent-mindedly. After a moment, the blonde's eyes were wide opened and gaping like a fish, he watched the high priest walk away. The high priest then stopped and turned toward Jonouchi.
"Oh, yes, one more thing. With a sharp tongue like that, I can easily have you executed. However, since I'm such a nice person, maybe next time." And with that, Seto and his guards continued down the clear bazaar, every person bowing down on their hands and knees; some glared at Jonouchi for his disrespect. Anzu blushed in embarrassment and the blonde boy bared vicious fangs at the scolding people. Grabbing him silently by the shirt collar, the small brunette dragged a struggling Jonouchi away from the quiet street. Anzu couldn't believe it; not only had she spoken with one of the high priests of the pharaoh's court, but had found out her mysterious new friend was a princess! How often does that all happen in one day? Now she knew why Millennia had always seemed like she was always in such a hurry. But no matter now, she just hoped Millennia would be alright . . .
bdbdbdbdbdbd
"Whew . . ."
Millennia sighed right after closing an old, wooden door behind her and leaned back against it. She wondered how Seto found out that she was missing. Did Atem or Mana tell him? She couldn't blame them; they were probably worried about her safety. It's just she wanted to be free of the restraints the palace had bound her to for just a day, or maybe less! It has only been a few hours, maybe not that long. Well, what could she do? Run and hide from them forever? Exactly.
Levitating her cerulean orbs off of the dirty floor and into her surroundings, she noticed how filthy the atmosphere was. The stench of alcohol was unbearable in the air and drunken idiots laughed amongst their friends and others they most likely didn't even know. Wonderful. Out of all the places she could have randomly waltzed right into, it just so happened to be a bar! She cringed at watching everyone gamble and throw indiscriminate objects at the walls or at other people. She really wanted to get out of this place. Turning around toward the door, she suddenly felt an oily hand grab her right shoulder, causing her heart to skip a beat.
"Hm hm . . . well what'cha doin' here, little girl?" Millennia turned her head up to face a man twice her size, length and width. His face was covered in facial hair and his dark eyes seemed disorientated. The odor of wine hovered from his mouth, making the princess nauseated. Behind him were two other men, most likely his 'buddies' and most likely were also drunk losers. Millennia glared at the man while trying to hold her breath simultaneously.
"Remove . . . the . . . hand," she said slowly for him to process properly for the moron he was. He did not take this comment too well.
"Whad'ju say?" The man then slammed Millennia's back up against the hard, wooden door, causing a loud booming sound throughout the bar, but no one had seemed to notice. He held her against the door with both of his hands gripping her forearms. She winced at the pain while gritting her bared teeth. Barely escaping her lips, the princess added a snide remark.
"You . . . don't intimidate me . . . scoundrel . . ." Millennia couldn't help but smirk at her own comment and the man's blank expression. Steam blew out of the man's ears as his greasy face turned red. "Why, you little tramp, I'll teach you a lesson-" The barbaric man raised his large hand in the air, ready to strike. Millennia gasped at his action and froze in shock. What could she do now?
". . . . . . . . . . . . ." In a brief moment, the drunken man froze with perplexity consuming his face. Behind him a tan, jewel-covered hand took hold of the big lout's wrist. "Guh . . . guh . . ." He struggled to gasp any audible words while a mass of light purple, ivory hair could be seen behind him. The mass of hair lifted, and revealed a pair of piercing violet eyes.
"- yes . . . a lesson to well be remembered, my good sir." A wolfish smirk engulfed the mysterious man's tan face, causing Millennia to blink her cerulean eyes in curiosity. The drunken man sneered at the violet eyed man. "Ya don't say? Boys, get'em!" There was no response. The man growled impatiently, releasing Millennia and turning half way around so his arm wouldn't be twisted by the other man. To his contempt, the two other men that were backing him up earlier were now gone. He cursed under his breath and snarled in wrath. The ivory haired man chuckled darkly.
"I'm guessing your lackeys decided to not stick around for your . . . lesson," he dangerously chuckled, stressing 'lesson' with malice in his voice. The larger man's face was showing signs of extreme stress; drunk, yet aware of the situation. The other man ceased laughing, and a wide smirk revealing demonic fangs took its place. With a swift movement of his hand, he twisted the man's wrist with a crack. The man roared in utmost pain, and before he knew it, was flipped onto a table behind them where gamblers played cards . . . well, were playing cards. It came down with a crash, cards flying and drinks being smashed onto the floor, toxic liquid pouring onto the flooring and splattering upon unaware people. The man laid there moaning in pain and other people stared and shouted at Millennia and her savior. Millennia blinked in surprise; she had to admit, that was quite impressive. Slowly walking over to the unconscious man, she gave him a hard kick in the side, causing him to grunt. The princess turned to the violet eyed Egyptian and smirked with a nod. He, on the other hand, frowned at her disapprovingly. The princess' expression grew puzzled, wondering why he seemed so angry with her.
"Take this, broad!" Sweatdropping in shock after a mug of beer barely missed her head, the ivory haired man grabbed her wrist and ran, taking her into a separate room of the bar, away from the wrathful, chaotic drunks. She choked on the even worse smell of this room, though she had to admit, it was a whole lot quieter, but darker. Squinting her blue orbs, she realized that they were inside the room where the alcoholic beverages were stored. The room was shrouded in dust, making her cough some more. She felt a strong tug on her arm and was pulled down to the ground on her knees. Sitting before her was the man that had helped her, his violet eyes luminescent in the darkness. Millennia was then feeling herself becoming lost in them; such clearness, yet vagueness. It was almost like he concealed some hidden power, something unknown, dark. She suddenly realized he had turned his head away from her. She shook her head to break away from the reverie. He saved her, yet seemed so uninterested in asking if she was alright.
"Um . . . thank you so much, sir. I really appreciate what you had done for me back there. If there is anything I can-" Millennia noticed that he was not even paying attention to her. She sighed under her breath. How could someone be so ignorant? She opened her mouth again to speak, but was interrupted by the other man.
"Go around the back of the room and there should be a door there. It will lead you behind the store and outside into the bazaar."
Millennia gaped in surprise. "You know your way around here pretty well, don't you? For some strange reason you remind me of that thief king . . . Bakura, I think his name was. Have you ever heard of him?"
The fluorescent eyed man gazed lazily at her, and then replied, "I don't know." He stood up to leave the room and the princess stood up next to him. "You have a strong ka. I can feel it."
This caused the man to freeze. He had only saved this girl because he remembered her gaze last night . . . and he sensed a possible strong ka from her, a possible power-boost for his own ka. The only way to make sure was to keep her alive for now. He had no idea that she could sense his ka, Diabound. Was his ka that immeasurably powerful? It wouldn't surprise him, of course. He raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. "Where are you from, exactly?"
Millennia gulped and began to sweat nervously. "Um . . . the palace. I'm-uh- a servant there." She hoped that he would be able to believe this. He gave a small smirk in reply. "Oh, really . . . farewell, then." The violet eyed man then casually walked out of the room, his tanned cloak swaying behind him. Millennia watched, mesmerized. She wondered who he was . . . oh, right! Speaking of the palace, she had to get moving! Making her way behind dusty shelves of many different kinds of alcohol in jars, she found a fragile looking door and lifted the brittle lever which was used to keep the door locked. It creaked uneasily, causing her eyes to instantly open wider. Continuing to open the door, a ray of light was released into the room. She shielded her blue eyes with her other arm that was not pushing open the door, trying to block the blinding sun from her vision. To her dismay, she was met with several silhouettes.
"Well, this is convenient." The front figure commented nonchalantly. Millennia gasped in surprise at the unfortunate situation.
"Priest Seto?"
Seto nodded responsively at her, and then placed a bronze hand on her dusty shoulder.
"Princess, you must come back to the palace with us immediately. It is extremely urgent for you to come," the high priest explained to her calmly. Millennia shook her head in protest. "But I can't! Not now! Why must it not wait until later, Seto?" The princess objected with rebellious eyes. Seto gazed into her cerulean orbs with his azure ones.
"Princess . . . it is your brother."
I hope that everyone enjoyed the first chapter! By the way, 'diaha' is Egyptian for 'duel,' just for incase you didn't know n.nI will try to get the next chapter up soon, even if this fic doesn't do too well. Reviews would be appreciated, they keep an author motivated! Until then . . . "Duel! Stand by!" – Lol, I couldn't resist to add Anzu's episode closing quote XD
Edited on 2/24/06 for corrections.