Answering the Questions
Chapter Two
The room was dark and it made Yami feel uneasy. He leaned forward in his chair and saw that she was different. Not physically, but her aura seemed different. She was confident and silent, expecting to get right to the point. Annoyed by his procrastinating, she took a deep breath and looked deeper into the darkness around her. It saddened her and it was noticeable. Yami followed her gaze but again saw nothing but darkness. Akina turned to him and again waited for his questions.
"Where-?" he began but was interrupted by her velvet voice.
"I know of your past. But I can only tell you certain things," she said placing her finger on her temple as if to be thinking.
He was still silent so she began again.
"You cared for your people and were showed great respect because of it," she smiled.
"How do you know all this?" he asked keeping his tone professional.
"That is no concern of yours. You had friends deep within the palace but many were defeated in battle," she answered quickly.
He was startled by her response. But she kept her face was like a statue, no expression crossed her face. The previous Pharaoh stood and was waiting for her to answer another of his unasked questions. She knew what he was going to ask so she simply replied what she wanted him to accept.
"What do you see around you Pharaoh...? Nothing? That is because even I refuse to look back at my memories. Why should I let you observe them? But I still see them within the depths of my mind, they haunt me to this day," she said standing from the dark green chair.
"Then can you tell me how you and Iva met?" he asked hoping that this was a question she would answer.
"If you no longer have any questions about your past then it is pointless to stay here," she said reaching into the air.
Her bands rematerialized around her wrists and then they were back at the mansion. The room was the same: dark with a reading chair facing the balcony, large double doors leading to the bathroom, and the red and black satin sheets still lay on the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed facing him. She looked normal to him, different than when they were in the corridors of her mind. Her innocent smile was appearing on her light face. She opened her mouth to speak and saw that he was examining her. She closed her mouth and rolled her eyes.
"Forgive me, the discussion called for extra precautions, but if you wish to discuss how I came to this world that shall be fine… but nothing more," she said referring to her life 5,000 years ago.
"Then how did you?" he asked leaning on the bed post across from her.
"Iva found me in the back of an abandoned storage building. I protect her with my life as I would anyone else," she smiled looking out at the full moon that graced the night sky.
He head whipped around to her door and she sprung off the bed.
"Excuse me Iva needs to speak with me," she said leaving the room.
Yami slowly walked to the door and watched her walk quietly down the hall. His curiosity sparked and he shadowed her until she turned a corner and noticed him from the corner of her crimson eyes.
"You can come too. I just thought that you would be bored with the discussion that we are going to have."
"We'll see," he whispered as he caught up with her.
She stopped before a door and gently knocked. There was a soft 'come in' and then Akina gradually opened the door. Iva sat up in her bed tears streaming down her delicate face. Akina's eyes shot open and rushed to her side.
"Are you alright? Did you have another dream?" she asked with even more concern than her face showed.
The frightened girl simply nodded her head and hugged Akina. Tears landed on her sleeve and she brushed her hand over the girl's light brown hair. Yami stood in the background perfectly still and silent. She motioned him to come to her side and he paused for a moment not really sure if that was the best idea. But she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him with the small girl's face buried into her chest. She pulled Iva back up and sat on her left side, holding her hand. Yami stood next to her watching her whisper in the small girl's ear. He felt out of place. He didn't have that much experience when it came to socializing so he simply watched Akina comfort the frightened child. The young woman moved to the other side of the bed and let Yami sit on the edge of the bright pink sheets.
"Will you feel better if I stayed with you for a while?" she asked smiling at the troubled girl.
She nodded then hiccupped. Akina laughed and rested her head against the headboard. She hummed a lullaby for a few minutes and waited until Iva's eyes were closed and her breathing returned to normal. Once she was calm, Yami helped her off of the bed and walked with her over to the door.
"Why do you love children so much?" he whispered still in awe of how well she handled the crying child.
Akina smiled and flipped off the lights. Both of them stood in front of the door. Yami looked down at the motherly young woman and saw that she had a small different smile than what she showed the others. She gazed at the sleeping girl and slowly shut the door.
"They remind me of my childhood. The precious memories that I used to harbor in my mind still linger there but they will never return fully," she sighed.
"Why won't they?" he asked feeling sympathetic for her.
"I refuse to let them," she replied biting her lip.
Yami stared at her. 'What could have happened in her past that would cause her to do such a thing?' he thought. She walked back down the hall leaving Yami in shock. Here he was trying to remember the past, but she was pushing her memories farther and farther away. Akina walked slower to her room than what she normally would. Before long, she would forget her past and live without the pain that she held inside of her. Yami caught up with her and they returned to the darkened room. The moonlight faded as it came closer to the doorway and she walked over to the reading lamp to turn it on.
"You have more questions about me right?" she asked as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
"Yes," he said through the maroon colored door.
"Ask away,' she said opening the door quickly.
She was already changed into a black and golden trimmed silk robe. Akina passed him and took her place in the sangria colored reading chair. He stood arms crossed and eyes piercing into hers. If he couldn't ask about her past maybe he can ask about something about her personal life.
"You seem to live quite well for a mere assistant," he smirked.
"Ah, well Mokuba spends most of his time here so Mr. Kaiba said that he would like to make it like home for him," she explained.
"You seem to spend a great amount of time with him," he said digging deeper and deeper into unknown territory.
"Yes, he is my business partner… Yami are you jealous?" she asked noticing that he didn't make any eye contact since he spoke.
"Why would I be?" he asked almost laughing.
But he did feel a little uneasy. He looked back at her and decided to give up on the relationship subject. She had an eyebrow raised waiting for an answer but he quickly changed the subject.
"How long have you worked with him?" he asked.
"About a year. You could say that I climb to the top quicker than most," she smiled, feeling proud of herself.
"Ah… How did you acquire so many artifacts for your treasure room?" he asked trying to get off of the Kaiba subject completely.
"Do you remember the room we were in earlier? That's were I found them. I used my powers to bring them to this world," she said placing her hands on the golden bands.
"These bracelets grant the power of life. I can make any imagination real in the blink of an eye," she sighed seeming disappointed.
"But there are side effects. We, for example, still harbor our magical powers from the spirit world."
"Is that why you do not accept invitations from men?" he asked after a long silence.
She stared at him. No one had ever come to that assumption before. Not the ones who knew about her power anyway. Ayame and Hiroshi had never even thought of it and they were practically the only ones who knew except for Iva. She stood, a smile slowly creeping across her lips. Akina walked closer to the balcony and stared up at the moon.
"You're very intelligent Yami, just as you've always been… You're right. Tell me, what good is it to find love only to never be able to fully live with it?" she asked turning to the man.
He looked away, knowing that she was right. Loving someone for a short time and then roaming the earth without them sounded dreadful. His eyes shot back to her, remembering what she had just said.
"Just as I've always been?"
"Oh. It seems that I've let something slip," she smiled.
She walked up to him and rested her hands on his arms.
"In the past, you have saved me. It was very kind of you back then," she said giving a small grin but also looking as if she were in pain.
She looked at the time and it now showed that it was midnight.
"You should go and get some sleep," she said as she walked around her bed to flip the covers down.
Yami started to walk around the bed to the door when he noticed something shine. He looked down and noticed a small bracelet wrapped around her right ankle. It was made of small clay marbles and a few Egyptian charms. He felt himself stumble. It reminded him. He was a young boy. He sat next to a small girl outside the palace. Akina noticed that he was still in the room and turned to see what had his attention. She followed his eyes to her anklet and immediately pulled the silk robe over it.
"You need to leave now,' she said sternly.
"Where did you get that?" he asked feeling uneasy.
"In the past. That's all you need to know, now leave," she said looking across the room, not daring to meet his stare.
He left slowly, in shock of his flashback. After he was gone, Akina fell to the floor almost in tears. How could she try to forget if he wouldn't stop digging up old memories? She looked down at the bronze beads that draped over her skin. They were smooth as she ran her fingers across them. She remembered that day very well, better than most of the memories she had. They were sitting on the steps above the small pond sheltered by the large columns, but the heat still engulfed them. White sheets of silk hung from the pillars and occasionally rustled in the rare desert breeze. Akina smiled. Even if she refused to keep her memories, that particular one made her happy.
"It was simpler then," she said raising her arms so that she could see her golden shackles.