Susan: I am so so so so sorry about taking such a long time to post this! I've been really busy and didn't even realize it's been so long since I last posted, but can ya cut me a little slack? I was horribly sick for a while and have now just caught up on life again.
Alara: Susan doesn't own Yu-gi-oh or anything like that. She really is sorry she is late.
Adom's POV
"Yami!" Yugi bows, and I stare at the Prince's guard. He looks like a taller, older version of Yugi. The only other differences are their hair and eyes. Yami's eyes and tips are crimson, and Yugi's are amethyst.
"Yugi, you don't need to bow around me. What are you and your brother doing wandering around here?"
"We were going back to our room so that Adom could see the rest of our family." Yugi's mood seems to have brightened, and I stare at them.
So this is the man from the whipping post? Not exactly what I expected the Prince's guard to look like. Yami isn't really that big or imposing. He's smaller than I am by a lot. I nod and Yami smiles.
"Don't let Isis catch you. Trust me, she won't let you out of that room of hers until you are prancing around if she does." Yami walks closer, and I stiffen the closer he gets. "You better hurry if you don't want your brother to collapse in the hallway, Yugi."
"Oh, right! See you around Yami!" Yugi grabs my hand and starts pulling me down the hallway. We turn left and right so many times that I can't tell which way we came from. When Yugi stops outside a door, I lean against the wall and pant. "Adom? Are you alright?" he asks worriedly.
Signaling that I need a moment, I rest and rub lightly at the wound across my chest. It had started to burn a little while ago and was now insanely uncomfortable.
The door next to us opens, and I see Naeemah's shadowy jade eyes staring up at me. Her black hair is pulled back in a long braid, and she is wearing one of her best tunics, its paleness making her dark features all the more prominent. "Adom!" I pitch forward slightly, but manage to catch myself before I crush my younger sibling. "Big brother!" she had much the same reaction as Yugi did, and immediately I find myself clutching her as she hugs me tightly.
"Naeemah, is that Adom?" Shani asks from inside the room.
"Yes! He's here!" Naeemah be crying because I feel water on my stomach. I pet her hair, trying to sooth her sobs.
"Bring him in Naeemah!" I hear Mother's voice call. Mother's gray eyes are wide, showing unhidden surprise when I am pulled through the door. Naeemah drags me farther into the room, and I am stunned at how lush and beautiful it was. There' s a large bed with what look to be cotton sheets, and chests are pushed up against the walls. "Adom," she moves to hug me, her arms open wide. My mother's face is lined with wrinkles, and her dark hair that Naeemah inherited is hanging loosely around her face. She is wearing a loose fitting shawl-like dress, and on her wrist was the last of her family's heirlooms, a thin gold bracelet with a swirling design carved into it. "Are you alright? How are you feeling? Maybe you should lie down, you look pale. Come now, lay on down Adom." Mother starts to fuss over me, and I let her for a moment, knowing that if I don't she'll become more insistent and stressed.
"I'm fine Mother." I tell her, but she pays me no mind.
As I lay on the bed, I watch the rest of my family sit around me. "It's good to see you Adom." Shani tells me, holding my large hand in her small one. "I haven't gotten to see you in a long time."
It's true. Since the Prince had started punishing me, I'd been getting home later and later, only to wake up long before anyone else to work. In the last few days before my most brutal beating, I'd only gotten a few hours of sleep, which didn't help my wounds heal any faster. "I missed you too. And I am fine. There's no need to worry." I notice how they seem to relax when they see the signs my fingers create.
"Guess what Adom, guess what!" Shani calls, coming out from behind Mother. She looks the most like me, our oddly blond hair and pale green eyes similar in color, though she has much paler skin like Yugi and mine is a dark tan from standing in the bright sun each day.
"What?"
"The Prince and the Pharaoh wish to speak with us tomorrow! It's such an honor, don't you think? Help us decide which outfits to wear, please Brother?" Naeemah begs me with her huge eyes.
Not the eyes, not the eyes! They grow another size, and any resolve I have against my youngest sister crumbles, not that there really was any to begin with. A heavy sigh and I nod while she grabs my hand and starts pulling me towards one of the chests. Why am I getting dragged around like a doll today?
"And things fall right back into place." Yugi smiles at me from the doorway, watching as I slowly pull out Naeemah and Shani's most elaborate clothing, only for the most special of occasions, and therefore worn only three times, once at our grandfather's funeral, then our aunt's and finally our father's the previous spring.
"That one?" Naeemah sounds disappointed, but then I pull her hair out of her braid, twisting it so it falls down the side of her neck. While she holds the light-weight tunic up, I take out my own hair tie and wrap it around the end of her hair in a way that shows the tiny turquoise stones. Our grandfather had given it to me when I turned eleven. She looks down, seeing the sparkling on the worn leather. "Adom! Thank you!" Naeemah tackles me again, nearly toppling me to the floor, while Shani watches from behind her.
Shani's expression worries me slightly. It was one of jealousy, and hurt, and in an instant I realized my mistake. I'd given Shani a small amulet that I'd bought by working more hours, but the stone wasn't as fancy, and it didn't hold as much sentimental value as the hair tie did, since the amulet hadn't belonged to our family since it's creation. "Shani," I sign before reaching out my hand. She ignores me, not even looking my way as she settles down on the bed, and Mother walks over to talk with her.
"Adom, will you do my hair tomorrow? You always do a great job." Naeemah grins, and I nod, still watching Shani and our Mother out of the corner of my eye.
"Don't worry so much Adom," Yugi places his hand on my arm. "Shani will get over it soon enough. She isn't one to hold grudges over such petty things like that."
"Why's Shani upset?" the young girl in front of me asks.
"Nothing you need to worry about either." Our brother is as quiet as he always is, but soothing, and my fears receded. "Let's find you something to wear." The multicolor-haired boy points at me. "You can't kneel before the Prince and the Pharaoh in those clothes. Some of Father's might fit you, even if they are really tight."
Right, crap. I'd already forgotten the reason why Naeemah wanted my help with her clothes and hair.
Susan: FINALLY, MY LIFE IS MY OWN AGAIN! I'm still sorry, but starting in July, I'm going to try to post every few days, it's just that this year has been really tough on me, so I've had absolutely no inspiration to write.