Okay, so before I actually start chapter 4, I have answers to questions! Aqua girl 007: 1) Yep, I'm adding vaseshipping 2) Not sure. Anyway, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.
"Here's the garden, Mana!"
Mana looked around, disappointed. She had been hoping to find her way out of the palace from here, but she still couldn't be sure of where exactly she was. Is this place just designed to confuse? she wondered in irritation. To make matters worse, she was now unsure how to get out of here and alone with Ryo in enemy territory. What else could possibly go wrong?
As usual, the answer was "everything." While Ryo was talking about a game that he wanted to play with her, Mana saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her blood run cold: Priest Seto, and he was heading their way.
"Well, hello again," he said with what Mana considered an evil grin. Ryo stopped talking mid-sentence and turned to look at the priest.
"You're..."
Seto glanced down at Ryo. "I'm here for Mana. The prince has been searching for her."
Ryo looked at him suspiciously, but Seto ignored him and reached out a hand to grab Mana. Mana backed out of his reach, glaring at him. "Don't touch me," she hissed.
"That's no way to act in polite society, thief. Not that I would expect you to know that." Ryo was glaring at Seto now.
The priest grabbed Mana's arm, quicker than she could dodge out of the way. "Now, you've been summoned by the prince, and I expect you to show a little more respect toward him."
Mana squirmed, trying to pull free of his grip. There was absolutely no way she was going anywhere with him! "How's this for respect? Go drown yourself. That would do the world a favor."
Seto narrowed his eyes at her before dragging her away from Ryo. The boy started to follow, but Mana shook her head. Instead, doing what Mana deemed the smart thing, Ryo ran off. Seto stopped, watching the boy run.
"Well, that takes care of that obstacle. We don't want any witnesses to your death, now do we?" he said with a smirk.
"You're crazy! Who do you think is going to get blamed if I get killed?"
"He just left."
Mana gaped at him. "Ryo? There is no way anyone will believe that story!"
"Sure they will," he said, pulling her closer. "Nobody knows him well enough to say that he wouldn't do it. Maybe he was having a flashback to some horrifying memory, or maybe he thought you were going to hurt him." Mana scoffed. "Don't be that way. Nobody will be able to prove that he didn't kill you. It will be my word against his, a priest against a young thief. I think you know who they'll believe."
Still holding onto Mana's arm, Seto drew the Millennium Rod. But there was something off, it was too short. It took Mana a moment to process the fact that it was also too sharp. There was a lethal weapon hidden in the Millennium Rod? And the pharaoh had just given it to Seto? Mana was seriously starting to question the pharaoh's sanity as she struggled to get away from this insane priest.
Atem stopped, panting. He had to think about this. Where would Ryo and Mana go anyway? Well, Mana wanted to leave, and Ryo... He didn't know. It was frustrating for him—Mana could be dead by now, and he couldn't even think of where she might be!
"Prince Atem!" a voice behind him called. Atem turned to see Ryo running toward him. The boy looked panicked.
"Ryo! Where's Mana?" he asked.
"That priest with the Rod has her! He said you were looking for her."
Atem cursed inwardly. Seto had Mana. He had to find them now. "Where did you last see them?"
"In the garden," Ryo said, pointing behind him. Atem ran in the direction the boy had indicated, hoping he wasn't too late.
Mana wrenched her arm out of Seto's grasp just as he brought the tip of the Rod down to stab her. She managed to avoid his first shot, and now she just had to do what she did best: Run from whoever was chasing her.
Unfortunately for her, Seto was expecting this. Mana fell to the ground as something hit the back of her leg, causing her to cry out in pain. Looking at her leg, she saw a knife embedded just above the knee.
"Seriously, you have that thing and a real knife?" She was really getting annoyed with the pharaoh. What was he thinking giving lethal weapons to lunatics?
Seto came toward her, holding up the Rod, ready to run her through. Mana rolled out of the way as he stabbed at her again. He turned and placed his foot on her back, keeping her from getting away from him again. Seto raised the Rod, ready to strike. "Die, thief."
"Seto!"
The priest stopped, turning to face the intruder. "M-my prince!" Mana was pleased to hear that he sounded worried.
"What are you doing?" Atem's voice was full of venom. Mana glanced at him and saw that he was giving Seto one of those killer looks of his, only more severe than the one that Mana had received earlier.
"I-I was... Well, um—"
"That's what I thought," Atem said, shoving Seto off of Mana. "Do yourself a favor and resign from the priesthood before I become pharaoh. Assuming my father doesn't have you stripped of it first. Now, get out of my sight."
Mana heard Seto run off. Looking up at Atem, Mana knew for sure that she had never been so happy to see anybody in her life.
Atem took in Mana's condition. She was hurt, but at least Seto hadn't been able to finish the deed.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
Mana rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. That red stuff coming out of me is completely normal, and so is that knife in my leg."
"Well, you're being sarcastic, so it must not be too serious," Atem said with a slight grin as he helped her up. "Let's get you to the infirmary."
"Incidentally," Mana said, "you might want to start screening your priests. I think that one might be a little insane."
Atem scowled. "If I have any say in it, he won't be a priest much longer."
After taking Mana to the infirmary, Atem went to talk with his father about Seto's actions. Something had to be done; he couldn't be allowed to get away with this. Suggesting executing every criminal is one thing, but actually trying to carry out the suggested sentence was entirely out of line.
The pharaoh agreed with Atem completely, but reminded him that the priests hadn't been informed of the reason for the leniency with these criminals. He suggested that Atem tell the priests why Mana and Ryo were being forgiven for their crimes—maybe it would deter Seto from any future attempts on the girl's life.
While Atem still wanted Seto stripped of the priesthood, he agreed. The priests should know why these criminals had been moved into the palace. He called them all into the dining room, glaring at Seto when he arrived, and told them about the homeless orphans who had been stealing for survival. As he had suspected, their reactions varied from horror to pity to not caring. Seto, unfortunately, was the one who didn't care. Apparently, needing to survive didn't justify theft in his mind.
"In the future, anyone who tries to harm either of those two," he said, glaring at Seto, "will be stripped of the priesthood. Any who succeeds in harming them will be executed. Am I clear, Seto?"
Disgracing Seto in front of the other priests would help; he wouldn't be able to lie his way out of it if he ever did manage to kill Mana now that everyone knew that he had tried.
Mahad surprised Atem with his reaction. He glared at Seto and said, "With all due respect, my prince, you made yourself perfectly clear to most of us. However, some of us are so thickheaded that you might have difficulty getting the message across to them."
Seto glared back at Mahad. "I hope you are speaking of yourself, because I certainly understood what the prince just said, Mahad."
"Enough, both of you," Akhenaden intervened. "Seto, I cannot believe that you went against the pharaoh's orders in such a way. You should consider yourself lucky that he is giving you a second chance! Don't waste it by fighting with Mahad." He turned to Mahad. "And don't you try starting anything."
Leaving the priests to their squabbles, Atem went back to the infirmary to check on Mana. Ryo was already there, talking to her. When the boy saw Atem, he waved, drawing Mana's attention to the prince.
"How are you, Mana?" Atem asked.
"I'll be fine. Aside from dying of boredom while I have to stay off that leg that your stupid priest stabbed."
Atem smiled. "Well, it seems you aren't in much pain. Your attitude hasn't changed in the least."
Mana waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Aw, that's never going to change." She was grinning at him. Ryo, with a small smile on his face, muttered something they couldn't quite hear and left.
Atem sat down on the edge of the bed. "Seriously, how are you? Not how will you be, but how are you right now?"
"I'm fine. Trust me, Atem." She smiled at him reassuringly, then frowned. "What about the crazy priest? Is he still around?"
"Unfortunately, yes, but he won't be trying anything again. Everyone knows that he tried to take your execution into his own hands."
Mana stared into space, contemplating her chances of survival, as far as Atem knew. Then she looked at him and said, "Thank you."
Atem blinked. That seemed rather uncharacteristic of the girl he had come to know. "It's nothing. Seto has no authority to be executing anyone. He needed to be reminded of his place."
"I don't just mean for stopping Seto. Thank you for letting Ryo and me come live here. It was sweet, and I've been giving you so much grief. I'm sorry for that."
Atem just stared at her for a moment before answering. "It's still nothing. As prince of Egypt, part of my duty is to take care of my subjects, just as it will be when I am pharaoh."
"Still, inviting us to live in the palace seems a little extreme, don't you think?" she asked.
"Maybe, but I couldn't let the two of you stay in that place you called home. It wouldn't have been right."
Mana just looked at him, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Standing up, he decided to let the doctors keep an eye on her for now.
"Well, I'll leave you in the capable hands of the doctors now. Unless, of course, you plan to run off while I'm gone?"
Mana shook her head. "No way, I'm not doing that again."
Atem nodded. "Good. I'll come check on you later."
He left, feeling her eyes on his back as he did.
Mana just watched Atem go. She couldn't believe that she had actually thought he had some ulterior motive for being nice to her. She had actually met an honest man, and she had completely misjudged him because he was the prince of Egypt.
Never thought I would be guilty of misjudging someone because of their status, she thought. It's pretty ironic, really.