Natoya: Back for chapter eight! Yay!
Yugi: Thanks for all the great reviews!
Yami: /waving another cookie flag/ Thanks again guys.
Natoya: I don't own it! I just own my own made up characters!
Yami: Now please enjoy the chapter.
Yugi: While you munch on your cookies!
(Note: Hey guys, I've recently put up a story called Captive of the Heart and it doesn't seem to be getting very many reviews. I would like you guys to pretty please read and review it so I know whether you love it or hate it or whether I should take it down or not. I want at least five reviews for it so I can update it and it only has two. Please, review it for me? /puppy dog eyes/)
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Yugi ran down the hall, nearly skidding into the wall as he tried to round the corner. He panted, out of breath, and he continued down the hall to the dining room. To his delight, Yami was already there. To his displeasure, Mia and her parents were sitting there as well. He joined them, ignoring the glares that Mia and her family were giving him, and sat down at the table beside Yami. The Pharaoh smiled in approval.
"I was wondering when you were going to get here." Yami said, giving him a grin.
"I'm sorry… I overslept. I wouldn't miss this though." Yugi said, standing close to him.
Mahad suddenly came into the dining hall. He walked over to the Pharaoh and leaned down close to him. Yami turned to face him, knowing what Mahad was here to tell him. Yugi watched eagerly, waiting for the news that his father would soon be here.
"My Pharaoh, a stagecoach has arrived. They are awaiting permission to enter the palace gates. Should we allow them to enter?" Mahad asked. Yami nodded.
"Please Mahad, let them in. If there is a King Edmond among them, bring him to the dining room at once." Yami said. Mahad bowed and straightened. He turned on his heel and left the dining room. Yugi bounced excitedly in his seat, a big smile on his face.
"Father must be here! I'm so excited!" Yugi exclaimed. Yami chuckled. Yugi seemed like a little kid eager for his candy and it was very cute. The dining room door suddenly burst open fifteen minutes later and Yugi looked towards the door. Tears filled his eyes when he saw his father standing there. Yugi squealed and jumped up, running to the man in the doorway, wrapping his arms around him and letting out a sob.
"Yugi! Yugi, my son! I'm so glad you're okay!" King Edmond exclaimed, hugging his son tightly to him. Yugi hugged him back and cried. Edmond pulled him away and knelt down to stare at him. Yugi wiped at his eyes and flashed his father a smile.
"Father, I'm so glad you're okay too. After what happened to Mother… I thought…" Edmond shushed him and gave him another quick hug.
"Your poor mother was a tragedy that I'm still mourning, but I'm happy to find you alive. Now, show me this Pharaoh you told me you wanted to marry." Edmond said. Yugi took his hand and led him to the dining room table. Yami stood and walked over to them. He bowed slightly to King Edmond in a gesture of respect. Edmond smiled in approval at the well placed gesture. Yami smiled and extended his hand for a shake, which Edmond did.
"Welcome to Egypt, King Edmond. I'm Pharaoh Atem, but everyone calls me Yami." He said. Edmond's eyebrows rose in interest and he smiled once again.
"Ah, I see. You are the man my son requested permission to marry?" Edmond asked.
"Uh, yes Sir, I am." Yami said. Edmond glanced at the two angry looking parents and the crying Princess sitting at the table and his brows rose once again.
"And who are these people?" Edmond asked. Yugi frowned at Mia.
"Princess Mia, her father King Lewis, and her mother Queen Maria." Yugi said.
"I'm supposed to marry him! You can not allow your son to wed him! I'm supposed to!" Mia screamed, leaping up out of her chair. Her father yanked her back down. She sat in her chair and pouted, her lip trembling. Edmond's lips twitched as he fought a laugh. He turned back to Yami and couldn't help himself; he began to chuckle.
"Are you supposed to wed that spoiled girl?" King Edmond asked. Yami smiled.
"Only if I can't find a more suitable match." Yami answered. King Edmond laughed.
"Well, I'd hate for you to have to be tethered to that for the rest of your days! Tell me, do you like my son well enough to wed him?" Edmond asked. Yami nodded.
"We became friends rather quickly and get along quite well. I imagine I would enjoy being wed to your son." Yami told him truthfully. He did truly like Yugi a hell of a lot more then Mia. King Edmond turned to look at his son, who was beaming at him with a very cute smile. Edmond patted his head gently and stroked his hair.
"And Yugi? Do you truly wish to wed this man?" Edmond asked his son.
"Yes, Father, I do." Yugi said. Edmond smiled and gave another little chuckle.
"Very well then! Pharaoh Atem, you have my permission to wed my son!" Edmond said. Yugi squealed with happiness the same time Mia screamed in a temperamental fit and he leapt onto Yami and hugged him tightly. King Lewis shot out of his chair and grabbed his wife and daughter, dragging them from the room. Yami was not sorry to see them leave.
"Thank you Father! Thank you, thank you!" Yugi said happily, turning from Yami and hugging his father tightly. Yami was so happy; he could now have Yugi and he was free from Mia! Edmond chuckled and pulled his son away from him.
"You're welcome my boy. Now, when will this wedding take place?" Edmond asked. Yami looked down at Yugi, who was now looking up at him.
"When do you want to have it?" Yugi asked him softly. Yami thought for a moment. He smiled at Yugi tenderly, reaching out and taking his hand. Yugi looked down at the floor and blushed, lightly squeezing Yami's hand.
"How does a month from now sound?" Yugi gave Yami a tender smile and nodded.
"A month sounds perfect." Yugi said. Edmond laughed lightly to himself, enjoying the tender looks that passed between the two.
"A month from now it is then!" Edmond chortled. Yugi smiled at him, suddenly feeling very sick to his stomach about the whole thing.
"O-Okay." Yugi said. Yami squeezed his hand gently.
"Yugi, don't be nervous. It'll be okay." Yami told him, trying to reassure him. Yugi looked at him and he tried not to let his feelings show, but now there were butterflies in his stomach. He found he suddenly didn't know what to expect from this marriage and the thought frightened him. He had done this to help his friend, but he didn't know hardly anything about him and that thought hit him like a stack of bricks.
"Don't worry Yugi. Second thoughts are normal." Edmond said. Yugi stared at his father, his eyes wide. Yami watched, suddenly feeling a bit nervous himself. He hoped Yugi didn't suddenly want to back out.
"No, I'm not having second thoughts. I want to do this. I'm… I'm just anxious and excited and a little afraid, that's all. I'm getting married and our lives will be intertwined forever. It's normal to be nervous about that, right?" Yugi asked. Edmond chuckled and Yami waited for his answer.
"Yes, it is. But don't be. This man is a fine man and I believe he can make my son very happy." Edmond said. "Now, let's get this show on the road!" He cheered. Yami smiled, sighing in relief to himself.
"I'll have the servants begin the preparations. Please, King Edmond, let me give you a quick tour of the palace." Yami said. Edmond followed Yami out of the room. Yugi stood there a moment longer. The butterflies had gotten worse and he bit his lip. He was happy about the wedding, but he supposed it was just those jitters you get before the event takes place. He hurried out of the room after Edmond and Yami.
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Marik sighed and sat down on a bench. He'd been searching for a few hours and still no sign of the stupid Prince! He was tired and hungry so he got up and began to walk around, hoping to find a tavern where he could get a little something. On his way there, he passed the palace gates. They opened suddenly and he jumped, surprised, and hurried out of the way. Two women and a man exited the gates and headed for a stagecoach waiting outside the gates. They were arguing about something and Marik got curious.
"I can not believe he abandoned me in favor of that twit!" The younger girl screamed. Marik approached them and hid near them, listening to what else they had to say.
"This is unacceptable! We had a deal that the Pharaoh would marry you and he chooses some foreign Prince to marry instead?!" The man said. Marik gasped. Foreign Prince? Could it be…? Marik continued to listen.
"Maybe we can find another King for you to marry Mia dear." The other woman said softly. "Mia" whirled to face her, her eyes ablaze with anger.
"I don't want another man to marry! I WANT THE PHARAOH!" She yelled.
"Well he'll see that he made a mistake when he marries that Prince! Let's go home!" They got into the stagecoach and it took off. Marik smiled to himself. This new lead looked promising… He hurried over to the guard that was about to enter the palace gates and tapped the man on the shoulder. The man turned and gave him an odd stare.
"Please Sir," Marik began. "Tell me where that stagecoach is going. I had a gift of sorts for the Princess and would like to have it delivered." Marik said. The man frowned.
"I don't know if I should give you that information." The guard said.
"Please, it's important that she receives it." Marik begged. The man sighed.
"They are going to the country of Shiba." The guard said. He walked inside the gates and they swung shut. Marik smiled. Now he had all the information he needed. He turned and began to run, heading for his horse to go back to the hideout.
Bakura was sleeping soundly on the sofa when Marik came bursting in. He woke with a start, nearly falling off the couch. Ryou shrank back and went to clean in a different room, seeing the happy look on Marik's face. That did not bode well. He was ignored however, something he was very grateful for.
"Bakura, you are going to love me!" Marik exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. Bakura raised one perfect white eyebrow and stared at him.
"Love you? No thanks." Bakura said. Marik laughed.
"No, not like that! I mean for the information I've uncovered!" Marik said. Bakura sat up quickly and stared again, his eyes wide.
"What did you learn!? Tell me now!" He said excitedly. Marik sat down next to him. Ryou came back into the room and began to straighten up the room they were talking in. He wondered just what on Earth they could be so excited about.
"You remember Princess Mia, the one the townsfolk were so excited about?" Marik asked him.
"Uh… Yes? What about her?" Bakura replied.
"She was supposed to marry the Pharaoh, but apparently he changed his mind and is now marrying someone else." Marik said. Bakura frowned.
"Who? And why is this important?!" Bakura snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Because of who I overheard her saying he was going to marry instead. A foreign Prince from another land." Marik said triumphantly. Bakura blinked.
"Prince? He's going to marry a Prince?" Bakura asked. Marik nodded excitedly.
"Yes! A foreign Prince! That's the best lead we've had this entire time! What if the Prince he's going to marry is the Prince we've been searching for?!" Marik asked. Bakura jumped up off the sofa and gave a whoop of joy. He grabbed Marik and pulled the man up, hugging him tight. Both began cheering and laughing. Ryou frowned. They have been looking for a Prince? He thought.
"Huh…" Bakura said softly, coming down from his happy high.
"What?" Marik asked.
"If it turns out to be our Prince, how do we get him away from the Pharaoh? He's going to marry him… We'd have to kidnap him and sell him in another country, but how do we succeed in getting him out of the palace?" Bakura asked. Marik frowned and thought.
"We'd have to sneak in… We'd have to be very careful, but I'm sure we could get him out of the palace successfully." Marik said, giving him a smile. Bakura smiled.
"But first we make sure that it is him. We need a spy in the palace…" Bakura suddenly smiled as an idea came to him… He turned to Ryou. Ryou gulped and shrank back, but Bakura motioned to him to come over to him. Ryou gulped again and did what he was told, walking over to Bakura. Bakura grabbed his wrist and leaned down, giving him a quick kiss. Ryou's eyes widened. Bakura grinned and gripped his chin in a hand.
"Ah, sweet Ryou. I do believe I've found what you'll be useful for." Bakura said with a leer. Ryou stared at him, unable to comprehend what he was hearing.
"W-Wait! No!" Ryou tried to protest. Bakura tsked him.
"There is no protesting. I'm going to sell you as a slave in the palace, and you will report to me everything I want to know, do you understand that?" Bakura said, giving him a look that clearly said if he didn't do it bad things would happen to him. Ryou nodded his head. He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice. Bakura smiled at him. "Good boy."
"Alright then! We have a plan! Let's put it into action!" Marik cheered. Bakura grinned and hugged Ryou tightly to him.
"And everything will go accordingly, thanks to you." He told the frightened boy. Ryou looked down, feeling ashamed. What would he have to do… to someone else?
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Natoya: Well, that ends that chapter! I'm sorry it was so short!
Yugi: Yay! We ended on a good note!
Yami: Yeah, but look what she did to poor Ryou.
Natoya: I thought that plot twist was a stroke of brilliance on my part.
Yami: You would think torturing the poor guy was a stroke of brilliance you heartless, mean authoress.
Yugi: Yami!
Natoya: It'll get better for Ryou, I promise!
Yami: Hmph.
Yugi: /sweatdrop/ Uh… Please review and no flames!
Natoya: See you next chapter!
