Alverna: Chapter 9 is out!
Bakura: About time.
Alverna: For a guy who's not in this story, you sure seem to like it.
Bakura: I do not like this -beep- story!
Alverna: Ryou, where did I put that soap.
Ryou: You gave it to me.
Bakura: Uh-oh.
(Bakura runs out of the room with Ryou hot on his heels with a bar of soap)
Alverna: Okay Malik, your turn to do the disclaimer.
Malik: Alverna does not own Yu-gi-oh, The Lion King, any of the Lion Kings songs.
Alverna: On with the chapter!
Chapter 9
Unbeknownst to the two sphinxes, Joey and Mokuba were them watching from the bushes.
After watching them for a few minutes, Joey sighed. "I tell you, Mokuba, this stinks."
Mokuba looked at Joey before sniffing under his arm. "What?"
"Not you. Them!" Joey stressed. "Him, and well, Him. Alone."
"What's wrong with that?" Mokuba asked confused. He thought it was good Atemu and Yugi were spending time together. Then Joey started singing.
"I can see what's happening."
"What?" Mokuba asked, wanting to know.
"And they don't have a clue."
"Who?" Mokuba pressed for info.
"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line
Our trio's down to two."
"Oh." That made perfect sense. Joey sang the next part with a mock-French accent before switching back to his normal, yet still sarcastic way of talking. Uh, singing.
"Ze sweet caress of twilight
There's magic everywhere
And with all this romantic atmosphere
Disaster's in the air."
Elsewhere, two spiky haired humans, Atemu and Yugi, were walking in front of a waterfall together, talking about old times. A song could be heard on the breeze.
Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world, for once, in perfect harmony
With all its living things
After walking around they stop to drink at the water. As they do, Atemu looked up at Yugi, thoughts running threw his head.
"So many things to tell him
But how to make him see
The truth about my past? Impossible!
He'd turn away from me."
Yugi looked up from drinking, his own thoughts on a train track.
"He's holding back, he's hiding
But what, I can't decide
Why won't he be the Pharaoh I know he is?
The Pharaoh I see inside?"
Atemu smiled at Yugi before running past him and climbed up a tree, grabbed onto a vine and splashed into the middle of the pond they had been drinking from. Yugi looked out over the still water, and saw bubbles come closer to him. Suddenly, Atemu lunges up under him, and pulled him back into the pond. Yugi immediately climbed back out, hair and clothes dripping. Atemu followed, smirking at his friend. Yugi looked at Atemu and saw he stood on the edge of the pond. He smirked and pushed his friend back in.
Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world, for once, in perfect harmony
With all its living things
Atemu and Yugi chased each other around, play fighting. They didn't see the hill they were on until they fell back, rolling down the hill. After tumbling down the hillside, Atemu ended up pinning Yugi beneath him for the first time.
Can you feel the love tonight?
You needn't look too far
Stealing through the night's uncertainties
Love is where they are
As the two lay there trying to catch their breath, Yugi smiled, before leaning up and kissing on Atemu on the cheek, startling him. Atemu looked down to Yugi, who was him giving him a seductive smile. Atemu smiled back, and he remembered what Mahad had told him years ago. As he leaned down to kiss Yugi, one thought was in Atemu's mind. Maybe marrying his best friend wasn't such a bad idea.
Joey and Mokuba on the other hand, were tearing up at the idea. With a broken voice, Joey continued.
"And if he falls in love tonight
It can be assumed…"
Joey gave Mokuba a hug, as he started to sing and let his tears fall.
"His carefree days with us are history."
Joey joined Mokuba for the last part, knowing neither one of them could sing it alone.
"In short, our pal is doomed."
They stayed there for a very long time, crying.
"Isn't this a great place?" Atemu asked as they walked along, hand in hand.
"It is beautiful." Yugi agreed, taking in another view of the scenery. "But I don't understand something. You've been alive all this time. Why didn't you come back to the palace?"
"Well, I just needed to..." Atemu paused as he climbed into a "hammock" of hanging vines, "get out on my own. Live my own life. And I did. And it's great."
"We've really needed you at home." Yugi said, his voice catching, as though barely under control.
"No one needs me." Atemu said quietly.
"Yes, we do!" Yugi exclaimed. "You're the Pharaoh."
"Yugi, we've been through this." Atemu scolded. "I'm not the Pharaoh. Aknadin is."
"Atemu," Yugi put his hand on Atemu's, "he let the demons take over the palace."
"What?"
"Everything's destroyed." Yugi withdrew his hand and looked at his feet. "There's no food. No water. Atemu, if you don't do something soon, everyone will starve."
"I can't go back." Atemu said as he rolled out of the vine hammock and began walking again.
"Why?" Yugi almost shouted.
"You wouldn't understand."
"What wouldn't I understand?"
"No, no, no." Atemu said hastily. "It doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata."
"What?" Yugi looked at Atemu confused.
"Hakuna Matata. It's something I learned out here." Atemu walked back towards Yugi. "Look, sometimes bad things happen..."
"Atemu!" Yugi interjected, not wanting to hear anymore, his feet rooted to the spot as Atemu walked past.
Atemu continued as if Yugi had said nothing. "...And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?"
"Because it's your responsibility!" Yugi called as he ran after Atemu.
"Well, what about you?" Atemu tried a different tactic. "YOU left."
"I left to find help!" Yugi countered. "And I found YOU. Don't you understand? You're our only hope."
"Sorry." Atemu continued walking.
"What's happened to you?" Yugi asked, starting to feel an ache in his heart. "You're not the Atemu I remember."
"You're right." Atemu glared over his shoulder. "I'm not. Now are you satisfied?"
"No," Yugi shook his head. "Just disappointed."
"You know," Atemu growled, "you're starting to sound like my father."
"Good." Yugi stated, words spilling out of his mouth. "At least one of us does."
Atemu jerked, cut by the comment about his father. He whirled around, angry.
"Listen, you think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life?" he shouted. "You don't even know what I've been through!"
"I would if you would just tell me!" Yugi yelled back as Atemu turned away from him.
"Forget it!" Atemu switched to his sphinx form and started running.
"Fine!" Yugi screamed after him, before realizing his cheeks were wet with tears.
Atemu ran to the edge of the jungle with a grassy plain, where he began pacing.
"He's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove, anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past." Atemu stopped and looked up at the stars, memory of his father after the whole fiasco in the elephant graveyard coming back to him. "You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault." He bowed his head, choking back tears.
Then, a new sound reached his ears. A nearby tree was rustling from the movement of a silver haired man who was holding a staff and chanting.
"Asante sana!
Squash banana!
We we nugu!
Mi mi apana!*"
With the chant slightly annoying, Atemu moved away. Pegasus, however, was elated by the sight of Atemu, and followed him. Atemu lay down on a log over a pond. A rock disturbs the water and Pegasus starts his chant again. Atemu growled, officially annoyed.
"Come on, will you cut it out?" Atemu asked as he walked away from the silver haired man.
"Can't cut it out." Pegasus replied. "It'll grow right back!"
"Creepy guy." Atemu mumbled, noticing he was being followed. "Will you stop following me? Who are you?"
Pegasus jumped in front of Atemu and got in his face. "The question is: Whooo... are you?"
"I thought I knew." Atemu sighed. "Now I'm not so sure."
"Well, I know who you are." Pegasus kneeled down by Atemu's ear. "Shh. It's a secret.
Asante sana!
Squash banana!
We we nugu!
Mi mi apana!"
"Enough already." Atemu groaned. "What's that supposed to mean, anyway?"
"It means you are a baboon," Pegasus grinned at him as he changed to his baboon form. "And I'm not."
"I think..." Atemu moved away from him, "you're a little confused."
"Wrong." Pegasus appeared in front of Atemu. "I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know who you are."
"Oh, and I suppose you know?" Atemu asked sarcastically as he turned away again.
"Sure do; you're Aknankanon's boy." Atemu stopped and looked back at him. "Bye!"
"Hey, wait!" Atemu called as he chased after him. When he finally caught up Pegasus was in a meditative lotus position on a rock. "You knew my father?"
"Correction." Pegasus replied monotone. "I know your father."
"I hate to tell you this, but..." Atemu paused, the accident flashing before his eyes, "he died. A long time ago."
"Nope. Wrong again!" Pegasus leapt off the rock and ran into the jungle chuckling. "He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow old Pegasus, he knows the way. Come on! Don't dawdle. Hurry up!"
"Hey, whoa." Atemu called, struggling threw the thick underbrush. "Wait, wait."
"Come on, come on." Pegasus called.
"Would you slow down?" Atemu shouted.
Pegasus suddenly appeared with his hand held up right into Atemu's face.
"STOP!" Atemu skidded to a stop, and Pegasus motions him to come near some reeds. "Shhh. Look down there."
Atemu quietly and carefully works his way out to the pool Pegasus had motioned to. Looking over the edge, and saw his reflection. At first, Atemu was a bit startled, but then realized what he was looking at.
"That's not my father." Atemu said with a disappointed sigh. "That's just my reflection." And he moved to walk away.
"Noo." Pegasus stopped him, and pointed back over the pool, making ripples. "Look harder." As Atemu looked again, the ripples distorting his reflection smoothed out, showing Aknankanon's face. "You see, he lives in you."
"Atemu . . ." a strong voice quietly called as wind picked up, bringing clouds with it.
"Father?" Atemu asked as he looked up and walked away from the pond to see a huge image of Aknankanon forming in the clouds. The image appeared ghostly, but it was his father.
"Atemu," Aknankanon spoke, his voice ringing across the grasslands, "you have forgotten me.
"No." Atemu denied. "How could I?"
"You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me." Aknankanon explained as he steadily gained color and coherence. "Look inside yourself, Atemu. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life."
"How can I go back?" Atemu shouted, tears brimming his eyes. "I'm not who I used to be."
"Remember who you are." Aknankanon instructed, as the clouds surrounding him turned gold. "You are my son, and the one true Pharaoh." Atemu's breath caught in his throat. What he had denied and tried to forget about for the past two years came rushing back to him. He looked back up to see the image of his father start to fade. "Remember who you are."
"No. Please!" Atemu ran after the retreating clouds. "Don't leave me."
"Remember..." Aknankanon's voice rang from the clouds.
"Father!"
"Remember..."
"Don't leave me." Atemu stopped, and wondered what he should do.
"What was THAT?" Pegasus approached laughing. "The weather- Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?"
"Yeah." Atemu agreed. "Looks like the winds are changing."
"Change is good." The silver haired man pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's not easy." Atemu sighed. "I know what I have to do. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long." A resounding –THWAK- rang out and Atemu clutched his head while glaring at Pegasus. "Oww! Jeez, what was that for?"
"It doesn't matter; it's in the past!" Pegasus replied laughing.
"Yeah," Atemu rubbed his head, "but it still hurts."
"Oh yes, the past can hurt." Pegasus kneeled next to Atemu. "But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it." He swung with his staff again, this time Atemu ducked. "Hah, you see! So what are you going to do?"
"First," Atemu looked at Pegasus mischievously. "I'm gonna take your stick."
"No, no, no, no!" Pegasus shouted as Atemu tossed the staff aside. "Not the stick!" After retrieving his staff, Pegasus looked at back at Atemu, only to see him running off. "Hey, where are you going?"
"I'm going back!" Atemu called over his shoulder before focusing on where he needed to go again.
"Good!" Pegasus cheered. "Go on! Get out of here!" He laughed and looked up to see a few shooting starts.
'Wish granted Aknankanon.' Pegasus thought. 'Wish granted.'
*Here is the translation to the chant.
Asante sana! {Thank you very much!}
Squash banana! {Squash banana!}
We we nugu! {You're a BABOON,}
Mi mi apana! {And I'm not!}
Alverna: And he is going back!
Everyone: Finally!
Alverna: Oh, can it. Just a warning, it will take me longer to get out the next chapter.
Yugi: Why?
Alverna: Because it is where I really go off the script. I'm going to add some stuff, but it's hard to figure out where it's going to go.
Joey: Oh.
Alverna: Last words please Bakura, now that you've had your mouth cleaned out.
Bakura: Please review.
Seto: He was nice about it?
Alverna: He just doesn't want soap in his mouth again.
