Note: I'm finished with this new chapter! Now some of you suspected that this next character was Bakura. Well, you're close enough. And for fantasia-49, I must mention this: I'm a fan of both Yugi/Anzu AND Atem/Anzu. I want both Atem and Yugi to have Anzu, so for Atem, I made a Yami for Anzu: and that Yami is none other than Nimea! This is a reason why I made made Anzu and Nimea identical twins in this story as well. Anyway, enjoy the story!
Chapter 11: A Slippery Fellow
When the strange looking young man stepped forward, striding between the guards, the whole crowd burst into laughter. They had very good reason to do so. He was pale, very pale. And his hair was spiky and stark white, though his amber brown eyes proved that he was not a real albino. He was dressed in an Egyptian styled kilt, worn out by age and dirt, and he wore a red long-sleeved robe opened up to expose his well-built chest. On his head was a circular band inlaid with semiprecious stones, like garnet and lapis lazuli for example, and in the very center was the visage of a rearing cobra. The sandals on his feet were made of the finest leather and painted in gold. The whole time, he gave a friendly smile, and he went on both knees and bowed. Anzu's eyes widened in shock. "Daddy, isn't that…?"
Before she could speak any further, one of the guards answered, "Yes, Your Highness, that's Ryou, the notorious tomb robber of the desert. The robe he wears was stolen from the long-departed uncle of one of the nobles. The crown belongs to the great grandmother of the general, and the sandals--"
Setna was staring at the gold sandals with amazement… and utter shock. "And those sandals are from my father's tomb!" he thundered, "Of all people what is he doing here? I thought he was locked up in the dungeon!"
Ryou stood up with a small giggle. "Ah, with most respect Pharaoh, I was locked up in the dungeon. It's just, well, your guards couldn't keep me in there. I happen to be one of the slippery kinds, if you know what I mean."
"Hmph, slippery as an eel I reckon." Setna scowled, "Why do you seek my presence?"
"Simple." Ryou replied cheerfully, "I'm here to ask for your permission to try to win the twelve silos of grain and your eldest daughter's hand in marriage by restoring her and the other victims of the squid."
The royal family let out a gasp of shock. "You?" sputtered Siamun, "A tomb robber?"
"Why not?" Ryou asked, "What you want is a man who can steal a pearl from an oyster without waking it, and all in the darkness of the shadows. Who could do better than I could?" As he spoke, he pulled out of his pouch two golden dog collars, one marked Shu and the other Tefnut, in hieroglyphs. Raising them both in the air, he swung them around on the tip of his finger, winking as he did so.
"AAH!" cried Anzu, "How did you get those collars?! You killed the watchdogs, didn't you?!"
"Dear Princess," Ryou said politely, "I did no such thing. If you don't believe me, look for yourself." That was when he put his two fingers between his lips and whistled. In no time flat, Shu and Tefnut came bounding into the ring, jumping up on the tomb robber and licking his hands like a pair of puppies. "Just a sampling of my skill." Ryou said, laying the dog collars in Pharaoh Setna's hand, "And if that doesn't convince you, just wait until you see me in action." It was then that he spied Honda, who was staring right at him. He walked right over in greeting. "Hi there! What's your name?"
"Uh, I'm Honda." Honda replied shaking the tomb robber's hand.
"Honda, huh?" Ryou said, slipping a hand in and out of Honda's pouch. "It's very nice to meet you." He walked back to the ring, waving, and as he did so, he brushed close by Seth before reaching the ring. Seth blinked once before he felt the small sheath on the side of his belt—only to find it empty!
"Huh? HEY! WHERE DID MY DAGGER GO?!" Seth roared.
"Oh, you mean this?" Ryou asked, revealing a bronze dagger with a golden hilt.
"YOU THIEF!" Seth hollered, "Give it back NOW!"
"Sure, here you go!" Ryou said, tossing the dagger back to the High Priest. Then he pulled out another object, a small pendant that took the shape of a scarab beetle. "Oh, and I'm sure this doesn't belong to me either."
"Wha!" Honda shouted in shock, and immediately looked into his pouch. Sure enough there was a certain something that was missing and now he knows where that thing is. And that made him mad. "How the heck did you get my amulet?!"
"Like I said, I'm a slippery fellow." Ryou replied, tossing the amulet back to its rightful owner. He then turned towards Pharaoh Setna. "Your Majesty, as you can see, you couldn't find a better man for this task than me. I beg of you, let me try to win those riches and Nimea's hand in marriage. I want to restore her to you as well as the other treasure hunters she herself tried to rescue, and at the same time, become an honest man myself. Besides, I'd rather use my skills as a thief for a more noble cause."
Anzu faced her father in thought and said quietly, "You know Daddy, it might be a good idea to send him."
"And why not?" Setna replied just as quietly, "Not many men or women want to risk their lives for your twin sister, after all." The crowd waited without moving until the Pharaoh spoke again, this time out loud. "Very well Ryou, if Otogi and Mai should fail, you shall have your chance. But you must promise to go to the dungeons and stay there until I send for you."
"Fair enough." Ryou said with a polite bow, before the guards came to lead him away.
Once Ryou was out of sight, Setna faced the crowd. "We have three volunteers so far. Is anyone else who is willing to step up?" The courtyard was dead silent. "No one else? Very well then, the decision has been made. You are all now dismissed." Soon the crowd started leaving.
"That's it?" Jonouchi asked, "Aw man, just when things are starting to get interesting."
"You really like the interaction, don't you Jonouchi." Shizuka said.
Mai stepped up at that moment, saying, "Oh! You must be the famous basket weaver! Do you mind if I rest at your place for a while? No need to worry, I'll make sure the lions don't hurt you."
"Oh, I don't mind the extra company." Shizuka replied.
"Yeah," said the blushing Jonouchi, "Don't mind at all."
"Jonouchi, Honda," shouted Prince Atem, "would you mind lifting Shield down from her place?"
"Sure!" Jonouchi said, "I'm coming!" and he ran to join Honda in this task.
"I'm going to join with my brother for a while." Prince Yugi said to the Dancing Explorer, "You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course I don't mind Yugi." Anzu replied, "I'm sure you need to spend time with your twin. Just make sure you get there when we see Otogi off tomorrow."
"Got it." Yugi said, "I'll see you later." By the time he reached his elder brother, Jonouchi and Honda had already put Shield back down on the ground.
"Thanks!" Shield said, "Any friend of Atem is a friend of mine."
"No problem Shield." Honda said, still feeling a bit awkward about talking to a sea turtle.
Yugi was truly startled when Shield turned her head towards him and said, "Why hello. I must admit, when I found out that Prince Atem has a younger twin brother, I was rather surprised. It's an honor to meet you by the way."
"Uh, nice to… meet you too." Yugi muttered. He looked toward Atem. "Atem, you never told me that this sea turtle could talk!"
"Well, as surprised as I was about the whole thing," Atem explained, "it was a good thing she was able to talk. I sat on her last night, and if she hadn't spoke up, I would have been none the wiser."
"All right, enough chit chat you two." Seth said to the twin princes, "It's time to go back to Shizuka's." Seth turned toward Kisara and asked, "Can you make it back to your house on your own?"
"I-I think so." Kisara said, "Thank you for spending your time with me, Seth. Do you think we'll see each other again?"
"I'm sure we will." Seth replied, "Somehow." Kisara simply nodded, and with a gentle smile she went on her way.
Atem smirked. "You have a thing for her, didn't you?"
"Oh shut up." Seth said blushing. And with that everyone was on their way. The sun was sinking down the horizon by the time they left and Atem sighed.
"What's wrong Atem?" Yugi asked.
"Otogi will be going tomorrow morning." Atem replied, "If only there's a way of knowing what would happen to him."
"Well, since he's going to the sea, I could follow him." Shield suggested, "I'll see what happens and I'll tell you all about it."
"Are you sure about it?" Yugi said, getting used to the talking sea turtle.
"The trip may seem long, but I'm a very fast swimmer."
"That's a great idea Shield!" Atem said.
"Well, well," a smooth feminine voice said, "I never knew that there's a talking sea turtle in this little group."
"Mai?" Atem said, recognizing the voice. Sure enough, Mai was close by him. It turns out she had overheard the conversation.
"You must be Atem and Yugi." She said, "Jonouchi told me all about you. Nice to meet you both."
"Well, It's nice to meet you too." Yugi said, "Your talent as a lion tamer is truly amazing."
"You think so?" Mai said with a wink, "You got just as much guts, standing up to defend the famous Dancing Explorer. It's too bad you didn't volunteer to rescue her twin sister."
"Well, to be honest, I have no interest in marrying her." Yugi said.
"I see." Mai said, and then she looked at Atem. She had a thoughtful look as she stared at his milky-veiled eyes. "You know Atem, Jonouchi told me that you were blind. I can see that he's right."
"Mai, even though I was unable to literally see your performance," Atem said, "I was still able to perceive it with my heightened senses. Your demonstration of courage is very impressive."
"I expect to hear nothing less." Mai said. "Anyway, I happened to hear your sea turtle talk, and like I said before, she sounds very interesting. Does she have a name?"
"Of course I do." Shield said, "It's Shield. Atem gave that name to me."
"Okay, that's what I'll call you too." Mai said, and Shield bowed politely. "So tell me Shield, You were at that gathering too, right?"
"That's right." Shield confirmed.
"What did you think of Ryou? You know, that tomb robber?" Mai then made a face as she said, "Personally, for someone who looks so sweet, he really creeps me out. You know why? He's able to steal people's belongings from right under people's nose. That shows that he's able to sneak in and out of someone's tomb and leave the guards none the wiser. I sure don't want him robbing my tomb!"
"Well, I guess in such matters he's definitely got some kind of talent." Shield said, "And it's a good thing he wants to use it for a noble purpose."
"And he better." Mai muttered, her hand curling into a fist, "Otherwise, I'd have to give a nasty mark to his sweet face." Soon, however, her confident smile returned. "But let's just put that aside for now. I'm eager to see the basket weaver's shop and home. It must be very cozy. And besides, I'd like to get to know her and her older brother some more." And with that, she went over to Jonouchi and Shizuka. When she was a good distance from them, Prince Yugi turned to his older brother.
"Atem," he whispered, "I'm surprised you didn't volunteer to take part in this dangerous quest. And you're the most daring man in our kingdom! Why didn't you step up?"
Atem sadly bowed his head low. "I don't know Yugi. I seriously don't know."
Note: In the next chapter, Atem meets up with Otogi, and decides to give him one final test. Until next time!