Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: Oh, so sorry for the lateness! I know I should have typed this all up as of yesterday but I decided not to so it is entirely my fault! Gomen!

Oh, and the mystery person is really not that big a deal. I know some of you are dying to know( cough Maridel cough) but it's nothing special. You'll see soon enough.

#2 Author's Note: Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn! (So learn it now!)

The Prince of the Orichalcos

By: Angel's Nocturne

Chapter 11: Desert Rose….

Once again Yami floated in the realm of dreams and sleep, although this time things were different from his last slumber. This time, Yami wondered what things would be like when he awoke from this deep and dreary state of sleep—would he be in Prince Yugi's room in the strange new land that was once his own, or would he wake up in this own room, in his own bad, and realize that all the previous events had been but a dream conjured up by his fatigue during his birthday ball? Would he arise and discover that it was all just some crazy dream, just a figment of his imagination gone haywire? Yami almost begged for it to be the latter, so that he could stop asking all these questions and remain back in his own world, with his family and friends beside him? He nearly prayed, almost begged, and perhaps someone would hear his pleas and so his wish would come true….

Pulled out of the darkness of sleep, Yami felt the bright sunlight glow behind his eyelids. Slowly he opened them to see if maybe he was right—maybe it had all been a dream, maybe he was back in his own room once more, safely away from Onimod and within his realm of sanity again. He opened them, his eyelids fluttering slightly as he adjusted to the bright sunlight… and there he saw the sand-colored walls with intricate artwork, which resembled nothing close to his grey, slate-colored stone walls.

He was still in Yugi's room, the unmistakable reality of it shaking him back to the panic of the situation. He realized that he was indeed permanently stuck in this veracity, and that there would be no waking up from it. He was trapped here and there was no getting out of it by simply wishing that it was a dream—no, he was to be here, his fate lay within this realm and in this time. His sudden hope gone, he tried to remain optimistic about the recent events and decided to take in the sight that was Prince Yugi's quarters.

With sunlight now filling the room Yami could see it in its entirety—he could see the beige walls and the strange art that was painted upon the sandy surfaces. The room had two large windows facing the city of Onimod to his left, and though they extended from about his chest height to the very high ceiling the very top half that was curved gently over in a mushroom-like shape had stained glass covering it, causing some of the early morning sunlight to become colorful as it fell upon the ornamental carpet that laid on Yugi's stone floor. The bed of Onimod's only heir was just as ornate in the daylight as it was mystical in the night, for the reds and golds shimmered rubies and coins against the dark wood of the bed posts. All of Yugi's furniture was dark wood, and his canopy was adorned with gold coins and tassels. Unique trinkets from his various adventures were scattered about Yugi's room, and the chandelier that hung from the center of a ceiling painted with the mural of the bluest heavens was sprinkled with hanging crystals and a new set of white taper candles.

While admiring the magnificent room, Yami decided to stretch and sleepily walk over to one of the large windows to get a good look at what Onimod looked like during the day. He noted that Yugi was no where to be seen, but he could assume that the youth would be back soon enough. Through the crystal window panes Yami gazed upon the gardens, witnessing how they were far more spectacular during the morning they could ever be at night.

The definite opposite of the desert beyond, the gardens were a replica of paradise; Lush emerald trees and shrubs were everywhere, but didn't overtake the garden like a forest would. Instead it resembled more of a park then anything, as flower beds were evenly spread out in certain sections around the courtyard with odd, alien-like flora overflowing the plots in which they were planted. The fountain was even more enchanting in the light, for the water now sparkled like moving crystal, and the colorful fish glowed under the clear water like gems in glass. The pathways were paved of a soft, sandy brick, complementing the whimsical feel of fantasy that the garden bestows.

But, it wasn't just the landscaping that took Yami's breath away. Butterflies and birds of millions of shades of so many colors fluttered and soared through the gardens, resting on the flowers and tree branches after long trips to find their "desert oasis". People were also outside—most likely servants tending to the plants and feeding the wildlife that had taken residence within it. One servant girl in particular caught Yami's eyes instantly; she was sitting by the fountain, tossing crumbs to the birds and into the fish pond for the giant Koi-like fish to snatch. She had short brown hair cut to her shoulders so that it framed her lightly tanned face, and if he gazed close enough, he thought he caught sight of her eyes—a light azure that twinkled in the morning light. She was in a simple sand-colored robe like Yugi was the other day, but hers was less adorned if that were even possible.

Yami watched her as she took a handful of bread crumbs from a woven sack she was carrying and she held out her hand to the sky. In seconds a flock of small green birds with long, yellow tails perched on her hand and nibbled away at the crumbs; the girl smiled sweetly as the birds chirped to her and some took residence on her head and shoulders. Yami smiled as he observed her taking out more crumbs and gracefully throwing them to the fish—

"Hello?" a voice yelled from behind the closet door. "Yami? Are you awake yet? Hello!" Startled, Yami walked over to the closet and opened the door to let Yugi in. Instead of the plain civilian wear he had on before, the Onimodian prince wore robes of deep red and gold like his bedspread. Gold decorative coins were strung on a shawl that went around his shoulders, and on his feet were red slippers with a gold trim. In his hands he was carrying a large silver tray with an assortment of odd-shaped fruits and pastries, and on his face he wore a big grin.

"Took you long enough" Yugi commented as he took the silver tray over to a coffee table by the sofa Yami slept on last night. "I was yelling for what, three minutes? Where were you?"

"Um, ah, sleeping?" Yami said as he tried to put on his most convincing face—for some reason he didn't want Yugi to know he had been staring at that servant girl from before. Yugi's kind eyes sent a shiver up Yami's back as he looked at him curiously. Finally he backed off.

"Hmm, okay. Say, did you see the view of the gardens yet? It's really good from up here!"

"Oh, ah, no, not yet" Yami lied.

"Well, come take a look! The courtyard is always nice in the morning." Yugi walked over to the same window Yami had been looking through earlier. Nervous, Yami tried to change the subject.

"Um, Yugi?" The other boy turned around, listening intently. "How did you get up here AND carry the tray too?" Yami pointed to the tray covered in food and Yugi just smiled.

"I told you I can use magic, right? Well…." Yugi suddenly gave his whole focus onto the tray and brought up his right hand as though lifting an imaginary object. Then his eyes glowed purple, which made Yami gasp for a second—before he could even ask Yugi what was happening he noticed that the tray was no longer sitting on the coffee table like it had once been… it was floating in the air! It levitated like this for a minute or so before Yugi brought his hand down slowly, and in concert the tray gently came down to sit upon the table once more. Yugi's eyes went back to their regular luminosity, and the boy gave a slight sigh.

"You see?" Yugi asked, and Yami nodded dumbstruck. "I can move objects with telepathy too, from my magic training. I'm not really strong as of yet, but I'm getting there. With a little more training I'll get to lift people soon too!"

"Incredible…" Yami said, before noticing that he was being pulled by the hand to the window by an impatient Yugi.

"Come! You have to see this!" Yami sighed reluctantly, allowing the younger one to guide him over to where he once stood just a moment before to gaze upon the oasis.

"That's the wishing fountain" Yugi said as he pointed to the huge fountain in the intersection of the paved roads. "And that's the main garden, Sis Lereal. They usually plant Kikiis and Arens there… those are really pretty in the fall. Oh, and do you see that girl right there? The one with the brown hair?" Yugi eagerly pointed to the servant, and Yami gulped.

"Um, that girl? Yes, I see her" Yami replied, trying not to sound too interested.

"Her name's Anzu. Her mother's one of the main servants here in the palace, so I've been friends with her since we were little. She's really nice, and she's really friendly too."

"Anzu…." Yami let the sound of her name roll over his lips as he spoke it. He felt the sound move off his tongue and off his lips, like the beautiful crystal water of the fountain.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Yugi asked, startling Yami again.

"I, um, said I was hungry!" Yami lied readily.

"Oh, you are? Well then, I have some breakfast ready over there on the tray so we might as well eat. I didn't eat much downstairs in the main hall, and I barely made it back here with that plate." The two princes turned over to the couch; Yami, though extremely reluctant to leave the window, followed sadly. However, the smell of the fresh baked breads on the tray drew Yami's attention away from the windowpane and onto his empty stomach—he hadn't had a good meal since the ball five thousand years ago.

They both sat down on the cushy sofa, and Yugi instantly grabbed a strange twisted-shaped breadstick that was on the tray. Yami stared at the food, unable to recognize any of the fruits or breads that were there. Yugi looked up, his mouth stuffed with the half-eaten breadstick, and saw Yami's expression.

"What's wrong? You're acting like you've never binta swirl before" Yugi commented, but then smiled sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you've never seen this stuff. Sorry!" The Onimodian prince picked up a star-shaped fruit of a bright yellow coloration with a long green leaf extending from one of the points( A/N: I got this from Kingdom Hearts… which by the way I no own, at all). "This is a paupau fruit. These grow great in the spring. Here—" Yugi ripped off one of the points on the paupau fruit. "Take a bite. It's really sweet."

Yami looked at the broken arm of the paupau fruit curiously. The inside was a fleshy green color, and appeared to be very juicy. Cautiously, the prince took the fruit from Yugi and brought it to his mouth to take a bite—the flesh melted away in his mouth as he slowly let the sweet nectar that was the juice run over his tongue. After a moment of chewing, Yami swallowed the fruit. Yugi waited for Yami's response, which soon came out as a pleased grin.

"You know, they say that two people who share a paupau fruit will have their destinies intertwined" Yugi mused, but Yami didn't hear him as he gobbled down the rest of the rest of his piece. "So, you like it?"

"That's… delicious!"

"I told you" Yugi joked, as he himself took a nibble off of the yellow star. "A lot of the food in Onimod is like this. Someday I have to let you try roasted desert snake—it doesn't sound all that great but it's really meaty."

Yami listened intently as Yugi explained the various dishes in the summer—grilled boar meat with paupau sauce, binta swirls with cocoamo dipping sauce, fried kawuakua bird in nutten oil, and Yugi's apparent favorite, ice cream. Yami had never heard of such strange yet wonderful things, especially not ice cream. Though he was intrigued with the oddities that were Prince Yugi's descriptions of Onimodian food, for some reason his mind always wandered back to that servant girl who fed the fish and birds—the one named Anzu. Her soft chestnut hair and sapphire eyes remained a frozen image in his mind's eyes, and he could not get rid of it no matter how hard he tried. She did have very beautiful blue eyes…..

"So, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Yami's attention snapped back awake as he was pulled from his daydream due to Yugi's question. "About what?"

"About going to the library later. I was just saying that our library has a good historical and folk lore section. It's stock full of books on the legends of your story. I think it would be a good idea to check it out. So" Yugi said, dragging out the word as he made sure Yami was actually listening this time, "what do YOU think, Yami?"

"I guess that's a good idea" Yami replied, trying to stay focused on Yugi. Yugi paused to take another bite of his breadstick before speaking again.

"So, anyway, what do you think of Anzu?" The last sentence caught Yami off by surprise. His violet eyes grew wide.

"Hm!" Yami's focus was now permanently captured. "I, uh… well, I… she's um—"

"Nice, right?"

"Yeah, she's, um, nice."

"Good, because if I needed to introduce you to anyone here in Onimod it would be her."

"Yami's ears perked up at that. "Really?" he inquired. "How come?"

"Well, Anzu knows me better than anyone. She understands my love for ancient puzzles and mysteries, and she knows about my searches to find the castle of your legend. She would understand your situation because I've told her about your legend. She would accept you."

"I see" Yami replied thoughtfully. "So, when can I meet her?" he asked eagerly.

It was Yugi's turn to look surprised, and Yami then realized that he had been a little too eager on that last question. "Already?" he asked. "That was fast! You haven't even been here a day and you want to see her? Well I—" Yugi's eyes suddenly flickered with a mischievous light, and his tone changed from flabbergasted to teasing. "Oh… I know what's going on…."

"What?"

"Yeah, you like Anzu…." Yami's mouth gaped.

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do…."

"Seriously, Yugi, I don't know—"

"You like Anzu, you like Anzu, you—" Yami clasped a hand over Yugi's mouth.

"Alright, maybe I do kind of like her" he admitted awkwardly. "But, I've only seen her from a distance. I doubt I would really like her if we ever met."

"Yeah, that is true" Yugi added as soon as Yami removed his hand from his lips. "I mean, she's cute and all, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were just a bit smitten by her. I had a crush on her once too. I liked her a lot and couldn't wait to see her everyday. But, we couldn't be—she didn't like me that way. I've gotten over it and all, but I can understand how you feel. Still", Yugi remarked, "you haven't met her yet, so I don't know who you'll be when you do. Who knows—you'll probably be great friends and that'll be the end of it."

"Yeah, who know…" Yami whispered as his inner vision returned to the sweet face of the servant girl whom he didn't even know.

---

Author's Note: Again, I sincerely apologize for not updating in more than a week—I have a lot of school projects to work on and I haven't the time. I apologize now if I don't update in a little while—time is of the essence, but we shall see what occurs. Until then, my lovely fans of this fan fiction, until then!