Transcending Time
Chapter Ten: I Can Feel It Coming In The Air Tonight
"We're going to what?"
Téa was the first of the group to question the remarkably illicit plan they'd just had explained to them over the faltering video chat they held with Ishizu and Marik Ishtar. Everyone else stared dumbly as they crowded around computer screen, not entirely sure they'd heard the siblings accurately. The internet connection was a little jumpy- it's entirely possible they'd just misheard them.
"It is in our best interest to have Eshe come into contact with her lost necklace. It's possible that simply viewing the necklace prompted a spark of recognition in her mind, if the reaction she gave was any indication. If she were to come into physical contact with it, that might be key to retrieving her memories", Ishizu explained patiently, her face neutral in the wake of the group's shocked expressions.
"We need to steal the necklace." Marik reiterated, resting his arms against the back of his sister's chair as he leaned over to speak.
There was a pause as the gang fully soaked in what the other two had relayed.
"Why do we have to steal it? You have connections to the museum, don't you?" Yugi spoke up, blinking his wide eyes with incredulity.
Ishizu sighed, "The Lost Lavalliere is not, and has never been, a part of my museum exhibition. I do not have the rights to remove it from display", she informed them.
"So… we're gonna steal it instead?" Tristan repeated cynically, a wavering paranoia that he still hadn't heard them correctly.
"It's the next logical step!" Marik spoke, eyebrows furrowing impatiently before his gaze landed directly on Atem, "We know it sounds ridiculous, but if we are to have any hope in restoring your wife's memories, then this is what we must do."
Atem frowned, eyes dropping briefly, before returning to the screen with a determined look and an affirmative nod, "Do you have any idea of how we can actually pull this off?"
Joey's eyes flickered over the group in disbelief, "Whoa, whoa, whoa- we're talking about stealing from a museum here! A museum full of CCTV cameras with a high-level security system? You mean to tell me we're actually doing this!?"
Téa shrugged slightly, "I thought it sounded wacky too but if it's what we have to do, then I guess that's what we have to do."
Marik and Ishizu allowed the group a moment to agree on the somewhat ludicrous idea they had planned, before Marik reached across the desk to pull a rolled up piece of paper into view. "Luckily, thanks to Ishizu's connections, what we do have is the floorplan of the museum. This thing lists all the exits and windows, all the camera locations and the position of alarm triggers."
"This doesn't sound like it's going to be a walk in the park", Yugi murmured thoughtfully, scratching his chin.
"If we prepare accordingly, it might be", Ishizu spoke, a ghost of a smile on her face.
"So who's going to be the one actually… doing it?" Téa inquired; she wasn't exactly planning on risking her entire future to retrieve this priceless Egyptian artifact - prison never sounded like a fun place.
"I'll do it! It always looks so fun in the movies!" Joey exclaimed, waving a fist around victoriously.
"You're far too lanky and loud", Téa scolded, flashing him a skeptical look; she ignored his cry of protest as Marik spoke up again, voice slightly raised to come through over Joey's whine.
"Don't worry about that, we wouldn't force any of you to do something like this. Ishizu and I have already decided that I'm going to be the one to infiltrate the museum and retrieve the necklace", Marik spoke, a slight smirk on his lips, "I know how to be sneaky, I'm lithe and active- perfect for the job."
Tristan hummed in agreement and glanced at his friend's faces; they all seemed happy to resign the thieving-task to Marik.
"What about the security? How are you gonna get past the alarm system and the patrolling guards?" the brown-haired boy asked.
Ishizu and Marik shared a look, and then smirked.
"I've contacted Seto Kaiba and his brother, Mokuba, to see if they are willing to lend their hacking skills to the cause", Ishizu stated, eyes settling on Atem, "Given that Kaiba is aware of your mission and the time-restriction on it, I was hoping that perhaps he might grant us this favour."
Atem looked thoughtful and gave a tame nod.
"You think rich-boy is gonna help us steal a priceless artifact!?" Joey cried, utterly aporetic about the situation, "what makes you think he'll be willing to do that?"
"Don't be so quick to assume, Joey", Yugi spoke up, shooting the blond boy a smile, "Kaiba cares more than he lets on, I assure you." Joey still looked doubtful, but shrugged it off.
"Surely once the necklace is discovered to be missing, authorities will be on alert?" Atem inquired, eyebrows knitted with uncertainty.
"We thought about that", Ishizu spoke, "I've already made plans to have a convincing duplicate made, which we will use to replace the real one."
Atem's gaze hardened, "you're sure an expert won't be able to tell the difference?"
"As long as we replace the necklace with no trouble, it won't matter. We'll only need to fool the public and the museum staff", Ishizu smiled, "I managed to locate a file of photographs that show the necklace in detail, and I know a man who can do a good job with it. Trust me, Pharaoh, the duplicate with look authentic enough."
Atem nodded lightly, "Thank you for doing this", he spoke, sounding entirely grateful, "as always, you provide us with a great deal of aid."
The two siblings smiled in response, "It's the least we can do", Marik responded with a wink.
"We'll contact you once we have arrangements to fly to Domino", Ishizu declared.
The group said their good-bye's and the video chat ended; everyone broke away from the computer monitor, apart from Atem, who folded his arms and closed his eyes contemplatively, slumping back in the desk chair.
"So we're meeting Eshe at the ice-rink at three o'clock?" Téa inquired, checking her wrist-watch as she made herself comfortable in the bean-bag chair in the corner of Yugi's bedroom.
"That's right", Tristan confirmed, "which means we have an hour to play video games!"
"Bet you can't beat my score on Metroid, Tristan!" Joey challenged, reaching for the console controller.
"I'll beat it no sweat", the brown-haired boy answered confidently.
Atem rose from the desk chair and stepped over the two boys sprawled across the carpet in optimal game-playing positions; he left the room silently as the others watched him curiously.
Once the group were sure Atem had descended the stairs and was out of earshot, Téa turned to the others with a bleak expression.
"He's still in distress over finding out how Eshe died, isn't he?" Téa spoke quietly.
Joey frowned, "well of course he is- that's not something you just get over…" he said softly.
Dropping his somber gaze to the hands in his lap, Yugi sighed softly, "It was worse when he found out last week. I didn't want to tell him, but I did… and the look in his eyes was terrifying, guys. He just looked at me, unblinking, and when I tried to comfort him, he just… he wanted to be left alone."
Tristan shook his head, "Poor guy…"
"And then when we met with Eshe at the cafe yesterday, he just couldn't stop staring at her with this unrestrained pain- and of course she noticed", Yugi rubbed the back of his neck, "I know it's hard but he'll need to stop that when we see her later. She might get the wrong idea."
"Maybe you should talk to him now", Joey suggested, "you're closest to him… if anyone can help him feel better, it's you."
Yugi glanced between all three of his friends before nodding in concurrence, "Right. I'll go talk to him again."
The King of Games shuffled out of the room and down the stairs to find the other boy leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping from a glass of water. Yugi's grandfather was currently manning the shop, so they were effectively alone.
With his head resting in the palm of his hand, Atem glanced up as Yugi walked around the other side of the counter to sit across from him; the younger offered a sympathetic smile that he hoped didn't come across as piteous.
"I've got a lot on my mind", Atem explained before Yugi could speak as the younger boy opened his mouth.
"That's understandable", Yugi nodded carefully, "what do you think about Ishizu's and Marik's plan?" He avoided skipping straight to the point of what he wanted to discuss in order to encourage Atem to fall into a more comfortable mood for talking.
"If Kaiba agrees to offer his assistance then it could work. If we get our hands on that necklace", Atem paused to sip his water, "then hopefully it'll be a step in the right direction to restore Eshe's memories."
"Let's hope Marik is as sneaky as he claims to be", Yugi spoke with mild amusement.
"Marik informed me that for a short time during Battle City, he shared a body with Bakura. Perhaps some of that thief's talent rubbed off on him."
Yugi cocked an eyebrow at the Pharaoh as he spoke dryly, not entirely certain whether Atem was trying to crack a joke or making a genuine observation; the older boy seemed to notice Yugi's irresolute expression and shrugged his shoulders.
"Sorry, I'm just…"
"Troubled?" Yugi offered with a knowing look as Atem trailed off, uncertain of how to describe his current emotions.
"Yes."
Yugi sighed softly as Atem glared down at the glass of water in his hand; the Pharaoh was the walking definition of irritable impatience at this very moment, and the King of Games found it hard to articulate what he wanted to say.
Just as Yugi was about to say something, Atem's expression scrunched up with barely contained anguish and his hand clenched around the glass of water, so tight that his knuckles went white.
"I… Every time I looked at her yesterday, I just wondered what could have possibly driven her to take her own life." Atem spoke tightly, a waver in his voice, jaw stiff as he blinked rapidly to fight off an unwelcomed sting in his eyes.
Yugi swallowed firmly at the sight of his closest friend in such a state; he had never seen the Pharaoh cry, he'd always been so stoic with a tight grip on his emotions, and seeing him fight back tears was enough to remind Yugi that Atem was just a kid like him- just a kid who had to bear the responsibility of saving the world several times, a kid who was now struggling with hurt confusion over circumstances of his lover's death.
Don't underestimate heartbreak, was what Yugi wanted to say, but he knew it wouldn't help matters. Instead, the young King of Games steeled himself and thought for a moment about what could make him feel better in such a situation.
Atem annoyedly wiped away his unshed tears with the back of his hand, blinking away anymore threatening to fall from his glossy eyes, his cheeks tinted red in shame at his momentary lapse in emotional control. He didn't want his friend to see him in such a state, and drank from his water to quell the rising lump in his throat that often accompanied tears.
"I don't blame you, Atem", Yugi declared softly, referring to the way his friend had failed to keep a collected facade, "what we heard about Eshe last week was shocking."
Atem's eyes dropped again to his drink, and he idly swirled the water around in his glass to help distract himself.
"But you were the one who told me we shouldn't make assumptions until we have all the facts."
Atem blinked at the resolute look on Yugi's face, surety sharpening the younger boy's amethyst eyes.
"What are you saying, Yugi?"
"I'm saying, we don't know the exact circumstances of Eshe's death, so we shouldn't resort to being miserable over one possible explanation."
Atem eyed the boy for a moment in silence, eyebrows knitting in thought, before he sighed and nodded, "You're right, Yugi."
Yugi smiled, "Eshe is alive and here now, so the least you can do is not stare at her like she's a ghost." His tone was good-natured, and Atem gave a soft huff of amusement.
"Alright", the Pharaoh spoke, a renewed assurance settling in his voice, "thank you, Yugi. I cannot express how grateful I am to have a friend like you."
The King of Games grinned and gave his friend a wink, waving a knowing finger, "Anytime, Atem. Now, what better way to make a girl fall for you than to show her your fantastic ice-skating skills!"
Atem sent Yugi a skeptical look, "What ice-skating skills?" he asked incredulously.
"Took you guys long enough!"
Atem squashed down the trickle of nervousness in his chest as the group entered the building that housed the ice-skating rink; he glanced up to find Eshe leaning against the wall, tapping her foot with jesting impatience.
"Sorry Eshe", Téa spoke as she waved in greeting, "the bus was running a little late, we didn't mean to keep you waiting!"
Eshe grinned, stepping towards them, "Nah, it's cool. I've only been here five minutes", she glanced briefly at Atem and he smiled at her, remembering Yugi's advice. She seemed satisfied with his amiable demeanour, no doubt a stark contrast to what it was the day prior.
He hadn't meant to appear so cold when they'd walked into the cafe the day before, and if he'd come across as aloof and distant then he wanted to rectify that immediately.
"Come on! Let's get this show on the road!" Joey exclaimed, sauntering through to the reception desk to rent a pair of skates.
Eshe gave Atem a shy smile and fell into step beside him as they paid for entry into the rink; the large hall that contained the rink was conditioned to be quite cold, as to keep the surface of the ice polished and easy to glide over, and Atem's bare shoulders shivered as they greeted the low temperature of the room.
"You should've worn something warmer", Eshe stated with an amused smirk as she caught the way Atem subtly crossed his arms in an effort to hold the warmth in.
Atem met her smirk with his own defiant look, "I'm sure I'll survive."
Eshe chuckled and then quickly looked him up and down, "Do you have good balance?"
The tanned boy raised an eyebrow, "Well, uh, I've never really been in a situation where balance has been too much of an issue."
The girl snorted, "It's going to be an issue now, my first time ice-skating wasn't pretty. Then again, I haven't exactly improved too much…" she trailed off sheepishly.
"Any advice?" Atem inquired, a touch of apprehension in his voice.
Eshe paused to think, her lips curling upwards, "Yeah, if you feel like you're going to slip and there's nothing to grab onto to steady yourself, just let yourself fall. You'll find that hitting the ice will be less painful than the annihilation of your pride if you end up flailing helplessly in an effort to keep upright."
Atem blinked, a hint of sly beguilement in his eyes, "Are you speaking from experience?"
A hint of redness peppered Eshe's cheeks and she cleared her throat, giving the boy an expression that was a weird cross of timid defiance. "Maybe", she mumbled, and Atem rather enjoyed the way her lips curled into a pout.
"Now look who's keeping us waiting!" Joey called from down the hall, having reached the locker area. He gestured wildly and over-dramatically with his arms in a 'hurry up' motion and Eshe giggled as she and Atem increased the speed of their steps.
As the group shoved their belongings into the moderate-sized locker, Eshe glanced at the flashy and pointy item hanging around Atem's neck.
"You're gonna wanna put that in the locker, Atem", Eshe spoke, pointing to the Millennium Puzzle. Atem frowned, his hands reaching for it protectively as if someone had threatened to steal it from him.
"I'd rather not", Atem murmured, and Eshe raised an eyebrow. Before she could respond, Téa spoke up.
"She's right, Atem, if you were to slip and land on the Puzzle, it would hurt. Besides, a staff-member would probably ask you to remove it anyway, so you might as well do it now." Téa, the ever-wise young lady with the motherly instincts, ushered Atem to the locker and encouraged him to remove the golden pendant.
Atem's grip on his Puzzle did not lessen; clearly he did not want to part with the item. He sent an uncertain glance in Yugi's direction, and Yugi seemed to understand Atem's plight.
"It'll be safe in the locker, Atem, don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, Atem", Yugi gave him a reassuring smile, "I'll keep the key safe."
The group watched him expectantly and Atem sighed, hesitantly removing the necklace and placing it in the compartment with all the reluctance in the world.
"He really likes that necklace, huh?" Eshe mumbled out of earshot of the boy in question, and Tristan chuckled in response.
"It's very important to him", he told her by way of explanation, and Eshe nodded in understanding.
"Come on you guys! Getting older over here!" Joey called from the benches; he'd just finished securing his skates and was eager to hop onto the ice, if the way he was switching his weight from foot to foot was anything to go by.
"You should really learn to have some patience, Joey", Téa scolded lightly as she too reached the bench and began to slip her ice-skates on.
Atem followed the lead of the others and fastened his ice-skates; he angled his foot to get a good look at the sharp blade protruding from the bottom of the footwear and quirked an eyebrow.
"Hey buddy", Tristan spoke up as he caught sight of the way Atem stared at the skates, "try not to skate over someone's fingers if they happen to fall down in front of you!" The brown-haired boy had meant it as a joke but Atem looked faintly perturbed at the thought.
"Don't say that, Tristan", Eshe eyed the taller boy, who poked his tongue out comically, and then turned her attention to Atem, "that won't happen", she told him matter-of-factly.
Atem shrugged slightly, "If you say so."
As the only person in the group who had not participated in the sport of ice-skating before, Atem was content for a moment to watch the others walk away from the benches and to the archway into the ice-rink; they made it seem easy enough to manoeuvre in the mono-bladed boots, but as he sat on the bench, he could tell he would have to be cautious with his steps even on the non-icy flooring if he wanted his pride to remain intact.
"Atem?" Eshe called out curiously when she look over her shoulder and realised the boy wasn't following behind them.
"Uh, coming", he replied, and tried to remain passive as he guardedly rose to his full height.
Atem's knees wobbled for a moment and he took a tentative step forward. Realising he hadn't plummeted to the ground, he relaxed a little and took another step; he found that it was easy to balance if he walked with his legs shoulder-width apart. The tanned boy let out a subtle sigh of relief as he caught up with Eshe without much trouble and the girl bit her lip to hide a smile.
"Not used to being so tall?" Eshe quipped, and Atem gave her a look of dismay.
"You're shorter than me!"
Eshe burst into a fit of giggles, and Atem found there was no way he could actually take offense to her words when her laugh was so bubbly and bright.
"Sorry", she snickered, and then pointed her thumb at the ice-rink, "Are you ready?"
Atem nodded and turned to the others who were stepping onto the ice one-by-one. Téa was first, and strode onto the slippery terrain with utmost confidence, immediately pushing off with a kick and casually falling into a smooth glide; of course, the dancer with perfect balance- and she had told him that she'd been skating many times before.
Yugi had told him that they used to ice-skate together and that he himself was not entirely unskilled in the activity, as made clear by the way the King of Games slid across the ice with an air of experience. He wasn't as graceful as Téa, and he took much shorter glides, but it was obvious Yugi had a lot of control over his balance.
Joey and Tristan were equally shaky on their feet, but through sheer determination they both managed to stay upright as they instantaneously began trying to show off. They seemed to go the opposite way of Eshe's earlier advice and strived to stay on their feet no matter what, even if it meant flailing like a headless chicken.
Eshe gave Atem a knowing smirk and then stepped onto the ice, gripping the ledge of the rink to remain steady, and used it to lever herself away from the entrance, not once taking her hands off of it.
The tanned boy apprehensively followed.
Ice-skating, as it happens, is rather difficult to those with zero experience. Atem realised this as he took his first step onto the smooth ice with one cautious movement, and promptly found himself unceremoniously splayed out on the cold terrain.
Ignoring the giggles of his friends, Atem quickly sat up, an undignified pout on his face.
"Hey, that happened my first time too", Eshe spoke assuredly, extending a helping hand to assist Atem back to his feet.
The boy took her hand gratefully and shakily managed to find his footing again, his hand tensing around her's every time his feet slipped suddenly. Eshe didn't release his hand until he had a firm grip on the ledge around the rink.
"Now you know what to expect", Eshe told him with a grin.
"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Téa inquired, sliding up towards the two.
Atem's cheeks were slightly red from the embarrassment of his fall but he shook his head, "No, I'm fine."
Yugi appeared from behind Téa and smiled reassuringly, "Take a few laps around the edge of the rink and you'll probably get the hang of it enough to skate around the centre."
Atem nodded, clearing his throat, "I'll give it a try."
"Joey and Tristan appear to be having fun", Atem observed as he stopped briefly in his short, jittery 'glides' around the edge of the rink to eye the two boys who wore wide grins on their faces as they tried to outdo each other.
"That's because they're perfectly content to look ridiculous when the determination of a challenge overpowers their inhibitions", Eshe answered with a laugh, watching as Tristan almost lost control of his long legs- but was able to save himself at the last second from crashing to the ground.
"True", Atem murmured, and in a moment of overestimation of his growing abilities, he attempted a slightly longer glide, before immediately losing his wits and clutching onto the wall like his life depended on it.
Eshe erupted with giggles again, and Atem sighed, though a small smile curled at his lips, the falls were becoming less humiliating the more the girl found joy in it.
"Téa and Yugi are just showing off", Eshe spoke, motioning with her head to the duo who were now beginning to exceed in skating backwards.
"That looks impossible", Atem hummed, clearly impressed.
"Well, practise makes perfect!" Eshe exclaimed, before releasing her grip from the wall, making some brazenly shaky drifts away from the edge. Her stance was imperfect and she squealed as her feet began to move unparallel and outwards.
"What are you doing?" Atem's voice was a mix of amusement and incredulousness.
"I was trying to be cocky but it backfired!" Eshe admitted, tumbling with an 'oof!' and landing on her butt.
Atem reached out, one hand still clenched on the wall, in an effort to help Eshe back to her feet, but as the girl brought herself upright, she yanked the boy's hand towards her and he reflexively released the ledge to avoid letting his legs stray too far apart. His arm swung round and gripped her opposite shoulder, and the two clung to each other in an attempt to stay balanced.
"What are you doing!?" Atem repeated, his voice an octave higher, and his expression startled, while Eshe began giggling hysterically.
"Look, we'll never get better if we don't take risks, let's come away from the wall and work at this together", the girl replied.
Atem glanced back to the wall, which was now out of reach by a couple of feet, and regarded Eshe with a skeptical look, "Are you sure about this?"
"It'll be fun!"
"I'm starting to think our ideas of fun differ hugely."
Eshe ignored his quip, "Ready?"
"No."
The girl kicked off into a flawed glide, her hand tight on Atem's wrist, and the boy struggled to keep his composure as his whole body tensed and buckled with effort not to hit the ice at high speed. It was quickly apparent that he was not going to recover his balance, and so at the recollection of Eshe's earlier advice, he let his legs slip out from below him.
It just so happens that the direction his legs decided to take was directly in the path of Eshe's own, a resulting CLACK sounded as their skates clashed together and they both toppled over onto each other with a yelp.
Atem grunted as he landed rather heavily on his arm, and then the air was knocked out of him as Eshe's weight came down upon his chest. After a few laborious, raspy breaths, Atem looked up into Eshe's bright red face, which was mere inches from his own, and felt his mouth hang open and his cheeks heat up.
"Oh, God, I am so sorry!" Eshe squeaked, pushing herself off of him as quickly as she could, "I didn't think- uh, I didn't mean to- Are you okay!?" Clearly concerned by the heavy breaths Atem was still taking, Eshe looked up and called Téa over for some help- she was the quickest and most experienced skater out of all of them, after all.
"Whoa, what happened?" Téa asked as she swooped in with ease, Yugi close behind her.
"It was my fault", Eshe admitted with a frown, worriedly looking Atem over for any injuries.
"I'm fine", Atem managed through a hoarse breath, shyly pushing himself up and avoiding Eshe's scrutinising gaze, "really, I'm- ah", he hissed and held his arm awkwardly in his lap.
"You're hurt", Téa observed, reaching for his uninjured arm to help him up, "let's go to the benches."
"Really, I'm fine, Téa-"
"Come on, to the benches!"
There was no use in arguing with Téa when she spoke in that demanding 'I know better' tone- and she most certainly did know better, given Atem's further wincing as he tried to prove he was unhurt.
Yugi and Téa, with a joint effort, safely brought Atem to the exit of the rink- with Eshe slipping around in their wake in an attempt to follow quickly, and helped him sit on one of the benches.
Eshe watched, face still burning, as Téa gently turned over Atem's arm to get a good look at it, and at once she felt herself a bit of a fool for dragging the boy away from the wall in the first place when he was obviously opposed to it. She sat silently across from them as Téa concluded that it probably wasn't too bad an injury if he was able to move it with a minimum amount of pain.
"It's probably just bruised, but I can go see if they have any first-aiders here to check it out", Téa suggested, and Atem shook his head, smiling softly.
"No, it's fine, it doesn't hurt that much."
Téa raised an eyebrow, eyeing Atem closely with a hand laid on his shoulder, "Are you sure?" Trying to catch whether or not he was fibbing; Eshe could tell he wasn't, and felt relieved that she hadn't ended up hurting Atem too bad.
"I'm sure", Atem answered, "but I don't think I want to go back on the ice again."
"Totally understandable", Yugi chimed in with a chuckle.
Téa spent another five minutes confirming that Atem was indeed perfectly fine; she fussed over him and watched him closely in a very attentive way that reminded her of how Téa had helped her out back in the museum. It was clear that Téa cared for Atem deeply, evident from the glances they shared and the casual way she squeezed his shoulder- both signs of a close friendship.
With a sigh, Eshe dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling inadequate as a friend given the little stunt she pulled; it was easy now upon reflection to realise that Atem's body language had been absolutely begging her not to draw him away from the ledge.
"You okay buddy? Still got all your fingers?" Tristan teasingly called from the ledge of the rink, leaning heavily on it as he and Joey stopped to make sure their friend was okay.
"Ha ha ha", Atem grumbled, though the smile on his face betrayed his tone.
"You coming back on the ice, Eshe?" Yugi asked as he and Téa moved to return to the rink.
"I'll stay with Atem", Eshe spoke, an insincere smile on her face, the feeling of guilt poking at her brain.
As she sat by the boy, she bit her lip at the sight of the faint purple bruise appearing on his forearm, "I'm sorry", she murmured, clasping her hands together in her lap.
"Huh?" Atem looked at her in surprise, before following her pointed gaze to his arm, "Oh, don't worry. It was just an accident."
Eshe felt the anxious pressure on her chest only worsen at the fact the boy wasn't blaming her for what was obviously her fault, "But I- no, I mean, yes, it was an accident, but- if I hadn't pulled you from the edge the you wouldn't have fallen…"
Atem merely smiled at her, shaking his head slightly, "then I forgive you."
Eshe swallowed her confusion at the boy's clear, kind and forgiving nature; completely used to being made to apologise and make it up to her aunt and uncle several times whenever she did the slightest thing wrong in the past.
"Oh", she mumbled unintelligibly, and looked away to hide the pinkness of her cheeks. His lenient smile made her heart race and she couldn't stop fidgeting with her fingers.
"Um, are you okay?" Atem asked hesitantly, cocking his head and leaning forward to regain her attention.
"Huh- oh, yeah, I'm fine- I mean, I'm not hurt or anything- you cushioned my fall", she squeaked a hurried response and felt her face heat up anew as the words left her mouth.
"Glad I could be of assistance", Atem laughed, and the rich, baritone chortle did absolutely nothing to help her regain her composure.
It was as if, all of a sudden, every little mannerism of Atem's was endearing or inadvertently charming. She felt like she was so used to him already that by the end of the skating-session, she successfully predicted the habitual way he'd reach to clutch the chain of his Millennium Puzzle as he set it back around his neck.
Eshe exhaled slowly as she stood by the locker, watching the glint of Atem's pendant under the ceiling lights, and something sparked in her mind- another troubling waking-vision, perhaps? Except it barely lasted half a second- in fact, she only managed to catch sight of a swirl of colours.
A flash of gold, white and red. The feeling of a chill crawling up her spine and a curiously familiar dread settling in her heart.
As she blinked the images away, her eyes stung for a moment before she fortunately pushed the irrational feelings down; her hand flew to her mouth reflexively as nausea took it's place. Only Atem seemed to notice her odd behaviour, his lips parting with concern and his eyes flickering over her face attentively; he didn't say anything, he just placed a comforting hand on her shoulder in very much the same way he had in the museum- except this time, she wholly welcomed the touch.
The Ishtar's arrived at the Game Shop on Thursday, and Atem was thankful for their haste in making arrangements for the upcoming 'heist' as Joey had called it with a twinkle in his eye.
"I still can't believe that Kaiba actually agreed to this!" the blond boy exclaimed, amused that the stoic CEO would actually offer his aid for a successful theft to benefit the 'group of losers', as the rich-boy affectionately referred to them as.
"Yes, well, he did agree on one condition", Ishizu spoke flatly as she placed a very security-abundant suitcase upon the surface of the dining table.
Joey huffed, "Of course there had to be a catch…"
"What's the condition?" Yugi asked curiously, placing a tray of drinks on the table.
Marik smirked, taking a glass of orange juice, "Have a guess", he spoke with a touch of amusement.
"He wants to duel me", Atem deadpanned, and Marik laughed.
"Bingo."
Tristan snorted, "Well if all it takes in return for Kaiba's hacking skills is for Atem to kick his ass then that's not gonna be a problem!"
Atem nodded, "If it's a duel he wants then it's a duel he'll get."
Ishizu gave a small smile and reached for the clasps on the suitcase; it pinged open and she lifted out a file of papers and a smooth, velvet box.
"This contains the duplicate of the Lost Lavalliere", she held the box out to Atem, "if you would inspect it, Pharaoh."
Atem took the box and opened it carefully, a smirk pulling at his lips as he viewed the very convincing fake necklace. He gave an approving hum, and gently pried it away from the soft padding to examine it closely; the group watched conscientiously as he turned it over in his hands, brushing his thumb over the gold, and the engraving of the crow within the lapis.
"It's exactly like the real one", he spoke, unequivocally impressed with the quality and craftsmanship. Even the specks of darker lapis followed the same pattern as the one he'd had tailor-made.
Ishizu smiled at his reaction, "Exceeds expectations?"
"I think so", Atem spoke, and turned it over again in his grasp to examine the front of it once more- his face fell. "No…"
"No?" Ishizu frowned, "Is something wrong with it?"
"It missing the inscription of Eshe's name in hieroglyphics", Atem explained, holding the faux-necklace out to the Egyptian woman.
Ishizu face was the picture of confusion, and she glanced down at it for a moment, "Where should the placement of the name be?"
Atem pointed to the blank surface of the gold above the lapis engraving, "Right here."
Ishizu's eyes narrowed in further puzzlement, "The original has no name here."
The whole group turned to Atem in surprise, and the Pharaoh looked moderately dubious at the Egyptian siblings sat before him. "Ishizu, I had the necklace made especially. I was the one who designed it, I asked for her name to be engraved on the top and I remember, as clear as day, seeing her wearing it. Her name was there, it was."
The group turned back to Ishizu, and she wordlessly reached into the file full of various papers and images; she pulled out a series of photograph prints, some black and white, some in full-colour, and handed them to Atem.
"These are the reference photos I gave to the man who crafted the fake necklace. Some of these photos were taken around the time the amulet was unearthed, and some were taken recently. There is no name."
Atem flipped through the pictures with incredulity; Ishizu was right, none of these images showed her name.
"But… I don't understand-" he blinked, his eyes flickering as he recalled the necklace on display in the museum. The glare of the light reflecting on the glass casing of the necklace may have obstructed his vision, and given that he hadn't exactly been searching the piece of jewellery for discrepancies may explain why he had not noticed the missing name until now.
"Are you… sure the one in the museum is… real?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Atem thought his own question ridiculous. Of course it was real- he'd felt the thrum of magical energy that he'd placed there all those thousands of years ago, "Why would her name be missing?" his eyes hardened on the images on the paper.
Ishizu shared a baffled look with her brother, who shrugged cluelessly.
"You said it looked perfect- no sign of wear, so it couldn't have happened naturally", Yugi spoke up, leaning over Atem's shoulder to eye the images; he pointed to the blank spot on the necklace, "and it doesn't look like it's been sanded down manually."
"So what gives?" Joey asked, a mystified frown on his face.
Atem's jaw clenched, "It's been tampered with. I don't know why or how, but someone has purposely removed Eshe's name from her necklace."
Notes: Please review if you read! It lets me know that people are enjoying and following this story! It doesn't even have to be a long review, even a keyboard smash would suffice! :P Don't you just love how much of a mum-friend Téa is?