"I want him gone by morning."
Amethyst narrowed slightly but he was quick to grasp her hand that had clenched into a fist, the slight shake of his head though earning a raised eyebrow from her when his gaze remained upon the man who had spoken. The tension coming from him was near stifling and this was the first he had spoken since dinner had been served. It wasn't a secret that Seto, her older brother, was protective and had disliked him since arriving but there had been no reason for the hatred that was within those dark sapphires of his. At least not to his knowledge.
Anzu's gaze hardened for a moment before meeting amethyst as she gently removed her hand. "I've tried the nice way, Atem, but sometimes a point can only be made if you butt heads." Standing, she straightened her back and lifted her chin high.
The hidden wisdom within her words stuck him to his very core. He and Yugi had ever rarely disagreed, or even fought for that matter, it was only against their grandfather that they had difficulty in communicating with. They had "played nice" all of their lives and it was only when they had journeyed away from the palace that they had grown to be steadfast when faced with his intimidation. It was only when he had felt so strongly for his brother and his emotions for her had grown that evolved his so called courage develop a stronger foundation that had cost him his prized collection. Now, though, it seemed such a small price.
"He is staying however long he wants, Seto, you are not the only one here who makes the rules."
Sapphire narrowed. "Anzu, watch yourself."
"No." Her clenched fists that were at her sides were trembling, which she hoped that he couldn't see from where he was, and took a deep inhale through her nose. "You are the greatest big brother a girl like me could ask for but that gratitude stops when you attempt to control every little thing that I am doing. It was because of you that we survived after what happened with mom and dad…" her voice cracked. "…and that was the day you stopped being the older brother I looked up to! I don't even remember the last time you smiled or when we last played chess! You've become this cold robot with a hollow tin chest that is as empty as your head! For years I've tried to find the Seto from our childhood. I'm done looking for the big brother that no longer exists and I'm not going to let the robot run my life for me." She turned away, the tears she had been trying to contain finally spilling down her cheeks as she fled the room, no footsteps following after her and making her weep harder.
Atem wanted to follow, felt that he should, but remained where he was. He shouldn't get involved when matters didn't concern him…then again that was how this all started. His gaze shifted from the door she had disappeared through to the calm man as he resumed eating. Was he honestly not going after her? The silverware clinked softly as he placed them on the plate and shoved his chair back.
"Stay."
A brow twitched. He was not some dog that can be ordered.
Seto's eyes narrowed farther into a glare when their so called guest remained standing. "Mai." The blonde assistant instantly appeared beside the luxurious head chair. "Anzu is to be confined in her room for the rest of the night."
The twitch came again as his hands clenched into fists and the tension in his jaw was tighter than the strings of an instrument.
"Be sure that that the security is heightened today in case she decides to make a run for it again. She has caused enough trouble."
That's it. The prince rose to his full height as he stood, amethyst flashing crimson in warning as the pressure returned, tugging him to follow the path she had taken. He was going to follow with or without its insistent and slightly annoying Ainma Vinculum, but not without a lesson of humility. Ribbons of gold and violet extended from his fingertips that worked their way across the carpet until they reached the head of the table.
Sapphire blinked as a chill brushed his skin, the movements of his silverware coming to a halt. Instinct flared but he was too slow in moving away from the table and the air in his lungs felt ice cold as what felt like tiny hands crawled up into his chest to take hold of his throat, the ragged breathing doing little to soothe the growing ache in his chest.
Atem's eyes widened slightly in alarm and retracted the magic. This wasn't his doing. He had yet to finish his plate of the food that was on display but the two had plenty. Poisoning was not something foreign to him; since he and his brother were both princes there had been plenty of attempts on their lives. Something was bothering him though. Anzu seemed to be in perfect physical health when she had left, minus the emotional stress, so why was only Seto affected? There was no time for hesitation as the man fell from his chair to writhe on the carpet. He moved around the table, grabbed tightly to Seto's shoulders, and closed his eyes as he reached out with his magic again. The ribbons slipped up the taller man's body, between his gaping lips that were now covered in froth. His brows furrowed in concentration as the ribbons encountered a shockingly potent capsule that was in the process of dissolving and quickly retracted them one they had entwined around it enough that it could be removed without anymore of the strange drug entering the young man's system. There was one problem though: without the assistance of his scales, he didn't have the strength to pull it back out! His clenched fist met the man's middle and quickly moved behind to support as bile and stomach acid came from between Seto's lips. He swiped a napkin from the tabletop and picked up the culprit while dissipating the magic with a wave of his hand as the cold man slipped into unconsciousness.
"Step away." Mai's voice was so deep and full of warning that he barely recognized her at first but the gun barrel that was pointed into his face said that she was dead serious. He slowly held up the napkin when she asked him what was going on and her pale mauve eyes widened. "Is that one of his iron supplement pills? It's completely the wrong color, they are supposed to be a cream color but that pill is pistachio…" The weapon was put away with a click of the safety as she pressed a hidden button that was within the table's lip. "I'll take it from here," she directed his attention to the door while taking his place. "I think you're needed elsewhere."
He nodded and quickly rose to his feet as several people he'd never seen before flooded the room, disappearing through the same door Anzu had. The Ainma Vinculum would guide him when he came across a fork or staircase and came to a halt on a path that lead towards an all too familiar loch. There, on the newly rebuilt pier, sat a figure whose legs dangled in the water. If she heard him step onto the wood or felt the bob of it under his added weight she didn't acknowledge either as he settled beside her.
They laid in silence for several minutes, staring up at the sky that held millions of twinkling multicolored stars. Never had he seen so many and the first time he had during a night escape escapade he had thought they were untouchable. Now they seemed dull compared to the one beside him. If only she could see for herself just how special she was. Alarm filled him as she suddenly stood and felt his jaw fall to hit the wood as she suddenly jumped, the water droplets quickly soaking his replaced clothing as he hurried the the edge and peered into the dark water. Panic replaced the alarm as she surfaces, her hands latching onto his shoulders, and found himself plunging after her. The water had once been his home but now that he was human it was as if it had become his enemy as his chest burned for air.
Amethyst widened in surprise as something soft brushed against his lips and the burning in his lungs were relieved as a breath of air passed between his lips. The moonlight coming through the water was just bright enough that he could see the hesitant smile that lifted her lips as she pulled away, a telltale shadow within her eyes that spoke of tears as they broke through the surface with gasps. He sputtered slightly, attempting to regain his bearings, and froze when she playfully splashed him. Her lips were lifted into a challenging smirk that could rival his own but he was not about to be outdone.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as his lips lifted into the same confident smirk she had seen when they spent all night playing games, her already pounding heart clenching almost painfully as his eyes dared her to repeat her earlier motion. Gladly. Her hands swept in front of her as she spun, just like a sprinkler, and blinked when she rightened and found no sign of him. "A-Atem?" A shriek slipped up her throat as a pair of arms wound tightly around her waist and tossed her out of the water for a split second then landed with a splash. She spotted his retreating form, those mysterious amethyst eyes of his glittering with mischief as he headed for the surface and she quickly pursued.
He was quick to fill his lungs with new oxygen when he spotted her approaching shadow in the water and was just fast enough for her lunge to miss him as he dove. What he wasn't prepared for was her lightning fast pivot that brought their faces so close together that their noses brushed. They rose to the surface in unison, their gazes never leaving the other's even as they tread water. The water that trickled down her face in tiny rivers weren't anywhere close to her eyes yet there were streams coming from them as they drifted backwards towards the shore by the gentle waves. Just before they could touch land though his hands had clasped her own and he pulled her flush against him with enough force that carried them back out to open water. Swimming was easiest for him, despite him not having his tail, but the memory of it was strong enough to move his legs powerfully through the water enough to support their combined weight.
Her face buried itself into the crook of his neck, inhaling the combined scent of saltwater, cinnamon, and sandalwood that slowly broke down the wall that she had painstakingly put up in hopes of holding back her emotions. "Sorry that you had to see that," she finally croaked as his hold tightened. "But I stand by what I said. I don't regret any of it."
His eyes slid closed as her being trembled with suppressed sobs, the warmth of her tears meeting his tanned skin then trickling down to mix with the water. It took courage to stand up to an enemy or adversary, but it took even more to remain steadfast in the face of someone close to one's heart. A smile tugged at his lips when she sneezed after falling silent for several minutes. It was time to go back. He turned so that his back would meet the shoreline first but not everything goes according to plan. Just as the the sand met the bottoms of his shoes, a more violent sneeze from her caused their places to swap and their breaths caught as a wave carried them up onto the shoreline, leaving them slightly stunned when they collided with the ground. It wasn't sorely the impact's fault that they were breathless but they were both frozen in shock because his head had met her shoulder, one of her hands had found itself buried into the hair at the back of his head, her right leg had somehow been entangled with his own, and the softest of gasps rose from her throat as the sensitive skin of her neck was brushed by feather-like lips.
They pulled apart with quick inhales, their faces burning brightly with blushes so hot that the remaining water upon their heads could have evaporated into steam, and stood upon the shore as they shyly looked anywhere but at the other person as their backs met. Amethyst blinked as a familiar shape moved within the water, a glint of bronze causing his blush to intensify as someone rose from the water just high enough to showcase amused lavender hued eyes. No wonder that wave seemed a bit too strong! His attention was snagged by the hands that spun him around, expecting to find himself face to face with an angry Anzu, but instead found his breath being stollen by the crystalline tears gathered along her eyelashes.
"Thanks for cheering me up, I appreciate it that you came to check on me." She made to step away, her hands falling to rest briefly upon his chest, but found that she had no strength or want to move away. The lump in her throat grew as his features that had been full of surprise to become calm. Everything within her being felt as though it was being torn apart; one half yearning for the mysterious water dwelling being known as Yami while the other pined painfully for the young man called Atem who stood before her. "I..I really like you but there is also another." She struggled to swallow the troublesome ball of emotions in her throat. "I haven't seen him in several months now and a part of me thinks that he won't ever come back…but its like telling the ocean not to make waves…I don't think my heart is ready for another heartbreak so soon and I don't want to hurt you, Atem, you're a great person and someone I've come to cherish very much but I can't ask for you to wait for me as if we were in some sappy romance movie. You deserve better than that…" Her lips lifted into a smile as her legs finally moved, taking her away from him with shaky steps. "Goodnight, Atem, I hope you sleep well." And she turned away.
Yugi pulled himself up onto the dock as his older brother lowered himself to the wood, his lavender eyes wide. His lips parted but then closed when he spotted the conflicting emotions twist and morph within the amethyst depths of his brother's eyes. The big strong stoic brother he had depended on for nearly everything wasn't going to hear a single word if spoken so instead he wrapped an arm around the wide shoulders and became the steadfast pillar as Atem's the stoic façade finally cracked.