Desert Rose

Lady Kaiba

AN/ I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. !_!



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Chapter 2~ Desert Savior

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Three men came upon the massacre. They stopped their camels and got off. Two went to the nearest people, checking for survivors, while the shorter walked around people, clearly seeing that they were dead. He stopped at a young woman that looked to be around his age. A child lay dead beside her. "Who could have done this?" he asked. He suddenly spotted someone. The young man had an arrow embedded in his chest and another in his side. His chest rose slowly in gasping breaths, even thought he was unconscious.

"Anyone?" asked one of the young men. The other shook his head. "All dead." He replied. "Over here!!" the shorter one yelled. The two young men ran over to him. "Help me get him on my camel." He said. The other two nodded and carefully picked up the young man. "Jou, this one too!" he said. The two young men gently placed him down and the second picked him up again. The first young man ran over to the shorter one.

"This guy's alive?" he asked. The shorter one nodded. "Barely." He said. The first young man picked him up and carried him over to his own camel. The second young man held the unconscious young man while the shorter got onto the camel. He wrapped his arms carefully around him and the camel slowly got up. The three then continued on their way through the desert.

~*~*~*~

Yami groaned as he awoke. His head hurt, but not as much as his chest and side. He tried to sit up, but was gently forced back down by small, but strong, arms. His breathing came out in short painful gasps. "You should rest." A soothing male voice said. Yami felt something cool and wet placed onto his forehead. "You have a fever and are wounded badly." The young man said. Yami tried to take a deep breath, but winced.

"Go back to sleep. If you rest enough, you'll feel better and you'll heal faster." He said. Yami mumbled something incomprehensible before falling back to sleep. The short young man watched as he slept, always replacing the rag with a fresh one. 'He's handsome.' He thought to himself, a light blush on his cheeks. 'I'm just glad that his injuries aren't too serious.' Reluctantly, he left his side to check on the other survivor next door.

~*~*~*~

Yami woke up to the delicious smell of fish cooking. He opened his eyes and looked around. It took a moment for him to focus, but once he did he saw that he was in a comfy looking hut, big enough for a small family. He pushed himself up, the pain not yet gone, but less. He looked over to the fire and saw a short young man that resembled him. The young man noticed he was awake and looked over.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, smiling. "Better." Yami said. "That's good." He turned back to the fire. "I hope you're hungry, I'm cooking two fish for us." He said. "Where am I?" Yami asked. "In my house."

"Obviously."

"You are in a small desert village called Halay." He answered. The young man walked over with the fish on plates and sat down by Yami. "My name is Yugi." He said as he handed Yami the plate. Yami accepted it. "This smells good, Yugi." Yami said. Yugi blushed slightly. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells. I'm not a very good cook." He said. Yami took a bite and ate it. Yugi watched intently for his reaction. "This is wonderful!" he said. Yugi smiled widely. "Really?" Yami nodded. "Yes, really. My name is Yami." He said.

"It's nice to meet you." Yugi said. Yami looked into his eyes. "I feel like I know you already." He said. Yugi shook his head. "I don't think so. I was born in this village and have never been to any of the cities, not even Cairo." Yami looked around the little hut. "It's nice here. Where's your family?" Yugi looked away for a quick moment. "They died. My mother when I was born, and my grandfather when I was ten." He said. "I'm sorry." Yami said sincerely, watching Yugi. "My mother died when I was born, also. I was raised by my father, he's dead now, thought." Yami said.

"Sorry." Yugi suddenly smiled. "Let's not talk about the past. It is never good to dwell in the past, Grandpa always said!" Yami chuckled, but winced. "Hey, Yugi, how long have I been here?" he asked. "Five days. A couple friends and I were out gathering food and water for the villagers and on our way back, we came across your caravan." Yami moved his fish away. "How many survivors were there?" he asked. "Not many. I only found you and one other. He is in pretty bad shape, but recovering slowly." Yugi replied. "I remember what happened. It was awful. I let a tired girl ride my camel. . .now she's dead. She was the first to die." He said sadly. Yugi shook his head. "You don't have to tell me what happened. I know it was awful. Just seeing the massacred people was sickening. Even children were killed." Yami winced again and Yugi noticed.

"Let me change your bandaging." He said. He took the plates to the table and walked over to a basket. He pulled cloth bandages out of it and picked up a bowl. He then walked back over to Yami and sat in front of him, placing the bowl on the ground beside him. He untied Yami's bandages and unwrapped them. Yami winced while they were being peeled off of his skin. "Sorry, the blood has dried." Yugi told him.

With another cloth, Yugi gently whipped away the old ointment and gently rubbed more on with his hand. "They look better today." He said. "What happened to the arrows?" Yami asked. "They were removed. You were lucky that neither went in very deep. Talla got them out easily. She's the village's doctor." He said. He wrapped the wounds up again and put the ointment away, throwing the used bandages into a basket, and cleaned his hands.

"Where are my clothes?" Yami suddenly asked. "Why?" Yugi sat down next to him again. Yami shook his head. "No reason. I . . .have something important in my robes." He said. "Oh! You mean a scroll?" Yugi asked. "Yami stared at him and slowly nodded. Yugi got back up and walked over to a bag and pulled a scroll out of it. "It doesn't really look like a scroll, so Talla thought it was of no importance and was going to throw it in the fire. I asked her if I could keep it and she gave it to me." He said. He sat back down and handed it to Yami. "It's been stained with blood, so I hope it isn't ruined."

Yami took the scroll and unrolled it. He sighed. "No, everything is fine. Luckily, the scrolls always have multiple layers of papyrus." He said. "See?" he held it sideways and Yugi nodded, seeing the pages. Yami rolled it back up again. "Do you have somewhere safe for this until I am healed?" Yugi took the scroll and put in a small hole in the floor that was covered so it was unnoticeable, and pulled a blanket back over it. "Now only you and I know of that." Yugi said.

"Do you feel up to going outside?" Yugi asked. "If I can stand up." Yami said. Yugi laughed and helped him stand up. Yami stood in place for a moment then took a step toward Yugi. He winced slightly. Yugi immediately rushed the small space to him. "Are you alright?" he asked, worry in his eyes. Yami looked into his big, beautiful purple eyes and smiled. "I'm fine, it just hurts a little." Yugi frowned. "Maybe you should just sit outside the door." He said. Yami nodded and Yugi helped him out. Outside, Yugi gently helped Yami down and sat next to him. "These are nice pants." Yami said, noticing that he was in a pair of clean Hiram pants. Yugi blushed slightly. "They're mine. I like to make my clothes a little longer. I don't really know why, I've just always been doing it." He said. Yami smiled lightly at the blush then turned his attention to the village.

Children were playing, women were talking in a little group while they sew. Some women cooked, others sat in little booths, selling material, jewelry, and various other things. Men worked in their little shops, selling exotic foods or other things. There were blacksmiths, pottery shops, and a building with a sign that said 'Doctor Talla'. An elderly woman stopped as she passed by and turned to Yugi. "Oh, so he's awake!" she said. "Yes, Mali." Yugi said, smiling. "How are you feeling today?" she asked Yami.

"I'm feeling a lot better." Yami replied. "I should hope so. Yugi rarely left your side. When he did it was only because he had to. Other than that, he has remained in that house of his. Crag had to go to the oasis in his place." She said. Yugi turned as red as a rose and Mali smiled and left, waving to them. Yami looked at Yugi and laughed. "Embarrasses you, does she?" he asked. "She loves to do it, too." Yugi said. "Oh, here comes Talla!" Yugi said. Yami looked at the little house and saw a tall woman walking toward them.

She had long black hair pulled into a high braid (also known to us as a French braid), dark tan skin from being in the desert for so long, and deep gold eyes. She kneeled down in front of Yami. "How are you doing today?" she asked. "I'm a lot better, thank you." He said. She smiled. "That is a good thing. I'm Talla." Yami nodded. "Yugi has told me about you. Thank you for helping me." Yami said. "It is my job. You should really be thanking Yugi, though. He saved your life." She smiled over at Yugi. "It is too easy to embarrass you, Yugi." She laughed, seeing his blush. "I must go check on the other now. The arrow that was in him was a lot deeper and in his side. He is lucky that it didn't hit an organ." She said as she stood back up.

"You look a lot like someone I know." Yami said. Talla smiled at him. "You may have met my sister, she is the Pharaoh's sorceress, Saren." Yami nodded. "I know her." With a smile, Talla walked into the house next to them. A young man with short brown hair stepped out after she entered. "How is he, Honda?" Yugi asked. "The infection is clearing up, but Jou and Talla are still worried. He hasn't stayed awake for more than five minutes yet." Honda answered. He then noticed Yami. "I see you're awake. How are you doing?" he asked. "Fine." Yami answered.

"Everyone in this village seem nice." He said. Honda nodded. "We are all close here. Everyone knows each other. It's how we know when there is a stranger in town. We get visitors every so often because of the small river that runs through the village." Honda suddenly looked up. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go." He said and walked over to the Smithy. "Honda worked there. His father is the blacksmith and wants him to follow in his footsteps." Yugi said as they watched him disappear.

"Why is there a small river flowing through the village?" Yami asked. "It's connected from one oasis to another. The village was built on it, so that scavengers wouldn't have to make multiple trips everyday." Yugi said. "A smart thing to do." Yugi nodded, agreeing. Talla stepped out of the house and sighed. "How is he?" Yugi asked. "A lot better. He should be waking in about two days." She said. She then made her way back to her house.

~*~*~*~

Two days later, Yami was able to walk on his own without pain. He walked outside and looked around the village. "This place is really beautiful." He said to Yugi. "It is, but I've always wondered what it's like in a city and the palace." He said. "The city is pretty dull, but for you it might be exciting. Everything is a lot more dangerous in the city." He said. "I can imagine." Yugi said, looking up at him.

The door to Jou's house opened and a tall young man with short blond hair walked out. "Jou!" Yugi said. "Hey, Yug!" Jou said. "He's awake. And he's asking for someone called Yami." Jou said. "That's me." Yami said. "Oh, good. I'm glad it's not one of the dead people." He said. He led them in and Yami saw a young man with long white hair on the bed. He rushed over and sat next to him. "Ryou! I had no idea you came!!" he said. Ryou looked at Yami and smiled.

"Sorry, I kinda snuck in." he said. "Never do it again, okay?" Ryou laughed and nodded. "Never again, Yami, I promise." He said. "How are you feeling?" Yami asked. "Fine, but it hurts a little." Ryou replied. "It should. The infection isn't completely gone yet." Talla said from the door. "Jounouchi told me you are awake." She said, walking over to Ryou. "So, your name is Ryou, and yours is Yami?" she asked. "I forgot to ask earlier. Let's take a look at your wound, okay?"

"If you want." Ryou said. Talla smiled and unwrapped the wound. "Amazing! The infection is completely gone! I would have thought that it would still be there for at least another two days. It looks like your pain is the effect of it healing." She wrapped the wound with new bandages and Ryou laid back down. "You should be able to start walking around in two days, Ryou. Pretty lucky, considering the arrow went in deep." She said.

"One of many injuries that I have had." Ryou said. Yami shook his head at his friend. "When will you learn?" he asked. "Never." Ryou laughed. "How long have we been here?" Yugi stepped up beside Yami. "A week." He answered. "Yami just woke up two days ago." He said. "At least you weren't hurt badly." Ryou said, relief in his voice. "Get some rest, Ryou. I'll see you later." Ryou nodded and closed his eyes again. Yugi, Yami, and Talla left the house and Talla walked back to her own.

"You and Ryou are old friends?" Yugi asked. "Yami nodded. "He is probably my best friend." He said. "Jou and I have been friends for a long time, too. Anzu, Talla's daughter, and Honda are our other best friends." He said. "Who is Anzu?" Yugi pointed over to a young woman with brown hair that was laughing and playing with the kids. "She is. She's 18, like the rest of us." Yami looked down at Yugi. "I never would have thought that you are 18." He said. Yugi smiled up at him.

"It's okay. I may be an inch or so shorter than you, but I'm older then I look." He said. "That's for certain. You are a little too mature to be a little kid, like them." Yami said, nodding over to the children Anzu was playing with.

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A guard ran through the palace to the throne room, two men carrying one of the three Magi that went with the Pharaoh behind him. He burst into the room and startled Saren, Seto, and the councilmen. "Sorceress! A Magi was just found!" Saren stood from the throne. She always covered for Yami when he was away. "One of the Magi we sent with Yami?" she asked, fear in her voice. "Yes." The two men walked into the room and set the Magi down.

Saren and Seto ran over to him. "What happened?" Saren asked. The Magi gasped for breath. "The . . .Caravan was attacked . . ." he panted out. Saren pulled the arrow out of his chest. "You're lucky you survived this long." She said. She placed her hand over the wound and it began to glow, healing it. "I've done what I can, but it was in too deep. How long ago did you leave the caravan?" she asked. "Se . . .ven . . .days . . .ago." he said. He clutched onto her, gasping for breath. "Pharaoh . . .injured . . .maybe . . ." his breathing then stopped and his arms fell limp.

Saren felt for a pulse. "He's dead." She said. Seto stood up. "Assemble a secret search party, we must find the Pharaoh!" he said. The three guards nodded and ran out of the room to assemble the Magi. Saren stood. "I'm going to go, aswell." She said. Seto looked into her eyes. "But you can't! Someone must fill in for the Pharaoh!" he protested. "You worry about Yami, correct?" Seto nodded. "Then I'm going. You have my permission to take care of things here until I return. And I will return with the Pharaoh." She said.

Eyes determined, she walked out of the room. Seto watched as she left. 'I pray you return with him.' He thought.

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LK: Well, there's chapter 2! Heheh! I put you guys in another cliffhanger!!!

Yugi: Yeah, yeah. Horay for cliffhangers. We all know you love to write them.

LK: That is right! But I hate reading them. They really suck then . . .

Yami: Then you know how the readers feel.

LK: Yeah, but I still won't stop!! ^-^ Chapter 3 is in the making!!! So it will hopefully be up tomorrow!! Maybe Friday, but at least I'm doing it!!! ^-^

Yami: **reaches for a chocolate bar** You are doing pretty good with this so far, but when will the good parts come? **chomp**

LK: You must wait, Yami. Geez, what an impatient guy! **raises finger in air** Good advise that you MUST heed. Never steal Yami's chocolate bars, unless you want to die. **pulls out Hershey kisses** Yum!

Yami: **looks at his supposedly half full bag of Hershey kisses and back at LK**

LK: (o^_________^0) **sings** You can't kill the writer!!! **skips happily around while chomping on his chocolate**

Yami: **glares**