A/N: Ya'll better like how fast this was updated. XD Sorry if my responses to ya'll are short... I can't think of
much to say today. -_-;
Borath: *Laughs* I'm glad you liked that part.
*Very flattered by all the praise* Thank you for all the compliments. Glad you liked the little things I added in the chapter. ^_^
Yes, I am cruel. *Evil cackle* But this is your favorite active fanfiction right now? *Eyes get all shiny and she bounces around the room happily*
^_^ Happy you liked the last part of the chapter. I was writing really late at night, so I had no idea if it was any good or not since... I can't accurately tell when it's late. XD But thanks a bunch for the compliments, and the reviews. ^_^
Wingleader Sora Jade: I will review your new chapter. *Nodnod* Just have to remember. XD
Yami's a little less abused in this chapter... But I'm not through with him yet. *Evil cackle*
*Looks innocent, and adjusts her crooked blacklight halo*
Glad you liked the chapter. ^_^ Thanks for the review.
Ashita II: T'is alright. ^_^ Glad you're back, though!
Yesyes, the end was somewhat depressing... I wasn't in a particularly bad mood or anything, though. Just tired and listening to sad music. XD Don't worry, like I told Wingleader Sora Jade, Yami's alive in both Itsumo and Fumetsu, so he couldn't die. Could he? *Evil smirk*
Yes, poor rest of the group. XD
Glad you like Yami B's name. ^_^ And thanks a bunch for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: *Very flattered* Sankyuu for the compliments. ^_^
I think this counts as a quick update, I hope. ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter and the scene at the end. Thanks again for the review. ^_^
yugiohluver: *Laughs* Glad you liked. Thanks for the review. ^_^
bast4: ^_^ Glad you liked the last scene, too. Dunno about Yuugi helping... Maybe. *Nodnod* But not in this chapter. I'm not done torturing Yami. *Cackles* Thanks for the review. ^_^
Star fire: Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review. ^_^ Hope this update was faster.
Other notes: I got my first doujinshi! *Bounces* Also ordered subtitled DVDs, and another doujinshi. *Spins* Happy happy happy. The doujinshi I got is called 'Strawberry on the Shortcake', and by Romuromuclub. It's a short collection of three stories about Jou and Yami. Only a touch of shounen-ai, which surprised me. There's a stand alone picture of an almost-kiss, and that's it. (Not that I don't like shounen-ai/yaoi, of course. XD) It's too darn adorable. Anyone wants to see pictures, email me. ^_^
As for something actually relevant... The camels in this chapter have one hump... Dromedary, are they called? Can't remember.... And the information on the horses should be right, *Nodnod* I hope, at least... And as for Egypt, I think I finally got that figured out, too. Thebes and Luxor are pretty much one city, split by the Nile. The eastern half is Luxor, and the western is Thebes.
Also, was rereading some of my earlier chapters (and cringing as I did so) and I noticed that I'd said my original hope for the story was 70-100 pages. *Sweatdrop* This evil thing's just under 155 so far, not including author notes. *Laughs* I may even make the 30 chapters I was shooting for too. And I have almost 78,000 words.
Warnings: Cursing, probably.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh... So shoo. *Waves lawyers away*
Summary of Last chapter: Lots of driving. People yelled at each other, complained, and then there was much crying. O.o
Preview of this time: Camel and horses! And they'll be off!
Japanese:
None?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Eien; part 23
by: Amiasha
Yuugi hummed softly, rocking back and forth slightly in his seat with his sleeping dark's head again his chest. Continuing to hum, Yuugi set his face in Yami's hair.
Everyone was back in their cars, trying to get to the Valley before noon; while the sun would be high when they were on horse and camel back, it wouldn't have been up for too long.
Thankfully, they had been able to bring Yami's fever down again, though the whole ordeal had exhausted the spirit and he had fallen asleep soon afterward. Sugoroku had insisted on trading with Ryuuji, so he was with his grandchildren and the black haired boy was with Ryou, Malik, and Rishid.
Yuugi took his face out of his dark's hair, sniffling. Sugoroku put his hand on Yuugi's shoulder.
"Yuugi..." He started, but found he couldn't continue. Yuugi hadn't spoken to anyone since earlier, and Sugoroku was becoming concerned for his younger grandson as well as his older one. The littler boy was pale and very depressed.
Yuugi didn't even acknowledge Sugoroku, his attention completely on Yami. Humming soothingly, he ran his fingers through the spirit's hair. Yami was twitching slightly in his sleep, frowning, and Yuugi could tell he was having a nightmare even without using their link. The younger boy was torn between waking him and letting him sleep.
"Yuug'?" Joey asked, turning around in his seat like he'd been doing so often.
The teen ignored him, looking down at his dark. 'Joey doesn't matter right now.' Yuugi thought softly. 'I want every second I can get with Yami...'
"Yuug', just wanted to let ya' know we're in Luxor... We'll be crossin' the Nile 'ere soon." Joey continued.
Unsurprisingly, Yuugi didn't respond, trying to figure out what he should do. 'I don't want to wake him, but I don't want to let him-' Fortunately for the boy, his dilemma was fixed as the spirit awoke again, this time with a start.
Yami's eyes snapped open and he sat up, blinking rapidly but not appearing to be as ill as he was earlier. Yuugi'd noticed that the symptoms seemed to come and go drastically.
"'Ey Yami, how're ya'?" Joey asked, noticing the movement from the back seat.
Still somewhat disoriented, the spirit took a few moments to collect himself before locking eyes with Joey. "I'm alright..." He murmured softly, laying his head on Yuugi's shoulder.
"That's good." Sugoroku said gently. "We're almost to Luxor, Yami. It won't be more than another thirty minutes before we switch over to camels and horses. Do you think you'll be okay? Once we get deeper into the Valley and start going into the tombs, it'll be cooler. Shaadii says it won't be too long to get down into the Valley." He said.
Yami slowly processed his grandfather's words, getting frustrated that it was taking so much effort to do such simple things. "Don't worry." Yami assured, nestling his face deeper into Yuugi's sleeve and shutting his eyes, hoping people would quit asking his questions.
Yuugi pet his dark's head lovingly, opening the mental link as he did so. /This is almost all worked out./ He said soothingly. /Soon we'll be into the Valley, and there we'll find-/
//Quite possibly nothing.// Yami interrupted, taking his face out of Yuugi's sleeve and looking up at him. //Not our enemy, not a cure, NOTHING.//
/Don't think like that.../ Yuugi scolded mentally. /You know that won't help. Come on... Every other time it's seemed hopeless it wasn't. Remember the duel with Mai? Pegasus? Strings? Yami Malik?/
Giving a weak smile, Yami snuggled up against Yuugi's side. //I suppose you're right...// He conceded, eyes becoming halflidded. //But Yuugi... What if I...//
/We'll cross that if it ever happens./ Yuugi replied carefully. /Just... Know that I love you... And I'll always be with you.../ Yuugi shook his head and gave Yami a determined look. /And we'll be going home to Domino together!/
Giving a true smile out of happiness, Yami shut his eyes again and fell into a peaceful sleep against Yuugi. **************
"Freedom!" Malik shouted, shooting like a rocket out of his car. Bekhura looking slightly green, followed him.
"Shut up for the love of Ra." The thief said, smacking Malik upside the head. "Don't you ever have to breath?"
Malik grinned cheerfully at Bekhura and took an annoyingly loud breath.
Stalking over to them both, Yuugi put his hands on his hips. "Keep it down." He scolded. "Either of you wake Yami and I'll... Do something very bad to you."
Bekhura just looked at him. "Go away, little man."
Yuugi opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Isis. "Everyone, gather up, we're going to go over the next part of the plan." She told them, leading them all over to where the others we huddled around one of the cars.
They had all crossed the Nile, and gone into Thebes where they had stopped on the outskirts of the city. Thebes was much like Cairo in that it was bustling and packed, and all golden. Mahaado and Mana had come out as soon as the cars had parked.
"Now." Isis said. "Our next course of action is to rent some camels and horses."
"Again, noooooooooooooo!" Malik said dramatically.
"Quiet, Malik..." Isis responded irritably, obviously stressed about the whole ordeal and not needing her annoying brother adding to the chaos. "We already decided you get a horse."
Satisfied by that, Malik shut up.
"Only problem is, do you think our Pharaoh will be well enough to ride? Or should someone hold him?" Isis asked, bringing up a good question.
"We'd planned for he and I to be together on a horse." Yuugi spoke up, for the first time in almost two hours. "If he can't ride, I can. He'll probably just want to sleep anyway."
Isis nodded, and so did Bekhura. "Good." The black haired woman said. "That's settled."
"The Valley is only another 15 miles west." Bekhura added. "Camels and horses go, reasonably, at about 7 miles an hour while walking. We would get there in a little over two hours."
Shaadii dipped his head in agreement. "Once we get to the entrance of the Valley," He said, his Egyptian accent coming across heavily, "I will use the Millennium Ankh to shield us from view of anyone who may be watching. I cannot do that for long with so many people, so we'll need to hurry and get into one of the tombs."
"How will we know what tomb to enter?" Tristan asked.
Shaadii shook his head. "We'll have to go systematically. I do not know which tomb would hold what we're seeking, only which tombs belong to which Pharaoh." He answered.
Pegasus looked toward Shaadii. "What about Yami-boy's father's tomb? It would be a good place to look for a cure, or the guy. And where was Yami-boy's tomb? I'd think we would want to look there."
Sugoroku added his own comments. "Yami's tomb is off to the side, out of the valley. It's not very inviting, but there are some rooms I haven't been into that may be helpful."
To his surprise, Mahaado laughed. "I'm sorry." He apologized, looking at the other's confused expressions. "But I found that very ironic. Mr Motou, your former incarnation was the one who designed our Pharaoh's tomb."
Sugoroku smiled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That would explain how I could get into there and retrieve the Puzzle successfully."
Isis smiled around at them. "Alright, then it's settled. Pegasus, Shaadii, Rishid, would you three accompany me to get some camels and horses?" She requested.
The three men nodded at once, and followed after the Egyptologist as she led them off, giving a call over her shoulder to the others to stay put.
And so they did. With much complaining.
"Malik, you're too close to me."
"Bakura is too close to ME."
"I don't like any of you. Go away."
While Mai, Malik, and Bekhura bickered, Yami began to wake up again. The spirit's eyes fluttered and opened, looking up blearily at Joey, who had set the smaller teen in his lap. Sugoroku came over and kneeled down, and Yuugi took his dark's hand again. /Hi./
Yami smiled. //Hello, Aibou.// He said, a little too cheery for someone in his condition.
Yuugi touched his forehead to the other boy's. /We're in Thebes./ He explained. /Isis took Pegasus, Shaadii, and Rishid to go get camels and horses and then we'll be heading into the Valley. It'll be another two hours or so to get there./
Yami nodded. //Alright...// He said. Looking up toward Joey and then Sugoroku, the spirit smiled again. "Hello..." He said softly, to let them know he was alright.
Sugoroku smiled fondly at his oldest grandson, brushing his bangs back. "Hello Yami."
The four were distracted at a loud, annoyed comment.
"What-, damn-, what's with the damn bugs!?" Bekhura asked in annoyance, swatting at the air with every word. "They're all OVER the damn place!" Indeed, bugs were buzzing around noisily. Glancing around at his comrades, Bekhura saw they were suffering a similar fate. Except for one of them.
"Pharaoh, what the hell?" The white haired thief asked in a tone that was a combination between annoyance and amusement. "How...?"
Yami glanced his way, lifted his head and shrugged weakly, then laid his head back against Joey's chest. "I guess... The gods feel bad..." He murmured.
Bekhura blinked, then tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That could be..." He mused. After a few moments, he cupped his hands around his mouth and looked up into the sky. "Oi! Anyone listening up there!? I'm abused too, save me from the bugs!"
Everyone laughed at that. Unexpectedly, Bekhura wasn't saved by the gods.
"That's it, the damn bugs are going to the Shadow Realm." The spirit decided, his eyes narrowed and hair blowing around in a dangerous manner. Dangerous because someone could get hit in the face by the long white spikes, not dangerous for any other reason.
"No." Mahaado spoke up. "You are not sending the bugs to the Shadow Realm. They're a problem for people who live in this realm." He stated, then a few seconds later smacked his face, glared at the squished mosquito in his hand, and wiped it on his skirt.
Mana laughed so hard she almost fell out of the air.
Continuing as if nothing had happened, Mahaado glared back at Bekhura. "Bugs, not in the Shadow Realm." The magician repeated, waving his finger back and forth in the 'nono' manner.
Joey snorted loudly, and even Yuugi and Yami had to smile at that. No one could really tell if the magician meant to be funny or just was, without knowing it. Either was possible. Mahaado was sort of weird.
Bekhura gave a last glare at Mahaado, before turning to Ryou. "Watch. Time." He said, and Ryou knew exactly what he meant.
"It's 12:15." Ryou told the spirit, looking at his watch. "We're right on time."
Bekhura nodded, then looked over at Yuugi. "Filled our Pharaoh in yet?" He asked, making his way over to the Motous and Joey.
Yuugi nodded as well, giving Yami a warning glare as the spirit tried to get to his feet. He pointed firmly at the ground, and Yami stopped his attempts halfway through.
"Good thing you're feeling better, but don't go and throw that all away. We need to you for the fight." Bekhura said and patted Yami on the head, knowing it would annoy the other to no end. And he was right.
"I still have... A free slap..." Yami told him haltingly, his glare never faltering even as his voice did. "Don't make me use it..."
Bekhura chuckled. "Pharaoh, I'd be very impressed if you could hit me hard enough I could feel it. Save the slap for when we get back to Japan." He said, grinning.
Yami caught the implications of Bekhura's statement and smiled slightly, nodding slowly in gratitude.
Serenity, wearing the cute pink tanktop Mai had bought her, shifted from foot to foot in boredom. She looked up at Tristan, who was very amused by a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes. He was almost crosseyed looking at it, and blew experimentally, causing the lock to float up, then fall back down exactly where it had been. Very unproductive.
But then again, the group really had nothing to do until Isis and the other guys returned.
Mafdet mewed, jumping out of the car which's door had been left open, and trotted over to her owner. She sat down, looking expectantly at Yami, and curled her tail around her feet. A few moments later she gave an annoyed meow.
Yami groaned and looked at Yuugi. "Gods... Can you figure out what she wants?" He asked, putting the heel of his palm against his head.
Yuugi looked at Mafdet. "What?" He asked. "We've been feeding you, so you're not starving or anything..."
Mafdet glared, and shifted a little to curl her tail more tightly around her. She meowed again.
Yuugi just blinked. "... I don't get it."
Annoyed, the kitten got to her feet, stuck her tail in the air, and stalked off toward Tea.
Yuugi exchanged glances with Yami, both boys completely confused.
"This is fun!" The group heard a very familiar someone say, and they looked over to see Pegasus, Isis, Shaadii, and Rishid coming towards them with horses and camels. Pegasus, who had spoken, was bouncing cheerily along as all the animals, for some odd reason, nuzzled his hair.
"Alright everyone." Isis said, handing the reigns of the respective animals to their respective riders and giving an amused glance toward Pegasus. "I suppose we should've asked this earlier, but is there anyone who doesn't know how to ride?"
The group exchanged glances with each other, but no one spoke up to say they didn't know what they were doing.
"Good." Isis said. "Then you'll be able to manage? Maybe I should quiz just in case." She suggested dryly, noticing that Joey was much more interested in the fake gold on his camel's bridle than what she was saying. "Joey." She said.
"Huh? What?" Joey asked, looking up.
"Tell me... How do you make a camel stop?" Isis asked calmly.
"Er... You just flip the reigns and say 'Whoa!', right? Like horses?" Joey asked, smiling confidently as if he actually knew what he was doing.
Everyone stared at him.
"Camels aren't dogs, you silly mortal." Bekhura said. "They don't stop when you tell them. For that matter, neither to dogs. Only Mafdet does that."
Mafdet gave him a look that plainly said 'I do exactly what I want, spirit.'
"And horses don't stop like that either." Pegasus added, climbing surprisingly gracefully onto the back of his camel. "There's no reign flipping. Just pull back."
"Oh." Joey said, pouting.
Yami figured this would be a good time to get up, seeing as how he'd need to ride a horse, and slowly managed to get into a crouching position without Yuugi, Sugoroku, or Joey noticing. Surprising, considering he was pretty much in Joey's lap and Sugoroku and Yuugi were right next to him.
/Yami, you shouldn't-/ Yuugi protested, finally catching sight of the spirit who'd pretty much stood up. /Come on, let people help you. That's what friends are for, you know." He chastised, taking his dark's arm.
Yami turned his head towards the boy. //Aibou...// He said. //I need to get onto the horse. This isn't something that I could be lifted onto or something.// Looking away and fixing his gaze on the beautiful Arabian horse, he continued. //Besides... I need to prove to myself I can still do something...//
Yuugi's expression saddened and he put a hand on his dark's back. /We're almost done./ He said. /If all goes well... We'll be going back to Japan in the morning./
Yami smiled humorlessly, tilting his head in Yuugi's direction. //If all goes well...// He repeated. After a few moments, he spoke again. //Aibou... I feel very strangely... Something keeps telling me that everything's going to go wrong and there'll be some sort of tragedy.//
/Is it going to be you?/ Yuugi asked softly, looking down at the sand at his feet.
//...I don't know... Aibou... I wish I knew but I don't...// Shutting his eyes tightly, the spirit swayed on the spot, placing the heels of both his hands against his forehead.
Yuugi put his other arm around his dark, supporting him slightly and letting the spirit lean against him. /It'll be alright.../ He assured. /Don't worry. We'll just be careful; everything'll be alright./ Giving him a smile, Yuugi changed the subject. /Let's get up on the horse. I have some idea of how to ride, but not really. I assume you know?/
Returning the smile, Yami nodded. //Yes, I do. I'll tell you want to do.// Carefully taking his weight off Yuugi but still holding onto his arms for support, Yami turned his attention toward the horse again.
The Arabian that the Motou boys were going to ride was a beautiful pure white color, like a knight's horse from a fairy tale. It's eyes were large and brown, with white hooves and a long snowy mane and tail. Tossing it's head majestically, it locked eyes with Yuugi, and then Yami.
Yuugi smiled at Yami and led him over toward the Arabian, arm wrapped around the spirit's waist. Looking over at Isis, Yuugi called, "Isis! Is our horse a male or a female?"
Isis smiled at him. "She's a mare." She answered, mounting her camel which was looking very bored and telling Malik to start attaching the bags of supplies they had brought to the camels.
Yuugi and Yami returned their attention to the mare, and found themselves looking up aways. The tops of the boys' heads came only an inch above the withers of the horse.
/Yami?/ Yuugi said slowly.
//Yes?// Yami asked.
/... We're short./
//Yes we are.//
Both boys blinked at the horse, and at the same time turned toward Joey. "Joey! We need help!"
Laughing, Joey made his way toward them. Still giggling, he put his hands on his hips and smiled down at the shorter teens. "I was wonderin' if eitha' of you could get up 'dere... Isis shoulda' got you two a pony."
Yuugi gave a fake glare at the blond, stroking the Arabian's neck. "Just help us a little, okay?"
Still laughing, Joey nodded. "Sure, no problem. Whicha' you is gonna' be in front?"
"I'm going to." Yuugi answered.
"Alright. Yami, I'll get you up 'dere first, and 'den Yuug'." Joey said, nodding again. "Put your hands up on 'da horse's back, and I'll lace my fingers and let you step up."
Yami nodded, a little nervous about the whole idea and hoping he wouldn't fall or pass out or something, and did as he was told. Joey knelt down next him and laced his fingers together, letting Yami step carefully onto Joey's hand and the blond to lift him up so the spirit could get a leg over the horse's back. It went surprisingly well.
Blinking, the older Motou looked around from on the Arabian's back. "That... Actually worked." He marveled.
Joey grinned and gave the thumbs up. "Of course it did." He said cheerfully. "Was 'dere ever a doubt?"
Yuugi looked at him exasperatedly, and Joey laughed again and put his hands back together so Yuugi could climb up.
Another few moments later and both boys, and Mafdet who had insisted loudly from by Joey's sneakers, were onto the mare's back. The Arabian herself looked incredibly cheery and ready to go, yet seemed to be trying to let everyone know she was better than them at the same time. Mafdet yawned and flopped down casually in front of Yuugi.
Almost all of the group had successfully mounted their camels or horses. Bekhura and Ryou's Arabian, a dark chestnut stallion, was stepping in place and tossing his head, and Malik's black Arabian mare was walking around in a circle. The two Motou boys noticed that both Malik and the mare were avoiding the camels like the plague.
Surprisingly enough, the only person who wasn't ready to go was Seto. The CEO had his hands on his hips, glaring up at the camel that Mokuba was seated on and that seemed to be trying to eat Seto whenever he got too close.
"That's MY brother." Seto growled at the camel, which made an annoyed noise. Taking a step toward the animal, Seto backed up again when the camel stepped towards him.
Isis laughed, sliding off her camel and walking over to Seto. "Now now." She said to the sandy colored animal. "Stop being so stubborn." Making a clicking noise with her tongue, she called the animal over easily and it calmly stood next to her. "Let Seto up. He's generally a good person."
Giving Isis a look that was a cross between a glare and appreciation, Seto cautiously made his way over while Isis held the camel's reigns. With the Egyptian woman there, Seto was able to climb up.
"See!?" Malik said, pointing at the camel from his horse's back. "They're moody, vicious animals."
Isis gave her brother a glare. "They wouldn't dislike you so much if you didn't insult them."
Malik glared right back, leaning towards her around the mare's neck. "I wouldn't INSULT them, if they hadn't STARTED it."
Isis put her hands on her hips. "Malik." She said. "All it did was blow in your hair."
"That was not all!" Malik protested loudly, pointing at his sister. "It spit on me too!"
"Not on purpose." Isis replied, rolling her eyes.
The rest of the group, meanwhile, was trying to contain their laughter. Well, everyone besides Bekhura, who was just cackling all he wanted to.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: This chapter was a little lighter since I didn't want it TOO sad. It's going to be more than sad enough later. Anyway, hope you all liked. ^_^
Please review!
Borath: *Laughs* I'm glad you liked that part.
*Very flattered by all the praise* Thank you for all the compliments. Glad you liked the little things I added in the chapter. ^_^
Yes, I am cruel. *Evil cackle* But this is your favorite active fanfiction right now? *Eyes get all shiny and she bounces around the room happily*
^_^ Happy you liked the last part of the chapter. I was writing really late at night, so I had no idea if it was any good or not since... I can't accurately tell when it's late. XD But thanks a bunch for the compliments, and the reviews. ^_^
Wingleader Sora Jade: I will review your new chapter. *Nodnod* Just have to remember. XD
Yami's a little less abused in this chapter... But I'm not through with him yet. *Evil cackle*
*Looks innocent, and adjusts her crooked blacklight halo*
Glad you liked the chapter. ^_^ Thanks for the review.
Ashita II: T'is alright. ^_^ Glad you're back, though!
Yesyes, the end was somewhat depressing... I wasn't in a particularly bad mood or anything, though. Just tired and listening to sad music. XD Don't worry, like I told Wingleader Sora Jade, Yami's alive in both Itsumo and Fumetsu, so he couldn't die. Could he? *Evil smirk*
Yes, poor rest of the group. XD
Glad you like Yami B's name. ^_^ And thanks a bunch for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: *Very flattered* Sankyuu for the compliments. ^_^
I think this counts as a quick update, I hope. ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter and the scene at the end. Thanks again for the review. ^_^
yugiohluver: *Laughs* Glad you liked. Thanks for the review. ^_^
bast4: ^_^ Glad you liked the last scene, too. Dunno about Yuugi helping... Maybe. *Nodnod* But not in this chapter. I'm not done torturing Yami. *Cackles* Thanks for the review. ^_^
Star fire: Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review. ^_^ Hope this update was faster.
Other notes: I got my first doujinshi! *Bounces* Also ordered subtitled DVDs, and another doujinshi. *Spins* Happy happy happy. The doujinshi I got is called 'Strawberry on the Shortcake', and by Romuromuclub. It's a short collection of three stories about Jou and Yami. Only a touch of shounen-ai, which surprised me. There's a stand alone picture of an almost-kiss, and that's it. (Not that I don't like shounen-ai/yaoi, of course. XD) It's too darn adorable. Anyone wants to see pictures, email me. ^_^
As for something actually relevant... The camels in this chapter have one hump... Dromedary, are they called? Can't remember.... And the information on the horses should be right, *Nodnod* I hope, at least... And as for Egypt, I think I finally got that figured out, too. Thebes and Luxor are pretty much one city, split by the Nile. The eastern half is Luxor, and the western is Thebes.
Also, was rereading some of my earlier chapters (and cringing as I did so) and I noticed that I'd said my original hope for the story was 70-100 pages. *Sweatdrop* This evil thing's just under 155 so far, not including author notes. *Laughs* I may even make the 30 chapters I was shooting for too. And I have almost 78,000 words.
Warnings: Cursing, probably.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh... So shoo. *Waves lawyers away*
Summary of Last chapter: Lots of driving. People yelled at each other, complained, and then there was much crying. O.o
Preview of this time: Camel and horses! And they'll be off!
Japanese:
None?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Eien; part 23
by: Amiasha
Yuugi hummed softly, rocking back and forth slightly in his seat with his sleeping dark's head again his chest. Continuing to hum, Yuugi set his face in Yami's hair.
Everyone was back in their cars, trying to get to the Valley before noon; while the sun would be high when they were on horse and camel back, it wouldn't have been up for too long.
Thankfully, they had been able to bring Yami's fever down again, though the whole ordeal had exhausted the spirit and he had fallen asleep soon afterward. Sugoroku had insisted on trading with Ryuuji, so he was with his grandchildren and the black haired boy was with Ryou, Malik, and Rishid.
Yuugi took his face out of his dark's hair, sniffling. Sugoroku put his hand on Yuugi's shoulder.
"Yuugi..." He started, but found he couldn't continue. Yuugi hadn't spoken to anyone since earlier, and Sugoroku was becoming concerned for his younger grandson as well as his older one. The littler boy was pale and very depressed.
Yuugi didn't even acknowledge Sugoroku, his attention completely on Yami. Humming soothingly, he ran his fingers through the spirit's hair. Yami was twitching slightly in his sleep, frowning, and Yuugi could tell he was having a nightmare even without using their link. The younger boy was torn between waking him and letting him sleep.
"Yuug'?" Joey asked, turning around in his seat like he'd been doing so often.
The teen ignored him, looking down at his dark. 'Joey doesn't matter right now.' Yuugi thought softly. 'I want every second I can get with Yami...'
"Yuug', just wanted to let ya' know we're in Luxor... We'll be crossin' the Nile 'ere soon." Joey continued.
Unsurprisingly, Yuugi didn't respond, trying to figure out what he should do. 'I don't want to wake him, but I don't want to let him-' Fortunately for the boy, his dilemma was fixed as the spirit awoke again, this time with a start.
Yami's eyes snapped open and he sat up, blinking rapidly but not appearing to be as ill as he was earlier. Yuugi'd noticed that the symptoms seemed to come and go drastically.
"'Ey Yami, how're ya'?" Joey asked, noticing the movement from the back seat.
Still somewhat disoriented, the spirit took a few moments to collect himself before locking eyes with Joey. "I'm alright..." He murmured softly, laying his head on Yuugi's shoulder.
"That's good." Sugoroku said gently. "We're almost to Luxor, Yami. It won't be more than another thirty minutes before we switch over to camels and horses. Do you think you'll be okay? Once we get deeper into the Valley and start going into the tombs, it'll be cooler. Shaadii says it won't be too long to get down into the Valley." He said.
Yami slowly processed his grandfather's words, getting frustrated that it was taking so much effort to do such simple things. "Don't worry." Yami assured, nestling his face deeper into Yuugi's sleeve and shutting his eyes, hoping people would quit asking his questions.
Yuugi pet his dark's head lovingly, opening the mental link as he did so. /This is almost all worked out./ He said soothingly. /Soon we'll be into the Valley, and there we'll find-/
//Quite possibly nothing.// Yami interrupted, taking his face out of Yuugi's sleeve and looking up at him. //Not our enemy, not a cure, NOTHING.//
/Don't think like that.../ Yuugi scolded mentally. /You know that won't help. Come on... Every other time it's seemed hopeless it wasn't. Remember the duel with Mai? Pegasus? Strings? Yami Malik?/
Giving a weak smile, Yami snuggled up against Yuugi's side. //I suppose you're right...// He conceded, eyes becoming halflidded. //But Yuugi... What if I...//
/We'll cross that if it ever happens./ Yuugi replied carefully. /Just... Know that I love you... And I'll always be with you.../ Yuugi shook his head and gave Yami a determined look. /And we'll be going home to Domino together!/
Giving a true smile out of happiness, Yami shut his eyes again and fell into a peaceful sleep against Yuugi. **************
"Freedom!" Malik shouted, shooting like a rocket out of his car. Bekhura looking slightly green, followed him.
"Shut up for the love of Ra." The thief said, smacking Malik upside the head. "Don't you ever have to breath?"
Malik grinned cheerfully at Bekhura and took an annoyingly loud breath.
Stalking over to them both, Yuugi put his hands on his hips. "Keep it down." He scolded. "Either of you wake Yami and I'll... Do something very bad to you."
Bekhura just looked at him. "Go away, little man."
Yuugi opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Isis. "Everyone, gather up, we're going to go over the next part of the plan." She told them, leading them all over to where the others we huddled around one of the cars.
They had all crossed the Nile, and gone into Thebes where they had stopped on the outskirts of the city. Thebes was much like Cairo in that it was bustling and packed, and all golden. Mahaado and Mana had come out as soon as the cars had parked.
"Now." Isis said. "Our next course of action is to rent some camels and horses."
"Again, noooooooooooooo!" Malik said dramatically.
"Quiet, Malik..." Isis responded irritably, obviously stressed about the whole ordeal and not needing her annoying brother adding to the chaos. "We already decided you get a horse."
Satisfied by that, Malik shut up.
"Only problem is, do you think our Pharaoh will be well enough to ride? Or should someone hold him?" Isis asked, bringing up a good question.
"We'd planned for he and I to be together on a horse." Yuugi spoke up, for the first time in almost two hours. "If he can't ride, I can. He'll probably just want to sleep anyway."
Isis nodded, and so did Bekhura. "Good." The black haired woman said. "That's settled."
"The Valley is only another 15 miles west." Bekhura added. "Camels and horses go, reasonably, at about 7 miles an hour while walking. We would get there in a little over two hours."
Shaadii dipped his head in agreement. "Once we get to the entrance of the Valley," He said, his Egyptian accent coming across heavily, "I will use the Millennium Ankh to shield us from view of anyone who may be watching. I cannot do that for long with so many people, so we'll need to hurry and get into one of the tombs."
"How will we know what tomb to enter?" Tristan asked.
Shaadii shook his head. "We'll have to go systematically. I do not know which tomb would hold what we're seeking, only which tombs belong to which Pharaoh." He answered.
Pegasus looked toward Shaadii. "What about Yami-boy's father's tomb? It would be a good place to look for a cure, or the guy. And where was Yami-boy's tomb? I'd think we would want to look there."
Sugoroku added his own comments. "Yami's tomb is off to the side, out of the valley. It's not very inviting, but there are some rooms I haven't been into that may be helpful."
To his surprise, Mahaado laughed. "I'm sorry." He apologized, looking at the other's confused expressions. "But I found that very ironic. Mr Motou, your former incarnation was the one who designed our Pharaoh's tomb."
Sugoroku smiled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That would explain how I could get into there and retrieve the Puzzle successfully."
Isis smiled around at them. "Alright, then it's settled. Pegasus, Shaadii, Rishid, would you three accompany me to get some camels and horses?" She requested.
The three men nodded at once, and followed after the Egyptologist as she led them off, giving a call over her shoulder to the others to stay put.
And so they did. With much complaining.
"Malik, you're too close to me."
"Bakura is too close to ME."
"I don't like any of you. Go away."
While Mai, Malik, and Bekhura bickered, Yami began to wake up again. The spirit's eyes fluttered and opened, looking up blearily at Joey, who had set the smaller teen in his lap. Sugoroku came over and kneeled down, and Yuugi took his dark's hand again. /Hi./
Yami smiled. //Hello, Aibou.// He said, a little too cheery for someone in his condition.
Yuugi touched his forehead to the other boy's. /We're in Thebes./ He explained. /Isis took Pegasus, Shaadii, and Rishid to go get camels and horses and then we'll be heading into the Valley. It'll be another two hours or so to get there./
Yami nodded. //Alright...// He said. Looking up toward Joey and then Sugoroku, the spirit smiled again. "Hello..." He said softly, to let them know he was alright.
Sugoroku smiled fondly at his oldest grandson, brushing his bangs back. "Hello Yami."
The four were distracted at a loud, annoyed comment.
"What-, damn-, what's with the damn bugs!?" Bekhura asked in annoyance, swatting at the air with every word. "They're all OVER the damn place!" Indeed, bugs were buzzing around noisily. Glancing around at his comrades, Bekhura saw they were suffering a similar fate. Except for one of them.
"Pharaoh, what the hell?" The white haired thief asked in a tone that was a combination between annoyance and amusement. "How...?"
Yami glanced his way, lifted his head and shrugged weakly, then laid his head back against Joey's chest. "I guess... The gods feel bad..." He murmured.
Bekhura blinked, then tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That could be..." He mused. After a few moments, he cupped his hands around his mouth and looked up into the sky. "Oi! Anyone listening up there!? I'm abused too, save me from the bugs!"
Everyone laughed at that. Unexpectedly, Bekhura wasn't saved by the gods.
"That's it, the damn bugs are going to the Shadow Realm." The spirit decided, his eyes narrowed and hair blowing around in a dangerous manner. Dangerous because someone could get hit in the face by the long white spikes, not dangerous for any other reason.
"No." Mahaado spoke up. "You are not sending the bugs to the Shadow Realm. They're a problem for people who live in this realm." He stated, then a few seconds later smacked his face, glared at the squished mosquito in his hand, and wiped it on his skirt.
Mana laughed so hard she almost fell out of the air.
Continuing as if nothing had happened, Mahaado glared back at Bekhura. "Bugs, not in the Shadow Realm." The magician repeated, waving his finger back and forth in the 'nono' manner.
Joey snorted loudly, and even Yuugi and Yami had to smile at that. No one could really tell if the magician meant to be funny or just was, without knowing it. Either was possible. Mahaado was sort of weird.
Bekhura gave a last glare at Mahaado, before turning to Ryou. "Watch. Time." He said, and Ryou knew exactly what he meant.
"It's 12:15." Ryou told the spirit, looking at his watch. "We're right on time."
Bekhura nodded, then looked over at Yuugi. "Filled our Pharaoh in yet?" He asked, making his way over to the Motous and Joey.
Yuugi nodded as well, giving Yami a warning glare as the spirit tried to get to his feet. He pointed firmly at the ground, and Yami stopped his attempts halfway through.
"Good thing you're feeling better, but don't go and throw that all away. We need to you for the fight." Bekhura said and patted Yami on the head, knowing it would annoy the other to no end. And he was right.
"I still have... A free slap..." Yami told him haltingly, his glare never faltering even as his voice did. "Don't make me use it..."
Bekhura chuckled. "Pharaoh, I'd be very impressed if you could hit me hard enough I could feel it. Save the slap for when we get back to Japan." He said, grinning.
Yami caught the implications of Bekhura's statement and smiled slightly, nodding slowly in gratitude.
Serenity, wearing the cute pink tanktop Mai had bought her, shifted from foot to foot in boredom. She looked up at Tristan, who was very amused by a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes. He was almost crosseyed looking at it, and blew experimentally, causing the lock to float up, then fall back down exactly where it had been. Very unproductive.
But then again, the group really had nothing to do until Isis and the other guys returned.
Mafdet mewed, jumping out of the car which's door had been left open, and trotted over to her owner. She sat down, looking expectantly at Yami, and curled her tail around her feet. A few moments later she gave an annoyed meow.
Yami groaned and looked at Yuugi. "Gods... Can you figure out what she wants?" He asked, putting the heel of his palm against his head.
Yuugi looked at Mafdet. "What?" He asked. "We've been feeding you, so you're not starving or anything..."
Mafdet glared, and shifted a little to curl her tail more tightly around her. She meowed again.
Yuugi just blinked. "... I don't get it."
Annoyed, the kitten got to her feet, stuck her tail in the air, and stalked off toward Tea.
Yuugi exchanged glances with Yami, both boys completely confused.
"This is fun!" The group heard a very familiar someone say, and they looked over to see Pegasus, Isis, Shaadii, and Rishid coming towards them with horses and camels. Pegasus, who had spoken, was bouncing cheerily along as all the animals, for some odd reason, nuzzled his hair.
"Alright everyone." Isis said, handing the reigns of the respective animals to their respective riders and giving an amused glance toward Pegasus. "I suppose we should've asked this earlier, but is there anyone who doesn't know how to ride?"
The group exchanged glances with each other, but no one spoke up to say they didn't know what they were doing.
"Good." Isis said. "Then you'll be able to manage? Maybe I should quiz just in case." She suggested dryly, noticing that Joey was much more interested in the fake gold on his camel's bridle than what she was saying. "Joey." She said.
"Huh? What?" Joey asked, looking up.
"Tell me... How do you make a camel stop?" Isis asked calmly.
"Er... You just flip the reigns and say 'Whoa!', right? Like horses?" Joey asked, smiling confidently as if he actually knew what he was doing.
Everyone stared at him.
"Camels aren't dogs, you silly mortal." Bekhura said. "They don't stop when you tell them. For that matter, neither to dogs. Only Mafdet does that."
Mafdet gave him a look that plainly said 'I do exactly what I want, spirit.'
"And horses don't stop like that either." Pegasus added, climbing surprisingly gracefully onto the back of his camel. "There's no reign flipping. Just pull back."
"Oh." Joey said, pouting.
Yami figured this would be a good time to get up, seeing as how he'd need to ride a horse, and slowly managed to get into a crouching position without Yuugi, Sugoroku, or Joey noticing. Surprising, considering he was pretty much in Joey's lap and Sugoroku and Yuugi were right next to him.
/Yami, you shouldn't-/ Yuugi protested, finally catching sight of the spirit who'd pretty much stood up. /Come on, let people help you. That's what friends are for, you know." He chastised, taking his dark's arm.
Yami turned his head towards the boy. //Aibou...// He said. //I need to get onto the horse. This isn't something that I could be lifted onto or something.// Looking away and fixing his gaze on the beautiful Arabian horse, he continued. //Besides... I need to prove to myself I can still do something...//
Yuugi's expression saddened and he put a hand on his dark's back. /We're almost done./ He said. /If all goes well... We'll be going back to Japan in the morning./
Yami smiled humorlessly, tilting his head in Yuugi's direction. //If all goes well...// He repeated. After a few moments, he spoke again. //Aibou... I feel very strangely... Something keeps telling me that everything's going to go wrong and there'll be some sort of tragedy.//
/Is it going to be you?/ Yuugi asked softly, looking down at the sand at his feet.
//...I don't know... Aibou... I wish I knew but I don't...// Shutting his eyes tightly, the spirit swayed on the spot, placing the heels of both his hands against his forehead.
Yuugi put his other arm around his dark, supporting him slightly and letting the spirit lean against him. /It'll be alright.../ He assured. /Don't worry. We'll just be careful; everything'll be alright./ Giving him a smile, Yuugi changed the subject. /Let's get up on the horse. I have some idea of how to ride, but not really. I assume you know?/
Returning the smile, Yami nodded. //Yes, I do. I'll tell you want to do.// Carefully taking his weight off Yuugi but still holding onto his arms for support, Yami turned his attention toward the horse again.
The Arabian that the Motou boys were going to ride was a beautiful pure white color, like a knight's horse from a fairy tale. It's eyes were large and brown, with white hooves and a long snowy mane and tail. Tossing it's head majestically, it locked eyes with Yuugi, and then Yami.
Yuugi smiled at Yami and led him over toward the Arabian, arm wrapped around the spirit's waist. Looking over at Isis, Yuugi called, "Isis! Is our horse a male or a female?"
Isis smiled at him. "She's a mare." She answered, mounting her camel which was looking very bored and telling Malik to start attaching the bags of supplies they had brought to the camels.
Yuugi and Yami returned their attention to the mare, and found themselves looking up aways. The tops of the boys' heads came only an inch above the withers of the horse.
/Yami?/ Yuugi said slowly.
//Yes?// Yami asked.
/... We're short./
//Yes we are.//
Both boys blinked at the horse, and at the same time turned toward Joey. "Joey! We need help!"
Laughing, Joey made his way toward them. Still giggling, he put his hands on his hips and smiled down at the shorter teens. "I was wonderin' if eitha' of you could get up 'dere... Isis shoulda' got you two a pony."
Yuugi gave a fake glare at the blond, stroking the Arabian's neck. "Just help us a little, okay?"
Still laughing, Joey nodded. "Sure, no problem. Whicha' you is gonna' be in front?"
"I'm going to." Yuugi answered.
"Alright. Yami, I'll get you up 'dere first, and 'den Yuug'." Joey said, nodding again. "Put your hands up on 'da horse's back, and I'll lace my fingers and let you step up."
Yami nodded, a little nervous about the whole idea and hoping he wouldn't fall or pass out or something, and did as he was told. Joey knelt down next him and laced his fingers together, letting Yami step carefully onto Joey's hand and the blond to lift him up so the spirit could get a leg over the horse's back. It went surprisingly well.
Blinking, the older Motou looked around from on the Arabian's back. "That... Actually worked." He marveled.
Joey grinned and gave the thumbs up. "Of course it did." He said cheerfully. "Was 'dere ever a doubt?"
Yuugi looked at him exasperatedly, and Joey laughed again and put his hands back together so Yuugi could climb up.
Another few moments later and both boys, and Mafdet who had insisted loudly from by Joey's sneakers, were onto the mare's back. The Arabian herself looked incredibly cheery and ready to go, yet seemed to be trying to let everyone know she was better than them at the same time. Mafdet yawned and flopped down casually in front of Yuugi.
Almost all of the group had successfully mounted their camels or horses. Bekhura and Ryou's Arabian, a dark chestnut stallion, was stepping in place and tossing his head, and Malik's black Arabian mare was walking around in a circle. The two Motou boys noticed that both Malik and the mare were avoiding the camels like the plague.
Surprisingly enough, the only person who wasn't ready to go was Seto. The CEO had his hands on his hips, glaring up at the camel that Mokuba was seated on and that seemed to be trying to eat Seto whenever he got too close.
"That's MY brother." Seto growled at the camel, which made an annoyed noise. Taking a step toward the animal, Seto backed up again when the camel stepped towards him.
Isis laughed, sliding off her camel and walking over to Seto. "Now now." She said to the sandy colored animal. "Stop being so stubborn." Making a clicking noise with her tongue, she called the animal over easily and it calmly stood next to her. "Let Seto up. He's generally a good person."
Giving Isis a look that was a cross between a glare and appreciation, Seto cautiously made his way over while Isis held the camel's reigns. With the Egyptian woman there, Seto was able to climb up.
"See!?" Malik said, pointing at the camel from his horse's back. "They're moody, vicious animals."
Isis gave her brother a glare. "They wouldn't dislike you so much if you didn't insult them."
Malik glared right back, leaning towards her around the mare's neck. "I wouldn't INSULT them, if they hadn't STARTED it."
Isis put her hands on her hips. "Malik." She said. "All it did was blow in your hair."
"That was not all!" Malik protested loudly, pointing at his sister. "It spit on me too!"
"Not on purpose." Isis replied, rolling her eyes.
The rest of the group, meanwhile, was trying to contain their laughter. Well, everyone besides Bekhura, who was just cackling all he wanted to.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: This chapter was a little lighter since I didn't want it TOO sad. It's going to be more than sad enough later. Anyway, hope you all liked. ^_^
Please review!