He says he'll be back tonight, she thinks. He'll be back. He'll wrap me
in those arms of his, and it'll be like it always is. Priestess Aishizu
looks at the sundial. The golden sundial was a family relic, a gift from an
Assyrian trader to her great-grandmother. It's about noon. He'll be back by
midnight. She recites it like a litany, over and over. It's strangely
comforting. The torches in their sconces flicker in the dimly lighted
temple walls.
Aishizu is a priestess, the only female out of the six royal priests, a prestigious office, one that has been passed down from mother to daughter in her family for longer than she can remember. She grows weary of it sometimes, for it is a tedious job, a job that she feels stifles her very spirit, the post of High Priestess. She has a burial to preside at this afternoon, and then she will have the rest of the day off.
For the rest of the day, she grows almost feverish with anticipation. No one seems to notice, though. The heat is soporific, and the three other priests have a glazed look in their eyes. There are only five of them this afternoon, since Priest Seth had to accompany the pharaoh to Helios to oversee the building of his pyramid. The burial is uneventful and passes quickly, and the sun is starting to go down when she finally returns to her chambers. She pulls off her headdress and gold jewelry, and slips out of her heavy ceremonial robes, and into a plain white dress. She takes off her shoes, and lets down her hair, and examines her reflection in a plate of shined metal. The events of the day have given a luminous quality to her lapiz-lazuli eyes, and her mane of thick inky blue hair hangs down like a curtain. The other priests are taking their evening meal, and Aishizu slips silently out of the temple and steals toward the riverbank. The other priests are taking their evening meal, and Aishizu slips toward the riverbank.
She sits on the bank, the wind playing with her hair. The air is cool and balmy, but the sand is still warm. She puts her head on her knees and stares beyond the river. For some reason, she feels oddly sentimental. She buries her head in her dress and inhales deeply the scent of the river, of the sun, of this life as a priestess.
Suddenly, she is aware of someone trudging softly on the sand. She freezes, wondering what explanation she could possibly give for sitting out here like this doing nothing. Hastily pulling herself to her feet, she shrieks, and then throws herself into his arms without the least of the decorum that befits a priestess of her rank.
He smiles as she clutches him and buries her head in his chest. I didn't expect you until later tonight, she half mumbles, her face still buried against him. I didn't stay for the night. I started for home instead, he explains. She pulls away awkwardly and smoothes down her hair as she feels slightly embarrassed at her somewhat over-emotional actions. She knows he hates lavish shows of affection. She breathes in and replies in a somewhat more sedate tone that she is glad he is back. He smiles as if he knows what she's thinking and is amused by it. The wind blows suddenly, and he stares down at her. He slowly traces her brow and her cheekbones with his finger. You put all other woman to shame, he says. Mortal or goddess. She leans against him. He is bare chested and his skin is smooth and warm under her fingers. He wraps her in his embrace and Aishizu surrenders herself to the inevitable.
The sands are singing, and the moon is smiling.
He props his head up on his elbow and plays with a lock of her hair. He stares at her with that scrutinizing gaze, his brow furrowed, that stance that Ishizu found so captivating for some obscure reason. He lightly runs his finger up and down her arm. Aishizu doesn't move, but stays lying down. She closes her eyes. How deliciously sating it can be, she thinks, love, this human emotion at its most primal.
~
The next morning at work she sensed that Kaiba was still annoyed at her about last night. Ishizu didn't think that Kaiba could be any colder than he normally was, but she was wrong. His greeting was barely civil and he didn't speak to her for the rest of the day, except when it was absolutely necessary. The other employees were giving her looks. No doubt they were wondering what she had done to provoke him like that. The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, and it wasn't until mid-afternoon that there was a soft tapping on the door. Ishizu had her arms filled with a stack of tax forms, and before she could set them down to answer the door, she heard Kaiba bark out a "Come in." Ishizu could hear the door creak slightly as it opened, and she soon heard a timid female voice.
"Seto..I have something to tell you."
Silence.
"I know this is sudden, and I really don't know how to tell you this, but I'm, ..I'm pregnant."
"Who are you and why the hell should I care?"
There came a sound of a sharp intake of breath. "Why, Seto? Because this is your child. And I'm sorry but I can't raise this baby by myself. I barely make enough to take care of my basic expenses, and there's no possible way I can raise a baby on a receptionists' income. And not only that. I just got fired yesterday. I'm stuck on the street right now. And suppose I do find another job. How am I supposed to find the time to take care of this baby? I thought about abortion..but I just can't bring myself to possibly do it."
Ishizu crept silently to the door and opened it a tiny sliver. She peeked through it.
Kaiba stood up to his full somewhat impressive height. "Damnit, woman, get out of my office right now. I don't have time to deal with your nonsense. So do me a favor and get the hell out of here."
She could see the young woman now. She was about medium height and had curly red hair and blue eyes. The young woman was crying. Ishizu frowned. Kaiba was a sadistic bastard, no doubt about that. She suddenly felt enormously sorry for the young woman and her plight. Ishizu bit her lip and finally decided she couldn't handle it anymore. She hurried out of her office.
Kaiba and the young red-haired woman both turned around and looked at her.
"Miss.."Ishizu looked straight into her eyes. "If you don't have a place to stay, you are welcome to stay with me. In fact, I can take you home right now."
The young woman stared at her for a few minutes. "Thank you very much," she finally said graciously.
"Don't even think about it, Ishtar. In fact, I'm forbidding you to leave before your workday ends. Now get back to work." Kaiba glared at her. Ishizu choked back an angry retort. Now is not the time to anger your boss, she reasoned to herself. But what could she do? She glanced at the young woman, who was still whimpering slightly, her tears meandering down her cheek. How infuriating it was, she thinks, the realization that one is powerless. She knew she couldn't do anything to directly disobey Kaiba, but she also couldn't just say, Sorry miss, but just wait here for about seven hours, and then maybe I can help you.
"Here." Ishizu suddenly had an idea. She pulled a rumpled piece of tissue out of her pocket and handed it to the young woman, and waited for the young woman to dry her tears before pulling her by the hand into her office and shutting the door. "What is your name again?"
She stared at Ishizu for a few minutes before replying. "Linnet."
Ishizu nodded gravely. "Do you have any matches?"
Linnet seemed slightly surprised but pulled a lighter out of her purse and handed it to Ishizu. Ishizu wadded up a piece of paper from her desk, and carefully lit it with the lighter. She caught Linnet's eye and smiled slightly, before tossing the paper into her trashcan. After several seconds, Ishizu's trashcan was blazing cheerfully, and her chair had also caught fire. Ishizu stepped back to admire the effect and then poked her head out of the door to Mr. Kaiba's office.
"Mr. Kaiba..my office is on fire."
Seto Kaiba jumped away from his desk nimbly. "What the hell is going on?"
Ishizu quietly opened the door so Kaiba could see the small inferno in her office. Kaiba began to swear violently.
"If you will excuse me, I will find the fire extinguisher." Ishizu pulled a somewhat dazed Linnet by the hand out the door and to the elevator.
"So are you getting the fire extinguisher?" Linnet asked.
"No."
Linnet blinked. "So you're just leaving Seto in there by himself without a fire extinguisher?"
Ishizu pressed an elevator button. "Seto Kaiba has single-handedly squashed numerous attempts to take over Kaiba Corp., saved his brother from a psychotic wine connoisseur, escaped from the virtual reality his power- hungry former advisors forced him in, and thwarted the plans of my mind- controlling brother. I think he'll be able to cope with a small fire. Besides, how else would we have been able to leave?"
Later in Ishizu's apartment, Linnet unburdened her troubles to Ishizu in a long monologue, punctuated by sobs and tears.
"I don't have anywhere to live right now. I don't have a job. And I have a baby on the way. What am I supposed to do?" On came a fresh spurt of tears, as Ishizu stroked her hair and tried to soothe her.
"Don't worry about it. You can stay right here with me. For as long as you need to."
Linnet smiled tearfully. "Really?"
"Of course."
The next few months were uneventful. Linnet stayed with Ishizu, spending most of her time holed up in Ishizu's spare bedroom, reading and rereading Ishizu's stack of National Geographics or just staring absently out the window. Linnet seemed exceedingly grateful for Ishizu's help, and promised to start searching for a job as soon as possible after her baby was born. Linnet was about five months along when she first moved in with Ishizu, and her stomach started to grow rapidly since then.
Ishizu said nothing to Kaiba about Linnet and he, in turn, never mentioned her. He was so preoccupied with his work that Ishizu doubted he even remembered her. For some reason, Kaiba had also said nothing about her setting part of her office on fire, which was a relief to Ishizu who had expected rather fearfully a furious reaction from him the next morning. But she did have to deal with a slightly scorched smell that still clung to her office.
Ishizu had just returned home from work, and was hanging up her coat. Linnet was staring out the window with a preoccupied expression on her face, absently stroking her belly.
"Hathor." Ishizu suddenly said.
"Excuse me?"
"Hathor. The Egyptian goddess of love and laughter. That's what you have to name your daughter. It'll be like a charm. She'll have a life filled of laughter and love."
"Hathor." Linnet stroked her belly thoughtfully. "But I don't even know if I'm having a girl or not."
"You will." Ishizu spoke with certainty. The fact that she had stopped using her Millenium Necklace had helped her realize her own innate grasp of the future.
And Linnet did have a daughter, after all. It was on a sultry June night that Ishizu rushed her to the hospital, held her hand during her spasms of pain during labor, and it was Ishizu who later received in her arms the little girl named Hathor, Linnet's little daughter destined to a life of love and laughter.
...Well, there's the second chapter..hope you like ^_^. I updated really quickly on this chapter, but I usually update once a month, unless I get a chapter done really fast, in which case I update a lot sooner. And please review...please, please, please...And I don't mind flames as long as they're even remotely *constructive*....(constructive being the key word here...)
Aishizu is a priestess, the only female out of the six royal priests, a prestigious office, one that has been passed down from mother to daughter in her family for longer than she can remember. She grows weary of it sometimes, for it is a tedious job, a job that she feels stifles her very spirit, the post of High Priestess. She has a burial to preside at this afternoon, and then she will have the rest of the day off.
For the rest of the day, she grows almost feverish with anticipation. No one seems to notice, though. The heat is soporific, and the three other priests have a glazed look in their eyes. There are only five of them this afternoon, since Priest Seth had to accompany the pharaoh to Helios to oversee the building of his pyramid. The burial is uneventful and passes quickly, and the sun is starting to go down when she finally returns to her chambers. She pulls off her headdress and gold jewelry, and slips out of her heavy ceremonial robes, and into a plain white dress. She takes off her shoes, and lets down her hair, and examines her reflection in a plate of shined metal. The events of the day have given a luminous quality to her lapiz-lazuli eyes, and her mane of thick inky blue hair hangs down like a curtain. The other priests are taking their evening meal, and Aishizu slips silently out of the temple and steals toward the riverbank. The other priests are taking their evening meal, and Aishizu slips toward the riverbank.
She sits on the bank, the wind playing with her hair. The air is cool and balmy, but the sand is still warm. She puts her head on her knees and stares beyond the river. For some reason, she feels oddly sentimental. She buries her head in her dress and inhales deeply the scent of the river, of the sun, of this life as a priestess.
Suddenly, she is aware of someone trudging softly on the sand. She freezes, wondering what explanation she could possibly give for sitting out here like this doing nothing. Hastily pulling herself to her feet, she shrieks, and then throws herself into his arms without the least of the decorum that befits a priestess of her rank.
He smiles as she clutches him and buries her head in his chest. I didn't expect you until later tonight, she half mumbles, her face still buried against him. I didn't stay for the night. I started for home instead, he explains. She pulls away awkwardly and smoothes down her hair as she feels slightly embarrassed at her somewhat over-emotional actions. She knows he hates lavish shows of affection. She breathes in and replies in a somewhat more sedate tone that she is glad he is back. He smiles as if he knows what she's thinking and is amused by it. The wind blows suddenly, and he stares down at her. He slowly traces her brow and her cheekbones with his finger. You put all other woman to shame, he says. Mortal or goddess. She leans against him. He is bare chested and his skin is smooth and warm under her fingers. He wraps her in his embrace and Aishizu surrenders herself to the inevitable.
The sands are singing, and the moon is smiling.
He props his head up on his elbow and plays with a lock of her hair. He stares at her with that scrutinizing gaze, his brow furrowed, that stance that Ishizu found so captivating for some obscure reason. He lightly runs his finger up and down her arm. Aishizu doesn't move, but stays lying down. She closes her eyes. How deliciously sating it can be, she thinks, love, this human emotion at its most primal.
~
The next morning at work she sensed that Kaiba was still annoyed at her about last night. Ishizu didn't think that Kaiba could be any colder than he normally was, but she was wrong. His greeting was barely civil and he didn't speak to her for the rest of the day, except when it was absolutely necessary. The other employees were giving her looks. No doubt they were wondering what she had done to provoke him like that. The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, and it wasn't until mid-afternoon that there was a soft tapping on the door. Ishizu had her arms filled with a stack of tax forms, and before she could set them down to answer the door, she heard Kaiba bark out a "Come in." Ishizu could hear the door creak slightly as it opened, and she soon heard a timid female voice.
"Seto..I have something to tell you."
Silence.
"I know this is sudden, and I really don't know how to tell you this, but I'm, ..I'm pregnant."
"Who are you and why the hell should I care?"
There came a sound of a sharp intake of breath. "Why, Seto? Because this is your child. And I'm sorry but I can't raise this baby by myself. I barely make enough to take care of my basic expenses, and there's no possible way I can raise a baby on a receptionists' income. And not only that. I just got fired yesterday. I'm stuck on the street right now. And suppose I do find another job. How am I supposed to find the time to take care of this baby? I thought about abortion..but I just can't bring myself to possibly do it."
Ishizu crept silently to the door and opened it a tiny sliver. She peeked through it.
Kaiba stood up to his full somewhat impressive height. "Damnit, woman, get out of my office right now. I don't have time to deal with your nonsense. So do me a favor and get the hell out of here."
She could see the young woman now. She was about medium height and had curly red hair and blue eyes. The young woman was crying. Ishizu frowned. Kaiba was a sadistic bastard, no doubt about that. She suddenly felt enormously sorry for the young woman and her plight. Ishizu bit her lip and finally decided she couldn't handle it anymore. She hurried out of her office.
Kaiba and the young red-haired woman both turned around and looked at her.
"Miss.."Ishizu looked straight into her eyes. "If you don't have a place to stay, you are welcome to stay with me. In fact, I can take you home right now."
The young woman stared at her for a few minutes. "Thank you very much," she finally said graciously.
"Don't even think about it, Ishtar. In fact, I'm forbidding you to leave before your workday ends. Now get back to work." Kaiba glared at her. Ishizu choked back an angry retort. Now is not the time to anger your boss, she reasoned to herself. But what could she do? She glanced at the young woman, who was still whimpering slightly, her tears meandering down her cheek. How infuriating it was, she thinks, the realization that one is powerless. She knew she couldn't do anything to directly disobey Kaiba, but she also couldn't just say, Sorry miss, but just wait here for about seven hours, and then maybe I can help you.
"Here." Ishizu suddenly had an idea. She pulled a rumpled piece of tissue out of her pocket and handed it to the young woman, and waited for the young woman to dry her tears before pulling her by the hand into her office and shutting the door. "What is your name again?"
She stared at Ishizu for a few minutes before replying. "Linnet."
Ishizu nodded gravely. "Do you have any matches?"
Linnet seemed slightly surprised but pulled a lighter out of her purse and handed it to Ishizu. Ishizu wadded up a piece of paper from her desk, and carefully lit it with the lighter. She caught Linnet's eye and smiled slightly, before tossing the paper into her trashcan. After several seconds, Ishizu's trashcan was blazing cheerfully, and her chair had also caught fire. Ishizu stepped back to admire the effect and then poked her head out of the door to Mr. Kaiba's office.
"Mr. Kaiba..my office is on fire."
Seto Kaiba jumped away from his desk nimbly. "What the hell is going on?"
Ishizu quietly opened the door so Kaiba could see the small inferno in her office. Kaiba began to swear violently.
"If you will excuse me, I will find the fire extinguisher." Ishizu pulled a somewhat dazed Linnet by the hand out the door and to the elevator.
"So are you getting the fire extinguisher?" Linnet asked.
"No."
Linnet blinked. "So you're just leaving Seto in there by himself without a fire extinguisher?"
Ishizu pressed an elevator button. "Seto Kaiba has single-handedly squashed numerous attempts to take over Kaiba Corp., saved his brother from a psychotic wine connoisseur, escaped from the virtual reality his power- hungry former advisors forced him in, and thwarted the plans of my mind- controlling brother. I think he'll be able to cope with a small fire. Besides, how else would we have been able to leave?"
Later in Ishizu's apartment, Linnet unburdened her troubles to Ishizu in a long monologue, punctuated by sobs and tears.
"I don't have anywhere to live right now. I don't have a job. And I have a baby on the way. What am I supposed to do?" On came a fresh spurt of tears, as Ishizu stroked her hair and tried to soothe her.
"Don't worry about it. You can stay right here with me. For as long as you need to."
Linnet smiled tearfully. "Really?"
"Of course."
The next few months were uneventful. Linnet stayed with Ishizu, spending most of her time holed up in Ishizu's spare bedroom, reading and rereading Ishizu's stack of National Geographics or just staring absently out the window. Linnet seemed exceedingly grateful for Ishizu's help, and promised to start searching for a job as soon as possible after her baby was born. Linnet was about five months along when she first moved in with Ishizu, and her stomach started to grow rapidly since then.
Ishizu said nothing to Kaiba about Linnet and he, in turn, never mentioned her. He was so preoccupied with his work that Ishizu doubted he even remembered her. For some reason, Kaiba had also said nothing about her setting part of her office on fire, which was a relief to Ishizu who had expected rather fearfully a furious reaction from him the next morning. But she did have to deal with a slightly scorched smell that still clung to her office.
Ishizu had just returned home from work, and was hanging up her coat. Linnet was staring out the window with a preoccupied expression on her face, absently stroking her belly.
"Hathor." Ishizu suddenly said.
"Excuse me?"
"Hathor. The Egyptian goddess of love and laughter. That's what you have to name your daughter. It'll be like a charm. She'll have a life filled of laughter and love."
"Hathor." Linnet stroked her belly thoughtfully. "But I don't even know if I'm having a girl or not."
"You will." Ishizu spoke with certainty. The fact that she had stopped using her Millenium Necklace had helped her realize her own innate grasp of the future.
And Linnet did have a daughter, after all. It was on a sultry June night that Ishizu rushed her to the hospital, held her hand during her spasms of pain during labor, and it was Ishizu who later received in her arms the little girl named Hathor, Linnet's little daughter destined to a life of love and laughter.
...Well, there's the second chapter..hope you like ^_^. I updated really quickly on this chapter, but I usually update once a month, unless I get a chapter done really fast, in which case I update a lot sooner. And please review...please, please, please...And I don't mind flames as long as they're even remotely *constructive*....(constructive being the key word here...)
