Bound
Chapter Six
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bakura eyed Malik from beyond his view as the younger man conversed with his sister. Bakura suddenly felt a tinge of pity for the girl; she had no clue that she should not be trusting her brother with important information. The person who she should be able to trust the most was the one planning to betray her. Bakura snorted at the irony of the situation. He loved good irony.
He stepped back a few feet as Malik nodded and turned away from his sister. The blond walked slowly around the corner and looked directly at Bakura as if he had known that he had been standing there the whole time.
"Waiting on little, ol' me?" Malik asked with an innocent smile. Bakura wasn't fooled.
"Gee, you've caught me," he replied with little humor.
Malik circled him, running his hand down his chest sensuously. "I'm touched. Since we're both here, let's talk planning."
Bakura merely raised a brow while Malik circled him once more to face him. "I think the best time to make our move and take the sennen items would be on the Pharaoh's birthday. Everybody will be busy at the celebration. Since no one except for myself, you, Isis, Seto, and the Pharaoh know where the true sennen items lay, there won't be any guards. There will be Shadow Game monsters that will activate upon contact with the items, however. We should be able to handle them though," he paused with a coy smile, "But if not, I'll let them kill you and I'll take all of the items."
Bakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Malik laughed.
"Just jesting, dear! Just jesting!"
Bakura was still suspicious, but he asked instead, "You spoke of the power of the Pharaoh. How do you intend on getting his power?"
Malik seemed to consider this for a few moments. He looked around them quickly to ensure no one was eavesdropping before speaking. "Meet me at the desert temple in two nights and I'll show you." Quickly, he surprised Bakura by grabbing him around the neck and pulling his soft lips to his own. Bakura's eyes widened in shock as Malik carressed his lips, but the slave found himself unable to pull away. Finally Malik broke off the kiss and smirked haughtily. He said nothing as he walked off.
~*~*~
Jounouchi's breath caught in his throat as Mai turned down the hallway he happened to be standing in. Her ivory dress swished behind her as she walked -- no, floated. To him, it looked as if she were floating. She always looked like a piece of perfection sent from Ra himself. He realized with a start that he must have been staring for a long time because when he came back to himself, Mai was waving her hand in front of his face.
"Lord Jounouchi?" she questioned, placing her hand back down by her side.
"M-Mai! How many times must I tell you to call me Jounouchi?"
She blushed prettily. "I fear too many times, but I shall try to remember better."
Jounouchi flushed hotly. "I didn't mean to offend you!" he said quickly.
She smiled. "I'm not a delicate flower. You haven't offended me."
Jounouchi felt a huge load lift from his chest in relief. After a moment of awkward silence, Mai cleared her throat.
"Well... I guess I should be going," she said before continuing down the hall. Jounouchi spun around.
"Wait!"
Mai whirled around expectantly. "Yes?" Her breathing quickened.
"I-I would tell you something," he paused unsure. She nodded her head in encouragement. "Okay, Mai, from the first time you were brought here as a serf, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. The more I'm around you, I know that I love you."
His embarrassment threatened to engulf him. He had never been good with romance and he wanted to kick himself for the way he must have sounded. A lady like Mai wanted a sensitive man, not some moron who couldn't even profess his love properly. Jounouchi looked away in shame, barely noticing the surprised look on Mai's pretty face.
"I love you, too," came a soft whisper. Jounouchi's brown eyes rounded in amazement. He looked back at Mai and felt his heart flutter. He grasped her hand and nearly shouted in her ear in his excitement.
"Be joined* with me! I will never make you unhappy, I swear it!"
"That is a mighty promise to make. I fear that I wouldn't be a good wife because I won't allow anyone to control me," she replied with a small lift of her chin. Jounouchi shook his head indignantly.
"Only a man who does not love his woman would order her around," he said matter-of-factly. Mai smiled brightly and threw her arms around him.
"I will hold you to your promise, my lord!"
He held her tightly in his arms and said, "Not 'my lord!' Jounouchi!"
She giggled and repeated after him, "Jounouchi."
~*~*~
One of the Pharaoh's personal guards glanced around the Pleasure Ladies' quarters. He had only been a few times before he had become happily joined with his wife and mother of his two children. He noted that little had changed and immediately set about his task given to him directly from the Pharaoh. A request directly from the Pharaoh, bestowed upon anyone, was truly an honor. The guard only hoped that he could complete his task quickly and efficiently.
He stopped the first woman who passed him, a lovely blonde with amber eyes, and inquired of Anzu. The woman seemed to consider him a moment before answering. Suddenly the guard remembered how protective each Pleasure Lady was of her comrades. Finally the woman pointed to a far corner where a small brunette lay sleeping on a large, blue pillow.
The guard nodded appreciatively before approaching the young girl. The girl was pretty, this much was true, but the guard didn't think her a rare jewel. He certainly would not question the Pharaoh's motives for requesting this particular girl, however. Such questioning could be found as second-guessing the Pharaoh, and he definitely didn't want to contend with the consequences.
The guard bent down next to the girl and gently shook her awake. She was alert in seconds and eyed him suspiciously.
"Anzu?" he questioned and she nodded her affirmative. He helped her to her feet and pulled her closer to him, so that he could speak without being overheard by the other ladies whom were eying them both.
"My lord requests your presence in his chambers," the guard told her. Anzu realized that Jounouchi must have more questions for her. She smirked inwardly and nodded her approval to the guard. She followed him out of the chambers, her ankle-length, yellow skirt billowing about her thin legs. He said not another word to her as he lead her down the winding halls which she still had not become accustomed to in her few weeks at the Palace.
After a little while, she realized that she did not recognize any of the halls from her previous visit to Jounouchi's chambers. Her stomach turned over once, but she pushed the bodily warning aside.
"Guard, who is your lord?" she asked, swallowing her sudden nervousness. What if it wasn't Jounouchi? What if it was someone trying to call upon her even though she was a virgin?
He glanced behind at her quickly before averting his eyes back to the hall ahead of him. "You will see him momentarily. We are here." He stopped abruptly in front of two grand, golden doors. Anzu, in her nervousness, almost ran into the back of the guard. She drew in a deep breath of awe as she eyed the doors. Jounouchi's entrance had not been so grand. Who could this guard's lord be? And of what importance was he? She briefly thought of the Lord Otogi, but what could he possibly want of her?
The guard ushered Anzu inside and she was forced to stop, for she stood in awe of the room surrounding her. Almost everything in the room was bathed in gold. Rare jewels adorned the furniture and the cloth which was the floor was so soft that her bare feet felt as if they were being melted into its ruby red texture. Anzu hardly noticed the guard leaving the room and shutting the doors behind him.
She gazed around, taking in everything. There was nobody about, so she didn't feel too nosy. She appeared to be in a meeting room of some sort. There was a luxurious, crimson-colored couch which stood in the middle of the room with a table of the finest, gold-colored wood in front of it. There were various paintings and tapestries of everyday Egyptian life adorning the golden walls. There was a stringed instrument in one corner of the room, made of solid gold, she noted. There was an entire wall of shelves filled with various sorts of books. She noticed four doors leading from the room; one was open and it apparently lead to a kitchen and dining area. If she had to guess, the other three were a bath and cleaning area, a bedroom, and possibly an in-house servant's room or an extra bedroom for a guest?
Anzu glanced around once more before moving over to the couch, which she found to be equally as soft as the wonderful carpet which was currently giving her bare feet a taste of heaven. She had never known a room to have cloth-covered floors. All of the other areas in the Great Palace had hard floors. Now that her curiosity had subsided, her nervousness returned at full-force. She was even more wary about who this mysterious lord was now that she had seen part of his luxurious chambers.
After what seemed like an eternity to her, a man entered the room from the kitchen area. Her heart leapt into her stomach in a moment of shock. A few moments later, she recovered herself and jumped to her feet.
"You!" she exclaimed in unmasked disgust. She grinned triumphantly when the man's face took on a look of surprise. She doubted that he had ever been delivered so disrespectful a greeting. Well, Anzu thought to herself, I'm certainly not going to bow down and play the servant.
"Have you nothing to say or have I shocked you so?" she asked, sneering as she did. The man, who had been frozen in his spot, warily approached her.
"'Tis true; you have surprised me with your boldness," Yuugi replied. "Where is your respect, girl?"
Anzu glared at him for his condescending tone. "I give respect to those who deserve it."
He glared back at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "You should be honored! Not even many noblemen are allowed in my chambers. I could kill you for such disrespect."
She mimicked his pose. "Do you promise?"
Yuugi raised his eyebrows. He could have sworn that he detected hopefulness in her tone. He wouldn't allow himself to pity her though. He had bestowed upon the greatest honor one could receive, especially to a mere slave! This woman needed to know her place.
"Sit, girl," he commanded. Anzu exploded at this.
"Sit?! Girl?!"
He groaned and decided to humor her just this once. "For the love of Ra, please sit?"
She glared at him, but slowly lowered herself back onto the couch.
"Not before I do!" he exclaimed. Was this girl an idiot? Nobody sat in front of the Pharaoh unless he was already seated! Yuugi suddenly wondered if he would regret his decision to talk to this woman.
She stood back up angrily. "You told me to! Can't you make up your mind, Pharaoh?"
His face flushed at the way she made 'Pharaoh' sound like the worst sort of insults. He would strangle this woman before they had even been in each other's presence for five minutes, he just knew it.
He rubbed his face tiredly which brought Anzu's attention to the many rings adorning his fingers. This only seemed to anger her more, but for what reason, she didn't know.
"I give you the honor of being allowed to talk to me, not even to mention coming into my personal chambers, and you show no respect for it!" he said, turning his head to the side.
"I'm not honored! Let me return to my life and leave me be! I cannot agree with the Lord Jounouchi when he says you are a good man," she replied, shaking her head to further her point. Yuugi chuckled, her disrespect becoming merely amusing as time wore on. If someone of his court were to be watching this display, he had no doubt that they would be shocked to speechlessness. Not even Jounouchi was this bold to him.
"I cannot believe that I am even allowing this to go on," he said to himself. He had never been disrespected and he was horrified to find that it was actually stimulating. However, his patience was wearing thin for the night. "Listen, girl--"
"My name is Anzu!" she interrupted hotly.
"Listen, Anzu, I only wanted to talk to you, but I see that talking civilly is an impossibility for you. I'll send for someone to bring you back to the Ladies' quarters," he told her. He looked at her expectantly.
"I can speak civilized, but you treat me in such an inferior manner. How can I help but to be offended?" she asked, her tone giving away her hurt. Yuugi's eyes softened slightly.
"Then will you sit?" he asked, trying not to sound condescending. He didn't know if he succeeded since she stood still. "Well?" he prompted.
"I'm waiting for you to sit," she replied as if it were obvious. He chuckled at his forgetfulness. Only moments earlier he had scolded her for such a thing. He sat down on the couch and she quickly followed. This girl was interesting. He had to know more about her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
NEXT CHAPTER: Yuugi gets a little more information out of Anzu and comes to a decision, to her horror. Jounouchi and Mai announce their engagement. Malik and Bakura meet at their desert temple. A little more Isis and Seto action.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*Joining means to be married.
Aye, she's a fiesty one! Will Yuugi be humbled? We'll see. ^.~ There seems to be more going on in the next chapter, so review and I'll see you next time! ^^
Chapter Six
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bakura eyed Malik from beyond his view as the younger man conversed with his sister. Bakura suddenly felt a tinge of pity for the girl; she had no clue that she should not be trusting her brother with important information. The person who she should be able to trust the most was the one planning to betray her. Bakura snorted at the irony of the situation. He loved good irony.
He stepped back a few feet as Malik nodded and turned away from his sister. The blond walked slowly around the corner and looked directly at Bakura as if he had known that he had been standing there the whole time.
"Waiting on little, ol' me?" Malik asked with an innocent smile. Bakura wasn't fooled.
"Gee, you've caught me," he replied with little humor.
Malik circled him, running his hand down his chest sensuously. "I'm touched. Since we're both here, let's talk planning."
Bakura merely raised a brow while Malik circled him once more to face him. "I think the best time to make our move and take the sennen items would be on the Pharaoh's birthday. Everybody will be busy at the celebration. Since no one except for myself, you, Isis, Seto, and the Pharaoh know where the true sennen items lay, there won't be any guards. There will be Shadow Game monsters that will activate upon contact with the items, however. We should be able to handle them though," he paused with a coy smile, "But if not, I'll let them kill you and I'll take all of the items."
Bakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Malik laughed.
"Just jesting, dear! Just jesting!"
Bakura was still suspicious, but he asked instead, "You spoke of the power of the Pharaoh. How do you intend on getting his power?"
Malik seemed to consider this for a few moments. He looked around them quickly to ensure no one was eavesdropping before speaking. "Meet me at the desert temple in two nights and I'll show you." Quickly, he surprised Bakura by grabbing him around the neck and pulling his soft lips to his own. Bakura's eyes widened in shock as Malik carressed his lips, but the slave found himself unable to pull away. Finally Malik broke off the kiss and smirked haughtily. He said nothing as he walked off.
~*~*~
Jounouchi's breath caught in his throat as Mai turned down the hallway he happened to be standing in. Her ivory dress swished behind her as she walked -- no, floated. To him, it looked as if she were floating. She always looked like a piece of perfection sent from Ra himself. He realized with a start that he must have been staring for a long time because when he came back to himself, Mai was waving her hand in front of his face.
"Lord Jounouchi?" she questioned, placing her hand back down by her side.
"M-Mai! How many times must I tell you to call me Jounouchi?"
She blushed prettily. "I fear too many times, but I shall try to remember better."
Jounouchi flushed hotly. "I didn't mean to offend you!" he said quickly.
She smiled. "I'm not a delicate flower. You haven't offended me."
Jounouchi felt a huge load lift from his chest in relief. After a moment of awkward silence, Mai cleared her throat.
"Well... I guess I should be going," she said before continuing down the hall. Jounouchi spun around.
"Wait!"
Mai whirled around expectantly. "Yes?" Her breathing quickened.
"I-I would tell you something," he paused unsure. She nodded her head in encouragement. "Okay, Mai, from the first time you were brought here as a serf, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. The more I'm around you, I know that I love you."
His embarrassment threatened to engulf him. He had never been good with romance and he wanted to kick himself for the way he must have sounded. A lady like Mai wanted a sensitive man, not some moron who couldn't even profess his love properly. Jounouchi looked away in shame, barely noticing the surprised look on Mai's pretty face.
"I love you, too," came a soft whisper. Jounouchi's brown eyes rounded in amazement. He looked back at Mai and felt his heart flutter. He grasped her hand and nearly shouted in her ear in his excitement.
"Be joined* with me! I will never make you unhappy, I swear it!"
"That is a mighty promise to make. I fear that I wouldn't be a good wife because I won't allow anyone to control me," she replied with a small lift of her chin. Jounouchi shook his head indignantly.
"Only a man who does not love his woman would order her around," he said matter-of-factly. Mai smiled brightly and threw her arms around him.
"I will hold you to your promise, my lord!"
He held her tightly in his arms and said, "Not 'my lord!' Jounouchi!"
She giggled and repeated after him, "Jounouchi."
~*~*~
One of the Pharaoh's personal guards glanced around the Pleasure Ladies' quarters. He had only been a few times before he had become happily joined with his wife and mother of his two children. He noted that little had changed and immediately set about his task given to him directly from the Pharaoh. A request directly from the Pharaoh, bestowed upon anyone, was truly an honor. The guard only hoped that he could complete his task quickly and efficiently.
He stopped the first woman who passed him, a lovely blonde with amber eyes, and inquired of Anzu. The woman seemed to consider him a moment before answering. Suddenly the guard remembered how protective each Pleasure Lady was of her comrades. Finally the woman pointed to a far corner where a small brunette lay sleeping on a large, blue pillow.
The guard nodded appreciatively before approaching the young girl. The girl was pretty, this much was true, but the guard didn't think her a rare jewel. He certainly would not question the Pharaoh's motives for requesting this particular girl, however. Such questioning could be found as second-guessing the Pharaoh, and he definitely didn't want to contend with the consequences.
The guard bent down next to the girl and gently shook her awake. She was alert in seconds and eyed him suspiciously.
"Anzu?" he questioned and she nodded her affirmative. He helped her to her feet and pulled her closer to him, so that he could speak without being overheard by the other ladies whom were eying them both.
"My lord requests your presence in his chambers," the guard told her. Anzu realized that Jounouchi must have more questions for her. She smirked inwardly and nodded her approval to the guard. She followed him out of the chambers, her ankle-length, yellow skirt billowing about her thin legs. He said not another word to her as he lead her down the winding halls which she still had not become accustomed to in her few weeks at the Palace.
After a little while, she realized that she did not recognize any of the halls from her previous visit to Jounouchi's chambers. Her stomach turned over once, but she pushed the bodily warning aside.
"Guard, who is your lord?" she asked, swallowing her sudden nervousness. What if it wasn't Jounouchi? What if it was someone trying to call upon her even though she was a virgin?
He glanced behind at her quickly before averting his eyes back to the hall ahead of him. "You will see him momentarily. We are here." He stopped abruptly in front of two grand, golden doors. Anzu, in her nervousness, almost ran into the back of the guard. She drew in a deep breath of awe as she eyed the doors. Jounouchi's entrance had not been so grand. Who could this guard's lord be? And of what importance was he? She briefly thought of the Lord Otogi, but what could he possibly want of her?
The guard ushered Anzu inside and she was forced to stop, for she stood in awe of the room surrounding her. Almost everything in the room was bathed in gold. Rare jewels adorned the furniture and the cloth which was the floor was so soft that her bare feet felt as if they were being melted into its ruby red texture. Anzu hardly noticed the guard leaving the room and shutting the doors behind him.
She gazed around, taking in everything. There was nobody about, so she didn't feel too nosy. She appeared to be in a meeting room of some sort. There was a luxurious, crimson-colored couch which stood in the middle of the room with a table of the finest, gold-colored wood in front of it. There were various paintings and tapestries of everyday Egyptian life adorning the golden walls. There was a stringed instrument in one corner of the room, made of solid gold, she noted. There was an entire wall of shelves filled with various sorts of books. She noticed four doors leading from the room; one was open and it apparently lead to a kitchen and dining area. If she had to guess, the other three were a bath and cleaning area, a bedroom, and possibly an in-house servant's room or an extra bedroom for a guest?
Anzu glanced around once more before moving over to the couch, which she found to be equally as soft as the wonderful carpet which was currently giving her bare feet a taste of heaven. She had never known a room to have cloth-covered floors. All of the other areas in the Great Palace had hard floors. Now that her curiosity had subsided, her nervousness returned at full-force. She was even more wary about who this mysterious lord was now that she had seen part of his luxurious chambers.
After what seemed like an eternity to her, a man entered the room from the kitchen area. Her heart leapt into her stomach in a moment of shock. A few moments later, she recovered herself and jumped to her feet.
"You!" she exclaimed in unmasked disgust. She grinned triumphantly when the man's face took on a look of surprise. She doubted that he had ever been delivered so disrespectful a greeting. Well, Anzu thought to herself, I'm certainly not going to bow down and play the servant.
"Have you nothing to say or have I shocked you so?" she asked, sneering as she did. The man, who had been frozen in his spot, warily approached her.
"'Tis true; you have surprised me with your boldness," Yuugi replied. "Where is your respect, girl?"
Anzu glared at him for his condescending tone. "I give respect to those who deserve it."
He glared back at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "You should be honored! Not even many noblemen are allowed in my chambers. I could kill you for such disrespect."
She mimicked his pose. "Do you promise?"
Yuugi raised his eyebrows. He could have sworn that he detected hopefulness in her tone. He wouldn't allow himself to pity her though. He had bestowed upon the greatest honor one could receive, especially to a mere slave! This woman needed to know her place.
"Sit, girl," he commanded. Anzu exploded at this.
"Sit?! Girl?!"
He groaned and decided to humor her just this once. "For the love of Ra, please sit?"
She glared at him, but slowly lowered herself back onto the couch.
"Not before I do!" he exclaimed. Was this girl an idiot? Nobody sat in front of the Pharaoh unless he was already seated! Yuugi suddenly wondered if he would regret his decision to talk to this woman.
She stood back up angrily. "You told me to! Can't you make up your mind, Pharaoh?"
His face flushed at the way she made 'Pharaoh' sound like the worst sort of insults. He would strangle this woman before they had even been in each other's presence for five minutes, he just knew it.
He rubbed his face tiredly which brought Anzu's attention to the many rings adorning his fingers. This only seemed to anger her more, but for what reason, she didn't know.
"I give you the honor of being allowed to talk to me, not even to mention coming into my personal chambers, and you show no respect for it!" he said, turning his head to the side.
"I'm not honored! Let me return to my life and leave me be! I cannot agree with the Lord Jounouchi when he says you are a good man," she replied, shaking her head to further her point. Yuugi chuckled, her disrespect becoming merely amusing as time wore on. If someone of his court were to be watching this display, he had no doubt that they would be shocked to speechlessness. Not even Jounouchi was this bold to him.
"I cannot believe that I am even allowing this to go on," he said to himself. He had never been disrespected and he was horrified to find that it was actually stimulating. However, his patience was wearing thin for the night. "Listen, girl--"
"My name is Anzu!" she interrupted hotly.
"Listen, Anzu, I only wanted to talk to you, but I see that talking civilly is an impossibility for you. I'll send for someone to bring you back to the Ladies' quarters," he told her. He looked at her expectantly.
"I can speak civilized, but you treat me in such an inferior manner. How can I help but to be offended?" she asked, her tone giving away her hurt. Yuugi's eyes softened slightly.
"Then will you sit?" he asked, trying not to sound condescending. He didn't know if he succeeded since she stood still. "Well?" he prompted.
"I'm waiting for you to sit," she replied as if it were obvious. He chuckled at his forgetfulness. Only moments earlier he had scolded her for such a thing. He sat down on the couch and she quickly followed. This girl was interesting. He had to know more about her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
NEXT CHAPTER: Yuugi gets a little more information out of Anzu and comes to a decision, to her horror. Jounouchi and Mai announce their engagement. Malik and Bakura meet at their desert temple. A little more Isis and Seto action.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*Joining means to be married.
Aye, she's a fiesty one! Will Yuugi be humbled? We'll see. ^.~ There seems to be more going on in the next chapter, so review and I'll see you next time! ^^