Bound
Chapter Seventeen
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Anzu's wide, blue eyes darted all around the temple in search of any other type of unforeseen evil that may try to strike at them. It was obvious that what Malik and Bakura were trying to steal was very important.
"Just take them," Bakura hissed. Malik glanced at him before warily reaching out and picking up one of the small golden tablets. Anzu fully expected all three of them to be struck down by lightning, but miraculously, nothing else happened. Malik gripped the tablet tightly, apparently also expecting something else to happen. After a few silent moments, Bakura reached out and grabbed the other two tablets.
"It wasn't quite as difficult as I had imagined it would be," Bakura muttered, patting dirt off of his bare chest. Malik gave him a pointed look.
"If coming close to death countless times isn't difficult enough for you, just wait until we try to take the sennen items," he said cryptically. Anzu shuddered; he even looked scared, and up until this point, he had been confident.
"What are sennen items?" she asked. She didn't completely expect to be answered, so she wasn't surprised when she was ignored.
"Let us continue," Malik said, and began walking further into the temple, the exit even farther away than before. Bakura took hold of her arm and pulled her next to him.
"Stay close to me," he said in a tone which brooked no argument. His eyes were constantly moving as they traveled behind Malik. Anzu felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. What kind of dangers awaited them at these sennen items?
- - -
Yuugi, Jounouchi and Otogi had been riding for a few hours without stop. Nothing had come to them about Anzu's possible whereabouts. They stopped at a small village to water their horses.
While Yuugi and Jounouchi were tending the horses at the Nile on the outskirts of the village, Otogi walked into the main part of the village to ask around about Anzu. He had asked everyone he had seen if any of them had noticed a woman with short, brown hair and blue eyes passing through the village; nobody had known anything. He was about to leave and head back to the Nile when a young girl stopped him. Normally, he would have paid no attention, but her insistent tugging on his robes demanded his notice.
"What is it, child?" he asked shortly. The little ebony-haired girl, no more than five or six, looked frightened, so he mustered up a smile for her. She stared down at her feet.
"I sawed a giwl with bwown haiw and blue eyes. She wented with two boys with blond haiw and white haiw. She was not awake, and they huwwied thwough the village that way," she finished, pointing south. She spoke so quickly and without proper pronunciation, it took Otogi a moment to decipher what she had said. He could think of no men with white and blond hair, but the fact that the child said the girl with the men was not 'awake' could mean she was unconscious or worse. He handed the girl a gold coin and she ran off, beaming happily about her reward.
He hurried back to the Nile and told Yuugi what he had found out. The Pharaoh was just as clueless. Registration seemed to light up in Otogi's eyes after a moment, however.
"I think I might know afterall. I heard the High Priest Seto telling the High Priestess Isis about a temple boy. What did he say..." Otogi trailed off, trying to remember. He stared hard at the Nile river.
"'That white-haired slave who was with your brother has been removed from temple duties,'" Otogi recited from his memory. "That was what he told Isis as they were passing by me in the Palace not too long ago."
Yuugi made a small sound of recognition. "Isis! Her brother has blond hair! Malik, I think his name is."
It was Jounouchi's turn to remember something now. "That guard who died in your chambers was a guard at the main temple where Malik lives with the other priests and priestesses." Yuugi stared at him, trying to piece together the puzzle. What was missing?
"What did that guard say again before he died?" Yuugi asked. Jounouchi racked his own memory.
"Someone was going to take something?" he said, unsure.
"Yes! 'They' were going to take them..." Yuugi trailed off. "What is 'them'?"
"My Pharaoh! Oh, Ra, the temple with the God tablets and sennen items is south! The little girl pointed south!" Otogi said frantically. He slammed a flat palm to his forehead in panic.
"But they couldn't find that temple! Nobody knows exactly where it is except for me, Seto and... Isis... he could have overheard!" Yuugi finished, joining in the panic.
"Do you really think he could defend against the wards placed there to protect the tablets and items?" Jounouchi asked in disbelief. Yuugi nodded his head.
"He's a priest in training. He would have had some practice."
"We know now who it is and what they're after, but one thing still confuses me. Why would they take your houseservant?" Otogi asked, confusion evident on his face. He didn't know exactly how deep the Pharaoh's feelings ran for Anzu.
Yuugi and Jounouchi looked at each other and both said at the same time, "Leverage."
- - -
"Are we almost there?" Anzu asked tiredly. She rubbed her forearm across her eyes, smudging dirt on her cheek as she did. She knew it must be the middle of the night; they had been walking for hours just to find those tablet things, not even counting the long walking they had done thus far to get to the sennen items.
"Yes," Malik answered shortly, not turning to look at her.
"Why can't I just go?" she asked in what was almost a whiny pout. She was too tired to care though.
"Just in case something goes wrong, we need a hostage," he replied. He stopped in front of what seemed like an ordinary wall to her. It was the same stone as the rest of the wall she had been passing for the past few hours.
"You picked a slave as your hostage?" Anzu looked at Malik and then Bakura incredulously.
"Malik seems to think you're not just any regular slave," Bakura told her since Malik was preoccupied feeling around the wall. Apparently, he was looking for some sort of nook or crevice.
"Oh, not this again," Anzu groaned. "I already told you both that I am nothing special to the Pharaoh."
Malik's sound of happiness drew both their attentions to him. The wall was in the process of caving in to reveal a small room. Anzu could already see the glorious golden items laying on a raised dais in the middle of the room. Her mouth opened slightly in awe, and she followed her captors inside.
The items seemed to radiate an aura that requested -- no, demanded -- that you give them your complete and undivided attention. And, it was working. Anzu couldn't tear her eyes away from them and neither could Bakura or Malik. Apparently, Bakura had already seen them because he had picked a favorite amongst them and had walked up to it to stare at only it. It was a large ring with upside-down, elongated pyramid-shaped adornments hanging from the ring. It was decent, she supposed, but she found herself favoring a pyramid-shaped puzzle.
However, when he took another step closer, he was thrown backwards and skidded across the room. Malik reached an arm out and stopped Bakura from hitting the wall. From his place on the stone floor, Bakura shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness.
"It would seem that you aren't supposed to get that close," Malik said dryly.
"Noticed that, did you?" Bakura replied irritably. He gripped Malik's wrist and stood to his foot.
Malik cursed under his breath, circling the table thoughtfully. "I haven't had enough training for force barriers, and even if I had, I don't know type this is," he said, more to himself than anyone else. He shook his head in an 'oh well' gesture and started chanting. Bakura was starting to wonder if anything was to happen when finally, three bright lights struck out from the force field towards the intruders.
Malik and Bakura dodged theirs skillfully; however, Anzu screamed as her targeted light struck her in the back. She dropped to the ground with a hard thud. Bakura rushed to her side and shook her gently.
"Anzu?" he questioned, feeling her back for any blood, lumps or indentions.
"Is she all right?" Malik asked, eying the table warily.
"There's no bleeding or anything. She's unconscious though," Bakura replied with a soft curse. Then he added sarcastically, "The force field didn't like whatever you were trying to do."
Malik approached the table again carefully. "I must get past this barrier."
"Think again."
Bakura and Malik whirled around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Standing in the small doorway was the Pharaoh, his cousin and his best friend. Bakura didn't know this and merely looked irritated, but Malik took on a resigned look, glancing at his unconscious hostage. Judging by the Pharaoh's devastated facial expression, he thought she was dead, so she was useless as far as help went by Malik's standards.
"You'll die," Yuugi ground out, tearing his eyes away from Anzu's limp form, barely covered by her torn dress. He marched straight up to the sennen items, breaking through the barrier without any trouble whatsoever. Malik narrowed his eyes.
"It is over; no one can stand against the Pharaoh," he told Bakura quietly. His partner glanced at him in surprise, yet didn't reply.
Yuugi picked up the sennen puzzle on its chain and draped it over his head to sit around his neck. He began chanting, his magenta eyes flaming with fury as he glared down his opponents. Jounouchi walked over to Anzu and lifted her into his arms effortlessly. He glanced at Otogi and nodded. Otogi placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder gently.
"She lives."
Yuugi's relief was evident. He was so relieved that he even lost his concentration during his summoning chant.
"I care not. They will still die!" he bellowed. He clasped his hands together tightly and was fully prepared to begin chanting again when a strange glow began to emit from one of the sennen items.
"Yuugi!" Jounouchi gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. The Pharaoh whipped his head around and saw the sennen ring floating in midair. His mouth opened slightly in shock. The ring slowly floated over to Bakura and stopped right before him. Bakura's pupils had dilated to white.
"The sennen ring is choosing its master!" Jounouchi cried in alarm.
"No!" Otogi shouted. "The sennen ring can't belong to a scheming, traitorous slave!"
As if in a trance, Bakura slowly reached his hand out to grasp the item in front of him. Malik's violet eyes were wide with disbelief and amazement. Jounouchi was so surprised that he didn't notice Anzu stir in his arms.
She moaned as she awakened fully, struggling to ignore the pain in her back. Her eyes circled the room, landing first on Jounouchi holding her, then Yuugi to her great relief, and then finally the spectacle which was Bakura. She shrugged herself out of Jounouchi's grasp though he didn't seem to notice. When Yuugi noticed that she was awake and standing, Anzu ran to him and wrapped her shaking arms tightly around his waist.
"Thank Ra you're all right," he cried, kissing her face all over. She held his gaze to see if he would wipe his mouth again like he did after their first kiss, but to her delight, he didn't.
"What is going on?" she whispered. Bakura was still holding the glowing item and he himself was beginning to glow, as well. As soon as she finished speaking, Bakura came back to himself with a loud intake of breath as if he had been suffocating.
"No," Otogi moaned. "What do we do?" He held his face in his hands, shaking his head back and forth. Anzu realized then what had happened. The sennen ring belonged to Bakura now.
"What can we do? The sennen items choose their own masters, not us," Jounouchi said tightly. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
"I can still kill them!" Yuugi all but shouted. This illicited a gasp from Anzu.
"Kill them? No!" she cried, stepping away from him.
"They almost got you killed and betrayed the throne," Yuugi replied heatedly. Bakura and Malik resembled deer caught between hunters, Anzu noted.
"Please, banish them if you must, but don't kill them," she pleaded. In truth, she had no idea why she was concerned for her former captors' lives, but she knew she didn't want their deaths upon her shoulders. Yuugi still looked doubtful, as did Jounouchi and Otogi.
"For me," she whispered, gripping his bare arms in her tiny hands, gazing deeply into his eyes. Yuugi stared at her for what seemed an eternity, contemplating what he should do. Finally, he looked over at Bakura and Malik whom were gazing at each other as if it were their last moments together.
"Drop the tablets you took. I don't ever want to see you, hear you, or even think about you again. Get out of Egypt," he ground out quietly, his tone belying his anger. They didn't need to be told twice. Malik and Bakura dropped the Egyptian God tablets on the ground and hurried past their unwanted audience. They fled the temple, never to be seen again.
"What about the ring?" Otogi asked angrily.
"They may have one sennen item, but we have six, plus the Egyptian God tablets. They know that they would not stand a chance should they try anything else," Yuugi replied. He turned to Anzu, drawing her small hand into his.
"Let us go home," he said to them all. He waved a hand airily in the direction of the remaining sennen items to remove the force barrier, and Otogi and Jounouchi walked up to the table to gather the precious golden objects, picking up the tablets on the way.
Yuugi smiled at Anzu, and she smiled back. They were safe now.
- - - - - - - - -
NEXT CHAPTER: The final chapter; wait and see!
- - - - - - - - - -
The next chapter will be the last, so I'll see you then. Hopefully, it won't take me too long. It will be an epilogue of sorts.
Chapter Seventeen
- - - - - - - - - -
Anzu's wide, blue eyes darted all around the temple in search of any other type of unforeseen evil that may try to strike at them. It was obvious that what Malik and Bakura were trying to steal was very important.
"Just take them," Bakura hissed. Malik glanced at him before warily reaching out and picking up one of the small golden tablets. Anzu fully expected all three of them to be struck down by lightning, but miraculously, nothing else happened. Malik gripped the tablet tightly, apparently also expecting something else to happen. After a few silent moments, Bakura reached out and grabbed the other two tablets.
"It wasn't quite as difficult as I had imagined it would be," Bakura muttered, patting dirt off of his bare chest. Malik gave him a pointed look.
"If coming close to death countless times isn't difficult enough for you, just wait until we try to take the sennen items," he said cryptically. Anzu shuddered; he even looked scared, and up until this point, he had been confident.
"What are sennen items?" she asked. She didn't completely expect to be answered, so she wasn't surprised when she was ignored.
"Let us continue," Malik said, and began walking further into the temple, the exit even farther away than before. Bakura took hold of her arm and pulled her next to him.
"Stay close to me," he said in a tone which brooked no argument. His eyes were constantly moving as they traveled behind Malik. Anzu felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. What kind of dangers awaited them at these sennen items?
- - -
Yuugi, Jounouchi and Otogi had been riding for a few hours without stop. Nothing had come to them about Anzu's possible whereabouts. They stopped at a small village to water their horses.
While Yuugi and Jounouchi were tending the horses at the Nile on the outskirts of the village, Otogi walked into the main part of the village to ask around about Anzu. He had asked everyone he had seen if any of them had noticed a woman with short, brown hair and blue eyes passing through the village; nobody had known anything. He was about to leave and head back to the Nile when a young girl stopped him. Normally, he would have paid no attention, but her insistent tugging on his robes demanded his notice.
"What is it, child?" he asked shortly. The little ebony-haired girl, no more than five or six, looked frightened, so he mustered up a smile for her. She stared down at her feet.
"I sawed a giwl with bwown haiw and blue eyes. She wented with two boys with blond haiw and white haiw. She was not awake, and they huwwied thwough the village that way," she finished, pointing south. She spoke so quickly and without proper pronunciation, it took Otogi a moment to decipher what she had said. He could think of no men with white and blond hair, but the fact that the child said the girl with the men was not 'awake' could mean she was unconscious or worse. He handed the girl a gold coin and she ran off, beaming happily about her reward.
He hurried back to the Nile and told Yuugi what he had found out. The Pharaoh was just as clueless. Registration seemed to light up in Otogi's eyes after a moment, however.
"I think I might know afterall. I heard the High Priest Seto telling the High Priestess Isis about a temple boy. What did he say..." Otogi trailed off, trying to remember. He stared hard at the Nile river.
"'That white-haired slave who was with your brother has been removed from temple duties,'" Otogi recited from his memory. "That was what he told Isis as they were passing by me in the Palace not too long ago."
Yuugi made a small sound of recognition. "Isis! Her brother has blond hair! Malik, I think his name is."
It was Jounouchi's turn to remember something now. "That guard who died in your chambers was a guard at the main temple where Malik lives with the other priests and priestesses." Yuugi stared at him, trying to piece together the puzzle. What was missing?
"What did that guard say again before he died?" Yuugi asked. Jounouchi racked his own memory.
"Someone was going to take something?" he said, unsure.
"Yes! 'They' were going to take them..." Yuugi trailed off. "What is 'them'?"
"My Pharaoh! Oh, Ra, the temple with the God tablets and sennen items is south! The little girl pointed south!" Otogi said frantically. He slammed a flat palm to his forehead in panic.
"But they couldn't find that temple! Nobody knows exactly where it is except for me, Seto and... Isis... he could have overheard!" Yuugi finished, joining in the panic.
"Do you really think he could defend against the wards placed there to protect the tablets and items?" Jounouchi asked in disbelief. Yuugi nodded his head.
"He's a priest in training. He would have had some practice."
"We know now who it is and what they're after, but one thing still confuses me. Why would they take your houseservant?" Otogi asked, confusion evident on his face. He didn't know exactly how deep the Pharaoh's feelings ran for Anzu.
Yuugi and Jounouchi looked at each other and both said at the same time, "Leverage."
- - -
"Are we almost there?" Anzu asked tiredly. She rubbed her forearm across her eyes, smudging dirt on her cheek as she did. She knew it must be the middle of the night; they had been walking for hours just to find those tablet things, not even counting the long walking they had done thus far to get to the sennen items.
"Yes," Malik answered shortly, not turning to look at her.
"Why can't I just go?" she asked in what was almost a whiny pout. She was too tired to care though.
"Just in case something goes wrong, we need a hostage," he replied. He stopped in front of what seemed like an ordinary wall to her. It was the same stone as the rest of the wall she had been passing for the past few hours.
"You picked a slave as your hostage?" Anzu looked at Malik and then Bakura incredulously.
"Malik seems to think you're not just any regular slave," Bakura told her since Malik was preoccupied feeling around the wall. Apparently, he was looking for some sort of nook or crevice.
"Oh, not this again," Anzu groaned. "I already told you both that I am nothing special to the Pharaoh."
Malik's sound of happiness drew both their attentions to him. The wall was in the process of caving in to reveal a small room. Anzu could already see the glorious golden items laying on a raised dais in the middle of the room. Her mouth opened slightly in awe, and she followed her captors inside.
The items seemed to radiate an aura that requested -- no, demanded -- that you give them your complete and undivided attention. And, it was working. Anzu couldn't tear her eyes away from them and neither could Bakura or Malik. Apparently, Bakura had already seen them because he had picked a favorite amongst them and had walked up to it to stare at only it. It was a large ring with upside-down, elongated pyramid-shaped adornments hanging from the ring. It was decent, she supposed, but she found herself favoring a pyramid-shaped puzzle.
However, when he took another step closer, he was thrown backwards and skidded across the room. Malik reached an arm out and stopped Bakura from hitting the wall. From his place on the stone floor, Bakura shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness.
"It would seem that you aren't supposed to get that close," Malik said dryly.
"Noticed that, did you?" Bakura replied irritably. He gripped Malik's wrist and stood to his foot.
Malik cursed under his breath, circling the table thoughtfully. "I haven't had enough training for force barriers, and even if I had, I don't know type this is," he said, more to himself than anyone else. He shook his head in an 'oh well' gesture and started chanting. Bakura was starting to wonder if anything was to happen when finally, three bright lights struck out from the force field towards the intruders.
Malik and Bakura dodged theirs skillfully; however, Anzu screamed as her targeted light struck her in the back. She dropped to the ground with a hard thud. Bakura rushed to her side and shook her gently.
"Anzu?" he questioned, feeling her back for any blood, lumps or indentions.
"Is she all right?" Malik asked, eying the table warily.
"There's no bleeding or anything. She's unconscious though," Bakura replied with a soft curse. Then he added sarcastically, "The force field didn't like whatever you were trying to do."
Malik approached the table again carefully. "I must get past this barrier."
"Think again."
Bakura and Malik whirled around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Standing in the small doorway was the Pharaoh, his cousin and his best friend. Bakura didn't know this and merely looked irritated, but Malik took on a resigned look, glancing at his unconscious hostage. Judging by the Pharaoh's devastated facial expression, he thought she was dead, so she was useless as far as help went by Malik's standards.
"You'll die," Yuugi ground out, tearing his eyes away from Anzu's limp form, barely covered by her torn dress. He marched straight up to the sennen items, breaking through the barrier without any trouble whatsoever. Malik narrowed his eyes.
"It is over; no one can stand against the Pharaoh," he told Bakura quietly. His partner glanced at him in surprise, yet didn't reply.
Yuugi picked up the sennen puzzle on its chain and draped it over his head to sit around his neck. He began chanting, his magenta eyes flaming with fury as he glared down his opponents. Jounouchi walked over to Anzu and lifted her into his arms effortlessly. He glanced at Otogi and nodded. Otogi placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder gently.
"She lives."
Yuugi's relief was evident. He was so relieved that he even lost his concentration during his summoning chant.
"I care not. They will still die!" he bellowed. He clasped his hands together tightly and was fully prepared to begin chanting again when a strange glow began to emit from one of the sennen items.
"Yuugi!" Jounouchi gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. The Pharaoh whipped his head around and saw the sennen ring floating in midair. His mouth opened slightly in shock. The ring slowly floated over to Bakura and stopped right before him. Bakura's pupils had dilated to white.
"The sennen ring is choosing its master!" Jounouchi cried in alarm.
"No!" Otogi shouted. "The sennen ring can't belong to a scheming, traitorous slave!"
As if in a trance, Bakura slowly reached his hand out to grasp the item in front of him. Malik's violet eyes were wide with disbelief and amazement. Jounouchi was so surprised that he didn't notice Anzu stir in his arms.
She moaned as she awakened fully, struggling to ignore the pain in her back. Her eyes circled the room, landing first on Jounouchi holding her, then Yuugi to her great relief, and then finally the spectacle which was Bakura. She shrugged herself out of Jounouchi's grasp though he didn't seem to notice. When Yuugi noticed that she was awake and standing, Anzu ran to him and wrapped her shaking arms tightly around his waist.
"Thank Ra you're all right," he cried, kissing her face all over. She held his gaze to see if he would wipe his mouth again like he did after their first kiss, but to her delight, he didn't.
"What is going on?" she whispered. Bakura was still holding the glowing item and he himself was beginning to glow, as well. As soon as she finished speaking, Bakura came back to himself with a loud intake of breath as if he had been suffocating.
"No," Otogi moaned. "What do we do?" He held his face in his hands, shaking his head back and forth. Anzu realized then what had happened. The sennen ring belonged to Bakura now.
"What can we do? The sennen items choose their own masters, not us," Jounouchi said tightly. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
"I can still kill them!" Yuugi all but shouted. This illicited a gasp from Anzu.
"Kill them? No!" she cried, stepping away from him.
"They almost got you killed and betrayed the throne," Yuugi replied heatedly. Bakura and Malik resembled deer caught between hunters, Anzu noted.
"Please, banish them if you must, but don't kill them," she pleaded. In truth, she had no idea why she was concerned for her former captors' lives, but she knew she didn't want their deaths upon her shoulders. Yuugi still looked doubtful, as did Jounouchi and Otogi.
"For me," she whispered, gripping his bare arms in her tiny hands, gazing deeply into his eyes. Yuugi stared at her for what seemed an eternity, contemplating what he should do. Finally, he looked over at Bakura and Malik whom were gazing at each other as if it were their last moments together.
"Drop the tablets you took. I don't ever want to see you, hear you, or even think about you again. Get out of Egypt," he ground out quietly, his tone belying his anger. They didn't need to be told twice. Malik and Bakura dropped the Egyptian God tablets on the ground and hurried past their unwanted audience. They fled the temple, never to be seen again.
"What about the ring?" Otogi asked angrily.
"They may have one sennen item, but we have six, plus the Egyptian God tablets. They know that they would not stand a chance should they try anything else," Yuugi replied. He turned to Anzu, drawing her small hand into his.
"Let us go home," he said to them all. He waved a hand airily in the direction of the remaining sennen items to remove the force barrier, and Otogi and Jounouchi walked up to the table to gather the precious golden objects, picking up the tablets on the way.
Yuugi smiled at Anzu, and she smiled back. They were safe now.
- - - - - - - - -
NEXT CHAPTER: The final chapter; wait and see!
- - - - - - - - - -
The next chapter will be the last, so I'll see you then. Hopefully, it won't take me too long. It will be an epilogue of sorts.