A/N: Hi everyone, I'm not dead! I'm really really sorry for not updating in about... months. For some reason my computer got a virus that wouldn't let me update anything, but my dad finally fixed the problem for me! I hope that problem never arises again... Please don't hate me for not updating in such a long time! Again, my deepest apologies for taking sooo long to update, but I'm glad I finally can now!
Umiko Morimoto: Lolz, yes, well, just trying to develop stuff a bit. Thanks and sorry it took a while!
AryaWinds: Hehe, yes, well... Yeah, this was definitely not soon! Sorry about that too. Thanks!
Norestar-angel: Thanks! Okay, sorry I didn't get the chance to yet. And thanks for all your help too! I'll credit everything to you right after all these replies...
Shy-Lil-Dreamer: K, thanks! Sorry this wasn't 'soon' either...
Lunar Dragon 209: Oh, yeah, good point... I'll keep that in mind for the next chapter! Thanks for the tip!
Sarah: Lolz! Your review is sooo funny!!! Hope you review again! Thanks!
Anonymous: Thanks for the review. Sorry this took so long.
AerinM: That's okay, thank you so much for reviewing anyway!
Eveeee90: Thanks! Okay, I'll use your idea for the end of my story, how's that?
Pocky no miko: Thanks, sorry this took so long...
Gill: Thank you for your support!
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to Tarranna for giving me the idea of Anzu's prank in this chapter! All the credit for that goes to her!
Also thanks to Aria for always persisting that I update!
Chapter Three: The First Prank
The High Priest Seto glanced through the official papyrus scrolls he was supposed to be reviewing, but found that he couldn't concentrate. He stood from his marble desk and began to head to his own private quarters in the palace. He walked through the open hallways throughout the palace, torches hung along the walls currently unlit, as the red glow of the dying sun gently filtered in. His feet mechanically moved on their own, so used to the passage he had to take, so his mind was free to wander.
"Well, today was an... interesting day", Seto thought, "Of all things, Pegasus has been reduced to desperately sending human slaves to guarantee protection for his own pathetic land, Libya. That girl, Anzu, whatever her name is, she humiliated me in front of the royal blood and all who had been present! She should pay for what she did to me. I'll learn a bit more about her first though, and then we shall see..."
Seto then found himself in front of the entrance to his quarters and went through the rather complicating locks and codes to enter. As he stepped in, his younger brother Mokuba rushed at him and threw his arms around his waist, trying to engulf him in a hug. Seto smiled down at him and returned the hug.
"How was your day, Mokuba?" Seto immediately inquired, after untangling the younger boy from him.
"Oh, Seto, it was great!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly, "I tended to your Blue Eyes after he came back in the morning, and he gave me a ride on his back! Your spiritual creature let me ride him! Blue Eyes flew around the entire palace and we had such a great view!"
Seto grinned, happy that his brother was happy. He made a mental note to thank his Blue Eyes in person for making him so pleased. Blue Eyes was fierce and 'mean' to everyone but the two Kaibas. Blue Eyes was one of a kind, and had specially chosen Seto to be his familiar. It was always an honor to be chosen as a Guardian with a spiritual creature, and even greater when the creature is immensely powerful.
"Seto, let's go and see what the cooks have for the evening meal tonight!" Mokuba exclaimed happily, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of their quarters.
Seto allowed a small smile to play on his lips as he walked after his brother. He listened with half an ear to what Mokuba was saying about his day, nodding and adding in small comments now and then. They finally made it down to the main kitchens and then headed off to there own private dining chambers. They were then served, and they ate their meal in relative peacefulness. Their comfortable silence was interrupted by a loud and sudden clatter and voices shouting.
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Anzu was living through her first evening at the palace, and her first task was to serve Prince Yami's evening meal. She watched the palace's head cook prepare his meal. But then suddenly a small fire started up and the head cook's attention was immediately caught by it. Anzu suddenly had a rather evil idea, and quickly grabbed a handful of dirt from a nearby potted plant, making sure that there were a few bugs, and slipped it into the soup and lentils that the cook had been making. The cook returned and poured the soup into a beautifully made golden bowl, placed it on a tray and Anzu walked in to where the Prince and his parents were supposed to be eating. She hurriedly put the tray down in front of where Yami was to be sitting, and left before he actually arrived.
Anzu nearly bumped into the head cook, rushing back into the kitchens. She muttered that she had successfully brought out the meal. He nodded, satisfied. Anzu smirked triumphantly to herself when the cook's back was turned and mentally congratulated her own brilliancy. She couldn't wait to see Yami's expression when he drank his soup. She took her time in scrubbing the dishes she was to do that night.
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Yami was supposed to be preparing for his evening meal with his parents, but of course he wasn't getting himself ready as usual. Yugi, his personal servant, was searching frantically for him before the meal actually began, but had no luck. He had looked at all of Yami's favorite places, but to no avail. He finally found him with his familiar, the Dark Magician, a very human-like creature, clad in a deep purple outfit and green staff. He was said to have great magical powers, but no one had really witnessed the full extent of his magic, having had no reason to use it. Dark Magician was seldom seen around, preferring to keep to himself, and had the ability to blend in with his surroundings, making him almost invisible, but currently was floating in the air, seeming to be listening intently to everything his Guardian Yami was saying.
Dark Magician spotted Yugi, and Yami stopped talking to him. Yami walked over to Yugi and Dark Magician seemed to disappear into the air.
"What is it now, Yugi?" Yami asked, exasperated.
"Prince Yami, really, could you please check the position of the sun now and then? It is time for your evening meal with your Royal parents," Yugi replied.
"Yes, yes, I'm going, alright?" Yami said and walked away in the direction of the kitchens.
'What power was Dark Magician talking about?' Yami wondered to himself as he walked. He was pondering over the conversation he had been having with Dark Magician before they were interrupted. Dark Magician had told him that he had sensed great power, somewhere hidden, arise slightly sometime around early sunset of that day. But he could give no more information other than that, and so was currently looking around for more details. Yami knew that he could mentally contact Dark Magician, but decided it would be better to leave him to his own searching.
Yami greeted his parents as he entered their dining chambers, and idle talk began on how their day was and other plans that the Pharaoh had for the future of Egypt. Yami picked up a freshly baked loaf of bread and slowly ate it, adding in small comments now and then to his father's ideas. He then lifted up the spoon to the soup, and took a sip. He immediately spat it out, knocked over the bowl to the floor, and yelled for the head cook. He could see bits of dirt and bugs in the soup, spread out over the marble floor.
"What is wrong, Your Highness?" the head cook asked as he rushed in.
"That is what's wrong," Yami snapped, pointing to the spilt soup. "Dirt and bugs were mixed in. Care to explain what's going on?"
"Your-your Highness," the cook stammered, "I assure you that I had nothing to do with this! I do not understand how or why those filthy things were added to your soup, but I will try to find out right away." With that, the cook ran back into the kitchens.
"Yami, it is not the cook's fault for this, you do realize that?" Queen Sahure said gently. "That cook has been with us for a very long time and proved himself quite trustworthy."
"Yes, mother," Yami said.
High Priest Seto and Mokuba then entered their chambers. Seto's eyes took in the scene, and immediately figured out what had happened.
"Prince Yami, are you alright?" Mokuba asked, concerned.
"It's okay, I only consumed a bug and a bit of dirt," Yami replied with a smile.
Palace servants had entered and began the tedious task of wiping the ground clear of the soup, dirt and bugs. The cook reentered, with the girl that they recognized from the presentation that had been held earlier on that day, Anzu.
"Your Highness, it was this newly arrived girl that put those despicable things in your soup," the cook said to Yami nervously.
"Leave us please," Yami said to him. He bowed as he left, and everyone was left looking at Anzu.
Seto glared angrily at Anzu, eyes narrowed and arms crossed, scowling. Mokuba was looking at her curiously, having never seen her before. The Pharaoh and Queen had resumed their meal, wanting to see how their son would handle the situation. Yami was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.
"You again. Anzu, right?" Yami said.
"Yes," was her simple answer. Seto bit back the desire to reprimand her for not addressing the Prince with a respectable title.
"Why did you do that?" Yami asked quietly. Mokuba instantly felt bad for the girl, knowing that whenever Yami began speaking in a soft tone, he was very, very angry. And the Prince's wrath is not to be tangled with.
"I am not here to be some servant in this palace. And so while I am here, I will make your life as miserable as possible," Anzu declared. Yami was silent for a while, eyes burning with fierce anger and the tension in the room was almost unbearable.
"I will see you tomorrow morning at the break of dawn, and we shall talk things over," Yami finally said.
He walked out of the dining chambers, leaving everyone else almost sighing with relief that he didn't explode with anger. Anzu left the room as well without another word. Seto's anger and hatred towards her deepened, even though deep down he was glad that someone was causing trouble to the Prince. Seto and Mokuba bowed and left the room, and began to return to their own quarters.
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'I will get Anzu back for that,' Yami thought to himself as he entered his private chambers. He was having a lot more problems with Anzu than he thought he would. Yugi had been very obedient and followed his instructions without question and very well. Yugi was the ideal servant for him, and he wondered why his parents decided to give him another servant as well. Yugi along with other regular palace servants were more than enough for him.
The palace servants had prepared a bath for him over in his private wash area. He headed over, got in, and continued to ponder what exactly he was going to do with Anzu.
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"Seto, read to me one of the stories you have please?" Mokuba asked. It was just about the time everyone was supposed to be safe in bed. No one in their right mind would wander the roads after the moon and stars rose. There were too many thieves hiding in the shadows, just waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Sure," Seto complied. "How's the text about Guardians and their familiars/spiritual creatures? Not the legend though, you know that one well enough."
"Okay, sure! But promise to read the legend to me some time soon again, alright?" Mokuba said eagerly.
Seto agreed and they seated themselves upon beautifully handcrafted chairs inlaid with jewels, other precious stones, and gold. Seto began reading from the scroll as Mokuba listened, entranced. Seto knew the text well enough, having gone over it a few times alone.
It explained the history and basic information of Guardians and their familiars. Guardians were usually those of royal blood, or hold a high respected position. Of course there were the rare exceptions that commoners were also Guardians if they were judged worthy enough. "Duel Monsters" is the term for those spiritual creatures that did not have a Guardian. Spiritual Creatures choose their Guardian, those people that are deemed to have a pure heart and compatible with the Creature themselves. When a Creature picks a Guardian, a bond is formed between them and they have the ability to communicate telepathically and together they have special powers, varying with each Creature and the amount of power the Guardian may naturally posse.
Duel Monsters are frequently seen in the wilderness or other sparsely human populated area, unable to communicate with anyone until they might discover their Guardian. Those who carry one of the seven Millennium Items are immediately guaranteed that they will have a powerful Creature. Seto himself has the Millennium Rod, and Yami had been handed down the Millennium Puzzle from his father on his sixteenth birthday. Each Item has it's own special powers, but the Puzzle and Rod are considered to be two of the strongest out of the seven. Not much is know about the other five Items, just that an infamous tomb robber has the possession of the Millennium Ring, and that the Millennium Necklace has been traveling around from person to person. One cannot just take an Item and expect its powers to be theirs. The Items are very sensitive when allowing an owner, similar to Spiritual Creatures. More information on both subjects has yet to be further researched though.
Seto finished reading the scroll, and discovered that Mokuba had fallen asleep on his chair. He smiled and gently carried him to his bedroom and placed him on his bed. Seto then retired to his own bedroom, making a mental note to himself that he was to visit Blue Eyes the next morning.
A/N: I'm hoping to also update Hidden Secrets sometime next week, even though I really don't like that story any more. But I received a number of e-mails asking me to continue/finish it, so I will. Thanks!
Kari