K Yami Yugi29 - You sure haven't read my and Keiko's other stories, have you? "Runners High", Keiko's, takes place in modern Japan, and you meet Kei's reincarnation Keiko (makes sense). In "Yami's Living Puzzle", by me, you meet Shukura's reincarnation. This fic, we're bringing them together, and it'll climax in "YLP II: Into the West". Really, if you want to be completely in the loop, read the others stories!
FW: Especially mine!!
Keiko C. Crawford - See above.
Shibby-One - Yes, my little obsessive friend, as this is ancient Egypt..... Well, I'll write more on this at the bottom.
Cat-Star4 - Also see my essay at the bottom.
Ente - Here's how you igure it out: Seto was born first, Bakura/Kei/Atem are a year younger, Shukura is a few months younger than Atem, and Naeem is two years younger than her. Right now, the ages are 14, 13, 12, and 10.
digigirl-izumi - *squeal* My cutesy friend! Thanks for sticking around!
Greenwood Dancer - Hold up! There seems to be a misunderstanding! This is the last chapter KEIKO is writing. I'M taking over for the rest of the ten-or-so chapters!
Yami: Meaning its gonna get depressing real fast!
Una: *smacks him*
.
.
FW: Well, since after this chapter we move on to Una's writing, I decided to do song fic.
Bardock: What it is with you and music?
FW: I was raised with different types of music always playing around me, my dad and his buddies playing in their band, the gang bangers going down the streets blasting rap music, and all my Latino neighbors playing all different types of Spanish music while they did something. Anyway, this takes places a year or so after Kei is discovered as a girl. The pharaoh is going through, watching the children he raised, now that they are heading into the pre adult years.
Una: We do not Yu-Gi-Ou, but we do own our prospective characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 5: The Kids Aren't Alright
The pharaoh walked around his palace. For some reason, in recent years, it had grown empty, or at least it seemed that way. No more mischievous children ran around the halls, hiding in pots and vases to avoid their lessons. There were no more screams of delight, or giggling late into the dark reaches of the night. He missed it.
His eldest son was becoming cold and distant, a good and strong ruler yes, but cold and distant from his younger brother. Seto was always shadowing Akunadean, and had stop talking much all together. His youngest son wandered around, usually trying to cause mischief, or pick up on a concubine, trying to be like his elder brother. Alas, he always failed and was taken as a child trying to be grown up. Kei, was one that hurt him the most. Her fate was sealed before she could even fully understand the concept of marriage. She was so bright, her intelligence had always surprised him. She was also a wonderful fighter, one who never gave up. What saddened him, was that she had given up. Her life was ruined now, that she was known as a girl.
~~When we were young the future was so bright
~~The old neighborhood was so alive
He recalled the times where the children would do nothing but run around playing hide and seek. They sometimes came into his study when he was alone, and have him read to them.
~~And every kid on the whole damn street
~~Was gonna make it big and not be beat
They all had dreams of their own. Kei wanted to be the greatest warrior, along with being a friend to everyone. It took her a while to realize she couldn't be both. Naeem wanted to become a great doctor, so he could help people, just like his brother would some day. Atem yearned to be a greater pharaoh than his father had been. Seto wanted to be a high priest, and if he ever had children, he swore he would never leave them alone with their mother, no matter what.
~~Now the neighborhood's cracked and torn
~~ The kids are grown up but their lives are worn
All the children were now teens, except Naeem, who was ten. Seto was fourteen, Atem and Kei were thirteen. Adults old enough to with hold great responsibilities according to society. But something told the pharaoh, they were still too young to have the great weights they had placed on their shoulders.
~~How can one little street
~~Swallow so many lives
He remembered all of them sleeping in the same room whenever someone got nervous or scared. They would usually spend the night in Naeem's room, chasing away "monsters". He laughed quietly to himself.
~~Chances thrown
~~Nothing's free
~~Longing for what used to be
Late at night, he would hear Kei's cries of wanting to be a boy, or of never having been discovered until the pharaoh was already married. She wanted everything to go back to how it was. Naeem prayed daily for someone to play with him, and everyday, no one answered.
~~Still it's hard
~~Hard to see
~~Fragile lives, shattered dreams
The pharaoh noticed he was coming down the hall where the concubines lived. He heard someone praying repeatedly, and he heard the sound of feet shuffling. He glanced in a door, and Kei stood there, hair tied back, arms from her elbow to her mid palm wrapped, as well as her shins and feet. She wore a black boy's tunic, and tied it with a red sash.
~~Jamie had a chance, well she really did
~~Instead she dropped out and had a couple of kids
She was crying as she prayed and practiced her routine. "I won't let him have me, I don't love him, I want everything like it was before." is what she was repeating. Her moves were strange to most people, but only because she had created her own style, mixing many of the fighting styles she had learned together. Sadly, someday, she would be forced to be mainly idle all the day long, or taking care of children, from a man that she didn't love.
~~Mark still lives at home cause he's got no job
~~He just plays guitar and smokes a lot of pot
The pharaoh looked in Naeem's room, and saw him staring at his ceiling. Naeem looked very distant, his eyes were clouded over. A strange, yet pleasing smell hung in his room. The pharaoh glared at his younger son and resolved to talk to him later.
~~Jay committed suicide
Seto walked past him, bowing respectively. Akunadean bowed his head and continued on, probably going to punish someone for something. The pharaoh could have sworn he saw something wet in Seto's eyes. A tear. He probably saw Kei, trying to prove to the gods that she could be a man. The pharaoh felt that this boy deeply loved her, and she deeply loved him. He hated things like this. He hoped and prayed they would not do anything foolish, but something told him they might. Yet another thing told him they would get away with it.
~~Brandon OD'd and died
Atem finally came out of his room, dressed and ready to talk with the foreigners that had arrived last night. He looked sad, and his feet dragged along. Atem bowed to his father, and started walking behind him. The pharaoh sighed inwardly, thinking of all the troubles.
~~What the hell is going on
~~The cruelest dream, reality
All four of them would soon be forced to come to terms with their fate. It would be a painful reality for all of them, and the pharaoh never wanted to see it.
~~Chances thrown
~~Nothing's free
~~Longing for what used to be
~~Still it's hard
~~Hard to see
~~Fragile lives, shattered dreams
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bardock: *feels FW's forehead* Are you feeling alright?
FW: Yeeees, why do you ask?
Yami: You wrote something depressing again!
Una: it wasn't depressing, it is a reality.
Yugi: Yeah, face it, life is depressing sometimes.
FW: Especially theirs in the years to come…
Una: Stay tuned, I'll be taking over the writing from here folks! In fact, this chapter was originally going to end here, but I'd rather end on a happier note.
Yami: There's a first!
FW: Hey I wrote an insert for you!
Una: yeah but this is where I do the majority of the writing!
Bardock: And I predict the death of half the cast!
Una: *hits Bardock with a shoe*
.
.
Naeem sped down the dark hallway, landing each footstep light as a cat. His intent was to outrun and outwit Armon, chief of the guard and his tutor in physical combat. He knew he needed all the help he could get in strength and power, but the sky was too blue today for staying indoors. He heard more guards being called to find him.
Ducking behind a tapestry, the prince caught his breath and waited for five groups of men to run past him before setting out again. He giggled. 'Maybe Kei will want to play! Seto's busy, so is Honored Brother, but she might escape from her lessons.'
Spotting a window, the short prince climbed over and looked down. He was on the second story, above several desert plants, most with thorns or spikes. He gulped, swung his leg over, and slowly made his way down, using the bricks of the palace as footholds. He hardly just flattened himself amid the greenery when two sets of guard filed past. Crawling on his belly, Naeem smiled at his own cleverness. What adult looks for a royal prince in a patch of prikly pears?
"Trying to escape?"
Naeem bit his lip to keep from yelling. Bending into the brush was the girl he and his brother had saved a year before. "What are you doing here," demanded Naeem, half embarrassed, half angry.
"I'm going to help you, ungrateful kid" she said. With that, she took his wrist and helped him to his feet outside the plants. "Let's go!"
Both ran along the walls of the gardens, stopping each time they heard footsteps. They finally went out a gate, dashed down the open area, and slipped under the cloth and into the pots of a passing cart.
"Where does this go," asked Naeem.
"To the palace kitchens," Shukura said, squeezing between two large ones. "Then we'll jump into the chute where all of the garbage is dumped. Its kinda smelly, but its in the open air."
"Thanks a lot," said the prince, smiling brightly.
"Whatever. So," asked Shukura after a couple of minutes, "why're you running away?"
"Oh, I'm not running away from home or anything. I just want to find my friend."
"Meaning you're ditching class? Do you realize how much I'd love to learn how to read or write!?" She made a "Keh!" sound in her throat. "So lucky, and ya don't even know it!"
"I'm not all that lucky," insisted Naeem, slightly hurt.
"Why the fuck would you say that?!"
The prince hugged his knees. "Too many lessons and not enough playing. I wish I could have taken Honored Brother with me, but he's with father discussing peace with those funny dressed men."
Shukura giggled a little. "Your brother seems a bit too snobby for play. And too busy!"
"He almost always is busy nowadays. Its 'cuz he's getting older, so he can't spend as much time with his friends anymore."
Shukura leaned back, making sure not to knock over any pots. "I'm Shukura, by the way."
"I know. I was there when you beat Minkabh at his own game!"
"No shit you were there! I just didn't think a prince would bother remembering such things. I saw you keep signaling to help me." She ran her fingers along the pot lid. "I appreciate that. I used to think all of you royal guys didn't care."
"We do," insisted the boy, "we really do, but we can't help everyone and keep within to old laws too."
"Yeah yeah." She paused. "What do I call you?"
"Un? That's a silly question! I'm called 'Young Prince.'"
"No, I mean if I'm going to play with you, can't I call you something else?"
Naeem paused. "Like what?"
"Didn't your mamma ever give you a proper name?"
"Yes, but you're a servant!"
"Not today! Today I'm your friend! Okay?"
The prince thought about it, then smiled. "Okay! Then you can call me Naeem."
The cart stopped, and both tensed. Shukura motioned for Naeem to follow her behind her pot. They scrunched in, Naeem held onto his nemes, and pressed into the cart's wall.
The tarp opened and a large man picked up a pot and turned to set it down. Seizing their chance, the two slid down under the cart, then dashed to the chute. The prince jumped in first, and Shukura closely after.
The sticky slide went on for ages before they landed on a heap of gunk, topped with rotting animal parts and old fruit. Naeem laughed hard, trying to stand in the muck. "This is so disgusting! I love it!"
"You can wash off over here." She motioned again for him to follow. They climbed (with difficulty) out of the rubbish and made their way to a nearby shack. Near the door stood a barrel filled with water. "Dump some on yourself, and join us inside."
"Us?" But she was gone. Naeem rinsed off his sandals and some of his lower tunic. He listened hard for voices inside the shack.
"What took you so long, Shukura?"
"I had to help out another kid to play with us."
"Does he got anything to gamble?"
"He's only going to watch today. Next time he might."
"If he's a kid, he can't gamble clothes to offer. Wouldn't mind you gambling clothes, Shukura!"
"Shut up, pervert!"
"What's his name?"
Naeem wrung out his fouled white lower tunic, then walked through the opening with no door. Inside about six men, all older then Shukura by a minimum of five years, gasped at the prince's entrance. "My name is Naeem," he said brightly. "What are you playing?"
"Craps," said Shukura, unperturbed by her companions' stunned silence. "You know how to play?"
"No. But I've heard of it."
"See these bones? Its called astragali. They have six sides and markings on each side. You put them in this cup," she demonstrated, "shake it up, then throw them out like this onto the mat." Again, she demonstrated, rolling a 3 and a 6. "If it adds up to seven, you win whatever has been bet."
"Sounds easy," said Naeem.
"It is, Sire," said one of the men, bowing nervously. "Today we're gambling using colored pebbles representing money. The red ones are for copper pieces, and the blue for silver."
"What about gold," Naeem asked.
"We can't afford that," another man muttered. "Most of us can hardly afford blue ones."
"We won't ask you for money," said Shukura, smiling very slightly, "unless you care to provide some next time. Today, you can just watch. Its pretty exciting."
'Pretty exciting' was an understatement for Naeem, who had never watched such spirited gambling before. He quickly got into the betting, nothing monetary, but guessing the outcome of the roll. Whenever they played "Singles," or rolling the dice one at a time, Shukura joined him in predicting the outcome. He found that she guessed correctly almost every time!
As the hours passed, another man arrived with glasses of highly diluted wine. Naeem drank a bit, then made a face. "Why's it so watery?"
"I've been using the same wine bottle for ages," said the man, "and I want it to last for ages more."
Naeem stared at his glass guiltily. As prince, he had so much money and leisure he had not known how poor his subjects were. While he had a soft, feathered bed and silk sheets to go home to, he saw that Shukura had only a straw mat. Most likely, the others were just as poor. Yet they seemed to keep their spirits up through games and friendship. In that, he admired them.
When the sun set and they started to lose the light, they collected their earnings and started to leave.
"Why not light a lamp or something," Naeem asked, not wanting the fun to end.
"We don't have one," one of the men said.
"Yeah, Shukura ain't stolen one yet," another laughed.
Naeem looked at her disbelievingly. "You don't steal stuff from the palace, do you?"
Shukura bent down and whispered. "Tell you what, I won't answer that, and you won't lie if anything turns up missing. Deal?"
"Uh ... deal! If you show me how you figured out what the dice roll all the time."
"My secret to guessing?" She watched the last man disappear from her shack. "Okay, I'll teach you."
She took a stick and drew seven columns on the floor, numbered on the outside from one to six. She then filled in the numbers in between.
. 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
"Do you get the pattern?"
Naeem stared at it for several seconds. "Um, they add up crossing up and down?"
"Yes. Very good. This chart is the basic probability of the throws, the two columns are each die. Notice how most of them add up to seven? that's why its the most probably hand to predict. But its still only one in six chance, if then. That's what makes it a gamble to bet on."
Naeem's eyes glittered with added excitement. "Boy, I can't wait to show Kei! She's gonna love this game!"
Shukura started cleaning up her shack. "How is she, by the way?"
"Un? You know her?"
"We met in the dungeons. She doing okay as a girl in court?"
Naeem's face fell. "She's miserable! She can't even come to spar anymore!" He kicked a pebble. "Its like she's suffocating! It'll end up killing her!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys! Its Naeem again!
Kei has one saving light, though: a thief friend she met named Bakura. While she goes out every so often to play with him, I spend time with Shukura. Um... I just wish we didn't get caught!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bardock: I think I'd like to point out that song was NOT written by FW.
FW: No duh! It's by Offspring! I love that band!
Yugi: What'cha doing, Una-san?
Una: Typing up an essay for the attachment. I think I'd better explain my theory on the personas within this fic as compared to their alter-egos in the future.
FW: UNA!!! This is NOT English class!!!
.
Una's Notes On Personality, Nature VS Nuture
I would like to make a long note on my position explaining Atem's/Shukura's/Kei's/Seto's/Naeem's actions and personality during the duration of this fic. It all goes under the concept of Nature VS Nurture. Our personalities are dictated by both of these concepts, meaning our memories and upbringing have as much to do with, if not more so than, our inert conciousness.
Let's take Atem and Yami (since he will be changed the most!). In his heart, which he carries through both times eras, he is arrogant, brave, strong, confident, very smart, a born leader, [hott, thank you K Yami Yugi!], loves games, and protects those closest to him no questions asked. Both Atem and Yami display these qualities.
However, Atem has an extensive past and memories to mold any gaps therein. As pharaoh, he would have been very spoiled, especially since Akunamukanan was so wealthy and his reign so prosperous. Atem would think that, as future pharaoh, his word was law, he had godly powers (his strength in magic adds to his pride), and basically would not have much expierience with caring for other people than himself and the general populous (and Naeem). Yami, on the other hand, has no past to speak of, so he takes a lot from his times with Yugi-tachi (its all he has!). This would explain his lack-of-personality early on in the series. Yami develops according to those around him, trusting in friendship and unity rather than his abilities alone.
Also consider the times they are in! Women were not looked upon so highly as today, and to a pharaoh, they were either his wife or mistresses, or another man's. Women were, in short, treated roughly. So it makes no wonder why Kei wanted to be treated like a boy!
If you have any questions on ancient Egypt, either look it up online or check out Shibby-One's fics, loaded with facts!!
.
FW/Bardock/Yugi/Yami: *sarcastically, with mock respect* Thank you, Miss. Una!
Una: -_-' So much for adding a bit of higher-level thinking to this peanut gallery! I'll make a deal with you all. If I get reviews faster, I'll put up the chapters faster, okay? I have the next three ready!
FW: Especially mine!!
Keiko C. Crawford - See above.
Shibby-One - Yes, my little obsessive friend, as this is ancient Egypt..... Well, I'll write more on this at the bottom.
Cat-Star4 - Also see my essay at the bottom.
Ente - Here's how you igure it out: Seto was born first, Bakura/Kei/Atem are a year younger, Shukura is a few months younger than Atem, and Naeem is two years younger than her. Right now, the ages are 14, 13, 12, and 10.
digigirl-izumi - *squeal* My cutesy friend! Thanks for sticking around!
Greenwood Dancer - Hold up! There seems to be a misunderstanding! This is the last chapter KEIKO is writing. I'M taking over for the rest of the ten-or-so chapters!
Yami: Meaning its gonna get depressing real fast!
Una: *smacks him*
.
.
FW: Well, since after this chapter we move on to Una's writing, I decided to do song fic.
Bardock: What it is with you and music?
FW: I was raised with different types of music always playing around me, my dad and his buddies playing in their band, the gang bangers going down the streets blasting rap music, and all my Latino neighbors playing all different types of Spanish music while they did something. Anyway, this takes places a year or so after Kei is discovered as a girl. The pharaoh is going through, watching the children he raised, now that they are heading into the pre adult years.
Una: We do not Yu-Gi-Ou, but we do own our prospective characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 5: The Kids Aren't Alright
The pharaoh walked around his palace. For some reason, in recent years, it had grown empty, or at least it seemed that way. No more mischievous children ran around the halls, hiding in pots and vases to avoid their lessons. There were no more screams of delight, or giggling late into the dark reaches of the night. He missed it.
His eldest son was becoming cold and distant, a good and strong ruler yes, but cold and distant from his younger brother. Seto was always shadowing Akunadean, and had stop talking much all together. His youngest son wandered around, usually trying to cause mischief, or pick up on a concubine, trying to be like his elder brother. Alas, he always failed and was taken as a child trying to be grown up. Kei, was one that hurt him the most. Her fate was sealed before she could even fully understand the concept of marriage. She was so bright, her intelligence had always surprised him. She was also a wonderful fighter, one who never gave up. What saddened him, was that she had given up. Her life was ruined now, that she was known as a girl.
~~When we were young the future was so bright
~~The old neighborhood was so alive
He recalled the times where the children would do nothing but run around playing hide and seek. They sometimes came into his study when he was alone, and have him read to them.
~~And every kid on the whole damn street
~~Was gonna make it big and not be beat
They all had dreams of their own. Kei wanted to be the greatest warrior, along with being a friend to everyone. It took her a while to realize she couldn't be both. Naeem wanted to become a great doctor, so he could help people, just like his brother would some day. Atem yearned to be a greater pharaoh than his father had been. Seto wanted to be a high priest, and if he ever had children, he swore he would never leave them alone with their mother, no matter what.
~~Now the neighborhood's cracked and torn
~~ The kids are grown up but their lives are worn
All the children were now teens, except Naeem, who was ten. Seto was fourteen, Atem and Kei were thirteen. Adults old enough to with hold great responsibilities according to society. But something told the pharaoh, they were still too young to have the great weights they had placed on their shoulders.
~~How can one little street
~~Swallow so many lives
He remembered all of them sleeping in the same room whenever someone got nervous or scared. They would usually spend the night in Naeem's room, chasing away "monsters". He laughed quietly to himself.
~~Chances thrown
~~Nothing's free
~~Longing for what used to be
Late at night, he would hear Kei's cries of wanting to be a boy, or of never having been discovered until the pharaoh was already married. She wanted everything to go back to how it was. Naeem prayed daily for someone to play with him, and everyday, no one answered.
~~Still it's hard
~~Hard to see
~~Fragile lives, shattered dreams
The pharaoh noticed he was coming down the hall where the concubines lived. He heard someone praying repeatedly, and he heard the sound of feet shuffling. He glanced in a door, and Kei stood there, hair tied back, arms from her elbow to her mid palm wrapped, as well as her shins and feet. She wore a black boy's tunic, and tied it with a red sash.
~~Jamie had a chance, well she really did
~~Instead she dropped out and had a couple of kids
She was crying as she prayed and practiced her routine. "I won't let him have me, I don't love him, I want everything like it was before." is what she was repeating. Her moves were strange to most people, but only because she had created her own style, mixing many of the fighting styles she had learned together. Sadly, someday, she would be forced to be mainly idle all the day long, or taking care of children, from a man that she didn't love.
~~Mark still lives at home cause he's got no job
~~He just plays guitar and smokes a lot of pot
The pharaoh looked in Naeem's room, and saw him staring at his ceiling. Naeem looked very distant, his eyes were clouded over. A strange, yet pleasing smell hung in his room. The pharaoh glared at his younger son and resolved to talk to him later.
~~Jay committed suicide
Seto walked past him, bowing respectively. Akunadean bowed his head and continued on, probably going to punish someone for something. The pharaoh could have sworn he saw something wet in Seto's eyes. A tear. He probably saw Kei, trying to prove to the gods that she could be a man. The pharaoh felt that this boy deeply loved her, and she deeply loved him. He hated things like this. He hoped and prayed they would not do anything foolish, but something told him they might. Yet another thing told him they would get away with it.
~~Brandon OD'd and died
Atem finally came out of his room, dressed and ready to talk with the foreigners that had arrived last night. He looked sad, and his feet dragged along. Atem bowed to his father, and started walking behind him. The pharaoh sighed inwardly, thinking of all the troubles.
~~What the hell is going on
~~The cruelest dream, reality
All four of them would soon be forced to come to terms with their fate. It would be a painful reality for all of them, and the pharaoh never wanted to see it.
~~Chances thrown
~~Nothing's free
~~Longing for what used to be
~~Still it's hard
~~Hard to see
~~Fragile lives, shattered dreams
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bardock: *feels FW's forehead* Are you feeling alright?
FW: Yeeees, why do you ask?
Yami: You wrote something depressing again!
Una: it wasn't depressing, it is a reality.
Yugi: Yeah, face it, life is depressing sometimes.
FW: Especially theirs in the years to come…
Una: Stay tuned, I'll be taking over the writing from here folks! In fact, this chapter was originally going to end here, but I'd rather end on a happier note.
Yami: There's a first!
FW: Hey I wrote an insert for you!
Una: yeah but this is where I do the majority of the writing!
Bardock: And I predict the death of half the cast!
Una: *hits Bardock with a shoe*
.
.
Naeem sped down the dark hallway, landing each footstep light as a cat. His intent was to outrun and outwit Armon, chief of the guard and his tutor in physical combat. He knew he needed all the help he could get in strength and power, but the sky was too blue today for staying indoors. He heard more guards being called to find him.
Ducking behind a tapestry, the prince caught his breath and waited for five groups of men to run past him before setting out again. He giggled. 'Maybe Kei will want to play! Seto's busy, so is Honored Brother, but she might escape from her lessons.'
Spotting a window, the short prince climbed over and looked down. He was on the second story, above several desert plants, most with thorns or spikes. He gulped, swung his leg over, and slowly made his way down, using the bricks of the palace as footholds. He hardly just flattened himself amid the greenery when two sets of guard filed past. Crawling on his belly, Naeem smiled at his own cleverness. What adult looks for a royal prince in a patch of prikly pears?
"Trying to escape?"
Naeem bit his lip to keep from yelling. Bending into the brush was the girl he and his brother had saved a year before. "What are you doing here," demanded Naeem, half embarrassed, half angry.
"I'm going to help you, ungrateful kid" she said. With that, she took his wrist and helped him to his feet outside the plants. "Let's go!"
Both ran along the walls of the gardens, stopping each time they heard footsteps. They finally went out a gate, dashed down the open area, and slipped under the cloth and into the pots of a passing cart.
"Where does this go," asked Naeem.
"To the palace kitchens," Shukura said, squeezing between two large ones. "Then we'll jump into the chute where all of the garbage is dumped. Its kinda smelly, but its in the open air."
"Thanks a lot," said the prince, smiling brightly.
"Whatever. So," asked Shukura after a couple of minutes, "why're you running away?"
"Oh, I'm not running away from home or anything. I just want to find my friend."
"Meaning you're ditching class? Do you realize how much I'd love to learn how to read or write!?" She made a "Keh!" sound in her throat. "So lucky, and ya don't even know it!"
"I'm not all that lucky," insisted Naeem, slightly hurt.
"Why the fuck would you say that?!"
The prince hugged his knees. "Too many lessons and not enough playing. I wish I could have taken Honored Brother with me, but he's with father discussing peace with those funny dressed men."
Shukura giggled a little. "Your brother seems a bit too snobby for play. And too busy!"
"He almost always is busy nowadays. Its 'cuz he's getting older, so he can't spend as much time with his friends anymore."
Shukura leaned back, making sure not to knock over any pots. "I'm Shukura, by the way."
"I know. I was there when you beat Minkabh at his own game!"
"No shit you were there! I just didn't think a prince would bother remembering such things. I saw you keep signaling to help me." She ran her fingers along the pot lid. "I appreciate that. I used to think all of you royal guys didn't care."
"We do," insisted the boy, "we really do, but we can't help everyone and keep within to old laws too."
"Yeah yeah." She paused. "What do I call you?"
"Un? That's a silly question! I'm called 'Young Prince.'"
"No, I mean if I'm going to play with you, can't I call you something else?"
Naeem paused. "Like what?"
"Didn't your mamma ever give you a proper name?"
"Yes, but you're a servant!"
"Not today! Today I'm your friend! Okay?"
The prince thought about it, then smiled. "Okay! Then you can call me Naeem."
The cart stopped, and both tensed. Shukura motioned for Naeem to follow her behind her pot. They scrunched in, Naeem held onto his nemes, and pressed into the cart's wall.
The tarp opened and a large man picked up a pot and turned to set it down. Seizing their chance, the two slid down under the cart, then dashed to the chute. The prince jumped in first, and Shukura closely after.
The sticky slide went on for ages before they landed on a heap of gunk, topped with rotting animal parts and old fruit. Naeem laughed hard, trying to stand in the muck. "This is so disgusting! I love it!"
"You can wash off over here." She motioned again for him to follow. They climbed (with difficulty) out of the rubbish and made their way to a nearby shack. Near the door stood a barrel filled with water. "Dump some on yourself, and join us inside."
"Us?" But she was gone. Naeem rinsed off his sandals and some of his lower tunic. He listened hard for voices inside the shack.
"What took you so long, Shukura?"
"I had to help out another kid to play with us."
"Does he got anything to gamble?"
"He's only going to watch today. Next time he might."
"If he's a kid, he can't gamble clothes to offer. Wouldn't mind you gambling clothes, Shukura!"
"Shut up, pervert!"
"What's his name?"
Naeem wrung out his fouled white lower tunic, then walked through the opening with no door. Inside about six men, all older then Shukura by a minimum of five years, gasped at the prince's entrance. "My name is Naeem," he said brightly. "What are you playing?"
"Craps," said Shukura, unperturbed by her companions' stunned silence. "You know how to play?"
"No. But I've heard of it."
"See these bones? Its called astragali. They have six sides and markings on each side. You put them in this cup," she demonstrated, "shake it up, then throw them out like this onto the mat." Again, she demonstrated, rolling a 3 and a 6. "If it adds up to seven, you win whatever has been bet."
"Sounds easy," said Naeem.
"It is, Sire," said one of the men, bowing nervously. "Today we're gambling using colored pebbles representing money. The red ones are for copper pieces, and the blue for silver."
"What about gold," Naeem asked.
"We can't afford that," another man muttered. "Most of us can hardly afford blue ones."
"We won't ask you for money," said Shukura, smiling very slightly, "unless you care to provide some next time. Today, you can just watch. Its pretty exciting."
'Pretty exciting' was an understatement for Naeem, who had never watched such spirited gambling before. He quickly got into the betting, nothing monetary, but guessing the outcome of the roll. Whenever they played "Singles," or rolling the dice one at a time, Shukura joined him in predicting the outcome. He found that she guessed correctly almost every time!
As the hours passed, another man arrived with glasses of highly diluted wine. Naeem drank a bit, then made a face. "Why's it so watery?"
"I've been using the same wine bottle for ages," said the man, "and I want it to last for ages more."
Naeem stared at his glass guiltily. As prince, he had so much money and leisure he had not known how poor his subjects were. While he had a soft, feathered bed and silk sheets to go home to, he saw that Shukura had only a straw mat. Most likely, the others were just as poor. Yet they seemed to keep their spirits up through games and friendship. In that, he admired them.
When the sun set and they started to lose the light, they collected their earnings and started to leave.
"Why not light a lamp or something," Naeem asked, not wanting the fun to end.
"We don't have one," one of the men said.
"Yeah, Shukura ain't stolen one yet," another laughed.
Naeem looked at her disbelievingly. "You don't steal stuff from the palace, do you?"
Shukura bent down and whispered. "Tell you what, I won't answer that, and you won't lie if anything turns up missing. Deal?"
"Uh ... deal! If you show me how you figured out what the dice roll all the time."
"My secret to guessing?" She watched the last man disappear from her shack. "Okay, I'll teach you."
She took a stick and drew seven columns on the floor, numbered on the outside from one to six. She then filled in the numbers in between.
. 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
"Do you get the pattern?"
Naeem stared at it for several seconds. "Um, they add up crossing up and down?"
"Yes. Very good. This chart is the basic probability of the throws, the two columns are each die. Notice how most of them add up to seven? that's why its the most probably hand to predict. But its still only one in six chance, if then. That's what makes it a gamble to bet on."
Naeem's eyes glittered with added excitement. "Boy, I can't wait to show Kei! She's gonna love this game!"
Shukura started cleaning up her shack. "How is she, by the way?"
"Un? You know her?"
"We met in the dungeons. She doing okay as a girl in court?"
Naeem's face fell. "She's miserable! She can't even come to spar anymore!" He kicked a pebble. "Its like she's suffocating! It'll end up killing her!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys! Its Naeem again!
Kei has one saving light, though: a thief friend she met named Bakura. While she goes out every so often to play with him, I spend time with Shukura. Um... I just wish we didn't get caught!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bardock: I think I'd like to point out that song was NOT written by FW.
FW: No duh! It's by Offspring! I love that band!
Yugi: What'cha doing, Una-san?
Una: Typing up an essay for the attachment. I think I'd better explain my theory on the personas within this fic as compared to their alter-egos in the future.
FW: UNA!!! This is NOT English class!!!
.
Una's Notes On Personality, Nature VS Nuture
I would like to make a long note on my position explaining Atem's/Shukura's/Kei's/Seto's/Naeem's actions and personality during the duration of this fic. It all goes under the concept of Nature VS Nurture. Our personalities are dictated by both of these concepts, meaning our memories and upbringing have as much to do with, if not more so than, our inert conciousness.
Let's take Atem and Yami (since he will be changed the most!). In his heart, which he carries through both times eras, he is arrogant, brave, strong, confident, very smart, a born leader, [hott, thank you K Yami Yugi!], loves games, and protects those closest to him no questions asked. Both Atem and Yami display these qualities.
However, Atem has an extensive past and memories to mold any gaps therein. As pharaoh, he would have been very spoiled, especially since Akunamukanan was so wealthy and his reign so prosperous. Atem would think that, as future pharaoh, his word was law, he had godly powers (his strength in magic adds to his pride), and basically would not have much expierience with caring for other people than himself and the general populous (and Naeem). Yami, on the other hand, has no past to speak of, so he takes a lot from his times with Yugi-tachi (its all he has!). This would explain his lack-of-personality early on in the series. Yami develops according to those around him, trusting in friendship and unity rather than his abilities alone.
Also consider the times they are in! Women were not looked upon so highly as today, and to a pharaoh, they were either his wife or mistresses, or another man's. Women were, in short, treated roughly. So it makes no wonder why Kei wanted to be treated like a boy!
If you have any questions on ancient Egypt, either look it up online or check out Shibby-One's fics, loaded with facts!!
.
FW/Bardock/Yugi/Yami: *sarcastically, with mock respect* Thank you, Miss. Una!
Una: -_-' So much for adding a bit of higher-level thinking to this peanut gallery! I'll make a deal with you all. If I get reviews faster, I'll put up the chapters faster, okay? I have the next three ready!