Strawberrylover - Yes, a new update already!!
Jessejames - Slayers,eh? Good anime taste! O_O Whoa! Chill, my friend! Rough him up, but don't kill him! He may be an annoying little monkey, but he's my annoying little monkey!
Bardock: That sounded so sexually perversive, I'm not goin near it!
Cat-Star - Just because there are definite couples, doesn't mean its happily ever after yet!
K Yami Yugi - You got it!
High Priestess Ente - *accepts high-five* Its incredibly hard multi-tasking, and I may give it up for a while. With finals only a few weeks away, and projects getting due, I tried catching up this Spring Break, and failed. -_- At least the next chapter to this is DONE, so I may update sooner then later. The sites are hard, too! I updated EoA Friday, though. Oh, and one more thing... *looks to the others* NOW!
*all applaud and cheer for the High Priestess; Yugi stands on his chair to see better and grins; FW is jumping up and down*
Una: ^_^ There ya go! A proper greeting!
digigirl - Monty...Python... XD
Yugiohchix - O.O
Greenwood Dancer - Ano.... You won't find out th secret of Naeem's biggest reason for leaving until chapter 10+ of the sequel. Well.... It'll be hinted next chapter on here.
Serafina - You aren't the only one bombarded with work! I actually m not too sure what I'm getting in Japanese, but I'm pretty sure I'm failing. Gotta push it up before the end of the sememster! Nee-ways... I've really missed you!!
Bardock: Of all the things she's fa-
Una: *sing-song* Oh jesseja~ames!!
Bardock: *runs and hides whimpering like a puppy*
Shibby - *sigh* So much to say! So many reviews! I don't mind! ^_^ More reviews on the counter! Um, I'll only go to what's relavent to the story: (1) Addicting? Wow, mission accomplished! ^_^ Seriously, I'm thrilled you feel that way, b/c the chapters will get a bit longer and more dramatic. (2) I took your 'jumping a month criticism' into, and that's why I asked for a Kei adventure from FW.
FW: YEAH!!! YOU ARE THE REASON!! YOU LOVE ME!! *whispers* So review my fics more!!
Una: (3) I'll e-mail you about that one. (4) Sites aren't working for you? Must be the music. I'll shut it down started at 1pm Monday, for one week. That'll give you more than enough time!!
Bakura: One hour is enough time.
Una: *glare* Is it any wonder why you aren't in my fics more? Oh, and as for the song, it perfectly suits Naeem, regardless of origin!
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FW: I talked Una into letting me write an insert, but let me introduce one new announcer comment person thingy!
Una: Wait, you talked me into it? I asked you to write it!
Yugi: Um, not really. She made it up on the fly, then you asked her. That counts for her idea.
MW: How'd you get him here?
FW: I promised Anna I'd keep him out of her hair for a long long time XP
Bardock: What is it with you and dead guys as announcers?
Bakura and Yami: Was that an insult?!
Amidamaru: *sighs* It's better than living with the 'she-devil'
FW: Amidamaru from Shaman King!
Bardock: *tries to pat Amidamaru's back but his hand goes through him* Heke?
MW: Unless you are a shaman, you can't really exist on the same plane as he does…..that means you can see but not touch monkey for brains.
Bakura: Then how come he can pound me?
Amidamaru: Maybe it's the fact that your SOLID!
Bakura: _ Shut it you transparent Samurai!
Amidamaru: Pathetic tomb robber!
Yami: *points to mirror* Brain Dead Pharaoh!…..wait...NO!
FW: ^^; Ya'll know the disclaimer by heart now XB
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Chapter 10
Life Goes On
Akunadean took advantage on Pharaoh Atem's distress over his brother's absence and suggested that Naeem was plotting against him in revenge for his negligence. "He may return with an army to usurp the throne," the evil priest would say often whenever the boy's name was mentioned. After weeks with no word, some courtiers began to wonder if the accusation had truth to it.
Atem refused to say anything on the matter, and made sure no one could read his mind on whether or not he believed Naeem was capable of betrayal. All he would say was that "Pharaoh is supposed to be hard as rock and not driven by emotions."
"I think he's worried more about Naeem's safety than his loyalties," Shukura once said to Kei. "He's embarrassed that he didn't notice that his brother was missing until he'd been gone over a month!"
Shukura gladly accepted Kei's instruction, mostly because she thought Kei would go easy on her. Boy, was she mistaken! Kei may be compassionate, but she was no patsy! By the end of the first three-hour lesson, Shukura almost wished she'd declined the extra tutelage.
"How'd you survive the streets of Thebes anyway," said Kei as Shukura took a break. "I thought all thieves were better than this!"
Shukura said, "I've gotten soft from palace life. I'll warm up to this by next lesson, I promise!"
Kei was excited not only about her new pupils, but by the fact that she was going to marry the love of her life. Then one day as she skipped about singing one of her random songs, something hit her. Bakura. If she was going to marry Seto, she wouldn't be able to sneak out as much. Then when she bore Seto's children, there'd be less time for the two of them to have fun, much less see each other. Her heart was caught in her throat
"B---Bakura…..my first friend….I have to see him, one last time…."
That night, she dressed in her typical disguise for seeing Bakura, and set out looking for him. She saw his fine horse sitting outside one of the local bars, and it was tied to another.
"Oh great…now he's stealing horses…..my best friend's a klepto, how am I gonna explain that to Seto when I want him at our wedding ceremony?"
Throwing this doubt aside, she walked into the bar, unafraid of the many men looking up from the distractions of their prostitutes. A woman walked in here, dressed as a man, and she looked a little vicious as she approached a table. The man at the table was not facing her, and people shouted at the girl that she was crazy to go near him.
"Bakura. Stand up you thief." she said, gripping her hand on his chair.
"I see the little boy-girl has arrived." Bakura said, with a grin. But it wasn't a sadistic one. It was one that people use when trying not to laugh or cry. Kei had the same face and she pounced on him with such force that she knocked the table over. Kei began to nuzzle Bakura, as he laughed, happily. He picked up Kei in one arm, and fixed the table in the other. Kei drank some juice, while Bakura downed another beer.
"I remember when you and I would dance outside this place for food or money." she giggled. "We would skip arm in arm, going around in a circle, changing directions every now and then while we sang bar songs we overheard in here." Bakura began to gently laugh again with his mug raised to his mouth. "I also remember when we dressed you up as a little girl and played 'Guess the Gender' with the townsfolk." Bakura was now laughing so hard that beer was coming out of his nose.
"Whaddya say, just for old times sake?" Bakura said, clearing off the table and standing up, his arm ready for hers to hook on. Kei brightly smiled and she pounced on the table with him, and they began to dance and sing, getting the bar-goers to join in. ((If you wanna imagine how the two are dancing, thik Merry and Pippin's table jigs in the Lord of the Rings))It was a very merry miniature celebration for Kei, among people that she felt comfortable around. No one noticed a cloaked figure walk in the room and sit in a corner. The cloaked figure was keeping a close eye on Bakura and Kei, but instead of scowling, the figure under the cloak wore a small grin. After an hour or so of the merry making, Bakura jumped down from the table, as did Kei, they took a bow and exited. Bakura mounted his horse, and tosses the rope around the other's neck to Kei.
"I need to get these horses some water. Would you bring the other one for me?" he asked, gently patting his horse. Kei was beaming at him and already perched on the horse. At the river, Bakura and Kei played a few gambling games, while the horses drank and ate. Their cloaked stalker hid himself and his horse in some nearby rushes. Kei was celebrating her win, when the noise she made startled their stalker's horse. Bakura shoved Kei down on the ground and drew his sword
"Who's there?! Come out, it's no use hiding now! If you don't I'll find you and cut you in half!"
No response
"Alright then, you've asked for it!" right as Bakura began to charge, Kei felt someone. She knew who was following them. Bakura was to far for her to tackle. She ran at full speed, went right in front of Bakura, and caught his sword just as it was about to strike. Blood trickled down her hands, and she held back tears of pain. Bakura dropped his sword and looked at her hands.
"Kei, are you alright? Why did you stop me?"
"Because, I can't watch you kill someone, no matter who it is. Even if I dislike the person, it's wrong for them to die because they saw me sneak out and followed because they were concerned about me. Killing people is wrong. It's the most terrible thing someone can do!" Kei began to cry. Bakura hugged her, but someone else was as well. Bakura looked up and the tall figure who had removed the hood of his cloak. It was Seto. Seto kissed the top of Kei's head, and bent down so he could be eye to eye with her.
"Why did you sneak out? I told you that you weren't allowed outside the walls without an escort anymore." his eyes weren't full of anger, but concern. Bakura let Kei go and backed off.
"I….I…I just wanted to tell my best friend goodbye….and that he's always going to be my brother….and that I love him….." Kei said, running over to Bakura, hugging him goodbye. He kissed her forehead and said: "Goodbye my little sister." as he mounted his horse. As he rode away with his two horses, Kei called out to him.
"RememberthatI'myourlittlesisterandyouhavetochasealllthebadguysawayformeeeeeeeee!!!!!Don'tforgetthatIamtheoneandonlylizardqueeeeeeeennnn!!!!OnlyIcandancewithyouontablesinbarsandstuffandyoucomebackyouheremeorI'llfindyouandsiceveryspiritIcanonyouandyou'llbereallyreallyreaaaaalllysorrrrryyy!!!!!!!!Byeeeeebyeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Kei said, jumping up and down, waving frantically.
Seto sweat dropped "Lizard Queen?" he thought to himself. Kei pounced on his back and nuzzled him until his hair was messy beyond repair and his cheek was numb.
"Husband~to~beeeeeeeee!!! Do~you~love~me?" Kei said in a sing-song
voice.
Seto laughed, well, as close as Seto could get to a laugh "Yes I love you."
"More than the flowamamers?"
"Yes"
"More than wiiiiineeeeee?"
"Yes I do"
"More than all the watermelons in the woooorrrrrrlld?" she said, now laughing uncontrollably.
Seto had to start really laughing at this point as well. "Yes, more than ANYTHING in the world. My little song bird, why don't you sing for me?"
The two spent the rest of the night either, talking, dancing, singing or laughing. When she finally fell asleep, Seto lay on the lush grass, gently stroking Kei's hair. He wished everyday would be like this. Deep in his heart, he knew that someday, there would be more days like this. Once all was said and done, and there was peace, maybe he could rest with her more often, and gaze at the stars she so loved to count. A shooting star flew past.
"Make a wish." he told himself. Seto looked down at Kei and smiled. He kissed her forehead and slept.
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Eventually, Shukura started to get the hang of the warm-ups and physical blocks. When Kei introduced her to weaponry, Shukura took to the shuriken and daggers immediately. This didn't surprise Kei; Shukura had quick hands and much experience with gambling to aid her in this area. Through the lesson time, the young women became closer as friends, gossiping, making up songs, sharing funny stories, and generally fooling around. As they practiced, they felt detached from their numerous responsibilities.
One day, Kei asked Seto to witness a demonstration of Shukura's talents. Seto paled. "You gave that woman projectile weapons?"
"You won't get hit," Kei said grinning like a cat. "I'll protect you!"
"I don't want to chance it."
Kei glomped onto Seto's arm, flashed her big, bright, blue-green eyes, and said, "Plea~se!"
Seto groaned. "You know I can't resist that!"
"Yup!"
"Okay, I'll go." He caressed her hair with his free hand. "For your sake."
=^o^=
For the demonstration Kei set up a short obstacle course, mostly consisting of moving targets and obstructions to stop Shukura. The student queen wore a black tunic, like Kei's, only tied with a purple sash. Her Mil. Bracelet gleamed, as did the tips of her daggers, as she mentally prepared for her task.
At Kei's signal, Shukura took off into the training field. She threw her first two shuriken at the wooden targets on either side, hitting both in the neck. Three logs rolled out from a cart nearby, and Shukura leaped over, slashing each twice with her daggers. Servants shielded with wooden targets ran across the field in Shukura's path. She threw six metallic stars, hitting each with two, then darted past them, cutting off one target's head. Finally, four more targets emerged surrounding her. She sent out three fresh shuriken, all landing on the chest, whipped out her dagger, and turned around to stick it in between the last target's legs.
Kei applauded enthusiastically. Seto's pupils were pinpricks. "Wow," he muttered. "All that after only a few months?"
Shukura smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Well, I had some self-training before. But Kei's a really great teacher!"
"Too bad neither of you can join the army."
Just then a familiar servant rushed out to the field. She had to stop a moment to catch her breath. "Calpurnia," Kei said. "Are you alright?" [1]
"Sh-Shukura," the young woman gasped for air. "I came ahead… to tell you… Prince Naeem's company has been spotted… just inside the walls. He's in the city! He's back!"
"Did he have an army with him," asked Seto.
Kei gave Seto a warning look. "No army, Lord Seto," said Calpurnia, recovering at last. "But he brought many people along with him. Look like peasants to me."
"Does the pharaoh know," asked Shukura.
"Not yet, I don't think."
"Thank you, Cal. C'mon! Let's go!" The three hurried through a small palace entrance so as not to be seen.
In the streets of Thebes, Naeem's caravan met with cheers and praises from the people. Many remembered Naeem as the boy prince who played in the streets with vagabonds and common children. Others were simply pleased to see the riches and new business he'd brought with him. The procession included five camels, each with trade of all kinds, including gold, silver, turquoise, skins, and pots. Two dozen or so people (men, women, and children) walked alongside the camels carrying their worldly possessions. Children pointed and exclaimed in wonder at the large capital city. [2]
At the head of the group were two horses, one ridden by Naeem and one by a tall man no one else had ever seen before. Both he and Naeem were passing out handfuls of gold and turquoise to the people who managed to make it to the horses. This slowed the procession down, but none of the participants seemed to care.
Shukura ducked and dodged, making her way to Naeem's side. "Naeem! Brother, you're home at last!"
When Naeem saw Shukura, he made a thrilled exclamation, jumped off the horse, and hugged her. "Sister Shukura! I've missed you so much!"
Kei joined in on the group hug, but Seto kept back. "Prince Naeem, where the Hell have you been?"
"Where *haven't* I been?! Wait'll I tell you guys all about my adventures all over Kemet!"
"Look how big you've gotten," commented Shukura ruffling his hair.
Naeem laughed. "If you can call this big! I'm still shorter than you!"
"Hey Naeem," the man on horseback called. "Here only a few minutes, and you got two sexy girls hangin' off of you already!" He had brown eyes, mahogany skin, and wore nomadic clothes topped off with a turban. He wasn't exactly handsome, but not bad looking. "Where do we register for this place? Don't wanna be here illegally!" [3]
"Tell the others to register at the building on the east side of the palace. Look for a man named Karim. You wait around though! I wanna introduce you to my family!"
The man gave a small bow, tossed the rest of his bag of wealth to the crowd, then turned around to speak to the families behind them. "Who was that," Shukura asked.
"More like 'what' was that," Kei added.
"My friend and protector, Jabari," said Naeem. "Let's get to the palace. How's Honored Brother holding up?"
Kei and Shukura glanced at each other. "Uh," Kei started, "That's what we wanted to warn you about. Akunadean has been convincing him you left to start an army against him."
"That's ridiculous! He doesn't believe that, does he?"
By this time, the crowd had moved much closer to the palace (now that the free money was not being dished out), and had captured the attention of several guards. These guards quickly ran to inform the pharaoh. Atem and the rest of the priests, disturbed by the ruckus, prepared their Millennium Items for battle.
There was a pregnant pause as the brothers saw each other for the first time in nearly a year. When Atem fully realized it was Naeem, he dropped his sword, ran down the steps, and joyfully embraced his brother. Both laughed happily at their reunion.
"Little Brother," Atem exclaimed. "Ra's blood, how I've missed you! Where have you been? Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you? Why didn't you write? Or tell me you were leaving? Or-"
"I've missed you too, Honored Brother," laughed Naeem, his voice muffled by his brother's shoulder. "But I didn't want to worry you with my small tribulations when you had the empire to run!"
"Small tribulations be damned! I just wanted to make sure you were alive! You should never go anywhere without my permission!"
Jabari gaped. "Whoa. I'm seein' double!"
Atem examined his brother at arm's distance. "What are you wearing?"
Naeem pulled at his clothes, which resembled Jabari's. "Oh, well, I got robbed by brigands a week into the journey, and our ex-captain Armon ran off with them, leaving me for dead! I was lucky that Jabari's tribe came along before the vultures picked me dry!"
"Why don't you tell us all about it at the banquet tonight," suggested Mahado, trying not to laugh at Atem's horrified face.
[1] - Calpurnia - If you're reading my other story, yes, this is the same person.
[2] - Everything I listed were major exports and items for trade back then. I've done a LOT of research for these next two chapters! Gotta make sure Naeem's story is legit! ^_^
[3] - Nomads - Wandering tribes of people who live in the desert, around certain oasises (sp?), and often consider themselves away from pharaoh's direct rule. Kind of like gypsies, only nomads normally keep to themselves.
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Hey everyone! Glad I'm back? So is Honored Brother! But, well, maybe a little too glad. He never wants me to leave again! Its not fair! I've got too much dumped on me!! Why me?!
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Una: Sorry I decided to cut it all short. I was planning on Naeem and Kei's heart-to-heart for this one, but its bumped up to the next chapter.
FW: *groan* ULGH! I can't believe you added HIM!!
Amidamaru: Who?
FW/MW/Una: Jabari.
Bakura: The ass on the horse.
Yami: Man, this commentary box is starting to get crowded!
Una: It took me a while to convince FW to let me add him into the story.
Yugi: Why? I like him.
FW: -_- I don't!
Bardock: Why not? He said, like, two sentences! Why do you hate him already?
MW: You can't guess who he is?
Una: Cookies to any reviewer who guesses correctly!
Yugi: *n_n* I know who he is!
Bardock: So? You still don't know who Naeem is.
Yami: You mean we've met him in the other story?
*everyone but Yugi and Yami face-vaults*
Jessejames - Slayers,eh? Good anime taste! O_O Whoa! Chill, my friend! Rough him up, but don't kill him! He may be an annoying little monkey, but he's my annoying little monkey!
Bardock: That sounded so sexually perversive, I'm not goin near it!
Cat-Star - Just because there are definite couples, doesn't mean its happily ever after yet!
K Yami Yugi - You got it!
High Priestess Ente - *accepts high-five* Its incredibly hard multi-tasking, and I may give it up for a while. With finals only a few weeks away, and projects getting due, I tried catching up this Spring Break, and failed. -_- At least the next chapter to this is DONE, so I may update sooner then later. The sites are hard, too! I updated EoA Friday, though. Oh, and one more thing... *looks to the others* NOW!
*all applaud and cheer for the High Priestess; Yugi stands on his chair to see better and grins; FW is jumping up and down*
Una: ^_^ There ya go! A proper greeting!
digigirl - Monty...Python... XD
Yugiohchix - O.O
Greenwood Dancer - Ano.... You won't find out th secret of Naeem's biggest reason for leaving until chapter 10+ of the sequel. Well.... It'll be hinted next chapter on here.
Serafina - You aren't the only one bombarded with work! I actually m not too sure what I'm getting in Japanese, but I'm pretty sure I'm failing. Gotta push it up before the end of the sememster! Nee-ways... I've really missed you!!
Bardock: Of all the things she's fa-
Una: *sing-song* Oh jesseja~ames!!
Bardock: *runs and hides whimpering like a puppy*
Shibby - *sigh* So much to say! So many reviews! I don't mind! ^_^ More reviews on the counter! Um, I'll only go to what's relavent to the story: (1) Addicting? Wow, mission accomplished! ^_^ Seriously, I'm thrilled you feel that way, b/c the chapters will get a bit longer and more dramatic. (2) I took your 'jumping a month criticism' into, and that's why I asked for a Kei adventure from FW.
FW: YEAH!!! YOU ARE THE REASON!! YOU LOVE ME!! *whispers* So review my fics more!!
Una: (3) I'll e-mail you about that one. (4) Sites aren't working for you? Must be the music. I'll shut it down started at 1pm Monday, for one week. That'll give you more than enough time!!
Bakura: One hour is enough time.
Una: *glare* Is it any wonder why you aren't in my fics more? Oh, and as for the song, it perfectly suits Naeem, regardless of origin!
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FW: I talked Una into letting me write an insert, but let me introduce one new announcer comment person thingy!
Una: Wait, you talked me into it? I asked you to write it!
Yugi: Um, not really. She made it up on the fly, then you asked her. That counts for her idea.
MW: How'd you get him here?
FW: I promised Anna I'd keep him out of her hair for a long long time XP
Bardock: What is it with you and dead guys as announcers?
Bakura and Yami: Was that an insult?!
Amidamaru: *sighs* It's better than living with the 'she-devil'
FW: Amidamaru from Shaman King!
Bardock: *tries to pat Amidamaru's back but his hand goes through him* Heke?
MW: Unless you are a shaman, you can't really exist on the same plane as he does…..that means you can see but not touch monkey for brains.
Bakura: Then how come he can pound me?
Amidamaru: Maybe it's the fact that your SOLID!
Bakura: _ Shut it you transparent Samurai!
Amidamaru: Pathetic tomb robber!
Yami: *points to mirror* Brain Dead Pharaoh!…..wait...NO!
FW: ^^; Ya'll know the disclaimer by heart now XB
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Chapter 10
Life Goes On
Akunadean took advantage on Pharaoh Atem's distress over his brother's absence and suggested that Naeem was plotting against him in revenge for his negligence. "He may return with an army to usurp the throne," the evil priest would say often whenever the boy's name was mentioned. After weeks with no word, some courtiers began to wonder if the accusation had truth to it.
Atem refused to say anything on the matter, and made sure no one could read his mind on whether or not he believed Naeem was capable of betrayal. All he would say was that "Pharaoh is supposed to be hard as rock and not driven by emotions."
"I think he's worried more about Naeem's safety than his loyalties," Shukura once said to Kei. "He's embarrassed that he didn't notice that his brother was missing until he'd been gone over a month!"
Shukura gladly accepted Kei's instruction, mostly because she thought Kei would go easy on her. Boy, was she mistaken! Kei may be compassionate, but she was no patsy! By the end of the first three-hour lesson, Shukura almost wished she'd declined the extra tutelage.
"How'd you survive the streets of Thebes anyway," said Kei as Shukura took a break. "I thought all thieves were better than this!"
Shukura said, "I've gotten soft from palace life. I'll warm up to this by next lesson, I promise!"
Kei was excited not only about her new pupils, but by the fact that she was going to marry the love of her life. Then one day as she skipped about singing one of her random songs, something hit her. Bakura. If she was going to marry Seto, she wouldn't be able to sneak out as much. Then when she bore Seto's children, there'd be less time for the two of them to have fun, much less see each other. Her heart was caught in her throat
"B---Bakura…..my first friend….I have to see him, one last time…."
That night, she dressed in her typical disguise for seeing Bakura, and set out looking for him. She saw his fine horse sitting outside one of the local bars, and it was tied to another.
"Oh great…now he's stealing horses…..my best friend's a klepto, how am I gonna explain that to Seto when I want him at our wedding ceremony?"
Throwing this doubt aside, she walked into the bar, unafraid of the many men looking up from the distractions of their prostitutes. A woman walked in here, dressed as a man, and she looked a little vicious as she approached a table. The man at the table was not facing her, and people shouted at the girl that she was crazy to go near him.
"Bakura. Stand up you thief." she said, gripping her hand on his chair.
"I see the little boy-girl has arrived." Bakura said, with a grin. But it wasn't a sadistic one. It was one that people use when trying not to laugh or cry. Kei had the same face and she pounced on him with such force that she knocked the table over. Kei began to nuzzle Bakura, as he laughed, happily. He picked up Kei in one arm, and fixed the table in the other. Kei drank some juice, while Bakura downed another beer.
"I remember when you and I would dance outside this place for food or money." she giggled. "We would skip arm in arm, going around in a circle, changing directions every now and then while we sang bar songs we overheard in here." Bakura began to gently laugh again with his mug raised to his mouth. "I also remember when we dressed you up as a little girl and played 'Guess the Gender' with the townsfolk." Bakura was now laughing so hard that beer was coming out of his nose.
"Whaddya say, just for old times sake?" Bakura said, clearing off the table and standing up, his arm ready for hers to hook on. Kei brightly smiled and she pounced on the table with him, and they began to dance and sing, getting the bar-goers to join in. ((If you wanna imagine how the two are dancing, thik Merry and Pippin's table jigs in the Lord of the Rings))It was a very merry miniature celebration for Kei, among people that she felt comfortable around. No one noticed a cloaked figure walk in the room and sit in a corner. The cloaked figure was keeping a close eye on Bakura and Kei, but instead of scowling, the figure under the cloak wore a small grin. After an hour or so of the merry making, Bakura jumped down from the table, as did Kei, they took a bow and exited. Bakura mounted his horse, and tosses the rope around the other's neck to Kei.
"I need to get these horses some water. Would you bring the other one for me?" he asked, gently patting his horse. Kei was beaming at him and already perched on the horse. At the river, Bakura and Kei played a few gambling games, while the horses drank and ate. Their cloaked stalker hid himself and his horse in some nearby rushes. Kei was celebrating her win, when the noise she made startled their stalker's horse. Bakura shoved Kei down on the ground and drew his sword
"Who's there?! Come out, it's no use hiding now! If you don't I'll find you and cut you in half!"
No response
"Alright then, you've asked for it!" right as Bakura began to charge, Kei felt someone. She knew who was following them. Bakura was to far for her to tackle. She ran at full speed, went right in front of Bakura, and caught his sword just as it was about to strike. Blood trickled down her hands, and she held back tears of pain. Bakura dropped his sword and looked at her hands.
"Kei, are you alright? Why did you stop me?"
"Because, I can't watch you kill someone, no matter who it is. Even if I dislike the person, it's wrong for them to die because they saw me sneak out and followed because they were concerned about me. Killing people is wrong. It's the most terrible thing someone can do!" Kei began to cry. Bakura hugged her, but someone else was as well. Bakura looked up and the tall figure who had removed the hood of his cloak. It was Seto. Seto kissed the top of Kei's head, and bent down so he could be eye to eye with her.
"Why did you sneak out? I told you that you weren't allowed outside the walls without an escort anymore." his eyes weren't full of anger, but concern. Bakura let Kei go and backed off.
"I….I…I just wanted to tell my best friend goodbye….and that he's always going to be my brother….and that I love him….." Kei said, running over to Bakura, hugging him goodbye. He kissed her forehead and said: "Goodbye my little sister." as he mounted his horse. As he rode away with his two horses, Kei called out to him.
"RememberthatI'myourlittlesisterandyouhavetochasealllthebadguysawayformeeeeeeeee!!!!!Don'tforgetthatIamtheoneandonlylizardqueeeeeeeennnn!!!!OnlyIcandancewithyouontablesinbarsandstuffandyoucomebackyouheremeorI'llfindyouandsiceveryspiritIcanonyouandyou'llbereallyreallyreaaaaalllysorrrrryyy!!!!!!!!Byeeeeebyeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Kei said, jumping up and down, waving frantically.
Seto sweat dropped "Lizard Queen?" he thought to himself. Kei pounced on his back and nuzzled him until his hair was messy beyond repair and his cheek was numb.
"Husband~to~beeeeeeeee!!! Do~you~love~me?" Kei said in a sing-song
voice.
Seto laughed, well, as close as Seto could get to a laugh "Yes I love you."
"More than the flowamamers?"
"Yes"
"More than wiiiiineeeeee?"
"Yes I do"
"More than all the watermelons in the woooorrrrrrlld?" she said, now laughing uncontrollably.
Seto had to start really laughing at this point as well. "Yes, more than ANYTHING in the world. My little song bird, why don't you sing for me?"
The two spent the rest of the night either, talking, dancing, singing or laughing. When she finally fell asleep, Seto lay on the lush grass, gently stroking Kei's hair. He wished everyday would be like this. Deep in his heart, he knew that someday, there would be more days like this. Once all was said and done, and there was peace, maybe he could rest with her more often, and gaze at the stars she so loved to count. A shooting star flew past.
"Make a wish." he told himself. Seto looked down at Kei and smiled. He kissed her forehead and slept.
.
.
Eventually, Shukura started to get the hang of the warm-ups and physical blocks. When Kei introduced her to weaponry, Shukura took to the shuriken and daggers immediately. This didn't surprise Kei; Shukura had quick hands and much experience with gambling to aid her in this area. Through the lesson time, the young women became closer as friends, gossiping, making up songs, sharing funny stories, and generally fooling around. As they practiced, they felt detached from their numerous responsibilities.
One day, Kei asked Seto to witness a demonstration of Shukura's talents. Seto paled. "You gave that woman projectile weapons?"
"You won't get hit," Kei said grinning like a cat. "I'll protect you!"
"I don't want to chance it."
Kei glomped onto Seto's arm, flashed her big, bright, blue-green eyes, and said, "Plea~se!"
Seto groaned. "You know I can't resist that!"
"Yup!"
"Okay, I'll go." He caressed her hair with his free hand. "For your sake."
=^o^=
For the demonstration Kei set up a short obstacle course, mostly consisting of moving targets and obstructions to stop Shukura. The student queen wore a black tunic, like Kei's, only tied with a purple sash. Her Mil. Bracelet gleamed, as did the tips of her daggers, as she mentally prepared for her task.
At Kei's signal, Shukura took off into the training field. She threw her first two shuriken at the wooden targets on either side, hitting both in the neck. Three logs rolled out from a cart nearby, and Shukura leaped over, slashing each twice with her daggers. Servants shielded with wooden targets ran across the field in Shukura's path. She threw six metallic stars, hitting each with two, then darted past them, cutting off one target's head. Finally, four more targets emerged surrounding her. She sent out three fresh shuriken, all landing on the chest, whipped out her dagger, and turned around to stick it in between the last target's legs.
Kei applauded enthusiastically. Seto's pupils were pinpricks. "Wow," he muttered. "All that after only a few months?"
Shukura smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Well, I had some self-training before. But Kei's a really great teacher!"
"Too bad neither of you can join the army."
Just then a familiar servant rushed out to the field. She had to stop a moment to catch her breath. "Calpurnia," Kei said. "Are you alright?" [1]
"Sh-Shukura," the young woman gasped for air. "I came ahead… to tell you… Prince Naeem's company has been spotted… just inside the walls. He's in the city! He's back!"
"Did he have an army with him," asked Seto.
Kei gave Seto a warning look. "No army, Lord Seto," said Calpurnia, recovering at last. "But he brought many people along with him. Look like peasants to me."
"Does the pharaoh know," asked Shukura.
"Not yet, I don't think."
"Thank you, Cal. C'mon! Let's go!" The three hurried through a small palace entrance so as not to be seen.
In the streets of Thebes, Naeem's caravan met with cheers and praises from the people. Many remembered Naeem as the boy prince who played in the streets with vagabonds and common children. Others were simply pleased to see the riches and new business he'd brought with him. The procession included five camels, each with trade of all kinds, including gold, silver, turquoise, skins, and pots. Two dozen or so people (men, women, and children) walked alongside the camels carrying their worldly possessions. Children pointed and exclaimed in wonder at the large capital city. [2]
At the head of the group were two horses, one ridden by Naeem and one by a tall man no one else had ever seen before. Both he and Naeem were passing out handfuls of gold and turquoise to the people who managed to make it to the horses. This slowed the procession down, but none of the participants seemed to care.
Shukura ducked and dodged, making her way to Naeem's side. "Naeem! Brother, you're home at last!"
When Naeem saw Shukura, he made a thrilled exclamation, jumped off the horse, and hugged her. "Sister Shukura! I've missed you so much!"
Kei joined in on the group hug, but Seto kept back. "Prince Naeem, where the Hell have you been?"
"Where *haven't* I been?! Wait'll I tell you guys all about my adventures all over Kemet!"
"Look how big you've gotten," commented Shukura ruffling his hair.
Naeem laughed. "If you can call this big! I'm still shorter than you!"
"Hey Naeem," the man on horseback called. "Here only a few minutes, and you got two sexy girls hangin' off of you already!" He had brown eyes, mahogany skin, and wore nomadic clothes topped off with a turban. He wasn't exactly handsome, but not bad looking. "Where do we register for this place? Don't wanna be here illegally!" [3]
"Tell the others to register at the building on the east side of the palace. Look for a man named Karim. You wait around though! I wanna introduce you to my family!"
The man gave a small bow, tossed the rest of his bag of wealth to the crowd, then turned around to speak to the families behind them. "Who was that," Shukura asked.
"More like 'what' was that," Kei added.
"My friend and protector, Jabari," said Naeem. "Let's get to the palace. How's Honored Brother holding up?"
Kei and Shukura glanced at each other. "Uh," Kei started, "That's what we wanted to warn you about. Akunadean has been convincing him you left to start an army against him."
"That's ridiculous! He doesn't believe that, does he?"
By this time, the crowd had moved much closer to the palace (now that the free money was not being dished out), and had captured the attention of several guards. These guards quickly ran to inform the pharaoh. Atem and the rest of the priests, disturbed by the ruckus, prepared their Millennium Items for battle.
There was a pregnant pause as the brothers saw each other for the first time in nearly a year. When Atem fully realized it was Naeem, he dropped his sword, ran down the steps, and joyfully embraced his brother. Both laughed happily at their reunion.
"Little Brother," Atem exclaimed. "Ra's blood, how I've missed you! Where have you been? Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you? Why didn't you write? Or tell me you were leaving? Or-"
"I've missed you too, Honored Brother," laughed Naeem, his voice muffled by his brother's shoulder. "But I didn't want to worry you with my small tribulations when you had the empire to run!"
"Small tribulations be damned! I just wanted to make sure you were alive! You should never go anywhere without my permission!"
Jabari gaped. "Whoa. I'm seein' double!"
Atem examined his brother at arm's distance. "What are you wearing?"
Naeem pulled at his clothes, which resembled Jabari's. "Oh, well, I got robbed by brigands a week into the journey, and our ex-captain Armon ran off with them, leaving me for dead! I was lucky that Jabari's tribe came along before the vultures picked me dry!"
"Why don't you tell us all about it at the banquet tonight," suggested Mahado, trying not to laugh at Atem's horrified face.
[1] - Calpurnia - If you're reading my other story, yes, this is the same person.
[2] - Everything I listed were major exports and items for trade back then. I've done a LOT of research for these next two chapters! Gotta make sure Naeem's story is legit! ^_^
[3] - Nomads - Wandering tribes of people who live in the desert, around certain oasises (sp?), and often consider themselves away from pharaoh's direct rule. Kind of like gypsies, only nomads normally keep to themselves.
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Hey everyone! Glad I'm back? So is Honored Brother! But, well, maybe a little too glad. He never wants me to leave again! Its not fair! I've got too much dumped on me!! Why me?!
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Una: Sorry I decided to cut it all short. I was planning on Naeem and Kei's heart-to-heart for this one, but its bumped up to the next chapter.
FW: *groan* ULGH! I can't believe you added HIM!!
Amidamaru: Who?
FW/MW/Una: Jabari.
Bakura: The ass on the horse.
Yami: Man, this commentary box is starting to get crowded!
Una: It took me a while to convince FW to let me add him into the story.
Yugi: Why? I like him.
FW: -_- I don't!
Bardock: Why not? He said, like, two sentences! Why do you hate him already?
MW: You can't guess who he is?
Una: Cookies to any reviewer who guesses correctly!
Yugi: *n_n* I know who he is!
Bardock: So? You still don't know who Naeem is.
Yami: You mean we've met him in the other story?
*everyone but Yugi and Yami face-vaults*