Proxima Centauri - Yes, sometimes writers do end up writing chapters with some of the material being rather silly and pointless. It becomes rather bothersome when it ends up appearing in every other chapter though. I hope Youlan starts revealing the plot soon or it'll be very tedious for people to read pages of a story that goes on and on ...
Chapter 14
When Meti had finished his long lecture, the two boys slinked away immediately. Once out of Meti's hearing range, Atem began to shout angrily at Seto.
"It's all your fault! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be scolded by him too!"
"Humph!" Seto replied indifferently to the angry young man behind him.
"Damn this guy!" Seeing that Seto wasn't paying him any kind of respect, Atem felt very resentful. No one had ever dared to treat him like this! He asked, "Can't you show any kind of proper courtesy to someone who speaks to you?"
"I show respect and courtesy only to people who deserve it." Seto had clearly stated that he didn't believe Atem was worthy of his respect.
'I'll only hurt my own health if I get angry with this fellow ...' Atem decided to turn around and go in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Seto called out. "Shouldn't you express some gratitude when someone returns your lost property to you?"
"I am so sorry for troubling you and I am very grateful for your assistance!" Atem answered, very unwillingly.
"Heh ..." Seto seemed to purposely want to pick a fight with him.
"Humph! You can go now!" Atem pointed towards a direction, wanting the other to leave.
"I am very pleased to do so!" Seto quickly left but as he was about to leave the seraglio behind him ...
"Hey?!"
"You ... you are ... ?!"
He had been surrounded by the group of maids who had been searching for Atem. 'What have I gotten myself into ...?' Seto felt a bit uneasy because he remembered a time when a group of emperor penguins had just been added to a zoo and the people were fighting for the chance to admire the sight of them. Right now, he felt like the penguins as the many pairs of eyes were 'admiring' him.
"Wow ... a boy!" One of the maids pointed at him, her eyes wide.
"This is the first time I've seen a boy my age." Another maid circled around him.
"Heh, you look pretty good." A third girl began to blush slightly as she gazed at him curiously.
It wasn't strange that these girls would have such a reaction to him since they were sent into the palace at a very young age and had no encounters with boys their age, other than Atem. To have a boy suddenly appear in their midst would, of course, be a cause of curiosity.
'What ... what is going on ...' Seto now felt like a statue that was created for others to admire. He had been forced into standing awkwardly in front of these girls, wanting to slip away but not knowing how to do so.
In another area, someone was watching the events unfold.
' ... what an idiot ... it's not any fun to be stuck with those people ...' Atem watched the other boy, considering something inwardly. '... I better go save him ...' Seeing the other's look of loss of what to do, all sense of manly dignity gone sealed the deal.
"What are you doing?" Atem spoke as he approached the group slowly. In order to avoid his true identity from being revealed, he painstakingly imitated how a female would speak and act in front of them.
"Your Highness?" The girls were surprised at Atem's sudden appearance. The leader of the group explained the situation. "It's like this, Princess. We ... just found a boy here ..."
"Oh?" Atem shot a look at Seto, pretending that he didn't know who he was. His eyes clearly belied what he was thinking, which was 'You better not pull anything funny on me now or else I won't be able to help you!'
"Your Highness ..." Seto looked back, thinking, 'I'm not that stupid! I just want to get away from them!' Following Atem's lead, he also acted like it was the first time the two had met.
It seemed that the pair were natural actors since the maids didn't notice anything wrong with them.
"Aren't you ... oh! Are you Priest Meti's grandson?" Atem asked, while muttering to himself, 'How hateful! I don't want to speak with such feminine undertones ...'
Seto was trying his hardest to control the muscles on his face for he feared he was about to burst out laughing. "That's right. I am honored that Your Highness remembers me." Seto felt rather silly saying this but ... 'Heh heh, I never thought you could imitate a female this well?!' He continued to hold back his laughter.
"In that case, come with me. Priest Meti is very worried about you." Atem turned away slowly, signaling to Seto to follow behind him. The other boy, anxious to get away from those annoying girls, quickly followed him.
An Area in the Seraglio's Garden
"Wahahaha!" Seto was finally unable to hold back any longer and began laughing wildly, facing the heavens.
"Humph ... have you laughed enough yet?" Atem glared at him. If it wasn't because he pitied the other boy, he wouldn't have bothered to act like that to help him.
"Heh heh, not yet." Seto turned to answer him before continuing to laugh.
"Once you're finished, get out of here immediately!" Atem really didn't want to pay any more attention to this ungrateful boy.
"Hey ..." Seeing that Atem was truly angry with him, Seto called out to him. "Don't forget about our plan. I think my grandfather has already mentioned it to the Queen."
"I know." Atem replied as Seto nodded back before he began to walk away from the garden. But before he left, he purposely asked, "Are you sure you'll remember it?"
"Damn you! I'll carve what I am supposed to do onto my body! Is that enough for you?!" Seto, hearing the furious voice behind him, smiled slightly and quickly made his way out of the palace so he could leave with Meti. Once they returned home, they began making arrangements on how to best carry out their plan.
Author's Corner:
Youlan: I don't know if this style of humor in this chapter is suited to everyone's liking ...
Yami Youlan: ... I can't see what's so funny here ...
Youlan: That's because you're a log ... you don't have any emotions ...
Yami Youlan: Damn ... What did you say?
Youlan: Eh ...
Posted on October 12, 2004.