NeferNeferi - Here's the next 'short' chapter to this story.
Roanna Luna - Heh, I am already sort of changing lines and not translating the story word for word. It's pretty much impossible to do it word for word anyway since there are saying in the Chinese language that can't be translated literally.
Ack ... unfortunately sometimes they end up doing at other times as well ...
Chapter 23
Just as the pair were sweetly sitting shoulder to shoulder on the fields, a voice interrupted them.
"ATEM!"
Immediately, Atem froze. 'This ... This voice ... It can't be ...' He turned around and saw Seto standing behind him, who had changed his attire in order to keep his real identity hidden. "Se ... Seto?!" He couldn't believe that he would see the other in this place. "What are you doing here?!"
Seto responded, "... To find a Pharaoh who leaves his kingdom's affairs behind him to romance a girl in this place."
Atem could hear a bit of irony in these words as the other continued talking.
"What the heck are you doing?! Why did you run all the way out here for no reason?!" Seto scolded.
Atem was at a loss for words. "Uh ..."
"Uro?" Tameri was watching the two men curiously. She pointed towards Seto, asking, "Who is he? Your friend?"
"Uro?" Seto repeated suspiciously. 'Are they that close that she could just call Atem by his nickname?'
"Se ... Seto ..." Atem pulled the other to his side and said softly, "She doesn't know my real identity. Not only her, but everyone else living here." He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Wait a minute! How did you know I was here?"
Seto gave him a glare. "Don't tell me you've forgotten that the Millenium items are attracted to each other? I can sense where you're at by using that ..." He thought mentally, 'Is there something wrong with this guy's head? How could he have forgotten about that ... he's probably too busy thinking about that girl ...'
"Atem! You have to come back with me at once!"
"Now?"
"Of course!" Seto added in his mind, 'otherwise it'll be too late!'
"But ..." Atem was somewhat hesitant.
Seto then whispered in his ear what Atem's mother had done.
"What?!" Atem was very shocked. He grabbed Seto and asked, "Is this the truth?"
Seto answered angrily, "Do you actually believe that I would be as crazy as to run all the way from Cairo out here to tell you a lie?"
"Mother ..." Atem placed his hand over his forehead. 'This time, you've really done it ...'
"Hurry up and come with me!" Seto urged.
Atem looked back at Tameri, who still had a confused look. "... Give me some time to say goodbye to her ..." He thought, 'At least, I have to tell her ... how I feel ...'
" ... Well, hurry up ... we don't have much time ..." Seto moved away from them to wait.
"Uro? What's wrong?" Tameri asked, her beautiful eyes staring up at him.
Atem took out from a pocket a delicate bracelet made from amethyst and put on Tameri's wrist. It fit perfectly.
"Uro?" Tameri asked, looking at the bracelet in confusion. 'That's strange ... why is he suddenly giving me a bracelet?'
"Tameri ... something has happened ... so I have to return to Cairo immediately ..." Atem told her.
"What?! Right now?!" She exclaimed, surprised. He nodded.
"This bracelet ... is the symbol of our love for each other." Atem said.
"Eh?!" She thought, 'Love ...? Does ... Does this mean ...?!'
Seeing the confusion in her, he smiled. "You ... would you wait for me to come back? No matter how long it would be?" He asked.
'Is ... is he proposing to me?!' She thought. "Yes ..." Tameri accepted and gave him a hug.
"Uro!" Seto's voice called out from where he was waiting.
"... I should be going ..."
"I know ... then leave ... don't keep him waiting ..." She stood at the village's entrance, watching as the shadows of the two men gradually fade away into the desert. 'I will wait for you ... until you take me away from this place ...'
Author's Corner:
Youlan: I wonder if the careful readers had discovered this or not, but I had changed the Pharaoh's nickname in this chapter. I changed 'Ku' to 'Lei' because I felt that 'Lei' sounded better.
RIKA: This doesn't make sense unless you read the original Chinese, so just ignore it.
Yami Youlan: ... Why is it I get the feeling as I read this story that it's heading toward immorality? Even though the ancient Egyptians were rather open in their views about marriage ...
Youlan: Haha ... is that right? But I've already mentioned a few chapters back that the love these two had will never work. Therefore this story definitely won't have any immoral issues.
Posted on September 16, 2004.