I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Here's chappie 3! Sorry for all the reposting!

Disclaimer: I do not own YGO.

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Beneath the Desert Sands

By Chi Yagami

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Chapter 4 – Why is Love so Cruel?

Anzu sighed. She was sitting in her tent. A couple weeks ago, the entire city had left and traveled to the middle of the Sahara, where the wedding was going to be held.

She decided to visit Malik. She had to talk to somebody about how she felt: miserable. She left her tent and headed towards Malik's.

On the way, Anzu passed Yami's tent. She paused when she heard someone mention her name.

"But what if Anzu disagrees?"

"She won't," Yami replied. "Not after she gets pregnant."

Anzu froze. She knew Yami and that other person were talking about something she might disagree about, and then Yami says she's going to be pregnant! By whom? Him? No way! She was being forced to marry him, but she would not lose her virginity to him. Oh no!

She kept walking, looking at the ground. She was so deep in thought that she forgot where she was going. A pair of hands reached out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into a random tent.

The pair of hands slithered up her back and around her face, covering her eyes. Anzu gulped. She feared the worst: either it was a lustful Yami, or a creepy guy she didn't know and didn't want to know.

Whoever it was, they were smelling her hair.

"Ugh, did you take a shower this morning. Phew! Anzu, you smell like rotten eggs! …Uh, I mean… Guess who…?"

Anzu smiled. She had nothing to fear.

"Yes, I took a BATH this morning. But you seem to smell like a sweat ball, eh? Malik?"

Malik frowned and removed his hands. "Bah, how'd you know it was me?"

"Your smell… and your voice," she replied, slapping his arm playfully. "You know, I was just looking for you."

"Well, you were so transfixed that you walked right by my tent, so I grabbed you. What do you want?"

"To talk," Anzu said, sitting down. "I need to complain to somebody."

"Ah, and I have to talk to you, too," Malik said, also sitting.

"About what?"

"Umm… Well…" he started.

"A girl?" Anzu guessed.

"Yeah…"

"Describe her."

"What?" he asked confused.

"Tell me what she's like."

"Oh. Well, she's pretty for starters. She has long, black hair, sort of like my sister's, and light skin. She's got bright green eyes and smells like roses. And she's really sweet."

"What's her name?" Anzu asked.

"Umm…"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HER NAME???!!!"

"I haven't really spoken to her—"

"MALIK!!!"

"He he he… Now what did you want to talk about?"

Anzu rubbed her temples. Malik didn't know the first thing about women. She'd just have to help him.

"Eh, I was just going to complain about my stupid wedding…"

"Hey! I've got an idea! If you'll help me with that girl, I'll help you escape the dumb Pharaoh-to-be!" Malik said excitedly, jumping up.

"Malik, you sure you want to take that risk—"

"Anzu, you're my best friend. I'd do anything for you, and you know that. Come on, I want to show her to you!"

Malik practically dragged Anzu out of the tent and down towards the servants' tents. On the way, they bumped into Shadi and Mai.

"Oh, hello," Anzu said. She noticed Shadi was carrying two rather large items.

"Anzu, Malik, we were just looking for you," Shadi said. "We wanted to give you these!" He pulled out the two items: one was a large necklace with a triangle inside a circle with smaller triangles hanging off the bottom, and the other one was a long rod with a ball at the top that had two large "bat wings" sticking out of it.

"Ewe," Anzu said, wrinkling up her nose. "Why do they have eyes drawn into the center of them?"

"These are Millennium Items, and those are eye of Ra," Mai explained.

"Are they made of gold?" Malik questioned.

Anzu nudged him with her elbow and gave him a look that said 'How could you be so rude? Here they are giving us Millennium thingies and all you can think about is the Ra damn value!?'

"The Millennium Ring is for Anzu," Mai continued while ignoring him, "and the Millennium Rod is for Malik. Just think of them as early wedding presents!"

"But how do you know—" Malik started. Mai pointed to her Millennium Necklace.

Anzu clapped her hands together. "Oou! Malik's going to get married!? Yea!"

"These items will also hold your soul after you've died, so that you can return in the next Millennia!"

"But beware," Shadi warned. "Within these items comes great power, which you must use wisely."

Shadi and Mai walked off as the two stared after them.

Anzu sighed.

"Hey, isn't that Bakura's old Ring?" Malik asked suddenly.

—Flashback—

"Bakura…"

Anzu fell to her knees weeping. Bakura was gone… Just like that, he'd vanished.

As she was wiping away her tears, she saw a sparkly flash of gold.

'Bakura's Ring!'

She picked it up and hugged it.

—End Flashback—

She'd treasured that Ring for so long, until she'd begun to hate it. She thought it had power. It could've saved Bakura, but no, he didn't think to use it! And that's when she started to believe Bakura left on purpose. A year after that, she gave the Ring to Shadi and forgot all about it.

And now, here it was, once again in her possession. She couldn't very well give it back, because that would be rude.

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"That one, right there."

"The one with the dog?"

"No! She's ugly! The one balancing the pot on her head."

"You're right: she is very pretty."

Malik and Anzu had been watching the girl for about half an hour. So far, they'd learned nothing.

As the girl stumbled up the sand dune towards them, Anzu had an idea. She pushed Malik out from behind the tent.

"What?!"

"Go help her!" she whispered. Malik frowned at her, but he was already out in the open.

He walked up to her. She stopped and tried to bow, but the pot began to fall. Malik caught it and placed it atop his head. He smiled and offered his hand, which she took.

"My name's Malik. What's yours?"

"Jylie," she said shyly.

"Jylie. That's a very pretty name."

"Thank you."

Anzu watched the two go off together. She smiled.

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"Anzu. Anzu, wake up!"

Anzu opened her eyes to see Malik, Seth, and Jylie.

"What's up?"

"You've been sleeping for hours! We have a plan," Malik whispered.

"Jylie here is going to take your place at the wedding tomorrow," Seth explained. "While I 'fake' marry the Pharaoh off to the wrong girl, Malik will sneak you out of the area!"

"You guys… you all could be given the death penalty…"

"Don't worry, Anzu. Everything will be fine," Malik reassured. "I'm the master of sneakiness, remember?"

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Everyone who was in on the plan was busy at dawn. Jylie had to get married... Malik had to sneak Anzu off... And Seth had to make a 'fake wedding' sound realistic.

Anzu was helping Jylie put on her wedding dress.

"Jylie, you don't have to go through with this. I mean, we've only known you for what— a couple of hours? You're risking your life!" Anzu protested.

"But you're a good friend of Malik's. And any friend of Malik's is a friend of mine!" she replied with a smile.

Anzu smiled back, but the pit in her stomach was growing. She had a bad feeling about this, and the glowing Ring around her neck didn't help much.

An hour later, they met Seth and Malik outside the wedding temple.

"You look beautiful, Jylie," Malik said kissing her. "You'd better not fall for that slime ball."

"Don't worry; Seth said it won't be for real," she replied.

Seth turned to Anzu.

"You be careful, okay? If Malik messes up, slap him!" Anzu nodded.

'How did I end up with such great friends? I don't deserve any of this… What I deserve is to be married to Yami and live a miserable life…'

Before she could protest, Anzu was dragged away by Malik, leaving the other two behind.

Malik and Anzu snuck out of the area and over to the wall Yami had built.

He pushed her up onto his shoulders. Anzu scrambled ontop of the wall and peered back down at Malik. He stood up on his tipi-toes, and if she leaned down far enough, the faces almost touched.

"I'm going to miss you, Anzu," he whispered, a tear running down his cheek.

"Malik… You're crying… Please don't be sad… Even though I'm sad, too." She stretched as far as she could and hugged him tightly.

"Malik, you're the best friend I've ever had, have, and will ever have. I'm going to miss you so much!" she breathed, the tears welling up.

Malik looked into her ocean eyes and pushed back a few strands of her hair.

"I have to go now, Anzu. Yami would suspect something if I wasn't at my best friend's wedding."

"You're right," she sniffed.

He began to lower himself to the ground.

"Malik! Wait!" she called out.

He popped his head up, only to be greeted by Anzu kissing his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, blushing.

"A reminder," she said, dropping herself over the other side of the wall.

"Of what?" he asked bewildered. But she was already gone.

Then he heard a faint voice.

"Goodbye Malik! I'll never forget you!"

"I'll never forget you either," he whispered more to himself than her.

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"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Yami had just discovered Anzu was really Jylie.

"WOMAN, I SHALL HAVE YOU BURNED AT THE STEAK!" he roared. "WHERE'S ANZU?"

Seth stepped in front of Jylie.

"Priest, what is the meaning of this? Where is she!?"

Yami grabbed Jylie's arm and twisted it painfully.

"Let her go."

Everyone looked up to see Malik entering the temple.

"YOU! What have you done with her!?" Yami said, tightening his grip on the girl's arm.

"Let her go," he repeated, ignoring the question. "This was all my idea."

Yami threw her aside. Seth started to run to her aid, but a pair of guards stopped him. Another pair of guards grabbed Malik and Jylie.

"All three of you," he said calmly, "will be burnt at the stake."

"NO!"

Isis had stood up out of the crowd.

"Let my brother go!" she cried. At this, Jonouchi, Shadi, Shizuka, Honda, Mai, and Otogi all stood up, too.

"I say we wage war on the Pharaoh!" Jonouchi cried. Half the crowd cheered.

And so, the battle had begun.

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Anzu had been walking for miles, and all she could see was sand. Her feet were becoming heavy, and she was tired.

She decided to rest in the clearing surrounded by dunes on all sides.

She plopped down in the warm sand and lay down. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt the sand shift beneath her.

Anzu gasped in surprise as she felt herself falling.

If anyone'd have come to that same spot, Anzu would be nowhere to be seen.

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So, what'd y'all think? I know I haven't updated in a while, but I had finals and stuff. But now summer's here!

Anyway, Bakura will be in the next chapter, but things won't start to heat up until later. Remember, Anzu threw away that love. And Bakura's not exactly a softie, either. Read & review!!!