Disclaimer: It. Is. Not. MINE!

Mana messed up yet another spell in magic lessons yesterday, and since Mahaado was afraid (with good reason) to touch his staff for fear of blowing something up, he tossed his staff to me (Way to pick on the innocent bystander, Mahaado!) and shouted, "Abadabod!" and made motions with his hands to show me how to hold the staff as streaks of fire ran wild through the air.

So, I raised the staff and shouted, "Abadabod!" Instead of going out, the fire in the air only became hotter and crazier, and we were running and ducking like mad until Isis and Karim happened to pass by. Isis held out a hand and yelled, "AMANAMON!" and the fire disappeared.

I was about ready to KILL Mahaado for not being able to pronounce the spell, but he was probably too busy sneezing his insides out to notice if I did. Then I realized that I couldn't see Mana. I turned in every direction until my eyes snapped onto Isis, kneeling on the ground next to Mana's motionless figure. I tried to run to them, but Karim, who had come in with Isis, stopped me, and turned me away from the two females.

"Let me go!" I screamed. "Mana's hurt!" What the -profanity not fit for clean papyrus- are you doing?" I tried to break free from him, but have you seen the muscles on that guy? Of course you haven't. You're only papyrus. But know that a strong stallion wouldn't be able to break free of Karim's grasp.

"You mustn't look, Prince!"

"Why not? She's hurt!"

"There's too much blood! Even I would faint! Isis has the strongest stomach among us, and she nearly threw up!"

"I won't," I hissed, "Let me see her. Now." I ground out the last word.

Karim looked in my eyes and gasped, immediately releasing me. As soon as I was free I ran and knelt next to Isis. Mana's entire chest, stomach and left side was burned, and blood pooled around a cut on her head.

Isis tried to lift Mana, but I think the sight and smell of the blood had weakened her. I pushed her out of the way and picked Mana up, racing to the palace infirmary. We really weren't having much luck with fire.

There turned out to be no one in the infirmary. I laid Mana down on one of the feather mattresses on the ground, panting. I grabbed some linen wraps and cleaned her head, then wrapped it up, and inspected the burns and cuts on her side and stomach. The burns weren't bad, but many of the cuts were bleeding, so I bandaged her torso as well. Then Isis entered the room, Father right behind her.

"What happened?" Father asked, looking Mana over.

"One of her spells went amok, and Mahaado was there but he didn't want to do any magic to fix it, so he threw me his staff-"

"All right, that's enough explanation for now. I get the idea."

I knelt next to Mana. Her breathing was rattling and chilly, and her stomach barely moved as she breathed.

Isis suddenly said, "You two need to leave for a minute."

Father gave her a quizzical look, and she explained, "I need to see if her chest is bleeding."

We obeyed, and a few minutes later Isis opened the door back up. "All right. I think she's waking. And Atemu-"

"Yes?" I asked.

"Be gentle hugging her for a few days, if you do. Her whole back is burned, as well as her chest and stomach."

I nodded and sat cross-legged next to her mattress, taking her hand. Slowly her eyes opened, and a look of confusion came over her face.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking down at the sheet on the mattress. "The infirmary?"

Isis nodded. "You got burned by the fire your spell triggered."

"Is Mahaado all right?"

"Sneezing every three seconds, but no, he didn't get hit by any of the flames."

Mana tried to sit up but winced in pain. "Ah!"

"Here," I said, holding her shoulders as she edged backwards until her back was against a wall.

Karim and Mahaado entered then, though Mahaado kept a distance between him and Mana, not wanting to sneeze all over her.

"Muka!" a voice called from the door, and we all turned to see Akunadin.

"Don't call me that. It sounds like you're calling me Mucus." At that moment Mahaado sneezed loudly, basically sliming his staff, which he'd retrieved from the ground after our little incident with the fire. Father shuddered.

"I believe that illustrates my point," he stated, casting a spell in Mahaado's direction to de-slime the staff. Mahaado sneezed again, and mumbled his thanks.

"Mahaado, maybe you should retire early today," Isis suggested.

"Bud I bust sdill deadch Adebu-" ("But I must still teach Atemu-")

"Your health is more important. Even Seto had to rest when he was ill." No one can last long in a fight against Isis.

"Baraohgh, bay I?" ("Pharaoh, may I?")

Father nodded and Mahaado left, sneezing again.

Akunadin, who had been temporarily forgotten by all of us for a second there, inquired, "What happened here?"

"One of Mana's spells," I answered him. Mana's face flushed.

"Sorry," she mumbled. I wasn't going to take that. It wasn't her fault.

"Shh... It's all right," I said, nuzzling her face affectionately with my own. She returned the gesture, and I'm sure the rest of the room was quite surprised. Did I care? Nope.

We all talked for a while, and then Mana grew sleepy and fell asleep. Seto and Shaadii entered, and Isis, Karim, and Akunadin left for Mahaado's chambers with the two to finish some High Priest/ess business. So now it was only Father and me left with Mana. I hugged her tightly and set her head on my shoulder as Father watched, silent. When I looked up, he was staring at me.

"What?"

He just shook his head.

"What?"

He nodded towards Mana's head, which had fallen to my chest. She had wrapped an arm around my waist in her sleep.

"And?" I asked, fighting to keep a bit of uninvited heat from rising in my cheeks.

"I see your courting is going well."

I couldn't help but smile, looking down at Mana's silky blond head. "Yes."

"You really are like no other boys your age, do you know that?"

"So you've said."

He shook his head, getting up. "I've got to find Shimon and your mother. It's nearly time for evening meal. Are you coming, or staying here?"

"I'm staying with Mana," I replied.

Something about his expression changed. I don't know exactly what it was, but something about his eyes burned, and something about his mouth twitched, and something about his brow softened. He stooped down and set a hand on my shoulder, moving it upwards to adjust the crown that now lay upon my forehead. He then left. It was really quite strange.

I remained with Mana until far after dark had fallen, and the moon rose as we stayed in the same position. Mana's head gradually fell to rest in my lap. I blushed, I'm sure, and I couldn't resist bending down and gently kissing the top of her head.

"I saw that."

I cried out in surprise and whipped around.

"Calm down. It's just me." It was Seto. He closed the infirmary door, coming to sit next to me on the floor.

I sighed deeply and looked down at Mana, making sure my sudden movement hadn't woken her.

Seto remained silent, just watching me as I stroked Mana's hair.

"So what did you think of the dancing?"

"Hmm?" I asked, a bit confused.

"What did you think of dancing with her, at the festival for your father's birthday the other night?"

"How do you know we danced?"

"I saw you, but the two of you were to busy butterfly kissing to notice me. Kisara and I danced for hours."

"She really likes to dance, doesn't she?"

His eyes sparkled. "Oh yes. So do I. And from the looks of it, I'd say you do as well. You're a natural at it, do you know that?"

I blushed at his words, looking away as I answered him. "It was amazing... that fast one, right before the last one... I felt like I was flying, but... my stomach was flipping... Is that supposed to happen?"

He laughed. "Yes. You'll learn to love that feeling."

"... Seto?" I ventured timidly. There was something I desperately needed to know.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but you can ask something else. You can always ask me something."

"Do you fall in love with the person, or the feeling you get when you're around that person?"

He smiled. "You're worried that love isn't really possible?"

I nodded. I was. It still seems alien, really. It IS alien.

"No. It's definitely the person."

"But how do you know?" I asked him, "The feeling is what I love so far, truthfully."

"That's because you and Mana just started courting. You don't know anything else other than that flutter inside your chest, or the butterflies in your stomach, or the tight breathing. But soon you'll relax, if you continue to court her, that is, and you'll begin to realize just how much you love being in her company. SHE is the one you chose to court, and there is definitely a reason for that. Right now you two are still at the stage where it's more a a bit of an advanced natural attraction for our age, if you don't mind my saying so. That's how everything starts out. Kisara and I started out getting paired together in kaa dancing at just about every celebration or festival there was, and soon we came to like it, and it's only natural that we started to have romantic feelings towards each other. And now... I love her so much..."

I nodded, relieved. I really don't want to fall in love with emotion alone. So far, as Seto said, I'm not in love with Mana, but there's definitely something there, like Seto said. I'm beginning to think Seto knows everything, and I know that this can't be true. He said so himself. But still, it seems a bit hard to believe.

I brought her to sit up next to me, her head raising from in my lap to rest on my shoulder as she continued to sleep. Seto smiled.

"You know, you two really do look good together. Even your father said so."

"What else did Father say?"

"Well... It wasn't only your Father... Really, it was everyone except you and Mana, at evening meal."

"What does everyone think? Of us?"

"Well, Shaadii said that you looked 'quite handsome,' when you danced with Mana -Yes, he saw you too. Don't be surprised.- and Mahaado said basically the same thing, and Akunadin said that you were starting to 'look like a man,' and that Mana looked good alongside you, which, as you can guess, is pretty high praise for Akunadin. Karim said you were mature enough for it, which coming from Karim, means that he thinks you're an equal to any adult, maturity-wise."

"And my mother?"

"She's quite proud of you. Shimon... Well, he snickered a lot like he does, you know, that Shimon-snicker, but he was really proud of you as well, and Isis said... Well, I think Isis said what we were all basically thinking."

"What's that?"

Seto shook his head.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"I don't want to give you a big head."

"Please?"

"... Just promise not to get all big-headed because I tell you, all right?"

I nodded.

"Isis said, and I'm quoting this, 'Well it's really about time he became interested in women. You can all say that now he's 'really' an adult, or a man, but personally I think he has been one for years, both in terms of knowledge, and wisdom.'"

I was silent. Isis was quiet and beautiful, but when she wanted to, she could be as strong as a mule.

"She actually said that?"

"Yes. And I think all of us knew it was true too, no matter how much Akunadin would have liked to deny it."

We continued to talk until the sun rose this morning, and Seto left as Mana awoke.

So that was our little 'fire incident,' as it's known as now. I am beginning to develop a slight phobia of fire, though. Ah well, life goes on.

-Atemu

Well, Spirit Seer, I might have a little something happen between Isis and Karim. Notice how they always enter a scene together? Strategic setting for a possible relationship. But that's still possible. What do you think of that pairing? I'm glad you like the other ones, at any rate. Thanks!

Yes, NEVER look down upon Kuriboh, TheOldOne. Lol. Thanks for the review!

Quite true, norestar-angel. I think it's easier being a girl, really. Lol, my opinion is biased, but oh well!

Thanks, Ksaturn!

That's all for now, folks! More very, very soon!