In the Sands of Egypt
Chapter 3
Persona Unknown
The golden sun hung heavily in the azure sky that afternoon. Quick footsteps were heard against the rough stone pathway of a temple, and dark hair flicked across a young girl's face as she slid through the sacred hallways. Halting when she came to a crossway; her curious sky-blue eyes peered carefully into each separate hall before she dashed forward. She continued to creep along until she came into a large open room, where inside a tall teen was kneeling in front of a large statue; his brunette hair fell across his face as he bowed his head in prayer.
"Téa, what are you doing here?" he asked without emotion, his eyes remained closed. Téa stepped back in shock, but soon sighed in defeat and emerged from the shadows; approaching the priest, she placed her hands teasingly on her hips and grinned mischievously at him.
"Well someone's got to take you away from this temple. You've been guarding this place like a hawk ever since those bandits attacked," she scolded.
"And with good reason. The bandits have been attacking more frequently now and it's my duty to protect the Pharaoh and his possessions, otherwise..." the priest began.
"Otherwise chaos will ensue, I know! But I don't think the world's going to end if you rest for a while!" Téa interrupted. Sure she was a little put-off by the priest's attitude-- all he thought about was his duty! Didn't he ever have time for something fun?
The priest looked at the worried face of the girl; her eyes gazed agitatedly at his own and her cherry-red lips were curled into a slight glower; this expression caused him to chuckle. Téa frowned; her lips twitched upward slightly, and then gave a weak smile. This moment, however, was soon interrupted when brisk footsteps were heard echoing through the halls.
"You aren't supposed to be here," the priest warned the girl. Téa's hair whipped across her face as she looked frantically to and fro for a place to hide. As the footsteps became louder she eyed a large stone statue behind her; it would have to do. She dashed behind it, her robes just disappearing as a man walked into the hall.
"Seto, are you here?" his deep voice echoed. The priest twisted around and gazed at the man before him; he was an older man; but he was tall, nonetheless; long ecru robes draped across his worn body; his hair was grayed with traces of faded brunette strokes; a wicked scowl was permanently planted across his wrinkled face.
The old man walked up to Seto, but his malicious blue eyes gazed past the teen and at the statue behind him. Téa held her breath; she could feel the man's eyes upon her; those dark blue eyes, staring at her, as if he knew she was there. Seto quickly stepped in front of the old man, disrupting his gaze. The young priest scowled; he had never much cared for this devious man. "What is it that you want, Akunadin?" Seto snapped.
The old man chuckled dryly; his raspy voice caused the hairs on the back of Seto's neck to stand on end. Akunadin walked up to Seto and placed a wrinkled hand on his shoulder. In turn, Seto's eyes became frigid and unwelcoming as he stared suspiciously at the man before him. This glare would've sent many running away in fear, but not Akunadin; he brushed off Seto's suspicion like it was nothing, he just smiled warmly at the priest and patted his shoulder merrily. "I came to ask for your assistance," Akunadin replied.
"For what cause?" Seto inquired. Assistance? Since when did this man need assistance? He could obtain nearly anything he wanted with a mere flick of his old wrinkled wrist.
"I know you want punish those bandits for the crimes they have committed against the Pharaoh, am I right?"
"What do you mean?" Seto questioned. He glanced quickly behind him; he had to finish this quickly so that Téa could escape.
"The Pharaoh has given me permission to create a new power; one that will be unstoppable," the old man announced, his voice becoming eager.
"What does this have to do with the bandits, might I ask?" Seto replied coldly, he could sense the wicked intention brewing within the old man's soul.
"I intend to use the bandits as a means to achieving that ultimate power," he answered.
"I don't like what you're planning, Akunadin," Seto spat. It didn't matter what Akunadin was planning, it could be a tea party of all things, and Seto would not like it. Just an aura the young priest received...
"Do you intend on going against the wishes of the Pharaoh?" Akunadin asked, his voice slick and cunning.
"Of course not." Seto growled; his eyes narrowed till they were nothing more than icy slits. He clenched his fist and his lips curled into a threatening scowl.
"Then you will come," the old man said grinning; he turned away from the young priest, the victory clearly his. An evil smirk grew onto his lips as he walked briskly out of the temple. Téa could feel the tension lift as the man left; she ran toward the priest and looked up into his eyes; a frigid suspicion still lingered in their azure depths, but it quickly faded when he looked down at her.
"I want you to go back to the temple," he stated.
"What? Why? You aren't going with that man, are you? Something just isn't right about him," she said worriedly. Seto had her same doubts, but there was no question if it meant betraying his pharaoh.
"I must," he answered.
"Why?!"
"I can't go against the wishes of the Pharaoh." She certainly must have understood that-- his everyday actions proved he was loyal. She wasn't there at the beginning, so she couldn't know from where his loyalty came...
"The Pharaoh has hundreds of servants to do his bidding! Why must you put yourself in danger for him?"
"Danger? I assure you, no harm shall befall me," the priest tried to convince her.
"You can't seriously believe that, can you? I just know something terrible will happen if you go with Akunadin. Please reconsider!" she urged. There were beginnings of tear drops rolling around at the brims of her eyes.
Seto cringed; he hated to see the people he cared about cry, anyone for that matter. He gently took Téa's hand and brought her into his warm embrace. Perhaps for his own comfort too. He knew he was walking into something horrible, but maybe if he held on long enough it would go away. Maybe... The girl instantly began sobbing into the priest's robes, but he just held her and let her cry. "I will come back safely," he whispered. "I promise."
When Téa awoke, she found herself wrapped up in a silky amethyst robe. She gazed into its silky folds, suddenly remembering the dream she had. While peering at the robe, she noticed the rhythmic movement from underneath her. Peering down, she observed four ebony legs walking through the sand. This wasn't where she was before...
"Hm?!" Shocked, she clutched the long coffee-colored cloak of the figure in front of her, wrapping the dark fabric between her fingers. The figure clothed in these robes stiffened, obviously unused to such closeness.
"I see you're awake," came a voice from in front of her; it was a low and cold voice, instantly recognizable to Téa.
"It looks like I am... Kaiba," she said flatly. She let go of him instantly and sat up. She would just pretend that if she didn't touch him she would have fell off-- it wasn't her choice, it was necessary.
"Well, you haven't forgotten me after all," he quipped. Even lost in a desert he couldn't escape Yugi's geek squad. Perhaps the idea of stalkers wasn't too far off...?
"Yeah, who could forget someone like you?" she muttered. Of all the people to rescue her, it had to be him! She just couldn't get rid of him, could she? It was weird!
"I'll take that as a compliment," he retorted. There was a long silence; Téa was trying to absorb everything that had happened. She was hanging out with Yugi when some weirdoes kidnapped her and took her to some dried-up desert in the middle of who-knows-where; but what took the cake is that suddenly Seto Kaiba appeared and he now he was taking her to… well, somewhere!
"What are you doing here?" she asked flatly. It wasn't every day a CEO of a major technology corporation was found riding a horse in the middle of a desert.
"Riding through the desert," he answered calmly. Smirking? Oh yes.
"I know that," she snapped. "What are you in the desert for?"
"It's a long story, and quite frankly, I don't feel like playing narrator at the moment." Nice answer. Téa grumbled in frustration; this guy was impossible! She whirled her head to the side and looked at the vast desert around her. Nothing lived out there; it was just a barren wasteland full of golden sand.
"You're supposed to be dead," she said blankly. They had a funeral and everything! Didn't he know that? You can't have a funeral and then not be dead...
"Do I look dead?" he replied. Aside from the fact that he felt like he was dead, or sent back to the stone age, whichever was closer.
"..."
"Congratulations, you've answered the thousand dollar question."
"That's not funny," she scolded. "If you're alive, why aren't you back in Domino? I hate to say this but Mokuba has been so unhappy without you around." Seto cringed at the mention of his brother's name. Of course he wished he could rush back to Japan and see his brother; he wanted that more than anything... but he just couldn't now...
"Like I said, it's a long story," he replied. And as if he would tell it to her. It wasn't like she was staying here for any length of time.
"I'm listening," Téa said. She didn't know where they were going or how long it would take to get there so why not?
"Well tell me how the wind sounds, because that's all you're going to hear," Seto shot back. He momentarily contemplated how much guilt he would have had if he had left her back in the sand. It'd be less noisy, that was for sure.
"If you're not going to tell me what you're doing here, you could at least tell me where you're taking me," Téa spat. In response, Seto raised his arm and pointed out in front of him. Téa leaned to the side and peered past him; a city lay a few hundred feet in front of them, from what Téa could guess. She shifted back and looked down at her hands. "What are we going to do there?" she asked curiously.
"I'm going to find a way to get you back to Domino," he responded. 'And out of my hair,' he silently added to himself.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"I don't want to have to baby-sit you forever, so yes."
It was mid-afternoon when Téa and Seto arrived in the city. It was a bustling city, with shops and tents lining every street; numerous people filled the city, most wearing long heavy robes to protect them from the sun. Téa wiped her hand across her forehead and pulled the amethyst robe over her head. "Where are we, exactly?" she questioned as she followed Seto through the crowds.
"Mastaba, Egypt; the market city," Seto answered. It seemed commonplace to Seto now, that was clear in the airy tone of his voice. Too bad it wasn't so normal for his companion.
"Egypt?" Téa shrieked. Before she could get an answer, Seto pulled her into a dark alleyway and led them to a dank looking shop, letting her go after he approached the entrance. A middle-aged woman walked out from the shop and beamed when she noticed Seto standing there. She trotted over to the cloaked teen and wrapped him in a big, bone-crushing hug. Seto, however, didn't return the feeling; he just stood there emotionless and waited till the woman drew back. Hugging was not his thing.
"Cold as always, I see," she chuckled. "What brings you here all of a sudden?"
"I need you to get Gardner back to Japan," he stated. His eyes were serious while the women's swirled with curiosity.
"Gardner?" she questioned. What an odd name, but it had a nice ring to it, that was for sure. Seto stepped back and motioned for Téa to come forward. Téa smiled and walked up to the woman.
"Hi, and it's Téa" she said in a friendly voice, though not without anxiety. Seto didn't exactly keep the best of crowds, save for Mokuba.
"Hello, dear," the woman replied. "You must be special; Seto never brings anyone along on his crossings." There was a hint of jest, only increased by the chuckles that echoed through the alleyway. Téa looked over to Seto questioningly, looking for an answer to the woman's statement, but he wouldn't look over at her, just sigh and cross his arms.
"Can you get her back to Japan, or not?" he asked impatiently. Really, if he wanted to be the object of someone's joke he would bash himself over the head in the town square. Funny. The woman's smile faded; she brought her thumb to her mouth and began to bite on her fingernail in thought. After an awkward silence she sighed and spoke up.
"No, I'm sorry, dear. Ever since the Uraeus took over, travel's been a thing of the past." And what a bother that was. She needed to get a few shipments in a town across the rock-hills... She certainly couldn't do it with a bunch of hooligans around.
"Uraeus?" Téa questioned. The name played sour on her tongue. It wasn't even fun to say, much less know about.
"Hm, they're a nasty group that's taken over the city. No one really knows what they are after, but they've been attacking places all over Egypt..."
"I'll need some supplies," Seto interrupted. Enough chit-chat. If the answer was 'no' then he could move on.
"Hm? Oh of course, come inside the shop and we'll get you set up," the woman said and walked into the shop. Seto followed her with Téa in tow.
Téa examined the inside of the shop; it was dank and musty; things filled every shelf. She wouldn't have been surprised to see something growing in there. The dusty smell forced her nose to wrinkle, trying hard not to breathe any in.
The desert woman reentered, carrying a large brown satchel; she set it down on a countertop across the room and began pulling different odds and ends out of the shelves and into the bag. Seto was too busy looking through the items on the shelves to even notice Téa, or anything for that matter, especially that she was confused out of her mind.
"Okay, I think we've got all the essentials; now all we need is..." the shopkeeper said turning to Seto. "...weapons."
"Weapons?" Téa whispered. What exactly did they need weapons for? She watched as Seto walked over to a large cupboard; he grasped the rusty handle and pulled it open. "..." Loads of knives, daggers, and other sharp metal objects were inside, all gleaming a fierce silver; sitting there just waiting to be used. "Yep. Those are definitely weapons..."
Seto examined each of the armaments; his blue eyes reflected against the silvery blades of the swords. A shorter sword caught his eye; he picked it up then drew back his cloak to reveal a leather belt and quickly fastened the sword to it, then resumed picking through the various sharp objects. He ended up picking out a few short daggers and placed each in holders hidden under his cloak.
"Wouldn't want to hug him..." Téa mused as her eyes studied Seto, widened slightly.
Finally Seto reached for a long sword and held it above his head, looking carefully at it; it had a long, sharp blade; dark rust color dragons grasped the sword in their sharp claws, forming the hilt. Seto's smirk could be seen in the reflection of the blade as he placed it in a holder and hung it over his shoulder.
"Kaiba, do you really need all those swords?" Téa asked. There had to be like... twenty of them! What was he planning to do with them exactly? Decapitate the entire village?!
"Yes," he answered while he walked over to the woman who was now fussing over their bag. "Do you have any left?"
"Yes, I just finished some up. Hold on and I'll go get them," she answered and walked out of sight. Now this was interesting, Téa thought to herself, watching the woman leave. She tilted her head to the side and directed her curiosity toward Seto.
"Any what?" she asked. As if to answer, the woman walked back in. In her arms was a tiny leather leg band and attached to it some sort of carrying case. She handed the bundle to Seto who opened it and pulled out a thin square shaped piece of metal with the edges sharpened.
"What is that?" Téa questioned, pointing at the thing in Seto's hand. It didn't look very pleasant, that she could tell.
"Something like throwing stars," the woman answered. "I made them especially for Seto." After putting the new item under a critical eye, Seto placed the star into the holder and picked up their bag of supplies, satisfied. He shifted the bag over his shoulder and turned toward the door. "So you're taking her with you then?" the woman asked.
"It doesn't seem like I have any other choice," Seto replied. Not that he liked the idea any more. Honestly it spelt out trouble with a capital, bold, and italicized 't.'
"I suppose so," the woman said. "I'll be sure to let you know if anything changes around here." The thought however, was merely to entertain. Those dogs in charge now were the lazy sort-- but their jaws were just a size too large to be dealt with.
"Hm," Seto acknowledged. "Let's go, Gardner." If they didn't leave now, well, nothing would happen besides a very irate Seto Kaiba-- that was enough incentive to dash out of there with all your power.
"Wait a minute!" Téa shouted. "I don't even know what's going on and you expect me to follow you like some mindless puppy?" She immediately bit back her tongue... She knew what was coming next.
"Of course not," Seto snickered. "I would only expect that from Wheeler." There it was.
Téa sighed; she would've smacked Kaiba if he wasn't carrying so many weapons. Grumbling, she headed for the exit and glared daggers at the brunette. Seto soon joined her by the door; he stopped and turned to the woman.
"All right, dears," she said softly. "You be careful now." This woman had the disposition of a mother; kindly and over-protective. It was amazing how Seto could associate himself with such a person.
"Don't worry about us; we'll be fine," Seto stated-- positive-- and walked out the door. Téa smiled as the woman gave her a trademark giant hug, nearly suffocating her. The woman smiled and reached for a sheathed dagger; she handed it to Téa who looked blankly back at her.
"Take it," she insisted. "You never know when you might need it." With this desert, it would be often.
"Thanks," Téa replied, reluctantly putting the dagger inside her robe. Hopefully she wouldn't have to use it.
"Seto's with you, so there's nothing to be concerned about," the shopkeeper said warmly. She seemed to trust Seto, just like a son. It made Téa wonder...
'That's exactly why I'm concerned,' Téa voiced silently as an afterthought. She smiled and waved as she walked out of the shop. Seto was outside waiting for her; his blue eyes watched her emotionlessly as she walked up to him. There was a tinge of annoyance however, even in that cold gaze.
"Are you ready now?" he asked impatiently. Would he have to take her out shopping too before they left? He waited for that-- it was coming, he knew it.
"I guess," Téa answered exasperatedly; after all, she had no idea what she was ready for, so she didn't have much of a choice. Not like Kaiba was giving her much of a choice anyway!
"Then let's go," Seto instructed, turning away from her and walking down the alleyway. Téa quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind, and the two of them made their way to the outskirts of town.
"You're kidding, right?" Téa yelled. Seto was mounted atop his black horse; he extended a hand for Téa to climb on, a very generous gesture, especially on Seto's part. Even if it would have been very amusing to watch her try to climb on, they didn't have time for that. So no, it wasn't out of kindness, just efficiency. Téa, however, didn't care what it was, she wasn't going to ride with him-- again. There were plenty of other horses, couldn't they get one of them?
"You'd rather walk then?" he asked jadedly. That would be another amusing option... but again, time, or lack thereof. He extended his hand out further, emphasizing the urgency.
"No!" she spat; she knew she'd have to give in, but she was angry enough. She didn't have a clue what was going on and his attitude was not helping, even if it was, at the time somewhat gentlemen like.
"Look, I don't have all day," he sighed. Annoyance levels were now spiking; he was this close to just leaving her there.
"Whatever, let's go," she said, grabbing onto Seto's hand. The brunette boy lifted her up onto the horse, and Téa watched-- more or less pouted-- as they began to journey into the unknown desert.
The sun was setting, causing the sand to glow like fire; a solitary black horse with two riders trudged through the desert earth. Téa's hair caressed against her cheek, blown by the desert wind. She looked up at her silent companion, Seto Kaiba; he hadn't said anything since they had left the city of Mastaba, and it wasn't likely that he was going to say anything till they got to wherever they were going.
'Well, for the better then,' Téa quipped, her head bobbing side to side in rhythm with the horse's trot. 'Like I need to talk to him anyway.'
What seemed like hours had past and now the sun had just disappeared over the horizon and a few stars began to gleam in the darkening sky. Téa sighed and began to regret snapping at Kaiba; after all, he was looking out for her, no matter how rude he was; he could've left her out in the desert...Why didn't he? It wasn't like he cared… did he? "I'm sorry," Téa admitted quietly.
Seto remained silent, his eyes just continued to stare across the horizon, never shifting from in front of him. A gentle wind blew across his face, causing a rustling of his bangs and sending a chill down Téa's spine. "I shouldn't have yelled at you," she continued.
"Forget it," Seto replied suddenly. Téa was surprised that he actually spoke up; she smiled and looked up at the sky. The moon shined beautifully, casting a mysterious glow over the desert; millions of stars filled the sky, twinkling like fireflies.
Téa looked on in awe at its splendor; she didn't get to see the stars like this back home. Soon she became quite tired; the excitement-- if you could call it that-- of the day took its toll on her; she let out a large yawn and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"You can go to sleep," Seto allowed. Maybe she would quit humming, rocking, and whatever else she had done in the past time to keep herself occupied.
"Hm?" Téa questioned, confused. There wasn't exactly a Hilton in sight.
"I don't mind if you lean on me, but you'd better not drool or anything," he clarified sharply, but Téa could sense a hint of compassion in his words, or maybe it was the drowsiness? It just blurred the words together to sound nice. She smiled anyway and took his offer, leaning up against him.
She didn't know why, but she felt safe in Kaiba's company; even if he were an egotistical jerk, she'd rather be with him than by herself in this desert. She wrapped herself up in her lavender robes and drifted into a peaceful sleep. "Goodnight," she whispered.
Seto placed his hand on his horse's neck and stroked the animal gently, his fingers sifting through its silky midnight mane.
"Things are going to get interesting from now on, Ezra. I'm sure of that..."