Mamono: Hey! Been a while, eh?
Seto: Try a month...
Mamono: ^.^U Oh, sorry about that. I guess I've been busy...
Seto: Uh-huh...
Mamono: ^.^U Anyway, thanks for stickin' around so far! This chapter is sure to be good! I put review responses at the bottom and I figured out how to do the accent on Téa's name, so I'll change that sometime.... Enjoy the chapter! Also I'd like to thank DarkShadowFlame(my beta) for putting up with my horrible grammar! Thanks DSF!
~In the Sands of Egypt~
Chapter 5
Crimson Riddles
~Vision/Dream~
The ground shook with the steps of hundreds of men and horses alike. The young priest could only watch in horror as they stampeded toward the peaceful village of Kuru Ena. It wasn't men who reached the unknowing village; it was a pack of wild beasts, longing for the taste of blood. Seto turned toward the elder priest; a look of utter confusion traced his features.
"Akunadin, what are you doing?!" he shouted.
The old man looked back at Seto; his worn blue eyes burned with a fire of greed and hate that sent an icy blast straight into the younger priest's heart.
"I am creating a new power," he cackled. "One that will surpass that of the Gods!"
With that, the old man took the reins of his horse and dashed down towards the village, leaving only a dusty cloud of smoke and the young priest behind him.
"A new power?" Seto uttered. The shock of the old man's words left him paralyzed. He sat atop his horse, watching in horror as the men entered the city. With a power that matched that of Anubis' army, they began to take over the city, slaughtering anyone they could find. Soon fire broke loose and the cries of the villagers became louder; their screams echoed through the desert like that of a howling wolf, mourning its lost comrades.
Without thinking, the young priest pulled at the reins of his horse and dashed down toward the village. Every second he wasted meant certain doom for another villager. Though no matter how fast he went, the village's fate was set, death was inevitable...
When he got there, Seto felt the acids in his stomach twist; the smell of blood filled the air, making the young priest quiver. He cast his blue eyes ahead, trying to avoid the many decimated villagers that lay motionless at his stallion's feet.
"This is wrong..." he muttered.
Ahead of him Seto saw Akunadin; his decrepit hand held a bloodied sword and he gazed down at the falling figure ahead of him. A young boy with snow-white hair cried out in horror as a young girl fell to the ground. Crawling over to her, he began to shake her frantically.
"Amane! Please! Wake up!" he cried. The young boy hugged the girl dearly, causing a crimson trail to stain his shirt; salty tears fell onto the girl's pale form as the young boy mourned over his loss.
"Don't worry, boy, you'll soon join her...." the wrathful voice of Akunadin sounded. The pale-haired boy gaped as the old priest raised his sword; the stain-covered blade glowed dangerously in the surrounding fire. Without remorse, the old man swung his sword, smiling as the young boy screamed out in terror, and a fresh trail of crimson flowed through the sand, branching out like the mighty Nile itself.
"What's this?!" Akunadin roared.
The snowy-haired boy carefully opened his eyes, revealing the lanky form of a brunette teen towering in front of him. Gaping, he watched as his savior fell to his knees, clutching his chest.
"Seto, what do you think you're doing?!" Akunadin barked.
"What you're doing is wrong," Seto answered. He glared dangerously at the elder priest, all the while feeling his life slowly seeping out of him.
"Run, child!" he urged, turning toward the pallid-haired boy, but the boy only gaped at him in fear. "What are you waiting for?! Run!"
Hesitantly, the child rose to his feet, and with one last look at the fallen girl, dashed off into the darkness.
"What was the point of that? You'd risk your life for one of those thieves?" Akunadin asked in disgust.
"I would, but not because he's a thief, because he's an innocent person," Seto answered sharply.
"You realize that stunt may have cost you your life?"
"I..." Seto started, but paused when a pair of sapphire eyes flashed through his mind.
"I just know something terrible will happen if you go with Akunadin."
"I will come back safely, I promise."
Standing up, he grabbed a sword from the ground and pointed it threateningly at the old man.
"I know that, but I will not let you harm those I care about."
"Well then," Akunadin chuckled dryly. "You'd better step aside."
"Why?!"
"Because... you wouldn't want any harm to befall that girl. You know, the one that was with you in the shrine..."
Seto growled fiercely at the man; his canines gleamed furiously against the night sky. He slowly loosened his grip on the coarse handle of the sword and let it fall carelessly to the ground; the sound of the brilliant metal hitting the dull earth signaled the young priest's defeat.
Smiling maliciously, Akunadin walked passed Seto, pausing only to further his young companion's hindrance.
"And of course, breathing a mere word to the Pharaoh; or anyone for that matter, would surely result in a similar effect..."
As the old man walked past, Seto crashed to his knees, the loss of blood blurring the world in front of him. With his last ounce of strength, he gazed up to the sky above him; an endless amount of stars reflected in his azure eyes. The young priest sighed; for after such an event, the stars still gleamed brilliantly as if nothing at all had happened.
"May the Gods have mercy on us all..."
~End Vision/Dream~
A gentle morning breeze drifted through the stony halls, playfully sweeping through Seto's brunette hair, and tickling the teen's nose. With a yawn, he carefully opened his eyes and awoke to the silent world one could only find at the earliest hours. Seto lazily looked up at the hole in ceiling; the faintest glimmers of dawn flickered through the opening, casting a dim light into the room below. He raised his hand and traced a path across his chest, rubbing the slight pang he felt underneath his coffee-colored robes. With a slight growl, the brunette climbed to his feet and slid down off the statue. He was surprised to see a girl there, resting peacefully at the statue's base. He looked down at her and noticed that the cool night air had taken its toll on her, for she shivered as she slept, huddled against the cool stone.
~Vision/Dream~
"My Prince, it is time to depart..."
The crimson-eyed teen glanced back and nodded before refocusing on Téa. He took her hand gently and raised it up, kissing it softly.
"Until we meet again," he whispered.
Téa's cheeks turned a slight red as she watched the mysterious teen glide out of sight. She carefully gazed down at her hand, the color in her face deepening.
"Did he say prince?"
~End Vision/Dream~
Téa awoke suddenly and brushed her chocolate bangs out from her face. She searched her surroundings eagerly, but hung her head low when the prince she had met was nowhere in sight. In seeing those crimson eyes, she was reminded of Yugi; so much so, that it stung to even think about it. A single tear rolled down her cheek and dropped down onto a dusty cloak that lay across her.
"Wait a second..." Téa whispered, pulling the coffee-colored robe up towards her face. "This is Kaiba's!"
She blinked, maybe she was still dreaming? After about a minute of contemplating over the matter, Téa came up with a reasonable explanation. She stood up, brushed the dirt that had collected on her overnight, and wandered out from the room.
"He must've dropped it; that's all..."
* * * * * *
The sun peaked its face over the horizon, giving a new light to the previously dark desert. Its rays glowed brightly across Seto and his horse, Ezra, causing the silky midnight fur of the stallion to gleam brilliantly. With a gentle hand, Seto trailed his hand through Ezra's ebony mane, and scratched behind the creature's ears. In response, the mighty beast neighed softly and nuzzled against his master's cheek.
"Aw... How cute..."
Seto spun around to see Téa giggling softly at him, holding his cloak in her arms. He rolled his eyes and honored her with a trademark glare. Téa sighed and threw the brown cloak in his direction.
"Here, you dropped this," she stated.
Seto opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it. He swiftly tossed the cloak over his shoulder; the coffee-colored cloth wrapped itself around him, billowing out before gracefully falling into place. Téa smirked, clapping dryly.
"Wow, I bet you practice that every day," she said, her words dripping with sarcasm.
"You're just jealous," Seto retorted.
Téa was about to reply when she spotted a silver flash from behind Seto. She peered into the sands, but didn't have time to identify the form that was advancing on them.
"Kaiba, look out!" she shrieked.
With amazing speed, Seto reached under his cloak and pulled two daggers from their holders. He whipped around and met the attacker head on. Téa screamed and clenched her eyes shut. As the two met in a large flash, the sound of metal hitting metal screamed through air. When she opened her eyes, she gasped at the sight of the invader.
"Ha, I thought I'd caught you off guard, Kaiba..."
"In your dreams," Seto snapped in reply. He swung around, breaking the deadlock. Téa gaped at Seto's opponent; he possessed sandy-blonde hair, and his keen lavender eyes burned with the fire of the desert itself.
"Marik, what are you doing?" she barked.
Marik glanced over at Téa, but kept his focus to Seto. Raising a short sword, he lunged toward Seto, slashing down at him. Like water, Seto dodged Marik's attack and countered with an attack of his own; he thrust a dagger swiftly, its metallic blade missing the tip of Marik's nose by mere centimeters. Not to leave himself open, Seto leapt backwards, raising the two daggers he possessed up for protection.
Téa watched in utter shock as the fight ensued. She couldn't believe that Seto Kaiba was fighting, with swords no less! She'd always thought him to be one of those shriveled up computer nerds who cringed at any exposure to sunlight. And what was most surprising was that he seemed to have the upper hand!
With the agility of a cobra, Marik lunged at Seto; a loud tear was heard that caused the sandy-haired teen to smirk with delight, and looked up in hopes to see the pain on his opponent's face. Pain is the one thing he didn't see; instead the brunette fighter had fashioned a trademark smirk. Shocked, Marik looked down at his blade and found out that Seto had blocked it with his second dagger.
"It seems you're the one..." Seto started, grabbing onto Marik's arm and tossing him in the air. "...who's left themselves open!"
Téa gaped as Marik flew through the air. She dropped to her knees and cringed; she hated to see people fight, no matter what the circumstances. She then saw Seto dashing toward his falling form. Cupping her hands together and putting them to her mouth, she mustered up all she could and yelled over to the advancing teen.
"Kaiba, stop! Please don't hurt him!"
Seto instantly stopped and looked over at Téa, his icy eyes searched her face for a reason for him to stop, though it was pretty obvious why she interrupted him. Sighing, he hesitantly let his hands fall to his sides.
"Well, it seems my wish came true!" Marik shouted.
Seto whirled around, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the incoming dagger; the sharp blade slashed across his arm, cutting it slightly. Wincing, Seto grasped his arm and fell to his knees. He glared as Marik walked up to him, towering over him with a look of pure satisfaction on his face.
"It looks like I've finally beaten you," he snickered.
"Think again," Seto sneered; he quickly whipped his legs behind Marik, tripping the sandy-haired teen. In one swift movement, he unsheathed the long dragon-patterned sword from his back and held it at Marik's throat.
"Why don't you go back to your rat-hole," Seto snapped. "I'm sure Ishizu's waiting for you anyway."
With that, Seto removed his sword from Marik's face and stepped away from the defeated boy, letting him get up off the ground. He then sneered at Seto and walked down through the stairs and into the Ishtar home.
Téa watched this in utter confusion. One second Marik's about to kill Kaiba, and now he's going into the same home? Her sapphire eyes became clouded with thought, but she was snapped back into reality by the cold voice of Seto Kaiba.
"Why did you have to do that?"
Téa looked up to see Seto scowling down at her; her eyes then traveled to the crimson trail that ran down his arm. Feeling responsible, she looked away from Seto.
'Now he's going to yell at me, probably glare, and then leave me alone out here... Yep, I can just see it now...'
"I didn't want you to hurt him," she answered, looking up at Seto valiantly.
"I wasn't going to hurt him...much." Seto muttered.
'Yeah, it sure looked that way...' she thought to herself.
Seto looked down at her coldly, his crystal-blue eyes only adding to the effect. He watched as she sighed and leaned back into the sand, as if pouting.
'Why did I stop? It's not like I let anyone tell me what to do before...' Seto wondered.
Téa sighed and shifted her head from between her arms. 'C'mon, I think you've glared enough, why don't you go now?' Téa heard a scoff followed by some footsteps come from above her. 'Good, now I'm finally alone...' She continued to gaze down at the sand, counting the different colors that made it up.
"Are you coming?"
Téa looked up to see the hand of Seto Kaiba outstretched in front of her face. She looked up in confusion; he was helping her? Her sapphire eyes continued to gaze at his hand in thought.
"I do happen to be bleeding. I really don't have all day," Seto said jadedly.
She grabbed onto Seto's hand and he pulled her to her feet. Téa was surprised to find out how much strength he still had, even after a fight. A lot of things surprised her today, and as she followed her companion across the sands, she decided not to worry over it, after all...
"It could be worse..."
* * * * * * * *
Mamono: ^___^ Oh didn't you love it?
Seto: *blank stare*
Mamono: ^.^U Okay we'll get to the review responses first...
Dee-whY-Cee-aRe: *munches cookies* Thank you! I think they helped! Well, if you've gotten this far*points up* that's what happens next! Thanks for the review!
Im Evil: Oh the Beaver Dance! Sound like fun! *tries it, but fails horribly* Thank you *so* much for the compliments! I'll try not to let you down! ^_~
Azurite: ^___^ Well it seems Marik made his debut, eh? *evil grin* Though I bet his entrance confused you! Hee he hee.... Anyway, pester away! Honestly, I'll need it so I don't take too long next time! I *think* this chapter was pretty action packed...or at least I hope so! I'll try and boost the length next time, though I don't think I'll be able to match your uber-long and awesome ones! Thanks!
Yoko: *aghast* Weird? Me? ^___^ I know! Thanks for the review!
Chaotic-Freakatroid: *takes out tasers* Bring it on, immortal! Ha ha ha! (Thanks for the review!)
sabre-dragon: ^__^ Well thanks! And tell Sugar Demon thanks too! I hope she gets a chance to read stuff soon!
Ana: ^.^U Well okay so it hasn't been forever... Though I agree, this pairing rocks! Hope you enjoyed!
Aura Black Chan: ^___^ Yeah, DSF helped me with the decision on who's to rescue Seto! Yeah, well I think your question about Marik has been answered, but I think I'll keep you in suspense for the rest! ^___^ Thanks Aura! (CPR...^_______^ )
dragontamer101: . Midterms...believe me, I know the feeling... I hope this update cheered you up! Thanks so much for reading!
Shinaka Star: Here's the update, hope you liked! Thanks!
elsiey: ^___^ Yes, I agree, that scene was kawaii! If you do draw it, lemme see! Thanks so much for the review!
Nari-chan SND: Thanks so much! Eh, I know this was a little slow, but I should update faster now that I finished SoMT! Thanks again!
Hioga-chan: ^___^ I'm so glad you liked it! I hope this chapter was up to par! Thanks!
Just this once: I love your name thing! I'm so glad you liked the story! Thanks for reading!
Malik Fan 03: ^__^ Hee, yes, Marik's here! Hope you liked him! Thanks for the review!
tea/anzufan: ^___^ Ha, well all caps, eh? ^__^ Thanks for reviewing!
Mamono: Thanks again everyone! I am so psyched that this fic is doing so well! *tears* You all are awesome! And I promise not to be so lazy next time!! Okay, for some parting words I leave you with a few announcements....
Okay, you obviously like the Seto/Téa pairing, otherwise you probably wouldn't be here... So, I'd like to announce the start of the first Seto/Téa fanlisting! Blue Eyes & Apricots!(Or BEA for short!) Anyway, if you'd like to join(You don't have to have a website or anything) just go to the link on my bio or Azurite's(the creator!) bio and click the BEA link! Thanks!
Also I want to recommend DSF's new story called Sakkaku! What would happen if Yugi had lost the battle against the mind controlled Joey? Well read Sakkaku and find out! It's on my favorites or just go to Dark Shadow Flame's bio!
That's all! Read and Review!