Yami Bakura: *rolls his eyes* SJ doesn't own YGO. Karim, Najib, and Kaela are hers, however. Ankhkare and Senui are Indigo Tantarian's.
WSJ: Be warned I have almost no significant plot until Ryou's about three, so these next few "years" are going to be fudged. ^^
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Hot Sands Warm Arms
Chapter 10 -- My Brother (and Poker)
"Look over there! General Nakago's doing a strip act!"
~(Miaka, Fushigi Yuugi)
The next morning, while nearly everyone else still slept, Malik was up with the sun. Quietly he crawled out of his cot, careful not to wake up Kaela, who was sleeping on Isis's cot. Isis was still in with Angeline, and Shen had apparently fallen asleep (or passed out) on one of the pavilion tables and been left there, covered with a light blanket.
Pulling on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, leaving his feet bare, Malik crept out of the tent. Outside all was silent, save the last sleepy hoots of desert owls and the distant drone of insects. Malik stretched his arms over his head and looked around, his lavendar eyes keen and alert dispite the early hour. Padding across the quickly heating sand, Malik nudged the canvas flab aside and peered into Angeline and Shen's tent. Someone, probably Cynthia, had already carted away the soiled bedding, and Angeline was resting comfortably on her side, her hand lazily draped over the side of the cradle that was laying beside her cot. Isis was asleep nearby, curled up on the sand and propped up against a crate.
Silent as a field mouse Malik came inside, making sure the tent flap fell back closed behind him. Tip-toeing forward, careful not to wake up Angeline or Isis, Malik leaned over to look into the cradle.
Laying in a nest of soft white blankets was the tiniest thing Malik had possibly ever seen. Little Ryou was wearing a light cotton sleeper that was a little too big for him, and his legs were covered by the green and blue baby blanket Cynthia had bought at the Luxor bazaar a few weeks ago. He was laying on his back with his arms splayed out on either side, his breath making tiny whooshie sounds as he breathed in and out. His skin, far from the flushed red most babies' were, was a milky white. His hair was as white as the sheets he was laying on.
Malik stared in wonder for what seemed like a long time, but was in reality only a few minutes. Reaching out a shaking hand, Malik brushed the baby's cheek with just the tip of one finger, marveling at the softness and the deep contrast his own tanned hand made against Ryou's pale skin. The baby gurgled slightly, his face screwing up as if he was about to cry, and Malik gasped, quickly snatching his hand away. Ryou waved his arms, his little legs kicking feebly under the blanket.
Malik cocked his head, wondering what was wrong. Maybe he was too hot? Carefully the little Egyptian reached back into the cradle, pulling the blanket away so that it was bunched up around Ryou's feet. The baby kicked again, one of his tiny feet coming into contact with Malik's hand. Ryou blinked his eyes open, and focused on the strange dark thing above him.
Lavendar eyes met brown, and for a moment Malik and Ryou just looked at each other. Causiously Malik reached out a finger, nudging the palm of Ryou's tiny hand. Ryou's fingers closed around it reflexively, gripping Malik's index finger in a surprisingly strong grip.
"Hi," Malik whispered, smiling at the baby. "I'm your new big bwother. I'm Malik."
And Ryou smiled.
Somewhere nearby there was a low chuckle, and Malik looked up to see Angeline looking at him with half-open eyes, a soft smile on her face. "I'm sowwey Mommy," Malik said, chagrined. "I din't mean t' wake you up."
"You didn't," Angeline reassured him, both of them still keeping their voices low so as not to wake Isis. "Mothers have an instinct built in to wake up every few hours or so to check on their child. Especially new mothers." She pushed herself up on one elbow, gazing lovingly down into the cradle. "I think he likes you, Malik."
Malik nodded, looking back down at the child, who now seemed facinated with Malik's finger, which he was still holding firmly in his tiny hands. "He's so little."
"Babies tend to be." Angeline said, stroking Ryou's soft white hair with one finger. "And this baby is smaller than most." She frowned slightly, looking a little worried, and whispered mostly to reassure herself "But he seems strong, even for one so small."
Malik nodded happily. "An' I'll teach him t' be even stronger! I'll protect him and play with him and teach him everything he needs t' know! I'm his bwother!" he declared, puffing out his chest slightly. "An' that's what bwothers do!"
Angeline's face broke into a smile and she chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Malik's hair. "I'm sure you'll be the best big brother ever."
Ryou, meanwhile, had stuck Malik's finger in his mouth and begun sucking on it. Upon discovering that this wasn't what he wanted, he spit it out and began to wail. Malik drew back from the cradle, alarmed. "I'm sorry mommy! I didn't mean to hurt him!"
Angeline smiled at him, already unbuttoning the top couple buttons of her nightshirt. "You didn't hurt him, Malik. He's just hungry. Could you do me a favor and go find Shen?"
Malik nodded and hurried out of the tent, grateful to be away from the wailing infant. While he'd been inside, the camp had come to life. Over the three or so months it had been here, the dig had expanded radicly. Many of the Egyptian workers had moved their wives and children out to live on site with them, as it didn't look like they'd be going anywhere any time soon. It was almost a regular village now, and several of the leaders of the mottly band had applied to Pegasus for permission to start building more permanent homes. The archaeologists had discussed it, and generally agreed that it was a good idea. They were all getting tired of living in tents. And besides, none of them were going anywhere anytime soon.
"I know we originally planned for just a ten month dig," Pegasus had said, standing at the head of the table. The other seven archaeologists, plus Karim, Najib, Rashiid, and Malik were sitting under the pavilion, letting Pegasus's vision sweep them away. "But no one can deny that what we've found here is anything short of miraculous. An entire unknown city, with subterranean temples left unplundared, and all of it ours! This is bigger than Tutankhamen, my friends! Bigger than Tel er Armarna! Bigger than the supposed tomb of Tiye! Yes, we all have friends and family in our home countries, but as for me, I have all I need right here," he paused to smile at Cynthia. "What I see, my friends, is a city of the living next to this city of sand and stone. A city filled with archaeologists, with workers and their families, with merchants and herders and every manner of life, just as it must have been thousands of years ago. So what do you say? Will you stay with me, no matter how long it takes?"
Angeline, still pregnant at that time, had been the first to rise ponderously to her feet, her hands over her swollen belly. Shen had immediately jumped up to stand with her. "Shen and I always dreamed we would find something like this," Angeline had said, her jaw set firmly. "And I can think of no better place to raise a family then among the people we've grown to love so much over the years, and among friends. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're with you until the end, Pegasus-kun."
The use of the familiar suffix sealed it, and in an instant the others were on their feet too. Shaadi plunged his hand into the middle of their circle, and in an instant a dozen more were laid on top of it. They were a team, and always would be. Their city was born in that moment.
Shaadi and Pegasus had drawn up plans, and in a few weeks, as soon as baby Ryou was a little older and the novelty of a crying baby had worn off, Pegasus and Cynthia were planning to take a week-long trip to Cairo to get all the proper licences required to found a town. They were planning on naming it New Ankhara. It seemed fitting, somehow. Some of the workers had been diverted from excavation and were digging a well in what would eventually be the center of the city under the watchful eye of Najib. People who had nothing to do with the dig, merchants and herders as Pegasus had said, were beginning to drift into this oasis in the desert.
The pavilion had become a center of operations, of sorts. All day Pegasus or Sugoroku or Shen would sit like a king on his throne, settling disputes between the workers, giving directions on excavations, and other minor matters while around him Angeline and Cynthia and Isis worked on piecing together pottery or jeweralry. Even Malik had been allowed to help, running as messanger between all the different crews at work. From those in the pavilion to those digging the well to Shaadi and Rashiid in the underground temples to those excavating the city's west quarter and back again.
This morning Malik stepped out of Angeline's tent and inhaled deeply the morning scents of the camp/village. The archaeologists had their tents closest to the pavilion, forming a ring around the brightly coloured meeting place. A quarter turn around the ring, Kaela and Cynthia were building up a fire in the main fire pit to cook breakfast for all eight of the archaeologists plus Malik and Rashiid. Cynthia saw him and waved, and Malik returned the greeting before making for the yellow striped pavilion.
He reached it in barely thirty seconds, and giggled to see Shen stretched out and snoring on one of the tables. Pegasus was standing over him, looking down at the Japanese man in dismay. "Good morning Malik," he said, running a hand through his silver hair. "Come for Shen, I take it?"
Malik nodded. "Mommy wants to see him."
Pegasus groaned. "Not unless she's got a miracle cure for hangovers. Come on Malik, help me push him off."
"Off the table?!" Malik asked, half in dismay and half in delight.
Pegasus looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Unless you have a better idea for getting him awake?"
Malik nodded and with a little help from Pegasus scrambled up so he was sitting on Shen's chest. Leaning over, the little boy tried to keep from giggling as he whispered "Baby."
Shen sat bolt upright, nearly catapulting Malik off his chest. "Huh, whasis?"
Malik burst into hysterical giggles, and Pegasus chuckled, holding out a hand to help Shen off the table. "Congradulations Shen Bakura, you have a son."
Shen's eyes widened in disbelief as he swayed on his feet for a moment. "A son? A son! I'm a father!"
Pegasus chuckled and slapped the man on the back, leading him off toward Angeline's tent. "Yes you are. Malik, can you go make sure everyone's awake, please?" Malik nodded and scampered off as Pegasus held open the tent flap for Shen to duck inside. Just after the dark-haired man had gone inside, Isis came out and grinned at Pegasus, rolling her eyes slightly. The two chuckled and made their way to breakfast, leaving the new parents alone.
For a moment Shen just stood in the doorway, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched Angeline nurcing their baby boy. Then she glanced up, and smiled at him, motioning for him to come sit on the edge of her cot. He did so, and put one of his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Oh Angel, he's so beautiful..." With his other hand, Shen gently stroked the baby's feathery hair.
Angeline smiled as Ryou made a sort of soft squeaking sound and snuggled against her breast. "Aw, Ryou, it's just your daddy."
Shen chuckled quietly as little Ryou yawned, his eyes drifting closed. "Sleepy, is he?"
"Well wouldn't you be?" Angeline teased, shifting Ryou in her arms so she could button up her shirt again. "Would you like to hold him?"
Shen somehow managed to look delighted and nervous at the same time. "May I?"
"If you don't drop him." Angeline said, giving her husband a hard look. "Isis said something about you getting drunk last night?"
Shen rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. "Well, Sugoroku and Arthur managed to dig up a bottle of cheap sake somewhere, but I paced off all the alcohal I drank worrying about you and the baby."
"Awww," Angeline giggled, leaning up against her husband's shoulder as he cradled little Ryou in his arms. "You're so sweet. Now I remember why I married you!"
"You mean you forgot?" Shen asked incredulously, turning to stare at her.
Angeline smiled rather nastily. "I did when I was in labor for two hours."
Shen shuddered slightly. "Better you than me..." Angeline just laughed.
All morning there was a steady stream of people coming in to coo over the baby. It seemed half the women in the village had been making something for Ryou or Angeline or both, and before long the Bakuras had plenty of blankets and pillow slips and other useless gifts that people always gave to a family with a new baby. Ryou now had a wardrobe much bigger than him, and Angeline had been handed at least two slinky silk nighties with a nudge and a wink from the woman offering it. Angeline thanked everyone and dutifully wrote down all their names so she could get started on thank you cards. Finally, around dinner time when all the workers and workers' wives were with their own families, Shen and Angeline had some time alone.
"Goodness," Angeline said, laying back on her cot and stretching her arms over her head. "All that fuss over a baby..."
"The baby of people they respect and admire," Shen pointed out, sitting down next to his wife. "Did you really think they were going to ignore the family of Sitt Angel?"
Angeline giggled. "Well no, I just didn't expect them all to be so kind... We're not Muslim, or Egyptian."
"Doesn't matter." Shen said. "You've been so kind to them, of course they're going to be kind back."
Angeline blushed and smiled at the praise. "I suppose so..."
There was a quiet knocking on the tent pole by the door, and a moment later Cynthia stuck her head in. "Would you two like to join us for some after dinner festivities?"
The Bakuras glanced at each other, then down at Ryou, who was sleeping peacefully in his cradle. "Well..."
"Sugoroku and Arthur said they'd watch Ryou and Malik for us," Cynthia said "Pegasus and I have been planning this for a few weeks."
Shen glanced at his wife and shrugged. "Fine by me."
Angeline smiled and nodded. "It sounds fun." Standing up, she bent down to retrieve Ryou from his bed, wrapping him in his blanket and cuddling him against her shoulder. He gurgled a little, but stayed asleep, one tiny fist wrapping around the neckline of the sundress she was wearing.
Cynthia grinned and led the way to the pavilion, which was lit with lamps as the sun began to sink down over the horizon. Pegasus, Rashiid, Shaadi, Isis, and Kaela were sitting around one of the tables. Nearby stood Sugoroku and Arthur, with Arthur holding firmly on to Malik's hand. The little boy was whining about not getting to stay with everyone else.
"Hush," Sugoroku said sternly. "We'll have plenty of fun by ourselves, Malik."
Angeline chuckled as she detatched Ryou from around her neck and handed him over to Sugoroku. "If he needs anything, don't hesitate to come get me." she said. "I just fed him, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem, but he may need a diaper change."
Arthur chuckled. "Don't worry Angel, both of us have raised children of our own. We know how to care for babies."
Angeline smiled. "Thank you, then." She kneeled down, putting herself on eye-level with Malik. "Take care of Ryou for me, okay?"
Malik stopped whining and immediately puffed up his chest, proud to be given such an important job. "I will Mommy!" he said happily, hugging her around the neck before running off with the two older men.
Angeline chuckled and shook her head, straightening up and turning back to the others around the table. "Well now, what're these festivities I heard about?"
Isis smiled as Angeline took a seat between Shen and Pegasus. "Well, Cynnie and Pegasus and I were talking, and I commented that after a woman's had a baby, usually her self-confidence is decreased, and that everyone seems to care more for the baby than her. So we've come up with a way to show you, Angel, that you're still a beautiful woman and that we care about you. ^^"
Shaadi grinned slightly and pulled out a deck of cards. "In other words, the name of the game is strip poker."
Angeline and Shen's eyes bugged out. "What?"
Cynthia giggled, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. "You lose a hand, you lose your clothes. Simple as that!"
Rashiid frowned as he noticed Kaela looking down at her lap and blushing. Leaning over to her, he asked quietly "Kaela? Are you okay with this?"
"N-not really..." she whispered back, glancing wide-eyed around the circle of faces. "I barely know some of the people here..."
Rashiid smiled encouragingly at her. "Okay then." He patted her hand and then raised his voice. "Pegasus-san, do you mind if Kaela and I decide to skip out on the game?"
Pegasus looked slightly surprised, but waved them off. "No no, that's fine. Go right ahead."
Kaela got up with a sigh of relief and let Rashiid lead her out of the pavilion. The talk of the others slowly faded into the distance as the two wandered around the growing village. They walked in silence, aimlessly, staring up at the starry skies. It was quiet and dark out, save for distant shouts of laughter and the blazing lanterns in the pavilion and some of the tents. They walked for a long time, and somewhere along the way Rashiid took hold of her hand.
"Awww... Aren't they cute?"
The white-haired spirit scowled from where he was again leaning against the wall of the mouth of the cave. "Only you would think so, Ankhkare."
The spirit of the Ankh chuckled. "Never one for lovey-dovey, were you Bekhura?"
Bekhura snorted as Rashiid and Kaela wandered by again, still holding hands. "It's only taken you three-thousand years to figure that out...?"
Pegasus was starting to sweat, and not from the desert heat. They'd decided that they'd play guys against dolls, and currently the guys were losing. They'd voted to count pairs of things as one article of clothing, and that jewelry did count. So far Shaadi had lost his turban, shoes, socks, and earrings. Pegasus had lost his shoes, socks, and shirt and was currently sitting there in the tank top undershirt he always wore. Shen was minus his shoes, socks, and shirt, and from the look on his face it looked like he was about to lose another hand.
Over on the gals side of things, none of the three of them could seem to stop giggling. Cynthia and Angeline were both minus their jeweralry and shoes, but Isis had quite awhile to go before she even began taking of clothes. Curse that woman for wearing so much jewelry!
"Are you ladies ready?" Pegasus asked, trying not to panic. Suggesting strip poker had seemed like a good idea at the time.
The women nodded, and all six of them laid down their hands. Angeline burst into giggles again when it became clear that Shen had lost... again. Apparently the new father had vey bad luck when it came to card games. "Yay Shen-koi!"
"Can't I just take off my glasses?" Shen asked, his cheeks darkening somewhat under the wide grins of the girls.
Angeline laughed. "You're blind as a bat without them! Come on, you know what I want..."
At the seductive purr in her voice, Shen's blush deepened. He stammered for a moment as Angeline leaned across the table toward him, her eyelids lowered sexily. "A-Angel!" His eyes darted around, looking for a way out of this, and he absently smacked Pegasus and Shaadi upside the heads. "Stop looking at her like that, you idiots!"
Finally he was forced to give in, and he pulled off his undershirt with a sigh, leaving him barechested. One more lost hand would leave him in his boxers. Shen collected his cards and tried to ignore the whistles and cat-calls from the other side of the table.
It was going to be a looooong night...
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WSJ: Happy now?
Yami Bakura: *grumbles* I'm going to bed... *wanders off to nest in the piles of stuffed animals in WSJ's closet*
WSJ: Me too. Screw staying up to watch InuYasha, I want sleep... *shuffles off to the side and flops down on her bed, curling up and pulling on her head phones. Faint strains of Music of the Night can be heard*
Phantom-san: *who's nocturnal anyway* ^^; SJ says not to expect anything on this story for awhile, because as she stated at the beginning of the chapter, she has no plot for the next couple years. If you give her some time she'll find one, you just gotta give her a chance... Oh yes, she also told me to tell you to watch HSH, because she should get the next chapter out soon. Like a Thief is still on hold until SJ's library spits up its copy of the YYH movie. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see a man about a lasso... *stalks off, leaving Yami Bakura snoring among stuffed bears and WSJ murmering about how much she loves Michael Crawford*
God bless minna-san!