Disclaimer- You all know the drill I don't Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own these story lines and the OC's in them…I'm beginning to hate this thing…
A/N- I'M BACK!!! After what seems like forever I'M FINALLY BACK!!! Hello…anyone there? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, FORGIVE ME FOR NOT UPDATEING IN…oh boy…A LITTLE OVER 3 MAYBE 4 MONTHS!! This year in school I have encountered what can only be described as the English teacher from HELL!! She kept us so occupied that I barely had time to do my other homework much less actually update. For those of you also reading Many Mixed Magics just bare with me I got rid of HER and now I will update as much as possible. Anyway moving on…
REVIEWS – WOW! So many reviews, thank you so much I love you people! BIG THANKS to…Paladin Dragon, Ministirth, Ma-LI-KE he Kai-ba, Yami Silverdramon, shadow-moto, ladyblueeyes-ul, Shiggity Shags, sweetchica55, Bridget N, YO!, KarlaBob, Freak09, Yami-Yugi3, cherry-star-aus, imfluffy, shadowfox9845, and Von Stupor. YOU PEOPLE ARE GREAT!!
Well back by popular demand I present the story…
Chapter 1-Swimming Lesson
"speech" 'thoughts' /Mental conversation/
-normal POV-
It all started on a normal day in Egypt, well normal for Seth and me anyways…
"Prince Yami! Please highness for Ra's sake, pay attention! Don't be laughing apprentice priest Seth that goes for you too! Honestly, if my orders hadn't come from the Pharaoh himself I'd think them insane! Having the Crown Prince and a priest in training in the same lessons, oh…what is the world coming to?"
/By Ra, I knew Simon was a whiner but I never believed Father when he said the old coot was this bad! Seth, do you think he'll ever shut up?/ The extremely board Crown Prince thought to his best friend.
/I don't Yami. Though, it could be interesting to see how long he can talk without pausing for breath./ Seth replied laughingly. Yami had to suppress a chuckle at his friend's tone. Seth sounded like a little kid, finding entertainment in whatever he saw.
/True, and how much do you want to bet that his face turns blue in the process?/
At this neither could restrain their mirth for a moment longer, they broke out laughing simultaneously.
"What…what are you laughing at? Now see here both of you! You may be of higher rank than me but I am you teacher and your elder! You will pay attention! Where…where do you think you're going? This lesson is far from over! Prince Yami, priest in training Seth! Get back here!" Simon yelled as the still laughing pair abruptly walked out the door. "JUST WAIT until your fathers hear of this!"
"We're not intimidated by you or your threats old man. Seth and I are going to meet with someone who won't talk us to death. Until tomorrow old timer," Yami called back.
"Why I never! In all me years…" Simon sputtered to the now empty teaching room.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Freedom! Ha, ha!" Yami yelled as the two rode into the city.
"Yes! It's nice to be away from that old windbag. Why didn't we think of this sooner?"
/I don't know. Anyway let's see if we can track down Trist and Jono./ Yami replied switching to mental speech for privacy and connivance.
/Right/
/Hey, bet you a silver ring they don't recognize us in these cloaks./ The Prince challenged.
/Heh, you're on. They'll know it's us. We're riding Star and Black, they know that these are our personal horses./ Seth claimed shooting Yami a look.
/We'll see!/ Yami replied with a grin.
The two cloak clad palace escapees continued through the city until they came upon a scuffle in front of a fruit vendor. A pair of young men appeared to be fighting with the vendor over an apple. Both teens were clad in an assortment of rags and old worn sandals. One had a wild mess of blonde hair that was quite dirt ridden and tousled at the moment and dark chocolate eyes. His companion's pointed brown hair was currently in the process of being shoved into the dirt.
"Hey, man get offa me! It was just a fruit!" the brunette yelled…or at least tried to. It came out sounding more like… "may anne mit offal gree! Rt as yrust uh mmpht!"
"I'll teach you what happens to street trash that steals my wares!"
"Why you! Let him go! You're killing him!" the blonde yelled from where he was sprawled.
"That is the idea you filthy thief. Maybe if one of your disease ridden kind dies then the rest will learn something for once!" The vendor snapped back.
/This had got to be stopped Yami; before that fool kills Trist. Yami?/ Seth looked over to where his companion's horse had been a moment earlier to find nothing but empty space. 'I wish he would warn me before he takes off like that.' With a sigh the Priest spurred his horse forward.
"Pardon me good man we of the guard shall take things from here." Yami told the vendor as Black thundered into the middle of the brawl. He pitched his voice even lower than normal hoping no one would recognize it. As he spoke he leaned over in the saddle and with a deft yank forced Jono up behind him on the young warhorse's back. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Seth lean down even lower and scoop a semi-conscious Trist onto Star's back. With a light flick of the reins and gentle squeeze of their knees the pair were off before the vendor could stammer a single word.
An eternity later, or so it seemed for the pair of street thieves, they were unceremoniously dumped in the dirt of an alleyway.
"Hey! Who the heck do you think you are anyway? We could have taken him without anyone getting killed." Jono snapped. In response the rider that had grabbed him drew an expensive looking sword from a hidden sheath.
"Oh great! Now you've made him mad!" Trist yelped scrambling backwards. The rider urged his horse forwards toward the pair while his partner slid behind him, effectively cutting off the only escape route. Jono's eyes were glued to the sword as the glistening strip of metal advanced on him. He lost sight of it a moment later only to feel the cold metal caress his neck lightly. The street rat closed his eyes waiting for the end.
'Man, I'm about to die just because I was hungry. Good grief, hopefully in the afterlife I'll be able to think with my head and not my stomach.'
Suddenly instead of a sword cutting through air to reach his neck, Jono heard deep toned laughter rippling throughout the alleyway.
"You two should really learn how to stay out of trouble. What do you think my dear priest?"
'Wait…I know that voice…it can't be…"
"Heh, I think that is sound advise your highness." Seth replied throwing down the hood of his cloak. Jono frowned and now ignoring the sword at his neck, stood slowly, reached up and removed his 'attacker's' hood. When the cloth fell back the dancing ruby eyes of the crown prince looked back at him.
"Not funny you two." Jono said dryly transferring his gaze back to blade at his neck and putting a certain amount of annoyance in it.
"I don't know I found it rather amusing, Seth?"
"Priceless."
Jono and Trist exchanged wry looks at their friends' antics.
"You mind?" Jono asked Yami looking back at the sword. The prince grinned and sheathed the sword with a hiss of metal.
"How in the world did you two get into trouble like that anyway?" Yami asked.
"Hey, we're us, what more do you need to know?"
"Point taken."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roughly ten minutes later we were riding down a narrow path that ran parallel to the Nile. That part of the river was known to be inhabited by crocodiles because it was particularly deep, however, no one had seen a croc there in years. The ride was going well, that is until…
"Yami look out!"
"Eeeeeeekkkk" The shill screech of a small child's cry accompanied his friend's warning. The scream startled Black so badly that he reared and began to buck. Yami's companions looked his way just in time to see the prince go flying off his horse, over the steep embankment and straight into the river. Black in the meantime took advantage of the fact that he was rider less to bolt further down the path. Trist swore and immediately took off after the runaway stallion. The others could only watch helplessly for some sign that Yami was alive. Suddenly water exploded upward as red tipped black hair broke the surface followed by the rest of the prince's head and shoulders. Spying a stray peace of drift wood floating lazily by Yami latched onto it in an effort to keep his head above the water.
"Uh, Yami, you might want to get out of there before some crocs show up looking for a royal dinner." Jono called.
"Easier…said…than…done…Jono," Yami sputtered, "in case you haven't noticed I can't swim!"
"Well neither can I so what do you expect me to do? What about you Seth?"
"No."
"Not part of your priestly classes, huh?"
"Ha, ha, Jono I'm laughing so hard. How about we concentrate on how to get the prince out of the river before the Pharaoh finds out and has my father present him with out heads on a silver platter!"
"I can hear every word you two are saying and I agree, SOME HELP WOULD BE NICE!!" the prince practically roared.
"Uh, what if you…uh…bounce along the bottom? You know take a deep breath go under, touch the bottom, push off to come back up for air and then just keep doing that until you reach shore" Jono suggested tentatively not sure how well the idea would go over with his friend's pride. From the look that came over Yami's face it had apparently not done well. Off to his right Seth was beginning to chuckle.
"Do you have any better ideas Yami?" the priest asked. Grumbling the prince suddenly relinquished his perch and sunk out of sight only to reappear a moment later. As his friends snickered, Yami 'bounced' halfway back to shore before he surfaced and then, with a cry of pain, was abruptly yanked back under.
"Yami!"
He surfaced a few moments later and seemed to be struggling against something.
"Something's got my leg!" He yelped. Just then his friends caught sight of a greenish colored shadow lurking just under the surface.
"It's a croc!"
"Damn it!"
Yami was yanked under again momentarily before exploding to the surface with a dagger clenched in his hand. Sunlight shined off of both metal and water as Yami plunged the dagger into the head of the crocodile.
"THUNK!"
"What the…?" Seth and Jono chorused and then abruptly began to crack up.
"Jono, Seth, if either of you ever mention this to ANYONE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN FAR ENOUGH!!"
As Yami slowly found the bottom and plodded towards shore a slime covered log sporting a dagger sunk into part of it floated sedately after him. Once there Yami pried his dagger loose and used it to free his bleeding leg from where the wood had bitten into it. Now free the furiously embarrassed prince advanced on his two friends. Before he got there Trist came riding up with Black's reigns in one hand and his horse's in the other.
"Yami you got out of the river and what happened to your leg?"
"A…croc!" Jono choked out between peals of laughter indicating the log.
"Jono that's not a croc…oh…heh…heh, heh…heh…" Trist too dissolved into helpless laugher.
"Hmph…you lot sound like the hyenas that trader told us of." Yami grumbled as he limped over to the cause of the trouble, who, with her mother was still sitting by the side of the road. Both mother and child began to tremble as they recognized their prince.
"Y-y-y-your Highness, please, have mercy Maaet did not mean to frighten your horse. I will give you anything you ask just please don't hurt my daughter."
"What kind of man would deliberately hurt a child? Whatever the kind I am not it, no harm was done other than my leg and my pride and both will mend in time. Stand good woman there is no reason for you to fear me." Yami said in a kind tone. "Maaet, correct?" He said now addressing the child.
"Yes, Highness." The girl replied not daring to meet his eyes.
"Are you injured?"
"No, Highness."
"Come here Maaet." Yami said holding out his hand. The girl shyly moved forward next to him but did not touch him. Yami lead her over to Black and then with out warning picked Maaet up and set her gently on the stallion's back.
"Now Black, apologize to her." Yami ordered. In response Black swung his head around and lipped the hand that Maaet instinctively held out with almost a sad look in his eyes. When Maaet giggled Yami swung the horse's reigns over his head and proceeded to lead Black in a large slow circle. Maaet began to laugh even harder and as Yami took her off of Black's back she timidly hugged him and then ran back to her mother.
"Good day to you lady, and to you Maaet." Yami said as he mounted. "Come on you crazy lot, let's go."
"Yes, Highness." Three voices choused.
"What am I going to do with them? Any ideas?" Yami asked Maaet and her mother. Maaet looked thoughtful while her mother looked like she was going to faint.
"Dump 'em in the river?" Maaet suggested shyly.
"Ha, ha, ha! Good idea, Maaet, I might just do it…someday, but not this day I've had enough of water for now." Yami said smiling at the girl. "Heyah!"
"Hey! Yami you didn't mean that did you?" Jono yelled spurring his horse after Black with the other two not far behind.
"I don't know, you'll have to wait and see! By the way, Seth you owe me a silver ring!"
"Blast it!"
Not exactly a hero riding off into the sunset but it was better than the river. What a day …me, one of the best riders in the empire was thrown from my horse into the river, forced to admit I didn't know how to swim, forced to follow a completely undignified solution, and then bitten by a log. Not exactly the best side to be showing to people. Particularly people you will someday have to rule.
A/N- Well what do you think? Hello…hello…someone…anyone? Ah well.
(strange voice): You took to long getting it out.
Pyro: Shaddup! Who are you anyway?
(sv): I'm one of those…those…whadda call'em? Oh yeah muses.
Pyro: Okay…yeah…I'm going to back away slowly now and so help me ladyblueeyes if this is something you sicced on me I'm going to hurt you.
(sv): This is going to be so much fun…
Pyro: (yelling over shoulder) No flames and please reviewwww…………(runs for her life)