Atem's POV:

'I know that Mari girl is rude and all, but something about her draws my attention….something about her attitude intrigues me…' I thought as I got of bed and looked out my window. The sun was starting to rise. I clapped my hands.

The maid Panya rushed into my room, and bowed. I smiled to myself. 'She's so eager to please everyone.'

As I got ready for the day, I still couldn't get the picture of Mari out of my head. 'I wonder what she's doing…'

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Bakura nodded curtly at Mari. "I must leave now. My followers are waiting." He paused at the door. "Remember your promise, and I'll remember mine."

Mari merely nodded, and Bakura disappeared with a smirk.

Mari walked over to the balcony again, and leaned on the railing.

'I can't believe what I've just done,' she thought. 'I guess it's worth taking a risk. I mean, think of freedom….at last…'

She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool morning air. The air smelled of lotuses…like her mother had used to…. 'Mother…' Mari thought sadly. 'I hope you're happier wherever you are right now…'

"Good morning, Mari."

Mari whirled around, interrupted for the second time that morning. This time she faced Atem the pharaoh himself.

"Oh, it's you." Mari turned her back on him and continued to stare out at the gardens.

"How are you feeling?"

"I was feeling perfectly fine until you decided to drop by," Mari sneered.

"What are you doing here so early?" Atem asked casually, leaning on the balcony railing.

"Why is it any of your concern?" Mari snapped. "I would like to ask you the same question."

Atem merely smiled. Mari was taken aback. No one in their right mind had ever smiled at her once she threw them one of her glares or insults. 'This pharaoh must be insane,' she thought warily. "What's so funny?" she asked coldly.

Atem raised one eyebrow. "You get riled up so easily. It's amusing, really."

Mari turned away, bristling. "Look, tell me what you came here for. If you have nothing to say, just leave me alone."

"I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come to my dinner party tonight," Atem replied.

Mari stayed silent, thinking.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Atem added quietly.

"Do you hear me say no?" Mari snapped.

Atem grinned. "I take that as a yes then." He left the room, feeling somewhat triumphant.

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That evening….

Reader's POV:
Mari paused awkwardly at the doorway, taking in the scene of the party. Guests were everywhere…laughing, dancing, eating, drinking, talking, shouting, singing….Everyone looked happy and surrounded by their friends and family.

Mari bowed her head and backed out of the room, feeling small.

'I don't belong here,' she thought miserably as she went outside and sat down on a cold stone bench. 'I don't belong anywhere…and I probably never will…'

A childhood memory flashed in her mind.

Flashback

A little girl, about five or six years old, sat alone in a dark little corner. She was hugging her knees tightly to her chest, and her head was bowed. Before her there was a merry party. Guests were everywhere…laughing, dancing, drinking, eating, talking, shouting, and singing…Everyone seemed happy and surrounded by their friends and family. No one seemed to notice the little girl sitting in the corner.

The little girl's blue eyes brightened a bit when she saw her father, the king, entering the room, but the hopeful little sparks died down when she realized that he was talking and laughing with the guests. 'He didn't even bother to say hello to me…' the girl thought sadly.

The little girl gazed across the room at the children playing tag. They were all her age. But none of them bothered to talk to her or even look at her. 'They're them, and I'm me. There will always be a line like this between me and all the other people,' the girl realized. She buried her head in her lap, trying to block out the sounds of laughter.

'I wish something bad would happen,' she thought angrily. 'I wish a disaster would happen. To me. To all of us here. Then maybe someone will care.'

Suddenly, there were yells, screams, bangs, and the sound of things breaking everywhere. People began to run away, screaming. Most didn't make it. Arrows struck them down before they could reach the doorway. There was blood and bodies everywhere.

The little girl stood up, frightened. She saw her father fall to the floor, moaning, blood pooling all around him. "Father!" she screamed. Her father didn't reply.

Then men began to rush into the room, armed foreign soldiers, led by the pharaoh of Egypt. The girl had seen him before. Her father had made a peace treaty with the pharaoh a few weeks before. 'Traitor!' she thought angrily. 'He promised not to invade! He promised!' But her father's voice echoed in her head. "Promises are meant to be broken, Mari." She felt tears running down her cheeks, and began running to her room.

A large man picked her up. The little girl screamed and began to kick and struggle, but the soldier was too powerful for her. He sat her down on his hors, then he and the rest of the Egyptian army rode back to Egypt.

All the way to Egypt, the girl kept asking herself quietly, 'Why did I make that wish?'

End of Flashback

Mari held her head between her hands, and closed her eyes. 'Why did I make that wish?' she asked herself. 'If I hadn't made that wish, would nothing have happened? Would everyone be alive today? Would…would I be much happier than I am now?'

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and jerked up. It was Atem.

"Don't you have better things to do with your time then go around scaring maidens like that?' she snapped. 'Like entertaining your guests for example?"

Atem shook his head. "My older sister Kissa does the entertaining. Besides, the guests don't even notice me. Everyone's interested in Kissa, and Atsu, my twin brother.'

Mari noticed that Atem wasn't smiling anymore. She sneaked a peek at him.

'Maybe he's not such a pampered palace brat after all,' she thought, surprised. 'I mean, if his guests are interested in his siblings…maybe he's alone…' She shoved that idea out of her head. 'No…he's a pharaoh of Egypt for Ra's sake! Pharaohs are supposedly all-mighty and wealthy. They can do anything they want…or at least they think they can…'

She remembered that peace treaty between her father and the pharaoh of Egypt that had lasted only a few weeks before the pharaoh had decided to invade her father's land.

'That's one of the very few things I've learned from my miserable father,' she thought bitterly. 'Promises are meant to be broken, trust is a weakness, and betrayal is like a hidden blade. It's just too bad that he himself had to learn them the hard way.'

Atem's voice interrupted her thoughts. 'Tell me more about yourself."

Mari glanced at Atem warily. "What for?" she snapped.

Atem shrugged. "I just want to know you better."

Mari tossed her head. "I don't have to talk if I don't want to," she informed him defiantly. But she couldn't stay quiet for long. She felt an urge to tell someone something. Anything.

"All right then," she finally murmured. "I'm only talking to you because I want to, not because you're telling me to."

Atem grinned at her. 'A bit triumphantly,' Mari thought, annoyed.

"What am I supposed to talk about?" she asked coolly, not accustomed to conversations.

"Well, tell me more about your childhood. Where you're from."

Mari played with a strand of her hair, and finally muttered, "I don't remember much. My childhood was short. I had to grow up fast."

Atem didn't reply, but he drew a bit closer to Mari on the bench. Mari eyed the pharaoh suspiciously, but she didn't draw back. Her body was paralyzed. Was it from fear?

She continued in a low tone, "I was raised in a palace. In a small kingdom, not far from here. It no longer exists, thanks to a certain Egyptian pharaoh who invaded it when I was about 5 or 6 years old." She glanced at Atem, who looked uncomfortable. He muttered, "Oh, that was probably my father…" He looked away. Mari continued.

"I don't remember much about my mother. She smelled like lotuses, and she had big blue eyes…the exact same color of blue lotus flowers…She had blonde hair, I think…and she liked to sing. She would sit in the palace garden…with me on her lap…and sing to me. She liked watching sunsets, and she loved lotus flowers…She would weave them in my hair…That's all I remember. She passed away when I was four or five."

She glanced at Atem. "Are you satisfied?" she asked. She didn't mean to sound cold, but the words just came out of her mouth that way. 'I guess it's a habit…'

Atem smiled gently. "You're a good storyteller when you want to be."

Mari looked away, not used to compliments. "Yeah, right. Whatever." But she felt a bit flattered. 'Did he just compliment me on something?'

"Tell me more," Atem asked quietly.

Mari shook her head stubbornly, and turned away. "I don't want to."

She felt a gentle hand on her own. She slowly turned around. It was Atem's.

He looked into her eyes, his crimson eyes gentle and not so stern. "Please."

Naturally, Mari would have pulled away and ran off, but something about Atem's eyes drew her to him. She blinked. 'Am I actually starting to accept him?' she wondered. 'I shouldn't do this…' But she let Atem's hand stay on hers.

Mari continued quietly, "I don't remember much about my father. He ignored me most of the time. I just know that he was a king who liked hosting parties…and going hunting…He and my mother didn't get along. It was a prearranged marriage…My father didn't like women…My mother loved the pharaoh of Egypt…"

"My father," Atem added quietly, his face grave.

Mari nodded, looking down. "I think that the reason your father invaded my father's kingdom was because of my mother." Her voice sounded cold and abrupt.

'I wish I could talk like a regular person, and not snap at everything someone says to me,' she thought for a brief moment. 'But then, I'm not a regular person…'

Atem nodded, his face a bit pained. "He never got along with my mother either. They were always fighting. My mother wanted my father to conquer more kingdoms, become wealthier, get more power…My father was content with the way he lived, but my mother was always criticizing him…always wanting more…always complaining…"

Mari stared at Atem. 'Ra, he's just another teenager…just like another human being…He's no god…He's been hurt too…'

Atem looked away. "I'm sorry. I'm getting carried away. Continue with your story."

Mari murmured, "Like my father, everyone was always ignoring me. I might as well have been a shadow for all they cared…When my father hosted parties, I would sit alone in a dark little corner, unnoticed and forgotten by everyone…I had no friends as a child. No one wanted me…"

She closed her eyes, afraid that if she continued talking, tears would fall. 'I mustn't let him see my weak side. I won't let anyone ever catch me cry,' she thought angrily. 'Ra, why am I still so weak? After all those times that I've been hurt?'

She felt Atem's hand move to her face. He gently caressed her cheek. Mari opened her eyes, shocked, and stared at Atem, who smiled gently at her.

"You know Mari, you're not alone," Atem replied softly.

Mari pulled away a bit. "What do you mean? I always have been alone, and I probably always will be." She felt herself smiling rather bitterly, a habit she had formed recently.

Atem shook his head, and pulled her closer to him again. "No, Mari. You don't understand. You're not alone. You're not the only one who has been hurt." He looked away, his eyes becoming distant and blank. Mari stared at the pharaoh in awe and confusion.

"My childhood was difficult too. Everyone was always pressuring me to be perfect in every way possible, criticizing my every word and act. And yet at the same time, they all favored my sister Kissa, and my twin Atsu. They said they had more potential in them. They were all shocked when my father chose me as the heir to throne. And see…" A bitter smile spread across his lips. "Even now, they still favor Kissa and Atsu over me. Kissa makes all the decisions for me, and Atsu gets all the privileges and attention."

Mari stared at Atem, forgetting that she was supposed to be riled up. 'He…he's lonely..' she realized. 'Just like me….even though he's a pharaoh and he gets everything he wants…he's lonely…' For the first time in her life, she actually felt pity for someone besides herself, but she didn't show it.

"Do you want to tell me any other stories about yourself?" Atem asked.

Mari shook her head. She wasn't being nice, but she wasn't being cold either.

Atem stood up. "You must be tired, Mari. Let me escort you back to your room."

Mari nodded mutely, feeling dazed. Too many things had happened too quickly for her.

As they walked down the hallway, Mari felt Atem's arm slip around her shoulders. She didn't pull away.

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Atem's POV:

'She isn't being nice, but she isn't being ice-cold and snappy like before either,' I thought as I walked Mari back to her room. 'Maybe she can be changed.'

We stood outside her bedroom door, my arm still around her. I looked at her face in the dark. She had beautiful blue eyes…when she wasn't letting ice spark from them. And she smelled like lotus flowers…Her face glowed softly in the moonlight…It was so perfect…

I smiled at her. "You know, you're beautiful."

Mari blinked. "What?" I thought I saw a hint of pink in her cheeks.

I blushed a little. "Nothing."

Mari didn't say anything, but I thought I saw a little smile hurry across her face.

I couldn't resist it. I leaned in and met her lips with mine. Softly.

Mari looked at me with a surprised expression, but she didn't pull away. She didn't lean in either. She just stood there. Was she enjoying it or not?

I pulled away soon. "I have to go. Kissa probably wants me to make a speech or something," I muttered, suddenly feeling shy.

Mari nodded, looking dazed. "I understand. Go ahead."

"Good night," I murmured, opening the door for her.

Mari paused. At first I thought she wasn't going to answer. Finally she whispered, "Good night." She looked so perfect, standing there in the doorway with the moonlight making her face glow, her blue eyes like aquamarine jewels. It was like a perfect painting.

I smiled, and left. This night had turned out better than I had thought it would. And that night, as I lay down on my bed to go to sleep, my own words kept echoing in my head. "You're not alone. You're not alone."

I smiled to myself, and went to sleep, thinking of blue eyes and lotus flowers.

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SHD: FINISHED:jumps around a bit: I feel full of sugar energy! Whee:jumps up and down on bed: I feel like challenging someone to a duel:looks around:spots a random teddy bear:points at teddy bear: IT'S TIME TO D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DUEL!

Sunae:sweatdrops: Mentally unstable child…You're getting way too obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh, girl.

SHD: Who says I'm obsessed? (wearing clothes like Yami's)

Ten minutes later…

SHD: MWHAHAHAHA! I BEAT THE TEDDY BEAR! OH YEAH, I'M GOOD! WHO'S THE GIRL? I'M THE GIRL:victory dance:

Sunae:…..Dude, it was a teddy bear, 'kay? Chill. You need some rest.

SHD: Yeah, so? Hey, didya know that "dude" means "a pimple on a donkey's butt"?

Sunae: WHAT?

SHD: I'm serious. My buddy looked it up in the dictionary.

Sunae: Never mind. You need some of those mental pills.

SHD: I'm not mental. I'm SUGAR-HIGH! WHEEE!

Sunae: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Same thing.

SHD: PLEASE REVIEW! PRETTY PLEASE! I'll give you cookies! They're fresh homemade! (:) (:) (:) (:) So please review and give us suggestions!