RESPONSES
Kit
Mena: Yay! Let's all hug Yugi! (glomps Yugi)
Toli: Yeah, Yami getting better is a good thing! (shoots down crickets) Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy!
SoulDreamer
Toli: Hey! Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!
ShebyTheDogDemoness
Mena: (stares at Sheby) Will Sheby be all right?
Toli: Wow, we almost made her cry? WHAT AN HONOR!!! (contains herself) Anyway, glad you all could join us again! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Mena: (pokes Sheby) Sheby? Sheby? Sheeeebeeee...
kristen89
Mena: Wow! All that...and all that! Cool! You likes!
Toli: Yeah! I have to say, that is the best review we've ever seen before! What nice compliments! Thank you very much! This chapter is for you!
Masami, Mistress Of Fire
Mena: Damie-chan! (jumps into Damion's arms and knocks him down)
Toli: O.O...O.o; Um...Anyway! Hey, Masami! So great to see you!
Mena: I agree! (glomps Damion excessively)
Toli: Now don't cry, Masami. Things will get better! Then they'll get worse...then better...then worse...then better...then much worse...and eventually it will end. So, hope you plan to stick around! (grabs the back of Mena's shirt and drags her away) Come on, sister, we have a story to write!
To all
Toli: We thank you incredibly for the support!
Mena: And we hope you enjoy the next chapter!
(Mena is reading a newspaper, with her feet propped up on the computer desk, eating sugar cubes out of a bowl. Jesselda is trying to create a recipe for sugar-free sugar cubes so she can have some peace and quiet later)
Toli: (burst into room carrying laptop) WHY haven't you updated the story, Mena?!?!
Mena: Huh? What? (falls out of chair. Jesselda cringes at thump, and then continues on)
Toli: Slain! It's been sitting there for...for...
Jesselda:Six whole days.
Mena: (sits up) Chill, sis. It's under control! Let's just do this story, 'kay?
Toli: All right. A forewarning to our readers: Writer's Block is attacking. So, Jesselda?
Jesselda: (doesn't turn around) If the people haven't figured out yet that you two don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, then either you're not saying it well enough, or they're not listening well enough.
Mena/Toli: ...
NFT: Rereading our last chapters, I found a place where I had put "Yami" instead of "Atemu". That was a grammatical error. If you see any place where it says "Yami", it's supposed to say "Atemu". Report it to us as well, so we can remember in the future!
FOUR: Opening Up
Ishizu met Atemu at the door. Seto was with him. They had dropped by before an early council meeting that morning.
"How is he?" Atemu asked.
"He is well," Ishizu said. "His emotional condition seems to have improved, as well as his and Mia's physical condition. Mia was taken downstairs to be shown what her work will be by the female servants' overseer."
"Can I see him?" Atemu's main concern wasn't about Mia.
Ishizu nodded. "But, as before, I will have to ask you to wait outside, Seto," she said.
Seto shrugged. "Fine." He waited as Atemu and Ishizu entered the healing room, the door closing behind them.
"Now," Ishizu said in a low voice, "I trust you will obey my guidelines as how to act around Yugi this time."
Atemu nodded solemnly.
Ishizu nodded as well, and then motioned him over to the bed. Yugi was lying on his side, facing away from them. He was covered up but not asleep. His eyes had a faraway look in them. Ishizu slowly led Atemu over to face Yugi so they wouldn't startle the boy too much. He blinked, looked up, and shrank back reflexively at the sight of the Pharaoh.
"It is all right," Ishizu said. "He only wishes to speak with you." She stepped back to let Atemu take over.
For once, Atemu felt awkward and unsure what to say. He looked down at Yugi, who was pulled back away from him, and realized that he might not seem as intimidating if he was lower down. He glanced around and saw a low stool near him. He pulled it up and sat down, effectively bringing him down farther. He took a deep breath, unsure how to continue. How did he erase the damage he had, without doubt, already caused?
He was surprised when Yugi started the conversation for him. "What do you want?" Yugi whispered, pulling the covers up higher as if using them as a shield.
Atemu caught himself before he leaned forward. "I want to help," he said softly.
Yugi's lower lip trembled. "You--you--you let that man--your guard--hurt Mia," he said.
"I know," Atemu said, nodding. "That was an enormous mistake, and I'm sorry. I want to fix that now. I want to help you both." Mainly, he just wanted to help Yugi, but if helping Mia helped Yugi, then he could do that too.
"W-Why should I believe you?" Yugi whispered.
"Honestly..." Atemu bit his lip. He was really going out on a limb for this kid, and he had never bothered to do such before. "Honestly, you shouldn't. You don't know me very well, and my first impression was terrible. I gave you and Mia undeserved hell. But I won't anymore," Atemu found himself saying. He watched Yugi watch him with large amethyst eyes that flashed utter terror. But, behind that, there was something else. Something that looked vaguely like...hope.
"Yugi," Atemu said, lowering his voice more as he unconsciously leaned forward, "has anyone ever promised you anything before?"
Yugi watched him as if searching for a trap. "...Mia," he finally answered. "She promised that-that she'd never leave me of her own free will. And she hasn't. Nobody else...has ever promised me anything."
"Then I promise you this," Atemu said, finding himself reaching out and taking Yugi's hand. "I promise I will never hurt you again. Ever. And you can hold that promise to me for the rest of my life. I mean it, Yugi. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I only want to help you." Atemu had caught the flash of new fear in Yugi's eyes when he grabbed his hand. He tried to pull it away, but Atemu held on to it. He was determined to get his point across.
Yugi was trembling again. He was obviously afraid that Atemu was going to try and hurt him while he couldn't get away. "P-p-please, let go," he whispered.
"I will, because you asked," Atemu said. He released Yugi's hand, and Yugi pulled it to his chest. He seemed to be weighing Atemu's last statement in his mind. He watched Atemu as he slowly sat up, the covers falling to his waist.
"Now, I have to go," Atemu said. "But I want to come back. I want you to think about what I've said to you, and look inside your heart and see if you can trust me."
Trust? Yugi repeated in his mind. Trust has given me nothing good. But then, he... Yugi watched Atemu, wondering. Was it true that the Pharaoh did want to help him? That was what Miss Ishizu had said. She hadn't lied about bringing Mia back, so maybe she wasn't lying about the Pharaoh's change of heart.
"Do you think you could, little one?" Atemu asked.
Yugi blinked. Was he being asked a question? A question where there wasn't one, obvious answer? "I...I don't know...yet," he answered truthfully. Was it possible that maybe...the Pharaoh wasn't trying to trick him? He felt a long dormant hope raise inside of him. He wanted so desperately to be able to trust people again. But over the years it had become dangerous to trust. Maybe, since things had changed from good to bad, they could change back from bad to good.
Dare he try?
"Maybe," he whispered, looking down at his lap. Please, please let this be true. I do want to trust him, but I just don't know if I can yet. Maybe if I can talk to Mia again, she can help me.
He flinched when he felt the Pharaoh place his hand over his own. "Think about it, little one. Please do. I have to go now." The hand was removed and Yugi relaxed. He didn't look up when Atemu left.
"There now, that was not so bad, was it?" Miss Ishizu was kneeling beside the bed, eye level with him. He looked over at her, and she had a gentle smile on her face. "Was it now?" she asked again.
"No," Yugi said. "He's not...trying to trick me...is he?" he dared to ask her.
Miss Ishizu shook her head. "No," she said. "He truly wants you to trust him. He made you a promise that he intends to keep. And he even gave you a pet name. That is a great honor when it comes to the Pharaoh."
Yugi thought back to the conversation. "Little one", the Pharaoh had called him. It had been a long time since someone had called him something besides his name and it was not something derogatory or obscene. In a sudden burst of...something, he didn't know, he clutched Miss Ishizu's arm.
"I want to trust him," he admitted, "but I just don't know. He could be trying to trick me into disobeying, like my old master. I don't know what he's like." Tears has risen to his eyes.
Miss Ishizu seemed surprised that he suddenly latched on to her arm, but she handled it well. She lightly patted his hand. "Trust me, Yugi. I have known the Pharaoh since he was a child, and he is not trying to deceive you. He means what he says."
Yugi started to tremble again. "What if--I make him angry?" he whispered. "He'll punish me, like-like he punished Mia. I don't want to..." He dissolved into tears. He desperately wanted comfort and an escape from the life he was used to living. Miss Ishizu had been nice to him from the beginning. She hadn't tried to trick him, and she had never lied to him. She had never tried to purposely startle him, and she hadn't yelled at him or even raised her voice all that much around him. He finally knew, he felt safer around her. Even when the Pharaoh had been interrogating him, with her in the room, he had felt like nothing too bad would happen to him. She reminded him of Mia in a lot of the best ways, and he wanted to trust her too. He felt her arm wrap around his shoulders, and he didn't flinch.
He wasn't afraid of her anymore.
Atemu felt something jab him in the side, and it jerked him awake. He tried to act like he hadn't been nodding off when he realized that he had. Fortunately, none of the members of his council--seven old guys and a woman too young to be hanging around with seven old guys--had noticed. The eldest, Nafato, was still droning on about people's complaints of the latest tax. Well, they can get over it or go to hell, Atemu wanted to say, and leave it a that, but he had a feeling that wasn't the proper response.
The extremely bored Pharaoh slid a glare over at Seto, the ruiner of his impromptu nap, who was acting like he hadn't touched him. He just watched old Nafato go on with his usual stern glare.
Atemu was almost ready to scream when Nafato finally finished and sat down. The woman, Asli, stood up then, making Atemu pay a little more attention. Asli was in charge of the more important things like attackers, raiders--she had announced the one that Mia and Yugi had come from--and the occasional important person who wanted to challenge Yami to a Shadow Game. Plus, she was a knockout, with long silky black hair she always let hang free, and large brown eyes and evenly tanned skin.
Asli bowed formally. "Your Highness, High Priest," she said before beginning her section of the meeting. "As you may or may not know, Your Highness, the notorious thief Bakura has gotten away with yet another heist. He stole all of the valuable items from your grandfather's tomb and left a note saying that he would be back to 'clean out your father's tomb as well'."
"He what?" Atemu exclaimed. "That conniving little--damn him. I can't stand his cocky attitude. What's been done to apprehend him?"
Asli consulted a scroll she held. "Two teams of guards have been sent out to follow his trail, but as usual, he didn't leave much behind to trace. It seems he has vanished into thin air again."
"He has to have a hideout somewhere," Atemu persisted.
"We haven't found it yet, My Pharaoh."
"Well, it better be found, and soon," Atemu said. "I want him dead by the end of this week."
After that, there was nothing else worth staying awake for. Atemu was glad when the meeting was finally over. He left Seto to do whatever he felt like as he took the familiar path back to Ishizu's healing room. He paused outside, hearing voices.
"...And Tea's nice too," he heard Mia saying. "She's kind of clumsy, and that gets her in trouble a lot, but she's a friendly person. They're all really nice people, Yugi, and I bet they'd love to get to know you."
There was what sounded like a small silence. "I-I don't know," Yugi's quiet voice finally came.
"Don't worry, Yugi," Mia's voice said. "Nobody wants to hurt you here. At least, not anymore. We're going to stay here, and everything's going to be a lot better than it used to be. I think that the Pharaoh is a fair master, at least I hope so, and nothing could be worse than before, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Yugi's voice said faintly. Then, "Mia, what do you think about the Pharaoh? I mean, does he seem like...somebody who might not...be...um..."
"Nice?" Mia filled in. Atemu suspected that Yugi nodded there. "I don't know what he's like, but I think something happened to him to make him want to change his ways. Who knows, you might have spurred on the decision."
Atemu listened for anything else. He was slightly caught off guard when the door came open and Ishizu was looking at him. "Did you want something, Atemu?" she asked.
"Oh, um..." Atemu found himself at a loss for words. "I was just wondering how Yugi was doing."
"Well," Ishizu answered. "His injuries are almost completely healed." She came out and closed the door behind herself. "Actually, Atemu, that was something I wanted to discuss with you. When he is able, what position would you have Yugi take?"
Atemu answered without thinking. "I would most likely make him my personal servant. It seems like the best idea."
Ishizu nodded. "Most likely, yes." She reopened the door. "Come in and speak with him about it."
Atemu nodded as well and followed Ishizu inside. On Yugi's bed, Yugi and Mia were sitting next to each other, and Mia had her arm around Yugi's shoulders. They looked up at Atemu warily.
"Mia, if you would, please join the other servants downstairs for duty assignment," Ishizu said.
Mia gave Yugi a quick hug and stood up. "Yes ma'am," she said, leaving the room. She didn't even acknowledge the Pharaoh, and he had to resist the urge to yell at her for it. You're helping Yugi; stay in control of your annoyance.
Ishizu turned back to the door. "I will be next door tending to another patient," she said, leaving.
It was just Yugi and Atemu. Yugi watched Atemu carefully as he pulled his legs up to his chest. Atemu, feeling awkward, walked over to the bedside and sat on the low stool.
Yugi watched him with suspicious purple eyes. "What do you want?" he asked cautiously.
Atemu rested his arms on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about your position here," he said, being sure to keep his voice at a low level.
"...Okay..." Yugi said, unsure how to respond. "...Your Highness," he added quickly.
"First of all, you don't have to call me Your Highness anymore," Atemu said.
Yugi glanced at him for a moment, curiosity written across his features. "I don't?"
Atemu shook his head. "No."
"Why not?" Yugi couldn't help asking.
I'm not sure I know the answer myself. Atemu settled for a smile. "Because I would like you to call me by my name. Wouldn't you like to call me by my name?"
Yugi looked down at his lap and then back up at the Pharaoh. He seemed indecisive. "Well...yes," he said uncertainly. "What is it?"
"Atemu."
"Oh." Yugi cocked his head to the side. "It's a nice name."
"Thank you," Atemu said. "It's just like your name. Your name is nice too."
Yugi looked back down in his lap. "Oh no, my...my name is not nice. It's stupid."
"Who told you that?" Atemu asked.
Yugi closed his eyes as he tried to control his trembling. "My...old master."
"Well, he was wrong." Atemu placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, but removed it quickly when the younger boy tensed up. "Your name is fine, Yugi, and you shouldn't believe anybody who tells you otherwise."
Yugi opened his eyes and looked back up. "Okay...if you say so," he said.
Atemu nodded. "Now, I hate to ask you this, but what did you used to do back with the raiders?"
Yugi noticeably tensed again. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his chin on them. "I...just...did whatever they told me," he said. "Just cleaning, and laundry, and picking up stuff...and taking care of the animals...um...that's about all."
"Well, then let me explain what you're going to do here," Yami said. Over the next ten minutes he explained to Yugi what his duties would be. As a personal servant his workload would be half that of a regular servant. He would do whatever Atemu told him and--usually--go wherever the Pharaoh went. He would have a bed in the Pharaoh's quarters for sleeping on, and he would be able to go have his meals with other servants if he wished.
"I get a bed?" Yugi had interrupted once, truly amazed and confused.
"Of course," Atemu said. "Everyone here gets a bed."
"They do?"
"Yes."
"Wow." Yugi seemed to be particularly interested in the bed thing. He probably had to sleep on the ground back with his old master, Atemu thought, his eyes narrowing in anger. I'm not sure how he ended up with those raiders, but he most certainly didn't deserve it!
"Do you want to see the rest of the palace?" Atemu asked when he was finished. "It might help if you know how to get around."
Yugi looked uncomfortable. "Oh--um...I don't know..."
"Maybe later?" Atemu tried, with an encouraging smile.
Yugi looked down and nodded. "Yeah...maybe later, Yo--Atemu."
There was a timid knock on the door. Atemu and Yugi both looked up. "Enter," Atemu commanded.
(NFT: P.O.V. switch)
The door opened, and Yugi saw the same girl he had seen only once before. The scared girl. Shizuka. She looked even more afraid to be in the same room with the Pharaoh. Does the Pharaoh scare her? Yugi wondered. Wait--it's not the Pharaoh anymore. He wants me to call him Atemu.
"Uhhh, Your Highness, Miss Ishizu sent me with a meal for Yugi," Serenity informed Atemu with a hint of fear in her voice. She had another tray of food in her hands, and her hair was in a ponytail that was covered with a scarf and tucked into the back of her dress, for some reason. Keeping her eyes down, she hesitantly walked over and set the tray on the little table on the other side of Yugi's bed. Pausing, she glanced up at Yugi, and their eyes met. There was a flash of familiarity between them, and then Shizuka quickly bowed to Atemu and left like her backside was on fire.
"Anyway," Atemu said, turning back to Yugi, "go ahead and eat. We'll plan the tour later, okay?"
Yugi nodded and looked down again. "Okay."
END CHAPTER
Mena: Hey! That chap was shorter than the others! Toli, you're cheating our readers!
Toli: Oh, shut up! I am maintaining four stories, two of which I have Writer's Block on! Cut me a break!
Mena: That's two and a half! I'm helping you with both Home And Not Alone and The Wizard Of Domino High!
Jesselda: Obvious plug there.
Toli: Anyway, sorry if this chapter seemed uneventful, folks. But trust me! It's gonna get good!
Mena: Let's give them a better incentive! Coming up, readers, Yugi starts to have nightmares, Jou becomes attracted to Mia, Seto and Atemu fight about Yugi, and a certain thief makes an impromptu appearance! Come join us for the next exciting chappie!
