RESPONSES
Phoenix 727
Toli: Hmmm...
Mena: O.o;
Toli: Just kiddin' you, sis! Anyway, hey guys! Thanks for another super-long review!
Mena: Phoenix, it's not the guards' fault that Bakura got to the Pharaoh. He's a wily thief. He's used to sneaking past even the most alert guards, so there wasn't much they could've done anyway.
Toli: About the Mana and Mahado stuff...they probably won't be in here, just because Mena and I have not seen any/enough episodes with them in it to properly assess their personalities. And, nope, you won't see any ka, mainly because we don't even know what that is. We're sorely lacking in the Ancient Egypt Knowledge department; we're just going on what we actually learned in school, what other people know, and our own wild guesses.
Mena: It's going pretty well considering! Oh, and you guys asked about pairings. Dangit, we're gonna have to start putting that kind of information in the first chappie of our stories. But since you asked, there will probably be some sidenote Jou/Mai, possibly a touch of one-sided Tea/Jou, and...well, that's it. Nobody else deserves someone to love.
Toli: Yeah, since this story isn't going to be Yaoi, there won't be any Yugi/Atemu, so, yeah, what Mena said. Anyway, thanks again for the review and hope you enjoy!
Masami, Mistress Of Fire
Toli: Masami! (hugs Masami) Friend! Amiga! Pal! Kashny!
Mena: (is reading other reviews from Masami and Damion)
Toli: Yep, I got plenty of bombs just lying...all over...the place...probably the main reason why we never use the gas stove. Oh well! I nuclearize my food! Oh, yeah! (picks up Mani from a random spot near a nuke and sits her on her lap) Say hi, Mani!
Mani: (waves happily) Hi, Masami!
Toli: (grins) Adorable, no? (drops Mani) So anyway...(notices distressed look on Mena's face) What's the problem, Mena?
Mena: (points to other review in horror) TOLI! (tears) DAMIE-CHA--DAMION SAYS HE DISLIKES ME! HE'S GOING TO USE MASAMI'S NONEXISTENT TIES TO THE CANADIAN MAFIA TO COME AFTER ME! (sobs uncontrollably and flings herself into Toli's arms) WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DARK-HAIRED KOI?!?!
Toli: (reads review) Oh, dear. Poor Mena. She believes everything she reads. Best not pull a stunt like that again, Damion. Jesselda may not really like Mena as a hikari, but she'll chase after anyone who makes her cry. It's a fact. I know from experience. Anyway, seeya later!
kristen89
Toli: Yeah, isn't Yugi just the most adorable character--oh, I'm getting off track. Yeah, Atemu can't seem to get it right with Yugi. It seems more realistic that a bunch of stuff would happen to try and shatter Yugi's trust than that he would just start trusting Atemu and never stop, doesn't it?
Mena: And we read your other review, too! Thanks so much for all the support!
cwthewolf
Mena: Sure, why not? Since you asked so nicely and all! Hope you enjoy!
Mena: One, two, three, four...hey, only twelve days! Not bad considering you've got Writer's Block, Toli!
Toli: (weak smile) I guess.
Jesselda: And considering you're in school again.
Toli: Yeaaahhh...but still, I wish we could've posted the next chapter sooner. I don't like keeping people in suspense for so long.
Mena: (puts an arm around Toli's shoulders) It's not so bad, sister. We did the best we could. Hey, Jez, do our disclaimer, would you?
Jesselda: Yeah, yeah. If you remember what WDOY stands for, great. If you don't, too bad.
Tameth--made up place
Anzu and Tea--two different people
Keep this stuff in mind.
SIX: Attack In The Palace
Yugi stirred slightly and found himself back in the realm of the awake. He opened his eyes and stifled a yawn. Then he heard voices coming from behind him, and he instinctively tensed.
"Please, I just want to see him." It was the Pharaoh.
"Atemu, I must object. After what happened this afternoon, I'm afraid you seeing him is the last thing he needs."
"Then how can I apologize?"
There was a small silence. "He's asleep now. You'll have to come back later."
A sigh, probably from Atemu. "All right. But let me know as soon as he wakes up." There were footsteps leading away. Then another sigh, and the quiet sound of a door gently being closed. Yugi sat up as Miss Ishizu was coming towards his bed.
"I see you're awake," Miss Ishizu said with a soft smile. "Did you enjoy your rest?"
Yugi nodded, noticing that it was getting darker outside. "Was that the Pharaoh who just left?" he asked.
Miss Ishizu nodded. "He wished to speak with you."
"Oh." Yugi looked down at his lap. "I-I didn't want to tell him about Bakura because...I didn't know what to say," he admitted.
Ishizu sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled him towards her. She wrapped an arm around him as he leaned against her. "Would you care to tell me?"
Yugi considered. "Well...okay," he finally agreed. "You see...I've already met Bakura once. When I was little. My family was in Tameth's marketplace, and I got separated from my mom for a little while. I ran into him on the way back to her. He seemed nice enough. And then I saw him again today, and I just wanted to talk to him." He scratched his nose.
"I see," Miss Ishizu said. She didn't sound angry with him. "And what did he offer you?"
Yugi was silent for a moment. Finally he spoke. "He...offered to let me come with him. I guess he felt sorry for me and he said he'd let me leave with him. I didn't get to say yes or no before the Pharaoh showed up."
"And what would you have said?"
Yugi sighed and closed his eyes. "I don't know."
"Hmm." Yugi listened carefully for any signs of anger or resentment from her for talking to a thief the Pharaoh hated so much. But instead she abruptly changed the subject. "Would you like to see Mia again today?"
Yugi nodded. "That would be nice."
Mia, summoned by Jou, met Yugi and Ishizu in the hallway that led off to the recovery rooms. "Yugi," Mia said as Yugi happily ran into her arms, "you look great, kiddo."
"You do too," Yugi said. Her smiling face and arms were healed of all injuries from that fateful first day, and with a little makeup on, she looked pretty as ever. Even the sleeveless servant's uniform accentuated her slender figure.
Mia was down on her knees to be closer to Yugi's level. "Are you okay?" she asked, suddenly noticing the look of slight fear in his eyes that he couldn't conceal.
Yugi looked down. "Yes, I guess I am," he said, but he didn't seem too sure about it. He suddenly looked up and said, "I saw Bakura today and I just wanted to talk to him, but I think it made the Pharaoh angry. He wanted to know what we talked about and he got angry and yelled at me and shook me."
Mia felt anger flare up in her and could barely keep it out of her face and tone. "He did?" she said. "Has he talked to you since?"
Yugi shook his head.
Mia hugged him again. "It's okay," she said. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No," Yugi said into her hair, which smelled like flowers.
"Then it'll be okay. How hard did he shake you?"
Yugi couldn't help but flinch at the thought of having to dredge up that memory. "N-Not...too hard," he admitted. "It didn't rattle me, but...he still looked angry when he did it." He opened his eyes and saw Atemu, standing a few feet behind them, watching. He tensed, and Mia turned to see why. Her eyes narrowed when she saw why.
"Atemu," Ishizu stated quietly from the other side of them.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
"No, sir," Mia forced herself to say. "I was just getting back to my work." She heard a tinge of anger in her voice that she couldn't keep down. She hugged Yugi again. "Ishizu won't let him hurt you," she whispered in his ear. From what she had seen of the woman, she cared about Yugi's well-being and could even stop the Pharaoh in his tracks. Mia was temporarily giving the job of Yugi's protector to her.
(NFT: P.O.V. switch)
Yugi watched as Mia left. Now there was no one between him and Atemu. He didn't look angry, but Yugi couldn't be sure. Atemu stepped forward, and Yugi, out of habit, backed away and hid behind Ishizu.
Atemu walked up to Ishizu and Yugi. Ishizu watched the young Pharaoh with scrutinizing eyes. Yugi pulled himself further behind Ishizu.
"I just want to speak with him," Atemu said to Ishizu. Ishizu watched him for a moment longer, then nodded and stepped aside. Yugi looked panicked when his human shield vacated the space in front of him, and he settled for clutching Ishizu's arm.
Atemu knelt down in front of Yugi, who had his face pointed at the ground and his eyes closed and one fist over his mouth. (NFM: A very kawaii pose! NFT: Shut up and let me continue! NFM:Sooo-RY) "Yugi?" he said softly.
Yugi didn't respond.
"Yugi, please look at me."
Very slowly, Yugi opened his eyes and looked up at Atemu. He let his hand drop from his mouth, and Atemu caught it before it finished its descent. "Yugi, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry I shook you. I was only afraid that that damn thief might be doing something bad to you, but the way I acted was completely inexcusable. Please, if you can, I beg for your forgiveness." Above them both, Ishizu was looking on with an approving smile.
Yugi looked at Atemu. His hand trembled slightly in Atemu's grip and then lay still. "...O-Okay," he said faintly.
Atemu smiled in relief. "So, you forgive me?"
Yugi looked down again. Then he nodded. Suddenly he rushed forward and hugged the Pharaoh. Atemu was unprepared and nearly fell on his butt. "I'm sorry I never told you," Yugi was saying into Atemu's shoulder, tears starting to form. "I was afraid of what you would think, especially after what happened in the meeting. I didn't want to make you more angry at me."
"It's okay, Yugi," Atemu said, wrapping his arms around Yugi's trembling form. "I wasn't angry at you." He stood up, lifting Yugi with him, and Yugi's arms tightened around the Pharaoh's neck. "Thank you, Ishizu," Atemu said.
Ishizu nodded and smiled in return as Atemu went down the hall with Yugi in his arms. Then she frowned. If only there was some way they could escape the darkness coming to close in on them. It will be painful and harsh for all involved. Yet, if the darkness did not come, I have a feeling they would never become as close as they are destined to be. She sighed and placed a hand on her throat as she watched them. As it is said, what does not kill makes the body stronger, but it still hurts on the way.
By the time Atemu had made it back to his room, Yugi had fallen asleep. Atemu smiled as he walked over to his own ridiculously large bed. He could feel Yugi's breath blowing down his back.
Sitting down with Yugi in his lap, Atemu sighed as he thought back to what the boy had said. I didn't want to make you more angry at me. He was still so afraid of angering someone. There must have been some pretty harsh repercussions for doing so back with the raiders.
Speaking of the raiders...Atemu had been wondering for a little while now what exactly had happened. How had the raiders' caravan burned down? Things don't just spontaneously combust in the desert. "Maybe someone had accidentally started the fire," Atemu thought out loud. "But who?"
Atemu was so occupied with this that when he felt Yugi shaking underneath him he was startled. He looked down to find that Yugi had his hands over his face and was shaking terribly. He must be having another nightmare, Atemu thought. He felt angry. Couldn't the poor boy even take an afternoon nap without his sleep being plagued by dreams of the past?
I'll have to get him to wake up, Atemu decided. He was about to think up an idea when Yugi suddenly spoke.
"A-Atemu," he whispered, sounding like he was crying. And he was. "I...I know how the fire started."
Atemu looked down in surprise. Apparently Yugi hadn't been asleep. "Who?" he asked.
"If-if I tell you, you have to promise not to get angry," Yugi said.
"Of course I won't," Atemu assured him.
There was a loud sniff from behind Yugi's hands, and then he lowered them and leaned his head on Atemu's chest. "W-Well, at first, we weren't going to do anything, except our jobs. But then I said something that started the whole thing..."
(Flashback)
"How does that feel?" Mia asked.
"A little better," Yugi mumbled into the makeshift pillow. "But it still hurts."
"Unfortunately the pain's going to last longer than usual," Mia said. Yugi detected anger in her tone. "I hate that man. All you did was break a stupid jug! You didn't deserve the punishment he gave you!"
"There's nothing we can do about it," Yugi said, lifting his face out of the pillow and resting his cheek on it. "We're only slaves and we have no say." He felt tears welling up again.
Mia didn't say anything. Finally she laid down on the ground beside Yugi, facing him, her head propped up on her hand. "Well I say it's about time we had a say," she said.
"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.
"What I'm talking about is--" Mia lowered her voice so as not to be heard "--doing something about the raiders. Permanently."
Yugi's eyes widened. "Like what?" he whispered.
Mia considered. Then she brightened. "I say we burn this stinking camp down. Then we can escape in the confusion."
"But what about--" Yugi stopped before saying "the other slaves." There weren't any other slaves any more. The few others had either died or committed suicide. "How?" he finally asked. 'Where will we get fire?"
"I have an idea," Mia said. "Don't worry. I'll get the fire. You just make sure you're anywhere except in this tent this evening."
(End flashback)
"That evening Mia got the camp burnt down," Yugi sniffled. "My old master was in the middle of giving me a punishment, and she came and had to save me. We tried to escape, but...the fire had already spread, and we couldn't find a way out. We had to hide." He put his face in his hands again. "It's all my fault that they all died. If I hadn't said anything, Mia never would have thought about burning the camp. I...I don't like death."
"Oh, Yugi," Atemu breathed. He tightened his hold on the younger boy. "I wouldn't be angry at you about that. I'm just surprised I didn't think of it sooner. I don't like death either, little one--but sometimes it's necessary. You don't have to be afraid of angering me."
Yugi looked up at him. His eyes were watery and, if possible, larger than normal. He looked so innocently adorable. "I don't?" he asked.
Atemu shook his head and smiled. "No, you don't. There's no reason to fear any of us. Things are different now, and it's okay to trust people."
Yugi looked undecided. He watched Atemu. "I--I want to believe you, but..." He looked down, as if ashamed. "I could never really trust anybody." He looked up, as if to plead his case. "Ever since I lost my family, I haven't been able to trust anybody but Mia. There've been people who said I could trust them, but they went back on their word and they hurt me. And there was...there was..." His tears overflowed and trickled down his cheeks. "There was somebody else..." He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing out more tears, and buried his face in Atemu's chest. Atemu rubbed his back soothingly. He was surprised when he felt trembling arms wrap around his waist.
"His name was Perin," Yugi said in a weak voice. "He wanted to marry my mother. I didn't trust him, though. He said I had nothing to fear, that he had our best interests at heart." In the midst of his trembling, he managed to flinch as well. "He was setting us up. He was the leader of a band of raiders--a different one--and they killed my mother and my sister." He suppressed a shuddering whine. "He sold me off to a slave dealer later."
"Oh, Yugi," Atemu breathed again, unsure of what else to say. No wonder the boy was so afraid of trusting people. He didn't know what to do, so he simply held the now crying Yugi and slowly rocked back and forth. After a while, Yugi finally calmed down, and soon he was asleep for real. Atemu laid the boy down on his own giant bed and covered him up, carefully brushing some of the boy's blond bangs out of his face. He looks so adorable when he's asleep, Atemu thought.
"Atemu?"
Atemu looked up and saw Ishizu standing in the doorway. She had a scroll in one hand. Atemu stood up and went to her. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice, not wanting to wake Yugi.
Ishizu saw Yugi asleep in Atemu's bed and smiled briefly. Then she turned serious again and handed Atemu the scroll. "A letter from the thief," she said. "He says he has changed the date of his invasion of your palace. He's coming in a week."
THREE DAYS LATER
Yugi's eyes opened to the new day. He yawned and sat up in his bed. It looked bright--the sun must have come up early. Then, glancing around, he realized that it simply must be later in the day than he was used to getting up.
I wonder why Atemu didn't wake me up? Yugi thought as he rolled out of bed. He bathed and dressed and decided to go find the Pharaoh. He didn't know that Atemu was in the middle of a Shadow Game with that pesky important official, so off he went.
The palace seemed a lot bigger and a lot more intimidating to Yugi without Miss Ishizu or Atemu with him. He tried to think of where Atemu could be. Not in the council meeting place; I would be with him for that. Maybe he went to the bathroom...but I don't know where he does that. I hope I can find him. But in searching for the Pharaoh, Yugi found himself hopelessly lost in a maze of unfamiliar corridors and hallways.
Yugi stopped to rest and leaned against a wall, not liking the silence. "It's like there's no one around anymore," Yugi thought aloud. He shivered, suddenly cold. He pushed himself away from the wall and ran down the hall, turning a corner sharply. Before he knew it, he had slammed into something hard and fallen to the floor.
"Ow! Hey--why dontcha watch where you're going, you runt?"
"I-I'm sorry," Yugi stammered, slowly rising to his feet as he saw the unfamiliar man in front of him, glaring menacingly. "I didn't--see you."
"Didn't see me, huh?" the man said, still glaring. "Well, I bet you'll see this!" Before Yugi could even wonder what he meant, a large fist came at his face and sent him flying into the wall. He hit and slid to the ground, his hands automatically going over his face.
"Stupid little brat," the man was saying as he stalked over to Yugi. "This'll teach ya!" He grabbed the front of Yugi's shirt and hoisted him into the air. Yugi kept his hands over his face so he wouldn't have to see the man, tears already running down his cheeks. He tried to wiggle out of the iron grip, but to no avail.
Yugi was jerked forward, and then shoved back. He felt something hard hit his shoulders and back and clenched his teeth as pain showed up. "Hey--look at me, you dumb slave!" Yugi felt his hands get gripped in a painful hold and snatched from his face. The man threw Yugi towards a different wall, and the poor boy hit it with his back, collapsing to the floor in an instant. He could hear the man coming towards him. "I'll teach you to run into me!"
Please, Yugi thought as his tears turned into sobs, just let this be over soon.
"Hey, you! Back off!"
Instinct kicked in. The first one was kill him NOW, in a very painful way. Mia balled up her fist and punched the man in his face. He stumbled backwards, a hand over his nose. "Why, you little b--!"
He never got to finish the thought, for Mia had come charging at him and punched him again. He fell to his knees, giving her the perfect opportunity to kick him in the stomach and knock him over.
The element of surprise was gone. The man got back to his feet and clenched his fists. His nose was bleeding and looked oddly flat. "You're gonna wish you hadn't done that, you wench," he growled. He lunged at her, huge fists up. At the last second, Mia ducked under his attack and lunged herself. She ran into his already sore stomach and tackled him to the ground. She rolled off him quickly and jumped to her feet, now standing between Yugi's form on the floor and the man rising back to his feet.
The man grunted as he wiped his nose. He raised his fists again.
"Enough!"
The man froze and turned. Behind them stood the Pharaoh, looking very imposing. The Millennium Puzzle was around his neck. He had just returned from the Shadow Game and had stumbled upon the scene. Ishizu stood behind him. Both of them had glares directed at the man, but Atemu's was the scarier one by far.
"What do you think you're doing?" Atemu said to the man in a dangerous voice.
The man fell to his knees immediately. "M-My Pharaoh, I'm sorry. I didn't think--"
"You never think," Atemu snapped. He stalked forward and loomed over the man. "If I ever see you so much as breathe on either one of them again, you will find yourself in prison awaiting your execution," he growled. "Now get out of my sight."
The man scrambled to his feet and stumbled away, one hand over his nose and the other over his stomach. Atemu closed his eyes and sighed, then he turned to where Yugi was lying on the floor. Mia was knelt down next to him, her hands hovering over his body, and her head bent, hair falling in her face. She slowly scooted backwards.
Atemu could sense that something was up as he came over. "What is it? What's wrong with Yugi?"
Mia looked up. Her eyes were filled with tears. "He-he doesn't want me to touch him," she said in a dead tone. "He doesn't recognize my voice."
Atemu's eyes widened, and Ishizu put a hand to her mouth.
END CHAPTER
Mena: Another cliffie?
Toli: Yep!
Mena: Oh.
Jesselda: Are you sure that's wise? It seems like every other chapter is a cliffhanger.
Toli: Don't sweat it!
Mena: Oooh! I can do another preview! Coming up! The process of unlocking Yugi's shell starts all over again, AGAIN, and the first part of the main plot comes into play! You don't wanna miss it!
Toli: Read and review and we'll seeya next time!
