A/N: ... Don't kill me for the lateness, okay? XD Had a lot to do lately, and had writer's block. After this chapter, I should be
faster. Maybe. I hope. Also sorry for the lousiness of the writing in this chapter. -_-;
Starlit Hope: Don't worry about it. ^_^
*Giggles* You may have just given me another sidestory idea for after Itsumo... Yamis go to the zoo. Mwa ha ha! XD And yes. Chibi!Yami loves things to go BOOM!. Heh, he likes things to go BOOM! as a teenager too... XD
Thanks for the review!
Silvie: *Giggles* Glad you like. Actually, our little thief king isn't here yet... *Check outline* Hm... Might have to rearrange some stuff... He should be here somewhere around chapter 6, I think. Maybe sooner or later than that.
And yes, a very familiar kitty will be showing up. *Wink*
Thanks for the review! ^_^
Meeko-san: XD Chapter two, I suppose. Mostly called chapter one a prologue to excuse it being so short. *Looks around conspiratorially* But that's a secret. XD Thanks for the review!
AuroraIce: Most of it, yes. Itsumo is supposed to be the memories that they're getting from the last chapter of Eien... Though the last chapter of Itsumo will be set in present day after the whole memories thing. Then the next story, Fumetsu, will be in present time again. ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Silver Nightingale: They all would look pretty cute as chibis, wouldn't they? XD
^_^ Thanks for the compliments, and glad you liked the stuff with Yami's name and his poor mommy-mommy. And yes, writer's block is very evil. -_-;
XD What would a story be without torturing Yami a bit? Or a lot? Or excessively? XD Besides, why his mother's dying is gonna be important later... *cough*
Thanks for the review!
Borath: ^_^ Glad you're liking the fic, and that Mahaado's not annoying you. XD
^_^ I'm glad you like Yami's mother too. I hoped she'd be liked... Too bad she won't be around much longer. *Cough*
^_^ I'm really happy you like how this is going so far. And that I don't screw it up. @_@ Thanks for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter. Chibi Yami is fun. I've thought about doing a chibi fic... But never actually did so. XD So this'll have to do, yes?
Yay, you liked Yami's mom too. XD Good, she's going over well. Almost feel bad she doesn't stay longer. *Cough* Thanks for the review!
Angelic-Demoness678: *Giggles* Chibi-Yami would be so squeezable. XD And Nebenkharu says hell is nice, by the way. XD
Yay! Kaiba's mansion! I still get it even though this update took awhile, yes? XD Anyway, thanks for the review!
YamiAra: *Laughs* I had to include the poor snake. He had a cameo in Eien in the original outline, but never made it to the final story. Poor guy. XD And Nebenkharu doesn't like anyone. XD
Omorose is the name I chose for Yami's mother. I have no idea what her real name is. XD She doesn't really look like Yami's mother in the manga, either... More like a female version of Yami. XD Thanks for the review!
bast4: ^_^ Glad you liked. As for Yuugi, Ryou, and Mokuba; Yuugi and Ryou don't exist in this time since they're Yami and Bekhura in a way; and Mokuba hasn't been born yet. XD He'll be here later, though. Thanks for the review!
sugahigh: ^_^ Glad you liked, and thanks for the review.
Other Notes: Erm... *Thinks* There was something I wanted to say first... But forgot it. O.o Oh, another thing though, Nebenkharu's age is getting changed. He was too young. So he's about 45 or so when the events of Eien happen, not 35. Otherwise he'd barely be an adult when Yami was chibi. @_@
One of the sidestories is up, for those who don't know. ^_^ It's called Catnip; and it's set a little before Eien. Contrary to it's name, this isn't the fic where they get Mafdet. XD It's a roadtrip fic.
*Sweatdrops* Rereading Eien again... Noticed the when the group all acted surprised in the tomb when they found that the others had been in Egypt... Shaadii had already told them earlier. @_@ Yay amnesia, right? (Yami: WRONG!)
Warnings: Death, I suppose.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh... y0. XD
Summary of last time: The chibis were introduced, as was Yami's mother. And... They found out poor Yami's mom was gonna' croak. XD
Preview of this time: Erm...
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Itsumo; chapter 3
by: Amiasha
The prince held the dead brown flower gently in his hands, watching with glazed indigo eyes as the magnificent boat drifted down the river. It was the customary last ride down the Nile.
Yami rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, slightly smearing his kohl, and sniffed. It had been early that morning that his mother had passed on to the afterlife.
The now three-year-old boy sighed softly, his gaze falling from the boat to the wilted flower in his hands. The flower, enchanted to react to his mother's health, had steadily died along with the queen. And, unable to do anything to stop it, Yami was only able to watch helplessly.
Omorose had been at peace though; she seemed to have known it was coming. She wasn't too shocked when Aishizu's mother had informed her. Yami had been far more upset.
Yami carefully placed the flower in the small bag he had brought with him, sighing again. He glanced around to see he was mostly alone; Seth stood quietly a way down the bank and gazing out over the river. The Pharaoh, Yami's father, was farther away and talking to a large group of people. He hadn't noticed when Yami had snuck away to get some time alone, and Yami certainly didn't mind. He and his father didn't talk much anyway. Yami had always been closest to his mother.
"Prince..." A voice came from behind Yami, scaring the boy into spinning around to come face-to-face with his father's advisor, Nebenkharu. Somewhere in the back of his mind the prince wondered how the man could have snuck up on his without he, or Seth, noticing.
Yami looked way up at Nebenkharu, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. "Advisor." He greeted respectfully, though he was beginning to feel a little lightheaded and dizzy. The man always had that affect on him, as well as making him incredibly nervous and panicked.
"I'm sorry for your loss, crown prince Atem." The advisor said smoothly, outwardly sounding sincere though Yami could sense he wasn't.
Yami nodded, his eyes returning to their usual violet color as he noticed his future high priest's blue eyes turn towards the two, watching quietly. The prince was grateful that the other boy cared enough to watch over him. "Thank you." He said, making eye contact with Nebenkharu. Usually when the prince locked eyes with someone, they were often frightened into leaving by how piercing his gaze was.
When only silence ensued and the man didn't make a move to leave, Yami began getting more nervous. He didn't like being watched or stared at, especially not by Nebenkharu. The advisor always seemed to be watching him.
Seth stepped over, the five-year-old coming to stand next to Yami. "You can leave now." He said coldly, using his status as the son of a priest to go ahead and boss the older but less powerful man around.
Nebenkharu looked away from Yami, at Seth, and glared darkly. However, he didn't offer any response and simply turned away, stalking off to join Akunamukannon and the other men.
Seth exchanged a look with Yami. The brunette boy didn't trust Nebenkharu at all, and he could tell that Yami shared that. Unfortunately, while most of the other children agreed, the adults either didn't notice or didn't care.
Yami turned away from Seth and back toward the water silently, and sat down on the bank. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Seth sat down next to him. "...Are you alright?" He asked, feeling silly for asking. Of course the prince wasn't alright, and of course he would say-
"Yes, I'm fine."
Seth sighed, setting a hand gently on his friend's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Yami."
Yami smiled sadly at him. "Thank you." He said gratefully, before looking back out over the river. He was silent for a few minutes. "...I... Really miss her... But I know she's never coming back in this life and that I should go on. I... Just can't believe she's actually gone, now. I knew she wouldn't be with us very long... But it's still..." He trailed off, tears starting down his face again. He angrily scrubbed at his eyes with his hand, until Seth gently took his wrist and pulled his hand away.
"You'll rub your face off, Yami." Seth said, attempting to cheer the other boy up the slightest bit. It seemed to work, because the priest-in-training got a small smile.
"You're right. And mommy always told me I had a pretty face..." The prince said, smiling more.
Seth chuckled. "That's because you look like HER."
Giving a small giggle, Yami stood up. "Thank you Seth. You've made me feel a bit better..." He said, turning toward the other boy who had also stood. "I'm going to go back to the palace. There aren't going to be any more ceremonies for a few days, and I won't be missed for the last of this one. If I am, I'll be amazed." Yami cast a last glance at the boat, which had almost disappeared from view, before looking back at Seth.
Seth nodded. "Alright. I'll take you back to the palace and make sure you don't get eaten by any hippos or anything." He said, getting a small smirk and grabbing the prince's arm gently to lead him back to the palace.
Yami sputtered for a moment as Seth dragged him off. "But... The Nile is where the hippos are. We're going AWAY from the Nile!"
"I couldn't think of anything else besides crocodiles, and then there's the same problem." Seth responded, shrugging.
It didn't take long for the boys to reach the palace. They stepped easily past the guards, getting respectful nods as they did so, and entered the palace.
"I'm going to go to my room for awhile." Yami told Seth, getting another nod from his friend. "Thank you for walking me here."
"You're welcome, Yami." Seth said, smiling. He was a bit worried about the smaller boy, though. The royal's tone had lost the lightness it had for a few minutes when they were talking at the river, and had taken on a very tired and subdued sound. Even as young as he was, the boy has been showing signs of depression during his mother's illness and Seth had no doubt it would only get worse with the queen's loss. "I'll see you at dinner." He said softly.
Yami smiled sadly at him again, before making his way down the hall. He slipped into the familiar secret passage, entering into the hidden hallway of children's rooms. He opened his large doors, then the second smaller set, and entered his lavishly decorated and huge room. The floors, walls, and ceiling of the room were white marble; with a large velvet purple rug laid out in the center of the room. The prince's bed had silk sheets of the matching color. There were large windows and glass doors on the far wall, which led out into the prince's personal courtyard/garden.
Slipping off his fancy sandals, Yami unhooked his cape and set about removing the large amount of golden jewelry he was wearing. Finally, getting all of it off and setting it carefully on a table, he made his way over to his bad and laid down.
The boy sighed, rolling onto his side and hugging a fluffy violet pillow. 'What am I going to do now?' He asked himself, hugging the pillow tighter. 'I miss you...' His eyes slowly fluttered closed, and he fell asleep.
************
Akunamukannon spotted one of his priests, his brother, Akunadin, and made his way over to talk to him. "Akunadin, where has Atem gone off to? It's almost time for dinner and I haven't seen him anywhere since the ceremony."
Akunadin shook his head. "I have no idea." He replied. "Maybe Seth has seen him. If not, one of the other children probably has."
Seth, who had just passed his mother's cleanliness inspection, had been okayed to go to dinner, and so was heading for the dining hall when he heard the two mens' conversation and stopped. He walked over to the two and after bowing respectfully if a bit stiffly to the Pharaoh, he looked up at Akunadin. "I've seen Atem." He said, barely remembering to change his friend's name while in front of the Pharaoh. "He went back to his room a few hours ago."
"Thank you, Seth." Akunadin said, smiling down at the boy. He looked at Akunamukannon, who nodded.
"I'll send Simon to go get him." The Pharaoh said, before turning and heading off down the hallway to find Simon.
"Come on, Seth, let's get to the hall." Akunadin said, making his way toward the dining hall. Seth ran after him. ************
Dinner was uneventful, but Seth noticed Yami was absent. Making a note to speak with Simon about the prince, Seth chased down the man after dinner.
"Where's Yami?" Seth asked, looking up at the holder of the Ankh.
"He's not feeling well." Simon answered, looking somewhat concerned. "He told me he wasn't hungry and wanted to stay in his room during dinner. If you're going to talk to him, make sure to ask him if he wants any food. The cooks'll have the rest of dinner saved for another hour or so."
Seth nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Simon." He said, before running off down the polished corridors. He easily located the secret passage that led to the children's rooms, since he entered it multiple times every day, and then found the doors to Yami's room.
Seth opened the first set of doors to the prince's room, and stepped into the small preliminary room that laid between the doors he'd just gone through and the door that actually went into Yami's room. It was decorated in orangey-reds and golds and had pillows scattered about the space, giving a cozy appearance. Seth had always liked the idea of the room. It was both a safety measure and privacy one; a double room wasn't expected so anyone who entered meaning harm to the prince would be a bit surprised, as well as it not allowing just anyone to step into the boy's room without an invitation. The first set of doors was heavy enough that the sound of them opening could be heard in the main room as well.
Seth knocked on the smaller set of doors, and waited patiently. Surprisingly though, it wasn't Yami who answered the door; it was the golden haired boy, Jouno.
Seth frowned. Jouno annoyed him to no end. "What are you doing here?" He asked a bit coldly.
Jono glared at him, drawing himself up and trying to look important while pouting. "Simon sent me to stay with Yami. Honda, Anzu, and Ryuuji are here too."
Seth yawned. "More than I cared to know." He said, looking bored. "Out of my way."
Jono's glare darkened as Seth shoved past him into Yami's room. Looking around for his friend, he spotted the prince on his violet bed, looking a bit depressed. Anzu was sitting on the end of Yami's bed, and Honda was standing against the wall with his arms crossed. A small leopardess, which had been rescued by Yami earlier in the year, was curled up in the middle of the rug, half sleeping and half watching the three.
"Having a party?" Seth asked, sticking his nose up slightly to let the others know he didn't think too highly of them. He stepped over to scratch the leopardess's ears before sitting down casually on Yami's bed as well.
Anzu glared darkly at him. "Mind your own business, Seth. If you have a problem, leave."
Seth was about to respond when Yami spoke up. "Don't fight, please." He said, sighing.
Seth shrugged but didn't make the rude comment to Anzu he'd been about to make. Instead, he turned to look at Yami. "What IS everyone doing in here?"
"Up until a few minutes ago, harassing Spot." Yami said, and the leopardess, upon hearing her name, looked up at him for a moment before laying her head back on the ground. Yami smiled at her. "Not really. Jono was, but no one else. Everyone's just in here to keep my company, even though I don't need it."
Jono ran over and jumped onto the bed beside Seth, bouncing a few times cheerfully. "Everyone could use some company!" He exclaimed hyperly.
Yami giggled and shook his head. "You just like being in my room."
"That too." Jono admitted, nodding and grinning.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Seth asked the golden blond, tilting his head slightly.
Honda suddenly facefaulted. "Jono, we have swordfighting classes!"
Jono's eyes bugged. "You're right! We're late!"
"And I have herbological healing classes!" Anzu realized, looking panicked.
The three children looked at each other once before running out of the room without so much as a goodbye.
Yami sweatdropped, and Seth looked satisfied with himself. "That got rid of THEM." The future priest commented.
Yami just shook his head. "I have more classes than they do and I still manage to get to them all... And not be late."
"You're more coordinated." Seth said, lounging back on the bed. "Amazingly."
Yami frowned. "What's THAT supposed to mean." He asked in mock anger.
Seth smirked. "Exactly what it sounded like."
Yami scrunched his nose slightly. "You're mean, Seth."
Seth chuckled evilly. "I know."
************
Yami woke up the next morning to the sound of his first set of door opening. Sitting up in his bed and noticing that Spot had stood up, the prince waited to see who would enter his room.
A moment later he got his answer. It was Simon, and he was carrying a small white bundle of cloth.
Tilting his head, Yami looked confusedly at the man. "Simon? What are you here for?"
Simon smiled at him. "I come in here every morning, Yami. Remember? I wake you up for breakfast and then your classes?"
Yami sweatdropped, feeling a bit stupid. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I forgot..."
"That's alright." Simon laughed, coming over to stand by Yami's bed. "I have something for you."
Yami blinked up at him. "You do? What is it?"
The vizier simply handed Yami the white cloth bundle. Said prince blinked at it, then at Simon, then back at it, then he noticed the tiny set of ears and the red fur. A tiny kitten's face appeared a moment later, yawning widely.
Yami almost squealed, which would have been very amusing. Instead he acted a bit more regally, or at least as regally as a three year old could be.
"Thank you Simon!" The boy said, eyes shining. "She's so pretty! But why isn't she with the rest of the palace cats?"
"She how little she is? She's still too young to be with the other palace cats. I found her by the temple of Isis, and since she'll need to be taken care of and you love pets, I thought you'd be the perfect person." Simon explained, smiling as Yami rubbed the kitten's ears and Spot trotted over to see what the fuss was about.
The leopardess put her front paws on the bed so she could look down at the kitten, seeming somewhat baffled. The kitten had no problem with the other cat, simply reaching up and batting at her nose.
Spot blinked, before getting the kitten all wet by giving a lick across her head with her huge tongue. Yami giggled and Simon looked amused, and the kitten mewed cheerfully.
"What are you going to name her?" Simon asked, as Yami scrubbed the kitten dry with the cloth.
Yami considered for a moment, looking down at the little red kitten. "How about Mafdet?"
Simon smiled. "I think that's a good name. Now come on, Yami, get ready; time for breakfast."
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A/N: ^_^ Well, there we go. Another chapter done, finally. Mafdet's here now, and I got to introduce Spot, the leopardess, too. ^_^ I got the idea for her a long time ago when reading a fanfiction... Dunno which one it was... But then I thought it'd be fun for Yami to have a leopard... Who may get to show up in Fumetsu. XD
Starlit Hope: Don't worry about it. ^_^
*Giggles* You may have just given me another sidestory idea for after Itsumo... Yamis go to the zoo. Mwa ha ha! XD And yes. Chibi!Yami loves things to go BOOM!. Heh, he likes things to go BOOM! as a teenager too... XD
Thanks for the review!
Silvie: *Giggles* Glad you like. Actually, our little thief king isn't here yet... *Check outline* Hm... Might have to rearrange some stuff... He should be here somewhere around chapter 6, I think. Maybe sooner or later than that.
And yes, a very familiar kitty will be showing up. *Wink*
Thanks for the review! ^_^
Meeko-san: XD Chapter two, I suppose. Mostly called chapter one a prologue to excuse it being so short. *Looks around conspiratorially* But that's a secret. XD Thanks for the review!
AuroraIce: Most of it, yes. Itsumo is supposed to be the memories that they're getting from the last chapter of Eien... Though the last chapter of Itsumo will be set in present day after the whole memories thing. Then the next story, Fumetsu, will be in present time again. ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Silver Nightingale: They all would look pretty cute as chibis, wouldn't they? XD
^_^ Thanks for the compliments, and glad you liked the stuff with Yami's name and his poor mommy-mommy. And yes, writer's block is very evil. -_-;
XD What would a story be without torturing Yami a bit? Or a lot? Or excessively? XD Besides, why his mother's dying is gonna be important later... *cough*
Thanks for the review!
Borath: ^_^ Glad you're liking the fic, and that Mahaado's not annoying you. XD
^_^ I'm glad you like Yami's mother too. I hoped she'd be liked... Too bad she won't be around much longer. *Cough*
^_^ I'm really happy you like how this is going so far. And that I don't screw it up. @_@ Thanks for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter. Chibi Yami is fun. I've thought about doing a chibi fic... But never actually did so. XD So this'll have to do, yes?
Yay, you liked Yami's mom too. XD Good, she's going over well. Almost feel bad she doesn't stay longer. *Cough* Thanks for the review!
Angelic-Demoness678: *Giggles* Chibi-Yami would be so squeezable. XD And Nebenkharu says hell is nice, by the way. XD
Yay! Kaiba's mansion! I still get it even though this update took awhile, yes? XD Anyway, thanks for the review!
YamiAra: *Laughs* I had to include the poor snake. He had a cameo in Eien in the original outline, but never made it to the final story. Poor guy. XD And Nebenkharu doesn't like anyone. XD
Omorose is the name I chose for Yami's mother. I have no idea what her real name is. XD She doesn't really look like Yami's mother in the manga, either... More like a female version of Yami. XD Thanks for the review!
bast4: ^_^ Glad you liked. As for Yuugi, Ryou, and Mokuba; Yuugi and Ryou don't exist in this time since they're Yami and Bekhura in a way; and Mokuba hasn't been born yet. XD He'll be here later, though. Thanks for the review!
sugahigh: ^_^ Glad you liked, and thanks for the review.
Other Notes: Erm... *Thinks* There was something I wanted to say first... But forgot it. O.o Oh, another thing though, Nebenkharu's age is getting changed. He was too young. So he's about 45 or so when the events of Eien happen, not 35. Otherwise he'd barely be an adult when Yami was chibi. @_@
One of the sidestories is up, for those who don't know. ^_^ It's called Catnip; and it's set a little before Eien. Contrary to it's name, this isn't the fic where they get Mafdet. XD It's a roadtrip fic.
*Sweatdrops* Rereading Eien again... Noticed the when the group all acted surprised in the tomb when they found that the others had been in Egypt... Shaadii had already told them earlier. @_@ Yay amnesia, right? (Yami: WRONG!)
Warnings: Death, I suppose.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh... y0. XD
Summary of last time: The chibis were introduced, as was Yami's mother. And... They found out poor Yami's mom was gonna' croak. XD
Preview of this time: Erm...
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Itsumo; chapter 3
by: Amiasha
The prince held the dead brown flower gently in his hands, watching with glazed indigo eyes as the magnificent boat drifted down the river. It was the customary last ride down the Nile.
Yami rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, slightly smearing his kohl, and sniffed. It had been early that morning that his mother had passed on to the afterlife.
The now three-year-old boy sighed softly, his gaze falling from the boat to the wilted flower in his hands. The flower, enchanted to react to his mother's health, had steadily died along with the queen. And, unable to do anything to stop it, Yami was only able to watch helplessly.
Omorose had been at peace though; she seemed to have known it was coming. She wasn't too shocked when Aishizu's mother had informed her. Yami had been far more upset.
Yami carefully placed the flower in the small bag he had brought with him, sighing again. He glanced around to see he was mostly alone; Seth stood quietly a way down the bank and gazing out over the river. The Pharaoh, Yami's father, was farther away and talking to a large group of people. He hadn't noticed when Yami had snuck away to get some time alone, and Yami certainly didn't mind. He and his father didn't talk much anyway. Yami had always been closest to his mother.
"Prince..." A voice came from behind Yami, scaring the boy into spinning around to come face-to-face with his father's advisor, Nebenkharu. Somewhere in the back of his mind the prince wondered how the man could have snuck up on his without he, or Seth, noticing.
Yami looked way up at Nebenkharu, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. "Advisor." He greeted respectfully, though he was beginning to feel a little lightheaded and dizzy. The man always had that affect on him, as well as making him incredibly nervous and panicked.
"I'm sorry for your loss, crown prince Atem." The advisor said smoothly, outwardly sounding sincere though Yami could sense he wasn't.
Yami nodded, his eyes returning to their usual violet color as he noticed his future high priest's blue eyes turn towards the two, watching quietly. The prince was grateful that the other boy cared enough to watch over him. "Thank you." He said, making eye contact with Nebenkharu. Usually when the prince locked eyes with someone, they were often frightened into leaving by how piercing his gaze was.
When only silence ensued and the man didn't make a move to leave, Yami began getting more nervous. He didn't like being watched or stared at, especially not by Nebenkharu. The advisor always seemed to be watching him.
Seth stepped over, the five-year-old coming to stand next to Yami. "You can leave now." He said coldly, using his status as the son of a priest to go ahead and boss the older but less powerful man around.
Nebenkharu looked away from Yami, at Seth, and glared darkly. However, he didn't offer any response and simply turned away, stalking off to join Akunamukannon and the other men.
Seth exchanged a look with Yami. The brunette boy didn't trust Nebenkharu at all, and he could tell that Yami shared that. Unfortunately, while most of the other children agreed, the adults either didn't notice or didn't care.
Yami turned away from Seth and back toward the water silently, and sat down on the bank. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Seth sat down next to him. "...Are you alright?" He asked, feeling silly for asking. Of course the prince wasn't alright, and of course he would say-
"Yes, I'm fine."
Seth sighed, setting a hand gently on his friend's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Yami."
Yami smiled sadly at him. "Thank you." He said gratefully, before looking back out over the river. He was silent for a few minutes. "...I... Really miss her... But I know she's never coming back in this life and that I should go on. I... Just can't believe she's actually gone, now. I knew she wouldn't be with us very long... But it's still..." He trailed off, tears starting down his face again. He angrily scrubbed at his eyes with his hand, until Seth gently took his wrist and pulled his hand away.
"You'll rub your face off, Yami." Seth said, attempting to cheer the other boy up the slightest bit. It seemed to work, because the priest-in-training got a small smile.
"You're right. And mommy always told me I had a pretty face..." The prince said, smiling more.
Seth chuckled. "That's because you look like HER."
Giving a small giggle, Yami stood up. "Thank you Seth. You've made me feel a bit better..." He said, turning toward the other boy who had also stood. "I'm going to go back to the palace. There aren't going to be any more ceremonies for a few days, and I won't be missed for the last of this one. If I am, I'll be amazed." Yami cast a last glance at the boat, which had almost disappeared from view, before looking back at Seth.
Seth nodded. "Alright. I'll take you back to the palace and make sure you don't get eaten by any hippos or anything." He said, getting a small smirk and grabbing the prince's arm gently to lead him back to the palace.
Yami sputtered for a moment as Seth dragged him off. "But... The Nile is where the hippos are. We're going AWAY from the Nile!"
"I couldn't think of anything else besides crocodiles, and then there's the same problem." Seth responded, shrugging.
It didn't take long for the boys to reach the palace. They stepped easily past the guards, getting respectful nods as they did so, and entered the palace.
"I'm going to go to my room for awhile." Yami told Seth, getting another nod from his friend. "Thank you for walking me here."
"You're welcome, Yami." Seth said, smiling. He was a bit worried about the smaller boy, though. The royal's tone had lost the lightness it had for a few minutes when they were talking at the river, and had taken on a very tired and subdued sound. Even as young as he was, the boy has been showing signs of depression during his mother's illness and Seth had no doubt it would only get worse with the queen's loss. "I'll see you at dinner." He said softly.
Yami smiled sadly at him again, before making his way down the hall. He slipped into the familiar secret passage, entering into the hidden hallway of children's rooms. He opened his large doors, then the second smaller set, and entered his lavishly decorated and huge room. The floors, walls, and ceiling of the room were white marble; with a large velvet purple rug laid out in the center of the room. The prince's bed had silk sheets of the matching color. There were large windows and glass doors on the far wall, which led out into the prince's personal courtyard/garden.
Slipping off his fancy sandals, Yami unhooked his cape and set about removing the large amount of golden jewelry he was wearing. Finally, getting all of it off and setting it carefully on a table, he made his way over to his bad and laid down.
The boy sighed, rolling onto his side and hugging a fluffy violet pillow. 'What am I going to do now?' He asked himself, hugging the pillow tighter. 'I miss you...' His eyes slowly fluttered closed, and he fell asleep.
************
Akunamukannon spotted one of his priests, his brother, Akunadin, and made his way over to talk to him. "Akunadin, where has Atem gone off to? It's almost time for dinner and I haven't seen him anywhere since the ceremony."
Akunadin shook his head. "I have no idea." He replied. "Maybe Seth has seen him. If not, one of the other children probably has."
Seth, who had just passed his mother's cleanliness inspection, had been okayed to go to dinner, and so was heading for the dining hall when he heard the two mens' conversation and stopped. He walked over to the two and after bowing respectfully if a bit stiffly to the Pharaoh, he looked up at Akunadin. "I've seen Atem." He said, barely remembering to change his friend's name while in front of the Pharaoh. "He went back to his room a few hours ago."
"Thank you, Seth." Akunadin said, smiling down at the boy. He looked at Akunamukannon, who nodded.
"I'll send Simon to go get him." The Pharaoh said, before turning and heading off down the hallway to find Simon.
"Come on, Seth, let's get to the hall." Akunadin said, making his way toward the dining hall. Seth ran after him. ************
Dinner was uneventful, but Seth noticed Yami was absent. Making a note to speak with Simon about the prince, Seth chased down the man after dinner.
"Where's Yami?" Seth asked, looking up at the holder of the Ankh.
"He's not feeling well." Simon answered, looking somewhat concerned. "He told me he wasn't hungry and wanted to stay in his room during dinner. If you're going to talk to him, make sure to ask him if he wants any food. The cooks'll have the rest of dinner saved for another hour or so."
Seth nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Simon." He said, before running off down the polished corridors. He easily located the secret passage that led to the children's rooms, since he entered it multiple times every day, and then found the doors to Yami's room.
Seth opened the first set of doors to the prince's room, and stepped into the small preliminary room that laid between the doors he'd just gone through and the door that actually went into Yami's room. It was decorated in orangey-reds and golds and had pillows scattered about the space, giving a cozy appearance. Seth had always liked the idea of the room. It was both a safety measure and privacy one; a double room wasn't expected so anyone who entered meaning harm to the prince would be a bit surprised, as well as it not allowing just anyone to step into the boy's room without an invitation. The first set of doors was heavy enough that the sound of them opening could be heard in the main room as well.
Seth knocked on the smaller set of doors, and waited patiently. Surprisingly though, it wasn't Yami who answered the door; it was the golden haired boy, Jouno.
Seth frowned. Jouno annoyed him to no end. "What are you doing here?" He asked a bit coldly.
Jono glared at him, drawing himself up and trying to look important while pouting. "Simon sent me to stay with Yami. Honda, Anzu, and Ryuuji are here too."
Seth yawned. "More than I cared to know." He said, looking bored. "Out of my way."
Jono's glare darkened as Seth shoved past him into Yami's room. Looking around for his friend, he spotted the prince on his violet bed, looking a bit depressed. Anzu was sitting on the end of Yami's bed, and Honda was standing against the wall with his arms crossed. A small leopardess, which had been rescued by Yami earlier in the year, was curled up in the middle of the rug, half sleeping and half watching the three.
"Having a party?" Seth asked, sticking his nose up slightly to let the others know he didn't think too highly of them. He stepped over to scratch the leopardess's ears before sitting down casually on Yami's bed as well.
Anzu glared darkly at him. "Mind your own business, Seth. If you have a problem, leave."
Seth was about to respond when Yami spoke up. "Don't fight, please." He said, sighing.
Seth shrugged but didn't make the rude comment to Anzu he'd been about to make. Instead, he turned to look at Yami. "What IS everyone doing in here?"
"Up until a few minutes ago, harassing Spot." Yami said, and the leopardess, upon hearing her name, looked up at him for a moment before laying her head back on the ground. Yami smiled at her. "Not really. Jono was, but no one else. Everyone's just in here to keep my company, even though I don't need it."
Jono ran over and jumped onto the bed beside Seth, bouncing a few times cheerfully. "Everyone could use some company!" He exclaimed hyperly.
Yami giggled and shook his head. "You just like being in my room."
"That too." Jono admitted, nodding and grinning.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Seth asked the golden blond, tilting his head slightly.
Honda suddenly facefaulted. "Jono, we have swordfighting classes!"
Jono's eyes bugged. "You're right! We're late!"
"And I have herbological healing classes!" Anzu realized, looking panicked.
The three children looked at each other once before running out of the room without so much as a goodbye.
Yami sweatdropped, and Seth looked satisfied with himself. "That got rid of THEM." The future priest commented.
Yami just shook his head. "I have more classes than they do and I still manage to get to them all... And not be late."
"You're more coordinated." Seth said, lounging back on the bed. "Amazingly."
Yami frowned. "What's THAT supposed to mean." He asked in mock anger.
Seth smirked. "Exactly what it sounded like."
Yami scrunched his nose slightly. "You're mean, Seth."
Seth chuckled evilly. "I know."
************
Yami woke up the next morning to the sound of his first set of door opening. Sitting up in his bed and noticing that Spot had stood up, the prince waited to see who would enter his room.
A moment later he got his answer. It was Simon, and he was carrying a small white bundle of cloth.
Tilting his head, Yami looked confusedly at the man. "Simon? What are you here for?"
Simon smiled at him. "I come in here every morning, Yami. Remember? I wake you up for breakfast and then your classes?"
Yami sweatdropped, feeling a bit stupid. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I forgot..."
"That's alright." Simon laughed, coming over to stand by Yami's bed. "I have something for you."
Yami blinked up at him. "You do? What is it?"
The vizier simply handed Yami the white cloth bundle. Said prince blinked at it, then at Simon, then back at it, then he noticed the tiny set of ears and the red fur. A tiny kitten's face appeared a moment later, yawning widely.
Yami almost squealed, which would have been very amusing. Instead he acted a bit more regally, or at least as regally as a three year old could be.
"Thank you Simon!" The boy said, eyes shining. "She's so pretty! But why isn't she with the rest of the palace cats?"
"She how little she is? She's still too young to be with the other palace cats. I found her by the temple of Isis, and since she'll need to be taken care of and you love pets, I thought you'd be the perfect person." Simon explained, smiling as Yami rubbed the kitten's ears and Spot trotted over to see what the fuss was about.
The leopardess put her front paws on the bed so she could look down at the kitten, seeming somewhat baffled. The kitten had no problem with the other cat, simply reaching up and batting at her nose.
Spot blinked, before getting the kitten all wet by giving a lick across her head with her huge tongue. Yami giggled and Simon looked amused, and the kitten mewed cheerfully.
"What are you going to name her?" Simon asked, as Yami scrubbed the kitten dry with the cloth.
Yami considered for a moment, looking down at the little red kitten. "How about Mafdet?"
Simon smiled. "I think that's a good name. Now come on, Yami, get ready; time for breakfast."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: ^_^ Well, there we go. Another chapter done, finally. Mafdet's here now, and I got to introduce Spot, the leopardess, too. ^_^ I got the idea for her a long time ago when reading a fanfiction... Dunno which one it was... But then I thought it'd be fun for Yami to have a leopard... Who may get to show up in Fumetsu. XD