NOTE: Fixed the 'es' problem, I hope. Punts ff.net
A/N: So sorry with how long this took. I had so many comp problems it's not even funny. I started to write, and then my comp crashed and lost everything.
But that's a good thing, I suppose, because this chapter is better than the one I'd started. And you get thief king sooner. XD And it's over double the length (this chappie is 13 pages) of my normal chapters, which is good, yes? Though this chapter IS a bit odd...
I'm toying with the idea of making a separate page for review responses that I link to for people who want to read, because apparently ff.net has decided responding to reviews is 'using the fic as a message board'. -- Dips. But I really don't want to get deleted, so I dunno... What do you people think?
Silvie-chan: I'm glad you liked and that you think the mood was good. And actually, Bekhura shows up here in this chapter. XD I changed my mind.
XD I can't have original names all the time. Besides, she seems like a Spot, doesn't she? XD Thanks for the review!
Starlit Hope: Yami's any sort of animal person, as will be seen later. XD Thanks for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: Glad you liked. And they are a bit mature... But in the other notes section I have an excuse. XD And thanks for the review.
AuroraIce: Actually, Takahashi DOES have one picture of chibi Yami. It's in the last few pages of manga chapter 287. And we got to see ChibiYami again, along with ChibiMahaado, in eppy 203. It's so cute!
Glad you like Mafdet and Spot.
And about the sidestory thing, I sent you an Email but I dunno if you got it. XD I have been planning for one, yes. Glad to know there's some interest.
Silver Nightingale: Cooking is good. XD But compliments are better.
Spot wasn't in Eien because Yami hadn't remember about her yet, and he'd had no way to get into his life unlike Mafdet. However, she'll be making an appearance in Fumetsu. XD
XD I can explain the Ryuuji thing. Sort of. There were three versions of that scene, one with them all in it for longer, one with them not in it at all, and the third with them being in a little while. I got mixed up and forgot about having an excuse for Ryuuji to leave. XD
Thanks for the review!
Borath: XD 'Tis alright.
XD Yesyes, Seth has always been a bit bossy. Glad you like the relationship between him and Yami. As for what happens between them, it'll be seen later.
Yes, Akunadin and Akunamukannon are annoying. Mixed them up in this chapter once, actually, and had to fix it. XD
XD I don't think that Jou and Seto will ever get along in ANY life.
XD Yeah, Yami with a leopard is a bit scary...
Glad you liked the chapter. And about your prediction about Bekhura's entrance beginning the storms... XD Well, he's entering this chapter, so you'll get to see. And in the meantime, stop reading my mind. XD
Thanks for the review. XD
Meeko-san: You get Bekhura this chapter. XD Glad you liked, by the way.
XD Pickles are the devil's food. But yay for dancing! Dances as well
Namonaki Pharaoh: Thanks for the review, and glad you liked.
YamiAra: Chocolate! XD Glad you liked, and thanks for the review. XD
sugahigh: Glad you liked. Update certainly wasn't soon, but it was soon after your review. XD Thanks for the review.
Other Notes: This chapter was surprisingly easy to write once I actually started working on it. Blink But it REFUSED TO END. Which is why this chapter is so much longer than my usual ones.
Unfortunately, this chapter is a bit more serious. (Okay, maybe it's not unfortunate, but I'm not sure. XD) Next chapter will be hopefully more comedic. Though since this fic is a bit more plot driven than Eien, it's stranger for the comedy... And I know the others haven't been in this much yet, but they start having more parts later on. After Yami becomes Pharaoh they really start joining in. Also, Nebenkharu, who's been muchly ignored, will start appearing more as well.
As for Itsumo as a whole, it's going to be far shorter than Eien though I think the chapters may be longer. It should be somewhere between 14 and 18 chapters, depending on how I extend the outline. But no where near Eien's 28 chapters.
Was doing some research on how tall Egyptians were, and while the usual average is about 5'4" or so, some were found to be six feet. That could explain why the hell Seth is so tall. XD And poor Yami is STILL short. XD
Also, I found a good reason for why these kids are so darn mature. XD In ancient Egypt, you were expected to be an adult by around somewhere like 13 or 14. So that's about four or five years younger than modern day kids, so basically, if you add on four or five years to their ages in this fic you get about their mental age. XD Is smacked for the bad excuse Hey, it's better than NO excuse, right? XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, though I did just order Box Sets 3 and 4 so I'm happy. XD Even though they were ungodly expensive. Hackwheeze
Warnings: Violence, and quite a bit of language from our dear Seth and Bekhura. Much of it at each other. XD
Summary of Last Time: I have no flippin' clue. XD
Preview of This Time: Bekhura makes his appearance, and Yami has a bit of a spat with his father.
Itsumo; part 4
By: Amiasha
An unseen wind blew long bangs into his face as he spun, a flash of white caught in the corner of his eye. The black as night air obscured any more sight of whatever it had been; the only light coming from the tiny flecks of gold that hung suspended in mid-air. He turned again, searching for the white, and his violet eyes locked with a pair of deep brown ones before Yami jolted awake.
Quickly, he sat up, easily igniting a candle with a wave of his hand. Mafdet and Spot both looked up as the fire suddenly flared to life.
Yami smiled at them. "It's alright." He said quietly, since it was still the dead of night. "Just a dream."
The cats seemed appeased, and both laid their heads down again. Yami sighed. He knew it wasn't 'just a dream'. His mother, Aishizu, and Aishizu's mother had all taught him how to tell a normal dream from a precognetive one. There was usually something to look for, or a feeling. The golden flecks, which were actually grains of sand, were the mark to look for for Yami.
The boy sighed. It was still very early, and he didn't have to be up yet. He really should get more sleep, since he'd been exhausted the past few days, but he didn't feel like sleeping. He was wide awake, mostly because the dream had unnerved him a bit.
Yami set his chin in his hands and began trying to figure his dream out. Something about the person in the dream, maybe their hair or clothes, was white, and they had deep brown eyes. He'd never met anyone like that before.
He sighed again, throwing back his covers and getting out of bed as he realised he wasn't going back to sleep. He selected a variation on his usual white outfit; it was black and had a full length skirt. He quickly changed, slipped on his shoes, put on and latched a violet cape, and grabbed his circlet before opening the glass doors that led to his courtyard. Spot looked up again, but deemed nothing was amiss and went back to sleep. Yami stepped out into the yard, leaving the glass door slightly open.
The moon shone down from above, but was surprisingly slightly obscured by clouds. Yami looked up, blinking a few times in surprise at the presence of the clouds, but just shrugged. He sat down on the edge of the fountain, pulling his cape around himself as he felt the cold desert night air against his arms.
A soft rustling caught his attention and his head immediately snapped around to pinpoint where the sound had come from. It was up on one of the courtyard walls, and that worried him because it meant it probably wasn't a snake or other creature. His suspicion was confirmed as a dagger suddenly flew past him, cutting a shallow line in his shoulder. The six year old shot to his feet, putting a hand over the injury and looking around for his attacker before spotting a figure in a dark cloak, crouched near where the sound came on the wall.
The figure, apparently a boy a little older than him, jumped down and swore. "Damn. I missed."
Yami's eyes widened before narrowing as he backed away slightly. "Who are you?" He demanded, readying a spell discreetly.
The other boy laughed and stepped into a patch of moonlight. He pulled back his hood, and Yami gasped quietly as his silvery-white hair gleamed in the light and his slightly slanted deep brown eyes glittered. "I am the King of Thieves."
The prince was stunned for a few seconds. This was obviously the person in his dream. Well, it was a new record, then. Never had his dreams come true so fast. A moment or two later he recovered enough to respond. "Some king of thieves you are. You missed. I didn't even have to dodge."
The thief looked a bit perturbed and put his hands on his hips. "I'm not an assassin. You weren't supposed to be awake. It's the middle of the night."
Yami glared. "It's a good thing I wasn't asleep. You would have killed me."
The thief sighed, taking his hands off his hips and reaching into his cloak to pull out a short sword from the sheath on his belt. "Good for YOU maybe, but then again, maybe not. You would have been dead before you felt anything. Now you don't have that luxury."
The prince's eyes narrowed and he charged his spell more as he began backing away. "I'm giving you a last chance to leave." He warned coldly.
The white haired boy was unbothered and continued forward. "I'm sorry; I'm afraid I can't do that. You've seen what I look like, and if I want to go on making a living I can't have anyone knowing who to look for."
Yami stopped as his back hit one of the walls of the courtyard. He glared at the thief, patiently waiting for him to come into range. The moment he did, Yami cast his spell, which sent the other boy flying back. His sword clattered against the stone loudly as he dropped it.
While the thief recovered, Yami quickly snatched up the sword. Only problem was it was a bit too heavy for him, so he ended up grabbing it with both hands and more dragging that carrying it. He stopped a few yards away from the other boy, dropping and stepping over the sword to keep it out of range, and casting a simple spell to cause two triple-bladed daggers drop into his waiting hands. The prince smirked. He'd have to thank Seth for the spell later.
Though it turns out he wouldn't need to use the weapons, because Spot had woken up again and run out into the courtyard. She pounced upon the recovering thief and pinned him, snarling but otherwise doing nothing.
Yami smiled. "Very good timing." He told the cat, coming forward to stand a foot or two to the side of the leopardess and thief. He looked down at the white haired boy. "Bad timing on your part." He added thoughtfully.
"You got a gods-damned leopardess!" The thief exclaimed in shock. "How do you-? Where did-?" He stammered out.
"I rescued her, and she was in my room." Yami pointed at the open glass door. "When she heard the fight, she came to my aid."
Spot snarled again in accent to the prince's words.
"...Shit..." The white haired boy cursed again, at a loss of a way to save himself at the moment. "I didn't expect you to have a leopardess."
Yami shrugged. "If you'd done your research you would have known. It not a secret or anything. In fact," He commented, looking amused. "We let people know that so that people WOULDN'T try to assassinate me."
The thief made a face at him. "Ha. Did it work?"
"For everyone but you so far, yes." Yami replied, smirking.
"Too bad." The other boy said, glaring at him. "You're damn annoying."
"I try." Yami responded calmly. "Though I don't think you're in much of a place to be insulting me. It's my leopardess that is about to eat you."
The thief growled darkly, knowing the other boy was right. But maybe he could do something... Going for a last ditch attempt, he clawed at the cat's face with his fingers. It had the desired result; the leopardess reeled back and shifted her weight off of him, giving him a chance to spring up and take off. Only problem was that Yami immediately moved to block him, causing the thief to slam into him and send both of them tumbling into the large fountain.
The white haired boy detangled himself from the prince, the other gasping for air and shaking the water from his eyes, and then began scrambling away again. Yami wasn't about to let him leave, however, and twirled quickly and grabbed the back of his soaked cloak, pulling him back into the water.
The thief snarled in frustration and whirled around, taking a fistfull of the prince's hair and tossing him of the fountain. Yami yelped both from the pulling his hair and from landing hard on the ground on his behind, but got to his feet again in time to see Spot once again pounce on the retreating thief.
Sighing slightly Yami made his way over, rubbing at his head annoyedly and beginning to wring out his long hair. He stopped next to the thief, who was looking about as exhausted as he was. "That hurt..." The prince commented, pouting slightly.
"If your hadn't grabbed me first I wouldn't have had to pull you hair." The white haired boy responded, sighing as well and looking a bit fearfully up at Spot before returning his attention to the prince. "I'm impressed, though. Not many people can catch me."
"I'm not many people." Yami responded tiredly, sitting down. "And I want to know who you are. Exactly."
The thief sighed, weighing his options. He was currently pinned under a leopard that he was sure was too smart to pull the same trick once. He could feel the magic swirling around the other boy, which meant he was a ready for a spell if he needed it. It wouldn't really hurt to elaborate, he decided. "My name if Bekhura. Like I said, I'm the King of Thieves."
Yami tilted his head. "You're only a little older than me."
"So? How old are you, anyway?" Bekhura asked.
"Six." Yami replied, nodding once to emphasise his words. "You?"
"Almost nine." Bekhura responded truthfully, watching Yami give him a look that was a cross between amusement and surprise.
"How are you the king of thieves when you're only eight?" He asked, a bit of curiosity making it's way into his voice.
Bekhura thought for a moment, before smirking. "Well, I certainly wasn't born into my position, unlike some." He commented, watching with satisfaction as Yami's expression changed to annoyance. "I'm simply the best."
"Then the others must be very bad." Yami deduced, crossing his arms. "Because, from what I've seen, you're a terrible failure."
"Oh shut up, would you?" Bekhura asked, glaring darkly. "I already told you, this is not the way things usually go. You weren't supposed to be awake, let alone awake AND a sorcerer."
Yami shrugged. "Life isn't always predictable."
"Gods, you're annoying." Bekhura commented again, still glaring. "And get this big-ass cat off me!"
Yami shook his head calmly. "Not happening. Especially not until I get some more answers. Where are you from?"
Bekhura's glare deepened in intensity, but he responded anyway. "Kulu Eluna."
Yami tilted his head. "Never heard of it..."
"I'm not surprised." Bekhura responded, sighing and glancing at the sky. He looked back at Yami, and noticed something he'd forgotten. "Oi, prince. You're bleeding."
Yami blinked in surprise and then remembered the cut in his shoulder. Looking at it, he realised Bekhura was right. It wasn't bleeding much, since the cut was shallow, but he placed his hand over the injury to stop what flow there was. "Thank you. I'd forgotten about it."
Bekhura shrugged, as much as he could with a bored looking leopardess sitting on him.
Yami thought for a moment. "Why are you a thief?" He asked suddenly.
Bekhura just looked at him. "What a silly question." He commented. "I'm a thief because I have no money. Obviously."
Yami looked down at him. "What about your parents?"
"Dead." Bekhura said, not seeming all that sad about it. He seemed about to say something more, but stopped.
Yami looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry." He said.
Bekhura shrugged again, but didn't respond.
Yami considered for a moment, looking at the ground. Finally, he spoke up. "How would you like to live here at the palace?"
Bekhura almost did a double take. How would he like to WHAT? Was this prince stupid? He's just tried to kill him! "Prince, do you like living on the edge or something?"
Yami laughed at that. "Sort of. But I'm serious. I sense that you're not really all that bad. I truly want to help."
The white haired boy was baffled. "That's just plain stupid. I tried to kill you. I could do it and succeed easily if I am in the palace."
Yami smiled lightly. "I have a feeling that if you really intended to kill me, you wouldn't be warning me against it."
Bekhura considered that for a moment and found that the prince was right.
"So, yes or no?" Yami asked, tilting his head again. "Make up your mind." He wasn't worried about the thief attacking him in the slightest. Even if he did, which was unlikely, the prince had so many passive shields up when he slept that it was next to impossible to even touch him, let alone try to do him harm.
It only took a few seconds for Bekhura to make his choice. "Yes. I'll stay at he palace." He said, feeling a mixture between gratitude and complete shock that the prince had offered him something like that.
Yami smiled, and motioned to Spot. The leopardess got up lazily and meandered back into Yami's room as Yami helped Bekhura up. "Welcome to the palace!" He said cheerfully, excited about his new friend.
Bekhura just blinked, shocked at how fast the prince had gone from cool and witty to happy and childish. The other boy's next question made him not care, however. "Would you like something to eat?"
The white haired thief's stomach growled loudly in response. Yami laughed. "That answers that. Come on, I'll take you to the kitchens." The prince grabbed the sleeve of his robes, and they suddenly remembered they were both still very wet.
"Maybe we should change first." Bekhura suggested. "My bag is on the courtyard wall, I'm going to go get it." He informed the smaller boy, before doing exactly as he said. He rummaged around in it for spare robes and, finding them, began to change. Yami dug out a new set of robes identical to the ones he wore and changed as well, then grabbed some cloth and began to bandage his arm awkwardly.
Bekhura took pity on his and assisted the boy, trying the bandage gently but firmly in place.
The two snuck out of Yami's room and, about 15 minutes later, were back in it with snacks. Yami glanced outside where the sun was beginning to rise. "It's morning!" He exclaimed brightly.
Bekhura laughed as he enjoyed his food. He was surprised by how quickly he'd gone from wanting to kill the boy next to him to becoming very fond of him. Oh well. Going with the flow had always been his favorite form of planning.
The two finished their snack, and Yami began explaining to Bekhura about what he was doing that day.
"The king of India's coming?" Bekhura echoed, looking amused. "Oh, that sounds fun. Boring talk between old men."
Yami nodded his agreement. "Yes, that about sums it up."
"Hm. Maybe the life of a prince isn't all fun after all." Bekhura mused, earning a laugh from Yami.
"Yes, it's not quite all it's thought to be." The boy agreed, standing up and beginning to gather his jewelry. "It quite dull much of the time, actually." He looked out at the sunrise again. "I have to get to my morning classes..."
"You have classes this early?" Bekhura asked, glancing at the sun as well.
"Not every day." Yami answered, shaking his head as he put in his earrings. "But sometimes, yes. And since the rest of the day will be taken up, I had to have classes pushed back and rescheduled. I don't think it's very productive, because I'm not sure how I'm supposed to focus on alchemy this early, but it's not worth arguing over."
Bekhura nodded a bit. "What do you want me to do when you're gone?"
Yami looked back over at him. "Just stay here. I have a bit more food under the bed, and a fruit tree in the courtyard, so eat if you get hungry. I'll be back in the afternoon, I think."
Bekhura nodded again. Watching the smaller boy dart around, he considered his next words. "Thank you, by the way." He finally said.
Yami stopped and turned towards him. He suddenly smiled brightly. "You're welcome. I'm glad to have met you."
Bekhura laughed and nodded. "Same."
Yami gave him another smile. "See you later." He said, waving once before heading for the door. He stopped once he reached them and looked back, as if remembering something. "Spot! Mafdet!" He called, and both cats lifted their heads to look at him. "Be nice to him!"
Bekhura smirked as the cats made faces but meowed or gave a small yowl in response. And with that, Yami was out the door.
Two hours later Yami sighed and began making his way toward the dining hall, his thoughts on the events of the morning. It certainly had been strange.
A common but still amusing thing reminded Yami that life was still the same as Jono raced by, cackling madly with Seth hot on his heels. The future priest was shouting something unintelligible, but his robes were splattered with mud and Yami assumed that had something to do with it. He smiled and shook his head, continuing toward the throne room.
He made it to the room with a bit of time to spare, taking up a spot beside Mahaado and Simon. A few minutes of waiting later, a still slightly muddy Seth raced into the room, shoved with Mahaado a bit for position, and managed to get between the older boy and Yami just as the door opened and the king of India and his travelling party entered.
First came a mass of guards, followed by scribes and two scholars. One who was apparently some sort of magician followed, then the king himself. They all stopped and their king made his way through the now parted crowd to stand in front of Akunamukannon. Both kings dipped their heads toward each other, but weren't overly formal.
Yami knew the king of India from two years earlier. His name was Tayib, and Yami actually liked him a lot. He was very kind and fair, and even respectful to the people below him, especially the future priests and Yami himself.
"Welcome again to Egypt." Akunamukannon said, giving a smile to Tayib. "I trust your trip was safe?"
"Quite safe, actually. Not a single problem the whole way." Tayib said, smiling as well and stroking his long dark beard a few times.
"Well, you have great timing." Akunamukannon commented. "Just in time for breakfast."
Yami snorted mentally. 'Of course he is.' The prince thought dryly. 'That's how it was planned.'
Tayib, however, played along. "Wonderful." He said, smiling still.
"I you'll follow me into the dining hall..." Akunamukannon said, before turning and beginning to lead everyone towards the hall.
The precession made their way through a few halls before making it's way into the dining hall itself. The hall was huge, with two table in the center, both made of expensive wood and set with brass plates and dishes. The large table was for everyone not involved in the meeting directly, and the smaller was for the two kings and whoever they chose to have with them. It was smaller so both kings could sit at the heads of the table without having to shout halfway across the room.
Everyone made their ways to their spots; Akunamukannon and Tayib taking seats at the heads of the smaller table with Yami to Akunamukannon's right and Simon to his left, and Mahaado to Yami's right and Akunadin to Simon's left. Two of Tayib's advisors were to Akunadin's left and Mahaado's right.
Food was served, and everyone began eating. Akunamukannon, however, wasted no time in getting to the reason for Tayib's visit. "You said you needed something from Egypt." He said. "What was that?"
Yami, Mahaado, Akunadin, and Simon all about fell from their chairs at the bluntness of that. Tayib, however, was unfazed and simply set down the fruit he was eating. He laced his fingers. "Well, you know, of course, that two years ago India came to Egypt's aid in the brief skirmish to the south two years ago. At that time, you said that Egypt would repay India when it was needed."
Akunamukannon caught on. "You need that debt paid?"
Tayib nodded. "We're in a bit of a financial predicament. We need some of Egypt's gold."
Yami tilted his head slightly, wondering what his father would say in response to that.
The Pharaoh considered for a second before responded. "I'm sorry, Tayib. I'm afraid it isn't possible at this time."
Yami's head immediately snapped towards him. He knew for a fact that was a lie. He was involved in the financial status of the country, and he knew that Egypt was extremely wealthy. Certainly wealthy enough to help India. And so, doing something very stupid, Yami fixed his father with a cold glare and spoke. "That's not true."
Simon almost had a heart attack right then and there. "Atem!" He said, shocked.
Yami didn't take notice, continuing to glare. His father's face turned more than a bit red. "Atem." He spat out. "Be silent."
Tayib was staring with a mixture of surprise, astonishment, and gratitude at Yami. He was a bit worried as well; it wasn't exactly a smart move, even for a prince, to call down the king a nation.
Yami, however, was undeterred by the looks of the other and the words of his father. "I won't." He said, narrowing his eyes. "I don't tolerate lying."
"ATEM." Akunamukannon's voice boomed and echoed from the high ceilings, reverberating around the room and causing everyone else to fall quiet. "Be. Silent."
Yami shook his head angrily. "No."
Akunamukannon stood up, causing Simon to also shoot to his feet and murmer something hurriedly to the Pharaoh. Akunamukannon shot him with a glare and said something back which was too quiet to hear but was obviously not nice. Yami rose as well, brushing his long cape back out of way and setting his hands on the table. "Why don't you leave Simon alone. It's me you're angry with, so stop yelling at others and actually face me."
Akunadin and Mahaado shot each other looks that asked the question. Did their prince have a death wish, or was he just stupid?
Akunamukannon did exactly what Yami had said, whirling back towards the boy. He reached out silently and grabbed the boy's left wrist, before pulling him out of the room and down a hallway. Yami began to get the feeling he'd made a mistake.
Once in the throne room and out of sight and hearing of the others, Akunamukannon released him and suddenly Yami found himself on the ground, his head spinning and his vision going out of focus and then coming back many times. It took him a few moments to realise he'd been struck, and a few more after that to clear his head enough to pull himself up to his knees. In shock, Yami put a hand to his face. He'd been hit by the more strict teachers before, though they'd quickly learned he wouldn't tolerate it when he did something like burn their eyebrows off, but a slap had been the extent of anything harsh from his father. He'd fully expected a slap or three for his outright defiance of authority, but not a backhand.
Akunamukannon took a handful of his cape and pulled him harshly to his feet, bringing their faces close together. "Don't you EVER do something like that again, Atem, or I'll do far worse than just hit you. Do you understand me?"
Yami stared up at him, for the first time feeling actually afraid of his father. Mutely, still a bit dazed, he nodded.
"Good." Akunamukannon said, dropping his hold on the boy and letting him sink back to his knees. "Don't come back to the hall." He said, before sweeping back out of the room.
Yami stared after him, going over what had just happened. Or at least attempting to; his vision was still swimming and a horrible pounding had taken up in his head. Shakily he stood with the help of the wall, before making his way out of the room and down the hallway.
It seemed to take forever to reach his room, and opening his first set of double doors he was met with the confused and slightly worried face of Bekhura. The thief's eyes widened at the sight of the prince, gently putting his hands on his shoulders. "What happened!?" He asked, feeling oddly protective of the smaller boy.
"Nothing." Yami mumbled, dipping his head. "I was just stupid."
Bekhura didn't press the conversation, leading the prince through the second set of doors and into the main room. He carefully helped the disoriented prince to his bed, and Yami sat down gratefully.
Bekhura began helping remove the huge amounts of gold jewelry the smaller boy wore before Yami flopped back on his bed, looking exhausted. Bekhura leaned over and was about to ask him a question when the two heard the first set of double doors open. Both panicked as they realised someone was coming in, but Bekhura didn't hide fast enough and in came Seth, looking a bit pale. He got even paler as he spotted the white haired boy leaning over his friend. "Who the hell...?"
Bekhura stared at him in confusion, wondering the exact same thing. Yami however nearly panicked. "Seth! What are you doing here!?"
Seth looked at him, then looked back at Bekhura. "I was worried." He replied, his eyes fixated on the thief. "Who the hell is this?"
Bekhura, unable to help himself, stood up. He smirked. "I'm the grand Thief King, Touzoku Ou Bekhura."
Seth just stared. His eyes shot back to Yami. "What the hell is he doing here!? He's a thief!"
Yami floundered. "He-... I-... He's-..." He stammered, shaking his head to try to clear it. "He's okay, Seth, he's not a danger..."
The future priest looked unconvinced. "Then why the hell do you look so bad?"
Bekhura glared. "I didn't do anything to him, you stupid boy."
Seth turned his attention back toward him. "Like I'll believe you, thief."
"You should, because for once I"m telling the truth!" Bekhura shot back, getting angry.
Yami's pupils dialated slightly. "Please don't fight." He murmured softly. "I've got enough to deal with without the two of you at each other's throats."
Either the other two didn't hear him or they didn't care, continuing their squabbling. Yami took a few deep breaths, the spinning of the room worsening even though he wasn't even moving. "Bekhura, Seth..."
It didn't really help. The two still went at each other, trading childish insults incessantly. Stress and pain combined together to produce a heavy feeling that along with his headache began to cause his eyelids to flutter though he tried to stay awake.
It all finally became too much for him, and darkness invaded his vision before he lost awareness.
"This is your fault, you haughty-ass priest wannabe!"
"My fault!? I didn't do anything to him! And you're the ass. I'm not a wannabe, nor a lowly thief. Dealing with you is probably what got him so stressed in the first place."
"Yeah, right. He was fine when he left the room this mooring."
"Like you would know when someone was fine. YOU certainly aren't fine."
"You cocky little bastard..."
Yami groaned and put a hand to his head, his eyes fluttering open to see both Bekhura and Seth hovering over him anxiously. Yami smiled a bit mentally. Apparently they had forgotten their argument in favor of worry for him. He would have been touched had he not been so confused at the feeling that it was a very different time than he'd last known.
"... What happened?" Yami asked, blinking a few times up at them.
Bekhura and Seth exchanged looks, before returning their focus to the prince. "You passed out." Bekhura explained to him.
Yami blinked again, beginning to remember. "How long ago was that?"
Again Bekhura and Seth exchanged glances. "About two hours." Seth answered this time.
Yami sighed heavily. "Gods, how could I have done something so stupid?" He murmured.
"Yeah, about that..." Bekhura began, glaring once at Seth then returning his attention to Yami. "Who the hell had the nerve to strike you?"
Yami sighed. "The one person who can get away with it." He muttered, sitting up. He touched his face and winced slightly. Again, he sighed. "But it doesn't matter. I deserved it."
Seth shrugged. "Well, what you did WAS stupid." He commented, causing Yami to look up at him sadly and Bekhura to shoot him a nasty glare. "But," The brunette continued calmly, earning an even darker glare from Bekhura at the pause, "I don't think it warranted what he did."
Yami sighed again, falling back on the bed. "I'm going back to sleep..." He muttered in a depressed voice. "Don't kill each other."
"Wouldn't dream of it, little prince." Bekhura said, smirking slightly and shooting an amused glance at Seth. "But broken bones are alright, yes?"
Yami gave a weak glare without much feeling behind it, before rolling over onto his side. He drifted to sleep quickly and as soon as he did, Seth turned to look at Bekhura. "What do you think?" He asked.
Bekhura shrugged slightly. "I think he has a concussion, actually." He said casually. At Seth's expression of horror, he snickered. "I'm not serious, priesty."
Seth scowled. "This isn't something to joke about, thief."
Bekhura frowned at him as well and crossed his arms. "Fine." He finally conceeded. "You're right."
"Of course I am." Seth muttered, sitting down on the edge of Yami's bed and looking over the prince once in concern. "I'm always right."
That earned a snort from the thief. "I doubt that for some reason."
"No one asked you." Seth responded, glaring. "Why don't you shoo for awhile?"
"Can't." Bekhura answered blandly, uncrossing his arms and setting a hand on his hip.
"And why's that?" Seth questioned, tilting his head slightly.
"Prince's guest." He answered, yawning.
Seth just glared at him and went back to watching the sleeping boy.
Sunlight fell on Yami's eyes, and he stirred slightly. A soft mumble followed the movement, before he rolled over to his other side to get out of the sun.
At just that moment he realised he was awake, and it was morning. That meant he had things to do; things he was probably late for. His eyes snapped open and he shot upright, but then blinked at the sight of Seth snoring lightly, kneeling on the floor with his arms crossed on the edge of the bed and his head on his hands, and Bekhura asleep sprawled out on the floor. Spot was curled up with the thief, and Mafdet had perched herself on his chest.
Again, he blinked, before the events of the day before came flooding back to him. He sighed and gingerly touched his face, where he was sure a huge bruise had formed, and then sighed again. No time to continue mulling over that, however. He'd wasted an entire day on that, and now he had things that needed to be done.
His movements awoke Seth, who opened and closed his eyes blearily a few times before raising his head to look at the prince. "... Yami?" He whispered, rewarded with a smile from the other boy. "How are you?"
Yami considered for a few moments. "Better." He responded, also in a whisper so as not to wake Bekhura. He slowly got out of bed, frowning as he realised he'd fallen asleep in his clothes. Seth chuckled softly at the expression on the other boy's face, and stood up. The to-be priest stretched, before stepping over to wake Bekhura while Yami looked for a change of clothes.
Seto nudged the thief's side gently with his toe, and promptly found himself on his back on the floor. Bekhura was scowling at him, having apparently yanked his foot out from underneath him. "Do you have a single ounce of intelligence?" The white haired boy asked.
Seth glared darkly. "I didn't expect you to freak out."
"You'd be surprised if someone poked you when you were asleep!"
Yami sweatdropped. He had a feeling that now that Bekhura was here, he'd be getting very little peace. Oh well. He never got that much anyway.
The prince selected blue and white robes, much like Seth's, and changed while the other two boys continued bickering. One of them, Yami thought it was Bekhura, was muttering something about a hippopotomi, or at least he was until Seth pounced on him and began pulling his hair. Bekhura shrieked like a little girl and grabbed the brunette's hair as well, and they both yanked until they were in a fullblown catfight.
Spot and Mafdet both took that opportunity to walk away.
Sweatdropping again, Yami watched the two fight. Hesitantly, he cleared his throat, and at that both Seth and Bekhura froze. It was a very amusing picture, with Seth's hat having toppled off to the side due to Bekhura having a handful of Seth's hair, and likewise, Seth had a good hold on Bekhura's. Both looked innocently at Yami, however.
"... I won't ask." Yami commented, earning embarrassed looks from the other two. "I just wanted to tell you both that I'm going to go find Simon and see how many classes I missed yesterday."
Seth released Bekhura and so Bekhura did the same, and the brunette stood up and brushed dust from his robes before turning back to Yami. "Actually, Simon came by to check on you yesterday after you fell asleep. He asked me to tell you not to worry about what you missed."
That brought a small smile to Yami's face. "That's good." He commented, his attitude beginning to shift back to his usual cheeriness. "One less thing to worry about. But I bet that made the other teachers mad..." Yami got a devious smirk.
Seth laughed. "You really don't like them, do you?"
The younger boy smirked. "I think they don't like ME more."
"Did I miss something?" Bekhura asked, running his fingers through his hair to detangle it a bit after the catfight.
Seth snickered and looked at him. "Just an inside joke."
Yami shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry about it, Bekhura." He looked between his two friends. "But I really have to go find Simon. I'll bring back some more food for you later, Bekhura, though there still should be some left in here." The prince turned to leave, then looked over his shoulder. "See you later!" he called, before dashing out of the room.
It only took Yami a few minutes to make it to the room Simon where was usually waiting for him. However, the older man wasn't there. Yami frowned, glancing one more time around the large room, before sighing. He probably wasn't there because it was later than when Yami usually met up with him.
The prince leaned against the wall, thinking of where the vizier could be. The throne room was a logical choice, but his father was likely to be there as well and he really didn't feel like facing him again just yet. His thoughts, however, were cut off when he sensed someone coming toward him.
It was one of the last people Yami wanted to see; Nebenkharu. Idly, the boy wondered where the man had been the day before, but stopped wondering when the man came to a halt in front of him.
"My my prince, what happened to your pretty face?" Nebenkharu asked, slick voice sounding anything but concerned. He leant down a bit and reached out, obviously to touch Yami's cheek, but the boy's glare stopped him dead. The man took his hand away and straightened as if nothing had happened, but was apparently still awaiting a response to his question.
Yami didn't give him one. Still glaring, the prince spun on his heel and strode purposefully down the corridor, entirely disregarding the advisor. Nebenkharu stared after him, before a small smirk grew on his face. "Ignore me while you can, prince. Soon I'll be so powerful you can't just pretend I don't exist..."
Yami didn't hear a word of Nebenkharu's soft proclamation, already out of sight around a corner. Once he was away from the man, Yami gave a shudder. The advisor was seriously creepy, and his aura was more than a little sinister feeling.
He continued down the hallway, still looking for Simon. It became apparent quickly, however, that Simon wasn't in one of the polished corridors, and most likely in the throne room. Giving up his wish to stay away from that room, Yami gathered his courage and made his way toward it. Stopping just outside, he leaned his head in and glanced around. He was right, both Simon and his father were there, along with the priests and Mahaado. Tayib and the precession he'd brought with him were as well, seemingly just about to leave.
Yami slipped into the room quietly and unnoticed, coming to stand by Simon much like he had the day before. Simon glanced at him in surprise, but then returned his attention toward the king of India.
Tayib didn't appear to be in the best of moods, and Akunamukannon didn't either. They weren't looking much at each other, and Yami realised with a small feeling of guilt that it was most likely because of him. But the guilt faded away as he reminded himself that this wouldn't have happened if his father wasn't a liar.
The group Tayib had brought with him, finally in the correct order, began making their way out of the palace. As he was about to leave, Tayib looked back, and spotted Yami. To the prince's surprise, the man smiled at him and Yami had enough time to smile back before the doors of the palace closed.
The formalities over, the priests and the Pharaoh broke their rigid stances and scattered a bit, spreading out to do various things. Simon turned toward Yami.
"How are you today?" He asked gently, smiling kindly at the prince.
Yami tilted his head slightly and smiled back. "I'm alright, Simon. Better than yesterday."
Simon ruffled his hair, getting a small giggle from the boy. "That's good. I was worried."
Yami looked up at him. "You shouldn't worry about me." He said softly.
Simon smiled again. "I can't help it." He ruffled Yami's hair again and got another giggle and a few swats at his hand by the prince.
"Stop messing up my hair!" Yami protested, mock glaring.
"It's not like it'd be any worse than it was to begin with." Simon replied, smirking and continuing to mess with the long strands. "That'd be a feat in itself."
"And stop making fun of me!" The boy added, laughing. "You're so mean, Simon!"
Simon laughed as well but released him. He smiled as Yami fixed his hair, pouting slightly as he did so.
Simon knew that, the queen having died, he was the person who cared most for the prince. Yami trusted him completely, something that couldn't be said about any other adult in the palace, not even Yami's father. It was pretty much assured what trust Yami had in his father was shot after the events of the day before.
The trust that Yami had in Simon came into play just a few moments later. The prince look up at the older man, giving very cute eyes. Simon sighed, because he knew that meant the boy was either going to ask him for something, or tell him something he wouldn't like.
"Simon... I need to tell you something. Will you promise me you won't be upset?"
Simon sighed again. It was both this time. Asking him something and wanting to tel him something he wouldn't like. But he nodded. "I won't be upset. What is it, Yami?"
Yami looked down for a moment, then back up. "Well, yesterday morning, I went out to my courtyard..."
Simon looked at Bekhura, then back at Yami. Then back to Bekhura, who had plastered a huge smile on his face, then to Yami, who's eyes had gone cute and huge. Then to Bekhura, who's smile had, amazingly, grown wider and was to the point of being able to give children nightmares, then back to Yami who's attention span had obviously been taxed because he'd already left to get food for his cats.
Simon sighed, and looked back at Bekhura. The white haired boy looked back at him and shrugged.
The man sighed heavily. "I just don't even care." He muttered. He wasn't sensing any malice from the boy and wasn't concerned about Yami's well being while around him, especially since the prince had already spent a lot of time with him alone, so he could see no reason why to object. "Go ahead and stay. Just keep out of sight of Yami's father, for everyone's sakes."
Bekhura smirked and nodded. "I'm a tomb robber. I can sneak past people like..." He trailed off as Simon crossed his arms and glared at him. The white haired boy looked sheepish. "...Never mind."
Simon almost laughed, and rolled his eyes. "Good." He said, smirking. "Welcome to the palace, Bekhura."
Bekhura grinned back and put a hand on his hip. "Could you even kick me out?"
Simon raised an eyebrow. "What?" He questioned.
"If you had wanted to, could you override the prince's decision and have me kicked out?" Bekhura clarified, looking curious.
Simon smirked again, now that he understood what Bekhura has meant. "Yes. I can override Yami. He is only six, after all."
"You royals are strange." Bekhura decided, sitting down on Yami's bed with Mafdet and Spot. "You'd think that the prince would have power over everyone but the Pharaoh..."
"Not when the prince is a boy with uncontrolled magic and a tendency towards brash decisions." Simon responded, looking amused. "Is that all you wanted to know?"
Bekhura laughed. "I suppose so. Besides the reason for why you're so short."
Simon put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrow again. "You're pushing it."
Before Bekhura could respond, Yami returned with bowls of food for the cats. They immediately jumped off the bed and ran over, both sticking their faces in their bowls almost instantly.
The prince looked at the two, and smiled. "Getting along?"
"He won't tell me why he's short." Bekhura commented, playing with one of his bangs.
"Would you give up on that?" Simon asked, his expression returning to amused. "You're not too tall either."
"But I'm not an adult yet."
"But I am."
"...So?"
Yami smiled again and laughed, petting his cats while Simon and Bekhura argued. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.
A/N: ... Yeah.
This chapter was written in parts, so if some scenes are better quality writing than others, that explains it. XD And, as you likely noticed, I tried to tie in some of the things in Eien (such as some things about the dream) with this ficcy. Since that was the point of this fic, after all. XD
Anyway, please review and give me an ego boost! XD