~*An Old Friend*~
Daybreak broke out in the skies as Tea continued to saunter in the desert. It had been hours without any drop of water or a sign of cold air. Sauntering, she collapsed into the ground, exhausted.
Hours continue to tick on as she opened her eyes only to find herself not in the desert but in a small cottage. Unlike Marik's home, this cottage was rather rustic. The roof was thatched and only two windows poked through, giving her a view of the night sky. Shifting her body to the side, she noticed that she was on the ground. A single table stood at the corner of the single room cottage. Sitting up, she looked around curiously. "Where…where am I?"
"I'm glad to see you're awake." A voice called out. "I was beginning to worry."
"Who are you?" Tea tilted her head to the side.
The young man pressed a wet towel on Tea's forehead. "It's a good thing I found you earlier. If you were in the desert any longer, you would've burned to a crisp."
"I appreciate it…uh…um…"
"Rishid." The cloaked figure bowed. His baldhead gleamed in the sunlight. He had no hair except for the ponytail that hung in the back of his head. He took Tea's arm, looking over the gold bracelets that adorned her wrists. "Are you a thief?"
Tea shook his head. "No, I'm not a thief."
"I have noticed that. The markings on your back tell me so."
"You mean…"
Rishid nodded. "I have recognized the markings on your back. Apparently, my sister had the same marking on her back. You work as an escort for Marik don't you Anzu?"
"How did you know my name?"
"Lay on your stomach." Rishid replied calmly. Tea shifted her body, turning herself over. Rishid exposed her bare back, running his finger over the realistic painted rose and the hieroglyphics that etched her name and what seemed like a poem. "Your name is scrawled on your back."
"What ever happened to your sister?"
Rishid remained silent as he concealed Tea's back. "I am not so sure but she had been transferred to work for the pharaoh of the north. I never heard from her since then." He filled a small cup with water. "Now I ask you, why have you ran away from Marik in the first place?"
"Rishid, it's a rather complicated story but all I can say is that I have broken one of the sacred rules." She remained silent for a moment. "No, I have done something far worse. Do you remember the former pharaoh of the north?"
"Ah, the blonde one. He was a definite wise one indeed. That is until he challenged the sorcerer Kaiba to a game of duel monsters. The pharaoh lost and Kaiba took over."
"It's just that I love both my master and the former pharaoh of the north!" Tea's face burned with embarrassment.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, a white bird flown in through the window, landing on Rishid's shoulder. Looking up, Rishid stuck out his finger, allowing the bird to perch on his finger.
"Is that your bird?" Tea gazed at the creature.
Rishid smiled. "No, birds tend to visit my home often." A chuckle escaped his lips.
Tea's eyes continued to watch the bird. Its eyes gazed back at her. Tea realized that the bird looked rather familiar. "Wait a minute!" Tea's eyes widened with fear, pointing her finger at the bird. "That's…that's Marik's messenger bird!"
Rishid slowly looked up at Anzu, his finger stroking the bird's neck. "Something the matter Anzu?"
Shaking slightly, Tea rose up before bolting out of the cottage, running down the village square. Before she could run any further, cool metal clamped over her neck, stopping in her place. She felt herself being pulled back until her body slammed into someone.
"I thought I might find you here Anzu." Dark laughter seeped through the lips of the familiar one, in his hands was a long piece of chain that connected to the shackle that attached itself to Tea's neck.
Looking up, Anzu gazed into the eyes of Marik. "My…my lord…"
Shoving her down onto the dirt, paved road, he pressed his foot onto the back of Tea's head. He gazed down at the young body lying on her stomach. Reaching inside his cloak, he took out a huge bullwhip, ripping the cloth that concealed her. Raising his weapon, he brought down the whip onto her bare back, causing his escort to scream in pain.
Villagers slowly emerged from their tattered homes to watch the commotion taking place. Marik noticed this as he had ceased his weapon. Turning to the villagers, he snarled, "Any of you who doesn't go back to their houses right now during their curfew week will get a death sentence!"
Panicking, the villagers rushed back inside their homes. Marik continued to strike his whip over and over until Tea's back bled from the countless marks. Picking up her body, he carried her over to the carriage before turning to Rishid. "It has been a while Rishid. I praise you for still having your touch on manipulating my escorts into believing that you're their friend."
"It never goes out of style." Rishid smirked as he followed Marik inside the carriage.
They rode all the way back to the temple on horse. As they finally arrived, they saw Shadi standing right by the entrance. Getting out of the carriage with Tea's body draped over his shoulder, Marik approached his advisor.
"Shadi, why are you out here?"
"Well, the pharaoh of the north has arrived since this morning. We…well…we're trying to stall them until you have arrived."
"That's nice." He then placed Tea's body in Shadi's arms. "Deal with her for now. Take her upstairs to her chambers."
"Right." Shadi nodded as he went back inside the temple, carrying Tea along the way.
Marik made his way into the living room seeing five people sitting on the couch. His eyes gazed turned to the younger man wearing fancy clothes. "You didn't tell me you were bringing your whole family."
"Hmph!" Kaiba kept his gaze on Marik's. "I only brought along my little brother." He patted the head of a younger looking boy who sat next to him.
"I'm Mokuba!" the little boy chirped up. He then pointed to the blonde sitting across from him. "That's Joey," he then pointed to the one with brown short hair. "That's Tristan," he then pointed to the one with wild black hair. "And that's Duke."
"Save your breath from the introductions Mokuba." Kaiba's gaze went down to the floor.
"What are you here for? I'm not running a hotel here you know." Marik continued to watch Kaiba.
"We still have to talk business." Kaiba replied.
"Hey, she's awake!"
Tea opened her eyes, looking around. There stood Shadi, Rishid, Bakura, Yugi and Yami. Her eyes locked onto Rishid's gaze, glaring at him. "You fucking traitor!"
"A thousand apologies Madame." Rishid bowed. "Marik is a friend of mine. After all, you weren't supposed to run and escape like that."
"Good point." Bakura looked on at Tea. She was lying on her stomach while Shadi pressed a towel to the cuts on Tea's back.
"All right you two," Shadi unfolded the cloth, placing it on Tea's back. "Let's just go. The young girl needs some rest. Plus, I'm sure Marik would want to see you Bakura."
"We should get going as well." Yugi tugged on Yami's arm.
"I'll stay here for a moment."
"Oh well, it's your funeral." Yugi shrugged as he followed Shadi out of Tea's room.
Standing up, Yami approached Tea's bedside, running his fingers through her hair. "How are you feeling?"
Tea groaned slightly. "Still a bit sore, yes."
"I can't blame you for that. I'll leave for now so you can get some rest all right?"
Tea nodded. Smiling, Yami leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her softly, than passionately.
Meanwhile, someone was watching the intimate scene unfold. Clenching its fist, teeth gritting, in a low voice it spoke. "The bitch must die."
~*To Be Continued*~
