A/N You should know the drill by now. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
To my reviewers: Thanks for all of your reviews. And if I haven't mentioned your name specifically, I'm terribly sorry. I do appreciate all of your kind words and I hope I have returned the favor by meeting all of your expectations regarding this story.
A few tense second passed, but there was no impact. There was only the rushing of wind and the sweet scent of rain and blooming flowers. Safiya opened her eyes to see that they were no longer in the arena, but were soaring high above the palace.
"Oh Atemu, it's beautiful. But how…?"
Atemu squeaked out his response, slowly gaining his bearings. "It seems as though your guardian has the ability to transport itself and others from one location to another."
Safiya wasn't sure that they had actually been transported. She felt that they had simply passed through the ceiling, but she didn't argue. "Can we not think about that now? Let's just enjoy the view."
The dragon lazily flapped its wings, keeping it airborne in the waning sunlight of the late afternoon sky. Dark clouds spread throughout the sky, threatening rain, and the beast gently banked left and right to avoid them. Looking out over the horizon, Safiya watched the sun set over the desert in fiery reds, vivid oranges, and brilliant yellows.
"Atemu, it's amazing. I've never seen Egypt like this."
"Nor have I."
They soared through the skies, taking in the sights until darkness began to settle around them. Finally, realizing that they needed to return to the palace lest the inhabitants begin to worry, Safiya addressed the dragon. "Asim, would you be so kind as to return us to the palace?"
The dragon turned its head toward Safiya and nodded slightly as it banked to the right, setting a course for the palace.
Within half an hour, the dragon approached the palace. Finding the section that housed the old arena, the dragon folded in its wings and dove toward the roof. As the dragon gained speed, Safiya forced herself to keep her eyes open. She watched as the roof rapidly approached and her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to keep her eyes open. And as she had first believed, the dragon did not so much transport them to a whole new location as it did pass directly through the roof and palace interior.
The dragon continued its steep descent until the floor of the arena came into view. It then unfurled its wings and with a single forward flap, stopped short in the air. It extended its hind legs and gingerly landed on the soft sand. Lowering its body to the ground, the dragon allowed Atemu and Safiya to dismount.
Safiya looked deep into one of the dragon's piercing green eyes. "Asim, thank you." She gently massaged the creature's jaw. "You now have my full trust, and I hope I have yours." She leaned in to place a kiss on the soft feathers lining the dragon's cheek. "And as much as I hate to do this, I feel that it is time for you to return."
The dragon nodded its massive head and quickly launched itself into the air. A strong wind rose up as the dragon vanished into Safiya's dia diank. The golden wing on the arm band contracted as the guardian dragon returned to its home.
The two stood in silence for a moment, still absorbing the majesty of the great beast. Finally, Safiya couldn't contain it anymore. "Atemu! Did you just see that? Did we really just do that? That was great!" She ran to Atemu's side and threw her arms around his neck.
"I'm just as amazed as you are, Safiya. The only difference is that that creature does not answer to me. It answers to you."
She stepped back. "You're right." She paused. "So, what do we do now?"
"Well, right now, we should probably go make sure that no one is looking for us. And then we can get some dinner, and after that," he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close, a seductive grin on his face, "we retire to our quarters."
She reflected the mischief in his eyes. "And what are we going to do once we 'retire to our chambers'?"
He let go of her and stepped back in mock surprise. "I'm shocked that you would even ask me that. We're going to sleep of course. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
She laughed and leaned into him as he returned his arm to her waist. "Why, what's tomorrow?" She asked.
His eyes twinkled. "Tomorrow, your dragon will dominate the shadow games."
"Even over you?"
"I doubt that." A smirk tugged at his lips. "I have three guardians to your one. And my three guardians are the three god monsters. But anyway, I only play true shadow games with those that prove themselves."
She put on the best show of innocence that she could conjure up. "Is the King of Games afraid of a little girl and her dragon?"
Deep laughter filled the arena. "Don't tempt me Saph. It's nothing I have against you. It's a rule that I have set in place to keep just anyone from challenging me."
"And I respect that. But in the end, you are only delaying your own ultimate defeat."
"Maybe I am." He paused, the smirk returning to his lips. "And then again, maybe I'm not. Maybe it is your own defeat that is being delayed."
Laughter filled the arena once again as the two linked arms and headed back into the palace.
But Atemu and Safiya never had the chance to play their shadow game. Fate had other plans in store for them.
