A/N: Mise arís! (Me again!) How do you like the story so far? I'm enjoying writing it, and my sisters like it too, so that's good . I'm still trying to get more into the YGO! characters way of thinking, so that I could do them better. Again, this is my first attempt at a YGO! fic. I've blabbed enough
Responce to reviews:
bast4: He's a plotter Heehee, and that little talent of his does come up later on in the fic when he comes up with a nice little plot. Some of the others are in this fic, yes, and I'm trying to find places for others but I'm not going to say. You'll have to wait and see Thank you for the review!
Sirithiliel: Heck yeah! Yami Bakura's the best there! He's so cool. I hope the story lives up to your expectations. Thankies for the review!
Chicary: I think I might mess the characters up a little later on but I'm working on fixing that . Glad you didn't see it at yaoi I'm trying for family love, not intimate love. Thank you for the review!
Bayleef: Ashla: -Blinks and looks at Bakura-
Bakura: -takes the axe from the other review and growls, taking chase after Bayleef- I'll show you for kicking me!
Ashla: Cranky is right. -Does a weird squeal and hugs Ryoura back tightly.- You're a cutie! You're much safer to cuddle than Pepper is too! Thankies for the review you two!
Kyrian: -Gets newspaper and hits fic on the... head?- No biting the reviewers!
Fic: -growls-
Ashla: Weird.... Anyways ;; Yeah, this is my first Yu-gi-oh fanfic. Thanks for the tip there. I'm working on fixing the sentences so that they're not all the same, but now I'm using the word 'as' too much. Gah! I need to learn new words. -Goes to root out a dictionary.- Erm... I don't get it actually ;; Heehee. Forgive my slowness! Thank you for the review and tip! -hugs- Later!
And here's the next part!
Golden Sands
Part Three
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Yami groaned, the rising sun shining into his face, and he rolled over, turning his back to it. "I don't want to get up," he muttered sleepily, opening one eye and spotting Yugi standing beside him. 'Does that boy ever sleep?' he thought. Yugi was always still around the palace until Yami was asleep, the last person he'd see before going to bed, and he was always the first person he saw in the mornings. "Don't you ever sleep?" the pharaoh voiced, still lying under the light covers.
Yugi chuckled. "Morning to you too, and no, I don't. Can't you tell that I never sleep?"
"Huh?" Yami narrowed his eyes a little and stared at him. 'Never sleeps? Ohh, wait.' Yami groaned again and lay on his back. "Don't go messing with my mind. It's too early for that."
Yugi laughed and walked across the room. "Oh but you're so gullible in the morning. A guy has to find some fun somewhere." He got a bowl of cool water and a cloth and brought them over to Yami. He knelt down and held them out to the pharaoh.
Yami finally dragged himself to the edge of the bed and swung his legs out. He shivered slightly as his feet touched the cold floor and a cool breeze blew on his bare back, seeing as he was only wearing a pair of light silk pants that he always wore going to bed. After washing his face in the water Yugi brought him a towel and then ran off to get his clothes for the day.
While he was gone, Yami looked out over the balcony like he had a few days ago and every night since. The whole incident with Bakura happened a week ago now, and still there had been no sign of him. Yami had also been told that it was his horse that had been stolen by Bakura, which made things more annoying than they already were. That horse had been a gift to Yami when he had turned thirteen, but to be honest, he never really liked the horse. It always did what it wanted to do and that didn't change over the last six years he'd been trying to train it. He smirked and a light chuckled escaped his lips. 'Have fun with my horse Bakura. I doubt it'll like you.'
"Good to see you smiling again." Yugi's voice brought Yami out of his train of thought. The boy placed Yami's clothes on the bed beside him and smiled, then he held out a bowl with some grapes in it. "Grape?"
For some reason that Yami couldn't figure out, Yugi found offering Yami grapes very funny and would always chuckle to himself. He shook his head and smiled back. "I was just thinking what trouble Signet Grey was causing Bakura. It's actually amusing to imagine." He got up and started to get dressed. He heard Yugi giggle and rolled his eyes. "So, what do I have lined up for me today?"
Yugi put the bowl down and took out a small scroll and opened it. Upon the parchment was a list of things that Yami had to get through. There was a new one made everyday, full of new tasks for him to complete, and they were always done because Yami refused to go to bed without finishing each of the jobs, something about getting work done the day you got it. Yugi started off at the top and started listing out today's tasks. "Oh, and you have a meeting with some of the townsfolk about the need for extra camels," Yugi finished, rolling up the scroll and putting it into his tunic. He wore the same thing all the time; a white tunic tied with a sash at the waist and a bangle on each wrist, but not made of gold like the pharaoh's. He never wore sandals inside, not that he really needed to while inside, but he did when he was sent to fetch something down in the city, so that his feet wouldn't burn on the hot sand. Also, Yami had given him a gold ring for his birthday a few years ago, which he wore all the time. It wasn't much, no splendid designs on it, but Yugi adored it and would never take it off. Yami had one made for himself that was the exact same and he wore it all the time also.
"They want more camels? But I thought they got a new herd of them not long ago," Yami said while he fastened his armlets and bangles in place and fixed on his earrings.
"True, but a lot of those camels were caught by travelling raiders last month." Yami sighed at this and rolled his eyes.
"I should have guessed," he muttered as he slipped his crown on. He slid his feet into his sandals and fixed the sash around his waist. "Well, let's get to work. Sounds like I've a busy day," he said as he slipped the Millennium Puzzle on around his neck.
"Breakfast first," Yugi told him, following Yami out of the bedroom.
"Yes, yes. I know." The two headed towards the meal room where Yami, and guests if he had any, ate their meals with a view over the whole city through the nearby windows. What they couldn't see was the dark figure approaching far off in the distance, nor did Yami notice Yugi's faltering step behind him, sluggish movements nor slightly laboured breathing.
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Bakura swore as the horse stopped in its tracks for the fifth time. They had been riding for a while now, and it was taking twice as long to get to the city than it took leaving it. The stallion kept stopping at its own will to rest and this was angering Bakura to no end.
"Alright you stupid beast, if you don't move I'll slit that fat windpipe of yours and let you here for whatever comes!" That got the horse moving again. Bakura groaned and rolled his eyes. 'Why am I reasoning with a stupid animal?' he thought as they galloped over the warming sands towards the city.
Once they reached the top of a sand dune, Bakura halted his ride and looked down. "Now, how to get in without being seen?" he pondered. He was positive that there would be soldiers around the city's entrances, more so than before. Last time he was able to sneak in through the back gates without being seen, but he was on foot then, and even though it would be a lot easier for him, he couldn't leave the brute of an animal that he now sat on. For some reason he was getting attached to it. 'Reminds me a bit of me,' he thought and shook his head.
The sound of a horse neighing caught his attention and he looked down the dune. Below him was a group of travelling merchants, returning to the city after a few months of travelling the deserts. "Perfect," Bakura muttered and smirked. "Move!" he snapped and kicked the stallion. The horse leapt into a canter and bounded down the sand dune towards the group. Bakura pulled his cloak around himself and the hood over his head. He slowed when he got closer so as not to panic the merchants and he pulled up close to the leader. "Excuse me?" Bakura nearly gagged as he said that. 'Being polite is so sickening!'
The leader turned his head and looked down from atop his camel. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"I would like to travel with you. My group were attacked and I was the only person to escape so I'd like to have the protection of another group, just to the city walls." Bakura kept his head down to mask his face and made his voice low, to sound shy and scared. It worked.
"All right. You can join in the back there. By the way, that's a lovely stallion you have there. With a strong animal like that it's no wonder you managed to escape."
Bakura swallowed his pride and muttered a 'Thank you' and turned to move back to where he would walk. He growled angrily as he took his place. 'I swear, if I have to talk like that again heads are going to roll!' He fell silent and watched the group he was with. They were mostly men coming home and a few women and children, but there were a few newcomers. They were easily picked apart from the others by their nervous appearance and shifty movements. 'Pathetic.'
Then a thought came to his mind. His stallion. The guards should notice it belonged to one of them when he passed by the gates so he had to cover some of him with something. A young girl was walking beside him, carrying a bag that out weighed her by at least twice her body weight. Bakura grabbed it from her back when he was close and dropped it over his horse's neck with ease. The weight was nothing to him, but the grey snorted in protest at the extra weight. Bakura then leaned over and pulled the girl up, placing her to sit behind him. She was only young and looked as if she wouldn't make the city on foot. He heard her gasp twice in surprise, first when the bag was taken from her, second when she was pulled off of her feet. She snaked her arms around to hold his waist and he heard her say 'Thank you, Sir.' He grunted and ignored her grip around his torso. 'Weak female,' was all he thought, not noticing the grateful looks he was getting from some of the other travellers. 'Don't get comfortable. I'm only using you, you little runt,' he conversed with himself and looked forward.
Now he looked more like he belonged with the group, and the horse was somewhat covered from direct view. He would still have to be careful though. He looked up as they neared the city and he growled inwardly as his gaze fell upon the great palace sitting on the top of a hill, overlooking the whole city. Its white walls shone in the sunlight, making it look as if it was glowing. He touched the Millennium Ring around his neck and felt its warmth as it glowed under his shirt. 'Soon, soon the pharaoh will fall.'
They passed the gates with ease, being stopped once so that the guards could check the carts. They were waved on and Bakura followed, keeping his head down almost the whole time. Once they reached the centre of the city they turned right. Bakura knew this track off by heart. This was the way to the palace. If he hadn't been with the group, he would have had to take the long way around to get close to the palace, but this now cut a lot of time. 'Well isn't this turning out to be convenient?' He smirked and decided to stick with the group a little longer, to see where they went.
"We're going to see the pharaoh about new camels," came a soft voice behind him. Bakura looked over his shoulder at the girl. "We were attacked too, a few times. We lost about five camels to raiders." Her voice trailed off and she looked down. Soft blond locks covered her face and he could hear her sob lightly, but he ignored it.
'This is turning out better than I would have expected. If I stick with this sorry group, I'll get into the palace with ease.' He looked forward again to the approaching palace. 'This is too perfect.'
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"The merchants are here, my pharaoh."
"Let them in," Yami said in a bored tone. He sat down on his throne and took the drink offered to him by Yugi. He paused when he was handing it back and stared at Yugi. "Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Yugi's dreary eyes looked to Yami and he smiled. "Sure, I'm fine."
"You don't look it."
"Really, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, nothing more." Yugi forced a smile. Truthfully, he was feeling terrible. He woke that morning with a splitting headache and his whole body ached. He didn't know what it was, but he was feeling worse than he had in a long time. 'It'll pass,' he told himself and took Yami's drink as he handed it to him. "No need to worry about me. You've got business to take care of."
Yami looked down as a group of people entered the hall and all bowed to him. "All right, but I want to talk to you later," he whispered to Yugi and turned his attention back to the group.
"My pharaoh. I am Joson, leader of this group of merchants. We were attacked by raiders a number of times on our travels and have lost a number of camels," Joson explained.
Bakura watched Yami with burning hate. He was so close, but he couldn't move now. The whole hall was full of guards and all he had to do was make one sudden movement and his cover would be blown.
"That boy by the pharaoh looks ill," whispered the girl, who was after following him and kneeling beside him.
Bakura took his attention from Yami over to the boy. Indeed he looked ill. His face was flushed, his eyes were drooping, and his skin was covered in a light layer of sweat, as well as being pale.
"I heard that he's called Yugi, and that he's the pharaoh's half brother," she explained, then fell silent as her mother tapped her on the side, whispering a 'Hush Bekka!'.
'Half brother huh?' Bakura thought and grinned. He now noticed the odd worried glance the pharaoh was sending the boy at his side. 'Yes, I have found my target. Why kill the pharaoh straight away, when I can make him suffer? You, little Yugi, are going to help me greatly.'
To be continued....
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By the way, I'm going away for a bit so the next part won't be up for about three weeks. Sorry! ;; I have 11 more parts ready in the wing! So no fear of me getting stuck without something to update for a little while Later!
Slán slán!
Ashla
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