A/N: For one, sorry this took me to long to put up! I'm trying to finish the story before I put up the chapters because I sometimes need to change something in an earlier chapter to suit the actions in later ones ; So that's why this one took so long. I actually have almost the entire story finished, just to fine-tune it. Now, responses!
Responce to reviews:
verdragon: Thank you very much for your comment. I hope you enjoy this piece!
Sorceress Vanessa: Cheers for the review! I'm really enjoying this story, and trust me, poor Yugi gets it worse later on. Poor guy. Hope ya like!
Ayamari: Thanks for the review! Enjoy
cj: I think the Egyptian theme is such a cool one! Yami looks great in the pharaoh get-up. Thanks for the review!
Chicary: Lol, I think Bakura just wanted the easy way out. Can you imagine how much trouble it would have been dragging Yugi away kicking a screaming? Heehee, he wouldn't have gotten very far. I like the Ancient Egypt theme It's very new for me, and I'm enjoying it! Whee! Lol. Sorry this took so long to update! Bold me ;; Enjoy this part!
Pharaoh Star Yami: It's great to know another Irish Yu-Gi-Oh fan other than my sisters, heehee. Having to take Irish in school isn't the worst. You get to confuse people that don't know it, lol. Good fun! It does get a little dragged out later, but I'm working on fixing that before I put it up. I'm actually almost finished typing it out. Only a few chapters and I'll have it ready for uploading, so the updates should be faster. Go raibh mile maith agut! Slán slán!
TombRaider15: Glad you like How you like this part to. Thanks for the review!
Game Lover: The monster wasn't an actual person or character, just a monster summon that Bakura summoned up to make getting away that little bit easier I'll try to get the parts up faster. Sorry for the wait!
wright more: Thank you for the review!
And now, part five!
Golden Sands
Part Five
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The sun shone against Yami's face and he muttered groggily to himself, "Stupid sun, always waking me." He rolled over onto his back and stretched his limbs out, groaning as he got the stiffness out of his arms and legs after the night. He relaxed with a sigh and then opened his eyes, turning his head to one side. He expected to see Yugi standing beside his bed, like he was every morning, but he was met this morning with an empty room.
"Yugi?" Yami sat up and looked around the room in bewilderment. The sun was already up, so Yami knew he wasn't after waking up early, but that never happened anyway. He was known for being a heavy sleeper and hard to wake at times. Still, Yugi wasn't there no matter where he looked within the four walls of his chamber. 'Maybe he's still sleeping? He did look sick yesterday,' he thought and nodded to himself in confirmation.
He got out of bed and walked over to wash his face. 'I should go see if he's all right.' Yami paused, his cupped hands full of water halfway to his face, as he realised something. 'I don't know where Yugi's room is.' He felt ashamed. Yugi was always around, and the one time he might need Yami, he didn't know where Yugi stayed. Yami frowned and shook his head. 'I'm the pharaoh, I should know. Not to mention I'm his brother.' He splashed the water on his face and shivered as the coldness of the liquid slapped him in the face and a few drops hit his bare skin. That woke him up.
'I'll ask someone, they should know.' He finished washing his face and picked up the clean tunic Yugi had set out the night before. He pulled it on and left the pants on the bed. He then went through his normal morning routine as he adorned himself in his usual jewellery and put on his crown, fixing it so it wouldn't fall off. He tied the sash around his waist and rested it so that the knot was on his hip, tucked neatly away under the folds of the cloth. He took a camel-hair brush and ran it through his hair, not sure if he was getting it all because Yugi usually helped him, pointing out the places he'd missed at the back. Yami looked around the room and frowned. It felt really lonely without Yugi to talk to in the morning. Also, Yugi always had the list of what he had to do, so until he found out where that was, Yami's time was his own.
This new concept put a smile on the pharaoh's lips. He pulled his sandals on and walked out of the room, heading down to the breakfast room. He had to get some breakfast before he could look for Yugi and enjoy his free time. 'I'll ask the chef if he knows where Yugi's room is.' He arrived in the room, which was more like a hall, and took his seat at the head of the long table. He looked around the room and waited for the chef to come in. Usually the food was already there when he came in, but it was different this morning for some reason. 'Everything seems out of place today.'
Yami looked over to a far doorway as the cloth coving it was pushed aside and plump man came out, dressed in a white tunic like most others and carrying a tray off sweet smelling food. The chef came over to the table with Yami's food and placed it before him, falling then to his knees and bowing, which was not an easy task for a man with a large stomach in the way. "I apologise immensely, my pharaoh, for my delay in bringing you your food."
Yami nodded. "That's all right." He never really believed in punishing his servants for mistakes. All humans make errors, and that included himself. Besides, the food was too good to go punishing its maker. "Stand."
"Yes, my pharaoh."
Yami watched from the corner of his eye as the man grunted while struggling to get his large mass to his feet. The pharaoh looked down to his food on the table and was nearly put off it, thinking of all the fat in that man's body. He shook it off and ate what he was given. When he finished he thanked the chef. "Another meal well made."
"Oh thank you, pharaoh. I am honoured to serve you." The servants came in and cleared the table, and the chef bowed his head as he backed out of the room. He was about to exit when Yami stopped him.
"Excuse me, chef?" Pharaoh or not, manners should always be used.
"Yes, pharaoh?" The chef halted in place and looked up to face Yami, straightening up from his bent over position.
"Have you seen Yugi this morning?" Yami questioned, tilting his head to look around the edge of his chair at the chef. The chef came back over so that Yami wouldn't have to do that, seeing as it wasn't fit for a pharaoh.
"No, highness, I haven't. Yugi is usually the first person up and he tells us when he is waking you, so that we can have your breakfast ready for you, but he never arrived this morning," the man explained. He was in his thirties, Yami guessed, with a friendly appearance and rosy cheeks from working in the kitchens, and a belly from tasting the foods.
"He didn't come to me this morning either." Yami looked thoughtful for a moment. 'He must be sicker than he was letting on.' He rose from his seat and looked to the man again. "Where does Yugi sleep? I wish to go see him."
"I will send for someone to take you there at once. One moment please." The chef bowed and left the room after Yami nodded to him. Seconds later a young girl about the age of twelve, clad in a white dress that reached her knees, short brown hair coming down to her ears, slightly curling to cup and frame her chin, came out and bowed to Yami.
"This way, pharaoh," she said after getting back to her feet and she led Yami out of the room and down a hallway. Yami looked around as they walked, memories slowly flowing back into his mind.
'I haven't been down here in a long time,' he mused, remembering back to his childhood when he used to play down these halls, where all the servants stayed. His mind was replying images of his past and he smiled. He remembered one time when Yugi was young, he and Yami had been playing, even though Yami was already pharaoh by then, and Yugi had clambered into a vase. Yami went to follow but, seeing as he was bigger, got suck at the waist in the vase, head down and legs in the air. Yugi couldn't stop laughing as he pointed at Yami, stuck fast. They spent a while trying to pull him out, the chef finally getting him out by rubbing animal fat to his sides. Yami stank for ages and his clothes had to be thrown out. His smile widened as he passed by the same vase that he'd been stuck in all those years ago.
A chuckled escaped Yami's lips. Those were the days, carefree and fun. He looked forward to the girl again and thought of something. 'This is really far. Does Yugi go all this way all the time?' But Yami didn't know that they weren't even halfway there. Another few minutes of walking brought them to a set of steps. There was a door at the top of these and this was Yugi's room.
"Here we are." The girl bowed again, kneeling on the floor. "Do you wish for me to wait for you?"
"Yes, do," Yami replied. He turned, knocked lightly on the door, and waited for a reply. When he didn't get one he pushed the door open and stepped in. From what he knew, Yugi's room was one of the few servants' rooms with an actual door; the others only had a cloth across them, some nothing at all. His gaze wandered around the room. It was a nice, tidy, little room; a set of shelves holding scrolls at one side, a small table and two chairs on the other. His bed was in the middle. Yami's eyes narrowed as he looked at the bed. 'It's made already.' He went over and looked at the covers. 'Either he's up, or he didn't sleep here.' Yami was starting to get worried now. Yugi would have come to him if he was up, but he didn't.
"Something's wrong." He spun around, his cloak flowing behind him, and left the room. "Hey, you, have you seen Yugi at all today?" he asked the girl, making her jump at his sudden appearance from the room.
"N-no, pharaoh, I haven't," she stuttered, bowing her head to the floor.
"When did you see him last?" he demanded.
"With you yesterday when you were leaving for your bath. I went to my room after that and I haven't seen nor heard him since then." She paused and looked at Yami as his face fell and he muttered something. "May I pry as to ask, pharaoh, is there something wrong?"
Yami stared hard at her for asking, then dismissed it and then sighed. "There might well be. Tell me, where does Yugi go first in the mornings?"
"He gets up before dawn and wakes the chef. Then he goes and wakes the servants who are needed to start the day, then he goes out to the stables and helps the stable master feed the animals and helps clean out a few stalls. Then he comes back in and gets a breakfast with the rest of the staff. Once done, he helps clean up and sorts out a few jobs. He gets the scroll with your daily list on it and goes to his room then and washes up before going to wake you, pharaoh," she told him, counting off each task on her fingers as she told him.
Yami nearly let his jaw drop. 'Yugi does all that, by himself?! No wonder he looked so ragged yesterday. I need to make him take a few days off.' Yami nodded thankfully to her. "And was he there for any of that this morning?"
"No, pharaoh. He wasn't. We all thought he was still sleeping. We saw how sick he was yesterday so we left him be." Her bright blue eyes looked up at him then dropped to the floor, remembering not to meet his gaze unless told to, so she bowed again to cover up her small mistake, not that Yami noticed anyway.
'And I ran him around all day yesterday. Even the servants knew he shouldn't be working. But he said he was okay... Drat! I hope he's all right and hasn't collapsed somewhere.' He turned around and started walking. "All right, I want Yugi found and put to bed. There's no way that fever broke overnight. Also, I want somebody to come to me when he's found. Understood?"
"Yes, pharaoh."
"Good." Yami went to his throne and sat down, dismissing the girl to tell the others of his order. He rested his chin in one hand and closed his eyes. 'Why do I feel like I'm missing something here?'
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Yugi groaned and rolled over onto his back, waking when cold metal touched his back. With waking, pain returned. "Ow, my head," he moaned, raising a hand to his forehead and putting pressure there, feeling a large lump. "What hit me?" He froze when he heard a snore from the other side of the room he was in.
"Huh?" When he opened his eyes they widened when the view of bars on every side met him. He was in a small cage just big enough for him to lie down, if he curled up, and to sit up. He panicked and took deep breaths to calm himself. The events of the night before replayed in his mind's eye. "Bakura," he whispered.
Out of habit, he was awake before dawn so he had woken before Bakura had. He attempted to sit up but collapsed down again, dizziness crashing over him like a wave breaking on cool seas. He felt worse than before and sleeping on a cold floor with metal bars jabbing into his back didn't help matters.
So, rather than sitting up, he settled with looking around from where he lay. They were in a cave somewhere, telling from the stone walls with no windows and a hole for a door, through which very little light was coming in as it was covered with a cloth. The walls were practically smooth from the wind blowing the sands onto it, sanding the roughness away over the years.
The remains of the night were slowly fading away and making way for the sun, the inky black sky changing to a dark blue, soon to become clear blue with the bright sun burning down. Yugi couldn't see much else so he watched the sun rise when the breeze blew the cloth gently to one side. When visibility was better his gaze wandered over the rest of the cave. He observed a chest against one wall, a chamber pot at the back, a small wooden stool and the bed, where his captor now lay.
Yugi finally managed to pull himself into a sitting position when the dizziness passed and he looked down at his feet. Two heavy, metal shackles were locked around his ankles and a chain tied them together that led to a bolt on the wall, locking Yugi securely to his place. 'Doesn't look like I'm going anywhere soon,' he thought sadly as he pulled at the chain, stopping when he feared the noise would wake Bakura. He glanced over to the bed to make sure he wasn't noticed. Bakura was still sleeping so he looked down at his hands holding the chain. He then noticed that the bangles around his wrists were gone but his ring was still on his finger. "That stupid Bakura! Why I should -"
His muttering was cut off when he felt a pair of eyes watching him and a low chuckled flowed into his ears. He slowly looked over his shoulder to the bed and bit his lip. Bakura was watching him with cold, amused eyes, and an evil grin on his lips. His silver hair fell over his face and bare tanned shoulders in a tangled mess. The Millennium Ring hung around his neck, and it was at the sight of this that Yugi felt the blood drain from his veins.
The Millennium Items, seven in total, were all known to have special powers. He knew Yami had one, and that a ruler of a nearby kingdom had one also; the Millennium Necklace. She was known to use it for good, as did Yami, and the high priest that lived near Yami's palace, but the fact that someone as evil as Bakura would have one distressed Yugi greatly.
'No wonder he was never caught.'
"Oh don't let me interrupt you. You would do what?" Bakura asked, his voice taunting Yugi.
Yugi glared at him over his shoulder and turned to face him fully, his back pressed hard against the bars of the cage. He refused to answer him.
He suddenly wished he were asleep again as a wave of nausea came over him. He turned to one side and threw up. He was on his hands and knees and shivering uncontrollably by the time his stomach was giving up dry retches. He licked his lips and cringed at the vile taste on them, mixed with his salty sweat. Yugi closed his eyes and whimpered. 'I want to go home.'
"Aw, is the little boy sick? Poor thing." Bakura laughed, uncaring, and stood up. "You'd better clean that up, runt. I don't want to live with that smell. Bad enough you're here."
"H-how? I'm stuck in here," Yugi whispered, opening his eyes and looking up at Bakura, who was now standing beside the cage. His large bulky form shadowed over Yugi and reminded the boy of the monsters that he faced in his nightmares when he was younger, but this wasn't a nightmare that he could wake up from. This was real.
Bakura took out a key and unlocked the cage with a 'click'. He grabbed Yugi by his upper arm and pulled him out roughly, jerking him to his feet. Yugi gasped through his teeth as he hit the floor hard on his side. His stomach heaved again and he rolled over, but nothing came up. He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and took deep breaths to steady himself. He opened his eyes and looked up, spotting a bucket of water in front of him and a cloth, more like a rotting rag actually. He narrowed his eyes and scowled up at Bakura.
"Well?" Bakura crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow down at the boy.
"No! I'm not doing anything!" He got to his feet, falling back against the wall from the dizziness that hit him from standing too fast. His eyes narrowed at Bakura.
Bakura stared silently at him for a moment, then smirked. "Oh really? I was hoping you would think that."
Yugi's eyes widened as Bakura raised his hand and clenched it in a fist. He tried to move but the chains around his ankles prevented his from happening so he could only brace himself. He cried out as Bakura punched him hard in the stomach and then backhanded him across the head. The beating went on for a few minutes and by the end Yugi was nothing but a bruised heap on the ground. He curled up in a ball and tears rolled down his reddened cheeks. Everything hurt, on the outside and on the inside.
"Now, better clean that up now, runt, before you get it worse." Bakura grinned as Yugi uncurled himself and crawled over to the bucket pitifully, painfully picking it up and bringing it back to where he had gotten sick. He soaked the cloth in the water and started to wash up. Bakura chuckled and sat down on the bed again, which was nothing more than a wooden frame and a straw mattress, like what had been in his house back in the city, before it was burnt down.
He watched Yugi until he was finished cleaning up. "Good boy. Now into your cage."
Yugi climbed back into the cage without protest and closed it once in, hearing the click of the lock falling into place. He felt a little safer in the cage, thinking that the bars were between him and Bakura. He looked up at the man, who just grinned at his sorry state, and then pulled his knees up to his chest. He shut his eyes tight and held the ring that was on his finger. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sobbed. 'Yami... Please... Save me!'
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Yami's eyes bolted opened and he looked down at the Puzzle around his neck. It had started to glow and he heard a voice calling to him.
'Yami... Please... Save me!'
"Yugi!"
To be continued....
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When I reread this for editing I managed to add a few KB to it, so that made me happy
Please review! I hope you liked it!
Slán slán!
Ashla
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