Her Sweetness: Ahem! Here is an announcement for those of you who don't read bios. I am now attending school and have been for the passed two weeks. And no matter what anyone says, 10th grade is harder than it sounds. I'm swamped with all these projects, tests and reports that I have to do.
And, you know, I just can't update everyday. It's not possible. So, it'll have to be around once a week, like last year and maybe I'll have times when I can squeeze in two a week. But don't count on it, at least not until I have a better grip on all this. That is all.
Oh, again, I've received some cookies from a reviewer! Thanks.
See you on the flip side.
A Tale of Two Idiots
Chapter 22:
"… I'm losing my mind."
She whispered into the darkness of the cell. Since Pharaoh Yami's bath earlier in the day, she had been thrown back into her damp little cell, strung up by two chains, levitating her about two feet off the ground. Now, as the sun moved right in front of her small window higher in the cell, she could've sworn the solitude was getting to her and getting to her badly.
Flashback:
It was not ten minutes ago when the guards carried a struggling girl, who was now fully clothed, though only with torn rags, up to the large green door. They kicked it open and even though she screamed, "Please, let me go! Don't put me in here again, I'll just die!" They did not listen to her and fulfilled their Pharaoh's wish.
The handcuffs of the chains were placed on each wrist and she was left alone again as the door shut, slowly and solemnly.
"No…! Not again…" She closed her eyes, turning away from the door that locked her away from the rest of the world. Having been locked up for the past five days, she had grown quite accustomed to being alone. It was only the quiet of the room and the familiarity of her own thoughts that kept her company. Except twice a day. The two times she dreaded even worse than the silence.
Around noon or so, it was time for her daily meal. And it was then she envied the normal prisoners below. They got to eat one saltine cracker a day. She got to eat one spoon full of steamy elephant crap. And then there was midnight. When, of course, the Spike Patrol would inform Pharaoh Yami and Yugi that nothing had been found, regarding the millennium items and the boys. It was then that her throat became raw from screaming and feeling the saw going back and forth against the bone of her finger.
"Oh…" Just thinking about it made her shiver… And think about the one time that a boy came to her window. That was the only time in that pass maybe two weeks that anyone, beside that pest Cody, had ever shown her any kindness. But she didn't let herself get wrapped up in that memory. She knew she'd never see that Mokuba kid again, his words were sweet, but his promises sour.
Nothing and no one could save her now.
It was foolish to think otherwise.
And when she had given up all hope, that exact second, she heard a strange sound coming from the vicinity of the window. Sunshine shown through the bars, landing in delicious stripes on her face. She turned and saw a white wing out of the corner of her eye and an even larger figure in front of the wings; a small body with long hair had floated up to her window.
The glare from the sun made her squint and in doing so, she only saw a black figure, though it was a wondrous sight to her.
"M-My God…" She uttered, eyes wide and jaw unhinged. "A-Are you an… an angel…?"
The figure floated upwards a tad and spoke to her in a melodic tone, "Heidi, it's going to be okay. I'm going to get the people who can help you. Just hold on…"
With that, the angel floated away, off into the sun, leaving a girl who choked to even make sense of it to herself, "… A… An angel… Told me I'm going to be okay…!"
End Flashback."Yeah… I must be losing my mind… What was I thinking? Angel? Tch. It must be cabin fever…"
She sighed, tilting her head back. Telling herself that she was having a daydream and that it was all an illusion… That made her feel saner. No matter what happened to her, no matter what Yami did to her, her mind and sanity would stay intact. She didn't really believe that angels would come for her, nor devils or anything else spiritual. Heidi had a firm grip and knew if anything were to save her, it'd have to be herself.
'… S-Save me, Angel.'
The palace was quiet and had been for the better part of the afternoon. Though dusk was here and soon would pass, everyone, who was usually upset over Heidi losing yet another digit in the near future and scrambling for anything, any excuse to change the Pharaohs' minds… they were all relatively calm. It was probably the sunset that had them that way. It was quiet beautiful. Reds, dull oranges and purples filling the air as far as the eye could see. And then the setting sun, dipping low over the horizon.
And silence followed.
"YYYOOOOUUUU WWWWHHHHHAAAATTTTT!"
"M-My Pharaoh, please calm down!"
"Yami, maybe you should sit down for a second and-"
Oh. Except the screaming coming from the royal bedroom. Which shook the castle and it's staff into yet another mad frenzy of worry and anxiety.
Presently an innocent servant boy had just received a phone call from a line registered as 69. And of course, everyone knew whose number that was. And yet this boy was the only one willing to answer. He regretted it now, oh, he regretted it.
"P-Pharaoh Y-Yami…!" He squealed as Yami had backed him into a corner. Steam jetted from the yami's ears, as his face turn shades of red that even a tomato would be jealous of. The boy quivered in fear as his back was straight against the wall and he had begun to cry. He'd heard stories of people who had upset the Pharaoh. They now resided in an unmarked grave.
"Yami, hold it! Just let him tell us the rest!" Yugi shouted, his face also a nice color of red. "Sweet monkey Tuesdays, you never let us hear the whole story before you kill someone! Let the dammed boy speak, alright?"
Yami suppressed his growl as the boy scrambled back up the his feet, shaking and mumbling, "W-Well, you… you see, they… they got away… f-from Flyswatter and went down a tunnel. They couldn't find them…"
"DAMN HIM!" Yami shouted, scarring the boy back into his fetal position as he was before.
Yugi sighed; closing his eyes again, "I knew this would be too big a job for that overgrown turkey. You know, Yami… Heidi could get this job done in the blink of her eye."
"She could. But she's on punishment! And I will not waver." He folded his arms over his chest, signaling that was the end of that.
"… Fine, suit yourself."
"… Hmm. Something will have to be done about this. If this trend keeps up, they could come back here and possibly-"
"Ah… Pharaoh, please excuse the interruption, but I have more news for you… F-From Flyswatter…" The servant chocked out, bowing his head. When Yami rolled his eyes, he took that as an okay to go ahead and speak, "I-It seems that… R-Ryou and Bakura don't really have the… rings…"
"…"
"…"
Yami and Yugi looked at each other for a moment, before both screaming at the young boy, "WHAT?"
"Ah…! I-It's true… He said that, upon looking at the boys' necks, he saw nothing… No string or rope that would perhaps be holding up the ring and so… He came to the conclusion that we are indeed 'barking up the wrong tree'…"
Yugi blinked, "Not with them…? Then where could they be!"
The servant shook his head, nervously, signaling that he did not know.
Yami had been previously rubbing his temples furiously. He had just stopped and sighed, "… All right. Boy, you are to go and order Flyswatter back here this instant. His execution and fate will be the same day as Heidi's… Yugi and I will have the entire world searched for the rings if we have to. And as for those idiots on the run… they don't matter anymore, have the Spike Patrollers go after them. And kill them."
His eyes widened, briefly, but then he bowed and hurried out of the room.
Yugi turned around and looked at his other half, "Yami, where do you think Ryou and Bakura would hide the rings?"
"… I don't know. But… Yugi, you tend to think like Ryou, sometimes. If you were a timid, British boy, where would you hide your source of shadow power?"
"I do not think like Ryou." He turned away, feigning a look of hurt. "You're… mean."
"Oh, shut up and do it."
"… Fine." Yugi huffed, "But you think like Bakura, then. On the count of three, one, two, three, go!"
At the same time they both commenced thinking like the albino pair and wondered, quite accidentally, mind you, why they couldn't be them. After all, they were taller. And their hair was to die for… These thoughts were quickly tossed away as they opened their eyes five minutes later.
"Jeez… It's… kind of odd being Ryou." Yugi blinked and informed Yami, "Did you know he likes to dance to Polka music, naked in his living room?"
"Uh-huh. Did you know that Bakura likes to watch?"
"… Hmm." They both mused at the same time, thinking this to be a profound moment.
"So, did you find anything out?" Yami asked.
"Not really. I mean, I found out a lot of things, but where he might hide his millennium ring is a mystery to me… The only thing I saw, when I thought really hard about it, was a pure white comforter…"
They both looked at each other at the same time and shouted:
"Under the bed!"
The sun had set about a minute ago as a hatch nestled just below the surface of the sand moved. It jiggled and creaked before finally spitting out an albino boy who had just taken a slide journey down a dirt-incrusted tunnel. He went flying through the thick, heavy air and landed with a thud on the hard sand about five feet away.
"Oomph!" He blinked, looking around when he had finished rubbing his sore bottom. As soon as he finished standing up, a distant yell came from the opening in the sand and out flew Malik and Ryou who flew threw the air and landed on Bakura. He went tumbling back as the wind was knocked out of him.
Ryou gasped, looking down and seeing a very ticked off Bakura, "Oh! I-I'm sorry, Bakura, but-"
Just then, Marik came out of the tunnel, screaming his head off and landing right where the hikaris' had landed, knocking even more wind out of his fellow yami.
"Ra! All of you off! Now!" He roared.
They scrambled off except for Marik who got off slowly and brushed himself off, "Well, Bakura, if you don't want people to sit on you, don't lay on the ground, mimicking a couch."
"…!"
"Hey, look, there's the jeep!" Malik announced, pointing to the banged up red jeep sitting not ten feet away. Accompanying it was about ten Happy Chicken tanks, all were empty for the moment, thank Ra.
Bakura nodded, "Finally, let's go."
They all hoped into the jeep, and though it rocked to the side due to it's having only three wheels, they stopped for a moment, thinking.
"You know…" Malik rubbed the back of his head, sorrowfully, "I-It doesn't seem… right to ride in here without Cody…"
Ryou shook his head, "No… No, it doesn't. I think it's awful to die in an old dark tunnel… And he wanted so much to free Heidi, he didn't get the chance…"
"Stop sobbing, you two. We know he's dead, but moping about it isn't going to bring him back." Marik started the ignition, and the jeep started. "We're just going to have to get that chick out of there for him, I guess. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, she's on the way, anyway."
"You know what else is on the way? McDonalds. I'm starving." Bakura sighed, and swallowed his own spit to emphasize his meaning.
"We're not stopping at McDonalds!"
Malik nodded, "He's right. McDonalds sucks, let's get Burger King!"
"Yay!" Ryou cheered, "They have better toys there, anyway!"
"…" Marik sweatdropped, "There is no McDonalds or Burger King around here! We're going back to Happy Chicken."
"… WHAT?" They all shouted.
"Marik, you're nuts! The way you two described that place, there's no way I'm going someplace where they make you eat chicken heads!" Bakura huffed, turning away.
"I don't wanna go…!" Malik howled.
"We're not going for chicken heads! We're going there because that's the only place around here likely to have fast transportation. Think about it, do you really think we could get across oceans to Domino with this jeep?"
"…" Ryou blinked.
Bakura coughed, "I-I knew that."
"… Yeah. Right." He pushed the gas as far down as possible and they zoomed off, leaving the torn and bloodied site of BAYAMS forever.