Disclaimers:I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And I won't any time soon, either.
A/N: Pepsi, Maruchan instant lunch ramen, sitting in my girlfriend's clothes I borrowed, a computer, and a full outline for this chapter... what more could I want?
And yes, I am a girl and I have a girlfriend, one of my best friends. I am borrowing some of her clothes because I didn't expect to be at her place for so long due to an unforseen crisis at home.
Vocabulary:
heka: Egyptian word for magic
majick: the way Tine recognizes heka
magic: the way Damais recognizes heka
diaha: Egyptian word for "duel start"
Ka: astral double; requires a place to dwell
Ba: the soul, or in YGO the HP
akhet: June 21 to Oct. 21, Nile overflows
peret: Oct. 21 to Feb. 21, Nile recedes
shemu: Feb. 21 to June 21, summer/spring (calendars add 5 days to the beginning of the year)
Brier, Bob, and Hoyt Hobbs. Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians. Conneticut: Greenwood P, 1999.
00000
The sun rose over the sand dunes, blanketing the area in a familiar humidity. In the rather large oasis, a girl slept near the water's edge, though not close enough to roll into. The sun warmed her face, causing her to stir. She opened her deep brown eyes, sparkling blue eyes meeting hers before she had even completely woken up.
'Strange,' she thought, taking in the sight of the boy. He looked Egyptian enough, given his clothing and the short dark hair that formed wild bangs in front of his eyes. 'But his eyes are blue. How strange.'
She knew that if one priest in particular saw this boy, he wouldn't like him.
000
"Damais!" Tine shrieked, barging into his room. Damais remained calm, though he had only woken up moments before. "She's not here! You said she'd be back today, but she's not!"
How long had he been asleep for? Normally he woke at the crack of dawn, but today... he was sure it was close to the time of no shadows. Tine continued to pace the room, babbling things to herself.
Poor floor. As if Tine hadn't done enough pacing already.
"I'm going to go look for her," Tine declared, coming to a stop. "She's probably in trouble and she couldn't come back." With a resolute nod, tine left just as Damais was pulling on his cloak.
He didn't think it would be any trouble for her, so he let her go, and though nothing of it as he strode down the hall to find the king and continue their discussion on fortifying their defenses.
000
It was only when dusk came that Damais started getting worried. He hadn't even been able to forsee Tine's return that day, nor would she be back by morning by herself. The king apparently noticed his figity, distracted demeanor, and so asked him what was wrong.
"Tine left to look for Ankh," Damais said, examining a map and checking a few numbers. "She hasn't returned yet. I'm starting to wonder if she's in trouble."
Something passed over the king's face, but it was gone before Damais could think anything of it. Something had transpired between him and Ankh the previous day, and every mention of the girl seemed to make him guilty. It was not anything Damais had any patience for at the moment. After he saved Tine and Ankh from whatever trouble they had managed to get themselves into, he would worry about the king.
The king answered his unasked question. "You may go search for them," he delivered, determinedly examining a map. "I do not expect you to return without them."
With a nod, Damais thanked him for his dismissal, and headed straight for the entryway of the palace.
000
Come nightfall, the king was worried, too. Given Damais' abilities of forsight and space-shifting, he hadn't thought it would take that long for him to return. It was well into the night, possibly at midnight, when he really got worried. A cold knot of dread formed in his stomach as he wondered if they were alright.
What had chilled him to the bone, though, was the thought that they could have just abandoned him. He hadn't gotten to apologize to Ankh, and he hadn't gotten to know Tine properly. He knew Damais would return before the Atlantian attack, but without his knowledge of hte Atlantian attack patterns, he didn't know how to further their plans of attack besides readying his soldiers.
He fell into a fitful sleep, waking every few minutes at any sound outside his door, thinking it would be Ankh coming to tell him they were back, or the faint pop of Damais' arrival via space-shifting, or Tine prowling the palace.
00000
Thanks to:
Everyone's Anti-Valentine
Grr... C'mon guys, I really don't wanna have to beat you down with a crowbar... (hands the crowbar to Ookami, who was reincarnated into Gahiji)
Ookami: WOO-HOO! CROWBAR!