Dark Conscience-.- See? This is what happens when you procrastinate on your school projects…
Alley Cat: W-what do you mean? I worked hard on them!
Dark Conscience: Not working hard and procrastinating are two totally irrelevant things. You procrastinated so much on your projects that you can't even update your fic anymore… How sad…
Alley Cat: (whines) It's not my fault!
Seto: …Yes it is… (points to Alley Cat's "reading material," which is about a hundred pages long, typed, in size 12, font Times New Roman) What the heck is that!
Alley Cat: …It's my…reading material?
Dark Conscience: That…would be her history project. Well…her research for her history project.
Seto: (holds it up and looks it from top, bottom and every side) …And you read all of this?
Alley Cat: …No?
Seto: (grins) And when is this project due?
Alley Cat: …In two days?
Seto: …You're screwed. (smiles)
Dark Conscience: See? Told you!
Alley Cat: (cries) …But the teachers gave the projects all at the same time! And all the due dates are the same! It's not my fault!
Dark Conscience-.- You know, whining isn't going to get you anywhere…
Alley Cat: (stops abruptly)
Dark Conscience: (nudges Seto) Told you she was faking it. Pay up.
Seto: (grumbles something inaudible and hands Dark Conscience a wad of cash)
Dark Conscience: (grins broadly) Now, update. Okay? People like the fic. Be happy.
Alley Cat: …Okay.
emotional-writer – O.O Wow… You really like my pairings, don't you? Heh. Don't worry. Anippe and Yami aren't going to get away with their relationship that easily… As for Layla and Seto…well…you'll just have to see now, won't you? (evil grin)
FlamingIceCrystals – Yeah… I told you the ending was overused… I got really lazy. I didn't want Yami to wait for Anippe to wake up that would take up, like, five chapters. …So I just made it quick and easy. n.n Yes. Wrong, I know. I shouldn't have done it, but what's done is done. And I was reluctant to update because I didn't think that chapter was very good… As for being eaten by an evil ninja bunny…you have got to stop eating that sugar…
pharohs-slave – O.O Wow. You really like my fight scene that much? Hmm… Well, looking back on it now…that fight scene was better than the one I had in chapter two… n.n Woohoo! I'm improving!
Lisa the Hedgehog - …Are you REALLY a hedgehog? (looks intrigued) (Dark Conscience: (whacks Alley Cat upside the head) What has that got to do with anything!) Alright, alright… Sheesh… (rubs head) Anyway, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well! n.n
SirisAnkh – Tsk… I know you from somewhere… (gasps) You're Kaiba's Slave's reviewer for Harmful Crush, aren't you? n.n Well…I'm glad you actually took the effort to review my story. That's so nice of you. As for Seto… (points to Seto whose hair is now much shorter than what it used to be and has just the slightest hints of burning) We had to cut his hair to keep it from showing too much… …Poor guy…
FiLiPiNOx – Of course it's not over! I can't just leave the relationships hanging like that! n.n No worries. It won't be over for a while… I'm glad you liked that chapter though…
animelover – O.O Wow… You actually liked the battle scene? Okay… As for the little interruptions…eh… (sweatdrop) You should thank Dark Conscience. If it wasn't for her, I never would've updated… I thought the last chapter sucked… X.X
Kaiba's Slave – XD That is funny. I cracked up when I read that… If only I could think like you… But I can't so I guess I'll have to deal with it. I didn't want to go on for chapters having Anippe unconscious and having Yami wait so I just made it very clichéd… (sweatdrop) And, no. They have Marik and Bakura…but you won't see them for a few chapters, I don't think… Maybe…chapter 21 or something? n.n; Well…hope you enjoy this chapter…
AnimeFreak – Uh…thanks? n.n I'm happy so many people are liking this fic so much!
Black-Lightniing – (nudges Dark Conscience) See? I told you she'd flame! (Dark Conscience: (counting her money that she got from Seto) Huh? What? Oh… Crap… (hands the money over to Alley Cat)) n.n Now I'm happy. Alright. Anyway, I'm glad you like it but you didn't have to criticize me so much! X.X Tsk. Whatever… Well…hope you enjoy this chapter…
anonymous – …What's this? You're mad at me for not updating fast enough? I'm sorry! Too much homework… X.X Besides, you just now reviewed for my most recent chapter. I should be complaining to you. (cough) But…I won't. Hope you like this chapter! n.n; I'll try to update faster, okay?
Alley Cat: Alright… Now…this big, huge thing just happened and now everyone needs a little rest and stuff… Which is why I titled this "A day off." However, I don't think it's that good, but I used this time to develop the relationships better… …I can't say it turned out very well… Meh.
Dark Conscience: We'll let the reviewers judge… You always say all your work sucks so I don't trust you anymore…
Seto: (still muttering something under his breath) Alley Cat doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh…
"You're fever's going down," Yami told Anippe, relieved. He removed his hand from her forehead. She had only woken up that morning… By now, it was evening… "How do you feel?"
"Weak," Anippe responded. She smiled at him, holding onto his hand.
Yami sighed. "Perhaps the High Priestess should cast a stronger healing spell…"
Anippe shook her head. "As long as I'm out of danger, there's no reason for her to use up extra energy just to make things go faster," she pointed out.
Yami looked at her worriedly. "Yes…but—"
"Yami," she said sternly. "I'll be fine."
"Your shoulder—"
"I said 'I'll be fine'."
"Alright," Yami said, giving in.
"My sword!" Anippe cried, suddenly remembering.
"It's fine," Yami said, holding it up. "But…where did you get it?"
Anippe blushed. "Th—the money you gave me…when I was first in the palace…"
Yami arched an eyebrow at Anippe. "You bought it out in the marketplace?"
Anippe nodded. "When you abandoned me in the desert…"
"I didn't abandon you! I…I…" Yami faltered.
"You…" Anippe coaxed, smiling.
Yami blushed. "I just punished you! That's all it was! A punishment! I went back for you, but by that time, you were gone!" he exclaimed, raising his voice a bit.
"Uh-huh," Anippe said disbelievingly. "Sure…"
Yami growled playfully. "Fine," he said contemptuously, looking away. "Don't believe me."
Anippe smiled. "That…I can do."
Yami whipped his head back toward Anippe and gave her a bewildered look. "You're so…"
Anippe cocked an eyebrow. "So…" she coaxed, giving Yami a playful glare.
"Different," he stated. He looked back at Anippe's shoulder. It looked pretty bad… "Let me heal you then," he pressured.
Anippe gave him an incredulous look. "Y—you? Heal…me? But…you're…"
"I know," Yami said. "Does that make me so different that I'm not even allowed to heal the one I love?"
Anippe blushed furiously. "Um…no…but—"
"Let me do it," Yami continued. "You healed me…now let me return the favor…"
Anippe stared at him. "That was different!" she exclaimed. "You were in trouble! You were going to die! This…this isn't a dire situation! That one was!"
Yami sighed. "Please Anippe," he pleaded. "I can't stand to see you like this…"
Anippe looked at Yami. He seemed…so sad. "Fine," she muttered.
Yami brightened a little.
"As long as it doesn't endanger your health," Anippe added.
Yami thought on that for a minute. Was there a healing spell, which he knew, that would heal Anippe and not use up too much energy?
Anippe looked at Yami expectantly. "Well?" she asked, curious if Yami would be able to find the spell she was thinking of.
"Um…" he paused, racking his brain. "Oh…I know!" He muttered some in audible words then commanded, "Healing Fire!"
Anippe relaxed as she was bathed in orange flames. The spell took over and new skin started forming on her wounds. However, Healing Fire can only heal the skin. Everything inside would have to heal by itself. Once the spell was done, she looked at Yami. "Well done," she complimented.
Yami smiled but sagged a bit. The spell didn't use up as much energy as Healing Aid, but it still used up quite a bit. "How do you know magic anyway?" he asked curiously.
"Yami," Anippe said quietly. "I think you need some rest. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"
"Why?" Yami asked. "I'm okay, really!"
Anippe looked at Yami. "You used up a lot of energy. Get some rest. Since my skin's healed…I should be fine. How about we go out tomorrow? Into the city! …But…we mustn't go as the Pharaoh and his slave… We should try and go out of the palace in normal clothes…like peasants. I'm sure people won't notice us…"
"Whoa! Whoa!" Yami exclaimed, bewildered. "Slow down! Go into the city? To do what?"
"Have some fun!" Anippe said happily. "Have you ever been out of the palace and not have to worry about anything at all and just enjoy yourself out there?"
Yami hesitated, thinking back… "No…" he said after a while.
"My point exactly," Anippe said. "So…you up for it?"
Yami grinned. "Alright."
"Then get some sleep for now," Anippe suggested.
Yami sighed. "Fine, fine," he muttered and walked out of the room.
Seto sat down tiredly. It was just last night that the fight had broken out…and he had used up so much energy… But…he was probably the luckiest, other than Layla. Layla didn't even participate in the battle…so it wasn't that surprising that she was uninjured. He, however, participated and didn't have any major injuries at all. The thing that came closest to a threat was probably a major lack of energy. That's just about it…
He sighed. There was also the problem that he loved his…slave. He had actually admitted it… But he didn't regret it at all… Instead of troubling him, it seemed to soothe him, like he'd gotten free of a huge burden…
And then, there was the fact with Yami and his slave. There was just something ironic about this whole deal. Like…it was a big setup or something… He sighed again. It was late out…and he probably needed some sleep…
Layla was furiously pacing her room. She hadn't heard a word about Anippe yet… She saw her condition last night…and… She was on the verge of tears. She was right there! She could have done something! But she didn't! She just sat back and watched! Helpless and absolutely useless! If she had done something…anything at all…Anippe probably wouldn't be in this state… It was all her fault! Fresh tears started flowing down her face, following the streaks of the old ones. She tried to calm herself down by sitting on the bed. She tried to concentrate on something…anything else…but this…nightmare…
Her thoughts brought her back to that morning…when she was kissing the High Priest. She hadn't even thought about Anippe…in fact, she even admitted she loved him! That was ridiculous. There had to be an explanation…for her outburst… Maybe the High Priest cast a spell on her…maybe… She groaned. What was wrong with him! The High Priest isn't supposed to go around telling girls that he loved them…much less his own slave… And…Seto isn't known for the friendliest of emotions…
She stopped her train of thoughts right there. She just called him "Seto". Her heart went racing, and she had a shortage of breath. Why did she just call him "Seto"? There was no way… She wanted to love him so bad…but she just couldn't… She didn't want to suffer heartbreak. We'll find a way… Seto's voice echoed through her head. She closed her eyes. Nothing made sense anymore. Last night's exhaustion finally got to her, and she fell asleep.
Anippe woke up, refreshed. There was still some pain in her shoulder, but she was fine. Her stomach wound, she had gotten used to but was happy to have it gone. Of course, there was still a hole there…the skin just healed over it. The hole would have to heal by itself…same with the shoulder. But…it wasn't so bad… She could still work with her shoulder, so she was fine, right?
She went to greet Yami in his chambers. She'd be fine dressing the same way as she usually did, but she changed into a straight-fitting dress held up by straps…just in case. She'd done this at home all the time… Yami probably needed some help though… She knocked on the door. "Yami?" she asked.
Yami popped his head out of the door, grinning.
Anippe smiled at him. "What?" she inquired.
Yami opened the door fully to reveal what he was wearing.
Anippe tried to suppress a laugh. She'd never expect The Pharaoh to be wearing such a…plain outfit. He had taken all his jewelry off from his chest and he had a kilt of coarse texture. Most of his jewelry he had was exchanged for something more common. His cloak was gone. He even decided to take off his Millennium Puzzle. He looked…awfully different. It seemed…weird.
"Does this work?" he asked innocently, still smiling.
Anippe didn't trust herself to speak. She just nodded.
"So…" Yami inquired. "Where are we going first?"
Layla knocked on Seto's door. "S—master?" she asked, cursing at herself for almost saying his name.
Seto opened his door. "Something you need Layla?" he asked.
Layla stared at him. She had more of an attraction to him than she'd thought… She blushed. "Um…n—nothing…m—master," she stuttered.
Seto stared at her worriedly. "Are you okay? Maybe Marik did more damage than I thought…"
Layla shook her head. "I—it's nothing."
Seto ran his hand through her hair, pulling a lock away from her face. "Are you positive?" he asked concernedly.
Layla looked into Seto's eyes. "Well…" she hesitated. "Maybe I could use a little…comfort."
Seto smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
"Here we are," Yami said proudly. "The Temple of Isis." Anippe had wanted to see a temple and this one was probably his favorite one in the city. "Maybe we'll go see the Temple of Ra later as well…."
Anippe nodded vigorously and bounded up the temple steps, two at a time.
Yami laughed at this and followed after her. He caught up to her at the entrance of the temple.
Anippe was marveling at the statues and…well, artwork and effort put into creating it. It was…beautiful…
Yami gently touched her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked.
Anippe snapped out of her daze. "Yeah," she said happily. "I've just…never seen something so…beautiful. …Except for you of course," she added as humor.
Yami laughed again. He hadn't been this happy for a while. "So what are you waiting for?" he asked, gently pushing her toward the front of the temple.
"You!" she said, pulling his arm with her into the temple.
Somehow, Layla and Seto ended up sprawled over each other over the High Priest's bed, Seto on top of Layla.
Seto slid his hands under her shirt, ready to lift it over her head.
Suddenly, the door opened. A tuft of black hair popped out, and Mokuba stared at them with his blue eyes.
Seto immediately slipped his hands from under Layla's shirt and turned around to see the intrusion.
Layla also looked at Mokuba, startled and speechless.
Mokuba took one look at the two of them and walked back out, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Layla and Seto looked at each other, thunderstruck and flushed.
Seto sighed, getting up. "I'll talk to him," he muttered.
Layla nodded, getting up as well. "Shall I go with you?" she asked.
Seto shook his head. "You can stay here. This shouldn't be long." With that, he walked out of the door.
Layla watched him go and then collapsed on the bed.
Yami smiled. He had never seen Anippe so…happy. They had seen the Temple of Isis and the Temple of Ra. "So," Yami said casually. "Whose did you like better?"
Anippe looked at him. "Hmm," she said, thinking hard. "I loved them both…but…I'd have to say…the Temple of Isis. Just by a little though."
Yami chuckled. "Me too," he agreed. "So…where now?"
Anippe thought for a moment. "How about the bakery?" she asked.
Yami stared at her. "Bakery?" he asked. "But that's so…normal."
Anippe cast him a skeptical look. "Normal? Have you ever been there? Experienced the smells? I love going there! Besides…" She stared at the sun. "It's almost lunchtime," she pointed out.
Yami grinned. "Alright." Anippe led him to the bakery, and Yami was amazed. Anippe was right… The aromas of the different bread were definitely alluring. Plus, the bread was fresh… He smiled as his stomach growled hungrily.
Seto stepped out of his sleeping chamber to find Mokuba staring at him, leaning against a column with his arms crossed. "What!" he exclaimed.
Mokuba looked away. "Nothing," he muttered casually.
Seto growled. "Don't get any ideas. It wasn't what it looked like."
Mokuba was looking out the window. "Uh-huh," he said, unconvinced. "So…is Layla going to be my sister?"
Seto blushed furiously. "What!" he exclaimed.
Mokuba looked at Seto impatiently. Thinking that Seto didn't understand his meaning, he rephrased his question. "Are you two going to get married?" he asked, more direct this time.
Seto just stood there, paralyzed. What could he say? He looked away and crossed his arms, just like Mokuba did. "Maybe," he muttered.
Mokuba's eyes immediately lost their coldness. "But I thought someone as high as you can't marry a slave." He paused, unfolding his arms. "I haven't gotten to know Layla yet, but she seems like fun." He flashed his brother one of his innocent smiles.
Seto still refused to meet Mokuba's eyes. "Yeah…whatever," he said.
Mokuba frowned a little. "Something wrong, big brother?" he asked worriedly.
Seto gave an irritable sigh. "It's nothing, Mokuba. Think you can leave Layla and I alone for a while?" The fact that Mokuba had pointed out a serious problem didn't make him very happy. He didn't want to think of those things…yet.
"Um, okay," Mokuba said suspiciously. He left Seto's chambers.
Seto stared after him.
Anippe was standing next to the Nile. She ran her fingers through the ice, cold water. It seemed clearer here than it did in her home village… She shrugged. Didn't matter now did it? For some reason…her past continued to haunt her… She growled.
"Anippe?" Yami asked concernedly. "Are you okay?"
Anippe nodded. "Yeah." She blushed. "It's nothing. Just…memories." She stared at Yami. He seemed so…well…sexy. A pang of lasciviousness ran through her. No! How could she think this way? She looked away and closed her eyes.
"Anippe?" Yami asked worriedly again. "Perhaps you haven't recovered as much as I'd thought. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken you out of the palace for so long…" He held her close to him. "Should we go back?"
Anippe went on a shortage of breath. The fact that she was leaning on Yami's bare chest only increased her concupiscence. She pushed him away. "I—I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I'm fine. It's nothing."
Yami flashed her a worried glance full of amorousness. "Okay," he said softly. He sat down on the bank. "So, how did you learn magic anyway?" he asked as casually as he could.
Anippe walked into the river. Maybe the chilliness of the water would wash away her…lust. "Hmm?" she asked absentmindedly.
Yami flashed Anippe another worried look and walked partway into the river. "Where did you learn your magic?" he asked with a smile. The frostiness of the river refreshed him.
Anippe stared at him. The question was not one she wanted to answer…she couldn't answer it… Instead, she just splashed him with water.
Yami held up his hands to stop the water, but it did nothing. "Hey!" he shouted, carefree. He pushed Anippe further into the water.
Anippe tripped, causing her to be completely submerged in the Nile.
"Anippe?" Yami asked worriedly. She had not appeared for a few seconds now… "Anippe?" he asked, more anxious.
Anippe shot up from behind Yami and pushed him into the water.
With one gigantic splash, Yami was completely drenched in water. He held up his arms to see that water was rushing down from them. "Anippe!" he shouted, faking anger. He pushed her down into the water.
Seto returned into his chambers to find Layla sleeping peacefully. Poor girl, he thought. She's gone through so much… That reminded him of her wound that she had received from Marik. It's been a while… She should have recovered from it by now… She should have no need for those bandages now. He stared at her body. Libidinousness welled up inside of him. Suddenly, he became incontinent. He pulled some locks of hair out of her face. "Layla," he whispered softly in her ear.
Layla's eyes fluttered open. "Sorry," she murmured. "I guess I was tired." She blushed, noticing that Seto was pressing his body against hers.
Seto kissed her lustfully, losing self-control over his desires.
Layla whimpered at the intensity of the kiss. Whether it was out of delight or fear, she did not know. Perhaps it was both. "Master," she whispered once Seto started pulling up her shirt.
"Don't call me that," Seto said, wincing. It felt…weird.
"Seto," Layla corrected herself. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be doing this. In fact, we shouldn't even be in love." She shook her head. "This is all so confusing."
Seto looked at her. He had lost it for a moment, but his self-restraint was returning. He blushed slightly. "I just wanted to remove your bandages from your chest," he fibbed.
Layla looked flushed. "I—I can do that myself—"
"It's alright," Seto whispered as he pulled off her shirt to reveal the bandages.
Layla blushed even more furiously. She felt so…bare…unprotected.
Seto traced his finger along her sternum, enjoying the feeling of her skin. He tried really hard to not stare at her breasts though. He carefully went to her bandages and slowly unwrapped them. He smiled as he saw that not a mark was left on her.
The door swung open forcefully to reveal one of the Pharaoh's advisors, completely flustered. He was about to say something when he saw the absurd scene in front of him. His jaw hung open, his pointer finger still held up in the air.
Seto blushed profusely. "I—I was removing her bandages," he stammered, trying to explain.
The advisor's face twisted in disbelief for a minute before saying, "I would like to inform you that the Pharaoh is missing. Do you know of his whereabouts?"
Layla quickly put her shirt back on and sat up, forcing Seto to do the same.
"What?" Seto asked, confused. He couldn't understand what the advisor just said because of the embarrassment that was coursing through his head.
"We can't find the Pharaoh," the advisor said coldly, obviously irritated at the stupidity of their High Priest. "Do you know where he is?"
"What!" Seto exclaimed again, this time out of surprise and fury.
The advisor growled, thinking Seto didn't catch the meaning the second time either. "I said—"
"I know what you said," Seto said curtly, trying to control himself. "No…I don't know where he is… Don't worry about him. He should be fine."
The advisor cast him an incredulous look before nodding. He bowed and walked out of the chamber murmuring, "I'm sorry I interrupted."
Seto glared at the door. Why did the advisor walk in on him like that? He should really be punished… He glanced back at Layla. "You alright?" he asked, noticing she was slightly pale.
Layla nodded. "Y—yeah. Um, shouldn't you go find the Pharaoh?" she inquired.
Seto sighed. "He must be somewhere. He'll come back." He stared out the window. "Hopefully…"
Yami gestured for Anippe to be quite once they entered palace grounds. Both of them were soaked.
Anippe nodded. The sun was setting…they had been out the whole day… Once they had reached the palace, Yami reached for the door and pushed it open…to reveal Seto, mad as hell, glaring at him.
"Where have you been?" Seto spat.
Anippe crept up behind Yami, observing what was happening.
Yami smiled. "Out in the city," Yami said, repeating Seto's usual answer.
Seto glared at him. "You worried the whole palace. Everybody's been searching for you for hours now."
Yami shrugged. "Sorry. I got held up," he said. These were usually how Seto responded to his questions… He continued smiling.
Seto growled. "Get in," he said coldly.
Anippe shivered slightly.
"Why are you two so wet?" Seto inquired suspiciously.
"Fell in the Nile," Yami murmured, brushing past Seto.
Anippe followed Yami closely.
Seto stared at Yami in bewilderment but was unable to ask any more questions because Yami was already out of earshot.
Alley Cat: n.n Well, I'd love to stay but I've got projects to work on. See you all! (heads out the door)
Dark Conscience: …Procrastinator…
Seto: Now…FLAME you people! Why isn't anyone doing it?
Dark Conscience: …Because they all hate you.
Seto: (cries)
Dark Conscience: Well, R&R people. …And don't worry about Kaiba. …He'll be fine in a few minutes…