Alley Cat: OMG! I'm soooo sorry! I've been getting carried away with…my own entertainment to update! n.n;; That and it's taking me longer to write my chapters…probably because I don't have as much time as I used to… Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter…
Dark Conscience: It's about time you updated…
Seto: PROCRASTINATOR!
Alley Cat: …Aren't we all?
Seto: …Shut up!
Alley Cat: XD I actually caught him on something… Anyway, I don't have much time today so I'll just go straight to the thanx.
Emotional-writer – O.O You're acting like this is the end of the story! Well it's not! I have a BUNCH of things I need to work out before I write the sequel… Wait…I wasn't supposed to say I was going to write a sequel. o.o Aw man… Oh well…surprise is out… n.n;; Anyway, there will eventually be a happy ending for both of them…maybe. I'm not sure where this story is going right now… O.o;;
Pharohs-slave – Thank you! You rock.
LisaTheHedgehog – O.O Unexpected! But…but…I left so many clues! LOL Yeah…it was supposed to be an unexpected twist so you got it right on! n.n And I'm glad the suspense is killing you but…I'm sorry for my updates… They're so slow… n.n;; Really, really sorry. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last…or whatever… n.n;;
Darkforestchick – Yesh. You're story rocks. (winks) I love it. Very, very amusing and very, very good. Keep up the good work. As for the gold issue…Anippe's a slave…at that point anyway. There'd be no way she'd be able to get gold except from her master…and Yami never gave her more gold ever again 'cause she was never sent on another errand in the marketplace… n.n;; Yeah…so…I had to have it last… Besides, you technically don't know how much gold is considered a lot…so…you never know. Since I never gave quantities…it shouldn't be that bad… n.n;; Thanx for you input though. I'll try to remember that. As for the beer… (sweatdrop) Anippe is NOT, by any means, a heavy drinker. Meaning…the consumption of beer was entirely unreasonable but I'm too lazy to go back and change it now… X.X Actually…Anippe rarely drinks. O.O …(cough) Anyway… Moving on… Which love scene are you referring to? …Is it when Anippe wakes up? …Yeah…I know. I told you. I wanted to stretch her recovery out to a few chapters but then I got lazy and just slammed it all together in… O.O A few paragraphs… X.X I am so lazy… Hmm…a lot of people like the SetoxLayla pairing… The AnippexYami pairing seems to be liked as well… O.O My OCs are actually fitting in! Thank God they didn't turn into one of those Mary-Sues! Phew! Anyway, you read fast! You're almost caught up! n.n And thanx for all those reviews! Arigato! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter…
Sxybeast – Thank you. n.n It's good to be loved… Well…hope you like this chapter as well…
Kaiba's Slave – Oh don't worry. Layla's not going to get pregnant…yet. (evil grin) Anyway, don't worry. You'll see what happens… But…if Layla's going to get pregnant…it'll be in the sequel… X.X I really gotta stop telling people I'm writing a sequel… Whatever… Yes. I had to leave it right there! (points to PG13 sign) Unless I bump it up, I can't go any farther! T.T Well, I hope you like this chapter as well. n.n And don't worry about the reviews. As long as you review, I'm happy…even if it takes you a while… n.n
Alley Cat: O.O Is it just me, or are my reviewers dwindling! T.T WAAAAHHH!
Dark Conscience: (sigh) You're getting new reviewers! And at least some people are reading it, so be happy!
Alley Cat: (sniff) I guess it's too long for people to follow?
Dark Conscience: (shrugs)
Seto: No. It's just that they hate it and they're too nice to flame so they just stop reading it to take a stand! …Though flaming is better and much appreciated. n.n
Alley Cat: … T.T
Dark Conscience: (irritable sigh) Let's just continue on with the chapter…please.
Seto: Alley Cat doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh…
Alley Cat: Oh. BTW, Kaiba's Slave mentioned…sometime way back there that the boy who attacked the Pharaoh is supposed to be introduced as a new character… …At first, I had him as a random character that appeared once and then vanished…but when I went back and read it again, I figured that I can't do that…so…I whipped up a very clichéd story for him in two minutes and…here it is? …Somewhere down there? (points at chapter)
Anippe slowly opened her eyes, enjoying the Pharaoh's warm, bare body pressing against hers. "Good morning," she whispered softly in Yami's ear.
Yami smiled broadly. "Good morning Anippe," he whispered back.
Anippe snuggled against him and gave a content sigh, reminiscing about how this all came to be… Suddenly, she jerked herself to a sitting position, startling Yami. "Sorry," she whispered. "I was just wondering what became of Marik and…the other noble that helped him. …As well as that boy who tried to attack you before."
A look of confusion spread across Yami's face. He hadn't even thought about it… Suddenly, he understood. "From what I know, they're still in the dungeon," he replied.
Anippe gasped. "That's horrible! The boy…we haven't even found out why he…well…tried to attack you! And…he's so young! He has a family!" she pleaded.
Yami sighed, hugging Anippe tightly. "We'll talk to him today, okay? I guess we should do the same with Marik and Bakura. We need to think of a reasonable punishment for them, by the way."
Anippe nodded and calmed back down, allowing Yami to lead her back down to her back…
Seto gave a shattered breath. Last night was…amazing… He rubbed his cheek against Layla's, noticing that it was quite hot. "Are you alright?" he whispered.
Layla nodded, a bit breathless for words. She pushed him away. What was she thinking last night? She—she…
"Layla?" Seto asked worriedly.
Layla stared into those blue eyes of his… "It's…nothing." She got off the bed and put on her clothes before Seto could object. "Y—you better get to work."
Seto sat up lazily. "What's the rush?" he purred.
Layla blushed tremendously. "T—the Pharaoh might be expecting you…and…you do have work to do, right?" she squeaked.
Seto sighed. "Fine," he grumbled as he got out of bed and put his clothes on as well. With that, he headed off toward his chambers.
Layla sighed in relief…but nothing could erase what she did last night… She groaned in frustration. What had she done?
Anippe paused at the door leading to the dungeons. It was so dark…and different from the rest of the palace. Hardly any light was allowed in and…well, it was a place for prisoners… It was…intimidating… She backed away slowly.
Yami cast her a worried look. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Anippe nodded meekly. "Y—yeah," she said quietly. She inhaled deeply and stepped into the dungeon.
"Whom do you wish to visit first?" Yami asked as a group of guards surrounded them.
Anippe squirmed a little. "Why do guards have to be here?" she asked.
Yami cast her an incredulous look. "These are prisoners! Dangerous people!"
"They're weaponless!" Anippe argued back, stepping toward Yami.
Yami sighed. He wasn't comfortable having Anippe mad at him. Plus, Anippe did have a point… "Alright," he muttered, waving the guards off.
Anippe calmed down a bit and immediately regretted yelling at Yami. He was the Pharaoh! …Plus, she had no right to lose her temper like that. "I—I'm sorry," she whispered. A moment of silence passed as neither of them met the other's gaze. "I—I'd like to see the boy first," Anippe said quietly.
Yami nodded and walked toward the boy's cell without turning around to see if Anippe had followed.
Anippe was hurt by this gesture…but she deserved it. She followed Yami, feeling absolutely terrible. Why had she lost her temper like that? …Besides, it wasn't really anything important! The guards were just an extra means of protection…
Yami halted in front of a door. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, staring at Anippe.
Anippe nodded. "Y—you'll come in with me, right?" she asked meekly.
Yami nodded and pushed open the door to reveal a small room that reeked of…death and misery.
The boy sat in a corner of the dark room, his head in his hands. His clothes were that of a peasant. His food sat on the table in the other corner, untouched. There were shackles on his hands and feet. There were also visible cuts and bruises all over his body that were relatively new.
Anippe gasped. The guards had been abusing him… She glanced at Yami to see his reaction, but his face was set in stone, any emotion that he had didn't show. She looked back at the boy, noticing that he had tensed up as he noticed that people were approaching.
Yami stopped in front of the boy. His feelings toward him were not of kindness. This boy had tried to kill him. He simply couldn't understand how Anippe could be so…sympathetic toward the boy. He crossed his arms and glared at the boy. "Get up," he growled coldly.
The boy kept his head hung, but he slowly got up, the shackles clanking on the bricks from the sudden movement. He could feel the Pharaoh's glare prickling on his skin…but he was helpless. He had been stripped of his two daggers. He no longer had any weapons… Now, he was powerless in front of the high and mighty Pharaoh. He kept silent. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another noble though… A girl…but he couldn't see her facial features without meeting the gaze of the Pharaoh.
Yami gave an irritated sigh, trying to signal to Anippe that he didn't want to do this. "Mistress Anippe wishes to speak with you," he said slowly and deliberately. Anippe was a noble now… She couldn't be treated like a slave anymore. He had to think of a proper title for her later though.
Anippe glared at Yami for a moment for his heartlessness before directing her attention back to the boy. She walked toward the boy as Yami walked out the door. She glanced at the door… Why had he left? She'd ask him later. "What is your name?" Anippe asked the boy, stating the original question they had asked him.
"Is there really use of you to know?" the boy spat. "Maybe you just want it so you can control me with your demon powers or something."
Anippe took a step back. Such hatred… She sighed and bent down to touch one of his bruises, noticing the boy had winced. "Who did this to you?" she asked.
"Who do you think?" the boy hissed, backing away from Anippe. "The Pharaoh and his stupid guards."
A look of pain ran through her eyes. "The Pharaoh ordered this?" she asked worriedly. "Are you sure?"
"They tried to beat the answers out of me," he growled vehemently, pulling at his shackles.
"Stop," Anippe commanded, taking his arm. She noticed that there was a purple ring on each of his wrists. "You did this to yourself to try and escape?" she asked, horrified.
The boy glared at her, noticing it was the same girl that had foiled his plans to kill the Pharaoh. "Yes. What of it?" he asked coldly.
Anippe sighed and murmured a common healing spell on his wrists. They glowed for a few seconds and then ebbed away to show that the bruises were gone.
The boy snatched his wrists away from Anippe and backed even further into his little corner. "Don't touch me," he hissed.
Anippe flashed him an exasperated sigh. "Can you at least tell me why you attacked the Pharaoh?" she asked pleadingly.
The boy sat back down and pulled his knees up to his chin, wrapping his arms around his knees. "No," he said uncaringly.
Anippe sighed. "Please?" she asked.
The boy stared into the girl's eyes. "Alright," he muttered. He took a deep breath. "…But I already told you before."
Anippe furrowed her brow. "How? When? What was it?" she asked.
"He ruined my life. He ruined my family…he just ruined everything for me," he replied softly.
Ah yes. Anippe remembered. "How?" she asked curiously.
The boy shifted uncomfortably. "My family was pretty well off," he started. "We weren't that rich…but it was enough to keep up living and have some luxuries… Anyway, our life was practically perfect. I had a loving little sister and two parents. We cared for each other a lot…until the Pharaoh had to intervene one day and take it all away. He stole everything from me! He started with my father. Some guards came one day and just took him away. We wept for him, wondering what had become of him until our house was burned down. We fled but didn't get very far. Soon after, my mother and sister were sold off as slaves, but I managed to escape the slave traders paroling the streets. Without any property left for me, I'm a simple slave. And this all happened because of the Pharaoh. He ruined my life."
Anippe stared at him quizzically. Was this boy telling the truth? It's such a tragic story… "I'm sorry," she managed to get out.
The boy stared at the patterns carved into the floor, his arms still wrapped around his knees.
Anippe sighed. Without anything left to say, she left the room.
Yami waited outside the cell expectantly. He had his arms crossed as Anippe walked through the door.
Anippe stared at Yami. She was really sorry about getting him mad…though the treatment he was giving her was a bit…immature. It was just a small fight…hardly a fight at all, actually. She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. She really didn't like Yami treating her in such a way…she just couldn't stand it!
Yami was startled for a moment. The hug was a little…random, but he decided to disregard that fact and hugged back. "Shall we go to Bakura and Marik now?" he asked innocently.
Anippe stiffened a bit but nodded her head.
"I know you don't want to," Yami said, "But we have to sometime…"
Anippe nodded again and followed Yami toward Marik and Bakura's cell.
Seto had changed his clothes and was walking toward Yami's chambers to see how he was doing when he met Priestess Ishizu.
"High Priest Seto," she greeted him, bowing her head slightly. "How are you doing?"
Seto eyed Ishizu suspiciously. She didn't normally greet him in this way… "Fine," he replied. "Is there something you need?"
Ishizu blushed slightly. "No," she said softly. "I—I was…j—just wondering," she started, "…w—what is to become of my brother?"
Seto's mood immediately changed. "Marik," he growled, "will get what's coming to him. I'm sure the Pharaoh will find a reasonable punishment for him."
Ishizu's hope sank. Although she often got angry Marik, they were still family. She couldn't watch him…suffer…not like this… She lowered her eyes. "Oh," she said quietly.
Seto looked at her for a while, his eyes softening. It wasn't right for him to just lash out at Ishizu like that… "Ishizu," he started, "Your brother did a horrible crime. I cannot help but punish him."
Ishizu kept her head hung. "I understand," she said. Her life was ruined. One mistake from her stupid brother and it was all over… Mistake? Was it a mistake? Perhaps she needed to discipline Marik more… Then…it was all her fault… It was her fault her brother was like this…her fault he was going to get punished so severely…her fault her life was ruined…her fault she'd never get in best regards with the Pharaoh or High Priest…
Seto stared at Ishizu. The state that she was in now was…really pathetic… But, then again, it was her brother… This must be a very atrocious situation for her… "I'll see what I can do," he said sympathetically.
Ishizu nodded again. "Thank you," she said gratefully. She walked off before Seto could say another word.
Seto sighed. Ishizu was really sad… He'd have to go comfort her later… Right now, he still had to check up on Yami… He was…acting very strangely recently…not like himself. Besides, he still might be recovering from his injuries…although it seemed that Anippe had healed them fully… Healing Aid…that was one of the most powerful spells known… How could she be so foolish to use it? And…how could she know of such a spell when it was only Yami, himself, and Ishizu who knew it? He didn't understand at all… He knocked on the double-doors leading to Yami's chambers.
Silence. No movement. No sound. No nothing.
Seto knocked again, but only to receive the same response. He sighed, hoping that Yami didn't run away again.
"Excuse me," a small voice peeped up from behind him.
Seto swiveled around to find a slave girl no older than nine looking at him. "Yes?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. It was strange for a slave to speak up like that. It was even stranger that the girl was looking him in the eye. Slaves never did that.
The girl blushed and bowed her head. "I believe Master Yami is out right now," she said slowly.
Seto's suspicion turned to bewilderment. Since when did Yami's slaves call him 'Master Yami'? In fact, this girl wasn't even Yami's slave. "Whom do you belong to?" he asked coldly.
The girl stiffened slightly. "M—master M—Marik," she whispered.
Seto was taken aback. This poor girl belonged to Marik. Interesting how much freedom Marik gave to his slaves…allowing them to say the names of other masters… Seto sighed. "Your master might not return," he said coldly. "Do you know where the Pharaoh is?"
The girl fell to her knees, shaking uncontrollably. "I—I'm sorry, master!" she whispered. "I…I didn't mean to… I—I'm sorry. Wh—whatever my master did…p—please don't punish him!"
Seto stared at this girl, eyes wide. What kind of reaction was that? Marik was a terrible master to have! How could she possibly defend him? Unless, he thought, once Marik returned, he would punish his slaves… Since Marik was a noble…they weren't allowed to kill him… But…no matter what happened, he'd still punish his slaves… He put his hand on her back, trying to control her shaking and help her up, but the girl winced visibly. "What happened to your back?" he asked.
The girl shook even more violently. "N—nothing!" she cried.
Seto was getting impatient with this slave. He slapped her.
The girl fell to the floor and didn't even try to get up.
Seto felt sorry for the girl, but she was a slave. He couldn't allow her to act like this. "I asked you a question slave," he hissed. "What happened to your back?"
"M—master M—Marik!" she gasped, hugging her side.
Seto growled. This girl was making no sense. He grabbed her by the shirt and stripped it off her. He gasped at the sight before him. Across her entire body, or at least from the waist up, was completely full of bruises. Marik was sure cautious in where he was abusing his slaves. There were only bruises where the clothes covered her. Not only were there bruises, but also there were tons of cuts on her.
The girl whimpered slightly but refused to fight back.
Seto let out a shaky breath as he flipped the girl onto her back. It was completely lined with bruises and…whip marks. He traced his finger down one of the most recent ones, and the girl trembled visibly. Seto immediately drew his hand away from the mark. For the wound to be that sensitive…it must have been really recent…
"I—I'm sorry," she whispered in fear.
Seto stared at her. She was only nine years old, at the most…how could she stand such cruel treatment? He stood up. "You…better get going," he said, looking away from the girl.
The girl nodded, put her shirt back on, and ran off.
Yami's heart started pumping as the door creaked open…to reveal Marik and Bakura bickering and glaring at each other; their hands were chained to the wall. He noticed Anippe had backed away slightly. She had a good reason to…
Upon seeing the Pharaoh, Marik and Bakura immediately stopped their fighting and directed their glares at the Pharaoh. "What do you want?" Bakura snarled.
Yami sent their glares right back at them. "What do you think I want?" he asked coldly.
Anippe cautiously took a step into the room, glancing at the two fearfully.
"Anippe?" Marik asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to release your master?"
Anippe shot him a disgusted look. "You filthy little—"
"Anippe," Yami said sternly.
Anippe returned to her modest composure and stepped aside.
Yami continued to glower at the two, formulating a good punishment for them. Was there really a good punishment for them? He couldn't demote them to slaves…he couldn't kill them…perhaps he'd let Seto torture them or something… He sighed. Nothing seemed like a good possibility…they just weren't…harmful enough… He wanted to teach them a lesson if he couldn't get rid of them altogether. Perhaps he should let Anippe take care of them. She must hold a lot of hatred toward them after what they did to her. "Anippe?" he asked. "What do you think is a reasonable punishment for them?"
Bakura growled. "You're putting our lives in the hands of a mere slave?" he asked incredulously.
Anippe shifted uncomfortably.
Yami sent Bakura another glare. "Whom are you calling a slave?" he growled back.
Marik looked a bit bewildered. "Anippe's your slave, isn't she?"
Yami blushed.
Anippe stepped back. "Yami," she said softly. "It's okay. I'll go. You can talk to them by yourself. I don't want to cause you any more problems." She gave him an apologetic smile and walked out of the cell.
"'Yami'?" Marik asked, befuddled and anxious. "Why did she just call you 'Yami'?" He cast the Pharaoh a suspicious look.
Yami averted his gaze. "There's no need for you to know," he spat.
"Ooh," Bakura cooed, "Getting defensive now, are we?"
Yami snarled. "Back off," he said savagely.
Bakura and Marik grinned at each other.
"It seems like your little crush on that slave of yours has turned into an infatuation," Marik remarked.
Yami's hand flew to the hilt of his sword, shaking with anger, resisting the urge to cut them down.
Bakura laughed cruelly. "Anippe's just a little sex kitten, isn't she?" he jeered. "Maybe your little sex object?"
Yami glared at him. The urge to kill the both of them right there and then was growing stronger.
Bakura smiled at Yami. "We're nobles. You're not allowed to kill us."
"I'm aware of that," Yami growled, his voice strained.
Marik smiled. "My Pharaoh," he said slyly. "Perhaps I could borrow Anippe for a while? Perhaps I could have some fun with her…seeing that you've had such in interest in the same thing…" He winked at Yami.
That was it! The anger boiled within Yami. The sword slid out of its sheath, almost as if on its own accord,and made a quick slash across Marik's chest.
Marik yelped in pain.
Bakura paled slightly.
Yami stood there, towering above them, seething with rage.
Marik's head was bent low, making it practically impossible to see his face. A moment of silence ensued before Marik started cackling. It started out fairly quiet but grew to be very loud.
"What's so funny?" Yami asked coldly.
"You're not allowed to kill us, Pharaoh. What would the city think of you? What will your people think of you?" He smiled at Yami maliciously. "Besides, I enjoy pain. Nothing you do can hurt me, Pharaoh."
Bakura smiled wryly at the Pharaoh. "Marik's got a point," he stated, as if the situation could be more obvious. "Besides, I'm the same way. I don't see how you can possibly punish us, Pharaoh."
Yami glared at both of them, slowly sheathing his sword. He would have liked Marik to cry in pain and beg him for mercy, but the blood leaking out of Marik's wound was good enough for him…for now… With nothing left to do or say, he left the room.
Layla found Seto furiously pacing the room. Obviously, something was bothering him. "Seto?" she asked worriedly.
Seto halted his pacing for a brief moment to see who had addressed him and then continued pacing. Thoughts filled his head. Some of them were about his situation with Layla, but most of them were about that slave girl…
Anxiety filled Layla. Seto had hardly even looked at her. "I—is it about last night?" she whispered softly, staring at the ground.
Seto halted again. "Last night?" he asked, a bit confused. What was so special about last… Then he remembered. He had been concentrating too hard on what he saw this morning that he had forgotten… But why would Layla be so worried about it? "No. It's not about last night."
Layla didn't believe him. "I—I didn't…mean to… I just…kinda…l—lost control… I—I'm sorry," she stuttered.
Seto cocked an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?" He didn't understand why Layla would apologize… He'd enjoyed last night…
"W—well," Layla said, blushing, "I—it w—was…"
"Layla," Seto said affectionately. "Don't worry." He wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I'll find a way for us to be together."
"Yes, but," Layla protested. "What happened last night was…I—it wasn't right," she said.
Seto stared down at the brunette wrapped in his arms. She was so…innocent. But what they did last night was…normal. Heck, it'd even have been normal if she were just a normal slave that he just wanted to have fun with…but she wasn't. Seto loved Layla, and there was no use denying it. Perhaps Layla didn't understand that yet? He sighed. "Layla…don't worry about this stuff okay? We're not going to get in trouble for last night, okay?"
Layla shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't very normal to her…but perhaps it was to Seto… Of course! He was the High Priest! He could have his play with girls whenever he wanted. This was absolutely normal for him. …Which made her doubt why she was any different. Perhaps Seto didn't care about her at all…perhaps she was just like any of the other slaves he made out with… She pushed him away from her. "I—I'm sorry," she apologized, her face heating up. Was it true? Then…Seto didn't love her… He only wanted her for her body… "I—I shouldn't have bothered you," she said and ran off.
"Layla, wait!" Seto called out, reaching out with his hand to grab her, but she was already out of his reach. She disappeared before he could say another word. That left him to think on where he went wrong. …Where did he go wrong? He groaned. This was all so confusing…
Right after Yami got out of the cell, he immediately went in search of Anippe. He found it weird how she didn't wait for him…but, whatever. Apparently, she was waiting for him on the outside door of the dungeon. Before giving Anippe any time to do anything, he took her by the hand and kissed her ardently, one hand placed on her cheek. He just wanted Anippe to take all the pain away, take all the bad thoughts away from him.
Anippe accepted the first kiss, but when Yami continued, she felt that something was wrong. She broke her lips away from his. "What happened?" she asked worriedly. "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. It's just…the dungeon creeps me out…"
Yami's hands moved to caress her waist. His kissed her neck continuously. "It had nothing to do with that," he murmured between kisses.
Anippe shifted awkwardly. She would normally give in to this kind of treatment from Yami, but something was wrong. "Yami," she said softly, "Can you please tell me what happened?"
Yami kissed her on the lips again, anything to get her to stop questioning him. He didn't want to remember what happened. He pushed her against the wall, his arms holding her shoulders down. He wrapped his ankle around hers.
Anippe whimpered in delight at this sudden movement. All her questions were forgotten. She was lost in a state of euphoria. She wrapped her finger around one of Yami's golden necklaces, causing Yami to lean closer to her.
Yami was delighted. He ran his fingers through Anippe's hair. For some reason, his lust kept growing stronger…but he didn't care.
Anippe couldn't move. The Pharaoh had wrapped his ankle around hers, and he had pinned her to the wall. All she could move were her hands but that was good enough for her… She slipped her hands under his kilt…
Seto was leaning against a window. Things just didn't make sense anymore… Layla had been acting…weird…lately. It was so…strange… Layla had just, all of a sudden, shunned him. He wasn't positive why. He knew it had to be something about last night… What was so wrong about last night? He felt ecstatic since last night…it was, like he said, amazing. Why would Layla feel so…ashamed? Was that even the word for it?
He shook his head. Why was his life so confusing now? It was ever since he found Layla. Before he found her… His life before seemed so simple now…
"My High Priest," Tea addressed from behind the shadows. "Is something troubling you?"
Great. It was Tea, the really annoying friend of the Pharaoh's who tended to pop in and out whenever she wanted to. "No," he replied curtly. Tea could not be considered as one of the people he wanted, or even liked, to talk to.
"You're lying," Tea stated bluntly.
Well duh! Wasn't that a bit obvious? Obviously, this girl couldn't tell by his tone of voice that he did not want to talk to her! Tea just…wasn't very perceptive. She didn't get his hint. He didn't want to be rude to her and say, "I hate you. Go away." Yami would kill him for that statement. He sighed irritably and tried again. "There is no reason for you to concern over these things."
Tea looked offended. "Your Yami's friend. Yami's my friend. Therefore, you're my friend. That's already a reason why I should figure out what's worrying you!"
Oh Ra, Seto thought, not another one of her friendship speeches… He shivered at this thought. Before Tea could say more he said, "Excuse me, but I have to go." He left without saying another word.
Seto walked somewhere for about twenty minutes. Where he was going, he didn't care. As long as he was far away from Tea, he'd be okay, right?
"You're trying to run away from your problems, aren't you?" Tea asked, accusingly, from behind him.
Seto swiveled around to find Tea, about a foot away from him. She was following him! This was getting ridiculous! He glared at her.
"So," Tea continued. "Why has your little walk led to the slaves' rooms?"
Seto gave an incredulous looked at her, suddenly aware of his surroundings. "Well—I—it—"
Tea cocked an eyebrow at him. "You…" she coaxed.
"It's nothing!" he practically shouted down the hall.
Tea sighed. "It has something to do with one of your slaves, doesn't it?"
Seto stepped back a bit. "N—no!" he said, blushing.
Suddenly, Layla poked her head out of the room, wondering why the High Priest was shouting outside of her room. "Master?" she asked curiously.
Seto blushed even more upon seeing Layla.
Tea smiled, looking from the High Priest to his slave.
Seto took a step back. "Don't get any ideas," he growled.
Layla blushed. "Wh—what's going on?"
Seto glared at Tea and walked away.
Tea cocked her head, but she walked away as well too.
That just left Layla very confused, standing in the middle of the hallway.
Anippe pushed away from Yami. "What are you hiding?" she demanded. "Something bad happened. Don't you trust me enough to tell you what it was?"
Yami stared at her. He really didn't want to tell her…it would offend her, no? Besides, he didn't even want to think about it…
Then, he realized something. Was the reason why he didn't want to bring it up because it was true? He backed away. No…it couldn't be!
"Yami?" Anippe asked worriedly. "Wh—what's wrong?" Worry flashed through her bright, blue eyes.
Yami let out a shaky breath. "It's…nothing," he said. "I better go now." He ran off before Anippe could say another word.
Ishizu hesitantly stepped into the dungeon. It reeked of…blood and death. "Marik?" she whispered.
Silence.
Ishizu cursed at herself. Of course Marik wouldn't be able to hear her…not from here. She stepped into the dungeon, a feeling of foreboding rising within her. This didn't look good, but then again, it was a dungeon…what could you expect? She sighed. She wanted to see her brother…but there were just so many cells…
She groaned. It would take forever to find out where Marik was… Unless… She smiled. She had almost forgotten…the times when Marik wasn't such a troublemaker. She had made a pendant for him…a pendant that would aid him in times of trouble…so much good that did. Unfortunately, she wasn't the best at magic at that time. …But she was now.
Oh well. So much for that idea… But there was another one… She knew a tracking spell. Perhaps it would help? No harm in trying, right? She cupped her hands together and chanted a spell. Once it was done, she opened her hands to find a glowing white light, producing a blue arrow in the middle of it. The arrow swirled around for a few seconds and then pointed in a solid direction, never straying off that direction: left. Ishizu glanced at the ominous corridor the arrow was directing her to and shivered. Hope I don't get lost she thought quietly to herself before stepping into the hall.
It was weird…in fact, kind of ironic. No guards…no alarms…completely unprotected… It felt like she was walking straight into a trap… …But it couldn't be! Nevertheless, with every step she took, the feeling of foreboding within her grew stronger.
Suddenly, the blue arrow flashed red. That could only mean one thing: Trouble was nearby. But she was so close! …She didn't want to turn back now! She could see her brother's cell. Although he could be an annoying brat at times…he was family. She cared about him. She loved him. She couldn't just abandon him like this!
The arrow became more urgent, desperately wanting to protect its master. The flashes of red became more blinding than ever. Ishizu felt like she was being watched. The back of her neck was prickling with a new sensation.
She swiveled around to find her face to face with the Dark Magician. She gasped. Where did he pop up? How did he sneak up on her? Why did the Pharaoh guard Marik with the Dark Magician? Thousands of questions coursed through her head as she stared into his relentless eyes.
Since she was no longer concentrating on her tracking spell, the light went out and all went black. The only thing that showed light was the soft glow of the Dark Magician's staff. He towered over Ishizu. …And he did not seem very happy.
Alley Cat: X.X I'm terrible when it comes to thinking of spells…
Dark Conscience: (shrugs) Maybe… Let's just let the readers decide…
Alley Cat: …I guess you're right… R and R everybody! n.n
Seto: Don't forget to flame! Don't you dare defy me! I will conquer you all! MWUAHAHAHAHA— (a thud is heard)
Alley Cat: (glares at Dark Conscience)
Dark Conscience: Hey, he had it coming to him…
Seto: X.X (is unconscious)
Dark Conscience: Well, R and R!
Alley Cat: Pwetty Please! I love all my readers ever-so-much! n.n