Author's notes: I suck, but yeah, at least I'm honest with myself and all of you. I'm sorry writing has been so UNBELIEVABLY impossible these past weeks. But I refuse to take up more of your reading time… fyi: Madu means "of the people" in Egyptian, oh, and "Im-shi" means 'lets go.'
your reviews have been amazing! Thank you all so much. they are really what keeps a writer going (and of course the fact that jou/seto is just so damn hot)
Joubabi: thanks!
RiokuAvalon: I agree, I agree. What ever happened to the good ole days when you could just get some hot plotless yaoi? Haha don't worry, I won't let you down… eventually that is… thank you!
emu38orlandoloveewwwneverjohny: I might be talking bout Mr. Piselli… and… OF COURSE I KNOW THEY DON'T HAVE HOODS YOU IDIOT! I'm sorry I didn't waste time and explain that joey went to his locker before detention to get his hooded sweatshirt, I just hoped everyone would use their imaginations instead of having me use up more computer hard drive space! There! I have explained it! . Are you happy now? Gah! Lol, I love you!
AngeloflightPd: I'm sorry I leave such horrible cliff hangers! I gotta leave you in at least a little suspense… Glad you like it though!
Girlo: thank you so much! I tried to make it perfect!
AngelKelley17: aww yay!
MikosWish: yeah… I'm a little worried for him too…
Seto Wheeler: joy! I was hoping that somebody would notice the ties between past and present. I'm so happy! (btw: love the penname!)
Warnings: Joey wearing eyeliner! err, I mean guyliner.
Disclaimers: I don't own nothing, quit botherin me!
The Promise
Chapter four: A Royal Discovery
No longer bound with chains, Jibade was led by a large man, dressed in a white linen wrap and golden arm cuffs, down a great sandy brick hallway. The hall was dark, underground, and flickering torches lit their way down to a great wooden door. He was quietly pushed into the room, where he was immediately surrounded by Egyptian women clad in white, with black braided wigs.
Jibade was quickly stripped down to nothing but a small scrap of cloth, covering only need be, showing off his tan and toned shape. He felt as though he was part of an assembly team, each woman in charge of something to be trimmed and treated. One woman scrubbed away at his hands with a rough sand paper like substance, while another rubbed his well-built middle with a strange smelling oil. He was handed new clothes. Many of the younger girls giggled, it was always a treat for them when a new slave was as attractive as he. Jibade blushed and took his fresh clothes thankfully.
He was quickly pushed to a separate gathering of women, who proceeded to darken his eyes with a sharpened substance that smelled and looked like charcoal. They stood back, smiling at their creation. He stood over a pool of water, stunned by his appearance. The white linen sarong hung dangerously low, covering only his hips and ending above his knees. A strange sort of gold colored material wrapped around his neck, covering the top of his chest but bearing his middle matched the golden cuffs that clasped to his arms. Another linen sheet sheltered the top of his head, covering his golden hair. The darkness that outlined his eyes finished the look. Glancing at himself, he finally accepted his fate; he was a slave now, and nothing else.
His thoughts were disrupted when another Egyptian appeared in front of him. "Im-shi" he said, with a thick accent. "Let's go," he repeated, in a more colloquial language. Jibade continued his silent walk through the dark hallways. He looked intently over the carvings that engraved the wall; sketches of great gods, of monsters, slaves and kings, he knew immediately where they were. The blond was being dragged beneath the catacombs through the palace of the pharaoh.
From a distance, the sound of whips could be heard through the dim chambers. The sounds became patterned. There was yelling, followed by a loud 'crack', followed by a sort of whimpering, then more yelling. They passed the sound makers, only to find an official and a slave. The poor man had obviously been beaten, his body, as well as both of his eyes were colored with purple bruises, and the man's bare back was so raw that it had begun to bleed. The guard leading Jibade ignored the scene and continued to walk ahead, the blond was forced to look away and disregard the horrible scene as well.
The pair made their way from under the palace into the main level, sunlight flooding the stone and marble hallway. Approaching a great hall, a faint chatter of people grew louder. Jibade observed a young Egyptian seated on a throne, first noticing his ridiculous black, red, and blond spiked hair, and the gold dangling from nearly every inch of his body. He sat, lost deep in thought, surrounded by other young men and women, mostly Egyptian, and even a few Nubians. Jibade noticed most of them lying by the pool and chatting lightly with each other, they seemed to be dressed as he was, and they were enjoying a day much more painless than the poor man from just moments ago.
Another young man appeared from the doorway, but he seemed far more youthful. He wore loose fitting pants and a sand colored shirt, as well as a pair of bright blue eyes. He had peculiarly long hair that shagged outward in a deep black sweep. Judging by his apparel, Jibade decided he was more of a messenger than a worker slave. He stood, leaning against a stone pillar, awaiting the blond's arrival.
The man leading Jibade saw the raven haired boy, they began whispering. It seemed as though the man who was in charge of Jibade also had some kind of claim over the younger man too. Nevertheless, the man exited the hall as the black haired boy rushed over to the blond. He cheerfully introduced himself, eyes sparkling even greater than before. "I am Madu, I will be assisting you any way I can. But as of right now, I suggest you make yourself known to the pharaoh."
Madu lead the way toward the young king, Jibade close behind. "My pharaoh!" He said, bowing.
"Good day Madu!" the pharaoh kindly replied to the black haired boy. "Who is this?"
"Priest Seto sends a gift, sir. Only the finest quality slave fresh from Nubia."
"Oh, yes…" the king thought solemnly for a moment, he quickly regained his composer. "What is his name Madu?" The pharaoh asked.
"Jibade." The slave spoke up. Madu immediately turned at the sound of the blond's name.
"Did you just, speak?" the pharaoh asked, astonished.
"Yes." He answered simply. The teen pharaoh rose from his throne and slowly walked toward Jibade. The blond did not move.
"You do not lower your eyes." He observed. "Are you not afraid of me?"
"Do you want me to be afraid of you?" He asked honestly, he had no intension of disrespecting the young king.
He thought a moment, "No. No, I suppose not." The pharaoh answered sincerely. Jibade smiled for what felt like the first time in a millennium, the pharaoh grinned back. He averted his attention to the energetic slave next to the blond.
"Madu, take Jibade here down to where he will be staying in the palace. Make sure he understands his duties fully, and, tell your master that I am glad that his journey was safe."
Madu bowed extravagantly, almost mockingly, Jibade fought back a laugh. "Yes, your highness." He bowed again, quickly grabbing Jibade's wrist and exiting the room. The pair swiftly turned a corner, entering a closed off room. It was simple and small, but it seemed comfortable. As soon as he made sure they were alone, Madu excitedly, almost childishly, swung around Jibade, "Did you say your name was Jibade?"
The blond shook his head. Madu seemed ready to burst with excitement, "I knew it! I knew it was you!" Jibade lifted an eyebrow unconsciously. "Listen, I grew up in your hometown, well, at least, I began to grow. I was very young when the Egyptians came... but, you should know that, you witnessed our abduction."
Jibade stood a bit taller, listening to the younger one's tale. "Before that fateful morning, my family enjoyed a privileged existence. My father was employed as advisor to the king, which surely rings a bell," Jibade's stomach dropped, "for as you are his son, you probably now realize how I know you." He grinned shaking his head, "Yes, I know you."
Jibade acted quickly, cupping his hand over the younger slave's mouth, "You know too much, and what you say is better left unknown. Now, I'm just a slave, like you!"
Madu removed the blond's hand, "I never have abandoned that spark of hope for freedom, and I don't believe you have either."
"All I want is silence, no one can know who I am." Jibade said, shaking his head. "Listen to me, you have never scene me before!"
"No. You remain a prince, in any time or place, even in captivity!" The younger slave continued.
"A prince? What kind of prince gets himself caught?" he thought to himself for a moment, the younger slave stared silently. "Madu, do you know what could happen if any of them were to find out who I really was?"
"They would kill you and use you to get to our king, I know. But, you could help us, secretly. Save us. We can keep a secret, your majesty."
"You must swear to me, you won't tell a soul. Our people do not need a foolish prince, dressed in rags and caught in chains…"
"But they need a strong prince." Jibade looked down towards the floor. Madu kneeled, "Your highness, don't you see? The gods have sent you to lead us in these dark times. You, my prince, are our light in these shadows, you will lead us to freedom, I know it!"
Jibade stood still a moment before lifting the young slave from his bow. "No, Madu, I am just as you now, and I would appreciate if you would call me by the name I was born with." The blond smiled, lightening the mood, "It's good to see you, my young friend. It's been years."
"Yes," Madu grinned childishly again, returning back to his usual self. "Now, your high- uh, I mean, Jibade, I must go and deliver a message to my master," he said, cheerfully turning on a foot. "I believe Seto was the one who sent you here?"
"Oh! You mean that joke of a captain is you're master?" Jibade asked, shocked.
"He's a priest too; he once held a millennium item, the rod I suppose, before the items were returned to their holding place." Madu couldn't help but notice the look of disgust on Jibade's face after mentioning the Egyptian. He laughed, "Priest Seto is not nearly as, um, well, unpleasant as he seems. He and I have become very close over the years, he's been like a big brother to me. Did you know he once saved me from being beaten by the palace guards? You know, there are many redeeming qualities to Seto."
"That man's 'redeeming qualities' could be etched on a grain of sand," he said, unimpressed.
Kaiba reread the final contract, his eyes becoming heavy. He massaged his temples, leaning his elbows against the desk. Mokuba was, finally, in bed, he thought to himself. He sighed exasperated, laughing at the younger Kaiba's ability to elude bedtime nearly every night. The maids went home… when… oh yes, ten, and he had been working ever since. He glanced over at the double glass doors, snow gently falling. Almost hypnotically, he moved outside. He put down his papers while picking up his scalding coffee, stood up and pushed past the glass.
Joey reread the final chapter in his biology book, hoping to pass tomorrow's test. He dropped his head on his arm, finished for the night. Joey ole boy you're losing it. Since when have you ever studied for a test? Since when have you even given a shit about school, let alone a stupid test? And now you're talkin to yourself. Again. For, like, the millionth time this week. He looked up to see fresh snow beginning to fall outside. It was late, and Domino seemed to be, for once, asleep. He stood up, opening a window.
Kaiba leaned his elbows against the grayish stone balcony, staring at the deep blue sky that sparkled with white. A slight wind blew against his black silk pajamas. Snow softly fell around him, landing in his coffee. He frowned at the heavens, immediately noticing the stars that peaked through the night sky. How quaint. Sarcasm was evident in his thoughts, yet he couldn't find himself able to pull away from the extraordinary sight. He looked up at he cloud covered stars, wondering if they were all in his imagination.
'You're welcome.' The blond's voice echoed through Kaiba's mind. Deep down he knew that Joey had saved him from what would have been a nasty situation at school. He just wished it wasn't the mutt who had been right.
Joey sat on his roof, watching the first snow of December fall, dusting white crystals on his untidy blond hair. He wore nothing but his pajamas – heart boxers, a joke of a Christmas gift from Tristan years ago, and kept warm with a wool blanket and cup of hot chocolate. He blew on the steaming cup, the heat splashing up upon his nose. He looked up at the hardly evident stars, wondering how they were visible through the snow.
'Thank you, for earlier I mean.' Joey thought about what was said earlier. The great teenage genius, the millionaire CEO of Kaiba Corp, the national asshole of duel monsters had thanked, and nearly offered him a ride home. The man of, quite literally, his dreams had shown a small sign of affection, and though it was slight, the feeling was nothing short from exhilarating.
TBC
Author's Notes:I wrote that last part while listening to Christmas songs, can you tell? Yay! Jibade's a prince! And yes, Mokuba IS Madu, in case it wasn't clear enough in the writing. Hope you enjoyed ch. 4! Please review!