Disclaimer: Chapter four, guy and gals. I don't own Yuugioh… I never will either, bummer, eh? Anyway, enjoy even if this chapter is a bit longer then others.
Under Pressure
Dinner and Dimys
Yuugi was only allowed to walk freely about the palace because he was the Future Emperor's most loyal friend, but he was forbidden to see Atemu. Atemu was to be called "Emperor" even though he hadn't had his coronation yet. Atemu was forced to spend every waking moment with his fiancé. Joey and Tea were set free from their prison but were refused the right to talk to Atemu at all. And all of this was done by the will of Empress Typhoon.
Atemu sat quietly on a plushy cushion in Typhoon's living chamber while she asked him multiple questions about their wedding, standing in front of her mirror, examining herself.
"What do you think should be in my bouquet, My Love?" Typhoon asked, eyeing Atemu like a cat would a mouse.
"Whatever pleases you." Atemu said, sighing. He decided to use this answer for all of Typhoon's questions.
Typhoon walked over and sat next to him, putting her hand on his thigh. "What ails you, My Love?"
Atemu weighed his chances. He would have to be careful with what he asked for, because if he pushed it Typhoon would throw a temper tantrum and lock him in a dungeon until the wedding.
"I wish to see my friends. I haven't seen them in days." He said slowly. He looked at the girl, she was thinking. Obviously she didn't want to relinquish her only playing card to force Atemu's hand, but if he hated her too much, when he became Emperor, he would overthrow her and take the throne. And she genuinely wanted to please Atemu.
"Very well, My Love. You may see them." Typhoon said grudgingly.
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"What?" Tea cried. "Yami got his own body?"
Tristan, Joey, Yuugi, and Tea were sitting in a tight circle in the middle of the servants' quarters, talking quietly to each other.
"Atemu." Yuugi corrected, flatly.
"And you will call him Emperor Atemu, peasant!" Typhoon called bitterly from behind the group.
Atemu was standing behind Typhoon looking particularly miserable.
"You may talk to him for a short time!" Typhoon said angrily, and stalked off.
"Atem!" Yuugi cried and ran forward to Atemu.
Atemu surveyed Yuugi kindly, his eyes soft and brotherly. "Are you alright, Yuugi?" He asked gently.
"I'm fine, Atem, but what about you?" Yuugi said, his voice wavering slightly at the word "Atem".
"Yes, yes, I fine," Atemu said shortly, as if talking about his own well being was a waste of time. "I was worried about all of you. Has Typhoon harmed any of you?"
"Unless you count capturing us and throwing us in a jail cell the size of a quarter harming us, no." Joey said, walking up to Atemu, slightly dumbfounded at Atemu's current form.
Tea shuffled herself right next to Atemu and slowly poked him in the shoulder. Atemu looked at Tea, bewildered.
"Yami… is it really you?" Tea asked, her eyes shaking.
"Yes, Tea, it is I." Atemu said, softly, giving a wane smile. This smile hurt Tea for some reason. She looked and she realized it wasn't a real smile at all, but merely the ghost of one. She looked him in his eyes and saw a terrible sadness, the kind of sadness that one gets from being alone or abandoned hidden behind them.
"Yami, do you know if Tristan, Kaiba, and Mokuba were captured?" Joey asked.
Tea wrenched her gaze away from Atemu to look at Joey. He looked thoroughly miserable.
"Joseph, I don't think they were. I don't know where they are." Atemu said, staring at Joey sadly.
"Atemu." Yuugi said suddenly.
"Yes, Yuugi?" Atemu answered kindly.
"No. Your name. It's Atemu. Not Yami." Yuugi said, staring blankly at Atemu.
Joey looked from Atemu to Yuugi. "Do you want me to call you Atemu, man?" He asked.
"Call me what you will." Atemu said, closing his eyes. He reached up and rubbed his temples.
"What's wrong?" Joey said.
"I have a headache. I have a lot of headaches lately. I haven't been sleeping well, either." Atemu said, for the first time his calm voice had a touch of frustration in it.
"Maybe it's stress." Tea suggested.
"I don't think so." Atemu said, opening his eyes. "I've been having flashes of my past lately. Every now and then I'll remember something else." He paused and his eyes flashed angrily. "And apparently I become sick very easily." He finished bitterly.
"Didn't Typhoon say something about you having asthma or something?" Yuugi said, eyeing Atemu as if he were about to collapse.
"Yes." Atemu said sharply.
A large Water Sprite lumbered to Atemu's side and croaked, "Your Imperial Majesty, your Empress demands your presence."
Atemu sighed. "Very well. But I have a demand of my own." He waved in the direction of Yuugi, Joey, and Tea. "They require decent lodgings. I want them to have each a room of their own… right next to each other. In the Guest Hall."
"But Majesty, that Hall is reserved for important representatives of the court and bordering lands."
Then, suddenly, Yuugi saw exactly why Atemu was so feared and respected when he had ruled Egypt. In the blink of an eye Atemu's calm features became harsh and cruel.
Atemu's eyes flashed dangerously and became furious and unforgiving. The color drained out of his face. Suddenly he looked much taller then he really was. "You will do what is commanded of you or suffer the consequences." Atemu said, his voice was deathly quiet but was dripping in warning to the Sprite, who gulped, nodded, and shuffled out of the room, frightened.
And as soon as he had changed, he blinked and returned back to normal.
"I'm sorry, but I must leave you all." Atemu said, his voice kind and loving again. "I will check up to make sure you are treated right, but for now I have to go."
Tea stepped forward and gave Atemu a hug, and then Joey squeezed Atemu's shoulder and wished him luck. Yuugi hugged Atemu and said thanks. Atemu walked to the door and turned and gave another one of his ghost smiles.
"Good luck, all of you." He said before pulling the door shut.
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"There it is! The Imperial Palace!" Aura said, gleaming with pride.
The palace was enormous, made of glimmering blue stones. Its many towers reached up and decorated the amethysts sky like shimmering baubles, reflecting off the moat that circled the palace. A village surrounded to palace, with a very large river, of the purest water, twisting and turning every which way, meaning a lot of homes were build on floating rafts, and bridges linked everything to everywhere. The river led to the ocean, which shined, on the horizon.
"How do we get in?" Tristan asked, impatiently.
"With me, of course." Aura said, smiling at him. "I am the princess. I will say that you three rescued me from a bandit and not only will you get in, but you'll be treated to the Guest Hall while we try and rescue your friends."
Kaiba glared at her. "What's in it for you?"
"Ah… I was getting to that." Aura said somberly. Tristan frowned and Mokuba took after his brother and glared at her.
"What do you want?" Tristan asked, still keeping up his polite tone.
"Where ever you came from," Aura said, staring at him eagerly, "when you've rescued your friends and go back, I'm going too."
"What?" Mokuba asked, dumbfounded.
"I don't want to stay in this land, because my sister rules and I have no power. But I've read about your realm, and even the most low-born can be great and have power. I want to not only have it but also earn it.
"And we will continue to be friends." Aura continued.
"We're friends?" Kaiba muttered.
Aura shot him a dirty look and then looked at Tristan. "Are we?"
Tristan sighed and then smiled. "Of course. What else can we call someone who's put up with Kaiba this long?"
Aura brightened up immediately. "And will I get to go with you back to your land?"
Tristan frowned. "I'm sure it would be tricky… but if we can manage it, sure!"
"Very well!" Aura cried joyfully. "Let us go retrieve your friends."
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"You ordered to give those little urchins rooms in the Guest Hall?" Typhoon screeched. Her face was red and blotchy and she was stomping and throwing things.
"Yes." Atemu answered calmly, unfazed by the mirror that had only barely missed his head and shattered on the wall behind him.
"How?" Typhoon screamed. "How? How? HOW?"
"I was suffering under the delusion that I was future emperor and that I had that authority." Atemu said, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"Why?"
"Because I do not approve of my friends being treated like dirt, just because they are your blackmail to marriage." Atemu said, blinking.
Typhoon glared at him. She sighed and said, "Is that all that they're getting?"
"Not if I can help it."
"Is this what I have to do to make sure you won't keep moping around? Let you give them anything under the sky?"
Atemu thought for a moment. "That and let me see them anytime I want."
Typhoon gave Atemu a dirty look but said, "Very well, my love. Consider it a wedding gift."
The door slammed open and a very large Water Sprite stomped in. "Imperial Highness," it squawked, looking at Typhoon. "Your sister, Princess Aura, has returned to the palace. She has three warriors with her, who, as she has claimed, saved her from a murderous band of thieves. She wishes to honor them properly and meet your groom-to-be."
"Very well, tell her that I greet her happily and she is invited to dinner where she can meet the future emperor. Tell her she may invite her warriors to dinner if she wishes." Typhoon said, sounding genuinely excited at the thought of seeing her sister.
When the Sprite left, Atemu stared at Typhoon for a little while. "You have a sister?" He asked finally.
"Yes, and you will dress formally to meet her." Typhoon said, examining Atemu proudly.
"Formally?" Atemu echoed.
"Yes, yes. You haven't a problem with the colors blue and black, have you?" Typhoon asked stroking Atemu's arm.
"No, why?"
"Those are the colors of the Emperor's robes. Now dress quickly, for dinner is in a short while." Typhoon said, stepping out and pointing to a wardrobe at the far end of the room.
"I wish to invite my friends." Atemu said, shortly.
Typhoon frowned but nodded and left.
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"Her Imperial Highness , Empress Typhoon wishes to extend her invitation to dinner this evening and to your warriors, Princess." The Sprite grumbled.
"Very well, thank you. Now shoo." Aura said, ushering the Sprite out of her chambers.
She turned to look at the boys who were in a corner of her room. "Now I warn you: My sister may have already separated the boy and the pharaoh, as we had discussed on the way here."
The boys nodded, remembering a conversation they had, fighting their way through the forest. Aura said that Typhoon had no interest in marrying Yuugi so would separate the two.
"Fine… do we have to change or anything before we meet the Empress?" Tristan asked.
Aura looked over the three and wrinkled her nose. "You might want to bathe."
"Amen, sister!" Kaiba cried, launching himself into the bathroom.
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Aura, Kaiba, Mokuba, and Tristan, freshly scrubbed, were in the Dining Room before Typhoon and her fiancé. Suddenly the doors slammed open and Typhoon dramatically walked in wearing a beautiful, elaborately decorated dress of blue and black, followed by Atemu, wearing magnificent robes that hung from his small frame perfectly, the blue and black material flowing as smoothly as Atemu was walking.
"Yami!" Mokuba whispered eagerly.
Tea, Yuugi, and Joey followed Atemu awkwardly, Tea in a blue dress, and Joey and Yuugi in black robes. Atemu noticed who else would be dining with them and his eyes brightened. The three trailing after him smiled happily, seeing who was waiting for them.
"My sister, what a treat it is to see you again!" Typhoon cried. "What brings you back to the palace?"
"The news of my elder sister's husband, of course." Aura said, smiling. Her eyes trailed over to Atemu. "And what a handsome Emperor you've chosen. It is a pleasure to meet you, Emperor." She said to Atemu.
Atemu looked Aura over before saying, "And you, Highness."
"Who are the young men with you, sister?" Typhoon asked noticing Kaiba, Mokuba, and Tristan.
"These are the warriors who I spoke about." Aura pointed each one out and gave an introduction. When she had finished she noticed Yuugi, Tea, and Joey. "Who are they, sister?"
Typhoon frowned. "They are my future husband's friends."
Everyone sat down, Typhoon at the head of the table. The food on the table was delicious smelling and it looked even better.
"So, Majesty, what do you think of my sister?" Aura said, looking at Atemu, and putting a piece of fish in her mouth.
Atemu had only taken a few small bites out of his meal and had taken to twiddling with the many rings on his fingers. He stared at Aura, sensing the danger of the question and feeling Typhoon's eyes answered carefully, "I think that my future wife is very beautiful and rules very well."
Aura smiled and said, "What do you intend to do when you become Emperor?"
Atemu saw that he was being tested. "I believe I shall allow my wife to rule just as she always had."
Aura rested her head on the tips of her fingers and stated, "I know you've already given lodgings to three of my sister's prisoners… you seem to have a soft heart… too soft, maybe."
"I don't think so," Atemu said, frowning. "I care about the well-being of my friends, that's all. But if you don't I guess that's okay. I'm not sure how many villagers would be loyal to a princess who doesn't care how them, but I'm sure there are a few, aren't you?"
Aura smiled again. This man was undoubtedly intelligent. He had gotten Typhoon to bend her will to make him happy, with his friends, which was no mean feat. She wished he was going to stay because he would have made a very good Emperor. And he had forced her own comment against her.
A breeze carrying the smell of salt water filled the room.
Typhoon glanced up from her meal and muttered, "Oh no."
This caught Atemu's attention. "What?"
The doors burst open and the source of the smell began pouring in the room. Typhoon stood up just in time to be knocked back down by an enormous wave pouring through the doors. The room was filling up with water again, just like it had in the game store. Kaiba instinctively pulled Mokuba close and kept Mokuba's head up. He gasped and spun around. Just as he had thought, Joey was trying to pull Yuugi, who was thrashing wildly, out of the water, and Atemu's head had already been covered. Typhoon screamed and raised her arms above her head and all of the water vanished.
There were a few thuds as people fell back to the ground. Atemu was leaning against the wall gasping for air and coughing up water.
"Atemu, are you okay?" Kaiba cried, but Tea screamed.
Something that looked like two arms with large claws extending out of the walls reached forward and grabbed Atemu, who gave a cry of surprise. The claws pierced Atemu's skin and dug deeper and deeper, but Atemu made no noise of pain making it seem like he wasn't hurt. But the pain flashing in his eyes said otherwise. Suddenly Atemu's body went limp and he slumped over. A monster that resembled a shark and a leopard morphed together stepped out of the wall, standing up to be about twenty feet tall. Atemu hung limply from the creature's grip, like a rag doll.
A loud cackle rang through the palace.
"I have the Pharaoh now!" A woman's voice rang through the palace.
"ATEMU!" Yuugi screamed, but Atemu made no movement.
"He is my future husband!" Typhoon screeched. "You'll keep your filthy hands off of him, Dimys!"
"Who's Dimys?" Kaiba called to Aura, who was looking concernedly at Atemu.
"Typhoon's twin sister!" Aura yelled back. "She was furious when Typhoon became Crown Princess and not her!"
A woman with the same blue hair and eyes color as Typhoon appeared in the doorway.
"I've got your precious Atemu, Typhoon!" Dimys mocked. "And I'll make sure you never see him again." She motioned to her creature, which brought Atemu level with Dimys. "And you get to watch him die a slow, painful death!"
She pulled a syringe out of a bag on her hip and plunged it into Atemu's arm. She cackled madly and looked at Yuugi. She frowned and then said, "I suppose you'll want this back?"
She snapped her fingers and another creature stomped into the room. It was carrying Yuugi's grandfather.
"Grandpa!" Yuugi cried.
It dropped Yuugi's grandfather and without another word, the entire party vanished.
"Well, at least that wasn't weird." Kaiba said, pulling himself up off the ground.
Mokuba sprinted over to Atemu while Yuugi helped his grandpa up.
"Yami, Yami! Are you okay?" Mokuba cried. He rolled Atemu onto his back, and gasped. Tristan, Joey, and Kaiba ran over to see why.
Atemu was shivering furiously and all of the color had drain out of his face. His robes were torn and blood-soaked. He was spurting out Ancient Egyptian and English all meshed together, and his eyes were blank and pain-soaked.
"Dimys poisoned him!" Aura cried. "He's ill! She poisoned him!"
Typhoon pushed her way through and pulled Atemu to her, kissing his forehead, muttering, "No, no, poor Love… poor Love…"
Yuugi stared at this sight. She really, genuinely loved Atemu with all her heart.
A second later, Water Sprites ran into the room, armed and ready for battle. All they saw was their Empress and Future Emperor dripping wet and covered in the Future Emperor's blood.
"Poor Love… no, no… poor Love…"
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