HD: sorry for the long wait but here is chapter 12!
COH: enjoy!
Bea: or don't
Alvar: no own!
Chapter 12
"How could be release them?"
Atemu, Seth, Amber-Lee, Bakura and Marik sat in the Hall, moments after Atemu had sent back the three Gods.
Amber-Lee was sitting in a lazy position, scrawled across Atemu's throne. Bakura lent against a far wall, cloaked by the gathering shadows. Marik was by Amber-Lee, watching curiously as Atemu paced across the room. Seth stood back, leaning over the council's table, trying to get his mind up to speed with what had happened.
"He is tricky and quick minded, he would make a good thief." Bakura mused loudly. Amber-Lee answered him by throwing one of her sandals, hitting his nose. "OW!"
"Keep your thoughts to yourself, thief." Seth advised coldly, his eyes focused unseeingly on a spot on the table.
Atemu stopped pacing and turned to Amber-Lee. "Sister, have you heard anything of him, in your past life."
"A little. He was known quiet well for his many plans to uprise and his gatherings of thieves and killers."
"You should be careful Pharaoh." Bakura had stepped from the shadows, his head bent, and eyes glowing brightly with the light of a dark soul. "Thieves and killers are tricky people…"
"If you plan to scare me, ex-thief, you have failed." Atemu's eyes were dark, pools of blood staring into murky blood, heated stares that burned the air.
"Stop it you two, your both being childish." Amber-Lee snapped, casting the eyes to her diamond ones. "If we are to figure out what Hashim is planning then we are to put aside our hatred and childish fighting." Atemu was shocked at how mature Amber-Lee looked and sounded.
"Amber-Lee…" Bakura was at a loss of words as he starred at his companion, a new sense of awe in his eyes and voice.
"Well?" Amber-Lee placed her hands on her hips and glared at them, waiting for a response.
The two nodded numbly and she brightened.
"Good. Now Seth, what do you think?" They turned their eyes to the Prist who looked back with a steady cold stare.
"We are in trouble."
"Thankyou, that assures us." Bakura snapped.
"Double security, nobody goes in or out of this palace with out my permission." Atemu ordered, facing Marik as he spoke. "Make sure that the Prince and his companions are safe, the Palace will be in lock down from the rise of Ra to his fall." Marik nodded and left the hall.
"Is it safe to trust everyone in the Palace?" Seth questioned, coming to the Pharaoh's side.
"We shall soon find out…"
Yugi found Malik, Amaya, Ryou and Jou seated in his quarters.
"What is wrong?" Yugi still had the memory of the Pharaoh facing the three Gods fresh in his mind.
"It seems the Palace is having a lock down. Nobody is to go in or out of the Palace for one day." Amaya explained, worry etched in her eyes and face.
"Whoever let lose those monsters has gotten everyone worried." Jou added from his place at the door.
There was a sharp knock at the door and Jou jumped in surprise, causing Malik to snicker. Glaring at Malik heatedly Jou wrenched open the door to come face-to-face with a Malik-look-alike.
"Uh…" Jou starred into the violet-crimson eyes and faltered. When Yugi caught sight of whom it was he blushed darkly and bowed his head.
Malik was staring at the man with a blank expression. Amaya was watching Yugi's reaction and Ryou finally spoke.
"What can we do for you?" He stood next to Jou, not quiet meeting the blonde's shoulder.
"The Pharaoh has sent me. I am to watch over Prince Yugi until the Pharaoh thinks it is safe." The man explained in an official tone. He was muscular and tall, making Jou, who was usually the one to stick up for the group of friends, feel threatened.
Amaya climbed to her feet and came to stand beside Ryou. "What is happening exactly?"
"It is not my place to say, My Lady." He was polite but firm and Amaya frowned.
"Well you can protect the Prince but standing at the door." Jou promptly shut the heavy door in the guard's face.
"You should not have done that." Ryou scolded.
"Well we have." Jou grinned.
Yugi had finally controlled his blush and was staring at his clamped hands.
"He looks a lot like Malik." Amaya observed, looking back to Malik who was standing by the wall.
"Hmmm…." Malik was watching something, what it was his friends could not see as his eyes were in the shadows.
"Why would the Pharaoh send Yugi a personal guard? Is he in danger?" Ryou's voice was laced with panic for his close friend.
"Don't worry Ryou." Yugi soothed, on the outside he was calm but on the inside he was a wreck.
"How can you be so calm?" Ryou asked fear was deep in his forest-green-eyes as he served the young Prince.
"It is alright Ryou; I'm going to be fine." Yugi's mind darted to the weapons hidden in his room.
"Yugi," Yugi's eyes focused on Malik who had stepped swiftly stepped from the shadows holding a dagger, "why do you have a dagger?"
The others looked at Yugi with a mixed of surprise and curiosity. Yugi had the decency to look embarrassed.
"So this is your reason to be calm?" Amaya's voice held a hint of amusement.
Yugi shrugged sheepishly and stood, moving to Malik. Malik kept hold of the dagger.
"I know how to take care of myself." Yugi's voice held an undertone of anger.
"We are staying tonight." Malik's voice was firm and Yugi sighed, giving in.
"Fine." Malik hugged him briefly, his lips brushed near Yugi's ear.
"I do not plan on bringing your body back to the King dead." Yugi suppressed a shiver at the chilling thought.
"Well since we are staying, where are we sleeping?" Jou asked, not noticing Malik and Yugi's exchanged.
Atemu was watching Ra rise from his rooms. He hadn't slept at all last night; Amber-Lee and Bakura had fallen asleep in his rooms, Amber-Lee on his bed and Bakura on a chair.
He was leaning on the rail, the wind blowing over his half naked body. He rubbed his temple and sighed. Ra was casting his burning rays over the city, lighting the alleyways and reflecting off the Nile.
Atemu ran long tan fingers through his hair and took in the sweet scent of Egypt. The in scents that were burning in his rooms mixed with the air and Atemu sighed.
He was interrupted by the arrival of Amber-Lee.
"Mariku came by. Apparently he was kicked out of the Prince's room by his friends. He spent the night in the hallway." She stood next to him.
"Hmmm…." Atemu hummed, looking around the sky, watching the stars slowly disappear.
"Maybe you should just confront the Prince again." Amber-Lee's eyes glittered in the glowing light, they seemed brighter than normal.
"Last time I tried I ended up chasing down three Gods. I think I will just court him." He looked at Amber-Lee and noted she looked so much different from when they were children.
"You are not going to get anywhere by sending trinkets. You actually have to get to know him, making him more relaxed around you."
"Since when have you gotten so knowledgeable about this topic?" There was a teasing hint in his voice and the corners of Amber-Lee's mouth curved up.
"I'm going to eat." Amber-Lee nodded to the servants who had entered bearing bowls and trays of food. "Care to join me?"
"Later." Atemu nodded. Amber-Lee brushed her finger tips over his shoulder and left him alone to ponder.
Ryou pulled back the silk sheets and slid out of bed. The others stirred slightly but not one of them woke. He helped the servants bring in the food and thanked them as they left.
Jou stirred shortly at the aroma of fine palace meals. He tried to run to the table but tripped and fell headfirst into a chair.
"OW! Ra-Almighty!" Jou cursed, rubbing his aching head and pouting at Ryou's silent giggles.
"What…." Yugi, Amaya and Malik had stirred at Jou's loud cursing. Yugi was rubbing his eyes sleepily with his fists; Amaya was yawning and stretching out her cramps while Malik snickered at Jou's predicament.
"What did you do now Jou?" Amaya eyed the blonde with the trace of a small smile on her lips.
Jou just glared at Malik, ignored Amaya and sat down next to Ryou and started to eat.
"He tripped." Ryou mouthed. Amaya bit her lip to stop her giggles.
"Only you Jou." Malik laughed earning himself a sandal to the head. "OW!"
"Is that guard still there?" Amaya asked, remembering the Malik look-a-like.
"No." Ryou supplied before Amaya could get to the door. "He is not there."
"Good." Jou growled, biting aggressively into a loaf of bread and tearing it apart.
"Calm down Jou." Yugi smiled, sitting next to the blonde. Jou relaxed a little but still looked angry.
"How many people can run into a chair in the morning?" Malik snickered. "Just one, Jou!"
"Why you little-"
"Jou!" Yugi grabbed Jou's arm to prevent him from strangling Malik while the others merely laughed.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something." The group looked around to see Amber-Lee standing in the doorway with Bakura by her side. She was wearing all black, making her eyes stand out.
"Oh no, come in." Yugi let go of Jou which resulted in him landing on the floor. Malik snickered and Amaya giggled.
Amber-Lee raised an eyebrow but continued in, the corner of her eye watching Amaya closely.
"I am sorry to have disturbed you at such a time." Amber-Lee's apology was ruined by the look on her face but Yugi didn't say anything. "I have come on my brother's behalf. He wishes to apologise and hopes you will take this gift."
She pulled out a perfect single lotus and a ring, made a white-gold with a cut amethyst. Yugi blinked in amazement at the ring. It was simple but perfect. Amber-Lee held out the presents which Yugi accepted.
"What is going on with this whole lock-down?" Amaya demanded as soon as Amber-Lee had stoped talking.
"I believe you saw the Gods last night, yes?" The room, besides Amber-Lee and Bakura, nodded. "Well it was a great enemy of the Royal Family that set them free. So Atemu is taking steeps to ensure the Palace and Egypt is safe."
"How, by locking us all in? What if he is in the Palace?" Amaya demanded, letting her anger out on the Princess.
"He is not." It was Bakura who spoke this time, his murky eyes boring into Amaya's golden ones; she backed down and kept quiet.
"Well now that we have all that settled, we should be going." Amber-Lee turned with Bakura and left before anyone could say another word.
Once the door was closed Amaya exploded. "She thinks she is all high and mighty!" Yugi and Ryou exchanged an eye-roll as Amaya kept going on.
"You know Amaya; they say there is a thin line between love and hate." Malik drawled, taking some fruit and biting into it hungrily.
"That does not apply for me." Amaya snapped.
"Denial." Ryou, Yugi and Malik chorused.
Far from the Palace a group of ragged men stood together. They watched the palace from afar, a burning hungry in their eyes, a hunger for blood and screams of agony.
"Why do we not just attack him?" One asked impatiently. He was shorter than all the others, skilled in dagger fighting and a talent for maps.
"We can not just attack without a plan that is foolish, we would surly die." Another snapped. He was lanky and bearded, a man of intelligent and fast minded.
"Then what are we to do?" The first man argued.
"We wait." They all turned to the new comer; he was hidden by the folds of his grey cloak. "When the time is right, we will steal the Prince." There was a roar of approval, each excited by the thought of the kidnapping.
TBC…
HD: Sorry I haven't been updating! I'll try and update faster ok.
COH: thankyou for your patients.
Bea: what patients?
Alvar: thankyou to the reviewers!
Cole: review or HD will get all sulky and I can't stand her when she does, really I can't stand her any time.
COH: PLEASE REVIEW!
HappyDevil, COH, Alvar, Bea and Cole!