Hello again! I want to thank you who has reviewed, and my way of doing it is by putting up another chapter, hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is Kazuki Takahashi's -bows deeply-
Warnings: As before, fluffy, I think that's the major thing right now. Some inbalance between the characters, but that's what makes the story a little more interesting.
So... now you can start to read!
Chapter 3
Normal POV
The next day Mana woke up and found herself lying in the bed of Atemu.
"Oh, he didn't need to carry me into bed", she said when she didn't see her Pharaoh on the mattress below. Then she rose and looked for the dress and 'hat', wondering where her friends could be.
Downstairs the Kame game shop had just open and Yugi and Atemu were busy unpacking games and helping customers.
"Ho ho, I'm grateful that you help me." Sugoroku nodded smiling.
"Of course, Gramps", Yugi replied happily. "Now, where do you want these?"
As they kept on working, Mana entered the room quietly, looking around at everybody, and especially at Atemu. She'd never seen him work like this, in a shop! It was like in the markets in Egypt, when people sold things to get gold… but as a Pharaoh… not even as a Prince, he had never been forced to work!
Mana turned her attention to the door when a clock above it jingled and a group of teenagers came indoors. Mostly it was boys, but two girls giggled loudly.
"Oh! Look guys… it's him! The King of Games!" A rather short boy, (yes, shorter than Yugi), cried and they all rushed towards him to get an autograph and to get the chance to speak tactics with him. Well, except from the two girls who headed for Atemu who stood by a shelf, filling it with Duel Monster-cards.
"Hello there!" The first one, a blonde, giggled and winked as the other, a black-haired, did the same.
"Hi." Atemu nodded, getting a small smirk, almost invisible, (but it was there!), on his mouth.
"We've heard so much about you! Couldn't we get an autograph?" They continued flirting and the former Pharaoh wasn't man enough to resist so he took their pen and signed his name on their arms. When he with one hand held the black-haired girl's arm still, she giggled once more.
"Oh, aren't you very strong, handsome?"
"Why yes." Atemu replied, but suddenly he felt how he almost fell onto the ground by a brown wind that had come flying from nowhere.
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HIM LIKE THAT!" Mana shouted, drawing everybody's attention to her. The two teen girls, both about seventeen, shook there they stood, and they didn't plan on standing there long enough to hear the angry, funny thing go on shouting, so they laid the legs on their backs and disappeared, but not before Atemu heard them saying:
"Geez, what a jealous girlfriend!"
Atemu blinked in confusion, seeing the boys of the group leaving nervously.
"Mana, what was that about?" Yugi felt a bit frustrated, as he'd almost sold each of the guys a game that he'd recommended.
"But… but, they …" She didn't know where to begin.
"They flirted, so what!" But apparently Yugi did. "I think Atemu is capable of taking care of himself! When he decides that he wants to flirt or date a girl, there's nothing you can do about it!"
"Yugi…" His grandfather begun, seeing that Mana became hurt by his words.
"No, Gramps. Mana, Atemu is practically a grown-up who has his own life, not that youngster you just want to have fun with! This is his new world, and this is where I am his company and best friend!" When Yugi saw how Mana in tears ran through the door behind the till and upstairs, he felt a bit sorry, knowing that it was wrong shouting at her. But all his emotions had to get out, and Mana was sadly the victim. He turned his gaze to meet Atemu's eyes, but the cold glare he got back made him wish that he hadn't done that.
Atemu hurried after his friend and just before she slammed the door close, he put a foot between and managed to get through the opening that she tried so hard to lock. But as Mana didn't succeed she fell down on her knees, hiding her face and tears from the world.
"Mana…" The man with the tri-coloured hair sat down next to her and held her in his strong arms while he once again talked comforting to her.
"Stop it… it was a mistake to come and see you!" She tried her best to get away, but her strength failed her. Instead she got out her staff and sobbing she said: "Let me go… I'm still a spell caster who can turn you into whatever I like!"
"Mana." Atemu softly said again and with a firm grip he took the staff from her. "What would you do, turn me into a toad?"
He became lighter inside himself when he heard a faint giggle from somewhere inside his wet shirt.
"But it's true… Yugi is your new best friend, you don't need me anymore… I'm only a simple servant."
"No." Atemu looked surprised into her eyes when she lifted her face. "No one can replace you; but you are both my best friends, in different ways. Yugi and I shared the same body for years, and I guess you don't come anyone closer than that… but you and I grew up together… we were, and still are, practically family!"
He suddenly remembered from when he had seen Mana again, and thought back on that moment.
"Did you hear that!" Atemu stopped and stared at the big vase.
"Stay behind me!" Mahado hurried to his Pharaoh's side while he prepared himself to meet any thief or murderer that could jump out from the pot. And a loud cry was heard:
"HAAA!" Somebody really jumped out from the brown pot and while laughing, this 'somebody' made both Atemu and Mahado stand dumbstruck as she landed right into said Pharaoh's arms and put her legs around his waist.
"Mana, what are you doing!" The priest hastily pulled her of and placed her on the ground.
"What? I can't pay a visit to my oldest friend?" The teen girl stared stubbornly up in the older one's face. "I just miss him, that's all. Ever since he's become the new 'Pharaoh' we haven't been able to talk at all!"
Mahado folded his arms and almost sighed as he said: "It has only been one day."
The glare that he got back from her was a "So-what-it's-like-an-eternity"-glare.
"You're Mana… and you and I grew up together!" Not quite knowing where he got that from, Atemu still felt happy about recognising someone. But said Mana seemed pretty amused and giggled distrustfully.
"I know we haven't spoken in a whole day, but you didn't forget me, did you?" But when she became a little unsure and looked worriedly at him. "After all these years of practising magic together..? I mean, you and I are practically family!"
"Eh, yes… of course!" He hurried to answer even though he understood that he apparently acted kind of weird. And as the oldest friend he was, Mana noticed it.
"Hold on!" Her face came near his and she stared seriously at him. "You haven't been walking around in the desert without wearing a hat again, now have you!"
Well, to put it this way, he failed to answer her and instead Mahado took over and begun to lecture.
"Mana, that is enough! It is not like it's used to be, do you not see? He's the king of Egypt now and does not have time for…"
"And he does not have time to speak for himself? Is that why you've been doing all the talking for him?" When Mana happily interrupted her master, Atemu smiled warmly.
"That is not true! How did you get past the guards anyway?" pondered Mahado out loud as they all turned and looked down at the guards, who surprisingly stood completely still, no matter what move they were in.
"Well, my magic's been improving", answered a proud young woman.
"Do not tell me you used your freezing spell! We need them to guard the palace!"
"Oops!" Mana looked at Atemu who didn't know if he would find this severe or amusing. Mana on the other hand surely found it pretty fun. "Sorry, I realise thee" Until now. "Uh-oh."
When the guards still remained frozen Mahado stared down at his student and said with a stern voice:
"Your magic is improving, is it?"
"Let me try that again… um." She quickly got a thick book materializing in her hand and in a hurry started to turn the pages. "It's in here somewhere!"
"Just hurry up." When Mahado mumbled that; he didn't seem too surprised about the situation.
"Let's see… turning humans into toads… getting rid of bad breath… ah! The freeze spell!" Atemu looked at her and when closed his eyes, memorising that moment for ever on.
Mana stared at Atemu's face. He had closed his eyes and was in a very deep thought, but still seemed pretty relaxed and he smiled that warm smile that always made her happy, even now. But it wasn't only happiness that filled her as she observed the man. When she saw him in his armless black tank top, she remembered about how his toned skin always contrasted to the white dress of his. Now as then he was muscular, had that wild hair with golden bangs… and that face, a face with a mouth that spoke hard as soft words from its lips, eyes that was the mystery itself. Yes, Mana could for the first time indeed see why the young women had found Atemu handsome, and that's the least to say.
"Mm?" The said man sensed her stare and opened his eyes violet. "Are you alright, Mana?"
"Yes, I just understood why those girls liked you." She blushed slightly.
"Oh."
"Will you marry one of them?"
"No, I do not intend to anyway." A soft laughter came out from him and he hugged her close.
"PUH!" Mana shone up and sighed in relief. "Good, because they didn't look either kind or pretty to me!"
"That's the Mana I know", smiled Atemu and rose and helped her up too.
Aww, Mana is one of my favourite character, after Ryou, but anyway... what did you, the almighty reader think?
-have puppy eyes that no one can resist- Um, alright, won't overdo it, but still want to know, so have it great untilI see you next time!
