Greetings, one and all! It is I, Suntory Angel, with a special little announcement:

This here will be a collection of oneshots relaying to my fanfic known at "The Mummy Groom"!

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They will be labeled accordingly with rating, theme, and inspiration!

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As always, I do not own rights to YGO or any other references that I might make!

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Happy Reading!

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Theme: Game

Rating: K+ (to be safe)

Inspiration: "It's game time."

Game

Mai had quickly checked into another room when Tea had returned with a man in tow. She knew there would be time for explanations later and briefly embraced the dancer as she passed. "Take it easy tonight, you still have to perform tomorrow." Her head fell back with an amused laugh when Tea's face turned bright red and then she was gone.

Curious amethyst eyes turned from the disappearing blonde to the vision before him. How long had it been since they had been last together? Long enough that her hair had grown longer, he mussed, and a calculated tug on the intricate diadem in her hair caused waves of chocolate to cascade over her shoulders until it reached her mid back. This caused her to jump and retreat slightly in surprise but a shy smile lifted her lips. Now that there was more light he could clearly see that she had indeed matured since they had parted. He blinked as she softly called his name, the glittering pools that were her eyes showing concern when he stepped closer to her. One of his hands rose to gently gather a few waves of her hair and brought it to his lips, his gaze unwavering from her own. "Not even the life giving Nile can come close to your beauty."

She felt her breath catch and a crystalline tear trickled down her cheek. "It really is you, isn't it?" Atem's eyes slid closed when her hand rose to cup his cheek. More tears followed as a nearly burning heat surged beneath her fingertips.

His lips moved from the lock of hair which he released and gently pressed them against her palm. The scent he picked up caused his own breath to catch but that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. "Your skin once nearly burned my own with its living warmth. I fills me with a strange comfort now that our temperatures are close. Your touch now soothes me, like water from the Nile." Their free fingers met, slowly entwining as their gazes met.

Tea's interest peaked when a memory bell sounded within the confines of her mind when he made to remove himself. "You once said that back in your culture that a man was not to touch a woman. One of the memories I recalled from her was you not hesitating to hold her as she cried in the throne room. Her ankles were sprained and said that she feared punishment." She retreated to the bed as a look of awe crossed his features when she removed the decorative ribbons around her ankles to reveal the twin birthmarks and removed the decorative gloves that decorated her hands, revealing two more around her wrists. No doctor could explain why the birthmarks never faded but had always assured that they weren't harmful. "She was a slave, owned by him, and yet you embraced her before your father's court. You told her that you would speak to your father, the current pharaoh at the time, but you had this strange mischievous expression on your face."

Heat flooded his face in embarrassment as he cleared his throat in attempt to swallow the lump that had formed. Tea could not believe the affect her words had on him, a once pharaoh of Egypt. "It does not surprise me that your memories of then are returning, you are her but also your own person. A reborn spirit can recover the previous life's memory, though it has never been proven."

"Don't you try and change the subject, Atem," she shook her head while resting backwards against the pillows and patting the bedspread. "I want to know what happened next."

His lips lifted into a challenging smirk. "Let's play a game then." Her expression fell slightly. There had been a hieroglyph that the Mutou's had used for their museum though it translated to "King of Games", which she had spotted upon his sarcophagus. She wasn't fond of them but she wasn't about to be outdone by a game when she already had the upper hand. At least that's what she hoped as he settled upon the bed. She had to bite back a smile at his momentary fascination with the softness and slight sinking of the mattress underneath. He had nearly forgotten this feeling, the adrenaline of excitement mixed with confidence. "Answer correctly, I shall grant your request. However if you answer wrongly, you may have to play a punishment game."

"So Yugi must have inherited that from you," she giggled, her fingertip booping his nose. "He used to do that to me a lot when we were little. Go ahead, mighty Nameless Pharaoh, the King of Games, hit me with your best shot."

"Something easy then." He chuckled as she mock pouted then grew serious. "This creeps across the ground, yet clings to the pillar(1). What is it?"

Her expression grew slack as she began to think. The first thing that came to mind was a spider but she shook it away since it didn't match the second part of the riddle. She asked if there were any hints and received silence, causing her frustration to grow when she spotted his confident smirk. Tea had to admit that it was growing on her but at the same time it was agonizing! Her gaze fell to the bedspread as she attempted to clear her mind and that's when she saw them, the answers to the puzzle. Newfound confidence filled her as she met his curious gaze head on and lifted her lips into a smile. "A shadow."

His hand rose and pet the top of her head. "Well done, Tea."

"Thank you, thank you," she bowed exasperatedly, playfully moving out of his reach then settled into a comfortable position. "Now quit stalling and tell me more!" No sooner had the words left her lips than the scene around them wavered.

Though the festivities were finishing up, the young prince remained by the dancer girl's side even as the shadows grew long. It wasn't until the last of the servants had departed and the court had returned to their designated duties that the pharaoh rose from his throne to kneel next to the pair. The gentleness that shone from the mighty king's eyes were reflected in his son's as they looked to her. They questioned where the bruises and markings had come from but she could only hang her head in shame. "I am not good enough," she finally whimpered as the tears threatened to return. "My love for dance has earned little, causing my master much disgrace."

Alarm filled her when a hand untied her hair from the supposedly fashionable updo and she turned her panicked eyes to find apologetic amethyst. "Apologies, I only wished to admire your hair." She could see the pharaoh's expression turn thoughtful as he watched his son carefully brush her long chocolate tresses.

A familiar prickling shot down her spine as a voice called out to them, a man appearing in the doorway that earned the guard's narrowed gaze. "Ah, there you are, little one, I have been looking for you." Bakura's lips lifted into a forced smile as he quickly made his way towards her but being careful as to bow lowly towards the pharaoh and the prince as he passed. "I see that the festivities are done with so it is time that we return home."

"It appears that she had injured herself." The pharaoh straightened to his full height as his son protectively stood before her. "Allow us to treat her since she was within our home when they became too prominent to ignore. We are more than capable of providing compensation if you would rather her receive treatment within your own dwelling."

She stiffened as Bakura's expression became one of glee. "What a charitable pharaoh you are, my king! I shall take you up on your offer but I will ensure that she will be treated appropriately when we get back to our residence." He held out his hand towards her, earning a flinch, but she shakily stood and managed to take a few steps forward when a hand wrapped out her wrist. She cast a glance towards the prince as he assured her that he would send someone to ensure that she was recovering and gently removed herself from his hold as Bakura swept her up. The next thing she knew she was waking, huddled on a cot underneath a thin blanket. Her decorated dancingwear was neatly laid out on the wooden tale where she could hear the faint sound of clinking. There was a faint light coming from an oil lantern that revealed Bakura's form hovering a pile of glittering gold coins. A strange expression crossed his features as his gaze slowly shifted towards her, as if he had sensed her wake. "Rest up, little mouse, you'll earn your keep yet."

She shivered as his shadow seemed to crawl across the floor to menacingly loom over her. It was as her eyes clenched shut and curled into a tighter ball that something pricked her scalp, nearly earning a yelp. Her hand rose and retrieved the foreign object and blinked as a small golden scarab sat within her palm. Where had that come from? She recalled that the prince had combed her hair so perhaps he had slipped it in and it managed to stay in place until now. Her hands quickly hid it when Bakura blew out the flame and settled in his own cot, thankfully far form her own, and found comfort as she gently brushed her fingers along the patterns that decorated the little trinket.

Tea blinked as the room came back into focus, as well as Atem's concerned expression and felt her own shift into mild amusement. "You snuck a scarab into her hair?"

"I did not think a live one would have been well received," his head tilted to the right as she threw her head back and laughed. "I had hoped it would keep you company."

"Most people would send a letter, but then again your letters would have been stone tablets." She mused, nodding in understanding. It was truly a sweet gesture and she was thankful that he had not slipped one into her own. A realization hit her as she studied his face intently. "I never asked how old you were when you died."

His brow furrowed slightly but he couldn't hide the teasing glint in his eyes. "One must never ask another's age, surely you know that?" He deftly caught her wrist and brought her closer as she laughed heartily, resting his forehead against her own. "I was fourteen summers when we first met, back when I prince, and had turned eighteen summers just before I had ascended the throne. When we met our shared end I was twenty summers."

The breath she didn't know she was holding nearly whistled between her lips as she exhaled. "That is good to hear. I mean…you know what I mean…" She held up a finger as his lips parted. "Oh, no, you don't! I am not going to reveal how old I am."

"Then we shall have another round."

Lips lifting into a small smile, she sat up and crossed her legs. "If you win, I will tell you how old I am. If I win," her voice grew soft as she clasped her hands in her lap. "You tell me if being with me is what you really want." Shock and bewilderment crossed his face but she didn't allow him to act as she held up a hand. "I can run, I can walk; I can be wet, I can be dry; Cannot move on my own, yet can travel long distances. What am I?"

Atem's eyes bore into her own as he requested she repeat it once more. He had been surprised and slightly hurt to her conditions but he was more than prepared to fulfill her unanswered questions. Closing his eyes, he carefully thought over the wording and one thing in particular came to mind. Technically two since they came in pairs. "The answer is sandals, or what I believe you call shoes." It wasn't until she nodded that he reached forward and embraced her tightly, resting his chin atop of her head. "I cannot imagine my life without you in it, Tea, so please do not speak as if you mater naught. Will you allow me to put your worries to rest?" He pulled back as she nodded, his heart cracking when he caught sight of her unshed tears clinging to her eyelashes. As if he was handling the rarest gem his hands cupped her face and he firmly pressed his lips against the space between her eyes. "Yes, I loved her, but that does not mean that I care for you any less, Tea. You are both your own persons, reincarnated or not, and that has not stopped me from developing feelings for you. I believe in that truth strongly because even when we first crossed paths in the underworld I felt myself growing fond of you. You are unlike anyone I have ever met, Tea, there are many things that I admire about you." His tone grew stern when she made to roll her eyes. "Confidence and courage to pursue what you desire, a heart that refuses to surrender, a smile that can brighten even the darkest of days. All these and more are what have lead me to care…no, to love you, Tea."

Her hands rose and covered his own as her tears spilled, creating waterfalls as he gathered her in his arms. He softly called her name as she cried into his chest and held her even tighter when she clung to him as if her life depended on it. It wasn't for several minutes that she finally quieted yet her grip remained strong. Atem felt his lips lift into a fond smile as she struggled to keep her eyes opened. "I'm so sorry, I promise that I want to hear everything you have to say but I guess the performance earlier made me more exhausted than I thought," she yawned, shaking her head vigorously. "Don't worry though, this happens all the time."

"Are you afraid that when you wake I will no longer be here, that I am still nothing more than an illusion?" He gently placed her under the covers and settled atop of the sheets next to her, his arms readily welcoming her as she snuggled into him. "I assure you that I shall remain while you rest."

She looked up in time to see his own eyes become hooded. "One last game?"

"If you insist," he chuckled lowly. "One each."

Another yawn caused the faintest of moistures to gather in the corners of her eyes. "A wish, a dream, a fairy tale, all has longed for or mentioned this."

Atem's lips lifted into a small smile as their figures relaxed and molded comfortably. "That could be a great many things, Tea, I believe you will have to provide a hint." Her response was mumbled, drifting quickly into unconsciousness he mussed, and his own eyes slid closed as the faintest scents of peaches tickled his nose. "If on wishes to continue a game the players must be awake. Tomorrow, then, we shall continue this game of ours."

They both drifted together along the gentle waves of dreams as a shadow moved about the suite. Mai paused in her escape to smile down upon the pair. She had snuck in early enough to hear them start their game and just in time to hear the young man confess his feelings. "I'm so happy for you both," she whispered, turning off the lights and drawing the canopy bed's curtains closed so that they wouldn't get too cold during the night. "And I can't wait to formerly meet the gentleman at breakfast. He'll have to play a game of my own if he plans to stick around." She happily chuckled to herself softly while taking her leave, the bag in question that she had left behind tucked under her arm.

See you next time!