Angel: (singing) We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Y.Ang: (clutching ears) Make it stop!!
Yami: (surprisingly cheerful) Ain't going to happen.
Angel: (stops singing for a minute and states randomly) Sorry for lateness everybody (starts singing again)
Y.Ang: (ignores her weird singing hikari and regards Yami suspiciously) Why are you so happy?
Yami: (looks nervous) Umm…
Bakura: (walks past drunkenly, holding a bottle of beer and a packet of lollies)
Y.Ang: (raises eyebrow) Did you rob that liquor/candy store downtown again?
Yami: (sweatdrops)
Angel: (stops singing, finally) No! My characters/muses do not get drunk or rob places unless I tell you to!!
Crystal: (death-glaring at Yami) Yeah! Yami, how could you?? You promised you'd stop!
Yami: (looks rather nervous) Crystal, I…
Crystal: (huffs and walks off)
Y.Ang: Well, that was interesting.
Angel: (shrugs) She'll forgive him eventually.
Yami: (brightens considerably) Oh goody! Is this the chapter where I…(gets stopped again)
Angel: NO! You do not say anything about this chapter or you, my friend, will be in serious pain!
Yami: O...O
Y.Ang: (sighs) Replies to reviews:
Maistwin: Yeah, Christmas shopping is the best! It combines two very good things: shopping, and holidays! YAY!! (coughs) Anyway, thanks for your much-appreciated comments.
Leneia: See? I updated, the day before Christmas! Aren't I so good?
Y.Ang: (sarcastically) And so modest too.
Angel: (coughs) Be quiet, you. Anyway, thanks for your confidence in me. Much appreciated! And yeah, I did have slight writer's block over the amnesia thing. When I wrote the chapter down, I used another idea, and then realised I used amnesia in a later chapter. So I had to change it fast. Result: Not good. Sorry about that
shadow-fox313: Thank you for reviewing. And thanks for the compliments too. Just out of curiosity, why do you like my story? What makes it appeal to you? Could you tell me please?
mya starnight: Thanks for the compliments. You think this is good too? Could you also tell me what you like about the story, and what makes it appeal to you? I'm curious.
Ria, the person in the shadows: Well, I'm glad you like it. I don't really care which chapter you review, as long as you review. And who knows? Yami just might be pounding Rames soon, especially if it catches someone's attention. That gives me an idea… And sorry about the slow update……
Angel: Ok, I really don't have anything further to add here, besides the usual apologies for lateness, so on with the story! Yami?
Yami: Angel does not own YuGiOh. Get used to it. Stop asking about it. And for Ra's sake, accept it!
Angel: O...O ……thank you, Yami
'Italics' stand for mind speech
Italics in paragraphs stands for flashbacks, or memories.
"word" stands for normal speech
Just on a side note, after chapter 16, updates will be really slow, as I haven't even written those chapters yet. I will get there soon, I promise! I am trying. Please don't shoot me! I need to live!!!!!
Y.Ang: (sweatdrops) Right………
Lonely Heart In Egypt
Chapter 15: Time for Talk, Time for Friends, and Time for Truth
Crystal awoke with a start at the sound of a crash. She sat up immediately but she couldn't focus on the cause of the noise. Her sudden movement left her slightly disorientated for a few seconds.
When her eyes focused, she saw the horrified maid standing there with her hand over her mouth, "I'm so sorry milady! I did not mean to wake you! I just dropped the tray as I was replacing it!"
Crystal sighed, "It's alright. What time is it?"
"4 hours past dawn, milady." (AN: For us, roughly 10:00 am)
"I slept all night?"
"Indeed milady."
Crystal suddenly looked shocked as an idea formed in her mind. "Have you been giving me fresh trays of food all night?"
The maid nodded, "I have, milady, on my lord Pharaoh's orders. He said that he would take it as a personal insult if you woke and had to ask for food."
Crystal smiled, a light blush crossing her cheeks, "Well, thank you. You can go if you wish."
"My thanks, milady."
Crystal nodded politely, but her dreamy expression showed her thoughts were elsewhere. Judging by the smile on her face, and the deepening blush on her cheeks, the maid didn't have to guess the subject of the young princess's thoughts.
As she discretely left, the maid thought to herself, 'The Pharaoh is a lucky man to have won the heart of such an angel.'
Once the maid left, Crystal shook herself out of her thoughts, and started eating. 'It was so sweet of Yami to do this for me,' she thought to herself.
Despite the fact that she hadn't eaten for almost a day, Crystal wasn't very hungry, and only nibbled at the tray of fresh fruits. Also, she started daydreaming again.
However, her thoughts were interrupted again as she heard the door open. Crystal turned to face the door, and saw Mana walking towards her.
"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
Crystal sighed, "I feel fine. I'm not really hungry though."
Mana's expression turned stern, "Well, you need to eat. You've gone almost a whole day without food. You look terrible."
"Why, thankyou," Crystal replied dryly.
Mana's eyes narrowed, "Well, it's true! The spell that was used to heal you overnight got its energy by burning off the little fat you possess. You look absolutely gaunt. The Pharaoh would have a heart attack if he saw you like this."
Crystal blushed again, but frowned as a thought came to mind. "Speaking of Yami, where is he? He was here as soon as I woke up last night."
Mana hesitated, and Crystal looked half-frightened/half-suspicious as she asked again, "What? Where is he?"
Mana sighed, thinking to herself that the best answer was a simple one, "He had to leave on urgent business yesterday. However, he sends his apologies that he cannot spend time with 'his guest' and said he should be back in a week's time. Just in time for your birthday."
Crystal frowned at the vague details, but then looked quite sad. Mana noticed this, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Crystal sighed sadly, "It's nothing life-threatening Mana. I just really wanted to spend as much time with Yami as possible before my wedding. You know Rames won't let me after it."
Mana nodded, "Yes, I do. He'd get all jealous and suchlike, unless you had a perfectly good business reason."
Crystal just nodded, staring miserably out at nothing. Mana suddenly brightened as she had an idea. "Well, Yami isn't the only person worth talking to in this palace. What about the Prince and the Priest of Seth?"
Crystal also brightened considerably, smiling to herself at Mana's formality. "Yugi and Seto? Of course! I can't believe I almost forgot them. I'm going to go find them right now!" she said determinedly, as she made to sit up.
Mana caught the young princess's shoulders and forced her to lie down again. Clucking her tongue, she said, "Uh-uh. You're not going anywhere. If you want to see them, they'll have to come here."
Crystal accepted this with a stubborn look and pout. "Fine then. Have it your way."
Mana then ordered the page outside to 'find Prince Yugi and Priest Seto, and bring them to the Princess Crystal's chambers.'
The boy nodded, and Mana handed him a small sweet. The young boy grinned at her in thanks and then left. As he left, Mana turned to Crystal and smiled, "They should be here any minute. The lad is very good at his job, and because he likes us both so much, he'll go as fast as he can."
Crystal nodded in a non-committing manner, but made Mana fish a coin out of her chest to give the child when he returned. Then the two women set about eating the tray of fruits.
Just as they were finishing, the page knocked on the door. Crystal called out that he could enter, and he stepped into the room. "My ladies, His Holiness, Priest Seto, and his Highness, Prince Yugi are here."
Mana tossed the coin to the lad, which he caught with a grin, "Thank you, child. They can come in too."
The boy bowed, and disappeared out the door. The door then re-opened, and the two aforementioned guests entered. Yugi ran into the room, a delighted grin on is face, and jumped onto the bed, giving Crystal a huge hug. Kaiba chuckled, and walked over to sit next to her, politely kissing her cheek in welcome.
"I trust my lady is feeling better?"
Crystal smiled at his formality, but sighed, "You are correct. Still, I have been better."
A look of alarm crossed Yugi's face, "I didn't make you worse, did I?"
Crystal laughed, "Of course not, silly! Whatever made you think that?"
The young prince relaxed visibly, "Yami said if I made you any worse, he'd make me have lessons all day long and not let me have strawberries for a week."
"Well, you made me feel better, so we don't have to worry. And if you like strawberries, you can have this," she said as she reached for the tray of food.
Yugi's naturally wide eyes widened further as Crystal showed him the huge strawberry, "You're lucky you came when you did, I was just about to eat it. But you can have it."
Yugi stared at the strawberry like it was the most precious thing in the world, then started eating it. After he had devoured the strawberry, Yugi looked at her pleadingly, "Can we please play hide-and-seek now? I've missed playing with you."
Crystal brightened, "I've missed playing with you too. Let's go."
As the princess made to get up, she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. Seto's voice followed, "Since Mana has mysteriously vanished, it is my duty to make sure you stay in bed, and don't go anywhere. If you strain yourself too much, you could get worse. You're already quite weak as it is."
"But Seto," she whined, "Hide-and-seek isn't a strenuous activity."
Kaiba frowned, "No buts about it. If you want to play, you'll have to conceive some way to play it from your bed. You're not going anywhere."
Crystal scowled, and looked as though she was about to retaliate when Yugi spoke up. "I know! I can hide while you cover your eyes, and Seto can see where I hide. Then, you can guess places where I am, and Seto will tell you if I'm there or not."
Crystal brightened considerably, and turned her version of the infamous 'puppy-dog eyes' on him, "Please Seto? Can we please?"
Seto stares at her. 'Aargh! Those eyes! Where did she learn to do that? Yami is going to spoil her to death if she uses them on him. Then again, it's not like he wouldn't have anyway.' Seto sighed, "I suppose so."
Yugi grinned, giving the priest, (turning advisor), a huge hug, "Yay! Thank you Kaiba!"
Crystal smiled gratefully. "Thanks Seto. You'd better not lie to me though," she said warningly as she covered her eyes.
He smiled softly as Yugi hid behind her dressing table, "I won't."
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Yami scowled, impatiently pacing around the room. His Captain of the Guard, Joey, was watching his close friend nervously.
"Yami, are you alright?" he asked softly.
Yami's response was to growl and glare at the door, trying hard not to yell at his friend.
In case you're wondering what's going on here, Yami and his escort had arrived in Isiria a little over an hour ago. However, they had been unable to see the King straight away as he was sleeping. Therefore, Yami and his entourage, including Joey, two other guards, and a few servants had been shown to the newly repaired throne room of the palace.
The reason for Yami's more annoyed than usual attitude was standing at the door to the room. Rames had come down to deliver the message about his lord's plans, and by bringing up his upcoming wedding, had forced Yami to offer congratulations, or risk offending Isaac by his lack of manners to a member of Isaac's court. Yami had a feeling Rames had only mentioned the fact to gloat about it.
The reason Rames was still even alive was mostly due to Crystal. Over her weeks with Yami, she had significantly softened the young Pharaoh's temper. However, Yami's newfound calmness had been pushed to the limit over Rames bringing up his wedding. Only the thought of what would happen to Crystal if he could not gain her father's favour stopped him from pounding Rames for what he'd done to the princess.
Yet, as Joey had pointed out, killing Rames would have solved the wedding problem. Then Yami had crossly pointed out that he had another favour to ask of Isaac, so murdering Rames was out of the question, despite Yami's feelings about him.
"My lord?"
Yami whirled around, his teeth clenched, "Yes?"
The page flinched, obvious fear on his young face, "Umm…my lord King Isaac is here."
Yami's expression softened at seeing the lad's fear, "He can come in as he wishes. He is the lord here, while I am naught more than an uninvited guest. I must wait on his wishes, for a change."
Isaac chuckled, stepping into the room, and dismissing the page, "Well spoken, my Pharaoh. What brings you here to be an 'uninvited guest' as you so elegantly put it?"
Yami nodded his head, dismissing his guards and servants. Isaac looked puzzled, but also turned to Rames, who had since entered the room. 'Rames, please leave us. Tell the guards and servants they are not to bother me this afternoon unless upon a matter of utmost urgency," he said turning around to face Yami again.
A look of outrage crossed the advisor's face for a brief second, but he then bowed, speaking through clenched teeth, "At once my lord."
Isaac then cheerfully called out, "And don't you dare eavesdrop again. I won't have my guest thinking my court rude."
Yami saw another brief flash of rage cross Rames's face as he left the room, "Do you think it wise to provoke him like that?"
Isaac chuckled, "Probably not, but what's done is done. He needs to be publicly embarrassed like that, or he would have eavesdropped on our entire conversation, and sending him out of the room would have been a waste of time."
Yami nodded, and accepted the chair Isaac gestured to. Settling on his own chair, his throne, Isaac asked, "Well, Pharaoh, what do you need to speak to me of that my advisor could not hear of?"
"Something very important to the both of us, Isaac. Your daughter."
Isaac paled, "Is she alright? What has happened to her?"
Yami shook his head, "She is fine. I merely wanted to inform you of my overruling of her engagement."
Isaac froze and spluttered, "What? My daughter? Engaged? To whom? When? Who dares…?
Yami sighed heavily, "I thought you would react this way."
Isaac interrupted, "Is it you?!?"
Yami went scarlet, "What? No! I was talking about your agreeing to have your daughter marry Lord Rames."
Isaac looked like he was about to explode, "WHAT?!? I did no such thing!"
Yami sighed, "You did. However, it can be argued it wasn't you, as you were under the control of the leader of this 'Clan of Anubis' at the time the document was signed."
Isaac looked stunned, "But why would the leader want my daughter to marry Rames?"
"Because this 'leader' and Rames and one and the same."
Isaac growled, "How dare he? I'm going to make him regret the day he was born!!"
"As much as I'd like that, I'm afraid you can't. Only Crystal has the power to destroy this clan, including their leader. If Rames gets any hint that we know who he really is…"
Isaac paled again, "He'll kill us both, leaving my daughter practically defenceless. He could then kill her."
Yami raised an eyebrow, "No offence, but how could our death change her hopes of winning? Or make her more prone to attack?"
Isaac sighed, "Because of a spell your mother and my wife cast just before their deaths. As long as there is someone that loves Crystal, she will be safe with that person, or in that person's home. She can be harmed, but not killed. I fear Rames has begun to suspect what my wife did, after all his attacks have failed in killing my daughter. No doubt that's why the attacks have stopped."
Yami winced slightly as Isaac said that, "Then the only thing you can do is stop her marriage to Rames."
The king suddenly moaned, "But I can not! Dear gods, how could I do this to my own daughter? And now I cannot change it! Only my overlord can!"
Yami smiled, looking quite determined, "I thought as much. And change it I shall, for Crystal's sake."
Isaac blinked, then suddenly laughed, "Of course! Forgive me, but I forgot you were my overlord! You seem like my equal at times, especially as you care for my daughter like no other man has."
Yami flushed, but Isaac didn't notice, "Anyway, I think the procedure will take about a week, give or take a few days, especially if we plan to keep this from Rames."
"Truly spoken, Yami. You're welcome as long as you like. I'll think if some lie to tell the courts abut your reason for being here."
"Alright then. Umm…Isaac?"
"Yes Yami?"
The young Pharaoh suddenly looked nervous, "Uhh...I was thinking…"
Isaac raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"
"Well, in order to ensure Crystal's safety, you said she must always be in the home of or near someone who loves her. You said there she would be safest."
Isaac gestured with his hands, "You're point being?"
Yami struggled to continue, "And…umm…my palace is probably…the safest place for…for her to be and…"
Isaac went very still, "Are you asking me for permission to marry my daughter?"
Yami went scarlet, "Well…yes."
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Yami: What? You mean I have to wait until you post chapter 16 to find out if he says yes? I'll never know!!!
Y.Ang: Yeah, but I wouldn't assume the best. Isaac likes you, but he has just got his daughter out of one engagement and here's an exert of the next chapter that I stole:
Isaac sighed, I know you could make her happy
Yami sighed, "But?"
Y.Ang: Anyway, let's leave you guys to ponder over that before she wakes up (points athikari)
Angel: (wakes up) Huh? Oh, did I finish?
Y.Ang: -...- Why else would I be talking to you?
Angel: (yawns) True. Anyway, I hope you guys don't kill me for the cliffhanger, or the shortness of this chapter, or the late updating. It's Christmas! I want to live to get my pressies!! Have a heart people!
Y.Ang: -...- This from the person who didn't buy her brothers a present
Angel: I did too! Anyway, guys, thanks for all your support so far, and I'll try to get the next chapter up within a month. But as I said before, chapter 17 hasn't been written as a draft yet, so it will take a lot longer than usual to come out. I'm so sorry.
Y.Ang: Look on the bright side! This story will probably only have about 20 chapters! Only about 5 more updates to wait forever for!
Angel: -...-Thanks for the encouragement, Ang. Anyway, merry Christmas everybody!!
C YA!! Angel