Angel: (yawns)
Y.Ang: (sighs)
Yami: (sleeping)
Kaiba: (sleeping with his eyes open while standing)
Mai: -…-
Microwave: (Beeps)
Angel: (jumps up and runs to kitchen) YAY! Chocolate cake!
Yami and Kaiba: (get startled, wake up, hit their heads on something and slide to the floor unconscious)
Y.Ang: -…-
Mai: Idiots.
Y.Ang: It's finally ready. She's had us sitting here for over 2 hours!
Mai: (yawning at computer) Yeah, hon, I know. What took so long?
Y.Ang: (sighs) Well, she put it in the oven to cook, and forgot the oven was broken. After an hour, she went to check it, and realised it hadn't cooked. Then she put it in the microwave, and didn't set it to the right temperature, so it took a lot longer than normal.
Mai: Typical. Oh well, we survived. Do I keep writing these chapters now, since Seto is currently unconscious?
Y.Ang: I suppose. You know how slow Angel is.
Mai: True. It took her long enough.
Angel: (returns with cake) YAY! Cake!
Y.Ang: -…- You already said that.
Angel: (confused) I did? Oh well. While I sort out this chapter with the help of my dear friend Mai…
Mai: I am not your dear friend, just a slightly willing muse.
Angel: -…- Anyway, here's the replies to reviews:
RobinIV: A Master of Cliffhangers? I like it! And thanks for your appreciation. It means a lot.
pharoh atemu: You're welcome for the new chapter! (hugs back) Thanks! Umm…you aren't awaiting the next chapter with any weapons…are you?
Maistwin: Well, that makes two of us. Thanks for your infamous saying! It seems to work, I feel obligated to update soon now…Hopefully I actually do update soon for a change…Apparently not this time though…I do try…
Ria, the person in the shadows: Yes, Yami does have quite a temper doesn't he? Crystal is probably good for his health then. (grins) And if you like Bakura so much, by all means take him.
Bakura: (howls in dismay) No! Anyone but her!
Angel: (whacks him over the head) That's rude! And be glad she's not someone else! And you'd better not hurt my reviewer, ok?
Bakura: (dazed)
Angel: (sighs) Anyway, I'm thinking of Chapter 17 as I write this, so hopefully it'll be out earlier than I think. So I'll try to update ASAP. Note: Try
Victoria: You love this? You wish you could write like me? I feel so appreciated right now! Thanks! (hugs) Well, we'll just see about Yami marrying Crystal. I think I could come up with a 'lovely twist' to this now…(grins)
Yollandak: Thanks. Your compliment is appreciated. I'm glad you love this story.
Angel: Thanks for all your reviews. They are such an inspiration
Y.Ang: -…- Sure sure. And that's why you take at least a month for every chapter, and at least 3 months for this one
Angel: (glares) Be quiet you. I keep having writer's block and…
Y.Ang: Stop making up excuses and get to the story! The reviewers don't review for nothing!
Angel: Fine. Next chapter should be out by roughly June/July…if I'm lucky. Sorry for the long delay, but I have severe writer's block for this story, and it doesn't seem to be improving. This chapter proves it. And I won't update at all until I get at least 10 more reviews, ok? And if I do get 10 reviews, and haven't updated by my birthday in August…well then, you can murder me, as I will not have any more inspiration if I take that long. I mean, come on, even I'm not that bad! O…O
Mai: -…- That's not a safe thing to say, Angel
Angel: (sweatdrops) Probably not, but having my life on the life tends to motivate me a lot more. And one more thing, even after chapter 17 comes out, I will only update after 10 reviews from now on, regardless of other promises. That rule stays. Anyway, just ignore my basically pointless rambling, and let's get on with the story!
Crystal: (sighs) Angel does not own YuGiOh, or Egypt. We thank Ra for that. She also does not own the 'Clan of Anubis'. Unfortunately, we forget who actually does, but it's not Angel. However, she does own Isiria, Father, Rames, Clarita, and me. I think that's everything.
Angel: You guys all know the drill with mind speech and stuff by now, so on with the chapter!
Lonely Heart In Egypt
Chapter 16: Wedding Plans and Fears
Isaac stared for a few seconds, and then suddenly roared with laughter.
After a few minutes of this, Yami began to look annoyed, "You know, I am serious. And if you wanted to say no, you could have just said so."
Isaac tried to calm down, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, "Oh, forgive me Yami. I was just surprised it took you this long to ask! And on the last day of my bet with Mai! Now all my accountants and most of my councillors owe me money! We all expected you to propose within a week! "
Yami lowered his eyes, trying to hide his flaming cheeks. "Well…umm…" he mumbled.
Isaac grinned at the Pharaoh's obvious embarrassment, "What a story this would make! The great pharaoh of Egypt, humbled by my daughter!"
Yami forced his eyes up, still blushing slightly, but feeling bolder, "I take it you won't let your daughter marry the likes of me?"
Isaac's expression turned solemn, "In truth, nothing would please me more than to see my daughter married to you. You are a good man, and you have wealth enough to make her happy. You have your palace, a safe place where she could live, surrounded by your armies and priests. You also genuinely care for my daughter. I know you could make her happy."
Yami sighed, "But?"
Isaac's eyes twinkled, "You are a perceptive man, Yami. The 'but' is that after the incident with Ishtar, I promised my daughter I'd never force her to marry anyone. I promised her she could marry for love. I have already broken that promise to her with Rames. I won't force her into an engagement again. The last thing I want is for her to be unhappy. So all I will do is give you my permission to ask her to marry you."
Yami let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, "I expected no less. You are a devoted father, and always do what's best for your daughter. I wanted to ask her anyway. I doubt I could bear not knowing if she married me for love or because she felt she had to."
"Well then, I hope Crystal does agree, as I can see you love her very much."
Yami flushed again, "Yes, I do love her. She means everything to me. I'd rather die than see her hurt again."
"You mean the incidents with Ishtar and Rames?"
Carelessly, Yami answered, "Yes, that too."
Isaac froze, "What? Do you mean to tell me that something else has happened to my daughter?"
Yami winced, "Uhh…I was referring to the time the Chaos mage attacked her." ((AN: That seems like so long ago now. I mean, back then, I had no idea where this story was going. Look at it now! I feel proud. Anyway, please excuse the interruption. (runs away as readers, Isaac and Yami all glare at her))
Isaac narrowed his eyes, "You may have been referring to that, Yami, but I know you also meant something else. What has happened to my daughter?"
Yami sighed, "I suppose I might as well tell you, before you get too worried. By the way, she's fine. She was attacked again a few days ago." Yami then continued to tell Isaac the story of what had happened, even calming Isaac down as he described the shooting.
(Later that week, back in Menefer, Yami's city)
Crystal awoke with a scream for the third time in the past week, instantly bringing Seto to her side. After her first nightmare, Seto had decided to sleep in the room across the hall from hers until they stopped.
As Seto sat on the bed, he gathered the crying princess into his arms, gently soothing her. "Crystal, what is it? What happened?"
The young woman sighed, taking comfort in Seto's arms. She felt safe there, though not as much as she did whenever Yami hugged her. "Nothing, it's just a nightmare."
Seto shook his head, 'Crystal, you've got to stop bottling up everything. I've known you since we were kids, although I'd have to be blind and deaf to not know that you're frightened."
She sniffed, "You know me too well, my friend. However, it was just a nightmare."
Seto smiled softly, but pressed on, "Well, what happened in it? You look scared to death, and that scream wasn't for nothing."
She shuddered, "If you must know, I dreamt that I was in the Shadow Realm. Yam and the leader of the 'Clan of Anubis' were there. I couldn't see the leader's face though. Anyway, the leader looked at Yami and said, 'How dare you have what should be mine! How dare you take away what's mine?'"
"And then what happened?"
"Then Yami said, 'Because what I have now never belonged to you. You never even had a chance.' The leader then screamed at him, 'How dare you! You have no right! Everything you have, it should be mine!'"
Crystal shuddered again, and Seto gently squeezed her shoulders, "What did he do then?"
Crystal blurted it out, causing a fresh burst of tears, "He…he killed Yami! And I couldn't save him!"
Seto sighed, trying to comfort the distraught princess, "Shh…it was just a nightmare."
She frantically shook her head, "No! I could've sworn it really happened!"
Seto also shook his head, "Well, it hasn't. I can assure you, Pharaoh Yami is fine. He hasn't gone to challenge the leader or anything like that. He should be back soon, he could even be back tomorrow. You'll see, he's fine."
Crystal sniffed, "I hope you're right, Seto."
He smiled softly, and moved to go, but Crystal stopped him. "Seto, can you please stay? I don't want to be alone," she begged.
Seto sighed, and shifted his position slightly so that Crystal could lie down, "Alright, I'll stay."
She smiled gratefully, and settled down to sleep.
Seto sighed. It seemed that since Yami had left, or rather, since his magic had left, Rames was free to attack Crystal's mind, and terrify her with images and visions.
A few minutes later, Seto moved off the bed, and pulled up a chair to sleep in instead. As he sat down, he heard a whispered prayer to Isis punctuated by soft sobs.
He sighed, 'She loves him so much. I pray he gets home soon, and that he was successful in ending at least one of the horrors in her life.'
(The next morning, in the Menefer throne room)
Yami glared at his gathering councillors. He'd travelled overnight, reaching Menefer early this morning. The second he'd stepped out of his carriage, his advisors had swamped him with ideas, and things he needed to sign, and reprimands on his lateness, and failure to do things.
They had then swept him off to the throne room, where he sat on his throne, listening to them all talking and complaining over each other. More so than usual, Yami didn't really care. He was anxious to escape and see how Crystal was doing, despite the early hour.
In his daydreaming state, Yami didn't notice the secretive smile on Isis's face, as she correctly interpreted the reason for the Pharaoh's eagerness to escape.
"My lord?" she asked, her voice ringing over the other advisors voices.
He turned his gaze upon her, looking more than slightly irritated by now, "Yes, Isis?"
"I was thinking, as it is our guest's birthday tomorrow, perhaps we should have a celebration for her as well as the celebration for the goddess, Isis's feast day."
((AN: I don't know if they did have feast days for their gods or not. It may have just been random festivals or something. Well, either way, they do now. Hence the reason for Egypt being in the disclaimer…And yes, Crystal's birthday is meant to be on the same day as Isis's…(backs away from readers brandishing weapons again) Eep…sorry for interrupting…again…))
"That depends on what you had in mind for the celebrations, Isis."
"I was thinking a bal in the afternoon, with a feast for dinner for our guest, and a general celebration with a feast for lunch for Our Lady Goddess. Of course, there is also the festival in town you must attend," she said, emphasising the 'must'.
Yami scowled. "I know of my duties, Isis! You need not remind me constantly! Of course I would not offend the great goddess by not attending. How stupid do you think me? And if you're planning this ball for our guest as an excuse to try and set me up with some random girl, Isis, you'd better think again!" he said angrily.
He then slightly shifted his grip on the documents in his hand that he'd brought back with him. They contained the contract legally binding Crystal to him in marriage, but only if she wished it. Yami did not want any of his advisors, Isis in particular, to see that.
Isis then continued to push his temper, "Well, do you want to ignore the princess's birthday then?"
Yami only scowled again. Isis now had him trapped. "Of course not! That would be rude to her highness, and I do not wish her father to think I have slighted him or his family. Very well. You can organise the ball. Now if you all don't mind, court is adjourned until I feel ready to hear more complaints from you all. So, until then, good day."
Most of the advisors looked outraged as Yami left, but Isis merely smiled to herself, 'So, it seems our Pharaoh has finally fallen in love.'
Yami hurried though the palace that was his home, anxious to see the young princess. When he arrived at her quarters, the guards outside nervously informed him that the lady was still sleeping and suggested that she should not be disturbed. Impatient to see her, Yami ignored their words and strode into the room.
As he entered the room, Yami stopped short. His eyes narrowed as he recognised Seto Kaiba sitting in a chair beside Crystal's bed. He moved forward more cautiously, wondering why Kaiba was there. It didn't take his imagination long to come up with something, helped along by the fact that the two had known each other since childhood and were very good friends. Half his mind then screamed at him that he had not been expected until much later this afternoon, so he obviously was not supposed to see this.
The other half of his mind demanding answers, Yami gently shook Crystal. "Crystal? Crystal, wake up!"
Crystal opened her red-tinged eyes sleepily, and turned slightly to face her 'waker'. Her eyes then widened in shock and she shrieked.
What happened next was quite interesting. Kaiba was so startled by her scream that he fell off his chair, whereas Yami stepped backwards, got his foot tangled in the sheets hanging over the bed, and fell backwards into an unceremonious heap on the ground.
Crystal then sat up, cautiously glancing around her, being unable to see either Yami or Kaiba. "Seto?"
A groggy voice answered her from the floor to her right, "I'm here." He then proceeded to stand up slowly, "Please, Crystal, don't do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack."
Crystal sighed, unable to see Yami rising to his feet to her left, "I'm sorry. I just thought I saw Yami standing over me. It gave me quite a fright."
"Do you truly despise me so much Crystal, that my mere presence would terrify you?"
Crystal turned around slowly, her mouth forming a small 'O' of surprise. When she realised that she wasn't still dreaming, and Yami was indeed standing before her, a look of pure delight crossed her face.
She then proceeded to leap out of the bed, throw her arms around Yami, and bury her face in his shoulder, "Of course not Yami! How could you think that?"
Yami sighed, hugging her back, "Perhaps your reaction to seeing me gave me the hint?"
She flushed slightly, pulling away from him slightly, "Sorry. You just startled me. I didn't expect to see you standing over me like that."
Seto then politely cleared his throat, and the Pharaoh's face reddened considerably as he realised the princess was wearing naught more than her nightgown.
Seto then coughed to get the young girl's attention, "Umm…Crystal? Perhaps you should get dressed first?"
Crystal pulled away from Yami, also blushing considerably. "Right," she said as she grabbed her dress, and sent the page that had just moved inside to go fetch her maids. She then hurried into the connecting bathroom.
Yami shifted his weight uncomfortably, but then remembered what he'd seen when first entering the room. His features darkened slightly, but Seto didn't notice, as Yami wasn't facing him, "Well, while the princess is gone, what happened in Isiria?"
Yami whirled around, clear jealousy on his face, "First, tell me your reason for being here!"
Kaiba raised an eyebrow, then realised what Yami was talking about, and smiled, "Fear not, my Pharaoh. My reason for being here last night was only to comfort her after her nightmare, not to dishonour her. You need not be jealous. However, I thought it best to let gossips do as they would rather than see her in such pain. She was terrified, and even though I was here, she cried herself to sleep."
Yami's face changed almost instantly from jealousy to concern, "What? What happened?"
Kaiba sighed, "I can tell you later. For now, while the princess and her maids are elsewhere, and will not disturb us for some time, tell me, what happened in Isiria? Were you successful?"
Yami nodded, "Indeed I was. I was able to cancel her wedding to Rames, without his knowledge."
Kaiba smiled, looking quite relieved, "Praise the gods! That will ease Crystal's heart greatly. She will be so happy."
Yami took a deep breath, and decided he might as well tell Kaiba everything. "I hope so. I think you should look at these," he said as he handed over the documents in his hand.
Kaiba's eyes skimmed the page, expertly reading only the important details, and then they widened. Before he could say anything, Yami spoke up defiantly, "You know, I have every right to love her, and want to protect her. I hope she'll say yes. Although I have no idea how she feels, she knows how I feel about her."
Kaiba shook his head, "No, she doesn't."
Yami glared angrily, "What! Did my words have no meaning! Was her running away and the attack upon her for nothing?"
Kaiba held up his hand, invoking a calming charm, which, if I may digress, is a thing most priests of Seth probably wouldn't know. (AN: How am I supposed to know that? O…O) However, as his predecessor had, Kaiba found this charm rather useful, "Calm yourself Pharaoh. As you should know, and would remember if anger did not cloud your thoughts, Crystal has no memories of the day of her accident."
Yami froze, the calming spell effectively removing most of his anger. Kaiba, satisfied the spell had worked, (for a change), continued, "And if she does know, explain this. You left her with no knowledge of where you were going, or why. She's been all to pieces this past week, not just because of Rames constantly attacking her mind, but because she thought you had gone to secretly arrange a marriage to a princess. She's been telling herself it's for the best, because of Rames, and even feels selfish, because she knows she can't have both of you, even should she only love one. She's been naught but heartbroken."
Yami lowered his head, speaking softly, as though to himself, "She loves me? I…I had no idea. I never even believed she could love a wretch like me."
Kaiba glared, his own frustration from the past week building up inside, "Well, by every god in the sky, she does. You know that nightmare she had? She dreamt that Rames killed you. She couldn't stop shaking and was so terrified. She seemed convinced it really happened."
Yami glanced at Kaiba, "It would be just like her. I'll tell her today about Rames, but I'll wait until tomorrow to ask her for her hand in marriage. I know don't deserve her, but I promise I will do everything I can to make her happy."
Kaiba smiled gratefully, "That's all I can ask. I hope Crystal agrees."
"What should I be agreeing to?"
Both men turned to find Crystal standing in the doorway to the bathroom, her maids filing our behind her. She looked stunning, as always. She was dressed in a sleeveless blue dress with a V-shaped neckline. A simple gold belt was worn around her waist. Her hair was up for a change, twirled into an elegant bun, but with a few short waves hanging down the sides of her face.
"Well?"
Both men blinked, and then Yami spoke up, still staring at her, "Uhh…"
Kaiba restrained from rolling his eyes with extreme difficulty, "What the Pharaoh is trying to say is that we were hoping that you would agree with the cancelling of your marriage to Rames."
Crystal's eyes widened, and Yami hurriedly spoke up, "That's where I've been this past week. I was negotiating with your father. And I didn't tell you, because I wanted in to be a surprise, and I didn't want to get your hopes up."
Crystal looked absolutely delighted, "Are you both serious?" The men nodded. "Oh, Yami. Thank you so much!"
Yami flushed as she ran forward and threw her arms around him, "Umm, you're welcome."
She pulled away slightly, her eyes shining, "Oh Yami, you couldn't have gotten me a better birthday present!"
Yami decided to ignore the thoughts entering his head about his plans for tomorrow.
Kaiba smiled, also thinking about Yami's plans for tomorrow.
Yami then remembered something, and gently disentangled himself from the princess, "Crystal, you know how your birthday is the same day as the festival of Isis?"
She smiled, smoothing some of her hair away from her face, "Yes, of course I do. Why do you ask?"
"Well, my advisors and I have decided to hold a ball in your honour, in addition to the feast and celebration for the Goddess."
Crystal grinned, "They wouldn't happen to have any ulterior motives involving the eligible daughters of the kingdom now, would they?"
Yami flushed, "Possibly, but I honestly hope they don't. Anyway, Seto and I better get going. We have a long day of court ahead."
Crystal smiled, "No doubt you do. Well, I'll see you later then I suppose. Have fun today!"
Yami glowered, but Kaiba just laughed and pushed him out of the room. "That we will do your highness," he replied cheerfully.
Crystal laughed gently as the door closed, and then sat down to attend to her embroidery, that she'd been neglecting of late.
Angel: Phew! I finally finished! That took me what? 3 months?
Y.Ang: Something along those lines, yeah.
Angel: (sighs) Well, I am very sorry this is so late, and that it's pretty bad. I hate writer's block! -…- I felt like I had to submit something, so there it is. Anyway, I must also apologise for Crystal being a little OOC.
Crystal: (glowers) yeah, you'd better not do it again either.
Angel: (sweatdrops) Umm…hehe…Anyway, nothing else of importance to say here, so:
C YA! Angel