Disclaimer: I don't own YGO…duh!
Chapter 10: The Food Bearer
Kazejin was angry, frustrated, and tired. That bastard is right, she thought to herself. I'm just too damn weak to get out of here. I suppose I will just have to wait until I get a little better.
Kazejin's stomach rumbled suddenly. "Oh great," she muttered aloud, "and now I'm hungry, too. He said that someone would bring me dinner. I hope they come soon." And so, having nothing better to do, Kazejin turned her head towards the ceiling once more, and gazed into the skylight above the bed.
It was a beautiful night, and the air was beginning to cool. Kazejin could feel a draft through the skylight, and the crisp Egyptian air grazed her face sweetly, almost like a friend's touch. Kazejin continued to stare. The moon was full, its silver glow bringing her comfort. Kazejin sighed in contentment, and her strength returned. The moon always gave her courage, and eased any burdens she had whenever she gazed at it.
Kazejin shook her head worriedly. Who am I to be enjoying a beautiful night? What about my friends? I need to find everyone.
Kazejin knew, even if she was strong enough to steal away, she would not. After all, what about everyone else? It would be selfish of her to leave her sister and her best friends behind. All of them had grown up together. Even though Mai and Kazejin were of noble blood, the five of them were the same age, sans Mai, who was three years older; however, they had grown up in the same household. They were inseparable, and Kazejin loved them all very much.
The door creaked suddenly, and Kazejin jumped, her heart pounding. She knew it couldn't be Malik; he had said he wouldn't be back until morning. What if it's Marik? She thought, terrified. Kazejin squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for her visitor to enter.
Hesitant footsteps darted forward, lightly. Kazejin slowly opened her eyes, knowing that those lithe steps couldn't possibly belong to anybody that meant her harm.
"Shizuka!" Kazejin gasped. Shizuka's face broke into a crooked smile. "Oh, I am so glad!" Kazejin cried. "What happened? Is everything alright? Have you seen the others?"
Shizuka laughed musically. "Oh, Lady Kazejin. Always a million words a minute! Here, why don't you eat this first, and then we will talk."
Kazejin's eyes widened. She hadn't even noticed the bowl of food that Shizuka held towards her, arms outstretched. It was some type of soup. Shizuka sat gracefully on the chair that Malik had occupied a mere hour ago, and held the bowl to Kazejin's lips.
"Please drink this, Lady Kazejin. The man who sent me here said it had some herbal remedies mixed into it. It will restore your energy."
"Wait!" Kazejin exclaimed. "You're the servant bringing my dinner here? Malik sent you?"
"I don't know, my lady." Shizuka's brow furrowed. "I was brought to my rooms, and then I was told, after I had calmed down a bit, that I was to bring you this." Shizuka cast a glance toward Kazejin. "Oh! By the way! I saw Mai and Anzu! We have the same room. They are perfectly fine, but we were all so worried about you!"
"Never mind me, Shizuka. What about you?" Kazejin asked slowly. "Are you, um, okay? Before I got there, in the room, did he…did he do anything to you?"
"No," Shizuka replied meekly. "He-he just scared me. And he put his mouth on mine. But he was only taunting me before you arrived." Tears welled up in Shizuka's eyes. "Oh, my lady, it was horrible. He said the most terrible things. He kept telling me what he was going to do to me, and how he wanted me to scream." Shizuka shuddered delicately, and sniffled. Kazejin reached up, and touched her cheek.
"Don't cry, Shizuka. Please. You're okay. Everything's fine," Kazejin soothed.
"He's evil!" Shizuka continued after a moment, once she had gained control of herself. "I was so scared when I was brought to my room; I thought for sure he would find me there, but then, I calmed down and felt a lot safer once I saw who was guarding my door…" Shizuka trailed off, and her eyes lit up.
"Who was it?" Kazejin's brow furrowed, surprised at Shzuka's sudden cheer; she had been through a terrible ordeal, and Shizuka never bounced back easily.
Shizuka giggled. "Tell me, tell me!" Kazejin pleaded desperately. "Shizuka! Stop playing around!"
"Brother Jounochi!" she shouted, her smile wide, finally matching her cheery eyes. "He is stationed here, as part of the Pharaoh's army! Isn't that wonderful? I was so afraid he had been branded as treasonous, like all the Kamen other men. And, he won't be punished by the royal court because of his city of origin; he was dispatched to serve the Pharaoh before the raid began, so he can't be counted as responsible for the plots…" Shizuka stopped suddenly, seeing Kazejin's crestfallen face.
"M-my Lady, I am so sorry. I did not me to imply…" Shizuka stammered. "That is, I only meant…"
Kazejin cast her eyes upward sadly. "You don't really believe the rumors, do you, Shizuka?" she asked quietly. "Why would my father betray our Pharaoh? He loves him so. To betray the Pharaoh is to betray our whole village. He couldn't have…" Kazejin shut her eyes, clearly distressed.
Shizuka didn't say anything for a moment. Then, slowly, "But why then, Lady Kazejin? Why would they raid our city? Why, if we have been nothing but loyal?"
"They wanted something, then!" Kazejin said testily. "There was no reason to attack us! No reason at all! We were deemed traitorous, and the royal guard flooded our city! Without warning! How could the Pharaoh do this to us?! And my father…" Kazejin stopped speaking, and turned away from Shizuka, determined to not let her see the tears that were falling.
Shizuka placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "Lady Kazejin, when will you learn that it's okay to cry?"
"I'm not crying," Kazejin declared. She turned to Shizuka with a wide grin. "I'm not."
Shizuka noted a tear still resting in the corner of her eye, but said nothing. "Of course you're not," she replied, looking away. Suddenly, Shizuka was pulled forward into a hug.
"Thank you." Kazejin whispered. "Thank you for letting me be strong."
Shizuka understood. Kazejin was the rock; if she believed she couldn't cry, then she wouldn't fall apart. Both Shizuka and Kazejin took comfort in the lie; Kazejin wasn't crying, if she said she wasn't, and that was that.
"Now," Kazejin pulled back and laughed. "Let's figure out a way to get out of here, okay? With your brother at the door, this should be a bit easier."
Shizuka smiled sadly. "My Lady, you are too ill. And besides," she paused hesitantly, "what is there to go back to? Our home is gone."
"Then we will rebuild it," Kazejin replied firmly. "We cannot stay here."
"But, Jou, and…and Honda…" Shizuka stopped, knowing that she couldn't say what she needed to say.
Kazejin's eyes softened tenderly. "Oh, Shizuka…" Fact was, Shizuka and Jounochi had been separated for a long while. She was a servant in the home, and he was trained by their father to be a guard. She hardly saw him. Not only that, he had been sent to the Pharaoh's court for duty three years ago; Shizuka hadn't spoken with him since. Kazejin didn't have the heart to tear them apart.
And then, there was the matter of Honda. He had been fighting for Kamen during the raid, against the Pharaoh's army. None of them had seen him as they tried to flee. However, they had seen many of their men dead, at the city gates. It was possible Honda, the man Shizuka had fallen in love with since she was probably twelve, could be counted among them.
Kazejin was at a loss. "Well," she started gently, "Shizuka, we can't live here. We have been reduced to slaves. Don't forget the way this household is run. What they do to the women here." She stopped. "Shizuka, you could be in danger! What if another man comes for you?"
Shizuka shook her head. "That won't happen!" she exclaimed, sounding more sure of herself than ever. "My brother will protect me. No, us! All of us!" Kazejin couldn't help but smile. Shizuka changed whenever her brother was near, and, consequently, so did he. It was almost as if they fed off of each other's courage. It was an amazing bond.
"And," she continued, encouraged by Kazejin's smile, "why not live here? It is nearly the same. As long as Jou is near, what could happen?" Shizuka stopped, and clapped her hands over her mouth.
Kazejin raised her uninjured arm to silence her. "You needn't worry. It is the same for you. Maybe not for Mai and I, but, we won't just leave you here. When I am healed and we can plan our next move, we will figure it all out. Until then, I suppose we will have to stay, like you said."
Kazejin paused; a strange realization had just struck her. "Shizuka," she began, "Jounochi was called to the national guard, correct?"
"Yes," Shizuka replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Well," Kazejin frowned, "What does the royal guard have to do with the affairs of the Ishtar household? I don't know much about them, other than the fact that they are of an old and respected lineage, like our family was. I think one of them may have came calling as suitors on Mai or I, at one point. Why is the Pharaoh giving up his best soldiers to protect them?"
Shizuka looked dazed, and fell into deep thought. "I am not sure, My Lady. It does seem strange."
"Can you tell my sister what I have said when you next see her? Perhaps she can make sense of this. She was always closer to father and mother than I. Maybe she overheard something about the matter."
"Of course, Lady Kazejin. I should be going back, anyway. I was told to feed you, and return to my chambers at once."
Kazejin nodded. "It's settled, then. We will remain in this home. I am in no state to move, and I need more information. Ask around. See what you can find out. I will do the same. Maybe we can figure out where my father and mother are, and why we were attacked." Kazejin giggled. "Oh, and please tell Mai to enjoy her housework. Poor girl never did any labor a day in her life. I can't wait to get better so I can join you. Can you imagine her laundering things?"
Both girls laughed. Prissy Mai, doing laundry. It would be a sight to see.
Shizuka bowed low, "Good night, My Lady."
Kazejin laughed. "Good night, Shizuka. Oh, and stop bowing to me! I am no longer a lady, am I? Not until our family name is cleared. Then again, being a lady never did suit me, now did it?"
Shizuka smiled thinly. "If I may speak plainly, no it did not."