Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.
The search for Cairo has gone on for days and there is still no sign of her. Although Atem and Mana never lost hope that their daughter was still out there and alive, others thought the opposite. There is no way that she can still be alive out there in the desert. No one could ever survive out there for so long. With Cairo not being around, Mana is finding it harder to rule. She just couldn't keep her focus when her daughter is missing. She would be in the throne room physically, but mentally she is thinking about her daughter, hoping that she is safe and alright.
"Your highness," says Shimon, snapping her out of her current thoughts. She looks to him and he shakes his head, knowing that she wasn't listening. "What are you going to do with him?" She looks to the man in chains with two guards standing on both sides of him so that he wouldn't try anything.
"Half a year of hard labor," she replies with the fling of her hand and the guards take him away. She leans her elbow on the armrest and rests her chin in the palm of her hand, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Mana, you must pay more attention. That man was a murderer and you gave him such a light sentence."
"How can I focus Shimon? My daughter is out there somewhere and…"
"But you must remain strong for your kingdom. The pharaoh had to learn the same when his father passed," he tells her but when he realizes that she is not listening to him, he stops. He turns to address the other priests and announces, "You are all dismissed for now." As soon as he says that, Mana leaves and immediately heads to Atem's room. He is standing looking out the window, his back turned to her until she calls his name. When he turns around, she rushes into his arms, hiding her face in the crook of his neck as she sobs.
"Atem…"
"I know Mana, I know," he says, rubbing her back soothingly. Mana hisses and they pull back slightly. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Mana says, pulling away to stand beside him. He looks at her questionably before turning again to look out the window. "Do you think she'll be found?"
"I'm sure she will. I know she will."
"I swear when I find out who kidnapped her…he's gonna pay."
Shimon walks through the halls going toward one of the exits of the palace so that he may walk in the courtyard to get some fresh air. The palace has been very stuffy these days and it's been awhile since he's taken a nice walk. He puts his hands behind his back and inhales the fresh afternoon air. His mind is finally at peace until he turns a corner and sees an unsuspected face. His eyes go wide and his mouth agape as he stares into those familiar amethyst eyes that resemble her father's. "P-Princess!?"
She stands tall with her hands dropped at her sides and her legs apart as she looks at him. He examines all the bruises and injuries on her body. One that really catches his eyes is the scar beginning at the bottom left side of her chin, reaching up to the edge of her bottom lip. "Shimon," she says in a hoarse voice.
"I must get you help at once!"
"But I'm fine Shimon. I don't need any help."
'She's as stubborn as her fa—' He suddenly falls back when Cairo's weight forces him down. She lies beside him, her face in the dirt and he sits up. "Guards! Get me some help immediately!"
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Atem and Mana look down as their daughter recovers from her injuries. She has multiple bandages wrapped around her arms, legs and forehead as well as her abdomen. Her chest moves up and down in a slow motion as she breathes calmly. Shimon walks up to them and looks at her as well.
"Once she wakes up, we may figure out who was behind that fire and her kidnapping," says Shimon.
"I'm just glad she's alright," says Mana, sitting down at her bedside, stroking her hair.
"Could you give us some alone time?" Atem asks.
"Of course my king," replies Shimon and he leaves, closing the door behind him. Mana clenches her fists and grits her teeth as anger boils up inside her. How dare anyone do this to her daughter? Whoever it was, she was going to make him or her pay.
"I'm going to kill whoever did this," says Mana. "I will burn him alive."
"Mana, you must calm down. I don't want you to lose control of your anger again," he says, remembering the last time she got mad like this. Usually when she loses control, so would her magic, causing everything around her to go haywire and he doesn't want that to happen. He wraps his arms around her in attempt to comfort her and it works out well. She groans lightly before pulling away. "Are you alright? Is something wrong with your back?"
"No, everything's fine."
"We should be getting our rest. It's getting late."
"I'll catch up with you," she tells him and he leaves. She looks back down to her daughter and breathes a sigh of relief. She is glad that her daughter is back where she belongs and she doesn't plan on ever losing her again.
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Mana wakes up the next morning and gasps at the position that she is in. Her bare back is facing Atem, exposing her scar. She tries to move but Atem's arms are wrapped tightly around her waist, preventing her to do so. She pulls her blanket up to her chest and pulls her knees close to her chest. 'I should've known that I couldn't hide it from him forever. But if he sees this then he'll think that I'm not ready to rule by myself.'
Soon he wakes up and he rests his chin on her shoulder, his eyes still closed as he tries to take in the last of his sleep. His cheek is pressed up against hers as he moves even closer and wraps his arms around her even tighter than before.
"Good morning Mana," he says with his eyes closed.
"Good morning."
"How did you sleep?" he asks, moving his lips toward hers until they finally meet. She moves her head up to return the kiss until air is finally needed and they pull away. He steals another kiss before opening his eyes and Mana smiles. Maybe he will get out of bed and she will be able to move so that he will not see her scar.
"Mana," he says, his face sliding down until his lips press against her back.
"Y-Yeah?"
"How long have you had this scar?" Her eyes widen. How did he know? Was it the first thing he saw when he woke up? That must be it. She was hoping that he wouldn't see. "Why have you been hiding it all this time?"
"I…just didn't want you to get worried that's all."
"Worried?"
"Well I thought that if you saw this then you would think that I wasn't ready to rule or defend Egypt by myself."
"Mana, I know that you are quite capable of ruling Egypt by yourself," he says sitting up and she sits up as well with the covers still up to her chest. "You may need a little more work on your combat skills, but other than that, you've been doing very well."
"You really think so?"
"I wouldn't lie."
"Heh…any chance that you will be stepping back up to the plate again?"
"Unfortunately not. They want me to be fully rested before I go back to the throne."
"Great."
"Don't worry. You're doing a fantastic job. But beware Mana. It seems that you have a big problem on your hands as far as this mystery person goes. Dealing with him may be dangerous."
"Yes, I am very aware of that. But I will do all that I can to protect Egypt from this evil."
Atem smiles. "That's what I like to hear."
Phew, Cairo's back safe and sound and another chapter is done. Please review!