--
Chapter IV: You May Delay, But Time Will Not
--
"We'll be friends till the end!"
Friends till the end…friends till the end… the words continued to echo through my mind and I did the only thing I could do once I started having this nervous breakdown. With closed eyes my fingers fumbled through the clutter and reached for another fragment scattered around me. When I opened them, all thoughts of being a 'friend till the end' left my mind. I sighed, curling my fingers around the small piece. My attention tore to the large, bubbly eyes floating parallel to me and I dryly glared. "Well, what do you suppose I should do?"
He mewled in return, nuzzling his furry cheek against mine and giggled. Again I sighed, running a hand through my bangs--that's right; mine. Not Atemu's. I always had my own body when inside the puzzle; it was just something that came to be.
This, though. It was also simple instinct for me to panic in a situation like this…not that having the pharaoh of Egypt hot on my trail happened every day.
"I was afraid you were going to say that," I admitted sadly. A frown settled across my lips and I rested my head on a hill of gray puzzle pieces behind me. Don't get me wrong, I always knew that Atemu was aware of my presence even when it wasn't his top priority. I mean… I should know. I'm him. Sorta.
"I'm the stupid one, you know." I groaned with exasperation. "It's not exactly like I tried to keep my presence hidden. Oh, just what happened to the Pharaoh, anyway?"
He yipped again and rested in my lap. I looked down to the essence of the Millennium Puzzle that'd been strummed around my neck ever since day one. It was like a second skin; I tried taking it off once and almost went insane. It brought me security; this puzzle. And comfort. My heart had told me: keep it on. I've always wondered why it meant so much to me--why I meant so much to it. Something drew me to it and denying my desires was the last thing I could do.
Friends till the end, friends till the end!
Yeah, I guess you could say it was my friend. Was Atemu my friend? His friends were my friends…sort of. In comparison, I was a lot nicer and they were more relaxed in my presence.
"Him compared to me…"
On cue, a mirror materialized in front of us and I thought it was best to make that comparison right there and then.
After a while, I realized that I wasn't from this time period. When I first met Atemu, I just thought he was a rambunctious rascal at the age of eleven and I was the older, wiser adult figure who needed to show him the ropes. His protector. This was my job; why my soul was not put to rest.
The thing was, the more I "lived" the more I needed to find my roots. These memories were Atemu's, not mine.
And I guess you could say compared to the almighty pharaoh, I'm kinda sorta a little pale. …okay, really pale. His eyes were as red as roses--which was only fitting, considering the magic of this era and Isis herself.
I think he had fair, tan skin like everyone else in the kingdom, but out of the handful of Egyptians that I knew, his was the only one who ever glowed. At the age of eleven, he stood a head shorter than me. Now five years had gone by and I was the short one.
With a roll of my eyes, I laughed and watched my reflection mimic my actions. My eyes were pink. I guess when you ask about the similarities between us, we both automatically fit into the unique eyes category. What differentiated were the tones…and the intention. Like I said, I was pale and just a bit shorter than the pharaoh. We had about the same colored hair, but his bangs struck out like proud lightning. A sole lock of blond dangled in the middle of my forehead where Atemu's crown would normally be.
He wore a cape. I wore a blue blazer, something that escaped the fashion of Egyptians. He wore a tunic, my black shirt clung to me tightly. Atemu had a skirt where I wore pants (and considering how tight they were, I really doubted that he could survive in my pants.) He wore sandals, I wore steel-toed boots. My eyes fell to my reflection again and it mimicked my grimace. This was…weird. Kuriboh chirped happily and rubbed his cheek against mine.
I snorted, eyes narrowing at the little critter. "You could be a little less happy about my predicament, you know. You're up to something--I can feel it."
He giggled again.
"Don't even go there!" I grinned and hugged him close to my chest and heart. With a dainty sigh, I closed my eyes and reached for a random puzzle piece. My fingers grazed against its grooves and I gently squeezed the essence.
"So what is it," I muttered softly, eyes still closed, "one of your friends or my friends? Oh, scratch that. You're all my friends."
Kuriboh squealed happily and tugged me into an unknown direction. I kept my eyes closed until I heard a rustling sound. He disappeared in one gray mound and appeared in another. He hovered across from me, puzzle piece in mouth. Kuriboh dropped it in my hands and grinned…well, what I thought was a grin, anyway. He nudged his nose to my hand and pushed it to the other. Once I connected the two, the smile on my face only widened.
Each piece wove together instantly and the dull gray transformed into a beautiful scarlet. I watched it with satisfaction, sighing before moving to the chest on the other side of the room. Gold, shining, and illuminating. Patterns were engraved on the surface with the crest of Ra in the very middle. There were hieroglyphics at the very bottom, but I was never able to understand what they said.
Sometimes I just wondered--was this really my box? And it was. This was my box, something so close to me that it even rivaled my love for puzzle. Inside this chest were pieces I was able to fit together, but never complete. My eyes landed on one in particular--a smile. One night I woke up in cold sweat, dazed by a horrible dream I didn't remember and when I snapped out of it, three puzzle pieces fit together and formed the two happy lips in my hands. Literally.
Still, I pushed aside some other organized messes and set the scarlet in the corner before shutting it tightly.
"We should go see what Marshmallon is doing," I said absentmindedly.
Even through his fur, Kuriboh was paling. He grimaced at the thought and childishly shook his head.
"He's not going to bite your head off, you know."
Kuriboh didn't look convinced.
"You know, if I remember correctly, he's only angry at you because you thought he was a pillo--hey! Where are you going?"
theotherme.
"And how are you, young master?"
"Good…ish." I smiled sheepishly at the chuckles I was getting and sat across from Black Magician. Kuriboh sauntered off to some random corner and refused to speak to me after I threatened to put a bow in his fur. In my defense, he started it.
Black Magician smiled genuinely, being the only one of the spirits to materialize before me.
The rest remained as plastic figurines in the small (okay, large) area cleaned out for their home. Truth be told, I kinda don't know how I could describe them to you. They're spirits, like me, but at the same time you wouldn't see them taking over Atemu's body anytime soon.
They were like the ka of this world, but could not be driven out. Mostly, they were…memories. My memories. I smiled at the three other figurines sitting between Black Magician and me: Silent Swordsman, Silent Magician, and Marshmallon; Kuriboh's personal torturer.
"You must have gotten a lot of progress done," Black Magician said thoughtfully. He waved his hands over mine and a blanket appeared over me. "I beg you get some sleep, young master."
"Okay." It seemed like a good idea, anyway. I looked back to him and watched the wary look in his eyes. Immediately a frown befell my lips. "What's with that face?"
"Nothing." He had a way of being brusque about everything he did. I knew everything about him like I knew everything about Atemu. Black Magician and I had an inseparable bond that transcended… "Lifetimes."
Yeah! I looked at him, a small smile appearing in the place of my worry.
"You know something," I clarified his discreet interjection.
"When do I not know something, Master?" Black Magician chuckled softly and pushed a hand through my hair. He instinctively bent over and instinctively loosened my blazer. "You know you can take this off when you get hot."
"Yes," I agreed, "but I'm spirit, right? Does it really matter?"
Black Magician struggled to form a glare in my presence, but he was never able to. "Do you walk like a spirit? Act like a spirit? Talk to a spirit? Spirits don't say 'boo!', young master. You are not a spirit."
"Yeah," I halfheartedly agreed as he began to dust off my entire wardrobe like a mother. I rolled my eyes. "Black Magician."
"No." Black Magician's eyes blazed with concern and he fixed my collar before finally finishing up. "It worries all of us when you come back so disheveled, my young master."
"It was mostly Kuriboh's fault," I pouted. My eyes fell to my fuzz ball of a friend and found that he returned to his form as a figurine hidden far in the corner. Chest tightening a little at the loss of one of my dear friends, I peeped back to Black Magician.
He looked back, not even having to know what was running through my mind. Black Magician laced his fingers around mine and inched me to the beautifully crafted wooden door in front of us. "Shall we surf your memories, young master?"
"When don't we?" I didn't remember much. I guess it would be better to tell you now unless you go any further or never hear at all; but from the day I woke up from my rest, I had no idea what was going on or who I was. I would just sit in an empty soul room waiting for something to pass and count the grains of sand in my hourglass until something happened.
Black Magician was my first friend in the puzzle. He had come to me with the most noble of smiles and ever since I met him, I knew there was a bond between us. One, as he said earlier, that transcended lifetimes.
Every day while I coped with not having my memories, he would be there right beside me. I can't control what memory I get first or last; all I know is when I do get the memory, it sticks. The thing that he explained about my memories was that it wasn't that I completely lost them. No, not at all. In fact, it was more like they were…scattered. Broken.
He guided me through the door, hand still in mine. I abruptly stopped for a second and tugged at his arm as another thought crossed my mind. Black Magician looked over questionably and with great concern.
"Can we…go to his room first?" I asked softly.
Black Magician blinked and immediately nodded. "Certainly, young master."
There's a lot of differences when you compare my soul room to Atemu's. Mine has a lot of doors. When you open a door, it brings you to a new room with a door on the other side. That door brings you to another room, which brings you to another…et cetera.
It was full of dead ends; all rooms so small that it could only fit a few people. A lot of toys. Whoever the real me was, I must have been a real child. Judging by my appearance, I figured that I was fourteen or fifteen, but Black Magician only laughed and assured me that I had just turned seventeen.
Atemu's room was blunt. Torches were lit and plastered to walls while stone tablets filled the corridors. His walls, his floor, his ceiling were all filled with hieroglyphs and carvings of his memory. The pathway was long and narrow with a throne in the very middle--simple, right? Not in the least.
The pharaoh is a mastermind. Throughout the years he gained a sense of mischief, overanalyzed the situation, and had an Atemu-y way of thinking. He liked games, too. Heck, if he wasn't the King of Egypt he would rule as the King of Games! But what I mean is, although my room leads to many doors, Atemu's room is just the way he talks: brusque, simple and underlying with something deeper. When it looked too simple, it actually had a lot of traps like the tomb of a deceased pharaoh.
I never went far when it came to Atemu's soul room. One night I had woken up from a bad dream and wandered through many of the doors without realizing I crossed the hallway to the regal door parallel to mine. I stumbled over the first step and almost fell into a dark pit if not for Kuriboh and Black Magician. Ever since then they never trusted me by myself.
A small smile fell over my face. "Black Magician?"
"Yes, young master?"
"You're so cool." I sighed contently as he voluntarily pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, eyes wandering to the many stone slabs of Atemu's room. If was anyone but me, they would have found it cold and ominous. At times, they were right. When Atemu was angry his soul room would quake, but the same effect happened when he was happy, as well.
It was one of the things to admire about Atemu; about how organized he was. He was so powerful and willing to risk everything for that one thing, no matter how selfish it seemed. Atemu didn't care what others thought of him, he just held his head with pride. Watching him grow from the unsure little boy to the proud ruler was heartwarming.
The door slowly crept open in front of us and I watched every little detail. For years I was able to memorize every piece of architecture, every carving that was in this room. For a minute, my thoughts flickered to something else; something that I always found as the basis of my thoughts when I came into Atemu's room.
Nostalgia. His room held an aura that surrounded it simply enticed me and instantly my heart beat with his. As the sensation overwhelmed me, Black Magician reached out and covered me in a tight hold.
"Sometimes I wish that you wouldn't come here all by your lonesome, young master." He immediately went into paternal mode and held me tighter. I pushed myself out of his grip and playfully laughed.
"How can you consider me going out 'all by my lonesome' when you never leave me alone?" His face contorted into a frown and I immediately took back my words. "Hey, look at me. You know that I'd never consider you a burden or anything, Black Magician. You worry about me a lot, is all."
He knelt to the ground and rested both hands on my shoulders because let's face it, Black Magician has always been kinda tall. His fluid, glass eyes narrowed into mine, eyebrows furrowed. "I will always worry about you, Little Master."
"I know," I admitted again. I pulled him into another hug and mused how earlier Seth froze when I did so. "You're my greatest friend, Black Magician. If I ever get all of my memories back, I want to know what you and I have been through."
"Not if," he muttered disapprovingly in my hair, "when. You're getting closer every day, Young Master. I just wished that the pharaoh's stubborn streak didn't burden you as it is doing right now."
It was only a matter of time. I frowned over his shoulder and rested my ear against Black Magician's neck. Even though he should have been wary of my existence, he wasn't. Aware, he was, but it was mostly my fault. All these years possessing his bodies, karma was bound to strike back. When he was in his greatest pain, all I wanted to do was help him through it.
Friendship that melded into helping someone's baby brother, yes. Somehow I just wondered when even those feelings changed to the ones I was feeling now.
"You shouldn't speak of him so lowly. Isn't he the 'great master'?" I mused quietly. There was a relationship between Black Magician and Atemu, too, but I wasn't sure how far it went and to what extent it would go.
Black Magician had a great king that he served and devoted his life to protecting. In my earlier years as a spirit, he would tell me how powerful that this king was when I needed a good bedtime story and how he saved the world from evil so many times.
It was only later that I put two and two together and realized that the one Black Magician was speaking highly of was Atemu. Immediately I agreed with him and pouted to the fact he kept that one little name hidden from me, but Black Magician just cryptically told me that as the "young master", I too was destined for great things.
"What makes a great master is his honor and dignity, young master." He wryly plucked a lone hair from my wild locks that apparently had been meticulously bugging him while on our journey to Pharaoh Atemu's soul room. "You have honor and though questionable at times, I know you have your dignity."
"'Questionable'? And what on earth do you mean by that?"
"Er, well…" Black Magician's tone teemed with amusement. He chuckled softly and perched both hands on his hips. "You once wanted to cheer someone up by dressing up like my apprentice, young master."
"So? Is that really a bad thing?"
"My apprentice is female."
"…Oh." I felt the blush rise to my cheeks and I looked away to scratch my head. It really wasn't a good argument; his word against mine. What I liked about Black Magician was how lighthearted he was willing to be with me. They were all willing to be happy with me so long as it made me smile, actually. Like my own little family. "Your apprentice must be very pretty, then."
Black Magician opened his mouth to spea--
"Atemu, I know you try to be scary on the outside, but do you really have to be scary on the inside, too?"
I froze. Black Magician intrinsically pulled me back in an embrace as his glaive formed between his fingers.
"Hush up, child. It isn't like I forced you to come."
"Uh, yeah, you kinda did!"
"I--Akhu."
We weren't given a lot of time. I wriggled out of Black Magician's clinch, but I immediately regretted it. Crimson eyes stared at me, doubling twice in size as they scrutinized my stature. I shifted between my feet, watching as neither of them spoke. Once his eyes interlocked with mine, I was terrified. There was nothing I could do; between he and I.
My throat went dry as I tried to figure how to get out of this situation. Black Magician tugged at my collar. He whispered one thing and one thing to me only:
"Run."
theotherme.
"You needn't run, you know."
"Uh…"
"'Tis not like I was going to attack you. In fact, if I am allowed to speak, Akhu, you were the one who thought I was going to attack."
"Uh…"
"Was it really necessary to get so numb, Akhu?"
"Uh…"
"Really?" Atemu sighed and rubbed his head. He continued the tight embrace he had around Mana, eyes directing at me. They slowly softened as Mana convinced him to calm down and he gestured to my form. "I was only running after you because you were running away. Please do not think that I actually wish to harm you."
"Uh…urk." Yeah…I'm kind of speechless. The insert-foot-into-mouth kind of speechless. My eyes fell to Atemu's lithe form and then to Mana, who looked scared. A frown settled across my lips and I looked away. What was I supposed to say in a situation like this?"
"Please," the pharaoh murmured. The irritation and anger he had felt specifically fifteen minutes ago had disappeared and was replaced with thrice the pain. "Talk to me…little one."
I stiffened at the name. It, along with a lot of other thoughts, teemed in my head and I shifted between my feet before pouting and grudgingly saying, "I'm not that little…"
He smiled. Well, more like he grinned, proud of his breakthrough. "You are to me."
"Yeah? Well," I felt my laughter getting the best of me. Kuriboh rested on my shoulder and I softly stroke his fur. "Not too long ago you were soiling the bed, silly."
"I resent that."
"You resent a lot of the things I do in your body."
"You bought pink cloth at the last festival, Akhu. Pink."
"Yeah. For her." I gestured over to Mana, who was mesmerized by Black Magician's form. Oh, I blinked. Red shimmered across my cheeks and I hugged Kuriboh to my chest. "You guys um…can stop trying to kill them now. I really doubt they've come here to hurt me."
All five of my spirits had been summoned. Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician had a tight grip around Mana, refusing to let her go while Black Magician aimed his staff to Atemu's stature, which halted both trespassers. Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician exchanged looks, hesitant to complete this order, but Black Magician's cautious glare told them to do what they were told.
They released Mana at the order of their superior and fell to my side where Marshmellon was affectionately nibbling at my head and Kuriboh was trying to have me for himself.
Atemu made an attempt to inch further, but Dark Magician and Silent Swordsman halted him. He sighed irritably and looked at me with so much pain on his face. "Is this really necessary?"
"No," I confessed. I lightly glared at both of the spirits who only flashed unease in return. "But they seem to think so."
This really wasn't how I was planning to spend today. I was exhausted, hours of sleep having gone by fast as I committed myself to completing one of the puzzles. I was almost done, too, if Kuriboh hadn't have stepped in and wanted to play tag.
"Are you okay, little one?" Atemu urged another step forward. "Perhaps the leech on your head is…?"
"The leech?" I repeated. Marshmallon released his clinch on my head and retreated to my leg. "His name is Marshmallon."
Atemu was surprised. I wasn't sure what came more to a shock to him; the fact that I was still standing here or the fact I actually gave the big pink squishy thing a name.
Kuriboh whimpered in my grasp. He comically hovered to my height and pressed a claw to my forehead.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." I ran a hand through my hair and faltered backwards. "I'm really sorry for causing you trouble, Atemu. I know you're really angry at me, but I don't think…I mean…I'm really tired and stuff."
I didn't have the strength; that's what I wanted to say. The look on his face already told me he wasn't willing to leave until he was assured that I was alright, so I hope I was able to shrug it off. Atemu was confused and of course didn't look like he believed me.
"The link between us," I explained softly. "Being separated from you takes a lot of energy out of me. Black Magician, please escort him to the entrance…or whatever. Come back later…I think I'm still kind of in shock."
"But…" Atemu's eyebrows furrowed in disappointment.
"Please." I forced a smile and tried to minimize my trembling, but it didn't work. Instead, I finally turned around and pushed through the cold door of his soul room before making the way to mine. Once I left all of them, Kuriboh being the only one to follow me, I opened my door and collapsed.
The little fuzz ball only whimpered again, eyes saddening at my state.
"Oh, I'm fine, you know it." Still, something was flickering in my head. A foreign language that was far from what Atemu spoke. This language was where my name also came from, and the word kept tingling at the center of my mind. Darkness. Darkness. Dark. Dark. Dark. Darkness. Dark. Darkness. Dark. Dark. Darkness.
I closed my eyes and prayed for my mind to stop chasing in circles. Kuriboh managed to push my body through a door and sat me on a cushiony chair. He sat on my lap and continued to patiently stare at me until my thoughts settled down.
With a small smile, I pushed myself off the chair and settled onto the puzzle I had left out. After three weeks of work, just about most of it was finished and I was able to make out a girl. Pretty green eyes and stunning blond hair. I crouched over her and just watched my handiwork as my fingers picked up random puzzle pieces that I already knew wouldn't complete her.
"Um…hi."
I jumped. No, really. "Gah!"
Mana's emerald green eyes stared right back at me as I abruptly stood up to catch my breath. She clasped a hand over her mouth and once I calmed down, started apologiz--"I am so, so sorry! Are you okay, Nice Atemu?!"
"Oh…no no…I'm fine."
"Okay, good." She stared at me hesitantly, eyes wandering from place to place. A blush crossed my cheeks as I continued to search for puzzle pieces to complete my work. Finally, she asked another question. "And…what about over there? Were you okay over there, too?"
"Yes…no," I confessed. Even if I tried to from the bottom of my heart, I don't think that I could ever refuse Mana. She made me happy and I must have made her happy, too, if Atemu insisted on my time alone with her. "But it's nothing you need to worry about."
My hand reached out for another spare piece and I placed it in a hole. A smile tingled at my lips as it fit perfectly.
"Can I help?" She plopped down next to me and looked around slowly before grabbing one of the pieces I already discarded.
"You can try. I'm the only one who really knows my way around the puzzle pieces though; not even Black Magician knows which pieces are right and which are wrong." I put the one she gave me behind me and saved it for later. Right now it didn't seem likely to fit.
Mana shook her head, beaming happily. I smiled too. "I like puzzles, they're fun."
"Alrighty." I scratched my head, surveying the many hills of gray pieces before my eyes landed on one in particular. I pointed to the very top. "Can you bring me a handful of those? They sound like they're squealing."
"Mmkay." She hopped up and skipped over to the mound I was talking about.
"Pick up the ones at the very bottom--yeah, those ones." The puzzle was nearly completed, but where the perfect piece often lay changed with each and every day. Maybe having Mana help wasn't a bad thing.
She returned with about twenty different pieces. I smiled thankfully and grazed fingers at the surface of one of them. Mana looked at me again, eyes softening. "So…"
"So," I echoed.
"We're friends, right?" Mana crawled over me and I squeaked as her face was only a short distance away from mine. She remained unfazed and determined to get a proper answer from me. "I mean, I know I never noticed when you and Atemu changed, but we're friends…right?"
"I…" Heat was rushing to my face again. Mana was talking to me, not to 'Nice Atemu.' It was the first time I ever had someone ask me something like that.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out. Immediately, I looked away and was unable to face her. "Atemu is your best friend and for all these years we've had you fooled, and…"
"That doesn't change anything!" Mana pouted and frowned. "All these years I got to know you, too, Nice Atemu! He's not angry or anything, but I certainly am. Doesn't it feel hollow being friends with someone only to realize they're looking right through you?"
She was right. So many years had gone by and while I got the hang of being summoned in place of Atemu, there were so many times where even though my opinion was taken into account, I was considered Atemu, not me.
"I'm…really willing to be friends if you are," I said shyly as I put yet another puzzle piece into place. I smiled.
"You're different from Atemu and that's what I like about you." Mana rolled onto her stomach and waved her legs into the air. "Atemu is…tense. Pushy. Aggressive. He has a good head for being a leader and is downright scary."
"I shared a brain with him. I know how it works, silly."
"And you two also have two separate minds and therefore two separate entities altogether." Mana's hand found mine and she fiddled with my sleeve. "You're kind, Nice Atemu. Very sweet. Yesterday was the first time you came out for a political decision, right? Atemu had the logical thought in mind that if someone led an attack on Minya, they would soon come for Cairo and therefore for him. Don't get me wrong, his decision was right, but what you wrapped your mind around was the fact that there were a lot of kids starving because of the flood. Two rights don't make a wrong."
"I…suppose." She leaned into me and finally after the time we spent with each other, she pulled me into a hug. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for?"
"That's another reason why I like you." Mana sighed contently and pulled me closer. "So much smarter than Atemu, Nice Atemu! Erm…Akhu."
Akhu. Light. I smiled--was that what Atemu was really calling me after all of these years? My hand fiddled with the puzzle piece she gave me when we first encountered each other. My fingers rubbed against its curves and I pushed it into her hand.
"It's the last one," I murmured quietly. "Do you want to put it in there?"
Mana watched the thing in her hand with quaint interest and slowly nodded. She leaned over my body and pressed it to the very center of the girl's chest. The entire thing glowed and that one little piece shimmered from gray into a six-pointed star. Mana squeezed me tightly, unsure of what was happening until the light disappeared. In the place of the puzzle was a human--a spirit, actually.
"Black Magician Girl," I said declared. I picked both myself and Mana up and shared a smile with the new spirit. "It's nice to meet you."
Black Magician Girl's eyes connected with mine slowly and she happily grinned. Giggles escaped her lip and she happily hovered in the air. "Little Master! Has anyone ever told you you're too cute?"
"He is, isn't he?" Mana grinned and rested her head at the nook of my neck. "Wait…you're not gonna try to kill me like the rest of them did, are you?"
There was a knock on my door. I looked up, surprised because none of the duel spirits ever really knocked on my door. Black Magician Girl disappeared, materializing in my hand as a small figurine like the other duel spirits as I went up and opened the door.
Atemu stared back.
"A-Ah!" Unfortunately, on my automatic attempt to run away from him, I tripped over a mound of pieces and fell back. Broad arms caught my fall and wrapped around me protectively. The throbbing reappeared in my head instantly and I softly groaned.
"Quite the clumsy one, are we?" Atemu mused. "That explains the many bruises you leave on my body, little one."
Behind Atemu was Black Magician, who only gave an amused expression. His eyes fell to the figurine tight in my grasp and then to Mana in the background. Great, she was giggling too!
Red rushed to my cheeks. "Truth be told, I figured that you would have left by now…"
"I think you've known me long enough to know that I do not leave until I get what I want." Atemu hoisted me up and set me to my feet. His eyes flickered hesitantly and I saw the fear that crossed them. He was afraid that I would run away again. "Can we talk?"
My eyes fell to Atemu's form again and I thought back to my earlier description of him. It was the first time I was ever able to see him in person and face-to-face since he was a small child. His baby fat was gone, the fear and insecurity of himself having disappeared and replaced with eyes that brimmed with confidence, pride, and assertion.
"Alright," I sighed, "let's talk."
theotherme.
It was kind of nice having him here, actually. I was really only overreacting by the way I thought he would react about me and only now was I able to say that it really wasn't for a good reason. My eyes landed on his form, scrutinizing the contemplative look that had fallen on his face not too long ago. His form was slender and mild, but chest was held out with pride.
I looked to his muscles and how they fit to his body, then to the glow of his skin. When had the little boy who wanted to do nothing more than hide become so…
"Handsome…" I murmured softly. The second the words left my mouth, I felt my entire being flush red. I looked away and hugged the stuffed rabbit between my legs. Please look over and tell me that he didn't hear me. …fudge.
"You're quite the looker yourself."
"Urk." How pathetic was it that I was trying to hide under my stuffed bunny?
"I apologize. I don't mean to cause you so much apprehension, little one." He reached over to touch my shoulder and I flinched. The warmth of his touch surged through my entire body and that word in the foreign language kept dancing in my head.
Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark.
"You have the right to ask questions…I'm just…please be gentle." I gulped and looked down to my feet. Was it getting hotter in here? I was quietly wishing that Mana and the others hadn't left this part of my room, but Atemu insisted on privacy.
"How long have you resided in my pendant?"
"Five years, give or take. That's how long I remember, at least." I watched as the words sunk in and smiled. "I could have been here longer, but I don't know. My first memory, honestly, is waking up and seeing your face as a little kid."
Atemu had broken the puzzle in a fit of rage when he was little. For some reason, I had heard his distress and the most important thing to me was to help him. The puzzle's being broken set my entire body in panic and it actually felt like life or death. He seemed to remember our first meeting quite well.
"I made it my sole goal to be just like you from that very day, little one." He chuckled softly and reached out to touch my hand. I recoiled and stuffed it between my legs with a blush. "I admire you so much."
I nodded. "I know."
"That…thing around your neck."
"My neck?" My hands immediately reached for the buckle.
Atemu nodded hesitantly reached for it. His fingers rested against mine and this time I didn't recoil. "What...is it?"
"It's a choker."
"'Tis a choker?" Before my mind had the chance to register the next series of events, Atemu was closer to my face than Mana was and trying to take it off. I squeaked under his hold, touch bringing another surge of warmth.
"Not that kind, not that kind!" I gently pushed him off, my face hotter than it was earlier. My eyes fell to his own clothes and I desperately tried hard not to smile. The almighty ruler was a lot cuter than I thought him out to be. "It's…like the gold band that you wear around your neck."
My fingers reached out to demonstrate and slowly paused. He was the pharaoh; his hands were able to touch any part of me. I, on the other hand, probably had the rank of a peasant and would get my head cut off for even looking at him.
While I had the internal battle on whether or not I was allowed to touch his neck, Atemu intertwined his hand with mine. I flinched and felt myself blush again.
"You dress in strange clothing."
"This is my real appearance. This," I stood up in attempt to demonstrate our differences, "is what separates your entity from mine."
Atemu nodded, wholly understanding my choice of words. I snorted.
"Not that we really need to worry about whose entity is whose, huh? Mahado did a number on my body when he tried to separate that person's ka."
"How are you, by the way?" Crimson eyes flickered with immediate worry and fell upon my form. "I did not hear from you for ages and I assumed…"
"You assumed the worse."
He nodded.
"I…" I was blushing again and beating myself up for it. How was it that Atemu was able to have this much of an effect on me? Shifting between my feet, I looked down to the ground. "I've always been in the Millennium Puzzle. For a while, you were just my host…sorry about that, by the way. Being separated from you and the puzzle just drained my energy is all. And then, when you realized that I was here…"
"You panicked."
I nodded.
"I would never hurt you, little one." His eyebrows furrowed and his grip around his skirt tightened. "I admire you. I praise you. For the longest time I've wanted to meet you and tell you how thankful I am of your presence."
"I know," I said quietly. "I'm so sorry for fooling you after all these years, Atemu."
"Hush." He stood from where he was and rested a hand on my shoulder. "If I were angry, would I have come here with smiles on my face?"
"Well…no…"
"You're tired," he murmured softly. Atemu pushed a lock of hair out of my face and behind my ear. "I don't want to give you the burden of answering all my questions in one night."
"O…Okay."
"You can come out of the pendant a little more too, you know." He chuckled softly, eyes narrowing at my form. "I would appreciate it."
"Okay." I gulped again, eyes looking to no place into particular. This was…nice. Awkward and nice. I hadn't expected him to be so friendly in our first encounter, but here he was, wanting to hold me and grasp me, tell me how happy he was and…how did I know all of this?
"You're relieved. That makes me happy, but I still don't like that preposterous thing you call a 'choker.'" Atemu released me and looked directly into my eyes.
I shrugged. "Can't win them all."
"No, I suppose not. There is no King of Games, after all." Atemu stretched soundly. "'tis best that I leave now, I guess."
"I'll be here in the morning," I promised. "Er, well not here, but out there, and…yeah."
"Right." Atemu nodded, eyes still on my form. We stayed like that for a while, staring at each other. His eyes held an emotion that I was yet to know and I started thinking back to the day where I first met him. He envied me back then and was angry how I couldn't be a ruler. Today, they held affection. Admiration. There was a lingering sense of failure and another of being overwhelmed by my presence.
"Yugi."
"Huh?"
"Yugi," I repeated. His thoughts fluttered in my mind and I couldn't help but feel how he promised to never let me go. This bond between us that was slowly forming, I don't think I would have been able to let go even if I wanted to. Tomorrow was going to be the first page of a new chapter between him and I. The smile on my face widened. "My name is Yugi Mutou."
--
Author's Note:
D'aww, it took us four chapters until we finally got Yugi's name out in the air, haha. The biggest disadvantage of having first POV is that you can't exactly know what the other is thinking, so it was pretty hard without Atemu's take. Despite how long the chapter is, it took me a while because I was trying to describe a lot without describing too much; for a very good reason in later chapters. I know you're pretty confused now, but just hang on for the ride and you'll get answers soon. C:
Anyone else notice how Black Magician was so loyal to Yugi and not to Atemu? Haha, that'll be fun. Thank you so much for the reviews and I'm glad you guys are liking it! Till then…review again for another chapter?