Yo! What's up fangirls? So, I wrote this part the same day I wrote the third...a little quick...ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Yu-Gi-Oh!
"Mom, I'd like to meet Atem. He's a traveler and he needed a place to stay for a little while. He doesn't have any money with him, but I figured since we have more than enough room I saw that he could just stay with us until he got back on his feet," Anzu said in one breath, speaking faster than she had originally intended. Her mother looked at Atem who flashed a breathtaking smile, and nodded exuberantly.
"Oh, of course your friend can stay with us, Anzu! Really, we have plenty of room! Come, Atem, dear; come sit in the sitting room until Anzu has found a room for you." She whisked him quickly into the futuristic sitting room before he or Anzu could object. The pristine white walls, carpet and designer black furniture was the epitome of sophistication, not even a speck of dust anywhere.
"You have a beautiful home, Empress Mother," Atem flashed another smile and kissed her hand.
Empress Mother? "Oh my, you do go on!" she tittered like a little school girl. She sat herself down on a modern black leather sofa and gestured for him to sit opposite her. Anzu merely rolled her eyes and stomped up the stairs up onto the second floor.
When she reached the upper level, she peeked over the balcony and got a really good look at Atem conversing with her mother. He was charming enough, to be sure. He was amiable towards her, which counted for something, didn't it?
She sighed and looked down the hall to the four doors. One door was the door to the main office space, mostly occupied her mother…she wouldn't put him near there. The second door led to the bathroom, of course that was out of the question! The only two doors left led to her room and the spare on the other side, right beside. Oh no, she thought. Surely there were other rooms, surely!
"Uh, Mom, can I see you for a moment?" She poked her head over the railing and called down to where Atem and her mother were chatting jovially.
"Of course, Dear…I won't be but a moment," she apologized to Atem. She stood up and made her way to the stairs. "What seems to be the trouble, Honey?" She kept her voice low so that he couldn't hear them.
"There is only one spare room in the whole house and it happens to be right beside my own bedroom. Is there anywhere else in the house he can stay, other than right beside me?"
"Oh, Honey, I don't see anywhere else where Atem could stay. You'll just have to be a good girl and get along with him, okay?" Her mother's eyes spoke of sincerity but Anzu knew it was wrongly placed. She knew exactly what her mother was trying to do…she wanted her to fall for Atem.
"Can't you at least try, Mom? Please, there must be more than one room left!"
"Honey, there isn't really a whole of room other than all the office spaces…but he can't sleep in there! No, he will stay beside your room and that's final." Her mother crossed her arms, a definite sign that that was that.
Grumbling incoherent curses at her mother, Anzu made her way down the stairs and into the sitting room where Atem waited patiently, eyes sparkling with delight at her presence.
"Atem…"
"Yes?" He stood up slowly and stepped towards her and took her hands.
"There are no available rooms in the house…" she stopped when his face fell in disappointment, "…other than the room right next to mine…" she finished quietly.
Atem's breath caught in his chest. A room next to hers, in her own home? He regained his thoughts and smiled down upon her. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her mother slyly watching them from above. He chuckled inwardly and decided to put up a little show.
"Oh, Daughter of the Nile, you make me a very happy man! I promise, I will not cause you any harm. Perhaps living beside you will finally give us a chance to truly know each other; I know that I do not mind. Perhaps it is conceived as an unfortunate event for you, but for me it is a blessing from above." He winked and Anzu realized that her mother had been watching the whole time.
"Is my mom watching us?" Her voice was barely audible. She started to tremble at the way his eyes comforted her distress, soothing her mind without words.
"She is," he whispered back. "Shall we put on a little show for her?" He breathed a laugh and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"What kind of show?" she breathed, stunned by her acceptance of this slightly suggestive gesture. Her trembling began again, but this began in anticipation of something huge; she was excited in his close proximity.
"Kiss me," he breathed slowly. He saw the shock that registered in her eyes and bent his head and whispered in her ear. "Please, for me."
"I don't know if I can do that, especially in the presence of my mother," she breathed back.
"Let's make this a convincing effort…" he said slowly, before he bent down and reached to touch her lips with his.
The hesitation was something to be expected, but not in this way. He didn't hesitate to enhance the moment, gauge her reception or any other reason why a male would do so. No, he hesitated for the sake of showmanship, testing the social boundaries in which he was crossing. He stopped close enough to feel her breath on his skin, coming and going in short little flutters. He smiled genuinely and backed away.
"Mayhap another time, lotus flower; good night, sleep well." He lifted his eyes away from hers and walked up the stairs to the second floor with lithe grace. Roxanne felt near fainting from the near kiss. She mentally shook herself and cleared her throat, turning to the staircase and up to the second floor. When she reached the landing her mother's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
"What was that about?" Her mother's tone wasn't angry but filled with motherly excitement. Her large ice coloured eyes pleaded her to tell her the truth. Roxanne sighed and shrugged out of her grasp.
"Nothing, Mom, that's just the way they say good night in his country," she lied. The truth is that she wanted him to kiss her, more than she'd dare admit. She apologized to her mother and headed for the bathroom. Standing at the old fashioned basin, she looked in the mirror, wondering what it was that he saw in her. She shook her head and opened the door to her bedroom and closed it with a quiet click, shutting out the outside world for one more night.
The next morning was bright, the sun streaming through the large bay window in Anzu's large bedroom. She sat up in the poster bed and stretched lazily. Then reality came back down on her like a lead vest. Atem. His name alone was enough for the hairs on her arms to start rising.
She hopped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom, knocking first to see if it was occupied. The door opened revealing Atem in a long white robe, his long blond bangs clinging to his forehead in wet ringlets. She giggled quietly, he reminded her of a drowned rat.
"Good morning," she said cordially. She passed out of his way and let him through the doorway. His hand brushed hers, making her tremble.
"Good morning, lapis lazuli," Rene replied, grinning. The contact of her warm skin was as good a greeting as he'd ever received. "What a magical invention you have in that room." He laughed a deep, throaty sound that made her knees go weak.
"You mean the shower," she corrected him. He nodded and brushed a stray lock of copper hair out of her eyes. As his hand passed she caught his scent, something heady and musky at the same time. She liked it.
"I heard what you said to your mother last night," he spoke quietly, caressing her cheek with his fingertips. He tipped up her chin when she turned her head away, trying to hide the embarrassing blush that rose to her cheeks.
"Ugh…you did?" Anzu regretted ever talking to her mother about such things. She also hated the fact that he made her so uncomfortable like this. Why did she get all jumpy when he was around?
He smiled and nodded. "Indeed, I heard every word. As a matter of fact, that's not exactly how we say good night in Egypt. In fact, we say it much more…intimately." His voice deepened slightly, fading off into a soft whisper. His fingers still held her chin captive and he wondered if this was the right moment to kiss her or not.
"Anzu, Atem…come and get it!" Her mother's voice rang through the morning stillness, heeding them towards the kitchen.
The large, airy room was a vibrant blue like the sky on a cloudless day. The cabinetry was off-white and the appliances were nothing short of modern and stainless steel. Atem was amazed.
"Oh, Mother Isis, what a beautiful kitchen you have! This far outshines the splendor of the palace back home!" Her mother blushed for a moment, and then her eyes registered some confusion.
"Palace? Do you mean to say that you own a palace?"
"Of course, I don't own it. My father built it from scratch. It's a lovely thing, but if what Anzu informed me is true it's probably nothing but a ruin now." He looked sad for a moment and then brightened up again.
"Ruins of a palace that your father owns…Anzu Marie! Tell me what's going on right now!" Her mother crossed her arms and Anzu knew the fight had just begun.
"Trust me, Mom, if I told you the real reason Atem is here you'd probably send me off the loony bin."
Atem nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, it is true. The basis around my being here is a little on the fantastic side. Besides, I would not want to burden my hostess with such trivial matters." He flashed another award-winning smile.
Anzu cuffed his arm. "Are you insane?! This is hardly trivial! The means of your being here defy the very fabric of what we consider possible!" She then realized that she'd said too much. Now her mother looked panicked.
"What is going on?" she asked trying to contain the hysteria rising in her voice. "Anzu Marie, tell me what's going on this instant or I'll…I'll…I'll kick Atem out of the house!" she shrieked.
She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Atem leaving the house? It didn't sound right and felt even worse. She shook herself and watched as her mother trembled in fear of the unknown.
"Alright," she yelled. "You wanna know the real reason why Atem is here?" She was at the point of screeching at the top of her lungs. "Atem isn't from here, okay?! He's from Ancient Egypt, he's a freaking prince! He traveled through time to find me! I'm his true love!" She instantly regretted those last words. "Or something like that," she mumbled.
"Oh my goodness…Anzu…do you have any idea of how ridiculous that sounds?" her mother spoke quietly. She wrung her hands together for a long time, pacing around the kitchen. "And what do you mean you're his 'true love'? You barely know him!"
"Tell me about it, Mom. I didn't believe him at first either. I agree that the concept of time travel is a little far-fetched. But I think that he was telling the truth. I actually believe everything he tells me about this weird happenstance. I even believe that he loves me." At this, she walked over and pulled his arms around her, letting him hold her of her own free will.
"You're serious about all of this, aren't' you?" Her mother stood blinking in disbelief. They both nodded. "Well, I don't see myself as having any other choice. Atem, you may stay, but only for the sake of Anzu. I think she's beginning to like you." With that, she turned away and walked out of the kitchen.
Still in his arms, Anzu sighed with relief. He, too, sighed; Anzu feeling his chest expand and collapse. He began to chuckle silently, enjoying her closeness, especially if he hadn't done anything to prompt it.
"That's one hurdle down," she muttered quietly. Atem nodded his assent. He let her go, walking away quietly to his room and sat on his bed, thinking.
This is all so confusing. How did Solomon foresee this? Was I truly meant to be in love with Anzu instead of ruling Egypt? And today, this morning, the contact of our hands, her arms around me; what can this all mean? How could Fate be more wonderful? Oh, what am I to do?
A knock sounded quietly at his door, beckoning him to see who it was. He opened the door slowly and Anzu stood there quietly, a small smile lighting up her face.
"Hi, Atem. May I come in?" she asked quietly. He opened the door further and took her hand to lead her in. She accepted the gesture and was amazed by how she actually enjoyed the contact of his warm flesh now.
"What is troubling you?" Atem asked serenely. Anzu walked over to the bed and flopped down on it face first. Atem reached out to her but stopped when her body was wracking with laughter.
"Oh, man, we sure took her for a trip!" she wiped tears from her eyes. She sat up and greeted his confused expression. "In all honesty I think she just thought you were some stray backpacker or something, but this is just so rich!" She erupted into another fit of giggles. Atem joined her on the bed and laughed weakly.
"I don't understand, love. She couldn't tell?" He ran his fingers through his tangled locks, sighing with defeat.
"My mother probably thought you'd gotten lost from some wild frat party! You could've shown up in a full body leotard and she'd probably let you in!" That sudden thought brought on a new wave of laughter.
"I still don't understand." He mused miserably.
"Oh, shush now, I don't expect to understand anything. Things are a little different than in your time."
"Well, that may be the case, but I do know that I love you." He had the grace to blush and grinned sheepishly. Anzu reached up and ran her finders through his long hair.
"The funny thing is…I think I may love you too."
OH MY GOODNESS! YAY! Will update as soon as I can!