Readers Please Note: Throughout this fic I will be placing these flashbacks
into the past so that you'll be better able to understand the flashbacks
that Rika and Seto will be having. Just in case you don't figure it out
the pharaoh's sister is Rika aka Ri and Seto is Seto. The following is a
brief look at a meeting between the two in Ancient Egyptian times. Note
these are not from Rika and Seto's flashbacks, they don't necessarily
remember these events or at least this detailed. These are actual events
from their past lives, they won't remember most of it!!!
+++++++++++++++++++++Ancient Egypt, Mid-Morning ++++++++++++++++++++++
High Priest Seto Kaiba walked slowly down the stairs as his eyes scanned around him for the pharaoh who had requested his prescence but hadn't bothered to stay in one place. The pharaoh had apparently been looking for him all day and Seto was in a hurry to see him so that he might know what it was that his pharaoh needed; especially seeing as he and the pharaoh often disagreed on most matters and the fact that the pharaoh had sought him out was unusual. Having been told that the pharaoh was going for a walk in the gardens Seto decided to try there first. The sun shining off of his breastplate that lay heavily on his shoulders Seto wished he could take the annoying thing off but that wouldn't do and taking it off wouldn't make his head piece any lighter. You'd think that given the fact that he was the Head Priest to the pharaoh he'd be able to dress more comfortably.
"Ahh, excuse me, is someone there?"
Where had that voice come from? Seto wondered looking all around him but seeing no one in sight. As far as he could see he was alone in the gardens. "Is someone here?" He asked looking around with his hand now resting on the top of his sword though he doubted he'd need it. If the person meant him harm he sure as hell wouldn't have given him any warning.
"I'm over here, to your left in the tree. Or at least I think its your left, it might be your right, I can't really tell from up here." The female voice called out and raising an eyebrow Seto walked over to the grove of trees where the voice said she thought she was. Walking over he followed her voice and coming to the base of the tree he looked up to see a figure up in the tree, her body hidden mostly by the leaves and branches of the tree.
"What are you doing?" Seto asked as he tried to figure out why on earth the girl was up there. It wasn't a fruit tree so she couldn't be there to pick fruit and she was extremely high up as well which didn't make sense.
"I'm stuck." The girl called down in a thoroughly exasperated voice and Seto had a feeling she'd been up there for a while. "I had to climb up here to get Nefeteri's cat and the stupid creature decided to head for the highest branches when she saw me coming. I've got the cat but my foot got wedged between two branches and I can't pull it out without breaking my leg which wouldn't be a good thing to do. I don't suppose you're an experienced tree climber?" she added with a hint of laughter in her voice despite her circumstances. She had a nice laugh Seto thought before he thought better of it.
"Hold on and I'll see about getting you some help." Seto said as he turned to leave to get her some help even if the girl deserved to get stuck up there for being foolish enough to climb it in the first place.
"Please don't." The girl called down, her voice lacking its earlier good humor. "Call me stupid but I really don't want to be found in this kind of situation and I'm sure that I can manage to get out of this on my own. Thanks for stopping anyway." She added. "I'd thank you personally but I can't even see you. Your voice sounds familiar though so maybe I'll see you around the palace sometime."
"You won't if you aren't able to get out of the tree." Seto pointed out with a hint of amusement. "Especially with that cat."
"Beast that it is you're right. Cats always land on their feet though so if I dropped it down it wouldn't be hurt right?" The girl asked hopefully. "Never mind, Nefeteri would try to kill me if I dropped her precious baby."
"I'll come up and get you." Seto said with a sigh as he realized that it was up to him to save the silly girl. Normally he would have left the job to one of the servants but the girl was probably serious when she'd said she'd rather risk breaking her leg. She was probably one of Nefeteri's servants and Seto knew that the woman wouldn't care if one of her servants was badly injured saving the little demon she called a cat. Oh well, he'd wanted to get rid of the breastplate and headdress, here was his chance. Removing the two items Seto ran his fingers through his short brown hair Seto reached up and pulled himself into the tree's branches. Slowly and carefully Seto made his way up the tree as he tried to ignore the fact that he was disgracing himself in public. He had climbed very few trees during his childhood and he hadn't ever intended to continue the practice once he'd reached adulthood.
"Hello." The girl said and getting his first view of her Seto felt as though he'd just been punched hard in the gut repeatedly. For the girl he'd assumed to be some sill servant girl was actually a woman known as the Pharaoh's Most Favored Sister Ri. He'd been talking to the sister of the pharaoh the entire time. Damn but he was in trouble now.
"Your majesty." Seto said ducking his head, which nearly caused him to lose his balance as he almost sent himself flying out of the tree.
"Weren't expecting me were you." The woman said with another laugh as she smiled at him, seeming to understand his dilema. Holding a squirming black cat in her arms she smiled at him with another smirk. "You don't have to worry about calling me your majesty and such, I'm just glad for the help getting out of this mess. Besides, all the your majestys in the world would get my foot unstuck, otherwise I would have done it. I probably should have called to the guards but they have better things to do then rescue me from my own stupidity. Again."
"I'm sure they wouldn't have seen it that way." Seto said with his head still down though he lifted it enough so that he could look at her face. He'd seen her before in all her finery at the palace, she was often included in matters of state, her brother believing that she had a good head for these things. Which she did Seto thought as he nearly fell out of the tree again when he felt a hand slip under his chin and move his head so that he was looking at her. She had the most beautiful purple eyes he'd ever seen but Seto was well trained enough to know better then to say so or even hint that he thought it. Even if he were the type flirting with her would be a rather painful hazard to his health. Though she might be worth it a little part of his brain mentioned before it was quickly thrown away and ignored.
"So did you come up here to appreciate the view or are you going to help me out of this mess. I take it from your clothing that you're not without status and I know I know your voice from somewhere. If it'll make you feel better neither of us will mention this meeting ever again after were safely on the ground." She suggested and as Seto stared once again into her beautiful purple eyes he felt himself nod his agreement.
"Hold onto one of the branches while I see how stuck it is." Seto said and once he saw her holding tight to a sturdy looking branch with one hand and the cat in the other he moved closer to her. Looking down he saw that her foot must have slid down into the crevice created by the branches. "I'll need to."
"You have my permission to touch my leg sir. I swear I'll never breath a word." She said understanding his dilemma well. It was a highly punishable offence to touch a female member of the pharaoh's family and he could lose his hands for even trying to touch her whether she wanted it or not. "It'll be our little secret." She added with a smirk.
Nodding Seto turned back to the task at hand and moving closer placed his hand along her ankle that was just visible. Sliding his hand under the branches in his way Seto carefully grasped her lower leg and staring intently at the structure of the branches managed to release her foot from the branches hold though her ankle and foot were scrapped badly in the process. "Are you in pain?" Seto asked as he carefully set her foot on a nearby branch.
"I've had worse. I suppose you'd prefer that I didn't know your name." She asked with a smile as she carefully rotated her foot and ankle. "So thank you whoever you are. Shall we try to get down now without mishap?"
"Ri!" A shrill voice called out and Seto watched the girl instinctively move higher up in the trees as oppose to lower. He recognized the voice as that of the former pharaoh's second wife Nefeteri who's cat Ri had been trying to save from breaking its little neck. Raising an eyebrow at the girl he was surprised to see her shaking his head at him, telling him without words not to give them away. Deciding to follow her orders Seto remained silent as he stayed where he was. Keeping as silent as she was they easily overheard the woman's conversation with a voice they both recognized as Nefeteri's oldest son Rameses.
"Where is that useless girl, probably lazing around somewhere instead of looking for Isis like I told her." Nefeteri said with a huff as she looked around the gardens where she'd sent Ri to look for Isis. "Useless, both her and her mother." Nefeteri added with a note of hatred for her husband's third wife and the one who'd replaced her in his affections. She was his wife first and therefore she should be his favorite but oh no, she'd been ousted by that heathen he'd picked up on one of his campaigns. The woman tries to kill him and what does he do, he marries the bitch. "Ri come here at once."
"She's not here mother." Rameses said in a bored voice, not really caring where his half sister was. He had better things to do with his time then to spend it looking for his mother's stupid cat and he wasn't at all pleased to be dragged into this.
"When I get a hold of her I'll teach her to disobey me when I give her an order." Nefeteri said with anger even though she already knew she wouldn't be able to do any such thing. After all Ri was Yami's favorite sister, his most prized possession, he'd never let anything or anyone harm her. Even if he did her husband would punish her sorely for harming Ri. Even though her husband had turned over the ruling of Egypt to Yami he was still well enough to bring about punishment for harm done to the precious daughter of his precious wife.
"You know what Yami will do if you try to harm a hair on her head." Rameses pointed out with a fair amount of bitterness of his own. Yami was only a year and a half older then him but because of that his brother had taken the throne and he was left to be a simple ornament in court. And Ri ruled through him Rameses thought with true bitterness. It was well known fact that Ri might as well be co-ruling with Yami given the amount of power Yami gave her over things.
"The day will come when I no longer have to take orders from that brat." Nefeteri said with a worrisome look on her eye that would have made anyone who say it more then a bit worried. Silently hoping that his mother was right the two walked away completely unaware that they had been overheard.
"I should have thrown the damn cat at her." Ri said softly as she watched the two leave through the branches with coldness in her eyes that suggested she was very much in a fighting mood. Call her mother names would she Ri thought with an evil look. Oh she'd pay for that little comment.
"She was just worried about her cat." The man who'd come to rescue her said as he too turned his head to watch the pair walk out of the gardens. Actually if given the choice he was a far more appealing sight then her family members Ri thought as her eyes strayed back to him. Where did she know him from though she wondered as her eyes studied him through her lashes. He looked to be slightly older then herself and she was pretty sure that he was someone of standing but who? He didn't have the build of a soldier but he was still well muscled and in shape, which would suggest that, he wasn't one to lay around. Could he be a visitor from another part of their region?
"Shall we get down then?" Ri asked him as oppose to all the things she would have rather asked him. Her curiosity was piqued now and she wondered how she was to go about obtaining the answers she sought.
Nodding his agreement the young man looked down then back at her, his blue eyes considering. "I'd better take the cat, you'll have a hard enough time with that leg." He said as he smirked slightly at the hissing cat that almost seemed to understand what he'd said because it was looking even more distempered then before.
"All right but you get your neck broke in the process remember you asked." Ri said as she gladly handed the wretched beast over. Normally she hated to let anyone do anything for her but she was really tempted to throw the cat out of the tree and it was probably better if she let the handsome young man take care of it. Though it would be a waste of a fine specimen of the male species if he were to break his neck Ri thought as she watched him male his way down with the cat hissing at him the entire time. Why men thought bald heads were attractive was beyond her. Give her this guy any day of the week. Following his lead Ri slowly made she way down as well, ignoring the way her foot was throbbing from each movement. But unlike some people she could name it would take a lot more then this to stop her. Instead she mentally swore a thousand times in different languages as she finally reached the bottom. About to drop down she was surprised to feel arms encircle her waist to gently lift her down to set her gently on her feet.
"You might have damaged it more if you'd jumped down." The man said softly as he let go of her as though she were a flame that would burn him. And she could Ri thought with a touch of self-pity. As much as she loved Yami he still thought of her as a child to be protected and many of her would be suitors were scared spitless by him. Of course the fact that he'd decreed that any man who wanted to be her suitor would first have to beat him in dueling also added to her lack of male attention. Not that she was in a hurry to get chained to a man for the rest of her life, far from it. She preferred to be her own master with no one but her brother to answer too. She was spoiled and knew it too.
"Thank you for all your help." Ri said with a weak smile as she looked around and saw with relief that no one was nearby. "I'll take the cat and be." Ri stared at the man who had transformed himself while her eyes had been searching the grounds. Instead of the handsome young man who'd rescued her from the tree she saw before her the cold and emotionless stare of the High Priest Seto. "You."
"Good day your majesty." He said without emotion as he turned his back to her and walked over to the path that would lead him further into the gardens.
"Dammit." Ri said a little louder then she'd intended as she watched him walk away until he was out of sight. Of all the men who could have come to her rescue it would have to be him seeing her like that. He's probably running off to tell on me as we speak she thought with a frown knowing that she was so busted. Wait a bloody minute, two seconds ago she'd been checking him out and giving him ten out of ten Ri thought with horror written plainly on her face.
"There you are sister and I see you've found Isis. I take it that she's responsible for your language?" A voice said from behind her said and with a smile Ri turned around to see her brother Yami grinning at her widely as he took in her angry expression which wasn't surprising given what she was holding.
"Do you mean Nefeteri or the cat?" Ri said with a smirk of her own as the two had a laugh at Nefeteri's expense. Neither of them could stand the woman and Ri had a strong feeling that she was one of the deciding reasons why their father had chosen not to marry them off at a young age. Their father had married Yami's mother when the two were ten and Yami's mother had died at the age of sixteen bringing Yami into the world. Their grandfather had immediately taken advantage of this and married his son to Nefeteri who's father's support he'd wished to gain. Never mind that the woman was a harpy and had made his son more miserable then life in hell must be Ri thought with a smirk.
"That wasn't very nice of you Ri." Yami said with a smile still on his face as he admonished her for her words. In truth he agreed with her but it wasn't wise to say what you meant in a place full of listening ears. Besides, it wasn't wise to cross Nefeteri despite the fact that she knew well what would happen to her if she ever laid trouble at Ri's door. His Ri was his only true friend in the entire palace, the only one he could speak to truly and without guarding his words. He would never let anything harm that, ever.
"Since I never claimed to be the diplomatic one of us I think its fair to say that nice doesn't apply." Ri said as she smiled brightly.
"Is there a reason you have leaves in your hair?" Yami asked suddenly noticing what had been out of place about his sister's appearance. It wasn't unusual for his sister to appear out of order though Yami thought with an inner smile, she was constantly getting into trouble and he was just as constantly getting her out of it.
"Well I kinda got into a fight with a tree. I won." Ri said with a smirk that turned to a slight wince before she quickly got her features under control. Knowing she'd just given herself away under his sharp eyes she pasted on her cutest look when she answered her brother's silent question. "The tree got some licks in though."
"How badly are you hurt." Yami demanded as he took on a worried expression as he surveyed his sister from head to toe as he tried to see where the damage lay which was hard given the clothing his sister wore. This is why he always had to fight the urge to lock her in her rooms and never let her out. His sister took after her mother's people in her love for adventure and dangerous situations. One of these days she wasn't going to easily walk away from one of those situations and then what would he do?
"Just hurt my left foot a bit, nothing to worry about. Now what do you say you and I go deliver the cat from hell back to Nefeteri then go have some fun playing hide and go seek with your guards?" Ri said nodding over to where three of her brother's personal guards stood at the ready. "Maybe they'll be able to find us this time."
"What am I going to do with you?" Yami asked with a long-suffering sigh.
"Love me forever and ever?" Ri suggested as she hooked her arm through his as she handed the cat to one of the guards who looked at the cat like one would look at Anubis before he was about to die.
"And centuries after it." Yami said with a smile as he and his sister headed for the palace arm in arm.
+++++++++++++++++++++Ancient Egypt, Mid-Morning ++++++++++++++++++++++
High Priest Seto Kaiba walked slowly down the stairs as his eyes scanned around him for the pharaoh who had requested his prescence but hadn't bothered to stay in one place. The pharaoh had apparently been looking for him all day and Seto was in a hurry to see him so that he might know what it was that his pharaoh needed; especially seeing as he and the pharaoh often disagreed on most matters and the fact that the pharaoh had sought him out was unusual. Having been told that the pharaoh was going for a walk in the gardens Seto decided to try there first. The sun shining off of his breastplate that lay heavily on his shoulders Seto wished he could take the annoying thing off but that wouldn't do and taking it off wouldn't make his head piece any lighter. You'd think that given the fact that he was the Head Priest to the pharaoh he'd be able to dress more comfortably.
"Ahh, excuse me, is someone there?"
Where had that voice come from? Seto wondered looking all around him but seeing no one in sight. As far as he could see he was alone in the gardens. "Is someone here?" He asked looking around with his hand now resting on the top of his sword though he doubted he'd need it. If the person meant him harm he sure as hell wouldn't have given him any warning.
"I'm over here, to your left in the tree. Or at least I think its your left, it might be your right, I can't really tell from up here." The female voice called out and raising an eyebrow Seto walked over to the grove of trees where the voice said she thought she was. Walking over he followed her voice and coming to the base of the tree he looked up to see a figure up in the tree, her body hidden mostly by the leaves and branches of the tree.
"What are you doing?" Seto asked as he tried to figure out why on earth the girl was up there. It wasn't a fruit tree so she couldn't be there to pick fruit and she was extremely high up as well which didn't make sense.
"I'm stuck." The girl called down in a thoroughly exasperated voice and Seto had a feeling she'd been up there for a while. "I had to climb up here to get Nefeteri's cat and the stupid creature decided to head for the highest branches when she saw me coming. I've got the cat but my foot got wedged between two branches and I can't pull it out without breaking my leg which wouldn't be a good thing to do. I don't suppose you're an experienced tree climber?" she added with a hint of laughter in her voice despite her circumstances. She had a nice laugh Seto thought before he thought better of it.
"Hold on and I'll see about getting you some help." Seto said as he turned to leave to get her some help even if the girl deserved to get stuck up there for being foolish enough to climb it in the first place.
"Please don't." The girl called down, her voice lacking its earlier good humor. "Call me stupid but I really don't want to be found in this kind of situation and I'm sure that I can manage to get out of this on my own. Thanks for stopping anyway." She added. "I'd thank you personally but I can't even see you. Your voice sounds familiar though so maybe I'll see you around the palace sometime."
"You won't if you aren't able to get out of the tree." Seto pointed out with a hint of amusement. "Especially with that cat."
"Beast that it is you're right. Cats always land on their feet though so if I dropped it down it wouldn't be hurt right?" The girl asked hopefully. "Never mind, Nefeteri would try to kill me if I dropped her precious baby."
"I'll come up and get you." Seto said with a sigh as he realized that it was up to him to save the silly girl. Normally he would have left the job to one of the servants but the girl was probably serious when she'd said she'd rather risk breaking her leg. She was probably one of Nefeteri's servants and Seto knew that the woman wouldn't care if one of her servants was badly injured saving the little demon she called a cat. Oh well, he'd wanted to get rid of the breastplate and headdress, here was his chance. Removing the two items Seto ran his fingers through his short brown hair Seto reached up and pulled himself into the tree's branches. Slowly and carefully Seto made his way up the tree as he tried to ignore the fact that he was disgracing himself in public. He had climbed very few trees during his childhood and he hadn't ever intended to continue the practice once he'd reached adulthood.
"Hello." The girl said and getting his first view of her Seto felt as though he'd just been punched hard in the gut repeatedly. For the girl he'd assumed to be some sill servant girl was actually a woman known as the Pharaoh's Most Favored Sister Ri. He'd been talking to the sister of the pharaoh the entire time. Damn but he was in trouble now.
"Your majesty." Seto said ducking his head, which nearly caused him to lose his balance as he almost sent himself flying out of the tree.
"Weren't expecting me were you." The woman said with another laugh as she smiled at him, seeming to understand his dilema. Holding a squirming black cat in her arms she smiled at him with another smirk. "You don't have to worry about calling me your majesty and such, I'm just glad for the help getting out of this mess. Besides, all the your majestys in the world would get my foot unstuck, otherwise I would have done it. I probably should have called to the guards but they have better things to do then rescue me from my own stupidity. Again."
"I'm sure they wouldn't have seen it that way." Seto said with his head still down though he lifted it enough so that he could look at her face. He'd seen her before in all her finery at the palace, she was often included in matters of state, her brother believing that she had a good head for these things. Which she did Seto thought as he nearly fell out of the tree again when he felt a hand slip under his chin and move his head so that he was looking at her. She had the most beautiful purple eyes he'd ever seen but Seto was well trained enough to know better then to say so or even hint that he thought it. Even if he were the type flirting with her would be a rather painful hazard to his health. Though she might be worth it a little part of his brain mentioned before it was quickly thrown away and ignored.
"So did you come up here to appreciate the view or are you going to help me out of this mess. I take it from your clothing that you're not without status and I know I know your voice from somewhere. If it'll make you feel better neither of us will mention this meeting ever again after were safely on the ground." She suggested and as Seto stared once again into her beautiful purple eyes he felt himself nod his agreement.
"Hold onto one of the branches while I see how stuck it is." Seto said and once he saw her holding tight to a sturdy looking branch with one hand and the cat in the other he moved closer to her. Looking down he saw that her foot must have slid down into the crevice created by the branches. "I'll need to."
"You have my permission to touch my leg sir. I swear I'll never breath a word." She said understanding his dilemma well. It was a highly punishable offence to touch a female member of the pharaoh's family and he could lose his hands for even trying to touch her whether she wanted it or not. "It'll be our little secret." She added with a smirk.
Nodding Seto turned back to the task at hand and moving closer placed his hand along her ankle that was just visible. Sliding his hand under the branches in his way Seto carefully grasped her lower leg and staring intently at the structure of the branches managed to release her foot from the branches hold though her ankle and foot were scrapped badly in the process. "Are you in pain?" Seto asked as he carefully set her foot on a nearby branch.
"I've had worse. I suppose you'd prefer that I didn't know your name." She asked with a smile as she carefully rotated her foot and ankle. "So thank you whoever you are. Shall we try to get down now without mishap?"
"Ri!" A shrill voice called out and Seto watched the girl instinctively move higher up in the trees as oppose to lower. He recognized the voice as that of the former pharaoh's second wife Nefeteri who's cat Ri had been trying to save from breaking its little neck. Raising an eyebrow at the girl he was surprised to see her shaking his head at him, telling him without words not to give them away. Deciding to follow her orders Seto remained silent as he stayed where he was. Keeping as silent as she was they easily overheard the woman's conversation with a voice they both recognized as Nefeteri's oldest son Rameses.
"Where is that useless girl, probably lazing around somewhere instead of looking for Isis like I told her." Nefeteri said with a huff as she looked around the gardens where she'd sent Ri to look for Isis. "Useless, both her and her mother." Nefeteri added with a note of hatred for her husband's third wife and the one who'd replaced her in his affections. She was his wife first and therefore she should be his favorite but oh no, she'd been ousted by that heathen he'd picked up on one of his campaigns. The woman tries to kill him and what does he do, he marries the bitch. "Ri come here at once."
"She's not here mother." Rameses said in a bored voice, not really caring where his half sister was. He had better things to do with his time then to spend it looking for his mother's stupid cat and he wasn't at all pleased to be dragged into this.
"When I get a hold of her I'll teach her to disobey me when I give her an order." Nefeteri said with anger even though she already knew she wouldn't be able to do any such thing. After all Ri was Yami's favorite sister, his most prized possession, he'd never let anything or anyone harm her. Even if he did her husband would punish her sorely for harming Ri. Even though her husband had turned over the ruling of Egypt to Yami he was still well enough to bring about punishment for harm done to the precious daughter of his precious wife.
"You know what Yami will do if you try to harm a hair on her head." Rameses pointed out with a fair amount of bitterness of his own. Yami was only a year and a half older then him but because of that his brother had taken the throne and he was left to be a simple ornament in court. And Ri ruled through him Rameses thought with true bitterness. It was well known fact that Ri might as well be co-ruling with Yami given the amount of power Yami gave her over things.
"The day will come when I no longer have to take orders from that brat." Nefeteri said with a worrisome look on her eye that would have made anyone who say it more then a bit worried. Silently hoping that his mother was right the two walked away completely unaware that they had been overheard.
"I should have thrown the damn cat at her." Ri said softly as she watched the two leave through the branches with coldness in her eyes that suggested she was very much in a fighting mood. Call her mother names would she Ri thought with an evil look. Oh she'd pay for that little comment.
"She was just worried about her cat." The man who'd come to rescue her said as he too turned his head to watch the pair walk out of the gardens. Actually if given the choice he was a far more appealing sight then her family members Ri thought as her eyes strayed back to him. Where did she know him from though she wondered as her eyes studied him through her lashes. He looked to be slightly older then herself and she was pretty sure that he was someone of standing but who? He didn't have the build of a soldier but he was still well muscled and in shape, which would suggest that, he wasn't one to lay around. Could he be a visitor from another part of their region?
"Shall we get down then?" Ri asked him as oppose to all the things she would have rather asked him. Her curiosity was piqued now and she wondered how she was to go about obtaining the answers she sought.
Nodding his agreement the young man looked down then back at her, his blue eyes considering. "I'd better take the cat, you'll have a hard enough time with that leg." He said as he smirked slightly at the hissing cat that almost seemed to understand what he'd said because it was looking even more distempered then before.
"All right but you get your neck broke in the process remember you asked." Ri said as she gladly handed the wretched beast over. Normally she hated to let anyone do anything for her but she was really tempted to throw the cat out of the tree and it was probably better if she let the handsome young man take care of it. Though it would be a waste of a fine specimen of the male species if he were to break his neck Ri thought as she watched him male his way down with the cat hissing at him the entire time. Why men thought bald heads were attractive was beyond her. Give her this guy any day of the week. Following his lead Ri slowly made she way down as well, ignoring the way her foot was throbbing from each movement. But unlike some people she could name it would take a lot more then this to stop her. Instead she mentally swore a thousand times in different languages as she finally reached the bottom. About to drop down she was surprised to feel arms encircle her waist to gently lift her down to set her gently on her feet.
"You might have damaged it more if you'd jumped down." The man said softly as he let go of her as though she were a flame that would burn him. And she could Ri thought with a touch of self-pity. As much as she loved Yami he still thought of her as a child to be protected and many of her would be suitors were scared spitless by him. Of course the fact that he'd decreed that any man who wanted to be her suitor would first have to beat him in dueling also added to her lack of male attention. Not that she was in a hurry to get chained to a man for the rest of her life, far from it. She preferred to be her own master with no one but her brother to answer too. She was spoiled and knew it too.
"Thank you for all your help." Ri said with a weak smile as she looked around and saw with relief that no one was nearby. "I'll take the cat and be." Ri stared at the man who had transformed himself while her eyes had been searching the grounds. Instead of the handsome young man who'd rescued her from the tree she saw before her the cold and emotionless stare of the High Priest Seto. "You."
"Good day your majesty." He said without emotion as he turned his back to her and walked over to the path that would lead him further into the gardens.
"Dammit." Ri said a little louder then she'd intended as she watched him walk away until he was out of sight. Of all the men who could have come to her rescue it would have to be him seeing her like that. He's probably running off to tell on me as we speak she thought with a frown knowing that she was so busted. Wait a bloody minute, two seconds ago she'd been checking him out and giving him ten out of ten Ri thought with horror written plainly on her face.
"There you are sister and I see you've found Isis. I take it that she's responsible for your language?" A voice said from behind her said and with a smile Ri turned around to see her brother Yami grinning at her widely as he took in her angry expression which wasn't surprising given what she was holding.
"Do you mean Nefeteri or the cat?" Ri said with a smirk of her own as the two had a laugh at Nefeteri's expense. Neither of them could stand the woman and Ri had a strong feeling that she was one of the deciding reasons why their father had chosen not to marry them off at a young age. Their father had married Yami's mother when the two were ten and Yami's mother had died at the age of sixteen bringing Yami into the world. Their grandfather had immediately taken advantage of this and married his son to Nefeteri who's father's support he'd wished to gain. Never mind that the woman was a harpy and had made his son more miserable then life in hell must be Ri thought with a smirk.
"That wasn't very nice of you Ri." Yami said with a smile still on his face as he admonished her for her words. In truth he agreed with her but it wasn't wise to say what you meant in a place full of listening ears. Besides, it wasn't wise to cross Nefeteri despite the fact that she knew well what would happen to her if she ever laid trouble at Ri's door. His Ri was his only true friend in the entire palace, the only one he could speak to truly and without guarding his words. He would never let anything harm that, ever.
"Since I never claimed to be the diplomatic one of us I think its fair to say that nice doesn't apply." Ri said as she smiled brightly.
"Is there a reason you have leaves in your hair?" Yami asked suddenly noticing what had been out of place about his sister's appearance. It wasn't unusual for his sister to appear out of order though Yami thought with an inner smile, she was constantly getting into trouble and he was just as constantly getting her out of it.
"Well I kinda got into a fight with a tree. I won." Ri said with a smirk that turned to a slight wince before she quickly got her features under control. Knowing she'd just given herself away under his sharp eyes she pasted on her cutest look when she answered her brother's silent question. "The tree got some licks in though."
"How badly are you hurt." Yami demanded as he took on a worried expression as he surveyed his sister from head to toe as he tried to see where the damage lay which was hard given the clothing his sister wore. This is why he always had to fight the urge to lock her in her rooms and never let her out. His sister took after her mother's people in her love for adventure and dangerous situations. One of these days she wasn't going to easily walk away from one of those situations and then what would he do?
"Just hurt my left foot a bit, nothing to worry about. Now what do you say you and I go deliver the cat from hell back to Nefeteri then go have some fun playing hide and go seek with your guards?" Ri said nodding over to where three of her brother's personal guards stood at the ready. "Maybe they'll be able to find us this time."
"What am I going to do with you?" Yami asked with a long-suffering sigh.
"Love me forever and ever?" Ri suggested as she hooked her arm through his as she handed the cat to one of the guards who looked at the cat like one would look at Anubis before he was about to die.
"And centuries after it." Yami said with a smile as he and his sister headed for the palace arm in arm.