Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Inuyasha, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or any of their titles therein.
Hey guys! How am I doing so far? I hope no one has any complaints. If you feel someone is incorrectly portrayed or you just so happen to be an Egyptian specialist and notice an incorrect statement, then say something! I'd be happy to change it. Unless you say something like, "The sun was actually ten degrees hotter 5,000 years ago". -_-'
Yeah, right…
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The next morning, as the sun was high in the sky, Mana ran at full speed towards the courtyard. She panted heavily and held onto her hat, trying to keep it in place. Once she got outside, she saw Kagome and Mahad giving her expectant looks. She smiled at them before going to stand next to Kagome. Stopping, Mana bent over and caught her breath. "I'm… here," she pants.
"You're late," Mahad corrects. Kagome pats her back with a small smile. Mahad clears his throat before looking at his students. "Due to Kagome joining us, it seems that we have to start from the beginning."
Kagome feels slightly guilty at this. She was keeping Mana from progressing? "We don't have to do that. I'll keep up. I promise," Kagome says.
"It's alright. Going back to the beginning isn't so bad. It'll give me a chance to perfect things and get better. And with the two of us, I doubt it'll take long for you to catch up," Mana supports Kagome with her cheerful smile. Still feeling unsure, Kagome hesitantly nodded her head.
"Then let's begin. Let's try some magic blasts. Now, I've set up some targets around the courtyard. Kagome, let's see you hit them," Mahad says. Kagome blinks and watches him before looking at a target.
"Great. Exactly how do I do that?" Kagome asks.
"Try to summon your powers again," Mana says.
"Use your wand as an extension of yourself. Tunnel the magic through it and at the target," Mahad supplies.
"Right. Got it," Kagome said, determined. She pointed the wand at a tree with a white 'X' painted on it. She waited for some time, gritting her teeth to force anything to come out.
"No, no. You have to search for the source of your Heka. Unfortunately, I can't help you there. It varies from person to person. It could be from your mind or-," Mahad says.
"Or your stomach, like me!" Mana cuts him off.
"I was going to say heart, but yes Mana. That's right," Mahad says dryly. Kagome bites her lip then. She tried her stomach first. After some time, the only thing that came out of her was a small burp.
"Excuse me," Kagome says sheepishly. Mahad smiles and Mana laughs. He gestures for her to try again. Kagome tries her mind next. Sensing nothing, Kagome sighs. Was she brain dead or something? Maybe she should have taken up the Pharaoh's offer? He must have known something about magic. Idly, Kagome wondered what the Pharaoh's source was.
"Whoa!" Mahad exclaims and barely dodges a blast from Kagome's wand. He looks at her surprised. Kagome looks just as stunned at herself. Mana seemed to be the only one not taken aback.
"You did it! What was your source?" Mana questions.
"I…don't know. I don't even know how I did that. It just…came out?" Kagome says.
"Why don't you try it again?" Mahad encourages and takes a few steps back for safety. Kagome tries her mind again, but comes up fruitless. What else had she done? She had thought of the Pharaoh… Feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, Kagome pictures the Pharaoh in her mind. Another blast is released, but it is much more controlled than the first. "Excellent Kagome! I assume you found your source?"
Kagome looks at Mahad before smiling nervously. "Yep!" She exclaims. Mahad raises an eyebrow at her in suspicion before letting it go.
"Well, let's move on to something else, shall we?" Mahad suggests.
"Can we try levitation next, Mahad?" Mana asks. Mahad shrugs. If Kagome could grasp her source and firing magic blasts so quickly, then maybe they could speed things along.
"Alright. Kagome, when using magic, it's all about illusion. Take levitation for example. When you make something levitate, you are not raising the object. You are encasing the object with Heka and raising the Heka itself. Does that make sense?" Mahad explains.
"So, making something invisible is the same thing only making the Heka transparent?" Kagome asks. Mahad nods once with an affirmative grunt. Kagome looks at a fallen branch of the tree she had recently obliterated. Raising her wand and focusing of encasing the branch, Kagome tried to manipulate the Heka around the branch. She decided to picture the Pharaoh the first time she had seen him; sitting on his throne at his celebration. The branch wobbled a bit before slowly lifting off the ground. Deciding to take it up a notch, she tried something else. Before long, she successfully had the branch moving around the courtyard and high in the sky.
"You got it!" Mana cheers. Kagome turns around and continues to move the branch higher. She seemed to have gained a large smile at her accomplishment. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome noticed someone watching her. Focusing on them, Kagome saw the Pharaoh smirking down at her from a balcony. Feeling her heart pause before starting again, Kagome watched as she incinerated the branch before it fell to the ground. The three magicians watched it burn to a crisp quietly. Kagome looked up again to notice the Pharaoh leaving with a large grin. She pouted before folding her arms. 'It's all his fault. He missed me up.'
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Atem headed back inside in an incredibly good mood. Once he had found out from Mana that Kagome would start her lessons today, he had to see just how good she was. Making sure to be punctual, he had waited for them to start. Mana had arrived late as usual, so that had given him time to get a drink and return.
He had watched her try to find her source of magic only to come up unsuccessful. He had been surprised when the magic blast had fired out of her wand and collided with the tree. She had claimed not to know what she had done, but when she tried it again Atem couldn't help but notice her face seemed quite flushed. What had been her source? It had definitely left him curious.
He kept quiet and continued to watch as she moved the tree branch around. She looked absolutely delighted by her accomplishment. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in her and smirked to himself. She chose then to turn and catch him watching her. The branch had caught fire before falling to the ground. Had he broken her concentration? Either way, the sight was hilarious. He left then, not sure if he would be able to keep his laughter to himself. He would have to remember to tease her about her little mishap later.
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Kagome sat under the shade of a tree while reading one of the textbooks Mahad had given her. She was trying to catch up to Mana and even surpass her if she could. It would take time, but she was determined. Mahad had even said how surprised he was at her talent. But, talent alone would not be enough.
Turning the page, Kagome was startled by the sound of another. "I had a feeling I would find you here," Atem says and walks to Kagome. Kagome focuses harder on her book, not wanting to look the pharaoh in the face. She'd never live it down if he found out he was her source. "Kagome?" Atem asks and stands in front of her. Kagome pulled her book over her face before tensing up. Rolling his eyes, Atem crouched down in front of her before pulling the book down.
"Oh, Pharaoh. I didn't see you there," Kagome says with a nervous laugh. He gives her a blank look before shaking his head. Kagome sighs and closes her book. Might as well get this over with. "Have you only come to tease me?"
"No. I only wish to congratulate you. You seem to grasp the concept rather quickly," Atem says. Kagome gives him a surprised look. She was sure that he would tease her. "What has me curious is your source."
Kagome swallows hard. Of course he would ask about that.
"Mana's is her stomach, while Mahad's is his mind," Atem continues.
"…Why don't you tell me yours first?" Kagome says to distract him. Atem raises an eyebrow at her attempt before shrugging it off.
"My heart," he says. Kagome gives her a stunned look. Kagome was sure he would be adamant in hearing her tell him her source first. She watches him as he takes a seat next to her before looking at the Nile flowing in front of them.
"I... can't tell you," Kagome answers. "It's not because I don't want to. I honestly don't know what it is. I was trying to find it when I let my mind wander. Next thing I now, I'm firing magic blasts."
"What were you thinking about?" he questions gently. "Maybe we can figure it out from that." Kagome bites her lip. A light pink blush dusts over her cheeks and she keeps quiet. Atem notices this before trying to get a closer look into her face. "Kagome?" When she keeps quiet, he continues, "I could just order you to tell me. You do realize that?"
"It's just someone… a boy. Well, he's not really a boy I suppose. He's a man," Kagome says and keeps her eyes on the ground. Atem feels his good mood start to slip away.
"I see. Do you care for him deeply?" Atem asked. He felt something nasty boiling away under his skin. He didn't know why he wanted to know how close Kagome was to this other man. Sure, he had felt something of an attraction towards Kagome, but was it really anything to feel… jealous about?
"I don't know. It's too soon to tell," Kagome said and pulled her knees to her chest. It was uncomfortable to talk to the Pharaoh about himself. Giving him a side glance, she noticed how distant he was acting. She pouted and rested her chin on her knees.
Atem kept quiet for a while longer. Whoever this man was, Atem felt anger and jealousy towards him. Was he someone in the palace? Or was he someone Kagome had known before she was brought here? 'It does not matter. She may not have chosen to stay for me, but she is here nonetheless. I am sure I can make her forget about her lover.'
He turned back to Kagome then. Embracing his resolve, he stared at her in determination. Feeling him looking at her, Kagome looked questioningly at Atem. Atem smirked at her before grinning. Kagome felt heat rush to her face before gathering in her cheeks. What was he smiling at?
"It's your heart," he says. Kagome furrows her eyebrows in thought. What had they been talking about? Recognition sets in as Kagome tilts her head to the side in thought. Her heart? "You can reach your powers due to the love and care you feel for the people who are important enough in your life," he goes on to explain.
Kagome bites her fingernail in thought. She cups her hands together before concentrating. A small ball of light forms in her hands before it flickers out. This was something to think about. Was the Pharaoh really that important to her? Sure, he was attractive and he did seem to think the same for her. But, to love the Pharaoh? Would he even love her back?
Probably not. He was the Pharaoh. He could have any woman he chose. Also, he could only marry a woman of noble class. It wasn't as if she could gain riches over night. Taking a deep breath, Kagome smiled. It didn't matter. It seemed that she was already starting to care for the Pharaoh. She would be spending quite a lot of time around him. She was bound to fall even more for him. If he didn't feel the same, she could always leave once her training was over. Or, she could try to work her way into his heart. It was sneaky and manipulative, but she could try. If he truly didn't want her, she would back off.
"Thank you, Pharaoh. That's nice to know. I think I should be getting back. You should as well. I'm sure you have some important matter to attend to," Kagome says and stands. She offers her hand to help him up with a smile. He takes it and smiles back.
"You're right. I've skipped out on my duties for long enough," he answers. Not releasing his hand, Kagome begins to walk back to the palace. Atem grips her hand in his while falling into step next to her. The two walked back together with small, sly smiles on their faces and plans in mind.
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This chapter was slightly shorter than usual. But, as you can see, this is where the rising action truly begins. I wonder just how Kagome and Atem plan to get the other's attention? With imaginary male suitors and the idea that thousands of women would bed the Pharaoh, they'd better try hard and get to work. ;P
Review please!
Edited: 6/14/12