Chapter 10- Plotting
"Okay. So, why are we here?" Seth asked grumpily.
Atemu looked over at his cousin. "What's wrong with you?" Atemu asked.
Jou blushed slightly. "Well, um, you sort of interrupted us when you came to get us this morning." Jou explained.
"Oh." Atemu said.
Bakura rolled his eyes. "What are we doing here?" Bakura asked gruffly.
"Well, Ryou, Malik, and I got to talking last night, and we realized something." Heba said.
"We're pretty sure that Yuugi and Yami have a thing for each other." Ryou said.
"Meaning?" Marik asked.
Malik rolled his eyes. "For goodness sakes, Marik! Yuugi and Yami like each other the way that I like you, idiot." Malik said.
"Does he?" Bakura asked.
"Yes, and I know that Yami isn't going to do anything about it, and I very much doubt that Yuugi will." Heba said.
"Let me guess. You want to play matchmaker, and you want all of us to help." Atemu said.
"Am I that transparent?" Heba asked.
"No. I just know you a little too well, Heba." Atemu replied.
"Oh! I'll love to help. Yuugi would make the perfect wife for Yami." Anzu said.
Atemu groaned internally.
Anzu had the look in her eyes that said she was going to do everything that she could to get Yami and Yuugi together.
"Ooo. I'd love to help." Mana put in.
"Heba, I just might have to kill you for suggesting this." Atemu said.
"Come on, Atemu. You were complaining about how you're tired of seeing Yami moping, and we all know that it's because he missed having Yuugi around." Heba said.
"That doesn't mean that I want to interfere in my brother's love life." Atemu remarked.
"It couldn't hurt. I wouldn't mind seeing them get together." Jou said.
"If he does anything to hurt her, I assure you that you'll be the Crown Prince of Egypt again, Atemu." Bakura said.
"Well, Yami wouldn't do that." Atemu said.
"All right. Let's just get this over with so that we can get back to our normal lives." Seth said in an irritated way.
"Well, I think that first thing we should do is get them to go to the ball together." Anzu said.
"Well, Yami does need a date, and I think that I could convince him to ask Yuugi to go just because he would know that Yuugi wouldn't act the way any other woman would in Yuugi's place. Besides, once he has a date, all the women will have to back off for a while." Atemu said.
"Good. And I could convince Yuugi to accept if she doesn't want to at first." Ryou put in.
Yuugi was walking down the hall of the palace. 'I wonder where Heba is. He and Atemu were not in their room.' Yuugi thought.
"Hey, you!" a gruff female voice said angrily.
Yuugi turned to find herself faced with Mia. "Yes. May I help you?" Yuugi asked.
Mia suddenly grabbed Yuugi harshly by her dress and said, "Stay away from my Yami, bitch." Mia hissed.
Yuugi suddenly glared at the woman as she wrenched herself out of Mia's grasp. "I heard from Yami himself that he had no one in his life at the moment." Yuugi said in a rather calm manner though she was boiling with rage.
"How dare you speak the Prince's name. Guards!" Mia shouted.
Two guards came up.
"Have this bitch whipped for speaking the Crown Prince's name." Mai ordered.
The guards moved toward Yuugi.
"Lay a hand on her, and you will be face my father for your actions." a deep, firm voice said.
The guards, Mia, and Yuugi turned to face Yami, who was obviously angry.
"My Prince, Lady Mia said that she called you by your name." one guard said.
"Yes. I heard. Lady Yuugi had my specific permission to use my name. You, Mia, did not." Yami said.
Mia paled slightly at that.
Yami walked up so that he was right at Mia. "If you did not hear me before, hear it now. I am not now nor will I ever be involved with you, Mia." Yami said.
Mia's eyes trailed to Yuugi, angry that she was witness to this lashing.
"Look at me when I speak to you!" Yami snapped.
Mia looked at him, fearful.
"If you do not stop saying things like that, I will have you punished for blasphemy. You and I are not together, and I have no intention of being with you. Also, you have no right to insult Lady Yuugi by calling her a bitch." Yami growled.
"But she-" Mia started.
"Lady Yuugi is Heba's sister, my brother's fiancé, as well as my father's guest. I guarantee that my father would not take kindly to the fact that you insulted her and tried to have her unjustly punished. I suggest you leave her alone and leave now before I have you punished." Yami said.
"But Pr-" Mia started.
"Get out of my sight now!" Yami shouted.
Mia, fearful for her life, ran.
"My Prince, forgive us. We did not know who the lady was." the guard said.
"It is Yuugi you should apologize to." Yami answered.
"No apologies are needed. You were following the orders of someone over you, and I understand that." Yuugi said.
"Make sure that all guards know that only my father has the right to have to do anything to Lady Yuugi." Yami said.
"Yes, my Prince." the guards said before leaving.
"Yami, who was that woman?" Yuugi asked.
Yami growled. "That was Mia. She is the most persistent woman of the one's after me. And she's also the last one that I would choose." Yami said.
"I was a second from hitting her." Yuugi said.
"You would have been justified. I wouldn't want that woman anyway. The entire palace knows of her escapades. She is known as the palace whore. She may have the status of a lady, but that is what she is. Mia has slept with guards, servants, and slaves of the palace, both make and female. The future queen is supposed to be of respectable reputation. My father would have a fit if I wanted to marry her, and the council would pretty much forbid it because she would have affair after affair and would probably have a child by another man she would try to claim mine. Believe me. I have no intention of allowing her to be my wife." Yami said.
"She seemed like that to me. Why would she threaten me like that, though?" Yuugi asked.
Yami rolled his eyes. "Mia probably saw us together at some point and thought you were trying to get my attention and thought she would try and stop you." Yami said.
Yuugi shook her head. "That woman needs to get a clue. If you have blatantly told her more than once that you had no interest in her, she should have gotten the message by now." Yuugi said.
"Mia is too stubborn. Believe me. If she threatens you like that again, you have my permission to hit her. I'll defend you to Father, and he won't do anything once he hears about what she did just now." Yami said.
Yuugi looked over at him curiously. "Did you just happen to be walking by to hear that?" Yuugi asked.
"Oh. Isis wanted to talk to you about the dress you would wear to the ball. I went to see her, and she asked me if I would find you and tell you." Yami said.
"Oh. Okay. Where would I find her?" Yuugi asked.
"I'll show you." Yami replied.
Yami led Yuugi down the hall to where Isis was.
Atemu walked into the room where Heba and the others were.
"Did you talk to Yami?" Heba asked.
"No. I couldn't find him to ask him." Atemu replied.
"I couldn't find Yuugi, either. I wonder where she is." Heba said.
"Maybe they're already together." Seth said, smirking.
Bakura and Marik growled angrily.
"I highly doubt it, Seth. Anyway, I heard something rather interesting." Atemu said, sitting down beside Heba.
"Palace gossip?" Jou asked.
Atemu nodded.
"What is it?' Anzu and Mana asked at the same time.
"Apparently, Mia saw Yuugi and Yami together and thought that Yuugi was after Yami. She threatened Yuugi and when Yuugi used Yami's name, ordered guards to whip her. Yami saw the whole thing and pretty much blasted Mia. He told her that she had no right to call Yuugi a bitch or to have her whipped. After all, Yuugi had permission to use Yami's name, but Mia didn't, and she used his name, too. Yami also pretty much told her that he would never be with her. Yami also said that no one could have Yuugi punished unless our father ordered it." Atemu said.
"Where is this bitch?! She had no right to call Yuugi that!" Bakura shouted.
"Calm down, Bakura. I don't think that will help. Besides, if she does anything else, I know Yami will have that bitch punished." Atemu replied.
Heba shook his head. "I thought that Mia would have gotten the clue by now that she doesn't stand a chance with Yami." Heba said.
"Please. She never gets a clue." Seth said.
"And this is the dress that you want me to wear?" Yuugi asked.
"Yes. Is it to you liking?" Isis asked.
"It's more extravagant than what I am used to, but very beautiful." Yuugi said.
"I think that you would looked very beautiful in it." Yami said.
The dress was a lavender color that went off the shoulders a little. There was a darker lavender sash that went around the waist. The hem of the dress was ruffled and splayed out. There was also a scarab amethyst pendent that went with the dress.
"It's very lovely, Isis. Thank you for taking the time to make the dress for me." Yuugi said.
Isis smiled at her. "I am glad that I could do it for you, Yuugi." Isis said.
"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go find my brother." Yuugi said.
"She's a rather lovely girl, Yami. In appearance and personality. She would make a suitable date for the ball." Isis said.
"Just what are you insinuating, Isis?" Yami asked.
Isis smiled. "Merely that you have no date for the ball, and Yuugi does not either." Isis said before she walked off.
Yami watched Isis walked off. 'Hmm. Maybe she's right.' Yami thought.
"Hey, Yuugi!"
Yuugi turned and found Heba running up to her.
"Where were you? I heard about what Mia did. Are you all right?" Heba asked.
"How did you hear about that?" Yuugi asked.
Heba smiled. "Nothing stays secret for long in this palace." Heba said.
"I'm fine. I was rather glad to see Yami tell her off. And Isis finished my dress for the ball and wanted me to see it and make sure that I liked it." Yuugi said.
"Did you?" Heba asked.
"Yes. It's a little more extravagant than what I am used to, but it's a lovely dress, and I will wear it to the ball." Yuugi said.
"Um, have you found a date yet?" Heba asked.
"No. Not yet. Anyone who would like to is only after one of three things." Yuugi said.
"Wealth. Status. Sex." Heba said.
Yuugi nodded.
"What about Yami?" Heba asked.
"As far as I know, he doesn't have a date, either." Yuugi said.
"No. I mean would you consider going with Yami to the ball." Heba said.
"I don't know. I might would. Why?" Yuugi asked.
"Well, neither of you want to go with someone that will grope or accost you, and you know that neither one of you want that, so I thought that you could go to the ball together. I mean, you would be going as friends." Heba said.
"Hmm. I might would if he asked." Yuugi said.
"Really?" Heba asked.
Yuugi nodded. "It wouldn't hurt. Yami's always a gentlemen where I am concerned, so there's not much harm in it. I don't think it would change if we were at the ball." Yuugi said.
Heba smiled. 'All Yami has to do is ask now.' Heba thought.
There was a knock on Aknankanon's study door.
"Enter." Aknankanon said.
Yami walked in and said, "Father, did you want to see me?"
"Yes. Come in, Yami." Aknankanon said, turning to face his son.
"What is going on?" Yami asked as he sat in the other chair.
"Yami, Lady Mia came in here earlier and said you talked badly to her for no reason." Aknankanon said.
Yami groaned. "She's lying." Yami said.
"I assumed as much. I don't take much of what she says seriously, but what happened?" Aknanaknon asked.
Yami told him about what Mia had said to Yuugi and what he said to her.
"I see. It would seem that you did not say much to disrespect her. In fact, you could have had her punished." Aknankanon said.
"I know, Father, but I didn't care to hear her whining then." Yami said.
"I can understand that. If Mia does anything else toward Yuugi, she can go back at Mia if she wants as long as Mia starts it." Aknankanon said.
"I think that Yuugi would, Father. I know that while we were visiting them, she broke one of her less-than-honorable suitor's jaw." Yami said.
"Whatever for?" Aknankanon asked, surprised that Yuugi was capable of such violence.
"I believe that she said the man had felt her up." Yami said.
"Ah. I believe that he deserved it." Aknankanon said.
"Was there anything else?" Yami asked.
"Yes. The ball is only a week away, and I know that you haven't found a date yet. You know that you need one." Aknankanon said.
"I know, Father. I was actually thinking of asking Yuugi to be my date." Yami said.
"Yuugi? I didn't know that you had an interest in her." Aknankanon said.
"Well, I know that she won't try anything that any other woman would." Yami said.
"I see. As friends." Aknankanon said. At his son's nod, Aknankanon said, "Well, Yuugi is a suitable date. After all, I have heard nothing bad of her, and I find her rather enjoyable to be around, unlike the other woman who are after you. I believe that Yuugi would make a wonderful companion for you at the ball."
Yami nodded.
"And, if you do try anything on her and she ends up breaking your jaw, I will tell you that you deserved it." Aknankanon said good naturedly.
Yami grinned. "I learned not to cross her back when we were visiting them." Yami answered.
"When do you plan to ask her?" Aknankanon asked.
"I'll probably ask her tomorrow." Yami replied.
"Good. At least that matter will be settled." Aknankanon said.
Yami got up and left the room. 'Father approves of Yuugi as my date. I wonder if he would approve of her as my wife.' Yami thought.
Yami immediately slapped himself mentally. 'I can't think like that. Yuugi probably wouldn't feel the same way that I do. Besides, I'm asking her as a friend.' Yami berated himself.
However, his mind was full of thoughts of her. 'Isis is right. Yuugi's lovely inside and out. She's not like the others. I started off being friends with her. I know I'm in love with her because of her personality, not just her looks.' Yami thought. He sighed wistfully. 'I doubt that Yuugi would want to be with me, though. She has shown only signs of friendship, but that doesn't mean I can't try to make her mine.' Yami thought. He was determined to use his time with her to try and make her fall for him.
Okay. That was chapter 10, and I hope you liked it.
The next chapter has Yuugi and Yami agreeing to go to the ball together. Just not the usual asking someone out.
R&R.