I'm back, and I managed to get two chapters done while I was away!
Chapter 25- Worry and Elation
Yuugi, Yami, and Mana were making their way to the Mutou house.
"I wonder how Grandfather is going to react. I know that he isn't expecting anyone." Yuugi stated.
"Considering that you are his granddaughter, I don't think that he's going to mind you coming to see him." Yami replied.
Mana was a little quiet. 'I wish that Yuugi wasn't leaving us. I like having her around so much.' Mana thought. She turned to look at Yami and Yuugi. She couldn't help, but wonder why Yami wasn't more upset about the fact that Yuugi wouldn't be coming back with them "Um, Yuugi." Mana said.
"Yes." Yuugi answered, turning to look at her friend.
"Did you tell Yami?" Mana asked.
"Did she tell me what?" Yami asked, slightly confused.
"About not coming back with us." Mana answered.
Yuugi realized that Mana didn't know the truth. Yuugi smiled at her younger friend and said, "Mana, there was not need to tell Yami that."
"Why not?" Mana asked, confused.
"Mana, Yuugi's not staying with her grandfather now. She's going to be coming back with us when we leave to return to the palace." Yami said.
"You are?!" Mana exclaimed.
Yuugi nodded.
"But everyone at the palace was talking about how you weren't coming back." Mana protested.
"That's because no one except for Yami, you, me, the Pharaoh, the Queen, and a few of the priests know that." Yuugi said.
"Why didn't you tell anyone that you're going to come back?" Mana asked, still confused.
"Because I didn't want anyone to know that I was coming back." Yuugi answered.
"Mana, you know that Yuugi is sick of all the pranks that Heba and the others love to play on her. We decided to let them sweat this one out. We're letting them think that Yuugi isn't going to come back just to let them see that Yuugi is sick of those pranks." Yami explained.
"So, you're letting them think that you're not coming back so that they can see what effect those pranks have on you?" Mana asked.
Yuugi nodded. "I am just really sick of them thinking that they can keep playing these pranks. When we were kids, I could handle them. I could even handle it when we first reunited. I even went back at them for a little while, but it gets old, and we're adults, so everything needs to stop." Yuugi said.
"Then, you're not leaving the palace?" Mana asked.
"Nope. We're just going to see my grandfather for a week, one, to let them all sweat this out, and two, to tell my grandfather the good news." Yuugi said.
"What news?" Mana asked.
"You'll see." Yami replied. He had grown up with Mana and knew that the second she heard the news, she would be pouncing and hugging and squealing about the news.
"Oh. Okay." Mana said. Her curiosity was spiked, but she knew that Yami wouldn't tell her until later. 'I wonder what it is.' Mana asked herself.
Heba, Jou, Ryou, Bakura, Malik, and Marik were all nervous as they sat in Heba's room.
"What are we going to do? If Yuugi doesn't come back with them, then Yami is going to kill every one of us." Jou said.
"I think that we might want to worry about what the Pharaoh and Queen are going to do to us now." Bakura said.
"How could we have been so stupid? We knew that Yuugi was sick of all the pranks, but we kept on with our pranks like it didn't matter, and now, there's a chance that Yuugi's not going to come back, and if she doesn't, it's all our fault." Heba said.
"Well, she could have told us that she wanted us to stop." Marik retorted.
"Marik that's not an excuse, and you know it. We all knew that Yuugi wanted the pranks to stop, but we didn't stop them, so whether we like it or not, this is our fault." Malik said.
"What should we do?" Ryou asked.
"You're not in trouble, Ryou. You never had anything to do with any of the pranks, so there is no reason for anyone to be angry you." Jou said.
"You're the only one that can't be blamed for anything that has happened." Heba said.
"If you all would have just stopped the pranks like you know Yuugi wanted you to, you wouldn't be in any trouble, and Yuugi wouldn't have left with the possibility of not coming back." Ryou pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I got quite scolding already." Heba said.
"From the Pharaoh?" Bakura asked.
"No. From Atemu. After he knew that Yuugi was leaving, he let me have it. Atemu knows that if Yuugi doesn't come back, Yami's going to be real unhappy, and that means that he's coming after us, which will also mean that Atemu is going to be stuck between choosing his brother's side in all this or his husband's side, and I am quite sure that Atemu would stand aside and let Yami strange me." Heba said.
"Love gone?" Marik asked.
"No. He would let Yami because he knows that I deserve it." Heba said.
"I'm sure that I'll be getting a lecture from Seth about how I shouldn't have done it, and that I should have stopped when I saw that the pranks were upsetting Yuugi." Jou said.
"I don't think that those scolding's will be anything compared to what the Pharaoh and the Queen will say, and I know that theirs will be a simple reprimand compared to what Yami plans to do to us." Heba said.
"Yeah, and unfortunately, we're going to be caught in that scolding as well." Bakura muttered.
"You and Marik didn't have to go along with the scheme that they had in mind, but you did, and you deserve a good lecture." Bakura said.
"You gave me that last night." Bakura retorted.
"Yeah, and I'm not done yet. You all really hurt Yuugi by this, and I honestly can't blame here. All of the whispers about how foolish she looked and how gullible she seems to be and how weak she is, is floating around the palace, and I think that the rumors became too much for her." Ryou said.
Heba sighed. "If Yuugi doesn't come back, then I am going let Yami do what he wants because it is exactly what I deserve." Heba said.
Yuugi, Yami, and Mana arrived at the gates of the Mutou household.
"Lady Yuugi, this is certainly an unexpected surprise." Miran said.
"Hello, Miran. We just came to visit Grandfather." Yuugi said.
"All right." Miran said.
The gates were opened, and the three went on into the house. Once at the front of the house, they dismounted their horses.
Servants instantly came up to them and took their horses.
"Come on. I have a feeling that I know exactly where to find Grandfather." Yuugi said. She walked into the house with Yami and Mana following her.
Yami and Mana noted that not much had changed since the last time that they were there.
Yuugi reached the door that led to her grandfather's study. She raised a hand and knocked on the door.
"Enter." Solomon called.
Yuugi smiled and opened the door. She looked in and saw that her grandfather had not looked up from what he was looking at. Yuug motioned for Yami and Mana to remain quiet.
Mana and Yami watched as Yuugi walked forward to Solomon's desk.
"Just a moment." Solomon said.
Yuugi placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward. She then said, "Is that any way to greet your granddaughter?"
Solomon caught off guard, looked up in surprise. He had not been expecting Yuugi to come, so he was very surprised at hearing her voice. "Yuugi, what are you doing here?!" Solomon exclaimed.
"Grandfather, I thought that you would be happy to see me. Can I take it that I am no longer welcome here?" Yuugi asked with mock hurt in her voice.
Solomon suddenly smiled wide. "Yuugi, you will always be welcome here. You know that. What are you doing out here anyway?" Solomon asked.
"Getting away from the palace for about a week." Yami replied.
"I see. Why did Heba and the others not come with you?" Solomon asked. He loved seeing his granddaughter, but he would have liked to see his other grandchildren as well.
"Well, the truth is that Heba and the others are part of the reason that I decided to get away from the palace for a while." Yuugi said.
Solomon raised an eyebrow. "What have they done, and what are you trying to do?" Solomon asked. He knew that all his grandsons save for Ryou were pranksters, and he also knew that adding Bakura and Marik to the mix was not a good thing, so he figured that they had done something to upset Yuugi to the point that she needed to get away for awhile.
Yuugi and Yami quickly explained what had been going on and why they were there.
"I see. I knew that their pranks would get them in trouble one day. I just hope that they do learn their lesson as they should." Solomon said.
"I hope that this works because I would really have to have to kill them all." Yami said.
"Well, perhaps I should show you to your rooms." Solomon said.
Yuugi smiled. "Grandfather, just because I haven't been here in so long doesn't mean that I have forgotten my way around here. I think that I can find my way to the rooms, and show Yami and Mana to theirs as well." Yuugi said.
"All right. I'll see you all in a little while." Solomon agreed.
Yuugi left the study along with Yami and Mana and shut the study door behind them.
"I would say that your grandfather was happy to see you." Yami said.
"I knew that he would be once he got over the shock of the surprise visit," Yuugi answered.
When they reached the hall that the bedrooms were on, Yuugi showed Mana to her room first.
As Yami and Yuugi headed to the room that Yami would be staying in, Yami said, "When should we tell your grandfather the news?"
"I was thinking that we'll tell him after dinner tonight. I suppose that's when Mana will find out as well." Yuugi said.
"Believe me. You don't want Mana finding out any sooner because she'll be telling the entire house." Yami said.
Yuugi laughed. "I know." Yuugi said.
Once they reached Yami's room, Yami turned to her and said, "I'll see you in a little while." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.
"Yami, I'm just one door down. It's not like I'm in another house." Yuugi said.
"I know, but I just want you to know" Yami said.
Yuugi shook her head before she walked on down the hall to her own room.
"Is this trick really such a good idea? I mean, I don't think that any of them are going to like it when they find out that Yuugi never intended to stay." Mahado said.
"Actually, Mahado, Yuugi did intend to stay at the start. When she first said that she was going to go back, she meant it. I think that it was only after Yami asked her to marry him that Yuugi decided that she would stay." Aknankanon said.
"So, I guess that this isn't a total lie." Isis said.
"No. I think that it is only right that it is done like this. Maybe Heba and the others will realize that pranks can hurt people feelings, and that's exactly what it's done to Yuugi." Amara said.
"I guess there's no real harm in any of this." Eternias said.
"Atemu and Seth are not to know about this. I know those two, and I know that they would tell their husbands' in a heartbeat so that they would stop worrying about whether or not Yuugi was going to come back." Aknankanon said.
"Maybe this will stop them from playing anymore pranks on anyone." Mahado said.
"That is what we are hoping will be the end result of all this." Aknanaknon explained.
That night, Solomon, Yuugi, Yami, and Mana all sat at the dining table to eat dinner.
"So, what has been going on at the palace other than the pranks?" Solomon asked.
"Not much actually. Their pranks were actually the only real action that happened as of late, and that was enough." Yami said.
"Yes. I know that all of their pranks get old after so long." Solomon agreed.
"Yes, and it really got tiring that I was the one that all the pranks were being played on." Yuugi said.
"I always told them that playing all of those pranks would get them into trouble one day, and it has. I just hope that they have learned their lesson." Solomon said.
"I can't believe this. How could I be so stupid?" Heba asked as he paced the room.
"Heba, will you stop? You're not doing yourself any good going over what is in the past." Atemu said.
Heba stopped pacing and turned to face Atemu. "Then what am I supposed to do? There's a chance that Yuugi doesn't plan on coming back, and if she doesn't, then Yami's going to be after my head." Heba said.
"Heba, if Yuugi doesn't come back, then you are going to go and see her, and try to make things right with her. There is nothing else that you can do." Atemu said.
Heba sighed. "I wish that I would have followed my heart and stopped all of the pranks. I knew that were upsetting her, but I like them, so I just went ahead and did them." Heba said.
"Heba, a prank every once in a while would not be so bad. These pranks were going on every day for two months. That's why Yuugi finally reached the end of her patience." Atemu said.
"Meaning that we need to knock it off ad stop doing them so much." Heba said.
"Yes. You're going to have to apologize to Yuugi, whether she comes back or not." Atemu said.
"I know, and I plan to. I just hope that Yuugi will forgive me." Heba said.
After dinner, Solomon, Mana, Yuugi, and Yami sat down in the sitting room.
"Well, is there anything else that I need to know?" Solomon asked. He suspected that there was something else going on that he needed to be told, and he really wanted to know what it was already.
"Yes, grandfather. There is." Yuugi said. She took a breathe and said, "Yami and I aren't courting anymore."
"You're not?!" Solomon and Mana both exclaimed.
Neither one had expected that.
"Nope." Yami confirmed.
"Why not?" Solomon asked.
:Because we're engaged." Yuugi answered, showing them both the ring that Yami had given him.
"You're getting married!" Mana squealed, jumping up from her seat and hugging Yuugi tightly.
"Told you." Yami muttered.
"Well, that is certainly good news. Why do you not wear the ring then?" Solomon asked.
"We didn't want Heba and the others to see it, so I'm not going to wear it until after all of this is over." Yuugi explained.
"That's a good reason." Solomon admitted.
"When did this happen?" Mana asked.
"Last night, actually. I had been planning to ask her for weeks, and I so I asked last night. I also thought up this little trick, so we'll see how well it works." Yami said.
"I take it that the ball celebrating your engagement won't be too far off." Solomon said.
"No. Once the council finds out, the ball will probably be within a week's time. You will attend this ball, won't you, Grandfather?" Yuugi asked.
"I certainly will. I wouldn't miss it for anything." Solomon explained.
Yuugi and Yami sat out in the gardens on the last night of their stay at the Mutou house.
"Are you ready to go back to the palace?" Yami asked.
"Yes. I like coming to see Grandfather, but I really consider the palace my home now." Yuugi said.
"That's good because since you are going to be my wife, it is your home." Yami said.
"You realize that we're not going to be married for a while." Yuugi said.
"I know, but you're still my fiancé, so I am going to call you that." Yami said.
Yuugi giggled. "You're ready fro everyone to know that we're getting married, aren't you?" Yuugi asked.
"Yes. The council will be happy because they will know that Egypt will have a queen when I become Pharaoh." Yami said.
"Well, at least you did get your wish and are marrying for love, not duty." Yuugi said.
"Yes. That is the one thing that I did not want to do, and I'm not." Yami said He leaned down and kissed Yuugi.
The next day, they would head back to the palace.
Hope you liked that.
THe next chapter had Yami, Yuugi, and Mana returning and Heba and the other's talking to Yuugi.
R&R.