AN: These stories take place after Prisoner of the Shadow Realm and will just be a collection of short stories that happen in the Afterlife. I've had these stories in the vault for awhile and figured to just start releasing them here and there (depending on reviews). They will mostly be Vaseshipping. Hope you enjoy!
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
—Take it Easy—
The priests within the palace surround her while applauding her latest achievement in the throne room. Her aquamarine eyes scroll past each person, from the pharaoh's advisor Shimon, to the one she looks up to and has taught her everything she knows about sorcery, Mahad. Outwardly, she appears confident with no hint of doubt.
Glancing over toward the two thrones where she would normally sit alongside a certain someone, she sees her husband—the pharaoh—smiling proudly at her as he claps for her as well. He stands just in front of his throne, wearing his normal attire consisting of a blue cape, a white skirt that reaches his knees, a matching tank and numerous jewelry that adorns his arms, ankles and wrists. The finishing touch of his wardrobe is a crown that fits around his tricolored hair.
Standing beside the pharaoh is a miniature version of her and him, their daughter Cairo. Her hair is short and spiky, just like her mother's, but black like her father's. Along with her naturally narrowed amethyst eyes, she also happens to share much of her father's personality. Centuries in the the Shadow Realm have hardened her. But there are brief moments where her fun personality shines through.
Life in the Afterlife nearly mirrors their life in the land of the living. Although there is far less crime, there are times where a few bad souls trickle in, meaning they still must take precautions.
Mana looks away shyly and nods her head, accepting her new role. She will be helping oversee and train the other magicians alongside Mahad.
When she first became Queen, she vowed not to be on the sidelines. She would support her husband not only in the throne room, but on the battlefield as well. And she would continue her studies as a sorcerer. Though she will always consider herself to be Mahad's apprentice, it is clear her hard work is paying off.
"Thank you, everyone," she says.
"Congratulations Queen Mana," Mahad says.
She blushes and ducks her head a little. She will never get used to him referring to her as such. They grew up together alongside the pharaoh and the titles have always seemed weird to her. It also surprises her that he is even congratulating her. In the past, he has stressed the importance of the role of Queen being her primary duty and has had concerns that having these dual roles will be overwhelming for her. Nevertheless, he shows his support.
"Mom is very humble," Cairo compliments with her arms folded. "From what you've told me, this is something she has been striving for."
"Yes," Atem replies.
Cairo looks at him from the corner of her eye. "But I'm sensing you have reservations."
"I pray that is not obvious."
"No. Your current expression is fine."
"Do not misunderstand. I know Mana is more than capable. I just don't want her to be overwhelmed," Atem explains.
"Fair," Cairo nods, before muttering. "Although now I'm wondering if I'll be dealing with two overwhelmed parents soon."
After the initial congratulations, Mana retreats to her quarters, closing the door behind her and leaning on it with a heavy sigh. Her eyes gaze up to her bed and her lips curl up into a relieved smile.
Jumping right in, her face lands onto the soft cushions of her silky pillow. Her body instantly relaxes and she feels at ease. "Time for a little breather…" Breathing out, she slowly closes her eyes.
But only for a brief moment.
Knock, knock.
Her head instantly shoots up and she looks over her shoulder to the wooden door.
"Okay…so much for a breather."
Opening the door, she is met by none other than Mahad who stands with his arms crossed as usual.
"Oh hey Master!" Mana chirps.
He frowns. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're the Queen now. You do not refer to me as Master."
"But technically—"
"I dislike it."
She grins. "I dislike when you call me 'Queen Mana' and yet…"
"Totally different and you know it. I—" He stops mid sentence and takes a deep breath. Nothing between them has changed. They still go back and forth like siblings just as they always have, no matter what position they're in. "What I really came here for is to inform you that trainings are about to begin and I need your assistance. Or have you forgotten?"
Mana blinks before placing a hand behind her head. "Of course not! I just came here to freshen up a bit is all!"
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Hm?" She tilts her head to the side.
"Becoming the Queen of Egypt was a huge adjustment for you. Not only that, but it is a huge responsibility. Now you have the added responsibility of working in a leadership role in regards to the sorcerers in training. You also are a wife and a mother. "
"You worry far too much," Mana says, fanning her hand. "I'll be fine!"
"Very well then," Mahad replies, though still not entirely convinced. "Shall we go then?"
From that moment forward, Mana finds herself being pulled in all directions. Trainings were long and draining. Deliberations and sentencing for criminals gave her a headache when she was in the throne room. Luckily, with her husband by her side, it takes some of the stress off. But her full participation is still expected. And that's how she prefers it. The last thing she wants is people doubting her or believing she isn't capable of handling multiple responsibilities.
Despite everything being thrown at her, she holds her head up high, pushing through. This is something she has worked hard for and she doesn't want to disappoint anyone. Regardless if she is feeling a bit overwhelmed, she refuses to let that show.
'I can do this,' she keeps repeating in her head as she goes through the daily motions.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Days Later—
Bed. Sweet, comfortable and relaxing slumber. Still wearing her clothes consisting of a white pleated skirt, a blouse that hangs off her shoulders and her golden jewelry, she lays on her stomach, sprawled out on the bed. Her mouth is slightly agape and her left arm dangles off the side of the bed.
Many moons have passed with her entering into her new role and the days have been long and exhausting. Typically she would wake up early for her routine meditations, but she can't find it within her to even do that. Mornings are also spent with her husband for more intimate moments before going to the throne room, though those moments have been few. There are times where she falls asleep in the magicians' study until Atem finds her to bring her back up to their quarters.
Groaning, she rolls to her back, gazing out the window. The sun is still high in the sky and much of the day remains. After fulfilling her queen duties, it is time to prepare for her new role. Breathing a heavy sigh, she sits up, rolls her neck and walks out of her room, only to be met by Cairo.
"Hey Cairo. What's up?" Mana greets, trying to sound as lively as ever.
"Mahad sent me to get you."
Mana chuckles a little. "Ah, he worries way too much," she says as she walks past Cairo.
Cairo frowns and decides to trail behind her. "So…how are you holding up?"
"Great! I mean it has been a bit of an adjustment, but nothing I can't handle."
"And the scar?" Cairo questions, raising an eyebrow. She had noticed it as soon as her mother turned around. Her typical wardrobe leaves her shoulders bare and exposed, and while her hair shoots down her back in sporadic directions, it still isn't enough to cover the injury completely.
Mana flinches. "Ah, this little thing? It's no big deal. One of the spell casters got a little carried away and I admit I was distracted at the time."
'But she still hasn't healed it,' Cairo thinks to herself. A simple healing spell shouldn't be strenuous on a minor injury like that. And yet, her mother has seemingly made no attempt to heal herself. 'If dad sees that, he'll suspect she's stressed. Which will, in turn, stress him as well.'
She snaps her fingers, subtly healing the scar with ease before sighing.
"So, where are you headed?" Mana asks, looking at her daughter with a smile.
"Last minute meetings in the throne room with dad."
"Oh? I was unaware that there was more to be done in that regard," she says before frowning. "Maybe he's having his own doubts about what I can do…"
Cairo chuckles nervously, knowing the real reason behind her mother not knowing. "I'm sure that's not it! Maybe just an oversight. But don't worry, he's got things covered."
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
"You sure you should've left mom out of this?" Cairo says in a low tone as she stands beside her father's throne with her arms crossed.
Atem motions to his guard to bring a prisoner up to him. "Mana has enough on her plate," he whispers subtly. "And she's already low on sleep as it is."
Two guards bring up the prisoner, forcing him on his knees as they restrain him. "Who have you brought here?" Atem questions sternly.
"This man has been accused of stealing from the elderly your highness," a guard answers.
Seto, who is standing in front of the throne, sucks his teeth. "Pathetic. Will there truly be no end to this?"
"We should consider ourselves lucky," Shada replies. "This is nothing compared to what we had to deal with in the living world."
As the priests converse amongst each other regarding what should happen to the thief, Atem sighs heavily. He is exhausted and nothing sounds better than getting some much needed rest. With Mana frequently not making it to bed, his entire routine feels thrown off. He has spent countless time worrying about her and wondering if she'll be okay with the added workload. But he mustn't show it.
He waves one of the servants who then brings him a drink without another word.
"Someone's on edge," Cairo comments as he takes a sip.
"It's only water," Atem points out, flashing the cup enough so that she can see inside. "And I'm simply thirsty."
"Your drink isn't the reason why I said that. I can practically see the dark aura of stress emitting from your body."
Atem lets out another sigh. "I assure you, I'm alright. Nor am I stressed in regards to what Mana is doing."
"I'm not fully convinced," Cairo shrugs, now turning her head to look at him.
Seeing Atem and Cairo are too engrossed in their conversation to give full attention, the prisoner blinks repeatedly with confusion, wondering if they're going to sentence him or not. He looks to the left where half of the priests stand, also immersed in their own conversation. Then he looks subtly over his shoulder, seeing the guards distracted as well.
He then sets his eyes on Cairo with a grin. 'I'm not going down without a fight!' he thinks to himself.
"Rest assured, I am fine," Atem continues to attempt to put his daughter at ease.
"Very well. But I suggest you put on a better front when you're around mom. She can read you like a hawk. And if she even suspects that you're doubting her—"
"I know." Atem sighs. "I know…" Mana would be hurt without a doubt. And while he will not outwardly admit it, Cairo is right in regards to his own stress. If his own daughter can see it, then his wife will see too. He makes a mental note to appear as stress free as possible from this point forward.
"You really needn't be concerned about matters between your mother and I," Atem says, reading in between the lines. He can tell that his daughter is a bit on edge as well and he hates to think he is transferring any stress to her. "Everything's going to be fine."
Cairo sets her gaze elsewhere. "I guess I don't want you to be stressed."
"I assure you I'm—"
The prisoner suddenly breaks free, snatching one of the guards' swords before lunging up to the platform where Atem and Cairo are. He wraps an arm around Cairo while hovering the sword around her neck to the horror of the priests.
"Make one wrong move and I'll have her head!" the prisoner threatens and Atem lets out an annoyed grunt.
"Let go of the princess at once!" Shimon demands.
The prisoner cackles. "I'm the one who's gonna be giving orders from here on out!" he declares, then he sets his eyes on the pharaoh who calmly gets up from his throne. "Don't you take another step!"
"I must warn you. I'm not in the best of moods at the moment. So I suggest you unhand my daughter. Otherwise, you'll be facing very painful consequences," Atem cautions.
The prisoner looks at him with disbelief and slight amusement. "I have the upper hand here! You can't intimidate me!"
Atem's eyes slowly scroll over to Cairo who nods her head before breaking out of the prisoner's grasp with ease. After a brief shock, the prisoner attempts to retaliate by swiping down his sword while Cairo has her back turned. Cairo simply lifts up her hand, catching the sharp blade in her palm.
"What's this?!" the prisoner yells as sweat begins to pour down his forehead. His mouth drops when Cairo bends the sword with no struggle at all. Then she tosses it to the side before ducking out of the way. The prisoner is given no time to react as a punch comes hurdling his way from the pharaoh himself, leaving him knocked out on the floor.
Cairo peers down at the prisoner, then over to her father. "Yeah, there's no denying it now. Definitely stressed."
"Let's just call it a day," Atem mutters, looking away with his eyes dimmed down.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
"Alright, it's your turn for the levitation exercise," Mana announces to one of the students. In the courtyard, she and Mahad stand with other magicians in training, teaching them a range of magical abilities from basic to complex. On top of one of the tall pillars that surrounds the courtyard on all sides, a large vase sits, ready for the next student's attempt to lift it.
"Levitation is so hard," one students mutters to the other.
"Yeah. If we can hardly get this exercise right, then I don't see us being able to levitate our own bodies like Mana and Mahad have mastered," whispers another.
Mana covers her mouth to mask a yawn, but it doesn't go unnoticed by Mahad.
"Mana?" he questions, his arms crossed over his chest.
She fans her hand assuredly. "I'm fine. Let's begin shall we?"
A student steps up, pointing his wooden staff at the vase to attempt to move it. He grits his teeth, growling inwardly as he puts his all into his magical abilities. But the vase still does not move.
"You have to relax and free your mind," Mana reminds the sorcerer. "Your abilities will go haywire if you strain like that."
The student continues his attempts and the vase begins to wobble a little, much to his delight. "It's working!"
"Keep it up!" Mana calls out to him encouragingly. She feels another yawn coming, but manages to hold it in. The work seems to be nonstop and although she has been doing her best to adjust, she is feeling a little sleep deprived at the moment. But she doesn't want to let anyone, and more importantly herself, down. She's worked too hard and she wants to show everyone she is capable of this.
Mana walks up to the pillar as the student still tries to move the vase. "You're so close!" she exclaims. "Just one more push should do it!"
Coming from the other end of the courtyard are Atem and Cairo. Atem looks down at his bruised wrist and grunts, feeling annoyed by the intruder from earlier. As the sun begins to set, the only thing he can think about is returning to his quarters and relaxing for the remainder of the day.
"I put way too much force behind that punch back there," Atem says, studying his hand.
Walking with her arms crossed, Cairo subtly lifts one finger, pointing at her father's injury to heal it. As the bruises and cuts disappear, Atem opens and closes his hand, feeling absolutely no pain at all.
"Thank you, Cairo."
"I couldn't have mom seeing that. Especially after you left her out of the meeting today," Cairo explains.
"I'm sure she won't be too upset..." In fact, he was only trying to help take a load off her shoulders. Surely she wouldn't be upset over that. But as he studies Cairo's face more, he begins to wonder if his daughter knows something he doesn't. "…Unless you two have talked about it."
"Well she did seem kinda hurt when I told her," Cairo tells him.
"What…?" Atem says with furrowed brows and a concerned frown. But before he can say anything further, a commotion nearby brings them out of their conversation.
"He's losing control!" Mahad exclaims suddenly as the pillar that the vase is hovering above begins to wobble as well.
"I…I can't make it stop!" the student sorcerer panics.
"Clear the area!" Mahad commands, going over to the remaining sorcerers to lead them away.
Seeing the pillar about to topple over, Mana outstretches her hand to stop it on her own. Her palm briefly glows pink before disappearing to her shock. "Huh?"
The student screams, cowering with fear as the pillar begins to topple over. Without another thought, Mana rushes over and pushes him out of the way. She turns her head just as the pillar is about to hit her, cursing under her breath.
Atem's eyes widen as he watches pillar crumble into hundreds of pieces, completely covering Mana. "Not good!"
"That's gonna leave a mark," Cairo mutters, frowning as her father quickly proceeds ahead.
Mahad calmly walks over to the rubble, shaking his head. Hearing quick footsteps, he is surprised to see Atem approaching him, his face filled with alarm. "My pharaoh!"
"Is she alright?"
Mahad looks over his shoulder to silently signal a dismissal to the sorcerers in training before turning his attention back to Atem. "Physically, yes. Her pride, on the other hand…"
A frustrated grunt comes from beneath the rubble before a pink hue surrounds the pile. The rocks slowly begin to rise, allowing Mana to stand to her feet. Outstretching her hand, she chants a spell that repairs the pillar back to its original state, along with the vase. A heavy sigh emits from her lips, feeling the concerned gazes of Mahad and Atem.
"I'm fine," she says with a hint of agitation.
"Yes, I can see that," Mahad says. "But I know you. There was a brief struggle with your abilities, thus the outcome."
She lazily looks over to him. "What are you getting at?"
"Need I state the obvious?" Mahad places a hand on his forehead.
"Mahad," she groans, drawing out his name.
"I'll…take it from here, Mahad," Atem intervenes, taking a step up beside her.
Mahad nods. "Very well then." And with that, he walks away.
Mana quickly turns to Atem to defend herself. "I promise I'm not—"
He walks forward a few steps before looking at her over his shoulder with a smirk. "Let's go."
Mana tilts her head to the side. "Go?"
"You too, Cairo," Atem calls out to their daughter who was previously spectating from a distance.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
A white horse stands nearby a tree, bobbing its head occasionally as it waits for its owner. Under that same tree, Cairo lies in a patch of grass, turned to her side and fast asleep after a long day. Further ahead, the sun casts an orange hue on the river below as it begins to set.
Mana inhales and exhales deeply, stretching her arms over her head while Atem enjoys the gentle breeze brushing against his face with his eyes closed for a brief moment.
"What made you bring us out here?" Mana asks, causing him to open his eyes.
"It's like old times, isn't it? We'd come here to relax after having a long, drawn out day."
Mana smiles. "You remember that?" She looks back at Cairo, watching her as she sleeps, then she giggles. "I think I may have stressed her out a bit."
Atem chuckles lightly. "You and I both."
There is a brief silence before Mana sighs. "To be honest, I have been stressed. It's why my abilities didn't work for a minute, earlier. My state of my mind directly affects my powers."
"I know. I had a feeling the new workload would take time for you to adjust."
Mana frowns, turning away. "You don't think I can handle it, huh?"
"Well I uh…" Atem stammers.
"Is that why you left me out of the last minute meeting today?" she presses on.
"That's not it!" Atem replies quickly, taking her gently by the wrist to turn her back around. He gazes at her softly. "You're the strongest woman I know. Every challenge you've been faced with, you've overcome them by leaps and bounds."
She turns her head away, hiding her hurt expression. "Then why does it seem like you have your doubts?"
"I—"
"Atem, I know you. You can't hide how you feel from me."
Atem takes a deep breath. "Okay…"
Mana turns her head back to look at him.
"The truth is, I have been stressed out as well," he confesses. "I know you're capable of doing many things. But sometimes I fear…"
Mana edges forward. "Fear what?"
He brings her into his arms. "It's just important not to forget to take care of yourself."
Mana folds her arms, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "I have to tell you the same thing."
Atem blushes before clearing his throat. "Well…"
"But you insist you're fine and you don't take any time for yourself, even when you have the opportunity to," Mana continues before tapping her chin with thought. "Maybe I get it from you."
"Okay, you've made your point," Atem says with dimmed eyes.
Mana laughs, wrapping her arms around his neck. "How about…we remind each other to take it easy every now and again? Even if just for a few minutes."
Atem nods, smiling. "Yes."
They both look over to their daughter who is still sound asleep.
"I think Cairo will appreciate that too," Mana jokes, earning a chuckle from Atem.
She leans forward to kiss him on the lips and he kisses back. "I know you'll do well, Mana," he says, pulling away.
She smiles. "Thanks Atem."
Then they look out into the sunset, enjoying this moment of relaxation.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
AN: Hi there! It's been a short while! I'm still in writing process of my own comic, but like I said before, I had some stories in the vault that I wanted to get out there. If I get some reviews, I'll add more! I hope you enjoyed this one!