Author's Note: It's really quite shameful that I left last chapter's flashback as it is… Aside from dialogue, it had no detail whatsoever. I was planning on adding more detail but shied away from it because of laziness. *sighs*
Anywho, on with the next chap! Ooh, I'm so excited for this one! :3 You should see my bedroom floor; looking down at it, I spy a hundred ways I began this chapter only to be ripped out of my notebook and discarded onto the floor. I hope the way I chose to write this chap best suits the way you wish to read it. Please enjoy! :D
P.S. Poll results have been tallied! Oh my gosh, I'm excited. :3 Wish to know the results? Go look for yourself! (Yep, I'm just that evil.)
Read on!
Chapter 21
When the men returned, this time dressed appropriately, they were surprised to discover that the courtroom was vacant except for Yugi. She stood in the very center of the high-ceilinged room, her eyes closed until she heard the assembly approach and lifted her silver misted gaze up to them.
"Hello," Yugi said simply.
Karim, who had been dubbed the unofficial leader of the group, returned the greeting on behalf of them all. "Hello."
"We didn't have a proper introduction." Yugi stated, "I am Lady Yugi. You can call me just that."
Karim asserted, "And I'm Karim. I would introduce the rest of us, but we'd be here all night." The others exchanged glances and nodded to one another, silently agreeing.
Yugi gave one brief nod to signify that she had noted this and transitioned, "I'm here to lead you to our meeting place. The Pharaoh and Atem have already gone ahead."
Karim's eyebrows furrowed. "They left you here alone?"
"No, of course not." Yugi clarified, "Mana was here with me, but I got her to go do me an imaginary favor." Her face grew color as she admitted, "She gives me a headache…"
The entire group were all quite acquainted with Mana and laughed, lightening the tense embarrassment Yugi was attempting to hide.
After a moment, Karim cleared his throat and declared, "Then, we should proceed to the meeting room, yes?"
Yugi nodded, her face slowly returning to its initial paleness. She motioned the men to follow and led them out of the courtroom. They shadowed the little blind girl in a single-file line, Karim leading the others just after Yugi.
Karim thought of a question to ask Yugi as they walked but abandoned it, deciding it was too personal.
"Is there something you need, Karim?"
The item bearer was astonished. Had she somehow sensed that? he wondered briefly before clearing his throat for a second time and replying honestly, "Yes, actually." Hesitantly, he questioned, "How is it that you can navigate through the palace? … Considering your blindness…" he added awkwardly at the end.
Luckily, Yugi didn't seem to notice or was just being polite and pretended not to. "A fair question," she deemed and then went on to explain, "Atem taught me. Being blind doesn't mean I'm un-teachable. I just learn differently than others. Fortunately, Atem seemed to understand that and found an effective way to teach me." She smiled at the memory.
Karim didn't know how to respond to this. It was sweet and all, but didn't Lady Yugi grow tired of having to learn an alternative way? Wasn't she upset that she couldn't see? It didn't appear so, but looks were deceiving… But, instead of asking all this, he stayed silent. He was sure it would come up in their meeting. Until then, he'd keep his thoughts to himself. Better to save them until they could be considered rather than blurt them out only to be shot down as impossible ideas.
"We're almost there," Yugi reported, stopping in front of a door and beginning to push it open.
"Wait, Lady Yugi!" Karim bit down on his lip. He didn't mean to yell and especially felt guilty after he saw the girl jump nearly up to the ceiling at his outburst.
"Yes?" she asked in a calm tone that was deceiving to the fact that she had almost been scared out of her skin.
"That's the Pharaoh's chambers. We cannot go in unless invited," Karim told her.
"But you are invited. And this is the way to the meeting room." Yugi looked in the general direction of the group. She could feel they were still apprehensive. "Just follow. I promise nothing bad will befall upon you."
Karim was the first to nod, the rest following suit. Yugi felt the tension lift, and she opened the door, leading them across it to another door that began a descent of stairs.
"Lady Yugi-" Once again, Karim intervened, this time reaching out and grasping Yugi's hand before she could make even her first step down the staircase. "- You're going to fall if you can't see."
Yugi didn't like this. Karim gave her the same vibe Yami did. He was too overprotective, too possessive. Some might label that loyalty and give him a badge of honor, but Yugi didn't like it. Not one bit.
"Please let go," she snapped, retrieving her arm from the man before he could follow her order. "I am fine. I can go down the stairs by myself."
Karim flinched, a bit taken back at the acid that had intoxicated Yugi's tone. "Yes… Of course."
Yugi sighed and began her descent down the flight of stone steps. There was no railing, so she simply faced the wall and slid down it slowly, her hands brushing the rock wall dexterously.
Those who shadowed felt a sudden pity for the girl. As Yugi ever so slowly edged down the stairs, one word entered their mind to describe it:
Pathetic.
Of course, they didn't mean pathetic in a bad way, but it was a sad thing to watch, the little blind girl attempting to make her own way down a snaking path of stairs.
And, right then and there, Karim swore he would do whatever convincing it took to get Yugi her sight. If he had to perform a miracle, he would. It was too unbearable to watch.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the last step, safely arriving at the end. They had entered the Pharaoh's secret meeting room, the very one where the Pharaoh, Atem, Seto, and Mahad had met only weeks earlier to discuss Yugi's mysterious brother. Many familiar people sat around the meeting table: Akunumkanon, Atem, Isis, Mahad, and others, all of whom Yugi had only just gotten to know. And now they were assembled to help her- her! Yugi couldn't help but feel a bit emotional, a tear gliding down her face only to be tossed to the side as she took her seat next to Atem, the others who had been following Yugi there all taking their seats as she did.
"Now," Akunumkanon declared, "Before we begin… Can anyone tell me where Priest Seto is?"
-transition-
I can't find him! Seto growled threateningly as he gazed down every hallway. Gone! It's like he just vanished from existence! Which would be more of a blessing than a curse… But, nonetheless, I have to locate him.
"Priest Seto…"
Seto stopped in his tracks. "Where are you, you twisted viper?" he snarled.
Yami lifted from the shadows, walking straight towards Seto. His lips twitched into half a devious smile as he proposed, "This can end, all of this suffering. Wouldn't you like that?"
Seto had to admit, he would. For all this crazy stuff to just vanish? He'd wish nothing more! It was tempting, but Seto knew it was only a distraction. From the prize.
"Tell me what you want," the priest hissed.
"For us to play a game."
Seto's eyes widened as he mouthed, "A shadow game…"
"That's correct." Yami threw a DiaDhank at Seto, the golden disk being caught by the priest just before it would hit him square between the eyes. The older Motou put on a similar item, but his had different carving and was more of a white color than gold.
Seto withheld a gasp as he looked down at the item threw to him. "This is my DiaDhank." His gaze lifted up to the wretched creature. "You stole it from my room, I presume?"
"Right again," Yami muttered as he strapped on his.
"You didn't steal yours from one of the item bearers…" It was a statement, not a question. "... It looks different than ours."
"That's because mine is handcrafted by none other than me." Yami smirked. "It's just like yours, only better. Isn't that just fantastic?"
Seto growled, but did the same as Yami and slipped his DiaDhank onto his arm. As soon as both were ready, the items glowed a powerful white light, and suddenly the hallway was engulfed in darkness.
"Scared yet?" Yami inquired menacingly.
Seto sneered. "Of the dark? I've never been. And there's nothing else scary around here, so I do not know what you could be referring to."
Yami's eyes narrowed. "Then, I suppose we should begin without any further delay."
Seto nodded and declared, "My move first."
-transition-
"We'll have to begin without Priest Seto." Mahad suggested, "It would be wise to get through this meeting before Yami feels it's too quiet and begins to stir up trouble."
Yugi gulped hoarsely. What if her request had put Seto in danger? She'd never forgive herself!
"Yes, I suppose your right." Akunumkanon turned to an older man beside him and implored, "Shimon, will you write down our thoughts during this meeting?"
"Of course," he answered, taking a blank sheet of paper out in which to inscribe on. He smoothed it out on the table before taking a pen and letting his hand hover over the parchment, prepared to write.
"My Pharaoh," Isis intercepted, "Before we begin, I must finish telling you that vision I received."
"We don't have time, Isis," the Pharaoh dismissed, "Like Mahad said, it is crucial that we finish this meeting as swiftly as possible."
"But, Pharaoh-"
"Speaking of which," Karim cut her off, "Mahad may be very useful in what I have decided."
"What is that, Karim?"
"I have decided something on my own, Pharaoh," Mahad blurted out before Karim could respond.
"Please, one at a time," Akunumkanon pleaded.
"Oh, I am so sorry I'm late!" someone announced. It turned out to be Mana, and she sprinted up to the table, saying, "I was on an errand run. Lady Yugi, I didn't find it! Didn't you say it would be in the garden?"
Yugi's face burned as she mumbled, "It's unimportant, Mana."
"But, Lady Yugi, didn't you say-"
"You came here by yourself?" Atem asked, looking over at Yugi, his expression and tone obviously upset.
"Not exactly. Karim and the others-"
"Karim, what was it you were going to say?" Shada questioned, glancing over at his fellow item bearer.
"Oh, I was in the middle of saying that-"
"Pharaoh, I must implore, my vision is important!" Isis practically cried.
"But, Pharaoh-"
"But, Pharaoh!"
"Pharaoh!"
"Pharaoh, please!"
"EVERYBODY, QUIET!"
The meeting room fell into intense silence, all heads turned to the Pharaoh, jaws agape.
Akunumkanon gave a sigh of relief, pinching the bridge of his nose to collect his thoughts.
Shimon muttered, "I don't think I got all that…"
The Pharaoh gritted his teeth but asked calmly in a way that seemed very forced, "Is there anybody who'd like to say anything that can actually be at all helpful at this point?"
The room was silent. No one wanted to be the one to shatter the veil of quiet that had embraced the entirety of the group.
Suddenly, Mana spoke up.
"I know! We should give Lady Yugi her eyesight!"
"What?"
Author's Note: I'm. So. Evil. XDDD
That was SO fun to write! It's amazing what you can get accomplished when you've got a million other things to do that you have no intention of completing. XD
P.S. DiaDhanks are ancient duel disks from the Ancient Egypt Arc. Thank God for Wikipedia!
Time to review? Yes, I do believe so… :D