Summary: A raiders' caravan is burned down, and only two survivors are found. One, a fiery, hot-tempered woman that puts up a good fight. The other, an innocent, withdrawn boy that resembles the Pharaoh to a frightening extent. What do these two have to dowith a plot to overthrow the Pharaoh?
Rated for Violence, Language, Death, Blood, Graphic descriptions, you know, the usual.
NFM--Note From Mena
NFT--Note From Toli
Mena: Why do we do this?
Toli: (shrugs and chugs coffee) I don't know!
Jesselda: -.-; She's on a coffee buzz again.
Mena: Yep, she's a coffeeholic. Like me and sugar! (pops sugar cube)
Jesselda: Let's just get on to the story before my sanity becomes farther out of my grasp.
Toli: Okey doke, then disclaim away!
Jesselda: My hyper hikari and her highly-caffinated twin sister don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. And since neither of them have a major in Studying Ancient Egypt For Making Good Stories, there will be a lot of made up names and things. But don't worry; things won't get too weird. At least in the story.
Mena: (hugs Jesselda) You're so silly, Jezzy!
ONE: The Sole Survivors
The thick black smoke rose into the sky, partially blocking out the moonlight. Rising along with the smoke were little orange sparks that soon faded away. Below all the smoke was the fire responsible, quickly consuming several carriages that were part of a small caravan. The animals that had been pulling the carriages had escaped and were running wild all over the scene.
Coming towards that caravan were several men on horseback. The clothes they wore, as well as the weapons they carried, signified that they all served in the Pharaoh's army. They had been on their way tointercept the caravan anyway, but it had gone up in flames before they made it.
One of said men, a young, rather impressionable guy we'll refer to as Jou, found himself assigned to look for survivors. His friend and trainer, an older, and harsher guy we'll call Hiroto, was with him.
"Here's the deal," Hiroto was saying to Jou as they dismounted their horses and started towards the part of the line of flames that looked the least dangerous. "When you're looking for survivors from a wreck like this, it's important that you be firm. Merciless. Like me."
Jou rolled his eyes. "What's your point again?" he asked.
"Don't take that tone with me," Hiroto sniffed. "I'm your superior." Ignoring a snort from Jou, he went on. "Well, let's think about it. We get orders to go take down a band of raiders coming our way to attack the Pharaoh's caravan,but before we make it, their caravan is set on fire. If there's anybody still alive here, they're obviously a raider."
"So that means we kill 'em on the spot?" Jou questioned.
"No, we drag 'em in for interrogation," Hiroto corrected. "If any band of raiders is crazy enough to come take on the carriage containing Pharaoh himself--coming back from a trip which will likely put him in an even worse mood, if that's possible--they must have been specifically after something important, or else they wanted to assassinate the Pharaoh. Do you get it yet?"
Jou rubbed his chin. "Yeah, I think so," he said, resting his elbow on the handle of his sword. He glanced over at a half-burned carriage that was on its side and did a double take. "Hey, did you see that?"
"See what?" Hiroto frowned. "I saw nothing. Come on, we got a job to do and can't go chasing after imaginary--hey!" He went after Jou, who was running towards the carriage, both drawing their swords on instinct when they saw movement coming from somewhere inside.
Jou stopped in front of the pile of black wood and peered at it suspiciously. Hiroto stopped behind him and watched as he got down on his knees to peek into what used to be the door, now half-buried in sand. "Hey, I think there's something alive in here! I can hear coughing." Before Hiroto could instruct Jou on what to do next, the younger boy had already gotten down lower and crawled partway in. The whole top half of his body was inside the carriage.
Hiroto bent down a little to better scold. "Jou!" he exclaimed. "Get out of there! That's dangerous, you know!"
Jou didn't respond at first. Then he said, "I found 'em! There's somebody in here! Help me get 'em out!"
Hiroto sighed and dropped to his knees. Jou was already pulling himself out of the door, and he was covered with black soot. He had what looked like a little bundle in his arms, also covered in soot. He dragged it out and dropped it on the sand.
"Um, what is that?" Hiroto demanded, leaning over the bundle.
"Hmm, I'd say a survivor," Jou said before his attention was diverted back to the door.
Hiroto looked over the bundle as Jou went back to the carriage. Considering it was hard enough to see at night, and the fact that the still-rising smoke was hindering the light more, and the bundle was covered in black soot, all made it hard to figure out what it really was. Taking a closer look, Hiroto realized is was, indeed, a human; a very slender, little human. It didn't look like it was alive, but Hiroto figured it might be.
The sudden sound of coughing made Hiroto look up, to discover that Jou was pulling someone else from the carriage. Whoever this was, they were definitely alive, for they were coughing, and though they were also covered in soot, Hiroto thought he could see something light peeking out from underneath the blackness. Hiroto stood up with his sword drawn, ready to bravely attack should the figure which had been inhaling smoke for the past ten minutes decide to attack.
When the figure was pulled clear from the door, it fell to its hands and knees in exhaustion and crawled over to the unmoving bundle near Hiroto's feet. The new figure was slender as well, but obviously taller than the first one. There was silence as Jou and Hiroto watched the second figure lean over the first.
"Oh no," the second figure breathed. Both boys were surprised to hear the voice of a female.
Jou stood up, trying to brush some of the soot out of his face and hair. "What do we do?" he asked Hiroto.
"What else? We take her--them--into custody like planned," Hiroto said. He approached the girl. "You and your accomplice are to be taken in for questioning, and you had better cooperate, or you'll wish you had."
The female looked up at them. "I don't care what happens to me, but you have to help him!" she said, looking back down at the figure she was leaning over. "He'll die soon if somebody doesn't do something for him."
Hiroto and Jou glanced at each other.
"My Pharaoh, the raiders' caravan was stopped, but not as we expected."
"What, did they all have a sudden conscience and kill each other?"
Seto's eyes narrowed at he sarcastic remark. The guard being addressed, Hiroto, didn't look up as he continued to kneel. "No, Your Highness. Their caravan was being consumed by a fire by the time we made it there."
"Really?" For a moment the Pharaoh looked interested; but then, he rested his head back on his palm and sighed. "And then what?"
"We searched for survivors to interrogate, as planned. Only two were found alive. A boy and a woman; the boy was unconscious and the woman was barely conscious when we brought them back. Both are being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. The boy has yet to regain consciousness."
"So I hear. When the boy wakes up have him questioned; in the meantime you can interrogate the woman, can't you? So stop kneeling around and get to it."
Hiroto stood up and bowed. "Yes, Your Highness." He left the Pharaoh's quarters.
Seto turned to the Pharaoh. "What is it with you and this fetish with sarcasm?" he asked. "I haven't seen you take anyone besides myself, Ishizu, and Ryou seriously since you were a kid."
The Pharaoh glanced at the door before letting himself fall back on his bed. "I feel it's the best way to handle those beneath my rank and status, don't you?" he said, examining one of his hands.
Seto opened his mouth to retort but didn't. He found that it was easy to handle Atemu himself with sarcasm. The two, High Priest Seto and Pharaoh Atemu, were cousins, and had grown up together, and loved each other like family does, but often they got on each other's nerves. They argued a lot, but it was only because they cared, or at least they were supposed to.
The door to the Pharaoh's quarters opened, and in walked Ishizu, one of Atemu's most trusted advisors and his personal physician. She looked particularly pleased to see the Pharaoh. "Atemu, I am glad I found you. I discovered something that I thought you should like to know." She always called them "Atemu" and "Seto" unless she was angry with them, and they let her.
"Really?" Atemu said, sitting up again.
"Yes. I took it upon myself to examine the two survivors of the raider's caravan." Before Atemu could ask why in the world she had decided that was a good idea, she continued. "The younger survivor--the boy--even though he is unconscious, his health is stable and he should recover. I thought you would like to see him for yourself. He is quite...interesting, shall we say."
Atemu raised an eyebrow. "And just what does that mean?" he asked.
"Come and see, if you will," Ishizu insisted. "It seems you aren't doing anything of utmost importance at present." She turned and exited, expecting him to follow. He did, of course, with Seto on his heels. The two of them had lost the last parent/authority figure they had several years ago, and sometimes Isis took on the role of surrogate mother.
Both Atemu and Seto were surprised when Ishizu led them to one of her private rehabilitation rooms. That was usually only reserved for the high-ranking officials when they were feeling ill. Isis opened the door and instructed them both to be silent. She then led them in.
There were two beds with their heads against the wall opposite the door. Both beds were occupied. Ishizu led Atemu between the two beds and pointed down. "This is the woman. She's really more of a young woman." The young woman in the bed had very long blond hair, and her eyes were closed in current rest. "And this," Isis said, pointing down again, "is the boy."
Atemu looked down and almost felt his heart skip a beat. At the foot of the bed, Seto gave a low whistle. "Well, damn me to the Shadow Realm. He looks like you!"
"I noticed," Atemu snapped back. He glanced back down at the boy. It was true; the boy looked like a younger version of him. The same hair color and style, similar features; they probably had the same eye color as well. "I wonder why?" he found himself saying as Ishizu shooed them out so she could tend to her patients. "Could it simply be coincidence?"
"I doubt it," Seto said. "Maybe that band of raiders was planning to kill you off and put him in your place for some plot to take over your throne."
"Now, I doubt that," Atemu said, "but I'm sure we'll get the answers we need from the interrogation." He and Seto went back to the Pharaoh's private chambers.
Atemu looked up as someone knocked on his door about an hour after seeing the survivors. "Enter," he commanded.
The door opened, and Hiroto, the same guard as last time, came back in. He bowed. "My Pharaoh," he said, "I apologize for interrupting, but I was sent to give you a report of the interrogation."
Atemu raised an eyebrow. "A report?" he repeated. That wasn't good.
The guard nodded. "We questioned the woman as planned about the intentions of the group of raiders, but she insisted she did not know, despite our persuasions to tell us the truth. Officer Marik said we should send her to you for official questioning."
Atemu rolled his eyes. For once, Seto did also. Marik was the second-in-command, next to his older brother Malik--who was currently away--and he always wanted to make the Pharaoh handle everything. "Is she standing right outside?" he asked.
"Yes, with a few guards. She is rather formidable, and had to be restrained," the guard said.
"Fine. Return her to the interrogation room, and I'll be there shortly," Atemu said.
The guard bowed again. "Yes, Your Highness." He exited the room.
"I wonder why she's bothering to try and hide anything," Seto said. "All her companions are dead."
Atemu was deep in thought. "Except for that boy," he said. "Perhaps she knows something that she knows would get him killed if I knew, and she wants to protect him. Or maybe it's another reason entirely."
"Do you think she might not really know anything?" Seto asked as they left Atemu's room and started for the interrogation chamber.
Atemu snorted. "I doubt that," he said. "She was living with them; she had to know something. There's no way she could not. She had better not try to lie to me, though. I have ways of making people talk."
Ishizu had her back turned to the bed, so she didn't see the boy's eyes opening. She only heard him whimper and turned, startled.
The boy was now hiding underneath the covers. He was trembling visibly. Ishizu knelt down beside the bed. "Come now, it is all right," she said in a quiet voice so as not to scare him further. "No one wants to hurt you. It is safe to come out."
Very slowly, the boy's head peeked out from underneath the covers. He watched her in obvious fear and caution with large amethyst-colored eyes.
It is as I suspected, Ishizu thought as she looked him over. He has been harmed. I must examine him further to understand to what extent, though. "Do not be afraid of me," she said to him in the same quiet voice.
The boy's eyes left her face and darted all around the room. "W-W-Where's Mia?" he whispered fearfully.
"She's gone now," Ishizu told him. "But she'll be back in a little while." She desperately hoped that they didn't beat her up for information. She had a feeling it would completely petrify this boy if he saw her with injuries.
The boy's head was suddenly back under the covers. "I w-want Mia," he whispered.
"Don't worry, she will be back soon," Ishizu assured him. "Would you like to eat something?"
It was a while before he answered. "N-No," he whispered. "I wanna...see M-Mia."
Ishizu watched him with compassion.
The moment Atemu and Seto entered the interrogation chamber, they could hear the interrogatee yelling. "I already told you everything I know! I don't have any more information for you!" She sounded angry and frustrated.
"Be silent!" Marik's voice rose. He also sounded angry and frustrated. "You have no right to talk to a superior officer like that."
"I think I'm beginning to see why they needed to call you in," Seto said as they rounded the corner. "Or should I say, hear." He smirked.
Marik turned when they made it to the main room. "My Pharaoh," he said, bowing. The two guards in the room bowed also. "I'm glad you're here. Perhaps now we can obtain some truth from this lying individual."
Atemu glanced at the young woman chained to the wall. Her long blond hair was hanging messily over her shoulders, and she had a bloody nose, a bruise forming over her left eye, and several bleeding lash marks on both arms, evidence of the "persuasion" used on her to make her talk. Despite all of her injuries, she still managed to throw an impressive glare at Marik, and even at Atemu and Seto when she saw them. Her violet-colored eyes were flashing with anger.
"Hm," was all Atemu replied with. He walked over to stand in front of the woman, far away enough that he wasn't within spitting distance. "All right then. We are going to start at the beginning. You are going to answer any and every question he or I ask you, and you will answer truthfully or suffer consequences worse than what you've obviously already experienced. Understood?"
"I already told your lackey everything I know," the young woman snarled. "I can't tell you any more than that."
Atemu's eyes narrowed in an expression that would intimidate the clothes off a normal person; besides a flash of fear in her eyes, it didn't seem to affect the young woman at all. "We'll see," he said. He stepped back, and Marik and the guard holding the whip stepped forward. "Ask her your questions again."
"What were you doing with the band of raiders?" Marik demanded.
"Like I said before, I was a slave to the leader," the young woman growled.
"What kind of slave?" Seto interrupted, making everyone look at him.
"What do you mean 'what kind of slave'?" the young woman demanded. "The kind that gets beaten on a regular basis!"
"You know exactly what I mean," Seto answered, without raising is voice a notch.
The young woman sighed and let her head hang, her long hair falling in her face. "I was a damn pleasure slave, all right?" she answered angrily.
The others turned back to her. "When did the leader of the group decide to travel in this direction?" Marik went on.
The girl shrugged, a movement that was hard to do with so little slack in her chains. "I don't know. About a week and a half ago, after the night it rained."
That had been eleven days ago, Atemu recollected. Little plants were still popping up in odd places, only to die in a few hours.
"Why did they decide to travel here?" Marik asked.
The young woman's head snapped up. "Like I told you before, I don't know!" she yelled. "They didn't let slaves get that information so we wouldn't try to escape and tell someone. Any meetings about intended raids or anything of any importance, like even where we were, were off limits to the slaves."
"And you never even attempted to find anything out?" Marik demanded incredulously.
"No!" the young woman answered, her voice rising again. "Any slave caught were they didn't belong got twice the regular punishment for wrongdoing. We tried to keep our noses clean so we could have the strength to move around."
"You're lying," Marik said. "You have to know something. You must have overheard something at some time."
"Is the boy that was found with you a slave as well?" Atemu found himself asking.
The young woman's head snapped towards him. Her eyes looked purely distressed at the mention of the boy. "Yes, he is," she said. Her voice had surprisingly died.
"Does he know anything?" Marik asked.
The girl's angry violet fire returned, and she whirled towards him with such force that she almost snatched her chains off the walls. "No he does not!" she screamed. "You leave him alone! He knows nothing, you hear? NOTHING!!"
Atemu was surprised at her sudden outburst. "I take it you care for him, then," he said, resisting the urge to blink in surprise when her heated gaze swung back to him. "You would, perhaps, be willing to answer questions more truthfully if his well-being was at risk, would you not?"
The young woman gasped. Horror flashed in her eyes, followed by fear, and then heated infuriation. She lunged at the Pharaoh, the small slack in her chains the only thing keeping her from leaping on him and tearing his throat out. "You had BETTER not hurt him!" she screamed, rattling her chains. "Leave him out of this! Your problem is with ME!"
"Then tell me the truth or I'll let you watch him die," Atemu told her. Seto blinked in surprise as he watched the skirmish.
"I TOLD you the truth!" the young woman growled. "I DON'T KNOW--" She suddenly stopped talking and slumped down, her hair falling in her face again. She was silent.
After a moment, Atemu turned on his heel. "I'll give you a while to think about it," he said. "And if you don't tell me the truth when I come back, you can forget about somehow shielding your little charge from me." He left, Seto following. Marik sent the guards out and was about to follow when he stopped and glanced back at the young girl. Her head was down, and he thought he saw a tear drop off her face and onto the floor. He shuddered involuntarily and left the room.
END CHAPTER
Atemu/Yami
Hiroto/Honda/Tristan Taylor
Jou/Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler
Mia/Mai Valentine
Marik/the hikari
Malik/the yami
Ryou/Bakura/the hikari
Toli: Not bad, eh?
Mena: Sis, why do you like making Yami so villainous?
Toli: (shrugs) I don't know.
Jesselda: I've been wondering that myself, you know. I think you have a problem. (glances around at empty mugs) besides coffee addiction.
Toli: Anyway, tell us if this story should hang around or not! Thanks a bunches!