RESPONSES
Masami Mistress Of Fire
Toli: Where's that long review we were expecting?
Mena: Is Masami-kun sick? (hugs Masami) FEEL BETTER!
Toli: (sweatdrops)
kristen89
Mena: Hey! (waves happily)
Toli: Setia creeps you out? Awesome! That was kinda the aim, you see.
Mena: I wrote the part with Jou and Mia. Hehehehe, I see you're ready for the Atemu vs. Anzu fight! Well, that's this chappie! (stops to catch marshmallows in her mouth)
Toli: (watches grenades fly at Anzu) Hmm, I don't really care... (lets grenades hit Anzu) Woo! Explosion!
Mirrored-Insanity
Mena: Sugary dessert! YEYEAH! (takes a big bite out of sugar cookie)
Toli: (sweatdrops) Uh, Mena?
Mena: (chomping on cookie like Pac-Man)
Toli: O-kay...Anyway, I used to pronounce Atemu like 'uh-te-moo' or, at a stretch, 'uh-tee-moo'. But 'eye-tem-uh'? If that isn't weird, I don't know what is.
Mena: Yeah, that sounds real kooky! Speaking of cookie... (goes back to chompig on cookie)
Toli: (big sweatdrop)
Linkin-Phoenix
Mena: Hi, guys!
Toli: Um, why don't we take a rain check on that 'Atemu murdering Seto' thing?
Jesselda: Why? If he's got it coming to him...
Toli: Uh, Jez, no.
Jesselda: (rolls eyes)
Mena: I'm really starting to hate Quick Edit. It seems more like 'Quick Ruin' to me. There's so much stuff you have to go back and make sure it didn't botch up.
Toli: Yeah, but we'll get over it.
Mena: Phoenix really wants to kill Bakura, doesn't he?
Toli: Who wouldn't? Bakura's evil!
Mena: Yeah, good points.
Jesselda: I know what Shadow Phoenix was about to say.
Toli: So do I, but you'd better not repeat it!
Jesselda: You can't tell me what to do. I'm not YOUR yami.
Toli: Just shut up, you're making me angry.
Mena: (sweatdrops)
Toli: Funny how Mia's giving Jou love advice, and she thinks it's Tea, but it's really her.
Mena: Glad you guys like our stories. We hope you enjoy the next chapter!
Toli: See ya around, and don't kill each other, okay?
Mena: They wouldn't have that problem if Shadow Phoenix wasn't so provocative.
Toli: Or something.
Millenniumgrl126
Mena: Hey! Glad you liked it!
Toli: Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoy!
Mena: We're back!
Jesselda: (waves spinner and dumps bowl of confetti on Toli) Alert the President.
Toli: (chokes on confetti)
Mena: WDOY!
TEN: A Desperate Search
The palace was in an uproar the next morning. Most of the uproar was coming from three people. The Pharaoh, the High Priest, and the princess (who had no right to be uproaring).
Several servants, including Tea and Mia, were assigned to do inventory on what Bakura had stolen. Atemu and Seto went into a council meeting to discuss hiring more guards, and it turned into a shouting match. Marik and Malik got into a three-hour fight with each other about how the guards had been set up. Atemu and Seto got into a fight concerning similar issues. Guards were called in separately by the Pharaoh, the High Priest, the captain of the guard and his brother, and several different council members to explain just how Bakura had gotten past them. Princess Anzu went to complain several times to Atemu about her life and valuable possessions having been in danger last night, and he "didn't tell me a damn thing about it, dammit!"
In the midst of it, Yugi was pretty much forgotten. He was scared to venture out into the madness that projected beyond Atemu's bedroom door, so he stayed curled up on his bed, which didn't help him because it allowed him to think on Bakura's words the night before for quite a while. And the longer Yugi thought about it, the more he was afraid that it would come true, and that there would be nothing he could do about it.
I don't want to lose my friends, Yugi thought, leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. I've just gotten used to this comfort and security, and now I have to worry about when it will be taken away. A single tear made its way down his cheek. I should have known better than to trust anybody. Another tear fell. Now they're all going to hurt me, but it wouldn't be nearly as painful if I hadn't let them get so close. He sat up straighter when he heard voices approaching Atemu's door. One was Atemu. The other was the princess.
"You could have at least told me he was coming!" Anzu said angrily. "For all we know, some of my things might have been stolen, while I didn't even know they were in danger!"
"How would he know you would be here?" Atemu demanded. "You're in a whole different part of the palace from me. He came personally to steal my things; how would he even know you were here?"
"He's a thief!" Anzu argued. "He probably skulked around the whole palace! And, while we're on the subject, I might add that I don't believe he got past that plethora of guards you had camped outside the palace. You put us all in jeopardy!"
"It's not your place to question my methods in my palace!" Atemu yelled at her. "If you have such a problem with it, feel free to pack up and leave at any time."
"I'm your guest and I deserve to have a guarantee I can stay for the predetermined amount of time!" Anzu persisted.
"If I feel like having you around!" Atemu shot back. "And frankly, I don't! Be glad you aren't in prison for talking to me like this!"
Anzu stopped, a hand on her throat, exaggerated shock on her face.
"Now, why don't you go put some makeup on or something," Atemu snarled. "I have important matters to attend to, and winning an argument with you isn't one of them!"
Princess Anzu, with that shocked look still plastered on her face, turned and daintily scurried away, holding up her skirts with the hand that wasn't glued to her neck. Atemu glared at her backside before turning and opening the door to his bedroom.
Yugi was sitting on his bed, knees drawn up to his chest. His hands were in his lap, and he was looking down.
"Yugi," Atemu said from across the room. Yugi looked up. "We need to talk."
Fear immediately crossed Yugi's face, but he obediently climbed off his bed and walked over to Atemu. He had his head down, not meeting Atemu's eyes. Atemu gently took his wrist and led him over to his excessively large bed. They sat down.
"When did you see Bakura?" Atemu asked Yugi.
Yugi trembled a little but stopped. "Well-I...he-he talked to me," he admitted quietly.
"Talked to you! About what?" Atemu demanded, not realizing his voice was rising.
"About...leaving the palace with...him," Yugi answered, still not looking up. He was petrified at the moment, realizing Atemu was angry and upset and wasn't going to be as patient with him as he normally was.
"That lowdown thief," Atemu snarled. "Who the hell does he think he is? Waltzing in here and just taking whatever he feels like, and offering to spirit people away. I want him dead."
Yugi shivered at Atemu's tone. He sounded so scary.
There was a knock at the door. "Enter!" Atemu yelled. A servant came in and bowed. "Your Highness, I regret to inform you, but Miss Ishizu has recently left the palace."
"WHAT!" Atemu roared, jumping to his feet. Yugi flinched. "WHY DID SHE DO THAT?"
The servant cringed. "She said it was important, and that she would explain when she got back."
"I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WOMAN!" Atemu shouted, scaring the servant to his knees. "On this day, OF ALL DAYS! She has taken too much advantage of her position! When she gets back she is going to PRISON, do you understand me?"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the servant trembled.
"OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
The servant was only too happy to oblige and scrambled out of there, still trying to get up off his knees.
Atemu started to pace. Yugi watched him fearfully. Atemu went to the window and leaned out of it slightly. He turned around, glaring at the wall. Only a miracle kept that poor wall from melting. Suddenly he whirled and slammed his fist on the windowsill, letting out a roar of frustration. "I hate all you people," he seethed. "All you pathetic people. Always trying to take advantage of some special position. You're nothing but my slaves and I loathe you all. You worthless, stupid slaves."
Yugi's eyes widened as he stared at Atemu's backside. He felt tears coming, along with a horrible sense of dread. He got off of Atemu's bed and went to the door as quietly as he could. He slipped through it.
And then he ran.
Yugi stopped in his tracks when he heard voices. He retreated quickly into a shadowed corner and waited for them to pass by.
"...but honestly, he's really cute!" he heard Tea say.
"Sure, he's cute, but cute isn't everything," Mia's voice replied.
Mia, Yugi thought. He felt relief. He could trust Mia. She would help him. He was about to take a step out of the corner, but something stopped him. Perhaps if he hadn't hesitated, things would have ended up differently.
But alas, he hesitated.
"I know, but just look at him. He adores you," Tea was saying. "He's like your little charge!"
They must be talking about me, Yugi thought.
"Oh, come on, Tea," Mia scoffed. "He's incredibly annoying. I don't need him, and I certainly don't want him. I wish I'd never met him!"
"Well, that's harsh," Tea said, but Yugi barely heard her. The sense of dread returned with a vengeance. She doesn't like me? She thinks I'm...annoying? Why? Why? Tears started running down his face. Why does she hate me? Why does Atemu hate me? Why did Miss Ishizu leave me? What did I do wrong? He turned and blindly ran away.
Behind him, the girls continued their conversation. "Yeah, well, I think he's harsh," Mia replied to Tea's remark.
"He's a ladies' man," Tea said with a shrug.
"And that's exactly why I don't like him," Mia answered. "No offense or anything, but Hiroto is definitely not the one for me."
Atemu stayed at the window for about an hour, taking deep breaths and attempting not to just say "To hell with it," and blast every person he knew to the Shadow Realm. His fist was still clenched and resting on the windowsill, starting to sting from when he used it to attack the windowsill. His eyes were closed, and he was grateful for the silence.
It was keeping him sane.
Finally Atemu opened his eyes and looked outside. The sun was high in the sky, signaling the fact that it was in the middle of the afternoon. It was a lot hotter today than it had been the last few days. Atemu turned, thinking that Yugi was being awfully quiet. He was surprised when he saw that Yugi was no longer sitting on the bed.
Atemu looked around. "Yugi?" he called.
He didn't get an answer. He looked around some more, and poked into the adjacent rooms. Yugi was nowhere in sight.
Where is he? Atemu wondered. Then he considered. Maybe he scared the poor boy out of the room with his yelling. He became worried. I hope he's okay. He left his room in search of Yugi.
"...Yeah, I guess he's okay," Tea said. "But honestly, Marik's too immature. Hey, what do you think about Jou?"
Mia thought about Jou and his confession to her that he was in love. "I think he's a decent guy," she said.
"He's really nice," Tea said cheerfully, shifting the pile of books in her arms. "And cute. And he's just clumsy enough to be funny. He tells jokes, too, and funny stories."
"I hear he's got his eye on someone," Mia said.
"Really?" Tea asked. "I wonder who the lucky girl is?" She got this dreamy look in her eye. "Wish it was me."
"Mia."
Mia stopped and turned, hearing her name being called. She saw the Pharaoh behind them, and he looked upset. "Is something wrong, Your Highness?" she asked.
"Have you seen Yugi today?" the Pharaoh asked.
"No." Mia shook her head. "I've been taking inventory all day. Why?"
"I can't find him."
"What?" The color drained out of Mia's face. She nearly dropped her load. "Can't find him? What do you mean? Where did he go?"
The pharaoh looked even more upset. "I don't know. But I've been thinking while I looked for him, and I think something I said scared him off."
"Scared him off?" Mia started to panic. "But if you scared him, he would come to me, or Miss Ishizu."
"Ishizu abruptly left this morning," the Pharaoh told her.
"Then why didn't he come looking for me?" Mia cried, her voice rising.
With a sigh, the Pharaoh shook his head. "I don't know, but I have to find him, and I need your help."
Mia nodded, swallowing hard. Where could Yugi be? Why wasn't he at her side, seeking comfort? "Tea, can you take this stuff back to the room we got it from?" she asked Tea.
Tea nodded. "Sure. Okay." She took Mia's pile of books and added them to her own. Mia and Atemu went off in search of Yugi.
By that evening, Atemu had half the servants looking inside the palace for Yugi, and several guards searching the grounds around the palace. He sent three groups of guards to search the nearest cities.
Mia was practically in tears. She had looked in every place she thought, hoped, believed, and dreamed he would be, and he wasn't there. She had to sit down at one time to collect her wits before she burst into hysterics and became useless to the search party.
Sitting on a bench in the hall, she put her face in her hands and tried to control her tears. "Oh, Yugi...why didn't you come to me?" She was so afraid something bad had happened to him.
"Mia, are you okay?"
Mia looked up to see Jou standing beside the bench, watching her with a worried expression. "I'm all right, I guess," she said, "but I'm just so worried about Yugi. This isn't like him. If the Pharaoh scared him, and Miss Ishizu was gone, he would come to me. It wouldn't take him this long to find me, I know, because it isn't like I'm hiding or anything. But he's not here. Where could he be?"
Jou had sat down while Mia spoke, and now he looked down at his hands and sighed. "I don't know, Mia, but worryin' about him won't bring him back. I know you're afraid for his sake, but the best thing to do is to put that fear to good use and have it motivate you to find him."
"I know I should," Mia said, rubbing an eye, "I just need to get myself together."
"Don't worry, Mia," Jou said, patting Mia's shoulder, "we'll find him. It's gonna be okay."
Mia smiled gratefully at Jou. "You're right." She stood up. "We don't have any time to lose."
Yugi didn't stop running until he realized he was lost.
He looked around. In every direction, all he saw was sand, hills, sun, and sky. His tears had long been dried up by the heat, but the pain and grief was heavy in his heart. He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes and looked behind him. His trail of footprints was clear behind him. He could go back. He frowned. No. He couldn't go back. They wouldn't want him. He could only go forward.
Turning around, Yugi looked ahead. A sea of sand stretched in front of him. He didn't know where forward would lead, but it was better than backwards. He had no choice. He started to walk again.
Atemu had his face in his hands. Seto was standing beside him. Elsewhere in the palace, Anzu was still complaining about her lack of knowledge.
The door to the council room opened, and Mako, one of the guards, came in and bowed. "My Pharaoh," he said, "my group's search of the westernmost city has been a failure. We were unable to locate your servant or acquire any information of his whereabouts."
Atemu didn't answer. After a few seconds, Seto spoke. "Fine then," he said. "Take your group and begin searching the eastern grounds of the palace."
Mako nodded and left.
Seto turned back to Atemu. "You can't let this take up all of your time, you know," he said. "You still have a kingdom to run."
"I know that," Atemu said irritably from behind his hands. "But right now I'm more concerned with finding Yugi than anything else."
Seto opened his mouth and was about to reply when the doors opened again.
"M-My Pharaoh!" Shizuka said from the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but-I saw a set of footprints leading out into the desert!"
Atemu's head snapped up. "Footprints?" he exclaimed. "Where?"
"Leading from one of the eastern exits to the palace," Shizuka answered. She looked terrified, but still spoke bravely. "A wind is coming, though, and the footprints were already partially eradicated when I noticed them. They might be gone soon."
"Then I have no time to waste," Atemu said, standing up. "Send word to the stables that I need my fastest horse ready for me."
"Yes, My Pharaoh," Shizuka said. She bowed and took off like a shot out the door.
Atemu turned to Seto. "I'm trusting you to take care of everything while I'm gone," he said.
"Of course I will," Seto replied. "You better be careful, though. The way it sounds, there could be a sandstorm, and you don't want to get caught in that."
Atemu nodded in response and raced out the door. Seto watched him go, shaking his head slightly.
Yugi squinted and shielded his face with an arm as the wind blew grains of sand at him. He didn't know how far away from the palace he was or where he was heading, or even how long he had been walking and running. He just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.
Sooner or later I'll have to find someplace where I can get something to eat, or at least some water, Yugi thought. But for now, all I have to concentrate on is distance. He flinched and blinked rapidly when he felt something sting his right eye. The sandstorm seemed to be picking up. Yugi needed cover, and soon. He looked around for something to hide behind.
Looking to his left, he saw a large piece of broken wood sticking up out of the sand. Sand was already starting to pile up on one side. With relief, Yugi made his way over to the wood and sat behind it. It was tall enough and wide enough to block most of the sand being blown around. Yugi curled up into a ball and prepared to wait out the storm.
Atemu and the group of guards with him made it two and a half miles before Yugi's trail had completely disappeared. Even worse, near the last signs of it the footprints had looked like they turned to the left. And even worse than that, the sandstorm was picking up. Atemu was forced to turn around, but he really didn't want to. He vowed to start up the search again the minute the storm died down.
Yugi weaved his way quickly through the crowd, holding the hood firmly over his head. Behind him, he heard the shouts of the overseer trying to catch him. 'I have to lose him soon,' Yugi thought, his fear serving as adrenaline to make him run faster.
Behind him, Yugi heard a crash as the burly overseer ran into someone who happened to be carrying a crate of produce. There were some shouts and yells and gasps, but Yugi ignored all as he continued to run. Despite his adrenaline, he needed to stop and rest. He ducked and dodged his way around and under people, hoping to lose the overseer, and finally came to a stop in an alleyway leading off of the crowded street. He rested against the wall and began to catch his breath. His chest heaved with the effort.
'I hope I lost him,' Yugi thought. He hadn't been able to stay with the small group of raiders for more than a week before he made an escape attempt in the marketplace. For some reason, Perin seemed to find it amusing to torture Yugi daily, and the poor boy was sick of it. He didn't know where he would go, but he couldn't stay with them. It was too terrible.
"Aha!"
Yugi felt large hands grab the front of his shirt and hoist him into the air. He looked up fearfully to see the overseer that had been chasing him, a satisfied sneer on his face. He had little purple spots on his face from the grapes that had attacked him when he bowled over the man with the produce. "Thought you could get away, did you, you sneaky little brat! When we get back, I'll make sure you get a double whipping!"
"No! Leave me alone!" Yugi yelled, trying to pry the man's hands off of his shirt.
The man laughed. "There's no escape now," he said. "You didn't think Perin would let you get away so easily, did you?"
Someone tapped the man's shoulder from behind. He looked over his shoulder, irritated. "What? Can't you see I'm bus-"
Whoever was behind him brought an empty crate down on his head, knocking him sideways. His grip on Yugi's shirt fell away, and Yugi slid to the ground. He stood up and stepped away from the man as he got up.
The man rubbed his head and whirled to glare at his attacker. A tall, slender girl with long blond hair in a loose ponytail and cynical violet eyes stared evenly back at him. By her attire, it was obvious she was also a servant. "How dare you do that to me!" the overseer yelled at her. "You'll pay for that!" He reached for her with his massive hands.
In a flash, the girl sidestepped his menacing hands, and her sandaled foot shot out and kicked him in the stomach. She knocked him down with a painful-sounding "Oof!" Then she picked up a large piece of the broken crate, and when he went to get up, she bashed him over the head with it. This time she struck the right place, and he slumped back down, unconscious.
Yugi stared at the overseer, then up at the girl. "Wow," was all he could manage. "You sure are strong!"
The girl smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I figured you were a fellow runaway and decided to give you a hand," she said.
"I am," Yugi said, nodding. "Thanks for saving me."
"No problem, kiddo. By the way, name's Mia. Yours?"
"Yugi."
"Nice to meet you, Yugi," Mia said. "Now come on. Let's get outta here before this guy comes to." She extended a hand.
Yugi looked down at it, and then up at her. He took the offered hand, and she led him back out into the street, where they soon disappeared from sight in the crowd.
Yugi heard the sound of a fire crackling and furrowed his eyebrows. What had happened? He cracked open his eyes and saw that night had fallen. He was lying on his side, facing a fire that someone had built nearby. And not a moment too soon, it seemed; the night was getting colder by the second. Yugi wondered vaguely why he wasn't cold and realized that he was covered by a blanket.
Curious, and also just a little wary, Yugi propped himself up on his elbows. His head hurt. He looked back towards the fire and saw a figure crouched by the fire, fiddling with something. He heard a snap and a curse. He sat up slowly, feeling the stiffness in his limbs and keeping the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Hearing his movement, the figure near the fire turned. Yugi saw the light of the fire reflected in his brown eyes.
"Welcome back to the world of the conscious," the figure said. "I found you out cold in the middle of the desert, behind a piece of wood. Don't tell me that was your only protection from the sandstorm."
Yugi nodded, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs, even under the covers. "When did you find me?" he asked.
The notorious thief Bakura stood up, stretching. "Several hours ago," he answered. "It looked as though the heat had gotten to you." He had a frown on his face. "Did you run away from the palace?"
Yugi nodded, looking down. "You were right," he admitted. "About them betraying me. They hate me."
"I told you," Bakura said, walking over to Yugi and plopping down next to him. "Why was it so hard for you to believe me?"
"I guess I didn't want to," Yugi said in a faint voice. "I was just hoping I could to something to prevent it from happening."
Bakura grunted. "Some things are inevitable," he said. "Where did you think you were going to go, anyway?"
Yugi shrugged his shoulders underneath the blanket. "I don't know," he said. "I just wanted to get away."
"Well, you most certainly did that," Bakura said. "You're six miles away from the Pharaoh's palace, did you know?"
"No, I didn't," Yugi said. He looked down. "Bakura, do you think...I could...maybe...come with you?" He looked up hopefully.
Bakura smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to ask, runt," he said, ruffling Yugi's hair.
END CHAPTER
Mena: Yugi's going with Bakura! DUNDUNDUN!
Jesselda: (plays tape of flashing lightning) Let the evil begin.
Toli: (coughs up confetti) You gonna do a preview, sister?
Mena: Yes! Yes I am! Coming up, the main plot thickens (like chunky soup, yummm!) and a lot of people talk about trust! We'll see you then!