229Egypt: *waves* yo
Yugi: *watching her carefully* whats wrong?
Yami: yeah its been forever, whats going on?
Egypt: life...really...sucky life...
Yugi: ... what?
Egypt: *whispers to him*
Yugi: *teary eyed* or Egypt im so sorry! *hugs*
Yami: *surprised* ok, u guys read the story and...im goin to find out why these who are all weepy
Egypt: idownownwugeoh (translated "I don't own YuGiOh") pweezenjdoy ("please enjoy")
[30]
Assassin
Yugi and Atem entered the grand hall arm in arm, Ladies, Lords, Advisors, visiting Royals, all made a pathway for the happy couple as they made their way to the dais where their thrones awaited them, along with a long table covered extravagantly in both decoration and food. Anzat watched silently from beside her father, a soft smile of wonder at how graceful the two were and how good they looked together, but her eyes were seas of sorrow.
"What a depressing expression." The beast of a man grumbled beside her, taking a large swig from his goblet as he watched the two young men gracefully climb the stairs.
Anzat squared her shoulders and lifted her head, forcing a bright smile. "I will miss Egypt, the way the sun warms the earth is very comforting, and its people are all so generous." Anzat gave a sideways glance to her father before swallowing the bile and looking ahead once more. "It reminds me of my dear mother."
The young woman new she was playing a dangerous game, but it was worth it to see the brute's jaw clench and his fist tighten as he was reminded of the woman who had escaped his grasps. But that pleasure she'd won was lost as a knowing smirk spread across the man's thin lips. "Well my precious daughter, freight not, we should be staying in Egypt for a very long time."
The short haired brunet frowned and looked up at the tall male with dread creeping over her. "What did you do?" She whispered softly, the sound so quiet as if too afraid of the answer.
The only reply she received was a devilishly wicked grin from the bulk of a human. The young woman looked terrified at the monster beside her, her body suddenly cold and heavy with dread and fear. Her thoughts began to race, she needed to warn her friends, but before she could even make a move, a large hand landed on her shoulder, pressing her down into her seat as he also took his seat. The hand did not move from her body as everyone else sat and began to eat joyfully, instead it tightened painfully against her pale skin as the man's grin grew.
"Now it's time for the real show." He cheered, downing the rest of his drink.
Yugi beamed happily as he looked over the hall with pride and hope, seeing so many people getting along with his visiting nobles from the deep, and his friends smiling joyously with their lovers and friends. In the corner, he could even see Mana and Serenity smiling and laughing together as they ate. It was all so perfect, even his dreams of this day didn't compare to the real thing, and the strong tanned hand holding his so tightly, the thumb rubbing circles into his palm, reminded him of just how complete this moment was. Not only was his people finally been accepted by the humans on land, but he was married to his love, the one his heart song belonged to. Everything was so complete, he could almost cry for joy.
Maybe it was his focus on the feast that made him so distracted, basking in his moment of bliss which meant he missed all the signs until it was too late. For moments after he sat down to dine with his beloved beside him, his heightened eyesight didn't see the flash of light reflect on metal not did his ears pick up the high pitched whistle that zoomed through the great hall, un-audible to his less than effective hearing over the sound of the laughter and eating of the people inside. But silence struck the grand hall as a cry of pain rang through the marble room.
Yugi's blood seemed to turn as cold as the ice waters of the far north at the cry, and slowly he turned to see Atem hunched over in pain, with an arrow through his chest. Immediately the small young man was to his feet.
"ATEM!" His voice rang with heartbreak, shattering the silence. All at once there were screams and shouts from people, until Seth, Bakura and Malik took charge of the situation and started barking orders at the guards and soldiers. The young King ignored all of it, however, he knelt by his husband, holding his head close and stroking his hair and cheek. "Y-you're going to be ok, you hear me Atem. Open your eyes and look at me." He urged, his tone practically begging.
Slowly the Egyptian complied, his eyes opening slowly and locking with his newly wed husband above him. "Yugi…" He managed, smiling. He looks so beautiful, even when he looks so distraught. That sadness and pain for me… It's wrong of me to be so happy about that, but…
Yugi panicked as he saw blood start to leak from the corner of his lover's mouth. "RYOU! ISIS!"
The large man only just managed to hide his grin with a poker face, standing and gathering with the others in the middle of the hall as soldiers and guards gathered at all exits, some leaving to search the palace for the one who attacked their Pharaoh.
Bakura and Malik didn't react as their lovers rushed to their Kings side, instead they kept their gazes on the group in front of them. Seth joined them after confirming that the situation atop the dais was been taken care of, sure that Prince Yugi, Isis and the others would do all they could so save his cousin. So instead, he directed his attention to finding the culprit to the attack. Never before had he been so determined of a task in his life, and with the new appointed guardians from the mer-race and the Millennium item bearers behind him, all looking grave and just as serious, he was sure he wasn't the only one with the goal of justice.
Both his friends rushing to his side, along with Joey and Marik behind them. Yugi looked up at them with watering eyes, his face was even paler then usual and so stern and serious, so much so he almost looked like a different person. "Help me…help me save him, I can't live without him."
In a second of him speaking, Ryou knelt on the other side of the King and began examining the wound, his mind working overtime. "Yugi," The white haired male's tome wasn't panicked or grave, but calm, an idea forming in his mind. "Yugi there's still time to save him, the arrow seems to have missed his lungs and heart, but broken a few of his ribs. I'm going to have to pull the arrow out carefully to ensure no damage to his internal organs, which will hurt him, but it needs to come out so you can save him."
It took a moment for those words to sink in and for the small teen to understand what his friend meant, but eventually he nodded, wrapping his arms carefully around his lover in a tight hug, Marik and Joey helping with the arms and legs to be held down in case the young King thrashed around. Ryou began slowly and cautiously, ignoring the rest of the calls from the hall as he gave his undivided attention to the Pharaoh in his care.
I don't like it. Thought Bakura, his red eyes shifting and glaring at all the people in his line of sight. My gut's telling me the big brainless one from the Hittites, the horrified, pale look on his daughters face confirms it, and especially how she's distanced herself from him and shaking like a leaf. But the big guy looks too calm. I have a real bad feeling about this.
Atem ground his teeth together and closed his mouth to stop any sounds from leaking out, holding his breath sometimes or panting to keep any distressing sounds hidden from his little mer-man, who was holding him tight and whispering "I'm sorry" into his ear repeatedly. Why is he sorry? He didn't shoot the arrow. I'm just grateful to the gods that it was me and not him. Ra if it was Yugi in this state… I'd be going crazy right now.
Finally the arrow was removed, and Yugi held the muscular man he loved so dearly closer to him, leaning over his wound as he let out all the tears he'd been holding in. One after the other, the salty droplets landed on the damaged skin and bleeding gap, instantly sinking into the tanned skin of the young royal. Atem hissed as he felt his wound and body burn, the droplets almost felt like acid, and as he dared to look, his jaw dropped to see that the tears of his love were mending his wound, encouraging the tissues to speed up their mending process, and soon after, he was left only with a pain in his chest and a little blood left dried on his healed skin.
Atem stared in awe at the amethyst eyes of the boy he loved, smiling soothingly as Yugi continued to cry. "I-I-I was so scared…Atem…I-I…"
"Sshh." Atem hushed, sitting up and wrapping the boy in his arms, cradling him to his chest. "You and Ryou saved me, its ok my love, so no more tears." The King of the sea nodded and hugged the male back carefully. The young King of the land thought back and remembered the time with Yugi in the gardens, when Yugi had explained the powers the mer-race held within their body, how tears could heal wounds. Smiling, ignoring the pain he felt, Pharaoh Atem wrapped Yugi tighter in his arms. "Thank you Yugi." He looked to the young male beside him with soft white hair. "And thank you too Ryou."
The albino simply smiled. "No need to thank me my King, it was an honour help you as your friend."
Joey let out a huge breath. "Well that was a close one." He huffed, falling backwards onto his bum.
Marik smiled. "That was one hell of a fright, you handled it well Pharaoh." The pale blonde complemented, standing and nodding in approval.
Atem gave a stiff smile. "I'll admit it hurt like Amit was eating me alive, but I'd rather have been forgotten for eternity then distress Yugi anymore than he already was." He muttered, petting the boy's soft hair, trying to stop him from shaking.
"Y-you almost died…Y-you could have died…" Large watering fear filled eyes looked up at ruby red. "I almost lost you, I couldn't think at all, I forgot about my own abilities and all I could think was how you were getting paler and colder. Atem…" The tears finally fell as the small pale skinned young man buried his face in Atem's chest. "I can't live without you! I never want to experience the feeling of losing you ever again!"
Atem smiled lovingly at the boy, holding his face in his hands and kissing his forehead gently, holding him tightly once more. "How could I ever leave you Yugi? You already have my heart, soul and entire being, they all belong to you." The young Pharaoh smirked, standing and pulling the younger King up with him, holding the boy up in support with an arm around his waist as he turned them to the steps and head forward so they could be clearly seen by all.
There were cheers and cried of joy from many of the people in the hall, prayers were quickly said by some, and both the Mer and Egyptian court smiled in joy. Seth smirked at his cousin, pleased to see him well and on his two feet, though a little worried by the clearly shaky state of his newly wedded husband by his side.
Bakura and Malik didn't break their gaze from watching the people of the crowd, they didn't even crack a smile as they observed every person's reactions. Anzat smiled wide and cried tears of relief, bowing her head and clasping her hands in prayer in front of herself. Clearly innocent. Her father, however, was shaking, letting out heavy puffs of breath as his clenched fists shook. The ex-Thief King and Pirate captain narrowed their eyes at the Hittite King. Guilty. He may not have shot the arrow himself, but he was defiantly the cause. But they needed more proof. Bakura looked to Malik with a meaningful look before backing away into the shadows and disappearing to begin his own thorough investigations.
Seth saw the little display also, noting his own suspicions of the Northern Tribes King, and also how Princess Vivianah was absent, even as they all gathered for the feast. The young priest's eyes narrowed in caution, his shoulders tense as he felt an air of danger encircling them.
"I think it's wise to call it a night and allow our Kings to return to their rooms to rest." The brunet young man muttered discreetly to his fellow council members, who all nodded.
"We shall escort them if you would care to continue with tonight's festivities." The Dark Magician replied.
Dark Magician girl frowned worriedly. "Is it wise to continue the party? Wouldn't it be better to send everyone home?"
"If this was a regular feast then I would agree with you," Isis stepped forward, putting a comforting hand on the floating girls shoulder. "But this is a wedding feast, a blessed and joyous occasion that links heavily with our people's beliefs and traditions. To stop the festivities would only spread unrest and panic, some may seized the opportunity to start pointing the finger."
"Leading to the possible beginning of a world war on our hands." Mahad muttered, eyes sweeping the crowds also.
The Dark Magician moved forward towards the two Royals and lowered to his knees. "My Pharaoh and my King, please allow us to escort you to your chambers so that you may rest a moment, so that we may clear up this confusion, and have this feast restored to your standards."
Atem opened his mouth, thinking to refuse so show he would not run from his attacker, but before he could make any comment it registered that he could feel his partner shaking beside him, and his small legs failing him. Atem instead tightened his grip around Yugi's waist carefully, taking all his weight as he nodded to the magician, allowing the group to encircle them as they made their way through the palace halls.
The beast of a man gritted his teeth and growled, a low rumble in his throat that mist wouldn't detect, but to the ex-Pirates well trained ears, it was like a roll of thunder, and to him it spelled trouble. The tall, well-built male hiding in the shadows of the pillar watched as the Hittite King slunk back from the crowd, grabbed his daughters arm and headed for the hall doors. The brunet- who had slightly gained her colour at seeing her two new friends well and alive after the attack- once again became as white as alabaster, as she numbly allowed the brute to drag her along, clearly knowing struggling would be a waste of time and would probably pain her more than him.
At the large double doors, an averaged height soldier stood forward. "Honoured guest, please return to your seat and enjoy the festivities while our Pharaoh and King rest themselves." He asked politely, but there was a seriousness to his tone. Soft brown eyes narrowed at the tall male and how his grip tightened on the frail arm of his daughter, who- he notices- flinched. The male wore the tunic and gold of a high ranking general, his brunet hair pointed to the front, his hand resting lazily on the sword tied to his hip.
The tribal king glared dangerously at the young man in his way. "My daughter needs air, she's in shock from this ordeal, now step aside guard." The mountain build man spat.
The male narrowed his eyes more into his own glare, holding an equal amount of fire in them. "I am no guard, I am Commanding General Triskan* in my Pharaoh's army, the eldest son of the high Nobel Ali, and I have direct orders from the court not to let anyone out of this hall. So forgive me your highness, but I refuse your command. If you have a problem with that, then go talk to Priest Seth." Triskan shot back, stepping forward slightly, and his hand tightening on the hilt of his blade. The foreign king huffed at the smaller man, pushed his daughter away and stormed away in to the crowd. Triskan glared after him, but then carefully approached the shaking young woman. "Hey, you're ok right?" Anzat looked up into the kind light brown eyes of the smiling General, feeling her cheeks heat slightly as she nodded, smiling shyly. "You're Princess Anzat right? I saw you arrive with your father, and with the Pharaoh and his King," The young man bowed politely, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles with chaste kiss, before straightening and grinning brightly. "It's an honour to meet you your majesty."
Tea's eyes widened, her blue eyes shining at the males innocent, kind charm before her cheeks set fire in a bright red blaze. "A pleasure to meet you General Triskan." She replied, curtsying slightly and looking down as the tanned male let go of her hand. She marvelled at how her skin tingled slightly where his warm touch had been, and how her hand had fit into his, so perfectly it seemed. The young royal blushed in shame of her embarrassing thoughts, bowing her head.
"Can I escort you back to your seat my Lady?" The young General asked smoothly, offering his arm this time. Instead of answering verbally, Anzat nodded shyly, threading her arm in his and resting her hand lightly on his forehead. The princess jumped a little when she felt the male cover her hand with his, as he lead the way.
Ryou watched this from across the room and smiled happily, giggling to himself, watching as the young General pulled out the princesses chair for her, then pushed her in, proceeding to take the empty beside her.
Marik followed his albino friend's gaze and smirked. "Well, well, will you look at that?"
"W'at?" Joey asked in confusion, looking also and giving out a loud whistle. "Good lookin' couple them too…hey wouldn't it be cool if Tea married 'im? Then she could stay!" The blonde grinned cheekily, his eyes sparkling with a promise of mischief.
Ryou giggled. "I think that would please Yugi also."
Marik smirked and nodded, making mental plans himself.
"Yugi."
"No."
"Yugi please."
"No!"
"I'm fine now-"
"I said no!"
"I need to use the bathroom."
"…1 minute."
Atem chuckled, rubbing the youngers hair affectionately as he lifted the smaller male from his lap and set him on the bed easily, kissing him on the his pale forehead. "Everything's fine now my love." The young ruler soothed, standing and heading to the large bathroom. Yugi, meanwhile, wrapped his arms around his tucked up legs, resting his forehead on his knees as he counted mentally the seconds.
As soon as he was out of sight, Atem winced as he rubbed his sore chest, the spot where the arrow had hot him was still red, and breathing was still painful despite Yugi's amazingly rapid healing ability. The young King sighed, throwing cool water on his face and dabbing himself dry with a silk cloth. Of course he couldn't tell his little one about the pain, it would only cause him to worry, and there were more important matters to attend to. Like his attempted assassin.
Thoughtful, the tanned male left the marble room and re-entered his chambers. At the sound of feet padding on the floor, Yugi's head shot up and the pale teen sighed in relief, smiling up at his husband as he waited for him to sit down. Once settled, Yugi carefully crawled back into the Pharaohs lap, to rest his soft spiky hair against the broad shoulder of his lover, arms gently wrapping around his neck and hands settling in the taller's equally spiky hair as he ran his slim fingers soothingly through the silky locks.
Both sighed in content, the sound of the waves lulling and the faint hum of music from the hall in the distance made a warm accompaniment. The open balcony doors let in a soft, warm breeze that tickled over their skin like a velvet blanket.
"Such a perfect moment…" Yugi whispered with a smile.
Atem smiled softly, one arm around the frail shoulders and the other holding the slim waist of the angelic boy on his lap. "I've never experienced such blissful peace before."
"...I wonder if we ever will again." Yugi mussed.
"Yugi, what happened before-"
"I know," Yugi began, cutting off Atem, knowing what we was going to say already. "I am a Royal myself Atem, I am well aware that assassinations are a rare event, and I have every faith that this case will be solved quickly. However…" Yugi sat up in the elders lap, hands still in his hair, eyes wide and watery. "Just moments ago you were in my arms, bleeding heavily, barely breathing, turning cold and pale…" Yugi hung his head as a sob racked through his small frame.
Atem's expression changed into a pained frown as he took the boy's face in his hands and brought it closer to he could rest his forehead to his. "I know Yugi, I know. The pain in my chest was nothing compared to the pain I felt seeing you so upset, your lovely face stained in tears. Right then and there I would have made a deal with Anubis if he would have just let me wipe your tears away and made it so you would never have to feel like that again."
Yugi managed a little smile as he rested his head into Atem's shoulder once more, breathing in the males intoxicating scent of incense, gentle spice and earthy musk.
"Just think, in a few hours, we'll be in the small villa in the middle of nowhere to enjoy our honeymoon." Atem soothed, massaging the boys shoulders with one hand as he ran his other through the lovely locks, causing the younger boy's tense body to relax and melt into his own.
I can smell blood, but who's blood? Something's definitely not right with this… The culprit was so sloppy and unclean, and it's so easy to track…a trap then? Or a diversion? But something…shadows…dark shadows…it feels familiar…what the hell? Bakura opened his eyes to glare at the red stains on the marble floor, his keen eyes following the trail down the hall. Whatever it is, it's in the palace with Ryou and the others, and I'll be damned if it's left to love and tries again. The well-built males white hair looked rich silver in the shadows of the hall and his tan darker, helping him blend into the dark. "Time to hunt."
*it's Tristan, duh! XP