The Pharaoh’s Shadow Powers
Yami opened the doors to his chamber the next morning. Seth
was standing beside the door with a scowl on his face. Yami crossed his arms with satisfaction as
the High Priest saw Ahmose on the bed. The bloody
linens were torn off of the bed and lay crumpled among shattered glass and
broken pottery.
Seth’s chest became tight with fear for his daughter. “What
have you done to my daughter?”
Yami narrowed his eyes. “Your daughter knows her place
now. I know I will not have to teach her
these lessons again.”
Yami brushed past Seth and turned to the guards. “When Seth
is finished with the female, bring her to my throne room. I’m not done with her body yet!”
Yami made his way down the hall, satisfied that he had put
another one of Seth’s daughters in her place.
Seth rushed beside his daughter’s moaning, whimpering
body. “Ahmose…..open
your eyes, child. It’s your father.”
The corner of Ahmose’s right eye
was black and red. Her left eye opened
and looked unfocused. A bloody hand inched its way to him and covered his
hand. “Father……I tried to fight him.”
Seth ran his fingers through her black hair. When he withdrew
his hand, it was covered in broken glass and stained red. “By the gods,” Seth
whispered quietly. “What did that
pharaoh do to you last night?”
Ahmose’s eyes blinked her eye. “Father...come closer. I can’t see you.” Seth leaned into her and she
smiled. “I love you, father.”
Seth reached over for a towel in a bowl. Seth wiped her forehead free of blood and she
moaned. The cloth went to her right eye and she let out a wail.
“My daughter, can you open your eye?”
Ahmose shook her head. “He placed a
scorching metal to my eye. I cannot open it again.”
Seth clenched his fists. “Yami will not get away with this,”
Seth growled. Seth ran out to the pharaoh’s balcony and saw Yami enter the
library.
Yami’s piercing “NOOOO!!!!” was heard throughout the
palace. Yami found the scrolls in
shreds. What he needed to pursue ultimate power! The pharaoh left the library in anger and
Seth snickered.
“Now you can’t get your hands on the power you seek!”
Seth returned to Ahmose. “My daughter, I wish I could take away your
pain.”
Ahmose shuddered. “With Ra’s good grace, I
will recover, father.”
Yami burst through the door. “Some snake has broken into the
library and destroyed ancient scrolls!
When I find who is responsible, they will be put to death!” Yami held a
scroll in his hand.
Seth’s eyes widened.
But, he had destroyed the scrolls! How could another exist?
Yami narrowed his eyes. “My scribe copied the destroyed
scroll, but only finished half of the necessary incantations! I still have what I need to test my theories.
GUARDS! Bring this woman to my throne room!
It’s time to test to see if this type of magic truly does exist.”
Seth hugged his daughter as the guards took her off of the
bed.
Seth followed them outside of the room when Aria skipped up
to Seth and bowed before him.
“Good morning, my Master Seth!”
Yami’s gaze shot coldly at Aria. “You’re not safe from me,
little one.”
Aria ran behind Seth’s legs.
Yami shook his head. “You can’t protect her forever,
Seth. Follow me.”
Seth took Aria’s hand and followed Yami to the throne room.
Before entering, Seth kneeled down to Aria. “Aria, what you
may see in here may frighten you. Do you wish to enter with me? I will keep you
safe.”
Aria wrapped her arms around Seth’s neck. “Where you go, I
will follow, Seth.”
Seth hugged her back. “Keep hold of my hand.” Seth lead her into
the throne room where Ahmose was held by the
guards. A large stone tablet was
standing by the wall of the room. Yami
stood in front of his throne holding the open scroll.
“Let’s see if this works.
Seth, I hope you said farewell to your daughter! This is the last time
you will see her mortal body!”
Seth gripped onto Aria tightly. Aria returned the grip.
Yami opened the scroll and read:
Soul of Purity, Soul of Light
Magic of Dark, Shadow, and Night!
Magic Dark, take the Soul of Light
Seal it away in Stone of Might!
Take the soul from Mortal Coil
Listen to your Servant Loyal!
Separate the soul, Take it Alone!
Seal it here within this Stone!
Ahmose fell to her knees, her body shivering
and shaking. Her hands clung to her stomach as she fell on her hands and
knees. A bright green light surrounded
her. A loud pain-filled cry tore from her throat and she fell to the floor
limp.
Seth raced towards his daughter and pulled Aria with him.
Aria turned Ahmose’s head.
“Ahmose! Wake up! Please!”
Seth listened to her heart. Her heart was beating, but her
left eye was open in an emotionless stare.
“Daughter? Daughter? Speak to me!”
The large stone tablet fell down, but did not break, much to
Seto’s surprise. Tears escaped Seth’s
eyes as he gently tried to nudge his daughter awake. Seth cradled Ahmose against his chest. “My
daughter……by the gods! Ahmose, please speak to
me! Say one word to your father! Please!”
Silence.
Seth gathered Ahmose to his chest,
his body wracked with sobs. “I lost another child……my own flesh and blood.”
Suddenly, at Yami’s feet, a card appeared. Yami picked it up and looked at it. It was the picture of Ahmose
wearing a white dress and a blood-red tattered piece of material. The name of the card was on top: The Loving
Servant.
Yami dropped the scroll. “I found a way to harness Shadow
Magic! I can trap people’s souls in tablets of stone!”
Aria looked up at Yami, terrified. “Seth, I’m scared!”
Seth wrapped his arms around Aria, cradling her against him. “Me, too, sweetheart.
I’m here to protect you, Aria Kanika.”
Yami looked down with a grin.
“You cannot protect her now that I have this magic, Seth! Your servant girl will be mine!”
Seth pulled Aria close to him.
Yami held up the card. “The Loving Servant!
Come forth!”
Aria screamed as the stone tablet stood upright. In front of
it appeared Seth’s daughter as she appeared on the card. In her hand
She held a dagger.
“Ahmose!” Seth cried out as he ran to her. Seth
found himself going right through her. He turned around in shock. “Daughter?”
Ahmose turned back to Seth and looked at
him sadly. Seth approached her slowly
and reached out to touch her.
Seth’s hand went right through her. “My child?” Seth tried to reach out for her again.
He failed.
Aria approached her friend and tried to touch her. Aria’s hand went through the apparition. “Ahmose?
What has the pharaoh done to you?”
Yami looked at the scroll. “This scroll mentions ways of
directing this apparition. Attack mode? Maybe she’ll attack the High Priest’s
servant girl. LOVING SERVANT! ATTACK MODE!”
Ahmose drew her dagger at Aria and Aria
fell backwards onto the floor.
“No! Don’t hurt me, Ahmose! It’s
Aria!”
Seth ran to Aria, pulling her against his chest. “Don’t hurt
her!”
Yami raised an eyebrow. “Defense mode? Maybe she can defend
me! LOVING SERVANT! DEFENSE MODE!”
Ahmose went to her knees and held her open
hands out in front of her to defend herself.
Yami snickered. “Interesting. LOVING
SERVANT, BE GONE!”
Ahmose disappeared and the stone tablet
started falling down, ready to crush Aria and Seth.
Aria froze as the large stone tablet was plummeting towards
her. Seth stood up quickly and pulled
Aria out of harm’s way.
Aria shook nervously. “I was almost killed!”
Seth picked Aria off of the ground and held her in his arms.
The guards picked up Ahmose’s
body. “Where do you wish for us to put
her?”
Yami shrugged. “Her body is nothing but an empty shell now.
Take it outside of the city for the beasts of the desert to feast upon!”
Yami sat on his throne with a smile on his face. He threw the
card down at Seth’s feet.
“There’s your daughter, Seth. Enjoy.”
Seth picked up the card and left the throne room. Seth walked to his chambers with the little
girl in his arms.
Rayna had gone back to Seth’s harem. Seth sat on his bed, clutching the card
against his chest.
“My daughter…..how could I have let this happen?”
Aria kneeled at his feet and beside his right knee. “Seth?
I’m sorry about Ahmose.”
Seth wiped the tears from his eyes. “She was my last daughter from Neferu. Despite her noble blood, she’s going to be thrown
to the jackals. They’ll tear her
apart…..just like her mother before her.”
Aria shifted closer to Seth. When Seth opened his eyes, he
saw she was kneeling between his legs.
She looked up at him and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, Seth.
I can make it better.”
Aria reached up and pulled Seth’s face down to her. Aria
planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Seth’s eyes widened. “Did that
make it better?”
Seth looked at her brown eyes, sparkling and bright. For a moment, he saw Ahmose
when she was Aria’s age, standing in front of him and greeting him. Seth’s eyes watered at the servant girl who
he considered as an equal. He considered
her his own flesh and blood.
Aria was compassionate, happy, loyal, and obedient.
She was everything he always wanted. None of his servants ever came close to
making him feel powerless against his own feelings. Seth wanted to hold her, to embrace her, to
love her.
“Aria….can you kiss me again?”
Aria smiled and brought Seth’s face down for a kiss again.
She kissed his cheek in the same spot and rubbed her cheek against his.
“Love my Seth,” Aria sighed with contentment.
Seth kissed her on her forehead. He looked at the card in his
hand. “I cannot allow Yami to gain the
power he seeks! I don’t know where the Items are located that would give him
the power he craves.”
Seth looked into the brown eyes of his servant girl. “Aria, I
wish you to return to the harem. Return to your mother.”
“But, my lord, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to steal the scroll that points to the location of
each of the legendary Millennium Items.”
Aria grabbed Seth’s robe. “Steal the scroll? What if the pharaoh catches you? He will take your soul, too!”
Seth turned around to Aria. “We cannot allow Yami to get his
hands on the Millennium Items, Aria! I
don’t even know where to begin looking for them!”
Aria scratched her head. “Can we go to my mommy before we go to
the library?”
Seto shook his head. “You are not going with me, little
flower. It is too dangerous for you.”
Aria took Seth’s hand.
“I do not care what happens to me, Seth. You brought my mommy here to
live with us! The least I can do is do this for you!”
Seth was ready to protest, but Aria’s brown eyes filled with
tears.
The High Priest nodded. “It will be dangerous.”
“Let’s go see my mommy! My mommy maybe can think of a way to
get these Items you need!”
Seth lead Aria to Rayna. His children ran to him and bowed as he
entered. Seth stood before his wife, who was talking to another of Seto’s
concubines.
“Rayna, I need your help.
Yami is searching for some powerful objects that will make him immortal
and give him power beyond imagination.
If I get the scroll which locates them one by one, we will need to
locate them and hide them from Yami.”
Rayna brushed back her hair. “So, we have to find these items
and hide them?” A smile crossed Rayna’s face. “I
think that can be arranged…and I know just the two to do the job.”
Seth nodded. “Okay.
Who are they?”
Rayna reached out for Aria’s hand. “The one man is Aria’s
father. He’s a famous thief. Bakura Osiris Itemri.”
Seth crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “He was the one
who escaped Yami’s chambers five years ago, wasn’t he? His name keeps being
mentioned still. His latest victim was a twenty year old girl he murdered.”
Rayna nodded. “He may be a murderer and a thief, but, my
husband, I love him. I loved him many times.
He is the father of Aria. If you need anything found in tombs or in the
city, Bakura is your man.”
“What of the other one?”
“Marik Ishtar. He has been with Bakura for about twelve
years.”
Seth looked down at Aria as he thought of Ahmose.
“I cannot let
Yami attain his power. Rayna, do you know where to find these
two men?”
Rayna nodded. “They live in an Oasis in the
Seth nodded. “We’ll need an escort. We need a soldier who won’t attack these men.
We need them.” Seth grinned. He knew just the soldier for the job…..a certain
kid with blond hair and purple eyes.
*************************
Seth took the scroll he required and went to Anubis. Aria held
onto Rayna’s hand as they went to the barracks.
“Anubis, we need three horses ready
to be ridden immediately.”
Anubis bowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Also, we require an escort.”
Anubis nodded. “Yes, sir.
Akiri will escort you.”
Seth shook his head.
He saw Aten sparring with another boy.
A fresh bruise appeared on Aten’s neck and Seth suppressed a growl.
“I want Aten.”
Anubis raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?
Aten couldn’t protect you from a gentle breeze!”
Seth narrowed his eyes. “Making me repeat my self is
something I am not accustomed to, Anubis! Now, get Aten ready to leave with us
immediately!”
******************************
Aria sat with her mother on the horse, squealing
excitedly. She turned around to Rayna.
“We’re going to see daddy!”
Rayna took Aria’s hand. “Baby girl, you must tell no one
where we are going or how to get to the Oasis.”
Seth turned to Aten after they left the city gates. “Aten, I order you not to show anyone where
we are going. You will not tell anyone about the Oasis. Do you understand me?”
Aten nodded. “Yes, High Priest Seth. I promise.”
Seth, Aten, Rayna, and Aria rode to the Oasis.
***********************
Bakura took a bite of his meat. The juices trickled down his chin. Marik took
his meat off of the fire and chewed it.
“This is better than the last, Itemri.”
Bakura nodded. “Yeah, the spices really add something to it,
doesn’t it? I think we should take our
spices from the royal tombs from now on!
The dead get the best food and spices!”
Marik nodded and lifted his head as the sound of horses
approaching caught his ear. “Bakura! People are
coming!”
Bakura spit out his meat and they scrambled for their
weapons. Bakura saw Rayna approaching
and put down his sword. “Rayna?”
Bakura stepped outside of the Oasis as their visitors
approached.
Rayna and Aria jumped off of their horse and ran for Bakura.
The white-haired man grasped Rayna and Aria to him tightly. Bakura leaned in to
kiss Rayna when he stopped.
Rayna was royalty now.
She was a noble….royalty. He remembered standing in the back during the
ceremony. She wasn’t his anymore.
Bakura dropped to his knees and bowed before her. “It’s good
to have you back, my lady.”
Rayna leaned down. “Bakura, you don’t have to kneel before
me.”
Bakura stood up. “Yes, I do. You are royalty. I’m….a common thief.”
“And a murderer,” Seth said jumping off his horse.
Marik went rigid as he saw the High Priest jump off his
horse. Was the High Priest going to arrest them? Marik looked at the soldier and saw it was
his own son.
Marik approached the boy. “Aten?”
Aten jumped off the horse. “Father? Is that really you?”
Marik brought the kid into his arms. “I’m sorry I couldn’t
stay that night that I first found you!”
Aten cuddled into Marik. “Daddy, I’m sorry I couldn’t leave
the barracks. I tried to, but Anubis wouldn’t let me go!”
Marik sat on the sand and held Aten on his lap. “Just sit
here, my son. Let me hold you.”
Seth approached Bakura. “You are the infamous thief, Bakura Itemri?”
Bakura withdrew his dagger and smiled. “In
the flesh. Why?”
“Rayna told me if anyone knows how to search for obscure
treasures, it’s you. Is that true?”
Bakura brushed back his white hair. “I can do anything, High
Priest. I can find anything. But….it
would cost you plenty! Why? Are you
asking for my services?”
Seth threw the scroll at Bakura. “You are to search for these
seven items.”
Bakura looked at the illustrations and removed the Millennium
Ring from his neck. “I am the owner of the Millennium Ring. I stole this from the tomb of Yami’s
grandfather.”
Seth’s eyes widened at the sight. “Your item is very
powerful, Bakura.”
Bakura looked down at the gold piece of jewelry. “I just kept
it because it looked nice. But there are
six other Items. Your job is to find them and hide them from Yami and his
soldiers.”
Bakura crossed his arms. “And what do I get if I find these
pieces of junk and hide them away?”
Seth narrowed his eyes. “These are powerful Items,
thief! They are not part of the normal
stuff you steal and sell for a profit.”
“Hey!” Marik exclaimed. “We keep no profit! We sell the items
we steal as a way to feed our bellies!
We are not in this business for profit!”
Bakura brushed back his hair. “Profit sickens me, noble! I do this to survive! I don’t do this because I want to build
wealth! If I do this for you, I receive a full pardon for my crimes!”
“You ask me to pardon the murder of a twenty year old girl?”
Bakura sheathed his dagger. “Are they still blaming me for
her death?! Listen. I did not kill that girl! I was running from the soldiers when she
stepped in front of me. My horse turned to avoid trampling the poor girl to
death! The soldiers who were pursuing me
ignored the fact she was in front of me and they trampled her with their
horses! That is what really happened!”
Seth raised an eyebrow. “I was told that you slaughtered that
girl in an alley!”
Bakura laughed. “That is not my style, High Priest. Lateef did that one.
And it wasn’t a twenty year old girl. It was a forty five year old male
who lived in a different district! And
it was a robbery. I don’t slaughter
people like that. Lateef cuts people ear-to-ear. I
personally find that a little messy. Blood stains are very troublesome to
remove from one’s clothing.”
“But, you have murdered before, right?”
Bakura rolled his eyes and narrowed them. His fists clenched.
“I do what I have to do to survive, Seth. If that means killing someone for
shelter…so be it. If killing someone
means I can eat for a day…..I must kill.
Life isn’t so easy when you don’t have everything you need handed to you
on a silver platter.”
Seth grabbed Bakura and pulled him close. “Let’s get
something straight, thief! I just saw my daughter’s soul leave her body and get
trapped into a tablet! I lost one of my women to an illness this year. I have
buried many infants who have died after their first breath! My first wife was killed because she did not
bear a son and her daughter was slaughtered as soon as she left her womb!”
Seth’s lip trembled. “My daughter was
taken my the pharaoh against her will last night! She
was tortured, Bakura! How do you think
you would feel if Yami raped, blinded, and beaten your daughter and removed her
soul from her body? Let’s not forget how
you would feel to know that Yami didn’t bury your daughter! No! What if he left her outside the city gates
for the desert beasts to chew on her body?
How do you think you would feel?”
Seth pushed Bakura away from him. “How do you think you would
feel? You know, just because I live in
the palace does not mean that I have anything easier than you! I loved my daughter just as you love
Aria. It pains me to think of the ways
that my daughter suffered before she died!
My child, Bakura! The child I brought into the world! DEAD! Suffered!
You know why she suffered? To keep YOUR daughter safe! Now….are
you going to find these Items or not?”
Bakura growled at Seth.
“I get a full pardon if I find these things for you!”
“Fine. You find these Items and you are
fully pardoned.”
Bakura grinned, his white canines showing. “Perfect. Okay, Marik. We have a job to do.”
Bakura turned to Seth. “We’ll find your treasure, moneybags.”
“That scroll will tell you where they are located. I will be
back in one moon to see how you do.”
Bakura grinned. “No problem.
It’s time to do what we do best, Marik.”
Marik kissed Aten’s cheek.
“I’m glad you could come see me, Aten.”
Aten nodded timidly. “Me, too….father.”
Seth mounted his steed again. “I will check back with you in
one moon’s time. I expect results.”
Bakura raised an eyebrow. “And I expect you to hold up your
part of the bargain, but I don’t see that happening!”
“Rayna, Aria, get on your horse. Aten, it’s time to go.”
Marik put Aten on his horse and handed him the reigns.
Seth gripped the reigns of his horse tightly. “I will uphold my part of our deal. Yami is dangerous as he is. If Yami was to achieve immortality, he would
become ruthless.”
Bakura narrowed his eyes, the memories of Yami taking him in
his palace flooding his mind. The pain….The hurt….The humiliation….Every memory
came back to him. “The pharaoh has shown
me how cruel he can be, High Priest. I do not need to see him become more
powerful than he already THINKS he is.
Seth nodded. “I’m glad we agree on something.”
Bakura turned his back to the High Priest. “That is all that
we will ever agree on.” Bakura disappeared into the Oasis.
Aria called into the oasis. “Goodbye, father of mine!”
No answer came.
Marik ruffled Aria’s hair. “We’ll do what we can, noble
Seth.”
“See that you do.”
Seth turned his horse and the group left. Marik entered the
oasis and saw Bakura looking at the scroll.
Marik kneeled beside him on the ground. “Umm…Bakura….can you
actually read hieroglyphs?”
Bakura cocked his head to the side. “Yeah.
Why wouldn’t I?”
Marik snickered, “Because you’re holding it sideways, you
dumb ass!”
Bakura leaned back and smacked Marik on the ass. “You like my ass and you know it!”
Marik rolled his eyes. “Now, you’re just being a smart
ass! No. Really.
Do you know how to read hieroglyphs?”
Bakura returned to his hands and knees. “You kidding? I stole and prostituted myself for food since I was
four years old! Education wasn’t on top of my “To Do” list!”
Marik pulled the scroll towards him. “You already have the Millennium Ring. That’s
great! Six more left!”
“So, can you read it, Ishtar?”
Marik squinted his eyes as he read
the writing. “Well, according to this, the Millennium Necklace is in the
possession of a noble lady who resides in
“It just says that?”
“No, it’s in verse, you moron! It says that he Millennium
Necklace is possessed by a ‘noble lady whose wealth is as abundant as her
beauty.’ It also says that her family is one of the oldest of
Bakura’s eyes went wide. “What?!”
“Someone in MY family is the owner of the Millennium
Necklace! My family was supposed to
watch over the tomb of Pharaoh Yami! That was our destiny! That is what my
father rambled about for years! My
family owns the Millennium Necklace!”
Bakura went to the lake and splashed his face with the water.
“If I’m going into a noble home, I have to clean myself up….”
Marik ran a hand through his hair. “Oh
yeah! I remember one day walking through
Bakura stripped until his white skin was completely revealed.
Bakura stretched, letting his entire body become visible by Marik.
Bakura took his right hand and smacked his right butt cheek.
“Well, I guess I better get clean. Remember the first rule of
robbing a noble’s home, Ishtar: Noble people stink pretty. With all their scented oils, they’ll notice
first thing if you walk into their home stinking of sweat and sex.”
Bakura grinned as he stood in front of Marik. Marik rose to
his knees in front of his lover. Bakura ran fingers through Marik’s blond
hair. The blond looked up at his naked
lover, his white hair falling around his shoulders like a white veil. Marik wrapped his arm around Bakura’s legs,
drawing him closer.
“You know what happens when you stand in front of me like
that, don’t you?”
Bakura massaged Marik’s hair with both of his hands. “No,” he
said with a devilish little grin. “What
happens when I stand in front of your face completely naked and run my fingers
through your hair? Do tell, Ishtar!”
Marik smiled. “I’d rather show you, Itemri.”
Bakura grinned, his canines flashing in the sunlight. “Please do, Marik Ishtar.”
NOTE: I’LL DO A MARIK X BAKURA AT THE END OF THE NEXT CHAPPIE
SO THIS WAY PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE THAT PAIRING CAN ONLY READ THE FIRST HALF OF
THE CHAPPIE!!! I know this was a teaser,
but I will put a lemon at the last half of the next chappie. Why? It’s just something
they always do after their robberies….and it’s fun!
HORRAY FOR LEMONS!