Note: This chappie
takes place three years later.
Friends and Family
The little girl wiped the tables with a damp cloth. Aria, now three years
old, washed the table well. It had been three years since Bakura and Marik had killed Khalfani. Khalfani had
taken over the brothel and had changed the brothel and the way it was managed.
The girls were cleaned up and the rooms were clean. The ladies now wore
exquisite clothing. The children were no longer no
longer permitted to be loaned to drunken men. The children
were no longer permitted to pleasure the adult men who came to the brothel. The
children helped out with cleaning and pouring the wine for the clients and were
allowed to play, something that they hadn't had when Khalfani
ran the brothel.
Eight year old Basi ran over to Aria with the clean
glasses for the table. "That's a good job, Aria! The men who
come here wll be pleased with how clean this table
is!"
Aria smiled proudly. "I keen the table well, Basi!"
"Keep this up and one of the mommies here will get you a present...like
mine did!"
"I would love a new dolly," she said. Aria heard an excited
squeal come from the women outside
"BAKURA ITEMRI IS BACK!" the screams of excitement raised.
Aria's brown eyes lit up. "DADDY!!!!"
Aria threw down the towel and ran outside to her father. "Daddy!"
Bakura picked her up with a smile. "How's my
little girl today?"
"I'm being a good girl, daddy! I keen the tables! I wassed
people's feets when dey tum in!"
Bakura looked up at Rayna's
window. "Look at what I have for my little girl!"
Bakura handed her a doll. It was made of wood and
twine threaded with clay beads for hair.
"That's for my little girl!" Bakura said
giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Aria hugged her father and the doll. "I love my daddy!"
Bakura kissed her and handed her to Marik. "Hold this."
Aria hugged Marik. "Hello, Unkie
Mawik!"
Marik growled into her neck, making her laugh.
"How's our little angel?"
"I've beened really good!"
Marik smiled. "That's good, sweetheart.
Mommy needs for you to be a good girl."
Aria nodded. "Oh, I am, Daddy Mawik!"
Marik put her on the ground. "Go play with your
new dolly, Aria."
Aria sat outside the brothel and played with her new doll, rocking it in her
arms.
"Sleep little baby, don't you cwy,
Mommy's dawna ting you a wuwwa-bye...."
The blaring sound of trumpets filled the streets as she watched the palace
guard doing their morning march. People cleared from the streets as the
soldiers marched, patroling the city's slum.
Aria watched as the lead soldier carried a banner. She saw the general, Anubis walking beside the younger soldiers.
Aria's eyes looked with pity on this boy not much older than she. He had
blond hair and purple eyes. His hair was dirty and his clothes were paper
thin. His body was skinny and he walked with a limp. His eyes were
cast ahead of him, but were bloodshot. His legs shivered under him,
trying desperately to keep him walking.
To her horror, the boy fell and clung to the sand. The general's voice
bellowed. "STOP!"
The legion stopped and the general walked to the boy. "Get up, you
worthless little worm!"
The boy looked up at her with tears in his eyes.
"Tired......water...."
"You don't deserve water, you little weakling!" Anubis
removed the whip from his side. "GET UP, I SAY!"
The boy gripped the sand and rest his head on the
ground, exhausted. The general unfurled the whip, the other boys
trembling in fear.
Aria ran to the boy and held up her hand. "No! Sir! I get him
water! I get! Wait!"
Aria ran into the brothel and poured the boy a clay cup of water. She ran
outside with it and ran to the boy. "Here,dwink dis."
The boy weakly raised his hand to grab the clay cup out of the girl's
hand. "Thank you," he said with a whisper. The boy drank the
water quickly.
Anubis growled. "Aten, you little ass! Get up off of the
sand!"
Aria saw the general raise the whip and she covered Aten's
body with her own. "NO! No hurt! No hurt Aten!"
Anubis lowered his whip. "Girl, get out of my
way!"
Aria held Aten in her arms. "No! Aria no
let you hurt Aten!"
Anubis rolled up his whip, his eyes filled with fury.
"Boy, you had better get up this instant!"
Aten struggled to his feet. Aria saw Aten stand up and saw a large wound on his leg that had
looked infected. The boy wavered on his feet and looked down at her with a
smile.
"Tank you for the water."
Aria smiled up at him. "Anytime."
Anubis grabbed Aten and
picked him up by the collar. "The next time you fall down, I'm going to
make you walk from sunrise to sunset. Maybe that will teach you to walk like a
human being! Now, get to the front of the ranks!"
Anubis dropped the boy on the ground. "MARCH!"
Aria watched as the soldiers marched away. "Goodbye, Aten."
Aria returned inside and ran upstairs. She showed her mother the doll that her
father bought for her.
The girl turned towards her father.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, dear?”
Aria held the doll close. “Why don’t you live wif me and mommy?”
Bakura sighed at the sad face looking at him.
“Because, sweetheart, the soldiers are looking for daddy. If I live with you
and mommy, I could put you, mommy, and everybody else in big trouble.”
“I wan you to live wif us, daddy,” the little girl
whimpered.
His heart split in two. “I cannot, baby girl. Mommy would get in a
lot of trouble because she knows me. You would get in trouble, too.
I can’t have my little girl stand before the pharaoh and be hurt."
“I no det hurt! Why I det
hurt?”
Bakura looked up at Rayna. “Because you are my blood. You are my child. You would
get hurt really bad. I’m keeping you safe with me not living with you.
You’ll understand when you get a little older, Aria. I want you to be
safe."
Marik looked down at the streets as the soldiers were
marching by. "No where is safe, Bakura."
Bakura looked down at the soldiers. Fat Nobles
mixed with thin, scrawny peasants along the streets. "Yami will not be happy until
Rayna reached up and held Bakura's
hand. "Bakura...."
Bakura sat by his beloved. "Don't
worry, Rayna. Yami will
have to try hard to get his hands on me."
Rayna hugged Bakura
tightly. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Bakura."
Bakura kissed her forehead. He held his
daughter in his arms.
Aria wrapped her arms around Bakura's leg. "I
love my daddy."
*******************************
Anubis stood with his child soldiers in the training
arena. He paced back and forth.
"Discipline, gentleman! I will not take
weaklings in this army! I will not tolerate weakness! I will not tolerate
cowardice! Each one of you will grow up to be a vicious killing
machine! I will not tolerate anything less than victory in battle!
To achieve this goal, each of you will become expert swordsmen! Rule
Number one! Never turn your back on your enemy! You will end up a
corpse! Rule Number Two! Never give your opponent an
advantage! Rule Number Three! Any cowards who abandon their
battalion will be EXECUTED ABRUPTLY!"
Aten looked forward, his leg burning from the march.
He had marched sunrise to dusk. Now it was training time.
"Akil! Aten! Step forward!"
The eight year old and three year old stepped forward.
"My son will demonstrate the skills necessary to become a great
warrior!"
Aten looked up at the heavier, taller kid. His
stomach tensed.
"FIGHT!"Akil’s dagger sliced through the air as he screamed. Aten raised his dagger quickly to block the other boy from
slicing into his head.
Aten shrieked as the metal slammed together. Akil slashed his dagger low, trying to stab his opponent.
Anubis grinned as he watched the two boys
sparring. “Notice my son not giving his opponent a moment to contemplate
his next move.”
Aten jumped backwards, trying to dodge the metal.
“Fight back, Aten!” Anubis ordered.
Aten cringed and jumped as the dagger almost slashed
his legs. Aten grabbed the dagger tightly and
brought it down, barely missing Akil’s
shoulder. Akil bought his elbow up and slammed Aten in the jaw. The little boy wiped the corner of
his mouth, finding a trail of blood trickling down his lip. The older boy
knocked Aten down, kicking him in the stomach.
“Fight me, weakling!” the boy growled.
Aten staggered to his feet and panted as sweat came
down his face. His breathing was ragged as he lunged at Akil with the blade. Akil
dodged and slammed the handle of his dagger into Aten’s
back, making the small boy fall down and grip his spine in pain.
“Get up, Aten!” Anubis
growled.
Aten whimpered as he held his back. "My bat
hurts! My bat!"
Aten struggled to get on his hands and knees. Akil stood over Aten and laughed.
“I beat you again! I will always beat you!”
Anubis picked up Aten by
the neck. “You will not grow up to be weak! Once again you have forgotten
the lessons I have taught you! You will have no supper tonight!
Instead, you will remain out here all night! You will not eat until the
sun sets tomorrow! During that time, you
will fight every recruit and every soldier! You will learn to be a
heartless killer, Aten, even if I have to starve you
to the point of death!”
Anubis carried Aten to a
platform made of unpolished wood. “KNEEL!”
Aten kneeled on the wood. Sharp splinters dug
into his knees.
“This will teach you discipline! You will remain on this platform until
after I have had my supper. You, my boy, will not eat nor drink until
tomorrow’s sunset. Maybe now you will learn discipline!”
Aten lowered his head.
“If you move from this platform or attempt to move, I will take the whip to
your back like I did the last time! Understand, boy?”
Aten nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I CAN’T HEAR YOU, SOLDIER!”
“Yes, General Anubis!”
Anubis growled. “I should whip you for such
insolence! I am your Commander! You show me respect!”
“Yes, General Anubis!”
Anubis stepped off the platform. “Report
to the kitchen!” The recruits ran to the kitchen
Anubis turned to Aten.
“Keep your head up, boy. If I find you here asleep with your head down, I
will keep your head up by force if necessary.”
Anubis left the boy
kneeling on the platform shaking. Aten kneeled
on the wooden platform, the wood digging into the infection on his leg.
Aten watched the sunset from the platform.
"Goodnight, sun," the child whispered.
When the sun had set, a bitter chil filled the air. He heard footsteps behind him, but
knew if he turned his head, he would get a severe beating.
"Get your ass up, boy!
I am going to show you how to fight like a man!"
Aten stood up and limped to the open
arena. His stomach growled, but the thre year
old tried to ignore his hunger.
Anubis drew his sword. "Pull out your
dagger!"
Aten removed his dagger from his side.
"Try to block me!"
Aten shuddered as the large sword flew towards
his head. Aten blocked the blow by the general.
"Don't show your opponent
that you are afraid! Fear is the enemy! Soldiers aren't afraid!
Yes, they may get stabbed, hung, disemboweled, mutilated, but they do not get
scared!"
Aten trembled and swallowed hard. The three
year old's eyes filled with tears. "Pease...sir....I...I no
want to be stabbed."
"Then you will learn how to
fight like a man and not cry like a female! Again!"
Aten screamed as the sword threatened to fall
on him again and he jumped back to dodge the blow.
“Aten, keep your guard up! Never let your opponent get the upper hand!”
“Yes, sir.”
Anubis slammed the sword again
down on the child, who raised his tiny dagger and blocked the attack.
“The
only thing you are good at is defending! That’s not too bad, since you
are no good to me dead! Of course, since you do not attack, you are no
good to me at all! Tell me why I am wasting my time on you, boy!”
Aten sniffled. “I’m trying, sir.”
“You
‘try’ like a female! You fight like one, too! Did I rescue a female
from that desert or a boy? You tell me! You're better to me dead than
alive! Are you a boy or a girl?”
"I
am a boy, sir.”
“The
only quality about you that makes you a boy is that pathetic thing between your
legs! Now fight me like a man!”
Aten lifted his dagger slowly. Marik
could tell the child was hungry, cold, and tired. Aten
ducked as Anubis’ sword
slashed the air where his head had been. Aten
raised the dagger and raked it across Anubis’
leg. Anubis growled
and jumped back.
He
brought the sword down and Aten ducked and rolled out
of its path.
“Attack
me, Aten!”
Aten narrowed his eyes and jumped for Anubis. Anubis
dodged and kicked the child in the ribs. Aten fell
down and let out a cry.
“Soldiers
don’t cry, boy! Get yourself to your feet!”
Aten struggled to his feet and gripped his side. “Sir, my side
hurts.”
“Ignore
it.” Anubis grabbed
his sword and slashed the air by Aten. The boy
jumped back, wincing.
“Part
of being a soldier is
to ignore your pain! Charge at me!”
Aten stepped forward and let out a shriek. He fell to his knees.
“I can’t, sir!”
Anubis grabbed the child’s
wrist and held him in the air. “I should have killed you in that desert!
My dagger should have pierced your heart when I ripped you from your mother’s
womb! Your mother was a dog! You are just as worthless to me!
Your mother was only good for the pleasure she gave me before I killed her!”
The
child let out a sob.
“If
you can’t be a soldier, maybe you can pleasure the pharaoh! He’ll make a
man out of you! Would you like to be the pharaoh’s love slave, Aten?”
Aten shook his head. “No,
sir.”
“Maybe
a night kneeling on hard wood will change your attitude. You are a
disgrace to me and my family! I don’t know why I brought you into my home! We
feed you and clothe you! What good are you? Like your mother, you
may only be good for one thing, Aten!” Anubis put Aten
back on the platform. “Strip!”
Aten slowly removed his tattered robe. The three year old
shivered naked in the air.
“Kneel!”
Aten kneeled on the platform. Anubis picked up the clothes and threw them off of
the platform.
“You
don’t deserve clothing tonight. If you are going to be the pharaoh’s love
slave, get used to being naked! When the patrol returns they will be here
to guard you. If they find you asleep or if you move, you will be beaten
severely for disobeying my orders!”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Anubis left and the child closed his eyes
tightly. He wrapped his arms around himself in a desperate attempt to keep his
body warm. He shivered in the night air and felt the wind stinging his
body when it blew.
The boy felt his tears slide down
his body. 'I want food...I'm so hungry....and tired.'
The three year old cried as he
kneeled on the wood, the infection in his leg pulsing.
“Hey,
kid.”
Aten looked down and saw a tall blond standing at the
bottom of the platform. He had purple eyes...just like himself. “Who are
you?”
Marik leaned on the platform. “Were you rescued from the desert?”
Aten nodded. “I was born in the desert.”
“Who
were your parents?”
“General
Anubis killed my
mother. She was a peasant. My father was a traitor to the pharaoh
and the nobility. That is what he told me. My father was
garbage. Anubis told
me that was what he was.”
Marik narrowed his eyes. “Your name is Aten?”
Aten nodded. “Yes.”
The
stranger at the bottom of the platform grabbed onto the planks.“Do you know your father’s name?”
Aten sighed. “General Anubis
said my father’s name was Marik Ishtar. He said I had to be a soldier to pay
for his crimes. I don’t know what he did, but it must have been really bad to
have me kept out here all night with no clothes and no food. I’m really
hungry.”
Marik took Aten’s hand. “Aten? I
am your father, Marik Ishtar.”
Aten’s eyes widened and his body started to tremble. This is
something he always wanted....to know his father. He wanted to be
rescued. “You are my daddy?”
Marik smiled and stroked the boy’s cheek. “I’m your daddy,” he
said holding back his tears. “I waited three long years to tell you that I love
you, my boy. And I’m sorry you had to live like this. I’m going to
get you out of here.”
Aten smiled. This is what he dreamed of. Was this a dream?
“STOP! HALT!”
Marik looked up and saw a dozen soldiers running toward him. Marik reached for Aten as an
arrow flew past his face. He ran as a guard grabbed Aten
to prevent him from running.
“Daddy! Don’t leave me here!”
“I’ll
be back for you, Aten!”
Marik ran away, leaving Aten
struggling in the hands of a guard.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"My
daddy!" the child cried loudly. "My daddy came to take me away! I
want my daddy! Please! I want to go with my daddy!"
Anubis raced towards the platform, hearing the
child's frantic, panic-stricken cries. "What's going on?"
"Some man was talking to the
boy! The soldiers are pursuing him now!"
Anubis grabbed the child from the soldier's arm
and carried him over his shoulder. Aten angrily
punched Anubis' armor.
"Let me go! I want my daddy!
Please! I want my daddy! Oh, please let me go be with my daddy!"
Anubis walked towards the stables and opened the
door angrily. He grabbed the whip off of the wall and walked towards the
end of the stable. He opened up the door to Aten's
room.
Anubis' children lived in his house. Aten had been moved to a locked room in the stables.
Only a single barred window let in the cold night air. The floor was made
of soil and sand. There were no blankets. No toys. An empty pot was
his water dish. There was no appropriate bathroom....the corner had to do.
Anubis threw the boy into his room. "You
will never be with your father! I am your father! Your father is a
traitor......and you are his bastard seed! I will hear no more of
this!"
Aten fell to his knees. "Please let me
go, sir....I don't want to be a sol-der!"
Anubis unfurled the whip. "You will be what
I tell you to be! Right now I am telling you to be quiet!"
The horses in the stable stamped
in their stalls from fear. Anubis' voice was
startling the livestock.
Anubis closed the door and locked it. Aten ran to the door and banged on it with his tiny, thin
fists. "Let me go! Let me out! Please!" Aten slid to his knees again.
"Please.......I want my
daddy," he whimpered, pressing his forehead to the door.
**************************
The next morning, Aten was outside shining his blade. The hot morning sun
beat down on his skin. He swatted another fly which landed on his neck.
The two year old boy beside him was playing in the sand, slowly making a sand
castle with the sand. He pat the sand with a smile.
“Das a nice San Tastle!”
“Ana-bis
will be angwy if he finds you pwaying
wif the sand, Hamadi.”
The two year old looked up at Aten. “But I no pway for a wong time. I miss pwaying.”
Aten sighed and wiped the sweat beading on his
forehead. “I know, Hamadi. I wish I could pway. But…..I no haff any toys.”
He heard a commotion from the
front gate. To his surprise, a battalion of men swarmed into the training
arena. A small crowd of women and children were surrounded by the
battalion.
Aten jumped to his feet as he saw one of the
boys fall to the sand weakly.
“Hamadi! That kid fell down! We have to help him!”
Hamadi shuddered. “Lass time I was nice to tum-one, Paraoh Yami hit me….hard.”
Aten ran towards the battalion. None of the
women kneeled to pick the boy off of the hot, burning sand.
"Hey, are you otay?"
The little boy of Aten's age looked up at him with large brown eyes. His eyes
could barely open.
"Water....."
"I don't haff
water."
Aten looked up when he saw Yami
observing the crowd on the balcony.
"Where have you brought
these dogs from?"
The Commander of the battalion
removed his helmet. "We have conquered Pali in
"Give me two of your
teenaged girls and bring them to Seth's chambers. He will mate with them
immediately to produce me an heir worthy of the throne of
The soldiers separated the women.
Some of the boys clung to their mothers desperately. Many refused to
leave their mothers and chose death over separation.
Anubis looked down at Aten
holding the boy in his arms. "What are you doing?"
"He's tired.....he's tirsty."
Anubis reached down and grabbed the boy's ankle.
"I have no time for weaklings!"
Aten watched as Anubis
dragged the Indian boy to the soldier's barracks. He followed closely.
Anubis dropped the boy. "Clean up, you
worm!"
The boy struggled to his
feet. Aten helped the boy stand up.
"Thank you....We've been walting for days....many suns......We no stopped to eat....Those
who stop walting were killt.. My mother.........she.....she
fell......." The boy started to sob. "They killed my
mommy......"
“Where is your daddy?”
The boy sobbed. “He no wake up after man taked his head
off of his body.”
Aten sat the boy on a stool and grabbed a cup.
He dipped it into the bucket of water. "Sowwy.....dis is the only water we have."
The boy gulped down the water
quickly and struggled to catch his breath. "Thank you."
"Your mommy is happy....she
no has to be hungwy or tired."
The boy sniffled.
"Yeah....but I want my mommy back."
"I never knew my
mommy. Ana-bis tells me that he cut me out of
my mommy's belly."
The two boys looked at each
other.
"Well, since we don't have
our mommies, I'll be your friend."
The boy smiled and hugged Aten. "My name is Ravana."
"My name is Aten Bakari Ishtar."
"It's good to haff a fwend,
Aten."
Aten nodded. "Same
here."