Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ A search for something forgotten: a change in lives... ❯ arrival in a new land ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimers: Standers apply... same as in the Prologue.

Authors notes: For some odd reason, one I have yet to come up with, the chara's Jenna and Kayla can only understand Yami-Yugi, or just Yami as some of you know, and Seto Kaiba. The other people sound like they are speaking their own tongue. Just something my friend thought I might want to point out…

Chapter 1: Arrival In A Strange Land.

The heat had grown and appeared to rise, according to the one girl. Her sightless brown eyes had to be forced shut due to the intense brightness of the sun. She didn't know she was no longer in St. Augustine, but in an Egyptian city.

However, it didn't take her long to discover she wasn't in the familiar home city that she was used to. She found herself rolling through a market place, heading for the Imperial Palace, but she didn't know where she was going. Thought, one thing she did know, was that people were yelling at her in a language she did not understand.

She couldn't tell what they were saying, but two guards grabbing her by her arms gave her all the proof she needed that she had done something wrong to offend the people. Yet, what was now the question on her mind.

The two, strange man drug her to the palace in which she had started for, unknowingly. Her brown eyes remained closed as she quickly gave into the men for fear of getting hurt. She knew she was doomed and would probably end up killed and thought there was nothing she could do to stop it.

So, with knowing this, the girl closed her eyes and accepted her fate. The men carrying her had stopped yelling. They had mentioned how she would make some kind of offering, but at this point the girl couldn't tell.

They had started to mix English along with their native tongue and she only managed to pick out one sentence. Which was, "This girl would make a good offering to our pharaoh… she shall be one…"

To this, the girl gasped, knowing kind of what that might have meant. She knew her life was in grave danger, or so she thought. She didn't expect to live to see the next morning or experience the harsh cold night of the desert, which she guessed by her surroundings and the large amount of heat, she must be in one or in desert-like conditions, which didn't help matters for her any.

Sweat, at this point, was pouring off of her body like rain drops and the flow was so constant it was almost as if she had been pulled right out of the river and left to bake in the sun. Her normally tan skin had started to turn red she was out in the heat for so long and with no protection. Her body had weakened dramatically and she had lost a lot of body fluid in the exchange as well from sweating; not only here, but also at her place of work.

The men were immediately allowed in to speak to the pharaoh, seeing as how they had an offering for him. Or so they told the other guards on duty. The girl had been properly cleaned and put back in the clothes she had on, which clung to her body like glue and felt like sand to her skin.

She then was brought in front of the pharaoh, where she was forced to her knees. She suppressed the urge to cry out in pain from the force on her knee, which was swelling up big time from the event in hand. But, being used to hide pain and pretend she was perfectly healthy, the girl gritted her teeth and stayed put, afraid to move.

She didn't expect what was to happen next to her as she closed her eyes and waited for the strike she thought was sure to come.

"What do you have for me?" a deep, powerful, male voice requested, seeing as how two more guards in front of her hid the girl.

"We have brought you a female offering, your highness." The guardsmen said, parting to show the girl who was sitting on her knees, her head bowed and her short brown hair covering a majority of her young face.

The pharaoh nodded to them. "Leave me with her." he requested of his guardsmen, whom simply bowed and parted, clearing the enormous room.

Once the room had cleared, the pharaoh stood and walked over to the girl. "You may rise." He said in the same deep and powerful tone of voice, which to some, scared them away. But, this person in particular did as asked, not really feeling afraid of his voice at least.

The girl tried with all her might to get to her feet and tried to do it in one or two quick motions that showed she wasn't having a problem moving. However, pain won out and the girl kept struggling.

She knew that if she showed any form of illness or weakness, then she would most or more then likely be killed on the spot, and this was something she simply couldn't have. She was at the current moment fighting a loosing battle, both with her legs and with her mind.

When the pharaoh saw this, his lavender eyes showed a deep concern. He helped the girl up and when he did, her knee and back both made a cracking noise. To this sound, worry joined with the concern in his eyes.

His face took on a more gentle look as he helped the girl up to her feet and supported her until it appeared she had gotten her balance. "Are you alright? What happened to you?" he asked as he looked into her deep brown eyes, which had crystal like tears shining in them, ready to spill at a moment's notice.

"I… I… I… don't… d… don't… know…" She managed to squeak out, being he was the only person all day that she could understand. She then bit her lip and braced her for a blow but that never came.

The pharaoh then took the girl in his arms and held onto her carefully so as not to cause her to be in any more pain then she already was at the time.

"What is your name, milady?" He asked her once he got her off her feet and sitting down to where she had the most support. He kept an eye on her and made sure to speak in a gentle, reassuring tone of voice, not wanting to frighten her. He wanted to know about her, but he wouldn't get that far if things kept up the way they were.

The girl blinked and realized for the moment she was safe, but she also chose to keep playing it safe and answer him, "Kayla." She whispered, not wishing to reveal her legal name right off hand, because in a place like this she didn't know whom to trust.

The pharaoh gave her a small smile, not knowing at this point that the girl couldn't see just yet. He looked at her and in the same tone of voice, he told her, "I am known as many things around here. Most people refer me as Pharaoh Yugi, or Pharaoh; others have called me Yu-Gi-Oh. However, you have the right as one of the few people to call me Yami. I will not harm you or let any more harm come to you. You do not have to tell me your life story if you do not wish to. I will wait and hear it when you are ready, Lady Kayla."

Kayla let a small smile come to her lips, being that was all she had to offer him at the current moment. She then sat back and closed her eyes and blinked away the tears that were currently stinging at the back of her eyes. He seemed gentle enough, but why was the question running through her mind. She then remembered something from history, showing that not all people had a bad persona and this was another stereotype. With that, the pharaoh suggested that she get cleaned up and that she get put to bed. To this, Kayla didn't argue.

When the pharaoh had dismissed everyone from the royal throne room, his high priest took the moment to step outside and sit on the steps of the palace that overlooked the Nile River.

The Nile had been acting unusual and something washed ashore on it. Servant women were busy digging the object out and cleaning seaweed and the like from what seemed to be a human's head and hair. They stopped when the high priest approached them.

Upon closer inspection, the man could see the object and could tell it definitely was a person. This was a girl and she was not only soaked to the bone, but also looked like she might have drowned in the river. Carefully, he picked her up and dried the water from her airway. He then put her on her side to let her cough up the water, in which she did.

Once the girl had finished, she groaned and began to stir. She blinked her cat-like eyes once or twice before blacking out, but not without whispering. "Seto..."

This caught the priest off guard and knew he had better take charge of the girl's care from this point on. Smiling to himself, he took her into his chambers and had servants bring dry clothing and towels along with assorted foods and herbs to make his mixtures.

After drying the girl off and changing her clothing, with the help of servant women, the high priest grabbed a spell book and some herbs and began mixing the herbs into a mixture. He was hoping that by doing this, he could help this person out and get rid of the constant shivering she had been doing, even though now, she was bone dry and wearing fresh, dry clothing. He did not rest while the girl slept on.

Many hours later, after the priest had finished his mixture and put his books away, the girl groaned and began to sit up. The first words to come out of her mouth were, "Where am I? And what happened?" She didn't even recall even speaking the first name of the high priest earlier on.

The priest looked up and told her where she was, but when it came to her question of what happened his reply was, "Well, Miss, I was about to ask you the same thing… but, the only information I can give is that servant women working in the impearl palace found you washed up on the steps near the Nile river."

The girl bolted up in shock and it took all she had not to scream out. She calmly said in an alarmed tone of voice, "What?!" as her skin suddenly drained of its remaining color and she looked as if she was as white as the sheets she was currently laying in.

"Here… take this and drink it. This might help." He told her, making sure to use a calm, soothing tone of voice, for the look on this girl's face told him that might be the safest approach to take with her. He smiled and even offered to help her drink, seeing she appeared to be having trouble in the task. But seeing how what had happened to her it, didn't at all surprise him in the slightest.

"Thank you for helping me out… My name is Jenna." The girl in the bed offered once she had drained the cup she had been given of its contents.

"There is a lot I bet I can learn from you, seeing as how you already know my name." The high priest stated, smiling at the girl to show he meant her no harm what so ever.

Jenna nodded and yawned, still exhausted from her near fatal experience in the Nile River to which she did not know how she ended up in the first place. Granted her house was the borderline for a flood plane, didn't mean she hung out near the noted boarder lines and kept to herself inside the house most of the time.

"Since you already know my name, I would like you to know I don't prefer to be called by my first name… but I guess I may let you slide. You may call me Seto. Not many get this honor… I don't know why but I trust you well… Maybe because of the circumstances in which we met. I do not know. However, that offer still stands. And, if you do not wish to take me up on it, everyone else calls me Kaiba." Seto explained to Jenna once they appeared to be on some form of speaking terms.

"Thank you… I think I will take you up on that." Jenna said with a weak smile as her eyes showed how tired she still was.

After Seto had helped her get something down her, he smiled and whispered, "Rest. I will be here working, so you're safe."

To this Jenna felt relaxed and listened to him. Nodding slowly, Jenna closed her eyes and gave one more yawn. In moments, unable to fight it like she claimed to her friend Kayla many times before, she submitted to the need for sleep and slept peacefully for maybe the first time in her life, for now at least.

Like Seto had promised, he watched over her while she slept.