Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Duel of Love ❯ Wishes ( Chapter 21 )

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh   A/N: Next chapter!  You know, writing with stuttering is kinda hard sometimes.  I mean, I have to think about it before I do it.  I hope I’m still doing it okay.   Duel of Love   Chapter 22: Wishes   Katiana        “Madera, its b…been a week since he l…last kissed me,” I said as she brushed through my hair.      “It has?  My, you sure are holding out on that one, aren’t you?” she asked teasingly.      “N…Not funny,” I muttered. “I thought h…he loved me…”      “He does love you; he’s proved that to me already.  But do you really need him to kiss you to make you feel special?” she asked.      “No,” I said quickly, “But the w…way he did it…”      “Ah, kindness in the kiss, eh?  How was it for your first?” she asked, knowing full well I had told her many times before.      “G…Good, like sweetened h…honey,” I said dreamily, raising my head to look at the ceiling.  The pharaoh hadn’t tasted harsh, like desert sand or stone, he had tasted sweet, kind and caring.  He was amazing.      “Have you talked to High Priest Seto yet?” she asked.     “Yes,” I replied. “We t…talked.”  I didn’t exactly want to tell her what we had talked about.   FLASH        “Are you okay?” Seto asked me, sitting down on my bed next to me.      “Y…Yes,” I said.      “I hope you are learning to trust again.  There was little I did, I should have been there,” he said.  He wasn’t acting like himself.      “I am,” I whispered and he looked at me, and the look in his eyes, was like he wasn’t going after me anymore, like there was this acceptance in them.  I think he knew that I loved the pharaoh, and my feelings were returned.  But why didn’t he object to it anymore?  I just didn’t get it; he accepted it and didn’t try and take me back to the temple, claiming I was his.  What made him give up on me?  It wasn’t that I minded…but he changed so suddenly and now…I guess I missed it a little…just a little.  Would he still be protective of me?      “If the pharaoh ever does anything…uncalled for, the temple is always open for you,” he said, his eyes still shining with love. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”  Well, that answered that question.      “I d…don’t think he w…wants to hurt me…anymore,” I said and Seto gripped my shoulders.      “He shouldn’t.  I won’t let him ever do that again.  I may have treated you like a child, but I never hurt you like that!” he said, getting emotional. “I would never have hurt you like that.”  He traced a scar on my cheek.      “I k…know,” I whispered and he pulled me into a hug.      “You still…belong to me…” he said. “But I’ve seen…I know this is best for you.”   Flash        “You know, if you want a kiss so bad why don’t you initiate it?” Madera asked, “It wouldn’t be that hard.”      “I c…couldn’t,” I said, knowing all too well how red I just turned.  I couldn’t initiate something like that!      “Do it, tonight, before he goes to bed,” Madera said. “A kiss is part of being in love, if he’s neglecting that then it’s a woman’s duty to remind him.”
     “I d…don’t know,” I said.      “After all that I’ve done to help you and this is the thanks I get?”      “Why…What have you d…done?” I asked.      “I yelled at the pharaoh a few times and opened his eyes to the brilliant woman that you are,” she said, fluffing my hair a little playfully.  I turned around and looked at her.      “I d…don’t know,” I whispered.      “He’s your protector, right?  Remind him what he’s protecting,” she said and I nodded.      “All right,” I said, wondering what she had in mind exactly.      “Are you nervous?” she asked teasingly.      “I’ve n…never initiated anything!” I exclaimed, “I d…don’t know what to do.”      “Do you need to be taught everything?  I’m going to have a talk with High Priest Seto about letting ignorant priestesses fall in love,” she said with a wide smile.      “It h…has nothing to do with him,” I said.      “Of course not, a woman is very different than a man,” she explained seriously and I buried my face in my hands, which she pried away and looked at me, laughing in her eyes.      “What’s t…the real reason you w…want me to do this?” I asked.      “Oh come on, I want to hold your children before we’re both old and grey,” she said, “And I know you will have so many children…”
     “Hush!” I exclaimed, embarrassed she was saying such things.      “I’ll tell you some things you can do,” Madera said and sadly traced a scar that was on my cheek, “You’ve suffered so much…and now finally happiness has come to you.  You never understood much of your life have you?”  I shook my head and she smiled. “That’s fine; just stay happy, it doesn’t matter.  I’ll always watch out for you.  Katiana, you’ll make a lovely bride.”  There was something she wasn’t telling me, she wasn’t acting like herself.  Was something going to happen…something that would disturb the pharaoh?      “So w…what do I do?” I asked, deciding to change the subject and she smiled, the spell was broken.      “Well first off…”   …        Night fell quickly and I was about ready to try what Madera had told me.  I was nervous, extremely nervous.  I didn’t know if I was going to do it right much less do anything at all.  My nerve might get the better of me.  I knocked on the pharaoh’s door and was greeted by a soft “Come in.”  I opened the door and peered inside, seeing the pharaoh on his bed wearing little but the bottom half of his outfit.  I blushed redder than I ever thought I could and looked down at the floor.  I think he saw my face and I heard the shuffling of the bed and when I looked back he was fully dressed, although there wasn’t much jewelry or his cloak or even his crown on.  I walked cautiously into the room and shut the door behind me.      “Miss Katiana,” he said politely, smiling at me as he rested down on the bed again.      “I w…wanted to see you,” I said, “We n…need to talk.”  I walked forward and then jumped up onto the side of the bed, facing him.      “What is it you need to talk to me about?” he asked.      “H…Have you been avoiding me?” I asked and his eyes widened.      “Whatever made you think that?”
     “This week you…you’ve h…hardly come to see me.”      “Is that it?  I have been very busy I admit, and I apologize.”      “Is it once you w…win me over you no l…longer think you need to w…work at keeping me?” I asked.      “What?  Love, I never…not for one moment…” he stammered.
     “Then w…why?”
     “Why have I been avoiding you?  I haven’t.  Dear Ra, I’m so sorry.  You should have come see me sooner, if you felt this way.  I would have made time,” he said.  I smiled sadly.      “I d…didn’t want to bother you,” I said.      “You could never bother me,” he said with a smile. “There isn’t anyone else either, if you’re thinking that.  My eyes are only for you.  I’m sorry if I’ve seemed distant, I haven’t meant to.”      “It’s okay,” I said and swung my legs up onto the bed and scooted closer to the pharaoh. “I understand I j…just…”      “Just what?  What is it princess?” he asked and I smiled.  I scooted even closer until I was sitting next to him.  I shifted, bringing my legs back and my front half forward, I think I was trembling, my arms shook.  I didn’t know if I was really doing this right.      “Just…” I said and heard a tremor in my voice.      “What is it my love?” he asked and touched my cheek.  His hand was warm and I leaned into it slightly, taking courage from it as I could.  I moved so I was over him, looking up directly into his eyes as he started down at me a puzzled expression on his face.  “What is it?  I can’t help or do anything unless I know what’s wrong.”
     “N…Nothing is wrong,” I whispered and wrapped my arms around his neck.  I did it exactly as Madera had told me to.  He looked surprised and confused as I lifted myself so my head was level with his.  I had never done this before, I wasn’t sure…I hoped this was right.  I didn’t want him getting angry at me.  Continuing nonetheless, I started to kiss him, I mean that is to say, gently touching my lips to his…trying to mimic what he had done to me.  I felt his surprise and confusion but as my eyes closed I noted his did as well and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him.  His hand moved and brushed my cheek once again and he pulled me tightly against him, drawing me into the kiss, a kiss I had started.  I closed my eyes and reveled in this, his touch, his love.  By Ra, I was falling for him even more.      He slowly broke away from the kiss, still cupping my face with his hand, still holding me close to him.  “Is this what you were really missing?” His voice was soft, sweet, perhaps a little teasing as well.  I nodded in his hand and his smile grew larger.  “I see now, you missed my kiss after our last one.”  That wasn’t what I meant.      “NO!” I exclaimed suddenly and drew back, pulling out of his embrace and sitting back on his legs.      “What’s wrong?” he asked.      “I d…don’t want that,” I said even though it was mostly to me.      “What is it?  What’s wrong?  What don’t you want?” he asked.      “To be d…dependent,” I whispered, “I c…can’t.”  I had already become dependent on him…for a kiss, for something as simple as a kiss!      “To be dependent?” he asked, “I don’t understand what you mean by that.”      “You…I…my pha…pharaoh I’m sorry,” I stammered and started to move off his legs and towards the edge of the bed.  He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back towards him.      “There is nothing to apologize about my love,” he said, “I don’t understand, please explain it to me.”      “I c…can’t…I don’t want to be d…dependent on you,” I whispered. “I mean…I c…can’t…” I broke off my words with a sob.  Silence followed and the pharaoh shifted under me to get slightly more comfortable.      “Ah,” he said, breaking the silence. “You don’t want to depend on me?”      “Its c…complicated,” I whispered, not even fully understanding it myself.  But the way he had phrased it had scared me.  He made it seem like I was depending on his kisses or something and I didn’t want…I didn’t want him to use that to take advantage of me.      “Hmm…I think I understand.  It must’ve been the way I phrased it,” he said. “I said, ‘you missed my kiss after our last one’, right?  But that wasn’t meant in any bad way.  Do you think that meant I was…I was using you?”      “Maybe,” I croaked, finding my voice failing on me.      “I won’t take advantage of you,” he whispered in my ear, “I promise this on my name, on my father’s name.  I promise it with all the love in my heart.  I didn’t mean to say it in a way that scared you.”      I nodded and he smiled, taking me lightly into his arms and cradled me against him.      “I love you more than anything else in the world,” he whispered, “And to tell the honest truth, I think it’s the other way around.”
     “What?  H…How can you think that?” I asked.      “I have been longing for you all week as well,” he said, tracing a line on my cheek, “I missed your kiss I would wager more than you missed mine.”      “I w…would never!” I exclaimed and his soft chuckle followed my words and he nuzzled against me.      “Tell you what love, tomorrow we’ll spend together.  I have some friends you might like,” he said.      “Friends?” I asked.      “They’re at an oasis a little way outside of town,” he said and tilted my head so that he could kiss me once again.  It was slow and sweet but it didn’t last very long. “They’re a little different from inside Egypt, but I think you’ll enjoy meeting them.”       It took me a moment to realize what he might mean, “Gypsies?”
     “Roma, as they should be called princess,” he corrected teasingly. “They are good friends to have; I think they will like you.”      “Will we g…go with guards?”      “No,” he replied easily enough, “We’ll go by ourselves.  I’d only take guards with me if I don’t feel like paying much attention to where I’m going.”      “Huh?” I asked and he laughed a deep chuckle once again that had me entranced. “But t…then…”
     “I have something to protect you see, something to make me stay alert,” he said. “I won’t be idle on this trip; you’re going to be with me.”      “I d…don’t need protection,” I said, “And I c…can ride on my own.”      “You can have your own horse.  I will protect you however, there should be no arguments on that front,” he said and kissed my forehead. “Now, time to sleep.  Would you like to sleep here tonight?”      “S…Sleep in your arms?” I asked and he nodded and I snuggled against him, “Uh-huh.”      “Then sleep my beautiful princess, tomorrow we go out,” he said, “I have a week’s worth of kissing to make up for as well…”  I turned bright red.      “That…that…” I didn’t know how to respond to that.      “Don’t think on it,” he said, “Just sleep for now…sleep and dream.  I know my dreams will be pleasant…you are here by my side.”  I closed my eyes and snuggled against him, feeling sleep come over me as the moon rose in the night sky.  I relaxed into his embrace, I truly did love him.   TBC

A/N: I promise to update sooner, I just have a lot going on before the end of school.  Once summer comes I can update a lot more.  Look for an update soon, or by the next Sunday, I hope!