Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Cards ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Heart of the Cards: Chapter 2

3000 years ago in Ancient Egypt

Today was the big day!  Mana couldn't keep the grin from her face as she looked towards the sundial for the time of day.  It was almost time to celebrate her eighteenth birthday and the pharaoh would be coming to pick her up and escort her to the party he had arranged for.

She tried to sneak a peak into the festivities but it seemed the pharaoh knew her too well for that and had guards posted so she couldn't enter.  He also had High Priest Set place a barrier that could detect whether or not she used her magic to gain access.  Mana scoffed at that.  "I could get past his barrier easily," she decided to herself.  It was true too, for Mahaado was the greatest magician and he had taught her well.

It would be fun to beat Set.

The mischievous twinkle that often filled her emerald eyes ignited at the prospect of causing the high priest's temper to rise.  "I know that look," a familiar voice broke into her internal plotting.  Mana looked up in surprise at seeing the pharaoh standing inside her room with an amused expression, arms crossed over his chest.

"How long have you been there?" Mana asked warily as she looked over her friend appreciatively.  He looked very handsome this day with his tanned skin contrasting sharply with his white clothing and long dark purple cape.  His gold earrings, arm bands, and head dress added to his exotic good looks with his spiky tri-colored hair.

There was amusement in the pharaoh's amethyst orbs as he took in the sight of the young woman standing before him.  She was dressed casually in a beige linen dress, but with the gold jewelry that he had given her and her normally untamed hair was brushed out long and silkily behind her.  He didn't answer her question, he hardly heard it.  "You look beautiful," he told her with a smile as he reached out his hand in invitation for her.

Mana blushed under the praise from the most powerful man in all of Egypt.  "Thank you," she replied with a shy smile.  She wasn't sure why his complement embarrassed her.  They had been friends since childhood.  He was like a brother to her, nothing more!

The two stepped out of her residence and were immediately escorted by a troop of guards who stood sentinel outside waiting for the pharaoh to exit with his charge.  Mana bit her lower lip as she began to scan the hallways in search of someone she knew wouldn't be back yet.  The pain in her chest at the realization that he wouldn't be present for her celebration almost brought tears to her eyes.

But if there was one thing Mana did not do, it was cry.  She had only cried once in her life and that was after the death of her family.  Pharaoh Atem looked over at the birthday girl on his arm with concern.  "Are you alright?"

Mana offered a wobbly smile in response.  "Of course, thank you so much for this my prince."

Atem smiled at her warmly before giving her arm a gentle squeeze and whispering, "that's Pharaoh in public my friend."

"Forgive me," Mana whispered with a bow of her head, bringing her chin towards her chest. 

"My pharaoh," an older man, the head of the palace security in Mahaado's absence, kneeled in front of the young pharaoh and his mage.  "There is trouble in the East that requires your presence."

"I see," Atem replied quietly as he cast Mana a worried look out of the corner of his eye.  It was obvious she was disappointed, but was fighting to hide it from him.  He already knew that Mahaado being absent from her celebration was weighing heavily on her, but if he too wasn't present for her she would certainly be upset no matter how well she buried the emotion.

Mana placed her small hand over the one that was holding her arm and patted it gently as she smiled warm-heartedly at her pharaoh.  "Do be careful pharaoh," she told him in way of saying goodbye.

Atem was torn.  He looked past the guard kneeling before him, only to see his cousin, High Priest Set standing with his arms folded over his chest impatiently.  "I will leave shortly, you may rise."  He informed the man before keeping his grip firm upon Mana and leading her towards the banquet for her birthday.

It wasn't a big event.  Most people did not merit an invitation to a celebration at the palace of the pharaoh.  The priests, with the exception of Mahaado, and some other high ranked officials were in attendance.  "Let us eat before we leave for our journey," Atem offered Mana as he continued to walk with her on his arm towards the large feast set out.

"Leave on our journey?" Mana echoed confused, but her mouth began to water at the sight of all the food laid out on the grand banquet table. 

Pharaoh Atem released her arm as he sat in his throne like chair at the head of the table.  He gestured to the chair to his right, the place of honor for the young mage to sit.  "Yes, you'll be accompanying me."

Mana blinked at him in confusion but it was not her place to question the pharaoh no matter if they were childhood friends.

Atem laughed at the confused expression, causing many raised eyebrows from the high ranked officials that were not aware of the pharaoh's personal life or anything about him outside of meetings.  "Yes, Mana, it wouldn't be safe for me to travel without a mage at my side."

The tips of Mana's ears burned crimson, as she found herself blushing at the pharaoh's high opinion of her.  "I'm afraid I'm not very good though, I'll probably just mess up."

Atem shrugged.  "Guess that makes it a better incentive for Mahaado to join us when he returns to the palace then, does it not?"  The pharaoh then returned his attention to his guests and clapped twice, signaling for the food to be served.  High Priest Set sat on the pharaoh's other side, glaring at the troublesome woman sitting across from him for most of the duration of the meal.

"So Set, I heard that you had a problem with a snake infestation in your quarters yesterday," Mana began innocently as she sipped from her wine goblet.  The pharaoh began to choke on his laughter when Set's cobalt blue eyes flashed with anger.

"Funny how you would have heard about the infestation when no one else knew," Set remarked caustically.  He leaned forward in an intimidating fashion.  "One might think you had something to do with it."

Mana smiled disarmingly at him.  "Why would a powerful mage, such as myself, waste time with such foolish childish activities?"  Her tone of voice was innocent enough. 

"Why indeed," Set muttered darkly as he stabbed the meat on his plate fiercely with his knife.  He kept his eyes focused on the birthday girl, enjoying silently how she squirmed under his watchful eye.  "Do not think your innocent act will always save you," he warned.

Mana took a nervous swallow from her goblet and flashed the pharaoh a quick nervous glance.  Atem cleared his throat.  "I believe I have had my fill, now would be a good time to depart Mana."  He turned to Set, "You are in charge in my absence."

The high priest nodded, he was already aware of this.  He didn't agree with the idea of the pharaoh roaming across the desert but he knew that sometimes it was unavoidable.  "Go with Ra cousin," he answered.

Mana followed the pharaoh out of the banquet hall towards the stables where the guards leaving with him waited.  His beautiful white horse was saddled and ready for the journey.  Mana looked around, in search of the horse that would be used for her traveling.

Atem noticed her search and laughed, drawing her attention.  "Have you grown too old to share my horse?"  He teased as he ran his fingers through the long white mane of his dearly loved horse.

The colored drained from Mana's face in mortification that the pharaoh might have thought she insulted him.  She trusted her life to Atem, but some of his servants didn't like her for her friendly actions towards him.  "I didn't mean to insinuate---," she trailed off, not sure how to apologize.

The pharaoh shook his head at her; she never ceased to entertain him.  With a graceful leap he pulled himself to sit upon his horse's strong back.  He reached down before Mana could react and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her up alongside him.  She stretched her leg across the horse so that she was able to settle in behind the king of Egypt.

She reached her arms around his waist and buried her face in the silky material of his royal cape.  She couldn't contain the gleeful laughter that erupted from her throat.  Atem looked over his shoulder at her and gave a questioning look.  Mana simply shook her head, loving the feel of riding the most beautiful horse in all of Egypt.

"My pharaoh," one of the guards rode his horse in front of his king.  "Are you ready?"  Atem nodded his head, sighing at the fact that no one was allowed to know his first name.  Even Mana and Mahaado were unaware of his true name.  He followed behind the first few soldiers in his company, enjoying the feel of Mana trustingly holding him from behind. 

He wouldn't deny that he cared for her, daresay loved her even.  With her he felt his spirit free of the burdens he was forced to carry since the day he took the position of pharaoh after his father's untimely death.  He knew that eventually he would have to take a queen and she needed to be of royal blood which ruled out the woman that was clinging to him with such devotion.

She would give her life to him, he had no doubt.  The idea of having her absolute loyalty should have been reassuring, but instead he found himself feeling empty.  He valued friendship and loyalty, but what he really wanted was to be loved for himself and not his crown.  The only two individuals he knew with certainty that cared for him as a person were his two mages.

He felt anger directed towards Mahaado.  The priest chose to live a life that lacked any form of pleasure.  Atem had only seen the man laugh a handful of times, and each one had been a result of some crazy antic of the woman sitting behind him.

Mahaado took his position seriously which was good, but it was also unhealthy.  He had dedicated his life to serving the pharaoh.  Sometimes Atem wondered if that fierce loyalty had anything to do with the time Mahaado saved him from being bitten by a snake as children.

It was soon after Mana had come to live in the palace.  She and Atem were in the gardens talking when Mahaado joined them.  The snake appeared out of no where and Mahaado had jumped before the pharaoh and protected him from the fangs, taking the bite himself.  Atem had made a comment about how when he was pharaoh he wanted to find a way so that everyone was treated equally, a way that servitude could be eliminated.

After that incident, Mahaado's devotion to Atem had become somewhat religious.  He was quick to scold Mana for acting too familiar around the prince, though he would often forget himself and act the same way, much to the amusement of Mana and embarrassment of Mahaado.

"Is something wrong?" Mana asked quietly when she felt Atem sigh deeply.

"No, I was just thinking about some things," Atem answered solemnly.  Mana seemed to sense his sorrow, as only she seemed adept at doing and hugged him tight from behind.  Atem felt his heart lift at her freely given affection and shifted the reins of his horse into one hand.  With his free hand he reached behind his shoulder and ruffled her hair.

"Ugh," Mana complained as she tried to fix her hair.  The wind had already ruined the carefully brushed look she sported during her feast, but now the pharaoh had further made it a mess.  "Now your people will think I have no respect for you with me being so ill-kempt." 

A hearty laugh burst out of Atem.  "I doubt it will be the first time, nor the last.  Do not concern yourself my dark magician girl."  He assured her, using the name of her Ka spirit that she had yet to master.  He was confident that eventually she would learn to control her Ka spirit with as much skill as Mahaado employed with his Magician of Illusion.

oooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooo

It was late the next evening when the pharaoh and his female mage returned to the palace, their business in the East settled.  Outside the door of her residence they said their goodbyes while several guards waited anxiously to escort the pharaoh to his own rooms.

"Thank you so much prince," Mana tried to speak in a proper tones but was dismayed when she yawned.  The pharaoh shook his head at her and grinned. He was surprised when she suddenly hugged him tightly.  He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her warm body pressed up against his.  It was a mostly foreign feeling to have physical contact with someone.  He returned the hug, for a moment feeling like a normal man, not one burdened with the responsibilities of a nation.

"You'll have breakfast with me in the morning," Atem informed her when she drew back.  Mana nodded in assent, not that she really could refuse if she wanted.  "Cheer up, Mahaado might not be back, but in the mean time you have me to entertain."  He smirked at her.

"Right, as long as there isn't some national emergency," Mana teased in a half-smile.  Atem shrugged and Mana moved quickly and kissed his cheek.  "Thank you," she whispered in his ear before she pushed him gently and shut the door in his face.

On the other side, Atem raised his fingers to his cheek.  He had never been kissed before.  He stared at the door blankly for several long moments before he found himself smiling softly.  He turned and allowed his guards to escort him back to his rooms.  No doubt, Priest Set was waiting to inform him of more pertinent business to attend to.

He resisted the urge to look once more at the closed door that led to the residence of his two mages.  At least after spending the last two days in the light hearted company of Mana he could find the strength to get through the boring meetings that were required of him.

Mana stood staring at the door after she had shut it in the pharaoh's face.  She was unsure of what magic possessed her to cause her to do something so foolish as to kiss the king of Egypt!  She was so confused, the pharaoh was her friend but now he was also considered a god.  To touch a god was death, and yet she had shared his horse with him, hugged him, and now kissed him.

But then, he didn't seem to mind.

And besides, she smiled ruefully; he really needs to be shown some affection.

The smile quickly slid off her face when she turned around to see her teacher, her beloved Mahaado, looking back at her, with an unhappy expression and somewhat of a dark look in his silver eyes.

"It isn't wise to act so familiar with the pharaoh," Mahaado spoke, his voice breaking the thick silence in the atmosphere between them.  Mana shifted her weight but didn't answer, she already knew that. 

Mahaado watched the display between his apprentice and his pharaoh with mixed emotions.  It lifted his spirits to see the two of them enjoying one another's company while at the same time he felt a strong sense of jealousy.  However, he knew the rules of society did not condone such behavior.  He worried for Mana's safety at the hands of some of the more noble class of society.  The pharaoh had ideas to destroy the caste system, but it was far from reality.

Many of the higher society already hated Mana for the mere fact that she was a woman living in the palace in a position not as a concubine.  Many of those same people hated Priestess Isis for the same reason.  He had heard the various rumors with a mix of amusement and disgust.  Many seemed to think that Mana wasn't his apprentice, but in actuality his mistress. 

At times he suspected that High Priest Set was responsible for spreading some of the rumors if only to make him look inept at his duties as a magician.

"Well," Mana began, chewing on her lip thoughtfully.  "He is human, why shouldn't people expect him to act like that?"

Mahaado arched his brow, "You realize it is the belief of our culture that pharaoh is god."

"But that's ridiculous!  You and I both know that!" Mana shouted annoyed with that reasoning.  Mahaado quickly rose to his feet, his height towering over that of his foolish apprentice.  He backed her against the door, arms caging around her as he leaned down to speak in her face.

"To say that in anyone else's ear would be death," he warned his silver eyes serious as he seemed to pierce her soul with one look.  He brought his hands away from the door and rested them upon her bare shoulders, noticing the new gold arm bands that she wore on her upper arms, no doubt a gift from the pharaoh.  "You must be careful with the way you act," his eyes softened as he released her and walked back to the chair he was formerly occupying.

"Many do not like for a female to be in the palace, much less taking so many liberties and being as close as you are to the pharaoh."  Mahaado continued, his voice sounded tired.

Mana walked towards her weary teacher, feeling guilty for causing him more trouble to mull over in his mind.  He worried more than was necessary and she didn't want him worried about her as well.  "But, he's my best friend," she frowned as she stood in front of him.

Unexpectedly, Mahaado reached out and grasped both of her wrists in his hands.  His eyes sought hers and he could see that she was on the verge of tears.  The harsh words he was about to utter fell away from his tongue and he found himself speechless.  He pulled the woman to him in an impromptu hug, something exceedingly rare.

Mana clung to his robes in a tight embrace and he could feel her tears begin to seep into his clothing as she cried silently.  "Mana I wanted to be here for your birthday," he told her quietly, knowing that in his absence the pharaoh was the only other person she felt comfortable enough to be with.

"Can't I go with you next time?  I hate when you abandon me.  I can help you," she pleaded, her face pressed against his neck.

Soothingly Mahaado ran his hands up her back.  He felt an urge to sigh, but restrained it.  He was familiar with the fear that Mana was experiencing now.  He and the pharaoh were the people Mana loved and cared for.  If she was to lose them, he wasn't sure how she would cope.  That thought often drove him to fight hard to survive.  He kissed the top of her head, smelling the fresh fragrances that she always carried with her of exotic flowers.

He released her and pushed her away slightly so that he could rise and walk away from her.  With his back turned to her, he spoke.  "You can not always follow where I go.  You must learn to be strong and stand on your own.  Pharaoh and I will not always be around."  He steeled himself to not look at her, for he knew his harsh words would cause her pain.

He could hear her sharp intake of air.  "Don't say things like that," she whispered.

Mahaado turned to look at her sadly, "It is the truth."  Mana's eyes narrowed and she walked past him towards her bedroom without another word.  He watched her leave with a heavy heart.  He knew the words he spoke were the truth no matter how hard he wanted to protect her from reality.

From the inner folds of his robes, he pulled out the necklace he had purchased for her while he was on his mission.  If he hadn't made the stop to acquire the gift he would have made it in time for her celebration, but the necklace was too perfect for him to ignore.  He walked silently towards her bedroom and saw that she was sound asleep.

He smiled fondly at the picture she made.  She never did have trouble falling asleep.  Usually the second her head hit the pillow she was out like an extinguished flame.  He placed the necklace on the nightstand beside the table and left as silently as he entered.  She would find the necklace in the morning.

He closed the door behind him and went to his room to gather his things.  His mission was not completed but he had hurried back to the palace for his apprentice.  When he discovered she was absent and with the pharaoh he decided to await their return.  He would use the excuse of reporting to the pharaoh before returning to his duties in the West.

oooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooo

Present Day

Yami and Tèa sat across from one another at the dance club, watching their friends try their luck at Dance Dance Revolution.  Duke was talented at the game, while Tristen was sadly pathetic.

Serenity stood by watching the two trying to impress her with a shy, yet amused look on her fair face.  Her older brother Joey stood beside her with a protective arm around her shoulder, as if he was afraid one of his two friends would give up on the dance game and try to kidnap his sister and make a run for it.

"So," Tèa began, trying to strike up a conversation with the pharaoh that inhabited the body of her good friend Yugi.  Yami turned to look at her, his amethyst eyes revealing she had his undivided attention.  "Did you figure anything out about that card of yours?"

Yami frowned, his hands instinctually going towards the deck of cards that resided within his jacket pocket.  His eyes grew dark before answered.  "I'm not quite sure, but she is connected to my Dark Magician.  There is something special about those two cards."

Tèa reached across the table and grasped the time-displaced pharaoh's hand.  She smiled at him reassuringly.  "I'm sure you'll figure it out and you've got your friends to help you."

Yami returned the smile.  "Yes, Tèa, I do have my friends to count on."  His eyes started to unfocus on the teenaged woman in front of him as he struggled to find any sort of memory of his past-life that might answer his millions of questions.  "There was that stone template depicting the Dark Magician," he recollected.

"Right, in your tomb that was guarded by Isis Ishtar and her family.  Should we try to contact her or Shadi and see if they know anything more about this?" Tèa suggested.

Yami pulled his hand out from under Tèa's and pulled out the card he had resting on the top of his deck.  The smiling, cheerful face of the Dark Magician Girl looked back at him.  He knew this card was important to him, perhaps equally or even more meaningful than the Dark Magician, his most loyal servant.  Next he pulled out the Dark Magician card and laid them both upon the table top before him.

Tèa watched him closely, frowning at the tragic look that crossed his eyes, if only for a moment as he gazed at the two figures engraved on those game cards.  "You don't know what its like to look at something and know that you should remember something important about it and yet be unable to," Yami spoke softly, almost to himself.

"Yugi Motou," the deep, challenging voice of Marik Ishtar caused all other noises in the loud dance hall to become silent.  Yami looked up to meet the golden gaze of the young man that caused so much trouble in recent months when possessed by a dark spirit controlled by the millennium rod.

"Yes?" Yami answered, rising to his feet in anticipation.

The challenging look in Marik's eyes disappeared and was replaced by a pleading look.  "I need your help.  Something is wrong with my sister, Isis."

"Oh no!" Yami exclaimed as he hurried to follow his former nemesis.  Tèa followed quickly behind him and he could hear his other four friends catching up as well.  "What has happened to your sister?"

Marik gave Yami a brief look.  "Pharaoh, she had a vision of the past but then fell asleep into some sort of trance-like state.  She keeps muttering the names of Karim, Mahaado, and Mana.  I found Shadi, but he hasn't been able to help."

"Shadi?  Isn't that the weird Egyptian guy that shows up at random who talks in riddles?" Joey asked as he hurried to walk alongside Yugi.  Marik's eyes narrowed at the 'weird Egyptian' comment, but he nodded his head in answer regardless.

Yami spoke no more, his mind was a whirl.  Those names that Marik mentioned were familiar.  He knew them from somewhere but he couldn't identify where! 

TBC

A/N:  So, the names of the characters is probably pretty confusing since they are different depending on whether you are using the Japanese or American version of YuGiOh or talking about their present life or their Egyptian past life. Yami is the present day pharaoh, only he doesn't remember that his name is Pharaoh Atem and the body he shares is that of Yugi Motou.  Mahaado is the human incarnate of the Dark Magician, and Mana is the human incarnate of the Dark Magician Girl.   Marik is also called Malik, Isis is also called Ishizu, Tèa is also Anzu, et cetera.