Aadila wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know if she should just let him do what he wanted or if she was supposed to do something as well. Although it seemed like had stopped, she just went with her gut feeling and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. She smiled internally when Atem let out a quiet approving moan. She realized that she really did love him, and he loved her, but she knew if they were to be together like they were when they were children, she would have to tell her family she was alive.
"Harrummph!" Shocked by the noise, Aadila pushed Atem away, causing her to almost fall down the many stairs that were below them. Her face was redder then the ripest tomato and luckily for her, her back was facing the direction of the person that caught them.
Clearing his throat, Atem looked over Aadila's shoulder, seeing the cause of his mild disappointment. "Priest Seto, what can I do for you?"
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to be an intrusion but everyone is worrying about your whereabouts. Everyone is looking for you, thinking you might have gone and hurt yourself." Aadila noticed the Priest's voice slightly change when he finished his statement. She could feel his eyes burrowing ingot eh back of her skull.
"Well, as you can see, I'm quite alright. I won't be much longer so please inform everyone that I am fine." There was a slight embarrassment in his voice, one Aadila had never heard before. As she looked up at his face, she saw that there was a slight blush on his face. "Can you also dismiss all the servants? Tell them they can retire early tonight due to all the good work they have done for the preparations for tomorrow."
"Of course, your Majesty." Seto began walking away and had a smirk on his face because of the fact that he had just won the bet the Karim. They knew if Aknadin caught them they would be in grave trouble, but they couldn't help it after he noticed the Pharaoh leave very soon after that servant girl did. It seemed impossible, the idea of the Pharaoh falling for a servant, but it seemed Isis' vision did not deceive her.
Aadila refused to lift her head because of the pure embarrassment that was plainly on her face.
"Aadila, don't worry, he won't say anything. At least I hope he won't."
Scoffing at the statement that Atem found so amusing, Aadila turned around and said, "You must get some rest, you have an exciting day tomorrow. You will need all the energy you can get."
Following Aadila down the stairs, Atem replied, "Are you implying that I'm a weak person?"
"That's for you to find out. And no, that's not a yes to your statement."
"First you call me weak and then you talk so rudely. I'm hurt." Aadila turned around to see him grabbing the clothing covering his chest tightly and pretending to show a sad expression on his face.
"I would talk like that all the time when we were children. Why is now so different?"
"Because there is no stopping us from what we originally wanted to do." Atem had gotten in front of her, stopping her from continuing down the hallway. "We can start right where we left off from when we were children, so it is not so different. You can become my queen like we had planned and we can be together forever." Atem grabbed her hands, looking into the happy eyes that haunted his nightmares that now seemed like pleasant dreams. "But you will have to tell your family first, of course."
Smiling at the excited Pharaoh, Aadila nodded. "I'll do it after your coronation. I promise."
Walking toward Aadila's room that she shared with her aunt, Atem just stared at her from behind, waiting for her to notice that he had stopped.
When Aadila did realize that he wasn't walking with her, she saw him staring at her. "What's wrong? Why are you starring at my like that?"
"I just got this strange feeling, that something will happen tomorrow."
"Like what?"
Atem looked at Aadila's face and happily sighed. "No, never mind. I don't really know what I'm talking about." He chuckled lowly and hugged her. "Sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
"Umm, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." Aadila watched as Atem walked away, concerned with what he had said. "What's going to happen tomorrow? Other than the coronation, I can't think of a reason why something bad would happen. Unless, someone decided to try and...No. No, that wouldn't happen. I'll just get some sleep and not think about it." Aadila didn't realize she was talking out loud when she walked into she room.
"What's not going to happen?" Her aunt was walking towards her bed and placing a candle on the small bed side table.
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking to myself."Quickly climbing into her own bed, Aadila hid under the linens. "Good night Auntie!"
"Good night." Aadila heard her aunt blow out the candles and stared at the balcony, looking at the stars in the night sky. Maybe I should take some precautions tomorrow.
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Atem walked into his room to find Mahad looking at him disappointed.
"What's with that face? You look like you think I did a crime."
"Your Majesty, you must be careful. I know you felt that cold feeling that the others, including myself, felt not too long ago. That can only mean one thing."
"Yes, I know and I have a request for you, Mahad."
"Anything."
"Keep Aadila as far away from the ceremony. I want her safe."
"Of course. I'll make sure that she is kept busy and unable to attend."
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Coronation Day...
Atem stood in front of the special guests that the council had decided to invite. He found it strange that they wanted to keep such an important ceremony to be so private. But he still planned to give the people of Egypt some view of the ceremony, not that he told the council of course.
The ceremony seemed to take forever but the fact that Aadila was no where in sight. Little did he know, she was hiding in the crowds, dressed as a boy. Aadila was hiding from her aunt who seemed to be very keen about her actually helping out on one of most important days in Egypt. What's was her problem anyway? She knew how much Aadila wanted to see the coronation. But she was there anyway, so she would deal with her later.
The ceremony came to an end and Atem began walking toward the balcony over looking the square. Many people, including Aadila, were confused by the action. He was supposed to be heading toward the throne room. Aadila slipped out of the crowd and down a side hallway that connected to the balcony. She saw Atem standing there, looking confused himself as to why he was there. The crowds were cheering to the site of their new Pharaoh and awaited for some words but all they got was...
"Hi"
What is he thinking!?
The people in the square bowed to their new king and Atem started to look even more confused. Shimon began talking to him and directed him back toward the throne room. Aadila made her way to the second floor of the throne room. Something was off, Atem didn't seem like himself at all. By the time she got there, Atem was taking his seat at the throne and looked shocked by the people around him.
"Kaiba, Ishizu?" Turning to Shimon, he said, "Grandpa!?"
After declining to Seto's request to postpone the ceremony due to the fact that Atem seemed ill, Priest Seto ordered for the festival of the Pharaoh's to begin. People were dancing, eating and talking among themselves, but Atem just stared at everyone, looking like he has never seen these people before. How could have forgotten his own guardians?
"What's this, each one of you hold a Millennium Item?!"
Okay, something's wrong. This isn't like Atem. What's going on?
Atem started to look at each member of his secret court as if he was trying to figure out who they were or how they were connected to him. Suddenly, the Millennium necklace held by Isis began to glow, along with Aadila's bracelet. Looking across the way, she saw that there was a man hiding in the shadows of the pillar, with something in his hands. Before she could react Isis yelled, "Mahad, quick!" Mahad realized what she had seen and blocked the dart that was coming toward the Pharaoh. Aadila thought that this could have been what Atem was talking about the day before, but it didn't seem like such a big deal to cause her to concern. After all, that was the point of the necklace.
They were dragging the man in front of Atem when suddenly Seto seemed to have an idea that he couldn't keep to himself. "Let us use the rouge to demonstrate for the new Pharaoh the full extent of our power. Don't you agree Master Aknadin? Master Shimon?" As they both agreed, the man looked scared as to what was about to happen to them. Aadila was just as confused as Atem appeared to be. She didn't know that the Millennium Items could put people's souls on trail, but she had an idea of what it was.
The guardians went up one by one, using their Millennium Items to see into the man's soul. Soon, there was a creature with many arms appearing from the man's body, and pulled into a stone tablet. Aadila looked down at her glowing bracelet and realized that she was seen by Mahad and took off.
Aadila walked toward a gardens where she had always gone to as a child when she was confused. Atem's behaviour, everything looked so foreign to him, but she couldn't figure out why. Rustling came from behind her and just before she was about to call for help, Mahad appeared.
"Mahad don't scare me like that! I nearly called the guards!"
"Why were you in the throne room? Were you not supposed to be helping your aunt?"
"I wanted to see the ceremony, is that so ba---Wait. How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I was supposed to be helping my aunt? Mahad...." Aadila's voice became angry. He did this even when they were kids and she couldn't stand it.
"I didn't do it for my own enjoyment this time. It was the request of the Pharaoh. He was worried about you."
"I don't care! Look what I had to do just to see something that I have all the right to see! I look like an idiot!" Aadila wiped the short wig off her head and loosened the linens around her. "These are so uncomfortable."
Mahad laughed but then became serious. "Aadila, what is that on your arm? It has magical powers within it. I have sensed something since you arrived yesterday night."
"It's...nothing. Just a piece of jewellery I found on the way to the city."
"You know I can read through your lies as if they were written down, so spit it out. What is it?"
Aadila sighed. He was right. Mahad has a talent for reading through lies, even if you were skilled at telling them. "It's my own Millennium Item."
"I'm sorry? Did you just say, a Millennium Item?"
"Yes. I did it to save my life and to protect the people I care about. Is that so wrong?"
"Well, yes and no. How did you ever get the magic or the spell to do it?"
"Stop asking questions that you already know the answer to."
"I was simply being polite. Don't have to be so snappy."
Placing her left hand on the item, Aadila stared at it. She was being hard on Mahad for no reason really. He was just being a friend to her. "I'm sorry Mahad. It's just that the way Atem was acting after the coronation, he didn't seem like himself. It seemed like he totally forgot who everyone was, even who he was. I guess it scared me, that's all."
"I noticed it to. Maybe it's just the stress of knowing the responsibilities he has to take on?"
"I hope your right." Looking up at the sky, Aadila noticed Atem appear onto a balcony, looking over the dimly lit city. "But, I feel that there may be something happening that is causing him to act so differently and I don't like it."
Mahad noticed her looking at something and turned to see the Pharaoh looking out onto the night horizon. "I must go. I will see you later Aadila."
"Good evening Mahad."
Looking back one more time at Atem's silhouette, she could only sigh, then returned to her room.