The Pharaoh's Champion

The rain was relentless, and lightning flashed intermittently.

  "Ah, Pharaoh, to what do I owe this honour? Perhaps you're looking to team up?"

 His fists clenched angrily in response. "You know better than that."

  A soft breeze caressed her dripping face, drawing her gaze to the man, illuminated by a flash of lightning too far to cause concern. Her breath hitched as she felt a warm tear slide from her eye and tumble down with the rest of the rain.

  "If you want to get to him, you'll have to get through me first." She spoke through gritted teeth under a frown so stern, it would send any lesser man running for the hills. There was no drop in her guard, quite the opposite in fact, her senses heightened and she kept her muscles ready to pounce at the slightest hint of danger.

  "Oh, this is just too brilliant! What a shame that I have interrupted your rather touching reunion," his laugh felt like it shook the ground. "I know why you both hate me because when you get right down to it we're all the same."

 "We are nothing alike," he snarled.

 "We're all five thousand-year-old spirits, each inhabiting the body of an innocent civilian. Although, your precious little lioness doesn't seem to suffer with such an affliction, more of a reincarnation than a possession I'd wager. The only difference is that I remember my past."

 Zahra felt herself gasp, she let her eyes drift to the Pharaoh. It's all true, every word. There was a small part of her that thought it was a lie, an elaborate prank. Her nails dug into her palms as she wrestled with herself. Shuddering was all her body could do, not because of the cold or the saturated clothes that clung to her like skin waiting to be shed, but from conflicting feelings collided in her soul. Overwhelming relief and something akin to hatred. Her body couldn't cope. She felt it all at once, and much too completely.

 As she dug through the trenches of her mind, she came to a small part of her that felt warm and calming. All her life, she had always been so different. There was a deep burning in her gut that almost pushed her in one direction, an instinct of sorts that led her to make all the decisions that made Mrs Goodtree both smile with pride and groan in frustration. The kind of decisions that took her down that alley. Decisions that made it so she had enough money to book last-minute plane ticket, that led her to Hiro and Yuki. All of them leading to this moment. 

 "I will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent."

  The Pharaoh's voice brought her back to reality.

  "Well then, best of luck, you're going to need it when the ultimate shadow game begins," he turned on his heel, a cloak as black as his soul swayed in his wake. "Enjoy your travels Pharaoh."

 Zahra watched him leave, walking past her with the casual grace of a man who got exactly what he wanted.

Then suddenly he stopped and glared at her from the corner ofnhisneye, not not bothering to even turn his head.

"You, Champion, shall be the first to go."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. Her spine went rigid and she felt her eyes widen in terror as he stepped so casually away. When he was put of sight, she somewhat eased, the feel of the rain trickling down her spine suddenly hit her. She was soaked to the bone and starting to shiver, and let go pf a shuddering breath she didn't realise she was holding.

 "Are you alright?"

Crossing her arms over her chest to keep in any precious warmth she still had left, she turned fast, unaware of his approach.

 He was staring right at her. Piercing eyes that cut straight through.

 "Uh – I, erm, y-es, I'm okay," she stuttered, immediately feeling the embarrassment burn the back of her neck. "Th-thank you."

  "Come. Let us both get out of this rain."

 She nodded, and her feet moved without a second thought.

 It took a few minutes for them to hurry through the rain. All the while she asked questions, who was that guy? What did he want? The Pharaoh answered each question she threw at him as he led her to a building that stood by itself in the street. It looked homely and inviting, almost as if this small part of the world was unaffected by the continuing rain and thunder. The eye of the storm.

 She read the words on top of the building, gently pulled out the soaked paper from her jacket and unfolded it.

  "This is the address Yuki gave me", she said to herself as the rain bounced off her face. As the adrenaline began to subside, in the crash her shoulders sagged, this was all getting too real now. I can't keep up, she sobbed to herself.

 "Perhaps we should talk inside?" It wasn't a question, she could tell by the tone of his voice.

  Obediently, she followed him.

In no time at all, she was sat at a small table, in a room with cardboard boxes piled up in the corners, a cup of steaming tea in front of her.

 The Pharaoh had stepped out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  What in the actual fuck is going on? She questioned, watching the hot air sway up towards her nose as she held her dripping wet head in her hands.

  She had never sworn as much as she did these past few days, yet they kept coming. Everything has been so outrageous recently. Words in the dictionary just didn't cut it.

She muttered to herself as she tried to feel a bit more comfortable in her soaked skin, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it over the back of her chair, hearing the water drip in a slight melody as they hit the floor, turning her confusion to frustration.

  Follow that teeny tiny golden light Zahra, that'll be a good idea. 

 Oooo, why don't you shout and swear at that madman, Bakura or whatever he said his name was, Zahra, that'll be fun..

 Hey, you know what the best idea is? Wearing sodding denim out in the rain!

 "Here, you must be cold."

  Zahra jumped, almost spilling her tea.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," his voiced was laced with genuine concern.

  She managed a soft laugh to herself. "Oh, it's not your fault. I've been a little, uh –on edge lately and I didn't hear you come back in," she took the towel that he handed out to her and wrapped it around her shoulders. 

  "Understandable," the pharaoh placed a pile of clothes on the table. "I brought these for you. You don't have to wear them, but I thought you may want the option to get out of those wet things."

Her neck burnt at the thought. She watched him take a seat right in front her, a steaming cup of tea in his own hands. The table was small, as he sat down she felt his knees brush against hers.

A jolt of electricity shot up her body. She felt tense and uneasy, shifting her weight in her chair. As if sensing the atmosphere in the room, the storm outside crackled and howled.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea, I need to leave. As a way to ready herself, she rose the cup to her lips, and took a steady sip.

She felt eyes bore into her and looked up form under her lashes.

He was staring at her intently, holding his cup in his slender hands. The hairs on her neck stood up.

It felt different to how it did in her visions. There she felt a raw connection between them, born out a of fiery anger and stubbornness that effortlessly turned into passion and desire. Now she felt self-conscious, his analysing eyes stripping away every part of her. There was nothing in his gaze for her to push against, no spark of a sizzling lust. She may not be able to remember everything, but him not knowing her at all? That hurt in a place she had never felt before.

She kept his gaze, desperately searching. Please… don't have forgotten me. 

 "If you wouldn't mind, I have some questions I'd like to ask," he finally spoke.

  She pulled the towel in closer trying to feel a little less naked and nodded as she hid behind the cup.

 "Who are you?"

The question hit her like a tons of bricks. Who am I? 

Suddenly the feeling of him forgetting her went deeper. How could she fear him forgetting her, when she didn't know who she was herself?

 "Well," she slowly moved the cup down from her mouth, scrambling to gather her thoughts. "My name is Zahra Goodtree." His brow rose, a silent invitation for her to go on. "I -uh, used to be your..." she trailed off, running her hand through her heavily wet hair, trying to find the right word.

  Champion? Protector? Lover? Fantasy?

  "… Friend," like a dagger to the heart, saying that hurt more than she thought it would.

 There was the slightest hint of knowing in the side smile that spread across his face. "Bakura seemed to think that you were precious to me? Though it is true, that all of my friends are, something about what he said- ," he stopped mid-sentence, "something about you seems different."

  She took a sharp inhale of breath. In that moment the heat rushed from her neck to her cheeks. Her whole body began to tingle, her toes scrunched in her slippers. Then with a subtle whisp, the smell of cinnamon and myrrh drifted up her nose.

 Her eyes rolled back as she breathed it in deeper. Oh god, it's really him!

 Suddenly her hands were buried in a thick, scrunchy mane of soft hair. A heat penetrating the very core of her being. Her lips moving up and down against a second soft, though slightly chapped pair, moving equally passionately. There were hands on her, one on the nape of her neck and the other on the small of her back before it slipped down over a globe of her bottom and onto her thigh, lifting it up and around his waist. She gladly obliged. By all of the Gods, she loved the wild edge beneath this calculating and controlled man.

 Her eyes were closed in the intensity of it all. Moans and whimpers from both of them vibrated in the air. Their bodies were pressed up so hard against each other.

  His scent… it was bringing it all back….

 I remember, she mused, lost in euphoria. He tasted so damn sweet. 

  Echoes from a hidden part of her seemed to play through her mind. The voices were the Pharaoh and her own, answering back and forth in a deep loving exchange.

'You are worth so much, Zahra, to me.'

'All I want, is to be with you.'

'Let me hold you a little while longer.'

'Please, don't leave me.'

'No one knows me quite like you do.'

'I see you, A-…'

 "Um, are you okay there?"

 This wasn't his voice.

 As her eyes snapped open, sat innocently and concerned opposite her was a young boy. His stark likeness to the Pharaoh made her feel even more uneasy after her sudden vision.

  "Y-yes, I'm fine, totally. Absolutely a-okay," she tugged at her still-soaking collar. "Phew, is it hot in here?"

  "Not really," he answered, somewhat confused. "You're still dripping wet too."

 "Ah, yes," the chair screeched across the floor as she stood. "Excuse me a moment, is there somewhere I can change?"

 He smiled in earnest, an innocent beam of a truly genuine soul. "Sure," he pointed her in the direction of the bathroom.

Zahra picked up the clothes the Pharaoh had left her, and gave a curt nod.

  "I'm Yugi, by the way." He called as she walked away.

 Looking over her shoulder she smiled, bigger and more honest than she had before.

 "I'm Zahra," she answered with conviction this time, like she actually believed it herself. "It's nice to meet you, Yugi."

"I had no idea that the Pharaoh had another friend in this world from his own time."

  "Yes well, in his defence, I didn't know until about a week ago myself."

  They chuckled lightly together.

  This had been the most surreal evening thus far. After the Pharaoh had seemingly disappeared and Yugi had taken his place, the pair chatted back and forth about various things. At first, it was in concern about Bakura and what he was planning. Then the conversation seemed to easily turn to a more casual and upbeat tone. They chatted about his group of friends, how he and the Pharaoh became the King of Games. She mentioned about meeting Shadi, and her life back home, up till now.

  As the weather outside subsided from the storm, they both bonded over how much their lives had changed since the Pharaoh had suddenly burst into their lives.

  It was nice, feeling close enough to someone that you could just chat and chat. As she felt herself relax, the weight that lifted made her feel like she had beeb on guard her entire life, and though the Pharaoh may have gone, she could still sense his presence close by.

They kept going until the early light began to peak over the buildings. "Well, it's been nice chatting to you, Yugi."

  "You too, Zahra."

  "Are you sure it's still okay for me to pop back round later?" She asked, patting strat droplets from her damp jacket. 

"Yes of course, I still have some arrangements to make for our trip back to the Pharaoh's homeland," he placed a thoughtful finger on his chin. "And your homeland too, I guess."

Something inside her jolted. The thought of having a homeland seemed foreign to her. Even the place she grew up, yes it was home and she felt comfortable there, but it was always Mrs Goodtree's home. "I guess your right! Well don't forget, I'm sure Yuki and Hiro will be more than willing to help," she winked at him as she folder her damp clothes into a bag.

"I know, it's crazy how you were able to meet some of Grampa's old friends like that. It really is a small world."

"I tell you what, If you're looking to learn as much as you can, like you say, perhaps I can ask Yuki and Hiro if they have any guides, or something like that?" she shrugged her shoulders. "Could help both of us."

"You'd do that? Wow that would be great."

His enthusiasm warmed her heart and she reached out a hand to him. "It really was nice to meet you, Yugi."

He took her hand and shook it gently. "You too, Zahra. I'll talk to you soon."

"Absolutely," she moved towards the door and called over her shoulder. "Take care of the Pharaoh for me until I get back."

"You bet!"

 The morning air hit her as she stepped across the threshold. A fresh, slightly chilly breeze that signalled a brand new day. The streets were quiet, just a few cars and busses past, under the noise of some early birds chirping in the trees.

It was serene, and still. This was definitely her favourite time of day.

  Yugi had given her some basic directions, she felt confident that she could find her way, it wasn't that far really. There was a light skip in her step as she tried to follow her feet back to where she remembered.

  Her pace was lazy, she smiled and hummed absentmindedly to herself. Nothing could dampen her mood today.

  She stood at some traffic lights, watching as more vehicles appeared to start the day. A light breeze drifted a familiar scent up her nose. She grabbed the collar of her t-shirt, it was big and a little oversized for her but comfortable at least and bringing it to her nose, she took a deep sniff. It smelt like Yugi, under the lightly perfumed detergent there was the kind of musky scent that just seemed to come naturally from boys, then hidden in the depths was the sweet and spicy smell of the Pharaoh.

  She let it linger in her nose for as long as she could. Her face beamed as she thought about seeing Yugi and the Pharaoh again, later today.

  Then her body suddenly tensed as she noticed something between the passing of cars. She let go of her collar as she realised that standing a stone's throw across the road, Bakura stood watching her, like a scavenger waiting in the shadows.

  Zahra felt her muscles tense and her jaw clench, her focus was entirely on him.

He smiled at her with a sickening grin.

You will be the first to go. He mouthed.

  I will not be afraid-

Her thoughts were suddenly halted as she felt a huge pressure on her back, pushing her straight into the road.

The sound of screeching tyres droned.

  A searing pain shot up her arm and the next thing she felt was air swirling around her body as she rolled and slammed onto the cold, hard ground.