Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Truthfully, in My Soul ❯ A Dream Under Threat ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: A Dream Under Threat

 

Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi. Neferue and Riyah are my own ideas.

 

It was midnight. The sky was clear and had adorned herself with sparkling stars and a sliver of moon.

 

Just a few miles outside the edge of the oasis town of Riyah, Atemu and Mana sat together in the sand, basking in the moonlight glow. Their eyes looked up, fixed to the infinite sky.

 

Mana was the most fascinated with the sky, for the sky had no boundaries, no borders to hold it back. Even better, no one owned the sky, no one controlled the sky. Often times, she wished that she and Atemu could just sprout wings so they could fly forever free above the soft clouds. She wished that the desert breeze could just pick them up and caress those wings, perhaps take them to someplace where they were free to love each other without restriction.

 

She began to feel sleepy, so she rested her weary head on Atemu's shoulder. Atemu picked up his hand and began to stroke her hair. He let his fingers get tangled in those brown locks of hers while her mind drifted off in a dream.

 

He thought it was odd that it was Mana who was sleeping lightly, yet he felt almost certain that he was the one who was dreaming. After all, it was not so long ago that he was at the palace ruling over an entire kingdom, and a powerful one at that. Now, he was out here in the desert, gazing at the sky with Mana, just as he used to do so long ago.

 

If this is indeed a dream, Atemu thought, then I pray that it does not end.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Meanwhile, along the Nile River, Neferue's horse picked up speed. A cloud of dust sprung from behind the horse's heels.

 

She had been searching various districts and various towns throughout the kingdom of Egypt, but to no avail. None of the towns seemed to be harboring Atemu. Upon the edge of the kingdom, she halted her horse and looked to the moon above.

 

The crescent shape of the moon seemed to form a smile. Neferue, however, interpreted it as a sneer of some sort, as if the moon wanted to make fun of her because she was so close to gaining power, only to lose it in the end.

 

She dismounted her horse and walked over to the river. The moon had provided enough light for her to see her reflection in the river's waters.

 

I just don't get it, Neferue thought to herself. Where could he be? He wouldn't actually leave his own kingdom, would he?

 

She looked up from her reflection and stared at the sandy reflection, her back now towards the river. If he did leave his own kingdom, perhaps he didn't get too far off. She began to recall rumors of the oasis town of Riyah, told to her by her own father, but, like most other people, she only thought the town was mere fantasy. Still, it wouldn't hurt to survey the area before giving up the search.

 

Neferue quickly remounted her horse and sped off again into the distance.

 

It didn't take too long to find what she was searching for. As the horse resumed its normal speed, she noticed a shadow looming in the distance. She motioned her horse in the direction of the shadow.

 

As she neared the distant shadow, it gradually grew bigger and assumed the shape of a town. The fallacity of Riyah began to disappear in front of her eyes.