Running Through My Head

My compliments to all my reviewers, and *Clears throat* Overly devoted fans. I'm sorry this took so long, I'm lacking inspiration. But I nevertheless appreciate the revies and the help you guys seem to enjoy giving me. HUGS TO YOU ALL. Oh, and before I foreget, if there are anymore threats to kill Seto Kaiba, I just want it understood that I'm not cleaning up the mess okay? LOL That was a freaking HYSTERICAL review!!!! Thanks again and lemme know what you think.


Chapter 6

Three months had passed, and though Amber was just the same outside, besides a new scar on her arm, she was different in though. The study of Egypt had been fascinating before, but now it bordered on obsession for her. And more importantly, she had apparently come in contact with the Pharaoh that history so conveniently forgot. It was irritating in the extreme, and even more so since she knew she was not insane enough to dream up something like that. Also, as if to stand as a permanent reminder, there was the scar on her left arm. Once she had found herself back where she belonged, the first thing she did was to go to her condo and dress herself decently before heading to her physician. That had been by far, the strangest instance in which she’d ever had to see the woman. Heaven only know what Dr. Tuchinda must’ve thought about finding her client with stitches in her arm, no record of going to a hospital for it and worried that she’ have some infection or something. To Amber’s absolute relief, not to mention astonishment, There was no infection, and in fact Dr. Tuchinda had remarked that it was a very good job for what it was. Even so, she’d prescribed some mild antibiotics, just to be on the safe side.

Between the medical worries, the question of her job, and dealing with that one annoying business association over in Japan, Amber had been glad when the aftermath was finally done running its course. And for a time, she felt better, as if a bout of illness had passed at last. So now here she was, sitting in the local library, lost amid the stack on Egypt and it’s histories, mythologies, and more besides. The hours she kept either there or else researching on the Internet had been long, and in spite of herself, she now gained a slow addiction of coffee. She chalked this up to strain and having her general perspective warped beyond reason from her experience in, wherever she had been for that month.

As things currently stood, she no longer had a job, not that she needed it really. Her financial situation being as it was, she didn’t really need to work to pay the bills. But one needed something to do to get through the days. When her idiot boss had finally succeeded in getting her to come to the office for a little chat, Amber had had to endure all the verbal abuse he could spew at her. As if that had not been enough, as if she had not borne it all with icy manners, he had made the sorry mistake of yet another indecent proposal. With all that she had been put through in the past month, this had been the last straw, and Amber’s patience had finally shattered. She smiled remembering the satisfying CRACK of her fist against his jaw, and the resounding slam of his office door as she stormed out, angry enough to make the cubical workers shrink a bit in their seats, as if to avoid being either frozen or burned to death by her mere presence.

And now as Amber paused to select another heavy volume from the shelf, she wondered if she might just take up a job here, in this shrine of knowledge and literature. At first it was just a passing though and just as easily dismissed, then it crossed her again, and she hesitated for a moment. Maybe the idea wasn’t such a mad one after all. For one thing she could do her research with greater ease, and perhaps know more of what she was looking for. She’d be able to keep an eye on new information via the magazines and periodicals thee library subscribed to; and more over, she’d have something to do during the day. Plus a library was so strictly quiet that it afforded some peace for an overly loud mind. She made a mental not to ask for an application before she left for the day. As her green eyes glanced at her watch a sigh passed through her, like a breathe of wind through an old building long bereft of occupants. It was getting late…


As she walked home, Amber wondered at the strange melancholy feeling that hung around her like a kind of iron cloud with a promise of rain that would not come. It was making her sick, though not entirely in the physical way, and who knows? It may have just been the effect of coffee and the medication, though both were mild. Maybe it was the fact that all this shit had cropped up in her absence, but she didn’t think that was the problem by itself.

Nope, that’d be too fucking easy. She though, and inner monologue sounded drugged from her own perspective. Another manifestation of how she was feeling perhaps. It was hard not to let her mind drift back to what was really bothering her. The question of how Yugi was doing made her wonder how and why she’d become so maternal. And then there was Yami, to whom she really owed nothing. And yet she wondered how he was coping with all of this and the fact that he had not been the one who’d saved his own brother. Amber would’ve bet that it seriously warped his own perspective that a slave and a woman had managed what he could not. A bitter smiled passed her lips as she turned the key in the lock and entered her home again. Strange to feel guilty as sin when I haven’t done anything. She mused as she leaned against the door.

And she missed Pippin too. Annoying as he was, she missed him.

“This is going to drive me nuts.” She concluded aloud as she sat at the kitchen table with her forehead resting against it. Then she groaned. First sign of madness: Talking to yourself. Second sign is when you get an answer. That had almost made her laugh. But she seriously feared that she was cracking up.


Hours later, Amber lay in her bed constantly shifting between asleep and awake. If there had been anyone to see her in her present state, they might’ve laughed at the way she had the blanket and sheets so completely wrapped around her. She looked like a fly encased in a spider’s threats, or else like someone whose sleeping bag has shrunk around them and can no longer slip out of it. To a common observer it would appear that her dreams were turbulent, but in all reality they weren’t, at least not at first.


The room was fairly dark, with a hint of firelight glancing off the stonewalls. She could see it even through the sheer curtains that hung around the bed. Not that she was really noticing it; her mind was on other matters at the moment, specifically, the man on top of her. His hot breathe warming her skin to the point of flushing, his kisses nearly burning her. She’d swear each one was a tiny brand into her flesh. But neither of these two details were what made her sweat. Amber, for it was she, could feel her hair sticking to the back of her neck and a few places on her face. All her muscles were tensed, especially in her legs, particularly in the upper thigh; and it was no surprise since this man, this near-god was between them, moving, moaning, and even growling a bit. His hands, his big hands, were clutching hers, their fingers laced together. She was gripping him too, returning the feeling. Her chest heaved for breath, pressing against his own bared flesh. Amber’s left hand somehow got free of his and wove the slender fingers into the spiky tir-colored hair that always seemed to defy the laws of gravity. He groaned again, and his unoccupied hand slipped to just above her left hip.

“Yami…” She moaned softly as his teeth teased the pulse-point on her neck again, probably leaving a mark.


Be-Be-Be-Be-BEEP!

Amber bolted upright in bed, and then, because of how the bedclothes had tied around her as she slept, she fell over and out of bed.

Be-Be-Be-Be-BEEP!

A groan of the utmost irritation sounded from the young woman, who still lay on the floor in disarray. And she bitterly cursed whoever was whacked out enough to try calling at – she checked the clock- six-fifteen in the morning. Moving carefully, so as not to fall over again, she waddled to the phone and snatched up the receiver.

“Collect-call from Japan. Do you accept the charges?” asked a cool female voice, the kind that is stereotypical of customer service.

“It’s quarter past six in the morning.” Amber grumbled, because she was still not fully awake.

“Thank you.” Said the voice on the other end.

“What? Wait, I didn’t…” But amber gave up when a click sounded through the earpiece.

“Hello?” Said a different voice, a man this time.

“This better be good, I’m in a bad mood.” Amber warned in that same calm, grumpy manner, as she pressed two fingers to her temple, then moved them to the back of her head and tried to force the aches away.

“Well, how nice for you.” Remarked the man on the other end, clearly sarcastic. That voice, Amber thought, was rather like a cat, the way it was sharp, irritating, self-centered, and probably anything and everything just as bad. She made a face as he went on. “Miss Caldwell my time is too valuable to waste on false sympathy so-.”

“So why don’t you get to the point?” She growled, sharply cutting him off, and not caring that she was being rude. Bloody hell, he’d practically asked for it.

The man on the other end of the phone Hmphed and went on talking. And Amber found she liked him less and less with every sentence. “Since you are the largest stockholder in the company in question, and since I’m particularly interested, I’d like you to name your price.”

There was a pause then… “Excuse me?” Amber said, not quite understanding; it was too damn early for understanding.

“How much will you sell your stock for; all of it.” He asked ask plainly as possible, and it sounded to Amber as though it had cost him some energy or composure to do so, since his voice was more like an irritated gravel.

“You had to ask me this as six-fifteen in the morning?” she groaned, avoiding answering his question. It wasn’t like he really deserved an answer anyway, the way he was acting. Manners meant something after all.

“As I said, my time is valuable.” He stated cool and cocky as anything.

“Frankly sir, you’re not encouraging me. And who the hell are you anyway?” She was starting to wake up now since it was clear that she was not going to get back to sleep anytime soon.

“My name is Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp.” He added with an air of importance, as though she’d really care about whatever status he’d given himself.

“And you got my home number, how?” She asked, picking up a pen and sitting down at the table with the tips of the pen just touching the paper beneath it, leaving a tiny black blot.

“A mutual friend gave it to me. But I want to know what you will sell your shares for.” Amber had the image in her mind of some puffed up brat sitting with his feet kicked up to rest on his desk, and leaning back in a chair while examining his fingernails. The appearance of an office and a nice view behind him completed the mental illustration of what she was sure this guy was like.

“Not likely.” Amber said flatly. “My friends don’t know my number.” She could hear a slow intake of breath on the other end of the line and headed him off. “Furthermore Mr. Kaiba, I’m not selling. To anyone.” She purposely emphasized the last two words, and waited for a second. Meanwhile her hand was scribbling a not to herself on the paper to have this investigated, and maybe looked over in international court. There had to be some rule against harassing someone, even if they were oceans away.

“Hm. Things change Miss. When you do want to sell-.”

“Which I won’t.”

“-You’ll make sure to contact me.” It was more of an order than an invitation.

“Maybe if I’m kidnapped by aliens.” Amber muttered testily.

“Don’t get sarcastic with me.” He snapped, then seemed to calm again. “You never know, we may end up as partners.” There was more than a god dose of innuendo attached to that last word, and Amber made a face again, even though he couldn’t see it.

“Yeah, and we might be rare specimens of an exotic breed of African dancing elephant.” She said matter-of-factly. “But we’re not. At least,” She paused to smile to herself. “I’m not.” It was really a snide remark, and she knew she shouldn’t have said it, if only out of common courtesy, but he shouldn’t have woken her up. Let sleeping bitches lie, was a good philosophy to live by.

“Feh,” he scoffed, clearly irritated, and trying not to sound like it. “Like or not Miss, I will have that company, for here or for there.”

What the hell’s that supposed to mean? Amber wondered but didn’t bother asking, since she doubted he would answer her. Instead she said, “I’d advise you to leave me alone for awhile.” She was calm and detached, something that had been leaned all these past several months. “Leave me you number, I’ll get back to you when I can. But I don’t have liberal amounts of time, so don’t call me again.” He gave her the number she could reach him at, an office phone she suspected. But he wasn’t ready to let her off without one last say about the matter.

“I meant what I said, about being partners. I could help you a lot.”

“If I live to be ten-thousand and see the second coming of Christ, I still won’t be your partner.” And she hung up the phone harshly, and stuffed it under the couch-cushions in the little sitting area. She would not be woken again for some time.


“Really little brother, you worry too much.” The Pharaoh stated, a little exasperated, a little amused. Yugi’s young face pouted.

“No I don’t, I just worry about you.” Which was sort of true. It had surprised Yami just how much his younger sibling did worry about him, especially when there had been an attempt on his life, not the Pharaoh himself. That was slightly odd in and of itself. If it had been an attempt against Yami’s life, that would have made more sense. After all, why attack the prince of Egypt? It wasn’t as though he were really in line to inherit the throne, and such an action would only leave the perpetrator with one deeply pissed off ruler.

Yami shook his head and ruffled his brother’s hair, his expression wry. In truth he was glad his brother’s worries were focused on something other than the attempt on his life. But having the child worry about something strictly adult was not his idea of a good substitute.

“I miss her too.” The little boy muttered as he looked down at the red lump of cuddly fur in his lap, watching his own hands stroking Pippin idly. Yami looked sharply at his brother, but Yugi did not look up, so it wasn’t clear if he had been speaking to him, or the cat. He heaved a sigh and rested his chin on his fist. There was no way in hell that he’d admit it, but he did miss his slave-girl, Amber. He missed her long soft hair, that delicate pale skin, those vibrant green eyes. It made him smile wryly again to note that he even missed how she would be so catty, so insolent and combative. She was far more interesting than the other women he had been sent. Amber was simply more interesting, and he really wasn’t sure why, though her personality seemed the most readily available excuse. But what was the origin of such a nature as hers? That was what he wanted to know, if only to know her better. He heaved another sigh. Thinking constantly on all of this was making him crazy, or so he thought; and he had the nagging feeling that it was starting to drain him emotionally, as though he knew how he should feel about various situations, but all he really felt was an oppressive calm.

Was that how she felt before she left? He wondered, and the thought stung rather deeply; and he wasn’t sure why.


Elsewhere, Amber questioned herself for quite possibly the ten-thousandth time if she was entirely mad for doing this. She looked at the suitcase that was tall enough to come to her mid-thighs when it stood up, and heaved an agitated breath. She’d packed all that she would really need, plus some extras just in case. There was plenty of underwear, bras, shorts comfy tank tops, and nightwear that were a balance between comfortable, and concealing. The very last thing she wanted to do was give the chauvinistic Pharaoh any more ideas than he already had. That wretched dream drifted across her waking mind again and she could feel the heat in her face at the idea. Going through her bathroom, she then stuffed a few more necessities into her suitcase. Last to go was something wrapped in some random gold and red paper that had been lying around and was left over from her last gift-giving occasion. It wasn’t anything really, at least that’s what she thought, but maybe it would be more to someone else.


After the sickening, suffocating feeling had lifted, and she felt the hard ground again, Amber opened her eyes. Then she quickly shielded them against the hard glare of sunlight. Egyptian sunlight was very different from that of North America. She would have liked to turn back, but there was no point at the moment, she decided. This would be an exercise in the Pharaoh’s education, not hers. Checking that the roll-aboard case was securely tied to the back of her new bicycle, Amber mounted the thing and pedaled, easily out speaking any normal pedestrians that lingered nearby. But if she was going to get to her self-appointed destination, it might be a good idea to keep a faster pace. She sped up and kept her eyes on her own forward path.


What felt like ages passed before Amber was effectively sneaking her way into the Pharaoh’s bedchambers.

Amateur still hasn’t done anything about it either. Amber though, while casting a wary eye around the area. The very path she had used to escape was almost totally unguarded, save for a few patrolling an outer wall, and they were easy enough to get past. Once safely inside the bathing chamber attached to the Pharaoh’s bedroom, Amber breathed easy again. She had done it; she’d gotten back without getting caught. Though it was probably only by the grace of some obscure deity, or so she thought. Feeling more worn out than she was really prepared for, she slumped against the wall and came to rest sitting on the smooth cool floor. Catching her breath her grass-colored eyes focused for a few minutes on the bath. The water looking inviting, especially to a sweaty young woman who would’ve loved to have a good bathe. In short, she let herself be tempted. So, feeling both reluctant on the basis that an unexpected visitor might pop in at any moment, and relieved that she wasn’t going to reek to high heaven for the rest of the day, Amber stripped off her clothes and sank into the water. She unbraided the length of her hair and ran her fingers through it a coupled of times, massaging her scalp and then just relaxing and letting it drift. Whenever she looked down, it seemed as though she were looking at some kind of water-plant adrift in a lazy pool, a good calm feeling. Allowing her mind to drift quite as much as her hair was, an insanely amusing idea occurred to Amber.


That was it; he could take no more of this tedium. The Pharaoh stood up and without so much as a word, walked out of his own audience chambers. He didn’t want to think about anything just now and doing so seemed aggravatingly beyond his reach. It was especially true of the young woman who kept passing in and out of his mind like a constant breeze, though not as refreshing. She would not leave him in peace for even a few minutes, and Yami was certain it was driving him mad. He was glad his brother was currently elsewhere and did not see him lose his composure so easily. It didn’t really matter that the commoners saw that, they would make what they would of it. But he did not like to think of how his little brother would react. The notion made the muscles in his stomach tie in knots. So with one thing and another, it was probably a good thing he had decided to lie down, if only for a little while, just to let the stress work it’s way out in the most harmless way possible. Shoving hid doors open, then leaning against them once they were closed again, it was a few minutes before he noticed something odd. There appeared to be a figure lying on his bed; he blinked hard to make sure. There was a young woman on his bed. At first glance it was hard to say whether she was dead, or just resting there, looking like a corpse. He came closer on soft footsteps not even noticing that he was being so quiet. When he was maybe five feet from the bed, realization and recognition hit him with the full force of a charging chariot.

“Amber…” the sound that was her name passed his lips without him even knowing it. She was just lying there as prone and motionless as a wooden doll. She was clothed in something simple and white, though for some reason it wrapped all the way around her legs separately. Her hands rested on her upper abdomen neatly folded together to suggest peace, as if she had recently died and was not yet mummified. The long tresses were loose and seemed to curl in rebellious waves. Reaching out reverently, Yami touched the long silken-looking threads and felt a chill run through him. Her hair was damp. As though she were drowned. He couldn’t help thinking. It was then, staring into her face, her closed eyes, that he noticed the tension there. It was like all the muscles in her face were straining against something, but what? The Pharaoh leaned forward, and with a painful knot forming in his chest, he cradled her face in his hands and softly kissed her forehead. But when he felt a feather-light touch of warm lips on his cheek, he jerked sharply away. There was Amber still lying there on his bed, but now she was smiling up at him, and her eyes, those impossibly green eyes were open.

“Jeez, you really missed me that much?” She remarked. “I should run away more often.”

Credit for the comment on afirican danging elephants goes to Neil Gaiman and his book "Coraline" Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As ever lemme know what you think.Take care of yourselfves.