Momentary touch

“Sasaki!” Takmet yelled, and he scrambled to get up and go to her.

Rei had gathered the remaining girls and appeared next to Sasaki, transporting them with her. They had been relatively unharmed in that little skirmish and their first thoughts were of Sasaki, so nobody bothered to ask about the other. Mandi dropped to her knees at Sasaki’s side.

“Sasaki?” she said hesitantly.

“Is she breathing?” Ami asked, worried. Sasaki was so still and pale that Ami thought that she might be dead.

Mandi searched for vital signs. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt the comforting throb of Sasaki’s pulse in her fingers combined with her shallow breathing. “She’s alive, but her pulse is extremely weak. It’s like she over exerted herself.”

Chloe and Ami were relieved. Just then Takmet walked up, looking a little anxious as he gazed at Sasaki’s still form. He swallowed nervously, almost daring himself to say the words.

“Is she....,” he started.

“No,” Mandi said before he could get up the gumption to ask the whole thing.

Takmet immediately relaxed a little, letting out a captive breath.

“That’s what I said,” Mandi smiled at him.

Rei was watching this show with more than a little interest. Sasaki had invoked the powers of Isis and was still alive. What was more was that she hadn’t even known about the powers of Isis. Rei knew she was the princess. She knew royal blood when she felt it, and Sasaki was as royal as they came. All the people Rei had known (she knew a lot of powerful people in her lifetime) that used the spells of Isis in dire need always died as the price for borrowing the divine power. Why wasn’t Sasaki dead?

Suddenly everything made sense. She stared at Sasaki in awe, like a child seeing something for the first time. Then she examined her brother, and that thought surprised her even more. He definitely doesn’t look the part..., she thought.

“What’s wrong with her? “ Chloe asked, putting a hand on Mandi’s shoulder.

Before she could answer, Rei spoke. “All she did was tire herself out,” she said cheerily. “She’ll be fine in a couple of hours. We can’t stay here, though.” She looked around at the empty desert.

“Are you sure she’ll be all right?” Ami asked, glancing at Sasaki.

“Yeah,” Rei said, nodding her head.

Takmet had been silent since he was told that Sasaki was still alive, and he had knelt next to Mandi while Rei was talking. Now he spoke with a voice that held an edge of reprimanding anger. “How can you speak like this is nothing? Did you feel the amount of power she released? She should be dead.”

“You bet I felt it. And you’re right. She should be dead, but she’s not, so don’t complain. All she did was use some--or should I say A LOT-- of her life energy as a spell to save us the trouble of beating those things on our own. It’ll replenish itself.” Rei waved her hand.

Takmet thought for a moment, gazing past Sasaki’s face in contemplation. A wonderful thought, but saddening at the same time because of its pitifulness, flashed. Takmet hesitantly reached out to touch Sasaki’s forehead, to the girls’ surprise. They all cringed in anticipation of the coming electric shock wave. None came. Takmet experienced a slight burning as his fingers made contact with Sasaki’s pale skin. He swallowed. Her energy was extremely low, just like the first time he had seen her, and the slight burn on his skin was identical as well.

What did you have to do that for? he asked her mentally. The corners of his lips raised in an amused but contrite expression.

“You can touch her,” Chloe said, amazed. A twinge of jealousy followed, but it evaporated as soon as it came.

“It is only because she used so much energy.” Takmet replied, moving the stray hair out of Sasaki’s face. Leaning over, Takmet then lifted the limp Sasaki off the ground, picked himself up, and headed toward the camels. “We should get going,” he said without looking over his shoulder.

The four remaining girls, genie included, watched him wide-eyed.

“Hey, wait for me!” Ami yelled as she took off after him.

“Are you sure you can handle that, Takmet?” Rei called as she followed Ami’s lead.

“This is nothing compared to before,” Takmet replied. He stood by the camel holding Sasaki. It was an image Rei never would forget. It seemed to her that they were supposed to be together like that. Then Takmet removed his arms from Sasaki, leaving her hanging in mid-air, supported by his power as he mounted. When he was settled, the limp girl floated into the young Egyptian’s arms, resting against his chest. Takmet put her cloak back on as well as his own as he glanced expectantly at the remaining girls.

Rei smiled to herself. He’s more mature than I thought. She remembered the little argument the three of them had earlier. No “us” my ass, she thought mischievously.

“Take Sasaki’s camel, Rei, since you insist on coming with us,” Takmet smirked smugly.

Rei stuck her tongue out at him and materialized feet to emphasize her stomping as she tromped off to the vacant camel. Mandi, Ami, and Chloe, though the latter very reluctantly, mounted the blonde beasts, ready to follow. Takmet examined them for an instant, then seeing they were ready, turned away without another word and spurred his mount forward.

* * *

On the way back, Takmet mostly thought of the fact that he could touch Sasaki momentarily. Her relaxed body leaned back against his as the force of the spell grew slowly, creating an urgency in him that he didn’t know how to alleviate. What he was doing was taking advantage of her, not seriously, but still, Takmet felt guilty for thinking of himself in a situation like this. He was also nervous. Scared that someone would find out that Sasaki was Seti’s lost sister, which would mean Takmet might be saying goodbye to his head fairly soon. A princess of Egypt was not about to get involved with anyone not of royal blood, and if she did, she and her so-called ‘accomplice’ would be executed. If there wasn’t anyone of royal blood available, she would have to marry her brother.

If that happened, Takmet wouldn’t be able to stand the fact that she might sometimes be in the same room as he was, because he couldn’t touch her anyway. Frustration filled his thoughts and tangled his feelings into a knot. Were the gods really so ruthless? To write in the history of the whole world that they would love each other, and then to also put this boundary between them? And to tempt him so with this lapse in the spell?

His thoughts diffused as he glanced down at her pale face. She felt so...so right, there in his arms. It was as if they had known each other before, but weren’t allowed to remember. That power, all that power had come from her limp body. And still, he had recognized that power, like a far away memory.

A light pulsed from under her cloak. Takmet pushed up her cloak, revealing the flashing symbol and a fair amount of skin that brought up his urgency all over again. He had noticed it before, the symbol that clearly appeared on her arm when she touched him. It was identical to his. This time, he was the one to burn as his own symbol responded to the beacon of the other for the first time.

Where are you?

A voice echoed in his head, seemingly coming from nowhere.

Where are you? it asked him. No, it wasn’t him the voice was addressing, but someone in him.

He felt another presence. Here, it answered the call.

Takmet abruptly stopped his camel. The girls came to stop as well. He was staring straight ahead, but not seeing anything. He whispered, “Isis?”

Chloe looked at him strangely. “Is everything all right?”

He focused again and looked at her. “I....I do not know....”

“What’s happening?” Rei asked as she sidled up to her brother.

“Rei, I - I feel....strange.”

Rei wrinkled her forehead. “Strange? How?”

“I feel like someone else.... has been living my life. Someone was....calling me, I think. A voice I knew.”

“Who was it?”

“I do not know.” Takmet shook his head.

“Well, gee, that helps a lot,” Rei said sarcastically. Just then she noticed the dim glow under Sasaki’s cloak. “Let me see that.”

She circled around to Takmet’s left side and lifted Sasaki’s cloak. She recognized that symbol, but she didn’t let Takmet see it on her face. Then she noticed a very faint flashing from under his own cloak.

“Takmet...,” Rei trailed off as she glanced up at her brother. “You never told me about this.”

“Was there a need?”

“‘S’cuse me? What are we talking about?” Chloe asked, peering at Sasaki’s symbol. “I thought that was just a birthmark.”

“It is. Just not the kind you’re thinking about,” Rei said.

Takmet stared at nothing again as the voices resurfaced.

Prepare to wake. The time is near.

Those simple words sent fire through him. Takmet doubled over in pain, pushing Sasaki forward.

“What is it?” Mandi asked urgently.

Takmet stayed silent as he felt something merge with him, permeate his being, but it came from inside him. “Rei,” he whispered, “What is this? You know, don’t you?”

Rei only stared at him. She nodded silently, but made no effort to help him stay on his camel.

“What’s wrong? Ami asked.

Takmet held Sasaki, keeping her from falling even as the fire in his veins flared again. Then it all melted away, leaving a chill that shook him to his soul. His breathing was heavy as he sat up slowly, bringing Sasaki with him. “Rei. What was that?” he turned to his smirking sister.

“You’ll find out.” She urged her camel forward, leaving Takmet staring after her in perplexion.

Chloe silently went to his side. “You all right?” she asked quietly.

He looked at her, surprised at her sincerity when she seemed so artificial at other times. He nodded without a word, glad to see that his answer lifted her spirits a bit.

“Then lets get out of here,” she insisted cheerily, following Rei. As soon as the camel moved forward though, she leaned over the side again, motion sickness claiming her.

Takmet shook his head. It didn’t matter how sincere she was. Who gets camel sick for goodness’ sake? At least she tried.

They continued on. Takmet had passed Sasaki over to Rei, wishing he didn’t have to, but not wanting to cause her any more pain if she woke. The spell had grown too strong for him.

Ami was humming a familiar song, quite fitting for the occasion, actually. “Walk like an Egyptian.” No one felt like talking. They had had their share of that. And of zombies, and of curses, and of everything else.

Takmet continued to check on Sasaki every once in a while, and Rei was getting annoyed when “every once in a while” was every minute and a half.

“Stop that! She’s fine. I’ve said it at least a hundred times.”

Takmet glared at her, but managed to stop glancing back every two minutes. Now it was every five.

When Sasaki started to stir, Rei shot a look at her brother and said, “I told you so.”

Sasaki slowly regained consciousness and asked groggily, “What happened?” Then she sat up by herself. “Where are we?”

Ami matched Rei’s pace, waving happily. “Afternoon, sleeping beauty!”

“Hey, Ami.” Suddenly she remembered where she was. She looked behind her to see Rei’s, for once, genuinely glad face.

“Hey there.”

“What happened?” Sasaki asked, looking forward to see the approaching city.

Takmet slowed to match pace with Rei. “Thank goodness you are well.”

His sincere yet intense gaze made Sasaki self-conscious and bow her head in embarrassment. The other three girls and the genie exchanged knowing glances. “I hope I didn’t hurt anybody,” Sasaki said as she looked at her friends.

“No, but you sure leveled those mummies,” Rei laughed. “I wonder where a little girl like you could store up that much power.”

“You should not have done that,” Takmet said.

“Done what?”

“Called upon Isis’ power. It could have killed you.”

“It was for my friends,” she said. And you, she thought.

“We’re just glad you’re okay’” Ami smiled.

“You just had to go and faint,” Chloe started. “Poor Takmet had to carry you over half the way--”

“Carry me?” Sasaki cut in. She glanced at Takmet who had grown rather red-faced. He was glaring at Chloe. “You carried me? How?”

Takmet’s blush was fading in the face of Chloe’s smirk, allowing him speak. “Your life energy was extremely low. That was all that allowed it to happen.” Takmet snapped the reins and sped up again, ignoring the look on Chloe’s face, leaving Sasaki staring with more longing than she realized at his back. He seemed more familiar now.

They could see the palace growing closer and it cast a long shadow on the city as the sun began to set. Suddenly Ami stopped humming.

“There’s a visitor.”

Mandi looked back at her. “A visitor? Where?”

“At the palace. For Takmet I think.”

Upon hearing his name he turned to Ami. “What was that?”

“You have a visitor.” She was fairly sure of herself now.

“How do you know?”

She wrinkled her brow for a moment. “I don’t know. I just...saw it.”

“Saw it?” Takmet stared at the young girl. “Could you see what he looked like?”

“I know it was a woman. But that’s all I could say about it. It was just a flash.” Ami shrugged.

Takmet’s stomach suddenly dropped. He hoped it wasn’t who he thought it was.