Chrono X Angel, Book 8: The Sands of Time

Chapter 4

It had been nearly four hours since Usoko and Misato had reunited, and the pair were getting absolutely quite exhausted with their search by now. They had been checking every last tunnel and corridor leading from the strange pit room, hoping to find one that might lead to something that would trigger another flash from Usoko's memories once again. So far all they had found were two sealed tombs, five long-dead mummies, the remains of at least three lost archeologists from very different time periods, and many many dead beetles. Usoko was really not liking the amount of corpses they were finding, especially when coupled with the fact that the both of them were beginning to run low on water. That was something Usoko could not just magic up, sadly. As they approached the 11th tunnel, Misato could swear she could hear faint music trilling from somewhere far at the other end. It was either a good sign, or she was beginning to hallucinate. It was so very familiar to her though, Misato was certain she had heard it somewhere before.

"Hey mom, you hear that?" Asked the half-Oni, motioning down the tunnel, "It sounds like music, but it's really faint."

Usoko craned her neck towards the tunnel and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to see if she could hear what Misato was, but to no avail.

"Can't say I do kiddo," she sighed, "but you're also part Oni, and Emiko told me once that y'all have really good hearing so that could be why only you hear it right now."

She shrugged her shoulders, glancing towards the tunnel.

"Well we gotta check em all anyhow, may as well try this one next."

As the pair began walking again, Misato could indeed hear the music getting gradually louder with every few feet or so. It was still incredibly faint, to the point where she was still not entirely sure if it was her brain playing tricks on her. That was until Usoko stopped walking, her head perking up at attention. She closed her eyes and began to slowly hum the same faint tune Misato was hearing. She was doing quite well for someone who had only just heard it, come to think. When her eyes reopened, they flicked over to Misato with equal parts excitement and confusion.

"I definitely hear it now!" She exclaimed, her eyes getting all shimmery with tears, "That's the lullaby mom used to hum to me and Kuroko as kids!! She must be down there somehow, come on Misa!!"

As Usoko took off, it clicked in Misato's mind where she also knew that tune from. Just as Usoko's mother had hummed it to her as a baby, so too had her timeline's Usoko done so for her. At least, before she became the monster that Misato remembered her as. She was not sure why their shared childhood lullaby was being played from somewhere inside of this pyramid, but it had to be a sign they were in the right place. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pair emerged into a grand palace-like chamber. From the back wall, two streams of water flowed into streams that separated the room into three distinct sections. There were plants both local and foreign growing along the banks of these mini Nile rivers, some of which Usoko did not recognize. In the middle of the chamber was a small structure resembling a dome, held up by pillars carved with hieroglyphics. It almost resembled an Ancient Egyptian take on Greek architecture to Usoko.
Laying on an ancient-styled lounging sofa was a girl with long golden hair, tan skin, and aqua-green eyes that seemed to stare into your very soul. She looked to be around eighteen or nineteen, though Usoko was guessing she was probably just a bit older than that. She regarded the pair emotionlessly, and it was only then that Usoko realized that the humming had stopped.

"You are late," she said flatly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Her voice was subdued, yet held an otherworldly cadence to it that stayed with you even after she was done speaking.

"I didn't know we were expected," replied Usoko, "Are you Princess Tethnankhnamet?"

The mysterious woman rose from her seat, and Usoko was able to get a very good look at her. Too good actually, as the woman's royal blue and gold outfit was quite sheer. While you could not see everything, it also did not leave very much to the imagination. She had a very slender, yet voluptuous figure that Usoko was quite envious of, even as she attempted to divert her gaze away from the beautiful princess's body.