I do apologize to my "Belonging to Perfection" readers and to my "Everlasting" readers. My updating has been inconsistent, to say the least. So I concocted this little oneshot called "Desert Rose". It does in fact tie in to both stories, since the two share a link. It's a short little thing, and I hope you enjoy it! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, nor do I own "Desert Rose" by Sting. I just love the song.
Blue eyes opened, waking to the Egyptian false dawn.
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
Seto, High Priest of the Pharaoh's court, rubbed a hand over his face, sleep now far from his grasp. It would be some time before the rest of the palace would rise to greet the Sun. He rose from his bed, and sat with his eye closed and head bowed, feet resting squarely on the ground.
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
"Up already?"
He didn't have to look up to know the owner of that voice. He smiled wearily. "No, I'm still sleeping. Of course I'm up." He snuck a look at the speaker through the corner of his eye, and saw exactly what he'd pictured in his mind. She sat with her back against a pillar, looking onward at the coming sunrise, black hair bound loosely, her weapon beside her.
"Nightmare?" she said lightly, her form silhouetted in the light of the predawn.
His mouth twitched as he sat up straight and adjusted the cloth of his long tunic. He stood, his back still to the captain of the Queen's guard. "Not exactly," he replied, voice vague.
I dream of fire
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
"Want to talk about it?"
And in the flames
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire
"Not to you."
She laughed, the sound causing goosebumps to appear along his tanned skin. "So it's like that." Damn. She knew him too well.
This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
"Did you ever consider giving up your post and getting married?" he said abruptly. "Ra knows you could get a husband easily." He leaned against a pillar behind her, eyes flicking to her significantly smaller profile and the lance she bore with her always.
He could feel her roll her eyes. "Please don't belittle me like that."
He crossed his arms. "My apologies. Don't misunderstand me. Their Majesties did well in choosing you as the Queen's bodyguard. But don't avoid the question."
"I suppose it's because I love my queen, and her land."
"Is that so? Is it not your land as well?"
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
She smiled. "I guess it is." She rose from her seat, but still faced away from him. "I never really thanked you, you know. For helping me settle in. Egypt is a little different from Greece."
His ocean-blue eyes softened at this. "It wasn't any trouble on my part, I can assure you. You would have done fine on your own."
And as she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
"When I first met you, you were so arrogant." She turned to face him, the rays of the rising sun casting shadows on her skin, but never dulling the sharpness of her unusual eyes. Dark grey, the color of the sky as it rained. She rested a hand on his cheek. "Where is that Priest Seto now, I wonder?"
This fire burns
I realize that nothing's as it seems
He gave a silent chuckle. "He's gone far from here. I think you frightened him off," he said dryly.
"Me, frighten him off? Surely you are mistaken."
A hand reached up to encircle her wrist, holding her hand there, dwarfing her arm. "No. I do hope this new Seto is to your liking. He does seem better than the old."
His 'joke', if one could call it that, was rewarded with a soft smile, one the female warrior rarely gave. "I do prefer this one. He seems much more likable."
I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
"Are you referring to how everyone sees him, or how you do?"
His question was met with silence. She broke free of his hold, and walked inside, slowly and with her head bowed. Did he really hurt her, or was she just deep in thought?
"No, that's not how I see you at all."
I close my eyes, this rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of her love
She sat at the foot of the bed, still rumpled from the night before. "Who I see is not likable at all."
"Who I see is a man who has changed greatly, and for my sake."
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
"He never had to, and I've never asked anything of him, but I didn't need to."
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
"And for that, I love him more than I can say."
He froze at those words.
Did she really say that? That word that he'd been hoping for since the day he'd realized where his heart truly lay?
Sweet desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
He bit his lip, and approached her. She still refused to look at him, and when he knelt in front of her and took her face in his hands, he could see why.
She was crying.
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
He kissed her forehead. "Why the tears, Saya?" he asked, voice no more than a whisper. "I thought you never cried."
That was the first time she'd ever made any confession of that sort with him. Normally, they just argued over the littlest things. This morning, however, had been different.
"How can I say…that I love you, and I have always loved you, when you have tears in your eyes?"
A small gasp, a sigh in reverse, greeted his own admission. In spite of everything…
Tears came down faster than before as he took her into his arms. But these tears held a different meaning.
Sweet desert rose
This memory of Eden haunts us all
In spite of everything…no. In spite of who they were and what they were.
Complete opposites.
Grey with blue. Rain with clear skies.
This desert flower, this rare perfume
Is the sweet intoxication of the fall.