The High Priest Seth sighed heavily as he pulled yet another scroll towards him across the heavy table. It was late, and his eyes were puffy with rubbing them, but the pile in front of him never seemed to get any smaller. He hurriedly stifled a yawn. Three days without sleep were beginning to take their toll. (Unfortunately for Seth, the coffee that would prove such a life-saver for his reincarnation five thousand years later had not been invented yet.)
Why in Ra's name do I have to do all of this myself? Seth scowled and kneaded his eyes with his fingers. If I don't do it, the other priests will just do it wrong, he reminded himself. Then he shook his head and allowed himself a brief moment of honesty. I need everything to be perfect. Then the moment ended, and his familiar scowl returned. He glanced down at the scroll.
Despite his best efforts, he felt his head droop and his eyes begin to close. He mentally slapped himself awake and stared fixedly at the scroll, forcing himself to focus. He was so deep in concentration that he failed to notice a silent figure appear in the doorway. Amethyst eyes watched the priest with concern for a long while, then the owner made his decision. He crossed the room quietly and laid a hand on Seth's shoulder.
Nerves frayed by exhaustion and stress, Seth was unable to stifle a rather feminine shriek as he fell off his chair, landing clumsily on the ground. The Millennium Rod slipped free of its sheathe at his belt and bounced across the marble floor. Seth scuttled after it, feeling distinctly undignified and quite ready to rip the soul free of the hand's owner. Finally, he caught hold of the metal grip and scrambled to his feet.
The Pharaoh stared at him across the table, eyes still full of concern, though a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Are you alright, Seth?" he rumbled in his deep baritone. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"Of course, my king," Seth all but stammered, and promptly hated himself for it. I need to get more sleep. He sketched a low bow. "It was my fault; I did not see you enter."
Atem raised an eyebrow. "Your fault? Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?" He eyed the other man quizzically. "You did seem enthralled by that scroll, Seth. Another of the histories?"
Seth gathered as many of his scattered wits around him as he could and managed a familiar smirk. "Not anything half as interesting. Just an agricultural report."
The Pharaoh frowned and examined the scroll. It was fairly routine. "Seth, this is work for a scribe or minor official, not the High Priest. Leave ordinary tasks to them. You are under enough stress as it is."
"I am quite capable of performing my duties, Pharaoh," Seth replied coldly.
Atem looked at his cousin. There were dark circles under Seth's eyes and his hands shook slightly from exhaustion. His entire frame trembled from nervous tension, though he fought to quell it. His face was very pale and had a lean, hungry look.
"Come with me."
Seth opened his mouth to protest, motioning to the pile of unfinished scrolls, but the Pharaoh's gaze was hard and unyielding.
"That was not a request," he said imperiously and swept from the room. Reluctantly, Seth followed him.
They walked for a long time, up several flights of stairs. Seth didn't recognize the part of the palace they were in now; he never had reason to visit the upper levels. The Pharaoh walked quickly, not even looking back to see if Seth was following. Of course he was.
Arrogant little brat, Seth grumbled as his muscles screamed up another flight of stairs. If he wasn't my king I'd…
This train of thought was interrupted when Seth ran right into something solid. Namely, the Pharaoh. The smaller man turned towards him and delivered his famous death glare. "Wake up, Seth!"
"Sorry, Atem," Seth said, irritated enough that he could no longer control his tongue. "If you weren't so short, I wouldn't have missed you in the dark."
The Pharaoh's lips pursed in a dangerous line and his violet eyes narrowed. "I will forgive your insolence for now," he growled. "because you are exhausted and not yourself."
Seth hung his head, already ashamed of his rash words. "Forgive me, my Pharaoh. My nerves are stretched thinly at the moment." It was an admission he never would have made under normal circumstances; Seth abhorred showing signs of weakness. I need to get more sleep, he thought for the second time that night.
The Pharaoh nodded graciously and his stormy expression cleared. "I know, Seth. But this will help." He led the way up one last flight of stairs and through the archway that led onto the palace roof. He trotted out to the center of the level area and flung himself down upon his back. He lifted his chin to gaze upside down at Seth, who remained in the archway, confused.
"Come here, Seth. Don't tell me you've never gazed up at the stars?"
Hesitantly, the High Priest approached until he could look down into the Pharaoh's face. The usually grave face was split by a wide smile, and Seth was powerfully reminded how young his cousin really was.
"You're blocking my view," Atem said with mock severity. "Lie down; you can't look at the stars properly from that angle."
His playful tone confused Seth even more, but trained to follow the king's commands, he lay down on the cold stone beside Atem. For a long moment, both men were quiet, Seth practically seething with impatience. My cousin has proposed some pretty foolish things before, but this is a complete waste of time.
"Seth, I know you're not really looking," the Pharaoh said sternly. "You're thinking what a complete waste of time this is." Seth was silent, unable to deny it. "Just humor me for a minute. The sky is so beautiful and peaceful at night."
Seth rolled his eyes, knowing that Atem was too engrossed in the sky to see it, and gazed up at the stars. He forced away his impatience and jangling nerves and made himself lie utterly still on the cold roof. The sky was a deep velvet color, and the stars were tiny beacons lit across its surface. No other lights were lit, for the city's inhabitants were all asleep. A deep sense of peace washed over Seth, and he could feel his tightly knotted muscles slowly relax. At first, he sought out the constellations that he knew, then it ceased to matter what they were called. For nearly an hour, he stared up at the stars with a childlike wonder he thought he'd lost, before Atem stood and began to work the kinks out of stiff muscles.
"It is late; you need to sleep."
Seth yawned, and suddenly remembered the pile of scrolls he had left unfinished and scrambled to his feet. He tried to feel anxious, but his brain just couldn't work up the effort. He felt sleepy and relaxed. He yawned again and followed the Pharaoh down the endless flights of stairs. At the junction that led to the library, he made to go down the hallway, but the Pharaoh stepped in his way.
"Seth, go to your chambers and sleep. I don't want to see you all day, understand? The other priests will cover for you."
Seth opened his mouth to protest, but the Pharaoh interrupted him. "You seem to think you have a choice in the matter. I am quite willing to have the guards lock you in if you refuse to go quietly."
Seth just sighed. "For once, I'll let you have your way. Just don't let it go to your head." The Pharaoh snorted, but Seth was already turning towards the hallway that would lead him to his rooms. He stopped after a few steps and looked back at his cousin.
"Thank you."
It was a phrase that Seth rarely used, but when he did, it needed no explanation. Atem just nodded in acknowledgment and watched as his priest disappeared.
"You are too stubborn, hikari," Seth told his reincarnation, nearly five thousand years later. "I wonder who you get that from." It was late, and all the sane employees of KaibaCorp had left a long time ago. Not, Seth thought, that Seto Kaiba is particularly sane.
Seto didn't even spare a glance for the spirit standing at his shoulder. His attention was riveted on his laptop, which was currently exhibiting the stock prices of KaibaCorp. Despite his best efforts, the CEO yawned and reached for his cup of coffee. If there was a world champion's coffee-drinking competition, Seto Kaiba would always win first prize. The caffeine sent a buzz through his system, making him practically quiver with nervous energy. Or it would, if Seto Kaiba ever did anything so mundane as quiver. As much as he tried to deny it, three days without sleep was beginning to take its toll.
Seth watched him for a few minutes in silence, before casually reaching over and clicking the laptop shut. Kaiba turned on him with a murderous glare that would have sent grizzly bears running for cover, but the spirit just tugged at his reincarnation's sleeve.
"Come with me."
"I don't have time for you right now," Seto snapped, trying unsuccessfully to free himself from his yami's grasp. "I have a company to run." Seth tugged determinedly at the CEO's jacket and managed to propel him out of his chair and towards the elevator. Once inside, he punched the button for the roof and grinned widely at the scowling Kaiba.
"You seem to think you have a choice in the matter."
And ignoring Seto's growled protests, he pulled him out onto the roof to where the stars waited.