The Jackal and the Dragon

by YamiYugiPuzzleshipper

Yugi returns from an errand to the Temple of Anubis to find that everything seems strange and off inside of the palace. Pharaoh Atemu is acting strangely and refuses to hear what his vizier or any of the priests have to say to him. Rumors circulate of a threat to the throne. And Atemu is hiding secrets that Yugi cannot possibly understand.

1. Chapter I

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Yu-Gi-Oh

Warning: Some slight cursing, small mentions of blood

Update Schedule: I'll be updating every two days

Before anyone makes the mistake of assuming the title has ANYTHING to do with Seth, it does not. Just saying. NOPE. Seth is a minor character in the story, just kind of part of the background for the most part. The title is actually about Atemu and Yugi as well as the gods that are (frequently) mentioned throughout the story.

Some of the timeline for Yu-Gi-Oh was altered (i.e. the time that Atemu's father dies, the time that Atemu visits the tombs for that blessing from the gods, Atemu's coronation, etc) and obviously the attitude Atemu has. I just can't see him being too much of an ass and power hungry if Yugi was in his life back then, especially with the way that he spends most of his time with him in this story and did so growing up as well. And the circumstances of the story, because those have a massive impact on him as well.

SOME of the roles of the hierarchy are altered somewhat (which comes up later in the story), SPECIFICALLY Yugi's as a scribe/vizier-in-training, Shiamun's as the vizier, some of Atemu's, slightly the women of the harem, and some of Isis's, Mahado's and Mana's.

(More story information at the bottom...)

Anyways! As I PROMISED~ Here is your birthday fic, Echoheart~ Happy birthday!

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Chapter I

He was relieved to be able to step out of the direct barrage of sunlight for a momentary reprieve; the city walls loomed up as a protective barrier of pale sand worked into brick passages and homes. The large walls that made up the perimeter were such a relief for him that he nearly cried with exuberance; it felt as if it had been a lifetime out in the perilous sands. It was already midday, Ra risen and resting in the center of the sky directly overhead, watching with a careful eye that he was unable to shake. A well of carved brick stones rested in the entrance and he scrambled towards it, ignoring his grandfather's soft chuckles of amusement at his childish behavior. Yugi didn't care to acknowledge the noise, instead struck with the desire to sate his thirst, parched from the long journey back from the temple of Anubis.

The temple had been glorious, well worth the three-day journey it had taken to arrive there but not quite the sandstorm that had held them stranded within Karnak. He had missed Waset terribly, desperate for the palace's familiar walls but mostly the person awaiting him there. Unlike the great structure that he called home, the cities were small, low to the ground, built on the floodplain in order to be able to retrieve goods by boat and for its source of water. They were made of weathered mud brick, not quite as elaborately done as the palace or the walls that surrounded it and the many temples within the major establishments. The lesser cities had smaller walls to keep boundaries and provide shelter from the sandstorms that raged within the deserts at times. But they faced only outwards and never towards the river, always allowing the water to ripple within their sights. Bridges of wood were formed from roof to roof to provide shade from Ra's highest position, and the caked mud bricks were the color of desert sand, smoothed tediously by the steady hands of workers and slaves of former wars before unity had been found beneath their current pharaoh. Small open windows were given sharp borders of rock with paint used to decorate some of the dreary uniform the cities held altogether, lacking the splendor of the palaces. The pathways had been strenuous to navigate, with many smoothed sandstone steps that seemed impervious to all but the water that could potentially flood them into nonexistence. He had seen—when his grandfather had pointed it out—that many of the roofs of the homes had a foot-deep indentation where basins were spread about to collect water when the rains came.

In their own rights, the smaller cities were nice to gaze upon, but they had been mere disappointments to him in comparison to what awaited him back home. Architecture was always a vibrant task given to the vizier to overlook and Yugi had always enjoyed going with his grandfather to witness the events taking place. Much of the work fascinated him, though he had no true desire to get his hands dirty with structuring itself. Overseeing it was more than enough for him, especially upon studying the plans for the newest temples that would be resurrected within Karnak soon enough.

Yugi abandoned the wooden bucket of water to take in the mighty peaks of the great earth-worn palace walls. The sunlight hit the obelisks and the entranceway in a way that made them hard to look upon but impossible to turn away from. If he squinted, he thought he could see the golden markings that braided in symbols of peace and power across one of the mighty beams of stone. Massive flat-topped pillars rose upwards in uneven lengths, the walls leaned upwards as if taking a note from the design of the pyramids with their brilliant slopes. The walls of the palace rose in a heavy barrier with a narrow entrance and he thought he could see the wooden bridge used as the doorway's final barricade against the sand beneath. The path before them was heavily trodden upon, by horses' hooves and chariot wheels from pharaohs long before greeting their people, and the color was distorted by the new patterns, taking on a darker, more orange tone like the red sands. Strips of grass rose on sandy outcrops along the edges of the pathway, with trees scattered about that gave little but extremely vital shade to one seeking shelter from the sun's rays.

He had been away for far too long; relief sprang forward with a hint of regret. It had been a month since he had last seen the other, a whole lunar cycle, and thirty days without the familiar faces of the palace goers made his chest ache. Being without the other boy had left him anxious for return, their departure delayed by a random wind that had kicked up too much sand for safe passage.

Yugi was still unsure of why they had been sent on this errand as it was, but he would ask when he got home and not before. He wished to hear it from the other's mouth, not his grandfather's, as he knew Shiamun might twist the words around to lead him down another path of conversation. The entire thing had been suspiciously unwarranted and the specific instructions far too grand to have no significance. There was also the matter that they had been chosen—a vizier and a boy specifically being trained to take his place as the king's right hand upon growing older. A vizier's job included nothing of making sacrifices to the gods, something that only the pharaoh and his priests were meant to do. And the fact that he knew they were the only three who had any idea the task he had given them only added to the conspicuous nature of the sacrifice they had made in Karnak.

There was also the fact that it was Anubis they had given blessings to instead of Ra that made Yugi wonder and worry without much reprieve. Why should a pharaoh wish to make such an unusually deliberately specific sacrifice to the god of the dead? It had not made sense to him then and he still did not have any answers. More so, he thought the most urgent aspect of the matter was that his grandfather had been the only one to speak to the god. No priest had been sent with them for the deity to speak through and he had not been allowed to witness the ritual, drawn away by his grandfather's warning words before he had fallen into a deep sleep. He had told him to leave the moment that he made the kill for the god or the wrath of Anubis would be set upon him for spying. And so Yugi had gone about leaving the altar to stand inside of the hall, facing the exit and trying desperately not to choke on the harsh incense that burned from the vases set about the entrance of the sacrificial chamber.

He still remembered the heavy gates that accessed the massive hallway with great stone columns and the series of many other chambers through which he knew the priests of Anubis would pass. He was still terribly unnerved by the thought of it, of how the priest that had met them there had not even paused but to say that he had been expecting them. Yugi had found that each of the chambers were lit by only beeswax candles without torches to sit in perches on the walls, the smell of incense violent and threatening to choke him. The chambers had gradually decreased in size as they had continued further inside, the light of the temple deliberately and significantly reduced. The entire experience had done nothing but put him on edge, the darkness creating an atmosphere of mystery that made his skin crawl. He knew that his grandfather had gone within the chapel, had seen the shrine which contained the god's statue. The statue would be situated in the inner sanctum of the temple, given the body of a man and the head of a jackal.

He had been relieved to escape the temple and come back to the villages, despite the sandstorm that had come about. And now he had the chance to gain answers and alleviation from the desperate ache that had been driving him insane for the past thirty days. He wanted to see the other boy as soon as possible, to be able to drink in the warm scent of cinnamon and fresh honey, of salt and cumin. Energy made his limbs spark with life and he spun around to face his grandfather, trembling with excitement as the other smiled in warm amusement. He nodded and Yugi tore off without him, ignoring the sun as it stung his skin viciously with the weight of its heat. His skin was conditioned for it, as was anyone's who lived in Egypt, but his flesh burned easily, always stinging painfully and needing alleviation through natural remedies.

He made it to the entrance in only a handful of moments, excitement lending him great speed, and he spun around to face his grandfather. The vizier rolled his deep plum purple eyes, smiling good-naturedly, and hurried to gain a place beside him. Yugi bounced in place, shaking with exuberance once more, and licked his lips as he took in the familiar walls of the palace he had always called home.

The wood of the bridge that formed the barricade at night was strong and hard beneath their feet, giving off a nice, thick sound like the fishers' boats banking in the sand. A set of three widened steps formed a ramp upwards to lead into the gardens. Yugi breathed in deeply, nearly trembling with happiness at the familiar surroundings; how many times had he spent the hours resting in the shade of the freshly planted trees with the other? As always, the thickly branched deep brown trunks arched skyward several heads above him, a large square of lush greenery between them, with flowers of white and gold and purple and red resting among long strands of grass. Bushes with blooms lined a well-bricked pool of deep blue water the shade of the Nile, with scattered lily pads amongst the beautiful shade. A platform of large white sand steps stretched towards the palace's numerous doorways, the flowers opposite the great formed sandstone taking on the job of giving a cluster of cobalt and orange blooms for the pharaoh's liking. The pool of water was spread further beneath a small bridge of both wood painted a speckled golden hue and pearl white akin the steps before them, the natural spring fed by the Nile. A well was positioned towards his left, a few paces away from the plants, a large circle of raised earth and carved bricks of stone.

"Where do you think he is?" he demanded rather than asked, blushing at the desperate excitement that coated his words and made his grandfather snort in amusement.

"Probably in one of the audience chambers, possibly his father's throne room," Shiamun said thoughtfully; the pharaoh's son was always wandering around the palace, never truly able to remain in one place for too long. He was restless, and his attention short. One had to truly keep his focus enraptured to gain a word from him in response or else they would be sorely mistaken with the effort he put into a conversation. Most often, his give away when he was not held by words was the way his lips drew together and the right side tugged downwards the tiniest bit, his eyes grew a small bit darker as if he were slipping back into his thoughts, and his head tipped to the left a fraction. It had taken him years to figure this out, realizing several times that the lessons he had tried to bestow upon him had been in vain the moment that he tried to make him relay a word he had said. Yugi was the only one that he paid attention to even if he was doing nothing more than looking around for something to occupy his time. Often times, he would have to have Yugi relay the message to the young heir who would pay him all the attention in the world and grow more excitable as the moments passed simply because he had the other boy's attention.

Yugi's excitement fell a notch at the reminder. He would be taking the throne soon, as his father's illness seemed to only be getting worse as the time passed. He shuddered at the thought, wondering how he would take it. "We'll check out the throne room first," he decided loudly, unable to contain a small bit of unhappiness from bearing the undertone of his statement.

He slipped through the archway that served as the entrance for the main hall's back exit, a small corridor with painted images decorating the walls. A few animals and flowers served to line the upper more centered spaces of the alabaster stone, the bottom having golden paint to outline etchings of symbols and drawings of more prominent creatures from their religion. A scarab and a jackal rested side by side, none of the symbols he favored more than the rest for their simplistic design and the tone of gold that set them into the wall. Incense burned on tall hollowed clay and metal stands, the scent heavenly and intoxicating, and the columns that lined the walls were striped with deep red to symbolize their future king.

He shuddered, all thoughts of the pharaoh's possible passing leading him immediately to the image of those deep crimson eyes the other possessed. He couldn't say or think his name for the moment, knowing if he did, he would wind up a jumbled mess of excitement that would fall to the smoothed floors with the hopes of capturing his attention again. It was not that he needed grovel before the other boy—he respected him far more than he did anyone else when it came down to it—but the mere idea that he would see him again made him feel weak with happiness. The thought of saying his name and having him respond, those red eyes struck with surprise and excitement to rival his own, made him bite his tongue and leash any attempt of his name slipping into his mind.

He made his eyes lock on the two sculptures that rested in the far wall before him, serving as a reminder that the servants' quarters sat directly beside them as well. The two statues were of Ra and Ma'at, both of them beside each other and directly positioned behind the burning incenses' tall stands. Intricate designs in writing behind them bore the names and powers of both gods, the importance that they possessed as the father of the gods and the keeper of balance. Yugi knew both of their stories by heart, teaching them to the prince in order to have him respect their religion as well seeing as he was the only one he would listen to without eventually seemingly growing deaf with boredom. His attention span was too short for someone to prattle on without engaging him in some way—eye contact was a strong motivator, as well as making games or speaking animatedly or simply answering any questions he asked. Not many in the palace actually knew that, however, and the other boy always paid attention to him whether he was just in the room or speaking, red eyes always locked on his frame and seemingly trying to memorize every bit of him.

Beyond the main hall in which the throne rested, would be the altar room, with the king's bedroom directly parallel of it, the hallway large and spacious to divide them. The corridor beyond it would lead to a set of bedchambers for those of the priests as well as his own and his grandfather's, with the nursery separated from them by a thick wall that helped to keep any noise threatening their slumbers at bay. The audience chambers were numerous and spread around the palace in different areas, taking several of the corners of the great structure, with the harem positioned between the servants' quarters and the hallway that connected the bedchambers. Beyond the resting quarters, stashed outside in a more solitary building were the grain slots, about four to six depending on the harvest. With it rested the storage, the stables and a miniature workshop, the kitchen, cattle pens, and a lodge.

He continued along the path to the main hall, slipping along the narrow corridor with Shiamun behind him, both of them making their way quickly. He was startled when he slipped around one of the grand columns laced with red paint to a smell a new incense burning. It was usual for them to burn three different incense a day for morning, midday, and evening, but the scent was stronger than it should have been, to the point that it burned his nose and made him shudder in discomfort. Shiamun froze beside him, blinking wide eyes, and then gave Yugi a startled look before leading the way further into the throne room. The throne rested in the center of the large room, carved from the finest gold with intricate patterns woven into its design, the Horus name of the pharaoh's family running along the armrests. The Eye of Ra rested over the very top, a symbol of power that the red-eyed boy was going to be recognized with for others to gape at its splendor when he was long gone—or so they said anyways. Yugi had never really had the urge to gape at any symbol from a former pharaoh before, so he wondered if that was more just to make this new reluctant heir actually desire to grow into the throne.

Yugi had, unfortunately, given the other boy a taste of more freedom than he should have. He himself was used to making decisions that did not entirely require approval from others or that always matched that of what he was being trained for. His freedom to do so and not be judged so harshly was what had always turned the other's head to watch him when decisions were being made, no matter the subject. It was one of the things the other claimed to love about him, the fact that he did not hesitate to do what he felt was right despite the disapproval of their fellow royals. And he showed it without much care, allowing their heir to get a taste of freedom that was not rightfully his, something that Yugi had always regretted. He had always been resistant towards rules and his own future power, but he knew that he had brought it more to focus in the other boy, making him that much more reluctant to even bother with his responsibilities or learning.

Yugi froze as he too slipped around the column that had formerly blocked his sight of the throne in its completion, eyes widening in shock and confusion. Fingers drummed a steady pattern against the arm of the chair, nails clicking against the smooth surface and making a heavy and cold noise for each impact of the digits. The fingers were long and slender, a caramel tone that set nicely against his deep blue and gold-marked silken clothing. A long beautifully done deep blue woolen cape pooled around the edges of the seat, resting on the floor without much care, and legs clad in golden clasps giving way to a pair of thick papyrus shoes crossed at the thighs. A golden wing the shape of Ra's rested on his left shoulder, sharply gleaming in the torchlight from their places lining the walls on either side, held by figures sketched into the columns. A sharpened jaw was tipped forward to block the sight of the thick plate of gold that wrapped itself around a narrow neck, covering a young chest and slim shoulders. Thick earrings of gold flickering in the torchlight like dancing flames draped from ears easily overshadowed by jagged bangs the color of the sun that rested in front of a piece of jewelry that made Yugi shiver in discomfort.

Perched on his forehead, beneath a crown of the deepest black silken hair given a fiery red crest like fresh blood in the form of spikes shaped like an imperfect star, rested something that made Yugi quiver as he looked upon it. The Eye of Ra seated in a clasp of gold that spread outwards and upwards in a diamond shape the length of his forehead. Long wings of gold like that of the god's the symbol engraved upon it stretched out behind the long bangs, giving the rich hair the appearance of more abundance in their jagged yellow form.

A hand rose to pick at a bang, tugging on the end almost unconsciously, but with enough force to make it known his irritation. And Yugi got a clear view of the thick golden bracelet that wrested on his wrist, the armband that covered his bicep, and the two royal rings that he found resting on his pinkie and third finger. He blinked stupidly, taking in the rope that rested on top of the golden plate, weighted by an upside down pyramid with the Eye of Ra as its center, giving more light to the bands of gold that wrapped firmly around his waist and showed just how skinny he looked beneath all of that clothing.

Oh Atemu…

He trembled faintly, taking in the stony appearance of the high priest standing in the corner of the room, blue eyes sharp as they took them in with stark surprise. Shiamun stayed silent next to him but he could see that he was just as shocked as he, both of them frozen in place and giving the new pharaoh looks that bordered on horrified.

If he had not seen the rings on his finger or the crown on his head, he would have thought that perhaps he was merely sitting as he would have in place of his ill father. The boy shifted forward in his seat to place his chin in his palm, fingers against his cheek, the rings gleaming brightly to give off an eye-catching glow. His stomach twisted and shuddered, his heart lurching and falling into the jumbled mess of acids.

With his eyes so firmly closed, his long spidery lashes touching the top of his cheekbones with no illusion of kohl, the pharaoh looked almost as if he might be sleeping. But Yugi knew from his own time spent with the other that he was as well aware of their presence as he was the gold that rested against his skin as it did. He might not have known that it was them that stood before him, but he knew there were two others in the throne room with him. Yugi shivered and glanced at his grandfather, almost wanting to beg him to tell him that he was wrong and Atemu was merely holding the throne for his father, but stayed silent when he caught the sharp look in his plum gaze.

The boy ducked his head with a small twinge of shameful indignation, chewing his cheek before looking up through his lashes to take in the other's form once more. He wanted to open his mouth and cry out the other's name, confused and mournful for his new position as well as his loss, but kept quiet. The pharaoh would have to acknowledge them first before they could even entertain the thought of speech, as it was he who held the power, and to speak out of turn was punishable. Instead he licked his lips as uneasiness pushed his mouth into a dry state and his tongue tried in vain to wet the soft skin. Finally, feeling shaken and small, as if he might vomit at any moment, the pharaoh's lids slowly lifted to peer at them in pure contempt.

Yugi felt a trill run through him at the realization that the other was looking straight through them, listless for a long minute. His pupils were dilated and his red irises had grown shadowed with the darkness cast from his long lashes granted by the firelight. He recognized the look from when Atemu would stare off at something that only he could see while they were growing up. It had been a long while since the last time he had done so, the final of which had been hours of him staring at some corner of his garden around speaking to him. When Yugi had said he didn't see what he did, the monarch had fallen silent and pretended that he had not seen anything either. And now he had that same glassy glaze to his sharp eyes, taking note of everything around him but unable to truly focus, as he had then. But slowly his gaze was beginning to grow clear. A fog seemed to creep out of his dark pupils, his irises sharpening as the boy leaned forward slightly, blinking before narrowing his gaze faintly. Yugi chewed his lip violently, fighting off the urge to fidget in front of him like a piece of prey under the watchful gaze of a predator. His skin twitched, quivering over his muscles, and his stomach shuddered again slowly.

For a moment he thought the pharaoh still did not see them, fixated on something he could not really understand, the red eyes scraping over his grandfather's figure slowly. His deep gaze burned viciously, the intensity of it searing Yugi even though it had yet to crawl over him as well. Mere exposure to it sent his mind into a nervous twitch of confusion and sympathy, all of his body rigid with wonder at what the other could possibly be looking for. His gaze drifted slowly but surely, drawing in every single detail that Shiamun had to offer, and not quite looking through him but truly at him now. He thought maybe he was searching for something in particular and clearly was not finding it, as the twitch in his jaw suggested, but instead of disappointment, the monarch's face twisted into a wide smirk of approval. His eyes, sharp and gleaming with excited cunning and joy, locked with his and the other tried to smile but found his mouth twisting in ways he did not recognize.

"Welcome back," the pharaoh announced, jumping to his feet and starting towards them; Yugi blinked in surprise, startled by the warmth in his voice when he had looked so cold only moments before. The greeting was spoken in a prosperous and excited baritone voice, eyes sparkling as he got to his feet and found his way in front of them almost immediately. His mouth started to open only to have his head snap around when his cousin spoke a small warning in the form of his name.

"At—"

Their eyes locking was enough power to make the other's mouth close immediately, turning away and lowering his head almost like a trained dog. Yugi stared in shock at the display, eyes wide as his gaze shot between them in confusion and silent demand for explanation. What exactly did it mean for the vicious brunet to be so obedient towards his younger cousin? When he had left, the two of them were always at each other's throats with arguments and yet still held some form of impossible friendship. Now all he could see in either gaze was bitter coldness and sharp disdain, a touch of shame and frustration lingering in the high priest's when he raised his head again after a long minute had passed.

He supposed it could have just been that his father's parting had left him irritable enough to bear the weight of it upon his cousin, but he doubted it. It was more likely Seth had stepped too far out of line and Atemu had finally lost any thread of patience for his behavior and lashed out to finish it. But at the same time Yugi couldn't seem to draw this as the conclusion either. Something was more visibly wrong with the situation and he knew it was not just the pharaoh's passing.

His thoughts were gone immediately from that direction, smiling slightly as the red-eyed monarch looked at him almost playfully from the corner of his gaze. The light bouncing into the red orbs made him look even warmer, almost childlike, as if he were dying to pull him into a hug and curl up into his arms and remain there for as long as possible. How many times had they done that before he had left? When his father had first grown sick when Atemu turned twelve? Yugi smiled a little more, insides warming when Atemu trembled a little and couldn't fight off the wide grin, truly looking younger and more playful than he had since his father's illness had struck so suddenly. But he remembered his eyes so much brighter back then and even like this, with the room lit by torches rather than sunlight through the windows in the upper level, he could see shadows there. They looked like weights, permanently marring his otherwise beautiful, regal features. And Yugi had to wonder what it was that weighed him so terribly. Surely he could not be so easily overpowered by his new responsibilities? Yugi knew that while Atemu was stubborn and scarce with the attention he paid to something that was not interesting to him, he had been groomed since almost birth to be able to take the crown immediately after his father's passing. He did not think that it was possible he could be smothered by them now.

"You've been gone a while," the monarch stated, tipping his head to the side to give him that cute boyish grin that always made his heart skip and his stomach flip with warmth. But he could tell that he was using it to mask the rather bare thread of threat that was aimed towards his grandfather, one which the vizier merely dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment towards. Yugi could still feel his gaze burning into his skin even from where they appeared more focused on the second more powerful figure in the room. "Feel free to rest and then tell me of your ventures outside of the palace."

The vizier's grandson swallowed hard, feeling almost sick now at the way Atemu's voice took on a slightly bitter edge that the monarch clearly did not care enough to hide. A restless air settled over the pharaoh's features, his gaze flashing almost violently with resentment, and Yugi closed his eyes briefly, a feeling of bitter mourning slipping through him. He almost felt like he did not recognize the other safe for his physical features, because his eyes were dark and looked sharper than ever, like the blade of a knife he was just waiting to dig into someone's flesh. If it was not for the rich caramel skin tone and the head of hair, the unique ruby shade of his eyes, he probably would never have recognized him.

"Seth, see them to their chambers," the pharaoh snarled suddenly, spinning on his cousin and bristling as if the brunet had just personally offended him somehow. Yugi blinked wide eyes, feeling sick at the thought of having been dismissed like this. He had been hoping to get to speak to the other boy, but he supposed his conversation material was stale now. He had wanted to ask about how his father was doing, but that was obvious enough with the way that his red-eyed son rested so solely on the throne.

"Of course, my pharaoh," Seth hissed, his voice coming out almost shaky for a split second, and Yugi felt his spine grow rigid with shock at the thought. Had he threatened his own cousin? He glanced at the new pharaoh, finding the dark red eyes on his cousin, his lip curled slightly in anger, and Yugi found himself feeling distinctly sick once more.

"My pharaoh…"

The monarch's head swung towards him, eyes wide in surprise at the formal address, and his lips twitched into a frown on the left side in a clear show of displeasure and confusion as they stared at each other. His brows furrowed slightly, eyes narrowing as he continued looking at him. Yugi felt his teeth dig into his lip, about to continue now that he had his attention, but felt the words die in his throat. He could feel the desire to sleep for a little while resting heavily on his shoulders now and the more he considered talking to the other boy, the more laden his body felt. He waited, sure the other would continue, and then shrugged with a slight tilt of his head before turning to his cousin once more as he started over to them reluctantly.

Seth's chin was lowered some respectfully, eyes on Yugi rather than the pharaoh staring back at him coldly. He followed his grandfather and the high priest, feeling distinctly separated and lonely, and glanced back over his shoulder to find red eyes locked on his frame. The pharaoh stared for a moment and then his lips twisted into a small smile, nodding faintly, and making Yugi's stomach flutter as his own mouth curved into a grin.

---

"Yugi."

He twitched, feeling his skin sting with momentary discomfort, already picturing the red that would overcome the rich tan it sported. His eyes snapped open in the dark at the repetition of his name, confused and fighting off a wanton dream that left him feeling slightly winded. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sudden addition of the torch the other held in his hand, the light flickering and bouncing around against the alabaster stone that surrounded them. The sheer curtain of white silk that served as a canopy reflected some of the light and gave him the silhouette of someone he at first thought was possibly the pharaoh before the light twisted and flared again. His tired mind nearly voiced the name that lingered on his lips but he bit it down immediately when he realized that the height was wrong, that the hair was amiss. The fact that he wore none of the pharaoh's clothing spelled out the same and Yugi yawned softly as he shifted forward slightly. He pulled the canopy aside some, feeling the soft silk strands as cool and light as the wind against his hand.

"The pharaoh wishes for you to meet him in his chambers," Seth hissed at him, blue eyes glinting in the darkness, the light of the torch only making his face look hauntingly annoyed and vicious. If Yugi was not more politically powerful than him, he had no doubt the brunet would have turned his wrath on him now that he could not do so his younger cousin. Atemu was safe with the power of the pharaoh, protected by all means, and Seth turning a hand on him as he had when they were younger would mean his death without hesitation.

Yugi was grateful for that at least. Because even if his own status had not been higher than that of Seth's, he was still his cousin's lover. That fact alone granted him privileges even more than that of what he already possessed as being the sole successor of Shiamun as the vizier. He had been picked personally by Atemu's father, after all, so no one could turn their nose at the decision as they might have had Atemu himself decreed it at some point. Being so politically empowered meant that Seth had to obey him as he did Atemu, though no one was foolish enough not to realize that to turn against him would gain Atemu's wrath tenfold what anger they would have received simply undermining him.

That was not to say that Yugi could not defend himself if he needed to. Out of the three of them, he was most likely the more dangerous one, though his nature was gentler than either that of Atemu or Seth. He did not enjoy violence and had never made a strike without provocation, something that Atemu seemed to have learned from him. The pharaoh, however, lashed out immediately if he was challenged, always sure to beat someone beneath his feet with words or the occasional physical attack if need be. Seth had always been rather nasty in nature, fed by jealousy that Atemu had been born to take the throne when it had been declared a possibility that he would be crowned the heir when the queen had seemed unable to bear a child. It had never been exactly stated that he would be given the throne at any rate but some of the priests had acted as if it were his gods' very gift. Between the lies and Atemu's more passive nature growing up, he had grown nastier to the point of lashing out like a wild animal at times. He had obviously settled at some point, put in his place sometime while he and his grandfather had been gone.

The disdain in his voice was not lost to him as Yugi slowly blinked and rubbed his eyes tiredly, taking a moment to truly sit up and stretch his legs some. His muscles ached sharply, the burn of his skin more pronounced in this new position, the actions drawing on his fatigue as the moments passed. The misplaced pleasure of his dreams drove him to focus more on the way the firelight danced around the room and cast their shadows dark and long across the white walls. The flickering torch's light burned red behind his lids, giving him more of a reason to focus, and he rubbed his eyes once more before shaking his head slowly. He yawned softly once more, blinking and then looking at the other as the priest put on a show of very deliberately slowing the action of glancing over his shoulder.

"Quickly," Seth snapped, cold eyes glittering and making his skin crawl as the flames reflected in his pupils and made them shrink momentarily. Yugi watched him for a moment, curious about the way he seemed to be almost nervous with the task of seeking him out, and struggled to get to his feet. Even without the light, he had memorized that searing hatred for him in the blue gaze, the way that he had always looked down at him as if he were a piece of commoner scum rather than Atemu's future vizier.

The brunet turned on his heel immediately and Yugi rose to his feet more fully, the sting to his skin burning but doing nothing to slow him as he followed closely behind. It was beyond his tired mind to even attempt to bother with the task of conversation, knowing already without thought that he would not be pleased with anything Seth had to say anyways. The high priest was as cold as the Nile's water and as shallow in emotions as Atemu's pond in the garden, only hatred and disgust truly making a dent in his usually unreadable expression. And besides, the priest would likely rather stab him through the eye with the rod he wielded than make small talk with him.

Yugi knew the pathway to Atemu's chamber by heart, though he suffered a moment of confusion within his exhausted mind as he followed the other male. In the amount of time he had been away with his grandfather, they had been accepted into homes without much thought past serving the pharaoh in keeping them both well attended. It may not have been even slightly as pleasing to the eye as the palace, but it had not been too terrible. The only true loss was that of not being around Atemu and possibly having a more peaceful night's sleep than what was offered with the Nile so close.

Its waters had crashed against the dense green banks so often in the night that it had at one point awoken him in alarm at the thought of horse hooves being beaten into sand. It had sounded as if an army were passing through, right behind the open windows and leaving him breathless as he struggled to regain his bearings. His grandfather had been sleeping restfully, the only reason he had not woken someone else to sound alarm; Shiamun would have been awake and leading him off if that had been the case. But at the time, he had been unsure and discontent with the noise as he remembered soft whispered rumors spread amongst the palace for superstitious ears. He had heard of the possibility of a foreign king wanting to rise up against Atemu's father before but he had also heard that the deceased pharaoh had managed negotiations. Rumors had spread first amongst the harem with the thought that his son had been promised off to the princess but no one could say if it was true or not. Even Atemu himself had no real idea as his father had never mentioned it to him before.

But Yugi was almost sure it was simply a rumor because, had it been true, the princess would be there by now. She would have been named the queen of Egypt, uniting both kingdoms to ensure the safety of his people. But then again, Egypt had been peaceful both politically and economically for centuries now, both lands united under one pharaoh and no opposing power to truly stand against them.

Yugi was also well aware that if Atemu had been betrothed then he would never have had a choice of who he consummated his rite of coming to age with. Yugi wondered, however, how the other had actually managed to hold off on the union that was needed for his coronation as the new pharaoh as it was.

Yugi shook the thought off, not wanting to even consider Atemu being taken away from him to be married to some woman for the sole task of bearing children. It was his choice to have as many lovers as he wished, no matter the gender or status, and if he was married, he would have been kept as his lover on the side.

If Yugi had not grown up in the palace with his grandfather and visited the pharaoh so often at night, he would have become lost. The palace was very intricately done, with many hallways that would certainly leave an invader lost and confused. With the firelight that reflected off the walls, it gave off a glare almost as harsh as the sun, and the shadows that flickered about gave the illusion of more walls and chambers than actually existed. It gave off a show of power and displacement that could leave even himself somewhat undone with the task of navigation.

He followed him along the hallways, Seth seeming almost reluctant to even walk properly or perhaps too tired to bother. Yugi watched him sweep along the halls, staying a pace behind him and casting a sideways glance towards a flickering image of artwork on the walls that showed of bright green like the Nile's lush shores. It took only a moment for him to recognize the image even in the torchlight, smiling as he took in the painting of the river and the palm trees that decorated its banks. A few animals were shown in the thick river reeds, a jackal and an eagle, with even a lion that seemed to be chasing a zebra.

Yugi gave the priest a small frown of apprehension, feeling a sense of unease creeping through him as he took in his irate mood. If he was so angry, what mood would his red-eyed cousin be in? He would hope that Atemu would not be upset, though he was impatient and Yugi had to wonder if the time spent looking at the paintings or to wake up fully would stroke at his temper. If his mood even slightly mirrored that of the brunet's, he was going to leave as soon as was physically possible. He knew the pharaoh would argue for the sake of keeping him there but he would not try to force him to remain with him.

He hoped it would be a far friendlier visit to his chambers than something like solely wanting an in-depth description of what had happened while they had completed their task. He had not been able to witness anything as it was, so any details he had to offer forth would be terribly scarce and weak, nothing worth actually listening to. Yugi had an idea that Shiamun had been given a sign and that alone gave him a hint of suspicion towards his grandfather's actions. Now that he truly took time to consider it, he had to wonder if perhaps his hesitance had been towards more than just keeping them safe on the journey home. He thought perhaps that he had been more than a tiny bit reluctant towards coming home to report to their newly-crowned monarch. He was still unsure of what the errand had even been pointed towards, just that Atemu had gone to his grandfather for completion of a sacrifice to the gods. It was not something that would have happened if it had not been terribly important and disgustingly secretive. And Yugi was still unsure why he had been brought as well, considering the fact that he was not even his vizier yet.

Seth wove his way through the carved mud bricks, all of them decorated with symbols that made Yugi feel warm and far more welcome than he had his whole trip away. More fully the walls were covered in animal drawings, with some of the shadow monsters from the other realm marking pathways amongst the halls. A few carvings of the gods made up another wall, beautifully done and commanding the attention of all onlookers that walked before them. They rested in the center of the stones, a couple of feet off the ground with Horus the largest in the center of the statues. He recognized the longer pathway Seth was leading him through. With sand polished and the strong scent of burning incense, the palace gave off an air of power and divinity that would make an outsider quake. Yugi smiled at the thought, shaking his head fondly at the thought of the various times he had found Atemu lost when he was younger. He had been unable to navigate the various passages though now he knew it like the back of his hand and every inch of Yugi's skin.

He glanced at the scarab and jackal carvings along the bottom of the stone wall, emblazoned in bright gold paint, almost as glorious as the metal itself. His eyes dragged upwards towards a few drawings of frogs, bright green with the largest of eyes, and proud falcons that lined the wall like winged soldiers. Sharp beaks and talons like swords made him shiver for a brief moment, smiling again; it was one of Atemu's favorites as well as the jackal and the scarab.

The hallway grew narrow and short as they passed the corridor of the main entrance. The colors decorating the walls in numerous pictures and countless designs were now drawn only to depict gods. He spotted Ra and Horus, Anubis and Ma'at at once and smiled slightly at the thought before shaking his head and turning away again to follow more closely.

The silence was broken only by Seth's sandals hitting the heavily trodden sand floor, echoing gently and making him shiver. The night air was cooler than it had been for a while, the palace offering more shelter than that of the houses that he and his grandfather had found themselves in formerly.

He was unnerved by this pathway only because of the irritation Seth gave off from where he wandered in front of him. He had taken this very same way to Atemu's room only a handful of times but his memory still served him well in giving him directions to take to the other boy's chambers. Most often he had chosen the much shorter path, desperate for the length of time to be halved and not to worry about being caught by his grandfather or Atemu's father. All of those times but twice Atemu had crept out and met him in the middle, always sneaking out the longer way after a certain time in night when the guards were no longer paying attention. Whereas Yugi would normally have just passed through one door and slipped down the corridor to find the other's bedchambers, now he felt entirely exhausted once more. He took a moment to glance around once, nearly running into the wall where Seth was turning the corner, and then felt his stomach sink slightly.

"Seth," he murmured, never one to try to smooth the brunet's ruffled ego by addressing him more properly, "why are we going this way? The other would have been far shorter."

The priest held a hand up for silence as they slipped through another small room that made up a mass of pathways, with hallways every other direction. He tilted his head, unsure of why he was told to be quiet or whether he should obey the younger boy. His attention fell upon the darkened hallways, the narrow strips of sand and columns that separated them, and then turned back slowly. Yugi knew as well as the priest that no one was around, that any conversation held between them would have no other audience than the two of them.

They slipped through the two doors that marked the entrance of a rather small audience chamber, used more discreetly by Atemu to merely play games. He was often his opponent for such little tasks, specifically sought out at times and having his studies cut into more than once. Other times his grandfather sufficed and Yugi would occasionally watch them play until Atemu would win. He was still unsure of how he managed it, but the younger boy had almost always won games that required strategy and skill versus anything physical. He was small built, with taut muscles under his skin, but he was faster than he was strong so most often he used wits and speed instead of weight or muscle to play fight.

Animal drawings lined the walls, several of them cats before Bastet, the goddess whose form was most often that of a feline. Anubis rested before some jackals, depicted as one himself with a long scarf of gold that wrapped twice around a broad neck and melded into his forechest and the front of his long legs like a second coat of fur against black. The god was skinny but larger than his companions, built more like a palace dog than a wild canine, but Yugi had never thought much of the drawing. Atemu was the one who always pointed it out with a scornful, "He doesn't even look like a jackal. He looks like one of my dogs. Bastet looks more like a jackal than he does."

Yugi had never been able to suppress laughter at the memory, always snorting at the thought because of the way Atemu's young stubborn face appeared in his mind. Why he was so heavily offended by the artwork had always been a mystery to him, but Atemu never had an answer beyond "He just looks ridiculous".

He snickered softly and then glanced over his shoulder momentarily, frowning as he turned back. He was tired and the thought of going this long way made him want to turn back, though he had to admit they were about halfway there. But it would have been so much easier for his tired mind if they had gone the other way. He was growing weary now, his skin beginning to draw forth a sharper sting to annoy him with. If not for the fact that he was halfway there and that he was going to see the other, he would have turned away immediately and gone his own way to find him. It was not as if he needed Seth's torch to guide his steps anyways; after so many escapades between them, he knew how to get around in the darkness without much effort. Of course, with the tiredness lapping at his senses like an eager dog, it might have been a better idea to stick with the brunet and use him as his unwilling guide to the red-eyed monarch's room.

The audience chamber they passed was smaller, thinner in design, and the walls actually held more paintings that consisted of something rather war-like, coming into existence long before Atemu or his father had come to throne. The walls were given coatings of colors that made them beautiful despite the weapons and soldiers painted there, the slaves from the war on the floor given life in paler shades than the victors. The chamber gave way to another set of them, of walls painted bright blue and green with some red used to give it more intricate designs, swirls and mist-like brushes of paint. Horus and Ra and one small depiction of Anubis rested on the farthest wall, where one would be seated or standing beneath it depending on the festivities going on. His stomach sank as they continued walking, his eyes wandering along the walls for a split second as he took in the archway of paved sand and mud bricks that gleamed and glistened with glittering shards of stone. The firelight bounced effortlessly, a few small gleams of light pouncing into his eyes and making his vision blur for a moment, too tired to truly connect the two things. His heart lurched as they continued walking, swallowing hard and feeling his throat strained as it burned his muscles with the action. Something about the entire palace seemed miserable and discontent now, as if all of the air had grown thicker, weighing heavily on his body and making his lungs feel restricted and hard to use. Tiredly he cast a glance over his shoulder before finally turning back to follow the priest with a disgruntled sensation, swallowing hard again in discomfort.

Seth glanced at him now, giving him a sharp look to keep his mouth shut though Yugi never made a move to open it once more. He was well aware of others sleeping around him and he had no wishes to wake any of them when they were still all important to the palace's peace. To spite him, the smaller thought of hissing loudly but failed to open his mouth as his eyes drifted over the sleeping forms scattered across the room, lying underneath woolen blankets and resting fitfully. He tilted his head, unsure of himself when the light flickered across their faces to show an emotion that he had not expected to find there. Several of the faces were marred with despair even in their sleep, twitches pronouncing their distress even in rest, eyelids seeming to feather and flutter in the dancing light, and their brows were drawn together slightly. He swallowed hard, feeling his mouth grow dry at the wonder of what could have possibly happened while he and his grandfather had been gone for that seemingly endless month. Everything seemed a little wrong, strange as could be and just generally upsetting to be exposed to. For a split second he wondered what Atemu could have possibly done to make the palace seem almost foreign to him, but despite the gleam of ice that coated his once friendly gaze, he could find nothing to justify the thought.

The pharaoh was not cruel by any means. He was—unless it came to Yugi and even slightly being alluded towards sharing his attention for more than a few seconds—just and fair, a trait that he had inherited from his father and mother before she had died three years after his birth. At two years older than the pharaoh, Yugi remembered her well, though his interactions with her had been rather brief. She had been gentle and soft-spoken and it had been rather clear why her husband had loved her more than anyone else. The two of them had remained more or less the other's, though Yugi had always heard those whispered rumors that they had been with others during the king's reign.

He had never believed it, because they had never shown interest in others and the pharaoh had only used the harem before his coronation, so it had never truly made any sense to him. Rumors had circulated nonetheless and Yugi had wondered once or twice whether their son would be more like his older ancestors or his own parents with his choice of a single lover or more than one. As far as he knew, the boy was picky and selective and only had eyes for one other person, so he had never really focused on it for longer than it took for the whispers to pass through one ear and out the other. As far as Yugi had ever known, he was the single person that Atemu had ever really paid attention to or even so much as glanced at with more than a brief, disinterested look. It was the reason that he had been selected specifically and without competition as the pharaoh's future vizier when Shiamun finally stepped down and retired.

They slipped into the garden where the plants and golden-and-red-painted columns greeted him with a warm scent like honey and sunlight. Moonlight drizzled onto the stone, dancing across the tranquil waters with soft ripples of white and silver that made him shiver with delight, the lily pads on its surface gleaming as if embalmed with starlight. In the sunlight the glare of the stones surrounding the plants and the pool of water was harshest when it was midday, but turned beautiful shades of red and gold when the sun rose or fell. The silver glistening of light offered in the open area of stone painted it a soft cobalt, glittering as if it were some kind of ethereal kingdom, glorious in shades of soft, cold wonder.

He turned with Seth after a moment, eyes falling on the pool once more and remembering many nights he had spent in the cool waters with the red-eyed monarch. The younger boy had always been enraptured with the cool water, pulling him in with him whenever he got the chance, sometimes even cutting their nightly lovemaking short to drag him over to it. The crisp green lily pads were distinctly familiar to him after watching Atemu play with them when he found himself too tired to keep the other boy's sole attention. Most of the time it was simply just because the conversation was lagging that he would start to pull the plants into his hands and stroke at the soft leaves, tracing the veins that lay there.

Yugi shook off the memories to follow Seth, knowing that soon enough, even if Atemu seemed slightly estranged to him at the moment, he would find himself in his company in mere minutes. Regardless of whatever was eating at the pharaoh's attention, he was sure he could at least give him a small bit of happiness in just coming to his chambers as he had asked of him. They scanned the walls, Yugi taking a moment to admire the swirls of color that made up decorations of the columns to his left, gleaming in the moonlight and giving it a ghostly glow, and both of them spotted the second doorway. The curved archway was given small tendrils of golden paint in curves while the dark brown door seemed unwelcoming but held slightly ajar for them to be able to slip in almost effortlessly.

Only once they slipped into the hallway and Yugi took in the various drawings of each gods, of beautiful depictions of nature and animals spread out through the desert littering the walls, did he realize that Seth had refused his question. He narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth behind his lips and feeling his jaw clench in annoyance at the concept of being ignored like this. If he really wanted to, both were well aware that he could pull rank and demand he answer. He was, after all, the grandson of Vizier Shiamun Muran and he was the second most powerful in the palace, resting just beneath the pharaoh. Being Atemu's lover as well meant that he would have no choice but to answer. He could make Seth speak, as both of them were well aware and Yugi would not let him soon forget.

He blinked slowly at the thought, eyes widening as he swallowed hard and chewed his thumbnail for a split second, shaking his head momentarily. The incense was warm and harsh where it rested on its upwards podium of metal set up In parallels along both corners of the corridor. He was distinctly overwhelmed at the concept of taking his grandfather's place at any point in his life, the sensation slowly dying away as he continued in Seth's footsteps and pushed away any thought of rank. Sorrow lapped at his insides at the very idea despite his efforts to push it away, lowering his head slightly at the shame that chased his former thoughts.

He followed him through the doorway that fell beneath the arch to his right, warmed immediately by the thought of seeing the other again. Parallel to each other, the hallway to the pharaoh's chambers rested across from the altar where the priests would make a small morning sacrificial ritual with the pharaoh's watching eyes overseeing all of it. The ceremony was for show, as far as he could tell, without much else but burning incense of different types to welcome the gods once more into the palace. A massive stone tablet almost the length of the wall rested in front of the back wall, with engravings of the gods and the pharaohs, with priests and the magicians lining the far sides like columns of bodies.

He shuddered, pushing away the image of the stone tablet and the carvings that were burned drastically in his mind from years spent in there with Atemu overseeing the rituals when his father had grown sick. Yugi licked his lip, wishing he had some water, and wondered curiously if the young monarch would have some in his chambers. Odds were he would, as the servants were consistent with keeping it within his reach for whenever he wished to drink.

He smiled in amusement when he caught sight of the pharaoh who, as he should have guessed, was pacing restlessly at the entrance of the room. The sheer mahogany veil resting as a canopy to the entrance of his room highlighted each of his moments, making his shadow more pronounced and causing a small snicker to leave his lips.

Atemu's head snapped up, turning immediately, and he could already feel his eyes locked on his face even as he started to pull the sheer material away some to allow him entrance. Seth did not follow and Yugi glanced over his shoulder momentarily, curious at that fact, while Atemu merely watched him for a moment and then turned his attention to his cousin, voice disdainful but soft with gratitude.

"Thank you. You are dismissed, Seth."

The brunet looked ready to argue but nodded instead, huffing too quietly for the pharaoh to catch as he turned and wandered off. Yugi noticed immediately that this time Seth took the shorter way, recognizing just by the turn he took in the corridor which direction he sought. Yugi watched until the light pronouncing the flame of the torch the other held was completely gone, startled when he felt fingers brush gently against his.

"By the gods, Yugi, straighten your back," Atemu complained playfully, crossing his arms and scowling at him though his eyes were shining with laughter and a slight bit of firm scorn. The future vizier rolled his eyes, recognizing the playfulness that always existed within the other boy when they were together.

"Yes, my pharaoh," he muttered, scoffing softly but forcing his spine to lose some of its tension to straighten his posture some. The other boy purred faintly, a low rumble that was so familiar he wished he could melt into its embrace, and then smiled warmly, reaching out to brush their fingers together again. Yugi immediately moved to catch them in his own, twining them momentarily as Atemu tilted his head with his brow raised.

"I am Atemu to you, little one," the pharaoh murmured, gazing at him fondly though he thought he could see chips of ice lingering in his deep red eyes. Yugi blinked before smiling in response, warmed slightly by the statement if only because of how many memories crept through him immediately at the term of endearment. It only came about because Yugi slouched so often and so made himself look smaller when they really stood at the same height, something that his grandfather always snickered about.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to use your name or not," he admitted, wandering around him and towards the canopied bed, the slip of sheer silk held by a large block of gold that made up the frame of the furniture. It stood at almost twice their height, even taller than Atemu's cousin, and wide enough to support four people with inches of room between them. The structure of the bed beneath the sheer canopy was carved gold that, with such spacious design and outstretched features to support it, looked almost like a stretched out dog. He could easily picture the animal leisurely straining to give each muscle a stretch, back legs as far away as they could reach from the forelegs, the footboard spiraling upwards like twin tails raised and curled inwards. The headrest looked like the animal had raised its head, stretching its neck out completely and ears were perked as its muzzle tipped a little further up.

Yugi stared at it momentarily, glancing at Atemu sideways to find that he looked a little frustrated by the bed itself before his head jerked to the side in a clear dismissal and warning that he did not want to talk about it. Atemu had moved into the room several months before he and Shiamun had gone on their errand to make the sacrifice to Anubis. He knew the bed well enough, as did Atemu, from nights they had spent either whispering secrets to each other or staking claims on the other through physical contact.

Yugi took a seat, reaching over to run his fingers over dark blue glass, the ivory beams that connected it to the frame beneath. The legs were edged with gold foil that laced its way upwards along the back, wrapping around the glass of the headrest and giving it a strange wicked glint in the light that came from the torch resting against the far wall. He could already see the linen that had been placed upon the left beam of the headrest, helping to cloak it for Atemu to rest more comfortably. The fact that he hadn't done the same with the right said that he probably expected Yugi to take that side, though the odds were more likely that they would be in the middle of the bed rather than anywhere near the sides. Atemu was known for snuggling and he was more likely to take a spot in the center of the bed and hold him captive there than he was to let him take one side over the other.

He gestured him over when Atemu turned his head again and the new pharaoh snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes as he took up the task of plopping down at his side, curling on his left flank. Yugi watched him as he braced his weight on his left elbow, reaching over to run his fingers down his side in little gossamer touches that made him squirm.

"I gave you my blessing to use it as you wished, Yugi," he stated quietly after a long minute of silence that only the sound of the flame on the opposite wall, leaping and dancing, cut through. A soft crackle made the older boy glance at the torch before he turned back to him immediately again. The rather sheer mahogany sheets shifted somewhat under their weight as the pharaoh continued tracing paths across his clothing and tugged lightly on the thin material. His attention caught on the other boy's again, Yugi felt his stomach drop and he fought back the urge to swallow thickly at the way that the pharaoh's eyes were narrowed into slits of gleaming red. His pupils stretched to engulf some of his irises with the touch of shadow that came with the thin gap between his long black lashes, making his skin crawl slightly. Yugi was suddenly keenly aware that he could see the coldness in those dark eyes growing and his stomach tossed violently at the realization. Was he angry at him because he had hesitated to use his name? Or was it something else entirely?

Yugi was unsure of whether he wished it to be something he was familiar with or for it to be completely foreign and thus unobtainable to him. It was a horrible thought in the first place that Atemu even had to have such a thing happening to him to make him feel such coldness. Maybe Atemu's political stature would prove too much for him to be able to adequately help with or maybe it had already demonstrated itself to be too much for the younger boy to even handle despite being raised for this sole purpose as the son of the pharaoh.

"Good point," Yugi murmured, ignoring the small sense of dread that made his heart feel heavy and reaching over to run his fingers over the other's pulse. He twisted on the bed, shifting his weight and moving to face him more fully as Atemu purred like the she-cat that he could see resting in a basket in the corner of the room beneath one of the torch's perches. His red eyes widened momentarily before fluttering, narrowing into gleaming slits, and Yugi laughed lightly, smiling widely in amusement as the pharaoh sank into his gentle touch as he always did. The monarch tipped his head in a gesture for him to reach higher and Yugi snorted in amusement, tracing a new pattern up and down the column of his neck and feeling him shiver in delight.

Atemu may have been powerful, both physically and politically, but he was an absolute baby when he was alone with him. The pharaoh tended to melt and fold to his will, eager to please him and worm his way further into his heart as if he could get any deeper. Yugi had never truly been able to stay mad him though at times they had clashed and Atemu had childishly told him once or twice that he hated him and wanted to feed him to a crocodile. Being the older of the two of them and apparently far more mature mentally—according to his grandfather—Yugi had always been able to take that statement easily and draw him in again without too much effort.

Yugi cast a small glance around, both relieved and dismayed to find that Atemu had made the chamber solely his, though he could see that the younger boy had worked to have it assembled to resemble his father's. All of the former pharaoh's items had been stripped away to be buried with him inside of his tomb, but he recognized the layout of the room as Atemu did. A few vases rested on cross-legged stools situated around a large column, a small burning incense between them. The Eye of Ra made up the crest of the entrance of the room, holding up the mahogany sheet that rested behind the wood of the door, and Horus decorated the sides beyond it, making no mistake of who or where Atemu came from. He took in the candlesticks and feather-stuffed cushions that rested on a small table where another vase sat with Hathor and Bes. Game boards sat in another corner on one of the stools and golden molds of animals such as the jackal, Osiris's dragon form, Ra's dragon form, lions, and a stray cheetah were spread out among the room in seemingly random places. He glanced towards another sheet that was draped as an exit that gave way to a few more smaller chambers that held most of his jewelry though he could see the crown and the Puzzle laying near the she-cat fast asleep in her nest of blankets.

He had seen the doors opened to their limits when they had come to the entrance and knew Atemu would have had them done away with completely if not for privacy. The pharaoh had always hated being in any space with the doors closed, though he did enjoy having the option to shut others out so freely. Chances were, however, that Atemu had made the choice to strip down the doors of the other smaller chambers. And he noticed that the doorway was clear for him to look through at anytime he wished, something that made him smile in amusement. Atemu had always been one of those children that needed to have a room to move around and closed doors were never something he fancied aside from blocking the two of them from view and muffling their union at night.

He was tempted to ask but decided against it, figuring he would find out at some point later, whenever Atemu actually did wish to do more than talk, which he assumed was not what was happening now. Otherwise he was rather sure the pharaoh would have been trying to ravage him by now and he would be reminding him just who was the older, more dominant between them.

He traced a new pattern and Atemu leaned more deeply into the touch, letting out a soft whine of a noise before purring when he repeated the motion. He could feel the tremors of the deep rumble against the tip of his finger, making him shiver in delight at the sensation as he turned back to him and smirked in amusement.

Atemu had always been a picky boy growing up and he had scarcely spoken for the most part, unless it was to argue adamantly or sneer at his cousin or let out his frustration in wordless noise when he got hurt or he lost in a duel with Seth. Past that he had been rather silent, always more reserved and listening but not really contributing. He was more like a predator, observing for weakness and tugging at it when he got the chance when a fight broke out with another, but past being challenged over something, he rarely acted on anything. Yugi had found him peculiar but sweet growing up, not the least bit loud but always thinking and giving little noiseless sneers when people irritated him.

Yugi had met him when he was two and Atemu had yet to speak, some of them rumoring that he was mute. It was a serious issue if he was meant to be the pharaoh seeing as he would be unable to command others or give blessings to the gods at the temples if he could not speak a word. When they crossed paths, at first Atemu was completely silent but Yugi had known he was watching him because he could feel it and when he looked over the heir hadn't even bothered to look away. He hadn't bothered with the general modesty that a two-year-old would have shown, ducking his head and looking away and spying on him occasionally until he looked again, and that had not changed at all. Atemu still stared at him blatantly, occasionally giving him little smirks and mischievous glances, no matter who the audience was though he supposed that would change some now that he was officially pharaoh.

Atemu had often been joined at the hip with him when they were younger and that had not changed too much while they had grown. Between the first initial meeting in which Atemu had finally opened his mouth and started to make noise to get his attention, calling him "Yu" and "Gi"—the only noises he knew how to make at the time due to being so quiet—when he started to walk off with Shiamun, and now, it was still rather constant.

Status and learning had made it a littler harder for them to stay as close to each other physically at times—as Atemu had made a point of having happen any chance he got, even throwing fits when he couldn't see him as the day went on—but it had done nothing to weaken the bond that Atemu had suddenly formed with him that day. Yugi was still unsure of why he had done so, choosing to spend time with him and mimicking him so that he actually could learn to speak since his teachers did not seem to keep his attention long enough to instill anything. The future vizier was more or less sure that Atemu had learned most of everything he needed to by copying him and listening intently to him when he spoke. For whatever reason, the younger boy had clung to him, choosing him out of everyone he interacted with or knew, and rarely concentrated when he was being taught by another growing up.

Yugi watched his eyelids twitch, eyes glazed with happiness, and slowly pulled his fingers away after a moment, biting his lip to keep from laughing as Atemu blinked in confusion and then stared at him blankly. It took a long minute for his eyes to clear completely, blinking once more before snatching his hand around the wrist and pressing his fingers insistently against his pulse point.

"Yugi," he growled a moment later, narrowing his eyes and huffing loudly as Yugi snickered and reveled in the way that his pulse jumped with irritation and the close proximity to him.

"Ooh, he's got the deep voice going on," he snorted, smirking playfully and watching as Atemu scowled, a pout forming almost immediately after. "Guess that means I should listen."

"Yes, you should. Ra decrees it! Now rub my neck."

He rolled his eyes, laughing when Atemu leaped at him, pressing him against the sheets and growling low in his throat. His fingers worked at his shoulders, digging lightly into his skin through the thin material of his clothing, but did nothing to bruise or cause harm.

"I said rub my neck."

"Rub your own neck."

"I can't! I don't do it right—you do it right. Now…rub me right."

Yugi snickered loudly, rolling his eyes and smiling warmly when the pharaoh narrowed his eyes. "You have other plans tonight?" he teased.

The monarch raised a brow elegantly and sniffed indignantly. "With you? Ha. You won't even rub my neck right. How could you expect me to want your company in bed if you won't even do that?" he scoffed, wrinkling his nose and pulling away from him to sit up with his chin raised and a childish pout on his lips, head turned away as he made another indignant noise.

The older boy was actually offended for a split second, stung by the comment and left wondering once more how much had changed since he had departed with his grandfather. Had Atemu experienced pleasure with others or had he remained his? He knew if he was forced to do so, he would have no chance of arguing, and he could hardly blame him, but Yugi thought he might die if he had done it by choice. The first thing he had said to him when he had told him that he wanted him to go with Shiamun was that he would wait for him. Yugi had not even asked him to do so but if he had gone back on his promise, he knew it would take a while for him to not feel the sting that came with such a betrayal.

Atemu made no move to acknowledge his frustration, and Yugi knew he noticed because the red-eyed pharaoh had always been keen on missing nothing when it came to him. Instead the pharaoh watched him, not the least bit alarmed by the slight air of growing irritation he gave off. But the older boy realized belatedly that Atemu perhaps didn't take note of it because he had merely been teasing and had no reason to think that he had struck a blow or put him on edge in any way. And, instead of being even slightly put off by his new attitude, the younger reached over to pull on his smallest bang which sat in the middle of the fringe of jagged yellow hair, a softer, warmer, almost younger appearance to Atemu's own.

Yugi couldn't help but melt into the familiar action, fighting off laughter at the childish touch, something that Atemu had always done when they were younger. It was like a security for the youthful boy, something he always did when they were alone or Yugi was about to scold him for doing something incredibly stupid as he had sometimes been prone to do. He had made such a habit of it that at times he had heard whispers from Atemu's father and his grandfather that that piece of hair was officially the younger boy's property. He had been teased relentlessly by Shiamun who later said it was a testament of how close they were, that Atemu had claimed him when he was so young and still continued to play with that little clump of hair.

Yugi had actually expected that to be the first thing that Atemu would do when he returned. He had pictured him finding him before he even got to the throne room, running over and tugging on the bang, and then walking him back to his chambers. Had his father still been alive, Yugi had no doubt that Atemu would have been wandering the palace rather than seated somewhere, would have spotted him immediately as if he had called his name, and then done exactly that. But being the crowned monarch now, Atemu had appearances to keep up and the show of childish affection was not something that said he was powerful and worthy of the title as the pharaoh.

He had always thought that, because of his age and despite how smart he was and his status as being the only heir that had survived, Atemu's power would be challenged nothing short of immediately. He would not be surprised if it had already happened at some point as it was. It could explain why Seth suddenly seemed so afraid of him like this. If the brunet had challenged him and Atemu had won, it could have meant his death or the stripping of his power as a priest, but obviously neither of those had happened. Atemu must have spared him—if that was what had happened in the first place, anyways. He would probably be kept wondering as far as that went.

He grinned and batted his hand away, watching Atemu stick his tongue out with a petulant pout before he rolled over and rested on his back, watching him lazily from the corner of his eye. "I'm glad you're back," he murmured so quietly that Yugi almost did not catch it.

He swallowed roughly, nodding and giving him as warm a look as he could. "I am too. I missed you."

"You better have," the pharaoh scoffed playfully, pulling on his bang again and then relaxing lazily once more. Settled so comfortably like this, Yugi could almost see his childhood stretched out in front of him again, eyes of bright red and a boy who refused to stay still even for him. His face looked softer and warmer, more like he remembered, and his mouth was curved into that same mischievous smile he had grown to love more than anything. The only real change in that moment was his voice which had changed three years ago, growing deep and warm with an oddly wistful edge that sometimes hurt his heart to hear.

He narrowed his eyes and pounced on him, throwing the younger deeper into the soft sheets and woolen blankets, making him huff a breath out as he blinked in shock. Yugi grinned widely, straddling the other boy who flushed faintly in the torchlight around them before trying to push him away. They rolled a couple of times towards the end of the bed and Atemu squirmed beneath him, writhing like a snake to get out of his grip.

"Got you," Yugi snickered, smirking and winking as he moved off of him. The pharaoh snorted loudly, huffing in embarrassment and a small sting to his pride that made him blush faintly. It was a surprise to neither of them that the older boy had won; he always had when they play fought. He had always managed to pin him down and tease him about it and no matter how hard he tried to change that, Yugi always wound up on top. It didn't matter if he tried to lunge at him when he wasn't looking or immediately after he turned his back on him. The vizier's grandson was like a snake with far more control of his body than Atemu had, squirming as if he was boneless and managing to flip them over at a moment's notice. They were the same size and still the other always got to pin him with little to no effort on his behalf. Then again, Yugi had always been better at fighting than he had, hand-to-hand combat or using the stone tablets to summon the monsters from the realm of shadows. The few times that Shiamun or Isis and Mahado instructed them to go up against each other, the red-scaled form of Osiris had been nothing compared to the bright golden dragon Ra. Yugi couldn't keep him for long, however, and Atemu had learned to sustain Osiris for a rather respectable amount of time.

"You just got lucky," he griped good-naturedly.

"Wow, then I must be luckiest boy in all of Egypt if I've managed to pin you down twelve summers in a row," he teased playfully, poking his tongue out as the younger blushed furiously and then scowled, cheeks puffing out like a cat with its mouth full and glaring. Yugi pulled away after a moment, snickering, and twisted wildly when Atemu pounced on him as he knew he would. They rolled straight off the bed, hitting the ground with Yugi straddling him and holding his wrists over his head as he raised his chin with a wide grin. "Luckiest boy in all of Egypt."

Atemu huffed, "Get off me" and untangled his wrists to push him away, voice taking on a harsh tone that made Yugi blink in surprise and pull away with a startled expression. The red-eyed monarch crossed his arms, scowling and breathing out a loud puff of air that made the other laugh in amusement when he realized the pharaoh was merely frustrated with his inability to win at this game. The younger boy turned his face away when he leaned towards him, huffing loudly once more when Yugi moved to face him again. He snorted, once more straddling him before wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek. The younger boy swung his head around so that their lips met just as Yugi had expected, leaning forward eagerly as the older laughed against his mouth.

The younger pulled back after a moment, pushing him away gently with a hand to his chest, and Yugi froze in place for a moment, shocked by the other's dismissal. Reflex made him open and close his mouth to put forth some kind of argument, eyes wide as he blinked in confusion and watched the other raise a brow and frown at him quizzically. He shifted awkwardly from where he was perched on his hips, and fought the sting that started up in his throat, a lump forming there; Atemu had never dismissed him before. Now was probably the time that the other would tell him that he had found a wife or someone more suitable to his tastes, that he no longer wanted him.

"I thought you would be tired from your journey back," he explained slowly, red eyes narrowing and giving the low light a dark corner of color that made his stomach twist. Yugi could feel heat gathering under his skin and his mouth grew momentarily dry as he realized the other was growing suspicious now, his eyes searching his face for any trace of a clue as to what was making him react to him like this. He chewed his lip, watching him, and fought off a wince as Atemu's face grew sharp and his eyes became gleaming shards of bloodied ice, scanning him up and down slowly. He was looking now without any thought to hide his intentions in order to announce to him exactly what he was doing, searching for what exactly had thrown him so much as to look so shaken, but he let it go after a moment. No doubt he saw just how uncomfortable he was and didn't want to press for the moment, instead taking note and keeping it in the forefront of his mind for a conversation at a later time. Yugi also guessed that maybe he could have attributed it to his journey and had not even gotten anywhere near the play that Yugi's thoughts actually lay. "I also thought you would want to sleep, not to make love."

Yugi nodded slightly and shifted awkwardly on his knees, feeling a sting come across his skin now as he blinked and backed up a small step. With the humiliation burning his insides at his foolish misreading, now his legs seemed to flare with protest and discomfort. He had forgotten to ask for some honey, oil, aloe, or cucumber.

Atemu glanced at him curiously for a split second before rolling his eyes and pulling himself out from under him and helping him to his feet without so much as a pause. The action wielded such grace that Yugi was momentarily floored. Atemu may have always been regal and possessed the unparalleled power and ease of a predator, but he had never truly witnessed him use it before him like he did now. It was like he had just been struck with the realization that his new status could have even drawn more of the feral grace he would show to someone potentially weaker than him. He watched him as he wandered off, into a separate chamber where Yugi had to strain his ears to hear him over the soft cackle of the fire whose light flickered with gentle touches of darkness like fingers stroking the air. It gave off little heat but what it lacked in temperature, it made up for in the orange glow to dust away some of his tension with simple familiarity. Atemu returned a moment later, putting a clay pot down in between them and gesturing dismissively for him to help himself, pausing only for a second to pull on his bang and have him swat his hand away with a grin, all of his unease once more forgotten.

"You know me too well," Yugi laughed, blushing hard when Atemu snorted and plopped down on the bed lazily, watching him from beneath his long lashes and allowing the light to jump against his irises. The darkness of his pupils seemed to contract with the additional orange cast, his eyes taking up more of the hue and making one side of each iris the shade of a coming sunrise while the other remained dark like blood.

"I swear you must have the fairest skin. You burn so easily. And you never heed the amount of time spent in the sun," he teased, smirking widely as the other ducked his head and rolled his eyes around a small smile.

"Yeah, well…hush, you."

The other chuckled warmly and watched him as he applied the honey to his skin in smooth strokes, working a thin but effective layer over the tanned flesh. Atemu smirked and snorted loudly when the other boy swiped a handful and started licking it off his fingers happily, something he always did when he got a sunburn. The monarch had learned to keep a jar of honey around in his chambers just in case Yugi got a burn, knowing that it was his preferred method over the other various treatments. He claimed the honey method was more effective with his skin but he had a feeling it was just because he liked to eat handfuls of it and just wouldn't admit it because Atemu would tease him about it relentlessly.

Yugi ignored him aside from occasionally poking out his tongue in his general direction, continuing to apply the honey to his skin while the pharaoh moved to stretch out across his belly and prop his chin in his hands and watch him. The older boy wore the more modest appearance of clothing that the nobles dressed in among the palace, displaying the more minimal need of dress that came with training to become his vizier. It was an outfit akin his own, given an almost identical shenti of pure white cloth, with golden plating on the top that covered most of his chest and shoulders. The waistband of his clothing was just as thick in gold as his own, but a knotted skirt served as the bottom of his outfit whereas Atemu wore a blue sash over the middle that fell to frame the gap of his thighs on both sides. Yugi wore mirroring bands of gold on his arm and wrists, but none of them had the carving of the Eye of Ra or the symbolism that his own possessed where they sat in an inner chamber. The bands around his legs were smaller than his own, as it was imposing to the pharaoh if anyone wore them longer than he. The other boy did not wear earrings, which was something that always fascinated the young monarch, seeing as his earlobes were soft and whole, something he would never admit drove him insane with jealousy. It was such a stupid thing to envy and it often angered him that he was so stupidly thrown and dumbfounded by a simple thing such as that.

Atemu wondered what it would be like if Yugi had his ears pierced and such heavy jewelry to hang from his lobes. He doubted they would be as cute to him as they were now, though he wasn't entirely sure about it, and he was always curious, spending hours at a time with his head unable to move past his open jealousy. He knew Yugi noticed it, the way he lingered there with soft little kisses and nips, always paying them special attention, but he had never mentioned it. He was too sweet to bring up such a disgusting little trait of his, his most annoying flaw by any means.

He shook the thought off, watching as Yugi put the lid back on the clay pot and got to his feet, starting towards him with a finger in his mouth and his lips smacking with a small hum of satisfaction and approval. Atemu rolled his eyes and stretched a hand out, amused when the other grabbed it and settled into the bed next to him without further prompt. He remembered hours of messing with his hair, fascinated with how it looked so much like his own, with how he imagined the crown would look behind his long bangs. He had convinced him only once to wear it for him, right before he had left for the errand, and he was well aware of how unhappy Yugi had become.

His face had twisted, growing uncomfortable as the seconds passed by, eyes lowered to the ground more than they were raised to meet his. He had never been able to get him to wear the Puzzle like he had truly wanted, but that was more because Yugi had drawn the line there immediately before he had even opened his mouth. The crown was okay, but the Puzzle was like treason. Atemu supposed he understood that logic, considering it had been created for his father and passed along to him and Yugi may have been his lover but he wasn't his wife. He couldn't produce an heir, couldn't become the queen of Egypt unless he somehow bent every rule known to the palace and the pharaoh's laws to do so. Because of this, Yugi had refused openly but had allowed him—for whatever reason, Atemu still questioned it all with such confusion that it drove him mad to focus on it for more than a handful of minutes at a time—to dress him in the crown. Even the cape had been worn splendidly that day before he had undressed him again, making love to him the last time before he left with Shiamun the next day.

He wondered vaguely if he could get him to wear the small crown that he had worn at ceremonies, with the much less imposing wings of Ra. It had rested around his ears, a thin band connecting the two golden carvings of feathers spread in a downward motion with only one upwards just above the shell of each ear. It ran behind his bangs, doing nothing to disturb them or even show amongst the yellow of his hair like the new crown he wore.

Atemu shook the thought off; maybe he could get him to at another time, but now wasn't even worth the moment it took to wonder about it. Instead he reached forward to run a finger over the cold gold of the plate that ran around his chest and shoulders. It was layered with more intricate pieces, with a thin band above and below each bit of metal to demand the attention of bystanders, with sharp rectangular shapes carved to give it more depth. He ran his fingers over it for a moment longer, smiling slightly in amusement, and then gave him a warm grin.

The older boy moved to press their hips together, their thighs touching and their flanks only moments away from brushing if Atemu only settled to rest next to him. When he pulled his fingers away and finally looked at the other boy, he found those warm blue-violet eyes locked on the carvings of the inside of his bed's frame where the canopy was held in place. His own eyes reluctantly rose to the deep blue and black, silver and gold lunar calendar, each day marked by a god on the inside, making an inner ring of silver to the massive blue orb that showed the months and hours for anyone's leisure. Priestesses and high priests encircled it, arms raised to hold it as if they were holding the very world or the sun, the moon, the night sky. Decorating the deep blue calendar were silver etchings and drawings of symbols and animals, of the gods and creatures that he had no name for outside of the many studies of astrology that he had never paid much attention to. Yugi had explained it to him once and for a year he had known what he meant but he had forgotten it just as easily, never once truly needing it and so discarding it without much thought. A circle of hierarchy made a ring behind the gods, more towards the center, with servants and peasants, merchants and harvesters, cattlemen and shepherds, all leading towards Horus who presented forth a child who took on the crown and became the pharaoh. More and more images made up shapes of silver and gold, marking passages of life and death, of famine and prosperity, all coming together in the center to meet Anubis and Ra and, once more, Horus. All three gods rested in the middle there, with humans before them, all three deities reaching out to touch them, to coax them into the afterlife and power and eternity.

Atemu could already see him calculating, working out the days he had been gone, wondering about the passage of life that his eyes studied silently. He gave it a dismissive glance the second time he raised his eyes to it, instead shaking his head and fighting back a loud scoff of annoyance. He was so fed up with having the task of looking up towards it recently, having always hated it when he had been growing up. At the time it had been because Anubis and his jackal head, the power of death and eternity, had scared him. Now it was simply because the entire thing was ugly to him, no matter how impressively done it was. The only reason it remained in his chambers was because his mother had loved it and his father had had it painted onto the inner roof of the bed.

And if it were not enough that his mother had brought about this drawing haunting him relentlessly, he had been raised among the harem with the very same ceiling staring down at him every night and making his skin crawl. He was still unsure of why he had been raised in the harem when Seth had not. He knew part of the reason he had not was simply because he had been so reluctant to speak and so the brunet, chosen beforehand to become the heir if they could not produce a child, had been treated as the prince of Egypt. He was still uncertain of why his father had agreed to allow him to be raised there with the other children, when the pharaoh had been healthy though his wife had passed on not too long after his birth. Seth knew nothing of modesty, little being done to introduce such a lowly concept to him, but Atemu knew it as intimately as he did Yugi at times. His mother had insisted that he learn it, her death wish according to his father, and he had been given lessons among the other harem children though his grew far more advanced when he was alone with his father.

A soft cooing noise made him turn his head and he smiled faintly as he saw Yugi covering his mouth as he yawned and stretched, growing more comfortable in his space beside him. He would gladly let him rest if he could only shut off the thoughts that were suddenly plaguing his mind, and selfishly he wanted him to cast them away for him.

"Stay awake with me?" he implored softly, reaching out to stroke his fingers along the older boy's jaw, tipping his chin up and gazing at him fondly to make Yugi nod immediately. His lips curved up into a wide smile at the knowledge that Atemu—no matter what seemed to be bothering him as of late—still refused to try to press his power upon him. He didn't even know why he would have thought such a thing when it seemed entirely against the younger boy's personality altogether. Aside from the occasional pouting and glaring at him defiantly whenever he had told him to do something while they were growing up, Atemu had never used the phrase, "Do as I say" or "I'm going to be pharaoh one day. And when I am, you'll have to do everything I say".

Instead, Yugi had always known him to be rather levelheaded and sweet in that way. He didn't usually impose his power or will on others, always having hated his very heritage. He remembered many days in which he had cursed at the priests, the servants, spitting at them that he would run away if they didn't leave him alone. Yugi had often had to run after him into the marketplace whenever Atemu disappeared but that was only when he was about eight until he had become ten when Yugi had scolded him so harshly that he wouldn't even leave his chambers for a day and a half. Atemu had, however, often fought with Seth when he tried to make him behave and even tried to curse him with Ra's wrath at one point because he had told him that his behavior was that of a commoner's. Yugi had always found it hilarious when they were younger, especially the instance when Seth had knocked him over in the garden and Atemu said he hated everyone. It had taken him from sunrise to sunset to get him to smile again and he had officially been dubbed the only one Atemu liked anymore, something that was ironic because he was the only person Atemu liked, period. His hatred for the throne, for his own lineage and power, had always made him reluctant to play with the idea of bossing others around. It wasn't to say that he didn't when he had to or that he would allow others to walk all over him because then he was as feral as a wild animal, snapping and snarling and all but beating someone into submission. Atemu would not allow others to use his name either, as it would have made him seem weak and only he and Shiamun and Seth were the three he knew of with that privilege.

Yugi was relieved to see that his new position of absolute power as the pharaoh had not made him a disagreeable pompous ass as Seth's coronation into the priesthood had. Atemu had knocked him flat several times afterwards, annoyed with his showing off, and ever since Seth and the new pharaoh had had something of a love-hate family relationship. Then again, it mostly bordered on hatred as far as Yugi could tell, but he could see in the way that Seth seemed to test him and occasionally check up on him that he did at least care some even if he showed it in a rather rude way.

"Tell me about how your journey was. How was it outside of the palace?" the pharaoh cut in when a long minute of silence had stretched out between them, Yugi caught in his thoughts. He blinked, the eagerness in his tone making him zero in on his face and catching the smallest bit of excitement and mirth in those shining, cool crimson gems.

The sight made his stomach clench as he realized that the younger boy must have still been desperate for the freedom he had just been stripped so fully of. Aknamkanon's reign had been unusually short for a pharaoh, and Atemu was still so young. Yugi ached for him but shook it off in order to plaster a grin to his face and make his voice light to entertain his royal lover.

"The camels were rude. I swear I got spit on twice and Grandfather actually jumped into their watering pool too. Oh, and the temple was massive, Atemu. I never really noticed how big Anubis's temple was." He was rambling now, unsure of what to say when he saw the way the monarch's eyes went from wide and hopeful to a stormy red at the mention of the god's name. Yugi guessed that he was still upset and mourning his father's death to elicit such a response. He pressed his cheek against the other boy's, whispering softly into his skin and pressing a small kiss to the shell of his ear. "It'll get better in time."

He looked stunned by the comment, nonplussed for a moment, and then smiled and nodded with a warm look. "It will." The words felt heavy and sticky in his mouth but they came out smooth and he knew Yugi had no reason to doubt his statement. Besides, he believed the other boy, that it would get better. The question was just when.

"Tell me more. Were there offerings already?"

"Not so much. I think I counted a couple of cats, actually."

"But you and Shiamun were the only ones with a jackal, yes?" he demanded, prosperous baritone voice eager and somewhat sharp with interest, eyes gleaming viciously for a moment in the orange glow of the flame. Yugi thought maybe he imagined it because it was gone immediately when he tried to search for that ferocity once more. "Am I correct in assuming that no one else had offered a jackal?"

Yugi blinked curiously. Atemu had been so insistent that they used a jackal as the animal to be sacrificed and several of the royal guard had been sent to find a male. They had captured one and one of the royal guard had been forced to tie the animal down completely until it was all but helpless, unable to get out of its restraints, legs and jaws forced shut with tight rope. Shiamun had put it on the back of his camel, unwilling to let Yugi risk it getting loose of its binds, tying the canine to the humped animal and making sure that it was unable to truly even do more than breathe and drink the water that was offered it when they got close.

"Yes—we were the only ones. What was so specific about the jackal? I don't—"

"Nothing, Yugi," he interrupted, reaching over to pull happily on his bang and wink at him playfully; the older boy wanted to believe him but the look on his face moments before said something else entirely.

"Okay," he relented after a moment, unwilling to pick a fight with the younger boy. He could see already that he would get no headway with the action. "We were the only ones who offered a jackal. Grandfather did the ritual and spent hours at the altar."

"You weren't…in there with him, correct?"

Yugi frowned at the way his voice lilted, bordering ferocity and complete hatred before he shook his head and Atemu's momentary tension disappeared entirely, a smile coming across his face instead. The older boy decided not to speak of the matter or how the pharaoh was beginning to scare him slightly with the way his mood seemed to switch so extremely from anger to calm and back. He was known for being able to swap back and forth easily when it was expected of him, but he could see half of him struggling with the task now. He hadn't noticed it before that moment, but his jaw was ticking, the muscles clenching and twitching, his eyes narrowed faintly as he looked at him.

"I wasn't in the chamber with him. I was out in the hallway and I waited until he was finished. I think he fell asleep, though, because I couldn't hear him talking or anything…"

Atemu's eyes darkened into gleaming stones of hellfire for a split second before he nodded slowly at the statement. He thought for a moment that the other looked terribly hungry, power and lust burning in his gaze, but it was gone in the blink of an eye and Yugi fought off a frown. Maybe he had just been seeing things, the fire's weak light playing games with his tired mind and leading him to false readings of the other's expressions. He wouldn't be surprised, as it was something that had happened more than once, misreading Atemu's warm affections for lust several nights in a row when his studies had grown too hard for him to keep up with. Shiamun had thought it was a great test of his will and mental strength to see how long it took him to catch up while Atemu had been upset for days afterwards, furious that Yugi had worked himself to that point.

Yugi shook off the thought, instead telling himself that he had merely misread because the very thought of the younger boy's face twisted in such a way made him feel sick with unfamiliarity. "I didn't get to see anything but going there and coming back and just being at the temples in general was…fun."

It had been exhilarating when he took his mind off of why they had gone, off of the task of what Atemu could possibly want with them being there to do a ritual that was not even the job of the vizier.

"Yes? I'm glad you had fun," Atemu stated, voice warm and soft in the darkness. "I had hoped you might."

"We would have been back a few rises before but that storm swept in and we couldn't go anywhere with it as harsh it was."

His eyes stretched wide and Yugi swore he grew paler in the flickering light, mouth opening and closing slowly before blinking. "A storm?" he grumbled slowly, voice bordering furious and unhappy. "You were caught in a storm?"

The other boy nodded after a moment, shrugging his shoulders slowly in discomfort. "It couldn't be helped. Travel was impossible—"

"I do not care that you were late," Atemu snapped, voice distressed as his darkened gaze narrowed into slits and he shook his head sharply, a jerky movement that made Yugi's eyes widen in surprise. "I just…I thought that something had happened to you! It didn't help that most of the others thought that you had died. Seth claimed that a whole month passing meant that you would not return at all."

He huffed, turning away to look up at the calendar that served as the frame of his bed, and curled his lip back in disgust and hatred. The damn lunar calendar had not helped him in the slightest in the task of ceasing some of his worry that he would never see the older boy or his vizier again. He had been forced to look upon that calendar and feel sick with desperation for them to return, with despair that it had taken them so long. Seth's words had done nothing to quell the growing panic that threatened to suffocate him daily when they still did not return. He had lost all forms of hope just that morning and when they had come back, he had barely refrained himself from hugging Yugi as if he were younger than he, burying his face in his hair and breathing him in. If it would not have been looked down upon, he would have held Yugi there for as long as he could before the other grew too tired and complained of the need for rest.

Yugi wanted to reassure him, but the more he tried to think of the words, the more they slipped from his grasp, and the other boy hardly seemed to be on that subject any longer. He could see the thoughts dancing in his eyes even in the growing darkness and he waited, not wanting to cut off any potential conversation he wanted to make.

"What do you think would happen if you could see your own future? Your own death? I mean, if you could actually change it all, would you?"

Atemu looked over, eager for his response, but found himself frowning when he saw that Yugi had fallen asleep somewhere in the time he was thinking. His face was tipped towards him, peaceful as his breaths came out even and slow, comfortable in a room that was quickly growing too small for his racing mind. The younger boy felt his shoulders sag, his breath coming out in a small sigh as he tried to force away some of his more persistent worries, but he could not find it in himself to be angry with the other. He had no idea the distraction he had been offering and it was not as if he could tell him in the first place. Besides, Yugi had just come back, after all, and he had known he would be tired, as he had told him earlier upon his arrival. He had guessed he was just eager to hear his voice before he fell asleep again, desperate for the softer lilt of his gentle tones and pleasurable companionable statements. His stomach churned as he pressed his nose gently against his temple, breathing in the scent of sunlight and spices and something that was purely Yugi, something that he could not define outside of the other's name. He snuggled into him, pulling him closer and lay his head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, trembling at the familiar noise and rubbing his cheek against the shenti the older had been too tired to take off before he fell asleep.

---

Okay, so the palace is modeled after the layout of several pictures I could find on Google Images. I combined at least six of them to make it work for the story, and I used both the mini-series Tut and Prince of Egypt for inspiration for its design inside and out. The garden was modeled after a picture I found on Google Images. The pharaoh had MORE than just one palace, though they mostly remained in one and called it their primary home, though they had others in other cities.

The hierarchy goes like this: pharaoh, vizier, nobles, priests, scribes, soldiers, craftsmen, farmers (there were NO slave markets or auctions in Ancient Egypt and they were normally captured prisoners that COULD be found in the household of the pharaoh and nobles working in mines and quarries and temples)

I've found MULTIPLE websites where they said that it was REQUIRED for the prince to be wed before he could gain the throne (I altered that, obviously, as Atemu is a stubborn little shit) and that once he was crowned he was expected to perform a daily ritual every afternoon inside of the temple of Amun-Re (which IS still located in modern Luxor, formerly known of as Thebes to the Greek and Waset to the Egyptians) to keep the peace between the Egyptians and the gods.

Also, the pharaohs WERE expected (even before being given full rule) to have been circumcised (at the age of 12 as all boys were) and then to have consummated their rite into adulthood by having sex when it healed (roughly a week, I'm GUESSING, couldn't really find too much on the healing rate) with the person of their choice (though I'm guessing that would be the queen if they were already married). They were expected to masturbate publicly within the palace and even into the Nile, which was seen as a blessing from the gods (since the pharaoh was considered the vessel of Horus).

The temples of Anubis WERE in fact built with low lighting and dark walls, with chambers that decreased in size until you reached the statue where Anubis would be in the form of a man with the head of a jackal. Anubis had already stepped down in mythology to make Osiris the god of the dead when the 18th dynasty came about, however, so I altered part of that to work for part of the story.

In the 18th dynasty, all royal children were raised together inside of the harem (which was, at times a separate building though for this story it's inside of the same main palace) and were taught most of the same things. The women were not used simply for sex and actually held a LOT of power.

No one actually KNOWS exactly how the cities would have looked like, just that they were close to the Nile and on the floodplains, which is why none of them exist any longer. They were placed so closely for trade purposes in the New Kingdom.

The lunar calendar was used at first by astrologers who would study the moon for signs of flooding and sowing. It was organized into 12 lunar months and 354 days that were divided into three seasons of four calendar months for each season and based on the cycle of the moon. However, they soon realized that the solar year was 365 days and so focused on the sun instead of the moon which caused them to develop the solar calendar. In the story, Atemu's mother just liked the drawing and the design of it and Atemu knows how to read it even if he doesn't usually care for it. Yugi likes the lunar calendar more than the solar, which is why he says lunar cycle instead of solar as he would have otherwise.

Honey was used as a natural remedy for sunburns, as were oils, cucumbers, and aloe.

I'll mention more of this as the story goes along (specifically the harem, the secondary wives, etc).