Title: This Time

The people of Ancient Egypt are now on the final preparations for the festival in honor of the god Hapy. Another year passed and the Nile River had overflowed and this brought joy to the people. For they can plant crops again and harvest them in good condition.

The town seemed, from a bird's eye view, to be a platoon of ants forming a straight line to squeeze themselves into a small hole of a needle. There you can hear the competing voices of men and women selling goods, clothing and other accessories in relation to the festival. Even so, the people are very happy for they knew that the great Pharaoh of Egypt will participate in the upcoming festival. He is the first Pharaoh to celebrate the festival with the people and not inside the grounds of the stone palace.

The stone palace stood in the middle of the city and was surrounded by tall and thick walls made from the combination of mud and stones. The soldiers rehearse all their skills on the palace grounds while the officials talk about all the preparations needed for the festival. They paid more attention to the security because as said earlier, the Pharaoh will participate in this one of the most important events in the Ancient Egyptian calendar.

The six high priests assembled themselves at the throne room. They are the only people allowed to speak with the Pharaoh. The guards are scattered around the place to ensure the safety of all the important people. The place was very quiet and the high priests elicited an aura of contentment except for one.

When one of the guards blew the horn; everyone descended on their knees to welcome the Pharaoh. The said person walked slowly toward the royal seat. Nobody looked at him for it's a crime to even look at the tip of his clothes without permission. As he ascended to his throne, and quietly sat at his seat, he acknowledged the presence of the six high priests and motioned them to begin the morning report.

"My Lord; Pharaoh Atemu," Priest Shadi stood up, "The town is very busy preparing for the festival. As I went to see the site where all of us would gather, there has been a big improvement to the tower compared to last week. It's all because they knew that you would join them at the celebration."

"That's good to hear," Atemu said, "Thank you very much Priest Shadi."

The said priest responded to the Pharaoh with a bow.

"Priestess Isis," Atemu called, "Will the festival be successful?"

Priestess Isis placed her hands around her Millennium Tauk. The said item released a small amount of light and the owner closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and smiled at the Pharaoh.

"My Lord, everything will be fine. This festival shall initiate good fortune not only to you, my Lord, as well as to Egypt." the priestess said. Everyone in the room smiled at what the priestess said.

"How about the security of the citizens?"

"I have tightened the security not only to ensure your safety but also to protect the town from unexpected assaults." Mahaado said, "In fact, the soldiers are now training twice a day, my Lord."

"Thank you, Priest Mahaado." Atemu answered as he nodded at the priest. "I leave all the preparations to you, my priests. I expect full details on the improvements, disasters and pleas of the citizens before the sun sets."

"Yes, My Lord." The five priests answered and bowed down. Atemu was about to leave the room when one voice caught his attention.

"My Lord?" called a voice

"Is there something you wish to tell me, High Priest Seth?" Atemu asked with confidence in his voice but his mind raced on the possible topic that the blue-eyed priest shall ask.

"I wish to speak to you about something very important." Seth said.

Atemu closed his eyes, fearing on the possible outcome of this conversation. After his mind and conscience debated about the topic, he finally opened his eyes and stared at the High Priest.

"Meet me at my chambers when the shadow of my temple cannot be seen." Seth bowed down and Atemu left the room instantly.

Seth waited patiently at his chambers. Once in a while, he would glance at the window to check if the shadow of his cousin's temple is gone. When he saw that a very small portion of the shadow can be seen, he took his Millennium Rod and proceeded to his cousin's chambers.

As soon as he arrived at his destination, he saw the crimson-eyed Pharaoh at the window with his head resting on his hands. He was humming a song that he liked in his childhood years. He would bend his head to his left or to the right every time the song reaches the chorus.

"You should know by now cousin that I'm here to discuss something very important." Seth said so as to bring his cousin back from the world of fantasy to reality.

"Oh, Seth, you are here." Atemu said happily and turned his body so as to see his cousin clearly. He placed his elbow over the window edge and his weight to his lower extremities. "What is it that you want to talk about?" he added.

Seth stared at his cousin for a few moments. He was captivated by the scene in front of him. Atemu's figure was surrounded by a golden light. His smile was so warm and uhm… hot. It is as if, Atemu was hypnotizing and seducing him.

"You should know by now," Seth said as he composed himself, "You are the Pharaoh of this country. You are not a prince anymore and…"

"…That I should do my responsibilities as a Pharaoh." Atemu finished the statement. "Seth, I can no longer count on how many times you said that line to me."

"I know but…"

"Besides, these are rare chances for me." Atemu said as he once again faced the window and stared at the busy people in the town. Sadness and fear were evident in his crimson eyes.

Seth got annoyed at his cousin's odd actions. "You should know that you are running a country."

The smaller man pouted at that statement.

"Very well…" Atemu said and turned to face the blue-eyed priest once again. Seth took a step or two backwards. Atemu's eyes were sharp that gave Seth a hint that he had annoyed his cousin.

"What is it that you wish to talk about, High Priest Seth?" Atemu asked the tone of his voice was very harsh.

Seth looked at Atemu's eyes and saw that he was very serious. "My Lord, I wanted to ask about what happened at the garden on the night where the moon was full."

Atemu's eyes widen a bit but he restrained himself from any reaction. Seth was asking about the night in which he had confessed his feelings to the man.

-Flashback-

Atemu took a walk on the garden alone. The only source of light was the light from the full moon, whose size and shape was bigger that it's usual size. When you stare at it, the moon seemed to be bluish in color.

He didn't know what provoked him to have a walk at the garden most especially at that specific time of the night. Not that he bothered, but for sure, once all his priests knew about this. They would inspect him every night and even place a guard or ask Mahaado to place millions if not trillions of traps around his chambers so he won't get away or that he would be safe during the night.

Everyone must be sleeping now by this time. He commanded all the guards' on-duty to forget about this incident. Fearing about any possibility about their careers, those guards nodded in agreement.

Maybe what provoked him in doing such is to organize his thoughts about certain events. The recent events troubled him so much. One of which is the rumored invasion of the Sumerians to the country. He wanted to plan about it whether the news was true or not. He wanted everything in order.

He continued to walk not realizing that someone was following him. His thoughts wandered as to what shall be done not only with the rumor but also about himself.

Atemu had felt something indifferent after the arrival of Kisara a few months ago. Ever since that woman entered the palace, Seth has paid so much attention to her. He would most of the time, during his free time take Kisara at the garden especially at the place where he and Atemu would play during their childhood. The Pharaoh would see the two play like lovers under the tree in which all their childhood memories were engraved.

Atemu clenched his teeth and closed his fist hard at the flash of the memory.

"Atemu…" said a voice. The Pharaoh jumped in surprise at the call of his name. At first, he thought that the person might be an assassin and planned if he would confront or run away from the man. When he felt a hand over his right shoulder, he immediately moved his arm and punched the man on the stomach.

The stranger, however, dodged his attack and the crimson-eyed teen looked at him with eyes as big as plates.

"Seth!" Atemu called, "You scared me. What the hell are you still doing here at this hour of the night?"

Seth frowned at his cousin's question, "I should be the one asking that, not you."

It seems that the gods were watching them from a distant place for he saw his temple had elicited a small amount of light then it was gone.

Afterwards, Atemu observed his surroundings. They were standing at the spot in which they usually play with Mahaado and Shadi during their carefree days. In an instant, the memories of Seth and Kisara together under this fig tree flashed once again. Surrounding the tree are small cacti that were evenly scattered over the place.

"I'm just here to organize my thoughts." Atemu said but he knew his cousin won't believe him.

"Is there something that's bothering you?" Seth asked. Atemu shook his head in reply but the blue-eyed priest didn't believe him.

"I need to be alone Seth." Atemu said but the other refused and he pushed the Pharaoh toward the fig tree.

"NO!" Seth screamed, "I won't let you go, not unless you tell me what's bothering you."

When Seth demands for something, he will certainly find a way to have it, whether to use force or plea. and no matter how much struggle he has to do to keep him away, Atemu knew that he won't succeed.

Seth found his cousin crying and that made him anxious. When he was about to ask what was wrong, Atemu blurted out words in which he never expected to hear from his cousin.

"You really want to know what bothering me?" Atemu said, his voice was steady but was affected by the colds (because he was crying). "Fine then;" he said sharply "You are really bothering me Seth."

Seth stood there dumbfounded at what his cousin said. He was the reason? But why?

As he was about to ask his cousin about his statement, he felt something on his lips. It was firm but clumsy and not demanding. When Atemu felt that his cousin didn't respond, he pulled back and quickly fled from the scene with a note in his mind that Seth would never, never love him.

-End of Flashback-

The crimson-eyed man stared at the person kneeling in front of him. The priest, however, was getting annoyed with the dead air that was present for many minutes.

Atemu composed himself. He has to say something to Seth. If not, his cousin would ask him from time to time until he gets the right answer.

"What happened that night is true, Seth" Atemu said firmly, "I shall not take it back."

Seth froze at the words uttered by the Pharaoh. He is in love with him? Does he know that he just proposed to Kisara?

"But don't worry Seth;" Atemu said with assurance in the tone of his voice, "I know everything about you and Kisara." He turned to face the window, "I wish you all the best on your wedding."

Seth opened his mouth but no words came. He simply cannot let his cousin stay in this condition. It will get into his system and worse, it will destroy his life.

Seth stood up and stepped forward but he stopped when Atemu asked, "Do you have something more to say, High Priest Seth?"

Seth wasn't sure if he has to say 'yes' or 'no'. But surely, he wanted to talk to his cousin about this.

"None, my Lord." He said and regretted it afterwards, "I have said everything."

"If that's the case, I would like you to leave now." Atemu said without looking at his cousin, "I wish to be alone with my thoughts."

Seth turned around; his face was a mixture of confusion, hatred and fear. He stopped half-way and glanced at his cousin who was again humming his favorite song. Upon seeing this scene, Seth shook his head and left the room quietly.

When Atemu was sure that his cousin was gone, he placed his one hand over the left part of his chest for he felt a tremendous pain. He fell on his knees with one hand on the edge of the window. He continued to hold his chest tightly as thousands of tears escaped from his eyes.

Yami woke up, his breathing pattern was uneven and sweat has covered his whole body. He wiped away some of it on his face only to find out that he was crying. It was the same dream that's bugging him for almost a month now.

'Was it a part of his past or just a dream?' Yami asked himself as the scenes from the dream continued to play in his mind.

"Are you alright, Yami?" Yugi asked, he only got out from the shower room. "You were screaming, Yami."

"I'm fine, Aibou." Yami said as he wiped away the sweat around his neck, "It was a nightmare."

Yugi sat on the edge of the bed, the towel hung on his shoulders hiding his half naked body.

"You can stay here if you want to." Yugi said, "I mean, there's nothing to do at school today because exams had just ended."

"I'm really fine Aibou," Yami said, "Besides I really don't want to miss school."

Yugi sighed deeply, "Ok. But promise me, once you feel something different, you're going home. Ok?"

Yami nodded in agreement and the two went to school quietly.

Once they arrived at school, Yugi met up with Jou to help him in his review on the make-up exams while Yami sat at the back of the room. As he placed his bag on the hole under his desk, he saw a small piece of paper. He grabbed it and opened it.

After reading the note, Yami stood up and went upstairs toward the rooftop while holding the piece of paper. And when he reached his destination, the sender of the note quickly showed up.

"Thank you for coming Pharaoh." Bakura said and a sly smile was evident on his face.

"What's your agenda, Tomb Robber?" Yami asked, "I don't have much time to waste."

Bakura snickered. "Really? Let's see… What will you do if I kill you with this?" Bakura pulled out a small crossbow.

"It's just a crossbow, so how would that kill me?" Yami asked.

Bakura's laugh got louder, "You know what? I always like your innocence, Pharaoh. This is a no ordinary crossbow, for your information." He said, "This has shadow powers that would defy yours, plus it has the blood of a scorpion. So you won't have a chance to survive."

Yami didn't move for an inch at which Bakura laughed. "You scared now?"

Yami smirked, "When was I scared, Bakura? Go and pull the trigger."

"I've been waiting for this day, did you know that? I wanted to kill you with my own hands. For me to see you suffer so badly that you would cry for help. Well this is the day that I can get my revenge! For those people who died because of you!"

Bakura pulled the trigger and the arrow was released. Yami planned to counter attack him with his own shadow powers but he failed for someone blocked him and received the arrow with his body.

The wounded man landed on Yami's arms. When Yami saw the face of the person who protected him, his eyes widen in horror.

"Kaiba!" Yami screamed. Kaiba looked at him; pain was visible in his cerulean eyes. After which he lost consciousness.

Yami's tears started to fall and wiped them out instantly. He turned to face the Tomb Robber.

"You should DIE now!" Yami yelled. The eye of Horus beamed on his forehead and dark clouds started to form around Bakura. Bakura panicked a little but was replaced by evil laughter saying that he can't be beaten by shadow powers. Yami, however, didn't listen as the eye continued to glow.

Soon Bakura found himself vanishing starting from his feet. He looked at the Pharaoh, his eyes had a taint of horror and surprise.

"You'll pay for this, Pharaoh!" Bakura yelled as his body continued to vanish.

Not so long, the tomb robber was completely eaten by the dark clouds. Yami sighed deeply for he used up most of his energy. He looked at the man lying unconscious on his lap. And Kaiba's face was poured by small amounts of water.

Yami remembered the dream; the dream that haunted him for almost a month. Why would he feel uneasy now? That was not true; it wasn't part of his past.

"I'm not yet dead, you know…" Kaiba said.

"I'm sorry…it's… my fault..." Yami said in a low voice, "You should be rushed at the hospital. That arrow has scorpion blood!"

Yami stood up but Kaiba pulled him back to his position, "No, its doesn't have any." He said, "Bakura only threatened you."

Yami's eyes grew big, "You should be rushed still; you're losing tons of blood now!"

"As if I care…" Kaiba said and with some strength remaining in his body, he raised his right hand to wipe Yami's tears away.

"Do you know the reason why I saved you?" the brunette asked, "It's because I caused you so much pain three thousand years ago. And it pains me to see you like that."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked his voice was very unsteady. His whole body was trembling.

"Don't cry Yami..." he said ignoring the question, "You cried before and I was the reason for your tears."

Yami cried harder. Kaiba was getting anxious.

"So you mean to say, that… that… that…" Yami wasn't able to finish his statement for every time he thinks about the dream, the more painful it becomes.

Kaiba, understood the other's sentiment; so with all his strength he rose up and pulled the crimson-eyed lad to a gentle kiss on the lips.

"I love you… Yami…" Kaiba said, "And this time, I'm not gonna let your love slip away…"

-The End-

A/N: Hapy was the god of the inundation (The yearly flooding of the Nile River). Hapy was especially important to the ancient Egyptians because he brought the flood every year. The flood deposited rich silt on the banks of the Nile, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops.

Source: Ancient Egypt - British Museum

I'm sorry if this was long for a one-shot fiction. I thought that this would be short but it wasn't. I also would like to apologize if the plot was slow. But I really want to thank you for spending your time reading this fic. Thanks so much:D (Bows down)

-Aura Serene