On ownership: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi
Seal
The sun is hotter today than it has been the past few weeks, and the cicadas are lighting up the air around them in a headache-inducing buzz. The prince and Mana have been playing all afternoon, swimming in the pond filled with water from the Nile, eating dates until they were sick, napping in the sun. He has been training. He knows the master has seen the way his eyes stray to the door to watch the prince playing, and the master has made sure that he is covered with guilt.
They say he is gifted, but he is exhausted now; true training to become a high priest is far more difficult than setting ants on fire with his mind for fun. His heart burns and his eyelids are heavy, despite the early hour. Exercising the soul does not come easily. The current master of the Millennium Ring is old and searching desperately for a proper replacement, and the rumors around the palace are that he has slowly gone mad since the Items were made. He can still feel the master's terrifying eyes on his back as he is released from his duties for the afternoon.
"Mahaad! Mahaad!" The young prince runs towards him, and he can feel his heart grow lighter the way it always does in the prince's presence. "Are you done now? What have you been learning?"
He pulls himself up proudly. "I've learned a new attack."
The prince smiles even more broadly. "Show me, Mahaad!"
He summons the Magician of Illusions, eager to please, proud of being the source of joy in the prince's eyes. He summons all of his powers, putting in far more effort to impress the prince than he had during practice.
"Black Burning Magic!" he shouts.
He can feel his error the instant before it happens. The magic burst comes out of the Magician of Illusions's hands all wrong, too strong for him to control. It fragments, and shards fly all around the courtyard. One catches the young prince in the chest, and he collapses.
There were rumors going around the palace that age and frailty would soon force Siamun from his position as bearer of the Millennium Key, but he senses no weakness as he cowers at the priest's feet.
"Your carelessness has left the prince near death!" Siamun snarls. The cane falls on his shoulders again. It adds nothing to his pain.
He has no words to say in return. He waits for the next blow, but it does not come. The high priest grabs him by his still-scrawny shoulders and pulls him to his feet, and he staggers, his damp hair clinging to his face. "You will seal your powers," Siamun says. "You must know the boundary between being strong and being dangerous."
Siamun leans in close to him and talks in a low voice; these words are not for the benefit of the elderly Master of the Millennium Ring who is waiting just outside and listening hard to make sure that he is punished properly. These are the words Siamun actually wants to speak. "Mahaad, you must also learn the boundary between you and the prince," he says. "You are too old now to be the prince's friend."
He can feel his face change expression against his will. Siamun nods his head insistently. "It is true. You are being trained to be the captain of the guard, the ultimate protector of the pharaoh." The high priest's face is even closer. "Your duty begins now."
The high priest releases him. "Go, now," he says in a louder voice; these words are for the Master. "Your Master has much work for you. If you have the strength to summon your ka for fun, you have the strength to continue your studies. The seal is complicated, and you must understand it completely."
Siamun pushes him out of the room gently. He shrugs his robes back over his shoulders as he stumbles out into the glare of the Master; the robes will stain, but that is a tiny matter. His back will hurt for days, with the cuts reopening and the muscles aching from the blows. It will be nothing compared to the pains in his heart.
Written for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfiction Contest: Season Eight. Round 4 - Sealshipping
Author's Note: I really don't like having to apologize for a story, but I am ashamed of what I have to turn in here. These are scenes one and two of what I had planned out as being an epic multi-scene mix-up story that uses Sealshipping to explore the line between love, admiration, duty, and devotion. It is completely grand inside my head. However, due to poor life planning and a terrible attention span, I only have these two scenes complete enough to turn in as a coherent narrative.