Why must I always start fics that promise to be monsters?! WHY!? *sobs*

Er, anyhoo, now that that's out of the way…^^;; This is my first YGO fic. O.o;; So, hopefully I'm doing okay. It was my intention in the beginning to keep this as close to canon as possible, but I realized that isn't going to happen now. It's kinda taken on a life of it's own, and…yeah. . So, since I'm going to be spitting in the face of canon in later chapters, I might as well warn you of impending AU now. This is also just my first draft, but I figure I'll wait till I'm done before I go back and start hacking it apart. ^^

Also, this fic is going to be jumping back and forth from ancient Egypt to about four years later than the series, just so's you don't get confused. ^^ This baby is going to be chock-full of yummy Seto/Yami goodness in later chapters, so if that isn't your cup of tea, you might not like this so much. =P

One last thing…I'd just like to note that my formatting is a little off for some odd reason, and anything that's centered doesn't seem to be showing. *kicks FF.net*

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine. I just molest Yami and Malik frequently. ^_~ No money is being made off of this little endeavor, so please don't sue me. All you'd get is my cat anyway, and believe me, you don't want her. O.o;;

~*~Love's Lament: Chapter 1~*~

Seto!"

Blinking, Seto turned at the sound of his name, just in time to see a blur of color dashing toward him. "What--" He didn't get to finish as the small boy stopped long enough to grab his wrist, yanking him forcefully along as he continued his flight.

"Yami! What the heck are you doing?" He demanded, nearly tripping over his feet as Yami suddenly cut a corner, taking them into the courtyard.

Not bothering to reply, Yami took a couple more turns, nearly running over a woman and toppling into the fountain in the process. Finally, he stopped behind a garden wall, flopping to the ground and breathing heavily.

Settling down next to him with a bit more dignity, Seto looked at his friend curiously, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused. "What was that all about?" He asked.

Yami flashed him a bright grin. "The priests were chasing me."

Seto stared.

"I put some pepper juice in Khut's tea," he continued, grin widening. "You should have seen him Set! He turned all red, and his face puffed up like this," Yami blew out his cheeks, mimicking the old priest.

"Yami! You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Yami said petulantly. "He was boring anyway."

"But he's a priest!" Seto protested.

"I'm Pharaoh. I can do what I want," he said, peeking over the wall for sign of his pursuers.

"You're only eight, Yami," Seto pointed out. "You aren't Pharaoh yet."

Yami made a face. "Well, I will be."

Seto shook his head and smiled. "That's true, someday…you will be Pharaoh."

Yami sat back down, and was silent for a long time, before venturing a quiet, "Set?"

"Yeah?"

Yami sighed, crawling onto the older boy's lap and hugging him. "You won't leave me, will you?"

Seto frowned, unsure what had caused Yami's sudden change of mood. He returned the hug. "Of course not."

"Not even when I'm Pharaoh?" He seemed scared almost, and it worried Seto. Yami had been acting so strangely lately. Ever since his father had pulled him aside that one day…Yami refused to talk about it, but something his father had said had upset the boy badly.

"I'll never leave you Yami, I promise. Not ever."

Yami pulled back and smiled at him, and Seto was disturbed to see tears in his eyes. "I love you Set…"

Pulling Yami back against him, Seto hugged the small child tightly. "I love you too, Yami." Yami was four years younger than he was, but he was so bright that Seto often forgot that he was still so young. He stroked the spiky hair, feeling unusually protective of his small friend.

Yami sat back, using Seto's chest as leverage. He looked at the older boy for a long time. "Set…what would you do--"

"There you are!"

Yami squeaked and slid off Seto's lap as a shadow fell over them, looking up at his father with wide eyes. "I didn't do it! I swear!"

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow, trying to hide the smile that threatened. "And I imagine the pepper juice poured itself into Khut's tea of it's own accord?"

"Mana did it?" Yami hazarded.

Seto snorted, trying not to laugh at the obvious lie. Mana was hardly old enough to orchestrate such a plan on her own. Apparently the Pharaoh had the same thought, because the smile he'd been fighting finally broke free, and he chuckled. "Lying doesn't suit the future Pharaoh," he said pointedly.

Yami blinked at that, hanging his head. "Sorry…"

"Well, I wouldn't want to be you when Khut gets his hands on you, I'll say that much." The Pharaoh pulled Yami to his feet. "You're late for your lessons with Mihado. You'll have to apologize to Khut afterwards."

"Yes sir…"

The Pharaoh sighed and kneeled, taking Yami's chin and gently forcing him to meet his eyes. "I know you're young, Yami, but you're different from other children. One day you will rule Egypt. Even now, you must be proud of who you are. You're a smart boy, and such pranks are beneath you. You must be responsible and strong, because when you do have to take my place, you must be ready. I simply want the best for you, do you understand?"

Yami nodded wordlessly, and the Pharaoh smiled. "That's my son. No more tormenting the priests, all right?"

Yami nodded again, and the Pharaoh stood. "All right then, let's not keep Mihado waiting." He looked over at the other boy. "You've got lessons to attend as well, if I'm not mistaken."

Seto bowed low. "Yes Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh nodded and turned toward the palace, Yami trailing behind him. Seto straightened up once they were gone, frowning to himself. So much sadness…what had the Pharaoh said to change his little friend so much?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I hate this, Mihado."

The priest sighed but said nothing, concentrating on his careful examination of the Pharaoh. Long, supple fingers poking and prodding, hoping to find the key to the mystery.

"It isn't fair," he continued. "We're stealing his childhood from him."

Hands stilling, Mihado looked up at the Pharaoh, normally stern features softened by sadness. "There is nothing else we can do, my Pharaoh." He rubbed at his eyes, suddenly feeling small and defeated. "I cannot find the source of this illness, nor its cure."

All his power, all his magic, and he could not so much as save his Pharaoh from the insidious poison burning through his veins. This strange illness, creeping along so slowly, encroaching death that he was helpless to stop. "Your health is getting worse…we have to prepare Yami to take the throne as best we can."

"He's just a baby Mihado…I can't stand the thought of forcing him to grow up so soon." The Pharaoh sighed. "I don't care for myself…if I die, then I die." He took Mihado's hand. "Give him time Mihado…Keep me alive long enough to let him grow up."

Sinking to his knees, Mihado clutched the other man's hand tightly. "I will do everything it is in my power to do, my Pharaoh. I swear it."

"Thank you my friend…that is all I can ask."

Mihado sighed inwardly, hoping with all his soul that it would be enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami sighed and rolled on his back, digging the heels of his hands into tired eyes. So many memories…so much pain. When would the ghosts of his past cease to haunt him? He smiled bitterly, knowing it was a foolish, childish wish.

He knew this dance of theirs intimately. He knew every step, every breath, every note of the heartbreaking melody. It was the same, always the same…countless lifetimes he had danced. Feet moving in preset patterns, puppets on strings led in a downward spiral. Down and down, always deeper into darkness, and when the last notes fade and their dance ends, there is nothing but pain. Pain and hurt and loneliness, until the dance begins anew.

Yami sat up, unconsciously touching the puzzle. It was different this time. The melody had changed, and that gave him hope. Maybe he had finally managed to break free of the vicious cycle. Frowning, he got up, pulling on a shirt. Hope was a dangerous thing. It made people do all sorts of crazy things.

He stared at himself in the mirror. He was tempting fate in a very dangerous way. I must be mad. Only a madman would stick his head into the jaws of a beast.

Yami grinned then, and his reflection grinned back, looking just a bit crazed. Maybe even scared. Fuck fate, he decided a little too cheerfully. Fate owes me one this round.

With a deep breath and one last glance in the mirror, Yami left the small apartment he shared with Yugi. It was a clear October morning, not even enough bite on the breeze to warrant a jacket. After a moment of debate, he decided to walk. It wasn't that far, and it would give him a bit of time to think.

It was peaceful. The sounds of the wind rustling through the trees and the leaves crunching beneath his feet were soothing, and after a while Yami found himself much calmer than when he had left the house. It was a good thing too, because he needed a clear head if he was going to do this properly.

Looking up at the sky, Yami squinted against the sun. So much had changed. Yugi was in college now, most of the others were gone, and he…Yami smiled. He was his own person for the first time in a long time. Thanks to Yugi's ingenuity, he now lived a life separate from his hikari even though he chose to remain close. His soul was still tied to the puzzle, but that was something he could live with. A small price indeed for being alive again. Yugi had given him the greatest gift he could have asked for; he had given him his freedom. Along with that freedom he had gained something else as well, something entirely unexpected. His memory. Though some days Yami wished it was still buried.

He had been granted his own body in centuries past, but always by much more devastating means. With the return of his memory, Yami had learned a lot of things he had not even begun to suspect. The puzzle was a semi-sentient thing, set to a task it performed by whatever means necessary. The puzzle was the instrument of his "rebirth."

Sometime after Yami was sealed in the puzzle, it set about the task of finding his descendants. Once it was in the possession of one of his bloodline, the puzzle would wake him with no memory of the past, just as it had with Yugi. He would then share the body of his host for a time, until the puzzle acted to expel the soul of his host, granting Yami a body of his own and the return of his memory.

Yami shivered. Countless centuries, hundreds of lives thrown away because of the programming of one blasted artifact. This time however, they had indirectly saved Yugi from such a terrible fate, and it was something he was infinitely grateful for. He couldn't imagine living without his hikari, knowing he had been the one to kill him however unintentional.

That was the beginning, the first falter in the unbroken melody. Yami slowed and stared at the mansion rising above him. He could only hope that this was the second. Tired…he was so tired of playing this part. He didn't want to be hurt like the countless times before. It was time to stop passively accepting the path fate had laid for him. If anything was going to change, he would have to make it change.

Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, Yami jumped up and caught the edge of the wall, pulling himself over. Evading the security was hardly a challenge. Which wasn't to say Kaiba had bad security --quite the opposite in fact-- it was just that Yami was very good at not being seen. Not to mention the fact that he had been keeping an eye on the security procedures for weeks now certainly didn't hurt.

Once he got inside, things got a little tougher. He had only been inside the house a handful of times, and while he had a rough blueprint of the mansion in his mind, he still had to find Kaiba. Tucking himself into a corner where no one would stumble across him, he thought about his options. It was late enough that Kaiba would probably be out of bed, so no sense in trying the bedroom. It was also early enough that he wouldn't have left the house yet. The study then, would be the logical place to look. Making sure there was no one to see him, Yami ducked out of his hiding place and made for the study.

He made it without incident and stood outside, staring at the door. Running his fingers through his hair, he scowled, willing his stomach to stop turning nervous circles. This was getting ridiculous. He wasn't some stupid, scared little child. He was a pharaoh, and he could damn well act like one! The thought soothing his nerves, at least a little, Yami put his hand on the handle and after only a second's hesitation he opened the door.

There he was.

Yami's heart stopped at the sight of him. Kaiba sat at his desk, head bowed over something he was writing, backlit by the morning sun through his window. By the gods…he was just the same. Identical to his Set in every way. But Kaiba was a different person, even if so much was still so painfully alike. He hadn't seen the other man much since he separated from Yugi, but every time he did, it left him speechless.

"What?"

Yami started. Kaiba hadn't looked up from his writing, probably assuming Yami was one of the staff. He didn't say anything, waiting for Kaiba to look at him.

The silence stretched out for a moment, before Kaiba looked up, frowning. "What do you want? I told you not to…" He trailed off, staring at Yami. "What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded.

Yami looked up, meeting Kaiba's eyes with a sudden determination.

"We need to talk."