This is my first written and typed Yu-Gi-Oh story. Please, note that
because the ancient Egyptians probably didn't speak using contractions,
this story seems kinda distant-as I have not figured out how to give the
story the life it deserves. Anyway, remember to enjoy and review.
Yami's Past By Megan Hardman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17-year-old Pharaoh Yami was walking through his Egyptian kingdom when he was joined by his younger sister, Yoru. Yoru had long black hair and blonde, spiky bangs. Her eyes were the same violet color as Yami's and she wore a gauzy white dress. On her wrist and neck she wore simple bands of gold. Yami could tell that something was bothering her.
"What ails you, Yoru?" he asked.
"Nothing, brother." Yoru answered. He watched as her eyes swept over his people and instinctively he knew who she was looking for.
"He is not here." Yami told her.
"Who?" Yoru inquired, feigning ignorence.
"Seto."
"He is not whom I seek."
"Do not lie to me, Yoru," Yami warned. "I am aware of how you feel about him."
"Forgive me, brother," she said, casting her eyes on the ground in shame. Yami glanced down at her and felt guilty for his harsh words.
"You are 15 now, Yoru," he stated, changing the subject. "It is time for you to find a husband and because our parents are dead, it falls to me to make sure you find the right one."
"Thank you, brother," she sighed. They stopped and faced each other.
"I need to return home now," Yami said. "We will talk more later."
"Yes, Yami." Yoru said and watched him walk away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next afternoon, Yoru went down to the river to fill her water jug. She knelt by the river and dipped her jug in. She watched it fill with water and then lifted it out.
"Hello, Yoru," a male voice said from above her.
"Hello, Seto," she replied, getting to her feet. She picked up her jug and started for the palace. Seto fell into step beside her and she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly she tripped and fell to her knees, spilling all her water.
"Are you hurt?" Seto asked, kneeling beside her.
"I hurt my ankle." Yoru admitted, completely embarrassed.
"I will get you some more water." Seto picked up her water jug and hurried back to river. Then he returned to Yoru, helped her to her feet and to the palace.
"Thank you, Seto," Yoru said when they reached the palace. Two of her maid servants came out and one took the water jug from Seto.
"My pleasure." Seto told her, coloring slightly. The other maid servant took her mistress's arm and led her inside. Seto turned and headed for his own home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From a top window in the palace, Yami had watched the entire exchange and was surprised at the gentleness his rival had shown towards his sister.
"Could he really be in love with her?" Yami wondered aloud. He shook his head and went back to work.
For the next few months, Yami watched from his window as Yoru and Seto met by the river everyday. They would spend hours out there, just talking and genuinely enjoying each other's companionship.
"I do not want to tell you what to do, but if I were you, I would discourage their little romance." Yami's trusted advisor told him on one such occasion.
"Why?" Yami glanced at him.
"You know as well as I that Seto is just using your sister."
"But why?"
"Is it not obvious? He means to kill you and Yoru is just a quick way to do that. He is determined to be Pharaoh."
"Even if he killed me, he would not be Pharaoh. Yoru...would...be." Yami gasped as he realized what he had said.
"Exactly," his advisor said.
Yami sighed and leaned against the open window sill. "You are right, friend. I will not let him hurt my family. But how am I ever going to tell Yoru?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I need to go home, Seto." Yoru said, rising to her feet. Seto stood up too.
"Will you meet me here tonight?" Seto asked on impulse. Yoru stared at him, startled.
"Tonight?" Yoru repeated. "But, Seto, that is not proper."
"Please, Yoru. I want to show you something." Seto pleaded and Yoru smiled at him.
"Oh, all right. I will meet you here tonight." They said their goodbyes and Yoru hurried back to the palace. Later that night, Yoru lay on her sleeping couch and waited for Yami to go to bed. When she felt safe, she got out of bed and left through her window. Unbeknownst to her, Yami sat in his window, watching her every move. As Yoru neared the river, Seto jumped up from where he had been sitting.
"Come on," he said. He led her towards a large building positioned several hundred yards outside of town.
"I am not allowed in there." Yoru informed him.
"It is all right." Seto assured her. They entered into the building, which turned out to be just one big room. On both the west and east sides of the room were large platforms and in front of each platform were face-down stone tablets. On the north side of the room was an even larger platform and in the center of it was a golden throne.
"This is where we duel." Seto said, proudly.
"Duel?" Yoru questioned. Seto carefully explained to her about the Shadow Games and their rules. Yoru listened, fascinated by the whole thing.
"How do you control the monsters?" she inquired.
"Anyone with sufficient training can control the weaker monsters, but there are two monsters that only a handful of people can control-your brother's magician and my dragon."
"Can you show me how you summon your dragon?"
"Sure." He clapped his hands and sixteen of his attendants seemed to appear out of nowhere. Seto took half of them and went to stand on the eastern platform. His attendants lined up behind him and started chanting. Seto closed his eyes for a minute and when he opened them, one of the stone tablets rose from the ground. It was blank, but slowly a picture of a dragon was etched on it in glowing, blue ink.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, come forth!" Seto shouted and, with a blinding flash, the dragon emerged from the tablet.
"I want to try too." Yoru jumped up on the opposite platform.
"You are not strong enough, Yoru. It would kill you."
"Please? Just let me try." Yoru begged.
"You don't even know the monsters you can summon." Seto said.
"Then tell me." Yoru ordered. Seto gestured to a series of hieroglyphics on the platform and Yoru read them carefully. It listed all the monsters one could summon along with a small picture of each.
"I can do this." Yoru said.
"Go ahead." Seto said. He nodded at his remaining attendants and they joined Yoru on her platform.
"How do I do it?" she asked.
"Think about which monster you want to summon and then call out to it with your mind."
Yoru closed her eyes and thought hard, already knowing which monster she wanted to summon. Behind her, Seto's attendants started chanting and she mentally called her monster. She opened her eyes and one of the stone tablets rose from the floor. A figure was etched onto it in purple.
"Dark Magician, come forth!" Yoru shouted and, with a flash, it emerged.
Seto stared in amazement at Yoru's prowess. Yoru smiled as she felt the Dark Magician's power flowing through her. Then she heard a soft voice whispering to her.
"I am yours to command, Mistress," the Dark Magician said.
"What is your attack?" Yoru thought back to him.
"Dark Magic. Do you wish me to use it against the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"
"NO! I do not want you to hurt anyone, but I would love to see your attack."
"How about I aim for one of the tablets not being used?"
"Yes, do that, please."
Seto watched as the Dark Magician prepared to attack. 'Maybe Yoru can not control him,' he thought, fearfully.
"Dark Magician," Yoru called, her eyes flashing. "Dark Magic Attack!"
Seto braced himself for the attack to hit his dragon, but instead it hit one of the unused tablets, destroying it. Yoru motioned to the chanters behind her and they stopped chanting. The Dark Magician disappeared and the tablet laid back down.
"You controlled the Dark Magician!" Seto exclaimed.
"It was easy." Yoru glanced over her shoulder at Seto's attendants and they obediantly started chanting again.
"I can control your dragon, too." Yoru said smugly, summoning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon with her mind. The stone tablet rose again and an outline of the dragon appeared on it in bright blue. But before it could emerge, the front doors flew open and Yami strode in. His eyes scanned the room and he quickly assessed the situation.
"Yoru, get down from there!" he ordered. Yoru dropped down beside her brother. Yami glared at Seto.
"How dare you force my sister to duel you!" he shouted.
"But, Yami..." Yoru began.
"Be quiet!" Yami snapped. He took her arm and led her out of the building and all the way to the palace.
"Let me go, Yami." Yoru said, calmly pulling her arm free. He turned to look at her.
"I do not want you anywhere near that man ever again!"
"That is not fair!" normally obediant Yoru cried. "You cannot do that!"
"Yes, I can."
"But I love him!" Yoru gasped, the statement surprising even her. Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Can you not see? He is just using you to get to me."
"He is not!" Yoru sobbed, his words slicing deep into her heart. She turned and ran for her room. She threw herself across her sleeping couch and buried her face in her arms.
"Yoru," she heard someone whisper from her window. She slipped off her couch and went to the window, kneeling beside it.
"Seto, what are you doing here?" she demanded in a whisper. "Yami will kill you if he sees you."
"I do not care. What happened?"
"I am not allowed to see you anymore."
"Is that what you want?"
"Of course not, but I will not disobey my brother."
"I know and I would not ask you to."
"Seto," Yoru whispered. "I love you."
"Really? Because I love you, too," Seto admitted. He reached through the window and touched her cheek. "I need to leave now. Goodbye, Yoru."
"Goodbye, Seto," she returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami was sitting in his window a few weeks later, watching his sister make her daily trip to the river. She was walking slowly, with her head down. Yami knew she was still upset about Seto, but he was not going to give in. He had to protect her because he was her only living relative.
Yoru knelt beside the river, but instead of filling her jug she just sat there, staring into the water. Seto came up behind her and stopped within a few feet from her. He stared at her a long time before turning and walking away. Yoru turned and watched his retreating back.
Yami sighed, his heart full of guilt. Was it really right to keep them apart? Maybe he was wrong about Seto. He shook his head and pushed away his guilty feelings. No, he was doing the right thing. Even if Yoru had stopped talking to him and avoided him like a plague.
One evening, a month later, Yami sat at his table, eating supper and staring at Yoru's empty chair. He heard his front door open and heavy footsteps heading towards the dining room. Yami looked up as his advisor stepped into the room.
"Hello, friend. Have a seat." He motioned at Yoru's chair.
"I cannot," his advisor said. "I have urgent news."
Yami got to his feet. "What is it?"
"I saw Seto heading for the dueling arena. He has accepted a duel with a travelling mage. He is bound to lose, as he has not practiced in weeks. When he does he will be banished to the Shadow Realm."
"Why did he accept?" Yami demanded, immediately thinking of Yoru and how she would handle this news.
"I do not know, but I think he wants to get sent to the Shadow Realm."
Yami headed for the front door. "I have to help him," he said. "I could not bear to face Yoru if something were to happen to Seto."
Yami made his way to the dueling arena and threw open the doors. He stepped inside and took in the scene before him. Seto was on one platform and an older man was on the other. The travelling mage had a powerful monster on the field, while Seto didn't have any.
"I order this duel to end." Yami said, his voice echoing in the large room. Both duelists looked in his direction. The mage fell to his knee, but Seto just glared at him.
"Leave, Pharaoh." Seto growled.
Yami shook his head. "How would I tell Yoru that you had been banished to the Shadow Realm?"
Seto's eyes saddened for a second. "What does it matter?"
"I am sure it matters a great deal to Yoru." Yami commented. While they were talking, the mage had gotten to his feet, gathered his attendants and quietly left the arena.
"Why do you care, Pharaoh?" Seto asked.
"I do not like hurting Yoru and I do not like seeing someone else hurt her either."
"I was not hurting her, Pharoah." Seto said softly.
"That may be true, Seto, but how can you prove it if you get yourself banished from this world?"
Seto climbed off the platform and left the arena, avoiding Yami's gaze. His attendants quickly followed him. Yami blew out the lamps and headed for home, his thoughts on Seto and Yoru.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Yami set out to find Seto. He found him by the river, staring across it at the pyramids. Yami joined him and for several long minutes, neither spoke. Finally Seto looked at Yami.
"What do you want, Pharaoh?"
"Your advice."
"I thought that is what your advisor was for."
"Yes, but I do not think he can answer this one," Yami replied. Seto frowned at him and looked away. Yami took that as a sign that he was listening.
"I am worried about Yoru," Yami began. "She is in love with someone I cannot stand. Do you think it would be wise to let her marry this young man?"
Seto stared at him in suspiscion. "What are you asking, Yami?"
"I guess I am asking if you would like to marry my sister." Yami answered, meeting Seto's gaze.
Yoru was sitting in her window when Yami came into her room. She glared at him and got to her feet.
"Hello, sister," he said. "I have a surprise for you. I have arranged a marriage..."
"What?!" Yoru shouted. "Are you that heartless?"
"I want you to come and meet him." Yami said, ignoring her.
"And if I refuse?" she challenged.
"I will not take no for an answer," Yami took her arm and led her gently out of the room and to the kitchen, stopping just outside the door.
"I will wait out here," he said, letting go of her arm. "Go on."
Yoru stepped angrily into the kitchen and came to a complete stop. Standing just inside the door was Seto! She gasped and stared.
"Seto," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"I am your betrothed, Yoru," he answered.
"But..." Yoru started to protest. Seto held a finger to her lips, quieting her. Reality started sinking in and Yoru felt tears well up in her eyes. She saw Yami in the doorway and fell into his arms.
"Thank you, Yami," she whispered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A month later, Seto and Yoru were married, and for almost three years, they were happily married. Unfortunately the animosity between Seto and Yami continued to grow until it was out of control. Finally Seto challenged Yami to a Shadow Duel and he agreed. After Yoru was fast asleep, Seto slipped out of their small house and headed for the arena. An hour later, Yoru turned over and reached for Seto, but of course he wasn't there. Yoru sat up, suddenly wide awake.
"Seto?" she called. A maid servant came into the room.
"Oh, Mistress," she said. "Your husband has gone to duel the Pharaoh in a Shadow Game."
Yoru stared at her in disbelief for a minute and then she jumped from the bed, reaching for her robe. She dashed out of the house and across the sand to the dueling arena. She threw open the doors and hurried in.
The two most important people in her life were standing on opposite platforms, getting ready to attack each other with their most powerful monsters.
"Stop!" Yoru cried, as they ordered their monsters to attack. She flung herself into the middle of the dueling field, meeting the attacks there. She felt a sharp pain run through her body and then she crumpled to the ground.
"Yoru!" Seto and Yami screamed. Seto dove off the platform and caught her before she hit the floor. He fell to his knees and held her close. His tears fell freely down his cheeks and splashed onto her closed eyelids.
"Yoru," he whispered.
"Do not leave me, Yoru," a voice spoke from in front of Seto. He looked up in surprise. Yami was kneeling beside them and holding Yoru's hand. Yoru moaned and opened her eyes. She looked first at Seto and then at Yami.
She took a shallow breath and spoke, "I love you both. Please, stop fighting with each other." Her eyes closed again and her chest stilled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A year later, Yami knelt in front of the pyramid that housed his entire family. His tears splashed onto the ground and he brushed them away. He was alone now. If not for his advisor, he would have given up the position of Pharaoh and become a hermit. A noise came from behind Yami and he turned to see Seto making his way towards the pyramid. Neither spoke as Seto knelt beside Yami. Since that night, they had carefully avoided each other, each blaming the other for Yoru's death.
Yami finished paying his respects and got slowly to his feet. With one last glance at the pyramid and his rival, Yami climbed aboard his small boat and returned to the other side of the river. He walked towards the palace and smiled slightly as his wife of two months, Hiru, hurried to meet him. He felt only slightly sad over the fact that Seto had no one to greet him when he came home, but one hug from his wife made those thoughts vanish.
'One day,' Yami vowed to himself, glancing back at the pyramid where he could still see Seto kneeling in front of it. 'One day, I will make Seto pay for taking my sister from me. One day soon.'
On the opposite bank of the river, Seto was having similar thoughts. He knew that Yoru's greatest wish was that her brother and her husband would someday get along, but he knew that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. But when Seto got through with him, Yami would be going on a little trip to the Shadow Realm and Seto would finally have his revenge.
THE END
Yami's Past By Megan Hardman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17-year-old Pharaoh Yami was walking through his Egyptian kingdom when he was joined by his younger sister, Yoru. Yoru had long black hair and blonde, spiky bangs. Her eyes were the same violet color as Yami's and she wore a gauzy white dress. On her wrist and neck she wore simple bands of gold. Yami could tell that something was bothering her.
"What ails you, Yoru?" he asked.
"Nothing, brother." Yoru answered. He watched as her eyes swept over his people and instinctively he knew who she was looking for.
"He is not here." Yami told her.
"Who?" Yoru inquired, feigning ignorence.
"Seto."
"He is not whom I seek."
"Do not lie to me, Yoru," Yami warned. "I am aware of how you feel about him."
"Forgive me, brother," she said, casting her eyes on the ground in shame. Yami glanced down at her and felt guilty for his harsh words.
"You are 15 now, Yoru," he stated, changing the subject. "It is time for you to find a husband and because our parents are dead, it falls to me to make sure you find the right one."
"Thank you, brother," she sighed. They stopped and faced each other.
"I need to return home now," Yami said. "We will talk more later."
"Yes, Yami." Yoru said and watched him walk away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next afternoon, Yoru went down to the river to fill her water jug. She knelt by the river and dipped her jug in. She watched it fill with water and then lifted it out.
"Hello, Yoru," a male voice said from above her.
"Hello, Seto," she replied, getting to her feet. She picked up her jug and started for the palace. Seto fell into step beside her and she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly she tripped and fell to her knees, spilling all her water.
"Are you hurt?" Seto asked, kneeling beside her.
"I hurt my ankle." Yoru admitted, completely embarrassed.
"I will get you some more water." Seto picked up her water jug and hurried back to river. Then he returned to Yoru, helped her to her feet and to the palace.
"Thank you, Seto," Yoru said when they reached the palace. Two of her maid servants came out and one took the water jug from Seto.
"My pleasure." Seto told her, coloring slightly. The other maid servant took her mistress's arm and led her inside. Seto turned and headed for his own home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From a top window in the palace, Yami had watched the entire exchange and was surprised at the gentleness his rival had shown towards his sister.
"Could he really be in love with her?" Yami wondered aloud. He shook his head and went back to work.
For the next few months, Yami watched from his window as Yoru and Seto met by the river everyday. They would spend hours out there, just talking and genuinely enjoying each other's companionship.
"I do not want to tell you what to do, but if I were you, I would discourage their little romance." Yami's trusted advisor told him on one such occasion.
"Why?" Yami glanced at him.
"You know as well as I that Seto is just using your sister."
"But why?"
"Is it not obvious? He means to kill you and Yoru is just a quick way to do that. He is determined to be Pharaoh."
"Even if he killed me, he would not be Pharaoh. Yoru...would...be." Yami gasped as he realized what he had said.
"Exactly," his advisor said.
Yami sighed and leaned against the open window sill. "You are right, friend. I will not let him hurt my family. But how am I ever going to tell Yoru?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I need to go home, Seto." Yoru said, rising to her feet. Seto stood up too.
"Will you meet me here tonight?" Seto asked on impulse. Yoru stared at him, startled.
"Tonight?" Yoru repeated. "But, Seto, that is not proper."
"Please, Yoru. I want to show you something." Seto pleaded and Yoru smiled at him.
"Oh, all right. I will meet you here tonight." They said their goodbyes and Yoru hurried back to the palace. Later that night, Yoru lay on her sleeping couch and waited for Yami to go to bed. When she felt safe, she got out of bed and left through her window. Unbeknownst to her, Yami sat in his window, watching her every move. As Yoru neared the river, Seto jumped up from where he had been sitting.
"Come on," he said. He led her towards a large building positioned several hundred yards outside of town.
"I am not allowed in there." Yoru informed him.
"It is all right." Seto assured her. They entered into the building, which turned out to be just one big room. On both the west and east sides of the room were large platforms and in front of each platform were face-down stone tablets. On the north side of the room was an even larger platform and in the center of it was a golden throne.
"This is where we duel." Seto said, proudly.
"Duel?" Yoru questioned. Seto carefully explained to her about the Shadow Games and their rules. Yoru listened, fascinated by the whole thing.
"How do you control the monsters?" she inquired.
"Anyone with sufficient training can control the weaker monsters, but there are two monsters that only a handful of people can control-your brother's magician and my dragon."
"Can you show me how you summon your dragon?"
"Sure." He clapped his hands and sixteen of his attendants seemed to appear out of nowhere. Seto took half of them and went to stand on the eastern platform. His attendants lined up behind him and started chanting. Seto closed his eyes for a minute and when he opened them, one of the stone tablets rose from the ground. It was blank, but slowly a picture of a dragon was etched on it in glowing, blue ink.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, come forth!" Seto shouted and, with a blinding flash, the dragon emerged from the tablet.
"I want to try too." Yoru jumped up on the opposite platform.
"You are not strong enough, Yoru. It would kill you."
"Please? Just let me try." Yoru begged.
"You don't even know the monsters you can summon." Seto said.
"Then tell me." Yoru ordered. Seto gestured to a series of hieroglyphics on the platform and Yoru read them carefully. It listed all the monsters one could summon along with a small picture of each.
"I can do this." Yoru said.
"Go ahead." Seto said. He nodded at his remaining attendants and they joined Yoru on her platform.
"How do I do it?" she asked.
"Think about which monster you want to summon and then call out to it with your mind."
Yoru closed her eyes and thought hard, already knowing which monster she wanted to summon. Behind her, Seto's attendants started chanting and she mentally called her monster. She opened her eyes and one of the stone tablets rose from the floor. A figure was etched onto it in purple.
"Dark Magician, come forth!" Yoru shouted and, with a flash, it emerged.
Seto stared in amazement at Yoru's prowess. Yoru smiled as she felt the Dark Magician's power flowing through her. Then she heard a soft voice whispering to her.
"I am yours to command, Mistress," the Dark Magician said.
"What is your attack?" Yoru thought back to him.
"Dark Magic. Do you wish me to use it against the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"
"NO! I do not want you to hurt anyone, but I would love to see your attack."
"How about I aim for one of the tablets not being used?"
"Yes, do that, please."
Seto watched as the Dark Magician prepared to attack. 'Maybe Yoru can not control him,' he thought, fearfully.
"Dark Magician," Yoru called, her eyes flashing. "Dark Magic Attack!"
Seto braced himself for the attack to hit his dragon, but instead it hit one of the unused tablets, destroying it. Yoru motioned to the chanters behind her and they stopped chanting. The Dark Magician disappeared and the tablet laid back down.
"You controlled the Dark Magician!" Seto exclaimed.
"It was easy." Yoru glanced over her shoulder at Seto's attendants and they obediantly started chanting again.
"I can control your dragon, too." Yoru said smugly, summoning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon with her mind. The stone tablet rose again and an outline of the dragon appeared on it in bright blue. But before it could emerge, the front doors flew open and Yami strode in. His eyes scanned the room and he quickly assessed the situation.
"Yoru, get down from there!" he ordered. Yoru dropped down beside her brother. Yami glared at Seto.
"How dare you force my sister to duel you!" he shouted.
"But, Yami..." Yoru began.
"Be quiet!" Yami snapped. He took her arm and led her out of the building and all the way to the palace.
"Let me go, Yami." Yoru said, calmly pulling her arm free. He turned to look at her.
"I do not want you anywhere near that man ever again!"
"That is not fair!" normally obediant Yoru cried. "You cannot do that!"
"Yes, I can."
"But I love him!" Yoru gasped, the statement surprising even her. Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Can you not see? He is just using you to get to me."
"He is not!" Yoru sobbed, his words slicing deep into her heart. She turned and ran for her room. She threw herself across her sleeping couch and buried her face in her arms.
"Yoru," she heard someone whisper from her window. She slipped off her couch and went to the window, kneeling beside it.
"Seto, what are you doing here?" she demanded in a whisper. "Yami will kill you if he sees you."
"I do not care. What happened?"
"I am not allowed to see you anymore."
"Is that what you want?"
"Of course not, but I will not disobey my brother."
"I know and I would not ask you to."
"Seto," Yoru whispered. "I love you."
"Really? Because I love you, too," Seto admitted. He reached through the window and touched her cheek. "I need to leave now. Goodbye, Yoru."
"Goodbye, Seto," she returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami was sitting in his window a few weeks later, watching his sister make her daily trip to the river. She was walking slowly, with her head down. Yami knew she was still upset about Seto, but he was not going to give in. He had to protect her because he was her only living relative.
Yoru knelt beside the river, but instead of filling her jug she just sat there, staring into the water. Seto came up behind her and stopped within a few feet from her. He stared at her a long time before turning and walking away. Yoru turned and watched his retreating back.
Yami sighed, his heart full of guilt. Was it really right to keep them apart? Maybe he was wrong about Seto. He shook his head and pushed away his guilty feelings. No, he was doing the right thing. Even if Yoru had stopped talking to him and avoided him like a plague.
One evening, a month later, Yami sat at his table, eating supper and staring at Yoru's empty chair. He heard his front door open and heavy footsteps heading towards the dining room. Yami looked up as his advisor stepped into the room.
"Hello, friend. Have a seat." He motioned at Yoru's chair.
"I cannot," his advisor said. "I have urgent news."
Yami got to his feet. "What is it?"
"I saw Seto heading for the dueling arena. He has accepted a duel with a travelling mage. He is bound to lose, as he has not practiced in weeks. When he does he will be banished to the Shadow Realm."
"Why did he accept?" Yami demanded, immediately thinking of Yoru and how she would handle this news.
"I do not know, but I think he wants to get sent to the Shadow Realm."
Yami headed for the front door. "I have to help him," he said. "I could not bear to face Yoru if something were to happen to Seto."
Yami made his way to the dueling arena and threw open the doors. He stepped inside and took in the scene before him. Seto was on one platform and an older man was on the other. The travelling mage had a powerful monster on the field, while Seto didn't have any.
"I order this duel to end." Yami said, his voice echoing in the large room. Both duelists looked in his direction. The mage fell to his knee, but Seto just glared at him.
"Leave, Pharaoh." Seto growled.
Yami shook his head. "How would I tell Yoru that you had been banished to the Shadow Realm?"
Seto's eyes saddened for a second. "What does it matter?"
"I am sure it matters a great deal to Yoru." Yami commented. While they were talking, the mage had gotten to his feet, gathered his attendants and quietly left the arena.
"Why do you care, Pharaoh?" Seto asked.
"I do not like hurting Yoru and I do not like seeing someone else hurt her either."
"I was not hurting her, Pharoah." Seto said softly.
"That may be true, Seto, but how can you prove it if you get yourself banished from this world?"
Seto climbed off the platform and left the arena, avoiding Yami's gaze. His attendants quickly followed him. Yami blew out the lamps and headed for home, his thoughts on Seto and Yoru.
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The next morning, Yami set out to find Seto. He found him by the river, staring across it at the pyramids. Yami joined him and for several long minutes, neither spoke. Finally Seto looked at Yami.
"What do you want, Pharaoh?"
"Your advice."
"I thought that is what your advisor was for."
"Yes, but I do not think he can answer this one," Yami replied. Seto frowned at him and looked away. Yami took that as a sign that he was listening.
"I am worried about Yoru," Yami began. "She is in love with someone I cannot stand. Do you think it would be wise to let her marry this young man?"
Seto stared at him in suspiscion. "What are you asking, Yami?"
"I guess I am asking if you would like to marry my sister." Yami answered, meeting Seto's gaze.
Yoru was sitting in her window when Yami came into her room. She glared at him and got to her feet.
"Hello, sister," he said. "I have a surprise for you. I have arranged a marriage..."
"What?!" Yoru shouted. "Are you that heartless?"
"I want you to come and meet him." Yami said, ignoring her.
"And if I refuse?" she challenged.
"I will not take no for an answer," Yami took her arm and led her gently out of the room and to the kitchen, stopping just outside the door.
"I will wait out here," he said, letting go of her arm. "Go on."
Yoru stepped angrily into the kitchen and came to a complete stop. Standing just inside the door was Seto! She gasped and stared.
"Seto," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"I am your betrothed, Yoru," he answered.
"But..." Yoru started to protest. Seto held a finger to her lips, quieting her. Reality started sinking in and Yoru felt tears well up in her eyes. She saw Yami in the doorway and fell into his arms.
"Thank you, Yami," she whispered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A month later, Seto and Yoru were married, and for almost three years, they were happily married. Unfortunately the animosity between Seto and Yami continued to grow until it was out of control. Finally Seto challenged Yami to a Shadow Duel and he agreed. After Yoru was fast asleep, Seto slipped out of their small house and headed for the arena. An hour later, Yoru turned over and reached for Seto, but of course he wasn't there. Yoru sat up, suddenly wide awake.
"Seto?" she called. A maid servant came into the room.
"Oh, Mistress," she said. "Your husband has gone to duel the Pharaoh in a Shadow Game."
Yoru stared at her in disbelief for a minute and then she jumped from the bed, reaching for her robe. She dashed out of the house and across the sand to the dueling arena. She threw open the doors and hurried in.
The two most important people in her life were standing on opposite platforms, getting ready to attack each other with their most powerful monsters.
"Stop!" Yoru cried, as they ordered their monsters to attack. She flung herself into the middle of the dueling field, meeting the attacks there. She felt a sharp pain run through her body and then she crumpled to the ground.
"Yoru!" Seto and Yami screamed. Seto dove off the platform and caught her before she hit the floor. He fell to his knees and held her close. His tears fell freely down his cheeks and splashed onto her closed eyelids.
"Yoru," he whispered.
"Do not leave me, Yoru," a voice spoke from in front of Seto. He looked up in surprise. Yami was kneeling beside them and holding Yoru's hand. Yoru moaned and opened her eyes. She looked first at Seto and then at Yami.
She took a shallow breath and spoke, "I love you both. Please, stop fighting with each other." Her eyes closed again and her chest stilled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A year later, Yami knelt in front of the pyramid that housed his entire family. His tears splashed onto the ground and he brushed them away. He was alone now. If not for his advisor, he would have given up the position of Pharaoh and become a hermit. A noise came from behind Yami and he turned to see Seto making his way towards the pyramid. Neither spoke as Seto knelt beside Yami. Since that night, they had carefully avoided each other, each blaming the other for Yoru's death.
Yami finished paying his respects and got slowly to his feet. With one last glance at the pyramid and his rival, Yami climbed aboard his small boat and returned to the other side of the river. He walked towards the palace and smiled slightly as his wife of two months, Hiru, hurried to meet him. He felt only slightly sad over the fact that Seto had no one to greet him when he came home, but one hug from his wife made those thoughts vanish.
'One day,' Yami vowed to himself, glancing back at the pyramid where he could still see Seto kneeling in front of it. 'One day, I will make Seto pay for taking my sister from me. One day soon.'
On the opposite bank of the river, Seto was having similar thoughts. He knew that Yoru's greatest wish was that her brother and her husband would someday get along, but he knew that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. But when Seto got through with him, Yami would be going on a little trip to the Shadow Realm and Seto would finally have his revenge.
THE END