Title: Don't forget me, beloved...

Summary: ...It's...a bit of an odd fic. I meant it to be longer than
this but I never got around to the prequel chapters so I hope you like
it anyway...at any rate, it's AU AE and Yugi is Atemu's slave and lover.
As a bit of background, Seth has just recently confirmed some fears of
Atemu's and now he has to tell Yugi exactly what those fears are.

Warning: ...IT'S SHONEN-AI! GASP!

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The pharaoh shut the door lifelessly as he entered his bedchambers with a sigh of regret.

He couldn't take another step before he was greeted by an enthusiastic hug from his lover.
Yugi smiled up at him and nuzzled his chest before he realized that Atemu had barely even reacted.

Yugi frowned as he finally felt Atemu's familiar embrace…arms wrapping around his petite waist and Atemu's face nuzzling his multicolored locks.
"What's wrong, love?" Yugi asked softly, looking up at his beloved king with concern and gentle affection.

Atemu sighed again, softly and wearily this time. Yugi saw a sort of tiredness in the Pharaoh's eyes…they were dim now…not the fiery gems he'd always known and loved.
They were sad, not gleaming with pride and mischievous happiness.

"I have something I need to tell you, Yugi. Something…something I should have told you before." Atemu swallowed the bitterness in his mouth. The bitter taste of agony and the unfairness of life.

Atemu carefully guided Yugi towards their large feathery bed and set the younger boy on his lap. He buried most of his face in Yugi's hair, softly kissing it with a feeling of need rising in his heart. A need to be closer to the one who comforted him most. The one whose heart he was about to violently shatter. Atemu's arms wrapped around Yugi protectively and he gathered the strength to tell his angel what needed to be said.

Then, with a distant voice and his eyes becoming unfocused as he stared out beyond the balcony to the majestic sunset…the pharaoh spoke.

"Yugi…how much do you know about the shadow wars?" Atemu asked, his heart increasingly heavier.

Yugi frowned, confused. And also uneasy with his current position…he loved to be held by Atemu, but…he couldn't see his lover's face. He wanted…no, needed to see the emotions in Atemu's eyes. The pharaoh might be able to keep things from him with words and a cheerful voice…but not with his eyes.

He felt that Atemu needed him right now. He felt that Atemu needed to be held. But, intent upon finding out why, he obeyed.
"I know that…darkness rose up when your father was pharaoh and that it tried to destroy Egypt. The world, even. But…they're over now, because the pharaoh stopped the wars and saved Egypt. By magic." Yugi recalled, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember the stories he'd been told long ago.

"And thus, my puzzle and the other six items were created. My father saved Egypt--or, at least…that's what we thought." Atemu finished, whispering the last part. His heart screamed in denial of thesentence that played over and over in his mind. He would have to say it soon. So soon.

No…no no no no…he didn't want to. He wanted to run from the truth…but, he could not. He had a duty. He had a duty to his people. To Egypt. To Yugi. His beloved…

"What do you mean?" Yugi turned to face him and Atemu didn't hold him back. He turned to face his pharaoh's darkened eyes.

"You see, Yugi…the sealing my father did, the ritual which created these items, was only temporary. It held the shadows back for a time…but it cannot any longer. In fact, it stopped over seven years ago." Atemu's voice was grave and solemn. He rarely ever spoke this way…not with Yugi, no.

Yugi's eyes were wide with surprise and horror. "But…but if the millenium items aren't holding the shadows back…then what is?"

Atemu smiled sorrowfully at Yugi and he seemed all the wearier for attempting a smile at all.

"I am. With what magical energy I have, I've created a barrier to hold the shadows back. But that solution is also very temporary. The shadows were beaten back by my father and by me, but they grow in strength and number every day. Meanwhile, it becomes more and more of a burden to hold them back…" Atemu sighed softly. These past few days made him feel so tired. He knew that he couldn't carry on for much longer.

Yugi put his hand to Atemu's cheek, compassionate. Poor Atemu…the fate of Egypt had been on his shoulders all this time? Well, it always was, but..."Isn't there anything that can be done to stop them?"

Atemu exhaled deeply and nodded. "Yes…there is a way to seal them permanently. Or at least, as close to permanent as possible." He pressed his lips together tightly as another sign of reluctance before he continued. "Seth and I are the only ones who really know the details of the situation. We guessed that maybe we'd need to use that in…twenty, thirty…maybe even fifty years. And, we've been looking for some other method but…our search efforts have been unsuccessful."

Yugi cuddled closer to Atemu. "But, if it's so many years away…then why worry about it now?"

"We guessed that it was so many years away, Yugi. Because the shadow's strength was growing so slowly years ago, that we figured the barrier would hold for a long time. But now…now, they're preparing to strike again. And if they continue like this…the barrier won't hold for much longer. I can't hold them back…"

Yugi nodded, understanding. 'I can see why he's so stressed, but…but why can't he just have the ritual done and get it over with?' "Atemu, what about the sealing you mentioned? The permanent one?"

Atemu stroked Yugi's hair fondly. "Well…it's inevitable now. Actually…that's what I came to talk to you about. I've told you about how magic works, Yugi. You know that the basic rule of magic is that you can't get something for nothing. You have to train to be skilled in it…or you have to be born gifted...and sometimes you have to sacrifice for it."

Yugi nodded again. He fondly remembered some of the small "tricks" that Atemu had shown him. He remembered the small "battles" he'd witnessed between Atemu and the Dark Magician and how they laughed about them afterwards. "Yes…I remember."

"Then you should know, that the stronger the spell, the greater the sacrifice must be. Since the millenium items required a great deal of power to create them…they required a very great sacrifice." Atemu paused and frowned, knowing Yugi wouldn't like what he was about to hear.

Yugi looked up at his king in confusion. "My pharaoh…?"

Atemu's gaze shifted to the floor. "You know how Bakura hates me?"

Yugi winced at the mere mention of the thief king's name. Oh, he remembered, all right. How could he forget that person? How does anyone forget someone so cold, with such contempt in their eyes, as if hate were the only thing they had left to feel?

"I do…but, I never understood why. Besides you both being enemies…he never really had a reason to hate you." Yugi reached out to his Pharaoh's tanned hand, intertwining his own pale skinned hand.

Atemu softly squeezed Yugi's hand in a return gesture. "Unfortunately, love…he had a reason. The…sacrifice for the millenium items was," The pharaoh sighed again. "His village."

"Wha?" A blink.

"Bakura's village, Yugi. It was destroyed. And all the people that lived there were killed. It wasn't the only one, what's more." Atemu watched Yugi's eyes and could tell that his lover was thinking of all those poor people… (AN: So I'm taking poetic lisence and making it worse than it was. It's AU!)

"I heard about that, Atemu…but I thought that was only a rumor. Your father killed all those people?" Yugi asked, incredulous, looking up to his lover for some sort of answer. Some sort of reason for something so…so horrible. People, are…just that. People. And to order the death of hundreds seemed such a heartless thing.

"He didn't know." Atemu admitted, feeling a bit defensive for his father's sake. "He only thought he was doing what was best for his kingdom. My father was never told what was being done, only that Egypt would be safe because of it. The only crime he can be accusedof is ignorance. And even if it's a poor excuse…it's the truth."

Yugi felt relieved. Yugi knew that Atemu had great respect for his father. As a ruler and as a person. To know that he was really innocent of those acts must have eased his pharaoh's heart…even though they still happened.

"Then it's not his fault." Yugi assured Atemu, smiling gently.

Atemu smiled back, albeit wanly. "Bakura wouldn't exactly agree with you, my lover. But, I'm glad that you see it that way. Unfortunately, Yugi…the sealing that must be done now will require another sacrifice."

Yugi flinched, horrified. "Atemu, how many more people need to die?" The question was less of a question and more of a statement. A statement against more bloodshed…even though the slave knew, knew that…if the world was at stake, it was unavoidable.

Atemu's smile was bitter and rueful. "Only one." He murmured, trying to seem at least relieved that, at least it wasn't hundreds.

Yugi looked up, wary. He still didn't understand and he didn't want anyone to die, but there had to be more to it then that. There had to be. "I don't understand."

"Sometimes, the sacrifice needs to be a personal thing. The spell-caster must give up something that they care for, or something that means a lot to them, in order to gain power. There have been many different cases of those sorts of things…" Atemu explained gently.

Yugi, again, nodded. He found these explanations interesting, but this one gave him a rather sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Someone was going to suffer.

Atemu was so close to saying it. Saying what he had prepared himself to tell his little Yugi. Something that would break both their hearts…

"Yugi…since I'm the Arch Mage of Egypt, I'm the only person who can cast a spell of this magnitude. It has to be me…not even Seth or Dark could do it." Atemu took a deep breath.

Yugi watched him, stiffening. He still didn't know yet…but the feeling in his stomach got worse. Will one of our friends have to die? Or…'

"The spell requires…" The pharaoh's breath caught in his throat. He didn't want to look Yugi in the eyes. He couldn't. He looked away. "Requires that the caster give up his own soul."

Yugi's eyes did nothing to hide the absolutely dumbstruck shock he felt. His lips trembled as they formed his lover's name. "A-Atemu?"

Now…now he had to face Yugi. He had to deliver the final blow, even though it hurt. He had to say the five words that had been repeated in his mind over and over like a broken record. He stared his little love directly in the eyes and whispered: "Yugi…I'm going to die."

Yugi, horrified beyond conscious thought, could only stare. He paled a striking color in contrast to Atemu's dark tan. He found himself without any voice, no words to express the feelings of denial that screamed in his heart. Yugi shook his head. 'NO!'

Atemu watched him sadly and tried to reach out to hold him, but Yugi moved away, away from him, shaking his head violently. When the slave finally found his voice, it was low and shaky, breaking under the weight of his tears. "No…"

"Yugi." Atemu whispered, feeling his own heart ripped out byYugi's actions and denial. It hurt to think of Yugi, his Yugi, hating him for leaving. Hating him for what he had to do.

Atemu looked away, nodding in understanding. If Yugi didn't want the only consolation he had to offer, then perhaps it would be best to simply leave him be…even if Atemu ached to be near him.

The pharaoh stood, silent and solemn, and turned to leave…but was stopped as Yugi threw himself at Atemu and wrapped his arms around him, clutching him desperately. "No! No…please, don't go. Atemu…" Yugi sobbed, his face imbedded in the pharaoh's back.

Atemu turned to face him and wrapped his tanned arms around Yugi's shaking body and let him cry. He stroked Yugi's hair as his own tears began to fall.

They stayed like that, Atemu holding Yugi as the smaller teen cried, both seeking comfort from the closeness of the other. Until, finally, Yugi had stopped sobbing and Atemu had suggested that they go back and sit down again and perhaps…talk a little? Or maybe, just cuddle?

Yugi nuzzled Atemu to let him know that he agreed and they sat down on the bed again. It took a lot of cuddling and a few more tears before Yugi could speak again.

"Isn't there…any other way?" Yugi asked, almost pleading, pleading for something--some hope to cling to.

But Atemu could only shake his head despairingly. "No, Yugi. We've been searching for an alternative for years…but even if there is one, we'll never find it in time. I have no choice, love."

Yugi swallowed the tears and with a broken voice, forced himself to ask a necessary question. "H-how…how long do we have?"

Atemu gave Yugi a soft squeeze, knowing his love had come to grips with reality. The horrible reality that neither one of them wanted to believe was happening. "Two weeks."

"Two…weeks?" Yugi backed up enough to look Atemu in the eyes, showing his tear-stained face. "You mean…we only have two weeks left to spend together?" It's so unfair! Why? Why, Ra, are you doing this to us? To Atemu? He doesn't deserve this.'

"Yugi, it's all I can do. I'm sorry…but any longer then that and my barrier will break. If we wait even a day longer, I'll run out of energy. I won't even have enough strength to perform the sealing." Atemu murmured, putting a hand to Yugi's face. "I wish I could give us more time, but, even I'm not that strong."

Yugi put his hand over Atemu's and sighed. "I…I understand. At least we have two weeks, then…but, if only, if…if only there was another way. It's not fair! You shouldn't have to do this!" He buried his face in the pharaoh's chest and held him close.

"But, Yugi…if I don't, then who will? It's my duty, as pharaoh, to protect my kingdom. And, I also have a duty to you. I love you, Yugi…the shadows will destroy everything and everyone if they aren't stopped. I have to protect Egypt. I have to protect you." Atemu's sad smile returned as he hugged Yugi.

"I love you too…and…I don't want to be saved if you die! I need to be with you, Atemu. I need you. If I lose you, then what do I have left? I have no place but here, with you." Fresh tears welled up in Yugi's eyes. "You can't leave me."

"Oh, Yugi…if I didn't do the ritual, then we would have one more day. But, is that what you want? To see the world destroyed for our sake? No, my love…that wouldn't be like you. The Yugi I fell in love with isn't selfish like that. His heart is the most beautiful thing about him. You're still my Yugi, aren't you?" Atemu asked, smiling lovingly.

"Yes…always." Yugi choked out and hugged him. "I know I can't ask you not to…but, I can't help wishing you wouldn't."

Atemu felt the tears fall onto his shirt and bared skin. "And I can't help wishing I didn't have to leave you. But that's enough for now. Let's rest, all right? I'm…I'm feeling a bit weary."

Yugi nodded in agreement with a sniff and they cuddled up together under the covers.

After giving Yugi a gentle kiss on the forehead, Atemu fell asleep, the heavy burden in his heart lifted only a little and the one on his mind was becoming greater with each passing second.

Yugi opted to stay awake longer though. He looked up at his pharaoh, studying the features of his face with longing. He wanted to imprint Atemu in his mind for eternity, even though he could never forget him. No, never. Not even if his mind was obliterated, or his soul was shredded, he would never forget.

And as for his heart…it would always be with Atemu. No one held his heart but his beloved. No one else ever would.

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And that's all for now, so if you're not a meanie...review.

Oh, and here's a tissue box.