Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh (No!!! Say it isn't so!!!)

My Curse

Ch2 – Yami's Gift

Shortly after Seto had drunk the potion, he laid back down on his bed in hopes of regaining some strength. He sighed and visibly relaxed when his body came in contact with royal blue silk sheets and a soft pillow. He had done no more than close his eyes when sleep finally enveloped him.

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Exodus, a young man of twenty or so years, nervously paced up and down a dimly lit shallow hall. His light blond locks kept falling in front of his eyes as he watched his feet follow the same path up and down the hall. His hands were clasped behind his back and his cape billowed out slightly behind him. The black velvet cape settled gently on his shoulders as a small pin held it together below his neck. Aside from the cape, he also wore a gray muscle shirt and tight black leather pants, as well as soft brown boots. His pacing stopped as one of the hallways opened and a woman stepped out. Exodus' eyes lifted from the ground, settling on the frightened female, causing a gasp as blood red eyes met her's with an acute coldness.

"Did you need something?" the man asked, his voice surprisingly boyish in nature.

"Ihavethereportsyourequested," the woman hastily said in one breath; his cold stare had rattled her. She made a move to go up to him, rather hesitantly, but Exodus stopped her.

"Just put it on my desk," he growled as she stopped in mid stride.

"Yes sir," the woman replied; then made a hasty retreat.

The man continued walking, a sigh escaping his lips.

'Where did I go wrong? I was sure the poison would work. Only Atemu knew the antidote; that's what my father told me years ago. My forefather, Climax, tried to take the Pharaoh's position by poisoning him, but he found out before he could go through with it. Throughout the generations, the recipe for this poison was passed down, along with the fact that only Atemu knew the cure. Perhaps he passed it down also to his offspring?'

Exodus' thoughts were interrupted when he heard his name being called further down the hallway. He quickly strode down the hallway; the voice had sounded like one of the workers.

When he finally reached the end of the hall, he found a very dead worker; a dagger was lodged in his chest and blood poured out of his lifeless body. In front of the worker was a scrap of paper; a note. He knelt down and picked it up, mindful of the blood, and read it:

Son of Climax,

I highly advise you not to attempt to use the potion again. I am watching you and will make sure you pay if you do not obey. Atemu was not the only one who knew the cure; his name will be revealed soon enough. I dearly hope we do not cross paths again…

Exodus' hand clenched around the note. 'Does this person seriously believe I'll stop my attempts to take Seto's corporation? Perhaps it will take more persuasion on my part. The poison, at this time, has failed and his brother's death did not affect him as I had hoped. I suppose I'll just have to try again…'

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Seto's eyes lazily flickered open as sunlight poured into the room. He blinked several times so his eyes could adjust to the acute brightness. He carefully sat up and gazed around his room with new found energy.

'I guess the potion worked…I feel fine, as if nothing happened.'

Seto swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked into his bathroom; he would go back to work today and try to catch up on what work he missed yesterday.

At four o'clock, Seto was hastily filling out paper work, trying to catch up. The soft scraping of the pen stopped suddenly as his secretary came into view.

"Yes?" the CEO questioned.

"There is a package for you, Mr. Kaiba," the woman politely responded, gesturing to the box she currently held in her hands. "It was marked urgent, so I figured you needed to see it right away."

"Place it on that table to your right."

"Yes sir," the woman responded, placing the parcel on the small end table; then left as she bowed slightly.

The pen's scratch continued as soon as she left, but Seto could not keep his eyes from floating over to the package. Finally, after an hour of his mind floating between work and the box, he rose from his chair and walked over to it. He opened it, sliding his fingers under the tabs on the side and flipping it open, and was surprised to see a short letter lying on top of a purple velvet drawstring bag. He lifted the note from its position and carefully unfolded it:

Seto Kaiba,

I know you are not one to accept gifts, but please take this. There is an evil lurking about that wants us dead; don't deny it, you've already experienced this creature's wrath twice. Please take the item inside the velvet bag, it will help you. Keep an eye out; I have dealt with this person before; he's not one to be taken lightly.

-Yami

NOTE: If you must rid yourself of the item, DON'T just throw it away somewhere. Please return it to me so I can keep it in safe keeping, as I have been doing.

Seto was slightly surprised that the pharaoh was helping him, and part of him just wanted to discard the box without another thought. But he found himself reaching, instead, for the bag; as he picked it up, he noticed it was heavier than it looked and contained what appeared to be a ball with a stick in it. He pulled on the strings, opening the bag, and tipped it upside down. In a blur of gold, an object fell to his hand, and the hand closed in reflex as the object touched it. He gasped lightly in surprise, for the object was the Sennen Rod.

'What in Ra's name is Yami trying to prove, trying to accomplish? I am not Seth, I don't possess special powers, and he knows it! Could it be…Some other reason?'

Seto's eyes narrowed at the golden object clasped in his hand, but he made no move to discard it. 'I suppose it couldn't hurt…to hang on to it for a little while.'