AN: A ridiculously long chapter for your amusment, my dears. I'm not sure if I like this chapter, the story feels like it's running away from me and going places I didn't exactly want it too, emphisising the parts I wanted to keep subtle and loosing things in the process that made it my little favourate. But, meh, not much I can do, 'coz I'm not starting again.

Oh, and before I forget: LEMON WARNING! There, now you have been warned.

King

Part Three

It was night when Atemu heard the news that changed his life, reshaping it with cold and merciless hands. The prince had only been fourteen when his father died, still so young and so inexperienced.

That night had changed them both.

Atemu was curled into a tight ball at the edge of his bed, sobbing as if his heart might break and he was feeling every crack that had opened in the vulnerable organ. He hadn't moved from that spot for hours now.

Yuugi had positioned himself in a shadowy upper corner of the room, opening and closing his elaborately patterned wings in agitation. Hanging almost upside down on the top of the wall, he had hoped that taking the shape of a butterfly would make the sound of the prince's distress lessen.

It had worked in that he couldn't hear the tears so well, and it had definitely managed to keep him out of sight and out of mind while the human had an emotional breakdown, but it hadn't helped his own tumbling and disjointed emotions.

Yuugi didn't know what he felt, and that was probably worse than any single emotion, at least that way he would be able to isolate the feeling and lock it away in a corner of his vast mind, but right now he couldn't identify what it was he should be isolating. There was guilt, jealousy, begrudging affection, anger and triumph all swirling together in a tempest of utter confusion that so disturbed him that (despite his ability with countless languages) he wasn't even able to find names for the rest of the emotions tossed into the storm.

For a brief moment a melancholy dream, a memory, rose up to meet him. The last time he had taken on this form he and Atemu had been in the gardens, many years ago now when the prince was barely nine. And it had been to amuse him; to cheer him up from the stress his parents were placing upon his small heart. In the light of the sun, feeling the light spray of water from the manmade waterfall in the air moisten his wings and hearing Atemu's laughter as he tried to catch the fast flittering butterfly, who was teasingly evading capture by weaving in and out of flowers and leaves, or circling his head.

Those times had been innocent, probably the only times in his life he had ever done something purely for someone else. The knowledge that he had enjoyed himself only confused him more. He hated this world; it tortured and tormented him, air djinni were never meant to take on physical forms, it was only humans that could make them, with their manipulating magic and words stolen from the halls of Gods, do something that was as unnatural to them as it was for a fish to walk over coals. This world was not for them, and every minute spent here hurt every fibre of their being.

This was why djinn changed their shapes so often: it helped to alleviate the stress of their environment.

But despite the constant tugging Yuugi felt on his body, there were times where his mind was not focusing on his situation. Those times were rare, admittedly, but they did happen. He didn't understand himself anymore. He hated Atemu, honestly and truly, but he hated him in a sort of helpless way that was broken up with surges of selfish obsession towards the Prince, almost competing against the others for Atemu's attention.

His years, months, days were filled with ups and downs of confused fixation poisoned by the thrill of control and the constant boiling desire for vengeance.

Yuugi curled his long antennae inwards. No djinn he knew of had spent this long in the physical world. He knew djinn of his class had powers like wildfires, and in this state, it was sometimes hard to control them. What had he become, in his time here? Was the constantly fluctuating force that made up his own soul beginning, in some way, to infect his mind? He did not know the effect a First Class Djinni had in the long run on the world around it if it spent too long here: was it possible their own powers began to erode them away?

"Yuugi?"

Yuugi's attention was turned reluctantly away from his inner meditation as the pitiful sob reached him. The Prince was still crying heavily into his pillows and had not looked up, but he knew Yuugi was there, Yuugi was always there, and he wanted him nearer.

Yuugi fluttered his wings agitatedly; he did not want to answer. The Prince was being pathetic, laying there sobbing as if it were he who had died in the night, as if his Father's death was the beginning and end of all things. He needed to get a hold of himself, and Yuugi had received his fill of comforting crying children when Atemu was an infant, he refused to do it now Atemu was reaching manhood. He hated human emotions; they were so alien to him.

Besides, it wasn't an order, he didn't have to anything if it wasn't an order.

Atemu clutched a fist over his heart and curled into a tighter ball, it almost looked as if something were being ripped from him. Yuugi curled his antennae tightly inwards, but nothing he did could block out the sound of Atemu's tear filled voice choking out his name in a desperate plea.

It was nothing more than a half order, if even that, but Yuugi could still feel the slight tug on his essence that was the magic that bound him to his Master's will. He told himself that little irritating tug was the reason he finally dropped from the corner of the room and flittered over to where Atemu lay. His large black and purple wings almost glided on the warm night air as he circled the boy's head, waiting for him to notice the butterfly gliding a few inches above him. Yuugi even landed on one of the vast pillows near Atemu's head, but still no reaction came.

If butterflies could frown, Yuugi would have. Atemu was more lost within himself than Yuugi had thought if he wasn't even noticing the close presence of the demon he was calling for. The boy would need something more substantial to break him out of his circling grief.

Yuugi briefly considered the cruel idea of taking Atemu's Father's shape, just to see how the Prince would react. But decided against it when realising that if Atemu reacted badly, it would be he who would have to then comfort him.

Yuugi paused. It had been fourteen years since he had been summoned to Atemu's side, sometimes he forgot how strangely time in the physical world passed. Had it really been that long since he had been nothing but the purest essence?

Atemu opened his bloodshot eyes when he felt something strange emanate from the side of his bed. Drained of energy from the hours of emotional torture, he shakily leaned up a little on his elbows and looked to his left and behind.

With wide eyes, a shout of surprise stuck in his worn throat, Atemu's fists clenched in his fine bed sheets. His mouth hung slightly open as he gazed in blank half-fear at the strange person stood at his bedside.

A young man with skin like cream and compellingly familiar sharp eyes, thick hair of gold and ebony hung about his narrow shoulders, and though his entire form held itself with lax security there was a half frown on his decidedly handsome features that seemed to speak of perplexed distrust.

Blood rushed to Atemu's cheeks when he realised the stranger was stark naked, and that the man didn't seem to either notice that fact or care.

The stranger said nothing, but a powerful familiarity radiated off him in waves to Atemu's mind. And as his heart was tripping over itself with noticing how incredibly beautiful he found this man, another part of him was staring at the split amethyst eyes already knowing who it was.

His grief partially forgotten in this new revelation, Atemu whispered, "Yuugi?"

The demon in human form gave a half nod, but said nothing. He was watching Atemu intently.

Atemu sat up, breathing heavily as a pressure headache began forming in his temples from having cried for too long, hesitantly, he asked, "But how?"

A pause, Yuugi lifted an elegant hand so that the palm faced the ceiling, "This is the closest form I can take that best represents my being. You have never seen it before."

Atemu leaned closer, fascinated, "Why? I thought I knew every – "

Yuugi's mouth twitched in a sneer he couldn't quite conceal, "You hardly know anything about me, Master."

Atemu flinched and looked down, silenced. He knew Yuugi had a quick temper when it came to information about himself, but he hadn't been able to control his curiosity. Somehow, Yuugi in this human form felt more intimidating than any of his animal shapes, the expressions on his face were easier to read, and Atemu couldn't deceive himself that the shadow in Yuugi's eyes wasn't contempt when he looked at him with a human face.

Yuugi schooled his expressions back into a neutral mask, "I do not take this form often because it is weak. The human form is entirely too vulnerable for any djinn to want to keep it for longer then they must."

Atemu looked up again from under his hair to see if Yuugi was still angry, but his demon seemed to have calmed himself and was stood with the same languid air as before. And in the pause of conversation, Atemu remembered why he had locked himself in his room and stayed awake until almost daybreak. He bit his lip as grief threatened to swallow him again, his trembling hands fisted in the sheets.

He felt a touch on his arm, Atemu looked up in surprise to see Yuugi stood very close to him, a pale hand resting on Atemu's bronze elbow. The Prince looked up at his childhood friend and felt tears flood his eyes; for once not caring how Yuugi would react, Atemu threw himself forward into the djinn's bare chest.

"Yuugi," Atemu sobbed into his chest, "Father. Father is…"

"He is dead, Master, I know." When the Prince's weeping increased in ferocity, Yuugi scowled over his small head towards the arching night sky outside the tall window, "You should not mourn him so, do you regret him passing into paradise?"

"No! No, I couldn't, I… But, Yuugi," Atemu's words were shuddery, forced out between great tear-filled gulps of breath, "He – what are we to do without him? How can I do this without him?!"

"You do not need him!" Yuugi snapped, taking a firm grip of Atemu's small shoulders he pulled him away so he could look down at the vulnerable, barely pubescent child, fixing those water-filled rubies with his own piercing stare, "You do not need anyone."

Yuugi leaned closer, saying his next sentence with a sharp, whispery confidence, "You have me."

Atemu's gaze never left his, his mind wholly focused on the demon before him, as if Yuugi had hypnotised or bewitched him. His heavy breathing shivered in his lungs, salty cheeks, flushed from crying, glittering in the torchlight. Yuugi's hands were hot on his shoulders, his words burning in his ears. The demon's beautiful face never softened, and this iron-like fortitude seemed unshakable, his power radiated off him in waves. It was almost heady.

There would be fewer times now, where the Prince could just be innocent in the way Yuugi had encouraged him to be (naïveté was always easier to manipulate), fewer times when Yuugi would be able to tempt him into shirking his duties in favour of the freedom of the streets and the desert beyond.

After all, Atemu was Pharaoh now. And Yuugi had a kingdom to run.

-

Atemu had always been good with a sword; he had taken to wielding a blade like birds took to air and fish to water. As Yuugi watched the young Pharaoh practice with his scimitar, the curved blade flashing deadly in the blazing heat of the Egyptian sun, he felt an almost smug satisfaction. Even growing up, few people had ever been able to best Atemu with the sword.

Although, saying that, Atemu had never actually been in a serious fight in which bloodshed was the forerunning of a kill. And no one, aside from Seth, had ever fought the Prince and dared to draw his blood.

"Come on, Seth! You've hardly given a strike yet!" Atemu's shout echoed from where he and the Priest were sparring, over the dusty slabs of pale gold stone, towards where Yuugi hung watchfully under a tree branch in the gardens, large ears swivelling constantly for unusual sounds that could herald danger. The Nubians were close to the city now, mere hours away.

Atemu's sandaled feet danced over the sand-dusted stone, almost weightless as he and Seth sparred with deadly skill, blades meeting, clashing, sparking loudly as they met in the air again and again.

Seth snarled at Atemu's comment, the King's smug grin grating on his temper, he swirled the blade as his opponent took a step to the left, and used the momentum of the curve to swing it up and around, the light weight throwing its own force into the intended strike. A sharp 'tang' reverberated through the steel into their hands as Atemu raised his sword to block mere millimetres from the skin of his chest. Swiftly, Atemu pushed the opposing blade away, and as Seth swung to catch his neck, he ducked and lunged, cutting a shallow slice out of the side of his cousin's thigh.

Seth acknowledged the strike with an angry yell, but did not flinch, turning, he pointed the scimitar towards the floor and stabbed down, missing the Pharaoh by a hair's width. Atemu laughed at the exhilaration and took a few light steps away from the livid Priest to give them room for the next round.

Yuugi's small eyes narrowed. Bats were never good with vision, but he could see that Seth, in his anger, was getting a little too carried away in his aim to land a real blow at last.

Seth always had been the ambitious one, Yuugi was always careful with him.

As the fight before him continued, Yuugi felt a vaguely familiar aura flare oddly. Felling eyes on him, he turned his head towards the source, and saw a young girl sat on a low wall not far away quickly turn her gaze the other way. She should not have been able to recognise him in this form, an Egyptian fruit bat was not such a rare sight in the palace gardens. Yuugi sniffed the air, the girl reeked of magic, and there was something about her that felt…

Ah, now he knew her. She was the twin sister of that suicidal apprentice, Meti. He must have either passed some of his learnt knowledge onto her, or left her the scroll while he charged towards his demise. Yuugi watched her a moment longer before swivelling his head back to the fight. Upside down, Seth and Atemu's fight looked almost comical, but it was getting serious now. The girl may soon cause a commotion, but most likely nothing more impressive than her brother's attempt, it would be a shame for poor Kalim to lose both his apprentices so quickly, but humans never would learn from mistakes.

Yuugi's large wings stiffened, ready for action, when Seth, finally driven to the edge with Atemu's taunting, pointed his sword before him and charged, clearly ready to run his cousin through. His eyes glinted iron, like the storms over the distant Northern Seas that Yuugi remembered with fond clarity, and his hands and aim were deadly steady. The djinn steadied himself to intercept if Atemu didn't block in time.

But none of that was needed, a messenger came running through the training grounds, an urgent notice clutched in his hand. His shouting caused even Seth's rage to cool under a sharp reminder of rationality. The High Priest stopped his charge and, almost reluctantly, lowered his sword as Atemu wiped the tip of his blade of the last residues of Seth's blood and sheathed it, letting the messenger run up to prostrate himself before the King.

Yuugi twitched his ears forward and listened to the message as it was read out, Atemu's eyes widened then narrowed. The Nubian's had arrived at the city gates, they were currently negotiating safe passage into the city so their generals and emissaries could consult the Pharaoh, but Atemu's permission was needed for the arrangements to go forth. Atemu's eyes flickered over to Yuugi, knowing his demon was listening to every word and needing to council with him first.

Yuugi felt Atemu's decision to let the Nubians through, and gave him an affirmative push, locking them out would stain relationships between the two countries dangerously.

Atemu closed his eyes for a moment, and then sent the messenger back with his own message to let the foreigners in peacefully.

Turning to Seth, Atemu nodded. The High Priest bowed shallowly and they both returned their scimitars to the weapons master, whom was waiting with a small group of slaves to clean up after the King was done training. As Atemu and Seth began making their way into the palace, flanked by guards, Yuugi dropped from the tree branch. Spreading his great membrane-like wings, he flapped hard to gain altitude and swooped sharply upwards to enter the Pharaoh's private chambers where Atemu would meet him.

He knew without having to look, that the girl had watched his every move.

-

Atemu paced restlessly across the floor of one of his private rooms, his hair in disarray from the number of times he had run his hand through it nervously. He paused every few steps to stare intently at the finely beaten silver that reflected his appearance back at him.

"I did not expect their King to have come with them." Atemu said, speaking to the only other creature in the room.

Atemu had discarded his crown on the nearest available surface as soon as he was alone, wanting to be free of its weight so he could think. He turned to the falcon perched atop his crown to see if it would answer.

It did: "Nor did we expect them to travel with half their army. But they are here, we must figure out what it is they want."

Atemu chewed his lip. He had ruled for a number of years now, but never had he been faced with a situation like this. The Nubians had been on a rocky, but mostly peaceful relationship with Egypt for years, what on earth could they be planning if the King himself came with an embassy of several thousand soldiers?

"A direct war would be unwise," Atemu spoke to the falcon, "They are in the middle of our territory, with only a portion of their army. So he has come here to place pressure upon me for one reason or another."

"They want something." Yuugi agreed, "But, remember, we cannot mobilise our army in a matter of hours. There are many soldiers and guards within the city, but not nearly so many that his few thousand ready men would be easy pickings. He could strike quick and hard if we do not play our hand right, Master."

"Should I send word to begin mobilising the army?"

"No. The standing army should be enough to hold out if he strikes now, however, send word to the generals to stand by. The men must be aware of the situation."

Atemu nodded, "Yes, you are right. A lot of activity would look suspicious." Frowning he asked, "You don't think that the rest of the army is hiding in the desert do you? Ready at an order, and this is simply a farce?"

The falcon tilted its head, "Perhaps. Though I did not see any more men when I searched from the sky, they could be approaching from another direction at a slower pace." He ruffled and spread his angular wings, "Shall I look again, Master?"

Atemu shook his head a little frantically, "No, you are not to leave me at this time, he may have paid assassins or worse. I will have one of the Priests summon a few Low-class Air Djinn to search for you."

"Very well."

Atemu sighed wearily and sat ungracefully on the bed, he was due to meet the Nubain King in a few minutes, and he didn't think he'd ever had a meeting so nerve wracking as this.

"Father would have been better at this."

"Your Father had a great amount of experience behind him, you are still learning."

"The whole of Egypt could depend on this meeting, Yuugi! What if I have no idea how to respond to whatever demands he may have?"

Yuugi clicked his beak, "Then I will respond through you. You forget that he is only one mind, and we are two. And both of us are forces in our own right. If things begin to get out of hand, a djinni makes a much finer assassin than any paid human."

A knock resounded through the room before Atemu could respond; a guard's voice followed the knock, "My Lord, the council are ready."

Atemu took a deep, nervous breath, "I will be out momentarily."

"Yes, My Lord."

Atemu stood up and quickly tried to fix his hair again in the silver's reflection, before turning to Yuugi. As Atemu lifted his crown, the falcon jumped from it and flew to land on his shoulder.

"Which form shall I take, Master?"

"The cobra, as usual," Atemu replied while rearranging his crown, "No doubt they have heard the stories you have inspired, they will be expecting you."

Yuugi chuckled lowly before Atemu felt the falcon on his shoulder melt, cool scales roping comfortingly around his neck. Yuugi's forked tongue flicked over his ear, "Then I best not disappoint them."

-

"You know, Yuugi, I think that went well."

Light glimmered from the egg-sized diamond Atemu was dangling in mid air from its gold chain, splashing fantastic rainbows over wherever the refracted light touched. Atemu's smugly pleased expression was dusted in transparent reds and pinks, soft purples and deep blues as he held the priceless stone up for inspection.

Yuugi's sharp eyes moved to where the Pharaoh was sat lazing on his vast bed in a regal half-reclined pose with one elbow bent to support his upper body, his other hand was holding the necklace. Resisting the childish urge to roll his eyes, he returned his attentions to preening his fur.

It was amazing how quickly pretty things turned humans into pleased pools of putty.

The Nubian King had been very warm and friendly towards Atemu, so much so you'd think they'd been childhood friends. They had sat down and talked amiably for hours while Yuugi stayed alert and on guard, feeling some obscure and dark aura emanating from the old King. The feeling had been faint, as if hidden, but Yuugi could feel it, could taste it on the air with his cobra's tongue.

The Nubian King was hiding something.

The threat had been neither immediate nor deadly, so he had refrained from mentioning anything to Atemu, the boy didn't need such a thing weighing on his mind during a first meeting. Besides, that old man may have been hiding something sinister, but that did not mean it was directed towards them. He could well have been hiding numerous affairs from his first wife, or plotting the execution of traitors, or the murder of an undesired suitor for his daughter's hand.

Atemu smiled, the feeling of being victorious was a powerful, almost heady experience. He knew that it was only a preliminary meeting, and that the Nubian King's action of bringing so many men with him to Egypt directly contradicted his proposal of a closer and more peaceful relationship between their countries. But the simpering and the gifts the foreign king had given him were too sweet a desert for his ego. Perhaps the king had realised that attacking Egypt was hopeless now, after seeing all the new defences Atemu had put in, and all the soldiers trained under the regime Yuugi created from old djinn combat methods.

Perhaps just the rumours of Pharaoh Atemunhotep and his God-sent servant were enough to warrant the old man's proposals, while still causing him to fear enough for himself to bring so many soldiers.

Atemu licked his lips, the day's activities were over, and yet he was still very much awake. All day he'd been waiting for a moment of peace long enough to satisfy the niggling urge that had been at the back of his mind since he woke that morning to a naked Yuugi in human form asleep on his bare chest. His skin ached with the need to feel another's hands on him, touching, trailing, ghosting over sensitive flesh.

The magnificent gem twirled on its thick golden chain, the rainbow light casting spotted colours on Yuugi's black fur. The panther's shape distorted through the clear rock into many shapeless black vestiges. Atemu let the necklace slip from his dark fingers and onto the bed. Slipping off the luxurious sheets he sauntered over to where his 'divine' companion was lazing, a long black tail swishing two and fro as a rough tongue swept over a paw the size of his chest.

Yuugi gave no indication that he realised Atemu had moved, but Atemu knew better, lowering himself to his knees on the pile of rugs and pillows Yuugi had commandeered for himself, he settled down just behind the panther's shoulder. Atemu started by burying his fingers into the thick fur around Yuugi's neck, splaying his hands and taking rough handfuls of the scruff in a massaging gesture. Pressing himself against the panther's side, Atemu nuzzled the warm body, brushing his cheek over the soft fur.

Pitching his voice low, the Pharaoh half growled his next word under the onslaught of desire as his mind pictured what was surely soon to follow: "Yuugi."

Yuugi purred low in his chest, his whole chest rumbling as Atemu's needy voice reached his ears. Placing his paw back down, he turned his great head to meet Atemu's lustful gaze, the dark scarlet irises sent pleasured tingles down his spine. Yuugi dislodged Atemu's grip as he sat up, but the Pharaoh merely shifted so that he could wrap his arms around the demon's neck and bury his face in Yuugi's throat, reminding Yuugi of a kitten pleading for a full bowl of cream.

Baring his teeth in a smirk, Yuugi pushed Atemu away, placing a paw over the King's chest, he pressed down. Atemu ran his tongue over his bottom lip as Yuugi pressed him into the pillows below, the deadly paw placed over his chest shifted and shrank, becoming a pale human hand.

Now in human shape, Yuugi took a short moment to admire the King lying on his back below him, flushed and needy and delicious, dark lips parted to take in deep breaths of warm air. He lowered himself and kissed those lips greedily, Atemu's desire crossing the bonds between them and sparking the same emotion in Yuugi.

Atemu raised his hands and took hold of Yuugi's head, palms pressed against his cheeks, urging Yuugi onwards by opening his mouth and moaning quietly as the demon's tongue brushed his. Delicious, almost painful sparks that reminded Atemu of the streaks of light that lit storm clouds, shot through him from the touch of Yuugi's supple mouth. Atemu shuddered when Yuugi's hands moved from the stone on either side of his body, to the over-eager skin of his stomach and chest. Atemu felt the touch burn him even through the layer of lavish fabric that separated them.

The Pharaoh decided then and there, that he was forced to wear way too many clothes.

Yuugi smirked as Atemu suddenly broke the kiss and half-sat up, hastily removing from himself all items of clothing and the remainder of his jewellery, he was eager tonight. Briefly, he wondered what it was that had gotten Atemu so impatient, but the thought was stolen from him as a now fully naked king threw his arms around the djinni's shoulders and yanked him back into a deep kiss, pressing their bodies together so that when they moved or even breathed, their flesh moved against the other's perfectly.

The next few minutes passed to Atemu in a blur of heat and sensation, Yuugi's mischievous hands exploiting all the well known spots that both knew would turn Atemu helpless with pleasure. A clever tongue making cool circles across Atemu's dark chest, sharp nails leaving reddened half-moons over his back and sides, and constantly gyrating hips that had them both letting loose, heavy sighs of desire-laced air.

Sighing as a slim hand found the inner side of his thigh, Atemu propped up his knee and parted his legs so that Yuugi could settle comfortably between them. This was a side that not even the court knew about; this was the sin that Atemu craved half-guiltily, half-revealingly, but always eagerly, every morning, day and night. Seth probably had the most inclination to assume stranger things happened between the king and his demon when alone, but Atemu doubted even his cousin knew the extent. He had been intimate with Yuugi since his sixteenth, when his hormones finally got so demanding that he had kissed the demon uncaring of the consequences, and he'd never looked back.

Because he was happiest in these moments where the whole world outside of their bubble melted away. Would he ever take a wife to be queen? Atemu knew, given the choice, he would not. He doubted any good would come of it anyway, sex with anyone other than his soul-bonded djinni, who knew him literally inside and out, was a repulsive idea to him.

Atemu tilted his head back and sighed deeply when two of Yuugi's cool fingers trailed a burning line from his leaking tip down between the hot cheeks of his behind, reaching his entrance and, finally, pushing them slowly inside. Yuugi watched Atemu's face intently throughout the journey his fingers made; greedily lapping up the needy expressions he had caused to cross Atemu's features.

Atemu opened his eyes, not knowing when he had closed them, to meet Yuugi's midnight eyes, mysteries and dark emotions like stars in his irises. He wanted Yuugi to show his feral side, he'd had enough of this gentle touching. Keeping his eyes locked to Yuugi's he openly let the demon see everything; every swell of pleasure as Yuugi's oh, so talented fingers did their magic, and every defiant lust-filled challenge to see how fast he could make them scream.

Atemu was rewarded by a low growl so akin to the panther that it made a shiver of exhilarating fear go through him. Yuugi's lips parted so that his sharp white teeth hooked slightly over his bottom lip; Atemu tilted his head back with a moan as Yuugi weakened the magic that kept his fingers slick and forced them in deep enough to press against the spot just to the left that made the Pharaoh moan and shudder in violent pleasure.

Then, they were gone.

Atemu opened his fogged eyes confusedly when the feeling inside vanished. Yuugi was hovering above him, with his hands on the rich cinnamon-coloured hips, eyes like searchlights, waiting, giving Atemu the next move.

Unable to resist, Atemu leaned up and pressed his parted lips against Yuugi's, sighing into the kiss when the demon's hands slid up from his hips to his shoulder blades, holding them flush against each other as Atemu deepened the kiss eagerly. While the demon's electric kiss once more assaulted his senses, the Pharaoh sat up, pulling Yuugi to the side with the weight of his body until he was the one above.

Their damp skin brushed together like warm silk as Atemu repositioned them, taking Yuugi's wrists and pushing them down into the bed of pillows, hooking his leg over, Atemu settled down onto Yuugi's hips, leaning forward and pressing himself into the soft abdomen, moaning into the kiss he pressed to his demon's lips.

His demon. He'd always liked that.

"Yuugi." He whispered in a momentary break in their kiss, asking for what he knew the demon wanted to give.

Yuugi bent his knees up so that Atemu leant against them when he reluctantly pulled his lips away and straightened enough so that he had to let go of Yuugi's wrists. The demon's elegant hands moved to rest on his hot thighs, sharp nails lightly digging into the flesh, ready to grip harder.

Anticipation bubbling in his stomach, Atemu reached behind and below, easily finding the large erection ready and waiting for him. Yuugi stayed still, letting Atemu do it his way at his pace, his cat-like pupils narrowing in restrained pleasure at the sensation of Atemu's hot hand on him, holding him as an even hotter pleasure slowly engulfed him with the sound of Atemu's hitched breath.

"Look at me." The djinni said suddenly, his voice hard in the quiet night.

Atemu heeded the order without thinking, dark ruby eyes finding Yuugi's and giving the demon an open view of Atemu's lust and sometimes pain-sparked pleasure. Yuugi wetted his lips with his tongue to keep from gasping or growling. And then Atemu was finally sat flush against his hips, half-lidded eyes not seeing, he panted and rocked against Yuugi's hips, already needing more than just the sensation of being filled.

Still meeting the ravenous eyes of his demon, Atemu lifted himself up a little on his knees, then with a gasp, lowered himself again, feeling Yuugi slide deeper within him. It was a familiar, addictive sensation as delicious as wild honey. Pausing to savour the moment, Atemu lowered his hands to where Yuugi's rested against his lightly quivering thighs, wanting to entwine their fingers together. But Yuugi's nails pressed into his skin, and Atemu got the message, choosing instead to lean a little forward to press his hands against the floor for an anchor as he began to move his hips.

He closed his eyes as he slowly increased the pace, panting in pleasured exertion, the sharp nails on his thighs giving him pained thrills and the constant stimulation against his prostate was driving his mind further and further away.

A rumble like a purr escaped Yuugi's throat, watching his little human slowly unstitch himself was almost as delicious as the idea of pinning him against the floor and destroying him piece by lust-filled piece. Atemu was hot, so very, very hot. Yuugi had to use all of his will power not to flip them and just take his own pleasure as harshly and roughly as he wanted it; he resisted the desire only by growling quietly, knowing it would do damage to his delicate web of control if he simply took what he wanted.

Instead he began rolling his hips to meet Atemu's downward movements, increasing the amount of stimulation and causing Atemu to whine and clench his hands tightly. The tight heat caressed him, held him as they moved, flesh against flesh, damp with sweat and shivering with need. Yuugi held his vocal appreciation back, but Atemu had no such reserves, moaning more as the stimulation began to overwhelm him and become too much. Yuugi could almost see the coil winding tighter and tighter in Atemu's abdomen.

Bracing his feet against the rug, Yuugi tightened his grip on Atemu's smooth thighs and thrust powerfully up. Atemu, caught by surprise, threw his head back with a high moan as Yuugi hit just the right spot, reaching deeper yet and sending shockwaves of pleasure through him. Oh, the djinni had always known just the right ways to unravel him. He could do little more than mimic the upwards, downwards rhythm he had found, as Yuugi thrusts became forceful, each time seeming to reach deeper, seeming to hit harder. He was getting dizzy with the pleasure, the white edge coming closer to engulfing him in its embrace.

Yuugi could feel the pressure growing in his abdomen; Atemu's voice was setting his nerves on fire, his ego purred at the knowledge that it would only ever be him that managed to reduce the Pharaoh to such an abandoned state of desire. He could sense that Atemu was right at the edge, and decided to give him that last push. Atemu always has been a little masochistic.

Atemu's voice almost chocked when Yuugi's claw-like nails dug into his thighs, scraping hairline cuts across his skin. The sudden intrusion of light pain amidst blinding pleasure did it, and the pressure broke the damn of his self-control.

Yuugi groaned when Atemu's muscles clamped down on the erection inside him, the tight heat becoming a white-hot vice as Yuugi finally made good on Atemu's unspoken challenge and made him scream. Thrusting into that glorious body a few more times, Yuugi let Atemu's scream be the trigger that finally loosed the coil in his body, joining the human as he rode the high waves of orgasm for all it was worth.

Gulping in cool air greedily, Atemu held himself still for a moment to savour the sensation as Yuugi finished spilling into his body, feeling the desperation that came with a climax fading away to pleasant, sated tingles. Then he slumped onto the djinni's damp chest gratefully, wincing slightly when Yuugi slipped out with the movement. The djinni grunted, letting the king rest on him, too busy feeling satisfied with himself to care about the mess Atemu had made of their stomachs.

"Happier now?" Yuugi asked, pitching his voice at an almost annoyed level.

Atemu smiled, seeing through the tone, and nodded without lifting his head. Nuzzling into the base of Yuugi's throat and closing his eyes contentedly.

-

Running swiftly on a clear, baking hot day, the Nile was a beautiful sight to behold, twining its way through cities, villages and farms, endlessly flowing and bringing essential life to Egypt. Cloudy with fertile silt, its surface glittered brightly under Ra's face, and kept most of what lay beneath a secret.

Swimming was very much like flying, or at least it was similar enough for Yuugi to feel more at home within the water then he was on land. He stayed within close range of the royal barge as he swam through the cool water, grateful for the reprieve from the heat. His scales glittered silver-blue when they caught the light filtering through the murky water, he had taken the shape of a flying fish to temporarily escape the people on the barge and be alone with his thoughts. Perhaps for a moment pretend that he was at home and not in Egypt. The cool, weightless sensation of the limbo world that the djinn inhabited was difficult to re-create, though, and the water was doing a poor job of it.

The years had passed quickly for an immortal djinni, but not quickly enough.

Skirting the muddy floor of the river, Yuugi swerved around the water's predators without alerting their attentions, his demon senses telling him all dangers at all times. The past few days had been… different. The Nubian visitors were well behaved on the whole, the only mishaps being a few drunken fights and the usual disagreements over food and prostitutes. Nothing new or particularly worrying.

However, Yuugi sill sensed something odd coming from the Nubian King, and, even stranger, he was sure he could feel something very similar coming from a number of the soldiers too. Whatever it was, it had him and most of the palace on guard. The foreigners had been nice enough so far, and they had claimed that their sole reason for coming was to extend an offering of peace.

The Lesser Air Djinn Atemu had Seth send out to scour the desert had seen nothing unusual, so the King was not hiding his army away from the city ready for a surprise strike. But even the lowest apprentice could see that there had to be something else the Nubian's wanted. Their actions and their words simply did not add up.

The leisurely ride down the Nile was a way for Atemu to gather his own thoughts on the matter. The little Prince had become quite a leader of men, and together, if Yuugi had been able to realise the portion of his power sealed away since his summoning nearly twenty years ago, they would become conquerors too.

But Atemu wasn't interested in conquering, and Yuugi certainly wasn't against the idea of spending the rest of his time here whiling the years away lazily under the sun and moon, his days spent irritating and terrorising the court, and his nights spent in hot embraces. The now grown man proudly governing a whole nation seemed a world away from the infant Prince that had once demanded on threat of tears that Yuugi take the shape of a wolf or jackal and let him ride like the canine was a horse, tugging on his ears like reigns as Yuugi trotted, with much vicious internal grumbling, about the palace. Yuugi doubted Atemu even remembered that, though he remembered it with something like fondness.

A ripple of magic pulsed through the water to his sensitive fins. Summoning magic. Yuugi would have scowled if fish could, feeling Atemu call him to his side. What on Earth was being summoned? Flicking his tail fins, Yuugi shot through the water, leaving a small cloud of mud where his tail had disturbed the river base. Gathering speed, he reached the surface and broke out into the air, spreading the large transparent blue fins on his sides and gliding on an air draft just above the river surface towards the largest boat in a small procession.

Reaching the long deck, he folded the wing-like fins and dropped out of the air, landing smoothly on the wood in the shape of a silver-plumed cobra. Holding his head high, Yuugi slithered to where Atemu was sat, but the Pharaoh was too annoyed by the sight before him to notice the snake.

A small pack of Imps, the lowest and weakest class of demon, were capering around in playful loops around the runes that made up the small circles that had been used to summon them. About five of the little red-skinned monsters, all Fire Imps, all no taller than a small child with tiny claws and horns, spiked tails as long as their bodies acted like whips. Imps were a notorious pain to keep quiet long enough to give orders, they did it on purpose, in the hope that their Master would get so annoyed he would send them back home.

One or twice, Yuugi had considered using the Imp's childish tactics himself.

Clearly, they had seen a tiny loophole in Atemu's direct orders, and where using it to their full advantage, chattering and laughing loudly. Yuugi rolled his eyes, the idiots could not even recognise the amount power in those that summoned them, and Atemu was on the verge of showing them that power. But that would be dangerous; they could not risk people on the shore seeing their Pharaoh literally glowing with rage. Besides, the boat might sink if Atemu snapped, and Yuugi didn't feel like rescuing people from crocodile jaws today.

"Master? You asked for me?" He spoke as he approached the gathering, gaining the attentions of Atemu and the Priests, who were equally irritated by the Imps they had helped to summon.

Atemu turned to him with a bright smile, "Yuugi, at last."

The Imps froze when they heard the Air Djinn's name, recognising the power and ranking behind it. Yuugi hissed at them, playfully dangerous, as he passed, and they shrank back with little squeaks of terror.

Seth spoke the orders again as Atemu bent to let Yuugi climb his arm to coil around his shoulders, clarifying to the Imps what their orders were, "We have decided to send you, Fire Imps, to spy on the Nubians from their own camp and cooking fires, you will listen and record everything anyone in that camp says, you will not reveal yourselves, you will not cause any mischief or mayhem, and you may not utter a sound to anyone other than ourselves nor communicate with them in any other way. You will report to us in the morning. Go."

Sending quick, fearful, side glances to the crowned snake sitting on the Pharaoh's shoulders, they chittered something foreign, half-bowing in an awkward-looking human gesture towards Yuugi, who resisted the urge to laugh at their forced politeness.

Moments later, the imps had sprouted tiny pairs of batwings and were flapping towards land, using their weak magic to throw a guise of invisibility over themselves as they went.

When they had vanished, Isis spoke, "Do you think they will find anything?"

Atemu lowered his gaze from the sky to frown at the Nubian camp in the distance, "It is likely."

-

AN: There we are, at last an update. Sorry it took so long, there has been a never ending stream of Real Life problems since September and I just havn't had time for writing. Nonetheless, Part Four is getting close to being done already, but I wouldn't bet on when it'll be done.

SilverDragon-Purity: - Hiya! Yeah, as to Yuugi's colouring, he can basically choose to take on any of the colours in the spectrum that he wants. Genreally he chooses to make the colours natural, but prefers blacks, golds, silvers and reds. So hence why his cat form is a black cat but his peregrine falcon shape is the normal kind of grey-brown-ish-thing. He makes an exception for the cobra, however, as his body is the usual colour but the cobra's hood is a silvery colour.

Next Part!:

"Let me kill them."

Atemu's eyebrows rose at the unexpected request, his mouth felt dry when he spoke Yuugi's name again in question, half outstretching his hand to touch the demon's mane again before he thought better of it.

"You heard me. Bring them back here. Let me kill them!"

"No. Yuugi, no, we still need them. What in heaven did they say to you?"

The lion stood resolutely still, "Nothing I can translate. Now bring them back."

"Yuugi you cannot kill them – "

"Do not deny me this, Atemu!" He roared and moved abruptly, twisting his neck to look back at them.

Atemu felt a cold thrill run down his spine. Never had Yuugi looked as demonic as he did now, never had his heritage been so clear to see in his eyes, never had he looked so full of hate.

Review Please!