A/N: I'm back, yes, I know, unbelievable. I started Bleach and One Piece… Ichigo and Rukia should definitely be together in Bleach, Orihime doesn't suit Ichigo AT ALL and that's the only reason she gets on my nerves… Anyway, let's get in business. I totally warn, this chapter contains sexual and graphic themes, aka LEMON. Read with your own responsibility! 

Chapter 11: Dying Rose

Irma returned to the palace almost trembling. She let the dark brown cloak she used to cover herself in the darkness fall off her shoulders as soon as she reached Seto's door. Even if she had to wake him up in the middle of the night, she had to see him; she had to see his eyes! To hear his voice, to touch his hand… She raised her hand to knock at the door and bit hard her lower lip. What the heck should she say; she didn't care at all at this point…

"Where the hell have you been?" The door opened and a pair of pissed off sapphire eyes were digging holes through her forehead.

"My, my, you always know how to spoil my mood." She commented, eyes half-lidded, hand still ready to knock, now near his chest. She observed though that he was pissed, not angry, and his killing mood wasn't that cold and serious one.

"Do you even know what time it is?" Seto scolded. "Where were you running off at a time like that? And if you had some kind of date, why are you standing in front of my door?" He continued the interrogation, and she snapped:

"You ungrateful son of a bitch!!! Of course I wasn't in any bloody fucking date!!! If only you knew shit about my situation right now, you wouldn't continue sprouting all that crap about…"

"Shut the fuck up!" She was suddenly grabbed by her arm and shoved inside his room. He was looking absolutely furious, but she didn't fall back in that field either. "Do you want to wake the whole palace up with your insensible screams? Are you even sane?"

"NO! No I'm not sane at all! I stopped being sane the day I met you!" That would have normally sounded like an insult, if only it wasn't said with wet sea-green eyes. Seto's own blues narrowed, and he remained petrified, not daring to move a muscle. His mouth felt dry and his heart pounded in a strange rhythm.

"What do you mean by that?" He managed to say, collectedly.

Now Irma's eyes were wide with fear. Not fear of him, but fear of what she should say. She had thought that on her rampage, she could reveal her inner emotions much more easily. It was always like that – when she was angry and she wanted to let some steam off, the words would come so naturally, exactly as she wanted them, exactly as she was feeling. But now, with that calm composure of his… She just couldn't wreak her fury on him. She took a deep breath and tried to reduce the upcoming trembling, as she spoke: "That everything… everything… is about you."

She raised then her eyes to look at his, and she found him astounded, lips slightly parted but nothing coming out from them. From his side, he couldn't believe what she had just said, and if she had done so indeed, what would be the meaning behind it. Could it be what he was hoping? What he was dreaming? What he was longing for? He curled his fist and gritted his teeth. His hopes were getting up and he knew that this would bring only regret and sorrow afterwards. She didn't love him… She couldn't love him… And with his turn, he shouldn't love her at all!

"Everything is about you." She repeated, now calmly, with the face of someone that speaks the truth, and is finally happy with it. "Everything is for you, around you, on you, in you…"

"Stop."

"…Inside me." She completed, with a peaceful expression and a mysterious smile.

"STOP!" He yelled, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, they were shooting lightings. "Stop filling me with those lies, like I'm an idiot and I can't understand! Stop pretending that you care, honestly, it's infuriating! And stop smiling like you know something I ignore!" The sapphires had gone harsh.

"As you wish." She smiled again and shrugged. "But I don't know something you ignore. I know something you deny. Anyways," She shrugged again and bowed. "May I leave now, my Priest? It's so late that the morning isn't too far and I didn't get any sleep at all. Shall I leave or do you still require my services?"

"Are you mocking me?" He was smirking.

"How did you get that idea, my Priest? I'm stunned." She continued. Honestly, she felt so much relieved now… She tried walking past him, but his extended arm cut her way.

"You are a strange person." She heard him commenting. Now her smile was gone, and her heart was going wild again. "Unique, may I say. The truth is, I've never met someone like you before. That's not necessary a good thing, you know."

"Move your arm."

"Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow and grinned wolfishly. "Are you ordering me around?"

Her eyes were spitting pure fire when they met his. "I. Said. Move. It. NOW! I refuse listening any more shit by you!"

"You're not going anywhere." He wasn't smirking now. "Not until we settle things." He was serious, much to her surprise.

"I don't really think we have something to settle, honestly…" He sighed, and turned his back. "Shall I leave?" She continued.

"I don't want to lose you."

"Okay, shall I… what?" She froze when she understood what he had just said. No way…

"You heard me." He repeated at the same tone.

"I did…" She lowered her eyes. "If I lose you, I…" Here she was, bubbling truths again…

He turned and faced her again. "You won't lose me." They both stepped forward, and Seto held Irma's hands in his palms. "You won't lose me, I won't lose you." When he held her whole frame in his arms, he never realized, and it didn't really matter. "I promise."

She didn't say anything. She lingered in his arms, treasuring his warmth. She just wrapped her arms around his waist more tightly.

"Tomorrow I'll go. Each of us will take a different route to find Bakura. I…" He didn't continue. He couldn't. Kisses on his neck could be really very distracting. He moaned and tossed his head back, giving her better access.

"Forget about that. Don't speak." She whispered, and they stepped back towards the bed. "Just for one night, just for a few hours, minutes… I want to forget. I want to forget everything and everyone; I want to remember only you, your skin and your voice and your eyes…" Each syllable was sounding more sensual than the other.

"Aren't you the sweet-talker…" He smirked, and they were falling back on the bed, his back on the mattress and her right above him. Irma continued kissing the skin around his neck, as she was working her way to take the blue robes off of him as soon as possible. Not long after, the kisses had turned to bites and the robes were lying around the occupied bed. Seto couldn't help but chuckle.

"My, my. Don't be so hasty now; we have the rest of the night to spend having this fun." With those words, he ripped her dress into shreds with one swift motion. The same motion, instead of having her yelping, made her eyes form a hot glaze in their depths. Passion, wasn't it?

"Shut. Up. Open your mouth only when it is to scream." She pushed him back, pinning his back down. She didn't waste any time to insignificant petty kisses here and there. They weren't a couple that would last forever; they were just being chased by the time, and their moments together were counted. Deep down, they both knew. She ran her nails along his things, leaving red, sore lines behind them. He hissed, and waited stoically, while he was getting harder by every passing second. She bent and took him fully into her mouth, while bobbing her head up and down, her teeth caressing his length and her tongue licking constantly the tip of it. This time, he screamed.

The sound reached her ears as a melody. Now, that was it. He continued moaning deeply, occasionally louder, until he was up the edge. "N-nn… hah…aaah…ah!" Come on… just a little bit more… continue… so… so…just like this…more… He pleaded silently. Heat had overwhelmed his body, and all he could do was to grip the sheets and enjoy the bliss. When he felt like he was nearing his limit, he opened his legs further, anticipating…

"Those moans are like you're singing sweetly to me, baby." The heat and wetness had disappeared, and she was looking at him with cattish, mischievous eyes, while she was licking her fingers flauntingly.

He growled, annoyed. So now she had to remove her mouth from around him! And adding to that, he knew what she was licking her fingers for. "Look now, I can't allow myself to be that overpowered, can I? I'm High Priest Seto, after all." He was smirking. "If I start to lose hold here, in my bed, how could I sustain it afterwards?"

"Why should I care?" She asked and drove her finger near his ass. "Moreover, better the victory for me." She started pushing it in.

Before she knew it, her hand was grasped and she was roughly turned over, so that now she was back down on the bed and Seto above her. Seto's passion was making his eyes look like real sapphires. "That just means you're going to pay." He grabbed firmly one of her breasts and used his other hand to open her legs widely.

"Oh?" She arched an elegant eyebrow. "The first time I saw you, you gave me the impression of the type that waits to get fucked." She managed to say, while his thumb was rubbing her nipple and three fingers of his other hand were focused on her clitoris.

"I can't say I wouldn't enjoy it. But it will have to wait. There are plenty of things I want to do to you before that happens." His tongue collided with another nipple, and the next second, he had grabbed her ass and drove his cock fully into her vagina, breaking at once the barrier that symbolized a fully independent Amazon.

They stayed like this for awhile. Seto was more or less shocked along with pleasured, afraid that he had hurt her, and angry that she hadn't told him. Why the hell wouldn't she tell him?! He wouldn't have been so rough! "Why didn't you…" Damn it, he should have understood!

"…tell me?" She chuckled. The pain had reached the roots of her hair, but boy, did it feel good! "Because if I had, it wouldn't have been this pleasurable for either of us!" It felt so utterly good till her very core, the fact that she was going to hurt him and that now she was hurting for him to get some delight… It was the very least she could do to repay. "Move, as hard and fast you can. The sooner you move, the sooner I will enjoy this."

He kissed her. Her soul calmed down blissfully and she wrapped her arms around his neck, synchronizing her moves with his rhythm. Not much later, she broke the kiss to scream in ecstasy. "Setoooo…!" She dug her teeth on his shoulder, in an attempt to restrain her feelings.

"Don't hold yourself back. Scream." Came the whisper in response.

And she obeyed. She had never though she could feel anything like this. She could never imagine the slightest bit of what was currently happening to her, and she idly wondered if it would feel the same if the same action was done from anyone else than Seto. She thought that it couldn't be so.

She had completely and utterly surrendered. Surrendered to him by all means. Before, now, and after, she knew she would become an addict. She buried her face at the crook of his neck, and the odor of his skin was intoxicating. If she could, she would think about how could she later slay that skin and that warmth… She did thought about it, in the back of her mind. It brought her tears, and she came screaming his name and letting them fall. He followed soon after, crying out in delight.

He fell on her, gasping soundly. He believed that now… now he had everything he needed. He asked for no more. He laid upon her, seeking the absolute completion. It just felt so good for him, just to near her, protecting her, pleasuring her, love her…

"Finished, huh?" He felt smooth fingers running through his hair. He still hadn't got out of her. He glanced up, to see her looking at him lovingly.

"Would you like to start again?" He winked and pulled out.

"Yes and I prefer the quick way." She purred and brought two on her fingers in front of his mouth. He blushed immediately.

"No. Forget it." He turned his head to the side. She still pressed the fingers to his lips.

"Come on. You know you want it, don't you?" Her eyes were half-lidded, and her voice hypnotizing. He opened his mouth to protest, but instead he found himself taking them and licking them cautiously. He savored their taste, but he couldn't suppress the new feeling of excitement that rushed through him. It was a different kind of heartbeat, the one that you're not excited about what you'll do, but rather about what will happened to you soon. He felt her taking them out and the feeling intensified. He got to his knees while he was right above her, staring at her face, and she drove them inside of him using the space between them.

Before long, at least his arms had lost support. She was feeling his hot breath at her neck and his moans were so near… She could feel his erection pressing against her stomach, getting harder and harder by each second. And all she had to do was pump her fingers in and out, each time caressing a particular spot.

"Harder." He choked out, when the precum started running from him. "And add a third one." She obeyed, but then she felt him freezing up and tensing.

"Shush." She whispered at his ear and pulled them out. By doing so, he sighed heavily in relief. "That hurt, didn't it? Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize." He grabbed her under her knees and opened her legs to position himself. Then two hands stopped his.

"Not like this." They changed positions, so that now he was lying on the mattress. "Like this." She rode him, and lowered herself so that his member wasn't going up to her vagina, but up to her second opening.

His eyes widened in surprise and passion. "N-No, wait." He meant that. "It's not the same. There's not enough lubrication and…" He screamed in ecstasy when she went down on him, no warning. When he opened his eyes, he found that hers had watered up.

"I… was… just… curious…" She bit hard her lower lip, squeezed her eyes shut and started a slow pace, up and down.

He grabbed her shoulders, trying to concentrate. "Stop this. Now. It's hurting you. Why would you do things that hurt you, damn it?" The last sentence made her snap out of it. She looked at him dead in the eyes and started coming down on him harder and faster.

"Two reasons." She managed to say through their moans. "One: It gives pleasure to somebody else,"

"So what? What do I do with it? Why do I care, when I see you in pain? Why should I care about anything else than…" He knew they weren't just talking about the anal sex they were having.

"And two," She continued, leaving out a groan of pleasure, "It starts feeling so good after a while…" It was different from when he was fucking her from the front. The previous sensation was hot and warm, not it was just burning and feeling fucking good! She went down on him with several other thrusts before she felt her inner muscles tightening around him and leading her to a total different kind of orgasm. She could feel his member throbbing inside her, and releasing his hot seed violently, action that was accompanied with him screaming in pleasure for his release.

When they were finished, she continued sitting upon him, breathing heavily to regain her breath. He just sat there, marveling the view of her breasts going up and down on each breath she was trying to catch. "C'mon, baby, it's time to relax a little." He murmured and reached his arms to embrace her waist and take her out of him. He laid her gently right beside him, and held her closely, breathing inside her hair.

Irma was in pain, from various places in her body, and mainly from the violent ripping out every sense of virginity in her. But that was fine. It was feeling so damn fine. She felt she could remain like this forever… If she could exchange this pain for some moments of them together, that was just fine…

SXIXSXIXSXIXSXI

Atem walked inside his chamber completely frustrated. As if Mahado's death wasn't enough for his pain, now Akunadin had gone missing! What on earth was happening? Was Akunadin really out of the picture? If not, why hadn't he contacted with him? And if so, who was as strong as to take him out? And if such, how he could tell the others, and especially Seto? Those two had a relationship only a father with his son could've. How was he going to announce…

"What's wrong?"

Samantha had already got in bed, but she was fully awake, staring at his form with a worried look. He wondered if she was waiting for him to return…? "Akunadin… nobody can find him." He sighed.

"Is he… dead?" She asked, frowning sadly.

"Most likely." He took his clothes off and sat beside her. "I don't know what to do…" He buried his face inside his palms. "We can't have lost another…"

Normally, Sam would be happy. So she must have been hallucinating when she offered: "You don't know if he's really dead, do you? Then you should go find him. There are many people that would like to see him again, I guess. Why don't you have everyone searching for him? Bakura hasn't showed up for long."

"But there are so many places that he could've gone…"

"So? What's the big deal? Have each of your Priests take a different path!" She got out of the bed, stood in front of him and glared: "And stop whining like this! Isn't it time to act like a real Pharaoh? I don't know, just for a change!"

That ticked him off. "How would you know how it is to be a Pharaoh, please?" He raised his voice, and she did the same:

"I was a Queen, in case you've forgotten!"

"Yeah, in peace everyone can be a great king!"

"Are you implying I was useless?!"

He stopped. "No… I didn't really…" He sighed. "Let's just drop it, ok?"

"Fine, when we can't win an argument, we drop it!"

"Didn't we start the curtain lecture far too soon?"

"Curt…" A giggle escaped her lips. The mere idea was ridiculous, but there she was, doing exactly this. "I…" She laughed again. "I wasn't…" She couldn't stop.

He followed soon after, though trying to control himself. She fell in the bed beside him, holding her mouth with her hand. He braced her. "Hm, funny, funny?" He murmured. "I'm glad."

"Yeah, me too." She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Just in case, for you to know… I'll definitely follow your advice." He kissed her. She let two tears fall and she kissed him back.

SXIXSXIXSXIXSXI

Irma opened her eyes, while she was still snuggling on the warm body beside her. Seto lowered his head and took a deep breath inside her hair. "Finally awake? It's almost noon."

"No way." She replied lazily, more of a statement, than a denial. She stretched.

"Oh? How are you that sure of it?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Because if it was so, you would have already gone to the Court." She ran her hand up his chest. "So let me enjoy the best relaxation of my whole life a little bit more… will youuuuuu?"

"Stop purring, kitty."

"Whyyyy?"

"It's too sweet."

"Bingoooo." Before he could add anything, she was kissing tenderly his neck. He immediately returned the favor, wrapping his arms around her.

"C'mon now… stop… we have to get up…" He finally managed to say. "To get up and take a bath…"

"Alone?"

He felt himself hardening. "Unfortunately yes, I can't stay here much more."

That didn't ring well to her ears. "Why? What happened? Where do you have to go?"

"Didn't you feel me leaving the bed previously?" He asked, and she shook her head negatively. "It was a guard that knocked, to give me the Pharaoh's orders." She waited, her heart beating rapidly. "Akunadin has gone missing. Each Priest will separate from the others and take a different path to find him." Seto's eyes narrowed. "I can't leave Akunadin be. He stood for me like only a father would. I won't let Bakura kill him, like Mahado, I'd rather be damned."

Irma's mind had stopped functioning. She clutched his hand desperately in hers and rested her head onto his chest.

But you already are damned…

SXIXSXIXSXIXSXI

"Well, I have to go. Don't take that look now, I can assure you I'm not going to face death! …Say something."

Seto was ready to do, holding the knob of the door. Irma was standing speechless, still inside the room, looking at the floor with the look someone has in front of his execution. She had refused saying anything to him, since he told her he was leaving. He knew she wasn't sulking, but that obvious sadness in her eyes was intensifying the bad feeling he himself had.

He shrugged and sighed. "Fine then. I'll come back probably by the evening. If until then you have found the ability to speak, we'll talk again later." He turned to go, but her voice stopped him:

"Whatever happens…"

He turned and faced her again. Her eyes were glistening and she looked as if she was about to cry. She still wouldn't meet his eyes. "Whatever happens from now on… whatever pain, whatever torture, whatever sadness…" She curled her fists. "There is only one thing I want you to remember of me." Only these, only this, even if you end up hating me with all of your heart, just remember this!

Now he had left the doorknob and had neared her. When she finally raised her head to meet his eyes, she said it.

"I love you."

She then found herself in his arms, which were clutching her desperately into their embrace. "I love you, too. I promise… I promise we'll make it though this. I won't let you get hurt, and I won't let myself perish. I promise that in the end, we'll smile together. I promise."

Her eyes had widened, and then she clutched him back. "Don't go." She said in a trembling voice. "Stay some more hours… some more minutes… some more seconds!"

And he stayed for some seconds. From the moments they last for an eternity and for a flash.

"I'll be back." He said, and closed the door behind him, and behind her.

After some minutes of standing at the same spot, she heard her comrade's voice in her head: "They are taking separate ways, we learned." Taranee said.

"Yes." It was the soulless reply.

"We're following after."

"Yes."

"Be a little more enthusiastic!"

"Yes."

"Uh… see ya…"

"Yes…"

Taranee's voice was gone now. After some more moments of contemplating, Irma got out of the room and run through some corridors, until she found the right room. Ok, no more sappy moments, she though. Time to take action. She knocked.

"Um… come in please."

"Hi, Kisara." She told to the surprised white-haired girl inside. "May I ask you a little favor?" She asked with an innocent grin.

A/N: For the people, who don't hate me yet for the laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate update; don't hate me much more for the cliffhanger! Review, please!