Warnings: Kuriboh ownage~!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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The sun beat down mercilessly as the guards from the palace laid rest the body of the deceased former Pharaoh. The heat scorched the sand and men alike, unprejudiced in its relentless pursuit.

Deep inside the palace where Ra's fiery rays could not reach, the sacred guardians had just finished a mock battle amongst themselves. Four priests and one priestess were on their knees, spent from over-exertion and defeat.

Only one figure remained standing. Clad in blue, the High Priest Seto smirked in triumph.

Mahado was breathing in short shallow bursts, his head cast down in concession to his team's loss; a hand curled into a taut fist as Seto, once again, mocked his ability to carry out his duty as the Protector of the Tomb.

The spell-caster remained silent.

He knew he could have won the battle. He and his team had worked seamlessly together to counter the enemies' attacks but the selfish stunt that Seto pulled at the end had completely caught him unawares. Isis and Kalim could not be blamed for the defeat, he felt responsible because he was the target of Seto's malice.

Mahado would be lying if he said he was not affected by the humiliation it entailed. It stung his pride as a High Priest, as the Tomb Protector and as Atem's friend. He had failed his previous master as well as his present one.

Seto's victory was like salt rubbed into his raw wounds.

Winning, was that all that had mattered to the haughty priest? He had won the greatest prize in the kingdom, the jewel of the land and yet he was restless. Mahado could sense the discontentment stirring from within the younger guardian, it happened after Bakura's visit, three days ago. Mahado deduced it might be the pharaoh's intervention with Bakura that created the yawning chasm between the lovers, increasing Seto's sullen and scathing behaviour. Since then the relationship between the Pharaoh and Seto was visibly strained; the atmosphere when they were in each other's presence was awkward, their attitude towards one another, rigid and civil.

Kalim's defence of his fallen comrade shook the latter out of his reverie, admonishing Seto for sacrificing his allies in order to win—strength was not everything. His tone was resentful.

Seto's martyred allies remained silent, they knew Kalim spoke the truth but they dared not interfere, dared not cross the prickly man. Seto was a natural born leader; determined and resourceful he was able to accomplish what was asked of him even if it were through ruthless means and questionable methods. They accepted it without reservations—a win was a win, after all.

After pouring scorn on Kalim's condemnation, the blue-eyed priest turned and walked away. Mahado's head remained down, his eyes staring at the ground however he could feel the arrogance in Seto's long strides as he returned to his pharaoh's side.

An eerie silence ensued.

"High Priest Seto!" the pharaoh's clear voice rang out, the words echoing loudly in the vast stone enclosure. Mahado's head immediately shot up, he was certain he detected the challenging note in the youth's voice. Brown eyes sought out Atem's face, the expression the latter wore made his heart skip a beat.

"My Pharaoh?" Seto asked cautiously.

With his arms crossed over his chest, a playful smirk graced the sovereign's face; his eyes sparkled with excitement. "Brute strength has its weaknesses…your tactic has its flaws…" he scoffed.

"Really?" sneered Seto, his contempt for the words that criticised his strategy, evident in the reply he gave to his lord.

Mahado got up slowly and watched the conflicting pair with acute interest.

"You can obtain real power without hurting your friends or sacrificing your allies, Seto!" the pharaoh retorted. "Strength lies in numbers if effectively employed. You can benefit immensely if you work together—it doesn't make you less powerful."

Tension thickened with those words and the spell-caster could sense Seto's internal struggle. Mahado was sure Atem's words galled the stoic man; the latter disliked being chastened—let alone chastened publicly. Mahado held his breath, waiting to see if Seto was going to let the matter drop.

"Then would the Mighty Pharaoh demonstrate to his humble servant the meaning of this power through a Diaha," jeered the priest.

Gasps could be heard as Seto's insolence shocked the people present. Mahado made a move towards the dais, this confrontation had gone too far; Seto had gone too far!

Shimon's indignant reproach to the arrogant priest shattered the silence but was ignored by the warring parties.

"Very well, Priest. I accept your challenge!"

All eyes were on the petit youth as he gracefully rose from his throne and strode to the duelling platform.

The other smirked with eager anticipation at the upcoming battle.

"Diaha!"

Watching helplessly from the sidelines, Mahado could only stare in disbelief when Atem called for one stone tablet to summon, not a God, but a small hairy monster. Seto's expression was priceless; the initial shock when "it" appeared was quickly followed by anger at the insult his pharaoh so callously delivered. The spell-caster would have thought it amusing had he not been mesmerised with Atem's form. He was truly magnificent when in command.

Determined to destroy the stone slab before the monster was able to completely manifest itself, Seto's Duo shattered the tablet into multiple pieces with one swift stroke. The smug look on the handsome face vexed Mahado immensely.

With his hands on his hips, Atem's stance did not falter. The corners of his mouth twitched as he watched his monster appear on the tiny fragments of stone. He calmly informed Seto his monster had a special ability...it multiplied when its sealing stone is broken. To the unsuspecting opponent such actions were suicidal.

Calling forth his army of monsters, Mahado watched with transfixed fascination as the furry beasts attached themselves onto Duos' sword, rendering it utterly useless.

The pharaoh's grin was feral. "See, Priest! This is power!" he pointedly declared.

Seto's defeat was imminent.

~TBC~

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A/N: Firstly, my apologies for the tardy update, my other commitments had taken up all of my time and I was unable to write for the drabbles. Secondly, this will be a two-part Seal chapter so the next update will also be from Mahado's POV. Basically, it will be a continuation of this one.

Thanks for reading and as always, thoughts are most welcomed~.