To everyone who though I was dead all this time, alas! Here I am and I am afraid the meaning of "soon" has quite slipped my mind though better late than never so they say. Yes? No? Maybe? Alright well put your torches and pitchforks down for a minute because here you go:
Chapter 11: The Choice
~…***…***…~
Why did he run?
It only made half sense in Yugi's mind as he paced quickly down the halls, avoiding glances of any guards or such who might have seen him. Without the collar around his neck, they knew that he no longer belonged to the Pharaoh and thus he was to be left alone. They would not interfere with his escape. Was it really an escape if Atem let him go? Footsteps pounding in his head almost as loudly as his heart beat, Yugi could barely hear his own thoughts; and there were hordes of them. His first instinct when the Pharaoh showed him kindness, compassion...had been to run away. Certainly any other would for what he did to him and his friends, for the suffering and pain he had to go through because of him. Why wouldn't he run at the moment he was given the chance?
Still, something felt wrong. Each step he took away from that secret garden made him feel heavier, as if a terrible guilt was riding on his shoulders. Why guilt? Why this...almost empty feeling, like he was leaving something behind, but the only thing would have been the Pharaoh...the man who starved him close to death, beat his friends to a bloody pulp, and...took advantage of him in his weakest state, claimed Yugi's purity in the most savage and brutal of ways.
What was there to look back on?
All that resided in that palace Yugi knew was dread. Dread of waking up the next morning to know he had to face that man, stand behind him as he tugged that chain along and Yugi with it. Dread that any second he could be struck just because the man felt like it. But now he was free of that...so why did he feel so uncertain about leaving?
His steps slowed, pace drowned out by the voice in his head telling him there was more he was missing. Was it the kindness suddenly showed to him? Seemingly out of nowhere? The night in the dungeon had served some kind of purpose it seemed, as if breaking the Pharaoh's pride and making him see something he hadn't before. Why else would he have kept Yugi alive for such an outburst? When he was mad with something, a dent in his brain making him insane with unknown emotions. Had he always been like that? Surely no one heard of such things before Yugi had entered the palace. Then again they never heard much along the lines of the Pharaoh's private matters such as that. Still...it was like Yugi influenced him. Perhaps Ryou as well.
Ryou...
Yugi came to a full halt just at the edge of the columns and steps overlooking the vast expanse of desert beyond the small village he called home. A hand rested upon the stone pillar towering above him like everything else; something wouldn't let him let go of it. He had made a promise to Ryou didn't he? That he would make an attempt to understand the Pharaoh even if it killed him...that sweet boy really did think that he was kindhearted within, deep down beneath that stone barrier apparently cast upon himself as he had to, for as Pharaoh he needed to be an image for the people. But was it just an image? Was he really so cruel at heart? Flashbacks of Atem showing him the missing tapestry and the story of the death of his parents...his accidental rise to the throne. It was all...messed up. Everything was. Nothing was really as it seemed. Yugi all this time had thought the Pharaoh was a perfect being, one who had everything he wanted and lived a flawless life. But he had been so wrong...in fact...to a point, Atem was not much different from him.
And now he was comparing himself to the great Pharaoh? Yugi shook his head, hand trembling with the desire to let go and take off running for his hut, to see his friends. But...he couldn't.
The way Atem acted...it was if he was sorry for what he had done to Yugi...making up for it. That entire day, he had been treated like a human being, not a slave. Allowed a spot at the grand dining table, a peek into the Pharaoh's and entire royalty's past, and a visit to a place not even slaves were allowed into. Not even his most trusted priests. Why...why him...why now?
His head hurt. A lot. Yugi grasped his temple with his free hand, gritting his teeth and gazing off into space with amethyst eyes so clouded with confusion and uncertainty.
"...why..."
Maybe Ryou was right. Maybe there was something about him that no one else could see. Because no one was ever brave enough to stay so long, or could survive as long as Yugi had. The day he first spoke out against the Pharaoh, and in his own throne room no less, was the day Yugi was sure he was going to die. Yet here he stood, at the edge between a life familiar and warm...and something else. He didn't even know what it was, but it was stabbing him. His heart, his head...it was like they were colliding together and arguing within himself, head telling him to run, be free, go see his friends again. For if he stayed, who knew when he might get another chance? Yet his heart...his heart of all things wanted him to stay. Not just because of the promise he made to Ryou but...because he himself felt something about the Pharaoh was...different. He couldn't place a finger on it but it was enough to keep his feet plastered to the floor of the palace where he had been all but torn apart.
"...Pharaoh..." Yugi muttered as he let the hand holding his head slip down to cover his mouth. He feared his own voice. For what seemed to be the first time in his life, the Pharaoh had shown someone kindness...and Yugi reacted by turning on his heel and bolting out of sight. He had hurt him but...turned around. Something changed in him that day after such screaming and battering beneath the palace occurred. Those eyes...so wild and raging they had been, so full of...questioning? Now that he thought of it, the eyes of the Pharaoh who beat his friend half to death and Yugi as well had not been angry...they had been...confused.
Much like Yugi was right now.
Maybe...just maybe...
The thoughts Yugi had were utterly atrocious, no slave or friend of a slave even would have such thoughts. But they were there, and they were affecting him greatly, intensifying the urge to turn around and run back to him. If he left now, he would never know the truth of the Pharaoh...he would never see whatever was within his heart, hidden away from the rest. His eyes when he took off the collar...they had been something Yugi had never seen in him before. That couldn't have meant nothing.
Yugi gave him a chance before...and he pulled through. He had changed since Yugi got there...and that had to mean something...something worth staying. And if he didn't...who else would?
Just as he was thinking this, the pain in his head returned. "Nnnng..." Yugi groaned as he grasped his head, tufts of hair sticking out between his knuckles. It hurt, but it was not exactly a headache...it was almost as if...it wasn't even his body that was hurting. Like he was picking up on someone else nearby. Suddenly his breath hitched, as if lungs had closed up, sealed off and cutting off his oxygen. What was causing this? Who-
The dreams. They had been of the Pharaoh. Maybe this was some kind of...link? Wait, then that meant...
...Atem was in trouble!
Without a second look back to his home, Yugi swerved around the column and dashed back into the palace, much to the confusion and strange looks from the guards and sparse priests he passed. He ran as fast as he could, the emotion and...fear...surging through him from the other source. Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was just him...but Yugi felt that wasn't the case. Something horrible had happened to Atem and Yugi could have been the only one who knew about it. He had to do something.
And so he ran back and forth down the hallways, unable to find that room Atem had shown him. Though surely he had left by then? With all of Yugi's thinking, such time passed that the sky had grown dark and the evening stars shone brightly over head, unsuited protectors for those below. Where was he? Where had he gone? The throbbing pulse tugged at him, making Yugi's head turn down a hallway unfamiliar. Was this "link" leading him to the Pharaoh? Right now Yugi didn't have another choice but to follow its advice and so off he sped, bare feet slapping against tile. This section of the palace was quiet, empty. Why were there no guards? Yugi expected to have run into some by now, who would probably grab him and toss him out anyway just for wandering around and tearing about with such haste. Yet no one was there. That worried Yugi even more. If he was here, he was unprotected. No sounds of distress either...was Yugi really the only one feeling this? Knowing that the king was in danger?
He slid across the floor, rounding a corner as gracefully as he could at that speed and kept on, peering down corridors as he passed them but the pulse told him to keep going. Up ahead was a strange sort of...complex, raised up above the ground a bit and enclosed. Private. Yugi felt some kind of guilt for approaching what felt like nearly a holy place, a sanctuary for Atem like that garden was. But he pressed on, breath heaving and arms pumping beside him as he ran, up the stairs and across a platform into the courtyard where the pool was.
And instantly he saw the figure crouching by the edge of the water, hands shoved beneath the surface. That wasn't Atem... then where was-
Eyes widened. Legs shot forward. A frantic voice cried out.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF THE PHARAOH!"
The cloaked figure's head snapped around to face Yugi, face covered still by the hood. Damn, someone had seen them. But not their face yet and their job was done. By now, Atem had gone limp, half floating in the water without a need for the assassin to hold him down any longer. And so reclaiming their hands from the pool, they reached into their cloak and rested there, waiting mere seconds as Yugi approached, ready to attack. The boy's face was scrunched up in rage as he charged the hooded man, or woman for all he knew. But it didn't matter, all he knew was they had done something to Atem and had to pay. Was he doing this because he had been a slave to the Pharaoh but an hour or so ago? Perhaps...
Though small in stature and frame, so little body weight to begin with, Yugi did have muscle from working in the fields, the muddy plains making the bricks to build the pyramids. That and all the manual labor he had been doing for Atem. Just surviving every day built up his strength. Yet even still, the assassin was far more capable than he and it was so predominant by the way they stood firm, not even flinching as Yugi reared up to attack. Instead they simply smirked under the guise of their hood and drew a dagger from their cloak as Yugi launched himself at the figure, fully prepared to knock them over. But such thoughts were short lived as the assassin stepped forward on one foot, thrusting the blade directly into the flesh of his abdomen and stopping Yugi in his tracks almost mid air.
A gasp, a stutter...and a spurt of blood gushing from his mouth, trickling down his chin. It burned with pain but the shock of it all was so sudden that he couldn't even scream. Everything froze, time, space...He felt the blade wedged in so deep, the blood starting to ooze out from the wound. Yugi cringed and crumpled into a doll-like heap upon the arm of the other and he gripped their wrist, trying to pull himself off. A hidden smirk appeared on the assailant's face as they retracted the knife and with a crude laugh, swung their leg around and kicked Yugi right into the pool with a loud splash, surely heard by someone if his earlier cry had not been. He felt the water rise up to meet him, the water getting sucked into the slit shaped hole in his body. Red spilled out like a cloud from the wound and his mouth, but mixed so perfectly with the glowing crimson hue of the lights beneath the water that it was hard to see. For a few moments, Yugi floated, stunned and unable to react. It was so painful...so draining, and yet his motive still held strong. Yugi had been through such pain before...worse than this within the course of the week. And so, gathering his strength, Yugi flailed in the water, pushing himself above the surface to inhale deeply, taking in much needed breath only to cough heavily, blood and water spewing from his throat. Yugi kicked, keeping himself afloat as he whipped his head around, trying to see the cloaked being that dared harm the Pharaoh, barely a care for himself at the moment.
But alas, they were nowhere to be found.
All that remained on the edge of the pool was a blood splatter. They got away...though his vision was so hazy now perhaps he just missed them. He struggled to keep himself afloat, but within moments, Yugi remembered the Pharaoh and looked to the end of the pool where the assailant had their hands. And sure enough...a dark shadow beneath the surface. Without delay, Yugi paddled over, wincing as the strain tugged at his body and opened the wound more. A bite to his lip, perhaps a distraction for him from the ache growing worse every second. How much blood was drifting away from him in that water? Yugi didn't waste time trying to figure that out and instead swam as fast as he could over to Atem, taking a painful breath as he dove under, wrapping his arms around Atem's unmoving body like cables hoisting him up. But if only Yugi was that strong. Even under water, Atem was heavier than he thought, and it tok Yugi several powerful upward thrusts to get him to the surface, and not without losing precious air in bloody bubbles to the pool.
At last, they both breached and Yugi dragged Atem over to the shallow edge, pulling him up and out of the water with much difficulty. He was growing faint, head spinning and vision fading. The blood loss and stabbing pain was affecting him too much. But Yugi wouldn't let such a wound get in the way of the Pharaoh's life. And so he managed to get the man lying on his back, flat on the tile with Yugi on hands and knees beside him, shaking. The Pharaoh didn't move, didn't speak. His chest didn't rise and fall.
No...Ra please no...he couldn't have been too late...
Fighting for his own life and consciousness, body quivering and blood now horribly staining his tunic, still dripping to the ground, Yugi reached out with two fingers, unsteadily placing them on the man's neck. There had to be a pulse...there had to be.
...nothing.
The tears were welling up and only making it harder for Yugi to see. He exhaled which turned into a half sob, and crawled over closer...hand now on the man's chest over his heart. Please...please let there be something...some form of life...
...all was still and silent.
Oh gods...what had he done? He had turned his back on the Pharaoh and left him...despite all that which fell upon his situation in a negative light. How much Yugi regretted ever leaving that room. Ever leaving his side. And yet why? He treated him so poorly before...why was he crying so hard? Why wouldn't the tears stop?
It was no use. Yugi had broken and lost all will to even keep himself upright as he was and thus fell over onto the Pharaoh lying lifelessly beside the pool. His eyes were closed...he seemed so serene...Yugi nearly forgot about his own wound just gazing at him. He had never been this close to Atem before...not his face. Never before did he have the chance to even touch him. How ironic he only could once he was...
And the very though sent him into sobs again, head resting on the Pharaoh's bare chest and hands trying to tug at his skin as if he were wearing clothing. Amethyst eyes clenched and Yugi put all his effort now into crying, mourning the loss of his-
Thump.
The sobs stopped in an instant. His ear pressed against the flesh of the man and so directly in contact with him that it amplified the sound within his chamber. Yugi listened again...maybe it was his imagination. His wishful thinking and the effect of him slowly bleeding to death beside his dead Pharaoh combined that made him think such wonderful things...but alas...Yugi didn't hear it aga-
Thump.
A little sound, eyes blinking tears away.
Thump...thump...thump...
A heart beat...so slow it could have so easily been missed but...he was alive...Atem was alive!
Immediately, Yugi tried to get back up, only to fall again, this time a little harder on the Pharaoh and Yugi prayed he didn't hurt him. But the nearly drowned man did flinch when he did. Surely he had water stuck in his lungs. He couldn't breathe like that...
Wobbling arms and legs pressed up after several tries, Yugi managing to kneel beside him now and place both hands on top of each other over the center of his chest, only the breast bone resting between them and the heart he was never so glad to hear beating. Even still, it was beating far too slow to be able to get what little oxygen Atem had left in his bloodstream to the rest of his body. That and the fact he wasn't breathing were the most concerning issues. Gods, how Yugi wished for a guard to come. That was new too. Hadn't anyone heard the commotion?
As strongly as his fading strength could manage, Yugi began compressing his chest down, again and again. Each motion was slower than the last as Yugi could barely keep his eyes open, barely stay up like he was. But he had to...he had to stay awake...he had to protect the Pharaoh. That was his duty wasn't it? ...no...not anymore. He had been freed. Now this was...personal.
But no matter how many wounds he had, Yugi was not about to let the Pharaoh die while he had a chance to save him. And so he kept on, courage and determination following through to give him the strength he needed to finally pump the water out of Atem's lungs, unable to see it pouring from his mouth onto the tile for by now he could barely even see his own hands. But suddenly Atem seized and started coughing, face scrunching up as he did. Limbs flailed lightly and came up to help push the rest of the water from his throat and lungs, taking in all the air he had been deprived off for what was nearly too long. Yugi gleamed dimly, so reassured the Pharaoh was going to be alright.
"...t...tha...nk...Ra..." he mumbled, so completely immersed in the Pharaoh's condition rather than his own deteriorating one.
But that was when he felt the sudden blow to his head sending him crashing down further across the floor, body flying like a rag doll and instantly knocked out upon hitting solid ground. The world tilted and went sideways before disappearing altogether from his vision, Yugi's eyes shutting and body lying still. The guards had finally come but unfortunately at the worst possible time. They thought Yugi had been the perpetrator, and acted accordingly, attacking him. Six guards armed and viscous had arrived, followed by Seth and his incredibly horrified expression upon finding the scene. All rushed over, half to the Pharaoh and half to the slave boy who was currently in the hangings for execution on the spot if he wasn't already dead.
"My Pharaoh! My Pharaoh are you alright?" Seth cried out as he hurried as quickly as his formal robes would allow. But then turned to the guards approaching Yugi and spoke in a venomous rasping tone. "If he's still alive, kill him."
And meanwhile, Atem shivered, sputtering up water and saliva as his breathing patterns began to calm down. Where was he? What happened? A quick look around showed him his oasis pool...and a number of guards. It all came rushing back as he saw the ominous crimson glow of the water. Someone had tried to drown him...wait, he had been in the pool. So someone had to have saved him, but the guards and Seth had only just arrived...eyes picked up the unfamiliar blood trail and followed it until he saw-
"YUGI!" Atem cried out, scrambling to his feet ungracefully for how weak he had become and instead slipped and fell, bruising his elbow and knee for sure. Yet he reached out toward the guards who had stepped over Yugi and were aiming their spears at his neck, his own voice like it had been before. Adamant and raging, defiant. A ruler's voice.
"DON'T HURT HIM!"
The edge of the spear's blade was but an inch away from Yugi's skin before the guard stopped, dead frozen from hearing his king use that tone. All stopped except for Atem's heavy breathing and Seth's hurried steps toward him. The priest kneeled and rested a hand on his shoulder, concerned and confused.
"But my King...that is the one who hurt you-"
Atem shook his head. "He's not! I had just sent him away...set him free. He took off running...he shouldn't have come back but...he did."
Seth just stared. Atem let a slave go? That never happened...then again he hadn't been himself lately. Or perhaps...he never had been his real self until now. Which it was neither knew.
"He had his hands on you, my king-"
"He was saving me!" Atem stood firm in his belief, undaunted. "Besides, look-he's hurt. He's fatally wounded! He needs to see the healers immediately." Had the assailant had his way, Atem would have been dead. So Yugi must have come and distracted the attacker...and got stabbed in the process. Rising up on his legs as if he had been on a sea voyage for months only now to once more feel solid ground, Atem began to make his way to Yugi, much to Seth's protest.
"My Pharaoh...you are injured as well. You need to see them first-"
"Did I stutter?" Again he cut him off and this time with an almost unintentional angry tone. "Obey me, Seth. Take him to Mana and Mahaad." Atem was more worried for him than himself right now. Atem could breathe, he didn't have serious wounds. But judging from how much blood was smudged across the oasis tile...
A wave of his hand and the guards picked Yugi up, carefully hauling him off quickly to the chambers of the royal healers. Meanwhile Seth wrapped an arm around Atem and helped him walk.
"...my Pharaoh...I am so sorry..." This is why he constantly brought up the thought of guards standing watch for Atem when he was in such a vulnerable state. But every time Atem refused. Perhaps now he would reconsider. And if Yugi hadn't been the one to attack Atem...then it meant someone else was. Someone who snuck into the palace and found him quite easily considering Atem had only been gone so long from the eyes of anyone. Anyone who dared harm the king would be hunted down and executed.
"...I am too..." Not for the reasons Seth may have thought when Atem said that, but rather his own. Still...Yugi had come back, even after all he did to him, after he gave him his freedom. He came back. And...he knew where he was, as if he knew he was in trouble.
...was it their link? The very thing that brought them together in the first place?
Atem could only ponder that thought as Seth aided him in getting out of that place. It would have to be investigated and cleaned later once any evidence left behind was retrieved. Maybe Yugi had seen his face...he could ask later. That wasn't his main concern right now. He just wanted Yugi safe...he had to live...he had to survive. If Yugi died...Atem would never forgive himself. His emotions had been on a wild roller coaster ride ever since Yugi came to the palace, and now it was as if all derailed. Yugi wasn't some boy...he was special. And Atem loved him with all his heart. He was more sure of it now than he ever had been before. And even if Yugi never felt the same back, Atem knew he had to do anything to protect him, to prove his love. To prove his own heart right...and act upon it.
~…***…***…~
Yugi's whole body was aching. Not just the place on his abdomen where the deep cut had been stitched up and slowly healed with magic and herbs. He could tell. He had been in the healing chambers enough times to have memorized the protocols for most injuries or sicknesses. A groan rumbled from deep within his chest as he roused, squirmed a bit under the covers of his bed. He tugged them to his chin and rolled, instantly regretting that decision as a pang hit him like he had been stabbed again and forced him to lie on his back.
At the sound of his rousing distress, Mahaad heard him and hurried into the room, his long purple locks bouncing with each step as he came to stand beside Yugi's bed, a hand on his cheek and forehead, feeling his temperature.
"You're awake..."
Another little groan as Yugi looked up to see the healer, blinking a few times before recognizing who he was.
"...M...Mahaad..."
"Shhh...just stay still, little one. You were badly injured. You need to rest," the man spoke softly in a hushed tone, nodding with his head when Mana stuck her own around the corner and she ran back into the medicine room to grab the green paste they had been rubbing on his wound the past day, as well as a drink to soothe his stomach.
Yugi clenched his fingers, feeling the pain radiate incrementally, like little tendrils snaking around him and pricking other places too. He curled his toes, taking in breath though his lungs struggled with how his muscles had to move around the stab wound. Yugi's eyes were a bit bloodshot still, glazed over almost.
"...t...the...Pha...raoh..."
Mahaad blinked, surprised. The first thing he asked about was the king? Even after all that had happened...though from what Atem had told him, Yugi returning even after being set free-
"I'm fine, Yugi."
Mahaad froze and Mana stood stunned in place when she ran back out of the medicine room, both of them knowing immediately who's voice that was and dropping to their knees, heads bowed and eyes to the floor. Mahaad felt the cape of the king swish over his side as the man passed him, standing where Mahaad had been, beside Yugi's bed. And now his own hand did the Pharaoh hold Yugi's face, caressing it unlike he ever had before and staring into those glazed eyes that couldn't yet tell it was he who touched him. His servant, his personal slave who he treated like dirt, like he wasn't even a human being...came back to save him even after being let go. Atem truly believed when he had his head under the water and as it filled up his lungs that he deserved to die for what he had done, not only to Yugi but to everyone he ever treated as such. Yet the Gods gave him another chance, they gave him Yugi back. But he had let him get hurt...Yugi could have died...he could have died at his hands so many times and yet...did he have the right to even look at him now? To be near him? All Atem wanted was for him to be safe.
The king himself was not horribly injured, they pumped the water out of his lungs and saw that he got rest, but Atem wouldn't sleep for long, unable to for worry of Yugi. And so the moment he could feel the boy awaken, Atem sprung from his chambers and hurried down the hallways to the healing chambers where he was now, standing beside Yugi and caressing his tired face, gazing down on him with eyes he only showed back in the garden when he set him free.
Yugi thought he heard a voice, one he knew so well, and it wasn't Mahaad. His vision still blurry as he woke, blinking multiple times to try and get it straight. Who was touching him now? That crown...those features...all came into focus and Yugi's eyes widened. The Pharaoh was looking at him? The Pharaoh had come to see him? And he seemed alright...he didn't seem hurt...thank the gods.
"My...Phar...aoh..." Yugi stuttered in a strained voice, raspy almost. He reached out, as if to touch him and be sure he was truly alright...but then he realized the position he was in. He remembered the guards striking him and knocking him out. Yugi had touched the Pharaoh. He had touched his body and without clothing there besides...he had been set free. He technically wasn't a part of the Pharaoh's arsenal. And so...he wasn't even supposed to be within the palace walls.
Yugi felt so disrespectful, being taken to the healing chambers. Surely Atem had given up on him, he did flee from him even after he showed him kindness...why did he save him? Why did he let him live?
Quickly, and painfully, Yugi scrambled out of the blankets covering him and knelt on his bed with his head down in his lap, avoiding the Pharaoh's gaze as the other two were doing. It hurt, gods did it hurt, Yugi feared the stitches might break.
"I was out of line, my king...I...I apologize for having done such things without permission but...I could not leave you to die...I caused you trouble...I apologize..."
Atem was...astounded. He simply stood there flabbergasted by Yugi's reaction. After all this, after being stabbed in the process of saving the king who treated him so poorly, Yugi was apologizing? Atem held back laughter for he knew the younger boy was being very truthful and respectful but in all honestly, he half expected Yugi to smack him. Atem said nothing to Yugi and instead tilted Yugi's chin up so he had to meet his eyes, smiling at him.
"Mahaad...is he healed enough to be moved?"
The magician was a bit confused but spoke. "Y...Yes, my Pharaoh, but he should still re-"
Before he even finished his sentence, Atem had placed his arms around Yugi's body and picked him up bridal style, encouraging Yugi to wrap his arms around Atem's neck, which the greatly surprised slave boy did instinctively as Atem carried him out of the healing chambers, much to Yugi's protest and Mahaad and Mana's curiosity.
"P-Pharaoh! W...what are you..."
Yugi didn't get a chance to finish his question, as the look from the king silenced him. Atem carried him through the halls of the palace, catching the eye of the guards and advisors as well as Seth, who had been coming to find him when Atem passed by with Yugi in his arms. The priest gave him a look but Atem ignored it, moving onward until he reached the hall of his own chambers...toward the little door that was his slave quarters. Yugi tensed. Was Atem going to put him back there? Truthfully he didn't expect much else, Atem would want him to go back to work right away, right? Obviously because he came back, he still wanted to be his slave...
But instead, Atem turned and left both the small door and Atem's own chamber door, pacing down a bit further in the hall to another room Yugi never noticed before but was right next to Atem's chamber. The door swung open to reveal a bedroom, apparently for a guest as it had been prepared. Much larger than his slave quarters and with a view out over the village below the palace. A real bed. A dresser. A mirror. Usually only the king was allowed a mirror...Yugi had only seen what he looked like in quick glances to the one in the king's room and in the reflection of his water at meals. Yugi turned his head, seeing his form. He had bags under his eyes, his skin was so pale...he was scrawny and nearly skin and bones. And yet the Pharaoh himself held him so tenderly...he barely felt any pain from being moved, Atem was so careful.
Careful. That was a strange word to Yugi. Never before had he been like that. And now was taking him to another room? Why not leave him in the healing room? Yugi was about to ask when Atem carried him over to the bed, gently setting him down and mindful of the wound. Yugi just stared up with wild eyes, so confused and wishing to stay respectful but Atem would not allow it.
"My...My Pharaoh...why have you brought me here?"
Atem grinned at him...it had been so long since he smiled so honestly so much. "You are welcome to use this room to rest and relax while you finish healing. I want you to be comfortable. As I said...you are free. You are no longer my slave and thus have no duty to me. I do not want you to bow or kneel or avoid my gaze." He said this all while looking right at him, hoping to earn his stare returned and he did. "You can leave whenever you wish...but this is the very least I can do for you. Yugi...I let you go and you came back to save me. You got hurt when you had no obligation to...of your own accord for my sake. You save my life."
The man paced closer, reaching down to take one of Yugi's hands in his own. Atem was about to do something he hadn't done to anyone, and especially not a former slave. He brought the hand to his lips...and kissed it. Yugi blushed very lightly and immediately felt like pulling back his hand, but Atem had such a grip as if knowing Yugi would try that. He held it there until his eyes opened once more, crimson staring back at Amethyst as that smile widened.
"I owe you my life, Yugi. And so I cannot keep you here. You may have anything you desire, whatever riches you crave. Whatever life style you want...I can give it to you. Such is little in compared to being able to breathe another day." His eyes softened, expression too. "I have treated you horribly. I have done unspeakable things to you. And yet...you saved my life. I know I can never take back what I did, the things I said...the pain I caused you. But I can do everything else to make up for it...to...apologize..." Never before did he have to apologize, especially to a slave. But now...Yugi was different. So different. He wasn't a slave anymore, he was so much more to Atem. Would he ever feel the same? He didn't expect him to, but still Atem wanted to give him everything he could. "If you want to leave, I will give you everything you need to live comfortably, you and your friends. Freedom. But...if you want...you are free to stay here. And you can still have anything you want. I am in your debt, Yugi. A thousand times over. I do not ask you to forgive me, I could never. But...I only ask...that you at least let me try to atone for my sins. I wish for that more than anything."
Yugi was awestruck. Such a turn around by the Pharaoh who before only cared about himself...now treating him almost as if he was Pharaoh. Yugi took back his hand, averting his gaze. Atem...he actually did care. As Pharaoh he could have done anything he wanted, he had no obligation to do such even for someone who saved his life. But he did...he was offering Yugi his fortune! But Yugi didn't want that...he didn't want gold or silver...he...wasn't sure what he wanted. But Yugi knew one thing. He felt something that made him want to stay. Just...stay. He didn't know what that meant either but...he felt something. A click, a little spark. Was it the link? Was something flowing over their link they apparently shared? Yugi wanted to know more...get to know the real Pharaoh more. And so he made his decision.
"I..." Yugi spoke quietly, in a whisper still as if afraid of his own words. Afraid to say such to the Pharaoh who had just...kissed his hand...still. "...I want to stay."
A smile came over Atem that could have warmed the most frozen heart. He was almost giddy, selfishly so as he thought but he couldn't help it. Yet the Pharaoh kept calm outside, nodding at Yugi's decision. He wanted to change. Atem wanted to become a man worthy of Yugi. If he wanted to stay...if he came back...maybe Atem had a chance. Maybe Yugi could teach him the things he didn't know...teach him to be a kind Pharaoh, a kind ruler. To understand the prophecy and their link...they were bound for a reason. The gods kept them together for a reason as well.
"Very well then. Use this room as you see fit. Mine is right next door. Remember, Yugi: you're not a slave anymore. You are a guest. I request, not order, you join me for meals and daily activities once your wounds heal. Until then...rest." He motioned to a little bell on his nightstand. "Ring that if you need anything. A guard or servant will come."
A final smile as Atem turned to leave, heart soaring with the knowledge Yugi was going to stay in the palace, and that he was alive and going to heal fine of course. He stopped at the doorway, hand on the frame, turning over his shoulder to glance at Yugi.
"Thank you."
And with that, Atem left, shutting the door behind him and leaving Yugi to his own, who carefully laid back down on the bed and grinned to himself, feeling such soft blankets and bedding and pillows...he never had such before. But it wasn't the room or the luxuries that made Yugi happy. It was the way Atem looked at him now. Not with hatred and cold cruelty as he had before. Something changed drastically, even from the day before. Perhaps he could really carry out his promise to Ryou...and...his own little tiny selfish wish. His heart skipped a beat. Excitement? Or something else? What was this feeling he had...this warmth...whatever it was, Atem had caused it. And Yugi, selfishly or so he thought, wanted to feel it again. He had been offered anything he wanted, right?~
~…***…***…~
And Atem found himself in almost the same predicament, like a child playing on his bed, face shoved in his pillows and unable to stop grinning. Yugi wanted to stay. Maybe...just maybe...he could tell him one day how he felt. He had to wait, though. Surely Atem couldn't jump on such things so soon. Atem had never known this kind of feeling...love. Perhaps he would ask Seth again in the morning. The Pharaoh could tell he was going to need a lot of help in this department. But oh how worth it it would all be in the end if all ended well. Could he perhaps get closer to Yugi? Could there ever be anything between them as Atem dreamed of? Could he make up for the grotesque things he did to Yugi? Only time, and Atem's control, would tell.
~…***…***…~
End Chapter~
Hope that satisfies everyone for a while, don't worry there is so much more to come. So much more. Oh goodness. If only I can keep this up.
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