Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just a few OCs.
Warning: Blood
Chapter Twelve
Yami leaned against one of the tall mounds of black rock, panting for air in the oppressive heat. Thankfully, his limp had gotten better, only to be replaced by the burning pain of his legs from the climb up. He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning at the sweat that was there. He looked up at the mountain that was still spewing dust with lava trickling down its sides. Yami groaned a leaned a lit bit to the side, looking out over the drop off into the river of lava below.
A hand on his shoulder gently pulled him back, a reminder of their mission, like Yami would so easily forget. He groaned and hauled himself back upright, shoving off from the black rock and continuing to walk forward.
Thankfully, there was only one path, the surface covered with the debris. And it ran around the volcano, hopefully into the harmless mountains beyond. He squinted through the haze of heat, licking his dry lips as he caught glimpses of grey stone through the dust that was rising up into the air. Yami drew in a breath only to lean over and cough, turning his head so he was coughing into his elbow.
"Atem?" He looked up into the worried gaze of his father, waving Akhnamkanon on as he recovered, panting for air. He gave another weak cough before standing upright, following after Solomon and his parents. Yami gritted his teeth against the pain in his muscles, one arm wrapping around his stomach as the wound began protesting. Now was not a good time to be feeling weakness. Yugi had to be found and things had to be explained.
Grunting as he had to nearly claw his way around another pile of rocks, leaning heavily on that too before walking onward. Yami stumbled as the debris beneath his feet shifted, thankful for the person that caught him. He looked up into Solomon's kind eyes, the elderly man patting his shoulder before escorting Yami closer to the group. "I think you should rest."
"No." Yami tried to struggle out of the hold, the one hand over his stomach tightening as the pain increased. "We have to find Yugi. That woman could have done anything to him. She's gotten into his head once, what's to say that she couldn't do it again."
"Yes, but having you too injured to help him will not solve anything." Solomon pushed him to the ground, kneeling down in front of him. "Stay here for a few moments and then we'll move on. The rest of us aren't as young as you are."
Yami sighed and resting his head back against the hot rock, watching as Solomon walked a few strides back to Akhnamkanon and Mayati. He stared at them for a few minutes before closing his eyes with a sigh, fingers rubbing at wrapping of his wound, wincing as he felt that it stuck slightly. That meant that the wound had started bleeding again. While it wasn't fatal, it was annoying and persistent. He sighed and let his hand fall to the ground, wincing at the slight burn of the rock on his skin. From the group of adults, the soft sounds of conversation drifted over to him.
There was a slight undertone of shifting to the conversation at first, soft enough for Yami to disregard it completely for a moment before he sat upright. He exchanged glances with his father before section of the path that they were on crumbled, leaving semi-stable spires. Yami scrambled to his feet, staring at the three who were stuck on the other side before looking down, watching the black rock being carried away by the flowing lava. The molten rock licked at the base of the spires, slowly eating away at the already thin rock.
"Mayati!" Yami jerked his gaze up as he heard his father shout, watching as Akhnamkanon steadied Solomon and reached out for the woman. The former pharaoh hesitated, looking at the group of three before glancing up at the trail that continued to wind deeper through the lava field. He shook off the temptation with a muffled groan. They needed his help now, while Yugi still needed to be found.
He growled to himself before stepping back, judging the distance he would have to jump, his arm coming up to press against his stomach wound. Yami was about to run and jump when Akhnamkanon turned and glared at him, the rebuke in his gaze enough to make Yami stop. The former pharaoh stared at his father before looking down at the arm that rested on his stomach. He turned his head away with a curse, backing out of their way. Of course he was still useless with the recent abuse on his body.
The former pharaoh watched as Akhnamkanon assisted Mayati and Solomon across the spires of stone, shifting impatiently and looking over his shoulder. He didn't have the time for this, Yugi was still out there. If he had been allowed to help then it would have gone faster. Yami backed up some more, making sure that he was out of their way. The motion drew his attention to the fact that they weren't paying any attention to him, and that it was simple to just run down the rest of the trail. He could easily just find Yugi himself now. Yami only hesitated a moment more before making his decision, turning on his heel and running down the path.
Yami rushed through the barren landscape, awkwardly taking a turn around another pile of black rocks. He winced as he cut his arm on them, glancing down at the blood before putting on more speed. Yugi had to be here somewhere, this was the only place he could go. He stumbled to a stop, leaning heavily against the nearest rise of stone, catching his breath before cupping his hands to his mouth. "Aibou! Aibou where are you?!"
He heard the echoes coming back to him, making him grit his teeth in anger. Yami looked back the way he came, knowing that Akhnamkanon would be following him as soon as he had gotten Mayati and Solomon to safety. His hand strayed to the Puzzle, fingers tracing over the surface before he turned back to his path, breaking into another sprint.
Stones were kicked into the lava to his left as Yami ran, spiraling closer to the tops of the plateaus that made up this area. The path got steeper, pushing him to his limits. He winced, one arm resting against his stomach as the wound complained. Still, he pushed himself onward. He had to find Yugi and explain that it hadn't been his fault; he had been possessed. And that Yami held no ill feelings towards his aibou.
He yelped as his feet slid out from under him, scrambling for a hand hold as he slid towards the lava. His fingers found a hold, Yami wincing at the pain from his arms as they suddenly took all his weight. He looked over his shoulder at the drop into the molten rock below him, carefully placing his feet on the rock wall before attempting to haul himself up. Yami gritted his teeth against the pain, the corners of the Millennium Puzzle digging into his stomach.
He screamed as he finally pulled himself up onto solid ground, rolling onto his back and panting for breath. He could still hear the echoes bouncing off the rocks in the distance, but couldn't bring himself to care. Groaning, Yami sat up and got to his feet, turning his head to look up the slope that he still had to run up. There was only one path, so only one choice, ever onwards.
Yami pushed back onto his feet, stumbling back into a limping run, eyes focused on the plateau that he would top soon, nearly falling onto the flat surface as he cleared the slope. He looked around him, turning in place. There was no one here. But, at least it had a good vantage point. He turned slowly in place, only seeing more of the black rock and the sickly red light from the flowing lava.
"Greetings." He tensed at the voice, turning slowly to look at the female who was suddenly standing with them. Yami narrowed his eyes, the shadows gathering around him.
"Where is Yugi?"
"I don't know." The woman flipped her hair over her shoulders, crossing her arms. "I did not take him. What he did was of his own choosing? After all, you must hate him for what he did to you."
"He's my aibou, I could never hate him. Now tell me where he is!" The shadows darted forward at his command, wrapping around the woman and holding her in place. She merely shook her head and disappeared, leaving Yami tense on top of the plateau. He turned slowly while walking toward the center.
"Silly boy." He spun around abruptly, still finding nothing there. Yami growled to himself, peeking over his shoulder to see nothing there either. The voice drifted out of nowhere again, making him jump. "Do you honestly think that I would steal the light from you? He has to make the decision on his own."
"You and who you serve are pushing him towards a choice that he does not want!" Yami took another step back. "Leave him be!"
The woman's disembodied voice laughed. "I can see where my compatriots went wrong. They tried to remove you from the equation with Yugi there for support. But, what will happen when your precious Yugi isn't there to help you. What will happen to the brave darkness?"
Yami took a small step back, grunting when he ran into something solid. He stiffened as he felt an arm wrap around his stomach while fingers ran down his face. He snarled and tried to jerk away, the woman digging her nails into his cheek and pressing her arm into his already throbbing stomach wound. Yami stopped his struggles at the spark of pain, watching out of the corner of his eye as the woman ran her nails over his skin. "You're going to help me break Yugi completely. And he'll leave just to get away from what's he's done."
"What would that do to his soul?" Yami shot the question back at her, smirking as she paused. "You people want him to remain untainted."
"He will be." Yami felt his blood run cold as the woman spoke again, trying to turn his head to see her expression. She laughed, running her nails over his neck. "And I know the perfect way. Those 'memories' of yours can be withdrawn and then you'll have to leave, or at least that's what he believes."
Her fingers pressed against his temple, a bright flash of light going off behind Yami's eyes as his body twitched in her hold. He gasped, shivering and twitching as the power rushed through him. This wasn't supposed to happen. No one should have been able to do this. But he had already had some memories returned to him from his enemies and through Ishizu's influence.
"Oh, this is perfect." Yami slumped in her hold as she stopped, his mind spinning as images flashed by in quick succession, finally stopping on the last one before an extended period of darkness. Panting for breath, he turned his head to look at her, wondering what she was doing. Her free hand waved in front of him, Yami feeling the burn of her magic over his body before he was released, stumbling forward a step. He winced as the sharp stones beneath his feet, looking down at the sandals that adorned his feet before blinking in surprise. He stretched out his arms and looked down at himself, eyes going wide.
Starting at his ankles and going to just below his knees were what looked like the equivalent of golden shin guards. A white shenti with a blue apron covered his lower half, ending about mid-thigh, a golden belt around his waist. A white tunic covered his upper body, a large golden collar around his neck, most of the collar obscured by the purple cape that hung from him. The Millennium Puzzle still dangled around his neck, the chain replaced by a simple leather cord.
Yami looked down at his arms, finding gold bracelets on him and another band of gold around his biceps. On his left shoulder was a golden piece that looked like a wing that kept his cape from dangling over that side.
With shaking hands, he reached up to run them through his hair, wincing as his fingers hit the golden crown that sat on his head. With the fingers of one hand, he traced the eye on the front before feeling over the swept back edges of the crown, the gold styled to look like wings, finding a small jewel near the base of the swept back edges. He turned his head, feeling earrings knock against his jaw and neck as he moved.
The woman laughed, one arm folded across her chest as she gestured with one hand. "That's what he thinks you are. Yugi gave you this identity out of the need to classify you as something different. He thinks you're a pharaoh, how sweet. And that little 'memory' that he gave you is much sweeter."
She lunged forward, taking Yami by surprise as he tried to digest what had happened to him, yanking the Puzzle from around his neck. Holding the Puzzle in one hand, she grabbed onto Yami's arm, making sure he stayed in place while she looked at the Puzzle. "Are you ready to relive this moment, 'Pharaoh'?"
"What?"
The woman shook her head and squeezed his arm tighter as her magic flared around them. "You get to relive one of your precious 'memories'."
Yami stared wide eyed at her, shaking as the magic burned through his veins, his memories shuffling by at high speed again. He gasped as the memories slowed, coming to his last one before his time in the darkness. He got a glimpse of the woman's smile before his head seemed to explode. She let go of him as he feel to his knees, clutching his head. Yami gritted his teeth against the pain, losing the battle to stay silent a moment later as he screamed.
Yugi pulled his knees closer to himself as he tried to wedge himself further back into the little indent that he had found, the lack of total cover making him hesitate from calling it a cave. He whimpered and rested his head on top of his knees. He doubted his choice to come here, the heat at the dust from the volcano making it hard to make any progress. And he had caught a glimpse of that woman as he had made his way up here, which had sent him scurrying for a hiding place.
The teenager shuddered, closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. He was frightened, but it was becoming a nearly natural state after everything that he and Yami had been through. Yugi winced as his thoughts drifted to the former pharaoh, roughly shaking his head to dismiss the thoughts. He had to stop doing this to himself or he would never be able to move on. If it was this bad now, how bad would he get when Yami moved on to the afterlife.
But he had said that he wouldn't. Yugi winced at the small voice in the back of his head whispering to him. Yami had said that he would rather stay here with Yugi, and something told him that staying would have been Yami's preferred choice even without the pressure of saving the world again.
Still, Yami didn't belong here. He belonged with his family and friends in the next life. The former pharaoh had worked too hard and sacrificed too much to just live out the rest of his life trapped within a puzzle and having to share Yugi's body. It wasn't fair to him.
"I want to be with you always, even if that means I never get my memories back." Yugi moaned and pressed his hands to his ears, wanting the memory to fade away. Yami couldn't mean that, he shouldn't have said it in the first place; he hadn't known who he was then. For all they had known, Yami could have just been a convincing hallucination. "No. No. You never meant it."
But the whispered words that they had shared in the dark denied that, their meaning pressed into his skin and memory by tender touches and kisses. Yugi whimpered, leaning his head back and swallowing. The endearments and promises had been further cemented by their acts of love making. Yugi dug his fingers into his leg as he remembered how Yami had looked, his crimson eyes darkened in passion as he thrust into him, bangs swaying slightly with the motion. A moan escaped him at the memory, one of his hands twitching.
What he wouldn't give for the chance to go back and stop himself from taking Yami in the forest. He let his eyes fall closed, feeling a few tears fall down his cheeks before he wiped them away. He would do anything to be able to change the past, to take that one moment back and hide it back in the depths of his mind. He had never thought he could sink to that level, too used to being the light that could do no wrong, the innocent one. Yugi had thrown away that whole assumption.
He shook his head, fingers relaxing their grip slightly. What was done was done; there was no way to change the past. He above all others knew that, because there were so many things he wished he could change. The teenager was so lost in his regrets that the scream that echoed across the lava field made him jump slightly.
Yugi looked up at the scream, going completely still and holding his breath. He could still hear the echoes of it from where he had hidden in the lava field. Before he knew what he was doing, he was running towards the sound. Yugi swallowed and forced himself to stop, hanging onto a pile of rocks desperately.
Yami was screaming, and in pain. Why couldn't he go to him?
Because he was afraid of what his darkness would say, what the former pharaoh would do to him. Yugi was not completely sure that he had been fighting the mind control by that woman when he had tied Yami up, leaving the former pharaoh completely helpless before him. And, the worse thing was, he had enjoyed every moment of it. He couldn't be sure now if Yami's screams had been in pleasure or pain, and that's what frightened him. What if he had broken Yami completely?
There was another scream, one that was cut off abruptly in the middle. Without thinking, Yugi jolted forward again. Yami needed him now and the former pharaoh had never hesitated in helping Yugi. It was his turn to return the favor, even if Yami would never be able to look at him again. Even if Yami decided to go into the afterlife. Even if Yami broke his heart.
He raced up the path, trying to figure out if he was going in the right direction. For all he knew, he could be running away from the former pharaoh. Yugi glanced over his shoulder quickly, yelping as he slammed into a group of black rocks. He stumbled backwards, rubbing his chest. In the direction that he was running in he would be heading up to the higher parts of the lava field, which is what Yami would do, find a place where he could see everything and act from there. Yugi gave a nod to himself and took off again, panting for breath in the humid air.
The path began to rise steeply, Yugi stumbling on the loose stones that littered its surface as he climbed. He fell to the ground, turning to watch one of the stones skitter down into the lava below. Yugi took a shaky breath, watching as the stone got sucked into the molten rock, unable to look away. He finally realized that he was breathing faster than he should have been and calmed himself down, nearly crawling the rest of the way up the slope. Yugi took a deep breath when he hit the top, looking down into the stream of lava below him with a nervous swallow. Now all he had to do was find Yami.
He turned to do that, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw a figure sprawled out on the ground. Yugi's eyes widened at the movement of the purple cape in the faint wind that blew up here, slowly removing the heat from the lava below. Shaking, Yugi took a step forward, eyes immediately going to the glittering golden pendant that was sitting on the plateau. He sucked in a sharp breath as he recognized the person beneath the clothes and gold.
"Yami!" Yugi rushed forward, falling to his knees beside his darkness. He hesitated with one hand hovering over Yami, feeling tears come to his eyes as he looked over Yami's body.
Long deep scratches covered Yami's torso, staining his tunic and shenti red. The purple cape that would have hung proudly over his shoulders was tattered, a red stain appearing from either side of Yami's body. His legs and arms carried deep cuts, some of the gold that covered him being sliced through. His face was mostly spared the treatment of the rest of his body, just a few small cuts on his cheeks.
The teenager trembled as he looked down at the former pharaoh, finally gathering the courage to slip his hand into Yami's, a sob escaping him as the former pharaoh didn't respond to the touch. He slid his fingers between Yami's, rubbing his thumb against the back of Yami's hand before looking back up at his face. Yami's head was tilted so he was resting on his left cheek. Yugi hesitated before reaching out to gently turn Yami's head.
Yugi choked back a whimper as he saw the blood that ran from a long and deep cut in his forehead, the crown that had once sat on Yami's head knocked askew, the bangs on Yami's left side slowly turning red with his own blood. He ran his fingers off Yami's chin and onto his neck, finally feeling himself break down.
"Oh gods, Yami, what happened to you?" He blinked to keep the tears from interfering with his vision, reaching back up to carefully move Yami's bangs out of his face, trembling as he touched his darkness' skin. It was cool, too cool. It was missing that warmth that he had come to expect from Yami in the few short days they had been together. Yugi leaned forward, resting his forehead against Yami's as he his tears trickled off his face. "Yami, please, answer me. Mou hitori no boku…"
The response was so quiet that Yugi almost didn't hear it. "Aibou."
He sat back as Yami's eyes slowly opened, the former pharaoh taking a deep breath and then wincing as he did so. Yami frowned as he saw Yugi crying, Yugi anticipating any movement and reaching over to lay his hand gently on his shoulder. "Don't get up, you're hurt."
Yami gave a dry laugh that ended in a cough, the effort making his whole body shake. He groaned and closed his eyes again, opening them partially after he had recovered, eyes going back to Yugi's face. "Are you alright aibou?"
"Don't worry about me."
Yami gave a soft smile. "I do. It's my job."
"Mou…" Yugi shook his head, squeezing Yami's hand instead of talking. The former pharaoh seemed to understand, turning his head more towards Yugi with a long sigh. Yugi placed his free hand on Yami's cheek, giving the former pharaoh a watery smile as he turned to kiss Yugi's palm. "You're going to be alright."
Yami just smiled at him, not answering. Yugi gave a shiver, not liking the look in the former pharaoh's eyes, the way it looked like he was trying to memorize everything about Yugi. The teenager shook his head, fingers brushing over Yami's cheek. "I haven't been able to help you before, but you're going to okay this time Yami."
"I love you aibou." Yugi almost let go of Yami's hand as he said that, holding even tighter. "I always have."
"Don't say that." 'Please, please never say that!' Yugi shoved the thought towards his darkness even though he knew that Yami couldn't hear him. He leaned over before Yami could say anything else and kissed him, trembling as he kept himself from pressing against the former pharaoh. He was afraid of touching Yami; afraid of feeling the blood, because then it would all become too real. Now he could pretend this was another one of his bad dreams.
He felt Yami's tongue gently press against the seal of his lips, Yugi opening his mouth to allow Yami to explore, shuddering as tears ran down his face. He was waiting for Yami to stop being so gentle, to push him back to the ground and dominate him. Anything but just lay there. Yugi whimpered when Yami pulled back for breath, his breathing much too slow.
"Don't-" Yugi swallowed to control the crack in his voice. "Don't you dare, Yami. Don't you even think about it."
"Aibou-"
"No! If you die…then I will too." Yugi desperately clung to Yami's hand, leaning down for a demanding kiss, surprised when Yami let him have his way. Yugi pulled back, panting for breath and confused.
"It's never been that way with us, aibou, we both know that." Yugi shook his head frantically, denying Yami's words as he lost his voice. The former pharaoh sighed, the sound coming out with more of a wheeze. "You'll be fine, aibou. It's not like I haven't done this before."
"But…I don't want you to." He was suddenly scared to let go of Yami, afraid that the former pharaoh would just drift off on the next wind that blew over him. He looked over Yami again, swallowing around the block that was growing in his throat. Some morbid part of him had wondered how Yami had died, but he had never entertained that though for more than one second, the idea that Yami could be so easily defeated scaring him. But, here he was, repeating the experience of three thousand years ago. And Yugi could do nothing to help him. "I don't want to lose you, mou hitori no boku."
"Neither do I, aibou." Yami gave a weak smile, blinking slowly, the action of opening his eyes again seeming to take too much effort. He winced. "You should go, aibou."
"No. I'm not leaving you!"
"Aibou." Yami squeezed his hand, drawing his attention down to their clasped hands. "Please, I don't want to have you watch me die. Just, find Grandpa and my parents and get out of here. And, I'm sorry."
"Sorry?"
"That I couldn't protect you. That I can't be there for you." Yami sighed, eyes closing again. "For breaking your heart."
Yugi brushed the bangs that had fallen into Yami's face away, shuddering at the feel of the blood as it got onto his own hand. He lifted his hand up to stare at the red liquid that covered his fingers. The teenager shuddered, quickly moving the hand out of his line of sight before looking back down at Yami, noticing that the crimson eyes were open again. He sniffed, resisting the urge to wipe his face with the bloodied hand. "I always wanted to see you as a pharaoh…but not like this. I-I love you so much."
"Forever." Yami squeezed Yugi's hand one more time before unweaving their fingers. "I'll be waiting for you, aibou."
Yugi nodded, turning to stare at his bloodied hand before lifting it up to run it carefully down Yami's body, remembering all the times that they had done this and feeling the tears run down his cheeks. He leaned up for one last kiss, cradling Yami's head and tangling his fingers in the black strands of hair as he kissed Yami.
Reluctantly, he pulled away, lowering Yami's head back to the ground before standing up and beginning to back away. His attention was drawn to the hand that he had been holding, watching as Yami looked down at it, the fingers twitching slightly. Yami looked up at him before smiling, new tears coursing down Yugi's cheeks at the warmth that Yami still managed to put in the expression.
He gasped and turned his back on the former pharaoh, wrapping one arm tightly around his waist before he walked down the path, lost in the contemplation of the ground. Yugi desperately tried to focus on anything but Yami, his whole body trembling as he failed in that objective, not able to get the smile that his dark had given him out of his mind. Yugi gave a sob and broke into a run, not caring that he couldn't see where he was going. Still, that smile followed him with every stride. The smile that said Yami had forgiven Yugi everything, even as Yugi had forgiven himself nothing.
He jumped as he ran into someone, stumbling a few steps back and flailing his arms to keep himself from falling over. Gentle arms caught him, Yugi almost able to fool himself that it was Yami keeping him from falling. But he knew that wasn't true. He looked up, eyes widening as he stared up at Mayati before throwing himself at her, sobbing as she hugged him close. He could feel the tension in her body as she turned to look at the others before looking back down at him. "Yugi? Yugi, what's wrong?"
"Yami…he's…he's…"
"Yugi what happened to your hand?!" Yugi looked up to see his grandfather staring at him, turning to look at the blood on his hand, shaking as he realized what he was looking at.
"It's not mine." Yugi stumbled back, shaking. "Mou hitori no boku…they got him…they did something to him. They hurt him!"
Akhnamkanon stepped forward out of the back of the group, kneeling down in front of Yugi. "What happened to Atem?" Yugi shook his head, closing his eyes. He jumped as Akhnamkanon reached to rest his hands on his shoulders. "Yugi, please."
"I-I can't stay here." Yugi pulled away from Akhnamkanon and darted away, racing for the way out of the lava field. He heard them calling for him, but he couldn't go back, not with all his memories of Yami coming back to plague him. He couldn't go back knowing that he was the cause of this. If he had only gone with the man who had approached them in the desert and told Yami not to fight…
Yugi stumbled, jumping awkwardly to avoid falling into the stream of lava. He scrambled at the path that he was running on, hands getting cut by the sharp rocks before he hauled himself to safety, staring at the bridge that he had come to. Yugi looked over his shoulder before taking a deep breath and racing across, slumping forward as the intense heat from the lava below billowed up to meet him.
His foot slipped on loose gravel, sending him tumbling forward. Yugi yelped and clawed at the bridge, managing to stay in the center. He took a deep breath before standing up and walking the rest of the way across the bridge. Only when he was sure that he was safely across did Yugi break into a sprint again, rushing for the cover that the crags that loomed ahead could offer him. He would find a cave and figure out what he was going to do next.
Yugi dashed into the cover of a small canyon, looking up to see a cave close by. He winced at the short climb before throwing himself at the challenge, biting his lip to keep from making a sound as his scraped hands hurt with the effort of climbing. Exhausted, he threw himself into the entrance of the cave, rolling a bit until he was covered by the shadows and curling into a ball and finally letting the tears fall without holding them back.
Sleep stole upon him before he realized it, playing out more memories of Yami. Duelist Kingdom, Kaiba Corporation Grand Prix, all the times they had talked in Yugi's room or their soul rooms. All the small moments between them that Yugi had misinterpreted, missing Yami's meaning totally, and wishing that he had known what the former pharaoh had been trying to tell him. All the moments they had been together, the pure pleasure from the act of making love to Yami because they completed each other. The feel of Yami's skin under his fingers and the look of passion in the former pharaoh's eyes.
Yugi shot up from his sleep for no reason that he could figure out, finding himself held in someone's arms again. He looked up, surprised to see that Mayati was the one hugging him. And, suddenly, he found that he didn't care. All he needed was someone to hold him while he mourned the destruction of his whole world. Still, there was a part of him that wished that Yami could be the one holding him.
"It will be okay, Yugi." He shook his head at her words, hearing the catch in her voice. They both knew that it wouldn't be, it never could be. Mayati didn't try and say anything after that, the two of them just clinging to each other as they mourned.
Akhnamkanon took another break, wiping the sweat from his face. From his position, he could see Solomon and Mayati hurrying after Yugi. He had sent them on ahead while he retrieved Atem from whatever trouble that the teenager had gotten himself into. He sighed and continued the climb, his mind wandering back to the blood that Yugi had had on his hand, the blood he had told them was Atem's. Akhnamkanon felt his stomach turn at the thought, shaking his head as he continued the climb.
He came to a stop with one foot on the plateau, eyes widening as he saw his son stretched out on the black rock, the ancient garb that Akhnamkanon was used to seeing his son in restored. He forgot all pretenses of dignity and rushed over to Atem, kneeling by his side as he looked over the wounds that covered his body. Cautiously, he placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Atem."
Atem groaned, slowly opening his eyes and looking at him. There was a long moment when Atem stared at him, blinking slowly as he tried to process what was going on. Then there was recognition in the crimson eyes. "Father."
"What happened to you?"
"That women who had Yugi under her control. She decided to strike and used the fact that Yugi wasn't talking to me or even staying around me against him." Atem coughed, wincing as the motion jarred him. "So she reduced me to this."
"She did all of this?"
Atem nodded before he shook his head. "With magic, yes, but not the way you think. I'm not quite sure if any of these wounds are fatal, but they all feel like it to me."
"Can you-"
"No." Atem sighed, closing his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. "I should have fought back, but I was too surprised that she had that kind of power. I should have been ready for it!"
His son remained still for a moment before he moved with a groan of effort, rolling over to his side and then gasping in pain, eyes going wide. Akhnamkanon immediately steadied Atem, taking most of his weight as Atem went limp in his arms. Akhnamkanon leaned over to look at Atem's face, shocked to find that Atem had his eyes closed. "Atem!"
The crimson eyes opened again, Atem looking up at his father. "I can't do it. It hurts too much."
"No." Akhnamkanon scooped Atem up in his arms, slowing the movement when Atem whimpered in pain. "We'll find a way to keep you alive. I am not losing you again."
He turned and started back down the trail, Atem going limp in his arms, holding tightly onto the Puzzle and tensing only when a step jarred his battered body. Akhnamkanon looked down as Atem sighed. "It's no use. Even Seto couldn't save me."
"That wound on your stomach has been healing faster than normal. Why can't these?"
"Father, these are the reason that I died in the first place. I am not going to be magically cured." Atem glared at him, the effect ruined as he moaned in pain, hands tightening on the Puzzle. Akhnamkanon tried to slow his walk, stopping when Atem was letting out choked screams with every step. He opened one eye, staring up at Akhnamkanon. "I'm sure all of these are fatal."
"As they should be." Akhnamkanon looked up, his brow furrowing as he stared at the woman who stared at them. He felt Atem shift in his arms, the woman looking down at his son with a smirk on her face. "But the 'Pharaoh' seems strong enough to handle them."
"I was the first time." Atem wiggled until he dropped out of Akhnamkanon's arms, catching himself before he fell flat on his face. Akhnamkanon reached out for Atem, surprised when he son laboriously pulled the Puzzle over his head, nearly falling over with the pain of that motion. Slowly, Atem stood back up, visibly shaking with the effort it took to stand.
The woman tipped her head to the side, laughter escaping her. "You think you can beat me like that?"
Atem smirked, the woman's confident expression faltering. "I know I can beat you. You have trespassed on Yugi's soul and for that, you will be punished."
"I have heard of these Shadow Games 'Pharaoh', and I am not intimidated by them."
"This is not a Shadow Game, this is the judgment of the living Horus. You have attempted to injure my consort as well as attacking me. And for that, you will pay." Atem flung one arm out, fingers spread out and palm facing the woman. "MIND CRUSH!"
Akhnamkanon felt a surge of shadow power, stumbling backwards under the force of it. He heard the woman scream before there was the thud of a body hitting the ground. He carefully lowered his hand from his eyes to see Atem tip forward, landing on the hard ground. Akhnamkanon jumped to reach for his son, missing him by a mere second.
He carefully gathered Atem back up in his arms, listening to the harsh breathing. He stilled as he heard a faint wheeze in the pattern, Atem's eyes wide as he rested one hand over his heart. Akhnamkanon started walking quickly, his own heart beating faster as Atem gave a weak cough. He didn't want to loose his son like this, not again. Akhnamkanon broke into a run, Atem already drifting off in his arms. Blearily, his son managed to focus on him. "I overdid it a little."
"Yes." Akhnamkanon didn't bother with any more talking, just focusing on running at a steady pace. Part of his attention was focused on Atem, who seemed to be dying in his arms. The slight wheeze had been joined by a rattle, Atem's eyes closed more often then open now. Akhnamkanon gave a low curse and quickly took the last turn before a bridge of rock that spanned over one of the rivers of lava, seeming to lead into the safer mountains beyond. He slowed, staring across it before deciding to take the chance. Hopefully Mayati and the others would be over there. If not, he just hoped that Mayati would find Yugi before the teenager tried to leave.
He took the first step onto the bridge, cautiously edging along it before he decided it was strong enough to take his weight before dashing across it. Akhnamkanon growled as his feet threatened to slip out from under him because of the loose rocks on the bridge. He felt Atem shudder, suddenly aware of the blood that had leaked through Atem's clothes and onto his arms.
If he was right, then Yugi could help save his son. The people here who had allowed their souls to be split in two had the ability to use magic or some sort of energy force in here. And Yugi had been the one to keep Atem in balance this entire time. He had to be able to help him.
He stepped into the shadows of the canyon, staring at the high walls before securing his hold on Atem and continuing to jog forward. His eyes moved constantly, seeking out where the others could have gone to, jumping at a boom from above him. Akhnamkanon tipped his head back, frowning as he tried to remember where he had heard the sound before, flinching slightly when he felt water fall on his face. He shook his head, irritated that it chose now to rain, his fascination with the weather curbed behind his need to make sure that his son was safe.
"Akhnamkanon!" He looked up as Mayati appeared from the shadows of a cave, relaxing slightly before looking for a way up. There would be a climb no matter which way he decided to come up. He looked down at Atem, staring at his son. He was caught in a tight spot right now; Atem would die if he stayed out here and he might die before Akhnamkanon got a chance to get up to the cave. But it was better to take the chance. He motioned Mayati to climb down a bit, stepping up to lift Atem towards her.
She whimpered as she took their son, shivering as Akhnamkanon scrambled up to where she was, pausing to pat her on the shoulder before moving a little higher. Silently, she passed Atem up to him, making the easy climb back to the top before reaching down for her son. She was the one to stagger with Atem into the cave, letting Akhnamkanon boost himself over the lip and walk into the darkness. He had a moment to adjust his eyes before he saw something move.
"Yugi." The teenager looked up, Akhnamkanon quickly cross the cave's floor to kneel next to the boy. He heard Mayati walk over to him, watching as Yugi turned his head to see Atem. The teenager tensed, staring at Atem before looking up at Akhnamkanon. He mouthed something before moving back into the darkness, shaking his head. Akhnamkanon frowned at the strange behavior before taking Atem carefully from Mayati's arms. "We need your help."
"No." Akhnamkanon was shocked by the flat out denial, Mayati moving to stop the teenager from backing away further. Yugi yelped and tried to struggle out of the hold that she had on him. Akhnamkanon frowned at the tears that were running down Yugi's cheeks, not sure what to make of them. Yugi should have been happy that they had saved Atem, not acting like he wanted to run away. "Please, take him away."
"Yugi, what-"
"Aibou?" They all fell silent at the soft whisper of the word, Yugi's eyes going wider. He froze, staring at Atem as Akhnamkanon sifted to a better position. The teenager slumped in Mayati's hold, burying his face into her shoulder.
"No, please. I don't want to hurt him again."
"Where…aibou…" Akhnamkanon tensed at the weak sound of his son's voice, looking up at Yugi pleadingly. This teenager was the only one who could help Atem at this point, and their window of opportunity was closing quickly. He could see Yugi staring fixedly at Atem, seeming to hesitate between two choices.
"Yugi, only you can help him." Akhnamkanon hated himself for the only recourse he could take, shivering at the feel of warm blood on his arms. "His death would rest squarely on your shoulders."
He ignored Mayati's look of horror, gently setting Atem on the ground as Yugi gave a reluctant nod before moving away from Mayati. The teen hesitated before reaching out to hold Atem's hand, his other going to rest on Atem's forehead. Yugi glanced up at Akhnamkanon before closing his eyes. Akhnamkanon expected a rush of power, the usual warning when he felt Atem calling on shadow magic, but there was none of that when Yugi worked. Instead, there was complete silence and a gentle build up of light.
Akhnamkanon watched as the light illuminated Atem, having to look away after a while because of its brilliance. He heard Mayati gasp, narrowing his eyes to try and see through the light that was coming from Yugi and Atem, but failing. He gritted his teeth and looked away, colored spots dancing in his vision. The shadows cast by the light suddenly disappeared, leaving him blinking in surprise.
"I'm sorry." Akhnamkanon turned around, eyes widening as he saw Yugi swaying in his kneeling position. He cursed himself as he looked at the haze that covered the violet eyes of the teen. He should have known that Yugi would push himself too far. He sat up as Mayati reached out to catch Yugi, leaning partially over Atem to watch the teenager. Yugi gave a sad smile. "I tried, but I'm not sure that it worked."
Yugi's eyes rolled back in his head before he collapsed into Mayati's arms, breathing slowing down as he slipped into unconsciousness. Akhnamkanon found himself holding his breath until Mayati gave a nod, relaxing as she gently pushed bangs away from Yugi's face. "He's exhausted himself, but he'll be fine."
They both jumped at the rumble of thunder from outside, the two of them turning to look at the mouth of the cave as rain suddenly started to pour down. A whimper from Yugi pulled Akhnamkanon's attention away from the rain and to the teenager, sighing as Yugi slowly relaxed. The two Egyptians looked up as Solomon appeared from the back of the cave, dusting his hands off. The elderly man stiffened at the sight of his grandson, looking between the two. Akhnamkanon was ready to take the full responsibility to the act when Atem groaned from his place on the ground, the sound drawing Solomon over.
"Yu…gi…" Atem's eyes flickered open, head lolling to one side as he struggled to stay awake. Akhnamkanon reached out to rest a hand on Atem's shoulder. His son winced, turning his head to look back at Akhnamkanon. "Where…felt…"
"It's alright, my son. He is safe."
Atem blinked slowly, a haze still over his eyes. "Ai…bou…"
"He's here Atem." Akhnamkanon helped his son sit up, worried that some of the wounds were still bleeding. While they were no longer fatal, Yugi hadn't been able to heal then completely. Akhnamkanon looked up at Solomon, trying not to look guilty as the elderly man stared at him. "I could not allow him to die since there was a chance that I could save him. You would do the same."
Solomon gave a long suffering sigh before sitting down on the ground, holding his head in his hands. "That does not make this any better. He my only grandson and you have no right to order him to do anything!"
"Solomon, what Yugi did, he did out of his own free will." Akhnamkanon looked gratefully at Mayati, watching as his wife shifted Yugi to a more comfortable position, stroking his face gently. "I wouldn't have allowed Akhnamkanon to do anything if it would have killed Yugi. I couldn't have…no matter what the circumstances…"
She shook her head, moving to place Yugi by Atem. Akhnamkanon watched as Atem immediately turned towards Yugi, dragging himself the inches they were separated before curling around the teenager. "Here…don't worry."
Yugi gave a whimper and turned towards Atem, both of them drifting off into sleep. Akhnamkanon sighed, thankful that neither of the teenagers had come to harm. He was getting attached to Yugi as well, all too easily liking him because he reminded of Akhnamkanon of Atem when he was young, before his son had to face the challenges of being a leader or even a prince. Those few years leading up into adolescence had changed Atem, and Yugi showed the boy that his son had once been.
Akhnamkanon jumped as Solomon moved in front of him, the elderly man crouching in front of his grandson for a moment before drawing back, another sigh escaping him. "Just…never again."
"Of course, Solomon. Of course."
This was probably my favorite chapter to write. *hides*
Please read and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome.