Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or The Pleasure Slave by Gena Showalter.
It was cool in the desert this night, and the wind was merciful. Anzu and Duke sat in a small tent, given to them courtesy of the kind old woman who had sheltered them for a few days while they recovered from hunger, exhaustion, and sunburn. They had finally moved on, deciding to leave at night while most were sleeping. The old woman had cautioned that it was dangerous, but they had decided to leave anyway. The sun and heat would not be a threat to them at night, and Anzu felt she had nothing to fear with Duke's magic at their disposal. The woman had insisted on giving them a tent and some food before they left, and they had accepted gratefully, moving on while the moon was high in the night sky.
Now they were camped out near a cave, a fire burning brightly in front of their tent. Duke was looking through his spell book, claiming he was searching for a way to get her what she wanted, but Anzu didn't believe him. Anzu cast him a dark look that Duke didn't see. She had asked him to teach her magic, and the damned fool had been stalling. He had told her it was simply because he wished to get them to a safer place before they began lessons, but Anzu knew better. He had been reluctant to teach her in the first place, but she would not let him get away with such for much longer. He would teach her this night, or he would suffer her wrath.
Anzu stood and strode over to Duke, snatching the blue book from his hands. Duke let out a yelp of shock, and he glared up at her after realizing what had just happened. "Princess! Give that back to me this instant!" Duke snarled. Anzu arched a brow at him.
"I don't think you have any right to give me orders Duke." She snapped. "Besides, you told me you would teach me magic, and I demand you keep your promise!" Duke sighed and rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He knew he wouldn't be able to stall her for very much longer. He had known this would happen sooner or later, as Anzu was a very impatient woman when it came to getting what she wanted.
"Princess... I really don't think it's a good idea." Duke told her.
"TEACH ME NOW!" Anzu shrieked, throwing the book into the sand. "You told me you'd help me get him back! YOU PROMISED!" Duke sighed again and picked up the book as Anzu threw her fit. He knew what she spoke was the truth. He had told her he would help, and he did agree to teach her how to use magic, even though that part of the bargain was caused by her forcing him. Even so, he should keep his word. Duke opened the book and flipped to a certain page in the spell book, looking back up into her eyes.
"Fine. Sit down and I will teach you a spell." Duke watched her expression turn from fury to one of complete joy. She plopped down in front of him and smiled.
"Thank you Duke!" She cheered as she clapped her hands together. Duke shook his head slowly and turned his attention back to the book.
"Anything for you Princess." He muttered. "Now, we'll use this spell, and it should bring him to us." Duke told her. Anzu's eyes widened.
"If you had such a spell this whole time, why didn't you use it!" She exclaimed, anger flashing through her eyes. "I could have had him back with me days ago!"
"Because Princess," Duke began. "I haven't enough magic in me to bring him here on my own, so I had immediately disregarded it as an option. As you recall, I had barely enough to get us out of Thebes. Until you had begged to use magic, it wasn't an option we could use." Duke explained. Anzu deflated, her anger vanishing.
"Oh. But now...? But now we can use it, right?" Anzu asked.
"Possibly. It still requires quite a bit of magic, because it can pull someone from anywhere really. Say for instance, if your target was in another country, then this spell could bring him to you despite the fact he's thousands of miles away." Duke explained.
"I see!" Anzu clapped her hands excitedly. "So we're going to test and see how much magic power I have?"
"Yes. If our combined magic ability is strong enough, you should be able to call him forth." Duke replied, nodding his head in agreement to her words.
"And what if it isn't?" Anzu asked, her cheer dissipating a bit.
"Then we shall have to try something else." Duke watched her with his emerald colored eyes, noting the pout on her lips.
"Okay. I really hope this works." Anzu leaned forward and Duke shifted, moving over to her side so that she could see the spell in the book.
"We have to chant it together, okay? Take my hand." Duke instructed. Anzu slid her smaller, pale hand into his, and with both their eyes on the book, they began to chant the words to the spell on the page. The wind picked up rapidly, spinning around them, but still they chanted. The wind howled eerily, and it whipped their hair around their faces. The sand formed a vortex in front of them, and Anzu could barely contain her excitement as a shape began to appear through the sand.
The car ride home had been torture for Yugi. Atemu had teased him with heated words, promises of what he would do to Yugi, and scalding touches the entire way home, and now he was beyond hot and bothered. If it were not for the fact they were driving through town, he would have parked the car and dragged Atemu into the backseat. He had to threaten the tan skinned male with the possibility of a car crash if he didn't knock it off and leave him with enough sense to be able to get them back to his place safely. Atemu had stopped for the most part, but every now and then when he knew Yugi was glancing at him, he'd give him a scalding look. Yugi had taken to avoiding his gaze in order to think straight.
They reached home faster then Yugi expected, and they both bolted from the car. Atemu slammed his door shut and hurried around to Yugi's side, yanking Yugi into his arms and kissing him hard. Yugi moaned and kissed back, allowing Atemu to maneuver them around so that he was the one leading Yugi to the door. Their kiss never ceased as Atemu moved them backward, and when Yugi's back finally hit the door, he forced himself to turn away from Atemu's inviting mouth to search his pockets for the keys. After a minute, Atemu grew impatient and captured Yugi's mouth again.
"A-Atemu," Yugi started, pulling away again. "Have...to get inside!"
"You're taking too long." Atemu stated simply, pressing kisses down Yugi's jawline and trailing towards his neck. Yugi groaned, tilting his head back as his fingers brushed the keys in his pocket.
"I...have the keys-oh!" Yugi gasped sharply when Atemu hit a sensitive spot on his neck, and he nearly dropped the keys in his hand. "Atemu...please...inside... Please...?" Atemu took the keys from Yugi's hand and placed them in the door, unlocking it and opening it. He kept a hold of Yugi so the smaller male wouldn't fall, and he led them inside, kicking the door shut. The little sounds of pleasure Yugi was making was boiling his blood white hot, and now that Yugi had consented to be his, he wasn't going to let him go.
They moved backwards still, eventually falling over the couch, Yugi ending up under Atemu and forced to scoot backwards a little. Atemu was attempting to undo the buttons of his shirt, and Yugi wrapped his arms around Atemu's neck, pressing a sweet kiss to Atemu's lips. A tanned hand slipped across pale flesh a moment later, causing Yugi to arch against him.
"Little One..." Atemu breathed against his mouth. "Gods, I want you."
"Yes..." Yugi moaned as Atemu's fingers brushed over his nipples. "Yes, please..."
It was then that Atemu sensed the foreign presence coming over them. It sent a tingling sensation over his skin, giving him goosebumps. He pulled back, standing up and looking around him. Yugi stared up at him, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushed. "Atemu? What's wrong? Why did you-?"
"Shush Little One. There is foreign magic here." Atemu replied, holding a hand out to Yugi to silence him and make him stay where he was. Seeing the worried look on Atemu's face, Yugi began to swiftly button his shirt back up, and then he stood, wrapping his arms around Atemu's waist.
"Is it still there?" Yugi whispered.
"Yes, it's getting stronger..." Atemu answered, and then his eyes widened in terror. A fierce wind ripped through Yugi's home, knocking the books and movies from the shelves. His computer monitor shook and hit the ground with a thud, the screen breaking and frizzing with a blue spark. Yugi clung to Atemu as what seemed to be an earthquake and a hurricane rocked them both, and then his world was spinning, faster and faster, out of control.
"Atemu!" Yugi cried out, feeling Atemu's arms wrap around him and hold him in a bruising embrace. When the world finally stopped spinning, Yugi cautiously opened his eyes, feeling like he could puke at any second. What the hell had that been? He looked up at Atemu, ready to question him, when he saw the strange look on Atemu's face. It was a mixture of awe, homesickness, joy, and bewilderment.
"Khemet?" Atemu whispered brokenly. "Could it be...?"
Yugi looked around him, and his eyes widened when he saw the vast desert stretched out before them. It was beautiful. The sand looked almost silver in the moonlight, and the water of the river next to them sparkled. A slight breeze ruffled Yugi's hair and made him shiver. The desert seemed to stretch out for endless miles, and when he looked to the other side, he noticed a few dozen rock walls, and a cave. Something else caught his eye, and he gasped, tugging on Atemu's shirt. There was a tent set up here, and a blazing fire, and around the fire were two people, one of whom had leapt to their feet upon seeing them.
"Atemu? We're not alone." Yugi choked out, noticing that the woman could have been Tea's identical twin. That sent a chill through him, and he tried to remember why that would be a bad thing. Atemu turned his eyes to the figures Yugi had seen, and his face paled rapidly upon seeing the woman running towards them.
"Anzu!" Atemu snarled. Anzu! Yugi paled also as the woman stopped in front of them, a look of anger on her face. The man that had been watching now rose to his feet, and it was then that Yugi noticed that he and Atemu were still embracing.
"Atemu!" The woman snapped. "Who the hell is this!"
"That is no concern of yours!" Atemu pushed Yugi away from him and stepped in front of him, holding one arm out to protect him. Yugi clung to his shirt from his place behind him. So they were back in Atemu's time? That had to be the only explanation for why Anzu would be here. The man with her had reached her by this point and was holding her back.
"Tell me who he is!" Anzu screamed. "You belong to me! To me!"
"I never belonged to you, bitch!" Atemu roared, and Yugi began shaking behind him. He'd never seen Atemu so angry before. His eyes were two twin blazing pools of red fire, and his posture was rigid and tense. The woman thrashed, attempting to get loose.
Duke watched this exchange, knowing full well by the protective stance that Atemu had taken over the strange boy that he was someone very important to the Pharaoh. Their embrace when they had shown up clearly showed they were more then just master and slave, or even friends. Atemu cared for this boy, and Duke could see that plainly. It only enforced his belief that they were doing all of this in vain.
"Princess, let them go." Duke told her, causing her to look up at him in shock.
"What, Duke no-"
"Princess! He is lost to you! He always was! Let him go!" Duke demanded.
"NO! I WILL NEVER LET HIM GO!" Anzu screamed, trying to free herself from Duke's grasp. It was then that the wind began to howl again, and the vortex surrounded the pair in front of them. Atemu was quick to pull Yugi back into his arms, shielding him from the storm. Anzu shrieked in denial, reaching out for him, but it was too late. The wind died down and they were gone. Anzu kicked Duke, forcing him to let her go, the elder letting out a cry of pain. "YOU BASTARD! I HAD HIM RIGHT HERE AND NOW HE'S GONE!"
"Princess, it wasn't my doing." Duke told her, bent over in pain.
"Like hell it wasn't!" She yelled.
"It wasn't. I swear to you, it wasn't me. The spell wasn't strong enough to hold him. You need to get ahold of his box for the spell to hold him here to this time. Because of the spell you cast on him, he was thrown back to wherever his box is." Duke explained. Anzu faltered, and tears filled her azure eyes.
"Duke, please, help me get him back. I need to get his box." Anzu pleaded.
"Princess, I can't." Duke straightened, some of his pain gone. "He-"
"HELP ME GET HIS BOX!" Anzu shrieked, falling to her knees and burying her face in her hands, sobbing. "Please Duke." Duke was torn. He wanted her to see that Atemu wasn't hers, had never been, but the foolish girl just wouldn't listen to reason. Duke knew that if he didn't help her, she might do something on her own, and get herself into more trouble, and this time he might not be able to save her. Duke bowed his head in defeat as Anzu's sobs didn't cease.
"I'll help you, Princess." Anzu looked up at him with teary, hopeful eyes. "But it will take time. I'll have to find the right spell to accomplish this." Anzu nodded eagerly, willing to give him all the time he needed so long as Atemu wound up back in her hands. Her thoughts wandered to the strange boy who was with Atemu earlier, and her eyes blazed with envy. She would kill that boy and take back what was hers. She would not allow anyone else to own Atemu but her.
Yugi slumped to his knees when they arrived back in his living room, one hand over his stomach, and the other over his mouth. Atemu knelt down with him, his hands on Yugi's shoulders, worry in his ruby orbs. "Yugi? Are you alright?" Atemu questioned. In response to Atemu's question, Yugi pulled away from him and turned to the side, spilling the contents of his stomach on his living room carpet. Atemu rubbed his back soothingly, understanding how he felt. Atemu had been around magic all his life, so this was normal for him, but for someone like Yugi, who probably had never experienced magic before Atemu came into his life, it was sickening to have it throw him around.
"I'm sorry." Yugi mumbled after he had finished.
"Don't be. I understand. Come with me, and I'll help you get out of those clothes." Atemu offered, rising to his feet and supporting Yugi as he walked him back down the hallway to his room.
"Haha." Yugi joked. "I do believe you just want to see me naked." Atemu chuckled. Yugi joking around with him right now was a good sign.
"You're absolutely right, I do want to see you naked, and have every intention of doing so. More than that however, will have to wait until you feel better." Atemu told him, his crimson eyes shining. Yugi laughed, but he stopped Atemu before they entered the room, instead going down to the bathroom. Atemu watched from the doorway as Yugi ran a little water and brushed his teeth with a strange object.
"Sorry, just wanted to get that taste out of my mouth." Yugi told him after he was done.
"No need to apologize. Come now." Atemu wrapped his arm around Yugi's waist again and they went into Yugi's room, where Atemu dumped him on his bed. Yugi groaned suddenly, his arms rising to cover his face.
"My living room... It's a mess. My monitor..." Yugi rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball. Atemu gave him a sympathetic look and crawled into the bed with him, pulling Yugi into his arms and running his fingers through Yugi's hair.
"It'll be alright." Atemu soothed him. He felt Yugi's hand bunch his shirt, and he glanced down to find Yugi staring at him with worried eyes.
"I'm sorry." Yugi whispered.
"Why are you sorry?" Atemu blinked.
"Because. I'm over here worried about my living room and being sick, and I should be worried about you." Yugi told him.
"Worried about me?" Atemu questioned, running a hand over Yugi's arm. "Why?"
"Because of what happened tonight. Are you okay?" Yugi asked, curling closer to Atemu. Atemu was touched by Yugi's concern, and he held him close, pressing a soft kiss to Yugi's forehead, earning a sweet coo from the boy.
"I am fine. I was a bit shaken, afraid she had finally reclaimed me, but it seems we are safe as she has not the power to keep me with her. I assure you Little One, I am fine." Yugi watched him for a moment, gauging his truthfulness by searching his eyes. Seeing nothing amiss, Yugi smiled.
"I wouldn't let her have you anyway." Yugi told him. "You're my Pharaoh." Atemu grinned at Yugi's reply and rubbed their noses together.
"Your Pharaoh eh? I rather like the sound of that. Just like my Yugi." Atemu's eyes were tender as he looked upon his young master. Yugi giggled.
"I'm yours and you're mine." Yugi leaned up and nuzzled Atemu's neck, earning a low groan and shudder from his Egyptian. Suddenly Yugi pulled back and rolled Atemu on his back, earning a shocked look from the Pharaoh before he laid down on top of him, staring at him with a serious look in his indigo eyes.
"Atemu, can I ask you a question?" Yugi inquired.
"I believe you just did." Atemu chuckled. Yugi mock glared at him and smacked him playfully.
"I'm trying to be serious." Yugi complained.
"My apologies, Little One. What is your question?" Atemu asked.
"Will you tell me how to break your spell?" Yugi's eyes searched Atemu's, and he didn't miss the flicker of emotion that flew through them before that damned mask was put back into place. Atemu was tensing underneath him, and Yugi bit his lip, afraid he'd set him off.
"Why do you wish to know?" Atemu forced his tone to be as calm as he could make it, despite the dread flowing through him. Did Yugi not want him anymore? Is that why this question came about?
"Because..." Yugi looked down for a moment, playing with Atemu's shirt. "I thought if the spell could be broken, then Anzu couldn't get to you, and she couldn't hurt you anymore. So long as you're like this, you're at risk, and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you." Yugi explained. Atemu could only stare at him in shock and wonder. Yugi wished to free him, not because he didn't want him, but because he didn't wish to see harm come to him.
"Yugi, listen to me." Atemu reached up, cupping Yugi's cheek with one hand. "Anzu cannot do me any harm without my box, which as you and I both recall, you have hidden safely away. Had she the means, she would have used her magic to take it with us, and she did not. This tells me she knows not where my box is, and therefore cannot take me away from you. There is then, no reason for me to tell you how to break this spell." Atemu told him. Yugi frowned, turning his head away and making Atemu's hand drop down.
"So, you're willing to just stay like this." Yugi dead panned. "You're willing just to be a slave forever."
"Yes. I can withstand this with you by my side." Atemu replied.
"But why would you if you didn't have to?" Yugi insisted, pleading with him. "Atemu, you're in a sense immortal. Once I'm gone, you'll just wind up in someone else's hands and who knows how they will treat you. Why would you do that to yourself when you could just tell me what to do and you could be free?"
"Because you are the most precious thing to me in the world, and I will not lose you." Atemu placed a finger on Yugi's lips to silence him as he went to question his last statement, and he rolled them over so that he was on top of the smaller male. "Enough of these questions. You are tired. Sleep." Yugi tried to protest, but Atemu once again silenced him, pulling him into his arms. Yugi gave up, slumping against him and cuddling close. If Atemu didn't want to tell him right now, then Yugi would not force him, but he swore to himself that he would get him to tell him eventually.
Atemu held Yugi until the younger male had succumbed to sleep, his mind racing, thinking about what Yugi had asked him. Of course he knew the way to break his spell, thanks to the knowledge that the spell supplied him with. He glanced down at Yugi, and his gaze softened. An admission of love... If he admitted his love, his spell would break, but that would only cause more torment for him, for the magic that had sent him here was now tied in with the magic of the spell. If the spell would break, he would return to Khemet, but he would return without Yugi. They would be torn apart, forever, and he would not lose Yugi. He wanted the boy, was willing to stay by his side until Yugi's last breath, but he would not love him, for to love him would mean to lose him.
Atemu eased himself from Yugi's embrace, rising from the bed. He gently unbuttoned Yugi's shirt and slid it off, and he removed Yugi's shoes next. He covered Yugi with the comforter, then left the bedroom.
Atemu walked into the living room and looked around at the mess Anzu's spell had caused. The "monitor" was broken, and Atemu picked it up, setting it back down on the desk. He set to work picking up the shards of glass that littered the floor when the monitor had hit the floor. He couldn't get every scrap, but he managed to get everything that would be nasty to step on. He searched the kitchen, finding the waste basket by one of the counters, and that was where he put the glass. He headed back into the living room and walked over to the bookshelf.
Atemu began picking up the books and movies that had fallen, relieved when he saw that none of them appeared damaged. He placed them back on the bookshelf, and when that task was done, he looked around. The TV was teetering on the edge of falling off the stand, so Atemu walked over and straightened it, then pushed the X-BOX back a little further in it's cove. A few pictures frames lying on an end table were face-down, and Atemu picked them up, setting them back straight. He frowned when he saw that one of Yugi and Solomon had been cracked, half of the glass falling off and ending up on the table when he picked it up. Atemu took the glass and threw it away too, then took one last look around.
Ah, there was one last thing to take care of. Atemu saw some paper towels on the counter, and he snatched the roll, heading into the living room and to the spot where Yugi had thrown up. Atemu breathed deeply and knelt down, beginning to clean up the mess. He mused to himself that the priests would have a heart attack if they saw him cleaning up messes like this. It wasn't a task Atemu was ever allowed to do, being royalty, and the fact that he was doing it at all shocked Atemu himself. Yugi's smiling face appeared in his mind's eye, and Atemu smiled to himself. Degrading himself to doing such tasks would be worth it to see that smile, and the thought of surprising Yugi with these tasks being completed made Atemu happy.
After getting rid of the dirty paper towels and putting the rest of the roll back where he had found it, Atemu went back to Yugi's room and shut the door behind him. He stripped off his boots and shirt, then pulled back the comforter and crawled into bed next to his little master. Yugi gave a small coo and snuggled close to him as Atemu pulled the boy into his arms, and Atemu smiled at the cute picture Yugi made. With Yugi tucked securely in his arms, Atemu closed his eyes and allowed sleep to come and take him away.