One week before the ritual, Atemu and Cerise were sitting by the stream, while her father and the Pharaoh were sitting at a table outside and talking about the arrangements, there had to be a sacrifice for Osiris and Isis, they had to get a room ready for them, and not to mention the festivities.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Cerise said, looking at her father throwing his hands up in the air.
"I think he wants a big beast for the sacrifice." He replied.
She looked down at the water.
"Do you think you're ready for this whole thing?" she asked him.
He took her hand.
"If I didn't know better, I would say you don't want this." He asked her.
"I do, it's just after this, everyone will know, that I'm broken." She said.
"And that you took my maiden flower, as the priests say." She said to him.
"It'll be okay." He said, seeing movement behind them. He looked over at their fathers.
"Look at them." He said, watching his father get up and do a little dance.
"They're so excited for us." He said, looking back at her.
"I know." She said, watching her dad get up and join the Pharaoh.
"We have to go through with this, don't we?" she asked.
"Yes, we do. You gave your blessing." He said.
"You tricked me into saying yes." She splashed him with water.
He splashed her back.
"I know how to work with you, that's all." He said.
She jumped into the water and splashed him with both hands. He got in too and splashed her back.
"Look at them." The Pharaoh said.
"This union will be wonderful." Cerise's father said.
"You know, when he was young, he said he was going to marry her one day." The Pharaoh said.
"Maybe we should plan the wedding as soon as possible." Cerise's father said.
"I agree. We can tell them when they are done with the ritual." The Pharaoh said.
They played like two kids in the water, and when their arms got tired of wetting each other, they stopped. They were slightly out of breath. They were both soaking wet. Her hair was hanging in her eyes. He walked closer to her and reached up and moved it out of her eyes.
"Oh, here comes something." The Pharaoh said.
He moved the hair out of her eyes, and she looked in the direction of the Pharaoh and her father. They looked away and acted like they didn't know what was going on. She looked back at Atemu. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and she took his took hold of his hand. She brought it around to her lips and kissed his hands with her eyes closed. He extended his index finger and caressed her lips. She lent her head back and enjoyed the rare moment of bliss. He laid his other hand on her waist and stepped closer. By now, he was taller than her, almost by a full head. He slid his hand down to her hip and pulled her towards him. He stooped his head down and pulled her towards his lips for a intimate kiss.
"They will make a lovely couple." The Pharaoh said, as the two old friends watched their children show their love for each other.
When Cerise pulled away to get air, she saw that they were watching them from the corner of her eye.
"We have an audience." She whispered in his ear.
He looked out of the corner of eye and saw that they were watching them too.
"Shall we give them a show?" he asked.
"Why not." She smiled and lifted her leg.
He grasped her thigh and they started kissing again.
"When should we step in?" Cerise's father said.
"If things don't stop, soon." The Pharaoh stood up.
Cerise broke the kiss and extended her head and neck backwards, sighing loudly and deliberately as she did. Atemu kissed her down her neck and across her collarbones.
"Go down on your knees." She whispered to him.
They both went down onto their knees, disappearing behind the reeds.
"Now?" Cerise's father asked.
"Now." The Pharaoh jumped up, as did her father and ran towards the stream.
When they saw the two of them, they were sitting in the stream, waiting for them. As they popped their heads over the reeds, the two of them started laughing.
"We had you fooled." She laughed.
"That was not funny." her father shouted at her.
She stopped laughing and looked at the anger on his face.
"It was just a joke." She said softly.
"It was rather funny." the Pharaoh laughed.
The two adults went back to their table and alcoholic drink, while the Cerise and Atemu swam in the stream.
"That was funny, hey?" Cerise said.
"It was." He said, a bit distracted.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing." He answered.
"I know you better than you think." She said.
"Nothing is wrong." He snapped at her. She was taken aback, but she knew him better than that. He did that when he was nervous.
"Hey, tell me, now, or I'll run away again." She threatened.
"I know where you'll go." He said to her.
"Do you think that is the only place I go to?" she caught him off guard. He looked at her shocked and she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an apology.
"I'm sorry, I'm just... worried." He admitted.
"About what?" she asked, walking up to him and touching his shoulder.
"The ritual." He replied.
"What about the ritual?" she asked.
He said, nothing, but looked uncomfortable.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm worried about it too." She said.
"Tell me, please." He asked, turning to face her.
"Only if you tell me what is bothering you. Agreed?" she asked and he nodded.
"I don't understand why you want to take me into the ritual." She admitted.
"Why not?" he asked, turning to face her.
"There is a lot more pretty girls than me here." She said, looking away from him.
"But, you're stunning." He smiled at her.
"Back in 2006, yes. I was prettier than those girls, but here, I feel like the ugly duckling, between all these Egyptian goddesses." She said, looking at him.
He walked up to her and hugged her.
"Did you really think I would take one of them instead of you?" he whispered to her.
"You should." She said, hugging him tighter.
"I won't, I want you." He said.
"So, you don't mind that I'm taller than them, paler than them and more modern?" she asked him, breaking the hug.
"No. That's what makes you unique. You can be my warrior Queen." He joked, playing with her fingers.
"Okay, I feel better now. Now tell me your fear." She put her arms around his neck.
"I'm scared, that…" he looked down into the water.
She lifted his chin up.
"Go on." She said.
"That I won't be good enough." He admitted.
"You are good enough." She smiled.
"No, I mean, in that way." He said, shyly.
"I want you to remember that night for the rest of your life." He added.
"Like you do with Kaiba." He said and she smiled at him.
"You were always better than Kaiba, at everything. Why would this not be the same?" she asked him.
"He's more, experienced, than I am." He said but she smiled at him.
"Not at first. I was his first too." She said to him.
"I'm not going to compare him to you. I never will." She said.
"You can't say that." He sighed.
"Now why would you think that?" she asked him.
"I just do." He let go of her and swam away. She sighed and she swam after him. She rested her chin on his shoulder left from behind.
"Don't you remember?" she said
"Remember what?" he asked softly.
"The first time we were together. In 2006." She whispered into his ear.
He thought back but the details were sketchy.
"Remind me." he said.
"I was waiting for you to come home after you being lost. When you did, you were bitten by that demon and you were one too." She reminded him; she looked at his neck and saw the two little shiny scars on his golden skin.
"I bit you, right?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yes, and then you brought me here, and showed me your memories." She said, wrapping her arms around his chest.
"Yes, it's ringing a bell." He thought.
"And then when I woke up..." she played with his earlobe.
"Oh, yes." He blushed, turned around and took her around her waist.
"I have thought about that night many times. You hadn't been with anyone since Yugi unlocked the puzzle, and you were amazing." She smiled at him.
"Pretty amazing." She said, putting her arms around his neck.
"Actually, you were incredible. Much better than Kaiba." She blushed.
"If you were so good back then, I don't see why you shouldn't be now." She said, laying her head on his shoulder.
He kissed her neck and she sat back up. She leant forward and kissed him.
"And if you did what you did just now, you'll be fine." She said as they got out.
"What, this?" he grabbed her arm and pulled her around to him.
They were so close that they could feel the warmth radiating off each other's bodies. He was drenched and warm. He bent down and around to kiss her neck. She threw her neck back. This time they were hidden from view around the corner of the palace. He put his hands on her hips and then she took them and placed them on her rear. He broke the embrace and looked at her.
"I can't take this anymore." She said, pulling him towards the wall.
She was back to back with the wall, and pulled him closer. She kissed him and he leaned against the wall with his hands. She put her hands on his back and pulled him closer to her. When his hips struck against hers, she threw her head back again in ecstasy.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, seeing her react so strongly so quickly.
"I can't wait for one more minute to have you." She said, unwrapping her skirt, and letting it fall to the ground.
She unwrapped her top and it fell off to. She was only let in her underclothes.
"Do you need an invitation?" she breathed, looking at him. She hoped he would be just as frustrated with all this as she was, and would take here there and then.
He thought of just stepping back and leaving, but that would be too difficult. He took off his top, from the back, threw it on the ground beside them, and stepped forward against her. He took hold of her hand and they both watched at he ran his hand up her arm, and then back down, and then he interlocked his hand in hers. He stepped as close as he could, pushing her right against the wall. He shifted his weight under her, lifting her onto her toes, balancing her thighs on hips. She could feel him pulsing against her, aching to take her.
"Why do you tease me like this?" she breathed.
Just when she thought she couldn't get pushed back anymore, he pushed even harder, and she felt his pelvis colliding with against hers. He was as close as he could get to her face without touching it. He could see the little golden and red pigments in her eyes. She took his hand off her hips and they watched as she showed him to the stings that loosened her under top. He undid the knot and it slipped and the top became shapeless. He looked down, seeing her chest. She plunged her lips against his and he slipped his hands under the top and took hold of her breasts.
She felt for the string that undid his linen tunic. When her fingers gripped them, she pulled and his tunic slackened and fell to the ground. Now they were both only in the under clothes, short brown leather tunics. He slid his hand down the front of her torso, long and silky. He slid his hand down her leg and grabbed her thigh. She broke the kiss and looked at him with her brown eyes. He placed his hand on her other thigh and pressed her upwards against the wall. Their eyes never left each other. He took a step forward and he was close enough to take her. He lent forward to kiss her again. When she came up for air, she arched her head back and felt the cold stone of the wall on the small of her back. He moved his hands to her rear and clutched it. Now there was only one layer of cloth between them and ecstasy. She moved her hand down to his tunic, and started to lift it.
Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to her left, while Atemu was exploring her upper body. She was shocked at what she saw.
"Atemu." She said.
He said nothing, but kissed her up her neck.
"Atemu!" she said harder.
"What?" he asked, looking up at her face.
She was looking to her left, so he looked in the same direction. Mana and Mahad were standing there, watching them. Atemu stepped back and she put her feet on the ground softly.
"Um, we went for a swim." Cerise said.
"In your underclothes?" Mana asked.
"Yes, I wasn't going get my clothes wet." Cerise said slowly pushing Atemu away.
Mana bent down and picked up Cerise's dress.
"It is wet." She said.
"Okay, okay... don't you two ever miss anything?" she said, disappointed.
"No." Mahad said, looking at the two of them.
"It's time to make a decision." Mana said to Cerise. Cerise looked at Atemu and he looked at her.
The Pharaoh and Cerise's father were still talking about the ritual when Cerise and Atemu came up to them, holding hands. Mana and Mahad were right behind them.
"Father, may I talk to you?" Atemu asked his father.
"Yes." He said, and Cerise's father stood up.
"No, please sit. It has to do with Cerise and I." Atemu said, looking at Cerise.
Her father sat back down.
"Go on." The Pharaoh said.
"Cerise and I have decided not to see each other…" he stopped and looked at Mahad.
Mahad nodded and he continued.
"We have decided not to see each other until the ritual." He said.
"And why would that be." The Pharaoh asked his son.
"So the ritual can be done correctly, and not under false pretences." Atemu copied what Mahad had said to him.
"I don't understand." The Pharaoh asked.
Atemu closed his eyes and ground his teeth. Cerise squeezed his hand.
"If we see each other every day, we won't have to wait a week." He added.
"Oh... Okay then." The Pharaoh said.
"I assume Mana and Mahad will help you two with this task." He said looking at them.
"Yes, they will. We are not to contact each other for the next week." Cerise said, looking back at their mentors.
"Very well." The Pharaoh said.
They turned to walk away, and then Cerise had something she wanted to say.
"Pharaoh." She said.
"Yes, child." He said to her.
"It isn't Atemu's fault." She said, stepping closer to him.
"I know that." He smiled.
"I mean, the reasons for this is because we love each other so much…" she rambled on.
"I know child." He put up his hand.
"Even I was in love. I know how it is." he winked at Atemu.
"Don't fight with him. We need to do this or we won't need a ritual." She said, looking back at Atemu.
"I understand." He said.
She was all out of words, so she bowed, turned around and walked away.
"Why did you do that?" Atemu asked her softly.
"I know that he's going to fight with you." She whispered back.
"I will take it, then." He said.
The two of them ate supper and had a bath. They stood at the foot of the stairs. His room was one more floor up, but hers was on this floor. They were being watched like snakes being watched by hawks, by Mana and Mahad. They said their goodbyes and kissed each other goodbye. Then she went into her room and he went up the stairs, their guardians followed them. She watched as he turned the corner.
When he was gone, she went to bed, and Mana stayed up a bit longer to make sure she was asleep, and then she went to her room across the hall.
When Atemu got to his room, his father was waiting for him. He patted the bed and Atemu went and sat next to him.
"You are stronger than me, son." He said.
"Don't say that father." He sighed.
"You are. You can resist her enchantment." He smiled t his son.
"No I can't. Did Mahad tell you?" he asked his father.
"No. But you are going to." He said.
"Today, just before we came to you." He stopped, not knowing how his father would react.
"Go on, son."
"If Mana and Mahad hadn't come around the corner when they did." He sighed.
"I understand." The Pharaoh smiled.
Atemu got up and paced around the room.
"We were so close too…" he vented his frustration.
"Are you angry because they caught you or are you angry that you couldn't resist?" he asked him.
"To be honest, I'm angry because we got caught." He sat back down.
"You know, I never had this ritual." The Pharaoh said. Atemu looked up at his father and frowned.
"Why not?" Atemu asked.
His father smiled and looked at him.
"In the words of Cerise, we didn't need the ritual." He smiled.
"I don't follow." Atemu asked.
"I couldn't resist her spell. Your mother's I mean." He said.
"So, you couldn't wait for the ritual?" he asked and his father nodded.
"No." he said.
"Tell me about her." Atemu asked.
"Your mother?" the Pharaoh asked.
Atemu nodded.
"She was one of a kind, sweet, strong willed, charming, pretty, smart. A wonderful woman." He smiled.
"You really miss her." Atemu said.
"I do, but every time I look at you, I see her." he patted Atemu on the back.
"Cerise reminds me of her." the Pharaoh added.
"Cerise is one of a kind. She isn't like all the other single-minded girls. She has mind of her own." He smiled.
"And what I hear, she's rather good with a sword." He added.
"She is." Atemu nodded.
"Your mother was too. She was the best swordswomen in Egypt." He said, telling him that the men in his family clearly had a type.
"Father, I want to marry Cerise. As soon as the ritual is over." Atemu admitted to his father.
"I know. We were going to surprise you and her with the wedding." He smiled.
"So it will be arranged?" Atemu asked and his father nodded.
"Of course. I won't tell Cerise." The Pharaoh agreed.
"Thank you." Atemu said.
His father patted him on the back again and got up.
"Get some sleep, son, you'll need it when the ritual begins by the sounds of it." He said.
"You're right." Atemu smiled.
