AN: Warning! Near-rape and willing slash sex in this chapter! But keep in mind that this isn't Atem's usual behavior, and serves a few purposes! All will be explained later in the story...And for anyone really worried about this, no, Set/Yuugi isn't going to show up anywhere but this chapter.
Edit to original AN: I've added bolded and bracketed warnings within the story so readers can skip the near-rape and/or the sex (also called a lemon for those who don't know).
Pain and Shock
Set was left behind, pale and shocked, as the Prince dragged his smaller lookalike away with him. They were taking routes Yuugi didn't know, and were moving fast so the boy couldn't even try to follow the same route again.
On the way, they came across Mahad, who began to ask in concern when he saw them and Atem's expression, "What's the ma—"
And to Yuugi's surprise, and both his and Mahad's shock, Atem growled, "Get out of my way!" as he punched and shoved Mahad out of his way with so much force the man dropped to his knees, holding his stomach in pain. And kept going without stopping.
"Atem, stop! Mahad doesn't even have anything to do with—" Yuugi tried pleading.
"Shut up!" the Prince replied, pulling on his arm sharply—and producing a pained cry from the smaller boy.
When they got back to the room shortly after, Atem threw Yuugi into it—and to the ground—forcefully.
Looking up with tears in his eyes, Yuugi asked, "Why did you threaten to kill Set? You like him, don't you? So why did you say such horrible things, when it's me you hate right now?"
"That—you—You know how I feel, and you still—!" Atem began, fury written in every line of his face and body.
"I didn't choose that, and I didn't know he was going to do it!" Yuugi cried.
"But you liked it anyway," the taller, stronger teen growled, and chills ran up and down the smaller's spine as he became hyper-aware of the difference in height and strength between them.
He was starting to regret choosing not to keep Kuribo with him since things had been peaceful.
"It wasn't—"
Yuugi wasn't given time to finish speaking as Atem was suddenly on him, pushing him to the floor and forcing his wrists up above his head. "So you like being forced, huh? I never would have guessed you were such a masochist," the Prince growled, his lips twisted in something like a malicious smirk and his eyes showing only the intent to harm, to cause pain.
(WARNING: near-rape starts here!)
Atem gripped both of Yuugi's wrists in one hand, then used his other to reach under the skirt of Yuugi's robe—and the smaller boy knew what the Prince was going to do to him when he felt the motion and the direction of it.
"No! Atem, stop!" he cried, fighting to get free as the Prince's hand gripped his member through his underwear—hard. "Ahh!" he screamed in pain. "Stop!" he wept, the tears running down his temples as he jolted and fought again to get free.
One hand slid out of Atem's grip, so he swung it blindly—and connected with Atem's jaw hard enough to make him hiss and pull back momentarily.
And the smaller boy froze in terror at the rippling rage and hatred he felt coming off the other teen at the blow. His wide, terrified eyes found Atem's shadowed ones as the taller one leaned down again, taking both wrists—and tying them together with an object Yuugi recognized as his belt. When had Atem taken it off his waist? They were tied so tightly circulation to his hands began cutting off, even as the Prince held them down with one hand again. His free hand pushed the robe up to Yuugi's neck and his lips went to his chest to lick one of his nipples.
"No...Please...No...Atem...Stop...Please..." Yuugi whispered, tears falling silently again, knowing both that Atem could hear him just fine and that Atem's senses were too far gone to stop. The repeated whispers became a scream of pain as the Prince bit one nipple, then a second scream of pain followed as he bit the other as well. All Yuugi could be thankful for was that it didn't seem Atem wanted to bite them off, just make it hurt. A lot. On second thought, he wasn't thankful.
He stopped whispering, or talking at all, after that, when he felt his underwear being pulled off and discarded. His body began tensing, bracing itself for the pain he was about to feel as Atem moved to place his member against the opening—it would be extremely painful without preparation, and it was obvious the Prince had no intention of doing so. Then again, he was furious, and was using this as a way of punishing the one he blamed for the problem with the High Priest.
(End of near-rape scene!)
At that moment, the door opened, and Atem turned to look at it with a glare.
"...What in all the Hells...?" Mahad's stunned voice came to Yuugi—and a moment later, he growled something which sounded like a curse.
Atem went flying as Set—a deathly pale Set—ran to Yuugi to lift him gently. And Yuugi no longer cared. Let Atem be angry, because the smaller boy was now officially terrified of him, even as he felt relief when the High Priest removed the bindings on his wrists. Set pulled off the cape he wore with his priest's clothing and wrapped it around the boy, then rose, carrying Yuugi in both arms. Quickly, he strode from the room—and Yuugi began falling into darkness.
PA-HPS-YM-SK
When he woke, it was to see Set beside him. Not sitting beside him, but laying down on the soft surface under them, his arms wrapped tightly around him. Since the older one had been watching him, the High Priest was aware of it when Yuugi woke—and the first thing he did was kiss the boy gently and kindly on the lips.
It felt good, and now, Yuugi was beyond caring what Atem would think, so he let the older teen kiss him, let him deepen the kiss. And when he felt the High Priest's hands running over his body, he whimpered, moaned, and arched into them. This was such a gentle, kind, caring feeling, and he was still in shock from what his other half had just tried to do to him, so he wanted to feel the kindness. Like when Set had kissed him earlier, he found he enjoyed the sensation.
(LEMON ALERT! SKIP to the next bold brackets if you don't want to read it!)
There were no words as the older teen slipped the robe off the smaller—and Yuugi noted his sandals had already been removed. He didn't want words, so it was fine if the other teen didn't want to talk either; all he wanted was to feel gentleness in all the places he'd felt pain before. Set didn't disappoint him, even as the older teen very gently used his hands, tongue, and lips to caress the smaller boy's chest and nipples. It didn't hurt—rather, it made him moan and arch into the lips sucking on him thoroughly and gently.
Set's hands trailed down his body and began kneading and caressing his ass and thighs, inside and out. In no time, Yuugi was panting and moaning, his legs parted wide just in reaction to the sensations the High Priest was making him feel. Fingers gently kneaded the opening, widening it, even as he felt something oily letting the fingers slide easily in and out of his body. They had lube in the ancient past? Frankly, Yuugi was amazed by the thought, but also grateful, since it meant the entrance wouldn't be dry.
Finally, the older teen stopped working on the opening and withdrew his fingers, then shifted to slide between Yuugi's legs—and stopped. "Yuugi...Is this all right?"
The gentle voice drew the smaller boy out of the depths of the pleasure and passion to look at Set. He then looked down the lengths of their bodies to see their position, and knew what came next. Looking back up at Set's eyes, he nodded and said, "It's okay."
No other words needed to be shared between them, even as the older teen began pushing his hard member gently, slowly, into Yuugi's body. The smaller teen arched and writhed at the large object invading his body, but just instinctively gave a push on it—a push which let it slide in more easily. Set hummed in approval, but it seemed neither wanted to break the mood set by the lack of words, and even Yuugi let only silent tears fall at the—fairly minor—pain. The older teen gently kissed the tears away, then captured Yuugi's mouth again in a deep, passionate, gentle kiss.
Finally, Set was seated fully inside the smaller boy, and stilled there while Yuugi's body adjusted to his length and girth. It was much larger than the boy was expecting, so it had gone much deeper in him than he'd realized it would, but despite the pain, it felt remarkably good, too. It was filling, and as the pain eased, he realized it felt rather natural to have the object filling his body like that, pulsing deep inside him. Arching experimentally, Yuugi found the pain had pretty much faded, even with motion, so was grateful for that.
At his arch, the High Priest began withdrawing—only to slam back in shortly after. He shifted slightly, then did it again, then shifted slightly again. A few more times, Set repeated the process, until he struck a bundle of nerves inside Yuugi's body which made him arch and moan—loudly—as stars fairly danced in front of his eyes. From that point on, the older teen hit that spot with every inward thrust, and all Yuugi could do was cling to him and feel the excruciating pleasure.
It built, and built, and built, until finally, it released, and both came to climax.
(END OF LEMON!)
The older teen laid on him gently, hugging him tightly as they drifted into sleep and Yuugi stored one little fact away to ponder later, when he wasn't so exhausted.
PA-HPS-YM-SK
The next time he woke, Set was caressing Yuugi's side and chest gently with one hand while the other was being used to prop his head up. The older teen was watching his face, so saw his eyes open—and asked with a seriousness which didn't mimic his roaming hand, "Why did the Prince do something so horrible to you?"
Shaking his head a bit, Yuugi whispered, "You stopped him before—"
"We were too late," the High Priest cut him off, the hand dropping. "The physical pain isn't the worst of what he did to you, and you're suffering the full brunt of the actual torment he inflicted on you. What I don't understand is why he would do such a thing to someone he so obviously reveres. Yuugi, please tell me...why did he do that?"
Looking away, the smaller boy answered, "You know, in my own home...just like I look like Atem, there's a guy my age who looks just like you. Kaiba-kun...is someone I would like to...um...have a relationship with...so sometimes I get confused when I'm around you. Atem...had to meet him to realize...it was you he felt that way about. And because there's two pairs of twins involved...Set, I don't believe it's actually me you like at all, I think it's Atem, but to you, he's too far outside your reach...You're using me as a substitute. And the Prince...also knows that. You're interested in me for the wrong reasons, and you pretty much destroyed him by doing so."
"...But he and I are too far apart to have such a relationship. I'm a commoner, and he's—" Set began.
Yuugi sighed and said, "You're not a commoner. Your father is a noble, a very high-rank one. He did something terrible, and knew someday there would be retaliation, so he sent you and your mother away to live as commoners to protect you. Atem...and you...are nearly the same rank. You're related by blood. Atem also knows that, and knows why things happened the way they did."
"Then earlier, why did he emphasize the—" Set began in shock, rising.
"He...changes when he's full of rage," the smaller boy sighed. "He's 'the darkness'. I'm supposed to temper him, but...if I'm...the cause of his rage...I can't do anything..."
"So the fool tried to destroy his own light?" Set barked in anger.
A silence followed, so Set turned to face the door. As though realizing almost too late that he was nude, he paused to grab a towel to wipe off the mess, then pulled a robe on. As he was about to leave, the smaller boy spoke again.
"Set," the boy began, and the older stopped, but didn't face him. "I wasn't supposed to tell you about your actual lineage, and if Atem finds out, he'll be even more angry, so please don't confront him. The timeline can't change, or there won't be a future."
"Stop trying to protect him," Set replied darkly, still not facing him.
"It's true...because Set, I'm from the future."
The anger seeped from the man, then he said quietly, "Stay here and rest." Once he'd given the caution, he left the room.
Out in the main room, the other Guardian-Priests, all but Akhenaten, were gathered.
"What happened?" Karim asked in concern. "I wasn't there, so I'm a bit confused by the Prince being thrown in the dungeon and his 'other self' being brought here."
"Isis?" Set asked her, and she knew what he was asking.
"The Pharaoh agreed to leave his son in the dungeons for a day or two to calm down, as long as he's given proper blankets and food. I agreed to see to it, and have done so. We have whatever time it takes for Atem to...at least look calm," the woman explained, worry lacing her voice.
"Good," the High Priest answered, then met her gaze again and asked, "Do you know Yuugi's origins?"
She blinked and shook her head. "I know only that his homeland is vastly different from ours and that he is critical to our survival right now."
Set took one of the free seats around his table and heaved a sigh. "I'm not so sure about anything right now. Maybe it's critical he's here, but...is it really good for us, as people, for him to be here at this point?"
"Why would you doubt that now?" Shada asked with a frown.
"Because Yuugi comes from the future," Mahad answered in a quiet tone. "Unless I am horribly mistaken, he is, in fact, Prince Atem's successor, and the next to hold the title of Pharaoh after him. Otherwise, he could never know how to summon the God Beasts, but apparently, Atem had to caution him not to before our summoning duel the first day he arrived. Which makes it even more of a problem for Atem to try to harm him."
"Do you mean...Yuugi is Atem's son?" Shada asked in horror.
"No," Set answered flatly, and the others stared at him. "It sounds more like Yuugi is Atem's reincarnation. Apparently, I have one, as well."
Mahad's gaze became thoughtful as he said, "That would actually make a lot of sense, if Yuugi was one fragment of Atem's spirit which would be created upon Atem's death...and it sounded as though Atem's death would be a horrible one, but it could not be changed, by the Gods' own orders, since...Yuugi will never exist if the event changes."
"So...the Prince just tried to rape himself...?" Karim asked, expression going rather confused and cross-eyed.
Set glared at him. "Yuugi and Atem may be linked through reincarnation, but they're two different people, and the one Atem just tried to rape is the only one who can keep his rage from getting out of hand. For them, Atem being angry with Yuugi is the worst thing which could happen, and it never would have happened if Yuugi hadn't been put here by force, by the Gods."
"I thought Atem was angry with you...?" Mahad asked in confusion.
"So he tried to make it look, but I'm starting to wonder if he even knew who he was angry with," the High Priest sighed as he dropped his head into his hands. "How many nobles here are related to the Pharaoh by blood?"
"Why?" Isis asked in surprise.
"Apparently, according to Yuugi, I'm not a commoner, my father sent my mother and I away to protect us," Set answered, shaking his head. "He told me because of this incident, but I can't tell how much he said about my feelings is true. I didn't think it was the case, but...until I've had time to think about it a bit..."
"There are several noble lines who are blood-related to the Pharaoh, and a number of the members of those lines in the Pharaoh's generation sent at least one wife and child away," Isis told the younger man quietly. "Five I know of who did so coinciding with a child who would be about your age. One noble remarried several years later, so he most likely sent her away just to get rid of her, but the other four have never remarried to this day. We know nothing about the wives or children of those four, either. But, is it so wise to look for information into such a thing, particularly with Akhenaten behaving the way he has been lately?"
"You think my own mentor would turn me away if there was any chance I was actually a noble-born child?" Set asked in amusement. The others paused. "It would stop all chance of anyone claiming I had no right to my position, wouldn't it?"
"Then, here is another question for you," Shada said quietly, making the others look at him. "Are you really sure you want to start digging into that past, when doing so will reveal the horror they inflicted which caused them to have to send you away?"
"...What do you mean?" Set asked with a frown.
"All of the incidences which happened around the time you were born...involved the mass slaughter of innocent people," the bald Priest answered quietly. Set paled. "Why did Yuugi need to tell you such a thing when he also is wise enough to know some things are better off not being known?"
The High Priest sighed as he linked his hands on the table in front of him, then stared down at them. "When I kissed him—the reason Atem was so angry—he accused me of putting my actual feelings for Atem on him because the Prince is 'outside my reach.' Just like his feelings are for my reincarnation in the future, not for me, my feelings are for Atem, not him. Because I felt Atem was too far above me in rank..."
"He needed you to know you aren't so far apart as everyone assumes," Mahad nodded in agreement, then frowned in puzzlement. "But that wouldn't help if Atem has no such feelings or has no idea your ranks are actually so close. And that doesn't even touch on the fact that Atem will have to wed and his wife will have to bear an heir."
"The last is moot, as we all know most of the nobility and royalty have affairs on the side, no matter how well-hidden they are. And apparently, Atem's anger came from both having said feeling for me, and from knowing how close our ranks are. It seems to be knowledge acquired in the future, somehow," Set explained. The others' eyes went wide in understanding.
"So then...what will you do?" Karim asked. "Try to decide if you actually have such feelings for the Prince? Or...are you too horrified by what he did?"
Pausing, Set thought about it for a minute, then answered, "I think I have to take the time to sort it out, otherwise, whether it's Yuugi or Atem...I have to be able to prove I mean it when I choose. If I can't...there will always be regret and uncertainty, no matter which one I choose without sorting it. Even if I don't like hearing it...Yuugi is right, and because he and Atem look so much alike, it's easy to just...move one's feelings for one to the other, not to look at each one completely independently."
His words made the others pause and think about it, too. It was Isis who voiced what they were all thinking at the time, "We may all be confusing our feelings for one with the other, potentially both ways, not just one, and if a problem like this is going to arise again, or just continue, the only way to resolve it..." She paused, then finished, "Is to know, without doubt, which feelings are directed at which of them, and how strongly."
"Then...we should take some time tonight to think about it," Karim agreed. "Though I suspect it'll take longer for Set to sort his feelings, ours shouldn't be such a depth, so should be a good deal easier to sort."
Mahad rose and said, "Once you start thinking seriously about the issue, however, you might not find it so easy to resolve. I know I won't. I can't. I'll excuse myself now, then. And Set, you should seriously consider letting another of us take Yuugi." He then walked out, even as Isis rose, bowed, and followed Mahad silently.
"There's truth to Mahad's words, both for Atem's reaction and your own confusion," Shada said quietly, reaching over to rest a hand on Set's shoulder companionably. He then rose and left.
As Karim also rose and turned to the door, the High Priest asked, "Could you use the Scales to help me weigh my heart?"
Pausing, the other man asked, "Do you have so little faith in your own ability to sort your own feelings, Set?"
"It's...hard for me to weigh a feeling I don't actively know I have."
"Then wouldn't it be better to ask Yuugi if there's a tangible reason besides their looks which makes him think you like Atem? Set, you risk losing your soul entirely if I use the Scales to weigh you, so I'd rather not use them for a personal issue."
Karim left, and Set stayed sitting at the table for awhile, deep in thought, before going back to his room, where Yuugi still laid on the bed. The boy's eyes opened as the older teen sat on the cushion, so Set couldn't resist leaning down to kiss him—only to find Yuugi rolling away from him.
"We can't do this. I'm sorry," Yuugi answered softly.
"If it's just because 'Atem won't like it,' then forget him," the other teen frowned.
"No, it's because it's not right for you, either."
At the smaller boy's soft words, Set sat back. He remembered Karim's words, so asked quietly, "What makes you think I have romantic desires for the Prince?"
To his surprise, Yuugi gave a single, sad, soft chuckle. "I don't think it, I know it."
"Then why did you let me bed you?"
"What I now know without doubt came from letting you bed me."
For a moment, Set was absolutely still and silent, not liking the implications of the boy's words. "What do you mean?" he finally asked, over a minute later.
"When we were...um...climaxing...it wasn't my name you called, Set," Yuugi told him in a soft voice, cheeks a bit red from embarrassment about the sexual talk. He felt the older teen freeze, so rolled over to face him and sat up, meeting his stunned gaze.
"It was Atem's."