A/N: There's another lemon in this chapter—marked again—but it's the last one in this story. Just skip it if you don't want to read it. Also, be aware that it's a bit longer than the previous one because they're stopping to talk in the middle, not because it's 'long'.

Energy Intensity

Right then, the door to Set's bedroom opened partway, drawing all eyes—and Yuugi immediately knew who it was, causing him to give a glad cry and run to Atem to hug him tightly. Looking a little amused, the taller of them hugged his smaller lookalike in return, then looked up at Mahad—and was surprised to see relief there.

"I thought you'd be...more angry, Mahad..." the Prince commented quietly.

"Oh, don't think I'm not, Your Highness," Mahad replied in amusement. "But I have plenty of time to make you regret your behavior once the foreigners are gone and you no longer have need to hide. For now, it is good to know you are yourself once again."

"Um—Atem, let me tap your energy to set Mirror Force around the city and Palace," Yuugi suddenly cut in, looking up at him.

With a blink, the taller teen nodded, then asked, "Why are you in a rush suddenly?"

"Just a feeling," the smaller shrugged. "The sooner it's set, the better, especially now that we know four villages have been completely destroyed."

"In the real terms of your people being from the future, Yuugi...how much of what you told the Pharaoh is absolute truth, not edited?" Mahad asked suddenly, making the others stare at him in shock.

"Most of it," Yuugi told him softly, then gave his head a shake. "But think about it for a minute, Mahad...If they take over in this era, they'll have total control in the future, and my future will never exist, because your nation won't progress the way it's supposed to."

"...Point taken," Mahad admitted tiredly.

The boy's eyes closed for a minute as he focused on something, then Atem gave a little shudder—and a moment later, a wave of magic burst from the smaller boy and spread around them, extending to cover a wider and wider range. When it stopped, the two Guardians and the Prince all stared at Yuugi in shock as his eyes opened and he gave a little grin.

"There, Mirror Force is set," he informed them.

"Not even words or a ritual..." Set muttered, reaching out to grasp Atem's arm. "Is that something you can do?"

Shaking his head, the Prince replied, "Not in all my memories, past, present, or future. I'm a lot stronger than you realize, but as I said—Yuugi can defeat me."

"Stop it," the boy in question sighed. "Let's go back to the Pharaoh for the casting. Mahad, you still have to explain it to me fully so I know what I have to do."

"Right...Let's go, then, My Prince," the man told him, lips twitching as Yuugi gave a heart-felt sigh and Atem's lips also twitched.

"Oh, now I'm hurt," the Prince complained, eyes dancing.

"And why would that be, Your Highness?" Mahad replied teasingly.

"Because I'm not your only 'Prince' anymore," Atem grinned.

"Never fear, Your Highness—I consider Yuugi in somewhat the same capacity as I would your younger brother had your parents had another child," the Priest answered. "You are still my first Prince, and nothing will break our bond."

"Good!" Yuugi announced cheerfully, making the others blink at him in surprise. "And we have to go, Mahad."

"Of course," the older man said, winking at Atem before following Yuugi from the room.

"Well, that was fun," Set commented.

Facing him, Atem asked quietly, "How much did Yuugi tell you about who he is and the future?"

Slowly, the older teen walked over to one of his windows and leaned on the ledge, asking quietly, "Are you going to be angry with him if I tell you?"

"...I don't actually have that right, because it was my actions which led to him saying as much as he did, yes?" His sad eyes gazed at the taller teen's back.

After a pause, the High Priest sighed and turned back to face him, leaning back against the ledge as he crossed his arms. It was clear he was a bit nervous, but he said, "Some of what we figured out is from small hints you and him gave. There's very little he said straight out...In fact, other than if he told Shada, Mahad, Akhenaten, or the Pharaoh something privately, the only thing he said to me is that I'm actually blood-related to you, but my father sent my mother and me away so we wouldn't be harmed if someone wanted revenge on him. And to convince me he wasn't just 'protecting you' after what you did to him, he said very simply that he's from the future, so certain things can't change now."

Atem's crimson-amethyst gaze moved to look past Set, out the window. "He wanted you to know we weren't so far apart in rank..." he said softly, then met Set's eyes sadly. "I'm so sorry for the horrible things I said to you that day, Set..."

Silence fell for a minute, then the High Priest straightened and walked over to the Prince, reaching up to wrap his arms around him tightly. "I know. I knew as soon as you fairly went insane from treating Yuugi the way you did. Still, I forgive you, and thank you for your apology. It means a lot to me that you can still be so considerate."

With a small, wry chuckle, the smaller man returned the hug and said, "Thank you, Set. I think I understand and believe you now."

For some time, they stood like that, just enjoying each other's company, before moving to the bedroom to continue the night's activities. This time, Atem faced Set as soon as they stepped inside, wanting to explore the High Priest's body the way the nineteen-year-old young man had explored his during the night. His hands ran over the strong arms as Set's hands gripped his hips and let him touch, watching his eyes intently with deep blue eyes filled with feeling—with lust of course, but also with a deeper feeling the Prince now realized was love.

(LEMON ALERT! SKIP to the next bold brackets if you don't want to read it!)

While he didn't know everything about sex, and certainly not everything about sex between men—Set definitely trumped him in that thanks to the priests' lessons on the topic—he knew some things men liked or which he wanted to try. Now, as though a cap had been removed, he wasn't nearly so timid and wanted to experiment with some of those things, which he'd never had cause to do to another before. As such, with passion, his exploration led to him disrobing the High Priest while Set still stood in front of his bedroom door.

Once he'd finished exploring, very much enjoying the feel of the other young man's body under his hands, he sunk to his knees in front of the brown haired young man and took his hard length in his mouth to lick and suck on it. Glancing up at Set's expression while he worked caused him to chuckle—the High Priest's mouth was hanging open in shock as he gazed down at him, but the blue eyes were full of heat despite the shock. Clearly, it wasn't every day a prince gave one of his 'lessers' such attention.

Somehow, knowing what he could do to Set's emotional control caused Atem to feel a surge of pride and power he hadn't realized he could feel while kneeling in front of another man. He enjoyed seeing expressions on Set's face he'd never seen before, would never see otherwise, and which were caused solely by him and his actions. Encouraged by the High Priest's response when the taller young man moaned and fell back against the door, the Prince continued his ministrations until he felt Set release into his mouth. It startled him some, so he only managed to swallow some of it, and the rest dripped down his chin to his chest.

"You really have a cocky side...don't you, Your Highness?" the High Priest teased him breathlessly in amusement, gazing with intense love and lust at the completely debauched look Atem now hand—in his mind the Prince had never looked better than he did now, wearing his release. Reaching down, Set gently took the Prince's face in both hands and tilted it up, then leaned down to kiss him deeply, tasting his own release in Atem's mouth.

"It's you. Of course I am," Atem replied impishly when the High Priest broke the kiss. With a snort, Set shoved him backwards, and Atem yelped as he fell to the floor on his back, more than a little thankful for the smooth stone of the floors.

Before the Prince quite realized it, Set had his own length in his mouth, and was giving it similar—but much more skilled—ministrations, even as Atem couldn't help but writhe and moan helplessly in pleasure. Yes, the first time had been intense, but it was no comparison to this, where he could feel not only lust, and desire, but an intense desire to please one's partner. Set was portraying that feeling of desiring Atem's pleasure, rather than his own, and he could somehow feel it, as though their souls were bonded and sharing one another's emotions. Had Set felt that intensity, that same desire to please his partner, from him when he'd been the one doing the pleasuring?

More than anything, he hoped so, hoped they were both on the same page on that, because it felt somehow sacred to feel such a true, pure feeling.

The Prince's thoughts were distracted as he suddenly came to a release, and he realized he'd given himself over freely to his body's sensations, panting, moaning, and nearly screaming out his pleasure. Set also had more experience, so swallowed all of his release, then moved up to kiss him deeply again, both of them tasting both of their releases with the kiss.

"Amazing...When you give your all, this is like...Godly pleasure...I'd thought it was good when you held back, but...Nothing will ever compare to this," Set whispered to him, reaching down to strip him of his robes.

"Considering I have much less idea of what I'm doing than you do...That means a lot," Atem chuckled a bit, voice breathy as he tried to calm his panting back to normal breathing.

"You've missed something, then, My Prince, because 'sex' and 'pleasing your partner' was always about putting their pleasure before your own and giving your all to that cause, it was never in technique," the High Priest informed him gently, suddenly pushing himself up, reaching down to pick Atem up in both arms, then carried him to the pallet and laid him on the largest cushion. "What do you think happens when both partners seek the other's pleasure before their own?"

Pausing, Atem blinked, then his eyes widened in understanding as he met Set's gaze and gave a nod. "Then what are you teaching to people?" he asked softly, curious now about that.

"Most people don't have a partner they love as well as lusting after, and most men—and yes, our experience is that the fault is nearly always the man's—seek their own pleasure rather than their partner's pleasure. We teach them to enjoy the other's pleasure, to find new ways of reaching pleasurable highs for both partners, and sometimes just how to 'have sex', such as if the partners are the same gender or grew up overly sheltered. You weren't any of those, but I daresay you barely remember the technique behind preparing a male partner, even as it is, so those things need to be taught—imagine how much harm a man could do to another man without preparation."

"I see...Um...can we not talk about that anymore? It's ruining the mood..."

Set laughed at that, then kissed Atem deeply, hands running over his chest and playing with his nipples as he did. The pleasure grabbed them both up so much faster that time, and Atem returned the favor of the attention to the nipples while they kissed, and gradually, while seeking pleasure, they began grinding against each other. Being on top, the High Priest was able to apply more pressure, and Atem let out a growling groan—and rolled them over so Set was below him.

Fiercely, he kissed the taller teen, feeling somehow like he was sealing an exchange by taking control this time. He knew how good it felt to be penetrated, at least by Set, and he wanted the taller young man to feel that same pleasure, or more. Their tongues battled for dominance for a time, but Atem wasn't backing down, not this time, and the High Priest evidently realized that and let him take control. It reminded him eerily of his own acceptance of Set's control the first time, and the exchange he was sealing suddenly made sense. It was a pledge, to each other, exchanging their power and giving their all to the other, strength, love, support, pleasure.

By the High Priest's acceptance, it was both their wills, and Atem wouldn't have it any other way.

The intensity grew, every touch all-consuming as the Prince reached down to Set's anus to prepare him, glad the oil had been left out from the night before. He knew how, but the taller young man was right in saying it had been awhile, so he would take his time and make sure he did it right—the last thing he wanted was to hurt his partner. So, his oiled fingers slipped inside the other's body one at a time, as he felt the muscles loosening until finally the other young man was prepared.

It had been so long that Atem barely remembered the sensation of being inside a man's body, but as he slid into Set's, he was sure it hadn't felt like he'd died and gone to the Afterlife. It was like silk, pure pleasure—and didn't he have a spot to find in Set's body? Yes, the same one the High Priest had found in his, he remembered. As the body under his arched, he began pulsing, shifting each time for the first few to find that one most intense spot. On the fifth thrust, Set arched and nearly screamed with pleasure, letting him know he'd found it—had his reaction to finding it been like that? If so, it wasn't a wonder men were encouraged to find it, as it was a singularly intense and erotic image for a sexual partner to see.

Finally, after pounding into that spot until neither could take the pleasure any longer, the release came. Last time, Atem hadn't heard any specific name being called, but this time, he heard the High Priest shout, "Atem!" at nearly the top of his lungs as he came. The combination of hearing his name and the muscles tightening around him caused the Prince to climax as well, even as he groaned, "Set..."

While the Prince collapsed onto the High Priest and they lay there panting for a few minutes, Set shifted and slipped his fingers into Atem's opening to loosen it. "As good as that was, we're not finished yet," the High Priest whispered impishly in Atem's ear.

Groaning a bit and rousing himself a bit the Prince looked up at Set and asked, "You have enough energy for another round?"

"I'm a lot more used to this than you are, so yes," the High Priest replied smugly. "You'll get used to it, too, after awhile. In the meantime, I want to try you in a new position, one a little more compatible with your own exhaustion." Set was entirely amused and more than a little excited at the prospect, so Atem gave a small smile and a nod, giving his permission to play a bit.

Sitting up, Set grabbed and piled up a few of his cushions, then eased the Prince up and into a position where he lay on his belly on the stack of cushions, knees on the pallet and hands braced on another cushion which was still laying around randomly. Atem felt oddly vulnerable in this position as the High Priest's hand caressed his ass, but then he felt a surge of pleasure and joy as the other young man whispered, "Beautiful. Mine..."

The feeling in the words nearly brought him to a release, and Atem spread his legs wider on some sort of instinct he had never known he could have in this position. Set's fingers slipped into him for a few moments just to make sure the earlier preparation while they'd still been recovering from the last round was enough. Apparently, the High Priest felt it was, so knelt behind and between the Prince's thighs, placing his length at the smaller young man's opening.

When he slid in this time, it felt so very different from the first, and he arched back at the sensation, driving Set deeper into his body—quite willingly at that, as his moan of pleasure proved. The High Priest's chuckle made Atem retort absently, "Next time, I'll take you this way, and see if you still laugh."

"No, that's not why I'm laughing," Set denied, then leaned down to whisper in Atem's ear, "Your sensitivity amazes me, and makes you so much more pleasurable of a partner. What I can do to you, please you with such small things...That's why I'm chuckling. You're truly a gem, My Prince."

Before Atem could reply, Set began thrusting into him hard and fast, rather than with a gradually building tempo like the previous time. On the first thrust, he struck the Prince's prostate, and Atem shouted, "Set!" with that first thrust. Afterwards, he was reduced to loud moans and groans as he quickly lost coherency at the intensity, his only grounding force the High Priest's hands gripping his hips. If not for that, he felt like he could just...fly away. If that was what sex with a person you loved felt like, he'd never want anything else, and was glad he'd taken the chance on Set at last.

Finally, there was a last impact and both climaxed at the same moment, shouting each other's names before collapsing in a heap and the cushions under Atem collapsed sideways.

(END OF LEMON!)

"Stupid cushions..." muttered Atem as he and Set readily wound themselves around each other.

Chuckling, Set answered, "But that means the release was especially good. So, was it?"

"Yes, it was. They're still stupid cushions."

"As you wish. Know I have neither doubts nor regrets, none at all. I love you."

After a pause where Set feared Atem had fallen asleep, the Prince answered with such a heart-felt, "I love you as well," that the High Priest knew everything would be all right between them. No matter how long it took Atem to truly believe he'd chosen him.

PA-HPS-YM-SK

After the casting the Pharaoh, Priest Akhenaten, and Yuugi did, they all pretty much collapsed into the nearest seats, the Pharaoh in one corner where a kind of chaise and many cushions had been piled, his brother in another near the door, and the acting Prince against the back wall, on what was basically a pile of pillows. They were tired, exhausted from expending so much energy, and Yuugi was grateful he could lay down while the older men were pretty much forced to sit.

"Yuugi," the Pharaoh began after a minute, then paused. Finally, he went on with his question, "Did you just provide fully half the energy for the casting?"

"Um...I don't know. I just know I put in what I could spare," the boy replied, not stirring. His eyes were closed, and he had no intention of opening them.

"What about setting up Mirror Force?" Akhenaten retorted sharply.

"Done—did it before getting back for the casting. I used energy I felt I could spare, taking into account what I need to support and activate Mirror Force," Yuugi informed them in a flat voice.

Silence fell for a moment, then Ahknemkhanen asked, "The wave of energy we felt expanding while we waited for you...Was it Mirror Force?"

"Probably. Set and Atem were shocked by the energy I put out for it, too. Only, either Atem or I can activate it if needed, since I keyed his energy into the Mirror Force spell when I put it up. I told him I was 'borrowing' his energy for it, and I'm sure he thinks he's helping to support it, but I didn't do that. After all, the Gods know they can return me to my homeland legally dead and there's a good chance they can revive me, but you don't have that luxury, and I can't risk your true Prince that way. I'll take the full brunt of it, and if I die, the rest is in the Gods' hands, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine."

"I hope your words are true, Yuugi," the older man said quietly. "I may not wish to lose my son...however...I also do not wish for harm to come to you. You have done so much for us, and all you have gotten in return is danger and work which should never have been yours to bear. Forgive me."

"Even if you say that, it's in my nature to want to help those in need, Pharaoh," the boy replied in faint amusement. "I put myself in danger for others, for my friends, for people I care about, for those who can't protect themselves. I'd have done it anyway, just because I live here right now."

"...I would still rather see no harm come to you," the Pharaoh replied dryly. "In this time since you have been taking my son's place, I have come to see you much as a second son. Forgive me for having ignored you upon your arrival here."

"It was something I expected, and Atem actually said it was good you were ignoring me, since it meant you weren't actually opposed to having a complete stranger here," Yuugi explained as he shifted a bit to a more comfortable position.

"That is true," Akhenaten commented. "Ahknemkhanen, you could never have been expected to have immediately forged a bond with the boy, and he also needed time to adapt to this land before you could have placed burdens or responsibility upon him." It was the first time Yuugi had heard the Priest address the Pharaoh so informally, and it made him curious.

"Priest Akhenaten, why are you always so formal with your own brother?" he asked curiously into the silence following the Priest's statement.

Silence fell for a moment, then the Vizier-Priest answered, "As children, we were kept apart so we were never able to develop a familiarity."

"How sad..." the boy sighed, making the men chuckle in understanding. It still amazed them both how Yuugi could care so much about others, but they also would never change it for anything.