Disclaimer: Please give me credit when it's due, but other than that, I don't own any characters -_-
Author's Note: I take it that some people were interested in this fic ^_^ Well, here goes…I'm going to reply to some of my reviewers!!
Algol: *taps chin in thought* Yep…poor Yami, but don't worry! He'll be all the happier when I get this finished-o! Hehe ^_~ As you might have noticed, I'm just a little bit crazy (I'd have to be rich to be eccentric, which I'm far from) and I love putting the characters through a bit of trouble before making them happy. It's more appealing and realistic!!
Solitaire: What can I say? I'm psychotic…okay, other than that, I'm glad you liked the fic, so far. It was a one shot deal that turned out to be a little bit more than that. Whoops, I guess my imagination ran away with me, or maybe it ran from me?? As for my writing style…it isn't that original, but it's all MINE!! Hahahaha!
Blue September: Gladly! I just love writing all this stuff! It doesn't matter who it is, and since I hadn't tried an actual Yami/Seto pairing fic, I thought it was time to write one. I guess this is what I get from watching too much Yu-Gi-Oh! and Queer As Folk…heh, I have a very dirty yaoi mind. The angst and the drama just work their own way in there…it has nothing to do with me ^o^ Okay, maybe it does, but just a little bit. Hope you like the next part! It's the suspense that kills!
Tikira/Satori Opaque: *blushes* I didn't know my writing was that good, but thanks anyway. As far as the title is concerned, I must confess…I completely suck at coming up with extremely original ones. I'm the person that gets an idea and goes with it until a story is done. Titles are left for more creative people that don't include me in their ranks. Anyway, I suppose I could do better, but who knows…between writing Dark Golden Light, it's sequel, Sins Of The Sand, and a Ryou/Bakura/Jounouchi fic I just started called Knife Lines, it gets difficult to keep up with what I'm doing.
Cruel Angel: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter ^_^
Ah, well, I think I rambled enough. Enjoy the third part! (And kill me when he find out where I left it off…mwahahaha…evil cliffhanger!! You've been warned!) Oh, and the beginning is told from Yami's point of view and then after that it's all Seto!! R&R!!
More guards.
Tighter security.
My life would never cease to be difficult, and I soon found this out as I was forced to my room by the advice of my other priests and advisers, expected to wait for the danger to lessen as if I were a small child. This had happened several times before, but with my consent, and it wasn't like I was a coward that hid behind hired sentry. Apparently, however, I hadn't been convincing enough. When the other nobles had found that Seth had protected me, they had not even offered him any gratitude -staring at him with suspicion- most likely thinking that it was his obligation for being faithful to a king or else something more sinister I did not want to think about at the moment. My anger rose at this thought -I wanted him to be thanked correctly- but as I stared down at the dusty roads and high pillars of the land from the open balcony, I felt that familiar feeling of sorrow washing over me, and I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching tightly.
Who were they to push me around like this? Wasn't I pharaoh? Wasn't I ruler above all of them? Wasn't I just…human?
Turning, I stalked out of my room, pushing aside the two sentinels standing in front of the door and briskly walked down the hallway, ignoring the fact that the soldiers I had shoved out of the way were hastily trailing me. I was going to prove that I had the power to deal with such infidelity and mistrust of my council, and the first thing that entered my mind was to see Seth and confess everything to him. I was tired of being afraid, tired of hiding away within in the confines of the responsibility that being a pharaoh demanded, and most of all…
I was tired of being alone.
Of course, the requirement for finding a wife so that I might bear an heir to sustain my power to the throne had arisen, but I had pushed it aside with neither a care nor a worry. I didn't care that I was being plotted against -perhaps by my own supposed supporters- nor was I bothered by the fact that those that wanted to overthrow me were out to murder me; it was the fact that the only one I ever seemed capable of loving hated me and had killed for me that troubled me so.
Well, not anymore…I was going to tell him everything, even if it meant surrendering to those that wanted to see me dead.
Even if it meant I was to be destroyed by the one I cared most for-
Seth.
** ** **
I stared down at my hands, wondering, thinking, and trying to figure out why I had done what I had this morning, which seemed so far away. It had been part of the plan -wait until the pharaoh had positioned himself so that he was alone and then kill him, and it had been solid proof; I had went over the smallest details myself. What had gotten into me? The assailant could have killed him easily, with the blade positioned to stab directly through his back and puncture his heart, but it had been the way he had looked at me -as if trying to judge my soul as well as his before he had pulled away, too nervous to say anything- that had been my down fall, not to mention the things that he tried to keep hidden. It was no secret that our mighty king wasn't the slightest interested in women, in marrying, or in a wife -he had discarded the idea as he would one of the giant stone carvings decorated with the creatures from the Shadow Games- and, as I had found out just the night before, it was no secret that he wanted me instead.
I was mutely surprised, to say the least. That and perhaps a bit stunned. I had been walking the corridors -I hated festivals with a passion although I was High Priest- several different thoughts running through my mind; most of them centered on the Sennen Rod and how I was to obtain it, my birthright. I had found myself outside of the pharaoh's sleeping chambers then, when I'd finally taken notice of my surroundings for the first time, and I had heard him cry out, almost as if he were in pain. Guards had been positioned further on down the hall and I was sure that they couldn't hear, and only being curious, I glanced into the room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness of the place. It took me a moment to realize what I was staring at, and when it hit, I choked, my hand instantly over my mouth to keep me from saying anything. The pharaoh -our innocent king- was lying across his bed, touching himself with vigor as he tossed and turned his head, his lean hips bucking upwards. I stared, almost hypnotized by the way he moved sensually, and that was when I heard it…my name across his lips as he came.
"Seth-"
I had fled then, confused and somewhat horrified at the scene. The pharaoh had called out my name, and did that mean he had been imagining me doing that to him?
I leaned back against the wall of the temple, still thinking, and I knew if I had been asked, I would've had to have been honest and say that I wouldn't mind taking the pharaoh as a lover, no matter how much I wanted to overthrow his rule. He was beautiful -that was the first thing I thought about- with his thin, tanned body that glistened beneath the sun or any light for that matter and slanted crimson eyes beneath a mass of tangled golden hair that rose into thick spikes of black and red, but what really drew me was his personality, his ability to pretend and fool those that he did not trust. Closing my eyes, I thought back to the image of the pharaoh sprawled on his back, his hand working endlessly on his hardened length, and I sighed, wishing that I could, at least once, do that to him.
"Seth." Ah, yes, just to hear that low sultry voice of his rising in passion beneath me would be enough to satisfy my curiosity before I killed him, and that was when I became torn between my lust for the pharaoh and the craving to take his power for my own. How could I have let this happen to me? I was supposed to be the stronger one, the one without any 'mortal' desires, but-
"Seth…" Again that distinct Egyptian tone? Gods, this was turning out to be an even more realistic fantasy than I had thought. "I must talk with you." My eyes flew open and I stared, astonished, at the image of the pharaoh, his face solemn and eyes shadowed. I stood immediately, lowering my head to avoid his gaze although I was taller, by far, than he, and I could feel it, my erection, pressing against my thigh within the confines of my kilt.
I silently prayed to Ra that he didn't notice it.
"Pharaoh…I thought you were supposed to be-" He cut me off with a hand to my shoulder, and I resisted the urge to jump.
"I…I wanted to thank you…for saving me earlier today. I know the other priests did not seem as thrilled with your actions, but I…I appreciated it." His voice wavered, and I could tell he was nervous; it was obvious in the way he clutched at the pyramidal puzzle- a habit of his I knew quite well.
"You shouldn't thank me, Highness…it was just-" He tightened his grip on me, and I turned to glance at him, watching with fascination as his face altered from serious to…heart-filled?
"Please, allow me to finish," he whispered, suddenly closer to me than I had realized; his chest was pressed to my arm and his chin with level with my bicep. I only nodded, by breath gone. "There are…things that I've heard about…about you wanting to-to dethrone me, and I-"
"Pharaoh, anyone who would want to dethrone you would have to be crazy," I mumbled, rising a laugh out of him although it was somewhat strained. If he was going to make a point, he had better get to it or I was going to do something the both of us, especially I, would regret.
"I…I suppose you are right, Seth…please, forgive me. I must sound so ridiculous to you, coming in here and saying these things when all I ever wanted was for you to-" He stopped, staring up at me with doubt in the exquisite ruby orbs of his eyes, and I reached forward, drawing my hand across his cheek to cup his angular jaw in my palm. He gazed up at me, his throat working as he swallowed uncertainly, and I gave him a small smile.
"Wanted me to what?" The pharaoh opened his mouth, adding detail to his straight white teeth and the tiny reddened tongue that swept across his lower lip as he wet it, obviously contemplating. I suddenly had the most intense urge to lean down and claim it for my own. The impulse was so strong that I had a take a step back before I went crazy with the desire to feel him…everywhere.
Gods, I couldn't be having these feelings for the pharaoh, for the person I had sworn to overthrow, but…but they were real and they were still there even as he looked intently into my soul with those burning spheres of promises to come.
"F-for you to…to love me," he whispered weakly, lowering his head in obvious defeat, thinking that I would not return his affection. And, I wouldn't have -I knew he had been molded into living without the warmth of family, friends, or lovers- if it hadn't been for the exact same thing flowing through me.
If it hadn't been for my devotion or the acceptance I wanted to give him, I would have pushed him away, but I didn't.
Instead, I pulled his lithe body closer, encircling this taut form within my arms while I compelled him to stand on the tips of his toes as my mouth descended, claiming his already questing lips with my own. It was hesitant, that first kiss, and I tried to show him my encouragement by sliding my tongue over the firmly pressed entrance. At first he resisted, remaining tense in my embrace, but he finally succumbed to the intensity of it, sighing wordlessly into my mouth as he skimmed his delicate fingers up my chest and tightened them in my hair, bringing me even closer to his height. My own hands were busily sliding up his partially curved back, stroking at the smooth, warm skin I found, and he purred appreciatively in my mouth; a sound I would never forget my entire existence. The pharaoh pushed himself fully against me, sending sparks through my mind and completely reviving the arousal I had tried to control, and he murmured approvingly -the thickness of his unintelligible Egyptian words heightening my desires- before he slid his mouth away and rested his forehead against the upper part of my chest, his breathing hard.
I continued to hold him -my mind telling me to flee while my heart beckoned me to stay- and I felt him shuddering. Initially, I thought it was because of my hands still caressing the silky skin of his spine, but when I pulled them away to rest them on his hips, he shook harder. I held him at half an arm's length away and noticed the wetness trailing down his cheeks from beneath his tightly shut eyes. Was the strong and resilient pharaoh crying? For me?
"Highness?" The tiny sounds that escaped him couldn't count for sobs, but they were something and that something tore at my heart.
"I…I thought I could just ignore it, this feeling that I had…after all, it was wrong to think of you in that way," he spoke meekly, turning his head away as more tears slipped down the sides of his face. "I…I thought I could just pretend… like-like I always did that you…that you were never here, but…but it got worse."
"Pharaoh, I-" He glanced up at me, his eyes protesting against the things I would have tried to say, and I remained quiet. After all, he was my king, and although I wanted to put an end to his reign, I could deny him nothing.
"At times I would wonder why…why I even tried…you wouldn't notice me…you made it clear that you hated me, and all I could do was watch…watch from a distance as my heart broke because you would never return the feelings I had for you. But today…today made me realize that now, more than ever, all I would be…to you…to everyone…was a king that deserved to die because…because no one cared…I-I-" He broke off, burying his face into my chest as he wept hard, soaking my skin with his warm tears. I had never known…all this time…I had never known that my feigned act of dislike had broken my pharaoh's heart. I hadn't wanted that to happen; I had only wanted him to suffer as I had, feel the pain I had known, but instead, I had crushed his entire reality and the burning spirit that I had admired so much about him.
"Pharaoh, I…I'm sorry." It was the best I could come up with, and coming from me -a High Priest of Egypt- it was rather sad, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed to help him grip sanity, and he slowly pulled back, cheeks wet and eyes shining as he smiled boldly at me, as if he were hiding something.
"I want to accept your apology, Seth, but it should be I asking you for forgiveness…I must look like a complete fool crying all over you. It's obvious why so many would want to kill me," he replied slowly, his expression fading back into the one filled with remorse and pain. I gripped his face in my hand, softly stroking my thumb over the flesh of his bottom lip. He trembled against me.
"The only fools are those that try to kill you, Highness. I think nothing less of you." His eyes drifted shut as he leaned into my touch.
"Then show me what you really think of me, Seth…please…"
Begging.
I could have laughed at that, but I didn't. I had the mightiest leader of our country begging. Somewhere, inside myself, I knew it was wrong to take pride in that small detail but I did, and I wanted to prove to him that what I said was the truth. Forgetting the plots of treason and betrayal formed against the beautiful pharaoh in my arms and the fact that we were in the middle of another temple, I pulled him closer, preparing to kiss him again, wanting to taste that sweetness that radiated only from him, when two men ushered in, obviously out of breath. Apparently, the pharaoh had done a little maneuvering of his own. He drew slowly away, taking a familiar position -arms crossed and back stiff- that I knew more than I should have.
It was his commanding stance.
"I did not ask to be followed," he began steadily, his voice diminished of any emotion, and I stepped farther away, giving both of us room. If anyone saw us this way…
The consequences would have been more than I could have handled.
"I…we apologize, Highness, but we had our orders to make sure that you did not-" I watched as he scowled, his hand clenching into a fist at his side.
"Who is it that gave you these orders? Am I not pharaoh? I go where I please…now, be gone or else I shall have to deal with your insubordination in a less friendly manner." The two men bowed, the same one who had spoken apologizing for their fault, and they quickly exited the way they had come, rather fast; I wouldn't have been caught under his anger either. He turned to look at me then, a small smile on his lips and immediately went back into my embrace, pressing himself as close to me as he could managed, almost as if he were a second skin. This position seemed to get neither of us anywhere except against the sandstone wall, heatedly engaging in another mind-numbing kiss. His slender hands were once again twining themselves into my hair, never relenting in their shivering caress as his mouth plundered the recesses of mine, driving a strangled moan up from my throat. I was barely able to pull back before he had me pinned to the barrier of the temple, his hands sliding down through my scalp to ravish my sides.
If anyone would have told me that this slight youth with his frame edging more towards skinny and almost passive will would have had me up against the wall, assaulting me with a hot tongue and avid hands, I would have laughed, but now…I didn't know.
I wanted the pharaoh, that much was obvious, but could we be together? Even if it was only once?
"Highness, I don't think-" It was hard to tell him no, after all of this, and it was even more difficult with the heart-breaking look he was giving me, but I had to be strong. I had to be…everything that I didn't want to be.
"B-but why?" His voice was tiny, and I could tell he was scared -of rejection? of pain? of something I couldn't comprehend?- and it was more than I could handle. How many times had he been denied although he had everything he wished to have? How was it that he could come out stronger when it evidently tore him apart inside?
I was such a fool.
"If they found out…you'd only bring another weakness upon you, Highness. I could not allow that to happen." He tried offering a small smile, but it faded away, leaving pain written across his handsome face.
"You are and never will be a weakness to me…Seth. I'm sorry," he replied tightly, his lips pressing together as he turned around and withdrew from me, disappearing quickly into that shell he had developed after years of hardship. I wanted to erase it all; I wanted him to have everything he could never have had being pharaoh…
I wanted him.
The other priests and their plans be damned-
A/N: Go ahead…tell me I'm evil-
Yami: YOU'RE EVIL!! How could you do that to me…to Seto…to-to them?! *frantically paces around the room*
I don't know…because I could??
Yami: You're driving me crazy…you're almost as bad as my Aibou.
Hmm? What was that? Almost as bad as who?
Yami: Forget it…I'm going to find something to kill! *stalks out*
Umm…don't hurt the pigeons like you did last time…or Bakura! He wasn't too thrilled when you hit him with that dead bird…although it was rather funny. N E way, review and you'll get to read the next and final part! Be warned…a romantic yaoi lemon scene follows *wink wink*
Author's Note: I take it that some people were interested in this fic ^_^ Well, here goes…I'm going to reply to some of my reviewers!!
Algol: *taps chin in thought* Yep…poor Yami, but don't worry! He'll be all the happier when I get this finished-o! Hehe ^_~ As you might have noticed, I'm just a little bit crazy (I'd have to be rich to be eccentric, which I'm far from) and I love putting the characters through a bit of trouble before making them happy. It's more appealing and realistic!!
Solitaire: What can I say? I'm psychotic…okay, other than that, I'm glad you liked the fic, so far. It was a one shot deal that turned out to be a little bit more than that. Whoops, I guess my imagination ran away with me, or maybe it ran from me?? As for my writing style…it isn't that original, but it's all MINE!! Hahahaha!
Blue September: Gladly! I just love writing all this stuff! It doesn't matter who it is, and since I hadn't tried an actual Yami/Seto pairing fic, I thought it was time to write one. I guess this is what I get from watching too much Yu-Gi-Oh! and Queer As Folk…heh, I have a very dirty yaoi mind. The angst and the drama just work their own way in there…it has nothing to do with me ^o^ Okay, maybe it does, but just a little bit. Hope you like the next part! It's the suspense that kills!
Tikira/Satori Opaque: *blushes* I didn't know my writing was that good, but thanks anyway. As far as the title is concerned, I must confess…I completely suck at coming up with extremely original ones. I'm the person that gets an idea and goes with it until a story is done. Titles are left for more creative people that don't include me in their ranks. Anyway, I suppose I could do better, but who knows…between writing Dark Golden Light, it's sequel, Sins Of The Sand, and a Ryou/Bakura/Jounouchi fic I just started called Knife Lines, it gets difficult to keep up with what I'm doing.
Cruel Angel: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter ^_^
Ah, well, I think I rambled enough. Enjoy the third part! (And kill me when he find out where I left it off…mwahahaha…evil cliffhanger!! You've been warned!) Oh, and the beginning is told from Yami's point of view and then after that it's all Seto!! R&R!!
More guards.
Tighter security.
My life would never cease to be difficult, and I soon found this out as I was forced to my room by the advice of my other priests and advisers, expected to wait for the danger to lessen as if I were a small child. This had happened several times before, but with my consent, and it wasn't like I was a coward that hid behind hired sentry. Apparently, however, I hadn't been convincing enough. When the other nobles had found that Seth had protected me, they had not even offered him any gratitude -staring at him with suspicion- most likely thinking that it was his obligation for being faithful to a king or else something more sinister I did not want to think about at the moment. My anger rose at this thought -I wanted him to be thanked correctly- but as I stared down at the dusty roads and high pillars of the land from the open balcony, I felt that familiar feeling of sorrow washing over me, and I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching tightly.
Who were they to push me around like this? Wasn't I pharaoh? Wasn't I ruler above all of them? Wasn't I just…human?
Turning, I stalked out of my room, pushing aside the two sentinels standing in front of the door and briskly walked down the hallway, ignoring the fact that the soldiers I had shoved out of the way were hastily trailing me. I was going to prove that I had the power to deal with such infidelity and mistrust of my council, and the first thing that entered my mind was to see Seth and confess everything to him. I was tired of being afraid, tired of hiding away within in the confines of the responsibility that being a pharaoh demanded, and most of all…
I was tired of being alone.
Of course, the requirement for finding a wife so that I might bear an heir to sustain my power to the throne had arisen, but I had pushed it aside with neither a care nor a worry. I didn't care that I was being plotted against -perhaps by my own supposed supporters- nor was I bothered by the fact that those that wanted to overthrow me were out to murder me; it was the fact that the only one I ever seemed capable of loving hated me and had killed for me that troubled me so.
Well, not anymore…I was going to tell him everything, even if it meant surrendering to those that wanted to see me dead.
Even if it meant I was to be destroyed by the one I cared most for-
Seth.
** ** **
I stared down at my hands, wondering, thinking, and trying to figure out why I had done what I had this morning, which seemed so far away. It had been part of the plan -wait until the pharaoh had positioned himself so that he was alone and then kill him, and it had been solid proof; I had went over the smallest details myself. What had gotten into me? The assailant could have killed him easily, with the blade positioned to stab directly through his back and puncture his heart, but it had been the way he had looked at me -as if trying to judge my soul as well as his before he had pulled away, too nervous to say anything- that had been my down fall, not to mention the things that he tried to keep hidden. It was no secret that our mighty king wasn't the slightest interested in women, in marrying, or in a wife -he had discarded the idea as he would one of the giant stone carvings decorated with the creatures from the Shadow Games- and, as I had found out just the night before, it was no secret that he wanted me instead.
I was mutely surprised, to say the least. That and perhaps a bit stunned. I had been walking the corridors -I hated festivals with a passion although I was High Priest- several different thoughts running through my mind; most of them centered on the Sennen Rod and how I was to obtain it, my birthright. I had found myself outside of the pharaoh's sleeping chambers then, when I'd finally taken notice of my surroundings for the first time, and I had heard him cry out, almost as if he were in pain. Guards had been positioned further on down the hall and I was sure that they couldn't hear, and only being curious, I glanced into the room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness of the place. It took me a moment to realize what I was staring at, and when it hit, I choked, my hand instantly over my mouth to keep me from saying anything. The pharaoh -our innocent king- was lying across his bed, touching himself with vigor as he tossed and turned his head, his lean hips bucking upwards. I stared, almost hypnotized by the way he moved sensually, and that was when I heard it…my name across his lips as he came.
"Seth-"
I had fled then, confused and somewhat horrified at the scene. The pharaoh had called out my name, and did that mean he had been imagining me doing that to him?
I leaned back against the wall of the temple, still thinking, and I knew if I had been asked, I would've had to have been honest and say that I wouldn't mind taking the pharaoh as a lover, no matter how much I wanted to overthrow his rule. He was beautiful -that was the first thing I thought about- with his thin, tanned body that glistened beneath the sun or any light for that matter and slanted crimson eyes beneath a mass of tangled golden hair that rose into thick spikes of black and red, but what really drew me was his personality, his ability to pretend and fool those that he did not trust. Closing my eyes, I thought back to the image of the pharaoh sprawled on his back, his hand working endlessly on his hardened length, and I sighed, wishing that I could, at least once, do that to him.
"Seth." Ah, yes, just to hear that low sultry voice of his rising in passion beneath me would be enough to satisfy my curiosity before I killed him, and that was when I became torn between my lust for the pharaoh and the craving to take his power for my own. How could I have let this happen to me? I was supposed to be the stronger one, the one without any 'mortal' desires, but-
"Seth…" Again that distinct Egyptian tone? Gods, this was turning out to be an even more realistic fantasy than I had thought. "I must talk with you." My eyes flew open and I stared, astonished, at the image of the pharaoh, his face solemn and eyes shadowed. I stood immediately, lowering my head to avoid his gaze although I was taller, by far, than he, and I could feel it, my erection, pressing against my thigh within the confines of my kilt.
I silently prayed to Ra that he didn't notice it.
"Pharaoh…I thought you were supposed to be-" He cut me off with a hand to my shoulder, and I resisted the urge to jump.
"I…I wanted to thank you…for saving me earlier today. I know the other priests did not seem as thrilled with your actions, but I…I appreciated it." His voice wavered, and I could tell he was nervous; it was obvious in the way he clutched at the pyramidal puzzle- a habit of his I knew quite well.
"You shouldn't thank me, Highness…it was just-" He tightened his grip on me, and I turned to glance at him, watching with fascination as his face altered from serious to…heart-filled?
"Please, allow me to finish," he whispered, suddenly closer to me than I had realized; his chest was pressed to my arm and his chin with level with my bicep. I only nodded, by breath gone. "There are…things that I've heard about…about you wanting to-to dethrone me, and I-"
"Pharaoh, anyone who would want to dethrone you would have to be crazy," I mumbled, rising a laugh out of him although it was somewhat strained. If he was going to make a point, he had better get to it or I was going to do something the both of us, especially I, would regret.
"I…I suppose you are right, Seth…please, forgive me. I must sound so ridiculous to you, coming in here and saying these things when all I ever wanted was for you to-" He stopped, staring up at me with doubt in the exquisite ruby orbs of his eyes, and I reached forward, drawing my hand across his cheek to cup his angular jaw in my palm. He gazed up at me, his throat working as he swallowed uncertainly, and I gave him a small smile.
"Wanted me to what?" The pharaoh opened his mouth, adding detail to his straight white teeth and the tiny reddened tongue that swept across his lower lip as he wet it, obviously contemplating. I suddenly had the most intense urge to lean down and claim it for my own. The impulse was so strong that I had a take a step back before I went crazy with the desire to feel him…everywhere.
Gods, I couldn't be having these feelings for the pharaoh, for the person I had sworn to overthrow, but…but they were real and they were still there even as he looked intently into my soul with those burning spheres of promises to come.
"F-for you to…to love me," he whispered weakly, lowering his head in obvious defeat, thinking that I would not return his affection. And, I wouldn't have -I knew he had been molded into living without the warmth of family, friends, or lovers- if it hadn't been for the exact same thing flowing through me.
If it hadn't been for my devotion or the acceptance I wanted to give him, I would have pushed him away, but I didn't.
Instead, I pulled his lithe body closer, encircling this taut form within my arms while I compelled him to stand on the tips of his toes as my mouth descended, claiming his already questing lips with my own. It was hesitant, that first kiss, and I tried to show him my encouragement by sliding my tongue over the firmly pressed entrance. At first he resisted, remaining tense in my embrace, but he finally succumbed to the intensity of it, sighing wordlessly into my mouth as he skimmed his delicate fingers up my chest and tightened them in my hair, bringing me even closer to his height. My own hands were busily sliding up his partially curved back, stroking at the smooth, warm skin I found, and he purred appreciatively in my mouth; a sound I would never forget my entire existence. The pharaoh pushed himself fully against me, sending sparks through my mind and completely reviving the arousal I had tried to control, and he murmured approvingly -the thickness of his unintelligible Egyptian words heightening my desires- before he slid his mouth away and rested his forehead against the upper part of my chest, his breathing hard.
I continued to hold him -my mind telling me to flee while my heart beckoned me to stay- and I felt him shuddering. Initially, I thought it was because of my hands still caressing the silky skin of his spine, but when I pulled them away to rest them on his hips, he shook harder. I held him at half an arm's length away and noticed the wetness trailing down his cheeks from beneath his tightly shut eyes. Was the strong and resilient pharaoh crying? For me?
"Highness?" The tiny sounds that escaped him couldn't count for sobs, but they were something and that something tore at my heart.
"I…I thought I could just ignore it, this feeling that I had…after all, it was wrong to think of you in that way," he spoke meekly, turning his head away as more tears slipped down the sides of his face. "I…I thought I could just pretend… like-like I always did that you…that you were never here, but…but it got worse."
"Pharaoh, I-" He glanced up at me, his eyes protesting against the things I would have tried to say, and I remained quiet. After all, he was my king, and although I wanted to put an end to his reign, I could deny him nothing.
"At times I would wonder why…why I even tried…you wouldn't notice me…you made it clear that you hated me, and all I could do was watch…watch from a distance as my heart broke because you would never return the feelings I had for you. But today…today made me realize that now, more than ever, all I would be…to you…to everyone…was a king that deserved to die because…because no one cared…I-I-" He broke off, burying his face into my chest as he wept hard, soaking my skin with his warm tears. I had never known…all this time…I had never known that my feigned act of dislike had broken my pharaoh's heart. I hadn't wanted that to happen; I had only wanted him to suffer as I had, feel the pain I had known, but instead, I had crushed his entire reality and the burning spirit that I had admired so much about him.
"Pharaoh, I…I'm sorry." It was the best I could come up with, and coming from me -a High Priest of Egypt- it was rather sad, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed to help him grip sanity, and he slowly pulled back, cheeks wet and eyes shining as he smiled boldly at me, as if he were hiding something.
"I want to accept your apology, Seth, but it should be I asking you for forgiveness…I must look like a complete fool crying all over you. It's obvious why so many would want to kill me," he replied slowly, his expression fading back into the one filled with remorse and pain. I gripped his face in my hand, softly stroking my thumb over the flesh of his bottom lip. He trembled against me.
"The only fools are those that try to kill you, Highness. I think nothing less of you." His eyes drifted shut as he leaned into my touch.
"Then show me what you really think of me, Seth…please…"
Begging.
I could have laughed at that, but I didn't. I had the mightiest leader of our country begging. Somewhere, inside myself, I knew it was wrong to take pride in that small detail but I did, and I wanted to prove to him that what I said was the truth. Forgetting the plots of treason and betrayal formed against the beautiful pharaoh in my arms and the fact that we were in the middle of another temple, I pulled him closer, preparing to kiss him again, wanting to taste that sweetness that radiated only from him, when two men ushered in, obviously out of breath. Apparently, the pharaoh had done a little maneuvering of his own. He drew slowly away, taking a familiar position -arms crossed and back stiff- that I knew more than I should have.
It was his commanding stance.
"I did not ask to be followed," he began steadily, his voice diminished of any emotion, and I stepped farther away, giving both of us room. If anyone saw us this way…
The consequences would have been more than I could have handled.
"I…we apologize, Highness, but we had our orders to make sure that you did not-" I watched as he scowled, his hand clenching into a fist at his side.
"Who is it that gave you these orders? Am I not pharaoh? I go where I please…now, be gone or else I shall have to deal with your insubordination in a less friendly manner." The two men bowed, the same one who had spoken apologizing for their fault, and they quickly exited the way they had come, rather fast; I wouldn't have been caught under his anger either. He turned to look at me then, a small smile on his lips and immediately went back into my embrace, pressing himself as close to me as he could managed, almost as if he were a second skin. This position seemed to get neither of us anywhere except against the sandstone wall, heatedly engaging in another mind-numbing kiss. His slender hands were once again twining themselves into my hair, never relenting in their shivering caress as his mouth plundered the recesses of mine, driving a strangled moan up from my throat. I was barely able to pull back before he had me pinned to the barrier of the temple, his hands sliding down through my scalp to ravish my sides.
If anyone would have told me that this slight youth with his frame edging more towards skinny and almost passive will would have had me up against the wall, assaulting me with a hot tongue and avid hands, I would have laughed, but now…I didn't know.
I wanted the pharaoh, that much was obvious, but could we be together? Even if it was only once?
"Highness, I don't think-" It was hard to tell him no, after all of this, and it was even more difficult with the heart-breaking look he was giving me, but I had to be strong. I had to be…everything that I didn't want to be.
"B-but why?" His voice was tiny, and I could tell he was scared -of rejection? of pain? of something I couldn't comprehend?- and it was more than I could handle. How many times had he been denied although he had everything he wished to have? How was it that he could come out stronger when it evidently tore him apart inside?
I was such a fool.
"If they found out…you'd only bring another weakness upon you, Highness. I could not allow that to happen." He tried offering a small smile, but it faded away, leaving pain written across his handsome face.
"You are and never will be a weakness to me…Seth. I'm sorry," he replied tightly, his lips pressing together as he turned around and withdrew from me, disappearing quickly into that shell he had developed after years of hardship. I wanted to erase it all; I wanted him to have everything he could never have had being pharaoh…
I wanted him.
The other priests and their plans be damned-
A/N: Go ahead…tell me I'm evil-
Yami: YOU'RE EVIL!! How could you do that to me…to Seto…to-to them?! *frantically paces around the room*
I don't know…because I could??
Yami: You're driving me crazy…you're almost as bad as my Aibou.
Hmm? What was that? Almost as bad as who?
Yami: Forget it…I'm going to find something to kill! *stalks out*
Umm…don't hurt the pigeons like you did last time…or Bakura! He wasn't too thrilled when you hit him with that dead bird…although it was rather funny. N E way, review and you'll get to read the next and final part! Be warned…a romantic yaoi lemon scene follows *wink wink*