Disclaimer: See my bio.
Summary: Malik is the adopted son of a priest, vowed not to have anything to do with sexual affairs.. Ryou is a seductive demon searching for an innocent prey to corrupt.. Well, let¡¯s say the inevitable happens.
Rating: R for sexual content in later chapters.
Pairing: Ryou x Malik
Category: Romance/General
A/N: This is for a fanfiction challenge in which I need to complete this ff in 2 MONTHS. So the other fics will be temporarily shut off until I finish this fic. Thank you for your support.
A/N 2: The title means ¡°Pure is thy soul among the gods¡±. I just couldn¡¯t find any good title, and besides, I thought it kind of suited the story. *grins*
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Uab Ba-k Am Neteru
By. Firemoon
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Chapter 1: New Life
Ptahotep carefully arranged the spotted leopard skin thrown over his shoulder as he quickly walked towards the Temples. It was nearly time, if not right now, to light the incenses and scented oils and chant the sacred scripts to the scribe god Thoth, and he also desperately needed a bath as quickly as possible. He had been out picking lotuses for the following procession at early tomorrow morning for the Nile God Hapi and for the prosperity of the crops for this year.
But unfortunately, he had slipped and fell, much to the delight of other assistants who tagged along to help with the picking. He had always known that he wasn¡¯t meant for any bodily work. He was a scribe and recorder, through and through. Ptahotep chuckled. He guessed that it was all his namesake¡¯s influence, the great scribe Ptahotep of the time of Izezi Djedkare.
Now he was soaking wet and covered in mud from knee down, including his new leather sandals. By Horus, it was not even two days worn! The dark-skinned priest-scribe quickened his pace, and at the same time, he was trying to look as if he was not hurrying at all. A priest must be calm, composed and dignified at all times. He must not forget that or the Elders will punish him severely.
He grimaced as his wet sandals made ungraceful noises, slapping noisily to let everyone within the earshot that Ptahotep, a priest-scribe of the god Ptah, was hurrying. Then a figure caught his eye – by the way, his eyes were greenish blue which the other priests said that they seemed to penetrate into people¡¯s very soul -, a thing helplessly trying to crawl up the high marble stairs, wrapped up in dirty rags and clutching something in its arms.
Ptahotep stopped in his tracks, biting his lower lip in silent commotion inside his mind. The chanting was already starting inside the temple, and this would be the third time in two weeks that he was late. The elders will be extremely angry. He would be punished quite – very, in fact - severely, if he did not go now. But on the other hand...
Then, with a keening cry, the bundle in the creature¡¯s arms slipped from its grasp, and fell onto the ground with a soft thump.
A baby.
Ptahotep¡¯s eyes widened. The baby did not stop crying, and rather it exploded into even more loud, if that is possible, wailing. He also noticed that the creature had slid off the stairs itself and lay in a heap on the ground near the baby, shaking silently. The raspy breathing of the creature could be heard even over the loud but monotonous – almost hypnotizing - chanting of the priests. Ptahotep ran towards the creature and the baby, his wet sandals making loud slap-slapping noises, abnormally loud in his ears as they echoed around the darkening square. No one was out at this time when one should be giving offerings to the Sacred Beings.
The dark haired priest skidded to an ungraceful halt beside the creature, nearly tripping over in his hastiness. Just ignoring the unkempt state he was in, he knelt in the dirt beside the creature. He turned the creature over, and gasped out aloud at what he saw. The creature was a woman, a young woman of mid-twenty turns and quite beautiful, even through his naïve priestly eyes.
Her hair was dark, black as the sky in the middle of a moonless night, and her eyes were the darkest shade of blue. She had lightly tanned skin that looked soft to the touch. The green-eyed priest immediately recognized her as the famous Taheret, who was known to be quite a popular whore, even in this godly area of Karnak. Ptahotep quickly removed his hand, feeling dirty and soiled. The young woman¡¯s eyes flicked helplessly as she struggled to sit up, her hands moving listlessly in futile attempt to reach for the baby. She pointed to the baby and uttered only one word over and over again, until the dark-skinned priest finally realized that the word was the baby¡¯s name.
¡°Setnakht.. Setnakht..¡±
¡°So, he is...your baby?¡±
The woman¡¯s hands dropped to the ground, and her head rolled to the side as if relieved of a great heavy burden. Her raspy breathing continued, and she squeezed out some more words, broken slightly by her uneven breathing.
¡°Take.. baby.. teach.. please..¡±
¡°You want him to grow up to be a priest?¡±
Ptahotep asked, incredulous; no one really wanted to be one of the priests of Karnak. The rules were too strict for most of the young folks to follow. He himself had grown up in the Temples, so he did not know much about the outside life.
She did not answer, but her blue eyes said it all; yes. Ptahotep vaguely understood her, and felt an immediate sympathy towards the young woman. A pretty whore, used by all men and finally left to die alone. A priest¡¯s life of no bodily pleasures will be better off for the boy, then as an orphaned street beggar to be used like his mother at the end, again and again. Ptahotep nodded; he would do everything he can do to keep the child in the Temples, to be grown among the gods, breathing the solemn air of the old. He said gently, his greenish blue eyes warm.
¡°Do not worry, he will be well cared for.¡±
For a second, a full, beautiful smile lit her thin, starved face, her thin frame, and Ptahotep felt an immense pity towards the dark-haired young woman, regretting once more the previous act of stepping away in disgust. He took her hands gently in his own, and started the first chant that came to his mind in Pert em hru.
A chant to guide her and help her safely to the path of the underworld, to the Great god Osiris, towards the Fields of Happiness to live forever.
And before he knew it, her hands between his were as cold as the marble staircase. He quietly let go, and turned towards the little bundle. The crying had quieted down during when the chanting was being spoken, but soft whimpers were still emitted from the little bundle¡¯s depths. Ptahotep carefully picked the baby up, holding him awkwardly.
Slowly, he unwrapped to the point where he could see the baby¡¯s head. A pair of half-closed dusky amethyst eyes were there, large and clear, and a turf of light golden brown hair. The slightly tanned skin was seemingly from his mother. Ptahotep felt a small smile tugging at each end of his lips as he laid his eyes upon this small life, preciously light and warm.
He carefully re-wrapped the baby, and softly cradling it, started walk up the stairs to the temple. He looked back to the little bundle of warmth held in his arms, and whispered to the baby, half chanting the name to himself.
¡°Setnakht..¡±
They disappeared into the temple of Hathor, where the elders normally were, soaking in the warmth and love of the goddess.
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¡°So, Ptahotep..¡±
One of the elders implored gently, his dimmed old blue eyes gazing sagely out from among the folds of his earthy brown cloak. The dark-skinned priest gulped, sitting stiffly on one of the chairs, the baby still held in his arms. The other elders were merely looking at the Old One, their expressions hard and unreadable. The Old One mumbled to himself as the elders often do, and finally spoke out.
¡°Then, the name¡¯s Setnakht?¡±
¡°Yes, my lord the High Priest.¡±
The Old One¡¯s face softened at the sight of the sleeping baby. Such pure, innocent beings, children are. The baby sighed, snuggling into the folds of his clean white wrappings. Ptahotep began to feel relaxed as he saw the Old One reach out his bony, wrinkled hands for the child, and he handed over the little baby without a moment of hesitation or reluctance. He knew the High Priest of Karnak would not harm the little one.
With a jolt, the boy baby awakened with a start, but did not cry or make a noise as the dark-skinned priest-scribe had feared. The baby looked into the milky blue eyes of the old High Priest, curiously blinking. And slowly, the baby reached out a hand, surprisingly small and delicate, to touch the High Priest¡¯s curved eagle nose. The Old One¡¯s face broke out into a warm smile at that simple touch, and the baby giggled innocently, dusky amethyst eyes following the High Priest¡¯s fingers¡¯ moves as he wagged them in front of the baby¡¯s face. The High Priest turned his face towards the occupants of the room.
¡°He will stay.¡±
¡°But my lord the High Priest..¡±
One of the elders – the strictest one in all of the Two Lands – stood up indignantly, his face slightly red in the torchlight. His dark eyes were narrowed in obvious distaste.
¡°But my lord, the baby is a illegitimate son of a wh—¡±
¡°SILENCE!¡±
The Old One thundered, surprisingly loud for one so thin and old. He gripped the carved staff in his hand tightly, the other arm still holding Setnakht closely. The baby blinked, slightly surprised by the loud noise. The High Priest stared at the dark eyed priest with a pair of hardened blue chips of eyes.
¡°He will stay, Sabni. Do you dare defy my decision and, in doing so, me?¡±
¡°No, no, my lord High Priest. I was just—I beg you to forgive me, my lord.¡±
¡°You are forgiven. Take your seat.¡±
Sabni, the Head Priest of Aten, flushed, and hastily sat down after bowing to the High Priest, murmuring apologies. The High Priest looked around, the eyes, dimmed but wise and piercing, searched each of the elders¡¯ faces. No one spoke up, or looked away. Then, the old priest sagged, sighing tiredly and handed back the baby over to the green eyed priest-scribe. Ptahotep received the baby with ready hands. The High Priest instructed the priest of Thoth as to where he should take the young one.
¡°You will take the baby to the Training Quarters, East building, and there the Priestess Yunet and the Priestess Esemkhebe will take care of our newest – and, if I am thinking correctly, youngest - apprentice. They are the Mistresses of the Young, as I recall.¡±
¡°Yes, my lord High Priest.¡±
Ptahotep bowed formally, green eyes warming at the little life in his arms. The High Priest chuckled, his rough brown wrinkled skin almost undistinguishable from the thick cloak that surrounded him. He waved one jewel bedecked hand dismissively. One of the rings with a thumbnail sized ruby glinted in the torchlight like a winking red eye.
The High Priest¡¯s own blue eyes flickered towards the little bundle, and he too, nodded to the dark skinned, green eyed priest, bidding him goodnight. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he had hoisted himself up and was walking into the innermost quarters of priests¡¯ sleeping area. His ornately carved staff made loud, tick ticking noise on the sandstone floor. His thick earthy brown cloak also made a stealthy, slithering snakelike noise as it was dragged along the floor.
As he walked, the minor priest of the Temple walking behind him obediently, the High Priest of Karnak murmured to himself, his old, faded mind going out to the youngest priest in training who was currently snuggled to Ptahotep as he was carried to the Training Quarters.
¡°May the gods protect you, Setnakht...¡±
With a dull thud, the massive wooden door of the High Priest¡¯s room closed shut.
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..Ok, I know, I¡¯ve made a shitty job out of it. And there¡¯s nothing r-rated.. yet. *smirks* Anyway, Setnakht is, if you didn¡¯t notice, the past Ancient Egyptian form of Malik. *a suspicious sounding dull thud* I know, just kill me please before I ruin the characters any furthur. *hands the readers an axe*
But please, review! [flames welcome!] I really want some reviews and criticisms for this ff, so PLEASE!
Yours Faithfully Fanfictional,
Firemoon
OH, ANOTHER THING: Ok, dear spiderweb-san, this is shown as 2,187 words in my Microsoft word. IT seems that the ff.net is cutting huge chunks off the number.. *growls* Anyway, this IS 2,187 words long.