Disclaimer: See my bio. I don¡¯t know who owns Yu Gi Oh exactly, but it¡¯s not me, that¡¯s for sure.

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. First Ancient Egyptian setting, then moves onto Post Battle City.

Rating: R for sexual content and violence in later chapters.

Pairing: Ryou x Malik [S x U] for current Ancient Egyptian setting. More pairings will be listed further.

Category: Romance/General

A/N: A fanfic challenge of spiderweb-san! Lemon will be around next chapter or the chapter after.. *leers at Malik and Ryou*

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Uab Ba-k Am Neteru

By. Firemoon

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Chapter 3: The Revealed Astonishment

Setnakht woke up with only one of his eyes open, and was instantly alarmed by his seemingly impaired vision. The sole dusky lavender eye blinking with confusion, he gingerly fingered the left side of his head, finding the left side of his face completely wrapped tightly with crisp, white bandages. He tried to sit up, but fell back onto the bed, crying out loud, as his side burned with stinging pain.

Upon feeling for with his fingers, Setnakht found a thick bandage wrapped around his torso, yellowed with having been soaked within medicine and various powders to make as the remedy against the pain from burns. The typical smell of the burn salve – smell of finely ground nuts with bitter scent – crept up the golden haired priest in training¡¯s nose, and Setnakht sneezed, grimacing as another pain from the motion swept through his whole body. A few tears squeezed their way out of his clenched shut eye as he fought back a scream.

Then, a soft touch on his shoulder made him open his eyes and look up. It was Ptahotep, looking down at him with his usual, calm and compassionate greenish blue eyes. The dark skinned priest sat beside the young boy, pulling a stool closer to the bed.

¡°How are you feeling, young one?¡±

¡°Wha—what happened?¡±

Setnakht groaned, holding his head with his hands. He couldn¡¯t remember anything; all he remembered from last night – or was it the night before last? What day was today? How long has he been here like this? – was kneeling in front of the goddess, and the cool, ghostly touches of the priests¡¯ hands..

¡°When you fainted after you had completed the Taking of the Vow, one of the candles were knocked over and splashed the hot wax onto your side.¡±

Setnakht tried to frown, but winced as his bandaged left cheek sent out shooting pains throughout his entire head. The young priest in training felt as if somebody was trying to axe his head in half.

¡°But it¡¯s not a very bad one, so the burn will heal in a couple of days, although your tattoo won¡¯t heal for a few weeks or so.¡±

¡°My tattoo? But-¡±

¡°But what, Setnakht?¡±

¡°I don¡¯t remember getting it.¡±

Setnakht said softly, looking down at his hand. Did he do it? Did one of the priests? But they had all left, didn¡¯t they? He closed his eyes. Everything was so confusing. There was nothing solid about this whole affaire, nothing to grab hold on to.

Ptahotep looked silently down at the boy, observing him. He nearly had had a heart attack when he and the other priests arrived and found the frail form of the golden haired boy unconscious, a burn on his side, blood soaking into the fine linen loincloth and into the silky golden brown curls on his head, matting them as the crimson life dried. But now, Ptahotep thought, the boy was, or looked, well enough to eat something.

¡°How long have I been asleep?¡±

¡°About 3 days.¡±

Setnakht winced again; he had missed the ritual for his namesake god, Set. He would have to fast again in the Temple of the god of Darkness [1] as soon as he recovered, to pay tribute to him. Ptahotep noticed it too, and hurriedly thrust a freshly baked, soft wheat bread. He also produced several of Setnakht¡¯s favourite, honeyed figs.

¡°You must be hungry.¡±

¡°Not really, but..¡±

Setnakht¡¯s eyes brightened as he saw the soft, sweet figs, the sweet honey coating glistening in the candlelight. But Ptahotep was not so mushy on the dusky lavender eyed boy this time. He wagged his finger at the boy warningly, tongue clicking.

¡°Tut, tut.. eat the bread first. It is soft enough for you to eat anyway. Then you can eat the figs.¡±

Setnakht pouted slightly, but picked up the bread and ripped them into smaller pieces, occasionally swallowing some. His scarred left cheek prevented him from chewing properly, and Ptahotep watched anxiously as the golden brown haired boy grimaced often, his fingertips tentatively prodding the sore area under the bandage. The dark skinned priest sighed; this would provide some problem.

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It had been about a month since the Taking of the Vow, and Setnakht cautiously unwrapped the bandage around his face, while sitting outside in the sunny minor courtyard. Other younger priests – but still most of them around mid-twenty or thirty – stood around, occasionally conversing quietly with each other, but mostly watching curiously.

All the priests¡¯ tattoo had the same structure, a spiral, a slash, and few dots, but the tattoos varied between each of the people, often by a stealthy hint. And since they knew every single priest¡¯s tattoo now, everybody was looking forward to seeing the Little One¡¯s mark. Setnakht gulped, closing his eyes as Ptahotep carefully started to unwrap the slightly bloodstained bandage, and felt the warm breeze of the wind and sunlight falling on all of his face. He was so relieved that he nearly laughed out loud. He took several deep breaths before opening his eyes – blinking a few times to prevent Aten¡¯s hands from blinding him – cautiously, as lots of gasps and murmurs were heard around him.

The priests were all looking at his Vow Mark, and more of them were coming around, gathering in groups to look. Each and every one of them was murmuring discretely with their neighbors. Confused, he looked towards Ptahotep, who was wearing quite the same expression as the others on his dark skinned face – amazement, and shock. The golden brown haired boy reached up from where he was seated, pulling at the hem of the white linen loincloth.

¡°..What is it? Why are you so.. shocked?¡±

The dark skinned priest did not say anything, but rather he bent down and grabbing the well polished mirror,[2] held it out for Setnakht to see for himself. The golden haired boy strained to see the dark black tattoo on his cheek, then he, too, gasped, nearly falling off his stool. His violet eyes widened in shock, he touched the Vow Mark with his fingertips.

The usual spiral, the slash, and the two dots were there, same as the traditional tattoos of the other priests of Karnak. That was not the reason for amazement. Rather, it was how they were arranged out, not what. The thing that caused waves of shock amongst the priests surrounding the blond haired priest in training were that the spiral, the slash, and the two dots were arranged like the shape of an ankh, with the spiral curled bit for the ¡°head¡±, the ¡°leg¡± of the unraveling spiral for the ¡°body¡± or ¡°leg¡±, and each of the two dots positioned under and over the ¡°arm¡± of the symbol of Gods and of Pharaoh, sign of Eternal Life.

Setnakht still looked at his Vow Mark as if he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, and the dusky lavender eyes widened further as he noticed that the Old One, the High Priest of Karnak approaching him along with all the Head priests of the Temples. The boy nervously stood up, bowing deeply at the High Priest and the others as they stood, closing in around him. Ptahotep too, bowed – though it was not as deep as the one Setnakht did – and stepped back, giving way to the priests higher up the rank.

The Head priest of Aten frowned as he looked towards the golden brown haired boy¡¯s Vow Mark, and Setnakht flinched under his dark gaze. Sebni, unlike the other priests of the Temples, had not liked him at all, and rather, tried to find faults in the golden brown haired priest in training whenever he could.

¡®It seems he found a perfect chance.¡¯

Setnakht thought to himself as he watched as the dark eyed Head priest¡¯s mouth open angrily – seemingly like a dark, huge, big, gaping hole or a cave – almost like a slow motion as the priest spilled out his words hatefully, eyes glaring at the priest in training.

¡°My lord the High priest, I beg you to punish the child, for he has committed a crime. His Vow Mark is an insult and a disgrace to your name and the name of Karnak. He must be—¡±

¡°Insult? Disgrace?¡±

The old High Priest turned incredulously towards the Head priest of Aten, the Sun Disk. His old, brown, wrinkled face held an astonished expression.

¡°My dear Sabni, Ma¡¯at, the Goddess of Balance guides us through the Taking of the Vow. She alone holds the power to give us our Vow Marks. She chooses them for us, not us. The boy has nothing to do with how his Mark had turned out to be, or what it look like. You should have known better to accuse the boy of such crimes, Sabni.¡±

Although his voice was kind, his tone level, the old High Priest of the Temples of Karnak¡¯s eyes were as hard as a pair of chipped turquoise, the goddess Hathor¡¯s jewels. Relieved, Setnakht smiled faintly, secretly sharing a look with Ptahotep not far off.

Sabni flushed angrily. His bony, high cheekbones were speckled with spots of ugly purple and red as he bowed. The veins in his facial muscles were popping out furiously as the dark eyed Head priest bowed again to the High Priest once more, the dark onyx eyes slitted narrowly but radiating seething hate and anger deep enough to boil a big pot full of water or two. The Head priest of Aten respectfully but quickly retreated like a snail into its shell, fearing any more of the High Priest¡¯s wrath upon him.

The High Priest again turned, his blue eyes meeting dusky lavender depths as the older man laid his wrinkled old hand, heavy with jeweled rings, on the boy¡¯s tanned, naked shoulder. The High Priest gruffly commanded.

¡°Sit down, boy. You¡¯re getting too tall for my convenience.¡±

Setnakht hesitated; sitting before the High Priest was not seated yet was a sign of insolence and heavy punishment as the result, even if the High Priest himself had ordered that it be so. The hand on the priest in training¡¯s shoulder tightened a bit more, pushing him down a little.

¡°Sit, Setnakht.¡±

¡°..Your wish is my command, my lord the High Priest.¡±

Setnakht bowed first, before slowly sitting down awkwardly onto the stool he had been occupying previously before the arrival of the Elders. The old Head Priest resumed studying the Vow Mark on the golden brown haired priest in training¡¯s left jawbone. Setnakht flinched, wincing as he felt the High Priest¡¯s rather calloused finger slide over the sensitive, still raw skin around the tattoo, and the old one removed his hand. Slight concern was showing on his face as he looked down on the sitting priest in training.

¡°The Mark will heal in about 2 more days, providing the days are not damp. You must spend days in the sunny, well ventilated area. I shall assign you to a new quarters for the night where it will help to heal the tattoo.¡±

Setnakht sat, dumbfounded. A new quarters?! That was more than enough for the young priest in training, better than spending his days in the sun, without having to polish the faint pink granite floors of the living quarters. Not that he minded, of course. Floor polishing was an important factor in their lives. Clean granite floor mad it easier for the priests to walk upon, as well as making them able to walk on barefoot, but only occasionally. Setnakht at last remembered to pay his respect to the High Priest, and he scrambled up and bowed deeply.

¡°Thank you, O my lord the High Priest. It is truly a great honour for me to be assigned to a new quarters. Thank you!¡±

The last two words were said with such childish enthusiasm and joy that everyone within hearing range had to crack a smile. The Head Priest¡¯s hard turquoise eyes softened a little, a fraction and he raised a finger to the priest in training¡¯s forehead in blessing, before he too, like the other Elders, retreated to the cooler sanctuary of their spacious quarters.

As soon as everybody went back to their work, Setnakht jumped into Ptahotep¡¯s arms, hugging the dark skinned priest tightly around the neck.

¡°Did you hear that Tep?! I¡¯ll be assigned to a new quarters!¡±

¡°Yes, Nakht. I heard it too.¡±

The priest-scribe smiled down at the light haired boy. His greenish blue eyes shone too, but the glimmer died slightly down as he sighed to himself. Setnakht looked up from where he was happily nuzzling into the crook of Ptahotep¡¯s neck, dusky eyes wide with confusion.

¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tep? Don¡¯t you like going to a new quarters?¡±

¡°Of course I like it, except that it will only be you who will be sleeping in that new quarters. I won¡¯t be able to stay with you anymore, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

¡°What? Why?¡±

Ptahotep gently traced the ankh mark on the boy¡¯s cheek, setting the priest in training down onto the solid ground once more.

¡°Because now that you¡¯ve taken the Vow and the Vow Mark, I will no longer be constantly in your charge. You will be asked to serve a certain god or goddesses, and maybe I will be able to spend time with you when both our free time are the same. But from now on, you will be on your own most of the time.¡±

Setnakht¡¯s face fell, and his lower lip trembled as he fought back the tears. Ptahotep.. gone? He was like a father to the priest in training, looking after him since he was young, along with the Mistresses of the Young. He couldn¡¯t bear parting with the calm, gently priest-scribe, no matter what. He hugged the waist of Ptahotep tightly, burying his face into his chest. Ptahotep rubbed his back and his shoulders consolingly.

¡°Hush, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have lots of time together after this anyhow..¡±

¡°But it¡¯s not the same!¡±

Setnakht wailed, the first tears trickling down his cheeks and stinging his tattoo painfully. Ptahotep quickly wiped the tears away from reaching the Vow Mark, and carefully let a cloth lap up the moisture in the Mark while Setnakht sat in his lap.

¡°You shouldn¡¯t cry now, Setnakht. You¡¯re a big boy now, and crying will make your Vow Mark worse.¡±

¡°If it means that I can stay with you, than I will make it worse.¡±

Setnakht sniffed. The dark skinned priest sighed; was there any way out of this mess?

¡°Yes, but your Vow Mark is a gift, a precious gift from Ma¡¯at, Setnakht. It is an ankh mark, symbol of Eternal Life. It is a very precious gift. You mustn¡¯t let waste to it.¡±

¡°I...I understand.¡±

Setnakht scrubbed at his eyes with the backs of his hands, and stood up. He smiled cheerfully at Ptahotep.

¡°I will do really good in my works, Tep. I promise. I won¡¯t cry either.¡±

¡°Good.¡±

Ptahotep smiled back.

¡°Now sit tight here until I bring your dinner. The messenger from the High Priest will come next morning, so you¡¯d better pack your things up after dinner. I¡¯ll help you.¡±

¡°Thanks Tep.¡±

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[1] Set was not originally the god of Evil. He was the god of Natural Darkness, like night.

[2] Did ancient Egyptians have mirrors? I wasn¡¯t sure, but I put it in anyway! Please correct me if I am wrong.

Whew! Wow, 2535 words!* Yay! [*the story text only] This is – possibly – the longest I¡¯ve ever written other than Itsuka! *grabs Y. Malik for a dance* *Y. Bakura growls, snatches Y. Malik from Firemoon, and they go off to do their.. hmm* Oh yeah, if anyone wants to see how Setnakht¡¯s Vow Mark look like, go and see my bio. There¡¯s a link to my deviantart.com account. K?

Thanks to: Impish Pixie – thanks a lot for the review! *glomps Y. Bakura* *gets bashed* jen wit 1 n – Yay! Thanks mighty for the review! Love ya! *hugs* spiderweb – Thanks a lot for the compl. and stuff. I LOVE ancient Egyptian things.. wanna be an archaeologist.. Hmm.. Aurora of the Moon – Thanks a LOT for reviewing! Hope you loved this chapter too! dangerousgirl – Well.. not this chapter.. but maybe next chapter.. we¡¯ll see. As for the yaoi part.. *evil perverted grin* I¡¯m working on it. But the seduction part is SO FUN! *glomps Setnakht* [S: Hey! Get away from me! Teeeeeeep!!!] lotus re-incarnate – Yay! Thanks x100 for the review! Also thanks for the complement/support! Love ya too! *hugs*

Yours Faithfully Fanfictional,

Firemoon