Gemini

-A note to the readers. People in this chapter who normally speak ancient Egyptian will be speaking ancient Egyptian. People speaking Japanese will be speaking Japanese. People speaking English will be speaking English. Just to make things clear. The languages are as you see them. A note to the readers.-

Yuugi awoke bright and early that morning, much to his own surprise. He had never been a very good morning person, according to his recollection. He blinked his eyes in the early morning glow of the rising sun, feeling a warm breath rain over his neck.

He smiled. Yami was still sound asleep, head buried in the side of Yuugi's neck, just low enough for his breathing to fall over the boy's collar bone, an arm draped lazily over Yuugi's chest. Although the pharaoh couldn't remember their past-well, future for that matter- at all, he still felt a strong attraction for his light.

Yuugi shifted his position slightly, rolling to his side, facing the pharaoh. The puzzle fell from his chest to the bed, the long leather cord holding firmly. The glimmering gold glinted in the dew kissed morning. Would he and his darkness ever form the bond they once had? To be able to feel each other's emotions and thoughts? One thing was for sure, it'd be a hell of a lot easier learning Egyptian. He sighed.

The dusky body next to him shifted in position as well, a little growl emanating from Yugioh's throat. Yuugi realized that some things never change.

The pharaoh cursed as his eyes blinked open. Yuugi simply giggled, cuddling up to him. "Ohayo," he smiled, nuzzling the pharaoh's cheek.

"Ohayo," Yugioh reiterated slowly. Yuugi pointed to his belly. "Tabemono."

Yugioh nodded, reaching over to get the tray of food that was always set out for them.

Yuugi grinned, thinking of something. "Sake," he said.

Setting the tray down between the two of them, Yugioh raised a dignified eyebrow. Yuugi chuckled, making to motion with his hand of someone drinking from a glass.

Realization seemed to dawn on the pharaoh. "ib," he said, then got up and poured a glass of juice for Yuugi.

The teenager looked at the small gold cup, yet another laugh bubbling past his lips. His yami thought he was thirsty. How funny!

Yuugi captured his yami's attention again, doing a familiar hand motion to show the relationship between two different words. "Sake," he said, then moved his hand over to the other side. "Hnqt." Granted, beer was a very poor comparison to sake, but he didn't know the Egyptian term for wine. At least the beer had the alcohol content.

Yugioh looked at him perplexed for a moment, finally bursting into a small chuckle himself. Yuugi sure knew how to make him laugh sometimes.

After breakfast, the pharaoh still needed to help Yuugi get into the royal kilt that was traditionally worn by the rulers of Egypt, and rather enjoyed himself as Yuugi kept absentmindedly allowing obvious swear words to escape his mouth as another piece of cloth nearly made him trip. . . again. The torture was over soon enough, though, leaving to two ready to leave the room for the day.

Suddenly, though, Yugioh stopped at the chamber doors, seemingly lost in thought for the moment. Before his hand could touch the door, he turned sharply around and headed for the polished wooden box Yuugi had set down on the night stand the evening before.

Opening the lid with infinite care, Yuugi saw him lift a shimmering piece of gold out of the box.

Yuugi only realized that it was a crown similar to the one that his yami already wore once it was placed fully on his head. Smiling broadly, the pharaoh led him over to a plaque of solid silver that had been placed on the wall, extending from floor to ceiling. Yuugi realized that people didn't know how to make glass yet, pound down the silver until it was a thin film, and stick it behind the glass with a clear adhesive. For the meantime, though, this worked splendidly.

"Sugoi," he breathed, admiring the look it gave him. Yuugi promised himself, though, that he would not let this crown take over his identity. He wouldn't let it run his life until there was no one and nothing left in it.

Placing a gentle kiss to Yuugi's temple, the pharaoh led them out the chamber doors and into the hall, walking gracefully down to the throne room.

Speaking of which, the throne room. What a throng of activity it was in that little space today.

Well, okay, so maybe the throne room wasn't such a little space. In fact, the place was absolutely gargantuan. The throne itself was set deep into the room, the farthest reaching walls actually colonnades open to the outside view of the city. It was simply magnificent.

Yugioh led Yuugi up to the throne, and Yuugi noticed that there were, in fact, two thrones of equal size, equal stature, and equal beauty, placed side by side. Both were probably wood, imported from somewhere, and completely covered in gold and fine jewels, bas-reliefs carved into the back and legs. Twin cobras coiled up the sides, and Yuugi knew from his travels with his grandfather that the cobra was considered the guardian of the pharaoh.

Yugioh motioned for Yuugi to sit in the throne that would be placed at his right side, allowing Yuugi to, once he and his yami were seated, twine his left hand into Yugioh's right.

The commotion of the room quieted as the two took their seats, Yuugi seeing everyone bowed as he sat down.

He was intrigued to see a woman looking up at him in the midst of her revering, smiling. It wasn't an evil smile, either. The teen had seen enough of those in his day to discern one from the other. No, she looked truly happy to see him up there. Vaguely, he wondered why, but he smiled back just the same.

Yugioh called with his deep voice for the sessions of the day to come into order. Seth came up afterwards, bowing, then motioned for the first petitioner of the day to come forth and speak his peace. Yuugi figured that he would not use the puzzle to understand what was being said unless the situation absolutely called for it.

As the man talked, Yugioh seemed to be becoming more and more irritated. At first, Yuugi thought that he was loosing his patience, until that shining look of insane glee slowly began to seep in. This man was trying to challenge Yugioh to something, hoping to trick the pharaoh into getting what he wanted. And at the moment, Yuugi's yami was up for a good challenge.

Yuugi sighed, knowing what the out come would be. Maybe a little advice would help? Not that the petitioner would understand any of it.

"Yami o karuku ashiratte wa narimasen. Nakanaka anadorigatai hito desu kara." Just practical advice was all. No one should underestimate his yami. That was a fatal mistake on anyone's part.

Utter silence followed his words, and Yuugi felt suddenly silly. Yugioh's thumb softly, invisible to the eyes watching them, rubbed Yuugi's hand slightly, and the teen swore that he saw the briefest amount of amusement flicker in his darkness's eyes.

It was moments later when the challenge was over, the mind game lost to the petitioner, and only Yuugi's gentle pleadings keeping him from bitter punishment.

"pr-aA," Seth's voice broke the silence that followed. He pointed to the next person waiting.

"saA" Yugioh commanded, and a figure in gray robes walked forth, silver strands of hair barely visible under his hood.

"pr-aA," a sickly sweet voice crooned, and once he stepped in front of the throne he removed his hood, revealing a man with long, pleated silver hair and brown eyes. The look on his face clearly let everyone know that they were inferior to him.

Yuugi's hand squeezed on the pharaoh's, and Yugioh's deep crimson eyes looked at him questioningly, and worriedly.

Yuugi sucked in a deep breath, trying to remain calm. After all, Pegasus nearly killed him in a shadow game, why would his past self hesitate to do the same?

"inw," the silver haired man spoke, motioning to a large group of obvious slaves who began bringing in massive amounts of boxes, caskets, crates and baskets and every other kind of container imaginable containing food, wine, linen, silks, papyrus, gold, silver, jewels. . . Yuugi's eyes began to spin. So much stuff!

Yugioh watched with doubt, eyes searching for the man's ulterior motive.

The man's grin broadened.

"Pharaoh of Kemmet,

I bryng gyfts from afar.

A challenge to thee,

I know thy seeks,

so I offer a game,

cant's thou defeat?"

Everyone one in the room looked on confused, the language spoken by the man unknown, and never before heard in the land of the Nile.

"Tys a shame thy god knows knot what I say,

fors't he'd hear me speak

that thyn treasures at his feat,

ayre indeed strewn with deceit.

Death awaits, the tempest's take,

whilst poisons claim the Throne of the Gemini."

It was silent again for the moment, Yuugi's rage slowly boiling. Damn, why do some people have to be such asses in their past life too? "Bakamono," Yuugi snarled. "Thou art a fool." While the other kids in his class had struggled with English, he had actually moved on to study old English, the works of Shakespeare, and other such poets. He actually really enjoyed it. He could play at this game.

The man's face looked stark pale.

"To my kingdom, thou hast come,

bearing gifts-far greater than just for one.

Inlain with hate, evyl and spyte, false is thy deeds.

Dares't thou thynk that thyn can defeat,

the mind of the Gemini?"

The man looked like he didn't know what to do, moving head to look side to side, as if aid might come to his side. Yuugi decided to throw in some of the Modern English he had learned as well. "Got your hand caught in the cookie jar, didn't you?"

Let's see now, how did his yami teach him to say that one famous phrase? Ah, yes, he remembered. "it sw."

Instantly, guards everywhere surrounded the silver-haired man and bound him with iron chains.

"May the devil curse thee to Hell," he spit back. Yuugi merely laughed. "I don't believe in Hell!"

The man struggled vainly to try and escape. He had actually been so confident that no one would understand what he said, that he didn't even think of a back-up plan. Hn. Guess the Pegasus of the past was just as arrogant as the one in the future, too. Only in this time, though, he obviously had not obtained the Millenium Eye yet.

Yugioh cupped Yuugi's face and brought him eye to eye, looking at him extremely questioningly. Yuugi pointed to the gifts, then made the universal sign for death: the running of his finger across his neck, signifying the cut of the throat. Yugioh's eyes narrowed dangerously, looking back at the riches laid at his feet. Without a moments hesitation he ordered the gifts to be burned, telling everyone that they had been poisoned, a trick sent to the pharaoh's doorstep.

Yuugi suddenly realized that, with the very demanding look on his yami's face, this was going to require some explaining.

**********************

Translation time!

Ohayo- Good Morning

Tabemono- Food

Sake- Warm Japanese Wine

ib- Thirsty Person

Hnqt- Beer

Sugoi- Awesome

Yami o karuku ashiratte wa narimasen. Nakanaka anadorigatai hito desu kara. –Don't underestimate Yami. He's nobody's fool.

Pr-aA- Pharaoh

saA- Gifts

it sw- Seize Him