~~~~~~~~~~Seduction~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~AUTHOR'S NOTE~~~~~~

1. THANK U FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND ALL UR SUPPORT! ^_^ I feel so loved! And ur all so wonderfully helpful!! Wow, I'm not the only obsessed one here... :-p (Yo, 'God', whoever u are, stop flaming me. Geez, did u even read the story before u commented on the grammar in my summary? Stop, seriously. I hate flames!)

2. About the Kaiba vs. Seto thing, yeah I got confused myself. First of all, I chose Kaiba because (you'll see in the next few chapters) I think he prefers the name (as he does in the show) as a formal title. 'Seto' seems only to jump into the YGO plot when there's Mokuba around or something...  In the beginning of my story, the only one that calls Kaiba 'Seto' is his father, Akunadin. Besides, High Priest Seto doesn't sound nearly as cool as High Priest Kaiba, if you ask me, and I'm too used to typing 'Kaiba' anyway. ^_^ I could have used 'Seth', as many people have used in other stories, but I'm too lazy. :-p Seth is suppose to be the evil god against Horus, and lets just say that this story is suppose to show them GETTING ALONG!

3. Eh... about the dominant person in the relationship... Um... ^_^;; the thing is that I usually read yaoi as in Yami/Yugi, and Yami (usually) ends up being the dominant and Yugi (duh) ends up being the submissive. And if it was like Kaiba/Yugi or Bakura/Ryou or something, Kaiba and Bakura would obviously be dominant. Needless to say, being stuck with two dominant people is not working out well for me and is driving me up the wall. As much as I think Yami's all masculine and hot and all that, I keep imagining him the bottom feminine role in this story (cuz I'm screwed up, okay?!). I tend to think in terms of body size, and comparing the Pharaoh to his four young male High Priests, he's TINY and really SKINNY and stuff. ^_^* I'm TRYING to keep them as even as possible, but its REALLY REALLY HARD!! The problem for me is that I haven't read any Kaiba/Yami, so I'm basically running blind here!

4. About PRONOUNCING Egyptian; you just gotta do ur best (it helps if you imagine it like French or Spanish; makes it sound cooler ^_^) However, first of all, know that the language of the ancient Egyptians is dead, even more so then Latin (which u can only write, not pronounce). Hieroglyphics, demonic and hieratic don't give you vowels, so most of the 'full' words we know, like 'medou netjey' or 'Medjay' (this is the true spelling, I think, not the one from the Mummy; and yes, they did exist and they WERE guards, only more like the city's police rather then Pharaoh's bodyguards) or even the names of famous Pharaohs were all basically random guesses by Egyptologist. The lack of vowels makes Egyptian impossible to speak, or otherwise I would have probably tried learning it already. *sigh* I kinda imagine it like Quenya or Sindarin of the LOTR Elvish (^_^) but I can't see how the Egyptians got 'Ani' and some other names that don't sound relatively Egyptian.  

Eh, another annoyingly short chapter, in my opinion. BUT GUESS WHAT? *squeal* This is the first story I actually PLANNED out! Yup, I actually got a piece of paper, wrote down the titles of chapters and a few words about what they're about. I'M SO HAPPY FOR MYSELF! Heh heh...

Ch.1 sucked, in my opinion, so I hope this one's better. I'll go back someday to Ch.1, laugh, and attempt to fix all the typos I missed and all da run on sentences. What? I WAS TIRED WHEN I WROTE IT, OKAY?!?!

~~~~~~~

"Seto?"

Kaiba jumped.

His father's elderly voice, though soft, broke the divine silence within the Palace Temple. This was the Chamber of Anubis, the Guide of the Dead and the God of Mummification. As he was suppose to, Kaiba had been kneeling before a elegant basalt statue of the jackal-headed god, head bowed in peaceful prayer, hands and Millennium Rod resting in his lap.

Only a trained eye could notice the fidgeting twitchiness of his hands. Needless to say, Kaiba's nerves have not been resting well for the last few days. And CERTAINLY not around his mind-reading father. The younger High Priest composed himself quickly under the rather suspicious look his father sent him from across the Chamber.

"Yes, Father?" His voice was calm, though it came out nearly an octave higher then normal.

Akunadin raised a white eyebrow but said nothing of it. "Do your old father a favor and give these to His Majesty; they're wheat ration counts, so take care not to damage them." He handed Kaiba papyrus scrolls of which were covered in neat hieratic [1] and numbers.

Kaiba felt his heart leap up to his throat. 'No no no, father, ANY errand but that one! I *can't* do that!! I spend *days* practically HIDING from Yami!' Instead, he managed a shaky, "As you wish, Father," before he picked himself up and, sighing, went to do as he was asked.

He swore he heard Akunadin chuckling after him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba took a few seconds to compose himself, taking a few shaky breaths while managing to look reserved and dutiful on the outside. 'I will NOT look at him. Yes, that's what I'll do. Just not look at him!'

But another part of his mind countered, sneering, 'But you *must* look at him! He is Pharaoh!'

Kaiba inwardly growled. 'Shut. Up.'

It made it worse that, just when the priest had been gathering enough courage, Yami was not in his Royal Chamber. Kaiba was alarmed and absolutely furious that he had to go around the whole Palace grounds looking for a blasted cousin whom he didn't even want to SEE in the first place.

He passed a large number of guards --with their classic white headdress, white kilt, gold bands and long spears -- at their posts conversing with Shimon. This looked about right; Yami must be nearby. Kaiba took a deep breath.

The guards and Shimon eyed him warily before they bowed deeply. "High Priest Kaiba..."

"It is urgent that I see Pharaoh. Where is he?"

The gaurds eyed each other with odd uneasiness. Finally, one stood, though head respectively inclined. "He is in the large courtyard at the end of his corridor, sir."

Kaiba grunted his thanks and turned down the hall.

"Uh... High Priest Kaiba?" started Shimon. "Pharaoh might not..."

Kaiba turned, raised an eyebrow and casually brandished the scrolls and his rod in a menacing manner.

Shimon mumbled an apology and said nothing else.

Pleased, Kaiba started down the hall with a slow amble rather then his normal aggressive stride. He unconsciously lagged behind, staring up at pictures and smelling burning incense torches as if he's never noticed such fascinating objects before in the long history he has been here.

'What am I doing?' scolded Kaiba suddenly to himself. 'Fearing Yami like so is UNACCEPTABLE! Ra, this isn't like me!'

He then brushed off his worries by telling himself that he was merely still sour about being beaten by the young Pharaoh. Yes, blame everything on pride. And stubbornness.

Right. ANYWAY....

Kaiba stepped into a gold-gilded doorway and blinked madly in the sudden assault of Ra's light into his eyes. The sweet smell of incense and the cool, still air inside the Palace was left behind, replaced by the fragrant smell of lotus blossoms and the moist, hot air of a beautiful Egyptian day.

Courtyards were beautiful things, fragile breaks of freedom encased within the hallways of the Palace. They were normally a patch of wildlife --save the pathways of stepping stones-- under open sky, overflowing with palm trees, vines, and flowers in bloom. In the mist of the chirping birds --they often invaded the Palace corridors and sent people running for pails and nets-- and fluttering butterflies were beautiful ponds filled with the lily pads and blossoms of lotus plants and the occasional clump of papyrus reeds. Usually, somewhere, a proud statue of a god or goddess would guard the vicinity, and look down fondly at whoever happened to be relaxing in the courtyard.

This courtyard was slightly...different from the rest. Though most of the ground was covered by dirt and flora, there was a maze of marble catwalks, carved with hieroglyphics and pictures of gods, goddesses, animals, plants, Pharaohs, and just about anything having to do with Egypt. A large, marble statue of Horus with sapphires as eyes stood by the entrance, the Double Crown of Egyptian royalty upon his falcon-shaped head. (AN: just saying, Horus was said to be the divine counterpart of the mortal Pharaohs; he was the youngest and last of the three gods --including Horus's father, Osirius, and the king of gods, Ra-- to rule Egypt. Pharaoh's were said to actually BE him; hence, 'Horus-on-Earth') And in the mist of the dense vegetation was a pond like any other, only this one was unnaturally box-shaped and even had smooth steps descending into its waters at one end. The pool was made clearly of stone, with clear, steaming hot water --unlike the muddy, natural water in most pools-- that was littered with whole lotus blossoms, scattered petals and bubbles of fragrant oil.

Kaiba's first spotted living being was a dog. A beautiful and large dog, actually, with a shiny black coat, long legs, a slender muzzle, and the normal hyperactiveness of a classic Egyptian hound. The priest spotted a gold chain around the dog's neck --from which hung the Millennium Eye of Ra-- and gold bands on the dog's slender legs. 'A royal hound...?'

And then he saw the elegant hand draped over the dog's streamlined frame, and the human neck that the dog's muzzle was happily nuzzling. Kaiba's sharp eyes trailed from the man's hand, down his lean, but well-muscled arm, up his neck to his...face... A very handsome, strangely boyish face, it was, but no less masculine then Kaiba's proud own. Long, naturally dark eyelashes stood in stark contrast with the well-tanned skin they rested on. The revealed eyelids held traces of recently washed away kohl eyeliner and sparkling emerald eye shadow. [2] The fair visage was crowned by long blond bangs and black hair spikes with violet highlights and gold streaks.

Kaiba let out a squeak. (AN: this is making a very funny mental picture here, people... ^_^)

PHARAOH!

Suddenly, the courtyard seemed like a prison in one of those nightmares where your feet are frozen and you can't move. And this wasn't a *courtyard* at all! It was Pharaoh's BATHING Chamber! So THAT'S why Shimon tried to warn him!

Kaiba let out a --thankfully quiet-- string of curses that would have put Seth himself to shame.

But his body was instantly captivated. It refused to budge, despite Kaiba's desperate mental attempts.

To make it worse, Yami seemed to hear him and opened his crimson eyes, briefly scanning the perimeter with his sharp gaze. He blinked a few times in the cloudy stream.

Kaiba held his breath.


But no, the Pharaoh only let out a rare chortle and gently nudged at his dog's muzzle. "Oh stop it, Anubis," he chuckled. "I'm going to get no meditation done if you keep licking me!"

Ah yes, meditation. Kaiba and Yami spent many hours of their youth training in meditation, telepathy and other psychic abilities. And they would leave their lessons completely opposites; Kaiba steaming in the ears with shades of frustrated red on his scowling face, while Yami beamed adorably with the pleased glow of a child who had done everything perfectly and knew he did a good job. Kaiba's mind wandered too far, the said boy was always told. Kaiba agreed; he had little patience for the silly mind games his cousin found fascinating.

Therefore, he, of all the High Priests, was the absolute worse when it came to foreshadowing or astro-projection, not to mention the art of relaxing the mind. However, he didn't really mind; Ishizu and Yami were always haunted by nightmares and fainting spells when it came to visions, and Kaiba would like to keep his mind as worry-free as possible.

But still, his old childhood jealousy began to rage with his arousal, demanding him to at least TRY to meditate as well as Yami did. Meditation, however, was the last thing on Kaiba's mind as of the moment.

'C'mon, MOVE!' Kaiba begged his body, but instead found it still rooted to the spot, like a statue too heavy for its own weight.

With one fluid move that startled Kaiba half out of his --remaining-- wits, Yami pulled on a long over-robe that stepped out of the water with the grace of a water nymph. Anubis bounded happily over to his master, who fondly bent down to scratch him with a free hand while the ruler's other hand was clasped casually to hold together the front of the robe. (AN: *drool*)

Kaiba felt a sudden twang of envy. *He* never got any look of such rare affection from the Pharaoh. But then again, since a young age, Yami had always been unusually fond of animals, and was unnaturally good with them, too, taming the wildest of creatures to follow his every command. The animals seemed to understand his brilliancy and silence better then people often did; or at least, that's what the Pharaoh claimed. No one dared to argue, after all.

But that look...!

Yami very rarely had any emotional expressions, but occasionally he flashed a grateful smile or a beam of tenderness in the direction of those closest to him, like Akunadin, Shimon, or Mahado. Come to think of it, everyone BUT Kaiba had been on the receiving end of such a look one time or another.

Kaiba, despite his situation, felt an unnatural urge to pout. 'No, wait, this is SILLY,' he reminded himself, frustrated at his immature thoughts. 'Focus on *moving* AWAY. Preferably *now*!'

Very suddenly, all coherent thoughts still present in Kaiba's brain went and hung themselves from the pyramids. At *that* moment, shrouded ethereally by a cloud of steam, Yami chose to stand to his full height, thoughtfully scanning the sky.

Kaiba fought the urge to drool. The translucent white robe Yami so innocently wore left VERY little to imagine of the well-formed body below it, not to mention the mere *thought* of it dripping wet from its bath...

Suddenly Kaiba's robe seemed a size too short.

'Move. NOW!' cried Kaiba to himself, but his body have *very* different thoughts. Ra, he could just *see* himself running over there, molding Yami in to his arms, and just crushing their lips together. If he had been relatively normal, Kaiba might have noticed then that the Millennium Rod and the scrolls were dangerously close to being dropped from his relaxing grip.

Thankfully, the gods sent a miracle. That is, a *dangerous* miracle in the form of a clawed, fanged furball.

A beautiful calico cat, also adorned in gold in the similar fashion of the hound, flew out from the mist of palm trees in a colorful blur. Startled, Kaiba felt the tiny pinpricks of feline claws upon his neck and an irritated hiss in his ear.

Though, thankfully, he did not cry out, Kaiba's body took a hint. Moving faster then he had EVER moved, the priest fled the vicinity as fast as he could, barely able to hang on to the scrolls that his father had trusted him with.

Yami, whose normally sharp senses were dulled by the steam from his bath, snapped his attention toward the sound. Thankfully, his reflexes were not hindered at all, and the king managed to grab a hold of Anubis's collar. Otherwise, the Palace would be short a royal cat right then and there.

"Bastet!" the Pharaoh hissed, in a half-hearted angry tone, "What poor animal did you attack now?"

Bastet did not answer and merely eyed Anubis with icy silvery eyes, the fur on the back of her back rising. With her ears flattened, her back arched, her claws extended and her fangs bared, she could have passed for Seth himself on a bad hair day.

Anubis, who strained in vain against Yami's strong grip, let out choked barks that only made Bastet more alarmed.

Yami rolled his eyes toward the heavens and brought two fingers to his lips, letting out a short whistle blast that momentarily caught the attention of the two feuding pets. "Horus!"

There was a falcon's screech, and a streak of black-white plummeting toward the ground. [3]

Yami smiled fondly, though something still troubled him. He glanced at where Bastet was. The Pharaoh's gaze was suspicious.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Goodness, what's the matter?" demanded Akunadin, not unkindly, as his only son wandered dazedly back into the Chamber of Anubis.

"N-nothing." Kaiba shakily took in a breath and forced his hands to stay calm as he handed the scrolls back to his father. "Pharaoh wasn't... uh.... available."

Akunadin raised his eyebrow again, and Kaiba shuddered when he realized how much his father looked like Yami then. "I... see..." The elder High Priest waved the scrolls back into Kaiba's hand after a moment of suspicion. "Hold on to them. I must oversee the building of a monument. If you will, please deliver them to Pharaoh some other time."

"Yes, Father," responded Kaiba automatically, before he inhaled sharply at his mistake.

Akunadin nodded, as if pleased, and stood, brushing himself off and setting down his brush for servants to pick up. Then he looked at Kaiba.

Just LOOKED. Did not glare, nor stare, nor eye. Just looked.

Awkward silence.

Kaiba squirmed, growing increasingly uncomfortably. Here he was, younger, taller, stronger, and more arrogant then his aging father, and yet he suddenly felt so... childishly shy.

"I shall see you at the evening meal, then," said Akunadin finally, his voice somewhat amused and his Millennium Eye gleaming from under the shadows of his hood.

Kaiba managed a shaky nod before Akunadin disappeared out the doorway.

'Ra, I'm doomed.' Needless to say, perhaps it was time to take another icy bath. Either it was getting too hot in the Palace --mostly likely not, for it was always kept freezing at Yami's orders-- or *some* parts of his body were a few degrees warmer then normal. Now that he thought about it, Kaiba was surprised --and thankful-- that he didn't escape Yami with the worst nosebleed in the world.

"Anubis help me," Kaiba mumbled as he tucked the scrolls under his arms and stalked off to his bathing chamber.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was sunset when Kaiba's nerves finally stopped making him twitch. After first making sure that Yami was *in* his Chambers, the High Priest set out, scrolls and M.Rod tucked carefully under his arm, to prove his body wrong and act perfectly normal around his young cousin.

Hopefully.

Moments later --too short of a time, Kaiba thought-- he was there.

At the Royal Chamber's entrance were the basalt statues of the two twin protectors of Pharaohs, the vulture-goddess, Nekhbet of Upper Egypt, and the cobra-goddess, Wadjet of Lower Egypt. Nekhbet, who was said to protect the Egyptian kings with her wings, held a papyrus reed in her beak, the symbol of Upper Egypt. Wadjet, who was said to spit fire into the eyes of the enemies of the Pharaohs, wrapped herself around a lotus blossom, the symbol of Lower Egypt. Their eyes --Nekhbet's sapphire, Wadjet's rubies-- seemed to twinkle with laugher aimed at Kaiba as he approached. [4]

Funny, the goddesses' presence never seemed to bother the Priest until now. Kaiba shuddered and stepped through the gold doorway, which carried incantations to protect, bless and glorify the Pharaoh that lived within.

Yami's Chamber was as sacred as any Temple, and perhaps more beautiful then most. For generations, Pharaohs have breathed, slept, ate, laughed and cried in this room. The air itself seemed so ancient and holy that it raised the hair on the back of Kaiba's neck. The Chamber was just as ancient as it felt, made purely of beautiful stones and sized many hands high and even more hands wide. Lining the walls were pillars of humongous proportions, covered in carvings and tipped with lotus blossoms and papyrus reeds. Hieroglyphics, blessings and stories alike, covered so much of the room that it boggled the mind. Elegantly drawn pictures stood in stark contrast with the jewels and precious metals that lined them. Pieces of magnificent furniture --a gold bed with a protective falcon around the headrest, a tall mirror made of silver, stiff couches in the shape of lions and camels, chairs with legs ending in paws and serpents wrapped around the armrests, tables littered with papyrus scrolls and miniatures of the gods-- were scattered about the room, most covered in transparent silk veils and all kept in perfect condition. Alternating with the pillars, sacred basalt statues of gods seemed to guard the Pharaoh's belongings, their gemmed eyes gleaming in the poor light. By each statue were smoking incense torches, vines of fresh flowers, and the still forms of ever-present guards. The fire torches, usually fully ablaze, had been put down to a minimum, and the smoky incense smell gave the room a warm, sleepy aura. (AN: yes, I'm a huge, hopeless romantic who happens to be obsessed with Egypt. SO SUE ME!)

Kaiba blinked. Usually the Pharaoh was sitting in one of his chairs, surrounded by pampering servants or babbling advisors. The priest scanned the room quickly and found no Pharaoh, just some guards eyeing him with unease. Shimon, who was off to the side overlooking a few servants, was not by Pharaoh's side. That was odd; unless Yami wished to be alone --this was very possible, concluded Kaiba-- Shimon was always right behind the young man, living up to the name as right hand of the Pharaoh.

'Ah, but of course. The balcony.'

Not far from the central bed and protected by a crowned falcon with outstretched wings were some shallow steps that led to a huge, magnificent balcony that overlooked the city and the distant Giza pyramids. [5] There were long, translucent silk curtains hanging over the huge entrance to the balcony, deterring any annoying mosquitoes or birds from entering. They swayed with the Nile breeze, showing just pale silhouettes of the balcony railings and the world beyond it. (AN: this is from the Mummy and the Mummy Returns, by the way. DON'T U LOVE THE PALACE IN THEM?!!? *squeal*)

The shape of unmistakable spiky hair gave away Yami's presence. Amidst the long, billowing cape that hid most of the Pharaoh's body was a single arm, on which rested the signature small frame of a peregrine falcon.

Kaiba took a deep breath and, as quietly as he could, made his way over to the balcony. An old childish instinct took over him, urging him to startle the Pharaoh and prove that the ruler wasn't as clairvoyant as he claimed to be.

To Kaiba's dismay, the plan failed.

Just as the priest was using the M.Rod --he had no free hands-- to part the veils of the balcony, Yami's voice, smooth and rich, greeted him.

"I've been expecting those scrolls, Kaiba."

Kaiba fought a sigh and bowed, M.Rod pressed against his heart. "Forgive me for not... delivering them earlier, my Pharaoh." The familiar title sent an unfamiliar shiver of delight up Kaiba spine.

Yami didn't even turn his head to acknowledge him. Instead, the Pharaoh absent-mindedly stroked his falcon's feathers, chuckling as the gold-adorned bird fondly nipped his ear.

Kaiba felt jealousy flash through him for a quick moment. 'He looks at the BIRD. The *bird*!' snorted Kaiba to himself. What did he have to do, dance to get some attention?

"Hand those scrolls to my servant; I'll look at them later," ordered Yami without breaking his gaze.

Scowling to himself, Kaiba handed over the heavy load of scrolls to an ever-present servant girl, who rushed to place them on one of the Pharaoh's desks.

Must to Kaiba's sudden delight, however, Yami gave out a high-pitched whistle blast and threw his arm --which had been wrapped in protective cow hind-- upward to the sky. With a shriek, the falcon flapped its ebony wings and took flight, flapping its way into the burning pink and gold hues of the sky.

Yami's gaze followed the bird with somewhat of a wistful look upon his face, which was now glowing with the colors of the setting Ra. Kaiba was captivated by the supernal perfection of that face, but his gaze soon began to trail... elsewhere.

The young Pharaoh wore his normal attire, which seemed to nicely suit him for the first time in Kaiba's eyes. Yami wore a short silver tunic with a wide gold belt and ebony kilt flaps outlined by white silk. On his limbs, he wore beautiful gold bands that matched the one wrapped around his elegant neck. On his ears, he wore twin Ankh-engraved and diamond-shaped earrings that hung gracefully down to his slender shoulders. On those said shoulders rested the beginning of a long crimson cape, twisted in insane complications around and under a gold collar plate. On Yami's proud forehead, a heavy gold tiara, with the shape of a Millennium Symbol of Ra, rested just behind his bangs, branching off from the top of his ears in sharp, elegant wings. [6] And, of course, no one could miss the enchanting Millennium Puzzle that hung heavily from the Pharaoh's neck.

'He's gorgeous,' thought Kaiba dazedly.   

Yami finally turned his head and eyed Kaiba warily out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you look at me that way?"

Kaiba flushed and quickly looked away. "No reason."

Yami gave him a suspicious look but said nothing more of it.

Kaiba wondered briefly if he should leave, despite how much he wanted to stay. After all, he was only here to deliver the scrolls. He began to edge toward the steps.

But then Yami spoke up in a quiet, almost inaudible tone. "I wish I could go and fly as freely as Horus does."

Kaiba blinked at the odd comment. "Yami, what more could you want? You're Pharaoh! You have freedom at your fingertips!"

Twin ruby eyes eyed him with an unreadable gaze that made Kaiba shiver. "There are different types of freedoms, Kaiba. Being Pharaoh does not include them all..." There was a deep sadness and weariness in his tone that belonged to a man many times his age.

Normally, Kaiba would have made a snide comment about Yami being too young to rule in the first place, despite how miraculously good of a job the Pharaoh was managing. The other High Priests were usually sympathetic, understanding the weight of the burden Yami had to carry. Kaiba, on the other hand, usually chose to be annoying.

But now very odd feelings stirred within Kaiba, and suddenly all he wanted to do was gather Yami in his arms and comfort him with sweet words.

Yami went on, leaning against the railing and thoughtfully gazing down at the mass of white huts and green palm trees down below. "You know, I often wonder if there's another reason why the gods put me on this Earth for," he murmured, more to himself then to Kaiba. "Ever get that feeling that there's..." he paused, struggling for the right terms, "... just more out there for you?"

Kaiba, who had been struggling not to stare at Yami's rather exposed body, bit down on his lip before he could reflexively mock the object of his obsessions. He took a few thoughtful steps closer, intent on getting on Yami's good side. "Perhaps fate has more in store for you..." he quoted quietly. Kaiba inwardly shuddered. 'I sound like Father on one of his religious rants.'

"Hm. Perhaps..." was the quiet, absent-minded reply.

A flash of surprise then passed through Yami's eyes. 'Kaiba? Understanding? About this sort of thing?' His cousin NEVER listened to what he had to say without contradicting everything or making some smart remark. The Pharaoh fought a frown.

"That doesn't answer my question, Kaiba..." the Pharaoh said slowly.

Kaiba noticed the confusion and the suspicion on Yami's expression and tone of voice, and quickly tried to save himself. "No, it doesn't. Only the gods know, Yami. It's not like *I* can do anything about it." He managed a casual shrug, peering over Yami's shoulder. "Go ask Ishizu about it; I suck at this type of stuff."

'There, I pulled it off...' Kaiba realized proudly.

Any suspicion seemed to vanish from Yami's mind; THIS sounded more like the close-minded cousin that he knew.

However, Kaiba suddenly noticed, with panic, that he had slipped closer to Yami then he had meant to. They were now so close that Kaiba could easily reach out and touch Yami's shoulder.

Yami, just as surprised, stood.

Kaiba faintly noted, with amusement, that Yami's growth spurts still left him a good head shorter and still much leaner then the priest's own broad form.

Kaiba found himself inhaling sharply as Yami's nose came within a foot of his own.

A flicker of confusion passed through those beautiful crimson eyes, emphasized by the exquisite kohl lines and touch of gold that surrounded it. With lips unknowingly parted in an unspoken question, Yami's face suddenly took on a surprisingly innocent look. (AN: hey, that's Yugi's department!)

Kaiba's brain raced in a fashion that suggested it was about to shut down in the next few seconds. How easy it would be for the High Priest to just reach out, claim those sensual lips with his own, and just kiss the young Pharaoh senseless?

Too easy... And Kaiba was dangerously close to doing it.

Right when Kaiba thought he was about to loose all control, and just when their lips were just inches apart, there was a short, awkward cough.

Shimon stood on the steps, one hand parting the veils and the other brought up to his face as one might do had they been hacking. The stout man, whose expression was hidden by the robes covering his face, looked very uneasy at breaking their awkward moment.

Kaiba jerked backwards, heart pounding and cheeks aflame.

The Pharaoh blinked as if nothing happened, not even looking surprised at Shimon's sudden entrance. He raised a eyebrow --ah, the Look-- and merely turned away from them both to watch Horus circle lazily above.

'What does he have, ice in his veins?' hissed Kaiba to himself, both embarrassed and furious.

Bowing uneasily in Yami's general direction, Kaiba sent Shimon --whom Kaiba SWORE was silently muttering something about "damned teenage hormones"-- a deadly glare. The priest quickly brushed past the short man and stormed down the steps, fighting between a confusing internal war between pain and anger.

'I'm being so silly, getting all worked up like this, but he just doesn't NOTICE! But then again, he IS my cousin. He probably hates me... but that doesn't mean he has to ignore me! But then again... what if he thinks I hate *him*? He probably does, judging by those looks he shot me when I was trying to be nice... Ra, and to think that he *knows* I've been trying FOREVER to ignore the fact I'm even *related* to him... Damn it all!'

What would it take to prove to Yami that Kaiba no longer hated his guts?

"A lot..." moaned Kaiba in uncharacteristic despair.

Needless to say, neither gaurds nor servants dared to step in his path.

But Kaiba's anger had worn itself out by the time he reached the entrance of the Royal Chamber. Pausing to sigh, he glanced at the balcony. Shimon seemed to be commenting on something rather funny --Kaiba hoped it wasn't about him-- that made Yami chuckle a rare laugh. A servant boy nearby held out a pan, from which Yami was currently reaching into and tying something --possibly meat-- onto a string. As Kaiba watched, the young ruler began to swing the meat chunk above his head in a fast circle, body unknowingly twisting in a serpentine dance that made Kaiba's lower abdomen constrict rather painfully. Horus dived again and again, his smooth aerial agility matched only by Yami's quick reflexes, of which jerked the meat out of the falcon's grasp every time. The bird's amused, but frustrated, shrieks filled the Chamber.

Kaiba heaved another sigh, sapphire eyes trailing over Yami's graceful movements. A painful longing wormed its way into his heart.

He had been so close... yet so far...

~*~*~*~*~*~

[1] - hieratic was the middle of three different ancient Egyptian scripts. The carved hieroglyphics were known only to 1% of the population (the educated, high-born class) and was believed to be medou netjer, meaning 'sacred words of the gods'. We know hieroglyphics so well because it's the only one out of the three scripts that is actually carved into stone. ANYWAY, hieratic is this really beautiful, cursive way of writing hieroglyphics (using a hand brush) that looks a lot easier on the hand. ^_^ Demonic, the last, was the most casual script, used for fast notes or something, and it looks like scribble to me. -_-* Hieroglyphics to demonic to Greek was what was written on the Rosetta Stone and was what opened the Egyptian written language (it can't be pronounced cuz Egyptians didn't write with vowels). Also, Egyptians were geniuses with math. There's this whole papyrus recovered that absolutely covered in triangles, geometry, and algebra. O_o Yikes!

[2] - yes, ancient Egyptians wore kohl lines and green eye shadow (EVERYONE, both genders). Why should Yami and Kaiba be any different? ^_^ Though I've noticed that Yami's eyes were one of the traits that made him strangely feminine (Ishizu/Isis has the same eyes, haven't you noiced? ^_^ Only blue, of course). And also, all the Egyptians (and Kaiba, in the manga) in the story seemed to have naturally outlined eyes, to the point of Marik's cheek streaks. :-p Green, by the way, was the color of the Egyptian god Osirius's skin, which represents rebirth (he was killed and was put together piece by piece)

[3] - so falconing wasn't invented until 900 B.C. SS WHAT? ANYWAY, Egypt had a lot of strange animals, and Pharaohs had a lot of strange pets. Ramses II was rumored to have owned a pair of war lions (didn't know there WERE lions in Egypt). Also in the country are/was peregrine falcons (judging by the head in pictures, the Egyptian god Horus was a peregrine falcon, says modern raptor scientists), baboons, ibises (stork-like birds with a long, curved-down beak), donkeys, gazelles (these were popular pets too), dung beetles/scarabs, and about a zillion other animals I never would have IMAGINED in ancient Egypt. Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals in the world, diving up to 200 miles per hour (all falcons can dive EXTREMELY fast) and flying up to 100+ mph. By the way, 'Anubis' is the streotypical greyhound, like the ones seen in the Prince of Egypt, only not so skinny.

[4] - this whole babble about the Nekhbet and Wadject is true (based off real Egyptian mythology, which is confusing as hell anyways)

[5] - ancient Memphis (the first ancient Egyptian capital) was 25 miles away from Giza (which wasn't built until the fourth dynasty, depending on where u put Yami and his whole crew) Therefore, I'm not sure if you COULD see Giza from Memphis, but I suppose you could because Memphis was said to be as big as modern London (which is huge by ancient terms).

[6] - this is Yami's actual manga costume (in less-then-detailed description, of course). ITS GORGEOUS! *squeal* U guys go grab a picture and drool over it, man! One little note; in this story I have everyone wearing sandals, like most REAL ancient Egyptians. Unfortunately, in the manga, everyone wears SLIPPERS. O_o Yeah, odd....

~~~~~AUTHORS NOTE~~~~~

BWAHAHAHA! U think I'd make them kiss in the second chapter? Well, HA TO YOU! Sorry to all that were hopelessly disappointed and P.O'ed. ^_^ One thing, yes, I KNOW Kaiba (and everyone else) are pretty out of character, but WHO CARES? Its fun to pick on Kaiba, especially when he's all emotional like this. :-p Yeah, yeah, I know. And Yami's too feminine, unlike his normal extra-masculine self in the show/manga/other fanfictions. I KNOW, I KNOW! *sob* I'm TRYING to write a good story here! (Thank u all that said Yami WASN'T as feminine as I thought ^_^)

Awww, don't you feel bad for Kaiba? I just decided that this story is dedicated to all of you (including me) that never got the love of your life despite how hard you try (or/and they're too thick-headed to notice ^_^).

+++Preview for next chappie+++: BAKURA!! BWAHAHAHAHA!! Kaiba gets beat up (hypothetically speaking) and Yami, of course, kicks butt! :-p

OMG!! U people gotta help me! I type by double spacing between paragraphs, and that comes out fine. But when I WANT lines to stay together (lyrics for a song, for example) I am so lost!! How does that work on Microsoft Word or Microsoft Text? I've tried just doing it normally (double lines between paragraphs and nothing between lyrics) but it came out all screwed up; the Word put lines that are close together in the same LINE when updated, and Text put it all evenly spaced anyway. Is there some HTML thing I can do, or some Notepad or something that might make it come out normally? HHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!