Come What May

by Lomelindi

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love... Seth/Atem, ancient Egypt.

7. Back To Your Heart

~~~~~~~~~~~Back To Your Heart~~~~~~~~~~

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

Hey, guess what? I was watching Prince of Egypt (yet again) and I noticed that one (of two) throne chairs belong to Ramses (and Seto) looks EXACTLY LIKE YAMI'S. Hm... I dunno if that's an ancient Egyptian thing that the manga/POE based it off of, or if they somehow based it off each other (I didn't think the Prince of Egypt had anything to do with YGO O_o) but the whole throne chair thing is FREAKY. Okay, so the POE one doesn't have the sun disk, but the shape of the chair itself and the armrests are identical. O_o Sorry, I just had to share that with you... (By the way, the only good throne chair from ancient Egypt is from pictures and Tut's tomb, none of which look anything like Yami's... I think. I haven't exactly done research on chairs, you know... Dude, I'm not THAT obsessed...)

1. For those of you curious about my gods story, yes, the whole idea was mine. ALL MINE! *cackles* Isn't it weird though, how almost everything in the manga FITS so well into my outlined plot (it'll fit better in the real story)? I mean, I didn't even plan to make this story and that one related whatsoever, but I got this brilliant idea to add a preview (making CWM the unofficial sequel to the gods story) in THIS story cuz I was stuck on that blasted Ch.6 and I wasn't getting any more ideas for a vision. -_-* I have to admit, the new story fits well with this one too; it was pure luck that I made the Seth/Horus thing so apparent, Mahado as Anubis and Yami as Horus (a lot more then just twice) in the previous chapters (though I wouldn't have added a dog called Anubis if I knew Mahado was *the* god...). Anubis and Horus are my fave two gods, and Yami and Mahado are obviously two of my fave characters, so it was just kinda fun to have them dress up and stuff. But apparently, it worked out perfectly. :-p Sheer dumb luck can do a lot, people! Hey, *I* was surprised that this story matched the other one, though I really didn't mean it to be this way (and yes, I realize it was odd to have Thoth come to Yami when Yami was praying to HORUS, but hey, Horus doesn't exist anymore, right? :-p). However, I'm still brainstorming on the new story and I only have a few pages written, so don't expect it up anytime soon...

2. Wow, Seth becoming Thoth and tricking Yami to kill himself?! You people are GENIUSES! I never thought of that! That would have been great, if I hadn't already written that blasted chapter. -_-* No, don't worry; you don't have to think TOO in depth with yourself (I do this all the time and I fail tests cuz I keep changing my answers -_-*) about this story. Everything's basically laid out for you...

3. Oh. Whoops. Was everyone terribly surprised that Yami was gunna die? C'MON, he's dead (technically) in the show, right? Sorry if I completely popped someone's bubble; ignorance is bliss, eh? ^_^ There's a reason why this whole story is labeled 'tragedy', and its NOT because of this chapter that you're about to read.

Again, this is based off the end of Moulin Rouge and Sailor Moon R, neither of which I own. Also, I do not own any part of Backstreet Boys; this *is* their song, BACK TO YOUR HEART. *sigh* Yes, very old I know, but no one flame me cuz this is *still* of one my fave songs in the whole world. :-p Again; NO FLAMES!

~~~~~

{We both know I shouldn't be here...
This is wrong...
And baby, it's killin' me, it's killin' you;
Both of us trying to be strong...}

It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do;
to look you in the eye
and tell you I don't love you...

It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to lie;
to show no emotion
when you start to cry...

I can't let you see what you mean to me
when my hands are tied and my heart's not free...
We're not meant to be...

It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do;
to turn around and walk away,
pretending that I don't love you...

I know that we'll meet again...
Fate has a place and a time,
so you can get on with your life.
I've got to be cruel to be kind!

(parts of the song THE HARDEST THING by 98 Degrees)

Stars themselves would have wept at the expression on Kaiba's handsome face. Indifference became shock. Shock became hurt. Hurt became guilt. Guilt became defeat.

Yami tore himself away and ran. He didn't think that was even possible in his current physical state, but somehow he found himself streaking through the Palace, cape flying behind him, tears streaming down his cheeks, mind aflame with the haunting image of Kaiba's face. 'I'm sorry...! I'm SORRY!!' Yami screamed to himself, though he knew no one but the gods could hear.

People were a blur. Pictures were colorful streaks. The heat of passing torches did not linger long enough on his skin to be registered. The crashing of incense burners and vases as he passed were nothing but an echo.

And still, he ran.

Yami ran like the wind. He ran as if Seth himself was behind him, as if he could outrun the pain, outrun Kaiba's face, outrun the silent shock that had spread like wildfire through his companions. Though his weakened legs hurt and screamed at him to stop, Yami forced himself on at neck-breaking speeds; his speed was what had won him many battles and had saved his life on more then one occasions. But even so, tears still flew from the Pharaoh's weeping eyes, and the pain still hurt in the king's pounding heart.  

Yami's mind finally registered the sudden feeling of cold marble against his cheek, soothing his fevered mind, slowing his spinning thoughts to a bearable level. He let out a choked sob and collapsed against the pillar, sliding down to the ground in a shuddering heap of vivid hair and folds of red silk. The Pharaoh found himself alone in his Chamber, though everything from the weeping petals of flowers to the imposing pillars to the gleaming eyes of the statues seemed to look down upon their fallen king with pity.

Yami scrambled up, quivering with ragged breaths, dark pupils dilated with anger. "Are you happy?!" he screamed at the statue of Thoth, then turning to face each of the other statues with defiance and black anger. "Are you all happy now? Is *this* what you wanted me to do all those years ago? Toss him away as if he was worthless? As if I didn't love him?!" His vocal cords were growing hoarse, and there was no doubt that someone outside heard, but Yami no longer cared, "Is the life of a mortal just a pawn in a great game we gods play? Is that it?!"

His voice echoed.

The gods stared back blankly.

'We gods...' Just as he was reconsidering his own words, Yami found himself facing a proud, lean form adorned with the clothing of royalty and bearing the head of a mighty falcon crowned in the imperial Double Crown.

The king found himself unable to tear away from the large, black depths of the diety's beautiful basalt eyes. "Horus..." he murmured, body suddenly rigid, reaching out with trembling fingers to gently caress the fearsome beak. The very name of the god sounded odd upon his quivering lips, despite how many times he had uttered it in prayer.

How could it be his name? (AN: I would like to acknowledge my own stupidity here --and the knowledge of those lucky few that actually READ the manga-- cuz I wasn't planning on making Yami Horus, as said before, or otherwise I would have put in this one important little detail; in the manga, Yugi, Jou, and everyone else is stuck in Yami's heart/mind maze, and to find the key to opening the door of Yami's memories involves finding the Pharaoh's 'real/lost' name. I SHOULD HAVE ADDED THIS IN!! DAMNIT I SHOULD HAVE MADE IT HORUS!! GRRRRR!!) [1]

"Horus..." the Pharaoh echoed, bitterly, "Is that who I am?" He laughed dryly to himself. "Funny... Most Pharaohs would revel in the fact of being a god..."

And suddenly, his temper flared and he was furious. Furious at the gods...At *Horus*.

'This is his stupid fault! If he hadn't got in that whole deal those years ago, I wouldn't be pushing Seto away...!' Breathing harsh, Yami glared with tearful eyes of venom at the image of his former self.

But the flash of anger didn't last. 'But then again... I would have never met Seto...'

Defeated, tiredly, the young man fell to his knees before the statue, thin frame shuddering from overwhelming despair and loniless. His fingers clutched his beautiful gold Puzzle as if it was the only thing holding him back from the brink of insanity. Tear after tear, though now silent, fell at the feet of the once-mighty falcon god.

His life was crashing, shattering to pieces... and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. It was utterly frustrating, at least; he was PHARAOH, and being so used to having his way, he wasn't too happy about this sudden chaos that he had no control over.

He was a good Pharaoh, Yami told himself, to a good land, with good friends and perhaps a growing love. But then... but underneath all that, it was all so WRONG! Shadow Monsters were attacking villages. Innocents were dying. Tomb robbers were possessed. Millennium Items were evil. High Priests were killed.

And Pharaohs were FAKES.

'Talent. And all this time, I thought I had bloody *talent* for all those things I could do... And it turns out I've been born with those abilities. No effort needed.' Yami stared up at the ceiling, suddenly angry at the world but too tired to show it. 'A god. A bloody god. Probably a *normal* bloody god. Oh, *why* did I have to be a bloody god?'

He felt suddenly old, used, like a worn rag that was only good for one purpose; playing pawn. He found it bitterly ironic; funny, he always did like games...

He never wanted to be Horus. He doubted even *Horus* wanted to be Horus, judging by his cursed life and all. *Yami's* life would be just find and dandy --with its normal ups and downs, of course-- if this whole little deal didn't come along. Hell, life would be great! Especially with Kaiba around...

Kaiba... Seto...

The name brought a pang of raw guilt and pain so sharply upon Yami's mind and heart that he jolted; before he knew it, the familiar burning of tears welled up in his eyes.

'Damn you, gods!' Yami screamed mentally, burying his head in his sheets and trembling. 'You ruined my life! A life I *wanted*! Curse you all!'

Yami took in a shuddering breath, only to let it out as a sob.

'How did it come to this...?' he whispered to himself. How did Egypt and her mightiest king find himself in this situation, with death and blood and Armageddon lingering inevitably around the corner.

His beloved's pained expression suddenly came to mind once again, and the Pharaoh wept harder, praying desperately to Horus, though he knew that the former god was not there, nor would provide an answer... for Yami himself, Horus reincarnated, had none to give.

'Why did it have to be this way...?! Ra, Seto, what have I done...?'

[Solos]
Its not that I can't live without you...
Its just that I don't even want to try!
Every night I dream about you,
ever since the day we've said goodbye!

There were rapid footsteps coming in, hesitant and uneven. Yami glanced up wearily with tear-blurred vision to find Ishizu's curved form silhouetted against the doorway. She, too, was trembling, and she, too, was weeping, her eagle-tiaraed headdress flopping to one side as she tried unsuccessfully to hide sobs behind her slim hands.

Yami suddenly knew. The moment their eyes met, he knew.

'She had seen it also...' he whispered to himself. Somehow, he was not surprised, nor alarmed. Though a little wary, he composed what was left of his dignity and stood shakily, wiping tears away with what he hoped was indifference. "Ishizu..." he started, uncertain of what to say.

The beautiful woman did not answer her name in a dignified way, as she would have done on a normal given day. Instead, startling the Pharaoh out of his remaining wits, she flung herself at his feet, clutching his hand to her forehead as a commoner might do when graciously thanking the great king.

"Ishizu... What...?" stammered Yami, though in the back of his mind he already guessed.

Ishizu met his tear-filled eyes with her own, body trembling as she clung to him. "Y-Yami..." she whispered fearfully, dignity forgotten, "I saw it, too! I-I saw you die...!"

Yami wasn't surprised, though he gave a moment of silence.

"I know, Ishizu..." he murmured quietly. He could not bring himself to pull away, so he simply stood and allowed his hand to be worshipped.

"Y-You cannot do it! Yami, you can't!" Ishizu all but pleaded, soaking her dark hair and Yami's fingers with her tears.

Yami's throat tightened to the point of pain, and it was a moment before he collected what remained of his thoughts, then his voice. "I-I must, Ishizu," he croaked out.

Ishizu shook her head in disbelief, her headdress falling ominously. Her blue eyes sought out the Pharaoh's crimson ones with desperation and grief. "Yami, you cannot! We *need* you...!" She waved her arms wildly in the general direction of the balcony. "Your people need you! You are their Pharaoh, their king, Egypt's king!"

"That is why I must do it, Ishizu," sighed Yami, blinking away his own tears and settling a trembling hand upon Ishizu's head, as he did with Mahado in their last moments together. "This is for my people, my kingdom; it is my duty as Pharaoh to protect them, and protect them I will, even if it means...t-taking my own life." Yami had a sudden urge to laugh giddily at this whole thing and believe it was all just some big mistake, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

"But in *seven* days...!? " Ishizu shrieked in panic, her grasp crushing her king's fingers. "*Seven*?!"

Yami said nothing, breath shallow and forced.

Stunned silence.

Ishizu managed to grasp some reality and pressed Yami's hand against her forehead once more, shuddering and weeping against it. "How can this be...? It... It isn't fair!!"

They were childhood friends! As close as brothers and sisters! As powerful as any being imaginable! And here they were, talking about Yami's premature death and how there was no way to prevent it...

But how could Yami, of all people, die? It didn't seem like reality to even think about it!

Yami paused agonizingly. "'Tis is the will of the gods, Ishizu..." he murmured quietly, voice hollow, "Not even the Millennium Items can change what I must do." What he said scared even himself; the Millennium Items cannot prevent his death.

What little hope remained shattered that instant, and Yami felt his knees buckle as the painful reality of the despairing situation hit him.

Ishizu watched him fearfully, with eyes as innocent and wide as a child's.

Yami took in one shaky breath, then another, before his pained crimson eyes looked down at the High Priest sadly, trembling hands nudging her gently. "G-Go now. Speak of this to no one..." he whispered, voice so low and hesitant that it was barely audible, let along recognizable as belonging to such a normally bold young Pharaoh.

Another moment of silence.

Ishizu released Yami's hand and got up stiffly, her eyes still searching with expectation for some spark of defiance within her childhood friend's eyes. But Yami offered her none, his once brilliant scarlet pupils now dulled and vacant, thoughts all but hopeful repeating through his mind.

A Pharaoh cannot stop it... Horus cannot stop it... The Millennium Items cannot stop it... Ra, and he thought the Items could do anything! (AN: ah, you've probably noticed that I've discovered the magic of italics. :-p)

That fact hit him like a punch in the stomach, and for a moment Yami stopped breathing.

*Nothing* can prevent this...

The Pharaoh avoided eye contact as if Ishizu wasn't even there, dazedly sinking himself down upon his bed and resting one hand on the widespread wing of the falcon that guarded it. His tearful eyes focused upon the bird with raw pain, slowly releasing tears that fell upon his lap, drenching the silver tunic and dripping off his Puzzle. "Funny..." he murmured, suddenly calm. "Horus is the king of living... Why should he die...?" (AN: let me clarify; Ishizu saw Yami die, but she didn't see anything about Thoth, the gods, or the whole Yami/Horus thing)

'He's accepting his fate.' Ishizu realized with a start, stunned by the age and sadness she found radiating from the Pharaoh. She stayed frozen for a moment, her breath dangerously shallow. She, of all people, knew the gods and their wills... But even so, never in her life did she imagine this kind of pain... this kind of death... this kind of pressure put upon such a youth, let alone someone that Ishizu thought would always be... just... *there*. Yami didn't seem like one that belonged in the general vicinity of death, nor of defeat; everything about him seemed so perfect, so beautiful, and so powerful that fatality was not a possible issue...

And now he's going.

'Ra, he doesn't deserve this...!!' screamed Ishizu, heart so constricted it hurt.

"Se--Kaiba..." murmured Yami suddenly, jolting Ishizu out of her spell, just as she was about to storm away. He looked up with eyes of such rare, tender, raw pain that it would have made Ishizu weep had she not run out of tears. "H-he--" Yami inhaled shakily, "--will not understand." The king looked away, voice dropping again to near inaudible levels. "Ishizu, take care of him..." His voice was as soft and pleading as a child's.

Ishizu shuddered; those words sounded so much like Mahado's last... "Y-yes, of course..." she whispered before she fled, unable to bear the Pharaoh's tortured presence.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Akunadin was at a loss.

To say that the eldest, all-seeing High Priest of the Millennium Eye was lost was like saying that the blue-eyed White Dragon was suddenly purple with yellow dots and green eyes. But nevertheless, the Priest had no bloody idea what to do, what to say, or, quite frankly, what in Ra was going on.

He, Shimon and Kaiba now stood alone together in the depth of the Temple of Horus, the god's statue towering over them with its Shadow. But even more ominous was the stunned silence that hung over them. The youngest of the three still kneeled upon the ground, once-proud shoulders now slumped over themselves as their owner stared into the ground with vacant, tear-filled eyes.

Drip. Drop.

Crystal tears as blue as their master's eyes fell to the ground and shattered upon impact.

Akunadin threw himself at his son, embracing the large boy and pressing Kaiba's head to his shoulder, as he had done many times in the past. "Oh Ra..." breathed Akunadin shakily, feeling his son tremble against him as they both sank to the ground. "Oh Seto..."

"Father, t-tell me... Did I take advantage of him...? Did I force myself upon hi--" whispered Kaiba fearfully into Akunadin's cloak.

The elderly Priest sent a helpless glance to Shimon, who's sad eyes lowered to the ground and avoided his gaze. "No... No, my son," the old priest murmured, voice unusually shaky, "I spoke to him this morning! He--" Akunadin took a shuddering breath, "--did not regret it... I swear to you... He loved you!" (AN: er, he's not helping the situation, is he?) 'What is Yami up to...?!' growled Akunadin. 'How dare that boy play with Seto's heart like so...!' He was careful not to voice these thoughts, though his one eye must have betrayed them.

That was the last straw. Dignity forgotten, Kaiba buried his face in Akunadin's slender shoulder and clutched to his thin father like a child, strong body now wracked with desperate sobs. "Father, then tell me...!" he cried softly, "I love him more! What did I do wrong...?"

[Solo (cont.)]
If I wasn't such a fool,
right now I'd be holding you!
There's nothing that I wouldn't do...
Baby, if I only knew--

[Chorus]
--the words to say,
the road to take
to find a way back
to your heart...!

What can I do
to get to you?
And find a way back
to your heart?

Akunadin had no answers, and even his Eye remained strangely silent. "Oh, my son... Shhhh..." He hesitated, "Cry it out, little one. Just cry it out..." His own tears welling up over his wrinkling cheeks, the elderly High Priest patted Kaiba's shuddering back soothingly and looked up at Shimon with his remaining eye, pleading.

Shimon nodded silently at his old friend, turning to go. "I will speak with him, Akunadin... though I doubt I can do much..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Moving was near impossible. But Yami somehow made it. Pulling himself up as if he was made of melting metal under four times the gravity --it sure felt that it-- he wiped his eyes and hesitantly dragged himself up the smooth marble steps to the balcony. Thankful of getting rid of the whole lets-hug-a-pillar! thing, he brushed aside the silk veils that blocked his way, their softness instantly reminding him all too well of the crystal tears at the sides of Kaiba's sapphire eyes. Yami shuddered somewhat and flung himself at the broad wings of the huge Horus-falcon, allowing the cool, rough stone of the statue's feathers to sooth his flaming skin.

Finally catching his breath but with despair growing to overwhelming limits within him, the king edged delicately toward the railing, fingers hesitantly brushing the smooth marble that rested between him and the rest of the world. The White City loomed before him, with the dark, snake-like Nile in the distance --horizontal to Yami-- and the distant pyramids past it. (AN: okay, I made a horrible mistake in da last chapter; Giza and ancient Memphis are on the same side of the Nile, 20 miles apart, and I know this, but I was tired and I accidentally made Thoth tell Yami to face the Nile when I really wanted him to face the pyramids. Thus, I am destroying thousands of years of fact and picking up the huge damn pyramids and placing them directly across the Nile from Memphis, where Yami can see them. :D Heh, okay, so it fulfills my story; people in the hyper-over-protective Egyptian government --or any real Egyptians, though I love u guys!-- sue me or anything!)

Only then did he realize it was raining. Frigid bullets of water plummeted from the sky, instantly soaking him and all he wore, as if everything wasn't already soaked by his tears. Clouds that Yami *knew* weren't there in the early morning hid Ra from view and sneered at the Pharaoh with their ugly, fluffy gray faces. The Nile roared in the distance, like a tiger with a soar tooth in serious need of a massage. The pyramids quickly disappeared in the graying horizon, leaving Yami with a vacant, painful feeling not to different from the same one he felt without Kaiba's arms securely wrapped around him. The rain did not seem to carry around the king's worries; it only amplified it.

'CURSE IT ALL!' growled Yami, having nothing better to do then to stand there on the cold stone balcony and get soaked. 'Ra, even the sky's against me!'

And suddenly, Yami realized it.

It was raining because he was sad.

'Must be a god's thing...'

He wanted to laugh. Hysterically. Didn't.

Desperate for some soothing sunshine, or at least a glimpse of his beloved pyramids, Yami desperately wracked his mind for some hint of happiness. But no matter how hard, or how frantically, he tried, no joy would worm its way into his heart, nor his mind, which was now on a roll just beating out dark, bloody thoughts about killing everything in sight.

Needless to say, the rain did not lift. Actually, it just poured harder.

Yes, Yami was in a sour mood. If there was even a term to use without using any curse words to describe his mood.

And to make it worse, he sensed Shimon stepping into the Chamber, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that Yami had practically bitten off the heads of every other guard or servant that dared to try and enter the forbidden room with a crying Pharaoh inside.

But Yami was emotionally, mentally and physically drained, having spiritually beaten himself on the head enough times for his real head to start having a massive, temple-bruising headache. So, he helplessly hung on for dear life to his balcony railing and allowed --though with heavy dread in his heart-- Shimon to come closer.

The old man approached with the hesitance and the caution of someone trying to heal a sick, but still very active, lion. In his arms was a long fur cloak made of spotted panther skin, something that Yami often worn when there was some freak winter --Egypt had dry seasons, not winters, Yami would like to correct-- and temperatures dropped well below even the chilly levels of Egyptian nights. (AN: Egyptian nights are said to be very cold, cuz of the nearby desert and stuff --for you bio students, the biome 'desert' is hot, usually, in the day, and freezing at night-- and thus Egyptians see a lot of morning mist; I think I used that in the previous chapter, when Yami was dressing...)

"Yami...? My Pharaoh...?"

Seeing no response --and thankfully no movement to slice his throat-- Shimon hesitantly, but lovingly, deposited to cloak over Yami's slender, shivering form. Yami felt his dignity swell and fought the urge to throw the damned thing off, only finding himself snuggling into its welcomed warmth and dryness.

Shimon let out a shaky breath, wringing some water from his sleeves as more raindrops fell upon him. "I don't suppose you want to tell me what exactly is going on?"

Yami would have normally laughed. Poor Shimon, he used to think. He was the only *normal* one out of all of them, having absolutely no hint of Shadow powers nor any hint of unnatural things within his distantly-extended family. Therefore, being around Yami and the High Priests, it was rather irritating for the old man to be absolutely useless when it came to Shadow Games, the Shadow Realm or evil in general --which meant that he was basically useless all the way around.

But Yami still loved him.

There was something that even Akunadin lacked that was easily found in Shimon; something so soft, so fatherly, so gentle, so naive, that made Yami think impulsively of the mother and father that he now barely remembered.

"To tell you the truth, no, I don't want to tell you." Yami said this in the nicest way he could, which wasn't very nice for he wasn't feeling very nice anyway as of the moment.

Shimon was silent. "He really loves you, you know--" he said quietly.

"I know..." Yami whispered to the rain, shuddering, though not because of the rain. "Ra, I know..."

[Solos]
I don't know how it got so crazy
but I'll do anything to set things right,
'cause your love is so amazing!
Baby, you're the best thing in my life...

"--but I put my complete faith in your decision," continued Shimon just as softly. "You are far wiser then I, my king, and many times more powerful... I believe you know what you're doing."

Yami was silent for a moment, before he turned at looked at Shimon with unreadable, piercing red eyes of sad, flickering flames. "Do I?" he murmured weakly.

Something about those words made Shimon wonder... "I hope you do, your majesty..." he answered with a suspicious whisper. "You always do."

Yami looked away and stormed out of the rain, dragging the soaked cloak behind him. "I do not, Shimon. That is a lie," he hissed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The days dragged on. The Horus celebration was forgotten. The Pharaoh Yami and High Priest Kaiba affair -- now considered a national crisis-- spread like wildfire from the Palace to the cities and beyond, though it was a forbidden subject, meant only to be whispered when no guards or High Priests were in sight.

But even they pondered about it.

Karimu and Shadi often found themselves alone and worried sick, often pleading with the frighteningly-increasing number of guards at Yami's Chamber for entrance, to no avail.

"No one, especially High Priests, are allowed in; only servants." they were told by the stone-faced, stone-bodied men.

Karimu briefly formulated some childish plan to dress up as servants and sneak in, but Shadi dismissed it as absurd. Besides, the judge priest told his companion, Yami needs some time alone. Which wasn't entirely true, Karimu then pointed out, since Shimon had stayed with Yami, for the sake of the Pharaoh's comfort and support.

Thus, both priests ended up debating about a contradictory topic that they could do nothing to change in the first place.

Ishizu was nowhere to stop them. In fact, she was no where PERIOD. No one had seen her, though they were sure that they was still in the Palace --or at least still existing the general area-- for they had found neat little scrolls on her desk, of orders for lesser priests to perform. Though, however, her absence 'was creeping everybody else', as pointed out by Karimu.

Akunadin, too, had neither time nor the patience to deal with the two frustrated young men. He had enough problems on his hands; Kaiba was not eating, sleeping, walking or even BLINKING correctly. Most of the time Kaiba was locked in his Chamber, staring at the wall with tears still brimming his eyes, utterly unresponsive to Akunadin's calls.

Akunadin was beginning to worry if some zombie had bitten his poor son and was now beckoning --in some mental way that the Eye could not sense-- for the young man to 'join the living dead' or so to speak.

Walking Egyptian dead, by the way, was never a good thing.

"Please," pleaded Akunadin in a baby-voice that had somehow resurfaced from Kaiba's younger years, "Seto, you must eat something!" As a group of servers stood awkwardly at his side, Akunadin towered imposingly over the slouched body of his son, frustration and desperation radiating off him in waves. "Seto, please."

Kaiba showed a little reaction in his name, but it was just a slight turn of the head and a blank stare from pained sapphire eyes.

Akunadin all but fell to his knees, holding a piece of fruit to his son's lips. "Don't make me force-feed you, Seto!" he snarled, though failed to sound threatening.

Kaiba let out a bitter laugh at this remark and stubbornly twisted away, glaring at the squirming servants with venom before facing a different wall.

"For the Heaven's sakes!!" cried Akunadin uncharacteristically, "What would it take for you to eat?"

Kaiba was unresponsive for a moment, before he looked up and startled Akunadin with an actual, audible reaction, though his young priest's voice was small and wavering. "I want to see him, Father..."

[Solo (cont.)]
Let me prove my love is real;
make you feel the way I feel!
Promise I would give the world
if only you would tell me, girl--

[Chorus]
--the words to say,
the road to take
to find a way back
to your heart...!

What can I do
to get to you?
And find a way back
to your heart?

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Ra, I'm not going to make it,' moaned Yami inwardly, staring in despair and disgust at the papyrus work he had gathered for himself over the course of these said days --which felt like years, in his opinion, of horrifying hallucinations and mazes of unexplainable, contradictory thoughts.

Sighing, he dipped his brush in blank ink and cleared his desk of all other scrolls --he had written far past the amount that was legal, he was sure-- except for one bare one, which he stared at blankly and watched the burning rays of a setting sun boat dance across the surface. He straightened after a moment, placing his brush carefully upon the rough papyrus. The hieratic that then flowed from those deft fingers were thankfully smooth, hiding the fact that his hand was trembling ever so slightly.

But Yami didn't get past three symbols before he heard it again.

Screams.

Voices.

Flames.

Yami inhaled sharply, painfully gripping his brush so tightly that his hand trembled from the effort. "Oh, Ra..." he whispered, flinching continuously with each passing scream.

Shimon, who was banished to the other side of the Chamber so he could not see what Yami was doing, rushed over immediately, noticing the suddenly pain in Yami's features --which weren't looking their best, given that the king had not slept for days or eaten past four pieces of fruit. "Not again!! Your majesty...? Are you in pain...?"

"No, no," Yami lied through gritted teeth and squinted eyes. "I'm fine!"

"No, you aren't, I know it!" cried Shimon. "This isn't the first time this has happened! Tell me about this, PLEASE, I beg of you, my king!"

Yami had to struggle not to blurt the whole thing out right there. It was so painful and so HARD to hold it all in...!! "Shimon... I can't..." he choked out.

"You are in pain, Yami! Something is horribly wrong, I can feel it!" Shimon hesitated, then bowed his head, "I-I know I am powerless, and that I don't understand anything about your world of Games and Shadow and magic, but I swear to you I will do whatever it is you ask of me, if only you would just ask something of me!" (AN; arg, corny moment, but important in plot...)

Yami looked up, surprised and touched. "You are not one of the Shadow... You do not have to bind your whole fate to me as the others have done...!" he whispered, half in disbelief. "You don't have to be involved in all this... You can be spared!"

Shimon managed to look somewhat brave. " I do not want to be spared while you brave youths battle for the very existence of our world. Fate be damned, I can only hope that my strength of will is enough."

Yami, touched, said nothing, at a loss of words.

He jumped as short, fatherly arms wrapped around him in a tight, reassuring hug.

"I don't know what's happening --going to happen-- to you, Yami, but I promised your father on his death bed that I would help and take care of you... if only you'd let me," whispered Shimon into Yami's shoulder.

The petit boy shuddered, quickly losing his fight against tears. "You promised my f-father--?" he choked out.

Shimon nodded, releasing him quickly and looking away. "He knew something about this, I'm sure. He just told me that... that... 'My son must live again, Shimon, he *must*!'" The old man shook his head. "I didn't understand then... I *still* don't, now... But I will try my hardest to keep that promise... Still, *please*, little one, tell me what is wrong! Tell me! Trust me!"

Yami looked at him for a long, unreadable moment, before finally looking down at the floor, taking in a shuddering breath. "I... see the end of the war..." he murmured quietly. It wasn't stretching the truth TOO much, at least not in his opinion.

Shimon's large eyes widened in uncontained joy. "You do? Already!?"

Yami said nothing else. 'Yes, its coming...' he thought sadly to himself, trembling violently as burning tears threatened his eyes once again. 'But the war's going to get worse before it gets better...Much worse...'

That would explain why every moment of his hard-won sleep was filled with screaming and crying and pleading and burning... Only this time, though they were no where near hearing distance, the screams were real. Villages were being attacked. Lucky refugees arrived on foot and by boat from nearby villages every day; Memphis was now swarming with them, begging with the richer families of the White City to take them in. The Palace could already hold all it could; Yami had ordered every survivor found to be fed and washed and given shelter.

He had done everything he could to slow the destruction. The shadow-powerless Egyptian army had been gathering at Lower Egypt, to defend the Delta and its trading routes from neighboring countires whom now saw that the mightiest kingdom on the face of the world was literally crumbling from the inside out. He had sent, by Flame Pegasus, warnings and orders to every major Egyptian city, praying that they would be followed in time; those villages without strength in the Shadow must be evacuated; those cities that did have priests or warriors must stand and fight.

Waset, especially, needed to hold; it was the mightiest city of Upper Egypt, as Memphis was the strongest in the Lower. If Egypt was going to have a chance at this war, the two cities had to work together... but as strong as they were, the priests of Luxor and Karnak do not have the strong Ka's of their superiors, and Yami was almost certain that it would not hold any more then four more days... Thankfully, in Memphis, the Temple of Tablets was constantly releasing beams and beams of light, called upon by every High Priest and Yami himself to send to the distant battle lines and to defend the now-useless barricades of the White City itself.

But it wasn't enough.

They were all tiring. Ra, they were losing. Their monsters were strong --Exodia, Blue-Eyes, the Gods-- but they were spread to thin, their numbers too low. The wild, free Shadow Monsters, rallied up by Bakura no doubt, were too numerous, too unpredictable...

Already, the amount of refugees and the desperate calls for help was overwhelming. All kinds of flying monsters began to flood the White City skies in huge flocks that often blocked out the sun; Punish Eagles, Peacocks, Faith Birds, Takuhees, Queen Birds, Mavelus, Skull Red Birds, all other birds, all types of dragons, all types of insects, all types of flying beasts. Yami wanted to scream in horror and frustration at the news they brought; Philae, the island Temple of Isis, reported two villages nearby that have been burnt to crisp; Dendara, the city of Hathor, begged for more supplies, for they, too, were swarming with survivors; Aswan sent word that half of their quarry was buried under boulders; Abydos, a minor but beautiful city forty miles upstream from Waset, had already fallen; Henwara was reporting massive damage to the southern half of the city; Tanis was up to the hundreds in missing or dead; Bubastis, the city of Bastet, reported that their feline Shadow monsters have fallen under the attacks and that what remained of their forces will not last past two more nights; and yet, worser still, many cities did not report in at all. Their silence made their Pharaoh worry. He feared the worst for them, mind spinning with all-too-real screams of innocent victims and the cries of anguished mourners many miles away.

The cities of Egypt were falling.

So far, Yami knew, it had only been minor villages that have been destroyed. Most major cities were still up and running, still fighting bravely to the end. But it was obvious that they weren't winning, nor were they going to win.

'Ra, we won't hold...' Yami felt his heart turn cold with despair. His people... his cities... his kingdom. Just as Thoth had told him. Just as he saw it before. Only this time, it was much... much... worse.

And suddenly, Yami found himself wishing that he could die now. To free his people. Free his kingdom. And free himself from this wretched cursed responsibility of watching over everyone. And possibly... and possibly free his heart from the pain of watching Kaiba suffer.

"Your majesty?" cried Shimon, somewhat hysterically, shaking Yami roughly and bringing him out into reality. "You are ill! You have eaten, haven't slept, haven't drank... PLEASE, get some rest!"

Yami swallowed painfully, gripping his brush tightly and taking in a shaky breath in a vain effort to block the screams. "I...can't, Shimon..." he whispered, looking up with almost fear. "I'm running out of time..."

"Time?" Shimon furrowed his eyebrows suspicious, wise mind racing. "What do you mean...?" he asked gently.

Knowing he had said too much, Yami tried to wave Shimon off and buried his head in his hands, still shaking slightly. 'Two more days...' He sighed helplessly. "Gods help me..." he whispered.

Apparently Hathor was the only one that listened, for she sent a rather unwelcomed --or welcomed, depending on your opinion-- surprise.

"Let me in, I demand of you!" came a very familiar, though somewhat hoarse, voice outside Yami's entrance.

Yami tensed visibly, sending a rather panicked look at Shimon, who gripped his shoulder supportively and sent him a rather grim glance back.

"You can't avoid him forever..." the old advisor whispered.

There was a bit of noise outside that made Yami wonder exactly how well-trained his guards were to be unable to hold back just one man. The Pharaoh hoped with all his heart that he wouldn't have to glimpse Kaiba's face. It would be too painful... and much more so to see how the priest had suffered.

Apparently, it was somewhat of a tie outside, for the scuffle continued for a while.

"Please! I must speak with him!" came Kaiba's voice again, this time much softer.

'Pleading... The strongest man in Egypt begging...' Yami's heart tore at this as he gripped his brush like a life savor. Tears flowed freely now at the mere thought of Kaiba's presence. Had it not been for Shimon's comforting grip on his shoulder, Yami might have broken down right there.

And suddenly, Kaiba made it. He had half a dozen guards with their spears spayed horizontally across his chest, and another half dozen hanging off his arms, but he suddenly stood there at the entrance to the Royal Chamber, glancing with venom at the two occupants inside. The High Priest was not looking his best; his purple-white attire was wrinkled and apparently damp with tears; his headdress was missing; his hair was a mess; his blue eyes were red from crying; his face was pale from lack of nutrition; he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep; and he stood with a rather unsteady wobble.

Yami stiffened as their gazes met for the first time in days. He was nearly overwhelmed by the amount of love, despair, hope and pain he saw in those still-beautiful azure eyes. The Pharaoh felt a strong urge to throw himself into those seemingly-welcoming arms and kiss away those lingering tears, but he fought hard against it. However, his knees buckled unsteadily from the effort and his body trembled from head to toe, thought Shimon still held him up with surprising strength for a short old man.

"Yami..." whispered Kaiba with a cracked, croaking murmur.

His name alone was nearly enough to break Yami's fading restraint, but some part of him managed to keep his face expressionless and his eyes devoid of emotion.

He was a good actor; or perhaps, Horus should get the credit.

Whatever it was, Kaiba's desperately-scanning eyes found nothing as he searched hopefully through Yami's gaze. He was met by a blank, icy glare from behind now-messy blond bangs.

The priest's handsome face crumbled. "Why --?"

The word was uttered with such raw, pained and betrayed emotions that Shimon was afraid that Yami might simply be spent flying from the barrage.

Still, somehow, the petit Pharaoh drew himself up to his full height --very imposing when considering his Shadow strength-- and glared down at Kaiba with what he hoped was a somewhat placid gaze. "We were drunk, Kaiba..." His voice shook only slightly, amazing even to Yami himself, "We did not know what we were doing..."

"So its 'Kaiba', now, is it?" growled Kaiba, struggling like a fish against his captors, who barely managed to hold on. "No 'Seto'? No 'love'? No 'beloved'? You called me all those things that night...!"

That was a bluff, but it was a damn good one.

Yami nearly fell for it. 'Ra, Seto... I'm so sorry...' He struggled for his next words, running a hand almost nervously through his brilliant hair. "I put no fault on you, Kaiba. Let us just... d-drop it," he sighed, avoiding eye contact and taking an almost-fearful step back. "It was a dream, Kaiba... Nothing more," he whispered.

Stunned silence. Everyone held their breaths.

Kaiba exploded. "Is the heart of a Pharaoh so divine that he cannot love?!" he demanded, struggling madly against the guards. "Or is it that he *refuses* to love?!"

Yami's own anger flared despite himself. "Don't you dare preach me on love, Kaiba...!" he growled.

"Then say you love me, Yami... Just once!" A tear trailed its way from Kaiba's trembling cheek to the ground, promptly disappearing under the sandal of a guard who tried to push to the fighting priest back.

[Solos]
Give me one more chance! (x2)
Give my love to you!
'Cause no one on this Earth
loves you like I do!

[Chorus]
Tell me...

the words to say,
the road to take
to find a way back
to your heart...!

What can I do
to get to you?
And find a way back
to your heart?

Yami stopped breathing. He wanted to... The urge to so strong! Ra, he *wanted* to say it. He wanted to scream the whole thing out, to fall into Kaiba's arms... just once... just one last time...

'No.'

It was from some impressive strength of heart --Yami was absolutely sure it was Horus-- that the Pharaoh managed to sneer, inwardly bracing himself. 'This if for your own good, love...'

"I. Do. Not. Love. You."

Silence.

The gaurds stared. Shimon stared. Kaiba stared. Yami felt ill.

"Is that it...?" Kaiba whispered quietly. "Y-You never loved me?"

"Never," Yami confirmed shakily, amazingly holding his gaze steady.

Kaiba looked at him for a long, silent moment. "And I had b-believed..." he whispered in bitter awe, "...I had truly believed..."

Suddenly, he let out an enraged roar and fought harder then before, struggling like a madman against the straining arms of the guards, who tore a part of his cloak in their effort to steady him. "So what was I to you then?" he screamed wildly. "Just a bedmate?! A toy to toss away?! Another pawn for the rich king of Egypt?!"

Yami looked away sharply, hurtful tears flashing through his eyes. The rebuke stun horribly. 'Never...! Never!' the Pharaoh wanted to scream. His voice died in his throat.

Kaiba continued, trembling in fury. "Was this all just a big game, oh mighty King of Games?! Did you win? Are you happy now?!"

A small sound not too different from a whimper escaped the Pharaoh's lips as he stood and took the accusations head on. Shimon's grip tightened painfully on his shoulder.

And suddenly, someone else rushed into the scene.

Stunned, the guards could only watch as a blur of pale tan and long dark hair tore Kaiba away from them, slamming the said priest violently into the doorframe.

"Ishizu...?!" whispered Yami in surprise and horror.

The woman looked no better then he or Kaiba, clothing disheveled and eyes red, but she held the tall man against the door with strength that no one would have suspected from such a slender lady. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to him?!" she all but hissed fiercly in Kaiba's face, pushing at him painfully with fury and venom in her eyes. She motioned madly in Yami's direction. "Do you know how much you're *hurting* him?!" she cried, blue eyes searching Kaiba's as if trying to find an well-hidden answer.

Kaiba stared, startled and confused.

Ishizu released him shakily, tearful. "You have no idea what Yami is going through," she whispered fiercely. "No. Idea."

"What he's going through?" echoed Kaiba with a snort and a dangerous glare. "So everything's about him, right? Poor PHARAOH, poor KING, poor little boy...Oh, did the mean Priest hurt his feelings? What about the PRIEST?!" Kaiba's voice rose shrilly. "Am I not the one in love?!"

"Kaiba--" started Yami tearfully.

And suddenly, the tension shattered.

Yami watched with horror and despair as Kaiba turned from them and fled.

The High Priest ran for his life, it seemed. Past servants, past Shimon and Karimu, who attempted to give chase but got lost, past the cooks, past more gaurds, past all the pillars...

Then, panting, Kaiba found himself at the entrance of his own Chamber, quivering.

The guards there eyed him warily with awkward, stunned silence.

Akunadin rushed out to greet his son, only to be shoved aside. "S-Seto...?"

Kaiba gave him an icy stare before he stormed past him. "No one shall enter, you hear?" he snarled to the gaurds, then nodded at Akunadin.

The elderly High Priest stared at Kaiba like he was mad as the gaurds quickly rushed to pull him away. "Seto...? What are you--?"

Kaiba sighed deeply and gave him somewhat of an apologetic, tearful glance. "I'm sorry, Father..." he whispered, before he entered the darkness of his Chamber and, moments later, became violently ill.

~*~*~*~*~*~  

Yami did not cry. At least not physically. He merely stood there, stiff as stone, as guards awkwardly returned to their posts and Shimon and Ishizu were reduced to eyeing their ruler with silent worry in the corner of the Chamber. Ra was now red, on the verge of leaving for his nightly trip through Duat, and his light bore down on Yami as if blood was dripping down the Pharaoh's trembling body. Welling bubbles of tears threatened to fall from the king's twitching eyes, but miraculously, none did.

Then, startling both of his companions, Yami turned and sat at his desk again, expression still tearful and tired, but wholly unreadable. The scroll was ruined, Yami having dropped the dripping brush upon it when Kaiba rudely intruded. Ishizu drifted silently to his side and gently cleaned away the mess like a pampering mother; Yami did not seem surprised nor relieved by her presence.

"Get me a new scroll." The Pharaoh's voice sounded odd, hollow and empty.

"Sire...?" started Shimon uncertainly.

Yami sent him a piercing glare. "I have work to do, Shimon."

Ishizu's tearful eyes were apologetic, as if trying to tell Shimon to forgive the Pharaoh. Silently, she went off and came back with a new scroll, of which she wordlessly deposited in front of Yami, who merely stared at it with awkward silence.

Shimon would have none of it. "And what about Kaiba, my Pharaoh?" His voice broke the tension in the room like a knife.

Ishizu sent him a disapproving and startled gaze before it fearfully darted toward Yami, dreading his reaction. Guards shifted uneasily at their post. What few servants remained in the area promptly fled as silently and as quickly as they could. Shimon remained emotionless.

Yami tensed visibly in his seat as he agitatedly dipped his brush in the platelet of black ink. "What about him?" The Pharaoh's voice was dangerously soft.

Shimon had no son of his own, but he knew Yami inside and out better then any biological offspring. The young man was trying to put up that cold mask again, Shimon could tell, but he was failing this time. The old advisor was not fooled by the steely tone of the king; in fact, he glided past a visibly nervous Ishizu and placed himself firmly in front of Yami. The young man glanced up warily, suddenly aware of the disappearance of the rosy hues of sunset.

"Look at me, child," Shimon all but ordered, gently lifting Yami's face toward him with a finger under the sharp chin and with a gentle grasp upon that proud jaw.

Yami looked at him evenly, and to 99.9999% of the Egyptian population, he seemed indifferent, calm, aloof. But to Shimon, who was a master at catching what little emotion rested in those deep, scarlet eyes, Yami was not as strong as he pretended to be. For a moment, old gray eyes stared stubbornly against young crimson ones.

"What are you hiding...? " Shimon shook his head in grim, quiet curiosity, "What are you afraid of, little one?"

Yami trembled visibly and squirmed out of Shimon grasp, looking away. "Nothing," he whispered, voice all but cracking despite his attempt to make that word seem threatening.

Shimon grasped his chin again, almost wresting the young ruler's face to him, catching those hard scarlet eyes. The advisor's own eyes narrowed before they flew open in surprise.

The secret was there, hidden just behind those hurt, dialated pupils.

"Ra, you love him... You still truly love him!!" Shimon whispered in disbelief, breath fast. "Then why--?"

"Shimon, that is enough...!" breathed Ishizu, gently but firmly pushing Shimon's arm down. The warning in her eyes betrayed her knowledge; Shimon guessed that she knew something about all this.

Yami took in a shuddering breath, rage burning in flames within him. "Shimon, unless I am mistaken, I believe I had said it loud and clear; I do not love him!" he roared, hopefully convincingly. "I never loved him..." he hissed.

"Is that true, or just what you want to say?" countered Shimon quietly. "If it is true, you wouldn't be screaming so defiantly about it."

Yami stared in utter annoyance at the man that he had been grateful to just moments ago. He had absolutely no idea that his father's old friend --and his, ultimately-- had so much spunk in that old, stout little body. Shimon usually spoke very little, and though what little he spoke of was wise, he was more often defending the Pharaoh then challenging him.

But the thick pressure in the room was broken once again when Akunadin rushed in the room, followed by guards, servants and priests alike.

The original three in the Chamber turned, wearing identical frowns.

"I wish not to be disturbed, Uncle!" Yami snarled, standing.

Akunadin looked panicked, and Yami's threat died in his throat at the rare and startling sight.

"You must come, Yami!" the priest begged tearfully, "Kaiba needs you!"

Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I told him that I didn't--"

"This isn't about that!" snapped Akunadin, desperately. "He's poisoned the Millennium Rod and sliced his own wrists!"

Silence.

Ishizu's hand flew up to her mouth with a small gasp. Shimon unsteadily fell into Yami's abandoned chair. Akunadin's guards and servants looked grim, while Yami's eyed each other in disbelief and confusion.

Yami himself stared at Akunadin with wide eyes, blood running cold. "W-What?" he croaked.

"He's dying, Yami...He's dying!" cried Akunadin with an undignified sob, taking Yami's hands within his own. (AN: Wow, I just realized everyone cries too much and they're all OCC, but who gives?!) "We need your magic! You're the only one strong enough to save him...!"

Yami was silent and unmoving.

Akunadin's remaining eye searched his nephew's desperately, looking for some response, some emotion, perhaps some love...

Akunadin let out a shaky exhale, catching Yami's gaze with unsteady hope. "S-surely you must still care for him...?" he whispered fearfully.

Yami looked at him for a long, long time, pupils darting uncertainly from the Millennium Eye to his uncle's real, gray one. A hint of a tear made itself present at the edge of the king's exquisite eyes and finally fell.

Akunadin let out a choked noise, "Ra, Yami, he's...he's going to die without your help!" The old man fell to the floor, pressing Yami's hands against his forehead as Ishizu had done earlier. "I beg of you, Yami, not as an uncle but as a father... Please, my king, save my little boy!"

The Pharaoh's breath caught in his throat, and a painful throb stabbed itself through both his heart and mind... 'Seto... Ra, Seto...!'

Before he knew it, Yami found his voice whispering, "Uncle, where is he?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Ra, hang on, Seto...' pleaded Yami to himself as he raced through the corridors, barely waiting for his priests and followers to catch up. He needed his speed; all of it. This wasn't a battle, this wasn't a duel, hell, this wasn't about *his* life... This was about Kaiba's. "Hang on, Seto...! I'm coming!"

Long moments --too long-- later, a disheveled and panting Yami screeched to stop at the doorway of High Priest Kaiba's Chambers, his own cape slamming into his body with a painful whiplash. He was met by blinding fire light, the spicy smells of medicine, and the sound of soft crying.

The men and women in the Chamber turned at his abrupt entrance. All sound stopped. Many pairs of eyes stared in surprise and fear at the king. Karimu and Shadi looked the most shocked; their jaws were practically on the floor.

"You came..." whispered Karimu in pained joy.

Yami's throat was too tight and too worn from running, so he desperately scanned the room for the one he was here for, heart pounding painfully in his ears.

'Oh Ra..."

Sprawled across a bed in the middle of the room, surrounded by the frozen forms of panicking priests and a wide array of torches and bowls of medicine, was Kaiba himself, strong body as limp as water and as pale as a sheet. There were still remains of kohl-lined tears on his proud cheeks, which were now frighteningly relaxed and flushed with fever. All that remained on him was his kilt; the rest of his clothing was tossed about the floor, torn in the healer's frantic efforts to revive him. Some part in the back of Yami's mind was irritated that the priests would dare to do such a thing, being that it revealed the delicious tones of Kaiba's long limbs and strong muscles that Yami himself would like to keep all to himself.

But the most noticeable trait of all were the two tight bandages that were wrapped messily around Kaiba's forearms, and the dark crimson blood that soaked them through, matching the liquid that now stained the ground, Kaiba's clothing and many of the healer's hands. What medicine had been applied obviously hadn't worked, for there was a huge discarded pile of blood-stained herbs and creams by the fallen priest's side. And before Yami's very eyes, more blood continue to trickle on to the bandage, soaking it so black that it made all who saw it shiver in despair.

'So much blood...' though Yami dazedly in horror.

And suddenly, it all hit him like a hard blow to the head.

With an alarmed cry, Yami was torn out of his stunned state by his crumbling knees, which threw him forward, half choking, to Kaiba's side.

[Chorus (cont.)]
I'll turn back time
to make you mine
and find a way back
to your heart!
I beg and bleed,
fall to my knees
to find a way back
to your heart!

"Seto... Oh my RA...!" Yami desperately scanned his lover's body as he hysterically tried to remember what to do.

Kaiba's state was killing the ruler from the inside out; Yami was already beating himself on the head with every curse, every memory, and every rant he had within him. Guilt was not just a worm, but a total MONSTER, devouring hungrily through Yami's body and pushing him beyond even the verge of tears.

Shaky fingers struggled to find Kaiba's pulse. "So slow..." whispered Yami fearfully. "So faint..." The king laid a trembling hand upon his lover's broad chest; breathing was shallow and irregular. There was a shaky twitch in Kaiba's fingers and his eyelids that made Yami's racing heart skid to a stop.

"No... It couldn't be..."

Kaiba truly was dying.

But it wasn't possible. It didn't seem possible! It can't be possible!

"He used this..." came Shadi's soft voice by Yami's ear and his warm hand upon his shoulder.

Something cold and heavy dropped into Yami's shaking hands, and the Pharaoh barely managed to pull himself together before all hope shattered; the Millennium Rod laid innocently in his hands, though its two blades were covered with warm blood and a sticky clear fluid that made Yami's heart begin to race madly.

"It can't be..." muttered the Pharaoh, hesitantly touching the bloody mixture. "He c-couldn't have..." Tentatively, he brought it to his lips and tasted it, before he quickly spat it out.

Shadi's saddened gray eyes met Yami's horrified ones as the Pharaoh looked up fearfully.

"Venom..." the younger man whispered in stifled disbelief, "The venom of an Egyptian asp..."

Shadi nodded, taking in a shaky breath. "W-We managed to slow the bleeding; by some miracle, Kaiba missed the fatal veins of his wrists... but now it's the poison we have to worry about."

"How long...?" whispered Shimon, who arrived just in time. "How long does he have?!"

"A dozen minutes..." croaked Yami to himself, his voice drifting like a dark ghost over the stunned silence of the Chamber, which was broken when the Rod dropped to the ground with a sharp crack. "No more... no less..." (AN: I know the Egyptian asp --a real snake for those of you that don't know-- is really poisonous, but I don't' really know how badly. -_-*)

"No...!" whispered Ishizu with a forced-down sob.

"Ra, Seto..." whispered Yami tearfully, taking one of his lover's hands into his own and gazing lovingly at the handsome face. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." he sobbed into that beautiful palm, who had stroked him passionately and lovingly in that fateful night.

He didn't have much time, Yami knew. Neither of them did.

Fighting more sobs, Yami bit on his lip and forced his racing heart and his ragged breaths to slow, stomach clenching against his will in anxiety and fear. What if this didn't work? What if the poison had already done too much damage? What if he had arrived to late? There were too many 'what if's'... Everything seemed against him! Ra, it was so close to down-right impossible!

'What if I lose Seto...?' Yami shuddered. The thought was too painful to even think about.

Taking a deep, trembling breath, the Pharaoh tossed away his tiara and squinted his eyes shut, concentrating with all his remaining willpower.

This must work. It had to.

A murmur of panic ran through those present as the sacred Eye of Ra flickered to life upon Yami's forehead, sending cascades of invisible waves through his hair and clothing. As transparent lightening and dark mist began to gather, many healers and servants fled the Chamber; however, Shimon and the four High Priests stood with eyes transfixed, awed and worried witless.

Yami did not feel comforted by the surge of electrifying energy that came through and around him; if any, he was more worried. Shadow powers were not meant to heal; only to destroy. Also, he was never particularly good at the art of healing, for he had a knack of breaking things in his youth, but he knew Akunadin spoke the truth; he was the only one with enough power to do this.

There was an odd, tingling sensation before Yami felt himself diving into the very fabric of Kaiba's body and soul... He found himself in a dark, spiritual world, blind, mute, and deaf except for the sensations of the faint thumping of Kaiba's heart, the raspy air of his breathing, and the painful burning of the high fever. Yami himself could feel the snake-like wisps of liquid poison running through Kaiba's system, burning away acridly at vital organs, irritating muscles and limbs as it went. Though he himself felt no pain from any of this, being a distant witness to this horror was beyond agonizing. Yami fought the urge to scream at what he finally sensed; Kaiba's life force was fading, much too quickly... like a white stone dropped into the darkest depths of the Nile's water.

"Kaiba...?" called Yami hesitantly, desperately.

No answer.

Not that he expected one.

Yami fought down panic. 'Holy Mother of Isis, here goes...' He poured from within him all the build of energy that had been gathering, sending waves and waves of it through his life force to Kaiba's. 'Please let this work...!' he prayed tearfully.

Had it been possible, Yami would have wept at the results. At first it was easy; his powers clashed with that of the venom, sending it careening back as if a stone wall had fallen upon it. The Shadow then chased the poison through Kaiba's blood, dancing around about it and slowly began to flood, forcing the venom into tighter and tighter concentrations. But the snake's poison fought every inch of the way, almost as if it had a will of its own; Yami began to feel the strain of such a battle, furrowing his sweaty brow in concentration as he attempted to hold the poison together and pull what was left it of --bit by agonizing bit-- from Kaiba's organs.

Saying it was a little hard was like saying building the pyramids were a little difficult. Yami had a brief moment of panic when he realized he was almost out of his own energy and found that a large remaining amount of the poison still hid within his lover's tissues, slowly but surely destroying it. Ra, he wasn't going to get it all, nor in time...

'No! Mustn't... think... like... that...' managed Yami, squeezing every amount of energy he could call from the Shadow Realm to his aid, sending the spiritual world of which he 'stood' in spinning upside down in turmoil.

Slowly, agonizingly slow, the poison began to retreat. As the Shadow claimed rightful ownership of Kaiba's body, the venom fled to the farthest reaches of the priest's body before it was finally overcome and sucked into oblivion.

Yami barely felt the last of the venom drip out of Kaiba's body before he himself felt like mentally collapsing. It felt like he had been close to the point of exploding, much like the horrible, suffocating feeling you feel when you hold your breath far too long. Ra, he was so tired...! Calling upon the Shadow Realm always required SOME energy --Yami was a master in this technique-- but even more so when its power had to be used so carefully and so precisely... [2]

Only then did Yami realize, with horror, what damage had been done. Kaiba's heart was struggling painfully to keep up its pace; his organs were battered and half-working; his lungs were burned and singed so that every breath must hurt considerably; his blood was sluggish and slow from a large amount of mass loss; and his mind was all but tattered from the remains of the poison.

"Kaiba...?!" cried Yami again, again with no answer. "S-Seto...?" he stammered.

The spiritual world stirred, but remained unchanged. 

'Oh Ra... H-His life force is still fading...!'

Yami felt like he had run straight into the side of the pyramids going at one hundred miles per hour. His blood ran cold. His breathing stopped. His mind grinded to a halt. His stomach wretched painfully upon itself.

He came too late.

Yami was going to lose him. The poison had done too much... damaged too much... The Shadow could not heal in the sense of wounds; it could not restart Kaiba's stuttering heart, nor revive his fevered mind, nor help his shredded organs.

'No.... No, it can't be!' cried Yami to himself, franticly pushing away the truth. "SETO??!" he screamed. "Its me! ANSWER ME!! Please, SETO!!"

Again, the spiritual world echoed and trembled at his tone, but it made no reply. If anything, it began to darken... to fade...

"No!!! No!!" wailed Yami, pouring as much energy he had remaining into his own physical body into this one, "No, damn you, STAY WITH ME!! SETO!!"

The life force was dark now, what little light remaining beginning to flicker... One by one, organs began to shut down. Kaiba's frantic heart tried to save them, but it, too, was weakening, its beat erratic and slowing by the second.

"Don't leave me, Seto!" screamed Yami. He cried out again and again, mind spinning in an ocean of emotions. Fear. Love. Despair. Guilt. "Don't you dare leave me..." he whispered between mental sobs. "Please... Seto...!"

And to his surprise, his 'body reached out blindly toward the dead world around him, as if reaching for something only his fingers could see. Then, from one of his outstretched hand, came a warm gush of smooth, silky energy, so pure and so beautiful... So different compared to the dark, electrifying strength of the Shadow. The silver light shimmered in beautiful, iridescent waves as it cascaded through the priest's dying body, engulfing organs whole with its strange power.

Yami watched in awe and surprise as his second hand reached out to join the first, sending more ribbons of light pouring from his fingers.

The energy was almost blinding now, soothing and healing as it went.

Yami could only stare.

Was he the one doing this? He felt no pain, no pressure, no strain from doing so... How is this possible...?

And then it dawned him. The light around Thoth had shimmered like so, and had wrapped around the god's body when transforming. Somewhere outside Kaiba's body, Yami could feel his Puzzle glowing. One of the seven pieces of Horus's powers was returning to him... Activating again...

The might of Horus.

And suddenly, throughout all the glowing and shimmering and healing, Yami felt the black world around him come alive, echoing with thoughts and flooding with emotions. It was calling to him... wondering, confused, saddened, glad, even. In the distance, double wooshes of air signaled correct breathing. Heavy and steady beating hinted that Kaiba's heart was working once more. Organs were no longer tattered, muscles no longer sore, tissues no longer in pain...

Kaiba was alive. Alive and well.

"Seto..." murmured Yami, relief all but flooding through his very being.

Work done, he retreated exhaustedly back to his own body. Real senses returned to him like a flipped on switch. His body was sore and limp, tired from his efforts, though he managed a weak smile. He opened his heavy eyelids to find his vision blinded by the flowing forms of white-robed priests and the flickering of golden firelight over the beautiful man before him. He could hear the awed and relieved gasps of the companions around him. He could feel Akunadin, Ishizu and Shimon practically tobbling over him in their effort to glance at Kaiba. He could smell the strong scent of both herbs and creams, all but stinging in their strength.

"Seto..." he whispered again, this time with his dry mouth, as his eyes stung with joyful tears.

Kaiba's beautiful blue eyes, now framed with skin a more healthy bronze and brown bangs not as limp as before, fluttered open and he let out a little sigh, as if all he was doing was waking from deep sleep. Ebony pupils flared within their sapphire homes as the priest stirred, glancing about with confusion and alarm.

Yami didn't even get to soak in the beautiful sight before everyone else promptly tackled the fallen priest with tears and hugs and embraces. The Pharaoh stood frozen, a little stunned, for a moment, before he stiffly stood and saw himself silently to the door. He didn't look back; if he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to look away.

"Welcome back, Seto..." he whispered miserably before letting a tear fall, hugging his cape to himself as he disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where's Yami...?"

That was the first thing Kaiba said, or managed to say, since he awoke and was pulled into an endless array of hysterical babbles and childish hugs.

And, of course, everyone else suddenly stared at him like he was mad. Then, predictably, everyone spun around in a mad search, stricken.

Pharaoh was gone.

Kaiba was silent and indifferent for a moment, before he suddenly stood, ripped the bloody bandages off --the healers' eyes bulged at the fact that there was not a single wound on his body-- and stormed through the crowd and out the door.

"Ah, there we go again!" sang Karimu as everyone else promptly panicked.

"After him!" cried Shadi in alarm. "Stop him!"

"No... Wait!" came another voice.

Every human in the room froze half way to the doorway and turned toward the source of the voice with accusing glares.

Shimon squirmed and glanced at Akunadin's baffled expression apologetically. "I just think that... t-they should settle this once and for all." He managed an innocent grin under his face veil, as if he was the one that possessed shadow powers and could read futures, not them.

"Once and for all..." echoed Ishizu to herself. Like a snake, she slipped silently out the door. 'Well, Yami, you wanted me to take care of Kaiba. That's what I'm going to do, regardless of what it takes...'

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba wasn't even half way across the Palace yet --half the people he met stared and ran off muttering something about walking dead, while the other half took great delight in pointing out that he had practically nothing on-- before he froze in his tracks, eyes wide.

"I. Do. Not. Love. You!" came an echoing, cold voice in his head.

"Like hell you don't," Kaiba uttered, eyes burning with frustrated tears as he stormed on, heart pulsing in pain from those simple words. 'I heard you calling... That whole time, I heard you calling... I heard you cry...'

But still... uncertainly lingered in the air. His own comment brought no comfort; it was a bluff, nothing else. Perhaps he was on an impossible mission, driven only by desperation and stubbornness. Perhaps Yami never loved him...

Perhaps it all was a dream.

Kaiba slowed once again, collapsing against a cold pillar fighting sobs. But he loved Yami so much! So much that it hurt... and somehow, Yami refused to love him... or refused to admit it. 'Yami, why?!' Ra, there was no type of pain nor torture worse then this....!

"Shh-hh... Dry your tears..."

Kaiba jumped as he felt a soothing hand upon his arm, and another on his lips.

"There's... something you have to know, Kaiba," whispered Ishizu in his ear, pulling at him gently. "Follow me."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami had been sure he was dying. He had been sure that the pain in his chest and the constant headaches were leading to some horrible, premature death waiting him before he even willingly gave up his life. Of course, that was all before he realized that perhaps it was his *heart* that hurt, and that perhaps it was his very *thoughts* that made the whole word so dark and painful.

He hated the world. He now hated his life. Ra, he HATED everything!

Anyhoo, he laid there on his bed as limp as a thrown rag, breathing painfully slow as his tearful eyes scanned blindly in the darkness for comfort that was not there. Tear after tear fell from his face to soak the ebony-violet hair behind his ears, but the Pharaoh did not notice. Nor did he notice the soft rainfall outside that fell oddly in tune with each teardrop. [3] Nor did he notice the weakness that tremored through his exhausted spirit. Nor did he notice the occasional flash of light that wasn't lightening but the Temple of Tablets beginning to activate again, after a High Priest finally gave up with this whole love affair and went to do something worthy of true worry.

"Ra-damnit, I TOLD you, all I want is to see him!... My GODS, do I *look* like I'm carrying any weapons?!"

Yami groaned and buried his head with his arms. "Kaiba, GO AWAY."

There was a brief struggle and suddenly the silhouette of Kaiba's graceful frame stood against the faint light of the corridor, oddly deformed with the silhouettes of guards restraining him. The priest scanned the darkness of the Chamber and focused on the faint silvery form of his lover upon his bed. "Yami..." he breathed, painfully savoring the name within his dry lips.

Yami turned away from the door and pretended this wasn't happening. Ra, he couldn't go through this again... He couldn't push Kaiba again... He couldn't do this anymore! He squeezed his eyes shut, hugging himself as he gave Kaiba a good view of his stubborn back.

"Yami, Ishizu told me..." moaned Kaiba finally, after a moment of awkward silence.

The Pharaoh bolted upright, scarlet eyes flashing in the darkness. "She...what--?"

Kaiba let out a slow, shaky exhale. "She told me..." he repeated, and left it at that.

Yami might have fainted from both weariness and shock. Ra, what to do? What to say?

"Yami, PLEASE... Don't do this anymore. Its killing both of us..."

[Chorus (cont.)]
The words to say,
the road to take
to find a way back
to your heart...!

What can I do
to get to you?
and find a way back
to your heart?

"W-What are you talking about?" whispered the Pharaoh, though he already knew.

"Damnit, Yami, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about! Stop pushing me away!!" cried Kaiba, straining against the brute strength of the men that held him, "If this vision is the thing tearing us apart, don't fear for me! I don't care how hurt I am, as long as I'm with you! (AN: er... trying to remember Serena/Usagi's words during this; am I close?) I'm only happy when with you! Please, Yami, listen to me...!"

The Pharaoh's petit frame shook violently.

"Yami, please!" croaked Kaiba, falling to his knees much to the surprise of the gaurds, "I love you, you hear? I will always love you--" he choked on a sob, "--even if you fear to love me back..."

There was something like a stifled scream from the single occupant within the Royal Chamber. A long moment later, a graceful form of silver, gold and red glided into view of the dim light. Yami was quivering and breathing hard, tears rolling down his sullen face in waves. There was a tentative twitch of his fingers, and the guards were suddenly gone, leaving them utterly alone.

Standing young king and fallen young priest stared at each other for a long moment, one from the safe sanctuary of the shadows, the other by the blinding entrance of the doorway.

Then, slowly, Yami drew closer and abruptly collapsed to his knees, so close now that the very space between them crackled with radiating emotion. Tearful scarlet eyes sought out equally-pained sapphire eyes in an ageless exchange of haunting silence.

Trembling, Yami settled a delicate hand upon his cousin's cheek, hesitantly tracing the trails of tears from strong cheekbones to sensual lips. Kaiba inhaled sharply and stiffened at that tender movement, sapphire irises flashing a dangerously alluring hue. The Pharaoh impulsively brought both hands into his quest, trailing lightly everywhere as if he was bringing a blind man bringing a mental picture to mind. With both heart and eyes, Yami was lost in the moment, memorizing every detail of his lover tenderly, tentatively trailing curious fingers over lean muscles and stark features.

As if he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life, Yami's somewhat awed eyes found Kaiba's, and he suddenly gently brushed their lips together in a innocent, breathy kiss that brought a deep shudder and a tiny tingle through them both.

It was so hesitant, yet so beautiful... Almost like what their first kiss should have been like.

The Pharaoh took in a sobbing breath filled with both raw pain and relief; unknowingly provocatively, he whispered into Kaiba's sweet lips, "If you will always love me, then I shall love you longer..."

Silence.

Kaiba pulled back suddenly and just looked at the king for a long moment, before a trace of a brilliant smirk graced his tear-stained features. Lifting the Pharaoh's jaw with a gentle finger, the priest leaned under it and tenderly captured Yami's lips with his own, in a slow, passionate, ever-lasting kiss.

Ra, it had been so long. They had dreamed and longed and prayed and hallucinated about this for days, and now that the moment was here, it was sweeter and more magnificent then any thought that could possibly pass through one's mind.

No words were needed --nor possibly said with their lips locked so passionately-- as they clung to each other with desperation and zeal, drowning in each other's touch. Kaiba firmly carried Yami over to the bed and laid upon him, their fingers interlaced, their limbs entwined, their tears falling together. Their bodies molded together like adjacent pieces of Yami's Puzzle, which was soon laid aside the two lovingly, joined later by the Rod. The two Items gleamed under the moonlight with perfect unison, as if they, too, were lovers long lost.

And their masters knew; this would be a night to remember.

And this time, it would be perfect.

A lone ibis [4] flitted up to the soaked balcony railing, fluffing its feathers contently in the moisture. And from behind those eyes, Thoth smiled.

And the storm began to disappear...

~*~*~*~*~*~

[1] - Okay, basically, REAL ancient Egyptians always had two names; a common/'little' name, and a 'big'/sacred name. The 'big' name was suppose to be your ultimate secret, and no one else was suppose to know, because if they did, they could use it as a direct 'vodoo doll' to your body/soul/welfare and curse you with it. In the YGO manga, Yugi and Tea --GRRRR!! *Terminator voice* Must... Kill... Now...!!-- realize that they've seen Yami wearing this little cartouche --a little ring-shaped pendant that Egyptians wrote their names on-- from a necklace, and apparently that's what they have to find/use to open Yami's memories. Though Yugi and his friends aren't seeing all this, Yami's memories are playing (thus this whole Bakura/destiny/Akunamunkano/Seto/evil/betrayl thing) and Yami himself --er...past self-- has the SAME NECKLACE on (old, eh?) and as Pharaoh he knows that its some big key to a distant future and destiny. This is where he's standing on the roof right before Mahado comes up with his big 'blame me!' thing. So basically what happens is that Yami's all sad about his dad, and he looks at the cartouche and holds it up (I swear he's crying, though I'm not sure *why*... O_o), wondering about 'his name' or something (maybe he doesn't know it himself...? er... he *can* read, right?! I'm confused!!!! *wails*). AND THEN (this horrible part I never understood) he looks up from the necklace to the sky, powers up around him (I thought he was gunna mind-crush Shimon or something) and he sees Tea, Jou and Honda (Tea, Joey and Tristan) in the night sky. O_o!!!! WTF?!? I mean, HOW? What? When? Where?! Anyway, back to my point; I am a big idiot and I purposely didn't put this whole confusing bit of info in, but now realized that it would make a whole hell of a lot more sense (and more interesting) if it WAS in in the first place. -_-*

[2] - There have been instances (hints in the show, as well) where authors had made Yami's powers capable of healing, especially in instances where Yugi's hurt or something. Erm... I don't totally disagree or anything, but I still think shadow powers are DARK (not necessary evil though) and aren't too great at healing. This whole 'healing' idea is actually from Star Wars (I'm just another fan of OB1 ^_^) stories, where Jedi's (wow this is a dictionary word in my computer?!) use the Force to heal and call things to them and fight and all that. :-p

[3] - Oh yeah, and as for the rain thing, that's from Men In Black II, where's this alien race who's emotion's are always mirrored by the weather.

[4] - Ibises are stork-like birds, usually white with a little red somewhere. Unfortunately, like crocodiles, they are now extinct in modern Egypt, though they exist elsewhere and were very numerous during 'Yami's' time.

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

Hm. O_o I have mixed feelings about this chapter (though it wasn't HORRIBLE, thank god). Most of it was pointless, to me anyway, and the Shimon thing was corny though important, for those of you that know what I'm talking about in the manga. Some parts of this chapter was good, and some were crap. -_-* Also, I think I used 'tears' and 'eyes' more then 44 times each. -_-;; Egad, I need a thesaurus... but DAMN, there AREN'T synonyms for eyes OR tears...!

Arg, I hope you guys are happy, at least. I completely drained myself in an effort to write this chapter (which I rushed through, if you haven't noticed) but hopefully you're all cheering cuz they finally got back together. Yeah, yeah, I know, I completely skipped days 1 - 5 cuz I couldn't get enough ideas to write there; unfortunately, I GET lots of ideas for this chapter (just a tender moment here or a quote there or something) but I always forget before I get a chance to write it. *sigh* I had ideas I wanted to put in here; 1. something about Shimon drugging Yami's water to get him to sleep and 2. something about Horus the falcon coming into the whole mess. Unfortunately, both didn't fit well with the plot and I couldn't find an entrance to put them in, so I (after much debating) left them out...

Dude, have I mentioned this is the longest chapter so far in the story? O_o Doesn't seem that long to ME... and I really wanted to put more angst moments in it, too! Wow, maybe I should start breaking up chapters.... Nah, but it bothers to many people (and myself, actually) when an author updates really really short chapters. -_-*

+++++PREVIEW+++++

The ultimate Chapter; 'Come What May', which was basically the original scene/chapter that I had to base this whole story off of (working backward sucks) cuz I thought it was a good little daydream at the time. :-p Basically, some odd places to make out, some flying on dragons, pointless fluff, and then a very important twist based off the show episodes, not the manga (hint; Ishizu's and Kaiba's 'tablet'...)

IMPORTANT: I will not be uploading nearly as often any more; dare I say perhaps even once or twice a month, if times get really bad (there's only three more chapters; you'll live). Why, you demand? CUZ SCHOOL STARTED! *sob* We have this whole new schedule (which sucks by the way) and I HATE it and I HATE half my teachers (thankfully I have two good ones :-p) and I HATE work and I HATE homework and essays (you can tell I take a while to get to the point) and math and PE and just about everything in school (except for Egypt and science, but unfortunately Egypt is not in the curriculum and my science class is suppose to be hard -_-*). BEAR WITH ME! On top of homework (I also have an extracurricular thing EVERY DAY) and concerts and dance rehearsals, I probably won't get much writing done. ARG. Still, I'll try; just beware that uploading will be very VERY slow after this chapter (which I finished at the first day of school, so there was no homework to bug me). SCHOOL IS EVIL!!! *runs off to get Bakura and Marik to blow up my school, which is far too old anyway and needs remodeling*