Come What May

by Lomelindi

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

8. Come What May

~~~~~~~~~~Come What May~~~~~~~~~~

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

I'M SORRY I UPDATED SO LATE! *runs from murderous crowd* I had SO much homework and clubs and tests and crap to do that I just couldn't find time (and I stay up until 1:30, on average) to do this story! Plus, I actually got a lot of it done a week after I uploaded the last chapter, but I got annoyed w/ it and decided to change it. :-p Obviously, THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE AND (Food?) THROWING STUFF AND PATIENCE!!! I LUV U GUYS!! AND I'M AIMING FOR *200* REVIEWS NOW! (NEVER thought I would get CLOSE to that many O_o!!) REVIEW! I LUV U GUYS!

BWHAHAHAHAHA!! I am hysterically happy I have made it this far. This is the chapter, and this was what the whole entire story is based off of! I just saw this whole chapter in my mind practically months before I decided to write some kind of story leading up to it, but ITS FINALLY HERE!! *bawls in happiness* I mean, I never thought this story would even get REVIEWS, cuz the first so chapters were just a little test to see what people are interested in (and also cuz I was dying to write a yaoi piece). ^_^

To DOVEINSKY: hm... See, I am *gasp* mostly Chinese (and some other oriental crap tossed in there somewhere... I think...) and I'm verbally fluent in three different forms of the language (though sadly, they all annoy me). And though I SUCK at writing tradition or modern Chinese, it might be interesting to see this story in Chinese. O_o I mean, I suppose it COULD work... though it's gunna be hard cuz English and Chinese are almost nothing alike. ^_^* I very hesitantly give you permission to put translate this (good luck! :-p I prefer English anyhow, but my grammar and spelling can be off sometimes so that might make your translation harder. -_-*) and on to your website, under the oath that it won't spread past that. I don't mind your friends enjoying my stories (I'm trilled, actually ^_^) but I'm a tad nervous about it going on the world-wide web. I'm one of those paranoid, interent-phobia types of peeps who simply can't give out personal information in fear of rapists and stuff. ^_^* Anyhow, since I fear to email ANYWAY, I hope you get this message. And please, though I'm honored for your request, keep it relatively quiet. ^_^* This story is meant to be a fun fanfic for some people to read (heck, my parents don't even know I'm writing stuff like this!) and I don't want to get hacked and jammed with all these fans from all over the world or anything. :-p So please be careful w/ my story!

To MOONLITSPIRE: THANKUTHANKUTHANKUTHANKU! I PERSONALLY thank you for your thoughtfulness. I am seriously touched that you had interest in my interests, and that you had enough heart to tell me what you found. ^_^ I feel so loved! AND THANK YOU FOR THAT WEBSITE! *sob* It was so beautiful! I mean, words can't describe how talented that artist is! And his pictures are just... just... um... GREAT. I mean, My GAWDS!! O_o *gape* I mean... lookie Anubis! And SETH! O_O Geez... WOW. ^_^ Again, THANK YOU, Moonlitspire! And I found that Horus/Seth pic vveerrryyy interesting. :-p At last! Proof that someone ELSE knows about the whole Seth Horus relationship! And I double checked on some websites; its true. Seth DID or at least ATTEMPTED to rape Horus, and there's this whole legend by itself about how the two had to go before all the gods and plead their innocence (or at least Horus did) and all that. And it involved a great deal of planting semen in gardens and cutting off Horus's limbs... like always. O_o Anyone else who've I've interested w/ this babble, check the website under Moonlitspire's review. Still, GAWDS, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH, MOONLITSPIRE!! *bows again and again* Sorry, I must be freaking you out... ^_^ Note to all; if you have anything interesting to show me, like any fanart or Egyptian mythology or anything about Horus in general, for heaven sakes SHOW ME!! I will be forever grateful!

1. Wow, it turns out that by waiting (not on purpose!!) I got a whole hell of a lot more reviews then I normally do. AND THEY'RE ALL SO NICE!! *squeal* I LUV U GUYS! Aw, man, you're gunna make me cry! *sniffle* Thanks for liking my story so much! Remember, I'm aiming for 200+ reviews now! Shouldn't be too hard, I hope. ^_-

2. Heh, this chapter was completely fluff since I got the idea, but since lots of you begged for it, HERE'S SOME POINTLESS FLUFF!! ^_^ Its nice to write something a tad happier, at least for part of the chapter. :-p And no one gets killed, just for those of you that were absolutely traumatized last chapter. There's lots of romance and lemon (yes, for those of you that have guessed, I'm really afraid of the FF.net staff, so I'm keeping stuff strictly R; however, I don't turn in any people who write lemons anyway, since I like their stories ^_^) though the latter half of the chapter has a brief part of fighting and stuff.

3. Erm, one of my reviewers gave me a brief explanation on the whole cartouche thingy from the manga and, though I love her/him for trying, I GOT UTTERLY LOST! O_o Erm... even more so then before, I mean. SEE, I TOLD you I got really confused by the manga!! TEA gave Yami that cartouche? *screams* Gee, I saw a frame about it but it didn't say nu'tin!! *is traumatized* NO!!! THE CARTOUCHE MUST DIE!! DIE I TELL YOU!! *runs off to kill Tea* After all, if ur reading this story, I'm guessing u don't support Tea/Yami at ALL (which I don't, WHATSOEVER... *grr* I can't TELL you how much I hate that girl OR that couple!! *shudder*) As for the rest of the explanation... you completely lost me. -_-* When you say 'Yami' do you mean the present 'Spirit of the Puzzle' or the old 'ancient Pharaoh' or someone else all together?! HHEEELLLPP!!!! (AND TEA MUST *DIE*!!! Fellow Yami/Seto-fans, FORGET THE DAMN CARTOUCHE. FORGET IT. KILL TEA!!!) And by the way, I would like to emphasize the fact that I only read a little bit of the manga, about half of the part where they try to find Yami's memories in ancient Egypt. THAT'S IT. I've read stories involving other parts of the manga, and I am utterly LOST when I read them... (Yami shattered Kaiba's heart before? O_o Literally, u mean? And Kaiba was in a coma? DUDE...)

4. Hey, one of my reviewers was inspired by my story and drew Yami and Kaiba kissing! Aw, I feel so special. :-p I'm a good artist myself, but I'm not exactly a good romance-drawer. -_-* IF ANYONE ELSE HAS SETO/YAMI PICS, SSSHHHOOOWWWW MMEEEE!!! *falls to her knees begging* 

5. Arg, I keep having the most annoying typoes; I think I mentioned something about the Egyptian government suing me last chapter? What I meant was DON'T sue me; I do not like to scream "SUE ME!" all over the place. -_-* And Egyptian peeps, it was a joke. A JOKE. Seriously, don't kill me! *dodges um... mini-pyramid souvenirs* One of my best friends is Egyptian. I SWEAR!

Obviously, this song is Come What May, the sweetest and most beautiful song (in my opinion) from Moulin Rouge. And I want to help some people who don't understand the title of the song (cuz I didn't for a long, long time); this is not some weird typo of Come To Me (that's wut I thought ^_^*) but it really means on the lines of 'come, whatever fate may throw at me,' kinda thing.

AND I DO NOT OWN MOULIN ROUGE. (Voice 1 makes more sense if it's Kaiba, and voice 2 likewise as Yami)

~~~~~~

Kaiba awoke with the much-hated feeling that he had forgotten something... or that something was horribly off. Letting out a heavenly sigh from his lips, he rolled over to snuggle into Yami's hair, too happy and too tired to care.

Until he realized that Yami was not in his arms.

Kaiba's eyes flew open in alarm, but blinding hues of gold forced them closed again. His fingers blindly searched the sheets and the hard bed below him, but they found nothing but a hard, cold object that could not have physically resembled of any part of Yami.... except his hair.

Daring himself to try opening his eyelids once more, the priest peeked open his eyes and was met by the exquisite form of the Millennium Puzzle now clenched in his fingers. His initial panic was replaced by a wave of warm relief; Yami went nowhere without the Puzzle... normally. Still cautious, Kaiba pried his fingers from the Puzzle and began a visual search, met by more familiar objects but no Yami.

Hugging the silk cover to keep warm and careful not to gut himself the sharp stone feathers of the falcon formerly at his head, Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he sat upright in bed, hissing as the cold mist of the Egyptian morning touched his bare skin. A breath of air stirred the sheets upon the bed, revealing a loose robe the color of midnight blue and virgin silver at his feet, the Millennium Rod contently resting upon it. The priest's sharp blue eyes were met by the equally stunning beauty of the dawn-drenched Royal Chamber, its flowering vines shimmering with dew and its ancient carvings glowing faintly with creamy color under the warm sunlight. The silver veils that draped the imperial furniture sparkled with irradiancy, their glittering light radiating upon the smooth metal of smoking incense burners and the flawless forms of the numerous gods. The statues themselves seemed at home in such a mythical, heavenly environment, the jewels of their eyes gleaming with brilliant light as mist enshrouded their graceful forms. Another cool breeze brought a wave of white fog into the Chamber, ruffling Kaiba's messy hair and rippling through the silky light that bathed the room.

It was a beautiful, breath-taking Egyptian morning, no doubt about it. Hell, it would have made even the self-centered Greeks marvel longingly at the ancient, fabled Nile Valley.

But Kaiba would admire it all more if Yami was in the picture.

Sharp azure eyes drifted from the beauty of the room to the grace of the balcony, squinting irritably at the fluttering, translucent veils that blocked their view. The curtains were almost blinding in their splendor, changing from hues of sparkling virgin snow to glittering milky gold to waves of lavender to cascading shades of sapphire. Through their billowing length, the curtains revealed a pale, clear-skied morning, the sharp silhouette of a majestic falcon statue, and the slender form of an elegantly-built, spiky-haired young man.

Yami wore a silken, long robe of silver, tied at the waist by a beautiful, jeweled gold belt from which an equally golden ribbon hung down toward his feet in a truly exotic Egyptian fashion. On the Pharaoh's delicate shoulders was a falcon-shaped collar plate, each one of its feathers replaced by a vivid array of precious metals and stones. From under this grand collar plate came the graceful, metallic folds of a long cape, which looked strangely like the gold-feathery one from the Horus celebration. While he kept his tiara and earrings, the king's neck supported an unfamiliar chain from which hung the ankh, the sacred Eye of Horus, and the Millennium Eye of Ra, all three exquisitely carved out of pure gold. And though his arms were bare save two pairs of gold armbands, on one of the king's forearms was a glove of cow hide, upon which rested Horus, the king's loyal falcon. (AN: Oh, MAN, I gotta tell you. There's this one picture/version of one of Pharaoh Yami's attire, and its basically really long black/blue dress --seriously, a DRESS, and a really long one too-- with gold ribbons tied around his chest and hanging down to his feet from his waist. He has this gold-rimmed red/lavender cape wrapped around his shoulders --it flies, I swear!-- with this pink Arabian-style veil hanging from one of the wings of his tiara. In his hands is this long pink feather which he looks like he's sweeping the floor with or something... O_o I have to say, my jaw dropped when I saw this picture. Not only is it possibly the freakiest/weirdest of Yami's numerous Pharaoh attires, its also one of the most gorgeous pics I've ever seen. I SWEAR. Its all dreamy and fantasy-like, cuz the colors are all hazy and dreamy and shimmery and stuff. And I'm almost certain its not a fanart, cuz its just plain too good to be one. Seriously. O_o I wish I could show you guys! I don't have a clue where I got it from, only that its so majorly cool! *squeal*)

The rosy light of Ra peeking out from the distant horizon bathed the Pharaoh's silvery attire in iridescent hues, giving the allusion that --Kaiba shuddered-- the Pharaoh was drenched in blood. And even as his falcon fondly nipped at his earring, Yami remained as still as if he was but a statue, though the cascade of wind through his clothing and hair proved that statement --thankfully-- wrong.

A foxy smile tugged Kaiba's lips as he silently slipped off the bed, pulling at the clothing already provided for him. It turned out to be an exquisite tunic-robe made of the most startling shade of dark sapphire, with a silver belt and a short, matching white cape that hung from a pair of equally silvery chains across his chest. Those chains sported the two imperial eyes and the ankh, much like the ones that Yami wore, only carved out of pure white marble. They were dreadfully heavy, but not too different from the gold ankh he usually wore across his chest. (AN: I can't figure out whether I should make Seto wear something short --cuz that would make Yami seem like a girl w/ his long 'dress' on-- or something long, so its up to you to decide. :-p)

Briefly wondering if, deep inside, Yami was a hopeless romantic, Kaiba quickly dressed and stretched his limbs in a rather catlike fashion, all the while studying his lover out of the corner of his eyes.

He could see that Yami was leaning slightly over the balcony, one hand supporting Horus while the other clenched the marble railing of the balcony, as if it was some kind of life support. The king seemed sad, really. Though his silhouette was blurred, Yami held a droop in his proud shoulders and a slight tremor visibly ran through his slim frame. His eyes could not be seen, but his gaze seemed longingly directed far beyond the mist-covered city, and even beyond the invisible pyramids that hung over the foggy horizon.

'He looks like he could use some cheering up...' thought Kaiba dryly as he drew closer still, quietly parting the veils to see his slender lover in his full glory.

Yami seemed too engrossed in thought to sense Kaiba's appreciative gaze nor the priest's close proximity. In fact, the Pharaoh barely even turned his head when Horus left his arm. The falcon hopped eagerly to the railing, head hanging dangerously below his tail feathers as he eyed a lone rodent far below. With silent majesty and quivering anticipation, Horus took to the air with just a few flaps of his wings, spiraling upward for a second before diving past the balcony at neck-breaking speed.

Yami hardly noticed the dark blur as it passed dangerously close to his face, nor when a victorious shriek came from below.

A bit worried, Kaiba snuck close and gently brushed his lips against Yami's earlobe, watching with smug amusement as the Pharaoh jumped somewhat at the sudden motion. Before the smaller man could turn, the priest pulled him in to a tender, soothing embrace from behind, arms slipping under Yami's and gently wrapping around that slim, firm chest.

The smaller man relaxed instantly, practically melting into the embrace as his lover nuzzled his neck and planted light kisses toward his shoulder. Slender arms came up and wrapped backwards around Kaiba's neck, their owner sighing blissfully as his priest drew delicate designs upon his stomach and rubbed along his back, sending delightful shivers through the king's body. He gave a silky moan as he tilted his neck back and met Kaiba's questing lips with his own, fingers tangling themselves desperately in chestnut hair.

[Voice 1]
Never knew
that I could feel like this,
like I've never seen the sky
before...

I want to vanish
inside your kiss...
Every day I love you more
and more...

What started as a tender, loving kiss soon turned into a sizzling match of tongues, aided by bruising and arousing force. When the lack of air made itself painfully clear, Kaiba pulled his lover's bruised lips, grinning as he watched Yami trembled in his arms. "Mmm... Good morning, love..." purred the priest, resting his chin fondly on vivid, tri-colored hair as Yami melted against him, forehead resting in the crook and shadow of the taller man's strong neck.

"'Morning..." mumbled Yami breathlessly, sighing contently as his lover's hands continued to trail and do their magic. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I was about to ask the same to you..." chuckled Kaiba, eyes twinkling mischievously, "According to my calculations, you shouldn't be able to walk after what I did to you last night."

"Multiple times, last night," corrected Yami shyly, with an adorable blush, "And I couldn't walk... at first..." Here he managed to look somewhat more embarrassed.

Kaiba grinned like a fool who was proud of being one. Pharaoh? Blushing? Embarrassed? My, wasn't Yami full of surprises? And it was all 'cause of him. "So why didn't you stay with me in bed?" the priest teased, with fake hurt, "What was so important that you had to drag your rear painfully all the way out here? You don't love that bird more then me, do you?" He gave a ridiculous pout that Yami had not seen since their childhood.

The Pharaoh let out a short laugh, though it was rather strained. His eyes darted absently to the horizon, suddenly filled with uncertain worry and age that belonged to a man many times his elder.

Kaiba frowned, following his gaze. He found nothing in the distance save a beautiful sunrise burning the sky and a blanket of hazy fog covering the land in all directions. But despite the peace and silence of such a scene, they both knew that the darkest of dark and the wickedest of evil lurked just behind such beauty. Just out of sight, just out of earshot, but it was there nevertheless...

And Kaiba shuddered when he discovered the obvious; Yami was worried about Egypt.

Hell, who wasn't? But Yami was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt and ruler of the Nile; Egypt was his home, his kingdom, his power, his heritage, his strength, his heart, his mind, his soul... Ra, he was Egypt! The thought of her falling in such dangerous times must be overwhelming upon the owner of her throne, even for one of such strong will, such as Yami.

Kaiba suddenly realized that, for the first time in his life, the title of king didn't seem so desirable. One, he was sure that his hair --unlike Yami's-- would be the color of Akunadin's whitest locks from all the stress, even if he did work best under such environments. (AN: hm, I always did wonder why the present day Seto Kaiba had such dark hair for someone running a whole company... Hey, has anyone taken a look at Pres. Bush's hair lately? O_o I swear it was at least somewhat BROWN before...!). Two, the priest was sure that no one --certainly not himself-- could best Yami in being the better Pharaoh. And three, who the hell cares about the throne when the one sitting in the throne is all yours to protect, touch, kiss, fondle, grab, torture, seduce, bed, and...ahem, yeah...

The priest gave Yami a little reassuring squeeze, planting a gentle, quick peck on the smaller man's cheek. The sweet motion spoke more then a thousand words, and Yami relaxed a little, gratefully.

"We'll pull through..." murmured Kaiba, valiantly sounding sure though he was inwardly shuddering at the notion of his words being proved wrong, "...somehow."

Both of them stiffened at these simple words, and Kaiba felt sudden, burning tears in his eyes. Ra, he never cried this easily --or at all-- before this whole love-affair deal, but even if he managed to hide his tears, it did not change the unavoidable fact that Yami was going to die.

Egypt will pull through. She will be saved. She will survive.

But at a terrible cost. Such a terrible cost...

Kaiba pushed those dark thoughts away. 'That's too dangerous of a way to think...' he scolded himself, though he was already deeply shaken inside. Seeing the wince upon Yami's fair face, the priest gave the despairing Pharaoh another little squeeze, though in vain, for a slight, fearful tremor ran through the petit boy's frame.

For a long moment, they simply held each other, lost in thoughts and joined in their suffering.

Horus flapped his way back up to the railing, large eyes twinkling and a large rat clutched in his blood-splattered beak. Carefully depositing his torn prey under one talon, the falcon let out a wonton shriek, almost as if he wanted to announce his victory to the world. Then, after a moment of prolonged wing-stretching, the falcon proudly stuck his tail feathers in the air and dug in.

It was a repulsive and ugly sight, really, but a welcomed distraction.

The meal did not take Horus long to finish, and soon he was preening his feathers and contently fluffing his chest. Then, without warning, he turned, quivered the muscles within his breast, and took to the air with a silent flap of his wings.

Yami watched Horus's flight with hidden awe, the breath-taking majesty and beauty of the falcon momentarily steering the Pharaoh's thoughts away from his own fatality and death. In fact, the sight lifted some dreariness from his shoulders, and filled his heart with something not too unlike peace.

And for a moment, just a moment, Yami let his thoughts drift to the Horus part of him, about how the ancient god part of him must feel about his situation. How helpless did the deity feel with such reoccurring war? How did it feel to be imprisoned within a flightless, helpless mortal body? How much did the god long to return to the heavens, or to fly with his fellow raptors once more? How many times has he remembered feeling the wind caressing his feathers and lifting him high above a world of pain and suffering?

But it was a vain, silly thought. Horus no longer existed. There was no part of him still capable of conscious thought, nor of holding even a spark of sentient memory. The god was gone. Not dead, but very much gone. Yami felt no part of him that could rightfully claim the title of the great falcon king. He might have been Horus... a long time ago... but he wasn't Horus now. He was Yami. What was once Horus is now Yami. Everything Horus was is now Yami.

They were different beings.

...Right?

"Fly with me, neb-maatra..." a voice whispered within Yami's pondering, a beautiful voice so ancient and powerful that it seemed to be made from wisps of a dream... There was an odd sensation in his ears, like a wave of water approaching and crashing upon him. And for a split second, he was no longer Yami, but someone different, with different memories and different thoughts and powers far beyond a mortal's senses...

"Come fly with me!" Something made Yami open his lips to echo those beautiful words, mouthing them in tune with the supernal voice that sounded so familiar, so similar to his own...

...until that voice was suddenly changed to a much deeper, almost husky tone, sprouting from a source close to Yami's ear.

He jumped a little, the odd hallucination fleeing as he felt Kaiba's warm breath against his neck. The Pharaoh pulled away slightly, eyeing the priest from below with innocent curiosity and confusion.

Kaiba smiled a dashing smile, a devastating combination with his billowing chestnut bangs and his brilliant sapphire eyes. "Fly with me, Yami..." he purred once more, as if the smaller man did not hear.

[Voice 1 (cont.)]
Listen to my heart;
can you hear it sing?
Telling me to give you
everything!

Seasons may change;
winter to spring...
But I'll love you
...until the end of time.

Yami's gaze wavered slightly, irises flashing between radiant flame and soft rose, before he nodded hesitantly, almost skeptically.

His priest smiled and embraced him once more, murmuring ancient incantations against the sovereign's elegant neck. Kaiba's words were muffled and quiet, but even so, a small gale began to blow about them, and a magic-sensitive shiver ran up Yami's spine.

"Seto, what are you--?" he questioned, but his only answer was an ear-splitting, knee-shaking roar that sounded all too recognizable.

Before alarm could even register in the Pharaoh's mind, he felt Kaiba latch his arms --strong as they were-- even more tightly around him, and something long, large and silver slip between his legs.

The next thing a stunned Yami knew was that his hands suddenly were gripping a pair of sharp silver scales jutting out of a large bulbous head that lay just in front of him. The marble balcony had all but disappeared, replaced on every side by open sky and screaming gales that ran violently past the Pharaoh's ears and through his hair. The rising sun seemed to be suddenly unfixed in the sky, bobbing with the horizon up and down and side to side.

"Seto...!?" The name was somewhat strained. "Blue-Eyes... It shouldn't...!"

"We could all use a break, love," chuckled Kaiba from behind him, strong arms holding him protectively and reassuringly. "Especially you."

Yami's eyes opened impossibly wide, sparkling with childish youth that had been hidden under arctic ice. 'Ra, we're flying...' he realized with sudden giddiness, heart swelling even before the situation even fully registered with his mind. The Horus part of him --er... if it existed, anyway-- was absolutely enthralled, dancing about within him and sending out torrents of joy that formed a sudden, wild smile upon the Pharaoh's face.

Kaiba felt utter relief flood through him with that beautiful grin, unable to hold back his own radiant smile.

Yami relaxed like putty, arms stretched out slightly in a faint imitation of a falcon soaring through the air. Even his body was unconsciously positioned like a gliding swan, graceful back slightly arched forward, arms slightly swept back, neck craned slightly against Kaiba's shoulder, vivid hair flapping in the wind. With his silk robes billowing like water upon his delicate limbs and bliss glowing ethereally from his boyish face, the Pharaoh almost looked like... like... he was home flying through the air. Like he was some beautiful, immortal creature far beyond the unworthy mortal world.

It was a wholly foolish thought, the High Priest suddenly realized, and brushed it aside. But still, it lingered, somewhere in the back of Kaiba's mind... Almost as if some part of him was struggling to remember... Just trying to remember, but remember what? But it felt like whatever he was trying to see was just so damn close... yet he couldn't reach it. He hated that feeling, but it wouldn't go away.

Horus the falcon flew up to them, slender wings straining to keep up with the Blue-Eye's speed against the powerful eddies from the dragon's wings that threatened to blow the him away. Still, stubbornly, the beautiful bird flapped on. He screeched in glee as he drifted below, then around, then above the dragon, gliding and spinning through the air in a twisting, impressive aerial dance. The streamline, black-gray blur then floated to a stop serenely level to Yami, master and pet's joy and position nearly identical as they flew through the sky.

Again, Kaiba forced the observation away. Shaking his head slightly, he settled for simply admiring his young lover. The exquisite scene effectively wiped any coherent thoughts from his mind. Ra, how many men in love can truthfully say that they've flown, arm in arm, with a beautiful Pharaoh on a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?

'Ra, he's so beautiful...' thought the priest fondly, holding Yami ever so closer as he inhaled the sweet scent of myrrh and incense at the base of the king's hair.

Yami leaned back contently, eyes closed as if he had fallen into deep sleep.

Kaiba didn't want to disturb him, but he had something else in mind. "Look down, love..." he whispered, patting Blue-Eye's flank to signal the dragon to slow down and circle.

Yami's eyes fluttered open groggily, dazed. Holding Kaiba's hands with his own, the Pharaoh glanced over his shoulder and far below. He saw, for the first time, the sharp talons of the dragon that they rode on and the large, silver-scaled wings that propelled them effortless through the sky. And beyond that fearful silver body, far below, laid a puzzle mat of green-white patches and pale threads of white.

The White City.

Memphis was breath taking. From up here, the fog barely hid anything, revealing the dawn-drenched city to its full glory. Spider-webs of roads formed a complex labyrinth leading up to the grand white fortress around their perimeter. The vast expanse of white-limestone houses between such walls was bathed in milky hues of red, orange and yellow, like a masterpiece of Ra's brilliant artwork. The ocean of colored white was broken by the flower-shaped tops of palm trees and the occasional garden, along with the large dots that were erected Temples and statues. And in the mits of it all, at one end of the White City was the imperial splendor of the Royal Palace. Its tall flagged obelisks and stout painted buildings towered proudly over the urban homes, practically glowing with majesty and age. If one wished to look closer, you could almost make out the huge statues that littered the now-tiny plazas, and maybe even the sphinxes guarding the pathways.

The ancient, powerful, and distinctly-Egyptian aura that simply radiated from the Palace and its city would be enough to put the boastful Greeks to shame.

"The White City of Egypt..." purred Kaiba quietly, sending delightful shivers down Yami's back. "That's your city, love..."

"Show me more, Seto..." whispered Yami after a moment of soaking in the beautiful sight below him. "Please..."

"As you wish, my king..." The priest smiled and brushed his lips against the junction between Yami's jaw and neck. "Then to Dendara we shall go... To the City of Love..." [1]

[Voice 1 (cont.)]
Come what may...
Come what may!!

I will love you
until my dying day!

Blue-Eyes, sensing some subconscious order from his master, suddenly roared and twisted in a great arch through the atmosphere, almost as if it was trying to shake loose its two riders.

There was a blinding flash of light, and suddenly a portion of the sky simply opened up before them. It was as if some giant cosmic god with a sad sense of humor had taken a large knife and had cut right through the film of blue sky, pulling it open violently. In that gap was a vortex of hypnotizing flashes of color, resting against a swirling mist of pure darkness, lightening and crackling energy. The sudden cold that radiated from the sky whirlpool stabbed them through like knives. Quickly and impulsively, Yami formed a protective barrier of his own Shadow-magic around him, lest the Shadow Realm suck his soul straight from his body. He reached out and plucked a panic-stricken Horus from the air, holding the squirming, clawing feather ball to his chest gently, careful not to hurt the delicate bones in the bird's wings.

Familiar with the Shadow Realm and the ways of transporting through it, both Pharaoh and High Priest ducked their heads slightly against the overwhelming wave of dark power, which would have normally killed them slowly and painfully had it not bounce harmlessly against their own magic. By habit, Kaiba held Yami tightly to him, intent on not losing the young king to the fearful gales that now roared about them.

Blue-Eyes soared fearlessly into its birth land, the vortex swallowing its large size easily and closing up with a slight, suction 'pop' behind them. The crackling energy bolts parted for its mighty wings as the dragon glided effortlessly through time and space. The soul-hungry Shadow tore at them with invisible claws, but both the sorcerers' powers and Blue Eyes's own impressive strength kept it at bay, disrupting the darkness that normally flowed freely through the Shadow Realm.

They spent only what felt like seconds within the Shadow Realm before another vortex grew open for them. It was bright, warm, and welcoming, radiating of normality and scents of Egypt. Distant at first, the doorway of light drew closer and closer, until Horus let out an alarmed scream as the vortex swallowed up the dragon and its riders through its mouth.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dendara was startlingly different from Memphis. Unlike the White City that laid to the south, the town itself was strikingly brilliant in colors, with vast fields of crops, banks of flora, and meadows for livestock, all flanked by sinuous tributaries of the Nile River. Random batches of houses and huts laid scattered among the thick green, dotted themselves by tiny specks of color. And while still a large metropolis, no fortress was seen, nor any particularly large statues, save a huge Temple in the heart of the city. It was dedicated to the ancient warrior-goddess of love, Hathor, the patron deity of this beautiful place.

Under the lovers' feet, Dendara seemed peaceful and tension-free, so unlike Memphis. And in an instant, it was easy to see why this was the city that many refugees chose to flee to. Yami felt a twinge of relief as he scanned the green paradise below. The Nile Delta, the main route into Egypt, was geographically the hardest area to capture in the known world. [2] The Pharaoh himself now had the Delta tributaries heavily protected by Shadow Monsters and priests, so water-element monsters could not breach into the heart of Egypt's lifeline, the Nile River. Thus, the rogue Shadow Monsters, mostly attacking from the sea or the desert, had yet to penetrate from the North. Which brought some, though unfortunately not much, welcomed hope. The structure of Lower Egypt could buy them some time... Time that they desperately needed in this war.

Cloaked by Kaiba's magic, Blue-Eyes landed by the main Temple of Hathor, in one of the large, surrounding courtyards. It was hastily instructed by its master to avoid moving, roaring, stomping, chewing on humans or anything of that sort... at least for a while. Thankfully, the dragon faithfully followed its orders, watching silently as its two charges slipped unnoticed into the depth of the Temple, leaving only a rather disorientated hawk as the monster's only companion.

The Temple itself was simply magnificent, the very example of a truly Egyptian monument. Outside, the Temple was a tall Hypostyle Hall filled with torches, pails of holy water, and countless vines of beautiful, fragrant flowers. Inside, it was a dark, complex labyrinth held up by vast pillars, all covered in vines and flanked by statues of Hathor holding miniature incense burners. On the walls were a mind-boggling amount of carvings of cows, bulls, flowers and hippos, all sacred to goddess of love and her priestesses. (AN: er, I have found no great pics on Dendara --which isn't really in the greatest of shapes-- and I don't like what I HAVE found, cuz it just has a lot of --ugly and fat, in my opinion-- Hathor's face stuck on pillars. O_o So, of course, I improvised. :-p)

Kaiba, who had only been here briefly on errands, looked around in restrained admiration, though Yami pulled him along with urgency. "Yami, where--?"

"Sh..." purred the Pharaoh, turning in a graceful blur of silver and placing two fingers of his free hand against Kaiba's lips. Both froze, their noses so close that their warm breaths mingled together within the invisible wisps of incense. Soulful scarlet eyes flashed mysteriously. "Just follow me."

"Love, I'd follow you to the Underworld and back," snapped Kaiba, somewhat irritated that Yami dared he wouldn't do so.

The Pharaoh only gave him a mock-stern glance and motioned for him to be silent again. Turning with the stealth of a slinking cat, he gently took Kaiba's larger hands within his own and pulled the priest against him. Almost as if he could sense the presence of every guard, priestess or worshipper, Yami then darted silently from pillar to shadow to pillar, a fixed destination obviously in his mind. Said destination remained curiously allusive of Kaiba's bewildered guesses, though he questioned nothing. Something very mischievous and giddy lingered in the air,, bringing to the two memories of unsuccessful times of such 'sneaking around' in their youth.

Finally, after --in Kaiba's opinion-- getting thoroughly lost in the winding maze of hallways, the two found themselves in the heart of the Temple. They arrived in a darkened, massive room of which was dominated by an enormous marble statue of Hathor dead center, flanked by an equally-large pair of basalt bulls. The chamber was filled to the brink with the fragrant smell of fresh flowers and the warm, sleepy scent of incense mixed with myrrh. Torches were kept low at the walls, barely revealing the beautiful paintings surrounding them as they bathed the two lovers in weak, flickering gold light.

They took a moment to take in the beauty and peace of the chamber, and comfortable silence drifted over them.

Suddenly, without warning, Yami dragged Kaiba forward to the feet of the goddess and pulled the stunned priest down with him. Then, calmly and with an air of humble dignity, the Pharaoh proceeded to fixing his wind-blown silver attire into reasonable arrangement about his slender limbs.

Kaiba watched curiously. "Yami, what are we--?"

The addressed young man turned his head to give the Look. Passively fixing Kaiba's own clothing so that the cape and the tunic rested perfectly about the ground, the Pharaoh smiled sweetly. "We should thank her," he murmured quietly, nodding toward Hathor and her escorts.

Kaiba stared at him for a long time. Finally, raising an eyebrow, he turned toward the goddess with a somewhat skeptical look. He never liked praying, and he certainly wasn't a devout worshipper of Hathor as much as he was of Horus or Ra. And quite frankly, he never quiet imagined Yami, Mr. High-and-Mighty, worshipping any goddess of love either.

"Are you not thankful, Seto?" asked Yami quietly, hurt flickering across his eyes as he suddenly pulled his hands away. There was a sudden flash of fearful pain and dread across his exquisite scarlet eyes.

"No, no," said Kaiba quickly, somewhat embarrassed. "I was just thinking..." He lapsed into awkward silence, before he suddenly turned on Yami with twinkling eyes and a naughty smirk upon his face. "Actually, I was just thinking that--" he licked his lips suggestively, "--perhaps we should thank the great goddess in a more correct way..."

Before surprise could even register in the young king's mind, he found himself pressed against the cold marble of the ground, Kaiba's warm, strong arms wrapped possessively around his lithe body while the priest's lips assaulted his own with wet, bruising force.

All coherent thoughts fled from Yami's mind and his eyes fluttered close, drowning within the spicy flavor of Kaiba's mouth and the feeling of rippled muscles hidden only behind two layers of silk and a few gold pendants. The demanding strokes of the priest's tongue was met smoothly by Yami's own, sending shudders of pleasure and a wave of great heat through them both.

"Oh gods, S-Seto..." panted Yami between strings of kisses, hands sinking instinctively into Kaiba's hair to hold him closer. Ra, the priest always had this sort of effect on the poor king; try as he might, Yami could end up as little else then helpless putty in Kaiba's hands. "W-We can't do this... N-not here...!"

Kaiba pulled away slightly and grinned slyly. "Oh, I'm sure Hathor won't mind..." the priest purred before capturing Yami's lips once more, slipping his hands under the Pharaoh's robes to play with the sensitive, flushed skin across the king's abdomen.

The small man gasped into Kaiba's mouth for all he was worth as his legs impulsively wrapped around Kaiba's waist, grinding their responsive hips together.

"I'm not... talking... a-aboAH!... about H-Hathor!" cried out Yami as he withered under Kaiba's body, throwing his head back and whimpering breathlessly.

"Hmph," chuckled Kaiba, panting lustfully into Yami's ear, "With all due respect, your highness, I'm not the vocal one here..."

Yami blushed deeply at this, biting his lip to prevent another cry. His High Priest grinned and leaned in for another electrifying, soul-sucking kiss, slowly unwrapping the treasure under him with slow, teasing fingers. Yami screamed in frustration into his mouth, quivering as the priest sucked on his lower lip and continuously rubbed against his centre, all the while exposing his dampened skin inch by inch. The priest's fingers touched so lightly and so tenderly that they had the Pharaoh trembling in eagerness of what pleasure they restrained from.

Yami gave up reasoning after just a few more kisses, squirming his slim body provocatively upon the ground as Kaiba pulled the last of his silk clothing away. The priest's sapphire irises eyed him up and down shamelessly, a foolish grin crossing his handsome face as his slender lover shivered in the chill.

"Seto..." breathed the Pharaoh pleadingly, his slender fingers trailing over the bothersome silk fabric over Kaiba's strong limbs, tugging at it desperately. "Please..."

"Ah-ah-ah! Nope." answered said priest with a smirk, pulling Yami's hands away from his clothes and kissing them gently. He chuckled at the startled and horrified look that crossed Yami's face, leaning in and nibbling sensually at his lover's earlobe. "I want to see how far I can push you without you doing a single thing to me..." he whispered breathlessly against said ear.

Yami blushed again as a thousand nasty images ran through his mind, causing him to shudder in delightful anticipation.

"You keep blushing like that, this will all be over far too quickly..." purred Kaiba with a dangerous glint in his eyes, leaning precariously over to tenderly capture Yami's lips with his own.

Yami mumbled something incoherent into that teasingly light kiss, limbs wrapping snake-like around Kaiba's shoulders and waist in a last ditch effort to convince the priest to strip.

Kaiba growled his disapproval and sank lower, the silk of his tunic rubbing suggestively against Yami's bare skin as soft lips trailed from the Pharaoh's neck to his collarbone.

The once unchallengeable ruler of the Nile let out something not too different from pitiful whimper, "No, really, Seto... W-we shouldn't..." he began again, before he let out a sharp scream when Kaiba bit down hard on his sensitive sternum.

The shriek echoed sharply throughout the chamber and, no doubt, out the doorways.

But Yami was no longer in any position to worry about the consequences. He was barely regaining his breath when he felt Kaiba pull his old, favorite trick; the old leg maneuver.

The original scream was followed by a chorus of moaning cries as Kaiba kissed lovingly the mark that he had made, slipping a clothed thigh between the Pharaoh's unclothed ones and pulling the slender boy down with provocative rhythm.

Yami thrashed dangerously under his lover's grasp, head tossing from side to side in tune with his cries, gasps and moans. "Seto...! We --Ah!-- really can't... Oh-Ung! S-Seto...! S-Some will --hmm!-- hear... Ra!"

"Well, then, its not my fault," snorted Kaiba teasingly somewhere along Yami's shoulder, warm lips pecking lightly at the skin there.

Yami groaned in frustration, trembling feebly and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. But his panic did not last, replaced quickly by ravenous lust. "Seto..." he whispered weakly, lovingly, closing his eyes as he let himself flow with the passion that coursed through them both.

[Voice 2]
Suddenly the world
seems such a perfect place!

Suddenly it moves
with such a perfect grace...

[Together]
Suddenly my life doesn't seem
such a waste!

[Voice 2]
And it all revolves

around you...

Suddenly, something in the back of his mind tingled and sent alarm crashing through his system. A warrior's senses boiled in the Pharaoh's blood. 'Someone's watching us...!'

His lust-clouded eyes fluttered open --as hard as it was to do so-- and grew unusually wide.

At the feet of the huge statue of Hathor stood a slender woman in a tight, layered dress of translucent white silk permanently etched with tiny, crescent-shaped rubies bits that jingled at her every movement. There was a dangerous but sheathed sword hanging from an exquisitely-carved gold belt on her provocative hips. Heavy, gold rings hung from her ears, matching the lovely, chiseled bands that decorated her limbs and outlined her slender bare ankles. A simple but elegant collar plate of rows and rows of beads wrapped around her delicate shoulders, made of no definite color or metal but shimmering with the color and beauty of them all. A circlet of blossoming flowers rested on the woman's thick hair, with beautiful strings of golden plates and gemmed beads running around and through the square-cut ebony strands. Floating above said beads was a glowing, brilliant disk of gold-red light, held up by a pair of sacred horns whose base had no definite contact to their mistress's hair. Her skin was of flawless, oily bronze, and she had a stunningly gorgeous face far more fair then the pretty palace girls that often flaunted the Pharaoh wherever he went. The lady's soulful eyes were the color of the clearest nights, hiding ageless wisdom and dangerous power behind their depths. Surrounding her long dark lashes were equally dark kohl-lines and shades of color that matched the flowers in the woman's hair, all of it applied so perfectly that they seemed etched into her very skin. Just under those stunning eyes was a flawless, delicate face, with strong but subtle cheekbones that hung over a pair of full, rich lips. To top it off, the mysterious woman even seemed to glow a great aura of celestial light, bathing the two lovers in a warm blanket of glitter.

Her name came to the Pharaoh's mind instantly, despite the fact that he was sure he had never seen her personally before in his life.

Crimson eyes opened even wider. 'Hathor...'

The goddess of love and revelry --if that was who she claimed to be-- nodded slowly, the edges of her rose-colored lips twisting upward ever so slightly. She made a little bow, eyes twinkling as her thick, gold-saturated hair spilled forth from her shoulders. Then, standing, she brought a silencing, elegant finger to her lips before moving it to point at one of the doorways beside the right-handed bull. Still smiling, robes billowing, the goddess then bowed again and disappeared in a blinding flash of iridescent light, leaving Yami baffled and blinking. (AN: Most of what Hathor looks like right now --it might change in my other stories cuz I'm still trying to decide--  is mainly based off the gorgeous painted picture of her with Pharaoh Sethos I. I tried to keep everything consistent with the historical picture, save the sword/belt, the flowers --which were based off her characteristic hair band-- and the 'floating symbol' which I thought up of cuz it was too strange to have such weird stuff growing out of the heads of gods. O_o Most of the time Hathor looks pretty boring and dull to me, but in this particular picture, she was wearing a pleated white and red-designed dress --its usually simply green or red or orange or some odd color like that-- and she had all these pretty gold bands in her hair. I liked it the best out of her many different and strangely colored variations... But then again, I have to improvise for lots of the gods cuz one, its fun, and two, many of them are too boring or too identical. :-p)

The Pharaoh was only stunned for an instant, before the pleasure of having Kaiba's legs and lips upon him returned full throttle. For a moment, Yami forgot all that he had seen, eyes rolling back into his head as he let out a series of short, lust-filled gasps.

Then, reason slammed painfully back into his mind.

"S-Seto!" he gasped, struggling madly against the priest.

Startled by this sudden, desperate aggression, Kaiba stopped, watching him silently with loving worry in his cerulean eyes.

Yami's own eyes were wide and panicky as he panted harshly. "I-I think...we have...to g-go..."

As if on cue, voices rang down the corridor outside their entrance, drawing steadily closer.

"What do you mean, 'screams'?!" came one man's voice.

"C'mon, we gotta check it out!" came another. "You think one of the priestesses got attacked?"

"I swear, Tutptah, if you let out one of those damned bulls--"

Alarmed blue eyes met panicked crimson ones, lust all but forgotten. With swiftness that Thoth himself might have marveled at, Yami struggled on his clothes with trembling fingers, nearly tearing at the delicate silk fabric. Then, without warning, he found himself scooped up --given that his knees were currently not in a state to hold up his weight-- in Kaiba's arms.  They stared into each other's eyes for a second, somewhat horrified, before Yami let out a strained laugh and pointed in the vague direction of where Hathor had directed him.

Kaiba let out a colorful curse. His strength and stamina were impressive enough in battle, and probably more so in bed, but the gods obviously wanted test his limits by seeing exactly how fast and how far he could run in a silk robe and with a fragile Pharaoh in his arms.

Had there been an actual test, the priest probably would have passed with flying colors. Or maybe adrenaline helped him cheat.

Moving as quickly as a striking cobra, Kaiba practically threw Yami into the darkened corridor and scrambled in after him. They found themselves in little more then another little shrine, this time dedicated to yet another cow. The golden statue of Hathor's pet gleamed in the dim light provided by twin torches at its side, the being's horns and shoulders adorned with strings of flowers and melting globes of scented oil.

Kaiba made a move to blow out the torches, but Yami stopped him, roughly pulling the priest down with him against the wall. "Leave them," the Pharaoh whispered breathlessly, "Someone will  notice if they're out."

Kaiba frowned, but his sharp cobalt eyes snapped from Yami to the doorway, where voices now poured in.

Guards were in the main temple. At least a dozen.

"You paranoid freak!" one was saying, though in a joking kind of way. "I told you there was no one here!"

Kaiba held Yami's slender frame possessively to his chest, pressing them both hard against the wall. One of the priest's hands drifted down to his belt in case mind-control was needed, only to realize with surprise and guilt that neither of them brought their Items.

"No, seriously, Hotep, there was someone here! I am sure of it!" came another voice, utterly bewildered.

"Tutptah, did you let out one of the bulls again?!" demanded yet another voice, shrilly.

There was a snort, then some kind of laugh. "I swear to you, I did not!! ...This time."

"Then what bloody was it?!"

Kaiba and Yami held their breaths, clutching to each other.

"It kinda sounded like someone was being murdered to me..." one gaurd whispered suspiciously.

At this, Kaiba made an odd noise not to different from an amused snort from deep in the back of his throat. Yami jumped and glared at his lover, then the doorway, with a flaming look in his eyes that promised a slow, painful death.

There was awkward silence outside. One could almost see everyone gawk at the guard that had spoken.

"True... but who would be crazy enough to murder someone on sacred ground?" demanded another.

"Dunno about you guys, but to me it sounded a lot like... like..."

More silence.

Yami paled visibly, and Kaiba only snickered harder.

"No way..." murmured the original guard, suddenly curious. "Here?! You think so...?"

"Gosh, do you think they're still...?"

Yami choked.

And just then...

"ALRIGHT, you perverts! I TOLD you, no one but priestesses and worshippers in this room!" shrieked a high, feminine voice from outside the chamber. "Out! Out!"

"Okay, OKAY, you old witch!" cried the gaurds in union. "Sheesh!"

Kaiba tried in vain to stifle more laughter as there were sounds of guards shuffling away, all grumbling to themselves. Compared to the battle-hardened palace guards of Memphis, these men were quite... different, though the priest had to admit that their humorous attitudes were quite welcome in such dark times.

There was a brief moment of silence, in which the two lovers strained their senses to hear if anyone else was nearby.

Then, releasing shaky breaths, wide scarlet and sapphire eyes met. Before either of them knew it, both Pharaoh and priest were doubled over themselves in near hysterical giggles, clutching to each other like a pair of Siamese twins. Ra, what in the name of Isis possessed them to act like so? The urge to flee, which they were quite familiar with as children, had been so great that neither ignored it...but now that they thought about it, it wasn't like there was anyone to punish them.

And besides, was it truly a crime to make love in a Temple? Was it some kind of sacred sin? If it was, Yami made a mental note to get that little annoyance destroyed. As soon as possible.

Kaiba, too, seemed to have realized their foolish actions, and only laughed harder. His deep chuckle hitched, however, when Yami poked him hard in the ribs.

"I told you someone would hear!" the Pharaoh hissed, cheeks aflame.

"Ah, that you did..." pondered Kaiba rather innocently, sniffing. "And it is still not my fault." He grinned a brilliant grin, face dangerously close to the Pharaoh's.

The young King of Game scowled into that fair visage.

Kaiba laughed again, a rare sound and a beautiful sight that mimicked the one that Thoth had miraculously produced. And, just as with Thoth, Yami's heart skipped a beat like some lovesick girl. Who knew that the cold, scowling and often dangerous High Priest of the Millennium Rod could suddenly look so carefree and warm-hearted, even if it was for just a second?

Hell, when was the last time they both laughed without a care?

Yami felt Kaiba kiss his cheek in a loving manner, warm lips still rhythmically chuckling against the heavy earring that hung next to them. "Don't worry, love. I still like the way you scream."

Yami flushed more red then his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Needless to say, the Pharaoh didn't want to stay in Dendara longer then they already have, perhaps more shaken by Kaiba's sexual prowess and attraction then he would like to admit. Did he mind it? Hell no... at least not in bed. But it was just a bit frightening for someone usually in total control to be utterly powerless from nearly being 'raped' --er...willingly?-- on sacred ground.

Kaiba, of course, noticed this, and grinned like a fool. Even as they climbed on to the invisible Blue Eyes --Yami with somewhat shaky knees, though he refused to be carried-- and lifted into the air, the smile never left the priest's face. There was something wholly exhilarating about having this sort of control over the all-powerful king of Egypt, and Ra-be-damned, Kaiba like it. Not to mention it might have made him a tad... overprotective. And possessive. But then again, Yami didn't seem to mind that either.

They flew about aimlessly for a while, spiraling slowly over Dendara under the glare of bright and warm sunlight. Horus, irritated about being left alone with a stone-hearted dragon, shrieked at them from a distance, little body pumping his wings madly to keep up. Yami sent it a mental wave of an apology, and the falcon quieted instantly, happily riding on to nearby thermals and gliding about them with agility and carelessness that the gods themselves might envy.

Something about hovering over the City of Love on a beautiful Egyptian day, safe within his lover's arms, brought tranquil peace upon Yami's heavy heart. Sigh blissfully, he allowed his eyes to drift close, leaning back against Kaiba's broad chest and resting his tired head against the priest's neck. For a moment, all the young king felt was the wind flying through his air and Seto's warm arms wrapped around him like a second skin, strong and reliable. And for a glorious, heart-warming moment, all thoughts of death and despair fled the vicinity, blow away by the wind and left behind... even if it was only for this moment.

Somewhere in the distance, Horus shrieked again, this time in pure freedom and joy. Under them, Blue Eyes's neck vibrated violently as the dragon answered with a roar of its own, the fearsome sound slicing through the quiet of the sky.

Yami sighed happily once more. Kaiba chuckled at this, his Adam's apple quivering rhythmically against the Pharaoh's forehead.

"Where to next, love?" whispered the priest quietly, the whistling wind capturing most of his words.

"Anywhere. Just fly," mumbled Yami, snuggling against him and planting a sweet kiss on his lover's collarbone. "Just fly with me."

[Together]
And there's no mountain too high!
No river too wide!
Sing out this song
and I'll be there by your side!
Storm clouds may gather!
Stars may collide!

[Voice 1]
But I'll love you...

[Voice 2]
...I'll love you....

[Voice 1]
...till the end...

[Voice 2]
...until the end...

[Together]
... of time!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Blue-Eyes did not go through the Shadow Realm this time, using speed-magic to help its wings. It could still make excellent time, running the whole length of Egypt in just a few hours. Of course, poor Horus had to latch on to the dragon's hide with his talons to avoid being left behind, though thankfully thick scales protected Blue Eyes from any pain or annoyance his little passenger might bring.

They went through all of Egypt, really, glancing fondly down at the majesty and power of her cities on the banks of the Nile, hearts swelling with pride at such breath-taking sights. They passed many countless towns and monuments, engraving their haunting beauty to memory and fascinated by this new perspective. From this far up, they doubted they could see any real battling going on, though just in case, Kaiba made sure Blue-Eyes flew extra fast over Waset and other major cities; Yami didn't need any worries today...

And as for the two lovers themselves, they just... well... talked. It was kind of odd, since they've never really had a decent conversation in their lives, though this seemed to be a perfect time to start having one.

They talked about anything that came to mind, really, like a young, simple teenage couple without a care in the world and no Armageddon planted upon their shoulders. Pride, barriers and the sense of jealous competition melted away without a trace, and they both spoke with freedom of words and language slang that their fathers might have had heart attacks to hear. But it was almost... fun.

They just shared memories, really, of odd times that they spent together, the infamous 'baby cobra incident' --Yami was thoroughly horrified at the thought of it-- one of them.

Of course, there was that one time that Kaiba, dripping in mud, somehow laughing, and chased by an equally-muddy Mahado armed with mud balls, skidded right through a courtyard and --consequently-- into Prince Yami, who was dressed in his best and barely managed to push his aging father out of the way before he was dragged into the pool by his pair of priest-apprentices. Akunamunkano then tried to save his son, managing to grab the child's cape but tipping over the pond dangerously in the process. Akunadin and Shimon then tried to grab on to the Pharaoh's robes, and then guards tried to save them, and servants tried valiantly to save them, but predictably, everyone ended up in the pool with a big, conclusive SPLASH. Yami, of course, was Not Happy. Neither was Akunamunkano, nor Akunadin nor... come to think of it... anyone else in that general vicinity. And of course, timing was horrible. The Prince and the Pharaoh had been meeting with the ambassadors from Greece... who, of course, winded up in the pond as well when they panicked and tripped over the fallen Egyptians. Predictably, Mahado and Kaiba were scrubbing Palace halls for weeks, occasionally getting into fights and leaving the hallways in more of a mess then they were in to begin with.

And then there was that time when Karimu --accidentally, said priest claimed-- set fire to one of the royal stables and sent everyone capable of standing alone on two feet in hot pursuit of the skittish horses. It was utter, undeniable chaos. Women's hair were singed, men's robes were burned, jewelry was lost, torches were knocked over, water was spilled in haste, and everyone had bruises to prove that they --barely-- survived it all. In fact, Kaiba was kicked by a stubborn mare and now carried a thick, deformed scar somewhere along his rear end. Ishizu tore her favorite dress. Shadi lost what little of his hair remained at that time, and decided to be bald for the rest of his life that night. Yami, too, did not leave unscathed. Having been in the vicinity, he left the protection of his father's guards and had bravely attempted to retrieve a hot-headed stallion. Unsurprisingly, judging by his luck in life, he ended up knocked unconscious by a bad-aimed kick from the horse's rear hoof. Of course, the whole Palace was in an uproar after the 'deliberate attack on the Crown Prince', and Kaiba shuddered to think about what happened to that particular horse. Thankfully, Yami suffered no prolonged injury from it, though he wandered about the Palace half-dazed for quite a few days after the incident... And it was still all Karimu's fault, everyone still claimed.

Yami knew he cried as he spoke, his voice cracking up half an octave when he realized it. He couldn't feel the tears anymore, being so used to them, but he could tell by the surprise on Kaiba's face that they were falling...not to mention that the sunny, beautiful day was threatened by potentially dangerous rain clouds that gathered just out of reach. (AN: I just remembered that Seth was the god of storms, and I've been using storms quite a lot, but lets pretend these different storms had nothing to do w/ each other except for the fact that weather reflects the mood of gods. *sigh*) Kaiba seemed somewhat bewildered at it all, constantly brushing away the salty droplets with questioning, loving silence. Many times the priest brushed his lips across the king's cheeks or caressed them with gentle fingers to erase the tearstains, but, try as he might, Yami couldn't stop them from coming. He couldn't help it! He was going to be dead this time tomorrow, and here they were, talking about the good old times that the Pharaoh would surely miss in the Afterlife.

Which brought up another point, one that Yami had noticed since this morning.

Kaiba was taking all this rather well... all things considered.

'Odd,' Yami noted with a sad shudder, 'I expected him to be... furious, or at least--'

He never finished that thought.

"There's Kush..." Kaiba breathed suddenly, unreadable but voice soft with awe.

Yami sat up a little straighter, squinting over Blue-Eyes's huge head to prevent his eyes from tearing even more from the wind. There was nothing of great importance under or in front of them now, except the dark snake that was the Nile, the vibrant green of its banks, and the smooth, golden curves of the desert dunes. The air was hot, even at their speed, and filled with rippling mirages, all beautiful but extremely hard to see through. However, Blue Eyes's flight dispersed some of the warm thermals, allowing for brief glimpses into the distance.

There was nothing special about where Kaiba looked; at least, not even to Yami's sharp eyesight. Below, the Nile continued happily along towards the horizon, innocent and ageless. The lush green that surrounded it remained unchanged, dotted with colorful blossoms and clumps of palm trees. Somewhere in front of them, far off in the distance, a flock of ibises glided gracefully across the river, spots of white contrasting with the dark blue-green hue below them.

There was nothing...

But Kaiba spoke wise words. Barely aware of it at first, Yami felt his powers dampening slightly as they approached the southernmost border of Egypt, his blood ties with his own kingdom now somewhat strained.

"Kush... home of the Nubians..." he whispered, more to himself then anyone else. The very words, even spoken in smooth Egyptian, were awkward on his tongue. Yami himself cared very little for such land, a feeling that had carried on to him from his forefathers. Kush, a strange land full of tall, ebony-skinned people who were even stranger, had been under --though constantly wavering-- Egyptian control for generations, replenishing Egypt's resources and providing her with food, gold and, on many occasions, slaves. (AN: this is all true, though I'm not an expert on the Kush/Egypt relationship) Egyptians very rarely traveled there, for many times they were met with hostility or simply could not understand the native ways, though they do take pride in knowing well the native tongue. Nubians, however, traveled often into Egypt, often to trade or pay tribute to the great Pharaoh and his kingdom... though only the wealthiest and most influential men made it to Yami's court, and even fewer saw the young king, or even one of his High Priests, face to face. Likewise, Kush was almost never on the Pharaoh's mind, though he knew well that it often rebelled and needed constant watching. [3]

But even in all their differences, Kush and Egypt were sisters born from the same womb; the Nile Valley. Even here, approaching the indefinite border at impossible speed, there didn't seem to be a stark line between where the Nile left Egypt and where it carved through Nubian territory.

Yami felt Kaiba's hand around him and squeezed them, almost with passionate desperation. "No..." he whispered, voice somewhat choked. "Please, no..."

Kaiba's eyes flashed with concern. "No what, love...?"

"Egypt..." croaked Yami, shaking his head slightly. "I want to stay in Egypt..."

Kaiba, frowning, nodded slowly, turning Blue-Eyes around and heading back into their homeland.

Yami relaxed almost instantly, though he looked somewhat shaken. His heart tightened painfully. That was too close. 'I want to stay in Egypt...' he repeated to himself, shuddering at the double meaning laced within those words.

After tomorrow... where would he be? Certainly not in Egypt... or at least, the Egypt of the Living. The thought tore his heart.

He pushed away his mental debate. Now was not a time for that... Now was a time to enjoy what little time he had remaining within the land of the living. He only hoped he could do so.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They flew in silence for a long time, relishing the blowing winds and the occasional cry from Blue Eyes. The silk upon their limbs and the warmth of each other's bodies felt heavenly, urging them to drift in and out of sleep within each other's strong arms. Quite frankly, it was a miracle that neither fell off their dragon transport.

"They're beautiful, aren't they...?"

The words snapped Kaiba back into attention, and he blinked rapidly, clearing his vision. "What is?" he mumbled groggily, running a hand through his hair before bringing it to hold Yami once more.

Yami sat up a little straighter, melting like fluid against Blue-Eyes's scales. His eyes were sad, though childishly dreamy. "The pyramids..." he murmured quietly, a ghost of a cheerless smile flickering across his fair face. "They're beautiful..."

Kaiba followed his gaze and realized with a start that he must have slept longer then he thought.

Looming in front of them and approaching quickly were the kings of all Egyptian monuments, the three Great Pyramids of old. Impossibly large, even from the air, the proud pyramids seem unmovable and undefeatable, a sure warning to all not to mess with the might of Egypt. They rose magnificently from the barren desert ground, as if some giant cosmic force had simply planted them there to rise for a thousand feet out of nowhere. Of course, keeping in mind that the giant pyramids were painstakingly built by hand through years of hard labor and heart-felt dedication, they seemed even more awe-inspiring.

"Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it, love..." agreed Kaiba, fondly.

A moment of thoughtful silence.

And a single, burning tear sparkled in Ra's light as it gently descended down Yami's cheek.

Kaiba stiffened immediately when he saw it, though Yami didn't seem to notice. "Yami...?" The priest caressed the tear away, blue eyes narrowed in concern.

Yami stirred against that hand, looking down in his lap as if he had done something horribly wrong. Crystal water threatened to fall from his eyes, and he took a few sobbing breaths.

"Love, you're trembling..." observed Kaiba softly, wrapping his arms around the Pharaoh's slim, shaking body.

"I'll miss them, Seto..." whispered Yami, eyes closing as if in great pain. "The pyramids... Egypt... I'll n-never see them again..."

Kaiba was silent, head shaking slightly. He frowned, brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about...?" he asked slowly, his blood running cold as he spoke.

Yami was silent for a long time, stiffening visibly with every passing second. He looked ill, horribly ill. His body began to shake, as if wracked by silent sobs or a great spasm of pain. It got to a point where his clenched hands were white and his body was full out quivering.

"Yami...?" Kaiba was alarmed.

"You... You don't know, do you?" asked the Pharaoh finally, voice strangely hallow and calm compared to his tortured body. Something like a sob escaped his lips. "Ra, you don't know...!!"

And suddenly, it was perfectly clear why Kaiba seemed so cheerful this whole day... and why Yami found himself suffering alone...

"Yami, you're starting to worry me..." commented Kaiba rather dryly, carefully.

Yami turned toward him then, lovely scarlet eyes brimming with unshed tears. For a moment, with his hair flying and his silk robe billowing as they approached the great pyramids, no creature alive looked more immortal or more beautiful... nor more pitiful.

The sight made Kaiba's heart throb painfully.

"Ra, what's wrong...?" the priest whispered, fearfully. Something in those saddened crimson eyes made him shudder, filling him with frightful and bitter dread. "Oh gods, Yami, what is it...?"

Yami looked at him for a long moment, expression unreadable, ageless eyes searching Kaiba's brilliant sapphire ones as if searching for some type of lie. Then, startling the priest, the Pharaoh turned away and violently let out an enraged cry, burying his shaking hands in his thick, wind-blown hair. "Oh RA, you don't know! How could she not tell you!?"

Highly distressed, Kaiba quickly embraced his lover and was startled to find the young man in tears.

"Damn her!" Yami screamed, his clenched fists dangerously close to beating himself on the head had Kaiba not grabbed on to them firmly. "She never told you!"

The priest struggled against such enraged power and pulled Yami tightly to him, almost afraid that the Pharaoh might throw himself to the ground far below. There was a brief, desperate spell of restrained violence, Kaiba's natural strength suddenly tested by Yami's exploding anger. By impulse and near panic, the priest managed to snag the Pharaoh's wrists before they caused any self-damage. Yami's heartbeat was racing madly.

Kaiba felt icy fear grip his heart. What was wrong?!

The seconds dragged on slowly, but finally, the rage passed and the slender sovereign's struggles lessened until they stopped altogether.

Tense, awkward silence.

Neither of them said a word, though their breaths were ragged and their bodies dreadfully tense.

"Yami... What didn't 'she' tell me...?" asked Kaiba finally, voice cracking but impressively calm.

Yami, head bowed and body limp against his lover's, said nothing for a long time, drawing in harsh breath after breath in an obvious attempt to fight another fit of tears. "She didn't tell you..." he murmured finally, softly and mournfully.

Kaiba decided to give the Pharaoh some time to cool down, though he himself was shaken. What could have possibly alarmed Yami, of all people, like so? For one so very in control, brief spasms of madness did not seem very possible. Hell, Kaiba had never seen anything so disturbing in his life... considering he had seen quite a lot of odd and frightening things.

Before either of them knew it, the pyramids were left far behind and Blue Eyes was suddenly hanging off the Royal Balcony, managing to stay on by digging its claws and talons into the strong marble. Somewhere down the dragon's back, Horus screeched happily and took to the air, sick of hanging on for dear life. Ignoring him, the dragon, with the tenderness of a creature four time smaller then its size, lowered its long neck until its snout touched the balcony floor, obediently waiting for its riders to get off.

Silently, worriedly, Kaiba slipped off the dragon's bowed head and landed gently beside it.

Yami followed him, but, much to the priest's alarm, promptly collapsed on weakened knees.

Kaiba's hand shot out to catch the Pharaoh, pulling him protectively against his chest as Yami regained his footing. It took a few moments, but, shakily, the slight youth managed to stand alone.

Almost as if skin contact burned, Yami quickly pulled away from Kaiba's arms, turning away shyly as his shoulders trembled even worse. There came soft, inaudible Egyptian words from his lips, some of them making the Pharaoh flinch visibly.

Frowning, sharp gaze never leaving Yami's back, Kaiba patted Blue-Eyes and felt the dragon return to the Temple of Tablets in a brilliant flash of light. Now totally alone with his suffering lover, the priest bit his lip. What bloody was going on? What the hell is Yami so upset about? What the hell was he suppose to say?!

Ra, he had never been good at this lovey-dovey stuff...

A breeze flowed around them, clear and crisp. Like a knife, its chill broke the awkward, ominous shadow that hung over the two lovers.

"Yami..." Kaiba started finally, heavily. The name was half of a question.

The Pharaoh stiffened, slim body taut as if ready to flee into the comfort of the billowing, sun-drenched veils before them.

As if on cue, thin clouds began to gather, gray and forebodingly. Ra bravely peeked through their depths, though his light offered no comfort from the growing threat of rain.

"Please..." The priest drew closer and spun Yami around gently, holding the slender shoulders at arm's length. " What can you not tell me?" Blue eyes melted into an uncanny pool of desperation and love.

Yami did not stop quivering, head bowed and his messy gold bangs covering his teary eyes. His mind raced with frustrated hopelessness, his heart throbbing to the point of pain.  He tried to say it, but his voice failed him and his lips let out only a shaky breath of air. "I-I can't..." he whispered tearfully, helplessly limp in his lover's grip. "I--"

Kaiba gracefully drew Yami in until there was not a breath of air between them, robes dark blue against stark silver. "You can't tell me what?" he asked gently, lifting Yami's strong jaw with a gentle finger so their eyes met.

He was stunned by the amount of raw pain and turmoil he found in the Pharaoh's radiant irises. He matched that weeping gaze with his own of gentle tenderness and love, hoping that perhaps this was all just a mistake and that they could just go back to flying or what not.

But there was no hope nor peace in Yami's eyes, only untamable despair.

With shaky hands, Kaiba pressed Yami against him, kissing the young sovereign's forehead as the small boy trembled delicately against him. The Pharaoh clung to the taller man's robes like a newborn to a mother, silent sobs rocking his slender frame as invisible tears soaked the priest's sapphire tunic.

Ra continued to set, burning both the cloudy sky and the silk of their robes the color of flame. The White City loomed elegantly before them, drenched with light and radiating with beauty and age. Another cool breeze, this time heavy with rain vapor, swirled around the two lovers and sent ripples through the sun-drenched balcony veils.

The peace and beauty lasted only briefly.

"Tell me, Yami..." whispered Kaiba again after a moment, burrowing his nose in thick, tri-colored hair. He felt his lover's thin body shudder against his torso. "Love, please..."

Yami sniffled and looked up with pure anguish shown across his face. Fresh tears lingered at the edges of his exquisite eyes, like the rain that had yet to fall. He mouthed something, though his voice came out as a strained crack. He tried again, body so tense it hurt. "T-tomorrow..." he managed finally, shaking as he did so.

Kaiba narrowed his sharp blue eyes, chestnut bangs swaying over them. "Tomorrow what...?" he urged softly.

Yami looked at him for a long, long time, utterly silent and unreadable.

The priest found his heart sinking with dread with every passing second. "Ra, Yami, what about tomorrow?" he demanded finally.

Yami seemed jolted out of his spell then, and, with a sob, he buried his face in Kaiba's chest. "I have to die tomorrow..." he mumbled quietly, voice muffled.

Kaiba blinked, unsure if he even heard right. "Pardon?"

Yami broke away then, shaking and weeping openly. "I have to die tomorrow!" he all but cried.

Stunned, thick silence.

Kaiba stared openly, his blood running cold. His breath froze in his lungs.

"No..." he murmured finally, shaking his head slightly in disbelief and almost laughing outright. His heart constricted painfully and his stomach twisted agonizingly within itself. "Y-You're joking..." His voice cracked and sent violently shuddering through his system.

Yami looked heartbroken, breath unsteady and fast. "I-I tried to warn you..." he whispered hurriedly, so softly his voice was barely heard. "That was why I... I pretended like I didn't love you. So you wouldn't be hurt...!"

Kaiba's eyes widened in realization as everything came devastatingly into focus. It all fit. It all made sense. Oh Ra, how could he have been so stupid? His respect and love for Yami swelled proudly, though pain and sudden grief sliced through it. How could he have not asked Ishizu when Yami was going to... to....? How how how?! Or better, WHY!?

If any, his body trembled worse.

"I-I wanted you to forget about me, to live on..." continued Yami, softly, "Perhaps just..." he looked longingly toward the White City, "... just forget about me. Forget about all this. Leave the Palace. Maybe find a nice girl, have a family--"

Kaiba let out something then that wasn't too different from a roar. His overwhelming distress exploded in a violent mixture of tears and words. He pointed an accusing finger at Yami, tearful blue eyes flashing. "Never!" he shrieked in outrage, his voice carrying over the balcony railings to the startled pedestrians below. "I will love no other!"

And with that, he stormed away in a blur of silver and blue, leaving an anguished Pharaoh to call after him.

[Together (cont.)]
Come what may!
Come what may!!

I will love you
until my dying day!

Oh, come what may!
Come what may!

I will love you!

[Voice 2]
I'll love you...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami knew not what happened next. He found himself, a while later, upon his throne, gazing down at the saddened and awed gazes of advisors, priests, governors, scribes and nobles alike. They were ambassadors, he knew, and many of their aged faces looked familiar; no doubt many had served his father. How they had gotten here was most likely by various forms of Shadow magic or on the backs of numerous Shadow beasts, but the slightly bewildered twinkle within their eyes all read the same.

They knew.

And judging by the near-hysterical look on many of the officials, they did far too much.

Somehow, either through marvelous self-control or many hard years of training, the four High Priests and Shimon managed to keep a straight face, standing in a protective formation around their Pharaoh.... as they always were.

It was almost strange... This congregation had happened many times before. It was almost as if the Pharaoh's violent and untimely death tomorrow was no different from declaring the opening of a new Temple. And even as his voice went on without him and read out his will from the scrolls he had written, Yami found the normality of the situation terribly odd... though in a familiar, reassuring way.

But at the same time, it was so damn different.

Never before had all these dedicated and wise men look so defeated, nor as pitiful. Many, as they listened to Yami's sonorous words, had tears streaming down their wrinkled faces. Others avoided the Pharaoh's piercing gaze, heads bowed respectively as if there had already been a death worth mourning. And still many looked worried sick.

The High Priests, too, were almost frightfully near tears. Akunadin's warm hand rested casually on Yami's shoulder, but though the priest himself was silent, his movements spoke more then a million words ever could. The Pharaoh could feel wise reassurance and an uncle's pride in that familiar hold, but laced within the priest's digits was a frightful amount of grief, for the grip so tight that Akunadin seemed fearful that his nephew might vanish into thin air under his very fingers. Ishizu, too, stood by Yami's other side, so close that it seemed she was ready to reach out and grab him in fact great god with no mercy decided to pull the ruler of the Nile away from his rightful throne. Shadi and Karimu, a step down, flanked the Pharaoh's legs protectively; Karimu was trembling visibly, and Shadi clutched his Key so hard that his fingers turned boney white. And finally, last but not least, faithful old Shimon stood at the base of the stairs leading up the throne, his stout old body buried in its own sorrow somewhere deep within the confines of his robe. He seemed ready to collapse, either of defeat or self-hate.

Guilt threatened to add on to the grief and despair that Yami already felt. He felt touched by the level of love his friends and kin felt about this mess, but at the same time relatively irritated about all of it as well. Why couldn't he go in peace? Go greet Osirius alone, unnoticed? Why did he have to drag the happiness of so many souls with him? Was he really as worshipped and as respect-worthy as other's claimed he was?

Not for the first time, Yami cursed his title. Pharaoh meant nothing in the big scheme of things; it only meant wealth and religious power, nothing else. It had no sentimental value except to those that pass it down to their sons and grandsons. So why was it so intricately woven with the fate and destinies of so many others? Why did everything rest upon his shoulders, when he was sure there were more abled men scattered below him, and even more gods out there that would simply snap their fingers and do all that he could not?

The sense of powerlessness tossed about like burning poison in the pit of his stomach. It frustrated Yami to no end. 'This is all a test, wasn't it? Blast it, someone up there must have a sick sense of humor!' Who else but a god could twist around his thoughts like so, turning affection into despair and turning every inanimate object into some vivid memory that would no doubt haunt the Pharaoh to his grave? Who else but a god could make love and devotion hurt like so?

Bitter laughter rose in the Pharaoh's mind. That deity --Seth, perhaps, though he wasn't terribly sure-- was doing a hell of a good job. He was going to die, and there wasn't a blasted thing he can do about it except whine and sulk about it. And in reality, he was sick of whining and sulking. He just wanted to throw up his hands and give in to fate, but it seemed everything he looked at and everyone he saw seemed so valuable and so worthy of remembrance that some stubborn, Ra-damned part of Yami declared that, by hell, he wasn't going down without a fight!!

And still, some reasonable, angelic part of him was weeping in joy.

Was he really that loved? Really that good of a king? That good of a friend?

But was he not cold and merciless, the darker part of him asked? Was he not the one that sentences so many lives to death with a simple wave of his hand or by a simple, uttered word? Was he not the one that pulled men away from their families to serve and die in the army? Was he not the one that sat here all high and mighty and pampered, while many children still starved in distant towns? Was he not the one that, with a twitch of his finger, could shatter all that one was, am, and would be into a million fragments? Was he not feared, worshipped or, even, hated? How many times had his own people called him 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' or 'the Heartless One'? How many times had the very children that he so fiercely protected look up at his balcony and pale in fear? How many times had he given speeches off that same balcony knowing that his words would be followed not through loyalty but through fear and awe?

And yet, somehow, these people before him, here, still saw him as a young, adorable little prince that needed protection and love and arms to run in to. Somehow, even under his hardened exterior, they still saw the tiny child that so heart-brokingly wept at the grave of his father, and a youth who simply wanted to play games with his old childhood friends. Somehow, they still saw innocence with him, regardless of the cruelty or the power that surrounded it so protectively.

But how could they see it? Why would they look for it? Why do they care? He was simply one less king, one less idiot, one less spoiled brat in the world. To other kingdoms, perhaps, he was one less obstacle to get to the wealth and power of Egypt.

WHY?

'Why do you love me so...?'

Yami's voice hitched. Not for the first time in this speech, he stopped. Eyes closing tightly as if in great pain, he took in a shaky breath, then another, swallowing back tears and the sobs that threatened to burst from his throat. His hands trembled visibly, and no doubt that scroll they held did as well.

Though invisible, the level of anguish in the room rose up a few painful notches. No one uttered a word, though all watched Yami with worry and pity. Akunadin's grip tightened considerably, though in a comforting, reassuring manner.

Finally, with his characteristic self-control that would impress even Ra himself, Yami let out a unsteady breath and sat a little taller, hands steadying as his lips began to move once more. As if nothing had happened... and as if he was not going to die in less then a dozen hours.

He was babbling about temple and city restoration, some part of him realized. That same part of him laughed dryly. How strange... There was no proof, just a simple promise, of an end to this war and all this death, and that promise involved more blood, more death and more pain. How could they all be so sure that peace laid in the future? For all Yami knew, or didn't know, he would die tomorrow and the world wouldn't give a damn. He could die tomorrow and maybe the Shadow monsters wouldn't go away. He could die tomorrow and take his Shadow powers with him... leaving Egypt doomed to fall if indeed his sacrifice did nothing to stop the war.

They had all seen the strength and size of Bakura's army. The death and destruction it was capable of. Even if the Ring had somehow disabled the tomb robber himself, Seth's will was still potent, bringing death and despair to all who dared to challenge him.

And of course, Yami challenged him... or at least stood unknowingly in the way. Yami, a mortal child who had seen barely 16 inundations of the Nile. Lone and sole survivor of a once mighty dynasty. A boy who's very name told of unspeakable power and forbidden secrets.

And somewhere in between the eloquent Egyptian that flowed from his tongue, Yami realized it. The thought jolted him with a start.

His powers...!! To gods, it was laughable perhaps, but to mortals... what was it? Their last line of defense? Their only means of offense?

Ra, these men who represented every corner and every village of Egypt looked up at him with such pure adoration that it was a pain and a shame to even look into their eyes. And through said gazes were the outstretched hands of every child, woman and man born of the Nile Valley, their dark eyes all pleading and begging at him to save their humble, simple lives.

As Akunadin once pointed out, only he, Yami, had the power to do this. Only the gift --no, the curse-- that ran through his blood and tied him with the Shadow and with the gods could save them. To save his people. To save his kingdom. To save Egypt.

'I'm their last hope...' Yami whispered to himself, voice trailing off as he met the adoring eyes of the Egyptian officials before him. He was shocked; strange, the thought never really occurred to him until now... 'Ra, I'm Egypt's last hope...'

There was no time to feel enlightened nor frightened of such a revelation, for at that moment, someone that Yami had been trying very hard not to think about suddenly made his presence painfully clear.

Their only warning was a fearful roar before the whole wall facing the throne exploded violently, taking the main doorway with it.

People reacted impulsively. With alarmed cries, officials scattered to the sides and the front of the Chamber in a blur of colorful linen. High Priests leapt toward Yami, forming a protective circle around him. Servants fled, hollering an alarm. Gaurds tensed the sidelines, spears wielded menacingly.

But even before the smoke cleared and the Chamber stopped shaking, Yami knew who it was. Something wretched painfully in his gut. The name fell as a breathy whisper from his lips. "Seto..."

His only answer was an ear-splitting roar that shook the very foundations of the (AN; again) damaged room. Dust and debris fell in waves. Akunadin was cutting off circulation to Yami's arm.

That grip tightened impossibly more when the intruder's identity was made known to all.

Hell, it was like Bakura all over again.

A giant silver dragon stood where the wall had once been, snapping its mighty jaws and laughing at the pitiful mortals below with its soulless blue eyes. Huge claws and a long, powerful tail waved recklessly in the air, daring any one stupid enough to try and challenge it. Heck, the plain sight of it was enough to bring mind-numbing awe and heart-stopping fear to all that bore witness. The great creature took a few amble, suspenseful steps forward, each step of its talons colliding violently with the ground, sending debris flying upon impact.

And suddenly, roaring and towering high into the air, the dragon revealed its master nestled protectively under its shadow.

In all his glory, with even more class in his new blue-silver robes, High Priest Kaiba of the Millennium Rod stepped into view, brandishing his Item threateningly in one hand. His piercing eyes still held traces of tears, though his dark irises flashed with dangerous fury. His thick bangs, though uncombed, hung over his strong nose ominously, more blackened now then brown through some ironic trick of light. But the most alarming part about him, perhaps, was the way that he held himself. His arms were casually crossed across his broad chest, a clear act of defiance, and his shoulders were tall and proud.

Ra, the priest was so calm and unwavering that it was almost downright frightening... all things considered.

Yami barely recognized him at first. This was not the Seto that he had allowed to make love to him on those nights of fiery passion. This was not the Seto that took him flying on that blissful flight this morning, on the same dragon that now threatened the lives of so many in this very Chamber. And this was not the Seto that cradled him gently and kissed away his tears even when they both knew that all hope was lost.

Hell, this wasn't even Seto.

This was Kaiba, the dangerous, dark, and wholly unapproachable High Priest of the mind-manipulating Millennium Rod. This was the Kaiba that had sent optical death signals to Mahado every few seconds, and openly threatened the Egyptian throne. This was the Kaiba that tortured Prince Yami in their youths, and had many times cursed at the names of the Pharaohs. This was the Kaiba that dared to stand alone and laugh in the face of death and danger, the world be damned. This was the Kaiba that everyone knew and feared...

...and Yami loved anyway.

And it seemed that, instantly, the Pharaoh was pulled into a spell by the dark aura that surrounded that magnificent man. He was pulled into Kaiba's game. Pulled into the priest's blue eyes. Pulled into something he couldn't get out of.

Perhaps it was the Millennium Rod that glowed so fiercely in its guardian's hands. Or perhaps the newly-adorned Puzzle, which responded fiercely with a flare of its own. Or perhaps it was simply the whole damn situation with all the tears and hysterics and pain. Or maybe Yami was just plain going stark raving mad.

"High Priest Kaiba..." the Pharaoh greeted slowly, voice and face absolutely neutral. Surprising even himself, he felt no alarm.

Startled at his courage, more then a few people turned to look at him with wild, bewildered eyes. Shimon and the other High Priests were among them.

Kaiba seemed to smirk, playing along. He nodded his head every so slightly, a few rogue bangs flopping over his eyes. "Pharaoh Yami..." His voice was low, silky and utterly seductive.

It sent a shiver through Yami's spine.

"Seto, what in Seth's name are you--" started Akunadin shrilly, before getting cut off.

"My king," called Kaiba, voice chilling but as smooth as Yami's, "I wish to challenge you to a game. A Shadow Game, if you will."

Yami stopped breathing, though externally his piercing gaze never wavered.

Kaiba went on, calmly, as if he was talking about the beauty of a particularly dull vase. "And if you accept, we will only play by my terms."

Yami's eyes narrowed, the Game King's face draining of color. "What...'terms'?" He felt uncharacteristically meek, though he hid it well.

Kaiba grinned a dangerous and feral grin, an intense sparkle in his sharp eyes. "One monster each. Only."

Yami bit his lip until he felt the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. He had played by this way before, but it was the most dangerous and most uncommon of Shadow Games. The monsters went on until one or both of them fell, most of the time in the most violent of ways. It was a test of not only the Shadow creatures' strengths but of their masters' as well, and often times the loser died or fainted from exhaustion, or was --on a few dreadful occasions-- sent to the shadow realm to suffer a most horrible fate.

"But that should not be all," Kaiba continued effortlessly, suddenly all wit, looks and charm, "Let us make a deal."

Yami was cautious, choosing his words carefully. "What do you have in mind?"

Kaiba smirked ferally again. He practically radiated of slick control... control that Yami now so valiantly struggled for. And by the heavens, Kaiba knew that. And he knew he had the undefeatable Game King stuck between a rock and a hard place... or those two blasted Greek mutant-ladies whom no Egyptian ever seemed to remember the names of. What was it, Scarda and Caryhide?

"Its quite simple, actually, your highness..." murmured the priest innocently. "If I win..."

"Seto, this is madness! High treason!" shrieked Akunadin, his words slicing the stunned silence, "You are High Priest to Pharaoh! High Priest! Do you not know the meaning of this title?!? Do you not remember your duties?! You cannot do this!"

His son glanced at him sharply, eyes narrowed and unreadable. Then, slowly, Kaiba went on, as if he heard nothing. Only a slight strain in his voice betrayed any impact of Akunadin's words. "If I win, my king... you forget all this. This whole...dutiful sacrifice nonsense and what not."

Yami opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by the priest's stunning blue eyes.

"But if I lose..." here Kaiba's voice cracked somewhat, "... then I will submit to whatever punishment that may be applicable."

The word death hung in the air.

There was stunned silence.

No one dared to move, eyes wide with disbelief. How could this be? Never before in Egypt's long and honorable history had a High Priest dared to challenge their reigning Pharaoh. Never before had a High Priest gone against his very title and very duties to what was most certainly a suicidal act...

This was beyond high treason.

This was betrayal.

Akunadin's eyes showed a level of said word that only a father could feel. This was his son... His only true son. All that was remained from a passionate union long dead. All that remained of his late wife's blood.

Akunadin had held this curiously eye-colored baby to his chest on rainy days, and sang to the little boy on bright, starry nights. He had lent his shoulder to cry on when the youth needed it, and had laughed when his son tripped in the mud or threw fits over Mahado's 'ignorance'. He had watched such a spirited young child blossom into an individual of legendary strength, looks and wit.

And Ra-damn, Akunadin was proud.

But that pride was flung roughly into the Nile at this very moment. Here, his own son stood before all these respectable men, about to become the one abomination, the one priest, the one Egyptian, that ever openly defied the king of Egypt.

'How did it come to this...?' "Seto..." Akunadin's voice was dry and weak, his teary eyes restless and full of pain, "Please... I beg of you... "

Again, Kaiba looked at him, and again, he was unreadable. However, something like an apology flickered through those sapphire irises, though it was nearly undistinguishable from the arctic fire that burned there. "Well, my king?" called the High Priest finally, locking gazes once more with the small youth he knew of as his lover and one of his only kin.

Yami looked as if he was sleeping for a moment, deep in thought. He was curiously silent, with his eyes closed and his chin delicately bowed toward the ground. And it was then that something like a chuckle escaped him.

A shudder like nothing before ran up everyone's spine. How could one laugh in such a time like this?!?

"You cannot win, High Priest," whispered the Pharaoh finally, opening his eyes to reveal unwavering strength within. His large eyes held Kaiba's gaze with the composed tranquility and piercing intelligence that he was so known for. "You know this..."

If things could have gotten quieter, it suddenly did.

Kaiba scowled furiously. "We have not yet battled, your majesty..." he managed through his teeth. "How can you be so certain?"

The King of Game's eyes flashed dangerously, and a twitch of a frown flickered through his lips. 'He's desperate... I can see it in his eyes...' "You cannot win this..." he repeated, sadly and tiredly, "The time, reason or form of my death is not for you to decide."

Kaiba's hand clenched angrily over the Rod. "Agree to my terms, Pharaoh," he all but snarled. "We have quite an audience, after all. Many respectable witnesses." His eyes trailed over to the officials that now cowered on either side of the throne steps. His gaze wandered back to Yami, who sat decorously on his throne. "This will be remembered and recorded in paper, word, and stone. The eyes and ears of these men will see to it." He let out a strained chuckle, a taunting one. "Surely you will not back down from such a challenge, oh King of Games...?"

The Pharaoh sighed and lowered his gaze as if admitting defeat. "Even if I lose..." he whispered quietly, "--the gods will see to it that I die at dawn tomorrow." He looked up, fresh tears brimming his beautiful scarlet eyes. The stern ice there melted briefly to reveal soft flames and a cloud of turmoil. "I have no choice, Seto. This is fate!"

A violent trembling ran through Kaiba at that dreaded word, and his control shattered. "That is a lie...!" he all but roared, pointing the Rod angrily at the king. "Agree to my terms... and the outcome of this battle will decide what is fate or not." He spat the word like a snake would do for venom.

He saw something in Yami's watery eyes then that nearly broke through the pain and desperation that blinded his logic.

Pity. The Pharaoh pitied him.

Ra, and what if Yami was right? What if there was no victory possible in this controversial situation? What if there was no hope left? What if this was pre-determined destiny?

Kaiba snarled. It *can't* be true. Fate was nothing but a fickle word. And he wanted no pity. He never wanted any. "Enough. Call your monster, Pharaoh," he growled, snarling. "I believe this match is long overdue."

"...Yes..." A single tear trailed down a smooth, proud cheek. "Far too long..." agreed Yami quietly. He knew Kaiba had been itching to challenge him for many years... though he never imagined that the threat would actually come true, nor at such time, nor with such consequences.

The Pharaoh wanted to scream in utter frustration. This was a lose-lose situation for both of them! Kaiba would lose Yami no matter who won and blast, there wasn't a thing either of them could do about it. And surely the gods would make sure that it would not be Kaiba who came out victorious.

'Ra, I'm sorry, Seto...for all of this.' Even so, defeated and tired, Yami felt himself sinking back against his throne, silently and dutifully accepting the challenge presented. Like always, he knew he would win. Even against Kaiba, something familiar and reassuring within the Pharaoh foretold of a victory in his favor.

But Yami never expected to feel so horrible about it...

'Such an empty victory at hand...' "Then I accept your challenge, High Priest."

There was a sharp intake of breath.

The other High Priests looked at each other with wide, alarmed eyes. Their training returned with vengeance; though highly improbable, if and when a High Priest betrays Pharaoh, the duty of the other High Priests is to take him out. Permanently.

Yami caught their bewilderment and sent them all a meaningful glare. "I, alone, accept the challenge," he emphasized quietly.

If possible, the High Priest looked even more distressed. Shimon made an odd choking sound somewhere, but he too, was sent a paralyzing glare.

The Pharaoh glided past them and down the steps with the fluid grace of liquid water, looking very much looking like some ethereal creature with his shimmering jewelry and billowing silver robes. He showed no fear nor alarm in his smooth steps, though his eyes showed pain and grief on a very human level.

It tore at the hearts of all that saw them.

Kaiba, however, eyed him coolly with composed respect. "Select your monster, your highness."

Yami looked at him curiously and silently for a long time, then up at the dragon that had so gently carried him just hours ago. Blue-Eyes stared back vacantly, devoid of any of that past sweetness.

The Pharaoh shuddered delicately. It was still powerful, Blue-Eyes. Very powerful. Legendary. Feared. No creature he had could match that strength except for Exodia and the Gods, all of whom were too important to the Egyptian battle lines then to be called back to the Palace for a foolish, hopeless duel.

'Wait.'

Yami inhaled sharply.

There was one... One monster he could use... But also one that he feared to call upon, not knowing its strength and not wanting to risk it in open war.

Mahado... Anubis. The Magician.

Could he dare to risk it here? For all Yami knew, this might not be the Mahado that he knew. The Magician could be unpredictable. After all, it was half the battered remains of a human soul. Did that give it a will of its own? Was there enough willpower to resist its master's orders? Was what was left of Mahado confused and in pain, having lost its body and very possibly its memories... Perhaps, in its disorientation, it might mistake Yami for an enemy?

And of course, there was the Anubis factor. Mahado had always been strong, for Yami was one of the few that knew of his hidden powers within the Ring, but would the fearsome jackal-guardian of the dead resurface among the tattered remnants of its 'host's' soul? Would the god's powers be emphasized even more now that he was half-dead and closest to his element?

And even if Anubis was gone or still dormant, could Mahado's hidden powers be controlled in his inhuman-like state?

'Oh Ra... I have no choice...' moaned Yami to himself. He could literally feel every pair of eyes in the Chamber burning into him, waiting for his next action. And he could not let them down. Taking in a shaky breath that did nothing to calm his nerves, he shakily found his voice and forced down a squeak.

Ancient words of a powerful spell spilled forth from his lips, unwavering only because he had performed it countless times since he was able to speak. Yami thanked Ra for such practice, for it wouldn't do much good if he was suddenly all weak and cowardly before all these men, and in such an important hour. 

But for a distressing moment, Yami remembered that he had no idea how to call the Magician-that-used-to-be-Mahado. The Magician certainly was not a true Shadow monster, nor one born of the Shadow Realm... so would he come when called upon like the others?

Or would he remain silent and still in the moment that he is needed the most?

"Well...?" Kaiba looked like he was getting impatient, his dragon even more so.

Yami bravely gulped and decided to give it his best --and only-- shot. Closing his eyes, he effortlessly tapped into the reservoir of the Shadow Realm and felt the familiar surge of energy course through his veins. As he teetered dangerously between worlds, he was briefly aware of his voice calling upon the Shadow, uttering the deadly words that no commoner would ever want to hear or understand.

And clearly in his mind, Yami saw the dark, death-born Magician within the Temple of Tablets, its plate resting upright on the top of the miniature pyramid within the center of the Temple. Surrounded by a pair of flaming torches and covered in strings of mourning lotus blossoms, the Magician looked so silent and unmoving that he seemed no different from the common pictures etched into walls and pillars.

But here Yami hesitated, almost fearfully. There was a dark, frightful amount of energy radiating from the Magician's tablet, just waiting to be unleashed. It was a chilling and dangerous type of strength, one that the Pharaoh realized as the power of the Dead mixed with an awesome amount of Shadow. Hell, it almost scared Yami with its might.

And somewhere below that frightening power was the aura of someone that Yami recognized as Mahado... or what was left of him. He was dormant, for now... Simply sleeping in a death-like state within that tablet. Neither living nor dead...

Yami bit his lip. Did he really want to wake the Dead, even the partially-Dead? Did Mahado not deserve to rest in peace when he could?

But already, what little remained of the High Priest was stirring, deep within that deadly tablet. It could sense Yami's spirit and powers nearby, and it was reawakening, ready to serve the Pharaoh it had vowed its eternal life to.

Yami felt guilt gnaw away at him and shuddered. 'Please, old friend... I need your help...!' he pleaded, greeting the Magician's invisible hands with his own and feeling the sudden blending of their powers with that touch.

And in a flash, Yami was back in the Throne Chamber, back to where he stood at the base of the throne's steps, back at where he was staring at Kaiba's passionate, blazing blue eyes from across the room. 'Blast, what happened?' Disorientated, he shook his head a bit to clear it. He was sure he had done something, because magic and Shadow still crackled in the air... but what exactly did he do?

It was then he heard the collective gasps from those present, and the strong hand that suddenly slapped on to his shoulder.

Yami jumped, his breath stopping short of his throat. 'Oh. Ra.' His knees buckled as the owner of that hand stepped around him.

At first all he saw was a pair of sharp almond eyes, piercing, brilliant and a startling shade of emerald green. Surrounding said eyes was a flawlessly devastating face, with high cheekbones and long hair the shade of pale violet. [4] The being was tall but slender, his lean muscles encased in plates of elegant purple armor and a long, dark tunic. In his hand was a long rod the color of his eyes, with an emerald pearl the size of a man's fists resting in a shell-like projection at the top.

But perhaps it wasn't so much what the being looked like but who he looked like.

An overwhelming mix of pain and joy leapt into Yami's eyes in the form of blinding tears.

The armored being remained passive, but his eyes twinkled warmly and his grip tightened in greeting. "So we meet again, my Pharaoh..." murmured the Magician quietly, pale lips twisting upward in something not too unlike a smile. His liquid, smooth voice, which resembled Mahado's to a painful point, echoed elegantly against nonexistent walls.

Yami managed a weak smile through his tears. "Mahado..." he whispered, his voice all but choked with emotion.

Here, the Magician's eyes turned suddenly vividly sad. "No longer..." Gently, and barely noticeably to anyone else, he shook his head. "The Dark Magician..." the monster corrected quietly. He then bowed deeply, gleaming lilac-colored hair spilling past his shoulders as he held his rod symbolically against his heart. [5] His strong voice rang out, loud and clear. "I am forever at your service, your majesty... Command me as you will."

Mahado no longer.

Yami felt his heart wretch agonizingly. 'The Dark Magician...' The name suited, he supposed, but it was unfamiliar to him. Painfully unfamiliar.

Almost by reflex, the Pharaoh sought comfort from Kaiba, crimson eyes darting toward said priest from across the Chamber.

That was almost a horrible mistake, in the grand scheme of things.

The Magician's gaze followed the Pharaoh's and snapped toward Kaiba.

The change was abrupt. The Magician's eyes narrowed dangerously. Swiftly, dark fog and brief flashes of colorful lightening drew in and swirled around him until a near-opaque aura formed, brimming with high tension and energy. But in the mist of it all, the Magician himself glowed with blinding contrast, hair and robes fluttering as if a great gale was blown from under him. A few observant individuals, Yami included, noticed that he no longer stood on the ground; instead, the Magician simply hovered, toes a few inches above the Pharaoh's sandals.

The shock waves and the power that radiated from the monster was so great that even the mighty Pharaoh took a timid step back. Guards and officials shifted nervously about, cautiously yet with hope shining in their eyes.

Unexpectedly, the Magician turned and placed itself firmly in front of the Pharaoh, arms outspread protectively. Though intense, its eyes were frightfully neutral, bearing no flicker of human emotion nor of the man that it once was. Said irises flashed an eerie, radiant green, and behind them one could almost see the shimmering of stars against the blackest of nights.

And for the first time since his appearance, the mage met fully Kaiba's gaze.

The High Priest of the Millennium Rod was frozen in place with shock, a shaky trembling running through his strong frame. Though nothing but stern irritation showed upon his face, a million emotions lit aspark in those wide blue eyes. Awe. Surprise. Anger. Guilt. But most of all, fear.

The very presence of the Magician struck a guilty cord within the priest. And very suddenly, he remembered the young boy that had tortured him to no end. And the young man that was nearly inseparable from the Pharaoh's side. And the High Priest that turned out to be the bravest of them all. Mahado was the one that died for Pharaoh. Kaiba was the one that challenged him.

The brunette wanted to laugh a bitter laugh. 'Funny, Mahado...' he thought sadly, thoughtfully, 'You always were the better priest...'

And to make it worse, the Magician gazed down at him with the distaste of a high prince against a worm. There was something unholy about his gaze, something above them all, something ageless, something distressingly too wise for any mortal to comprehend...

And that was nearly enough to make the High Priest's remaining courage crumble. Kaiba tried to look away, but the Magician's piercing jade eyes held.

But something in those eyes pitied him. Something in those eyes warned the High Priest that this was all useless... Something in those eyes reminded him that there were far greater powers at work here then them both... Something in those eyes reminded him quietly and sternly about their last words and their comprised promise... and something in those eyes forgave him for breaking it.

Kaiba diverted his eyes quickly, deeply shaken.

With a single glance, the Magician had effortlessly brushed aside his mental barriers and had spied the deepest secrets of his heart. And by doing so, he reduced Kaiba's pride to near nothing. The High Priest felt violated. But most of all, he felt helpless. And he hated that feeling.

Blue-Eyes, however, was not so easily convinced of the mage's strength. It took a fearless step forward, bringing its foot down hard enough so that the ground shook and rippled like water. Quite a few people tobbled to the ground from the sheer strength of the shock wave.

The Magician looked from Kaiba up to the dragon, face passive and utterly calm. Something challenging sparkled in those cold emerald eyes.

Surprised at its ineffective offense, Blue-Eyes took another step forward and waved its huge claws menacingly. And when that didn't work, it opened its fearsome jaws wide to let out an ear-splitting roar that had even the bravest of men trembling in their sandals.

The Magician stood his ground, unafraid.

"Your monster is foolish, Pharaoh," Kaiba chuckled finally, amazingly finding the tattered remains of his pride. Warm strength flooded his limbs, and he stood tall, voice suddenly as strong as steel. A thought had reoccurred to him while his dragon bravely tried to defend its master's courage. An important thought that never really left his mind.

Yami was going to die.

This living nightmare of a thought had haunted him to no end for hours, and no one could possibly comprehend how close to the edge of madness he was. The priest almost laughed. Bakura's monster had fed ravenously off hate, and now Blue-Eyes was now doing the same... only it now fed off desperate, blinding love.

Despair was a hell of a strong feeling. Many soldiers were known to have taken a fatal wound and fight for many minuets falling. (AN: this is true. O_o People have gotten shot, fatally, and were known to run blocks before dying.)

Love, a mystical, fickle wonder that Kaiba had only recently discovered, was even more potent. Many women were known to have gone through the Underworld and back, losing whole limbs and suffering mind-boggling torture to save their children.

But a combination of the two? Love and despair? There is nothing stronger. When Osirius was murdered, his beloved queen, Isis, searched the whole world and every civilization for her husband's body. When Osirius's body was cut into fourteen pieces and scattered throughout Egypt, it was Isis who went and found each and every part, bit by painstaking bit. It was Isis who tore at her hair, wore a white robe of mourning, and screamed up at the sky. And it was Isis's cries and tears that convinced the other gods to bring Osirius back to life.

But who would save Yami?

Hell, Kaiba was going to... or fail trying.

"Foolish?" echoed he-who-is-no-longer-Mahado. The Dark Magician's eyes lowered slowly and dangerously toward Kaiba, all flickers of familiarity disappearing.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "I speak to Pharaoh, Magician," he said quietly. "This is between him and me. Only."

The Magician looked like he had been slapped, hard. His eyes burned emerald-green flames, and very suddenly, he went silent. Utterly silent.

Yami's sad crimson eyes peeked out from over his monster's shoulders. "Kaiba, that was unneeded," he murmured quietly. "He is just as human as me or you."

Kaiba's gaze did not move for a long moment, and he held the Magician's eyes with gut-twisting bravery. Some silent, unheard battle clashed between the two. Tension ran high.

And suddenly, with a start, the two seemed to realize their situation. They had once been comrades. Once been fellow priests. Brothers by occupation. Childhood companions by birth. And now, by some cruel twist of fate, they were turned against each other.

It hurt.

The Magician wanted to protect Yami. Kaiba wanted to protect Yami. And to do that, one of them was going to have to back down. And Kaiba hoped it wasn't going to be him.

Then, finally, sadly, those blue eyes drifted toward the Pharaoh, and they softened instantly. "Call him back, Yami," he whispered, voice choked.

Yami's eyes watered, and his gaze wavered.

"Don't make me hurt him..." the priest's voice was unnaturally strained. His grip tightened dangerously on the Rod until his knuckles turned white.

Yami said nothing, but a flicker of uncertainly flashed before his eyes.

Silence.

"Yami, don't make me hurt him..." pleaded Kaiba urgently, Rod lifting as if he was no longer in control of his arm. "Call him back! Before it is too late!"

Still, Yami hesitated.

The tension and silence was near unbreakable.

Blue-Eyes shifted eagerly, jaw opening wide as it drew up to its full height. Sparkling lightening began to gather around its teeth, blinding and flickering. The sound of crackling energy filled the room as a magic-stirred gust swirled around the four opponents.

'Oh gods, Yami, don't make me do this...!!' cried the High Priest to himself, though his body moved on without him. His Rod rose high and proud, and he felt dark Shadow coursing through his veins. The power was a familiar, reassuring feeling... and yet at the same time, sickening.

Yami met Kaiba's gaze, briefly. His crimson eyes were teary with stricken grief, but Kaiba saw a flash of something in there that surpassed even the look within the Magician's eyes. Something dangerously powerful and wholly unnatural. Something completely unafraid and unwavering. Something ancient, ageless and wise. Something beautiful, deadly and awe-inspiring.

Something far more powerful then even the Shadow. Something far beyond the pitiful world of mortals. That something lurked behind Yami's exquisite crimson-hued eyes. That something that was now stirring.

And it did not fear him.

Kaiba wanted to scream, to shudder, to cry, or to run, but he could not. Anguish gave both his dragon and him great strength, but he did not want to use that strength. Not now. Not ever. "Yami, please..."

Yami looked at him for a long, long time, slim chest heaving with quick breaths. His wide eyes searched Kaiba's desperately, a lone tear trailing its way down his cheek. "Why are you doing this...?" he whispered sadly.

Kaiba managed a soft, gentle smile through his tears, startling all that saw it. "Because I love you..."

Then, in a flash, dark energy pulsed around him, sending mini shock waves to those that stood closest. The Millennium Rod glowed high in his hands. Kaiba squinted his eyes shut, as if it hurt to utter those dreaded words. "My Blue-Eyes White Dragon! ATTACK THE DARK MAGICIAN!"

People screamed.

The Blue-Eyes shrieked a thunderous roar, and launched from its jaws a blinding blast of pure white energy literally flattened people as it flew by.

Yami watched it come, face calm but eyes brimming with tears. He never thought this day would come, the day that his own cousin, his own High Priest, his own lover, went against him. And all for love. Love. Oh, how he hated that word. It had brought them nothing but pain. Nothing but pain.

'Let it hit me...' the Pharaoh whispered to himself, heart tearing to pieces as he watched the ball of energy fly toward him, 'I do not care. Let it hit me.'

But the Dark Magician had other ideas. It grasped its rod in front, body glowing within the dark mist that surrounded it. Green eyes flashed dangerously. "You shall not touch him!!" he cried in the mist of the chaos and the shock wave. The emerald orb upon his staff glowed until it matched the blinding strength of Blue-Eye's most deadly attack. Brilliant lightening and dark smoke flew from it in great waves. "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!!" (AN: I tend to refer to Shadow Monster's as 'it', even though Mahado is obvious a 'he'. Please don't mind if I use it and he alternately! Bad habits die hard!)

Abruptly, everything flared into negative hues. White turned to black, red to yellow, yellow to blue, purple to green.

The two attacks, one dazzling silver and the other of stark midnight, collided violently. People were sent flying into walls. Ishizu and Akunadin collapsed against Yami's throne. Stone and debris flew everywhere. The eastern wall shattered. A few unlucky pillars were pulverized. Smoke clogged up the chamber.

And it was then that everything went upside-down.

All conscious thoughts were almost literally blasted out of the area, replaced by impulsive self-preservation. Flashes of light and great masses of smoke flew from the explosion, momentarily blinding all that dared to watch with wide eyes. The shock wave sent people flying or collapsing, rattling teeth and rippling under the feet of the lucky few that remained upright. The crashing of energy fields was horrendously loud, echoing painfully in skulls and forcing hands to slap over ears.

But Kaiba and Yami saw all with wide eyes full of anxiety and apprehension.

The Dark Magician's attack was more general and wide-spanned, forming a large, negatively-colored plate that spanned most of the horizontal Chamber. Blue-Eyes's attack, on the other hand, was a compressed energy beam. With brutal strength, White Lightening hit the Magician's energy field and was deflected off in a wide spray of smaller beams that destroyed whole pillars and chunks of the walls. People screamed and ducked blindly out of the way.

But since Yami did not order the attack, Dark Magic Attack could not openly go offensive. Instead, it was forced back into a protective dome around its two masters, scattering White Lightening's main force but unable to do anything about it.

Kaiba saw this and felt familiar glee well in his throat. He couldn't fight it. He was one of the best duelists in Egypt, and perhaps the most merciless. He attacked quickly and sneering into the stunned face of the defeated. And he knew fully well an advantage when he saw one.

He had an advantage over the King of Game.

And for a moment, a great, familiar madness possessed him. Adrenaline, victory, and the deep satisfaction of being the victor rushed through his mind, leaving him feeling giddy, arrogant and wholly undefeatable. Who cared if this was Pharaoh? Who cared if this was Yami? Who cared who the enemy was? He was just going to be running away with his tail between his legs anyway, all whimpering and cowardly. That was how they all were.

All Kaiba knew now was the sweet bitterness of triumph at hand, a taste he had gotten addicted to since birth. Hell, he was going to win, and no one was going to get in his way.

And his desperation helped.

"My king, this will not hold..." the Magician warned calmly.

Yami was surprised he had heard him over the screaming and the cracking of Shadow. But he was not surprised by the news the words brought. However, he couldn't bring his lips to work. All the young king could do was stare with horror and fear at the blinding swirling of energy that rested just above him.

"Give me the word, your majesty..." urged the Magician quietly, rod trembling slightly and a bit of a strain appearing in his strong arms. Still, he sounded far too calm. "Give me the word, and I swear to you, I can at least get him." There was both disgust and pity in that emphasized word.

Yami felt his heart leap up to his throat.

A single word... A single word was all he needed to say...

The Dark Magician was promising him a sole, clean victory. And Yami did not doubt that the former priest had the power to do so. It was normally forbidden to attack the actual duelist in a Shadow Game, but then again, desperate times called for desperate measures. Besides, the Dark Magician knew no 'rules' of the Shadow. He was not born of it, and he was certainly not going to be restrained from with its petty laws.

"Pharaoh..." The word was somewhat worried and urgent this time. The Magician was frozen painfully in his mid-air hover, body tense and hair blasted back from the energy that radiated from his rod-point. His green eyes --now a startling negative purple-- flickered in Yami's general direction. They were emotionless and unreadable, though his voice was respectful when he spoke once more. "Now or never..."

Yami managed no words out of his dry throat, eyes somewhat panicked as he looked from the attacking Blue-Eyes to his defending guardian. What to do? What to do? Attack Kaiba? The Magician could not guarantee that his attack would not take Kaiba's life in the most horrible of ways. And Yami couldn't trust himself to issue such an order.

'Say it, Yami. Damnit, say it!' a part of his mind screamed at him.

But he couldn't. He couldn't give the order.

The Dark Magician started when a mortal hand touched his own, tingling with magic that he couldn't really recognize. The monster's piercing eyes darted toward Yami with questioning silence, though not yet alarmed.

Yami managed a sad smile. "Stop."

The Mahado part of the Magician could have easily resisted that order. He could have easily attacked for himself, despite Yami's hesitation. He could have easily taken out the dragon, or at least the dragon-tamer.

But Mahado was only half of this body. The former Magician of Illusions knew nothing but the commands of his master, and if this was what his master commanded, he shall follow. This is the fate Mahado had sacrificed himself to... 

This was the fate and the curse of the Shadow monsters.

So the Magician calmly pulled back his Rod without question. His attack flickered and died, brilliant color returning with vengeance to the blinded eyes of witnesses.

And White Lightening hit.

Dutifully, unafraid of the pain he knew would come, the mage turned and embraced Yami protectively in his arms. White Lightening would have easily atomized apart ten grown men, and with the petit Pharaoh somewhat more delicate then most men, the Magician couldn't take that risk.

People openly marveled his loyalty and the courage, cheering and crying and screaming all at the same time. But all watched, unable to look away.

The beam of white energy hit fast and hard, slamming into the Magician's slender body with power that could have blown apart a whole Temple. And yet, though in great pain, the mage did not utter one word, nor one cry.

However, his attempts to shield his young charge were somewhat futile. White Lightening was too great an attack and far too large to be shielded by just the Magician's body.

Yami cried out sharply in pain from somewhere in the Magician's arms.

The pitiful sound traveled quickly through the Chamber, sending alarm and horror through all that heard it.

A nearly deranged Kaiba, who barely even knew what happened in that split second when the Blue-Eyes's attack breached the Magician's, jumped out of his skin. Reason claimed his mind once more, and he rushed forward, answering his lover's scream with his own of worry. Words of spells and curses escaped him without thought, and his monster, stunned by this sudden bombard of frantic commands, retreated quickly, mighty jaws smoking and blue eyes entirely confused as its beam died before it.

In this sudden, brief pause, the full extent of the damage became visible.

Many guards and servants lay unconscious and scattered about. Pillars were reduced to dust. Whole walls were in ruin. People were near hysterics. The Dark Magician, fallen to his knees but impressively intact, glared up at Blue-Eyes with piercing, accusing hate, his rod smoking and glowing dangerously beside him.

And to the horror of all, the mage cradled the fallen ruler of Egypt in his arms. Yami was, thankfully, alive, though he looked barely so. His hair was singed, his once brilliant silver robes burnt to crisp in some places. The sound of his painful, erratic breathing filled the room, broken occasionally by a fit of harsh coughing that made his lithe chest heave delicately. His petite body trembled violently in his guardian's arms, long limbs shaking with exhaustion and smooth bronze skin marred by cuts that bled openly.

'Oh gods...' Kaiba felt panic and horror seize him. 'What have I done...?!'

His lover...! His beloved...! Laying there now... so weak and defeated, barely breathing... bleeding a river... drenched in cold sweat and blood... Ra, the horrifying image engraved itself with fire into Kaiba's mind, a curse upon it for all eternity.

And for a moment, it was all he could see.

He couldn't look away. But it hurt to keep looking...

Guilt welled up within the poor priest so violently that he himself shook with its strength.

He had done this... He, High Priest Kaiba, had done this appalling, forbidden sin! He had pulled an angel from heaven and had broken its wings. He had attacked the good king of this mighty kingdom. But worst of all, he had attacked one of the few brave souls that dared to love him back.

He had done the unthinkable. He had attempted the impossible. And he succeeded.

He attacked Yami.

A deathly shudder ran through Kaiba's once proud shoulders, his blue eyes teary and wide. 'Ra, what have I *done*?!'

He wanted to run over there and snatch Yami from the Dark Magician. He wanted to hold that perfect, slim form to him and weep over it in sorrow. He wanted his tears to heal it, to see it well and beautiful once more. He wanted to feel that heart beating in that elegant neck, and to feel that body stir under him as if they had woken up in bed together. He just wanted to hold him... Just walk over there and hold him.

But Kaiba couldn't move.

And apparently, he was the only one that couldn't.

The High Priests and Shimon let out identical shrieks and flew down the steps, alarm and full-fledged panic registering upon their faces. Like a swarm of ravenous wolves moving in for the kill, officials, guards and servants followed, crying out their Pharaoh's name.

The Dark Magician scowled fiercely at them all and sent them back with death glares and a dangerous wave of his rod. The High Priests and Shimon, however, were allowed to approach, and found themselves staring with dread and horror at the limp form of their young king.

However, just as their trembling, frantic fingers reached out, a voice rang throughout the room.

"Hold your positions!"

Every single soul in the room froze at the strained tone, every eye that hadn't already done so darting in the direction of the fallen Pharaoh.

Yami's eyelids twitched and he stirred slightly, a long sigh escaping his lips. His eyes fluttered open, exquisite scarlet depths fiery and intense but glazed over with pain. Those beautiful eyes shut quickly again when a shudder of agony ran through the Pharaoh's slender frame, sending him into another fit of coughing.

"Yami..." started Akunadin worried, taking another step down.

"N-No!" The Pharaoh's voice was hoarse but stern. His eyes blazed with flames as they reopened, sending a fierce glare at them all. "This is a Shadow Game," he wheezed, "This is my fight."

No one in the vicinity with half a brain looked very happy about this, though they obeyed and did not come any closer. Akunadin, however, looked like he near tears from the effort.

Yami fought down a wave of nausea and pain with a deep breath, limbs shuddering in agony with that simple movement. Then, with considerable difficulty, Yami struggled into a semi-upright position, the Magician's gentle hands helping him along the way.

But the pain was so great that the young king managed no further, collapsing weakly within his guardian's arms, delicate limbs trembling with frustration and effort. He was frightfully near tears, but he fought it bravely by holding his labored breathing. Then, mustering up what he hoped was enough self control, Yami tried again, this time holding a upright position sitting in his guardian's lap. The youth let out a shaky breath, eyes clenched in pain and body wavering uncertainly from the effort.

A witness let out a pained whimper.

Ra, it looked so painful.

Kaiba, whose sharp eyes watched all this with sickening horror and guilt, felt his own body shuddering by watching.

This scene was just distressing! It was just so... so... wrong. Impossible, even!

Young Pharaoh Yami, as if he wasn't admired enough for his powers alone, was notorious for his elegance. With his strange, multicolored color and his brilliant, exotic eyes, the young king of Egypt awed ambassadors and foreign kings alike with his fair features and his infamous charm. He floated around with the silent, fluid grace of a gliding cat, though his seemingly fragile limbs could effortlessly and instantly shift into battle mode with the liquid speed of a striking cobra. As Kaiba found out the hard way.

And it was that same immune, undefeatable little body was struggling to even stand.

At this, many pairs of accusing eyes turned toward Kaiba, silently blaming him for crippling of such a beautiful creature.

As if the priest didn't feel bad enough already. Bitter self-hate boiled in Kaiba's throat, and his eyes stun with guilty tears. Yet he could not bring himself to step forward to help, or even vocally express his concern.

But Yami needed no help.

True, he was in great agony in both body and heart, but he knew in the back of his mind that Kaiba could not go any further. Wouldn't go any further... That is, if Yami's instincts were right.

'Horus help me...' prayed the Pharaoh, fighting a final wave of unconsciousness and struggling once more to stand. He was dimly aware of the Magician's hands helping him, but by some ethereal, miraculous twist of fate and courage, he found himself standing wobbly on his own.

However, after a moment of mental rejoicing, Yami's body betrayed him once more. To put it bluntly, he felt horrible. His head swam and sent his balance reeling dangerously. His unsteady feet suddenly seemed to belong to a drunk toddler. And he was all too aware of his own blood dripping down his limbs like burning liquid lava. 

And yet he felt almost none of it. 

With strength he didn't know he still had, he lifted his face and straightened his shoulders, taking in a deep, calming breath. He heard murmurs of approval and disbelief about him, and felt somewhat smug. 'Didn't know I still had it in me, huh...?' Hell, in truth, he was just as surprised. He should be dead, by all calculations, or at least not nearly well enough to stand.

Kaiba's eyes alone told him this. Those clear, sapphire irises were impossibly wide, flashing repeatedly between a powerful mixture of fear, awe, relief and guilt. Awe and relief most of all, really.

Yami met those stunning eyes with his own, face utterly serene despite the large gash upon his cheek. There was no pain, hate, nor worry in his gaze, only a twinkle of a challenge as an elegant eyebrow arched upward. "You are surprised, High Priest." This was a statement, not a question.

Kaiba furrowed his eyebrows, struggling to find his wit. "You survived," he answered bluntly, voice tight and dry with emotion.

Yami coolly managed something like a smirk. It was unnerving to all that caught it. "Yes. And by your 'rules', the Game shall go on," he murmured quietly.

The Magician frowned and floated forward, one hand extended worriedly. "But sire, you are not--"

Yami glanced at him sharply, exquisite scarlet eyes narrowed. "Defense mode."

Impressively on his part, the Magician revealed neither horror nor defiance at that command. For a moment, he regarded Yami quietly, perplexity flashing in his eyes. Then suddenly, that confusion was replaced by something that resembled deep, unconditional trust. Trust that could have only come from dear High Priest Mahado.

Bowing his head slightly, the mage silently and calmly got down on one knee, rod and arms crossed protectively across his chest. His aura glowed brightly but did not flare any further, though it swirled around him in a lingering reminder of the great power that lurked beneath the benign robed form.

Yami seemed pleased, and returned his piercing gaze back to his lover, his lips twitching upward smugly. "I highly suggest every bystander take into consideration their own health..." he hissed quietly, not bothering to turn his head to those he addressed.  

Thick, tense silence fell upon all. Then, in a panicked shuffle and with the memory of the dragon's previous attack clear on their mind, officials and priests alike fled as far as they could against the walls.    

Satisfied, Yami stood up a little straighter like the king that he was, crossing his arms in the bold, fluid way Kaiba had done before. Again, a delicately shaped eyebrow arched toward his hairline. This time, however, the Pharaoh was silent, no words falling from his lips.

Kaiba stared openly, as did many others. Yami wanted him to attack? The Dark Magician's defense was high, but higher still was his offensive powers, as was Blue-Eyes's White Lightening. Surely the young Pharaoh had not gone mad with pain?

Yami waited patiently. This was his element. This was a Shadow Game. He was the king of the Shadow. He was the bearer of the Egyptian crown. And he was Horus.

He would not lose.

Kaiba unconsciously sensed this, a shudder running through his strong frame. There it was again, that ancient, powerful creature that lurked just behind Yami's eyes.

And again, Kaiba feared it. He feared it so unexplainably, so impulsively, so instinctively that it bewildered him... But as he gazed upon the slender man that so resembled his delicate lover and yet was not him at all, Kaiba could only ask one silent, mental question, 'Ra, what are you...?!'

Yami-who-was-not-quite-Yami gazed at him serenely, in a pitying, loving kind of way. And despite his injuries, he really was quite beautiful. In a sick sort of way, if you disregard the blood and consider the torn clothing and the tousled hair as some erotic way of waking up after a passionate night.

Then, before Kaiba's very eyes, he saw Yami as his lover just the night before, withering and crying out under him with passion-glazed eyes and panting, bruised lips. 'So beautiful...' Then the priest saw the young Pharaoh before Bakura, radiating in danger, power and Shadow as he called forth the Egyptian God Obelisk. 'So deadly...' And then he saw Yami again, this time curled up like a child in the Dark Magician's arms, bleeding and weak and injured and trembling. 'So delicate...'

Instantly, Kaiba knew his fate as sealed. He couldn't see that again. He could damage that beautiful being. He couldn't bring his beloved down to his knees. He couldn't smother the one last hope of Egypt. He just couldn't.

"I forfeit."

He hardly recognized it at first. It was eerie, really, his voice. His words had a haunting tone to it, like some hallow, harmonic spell. It almost didn't sound like him...

Akunadin's head snapped up, as did everyone's in the room. "What?!" There was relief and disbelief in his choked voice.

Faithful Blue-Eyes glowed and disappeared in a blinding beam of energy. There was a collective gasp of relief from everyone, though Kaiba felt as if its disappearance had pulled all of his strength and hope with it.

Many pairs of wide bore into him as his proud shoulders slumped uncertainly. The priest fell defeatedly to his knees, head bowed and hands trembling around the Millennium Rod. Dark chocolate bangs cascaded over his eyes like tears. "I forfeit!" There, again, those corrosive, hated words. Kaiba has never surrendered in his life, for he always saw it as a coward's way out, but somehow these two tiny words flowed effortlessly off his tongue...

... almost as if he knew he would lose since the beginning.

He waited, bathing in tense silence. And he waited for his fate, his punishment and his duties to smack him straight in the face. Was it death? Was it banishment? Was it torture? Instinctively, he tensed and winced, bracing himself.

But nothing came from a long, long time. There was a mad amount of shuffling as people rushed to help fallen friends or companions. Lingering in the air floated a blanket of murmuring as high officials and priests debated heatedly over this sudden change of events. And somewhere in the distance, the rough dragging of pens across papyrus reached the priest's ears as scribes rushed desperately to record this fated occasion.

The waiting began to hurt.

Daring himself, Kaiba's teary and frustrated eyes glared up through his hanging bangs.

He was surprised as anything to find all the High Priests surrounding him in a tight circle, looking down at him from high above. Then, silently, one of them knelt and rested a warm, pitying hand upon his shoulder. Kaiba barely even acknowledged that hand before the Millennium Rod was gently pulled out from between his very fingers.

A deep instinct of possession shot through Kaiba, and in a flash, he leapt upward with an enraged roar. But rough hands grabbed on to him with such strength that he very nearly tore his arms and legs out of their sockets in his struggle.

Desperately, Kaiba's blue eyes glanced about and were suddenly assaulted by stinging tears when they fixed on Akunadin --his own father-- bowing before Yami, trembling old hands holding out the Rod as if it was some great peace pact. Akunadin's face was turned away from his son's view, though Kaiba could sense that it took a great deal of strength for the old man to stay calm.

Yami, however, had no trouble doing so. He gazed down at the Rod passively, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes as if he had never seen such a thing in his life. The Pharaoh glanced at Kaiba, whose breathing was near frantic, and then at the Dark Magician, who hovered by the king's shoulder. The Magician glanced at Kaiba also, but his jade eyes were so fast it was near impossible to tell. Then, together, master and monster looked at the Rod with identical, deadpanned frowns.

Yami settled a gentle, though still bleeding, hand upon Akunadin's trembling head, and reached out with his other toward the gleaming Item that laid between them.

"No!" Kaiba's voice came out strained and choked, and he gave one last desperate struggle against the hands that held him. His bangs slapped into his eyes. "No!!"

That Rod was his! His birthright! His power! He had trained all his life for that blasted piece of gold, and Ra-damn, he wasn't going to get it taken away!!

"My Rod..." Kaiba all but whimpered, tears as clear as his eyes streaming down his cheeks. To demote him was the worst humiliation. Nothing was worse! Nothing! "No... Please...!" The soon-to-be-former priest moaned, hanging his head as defeat shook his strong frame. 'Oh, Ra, no...!!'

And it was then that he felt himself being released. Surprised and weak, he fell to the ground in a defeated heap as his captors shuffled back quietly. Stunned and numb from the impact, Kaiba could only stare tearfully at the ground for a moment as he caught his breath. Then, gingerly, he picked himself up, turned in a whirl of angry purple and white robes, and stormed away in a blinding rage.

No one stopped him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba wandered aimlessly about the Palace grounds for a while, with no place to go and no place he wanted to go. Whether it be in some sacred Temple or out in the freshness of a courtyard, people stared openly at him, whispering fearfully to each other. Disgust, fear and anger followed him silently in the forms of glares, and try as he might, Kaiba couldn't shake their horrible eyes away.

But he didn't care. There were worst things on his mind. His life's training had been just thrown out the window. His status had been stripped from him. His reputation had just collapsed on itself. His father had abandoned him. His friends probably hate him.

All in all, life sucked.

He just wanted to just dig a hole in the ground and die.

But somehow, he found himself before Wadjet and Nekhbet, their marble beauty looming at him from above as if he had suddenly sunken down to the level of dirt.

As if he hadn't felt like that in the first place.

Kaiba wanted to just hurry along down the hall, but he found himself suddenly surrounded by heavily armed guards. 'Oh dear Ra...' Pressed against Wadjet, the priest glared with his most fierce, deadly glare, and was surprisingly met by wry smiles.

"Pharaoh has been waiting for you..." one of the men murmured gruffly, pointing inside with his spear.

Kaiba felt his heart leap up to his throat, but all he could do was send the men a pained wince. His stomach twisted and fell to his feet, though with no choice he shuffled past the twin goddess and into a chamber of certain doom. The Royal Chamber hadn't changed much since he saw it this morning, though its beauty and its familiarity gave no comfort to the poor priest. Slowly and warily, with the overwhelming sense of helplessness of a man doomed for execution, Kaiba dragged himself to the balcony steps. He could feel the guards' and statues' eyes boring into him, and shuddered under their intensity.

Then, at the feet of the great stairway, the priest summoned what was left of sanity and courage and looked up.

Somewhere beyond that waterfall of silk and beyond the outstretched wings of the great Horus falcon, Kaiba could make out a slender being with wild hair. And there he was. Pharaoh Yami.

The High Priests' mind went suddenly blank, but his feet began to move on their own. Deliberately, his right foot took one step up, the left another, then the right again...

Before the stunned priest knew it, he was at the stop of the stairs, one of his hands reaching out to part the veils like he did many times in the past.

A part of Kaiba wanted to laugh at the familiarity of it all. Perhaps this was all just a bad misunderstanding, and the moment he walked through this wall of fabric, Yami would fly into his arms and kiss him senseless like the lovers that they were.

A billowing wind from outside all but blew silk into Kaiba's face, snapping him out of his musing. He floundered somewhat, sighing as he brushed the annoying veil away. 'Well, we can all dream, can't we...?' he reflected bitterly.

And then he noticed it. Yami was dressed in his usual attire with Horus bouncing on his arm, as usual, but now the Pharaoh was... was...

"You're--"

"--healed?" Yami's smooth, tenor voice flowed like silk. Though he did not turn his head, one could almost sense him smirking.

Kaiba nearly jumped out of his skin, his eyes wide as he stepped through the veils like a zombie. "H-How...?"

"Well, apparently the gods weren't going to let me go looking like Seth himself," Yami replied dryly, answering very little. He let out a shrill whistle and Horus lifted off his arm like an arrow, shooting up to the sky with just a few flaps of his long wings. Yami watched him passively for a moment, bathing beautiful in cascading hues of sunset before he reached across his arm and untying the skin flap that rested there. A servant bearing an ostrich fan came out of nowhere and took the glove, bowing and fleeing as soon as she could.

Only then, after they were once again alone and watching Horus fly into the sunset together, did Yami turn.

Restored to his previous fairness, the Pharaoh was almost too exquisite to see. His proud face and brilliant hair were haloed in a rainbow of color, and his crimson eyes flashed alluringly from under long eyelashes and dark kohl lines. And of course, there was that luminous, charismatic smile that would have put Ra to shame.

But Kaiba watched him with deep, dark agony. Ra, what a loss he would have to suffer tomorrow... What a loss the world would have to suffer...!!

Yami beckoned him forward with a slightly nod of his head, and like some spellbound man Kaiba obeyed, gliding to the young ruler's side. For a moment, they gazed into each other's eyes as they had done so many times before, though this time one of them was troubled and the other almost restful.

Again, that mysterious, immortal being joined Yami in those red irises, and again, Kaiba felt terror seize him. But Yami was simply too appealing to give up, and the priest found his traitorous body frozen in step dangerously close to the tiny king's.

Yami, in turn, smiled innocently, and he tugged at Kaiba's robes. "Come... Watch the sun set with me..."

Kaiba warily did so, standing at an awkward distance from his lover as they both faced the horizon.

Memphis was startling magnificent, a wide blanket of pale white and green stretching out from under them. Red-gold cliffs rose on either side of the White City, matching the light that now flooded the sky. The Nile roared in the distance, and a formation of white birds scuttled across its emerald banks like a great living blanket of fog. Horus suddenly dove out of nowhere and broke through the quiet of the scene, a shrieking blur of dark feathers against a burning sky. Ra was already dangerously close to the entrance of Duat, barely a blood-red sliver over the three proud forms of the distant pyramids. His light bathed the city and the giant monuments of the Palace with cascading hues of gold and red, which shimmered beautifully on the balcony's translucent veils and off the radiant splendor of Egypt's young king.

Kaiba's sharp gaze soaked all this in, though the dreadful heaviness on his heart was not lifted by such a painfully beautiful sight.

Yami turned toward him then, eyes teary and wide like a child. "This will be my last sunset, Seto..." he whispered almost fearfully, all charm and wit gone. He looked pitiful.  

Kaiba felt his heart literally tear, and he could not resist but pull Yami tightly into his arms, as if trying to protect him from all harm. The priest's throat was dry, and he found nothing comforting or wise to say as the delicate being in his arms trembled against him.

And suddenly, he realized that Yami did not pull away. Nor had he screamed in anger, nor had he scowled or glared.

Ra, Kaiba knew he had been forgiven. Utterly, and totally forgiven.

It only increased his pain. 'He has such a heart of gold... and yet he's no more then a child...!' the priest thought sadly, 'Why must the gods be so cruel...?'

They stood on the balcony arm in arm, sharing their pain and the beautiful sunset. When Ra finally disappeared, he quickly took the rest of his light with him, and the Apep the night serpent quickly dominated the free space. A starry night claimed the sky, dimming it and the whole world from vivid rose to dark, velvety blue.

And slowly, twinkling on and off, stars came. Brilliant, starry stars, far too numerous to count but each unique and beautiful. And there, standing in the mist of it all, was Sopdet the Dog Star, the king of them all. [5]

"Promise me, Seto..." Yami whispered finally, an immeasurable amount of time later. He was only visible by the torchlight that came in behind them, and yet his eyes seem to glow a dazzling scarlet as they looked up at Kaiba. "Promise me that sometime... somewhere... if I ever find you again... we'll just watch the stars together like this."

Kaiba felt tears sting his eyes once more, and he gave Yami a squeeze. "I'll be waiting..."

[Voice 2 (cont.)]
Suddenly the world
seems such a perfect place!

[Together]
Come what may!
Come what may!!

I will love you...
until my dying day!

"Then..." Yami hesitated, and suddenly he pulled out the Millennium Rod, balancing it perfectly between his two upturned hands as he offered it forward. "Then this, I believe--" he murmured quietly, "--has been taken from you against my orders. I now return it to its rightful owner."

Kaiba looked down at the Rod with horror. He staggered backwards, almost fearfully, pain flashing in his eyes. "Ra, Yami, I can't take that!"

It was now the Pharaoh's turn to look troubled. Large crimson eyes narrowed, though in a confused sort of way. "Why...?" he whispered, almost hurt.

Kaiba shook his head, turning his gaze away lest his tenuous control shattered. "I... I have shamed it," he choked out sadly.

There was a brief, stunned pause, before a slight, warm body was suddenly pressed against Kaiba's own. The priest looked down to find Yami looking up at him with sad, pained eyes.

"Keep it..." the king murmured in the dark, "...It is a gift."

Kaiba, startled, felt the cold Rod slide into his hands, two smaller hands covering his own to keep the Item secure. He glanced down at their combined handhold and the moonlit Rod in between, heart pounding and eyes tearful. "Yami, I--"

The Pharaoh cut him off with two slender fingers on the lips. He managed a sad, tearful smile, "You are my High Priest, Seto..." he whispered, his voice soft, "...now and forever..."

Kaiba opened his mouth to protest looked at him for a long time, finding no trickery in the king's eyes. Just love. Love and anguish.

He choked on a sob, tears flowing freely to mend with Yami's own. "Now and forever..." he echoed, pulling Yami in for a long, desperate kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Keep it... It is a gift..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"You are my High Priest, Seto... Now and forever..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Promise me that sometime... somewhere... if I ever find you again... we'll just watch the stars together like this..."

"I'll be waiting..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

[1] - Dendara was a real ancient Egyptian city, located more or less in the middle of the Nile's delta. It was, as mentioned, sacred to Hathor, the goddess of love (who annoyingly kept merging with Isis throughout Egypt's history, though I keep them distinctly separate). Whether it was called the City of Love or not is beyond me, but it sounded kinda fitting for this story. :-p By the way, for anyone that was wondering, the cities I listed in the previous chapter (about which ones were falling and stuff) are all REAL cities I got a really confused with the names, because they have both modern and ancient names (which vary greatly from book to book), but I hope I got mostly the real Egyptian ones. However, many of the towns/temples, like Philae, the island Temple of Isis, were made in the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom or the Ptolemaic times (Cleopatra's dynasty, the last 100 or so years of ancient Egypt). As mentioned, I have no idea where Yami's whole gang is located, since the manga and the show disagree, so I might as well mix a few random cities I in the story. ^_^ In case you don't get my babble above, I'm trying to be historically accurate, but I'm failing.

[2] - Oh oh oh!! Egypt has a really cool military history!! ^_^ Ramses II and Tuthmosis III were like the 'general' Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, and they were known to extend Egypt's boundaries as far south into Kush (Nubia) and as far north as Syria (far past modern day Israel). The Nile Delta, which is a major route of transportation for both inner-Nile and inter-civilization trade, was a heavily disputed area in ancient times. Narmer, the first true 'Pharaoh', united Upper and Lower Egypt by defeating his rivals in Lower Egypt. But because its so damn BIG, Lower Egypt has occasionally fallen to Hittite and Libyan attack, though Egyptians always regained control. Just a few interesting fact. ^_^

[3] - I think it was Ramses II, but this one Pharaoh was well known for practically slaughtering successive Nubian rebellions. Kush (as Egyptians called Nubia) remained under heavy Egyptian control and influence --they adopted versions of the Egyptian gods-- until after Cleopatra's death and the fall of the Roman Empire, where they eventually briefly managed to rule Egypt before being booted out by the Muslims and the Christians.

[4] - Er, I just found out from other sources (and from common sense) that Mahado was BLOND. O_o I guess I should have guessed it anyway; the manga's in black and white, but now that I checked, Mahado's hair was WHITE, or some other light shade. -_-;; And I have seen colored, non-fan-art pictures of the Dark Magician with blond hair (and green skin, but THAT'S BESIDES THE POINT!) Eh. Funny. Yami and all the High Priest except Ishizu and Karimu look...so... um... un-Egyptian-ish. I mean, BLOND? O_o!! Gee, and I thought Kaiba and Yami had it bad... OH, GREAT MANGA PEOPLE! *falls to a bow* PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR GIVING MAHADO THE WRONG HAIR-COLOR! And I deeply apologize to anyone (lucky bastard) that knows the manga well and was deeply annoyed by my ignorance. ^_^;; Whoops.  

[5] - Sopdet (I'm not sure if I spelled this right) the Dog Star was the ancient Egyptian name for the star we know of as Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

And just a random note; for anyone who's attempting to keep up with the new episodes, ISN'T LITTLE MALIK THE CUTEST THING YOU'VE EVER SEEN?!? *squeal* And its so sweet how Yami took W.G.of Ra's hit for Joey. I was bawling my eyes out! ^_^;; Still, the show's moving along REALLY slowly cuz its for people with like an IQ of negative four and can't remember anything unless its deliberately repeated a zillion times. -_-* *sigh* To Malik; hey, maybe YOU don't want to, but hell, *I'D* like to gaurd the tomb of a hot ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. :-p And wow, Y.Marik really IS insane! (Bastard, but COOL bastard!) Ra, I hate his dubbed voice. -_- But on the brighter side, Ryou (kinda) and Y.Bakura's back! *starry eyes* I missed them so much, only Y.Bakura seems permanently attached to Malik (that bastard! *glomps Bakura*) and Ryou is... practically nonexistent. Either that or he's still half dead. O_o And of course, though I missed that episode, they lose against Y.Marik, right? And poor Odion!! AND DAMN THAT TEIA!! SHE JUST HAS TO GET POSSESSED AT THE WORST OF TIMES, EH?! I hate her even more now, if that's even possible! *fumes* And who da hell is this 'Noah' kid?!? I read a story and it said he was Kaiba's like... half-brother by adoption or something?! O_o HEEELLLPP?!??

THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY! Ra DAMN that was one long chapter! WHEW! I dragged it out a lot, eh? ^_^;; I've read it so many times I can't tell what I think about it anymore. Is it horrible? Corny? Way too long? Too dramatic? -_-;; The end was kinda rushed, so I apologize if it was crappy and had lots of spelling errors. Obviously, everything took me a long to write (going a sentence a day practically) and I, again, apologize. *dodges daggers of death* About the next chapter, I hope it'll be up soon, though I'll be damned if I know the update date. And please review if you still appreciate the fact that I'm alive! Remember, 200+ reviews! PLEASE?!? *_* And I SWEAR to try and get the new chapter up soon...