[hello! chirps here is the flash-back chap! I was inspired to write this after seeing 'Tokyo Godfathers' for the first time. Good movie, but... wierd. Lotsa twists. ANYWAY, back in time to when Yami was a wee tot!]

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Dance the Forbidden Dance

Chapter Thirteen

"Son of the Gods"

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If you had walked into the palace at the time of the future Pharaoh's infancy, you would have been warned by a guard of what was in store. Sometimes, later on, when Yami passed, the older ones still chuckled about it.

Yami was a very... interested baby of his time.

"Anna, could you... help me please?" Ankumanukanon asked, trying to keep a straight face. Yami was hanging onto his ear, pulling his earring. He giggled and placed his tiny fingers over it, running them down its smooth edge.

Anna turned, saw the baby hanging on Ankumanukanon, and smiled brightly.

"Come here, Atem," she cooed, taking the little body from Ankumanukanon's shoulder. Relieved of the baby, Ankumanukanon sighed, placing the cord that held the Puzzle around his neck.

"Why does he have to do that?" Ankumanukanon asked, looking up at Anna. She shrugged, cuddling Yami in her arms. She held him protectively, bending her face close to his.

He stared back at her with wide, crimson eyes, and a curious nature. He cooed and reached up at her face. Anna laughed.

"He's curious and wants to know things, dear," she explained, cuddling him in her arms. "Stop being so mean!"

"I'm not!" Ankumanukanon protested. He glanced around. "Where's Iani, anyway?" Anna looked straight at him.

"Iani?"

"Yes, she was going to take him for now..." Anna looked mournfully at her son. She was almost never with him during the day. It was very hard for her to nurture her baby with so many other things to do...

It was easier with Asenath. She wasn't the wife of the Pharaoh yet, which meant she didn't have as many responsibilities...

She brought the baby to her shoulder and rubbed his back gently. He reached out and grabbed the ankh hanging from her ear and tugged playfully, laughing a sweet, bubbly laugh. Anna couldn't help but smile.

"Come on, Anna," Ankumanukanon said, walking over to her. "We have to go. Iani's here. She can take him."

Without saying anything, Anna allowed Iani to take Yami from her arms. Iani cuddled Yami in her arms, tapping his forehead gently and singing to him. He didn't make a fuss; he was used to having two mothers by now.

Anna sighed wistfully. Ankumanukanon turned to her and watched her face with sad eyes. He knew how she felt; she wanted to stay with him all day. Just to hold him and raised him like a mother should.

But, they both knew it was impossible. Ankumanukanon walked over to his wife and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Anna," he said softly to her, "I know you must feel pained."

"I do," Anna whispered, her thoughts on Yami. "When Asenath was born, I had all the time in the world with her... What changed?"

"The times, Anna," Ankumanukanon said in a hushed voice. They heard Yami's coos all down the hallway. "This is a dangerous time. As long as he's not with us during the day, when we could be attacked at any moment..."

"I know, I know..." Anna sighed. She felt as if her heart weighed ten thousand pounds. "I just want to be with my son. That's all."

"So do I, Anna."

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"Mama, can I hold him?"

"Ala... How many times are you going to ask me this?" Iani asked her oldest daughter. Ala pouted, her black ponytail swaying.

"It's not fair. Asenath gets to hold him..."

"He's her brother, dear."

"But, I get to hold Helena! Why can't I hold him?" Ala protested, thinking of her infant sister. Iani sighed.

"Atem is older than Helena, and bigger, honey," she said, sitting down on the wall next to Ala. She carefully drew Yami from her shoulder and sat the two-year-old baby in her lap. Atem blinked many times, his eyes focusing to the morning sun. Ala sighed.

"I'm almost ten, Mama," she said slowly. "I should be old enough to hold a baby." Iani sighed.

"Listen, Ala, if I made the decision, I would allow you to hold him," Iani explained to her daughter. "But I'm simply not allowed to hand him over to anyone. It could be very dangerous for him."

"So?" Ala asked, blinking.

"He's the future Pharaoh, Ala."

"I know, I know... Oh!!" Ala cried in excitement, glancing at the gates of the courtyard. "Asenath! Asenath, over here!"

Nine-year-old Asenath carefully closed the gate behind her, her black tunic swaying around her feet. She turned, seeing Iani and Ala sitting on the far wall. Asenath beamed, glad her friend was there.

"Ala! Iani!" she called, running and waving. As she got closer, Yami noticed her coming.

Happily, he clapped his hands and cooed, trying to reach for Asenath. Iani looked down at the Prince.

"Aseh! Aseh!" he called happily, trying to wriggle free of Iani's firm grip.

"Whoa there, Atem," Iani said, alarmed. She held onto Yami tighter, holding him behind her forearms. Asenath ran up to them, standing before Iani and Yami.

"Hiya, Brother," she said, a smile spreading across her face. Yami giggled and said "Aseh" over and over.

"So, he knows three people now, eh?" Iani commented, stroking his head. His black hair was messy and matted against his head. His bangs kept getting in his face, and he kept grabbing them and pushing them away.

"Yup. He can identify me, Mama and Daddy," she said, grabbing his hand. Ala grinned at him. "He can say some stuff..."

"You're so lucky," Ala breathed, hoping off the wall, "to have a brother." With that, she ran inside to begin her tasks. She agreed to take on some of her mother's while Iani watched Yami during the day.

Iani also hopped off the wall, kneeling down onto the courtyard floor. She set Yami down gently, not that he was paying attention. He was watching a long, grey cat prance her way over to them. He sat on the ground, watching with his large eyes. Asenath watched as well, kneeling beside Yami.

"Khepru," Asenath called, holding out her hand. "Come 'ere, Khepru." Khepru stopped walking momentarily, and then pranced over to Asenath's hands. She rubbed her back against Asenath's knees, and then allowed her face to be captured in her arms.

Yami just watched silently the entire time. After a few more minutes, Yami pushed himself off the ground, standing just barely over two feet tall.

"Aseh," he said, reaching for Khepru. Khepru turned slightly, heading towards Yami's outstretched hands. She walked up to him, purring gently and rubbing his waist. Yami giggled and turned, trying to grab Khepru. He eventually grabbed onto Khepru's gold collar, sliding his fingers between it and her neck. Luckily, the collar was too big for the cat, and she didn't notice until she found that she could no longer go forwards.

"Mrow?" she mewed, sitting down. Yami smiled and reached out slowly, stroking Khepru's head gently.

Asenath giggled and Iani smiled, watching him play. Yami looked over at Asenath.

"Aseh!" he called to her, still petting the cat with both hands. "Aseh pet?" Asenath burst into a fit of giggles, falling onto her side. Her black hair fanned out around her head and she just stared at him, watching him slowly.

"...Atem..." she whispered. "I love you, Brother." Yami went back to stroking Khepru, smiling and running his hands through her fur.

"Pet," he said, shifting his shoulders. He blinked and looked over at Asenath. "Aseh! Yami pet?" Asenath sat up, blinking.

"What? Who pet? I mean... who's petting?" she asked. Iani stared down at Yami.

"So, you do identify yourself with that name," she said slowly. "Odd."

"What name?" Asenath asked. Iani turned to her.

"Oh, it's just this little thing some of the servants were joking about weeks ago," she explained. "I forget, really, but they always call him 'Yami' now, those servants. The ones that work under me. It's kind of... A pet name, if you will. Silly how he calls himself that," she said, nodding to Yami. Yami looked from Iani to Asenath, then repeated his question.

"Atem pet?" he asked, struggling over his words. Iani laughed.

"Seems he knows both names, 'cept it took him longer to remember his actual name," she commented. Asenath nodded.

"Who's petting, Brother?" Asenath asked gently. Yami smiled.

"Yami pet. Atem pet. Aseh pet kit?" he asked, looking at her. Asenath beamed.

"This is very amusing," Iani said, sitting down. Yami sat down as well, since Khepru had laid down. Asenath lay back down on her side, her eyes closing. Yami had cried all night last night... She hadn't been able to sleep at all...

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"Aseh?"

Asenath's eyes opened. She was leaning over the edge of her father's throne, blinking groggily and sitting up. How'd she get into the throne room? She wasn't sure. Her small body was curled up over one arm. Yami was sitting on the other, watching her closely. There was almost no one in the room. Asenath sat up and stretched. She turned to Yami.

"Silly baby," she whispered, touching his cheek. He grabbed onto her finger and held it in both his hands, examining it closely. Asenath watched him.

It still amazed her that such a tiny baby could actually rule as Pharaoh someday. He could hardly speak, was barely over two feet tall, has never left the palace walls... It was amazing, but she was sure her own father had been the same way. Although, she couldn't picture her father as a little baby, constantly getting in everyone's way. Her father wasn't like that...

"Aseh!" Yami cried, sliding down into the seat beside her. Both of them fit, it was so big. Asenath slid into position as well, her feet not even touching the floor. Hell, Yami's feet hardly reached half-way down.

Asenath turned to her brother.

"Atem... Yami," she said slowly, "...One day, you're going to be Pharaoh." Yami looked up at her and blinked. She smiled. "Do you understand?" Yami just stared at her. Asenath sighed. She turned to him, sliding one leg beneath the other.

"Umm... lemme explain. One day, a long time from now, something will happen. Daddy won't be able to rule anymore, so you'll take his place and rule for him. And you'll do that 'til you're unable to rule anymore." Yami looked from Asenath to his hands, then at the ceiling, then back at Asenath.

"Aseh... How?" he asked, standing up. He placed his hands on her arm and looked up at her. "How?"

"Because you're the first born boy," Asenath explained wistfully. "You'll rule greatly one day, I'm sure..." she trailed off, wondering when that day would come.

If it were to come, she thought, Daddy would hafta die... I don't want that to happen... I couldn't stand it....

"Aseh?" Yami asked, tapping her arm. Asenath smiled and opened her arms, allowing Yami to crawl into her lap. He sat down on her thighs, reaching out for her hands in his own. He took her long fingers and played with them for awhile, bending them and wriggling them. Asenath watched with amusement.

After awhile, Yami seemed to grow tired. Asenath, wondering where everyone was, allowed him to fall asleep in her lap, leaning gently against her stomach and chest. She hugged him and pushed his hair out of his face, rubbing his cheek.

"Where is everyone?" she whispered to the empty hall.

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"Anna, that's not gonna work..."

"Yes it will, you just watch me." Ankumanukanon rolled his eyes and sighed playfully as he sat down in the center of them throne room on the floor, crossing his legs. Anna was kneeling next to Yami, who was sitting on the floor only inches away from the staircase that lead to the actual throne. Asenath was sitting on a stair behind her beside Iani.

"Atem," Anna said softly to Yami, "Can you do it?"

"Hai!" Yugi chirped, clapping his hands. Warily he stood up, a little shaky, then looked back at his mother. Anna smiled and nodded.

Slowly, Yami started to take small steps, trying to walk for a distance. He'd been eager to walk everywhere himself since he first learned a week ago. Now, he was trying to walk about forty feet across to his father.

"C'mon, Atem," Ankumanukanon called, smiling and reaching out his arms. Atem stopped walking about halfway, then continued on.

After about three more minutes of calling to him, Yami became enveloped in his father's arms, giggling as Anna, Iani and Asenath all applauded for him.

Anna stood and ran over to where Ankumanukanon was holding Yami.

"Look! See, he did it, Anna," Ankumanukanon said, smiling at his wife. Anna scoffed and smiled.

"I told you," she said in a mocking tone. Yami clapped for himself since everyone else was, and flashed a small smile to everyone.

"You did a good job, Atem," Asenath said, taking his little hand in her own. Yami let her hand go and put one arm around Ankumanukanon's neck, and used the other to play with his earring. Ankumanukanon sighed.

"Not this again," he complained, Anna taking Yami from Ankumanukanon's shoulder.

"He's only two, give him a break..."

"Well, he should learn not to do that. It hurts!" Ankumanukanon said, frowning. Anna sighed. Yami just giggled. Asenath reached up and touched his cheek.

You're going to be fine...

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Asenath lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. It was blurred in her vision, for her tears were blocking from seeing anything straight. With a defeated sigh, she turned onto her side. She couldn't get the image of her brother as a baby out of her head.

Why did he have to die like that? Asenath asked no one in her mind. It isn't fair! He never did anything to deserve this! What the hell?

"Brother," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Brother... Please... come back. P-please, just come back..." Her heart felt as if it would explode. She turned onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow, soft winds blowing over her body from outside. As she lay there, she could see the image of her brother, white as death, lying in his bed, breathing rapidly and sweating, trying to stay alive...

He had clung to life as long as he could. But he couldn't do it. His entire body betrayed him, closing off life. She had escaped before she witnessed his death, but she could feel it. The strong bond, the coursing power of life she could sense whenever he came near had disappeared. She could no longer sense him coming. She couldn't feel his heart beating or his mind racing, his thoughts beating with a powerful pulse in tune with his heart.

All that was left was a cold, dead reminder of something once full of life.

Asenath lifted her head.

"I never... saw this coming, you bastard," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

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[Eeks, someone's angry, ne? Well, anyway... I loved the part with Yami and the cat!! I kept imagining him sitting on the ground, playing with a cat... Awww! Kawaii-ness!! Well, after that random flashback... the end was a little taste of Asenath's feelings. Back to the present, or, er, present-past... whatever. Back here, anyway:) Next chap: Death of the Prince. It's hard to accept a passing...]

Shibby-One