DISCLAIMER: Welcome! I am Nuin and I will be your guide as we embark on this wondrous tour of Yugi-Oh and Yaoi-land. Now remember that feeding and petting the characters is forbidden at all times. I do not wish for them to run off with any of you, which would result in disabling me from writing the rest of the story. Please keep your arms and legs inside the moving vehicle as I do not wish to receive any lawsuits containing dismemberment of tour-guests. Thank you.
WARNING: May I also kindly remind you that this story is in fact a Yaoi-story. Which means lovers of the same gender. Anyone with restrictions against this form of love is asked to please leave the premises as it will probably upset the characters. Now if you'll please turn to your right, I believe that we are in for a treat as the characters begin on a new story.
Born to Servitude.
By Nuin.
05. Servant and Master.
"No, you do not hold it like you want to practice throwing a spear, you lift it gently with both hands and then pour evenly." Taking the jug in his hands, he continued to show his young charge how to serve one's master his drink properly. Semerbak then handed the jug back urging the boy on to repeat the action. This time though he got it right.
Semerbak couldn't really comprehend why Sasesh was impressed by the boy's aptitude to learn, so far he not yet shown any in his classes. It was as if he didn't want to learn. Correcting the boy again he drew a heavy breath of air into his lungs, if it continued this way, it would take long before the youth would be ready to step into his role as a servant. No, he was doing it all wrong, he growled and ripped the sheet from the boy's hands and proceeded to show him how it was folded properly.
This could take forever.
He had been proud of himself ,when he was finally able to understand entire sentences and after that the language. But now he wasn't so sure anymore, all they did was yell at him, telling him when he was doing particular things and actions wrong. He could have gotten the same lecture at home, with out having to learn a completely different language.
He winced as Semerbak again corrected him in a harsh tone. It wasn't like he actually wanted to learn this stuff, he had no desire to play servant/master with Seth, the other teen could go to hell for all he cared.
Even though he hadn't seen Seth from day one and he actually didn't want to, because the next time they met it would be as master and slave, he found himself longing to see him. He couldn't explain it. It was like with the daily fights he had with Kaiba, something so unwelcome and yet he looked forward to it, every damn day. It was an addiction.
Argh...Semerbak was yelling at him again, so what if he lost concentration easily, when it concerned things that didn't interest him, like boring school subjects. Sighing inwardly he managed to concentrate on the, albeit boring, task ahead of him. He would indulge his teacher for now and deal with the whole slave-thing, when the time came.
"Seth, you cannot drag this out forever. At some point he will be moving in here and he will serve and protect you, it is what he was bought for." Atemu looked solemnly at his friend and cousin. By Ra, he was stubborn. Letting this charade continue at it's current pace, the council would be suspicious and perhaps see the boy as a threat to them. A threat positioned by the Pharaoh and his High Priest to assassinate them.
It would only draw the attention to Seth, which he hated so much, if he didn't let his newest possession take on it's role.
"What is it? He is perhaps not to your liking? Don't lie to me, I saw your fascination with him at the market. You have shown more interest towards him than you have for anything else in your life, save the Shadow Games. Do you not trust him, is that it? So far he has done nothing to not make us trust him..."
"No." Seth interrupted, he knew if he let Panseru continue like this, he would be talked into doing whatever his cousin wanted without getting a word in edgewise himself. He might as well just agree now and be spared the lecture. "No...it's not that I don't trust him, because I don't. No, he unnerves me, intrigues me, but he does not have my trust, you of all people should known how hard it is to gain. Very well Per'aa, he will move in." He said throwing in his cousin's title with carelessness and a sneer. "Now get out and leave me to my work."
"Temper...temper, sweet cousin, it is not nice to talk like that to your Per'aa, now is it?" Atemu said with a smirk as he left the chambers. Prepared for the scroll being thrown at him he managed to duck behind the door. Seconds later he peeked his head inside again. "Oh and Seth?" He smiled sickeningly sweet, eyes wide in mock innocence as he gained the other's attention. "Have fun with your new slave." He quickly closed the door before the oncoming assault of several flying scrolls could collide with his head.
Making sure the door was closed properly, he didn't want someone else to experience Seth's rage right now, now did he? He made his way towards his own chambers, a smirk plastered on his face. One down, one to go.
"I'm supposed to WHAT?" Jou couldn't believe it, of all the idiotic, non-brained things to do, this took the cake.
"Silence, Slave." Atemu waved the blonde's outburst off with that single sentence. He had managed to convince Seth, now all he had to do was order the blonde to move into the chambers connected with the those of his High Priest. "You will do as I say. You know I could have you executed for speaking to me in that tone. Do you not?" He poked the blonde's chest for emphasis.
He had actually come to like the boy over the past few weeks. He held an air of innocence and naïveté to him that he hadn't encountered before. Combining those two feats with his brash and fiercely protective nature, he was a work of art. He judged from first impressions, trusting his gut instinct as he had called it. Once you had gained his trust, you kept it for life and it had to take something extremely drastic to change that.
Yet there was something he was hiding from them.
"I know...I know. It's just that I'm used to Yu..." He stopped suddenly as if he was about to spill a secret he had sworn to keep.
Atemu couldn't help but feel curious about the blonde's behaviour. Was Seth correct in his assumption about this boy? That he was an assassin sent from another country, only acting as if he didn't understand them or know the cardinal rules of how a slave behaved. Even though Atemu thought he knew a lot about this boy, he found he had more questions than he had gathered answers to.
They had come to some form of friendship, even though one was the ruler of Kemet and the other was a newly bought slave. Jou actually understood him better than most of his advisors or his family, not counting Seth. Seth was still the one who could see right through him and know what he was going to do before he even got to around it. Though Atemu had occasionally come to Jou just to talk.
For example last week when the council had been especially nasty and had wanted him to cut the farmers share of the crops in half, he had sat down across from Jou and just poured out about how this particular move would practically make it impossible for the commoners to live properly. He wasn't heartless, he would never wish something like that upon his people, his father had always told him that it was the people that made the nation, not the ruler.
Jou had listened without interrupting, a fact for which Atemu was grateful, no one ever really took the time to talk with him. But now it was Jou who would have to obey to him, not only that but also do it without question and he was not supposed to associate with those below him in status. But with Jou it was difficult not to care, as if he was a dear friend.
"Jou, you will move in at the end of this week, it will give you time to finish your lessons and prepare you mentally for what it will be like to be around Seth constantly. You have no saying in this matter, you were bought as a slave and at that a slave for Seth. You have responsibilities, just as we have, Seth and I. We each carry out our part to make a greater whole...What are you laughing about?" Atemu was quite discontent to find the blonde nearly cracking up from laughing.
"...sorry...it's just..." He couldn't stop laughing, in a vain attempt to do so only managed make him fall down from the chair he had been occupying. He cleared his throat and tried to speak without further fits of laughter and cackles. "You sound like you're reciting some old philosophy book, or perhaps something from social studies, I don't know. But it's...umm...not funny...no...not funny at ALL...no..." Catching the icy glare from Atemu he decided not to delve further into odd explanations that might anger or hurt Atemu's precious pride.
He drew a heavy sigh. "Fine, I will move in. But don't expect me to like it, I don't like being referred to as a slave, you know that, I've told you that. But I will do as told." He grimaced at how utterly obedient the last words sounded.
"You can't be serious...but you said there was still hope...yes...alright...I understand. Yes...thank you...bye..." He placed the receiver back on its place, letting his hand linger a moment on it. A silent tear streaked down his cheek as his body began to wreck with sobs. He slowly slumped down on the floor, hand still holding onto the phone receiver.
"Yugi-kun, what's wrong, what did they say?" Anzu crouched down beside him putting an arm around his shoulders. The others looked expectantly from their places around the room, occupying the couch and chairs. They had all gathered in an attempt to comfort each other and perhaps some of them maybe even had news about their missing friend. But so far they had sat in silence, none of them being able to utter a word. When the phone rang Yugi had rushed to get it, still hoping it would be Jou or someone with news about him.
It was the police. They had given up on finding him, there had been no success in their search. As they had never received a ransom note, they had ruled out that he had been kidnapped. But even with all their resources, as endless as the money flow Kaiba Seto provided them with had been, they had turned up empty-handed. They had simply given up, as they put it, it had been a month and usually if the person didn't turn up within the first week or two and no ransom demand had been found, the person either didn't want to be found or would no longer be alive. It had only been because of the amount of money Seto had invested in the search that the police had continued over the time limit.
It all seemed so hopeless now.
Green eyes glittered in the shadows as she continued to watch over the group through one of the windows. A wide smirk spread across her face. Her love would suffer, after all he had flat out refused her advances. But she knew how to hurt him the most, by taking what was dearest to his heart, if she could not find happiness, then neither should he. That idiot blonde, who had taken his affection away from her, was out of the way...perhaps he would reconsider her offer now?
She laughed silently to herself, such trivial people he surrounded himself with, they were not worthy of his time. Just as the blonde never would be. She was ecstatic that her spell had worked and had gotten rid of the one standing in her way of true happiness. Without him her love would surely see her as the perfect match for himself. She left her observation post delving into the moonlit night.
Seto looked out the window, he thought he had seen someone lurking in the shadows. Discarding it as a figment of his imagination he turned to the others and continued to listen to their conversation.
A/N: Semerbak: courtier-servant or servant to the courtiers.
Sasesh: wise scribe.
Per'aa: Pharaoh.