A/n: a/n? No, no authors note this time!

Chapter seven: Her Decision Past, Continued

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Two years had passed since that day and to Seth's surprise Anzu had yet to stray from him.

On her sixteenth birthday the two had sat out under the stars all night.

Sweet, secretive kisses were shared when no one was around to see and Seth began to wonder if in two years she'd blow the prince off, send him home and marry her true love instead.

Things were looking quite good for him…until tragedy struck.

Anzu's father suddenly died in his sleep.

Anzu tearfully took her position as queen and ran straight to…Atemu for comforting, not Seth.

He was heartbroken to say the least and now he hated Atemu more than ever.

On the night of Anzu's wedding he approached her in her room.

"I thought you loved me."

The hurt was evident in his voice.

"I thought I did."

His words bit in to her and she fought the sting of tears.

"So two years of running around behind your father's back was just a speculation? Can't you just call this whole thing off and marry me?! I'm the one that loves you Anzu! He hasn't been around long enough to."

She glared at him suddenly, anger boiling up in her.

"How dare you say that now?! My father is…"

Seth stopped her.

"Yes your father is dead that's why it doesn't matter! We're free from him! Why do you…?"

He stopped as she slapped him.

He put a hand to his face and stared at her wide-eyed for a moment.

This was the first fight they'd ever gotten into and he'd never expected her to hit him.

He suddenly smiled.

With the speed of a viper he snatched her face gently in his hand and kissed her roughly.

He caught her wrists as she swung to hit him again, and held them tightly.

"This is not over Anzu. As long as this body is alive I will love you…as long as we are both alive, in whatever time or place…I will forever love you. Until my soul does not exist."

With those chilling words he left her.

He gave Atemu a slight glare as he brushed past him in the hall.

They each stopped for a moment and Seth gave a final sentence to his cousin.

"She will be mine again prince…one day a thousand years from now, maybe more, but she will belong to me."

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In the next year it seemed as though Seth had given up completely and fell into his duties as the palace high priest quietly.

Two days after his eighteenth birthday however, he decided to try and sway her once more.

He had worked extra hard in the village on the weekends to buy her a ring to show her his devotion…a ring was something that Atemu never even thought of giving her.

He stood against the wall in the shadows where he had stood watching her for a whole year.

This was his place, protector of the queen.

It was Atemu's punishment for the pain he had caused her on their wedding night so long ago.

What Seth was blind to was that with each day that passed, Anzu and Atemu grew more in love with each other.

He approached her as Atemu left, and dropped a scroll into her lap before silently leaving himself.

Anzu read it silently and glanced back up at his retreating form with a sigh.

'Meet me in the royal tomb tonight.'

She crumpled the scroll and threw it across the room.

'I've got to put an end to this before he puts an end to my marriage!'

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Seth and Anzu stood in an empty room.

She felt a chill as his fingers grazed lightly over her shoulder and down her arm.

He walked around her, his eyes scanning her body, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

He whispered to her and gently kissed her neck.

She tried to step away but he only held tighter, pressing her against him.

"If my husband finds out…"

She was stopped as in one move he spun her around and kissed her deeply.

Her eyes widened as he slipped a ring on her finger.

"If you love him so much than why do you persist to call him pharaoh or simply husband…have you never said his name?"

Her entire body shook and she began to cry as he kissed her again.

"I don't love you anymore Seth. I…"

Again he stopped her with a rough kiss that brought more tears to her eyes.

"But I still love you. Would it be so horrible to leave him? Just for one night?"

She looked away, trying to pull the ring off.

"Please Seth, just leave me alone. I'm sorry that's how I feel I just do."

He grinned slightly and ran his thumb over her jaw.

"You refuse to call your own husband by name yet you speak mine without hesitation…I wonder, do you hate me as you say?"

She pulled the ring off and threw it.

It disappeared down the dark stairs but he only smiled at her.

"One day you'll get it back…I gave you that ring as my promise to never leave you and that's what it shall be forever."

He was about to kiss her again when they heard Atemu.

"Get away from Anzu!"

She felt dizzy suddenly and Seth caught her as she fell, feeling dizzy himself and was shocked as she called out.

"Atemu…I'm sorry."

Atemu tore her from his arms and glared hard at him.

"You have tormented my wife too long. Either you stay away from her or you leave Seth."

Seth bit back the reply he felt choking his throat and looked away.

"I give up. I'll always be second rate to you!"

Atemu laid her softly on the floor and kneeled next to her, glancing up at the other boy.

"Leave us."

Seth spoke not a word and left.

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Just two months later a civil war began to plague Egypt.

Seth was there in the crowed of angry farmers who had not been able to plant this season because the Nile had not flooded.

Whenever this occurred the pharaoh, being a demigod, was responsible.

It was a sign that the gods did not approve of the young king.

He was there all right, inciting a riot.

He spoke out against Atemu, even though he knew any mortal person had not caused the lack of a flood.

His eyes suddenly beheld a familiar figure calmly making his way to where Seth stood atop a statue of the Pharaoh.

Imhotep glanced up at the boy and called up over the noise of angry Egyptians.

"Is this really necessary Seth? Have I not taught you better than to pick petty fights?"

Seth glanced down into his mentor's eyes and sighed.

"You also taught me to stand up for what I believe in."

Imhotep sighed and beckoned him down from his perch.

"Truly you do not believe the lore of the villagers?"

Seth shook his head and jumped down.

"No, but I do believe I should be pharaoh."

Imhotep placed a soft hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"And what is it that you think you can bring to Egypt that your cousin currently does not provide?"

He looked down.

"Love."

The older man wrapped his arm around Seth's shoulders and began to pull him away from the crowed.

"Where do you not see love? These men may be angry with Atemu, but they still love him as pharaoh. Look around, there is family love, and friendship love, respectful, and lovers. Now tell me the true reason you are so angry with him."

Seth sighed as he looked around. Despite the mob of angry men in the middle of the town, he saw a woman sitting on her front steps watching her toddler bound around with his friends.

He saw a man and a woman sitting side by side, hand in hand posing for a sculptor.

He saw himself with the respectful love he felt for his own teacher.

Yes his mentor was correct again, there was nothing Imhotep could not see or know when it came to Seth.

Seth had become like an adopted son to him and he knew all of Seth's secrets.

"Alright…I'm still in love with Anzu. It's not fare that he gets her. I loved her long before he met her."

Imhotep stopped and stood in front of Seth once more.

"You will have her Seth, but not in this life time. I have seen far into your future, and I see the two of you very happy together. It does not matter how you try now, you will not win her, for her heart is set with him."

Seth sighed deeply as he glared into the high sun.

"I hope this life passes quickly…"

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It wasn't long after that a real war erupted and Atemu was off to battle.

Anzu had nearly collapsed the day that Atemu's body was delivered back to the palace.

For the first time in nearly four years she had run to Seth and he consoled her.

Finally the day came to burry the king.

Anzu stepped on the chariot leading her husband's funeral.

She glanced behind at the sarcophagus being carried by five high priests and her eyes filled with tears.

She turned back to look in front of her again as the horses stopped.

Seth walked right past her leading the four ancient pallbearers, never giving her even a glance.

She stepped off the chariot, following the small procession of mourners, and came to stand next to him.

The lid of the sarcophagus was removed for a moment and it was in the second that she saw the un-mummified corps of Atemu, that her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground.

"Anzu!"

Seth glared up at the other priests as he knelt to pick her up.

"Why has he not been mummified?!"

The four glanced at each other for a moment.

"It was his last request…we thought you knew."

Seth shook his head and stood as he lifted her from the ground.

"Go on without me but do not seal the tomb without the queen."

He stepped onto the chariot and laid her at his feet, heading back to the palace.

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Two weeks passed and Seth made up his mind that she was his and he would obtain her anyway he could…even if that meant making her and empty shell.

He snuck into her room and stood over her for a moment, just staring at her.

She started to scream as she woke but he knelt next to her, covering her mouth and pulled her up into his arms.

He looked into her eyes

"Marry me."

Tears came to her eyes but she blinked them away as she tried to sound angry.

She was more hurt than anything.

"My husband has just died Seth! He is barely in his tomb and you ask me to marry you?!"

She looked around as he pulled her away from her bed.

He took her face into his palm and forced her to look into his eyes before closing his and kissing her roughly.

His voice was a low growl as he once more looked into her eyes.

"You once said you loved me…was that a lie?"

Suddenly a mixture of fear, anger, and sadness swept over her and he released her as she fell to her knees, covering her face.

Her eyes widened and she screamed as he pulled the sennen rod from his belt.

"It's for the good of the kingdom. Now my queen, become my wife!"

He stood there for what felt like the longest time and stared down into her suddenly dull eyes.

He knelt down before her and kissed her sweetly.

But something felt wrong.

Even when she was fighting against him she had some emotion.

But none was seen in her once bright eyes.

When she opened them again she found herself on her knees in front of Seto who held the Sennen Rod.

He suddenly stood and began to cry.

"This isn't the way I want you."

He released her from his control and she looked up at him.

Tears ran down his face and she jumped as he turned from her and slammed his fist into the wall.

"I love you too much. I could have everything I want if it wasn't you."

She trembled as he lifted her from the ground.

She was on the verge of tears as she looked into his eyes.

"Why can't you understand that I still love my husband? He may be dead Seth, but I can still feel him! He never left me and giving into you would hurt him!"

He took her face into his hand and kissed her softly.

"That won't stop me from loving you for the rest of my life. You pledged your undying love to him…but I chose to vow the same to you. That's why I'm going to let you go."

More tears spilled from his eyes as he placed her back in her bed.

"I'll explain it all in the morning and you'll never break my heart again."

And with that he was gone.

She lay there for a few minutes, willing away her own tears.

She closed her eyes as a gentle wind blew in from the balcony.

It wasn't long before she felt a soft hand come to her cheek.

"Atemu…"

She took in a deep breath, letting her tears come.

She felt an arm come around her, wrapping her in a worm embrace from behind.

"Anzu."

A voice whispered in her ear.

Atemu had seen the whole scene and he felt for her.

"I know this is hard for you my love…if you really love him than be with him."

She turned her face into her pillow and her voice was so hurt that Atemu even felt her sorrow.

"But that's just it, I don't love him anymore! I want you to come back to me Atemu!"

She heard him sigh and felt her hair being brushed away from her ear.

"I know. But I can't stay here with you forever. I wish with all my heart that I could but I must go to my place with Osiris."

This seemed to bring on another bout of tears.

"Bring me with you! Kill me! This life means nothing without you!"

He lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her gently and she whispered.

"I can't even see you."

Outside the door Seth rubbed away more tears as he clutched the rod tightly in his hand.

'Tomorrow, you will have your wish my beloved.'

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Seth knelt before Anzu in the thrown room the next morning.

He laid the rod at her feet and bowed his head.

"I resign to you my title…and I resign to our pharaoh my body to do with as he pleases."

She was stunned into silence as he spread is arms.

"Enter my body great pharaoh and live again!"

A bright light shown in the center of the room suddenly and Atemu's voice was heard.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Seth closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"I would do anything for the happiness of my beloved and truly her happiness lies only in you. Take away my pain and torment."

The light slowly entered Seth and another shot up disappearing into the ceiling.

Seth's head slowly sand until he opened his eyes to look at her and lowered his arms.

"Anzu?"

But it was neither Seth's eyes, nor voice.

Anzu threw herself into his arms and kissed him.

"Atemu!"

From a distance Seth watched with a lonely smile.

'I hope we will meet again.'

Suddenly he was jerked backwards and heard heart monitors.

His eyes flew open and Seto found himself in a hospital bed.

Mokuba was curled up next to him and to his right Anzu still lay sleeping.

He gave a contented sigh as he closed his eyes, drifting off into a normal sleep.

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Okay so I'm almost done here, just a few more chapters to complete. Keep an eye out for the Mini Adventures of Pegasus and Grandpa, and the Mini Adventures of Jonouchi and Yugi, two humorous bonus chapters at the end of this ficPleas review! I'll be ever so happy if you do!