Dragon: -enters the room with a basket full of limes and proceeds to hand them out-
Atemu: -looks at lime- does this mean what I think it means?
Seto: Bacardi Lime Cocktails?
Seth: Baka! –throws his green citrus at him-
Dragon: -rolls eyes-
Desidera: Behave guys! Or we won't give you those –grabs a lime- Hmmmmm. –smiles evilly-

Atemu paced back and forth in his chambers. He had looked everywhere for his High Priest on the grounds and he was nowhere to be found. This upset him and left him feeling hopeless. He knew that Seth would not give up until he had captured or killed the King Thief. Without any idea of where he went all he could do was wait and pray to his gods that they would look after him.

But between the prayers, other things filled his mind.

His time was quickly running out and he had yet to tell Seth of his plans and hopefully his future. He had never once spoken to him of the boy that supposedly completed the golden puzzle and therefore released him from that prison. The fact that there would be a chance in the future with him would hopefully calm the priest somewhat. He knew this was going to be hard on his love once the truth was out. After all he was going to have to help perform the ceremony. All the priests and their items would be needed for it to work.

He would have to see Atemu's pain as the process was completed.

Then Seth would have to become Pharaoh in his place. With no other living relatives and no children, his cousin would have to assume the throne. At least Seth would have the power he always wanted.

His thoughts also lingered to the future Seth. He could tell from their past talks that he and his spirit did not feel towards each other the way him and Seth did. That thought alone hurt. They were rivals in the future and nothing more. Although he could tell that there was a great deal of respect between them. But Seth and him had always respected each other, so it was safe to say that at least that had continued into the future.

But where were the other feelings? Were they lost over time? Buried away like his ancestors only to be forgotten over time if it weren't for the stories and tales written on the walls of the palace? Gods he hoped that somewhere down deep inside them those feelings still hung true that there was a chance for them.

He clung to that thought. He needed to believe that even if it was not there in that time that it was still written somewhere in their souls, hidden underneath everything just waiting to be unsealed and brought forth.

His musing was cut short when he heard shouts out side in the courtyard below his room. Stepping out onto the balcony, he looked around and finally spotted the person the voice belonged to.

His breath hitched in his throat as he looked upon his priest sitting proudly on his white steed. The man was beautiful bathed in moonlight. Its silver beams danced upon his cinnamon colored hair, making him look like something unreal but nevertheless holy. His bronzed skin glistened with sweat from riding hard and fast to catch his prey. Eyes that most called deadly, were like beacons of pure light in the darkness that surrounded him.

As Seth dismounted and walked towards the palace doors, the pharaoh watched his tone body move with the grace and lethal beauty of the cobra that was said to protect the pharaohs.

Atemu thought this was fitting seeing as how Seth, as his priest, cousin and now love, had always been there to protect him. The cobra was a deadly force to reckon with, with it's deadly venom and lightning fast attacks. But it was beautiful even with all its viciousness, just as Seth was.

The pharaoh moved back into his room as he saw the priest disappear into the palace. He knew that Seth would come to him without being summoned. After an attack like tonight's he doubted that his cousin would leave him alone for along time.

As he waited, he took off his Sennen Puzzle and put it a way along with the rest of his jewelry, there would be no need for these things as they talked tonight. Once done he took a bowl of water and began to remove the udju –1- and mesdemet –2- from his eyes so they would be left natural, incase his emotions got out of control.

Just as he was done, the doors opened without a warning. He spun around ready to reprimand whoever it was that dared enter without invitation, only to see his beloved priest standing there. Crimson eyes softened immediately as he looked Seth over checking for any injuries.

Fortunately there were none and as he raised his eyes to meet Seth's he saw unmistakable desire there, dark and inviting and so fierce. And only a moment later his High Priest was next to him, never losing a second as he greedily grabbed the pharaoh's face and connected their lips with bruising force.

For a moment only, Atemu gave in to the sensations, letting Seth take possession of him, trying to gather some strength out of the other's lust. A cry rose in his throat at the thought of having to let the other go, having to be alone and maybe never feel like this again. The sound escaped, muffled by the other's lips still on his but loud enough to make Seth release him immediately, shocked at the agony in Atemu's voice.

"Atemu? What's wrong?!?", he demanded almost desperately as the other stood wide-eyed, one hand pressed to his mouth.

"Seth," he whispered, "Seth, sit down. We have to talk"

"What happened?" The High Priest wanted to know.

"Sit down first."

The pharaoh took a deep breath, trying to think of something, anything, to help him say this, but every memory, every thought seemed to only make it worse. But before he knew it the words tumbled out of his mouth, in disorder and chaos, yet irreversible, "The shadows, they have to be locked away. We have to seal them away. You know, Bakura's monsters and all the other ones attacking. I can't let our people die. But it is so hard and I think I can't do it and I was so afraid of telling you, and now you're jealous and angry because of Seto but he was only helping me. I don't want to pass away. I don't want to be a shadow myself. I'm so scared, Seth, and I don't know how to do this, and most of all I don't want to leave you, and I don't want to, I just don't want to!"

Seth stared at him, not understanding anything yet, except that the pharaoh was in deep trouble and that it concerned the battle against the shadows. So he tried to comfort his ruler, "My Pharaoh, you don't have to worry, we will find a way of sealing the monsters away and you won't have to go anywhere. As for my jealousy, I'm sorry for that. If I had known it would trouble you so I would have restrained myself. You really don't have to worry about that. And you don't have to be scared, I'll always be with you."

"No!!!" Atemu wailed, the full force of his misery now tumbling down and burying him in sorrow. "You won't be there, you can't be there!!! Seth, it's no use, there is only one way to seal the shadows away. I have to...." At that point he broke out in tears. He just couldn't bear the pain anymore.

Seth's gentle arms enveloped him, his voice was in his ear, making small noises of comfort, but it only made him cry even more.

The High Priest was helpless. He didn't know what was going on but something horrible was in those words. He could feel it, like an outside danger, threatening blackness, looming malice. He shivered and held the other closer.

"I have to..." Atemu still stammered, desperately trying to force the words out of his mouth.

"You have to what?" Seth murmured.

"Have to...seal myself....my soul..away."

"You...what???"

"Seth, I don't want to leave you!!!" Atemu's hands were fisted in Seth's hair as he helplessly cried again into the other's chest.

But suddenly Seth remembered something or guessed something or just suddenly knew what all of this was about. "NO! You won't sacrifice yourself!! Never!!!"

"B..but I...have to"

"NO, I won't let you, I won't!!" Now Seth too clung to his pharaoh, both trembling with the force of the words exchanged.

Then a sudden urgency grabbed Atemu's heart and he knew he had to decide this now or never. With a great effort of will he stepped back, trying not to look at his priest.

"I will do it, Seth. There is no turning back and no other possibility. I have to save my people, my friends and you, my lover."

"Please...", the High Priest whispered.

"I can't....."

"But you can't leave me here!! You can't!!!", Seth growled, again pulling Atemu towards him with almost painful force.

Both stood still, embracing each other for a long time. Seth took in a shuddering breath. "I cannot let you go."

"I know, I can't either", Atemu answered. "But I have to"

"I wouldn't survive it. I'd drown myself in the Nile"

"No, Seth, look. Perhaps. We get a second chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, I was talking a lot to Seto and....."

"No, I won't believe this!!!", Seth screamed, "That idiot tells you he comes from the future and is me and you think, hm, perhaps it's better to go to the afterlife and wait there for that future to come!!! I won't...."

"SETH!", the pharaoh shouted, exasperated. "He speaks the truth because he told me about my reincarnation as well. He told me about the Sennen puzzle and its keeper and that he did so accurately that I have to believe him. And deep in your heart you know he's right, Seth, more so now than ever, because it seems we aren't meant to be in this time and place...."

"We will always belong together, Atemu, always! Now and in whatever future awaits us!"

"I'm glad you say this...because sometimes when I listen to him, I don't believe it. I think he doesn't have feelings for my reincarnation as we have feelings for each other. You know, my sacrifice would be locking my soul in the sennen puzzle..."

"No, please...."

"Be quiet! My soul will be in the sennen puzzle to stay there until the puzzle is found and solved. But I wouldn't have a body then and I think that's what happens in the future. Seto knows only the keeper of the puzzle, and not my true spirit, because I will only seem to be a figment of his imagination. I'm scared of that. If only I knew for sure I would love you again and be loved by you...it would be easier to perform the ceremony."

"Seal in the puzzle.....so....the priests will perform this....right? How could I....how could I...." He buried his head in Atemu's hair, stifling the whimper that was building in his chest.

"This must be a bad dream", Seth whispered. "How could it end this way? How could this be...Atemu, Atemu, I love you. I know you must but still, I beg you, don't do this to me. Find some other way. If the gods are fair, there is another way. I love you."

"I love you too, Seth. The gods are cruel. There is no other way."

Trying to hold back a sob, Seth bent down to tenderly caress the young pharaoh's lips with his. Both stood with their eyes closed, lips brushing softly, feathery against each other, tears getting caught in the corners of their mouths, flavoring the touch of their lips with bitter salt.

Seth's tongue darted out to lick the salty wetness off Atemu's lips and the other responded by doing the same. Their tongues touched and a second later their mouths were connected in a fierce kiss, greedily trying to possess as much of the other as possible.

Just as Atemu ended the kiss, Seth scooped him up and carried him over to the bed while letting his tongue slide slowly up and down the young ruler's neck. Atemu moaned, tilting his head back as the sensation washed over him.

Once in bed, he leaned over his pharaoh, biting and licking his neck. Letting his hands slide up and down Atemu's sides, caress his belly button and slip to his back, he rubbed himself against the other boy. Between tiny kisses pressed to Atemu's neck he ground out, "I want. To do. This. Forever. Atemu. For. Ever."

The pharaoh gasped as passion set him on fire. He threw the High Priest off him so he lay on his back, then with a low growl crawled on top of him, leaning down to kiss the other's exposed chest. Seth moaned low in his throat at the feeling of Atemu's lithe toned body against his.

In no time, both of them made quick work of stripping each other, leaving nothing between them but the wonderful feeling of over-sensitive skin to bask in.

Darken crimson eyes peered down into lust clouded blue ones, "This life time and every life time to come, my heart and soul will always belong to you Seth," he whispered as he stoked his lover's face, "Please do not forget that."

Running his hands down Atemu's back, he looked steadily into the Pharaoh's eyes. "Never, my mry pr-aA, -3- my mrw nfrw. –4- "

None of them wanted to go slow this time. They wanted everything, heat and skin, wet mouths and rough strokes, moans and cries. They wanted to feel each other like they had never felt each other before, like they probably would never get the chance to feel each other again in this life. They were out of mind and out of control, they were beyond time and beyond rational thought, beyond joy and beyond pain. They were flying and drowning.

In one night they tried to give each other what they should have had a lifetime to give.

Calloused tanned fingers bushed golden bangs away from his sleeping lover's face. He marveled over how beautiful his Pharaoh was, so peaceful in his sleep, as if he didn't have the burdens a ruler had to carry. He relished in the heat the smaller body was emitting, wanting nothing more than to stay here with Atemu and let it lull him to sleep. He wanted to forget everything the young ruler had told him, and be at peace with their new relationship.

But the gods were going to take it and his lover away from him. he would be alone again and would have to rule over the people Atemu sacrificed his soul to keep safe. The power he wanted would be his, and his alone. But it was going to cost him, there was a price to be paid for that power, and it was more than he was willing to give.

Yes he would gladly give it all up just to have Atemu alive, well and by his side. He knew that now with out a shadow of a doubt. But it was not to be.

He thought back to the promise he made Atemu. He needed to make sure that it was kept. He had never lied to the Pharaoh before and he wasn't about to start now.

Carefully, he pulled out of his lover's embrace, as to not wake him and proceeded to redress. Going over his earlier priesthood training in his mind, he formed a plan. Yes he knew exactly how to keep his promise, but it required another promise from a certain reincarnation of his.

With one last look over his shoulder to make sure Atemu was still asleep, he set out to go visit the stranger named Seto Kaiba.

udju: Basically it's green eye shadow made from the green ore of copper. It was one of the most widely used colors.

Mesdemet: Kohl, made from the dark gray ore of lead.

mry Pr-aA : beloved Pharaoh

mrw nfrw: desert beauty

We also want to thank all our reviewers for the lovely reviews we got!
Thanks to Nagaina's Hatchling for the comment on cousin love and marriage!
Psyche: Uhm, I don't think Jahi has a crush...Does he, Dragon? –looks at co-authoress for help- But the interpretation is definitely interesting...-grins-