Desidera: Uhm, don't we have comments, Dragon? Like, "awww, poor Seth, poor Atemu" or "wheee, this is the last chapter" or "hmmm, what could we do to stall time to make our readers go crazy with curiosity?" –winks-
Seth: -growls dangerously- What do you think you're saying?!?
Desidera: -tries to hide somewhere behind Seto-
Seto: You don't honestly believe I'd save you, right?
Dragon: -chuckles- yes this is the last chapter for this story but guess what? Seto and Seth have a surprise for everyone!
Seth n Seto: -groans-

A fierce knock sounded on Seto's door, making the man growl at the intrusion. He had half a mind to ignore who ever it but the nagging thought that it could be the Pharaoh made him refrain from doing so.

"Come in."

Seto waited at the entrance to the balcony as the doors opened and raised an eyebrow in confusion when he caught sight of who it was. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Seth growled at the tone his look-a-like was using. "We need to talk."

The CEO snorted, "What makes you think I want to talk to you?"

Ignoring the question, the High Priest walked further into the room and made him self at home by sitting one of the few intricate carved stools. "I have some questions that only you can answer. I need to know about you and my Pharaoh's relationship in the future."

The words my Pharaoh did not slip past Seto. 'So he admits it' he thought, ignoring the slight sinking feeling in his stomach. "We are rivals. How else would I feel about someone who took away my title and continuously beats me?"

Seth chuckled, "Yes, he always has a way of defeating us doesn't he? But isn't that part of what attracts to him? That shear power, strength, and the way he challenges us without lifting a finger?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Seto walked up to the Priest, "I'm confused, I was told that there was a fierce rivalry between you two. That a battle over the throne happened but the victor was never revealed."

Seth blanched at the reminder of that. How could he have done such a thing back then he never knew. The pull of the Pharaoh's power blinded him and darkened his heart. "There was such a battle," he said as he adverted his eyes away from his future self. "It was a grave mistake on my part and I'm thankful to all the gods above that he was able to forgive me. And you should know who won."

Seth nodded his head and sat down on the wooden stool beside his other. "In my time he is just as forgiving. I tried to kill him once, he saw beyond the anger and darkness in my heart and banished it. He gave me another chance."

"Tell me, what do you feel for the Pharaoh, the one of my time?"

Wide blue eyes looked into curious sapphire ones. "Feel?"

"Don't think I haven't seen it. Some thing is there. I just don't know how much. Don't worry I will not hold it against you – yet."

"I…" How did he feel? He admitted he liked the man and that he was attracted to him. The Pharaoh was a wonderful combination of beauty, seduction, power, maturity, and inner strength that set his thoughts out of control. But was it anymore than that?

He replayed the past month in his thoughts. He remembered the slight jump in his stomach when the Pharaoh first stood up for him against his past self. He remembered the way the royal hung on his every word when he told his tales, the way those crimson eyes would look at him when he thought he wasn't looking, the loneliness he felt when he went weeks without seeing no more than a passing glance….

What was the feeling?

Seth watched as Seto seemed to be having an internal struggle with himself. He knew that look and feeling all to well. A smirk played on his lips. His incarnation was almost exactly like him. He admitted there were small differences. Not just in their looks but in their personalities also. But they still held the same distaste for feelings of the heart and soul. The thought of needing another sent both of them into a state of panic and denial.

"There is no need to answer that. It is as plain as Nile is long."

Seto snarled, not only at himself for seeming transparent but also to the other who thought they knew how he felt. "You know nothing Priest! Just because you are supposed to be me does not mean you know me!"

The High Priests eyes narrowed, "You are a blind arrogant fool. You still think you don't need anybody. Well let me tell you something, there will come a day when all you hold dear will be taken away from you and if you keep up that attitude you will die a lonely pathetic man!"

"You don't know the time I lived in, Priest," Seto snapped, "You don't know what I faced and dealt with. You can't tell me what my life will be like, you can't tell me how it will end! You don't know anything!"

"No, it's you who doesn't know anything! You have no idea what you'll miss, telling yourself you don't need anybody!!"

"I don't miss anything except a bunch of troubles, a bunch of weaknesses!"

Seth laughed, "You think love is a weakness! Of course! I should have known...Who told you that? Do I luck out again in the future, getting a father who wants to take over the world?"

Seto reacted on instinct alone. His hand grabbed the golden necklace the priest was wearing and pulled him close by it, hissing into his face, "He is nothing, he has no power over my life, no power over me!!!"

There was silence, unreadable blue eyes boring holes into equally unreadable ones, none of them having the heart to continue, since dark memories where already resurfacing for both of them.

Then Seto let go of the golden jewelry, sinking back into his seat.

"What do you feel when you look at my pharaoh?" Seth asked again, a weary undertone lacing the question that somehow made Seto less suspicious, less anxious to bare his soul like this.

"He is a person of great power and magnificently attractive."

Seth smirked, "That he is. But did you notice also his kind soul and his tenderness?"

"Only superficially"

"That is the problem," Seth argued. "A lover should know him, should know him by heart, inside and outside."

"Oh yeah?" Seto growled jealously, "And how well do you know him?"

"Well enough," Seth snarled back, then seemed to remember something, like a promise to himself to keep this conversation halfway civil. "Alright then, do you notice those attributes in his spirit, your future rival?"

"Of course not, why should I care about the other Yugi's kind soul?"

"Because he is the pharaoh, Ra damn it!!! He deserves love, just like the pharaoh of this time does!!! And you deny him the love he could receive!!!"

"You don't even know him!", Seto shouted back, "I don't deny him anything! He has his precious Aibou, the mutt and the cheerleader girl for friends, what more could he want?"

"You don't understand!!!" Seth jumped up, clearly losing any patience he might have had. "You love the pharaoh!!! And that would be reason enough for him to kill you if he didn't love you as well, just as he loves me!!! You are my future, and your rival is his!!"

Seto followed without hesitation. "And that means what? That I'm not free to choose whomever I want to love in the future? The past is dead where I live and it doesn't influence me in any way."

Seto was too caught up in the argument to notice the danger in time. For once being emotional really seemed to be a weakness, as Seto's outburst allowed Seth to press the blade of the sennen rod against his neck.

"Listen, ignorant fool!!!" he hissed. "This is about more than you think, much more than your inflated pride!!! Answer me now, truthfully, or you will regret it!"

"You can do nothing to me, I'm under the protection of the pharaoh!" Seto replied smugly.

The rod trembled dangerously, but the priest managed to keep his temper. "I do this for the pharaoh alone! So answer me now or I'll rip your neck open, no matter what the pharaoh says."

"You have lost your mind, priest", Seto stated coldly, glaring at the other man.

"I almost have to agree on that," Seth growled, a strange light in his eyes, "I haven't lost my mind yet. But I'm about to lose everything I have tomorrow, my reason for living, my trust in the gods, my sanity, and above all, my dearest friend, the person I love most in the world. And he is about to lose all of that as well! Do you know how he suffers? Can you imagine how he must feel? I'm sure you can't, although I don't doubt he has told you. Don't you understand that the only thing he clings to is what you told him about the future? Don't you realize that you and your tales are what give him the strength to do this? And don't you see how much it pains him that you give him the impression that his love for a certain friend died over the millennia?"

Images flashed in Seto's mind, images of the weak, sad pharaoh who had come to him for comfort or powerful and regal in his throne room, as well as some of Yugi's other, fighting proudly, snapping at him, shattering his heart, looking at him with respect and a small smile on his face and finally desperate and hopeless in his battle against Marik's servant who possessed Osiris.

Always beautiful, in any time, in any place, always desirable. Tomorrow he would be taken away from Seth, from him. Tomorrow he would have to undergo this inhuman ceremony. His stomach clenched at the thought and a lump rose in his throat only thinking about it.

"Take the rod away", he whispered quietly. Seth's eyes searched his carefully, then he acted upon Seto's request. They both sank back into their chairs again.

Seto closed his eyes, trying to hide the fear in them, trying to stay as calm as possible although his heart was beating at a maddening pace.

"I think I love your pharaoh," he finally said, "No, I admit it, I do. And my rival is just like him, so very...powerful... and attractive. But he is only a shadow, sharing the body of another, not remembering a single thing of his past life. It seems your gods didn't get less cruel over the millennia. They gave you a new chance in the future, only to make your relationship impossible again!"

"So you could love him," Seth murmured, staring past him, "So you could..."

Then his back straightened.

"Alright. Take this." Out of his pocket he produced a small vial, filled with a clear liquid that glimmered golden in the light of the torches on the walls.

"What is this?" Seto breathed, staring at it.

"The solution to that problem at least. The gods may be cruel, but it seems they gave us another chance in sending you to us, to me. Take it now and give it to him. Make him drink it. You have to use the rod as well. You have access to it, don't you?"

Seto stared at him, "I could perhaps...but what is about to happen when I do it?"

Seth smirked. "It will give me, you and him another chance. Just do it. Remember I would never do anything that could hurt the pharaoh."

Slowly, Seto nodded. That made sense to him, although he didn't know what this was about. He had a nagging suspicion, although, since he didn't believe in magic, he couldn't believe in this. On the other hand this perspective of this had changed a lot since he had landed here.

Both faces were serious as they studied each other. Finally the High Priest looked away, giving a sigh. "Go and take what I am going to lose"

Seto looked at the other, seeing his tense shoulders, his hardened eyes, and he knew exactly what he was feeling, exactly. And he remembered a certain longing in his heart that he had felt so often in those moments but had never dared to admit, to accept. He had always told himself he didn't need comfort, much less deserved it, but now, looking at the priest he didn't see himself, the person who was tainted and deserved pain, but someone else, someone who deserved love instead.

And before he knew what he was doing, he stood next to Seth, offering a hand to him and pulling him up from his seat into his arms. 'No going back now,' he thought, holding the other close. Seth returned his gesture, first reluctantly, but then accepting the hunger of his soul for physical contact, accepting Seto.

After some time Seth lifted his face to look into Seto's eyes. "I always wondered what he would see in me, would see in you", he murmured, "I always wondered what he would feel like holding me like this, or being held by me. And I always wondered...."

Suddenly, Seth's lips were on his. Seto's eyes widened. Seth's skin was so close, tanned and smooth, tiny indications of stubble on his chin, his nose a little sharp (in his opinion at least, formed while studying his own face in the mirror), his eyelashes long and soft, much like the pharaoh's, his hair falling into his face. But his lips were even more fascinating, they were yielding and soft, yet somehow firm in the way they captured his lower lip to nip on it. So this was what a kiss felt like. So this was what the entire world desired. He enjoyed the look of slight confusion on Seth's face, the eyebrows that were slightly drawn together, softening the usually stern face, but he even more enjoyed the feel of the other's lips. So he finally closed his eyes to feel them more accurately, to memorize their feel, to fully understand, taste and enjoy his first kiss.

As they broke the kiss, Seth gazed into Seto's eyes searching for sign of acceptance and understanding. As much as Atemu needed comfort in his time of sadness, Seth needed it too. He needed to know that all would be right in the future between them. Getting his answer, he smiled at his other and stepped out of the embrace.

"Thank you."

Seto was at a loss for words. His mind was still reeling from kissing someone he, just a few weeks ago, couldn't stand or believed in. Here was a past that he had denied over and over again but yet it was as real as he was. A curt nod of his head was all he could do to acknowledge Seth's words. When he got back to the future he was going to have to do some major rethinking of his life. Guess all that 'past repeats its self talks' were real after all. Speaking of his future…

"How am I supposed to get back?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders, "Not a clue, but it will happen when it should. You came here when you were needed and you will return when you are needed then. The gods are funny like that. Only they know what's in store for us." Seth smiled once more at Seto before he turned to go but before he got to the door he looked back at Seto.

"Atemu."

Seto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Excuse me?"

"Our Pharaoh's name is Atemu, please remember it for him… and us."

This time Seto smiled as Seth walked out the door.

A few hours later, Seto laid on the bed staring at the bottle in his hand. He was curious as to what it was supposed to do for the spirit – no Atemu, when it was given to him. Several ideas ran through his head and all of them left a smile on his face. Even though he had come to like this time, he was now eager to go back to the future, to Japan and see his rival. But this time it wouldn't be for a rematch, no this time it would be to claim something he lost long ago in a time that most of the world had forgotten.

Gripping the small glass vile in his hand tightly, he glanced to the balcony to see the sun just beginning to show above the horizon. Feeling the need to catch a few hours of sleep he closes his eyes and tries to relax. Just as sleep was about to overcome him, he felt a slight chill in the air. Frowning, he snuggled under the silken sheets further just as a low menacing chuckle reached his ears.

Seto's body went ridged when he heard the sound. Opening his eyes, he turned his head slightly to find the owner of the voice. Sapphire colored eyes narrowed as he caught the sight of white hair and a tanned face looking back at him. "What the hell do you want Bakura?" he asked as he sat up in the bed.

"I was thinking. If I could kill the High Priest, then it would weaken the Pharaoh. Poor thing would be heartbroken thinking his lover was dead don't you think?"

Seto growled, "You're a fool if you think you would get away with something like that. Seth could kill you before you could blink."

A feral grin spread on the Thief King's face. "I know but if killed someone that looked like him and then let the Pharaoh think…"

Before Bakura could finish that sentence, Seto lunged off the bed and knocked him to the floor. "I will not be that easy either!"

"We'll see about that!" Bakura growled as he pushed Seto off of him. Quickly picking himself up, the thief grabbed the nearest vase and brought it down on the CEO's head just as started to come after him again.

Seto stumbled back as he felt the impact. In a blurry daze, he saw Bakura smirk at him before his vision began to darken.

"Guess this means I win."

'No' Seto thought as he fell to his knees, his head thumping with pain. A weak and unsteady hand went to his head. Feeling wetness under his fingers, he brought them before his face and felt his stomach drop when he saw blood on them. 'I promised' was his last thought as he was overcome with darkness as his body fell to the stone floor.

Bright rays of sunlight fought their way into the white room waking the sole occupant. Seto groaned as he turned away from the infuriating light. Burring himself further under the sheets he sought to darken his surroundings wanting nothing more than to stay in the comfort of his bed.

A dull headache pulsed as he squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly the memory of Bakura and the vase caused him to sit up abruptly. Eyes wide, he brought a hand up to his head to examine it. But none of the sticky wetness was there. Putting his hand in front of his face, he looked them over thoroughly as if he didn't trust his sense of touch. Utterly confused as to why there was no trace of the attack he looked around for the first time.

Seto gasped in shock when he saw plain white walls, scarce but rich adorned furniture, and the king sized bed lined with black silk sheets he was sleeping on.

He was home.

Pulling him self out of the tangled sheets, he sat on the side of the bed. Seto took a deep breath as the location of where he was at finally sunk in. Egypt was gone, Seth was gone, and most of all, Pharaoh Atemu was gone. A sharp pain filled his chest as he stared off into space. Clutching his hand to his bare chest he realized it wasn't a pain of injury or sickness, no this was a pain someone only felt when they lost something dear to them.

A knock and a child-like voice at the door brought him out of his thoughts. "Big brother?"

Taking in a gulp of air to steady him self he replied, "Come in Mokuba."

Seto watched as his door opened and his brother stepped inside. The sudden sight of the younger Kaiba reminded him of just how long he had been gone. In a flash he was up and pulled the stunned kid into a tight embrace.

"Seto? Are you ok?"

The CEO pulled back a bit and gave Mokuba a good look over. He smiled and nodded not only to answer the question but also to himself when he saw his brother was well. "Mokuba I'm sorry I disappeared like I did without being able to let you know."

Mokuba looked at his brother like he had grown a second head. Confusion clearly etched on his young face. "What are you talking about? You haven't been anywhere."

"I've been gone for weeks! How can you say I haven't been anywhere?"

The raven haired kid crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "I think you've been working to hard Seto. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Listen, you haven't been anywhere but at Kaiba Corp and here for the past few weeks, the same as you always are! Don't you remember?"

Seto frowned, "I remember being in Egypt. I remember Bakura coming into my room and threatening to kill Seth or me to weaken the Pharaoh," he murmured.

Mokuba's slate colored eyes took on a worried look as he raised a hand to his brother's forehead. "You don't feel feverish. Maybe you were just dreaming?"

Seto shook his head. 'No it couldn't be a dream! It was too real!' He could still feel the kiss Seth and him had shared, he remembered the name of the Pharaoh, and the talk they had! Damn even his head hurt from the fight with Bakura. "It can't be a dream," he whispered, "I promised."

His eyes widened when he said that. The potion bottle flashed in his thoughts. Turning quickly from his brother he walked over to the bed and began to pull the sheets off frantically.

"What are you doing Seto?" his brother asked. He had never seen his brother act like this before and it was scaring him to say the least.

"Where the hell is it?!"

"Where is what?"

Pulling the sheet off the bed, he looked around and felt his heart sink when he realized there was no bottle. 'It was a dream.' He thought as he realized his sight was becoming slightly blurry. Seto sunk down to his knees as his chest tightened.

Mokuba watched in growing sadness as he saw the slump in his brother's normally proud stance. Unable to stand back and watch, he walked forward and kneeled down beside his brother. Resting his head on Seto's chest, he wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him. Sighing, he began to close his eyes just as something shiny caught his attention. Pulling one arm away from his brother he leaned down some and spied a glass bottle just under the bed.

"Seto?" he said as he wrapped his fingers around the object, "Is this what you were looking for?"

Seto's heart started beating faster as he spied what his brother was holding out in front of him. Laughing, he picked up his brother as he stood. Excitement and joy overflowed within him as he spun his brother around. "Thank you, thank you!"

Mokuba just smiled at Seto as he was placed back down on the floor. He was overjoyed that he had been able to find the little bottle and pull his brother out of the depressed state he was in. But what was so special about it?

"What's up with the bottle? Why does it make you so happy?"

Seto took the object and held it up to the sunlight letting the rays bounce and refract, causing a rainbow to show on the white wall behind it. "This is a gift for Atemu."

"Atemu who?"

Seto just smiled at his brother as he ruffled his hair. "Go get dressed and I'll explain on the way."

"Where are we going?"

"To keep a promise."

45666

Dragon: Well that's it everybody. Don't worry we have a sequel planned! So be looking for it!

Desidera: Yep. And you have no idea, it's gonna be cool! -bounces happily-

Dragon n Desidera: Well, a last thanks to all our reviewers who stayed with us and enjoyed this. Thanks for all the encouragement and compliments!!! You're great!! And we love writing more for you!!

Desidera: And a thanks to my wonderful co-authoress Dragon!!! –hugs- You're a unique person, a gifted writer and a very good friend. Forgive me for thousand times of not adding the attachment. –sweatdrop-

Dragon: -hugs- All's forgiven! And thank you Desidera for willing to write with me, letting me bounce countless, evil plot bunnies off of you and putting up with my endless emails. You too are an excellent writer and a great friend. I'm so looking forward to writing the rest of this trilogy with you!

Until next time everybody!