1"Ankh Of Despair"

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Yay! It's Thanksgiving break and right now it is late at night on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving so. . . let's see when I finish this chapter, eh? Enjoy!

(NOTE: I tried to upload this chapter at about 2:40 AM on Wednesday morning, but was having problems. . . yeah, I finished this chapter at about 2:30 in the morning, lol!)

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Yugi poked his head inside his own bedroom, peering in at his yami.

The Pharaoh was looking rather nervous, his knees hugged tightly against his chest and his right hand up in front of his mouth, his teeth working away at the nail on his index finger. The others had clearly received the same treatment. He didn't notice his hikari's head and he certainly didn't seem to notice when the small boy tiptoed over.

Yugi placed a hand on Yami Yugi's shoulder and the former Pharaoh flew from the bed, landing in a rather awkward position in the middle of the floor.

"What in the name of the gods are you trying to do to me?!?!" The look on his face was simply priceless. His mouth gaping in an upside-down 'u' shape, his brows knitted together and his eyes with an undistinguishable look in them. Yugi mused that it were something between disbelief and shock.

"Sorry Yami, I just couldn't resist! It isn't everyday that I see you get frightened." Yugi chuckled and tilted his head at his darker half as though he were looking for forgiveness.

"Well it isn't everyday that someone sneaks up on me while I'm trying to think!" He wasn't really yelling, yet his voice was raised a tad bit. A slight frown from Yugi was enough to make Yami sigh and flash him a genuine smile, "It's alright little one, I know you were only playing." He stood from his place on the floor and sat back on Yugi's bed, glancing out the window. It were as though he was entranced by something outside that was invisible to little Yugi's eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" Yugi had a seat beside him as though it were the key to seeing what his look-alike saw.

"I don't know about this trip to the Kaiba manor. I mean, I'm happy that you are going through all of this trouble for me, but it just isn't going to happen Yugi. Let's just face it. If I go over there today, Seto is going to just ignore me the entire time, so there really isn't any point in-"

"No way, Yami!" Yugi folded his arms across his chest and gave him the meanest look that he possibly could. It might have been intimidating if he were about three feet taller, "You're going over to Kaiba's house, and that's final!"

Yami only smiled at him and it was a wonder that he didn't laugh. Yugi with a mean look on his face was a relatively funny sight no matter how much the shorter boy tried. The taller of the two loved little Yugi's determination.

"Alright, I'll go. . ."

Little Yugi grinned.

"But. . ."

His smile did a flip and his shoulders sank down.

"If he starts giving me the cold shoulder, I'm leaving, okay?"

"But Yami!"

"Don't 'but Yami' me. It's final." The former Pharaoh stood, sluggishly stepping over to the closet and slinging open the doors.

Yugi wanted to stay mad at his darker half for making such a decision, but couldn't help giggling as his yami tried to pick out something to where to impress his priest. He emerged with a pair of rather constricting leather pants and a black, satin shirt, "Should I put this on?"

"Woah!" Yugi took a few steps back, "Don't you think that's a bit too much?"

"Well if Seto doesn't like me, then it shouldn't matter, right?" Yami gave a cat-like grin as a look of realization washed upon the little one's face, "I take it that you see my point." He sat back down on the bed, "Listen to me! I sound like I'm trying to seduce Seto or something. That's not what I want. Sure, I want him to like me again, but I don't want to force it on him. If he doesn't love me in this life, then that is that. I can't change a person's free will."

"No," Yugi cut in, "But you can help him realize that he has feelings for you, Yami!"

"But the tomb robber. . ."

"Do you honestly think that he and Yami Bakura have something going on? Please, Yami! That's ridiculous!" Yugi shut his door and locked it, "Put those clothes on while I clean up the pile of clothes you threw to the floor."

Yami looked over towards the closet, just now taking notice of the slightly large heap of shirts, pants, and pajamas that now lay on the floor just in front of the double doors, "Sorry Yugi."

Yugi's smile was on his face once more, "Don't you worry about this little mess! Hurry up and change! We need to be at the mansion in less than half an hour!" He then went to work, putting the pants and whatnot back onto their proper hangers and hanging them neatly from the rack that stretched across the length of the closet. Once through, he turned around to find Yami preening himself while looking into a mirror, "Alright miss priss, let's get going!"

Yami looked in Yugi's direction, a bit startled, and blushed a bright pink at having been caught fixing himself up, "Okay, okay, I'm coming. . . goodness."

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Throughout the walk to the Kaiba mansion, the proverbial 'butterflies in the stomach' wouldn't leave his highness alone. A few times along the way they had to stop and take a seat because Yami swore that he was about to throw up. Yugi only rubbed his back in a lovingly manner and tried to talk him down so that he wouldn't be so nervous. They had confronted the Kaiba brothers so many times before with no trouble. . . why was today any different?

Yami didn't throw up though, and they continued their journey on foot. Once they reached the gates to Kaiba's oversized home, the Pharaoh did lose his breakfast and the gate guards visibly shivered and looked in other directions.

"Sorry!" Yugi squeaked as he, too, tried not to look at what Yami had just relieved himself of.

"Woah! If you're sick, maybe we should reschedule this!" It was Mokuba. Apparently he had come out of the house just as they had arrived and he was now opening up the gate and glancing at Yami Yugi in a rather disgusted fashion.

"Hey Mokuba!" Yugi chimed in, catching the raven-haired boys attention, "No, he isn't sick, just a bit nervous is all. Does Seto know that we're here?"

"Welllll. . ." Mokuba began, a childish look on his face, "Not exactly. You see, I told him that I was having some friends over, and I begged him to hang out with us 'cause they're huge fans of him, so. . . yeah.

Yami groaned, "Oh great, so now he's going to be in a sour mood."

"Isn't he always?" Mokuba joked, "Aw, come on Yami! Listen, just hang out with my brother a bit and don't give up, okay? You're the king of games, right? So then make this into a game. . . a game called love! Yeah!" He waved them in through the open gate. Yami looked a little more confident, but there was still that trace of nervousness on his otherwise calm composure.

The mansion was naturally a good distance from the front gate, but Yami had begun to fall behind them as though the walk had made him grow weary. It seemed as if every step he took, the house itself took two steps away from him. Yugi had clutched his right wrist and was now tugging him to the front door, where he remained in a daze until he finally realized that they were now inside.

"Seto!!!! They're here!!!" Mokuba called out to his brother.

Yami began to noticeably shiver as the elder Kaiba was called by first name. . .

"Seto!!! They're here!!!" Pharaoh Yami ran to lock the door, but his tall priest stopped him.

"No. We can't allow for them to back us into a corner, my love. They are merely rebels to the kingdom. With all of our soldiers and the magic of our Millennium Items, we should have a sure chance at winning." He flashed a beautiful smile, the afternoon sun reflecting from those cobalt orbs, making them sparkle like the sea.

"Seto. . . stay in here, please?" The Pharaoh, begging. . .

"Yami, my koi, I'll come back. . . and if I don't, then I'll be waiting for you in our next life. . . our next life will be together. . . and I'll be waiting. . ."

He fled from the room, shutting the door behind him, the sound of clashing weaponry and bloodcurdling cries of men as the soldiers and rebels skewed one another with their spears and daggers. Each pained cry made Yami's heart beat faster as any of those could have been his love. . .

. . . and at last the sound died down and faded off. . .

Mokuba was trying to convince his brother to let the two boys stay for a few hours. Yami had finally snapped back into reality, yet Seto Kaiba didn't have any smart remarks to throw out as reasons for them to leave. . . he was lost in a trance, blue eyes blank, a sure signal that he were lost within his own mind.

"Seto?" Mokuba tilted his head, puzzled by his brothers' silence.

"Hn?" Seto finally came to, his eyes half closed as though he had joke woke from a lengthy slumber.

"Are you alright?" The smaller brother gave the older sibling a look of concern.

Seto locked eyes with Yami for a mere fraction of a second before turning on his heels and leaving, "Just keep them away from me, Mokuba. I'll be in my room doing some paperwork, so keep it down."

Yugi scratched at the back of his head, "Well that was weird, don't you think Yami?" He waited a moment, "Yami?"

The crimson-eyed Pharaoh was still staring in the direction in which Seto had disappeared to. Something in his gut told him to follow, but that vision. . . it was much unlike any of the others he had seen before. . . and he had meant to ask about the dream that he had the night before, "Mokuba? Could we go up to your room for a moment? I have a few questions for you and Yugi, and I would like to discuss the matter in private."

"Sure, no problem!"

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"So, Yami, what are the questions?" Yugi folded his hands in his lap and, for once, looked as though he were already thinking over something.

"Well, last night I had a dream. . . it was like another memory. . . and I was wondering if either of you had it as well."

"Not me, Yami."

"Me neither. . . I was kinda hoping that I would see more stuff about my brothers' past life with you, Yami." He snickered a little bit and began to glance around his room as though he had never seen it before, "I know! Why don't you pay my brother a little visit? His room is the door at the very end of the hall! You can't miss it!" He began pulling Yami up, violet/grey eyes beaming with excitement.

"Wait, I don't know about this Mokuba. Your brother said not to bother him."

"Oh please! Just unbutton your shirt a little and make sure to look sexy or something! Catch his attention! Come on! At least try it!"

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Seto pecked away at the letters on his keyboard, but his mind wasn't on his work. 'What was that all about?' He recalled back to when Yami and Yugi had come into his house, he had just been called into the room and told them to leave. . .

"Yami, my koi, I'll come back. . . and if I don't, then I'll be waiting for you in our next life. . . our next life will be together. . . and I'll be waiting. . ."

His hands stopped moving, "This can't be real. I'm going insane, that's the only explanation that there is. I am losing my mind. It's all of this working. . . and Yami and Isis drilling this ancient Egypt bullshit into my head!"

"It isn't bullshit Seto. . . it's the truth, and you know it."

Yami stood just in his doorway, leaning against the frame. The top two buttons on his shirt had been undone, showing off his slightly toned chest. The constricting leather of his pants showed off his slender legs, just as his own pants did to his legs. . . and yet why in the world had the CEO taken the time to notice this about his rival? Toned chest? Slender legs? Where in the Hell was all of this coming from? A little voice in the back of his head screamed that his heart was responsible, but Seto fought that little voice by telling himself that his heart was carved from ice and that it would never betray him like that. His mind was playing little tricks on him again. That happens to someone that is smart, he guessed.

Again he picked up his typing, but he could sense the other teen coming closer to him. Seto froze, eyes sliding over to look towards the right, in Yami Yugi's general direction.

"Seto," The former Pharaoh began, "We need to talk."

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Dun dun duuuuuun --plays evil cliffie music– So yeah, the chapter ends right there! If I subtract an hour or so of doing other things on the internet, I would say that this chappie took me around two hours to type. Expect another chapter sometime before Monday. I'm not making any guarantees, but I am pretty sure that I will have chapter sixteen up pretty soon. As for updates after Monday, you'll have to wait until my Christmas break from school, which begins on December 17th. I may have chapter seventeen up before then, but chances of that happening are pretty slim.

Anyways, I plan to finish this entire story before the end of the year, and I am assuming that it will be about twenty chapters long. No shorter than that. It might go over twenty, but I'm just throwing out a general number.

I've been working on my Seto/Joey fic a little bit. Don't even have one chapter done on it. . . it is amazing how two pages of writing turns into about a page typed. . . it sucks ass, to be rather blunt.

Don't forget to rate and review! The more feedback I receive, the quicker and more likely I am to update! (Looks like I won't be reaching my goal of 140 reviews for this story.)