A/N Yu-gi-oh's not mine... blah blah blah

B.E.W.DWarriorPrincess: Thanks for your faithful reviews. I'm really glad you like my story.

WiNdScArBaBe: Here's a bit of a spoiler for you... Your light side may be happy with the story now, but if you stick with it through to the end, your dark side will enjoy it, too. Oops... I've said too much. 0:)



This trend continued for months. Every night, Seth would beat Safiya, and every night, she would steal away to the Pharaoh's quarters where he would tend to her wounds. But Atemu had learned to control himself during the day by not looking at Safiya while Seth was around. He could not stand the guilt of feeling that he was responsible for her pain. And just as he had learned to control himself, she had learned to control herself. She no longer lifted her eyes from the floor when she was around the Pharaoh. In spite of this, Seth continued to beat Safiya in the evening, and every night, after he fell asleep, she would find healing in Atemu's gentle touch. But one night, things changed drastically.


Safiya went through her day as usual. She performed all of her duties quickly and efficiently, and she even avoided Atemu's eyes during the noonday meal. In effect, she made herself invisible. She did nothing wrong and brought no attention to herself. And when night fell, she felt confident that her beating would be light and she could spend a peaceful evening with the Pharaoh.

When she returned to her room, she was singing softly, looking forward to seeing Atemu again. She sat on her chair, loosened her hair, and was combing through it when Seth came in. He angrily ripped the thin dividing curtain down and threw it to the floor. She spun around just in time to see the back of his hand make contact with her cheek. She fell to the floor, her head whirling. She thought back over the day, recalling nothing that would upset him this much. Panic began to set in. Never before had she seen him this angry, not even when she had talked back to him.

He walked over to her and grabbed her throat. Lifting her from the floor, he dragged her, struggling, to his bed. When he finally threw her down on the bed, she drew in a deep breath. Breathing heavily and shivering in fear, she awaited his next move.

Taking a hold of his whip, he spoke harshly. "I should just kill you now." He traced the outline of her face with his whip. "If I didn't enjoy your beauty so much, you would already be dead." He leaned in to kiss her, and she did not put up a fight, but she did not make it easy for him. When he finally pulled away, he searched her eyes. "There is something different about you." He grabbed her jaw and forced her to look at him. He let go of her jaw and back-handed her once again. "You are in love with the Pharaoh!" Overwhelmed by extreme hatred, she lost control and spat in his face.

He slowly and deliberately stood back and wiped the spit from his face. He then leaned into her ear, his hot breath burning her neck. "You will regret that before this night is over."

He grabbed her arm and threw her down onto the floor. She quickly turned her thoughts to Atemu, the one who could and would save her. Seth proceeded to whip her back and legs with a vehement rage, and when she thought he was finishing, he grabbed her arm, rolled her over and began to whip her stomach, chest and face. For the first time she was forced to watch Seth as he beat her. She watched as the whip cracked down over her body, splitting her skin. When he seemed to be loosing interest, she looked up into his eyes. He met her gaze and his hatred was rekindled anew. With one ferocious crack of the whip, he caught her across her open left eye. For the first time in all of his beatings, she screamed out in pain. She instinctively closed her eyes and her hands instantly flew to her face. But before she could reach her wounded eye, he had dropped his whip and grabbed her wrists. "Look at me," he ordered.

"No," she sobbed.

"Look at me now or I will kill you!" She slowly turned her head towards his voice and opened her eyes. She cried out again when she realized that she could no longer see out of her left eye. "What's wrong, dear Safiya? Can you not see?" He laughed, spit on her, and left her to bleed to death on his floor.

As soon as he left the room, she forced herself to stand. She was losing blood quickly, and if she didn't reach Atemu soon, she would never see him or anyone else again.