(Well, back again. I haven't died, not yet. x.x I've just been working on the chap AFTER this one instead of this one. n.n;; Sorry, all. xD;; Heh, snuck on today to post this one, and it's rather… long. :D;;)

Light the Flame

Chapter Ten

Passages

Zvallah's birth was a day of reckoning. He became the youngest member of this clan, this tribe, whatever they were. He was the joy of the place; he lit up the room, even when he could barely open his eyes.

Over time, both Yami and Teana grew to Zvallah, and grew used to raising him. They realized that, the moment he was born, he was first in their lives. They were now second.

Many months passed. Yami found himself wondering one night, how everyone back in Kemet would react to Zvallah's birth. He was standing next to a great bonfire. They were celebrating the fact that Zvallah lived and is healthy after his first few months of life. He was just standing there, Annuay cuddling baby Zvallah. He was by himself, staring at the sky.

"I wonder…" he whispered. Teana snuck up behind him and slid her arms under his and around his waist, leaning her head on his back.

"Mhhmmm…. It's really late, Yami. Zvallah should get to sleep," she said. She nuzzled her head into his back. Yami placed his hands on top of hers. He used his own fingers and stroked hers, closing his eyes. Teana sighed.

"Yeah, I know… go rescue him from your mother," he said, and Teana laughed. Yami turned to face her and kissed the top of her head.

While this was going on, Annuay glanced over. Sati and Kenneth were on either sides of her, looking up.

"Aww, how sweet," Sati said in a mocking way. He stuck out his tongue and glanced at his mother. "They're always doing that. They've been married for three years, and they still act like newlyweds. If Teana could become pregnant – aside from Zvallah – she'd have, like, ten kids by now—" Annuay laughed. She held Zvallah in her arms. The baby giggled and stared up at the three of them.

"That's because they're so in love," Annuay said softly. "It's one of the rare loves in this world. They'll probably be like that the rest of their lives. Unable to keep all of their love for each other contained. They're truly a match by the gods."

"They're… They're so damn cute, it's sickening!" Sati exclaimed. Kenneth laughed. He smiled at the couple who were over by themselves. They seemed to have temporarily forgotten that other people exist besides each other.

Teana had her arms around his waist, and his hands were on her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. They were trapped in an enticing kiss, making onlookers jealous.

"They're… gah," Sati exclaimed. "Mama, you'll see. When Zvallah gets older, they won't be like this, I promise you," he said to his mother. Annuay shook her head and sighed.

"You're just jealous," she said, Kenneth agreeing. Sati stuck out his tongue.

"Look at them! They're practically making out over there…" he said, scoffing. The couple broke apart for a moment, and then kissed again. Sati was probably right.

"Blah…" he said as Kenneth laughed. A few moments later, Teana bounded over, scooping her baby into her arms. Zvallah laughed a high-pitched, bubbly laugh, one that made people around them smile. He was just so… heartwarming.

"Teana, come on," Yami called, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We should go." Teana held Zvallah in her arms and rocked him a bit.

"He's a good boy, Zvallah," Annuay said with a smile. Teana grinned at her mother.

"I love him so much… We're brining him home now. It's really late and he's only a baby, after all." With that, the little family left the area.

As they walked back, Yami found himself wondering again. He could almost picture their reactions; Asenath would, of course, want to see him and cuddle him, since she couldn't have children; Sekhem would talk to him, like he did to everything else; his parents would be nonetheless shocked; and the militia would be happy for him for two reasons – one, he has a child, and two, he had sex. Something they teased him about.

"Your family is really excited about Zvallah," Yami said absentmindedly. Teana stopped walking.

"Yes… why wouldn't they be?" she asked. "He's a newborn; everyone loves newborns."

"I know, I know…" Yami sighed. "I'm just wondering… how would my family react to him?" Teana shrugged and started walking again.

"I think it's most people's natural reaction to be happy when there's a new life," she said slowly. "I think. I'm just assuming…" Zvallah yawned and closed his eyes. He was bigger then when he was born, but still tiny. Teana touched his forehead.

"I bet everyone would love him," she whispered to Yami as they're home appeared in the distance.


After that time, more months went by. Seasons changed, and both Yami and Teana turned a year older. By now, Teana was seventeen and Yami was sixteen. Zvallah was nearly a year old.

That was when they were found.

Yami was just doing what he was supposed to; he was watching the horses and training the younger ones. He was just doing that when someone came running up the hill towards him at dusk.

"Y-Yami!" the boy panted, sliding in the long grass. Yami turned to the young boy.

"Eiri! Eiri, what is it?" Yami asked, walking over to the boy. Eiri panted.

"Kenneth and Sati found some foreigners out in the desert… They brought them back to see if they can save them," Eiri reported. "Teana asked me to get you." Yami nodded and followed Eiri down the hill.

Down the hill and in the depths of the village was a large, tan tent where two foreigners were sitting upright, a little scraped, one a bit sickly, but very much alive. They were from Kemet; the same people as Yami.

Unbeknownst to Yami, they were Jono and Tiet.

"Are you sure you're alright now?" Savannah asked Jono. Tiet coughed and shivered. A blanket was wrapped around him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's Tiet I'm worried about," he said, motioning to his friend. "He's sick."

"I know," Savannah said wistfully. "I'm not sure what to do for him, though. You're going to have to wait until Annuay gets here." Jono nodded. He looked up at Kenneth, one of his saviors.

"I… don't know how to thank you," he said, smiling. "I was sure we would have died."

"I wouldn't have left you there, Egyptian," Kenneth said, winking at his new friend. "I'm not like that."

"Where'd yer friend go?" Tiet asked, rather weakly. Kenneth turned to him.

"Sati? He's my brother and he went to get the youngest member of our village."

"What? Why?" Jono asked incredulously. Why would they care?

"It's said that if the oldest member and the youngest member like you, everyone else is bound to as well," Sati said as he re-entered the tent. He had baby Zvallah in his arms. Zvallah had just begun learning to talk, which was amazing for a baby barely a year old.

"Aww, a baby," Tiet said, grinning. Jono smiled.

"I have a daughter back home," he said. "She's three." Sati knelt down next to Jono.

"This is Zvallah. He's almost one year old and he's our youngest member," he explained. "He's my nephew as well. My sister's son." Sati handed Zvallah to Jono. Jono plopped the baby into his lap and bent down close to him.

"Hi, Zvallah," he said, smiling. Zvallah giggled and reached up to him. Tiet leaned over to glance at Zvallah.

"Hey, he kinda looks a bit like…" he said, trailing off. Jono nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he does… It's the eyes, I think… Strange… they're just like his…"

"His mother is coming," Sati said. Jono looked up.

"Oh, you're sister?" As soon as he said that, Teana entered.

"Sati, where's… Oh," Teana gasped, staring down at the two before her. Both Jono and Tiet looked up in shock.

"Teana!" Teana put a hand over her mouth and fell to her knees. She was in shock; she couldn't believe who was before her.

"Jono! And Tiet! Oh, I missed you!" she cried, hugging them both. She somehow regained her voice from her temporary shock. She hugged each of them in turn, grinning from ear to ear in happiness.

"Teana, we didn't expect to see you here!" Jono said, surprised. Tiet nodded in agreement.

"We didn't know yew lived here," Tiet said in a hoarse voice, coughing. Kenneth was the first to regain his voice from this shock.

"Y-you shouldn't even be awake," he said, walking over and kneeling down next to him. Teana smiled at Kenneth.

"These are the guys I told you about, Kenneth," she said, grinning. Zvallah cooed and called out to Teana.

"Momma!" he called, his arms in the air. Jono looked down in shock at Zvallah.

"Did he… just… call you 'Momma'?" Jono asked, staring at Teana. Teana blushed and reached out, holding the toddler in her lap.

"This… this is my son, Zvallah. He'll be a year old very soon," she said, smiling at Jono. Jono raised an eyebrow.

"You conceived a child? Really? That's… I thought you couldn't have children," Jono said, confused. Teana smiled.

"The gods decided to bless us with him," she said softly. Tiet smiled at her with a tired glance.

"Everyone thinks you're dead," he said softly. He sighed. "At least now, we know you're not."

"Yes, thankfully," she said, smiling. Jono looked down at his hands.

She hasn't mentioned Yami yet, he thought. I wonder if she even knows what happened to him? Maybe they got separated and she hasn't seen him since…

"So, who's son is that?" Tiet asked, catching onto Jono's hunching. Teana glanced down at her son.

"Mine and—"

"There you are," Kenneth said, rather loudly at that moment. He blushed and waved them on.

"Uhh, carry on. I was just, uhh… Well…" Kenneth rolled his eyes. "Teana, lover-boy is here."

"Oh, shut up," Teana said, blushing like mad. Her face turned a dark, dark crimson. She threw a small blanket at him. He was laughing and pointing at her. Teana stuck out her tongue.

"Lover-boy?" Jono asked, snickering. Teana sighed.

"First they used to call him 'Egyptian'. Now it's this." She looked disgruntled.

"He has a name, you moron," she said, smiling. Jono looked straight at Teana. He just at that moment noticed how much older she looked. Her face wasn't as curved and as young as it used to look. She had a more of an experienced air to her, and a more mature one as well. Jono admired her for that. It had been three years, and only Heaven knew what she'd been through in those three years.

Teana noticed the same about her old friends. She didn't realize how much they had changed until she got a good look at them. She never realized how much older then she they really were until she saw them now. She knew that Tiet was twenty at least, three years older then her. Jono had a worn look about him. Maybe because he had a child. She knew that Maia had been pregnant, but she wasn't sure if the baby was born. She assumed it was.

"So, who's this 'lover-boy'?" Jono asked. As soon as he said that, Yami pushed by Kenneth.

"Jono!" Yami stammered in disbelief. Jono gasped and looked up at Yami. Tiet did as well.

"…Yami!" Jono said, partially shocked, partially amazed. His old friend, someone he had assumed to be dead long ago, was standing before him, in perfect health and older. Yami stared at Jono in disbelief. Jono couldn't believe he was seeing Yami like this.

After seeing Yami for his entire life looking like a prince, seeing him looking – and living – like a commoner was a little more then shocking.

"Oh, my God," Yami whispered, falling to his knees beside Teana. Jono and Yami just stared at each other, then Yami leaned in and hugged his friend.

"Jono, I thought I'd never see you again!" Jono laughed.

"I thought the same thing! I don't believe you both made it alive! It's amazing! A miracle!" Jono exclaimed. Tiet was partially lying down, smiling and watching from a low level. Yami smiled.

Jono looked from Teana to Yami, then glanced at Zvallah.

Duh, his brain said, whacking him in the side of his head.

"Lemme guess… he's both of yours?" Jono asked, smiling. Zvallah was the one to answer.

Zvallah noticed that his father was next to him, so he leaned over Teana's arm and reached for his father.

"Da!" he exclaimed happily.


"I… I have news for your, Yami," Jono said slowly. It was the next day, and Yami and Jono had spent the entire time talking and catching up. Teana popped in and out, sometimes with Zvallah, sometimes without. Yami was sitting in the grass on the hill where the horses were, looking rather scruffy to Jono as he sit in the grass, his body more lean from work, his face older, his faded cloak keeping him warm. Yami grinned.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head. Jono sighed collectively.

"Well… The reason Tiet and I were even out here was because… The city is in disarray," Jono said slowly. Yami frowned.

"Why?"

"Things have been getting out of hand, Yami. And it's not good. People have started to panic, because of fear of an attack…" Yami stared quizzically at Jono.

"I don't understand. My father has the Puzzle; how could anything happen?" he asked. Jono closed his eyes.

"Yami… Atemu," he said softly, "I know you love your family a lot. And… it pains me to say this, but… You're father… He's… he's dying, Yami. He got sick a few months ago and hes dying."

Yami's entire body froze.

Dying! My father?

How could he be dying!


It was decided.

Yami was going back to Kemet.

"You can't!" Teana cried later in the day. After a few moments of complete shock, Yami just seemed to break. He didn't start crying or anything, his body just seemed to stop functioning correctly. And it wasn't until later that he spoke again for the first time.

"I'm going back to Kemet."

"But why?" Teana pleaded. "Why now?"

"My father is dying. Something has to be done," Yam explained. He closed his eyes. "Jono told me that the Puzzle won't respond to anyone else besides my father. He thinks maybe… Since it responds to me, too… I could make it respond to Sekhem." He licked his lips. I hope I can…

"But – this is so soon!" Teana protested again. She lowered her eyes to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly as Yami turned to her.

"Listen, Teana. I have to go back. My family needs me there. And I can't deny them. I have to help them." He pulled on his cloak, dipping his hands into the pockets. Teana scrunched her hands into tiny fists. He was going to leave tonight.

No… please… I don't want to lose you again… she thought in her mind. Two tears rolled down her cheeks. She shivered.

"But what about you're family here!" she cried. Yami stopped short, then spun around to face her. "You don't live there anymore! You gave up that life!"

"Teana," Yami said, trying not to lose his temper, "it would be selfish not to go back and help." Teana shook her head, tears rolling down her face.

"But – your father disowned you! You're not a part of that family any longer!" she cried, her fists shaking. She fell to her knees and cried, her arms wrapped around her head. Yami stared down at her. Part of him wanted to go over to her and tell her it would be alright, but another part… It like it. It liked watching her cower in fear and fight back. He felt powerful, almost. He gave a small smile.

"Teana, I'm going. Jono and Tiet are going with me. You can't stop me," he said, and turned on his heal to leave. Teana fell forwards and cried. Yami left the tent – and walked straight into Jono.

"Wha—" Yami said, but Jono grabbed him fiercely by his shoulders.

"Yami! What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, staring into his face. Yami looked puzzled.

"W-what?"

"What do you think you're doing? Go back in there and help her!" Jono nearly screamed in his face. He was shaking, he was so angry. "Only a coward would leave someone he loves in a state like that!" Yami said nothing. The part of him that had glorified over Teana's tears had vanished. Yami turned and stared at the tent. He now felt… indescribable. The pain throbbing in his chest grew to tremendous amounts, and he gulped, staring at the tent flap. He could hear Teana crying inside.

Yami walked forward and pushed the flap back, running towards Teana. He put his arms protectively around her and held her tight.

"Teana… Oh, Teana… I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I…" he trailed off. No words could undo what he did. Teana just cried, shaking at his touch. She had never seen him so rigid, so cruel. He wasn't even that cruel, by the things she'd experienced, but coming from the mild-mannered man he is, it was shocking. Yami just held her, allowing her to bury her face in his chest.

"Teana… I love you… I'm… so… sorry…" Jono was standing in the tent. He crouched down to their level.

"We can't leave yet. Not for a couple days," he explained softly.

"Why?"

"Tiet is still sick," Jono said, pointing his hand over his shoulder. "We'll leave in two days. I'll tell you when I know for sure." With that, he stood and left, leaving Yami to comfort Teana.

Yami was still unsure as to why he had done that. Why had he been so cruel to her? Why had he suddenly gotten the desire to watch her cower? If it weren't for Jono, he would have left her.

Is this a normal thing for people like him? Yami shook his head. No, he decided, I can't be like that any longer. I was like that when I was younger, but I thought I grew out of it. What's wrong now? But he never said anything to his wife. He just held her until it was too dark to see anymore.


(Hehe I don't know why I made Yami such an evil bastard. I just… did. n.n;; Next chap: the chap when they leave for Kemet. Just a chap about Teana's fears, their last night together, and then leaving for… Kemet. :o Hehe, there's some HamixTeana lemon in that chap n.n I couldn't resist. The next chap: Abdication. See ya! ;D)

Shibby-One