Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 2
Author: Sorceress Fantasia
Pairings: S/Y, eventual YYxY, SxJ and maybe some others
Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness
Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO and any of its characters.
Note: I really have no idea how palace life in ancient Egypt was like, so I'm just making up everything in this fic. Erm, just take it as some artistic license. The searches I did didn't really turn up any good information… Oh, and since Yami is pharaoh, expect haughtiness.
Intro: Set in the land of the black soil, Yugi is a servant in Pharaoh Atemu's palace and also, high priest Seto's secret lover. Hidden by his lover, Yugi has never seen the pharaoh or experienced palace intrigues. However, all that is about to change…
Atemu appraised himself in the mirror, occasionally twisting sideways to get a better view. Seriously, even though he was dressed in a servant's attire (albeit a higher status one), he thought he didn't look half bad. In fact, he was sure that if he were to go out of his room at the moment, the servant girls who could not recognize him as the pharaoh would probably swoon over the latest addition to the male servants. Satisfied, Atemu adjusted his shirt once more and started to plan an escape route out of the palace.
Where would Seto be at this time of the day? At the temples, probably, listening to what the gods had to say. So that would mean that he had to avoid that area, which was in the west wing. Of course, he had to avoid the north wing as well, since that was where court was held everyday and all his subjects would no doubt still be lingering at. The south wing was the most heavily guarded area after the north wing, since that was where the main gates to the palace were located, so he would be an idiot going there too. By default, Atemu knew he was headed for the east wing. And he remembered that just a few months ago, some servants had requested for permission to rear a few animals in their quarters in the east wing. The horses would probably prove to be a good escape tool…
…Or maybe not. After dodging the numerous patrolling guards (he praised himself for familiarizing himself with their patrolling stations and routes before attempting his grand escape), simpering subjects and nagging high priests, it annoyed Atemu to find out that two wild beasts were his biggest problems. He glared at the two horses, and they seemed to take delight in glaring back. In fact, he was pretty sure that black horse was even gloating at him.
"Be thankful I need you to help me escape, or you'd be halfway to the slaughter room by now," he grumbled under his breath, ire growing when the white horse neighed in what he thought was a snort.
The pharaoh reined in his temper, and quickly looked for a way to get the horses out of the stable. But the problem was: he had no idea where to start. When was the last time he had been on a horse anyway? Probably some six years ago, when he had still been the crown prince and just looking for a way to kill time more effectively than terrorizing his cousin. And if memory served him right, he had been on the horse for all but a few minutes, all the while led around the area near the stables by a fearful stable boy. Once his subjects thought it was enough, they quickly carried him off the animal's back and didn't stop trembling until his feet were stuck firmly on the ground. They were probably scared to death by the idea of the crown prince falling off the horse and breaking his neck or something. Not that Atemu could blame them. Everyone had been devastated when his younger brother had met his end that way.
But he was the pharaoh now! He was a god living amongst mortals, blessed by the gods above to enjoy a fulfilling life of nobility and pleasure. So there was no fear of him dying so easily, he reasoned. Quickly, he set upon his task of getting a horse out.
Spying a rope nearby, Atemu decided he could make a loop with the rope and then sliding it around the horse's neck. When he succeeded, he would be able to lead the horse out of its stable. It was a simple thing to do. Very simple, in fact.
Finishing up with the loop, he eyed the two horses. The white one looked a lot tamer and… not as large. Atemu was almost tempted to say 'intimidating' when he remembered belatedly that he was the pharaoh and no ruler would be so weak. Or at least admit it out loud. Pushing those thoughts aside, his eyes homed in on the horse he wanted. With the rope in hand, he began to walk towards the stables.
Carefully, he threw the hoop at the white horse, which dodged it rather skillfully with a side step. Atemu tried again, and failed again. Almost agitated by now, he all but hurled the rope at the horses as though it were a whip. That certainly got the black horse's attention, and it took no chances with Atemu, lunging forward to get a bite. On the other hand, the white stallion continued to elude him, occasionally slamming its hooves on the wooden stable.
Suddenly, the pharaoh heard someone yell, "Hey, stop that! You can't take Xanthus away!"
Guilty and caught red-handed, he dropped his rope and spun around. Time seemed to still when he saw who it was trying to stop him.
From the clothes the boy wore, Atemu could tell that he was a servant, but strangely enough, the boy seemed anything but one. His complexion was very fair, almost to the extent of being pale. Those cheeks, however, were flushed in a beautiful shade of red, the same shade as his well-formed cherry lips. His eyes were wide, and under the sun, it was easy to tell they were amethyst. Just like jewels. The strangest thing, though, was the boy's hair, which was styled much like his own. Bangs so golden like they had been kissed by Ra, and black locks that slowly gave way to a tinge of red…
It was impolite to stare at someone. After years of schooling in politics and etiquette, this much Atemu knew. But he just could not help but gawk at the servant boy, and wondering why no one in his harem had ever looked this good.
Then he felt something moving beside him, and he quickly ducked to the side, just in time to avoid an angry bite from the white horse. However, he had been so surprised by the sudden attack that he lost his balance and fell quite awkwardly on his behind. Vaguely, he could hear the damn horses laughing at him.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Atemu blinked. When had the boy gotten to his side?
"Yeah, I think. These are some temperamental horses."
"Well, anyone would be temperamental if someone was trying to kidnap them…" the boy trailed off as-a-matter-of-factly. Then he titled his head in the cutest manner Atemu was sure he had no idea how tempting it was to others and asked, "Who are you anyway?"
"Me? Just someone trying to get a horse…" the pharaoh replied, finally getting up. Combing his bangs back in a careless swipe, he frowned and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me? I /was/ trying to steal something."
He recalled the last time he had borrowed something from Seto's room without permission and a servant girl had seen him, she had ran off screaming in the corridors that there was a thief in the high priest's room. It turned out that in her fear, she had not even realized it was the pharaoh who was inside the room, even if he wasn't exactly wearing his usual garb.
To his surprise, the boy only rolled his eyes.
"Trying being an operative word. You've never done this before; it's quite easy to tell you're really inexperienced, from the way you were using the rope. Add that to the fact that this is the palace and there're guards everywhere, you're probably from the palace too, since you haven't been caught yet…"
Atemu felt a hot blush creep up his face, despite his bristled dignity. Surprisingly though, he wasn't really angry with the boy. Rather, Atemu felt a fresh breath of air in his life; no one had ever talked to him like that before, excluding Seto since he was a special case being his only childhood friend and all. Not to mention this boy was rather attractive…
Feeling he had to say something, he blurted, "You're really observant, aren't you?"
"Well, when you've lived outside the palace like I have, you have to be."
That short sentence took a while to register in the young pharaoh's mind, but when it did, his eyes took on an envious gleam. It was as though he had found his ticket for a trip to the outside world.
"You've been outside the palace before?"
The boy nodded.
"I was living on the streets until about seven months ago," he answered. "Have you never been out there? Were you born in the palace?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I've been cooped up here all my life." Atemu shrugged nonchalantly, but he was extremely bothered by the fact. It made him shudder sometimes when he imagined how he would have to live his entire life inside the four walls of the palace. He bit his bottom lip when the boy cocked his head in that cute way again, seemingly measuring him.
"What's your name? Maybe we can talk about this. I'm Yugi, by the way, a servant in the palace."
That certainly got Atemu's utmost attention. He froze for a moment, wondering what to say. If this boy still hadn't recognized him after conversing for so long, then it was safe to assume he had never seen the pharaoh before, and Atemu wasn't about to reveal his real identity. He had wanted a friend, had he not? A friend who would talk to him like a friend would do, and treat him as such. A friend who did not greet him in the halls like a servant did his pharaoh.
But what name could he use? Suddenly, Seto's voice rang inside his head.
"Honestly, I don't understand this… As your high priest, I'm out and about the palace more than you do, but somehow, your skin's darker than mine. You know what those traders who came some time ago called you? I think it's something like 'yami' or 'yani'… someone told me it means darkness. It definitely suits you, especially your temper."
Atemu had shrugged it off quite offhandedly back then, but now it seemed that he could put it to good use. Decision made, he said to Yugi, "You can call me Yami."
Yugi nodded with a light smile.
"Are you a servant here too?" he asked politely.
For a moment, Atemu was tempted to shout something along the lines of him being the pharaoh, and that pharaohs were by no means a servant of any kind. He was the sole ruler of the great kingdom of Kemet, the son of Ra and the morning star who had the Nile River flowing in his honour! However, the fear of losing a potential friend and companion stopped him from giving in to the temptation.
Instead, he said, "…Yes, I suppose I am. I work directly under the great Pharaoh Atemu." He prided himself on the fact that he actually managed to grit that through his teeth without anything more than a slight waver to his voice.
At least he got a hopeful glimmer from Yugi's eyes for saying that, something he thought made the little one look even cuter, if it were possible. When an envious smile broke forth on Yugi's face, Atemu realized that it was indeed possible.
"Really? So have you been around the palace a lot?"
"Ah, yes of course," he replied. On second thoughts however, he knew it wasn't exactly true. Even as pharaoh and despite having grown up inside, there were some parts of the gigantic palace he had yet to explore. Not only was it because of a lack of time, but he had seldom bothered to step out of the north and the occasional west wing. He supposed he knew those two wings the best only because his room and most of his work were carried out in the north, while the library was in the west. Still, Atemu preferred to ask his servants to fetch the tomes from the library rather than head there himself so he wasn't very familiar with that area either. It was good though; at least it meant that he could avoid those desperate harem girls and boys who had the tendency to grovel at his feet coyly.
But it was a great miscalculation that he had never been to the east wing before, especially if there were people like Yugi around the area.
"Wow… it must be great to be able to walk around so much. I'm pretty much stuck here because all of my work is here, and my friends told me that it's dangerous to wander too far…" – Yugi pouted – "I've never even seen the pharaoh before. In fact, very few people in the east wing have, so we've no idea how he even looks like. I mean, the people who claimed to have seen him all have different descriptions… Sometimes I wonder if they're telling the truth."
That explained a lot, Atemu thought, and something that definitely worked in his favour since it meant that he was virtually unknown here in the east wing.
"Well, the pharaoh is very handsome, but that's all I can tell you. I don't think he would appreciate being described. You know, being the living incarnation of Horus and all, we should be more respectful," he supplied as though helpfully. "Just know that he's a great person."
"Oh…" Yugi replied, expression downcast as he lowered his head. For a moment, Atemu felt guilty for lying to the boy. To say he was surprised when Yugi suddenly perked up again was an understatement.
"But you can tell me how the north wing is like, right? That wouldn't offend the pharaoh, would it?"
"No… No, it wouldn't," he answered, almost in a stammer. For all his life, Atemu had been looking forward to leaving the prisons of the four walls that held him in the palace, longed to abandon the heavy crown he wore on his head, and just for a moment, live like a peasant beyond the palace. Yet, here Yugi was, apparently eager to have a taste of what life was like in court.
There was a strange emotion boiling within him, but he knew it wasn't anger. No, it couldn't be that. It was impossible to get angry at the curiosity and enthusiasm that was so obviously etched onto Yugi's young face. Besides, the little one was just too cute for his own good, he noted again.
"So how is life like?"
"Well…" Atemu trailed off, unsure of where to start and what to say. That was a first in years, if he recalled correctly; his tutors had always taught him well. Then suddenly, he had an idea. He could ask Yugi what life was like outside the palace! Not only would he be able to satisfy his own curiosity, he would also get an idea of what to say.
So this he did, to which Yugi's response was a surprised expression that consisted of a blink of his eyes and a tilt of his head.
"Life outside the palace? Well, I guess you could say…" And he started.
Yugi couldn't remember the last time he had been so interested in someone else's anecdotes about his job. Usually he would try to wriggle his way out of another long-winded storytelling session whenever one of the other servants started to whine about his or her job, and Seto never shared such stories with him before. He remembered asking once, but the older man was reluctant to talk; Seto apparently did not enjoy work very much, even though Yugi thought the man was the classic example of a workaholic.
Yet, Yami had the most amusing way of telling his stories, interspersing serious events with almost comical ones that tickled Yugi's sides. While anecdotal in nature, Yugi found that with the stories, he could finally imagine how life in the north wing was. He even had a very vague idea of the pharaoh's personality. For the umpteenth time, he found himself being envious of Yami's job as the pharaoh's personal servant. At least, it sounded a lot more exciting than /his/ job.
On the other hand, Atemu was enjoying himself immensely as well. It had been a long while since he could let go of his burdens and just interact with another person without the other constantly bowing feebly and fearing of saying the wrong things. Even with his cousin, they were always talking about the country and never just them. It was as though they had both forgotten what it meant to be a normal person. Or in Atemu's case, a human. He had been looked upon and revered as a living god for far too long.
By the time evening came, they had already promised each other to meet again.
Seto was suspicious, and he had a reason to be.
Over the last few weeks, Atemu had finally gotten out of the dumps and his notorious tantrums were easing away. He smiled a lot more, as opposed to the intimidating smirks and grins he used to throw at his subjects, and for once, he was finishing his work on time. Seto still remembered how his cousin had always complained to him that it was physically impossible to just sit down quietly and read the papyrus that stacked up almost like a mountain. However, he could not recall when was the last time Atemu had said such a thing. In fact, there were a couple of days when the pharaoh was even ahead of his scheduled work. It was almost as though the old Atemu, the child he had grown up with, was slowly coming back.
Diligent, wise, and a joy to be around. Or at least tolerable.
It made everyone happy, especially the council and the other high priests. But Seto could not help but be suspicious of the sudden change. Unless there was a life-altering experience, there was no way a person could change so much overnight. However, there was no indication that something /had/ happened. No gossips, no sudden upheaval of the palace routine, no nothing.
Something was definitely off.
But what?
He eyed the pharaoh through narrowed slits, his arms crossing of their own accord.
As if feeling the gaze, Atemu looked up from his desk where he was going through documents and reports. He stared back with confusion.
"What is it?"
For a moment, Seto considered lying and just get the hell out of the room. His instincts told him that whatever had happened to Atemu, he did not want to know. But the curiosity in him emerged victorious.
"I should be the one asking the question. What's happened to you? You've changed."
Atemu raised an eyebrow.
"Changed? How so?"
"Well, you seem to be a much better mood these days. In fact, it's been this way since a few weeks ago. Did something happen to you?"
Putting down the papyrus he had been reading, Atemu gave him a crooked grin, one that reminded Seto of a child who had managed to snatch something off the kitchen tables without the chef knowing. How did the servants describe that satisfied look? Oh yes. Atemu looked like a Bastet's child that had eaten a bird, and was about ready to lick its paws.
"It's nothing actually."
"Nothing you'd want to tell me, I guess," Seto muttered indignantly. Then he noticed the grin that was still gracing his cousin's lips, and he knew how to get his answer.
"Since you don't wish to tell me, I suppose I'd better leave you alone." And he made to leave.
Atemu cocked his head, perplexed.
"You don't wish to hear?"
Score!
"Well, you don't seem like you wish to share, whatever has happened to you," Seto replied simply, his voice not betraying any of his delight at snarling Atemu.
However, he was surprised when the pharaoh waved him off and returned to his work.
"I shan't waste my breath then. You don't seem really to be curious about this anyway. But don't you think you should be leaving now? Usually, you're at the temple by this time."
Seto took a quick look outside the window and had to stifle a gasp. Atemu was right; judging by the position of the sun, it was already mid afternoon. It was simply unbecoming and unacceptable for the high priest to be late for his daily prayers! Sputtering out a hasty farewell, he hurried off, unaware of the mischievous grin Atemu was sporting.
As the saying went, when the cat is not around, the mice will come out and play.
Once he was sure Seto was already at the temple, Atemu quickly shooed off the guards by his door and went back into his room to don the set of ragged clothes he always wore for a nice day off. Shooting a glance around the corridors, he dodged into the shadows and made a beeline for the chance to become Yami the servant again.
Atemu was sure he was smiling widely as he rushed over to the royal gardens in the east wing. Lately, he discovered, the simple thought of Yugi would put a smile on his face and there was hardly anything that could knock it off. Seto was not the first one to point it out to him. Somehow, it seemed like the little one was a gust of cool breeze that blew away the clouds that had shut him away, and brought him back out to where the sunlight was. Or he was the boy who lived in an oasis, the one who offered Atemu a scoop of water and shelter after being stranded in the vast desert for days. Whatever it was, there was no doubt that Yugi made him happy.
But Atemu knew that if any of his council or the high priests knew the reason for his recent good mood, they were bound to freak out. Yet, he saw nothing wrong with that; after all, being the ruler of Kemet, he was at least entitled to a little bit of fun. If that meant he had to sneak out in a servant's robes and befriend a servant, then so be it.
At least, Yugi had brains. While others came to him with problems, Yugi came to him with solutions.
Moreover, Yugi had made him appreciate his life more than he ever had. The stories of orphans living on the streets of the cities, unsure if they would have food for their next meal, or even wake up the next morning, were told with such vivid details Atemu had no trouble guessing that Yugi had been one of them. He also heard about how children were snatched up from their beds and never seen again, how his people toiled day and night for money that would be robbed away from them anyway, and how some street merchants would chop off an old man's arms just for stealing a piece of bread.
Atemu was convinced that he wasn't ready for a visit outside just yet, and motivated to work harder so he could provide his people with a better life. All that because of Yugi.
That wasn't all they talked about, however. They talked about everything under the sun, from their hobbies to their wishes, from their duties to their life prior. Of course, Atemu had to lie a bit, but on the whole, he thought he was holding up the truth as well as he could. And he always subtly steered their conversation away when it got dangerous. However, he was surprised at how normal he could be when he was with Yugi.
Yugi's physical attractiveness endured him even more to the young pharaoh. Atemu still had to stop himself from touching the other too much, or gaze at him too many times for too long. But it was difficult, and even got harder and harder with passing day. He had long lost count of how many times he desired to bring Yugi's slim waist closer and caress his smooth complexion, gaze into his amethyst pools, cup his flushed cheeks and lean in for a taste of those supple lips.
He had dreams about all that. Oh yes, he had plenty of dreams about that.
At night, as he lay in his sheets, he imagined Yugi pinned under him, writhing and thrashing. Sometimes, Yugi would pull him down for a sweet kiss and ask that he be loved. Other times, he would completely dominate the little one with his roaming hands and teasing kisses.
But no matter how it turned out to be, Atemu loved it.
He couldn't understand it though, how no one before Yugi had ever managed to elicit such a response out of him. Not one concubine, not one harem member, or even any of the palace maids, gave the pharaoh dreams as erotic as Yugi did. Neither did they make butterflies flutter in his stomach with one look, make his insides warm with a cheerful wave, or make something stir within him with just a smile.
It was a bittersweet experience; Atemu never knew how it could hurt from being in love, but it did. His heart ached when he thought of days he could not meet Yugi.
However, today was not one of those days. Having cleared most of his work, he could sneak out for a secret rendezvous again. Yugi was probably feeding the horses at this time, as he did almost everyday, so it would not be difficult to see him.
Atemu felt his spirits lift at that simple thought.
It was taking much too long. Where was Yugi?
Atemu craned his neck to peer around the stables, where both Incitatus and Xanthus were neighing softly but were otherwise quiet, as though hungry babies whining for milk but too tired to make a big fuss for the attention. Yet, there was also a strange anxiety in the way they swung their tails. It wasn't just them though; Atemu was worried as well. In all the time he knew Yugi, the little one had never once been late to feed the horses. Sure, there was always about half an hour give or take to which the time he would turn up, but it was already well pass the hour by now.
Something was off.
The pharaoh was already aching to get the guards to comb the area for any trace of his beloved, but it would give his disguise away. Besides, he wasn't too sure if the guards would recognize him in these rags. If they didn't, well, Atemu might have to get acquitted with the prison cells and his high priests would no doubt find out about his frequent escapades. And probably after Seto laughed in his face, he would get the lecture of his life and Yugi might be forced to leave the palace even.
Before his worry could become full-blown panic, however, Yugi turned around the stables and ran towards him with a bucket of horse feed.
"Oh, hi Yami!" he yelled before running right up to the horses and feeding them. Patting Xanthus softly on his mane, he apologized, "I'm sorry for being late. Are you two very hungry? I'm sorry!"
Atemu couldn't help but laugh aloud at Yugi's concerns, at how he was currently trying his best to placate the two temperamental animals while they focused on stuffing their faces as quickly as they could. He doubted that they even registered anything but the food. Still chuckling, he walked up and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulders.
"Calm down, Yugi. The horses are eating now, aren't they? They'll be fine."
"I guess, but I just feel so guilty letting them starve like that. They must be famished by now," Yugi answered sheepishly with a scratch of his head.
"They'll be fine," Atemu assured, looking to his side where Incitatus was taking a big bite of hay and happily munching on it. "But what happened to you? You've never been this late before!"
Somehow, Yugi blushed and he started to fidget uncomfortably.
"I well… I broke some plates when I was in the kitchen earlier, so I erm… volunteered to stay behind to help clean up. But when I was cleaning up, I… I erm… I broke more stuff. So well… I've just been banned from going near anything that's breakable now, especially the things in the kitchen."
As Yugi shuffled and fidgeted more in his embarrassment, Yami could only find himself enchanted by the redness in Yugi's cheeks and how it seemed to accentuate his high cheekbones. He snickered, however, when Yugi mentioned that he was now banned from the kitchen.
"You're so clumsy, Yugi. But I guess that's what so cute about you," he said with a chuckle.
As expected, he was rewarded with a deepening blush. Pushing his advantage with Yugi so unguarded, Atemu reached out to take Yugi's hands in his own, gently caressing them. Ever since the pharaoh had first laid hands on the smooth complexion, something that was a rarity for servants, he had dreamed about touching more and more of the fair skin. Yugi was, in his eyes, getting more beautiful with each passing day.
Suddenly, he noticed a blotch of red on those hands. When he tightened his grip, a bead of blood started to gather slowly.
"Yugi, you're bleeding!"
"I am?" the boy asked, his wide eyes blinking. Taking a good look at his hand, he said, "Oh yeah, you're right. I /am/ bleeding. I guess the broken plates sliced my skin apart when I was cleaning up earlier."
Before Yugi could say anything more, Atemu had dragged him to a nearby well and getting water to clean the wound.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Atemu asked as he dabbed the blood away with some water. When Yugi winced, he frowned and his actions stilled. It hurt him to see Yugi in pain, even if it was just a small cut on his palm. Just what were the other servants thinking? Letting his Yugi doing such menial labour and letting him get hurt? He fumed inwardly.
"I'm fine, Yami. It's just a small cut. I always cut myself anyway, so I'm used to it," Yugi chirped despite a sharp spike of pain.
Atemu stopped in his gentle administrations again in surprise.
"Always? You're always getting hurt? But why?"
"Oh, I'm just a natural klutz. Always breaking stuff and falling down…" the amethyst-eyed boy made a sheepish face at that.
Surely it wasn't that simple, Atemu thought. As soon as he could manage, he was going to make sure Yugi was protected at all times. Then an idea hit him like a beam of light, and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it sooner. The fact that his little one had always yearned to know more about palace life outside of the east wing was going to make it easier.
"You know, Yugi? I've been thinking about something the past few days," he started as he continued to clean up the cut. "The pharaoh wants to have a new personal servant; the old one's really not doing his job too well. In fact, I think he just messed up one of the pharaoh's orders the other day."
Before he could talk more, Yugi interrupted, "What's going to happen to him? He's not going to be… killed, is he?"
"No, no…" Atemu stuttered in surprise. Of all the things he had expected the little one to say, this one was way, way down at the bottom of the list.
"Yami, erm… you talk to the pharaoh, don't you? Could you ask him to… you know, forgive his personal servant? I'm sure he didn't mean to mess up anything…" Yugi pleaded through jagged bangs, having lowered his head earlier. He pulsed his lips.
Despite his surprise, the darker teen laughed. Not at Yugi's insolence, as others would say if they had heard Yugi's plea, but at himself, for being surprised in the first place. After knowing Yugi for so many weeks, after spending so many evenings with the little one and sharing so many conversations with him, Atemu should have known Yugi's kindness extended to everyone he knew. Or in this case, someone he didn't even know about.
Yugi was the perfect person to stay by his side.
He smirked.
"Sure, I will ask the pharaoh to forgive his personal servant. But anyway, seeing that the servant's going to be replaced no matter what, I was thinking if you wanted the job instead?"
"Me… Me?" Yugi exclaimed, pointing at himself.
"Yes, you. I've talked to the pharaoh about you before, and he seems to be quite pleased. I think he likes you."
"What did you tell him? And what did he say?"
"Well, I just told him about this cute little servant in the east wing who does his job diligently and has a knack with temperamental horses," Atemu teased, enjoying it when another blush crept up Yugi's cheeks. "He said quite a lot about you, but I think you should hear it from him personally."
"How is that possible? You know I'll never see him. I'm just a lowly servant after all…"
When Yugi looked down again, Atemu lifted his head with a gentle finger.
"Don't say that. You're a servant, but you're not lowly. You are Yugi."
Yugi blinked for a while before he smiled.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for being silly… again." He laughed.
Atemu returned the laugh in good humour.
"No problem. But anyway… If you accept the job, you'll be one of the highest-ranking servants in the palace. No one would dare mess with the pharaoh's personal servant! And you'll get to work in the north and west wings! Haven't you always wanted to get out of here? I think you should go for it."
"But…"
"No buts, Yugi. This is a chance of a lifetime! I've already arranged for you to meet the pharaoh tomorrow night, in his room. A servant will come over to fetch you, so you don't have to worry about getting lost," he said simply, making a mental note to ask Shimon, his advisor and all-around mother hen, to clear his schedule for tomorrow night.
"You've already arranged for it? But I… this is all so fast. I… I…" Yugi frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not the best person out there for this job. I'm always messing things up."
Well, that was easy to solve, Atemu thought. He could always get a personal attendant for Yugi, so all the little one had to do was accompany him around and talk to him.
"Don't worry, Yugi. Things will be fine. Just meet the pharaoh tomorrow and everything will be fine. Let him decide if you're suitable for the job."
When Yugi looked like he wanted to object again, Atemu decided he needed a distraction. Quickly, he brought Yugi's hand, the one he had just cleaned and never let go, to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. He was disappointed when Yugi's hand shot back almost immediately.
"Yami, I…!"
"Don't misunderstand, little one. My mother once told me that if you kiss a wound, it'd make the pain go away. I just don't want you to hurt."
Yugi's nervousness seemed to seep away like water in a net at those words, and he visibly relaxed.
"O… oh. I'm… I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Atemu replied, sliding off the side of the well. "Come, Yugi. We should be heading back to our jobs."
Yugi, still blushing and cradling his hand, nodded. Silently, he followed Atemu.
Before him, the young pharaoh was already planning what to tell Yugi tomorrow. Vaguely, he wondered how envious Seto would be over his new personal servant. Surely, even someone as cold as Seto would be dazzled by Yugi's beauty.
-tbc-
Replies to reviews:
Master Elora Dannan - Thanx!
darleneartist - Sorry this chappie took such a long time, but RL sucks. Anyway, I did make this chappie extra long. Did it make up for the lapse in time? Heh.
xamosy - Nope, I don't mind. Really! Thanx for the review!
Tiger Witch - Updated!
Pharaoh Atemu's Angel - Ha... thanx for telling me about the rating. I must have missed it when i was uploading it. Thanx!
Usagi1313 - Updated... finally!
Fuji Fox - Their relationship is confusing huh/lol/ Well, glad you like! BTW, are you still around? I haven't heard from you in a long while...
Citrus luver - Wow... you're really good at guessing plots huh? Ha, but Yami's not telling Yugi his real name not because the latter didn't pass his trust test. But I'm sure you know the reason for it now. Thanx!
Duelgirl - Really? I'll be reading it then. Thanx!