Disclaimer: Takahashi-sama I am not. A lowly fanfiction authoress I am. Talk like Yoda I do. Seen Star Wars too many times I have. Own Yuugiou and Star Wars I do not.

Dusk Dancing

Hamana- Steps of True Soul, Part One

King Akhenemkhanen slammed a hard fist on his desk, in front of which Atemu was standing.

"Exactly WHAT the BLOODY HELL was THAT?"

The teen looked down, fighting to contain all the thrashing emotion within him as his stomach churned.

"WELL?"

"I... I..."

"YOU WHAT? You just BROKE THE LAW, my son, and you have NOTHING to say for yourself?"

"No."

"NO? Then why don't I fill you in, eh? You KISSED an ENGAGED female, engaged yourself! The Prince and High Honored Dancer of Eythereau, each engaged, kissing! Do you have any idea the trouble this is going to give me? The two of you are the most respected teenagers in Eythereau, our FUTURE, and you just went and-"

"I know, Father."

A look of disgust crossed the king's face at his son's words. "You DARE interrupt me after THAT?"

"Look, I know what I did!"

"Then what's your excuse?"

"I..." He looked down, voice drifting off, and swiped at the corners of his stinging eyes.

"WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?"

Atemu felt raw emotion rise up within him, flaring heat and rage. His hands balled into fists and his breathing became jagged as he fought to control the seemingly never-ending mountain of feelings growing within him.

"I don't have one."

"Then that was for nothing? You just decided to get a kiss from a nice girl?"

"NO."

"What, then?"

"You always said excuses were for the weak, who didn't have a better route out of things. I. Don't. Have. One."

"Don't get fresh with me! You're in no position to, after what you just did, getting both yourself and Anzu in trouble-"

"DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON ANZU! IT WASN'T HER FAULT! IF YOU EVEN TRY TO DO ANYTHING TO HER, I SWEAR, I WILL-"

"Atemu, control yourself!" the king cut his seething son off.

"..." Atemu didn't respond to his elder, just turned his back, panting.

Gods, don't mess this up, don't mess this up! Anzu... she has to get out of this!

Akhenemkhanen waited for the boy to turn back around to face him before speaking again. Much to the prince's surprise, his tone was soft.

"Anzu is not going to be touched."

"Sh-she's n-not-t?" Atemu cursed his voice for breaking up in pace with his threatening tears, looking up to his father.

"She will be spared any and all punishment, if you tell me why you did that." He suddenly looked tired, helpless. "Why, Atemu?"

What am I supposed to tell him? I don't know why!

"I don't know... honestly, I don't know."

"Why not?" The man looked like he was contemplating whether to hug or strangle the teen, or somewhere in between. His face was contorted, his breath steady yet strained, having the effect that he wasn't human, but embodied human spirit, nearly. It was odd to an onlooker's eyes, yet seemed natural. Yet unnatural.

"I DON'T KNOW, ALL RIGHT? One second we were dancing, the next we were kissing... I don't know what happened."

The king stood up. "There's more to this that you're not telling me."

Atemu gulped, wringing his left hand with his right.

"Tell me, or I will punish Anzu."

"We... we kissed at the masquerade offering."

"YOU WHAT?"

"We... we did just what I said, Father. I thought she was Shizuka and she thought I was Johnny, and we..."

"Yet you went and kissed again?"

"I... yes."

"When you knew it was against the law."

The teen's fists again clenched tight. "I couldn't stop it. I didn't know it was going to happen."

"You're possibly the most intelligent person in all of Eythereau, and you couldn't keep from kissing an engaged female, is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS USE MY INTELLIGENCE GIFT AGAINST ME LIKE THIS? I COULDN'T CONTROL IT! IF I COULD HAVE, I WOULD HAVE!"

"You absolutely, in no way whatsoever, could have helped yourself from doing that?"

"Weren't you this age once? Don't you know that sometimes things are just out of your control...? That's what you told me, a few years ago, when my emotions really started to make me physically sick a lot. You said that we can't help everything, and that some things just happen, and we have to accept things and move on, and forgive one another for our mistakes. You said I was going to make mistakes; everyone does. You said that as long as my whole heart and being was sorry, and that as long as I tried as hard as I could to fix things, both you and the gods would forgive me. I don't think this should be any different."

The king surveyed his son's face, not speaking.

"You know what, just lock me away in the dungeons. Just damn lock me up and get it over with."

"I'm not going to."

"You're... what?"

"I just tested you, you know, and you passed brilliantly."

"What? How?"

"This test is applied to all who break the law. The tester calls attention to all the tested's weaknesses, all their faults, everything they've done wrong, and your test is to get past it. We toy with your emotions, and you have to stay calm and think clearly. It's a way of proving yourself worthy of not being punished. The gods themselves created this method of testing people's souls."

Atemu stared at his father, stunned. "So... Anzu and I... we're cleared?"

The king's brow furrowed. "Not entirely."

"Why not?" The prince's voice rose in his anxiety. "I passed your test, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I have also learned that I need to put you though another."

"That's not fair!"

"It is. Listen." He held his hand forward, palm up, a small orb of energy forming within it. Atemu recognized his own voice coming from it.

'DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON ANZU! IT WASN'T HER FAULT! IF YOU EVEN TRY TO DO ANYTHING TO HER, I SWEAR, I WILL-'

Akhenemkhanen snapped his hand shut, the magic disappearing.

"What was that about?"

"I think it's easy to see, really. Your reaction made your feelings towards Anzu all too obvious to me."

"And...?"

"You and Anzu... your challenge is to not show or express any romantic feelings whatsoever towards each other for a month, and your future husband and wife are to make sure of it."

"You mean... I won't get to see her for a whole month?"

The king looked sad, but reluctantly brought himself to say what he had to.

"No. Believe me, I wish it was that easy. You're to spend every second of every day with each other, dance with each other at every dance, sit next to one another in every class. This time it's not your soul that's being tested, Atemu," he continued as his son's face paled, "It's your control. And if you lack it, you will be punished by the gods. Tomorrow's dance is the hamana, the extractor of the soul. If you lose control over yourself during that dance, the gods will show you no mercy."

Aren't they, TheOldOne?

Thanks, ANZUXATEM4EVER!

Thankies also, Electric Fire. You know what's weird? I have never in my entire life had a twinkie. Are they easy to get high off? Yesh, poor Mokuba. But hey, at least he doesn't make an UGLY girl!

And mucho thankies to you, Bradybunch4529. -huggles- Ahem. Sorry, couldn't resist. I huggles lots. And wow, your review made me feel good! Though, I don't think this chapter was as good as the other ones. -sigh- But what can ya do, eh? ;) (Er... that smiley is a winking person, by the way... it's sideways... and the suqiggly thingy is the nose... right then.)

Yes, HealingOpal, of course there was a 'loop hole.' This is sappy me we're talkin' about, here. There had to be! But they're gonna have it hard, I can tell you that. Shizuka? I don't really KNOW what I'm going to do with her yet, actually. Go me, eh? But she's a good girl; she didn't kiss anyone at the masquerade. We'll have to do something nice for her, though... maybe she can have Johnny, since I'm ditching him as well... My organization just rocks, doesn't it? (Major sarcasm there, in case you somehow missed it.)

Yuppers, Attic Flower! Everyone. Aren't I so NICE to them? Thanks!

Dear Ra yes, The flickering flame. LOL!

So there ya go, see ya'll next update! Peace-ouT!