Potential
By RWThunder
Chapter Five – Kiss From A Rose
The next vision took place beside a great river, most likely the Nile, as Seto accurately presumed. Seth was seated amidst the reeds, his feet dangling in the water. He seemed older.
"Seth was captivated by the prince. That scene in the courtyard was the first time he had ever seen the pharaoh's son—his future king. It was not the last, as we will find. It is important to know that Seth was impressed by Atemu; many traits in the prince that only Seth was studious enough to observe intrigued him.
Realize that none aside from his parents understood or knew Atemu very well—Seth saw him in many ways that others did not, that is one of the main reasons that caused their destinies to become intertwined." Isis explained.
"How long has it been since the last…?" Seto began.
"A year. Seth has not seen the prince since that time." The priestess answered smoothly.
"Why not?" The CEO began, almost disappointed.
"Very few were privileged enough to look upon the royals even once in their lives—save for the council and the prince's teachers. It was forbidden—unless you too were royal—to ever look the pharaoh or his family in the eyes. Touching the skin of a king or his kin was punishable by death. The nobles of Egypt were gods on earth, Kaiba, they were removed and placed on high pedestals were none could reach. Such was the way, such was the law." Isis responded.
"But I—Seth saw the prince, does that mean he could have been killed if anyone had noticed?" Seto asked indignantly.
"Possibly. It would be doubtful considering Seth's role in the grand scheme of things—being a member of the future council, that is. But as you will see, Seth committed a much more terrible crime than that."
It seemed to be about midday. The blue-eyed teen had closed his eyes and was breathing evenly through his nose—entering into noon prayer. He had taken his feet out of the water and was now seated on his crossed legs, hands folded in his lap, back straight.
He remained like this for a long while, pursing his lips every so often or furrowing his brow in concentration. There was no wind in the place he had picked and insects avoided him as though they were aware of his stature.
Here the Nile flowed close to the palace, quite close. It was for this reason that the running water was quiet enough to not disturb Seth's mediation; the rocks had long been cleared from the channels of the Nile that ran near the palace—if only to make bathing more pleasant.
Seto was beginning to feel slightly uneasy with the amount of random knowledge he retained as he gazed around the area—everything from the reeds to the temple in the distance becoming more and more familiar.
"What is the meaning of this memory, Isis?" He asked, watching as his younger self sat motionless, just breathing.
"Patience, Kaiba." The Egyptian replied. They observed the scene silently from then on.
Faintly, the CEO thought he heard splashing nearby. Ignoring the sound, Seto placed himself alongside his darker counterpart and waited patiently for the significance of the scene to reveal itself.
Suddenly, Seto heard the splashing again—closer—and watched as a dark shape appeared further out beneath the water.
In a fountain of crystalline droplets, a figure broke through the surface to stand waist deep, soaking wet, in the river Nile. Shoving his sopping hair from his face and giving his head a firm shake, prince Atemu effectively made his presence known to Seth—who was gaping across the water at him.
Crimson eyes that reflected the dark ripples of the stream turned towards the young priest, holding his gaze firmly. Seto realized then that this was not something that he—that Seth was not supposed to see. He was aware then of the fear in Seth's eyes and also of the lustful flush spreading across his face.
The prince seemed unfazed by the presence of the other. The smirk on his face gave away his obvious enjoyment of the attention Seth's eyes were giving him, however.
To be the very image of nobility and yet to behave at times as though he was filled with nothing but mischief—how like Yami. Seto mused, trying to convince himself that he was not nearly affected by the sight of the prince as he truly was.
Presently, Seth opened his mouth to speak but, as though aware of the fact that they had already gone too far, the prince cast him a final smile before throwing himself back into the water and swam around the river bend.
"By Ra…" It seemed that Seth had finally found his voice—if a few seconds too late. The Egyptian was positively shaking and Seto could understand why.
The priest had seen Atemu once before, but one year of training like Seth had witnessed in the courtyard had not failed to make itself noticeable in the Prince's appearance.
"We can only speculate, of course, but this is probably when Seth's 'obsession' with the pharaoh's son truly began." Isis said suddenly.
"Based merely on physical attraction?" The CEO asked indignantly, unable to hide the hint of desire in his voice.
"To a degree—but Atemu captivated Seth in many ways: for one, he was the heir to the throne and the king's only son; those facts alone could attract major interest in anyone. But Seth also knew that they were peers and what he saw in the prince he admired." The bank of the Nile was slowly beginning to fade away.
"We are jumping somewhat—but I will explain that Seth soon began trying to see Atemu intentionally. Do not judge these actions however, they were both young and the motives were innocent. Perhaps he wanted to talk with the prince, maybe to spend time with him; regardless, there was never an opportunity for the two to be alone together.
Because of his name, status, and reoccurring presence around the royal family, Seth did manage to capture Atemu's attention. For three years they shared speechless eye contact, catching sight of each other once a month or so throughout the palace and grounds. Understand that just meeting eyes with the prince was enough to have Seth punished severely." The priestess said bleakly.
--
A dark chamber materialized around them and Seto recognized it as the room where he had first seen the queen. Now the bed was occupied by her husband, however, and it was her turn to tend to him as he drew in breath after strangled breath.
"What is he…?" Seto began
"He is dying." Isis replied simply.
"How old is he?" The brunette asked as he tried to get a better view of the sweating face shadowed by the bed curtains.
"His majesty is thirty-eight; for this time in history, it is a mature age. Old, almost." She explained.
"And how old is Yami at this point?" The CEO didn't know why it mattered but somehow his mind was remembering how young he himself had been when both of his parents died.
"The prince was eighteen when his father died—he took the throne in the same year. The same age as you, now, Seto—when you took over Kaiba Corporation." Seto was silent at this.
Very suddenly the pharaoh's body seemed to jerk and tense up. Straining hands clenched around bunches of silk and the observers could see his knees shaking under the blankets. The queen stroked his forehead as she cried silently, moving a cold compress routinely from his neck, to his chest, to his head.
There was a pause.
"My love…?" The queen's voice came as a shaky whisper and she leaned over her husband, shaking him lightly. Egypt's leader gasped sharply and his dark eyes went wide for a moment—then there was silence.
Still weeping, the new widow lifted the thick gold circlet gently from the king's head and drew the sheets over his body.
Just then, a servant bearing a pitcher of fresh water entered the room, freezing when she saw the state of both royals.
"Bring in my son." The queen said firmly, unable to suppress the tremor in her voice. The slave nodded and went out the way she had come—her steps noticeably more hurried.
Moments passed when the only sound in the room was the queen's ragged breathing and the occasional sniffle. Then, Atemu stepped into the dark chamber, stopping—just as the servant had—when he looked upon his parents
"Mother…" He began uncertainly, his voice a little deeper than the last time the vaporous visitors had heard it.
"Come here, love." She said gently, wiping the tears from her eyes with a ring-bedecked hand.
The prince walked slowing, almost fearfully, toward the queen—eyeing the gold head piece in her grip.
"Your father told me to tell you goodbye." His mother whispered and got up from her place on the edge of the bed. Atemu said nothing. "It's your time, my darling." The queen continued. Then, breathing deeply, she placed the crown upon his head and lowered herself onto her knees before her son.
"The kingdom is undoubtedly in good hands with you, my pharaoh." Seto could only imagine what those impersonal words meant to her only child.
"Mother, please, don't…" Atemu protested, starting to bend down.
"No, Atemu—your majesty—you should inform the council of the king's passing." She said fiercely, pushing him away. They were still for a moment, the queen staring at the ground, refusing to meet the eyes of her son.
Then, abruptly the former prince dropped down onto the stone before she could stop him and threw his arms around his mother. Seconds of silence and stillness passed—then the queen began crying in earnest into Atemu's shoulder, hugging him back.
"He's gone…and you, now I've lost you as well…" She sobbed, clinging to her son protectively. The crimson-eyed youth closed his eyes and stroked her back—but said nothing.
Seto understood. Now was the moment of transition: his days of being carefree were now over, he had to run a country, had to pretend his father's death meant nothing, had to let his mother cry and not join her. After waiting his entire life and preparing, the weight of his purpose had finally fallen heavily onto Atemu's shoulders.
The room began to fade.
"Isis…" Seto said, unable to shake the image of the former prince choking down his misery as he comforted his mother.
"I will explain everything, Kaiba. Seth and his five companions immediately replaced the old council and Atemu was coroneted after his father was put to rest in his tomb. A week after he became pharaoh, his mother died as well."
"What?" The CEO briefly saw Mai's face in his mind.
"Some say she died of grief but only Yami would know exactly how it happened. He was the one who found her and was, supposedly, with her at the time. The 'how' is not important, however. What is significant is that Atemu was without anyone to lean on, not to mention support or care for him. He was still a teenager and, naturally, this position was not ideal for him. This is where you come into the bigger picture." The priestess said as a large throne room appeared.
"You mean Seth?" Seto asked testily.
"Of course. As I was saying, at this point he became much more important in the pharaoh's life. You see, after his mother's death, Atemu chose who his high priest would be from among the council; he remembered Seth, he chose him." Isis continued.
"Why him? It didn't sound like they connected very much." Seto asked, thinking back to Isis' description of their limited relationship after the Nile incident.
"On the contrary, Atemu connected with Seth more than anyone else—beside his parents. You forget, looking at a royal directly in the eyes, was punishable by death. Seth did this unabashedly and not in insolence, but in interest and admiration genuine enough for the prince to notice.
When you are completely cut off from the world, sometimes a stranger who simply smiles at you or runs into you often enough can become a comfort, a constant—a friend in a strange way.
Whatever the reason, Seth was the closest thing Atemu had to a companion or confidant and that was important to him." As the priestess spoke, Seto saw that the pharaoh was seated on a high throne near the back of the room, his face partially obscured by shadow.
While he watched, Seth slowly entered the room, now much older, taller, and a great deal more regal. He walked across the great stretch of marble floor to the throne and knelt down.
"My liege." He said respectfully, bowing his head.
"As you can see, Seth, who had always been somewhat impudent, felt it was necessary to be more careful once Atemu actually became the pharaoh. This formality did not last long between them, however." Isis narrated as the former prince stood.
"Surely, after so many years of silent communication and unspoken alliance you have more to say to me than that, Seth." Yami's incarnation said smoothly, descending the steps to stand in front of his high priest.
"You have called me here, my lord, and I have answered. Is there something that you require of me?" Seto realized that the voice he heard was now identical to his own.
Atemu laughed, a rich, genuine sound that echoed in the thrown room as he paced a slow-circle around the kneeling priest.
"You must forgive me and my station, Seth, as I in turn must forgive. My intentions may seem strange to you but, then again, they may not. I will say that I have not failed to notice your eyes on my back over past few years—did you realize that?" He stopped walking.
"I apologize, my pharaoh, I was young and my actions were out of line. Please forgive me, I did not mean to expose my interest so blatantly to you." Seth replied in a rehearsed tone of voice.
"Your formalities insult me, Seth, you have just confessed that you have followed me over the years, watched me. But I would not incriminate you for that. I was always intrigued by you, you: a living person outside of the closed world of royalty and greatness. You are not a commoner, yet you do not share my birthright. Your station is a step bellow mine and the ultimate for someone who is not of holy blood. You will always be the closest thing in this mortal world to my equal, Seth, only I believe that you—that we—can be even more."
He paused. Seth said nothing.
"Look at me." Atemu said softly.
"My liege, I cannot…" The priest whispered.
"Banish thoughts of death and judgment from your mind, Seth, raise your head and look at me." It was clearly a command this time.
Slowly, the brunette lifted his gaze to that of his pharaoh's, his face white with nervousness.
"My poor subject. I had believed your stubbornness when it came to perusing my friendship to be disregard for this kingdom's sacred rules; I apologize, you clearly take them more seriously than I thought. But fear not—allow me to put your mind at ease. Stand, Seth."
The high priest gasped and his crystalline eyes blinked nervously. Swallowing hard, he obeyed, standing slowly.
"By rights, the gods should have smote you down, Seth, yet here you stand, an inch or two above myself." The pharaoh chuckled, tilting his head slightly in order to meet his advisor's eyes.
"Why do you ask me to perform these sacrilegious acts, my lord?" The priest asked hoarsely, obviously afraid. Atemu frowned.
"Have you forgotten that small connection we two formed? Are your feelings of interest dead—have they passed unto another? I will explain myself in time, Seth, I will tell you why I must ask you to do these things. However, you, my priest, should not require an explanation in order to indulge yourself. Your feelings are clear, your intentions mixed, yet your heart bold."
Atemu stepped closer to the council member, their faces inches apart.
"I was innocently intrigued by the mysterious attention you gave to me, Seth. Our youth has passed, however, and my feelings now are far from innocent. Forgive me…" The pharaoh brushed his lips hesitantly against that of his priest.
"Wait…what's going on here?" Seto rasped as his Egyptian counterpart began kissing the royal back.
"Seth had long given up on any kind of relationship with Atemu, Kaiba. The laws of society, culture, and government that were so heavily impressed upon him took care of that. Then, when the prince became pharaoh, completely unattainable in Seth's mind, he became receptive. Atemu, after enjoying Seth's furtive attention for so many years finally returned the favor."
The two government officials broke apart.
"Before your passion turns to fear, listen to what I have to say," The pharaoh said breathlessly. Seth nodded, his hands shaking with the magnitude of the crime they had committed.
"I do not mean to put you in danger, nor do I mean to defile the principals or this kingdom. However, I have been waiting to know and understand you for a very long time and, immature as it may seem to you, I want this wish to be fulfilled." He leaned forward, close to the other's ear.
"Despite the throne I sit upon, I am just a man. This crown is a weight upon my head to be sure, but with it I shall rule—not allow it to rule me." Seth shivered at his words.
"Meet me after dark in the garden; perhaps when the gods are left blind you will be more inclined to act upon your feelings. We will speak then. Go." With these parting instructions, Seth exited the courtroom, flushed and wide-eyed.
Atemu watched him go and let out a long sigh, licking his lips absently. He then returned to his place on the throne. The room darkened quickly.
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"Kiss From A Rose" by Seal