A/N - Much apologizes. This should have been updated long ago but life ended up getting in the way. It won't be as long until the next update.

"Wake up," came a commanding but gentle voice, and Seto blinked open his cobalt eyes to look up at the smiling face of Atemu. Once again the Shadow Creature had his wings and tail. "It's dawn; the battle will start soon."

"What will happen then?" Seto asked. As he sat up, the blankets fell away from his nude body.

"You will stay here in safety while I go take care of your father."

"No!" Seto protested. "I want to help!"

"It's too dangerous," Atemu argued with a shake of his head. "My duty is to keep you safe."

"I'm not some weakling who needs protection!"

Leaning forward, Atemu hastily kissed Seto's lips. "You can't die!"

"Neither can you!"

"Seto…"

"I'm helping and that's final!"

The prince and the Shadow Creature glared at each other until finally Atemu relented. "Do as you wish. You know I have to follow your orders."

"That's better."

Atemu stood and fluttered his wings while he waited for the brunet prince to get dressed. He watched with lustful intentions as Seto donned his silk robes. He would do everything in his power to protect the young prince, and it wasn't from a sense of duty; there was a fire that burned in the pit of his stomach that started a long time ago when Seto had shown him compassion. Throughout his self-exile it was these feelings for the prince that pressed the Shadow Creature to hone his power until he was an unstoppable force.

"What's on your mind?" Seto inquired as he attached his cape around his neck.

"Nothing."

"Then we should get going."

"As you wish."

The shadows began seeping into the room, lowering the barrier Atemu had constructed the night before.

"Wait here until I check the area to make sure that it's safe."

For once, Seto agreed to do what the Shadow Creature told him. Impatiently he tapped his foot as he waited for Atemu to return.

Finally, Seto heard footsteps on the stairs and a few moments later Isis entered the room, followed by Atemu.

"I found this one snooping around outside."

"Highness, what is going on?" Isis demanded to know. "You owe me an explanation!"

"He's the one known as the Child of the Gods," Seto explained, nodding his head towards Atemu. "He's a friend of mine from when we were children."

Isis turned around and stared at the Shadow Creature in shock. "Impossible."

"Isis, my father will die today," Seto darkly told her. "Atemu is the way that we'll do it."

"But you said he was a childhood friend and he's powerful; if that's the case, he would have had to been created by Gozaburo himself!"

"That is true," Atemu admitted with a small shrug. "Gozaburo did create me."

"But…"

"We can trust him," Seto interjected. "I trust him."

Isis nodded her head in satisfaction. She still was unwilling to trust the Shadow Creature but she believed in her prince; the young brunet was the only chance they had in creating a peaceful world free of the wrath of Gozaburo.

"You're definitely staying here," Atemu commended to the young priest.

"What? But-"

"Do what he says Isis. You're involvement is still unknown. If we fail, you can still carry on with the resistance until my father falls."

Isis lowered her head in a slight bow, unhappy but willing to follow Seto's commands. "Very well."

"We should get going," Atemu said, turning his attention to the brunet prince. "We've already wasted valuable time."

With a nod of his head Seto began following the Shadow Creature out of the temple. Halfway up the long stairway, however, Seto stopped, sensing that there was something wrong. "You're mad at me."

Atemu sighed as he turned around to face the young prince. "I already told you, I don't want you to die."

The Shadow Creature was standing on a higher level on the stairs, making them the same height, so Seto reached out and cupped Atemu's face with his hands. "That won't happen. I promise you."

"I can't help but have this feeling of dread," Atemu quietly murmured. "Please just let me handle this while you stay with your friend."

"And who's going to look after you if I do that?"

"I'm a Shadow Creature. I don't need protection."

"Yeah you do."

Atemu gave another small sigh. They were wasting precious time. "Seto…can we not talk about his now? We need to hurry."

"Alright."

The duo continued their way up the stairs and out of the temple, both lost in their own thoughts, both concerned for the other's well being.

"Stay back," the Shadow Creature warned as they walked out into the early morning sun. "I can sense others of my kind nearby."

Seto darted his head around. "Where?"

"Their presence is coming from near the palace."

"That's where my father will be."

"Then that is where we'll go."

The pair walked at a cautious pace. They were walking into the unknown to face their destinies. If they failed they would receive a long painful death but if they succeeded they would bring peace and prosperity to the land.

"I see one!" Atemu whispered as he shoved Seto behind a decorative column.

"Atemu!"

"Stay here!" he hissed. The female humanoid Shadow Creature with feathery wings protruding from her back was the sole person guarding the entranceway. She hadn't noticed them yet and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. He could sense, but couldn't see other creatures in he area and knew he had to proceed carefully to avoid any traps.

Rushing forward to gain the momentum of surprise, Atemu swiped at the air with his hand. Shadows formed over the female creature, cutting her neatly in half.

"He fell for it! Get him!"

Flapping his wings, Atemu shot up in the air as six Shadow Creatures tried to jump him. Hovering high above the assorted group of creatures, Atemu formed three-dozen small shadow fireballs with his hands and blasted them downwards at the group, killing them instantaneously.

Gliding back to the ground, Atemu called out to Seto that the area was safe. Outside the palace there were no further traces of Shadow Creature presence.

"Impressive," Seto said, coming out if his hiding spot and strolling forward. "The fools never saw what hit them."

"Will you believe me now that I don't need help?"

"Don't get cocky, that was only the beginning."

"I realize that," Atemu replied with a smug look on his face. The battle excited him; he loved the incredible powerful feeling, knowing that he held the lives of others in the palm of his hand.

Slipping through the doorway, Atemu and Seto made their way through the palace; Atemu had memorized the entire place long ago when he would sneak out of Seto's room during the middle of night and when the young prince was away dining.

The place was devoid of humans and Shadow Creatures, which put both men on guard. Their presence was known and it would only be a matter of time before their enemies revealed themselves.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the massive corridors as they gradually made their way towards the throne room. They were on guard the entire time, not knowing when and where the attack was going to come from.

"Do you sense anything?"

"Yes," Atemu gravely replied. "They're all gathering in one area."

The two men were not bothered as they continued making their way through the palace. It seemed as if Seto's father knew enough to try to overpower them with sheer force instead of trying to capture them in another lame trap.

"Here," Atemu commanded, shoving open the heavy door to the armory. Grabbing a khopesh sword he handed it to Seto. "You know how to fight, correct?"

"Yes," the prince replied with a nod of his head.

"Good. Keep it close to you."

After a series of long, twisting corridors, they finally came to the open throne room where monsters that Gozaburo had created were gathered from wall to wall. In the center of the room was Seto's father with a menacing look on his face.

As they continued forward on their way the crowd of Shadow Monsters parted, allowing Seto and Atemu to walk side by side as they approached the ruler of the land. In his hand Seto gripped his weapon, wanting to use it but knowing he had to wait until the right moment.

"Father," the brunet prince spat once he and Atemu came to a stop before Gozaburo.

"You bastard!" A loud smack was heard as Gozaburo slapped his son across the face, forcing Seto to his knees. "Did you really think I wouldn't discover your treachery?"

Seto glared at his father as he stood again but he remained quiet. Tighter his hand gripped on the khopesh, ready to use it when Atemu gave the command.

"And you!" Gozaburo spat as he turned his attention to Atemu. "I'd never thought I'd see you again, you worthless fool. Why the Gods insisted that I create you and give you to my pathetic son, I'll never know."

"You underestimate both of us," the Shadow Creature calmly replied, giving Gozaburo a dark look. "You will not survive to see the end of the day."

"Fools!" the man replied with an evil laugh. "No one can defeat me!"

-Now!- Seto heard Atemu's cry inside his mind.

While his father was busy continuing to laugh, Seto slashed at his chest with the khopesh. Blood dripped down Gozaburo's robes as the man toppled backwards, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"Get them!" one of the Shadow Creatures yelled.

Grabbing Seto, Atemu flew up into the air, the high ceiling making it easy to get away from the various shadow attacks being thrown at them.

Easily maneuvering through the air, even with the added weight of Seto, Atemu flew over to a high balcony and deposited him on it.

"Stay here!" the Shadow Creature commanded, shoving the brunet prince to the ground so that any attacks couldn't hit him as easily. Flying into the air again, Atemu darted around the room, throwing shadow fireballs whenever he saw an opening.

With a growl from being left out of the action yet again, Seto ran out the doorway that was connected to the balcony. If he hurried fast enough he could get back down to the lower level before the fight ended.

In the air, out of the corner of his eye, Atemu saw Seto running off. 'Damnit!' He angrily thought. He had hoped that the prince would have stayed put while he took care of the Shadow Creatures.

Distracted, his mind on Seto's whereabouts, Atemu missed a chance to dodge as a shadow arrow struck his left wing. A numbing sensation developed in the wing and before Atemu knew what was happening he was crashing to the ground, unable to fly with only one uninjured wing.

Fortunately he landed in an area that had already been cleared of creatures.

Stretching his arms out in front of him, palms forward, Atemu crossed his wrists and fired a powerful beam of shadow magic at the creatures who were advancing upon him. The blast was powerful and destroyed anyone in its path, greatly reducing the number of Shadow Creatures in the room.

A three-tailed wolf tried attacking Atemu from the side but the short Shadow Creature saw the animal in time, spinning around so that the wolf was easily knocked away by his tail.

Creating shadow swords in each hand, Atemu began charging and slashing at the remaining Shadow Creatures. A large number however ended up fleeing the room, deciding that without a master they no longer had to fight.

It was then that Seto finally managed to make it back to the throne room. "Damn."

"Consider yourself lucky," Atemu grunted as he dusted himself off. "These were not a lot that you could have taken on with your feeble skills."

Seto fumed. "Feeble skills?"

"Yes."

"You're annoying."

A small smile crossed Atemu's lips. "You've always thought that."

Seto wanted to protest further but before he got a chance, Atemu wrapped his arms around the young prince's neck and tugged him down for a gentle kiss.

"I'm glad you're okay," he murmured against Seto's lips before completely pulling apart. Standing back a ways, Atemu fluttered his damaged wing to make sure that it wasn't a serious injury.

"What happened?" Seto curiously asked, noticing for the first time that the Shadow Creature had suffered an attack.

"I was hit by a stray shadow attack," Atemu explained with a weak smile. "It's nothing too bad and will heal in a day or two."

Relief washed over Seto upon hearing that the Shadow Creature was going to be okay. Perhaps Atemu was correct in that it had been a battle that it was best for Seto to miss. Nevertheless, Seto would never admit that to the young Shadow Creature.

"Looks like…" Seto trailed off as a violent rumbling shock the entire palace. "What was that?"

"Something's very wrong," Atemu murmured and they both began a fast run through the palace to the exit so that they would not only find out what was happening but also avoid the potential collapsing of the palace around them.

Reaching the entranceway, both Seto and Atemu were shocked to find the blue sky had turned purple-black with hundreds of Shadow Creatures flying around and marching across the land.

"What is this?"

"Highness!"

Snapping his head around, Seto saw Isis running towards him. "Isis?"

"Highness we made a grave miscalculation," the female priest panted as she caught her breath. "The shadows are out of control! Your father's death triggered some sort of release!"

"How do we stop it?" Atemu demanded to know. His power could not stand up against all the Shadow Creatures, which were now roaming about.

"There's a spell I know of that Prince Seto can perform…" Isis began and her blue eyes locked with Atemu's crimson ones. "…But it involves locking away the shadows forever. Never again will anyone be able to call forth Shadow Creatures."

"Then that is what will be done," Atemu firmly replied, knowing what it meant.

"I agree," Seto added, nodding his head. Unlike Atemu, the brunet had yet to make the connection.

The trio hurried back to the temple, Atemu killing any creature that got in their way, where a scroll of magic spells was awaiting them on a stone altar.

"I already found the right one," Isis hastily explained as she showed the prince what had to be read off. "The creatures started popping up as soon as your father was killed so I began preparing."

"Good," Seto replied. Turning his head slightly, Seto looked at Atemu who was standing next to him. "Don't worry. Let me handle things for a change."

A small smile crossed the Shadow Creature's lips. "I trust you to do what needs to be done."

Looking back down at the scroll, Seto began reading the text. As he further read it a howling wind tore through the temple forcing the trio to grip the edge of the altar to avoid being blown back.

When the prince finished the last line of the spell, the wind suddenly died as if it had never been there at all, and the two humans and one Shadow Creature collapsed to the ground.

"It's finished," Seto announced with a happy sigh, as he lay back, stretched out on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. Next to him Atemu was already back to his feet.

"You were good. I know you'll make a fine ruler."

Seto grinned. "Especially with you by my side." Turning his head sideways, the grin fast disappeared when he saw that a gateway to the shadows had opened behind the Shadow Creature. "What's going on?"

"I have to go now," Atemu quietly replied with a sad look on his face. "I'm glad I got to meet you again."

Finally it dawned on Seto that locking away the shadows also meant that Atemu would disappear too.

"NO!" he cried, half sitting up, stretching an arm out to half-dragon creature, but the gateway had already closed with Atemu no longer in the human world. "ATEMU!"

A/N - Well isn't that a kick in the nuts. Atemu and Seto finally got back together and now they're seperated "forever". Any death threats over what happened should get directed towards Dragon since it's her story, but I don't recommend it since she's a crazy redneck. Don't mess with rednecks.