Based on the original Yu Gi Oh storyline. (Combination of anime & manga canons)

Rated M

A/N: Well it is nice to finally back into the swing of things. Considering all the back and forth between backstory and characters exploring their emotions, I think you guys deserve some mild form of 'action'. Yet be warned it is going to get graphic in a sense you may not expect.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh it belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Chapter 18: Here With You Now

Firing lips clashed and eager tongues fought for dominance in the heat of their midnight passion. Both prince and princess were just mere teenagers indulging in their hormone driven desires but this particular night signified something else for them. After years of sneaking around and pretending to be 'friends', tonight marked the consummation of their long awaited marriage. Atem gripped his teeth into the soft skin of his new wife's shoulder and gave a hard thrust. Her eyes rolled in response to the surprise gesture. On a majority of occasions, her prince was gentle but there was nothing wrong with a change of pace. She quite enjoyed his roughness.

Speeding up the pace of their dance, moans and groans of ecstasy were only muffled by the tied curtains of the canopy bed. After spilling his royal seed, the exhausted prince nearly collapsed on his beloved but quickly rolled off the woman. Crimson rubies met lustrous sapphire. Teana's smooth tanned skin was covered in a light coating of sweat and her braided hair was frazzled. He reached a hand over to caress the woman's cheek. He couldn't help but admire her glow and bask in its glory.

"By the gods I love you Teana." Atem's lips twisted into a warm charming smile. "And now you are finally my wife."

The prince blinked his eyes only to see his bride covered in blood and an open wound in the valley of her breasts. The woman smiled and blood also covered her teeth. Small droplets escaped her mouth. Atem jumped from his position in mere shock at the site.

"I know you do." She reached up a hand to grab her husband's. "But we had our time. It is time to move on Atem."

Blood began to pour out of the wound on Teana's chest. Panic set in Atem and he placed a hand on the exposed flesh in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The gesture was of little avail as more blood slipped through his slender fingers. The prince sat up on the bed and rolled his wife to her back, still trying to keep her alive. Tears began to run down his tan cheeks.

"NO!" With eyes shut, he hung his head low and his shoulders quivered. "I...I'm not going to let you go...not again. P-please, stay with me."

A light hearted giggle was heard. "Oh, Atem I never said you have to let me go. I am still with you after all."

That voice. Her Egyptian accent was gone and those words really got Atem's attention. He opened his eyes only to see all the blood that was pooling on the bed had disappear. Dark skin was replaced with pale. Braids ceased to be; leaving the chocolate lochs to flow on the pillow. Those sapphire pools were still there and she was just as nude as before.

"Tea..." Atem muttered under his breath.

He was star struck by the woman's presence, it was just the same power his wife had on him. But they were not teenagers anymore. He was a grown king and she a grown woman. Atem's new queen. A pale hand grabbed his hand that were previously trying to cover a wound that was now gone. It was guided to cup the soft cream colored mound of flesh. Her other hand reached to the back of Atem's neck. Without any application of pressure, he slowly dipped down to creature her peachy lips in his growing hunger. Once again he danced tongues with the woman beneath him. She was so sweet, perhaps even sweeter. His forbidden fruit. Breaking away from her mouth, the king continued his osculations along the woman's neck. A soft moan escaped her throat and then a whisper into his ear.

"Take me Atem, make me yours."

Atem shot up from his lying position in a cold sweat. His breathe was labored and crimson pupils were wide. Closing his fists around the blanket now only covering his legs, the pharaoh inhaled deeply and released the air as slow as he could. He did this a few more time until his heart rate returned to a normal pace.

"Ah, what the fuck..." Atem muttered in a groggy voice.

He gazed at his hands. Had to make sure the blood was only in his nightmare. Could he really call that a nightmare?

'Okay perhaps a half nightmare...' Atem thought. Swinging his feet off of the sofa, he slowly made his way to the bathroom. Turning on the light, the first thing he noticed in the mirror was the scratch over his left eye. It was already scabbing over. He hoped it wouldn't leave a permeant mark. The last thing Atem needed was to start looking like his old nemesis, the King of Thieves. Noticing that his whole body was covered in a sweat, it was best to grab his duffel bag and take a quick shower.

As the hot water ran down his back, Atem couldn't help but become lost in his thoughts.

'Was that just a strange dream or was she actually trying to reach out to me?'

Collecting a blob of soap in his hands, he began to lather his body with the substance. Atem noticed a majority of his wounds were reduced to small cuts or barely visible bruises. Muscles and joints that ached just yesterday, no longer harbored any pain. If anything he felt stronger.

Leaving the the shower, Atem returned to the sink to brush his teeth and take a closer look at his injuries. After being exposed to water, the scabs were now pealing off. Well, expect the scratch on his eye. Although another day should do the trick.

Atem chuckled to himself "Hmm. Perhaps this beast Ka thing isn't so bad after all."

Then the Egyptian lifted his upper lip to examine his teeth. In a quick snarl he observed his incisors were sharper than normal. Atem noted to himself to never bite his own tongue. Putting on a clean set of clothes; dark blue jeans and a maroon v-necked shirt, Atem emerged from the bathroom. A strong aroma of bacon entered his now more sensitive nostrils. Placing his duffel bag back by the couch, he walked back to the direction of the scent.

"Good morning uncle Atem!"

The small child beamed at the Egyptian. He returned the gesture and waved. Yugi acknowledged Atem's presence before returning his attention to the food on the stove. Sensing there was still a bit of tension between them, Atem looked back to Hanna. Not only did he notice the full plate of scrambled eggs on the table but eating next to girl was the very person haunting his dreams.

"Hey how did you sleep?"

Tea's question broke Atem's brief trance on her. "Oh, I uh, slept well. My headache went away."

She nodded. "That's good to hear."

A buzz in his pocket sounded off. Looking at his new iPhone, a message from Mahad opened up. His eyes then widened at the information given to him.

"Looks like they plan to pick us up in about 3 hours."

Yugi turned around from the stove. "Seriously? Where are we going?"

"I don't know if you remember Mahad mentioned he had a home built for me. That is where we are going first." He locks his phone screen to place the object back into his pocket. "Then he said that we were going to the Divine Council afterwards. I'm not entirely sure why though."

Tea chimed in. "Sounds pretty serious."

Silence fell upon group for the rest of their breakfast. Only small talk with the child was breaking the quiet in the room. After breakfast, the four rushed to get dressed and ready for whatever trip Atem's followers were planning. Tea emerged from the bathroom with newly applied make-up and prepped hair. Yugi then entered the room with Hanna but not before whispering something to his girlfriend. She nodded and walked to Atem in the living room.

"Hey Atem can you come with me real quick?"

He followed her without hesitation. Walking out of the kitchen, Tea led Atem up the stairs and into Yugi's bedroom. She gestures for the pharaoh to sit on the bed while she closed the door.

"Look I know we don't have a lot of time with your crew coming to pick us up soon..." Atem held up a hand to signal her to stop mid-statement.

"Yes but I would like to focus on why you brought me in here." He locked eyes with the brunette's sapphires. "From the look on your face I can tell whatever it is must of the most importance."

She quickly sat next to him. Her features remain fairly stagnant but Atem could see the emotions she was holding back in those azure gems that captivated him so much. He couldn't help but think back to the dream he had just hours ago. If there was any hope for some semblance of happiness, he had to clear the air between them.

"Listen Tea..." He inhaled deeply. "I cannot stress enough on how sorry I am for intruding into your personal space last night. I don't care how intoxicated or emotional I was. It was not acceptable for me to scare you in any way, shape or form."

The brunette lowered her gaze and bit her lip. Atem followed the direction and witness her slender fingers fidget with one another. He started to reach out his hand but stopped midway. The last thing he needed was to make the same mistake twice.

"Please, I don't want what I did to push you away. I promise I will never do such a thing ever again. My word is my bond."

"It's alright Atem." She snapped.

He was quite surprised by the quick response.

"I forgave you long before I decided to have this talk with you." She gave a dry chuckle. "Honestly I did something very similar years ago when Yugi and I first got together. I'm sure he has told you some version of that story."

Atem gulped. "Yes."

"There was a time I used to drink myself silly ya know. So I understand your anger and frustrations all too well because I..." Tea adjusted herself on the bed. "I share those same feelings."

"What do you mean Tea?"

"Last night you called me out." Her fists clenched on the sheets of the bed. "I tried to put up a wall but you could always see through such things. I know what you and Yugi talked about after the fight. So I decided that after all this time, I had to be honest with not just you but also myself."

Lifting up her head, she figured she owed it to Atem to look at him in the eyes for this moment.

"Go on. Please."

"You were right, you always are. If what you told me was true and not some type of drunken desperation, then I feel the same way Atem. Even after all these years I still love you."

Atem's could his whole body rise in temperature. Even a tint of blush emerged through his brown skin. Between a racing heart and tempting desire, it was hard to compose any words for the woman. But he had to; this was his chance.

"Yes Tea. Despite my condition, I meant what I said. I spoke with Yugi about honesty and I'm glad that we are having this conversation. I wish the situation was not so strained but it is what it is."

He takes another breath. His heartbeat was slowly returning to a slightly normal pace.

"You know I've always been fond of you but I always had a hard time separating what was in my heart from Yugi's. Being a ghost with identity issues probably wouldn't have made a good partner for you anyway so I kept everything to myself." He laughed at himself. "Then when I passed on, my family was still gone. It was far from the peace I thought I deserved. It made me realize that I lost more than gained, I missed you dearly. I couldn't help but have moments of thinking about what could have been."

Tea's eyes remained focused with Atem. She gave him her undivided attention.

"My point is I don't want any of us keeping secrets from each other and it is a relief that today we can be honest together."

Her face was now a beat red and her heart felt as if it were going to leap out of her chest. She felt like a high schooler again, admitting long hidden feelings to her biggest crush. No he was more than a crush at this point. But no matter how much it relieved her to bring these emotions to the surface, her eyes could not help but begin to water.

Atem immediately noticed the change in Tea's eyes. "I am deeply sorry for how I left. Destiny or not if I had known about how you felt perhaps I could have done something. Anything to make you feel better, but as we know it was not in our fates."

Finally the woman spoke. "Don't apologize. I know you couldn't do anything about it. You needed to move on, we all did. And yet I guess the two of us never really succeeded in that."

The Egyptian gave a brief chuckle. His baritone laugh made her heart skip a beat. Since she was a teenager, that voice of his always captured her in its depths.

"No our hearts failed to get the memo it seems."

She started to laugh as well. "It has been five fucking years and I still can't seem to get you out of my mind or heart."

"Oh." A confident smirk twisted his lips without him realizing it. "I must say I'm a bit flattered on the effect I've had on you."

That goddamn smirk. Tea could practically feel herself melt at the mere presence of that damned thing. However, the direction Atem sat in was in the direct line of sight of a framed picture of Yugi and herself. Reality clawed at her with its icy hands. A rough sigh escaped her and brows furrowed.

"Ugh. This whole conversation was supposed to help me with getting closure."

Atem's smile dropped quickly. "Closure?"

"Yes, after all that craziness yesterday, I was telling Yugi about how these feelings I had were getting out of control. He told me about your conversation and suggested that us being honest with each other would help me get this out of my system. So he and I can rebuild our relationship." She shook her head rapidly. "But this has only made what I feel become stronger..."

A groan escaped the former king's throat. "I see Yugi took some liberties about what I said."

Tea tilted her head a bit. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, when I said I wanted everyone to be honest with each other...I meant to lay our hearts out on the table for us to feel and discuss. Not to just get it out of your system. Unless your goal is to really get over your affections for me."

"NO!" She was surprised by her own outburst. "I just...I don't even know how to get rid of them anyway. It certainly wasn't my original goal. Actually I didn't really think of a goal at all other than to just tell you how I felt."

Atem nods. "Then you succeeded with that. Please I don't want Yugi's fears to influence your decisions. I know he loves you greatly but sometimes it can blind people from what is really going on. I should know..."

"Well either way, us confessing to each other isn't exactly closure. Certainly not in the sense for me to move on." Her head began to hang low.

The pharaoh purses his lips and scrunches his brow for a moment. He reached out a hand to her shoulder.

"Perhaps the closure you need to guide you through your feelings can come from old memories. Those of your past self."

"Look Atem I'm not sure if I want to go through something like that. Is it going to affect my feelings for you or my personality?"

Atem shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot be sure how you will handle the information emotionally, but in my case my personality did not change much. If anything it helped me be more confident in who I was. But as we both know, my situation was completely different from yours."

"Fuck." She muttered. "That doesn't help me feel any better about it."

"Hey, just remember it is your decision if you want me to give you these memories. I'm only offering out of fairness. If someone like me can get them back, then it is only responsible that you discover your soul's past as well. It doesn't change who we are today."

"I'm still not sure..." Her eyes began to wander.

"Hey look at me." Sapphire gems met crimson rubies. "I care for how you are feeling and I only want to help ease your burden."

"Really?" She asked with pure innocence, like that of a child. She felt so lost.

"Yes. Actually I wanted to ask you something. It may seem a bit personal but I have to know."

Tea bit her lip, she had a feeling what his question might be. "Go on."

"This agreement you have with Yugi, concerning with your feelings for me. I want to know what you really felt about it. So far I've only heard one side."

Her gut instinct was right and she was actually quite prepared for this particular question. "Well, considering the state I was in at the time, and trust me when I say I was a complete mess...he offered me a great kindness. I didn't have to make a snap decision or get rid of my passion for you. Instead I got to share my love."

Tea stopped to give a sharp exhale. "But this agreement was only manageable because you were supposed to be gone. With you back here as you can see, it is getting harder by the day to kept myself in check and here I am stuck between you two. Something I have to go through by myself."

Tears welled up in her eyes yet again. Atem reached his hand to gently wipe away a scrolling droplet.

"Well, you don't have to go through this alone. I'm here with you now."

Within a second, she collided her body with his. She began burying her head in his chest to hold back more tears from emerging. Atem gently stroked her hair with one hand and held her body tight to him with the other. He kept his face close to her head for comfort, but Atem was not expecting Tea's next move. Without a word or thought, the brunette reached up to capture his unsuspecting lips with hers.

His heart raced in a panic and he mentally screamed at himself to break away from the embrace. However, ever other fiber of his being told him the exact opposite. It did not take long for Atem to respond to the kiss with his own motions. Innocent fluttery smooches developed into a battle of tongues as soft moans escape from both involved. Tea could feel herself starting to lean back into the mattress but Atem supported their weight with just one arm keeping them upright. Feeling his strength starting to waver, the two broke away from their oral dance. Their eyes locked again as the two panted for air. The pharaoh leaned his forehead on hers and proceed with a gentle nuzzle. Atem's pupils were wrought with lustrous desire and his now husky voice only showed more.

"Oh it is so much better doing this sober." A smirk twisted his lips. "See this is what we can feel together..."

The water in her cerulean pools only intensified as Tea quickly pulled herself away. "No this is wrong. I have to go!"

As she made her way to the door, Atem quickly grabbed her hand. "Tea please. It isn't wrong if this is how you really feel."

"It isn't fair to Yugi. Please understand Atem." With a swift motion of her hand, she escaped his grasp and ran out of the room.

A still aroused Atem looked on with longing eyes. "Tea."

Back downstairs Yugi was now in the living room watching television with his daughter. He heard rapid footsteps come down the stairs and he turned his head to see it was Tea.

"Hey love. How did it go?"

The brunette briefly looked at him but did not utter a word. Instead she rushed to the restroom and slammed the door shut. Yugi easily recognized that look. His worry turned quickly into anger. Anyone who made Tea upset was to be met with his wrath. Violet eyes looked in the direction of his bedroom and a certain someone had not come down with Tea.

"Son of a bitch." Yugi whispered under his breath.

Luckily Hanna had not heard him swear and her attention was still focused on the animated show on the screen.

"Sweety wait here. Daddy's got to check something important."

Before she could respond to her father, the Duel King had swiftly gotten off the sofa and practically ran up the stairs.

Atem was using his phone as a mirror in an attempt to remove the red smudges on around his mouth with a tissue. However, just as he was about to remove the last of the lipstick, the door bust open. Atem immediately met Yugi's gaze, surely it was intense enough to light a fire. Yugi folded his arms.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Then his attention turned to the tissue in Atem's hand which was covered in a red substance. It certainly wasn't blood, but upon looking at the corner of his mouth, Yugi insistently knew.

"I thought we had an understanding." Yugi's words felt like venom escaping his lips.

Atem held up his hands. "So did I."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Atem raises his brows. The man before him had grown cocky over the years. "When we talked last night I thought you and I understood that honesty comes before our personal agendas. I wanted this to be about her."

Yugi huffed. "That's pretty hypocritical coming from a guy covered in MY girlfriend's lipstick."

"Well trust me when I say she initiated the action. A man of principles is not one to deny the woman a moment of happiness. Her feelings were a lot stronger than I could have ever thought. She is definitely in a deep inner turmoil."

Yugi dropped his arms and his fingers began to clench in fists. "That gives you no goddamn excuse to be locking lips with Tea yet again! Do you have no fucking respect for people in a relationship?"

Atem's lips formed a thin line and his brows furrowed. "Yugi I do respect your relationship. But you two made this arrangement that is completely backfiring and I seem to be in middle of all this."

"Look man that's why I suggested she talk to you!" He gestured his hands. "But I never said for you to basically cheat on me."

The Egyptian gave a toothy grin. "I think you have forgotten that I love her just as much as you do. So when she told me that she reciprocated my feelings then how could I say no? Besides it was so much better embracing her while I was sober."

Yugi's arms began to tremble and his features scrunched. A fire caught in his eyes. "Why you fucking son of a bitch!"

The Duel King practically lunged toward Atem, but he quickly rose from his seat on the bed and caught Yugi's fists.

"Yugi fighting me isn't going to solve anything."

"But I'll fight for her."

Atem then pushed Yugi off of him. "I guess then that makes us rivals."

Yugi could feel his blood boiling more and more. "Why are you doing this? To me of all people..."

"All of this is what is best for Tea."

A jolt of energy prepared Yugi for another swing of his fist but before he could commit to the action, his door opened.

"Guys please don't fight!" The little girl rushed through the doorway and ran to hug her father. "You are supposed to be best friends."

He immediately dropped his fist to embrace his daughter. Rubbing Hanna's back reassuringly, Yugi shot a piercing gaze at Atem. "Please leave the room. We can settle this later."

The slightly taller male did not utter a word and head down the stairs only to find Tea sitting on the sofa.

"Hey Tea. You might want to see Yugi upstairs. I don't think he is going to listen to me anymore."

The dancer got up from her seat but before she went to Yugi, a few words had to be said. "Atem, please don't be upset with Yugi. He has worked so hard for me. Both financially and emotionally. I can't just let go all we have built over an old flame."

Her words cut through him like a hot knife. "But this old flame is clearly still burning bright. We just talked about how we felt."

"And like I said you are right. However, it doesn't change the fact that I have a family now and I have to keep it together for them." Tea started to walk away. "Please understand Atem."

He could only look on ahead and wonder. Perhaps they were star-crossed lovers doomed by the circumstances of their current reality.

Standing in the hotel bathroom, was an Egyptian princess attempting to get ready for a possibly very nerve racking day. Not to mention she had to cover up her new hickey if she was going to confront people that did not favor her choice of fiance.

"Sorry I did that to you." Joshua squeezed himself in the small bathroom space to comb his hair. Only a pair of brown dress pants were on him. "I should have realized what we were doing today."

Keanna tossed him a playful smile. "Aw c'mon then it wouldn't be any fun if you are holding yourself back. I most certainly wouldn't have it."

Rearing her pearly whites always had a melting effect on him. However, this was one day that smile would not ease his worries. Keanna noticed her partner's silence. Normally he would make a quip but clearly something wasn't right. She placed her make up sponge down and place her hand on his bare back.

"Hey babe. You okay?"

He stopped combing his hair and his emerald gaze met hers. "Yeah, I'm just worried about this meeting. It's been giving me a lot of anxiety actually."

She scooted over to wrap her arms around Joshua and lean her head against his shoulder. He was a good head taller than her after all. "Please don't worry about it. My father is with us now. Besides as his heir, I hold more authority over most of them."

"Yeah, but when I stole shit from the vaults, I just gave them a perfect excuse to make a move."

Keanna makes a slight pout. "I highly doubt these guys are that stupid to just attack you but if they do then I'll make sure these idiots get a piece of my mind."

His mouth was still in a thin line. "Well, we can only be prepared for anything."

It appeared that reassuring the man was not going to ease his nerves so perhaps bring up a lighter topic would do better.

"You know what we should do? Start talking about what we want to do for our wedding."

With that said, Keanna phone began to buzz loudly. She rushed out the bathroom to pick up the smartphone on the dresser next to the bed. She did not get a chance to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Good morning dear. Do you have a moment?" Asked a familiar baritone voice.

"Sure dad what is it?"

Joshua peeped through the doorway of the bathroom. However, he only heard Keanna's end of the conversation.

"Wait why do you want a different car?"

She then expressed a look of shock, and rapidly sat down on the bed.

"You did what?"

Keanna bit her lip, her eyes looking around the room as if the information she was getting was hard to process.

"So you thought telling him that was a smart thing to do? You guys already had a big fight yesterday."

Now the hand on her lap was tapping a finger.

"Alright, I'm sure we can figure something out together. Let's just get the paperwork out the way first."

Another moment of silence.

"Of course. See you in a bit. No but I'll meet you guys at the mansion. Bye."

The arm holding up her phone collapsed and her body fell back on the mattress. Joshua grabbed a purple pin stripped shirt he left on the dresser and started to button it up.

"So what was that about?"

Keanna raised her phone back to her face and rapidly texted a message. "My dad decided to touch first base again. So he and Yugi are not in the best terms right now."

He chuckled. "Well as lovely as planning our marriage sounds, I think we should wait until we can figure out your father's situation first."

We are nearing the end of our journey in this re-write but not without some drama building up! Hopefully my next update won't take as long but until then please REVIEW!