Oh my god, I can't believe you people actually like this story! I've never had a story this popular before. To tell you the truth, I thought it was going to be a dud. But hey, if you like it ... great! I'm liking it myself ... even I don't know how it ends. But anyway, I really need your guys' help on this second wish! PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE WHAT ATEM'S SECOND WISH SHOULD BE! I'm desprate! Okay, here's the next chapter ...
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Yugi clung to Atem as if her were being pulled away from him by an invisible force. The young Pharaoh couldn't believe what he just heard. Maroon … his long time friend and most trusted adviser had turned this gorgeous piece of art, specially crafted by the gods themselves, into a genie. However, this was not what surprised him the most. The biggest surprise was finding out that Yugi had once been just a regular boy. Atem thought the bundle in his arms had always been a genie. But he could now see the pure terror in the boy's eyes and could practically feel his fear and sadness just as clearly as if the other had spoken. Atem continued to pet Yugi's hair while he lay in his lap. "Yugi, how did Maroon turn you into a genie?" Yugi sniffled and snuggled closer to his master's warmth.
"Well, you know what he is, right?" Atem nodded.
"Yes, a sorcerer." This time, Yugi nodded and then sniffled.
"It was three hundred and thirty years ago … I was sixteen at the time. My friends and I thought it would be fun to give the new traveler that had been residing in our village for a while, a, and I quote," Yugi held up two fingers on each hand, "'proper welcome'." Tears made their way down Yugi's baby – face but Atem rubbed them away with his finger. After another sniffle, Yugi continued his story. "When he caught on to us, my friends and I ran as fast as we could. I tripped and fell behind … no one turned back to help me or ask me if I was okay; as a matter of fact, that was the last time I ever saw them … some friends. Anyway, the sorcerer caught me … he said I deserved to be punished, so he … he beat me for hours at a time." At this point, Atem's fiery red eyes started to glow with an even brighter color from his anger; almost to the point of neon. "When he was done, he asked me if I had had enough and I said yes. He started laughing at me … he told me that little boys need to learn to respect their elders and that I'd never be able to tease anyone again … instead, I'd serve them …" By the time Yugi was finished, a river of tears made their way down his face. The tears fogged his vision se he did not see the fury in Atem's eyes. The Pharaoh instantly cuddled the small genie closer to him.
"I'm so sorry, Yugi …" Yugi let out a long, rippling sigh.
"That wasn't the worst part …" Atem cocked his head with a pinch of fear in his heart.
"You mean he did something else?" A nod came from the boy.
"Yes … after he placed the curse on me, he said that my existence should only be known in the minds of the insane … so he burnt down the village I lived in just to make sure that everyone who knew me died and never spoke a word of me ever again." That was the tip of the iceberg. He'd have to do something to correct the horrible things that his adviser had done … even if they happened over three hundred years ago … " He forced me to watch the whole village become ash through the bottle …" Wait, what?
"How can you see anything through all those jewels on that bottle of yours?" Yugi giggled a little.
"Well, those gems serve as windows to the outside world for me. No one can look in; this way, I'm kept prisoner from the world." Atem nodded his head, not really sure if he fully understood what he was just told.
"And he made you watch your village burn?" Yugi nodded.
"To this day, that memory still haunts me." More tears started to form and fall. "And I never got to say good – bye to my mother either …" He softly added.
"Your mother?" Yugi sadly nodded.
"Yeah, I was very close to her … my father died when I was ten, and my mother was constantly sick. I was the only one who could take care of her. I wonder if she thought of me right before the fire." Seeing Yugi cry caused tears to form in Atem's eyes, but he held them back.
"I'm sure she did." The genie smiled to himself and wiped away another stray tear.
"I miss her so much … I dream of her every now and then. Do you know what it's like to see someone you love in a dream, and have that dream last for over a decade?" Atem blinked for a second. No, he couldn't say he really knew how it felt.
"No, but I do know how you feel. My mother died when I was young as well."
"Really?"
"Mm – hmm; I wasn't as close to her as much as I hear you were with yours, but I still loved her. And I dream about her sometimes too." Yugi chuckled to himself.
"Wow … we actually have something in common." Atem chuckled as well. But he couldn't help seeing that Yugi was still very sad and anxious.
"Why didn't you just use your magic to stop him?"
"Because I knew he was more powerful then me. I had just been cursed and didn't know anything about my magic. Through time, I learned to control it. And besides," Yugi raised both his fists side by side each other. "See these? These cuffs bind me to the curse. Because of these things, I can't go very far from my bottle … unless I'm with my master. And also, I was trapped inside the bottle at the time. I'm not allowed to open it myself." Yugi explained. Atem nodded.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Yugi?" The genie didn't look at him, but he nodded.
"Yeah … you can keep that guy away from me." The Pharaoh smiled. He was all too happy to grant Yugi his own wish.
"Fine." Yugi regained his stance and stood up. When he stretched, his vest rose a bit, giving Atem a sneak peek at Yugi's cream colored skin. Once again, he was feeling very hot in a certain part of his body.
"Don't you have a country to go rule?" Atem quickly brought himself back to reality.
"Huh, oh … right." Yugi sighed.
"So what am I supposed to do while you're at your job?" There was a phrase Atem never used. He never thought of his position as Pharaoh a 'job'. He laughed mentally at the word.
"Well, I suppose you could hang out here and wait for me." Yugi exhaled in an obnoxiously loud way.
"But it'll get boring all by myself … I need someone to bug!" Atem smirked and crossed his arms.
"Well, I could put you to work around the palace, but I'm afraid that outfit of yours will draw too much attention to you and cause an uproar." Atem responded with a small chuckle.
"Hey whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a sec! Two things; number one, I may be a genie, but I do NOT do labor! Don't think I'm just gonna break down and obey every order like some slave because guess what; I'm not a slave! There's nothing against the rules about me refusing and order …" Atem eyed the genie with a smirk on is face, "… I just can't refuse a wish. And number two, what's wrong with the way I dress?" Yugi exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips. The way Yugi stood at that moment made him look very delicious indeed. Atem decided to have a little fun of his own and take this game up a notch. The Pharaoh walked over to his genie in the most seductive way possible; slow and suave. The closer he came, the more Yugi felt as if the Pharaoh's eyes were tearing off a piece of his clothing one by one. Soon, Yugi could feel Atem's warm breath against the side of his neck. The young Pharaoh placed a hand on the lowest part of Yugi's hip; causing a squeak to escape from the small mouth of the genie. Yugi was getting a little nervous and Atem was getting just a little too close for Yugi's liking. Atem chuckled in Yugi's left ear, causing a little bit of a … tickly feeling to rise in the part of his hip that his master was touching.
"I simply wanted you to stay here so that I know you are safe from harm, My Little Wish – Maker." Atem whispered softly in Yugi's ear, making sure to enunciate and speak slowly to entice his pray. The tickle in Yugi's hip increased by the second and Yugi's leg bent at the knee, making him squirm in his place. Seeing the little one's reaction, Atem chuckled again in Yugi's ear and started moving his hand in a circle like motion on his hip. Yugi was so caught up on the feeling in his hip that he almost let his guard down.
"I … uh …" Another smile came to the Pharaoh's face as he continued his torture.
"What's the matter, Little One?" Quickly returning to reality, he thought Atem was playfully teasing him in an innocent way, so Yugi decided to play along with Atem's game. Little did he know that Atem wasn't thinking in the innocent way that the small genie was. However, it was easier said then done. He kept trying to move while his hip kept tickling him.
"Uh …" he had to think fast, "whoa, ever hear of dentil hygiene, man!" Yugi said, waving his hand in front of his face. This caused Atem to let go of Yugi's hip and back away a little. The moment was defiantly over.
"I beg your pardon!"
"Seriously, all this money and you can't afford a simple breath mint? That's sad 'cause your breath is karate kickin'!" (I know there were no breath mints or hygiene worries in Egypt, but it just makes the story funnier.)Yugi replied with a smile. Atem did not like this one bit. He put his hands on his hips in a defensive way.
"Hmm, that's pretty big talk coming from someone who hasn't taken a bath in over fifty – six years."
"Ooooh, touché" Yugi said with a smile.
"Just for that, you are to stay here until I get back."
"But –"
"No 'buts'! That is … unless you want to take the chances of running into Sir Maroon." Yugi glared at Atem's sarcastic smirk.
"You're gonna pay for that one, Master." Atem stood by the door and opened it just enough to slide his body through.
"I'm sure I will. Have fun!" And then he was gone. Once Atem was gone, Yugi had a chance to think about what had just happened.
"… Did I imagine that, or was he coming on to me just now?" He asked to no one in particular.
---
Some time later, Atem sat at the large table he and his council used to have their meetings at. Atem felt like he was sleeping with his eyes open. He could hear and see everything what was going on in the meeting, but his mind was on his little genie and the way he seemed to squirm at Atem's touch. He could have sworn he saw Yugi blush for a second before he made that nasty comment about Atem's breath. Speaking of which, the Pharaoh quickly, but also secretly breathed into his hand to check his breath. Anyway, no matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn't get Yugi out of his head. He loved the way he smiled in victory when he knew he was pushing Atem's buttons, how his chains would jingle every time he would walk, and that moment where Yugi cuddled him in his arms. In his mind, he could still feel Yugi's cottony soft skin, his silky smooth hair, and his small but very soft hands around him as well. Thoughts of what Yugi looked like under those purple robes filled his mind with wild fantasies. He could practically taste his little genie's warm bodily taste as he thought about him. The desire to have Yugi's squirming, sweaty body under his own just too great. Unconsciously, Atem started to squirm in his seat and he let out a soft moan that caught the attention of everyone in the room. "Atem?" One of his councilors asked. Atem realized he had been making a scene. He opened one eye to see all of his councilors staring at him as if he grew a second head. Clearing his throat, he quickly wiped the small coat of sweat that had formed from all his fantasizing with his arms and quickly folded his hands on the table top. However, everyone was still staring at him.
"What are you all staring at?" No one could answer. Sir Maroon noticed something very different in Atem's behavior. He may have been only twenty years old, but he was very mature for his age … 'and I use the term mature very wisely.' Maroon thought to himself. Something was very wrong with Atem this morning. First he lies about a new piece of decoration he had somehow mysteriously come up with, and now he couldn't sit still. I'll get to the bottom of this. 'I know it has something to do with that bottle … but where have I seen it before?' This was going to be a very long meeting.
---
Up in Atem's room, Little Genie Yugi sat in the giant bathtub in Atem's personal washroom. The genie was having fun dunking himself under the water and staying there for a while. Being a magical creature, he didn't need oxygen to survive. But he loved splashing water everywhere around the room when he would shake his head. "Heh, now he can't say haven't had a bath in fifty – six years!" Yugi said as he continued to soak in the water. After his bath, Yugi decided to become a little snoop and went through Atem's closet. "Oh sweet!" Yugi found a baby blue tunic that had a matching cape. Yugi quickly changed into the blue tunic and went to the mirror to see how it looked on him. "Hmm … a little too big …" Quickly snapping his fingers, the tunic shrunk to Yugi's petit size and shape. "Much better!" Next, Yugi saw Atem's make up table and started going through it out of curiosity. "What does he need this stuff for, it's not like he looks any different with or without it." Without even realize he was doing it, the curious little genie started to put some of the special powder on his face. Unfortunately for him, both Atem and Yugi had different skin tones. "HOLY MOTHER OF EARTH! I look like a sun god!" The tan powder did not mix well with his milky white, porcelain skin. Instead of washing it off right away, he accidentally inhaled some of the powder around his nose. "Ah … ah … AH – CHOO!" The loud sneeze caused the powder in the jar that he was holding to scatter all over the make up table, the floor, and of course, himself. Coughing out the small amount of powder that found itself into his mouth, he looking into the mirror and moaned. "Dang, I'm in trouble now …"
After cleaning the mess of powder with his magic, Yugi quickly lost interest in the room. He was lying in Atem's bed, tossing and turning. For about five seconds, he'd lay on his back. Then he'd turn to his right. Five seconds later, he'd move to his back again. Then he'd turn to his left and so on. The genie was too restless to sit still. "I really wanna go see what Master is doing right now …" He looked at his bottle sitting quietly on the end table and sighed. "But I can't go very far without being sucked back in …" Suddenly, it was like a light bulb clicked on in his head. "Wait, if I'm with Master, then I wouldn't be breaking any rules. The rules say that I have to stay close to either my bottle or current Master … and what better way to entertain myself then to make see what my master does for a living." He snickered to himself, knowing that the previous statement meant something more then just an innocent visit to Atem. Turning into a stream of sparkling purple glitter, he disappeared.
---
Still in the conference room with the council members, Atem was trying his absolute hardest to pay attention. But with the boring voices of these old men and the thought of a treasure waiting for him in his room, he just couldn't stop daydreaming. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Atem could see a sparkling trail of glitter swirl around until it materialized into Yugi. Yugi waved his hand when he saw his master. Atem loudly slapped the hand his head was leaning on onto the table, gaining the attention of every council member. "Pharaoh, is there something bothering you?" Some councilor, that Atem never took the time to learn his name, said. Yugi moved toward one of the councilors behind their back. He knew they couldn't see him right now. Only Atem could because he was Yugi's master, but Atem did not know that. Yugi observed this ugly old man who Yugi had declared looked 'a day younger then dirt.' Atem's breathing rate rose as he watched Yugi observe every councilor.
"Uh … no … nothing at all … please continue." The councilor nodded.
"Very well. So, as I was saying …" Yugi's presence seemed to drown out all the issues that had arisen in Egypt. He wanted to ask Yugi what he was doing here, but he didn't want anyone to know about him. Yugi stopped at one of the middle aged councilors. He sat on the table and waved his hand in front of the councilor's face; not getting a response. Atem was confused at this point. It's like he didn't even see the boy on the table
"How …" He asked out loud.
"How what, Your Majesty?" Once again, Atem had to force himself to focus.
"Um … how … how … how are your wife and children? How old's the youngest now, Five … six?" Atem quickly responded. The councilors all looked at him suspiciously, and this one raised an eyebrow.
"L – Let's just get back to the issue at hand." Atem quickly nodded. Yugi laughed, almost falling off the table.
"They can't see me, Master. I've used my magic to make myself invisible … the only reason you can see me is because you're my master." Letting out a silent breath, Atem sat back down in his seat. As the genie made his way around the table observing everyone, Atem grew nervous by the minute. Yugi stopped at another man and actually picked up the taupe the man was wearing, that even aliens could have spotted from space.
"SHIT!" Atem screamed. Every councilor stared in shock at the Pharaoh.
"Atem, what is the matter with you!" Maroon demanded. Atem watched as Yugi threw the taupe back onto the man's head and laughed.
"Man, is that the most obvious rug you've ever seen or what?" The nervous ruler of Egypt gulped nervously. Maroon raised en eyebrow at him. Usually, it didn't take this long for Atem to answer a question.
"ATEM!" Jumping in his seat, the Pharaoh brought himself back.
"Um … uh well … SHIT! That is terrible news!" Yugi smiled to his master in a sly way.
"Nice save, 'Your Obviousness'!" Atem glared. Maroon blinked and turned to look at whatever the hell it was that Atem was glaring at, but found nothing.
"What's terrible, Sire?" Yugi made his way over to Maroon and stood in front of the man who caused his immortality.
"I hope you rot in the pits of hell … and there's one thing I promised myself I'd tell you if I ever saw you again!" Atem had his eyes focused on Yugi, but he attempted to answer Maroon's question.
"Um … whatever it is … they're talking about." He stood up and slowly made his way over to Yugi.
"You mean how he was telling us how much this year's harvest was at a higher count then last year?" Atem once again lifted a brow.
"Uh … yes …it's terrible that … most of it will … be traded ..." Everyone in the room thought he was nuts. Yugi was having a ball watching Atem make a fool of himself.
"I think that you're a steaming pile of --- OUCH!" Suddenly, Atem's elbow harshly contacted with Yugi's side, causing the genie to fall from the table and Atem to fall in his spot … right in front of Maroon.
"Atem, what in the world has gotten into you!" Atem turned to face Maroon and looked him straight in the eye.
"Well … it's just … you had something on your … front and … well, now it's gone." Atem glanced at all the stares directed at him. With a nervous smile, he stood up. "Will you gentlemen excuse me; I have something to take care of – OOF!" He ran into an invisible Yugi and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out of the room, but to everyone else, it looked as if he were holding a bunch of air. "Just got a little woozy, is all." Atem quickly lied. Maroon couldn't help but be suspicious … it was in his nature.
---
Out in the hallway, Yugi started whining as Atem never released his grip from Yugi's arm. "Ow; Master, you're hurting me!" Atem swung Yugi in front of him.
"What did you think you were doing out there!" Yugi yanked his arm out of Atem's painful grasp.
"I was bored … so I figured I could come and be with you." Atem had to remember that Yugi was being a little sarcastic and didn't really mean what he had just said.
"I told you to stay in my room!"
"And I told you that I don't have to obey your orders if I don't want to." Atem slapped his hand to his face and dragged it down to his chin.
"I don't believe this; I specifically told you to wait for me in my room, that I wouldn't be much longer!"
"Chill out, I was just having a little fun."
"Oh, you think this is fun! You think my council members questioning my sanity is fun!" Yugi had a small smile on his lips.
"Actually, that was just an added bonus." Atem gripped Yugi's chin and held it only a centimeter away from his face.
"I'm warning you, Yugi … do as I say … you're not allowed to show your face around anyone else but me!"
"But I didn't; if you hadn't noticed, I'm invisible right now … well, not to you, anyway." Yugi took a look behind his master and smiled. "And I'd stop talking to me unless you want everyone to think you're still playing with your imaginary friends."
"Huh, what?" Atem whipped around to see Maroon staring at him with a look that said 'what are you up to?'." Atem couldn't help but be surprised. "M – Maroon … what are you doing out here?" Maroon advanced on Atem with his arms crossed.
"I came to ask you what's going on."
"'Going on'? Nothing's 'going on'." Maroon scuffed.
"Oh really, then explain your little episode in there." Yugi moved to Atem's side with his hands behind his back, looking very innocent.
"Go ahead and tell him … I dare ya!" Atem ignored Yugi's comment.
"Well, I just … I was out in the desert for too long; and you know what heat can do to the mind. Sometimes, a little damage is made." Yugi giggled. Atem had just set himself up for so many jokes. Maroon, not believing a word he was told, shook his head.
"I don't think so, Sire. I sense some kind of magical activity going on around here." Yugi's eyes opened wide.
"Uh – oh!" The genie said. Atem tried to hide the nervousness that he felt.
"What are you talking about, Maroon? You're the only one with real magical powers around here."
"Hmm, so you say … but there's something that's just not right … and I plan to find out what it is." Atem rolled his eyes.
"You're being paranoid."
"Maybe, but whatever it is that you're hiding, you can be sure that I will find it." Yugi cringed, constantly telling himself 'I hope not, I hope not, I hope not' in his mind. Atem just shrugged. And then the sorcerer stomped off. Atem stared at the sorcerer as he left. No way he was going to get his hand on his Little Yugi. Speak of the devil; the little genie walked right beside him.
"Whoo, that went well, didn't it?" Atem looked at him with a serious face. "… What?"
"Go back to my room and wait in your bottle." Ouch, that one hurt. Returning to the bottle was the one command that Yugi could never resist. The poor thing kept his head low and nodded.
"Yes, Master …" And then he disappeared. The pained look on Yugi's face was enough to cause Atem to feel that same pain. He didn't want Yugi to be sad, but he didn't want to take ANY chances of anyone finding out about Yugi. The Pharaoh knew he was being way too possessive, but when it came to Yugi, he just couldn't help it. There was something about him that just screamed to be loved, held, and cuddled. Atem sighed; he'd worry about Yugi later.
---
Later that night, Atem had the rest of the night to himself. At the end of the ever so long meeting, trying to convince this council that he was not insane, he made it back to his room. With his hands covering his face, he literally plopped into his bed, sending a few sheets into the air. Suddenly, the familiar purple glitter came out of the identically colored bottle. Yugi sat on Atem's dresser with his feet propped up against the bed post, crossed at the ankles. He had been filing his nails when he came out of the bottle. "Trouble at the office, Master?" Atem never removed his hands from his face.
"I'm not in the mood for you right now." Yugi smirked, still filing away.
"Believe me when I say that I'm not in the mood for you either; but we're stuck together until you make your three wishes." He looked at Atem lying on the bed in the same pose as he did when he plopped there. "So, if you wanna get rid of me, I suggest you make a wish." Atem moved two fingers so that he could look at Yugi through one eye.
"How about I wish for another genie?" He really didn't mean that, but he had to say something. He didn't expect the burst of laughter that came with that response.
"Yeah, right. Like anyone else would want to take my place even if I asked." Atem rolled over onto his stomach and looked at the genie on the dresser.
"Fine, how about ask you to turn yourself into something without a smart mouth, like say a little bunny rabbit."
"I'd do that anyway, just for the heck of it." He threw the nail filer away and crossed his arms behind his head.
"Well, I don't know what to wish for." Yugi quickly got up and walked toward the balcony. Atem watched as the object of his attention leaned on the wall of the balcony.
"The question is: what do you get someone who has everything they could possibly want?" Atem stared at Yugi's back and let out a silent sigh.
" … Not everything …" He said, just above a whisper. Yugi turned his head to face his master.
"What did you say?" Quickly shaking his head, Atem gave an answer.
"Um I said I can't think of anything." Yugi turned back to the balcony, looking up at the starlit sky. The moonlight bounced off his naturally pale skin, making it look almost as white as snow. 'So beautiful …' Atem thought. The wind brushed through Yugi's hair as he continued to stare at the sky with a sad look on his face. Atem got up and moved to stand beside the beautiful genie. "What's the matter, Yugi? What are you looking at?" A small smile crossed Yugi's small, but bull lips, that Atem just wanted so badly to taste.
"The moon; it's so beautiful." Atem smiled 'Not as beautiful as you, Little One.' "I haven't seen it in fifty – six years. Back in Persia, my mother and I would always sit outside on starry nights like this and just snuggle under the moon. She would sing to me, and I'd feel so warm and protected." The little genie unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself.
"You sound as if you only had your mother when you were growing up." Yugi nodded.
"That's right. I wasn't very good at making friends until I hit the age of fourteen. So my mother and I were very close … I guess I was some what of a … mama's boy." The blush on Yugi's face made him even cuter. Atem chuckled at seeing this. Suddenly, Yugi felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. When he looked over his shoulder to see who it was, Atem's smiling face was the first thing he saw.
"Master, what are you doing?"
"You looked so lost in your memories of your mother, that I thought you'd like to try and see if you remember what it felt like to be held the way you did as a child." Yugi stared at Atem with bright amethyst eyes. He was a little confused, but for some reason, he felt like he was being protected once again … and even … loved.
Atem was enjoying the feeling of Yugi in his arms. He was taken by surprise when the genie turned around in his arms and wrapped his own around the Pharaoh's waist, snuggling his cheek into Atem's chest. The young ruler smiled as he eased them both into a sitting position on the balcony floor. The moonlight could still be seen on Yugi's face. The small purple specks on his cheeks (I forgot to mention that he had purple sparkles on his skin … kinda like body glitter, but that's actually part of his skin; his skin sparkles a little bit.) sparkled in different shades and tints of purple. He nuzzled Yugi's hair and quickly picked up a familiar scent. 'Is that my bath oil I smell?' he asked himself. Looking down at Yugi's baby – like face cuddling into his master's chest, Atem couldn't help but smile and push the thought of the oil aside. He wished moments like these could last forever. He thought about making that his second wish, but then remembering that if this moment lasted forever, then he'd never be able to move even farther with Yugi. Smiling at this, Atem felt so comfortable, that he closed his eyes and reveled in Yugi's pure aura.
End of Chapter.