A/N: I'm sorry for the late update guys. I had this in my notebook since last week since the power ran out but I wasn't able to post it (stupid computer, stupid storm, stupid—don't mind me).

Chapter 2: Their Famous Trait

It was building inside of him like a small fire growing dynamically into a huge forest fire that would remain burning until all the trees were burned. It was flowing inside of him as fast as a current smoothly and powerfully.

And yet he couldn't do anything.

It annoyed him to no end to see the other like that, so tired and lifeless. It was heartbreaking to see. And it only infuriated him more.

The pharaoh was being strong again.

His cousin was avoiding him yet again.

Atemu's being a martyr for the umpteenth time.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"High Priest Seth, is something wrong?"

"I'm fine," he hissed, not caring if his fellow priest looked at him in surprise, obviously unaware of his sudden anger this morning.

"If you say so," said Karimu and walked away, perhaps to talk to Shadi. He rolled his eyes sarcastically; seriously, don't they know when to leave him alone when he isn't in the mood?

"High Priest Seth—"

Obviously not.

"What now, Mahado?" he demanded, fixing blazing azure orbs on mahogany ones. Mahado merely shook his head at his fellow priest and smiled sadly.

"Your anger is very apparent. What is troubling you?" Mahado asked.

"If I want to tell you, I'll call you right away," Seth answered back. What was wrong with them today?

"His majesty is worr—" Mahado attempted to start but the blue-eyed priest cut him off again.

"What? Worried? Tell him to worry over his health first and then I'll follow," he interrupted.

Mahado sighed. This again. When will all of these stop?

"Look, Seth."

"No, you look, Mahado. You're forcing me to get over myself well dream on. Why don't you worry over his majesty first before you worry about someone who doesn't need it? I'm perfectly fine," Seth answered, "He isn't."

"What do you know?" Mahado demanded, the other's behavior finally getting to him. It wasn't actually hard what with Seth's annoying stubbornness and rude behavior.

"You don't even talk to him," Mahado continued, "You don't even take into consideration that he is always worried about you with your rude and reckless behavior!"

Seth turned his back on the other and prepared to walk away, "Unfortunately, not all of us can be the pharaoh's best friend and still be his cousin, the High Priest," he said, loud enough for Mahado to hear, and walked away.

Mahado watched as the other slowly vanished from eyesight and heaved yet another sigh. Was it just him or was their entire bloodline famous for their stubborn streak?

"I see you tried to talk to him again," said a voice from behind. He shook his head in response.

"Seth's Seth as always," he answered, hearing the other sigh.

"But it is obvious he is worried too," the other replied.

"He is one of those persons who thought they could hide their emotions from the world when it is always present in their faces," Mahado said.

"I just hope it doesn't lead to his and his majesty's downfall," the other answered.

"Atemu and Seth are strong, I'm sure they can make it," the priest defended.

"Perhaps. They are, after all, the destined ones among the rest of the members of their bloodline."

"Don't worry, Shimon. They'll survive," Mahado said with a small smile, which the elder returned with one of his own and a pat on young priest's back.

"Mana, you should go down from there and practice your spells, you know," Atemu called as he walked past a tree, whose leaves were laughing (A/N: I suppose by now you know why the leaves are laughing).

With mere seconds, there was a soft 'thud' on the ground and a loud and high-pitched call of 'Atemu' that rang through the air as its owner ran towards the monarch and hugged him like a huge stuffed animal.

"Yes, Mana, I'm here. Now please don't suffocate me," Atemu said, hugging the girl back.

Mana beamed and broke the hug as she stuck her tongue out childishly as ever, "You know, you are getting old for that," Atemu teased.

"And you are aging faster than a normal teenager would," Mana teased back. It was one of these rare moments that she and the king enjoyed, when they could just spare a few minutes of their time and well… tease each other until somebody finds them.

It was a welcome distraction for Atemu anyway.

"Enough of that. Shouldn't you be practicing your spells as Mahado instructed?" Atemu asked, stifling a chuckle as the other pouted.

"I don't want to die of boredom, Atemu! No way," Mana countered. Atemu laughed at the answer and Mana smiled. It was nice to see him smile and laugh once in a while.

Being pharaoh isn't the best job one would want, she realized.

"Okay. You're more stubborn as I thought. Good luck explaining to Mahado then," Atemu finally said and prepared to walk away when Mana ran to him and whispered:

"It's okay to be scared once in a while, my prince. We all have dreams that we don't like," and ran away.

"You don't even talk to him."

"You don't even take into consideration that he is always worried about you with your rude and reckless behavior!"

Sure he does. He even memorized every warning and reprimand for his reckless behavior.

And besides, how can he talk to him anyway? Perhaps they forgot that he was already a High Priest, and Atemu was pharaoh. How does one talk to the living god about carefree things and memories about pranks and laughter?

It's not like it was killing him inside that he always snapped at the other and disregarded the other's concern whenever they meet.

It's not like it's going to kill Atemu for his every rejection, right?

And besides, shouldn't he be more concerned about his own health? He wasn't the one who was losing sleep because of some nightmares he didn't want to share with anyone.

And it surely isn't his fault that he was only paying the pharaoh back with his own way of concern over his too noble cousin.

But then again, he really missed him.

He missed those times when they could just hide and wait till somebody cries out in exasperation as they once again victimized another servant.

He missed those times when they could just taunt each other and duel for the sake of having fun and enjoying themselves.

He missed those times when the other would sneak into his room in the middle of the night because of some nightmare about Shimon and Akunadin getting crazy and he would have to get the other to sleep.

There were a lot of things that he missed. But most of all, he missed the carefree and young Atemu who would push him to the fountain if he gets a chance.

It wasn't that the pharaoh was old now. That was stupid. But somehow, this Atemu no longer knew how to enjoy and relax, as the only thing he does is worry over the kingdom and his subjects.

It was like, here was the living proof that gods could exist as humans—so caring and forgiving, so gently and kind, and yet so dangerous and powerful. He was the very image of perfection a divine entity can only project.

And yet, he was the humblest person the world has ever known. But sometimes, he was too good for his own good.

Atemu was simply unreachable now and no matter how hard he would have sworn he felt something for his cousin, it was useless to even tell that –

"It's okay to be scared once in a while, my prince. We all have dreams that we don't like."

Was he that obvious? Surely he wasn't? Or maybe, someone was walking pass his room at night and hears him? But then, every night?

Atemu shook his head at his thoughts. What was he thinking? He should be worrying about the rebels that were creating havoc at a nearby town not some advise about his night problems.

And what is it with him and his overwhelming concern on his High Priest? Seth can take care of himself. He wasn't a child who needed constant worrying on, nor was he an old man who would soon join his ancestors.

Why can't he just take his mind off Seth for a while and save himself from being rejected again and again and again?

It's not like Seth would mind anyway if he would stop being con—

Two slender bodies groaned in pain by impact as they both fell to the floor, still somewhat dazed.

"What the hell was that for?" Seth demanded, ready to lash something out at the poor person who had the guts to bump into him, and stood up.

A smaller and slender body rose gracefully despite the fall and looked up to see who the person in front of him was, and his eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, Seth. I'm afraid I was engrossed with my thoughts," he apologized.

"What's wrong with you?" Seth suddenly demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" Atemu asked in confusion. What is the other talking about? Has he done anything embarrassing now for bumping into his priest?

"I highly doubt you were deafened due to the impact, Atemu," Seth said, "And it isn't a difficult question to answer."

"What are you talking about?" Atemu asked.

"When's the last time you slept?" Seth demanded, voicing out the question that has been nagging him since last night.

"Last night," Atemu answered. No use telling them, it would be highly un-pharaoh like anyway.

"You're an aweful liar, cousin," Seth barked. Atemu's eyes widened. Seth didn't know, did he?

"So I'm not sleeping well, what's the big deal, Seth? It's not like I'm going to die or something," Atemu defended.

"It's either you're plain stupid or you're acting like an idiot. A normal human being cannot survive without having his much-deserved rest, and pharaohs who are too noble for their own good are not exempted," Seth countered.

Atemu's eyes narrowed, he was sleepy and his head was throbbing. And Seth's isn't helping either!

"You can glare at me all you want, Atemu, but I want to know what you're trying to get at here," Seth said.

Extremely annoyed and tired, crimson eyes snapped open and glared at azure ones, "You want to know what's going on?" he snapped.

"Finally!" Seth drawled.

"I haven't been sleeping because of a stupid dream that kept repeating itself and putting me to blame on my parents' death. It isn't true, of course, but you try keeping your sanity all night when these voices stupidly can't accept the fact that you're telling the truth," Atemu breathed out, uncaring if he was only inches away from his suddenly silent cousin.

"And let's add something more, shall we?" he asked, "Let's add the fact that your cousin doesn't even give a damn if you're worried that he might be killed out there especially now that the shadow realm's opening is getting wider."

"He doesn't even care that I'm trying my best to protect him and make sure he doesn't get hurt anymore. He doesn't even notice that I care for him to allow him to get hurt!"

Atemu breathed and gulped for air as soon as he was finished before closing his eyes briefly, hating it when his world suddenly started spinning in circles.

"Atemu, are you alright?" Seth finally asked when he was able to get his voice back. The sudden outburst caught him by surprise, all right, especially the last one.

Uh-huh, the last one hit him harder than anything else.

But the pharaoh didn't answer. Instead, he rested a hand on the other's chest, as if resting his entire weight on it as he steady himself.

"Atemu, are you alright?" Seth asked again, now genuinely and more concerned at the sudden behavior of his cousin.

"Yes, I'm quite all right…" Atemu slurred before collapsing into Seth's arms.

"What did you do to his majesty this time?" Mahado demanded. Still in the foulest moods, Seth mused.

"He collapsed and he has a fever," Seth answered, not minding the question.

"My pharaoh!" Shimon cried out as he rushed towards them in utmost concern.

"Don't worry, Shimon. He's alive so don't mourn over him yet," Seth said, attempting to calm the elder down.

"It would be better if we bring him to his chambers," Mahado told him and led the way, giving instructions to his fellow priests.

Seth shrugged nonchalantly and pulled the unconscious body of his cousin closer to him as they make their way to the room.

All the while, from those moments they were walking, he was silent. His thoughts wandering to the words Atemu had said.

Was it true? Did Atemu really care for him that much?

Then again it was natural for the pharaoh to be greatly concerned whenever they were dealing with his subjects' welfare.

But there was something about the way Atemu's decisions whenever he was concerned with it stood out against everything else.

And for the meantime, he didn't want to confuse himself further. All that mattered right now was that his dear cousin is all right and safe from harm.

"I suppose you have something to do with this?" Mahado suddenly asked, uncaring if his anger was evident in his voice.

"Hn," Seth answered.

"So now you're not reprimanding him. What's next? You're going to ignore him even more?" Mahado asked again.

Seth didn't answer. How can he do that anyway? Ignore his cousin? After all these? No way in hell.

"I would not do that to his majesty," he answered.

"And here he goes with the royal treatment again," Mahado suddenly remarked before stopping abruptly and turning around to meet the other's gaze.

"Why can't you treat him like a cousin would, the same way he has treated you all these years, Seth?" Mahado demanded, "Is that too much of your pride to handle?"

"This is not the best time and place to talk about this, Mahado. Now excuse me, the pharaoh is not faring quite well and deserves some rest," Seth answered ever so simply as he walked past the fuming Mahado and into the pharaoh's room.

Mahado grunted before closing the doors to give the two cousins some privacy. The healers would come soon but now, Seth has to learn to repay every kindness Atemu has given him.

And it was a handful.

Their talk would just have to wait.

A/N: We have a very protective (let's call it that way) Shimon, a very childish Mana, a very angry Mahado and our usual Seth. This was written mainly because I'm in the foulest mood ever. Man am I really pissed off right now. And it's a long story.

Hope you guys like it.

Coming up:

Chapter 3: no title available

Seth gets tortured by his conscience and ends up staying in his cousin's room for the night.