There's a little bit fi information that is tied into Curse of the Treasure. Just so you're not too confused if you haven't read that one.
Chapter 9- My Reason
A week had passed by since Atemu and Heba's conversation, and Atemu was depressed. He had known that there was a chance that Heba would not feel the same way as he did, but it still hurt.
Heba had continued with his duties as a bodyguard, and there had been an attempt on Yami's life by an irate servant, who Heba had immediately stopped quickly and agilely, leaving Yami uninjured.
Yami and the rest of Atemu's friends had been confused by Heba's rejection and were getting sick of Atemu being so depressed.
Aknankanon was also worried about his son, but he tried to stay out of the situation because he didn't want to interfere with this anymore than he already had.
"Okay. I don't know about the rest of you. But Yami is driving me crazy!" Yami exclaimed.
"Yami, we need to try and under that Atemu is heartbroken. He may be depressed for awhile." Eternias said.
"Eternias, you do not have to deal with having your depressed brother around you all day long. All I hear about is how much he's hurting. I'm sorry that things turned out this way, but Atemu's driving me to want either kill him or kill myself." Yami said.
"I just don't' understand why Heba said that." Mana said.
"Mana, if he did not feel the same way, then he did feel the same way. It's not like anyone can force him to love Atemu." Mahado said.
Mana looked at her teacher. "That's just it, Mahado. I talked to Benshin before Heba was made a bodyguard. He said that Heba admitted that he liked Atemu a lot. I mean, Heba wasn't sure that he was in love with him, but Benshin said that Heba was definitely attracted to him. That's why I didn't get why he said that." Mana explained.
"Wait a minute. Heba felt the same." Yami said.
"According to Benshin he did, and Benshin has never lied." Mana said.
"Then why did he tell Atemu he didn't feel the same way?" Isis asked.
"I don't know." Mana said.
"Hmm. This changed a lot, then. It sounds like Heba wasn't too keen on the idea of having an actual relationship with him." Seth said.
"Do you think that he was scared?" Mana asked.
"That's possible, but no one here really has any way of knowing that." Mahado said.
"What should we do?" Isis asked.
"Well, all of you should go back to your duties. Yami, sorry, but you should talk to Atemu." Eternias said.
Yami groaned. "Great. Back to the depressed brother I go." Yami said.
"What are you going to do, Eternias?" Seth asked.
"I have something else in mind to do." Eternias said before leaving the room.
"Well, we should do what he says. Eternias usually knows the best way to deal with these type of situations." Mahado said.
The rest of the group left the room as well.
Atemu lay on his stomach on his bed with his arms crossed and his cheek was laying on his arm. Atemu let out a depressed sigh. 'I didn't realize that it would hurt this much.' Atemu thought. He heard the door open and close and knew that either his father or brother had come in because anyone else would have knocked before coming on. Atemu felt the bed weigh down.
"Atemu, you okay?" Yami asked.
"I'll live." Atemu said.
"Really. You've hardly left this room in the last week. We're all getting worried about you. You're not eating like you should." Yami said.
"I don't feel like it." Atemu said.
"Atemu, I know that you're upset, but you can't let yourself go like this. You haven't really ate or slept in the last week. If you don't start soon, then Father's going to be upset and worried." Yami said.
"Yami, I just don't feel like it right now." Atemu said.
Yami sighed. "Atemu, if it would make it easier, I can ask Father to have Heba assigned to guard someone else." Yami said.
"No, it's not that. After what he did for you, I don't ant Father to. Heba's done his duty without fail and that's what matters. I can't force father to change his assignment just because I'm a little heartbroken." Atemu said.
Yami sighed. "Fine. But if you don't start eating and sleeping soon, I can tell you that we'll force feed you and start putting sleep spells on you." Yami said.
Atemu turned to look at him. "You wouldn't." Atemu said.
"Try me. Seth and Eternias could easily hold you down, and a sleep spell would be no problem for Mahado." Yami said.
Atemu let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I'll start eating and sleeping better." Atemu said.
"Good. That's all I ask." Yami said.
"You're a pain, you know that." Atemu said.
Yami smirked. "What do you think little brothers are for?" Yami asked.
"To be a pain in their older brother's ass." Atemu said.
Yami hid a smile. 'He's starting to sound like the old Atemu again.' Yami thought.
"Pharaoh, may I speak with you?" Eternias asked.
Aknankanon looked up from his desk and said, "Certainly, Eternias. I could use a break anyway."
"Pharaoh, I wanted to talk to you about Atemu and Heba." Eternias said.
"I know the situation, and I really don't want to interfere." Aknankanon said.
"I know, and I understand. Before, I would have agreed, but I just found out something that I did not know before." Eternias said.
"And that would be?" Aknankanon asked.
"Mana talked to Benshin before Heba was made a bodyguard. Benshin told her that although Heba said that he didn't know of he was in love Atemu or not, he was attracted to him." Eternias said.
"But Heba told Atemu that he didn't return his feeling. That meant that he didn't feel anything for him." Aknankanon said.
"Exactly. Something else is going on, and I really don't think that Heba is going to tell us." Eternias said.
"What makes you think that he'll tell me?" Aknankanon asked.
"Well, for one, I know that he has too much respect for you to refuse to do something you directly asked him to do. Second, you have an odd way of making people feel comfortable enough to know that they can talk to you without fear." Eternias said.
Aknankanon sighed. "All right. I will speak with Heba." Aknankanon agreed.
Eternias nodded, bowed, and left the study.
Heba was walking down the hall when Shimon came up to him.
"Heba, the Pharaoh wished to speak with you in his private gardens." Shimon said.
"I have never been to the private gardens. I don't know where they are." Heba said.
"I will show you. Come." Shimon said.
Heba followed Shimon through the halls and to an entranceway to where the Pharaoh's private garden was.
"You will find the Pharaoh in here." Shimon said.
"Thank you." Heba said.
Shimon nodded and then left the area.
Heba walked into the gardens and saw Aknankanon sitting by the fountain. "My Pharaoh, Shimon said that you wish to me." Heba said, bowing.
"Yes, I do. Come here and sit down." Aknankanon told him.
"Yes, my Pharaoh." Heba said, doing as he was told and sitting down with Aknankanon by the fountain.
"Heba, I wanted to talk to you about my son, Atemu." Aknankanon said.
"Pharaoh, I am sorry that I hurt the Prince, but I just couldn't tell him something that he wanted to hear. It wouldn't have been fair to lie." Heba said.
"But you did lie." Aknankanon pointed out.
"I'm sorry." Heba said, not understanding.
"Heba, Mana spoke with Benshin. He told her that he knew for a fact you felt something toward my son. You did say that you did not know if you loved him, but you were attracted to him, yet you said that you didn't feel that way toward him at all." Aknankanon said.
"Benshin wasn't supposed to tell anyone." Heba said.
"Why did you lie to my son like that?" Aknankanon asked.
Heba stood up and walked forward a bit. "It wouldn't have been a right relationship." Heba said.
"What do you mean?" Aknankanon asked, still sitting.
Heba turned back to him. "Pharaoh, Prince Atemu is the Crown Prince to Egypt, the heir to the Egyptian throne. I am just a commoner whose skills in battle we picked up on in a random fight on the street and was brought back to the palace and made a performance then made a bodyguard. Even thought Prince Atemu does prefer the company of men, he could find someone much better and with higher rank in social status than me. I'm not really worthy of someone like him." Heba explained.
"Perhaps you feel that way, but Atemu certainly does not, and I do not, either. Heba social status does not always mean anything." Aknankanon said.
"I'm a lowly commoner. There is probably someone much more worthy the Prince then me." Heba said.
"Heba, I knew of my son's feelings for you before he told you. I approved of it. Honestly, all I want for my son is for him to be happy. You do return his feelings on some level." Aknankanon said.
"Maybe, but not as deeply. He's in love with me. I'm not sure if am." Heba said.
"That is why you must discover if you are. That is the reason that we court the one we have feelings for. To see if you do love them. Heba, you might discover whether you have deeper feelings for him or not." Aknankanon said.
"Pharaoh, as flattered as I am that you think, you really don't know enough about me to know that I would be good enough for the Prince." Heba said.
"And what makes you think that you are not good enough him?' Aknankanon asked.
Heba seemed hesitant to answer that question.
Aknankanon frowned and stood up. "Heba, why do you feel that way?" Aknankanon asked in a commanding way.
Heba took a deep breath to get control of his emotions. "Pharaoh, if I tell you this, will give me your word that it will go no farther. I truly do not wish for anyone else to know what I am about to tell you." Heba said.
Aknankanon could see the sincerity in Heba's eyes. "Yes, Heba. That you tell me I will tell to no one else." Aknankanon promised.
Heba nodded. "Pharaoh, when I said that I knew how to fight, I had another reason for it. You know of the treasure, do you not?" Heba asked.
"Treasure?" Aknankanon asked.
"The one gifted with the power of the gods Osiris, Horus, and Ra." Heba said.
Aknankanon's eyes widened. "Yes. I do." Aknankanon said. He knew the legend of the great power bestowed to one person.
"Pharaoh, I had a twin brother named Yugi. He was the Treasure." Heba said.
Aknankanon gasped. "Your brother is the Treasure?" Aknankanon asked.
Heba nodded. "Yes. Our home village was destroyed when we were eight. After that, we began wandering, only having each other. I am, was, the Protector." Heba said.
"You are the one who protect the Treasure?" Aknankanon asked.
Heba nodded. "Yes, When we were twelve, different factions of criminals started coming after us when they realized that Yugi was the Treasure. For the next four years, we were forced to fight against these factions to protect ourselves." Heba took a deep breath to calm the storm of emotions building inside of him. "After four years, it became too much. Yugi couldn't handle living the rest of his life fighting to stay alive. He also didn't like the fact that my life was put in danger as well." tears started to gather in Heba's eyes. "He took his own life a year ago." Heba said.
Aknankanon's eyes widened at that.
"His last words to me that I was to live. My reason to live was him before, and he told me that I would find a new reason to live. It hurt a lot to know that I had lost the only family I had." Heba said. Once more, Heba took a deep breath. "I know that I'm falling for Prince Atemu, but he can do so much better. When I lost Yugi, it nearly killed me. I swore to myself that I would never open myself up to someone again so that I wouldn't have to feel that kind of pain again." Heba said.
"You're afraid of getting hurt if you open yourself up to Atemu." Aknankanon said.
Heba nodded. "I don't want to be hurt like that again. I'm afraid that I might get hurt like that again, and I don't want to. I am afraid. I want to keep my promise to my brother, but I don't know that I can. That's part of why I was uneasy being made their bodyguard. I failed to protect Yugi. I don't want to fail to protect them." Heba said.
"Heba, you said that your brother took his own life." Aknankanon said.
"Yes, he did." Heba said.
"You did not fail. When a person is determined to kill themselves, no one can stop them. You could have done nothing more that what you did." Aknankanon said.
"Maybe, but the gods surely would not approve of a pairing between the Crown Prince of Egypt and a commoner." Heba said.
"Heba, there is something that my father told me, and I think that it will help you in your situation. 'Love can transcend everything. Not even the gods of Egypt would stand in the way of true love.' That is what my father told me." Aknankanon said.
"You think that the gods would approve." Heba said.
"I think they would. Heba, I was married to my wife Amara for twenty-three years before her death. Amara was a servant girl when I first met her. If they approved my a marriage with her, I think that they would approve of you having a relationship with Atemu." Aknankanon said.
"I just don't know." Heba said.
Aknankanon could tell that Heba wasn't sure what he should do. "Heba, what is your heart telling you? Just listen and see what it says." Aknankanon said.
Heba was silent for a moment before answering. "My heart is telling me that I'm a fool for telling Atemu I didn't have any feelings for him, and that I should take a chance and try to find happiness again." Heba said.
"Then that is what you should do. I know that it may end up you finding that you don't love Atemu, but you'll never know if you don't give the relationship a chance." Aknankanon said.
Heba nodded. "I think you're right, but will Prince Atemu even listen to me now?" Heba asked.
"Yes. I think he will. Go and talk to him now." Aknankanon said.
Heba nodded and bowed before leaving the gardens.
Aknankanon smiled. 'Atemu will do more than listen. He'll be overjoyed and maybe he'll get out of this depression of his.' Aknankanon thought.
Eternias waked into the gardens then. "Why was Heba here?' Eternias asked.
"I was just talking to him." Aknankanon said.
"Here?" Eternias asked.
"Yes. I wanted to be outside and I knew no one would disturb us if we were here." Aknankanon said.
"I see. Do you think the gods will approve of them if they end up together?" Eternias asked.
"Eternias, my father said something important to me once. 'Love can transcend everything, Eternias. Not even the gods of Egypt would stand in the way of true love.' I believe that, and that's why I believe that Atemu and Heba are meant to be together." Aknankanon said.
"Do you think they will?" Eternias asked.
"I don't the answer to that, but we'll see in time." Aknankanon replied.
Atemu lying on his bed in the room alone when there was a knock on the door. He didn't say anything.
"Prince Atemu, are you in there?"
Atemu's eyes flew open. He recognized that voice and didn't know why he was here, but Atemu sat up and said, "Come in, Heba."
Heba opened the door and walked in. "How did you know it was me?" Heba asked.
"I recognized your voice." Atemu answered.
"prince, I wanted to talk to you about what happened last week." Heba said.
"Heba, you don't need to say anything. I understand that you don't feel the same way." Atemu said.
"That's part of the problem, Prince Atemu. I wasn't completely honest with you." Heba said.
"What do you mean?" Atemu asked.
Heba took a deep breath. "Prince, I lied when I said I didn't feel anything for you. I won't say that I'm in love with you because I honestly don't know if I am, but I can tell you that I am attracted to you. I have been since we first met." Heba said.
"Then why did you lie?" Atemu asked.
Heba was about to answer when he noticed a glint of silver by the balcony.
Heba's silent worried Atemu. "Heba, why did-" Atemu started.
"look out!" Heba shouted, pushing Atemu to the side and swiping out his Sai to block a sword.
"Bastard!" the man said.
Atemu's eyes widened.
"Prince, get the guards." Heba said, forcing the man back.
Atemu ran from the room. He quickly found two guards and said, "Get to my room. My bodyguard is fighting someone who tried to kill me."
The guards acted immediately, going into the room. The two found the man holding his injured forearm and quickly restrained the man.
Atemu walked in and scanned the room to find Heba against the wall on the floor holding his injured shoulder. "Heba!" Atemu exclaimed, running over to Heba.
Blood was seeping through Heba's fingers and it was obvious that he was in pain.
Atemu turned and said, "Get Isis now!"
"Yes, Your Highness." one guard said and left the room.
"Heba." Atemu said.
Heba looked at Atemu before his eyes closed, and he passed out.
Atemu's eyes widened. "Heba." Atemu whispered.
I know Heba's reason may not have been the best, but I thought that it was sufficent enough to warrant what Heba did. Sorry if you don't agree.
The next chapter will have Heba and Atemu finishing their talk.
R&R.