Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Inuyasha or any of their titles therein. No copyright infringement was intended and no profits were made from this fan fiction.

Moi-Moi: I'd like to think that I have been doing a good job here with this fan fiction. I try my best to make sure that there's little grammar errors and that each character is as in character as they can be. Quick side note: the story has just been lengthened. Yep, I added in some more scenes and extra stuff that will be coming out in later chapters. We're looking at 9-10 more chapters; at least. God, I hope I don't start to lose interest half-way through…

Yami/Atem: If you do, I will be right here to play some Yu-Gi-Oh episodes for you on Hulu.

Moi-Moi: ^. ^ I knew I could count on you. Now, shoo! You have to be in the next scene!

~:~

"And, I've learn how to transfigure animals and other objects as well," Kagome continues as she clasps her hands behind her back.

"You're progressing quickly. I'm quite impressed, Kagome," Atem says and continues to walk alongside Kagome. The two were strolling peacefully through the palace gardens. A pleasant breeze had picked up to make their walk all the more delightful. Kagome had been studiously going over some of her notes when Atem had approached her and asked for her company. She had immediately dropped her studies and jumped at the chance to spend time with him. She had barely been able to see him these last few days.

"Thank you," Kagome says before catching a glimpse of a slightly withered patch of flowers. "Hold on. Watch this," Kagome says before facing a patch of flowers that were growing at a slower pace than others. Kagome concentrated before spreading her Heka over the flowers. Like the sun, the Heka warmed the plants before uplifting and nourishing them. The flowers quickly grew and instantly became the most beautiful of them all. Once she had finished, Kagome dropped her hands to her sides before smiling at Atem.

Atem felt his heart warm at the sight of Kagome's magic. The flowers were beautiful, but they paled in comparison to the sorceress who had aided them. Reaching over, Atem grasped one of the nearer flowers between his right thumb and index finger. He faced Kagome before placing the layered, blue lotus in her hair. "It's simple, yet beautiful. Just like you," Atem says softly. It seemed that everything about Kagome was that way; from her voice to her magic.

Kagome smiles in return before fingering the flower. "Thank you. I think you've heard enough about me. Tell me about you, my King," Kagome says and tries to reign in her embarrassment. The two then continue their walk through the fields.

Atem ponders what he should tell her. To be quite honest, he could have continued talking about her for the rest of their time together. He could never be bored with her. Kagome always spoke so animatedly and passionately about what she had to say. She could make a simple tale sound exciting with ease. "Seto and Aknadin have done extremely well. We have seen an increase in safety and a decrease in crime in the kingdom. Also, I hear Seto has taken in a woman from the city," Atem says.

"Yes, her name is Kisara. I have visited her. She seems nice," Kagome responds.

"Does Seto seem attracted to her?" Atem asks casually. It may have seemed like an innocent question, however it was anything but. If Seto was attracted with this young woman, he would have no need to pursue Kagome any longer.

"Pharaoh, are you meddling?" Kagome asked him teasingly. Atem opened his mouth to object, but Kagome's light giggles had stopped him. "It's alright, my King. But, I'm not sure. Kisara has been unconscious for some time and she is not well. Seto has not been able to speak with her. But I hear that she has some sort of hidden power that is quite amazing."

Atem kept quiet at this new knowledge. Once Kisara awakens, Seto would most likely question her. Hopefully, he would want to continue speaking to Kisara and with any luck the young woman would capture the priest's heart. But, that was wishful thinking.

"My King, you never told me how things worked out with your plans," Kagome pressed after some time.

Atem immediately knew what she was getting at. He had barely told her anything of his plans, wishing to keep it a secret. "Everything is going smoothly. There's no need for you to worry."

"You know, you never told me why you wanted this separation to begin with," Kagome goes on. When he didn't respond, Kagome continued, "But you don't have to tell me if you do not wish to." Kagome pouted and looked away from him then. It hurt that he couldn't tell her what was on his mind. She thought that they were actually getting close.

"I would want nothing more than to tell you, but it is a secret. When the time is right, I will tell you," Atem promises with a smirk. Kagome pouts at him before folding her arms indignantly. He takes her hand before squeezing it in his larger one. "Patience is a virtue, Kagome. Good things are given to those who wait."

Kagome scoffs before saying, "Sure. That's easy for you to say." He chuckles at her response before continuing with their walk. Kagome noticed that he didn't release her hand and smiled happily at the sight of their interlocked fingers. She let out a small sigh before feeling the nice breeze caress her face and blows her raven locks about her face.

~:~

"There you go," Kagome says and retracts her hands from Kisara's weak form. Kisara stares at her gratefully before smiling weakly.

"Thank you so much. You have been nothing, but nice to me since I have been brought here," Kisara says softly. Once Kagome had found out that Kisara had awoken, she had made it her duty to check in on her. Equipped with her newly learned healing spell, Kagome had become fast friends with Kisara and acted as her personal healer.

"It was the least I could do. It must be torture stay in bed all day. I would want someone to help me heal up as quickly as possible," Kagome says. Kisara's healing sessions had caused a great improvement. The young woman was nearly healed up and looking better than ever. "I should leave you to your rest," Kagome says and stands to leave.

"No, stay with me a little while longer" Kisara says. Her eyes zero in on the flower in Kagome's hair that seemed to highlight her clear, blue eyes. "Where did you get such a beautiful flower?"

Kagome feels a blush rise up to her cheeks before she smiles at the memory. "It was a gift… from the Pharaoh," Kagome says. Kisara smiles knowingly at her friend before giving a light laugh.

"You must be really taken with him," Kisara says knowingly. Anyone could tell just how much Kagome cared for the Pharaoh. Kisara didn't need to see him with Kagome to know that her feelings were reciprocated. Kisara yawns softly before letting her eyes flutter.

"You seem tired. I'll leave you to your rest," Kagome says and stands. Kisara lets out a small moan before closing her eyes peacefully. Kagome slips past the guards and out of the room quietly. Once she closed the door behind her, she turned only to be greeted with the sight of Priest Seto leaning against the wall. Not wanting to spend any more time with him than she needed to, Kagome spoke in a clipped tone. "She's asleep now so you may not want to disturb her."

"Thank you, but I have not come to see, Kisara. I was… waiting for you," Seto says withdrawn. Kagome raises an eyebrow at him. This was not Priest Seto. He seemed much too humble.

"What did you need, priest?" Kagome asks suspiciously.

"Come. Walk with me and I shall explain," Seto says and begins to walk back down the corridor. He didn't look behind him to make sure that Kagome was following him. Shrugging her shoulders, Kagome followed after him. "Kagome, you and Kisara have become rather close. Have you not?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Kagome asks.

"Surely you would know how Kisara felt about everyone here in the palace," Seto trailed off. He wasn't used to this. He had never asked another for help before. Having to ask for help made him feel like a child. He was a grown man, but here he was ready to beg for Kagome's help.

Kagome gave Seto a sly look out of the corner of her eyes. "Seto, you wouldn't be asking what Kisara though about you perhaps?" Kagome asks and stood in front of him. She smirked knowingly in front of him with her hands on her hips. Seto opened and closed his mouth repeatedly at a loss. He tried to hide his discomfort, but failed miserably. Kagome laughed lightly before smiling at him. "Don't worry Seto. If you ask nicely and promise never to pester me again, I'd happily help you get on Kisara's good side."

Seto steels his expression and glares down at the young woman. "I only need you to help with this small task. After that, your assistance is no longer needed," Seto says. Kagome rolls her eyes. Of course he would try to act gruff now. She knew that he only wished to save face. Kagome waved him off before smiling at the priest.

"I'll help you Seto. First, we should work on your attitude. If you were to be yourself, you might just scare her away," Kagome says blithely. Seto glares at her before regretting asking for her assistance. He knew he should have done this alone.

~:~

Atem walked alone through the corridors towards the courtyard. He was sure that Kagome's lessons were done for today. He had wished to spend some more time with her like they had done only days ago. He continued to walk until he heard a scraping noise. He turned to a pot on the floor before raising an eyebrow at it. "Mana, I know you are there," he says with an amused tone.

Mana springs out of the pot before stopping in front of him with a pout. She was sure that she had had him this time. How is it that he always found her? Maybe she should improve her hiding skills? "How did you find me?" she asks him.

"You were not hard to detect," Atem says with a small smile. Mana sighs and hangs her head. "Mana, where is Kagome?"

"Kagome?" Mana asks and lifts her head. Mana narrows her eyes at her friend before looking him directly in the eyes. Atem leaned away from her and raised a brow at her in return. "Why would you want to know that?"

"I only wish to speak with her," Atem says casually. Mana folds her arms with a smirk of her own.

"I'm sorry, Pharaoh, but she's with Priest Seto. He came for her right after our lessons ended and the two of them left together. She seemed to have been expecting him. I thought for sure she would have turned him down. I guess she's full of surprises!" Mana says blithely. Atem was feeling the exact opposite, however.

"T-thank you, Mana. I think I will retire early tonight," Atem says and leaves Mana alone.

"Hm? Are you sure? If you want, I can keep you company," Mana suggests. Atem stops and turns to her. Mana gives him a slightly worried look before smiling softly. He decided that spending time with Mana would be better than spending the night alone in his room.

"That sounds good," he replies with a resolved face. He would try to put his bad mood away for Mana's sake. He didn't want to ruin her evening as well. Mana smiles brightly before taking his arm and leading him away, chatting animatedly the whole way.

Atem kept his sigh to himself. Seto was still spending time with Kagome. He must still be interested. Kagome sounded as though she was as well. If Atem really did rid himself of this damned law, he would be free to wed Kagome. But there was no guarantee that she would say yes to his proposal. Atem did not know how deep her feelings for Seto ran. It seemed that being Pharaoh would not be enough to get what he wanted most this time…

~:~

That night, at dinner, everyone ate in silence. Mana found the silence unnerving as she looked around the table. It seemed as if there was an incredible amount of tension between everyone. Mana sighed before taking another bite.

Atem took another drink from his glass before looking at each person at the table. His eyes stopped on Kagome, drinking in her appearance. She looked absolutely radiant tonight that it left his star struck. He watched she took a bite of her food before looking up at Seto. They seemed to share a private look before going back to their meals. Atem felt him hands clench before her relaxed them and took another bite. Was she doing this on purpose?

Aknadin had caught the glance Kagome and Seto had shared. He smirked and held his head down. It seems as though Seto and Kagome were getting along fine without his interference. What was even better, the pharaoh seemed upset at this. Aknadin finished off his wine with a smug aura about him. Yes, Seto would be Pharaoh in no time.

Seto, all the while, was oblivious to the Pharaoh and Aknadin. His mind was miles away or with Kisara rather. She was not well enough to leave her chambers, so he would bring her food for her. Kagome had advised him to do so. He hated to admit it, but the young girl had been very helpful. She had given him useful advice while keeping her teasing to a minimum. He would truly be in her debt for this.

Kagome looked around the table once more. Mana seemed rather quiet, which was quite strange. What was even stranger, Priest Aknadin was smiling about something. He rarely ever smiled. Kagome truly could not remember ever seeing the man smile. She looked to the Pharaoh then. He seemed tense and displeased. Kagome kept looking at him from the corner of her eyes. What had upset him?

Dinner continued this way, with no one saying anything. It was as if they were afraid to break the silence. It was so quiet that when Mana let out a small sneeze, everyone's eyes looked to her expectantly. She said a small, "Sorry" before shrinking down in her chair.

"I think I shall retire early," Atem said after some time. He rose up from his seat and moved away from the table. Kagome looked directly at him then, hoping he would look to her. When he ignored her glance, she sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. Was he upset with her?

"I shall retire as well. Good night everyone," Aknadin says and leaves with a smile. Slowly, everyone started to disperse from the table. Kagome left after Aknadin, her mood completely ruined. Mana watched her leave before following her out. Isis frowned before looking at Mahad. The spell caster shook his head and got up from the table.

"Have I missed something?" Shimon asked Isis. She shook her head at him before sighing. Shimon looked at Shada with a shrug. The priest only stared back with a lost look.

~:~

Atem paced the floors of his chambers with a dark cloud over his head. What had he done wrong? He was sure that Kagome had cared deeply for him. He had even gone as far to call it love. But did she only consider him as her play thing? Did she only come to him whenever Seto was not available to appease her?

'That could not be.' Atem was sure that he meant more to Kagome than that. All the signs were there. He could not have read her wrong. But he would not be able to know unless he asked her. Yes. He would ask her. He would go to her and question her feelings for him. It would give him peace of mind.

~:~

Aknadin froze up. He had been using his Millennium Eye to peer into the Pharaoh's mind after he had left the table. The sight of the Pharaoh's upset had been pleasing, naturally he had gotten greedy. He had continued to intrude on the pharaoh's thoughts for some time, truly enjoying his inner turmoil. When the pharaoh had decided to speak with Kagome, Aknadin became worried. He was sure that Kagome would calm his fears and assure the Pharaoh of her true emotions. If that had happened, then there would be nothing stopping the Pharaoh from wedding the girl. When that happened, children would surely be on the way. With children in the picture, Seto's chances of gaining the throne would be gone.

He would not allow that.

~:~

Moi-Moi: I wrote more than I had planned to. Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a nap.

Atem: Don't we get to know what happens when I confront Kagome?

Moi-Moi: Maybe next chapter. Until then, get back in my basement…

Atem: *uses sexiness* Review. ;)

Edited: 6/18/12