Dream Prince

Chapter 18

Hurdles to Overcome

As soon as Jono had left the camp, Yugi had started to mentally prepare himself for Bakura's training. It almost was not enough to get him through the exhausting practise the albino had put him through that morning. His muscles still ached from Jono's training the day before, despite the blond's assurance that they would take it easy. And when Bakura forced him to lift heavy rocks and swing the thief's oversized sword until his arms ached, Yugi felt like he had been driven to his limit by the time Bakura excused him near midday.

Even with his burning muscles Yugi went through the effort of dragging himself to the oasis after training. He still had something he needed to do, his own personal training that he had decided on the night before. It was going to his own method for strengthening his muscles, of gauging his progress daily. And by the time Jono came back, Yugi would be able to show the blond results.

So the day found Yugi struggling to climb the same wall he had fallen down from before, and the teen was hoping that he would make it higher up that time around. He really was not looking forward to such a spectacular failure as he had faced the last time.

Yugi reached a hand out towards the wall and grabbed onto a crack that he thought he could use as a handle. He frowned when the sharp stone dug into his palm and shifted his hand within the crack, trying to find a smoother spot to grab. Once he had a secure hold of the wall, he spent a moment trying to find a proper handle for his other hand. Then he pulled himself up, planting his covered heels on cracks a lot more easily than his unprotected hands.

The first thing Yugi noted when climbing this second time around was that his hands ached somewhat less now that he was paying attention to where he was sticking his hands. That meant he should be able to hang on to the wall longer.

Reaching as far up as his hand could go, Yugi grasped another crack, once again fumbling to find the spot with the least roughness. Once he had a secure and mostly painless grip on the wall, the youth lifted his other hand up as well, to grab a hold of a different part of the wall. However, this new crack seemed to have nothing but sharp edges and so Yugi was forced to hang onto that while he moved his feet higher up as well.

The skin on Yugi's palm was breaking; the prince knew this from the burning pain that was slowly seeping into his hand. Yugi bit his lip and frowned in concentration, determined to keep on going despite the ache.

It was taxing to pull himself up inch by inch, but Yugi was intent to make it higher than the last time. If only his arms did not hurt so much from Bakura's practise. If only his skin were not that sensitive. But he could do nothing about either of those things so he would simply have to make do with what he had. It was obvious that this was the rule Bakura and Jono lived by, and Yugi would also learn to adapt to this philosophy.

Despite all of his determination and internal prep talks, Yugi still found his fingers growing numb soon, and a moment afterwards his grip slipped entirely and the boy found himself plummeting into the water below.

Fortunately Yugi had managed to climb long enough to position himself over the lake, as well as make it a meter or so higher than the last time he had attempted to climb the wall. But these thoughts passed Yugi's mind only briefly as the boy was more busy with swimming ashore than making comparisons.

Yugi was on all floors as he crawled the last meters through shallow water to reach the shore. He was nearly out of the water completely when a sharp stinging broke out in his hands. The boy jumped up, sitting down onto his legs with a hiss as he looked down at his torn palms. The cracks had really done a lot of damage to the skin when Yugi had fallen from the stone wall. Apparently Yugi had slashed his palms when his grip had slipped.

"You should probably have the healer check on your wounds", a voice spoke out and Yugi's head snapped up in surprise. His eyes met a ruby red gaze.

&

When Seto had made his way to Jono's tent on the late morning the day after their confrontation to accost the blond properly, the brunet had been foiled in his plans by the fact that Jono was not to be found there. As if that had not been enough to make the young priest's mood foul, his cousin had revealed it to him afterwards that Odji had taken the blond along for his trip to retrieve more provisions. Seto had been looking forward to getting rid of Odji for a few days, but not at the cost of losing Jono's company, especially so now that the brunet knew that the nobleman was out to seduce the blond.

The absence of the person who captured Seto's attention gave the brunet a good chance to reconsider his tactics for winning Jono over. Since the priest knew that he would be unable to think of much anything else other than the blond, he came to the conclusion that he might think about the soldier in a constructive manner that would actually bring him results.

A straightforward method did not seem to lead anywhere with Jono. On the contrary, it seemed to make the blond get defensive and, when dealing with Odji, aggressive. If Seto continued to force the issue, he was more than likely to end up on the receiving end of one of Jono's soft-spoken threats of unbearable anguish.

But, Seto mused, he did seem to have an advantage to Odji already. Jono was certainly more responsive to him. That meant that either Jono was also attracted to Seto or then the blond did not dare to talk to the priest like he did to Odji. Jono had already proven that he did not care less what Seto did to him if he spoke his mind, so that only left the former option. That meant that Seto would need to figure out how to take advantage of that.

It was very difficult to seduce someone you wanted to keep, Seto thought as he neared his tent. There were so many things he had to consider and none of his authority was of use against someone like Jono. The blond could not be intimated into submission, which meant that Seto would have to charm the other. The very thought made the brunet grimace. He was not charming at all. If it was all up to that then Seto could just kiss any chances he had with Jono goodbye.

There had to be some other way! Seto walked right past his tent and headed for Atemu's own instead. The brunet had already managed to get somewhat into the blond's favour. He still needed to figure out a way to get the other to warm up to him even more and make sure that he would stay in the blond's good graces.

"Atemu", Seto spoke out as he marched into his cousin's tent without announcement. He smirked at the way Atemu jumped at the desk he was bended over before turning around to shoot a venomous glare at him.

"Why must you sneak up on me like that?" the prince questioned in a vexed manner and Seto shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say?" the brunet said with false pleasantness. "I like to keep you on your toes." Literally, with the way the star-haired man rose several inches whenever he tensed. The brunet frowned in thought at his cousin before speaking out the question that had brought him to the other's tent in the first place: "How did Yugi ever fall in love with a jerk like you?"

A silence followed Seto's query, lasting for several moments before Atemu broke it with an incredulous: "What?" Then the young prince laughed and spoke: "I wouldn't go calling me a jerk, Seto. Between us two, there's no beating you."

"It was a statement of fact, Atemu, not an insult", Seto grumbled, not understanding how he could be related to someone so thick. "I was wondering how jerks like us could ever get into proper relationships with anyone."

"Oh!" Atemu breathed out, finally catching on. "Seto has found himself his own Yugi! How did that happen?" The prince looked entirely too trilled at the prospect of Seto caring for someone outside of family. "Who's the lucky guy? I'm assuming it's a guy since there aren't any women around here."

"None of your business", Seto snapped before Atemu could really get going. The brunet did not think he could handle any more of that teasing tone. "Just answer the damned question, moron."

"No idea", Atemu replied all too cheerfully. The other grinned at the look Seto shot at him. "I honestly wouldn't know what Yugi sees in me, but I'm certainly not complaining."

Seto sighed in aggravation, running a hand through his hair. He then shot Atemu a glare and growled: "You're useless."

"Perhaps to you", Atemu answered and made to walk out of the tent. "But I'm fairly certain it would only prove useful if I made rounds around the camp. I need to make sure everything is in order."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead", Seto mumbled half-heartedly, not even in the mood to come up with a remark. And then Atemu went outside and Seto was left glaring at fabric walls.

&

Why was it that every time Atemu left a conversation with his cousin, he had no idea how he should feel? The young prince knew what he was feeling and that was a combination of more than one emotion, but he did not know which one of those emotions was the appropriate reaction to each discussion in question.

The reason for Atemu's confusion was simple. Seto was a very difficult person to deal with and even harder to understand. Trying to make sense of all the things the priest said was like decoding a military code, only even more complicated. There were so many unnoticeable minor details to look out for and Seto did not even try to make it easy for him.

After the latest conversation Atemu was once again left wondering how he should feel about his cousin's antics. The star-haired youth felt a mix of emotions that consisted of annoyance, thoughtfulness and the usual tint of frustration. Seto had made a good point when he questioned the source of Yugi's feelings for him but Atemu could not get past the feeling that Seto had insulted him.

That was the root of the problem. Seto was so incredibly straightforward that it was hard to tell if he was trying to offend or if he was simply speaking the truth as he saw it. Usually it was a bit of both, although the brunet was more prone to lean towards insults when talking towards people who were not his family. Actually, Atemu was fairly certain that the soldiers in camp had an easier time understanding Seto's thoughts than he did, as his cousin made his intentions towards outsiders very clear.

Truly, Atemu and Yugi's relationship had started developing only soon before Yugi's disappearance, so they had not spent as much time together as was required in order for Atemu to know his fiancé well enough make guesses about the other's possible motivations. But Atemu could remember when he had started to return Yugi's feelings, a year before the other's disappearance.

& Flashback &

The practise sword in Atemu's hand was light, but felt clumsy in the young prince's grip. This piece of metal was nothing in comparison to his real sword, which might have been heavier but was also slimmer and moved much more elegantly. But Atemu was not allowed to use the sharp blade before his trainer deemed him skilled enough. That, in turn, might take a while, as Rishid was a very strict and demanding man indeed.

Atemu worked hard to complete all the movements the tall, dark man requested from him and hoped the other would acknowledge with him a nod or, better yet, a compliment. But before that happened Atemu would simply have to keep doing his best to satisfy Rishid's expectations of the prince of Egypt, son of pharaoh.

Today the practise was even more difficult than usual in terms of the value of his performance. Today Atemu's practise had an audience, and being observed, and possibly judged, was a good enough reason for anyone to feel nervous. Add to that the fact that the said spectator was Atemu's fiancé, no matter how little Atemu was in favour of the union, and any possible failure, no matter how small, would be a grand humiliation.

"Are you sure you want to stay out here and watch, Yugi?" Atemu spoke to the fair boy, not really doing anything to disguise the displeasure in his tone. "I'm sure Seto could find a way to keep you entertained."

"It's a very hot day today", Rishid added in, perhaps picking up on Atemu's mood and not wanting his pupil distracted. "It might be uncomfortable to sit out here in the sun."

"I don't mind", Yugi said brightly and Atemu glanced at the other's soft face to see the smile that accompanied those words. Yugi really did look like he did not mind, not if he could be close to Atemu. Or, that was what the adoring gaze of those amethyst eyes told the Egyptian prince.

"A-alright then", Atemu conceded and hurriedly turned his face away to cough into a fist. "If you insist, then of course you can stay." The prince hoped against all hope that he was not blushing and that no one would look closely enough to see.

& End of Flashback &

Yugi was a gentle soul who was considerate towards everyone he came across, especially so when he truly cared about someone. The boy's generosity and selflessness were the factors that had drawn Atemu towards the other prince, along with Yugi's beautiful smile that made his eyes shine like rare gems.

Atemu did not think he had much to offer Yugi, in terms of personality and pleasant company. But something about him had made Yugi fall in love with him and along the way Atemu had started to return those feelings. Now the prince wanted to find his beloved, rescue him and tell him face to face all the things he found beautiful and precious about the other. And that was a goal he intended to reach, no matter the cost.

The prince's pleasant stroll through the oasis and his own thoughts was interrupted by the sound of a splash coming from the direction of the lake. Automatically curious of who could be making such a racket, the prince walked to the lake to see a by now familiar young man emerging from the water.

Apparently Rasui was intending to get some extra practise in. Atemu had to admit that he was pleased to see that; even though Rasui was a helpless soldier, he had dedication. With the will to keep on trying, the boy was bound to succeed sooner or later. And Atemu suspected he could give him the incentive to reach the top.

Walking towards the youth, who was now sitting near the shore, Atemu noticed that the other had stopped to observe his palms. A closer look revealed to Atemu that the hands were torn, most likely from the sharp edges in the rock wall.

"You should probably have the healer check on your wounds", Atemu spoke out in suggestion and immediately the raven-haired head snapped up and turquoise eyes stared at him in startled surprise.

"A-", the boy released a strangled sound, like he cut himself off. "Your highness! What are you doing here?" The other's eyes strayed away from Atemu's face, as if the other was scared of punishment for looking at the prince.

"I was trying to see who was working so hard when everyone was supposed to have time off", Atemu commented. "You haven't done much work with your hands before, have you? Are you the son of some lesser nobleman? I haven't seen you in court."

"A-ah, yes!" Rasui answered hurriedly, nodding his head eagerly. "I'll just keep working hard. It's only a matter of time until my hands grow used to labour." The other's eyes met Atemu's own again and the other smiled brightly. "I don't mind hard work."

"I don't mind." Those were the same words Yugi had spoken what seemed like an eternity ago. Actually, even the glow of the boy's eyes was the same, as well as the gentle smile. Only, the colour of the eyes and the form of the face were all wrong.

"Sometimes, the hard way is not the best way", Atemu spoke out, keeping his voice even and words carefully chosen. He did not wish to offend the boy. "It might be a good idea to compromise between the top and an easier goal, when there's not much time available."

"What are you getting at?" Rasui queried with a slightly displeased tone, his eyes narrowing at Atemu's implications.

"I'm saying that if you reach that point…" Atemu spoke and pointed at a wall, his powers colouring a small section of the rock wall red, "I will cut you some slack and tell you the easy way to get to the top." The prince thought for a moment and then finished: "In the meanwhile we could try getting you familiar with an easier weapon than the sword. You'll have time to master sword skills later." Atemu nodded to himself, satisfied with that. "I'll get back to you on that tomorrow." Then he turned around and started to walk off.

"And go see the healer about those hands of yours!" he called after himself before he was beyond hearing distance. He could already imagine Rasui with the weapon he would choose for the boy. It was something he had seen even Yugi use with relative ease after some lessons with Rishid. And Atemu had learned everything he knew from Rishid; certainly he could teach Rasui the basics.

To be continued…

Author's Notes: Gah, it took me ages to get this thing edited. Sorry about that; I just really hate editing.

Okay, I will try to keep my updates frequent, but there might be some problems with that, as my modem is in the process of breaking down. Sometimes I just can't upload files, but I will put chapters up whenever I have stuff done and the connection functions properly.