Sorry this one is so long, but I really got into this one. I realize it's pretty cliche with the stuff I've done in the past, but I can't help it, it's just so adorable! Anyway, this has Kiara in it again, but instead of being princess, like she was in 'Memories', she's a priestess in here, and Atem's father is still alive. I can't pronounce/spell his name, so I just call him the former Pharaoh or the Retired Pharaoh. So, if you've got the time, enjoy this nice long story!
---
It was early in the morning, and the second High Priestess, under Isis, of course, was pacing around the room. She had very big news to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt, Atem; news that would change his life, not to mention her own, forever. Here's what happened:
About three weeks ago, the two of them had had a … 'fling' of some sorts. This was brought on by a banquette that the current Pharaoh and his father, the retired Pharaoh were having. Pharaoh Atem and Priestess Kiara had never really been able to get along, but during the time of Atem's father's reign, she was one of his most trusted priestesses, so Atem was forced to keep her on staff for his father's sake. Anyway, to make a long story short, words were said, drinks were … drunk, one thing led to the other, and the next thing Kiara knew, she was waking up the next morning in Atem's bed. Both had decided that it was just a night of lust and passion, nothing more. Therefore, they both left it at that. However for Kiara, she had been sick a lot during the past couple of weeks and noticed that she had missed her monthly cycle. It was official: she was pregnant … and with the Pharaoh's child no less! That was a lot of stress; especially since it was Atem.
Kiara had to admit that Pharaoh Atem was NOT one of her favorite people at all. Of course, her best friend was Mana, a sorceress-in-training, and she was also one of Atem's best friends as well; so, there really was no way of avoiding Atem for long. Even if he was the king, that didn't mean that Kiara had to like it. They would both throw insults at each other whenever they could. Kiara always knew that Atem had the power to have her head cut off, but he never did … it was as if he enjoyed tormenting her. They had known each other since they were preteens, when he was twelve and she was ten, and had despised each other all the same; even now as he was twenty one and she was eighteen. She hated the Pharaoh, because Atem had always been a spoiled brat; always got what he wanted. Even as a teenager, knew he was good looking and would always flaunt it. He was a rebel that loved mischief and absolutely loved to have the last word even more. Kiara was different. She was quiet, did as she was told, and always seemed to be in control of herself. Atem and Kiara were total opposites, and now they would be brought together all because of one night full of mistakes.
Kiara sighed as she waited for the father of her child to walk through those doors. Her hand found its way to her stomach and she unconsciously rubbed it. She knew that it was her duty to tell the Pharaoh that he had planted a seed without meaning to, but she was also scared to do so as well. Everyone knew that when Atem was born, his father took him away and raised him himself. That was what Kiara was afraid of … that Atem would take this baby from her just as his father did to him. Tears filled her amethyst eyes. Her long, black hair was dangled in braids; each one had a bead of a different color at the end of it. She pushed her braids out of her eyes as she heard Atem's booming voice coming from beyond the doors. She stood as she wiped her face of the tears she didn't want the young Pharaoh to see.
"I don't care if it costs us another harvest, I want it done now!" Kiara cringed. Atem could be classified as a tyrant sometimes, but he did do his job, so she held her tongue. Atem closed the doors and stood in front of the priestess with his golden arms folded. "You wished to speak to me, Kiara?" The priestess swallowed the lump in her throat. This was going to be harder then she thought.
"Um … yes, Your Highness … actually, I … wanted to … tell you something …" She twiddled with her fingers from nervousness. Atem cocked a brow.
"Kiara, if this has anything to do with what we did three weeks ago, I think we should just"---
"I'm pregnant!" Atem's eyes widened.
"--- Keep talking about this …" Kiara sighed and moved to sit down. She hid her face with her hands. "Y-you're really … pregnant?" Without even looking up, the priestess nodded.
"It's not like I planned it or anything, sometimes these things just happen …" Atem just stood there, blinking like an idiot. "I'm not sure if telling you was the right thing; you can be as involved as you want, but please, Atem, I beg you not to take this baby away from me …" She looked up to see that Atem was still just standing there, blinking with his jaw hanging. "Atem?" She waved her hand in front of his face, but got no response. "Atem, say something." Finally, he woke up.
"Now wait, are you sure you're pregnant with my … child?" He never thought he'd be able to say that. Kiara nodded again.
"Positive; you're the only one I've been with since that night." She was sure Atem had different lovers every night, but like I said before, they were total opposites.
"Wow … so … you're really going to go through with this?" Kiara nodded again, but this time, she had tears coming out of her eyes. "Kiara, what's the matter?"
"Atem, please, please don't take my baby from me!" Atem was taken back for a second. Take the baby from her? He would never do such a thing! Ra knew that young children needed their mothers … even if he didn't --- wait a second! Was that the reason why she asked? Because he had been taken from his own mother?" He sat down on the chair next to her. He hesitated for a second before he gathered her hand in his own.
"Kiara, I would never do such a thing. Yes, my father took me away from my mother, but I am nothing like him." He said. Kiara looked at him with teary eyes.
"Y-you won't take my baby away from me?" Atem smiled and shook his head.
"Never … so long as you make sure that I become a part of this child's life." Kiara smiled too.
"Well, that was always your decision, Atem."
"I know … now the hard part is … telling my own father …"
---
Atem's father had been less then amused … completely furious, and just a tad pissed when he found out that his twenty-one-year-old son had been acting like a sixteen-year-old with one of the priestesses. Never the less, the retired Pharaoh was glad that Atem had himself an heir so early in his career. Atem didn't want to hear it. What he did want to do was be there for Kiara every step of the way … and he meant that fully. He really was there … every … step … of the way. By the time Kiara had reached her third trimester, both were beginning to get on each other's nerves: Atem, with Kiara's constant mood swings, and Kiara, with Atem constantly being there. Isis, the other priests, and Mana also tried to help out. She was more of a help then Atem, that's for sure.
Right now, Atem was just glad to get away from the pregnant lady down the hall. Sometimes he would ask himself why he put up with all of Kiara's crap, but he had to remind himself that it was his child too. It couldn't be much longer, could it? Just then, Seto burst into his room.
"Don't you knock?"
"Do you want the news or do you want to bitch at me?" Atem sat up with a confused look on his face.
"Well, I want to bitch at you, but I'm curious to know what this news is."
"Kiara just went into labor." Now Atem flew out of his bed and stood on his feet.
"WHAT!" He ran past Seto and skidded down the halls until he came to Kiara's chambers. As he ran, he could hear Kiara screaming, so he followed the screams. He didn't even stop when the guards at the door told him he had to. He ran right past them and skidded to a halt when he entered the room. He saw Isis in the position ready to deliver the baby and Mana was dabbing Kiara's head with a wet washcloth. The youngest priestess herself was crying, and screaming in pain. "What did I miss?"
"A LOT!" She continued to scream. He moved to Kiara's side and took her hand.
"Is there anything I can do?" Mana pushed him away.
"Yeah, you can get lost." He looked at her with widened eyes.
"I beg your pardon!" But there was no time to argue. Kiara's screams were getting louder by the second.
"Kiara, it is time." Isis informed her assistant. Kiara looked at Atem with hatred in her eyes.
"Atem, remind me to make sure you feel every ounce of pain I feel once this kid is here!" If Atem were to say that he wasn't scared, he'd be lying. A pregnant woman was not something to mess with. He backed away slowly.
"Ready? One … two … push!" Kiara pushed as hard as she could. Atem found his curiosity was getting the best of him. He wanted to see what was going on, but when he took a peek and saw the blood, he decided to turn away … that is, until he heard the squealing cries of a brand new baby.
"It's a boy." Isis said. Atem gasped. He had a son … his own baby boy. Kiara saw Isis holding a small head that was slowly beginning to be attached to small shoulders, arms, and legs.
"He's so tiny …" Isis wrapped the child up in a blanket and began to clean him. Kiara looked at her.
"Where are you taking him!" Atem decided that he needed to chill Kiara out before she hurt someone.
"She's just going to get him cleaned up."
"But … my baby!"
"He'll be fine …" Atem took a cloth and dabbed Kiara's forehead with it. Finally, Isis came back with a clean bundle, wrapped in a blanket, in her arms. It was making cooing sounds. Kiara was still in pain, but she was determined to hold her son after everything she just went through. Isis smiled at them.
"Congratulations Atem and Kiara, here is your new baby boy." Kiara moved the blanket away from the child's face. His tiny fists were balled up and every once in a while, his mouth would open and close. Atem leaned close to Kiara to get a better look at his new son.
"Oh my Ra …" He whispered. The child opened his eyes. They were amethyst, just like Kiara's own. He wasn't bald like most babies. In fact, it could be seen that he had gained Atem's style. The child had six golden bangs on his hair line, and the rest of the fuzz that grew out of his head was black and tipped magenta at the end. His skin was not caramel colored like his father's, but more like an olive color like his mother's. His cheeks were rosy and his nose was button-like. (If you wanna see a picture of him, visit my profile and it'll take you to my dev account. The picture I'm talking about is called 'Snuggle Baby') Atem couldn't believe how many traits his son had taken from him and how many he had taken from Kiara. He no longer had to be suspicious if this was his child or not; it was official. Kiara was still crying, but now her cries had turned into cries of joy.
"He's so beautiful …" She said, sniffling. The baby made cooing noises and opened his tiny, soft palm when his mother placed her finger in his hand. "Hello, my sweet little baby boy …" The baby smiled at hearing his mother's voice. Kiara cried and laughed at the same time, kissing the baby on the forehead. Atem had to smile too.
"So … what are we going to call him?" He asked. Kiara pulled her attention away from her new baby long enough to hear Atem's question.
"Well, I thought you could give him his name." The baby sucked on his mother's finger as his parents were talking. Atem looked surprised at her.
"Really?" Kiara nodded. "Alright … how about … Heba." (Since this is Ancient Egypt, it's really supposed to be 'Heba', but to save you all the confusion, I'm going to call him 'Yugi'.) Kiara smiled.
"Perfect." She looked down at the baby in her arms. He seemed to like it too by the smile on his face. "He's so adorable!" Kiara said.
"Well, are you going to hand him over or not?" Atem asked. Kiara glanced up at him with an 'are you kiddin' me!' kind of look. For a second, she thought Atem was going to break his promise and take her son away from her. He looked at her confusingly. "What?"
"You promised that you wouldn't take him away from me." Atem rolled his eyes.
"Please, I just want to hold him." Kiara groaned in annoyance. She didn't want to give her baby away so easily, but he was the father, and half of this baby was his. She reluctantly handed the Pharaoh his newborn son.
"Careful …" She muttered as she passed Yugi over. Atem wasn't bothered by the motherly tone in Kiara's concerned voice. He just wanted to hold his son in his arms. Once there, he gazed into those soft, giant eyes that held Kiara's color. But there was something different from Yugi's eyes that Kiara's didn't hold … they were actually happy to see him. The baby smiled back at his father, feeling completely at peace with both of his parents. Atem smiled and kissed his son on the head, taking in that newborn baby scent. He loved it. He couldn't take his eyes off of this new wonder. A feeling of warmth and relaxation came over him as he gazed at the baby.
"I never thought anything could make me feel this way …" Kiara smiled while Atem started to rock back and forth. Yugi continued to coo and look around the new world he was in. Right now, everything was so blurry, but time would change that. Suddenly, he scrunched up his tiny face and let out a soft squealing cry. Atem gasped, thinking he'd done something wrong. "What, what I do? Why's he crying?" Upon hearing the new baby crying, Isis came back, laughing.
"You did nothing, My Pharaoh; he's just hungry." She turned to her assistant that had just become a mother. "Kiara, I believe it is time for your first nursing lesson." Isis took the crying baby from Atem's arms, who had groaned at the loss of warmth, and gave him back to his mother. Kiara looked at Atem for a second.
"Atem, no offence but … get lost." That last part came out a little bit harsher then she meant. He looked at her with a look that combined shock with offence.
"Excuse me!"
"I'm afraid that, in her own rude way, Kiara is right, My King." Atem looked shocked that Isis would say something like that to him. Yugi squirmed and screamed louder when he wasn't getting fed fast enough.
"Fine, I'm leaving; but once you're done, I'm coming back!" Kiara shifted Yugi to lying in her arms
"Oh, isn't that comforting." She said sarcastically.
---
Later that night, Kiara was in her chambers, trying to put Yugi to sleep. The small baby was squirming every now and then, but all and all, he was a happy baby. He was warm, loved, and had a full tummy. What more could a baby possibly ask for? Maybe … attention. Kiara would rock him in her arms, singing a melody to him. Apparently, Baby Yugi liked the sound of his mother's voice. It seemed to lull him to sleep so easily. Suddenly, a clap was heard. Kiara looked up to see that Atem had come in at some time of her song.
"I didn't know you could sing." Kiara got up and started walking to Yugi's crib to lay him down.
"You never asked me." Atem rolled his eyes as he watched his son's mother place him in his bed. "What are you here for?" The Pharaoh entered the room.
"I came to say good night to him; he is my son too, after all." He looked in the crib to see the small baby rub his eyes with his tiny fist. The father couldn't help but bend over and give his little boy a kiss on the forehead.
"Good night, Yugi." He whispered. Then it was Kiara's turn to kiss their son good night.
"Good night, Sweet Heart, I love you." Kiara stood up, and Atem looked her right in the eye. The Pharaoh gave a small smile and leaned down to give Kiara a peck on the cheek. The Priestess blushed a bit. "What was that for?"
"For giving me the greatest gift that no one else could ever give me." He looked down at the sleeping baby in the crib. Kiara smiled.
"Well, it was half your fault." Once again, Atem rolled his eyes.
"Good night." Being the gentleman that he thought he was, he bowed and saw his own way out of the room.
---
The next morning, Atem came back into Kiara's chambers. He could hear some kind of sound coming from the corner where the crib was. When he went over to Yugi's crib, he saw the small baby cooing to himself, just being entertained by looking around. Atem couldn't help but chuckle at this adorable sight.
"Good morning to you too, Little One." The only answer he got from the baby was a small coo and the opening and closing of his small hands. The Pharaoh reached down and picked Yugi up, being careful to place his hand under the newborn's head as he did so. Once Yugi was safely in his arms, and happily chewing on his own fists, he looked over at Kiara, who was still sleeping. "Oh Kiara," he began in a sing-song voice and a smile on his face, "I'm taking Yugi with me for a while; just thought I'd let you know." Kiara groaned and turned over in her sleep. Yugi had been crying all night, and as a result, she was up all night trying to get him to go to sleep, so he knew she'd be out for a while, which was the perfect time to spend alone with his son. He started to walk to his own chambers with the baby in hand.
Once there, he saw the small child let out a soundless yawn. Atem couldn't help but go 'aww' at the sight. "Are you still sleepy? So am I. How about we go back to bed, hmm?" He didn't get an answer because Yugi has fallen back to sleep. He shifted Yugi in his arms so that the child was resting his head on his father's chest. Atem smiled and kissed his son on the head. He loved that newborn scent. Now that he was a father, he couldn't get enough of it. Slowly, so that he didn't wake the baby, he made his way to the bed and lay on top of it, with Yugi comfortably sleeping on his chest. The Pharaoh ran his right hand up and down his son's bare back. The only thing the child wore was the blanket he was wrapped in to keep him warm. And he was warm. The warmth that the baby's soft body was giving off was putting the grown man to sleep as it was. Atem wore no top, so his child was lying on his bare chest, with the blanket covering his tiny legs. He had always heard that babies were soft, but he never thought that they'd be this soft. The child's skin felt like the feathers of a bird; too soft to describe any other way. The tiny baby was obviously comfortable because he wasn't fussing or screaming. So Atem took that as a good thing. Maybe he really could do this father thing.
---
A few hours later, Atem awoke to something squirming on top of his chest. It took a moment for him to realize that it was his newborn son. The boy's face was scrunched up and he was whining a bit. Atem sat up and held Yugi to his shoulder, allowing the child to cry out fully.
"Shh … what's the matter, Yugi?" He was responded by a cry that seemed frustrated. Atem got up and paced around the room, trying to get the child back to sleep. "Shh … shh … there, there; it's alright …" Just then, Kiara burst in with a pissed off look on her face. She was a mother trying to protect her young, so that angry look was even scarier now then it used to be.
"ATEM! HOW DARE YOU!" Yugi's crying increased by the loud noise that Kiara's entrance had caused.
"How dare I what?" She rushed over and took the screaming baby into her arms.
"You took him from me!"
"No I didn't! I specifically told you that I was taking him to my room for a little while. I was going to give him back." Kiara bounced the baby on her shoulder while glaring at her child's father with an unforgiving look.
"No, you kidnapped him right from his crib!" Atem threw his arms in the air with a sigh.
"How is that kidnapping when we both live in the palace!"
"We live in different parts of the palace, Atem." The crying was getting worse and it was starting to hurt the young king's ears.
"Kiara, I'm sorry, but please get him to stop! I don't know what to do!" Kiara smirked.
"That's because he's hungry and you aren't properly 'equipped' to feed him." This time it was Atem's turn to glare. Kiara continued to smirk as she left Atem's chambers to feed her child.
---
The next two months had passed and Yugi's development was right on track. Atem loved spending time with the child as much as possible. He and Kiara had worked it out so that their child was divided equally among them. Atem spent his evening hours with the baby, after his evening feeding, of course, while Kiara had her mornings and early afternoon times. He spent every other night with each one of them. Atem would sometimes bring Yugi to council meetings and would be a big distraction. His own father loved his new grandson very much, but he thought that Yugi's presence was distracting Atem from his work quite often. Instead of listening to what was going on in his kingdom, the Pharaoh would be playing with the child, doing everything he could to get that adorable little squealing giggle out of him.
This was at one of the evening hours that Atem had with Yugi, that the retired Pharaoh had caught them. Atem was raising Yugi in the air and giving him kisses on the cheek while the child giggled and squealed for more. Atem chuckled and nuzzled his baby boy. He loved this time with him.
"Atem, may I speak with you please?" Atem was busy playing with his son but heard what his own father had said.
"Of course, Father." He came in, holding Yugi to his shoulder. The small child was chewing on a soft ball to sooth the pain in his teething gums. "What did you want to speak to me about, Father?" The former king sighed.
"My Son, I can not help but notice that you have been neglecting your duties." Atem looked at his own father with confused eyes while bouncing his child.
"What do you mean, Father?" The former Pharaoh's eyes narrowed as he sighed heavily.
"Ever since Yugi was born, I have been doing your job for you. As much as I love him, I think you should spend less time with him." That was when Atem's red eyes went from ruby to fiery.
"Absolutely not! I hardly get to see him as it is!" The retired Pharaoh shook his head.
"Atem, you take him with you to meetings, and then you do not hear what goes on during them. The boy is a distraction and needs to be with his mother more then you." Atem glared at his father.
"How would you know? You took me away from my own mother as soon as I was born!" Atem's father was not pleased with his son back-talking to him.
"Do not take such a tone with me! I have spoken with the council members, and they believe that Yugi should be nowhere near the council until he has come of age!"
"Well Father, you aren't Pharaoh anymore, so you can't make that kind of decision without my say-so; therefore, I don't care what the council thinks, he is the prince after all, and my son … but here we are again at the question of how would you know? You were never there for me when I needed you, and I refuse to do the same to Yugi!" The former king had nothing to say. It was true that Atem was mostly raised by his tutors and nurses.
Unaware that the conversation was about him, the small boy continued to chew on the soft ball, making muffled coos every once in a while. Atem didn't want to hear any more. He walked into his room while Yugi responded with: "Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba …" Atem chucked and kissed Yugi on the cheek.
"That's right, Little One; we don't have to listen to what they say." He raised the child to look at him in the eyes. Yugi gave a wide, happy smile … with drool running down his chin. Atem laughed and wiped it away with his cape. "No one can keep me away from you, my Little Yugi." Yugi squealed, waving his arms about. As he did so, his tiny hand hit Atem in the face. Yugi giggled when Atem admitted an 'oomph!' sound. Atem laughed too and brought the baby closer to his chest so the two of them could snuggle. That was one of Yugi's favorite things to do. He would snuggle with anyone who would hold him. He was a happy baby with no care in the world as long as he was loved.
A soft knock came to the door. Kiara had come to pick up Yugi, but when she saw the scene before her, she didn't have the heart. She cleared her throat to make sure they knew she was there. "I'm sorry to interrupt your father/son time, but it's time for me to feed Yugi." Atem sighed, not wanting to part with Yugi so soon.
"If you must …"
"Well, if you want him to live, then I have to feed him." Upon hearing his mother's voice, Yugi held up his tiny two-month-old head and smiled his famous giant, shinning smile. "Hi, Sweetie; ready to eat?" Yugi cooed and held out one tiny, chubby arm towards his mother. Kiara picked him up and walked over to a plushy chair that Atem had in his room. He raised a brow. Usually, Kiara wouldn't feed Yugi right in front of him.
"You're not leaving?" Kiara looked at him as she positioned Yugi to lie in her arms and held a blanket over her left side.
"Well, he's staying with you tonight, so there's no point in taking him to my room." Atem absently nodded. Even though the blanket was over Yugi's body, he could hear Yugi suckling to get his food from his mother.
"Does that hurt?" He asked out of nowhere.
"Not at first, but now that he's teething, it's beginning to." Kiara could see a slight blush forming Atem's cheeks. She laughed at this. "Oh come now, Atem. It's not like you haven't seen them before." Atem had to chuckle at that.
"I guess." He could still hear Yugi enjoying his tummy filling up. "My father wants me to give up some of my time with him."
"What did you say?"
"I said forget it. Nothing can keep me away from my son. I refuse not to watch Yugi grow up." Kiara smiled. She had always believed in the phrase 'like father like son' but it was apparent that Atem was nothing like his father.
"Atem, I'm glad you made that decision. I really hoped that you wouldn't leave me to raise our son alone."
"Of course not." Kiara smiled.
"Ohh!" Atem looked at her in confusion.
"What?" The Priestess laughed in a painful way.
"Oh nothing; Yugi just bit me, that's all."
"Well that must have hurt." Kiara laughed and moved Yugi up to her shoulder and started to pat his back.
"Not so much yet; at least not while he's teething, but once they come in, I'm sure it will. Plus, that's how he tells me he's full." After a few seconds, Yugi let out a tiny burp and giggled. He always giggled when he burped. She stood up and firmly kissed Yugi on the forehead.
"Good night, Sweet Heart, Mommy loves you very much." She said as she handed him back over to Atem.
"What if he wakes up in the middle of the night?"
"He shouldn't; he hasn't been lately, but if he does, just come get me." The Pharaoh nodded and tried to keep Yugi's wondering hands away from his long blonde bangs. Atem's bangs had somehow become one of Yugi's favorite toys. He had discovered that his father made an interesting sound when he yanked on one. The baby thought it was the funniest thing. "Now, do you remember how to change his diaper?" Atem sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Kiara I know how to take care of an infant; I have a child of my own too, you know." He said sarcastically.
"I'm just trying to make sure that he has everything he needs!" Atem was still trying to keep Yugi's hands away from his hair. It looked as if he was trying to shoo a fly out of his face. Kiara placed a hand to her mouth as she laughed. "Oh, this is priceless …"
"If it were you, you wouldn't say that." Finally, he caught Yugi's hand and held it in his own. Kiara sighed.
"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning for breakfast feeding then." She moved in to give Yugi one last kiss. "Night-night, Sweet Heart, Mommy loves you so much!" Yugi gigged as his mother kissed him on both cheeks and left. Yugi's smile left his face. He looked as if he was about to cry. Atem saw this.
"Oh no, no, Yugi it's alright. I'm still here!" That didn't comfort the baby any and he cried loudly. It seemed that the baby would rather be with his mother then with him. It made him feel a little insecure, but he also knew that it was the mother/child bond that they had.
A few more months passed, and Yugi was now seven months old. He could walk for a few minutes by himself before his little legs gave way to falling and he had to be picked up. He could also say a maximum of two syllables per word. Atem was 'D'da' and Kiara was 'M'ma' He still loved to play more then anything else. Everything was a game to him, and everyday was a learning experience. Each day he would discover at least one new thing. Yesterday, he discovered that his bare feet made a nice tapping sound on the palace floor when he walked.
---
Atem loved to watch his baby boy grow and learn. The smallest things held the child's attention, at least for a while, and it wasn't hard to please him at all. Right now, both Yugi and Atem were walking down the hallway that led to Kiara's suite. It was time for Yugi to return his son to his mother. He walked right alongside the baby, who was squealing happily. When he walked, he waddled like a duck. Yugi discovered that his voice echoed throughout the hallway no matter where he went. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at the base of a golden statue. Once Atem realized that the happy squealing had stopped, he turned to looked at what happened. "Yugi?" The tiny baby waddled over to the base of the statue. Atem placed his hands on his hips. "Well would you look at that." Yugi started to pat the base with his tiny palm several times and giggled. The boy had just discovered his reflection. The surface of the base was so shinny that you could probably eat off of it … which is what Yugi decided to do. He stuck out his tiny pink tongue to taste the base before Atem stopped him.
"No, no, no, that's not for eating, Little One. If you want something to eat, let's go see Mommy." Yugi clapped his hands at hearing 'mommy'. Picking his son up, Atem continued on his way to Kiara's suite.
---
In her chambers, Kiara was brushing her hair. She was expecting Atem to return with Yugi any second. She didn't nurse him anymore. He had four teeth, so she fed him soft, mushy foods. She had the kitchen slave mash up his foods especially for him. Just as she finished brushing her hair, Atem came in with Yugi squealing at him.
"He's all yours." The Pharaoh said. Yugi spotted his mother and held out his arms for her to pick him up.
"M'ma!" He squealed. Kiara happily took her small son into her arms and cuddled him.
"Hi, Sweetie, did you have fun with Daddy?" Atem nodded.
"Yes, he went to the gardens today." Kiara made a small gasp.
"You did? Did you like it?" Yugi giggled and clapped his hands. Kiara laughed at his little way of showing that he had fun. She kissed him and put him down, allowing the baby to waddle over to his toys and start playing. Atem smiled.
"Well, good night." He was about to leave when Kiara caught his arm.
"Atem wait …" He turned to look at her.
"What is it?" Kiara bit her lip. This was the hardest thing she ever had to do … at least since Yugi was born.
"Um … well … you see, your father, Isis, the Priests and I have to leave the city for a couple of days …" Atem raised a brow.
"Where? And why wasn't I informed of this?" Not knowing about something like that really pissed him off.
"You weren't told? Your father asked us to accompany him on his trip to Mycenae. He knew you had business to do here, so he volunteered to take on that case and has ordered us to go with him." She took a breath, now came the hard part. "Anyway, we'll be gone for about a week, and … well, there won't be anyone else to watch Yugi so …" Atem put his hand up and smiled.
"Kiara, you don't have to ask. I'd be happy to take care of him while you're gone." Kiara let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Atem."
"No problem. So, are you all leaving tomorrow?" The Priestess nodded. Both parents looked over at their child when he giggled at himself. Atem could see tears forming in the mother's eyes as she looked at him. "What's wrong?"
"Just … leaving him … for so long … What if he thinks I abandoned him?"
"He won't. He knows you wouldn't do that." Kiara sniffled.
"I just can't believe I have to leave my baby so soon for a long time …"
"It's only a week."
"Still … it's just the idea of leaving him …" Atem could see that Kiara really was upset about leaving Yugi for so long. The little boy cuddled his stuffed animals to himself, giggling. "I'm gonna miss my baby …"
---
The next morning, everyone had assembled themselves outside of the main entrance to the palace, packing a carriage with essentials that would be needed for the long trip. "All set to go." Isis announced. The former Pharaoh shook Atem's hand, who was holding Yugi in his other hand.
"Take care of Egypt while we are gone, Atem." Atem nodded.
"I will, Father." Yugi looked around. He was confused as to why all these people were running around like they had to go potty really badly. He heard his mother talking to one of the other people, but he didn't know why he had to be with Daddy if Mommy was right there. He reached out his tiny arms, wanting his mother.
"Ehh!" He complained. Kiara picked him up and gave him a tight hug and firm kiss. Yugi may have only been seven months old, but he knew something was wrong. Why was Mommy so sad? Kiara was crying as she gave Yugi back to Atem. Yugi whined when he was back in his father's arms. He didn't want Daddy, he wanted Mommy. He squirmed in Atem's arms.
"Yugi, calm down." But the baby wouldn't calm down. He didn't understand why Mommy wouldn't hold him.
"We're ready to go!" Mahad said. Atem gave Yugi a kiss on the head. He answered with a small 'ba' sound.
"Say bye-bye to Mommy, Yugi." He took Yugi's little hand and waved it. Kiara had tears in her eyes as she waved back to Yugi. The baby's eyes were starting to fill with tears. Once in the carriage, the retired Pharaoh, the six priests and two priestesses left the palace. Kiara poked her head out of the carriage and blew a kiss to her son. Atem and Mana both waved good bye to the group while Yugi's eyes filled with tears.
"Well, now what do you want to do, Mana?" Neither of them noticed the baby's eyes filling with salty water.
"I don't know, what would you like to do?" Atem was about to answer when Yugi burst out with a loud cry. Atem moved Yugi to his shoulder and patted his back.
"Shh … it's alright, it's alright …"
"EH HA HA! M'MA!" He cried out.
"Mommy will be back in about a week, Yugi. Don't worry." Yugi didn't stop crying. Mana had to cover her ears.
"Take him to your room!" Atem had to agree. He continued to pat Yugi's back as he made his way into the palace and to his room.
Once there, Yugi still wouldn't stop crying. He kept repeating the same thing 'M'ma! M'ma!' He missed his mother so much. Atem paced back and forth, trying to get his son to calm down.
"Shh … it's alright, Little One." Atem sat on his bed and cuddled Yugi to his chest. The small boy cuddled too, but wouldn't look at his father. Soon his crying had stopped, but he kept repeating 'M'ma … M'ma …' Atem sighed. No matter what he did, he just couldn't get Yugi's mind off of his mother's departure. A knock came to the door.
"Come in." Mana appeared with a tray.
"Hey, you didn't come down for dinner, so I brought your dinner to you." Atem smiled.
"Thank you, Mana."
"Here we go, chicken for you, and mashed potatoes for Yugi." Atem took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and held it to Yugi's face. He whined and moved away. "No, Yugi you have to eat something." Yugi whined and squirmed, trying to get out of his father's arms.
"Ehhhh!" He was almost out of Atem's lap before he was caught by his father and raised to his lap again. "EHHH!"
"Yugi! Knock it off!" Yugi continued to whine and squirm until Atem gave up and let him go. Yugi waddled out to the balcony and looked at the sky. Both Atem and Mana looked at each other.
"M'ma!" The little boy called, hoping his mother would hear him. Atem sighed and walked over to his son. "M'ma!" Atem picked Yugi up and held him tightly. Little Yugi just looked into his father's eyes with so much sadness, that it broke the Pharaoh's heart.
"Yugi, Mommy will be back in a few days, I promise." The little boy's eyes as he started to cry again.
"M'ma …" Yugi hugged his father. Atem sighed and hugged the child back.
"I know, Little One … I know." He knew that a mother was someone that no one else could replace in a child's heart. Kiara had been there for Yugi since the day he was born.
---
Later that night, Yugi had to sleep in the bed that Atem kept in his chambers, but the baby couldn't sleep. He missed his mother too much. He rolled into a sitting position and stood against the wall of his crib and looked at his father, who was sleeping in his bed.
"D'da?" He wanted out of that bed and to go into his bed in his mother's room. Atem just shifted from his left to his right in his bed. Yugi knew his father wouldn't wake up, so he decided to climb out of his crib. It was a bit of a challenge, but he managed to climb out of his crib with his blanket in hand. He walked past Atem, who was starting to snore. Yugi knew the way to his mommy's room; he went there everyday.
---
Sometime during the night, Atem's snore was loud enough to wake himself up from a REM. "Damn …" He sat up and rubbed his face with his hands. He reached over to his end table for his water.
"Yugi, are you still sleeping?" When no answer came, he thought the child was asleep, but noticed that there was nothing in the crib. He ran to the tiny bed and looked under the covers to find him. "Yugi!" He looked around the room then suddenly, he noticed the door was open … Yugi sized. A thought hit him. "Would he go there?" He raced down the hall and into Kiara's room. In there, he saw a tiny lump in the middle of the bed under the covers. "Yugi?" Yugi's tiny head poked out from under the covers of his mother's bed.
"No M'ma …" Atem sighed again.
"Baby, Mommy and the others will be back, I promise you." Yugi lay down in his mother's bed and snuggled under the covers.
"M'ma …" Atem ran his hand down his face. There was no way he was going to get Yugi out of this room.
"Alright, we'll stay here for tonight." He lay next to Yugi and brought the small, sniveling boy into his arms.
As the week went on, Yugi refused to eat much. He also refused to play. He really missed his mother. Atem was lucky he was able to focus on problems and fix them, but his main concern was Yugi. Nothing could cheer the boy up. He wanted his mother; that much was clear.
---
Finally came the day of their return. Atem was able to get Yugi to eat a few small bites of fruit, but that was it. "Yugi, I have a surprise for you." Once that was said, Kiara entered the room. Yugi's face lit up very brightly with a smile.
"M'MA!" The small boy waddled into his mother's arms and hugged her very tightly.
"Yugi, I missed you so much, Baby!" She kissed him all over his face and he giggled and kissed her back.
"He missed you too. We slept in your room every night."
"What? Why?"
"Because he refused to sleep in my room. That's how much he missed you. Since it's been a week since you've seen him, why don't you take the day off and spend it with him." Kiara smiled.
"Thank you, Atem." Atem nodded, kissed Yugi on the head and walked out. Kiara and was so happy to finally be able to see her baby boy and promised never to leave him like that ever again.
---
End of Chapter