A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: Some of this stuff had to be changed due to stuff that happens later, nothing really major. Just placement of characters and ages...
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Mahaado was incredibly self effacing in Mokuba's eyes, he never physically made his presence known when the other servants were around. If that was via Yugi's order or because of his own awareness Mokuba didn't know. Nor did he make any effort to invade on the other servants duties, but what Mokuba 'did' notice was that Mahaado almost always appeared in front of Yugi. It was in a position that Mokuba associated easily with Isano or Fugata, as a body guard.
So when he was allowed to 'take charge' if one would, Mahaado instantly teleported Kaiba back to the mansion. Once that was done Mahaado reappeared and created an illusion of Kaiba to accompany Mokuba and Yugi back to Japan and Mokuba had to marvel at the total skill and talent Mahaado had in making a life like illusion. Sure he had seen holograms, but this was actual 'magic'. Thus Mokuba was curious to watch the ancient magician look after his older brother via magic.
Finding merit in the saying 'with enough advancements, science is indistinguishable from magic'. Mahaado didn't do chants or any fancy hand gestures, a perfect visual replica of Kaiba just faded into their presence. With Mahaado by their side, the pair packed up Kaiba's things, and that had been eerie. Seeing signs of Kaiba having started breaking down from the used drinking glass near a bar to the sloppy suit case showed how much this affected his brother.
Though the oddest thing would have to have been the fact that Mahaado was now spending most of his time near Mokuba. While Yugi stayed with Mokuba as part of his duty to Kaiba, Mahaado stood closer to Mokuba than his Pharaoh. But it felt reassuring to have both Yugi and his Dark Magician near by. The pair helped Mokuba get everything properly packed and put away, including stuffing Kaiba's blood soaked, shredded clothes in a plastic bag for later, discreet burning.
Now that they were situated again on the jet plane they rode in on to reach Kaiba, knowing that his brother was safe in his own bed. Mokuba finally relaxed enough to start expressing serious curiosity towards the Magician. Now that Mahaado belonged to Kaiba it would be ok, right?
"Hey Mahaado? Is it easy to maintain an illusion?" Mokuba asked casually, his legs lightly thumping the foot rest under his seat in the jet.
"In terms of I creating the illusion? Yes, very simple," Mahaado replied honestly, while 'Kaiba' went about reading a newspaper.
"Cool! So you just make an illusion and it does everything you need it to do right? So you can make an illusion of me and send it to school for me?" Mokuba asked, though he doubted his brother would go with that idea, he was sure his brother didn't have to know. At least until Kaiba was better, Mokuba could look after his big brother with Mahaado.
"Oh, you mean like that one?" Mahaado gestured slightly towards 'Kaiba'. "Then no, that is different, if I were to just create one of you, then all it would do is look like you, unless I direct it to act it would not do so."
"Wait... you mean like a puppet? But... it acts just like Big Brother!" Mokuba gaped up at the taller magician in amazement. "How can you pull this off so casually?!"
"I know your brother very well," Mahaado explained politely in tone, only to watch as Mokuba, who had been two seats down, ran over to sit next to him.
"Tell me about Big Brother back in Ancient Egypt!" Mokuba asked, his eyes shinning at the idea of a story. After all, Yugi didn't remember anything, Kaiba wouldn't talk about anything, and Mokuba was curious. Also given that his brother called Mahaado to him to protect him and was currently in control of meant that he could finally get some stories!
"Well.. ahh, what story would you like?" Mahaado asked, only to feel a pair of arms wrap around his neck and wisps of Yugi's hair drifting just past his face.
"What about the first time you both met?" Yugi asked with a bright smile on his lips.
"Ahh that... well it is not much. I was recovering thus I was bed ridden."
Yugi pulled back slowly from Mahaado moving into a seat of his own while Mokuba's eyes went wide with surprise and concern at what he heard. Mahaado looked about, his eyes scanning the faces around him and wondering what the look he was getting was for. "Have I said something wrong?"
"Well... how about any random time you got to spend with Big Brother?" Mokuba asked. Why would Mahaado be bedridden on their first encounter? The look on Yugi's face expressed a lack of understand as well, so it couldn't have just been him.
"Oh, well I could show you, but please understand that it would be in my native language," Mahaado replied letting Yugi take his arm and clung to him, while Mokuba nodded eagerly.
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"Maha! Maha! Maha! Maha, Maha!"
"Maha! Maha! Maha! Maha, Maha!"
Mahaado stopped his steps as he saw the two small ones running up to him in that style babies used. The pair tackled his waist, their tiny hands reaching up to grab the gold woven sash he wore. It was the first time he had seen the prince and Mana since he was taken to the temples at the requirements for his station. The formal robes hid his lower face, his headdress hid his hair, but it couldn't hide him from the children.
"Maha!" The prince called out happily as he pulled on one of the dangling pieces of the sash.
"Maha!" Mana chirped out happily, mirroring the prince.
While across from Mana the little Prince gave a princely scowl.
"Mine," the prince growled his eyes half lidded.
"Mine," Mana echoed happily, totally missing both the look and tone from the Prince.
"Mine..." The Prince repeated himself getting a little louder and little angrier .
"Mine!" Mana once again repeated, missing every sign that something bad was about to happen.
"Ahh, yes my Prince I do belong to you... Mana please stop upsetting the prince... Oh you don't understand do you?"
There was a moment of humor in this that anyone could appreciate as Mahaado tried to get the pair to stop. The prince got louder, the girl enjoyed herself more and Mahaado was clearly at a loss.
"MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!" The prince yowled in growing princely wrath.
"MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!" Mana repeated laughing happily as she did so.
"MINE! MINE! MIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The gods couldn't miss that if they tried, Mahaado was sure.
"MINE! MINE! MIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Mana repeated, clearly not yet realizing that the prince was about to cry. His last resort, in dealing with someone who was clearly attempting to infringe upon his divine right of claiming Maha as his personal property. Just ask daddy, cuz what daddy said went around here.
This went about what seemed for hours until a very calm voice asked from the doorway. "Do you think if they screamed loud enough an order, that maybe the gods would dine with us tonight? Sweet Hathor, Mahaado, can't you keep these two lion cubs quiet?"
Set stood in the doorway, leaning against it with all the casual disregard of who he was talking about, as though he thought himself higher then the Pharaoh of Egypt himself. Set was dressed casually, neat in appearance, well groomed and bathed. In fact the only difference from his modern self, was his skin being tanned to a degree and his hair past his shoulders.
"If I'm not mistaken Mana is 'your' responsibility," Mahaado retorted, with a raised eyebrow and his hand on the prince shoulder.
"Fine," Set replied before walking up to the pair and picking them up like a pair of errant lion cubs. Had they fur it would have been by the scuff of their necks. "You two," he informed the pair, "have been 'bad' and therefore you can 'not' play with Maha anymore today."
With that he carried the pair over to the bed, and dropped a series of toys for the pair to play with. The prince's eyes were full of tears as he stared up at Set, his tiny lips quivering into what could be thought as a full wail about to happen.
"I didn't do anything bad!"
"Yes, 'bad', you've been treating Maha like a pet! So now 'I' am going to play with Maha," Set informed the prince and Mana. The prince looked stunned then disappointment mixed with irritation, but Mana looked confused, reaching her small hands out to Mahaado. "No, Maha is mine," he told the girl before placing a carved camel in her hands.
He turned at that point, pushing Mahaado away as he tried to get to the prince, forcing the magician to leave the pair.
"What are you doing? The prince wishes," Mahaado began when he was cut off by Set.
"What is more important? That the prince gets to misunderstand until he loses his voice, while he tears apart your back again? Or that he learns how to behave?" Set replied, his eyes already gazing down at Mahaado's back, thinking on how the mage had been harmed.
"But you upset him!" Mahaado argued, trying to turn around to face Set.
"Gods blessed above, you show no spine to the prince! How will he respect his people if you allow yourself to be treated like his animal! Even if he adores you with all his heart, a pet is a pet!" Set retaliated, his voice firm. Mahaado turned around to face Set his pride bristling at the tone in Set's voice.
"If the prince wishes me as his pet so be it! He is not a commoner, but the prince of our nation! He is the son of gods, so what about how he sees me? I will be proud that he looks upon me with such warmth!" His back straightened as he gazed as Set, his eyes defiant.
"You are not an animal! We, the people of Egypt, are not animals either! I realize your master is cruel to you, but you should take pride in who you are. Be a man for that is who you are! But if you want so badly to be a pet you can be 'my' pet." Set grabbed Mahaado by the front of his dress robes, yanking the other close to him. "Maybe I will need to remind you that you are a man, not an animal."
Mahaado looked at him for a moment, his expression quiet and surprisingly thoughtful, before backing down a bit. "Perhaps a former slave such as I does need to be taught what it means to have pride in myself, but it shall not be done by you."
The mage bowed his head slightly as they finished their walk to his own room. The guards only gave a passing glance towards Set, used to the idea of seeing the young boy visiting Mahaado's chambers. Though watching him herd the mage in training was new and entertaining to say the least.
"At least your back isn't bleeding from all the yanking those two did. I'm surprised you can even breath as it is," Set noted with a displeased tone. He got to his knees, in order to deal with the sash that Mahaado wore. The sash was laced with gold, if it was because it was required for his status, or because the prince was still on his 'Maha pretty' kick was still debatable. But Set could see where it had been strained and damaged from the pair's game of tug-o-war.
"I'll be fine, I can take care of myself, thank you very much."
"I doubt that, I think you need me more then you imagine," Set replied with a smirk in voice.
Mahaado lifted one eyebrow up in surprise and amusement before shifting his stance just so. "Is that what you really think? My, my, my you have ever short the memory."
"After what I saw today? I don't think you could handle the prince on your own and preserve yourself," Set stood up and crossed his arms, smirking at the still covered mage. Maybe he would be forgiven if he cut the sash off Mahaado?
"I will concede that talking to you is a pleasure, and as so far, I do enjoy your company Set," Mahaado bowed his head slightly in amusement. Before he began wagging his finger at Set teasingly, "but if you think I need 'you' like people need the air?"
Mahaado closed his eyes and began muttering those spells that he knew so well. Suddenly his robes began to lift about him as though he stood in the center of a strong breeze. Set backed up in surprise as he watched, the sash began to undo itself as easily as though it had never dealt with the kids tugging on it. The headdress, cloak, the guards and jewelry were removed with no living hand touching them. Only to be placed in their proper spots within the room while Mahaado's regular robes were brought about and draped upon him. Yet suddenly a thin cord of linen from somewhere Set didn't know about wrapped itself around his ankles.
Before Set knew what had happened it began twisting up his body wrapping him like a mummy. His alarm was useless in the end, as his mouth was quickly covered while his feet were yanked out from beneath him and he was left hanging. Dangling in the air like a fish pulled up by it's tail before a potential customer in the market outside.
"Set, let me remind you, the Prince is my highest priority, none shall lay harm to him so long as I live. No one shall approach him without my permission."
Set dangled upside down, watching as Mahaado looked up at him a smug smirk on his lips. Only to be interrupted by the prince and Mana walking into the room. Mana was taking cues from the prince apparently as she looked a little upset. The prince walked up, his eyes wet with tears as his hands carried toys. He lead Mana up to Mahaado and held up the toys he had carried as Mana followed the Princes' gesture. "Maha we'll be good, play with us!"
Between himself and Mana, they had brought animal figures carved of stone that were still big even in the Princes' hands. "Maha we good! Maha pway with us?" Mana pleaded, trying to follow the Princes' lead.
Mahaado knelt down before the prince as both Atem and Mana as he held those small toys in his hands. "Yes, my Prince, I shall play with you," Mahaado replied with a smile, before standing up to join them. The prince happily turned and began leading the way out of the room with Mana and Mahaado in tow. Set watched them leaving, squirming harder as he didn't want to be left hanging there for who knew how long.
Mahaado turned his head to look up at him before passing through the door. A gesture and Set was lowered onto the bed and left to stay bound and helpless, but at least not upside down.
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"... I never imagined anyone could get the best of my Big Brother besides Yugi, but you're good Mahaado," Mokuba admitted. "So were you Big Brother's best friend?"
Mahaado looked away for a time, his eyes down cast, and somehow the airplane seemed a little more subdued by that. "Your brother is Pharaoh's cousin, a member of the divine royal family and ascended into Godhood by assuming the throne of Egypt. Slaves are forbidden in having friendships with ones so high."
"Forbidden? Maha, how much higher could you possibly be before you would be 'worthy' of being friends with anyone?" Yugi demanded as he grabbed Mahaado's chin, forcing the mage to turn and face him. "Well?"
Mahaado was quiet, his eyes still lowered for what seemed like minutes. "I have no excuse Pharaoh. None that Pharaoh has not already heard."
Mokuba scrambled out of the way as Yugi sat down beside his mage, his eyes growing hard. Yet he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. It was strange how the Dark Magician he saw as always so confident acting so submissive and subservient. Only now, well was this how Mahaado 'really' was behind the magic? Had Mahaado always put up a strong, brave front, even when he was scared? Did no one ever think to protect Mahaado when he was a child?
But Yugi had to force himself to remember that Mahaado came from a time a place where the religion and laws were different. Yugi could argue until he was blue in the face, yet in the end, it was Ancient Egypt that was the foundation of what Mahaado believed and thought. All Yugi could do, was try to convince Mahaado to leave that state of mind through example.
Only, how did one guide a soul that was forever bound in servitude? If the servitude was born from ages of abuse, was it 'true' devotion or just another sign of systematic abuse?
