Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Distance ❯ Catch Up ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything like that...otherwise I'd be buying more time to sleep with. Grrr. Slight warning of violence and shounen-ai in this chapter.

Chapter 6-Catch Up

Yami sighed, placing another finished papyrus scroll onto Shimon's arms, the tip of the small hill. He sat back on his throne, rubbing his temples and summoned two servants to remove the small table they had set in front of him; his daily "scroll-reading" session was over. It wasn't that he didn't want to read all those scrolls, but some were so boring and so pointless, others were so urgent that he didn't want to deal with any of them. But as Pharaoh, Yami HAD to deal with these things, otherwise he would just be a figurehead, like his father was nearly reduced to when Ptolemy had his way.

Around two years ago, about three years into Seth's pilgrimage, Yami's father Amenhotep had passed away silently on his sick bed. The late Pharaoh had been ailing with a natural but nevertheless mortal disease that ate away at his health-a sort of lung disease or something. The royal healers soon announced that they could do nothing to help him and the Pharaoh was kept comfortable until he passed away. And since his tomb had such an early start on it years ago, there was no real delay in his burial and Yami's succession to his throne. But now there was a rumor about a famous tomb-robber named Bakura that was raiding nearly every tomb of kings, and considering how kings just seemed to get richer and tombs more elaborate, Yami was getting worried about the safety of his father's tomb. He looked up at his five priests and sighed.

About a year and a half into Seth's pilgrimage, Ishisu returned from her pilgrimage, bringing her brother back with her. The young man's name was Malik, but because of the prejudice against southern citizens, Yami insisted that he take the name "Mahaado." Mahaado was very strong magically, but with that he had strangely dark attributes, a trait that Ishisu said passed on within the men of her family…something about a pact their ancestors made with a god. It seemed that he no longer had the power to contain his powers, and thus she brought him back to the capital to seek help. Yami appointed him as one of his priests within a heartbeat, seeing as how strong he was and it made Ishisu very grateful that the Millennium Item Mahaado was granted allowed him to harness his dark powers. The years changed Ishisu, however, for the woman had grown slightly distant, but she was still kindly in a higher, more charismatic way. Mahaado took after her, but was slightly more talkative and approachable. Still, there were times when Mahaado was so serious it made Yami want to just take that white headdress from his head and hide it somewhere, hoping that perhaps it would fluster the priest. But Mahaado brought with him an apprentice named Mana who was enough of a handful that Yami didn't have to take a practical joke into his own hands.

Mahaado was appointed to protect the tombs of the past Pharaohs since he had such an affinity with the dark, and he was doing a pretty good job. But this Bakura character was a force to be reckoned with, considering how he's already broken into two of the Giza pyramids' chambers. Such a situation brought troubles to Yami's mind, and he had asked Mahaado to add more guards to reinforce the security at Amenhotep's tomb, but that would also mean raising taxes on the people… He hated when he felt like he was shoving all the problems on Mahaado's shoulders, but he didn't want to delve into Mahaado's job too much, thinking that it would insult the priest. Now, the aforementioned priest was giving Yami a great look of concern with his large violet eyes, ever expressive and full of loyalty. "Pharaoh," he whispered, "Are you all right?" Rubbing his temples again, Yami nodded and smiled weakly at Mahaado, who shrunk back slightly from the informal stature the Pharaoh was showing him. "Yes," whispered Yami, who waved his hand to dismiss Shimon for the day as he stood up. Today was too good of a day to be cooped up inside, and he felt almost desperate for a walk. "I am fine, Mahaado, would you like to join me for a stroll in town, to say the truth?" With a smile, Yami approached Mahaado and offered his hand, which was just a gesture for the Priests were not permitted to physically touch the Pharaoh, but Mahaado bowed and hovered his hand a few inches over Yami's, his eyes closed in respect. "I would be honored, Your Highness." The reply said, Yami moved his hand and nodded, striding away to his chambers to don his peasant clothing while Mahaado did the same in his own respective room.

The day wasn't particularly hot, but it was a bit musty and Yami felt uncomfortable in his civilian clothing. Annoyed, he tugged at it slightly, but not enough to show his face nor his unruly hair. At his side was Mahaado, following just a few steps behind, not complaining too much about the humidity of the day since it was almost always like this in the southern regions where he was born. The two of them unwound in the afternoon market quietly, not sharing many words since they never really had anything to say to each other outside the boundaries of politics. Mahaado knew that right now it wasn't really the right time to talk about politics; Yami's day was done as far as formal business was concerned, and it didn't do any good to intrude on his private time with his own opinions, and so he kept his mouth shut. This action and respect, however, only made Yami uncomfortable. Such formalness in the palace and all around him in general was suffocating him. Nepotism had slowly taken over his life again as well, and this time hitting closer to home. Even though after three years of pilgrimage and training didn't strengthen him any, Akhenaton was appointed as one of the Pharaoh's advisors by Yami when he returned. He wasn't strong enough to hold one of the Millennium Items, nor was he even magically fitted to be a priest, by Yami felt a bit guilty at what happened to Ptolemy, Akhenaton's father.

There was one more space in the position of High Priest, though…one saved for Seth. He longed for Seth to return, for his friend to be back at his side so that he can once again have someone to chat with about games and things like that.

The memories of Seth, in Yami's mind, was almost like a small breaking rope that had thinned into a string over the past few years, hanging onto what little childishness Yami had.

As the two of the palace's inhabitants wandered wordlessly through the markets, they didn't take notice as they had suddenly strayed into the darker parts of the back alleys. Mahaado stopped in his tracks and looked around, his large violet eyes picking up about five larger men who had followed him and Yami into the alley, blocking the way they had come from. No longer hearing the sound of Mahaado's feet scraping against the sand, Yami also stopped and his brows furrowed when he saw four other men crowd in front of him, none of them looking too friendly. It was when one of them flicked a knife out that Yami figured that both he and Mahaado were in trouble; he would have shouted for guards, but it was not like it would do much good at this point. These muggers would have taken one of them hostage by the time guards came here, if there were any here since not many guards even bothered to patrol this area, and if not hostages, then their throats would have been slit a long time ago. Clicking his tongue in his mouth, Yami motioned for Mahaado to walk closer to him, and he himself backed away from the four bandits on his side until his back was against Mahaado's. Thankfully, the priest did not make any move to inch away from him or protest about his contact with the Pharaoh, right now was really not the time to worry about such things.

"So, Mahaado," Yami whispered, his expression a mix between grimness and exasperation, "Anything you can do that won't kill them?"

"Not really," Mahaado sighed, his tone more than worried, it was almost breaking in tension. "If I unleash my powers from the ring, just about this whole neighborhood would be killed…and I'm not close enough to the palace to summon anything…"

"Great…" Yami muttered, rolling his eyes. His body tensed as he saw one of the men lick the blade of his knife, sending chills down Yami's spine.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"Don't apologize!" Yami hissed, "And don't call me-" His reprimanding words were cut short as the robber with the knife advanced forward and took a swing at Yami's face, sending the Pharaoh crashing into the brick walls surrounding them all. Mahaado made a sound of surprise and tried to turn around, but he was grabbed by two of the men in front of him.

"What are you two babbling about?" the seeming leader of the bandits droned, his head cocked to one side. "You shouldn't be holding a conference when people are robbing you!" He sneered, apparently bored by the fact that his prey wasn't struggling or putting up a fight, and he swung a foot into Yami's stomach, knocking the wind out of the young Pharaoh as Mahaado screamed for them to stop. Wiping a trail of blood from his lips, Yami stood and yelled as he lunged at the man, knocking the knife out from his hand. In a flash, Yami and the larger, bulkier man were on the ground, tumbling around in the dense space between the two walls of the alleyway, wrestling each other in a fight for life. Mahaado struggled within the grasp of his two captors to try and help his sovereign, but he couldn't even make them budge an inch from their current position with all his squirming. But the help didn't seem to be needed too much as Yami gained the upper hand in the fight, rolling over on top of the robber and punching him in the face to produce a sickening crack indicating one broken nose in favor of Yami. Seeing that the situation was wrong, the other members of the gang who were originally watching rushed forward and pulled Yami off their leader, causing him to be as immobile as Mahaado. Cracking his broken nose back into place, the leader of the alley muggers stood and sneered at Yami, punching him in the stomach.

"Now where have I seen you before…?" the man muttered, looking intently at Yami's face. "You're a strange-looking one…" The idea that the teen he was pummeling was the Pharaoh having not registered in his mind, the robber picked his knife back up. "No matter," the large man said, licking the blade again. Flicking the blade in his hand for good measure, the robber picked up the Millennium Puzzle that hung around Yami's neck, cutting the rope. "I guess I'll find out when the news bringer tells about it tomorrow morning after they find your body in a ditch." Hearing those words, Yami's face paled considerably and Mahaado took in a sharp breath. The situation was desperate now, and Mahaado figured that perhaps killing everyone in such a low-down neighborhood would be nothing when it's weighed with the importance of the Pharaoh's life. He lowered his head and mumbled silently in his mind for Yami's forgiveness before muttering the incantation to release his powers from the Millennium Ring. But before he even got through the first two lines of the spell, the once dark alley was filled with a flash for blinding white light. Unable to take the light, Mahaado squeezed his eyes shut, almost afraid that this was the light at the end of the tunnel, that the two people who had grabbed him had heard him incant his spell and stabbed him or something of the sort… He heard Yami scream something, the last thing he saw a figure strolling up to the entrance of the alleyway, shrouded in white…

Only when the seething heat of the white beam dissipated into the humidity of the day did Yami and Mahaado dared to crack their eyes open, and both were quite relieved that they were still standing in the alleyway instead of the halls of judgment in the underworld. The band of robbers were down, all of them suffering from severe burns, groaning and whimpering for help. Yami looked up at the tall figure shrouded in white who advanced towards one of the robbers who kept a steady grip on the Millennium Puzzle, making a derisive sound before pulling it out from the seared fingers. Turning around, the individual extended his large, tanned skin and offered the puzzle back to Yami, who took it with a nod of thanks. "Th-thank you so much for helping us," Yami stammered, amazed at the strength of the mysterious person's magic. He'd only seen such blinding white light once, and that was about five years ago, in the Shadow Realm.

"Pity that your bodyguard couldn't have done it sooner," a deep voice replied. Mahaado shot the tall man an offended look, to which the figure laughed at. "I'm surprised you're hiring such useless people, Yami," the man continued. At that, Mahaado advanced towards the man, looking up but not seeing his face due to the white cloak that covered his face. `The only things that were slightly obvious were the wisps of long brown hair that managed to escape being covered by the obscuring cloth. "I'm not a bodyguard," Mahaado protested, trying to be as civil as he could. "I happen to be one of the Pharaoh's six High Priests. And you happen to be speaking to the great Pharaoh himself, how dare you address him by his name?!"

"Didn't get much taller," the man commented, shrugging. It was then that Yami noticed a spot of white on the back of the man's tanned hand. A small gasp escaped his lips and he grabbed the man's large hand, wiping vigorously at the hand until the brown oil that was sticking to the skin was removed, revealing skin that was as pale as the finest ivory.

"Seth…?" Yami whispered, looking up. The cloaked figure made a sound somewhat like a chuckle and went to pull off the hood of the pristine white cloak, unveiling his face. Surely enough, it was the face that Yami had remembered so well, only older…and…there was something there that Yami couldn't put his finger on, but right now he was so overtaken by joy that he didn't care. It was Seth, with the same soul-tearing blue eyes that were now curtained by long brown bangs. The elegant face was framed by long russet hair that had not been cut for the past five years, a rule of the priests' pilgrimage. Seth's stature now held a sort of unspeakable pride, some sort of defiance and world-weariness that made him seem much older than he was, but Yami still saw a spark of childishness in his eyes and his voice.

"Took you long enough to figure out it was me," Seth teased, hiding his hand under his cloak now that it was rid of the brown oil he had smeared over himself to not look too conspicuous. With one swift motion, the hood was back on his head, but not so much that his features were completely hidden now, and his azure eyes glowed from beneath the white veil of cloth as well as the earth-colored veil of his own bangs.

"When did you return?" Yami asked, having to look up now that the boy who used to be his height had grown nearly two heads taller than him. The height intimidated him some, but the familiarity of Seth's presence washed away the feeling of uneasiness in the other's height difference compared to his. "Just today," Seth answered, "I was hoping to give you a surprise, so I came in through the back alleys as to not cause a ruckus… Ra knows that you would be here." Though there was no smile upon his lips, Seth's voice was smirking, as were his eyes. Heart nearly bursting with child-like excitement, Yami couldn't help but embrace Seth at the waist, a motion he did without hesitation during their childhood. This drew a small sound of disapproval from Mahaado, and the two looked at him, Yami slightly embarrassed and guilty at neglecting him and Seth in mere amusement. Yami turned and motioned for Mahaado to come into the small circle and the priest obeyed, walking within two feet of Seth. The brunet, to Yami's surprise, backed away from the two of them as soon as Mahaado stepped in, uncomfortable at the stranger invading his space. Now it was Seth's turn to be "out of the circle." Sighing, Yami gestured towards Mahaado, his hand flat, palm facing up. "This is Mahaado," Yami introduced, "Ishisu's younger brother." At that, Seth smiled lightly and bowed to Mahaado, walking back within personal distance from the two of them.

"I'm Seth," Seth introduced himself simply. Mahaado's violet eyes widened slightly at the sound of the name and he bowed. "I am honored to finally meet you, High Priest," Mahaado whispered.

"Not yet," Seth answered lightly. "Not High Priest yet…"

"Yes, but there is a space left for you," Yami said proudly, "There has always been a place left for you. And I've also constructed just the thing for you."

*****

Sighing, Seth slipped on the white satin robe that had been prepared for him for the cleansing ritual. He didn't understand why there was such a rush to get him cleansed and appointed as High Priest, but he HAD been away for five years when the pilgrimage usually took only three years. This left the space empty for two years, but then again, he wanted to be strong enough and worthy enough to fill the space when he returned. Drawing a sharp breath, Seth opened the large wooden doors that lead to the cleansing room and stepped in.

The cleansing room was a large room in the palace that was really a fancy word for "huge bath used for priests and priestesses" in Seth's opinion. The room was hardly ever used since it was considered holy and is only used when new priests and priestesses are to be appointed into priesthood. Here they were cleansed with water that had been blessed by the sun through the large hole that had been dug in the ceiling identical to the size of the rectangular pool on the ground. Torches surrounded the pool and the walls were a sleek black, covered in carvings of prayers and blessings to the priests-to-be as they were cleansed.

Seth looked first at the reflection of the setting sun on the surface of the water, and then at Yami, who stood at the other end of the pool to receive and bless the priest once he is cleansed. With a great breath of excitement and nervousness, Seth stepped into the water, slipping off the soft robe around his shoulders, leaving him naked. As soon as he was in the water, the flames in the torches surrounding the pool erupted a ghastly bluish white color, dancing in their cold colors and yet burning hotter than they had before-like pure light. Yami started from the sound the flames made, but then kept his eyes on Seth as the youth closed his haunting azure eyes and bent his knees, submerging his head into the waters. After a brief moment that seemed all too long for Yami, Seth rose from the waters and approached the edge, where Yami had been staring at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw for the whole time.

The moment Seth stepped out from the waters, the blue flames returned to their original sun-like color and Yami found, to his embarrassment, that his cheeks felt as though they were that exact same color. He hadn't noticed before, when there was that brown oil and cloak over Seth, how pretty Seth was. Now that the oil was washed off and the youth was standing in full dripping wet glory in front of him, Yami could see how the years have shaped Seth. He was lean, but well-toned, and his skin had only gotten paler despite his five years of training out in the desert. Water droplets fell from his bangs and onto his long eyelashes only to fall again like rain on his full, faintly pink lips. Small rivers ran down his arms and his back from the bath, and the light from the flames kissed his pale skin, making him seem slightly tanned with their pale orange color. Taking a sharp breath, Yami stepped back to the table where Seth's clothes and Millennium Item were, grabbing a towel and handing it hastily to Seth, who took it with a nod of thanks. He then dressed in the rich purple robes that were handed to him, grimacing slightly at the color.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked, seeing the frown on Seth's features.

"It's purple…" Seth whispered, pulling the unearthly white cloak he had been wearing on the streets onto the hooks of his tunic's shoulder pads, making a turn in front of Yami as he swung the cloak onto him. From the back, Yami could see, from the hem of Seth's collar, vaguely, two sets of scars running down Seth's back by the way they were cut. Yami nodded and placed a hand on Seth's shoulder, knowing what the color meant to him.

"Just think of it as a reminder of your hatred for them," Yami muttered. "It is a robe that is fit for kings, Seth." Seth said nothing, turning back around to face Yami before he got down on one knee before his Pharaoh, who then reached for the Millennium Rod that had been reserved for Seth for the past five years-the most powerful of the seven Millennium Items which priests can ever have the hope to hold. With a small twist of his wrist, Yami unsheathed the dagger from the Millennium Rod and, with his other hand, reached out to gently take hold of the long locks of brown hair, severing it with one swift motion. The hair fell to the ground, some of them brushing Seth's shoulders slightly before dropping at his feet. When the last strand of brown silk fell to the ground unceremoniously despite this ritual, Seth bowed his head and lifted his hands with his palms facing upwards to receive the Millennium Rod. Yami sheathed the dagger back in, placing the golden item onto those delicate pale hands that do not seem weathered at all even after five years alone in the desert. As he was admiring the pale skin, however, a small disfiguring color flashed across Yami's line of vision, causing him to look twice and frown. On the near-perfect skin of Seth's left wrist was a scar of a short road that was sought after but not successfully taken-a scar that ran across the skin and most likely drew a lot of blood considering how large it looked. Such a sight made Yami furrow his brows and bite his bottom lip. Seth, upon standing, saw the change in Yami's expression.

"What's wrong, Yami?" he asked, concerned.

"No-nothing," Yami answered, turning the golden bangles on his left wrist subconsciously, feeling the warmed precious metal rub against his unmarred, un-discolored skin. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, turning to open the door leading outside to the courtyard. "Come," he beckoned to Seth, "It's still a while before the banquet, I want to show you around."

"It's not like I haven't lived in this palace, Yami," Seth said with a slight teasing scoff in his voice. Yet even as he said this, he was shrugging and following his young ruler out the door into the courtyard and through the freshly paved path to their old barren playground which now has been transformed into an aroma-filled garden of a million nuances of flowers that danced in the fiery light of the approaching evening. Standing at the edge of the cliff where the two boys used to play their childish games was a red bone-like structure. Upon closer inspection, one could see how it was made to be like the hawk form of Horus, his grand eye in the center of the figure like the life-sustaining heart. Seth made a small utter of surprise and approached the structure, allowing his fingers to trace the details and work of the red metal, feeling the fading heat from the day on the metallic surface.

"What do you think of it?" Yami asked, anxious for Seth's approval. His voice of anticipation as well as the look in his crimson eyes was almost mirror to that from five years ago when he had waited, with much impatience, at Seth's results from fortune-telling. The taller of the two turned and smiled lightly at Yami, showing his silent approval and intoxicating Yami's mind with the rich blueness of his eyes at the same time. Mentally shaking his head, Yami walked forward and gripped, after a split moment of deliberation, Seth's right wrist and lead the two of them back to the palace as the sun began to set over the horizon. Once the two of them were back in the palace, Yami glanced around the hallways before quickly leading Seth into his chambers before any watchful guard could catch him sneaking Seth into his royal chambers.

His room hasn't changed much, only gotten more elaborate, if that were at all possible. Of course, some things had to be replaced during the five years due to wear and tear, and some of the paintings on the walls repainted when it faded, but otherwise the room stayed relatively in tact with the image inside the ocean of memories in Seth's mind. The soft reddish purple light of the setting sun seeped into the room from the large windows around the room, and Yami went to light a lamp, illuminating the grand chamber and showing some scattered games on the floor much like a child's room. "You haven't changed much," Seth said, glancing around with an appraising eye. "Why is it that you had to look like you were sneaking a criminal into the room?"

"One word," Yami answered as he went around the room lighting all the other oil lamps that were nailed to the walls. Seth stayed stationary in his place, afraid of treading on the games if he were to move. "`Akhenaton,'" the young Pharaoh finished. Brown eyebrows knitted from the name and Yami made something that sounded like a laugh and a cough of disapproval. Which one it was, Seth couldn't tell since Yami's back was to him as he got something from a table. "He didn't stray far from his father's footsteps, did he?" Seth asked, placing his hands on his hips. He had a hint of suspicion in his voice that was a mere fraction of the one welling inside his mind. If Akhenaton were still around and having so much power over the Pharaoh and his guards, then something must not be very good. Yami shrugged and got up from where he had been picking up something like a huge wooden board on the table, striding to his bed and motioning with one hand for Seth to come. Adhering to the silent order, Seth approached the bed and sat down across from Yami, looking down at the board Yami had brought over.

"Just a couple of games," Yami suggested, handing Seth black pieces for his side. "Until the banquet…and we can also catch up." Seth accepted, collecting the black pieces from Yami's hand and placing them on their respective blocks on the board. Soon, the two of them were engaged in quite the casual game as they chatted.

"How is his Highness?" Seth asked, placing one piece down, advancing.

"He passed away a few years ago," Yami answered, sending one of his pieces out to defend his side.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, he would be happy that you actually still remember him enough to ask."

"Of course I would," the reply sounded slightly offended, the piece being clicked down harder than before. "He was like a father to me."

"Then maybe you can help Mahaado at guarding his tomb. Thieves have been getting into it recently."

"I'll see what I can do. Speaking of which, how's Shimon?"

"He's doing all right, just suffering from a heart condition recently." The voice sounded worried and the piece nearly dropped from those tanned fingers.

"That bad?" Seth looked up from the game. Yami clutched his tunic and hunched his back, breathing in labor. "Yami?"

"N-nothing…" Yami gasped. The robbers had hit him harder than he had thought, and he was really starting to feel it now. Seth pushed the game board aside and crawled towards Yami on the bed, lifting the white tunic despite Yami's obstructing hands, grimacing at the bruises and slight cuts on the tanned skin. "Why didn't you tell anyone about it?" Seth asked, sounding much like he was reprimanding a child. Yami gave him a glare that told Seth that the High Priest had just offended his masculinity and the brunet sighed, his hand moving to a pouch he hung on his belt, the Millennium Rod making a click against his nails as he did so. Pulling the pouch off his belt, Seth opened it and produced a few leaves, which he put into his mouth. He then placed the side of his head upon Yami's lap, his face towards Yami's exposed navel. "I'm going to need to borrow your lap," he announced. After that, no real sound came from his lips except for the crunching of leaves inside his mouth. Immediately after the crunching of leaves ceased to sound, Yami felt as though he was going to scream when he felt a mouth against the bruise on his stomach along with the cool, tingling sensation of the herbs that Seth had chewed up. It felt somewhat like seven years ago when he had been bitten by the snake, but perhaps it wasn't so innocent anymore on his side, having spent his life in the capital city of Egypt while Seth spent the most important five years of adolescence in the desert. Seth's mouth felt hot and cold at the same time, the wetness of the tongue applying the crushed herbs to the wounds too much to take. Seth didn't seem to take note in Yami's discomfort and moved his head up slightly to get a bruise the robbers had made when they kicked Yami mercilessly in a spot just below his ribs. In the small movement, Yami felt Seth's breath ghost against his skin and lashes as soft as butterflies flutter across his skin, and he released a suppressed groan. At the sound, Seth pulled back immediately, his face expressionless but those deep pools of cobalt aghast.

"Did that hurt?" he asked.

"No-I mean-yes-I mean-" Yami stammered and looked away, his face flushing horribly. Seth smirked at Yami, his blue eyes narrowing in a childishly sinister way. "Weakling," he teased, "You can't even take that bit of pain." The spiky head whirled back around immediately and Yami pressed Seth's head back onto his lap. "Oh shut up!" he shouted only to let out a pained yelp when Seth slapped the back of his hand against Yami's bruises. Annoyed, he slapped Seth's head lightly. The two of them exchanged attacks at each other before they finally got too tired and settled down, Seth's head still on Yami's lap.

"Just like old times, huh?" Yami asked, leaning back and letting his arms support the weight of his upper body.

"Yes, but back then it was your head on my lap," Seth answered. Yami made a small derisive sound and shifted his weight so that he was leaning over Seth again. He pulled Seth's left hand up and studied it, causing the reclining boy to stare up at him. "When did this happen?" Yami asked. His thumb rubbed at the old scar, and Seth tried to look away; but due to his position on Yami's lap, all he could do is stare straight at the door. "A long time ago," Seth answered. His hand was limp in Yami's until he heard a click and felt warm metal over his skin, causing him to turn his head around. Yami had taken off the large golden bangles on his arm and fastened it onto Seth's wrist, over the scar. He repeated the process with the other arm even though there was no scar there, but he wanted it to match. Upon finishing his work, Yami regained possession of Seth's left wrist, caressing the gold bangles with his lips. "Don't do it again," Yami said, "It is a foolish thing and I don't want you to do it ever again, do you promise?"

A small scoff answered him and Seth pulled his arm away. "It seems that I'm promising you a lot, aren't I?" he asked, his blue eyes peering up at Yami's crimson ones. "Then I'll need you to make me a promise…promise me that you will give me the greatest honor a priest can have in his lifetime of serving his Pharaoh…"

"What's that?" Yami asked, leaning down to brush away a strand of hair that had gotten into Seth's eyes. His cartouche pendant slipped out from beneath his tunic and dangled just above Seth's face. Seth smiled lightly at this apparently innocent act, but his face grew stern as he named his stakes. "You must promise to bury me in the same tomb as yours when I die. If I happen to die before you, keep my body in a crypt until you are due to enter the Underworld," Seth whispered. His voice was almost as soft as the early night-time breeze outside, but the subject was the exact opposite, sending chills down Yami's spine. But it was true, the greatest honor a priest can have to his Pharaoh is to be able to be buried with him in order to serve and protect him even in the afterlife. Nodding, Yami accepted the request; Seth was his friend, of course, and to be able to keep him by his side even in death was not only an honor for Seth, but for himself as well. "Of course I will," he said. Relief washed over Seth's features and he toyed at the dangling cartouche pendant like a kitten to a piece of string, his mind going over how this small disk had once saved Yami's life.

"And…Seth…" Yami started, his hand going to Seth's shoulder. At the slightest bit of touch at his shoulder, Seth tensed and then relaxed with a sigh, a small gleam of fear sparkling in his eyes for a split second. "What happened here…" The flinching ignored, Yami allowed his finger to go under Seth's white cape and tunic to trace at the deep scars on his back.

//"I don't want to hear anymore of it. You have to promise me!"//

"Nowhere…" Seth answered, batting Yami's hand away. "I guess I did something stupid during these past five years."

"You can't scars like these in the desert unless you've had a run-in with bandits, Seth," Yami insisted.

"Well, I-"

"Excuse me, Your Highness, it's time for the ban-" the voice of Ishisu interrupted the two boys' argument and the priestess stopped abruptly at the scene in front of her. A hint of a smile played at her lips as well as a blush and she bowed. "Excuse me," she apologized after a moment's silent awkwardness. "The banquet to honor Seth is ready, we are all awaiting your presence at the Grand Hall." Yami nodded as Seth rose from his numb lap, his thighs suddenly feeling a bit cold at the absence of Seth's warmth there. "I understand, Ishisu," Yami said, the authority returning to his voice. "We will be there shortly." Nodding her head, Ishisu bowed and retreated from the edge of the chamber doors, leaving Seth and Yami alone again. Sighing, Yami stood, stretching himself after having Seth on his lap for the past near-hour. He then seemed to remember something and walked over to a table in the far corner of the room, returning with a tall and quite ridiculous looking purple hat. With a soft unclenching of his fingers, Yami let the hat fall onto Seth's head and adjusted it so that it snuggled against the soft brown hair and made sure that the headdress wasn't too tight. Seth bowed, the formality of this "backstage ritual" settling in, and he stood to follow Yami out of the room.

When the young Pharaoh and his newly appointed High Priest arrived at the banquet, most of the guests were already seated and the food served, but none of them touched any of the food except for Akhenaton, who complained that he was starving. Seth made a slight face at the sight of him and his rudeness, being a glutton in the presence of those who were trying to respect the Pharaoh. Upon seeing Seth, Akhenaton grimaced inwardly but stood up with a hearty laugh and welcome. "Seth, it's been years!" he shouted over the indistinct chatter of the other guests, "How have you been? Sit, sit! We must celebrate your return as well as your appointment into priesthood!" Yami shrugged as Seth gave him a suspicious look and sat down on his small, comfortable hill of cushions, pulling Seth down next to him.

"Come, bring the wine," Yami ordered to the servants who lined the walls of the Grand Hall. Seth scowled, alcohol was not his best field, in fact, and it could be considered his worst… When the servants returned with huge urns of wine to be poured into the smaller serving jugs, he knew that he would be in for a long night. The jugs were passed from guest to guest, and for the jug to be given to Yami, it had to be passed to Akhenaton first, then Seth, and then Yami since there was really too much clutter in the hall at the moment. As the wine jug left Seth's hand, he caught a whiff of a bitter aroma that did not belong in the wine. He turned to look at Akhenaton as he was handed his own jug of wine, and he sniffed his own-it smelled sweet…and the look on Akhenaton's face did not rest well with Seth.

//So this is how it is…//

"Come, let us drink to celebrate Seth's return and appointment as High Priest," Yami announced, raising his goblet. "Now that all the spots are filled for the six priests, we can expect great blessings from Ra." As he tipped his goblet to drink, Seth reached out and gripped Yami's wrist, drawing several disapproving gasps from the guests.

"My wine is too warm, Yami," Seth complained as he released Yami's wrist to take hold of the Pharaoh's golden goblet. "May I trade for yours?" As he said this, he shot a glare at Akhenaton, who stared at Seth.

"Sure, Seth," Yami said, shrugging. Seth smiled in thanks and switched his wine, jug and all, with Yami's. He then sat there and watched his wine, noting how it looked like it was turning black. "Come now," Yami urged as he saw Seth staring motionless at his jug, "Drink a bit." At that, Seth nodded wistfully and tipped the golden goblet, emptying the contents of the drink into his mouth, the spiciness and sweetness of the wine stinging his tongue but not covering the bitterness of the poison as much as he would like.

After staying for about another five drinks, Akhenaton left in a huff, saying something about how he had important matters to attend to. Upon his departure, Seth also stood up, claiming that he was feeling ill, which in truth he was…to a certain ironic extent. The poison was nearly as potent as the poison of the snake that bit Yami years ago and it was now coursing through him without any hope of being extracted. "I should have drunk a whole gallon of sesame oil before I went to that banquet…" Seth muttered to himself as he stumbled through the hallways towards his chambers. He had to stop along the way to cough up what little bit of food he had eaten during the banquet, but it proved to be hard to figure out exactly what he ate since the contents that were emptied from his stomach were all black like the poison that infested his body.

"I can't die…not now…" Seth wheezed as he clutched his heart, feeling the strong clotting, suffocating effect of the poison; he had to shift all his weight on one hand that pressed against the wall to support himself. As soon as those words rolled off his tongue, he felt a cold, dark presence behind him. "Set?"

"At your service," the creature said, approaching Seth and placing a soothing and yet intoxicating hand on Seth's trembling back. "I can help you, you know…remember I said that I will keep you alive until your wish of protecting your Pharaoh is fulfilled…I can do that right now…keep you alive until the threat of Akhenaton poisoning your dear Yami is gone…" The voice was so soft, so smooth, and yet it held a haunting note in Seth's ear, and he shuddered even more, the voice sending more chills through him than the poison did presently

"Will you?" Seth whispered through the black bile that was seeping through his lips.

"Of course," answered the creature, his gold eyes glimmering in the moonlight. "I will help you…until the day your blood turns completely black from the poison and the threat is gone. All you have to do is give the word."

Blue eyes clouded by haziness of the poison looked as though they were on the edge of tears and Seth gave a sharp nod that looked more like a gesture of begging. Set smiled and walked around Seth, lifting the boy's face up to look at his. "Then I will stay in here…and give you some of my powers…" With that, he placed his hand on the Millennium Rod, then on Seth's forehead, willing the boy to fall asleep as he caught him, sweeping him off his feet.

In his own chambers, Yami wondered about the sudden disappearance of Seth, blaming it on Seth's intolerance to alcohol. Sighing , he slipped off his large red cape and fell face first on his soft, luxurious bed. He was glad that Seth was back, of course, but something inside his heart gnawed at his consciousness and he plucked at his sheets, trying to figure it out. "What is this feeling…?" Turning his head, Yami smothered his face into the sheets and noticed, almost to his very own horror, that he had obsessively made his bed to be scented with lotus…so that it would smell like Seth…for the past five years.

That night, a certain creature smiled to himself as he bit the fingertip of his prey, chuckling when he saw the shade of the blood that oozed out to be a slight tint of red-brown…

To be continued…

I am so sleepy…I feel like my eyes are going to go blind if I keep doing this. Sorry that this chapter is so choppy and stuff…I'm on a bit of a writer's block for this story since I've been inspired to draw recently. I really need to get this story organized…so I'm glad that I finally got around to typing up an outline.

Yes, I know that Seth is really too friendly and mild-mannered in this chapter, but it will all start going downhill from here. I'm serious. He won't be so innocent soon…ahahahaa… For those of you who are waiting for updates to "Final Distance," you might have to wait a while since that fic is almost ending and will give spoilers about this one if I don't hurry and let them catch up with each other. Sorry and thanks for all your reviews again! I've saved them on my disk and I read them every so often^^

As for the powers that Set lent Seth…it's the power to control memories (which is a power of the Millennium Rod other than the power to extract ka from people's bodies and seal them into stone). And about Seth's comment about the sesame oil…if you drink about a quart of it, it will create something like a protective layer in your stomach from poison and then induce you to throw it back up afterwards (cuz of the reek and the heaviness of taste-it'll shock the stomach). But then again, it might not, so I will not be held responsible if you decide to go and try this out and end up getting hurt. Yeah…