Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Duel of Love ❯ Hidden ( Prologue )

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

A/N: Damn it all! I had just begun typing this up and my computer deleted it, meaning I had to start all over! And I didn't even have it posted yet! I hate my computer!

This story is the prequel to all Yu-Gi-Oh stories I have up so far, mostly Reality Twist and The Life I Gave for You. I don't know why, but I can't get the idea out of my head… and now I have to start over! Damn my computer! Oh yeah, and the Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh one called My Chosen Path is Harsh takes place at a later date than The Life I gave for you, which isn't complete yet…

Warning: She (Katiana) has a stammer. It may not be the best but I'm trying!

Duel of Love

Chapter 1: Hidden

"Katiana, get over here!" High Priest Seto called from the main room, which everyone saw the moment they entered the temple. I sighed, the Pharaoh was probably coming over and he wanted me to remain out of sight, so I was probably either getting locked into my room or sent to town on some fruitless errand. I don't know why he bothered; it just must really get to him, thinking that I'll fall for the pharaoh or something if I saw him.

"W…what is it?" I asked, and then noticed that he was holding a basket in his hand. Great, he was sending me out on an errand.

"I'm in the mood for some fresh fruit," he said and I glared at him. He wasn't in the mood for it we had fresh fruit in the kitchens of the temple!

"I don't w…want to!" I exclaimed and he patted me on the head. I hated it when he treated me like a little kid! He said often that I was his and his alone and one day he would have me, and yet he treated me like a little kid! I was only two years younger than both him and the pharaoh!

"That's an order Katiana," he said, "Go out the back as well…"

"I don't want to!" I exclaimed again, getting angry at him.

"Katiana," he said in his low and dangerous tone, "You are a priestess in my temple, don't forget that, you are beneath me…"

"I fight better than you and you know it!" I shouted, "And stop treating me like I'm a little kid! What are you so afraid of?"

"Who said I'm afraid?" Seto asked.

"Are you afraid the pharaoh might fall for me or something or I might fall for him?" I pressed, knowing all too well where this conversation would end, seeing as how we had it so many times before.

"Just go!" he said and thrust the basket into my arms. I sighed; nothing was going to change his mind, just like always. I hated him sometimes. I headed out the backdoor like always; at least the townspeople liked me well enough and I felt more at home among them…

Yami

"High Priest Seto," I greeted as I entered the temple. The High Priest strode up to me and bowed low.

"Greetings My Pharaoh," he replied and I smiled at him, "It is a pleasure to see you as always."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" I asked and he stood back up and smiled back at me, "It has been too long since we last talked."

"Not too long, and even then, you needed me to do something. How may I be of service?" Seto asked.

"May we sit down?" I asked, "You do know me too well…"

"Perhaps, I know a lot about you my Pharaoh, and that is a weakness and a strength," Seto replied.

"Shall we get to talking then?" I asked and he beckoned me towards some of the padded temple benches, "Very good."

Katiana

I had to at least get a little fruit to prove to Seto I was actually away for a while, but I didn't want to stay away too long. Half the time Seto's conversations with the Pharaoh didn't last too long and then he'd ask me where I'd been if I stayed out for a while. I was a little ditzy I'll admit that but he told me to go out and never told me when to come back, so normally I just ended up having to scrub some statue or some floor. He was such a jerk!

"Reading the texts you found my Pharaoh is a difficult task," Seto said, "And I know of no one who could possibly do it…" He was still talking with the pharaoh! I hid behind a pillar to watch what was going on, praying that neither Seto nor the Pharaoh would see me.

"Are you sure?" the Pharaoh asked, "High Priestess Isis said that translating these texts might give us more of a clue as to the past civilizations that came before us."

"Is that really that important?" Seto asked and I peeked around the pillar to see the Pharaoh nod.

"These ancient civilizations, knew so much more than we do, about medicine, about farming, they even managed to get their words onto this paper like substance," the Pharaoh replied, "And besides that, there are some pictures representing our shadow games, meaning that they had played them before we had even come as a civilization. I must know what happened and why they disappeared."
"So you still fear the shadows true power?" Seto asked, "Pardon me my Pharaoh, but you are the most powerful among all of us, you should have more faith in your abilities than that."

"I know but there is something about it that makes me uneasy…" the Pharaoh replied. I probably could read these texts. I always loved to read and I had read a majority of the scrolls and few books that lay in our temple library.

"I understand my Pharaoh," Seto said, "But I regret that I cannot assist you in this, for I know of no one, not even myself that can read such texts as this page you have brought me." So the Pharaoh had even brought a sample of the text?

"I could probably read it," I said in a huff under my breath and then cursed myself, ducking fully behind the pillar as I heard silence, then a few footsteps and a muttered curse.

"It seems you have a Priestess here High Priest Seto who wanted to listen in," a voice said and I turned my head in the direction of the voice and jumped. It was the pharaoh!

"My pha…pharaoh!" I said in a startled tone.

"She must have just gotten back from an errand I had sent her on," Seto said, realizing the damage was done and the Pharaoh had caught me, "Listening in on conversations not meant for her is one of her more unpleasant traits."

"…" I said nothing because the Pharaoh had smiled at me.

"Can you read this?" he asked, "I thought the High Priest said he knew of no one…"

"He doe…doesn't like…to talk about m…me," I said, "And he pro…probably didn't know…I mean, I'm not sure, b…but I can try. I spe…spend most of my days r…reading."

"I might as well let you try, what harm could it do?" he asked and handed me a small page of text. The Pharaoh was being so nice, he wasn't mad at me for listening in and wasn't mad at Seto either. How could Seto have said he was mean?

"I highly doubt just because she can read and reads a lot of things she will be able to read this old text, it's in a language we know nothing of," Seto said.

"Be…because at least I'm… trying!" I exclaimed and Seto gave me an amused smile.

"You dug your hole, now go lie in it," he said, when in fact I knew he wanted me to just go lock myself in my room because I had told him I wouldn't see the Pharaoh, promised him I wouldn't see the Pharaoh and here I was talking to him and I might end up undertaking some sort of project.

"High Priest Seto, I have never seen you act so coldly to a priest or a priestess from your temple," the Pharaoh said.

"That's only because she's the priestess who's a troublemaker," Seto said.

"I'm not!" I exclaimed and Seto glared at me.

"She acts like a child all the time," he said and my face grew red, "And she's in the lower ranks of my temple, still training in the basics."

"I see…" the Pharaoh said, and then turned back to me, "Please try anyways, I'm sure you're not as bad as he says you are. Unlike Seto I believe in giving a chance to someone I don't know too well."
"I know her well enough," Seto muttered and sighed with frustration.

"I'll t…try," I said and looked at the piece of text. It was an odd thing, really was, the symbols seemed so different from what our writing is. It was odder that I think I knew what it was saying.

"Can you read it?" the Pharaoh asked gently, "Don't strain yourself if you can't, it's alright."

"B…but," I said, "It's… tal…talking about mon…monsters…"

"You can read it?" Seto and the Pharaoh said at the same moment.

"A little," I said, trying to focus more.

"A little is better than nothing at all," the Pharaoh said, "Now that just leaves the fact that I need her at the palace."
"Why can't she just stay and translate here?" Seto asked and I looked up from the paper to glare at him, why'd he have to be so possessive, or overprotective, or just… so stupid!

"She could but I would feel much better if I could watch over her," the Pharaoh said.

"I watch over my priests and priestesses very well thank you," Seto said bitterly.

"It's not that, but High Priestess Isis said she had a very troubling dream about these texts," the Pharaoh said, "And she mentioned how I would have to personally watch over the one who translated them."

"Is it really necessary?" Seto asked, "Would she be required to live at the palace?"

"Yes, I wouldn't want to force her to walk back and forth from the temple to the palace and it would allow me to keep watch over her all the time," the Pharaoh said, "Is there something wrong with that? I only need her to translate the texts; I am not planning on anything else if I think your mind is going to where I know it usually goes." Was Seto jealous that I would be elsewhere, out of his sight, unable to be picked on or where he would be unable to keep a tight rope on me?

"She has never lived anywhere but here, I fear she might feel disconnected if she were to stay away from the temple for too long," Seto said, "And therefore be unable to continue her training."

"Tha…that's not true!" I said, "I can t…train anywhere! It's not l…like there's something here I n…need to be able to t…train!"

"…" Seto said nothing.

"Would you be alright coming to stay at the palace for some time Miss…?" the Pharaoh asked. Oh, he didn't even know my name!

"Katiana," I said, "My n…name is Katiana. I'd be ho…honored my pharaoh. I've never be…been to the p…palace before…"
"Very well then, I shall send someone over to pick her up tomorrow," he said, "It will be most enlightening to work with such a bright young mind, Miss Katiana." After he said that he said his goodbye to Seto and left.

"I hope you're happy," Seto said, "I didn't want you anywhere near the pharaoh and now you'll be in his care."

"What are you so w…worried about?" I asked, "He se…seems so nice and polite… W…what, do you think he…he'll hurt me or t…try to take me from you or some…something like that?" Seto turned away from me and began to go towards his room.

"You're mine, never forget that," he said. I really wasn't his, I mean, he really didn't have any claim to me, the laws told me as much when I read them quite thoroughly last year.

"I'm n…not and you kn…know it!" I said and he turned around to face me. Why did he say that I was his all the time?

"You are mine," he said and then hurried off. I didn't belong to him, not really. I was a priestess in his temple and that was that. And he may treat me like a lower rank but I wasn't! I had trained under him for as long as I could remember and I knew more than half the people he claimed were of a higher rank than me! Maybe he knew that, but he was just too stubborn to admit it.

"J…jerk," I said and chucked a piece of fruit at him. He turned and caught it before it hit him in the back of the head and he took a bite out of it.

"Make sure to put the food in the kitchen," he instructed. Who did he think he was some overprotective big brother who claimed I was his and he felt he could order me around?

"Fine," I said and made my way to the kitchen doors, okay, maybe I just didn't want to end up polishing another statue, that was why I did it, that and maybe just a little respect. He was still a jerk!

…

The next day a servant came and picked me up to take me to the palace. I had packed some clothes and a few belongings to take with me, and Seto promised not to touch my room while I was away so when I came back I could have it back.

"Tha…thank you so much for take…taking me," I said to the servant and he merely nodded in return. I could tell he probably didn't want to talk so I didn't say anything else. When we finally arrived at the palace, it was huge! I never realized how big it was until I was standing right in front of it heading towards the door! The servant led me inside and I was greeted by the Pharaoh himself.

"Welcome Miss Katiana," he said and I bowed low.

"Tha…thank you so much for hav…having me," I replied, and got up from my bow.

"Will you follow me? I took careful time in preparing your rooms so I would love to show them to you personally," the Pharaoh said and beckoned me to follow him down a hallway. I followed him as he led me around; he was being so polite again. I was wearing my normal temple wear, white pants that sort of puffed out at the bottom, soft-toed slippers, a white shirt that had shortened sleeves and my hair was pulled back in several pins. The Pharaoh led me to a doorway and then opened it slowly.

"Is this it?" I asked and he smiled.

"This is it," he responded and I looked inside, letting out a small gasp as I did so.

"It's so…so ele…ele… beautiful!" I exclaimed. These chambers were more elegant than anything I had back at the temple. My room at the temple was much smaller and more…well, functional than elegant.

"Do you like it?" he asked and I ran forward to feel the bed. It was so soft!

"It is a…almost too much!" I exclaimed, "But w…why?"

"I don't know, but I was inspired. Miss Katiana, I really do look forward to your company," the Pharaoh said, "I was planning to ask if you would like to join me for dinner, I know most of the priests and priestesses in your temple but you seem to be the one High Priest Seto kept from me and I would like to get to know you."

"Are you hit…hitting on me?" I asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't do that sort of a thing Miss Katiana; I am offended you would ask," he replied, "I am merely trying to get to know my subjects better." I lowered my head in shame. How could I have thought that? Besides, he wouldn't even consider liking me; I don't know what Seto was afraid of, with my stutter and all. It was that and the fact that I was short, severely short.

"I am s…sorry my pha…pharaoh," I stammered and he looked at me, "I was out of l…line; I should n…never have assumed s…something of that manner."

"Aren't you the polite one?" the Pharaoh asked with a smile on his face, "So will you join me Miss Katiana?"

"F…fine," I said, "I'd be h…honored."

"I assumed you would, I shall send someone to come and get you when the time comes," he said, "Unless you would rather get used to the sense of being so far away from your normal home that you would want to use this night to adjust to being here, in which I can just send your meal to you."

"N…no," I said, "I think I'll be f…fine."

"Very well then," he said, "Miss Katiana, I am looking forward to getting to know you." He gave a short bow to me and then left. He was so polite! The Pharaoh wasn't at all as mean as Seto said he was, unless Seto was right and the Pharaoh was just hiding something, but I was good at reading people and the Pharaoh didn't seem to have anything bad about him.

"He j…just seems so n…nice!" I said and sat down on the bed, "I'm h…honored to be helping him!"

…

"Did you enjoy dinner Miss Katiana?" the Pharaoh asked as he walked me back to my room.

"Very m…much so," I said with a slight blush, "It was d…de…delicious!"

"I'm glad you like it," the Pharaoh said, and then we arrived at my door and he opened it up for me, "Here we are, and I bid you goodnight."
"Tha…thank you my pha…pharaoh!" I said and he smiled at me, but his expression changed to something slightly more sorrowful.

"However there is something I forgot to mention," he said, "I need you to promise me that at night, two hours after dusk you keep your door locked and remain in it until an hour before dawn."

"S…sure," I said, "But if it's not to b…bold to ask, why?"

"I cannot explain with mere words about why, but I need you to promise me that you won't go wandering around at night and remain in your room," he said, "It's dangerous at night."

"H…how could it be dangerous?" I asked worriedly, "S…should I be staying here at all?" The Pharaoh forced a small laugh.

"If you just follow my instructions you'll be just fine, its more like a curfew, you're used to those, aren't you?" he asked and I nodded and he patted me on the head, which I brushed away without thinking.

"S…stop treating me like a l…little kid," I exclaimed, "I…I may but s…short but I'm only t…two years y…younger than you!"

"Beg pardon?" the Pharaoh asked and I suddenly remembered where I was.

"S…sorry my Pha…Pharaoh," I said hastily, "Seto d…does that to me…"

"And let me guess, it really bugs you?" the Pharaoh asked, "Then I apologize, I will not do that again. Now if you will excuse me, I still have some things to attend to before heading off to bed myself. Remember the curfew Miss Katiana, and I shall talk with you in the morning."

"Cer…certainly my Pha…Pharaoh," I said, "I will do m…my best!" He gave another short bow and then left, shutting the door gently behind him. That was odd, what was he so afraid of at night? I shook it off; the Pharaoh was allowed his own secrets, right? I changed into my nighttime outfit and packed the rest of my belongings into a chest at the foot of the bed and then crawled under the covers. This was so comfortable! It was so much more elegant than my room at the temple. Seto probably was seething right now that he wasn't able to keep his usual eye on me and such. I yawned and lay back against the pillow, sinking down into it. The Pharaoh sure went trough a lot of trouble, ordering his servants to do all this in just one night and he said he helped design it didn't he? He must really want to make sure I felt comfortable, even if I was used to less.

"He's so k…kind," I murmured before I let the realm of sleep take me.

TBC

A/N: So? I've been tossing this idea around for a while but I like it so far, and I hope you do too, so please review it and tell me what you think! Even if you don't prefer it, tell me what I could possibly do to make it better, just don't flame me! Any and all flames will go to roast marshmallows to make S'mores for people who like my stories!

If you're confused at all, I left some stuff out because it will be explained later, some stuff you're not meant to know!