Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Turn Away ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

SUMMARY: Part of my Ryou/Bakura series… takes place mostly in the past, so I guess it's a prequel to "Silent Fortress". Then again, it COULD be a sequel to "Where Evil Grows". *evil grin* Take it however you want it. ;) Nakhti's final revenge, and final punishment.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however, own a Dark Magician toy. And a Malik toy. That's about it.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Inspired by the Billy Joel song, "An Innocent Man". Many, many thanks to both my beta readers, Masaki Uke (who helped with many of the Egyptian aspects of this story, including the name "Set-khuh") and Silver/Pachelbel (my grammar coach). Thank you both so much!

/blah/ is Yami Bakura talking to Ryou. //blah// is Ryou talking to Yami Bakura. And I made up one of the places in this story, the Valley of the Dead, as I highly doubt anyone who was NOT Pharaoh, or an otherwise Very Important Person, would have been buried in the Valley of the Kings. Yami Bakura's family history is also entirely my own creation. And I kinda took some liberties with the mummification process.... let's just say that it wasn't as advanced in Yami and Yami Bakura's time, mkay? It works so much better my way. If I've confused you, I apologize and I promise it WILL make sense at the end of this part.

DEDICATION: Kris, as always.

***********

Turn Away, Part 3

The Valley of the Kings was a sacred place, even to Nakhti. He stood at its boundary as Ra was ending his journey through the day's sky, watching the rays play over the golden sand. He wondered if this is how his father felt during his final robbery-nervous and more than a bit excited. If he pulled this off, he would surpass even his father as the most legendary robber in the entire history of the Two Lands.

The soft sand beneath his bare feet still held the heat of the day trapped within their grains, so Nakhti began the long trek down to where Yami's father's tomb lay hidden. Only a select number of people-the man who designed the tomb, the Queen, and Yami himself-knew where the tomb was, but many words slipped out in the darkest hours of the night.

"I often wondered why my father put his tomb where he did," Yami had said one night, half-asleep. "It faces the southeastern wall of the Valley so he cannot even see the Blessed Lands! But I suppose he wished to be near others of our line."

Of course, Yami didn't remember a thing in the morning, but Nakhti had quietly tucked away the knowledge in a corner of his mind, somehow knowing that it would come in handy someday.

And indeed it had.

Full darkness had fallen by the time Nakhti reached the floor of the Valley, which suited him just fine. The darker the night, the harder he was to see and the less chance the Valley guards would spot him once he was out in the open. Some deity was smiling down on him, however, and he made it to Pharaoh's tomb unnoticed. Silently, Nakhti withdrew his tools and began his ritual. The solid stone door gave way like any other and the white-haired boy slipped inside, careful not to jostle the contents of his pack. He had something very special hidden in the cloth bag on this particular trip.

The wealth of Pharaoh's tomb spread from wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling and Nakhti was hard-pressed to choose which pieces to take. He wasn't just here for treasure - he was more here for revenge, so he'd chosen a smaller pack. Removing a few things and setting them carefully on the floor, Nakhti began shoving a few of the amulets and other small objects into his pack before turning his attention to the great stone sarcophagus on the centre of the room. Carefully, Nakhti chipped away at the seal with the stone mason's tools he'd brought, and shoved the lid back just enough to let him work.

"Now, PHARAOH," he muttered to himself, "Now I shall have my eternal revenge." Grinning evilly, Nakhti tore away the protective amulets that the priests had wrapped into the linens covering Pharaoh's body. Once the last amulet had been thrown away, he reached down and picked up the jar of blood he'd stolen from the slaughterhouse in the Necropolis. "Be damned forever." He poured the blood into the sarcophagus, allowing it to soak into every inch of the linen. "May Ammut eat your soul and may you never see the Western Lands! May you suffer the same fate that you cursed my father with! May your soul never be reborn! May Osiris himself strike you down when you stand before him in Judgment!"

Next, Nakhti took a small paintbrush he'd stolen and dabbed it in the blood, turning to the nearest wall and scribbling a curse onto it, one of the more potent soul-destroying curses that his father had taught him, one designed to ensure that the deceased's Ba never made it to the Fields of the Blessed. He repeated the process on the other three walls and stood back, smiling. Now that the last drops of blood were gone, Nakhti returned the stone jar to his pack. He then turned his attention back to the walls, where the name of the Pharaoh was written in many places to ensure his entry into the next life. Smirking, Nakhti took up his stone chisel and set to work obliterating any trace of Pharaoh's name within his own tomb. For a very long time, the only sounds in the tomb were his own breathing and the sound of the chisel striking the rock, removing Pharaoh's name, glyph by glyph, off the walls. His task finished, he looked around the tomb triumphantly.

Glancing back at the sarcophagus, Nakhti decided he would not destroy the mummy. He wanted Yami to see what had been done to his father's body. The blood now covering the linen trapped the soul in its earthly body, preventing it from reaching the Western Lands.

Carefully, he began to gather up his tools. Glancing around to ensure nothing had been left, Nakhti began the journey back to the entrance to the tomb. Reaching the hole in the door, Nakhti sniffed for a moment, checking to see if any guards were nearby. Catching no scent on the wind, he pulled himself out and stood, flinging his bag to the ground at his feet.

"Father!" he called softly to the night sky. "Behold your revenge!"

He heard the footstep half a second before strong arms caught him roughly around the waist. Throwing him to the ground, two sets of hands quickly grabbed his arms and tied them tightly behind him before dragging him back to his feet.

"Tomb Robber," one of the guards said.

"Pharaoh has been expecting you."

****

The throne room was empty of all save Pharaoh and the High Priest when Nakhti was dragged in and flung at Pharaoh's feet, chains rattling. Upon their entry to the city proper, the ropes previously binding him had been replaced by much more secure chains before the guards had taken him straight to the palace.

Yami's eyes widened when he saw exactly who the guards had thrown at his feet. "YOU?" Then he caught himself. "But of course...I had forgotten your father's name, as it has been erased from history. Just as I understand you tried to do to MY father this night."

The prisoner glared at Yami, daring to meet his eyes, daring him to take action.

"Si-Ameny," Pharaoh Yami said coldly. He could hear Set-khuh pacing behind him, eager to get on with whatever was in store for the tomb robber now before them. "The son of a traitor becomes a traitor himself. Your soul was damned already, Tomb Robber, because of the sins of your father. Why, then, did you feel the need to add on to them?" He sat down on his throne, awaiting an answer.

For his part, Nakhti remained stubbornly silent, now making a point of looking at something over Yami's shoulder and not at Yami himself. When Set-khuh walked into his field of vision, he simply looked higher on the wall, until he was studying the murals on the ceiling with detached interest.

"Speak! Your Pharaoh commands it!"

Still, the white-haired boy refused to open his mouth.

"Nakhti," Yami finally sighed, the anger fading a bit from his eyes as he watched his former lover start at the sound of his true name, bringing his head back down so that he was looking straight ahead. "Why? Why would you betray me like this?"

Nakhti's own eyes blazed with a fire hotter than the sands of Egypt at mid-day as he glared at Yami. "You betrayed me first, *pharaoh*." Guiltily, Yami's eyes flicked to Set-khuh, now standing still, a little behind and to the right of his throne. "Yes, Pharaoh. You betrayed me with HIM and now you ask why I did what I did?"

"But why this way?" Set-khuh spoke up. "There are surely much better ways for a slave to draw attention to himself. And you weren't very good at tomb robbing-we knew you would go after Pharaoh's tomb sooner or later. Not only are you a stupid little slave, you're a failure as you got yourself caught."

"I am NOT a slave!" shouted Nakhti, hearing his voice ring off the very ceiling. "I have never been a slave, despite what Pharaoh YAMI tried to do to me." He allowed the venom to drip from his voice as he spoke his former lover's name. "Pharaoh is the one who started this, not I! As for getting caught, treasure means nothing to me. I got what I wanted."

Set-khuh snorted.

"I got my revenge on Pharaoh, both in this life and in the afterlife!"

"My father-" Yami interrupted.

"Your father killed mine and turned me into his son's WHORE," Nakhti spat, enjoying the wince he saw cross Yami's face. "Now I am free of that life, and I am nobody's whore. Never again."

Set-khuh took a step forward. "You're a slave," he hissed. "You're a slave, and a whore, and whatever else your Master wishes you to be! For your insolence, you deserve to be killed immediately."

"You can try, Priest," was the snarled response. "But I swear by the red hand of the God whose name you bear, I shall kill you before you get within five steps of me."

"I accept-"

"Set-khuh! Nakhti!" Yami interrupted, drawing both men's attention back to himself. "Stop! You will address the High Priest with respect, Tomb Robber, else I will have your tongue cut out of your head and fed to you as your last meal. As for you, Set-khuh, stop baiting him."

"And what of YOU?" Nakhti spat, raising one chained arm to point at Yami. "Do you proclaim your innocence?"

Yami rose to his feet, coming down the steps to stand before Nakhti. "I am your Pharaoh and you will obey me."

"And what if I do not? I am damned anyway, so what will you do if I do not respect you? Kill me?" Nakhti laughed, a high, crazed laugh that made even Yami back up a step. "I am dead already. You did that."

"I have killed no-one!"

"You killed Nakhti," the white-haired boy said, struggling to his feet despite the chains on his wrists and ankles. "You killed him the night he found you in bed with your `despised' High Priest."

"Don't be foolish," Set-khuh said. "You ARE Nakhti, little Tomb Robber. You stand before us now not under the ridiculous name you've given yourself, but as Nakhti. Nakhti the slave. Nakhti the son of the traitor. Nakhti the *condemned*."

"Nakhti is dead," the boy insisted. "I am Si-Ameny! Nakhti died the night he was betrayed by the only person he ever truly loved. And in his place, I was born. Despite his name, Nakhti the weakling died, leaving behind only Si-Ameny the strong."

Yami shook his head, reaching out one hand to touch the white hair, streaked and covered with mud, but still unmistakably white. "Nakhti, stop-"

"I am not he."

Yami allowed his hand to fall between them as his former lover jerked away. Never taking his eyes off the other's face, he sighed. "Very well then. Si-Ameny. Do you deny any of the charges brought before you?"

The tomb robber shook his head. "No."

"You know the punishment."

"It has been mine since I was a child. What difference does it make now?"

"And you have no wish to repent?"

"I have no need. I have done what I set out to do."

"Nakhti-"

"Stop calling me that! Nakhti was weak, and he is DEAD. He was undeserving of his name."

"Si-Ameny, I must say something."

"Save your words, Pharaoh," the tomb robber said. "They mean nothing to me anymore. Words are easy to say. It is actions that matter to me. And your actions, Pharaoh, have destroyed the very things you claimed to love. You told Nakhti that you loved him, yet that very night he found you in bed with the High Priest. Now tell me, Yami, how much faith I should put on your words?"

"You...he...I was never able to explain."

"More meaningless words. Save them for someone who cares."

Yami looked at the boy who looked so much like Nakhti, yet in many ways, was not the one he loved. He looked at Set-khuh, shuttering his crimson eyes so as to make them unreadable. "As he also robbed from your priesthood, I would allow you to choose his punishment. I care not what you decide. He is correct-Nakhti my beloved died many moons ago. Only Si-Ameny the traitor stands before us now. I leave his fate in your hands, Set-khuh."

The High Priest bowed. "Thank you, my Lord."

"I only order one thing-make it public so that all may see what happens to those who oppose Pharaoh's will."

Set-khuh smiled, a cruel, malicious smile. "Yes, my Lord."

Then Yami was gone, leaving Set-khuh and Si-Ameny alone.

"Will you kill me?" Si-Ameny finally asked, glaring at the High Priest.

"Eventually. That is the punishment for those traitors of your...profession. However, I wish to have my fun, if you will, with you first. You did say, after all, you were once a whore."

Si-Ameny backed up a step, fighting to retain his balance as the chains tried to trip him. "Stay away from me."

Set-khuh stalked towards him, a predatory look on his face. "You have nowhere to go, little Nakhti, little slave. Pharaoh has given you to me and I wish to enjoy every minute of it."

Si-Ameny felt the wall at his back and closed his eyes, knowing in his soul that there truly was nowhere else to run. Set-khuh reached out one hand and ran it down the side his prisoner's face, caressing it as a lover would.

And then there was only pain-and darkness.

****

Ra's bright rays lifted him from the darkness. Slowly, he struggled to his knees and opened his eyes. He knelt, alone, in the middle of the temple square, surrounded on all sides by the people of Thebes. Yami and Set-khuh stood on a slightly raised dais directly in front of him, both dressed in their most impressive and intimidating clothing. Glancing down, he blanched at the blood pooling beneath him, staining his legs and dirty linen kilt red. His movement caught the attention of the pair on the dais.

Seeing the prisoner was awake, Set-khuh stepped forward. "People of Thebes, behold the traitor! He has robbed the tombs of our dead! He has stolen the provisions of our fathers, given by us, the living, to sustain them in the Western Lands! He has desecrated our holiest places! He has damned the soul of the honoured father of mighty Pharaoh! What say you, people of Thebes? What shall be his punishment?"

As one, the people cried "DEATH!"

"Then behold!" Set-khuh removed an item from the waistband of his kilt and held it up to the light of Ra. "As he has damned our honoured ones, so shall he be damned! Never shall he rest, never shall he know peace."

Yami held up another golden object, carefully avoiding the one he wore around his neck so that the two didn't touch. "Never shall he face the final test of Osiris," he said quietly. "His soul shall be forever condemned to the darkness."

Si-Ameny's eyes widened as he realized what Yami was holding.

"Have you any last words?" Yami asked, stepping down off the dais and approaching Si-Ameny, who simply shook his head. "Nothing at all?"

"My fate is decided," he choked out. "What can I say? I will not relent, or apologize for my actions. I only did what was necessary to restore my family's honour."

Set-khuh gave a harsh bark. "Your family HAS no honour!"

"The traitor Ameny had no honour," Yami corrected. "He destroyed his own family, condemned them to be devoured by Ammut. You had nothing to restore."

Si-Ameny lowered his head. "I do not deny my father's actions, but I pray remind you, mighty Pharaoh, that the son is not the same as the father. Did you not once say those very words? The sins of the father should not extend to the son? And yet YOUR father condemned an innocent child to a life of slavery."

Yami's eyes glittered with anger. "You twist words said in love to your own purposes, traitor. The son of Ameny is no more innocent than Ameny himself was!"

Si-Ameny snorted at the word `love'. "You did not love him, so how could you say anything to him `in love'?."

"Be silent!"

"You betrayed him with the very-"

"SILENCE!" Yami roared, drawing on his shadow powers to amplify his voice. "What was done is done, traitor, and I order you to keep a civil tongue in your head lest I tear it out and feed it to the palace dogs!"

Rolling his eyes, Si-Ameny shifted in his chains. "Then be done with your punishment, oh mighty one. My time and my patience grow short."

Yami's eyes narrowed as he began to draw his shadow powers to him, but Set-khuh distracted him by taking up the cry again. "People of Thebes! Watch and be warned-let him serve as a warning! This is what happens to those who stand against Pharaoh!" Striding forward, Set-khuh took hold of Si-Ameny's chains and forced him to make his obedience, forehead pressed into the sand at Set-khuh's feet. "For your deeds, traitor, we have decided thus:

"Your soul shall be sealed into the Sennen Ring, which shall be given unto Pharaoh, who shall display it on the walls of Thebes as a deterrent to those who would disobey Pharaoh's word.

"Your soul, little Nakhti, is to be eternally damned to walk the darkness of the Shadow Realm-alone."

"Let it be known that Pharaoh's justice is swift!" Yami cried, handing Set-khuh the Sennen Ring. "Pharaoh's will be done."

"Yes, my Lord."

Yami backed up a few steps, leaving Set-khuh and Si-Ameny alone in the centre of the square. The crowd fell silent as Set-khuh began the ritual. Raising his hands, he began chanting a spell in a tongue older than the pyramids themselves. Swallowing his panic, Si-Ameny locked his eyes onto Yami's, trying to stop the wave of power ripping through every inch of his body. But Yami's eyes were cold and to his horror, Si-Ameny felt his soul begin to separate from his body. He fought with every fiber of his being, but in the end, his will wasn't strong enough to combat Set-khuh's shadow powers. Slowly, painfully, his soul was extracted from its human host and forced into the Sennen Ring.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!" he screamed as the darkness surrounded him, pressing him down, trying to crush him. "Don't leave me here alone...."

Unable to see, unable to hear, and not certain he could even SPEAK, the white-haired boy sank down to what passed for a floor and cried. He cried for the child he had been, innocent and trusting at his father's knee. He cried for the slave he'd become, beaten and starved. He cried for the soul he'd allowed to die the day Yami betrayed him with Set-khuh. And he cried for the Tomb Robber that never should have been.

Finally, Nakhti raised his head and whispered, "why, Yami?"

He asked the same question for days, months, years, millennia, but silence was his only answer.

******

Ryou was silent for a very long time after his other half stopped speaking, closing their link while he ran though everything. The spirit also kept silent, allowing the boy to sort out his thoughts. Finally, Ryou opened his thoughts to his yami once again.

//Nakhti?//

/What?/

//Thank you for sharing that with me.// Ryou allowed a bit of sympathy to bleed through the link. //I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't believe Yami and Seto would ever be that cruel!//

/You did not know them then. Both were different from who they are today./

//Then can't you try forgiving them? Please?//

There was a long pause. /It is difficult, Ryou./

//Can you try?//

The spirit sighed. /I am promising nothing. But for you, I will try./

//Thank you,// Ryou said, his smile clear even though the link. //See, you're not so bad after all!//

/Don't you dare go telling anyone else that I've gone soft! I'll never live it down!/ And as he retreated back into his soul room, the sound of Ryou's laughter followed him, brightening up the gloom just a little bit.

/END!