Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Mistaken Assumptions	By : tavia454 Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 17846 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, I make no money off this story! Bummer!

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
(voice is still muffled by bomb
shelter) Okay, here's the next chap! I know some of you are waiting
for Yugi to suddenly spring up and stand up for himself. Its not
going to happen yet. He's still freshly wounded and has gone through
so much in such a short period of time. But don't count him out yet,
we've still got quite a ways to go.

Enjoy!

Special thanks to Renaiya88027
for being a truly awesome beta and to Natoya for betaing the chap as
well. You guys are great!

Oh and I'll be taking this next
part of the story with me to NaNoWrMo. I wish everyone luck!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dear
Siamun,

I
do hope this missive finds you well. As much as you might think
otherwise I do regret the circumstances of our parting. It is
distasteful to me to continue this fight, especially when the
well-being of others is on the line. I am writing to inform you that
Yugi has taken whatever occurred in Egypt harder than I could have
imagined.

I
do not know what took place before we arrived, and I am not even
certain that I wish to ever know. However, I do wish that, between
the two of us, we could find an acceptable arrangement that would
take away this silent young man that I no longer know, and bring back
the boy that I love. Yugi does not sleep, nor does he eat but when it
is forced upon him. I grow more concerned over his mental state with
each passing day, as well as that of my other boys – Jou,
Ryou, and Malik. Please let me know how your charges fare and if
there is anything we can do to resolve the situation.

Yours
always, Solomon

Siamun rolled the papyrus back
up, gently petting the exquisite winged messenger that carried the
missive through the stormy skies. “Come beautiful one, your
mission is complete. Let us find you a place to rest until the gods'
wrath has been satisfied.” He held an arm out for the tawny
falcon, a rare smile twitching on his features when she perched
daintily on his leather-clad wrist.

After taking the bird down to
the aviary for a well deserved rest the elderly Vizier made his way
back to the small, somewhat hidden antechamber off the back of the
throne room that he and Atemu used as a study. Very rarely did anyone
other than the Pharaoh or himself venture into the tiny room,
regardless of the fact that it held all the amenities of a working
office – complete with comfortable seating for any guest that
might drop in unexpectedly – but that was fine with him. He
could use a little break from the chaos.

He lit one of the oil lamps to
dispel the gloom of the rain drenched skies, selecting a piece of
papyrus and a well-used reed out of the holder. And then he sat down
to write out a reply to his very worried sibling. He had known that
his middle brother could not stay mad at him for long, it had always
been their way. But, regardless of that fact, it had pained him
greatly to make the choices that he had made, knowing that he could
alienate his relative permanently if the arrangement didn't work out
between their sovereigns.

Chewing nervously on the end of
the reed, Siamun skimmed over the missive once again. He had to agree
with the other's concerns, for he had never been so troubled over his
own sovereign's mental state. His Pharaoh had become almost reclusive
since Yugi's departure, as though life held no interest for him
anymore, his temper making frequent appearances where he had always
remained calm before.

The entire palace had been
walking on eggshells lately, wary of incurring his ever-present wrath
for even the smallest of mistakes.

A luminous flash of light
caught the old man's attention and he glanced out at the gloomy
skies, the intensity of the heavy rains making him pause briefly and
murmur a prayer to the gods for a bountiful harvest before returning
his attention back to his current predicament. He would have to relay
this information to Sugoroku when they next sat down to dine, for his
eldest brother had been overly concerned that this last confrontation
would result in their exile.

Perhaps this missive would ease
his brother's mind somewhat, he hoped so anyways. With everything
that had gone on over the past couple of months he was surprised that
no one had completely lost their mind yet. But at least the guilty
were punished now, their rotting corpses still languishing atop the
poles that had been staked out in preparation for them from the
beginning of the short trial, and things were beginning to return to
normal.

Normal.
His brow creased in contemplation of that thought. Or as
normal is it can be with a lovestruck adolescent ruler who refuses to
give in to common sense.

The whole debacle could not be
placed squarely on Atemu's shoulders, though. There were other
factors involved that day. Even he doubted that he would ever forget
the fallen expressions on the Oriental couple's faces as they were
told of their son's unfortunate demise. And it had been Atemu's duty
to inform them of what had occurred. The young royal had been
devastated by the fact that Otogi's parents had traveled all this way
to see the son they hadn't seen in almost a decade, only to be
informed of his untimely demise once their journey ended.

So many errors that day, and
Yugi had slipped from the palace with no one being the wiser –
other than Sugoroku. The elderly man sighed again. Perhaps it was for
the best...

“Siamun?”
A pair of aged plum colored eyes identical to his own peered around
the door to the chamber. After spotting the very person he was
looking for lounging in the chair the old man sighed in relief. “It
is you. I have been looking for you everywhere.”

Siamun glanced up at his eldest
brother with a frown. “Why is it you are searching for me? Is
something amiss?”

Sugoroku shuffled wearily into
the chamber, taking a seat across from the desk on one of the
decorative couches. “No...well, no more than the usual. I
merely need the company of someone who is not currently grieving over
what cannot be changed. It is rather depressing when one is subjected
to it day after day for nearly a season.”

Siamun gave an appreciative
nod. “That I understand, brother. That I understand.”

“Stubborn,
pig-headed, juvenile – ” The High Councilor mumbled with
a shake of his head.

Siamun raised a brow at his
duplicate's behavior, cutting in. “ – I take it you are
speaking of our glorious sovereign?”

“Ugh,
no, I am speaking of all of them.” Sugoroku explained. “They
have to be the most ill-tempered individuals that I have ever had the
misfortune of dealing with.”

Siamun
gently set his reed off to one side of the desk, folding his arms
over his chest as he quirked a brow at the other man. “Need I
remind you that none of them were outside of their rights when they
invaded Hyksos. The threat to our safety did
come from their soldiers.”

Sugoroku just waved him off. “I
know, I know. That is why the council had decided against sanctioning
Egypt as a whole, why we've confined our punishments only to those
who had intimate knowledge of the kidnapping. I am fully aware of
Hyksos's role in this tragedy – unknowing or otherwise. I
just wish that one of them – only one of them, mind you –
would listen to reason.”

“What
is it you are trying to lecture them on now?” The younger of
the two queried in alarm. “I pray it had nothing to do with
Hyksos or Yugi. The last time I mentioned either name in front of
Atemu he threatened me with the loss of my head!”

Sugoroku shook his head. “No,
no, nothing like that. I merely mentioned the fact that their
confinement after court and appearances has been lifted just this
past week.” He tilted his head to the side. “Funny that
you mention that though. I nearly thought that Pharaoh Atemu was
going to threaten me with the same. He was positively livid that I
suggest he tour the gardens for some fresh air.”

“Oh
my!” Siamun laughed despite himself.

It would have been disastrous
had Atemu actually given voice to the threat. The High council –
and in return his brother – were held in esteem by no fewer
then thirteen nations. Against that kind of force Egypt was sorely
lacking. It was a good thing that his sovereign had kept his
murderous thoughts to himself, even if they were rather evident in
his expression.

“This
needs to end, Siamun.” Sugoroku decreed thoughtfully. “They
have gone on long enough nursing these bitter feelings.”

“I
agree.” Siamun nodded. “And there's only one person Atemu
will listen to – and the others will listen to him.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mana peered guiltily around the
corner of the doors as the guards let her pass, uneasy with the
prospect of confronting her mentor while she was still so emotionally
charged. She hadn't spoken to Atemu since Yugi had fled the palace,
and was in fact, still beyond pissed off at his callous treatment of
the younger Hyksos monarch, and she was more than certain that this
meeting would end in disaster all for her inability to keep from
voicing her opinions.

But Siamun had urged her, yet
again today, to confront Atemu face to face so that she could move on
with her life and perhaps lead him to realize that he needed to move
on with his. And she felt that she needed to say her piece even if it
left her in tears. Since the Pharaoh had not bothered to answer her
summons, nor had he found the time – apparently – to
seek her out, then she needed to meet with him on his turf, even if
it gave him the slightest of an advantage.

Her eyes adjusted to the
dimness of the chamber as she searched for the smallest glimpse of
her friend, waving a hand in front of her face to dispel the musty
odor of the long closed off room. After a few moments she spotted his
silhouette in the gloom, slouched against the edge of the bed, his
head in his hands.

“Pharaoh?”
She prompted, frowning heavily when she received no answer. What was
wrong with him? She moved further into the room, intent on having it
out with him despite any objections he might make.

But when the dejected figure on
the floor finally glanced up at her her thoughts fled. “Pharaoh!
What's happened to you?” She knelt down before her cherished
childhood companion, pulling his shaking hands into hers as she
looked him over. “Are you okay? What's wrong?! Atemu, what's
wrong?!”

This could not be the same
self-assured person who came to her rescue so long ago. There was no
way. Her sovereign looked horribly ill, his face drawn and pinched,
the sudden, drastic weight loss not quite fitting his already petite
frame. His hunched posture positively screamed misery. But it was the
blank, defeated look in his normally confident scarlet eyes that tore
at her heart. She had never seen him look so desperate before.

“I
cannot do this Mana. I simply cannot! It matters not what he has
done!” Atemu whispered softly, as though to speak the words out
loud would cause his very death. “...I cannot live without him.
Not anymore...not now that I know what it is like to have him in my
life...”

“Live
without...?” Mana's jaw dropped. “What do you mean what
he's done? Who? Yugi? What did he do?”

Atemu turned away from her
astonished expression, closing his eyes to the reality of his needs,
the words bitter on his tongue. “He betrayed me. He lied to
me...sought to turn the High Council against me...and then he
fled...I...I thought he loved me. How could I have been so blind?
How...” He cut himself off abruptly, feeling sick to his
stomach.

So many days the scene played
out over and over in his head. The words and images haunting him well
into his sleep, never leaving him with a moment's peace. Dartz's
drunken confession – his overwhelming anger – Siamun's
cunning solution to the ordeal – the sight of his smaller
lover's stunned face when the ceremony commenced, and the final blow
– the moment his truly heart broke – when the boy took
flight without ever looking back once he had gotten the
respectability of a true union.

The entirety of Re's cycle
jumbled into one long, continuous, and at times downright confusing
nightmare that he could not escape.

But over the days of his
self-enforced confinement he had come to realize that he did not want
to escape the nightmare's hold if only so that he could see his
little one, so he could hold that beautiful being in his arms one
more time, until the day broke and Re's presence graced the world
once again. He was starting to regret the moment when he would return
to wakefulness with the understanding that his little one was no
longer sleeping by his side.

He lowered his head into his
hands, the ability to breathe stolen as another image of Yugi's
tear-stained face flashed through his mind.

“How
can you be so blind now?” Mana chastised him hotly. “Yugi
has loved you since the first time you set foot into his chambers –
perhaps even before that. What are you going on about?”

Atemu rose, shaking her off to
pace agitatedly around the room, unable to remain inactive now that
the floodgates had opened. “He was Dartz's lover! He had led me
to believe that I had taken his innocence when in reality he had
given it up long ago. And if he lied about that...then what else has
he lied about? Was he ever truthful to me? He ran to Siamun the
moment my back was turned and once he was assured of his
respectability he fled like a coward.”

“That's...that's...”
Thoroughly incensed Mana jumped up and ran to Atemu, halting him
mid-step with a hand in his chest, feeling this rampant desire to
slap some sense into her long time friend, but managing to hold back
– just barely. “You're wrong Atemu! My Pharaoh,
please...Yugi loved you! What in this life would make you think that
he was untruthful? In any of his dealings with you? How could you
think that?”

“Dartz
knew of his birthmark before I even sensed its presence!” He
snapped, his hands fisted tightly in his limp hair – knowing
that another migraine was on its way even as they spoke. Between
those and the dreams he had yet to achieve a single night's rest
since his little one had fled. “He could not have known unless
they were intimate – consenting or otherwise! Either way he
lied! He lied, and he conspired with Siamun against me!”

“NO!
That's
a lie!” Mana's shout refuted his beliefs and Atemu stared at
her in disbelief – Mana had never raised her voice to him.
She clenched her fists against the need to cry, shaking in her fury,
as she fought to speak her heart.

“He
never lied to you! I know who you are talking about, I've seen him
but never connect...Yugi didn't know his name but he told me of his
life before you started courting him. Dartz was a predator, he lusted
after Yugi, but he never actually touched him. Ever! Did you ever
wonder why Yugi spoke so highly of his friends? They protected him
from that man's advances!”

Atemu
stood dumbfounded while she continued her tirade, unable to offer
even the smallest remark, but she wasn't through with him yet as she
laid a hand on his chest, looking up at him with those wounded doe
eyes. “Dartz may have stalked him, may have even seen him
without clothes, but he never touched him. EVER! You didn't even let
him explain...did you? You condemned him...you raped
him! You...you...Oh Atemu...how could you? I-I saw him...that
night...after...h-he doesn't know...he doesn't...understand...why
Atemu...? Why?”

He
flinched when she burst into tears, stunned into near silence.
“Mana...”

And then he cringed as the
truth of her words hit him like a slap to the face. He looked to the
left, then right, searching for a distraction from the accusations
swimming around his head but the walls continued to press in around
him as he stood there in shock, his breathing ragged and shallow.

The
small anomalies of that awful night and the day of his wedding
finally beginning to make a sick sort of sense to him, like puzzle
pieces falling into place with the addition of this one last clue –
Yugi's fearful, confused expression, his unheeded pleas for Atemu to
stop – the horrified, confused and oh so lost look that he gave
as he asked why
– his need to flee the palace without asking after Dartz's
fate – without ever glancing back.

The color drained from Atemu's
sun-kissed features as his mind readily supplied him with scattered
images that it had once hidden from him. He had raped Yugi, he had
raped his little one...Each and every minuscule detail of the day of
their forced union, each disparaging word, every cruel comment he
made, flew through his mind, along with bits and pieces of random
memories from the night before, leaving him without a doubt as to
what he had done.

The words spoken by Marik's
captive from long ago floated through his mind and he recalled the
information that he had learned that night. “You have
feelings for him. That's why your so interested. Isn't it?”

His face fell, the tears he
thought he could not cry welling in his eyes...

“Goodnight
Pharaoh...I'm going to bed now. I have nothing further to say to you
other than you had better start treating my friend right. He's
loyal...not stupid.”

What kind of monster did that
make him?! The once proud Pharaoh dropped to his knees in agony, the
raging pain in his head the least of his worries. “Oh
gods...what have I done? I-I...oh Yugi...”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One
week later...

Yugi closed his eyes, sagging
against the door as he tried to collect his runaway thoughts. This
day had been murder. So many of the downtrodden common folk had
decided to take the law into their own hands while he was away –
and now he was left to deal with the aftermath of a country that had
nearly gone wild.

The Egyptian soldiers that had
stuck around to aid in the rebuilding process had helped
tremendously, but this wasn't their battle and he could tell their
hearts really weren't into it. They served their Pharaoh, not him.
Half of the time he wasn't even sure why they were still there.

Shuffling across the floor,
blind to the opulent decor of the antechamber – the suite once
belonged to his mother and he had staked out as his own upon his
return – Yugi carelessly tossed his crown at the faceless bust
that served to hold some of his royal raiments when not in use. The
golden reminder of his unwanted status wobbled once on the top of the
mannequin before settling haphazardly off to the side.

He
stared at it for a moment before flopping dully onto one of the
backless couches artfully arranged around the small but
well-furnished chamber. Was he ever going to be able to shake off the
shackles of the past so that he could deal with the demands of the
present? Oh
gods I miss...

His eyes narrowed. No he
didn't! He didn't miss a damn thing about his captor. Nothing
whatsoever. At his wit's end the young sovereign rolled over,
contemplating the ceiling with absolutely no interest whatsoever.
What had he done? What had he done so wrong? Did it even matter
anymore? Had it ever mattered in the first place? The whole thing was
probably nothing more than an elaborate hoax in order for the Pharaoh
to claim Hyksos for the Egyptian Empire.

Yugi
shook his head to clear the paranoid thought. If that was true than
why did the Pharaoh allow him to maintain this illusion of power? Why
did he not just march into Hyksos – much as he had done before
– and claim him an impostor? Against his wishes his thoughts
wandered back towards the one person he had willfully given his heart
to, hurt blooming deep within his chest. What
did I do?

A timid knock sounded at his
door and he rolled back over with a lethargic air. “Enter.”

Jou peeked around the door's
edge. “Yugi?” Upon spying his friend's withdrawn form he
entered the chamber, shutting the door behind him with the toe of his
foot. “I got a little somethin' from the kitchens for ya.”
He said as he held out a tray loaded with some of Yugi's favorite
foods.

Yugi eyed the tray with little
interest, rolling back over to continue his contemplation of the
onces bright colors on the ceiling. “I'm not hungry, Jou. But
thank you anyways.”

“Aw
com'on man.” Jou straightened, sighing. “You got to eat,
Yugi. This isn't healthy.”

“I
said I'm not hungry Jou.” Yugi reiterated with a little more
force, rather sick of being treated like a child who didn't have
enough sense to make his own decisions. He turned his head away,
signaling the end of the conversation.

Instead
of leaving as he thought the other would do, the blonde dropped down
onto a small corner of the couch that Yugi was currently occupying,
setting the tray on a side table. He just sat there for a moment, as
though collecting his thoughts. It
has always been like thus,
ever since I returned,
Yugi thought with a bitter smirk. No one knew what to say in his
presence, how to react.

It was almost like the ever
present armlet was a deterrent for any kind of conversation –
or his mood swings were. Either way, most of the palace inhabitants
went out of their way to avoid him. Even his friends. But whatever,
it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. He had tried to hide the gaudy
piece underneath whatever jewelry he could find, but nothing seemed
to work. Now he just wore garments that covered his arms from wrist
to shoulder, like the loose, long-sleeved robes he wore now, so that
no one would ever know of his shameful tryst.

He was stuck in this lifestyle
not of his choosing – the proof of which was this beautifully
crafted armlet. Yugi glanced at it for a moment, pulling up the cuff
of his shirt and rotating his wrist to count the multiple,
many-colored jewels, loathing present in his gaze as he examined its
beauty. Not that he really thought the Pharaoh would pursue him after
all this time. But if he chose to give up his position then he would
no longer have the backing necessary if, indeed, the man decided to
come after him.

Did he piss off one of the
gods? Was this entire fiasco his punishment for some unknown crime?

“Look
Yugi...” Jou finally chose that moment to speak, and Yugi let
him. “We're all worried about you. What happened over there? I
know your life wasn't exactly the greatest here, but when you came
back...” He let the implication hang in the air between them.

“Does
it truly matter?” Yugi countered in a bored voice, looking
quite a bit older than his sixteen harvests as he gazed back at his
friend.

Jou looked him straight in the
eye. “I think it does. To us, to you. Look man, whatever it was
– ”

“Nothing
happened!” Yugi jumped from the couch to pace the confines of
the chamber in agitation, his gaze resting briefly on the collection
of swords that he had brought up from the library when he had first
gotten back. Thoughts of impaling himself on one of the beautifully
crafted weapons frequently entered his mind, and he always felt an
odd sort of peace when they were within his immediate reach. Perhaps
it was because as bad as things were right now he still didn't view
suicide as his only option and the thought gave him a sort of twisted
comfort.

“Well,
obviously something happened.” Jou stood along with him,
intercepting him on his trip back from the other side of the chamber.
“And you ain't been right since – ”

“Oh,
I haven't been right?” Yugi spat. “Well for your
information, neither have you! I hear you call his name in your sleep
– ”

“And
how would you know that, your Highness?” Jou flailed with a
dawning blush at having his deepest dreams found out so easily. “Huh?
Explain that one. You can't, can you? You'd have to admit that you
don't sleep at all.”

Yugi opened his mouth to refute
the blonde's words, but an urgent knock upon the door drew both teens
attention from their argument. “Enter.” He called out
regretfully.

Two of his higher ranking
border guards, twins he guess from their identical appearances,
prostrated themselves before him, one speaking for the both of them.
“Your Highness, we have apprehended a group of foreigners who
refuse to state their business in Hyksos. What shall we do with
them?”

Immediately on edge Yugi's
first question was “How large of a group?”

The two men glanced at each
other before answering as one. “Four people, your Highness.”
One of them continuing. “And they did come willingly, even
though they refused to state their objectives.”

Yugi glanced at Jou, to find
the other staring at him in concern. They had all agreed to keep
close watch on foreigners that entered their soil, for they would not
be caught unaware again. This group concerned him, but not overly
much. There were not that many of them, but their flat out refusal to
state their business was a little odd. Most people were quick to make
the Hyksos soldiers understand that they were only in the country on
a friendly excursion.

“Very
well, have my guards escort them to me in the throne room. We shall
sort it out from there. You may go.” Yugi commanded as he
scanned the chamber for the crown that he had discarded not moments
ago. Finding it still hanging haphazardly from the mannequin in the
corner he snatched it up and gave a solemn look back at his friend,
only to receive a look which promised that their conversation was not
yet finished.

“Yes,
your Highness.” The guards chorused as they quit the chamber to
complete their task.

Both Yugi and Jou remained
silent on their journey through the upper level palace corridors,
each lost in their own thoughts. Upon reaching the main level they
split to search out the remaining members of their small council. The
coming confrontation with their guests would be treated with as much
care as possible. They didn't need an irritated band of traveling
merchants on their hands. But it couldn't possibly hurt them to be
cautious of outsiders' designs either. That lesson had been slammed
home during their encounter with the Egyptians.

Yugi found Ryou in the library,
where the white-haired teen was known to hide from the pressures of
life, absorbed in the ancient scrolls, searching for something only
the gods knew of. A few, somewhat stiff words passed between the two
of them and they were on their way, trusting Jou to claim their
fourth member.

While Yugi was searching for
Ryou, Jou managed to track Malik down in the kitchens, harassing the
kitchen staff, for reasons unknown. It took only a look from the
honey-eyed blonde for his friend to realize the seriousness of the
situation, following at Jou's heels as he exited the kitchens at a
brisk walk.

After meeting up in the common
rooms and deciding not to track down the rest of the temporary
council – made up of certain nobles that Atemu had picked for
the job – the four of them headed towards the throne room as
quickly as they could. Solomon met them on their way through the main
hall, his gaze silently questioning as he fell into step behind the
group.

Once inside the throne room
they assumed their assigned positions. Yugi perched regally on the
throne with a sigh, signaling for the others to be ready just as the
heralds announced the arrival of the palace guards. The doors were
ceremoniously pulled open to admit four robed men, each bound tightly
with their arms behind their backs, and each escorted by a pair of
well-armed guards. The normally soft-spoken Hyksos monarch almost
opened his mouth to rebuke his men for their use of excessive force,
when one of them called out an explanation.

“One
of the men attempted to escape us when we reached the palace entry.”

Yugi sate back with a confused
frown, his mouth clicking shut. Huh? That didn't make any sense. Why
would the man run once they reached the palace? Why not before, when
he actually had a slim chance to escape? Shoving the question aside
Yugi studied the men that had been made to kneel before him.

All four of them wore identical
dirt-laden hooded robes, casting their features into shadow. None of
them looked very menacing though, a couple of them even bordering on
the petite side. Not finding anything about them even remotely
interesting he raised his voice in a tone that Atemu would have been
proud of had he been in attendance to hear it. “State your
business in Hyksos. I do not take kindly to outsiders skulking around
my palace.”

One of the robed outsiders drew
back at his tone. Nothing like putting it out there.

“We
are here to take back what rightfully belongs to us.” One of
the men snapped impatiently.

“And
for the record we were not skulking.” Another added, his deep
voice holding a tinge of resigned amusement. “Merely gathering
our wits about us for the coming confrontation.”

Standing
at the side of the throne Jou gasped out loud,
it couldn't be...

The
smoothness of that second baritone voice sounded so familiar that
Yugi found himself leaning forward in order to identify the unseen
speaker. “Who are you?” He demanded, eyes narrowing on
this stranger.

“Hello,
little one. I have missed you.” The second speaker quipped
sadly.

Atemu gazed upon Yugi from
beneath the anonymity of his hooded cloak. It had taken all of his
will power upon entering the throne room to keep from breaking free
of his restraints and running to his little one. But he knew he'd
never get that far, so instead he settled for gazing at the boy who
held his heart, knowing that he would have to find a way for them to
speak in private.

His first observation was that
the boy looked tired...no, he looked utterly exhausted with the dark
circles that nearly overshadowed his glorious eyes. His face was pale
and gaunt, his expression worried. But what concerned him the most
was that the younger monarch – who had always been slender –
now seemed to border on sickly thin, a kind of thinness that even
extra layers of clothing couldn't hide.

And his tone of voice. So cold,
so uncaring. He had never heard the Hyksos ruler speak in such a
manner, and it frightened him. What had happened to cause this? Had
he done this? His eyes closed and he once again berated himself for
his foolishness.

The
moment he heard the term little
one spill
from the lips of this stranger Yugi froze, his heart beating a rapid
staccato in his chest. No! It couldn't' be! It wasn't possible! Why
would he be here?!

Finally gaining control over
his wayward emotions Yugi shakily gave the order for their hoods to
be removed only to stare straight into the same exotic scarlet eyes
that had haunted his dreams for months. He half shot from his seat,
his fingers biting into the arm-rests as he ordered rapidly. “Please
escort these men back to the Egyptian border and make certain that
they stay on the other side!” As he backed away from the robed
foursome he gave one final order. “And no one is to harm them!
Unless you wish to answer to me! This meeting is adjourned.”

“Yes
your Highness.” The guards called in unison, preparing to drag
their prisoners out of the palace.

“Wait!
Yugi!” Atemu called out, struggling against his bonds, but he
was too late. Having said his piece Yugi hastily fled the throne room
for the peace and quiet of his chambers, afraid that if he stayed any
longer it would be more than his heart could take.

Giving
their former captors a level glare Jou, Ryou and Malik soon followed,
stalking rapidly from the room to leave Solomon as the only remaining
royal left.

Solomon, who had heard the
entire confrontation from his station beside the throne called for
the guards to halt as they attempted to drag their resisting
prisoners from the hall. The head soldier turned to face him and he
commanded “leave them to me.”

Knowing that the elderly man
was currently the true power behind the throne, the captain of the
guards bowed low before him, presenting the struggling figure of
Atemu without a protest. The rest of the soldiers followed his lead,
dropping their prisoners unceremoniously at the elderly man's feet.

“I
have something quite different in mind for these four.” Solomon
said as he eyed the group of weary travelers. “Pharaoh Atemu,
High Priest Seto, Head-guardsman Marik, and Advisor Bakura...you are
guilty of crimes committed against the crown of Hyksos. How do you
plead?”

All of the Hyksos soldiers
started at the Pharaoh's title, not having any idea whom they held in
custody until Solomon informed them. A couple of them leaned in
closer for a better look at the infamous Pharaoh, having heard the
many tales of his prowess on the battlefield. But the image of the
slender young man kneeling before them did not seem to fit the
description that had been given.

“Oh,
I assure you that he is the Pharaoh of Egypt.” Solomon smirked
as he noticed their curiosity.

“Not
g – ” Seto spoke up.

“Guilty
as charged.” Atemu finished for his priest.

The plea gained Atemu a
contemptuous glare from each of his companions, but he shrugged it
off, focusing his unblinking gaze on the elderly man who so strongly
resembled his Vizier.

Solomon nodded at him, holding
his gaze. “Since you admit your guilt I have no choice but to
sentence you to the life of a slave at the hands of those who you had
kidnapped, unless the king – my grandson – sees fit to
release you. Turnabout is fair play, wouldn't you say Pharaoh?”

Atemu nodded, his eyes downcast
as he swallowed the humiliation of his position being reduced to that
of a palace servant. He had gone charging into Hyksos with every
intention of winning his little one's trust back, but had not gone
through the motions of planning out his path to victory. And look
where that had landed him. He knew very well that every endeavor
involved planning, to some degree, but he had been so impatient to
gaze upon those soft features, to look into those beautiful eyes,
that he had forgotten that little fact.

But, at least this would
ascertain that he would get to see the boy, perhaps even speak with
him sometime in the future. Besides, he had played the role of a
servant before, for Shadi, when he was a young prince. Playing such a
role when it meant that he could see his little one – and
perhaps be reconciled with him – would be far easier than
bowing to Shadi simply for the sake of learning to curb his pride.

“Do
you wish for us to escort them to the overseer?” One of the
guards questioned.

Solomon
pondered the query for a moment. “ – No, escort them to
the baths. They shall serve King Yugi and his council in other
ways.”

The elderly man then sauntered
away, oblivious to the looks of astonishment and wounded pride that
followed him out of the throne room.

“You
heard him men.” The head guardsman commanded as he snatched an
unresisting Atemu from the floor. “Do as he says.”

The group filed out of the
chamber, the soldiers directing the movements of their captives as
they made their way through the maze of palace corridors. As they
moved Atemu made note of the many different paths that led deeper
into the bowels of the massive stone structure, wondering in what
direction his little one had fled. He had to see him again. He just
had to.

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Mistaken Assumptions