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I Almost Had You	By : Hideki LaShae Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 8336 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-I Almost Had You
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 3
- 4
- 5
Disclaimer: All Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and references belong to their respective owners. The song lyrics from Come a Little Bit Closer belong to Jay and the Americans and Welcome To My Life belong to Simple Plan and the companies that recorded them and were used in this story with the best of intentions. The song “Witch Doctor” as performed by David Seville and the Chipmunks belongs to the artists and the company that recorded it. The song I Can’t Fight This Feeling belongs to Chicago and the company that recorded it and was used in this story with the best of intentions. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.

I Almost Had You
By
Hideki LaShae

Chapter Four
Where Were You When I Needed You Most?

- - 3000 years ago - -

Darkfire cursed and screamed as the guards drug her into the village square where her painful death would occur.

“Do you think she could be any louder?” whispered the man hidden beneath his cloak at the edge of the square.

“Oh, surely Tekh, if she thought we weren’t here, she could scream so much louder,” said Bakura pulling his cap lower on his head to hide his malevolent brown eyes.

Tekh, the burly man who lived and had traveled with the thief king over half of the desert, glanced over at Bakura with sharp hazel eyes. “You mean she knows we’re here?”

“Of course she knows we’re here, stupid!” hissed Bakura, “She isn’t as incompetent as some people I know!”

“She’s the one who got caught!” snarled Tekh.

“As she and I knew she would,” whispered Bakura, “Her death will serve our cause greatly.”

“How?”

Bakura smiled to reveal his sharp fangs. “That is for me to know.”

“I swear upon the Gods and the graceful Nile! Dorobo Bakudan will slay you all!” screamed Darkfire as she was chained to four hefty beasts of the field.

“This is really going to hurt her,” whispered Tekh sympathetically. He grimaced slightly at the thought of watching the girl… nay, the woman… torn to pieces before his very eyes.

“She will be dead before the beasts begin to pull,” said Bakura.

“You’ll kill her?”

“No. You will,” said Bakura, “I’m leaving. Take care of her. This is your last chance to. I have plans to attend to. I failed to eliminate the High Priest of Ra and instead I killed the Priest of Osiris. I must find a way to finish what I’ve started with the High Priest.”

“How should I kill Darkfire?” asked Tekh.

“Her name was Amor,” whispered Bakura before turning on his heel and vanishing into the shadows.

Tekh closed his eyes and smiled slightly. “Amor…”

“My King will avenge my death!” shouted Darkfire.

Tekh pulled a small knife from the folds of his cloak and looked at Darkfire. For a moment, he hesitated, swearing that Darkfire… nay, Amor… saw him and knew what he planned to do.

Darkfire smiled and nodded her head just barely. She held her head up high to expose her neck.

The knife flew through the air with deadly precision and struck Darkfire right in the heart.

Darkfire gasped and fell limp.

Tekh returned to the shadows and disappeared before the signal given to the animals to run in four different directions.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jou scrubbed the dirt out of his hair just with his fingers. He cursed under his breath for not having found any soap before taking his bath, but then he had thought soap would be near the bathing pool if it existed. His water cooled as he rinsed his hair out and rubbed his hands roughly over his body to clear away the dirt from the garden. He stood up and shook the water from his hair before climbing out and grabbing the pile of cloth that Shada told him he could dress in while his school uniform got washed and dried. He fought with the simple ecru colored cloth as he tried to figure out how it went on before managing to get it to cover himself.

Jou jerked as he heard a knock on the door. He checked himself over quickly to make sure he’s covered and decent. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he’s not sure would come through the door. “You may enter.”

The door opened, and Jou looked towards it.

Atemu stepped into the room holding the hand of the blond haired woman who followed him in.

Jou blinked at the sight of the woman. “Mai?”

“You… you know my name,” said Mai staring at Jou with shocked apprehension in her violet eyes.

“Do I?” asked Jou, “I guess that’s because you have the same name in my time.”

“Priestess,” said Atemu, “This is Jou. He is the reincarnation of Jono.”

“I can see that,” said Mai.

“Jou, this is Mai. She is the Priestess of Bastet,” said Atemu.

“Bastet? The Cat Goddess?” asked Jou with a smile.

“Yes,” said Mai nodding. Her eyes never left Jou’s face. “May I… hug you?”

“Um…” Jou looked to Atemu for help.

“Jono’s mother was the sister of Mai’s mother. They were cousins,” said Atemu.

“Oh… If it will help, Mai, go ahead,” said Jou smiling at Mai.

Mai pulled Jou into her arms and buried her face in his neck as she started to cry.

Jou wrapped his arms tightly around Mai and cooed softly to her as she sobbed.

“I will leave you two alone for a few moments,” said Atemu, “I trust you will escort him to dinner, Mai.” He slipped silently from the room.

Jou pulled Mai over to his bed and sat down, forcing her to sit upon his lap. “It’s okay, Mai. Cry all you must.”

Slowly, reluctantly, Mai pulled away from Jou and wiped her eyes. “You are not my dear cousin. You may look like him. You may have him within you as I can sense that you do, but you are not my cousin.”

Jou looked at Mai as she wiped her eyes again.

“You are not my cousin.”

“No. I’m sorry, Mai, Priestess of Bastet. I am not your cousin,” said Jou. “I wish I were. Then you would not be in all this pain.”

Mai sat beside Jou.

Jou sighed before closing his eyes and singing with a soft voice, “When the heartbreak is at your door and the pain is just seconds away, do the only thing you can do. Let it be a test of the heart…”

“That is beautiful. Where did you learn it?” asked Mai quietly.

“I just wrote it,” said Jou moving away from Mai quickly and grabbing a small notebook and a pen that he let rest upon the small table beside his bed. He opened to a fresh piece of paper and scribbled down the words he had just been singing before he forgot what they were. He closed the tablet and set it back.

“You wrote it? On a whim? With barely a moment’s notice?” asked Mai.

“Yes. There is a phrase where I come from to describe what I am,” said Jou sitting down beside Mai again, “I am a jack of all trades and a master of none. I dabble doing all the different things that I love. I write, I sing, I paint… I’ve been working on a song for several years now. There are parts of it that I just can’t seem to express properly, and I think I just found the inspiration for another verse. I still can’t get the chorus though.”

“It is quite beautiful music, Jou.” Mai smiled and rested her head upon his shoulder. “You mentioned… me… in your time. Who was she? What does she mean to you?”

“Now that’s a story!” Jou wrapped an arm around Mai’s waist.

“Tell it to me. We have time,” whispered Mai.

“Her name is Kujaku Mai, and she is every bit as lovely as you. I met her during a dueling tournament. We use the same monsters as I’m sure you do. We became friends after that, and for a while we considered the option of dating. We decided that we were better off as friends no matter how much we might care for each other. There just wasn’t the right sort of attraction between us physically. We care for each other, but not quite in that way.”

“You care for her. Does that mean you love her?”

Jou bit his lower lip as he thought for a few moments. “You know what? I think maybe a part of me does love her. Not in the romantic sense though. More like a sister or maybe…”

“A cousin,” finished Mai.

“Should I feel that way about you as well?” asked Jou gazing directly into the amethyst eyes. He brushed a lock of Mai’s yellow gold hair away from her face. “Because I can feel it. Deep within me, there is this feeling that I have known you, loved you, and belonged beside you my entire life. I’ve only known you for these few brief moments, Mai of Bastet, but it feels so much longer.”

A tear fell from Mai’s left eye, and Jou quickly wiped it away.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset…”

“I feel it too. You are not my cousin and I know that, but I feel you are.”

“You are my cousin, Mai,” said Jou.

Mai kissed Jou quickly upon his lips. It was a chaste kiss, as any cousin would give or receive. She pulled away just as quickly as she had approached, and she smiled.

Jou blushed.

Almost immediately a fierce growling interrupted their peaceful moment.

Mai giggled as she realized the source of the growl. “Come! We must away to dinner! Your stomach needs attention!”

“I am rather hungry,” said Jou sheepishly, “I only had a little fruit earlier.” He gave Mai a small smile. “But I’m not going anywhere in this outfit! There’s no way I’m letting Seto see me in a dress!”

“This is not a dress!” exclaimed Mai.

“Well whatever it is, he’s not seeing me in it,” said Jou firmly, “I’ll go to dinner when my clothes get back.”

As if in response to Jou’s demand, a gentle rapping sounded on his door.

“Enter,” said Mai.

The door opened, and a tanned slave entered carrying Jou’s well-washed and carefully folded school uniform.

“There. Your old clothes,” said Mai, “I will step outside while you dress, but be brief. Your stomach cannot wait much longer.” She took the clothing from the slave and tossed it to Jou before ushering the slave out of the room and closing the door behind them.

Jou shed the fabric as quickly as he could and pulled on his comfortable, familiar blue and white school uniform. He smiled once fully dressed again and headed out to meet Mai and his guards outside of his room.

Mai blinked at Jou in confusion. “You look… so different, cousin.”

“I am different, cousin,” said Jou smiling and taking Mai’s hand, “So… where’s this dinner you’ve promised me?”

“Just like Jono!” exclaimed Mai pulling Jou off in the proper direction down the hall.

“Yeah. Everybody keeps saying that!”

Mai led Jou into a fair sized dining hall with a long table and many place settings at it, but no food.

“Are we expecting company?” asked Jou looking around at the vast emptiness of the room.

“Oh yes. A great deal of company,” said Mai, “You will be meeting the rest of the Priests and Priestesses tonight.”

Seto entered the room with Shada.

Mai smiled at Seto. “Hello, Seth. How are you doing this evening?”

“Don’t call me Seth!” snapped Seto.

“Hey, Seto,” said Jou with a nod.

Mai’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh! Forgive me! I didn’t realize you were the other!”

Seto sighed but made no comment.

The doors hidden on the other side of the room opened, and Atemu walked in followed by several other people. He smiled at Jou and Seto.

“Pharaoh,” said Jou with a nod of his head.

“Good evening, visitors,” said Atemu, “I thought tonight would be the best time to introduce you to the others whom you will be encountering quite likely on a daily basis from now on. This is my Circle of Priests.” He moved to the head of the table and stood before his seat.

“High Priest Seth of Ra,” said the arrogant brunet moving over to the seat on Atemu’s right hand side.

“Priestess Isis of Isis.” The blue eyes looked at Jou and Seto with a knowing look before she moved over to her seat beside Seth.

“Priestess Mai of Bastet.” The blonde woman left Jou’s side and took her place to stand beside Isis at the table.

“Priest Shada of Thoth.” With those words, the holder of the Millennium Key stepped away from Seto and moved to stand to the left of Atemu.

“Priest Karim of Ma’at,” said another man who hid most of his physical features beneath the layer of clothing he wore. He moved to stand beside Shada.

“Priest Mahaado of Nut.” The deep violet eyes staring at Jou looked oddly familiar to him, as if he’d seen them somewhere before but couldn’t place them. He moved to stand beside Karim.

“Priest Akunadin of Ptah.”

Seto raised an eyebrow as he saw the Millennium Eye nearly covered by the lock of gray hair falling over it. He watched as this Akunadin, who somewhat distantly resembled Pegasus Crawford, moved to stand beside Mahaado.

“Priest Otogi of Anubis.” The ebony haired Priest moved over to the seat beside Mai and stood there waiting.

Atemu indicated the two remaining seats for Seto and Jou.

“I am Jounouchi Katsuya, but my friends all call me Jou,” said the blond looking at the two seats wondering which he should take.

“I am Kaiba Seto,” said the brunet moving to sit down beside the aged Priest Akunadin rather than the doppelganger of Otogi Ryuji, “You may call me Seto.”

Atemu sat and everyone else followed suit, leaving Jou to sit down beside the emerald-eyed priest.

“Um… Pharaoh?” asked Jou quietly as the slaves began to bring in the food, which they would all eat.

“You may address me as Atemu, Jou,” said the Pharaoh with a friendly smile, “And what is your question?”

“How many Priests and Priestesses are there here?” asked Jou, “Will we meet any more of them?”

“There is a Priest or Priestess for every God and Goddess,” said Atemu, “Except for Osiris. He has not chosen another Priest since the death of his last. I could arrange a meeting with the remaining Priests and Priestesses if you wish. Is there one in particular you want to meet?”

Jou shook his head. “No. I was just wondering, about the Priest of Seth.”

“Priestess, actually,” said Atemu, “She is ill and will surely die soon.”

“Oh… well, it wasn’t important anyway. It’s probably better that my question for her goes unanswered.”

Seth raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps I would know the answer.”

“You know. Truthfully, I don’t even want to know the answer. I just wanted to ask her the question,” said Jou.

“Then ask me,” said Seth.

Jou looked at Seth with a glowing fire in his eyes. “What happens between the Priest of Osiris and the Priestess of Seth during the Trials of Ptah’s Children?”

Several people gasped, and Seto looked back and forth between Jou and Seth curiously.

“Don’t answer that if you know,” said Jou.

Seth nodded.

Dinner proceeded without another word being uttered. The Priests and Priestesses did not speak out of shock that the strange foreigner even knew about the Trials. Atemu didn’t speak because he sensed the restlessness that had befallen his Divine Followers. Jou remained silent because his mouth had much better things to do, and Seto didn’t speak because he could care less about talking.

- - Modern Day - -

A raven-haired pre-teen climbed from the shower and got dressed to go to his dinner with his big brother. He stopped trying to fix his tie when the phone rang, and he ran over to grab the receiver. “Moshi, moshi! Kaiba Mokuba speaking!”

Yugi’s frantic voice sounded through the phone, along with a slight crackling, which indicated he’s probably on Anzu’s mobile phone. <<Mokuba! It’s Yugi! Something’s happened to Kaiba and Jou!>>

“Oh, great! They got into another fight, and now Seto has a black eye. Right?” asked Mokuba with a sigh, “Will those two ever learn?”

<<I’m afraid it’s more serious than that, Mokuba!>> exclaimed Yugi, <<They were dueling, and… and…>>

“And what? Jou won?” asked Mokuba with wider than normal smoky-blue eyes.

<<No! You don’t understand! They’re gone! The portal from Time Wizard’s special effect sucked them in! We’ve searched everywhere! We can’t find them!>> exclaimed Yugi quickly.

“What? They’re gone?” asked Mokuba falling onto his bed in shock, “But… but… but they can’t be gone! Where are you? I’m coming to you!”

<<We’re at the school!>>

“Stay there! I’m coming over in the limo!” exclaimed Mokuba pulling off his tie and throwing it across the room, “Stay there!” He dropped the phone back down onto the cradle and ran out of his bedroom yelling for the limo driver as he ran. He slipped his shoes on before heading out to the limo with the driver and starting towards Seto’s school. During the ride, he made a few discrete calls to some of his more reputable, disreputable connections.

The limo pulled up in front of a group of hysterical high school students.

Mokuba jumped out of the limo and rushed to the shortest of the students. “Yugi! Yugi! What happened?”

“Jou challenged your brother to a duel where they switched decks,” explained Ryou, “Then Kaiba used Time Wizard, and the portal opened. It sucked them both in!”

“We’ve looked for them everywhere,” said Yugi.

“What are we going to do?” asked Mokuba.

“Get something to eat and continue searching in the morning,” said Anzu, “It’s almost sunset, and we won’t be able to find them after dark.”

Mokuba narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like this!”

“It’s all we can do!” exclaimed Honda, “Sorry, Mokuba!”

Mokuba sighed.

“Are you going to be alone at home?” asked Yugi.

Mokuba nodded. “Everybody leaves at six.”

“Come on. We’ll go back with you so you won’t be alone,” said Yugi ushering everyone into the limo, “We’ll figure everything out in the morning.”

Mokuba wrapped his arms around himself as panic worked its way into his body.

- - 3000 years ago - -

Seth escorted Jou and Seto back to their rooms. “Jou… I’m sorry, but I have to know. How do you know about the Trials of Ptah’s Children?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know anything about it,” said Jou, “It’s just something I’ve heard that the Priests/Priestesses of Seth and Osiris go through as sort of an initiation into Priesthood.”

“So you don’t know what they undergo?” asked Seth.

“I don’t want to. All I know is that it is required for the two, they are usually of opposite sex, but not always, and that it is very painful for them,” said Jou, “The Trials are still done in our time, although there are not nearly as many people who are Divine Followers of Ptah’s Children.”

“Who are Ptah’s Children?” asked Seto.

“Ptah is the creator. All other Gods and Goddesses are considered his children,” said Jou.

Seto nodded.

Jou stopped at the door to his room. “Good night, Seth, Seto. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sleep well,” said Seth smiling at Jou as he headed into the room.

Jou’s door closed quietly.

“What does he mean to you?” asked Seth quietly.

“Jou? He’s nothing more than a pathetic mutt,” said Seto moving to the door to his room, “Why? Why do my non-existent feelings for him mean anything to you? What is your motive?”

“Because… you might be blind to his allure, but I most certainly am not,” hissed Seth in a dangerous tone before walking away.

Seto walked into his room and closed the door. He shed his clothing and climbed into the bath already prepared for him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jou ate some of the fruit from his room that had been replenished sometime in the night as he slept, and after dressing in his newly washed school uniform, he followed his guard patrol down to his newest assignment in the kitchen. He smiled at the slaves and servants who rushed about to do their jobs. “What can I help with?”

A muscular male servant pushed Jou towards a basin of water and the large pile of dishes beside it. “Wash.”

“Okay!” exclaimed Jou rolling up his sleeves and starting to work. He washed the dishes and rinsed them before passing them to a dark-skinned slave who dried them and rushed off with them to put away presumably. After what seemed like hours of cleaning, he finally finished, only to be shoved towards a fire with an animal of some sort cooking on a spit.

The male servant who apparently was the supervisor showed Jou the crank to turn the meat.

“Oh, I get it!” exclaimed Jou grabbing the crank handle and turning it so the meat turn over onto its other side and then back again so all sides would get cooked evenly. “I’ve been turned into a rotisserie oven.”

A few slaves looked at Jou curiously, but none dared speak to him.

Jou stood by the fire, turning the crank so the meat rotated in the flames. He got hotter by the minute and wished he wasn’t wearing his jacket… or his shirt… or his pants. He began to feel faint, and he stepped back away from the fire, only to come in contact with a body he didn’t realize was there. He stumbled towards the fire in his shock and knocked the spit over so the meat fell into the flames, along with his arm. “Shit!”

Someone screamed. Someone female.

Jou pulled his arm from the fire and tried to pat the flames on his jacket out on his pants, which caught fire just as quickly as his jacket. He fell to the floor and rolled around to douse himself while the flames from the ruined dinner grew to char the kitchen.

A slave dumped some of the dishwater over Jou to stop his flailing and put out his fire.

The supervisor shoved Jou out of the kitchen and barked orders to the others who remained to try to save what they could and prevent the small fire from turning into a raging inferno.

Jou’s guards, who had been waiting patiently for him just outside the kitchen doors, took one look at his burnt and now tattered clothing and ushered him down the halls to Namu’s room.

Namu sighed when he looked at Jou. “You are just so troublesome, aren’t you? How did this happen?”

“Well…”

“Not yet!” exclaimed Namu looking at the guards, “Will you please go to Pharaoh Atemu and tell him what has happened? And ask him how he wishes I dress our visitor since his clothing is now inappropriate.”

The guards nodded and left to do Namu’s bidding.

“Now! Out of that clothing this instant, and then you can explain to me what happened!” ordered Namu giving Jou that angelic smile once more.

“Before I do anything, I have to know… Did you love Jono?” asked Jou.

“I did, but I was resigned to the fact he didn’t love me,” said Namu losing his smile, “Don’t worry. I will not try to have with you what I was unable to have with him.”

Jou blushed as he stripped off his uniform and stood in just his underwear.

“Strange clothing,” said Namu waving towards his bed and moving to gather his healing herbs and a poultice.

Jou lay on the bed and closed his eyes so he didn’t have to watch Namu touching and healing him. He didn’t realize the calming effect Namu’s hands on him until he woke up some time later and looked around the room groggily. “Where’m I?”

“Oh, you’ve woken,” said Namu, “I was thinking you would sleep all day. I didn’t mean to make you fall asleep while I was healing you. How do you feel?”

“Hungry…”

Namu giggled. “Well, that’s to be expected. You missed lunch, and it’s almost time for dinner.”

Jou sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.

“Up, up, up! We need to get you clothed before you can go to dinner!” exclaimed Namu.

“In what?” asked Jou standing up.

“Atemu came to speak to me while you were sleeping. He thinks that since you look like Jono, no one would really object to you wearing…”

“He’s going to dress me up as the Priest of Osiris?” asked Jou quickly, “He can’t! I mean, seriously, he can’t! I’m not a Priest! I’m not worthy!”

“He is Pharaoh. He can do whatever he wants,” said Namu, “and you have to obey. There will be no markings upon you to identify you as a Priest of Osiris, so it’s okay.” He quickly helped Jou into the simple sandy colored clothing.

“Well… this isn’t so bad,” said Jou looking at the ‘dress’ he saw himself in, “I was expecting something grander, with those gold chokers and crap the other Priests are in.”

“Maybe later, but he wasn’t sure about your clothing,” said Namu, “Now come on. We’ll go join the others for dinner.”

Jou’s eyes lit up and he smiled. He followed Namu to the room where he had eaten the night before only to find everyone already seated, but the four Priests who didn’t look familiar to him were no where to be seen. He ignored that fact and the stares of everyone as they looked over his lean frame as he sat down alongside Namu to enjoy his dinner.

After several intense moments of everyone staring at him, Jou sighed. He looked around at each person, starting with the healer beside him and ending with the Pharaoh at the head of the table. “What’s up? Why are you all staring at me?”

“You look even more like him in that attire,” said Seth simply turning his eyes to his plate and trying to ignore Jou.

Jou looked at his clothing. “But I’m not dressed as a Priest…”

“Even so, in our clothing, you look that much more like him,” said Mai.

“And Jono wasn’t always a Priest,” said Otogi, “I remember when we were younger, he would always be wearing just the simplest of clothing. Like you are now.”

“Oh… well, can you all stop staring at me?” asked Jou sheepishly. He blushed and stuck a piece of hot meat into his mouth.

“I don’t know about that,” said Seth with a smirk as he looked towards Jou again, “but if it would make you feel better, we’ll certainly try.”

“Thank you.” Jou blushed even more under the scrutiny of Seth’s eye and he put more food into his mouth to shut himself up.

“So… since the mutt caused a fire in the kitchen, what will he be doing now?” asked Seto. His voice held no signs of interest.

“I think we’ll hand him over to the two devils,” said Atemu with a smirk, “I’m sure they won’t hurt him much.”

Jou’s eyes widened.

“They’re only children,” said Isis when she saw Jou’s look of fear.

“I’m going to be a nanny?”

Atemu laughed. “I doubt you’ll mind! They are wonderful children, when they aren’t being mischievous…”

“How is the library coming along, Seto?” asked Seth.

“Quite well… despite the enormity of the spectacle, we should have the library completely organized by the end of the week,” said Seto.

“So fast?” asked Otogi, “You can’t be serious! I’ve seen that mess!”

“Not recently you haven’t,” said Seto, “You haven’t been in there since I arrived, and we are working day and night to complete this task.”

“Day and night?” asked Isis, “That’s inhumane!”

“That’s Seto!” exclaimed Jou with a sigh.

Seto glared at Jou. “The library workers are working in shifts. I’m not so cruel as to force them to work all day and night, but the room itself isn’t large enough for us all to be working at the same time. We were tripping all over each other the first day until I worked out the new schedule.”

“Impressive,” said Atemu smiling at Seto, “I’m glad that at least one of you is finding success in your pursuit.”

Jou blushed intensely as if the words were meant as a stab at him.

Silence reigned as everyone ate their meal at a relaxing pace.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Seto glared at the slave who dared to have a hand on his precious white trench coat. “This coat is not going anywhere, now let go of it.”

“But it needs to be properly cleaned. Your clothing has not been washed once in your stay here,” said the slave, “and clothing has been provided for you to wear while it is washed.”

“No.”

“Haven’t you noticed how hot you’ve been getting while you work?” asked the slave.

“Go away!” exclaimed Seto pulling his coat from the slave’s hands and pulling it on, “I have work to do!” He walked out of his room and headed for the library. He barked a few orders to the other workers and got to work himself, but before the sun even reached its apex in the sky, he wished he had listened to the slave and allowed his clothes to be cleaned in favor of wearing something cooler. With a sigh, he told everyone to continue working, and he headed back to his room muttering curse words the entire way. He closed his door, and immediately pulled off his trench coat. He folded it gently and placed it on the trunk at the foot of his bed.

Seto’s eyes scanned the room and saw the clothing and accessories left for him by the slave. He shed himself of all his clothes and gave his body a light rinsing with the cool water in the drinking basin. Feeling much cooler and collected, he grabbed up the Egyptian cloth and affixed it to his muscular form. He even put on the simple gold jewelry that identified him as one of the lesser nobility.

Feeling much cooler now, Seto hid his trench coat so that if someone came into his room to collect his clothing they couldn’t find and ruin his favorite coat. He made sure all his belongings, which he managed to bring with him, were secure in the trunk, and he grabbed a piece of fruit to eat on his way out to the library again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - Enter Dreamscape - -
- - Jou’s Fancy - -
The golden jewelry he wore shone in the moonlight as he stepped up to me. He looked downright beautiful dressed in the sapphire and ruby accented clothing of a Priest in the Egyptian Order, but I could see that he bore no markings of which deity he followed. “Would you like to dance?”

He’s beautiful. How could I resist the pull of his arms? “I might dance with you.”

He slowly pulled me into his arms and he held me so tight.

I looked into his cerulean eyes, but I couldn’t tell who he was. “Are you Seth or Seto?”

“Right now, it doesn’t matter which one I am. All that matters is we’re here, together, dancing in each other’s arms,” he said.

I nodded. “You’re right.”

We danced until I no longer felt the floor beneath my feet.

“Would you be upset if I wanted to walk you home?”

“No. You can walk me back.”

We headed out of… of wherever we were… and the stars shone brightly overhead adding to the moonlight that streamed down to highlight us.

Just as we reached the door to my room, he turned to me, pulled me up against his body and kissed me slow and gentle.

I slipped into my room only to step out onto the balcony and find him there. I stepped up to him and ran my hand through his brown hair. I whispered, “I love you.”

He smiled and said, “I love you too.”

I blushed at his words as he leaned forward and kissed me again. I’d never been kissed like this before. I wanted to be kissed this way forever.

“Stay with me. Stay your life with me,” he whispered into my ear, and then he kissed me.
- - Exit Dreamscape - -

Jou woke up with a start. His heart pounded from his dream. He got up and dressed quickly, trying to keep his mind off the dream and off of the pleasurable tingle that raced up his spine at the thought of that kiss. He never thought of himself as gay before. He’d always been really into girls and a couple of women, but the older he got, the more he came to realize that there was a lot a man could do for him as well.

Jou followed his guards to the room where he’d been told the children studied. He hesitated for just a moment before entering with a cheerful smile on his face, but in the light of his most recent disasters working within the palace, he’s quite sure that this task would be the death of him.

A short boy who looked to be about twelve years old sat at a table in the center of the room along with a girl of similar age. His long raven black hair fell down the center of his back tied by a simple piece of string into a ponytail.

But Jou paid little attention to the boy after catching a glimpse of the girl beside him.

The girl had cinnamon brown hair braided down almost to her waist, but a few locks framed her face, tilted barely so Jou saw her amber eyes.

Jou swallowed the lump in his throat. “Shiki?”

The two children looked towards Jou. Amber and cerulean eyes widened. “Jono?”

“Oh… shit!” exclaimed Jou spinning on his heels and racing from the room. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He ran as fast as possible down the hallways with his guards racing to try to keep up. He burst through the doorway into the library. “Seto! Seto!”

Seto looked up from the scroll he perused. He saw the panic in Jou’s eyes and stood up. “What is it, pup?”

“You’ve got to come with me!” exclaimed Jou grabbing Seto’s hand and pulling him towards the door.

“And just where the hell are we going?” asked Seto.

“Come on! I found… I found… Shit! I don’t know what I found! That’s why I need you to come with me and see it!” exclaimed Jou panicking.

“What is going on, Jou?” asked Seto as they exited into the hallway with all the guards.

“He just saw the two children he’ll be watching, and he bolted,” said one of the guards.

“Who are these children?” asked Seto crumpling his eyebrows as Jou drug him down the hall.

“High Priest Seth’s younger brother and Priest Jono’s younger sister,” said one of Seto’s guards.

Seto’s eyes widened at those words, and he ran down the hallway with Jou.

Seto and Jou burst through the doorway again only to find the black haired boy clutching the brown haired girl as she cried on his shoulder.

“You wretched ghost! Leave us alone! Haven’t you caused enough pain already?” exclaimed the boy glaring at Jou with an expression that would rival Seto’s on his best day.

Jou shivered under the glare.

“Seth! Get him away from us!” cried the boy.

Seto looked at the boy in shock. “You look like… you look like… Mokuba?”

One of Seto’s guards slipped away.

Jou knelt beside the girl and quickly pulled both her and the boy into his arms.

After a moment where the boy fought against Jou and the girl sobbed uncontrollably, Seth and Atemu entered the room with Seto’s guard who had left moments before.

“Mokuto!” exclaimed Seth grabbing his little brother’s arm and pulling him away from Jou and the girl.

The boy looked at Seto and Seth in confusion and ripped his arm away from Seth. He stepped backwards in shock and stared in wide-eyed disbelief. As Seth’s younger brother, Mokuto saw many strange and unusual things in his life, however seeing his brother with a twin that was never born was never one of them.

“Shizuru, come here,” said Atemu kneeling.

The crying girl, Shizuru, ran into Atemu’s open arms when Jou let her go. She cried into Atemu’s chest.

“I’m very sorry, Shizuru,” said Atemu stroking the back of her head gently, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking properly when I suggested Jou come here. Can you calm down? I would like to talk to you.”

Shizuru took a deep breath and calmed herself using the scent of the Pharaoh’s intoxicating aroma. She wiped her eyes on the hem of the skirt she wore. “Tell me you see the ghost, Pharaoh. Tell me you’ll make him go away.”

“I see what you see, Shizuru, but I don’t see a ghost,” said Atemu, “He’s real.”

Shizuru looked at Jou with wide amber eyes. “How… Jono died! You told me he died!”

“Jono is dead,” said Atemu, “This young man isn’t your brother. I know that he looks like Jono, but this is actually Jou. He holds your brother’s spirit within him, but he is a different person.”

“My brother’s been… how could his spirit have been incarnated into a body that’s already come of age?” asked Shizuru shivering in fear and burying her face in Atemu’s chest.

“Have you ever seen your brother use the Time Wizard?” asked Jou.

Shizuru stiffened at the sound of her brother’s voice coming from this stranger, but she still nodded her head.

“I’m from another time,” said Jou.

Shizuru looked at Jou. “And you really hold Jono’s spirit?”

Jou nodded. A few tears escaped from his eyes. Funny how he didn’t even feel them forming. “Just as my little sister there… Shizuka… holds yours. Your name is Shizuru?”

Shizuru nodded. “Yes. Shizuru of the House of Osiris. With my brother gone, I will now begin my training to succeed him as the Priestess of Osiris.”

Jou smiled. “Training can’t be that difficult. You’ll do fine. I can help you in your studies. I’m interested to know how one becomes a Divine Leader.”

Shizuru nodded and walked towards Jou, leaving the safety of Atemu’s arms.

“What the hell are you saying?” shouted Mokuto stepping in front of Shizuru so she couldn’t reach Jou, “Cousin! You can’t seriously believe this cockamamie story this… this… this treacherous imposter has come up with!”

“Mokuto,” said Seth, “This story is the truth. Jou and Seto have come from another time to share a few passages with us. Seto possesses my spirit. He is what I will become.”

Mokuto took a deep breath and glared at Seto. He turned to look at Seth. “Okay… explain this to me, big brother. How can two people with the same soul be in the same time period at the same time? It is understandable Time Wizard would have been able to bring Jono’s soul back, but how was it able to bring yours back as well?”

“I don’t know,” said Seth, “Time Wizard has some abilities even Jono didn’t know about.”

“Time Wizard didn’t bring me back here. Jou did,” said Seto, “I was never supposed to come back, but I got caught up in the crossfire, and here I am.”

“So… I have two older brothers now?” asked Mokuto giving Seth a confused expression.

Seth laughed. “In a manner of speaking.”

Mokuto sighed. He moved back over to the table and sat down. “Whatever. I have work to do!”

Shizuru finished her journey into Jou’s arms and hugged him tightly. She whispered to Jou, “I miss Jono.”

“I know how you feel,” whispered Jou, “I miss my sister Shizuka too.”

Shizuru cuddled into Jou’s embrace, remembering the feel of Jono’s arms when he would hug her during the nights when she cried in pain over their parents’ deaths. It’s easy for her to believe the arms were those of her brother, but the smell of this stranger was quite different. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of flowers she’d never seen before and the crispness of water so cold that it fell from the sky in little white flakes. She didn’t smell the heated sands or the oasis flowers that make up the unique scent of her brother, but since Jou wasn’t her brother, it eased her heart for her not to smell the sun upon him.

“Are you all right now, Shizuru?” asked Atemu.

“Yes, Pharaoh,” said Shizuru turning in Jou’s arms so she looked into the concerned crimson eyes. “I believe I will be.”

“But… shouldn’t you be studying now?” asked Jou smiling. He pushed Shizuru towards the table where Mokuto sat plainly ignoring everyone around him.

Shizuru giggled as she sat down beside Mokuto to continue her studies.

Seth moved over to Jou and brushed a strand of the golden hair away from Jou’s ear.

Jou shivered and tensed at the touch, but he didn’t move away.

“I am sorry about my brother, Jou,” whispered Seth, “He just needs time to adjust to this situation. You have to admit all this is rather disturbing.”

Seto glared at Jou and Seth standing so close together.

Jou smiled at Seth. He whispered, “I know. It’s nothing personal. Now… could you please not touch me?”

Seth stepped back with a smirk on his face. He turned and headed out of the room.

“Now, Jou. They will do their studies on their own, but then you will have to find something for them to do in the afternoon,” said Atemu.

“Not a problem. We can play a game or something,” said Jou.

Atemu smiled. “Come, Seto. I will walk you to the library and you can show me what a wonderful job you and your team have done.”

Seto nodded and walked out of the room with Atemu.

Jou sat down and watched the two children work in silence.

“I don’t trust you,” said Mokuto breaking the silence.

“Would you like to tell me why?” asked Jou.

“Has Shada spoken to you?”

“He said I carry Jono’s spirit. I wouldn’t have believed it until he confirmed I was once Jono,” said Jou.

“Why are you here? Time Wizard does not act on his own,” said Mokuto.

“I think… I don’t know mind you, but I think…” Jou sighed and looked into Mokuto’s cerulean eyes. “I think Seth wanted me here.”

Mokuto’s eyes widened.

“What?” asked Shizuru spinning towards Jou.

Jou swallowed hard. He repeated, “I think Seth wanted me here.”

Shizuru’s laughter filled the room. “I told you, Mokuto! I told you our brothers were having a tryst!”

“Wow!” exclaimed Mokuto.

“What? You mean… Seth and Jono were… lovers?” asked Jou.

Shizuru blushed. “Jono confessed once to me. He only told me once, and he thought I was asleep when he did. He was in love with Seth!”

“And we truly believe Seth was in love with Jono as well,” added Mokuto, “So… yeah… we think they were lovers.”

Jou stood and moved over to Shizuru and Mokuto. He fidgeted with the bottom of the cloth hiding his body from general perusal. “Do you… do you think he might have brought me here to replace Jono?”

Shizuru and Mokuto looked at each other. They both smiled. “We could ask him!”

“I may carry Jono’s soul, but I’m not Jono. I don’t want him to think he can love me because he loved Jono,” said Jou, “I won’t be some replacement… someone that he settles for because he can’t have the real thing.”

“I don’t think Seth would do that,” said Mokuto, “but I am his brother. He will tell me anything. Don’t worry. I’ll find out what he intends for you!”

“Thank you,” said Jou, “but don’t put yourself out just to help me.”

Mokuto gave Jou a mischievous grin that made him look exactly like Kaiba Mokuba when plotting a trick to get Seto to stop working to spend time with him.

“We’ll handle everything, Jou!” exclaimed Shizuru with a roguish twinkle in her own eyes, “Would you go to the kitchen to get us some drinks?”

“Don’t get yourself into trouble while I’m gone,” said Jou. He slowly walked out of the room wondering exactly what the children needed to get rid of him for. He shook his head and figured he wouldn’t figure it out until too late anyway, so he headed towards the kitchen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Seth walked down the hallway guiding Jou towards the palace roof.

“Did Mokuto happen to talk to you today?” asked Jou nervously, “He was… a bit upset still when I left him.”

“No. I have not spoken to him since I introduced you to him,” said Seth.

“Oh… good. Maybe he’s not so upset anymore then,” said Jou with a sigh, “Where are we going again?”

“You said you wanted to see more of Egypt than just the palace. We will start by showing you the town from a safe distance,” said Seth reaching for Jou’s hand.

Jou tried to pull his hand away from Seth’s, but when Seth’s hand tightened around his, he relinquished his need for space and allowed Seth to hold his hand.

Seth smiled at the small victory and guided Jou up a staircase and out onto a rooftop balcony.

Jou looked around and saw all the buildings beyond the palace walls. He smiled happily. “Wow. This is amazing! It’s so beautiful!”

“Yes it is.” Seth’s eyes never left Jou’s face.

“Do you think I could go out into the city?”

“Perhaps, but I would prefer if you didn’t,” said Seth, “Jono died out there. I do not wish to lose you as well.”

“You have to have me before you can lose me.”

“Tell me about where you are from, Jou. Is there someone waiting for you?”

“My sister, Shizuka… my best friends, Yugi and Honda. Anzu, Mai, and Ryou.”

“What of a lover? A girlfriend? A boyfriend perhaps?”

“No lover. I got close with Mai, but we just didn’t have those feelings for each other.” Jou smiled at the memory. “What about you? Do you have a lover somewhere waiting for you?”

“No. I have never had a lover, not someone who would share my bed and my heart. The one who owned my heart was never willing to share my bed,” said Seth.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

Jou turned to look at Seth.

Seth stepped closer to Jou and wrapped his arm around the slim waist.

“What did I tell you about touching me?” asked Jou nervously.

“I know you told me that you didn’t want me to, but sometimes a person must go against what they’ve been told to do what is right,” said Seth, “And never has something felt more right to me than this.”

Jou blushed.

“Tell me to stop. Tell me you haven’t wondered at the feel of my touch upon your body, my caress upon your lips. Tell me you don’t think about me as you lie in your bed at night. Tell me you hate me, and I will stop,” said Seth running one hand lightly up Jou’s arm as his other arm wound around the waist to keep Jou close. The hand connected to that arm rested against the delicate hip.

“I can’t,” whispered Jou quietly, “I have wondered. I have thought about you. I don’t want to, but I do.”

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are? Not just in body, but also from within? I can sense your Ka. It is quite the exotic sight, but it is very beautiful.”

“No one’s ever said that to me.” Jou looked at the stone floor beneath their feet as his blush turned bright red.

Seth’s hand traveled up Jou’s arm to his neck and finally tilted Jou’s face up towards his own. He looked into the honey-brown eyes and smiled. “Such fire. Such passion. Such uncontrolled power. Such unbridled strength.”

Jou slowly moved one hand up to touch Seth’s cheek. “You don’t look all too bad yourself, Seth. I would imagine there should be more than a few people willing to share your heart and bed.”

“Never the ones I want it seems, but perhaps my luck is about to change.”

Jou’s eyes widened as Seth leaned towards him while licking his lips.

Seth pulled Jou closer so their bodies pressed against each other and their lips rested only mere inches apart.

Thoughts ran rampant through Jou’s mind, but mostly just one thought stuck out as if someone screamed it straight into his heart. ‘He’s going to kiss me! Seth’s going to kiss me!’

Seth tilted his head and lowered his mouth closer to Jou’s.
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I Almost Had You