Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

The Mythology Set	By : ReizOokami Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 35565 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters and I make no money from the writing or posting of this story.

Chapter List
- 57
- 58
- 59
Author's Note: This is so AU, I don't even…

I started this with only the basic premise. This is not fleshed out the way I wanted. But it's still pretty good, I think, so take it with a grain of salt.

And somehow I've cemented Seto's fetish for Joey's accent in my mind forever.

Rainbow Butterflies

"Seth?"

Seto closed his eyes and sighed, then lifted his hand and rubbed them tiredly. "She's gone, mutt. There's no need to call me that any longer."

Joey flinched a little. Kisara had been dead for several months already, but this was the first time Seto had admitted it out loud. Joey had never met her, but the priest had been smitten with her.

He hadn't been allowed to serve him while she'd been alive; slavery upset her, apparently, and Seto had just loved her so much that he'd sent away the ones that weren't necessary for the running of his household to stay with his cousin. It had hurt, knowing that the priest thought he was unnecessary. It had almost been enough to make him stay with the Pharaoh.

But he hadn't, because Seto had been distraught, and Joey had always been a glutton for pain. He still remembered the day Seto had come home from the market, had ordered the servants to call him Seth, and then he'd been sent away with dozens of other slaves as his new mistress had moved in.

Seto had seemed really happy. Joey almost wished he could have met her.

Joey bit his bottom lip, then smiled, moving closer to the bed. "I could make butterflies!"

Seto rolled his eyes irritably. "No, Joey."

"…Oh." The blond frowned. "…Flowers?"

"No. Whatever it is you wanted to tell me, mutt, just say it and get out."

Joey flinched, shoulders hunching up at the brisk dismissal. "…Oh. …Your cousin's here, Master," he murmured, ducking his head.

Seto sat up quickly. "And you wanted to show me butterflies and flowers?! I've put off my cousin so long that making him wait is unacceptable, and you want to show me butterflies and flowers!?"

The blond cringed, trying to make himself even smaller. "'m sorry, Master." He hesitated, then turned, shouldering off his tunic as he bent down to offer his back for a beating.

The priest was torn between wanting to hit the younger boy and wanting to hit himself. He knew Joey had been trained to present himself for punishment by the slaver he'd bought him from, but he'd hoped he'd eventually grow out of it, especially while he was with his cousin. Apparently, that had not been the case, and he worried about what Atem would think of him if Joey had done that in front of him. He didn't beat his slaves unless they did something completely unforgiveable to a guest, and even then, he never beat them like the slavers had.

Seto gripped his hands into his fists as he stood, and he saw Joey flinch. He'd have to get used to the gypsy again; his way of life had differed vastly from his own, even before he was a slave. He had quirks he couldn't grow out of and now he had to get used to serving him again after serving at the palace.

Joey flinched as he felt the brunet's hand on his shoulder, biting his bottom lip. "Nh!"

"Joey, put your clothes back on," Seto sighed, ruffling his hair. "And draw a bath."

The blond stood up straight. "With sandalwood-?"

"Whatever you want, Joey."

"…Alright…" Joey watched him trudge out, frowning, and looked down at his feet.

Seto always looked so tired now. He'd truly loved Kisara and had tried to nurse her through her illness. And then she'd succumbed. Even the Pharaoh had mourned her passing. She must have been a wonderful person.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands as he walked into his bath quarters. His cousin had alternated scolding him and trying to comfort him. It was exhausting; it had felt a lot like pity and he'd had to bite his tongue several times to keep from snarling. Even if the Pharaoh was his cousin, that would be unacceptable.

He paused as he smelled sandalwood and roses, unable to help a smile when he remembered the magic gypsies could weave with scents alone. He could already feel himself relaxing, and he wasn't even in the water yet.

Seto opened his eyes, letting his hands fall to sides as he looked down at the water. "You never cease to amaze me, Joey."

Joey smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "D—" He flinched in hesitation, then tried again. "Do you need me to wash your back, Master?"

The brunet reached out to cup his cheek. "Not today." He tilted his head a little. "What happened to your accent?"

"…I don't know," the younger boy replied quietly, frowning. "I guess it left."

Seto snorted, but he didn't explain that accents didn't just simply leave. "Well, that's a shame. I liked listening to it."

The blond looked up at him sadly, then smiled the same half-smile he had before. "Would you like me to turn down your sheets, Master?"

The priest paused, frowning a little. "You can call me Seto, you know."

Joey bit his bottom lip, then ducked his head, knocking the brunet's hand from his cheek. "Alright."

Seto waited a moment for the actual use of his name, but it soon became clear to him that it wasn't coming. He frowned and cupped his cheeks gently, tilting the gypsy's head back up so he could meet his eyes. "Why aren't you using my name? Certainly your time at the palace couldn't have trained you out of that—"

His breath hitched when he saw the tears filling the blond's eyes, his own widening when he saw the way his teeth were digging into his lip to defiantly keep any of them from falling. "Joey—"

"I have other duties to attend to," Joey stated, voice surprisingly firm. "Please enjoy your bath."

Seto blinked as the younger boy ducked his head and walked past him, then turned to watch him go, brows furrowing together in confusion as the doors shut behind him. "…I must have underestimated how much the palace would change him," he mused, then sighed and began shedding his clothes. It had been months since he'd had a bath drawn by the gypsy and he was going to enjoy it to the fullest extent.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sighed, brows furrowing together with annoyance when he heard the clinking of dishes. "I am only going to say this one more time, mutt. I am uninterested in eating. If I'm hungry, I will tell you. This is a flagrant waste of food and such disregard for my previous orders is beginning to irk me."

Joey's fingers stilled in making the bouquet more presentable as he listened to the brunet speak. Once he was finished, however, he continued as if he hadn't heard him. Even if Seto always told him not to, he still ate it whenever he brought it. He was skipping too many meals as it was, so any food he could get into him, the better.

"I've brought some figs. I know you like those."

"I'm not hungry."

"—And some wine, too. I know you prefer it for lunch, but I really think you'd like—"

"I am not hungry, mutt."

"…It'll go well with the—"

"I AM NOT HUNGRY!" Seto snarled, sitting up and smacking the tray with the back of his hand so it fell to the ground.

Joey hurriedly caught the clay vase, but the dishes of food shattered at his feet as the brass chalice clattered noisily and splattered wine across his clothes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out with a long sigh and opened them again, placing the vase back on the table. "Alright."

The priest frowned as he watched the gypsy kneel and pick up the tray so he could scoop the broken crockery onto it, feeling guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach. The blond had only been doing his duty and making sure he stayed healthy. He knew he should eat more, he just… didn't want to. And he'd given Joey permission to ignore his orders if he saw that he was blatantly ignoring his own needs.

Seto frowned as he saw the blond's hand stiffen for a moment and reached down to grab his wrist. He sighed when he saw the thin line of blood along the side of his index finger and pulled his hand closer. "You should be more careful."

Joey flinched as the brunet drew his hand to his mouth so he could suck on his finger to clean it and yanked his hand back quickly, his fingers slipping from the priest's swiftly while he was surprised. He began stacking the broken crockery and ruined food faster, not caring that he was cutting his hands up more.

There was still a little more food on the floor, and there was a puddle of wine, and he knew there were still a bunch of small shards left to be picked up, but as the priest stood, he grabbed the tray and got up as well, scurrying for the door.

Seto scowled and caught his arm, dragging him back. "Come here."

Yelping as he was forced to drop the tray again, he flinched as he slammed up against the brunet's hard chest. "Ah!"

"Just what do you think you're doing?" the priest snapped, glaring at him. "You don't call me by name anymore, you've taken great care to speak without your accent, and now you won't let me take care of you when you're injured? I don't know what happened to make you so disagreeable, but I am still your master and you will act like it!"

Joey flinched, biting his bottom lip as the brunet gripped his wrist so tightly that he felt tears forming in his eyes in pain. "Ouch-!"

Seto grabbed his shoulders and shook him firmly, but not so much that he'd hurt him further. "Tell me what's wrong!"

The gypsy sobbed. "You told me I was precious to you and then you sent me away!"

"I… what?" The older man frowned. "…What are you…?"

"You told me I was precious to you and that you needed me!" Joey exclaimed, looking up at him. "You said that I was irreplaceable and the greatest boon you'd ever received! And then you sent me away!" He sobbed and reached up to grab the brunet's wrists. "You sent me away like I was nothing. I was so ashamed, trying to figure out what had changed that you didn't think I was necessary anymore. You kept others you didn't even know but you sent me away just to keep Kisara happy. That wasn't fair!"

"Don't pretend to know why I made that decision!" Seto snapped, glaring at him. "You didn't have any idea of what was going on at the time! I am your master and I know more than you could ever hope to! Don't presume that you could ever understand!"

Joey bit his bottom lip again, taking in a deep breath. He seemed like he was going to say something, but then he jerked to the side, ripping himself from the brunet's grip and running from the room as if the gods themselves were chasing him.

Seto looked down at the blood on his wrists from the gypsy's hands and knew immediately that he'd said every wrong thing that could have been said. He hadn't wanted that—had never wanted that. Joey had been exactly that—a treasure—and it had killed him to send him away, but Kisara was so uncomfortable ordering people around that he'd sent the personal slaves away, leaving no one but the ones that kept his rooms, cooked, and saw to his stables.

It wasn't that Joey was wrong. It was just his reasoning that was.

And he'd made the gypsy think that he was unnecessary. He'd never wanted that, but looking back, that was really the only conclusion he'd left him to draw.

.-.-.-.-.-.

When Seto finally found him again, it was in the courtyard with a large piece of papyrus and a piece of charcoal, three days later. He peeked over the blond's shoulder to see what he was writing before he made himself known, to see if he could figure out what the younger boy had been doing the whole time. He rolled his eyes when he saw the strange squiggles and lines that the gypsy people used in their writings. He shouldn't have expected anything different.

Circling the blond carefully, he sat down beside him on the marble bench. "…Joey."

"AGH!" Joey jumped, lurching backward and falling off of the bench as he threw the scroll up in surprise.

Seto couldn't help but catch it, even as he had the fleeting thought that he really should have caught the blond instead. Paper didn't bruise. Flesh did. And Joey was already mad at him.

Joey leapt up as soon as he hit the ground, sitting down on the bench again with a baffled expression as he turned to see who his visitor was. He immediately blanched and jumped out of his seat, about to turn and bow in greeting.

The priest rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of his toga to drag him back onto the bench. "Sit down, Joey."

"GAH!"

He rolled the papyrus into a scroll and pressed it into his hands. "What are you writing?"

The gypsy blushed and hugged the scroll to his chest. "…It's just something I remember my parents mentioning. I wanted to get it all down."

"I see."

The two sat there for several minutes, just silent. Joey didn't know what to say and Seto knew but didn't know how to say it. Finally, though, the blond stood again. "I have to go help with the—"

"Please stay."

The blond turned to look at him, frowning, but sat down obediently. "Alright."

Seto sighed and looked up at the sky, brows furrowing together in frustration as he tried to figure out what to say. He knew the younger boy was getting impatient, though, and even though he knew not to question his master, he could almost feel the tension coming from him in waves. "…Joey, I'm sorry."

Joey blinked slowly as he looked up at him, lips still curved into a frown. He didn't know what the priest was apologizing for exactly, but he knew he wasn't going to explain himself, so he was just going to guess. "You're my master. You had every right to scold me—"

The brunet sighed again. "No."

"…That's not the first tray you've knocked to the ground—"

"No."

"…You just wanted to make Kisara happy, so you had every right to send me—"

"No."

Joey's frown deepened. "…Oh. Okay."

"…Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you can't stand it when they're gone?" Seto asked after a few moments, turning his gaze on the fountain.

He missed the way the blond smiled at him, eyes gleaming with affection. "Of course."

"…I didn't know I could love someone so truly and deeply until I met Kisara."

"It's scary, isn't it?"

The priest looked down at him, smiling a little when he saw the love in the blond's eyes. He hoped to meet the person that made him so happy one day. "I was terrified. But I couldn't stay away."

Joey smiled thinly. "Yes, I know that feeling, too."

Seto sighed and looked back at the fountain, imagining that she was there again, sitting on the edge of it and laughing as the water misted her as it fell, the light making rainbows shine around her. "I miss her. It hurts to think of her, but I can't bring myself to stop."

"The ache will fade, but it never goes away," the gypsy stated quietly, turning his gaze on the fountain as well. "If you just let it hurt, it will get better on its own. You'll realize that you still love her and miss her, but that you'll also be okay in the end, especially because she'll be waiting for you."

The priest took a few minutes to digest what he'd said, then quietly asked, "Is your love gone, too, Joey?"

"…Yes, and no," the blond replied, then set the scroll down on the bench. He stood and dusted himself off. "My love is very far away. I can never get them back. All I can do is hope they will be happy on their own, because I can't have them."

"…I could arrange something for the two of you. A marriage, perhaps," Seto began, but then the gypsy looked at him with eyes full of love, sadness, and acceptance. "She won't have you?"

"They never really wanted me. And even if you could arrange a marriage between me and the person that doesn't love me, it would be improper, a slave marrying someone so high of rank." Joey smiled a sad, small smile, then walked over to the fountain.

Seto leaned forward a little, watching as the gypsy dipped his hand below the water and then scooped it up, throwing it into the air. It shimmered in the light as the fluid quickly separated into smaller amounts, the pieces of water slowly taking on shape, flooding into thin wings, delicate bodies, the tiniest, spindliest legs.

He watched the butterflies begin to flutter around as if they were the real creatures, the light shining through them causing miniature rainbows to shimmer on the ground. He couldn't help but laugh. Even if Kisara didn't like slavery, she would have appreciated Joey's delicate magic and why Seto insisted on keeping him. He held his breath unconsciously as the blond dipped his hands into the water again, watching as it sluiced out past him and began to approach the bench.

Long, strong stems formed from the shapeless mass and planted themselves firmly in the ground. The thick stalks propelled upward proudly, a thick knob at the top twisting about until a flower unfurled its petals. He wondered what color they'd be in real life, though he couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than the shimmers of vague color as light passed through it.

"Are these flowers from your home, Joey?" he asked, lifting his head. He blinked when he found the blond distracted with something on his face, then couldn't help a laugh—the first laugh he'd had in months, ever since Kisara had died. "I thought you controlled these yourself, gypsy!"

"Sometimes I remember when this happened when I was a kid with a real butterfly and it just happens!" Joey exclaimed grumpily, trying to wave the butterfly off of his face. "Get off my face, bug!"

"Kisara would have loved you, Joey!" the brunet exclaimed, before he bent over to continue laughing.

Joey blushed and turned his back toward him quickly, just so he couldn't see his face and how hot it burned at the thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You're still writing a lot."

"AGH."

Seto watched the blond leap over his table, crushing the charcoal in his hand as he somehow flipped and landed on his face. He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried that you always jump and hurt yourself when I disturb you?"

Joey laughed nervously and rolled his parchment into a scroll. "No, I just get carried away sometimes!"

"…You are certainly bizarre," the brunet mused, smiling a little. "Draw me a bath."

"I don't have anything to draw with anymore."

Seto tilted his head, eyebrows raised. "…Joey."

"What?!"

"Draw. Me. A. Bath." When the younger boy blinked at him, still too startled to comprehend, he added, "Perhaps with sandalwood?"

Joey stared at him a few moments longer, then yelped and scampered away in the direction of his bath chamber. "AGH!"

The priest chuckled, crossing his arms as he leaned against the table in amusement. He'd forgotten how endearing the gypsy slave was without even meaning to be; it was simply his personality that made him likeable.

His smile faded a little at that. He'd sent Joey away. He sincerely regretted that now.

Joey had become more comfortable around him again in the past few months, but he still wouldn't call him by name, and his accent never even made an appearance anymore. When he'd first come back, the blond would slip and mutter something with his accent, but now he spoke perfect Egyptian.

It was irksome. More than that—it was saddening.

Seto glanced down at the table and sighed, then blinked when he saw another scroll sitting beside a lit candle. Joey had probably been about to seal it. Grabbing the papyrus carefully, he unfurled it.

'"To Yugi?" Who is Yugi? Was he the one that taught him to write with hieroglyphs?' He'd tried to teach Joey in the past, but he'd never gotten past the basics. Seto rolled his eyes when he unfurled the paper further and found the rest of the writing in his gypsy scrawl. 'I guess Yugi is a gypsy, too. And Joey will never learn more than the basics.'

He rolled the scroll back up, tapping it against his open palm thoughtfully. Joey had been doing a lot of scribbling to himself lately in his spare time, so much so that he'd pass the library on a late-night stroll and find him passed out across the table. He was planning something.

A gypsy was a dangerous creature when it planned.

Seto blanched at the thought. Joey would certainly never scheme to hurt him. Would he? He had been terribly wounded when he'd sent him away, but then he'd come back and tried so hard to cheer him up that it just seemed impossible for him to try and hurt him all over again.

'You're thinking about this too much, Seto,' the priest told himself firmly, turning and walking toward his bath quarters. 'Joey won't do anything to hurt you; he's disgustingly loyal. Gypsies are just… bizarre, that's all. Joey especially so.'

His nose was soon assaulted by the scent of sandalwood and sage. He smiled as he walked into the room and sighed. "Is this part of your magic, too?"

"No, aromatherapy is a very old art and gypsies just happen to spend the first ten years of their lives learning it," Joey retorted, turning toward him. He paled a little when he saw the scroll still in the brunet's hand. "Uh."

"Smells good." Seto looked down at the scroll in his hand, surprised because he'd forgotten to put it back down, then turned to the blond and smiled. "Who's Yugi? Another gypsy? I don't remember acquiring another one."

"Uh. He… works at the palace," the younger boy explained softly. "The Pharaoh said I could contact him if I wanted to…"

"I see. I'll have this sent by courier then."

"Oh." Joey blinked up at him, surprised, then smiled bashfully. "Thank you."

Seto raised an eyebrow as the blond stood from his kneeling position and began toward the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

The gypsy blinked up at him, frowning. "…I was just… going to see to the washing…"

"Then who is going to wash my back?"

"…I… Oh. You haven't asked for help in such a long time, I thought—" Joey blushed a little and bit his bottom lip as the brunet began to strip.

The priest glanced up at him and waved his hand. "Joey, I don't expect you to get your clothes wet. You can bathe as well."

"…Uh." The blond blushed brightly and hurriedly began stripping off his own clothes, even as the older man walked past him and slid into the large marble pool. "Coming!"

Seto turned to watch the younger boy slip into the water as well, taking in the scars on his back as he turned to grab some towels. He wondered what the scars were from—some gypsy ritual gone wrong, or from being trained by the slavers he'd been bought from?

Joey turned to look up at him, smiling. "Would you like me to help you with the body oil afterward, too?"

"…Yes," the brunet replied slowly, reaching out to grab the younger boy's hips. He pulled him close and leaned his forehead against the blond's. "I am about to make an incredibly indecent proposal."

The gypsy blinked up at him slowly. "Um, alright."

"It's been several months since I've… been intimate with someone," Seto explained slowly. He paused, then continued, "You offered your physical services to me before I met Kisara, and the intercourse we had was excellent. Would you consider continuing with that arrangement?"

Joey blinked again. "You'd be okay with that? You're still hurting. I wouldn't want you to realize you didn't want it after we started, and—"

"I've been thinking about it for several days, Joey. I've considered all there is. It's just for the release, after all—I'm not going to forget Kisara, but I need something."

The younger boy frowned. "Oh. Well, if you're sure, I guess… Alright. Whatever you want." He bit his bottom lip. "Would you like me to wash your back now-?"

He mewed as the brunet dipped his head to kiss him and let his eyes drift closed, even though he could tell that the older boy was used to holding a woman just by the way he touched him. He dug his teeth into his bottom lip and whimpered. If Seto needed to pretend he was holding Kisara again, he'd give him that.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto blinked as he found a scroll with unfamiliar writing on it. "Hmm. I wonder—Oh." He raised an eyebrow when he saw the careful lettering of his gypsy slave's name on the wax seal. "Must be a response from Yugi."

He tapped the scroll gently, then rolled his eyes. Even if he opened it, he wouldn't be able to read it. Clearly, it would be written in the gypsy scrawl that had become familiar to him. He couldn't read it, but he recognized letters and words sometimes from when the blond had tried to teach him to read it and had gotten frustrated with himself and quit, muttering about how he was a bad teacher because he had no patience whatsoever.

Joey had put all of his papyrus notes on the walls of his small room, covered them completely with the starchy paper, and had scrawled even more across any empty space he could. Lines upon lines of disconnected sentences and words filled his room. He couldn't see any rhyme or reason for it, but when he peeked in on the younger boy, he was always standing in there, turning in slow circles as he looked at all he'd written.

Seto looked at the scroll and wondered vaguely where Joey would put it. Eventually, though, he shrugged, grabbing the rest of the scrolls he'd gotten in one arm and walking toward his library. He paused at the blond's room to peek in on him again.

Joey was standing at the wall opposite the door, smudging out some words and carefully scribbling more in their place. He stepped back to examine the sheet of papyrus again, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he hummed.

The priest cleared his throat. "Joey."

The blond yelped and whipped around quickly, flinging the piece of charcoal he was holding at him. "AGH."

Seto watched the charcoal bounce off his shoulder and watched it land on the floor, staring at it for a moment. He looked up at the blond again. "…I suppose that was better than falling down." He couldn't help a chuckle when he saw the black smudges on his face. "You got a reply from your friend."

Joey squeaked gleefully and rushed over to grab the scroll. "Yay!"

The brunet jerked it out of his reach. "You might want to wipe your hands first."

The gypsy wiped his hands impatiently on his toga and finally yanked the scroll from his hands, scampering over to the window so he could use the light from it to read.

Seto chuckled as he watched the blond break the wax seal, nearly bouncing with anticipation as he rolled it open. "I'll leave you to yourself again, then." He paused, glancing around at all of the paper hung in his room, then chuckled again. He was so endearing, and it almost seemed as if their roles had been traded as he added, "Don't forget to eat something."

"Yessssss."

The brunet rolled his eyes. He assumed it was good news.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey traced his fingers over a few letters, smearing them lightly. He paused, scratching his cheek thoughtfully, then lifted his hand to carefully write the symbols again.

He blinked as he saw the letters and actually took them in, actually digested them. He frowned.

K-I-S-A-R-A

He took a step back and looked at all of the other pieces of papyrus he'd plastered on his walls.

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

He'd felt something in his heart break a little the first time Seto had called him that while he'd used his body. The broken part had strengthened his resolve, though.

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

Seto had loved her. He'd become smitten with her the first time he'd seen her and the love had followed swiftly after.

"Why did we have to call you Seth after you met her?"

"She said that I looked more like a Seth than a Seto, whatever that means. I didn't really think to ask. It doesn't matter anymore."

He loved her enough to call himself another name to amuse her. He loved her enough to send away personal slaves that he had rapport with to keep her comfortable. He loved her enough to try and nurse her through her illness himself after the healers had told him there was no more they could do. He loved her with all of his heart and all of his soul because when Seto wanted to do something, that's just the way he did it—with all of himself.

Joey took a step back and looked at his walls again.

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

KISARA

"Kisara would have loved you, Joey."

Joey lifted his hand and placed it on the papyrus, swiping it through dozens of words and smearing them. He brought his hand back down to look at it, frowning. The crushed charcoal fell into every line and wrinkle of his hand, making it look smoother than it actually was, softening the hard plains of calluses and leveling each wrinkle into once mass of smooth, even flesh. He turned his hand over. It had gotten under his nails, making them look grimy and unkempt.

These were not lovers' hands. These were the hands of a slave.

Joey retreated to the middle of the room, turning to examine the papyrus again before nodding to himself. He knew what to do. He had figured out the problem with all of the other rituals that had failed. He just hoped that everything went according to plan.

He walked over to the table and wiped his hands, getting most of the black dust off of them, and reached out for a quill to dip into the well of ink Seto had given him. He didn't want his letter to Yugi to smear when he rolled it up like it had last time when he'd thoughtlessly used charcoal for it.

He scratched each letter, each word, with the painstaking concentration he'd given his research, then waited for the ink to dry as he set a candle to burning. He looked at the ring Seto had given him, wondering why he needed something to press into the hot wax after he'd sealed the scroll. Seto had said it would be useful, though, so he shrugged, poured the hot wax to seal down the edge of the papyrus scroll, and pressed the ring into it. Once it had cooled, he carefully carved Yugi's name into it, muttering about how hard it was to see with the ridges in it from the ring.

Then, he took it to one of the other slaves who went to market every day, asking her to please get it to one of the palace slaves that also shopped there. It would take a while to get to Yugi. He was depending on that.

She watched him walk away, baffled, then turned the scroll over in her hands. She blanched when she saw the wax, the way a ring had shaped it to look like a dragon despite the way another person's name had been carved in on top of it, and hurriedly passed the scroll off to a courier.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Where did you put her body?"

Seto raised an eyebrow even as he stroked the blond's side lightly with his fingers. "That's a rather disgusting question to be asking."

"Well I would hope that if you loved her so much you wouldn't leave her to rot."

The brunet rolled his eyes. "She's in a temple a few hours' ride from here. I gave her the best to take with her to the afterlife."

Joey hummed. "…I'd like to see it."

Seto stilled, frowning. He didn't want him to. He wanted to keep Kisara's resting place all to himself. He wanted to protect it.

He almost wanted to slap himself. Kisara wouldn't have wanted that.

"It's a few hours to the east. I've got duties to attend to for the next few days, but I'll take you there when I have free time, alright?"

Joey looked up at him and smiled, nodding in agreement, even though he knew it would never be able to happen.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Yugi, you've gotten a letter. From my cousin, it looks like," Atem stated, a little surprised. "Strange."

"It's probably from Joey," Yugi replied, taking the scroll from him. He broke the wax and opened the scroll, smiling when he saw his friend's messy writing. "Yes, it is." He was pleased. Joey was a good friend.

Atem watched the gypsy read the scroll, smiling a little because the innocent boy was made happy by the smallest things. His smile began to fade as the younger boy frowned, his brows furrowing together the further down the page his eyes moved. "Yugi? Is something wrong?"

The younger boy looked up at him, eyes wide with terror. "He's going to do something awful, your highness. He's going to do the ritual—the one I told you about—and he says he's found a way to make it work but it's always gone so wrong, every single time!"

Atem frowned, then scowled. "Well we can't just let him do it. Come on. We might still have time to stop him."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto looked up from the white fire he'd conjured, frowning, then turned, fire fading from his hands as he moved to the front of the temple. Something felt wrong. He didn't know what it was, but something was wrong.

He raised an eyebrow as his cousin approached, blinking as he saw a slave with him that looked his perfect miniature. He opened his mouth to ask a vague 'what in the world,' but then the slave scampered up to him, looking worried. "Where's Joey?"

Seto frowned. "He's probably seeing to a meal for me or cleaning the linens. If he's not there, he's probably in his—"

He didn't have a chance to say 'room,' because his cousin stepped forward and cut in, "We think he's about to make a terrible, irreversible mistake, cousin. We think he is going to try and bring Kisara back from the afterlife at the expense of his own."

The priest stared at him for a few moments, then turned, walking quickly toward his room. The linens had been cleaned, the bed remade. He stared at it for a moment, then turned and went to the kitchens. Joey wasn't there, but a slave had seen him and informed him that the tray Joey had asked to be put together was almost finished, and she'd bring it to him when it was finished if he liked.

Seto went to Joey's room next. He didn't want to admit he was running, because he didn't want to appear panicked, but he was terrified. He'd already lost Joey once when he'd sent him away. Kisara was dead; there was nothing he could do. He'd lost Kisara and now he was going to lose Joey because he was stupid, reckless, and selfish.

Because he was a gypsy, a gypsy who had been planning, and gypsies were dangerous creatures when they planned.

And he'd told Joey exactly where to go to find Kisara's resting place.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey reached out to touch the marble casket with the tips of his fingers, then flinched, drawing his hand back to his chest. "Um. I know ya probably can't hear me. Gypsies believe in a different place than the afterlife Egyptians do, and maybe you're in the afterlife, so ya can't hear a word I'm sayin' and I'm just standin' here lookin' like an idiot." He bit his bottom lip, then continued, "But I'm gonna talk t' ya anyway, just in case, okay?"

He looked around the dark room at the oil torches he'd lit, then walked over to set a large white candle in each corner. "See, the thing is, I know ya loved Seto. –Or Seth. Ya called him Seth, so he made everyone else call him Seth, and he's only recently gone back t' Seto, these past few months." He lit the candles and turned each of them clockwise three times, then went back to stand in front of where the woman's body had been laid to rest. He looked up at it again. "He really loved ya. Loves ya still. I think he might finally be startin' t' heal."

He looked down at the list in his hands, then back up. "He adores ya. Even when he… Even when he uses my body, he calls out for you." He bit his bottom lip. "…'m sure he pretends I'm you most of the time. Seto only calls my name once in a while. I… I've heard from some of the other slaves how in love you two were. I wish I'd seen it myself. See, I really, really like—"

He paused, then sighed and looked down at his feet. "…I'll admit it t' you. I don't just really, really like my master." He felt tears filling his eyes but had to smile anyway. "I love him. He's a great man, a hard worker, a fair master. I love him so deeply. And I know he cares about me. He wanted t' arrange a marriage between me and the person I love. Isn't that nice?" He felt his tears rolling down his cheeks, and he wanted to apologize, but he somehow felt that Kisara wouldn't mind. "He's so kind, even if he's sometimes rude about it. And I love him so much, I… I just want him t' be happy.

"And you… You make him happy. He'd give up everything for ya—almost did when you were sick. I heard he'd worked himself into a fever tryin' t' heal ya." He turned and walked over to the candle in the left corner, pouring the melted wax onto the floor and sprinkling some green sand on top of it, then placing the candle down in it. "Green for vines that reach for the sky. He's really a wonderful man. And I heard you were a wonderful woman."

He walked anticlockwise, approaching the next candle and pouring the wax out. He sprinkled red sand on it and placed the candle back down on top of it. "Red for fertile soil. They said they ya made a beautiful couple. It's a shame I couldn't see it myself. I know I can't make a good companion for Seto, since I'm a slave and he's a priest. But you're not a slave. You two could get married and have children and live long, happy lives together." He sprinkled blue sand under the next candle. "Blue for seas teeming with life. I bet you'd have some really beautiful kids. I bet they'd grow up and be great people."

He approached the last candle, poured the wax on the ground and sprinkled some black sand on it. "Black for the abyss on the other side. It's a shame I'll never get t' meet ya. The girls in the kitchen said ya were really nice t' 'em. I would have really liked t' meet ya too."

Joey looked up at the marble she was encased in and sighed, then walked over to stand in front of it, pulling out a piece of charcoal to mark across the white expanse. He marked out several ancient runes all the way around it, connecting one side of each rune to the other until he worked his way back to where he'd started. Once that was finished, he wiped his hands and stood, taking a few steps back.

"…I hope you two will be very happy together," he whispered sadly. He imagined Seto smiling, his face filled with love and affection, and wished he'd see that, too, but he wouldn't. He couldn't.

Gypsy magic required equal exchange. The spell required the sacrifice of a life in order to bring the other back. He would be that sacrifice, because he loved Seto, and he just wanted them to be happy.

Joey pulled a knife from the bag he'd used to bring everything and cut the end of his finger, turning to trace over the charcoal with his own blood. He flinched as it smeared into his cut, biting his bottom lip. "Ouch." But he was doing this for Seto, so he bit his tongue, continued to trace the black lines, and began to force magic into his blood and the charcoal it was mixed in.

He stood and took a few steps back as he looked at his work, feeling the magic spreading out to the four corners of the room. He closed his and took a deep breath. This was it. He'd never see Seto again. And that would be okay, because he'd be happy.

Taking a deep breath, Joey lifted the knife so he could slice through the vein on his wrist. "I hope you'll make Seto very happy," he whispered, the tip of the knife digging into his skin and making a small drop of blood well up.

"JUST WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING."

Joey yelped and turned. "Seto-!"

Seto looked at the knife in his hands, then scowled, taking a step closer to him and yanking it away from him. "What. Are. You. Doing?" he hissed, glaring at him.

The blond swallowed thickly, biting his bottom lip, then looked down at his feet. "I… Um…"

The priest looked at the candles in each corner set in a dried patch of colored wax, then looked back down at him sharply, because that was part of the ritual that Yugi had hurriedly explained to him. He drew his hand back and brought it swinging around to slap across the blond's face—harder than he'd meant to, but he wasn't sorry, even when the gypsy yelped and fell to the ground.

Joey looked up at him in confusion, then whimpered and looked back down at the floor beneath his clenched fists. "I just wanted you t' be happy—"

"Kisara is dead, Joey," Seto hissed, glaring at him. "She is resting peacefully in the afterlife."

"Yeah, but—"

"But nothing!" The brunet knelt in front of him, reaching out to grab his hair and yank his head back so he had to look at him. "I can't believe you'd do something so irresponsible—soheinous—I just can't believe it. What were you hoping to accomplish?!"

Joey frowned, more tears rolling down his cheeks as he whispered, "I wanted you to be happy."

"At the expense of your own life?! You are a fool, Joey, and I don't understand why you would—" He froze at the earnest look the blond gave him, smiling despite the tears still rolling down his face. "…You… You're in love with me. The person you love… That's me?"

The gypsy smiled sweetly. "Of course, Seto. That's why I can't have you; you don't want me, and it would be improper."

Seto pulled him into his arms and held him tightly, wondering to what extent he'd hurt the blond when he'd sent him away and used his body, and wondering why the gypsy didn't hate him for those things, and wondering how he could continue to love him even after seeing how devoted he was to Kisara and knowing they could never be together.

But mostly, he wondered how he'd been so lucky to have someone so loyal trying to take care of him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"How long do you want me to keep him?" Atem asked softly.

Seto looked up from the papyrus he'd been examining. "…I don't know. I don't know if I want him to leave. I don't know if I want him to come back. I don't even know what I'd do with him if he was here." He looked down at the scroll and traced the letters on it gently, wondering what all of them said. "…Keep him for a few days. I'll come and tell him my decision then."

"I can't help but feel this might be the wrong decision…" the younger man murmured, frowning. He held his hands up when the brunet whipped around to glare at him. "But you'd know better."

"You will understand after you've tried to nurse the person you love with all of your soul to health and instead watch them fade away with each and every minute," the priest hissed.

"Yes, I suppose I didn't think of that," the pharaoh muttered contritely. "I apologize. …Well, I'll see you when you come to the palace…"

"Yes, alright." Seto waved him away impatiently. "I have things to do and consider, so…"

"…So I'll see myself out then," the younger man supplied, smiling a little, and turned to leave. "I just hope you come to a conclusion you can live with when you arrive, cousin."

The brunet looked down at the papyrus in front of him and frowned as he listened to his cousin's sandals slapping against the floor as he walked away. 'I hope I do, too.'

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Cornflowers. I wonder if she'd like cornflowers… She's always stoppin' t' admire them, after all…" Joey muttered, holding up a handful of the vibrant blue flora. He'd already distilled some rose oil and some iris oil for Isis's healing ointments. He didn't know whether there was some healing quality about cornflowers, but he knew that when it came to aromatherapy, it was quite a calming scent.

He lifted his hand to push his bangs out of his eyes and sighed. "Maybe some of th' yellow chrysanthemum then…" He stared at the different flowers spread out in front of him and sighed again. He was glad he'd been given something to do that he was used to; he just… wished he was back where he belonged, doing it for Seto and using it for his baths.

…He missed his master. And he'd probably never see him again. He'd seen the way Seto had looked at him with such remorse when he'd stopped him from completing the ritual. He knew that Seto didn't want him like that.

Joey reached out to grab a bunch of heliotrope, frowning, as he traced the deep purple petals with his fingertips. "Heliotrope stands for devotion." He looked at the chrysanthemums and sighed. "Yellow chrysanthemum is slighted love." He glanced at the jasmine and sighed, the corner of his lips quirking into a sad smile. "And unconditional and eternal love."

He reached out to pluck up a stalk of jasmine and took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the flowers. How fitting, he thought, when he recalled the jasmine blooms carved into the white marble casket.

He stiffened in surprise as he felt something brush over the back of his neck, blushing a little as he felt the fragrant flowers brush past his ear and over his cheek. "Ah—"

"And what does this one mean, Joey?"

Joey bit his bottom lip, glancing at it to make sure his nose wasn't tricking him. "M-mignonette? It… it means 'worth.'" He turned, cheeks flushing a little darker as he met deep blue eyes. "…Seto…"

"I heard you speaking with your accent and wanted to hear more of it." Seto sat down next to him on the bench and brought the sprig of mignonette up so he could smell it as well. "You know, I always loved listening to you talk with that accent."

"…Oh. I guess I'd always just thought you were teasing me…"

"Not at all." The brunet reached out to grab out of the cornflowers and turned to tuck it behind the gypsy's ear, delicately brushing his golden hair out of his eyes. "I've made my decision."

Joey bit his bottom lip, breath hitching, because he knew what was coming; he was going to be told he was staying at the palace. "Oh."

Seto reached up to cup his chin, sliding his thumb over the blond's lower lip gently. "Before she died, Kisara tried to tell me that I had so much more love to give. I knew she was wrong."

The blond took a deep, shaky breath and turned his gaze away, but he didn't move otherwise; he was a glutton for pain, it seemed, and he loved having the priest touching him. "I see."

"…Joey, I don't love you," the brunet sighed, frowning.

"I know. I never expected—" Seto liked his accent. Maybe if he started to use it in front of him again, he'd be allowed to stay, even if just to work. "I never expected ya to, Seto."

The older boy paused, then cupped the blond's cheeks and tipped his head back. "…But I'm going to try to learn," he added after a moment. "Kisara didn't want me to be alone. …And I don't really want to be alone anymore." He hesitated before explaining, "Part of me wants to make you happy. A different part of me wants to be made happy by you. I think you could do that. I think you could make me happy."

Joey blushed brightly at that. Seto was acknowledging that he wanted Joey to make him happy. Not anyone else.

Seto jumped to his feet as water from the fountain nearby exploded upward, spinning around to face it in case he had to defend himself and his servant. He couldn't help his mouth dropping open in shock as the water sprayed all over, thousands of fluid butterflies fluttering around wildly as the blond's magic surged through them. He whipped back around to face the gypsy, concerned.

Joey stood, beaming up at him even as his eyes filled with tears of joy. "Ya mean it, Seto? I can stay with ya and try and make ya happy and keep takin' care of ya?!"

The priest blinked slowly, then couldn't help a smile as well. "Of course I mean it. You know I'm not very good at joking."

His smile grew as the gypsy began to laugh with pure glee, the butterflies bursting and showering them with a fine mist.

Seto gulped as the sun shone through the mist and created a halo of rainbows around the younger boy. He was beautiful.

And he was a selfish, stupid man for not noticing it before.
- 57
- 58
- 59
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Mythology Set