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Darkness Before Dawn	By : SangoHuntress1977 Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 3356 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: YuGiOh and the characters thereof are the sole domain of Kazuki Takahashi and all rightsholders. I'm only borrowing them for entertainment purposes and am deriving no profit.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Domino University
Yugi breathed a sigh of relief as Atem entered the room, still walking stiffly, but not hobbling as he had the day before. The swelling around his bruised right eye had gone down enough for him to crack it open a bit. Yugi’s heart chilled when Atem again sat a few rows away from him.
‘Doesn’t he wanna work with me anymore? What’d I do wrong?’ Yugi thought sadly.
He thought about moving over next to Atem and confronting him, but decided not to do it in class with all the other students around. He would wait for lunch and confront him then.
Accordingly, at lunch, Yugi made his way over to the oak tree. Surely enough, Atem sat under it, looking over the papers Yugi had given him yesterday. Abruptly, the Egyptian raised his head and fixed his gaze on Yugi. At this, Yugi slowed down and approached cautiously, standing a respectable distance from Atem.
“Hi…” Yugi ventured.
“Yugi… I had no right to snap at you yesterday. I… was in a bad state of mind and lashed out at you. I’m sorry," Atem apologized, lowering his head.
Taking this as a positive sign, Yugi moved in closer and sat down beside his dark twin.
“Aw. That’s OK…” he dismissed.
“No. It is not OK!” snapped Atem, raising blazing eyes to Yugi, who flinched at the sudden change in his demeanor.
Atem paused and sighed deeply, getting his emotions in check as he had no desire to chase Yugi away two days in a row.
Seeing that Atem was struggling with himself, Yugi looked forward and waited for Atem to make the next move.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not very sociable,” Atem began softly.
“Me neither. I’m really only friends with Jou and Bakura,” Yugi interjected.
“Hn! You’re one up on me then,” replied Atem with a bitter smile.
“Huh?”
“You have friends,” Atem elaborated.
“So do you,” countered Yugi.
Atem blinked and cocked his head.
“Me, silly. I’m your friend!” Yugi declared jubilantly.
Then he paused and looked forward again.
“Er, that is... if you want me to be…” he ended quietly.
The sound of rubbing leather caused Yugi to look over at Atem, who had moved closer to him. Yugi’s heart began to beat warmly in his chest.
“I... would like that very much,” Atem said in a trembling voice. “However, you must know from the beginning to expect more episodes like yesterday’s.”
Yugi thought for a moment. Should he invite Atem to his place? Judging by the Egyptian’s demeanor, he decided to wait.
“OK. How about this: If you’re in a... not social mood, just don’t sit next to me in morning class and I’ll know to stay away,” Yugi agreed.
A wry smile lit Atem’s features.
“The word is ‘unsociable’ and that will definitely work. Thank you, Yugi.”
“You’re welcome,” squeaked Yugi at the sight of the mild amusement that now lit Atem’s rose petal irises.
The two lapsed into companionable silence for a few moments, enjoying each other’s company once again.
“Hey, Atem?” Yugi ventured.
“Yes?” returned Atem.
“How do you say ‘I’m sorry’ in French?” Yugi asked.
A smile crossed Atem’s lips as he turned to fully face Yugi.
“It’s Je suis désolé ,” Atem answered, pronouncing the foreign words slowly and carefully.
“Je suisu desore,” Yugi mimicked, wincing as he butchered the poor words. “Sorry…”
“Ha ha ha!” Atem laughed, giving Yugi’s shoulder a playful nudge.
Yugi smiled back at the Egyptian, glad to have been able to have cheered his friend up a bit.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Domino University
Yugi watched as Atem entered the room, noticing with relief that the skin around his right eye was mostly a healthy bronze again. Heart beating a staccato in his chest, he waited to see where Atem would sit today. As the Egyptian made his way down the row of desks just to the right of Yugi’s, his heart sang in his chest.
“Hi, Atem,” Yugi greeted in a soft voice.
“ Buenos dias , Yugi,” Atem returned with an amiable smile.
“ Buenosu diasu , Atem. ¿Cómo estásu? ” returned Yugi, slowly and carefully.
“ Estoy bien, gracias ,” answered Atem, smile warming from amiable to something that made butterflies flit about in Yugi’s stomach.
Yugi smiled back at his friend. It certainly was a good morning.
12 o’clock
Yugi found Atem sitting in the oak’s comfortable shade, shielded from the sun’s merciless rays by its sprawling branches.
“Hi!” he called, raising his hand in greeting.
“Salut , Yugi. Have a seat,” Atem said as he returned Yugi’s greeting.
Yugi flopped down on the grass just a few feet from Atem. At once, his gaze was attracted to the gold chain around Atem’s neck. He had seen that chain every day, but had never seen what pendant, if any, hung from it. Before he could stop himself, he voiced the question.
“What’s on the chain?”
Immediately after asking, Yugi clamped his hand over his mouth.
‘Idiot! He’ll probably get mad again!’ Yugi berated himself.
Yugi was surprised when Atem calmly reached into his tank top and pulled out a gold pendant with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on it.
“Are those hieroglyphs?” Yugi inquired.
“Yes!” Atem answered warmly as he held the cartouche up for Yugi’s inspection. “This is a cartouche with my name engraved on it.”
“Cool! Where’d you get it?!” Yugi asked.
Atem looked down at the small pendant, caressing it lovingly in his hand.
“From my father…” he answered in a wavering voice.
“Uh, can you read hieroglyphs?” Yugi asked quickly.
Holding up his finger, Atem reached into his bag and pulled out a notepad and pencil. Yugi sat still while Atem sketched something out on the paper before tearing it off and handing it to him. On the sheet were some hieroglyphs. Yugi blinked and looked up into Atem’s smiling face.
“Your name in hieroglyphs,” Atem explained.
“Cool! Thanks!” Yugi cried, throwing himself impulsively at Atem and hugging him.
Yugi felt Atem’s body tense up in his arms, just before the explosion.
“Don’t touch me!” Atem screamed.
The next thing Yugi knew, he was being pinned up against the hard, unrelenting trunk of the oak, able to feel each nodule of bark digging into his back through the fabric of his shirt, as Atem’s hands gripped him. As Bakura’s ominous stories crashed to the forefront of his mind, Yugi’s heart slammed in his chest while he looked down into a pair of raging crimson eyes, in which burned the flames of Hell. The same angry glare Atem had leveled at those two bullies was now being directed squarely at Yugi; not a comfortable feeling, to say the least.
“Atem, it’s Yugi, your friend,” Yugi said in a low voice, hoping to pierce the haze of rage that had engulfed Atem’s mind. “I’m sorry if I hurt or scared you. I didn’t mean to. I was just so excited about my cartouche.”
Thankfully, Yugi's voice seemed to have the desired effect, causing the raging flames in Atem’s eyes to die down to embers.
“Yugi?” he asked breathlessly.
“Yeah. It’s me,” Yugi said quietly.
Yugi's soft words seemed to reassure Atem, who slowly lowered Yugi to the ground, then backed away, eyes filled with shame and remorse.
“I’m sorry…” was all he managed to get out before turning away from Yugi and burying his face in his hands.
“Atem?” Yugi asked.
Atem lowered himself to the ground, now sobbing stormily into his hands.
“Gods, Yugi. I’m so s-sorry,” he choked out between sobs. “I didn’t m-mean to…”
“Was it because I hugged you?” Yugi asked.
Atem nodded as his sobs became even stormier, entire body shaking as he choked on his own breath.
Marshalling his courage, Yugi crept slowly over to Atem, still keeping his distance, and bowed from the waist.
“I shouldn’t have just thrown myself on you like that. I’ve dishonored my Grandpa’s upbringing by being rude to you. I’m sorry,” he apologized.
During Yugi’s apology, Atem slowly raised his tear dampened face from his palms and stared incredulously at the young man he had just pinned against a tree moments before, who was now bowing in apology to him . This Mutou Yugi was quite peculiar.
“Don’t you… apologize to m-me, Yugi. Even if you think you were b-being rude, that gave me no right… to lash out at you,” Atem returned with hitching breaths.
Yugi straightened up and looked into Atem’s bloodshot, teary eyes and frowned, annoyed at his impulsiveness for ruining what had been such an awesome moment between them.
“OK. How about if you forgive me and I forgive you and we just start over?” he offered, slowly extending his hand with a gentle smile.
Atem stared long and hard at Yugi’s hand before looking up into the younger boy’s smiling face and luminous violet eyes. Slowly, he reached out and grasped Yugi’s hand, interlacing their fingers. He felt a gentle squeeze, which he promptly returned.
“Wanna teach me how to read hieroglyphs?” asked Yugi.
A watery smile breaking across his features, Atem permitted Yugi to help him to his feet.
“Thank you,” he said in a broken voice as, together, they returned to their spot, Yugi only pausing to pick up his cartouche paper.
Once the boys were settled, Atem pulled a book on Ancient Egypt from his backpack and opened to a section that contained all the hieroglyphs. Looking over at Yugi, who sat a few feet away from him, Atem patted the spot on the ground next to him.
With a gulp, Yugi slowly and carefully moved toward Atem and settled next to him, always wary of doing anything that might set the Egyptian off again. After he was still, he craned his head over so he could look at the hieroglyphs.
The next hour was spent with Atem reading and explaining the meanings of the various pictograms to Yugi, who wrote everything down in his notebook so he could study them at home. It really was quite fascinating to study this ancient alphabet, where each letter meant a specific word, but could be combined with other pictograms to spell out longer words.
As they went over the hieroglyphs, Yugi thought everything over. Based on what he had seen last Friday, it seemed that perhaps Atem’s home life was like Jou’s, with a drunken abusive father. And yet, would a drunken abusive father give his son a gold cartouche with his name in hieroglyphs on it? Somehow, Yugi doubted this.
‘Atem, you’re a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in black leather,’ Yugi thought to himself as he gazed at the Egyptian through the sides of his eyes.
Duel Monsters circle…
“Bakura?” Yugi began hesitantly.
“Yes?” asked Bakura, looking up from the charter he was drafting.
“Would anyone be welcome in this circle, as long as they were a good duelist?” asked Yugi.
“Of course,” Bakura answered. “I don’t care about a person’s past or reputation, as long as they can play the game. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” Yugi said with a dismissive shrug.
Bakura blinked, then returned to his charter.
That evening…
Yugi smiled to himself as he was actually able to fit four golden pieces together. To outsiders, it might seem a small thing, but to Yugi, who had struggled with the puzzle all week, it was a huge breakthrough.
Deciding to take a break from the puzzle, Yugi set the pieces aside and pulled the box to himself, gazing at the hieroglyphs on its golden surface. He then pulled out his folder and found the paper with the hieroglyphs he had copied from Atem’s book at lunch. Looking at the hieroglyphs on the box, he found them on the paper and wrote down their meanings in a bid to discern the message on the box. At last, he was finished.
“He who solves this puzzle will have one wish granted.”
Yugi smiled dreamily to himself, having already decided what his one wish would be.
/
c 1290 BC
Waset, Kemet
Back aching from being on his hands and knees for most of the day, Hebai pulled the soaked cloth from the bucket of soapy water and began scrubbing the marble floor. Moving his hand in circular motions, the little slave crawled slowly along, seeming to make very little headway on the throne room’s huge floor.
Just then, the great doors opened and in strode the High Priest in his blue robe, wearing that ridiculous looking miter over his brown hair. Piercing blue eyes sweeping scornfully over the small being, the High Priest walked on by, as if Hebai didn’t even exist. That is until his smooth soled sandal hit a wet patch, taking his feet gracelessly out from under him and sending him flying backwards, head hitting the marble. The only thing that saved his skull from cracking open was his miter.
Try as he might, Hebai was unable to suppress a small giggle and this was enough to get the High Priest’s attention, a withering blue eyed glare being sent toward him.
“You little shit! You did that intentionally! I’ll enjoy watching you be flogged!” the High Priest growled, carefully gaining his feet, then lunging at the small slave.
Hebai tried to gain his feet, but his stiff back and knees slowed him just enough to allow the High Priest to grab him by the spiky locks of his preposterous hair.
“Alright! Now to…”
The words died on the High Priest’s lips as his gaze fell on something that caused him to go rigid. Hebai looked where the High Priest was and his eyes widened.
Bedizened head to toe in gold finery, including a preposterously large upside down pyramid hanging from his neck, he stood in the doorway, arms akimbo as his jaw jutted out fiercely and his eyebrows drew to a point. Lean, trained muscles rippled like water under smooth bronze skin. But his eyes, oh those eyes! Two pools of crimson in which seemed to burn the flames of Duat.
Hebai felt the High Priest’s grip on him slip, sending him tumbling gracelessly to the floor. The Pharaoh took one step forward; the High Priest took one step backward. So it went, until the Pharaoh stood before the still kneeling slave and the High Priest stood back in the doorway through which he had first stepped.
The staring contest between them continued for what seemed like an eternity, the air crackling with the tension between the two men. Then, the atmosphere subtly shifted and the slave heard the doors close behind him, leaving him alone with the Pharaoh.
Hebai flinched when he felt fingers slide under his chin, lifting his face up to look into the Pharaoh’s. The little slave gasped in surprise at how dark and gentle the ruby irises were now and how open and friendly the burnished face seemed, a cute smile quirking the full lips up. The Pharaoh’s mouth opened to speak…
Darkness as the dream ended.
/
Yugi's eyes flew open and he raised his head, gaze darting about his dark room.
'What the hell kind of dream was that?!' he thought as his gaze fell on the golden box reposing on his window sill.
With more questions than answers, Yugi closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, allowing sleep to claim him once more.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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Darkness Before Dawn