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

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
First
off let me say I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I tried, but it isn't working
out to my benefit.

Second,
I don't own the poem that Yugi recites in the chapter. It belongs to
Brian Jaques, and the book The Long Patrol.

And
third, I'm sorry this is taking so long. Really. I can't promise that
this story will be out in a timely manner as RL has spun completely
out of my control. (chuckles) Trust me, I tried to give the job back,
but they won't let me yet – they say I need a year before I
decide its too much. And I'm really not complaining, a job is a job
in this economy, but the hours are a bit much right now and I'm not
used to it. So for now I'll update when I can.

After
this chap I'm running on outline alone, so I'll get the next one up
when I can find time to type it. Thank you for your understanding.
And for your reviews, they truly make this plot bunny come out of
hiding for me.

And
last, thank you to my beta-reader Renaiya880727, she got to most of
this chap before I destroyed a part of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX7

The
next morning the group finally broke free of the surrounding trees,
Atemu surveying the ever-changing landscape closely for signs of
ambush before giving the tentative signal to continue. Once it became
apparent that there was no immediate danger the Pharaoh immersed
himself in the task of mentally reciting the landmarks that he needed
to be aware of during their homeward journey in order to keep them on
track.

He
was well aware that they would have to pass the site of the massacre
along the way, and as they drew closer Atemu found himself wanting to
pay his respects before returning to the palace. It might be a long
time before he was given the chance to do so again. Gods he missed
Otogi!

The
caravan continued on under the harsh heat of the glaring sun, the
last of the lush greenery around them giving way to a sparse and more
desert-like environment with each passing minute, and before too long
they crested a large hill only to come upon what used to be a small
village that lay in the valley bordering the desert beyond.

Yugi
stiffened in his seat as he caught sight of the pitiful, blackened
remains of houses, the acrid smell of burnt straw assaulting his
senses as if the devastating fires had occurred only yesterday rather
than almost a couple of weeks ago. Without thinking he turned and
glanced uncertainly back up at his captor.

Atemu
caught the questioning look in the younger ruler’s eyes. “We
are going to rest here and pay our respects to those who were lost.”

Yugi
nodded apprehensively, lowering his eyes. This would be the first
time he had ever witnessed the aftermath of a raid. Sure, he had
heard tales of his father’s raids into peaceful settlements for
nothing other than late taxes, but never before had he viewed the
devastation with his own eyes. And he wasn’t so sure he wanted
to see it at all, just hearing about it had been bad enough.

But
it wasn't his decision to make so he remained silent, taking in the
destruction with wide eyes, and a sinking heart, as they headed into
the valley below.

The
caravan gingerly skirted the main part of the demolished village with
an eerie silence, as if afraid to anger whatever spirits still
dwelled in the remnants of the town. Once past the unstable remains
of what used to be the the town entrance , now only a crumbling
reminder of had been lost, Atemu halted them next to what looked to
be an excavating project gone wrong. Mounds of raw earth protruded
haphazardly from the base of a slight natural incline where only a
few hardy blades of grass dared to brave the encroaching sand, making
the ground look somewhat like a shoddily pieced patchwork quilt.

The
Pharaoh dismounted somewhat clumsily, forgetting about his charge in
his distraction as he made his way silently over to the newly turned
earth, to drop to his knees in quiet prayer.

It
wasn’t long before Marik, dragging a reticent Malik along with
him, and some of the other guards followed in their sovereign's
footsteps, leaving Yugi to wonder if he should have done the same,
seeing as he and Mahaado were the only ones left behind. One look at
Mahaado's drawn features told Yugi what the priest most wanted to do.

After
a moment’s hesitation the young Hyksos climbed down from the
horse and quietly made his way over to pay his respects, oblivious to
Mahaado's quiet shadowing of his footsteps as he glanced solemnly at
the rows of fresh graves. There were so many of them...too many. And
one site had the remains of a cloth doll laid tenderly over the top,
its twine stitching singed where it had unraveled at the ends. Yugi
cringed and averted his eyes from the pitiful sight.

When
he made it to the spot where the Pharaoh was kneeling the young king
dropped to his knees as well, and bowed his head out of sheer
remorse, tearfully whispering a brief poem that his mother had taught
him long ago for those who had lost their lives in the heat of
battle.

"Slumber
through twilight, sleep through the dawn,

Bright
in our memory from first light each morn,

Warriors
brave, who gave all you could give,

Offered
your lives so that others would live.

No
one can tell what my heart longed to say

When
I had to leave here, and you had to stay”

After
a brief pause to clear the lump in his throat, Yugi continued
quietly, “you will remain in our hearts and in our memories
always, may the gods guide you to your destiny.”

His
murmured words caught Atemu’s attention and the Pharaoh turned
to glance at his captive sharply, his movements causing the young
Hyksos to look back at him. Time seemed to stand still as tormented
scarlet clashed with wide amethyst. Yugi's breath caught at the vast
amount of anguish visible in the elder monarch’s still-dry
eyes.

He had never seen such a
desolate expression cross those confident features before. The
complete and utter despair in those gorgeous scarlet eyes nearly took
his breath away. How
can he look that way and not shed a single tear?! he
thought, shamed by the memories of his own tears. I
always did when I felt that bad, though little good it did…

Yugi
bit his lip in indecision. He should have just turned away, ignored
the pain in those beautiful eyes just as others had done to him time
and time again. This was the man who had beaten and humiliated him,
taken him from his home without even a care for his wishes. But it
had never been in his nature to ignore another’s pain –
and now was no exception. He just couldn't help himself.

Unsure
of whether or not his gesture would be brushed aside after their last
confrontation he laid a hesitant hand on the Egyptian monarch’s
wrist, glancing at the ground beneath him. “I-I’m
sorry…he must have meant a lot to you…I know the words
must seem trite coming from me, but I’m truly sorry…I
know what it means to lose someone so close…”

Realizing
that he had let the mask slip Atemu turned away to compose his
features before glancing back at his young captive in surprise, not
having expected the sincere gesture of sympathy from someone who was,
more or less, still a stranger. The boy looked wise beyond his years,
with an expression of gentle understanding written upon his soft
features.

In
that moment Atemu knew without a doubt that his captive was incapable
of committing the heinous acts that he had been holding the young
king responsible for. And the thought made him feel even worse for
his actions.

Atemu
sighed heavily, averting his eyes as his conscience condemned him for
both his blindness and his inability to admit he was wrong. “He
was a very special person…his companionship meant a lot to
me.”

Yugi
twitched involuntarily. In that instant, when his captor said that,
the way he said it...the Pharaoh seemed almost human. He cocked his
head to the side, giving the other a gentle squeeze with the wish
that he knew how to draw the grieving monarch from his shell. Then he
remembered his mother's long ago advice that it was good to talk
about those who were lost – that sometimes it helped the living
to be able to reminisce about the dead.

“What
was his name…?” he asked softly.

Atemu
gazed out across the expanse of barren desert that was encroaching on
the borders of the village, avoiding his captive's keen gaze as he
recalled his friend's laughing face on that day, the last day he had
seen him alive. “Otogi.”

Yugi’s
hand abruptly stilled at the mention of a name that was, in his
thinking, a little too familiar. “I-Is that a common name in
Egypt?”

“No,
Otogi was foreign born. Why do you ask?” inquiring scarlet eyes
turned to meet his.

“Oh
gods…I, uh…” Yugi tried to catch his breath,
searching the other's face intently, the feeling impending of
disaster nearly overwhelming his mind, “m-my
friend…Shizuka…Jou’s sister…she married a,
uh, man from Egypt…his name was…was Otogi…”

“...little
one?” Atemu became concerned with the sudden, sickly sheen to
the boy’s skin, the clamminess of the hand that gripped his arm
with such intensity. “What's wrong?”

Yugi
drew his hands back, clenching them tightly against each other as he
whispered, “please…tell me…oh, I don’t
know…tell me he wasn’t married to a girl named
Shizuka…Please…”

Atemu
mentally sounded out the name – Shizuka
– before glancing intently at his young captive. That was
indeed the name of the girl that Otogi had married. Was it possible
that they knew one another? Atemu reached out to gently draw the
shivering boy into his embrace, a look of understanding crossing his
features.

“I
cannot tell you that, little one, for it would be a lie,” he
whispered as he rubbed the boy's back soothingly.

Yugi
licked his lips, his breath shallow and uneven, as he gave voice to
the first excuse he could think of to be alone. “I-I…uh,
got…to go use…I need to find a, uh, tree...,” he
stuttered quietly as he hastily freed himself from the Pharaoh’s
embrace, backing up a couple of paces before turning to flee. “I’ll
be…back in a minute…don’t…I’ll,
uh…be okay…”

“Little
one...?” Atemu questioned, not liking the eerily blank
expression that graced his captive’s features as he backed
away.

When
Atemu caught a flash of the crystal clear droplet that coursed down
the boy’s cheek just before he turned away the Pharaoh shot to
his feet, chasing his fleeing captive down with the swiftness of a
born hunter. His prey had nearly made it to the crumbling wall of the
burnt out village before Atemu tackled him from behind, managing to
turn in midair so that he took the brunt of the fall.

The
two of them rolled once in the dirt, coming to rest at the base of
the crumbling wall, stars appearing before Atemu's eyes as he cracked
his head on one of the loosened stones. His captive immediately
pleaded for release, needing to be alone for a moment to digest the
information that he knew without a doubt was true – a request
that Atemu denied, although with more than a little remorse.

Once
the young Hyksos realized that he would not be allowed to grieve in
private he lost what little composure he had, lashing out at the one
who held him against his will with both his words and his hands.
Atemu caught the flailing limbs easily, holding tight to his
struggling captive as he wrapped the boy’s arms around the
front of him, knowing there was a good chance that the boy might do
something rash if he were to let go.

The
little one was completely out of control, there was no telling what
he was capable of in his grief. Images of a grief-stricken widow who
had taken a knife to her throat to escape the pain of a life without
her lover, of bereaved parents who had set their house ablaze when
they finally realized their children were not coming home, a host of
atrocities he, as Pharaoh, had seen people commit in the depths of
their misery passed through Atemu's mind as he increased the strength
of his hold, determined not to lose this intriguing being to a foe he
could not defeat.

As
he struggled against his captor's hold Yugi's anguished pleas caught
the attention of the men waiting by the grave sites. Marik and Malik,
as well as some of the guards, went running at the sight of their
leaders locked into what sounded like an all out battle. Mahaado,
immediately comprehending the situation, took a slight detour over to
his horse before also heading towards the scene with all haste with a
small glass vial in one hand and a water skin in the other.

“What
did you do to him?!” Malik snarled accusingly, reaching out to
throttle the Egyptian sovereign only to have Marik snatch him back
just shy of his goal.

The
Pharaoh’s eyes narrowed as he heard the question over his
captive’s diminishing cries. “I have done nothing!”

With
the realization that his captive had nearly worn himself out in his
grief Atemu whispered a few well-meant words into the boy's ear,
asking what his friend would think about such a public display and
Yugi collapsed in his arms, sobs wracking his small frame. Once his
captive was somewhat still he turned his attention to his accuser
with a glare.

“Perhaps
I should ask you how he knew the name Shizuka…”

At
the mention of their friend’s name Malik immediately went on
the defensive, his eyes narrowed as he asked, “what about
her?!”

“He
mentioned her name when inquiring after Otogi. When I told him that
she had died as well he went wild…”

Malik’s
face turned a pasty shade of white, his eyes the size of saucers.
“She’s…dead?!”

Both
Marik and Atemu nodded solemnly, Marik explaining, “She was
caught up in the raid along with Otogi.”

“N-no...!”
Malik sagged abruptly against his tormentor as if all the air had
left his body, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. “Oh
no…no...this isn't happening...”

“Here,
my Pharaoh,” Mahaado held out a water skin containing some of
the concoction he used to treat Atemu’s migraines, “It
will ease their grief until we can get back to the palace. We should
not tarry when we still have no idea who is responsible, or if
they’ll return. There are only so many of us.”

Against
his better judgment, Atemu nodded as he whispered low and soothing in
his captive's ear, allowing Mahaado to hold it to a now subdued
Yugi’s lips. “Drink little one…it will not take
away the pain, but it will allow you to breathe through it…that’s
it, just a little more…”

When
the young king had finished approximately half of the pouch Mahaado
handed it over to Marik so he could give the remainder to Malik.
Atemu settled himself on the ground, wrapping his arms around the
younger teen whose loud sobs had diminished to shuddering hiccups.
The Pharaoh could feel his eyes misting over in empathy for their
shared pain.

Atemu
brushed a lock of golden hair from his unresisting captive's face
with a sigh. How many times had he lost someone close to him and been
unable to grieve for their passing in favor of having to hold his
head up in public. For the Pharaoh to show emotion was like showing
weakness to a pack of hyenas. The first time he had done so it had
nearly cost him his throne and the Egyptian people their comfortable
way of life. He had never repeated the incident since.

Days
like this he wished that his life were different.

Atemu
cuddled the younger king closer to his body, feeling the shallow
breaths as the potion worked on the boy’s mind. “That’s
it little one…Come back to me…”

“Shizuka’s
gone…,” Yugi sniffed tiredly. “Jou…he knew
it…he knew it when…she died…he knew...”

Yugi
felt hollow, empty inside, as if someone had torn a hole in his
chest, his thoughts scattered and disoriented. It was so hard to
breathe. Shizuka was the sister he never had, or maybe he did –
he wasn't sure. His grandfather had never specifically answered their
questions concerning hers and Jou’s parentage. Did it even
matter now? Had it ever mattered before? He would never see her again
in this life. Tears dripped from his eyes with the thought.

His
eyelids drooped slowly, becoming entirely too heavy for him to keep
open. As the young royal drifted off into a wandering sleep the last
image his mind held was of his friend looking down on him from the
afterlife, her green eyes alight with mischief as she sought a way to
thwart the gods’ plans for him and the others. With his last
conscious thought he wished her luck.

Atemu
started when the boy fell limp in his arms, his wide eyes on Mahaado.
Had he given him too much?!

“Relax,
my Pharaoh, he will be fine.” Mahaado soothed as he glanced
over the two boys who had been given one of his more potent
concoctions. “He will sleep for a while, as you did the first
time you took this, but then he shall return to himself.”

Resting
the little one against his chest Atemu glanced over to find Malik
still awake and fairly lucid. “Who is Shizuka…to you?”
he questioned.

Malik
blinked at him, processing the inquiry slowly in his drugged haze
before answering. “She is…was Jou’s
twin…sister...they were inseparable.”

Malik
bowed his head in shame, a tear trickling down his cheek as he
recalled his friend's pain. Jou had woken from the grip of an intense
nightmare a little over a week ago, waking the others with his
ear-piercing screams. It had taken nearly all of them to convince the
blonde that what he had seen was just a dream, staying by his side
throughout the night. But it wasn’t, and his friend had known
it all along. Why had they not believed him?

“Jou
is the blonde boy.” Atemu thought aloud.

“That’s
him…he’s gonna be…devastated…Could
you…could someone send word to him…please…”
Malik scrubbed at his face with his hands, his words thick and
slurred with the potion he had been given, “you know…we
never did figure out…if they were Yugi’s father’s
bastards…the old man never answered…”

And
then, without warning, Malik too succumbed to the power of Mahaado’s
potion, dropping his head on Marik’s shoulder. “Shit!”
Marik hissed, startled.

Atemu
rose to his feet with Yugi cradled gently in his arms, a sigh forming
on his lips as he realized it was time to move on. “It is high
time we leave this place. There are too many bad memories here, and I
would prefer we not meet the same fate yet. We have done what we can
for them until we find their murderers; they are in our prayers –
and the gods’ hands now.”

Marik
agreed as he too rose, walking off silently to find his horse, an
unconscious Malik in his arms.

Mahaado
watched with interest as the duo mounted their horses, each with
their respective captives held possessively in their arms as another
innocent, beautiful face entered, unbidden, into his mind. Mana.
He couldn't help but compare the young Hyksos royal to the young girl
that had captured his heart from the moment he had laid eyes on her
broken form so many years ago.

She
was his life, his love, not that he would ever tell her for fear of
sending her back into the depths of despair that she had fought so
bravely against over the years. Perhaps this failed mission was a
blessing in disguise. He had never seen Atemu act like this before,
so possessive, and yet so tender.

It
had always been his opinion that his Pharaoh, and his friends, had
needed someone to teach them how to live outside of their
responsibilities, outside of their allotted roles in life, but until
now he had been able to do nothing other than offer prayers for their
happiness. Perhaps these children, the ones his friends had ripped so
callously from their lives, would help them to realize that there was
more to life than what had been laid out for them from birth.

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I
think that ends the angst, from here on out its fluff and spats
galore!

Please
review?!
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Mistaken Assumptions