Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

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
- 8
- 9
- 10
That afternoon…
Headbanging to the metal blasting from his computer speakers, Yugi’s eyes were zeroed in on his screen, fingers flying over the keyboard as he propelled his character around the deathmatch map. Ah, there was Dog of War up ahead! black_mage fired his Redeemer toward Dog of War, who reciprocated.
The whole screen turned white as the nukes collided and blew up, killing both players.
“Damn!” Yugi yelped in awe. “Deemer arena’s off the chain!”
Hastily, he clicked to respawn and went after Dog of War.
So caught up was Yugi in his game that he never heard the door opening and closing behind him or the hushed sound of bare feet padding over his wooden floor. He might have heard the creak of the bed, but just took that for the ambient sounds of the game.
Atem couldn’t help but smile in amusement at Yugi’s laser like focus on his game. At this moment, a nuclear blast occurring outside wouldn’t have been able to distract Yugi from the game. After settling on Yugi’s bed with his back against the wall, Atem cast a quick glance around the room, smiling again when he saw the posters of the pyramids and Sphinx that Yugi had mentioned upon their first meeting. The cartouche that Atem had drawn for Yugi was taped to the wall near the head of Yugi’s bed so Yugi could look at it when he went to sleep and when he woke up, bringing a broader smile to Atem’s lips.
The sound of an explosion from the computer’s speakers caught Atem’s attention and he focused on what Yugi was doing.
“Shit!” Yugi cried.
“Ha! Fucked ya up d’ ass dat time!” Jou’s voice came over Yugi’s speakers.
“Yeah? Well, I’ll fuck you right back!” Yugi almost screamed back into his microphone as he fired his Redeemer at Dog of War.
As Yugi continued to play, Atem watched him closely, memorizing every mouse click and keypress he saw. After a while, Yugi exited the LAN and connected to the Internet to host a game.
“Enough of this bullshit. I’m playing online!” he fumed.
Dog of War has entered.
Yugi and Jou began fragging each other over the Internet, this time using the stock weapons. Eventually, some other players entered and began blowing Yugi and Jou away.
“Agh! Damn it!” cried Yugi, hastily clicking to respawn.
This happened again and again, Yugi only landing one or two frags. Finally, a frustrated Yugi slammed his fist down on the desk, pushing the keyboard tray angrily away from him.
“Fucking aimbotters!” he spat.
“Ha ha ha ha!” a quiet laugh emanated from behind him.
“Huh?” yelped Yugi as he swiveled his chair around, to see the Egyptian gazing at him with upturned lips and twinkling eyes. “Atem?! How long’ve you been here?”
“Long enough to see you getting your ass handed to you,” answered the smirking Egyptian.
Yugi crossed his arms and looked away with a huff.
“You did say I was welcome in here. Was I wrong to enter while you were playing your game?” Atem inquired, a note of anxiety seeping into his voice.
With a sigh, Yugi uncrossed his arms and looked at Atem again, smiling weakly at the Egyptian to reassure him.
“Nah. It’s cool. I’m glad you’re here. I’m just pissed about the damn game,” he fumed.
“So I could see,” chuckled Atem with a return of humor.
“What the hell am I doing wrong?” Yugi complained.
Atem stood up from the bed.
“Might I take over?” he asked.
Yugi’s eyes lit.
“Yeah. Have a seat!” he said happily. “Want me to tell you what to do?”
“No, thank you. I’ve been watching,” replied Atem as he sank gracefully into the chair.
The first thing he did was open the music player and promptly stop the music, allowing the ambient sounds of the fighting on the map to fill the room.
“No music?! But that’s half the fun!” protested Yugi.
An elegant eyebrow arched.
“I know it sounds cool, but it also drowns out the sounds of approaching players and surrounding skirmishes,” explained Atem.
“Aw, OK…” grunted Yugi, taking a seat on the mattress.
Dog of War: yuge y aint u respawnin?
black_mage: My apologies. Be ready!
Atem respawned Yugi’s player and almost immediately started landing frag after frag on the others while far fewer were landed on him.
Upon seeing this, Yugi scrambled to his knees and sat at the foot of the bed, right next to Atem, to better see the gameplay.
“Hot damn! That’s awesome!” Yugi cried as he watched Atem execute a perfect combo with his shock rifle. “You really know your shit, Atem!”
“Not really. It’s just common sense,” said Atem with a dismissive shrug.
When Atem won the map, he pressed the key combination to make the character do a victory dance and looked at Yugi with a cocky smirk.
“I trust you were paying attention?” he joked.
“Was I! You’re too awesome for words!” cried Yugi as he and Atem stood to switch places.
“Why, thank you,” purred Atem as he again made himself comfortable on the mattress to watch.
Yugi applied Atem’s techniques to his game and noticed an immediate improvement. Instead of blasting heavy metal, he listened to what was going on around him so no one could ambush him. He also stayed lower so that he wasn’t a moving target.
Atem nodded his approval at Yugi’s progress.
That evening…
Yugi sucked his breath through his teeth at the sight of the crisscrossing welts and bruises that made up the majority of Atem’s back, the lingering scent of water and soap filling his nostrils and stirring a strange heat deep in his core that he did his best to tamp down.
“I’m sorry,” Atem said softly.
“For what?” asked Yugi as he squeezed a pea sized dollop of ointment onto his fingers.
“For dragging you and Jounouchi into my troubles,” Atem answered, lowering his head.
‘He doesn’t even believe he deserves any kindness or friendship,’ Yugi’s thoughts trailed off as a sob threatened to strangle him. ‘Strong! Strong! Strong! I’m Atem’s rock. I can cry in my room later!’
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he returned softly. “You didn’t drag us into anything; we stuck our necks in by ourselves.”
“Why?”
“Because I really, really like hanging out with you, talking with you. Just the thought of what he was doing to you…” Yugi swallowed another sob as he rubbed. “I couldn’t just let that go. That’s not who I am.”
“You have a good heart, Mutou Yugi, The Innocent” Atem returned. ‘I pray to Ra it doesn’t get you killed.’
“And you have a strong heart, Ishutaru Atemu, The Warrior,” Yugi returned firmly.
“I hope to be able to believe that one day,” Atem replied, lowering his head.
The tricolors fell silent as Yugi continued softly working the ointment into each welt, feeling Atem’s skin twitch under his gentle touch. Finally, the last welt was medicated and Yugi capped the tube.
“Thank you, Yugi. I can finish up here,” said Atem resolutely. “Good night.”
“Good night, Atem. Sleep well,” Yugi said as he stood up.
“You too,” returned Atem with a small smile as he watched Yugi head for the door.
‘I hope I’ll be able to sleep at all.’ was the thought shared by both tricolors at that moment.
Yugi slumped down at his desk and finally allowed the tears that had been building up all evening to fall, though still attempting to keep his sobs quiet. Remembering Jou’s words about adults using their power over children to hurt them, Yugi thanked every god he knew of that he had lived with his wise and loving grandfather after his parents’ deaths.
‘Grandpa was always there for me, always kind and loving to me. He never hit me once, even when I deserved it,’ Yugi thought. ‘Atem’s whole world must’ve been shattered when his parents died and he fell into that evil old bastard’s hands. No wonder he was the way he was and why it’s so hard for him to trust people. I’m so glad he trusts me.’
With a final hiccuped sob, Yugi resolutely wiped the moisture from his cheeks, eyes falling on the golden box on his window sill. He didn’t know why, but tonight, the box drew him more than ever. After opening it up, Yugi set aside the two sections he had succeeded in assembling and set to work, fitting five more pieces together. He then attempted to fit the three sections together, but had no luck.
‘Well, at least I got something done,’ he thought, putting the puzzle away and grabbing his PJs for his bath.
That night…
/
Atem was face-down on the bed, wrists bound in leather strips to the head posts and his ankles to the foot posts. Adrenaline borne of fear coursed through his veins as his heart thundered away. The footsteps grew ever closer, the floor creaking ominously beneath them.
Creak creak creak creak
Then he came into view, his one good eye glaring at Atem as though he were the devil incarnate instead of a young boy. In his hand reposed the thick brown leather strop. Atem already felt the tears in his eyes, the whimper rising in his throat before he could catch it.
“Mmmmaaaammmmmmhhhhh....”
The eye narrowed at this sound, anger glinting in its brown depths. The strop was raised, still for a moment, then its thick length came singing down toward the exposed flesh.
CRACK!
“Aaaaahhhh!” Atem cried as pain blossomed along his back.
CRACK!
In the fog of agony, Atem lost count of how many lashes he took from that implement of torture.
Finally, the belt was laid aside. However, there was to be no mercy for the young boy. Well he knew this as he felt the mattress shift under his uncle’s weight as the elder man climbed on behind him, the sound of shifting fabric reaching Atem’s ears.
Panic welled up in him anew as he felt callused hands grasp roughly at his nether cheeks, parting them to reveal the small star-shaped pucker. The next moment, he felt himself being torn apart inside as a long, hard phallus invaded his unwilling insides and thrust harshly upward.
“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Thump-bump!
“No! Please stop!”
As the thrusting grew more and more intense, Atem’s insides felt as though they were being torn apart. Calloused fingers and thumbs roughly pinched and worried tender nipples, adding to Atem’s agony as the thrusting and burning continued.
Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump!
“Take it out! It hurts!”
Smack!
A stinging blow to his parted nether cheeks.
“Quiet, demon! For every scream or word you utter, you get ten more of these,” growled Akhnadin’s voice from behind.
At these words of warning, Atem scrunched his eyelids and pinched his lips together in a bid to stem the tide of screams and sobs that wanted so desperately to burst forth from him.
Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump!
Tears fell unabashedly from Atem’s face as the onslaught continued without cessation or mercy. Every thrust and pinch sent burning waves of pain through his whole being. At length, he felt something warm and wet squirt deep inside him. Moments later, Akhnadin yanked his flaccid member from Atem’s violated ring.
“Unnnh…”
“I will drive the evil from you yet.”
/
Yugi wasn’t certain of the time when that disturbing sound awoke him from a sound sleep. The only thing he was certain of was that something was happening that shouldn’t have been. Raising his head, he listened.
Thump-bump!
From Atem’s room.
Heart sinking like a stone and body shaking all over, Yugi crawled out of bed and opened his door to listen.
Thump-bump!
‘Atem?’
Thump-bump!
‘Oh, gods!’
Remembering Mai-sensei’s advice, Yugi ran down the hall and opened the door to Atem’s room, then turned on the light. Atem lay in the bed, legs tangled up in the sheets as sweat poured in rivulets from his brow. His face was contorted in agony and his cheeks damp with silent tears.
Again, he thrashed about, trying to dismount his unseen tormentor, the movement so harsh that it made the bed bump against the wall.
Thump-bump!
‘Oh, Atem,’ Yugi thought, heart squeezing in his chest as he took a deep breath.
“Atem! It’s Yugi! Please wake up! You’re just having a nightmare!” Yugi called as loudly as he could.
Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump! Thump-bump!
Yugi came closer to the bed. He had to end this. Again, he took a deep breath.
“ATEM! WAKE UP!” he all but screamed in the dark one’s ear.
Atem’s eyes snapped open. Moving on pure instinct, he shoved Yugi roughly away from him, sending the younger man sprawling onto his back, seized his wallet and chucked it straight at Yugi’s head, forcing Yugi to raise his hands to deflect the projectile.
“GET OUT!” Atem screamed as he seized the bedside lamp and sent it after the wallet.
Seeing the lamp flying at him, Yugi was barely able to dodge, even as Atem was disentangling himself from the sheets, eyes flashing with pure rage and panic.
Deciding it best not to see what Atem would do now that he had no objects to throw at him, Yugi jumped to his feet and went tearing from the room, hearing the door slam shut and lock behind him. He didn’t stop running till he was back in his own room with the door shut.
Under the safety of his covers, Yugi grabbed his phone and texted Mai.
blackmage: atem was having a nightmare. i was able to wake him up with my voice, but he shoved me away, threw his wallet and lamp at me and locked me out. no, i did NOT touch him!
HarpyLady202: OK. That’s fine. He just needs to feel safe right now. As hard as it’s going to be, I’m going to ask you to leave him alone for the night. Once he’s calmed down, he’ll probably go back to bed.
blackmage: he won’t try to kill himself, will he?
HarpyLady202: I doubt it. Just to be safe though, I had Jou take everything sharp out of the bathroom before you guys brought him home.
Yugi smiled vaguely.
blackmage: good thinking. i’m going back to bed now. thank you so much.
HarpyLady202: Good night and don’t mention it.
Yugi crept back to his door, casting a worried glance at Atem’s bedroom door, with light still emanating from under it. With a sigh, Yugi shut his door, climbed into bed and closed his eyes. Even though he didn’t think he would, he fell asleep in minutes and dreamed.
/
c 1270 BC
Waset, Kemet
Balancing the heavy vase atop his head, Hebai picked his way carefully over the grounds between the palace and the gently flowing Nile. The sun’s rays beat down mercilessly on him, causing beads of sweat to form and cascade down his skin, the only thing stopping him from being sweat blinded, the linen head covering he wore to keep the dust out of his preposterous tricolored hair.
Splash!
The sound from the river on the right caught Hebai’s attention, causing him to glance over just long enough to catch the sight of a very beautiful, very naked bronze god at play in the river’s vibrant depths. Smooth muscles working under bronze skin, Pharaoh Atem swam about in the water as fluidly as any crocodile Hebai had ever seen.
Unable to resist the forbidden temptation presented to him, Hebai set down the vase and squatted, able to safely enjoy his illicit Pharaonic peep show from the concealing safety of the bushes.
The Pharaoh dove under the water, then thrust himself out again, starfish shaped hair now slumped down over his shoulders, crimson, black and gold flowing together in a tricolor cascade. This was lovely enough, but what really caught Hebai’s attention was the look of utter peace and happiness on a face that was so often weighed down with the cares of the world. How different it was to see the crimson eyes dancing and the lips parted in a smile of unabashed, childlike joy.
Hebai vaguely registered the feeling of warmth stirring in his core, but was as yet unable to remove his eyes from the vision of beauty before him.
“Hebai! Where’s that vase of water?!” called the sharp, angry voice of the High Priest from the palace. “You’ve been gone for a quarter hour already! It doesn’t take that long to fetch water!”
‘Eep!’ thought Hebai, realizing what would be his fate were he to be caught peeping on the swimming Pharaoh.
He quickly picked up the vase and left the cover of the bushes, making certain that no one was within sight of him before actually emerging back onto the path.
/
Yugi’s eyes flew open. He realized that his boxers were a tiny bit wet and closed his eyes in embarrassment.
‘How old am I again?’ he berated himself.
He was distracted from his thoughts by the door opening and a figure entering. Yugi could tell by the large spikes of hair silhouetted against the dim backdrop who it was.
“Atem?” he questioned.
“Forgive me,” was all Atem was able to choke out before collapsing into Yugi’s computer chair and dissolving into stormy sobs. "Unnnhhhh!!!"
“Aw, Atem. Don’t worry. You didn’t hurt me. I always thought that lamp was ugly anyway…”
The sobs only increased in intensity, Atem beginning to choke on his own breaths again.
‘Probably not the best thing to say…’
“Atem, it’s OK. You were having a nightmare and I probably didn’t help things any by screaming in your ear,” Yugi soothed. “Don’t worry about it, buddy. No harm, no foul.”
“I th-thought you were h-him,” Atem managed to choke between sobs.
“Can I hold your hand?” Yugi asked.
With a few hiccups and sobs, Atem extended his hand toward Yugi, who took it in both his and squeezed gently. Holding Atem’s hand in his left, he began stroking the back of it with his right hand, moving slowly and softly in a bid to soothe the agitated Egyptian.
“Relax, Até,” Yugi murmured as he gently stroked. “It’s OK. You’re safe here. Me and Jou are gonna do whatever it takes to protect you. We got your back.”
Most of Atem’s sobs had died down to sniffles and hiccups by now. It seemed that he was receiving Yugi’s words on some level, even if not truly listening. Yugi felt Atem shift under his touch and smiled to himself.
‘He really trusts me!’ he thought jubilantly.
Yugi looked and found the Egyptian’s eyes shut, face the picture of relaxation.
Smiling to himself, Yugi gathered his blanket and draped it over Atem so he could sleep on the chair.
Monday, April 18, 2005…
Beep beep beep beep!

The matutinal stillness was shattered by the cacophonous klaxon that was Yugi’s phone alarm. Reaching over quickly, Yugi slammed his hand down on the button to end the alarm. For a moment, he was tempted to roll back over in bed, but then remembered the events that had transpired last night and shot up.

His eyes immediately fell on the empty computer chair. He reached out and felt the seat, finding it cool, which meant that Atem had awakened and left hours ago. When he looked to the foot of his bed, he saw that the blanket had been tucked neatly over his body, probably when Atem had left.
‘I wonder how he’s doing,’ Yugi thought.
Pausing only to shed his PJs and dress, Yugi fired up his computer into its Admin account. Once there, he created a separate user account under the name Ishutaru Atemu, granting it the ability to use installed programs and go online.
Yugi’s ears quirked at the sound of the door down the hall swinging open. Jumping up so fast that his chair swiveled, Yugi made a beeline for his door and opened it. There was Atem, who was also emerging from his room, clad in form-fitting black leather pants and tank top. The two stopped and stared at each other.
“Good morning, Yugi,” Atem greeted evenly.
“Morning, Até,” Yugi returned awkwardly. “Um, how are you?”
“Somewhat better,” Atem answered with a small smile. “Thank you for staying up with me.”
“I’m glad I could help,” Yugi replied with a smile.
“You did,” Atem reassured, returning the smile.
Silence fell between the two for a few seconds.
“Um…. want me to stay home with you today?” Yugi asked.
Atem shook his head decisively.
“Your first priority is your education, Yugi. I’m not so fragile as to let a nightmare incapacitate me,” he replied.
“But…” Yugi began, only to have Atem’s forefinger pressed to his lips to silence him.
“Go to school. I’ll be fine,” he said slowly and firmly.
Only when Yugi nodded did Atem withdraw his finger.
“OK. But first, I made a user account on my computer for you so you can do your courses online while I’m gone and after you’re done, you can play all the games on my machine, if you want,” said Yugi. “The password is ‘desertrose’. One word.”
“Desert Rose?” asked Atem, cocking his head.
“Er… Um…” Yugi stammered, blushing and looking at his feet.
“Ha ha! Never mind,” smiled Atem. “Thank you. I’ll look at it after you’ve left.”
“OK. I’d better get downstairs before Jou gets all the chocolates. See ya when I get back!” said Yugi as he headed for the staircase.
“Yes, you will,” Atem called after him.
After Yugi and Jou had left, Atem ventured into Yugi’s room. Across the sea of toys, puzzles and manga was the desk with the computer at the user account selection screen reposing on it. Atem made his way carefully through the flotsam, breathing a sigh of relief when he reached the desk. After sinking into the chair, Atem found his account and typed in the password. After clicking login, he watched as the desktop loaded.
Having only used computers a scant few times in his life, Atem found the whole thing quite daunting. However, he was a smart guy and quickly found the Domino University website shortcut, which Yugi had created on the desktop for him.
From there, it was just a matter of logging in with his student ID number and the password all the students had been assigned upon registering. There were all his classes, not to mention an email inbox!
‘That’s right! Yugi mentioned that the students have access to email!’ Atem thought as he clicked through the different folders of the email site.
Finally, he clicked and began his coursework…
Domino University…
Jou put the car in park and he and Yugi jumped out.
“See ya at lunch!” said Jou.
“Yup. Peace out till then,” said Yugi as he and Jou split up.
Yugi made his way through the building, taking the nearly empty wing to avoid any chance of being accosted by bullies. Now that Atem was taking his classes online, Yugi had to look after himself again.
“Hullo, Yugi!” he heard the lilting voice of Bakura call to him.
“Hi, Bakura,” Yugi greeted with a smile. “Thanks for your help on Friday.”
“Do tell. What happened?” asked Bakura.
Yugi thought. He didn’t want to break Atem’s confidence. However, he felt like he owed Bakura something of an explanation.
“I found him. He’ll be OK now,” was his answer.
Bakura looked a bit disappointed, but evidently decided against pushing and just nodded his acceptance of Yugi’s answer.
Yugi went straight to his Psych class and found his usual desk. He couldn’t help but let out a sad little sigh as he looked at the empty seat to his right. How he missed having Atem in the room with him. It was so unfair that Atem had to hide out at home because of the possibility of Akhnadin searching for him. They had seen hide nor hair of the old bastard since Atem’s rescue, but it simply wasn’t safe for Atem to return to school. Hopefully soon, Atem would be able to and they could sit together again, sharing smiles and notes as they had before Atem’s rescue.
12 o’clock
Home…
Atem glanced at the clock in the system tray and saw the time. In a Pavlovian response, his stomach rumbled in protest of its empty state. After typing a few more words and clicking Submit on his last assignment of the morning, Atem decided that he had earned a break. He stood up and made his way slowly to the door, this time picking up and laying aside any of the debris in his path.
After emerging from Yugi’s room, Atem stalked out to the kitchen in search of some food. Standing in the doorway, he was greeted by the sight of a dingy gray floor, littered with candy wrappers, over which he carefully made his way, grimacing at the feel of dust and grime against the soles of his feet. Upon opening the fridge door, he found the shelves stacked with Coke, Mountain Dew, Jolt Cola, Crank and Red Bull.
“Are those two competing to see who has a heart attack first?” he wondered in consternation as he closed the door.
He made his way over to the counter and began opening the drawers, peering in them curiously, but finding nothing of import. That is, until he opened the drawer to the right of the sink. Within reposed the plastic wrapped candy that Yugi had told him of at the clinic.
“Breakfast of champions, indeed,” he snorted in derision as he slid the drawer closed again.
Upon opening the pantry door, Atem was horrified to see shelf after shelf of Doritos, every Japanese flavor imaginable, staring him down.
“It’s a wonder they haven’t killed themselves already!” he said as he quickly swung the door closed.
Deciding to confirm his hunch, Atem opened a cupboard and nodded to himself when he found it bare of eatingware, not so much as a plate or cup to be found.

'After all, what need have they for plates, cups or silverware if everything they eat comes in a plastic bottle or bag?' Atem thought to himself as he closed the cupboard with a shake of his head.
Back at Yugi’s computer, Atem returned to Domino’s email site and used the option to create an alias for himself, which would be more personal than his student number @dominouniversity.edu.jp. In place of his student number, Atem typed in DesertRose3000 as his alias and clicked Save. This done, he fired off his first ever email to Yugi.
Domino University
Yugi’s stomach rumbled loudly as he ran to meet Jou in the courtyard. He spotted the blond sitting at a picnic table. When their gazes met, they smiled and waved at each other. Yugi saw that Jou had already started in on his bag of Doritos. He plopped down on the bench and opened his as well.
“How was class?” Jou asked as he crunched.
“Good,” Yugi replied indifferently, but with a downcast gaze.
“You’ll see ’m at home,” Jou said.
“Yeah, I know. It’s just not fair Atem can’t even come to school anymore,” Yugi groused.
“Can’t chance dat ol’ bastahd catchin’ ‘m here ‘n dis’ll be da first place ‘ll look,” pointed out Jou.
“Yeah. I know,” said Yugi, shooting a paranoid gaze around.
“Dun worry. Eithah a us sees ‘m, we text da othah,” said Jou, tapping his phone.
“Right,” agreed Yugi, secretly glad to feel the bulge of his phone in his pocket.
Bzzzz!
“Aw. Who the hell could be texting me right now?” he fumed as he dug out his phone and opened it.
DesertRose3000: Guess whom?
“No way! It’s Atem! He must’ve figured out how to access email!” cried Yugi as he quickly added Atem to his contacts, then happily tapped out a reply.
“Dun see why ya’d be surprised. Temu’s a smaht dude,” commented Jou.
“That’s for sure. I never even showed him how to use the Web,” commented Yugi as he tapped Send.
At home…
blackmage: hi Até! welcome 2 the online world!
Atem smiled vaguely as he typed again.
DesertRose3000: How goes the classwork?
blackmage: boring as hell and there just seems 2 be more and more of it.
Atem couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him at this.
DesertRose3000: So I noticed on the site. It took me two hours to complete all of it.
Domino University…
“Two hours? Who the hell can get all this work done in two hours?!” cried Yugi as he read Atem’s text.
“‘Parently, him,” remarked Jou as he gulped down some Jolt Cola.
With a sigh, Yugi tapped out his reply.
blackmage: only 2 hours? it’s gonna take me at least twice that long!
DesertRose3000: Perhaps if you actually concentrated on your work instead of dividing your attention between it and video games as I’ve noticed you’re wont to do.
blackmage: well if you keep using my computer tonight, i’ll have no choice but to stick to my hw
DesertRose3000: It’s a deal. Would you please tell me Mai-sensei’s email? I’d like to chat with her as well.
blackmage: HarpyLady202@________.com
At home…
Atem quickly added Mai and Yugi’s respective addresses to his contacts on the email site.
DesertRose3000: Thanks again for the use of your computer, Yugi. I must say I find this online world very compelling. Lunch hour is almost over, so I’ll let you return to your studies.
blackmage: your welcome. i’d rather keep chatting with you, but i guess your right. see you when i get home.
“Ha ha ha!” laughed Atem as he typed out his last message to Yugi.
Desertrose3000: Yes, you will.
‘Now for Mai-sensei,’ Atem thought as he started a new email.
DesertRose3000: Mai-sensei, this is Atem. Yugi is generously allowing me the use of his computer during the day. I thought I would drop you a line to say that I’m doing well here so far. However, I was wondering if I might trouble you for a ride to that Lebanese restaurant you mentioned. I saw what Yugi and Jou consider food and my stomach turns to an acid vat just thinking of it.
HarpyLady202: Hello, Atem. I’m glad to hear you’re adjusting well. Yugi‘s biggest fault is the blind devotion he follows Jounouchi with, like sheep over a cliff. I’ll be right over.
DesertRose3000: Thank you a thousand times over.
Later…
Mai grabbed the heaviest bag and started toward the house.
“Oh, Mai-sensei! I can…” called Atem.
“You can next week. Doctor’s orders,” insisted Mai.
“Hn. Very well. Let me unlock the door for you,” conceded Atem, running ahead of Mai to get the back door for her.
“Thank you,” said Mai as she stepped inside, then leaned as far over the edge of the genkan as she could to deposit the bag without stepping up into the house.
Then she stopped and looked closely at the gray floor.
“I don’t think this floor is supposed to be gray,” she observed.
“It isn’t,” was Atem’s answer as he set down a light grocery bag.
“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum can’t even manage to sweep and mop a floor…” remarked Mai with a shake of her head.
“I was thinking of…”
“Not until those bandages come off, Mister!” Mai insisted sharply.
“Doctor’s orders?” asked Atem with a smile.
“You’re a fast learner,” said Mai. “Tell you what. After we’ve brought in the groceries, I’ll help you clean this place up.”
“Oh, Mai-sensei. I couldn’t…” Atem tried to decline.
“Nonsense, Atem. After all, I am personally invested in one of the residents of this place. It’s not like you’re imposing on a stranger,” insisted Mai.
Atem sighed and smiled at the lady doctor.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” returned Mai.
After putting away the groceries…
Accordingly, after the food was put away in the fridge and pantry and new diningware reposed safely on the shelves in the cupboards, behold Mai and Atem, armed to the teeth with mop and bucket, cloths, cleaning spray, bleach and plenty of hot water. Because Atem was still recovering, Mai put him on polishing and dusting duty while she tackled the sweeping and mopping of the floor.
As they worked, something amazing happened: the walls and floor gradually brightened from dull, dingy gray to a dazzling alabaster. The musty, moldy smell was replaced by that of bleach, soap and hot water.
After cleaning up, Mai allowed Atem to help her whip up a delicious lunch with the food they had brought home. The two friends sat and talked about Egyptian theology and Middle Eastern history, which Atem was pleasantly surprised to find Mai so knowledgeable about.
“Thank you for your help, Mai-sensei,” said Atem with a bow from the waist.
“You’re welcome, Atem. Good luck with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” smirked Mai as she stepped down into her shoes. “You’ll need it.”
“Ha ha ha!” laughed Atem as he watched the doctor leave.
After Mai had left, Atem stepped back down into his boots and began walking slowly about the grounds. The backyard was large, with long blades of grass reaching up for the sunlight. Further back were the tall old growth trees that Yugi had mentioned. Allowing his footsteps to lead his path, Atem found himself walking among the large old trees, smiling up at them with their thick trunks and great, jagged branches whose leaves reached up for their share of the sunlight.
Taking his time in his stroll, Atem inspected every bush and tree his eyes fell upon. He enjoyed himself so thoroughly that he could hardly believe it when he heard his watch’s beep, which indicated the hour.
‘Yugi seemed to enjoy my food more than his Doritos when he first tried it. I wonder if that will still be the case tonight,’ Atem thought as he started back for the house.
That evening…
After waving goodbye to Jou, Yugi bolted for the house. He was beginning to feel hungry for dinner, which meant some flavor of the month Doritos, to be washed down with his choice of caffeinated beverage. He unlocked the front door, anticipating grabbing his recently opened bag of chips, when a most exquisite scent tickled his olfactory gland. Closing the door behind him, Yugi followed his nose, pausing only to leave his shoes in the genkan.
As he moved through the living room, he noticed that the air smelled of soap, hot water, and a vague lemon scent. Also, the wooden surface of the table was dark brown instead of faded. When he stepped into the kitchen was when he got his real surprise. Gone was the dingy gray floor; in its place, the bright alabaster upon which Atem now stood, presiding over the stove, all four burners going at once.
“Good evening, Yugi,” Atem greeted without looking back. “Set the table, if you would.”
Yugi blinked. He wasn't exactly sure if he remembered how to set a table.

"Um..."

"Piled on the counter," Atem's patient voice supplied.

A mystified Yugi's eyes fell upon the chopsticks and some bowls and plates piled on the counter. Moving carefully, he picked them up and carried them to the table. As he began his work, memories of having done similar tasks for Grandpa as a child filtered back into his mind, guiding his hands as he laid everything carefully out.
“Jou will be out for the evening, I take it?” Atem ventured as he continued his work.
“Yeah. He has to work at the hardware store tonight,” answered Yugi as he set down two plates.
“I’ll set some aside for him then,” mused Atem.
Soon he was bringing everything over. Yugi stared bug eyed at the hot food with steam rising off it.
“It's hot!” he gawped.
“As dinner usually is,” replied Atem with a smirk as he set everything down.
“Dinner. Yeah, I remember dinner. Grandpa used to work the stove and we had hot food,” reminisced Yugi.
“Then this should kindle pleasant memories for you,” smiled Atem.
“What is it?” asked Yugi.
“Food from my homeland: The tabbouleh, you already know. These are falafel, koshari and fetir meshaltet,” Atem announced as he dished everything up.
“Smells great!” cried Yugi.
“I should hope so,” smiled Atem as he sat down.
“Thanks for the food!”
“It is great!” said Yugi around a mouthful of fetir meshaltet.
“I’m glad you like it,” responded Atem, eyes twinkling mirthfully.
“Hey, Até, how’d the floor change colors?” Yugi asked as he ate.
Atem glanced at Yugi with something between a grimace and a smile before answering.
“Magic.”
“Really? Cool!” cried Yugi.
‘Atem’s such an awesome guy! I’ll do everything I can to protect him make him happy,’ Yugi thought as they ate.
That evening…
Atem entered Yugi’s room and sat on the bed to watch while Yugi played UT2004. Following Atem’s techniques, Yugi had improved rapidly and had even started winning a few maps.
Yugi too noticed improvement in Atem as the Egyptian seemed to feel a bit more comfortable tonight, moving closer to watch the action, making comments and even cracking a few jokes about the gameplay.
After Yugi had played for a while, Atem took over and wowed Yugi with his leet gaming prowess.
‘I think he’s gonna be OK,’ Yugi thought happily as he watched Atem dodge all the ammo shot at him.
Still later that evening…
Jou came home from work and stared in disbelief at the white floor when he entered the kitchen to rummage for food.
“How’d da floor change colah?” he asked.
“Magic,” answered Yugi solemnly as he concentrated on his homework.
“No shit? Cool,” said Jou as he opened the fridge door. “Wut’s dis?”
“Dis” being the leftovers of Atem and Yugi’s dinner, which Atem had refrigerated for Jou’s return.
“It’s Middle Eastern food Atem made. It’s real good. You can microwave it or eat it cold,” advised Yugi.
Jou put everything in the microwave and set it for two minutes, then stood back to await his dinner.

"There's plates in the cupboard if you want something to eat it off," advised Yugi.

"Plates?" echoed Jou as he approached the cupboard and opened it, to behold the plates, cups and dishes staring back at him. "Shit on me!"

"They're real useful. You can eat food off 'em if it didn't come in a bag," commented Yugi.

"No shit," said Jou as he picked up a plate and stared at it admiringly. "What'll dey invent next?"

Ding!

Jou carefully spooned up all the food onto the plate, then slumped down at the table.
“Awshum,” he murmured around a mouthful of koshari .
“I know,” smiled Yugi.
“Good shit. I gotta showah ‘n change,” Jou said, jumping to his feet to dump his plates.
“Going out with Mai-sensei?” asked Yugi.
“Yep,” grinned Jou before taking off for the staircase.
Later…
Atem’s eyes raked up and down Jou’s form when the blond emerged, now dressed in a dark blue longsleeve shirt with a collar and his mop of hair actually having been tamed with a comb. Atem also swore he could smell cologne emanating from him.
“You're clean and groomed! And your shirt is tucked in!” he exclaimed. “What gives?”
“Heh heh! I got a date t’night!” Jou said with a rakish grin.
A smile crossed Atem’s features.
“Enjoy the evening,” he said.
“T’anks, man!” grinned Jou as he headed for the stairs.
Later…
Atem and Yugi sat watching an action dorama on TV. When the ads came on, Yugi grabbed the remote and muted them, having no patience with them.
“Yugi, how came Jou and Mai-sensei to be a couple? They don’t seem at all compatible on first blush,” asked Atem.
“Hee hee! It’s a great story!” exclaimed Yugi. “Jou and Mai faced off at the Duel Monsters regionals last year, right after Jou won his Red Eyes. Mai used her Harpie Lady deck and Jou used his beast and warrior deck. Using his Red Eyes to destroy the Harpie’s Pet Dragon, Jou won with 50 life points to spare.”
“That’s an insanely narrow margin!” exclaimed a wide-eyed Atem.
“Yeah. Mai-sensei was so impressed by the duel that she gave Jou her phone number and email. He contacted her and they’ve been an item ever since,” finished Yugi. “That was also the last time he beat her in a duel.”
Atem couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the story.
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You were right, Yugi. That was a great story,” he declared.
Yugi smiled, happy to have amused the oft melancholy Atem.
Later still…
Click click click click
Six more pieces of the puzzle yielded up their mysteries as Yugi was able to fit them together. Even better was when he was able to merge these with one of the other assembled sections, forming a corner.
‘Yes!’
/
c 1270 BC
Waset, Kemet
The hot sun beat mercilessly down on Hebai as he pulled the rope, trying to tug a particularly stubborn donkey to some unknown destination.
“Haaaaaaaw hee-haw-hee-haw-heehaw!” the animal protested as it digu its back hooves into the sand and refused to budge an inch.
“C’mon, donkey! We gotta getcha into town and seell you!” Hebai pleaded with the recalcitrant quadruped.
Hebai gave a mighty tug and finally succeeded in getting the donkey to take one step forward. Just as he was about to get it into a rhythm, he felt the itchy stinging bite of a gadfly on the back of his neck, causing him to let go of the rope, causing the donkey to turn away from him and begin to walk off. After squishing the noisome insect on his back and scratching the itch, Hebai made to go after the stubborn donkey.
“Oh no, you don’t!” he cried as he lunged forward and grabbed at the rope to begin pulling again.
“Hee-haw hee-haw hee-haw!” the donkey protested, long ears pinned back against its head, indicative of its displeasure.
“Oh, for the love of Ra, come on, you stubborn ass!” Hebai cried as he gave a goodly tug, which accomplished nothing except causing him to stumble backwards a step.
He froze when he felt a solid body pressing up against his and hands, much stronger than his own, closing over his and giving a gentle, but firm tug on the donkey’s lead. To Hebai’s surprise, the ears came forward and the donkey started walking forward cooperatively.
“Tha…” his words died in his mouth upon seeing his helper, none other than the Pharaoh of Kemet himself, crimson irises twinkling and lips turning up in amused smile!
“Great Pharaoh! You’re not supposed to do menial work!” Hebai gasped.
At this, the Pharaoh’s lips turned down in a frown, though his eyes continued to twinkle.
“And who has the authority to stop me?” he asked, deep, rich voice penetrating to the very depths of Hebai’s soul.
“No one, Great Pharaoh. Please forgive my impertinence,” apologized Hebai.
“Consider yourself forgiven,” smiled the Pharaoh, giving Hebai’s shoulder a squeeze. “Now, let’s get this stubborn ass to the front gate.”
Hebai and Atem were able to lead the donkey to the front gate, at which point the Pharaoh disengaged himself from the chore so as not to catch hell from a certain sharp eyed High Priest in his pointy miter.
After quickly handing the donkey off to the people who were to take it to town, Hebai ran back around the corner and watched the Pharaoh’s retreating back.
‘He’s so beautiful, like a rose blossoming in the desert.’
/
Tuesday, April 19, 2005…
“Who’s the shrink and who’s the patient?” Atem asked.
“Me!” answered Yugi quickly.
An elegant eyebrow shot up.
“Patient!” Yugi elaborated.
“Alright, the topic for tonight is... bullying.”
“My favorite subject,” replied Yugi with a roll of his eyes.
“Sorry. Describe to me how you deal with your bullies,” Atem commanded as he read from the book.
“By letting them beat me up and until they get sick of it,” Yugi answered shortly.
“Mmm-hmm. And how has that worked for you?” Atem inquired.
“I’m still here, ain’t I?” Yugi answered acerbically.
“Does that really suffice for you?” Atem asked. “You deserve better than that, Yugi.”
“Do I look like I can fight back and win?” Yugi asked.
Atem looked Yugi over. Indeed, with his large eyes and short stature, Yugi didn’t look much like a fighter at all.
“It's not always about your abilities, Yugi. Ninety percent of the battle when dealing with a bully is psychological. You have to make them believe that you can take them, even if you can’t really,” Atem explained.
“And just how the hell do I do that?” Yugi asked waspishly.
“By projecting a strong demeanor. You walk with your head up, eyes gazing about. Never let anyone make you look away, or they win the battle of wills. Your shoulders should be back, never hunched and never shove your hands into your pockets,” Atem instructed.
“For real? Damn,” remarked Yugi.
“Indeed,” replied Atem with a grim smirk.
That night…
Click click click click
A smile broke out on Yugi’s face as seven pieces submitted to assembly and joined with another one of the previously assembled sections to form a sharp corner.
‘This puzzle’s a 3D object!’ he realized.
/
c 1270 BC
Waset, Kemet
Hebai looked about the great room with its high vaulted ceilings, from which hung banners, stout stone walls that kept out sandstorms and invaders and the smooth marble floor that the high priest had slipped on many times.
The feeling of a strong, soft hand closing over his and squeezing caused him to look to the side, into a pair of smoldering crimson eyes which sat in a strikingly beautiful face with sculpted cheekbones and delicately arched eyebrows. The full lips quirked up in a smile as the pharaoh leaned closer and closer until their lips touched.
An explosion of warmth!
/
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Domino University library
“My Black Magician and Black Magician Girl blow away your Dark Necrophilia!” Yugi declared.
“Wonderful game, Yugi!” declared Bakura as he and Yugi retrieved their cards.
“Mah turn! Mah turn!” cried Jou. “I’ma kick yer ass, Yuge!”
“Ha ha! OK, Jou!” smiled Yugi as he turned to face the blond.
After Yugi and Jou had prepared each other’s decks, Bakura flipped the coin.
“Heads!” called Yugi.
“Tails!” grinned Jou.
“Tails!” announced Bakura.
“Prepare t’ die!” grinned Jou. “I play Rocket Warrior ‘n a face down cahd. Turn ovah!”
“I play Kuriboh and one card face down,” announced Yugi.
“Marshmallon and Kuriboh, direct attack on the player’s life points!” ordered Yugi.
“Ah, fuck…” grumbled Jou as his life points dropped to zero.
“That was an… amusing game,” remarked Bakura with something between a grimace and a smile.
That evening…
Yugi and Atem sat at the table, eating beef stroganoff, the tender strips of beef and mushrooms making their mouths water even as they chewed.
“I noticed a shogi board on one of your shelves. Do you play often?” Atem inquired as he paused to drink his iced tea.
“Not really anymore. Me and Grandpa used to play all the time, but he always kicked my ass,” replied Yugi.
“Would you care for a challenge?” asked Atem.
Yugi looked up into the Egyptian’s bright eyes.
“Sure!” he answered, starting to shovel his beef and noodles into his mouth. “Let’s finish up so we can get to it!”
A bit later…
Yugi and Atem sat hunched over the shogi board, seemingly at an impasse. Neither of them noticed Jou standing in the doorway, having just returned from work.
At last, Atem made his move. Yugi saw the Egyptian’s setup way too late to do anything about it. Atem advanced the rook he had captured from Yugi earlier, taking out his two remaining pawns and cornering his king.
“Checkmate,” the Egyptian said simply.
“Great game, Até,” congratulated Yugi. ‘At least I still win at the circle.’
‘Yuge, ya might actually have some competition fer yer title King a Games,’ thought Jou as he silently retreated upstairs.
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Darkness Before Dawn