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dxmichelle · 4 years

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🌟 2020 fanwork highlights 🌟

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I was tagged by both @atembomb and @rainstormcolors!

2020 was wild. As I mentioned in my year-end wrap-up post, I wrote a ton of things, and since you can always check out the post through that link, I’m only going to share a few snippet quote here.

From Nerdshipping Shenanigans, I present passages from both “Blind Date” and “Weekend Getaway”, which I think were the two best ship pieces I’ve done this year.

In “Blind Date”, Ginny coaxes Hermione to attend Hogwarts’s winter formal, and sets her up with a date in the process.

Ginny turned the page in her book. “Is he stopping by Hogsmeade in two weeks?” There have been three Hogsmeade weekends so far through the year. Each time, Seto had traveled from wherever he was working to see Hermione, and she had never seen her friend so eager to visit the village before in all the years she had known her. One time, he even brought Yugi, and the three of them spent almost the entire afternoon at one of the outside café tables next to Wermes Bookstore.

She looked up to see the smile slip from Hermione’s face. So he wasn’t coming this time…interesting.

“He’s going to be at a convention that weekend,” Hermione said. “But he has the rest of them in his calendar. That was the only one he won’t make.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” said Ginny. Her face softened and she smiled sadly at her. “It must be really hard being so far away all the time.”

Hermione sagged back against her pillow and looked away from her.

“…So where is he these days, anyhow?”

“Right now, San Francisco,” said Hermione, and she leaned forward to pet Crookshanks. “He’ll be in back in Japan during Hogsmeade weekend, promoting a new video game for his company.”

“Guy sure does get around,” said Ginny, “How do you keep track of all the places he keeps going to?” She then smirked over at Hermione and cut in before she could respond. “The answer is – you can’t. Like that one time when –”

Hermione’s face reddened. “It was one time!”

“Weekend Getaway saw Hermione sneak Seto out of the office to celebrate his birthday.

Seto woke to the faint sound of squawking seagulls and his eyes slowly opened to the darkened bedroom. Hermione was snuggled in, sharing the other half of his pillow with her head resting against the crook of his neck with one arm draped across his chest. He could feel her slow, deep breaths; each exhale a puff of air that warmed his skin just above the collar of his pajamas.

Of all the places she could have taken him, he did not expect a quiet coastal town off the eastern shore of the United States, in a little rented house that sat right along the beach, and the front steps led right onto the boardwalk that seemed to continue on forever in each direction.

“This place is charming,” Hermione had said when they first arrived. “Someone from the Department of International Magical Cooperation mentioned this town to me when I was trying to make plans for the weekend.”

They had spent the better part of yesterday exploring the town. The summer tourist season had ended last month, clearing most of the crowds from the beach. Cool crisp air rolled off of the water to counter the unusually still warm autumn weather. They had to have walked up and down most of the quaint little town, and wandered into a number of tiny little shops.

The longest brunt of time was spent in a hidden gem of a bookstore, four blocks from the house.

“I swear I didn’t know about it when I made the reservations!” she had said. Did he plan on spending half his vacation day in a bookshop? Nope. But was he going to begrudge her the chance to find something to take onto the beach, after seeing how much her eyes lit up once she saw the sign above the shop door? After seeing the pleading look of ‘can we please detour on our way to the museum, just for a few minutes?’ Absolutely not.

It didn’t matter that five minutes turned into a couple of hours.

Sufficed to say, wandering all over town on foot had tired him out more than he expected, and he felt he slept better than he had over the entire last week.

Despite waking up at six in the morning, like clockwork. Hermione seemed to be still asleep.

He shifted, to try and get out from under her arm when she suddenly let out a sad, whiney sort of noise, and she tightened her hold on him.

I also had the fun of writing a gift fic during this year’s YGOME exchange and had the most fun diving into Yugi’s headspace as he returns home from Egypt. This is from Guilt.

Yugi didn’t talk for the majority of the plane ride home, but did manage to give a small smile and a wave to his grandfather at the airport. Grandpa naturally pressed for details but only received short, clipped answers in return: what happened to the Millennium Puzzle? (“Gone.”) Did they get to finish what they set out to do? (“Yes.”) Did he still have the God cards? (“No.”)

Though he had to check himself on the last one. It was no secret that his grandfather loved to admire them, but Yugi vaguely remembered the tomb taking back the God monsters, just as it did the Millennium Items, as if to say the Pharaoh has left. The Millennium Items are gone. Their work is done, they can all finally rest.

Yugi sank down onto his bed and, with a shaking hand, pulled the golden box from his bag. Inside sat both his new Duel Monsters deck, and the one he used to share with Atem. He removed his deck and put it safely away in his deck box. But he couldn’t help but stare at the set of cards he left inside.

Ten years…

Yugi scooted back against his headboard and clutched the golden puzzle box tightly against his chest, eyes closed.

If he went back in time ten years to the date Grandpa handed him the Millennium Puzzle, broken apart in this very box and told his younger self of all he had to look forward to, both the good and the bad, he would have thought himself mad. Eight years to complete a simple puzzle? Ridiculous! Magic? Come on!

Gonna cut it off here because otherwise I will be dropping fic snippets for the next week. OLSSM, Sapphire Road, Ghost in the Machine, and Murder Most Foul all have too many great moments and I love them all equally.

Continuing forward, I’m going to tag @darksidechick823 and @bellamy-taft! But if you see this post and are a writer, consider yourself tagged too! :D

#michelle replies #michelle writes fic #ask meme #tag game

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imagitory · 5 years

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The Cast of Yu-Gi-Oh...Sorted!

Hey guys! I’ve done several other posts like this for other fandoms and I’ve even Sorted some of these characters in other Sorting Hat asks in the past, but...well, I just decided, why not compile all of those thoughts in one big post to answer the question: where would the main cast of characters from Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters be Sorted, if they attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

Yugi Mutou ~ Hufflepuff!

I’ve seen a lot of fictional Sortings favor putting “the hero” in Gryffindor with his “best friend” types all being in Hufflepuff, but Yugi, in my opinion, is a perfect example of how heroic Hufflepuff values can be. Whereas Atem uses clever strategies to outwit his opponents and save the day, Yugi’s greatest strength and magic is his compassion. It’s what transformed a bully like Jounouchi into a loyal comrade, what opened up fiery, distrustful Rebecca to friendship, what strengthened the bonds between the many different friends he’s made, and what moved the ruthless spirit of darkness inhabiting his body so much that that spirit saw him as his partner and equal. Like many Hufflepuffs I know, Yugi always puts his friends first, putting their safety and well-being over his own every time -- self-sacrifice is a tenant of Hufflepuff house, and Yugi has that in spades. Still, Yugi is just and noble enough to also protect those who might not necessarily “deserve” his help: he values all life, regardless of whose it is or how terrible that person has been to him. Yugi is warm, dedicated, loyal, and modest, and being a connoisseur of games, he also esteems fair play, hence why he reacts so bitterly to Insector Haga throwing his grandfather’s Exodia cards off the boat in an underhanded way to keep Yugi from using them to win any more duels.

Yami Yugi / Pharaoh Atem ~ Slytherin!

Atem is the yin to Yugi’s yang, the darkness to his light, and therefore the Slytherin to his Hufflepuff. Whereas Yugi’s soul room is light, airy, and open, Atem’s is a dark labyrinth of endless tunnels and traps -- and yeah, Hufflepuff’s and Slytherin’s commonrooms, despite both being underground, have that same dichotomy, with Hufflepuff’s being sunny and cheerful with a location next to the kitchens and Slytherin’s being dark and dungeon-like by the underground lake. Atem’s eternal goal is to win every game he plays, regardless of whether or not he initiates the game or not, and he will do anything to win, even if it ends up compromising his morals. (See his duel with Kaiba during Duelist Kingdom or the Orikalkos duel with Raphael for evidence of this.) When he or his friends are threatened, Atem also retaliates ruthlessly and mercilously, as Insector Haga or any of his Shadow Game victims from the early manga or season 0 can tell you. Fortunately, despite his intense drive to win at all costs, Atem does always follow the rules of whatever game he’s in and he almost always wins because he’s both clever and resourceful enough to outwit his opponents. Appropriate to Slytherins as well, he has a great desire and focus on his past, wanting to learn more about it so as to better understand who he is, what he’s supposed to do, and how he can approach the future. If Yugi showcases Hufflepuff heroism with mercy and kindness, then Atem showcases Slytherin heroism with brilliance and passion.

Katsuya Jounouchi ~ Gryffindor!

Admittedly Jounouchi does fit the hot-tempered, aggressive, yet noble stereotype of Gryffindor pretty well off-the-bat, but there’s more to it than that for me. Jounouchi is a very active person, ready to jump in to protect his friends from whatever slight is thrown their way -- all of the Gryffindors I know have a very “knight”-like affect to them where they just can’t sit back and do nothing when people are being mistreated. I would also argue that in the series, Jounouchi is motivated to become a stronger duelist not just because of him wanting to help his sister (which is why he entered Duelist Kingdom), but because he wants to improve himself. As he tells Kaiba at one point at the end of Battle City, even after he lost to Marik on a technicality (JOUNOUCHI SHOULD’VE WON THAT DUEL AND BECOME THE OWNER OF THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA AND I WILL SCREAM THAT ‘TIL THE DAY I DIE), “his Battle City isn’t over,” because he hasn’t yet earned his Red Eyes back from Yugi in the duel they promised to have after the tournament was over. And honestly, I’d say Jounouchi’s “Battle City” will probably never be over for him, because every duel he fights only makes him love the game more and makes him push himself to become even better. Jounouchi’s nobility also shines through multiple times in the show, whether it’s promising to save Ryuzaki’s soul from Dartz after he defeats him in their duel, ordering his Red Eyes Black Dragon to protect Mokuba from a blast from the Five-Headed Dragon even if it meant dooming himself, or getting Yugi the last piece of the Millennium Puzzle back after he threw it into a pond.

Hiroto Honda ~ Hufflepuff!

Honestly, thanks to his lack of character development in the Duel Monsters anime and the shifts in his limited characterization between his manga, season 0, and anime selves, this Sorting is really tricky. In season 0 exclusively, Honda is portrayed as more of a rule-keeper and is the head of the “beautification department” (which I guess is sort of like a janitorial thing, but for students?). It hints to a love of order that seems very Ravenclaw-esque and could’ve been an interesting twist to set him apart from Jounouchi and the others, but alas, it’s something that really isn’t reflected that much in either manga!Honda or DM!Honda’s characterization. In all three mediums, though, even though he’s depicted as having been Jounouchi’s friend long before he met Yugi and Anzu, Honda still comes off as more level-headed and cautious than Jounouchi. If Jounouchi is a raging hothead, Honda is the down-to-earth voice of reason. We also see in all three mediums that Honda has a romantic side, whether it’s with classmate Miho Nosaka or Jounouchi’s little sister Shizuka, and really, it’s in that capacity that we see that Honda can be pretty darn stupid too. (Not trying to bash Honda, truly, but this guy does not know how to play the game of love at all.) In the end, no matter which series we see him in, Honda’s main motivation is sticking by his buddies. He’s no duelist and he has little interest in being so, but he deeply cares about his friends’ safety and will always be right there to protect them and cheer them on however he can. So as much as I lament that I don’t have more to work with when it comes to Honda, his loyalty and down-to-earth demeanor do seem very consistent with Hufflepuff.

Anzu Mazaki ~ Gryffindor!

Anzu is another character whose characterization fluctuates between the manga and the two anime series. In all three mediums, she’s a dedicated, romantic person who although not being talented in Duel Monsters herself is always there to cheer her friends on in their struggles. In the manga, she’s depicted as a little more flighty and girly, using love charms and getting her romantic fortune told, and at one point even recklessly putting herself in danger in the hopes that “the other Yugi” will appear and rescue her. In season 0, we see her being braver and more vocal in standing up to people -- she tries to protect a girl from punishment after she gets caught trying to confess her feelings to Jounouchi in a love letter; she helps catch a criminal hiding out in the fast food restaurant she works in by lying about what ingredients are used in their burgers; and she resolutely decides to have her soul transferred into a doll alongside Yugi and her friends when Yami Bakura challenges them to a Monster World Shadow Game. In the Duel Monsters anime, some of that courage is shaved off of Anzu and she’s depicted as less reckless and more grounded, but there are still points where her nobility can shine through, like when she decides to fight in Yugi’s place to win Mai’s star chips or she stops Atem from attacking Insector Haga over and over again after he’s already won. Although I could very easily see Anzu fitting into Hufflepuff as well (especially in the Duel Monsters anime), upon a lot of reflection, I think that, since I would put two out of the three versions of her in this house and even the third version could still work there, Gryffindor is her ultimate best place.

Seto Kaiba ~ Slytherin!

I’m sure a lot of you were expecting Ravenclaw, and yes, I do think Kaiba is on the cusp between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, but let me explain why Kaiba is a Snake in my mind and not an Eagle. Kaiba is a very intelligent person with a great love of achievement, yes, but his sole focus is always on getting what he wants, whether it’s defeating Yugi, winning all three Egyptian God cards and then defeating Yugi, opening up his own theme park where he can defeat Yugi -- LOL, okay, I’m partially kidding, but...yeah, Kaiba’s focus is solely on what he wants, even if it is to win at something. Ravenclaws tend to have a very “worldly” view of the world and try to find their own distinct place in it, whereas Slytherins don’t give a damn about the rest of the world as long as their inner circle is safe. Throughout the series, Kaiba consistently chooses his little brother and the well-being of his company over everything else. In fact, in the Japanese dub of the Duel Monsters anime, the reason Kaiba barely reacts to all the crazy magic stuff going on around him isn’t because he doesn’t believe it’s happening like English!Kaiba, but because he simply doesn’t care. All he cares about is beating Yugi and looking after his company and brother. Everything else going on in the background, even if it does involve unknown magics that could shake someone’s entire world view and their place in it, just isn’t that important to him. Plus Ravenclaws aren’t just known for their intelligence and love of achievement -- they’re also known for wisdom and open-mindedness, both of which are very unKaiba. Kaiba is incredibly judgmental of everyone he meets, only deigning to show respect to those very few people he deems as being on his level, and although in the Japanese dub of the Duel Monsters anime, Kaiba showed moments of deeper thought and good judgement, the only wisdom English!Kaiba showcases on a regular basis is his assortment of snarky wisecracks. But if we look at Slytherin’s values, I think they line up with Kaiba and his characterization a bit better. Ambition -- well, considering that he challenged a CEO to a game of chess just to get him and his brother adopted, forcefully took over that same CEO’s arms and weapons business, and turned the whole thing into a gaming company complete with its own gaming products, Duel Monsters tournaments, and friggin’ THEME PARK, all before he even became a legal adult, I’d say that fits. Resourcefulness -- as Kaiba brings up to both Amelda and Ziegfried, he started off with nothing and could only use his talents and smarts to outwit his stepfather, take over KaibaCorp, and make it successful. Cleverness -- Kaiba may not be the King of Games, but he’s probably the only duelist who truly stands toe-to-toe with Atem in the dueling arena without cheating. Even Bakura, another one of Atem’s most prominent rivals, has to cheat in both the manga and the anime series to try to stay ahead of him. A certain disregard for the rules -- honestly, Kaiba tends to follow the rules of whatever game he’s playing, BUUUUT he does still seem to find joy in bucking other people’s expectations and doing whatever the hell he wants because he can. I mean, this is the guy who bought an entire city to host a gaming tournament, quickly wrote a ridiculously high check to a car salesman before driving off in one of his cars without another word (does he even HAVE a driver’s license??), and who blew up his own Duel Tower on KaibaCorp island just so he and Mokuba could fly away on their Blue Eyes White Dragon jet out of the rubble. (There is a reason why in Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, his catchphrase is “screw the rules, I’ve got money” -- just sayin’.) And honestly, as much as Kaiba claims he doesn’t look back at the past, he is still clearly haunted and defined by it. The wounds of Gozaburo’s mistreatment were so deep that Kaiba felt like he had to blow up the ruined remnants of his old headquarters just to try to move on with his life. Atem defeating him affected him so much that he spent five whole seasons and an entire movie obsessing over their rivalry and how he would eventually defeat him. Hell, in DSOD, he even tried to put the Millennium Puzzle back together in a vain attempt to get Atem to come back and duel him again, and when he failed in that, he actually made a device so he could crash Atem’s friggin’ AFTER-LIFE just to try to duel him! “Bury the past,” my ass! As much as I could see Kaiba fitting pretty well in Ravenclaw too, I think part of the reason he and Atem are so at each other’s throats all the time is because of their two massive Slytherin egos constantly trying to one-up each other.

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thosewhoruleegypt · 6 years

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What Followed the High Priest Home (Chapter 3)

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters/Ships: Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping (Atem/Yugi); Gemshipping (Thief King Bakura/Ryou Bakura); Puppyshipping/Revertshipping (Priest Seto Kaiba/Jounochi); Atem, Yugi, Thief King Bakura, Ryou Bakura, Priest Seto Kaiba, Jounochi Katsuya Rating: M (WARNINGS for steamy fade-to-black moments, banter of a sexual nature, and some abuse of lotus wine) Length: Chapter 3 / 7; 3600 words

Summary:

Upon his homecoming, Priest Seto Kaiba certainly didn’t expect to find a statue of the Thief King in the middle of the palace courtyard, right where the Pharaoh’s statue ought to be. He also didn’t expect the stray puppy he picked up on his travels to follow him all the way home.

In the meantime, the Great Royal Husband, Yugi Mutou, makes a new friend, one Jounochi Katsuya, and Pharaoh Atem wonders when the power dynamics around his palace got so difficult to navigate.

Sequel to “For Love of Pharaoh and King;” “The Pharaoh’s Lotus Garden—Part I” accounts for the time between the two works. Can be read separately, but will make more sense with context.

Full Story Begins Here! Read on AO3 Previous Chapter – Next Chapter

Chapter Three: Thief King’s Court

The Thief King sat down heavily on the ground. "I've defeated your god, Priest Seto—I've won my pride, and wounded yours. So I won't play spoiler to your duel with Horus any longer. I forfeit."

Atem paled to an entirely unnatural shade of gray, mouth falling open, and Ryou trotted over to embrace the Thief King. Diabound, too, slithered over to its master, even as other cards—including the pendant that had hung around its neck—began to flutter down around them.

"Are you proud of me, my gem?" the Thief King murmured, his face buried in pure white hair. Ryou nodded and murmured an affirmation into his chest. Bakura laughed when Diabound nudged him in the ribs; he scratched the snake on the head. "Right? I thought so too, my friend. Thanks for the great fight."

"I'll kill him. I'll kill the bastard thief..." Atem muttered, even as Yugi trotted over to congratulate the Thief King and Jounochi ran to Priest Seto.

"Well, you won, technically," Jounochi said with a shrug, and the Priest lashed out at him; Jounochi, anticipating it, skipped backwards.

"This was no victory," Priest Seto snarled, then strode across the field to stand over Bakura. "You've robbed me of my victory, thief, and for that I won't forgive you!!"

"Robbing people is my specialty, as a thief," Bakura said, with a chuckle. Diabound, curling around him, hissed at the High Priest.

"And why in the gods isn't that thing dissolving?!" Seto demanded, flinching back as the snake stretched his jaws wide.

"He'll leave when he feels like it," Bakura said, patting Diabound's back. The snake bumped its head sideways into Bakura's ribs, and the Thief King chuckled.

Still fuming, Priest Seto turned to Atem. "I'm not pleased with this," he said darkly. "I refuse to call it a victory, in truth. But the fact remains—I'll have my rematch, Pharaoh. And you won't be able to slither out of being crushed like this filthy thief did."

"You didn't have the duel won, by the way," Bakura added helpfully. "I was down to 100 Life, but Soul Absorption was still on the field, plus Dia, of course, with Dark Pendant. You still had Luster Dragon, but it was no match for Dia. If you'd somehow managed to destroy him, before he finished you, Dark Pendant's effect still would have dealt you 500 damage, bringing you down to 100, and in my deck I still had—"

"Shut up!" Priest Seto snapped, and Pharaoh Atem said, "Enough!" simultaneously.

Bakura laughed. "Fine, fine... I'm just saying I surrendered because I wanted to, not because you had me beat. Plus, I just didn't want to see Dia hurt, after he brought down a god. I mean, that was a magnificent performance from him, don't you think?"

A fist sailed; Thief King Bakura yelped as it cracked into the back of his skull, and Diabound twisted to snap at the attacker. Jounochi Katsuya sprang backwards, crying out as the snake's fangs closed on empty air.

"You didn't beat him!" Jounochi yelled, though he kept his distance from the hissing serpent. "You're the one who gave up, so shut your stupid, ugly mouth!"

Bakura turned; gently disentangled himself from both Ryou's arms and Diabound's coils. The snake hissed, but held it's position as Bakura advanced. Jounochi, defiant, didn't retreat.

"You're his guard, or something? The dog that sleeps at Set's feet?" the Thief King rumbled, his grin twisting into a mocking curl that contorted the scar on his cheek.

"Yeah, I am!" Jounochi snapped, his fist drawing back again. In a flurry of expensive fabrics, Priest Seto was between them, and there was the <i>crack</i> of flesh on flesh as Bakura's fist met Seto's palm. Jounochi staggered backwards; thudded to the ground, and Yugi rushed to his side.

"Well hello, Set," Bakura purred. "Come to defend your puppy?"

"I've had about enough of your yapping, thief..." Priest Seto growled, and brought up his other hand to catch Bakura's free fist as it swung for his head. They struggled against one another, for a beat, and then sprang apart. As soon as there was space, Pharaoh Atem planted himself between them.

"Enough!" The Pharaoh looked smaller than usual, between the two larger men, but no less fearsome for his stature. "You've had your duel! It's been settled!"

"It hasn't been!" Seto objected. "He—!"

“It's been settled!" Atem repeated forcefully, swinging his head to face his High Priest. "I will duel you, Seto, as per your wager with the Thief King, so let this drop!"

Seto, after a defiant beat, lowered his head. Bakura stuck out his tongue.

"And so help me, cur, I'll have you whipped if you start any more trouble today!" Atem snapped, and Bakura looked duly unimpressed. "Publicly, right out by that statue you're so proud of, how about that?"

"Pharaoh, don't be nasty..." Yugi said silently, as he helped Jounochi to his feet. He squeaked, a moment later, when Priest Seto rounded on him.

"And you? Who are you? Some high-ranking serving wench?"

"That is my husband, Kaiba!" the Pharaoh said.

"He's my friend, Kaiba..." Jounochi said, at the same time, gripping one of Yugi's upper arms.

The High Priest swung from Atem to Jounochi and back again. "... The Great Royal Husband?" he asked Atem, at last, and the Pharaoh nodded.

"I know it was out of ignorance, but if you ever talk about him in that way again, I'll have you stripped of every honor I've ever given you," Atem said, seeming to have forgotten Bakura entirely. The Thief King stuck his tongue out at the High Priest again, from over the Pharaoh's shoulder.

When Priest Seto turned back to the Great Husband, Yugi extended his hand. "My name is Yugi, Yugi Mutou. I'm sorry for all the trouble, regarding your return."

"Why in all the gods are you apologizing?" Atem demanded, exasperated.

Seto inclined his head slightly, though he didn't accept the handshake. "I am Priest Seto. I am sorry, as well, but certain matters should be dealt with immediately."

"Our duel is not one of them," Pharaoh Atem said, his voice leaving no room for argument, and he appeared at Seto's shoulder. "I will honor the wager that you and the thief made, but not today. Today, you will report to me, as High Priest, regarding your mission, and then rest. We will have our duel tomorrow, and that is my final word."

Seto looked like he might argue, then lowered his head. "As you say, Pharaoh."

"Coward!" Jounochi jeered, although he still had a protective grip on Yugi's arm. The Royal Husband pulled Jounochi slightly closer as Atem's sharp gaze switched to them.

"He's my friend, Pharaoh. I stand by that."

"Why does your 'friend' mock me so, Yugi?" Atem's irritation was palpable, even without their mental link.

"Why did your cousin just call me a serving wench? I think everyone's a little confused—and a little tense."

Atem's eyes flashed. "Everyone, get out," he said, straightening his back to the point of near snapping. "Yugi, go to our room. Seto, see your disrespectful little attendant to your own chamber, then come to the throne room. And you two thieves, don't let me see you again tonight, or I may just take this all out on you."

Ryou caught Yugi's eye; nodded, and took Bakura's arm gently. The Thief King, though he'd been poised to say something—and likely a provocative something—looked down.

"Let's go, Thief King," Ryou implored, and Bakura softened visibly.

"See everyone tomorrow, then," the Thief King said cheerfully; waved. He caught Priest Seto's eye; pointed at him. "Good duel! I mean it. It was fun. I had fun! We should do it again sometime!"

Seto didn't respond, only glowered. Atem, too, sent Bakura a sideways look, and the Thief King held up his hands.

"I'm being honest!" he said, and Ryou pulled more insistently at his arm. He yielded, waving again and calling, "Good night!" as Ryou all but dragged him off. Diabound, who still hadn't dissipated, gave one last hiss before following its master from the duel field.

"Intolerable..." Atem muttered, then turned to Seto. "I'm sorry your homecoming turned out this way, Seto."

"Think nothing of it," Priest Seto sighed, massaging his forehead with one hand. With the Thief King's exit, the atmosphere between the two men eased considerably, and after a moment they grasped one another's arms; embraced, albeit briefly, and then parted.

"How are you, Cousin?" Atem asked. "Were your travels prosperous?"

"I am glad to be home," was the High Priest's reply. "And yes. Very."

"Your old chambers have already been prepared—I ordered it done before we left the throne room," the Pharaoh said. "Reports can wait. Everything else can wait, too. Why don't you go rest? I'll have food and drink brought to you straightaway. We can have a proper feast to celebrate, once this business is all settled. I've been looking forward to celebrating your return."

Seto bowed slightly. "My Pharaoh is a kind god."

"Alright! I get to see your room here at the palace, finally?" Jounochi asked, pulling slightly away from Yugi, and Seto fixed him with such a glare that he stumbled back.

"You are not welcome in my room, dog. Find someone else to tolerate your whimpering. I didn't ask you to come here."

Yugi pulled on Jounochi's arm. "Don't worry," he said softly. "You can stay with us."

Jounochi didn't respond to him, but instead stretched forward and called out, "You jerk!" even as the High Priest began to stride away. "You don't know the first thing, Kaiba! And you lost this duel today, you know that?! You had it lost, by the time that Thief King surrendered!"

High Priest Seto didn't respond, only gave another nod to Atem and vanished up the stairs. Only then did the Pharaoh round on his Great Husband and the strange newcomer. Jounochi bit his lip; drew slightly closer to Yugi.

"Your friend?" Atem demanded, and Yugi felt an insistent prod at his memories. He threw up a hasty mental wall.

"My friend, Pharaoh."

Atem's lip twitched as he pushed against the mental resistance, and for a moment the two stared at one another in silence. "Let me see, Yugi."

"No! It doesn't matter what—"

"Why is your neck bruised?"

Yugi cringed; Jounochi, oblivious to the conversation, looked at him curiously. "... It doesn't matter."

"Did your 'friend' do it, Yugi? I won't tolerate people who hurt you."

"You don't need to protect me, like this!" Yugi objected. "There are things I can deal with, like matters of my own friends! He didn't know any better, when he—"

"My cousin doesn't seem very fond of him, either," Atem said, "and if anyone should vouch for him, it's Seto. What do you think that means?"

"I don't know, exactly..." Yugi admitted, "but their relationship isn't... I mean..."

"Their relationship is none of my business, or yours, unless it effects the goings-on in the palace," Atem asserted. "But as far as I'm concerned, the second he laid a hand on you he became my enemy."

"Pharaoh..." Yugi appealed again, but Atem ignored him.

"You cannot stay with us," he told Jounochi, who cringed slightly.

"What did I ever do to you, Pharaoh?" the newcomer muttered, and Atem took a step forward.

"Pharaoh, stop it!" Yugi appealed aloud, and Atem turned to him.

"He hurt you, Yugi!" "What else do you expect me to do, but this?!"

"I expect you to be understanding. To take the context into account. He was confused, same as Priest Seto, and things got out of hand. He didn't mean to hurt me, and he's no threat to anyone, now."

Atem glowered, but then turned back to Jounochi. "You can stay at the palace, then, but I want you nowhere near Yugi. Or me."

"Where the heck am I supposed to sleep, then?!" Jounochi demanded, and Atem looked pointedly away.

"I don't care. Sleep out in the gardens, or ask the servants if they have a spare room." He turned; began to walk away, then paused and called, "Yugi?"

The Great Husband sighed; patted Jounochi's arm, and whispered, "I'll slip away later, and we'll figure something out. Wait for me out in the courtyard. Okay? I promise." Then he trotted after the Pharaoh, calling, "Coming!" and Jounochi alone was left in the duel ring.

... ... ...

Some time after night had fallen, Yugi slipped from the royal bed. Atem, though only half awake, felt him go and didn't object, only gave a mental order to be safe. Yugi kissed the Pharaoh's temple, then stole out into the courtyard.

Jounochi had settled himself on a little half-wall off the side of the palace; his head was tilted upwards, and he looked handsome, gazing upwards with his face bathed in starlight.

"Jounochi?"

The named turned; smiled at the Great Husband. "Why did I come here, Yugi? I'm just some punk kid. I don't belong here."

"You followed Priest Seto here," Yugi said gently, coming to stand beside the wall. He leaned in beside Jounochi. "You belong here because it's where he is—just like I belong here because of Pharaoh."

"You're the Great Royal Husband," Jounochi said dryly. "That's different."

"I'm only the Great Royal anything because Atem married me," Yugi said patiently. "I wasn't born into any of this. I never thought something like this would happen to me, not if I lived a thousand years." When Jounochi didn't respond, Yugi reached up and tugged gently on his sleeve. "Come on, let's head in. I know where we can go."

"Serket!" Thief King Bakura greeted Yugi in an unnecessarily loud voice, flinging his arms wide when he opened the door. Jounochi cringed back in surprise. "And the little puppy! Welcome!"

"Thanks," Yugi said, pulling Jounochi gently into the room. Ryou, on the bed, waved, and Bakura closed the door behind them. "Pharaoh's said he won't let Jounochi stay in our room, so I thought we'd come here."

"Of course! The pharaoh-ling Yugi is welcome at any hour, in the court of the Thief King," Bakura purred. "And his friends, too," he added, with a grin at Jounochi. The newcomer smiled weakly back.

"Sorry about him," Ryou said, from the bed. "Pharaoh sent up some lotus wine with our diner."

"The dear Pharaoh's way of apologizing, I assume, and do tell him I accept, Yugi," Bakura said, with a chuckle. He motioned to the table, still littered with roast meat and vegetables. "Are you two hungry? He sent up an incredible amount of food, too. Horus knows how to mend my wounded feelings, that's for sure."

"I had supper with Pharaoh, but I'm sure Jounochi is," Yugi said, and nudged his friend.

Jounochi nodded vaguely. "Yeah, I... could definitely eat, I guess..."

"You should always be able to eat, kid," Bakura said, picking at some of the leftovers as he did. "Even after a splendid feast, you should be able to eat even just a bit more. That little bit more might make the difference, when you find yourself starving, the very next day. Good appetite means you've got a will to live, y'know."

"I guess... yeah, I guess that's true," Jounochi said, and sat cautiously down at the table. Bakura pushed a bowl of wine over to him.

"Drink. Relax. We aren't near as uptight as Pharaoh Horus, here in the court of the Thief King, believe me."

Jounochi kept his eyes down. "I... tried to fight you..."

"That's good, too!" Bakura said, biting down on a pork bone. "Will to live—that's what it's all about! I'd never hold a grudge over something like that. Now, if you'd tried to slip a knife between my ribs when I wasn't looking, I'd be a little annoyed. But coming right up to me and challenging me, like that? That took guts, and I respect that. We'll have to have fair fight, one of these days! One on one, snake vs dog, whatdya think? Eat up!" he urged, pushing a plate across the table. "Gotta keep up your strength. I won't pull my punches just 'cause you're a scrawny little pup!"

"Bakura, dear, you're drunk," Ryou said gently, coming up behind the Thief King and wrapping his arms around the larger man's waist. "You're embarrassing yourself, dear."

"No embarrassment!" Bakura scoffed. "This kid's a good kid! He's gotten himself good and drunk a few times, and he's gotten into some good fights before, and sometimes he's gotten into good fights while he's good and drunk! He's just a pup, but he gets it. I can tell. He gets it!"

"That's true enough," Jounochi admitted, tucking into the lukewarm meat. He mumbled something under his breath, then cursed. "Damn, palace food is too good...!"

"Palace food is great," Bakura agreed, thudding into the seat across from him and pulling Ryou off balance. Ryou struggled to keep his feet, for a moment, but was dragged into Bakura's lap with a squeaked objection. "Yugi! Pour yourself some wine! Come join us!"

The young Great Husband smiled; shook his head slightly, and returned his gaze to the window he stood beside. "I'm okay. Thanks, though."

Bakura didn't push, instead engaging Jounochi about the finer details of street fighting. Ryou, though he tolerated being held and hand-fed on Bakura's lap for some time, eventually disentangled himself and moved to stand beside Yugi. He held out a glass of wine.

"It's not the lotus wine," he said with a chuckle, when Yugi gave him a sideways look. "Don't worry."

Yugi nodded; relaxed, and took a sip. "Thanks."

"You're going back to Atem tonight, right?"

Yugi nodded.

"Don't worry about Jounochi. He can stay here, of course."

"Thanks, Ryou. You're a good friend."

Ryou smiled—a soft smile, comfortable and well worn. "Not like you, Lord Yugi. This is the least I can do."

They stood in companionable silence, sipping wine and watching the stars creep across the night sky. Some time later, the sounds of conversation between Jounochi and Bakura were drowned out suddenly by a crash, and Ryou and Yugi both turned to see them wrestling playfully on the ground, a chair having been knocked to the floor a moment before. Ryou, with an alarmed squawk, handed his wineglass to Yugi and hurried to intercede. Yugi chuckled as Ryou pleaded with his King to have a bit of dignity, and, in Bakura's lapse of concentration, Jounochi landed a soft punch on Bakura's jaw from where he was pinned beneath the Thief King.

Not long after, Yugi excused himself; embraced Ryou, and bid Jounochi and Bakura a good night. He crept through the silent, dark halls; slipped into the room he shared with Pharaoh Atem, and then crawled up into their bed. Atem gave a sleepy murmur of acknowledgment, turning over and wrapping his arms around Yugi.

"How can you sleep so soundly, Pharaoh...?" Yugi whispered, returning the embrace. Atem mumbled something unintelligible. Yugi pushed at his shoulder until he rolled over onto his back, then crawled up onto Atem's chest. "Wake up for just a second. Please?" He nuzzled into Atem's neck; kissed and then nipped at the skin. "Please?"

"What...?" the Pharaoh mumbled, reaching up and giving Yugi's shoulder a cross little shake. "Wha-what-what's so important...?"

"We're going to duel Priest Seto tomorrow, Pharaoh?"

"We're going to duel Priest Seto tomorrow, Partner..."

"Are you scared?"

"I'm anxious. I'm not scared."

"Do you think he'll challenge you for the throne?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you think we can beat him?"

"I do, Yugi. I do."

Yugi pressed his lips to the Pharaoh's; Atem kissed him in return, and wrapped his arms loosely around Yugi's narrow shoulders.

"I love you, Partner..."

"I love you too, Pharaoh..."

"As long as you're with me, there's no duel we can't win. I'm certain of it."

"Then I'll stay with you forever. And no one will ever defeat you."

... ... ...

High Priest Seto was awoken by a familiar weight at the bottom of his bed; by an intimately familiar shape crawling up over him.

"Oh great Set..." the Priest groaned; rolled onto his back as Jounochi burrowed into the crook of his neck. "What are doing here, you stupid pup...?"

"What do you think?" Jounochi's voice was breathy; labored, as he stripped away Seto's nightclothes. The High Priest caught his wrists, and Jounochi allowed himself to be held still.

"Is that lotus on your breath?"

"What if it is?"

"Palace wine can be a bit more potent than what you're used to, hmm?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

Priest Seto stretched up; kissed Jounochi, passionately. Jounochi groaned softly with the satisfaction of it.

"We have to stop doing this..." the High Priest breathed, when they parted.

"Who says...?"

"I'm the High Priest, Joey..."

"So what?"

"I said this was over, that I wouldn't do this again once I got back to the palace..."

"You've said that a lot of times..."

They kissed, again, and this time High Priest Seto was the one doing away with Jounochi's robes. They fell in a tangle of flesh, teeth nipping at skin and hands grasping for purchase. As Jounochi's back hit the mattress, he laughed cheerfully.

"This bed is something else!"

"I've missed it," Seto muttered, busying himself with marking Jounochi's neck thoroughly. Jounochi's breath caught.

"Wouldn't be as nice without me in it, would it?" he asked, with a chuckle.

Seto growled. "It certainly wouldn't be as crowded."

"Shut up."

"You asked, pup."

"But I can stay?" Jounochi wrapped his arms around Seto's neck, pulling himself up to rasp the question close to Seto's ear. The High Priest shivered.

"Just for the night."

#revertshipping #puppyshipping #gemshipping #blindshipping #puzzleshipping #thief king bakura #pharaoh atem #yugi mutou #jounouchi katsuya #bakura ryou #priest seto #what followed the high priest home #WFtHPH #those who rule egypt #TwRE

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ashethehedgehog · 7 years

Text

Brothers in Arms

Words: 2,486

Comment: A quick little thing I wrote up for the lovely @tsukimilog!! It’s based off her short comic! This is platonic brotherly stuff, not my usual puzzle romance, just so you know! B)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Atem came home that evening from training exhausted. Yugi could tell in the way his shoulders sagged that he had had a hard day, his bangs sticking to his face in clumps he hadn’t bothered to readjust.

“Atem? How was training today?” Yugi smiled gently at him. Atem raised his head to offer a weak smile, sighing loudly through his nose.

“Tough. Exhausting. The priests are unforgiving with mistakes. They say a god never makes mistakes, and I must learn to never make them as well.”

“But you’re still young, and you have a human body. Surely they understand they can’t compare your skills to what Ra can achieve in the sky?” Yugi frowned, reaching out to loop Atem’s bangs behind his ears.

Atem hummed, brushing one of his hands against Yugi’s. “They’re worried if I don’t learn now, I’ll never be able to handle the weight of the dual crowns.”

“Atem, you’re tired, but you’re also stressed,” Yugi noted, coming to sit by Atem’s side. “We should go do something fun! Laugh and have a good time, like we used to, as kids!”

“Yugi, please. I have to rest for tomorrow. They expect me to be up before Ra’s rays.” Atem said, heaving a heavy sigh. He collapsed down onto the daybed, a tired hand reaching up to thread through his bangs.

Yugi watched him tug his crown off, gently dropping the gold onto a nearby table. This calls for a distraction, Yugi thought, a grin spreading over his face.

“Hey, how about we go looking for some dragons! That always cheers you up!” Yugi bounced up and down, snatching Atem’s arm and dragging it along with him.

“Yugi, stop, I- Hey!” Atem yelped as Yugi tugged him forward, and they both fell off balance.

Yugi laughed, slamming onto the cushions with Atem landing on top of him, head on Yugi’s chest.

“Yugi!” Atem groaned, scrambling up on his arms to suspend himself above Yugi.

Yugi shot him a grin, arms looping around Atem’s shoulders to bring him back down.

“Oof!”

“Come on Atem, lighten up!”

“Release me!”

“Only if you promise to have some fun with me!”

“I have no time for fun, Yugi-!”

“Then you have no time for me!” Yugi puffed up his cheeks, glaring at the other.

Atem stilled, eyes slowly raising to meet Yugi’s, looking incredibly guilty. “Yugi, please… I don’t mean to. I always have time for my brother. But… it’s less time, than when we were kids. I have more responsibilities now, and they’re only going to get bigger and more important. By the time the crowns pass to me, I must be ready to wear them high, or Khemet will suffer for my inexperience.”

“Atem, you can take a few hours off. You’re still young. No one’s saying you can’t handle it, but if you don’t know how to make light of a situation that calls for it, then how will you be able to rule justly? All work and no play makes for a dull life, brother.”

Atem smiled sadly. “I’m afraid that’s what being pharaoh means, Yugi.”

“Fine, but let’s at least go for a walk? Just a quiet one?” Yugi looked at him imploringly.

Atem’s gaze flickered between his eyes, and he sighed, smile breaking over his face. “I can’t say no to that face. All right, a stroll around the palace, but no further.”

“I’ll take it!” Yugi bounced to his feet, dragging Atem up as well.

They left their chambers behind, heading to the outlying corridors. Here there were windows cut into the sides of the palace, giving a great and marvellous view of the spiralling city below.

Yugi glanced over at Atem to see his eyes on the ground, his pace trailing slightly behind Yugi’s, a frown etched on his face. The kind he wore when he was deep in thought, something Yugi was beginning to see increasingly.

“You need to smile more. What kind of god doesn’t smile when he sees a land so beautiful?” Yugi beamed, turning to gaze out the window.

Truly a stunning view… he sighed happily, watching the glow of the afternoon rays bathe the city in brilliant shades of warmth. He could feel the life of the city from here, imagine the families crowding together for their evening meals, laughter in the air. He couldn’t remember the last time he had that with Atem, eating as a family, side by side. Most times Atem was required to eat in private, a quiet meal before he returned to his training, often well into the night.

“It is a beautiful view,” Atem said, pulling Yugi’s attention to him. Atem was leaning against the edge of the gap that marked the window, smiling out over the city. He turned to Yugi, eyes crinkling in happiness.

“You know, I don’t think I stop to admire this enough,” he continued. “So long spent with my head in books and bowed at temples, I had forgotten the simple wonders of the land we live in.”

“The smallest things can make the biggest difference, Mahad said once.” Yugi chuckled, Atem joining in.

“He’s right, of course; one should stop and take a moment to enjoy life, king or not. I hope I don’t forget that, when the crowns are on my brow.”

“Well, no matter what happens when you become king, I’ll be right there by your side. Someone’s got to keep you in check, after all,” Yugi said, clasping his hand in Atem’s.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Atem smiled, squeezing Yugi’s hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day Atem became pharaoh Yugi had never been prouder. His brother stood up on the balcony above his people, all gathered in the courtyard beyond the palace gates, hands outstretched as if to grasp a piece of Ra’s rays that shone off their god’s body.

Atem was practically alight with the amount of gold covering him. Ra’s light caught on every piece of it, setting him aglow, so much so no one could even look at him without being rendered blind from the brilliance.

Truly a god among men, Yugi thought, feeling his chest well up with happiness.

Atem raised his hand, addressing his people with a bold speech about the future of their kingdom. People screamed, people cried, and most of all, they bowed and swore their lives to their king, the living god blessing them with his presence.

As Atem turned in to head to his banquet, Yugi left his own balcony, racing through the halls to meet Atem there and talk to his brother.

He paused mid step as the two high priests appeared in the corridor before him.

“My prince, you are in a hurry to go somewhere?” one asked.

“I’m off to see the king and congratulate him,” Yugi replied.

“The king will be very busy today, accepting offerings and engaging the nobles. Perhaps it would be best to wait, young prince?” The other priest suggested.

“He’s my brother. I should be there for him.” Yugi protested.

“He’s not your brother, he is pharaoh, ruler of all,” the priest said, brows low in disapproval. “This is an important day for him, and if the coronation does not please the gods, his rule will be cursed.”

“We wouldn’t want that for his majesty, would we, my prince?” another joined in.

Yugi lowered his head, teeth worrying at his lip. If Atem’s rule was cursed because of me… I couldn’t… “No, we wouldn’t.”

“Good. You understand your place well, my prince. The pharaoh’s safety and ability to rule come before all else. So long as he bares the weight of the kingdom, he cannot afford… distractions.”

“I understand,” Yugi whispered, walking away. He heard the roar of the crowd below, still screaming their excitement, despite the king having left.

He retreated to his chambers, telling the guards nearby that he had fallen ill and was unable to attend the pharaoh’s banquet. He knew Atem would come looking for him otherwise, and he couldn’t afford to distract the pharaoh on his coronation day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks and months flew by, and Yugi did his best to distance himself from Atem. It hurt him physically every time he saw Atem, caught a glance of his brother’s warm eyes, and knew he couldn’t run up and hug him as he had as a child.

He would turn away every time, sliding off into the shadows to find somewhere free of Atem’s presence. It was mostly easy, as the priests and demands of the kingdom kept Atem so busy, he seemed to hardly realise when Yugi wasn’t there.

The kingdom flourished under Atem’s rule, food plentiful and attacks form neighbouring kingdoms had lessened as treaties and good relationships had been struck between them. Khemet had not seen such a golden age for many pharaohs’ rules, and Yugi still felt the flutter of pride in his chest when he saw and heard the great things Atem was accomplishing.

So it was to be, that one day as Yugi was strolling down a corridor to return some borrowed scrolls, he would run into Atem.

He saw the king first, stopping in his tracks and trying to reverse his steps.

“Yugi!” Atem called, and Yugi froze. “There you are!”

“Pharaoh.” Yugi turned around, dipping his head respectfully.

“Where have you been? It feels like ages since I saw you last,” Atem clasped a hand against his back, pulling him into a hug.

“I was at dinner last night,” Yugi pointed out, trying to wriggle out of Atem’s hold.

He stepped back when Atem let go, keeping his gaze lowered off to the side.

“Yes, but it’s not the same,” Atem said. He stepped forward, and it took all of Yugi’s restraint to not step back. “You should attend court with me today. It will be nice to have someone else there beside me while I judge.”

“But I… don’t belong there, Atem.” Yugi whispered, eyes darting around for anyone else wandering by.

“Nonsense,” Atem snorted. “You always belong by my side. We’re brothers, aren’t we?”

“Yes, but At-”

“Come now, it’ll be good for you to experience a court session. You’re technically allowed to attend them, you know. You are the prince.” Atem sounded amused, but Yugi could also hear some slight confusion in his tone.

“Court isn’t for me…” Yugi tried to drop the conversation, but Atem was persistent.

“The priests have been strangely silent in matters permitting you, so I figured it was about time I did something, let you have some glory to your name as well. Just because I’m pharaoh doesn’t mean that my brother should be given less for being prince.”

“Really Atem, it’s fine, this is where I belong.”

“No, it isn’t,” Atem frowned, stepping forward. “It’s by my side. That’s where you should be, not hiding off who knows where being forgotten.”

No, Atem… that’s how it should be. Yugi lowered his gaze, stepping back. “We can’t.”

“We can’t? Yugi?” Atem’s brows furrowed, and he took another step. “What’s…”

“I can’t do this, Atem!” Yugi finally snapped. He threw his heads in the air, pinning Atem with a serious expression.

Atem paused, flinched, even, carefully watching Yugi. His hand returned to his sides, where they curled into fists. “What are you saying, Yugi? You don’t… you don’t want this? To be by my side?”

“Of course I do,” Yugi whispered, the fight draining out of him. “But I… we can’t, Atem. You’re pharaoh now. And you have responsibilities. You can’t afford to be distracted. I’m too much of a distraction to you and your throne.”

“And that’s what you think you are? A distraction? Nothing more than a trivial moment to take away from what really matters?” Atem growled, arms shaking by his sides.

“I…” Yugi looked down, unable to work out a reply past the lump in his throat.

“Enough. This ends now.” Atem stormed away, feet slapping loudly on the tiles.

“Atem wait!” Yugi took a step forward to chase the other, arm outstretched, but found his strength failed him.

He collapsed to the ground, and with it, the final string holding back his tears snapped.

Fat drops trickled down his cheeks, and he let out a huge wail.

I can’t chase after him any more… this… is how things have to be. Khemet needs its king. He folded further into himself, trying to ignore the raw pain slicing his heart.

He was so far gone he didn’t hear the footsteps growing closer, nor the hand on his shoulder.

“Yugi,” Atem’s soft voice called to him. He froze, tears still streaming down his face.

“A… Atem?” he sobbed trying to blink away the tears. All he could make out was the muddy form of a person in front of him, browns and golds merging in shimmering shapes.

He felt hands at his face, and thumbs brushed over his eyes, taking the tears with them. As his gaze began to clear, he saw Atem standing in front of him, crouched down on one knee with a soft expression.

“I’m tired of people telling me what I can’t do and have. I’m sick of having to push away the most important people in my life, my friends, family… my own brother.” Atem said, looking down at the space between them, like he was too concerned to meet Yugi’s gaze. “I have sacrificed my life and happiness so that I may handle the weight of the crowns. But I see now, that this cannot be done if I must push everyone away. The crowns’ weight is too heavy to bear alone. This is clear to me now.

“This time, the throne will be shared by two. We are twins, after all,” Atem smiled, extending his hand forward. In it was a crown similar to his own, made of shimmering gold with the same patterns as Atem’s carved into it.

It was a crown fit for a king.

“Atem…” Yugi ignored the crown, leaping past it to wrap his arms around Atem’s neck. “I thought I would lose you forever.”

“No matter what happens, you’ll always be the most important person in my life,” Atem whispered, arms wrapping around Yugi.

“And you’ll be mine,” Yugi said, clutching tighter.

“Even when I am forced to marry, and if you marry too, we’ll still be the best of friends.”

“We will.”

They pulled apart after a moment, and Atem raised the crown to Yugi’s brow. “May I?”

Yugi nodded, and Atem pressed it against his skin, feeding it under his bangs and tying the clasps together at the back.

“There. Now Khemet will have two pharaohs ruling over its land and people.” Atem smiled, holding out his now empty hand. “Shall we go let the high priests know of your new status, brother?”

“I would like nothing more, brother.” Yugi said, slipping his hand into Atem’s.

#yugioh #fanfiction #fanfic #pharaoh atem #yugi mutou #ashe writes #my fic #the name comes from a rly good dire straits song i just used cause it was on when i was naming the file lmao #man its actually kinda weird when u write a ship for so long then u gotta make it platonic it takes a moment to change perspective lmao #not my usual kinda thing but then its not my AU so!!!

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ifwegettherebysunset · 7 years

Link

i guess my muse doesn’t care that i already posted smth today hahaaaa

"Yusei, are you busy?"

Surrounded by tools and mismatched machinery, Yusei looks up and pulls his goggles from his swollen eyes and says, "No. What do you need?"

Crow frowns. "Sorry. There's a donation to the orphanage that I need to pick up, but it's at Kame Game Shop." Yusei perks up. "And you know how it is with that place―"

"It's fine. I can go."

"...right."

Yusei untangles his goggles from his hair. "Just give me a minute."

Crow smirks. "Gotta look good, huh?"

"No, I'm just. Looking presentable."

"Uh-huh. Just bring the donation back here, and I'll take it across the bridge."

"Got it."

"...Yusei."

"Yeah?"

"The bathroom's that way."

"Ah. Right."

Crow scratches the back of his head. "You sure you're up for―"

"Yeah!"

"If you say so."

There's about three hours left of daylight. Plenty of time. No matter how much the city changes, Kame Game Shop will always be in Domino.

Yusei stops just outside the garage and puts his hands together. A light grows between his palms, small but bright. Slowly, he separates his hands, and it manifests into an orb that looks like a star. People walk through the square around Poppo Time, but Yusei's right on the edge of Zora's masking wards.

Yusei pictures the shop. Always on a corner, always displaying KAME. Normal people can freely come and go. It's more selective about magical creatures―you have to at least tolerate non-magical humans and get the approval of the shop itself. There are games stuffed on every shelf, from board games to cards, rarer items placed in a display case under the register. Some aren't meant for normal hands; the shop subtly repels those.

No, that's not quite right. The shop never repels, unless it really doesn't like you. There's a constant welcoming air, cheerful and playful as you would want in a game shop.

Then there are the attendants.

The star hums between Yusei's hands.

Intent. That's a vital part of magic. With these images in mind, Yusei presses the orb to his eyes. He hisses quietly as it settles, blinking rapidly. The blue of his eyes fades to a winter sky.

A shining amethyst path stretches into the street. Yusei smiles and revs his engine.

This time, Kame reveals itself two streets from Yusei, Crow, and Jack's place. Yet only Yusei could find it.

Flushing already, Yusei parks his bike and puts his helmet in the compartment under the seat. When he turns around, the shop door is open.

Yugi's grinning from the register, his friend Anzu fluttering about to check the restraints on some of the more violent games. Both greet him cheerfully.

"What brings you here today?" Yugi asks.

Yusei tries not to look like he's darting his eyes to the back door labeled EMPLOYEES ONLY. "Crow sent me for your donation to the orphanage."

"Oh, great! I'll get Atem."

Yusei's heart flips, but he blinks and asks, "What?"

Yugi sends him a knowing smile. Anzu pats Yusei with her little hand and tells him, "It's okay. No need to blush!"

The Puzzle around Yugi's neck glows.

There's a thump, followed by a crash and a hissing curse. Then Atem's hurriedly opening the door, smile ready. Yusei's stomach flips.

Anzu winks. "We'll leave you to it."

She wiggles her fingers and follows Yugi out.

"Ah. Good afternoon, Atem," Yusei says.

"Good afternoon, Yusei," Atem replies.

"I'm, uh. Here for the orphanage donation."

"Good, good. That's―just in the back. Storage. This way―though you already knew that."

Yusei nods. On the wall next to the restricted door is another, darker door. Atem touches the knob and the shadows dispense.

"I'm glad the guiding spell I gave you is still working," he says, turning the light on.

"Yes. Thanks again. It's nice to not have to drive around looking for you."

Atem runs his fingers along the cabinets lining the room. When one of the handles taps his fingers, he opens it.

"We got some great cards this time," he says.

Yusei smiles. "You always do. The children love them."

"That's all we want. Here we are."

Atem pulls out a large cardboard box. As he passes it to Yusei, it shrinks to pocket size. Yusei thanks him and puts it in his jacket.

"It's only two o'clock," Atem says, "I'm sure Crow can be patient."

Yusei tilts his head. "The children aren't expecting the delivery until five."

Atem grabs Yusei's collar and pulls him in. His lips are cool, slightly chapped. Yusei grips his elbows and sighs.

"Take your gloves off," Atem whispers.

Yusei fumbles for a second, eliciting quiet laughter. But he gets it, and they clasp hands, kissing again. Their magic seeps and blends together, lunar and sunlight. They moan into each other's lips.

"I missed you," Atem says, "You should visit more."

Yusei nuzzles his forehead. "I don't want to intrude."

"You're never intruding. Everyone's happy to have you. I am too. Of course."

Yusei pecks his lips. "You could always visit me too. When you're not busy."

Atem wraps his arm around Yusei's neck, keeping one of their hands together. "I'll see what I can do. The shop is very possessive, you know."

Yusei hums, accepting another kiss. Their braiding magic is intoxicating. "I'd like that."

"But I was finally able to get a signal on my phone."

Yusei brightens. "Yeah?"

"If you want my number. Then we can text. And things. If you want."

Atem grimaces. Yusei chuckles, squeezing his fingers. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that they're both inexperienced with this.

"But for now," Atem says, "you still have time."

He backs Yusei against the cabinets. Yusei's breath punches out of him.

"Yeah," Yusei murmurs.

They're both blushing terribly, but Atem puts on a confident face and reaches under Yusei's shirt to massage his hip. Yusei relaxes, stroking Atem's hand with his thumb. Golden and silver magic sparks.

"I love you," Atem says.

Yusei bites his lip, but he can't stop grinning. "I love you too."

"Oh great," Jack mutters, "He's sighing again. And humming."

"Lay off 'im, Jack," Crow replies, "He deserves something nice."

Yusei attaches another part of a circuit board, cheerfully unaware of his friends' words. Unaware of everything, really.

Jack grunts. "Doesn't mean he should flaunt it."

Yusei's humming switches to a bouncy tune. He taps his foot along, and with each tap, twinkling lights twirl into the air, bouncing with him.

Crow smiles. "I don't think he can help it."

Jack scoffs, batting away one of the lights. "Wait until it's three in the morning and these things are crawling under your door."

"That was one time."

Yusei's phone vibrates. He rushes to look at it.

The lights grow and sing.

Crow scratches his forehead. "Okay. Maybe twice."

#writing by sunset #synchroshipping

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brisfanfictions · 4 years

Text

Chapter Three: Engagement [Pharaoh Atem]

Rose

My life as a princess is FABULOUS! No rules; pets whenever. But, I don't ask for anything.

Two things I shall only ask for; are love and forgiveness.

My dear, little brother is so nice and kind to everyone. I decided to be a good role model and change my evil, scheme-like ways.

That and Father threatened to put me into slavery if I didn't change.

I was just hanging out with Prince Ash and Princess Mare. She has a little brother like me. He has three, or was it four, little sisters. So, they both understand how annoying they are.

Ever since I met them when I was seven summers old, I fell for Ash. He is my first crush and my first love. His gorgeous blonde hair and ever changing eyes that can melt your heart away. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for him?

Anyways, we've been hanging out from the time I was seven to my present age; sixteen. Basically, for nine years we've been stuck together.

I'm in the courtyard with my little brother, Heba. We're just playing tag and he's 'it.’ We had finished our studies early. I'm running from him when Mother walks over.

"Rosalie, darling?" She asks, smiling brightly.

I told Heba 'time-out' and I started walking toward Mother, with Heba following behind. "Yes, Mother?" I asked, curiously.

"You're engaged to Prince Ash Redfern from Greece!" She says, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

I couldn't stop smiling. I'm engaged to the hottest man in the world! I thought, happily.

“When's the wedding, Mother?" Heba asked, giggling at my excitement.

"The Redferns will be over to discuss this." Mother said, seeing the excitement and happiness in my eyes.

Mother and Heba began thinking of ideas for the future wedding.

I just sit on the fountain's edge, staring at my reflection in the water. My face has a perfect, beautiful tan complexion with my hair going past my waist and my eyeliner help bring out my light, baby blue eyes.

I smile because I grew up over the nine years. My inconsiderate, self-centered, selfish young girl changed. I have changed into a kind, selfless, mature young woman. Being a princess is special and having a little brother to look up to you as a role model. "Don't take anything for granted" is what Mother always told us.

I like being the caring young woman I am today.

I turn to face Mother and my little brother. "Mother, may you please ask Ash to meet up with me at our hiding spot?" I politely ask.

"Yes, dear." Mother says, walking away. I think there's a hop in her step.

"Do you think I will be engaged soon, sister, dear?" Heba asks, uncertain.

I smile warmly at him and giggle. "I know so, brother, dear." I say, reassuring him. "I wonder if we can have a double wedding..." The last part was mostly to myself.

Heba heard me and smiled at the idea. "I would love to have a double wedding!" He says, excitedly.

I stand up, excitedly. "Let's go tell Father that we want a double wedding." I say, confidently. I start to head inside, toward the Throne Room.

Heba tries to catch up to me, with my long legs; it's kind of impossible.

I arrive to the Throne Room quickly and I give it a couple gentle knocks. Then, I wait patiently.

"Enter!" Comes Father's deep, baritone voice is heard on the other side of the solid oak doors.

I open the door, with Heba behind me.

"Daddy?" I ask. Yes, I still call him Daddy. Don't judge me.

Father turns his full attention on both of his children, smiling happily.

"Yes, sweetheart?" He asks, chuckling a bit at seeing the excitement in my eyes and face.

"Heba and I would like to have a double wedding," I say, confidently. "And I would like a ball to announce my engagement. In which all the royals and closest servants shall attend." I added, eyes pleading for him to agree.

Father sees my pleading eyes, thinking very hard and very deeply for awhile. "Alright," he said, smiling and chuckling at my stunned expression.

I smile brightly, and uncontrollably. Running over to Father, hugging him and repeating “thank you” over and over again.

"Anything for my baby girl." Father says, hugging me back.

I release Father from my hold and quickly get back to my little brother, standing awkwardly to the side. "Come, brother," I say, my smile never leaving my face. "Let's go tell Mother about the upcoming ball and the double wedding."

Then, Heba and I exit the Throne Room; going to find our Mother. Our smiles never leaving our face. You can hear us bouncing around ideas for the wedding and ball.

=========

Previously

#the pharaoh's daughter #pharaoh atem #atem #atem x oc #yugioh #yugi motou #yami yugi

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taroshi-chan · 7 years

Text

In Which Priest Set Gets An Eyeful

Pairing: Pharaoh Atem x Thief King Bakura....kind of

Happy Valentine's Day @doggy-yasha! Some NSFW love from yours truly ;)

"My butthole is ready."

Bakura lifted his head sharply to stare darkly across the ancient floating game board at his opponent, "Seriously?" His voice was flat, conveying both his displeasure and disbelief.

His companion had adopted an innocently nonchalant posture, and waved him off with a smug smirk, "It's not my fault you keep losing at your own game, Dork."

"It's Zorc..."

"Whatever."

"Don't you whatever me in my own-"

"Okay, okay, calm your titties," the king of games quipped, "lets just get back around to my winnings."

The evil spirit groaned a "fine" that sounded suspiciously like a "fuck you" before everything was swept away like a fistful of sand.

***

Purple eyes slid slowly open. He grinned maliciously at the muscular form scowling down at him.

Atem laughed, "It's good to be back."

"Maybe for you," sneered the king of thieves before gesturing at himself, "This isn't even my original body."

The Pharaoh blinked owlishly at him, "What?"

"Yeah, this is just a rando I took control of to act as my piece," he continued on, unaware of Atem's growing concern.

"So you were gonna just stick some random guys dick inside me and I'd have been none the wiser?!"

Bakura chuckled, "Hey man, you put yourself into this position."

He laughed harder as the Pharaoh sputtered indignantly.

"I mean, this body's alright but it ain't got nothing on the original me."

Atem regained a semblance of control long enough to smirk threateningly at his companion, and boldly stroked one long finger down his scarred chest, "After I'm through with you, you won't be able to tell the difference anymore."

***

"Okay, no. Nope. No more. I'm done. You win."

"You're right, I did win."

"Shut up!" Bakura roared at the amused Pharaoh, who flapped his hands at him in an overly flamboyant manner.

"My dear, you really should stop being such a poor sport."

"I'll kill you!"

"Yes yes, but do that after our business is settled," the young man smiled slyly at his fuming rival, "I'll also make it worth your while."

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Uh huh, and how's that supposed to work?"

"If you can convince me you're into it, I promise not to tell anyone about this...affair."

Which set the spirit man off on a whole new tangent of vulgarity.

"You-!"

"Yes."

"I hate-!"

"I know..."

Deep fuming silence permeated the air until Bakura slumped forward in defeat, snapping his fingers once to bring them back in time...

***

Purple eyes once again opened unto a magnificent view of chistled abs. The Pharaoh smirked and asked, "Now where were we?"

Dark blue eyes smoldered into his own and his grin lost some of its grip when Bakura licked his lips.

"About to get thoroughly and royally fucked."

***

Priest Set felt the tiny hairs on the back of his neck prickle and knew something was wrong.

He didn't know what it was yet but rest assured, he and his trusty golden rod of justice would find the problem.

And...deal with it.

He was forced to leave his manicure early, much to the chagrin of the ladies in attendance, but when the forces of evil were threatening to arise from....somewhere, he knew Ra would forgive him his hangnails.

Marching briskly through the palace, rod out and at the ready, he began his methodical process of evil-rooting by roaming the halls for endless hours.

He found a maid who'd stolen a handsome assortment of silverware ("Really, why do we call it that when everything is gold?" mused the priest), an abusive husband, a lost sandal and a one eyed cat who bit his leg in passing and now was stalking him down the long corridors.

It was purring. He sighed; it was going to be a long day of justice doing.

His ears picked up a near silent sound from somewhere close by. Oh ho, evil would never prevail when Priest Set was on the job! He followed the sounds to one of the abandoned wings of the palace, the noises steadily getting louder and more unusual.

Grunting. Moaning. Swearing. And as Set got closer, thick wet noises.

It sounded like someone slapping a hippo.

Gross.

He didn't really want to confront the evil doers (making noises like that, there could be no doubt!) so he picked up his new friend for comfort, who settled into his arms quite quickly after shredding his sleeve and most of one arm. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he slammed the door open viciously shouting, "Halt your wicked ways, you ghastly-hgggnhmmhgg..."

He trailed off importantly, mumbling his way to silence, staring transfixed at the sweaty scene before him. It didn't matter much to the rooms other occupants; they were too busy with each other to notice they had company.

"Ahh... I see them! I see the stars!" Panted one of the culprits who looked suspiciously like his lord and master (but of course that couldn't be right, forget it...you saw nothing...)

"Didn't I tell you?" The other asked between grunts, thrusting heavily, "Didn't I say you'd see them if I hit you hard enough?"

"Harderrrr..." Whined his companion.

The bigger man smirked, "You got it," and ground him deeper into the arm of the chez lounge chair they were bent over.

"Best...prize...ever," Atem gasped before spewing his princely load all over the now ruined chair. His partner grunted long and low, painting the Pharaoh's back with his sticky creation.

Priest Set covered the cat's remaining eye and backed slowly out of the room, post sex panting chasing him out like the ghosts of the past.

***

Two men sagged against their seats, floating eternally around the monstrous game board.

"That was-"

"Awful."

"-fabulous!"

It took more effort than expected for Bakura to raise his head and level a glare at the other man.

"I still hate you."

"You can believe that as you like, Cork."

"....it's Zorc."

"Whatever."

#yugioh #yugioh fanfiction #yugioh crackfic #pharaoh atem gets some love #bakura is not happy about it #satisfied but not happy #pharaoh atem #thief king bakura #yami yugi

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lucky-ladybugs-lovelies · 4 years

Text

Whumptober Fic, 25

The Big 5 have repented and Yami Marik is torturing them. I know there are many different views on what the Orichalcos actually does to people. My feeling is that it corrupts them as soon as they accept it and warps them so they’re really not in their right minds and not fully doing things of their own will, even if they think they are, and whether they’re actually playing the Seal or not, it’s poisoning them. To me, that’s what it looks like happened to both Atem and Mai, and Dartz too.

He knelt on the ground, shaking, gripping at the concrete with both hands. It was over, all over, and he had been abandoned again.

It was all that he should have expected, really. No one had ever cared for him, so he had closed himself off to everyone. Humans were inferior to machines anyway. That was what he had believed and told himself for years. He had always been proven right.

It was understandable for him to be rejected now, though, wasn't it? He had tried to leave in Noa's world. Really, he had wanted to be with the others, for them to all get out, but when an opportunity to leave had opened up, he had been weak and had tried to take it. When they had all returned to their bodies in the real world, he had not been forgiven for his weakness.

Whenever he had bitterly rejected humanity in favor of machines, he had included himself among the pathetic people. He was, perhaps, the weakest of all.

Especially since he was devastated by this rejection and couldn't move on from it.

Footsteps came to a stop in front of him and he looked up with a start. A man with long turquoise hair and a purple business suit was standing over him. "Robert Nesbitt?"

He jumped to his feet. "What do you want?" He recognized the man, a mysterious businessman who turned up at some of the business dinners he had been forced to attend as a member of KaibaCorp's board of directors. He certainly didn't want to show such weakness of spirit to a near-stranger like that.

"I want to offer you a chance to do what you have always wanted—surrender your weak side for good." The man held out a hand to him. "I can give you the power to do that."

"Yeah?" Nesbitt gave him a wary look. "And how do you think you can? It's not like people will ever change, including me. There's no way to rout out the weak part of them." He clenched a fist. "We'll always just go on doing the worst possible things in any given situation."

A faint smile. "Yes, I know. Only the select few chosen by the sacred Orichalcos can overcome this fallacy."

"The what?" Nesbitt stared at him.

"The Orichalcos. It's a holy stone that descended from the skies long ago and began to test humanity. It discovered that most of them were evil."

"Yeah, well, it sure wouldn't find anything different about me," Nesbitt grunted. "I'd fail its test."

"Perhaps not." The man studied him. "I've been observing you and your friends. Out of all of them, it is you, I believe, who has the most promise."

"They're not my friends." Nesbitt narrowed his eyes. "And why are you so anxious to recruit me anyway? If I accepted this . . . Orichalcos, what would you get out of it? I know you wouldn't be offering it to me with no strings attached."

"You would help me remake the world as it once was," he was told. "I am seeking to bring back Paradise."

"Every person has a different idea of Paradise," Nesbitt pointed out. He folded his arms. "Mine is probably nothing like yours."

"On at least one matter, we are the same," the man said. "We don't want weaklings around." He looked deeply into Nesbitt's eyes, his gaze all at once piercing straight through to the tortured soul. "If you surrender your weak side, you could be one of my strongest warriors."

Nesbitt wavered. ". . . I think you're insane."

"And yet you want with all your heart for me to be telling the truth."

Finally Nesbitt nodded. "Yes. I . . . I betrayed the only people who ever may have cared about me. They hate me now. I can't blame them. There is no excuse for what I have done."

"Then try my power and see if I am telling the truth. If I am insane, you have lost nothing. No one will know. But if I am correct, you will be able to give yourself over to the Orichalcos and be remade into the strong man you have always wanted to be."

Nesbitt hesitated again. ". . . You say you have power. Is this some kind of magic?"

"It's divinity."

Not that that sounded much less bizarre to the agnostic man. In his normal frame of mind, he likely would have scoffed and refused. But he had been caught at the end of his rope, in the pit of devastation. He was actually, unbelievably, ready to listen.

"Give me your power," he said at last. "I don't want to be what I am. I want to be strong."

A calm, knowing smile. "And so you shall." The man reached out, touching Nesbitt's forehead.

The electricity that shot into him all at once was like nothing he had ever felt. It swept over him, through him, coursing through his veins. And as the symbol of the Orichalcos appeared on his forehead, his eyes hardened. He had given up his weak side. Now he would indeed be strong.

Lector started back to full consciousness as Nesbitt began to move in his grasp. The younger man pushed Lector aside and got to his feet without a word. As Lector stared up at him in shock, he looked back with a visage so cold and heartless that Lector was thoroughly chilled.

"Nesbitt?!" Lector stumbled up, still wobbly from the effects of the cold. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Nesbitt wordlessly activated his Duel Disk and placed his deck in the card holder. "I've given up my weak side," he announced. "Now I will have the strength I always wanted and deserved." His eyes glowed red, and what looked like the Orichalcos symbol appeared on his forehead. His citrine ring now looked instead to be a turquoise shade.

Lector could only stare in disbelief. "What is this?!" he cried. "Is this another illusion of Yami Marik's?! The Orichalcos is gone! And even if it wasn't, you would never accept it, Nesbitt! I know you wouldn't!"

"You know nothing." Nesbitt's voice was as cold and hard as his eyes had become. "I was never part of your group. You never wanted me there and I never wanted to be there. At least not at first. Maybe after a while the weak part of me wanted to be a part of your world, but he was so weak he wavered once the chance to betray all of you came up. That part of me is dead now. I'll never make those mistakes again."

"Nesbitt . . ." Lector's heart was pierced with every word his friend was saying. He couldn't say whether he was trapped in an illusion or if Nesbitt was, but either way, this was horrible. And not knowing what was real and what wasn't, Lector could only assume that the only thing to do was to behave as though this was really happening.

"We're going to duel now," Nesbitt continued. "I'm going to lock your hypocritical, self-righteous soul away, where it belongs."

Lector's eyes narrowed. "Very well." He activated his own Duel Disk and deck. "But I am going to save you and bring you back to yourself, Nesbitt. You would never act like this in your right mind!"

"My right mind is what I'm in now," Nesbitt said. "My wrong mind was any time I gave into human emotions or feelings. Humans are evil. Only machines are pure and good and deserve to populate the world." He drew his first hand and placed three cards on the field.

"Oh really? The problem with that idea is that someone has to create the machines," Lector said. "If an ‘evil' human created them and every command they follow, how can they really be pure and good?"

"Don't try to confuse me with your double-talk!" Nesbitt snapped. "That won't work now that I've accepted my true self and calling."

Something in Lector snapped too. "Nesbitt, why are you acting like this?!" he burst out. "You were fine before you fell asleep! Your true self is the warm, loving person you were then! I don't know who you are now!"

"The Nesbitt you knew is gone," Nesbitt retorted. "I have no soul. Draw your cards!"

His hand shaking, Lector took his cards and laid a monster in Defense mode. "You do have a soul, Nesbitt," he insisted. "Maybe once I wouldn't have believed that, but I discovered that your soul is one of the purest and kindest I've ever seen! You used to be afraid of it and try to hide it and deny it, but there is no denying it anymore! I will fight for my friend's soul and not give up until you've got it back!"

"I'm not going to be taken in by you again!" Nesbitt cried. The Orichalcos burned brighter and he grimaced, reaching up to place a shaking hand over the symbol.

"Nesbitt, what's wrong with you?!" Lector screamed. "What made you do this?"

"I betrayed you! All of you!" Nesbitt clenched a shaking fist. "I was weak. That part of me was like a cancer festering inside me, so I tore it out! I'll never be that weak person again."

A cold chill spread through Lector's veins. What had Yami Marik done to Nesbitt while he had slept? Had he cast some kind of illusion preying on whatever lingering guilt and self-hatred Nesbitt still bore because of the past? Had he made Nesbitt believe he had the Orichalcos? Or worse . . . since the symbol really was there . . . did Nesbitt actually have it?

It was tempting to scream at Nesbitt some more. Lector's emotions were running high and practically tipping off the scales. When he was pushed to his breaking point, it was very difficult for him to reign himself in. Still, somehow he knew he had to. Nesbitt would not respond well to the screaming.

He drew a shaking breath. "Nesbitt . . . emotions are good as well as bad. It would be wonderful to be able to tear out the worst parts of us, but it's impossible to just do that. You'll get the best parts as well. You are my cherished friend, but right now you're a stranger. I have to find the way to bring back your true and good self."

"Then duel me," Nesbitt said coldly.

"If that's what it takes," Lector said. It wouldn't really be an Orichalcos duel . . . would it? Could it? On this horrible night, anything seemed possible.

The duel didn't manage to go on for very long. Lector could barely hold himself together after everything else that had happened tonight and he was not playing at his best. Nesbitt thankfully hadn't drawn the Seal of Orichalcos, but he was definitely poised to win. Nothing Lector said or did got through to him in the least. Finally it was Lector who had to concede defeat, and he sank to his knees as the despair weighed down on him like the Earth on Atlas's shoulders. "Oh Nesbitt . . ." he whispered.

All of the arguments and speeches Lector had tried had failed. But those two plaintive words suddenly pierced through the darkness covering Nesbitt's mind and he gasped in utter horror. "L-Lector?!" In his horrible delusion, they were indeed trapped inside the Seal, and with Lector's loss of will and the inability to go on, it was closing in on him. "NO!" Nesbitt lunged, wrapping his arms around Lector's waist and pushing with all his might on the make-believe Seal as they fell against it. Somehow they tore through it and tumbled to the grass, free of its treacherous pull. But there was a price; the cold stone of a nearby marker connected with Nesbitt's head. He fell limply back to the ground.

Lector lay stunned but not physically hurt. "Nesbitt?!" He looked over at his friend.

Nesbitt was staring upward, the tears running from his eyes. He didn't even try to hide them—not that he could have.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I . . . don't know what happened. I . . . there's no forgiveness for what I just did. . . ."

Lector sat up, gathering Nesbitt's upper body into his arms. "It's not your fault, Nesbitt," he said shakily. "It's that demon. He's doing all of this to us!"

Nesbitt sobbed, clutching Lector to him as his consciousness failed him. His grip loosened.

Lector stiffened. "Nesbitt?! Nesbitt?!" The feel of the motionless body sagging against his chest chilled him to his soul. Immediately a hand went up, searching Nesbitt's head for injuries. When he felt the cruel bump under the other man's hair, his heart dropped. "Oh Nesbitt, no . . . !" Nesbitt had been lost in a delusion, but he had broke free and saved Lector from some imagined or real danger. And now . . . now . . . would he even recover?

Lector couldn't take any more. Now he was the one weeping as he cradled his treasured friend.

#ygo #yu-gi-oh!#fanfiction #orichalcos #the big five #big 5 #big five #the big 5 #lector #leichter #nesbitt #dartz #whumptober2020 #no.25 #disorientation

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silverwindsblog · 7 years

Text

The Fallen Kingdom

Summary: “Aknamkanon's death shocked Atem and the kingdom, leaving little time for Atem to grief. He must take the throne and the responsibilities with it.Will he able to handle them and his grief? Or will grief and despair lead to his downfall? Oneshot.”

Rated T for mid violence and cynical themes.

“Atem. It’s time to go. I know that your father’s death have hit you hard, but as future king, you must keep your head high for the sake of people. Remember that you represent the virtues that people strive for. Even in hardships, it is important to be resilient.

“Yes Siamun.”

Atem looked at his father’s tomb. The chamber was cold, but Atem hardly noticed the goosebumps in his skin.

It’s too soon. Far too soon for his father to leave the world. Death simply does not stop after the burial of an important figure.The mourning of the dead lingered in Egypt, the sorrow consumed people’s hearts, leaving the kingdom paralyzed.

Whispers roamed among the streets. What will become of Egypt? Will his son be ready? Will his son will be strong as his father?

Remember son, your duty and more importantly, you are above the people. You are blessed by the powers of Ra. Your actions are example to the people you will govern.

“My prince?”

A familiar strong voice boomed within the chamber. Atem didn’t noticed the man with his trademark staff and magician robe.

“My apologies for startling you pharaoh, I have not grow accustomed to your new title. I noticed your long face. Do you need a lending ear?”

“Thank you Mahaad, but I do not wish to burden my troubles to you.”

“As your friend and guardian, it is my obligation to help ease your mind. Not just for the sake of the kingdom, but for your well being. Even a king has his own limits. He cannot hold all of his burden by himself or else his burdens will overwhelm him.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mahaad.” His heart grew lighter at Mahaad’s concern. “Yes, I would love nothing more than to chat. Unfortunately, I must attend these meetings. How about we meet at our usual spot? By the garden?”

Maahad nodded. “I shall see you then. Do your best to not yawn at Seto’s cropping reports.”

Atem couldn’t help but gave an impish grin at Mahaad. “Well it’s not my fault that Seto talks with that dull voice of his. No guarantee.”

He stood and “But I can guarantee this Mahaad, I always make time with you and Mana no matter how busy I am.”

---

The scent of lychnis and jasmine flowers soothed his mind. For a moment, the world felt still. The smell of the fresh earth brought the memories of tiny vases, dirty feet, and magic tricks.

Moments when once upon a time, his worries were consist of hide and go seek with the guards, surviving Seto’s dull lectures, and keeping a straight face as Mana apologized for her latest magic mishaps. “Well, at least the purple hair suits you. Beside, you need more color in your wardrobe. Atem couldn’t help but giggled with Mana as Mahaad’s stern face broke into laughter.

The three of them stuck together like glue. Days were filled with juicy mango, sunsets on their secret spot, and shirking reports. Before their lives are separated by their occupation, they explored the palace as though it’s their playground. When they grew tired, Mana would always climbed up the tree to get the oranges.

The orange tree was planted when Atem learned to walked. He vividly remembered his father’s worried face as Atem eagerly climbed to the tree for the first time. Atem’s young face soften his father’s expression as he happily gave one of the orange to his father. The tree marked the day when he met Mana and Mahaad for the first time.

Ever since, they were inseparable. They bonded over their thirst for adventure, before the complex rules that defines their identities. Time was irrelevant to finding the rarest treasure, combat against their imaginary foes, and discovering new exotic items at the market. The orange tree no longer lies in the garden, as Mahaad explained to Mana why she can’t glomp him in public. Even the dirt that doesn’t shifts sprouted new plants as the old plants dropped its seeds before it withered away, vanished without a trace.

Just like plants, people will eventually died and will disappeared into the earth. Unlike plants, memories never fade away. His people remembered his father for his kind words, tactics, his strong voice, and his dedication to defeat evil. What kind of legacy will I leave? Will my legacy mirrored my father’s? Will it be a legacy that I can make my father proud?

“My pharaoh.”

Atem looked up and find Mahaad staring at him.

“My apologies to startle you with your thoughts.”

Atem gave a small smile to Mahaad. “No need for the formality. It’s just the two of us.” Mahaad quietly sat at the bench next to Atem.

They shared a moment of silence. He appreciated Mahaad for his presence. Perhaps it’s Mahaad’s magic or their extended time together, Mahaad have an incisive sense when Atem wanted to be alone with his thoughts and when Atem wanted to confide his troubling thoughts. Mana has her own way to ease Atem’s worries with a wink and a smile as she cast her often disastrous spells. Few people, let alone some of her closest friends knew that Mana has an attentive side. Her keen sense however, cannot compare with Mahaad’s intuition and his vast knowledge of magic.

“Atem. Are you okay? I know it’s difficult for you to deal with his death because you have admire him for his courage and selflessness. I have to admit, I admired him for these qualities.”

“Mahaad, I have to admit, with the amount of work to prepare for coronation, I have little time to dwell on my feelings. When the advisors depend on you, you have to set aside your worries for the sake of the kingdom.” Atem looked wistfully at the stars.

Mahaad could not see his face. He spoke quietly to him.

“Atem, I appreciate you for everything you done for the kingdom.”

“As well I appreciate for you, to be by my side.”

“Atem, you are always working hard which is one of the qualities I admired about you. But I’m worried that you focused on the state of the kingdom and neglected your own health. I see shadows in your eyes.”

“There’s little time to grief when there’s so much to do.”

“Your feelings are important. Even if you have to fulfil your duties as the future king, remember to not push yourself too hard.”

Mahaad continued to coaxed Atem. “I know you for so long and I know when you use the voice to mask your feelings. Please tell me on what’s on your mind.”

Atem finally turned to face him. Mahaad could see his eyes were slightly moist.

“It’s been difficult for me to get through his death. My father, he was one of my anchors in my life. Not only did he guided me through court life, he nurtured me and I… miss him. Never did I felt alone in my life with all the responsibilities thrust before me.”

“Atem.” He assured Atem with a small smile. “Remembered that you’re not alone. You have me, Mana, and the court to help you and share the burdens. We will be by your side.”

“Thank you Mahaad. I can always count on you to ease my mind.” Atem smiled warmly back at him. “You’re a valuable comrade in battle and court. You’re always at my side and that is something I can say without any doubt.”

Mahaad took a solemn look at Atem. He knew the very words he uttered. Those words he etched in his mind and the promise that bind them together. He remembered the oath he did when Atem’s father announced that he will be Atem’s guardian. No doubt that Atem remembered that important day as well.

He kneeled down in front of Atem.

“I swore to protect you with my life, so long as I live. I will remain by your side as my duty to serve the future king.”

These words never fail to bring comfort for Atem.

“No matter what, you will be always my king and friend.”

No words needed as Atem hugged Mahaad.

In the world where uncertainty threatens with life, death and calamity, his only solace is Mahaad’s words, along with his strong arms brought him peace. He knew that there is one thing that will never change.

He will never have to worry about fighting alone again.

---

One night, alone in his private garden, Atem felt his mind lulled to the moon. The moon never looks brighter as the crickets chirped with the wind.

A shadow creeped by the rock. Atem was taken back and stood, preparing to draw out his sword.

“Who are you?” The woman before him wore a long, silky, white dress. Her green eyes were the prominent focus. They were deep as the Nile river. No doubt that her eyes held wisdom. Her dress while it blends in with the nobles, her luminous white skin made her stand out.

“My pharaoh, I am Kamilah. Caretaker of your late father. I had been close to your father. Because of my importance and power, few people knew me. I have to kept in secret so enemies don’t use me.” Her voice, powerful and full of pride. It reminded Atem of Isis the way she enchanted the court with the guidance of her vision.

“I am here to guide you, fulfilling your father’s request. His dying words to me was to watch his son.”

Atem shifted his eyes in his surrounding, checking to see if there’s false serenity. “I see. If you claim to be my father’s caretaker, then why did my father and the advisors never mention your name to me?”

“Your father ordered me to never appear in the public’s eyes, nor in the advisor’s eyes. I was served to follow orders after your father’s death. My role is to guide you in order to continue Egypt's prosperity. Your father and I decided that I work in the shadows, to avoid potential enemies finding me and using me for destroying Egypt. My knowledge is vast beyond the seas, beyond the skies. Your father trusted me for my wisdom and I have guided him for Egypt to thrive.”

Atem’s eyes narrowed. “How do I know that you are not lying to me?” It’s unusual for his father to not mention about her to him and his advisors if she provided a vital role for Egypt’s success. What if she’s a spy?

She reached for her pocket and pulled out a scroll. “These are the records that your father wrote for our private meetings. I think you will recognize your father’s plan on the millennium items.”

Atem’s eyes widen open as he read the scroll.

Be discreet about the spells. Continue to seek for the the method to defeat Zorc. Assure the advisors that the spells will strengthen the people. Let Kamilah keep Atem safe until he is ready to shoulder the responsibilities by himself.

No doubt that this was his father’s words.

Father… I will make you proud.

“Kamilah?”

“Yes my pharaoh?”

Atem hesitated. What were his father’s dying words on Atem?

“Did my father talked about me before his death?”

“Yes.”

“What did my father thought of me?”

“Your father is very proud of you and have no doubt that you will be a great king.” Her eyes reflected in the moon with affirmation.

Atem’s eyes widen. Father… he was proud of me. His face filled with newfound determination. “I’ll make sure that I continue Egypt’s legacy for my father’s last wish. And for the people.”

Kamilah gave an encouraging smile. “I’ll make sure that I fulfill my role to serve you and Egypt.” She gave a respectful bow before Atem.

---

Mahaad met Kamilah once. She has a motherly and benevolent appearance that no doubt reminded him of the late king. Despite the introduction, Mahaad felt uneasy around her. It was not her manners for they were professional, it was rather something… off about her. As a magician, he is an expert on reading people’s aura. Her words, kind and supportive despite she spoke very little around him. Yet, he couldn’t depict her mind. Her face while soft and has warm eyes, Mahaad noticed her face remained guarded around him.

“Be on your way, magician.”

“As well as you.” Mahaad bowed respectfully as he watched her leave to Atem’s room.

Atem spent most of his time at the library. Rarely does Atem get sleep. His advisors became concerned on Atem for his nightly reading. Rumors spread about the mysterious woman. Perhaps it’s Atem’s mistress? Atem confirmed that the woman knew his father and was advised to protect her identity. No one heard, let alone able to spoke a word with the woman. Some attempted to follow the woman in the hallways. However, whenever they turned to a corner, she disappeared.

---

“I beg to differ. Mahaad is my valuable guardian. He have been with me since we were little. He is humble, kind, and dependent.”

“Are you doubting my trust on Mahaad?”

Kamilah couldn’t help but find it mildly surprising at Atem’s outburst.

“I did not mean to offend you my pharaoh. I wish to offer a suggestion to better serve you and the kingdom. I thought that it would be more suitable if the king does not fully trust someone close to him. It can lead to conflict of interest, should there is a traitor among the advisors.”

“I am thankful for your guided words Kamilah, but I believe that I have good judgement of who I can trust.”

“Very well then.” She stormed off into the hallway.

Atem was rather amused that this was the first time Kamilah have an annoyed expression.

---

“My father would show him mercy.” Atem struggled to steadied his voice from the shock of the murder of the villagers and Kamilah’s punishment. Frustration etched in his face as Kamilah cooly attempt to calm him.

“Your father wouldn’t let the thief’s crime go unpunished. I know your father’s mind. Instead of letting this thief go, he would have killed him. By killing him, perhaps you would have save from more bloodshed among the villagers.”

“My father taught me kindness and to show forgiveness for those who are wrong. He would never punish someone out of ruthlessness. In all the years I spent with my father and the training with him, he taught me to be strong.”

“Your father was a kind man indeed, one of the qualities I admired about him. However, even you held the power of Ra himself, you cannot deny the fact that humans are fallible. Do you think humans are capable to not perform wicked acts? They are not capable to see their errors. Look at this thief you forgive. In return of your weakness, he killed five villagers and injured one of the guards.”

She circled around Atem, her eyes twinkled with amusement.

“As the future king, kindness will get you so far. If you want to rule over Egypt with efficiency, you have to be strict,” her voice suddenly turned stern. “Wouldn’t you like a world without crime? Without anyone get hurt over someone taking another person’s life? Don’t waste time and resource correcting people’s crime if they are not going to learn from them. If they can’t be useful for Egypt, then they should be put to death. Or at least become slaves for the rest of their lives.”

“Let me teach you lesson. I’ll show how to run Egypt with everyone obeying you. You shall learn that people will be loyal to you if you give them fear. People can betray you. If they know that they receive punishment if they betray you, then it’s the only way to know that people will remain loyal to you.”

“Hold out your arm.”

Atem yelped in pain as she cast a spell, leaving a red mark.

“You’re too naive. You must not let your guard down. There are enemies lurking that will take advantage the moment you show your weakness. Let’s try again.”

“Please follow me.”

Atem’s eyes furrow. A shot of purple magic went near his left leg. Atem quickly jump aside to the right as he pull out his sword. He glared at her as she gave a satisfied smirk.

“Much better.” Her voice has a hint of mischief. She gave him a satisfied smile, as though she finally got her child to understand his potential. “I’ll see you tomorrow night alone.”

---

“Atem, my king are you alright? You… learned about your father and the creation of the millennium items? It must have been devastating to learn about your father.”

Why…” Atem stunned and astounded he stared at Kamilah, absorbing all the information from the advisors. “Didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you weren’t ready for it.”

“My father… Why did hid this from me?” Stunned and fury seeped into his very core. Betrayal and doubt invaded to his mind. “How… Why…” Silence tighten the room, his breath grew more pronounced.

“Forgive me my king from withholding the information, your father and I thought that the truth is too much for you.”

“Don’t patronize me! I’m not some fragile person.”

“I did not wish to offend you, my king. There has to be the right time to open up the truth. One must reveal the truth at the right time, revealing too soon or too late can lead to misunderstanding and resentment.” she bow at Atem.

“He wanted to wait until you are older to understand the reasons he did. He felt remorse for his actions and he hoped that you’ll understand him why he had to do it.”

“He had to do what he did to protect the kingdom.” Her solemn words echoed in Atem’s mind as he pondered over his bed.”

You will understand why you must do what your father did when the time is right. If you want Egypt to thrive, you must be willing to spill some blood.

Few rulers led a clean life after all.

The words haunted Atem, weighting him down. As he is drifted to sleep, he shivered from the cold. Oddly enough, the recent heat wave cause the crops to die out. The last thing he heard before he fell into deep sleep was a cackling voice.

---

“How do I know that you are not lying to me? Kamilah, I have no doubt that you are knowledgeable about human relations, but I have to raise my doubts on your cynical attitude towards other people. Seth is one of my loyal advisors and I entrust him to assist carry my duties.” Atem insisted.

“With all due respect my pharaoh, I have been in many situations where my life was compromised due to my trust on the wrong people. I was kidnapped for my ability to see the past.”

“Let me show you my vision. Actions can speak louder than words. He may have swore his loyalty to you, but did he meant it?”

“So son, my brother was a rather a rotten king. The throne should belong to me, not him! Your cousin is also like his father, taking something that he doesn’t deserve and getting all the credit! We shall kill him. Tonight we will bring the pharaoh to check out the village that has the source of magic we seek to strengthen our powers. The village is filled with curses, strengthen by the villagers’ despair. There’s a cavern near the village and that’s where we kill him with the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Atem and Kamilah couldn’t see Seto’s expression as the vision was obstructed. Seto pulled out the scroll and gave it to Aknadin. Seto shouted at Aknadin before the vision faded away.

Atem’s eyes widen in horror as he stood back at their room. He was shaken with anger and felt a wave of disbelief.

“Forgive me my pharaoh, for showing you this vision. I was reluctant to reveal this to you because your close relation with Seto. But my conscious tells me that I must show for your sake and the kingdom.”

Now, do you see why you can’t place your trust on anyone but me? Putting your full trust on one person can cost your life, as well the kingdom. We can’t risk losing your legacy because of betrayal. ”

“You’ll right. I’ll do whatever I take to make my father proud of me. He wouldn’t want the kingdom be run by corrupt advisors. All of the advisors must show dedication and loyalty to the kingdom.”

“If you wish to have loyalty among your advisors and people, you must teach them the consequences for betrayal and treason against Egypt. Execute both of them and show it to the public. You will guarantee loyalty and prevent potential rebels for carrying their plans. It is essential to teach people with kindness, but show them no mercy for those who commit treason.

Her smile widen. She gave a small, hearty laugh. “Come here, I have a perfect plan to do this. Give me the sharpest knife you got. I’ll deal with the traitors while you formulate the speech.”

The next morning, the advisors arrived at the throne room, confused at the pharaoh's sudden request. Everyone is concerned on the absence of priest Seto and Aknadin.

“My advisors, I have an announcement to make. I discovered that here are traitors among us. The proof is in this very scroll. One of our advisors was plotting an assassination. As a result, they are punished for treason. They are denied to the Afterlife.”

Atem pay no heed to the loud gasps and disapproving eyes before him.

“It is forbidden to speak the name of these traitors. Their names shall be erased in the texts. Anyone who dare uttered their name before my presence shall be punished. Due to the recent events and threats in our kingdom, every advisor and worker are subjected to be questioned. That is all.”

Beneath his stoic eyes, Mahaad’s body shook with rage. What cause for his pharaoh’s sudden demeanor? What happen to his king? What will become of Egypt?

---

“Onward to the palace!”

“March!”

“Mahaad, you are the only one who can stop the king’s madness. We’ll counting on you. Give us the command when you’ll ready to ambush them.”

“My fellow warriors, we shall fight back against the tyrant who submit the people through fear and cruelty. I was once his guardian, served to protect him and the kingdom. When he started to suddenly distrust the people and slaughtered innocents through shadow magic, I cannot let this injustice slide by.

Atem stood in the throne, awaiting for his duel. He watched Mahaad marched to the empty room.

“Well look who decided to show up. The man who betrayed my trust. The man who refused to face the truth that the kingdom cannot thrive without wars and sacrifices. No matter how good your intentions are, a ruler cannot provide peace without spilling blood. The blood of the thieves, traitors, and prostitutes are spilled for the sake of maintaining the purity of the kingdom. A successful kingdom keeps the people safe by controlling the crime.”

"You have many people who are willing to throw their lives away, even betraying their friends to protect you. But I will never die for you." His voice seethed with resentment and anger.

For a blink of the moment, he swore that the king’s eyes flickered to his defiant words. Perhaps it’s the flames from the torches surrounding the throne that gave the illusion that the king’s eyes has life in it.

“Why is that? Aren’t you my loyal servant?”

No, that cold hearted voice didn’t fit him at all. The red, harsh eyes pierced to his soul. His body stiffed.

He gripped his staff, taken aback from his eyes as he steadied his voice. He stood still, yet he was shaken with fear.

Mahaad never thought that he would uttered those words to him.

“I’m not you loyal servant.”

“You are not the king I know. You are the son of Aknamkanon, blessed by Ra. I have been loyal to you even when you unjustly killed thieves, even your severe punishments cowered you enemies with dread. You once believe in justice and kindness, but now you are no longer the king I know. Greed has filled your heart as you strive for ruling the kingdom with an iron fist. That’s not what your father wants!”

His voice which was firm, echoed loudly in the throne. No longer can he hide his irate tone, his displeased and disgust against him.

“It pains me seeing you turn against your fellow people and I cannot stand by your side any longer while you continued to harm others with injustice and cruelty!”

“This is not the Atem I know!” His voice boomed across the throne room.

“I know that somewhere, deep in your heart that you feel regret for everything you did to your people.”

He bow as his voice cracked, “I’m sorry Atem.”

He raised his magic staff for the last time and aimed at his former king and best friend.

---

It never felt as lonely to be at top. Servants bid to every his command, yet their comfort meant nothing to him. Their serene smile and gestures are empty. Cold. Just like her eyes. Egypt has thrived. Crops are abundant, trading is booming, everyone pledged their loyalty to him.

Everything he did, he did it for the sake of his people. For the sake of his father.

The kingdom flourished that generations of his people would tell their children how their nation thrived. Never before Atem felt so much pride in his heart.

He does not need anyone. His power, his resources is all he needs. To rely on anyone is a sign of weakness. Why waste his time and energy? Humans make mistakes, the moment that they found opportunities that benefit them, they turn against him, and in the end, it hurts.

Those purple, defiant eyes suddenly flashed upon him. The flame in his eyes.

How. Just how that the spark in his eyes never extinguish?

He’s dead. He defies me and that’s his punishment.

It wouldn’t matter because he fulfilled his duty as a king.

Anyone who dare betray him, or attempt a treason against his country shall die.

Yet that throbbing pain in his heart wouldn’t go away.

The spark that is filled with fierce determination. Was it fuel with hatred?

Atem suddenly turned to his right, expecting for the familiar face to be by his side.

He cursed himself for the tears that drenched his face.

I’m… so sorry Mahaad.

Have I done well as a king? Would father be proud of me? Would my father will be happy for the legacy I left behind?

His muses left him empty in the throne. Walls smeared with blood and remnants of bones decorated this once lively room. Flowers, which were once brought the room with joy and life now were replaced with rodents who seek for the remaining flesh.

The sun rises every morning and rays of light reaches him, yet the warmth of the sun failed to fill in the void.

The sunny skies mocked him everyday. His speech to punish any wrongdoers and the daily interrogations blurred in his mind. Every night, he returned for the servants who bowed in fear before heading back to his quarters.

He never knew how painful it is to be lonely.

Perhaps death would spare him from the agony of living in an empty shell.

Darkness fall as he drifted to sleep. A figure crackled as it consumed him, poisoning his words, twisted it into a spiral of nightmare. Smokes of purple and black entered into his dreams. He knew this type of magic. This was the same magic his father used to sacrificed the villagers. The same magic that killed his uncle and Seto.

He heard a familiar voice, the voice that guided him to his coronation. He saw her cold, sharp eyes, the eyes that were once warm and motherly, now froze him on the spot. Twitching in pain, his screams echoed in the hallways, yet no one heard.

She smiled wickedly as her enchantments of the servants vanished into thin air. She gave her farewell words to Atem as she mockingly bowed before him.

Long live the king.

---

Sands shifted over the ruined kingdom. The wind grew harshly as a lone figure stood over the cliff. Her skin, light as a milky flower smirked, satisfied with her work.

Humans are easy to fool. Place doubt on their minds and they turn against each other. When trust among other humans fail, civilization crumbles.

Isolation makes it easy to bring a powerful god into despair.

Like light, darkness does not last forever. Time is eternal. It does not matter how long the next civilization will arise, so long I can take my next victim to my despair.

Her ghostly words echoed in the endless sea of sand. Her body disintegrated into the darkness, leaving nothing but fragments of sorrow.

---

A/N: While there are parts I wish I expand such as Atem and Mahaad’s relationship, I enjoyed my attempt to write a cynical fanfic and exploring the dark side of human nature. Atem faced many emotions after his father’s death, which made me wonder what would happen if Atem became depressed and delusional from the death and the failures? That’s where Kamilah comes in. To me, I don’t see her as a character, but as a personification. I‘ll let the readers decide on what Kamilah represents.In the meantime, the next oneshot will be either revolutionshipping or sealshipping with a happier story.

#silverwindsblog writes #oneshot #ygo fanfic #I already published it in fanfiction

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tyrantdk · 7 years

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Slifer!Yugi Puzzleshipping AU Ch1

So, I finally got the first chapter of my Slifer!Yugi Puzzleshipping Au done. I thought I’d put it on here to see how it went before posting it on FF.net or deciding to abandon the idea completely. I already gave @ashethehedgehog a preview of this, and Ashe liked it, so I think it’s going to be good?

Warnings: There is a NSFW scene near then end of the chapter, also abundance of dragon cuddles

If you like it, share it, repost it, shoot me an ask or message about how much you liked it (if you liked it), what you liked, if I should continue or not.

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

Atem, lord of the two lands, Pharaoh of Kemet, the living Horus sat on an altar to the great god-dragon. Around him, the dragon’s priests moved. They chanted, sang, danced, and prayed. This was the only way to protect his people. He had no idea what the great dragon would ask for in return, but he was willing to give whatever he asked. The music crested, stopping abruptly with a crash. The priests silently rose from their genuflections and left the holy of holies.

He breathed softly, closing his crimson eyes. Atem had been told he would not be allowed to look into the god-dragon’s eyes. The temple’s attendants had bathed him in the temple pool earlier in the morning. His hair had been combed, glass beads of red and black woven into his mane of blond and mahogany red. He had been dressed in linen dyed the same colors. It had been to make the dragon more sympathetic to him. Atem stiffened as he felt a presence before him.

“I see my priests have done their best to make you appeal to me.” A male voice spoke. The great dragon’s voice was soft, but demanded his attention, demanded that he hang onto every word. Footsteps began to circle him on the altar. He could feel the dragon’s eyes studying him. “Why have they asked I appear, Pharaoh?”

“I beg your indulgence, great Dragon. My kingdom is in peril. My people starve, while the nobles fatten themselves. I have fasted as much as I can, and have had as much food as the palace can spare spread among my people. I beg you to help! I have tried everything to appease Set. He refuses to give my people the rain they need to stop this drought! Please, oh merciful Dragon, help Khemet. I will give you whatever you wish!” Tears freely flowed down the Pharaoh’s face. They were part frustration and part sadness.

Gentle human like fingers wiped them away. “Open your eyes and look upon me.” Atem did as told, gasping at the wide violet eyes gazing at him. The god-dragon in human form drew back. His hair defied gravity, much like the ruler’s own, but instead of mahogany red and gold, his hair was black, bright blond, and flame red. He wore a tunic and shenti as black as his dragon form’s underbelly. Over that was a robe as red as his scales. His human form’s skin was pale, almost white. “My price shall be your hand.”

“My hand?” Atem asked, not exactly sure what the god-dragon meant. Did he mean to cut one of his hands off, or would he be willing to marry a human? Why would one of the divine guardians of Khemet wed a lowly human, even if that human was Horus incarnate?

“Yes. I want you as my spouse, and in return I shall create a storm to end the drought. Our union will be most beneficial for Khemet far beyond the current problems.” The great dragon held his hand out. Atem slid off the altar. He took a deep breath. His hand slid into the dragon’s. “You have accepted my offer. We shall be wed immediately, then I will go bring the rains.”

“For my people.” The Pharaoh murmured. He was more than willing to sign his life, and the possibility of a loving union away for his people. A tear slid down his face, before the great dragon wiped it away.

“Do not cry, Pharaoh. I may be a god-dragon, but I vow to treat you as my most prized treasure. I will love no other being. I will place no other being before you. I will spend as much time as I need to woo you.” The dragon pulled him closer. Atem trembled in the god’s arms.

“If we are to be wed, great Dragon, I am Atem. You may use my name.” “My true name is Yugi. Only you are allowed to use it, Atem. Come, my treasure, let us be wed.”

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

Atem breathed deeply as he drew the sheer cloak about him. The red sheer cloak had been one of his promised wedding gifts. While it seemed light, Yugi had promised it was stronger than any weapon. He had boasted the cloth was woven from shavings of his scales. A rumble of thunder made the Pharaoh glance up. The serpentine red and black form wove through the clouds. Yugi was breath taking as he flew through the sky. His true form was enormous, and the god kept some part of his dragon body over the palace.

“Perhaps my union with Slifer will not be so bad. He is rather beautiful in either form. It is a wild sort of beauty.” The Pharaoh mused. “Will he be as gentle as he was earlier?” Atem thought aloud, his face flushing softly. He was nervous about what Yugi would expect when he entered his-their room. Would the great dragon demand his virtue and the consummation of their marriage? Or would he be content to rest beside the Pharaoh until he was ready to give it freely?

He turned away as the rain grew stronger, making his way to his bed. Atem loved this bed. It was the one thing his ancestors hadn’t taken to their tomb. It was a family tradition for the Pharaohs to sleep in this spacious bed; for their children to be conceived and born in it. At least, it was until him. Atem would be the last Pharaoh conceived and born on this bed. Perhaps Slifer knew of a way to conceive a child between two males?

He ran his fingers over the cream linen bedding. It was soft under his fingers, reassuring him. Things would turn out right in the end. Atem knew it in his heart. He curled into a ball on the bed, smiling, and allowed the rains his divine spouse brought to sing him to sleep. Sometime later, Yugi landed on the balcony as he transformed back into his human form. His eyes were focused only on the form on the bed.

Yugi slid his soaked robe from his shoulders, along with his equally wet tunic and shenti. He grinned as he found his husband’s clothing. The dragon plucked a dry shenti from the chest, wrapped it around himself, and climbed onto the bed. He wormed his way under the cloak, his inner warmth creating a cozy cocoon. Atem uncurled slightly, and cuddled into Yugi’s embrace.

He watched the Pharaoh sleep. It was wonderful to finally have someone to love in his arms. He wasn’t alone anymore; would never be alone anymore. His gamble had paid off. Yugi could feel Atem’s heart beat against his own as they synchronized. He hadn’t had the time to tell the other what exactly the role of spouse to one of his kind would mean. He would. Atem had the right to know why he would be glued to him. Why he would growl at any one who comes too close.

Atem was his greatest treasure, his spouse, his mate. Speaking of the Pharaoh, he shifted slightly, blinking blurry crimson eyes at him. Yugi ran his fingers through the lion like mane of red and blond. The god-dragon was happy. For the first time in his life he was happy. This human ruler made him happy, and he could hear it. Yugi’s body vibrated with the rumbling purr of his dragon self he never let go of. The Pharaoh woke more and watched him in wonder.

He stiffened as the dragon crawled on top of him. Yugi placed his head on one perfectly rounded shoulder. His palm slipped down the top of Atem’s crisp shenti, fingers dancing lovingly over the skin of his hip. The divine dragon never went any lower, or made any move toward his manhood. “It is fine, my treasure. I will never do anything against your will. I merely wish to touch your skin. I have so much I need to tell you. I may be a divine dragon, but I am a dragon all the same. There are things you need to be aware of.

“During our first moon cycle together, I will need to be at your side constantly. Dragons are overprotective of what they know and feel is theirs. I will hiss and be aggressive towards anyone I feel threatened by. You are my spouse, and my mate. A dragon only has one mate, and our mates are allowed no other. As the cycle goes on, my instincts will calm. I will be more able to tell a potential rival from friend and family. My kind are also rather territorial, so no one can enter our room anymore.” Atem slipped an arm shakily around Yugi’s waist. The dragon sighed in bliss above him.

“I understand. I was planning on marrying only once.” Atem replied as he gained a little more confidence in the god-dragon’s presence. “Is there some way to conceive a child? Surely with your powerful magic we could?” Yugi chuckled, placing a kiss on the skin of his shoulder.

“Yes. After we have been together for some time, typically a year, I will be able to merge our energies to create our own hatchling. Our young will be brought into the world from a dragon egg. We will have to hold the egg constantly. When you have our young’s egg, it will need to be wrapped to keep it warm enough.” The Pharaoh breathed a sigh of relief. “Atem, later this day, will you give me a tour of our home?”

“Of course. We should rise and dress. I have to assure my people that I am fine, and deliver the news. Would you like to be presented to them as the god-dragon and my royal consort?”

“I would. Must we rise so soon, my treasure? I want to lay with you for a while longer. Being with you like this makes me so happy, Atem. I feared I would be alone forever. Thank you for accepting my hand.” Atem moved his arm, so that his palm slid over the other’s spine.

“Perhaps we could lay here a little longer. I find I am rather comfortable.” Yugi kissed his skin again, before pressing an adoring kiss into his cheek. He smiled so happily at Atem. The Pharaoh’s breath caught softly in his throat. He shifted the dragon up higher on his body, so that their heads were level. He was quickly coming to love gazing into the other’s eyes. “If I slip into sleep again, would you join me?”

“Certainly. I cannot meet my future subjects while I am still weary from bringing the rains. Rest with me, Atem.” The pair fell back asleep to the sound of the rain as it lightened.

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

Yugi walked confidently at his husband’s side. His arm was curled around Atem’s, their hands clasped together. They were dressed similarly. Both wore white tunics and shentis, plain beaten gold belts were around their waists. A red cloak flowed from Yugi’s shoulders, while a cloak of royal violet fell from Atem’s. Beaten gold bracers, armlets, and anklets decorated his body as well as the winged crown on his head. Yugi had the same jewelry, save he wore no crown, but a beaded collar of topaz and ruby.

“My treasure, I have had a thought.” The ruler turned to his divine spouse. He motioned for the other to continue. “Wherever shall I sit in your courtroom?”

“I do not know, but you would be a welcome addition to my throne. You may sit on an arm.”

“May I sit in your lap instead?” Yugi asked with mischief in his eyes. Atem flushed slightly, and the dragon would have missed it, if not for his supernatural eyesight. The divine chuckled as they walked. He moved his arm, wrapping it and his other around Atem’s. The god-dragon laid his head on the Pharaoh’s shoulder. He sighed softly in blissful contentment. At least, until the musky scent of a magician reached his nose.

A rather tall man was walking toward them. Atem’s face lit up in happy familiarity. Yugi didn’t like it. This man was familiar to his mate. Why could he make the ruler smile so? What right did he have to make those beautifully tempting lips lift so? A low hiss, that slowly grew in volume to a growl, filled the hall. Atem flung his arm out quickly, the mage stopping an acceptable distance away. The magician’s aqua eyes darted to the form at his Pharaoh’s side. He tilted his head, glancing into his beloved friend’s eyes.

“Peace, Mahado. If you would meet us in the courtroom, my friend, all shall be explained there. Please inform the others that they need to be at a proper distance from my throne.” Atem glanced at his divine spouse. He winced as the other’s nails elongated, accidentally cutting into his skin, but not drawing blood. His eyes widened as he saw the long scarlet red tail trailing behind the other. It trailed behind Yugi for a good three or so feet, the end a prong of three appendages. They were feathery looking, unlike the hardened scale look of his full dragon form. The shape was not unlike the leaves of the large palm trees in his garden.

“What?” Yugi asked as he calmed. His eyes followed his husband’s, catching sight of his most embarrassing feature. His tail. The god-dragon flushed darkly, trying to pull his tail back into his human body. He was still upset, and that made it nearly impossible. “Please, stop looking at it.” He whispered pleadingly. He looked around. The magician must have slipped away as his mate made to calm him.

“Forgive me. I did not mean to offend you, Yugi.” Atem replied as he tore his gaze from the tail. He couldn’t understand why the divine wouldn’t want him looking. He was rather fascinated by the appendage and longed to touch the prongs to see if they were as soft as they looked.

“Oh, no! You did not offend me, Atem. It is just that my tail does not look the same as my true form, and it is rather embarrassing.”

“I like it.” Atem murmured softly. Yugi started as he gazed into the ruler’s eyes. His flushed face darkened even farther as he tried to hide himself from the other’s sight. The Pharaoh chuckled softly, took a deep calming breath, then pressed an uncertain kiss into the god-dragon’s hair. Yugi’s rumbling purr began instantly. Atem smiled to himself. He had calmed the great dragon!

“You can hold it when we sit, as an apology for hurting you. If it is you, my treasure, I do not think I would be as embarrassed to have my tail out.”

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

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow as his court looked at him, and more particularly the being in his lap. Yugi straddled his lap, his tail curled around one of the ruler’s arms. The minute the appendage had curled about his right arm, the god-dragon melted bonelessly onto his lap. Atem cared not what his court thought. He was becoming rather fond of the purr vibrating the other’s chest pleasantly against his own.

The divine cuddled closer, pushing his face into the crook of the other’s neck. Atem smiled as he rubbed the dragon’s tail softly. His gentle gesture was rewarded with a lazy nuzzle. He wished he could openly wonder at the soft downy feathers covering the appendage. As it stood, he couldn’t. Here, he had to act every bit the Pharaoh his father had raised him to be.

“I have an announcement to make. Our great god-dragon, Slifer, has heard my prayer, and answered by bringing the rains. He asked for one thing in return; my hand in marriage. The being in my lap is our beloved sky dragon, and we have already been wed. Please prepare for the official announcement to the people.” Yugi quickly turned his head toward a female mage. He could smell the scent of herbs on her, so she had to be a healer. She was far too close.

“HE IS MY MATE! STAY AWAY FROM MY MATE!” The dragon’s voice turned into a thunderous roar as he leapt from the ruler’s lap. The human form shifted, and the divine’s true form filled the courtroom. There was chaos as the court raced to escape the room. Atem pushed Isis, his palace healer, out of the room for her own safety. He thanked the other gods that he had been so quick.

“Yugi, come to me.” Atem called as calmly as he could. The massive scarlet head turned to him. A rumbling purr filled the room. The Pharaoh smiled as he knelt down. He patted his folded knees. The dragon lowered his head, the larger of his mouths opening. A long pink tongue licked the ruler’s cheek. The large god-dragon laid down on the floor, head propped on Atem’s knees.

There was something mystical about the ease the Pharaoh had. He smoothed his hand over the scarlet scales. Bright yellow eyes watched his every move. Atem leaned forward, draping his upper body over the god-dragon’s snout. He hummed in response to the dragon’s purr. His eyes slid shut, as something awoke inside him.

His father once spoke of an inner divinity in each Pharaoh. He had explained to an enthralled Atem that each Pharaoh were divine in their own ways. This couldn’t be that, but what was it? It seemed so similar, almost like the thrum of magic that had surrounded him as he spoke his vows to Slifer. It stemmed from an aching loneliness he had never noticed or really felt before. Slifer mewled at him softly as his hands wondered over his scaled face. Atem threw his head back and moaned.

This was spiritual, but it felt as intimate as going to the marshlands with the great dragon. The divine pushed into him gently. He fell back onto the stone floor. He moaned softly as the chill seeped into his body. Yugi was above him, just as dazed as he was. “What is this?” The Pharaoh asked breathlessly. He moaned loudly as some power crested within him, back arching up into the other’s form.

“Ma’at’s blessing on our union.” The divine answered just as breathless. “I need you.”

“Take me back to our room. I need you too.” Atem panted out between more moans and soft little mewls of pleasure. Yugi swept him into his arms, cradling him close. Boldly the ruler trailed shy kisses over the god-dragon’s neck and shoulder. Scarlet wings burst from the divine’s back. The Pharaoh was amazed as he took in the large appendages. With a flap of the strong wings, the pair were air borne. The dragon flew out into the hall and exited through a high window. The flight to their room was quick.

Yugi eagerly tossed the Pharaoh on their bed. He crawled onto the mattress, capturing merlot eyes with heated violet. The god-dragon unclasped his belt, dropping it, then his bracers and anklets to the floor. The collar of topaz and ruby was removed with the utmost care, and laid on a nearby daybed. The cloak fluttered to the floor, followed by the rest of the divine’s clothing. He said nothing about Atem’s wondering gaze, or the darkening of his face.

The dragon came over to him. He tugged gently at the ruler’s own clothing. When the other made no move to stop him, Yugi began undressing his mate. His crown was tangled in his bangs, and the god-dragon untangled it with care. It ended up on the same daybed as the other’s collar. Atem’s jewelry landed on the floor, along with his cloak. Slowly, the dragon slid his tunic up. The Pharaoh lifted his arms, helping remove the cloth. Violet eyes glanced at him as they searched his face. He relaxed his body as the divine unwrapped his shenti.

A satisfied growl left Yugi as he took in his mate. His hands slid soothingly over the other’s sides before moving to stroke his strong thighs. He barely kept his instincts to spread his mate open and claim him at bay. He needed to fill the ruler with his seed, his claim, and bind them forever more with his magic. Barely visible wisps of scarlet smoke bled from the dragon’s skin. They caressed Atem, curling around him, and searching for a way into him.

Atem was flustered where he lay, submissive to the divine above him. He wasn’t nervous about consummating their union any more, but was he pleasing to the god-dragon’s eyes? Whatever Ma’at’s blessing had awoken inside him called to the other. He needed to feel Yugi within him. Violet eyes found his again, pinning them as warm palms cupped the back of his knees. The divine spread them slowly before positioning the ruler’s lower half in his lap.

“Atem, may I?” The Pharaoh nodded, not trusting himself with words. “Say it. I cannot go to the marshlands with you unless you say it aloud. May I become one with you, my beautiful husband?”

“Yes.” Came the barely audible reply. The dragon captured his lips in a kiss. The ruler sighed blissfully into it. He slid his hands up the other’s arms, over his shoulders, and tangled his fingers into the divine’s hair. It flowed like silk from the Far East through his slender fingers. Yugi pulled away slowly, and moved to trail kisses down his mate’s throat. Atem shifted. A gasp of unexpected pleasure left him as his manhood brushed against the god-dragon’s.

“Easy, treasure. One wrong move and I could hurt you. I never want to hurt you. Let me prepare your body for me?” Warm loving palms rubbed across his belly in small circles. Atem smiled.

“Please be gentle with me. My tutors made sure I knew all the ways one could…hunt in the marshlands, but I have never gone to them with someone else before.”

“I shall be as gentle as I can be.” The divine returned to pressing kisses into the other’s skin. With a wave of his hand, a little clay bowl appeared by the ruler’s hip. The divine lazily swirled a finger in the clear watery like fluid. “Try not to tense your body as I prepare you, Atem. Just trust me not to harm you and relax in my arms.” The finger disappeared from the Pharaoh’s view.

He gasped softly as the digit, now wet and slightly chilled, pressed into him. Atem wanted to tense, wanted to fight the intruding force, but he willed himself to relax. His husband would not harm him. Yugi pressed a little harder; his finger slid into his mate. He murmured soft nothings to the ruler as he moved in and out, rubbing lubricant on his inner walls. He watched with wonder as the Pharaoh shivered when he added another lubed finger. He built the pleasure for his husband as he prepared him in a relaxed, loving pace.

“Atem, are you ready for me? Can I claim you as mine and mine alone?” The ruler looked at the divine. His heart melted a little. The god-dragon was giving him a chance to change his mind. He wanted this marriage. He wanted the dragon. He wanted to belong with the divine. Atem lifted his arms, shyly mumbling his answer. “Mine!”

Yugi slid into his mortal husband with little resistance. He intertwined their bodies flawlessly as he completely filled the other. The Pharaoh groaned softly below him. The dragon froze as he was completely enveloped by the other’s body. Atem reached up, entangling his fingers in the silky hair. Yugi relaxed as he lowered himself. His mate kissed him softly.

“Are you alright, treasure?” He asked. Yugi stroked the side of his mate’s face.

“It feels so strange to have you inside me, but I am fine. Am I …Am I too tight?”

“No, my beautiful mate. You are perfect. I’m going to move.” The dragon withdrew slightly. He started with a shallow, slow pace. A purr left him as the ruler started to fall into the rhythm with him. The dragon’s magic caressed his mate as incoherent sounds left the other. Atem tired of their pace after some time. He tried to move a little faster.

“F-F-Faster, Yugi!” Atem managed to get out. The dragon did as bid, building the pace slowly. The Pharaoh’s hands wondered over the other, gentle fingers finding the slits in his skin. He softly ran his hands over the slits, making Yugi shiver and growl above him. The growl was the only warning Atem received as the divine sat up, bringing the ruler with him. He slid deeper into his mate; the other moaned wantonly.

“Arms around my neck.” Yugi commanded. Atem complied quickly. Steel like hands clamped around his hips, lifting his body effortlessly. The Pharaoh screamed in pleasure as those hands slammed him back down on his husband. His back bowed, throwing his head back. The divine had lost it. He gave into his instincts as the fingers found their way back to his wing slits. His mate made no noise other than the constant string of moans as he was forced into total submission via intense pleasure. The dragon winced as the other let out an ear piercing scream. “Found it.”

“Yu-Yugi!” His poor mortal husband moaned out as he tried to keep pace.

“I know, treasure, I know. Help me get us to the peak of our pleasure.” Unsure, but willing lips met the dragon’s. Atem rode the constant barrage on his body until white hot euphoria stole his sight. He felt more than saw his seed escape his body to cover the god-dragon’s skin. Yugi clutched him closer as the divine coated his core with his claim. His husband’s essence was warm inside the most intimate part of his body.

The Pharaoh’s body quivered as the other stroked his back gently. Purrs of contentment made the divine’s chest vibrate pleasantly against his. Pale fingers danced soothingly over his skin as Yugi held him in his lap. Atem shifted minutely. He gasped softly as he felt the other’s manhood still hard within him. He made to move, but hands tightened around his hips.

“Sh. You are the greatest treasure any dragon could ask for, Atem. Our coupling has caused me to knot with you!” Adoring butterfly kisses were placed on his face and neck. Atem sighed, resigning to having his divine husband inside him a little longer. “I have taken lovers before, but not a single one were worthy of knotting. It seems only fitting that I knot with you, my beloved husband.”

“I am honored.” Atem mumbled sleepily. He felt pride well up inside him. He had done what no other being ever had. He was the only one to have the great god-dragon’s knot attached to him and his seed within his body. The ruler hummed. The sated, happy sound was music to Yugi’s ears.

“Rest, Mate.” He spoke softly as he pressed a kiss into Atem’s hair.

-----------

Atem woke surrounded by warmth. It was far too warm, but he cared not. One crimson eye cracked open. Yugi’s true dragon form was curled around him. The divine was no longer connected to him, but coils of his body were entangled with the ruler’s lower half. The dragon form was smaller than the other times he had been in it. The Pharaoh hummed softly as he reached to bring the divine’s head closer to him. A bright yellow eye opened.

Slifer shifted, placing his head in the mortal’s arms. The ruler stroked the scarlet scales lovingly. He gasped as the dragon’s scales moved over his still bare skin. The coils squeezed him gently. A noise similar to the chuffle of an exotic tiger left the divine. A snout nuzzled into the Pharaoh’s belly affectionately. The mortal flushed as the divine glanced up.

It has been some time since we hunted together in the marshlands, and you are still so sensitive. How are you feeling? Are you sore?

“My body is sore, but the aches are not as painful as I thought they would be.” Atem replied as his hand smoothed over the coil of scales around his hips.

I massaged your body after my knot receded, so you would not hurt so. The heat my body naturally generates helped soothe your muscles too. The Pharaoh cooed, trying to curl around his divine husband’s head. He frowned when the coils of scales tightened. Move slowly, my treasure. I do not want you to hurt yourself from moving too fast too soon. Perhaps I could persuade you into the bath soon?

“How soon?” Atem asked as he slowly curled around the divine. He cradled Slifer’s head closer to him.

Very. Your guards are rather anxious to storm into our den. I believe they think I have harmed you. Now, shall I take you to our bathing chamber?

“If you must, my husband. Will you join me?” The Pharaoh rose carefully, somehow untangling his body from the serpentine one on the bed. The dragon followed him through a hidden doorway. The royal bath was an open room, sheer linen of crisp sand color billowing in the breeze. Storm winds filled the space, cooling the over hearted stones. Slifer slipped into the bath, morphing effortlessly back into his human form. Atem climbed in after him.

Yugi wrapped his arms around his mate, catching his scent on the other. A growl of possession left him in a low hum. His hands rubbed the ruler’s hips, carefully gentle in their movement. The Pharaoh laid back, head resting on the basin’s edge. He let the other bathe him. The ruler relaxed even more with each caring touch.

“Brother? Brother, we’ve come to bring fresh flowers.” A female voice from their bedroom made the god-dragon start.

“My half-sisters. They are younger than I, and are the palace flower girls. I forgot they would come today. Please, do not harm them!” Violet eyes glanced at him. The dragon huffed, but was docile at his side. “Thank you, Yugi.”

“They are family?” He asked softly. Atem pulled him into his arms.

“Yes.” The Pharaoh smiled. “Beloved One, Joyful One, please wait a moment more. I shall be out of the bath shortly. I wish for you to meet my husband.” A woman head’s appeared around the entrance. Mahogany red hair flowed around her face in untamed curls. Dark brown eyes glittered happily as she nodded. Yugi tilted his head as she disappeared.

#slifer!yugi au #chapter 1 #idk what to call this #ocs #puzzleshipping #blindshipping #trial run #fanfic #fanfiction #ygo fanfiction

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silverwindsblog · 7 years

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7, 17, and 27 for the meme

Warning, Yugioh Dsod spoilers. Also, a very long post.

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

P/rideshipping. Honestly one of the reason why I hesistant to put my thoughts on Yugioh dsod is because I was struggling on what to say about Seto and Atem’s relationship in the movie. There’s a expectation to talk about their relationship since it’s the driving force of the movie and I felt pressured to talk about it. Another reason is that I have difficulty concentrating on writing my thoughts down for a long period of time due to my personal life and the current news drained my energy. The fandom in general have a favorable opinion on their relationship in the movie, while I am at the opposite spectrum. I used to enjoy Seto and Atem’s rivalry for both of them are passionate for dueling, they help each other become better duelists, they experienced an adrenaline rush from the thrill of dueling someone who is strong. I love Setos’s complex personality and how much he changed throughout the series from a cold hearted duelist who doesn’t value life and is willing to have someone die to get to his goals to someone who learns to show affection to Mokuba. While he has a hot blooded personality, he does not go into the extremes of taking someone’s life as a stake in a duel and show some mercy to others. He grew to be kinder (though he still refuses to ask for help unless he needs it) because of Atem.

After watching Dsod, I felt that he lost some of his character development from the original series. Seto missed Atem and didn’t get a chance to get closure with him. So he created a hologram and finds a method to revive Atem. However, Seto has taken into the extreme to ending the world for his goal and while I understand and can sympathize him because he struggled to develop healthy ways to cope with loss and forming friendships, it contradicts from his lessons learned of valuing people’s lives and overcoming his past. Seto is not my favorite character but I would rank him in my top 10. in This movie left a mixed feeling for me on how Seto was portrayed in the movie and the ending. Initially, I enjoyed the Dsod jokes of Seto wanting to duel Atem from the fandom, but then it was tiresome for me to see it everywhere. It became a running joke for Seto to be reduced into a one dimensional character obsessing about dueling Atem. I personally felt overwhelmed from seeing it everywhere and I felt the similar pressure from the current news in US about politics. It’s everywhere and it wears you out. People have their own thing on how they enjoy their favorite things and I let them do their thing and respect them. No harm done.

I wouldn’t say I hated it, but it’s something that I wish there’s a new interpretation or view of this relationship aside from the general opinion while respecting Seto’s character development.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

Instead of having card games as a major part of the Yugioh series, I would have more character development for minor characters. I would also love to see more day to day life in the Ygo cast. For example, seeing the gang coping with juggling school while saving the world, Anzu struggling to attend her dance classes and pursuing her dreams while supporting Yugi and Atem, etc. Another example would be expanding Atem’s culture and Atem learning his past and history from Ishizu. It would be pretty cool seeing how Atem and Ishizu interacted as a ruler/guardian and Atem easing Ishizu the formality and getting to know each other outside of their role.

I would expand the 5th season of Ygo and flesh out Mana’s and Mahaad’s background and see more of Atem’s memories. It’s too bad that we didn’t get to know more about Atem’s past and there’s so much potential. I would like to know how Mana and Mahaad met Atem and their relationships. Do they get along at first or they were butting heads? Did Mana and Mahaad have magic because their family have it? Or did they learn magic from someone and before meeting Atem, they were wondering their purpose of life and how to use their powers for good.

Instead of having Ygo 4th season happen, I would rewrite with female Ygo characters have better roles in this season and doesn’t reduce them into damsel in distress role. I was disappointed with Mai and instead of having her joining the Orichalcos cult, I would have Mai going through depression and have the gang tried to reach her out while she attempted to push them away. Considering that Mai goes through mind rape from Yami Malik, she suffered from PTSD which crippled her ability to enjoy playing duel monsters. She will get better from the gang especially from Joey and surprisingly from Ishizu who she felt horrible for her brother inflicting pain on others (even though Ishizu is not at the fault here). To demonstrate Mai’s overcoming from the trauma and Ishizu’s guilt from her brother’s actions, there will be a evil force called “mirrors” that transforms people into their worst fear and traits that they hated the most through shapeshifting. Mirrors feed on despair and people’s insecurities and its power depends on how strong the person’s mind is and their sense of self. People who have a strong sense of self, are determined, ability to tell apart truths and lies, and accepts their flaws and their virtues are going to have an easier time to defeat their “mirror”. People who have insecurities, are secretive, self loathing, and repressive will have a harder time fighting their “mirror”. The gang will face them and go through trials. As they went further to the evil force, one by one the gang is stuck to fighting their “mirror”. Finally, Mai will face her own “mirror”, duels with it, and is able to overcome it. She was able to enjoy dueling again and regain trust with people.

For Yugi, his “mirror” would be taunting him for his naive nature, showing his repressed resentment towards the love triangle between Anzu and Atem, and would be a warped version of him, seducing him to become cynical and questioning him on why he stay on the side of good. “It would be so much easier if you take revenge on the people who wrong you, it’s stupid to turn the other cheek while others taunted you, people only become friends with you because they pity you…”

For Joey, his “mirror” is his father and taunting him that he will become like his father. The “mirror” will criticize Joey for being the second best, he is nothing because of his poor status and people only care about status and appearance rather than the heart of a person. “Like father, like son. Why bother trying to improve? You work hard as a duelist, but your best friend gets all the fame…” Of course, Joey won’t believe it and knew that this is false. He would break away from his “mirror” quicker than other people.

Anzu’s mirror would plagued her for being “useless” in the group as a cheerleader and guilt her for the love triangle between Yugi and Atem. It would taunt her dancing dreams, her being an outcast from what society expects her, and being an eyecandy for men. “Since all you did is being on the sideline, why not try to be a good girl? Give up your silly dreams as a dancer and make your parents proud by being a good daughter. It’s easier to do what others expect of you, rather than rebelling against them. Do you think you in love? Or are you in love with his shadow? We shall dance to see who is superior…”

Tristan’s mirror will taunt him for being incapable to duel, his dating life, and being a sidekick to Yugi. “ Who are you exactly? Oh, right, the one that everyone forgets. No wonder you couldn’t get anyone…”

Atem’s mirror will resemble his darker self when he was unstable in the early season. It will manifest his doubts if he makes personal connections with Yugi’s gang, his insecurities on if he’s a good person, his identity, and will exploit his flaws: His self sacrificing nature, arrogance, and pride. The “mirror” will give foreshadowing to Atem’s past. “Don’t you see how Yugi gave his puzzle to his possessed friend without asking you? Yugi is willing to die for Joey. But would he die for you? Would he care so much about you if his life isn’t intertwine with yours? Who are you? You can’t even answer that question yourself but I can do it for you. You’re a vessel. You’re a king for your people who adore you. Treated you as a god. Fitting that people would worship you considering your powers. But do people really care about you outside of your power and status? Of course not, you’re a god! Your father raised you for this position. Why else he would care about you? Yes, your father was just and good king for his people. I doubt you would a good king. After all, you have no memories of yourself, so how else are you going to be a good king? And the cruel acts you did, they are unforgivable. I see that you have lingering feelings of regret from your past actions. But no matter! This is going to be so much fun…”

Ishizu’s mirror taunts her for her fault on the events in Battle City, her failure as an guardian, and exploit her fears of her past. The “mirror” will inflict her worst memories in her past and would manifest into Malik. “You’re a failure as a guardian for the pharaoh. You’re a disgrace for your line. The only way to redeem yourself is to take the life of your brother…”

Part of my shipping side wanted to see instead of Atem leaving, I would tie up loose ends on Anzu’s relationship with Atem. Anzu traveled to Japan after graduation and 6 months in New York, while Anzu is tracing her cartouche and thinking about Atem, he appeared to thank her for supporting him and revealed his requited feelings to Anzu. Then, they share a heartwarming embrace. From time to time, Atem supported Anzu with her dancing. :3 They will reunited in the afterlife.

For Yugioh DSOD movie, I would instead have more scenes of how Yugi’s gang deal with Atem’s departure in a individual level. We get to see how Yugi is feeling over Atem’s departure since he has a personal bond with Atem and it affects him more than others, but not so much for others. For Joey, he would want to show to Atem how much he grew as a duelist and wanted to duel with him as well thanking him for making him and Yugi stronger as a person. For Anzu, she has feelings for Atem and I was shocked on how she doesn’t wear the cartouche in the movie despite that Atem’s departure hit her really hard. I would love to see Joey getting out from the alternative realm by having his friends do the friendship hands from the first episode or at least do a flashback.

27. Least shippable character?

Yugioh: Ryou Bakura aside from a couple of shippings such as Softshipping and Hostshipping. In my opinion, he’s an ace more interested in his hobbies more than romantic relationships. Same goes with Seto, I don’t see him be invested in relationships because aside from his brother, he doesn’t display affection. Even if he is interested in a relationship, he would struggle a lot in terms of dealing with people and learning to deal with his disappointments in a healthy way. I ship Seto with Kisara both platonic and romantic way.Yugioh Gx: Amon GaramYugioh 5ds: Yusei Fudo. I like having BrOTP with other characters, but I can’t see him interested in relationships aside from Starshipping and few other shippings.Yugioh Zexal: Mr. HeartlandYugioh Arc V: Leo AkabaPuella Magi Madoka Magica: Kyubey. For everyone who contacted with him, let’s just say that it doesn’t end well for them.

Thanks for the ask! 17 was pretty fun to answer.

#silverwindsblog answers #sorry for the very long post #I have way too much fun with the mirror concept #I spent about 3 hours of so coming up with that

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