#oc: great royal wife keket

[millenniumpuzzle]

kazuko: yugi, you are never going to believe what happened when i told the princess about catgirl cafes

yugi: yeah yeah, the “temple to bastet” line, we’ve all heard it

[shinayashipper]

Have you ever just [thinks of OC] but it’s someone else’s OC? And you have no rights yet you make contents of them anyway?? And somehow you get attached? It is me with Kazuko & Keket by @duelistkingdom & @millenniumpuzzle (mostly I got Attached to Keket, though HHHH SORRY about that)

Haven’t made a proper design for Keket yet, I really want to... someday.

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Then again, I’ve always been thinking of someone else’s OC right? xD I mean the canon characters are also OCs but like Official OCs xD

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(If you want this removed, please tell me!)

[cdkwrites]

fall from grace (5)

Two households, both alike in dignity

An uneasy truce between Heaven and Hell was struck eons ago. Tensions still simmer underneath the surface between the two warring factions. Dartz has agreed to keep his angels in line and Pegasus has agreed to keep his demons in line. Their grudges run deep, a danger to those that they command.

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean

When Atem from one of the high houses of Hell is discovered dying in the streets of 1920s Paris by a mysteriously kind angel, tensions of this old war spark when she elects to save his life. The devastating fall out of one simple act of kindness is more than enough to shatter the truce. Soon, it maybe be impossible to avoid the resulting war for all species on Earth.

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend

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cw: mentions of blood, self harm (kind of? there’s no scarring involved, it’s more like Allowing Oneself To Starve To Death), suicide idealization (nothing worse than you’d read in canon ygo), some artistic license re: european history espeically re: the french, violence

chapter one. chapter two. chapter three. chapter four.

you can read it on ao3 here!

if you enjoy my work, considering supporting me through ko-fi!

From the journal of Kazuko Kubota: November 15, 1922. Paris Sumiko continues to refuse to leave Paris. Even more irksome, the demon has taken her side…

Kazuko frowned at the mirror, trying to decide the best approach to the ongoing problem of Sumiko's refusal to leave Paris. There was no good answer, really. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy her sister was close by. It was that she didn’t trust Duke. Kazuko liked him even less after Duke suggested that Sumiko was right - her learning self defense would be a valuable skill. You can’t protect her forever, hunter.

Duke was standing in the kitchen with a rather smarmy grin that Kazuko had longed to punch off his face. However, she didn’t know if it would even actually hurt him. The more she interacted with Duke, the less she understood about him. Duke had a very annoying habit of acting like nothing mattered in the long run. He kept insisting that mortals had a short life span and that nothing mattered in the end for people like her. It was very insulting.

“Well, it seems important to me,” Kazuko finally snapped at him one day, turning to glare at him. “What’s your problem, anyway?”

“I don’t have a problem, hunter,” Duke said with a flash of his sharp teeth. Again, Kazuko couldn’t help but notice that unlike vampires, every single one of Duke’s teeth were razor sharp. She badly wanted to ask what Duke ate but was scared of the answer. “I’m merely pointing out that mortals have a tendency to overthink the future.”

“And what would you know about mortals as a whole?” Kazuko crossed her arms, glaring at him. “What type of mortals do you usually meet, anyway?”

“You meet all sorts when you work in this type of shop,” Duke said as he tossed up a vial in the air. Kazuko still was not sure why he felt the need to show off when mixing up the potions for display, even when no one was around to watch him. “They all have ideas of the future. Rigid plans for love, success, and happiness that is fleeting. Some of them are desperate enough that they sell what they can’t get back.”

Kazuko did not bother asking what he took as payment. She didn’t think she could stomach it if she knew. She tried her best to keep Sumiko away from Duke but unfortunately, Sumiko found Duke fascinating. “Right,” Kazuko said with a wary look on her face. “You always say shit like that and get shocked when I don’t want you around my sister.”

“But your sister likes being around me,” Duke said with a smug grin as he splashed a vivid blue liquid into the cauldron. The liquid inside turned a violent shade of green. “You can’t dictate your sister’s life choices, hunter.”

She yanked her knife out, flipping it easily in hand as she slammed Duke into the wall. “Don’t think that just because I don’t know what kills you doesn’t mean I won’t have fun trying to figure it out,” Kazuko threatened, annoyed that Duke didn’t even seem scared. “I imagine that I can at least still make you hurt.”

“You probably could,” Duke said, an arched brow. “Gonna kiss me?” Kazuko made a disgusted sound before releasing him. Duke smoothed out his shirt and winked at her. “You could always just ask me further questions about what type of demon I am. Certainly one of the books around here would tell you everything you need to know about me.”

He had a point. Kazuko still wasn’t sure why she didn’t bother. Duke, at this point, had been a willing open book now that he was certain that Kazuko couldn’t kill him. “Like you’d tell me how to kill you.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Duke said with a smile that Kazuko still had yet to decipher. It was different from his smug, self assured smile in a way she couldn’t quite pin down yet. “But it’s very obvious that you’re an intelligent woman, hunter. I’m certain that all you’d need to find out how to kill me is merely me telling you the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

Her eyes narrowed at him as she wondered what that could possibly mean. Duke, at no point, had ever come across as particularly careless. He smirked as he threw some powder in the cauldron and put a lid over it. She wanted to ask what the potion he was brewing was for. Instead, she rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s start simple then. What kind of demon are you?”

“Power in names,” he reminded her as he stroked the flames under the pot. “You already knew I wasn’t going to tell you that, though. Why don’t you ask something you really want to ask, hunter?” A flash of teeth and Kazuko took a step back. His smile was smug again. “Ask me what I eat.”

Kazuko’s eyebrows shot up. “How did you -“

“I know mortals, hunter,” Duke said with a shrug. “And you’ve been curious since you saw my teeth. I also know that you want to know what I’m making but haven’t asked. And now you want to know how I know that.” Kazuko glared at him, refusing to answer him. “I see. Alright, fine. This power was granted to me by Master Pegasus. I can glean information directly from mortal’s minds, as if they’d spoken it out loud to me.”

“You can read minds?” Kazuko was well aware it was a silly question and yet she couldn’t help herself. She felt anger surge through her. “And you’ve just been listening in on my thoughts without my consent? Without telling me that my thoughts aren’t safe?”

Duke shrugged. This clearly did matter to him the way it did to her. "You never asked,” he said with a sly grin. “Are you worried I heard something you didn’t want me to hear?”

Kazuko frowned as she mulled this new information over. Something was not sitting right and she didn't know what it was. Her eyes narrowed at him as it hit her. “You said you only hear mortals but when we met, you thought I might be an angel,” she remarked, her eyes narrowing further still. “So spill."

Duke seemed surprised by this call-out. “You’re smarter than most mortals." He seemed annoyed despite this sounding like it would be praise from anyone else. “You’re right. It’s also not perfect - I can’t distinguish the mind I’m reading. Nor do I have any particular control over when I read a mind.” His hands rested on the island, leaning forward. Kazuko leaned back in her chair, feeling uneasy by his sudden closeness. “Well, Kazuko Kubota… It’s been fun talking but I believe you want to convince your sister to leave. You should go try again.”

Kazuko took the excuse to leave, trying her best to keep her mind free from thoughts.

From the logs of Keket, Soldier of Chaos, Keeper of Fate: 1900s Spoke with Rafael. Rafael seems to agree that the best course of action is to eliminate the vampire. While I still have reservations, it seems the vampire's is inevitable.

The map that the vampire had made for her stared up at Keket judgmentally. It seemed wrong to use his gift in this manner. He had, after all, made this map for her in good faith. “I find it hard to believe a vampire just handed you this map,” Rafael remarked, pointing to the same house Jonouchi had pointed out. “I don’t understand what this one is.”

Keket thought about telling him the truth. She knew that he might be able to help her. He was strong and was not suffering from a warning mark killing him slowly. Rafael would be more than willing to help her fight a demon. And yet she could not bring herself to ask for his help. This was her fight and she would not drag Rafael down with her. "I'm not sure what it is,” she lied, shrugging. “He did not explain what it was.”

Rafael examined her critically, as if he did not believe her. Keket could not blame him for not believing her. She tilted her head up to him, daring him to call her out. He shrugged and gave her a small smile. “Shame he didn't tell you more,” Rafael said as he glanced over at her. “It would aid you in the mission Dartz gave you.”

She gasped, glancing up into Rafael's piercing blue eyes. All she could think was how did he know . The only answer was Dartz must have told him. She smirked, ignoring the stabbing pain rolling up along her arm. The sharp reminder that she was weakened and that proceeding forward with Dartz’s mission could kill her. “You always were Dartz’s favorite,” she said with a wink. “Only you would get to know what missions other angels have.”

He didn't even bother looking embarrassed by this. Instead he looked a little smug. "You could also have been favored by Dartz too at one point, " he said. “Instead you started getting chummy with a vampire.”

Keket rolled her eyes. “Dartz has been annoyed with me even before I saved that vampire,” she countered, trying her best to suppress the grimace that came with the pain running down her back. “I ask too many questions, remember?”

Rafael laughed at this. “You do ask too many questions,” Rafael conceded as he looked back at the map. “This is, however, an accurate map. I would proceed with extreme caution, Ket.” He looked at her and Keket got the sense that if she simply asked, he’d go with her. Rafael would be willing to protect her if she only could open her mouth and say the words. “It could be a trap.”

For a second, Keket wanted more than anything to ask Rafael to come with her when she went to check out the house. She thought about how easily that vampire could get the jump on her. Every part of her was aching. She was grateful that she and Rafael were alone. Rafael wouldn’t question her choosing to keep her wings unconcealed. It was too much energy to conceal them. “It could be,” Keket admitted, hedging her answer. “But I can handle it. After all, Dartz told me to take care of this vampire.”

From the journal of Prince Atem, domain of vampires: London, November 1922 Pegasus seems to think that I have a thing for this angel. I don’t know who’s spreading this rumor but it’s truly audacious to assume that I want to date an angel of all things.

“I heard quite the tale about you, Atem-boy,” Pegasus said before Atem even had a chance to settle in. Atem eyed the full goblet in Pegasus’s hand. “Don’t worry, no one died for this. Come, sit down. Shall I get you some blood? The most beautiful girl has been donating to me as of late - I should introduce you two. Oh, wait. You seem to prefer celestial beings now, don’t you?”

Atem blinked and titled his head as he tried to process everything that Pegasus had just said. Pegasus sat a crystal goblet in front of Atem, the dark red liquid calling to Atem. He was ashamed when he picked it up, taking a deep swig of the liquid as he focused every thought on the taste of blood on his tongue. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, dear uncle.”

“Of course you do,” Pegasus said with a wave of his hand as he settled into his ornate chair, crossing on leg. His good eye was focused on Atem, a sinister smirk on his face. “I can still see her face in your mind. You told her where you live…and where other demons in Paris rest, naughty boy. What if her friends show up to kill yours?”

Atem focused intently on the blood in the glass. He thought instead of Anzu and her soft, very human features. “Then I would have been wrong about her,” Atem said quietly, focusing on how pretty Anzu had looked when she moaned and how Bakura had urged him on. He could only hope that this line of thought would keep Pegasus out of his head. “She does not seem like she’d be capable of harm, though.”

“A lot of angels seem that way at first glance, Atem-boy,” Pegasus said, a look of disgust appearing on his face. “Do you mind thinking about something other than your sexual exploits?”

“Stay out of my head, then.” Atem glared at Pegasus. “Don’t you have other things to focus on other than my romantic life?”

“You have a point,” Pegasus said with a sour look on his face. “As much as I would like to interrogate you more about the choice to let an angel this deep into your life, I have more important matters to attend to. Do you remember Duke?”

Instantly, the image of the demon flooded right to Atem’s head and the last time he saw Duke. “Perhaps.”

“You should tell that angel of yours how much you get around,” Pegasus remarked with a roll of his eyes. “I need you to find out why Duke has yet to get me another soul. And don’t try to fuck him.”

“Technically, I never -“

“Yes, yes, I know, spare me the details, Atem-boy,” Pegasus said as he downed the rest of his goblet with a grimace. Atem smirked as he specifically thought about the more intimate details. “You are a menace. Fine, I’ll stop reading your mind for the rest of the day.”

“That’s what I was aiming for,” Atem remarked with a quirk of his eyebrow. “Is there another reason besides asking me to check on Duke that you called me here?”

“Ah, yes,” Pegasus said as he poured out more blood for himself from a decanter. Atem suspected that it was mixed with a fine red wine, based on the scent alone. “Rabiah called me today. She wanted me to tell you that she wants you to come home as soon as possible. Akhenamkhanen seems to be annoyed that you haven’t visited in a while.”

“Tell Mother that I am deeply sorry for the delay in visits,” Atem said, measuring his words carefully. “However, I simply cannot go back home as long as my father remains angry over the death of Akhandin.”

“Ah, I knew I was missing part of the message,” Pegasus said as Atem took a swing from his glass. “Akhenamkhanen isn’t angry anymore over you killing his brother,” he said as he made a dismissive wave of his hand. “All water under the bridge, Atem-boy. Rabiah seems to have finally gotten through to him about how Akhandin maybe wasn’t the best influence to have kept around.”

For a minute, Atem said nothing. If this was true, this meant his self imposed exile could be over. He could return home as if nothing had happened. It was a tempting offer. And yet… “Right,” Atem said as he downed the last of the blood Pegasus had offered. “In that case, I’ll arrange travel plans within the next year. Tell Mother that I’ll head home as soon as I can.”

From the journal of Kazuko Kubota: November 21, 1922, Paris The elusive Yugi has come back to the shop…

As much as Kazuko would like to leave the shop, Sumiko had decided that they were staying here. Kazuko had suggested a proper hotel with the suggestion that perhaps Ryo and Duke would like their shop back. Ryo, the sweet little witch, had insisted it was no trouble that the sisters stay as long as they wanted. This left Kazuko with no option but to politely thank Ryo for the offer.

Some days Kazuko considered simply grabbing Sumiko and dragging her out of the shop. Yet for as much as she didn’t care what Duke thought about her, she didn’t want Ryo to be upset. Ryo seemed rather happy about housing two complete strangers. They had constantly made three large meals for everyone every day and Kazuko had been touched when Ryo insisted on making traditional Japanese food for their guests. Over lunch today, Ryo had informed Kazuko that Yugi should be returning from Japan soon. They seemed delighted in stating that hopefully, Yugi will bring spices to really up the food.

Kazuko had no care for any of this and instead, had taken to hiding and sulking. The wooden rafters in the shop were a decent place to hide away from everyone else. Plus it allowed her to get a better view of the kind of people who entered the shop. Ryo seemed to know the name of every single one, treating them all like family.

A blonde woman had caught Kazuko’s attention at one point. She’d overheard some of the conversation with Ryo - apparently the woman was the elusive Yugi’s cousin. She mentioned wanting to buy something for a girlfriend. Kazuko raised a brow at the conversation, making a note to ask Ryo more about this Mai later.

She’d made the choice to get out of the rafters when the shop door opened again. This startled her and she lost her balance, crash landing instead onto someone. “Oh, I am so sorry,” Kazuko groaned as she sat upright, rubbing her head as she assessed the damage. “I didn’t mean to land on you.”

“Do you always attract danger?”

He sounded amused and Kazuko finally got a look at him as he sat up. She’d recognize that strange, tri-colored hair anywhere. “You’re the guy who helped me when I first got here,” Kazuko said, furrowing her brow as she tried to remember his name. “Yugi, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” he said as he got up, dusting himself off with a grin. He held his hand out to her and she took it. Kazuko was surprised to note that despite Yugi’s lithe frame, he was strong. He yanked her to her feet, and reached a hand out before pulling back. “Sorry, may I examine your head? I’m worried you may have hit it pretty hard.”

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, heat rising to her cheeks. She knew it was probably pointless to pretend that she didn’t help around the guy who had saved her life when she’d been bleeding out on the shop floor. However, she couldn’t bring herself to admit she actually needed help. “Sorry I bled out all over your shop.”

“I’m glad to see that you healed up alright,” Yugi said and for the first time, she saw that his eyes were a brilliant shade of violet. An impossible shade that made her instantly think not human . “It’s nice to properly meet you. Did your sister ever make it here okay? She looks so much like you, you know.”

“She’s prettier than me,” Kazuko said with a shrug. “But yes, Miko made it here safely. She seems to adore living here and decided this is our new home. Sorry about that.”

“The more, the merrier,” Yugi said as he reached down to pick up his bags and threw them back over his shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you around if you’re staying here for longer. I do have to ask: did you tell Duke your real name?”

Kazuko froze and nodded, figuring there was no point in lying. “Did he tell you my name already?”

Yugi grinned. “Of course he did,” Yugi said, nodding at her before starting to walk off. “I’ll see you later, Kazuko Kubota.”

From the journal of Prince Atem, domain of vampires: early winter, 1920s, Paris Yes, I’m bleeding. Yes, I’m fine. Stop reading this, Bakura.

The house was unsuspecting. If someone had told Keket a vampire lived here, she wasn’t sure she’d believe them. It looked just like any other house on the street. She could easily see a family of four that was struggling to get by living inside or maybe a couple who bought their first home with the intention of making a life here. She tried to imagine what could have brought the vampire here. Stay alert, she reminded herself. She was weakened and heading in blind.

It���s the only way to regain her pride. Keket wanted her strength back and the only answer lay in this house. She considered just barging in before deciding that the least she could offer him before his death was some level of kindness. Thus she knocked on the door. Keket half hoped he wouldn’t answer. Unfortunately, hope never worked out in her favor and the door swung open to reveal him. Atem stood in front of her, a look of surprise crossing his face that twisted into a smirk. “I see you decided to drop by,” he said, resting a hand on the door frame and leaning against it. “Did you want to come in?”

No. If she stepped across the threshold, she had no choice but to try to end his life or die trying. “Sure.”

He stepped aside and she hesitated. Could she really do this? She assessed the situation and he raised a brow at her. Atem could tell something was wrong now. “You know, most people enter the building when invited in.”

Keket did not respond and instead stepped inside the house. She examined the entryway and noted how unassuming everything was. Once again, she was reminded of humans and their need to fill the home with trinkets. In another life, she’d ask him about the portrait that hung over an ornate wooden table that had golden objects and thick unopened letters. She’d want to know who sent the letters. Perhaps if he wasn’t a vampire, this would end some other way. She steeled herself, preparing for an ambush that never came.

He closed the door and the lock clicked into place. She expected him to hit her, to get the jump on her. “What do angels eat?” He was grinning and only his teeth reminded her that he was supposed to be her enemy. Did he have to make this so difficult? Surely he had to know… “I don’t have much in the way of human food, but I do have eggs.”

She turned to stare at him. For a second, Keket thought it must be a trick to distract her. When nothing came, the realization sunk in. Atem honestly did not think of this as anything more than a social call. There was no intention of getting one up over her. This put her in the advantageous position. She steeled herself, pushing away all of her concerns about how unfair this was as she launched herself at him. Keket expected him to fight back when she pinned his hands above his head, her knee firmly pressed against his chest. Her wings had spread out, using them to hover at least two feet off the ground. Her heart stuttered in its attempt to keep with her movements.

Instead of fighting back, he raised a brow. “If you wanted a rough night, you could have just asked.”

Keket noted that his voice had gone…husky. His voice was already a deep baritone, but there was something in the way he made his statement that made her hesitate again. Instead, she slapped him across the face. The warning mark stung from the direct contact with his face. “Shut up,” she said. She was fully aware that the warning marks were merely inflaming her anger, making it feel amplified and yet… It was impossible to ignore. “Just shut up!”

Atem was now smirking up at her, a strange gleam in his eyes. She expected him to talk back again and instead, he complied. To her great surprise, his hips jutted up to her. Before she knew it, his legs twisted around hers, yanking her to him. They tumbled around, knocking over the table and shattering something made of glass to the ground. His hips pinned her down, arching a brow at her. “Are you going to tell me why you’re doing this?”

She reached for a glass shard and slashed it across his chest. The shock this gave him was enough to give her an advantage and she slipped out from under him and slammed him into yet another wall. It shattered the mirror she’d slammed him into, shards falling to the ground. “I have to,” she said, steeling herself as she held the makeshift knife to his throat. It wouldn’t kill him - they both knew that. It was the wrong material to kill him. And yet she still slashed across, splitting down until she reached his trachea. It’d shut him up, at least. “I.. Forget it.”

She came dangerously to explaining herself to him as he gaped, struggling to intake air. As far as she was aware, vampires did not need oxygen the same way humans did. This should not kill him, but simply subdue him until she could regain the upper hand. Keket reached up to strike him again and this time, his teeth sank into her palm and wrist before she could actually hit him. She hoped that this would mean that her blood would do him in. As far as she was aware, her blood would basically be poison to him and rot him from the inside out. At least then her task would be complete. Despite this, she thought it was a shame.

Instead, he grabbed her wrist and groaned in what almost sounded like pleasure. Suddenly she was flat on her back and his legs were pinning her down. She flushed as she noted his hips were pressed into hers. His eyes had slid closed and he was drinking from her like a man fresh from the desert, quenching his thirst. Keket had seen vampires frenzy before when dangerously close to death. It had been part of the reason she’d been so unsure about helping him when she’d met him in that dark alley. The reminder that she could’ve gotten that mortal killed had she miscalculated how hungry he was.

Her will to fight was shattered now as she watched the damage she did to him be instantly undone. His blood still ran down his shirt despite the healing, which was in tatters. She could see his toned chest and his dark skin’s strong contrast against the white shirt. She supposed if this had to be the end, then at least it would be quick with a reminder of just how pretty the devil could be. “Please,” she said softly, unsure what she was asking for. All she knew is she desired some sort of release. “Please.”

Atem suddenly ceased drinking from her, looking stunned himself. “I,” he started, looking mollified. “I’m sorry. I only meant to subdue you.” He then reached out, his hand gently resting upon her cheek. The worst part is that she was certain he was being honest. “Strange… Touching you used to burn me…”

Keket stared at him. She wondered why she hadn’t been informed that vampires not only could drink the blood of angels, but that it seemed to be better for them than standard mortal blood. She would think that this would be crucial information Dartz would have told her before she rushed into battle with him. “You can drink my blood,” she said. “Did you know this?”

He shook his head. “I just…acted on instinct,” he said, sounding almost rueful. “Why did you try to kill me? Have I done something to offend you?”

“I… I have to go,” she said, shoving him off her and rushing out the door. She didn’t care that there were possibly mortals around when her wings burst out behind her and pushed off the ground. She needed to ask Dartz if he’d known that vampires could drink angel blood.

[duelistkingdom]

lost in the labyrinth

Summary: he was certain they lived here now.

Rating: G

Ships: Atem/Keket, implied Yugi/Kazuko

Author’s note: this is for the chocobox challenge! it's been a long time since i've regularly posted, and i feel kind of rusty about it. i hope you guys like it!

read on ao3 / consider supporting me on ko-fi / join my discord (18+)

“I think it’s this way.”

Keket dragged Atem's hand, pulling him away from the rows of shark plushies to rows of desks. She came to a full stop, the beads in her braids clinking together as she looked to her right and then to her left. Neither Kazuko nor Yugi were anywhere to be spotted, and Atem was starting to wonder if they lived here now. Keket, meanwhile, had a glint in her eyes and a furrowed brow that told Atem she was determined to figure out where they needed to go.

To their right was a display of a modern child’s bedroom, and Atem compared it in his head with the palace. There was a lot of glittering gold, but it was nowhere near as warm as the child’s bedroom presented before him. The implication in the set up was that the parents were around. Keket was not looking at it, and Atem vaguely remembered how Keket’s family had simply dropped her at the palace’s doorsteps with the intention of marrying her off. They never came back after Atem had married her as planned. While Atem was grateful, he never asked how Keket felt about it and Keket never brought it up.

“Wait,” he finally said, staring at the storage units on the wall. “When you arrived at the palace, you were only eight. Your parents visited every summer until we were twelve and wedded. Then they never came by again.”

Keket paused, looking at the shelves he looked at. There was now a faraway look on her face. “No, they didn’t,” she said. “My father was always distant. My mother was one of many wives. She always told me to be the first wife of a ruler, and was thrilled to engage me to a prince directly in line for the throne. I would be a first wife, as she wanted.” She paused, not continuing, before taking his hand again. “Let us go find Yugi and Kaz. I think we’re close.”

She yanked him away from the child’s room and through a shortcut that dumped them out into an area that had a bunch of neatly polished kitchens in varying sizes. None of them were the warm hearth and stone of his childhood. He couldn’t picture Mana or Mahad in any of these kitchens. He could not imagine making bread on the cold, icey blue stone of the modern kitchen’s counter. The steel fridges may store plenty of food, but they lack the warmth that the hearth should hold. He was alive in a world he was never supposed to be alive in. And then Keket stood in the tiny model kitchen, and suddenly Atem understood how a modern kitchen could be warm.

Her eyes were like liquid gold, and they locked with his, and Atem didn’t care if they had to live in Ikea anymore. He could recall when they were in the kitchen, and Keket would help knead bread. He remembered the smell of baking fish and herbs, of the laughter of long dead people. And yet here they were. “We should ask an employee,” Keket said, her brow furrowing again “I don’t think we’ll be able to find our way to Yugi and Kaz without it.”

Asking for help would’ve never crossed his mind. Keket reached out with her hand, and he took it. The past was long gone, dead and buried. They could never turn back to the people they had been before. From ancient bones, to ghosts, to solidly alive again. Without her, Atem would have felt like he would have come back wrong. Stuck in the past, unable to grow past it. But with her, he could admit to needing help. He could accept help. He would not let pride hold him back. He would let Keket lead him into the future.

[millenniumpuzzle]

so keket (one of cassie @duelistkingdom and i’s ocs and atem’s wife when they’re grown) is an alchemist, and she and atem met when they were eight years old

so i brought up, jokingly, the fact that she almost certainly made “potions” out of mud and leaves and bugs when she was that age, and that, almost certainly, she convinced atem to try them

except before atem could eat Literal Mud, mahad had to swoop in and tell him not to eat mud, because he can’t let the future pharaoh die of Mud Poisoning!! and then atem goes “but keket said it was going to make me taller, and she’s smart”

and mahad, thinking quickly, examines the “potion” and goes “hm...not bad, but you need formal training. perhaps i can arrange alchemy classes for you”

and that’s how she ends up learning alchemy. by almost making atem eat mud

[shinayashipper]

Happy birthday @duelistkingdom !!! It’s already the 18th over there so HERE IT IS a little gift from me, it’s chibi KazKet if you can’t tell :”)

Thank you for many things, I hope you have a wonderful year ahead <3

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ONLY @duelistkingdom​ can repost / use / edit this picture, thank you!

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Only the chibis under cut:

[cdkwrites]

fic list

helpfully sorted by rating then alpha by title. fics will be showcased in modified mla format. under a cut because this is... crazy long and i don’t want it to be something people see and get irked by.

example fic. main ship (character a x character b); minor ships (character a x character b). summary. series (if needed). canon compliant/continuation/oc canon/divergent (from canon)/au. number of chapters, in/complete, XX (word count). 00 month 20XX.

g rated

at least i’m trying. yugi mutou x atem. “how much money would you give me to flip this table, right here, right now, in the middle of class?”. canon compliant. oneshot, 656. 07 april 2021.

chasing thunder. katsuya jonouchi x atem. "what do i get if i win?". divergent. atem’s birthday 2021. oneshot, 351. 03 july 2021.

christmas traditions. katsuya jonouchi x atem. who better than someone new to teach christmas traditions about to make jonouchi enjoy christmas again?. divergent. 12 days of christmas 2020. oneshot, 2,990. 14 december 2020.

coming of age. yugi mutou x atem. atem throws a surprise birthday party. divergent. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. oneshot, 546. 04 july 2021.

counting stars. yugi mutou x atem. atem misses the stars. yugi finds a way to bring them to him. divergent. oneshot, 2,008. 20 november 2021.

deck the halls. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. seto absolutely does not want to decorate for the holidays. yugi does. they decorate for the holidays. 12 days of christmas 2020. canon compliant. oneshot, 993. 19 december 2020.

i like it anyway. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. seto's running late for a very important date. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. canon continution. oneshot, 770. 04 july 2021.

it’s nice to have a friend. yugi mutou x atem. atem's always had a crush on yugi. and over the course of a few years, he gets to slowly go from friends to lovers with his crush. au. oneshot, 1,756. 01 november 2020.

lavish cakes. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. yugi always insisted on celebrating a birthday. seto kaiba’s birthday 2020. canon continuation. oneshot, 300. 26 october 2020.

left them all to me. kazuko kubota x great royal wife keket. an odd, twisted smile appeared on the ghost’s face. “ah,” she said, glancing away. “i don’t…remember my name. i don’t even know how long i’ve been unable to interact with the world. the most i am certain of is that i had once been a princess.” oc canon. oneshot, 5,293. 23 may 2021.

little bit of warmth. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi x atem. atem's feeling a bit down. jonouchi and yugi have a plan to fix that. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 1,187. 23 december 2020.

love you to the moon and to saturn. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi. it's all jonouchi can afford. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. canon compliant. oneshot, 416. 04 july 2021.

myths about love. katsuya jonouchi x mai kujaku. legend told of a beautiful, ancient goddess with a jealous streak a mile wide. she had an arrange marriage with an ugly brute of a god - what a shame. AUgust 2021. au. oneshot, 500. 10 august 2021.

not a birthday. katsuya jonouchi x seto kaiba. no one understands better than jounouchi that birthdays aren't always worth celebrating. seto kaiba’s birthday 2020. canon compliant. oneshot, 100. 26 october 2020.

pink champagne sugar. yugi mutou x anzu mazaki x atem. a lipgloss can be so personal. divergent. oneshot, 170. 02 feburary 2021.

state of grace. yugi mutou x atem x seto kaiba. kaiba had spent some time with yuugi planing the perfect birthday party for atem. atem’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 520. 03 july 2021.

still learning. yugi mutou x atem. and getting older still. atem’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 410. 03 july 2021.

trying. anzu mazaki x yugi muto. you gotta teach your gamers how to stretch properly. canon compliant. oneshot, 170. 11 may 2021.

under the mistletoe. yugi mutou x atem. christmas dates is a fairly established tradition. too bad atem's never heard of such a thing. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 2,659. 13 december 2020.

where every wish comes true. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi. yugi wants a holiday date. jonouchi agrees to help. yami yugi has a very simple solution. 12 days of christmas 2020. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,074. 24 december 2020.

wherever you stray, i follow. yugi mutou x kazuko kubota. a simple birthday set of plans. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. oc canon. oneshot, 541. 04 july 2021.

you would be there too. yugi mutou x atem. everything's better with your friends. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 707. 18 december 2020.

your ivy grows and now i’m covered in you. mai kajaku x isis ishtar. "ew... that is so sappy, i might vomit". canon compliant. oneshot, 552. 15 may 2021.

t rated

a marvelous time. keket x atem. "is someone looking to stake his claim?" "i don't have to stake my claim. you're already mine.". AUgust 2021. au. oneshot, 316. 10 august 2021.

a careless man’s careful daughter. katusya jonouxhi x mai kajaku. mai's parents divorced when she was young. she meets jonouchi, a sweet man working part time waiting tables to put himself through college. he understands her like no one else. au. oneshot, 2,036. 21 november 2020.

acts of service. yugi mutou x atem. the act of risking one's life in service to the one they love can be so personal... 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 04 november 2020.

bone crush. yugi mutou x seto kaiba; mokuba kaiba x rebecca hopkins. kaiba and yugi have been hooking up for a while but there's one thing kaiba won't do, no matter what. and it's enough to break them apart. canon continuation. oneshot, 1,274. 13 april 2021.

but it’s alright. atem x keket. in a year's time, all would crumble. in this singular moment, all is right. atem’s birthday 2021. oc canon. oneshot, 623. 03 july 2021.

come up for air. yugi muto x katsuya jonouchi. “that was, by far, the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.” in wishshipping. canon compliant. oneshot, 954. 10 april 2021.

five times yami yugi almost kissed yugi, one time he did. yugi mutou x atem. challenge format of five times, one time. a nice exploration of yami yugi's feelings and why he didn't kiss yugi five separate times and one time he totally got to smooch his aibou. canon compliant. oneshot, 1055. 28 october 2020.

gifts. yugi mutou x atem. everything yugi gave, it was from his heart. 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 02 november 2021.

give you my sunshine. yugi mutou x anzu mazki. anzu's been feeling a little down during the holidays since it's the first time she's spending them alone. 12 days of christmas. canon continution. oneshot, 3,197. 16 december 2020.

holiday cheer. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi. sometimes you need a kiss from your buddy to cheer you up. 12 days of christmas. canon continuation. oneshot, 674. 20 december 2020.

holiday shopping madness. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. what do you get a guy that says "sorry i gave your grandfather a heart attack"?. 12 days of christmas. canon continuation. oneshot, 2,041. 17 december 2020.

in the mourning. n/a. pharaoh atem is dead. priest set is struggling to come to terms with the death of his cousin and what that means for his own future. au. oneshot, 1,806. 14 september 2020.

last words. yugi mutou x katsuya jounouchi. during that pier duel, yuugi had no idea he'd survive. canon compliant. oneshot, 265. 04 january 2021.

let’s be alone together. katsuay jonouchi x mai kajaku. mai wants to make this a good birthday for jonouchi. katsuya jonouchi’s birthday 2021. canon compliant. oneshot, 2,169. 25 january 2021.

life was a willow. atem x anzu. atem had told her she didn't have to fly out for his birthday. good thing she didn't listen. atem’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 408. 03 july 2021.

living in a material world. katsuya jonouchi x atem. jounouchi really wishes he could afford atem's tastes. lucky for him, atem's a quick study. katsuya jonouchi’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 2,546. 25 january 2021.

met you by surprise. yugi mutou x anzu mazaki. anzu came back home for him. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. canon continuation. oneshot, 682. 04 july 2021.

misguided ghosts. keket x atem. “neither of us have any memory of how we got to this point, either. both of us alone for thousands of years. you…understand.” oc canon. one shot, 4,648. 15 may 2021.

ode to christmas. atem x seto kaiba. seto decides to take his boyfriend on a christmas date. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 2,948. 15 december 2020.

on the nature of santa claus. yugi mutou x anzu mazaki x atem. romance is in the air, folks. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 3,400. 22 december 2020.

part ii. yugi mutou x atem. atem has a nightmare. nightmares. divergent. oneshot, 2,472. 06 october 2021.

perfectly arranged. keket x atem.  atem and keket were put in arranged marriage when they were younger. as they both got older, atem started to develop feelings for his wife. he's fairly certain she doesn't feel anything back for him. au. oneshot, 2,974. 09 april 2021.

quality time. yugi mutou x atem. spending quality time with someone is easy when they live in your heart. 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 04 november 2020.

still having nightmares. yugi mutou x atem. yugi awakes from a nightmare. nightmares. divergent. oneshot, 2,320. 18 september 2021.

too proud to say. thief king bakura x atem. "aww you're so cute" for a ship of your choice?. canon compliant. oneshot, 782. 17 april 2021.

we could be the way forward. thief king bakura x atem. bakura had every intention of getting his revenge on pharaoh atem and his court. however, his plans go a bit sideways when he discovers that he and pharaoh atem are soulmates. even worse: atem refuses to act like the brat bakura knows he is. au. oneshot, 8,673. 13 feburary 2021.

words of affirmation. yugi mutou x atem. there are five known languages of love. this explores the words of affirmation that yami and yugi give each other the minute they can communicate with each other. 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 01 november 2020.

writing the future. yugi mutou x katusya jonouchi. yugi's been saving money for a special gift for his wonderful boyfriend. katusya jonouchi’s birthday 2021. canon continuation. oneshot, 685. 25 january 2021.

you’d come back to me. yugi mutou x seto kaiba; mokuba kaiba x rebecca hopkins, katusya jonouchi x mai kujaku. seto has been presumed dead for three years. his return causes both unresolved feelings of grief to be brought to the surface and the past to be dragged right back up. in hopes of helping seto move on and reintegrate back into society at large, mokuba asks yugi to work on spherium ii with seto. never one to leave a friend in need hanging, yugi agrees. over the course of the project, seto and yugi both come to terms with their mutual grief and grow towards a better understanding of each other. canon continuation. 12/17; 88,000+. 02 august 2021.

you felt enough. yugi mutou x kazuko kubota centric, yugi mutou x kazuko kubota x atem x keket. yugi's had a very hard day at work and what he needs is some alone time with kazuko. canon continuation. 12 september 2021

m rated

fall from grace. keket x atem; anzu mazaki x thief king bakura, kazuko x yugi. when atem from one of the high houses of hell is discovered dying in the streets of 1920s paris by a mysteriously kind angel, tensions of this old war spark when she elects to save his life. the devastating fall out of one simple act of kindness is more than enough to shatter the truce. soon, it maybe be impossible to avoid the resulting war for all species on earth. au. 5/?, incomplete, 22,874. 09 july 2021.

my hands are shaking from holding back from you. atem x seto kaiba. a little birthday attention, as it were. seto kaiba’s birthday 2020. oneshot, 1,000. 26 october 2020.

physical touch. yugi mutou x atem. when all the dust settles, they get to be with each other. 5 love languages. divergent. oneshot, 1,500. 05 november 2020.

... so it goes. atem x seto kaiba. getting alone time with your rival can be so hard sometimes, especially when you're a famous ceo who took over your father's company when you were a teenager. even more so when your rival's friends insist on being annoying. au. 5/5, complete, 29,376. 10 november 2020.

e rated

a loaded god complex. atem x seto kaiba. when seto makes it to the afterlife, he gets everything he could ever possibly want. too bad it doesn't last. canon continuation. oneshot, 5,837. 02 november 2020.

dreams. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. seto has a dream about a certain spikey haired duelist. canon continuation. oneshot, 716. 05 september 2021.

flashback on a film reel. atem x kazuko kubota. the intensity of his gaze never faded - and she understood what he was saying. oc canon. oneshot, 2,272. 12 july 2021.

heaven in hiding. yugi mutou x atem. sneaking away from royal guard duty to have a little fun with your charge is always fun. at least in yugi's opinion. au. oneshot, 2,999. 21 january 2021.

i’ll tell you my sins (and you can sharpen your knife). anzu mazaki x atem. she knew exactly what he was getting at. he seemed to be under the impression that the fact she cared about him was conditional, as if there was something he could do that would cause her to stop caring about him. he was absolutely wrong. canon compliant. oneshot, 5,356. 12 march 2021.

take me all the way. anzu mazaki x atem. one way to sooth an ancient pharaoh, i suppose. canon compliant. oneshot, 949. 11 april 2021.

we’re gonna rattle this ghost town. katsuya jonouchi x mai kajaku. first thing to do in a new apartment with your love. go. canon continuation. one shot, 1,026. 18 april 2021.

[duelistkingdom]

Keket would be on the cover of Vogue

it's literally so true, though. keket comes back from the dead and she's just on the cover of vogue. i own the cover myself!

[duelistkingdom]

“She led and he followed. It felt vaguely familiar—as if it was an established routine of theirs that he’d long forgotten.”

man i got feelings from my own damn fic.

[duelistkingdom]

i really took the concept of keket’s years in the scales with “ok you know how atem was trapped in the puzzle and maybe unconscious, maybe not, maybe in and out of consciousness? what if keket was like. awake for all of it and also Very Aware she’s not alone but can never remember what the hell is trapped with her... wouldn’t that be fucked up or what”

[duelistkingdom]

keket is going to super hell for gay crimes

[duelistkingdom]

⭐!!

i've been dying to talk about chapter nine of you'd come back to me but since that won't come out until NEXT week... let's talk about "left them all to me" instead! so like, this short piece obviously takes place in the early manga canon around the man who came from egypt chapters. kazuko having the scales alters that significantly so i thought it'd be a great introductory point to both kazuko & keket.

it's also great to see how yami kazuko came to be and her first ever penalty game & how kazuko reacts to it. it's also a great place to show off her connections to her sister, set up her (non existent) relationship with her parents, and introduce some stuff that is pretty exclusive to this au.

some people already noted in the comments that dr. i ishtar is, in fact, isis ishtar! i never got to state in text that isis is an archeology major & has her doctorate already. having a magic necklace really helps with those assignments, after all. i also did not get to mention in text that it was shadi who left isis's book for kazuko to find!

another thing that i didn't get to mention in text is the addressing of the "family heirloom" part. a few generations after keket passed, the scales passed to the youngest daughter (per the family tradition). the youngest daughter had no children, so she passed them to them to the youngest niece. from there, the tradition got muddled. at one point, the scales were passed over to another family entirely as a wedding gift. it's something that i never got to work in, but it's a detail that exists, nonetheless.

one more detail i couldn't get in: yami kazuko's soul room. i wanted to introduce the grandiose feel of her soul room early but there was just no place to put it. really, there's a lot of stuff i wanted to work in that just couldn't find a place for so of course eventually i have to write a follow up fic.

director's cut / ask

[duelistkingdom]

a marvelous time

[read on ao3]

Summary:"is someone looking to stake his claim?" "i don't have to stake my claim. you're already mine." (part of AUgust, day two)

Rating: T

Pairings: keket/atem

warnings: pda

if you enjoy my work, considering supporting me through ko-fi!

The white sand of the beach was nice, but the way Keket looked in her swimsuit was even better. A tiny island that belonged to Greece had been the perfect trip away from Egypt. The water was impossibly blue and the view might’ve been what Atem’s eye was drawn to if it were not for Keket’s toned abs, strong arms, and well defined chest all on display. Part of Atem was filled with pride - his wife was easily the most beautiful woman on this beach. The other part of him was irked at the idea of anyone looking at Keket disrespectfully. He’d moved over to her, placing his hands on her hips and yanking her to him. She laughed and teased, “Is someone looking to stake his claim?”

“I don’t have to stake my claim,” he replied as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her neck. He nipped, going out of his way to leave a mark on her skin. She gasped as she pressed to him, and Atem smirked. “See? You’re already mine.”

“My love, we are in public,” she said though she made no attempt to pull away. A mere reminder to them both of the fact that they were both recognizable public figures and a representation of their country. Atem knew the line. His hand grazed the bottom of her top and she shivered at the mere threat of the touch. “We were given a lovely house to stay in. We could go there but…” She gestured to the beach. “We’d have to abandon this beautiful beach.”

He laughed, ignoring everyone around them in favor of allowing his hand to slip under her suit. His thumb grazed along her breast, and she reached up to place her hand over his. “You know I’m fine with abandoning this beach,” he whispered before kissing at her jaw. “Let’s get out of here.”

[duelistkingdom]

is it a double date is there a spirit inside you dating the other spirit?

gkfjfhfhd i think it’s called a polycule these days

[duelistkingdom]

something really mean about me going “keket killed herself to save the world specifically so atem won’t have to do it but then he died anyway”

[duelistkingdom]

👀 for kazuko & ✋ for keket!

for kazuko:

lavender! and i do like to think she's a fan of winking (especially at yugi because it makes him blush <3). she also likes to roll her eyes. i would say depends on the story? in the mainline oc canon, it's not really something people point out because This Is Anime but in alternate universes? it's a bit more likely to draw attention.

for keket:

she's got very soft hands. while she never really saw "work", she still was a Fighter and an archer. ergo, she still some level of "reasons to get her hands roughed up" but she also was Royal By Birth, ergo she also had the best lotions. plus she likes getting manis and painting her nails pretty colors because she deserves to be pampered.