To Find a Hidden Love

Title: To Find a Hidden Love: 10/11


Author: Daisey


Rating: R


Pairing: Atem/Katenen (Yami/Jou); mention of Yugi/Katenen (Yugi/Jou) and Atem/Seth (Yami/Seto)


Beta: Akuchan **hugs**


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters, just a few keepsakes, cards, and daydreams that are precious to me... (Not to mention VHS tapes, DVD's, manga... ^__^)


Summary: A secret love affair is exposed upon the death of Atem's brother, leaving the god-king to deal with not only the burden of his own grief, but that of the lover's as well.


A/N: I have included some Egyptian/Arabic words in the text to add to the feel to the story; explanations/definitions will be listed at the end of the chapter.


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“Katenen, my love, ~please~… open your eyes,” A gentle hand accompanied the plea, running through his hair and across his face, encouraging him into waking. Katenen shifted slightly, leaning into the touch. That voice… he ~knew~ that voice… The hand continued its caressing, but the voice faded slightly, almost as if the speaker had turned away from him. “I don’t understand, Seth,” he heard the voice say. “I know Anhay said that he’d need time to heal, but it’s been almost twenty-four hours, and he still shows no sign of waking!” The plaintive, imploring tone in that voice tore at Katenen’s heart. He wanted to wake… wanted to open his eyes and re-assure the other, but every time he tried to bring himself to the next level of consciousness, a throbbing ache that began in his chest and pinnacled in his left arm convinced him to stay where he was. So instead, he contented himself with the soothing caresses and the pleasant rumble of that voice. If only he could place it…


Katenen awoke again a few hours later, his first conscious thought being that the touch and the voice were gone. Sighing in disappointment he stretched, his body ~already~ more willing to move than it had been the last time. Cautiously, he flexed his left arm and half-grimaced, half-smiled; the pain was still there, but nowhere near as intense as it had been before. Now to just figure out where he was, and what in the world had happened. Slowly he eased open his eyes, wincing slightly against the candlelight that filled the room. After a moment, his vision adjusted, and he realized that he was in his own bedchamber- and, judging from the low murmur that he could hear through his open door, he was not alone. Carefully Katenen sat up and then rose to his feet, curious as to who would be there and awake at that time of night. As he made his way out of the room, his eyes landed on a robe that was lying on a small table near the door- Atem’s robe.


Seeing the garment brought to mind everything that had transpired, from the realization of his love for Atem to the confrontation with Minnakht in the gardens. Closing his eyes against the onslaught of memories and emotions, Katenen felt himself swoon, only to have a pair of arms wrap around him and prevent him from falling. Opening his eyes in surprise, he found himself being supported and led back to his bed by Seth.


“Thank Ra I came in to check on you!” he exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have gotten up; not without calling out to us for assistance. You’ve been unconscious for over twenty-four hours, not to mention the blood that you lost from your wounds; your body is weak, and you’re bound to be light-headed. What were you thinking?”


“I am fine, Seth!” Katenen protested weakly, even as he allowed the taller man to assist him onto the linen covered, woolen cushion of his bed. “I must get to Atem! Minnakht threatened to kill him if I didn’t become his, and since I am free, I fear that he may…”


“Atem is fine,” Seth soothed. “As a matter of fact, he has hardly left your side since he saved you. I will send Herihor after him in a moment.” A small smirk graced the high priest’s mouth as he gently pushed the stubborn blonde back onto the pallet, effectively silencing the question that was forming on Katenen’s lips. “But only if you be quiet, and do as you are told.”


Katenen mumbled something about not being a child but, after a sharp look from Seth, dropped back against the padded headrest. Sighing contemplatively, he lay there and pondered the high priest’s words. ‘Atem saved me… has hardly left my side... could ~he~ have been the one that was calling to me? But no… he is still mute…’ Katenen closed his eyes and drifted away with his thoughts. He must have dozed off, for the next thing he knew, the deep, pleasurable voice and soft, gentle touch were back, once again encouraging him to wake.


“Katenen, Nedjem,” the voice crooned softly. “Please, wake up.” A playful chuckle came next, the tenor of which sent a shiver up Katenen’s spine. “As gorgeous as you look asleep, I ~so~ desire to see your beautiful eyes. Will you not open them for me?” the voice took on a teasing note. “Or do I have to command you as your king, instead of asking you as your beloved?”


With those words, Katenen’s eyes flew open, his vision confirming what his heart and mind had suspected. His mouth worked noiselessly as he stared at Atem, trying to force one of his myriad of questions past his lips. A look of tender amusement entered the god-king’s eyes as he watched the blonde continue to struggle for words. “Perhaps I should go retrieve Seth,” he said teasingly, making to rise from the edge of the bed. “For, though I am no longer afflicted, it would seem that the curse has transferred itself to you.”


A quick hand to Atem’s arm stopped him from rising, and an affectionately whispered ‘Muti’ brought a smile to the god-king’s face- one more genuine and full of joy than had graced his lips in what, to Atem, felt like forever. Chuckling lightly, he settled back onto the bed, his laughter catching in his throat when he saw the expression of love that shone in Katenen’s eyes. Unable to resist, he bent down and gently brushed his lips against the blonde’s. Though the kiss was chaste, he could hardly stifle his moan, instantly addicted at the first sweet taste of his beloved’s mouth- the darkening of Katenen’s eyes when they parted telling Atem that the kiss had affected the blonde as well. Not daring to stay on the bed any longer, lest he succumb to temptation and consummate their relationship ~despite~ his love’s questions and wounds, the god-king sighed wistfully and attempted to move to the chaise next to the bed, only to once again be halted by Katenen’s hand.


“Stay,” the blonde implored, blushing at his own boldness, and then smiling when he saw the warring emotions of want and concern in Atem's eyes. “I promise to behave, if you will,” he couldn’t help but add teasingly.


Atem chuckled at Katenen’s words, and he more than willingly sat back down on the edge of the bed. “I’ll stay on one condition,” he replied, his voice taking on a playful quality as well.


“And what would that be?” Katenen asked curiously.


The blonde gasped in surprise when Atem leaned down to whisper seductively, “That, after tonight, you promise to ~never~ behave in bed with me again.” Capturing Katenen’s lips in a short but searing kiss, he laid down on the bed, taking the blonde’s equally passionate response as an agreement to his condition.


Reluctantly pulling away, Atem moved further onto the cushion, propping himself up on an elbow and gazing tenderly at his beloved. “Ra, you are exquisite,” he breathed, softly caressing Katenen’s cheek with his thumb. “Your wit and intelligence, your beauty and strength, your Xat and your Ka… when I think about how close I came to losing you, I…” Atem trailed off and his eyes darkened with tears at the mere ~thought~ of a life without Katenen.


“But you did not lose me, you ~saved~ me,” The blonde soothed, hoping to ease the pain from those crimson eyes. When Atem remained silent, Katenen tried again, this time frowning and tingeing his voice with petulance. “Though that is ~all~ I could get your High Priest to tell me…” The change in tenor and expression had its desired effect; Atem’s eyes brightened with amusement and he could not help but smile at the delicious pout that had formed on his beloved’s lips.


“Teasing you, was he?” Atem asked with a chuckle, his smile widening into a full-fledged grin as the pout on Katenen’s face deepened.


“Treating me as a child is more like it,” he retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest defiantly and eliciting another laugh from his love. Glad that his ploy had worked, the blonde decided to continue, hoping that, perhaps, he could get some answers. “It is not funny, Atem,” he said sulkily. “He told me that, if I did not do as I was told and lie down and be quiet, he wouldn’t send Herihor for you.” Dropping his head and sighing, Katenen concluded in a low, wistful tone, “I merely wanted to ask just two or three questions…”


Unable to resist, Atem swooped down and kissed the delectable pout, pulling away before the blonde could deepen the kiss. “And what are these answers that my wretched cousin denied you?” he asked, his mock-solemn tone informing Katenen that he had seen right through his strategy. The blonde offered a genuine pout at having been outted, and it immediately received the same treatment the false one had. However, Katenen exacted his revenge by not letting Atem pull back so quickly this time, increasing the length, depth, and heat of the kiss until both men were gasping for breath. Finally breaking away, Atem licked his lips and gazed lecherously at the blonde. “Either you ask your questions, or I am going to go, for your healer and my priest both told me forty-eight hours, and Ra himself would not be able to stop from taking you after one more kiss like that.”


Katenen, his eyes heavy with want, reached for Atem again, only to have the god-king’s words penetrate the lust that was clouding his mind. “Forty-eight hours for what?” he asked huskily, lightly trailing a hand up and down Atem’s leg.


Atem shivered and groaned at the teasing caress and moved from the bed to the chaise, mock-glaring when Katenen threatened another pout. “You promised to behave, and you haven’t,” he chastised, idly wondering what he had gotten himself into, and relishing the idea of being able to soon find out. “Now ask your questions, before Anhay or Seth comes in and accuses me of keeping you from your rest.”


Katenen looked longingly at his beloved but, seeing no signs of Atem relenting, dropped back onto the headrest with a sigh. “I want to know what happened that night, after Minnakht... after I fell unconscious. How did you save me? Is the Tjehenu dead? When did your voice return?” Katenen paused for a moment, his face colouring as he continued. “And you called me ‘nedjem… and ‘beloved’. How do you know that I return your love? Do not get me wrong,” he said hastily, his colour deepening as he realized how his words must have sounded. “I do, Atem; by Ra I swear that I do. But I had not yet told you…” the blonde trailed off. “And forty-eight hours for what?” he concluded lamely.


Atem smiled gently; entranced by the way that Katenen could go from purring as his passionate lover to sounding like a forlorn child in a matter of seconds. Firmly resisting the temptation of the bed, he moved forward on the chaise and picked up Katenen’s hand, idly caressing the back with his thumb as he told him what had happened.


When Atem reached the part of the tale where he’d heard Katenen aver his love for him to the other, the god-king’s face lit with happiness. “To hear you say those words,” he said huskily, “Even though you were not speaking to ~me~… my heart filled with a joy that I had never before thought existed. ~That~ is how I knew you returned my love.” Atem paused for a moment before continuing, his eyes suddenly twinkling with mischief. “And the fact that you were crossing my courtyard clad in nothing but your loincloth and my robe gave me cause to hope as well,” he added teasingly, chuckling as Katenen’s face rapidly filled with colour.


“I was on my way to tell you of my feelings, when I was… when he…” the blonde closed his eyes and shuddered, smiling softly when a gentle hand caressed his cheek. Opening his eyes again, he caught Atem’s hand, kissed the palm, and held it to his heart. “But you know now, and you saved me from him; that is what matters to me.”


“But I was almost too late,” Atem said gravely, pulling his hand away to lightly finger the bandage across Katenen’s chest, and then move to the one on his arm. “As it was, he managed to spill your blood, and I would kill him again for that, if I could. Yes, he is dead,” the god-king said grimly, noting the hope and relief that shone in Katenen’s eyes. “He will ~not~ bother you again.”


The two fell silent for a moment, each of them lost in their thoughts of that fateful night. “And your voice?” Katenen finally asked, curious as to how the gods had lifted the curse.


“I am not certain,” Atem said lowly, bringing his free hand to his throat as if still in awe that he could be heard. “I did not realize until after I had saved you that I could once again speak.” A small frown formed on his lips. “I asked Seth, but he said that…”


“It can wait until the morrow.” A firm baritone, with no ~hint~ of teasing, finished the sentence from the doorway. “I mean it,” Seth declared, when the two began to protest. “Katenen has been conscious for only a short time, and you, Atem, have not slept in nearly a day. Besides,” he said, finally lightening his tone. “You both have heard what they say about new mothers? Well, that protective instinct is magnified when one of their loved ones is wounded. I do ~not~ want to be the one that Anhay seeks out when Katenen is not healing to her expectations.”


Katenen sighed and then smiled at the statement, knowing full well the stubborn nature of his ‘Ima-Senet’. Reluctantly he released Atem’s hand, eagerly returning his good night kiss, and sighing wistfully as he watched his love walk away. Just as Atem reached the door, the blonde remembered his final question, and he quickly called out to the other, “Forty-eight hours before what?”


Expecting to be reprimanded, or at least teased for his persistence, Katenen was more than surprised by his beloved’s response. His hand on the door, Atem turned back to face him, his crimson eyes smoldering with love and desire. “Forty-eight hours from the time that Anhay began your healing until we can be together. When you awake in the morning, have Herihor assist you in packing your belongings; when we meet again tomorrow, it will be to consummate our troth.”


*TBC*


Definitions:


Nedjem- Sweet one


Muti- Jack ass


Xat- body, the shell that houses the Ka


Ka- Soul, life force


Tjehenu- Ancient Egyptian word for the Libyans of their time


Ima-Senet- Gentle sister