Ahmose Inarus

Ahmose Inarus

Hato chiisai

Shonen-ai

Disclaimer: I own Ahmose. That’s all. Nothing else.

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Chapter 4

The Truth

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The people of the city all stared as the palace guards rode by. They were escorting the vizier, who was escorting the six year old Prince, riding his white pony back to the palace. And beside the Prince rode the seven year old body-guard-in-training, Ahmose, on a black colt. He was hidden under a deep purple cloak, and still had the board strapped to his back. It had been one year of wearing the blasted thing on his back, every single day, all day, except for his combat training.

Of course, this was an educational outing. The vizier was rambling on and on about how the kingdom worked. Yugioh wasn’t listening, and Ahmose only half listened. Both were quite hungry when they got back to the palace, and they slid off of their horses before the attendants could aid them. Both landed on their backsides, but both scrambled up and ran for the doors. The nurse was waiting.

“Into the bath with both of you.” She said, and the pair whined, but went to the bathroom, and stripped before both taking a flying leap into the pool-sized bath tub. The nurse watched them splash around for a while, before getting them out and dried and dressed, helping Ahmose get the board back on his back.

“I’m tho hungry, I could eat a camel!!” Ahmose lisped, as he was missing his two front teeth, as was Yugioh.

“I’m tho hungwy I could eat that lelefant that Daddy hath.” Yugioh countered.

“Well, I could eat a whole whale!”

“Whath a whale?” Yugioh asked. Ahmose gave a disgusted sigh.

“Ra, Yugi. Don’t you know anything? A whale ith a really really big fith that livth in the thea.”

“Oh.” Yugioh said. “Well, I could eat my Daddy’th Awmieth!!”

“Can not.”

“Can too.”

“Can not.”

“Can too!”

“Can not, Yugioh!”

“Can too, Ahmothe.”

“Not!”

“Too!”

“Not!”

“Too!”

“That’s enough.”

“DADDY!!”

“FARA!!” The pair charged at the King and latched onto his legs. The man laughed and pet their heads.

“How was the ride?”

“They paid no attention at all.” Ptashepses chuckled, coming up to the Pharaoh.

“Ah, well, they’re children. I am impressed at how well you have handled them.”

"They should pay attention." Wosret said in a low tone. "Especially Inarus, if you are to place him in such a high position."

"Wosret, they are children." The Pharaoh said.

"Inarus is shown to much... leniencey. He must be made to listen."

"For the love of Horus, he's only seven!" Ptahshepses cried. "What is it that you have against Ahmose?!"

"He is not acting proper of his position."

"His position...." Pthashepses seethed, shaking in anger. "Is to learn and to grow. He must be a child while he IS a child, if he is to be what he must when he grows up." Wosret and Ptashepses glared at one another, the tension building.

“Daddy, I can wead.” Yugioh announced, giving his father a grin with a big gap in it. The Pharaoh smiled and nodded, grateful that the tense silense had been broken.

“Yes. And I’m very proud of you. Now if only you could learn to pronounce your ‘R’s and get rid of that lisp.” He said, and he and the vizier chuckled.

“I can read three languageth.” Ahmose said, trying to outdo Yugioh. “I can thpeak them too.” Yugioh glared at Ahmose.

“Tho? Who cawth?”

“You will, when you need his knowledge.” The Pharaoh told his son, and Ahmose gave Yugioh a smug look.

“I won’t need him.” Yugioh said in a disgusted tone, flipping a hand at Ahmose. Ahmose glared at stuck out his tongue at Yugioh. Yugioh, for once, didn’t mimic the young sorcerer.

“The Pwinthe of Egypt will not lowew hithelf to the level of a thowvant.” Yugioh sniffed, and the vizier and Pharaoh stared at him, surprised shock, and Wosret in amused approval. Ahmose glared.

“I’m not your thervant.” He snapped.

“Awe too!” Yugioh cried, thrusting a finger into Ahmose’s face. Ahmose grit his teeth, excercising self control, as he had been taught to. His face turned red in fury, however, and angry tears leaked from his eyes. Yugioh’s eyes widened.

“You’we not allowed to cwy!” Yugioh snapped. It was true. Ahmose was not allowed to cry. Ahmose turned, and ran.

“I’M NOT CRYING!!!” Ahmose shouted, and disappeared down a corridor. The Pharaoh scowled down at Yugioh.

“Yugioh….” He snarled, and the boy looked up, still angry. “You do not treat anyone like that. Do you understand me?”

“Why?” Yugioh asked.

“Ahmose is not a slave. He is not really a servant, either.”

“Yeth he ith!”

“No. He is… your friend.” The Pharaoh said. “Your brother.”

“No he ith’nt.”

“Yugioh. Ahmose will stand by you when no one else will.”

Wosret's eyes narrowed.

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Yugioh slowly walked across the room towards the window. Up in the tree right outside the window, sat Ahmose. Yugioh climbed out onto the branch and settled next to the boy.

“Ahmothe?”

“……”

“I’m thowwy.” Yugioh said, and glowing gold eyes fixed on him. “I didn’t mean it.” Ahmose sniffled and nodded. “I’m fowgiven?”

“Yeth.” Ahmose whispered, and Yugioh hugged him.

“Daddy sayth that you and me awe bwuddowth.” Yugioh said, and Ahmose looked at him.

“We’re not.” Ahmose said.

“Daddy sayth we awe. He thaid you will, umm…. Be bethide me when no one elth will.” Ahmose listened to the Prince.

“I’m thpothed to.” Ahmose said, spitting slightly through the gap in his teeth.

“Ahmothe?” Yugioh said.

“Hmm?”

“If you awen’t my bwuddow…. Who ith youw daddy?” The Prince asked and Ahmose stared, eyes wide.

“I don’t know…” He gasped, as if he only just then realized this. He stood, and climbed back inside, Yugioh following. He followed the older boy through the palace. They reached the doors to the throne room, where the Pharaoh was holding court.

“Ahmothe! We haven’t been thummoned!” Yugioh hissed, but Ahmose passed the gaurds, who ignored him, and shoved the door open enough to make his way in. The once noisy room grew silent as Ahmose stared up across the room at the Pharaoh. Yugioh peeked in behind Ahmose. When the raven haired boy began making his way across the room, Yugioh followed, staying in Ahmose’s shadow. They reached the bottom of the stairs of the platform that the throne was on, and Ahmose bowed politely. Yugioh blinked, then darted up and into his father’s lap. There was scattered tittering through the room as the boy sat there, eyes wide and nervous. The Pharaoh frowned.

“What are you two doing here?”

“HE DID IT!” Yugioh cried, pointing at Ahmose, and the titters grew. The Pharaoh looked at Ahmose.

"Ahmose Inarus, you were not summoned!!!" Wosret snapped, and the Pharaoh raised a hand, silencing Wosret.

“Did what?” He asked the boy. Ahmose swallowed nervously.

“Fara……” He said, and the court snickered again at the seven-year-old’s name for the Pharaoh.

“Yes?”

“Why…. Why don’t I have a daddy?” The little boy asked, his eyes begging desperatley for an answer. The Pharaoh stared and looked around at the restless silence. Finally, he cleared his throat.

“I am retiring.” He announced and stood, positioning Yugioh on his hip, and descending the stairs. When he reached the bottom he held out a hand to Ahmose, who took it. “Come.” He told the boy and led him from the room, Ahmose shyly pressing against the Pharaoh’s legs, half hiding in the man’s long cape. Wosret, as always, followed. The Pharaoh led Ahmose to the room that the two children shared. He put Yugioh down.

“Go take a bath.” He said, and Yugioh ran off. The Pharaoh moved to his chair in the corner, and picked up Ahmose, placing him on his lap. “I’ve been waiting for this question, Ahmose Inarus.” He said, looking into the innocent gold eyes. He smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair, then stripped the robe from his body and removed the board strapped to his back, leaving the boy in his baggy black pants and purple slippers. He placed his hand in the small of the boy’s back, and his other hand on his chest. Ahmose gripped his arm and allowed the Pharaoh to bend his body backwards, making sure that his spine wasn’t permanently straightend by the board.

“You see Ahmose, you were chosen before you were born to be Yugioh’s right hand man.” He bent the boy farther back, watching him wince as his back popped all the way down the spinal cord. He then used his hand on Ahmose’s chest to move him side to side, stretching and moving the spine. He then sat him up again, before bending him over forwards.

“It was your birth that determined this. You were born in a small village on the Day of Anubis. But you know this already. What you do not know is that your village was under attack at the time. It was burning and the people were dying.” He let Ahmose sit up again, and he massaged the muscles in his back. “When you were born, a soldier came in, and killed your father.” Ahmose stared. “You were bathed in your father’s blood, and then your mother was slaughtered. You were about to be killed when Ptashepses stepped in and took you away from the midwife and brought you here.”

“Tho…. I don’t have a daddy?” Ahmose asked. The Pharaoh sighed.

“No.” He said, and Ahmose slolwy looked down and sniffled, before furiously rubbing his eyes. The Pharaoh hugged him. “Don’t cry….”

“I’m not.” Ahmose said, and sat up straight again. “I’m fine.” And he slid out of the Pharaoh’s lap. The man watched the little boy head to the bathroom for his bath, and he sighed.

“I wonder what he’s thinking.” Ptashepses said, nearly giving the Pharaoh a heart attack, but decided not to ask where the vizier had come from.

“I don’t know. Will this affect his training?”

"If it does, he is not suited for the position you plan to raise him to." Wosret said, but he was ignored.

“I doubt it. I was planning on telling him soon, anyway.”

“What now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind.” The Pharaoh said, and stood. “I will put them to bed.” He said, waving a dismissal to the nurse, who had just walked in.

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