With and Without You

Eto… I feel dead… drained… lifeless… ah, the joys of
college…

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yugioh. It belongs to Kazuki
Takahashi. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me!style='mso-special-character:line-break'>

Chapter 6

            Karim won.
Aishizu was not surprised, she knew that even if the shy Priest would not vote
for himself, Seto only had Shadah behind him and his own vote, and truly, the
Pharaoh preferred Karim, for now. In truth, Akunumkanon simply did not wish to
make his nephew an even larger target, for fear some assassination attempt
would be made on his life as well…

            Karim
himself was honestly shocked, but no one would dare accuse him of cheating. The
Scales he held simply would not permit it…

            Yes, in a
way, each Item chose it’s bearer, no matter how the populace thought otherwise.
And once chosen, sometimes it was for life. Trying to force an Item on another
was often considered… dangerous, and the Ring not least of all. Several
would-be-thieves had burned to death. And yet…

            Seto glared
at Mahaado from across the table. A magnificent banquet was being held to
proclaim the assignment of the new high priest, and the musicians and dancing
girls were many. Wine flowed freely, though the prince tasted little of it…

            Mahaado
accepted the wine from the serving slave and tasted it for a second, and then
passed it to Yami, who gave him a grateful smile.

            So. The
Priest was testing the Prince’s food and drink? How interesting…

            Seto had
suspected something of the sort – the Pharaoh wasn’t a blind fool, no matter
how he acted at times, and this was the perfect way to test Mahaado’s loyalty.
If the Prince died while under his care, well… it was a dangerous game, but
when were court politics easy?

            Yami leaned
against his couch as Mahaado watched him, no words exchanged but none needed.
His fingers gently brushed a strand of hair away from the Priest’s face and he
stared into sapphire with no regret. Oh, there were sure to be whispers of this
later, but for now, it was time to act…

            Mahaado
seemed to shift for a second, clear; open trust replacing mirrored shields of
innocence. “My Prince?”

            “Escort me
to my chambers. I wish to retire.”

            “Yes, my
Prince.”

            Silent,
shadows, the man watched from a rafter, laughing. How damnably lax their
security! Now the Prince had only one guard with him to protect him as they
walked down the halls…

            Foolish.

            Six daggers
shot out, thin and sharp and sure to find their target, until…

            A clear
barrier sprang out around them, almost like a shield of shimmering air that
lasted only a second, but all six daggers came reflected back and two sank into
the man’s chest. Howling, he fell off the rafter and was caught by… something
not human.

            The strange
beast resembled a spider, and he was caught in a net of webbing… and his blades
had been poisoned!

            The man
gave a choked gurgle and then went limp. Mahaado patted the sand spider trap
monster he’d summoned, just as Shadah came running up, having heard the
commotion, and followed by six guards.

            Seto was
summoned moments later and the criminal’s Ka taken away, sealed in a tablet to
the Ouija Shrine. It had been difficult, without the Eye to see clearly, but
what the Ankh had shown had been enough, and in any case, the Ka had mustered
to fight even as the host slipped closer into death.

            It was at
times like these that Seto missed his father the most.

            Akunadin…
father… why did you have to die? Why not that brat of a Prince my cousin
instead? Oh, the anger ran red in his heart, but he kept it cold and it
smoldered there, waiting for a time…

            Soon, they
would feel his full power!

            “Do you
trust him, my Prince?”

            “No. Should
I?”

            “I doubt
it, my Prince.” Mahaado said calmly. “For there is no light in his heart… and
until he has attained his… peace, he will not stop what the founder has already
set into motion. The tangled vines can choke the world.”

            “I wish it
were not so.”

            Mahaado
sighed as he led Yami back to his room and the Prince carefully set the seals
of silence and secrecy and shadow around his bed, before he beckoned Mahaado to
join him. The Priest sighed as he shed his heavy headdress and ornaments,
taking the boy in his arms again.

            “I wish to
forget…” Yami whispered. “Help me, Mahaado…”

            “I will, my
Prince.” The Priest whispered, as Yami brought his head up to meet Mahaado’s in
a kiss that intensified as he felt magic swirl around them, deliciously
forbidden…

            The Priest
wove his illusions well, as Yami could almost believe that they were elsewhere,
with the palace replaced by nothing so much as darkness and shadows…

            Had Mahaado
taken them to the Shadow realm?

            No, that
wasn’t it… he watched the shadows curl around him, one mass gathering into a
brilliant little fuzz ball with large eyes.

            “Kuriboh…”
adorable little creature with the ability to multiply itself into millions of
family members… and though it was a childish thing to do, he cuddled it in his
arms.

            Mahaado
gave him a half-smile as the mist parted. Yes, this place was unfamiliar, but
at the same time, it was brilliant. They were in a void shimmering with stars
of a thousand shades, but none too bright as to scald the eyes with Ra’s
blinding rays…

            “The stars
are beautiful tonight…”

            “Are they
not, my Prince?”

            “They are
lovely, Mahaado.” Yami said, shifting Kuriboh to one arm and laying a hand on
Mahaado’s shoulder. “But…”

            “Yes, my
Prince?”

            “Please… if
you don’t want me, just tell me!”

            That was
clearly not the response Mahaado had been expecting. “M-My Prince?”

            “I know you
love illusions, and I know that…” Yami took a deep breath to steady his nerves,
“That you may love another, but… I…I desire you and…”

            “And?”
Mahaado’s eyes were oddly dilated, as Yami noticed. Was he trying to hold back
tears? Impossible!

            “Please don’t mistake my
intentions, if I really just wanted your body I could have given it as a royal
command but… I think I love you!”

            Oh, that
was foolish of him, he sounded like some lovesick slave girl but he wanted
Mahaado with him and even though the older teen’s odd… friendship was nice,
this was different!

            It was! It
wasn’t just lust, Yami thought. It couldn’t be!

            They’d been
friends and now… he wanted them to be more. Was that wrong?

            Painfully,
he took a step back, taking the other’s silence as rejection, but before he
could move further, Kuriboh had hopped out and away and… Mahaado kissed him
back.

            It was
hardly gentle, it was darkly possessive and obsessive and he almost pulled
back, but the sensations flashing through his body were more insistent and who
cared? As long as they were discreet, no one would mind and he trusted
Mahaado!

            The sex was
good too.

End Chapter

Completed 10/20/05

You know, although Mahaado could be a uke, he’s sometimes
fun to write as seme… ah well, who knows?