EnsTren: Edmondia: And Mokuba squeezed her gently and
asked if that was okay with her.
EnsTren: She sniffled and hiccuped in the midst of her sobs
and stared down at her little brother, was it okay? Is it okay? Is
it?
EnsTren: And she continued to cry like that for a while, looking
at her brother for a while before she gave a small little nod.
Edmondia: "It's okay?" he asked gently, "It's okay if he does
that?"
EnsTren: Another little nod.
Edmondia: And Mokuba turned and nodded at Seth. "It's
okay."
EnsTren: She swollawed and tried to steel herself, oh she was
so magnificently strong and she held her head up high.
Edmondia: And he slowly, slowly, very carefully began to pet
her fingers.
EnsTren: She trembled.
EnsTren: She was trembling so much he was afraid she would
fly apart.
Edmondia: But they had to do this, they had to do this so
she could be better and stronger and even more breathtaking
than she already was.
EnsTren: So she would smile.
Edmondia: He would do anything, anything to win that smile.
EnsTren: This was... very nice. This touch even though it
was so little. It wasn't grudgingly doled out and it wasn't taken
from her fear.
Edmondia: She was willing to do this - on all levels, not like
before.
EnsTren: She didn't like it, to be sure. But she wanted to
touch him, or at least let him touch her. It was so much brighter
now, he thought.
Edmondia: And that made him smile, for her.
EnsTren: He did what she told him to do, praised her brillance
and courage. Tried to encourage her to talk back to him.
EnsTren: The unknown was scary, the woman had said, but if
you can put words to it it's not as unknown, and so less scary.
Edmondia: For all that he loved her, they really did not know
one another very well.
EnsTren: Because she was too frightened of him to give him
more knowledge of her.
Edmondia: So he had to start - start telling her about him so
she would know who he was.
EnsTren: So he told her little stories abotu his childhood.
EnsTren: And how Atemu used to hide in pots.
Edmondia: And how they used to trick the guards.
EnsTren: And how Atemu got stuck in a pot one time.
Edmondia: And how it took three priests and his father to
fish him out.
EnsTren: Because he had floated him in one of the fountains.
Edmondia: He supposed that hadn't been very nice of him.
EnsTren: But it had been very funny.
Edmondia: Of course, then Atemu had stuck a cobra in his
bed as revenge.
Edmondia: And while they were guardians of the pharaohs,
they were NOT the guardians of pharaoh's cousins.
EnsTren: He fell silent for a moment.
EnsTren: No one had yelled at Atemu even though the prank
could have killed him.
Edmondia: ...he had been utterly expendable, after all.
EnsTren: He pressed his forehead to her knuckles and
haltingly told her with tears in her eyes.
EnsTren: He could not look at cousin.
Edmondia: He didn't even know if cousin remembered that
incident.
EnsTren: He... he wondered if cousin even cared.
Edmondia: ...Atemu did - did love him, didn't he?
EnsTren: Atemu did put the snake in his bed.
Edmondia: Atemu was very small when he did it...
EnsTren: Atemu had killed people when he was smaller.
Edmondia: ...Atemu did love him, right? Right?
EnsTren: Atemu had rescued him.
Edmondia: Atemu had been the only one to look for him.
EnsTren: Atemu had been the only one to put a cobra in his
bed too.
Edmondia: ...nobody else would have bothered.
EnsTren: Atemu was the only one to pay much attention to
him--unless they were punishing him because they could not
punish the heir.
Edmondia: Atemu never liked it when they did that, though.
EnsTren: Because he was stealing attention away?
Edmondia: No, no, that wasn't it, that couldn't be it - cousin
didn't like it when he was hurt, that had to be why...
EnsTren: He had to believe that, for his own sanity, for the
sake of being able to look cousin in the face ever again.
Edmondia: Cousin wouldn't - couldn't be that selfish...
EnsTren: Cousin was very dark.
EnsTren: And he could have rescued him just so he'd have
his playmate back.
Edmondia: No! Cousin loved him, cousin did, cousin was the
only one, he was, he had to be!
EnsTren: What about hikari?
Edmondia: Hikari hated him.
EnsTren: Because hikari was afraid of him. Yugi told him so,
like hikari was looking though the world though a colored glass.
Edmondia: And everything hikari saw was distorted by the
glass.
EnsTren: ...Would the glass change the intensity of hikari's
emotions though?
Edmondia: He didn't know.
Edmondia: He didn't know anything.
EnsTren: Yugi assured him of it though.
Edmondia: Yugi was very wise.
EnsTren: So... hikari hated him as much as hikari hated him
right now?
Edmondia: ...he was confused. EnsTren: Because hikari was being irrational--because just
petting her fingers made her cry so hard.
Edmondia: ...she wasn't crying as much anymore, was she?
EnsTren: No, she wasn't.
Edmondia: He smiled shyly up at her.
Edmondia: She did have very pretty fingers.
EnsTren: He told her so.
Edmondia: Mokuba held his breath.
EnsTren: Her fingers twitched and she looked away.
EnsTren: She didn't believe him, the lady had said it was
probably because hikari had been like a boy for so long, and so
she didn't think she was pretty like a girl .
Edmondia: He bit his lip. Was he supposed to - explain why
they were pretty?
EnsTren: No, he didn't think she was ready for that yet, but
he did insist very much so that they were indeed pretty,
Edmondia: Because he had to be truthful with her at all times
now.
EnsTren: Because he had broken his word to her, a word he
had begged her to accept.
Edmondia: And he had to atone for his grievous error.
EnsTren: Part of him, a part he cursed, asked didn't he atone
enough? With... that not hikari being on top of him?
EnsTren: Wasn't that suffering enough to make up for it, that
little part of him asked.
Edmondia: He bit his lip and closed his eyes and pushed the
memory away as best as he could.
EnsTren: He pet her fingers more. No it wasn't. Because that
wasn't hikari. And he broke hikari's trust in him. What was left
to a hikari when the yami had proven to break their word?
Edmondia: ...he could still make her stronger.
EnsTren: He would make it better and rebuild their trust.
EnsTren: He sighed happily and pet her fingers, marveling
over the whorls on the pads, and the little callouses and burns
from working on circuits and using a sodering iron.
EnsTren: Her light was brighter to him now, because she
wanted to give it, wanted to shine, and even this little touching
made the bad memories seems far far far away.
Edmondia: Pretty and strong and not at all lily-soft - his
hikari.
EnsTren: She was Hathor--and cousin couldn't have her!
Edmondia: He almost laughed aloud.
EnsTren: But he held it in--so he wouldn't startle her.
Edmondia: But he did smile at her. EnsTren: She wasn't sobbing anymore.
Edmondia: That, at least, was a good sign.
EnsTren: He admired her from his low position, eyes starry.
Edmondia: Such a pretty hikari.
EnsTren: Maybe even prettier than cousin's hikari.
Edmondia: Certainly taller than cousin's hikari. Longer legs.
Yum.
EnsTren: No leather though.
Edmondia: Pity.
EnsTren: But prettier, and boobies when she wanted to have
them.
Edmondia: Very very pretty hikari.
EnsTren: He smiled adoringly and whispered prayers to her
wonder.
Edmondia: Mokuba gave him an odd look - oh, but he didn't
speak Egyptian, did he?
EnsTren: So he praised his Hathor.
Edmondia: And his Hathor was very quiet.
EnsTren: He told her that she was prettier than cousin's
hikari, and definetly prettier than the thief's hikari and prettier
than Anzu and Mai.
Edmondia: Cousin's hikari stuck his tongue out at him.
Edmondia: (and Seth made Seto blush)
EnsTren: (I am seeing Seth give foot massages to his hikari
and beaming up at her)
Edmondia: (heh)
Edmondia: (Seto's... rather confused by the whole thing)
EnsTren: (and Seth doesn't want to look at Atemu because he
doubted him and stuffies)
Edmondia: (indeed)
Edmondia: (have a feeling he's gonna get glomped later and
fussed over)
EnsTren: (Seth or Atemu?)
Edmondia: (Seth by Atemu)
EnsTren: (did Atemu remember that particularly mean prank he
played?)
Edmondia: (not really, but he's still sorry for it)
EnsTren: (and did anyone pick up on Sethangst that was
being projected into Seto?)
Edmondia: (am fairly sure Seto did)
EnsTren: (yay)
EnsTren: (and Yugi's cranky at Yami for "How could you play
such a mean trick on Seth?!")
Edmondia: (and perhaps Atemu's got an inkling)
Edmondia: (yes)
EnsTren: (that's why Seto can't look though the happy
memories under her bed, she's afraid upon looking back they will
end up like that, tarnished)
Edmondia: (poor Seth - I think this is the first time it's ever
occured to him)
EnsTren: (and I don't think Seth will be in the mood for being
glomped, he's all sad about Seto and angsted about "Does he
really care about me?")
EnsTren: (it's Seto's paranoia leaking over)
Edmondia: (yes)
EnsTren: (which strangely is a good sign)
Edmondia: (means they're connecting to one another)
Edmondia: (and Atemu's all confused as to why Seth won't
look at him, even when he's apologizing)
EnsTren: EnsTren: (why he shrugs out of Atemu's hugs)
EnsTren: (he's very upset and confused by Seth's
actions)
EnsTren: (hmn... should Yami get paranoid too, because
his cousin is acting funny?)
EnsTren: (remembering all the dangerous pranks he
played on Seth, and Seth never did anything too bad to
him, because if he did people would come down on him
like a ton of bricks)
EnsTren: (yet Atemu...)
EnsTren: (heh. if you're negative in thinking it might seem
like it was pure luck Seth survived as long as he did)
