EnsTren: *pets sheseto*
Edmondia: ...aaaaaand Seth's pouting
EnsTren: *gives seto a plushie*
Edmondia: now he's jumping up and down and yelling "Pay attention to meeeee!"
Edmondia: Seth, you can stop bouncing, I see you, you're taller than anyone else here
EnsTren: *loves teh sexy voices in LoK and ushers micheal jordan in so seth will stop bouncing*
Edmondia: And Seth is now... pouting and raiding the doughnuts
EnsTren: seto slaping his head and saying that one of them will get fat if he keeps doing that and if it's her she's going to be pissed
Edmondia: he's protesting that he's in perfectly good shape and that he works out...
Edmondia: Seth, are you lying to us?
Edmondia: ...yes, dear, you can do cartwheels.
EnsTren: do hand stands!
Edmondia: *applauds* good Seth!
EnsTren: take gymnastics lessons so you can do flips too
Edmondia: ...or just randomly do them and land flat on your back, you know, whichever
EnsTren: ...no seto, it's not a kitty toy
Edmondia: ?
EnsTren: seto was going off on a mental tangent related to her kuriboh comparison
EnsTren: an erect penis is like a silly looking cat toy.
Edmondia: Seth is now looking very disgusted and huddled up in his little corner sulking.
EnsTren: Seto's hovering over him and taunting him
EnsTren: and she wants to see it
Edmondia: "NO!"
EnsTren: "Awwww! Please Yami, I like it, even if it's silly looking--eh" she managed to see he wasn't as visibly interested anymore, "Cute looking, I still like it."
Edmondia: He glared up at her. "No. You're going to make fun of me again."
EnsTren: She grined wickedly and kneeled, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him, deliberatly pushing her breasts against him. "I'll kiss it and make it bet-ter..."
Edmondia: He 'hmph'-ed. "No."
EnsTren: She nuzzled him and licked the part of his ear she could see. "Please? Yamimine tastes like yamimine."
Edmondia: He squirmed. "You just want to make fun of me again!"
EnsTren: "Yamimine, I could do that right now if I wanted to, I don't want you to sulk."
Edmondia: He pouted at her. "I don't make fun of you."
EnsTren: "Do girls have any silly looking bits," she mused out loud. "I know I've heard it looks like raw meat down there, but I never looked..."
Edmondia: He blinked. "Nah, it's just... squishy."
EnsTren: "You're sure?"
Edmondia: He gave her a very dry look. "Would you like me to check again to be certain?"
EnsTren: "It is fun," she agreed. "And squishy isn't bad I suppose. Boys are kinda squishy too when they aren't hard."
Edmondia: "Let's not practice boy-squishing. And frankly, I don't think those bits are meant to be pretty - functional, yes, but not necessarily pretty."
EnsTren: "Yamimine is pretty," she kissed his cheek.
Edmondia: "Hikari is pretty too," and he kissed her cheek.
EnsTren: "I like Yami's silly cat toy, can I play with it now?"
Edmondia: He folded his arms and pouted. "No."
EnsTren: "Pretty please yamimine," she cooed as she nuzzled him, hands rubbing his back and msscles.
Edmondia: "Why would you want to?" he sulked, "After all, it's just a silly cat toy."
EnsTren: She smiled, "Silly looking cat toy, but that doesn't make it silly." Her good cheer slowly melted from her face and she murmmered distractedly, "I wouldn't be frightened of something silly."
Edmondia: He hooked his fingers into her belt loops and pulled her closer. "...still, pretty light?" he asked softly.
EnsTren: "Hai."
EnsTren: "If I make myself think it's silly and sm--other things I can tell myself that it's not scary--though I do enjoy teasing you too."
Edmondia: He shot her a glare. "You were about to say 'small', weren't you?"
EnsTren: "Compared to the rest of your body yes, but it's plenty big for.." She swallowed thickly and went quite pale. No no no! She didn't like thinking about things like that at all! The actual mechanics...
Edmondia: He gently cupped her face in his hands. "Hikari..."
EnsTren: He would... there and it would... she would... bleed and it would... hurt and...
EnsTren: She was shaking.
EnsTren: He'd be... his weight... down... her... she wouldn't... get away... and then...
EnsTren: She whimpered.
Edmondia: He wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her against him. Easy, beloved - shush, it won't be like that, I promise, I promise... we can wait, we'll wait until you're ready...
EnsTren: A small little sob and she clung to his welcoming embrace and buried her head against his neck.
Edmondia: He rocked her gently, stroking his hands through her hair and down her back. It won't be like that, I promise - it only hurts the first time, my light, and we're made for each other, I promise it'll be all right - I - I know how to be gentle...
EnsTren: When he had laid down upon her during the deal she thought she was dying. She had sunk into the bed from their combined weight and it was as if her grave was slowly enveloping her.
Edmondia: He nuzzled her softly, squeezing her gently. And beloved, my light, you have to trust me - I don't know if that will ever be possible, sweet light, but you have to trust that I know enough not to hurt you, hurt us.
EnsTren: It's okay when it was just... a silly bit of anatomy that gave her yami so much pleasure and her so much control. But it would take, steal, rip the control away from her. She did not like thinking what it was for.
Edmondia: He gently pulled away from her, just enough to brush noses, a soft, dark look in his eyes. ...you don't want me, do you? he sighed softly.
EnsTren: She tasted bile in her throat at the thought of that period.
Edmondia: Even if you tied me up and held me down you still wouldn't want me.
EnsTren: No, she wouldn't. Not that way.
Edmondia: He gave a rough sigh and raked his hands through his hair. ...it is... difficult, my light...
EnsTren: She tucked herself into a ball and in his arms. Similar to how she hid herself in chimnies, because somehow she felt almost as safe in his arms as she did in her hiding places.
Edmondia: He squeezed her tightly and pressed his cheek to her hair. I will never press you into doing anything you don't want to do, you know that, don't you?
EnsTren: No, she didn't. But she liked hearing it.
Edmondia: It just... makes me sad, my light.
EnsTren: Me. Hurts. Frightens. Illness.
Edmondia: I know, beloved, and that's why I'll never press you for anything you don't want.
EnsTren: But you did, and that's what makes it worse.
Edmondia: I know, he whispered, And I know you can never forgive me.
EnsTren: ...I can. ...I did, she said that as if it were a great realization. But it doesn't make the scars go away.
Edmondia: He smiled bitterly. They never go away.
EnsTren: Iie, Some of mine have. The ones He gave me--because of you.
Edmondia: His expression softened, and he nuzzled her cheek softly. Your light, your will, my beloved.
EnsTren: My light and my will failed, remember?
Edmondia: And yet here you are.
EnsTren: Yugi.
Edmondia: Aa, but you healed yourself.
EnsTren: You helped heal some since you came.
Edmondia: Another bitter smile touched his lips. And yet caused so much new harm - no, I do not think I have been good for you.
EnsTren: I'm nicer, she pointed out bluntly.
Edmondia: He blinked.
EnsTren: I'm... more relaxed, and that means I'm not as likely to get an ulcer or heart attack before I'm twenty.
Edmondia: ...that's good...
EnsTren: It's because of you.
Edmondia: An island of good in an ocean of hurt is a very small thing, beloved.
EnsTren: It's better than umitigated hurt and uninterrupted ocean.
Edmondia: But if I hadn't come, the hurt would not be so bad.
EnsTren: ...You make Mokuba happy.
Edmondia: ...I'm glad.
Edmondia: ...but I want to make you happy, too.
EnsTren: Only Mokuba matters.
Edmondia: You matter.
EnsTren: Mokuba.
Edmondia: You.
EnsTren: Mokuba.
Edmondia: You matter to Mokuba.
EnsTren: Everything is for Mokuba.
Edmondia: Everything is for you.
EnsTren: Mokuba.
Edmondia: You are too selfless, beloved. You've given up everything for him, and he is safe and happy - now is the time for yourself.
EnsTren: Only Mokuba.
Edmondia: I live for only you.
EnsTren: The fact you make Mokuba happy is enough to fill a Mediteranian of hurt.
Edmondia: Don't you deserve some happiness too?
EnsTren: No.
Edmondia: You do.
EnsTren: If I do or do not does not matter. I live for Mokuba.
Edmondia: And Mokuba is safe and happy.
EnsTren: There is always more I can do.
Edmondia: Even so... you deserve to be selfish.
EnsTren: Iie, I remember what selfishness gets me.
Edmondia: ?
EnsTren: Bad things happen when I want something for myself.
Edmondia: Even the things you already have?
EnsTren: I have what I have for Mokuba's sake.
Edmondia: He gently lifted her hand and pressed it to his chest, over his heart. And what of this, my light?
EnsTren: I'm afraid.
Edmondia: Why?
EnsTren: Because something bad will happen if only I gain.
Edmondia: But you are the only one who can have me.
EnsTren: I can't have you, because I'm not a woman or a man.
Edmondia: You are a woman, and you do have me.
EnsTren: I am not a woman.
Edmondia: Perhaps not quite yet... but nearly.
Edmondia: You are still young.
EnsTren: No. I am not a woman, I don't...react to the desires right. I don't have the right desires either. I cannot have children. I do not menstruate. And I cannot bear the thought of you... A distinct wave of queasiness. Making me a woman.
Edmondia: He raised an eyebrow. I know a priestess who would take certain offense to that way of thinking, my light.
EnsTren: ???
Edmondia: Aishizu is long since dead, but I do believe she would have hit you for that comment.
EnsTren: Why?
Edmondia: Whether or not you bear children has no bearing on your status as a woman - and if ever she heard talk of "making" someone a woman through sex, heads and various other body parts would roll.
EnsTren: I like her already.
Edmondia: He smiled. Few would dare argue with her - one does not become a priestess as she was without possessing the ability to terrorize the rest of the high court. And, beloved, she never wedded, never bore children, yet none doubted that she was a woman.
EnsTren: But she's different from me.
Edmondia: Why?
EnsTren: She had her period and she... I was made to be too much like a boy.
EnsTren: And then... If Gozaburo were still alive I'd probably be made a man with a knife by now.
Edmondia: Physical forms are fleeting, my light - you taste like a woman.
EnsTren: She was distracted by her thoughts on what could have been.
Edmondia: He leaned down and licked her mouth. Stop that. Speculations and might-have-beens do neither of us any good.
EnsTren: She licked back. You do it though, you think of the deal.
Edmondia: The single worst sin I could ever commit? Yes, I do, but I try to keep from tormenting myself needlessly. And he kissed her quickly.
EnsTren: ...Surely it was not the worst.
Edmondia: ...then the worst I have, he murmured bitterly, and turned his eyes away.
EnsTren: She touched his face.
EnsTren: You... haven't killed then?
Edmondia: His eyes slid back to her, bewildered. I think, my light, you and I have very different definitions of what my worst sin could be.
EnsTren: Killing is... sometimes a necessary evil.
Edmondia: And sometimes it happens when you are drunk on the Shadows and your own power.
EnsTren: And What if you are just a little boy, or a little girl, making things that can kill thousands of people for profit?
Edmondia: I didn't have to make them - I was them. We are very alike, my light.
EnsTren: I wish... I didn't kill all those people.
Edmondia: I know. I wish the same for you.
EnsTren: So you see? Because I did so many wrong things it wasn't such a great sin that you hurt me.
EnsTren: She offered him a smile, trying to make him feel better.
Edmondia: No. It was the most wretched thing I have ever done, and do not try to convince me otherwise.
Edmondia: I betrayed you.
EnsTren: Maybe I had it coming? What better way to mete out divine retribution than through a priest?
Edmondia: Never that.
Edmondia: How could you think that?
EnsTren: Because of what I'm... not.
Edmondia: And what aren't you?
EnsTren: What I'm supposed to be.
Edmondia: And what are you supposed to be?
EnsTren: Not what I am.
Edmondia: ?
EnsTren: I'm... not a boy and I'm not a girl and I'm never going to be a man and I'm not a woman though my body is female.
Edmondia: A young woman, beloved - I'm afraid you'll never disabuse me of that notion.
EnsTren: I'm not a woman.
Edmondia: You feel like one, you look like one, you taste like one - you smell like one.
EnsTren: Children turn to girls and boy and girls turn into women, do they not?
Edmondia: So it would seem.
EnsTren: I have not lived as a girl, I was not one, so how can I be a woman?
Edmondia: What is the difference in the way girl-children and boy-children are raised in these times?
Edmondia: Are there set standards? Who says what is the right way to raise a child?
EnsTren: But... Sometimes I forgot I was a girl.
Edmondia: So?
EnsTren: I was... a sort of boy.
Edmondia: So?
EnsTren: I wasn't a girl, or even a sort of girl.
Edmondia: Yet here you are a young woman.
EnsTren: I was female.
Edmondia: Are.
EnsTren: But not a woman.
Edmondia: He gave her a lazy smile, eyes dark, lashes lowered. So you claim, he purred, But forgive me, I cannot believe you.
EnsTren: One's sex has no baring on gender.
EnsTren: Or at least doesn't have to.
Edmondia: You think of yourself as a man?
EnsTren: Yes.
EnsTren: I think of myself as male at least.
Edmondia: Even when you're with Mai?
EnsTren: A petty dream of what could have been.
Edmondia: What is.
EnsTren: Iie.
Edmondia: No? Why not?
EnsTren: Siren... was always a girl, happy, smart and clever, maybe what I could have been.
Edmondia: You are still a girl. You are still, if not happy, smart and clever, and now have the freedom to act as you would.
EnsTren: I'm afraid.
Edmondia: Of acting in ways that will make you happy?
EnsTren: I don't know how to act. I was never a girl, I only watched them.
Edmondia: Do what you want to be happy. You liked being with Mai and Anzu, didn't you? Nobody's asking you to change your lifestyle - you just have more chances, now, to explore the things you've missed.
EnsTren: Males have more opportunities than females.
Edmondia: And yet no females I've met seem to consider this a drawback.
EnsTren: I don't want to talk about this anymore.
Edmondia: He sighed softly. As you would, my light.
EnsTren: ...My PR people gave the tapes to a news agency, and sent someone along to make sure that they don't ruin the tapes... Yami?
Edmondia: ?
EnsTren: ...Did you see the tapes?
Edmondia: No, you didn't show them to me.
EnsTren: There's copies in the media room. You should see them now rather than if and when they put them on air.
Edmondia: I'd rather you showed me.
EnsTren: ...Okay.
EnsTren: She bit her lip and gave him a pleading look. Carry me?
Edmondia: He blinked in surprise, but dutifully scooped her up and stood. Of course.
EnsTren: She laid her head on his chest and relaxed in his arms. Is it okay if I don't look at the screen?
Edmondia: He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Of course.
EnsTren: I'm going to cover my ears too, she warned.
Edmondia: He kissed her nose. That's fine.
EnsTren: They went to the media room, it had all sorts of equipment for recording and coping things. She touched a stack of seven 12 tapes. "One week of video."
Edmondia: "Which should I...?"
EnsTren: She ran her finger down from the second from the top to the second from the bottom, "These ones have no activity on them. No one came," she said clearly with a tremor in her voice and her eyes stoney.
EnsTren: She handed the first and last tapes to him. "Here."
Edmondia: He eyed them warily. "Um... how does one work the... thingy?"
EnsTren: She showed him how to tell the top of a tape fromt the bottom and how to use the VCR.
EnsTren: Two screens, two tapes. One would play first and then they could simply switch without having to get up.
EnsTren: She dimmed the lights and climbed into his lap.
Edmondia: He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her snugly against his chest, stealing a quick kiss.
EnsTren: And he saw.
Edmondia: And he just barely remembered that he would hurt her if he squeezed her too hard.
EnsTren: Gozaburo was having iced tea, a large glass pitcher and there was a basket piled high with breads. She really did look like a little boy back then, she couldn't have been more than tweleve at the upper limit.
EnsTren: There was a dark line down her leg and her pajama bottoms were stained.
Edmondia: He restrained a growl.
EnsTren: ...It was... her first blood he realized suddenly, it must have happened during the night.
EnsTren: Gozaburo was displeased.
Edmondia: He was displeased with Gozaburo.
EnsTren: There was a small closet in the room with sheleves, it was used for holding linnens that were used at the table.
EnsTren: His hikari was thrown into the small closet with very little space to move for someone her size, for she was slightly smaller than Mokuba was now.
EnsTren: The man ripped a table cloath from the shelfe above and droped it to the floor. Her eyes were huge and she tried to talk and step out only to be backhanded hard into the wall that was only a few inches away.
EnsTren: While she recovered Gozaburo turned and retrieved his repast. The bread rolls were thrown at her face just as she looked up and fell to her feet. The pitcher was shoved into her hands.
EnsTren: The door was smaled shut on those beautiful eyes.
EnsTren: And the dropped tablecloth? Nudged over disdainfully with a foot to cover the space between the bottom of the door and the floor, sealing his hikari in pitch.
Edmondia: His eyes slitted in wordless rage.
EnsTren: Then he left.
EnsTren: Hikari... Hikari had said that nothing happened in the tapes between the first and last.
Edmondia: He forced his hands to relax on her delicate skin.
EnsTren: The screens changed, a clever bit of programing from seto. The next tape started.
EnsTren: Gozaburo opening the closet, and hikari, skinnier and an utter mess, for she had bled and had no room to move nor means to clean or relive herself.
EnsTren: As Gozaburo cringed from the stench, hikari hit him with the glass pitcher, causing it to shatter against him. She swung it again, mouth open in a yell.
EnsTren: A large hand caught her, not her arms, but fisted in her hair.
EnsTren: He cracked her head up against the wall and she still struggled, the second time left a bloody mark upon the wall and stopped her struggles.
EnsTren: And all went dark.
Edmondia: He held very, very still, teeth bared in a silent snarl, Shadows wrapped like a lover around him.
Edmondia: And there was nothing he could do to make it better.
EnsTren: "He did it again," she said misrably. "I got my period another time. I had a larger closet and a sheet of newspaper and a plastic pitcher that time."
Edmondia: He blinked down at her, very quietly, then gently pressed her into the couch.
EnsTren: She was shaking too much.
Edmondia: Beloved, he purred, pitching his voice low and alluring, swaying his weight against her, Look to me.
EnsTren: She wouldn't.
EnsTren: She felt as filthy as she did when dragged out of the closet.
Edmondia: Beloved, he repeated, I'm going to touch you now, because I love you, because you're beautiful.
EnsTren: "The plastic pitcher wasn't so bad. I couldn't hurt him with it but it held more water," she said, while wriggling a little in an attempt to get away. Nonono, don't touch me you'll get dirty!
Edmondia: He pressed her down more firmly. "That's disgusting," he said flatly, and kissed her before she could protest.
EnsTren: I know I am but you don't have to tell me.
Edmondia: Not you - that you had to suffer through that to think that a plastic pitcher was a blessing.
EnsTren: She turned her head away. He made me eat after each time.
Edmondia: He kissed her cheek instead, nipped softly at her ear and the smooth curve of her neck. I would kill him a thousand times over again for you, my light, shred his soul and leave it for the demons to devour.
EnsTren: She whimpered and tucked her jaw down so he couldn't. I vomited, which is what he wanted, and he made me eat more.
Edmondia: He brushed butterfly kisses over cheeks and nose, and real kisses against her forehead. Would that I had found you sooner, my light...
EnsTren: What would you have done? Cruel or not I need the skills I learned from him.
Edmondia: He pulled back and smiled sweetly at her. A much more satisfying fate than mere death, beloved.
EnsTren: But...could you? I mean... interfere with a game?
Edmondia: ?
EnsTren: It was a game.
Edmondia: And your prize would have been all the more satisfying had it not ended in the mercy of death.
EnsTren: Pity we can't fish his soul out from wherever it is.
Edmondia: Indeed. I would have liked to show you my tricks, pretty light.
EnsTren: ...I want to take a bath, I feel disgusting.
Edmondia: With me.
EnsTren: ...Okay....But only if you wear swim trunks.
Edmondia: He sighed softly and clambered off of her, scooping her up in his arms again. You have issues with my silly cat toy, he sighed, and nipped lightly at her nose.
EnsTren: Yes I do. She did not nip back. But not as many if I keep it in my head that it's a silly cat toy and not...what it's ment for. Besides, our agreement is that if one of us is naked the other wears pants.
EnsTren: And how am I to get clean if I am not naked?
Edmondia: Hmph. But he ran the bath, set her down on the edge of the tub, and wandered off to find a pair of swimming trunks.
EnsTren: She frowned at the water and promptly poured some shampoo under the spigot while making a note to have bubble bath added to the groceries list.
Edmondia: He came back a few minutes later in a pair of black swimming trunks, looking slightly grouchy. "I was attacked by dust bunnies," he announced grandly, and punctuated his statement with a sneeze.
EnsTren: She smiled a little at him and was already kneeling in the waist high water. Ah the joys of a huge jacuzzi tub.
Edmondia: He hopped lightly into the tub and made his way over to her, eying her appreciatively. "Hmn. Pretty."
EnsTren: And bubbly.
Edmondia: He scooped up a few bubbles and blew them at her.
EnsTren: She batted them out of the air and grabed a washcloth and soap and started to scrub.
Edmondia: He stretched out languidly and watched her carefully through drooping lashes.
EnsTren: She was scrubbing herself very hard.
Edmondia: If she started scrubbing too hard he would have to pounce on her.
EnsTren: Her skin was getting red and the steam was like a fine curtain or veil.
Edmondia: "...gently, beloved, don't hurt yourself," he warned carefully, slowly sitting up in preparation.
EnsTren: I'm filthy.
Edmondia: You are not.
EnsTren: I am.
EnsTren: Disgusting filthy horrible murderess.
Edmondia: He pounced.
EnsTren: She struggled and squirmed and was very slippery.
Edmondia: Beloved! he snapped, pulling her heavily against him, Darling - listen to me, please?
EnsTren: She hiccuped and he could tell she was holding her tears at arms length away.
Edmondia: He cradled her more carefully and settled back, keeping a tight grip on her. Beloved, pretty light, pretty goddess-mine, pretty pretty sweet darling, don't ever think so horribly of yourself - don't ever!
EnsTren: You saw me! I'm filthy and disgusting and horrible.
Edmondia: I saw you - you're beautiful and enthralling and wonderful.
EnsTren: She folded her arms over her breasts and she was shaking. I don't like those videos, I don't like thinking about them or what happened, I don't like it. Do you know what he said to me as he shut the door?
Edmondia: He rubbed her stomach gently. Tell me.
EnsTren: "I hope you don't bleed to death."
Edmondia: Women don't bleed to death from that.
EnsTren: I was just a little girl, and no one gave me the talk.
Edmondia: He kissed her cheek gently. I am sorry he did that to you, my light.
EnsTren: I'm filthy, I was covered in my own filth.
Edmondia: Through no fault of your own - and that was long ago, my beloved.
EnsTren: It was... symbolic, you know?
Edmondia: ?
Edmondia: Symbolic of what?
Edmondia: That the man was a wretched father?
EnsTren: Me being... not being... Jumble of impressions, her not being a woman, trying to be a boy, what was lodged in her heart so deeply before cousin came and removed it. And a vague sense that her own body was unclean.
Edmondia: What?! That's- the most ridiculous load of-! !!
Edmondia: WHY THE HELL IS HE ALREADY DEAD, DAMMIT?!
EnsTren: She winced, then violently tried to free herself from him. Exclamations, shouts, raised voices to be forceful, she could cope very easily most of the time. But he was yelling and yelling and so angry and she could feel it pushing at her mind.
EnsTren: And he was a man and she was female and...!
Edmondia: He let her go.
EnsTren: She fled to the other side of the bathtub and wrapped her fingers around the edge to help herself out if he made a move. I'm sorry!
Edmondia: He snarled audibly and raked his hands through his hair. Don't be sorry! You have nothing to be sorry for, none of this, NONE of this is your fault! It's - I just - gods DAMN me for a useless fool!
EnsTren: Please don't yell at me. Please, I'm sorry that I took him away from you. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I shouldn't have taken your kill. I - I...
Edmondia: He drew in a deep, ragged breath, raking his nails into his arms to visibly calm himself down. No. No. No, no, beloved, you're all right, it was your right, your game, your claim.
EnsTren: I'm sorry. She said again. You say what you have to to get those above you to calm down, fortunately there weren't many of them anymore. And Seth definitely had the power to hurt her, and frightened her.
Edmondia: No, beloved, he sighed heavily, You have nothing to be sorry for - I should be the one apologizing to you, sweet light. It was cruel of me to yell at you.
EnsTren: She nodded in agreement. Her Yami was very cruel.
Edmondia: He drew in another deep breath and folded his arm across his chest, bowing his head to her. I beg that you pardon my stupid behavior, my light, he stated softly, I was... very upset to hear of your adopted father's gross mistreatment of you. It was wrong of me to yell, and I apologize for bleeding all over your bath.
EnsTren: It's my fault, if I weren't a girl you wouldn't have to yell.
Edmondia: Are you now blaming yourself for the circumstances of your birth? he asked wryly, looking up through dampened bangs. That's stretching things, my love.
EnsTren: If I hadn't shown my fear the doctors might have changed me.
EnsTren: Gozaburo tried to have my sex changed.
Edmondia: Gozaburo was a sick fuck.
EnsTren: She curled up.
Edmondia: ...beloved?
EnsTren: You're frightening and cruel.
EnsTren: And I'm filthy. I'm sorry for taking away everyone for you to play with.
Edmondia: I know what I am, he said softly, Shadow-touched are never known for their sweetness. And you have nothing to apologize for - and don't call yourself filthy, please? It's not true.
EnsTren: You're sweet too. You hold me and you pet my hair and you rock me.
Edmondia: You're my light, he answered simply. How could I not?
EnsTren: You didn't when you forced your touch on me.
EnsTren: You hold me and are sweet when you are sweet because you want to be.
Edmondia: Is that wrong of me?
EnsTren: No. But it is very cruel at the same time.
Edmondia: He visibly flinched. ...w-why?
EnsTren: Because sometimes you yell. And sometimes you kiss and touch when I don't want you to. And sometimes you talk about things that make me hurt inside.
Edmondia: ...I'm sorry, he whispered, and bowed his head. I know... I know I'm... not good enough for you... I'm trying to be better but - but I don't know how and - and I don't want you to hate me anymore...
EnsTren: She didn't seem to protest what he said, which hurt even worse. Why aren't you good enough for me? Strong enough, isn't that the phrase you used before? Everyone else is... well matched.
Edmondia: The problem isn't in the matching, beloved. They have their problems too.
Edmondia: And I... am not what I should have been, either.
EnsTren: She crawled over to him curiosly, keeping most of her body shielded by foam and water. Explain it to me.
Edmondia: He looked away. ...we match perhaps better than any of the others, my light.
EnsTren: I don't understand.
Edmondia: ...I know Akunadin loved me, he sighed softly, At least, I think he did... but... he never acted as a father to me.
EnsTren: She moved closer and sat near him but not touching.
EnsTren: Didn't... didn't he want you to be the pharaoh?
Edmondia: ...I don't know why he wanted that, he sighed, But yes, he did - in his own way, he wanted me to be happy.
EnsTren: He wanted what was best for you.
Edmondia: If he had truly cared about me he would have LOOKED for me!
EnsTren: How do you know he didn't? How do you know that upon finding you he decided it was best for you that you did not know who he was?
Edmondia: That's not what I'm talking about! I don't care about that, I never did - he was a priest, he had the Eye, he could have LOOKED for me but he didn't!
EnsTren: I don't understand. And she really really hated the Eye.
Edmondia: If he had loved me the way he was supposed to I wouldn't have been taken in the first place, he spat bitterly, If he heard the other children - or the guards - he would have done something. But he didn't.
EnsTren: She didn't know what to say, so she reached around him and tugged him closer, laying his head upon her chest and pet his hair for him like he did for her. Shhh...
Edmondia: He closed his eyes against the tears that had slowly begun to rise. ...Atemu died because of my father. He made me - he made me...
EnsTren: Iie. You were possessed, he was possessed as well.
Edmondia: He wanted to hurt my cousin.
EnsTren: She kissed his hair and rubbed his back it all feeling very foreign and unreal.
Edmondia: He wanted to hurt the only person who ever loved me.
EnsTren: She couldn't say anything to that, so she began to rock him. Mokuba loves you too now. And so do I.
Edmondia: I - I know... but... cousin... cousin was even littler than I was, and he was the only one who looked for me. He - he was the only one...
EnsTren: She took a page from Seth's own book and kissed him to silence him.
Edmondia: He clung to her silently, sobbing softly.
EnsTren: She was... terribly confused and wondered if someone slipped her drugs again. But she mimiced what he did for her, and rocked and kissed him and petted him.
Edmondia: ...why didn't anyone else look for me? he whimpered. I was good - I was an apprentice, I know I look like a freak and they said we were bad and evil and wicked but - but I was good and... and... and nobody stopped them when they took me away because they were glad they didn't have to put up with the little weird-eyed freak anymore!
EnsTren: Atemu looked for you, he loves you.
EnsTren: She kissed him hard and her eyes were getting all blurry and she really didn't know what to do!
Edmondia: He curled against her, pressing eagerly into the embrace, almost whimpering.
EnsTren: And she was there for him, holdable and holding, petting and gentle and trying to project soothing feelings into him.
Edmondia: They hurt me, he cried softly, They - after the women all got sick and they killed the babies they - they hurt me and kept me away from the Shadows and they laughed and took turns and - and they tied me up so I couldn't walk but they didn't have to 'cause it hurt too much to move and... and they... they...
EnsTren: She hugged him tight and tears burned in her eyes. She offered him no threats, no promises, because what could she say?
Edmondia: He dragged in a harsh breath through his teeth, visibly trying to calm himself. ...it's okay, they're dead now, they're dead, Atemu killed them for me and took me home and the healers fixed me even if it took a long time and Akunamukanon scared me and - and it was a long time ago and they can't hurt me anymore, he nodded jerkily to himself, I'm grown up now, I'm stronger now, and they're dead and I still was able to become a priest even though they made me filthy and I'm okay now...
EnsTren: She kissed him hard.
EnsTren: Their teeth clicked together and their lips were bruised and their tongues tangled. It lives in you still because you can't let it go, same as me. The past does not exist unless we let it.
Edmondia: He clung to her tightly, hands sliding eagerly down her body. I - I know, I told you - we match, we're the same, same hurt, same fear, same... same...
EnsTren: She let him play with her (doll, woman, mother, it didn't matter) because it would make him feel better. Yes.
Edmondia: Mmm. He buried his lips against her throat and slung his hands low on her hips. Like you. So soft, sosoft, sweet and pretty and pure and softsoftsoft, not like them, nothing never ever ever like them.
EnsTren: Yes, of course, he would be impaling her rather than the other way around. Yes. I'll be good for you. Softsoft and let you put caramel and honey on me if I get to put white chocolate on you.
Edmondia: Don't care, he murmured softly, Wanna be all wrapped up in you. Trapped in your light forever and ever and ever, he sighed blissfully, Wanna be part of you forever.
EnsTren: Love you, she whispered to him, for it seemed a magical cureall.
EnsTren: It was the truth too, even if it scared her, and this, when he did it, made the fear go away.
Edmondia: His response was somewhat unexpected - he simply brushed his mind against hers and flooded her with all the adoration he felt for her, thick and heavy and sweet.
EnsTren: They held each other tightly, and he felt her marvel at his emotions.
Edmondia: He nuzzled against her, long lashes tickling her neck, quietly wondering why she was so amazed.
EnsTren: She didn't think she deserved it was one reason.
Edmondia: Silly light, of course she did.
EnsTren: He felt her embarrassment.
Edmondia: ?
EnsTren: That he would shower her with this much affection.
EnsTren: Flattery, in a way.
Edmondia: But I love you, he murmured softly, puzzled.
EnsTren: She didn't think she deserved it, but was happy to have it.
Edmondia: He smiled shyly at her and kissed her lips lightly.
EnsTren: She kissed back, blushing blushing, so pretty.
Edmondia: Shy pretty precious light.
EnsTren: She blushed more.
Edmondia: He nibbled on her softpretty lips very gently, trying not to be greedy, trying to be gentle.
EnsTren: She nibbled back all yummy and wanting and willing.
Edmondia: He wanted to crawl inside her - but she would be frightened if he told her that.
EnsTren: She would take it the wrong way.
Edmondia: ...even if he did want that as well.
EnsTren: But since he couldn't have that and she was all wet and shiney and slick and very yummily naked.
Edmondia: Hm, what to do with her?
Edmondia: He tried a lick.
EnsTren: She giggled and was smiling.
Edmondia: That was a good sign, so he licked her again, and squeezed what he had in his hands.
EnsTren: She seemed to like it and her flesh was all slippery.
Edmondia: It was nice.
EnsTren: He dared to touch her breasts and she didn't complain at all.
Edmondia: He didn't know whether to be elated or suspicious.
EnsTren: But she had very nice breasts and she was letting him play with her. She was smiling.
Edmondia: He kissed her smile.
EnsTren: She kissed back, lips nibbling on his.
Edmondia: He purred softly, hands sliding down and curving around her thighs.
EnsTren: It made her just a little nervous and she pushed the bubbles away to watch his hands.
Edmondia: He raised an amused eyebrow. I'm just going to feel my way around down there - but if I used my usual methods, I'm afraid I'd drown, pretty light.
EnsTren: She blushed a little. Can you though? Drown that is. She was still a touch nervous.
Edmondia: I'd rather not try and find out. Don't worry, pretty light, it's just my hands, you've seen those before. And he gently brushed his fingertips against her.
EnsTren: "Mnn hmn.." She let her eyes close and tension slip from her. She relaxed and let him play. Why do you like giving me pleasure like this, she asked leisurely.
Edmondia: He carefully explored with his fingertips, trying not to scrape or pinch her. I love you, he said simply, That's why.
Edmondia: ...plus you're really really hot.
EnsTren: Her legs parted a little bit more. But... mn... shouldn't that just increase your ahh... own desire for your own pleasure?
Edmondia: Hmn... just seeing you like this is a pleasure, pretty light. And he carefully sought out the spot that would make her make those lovely noises for him.
EnsTren: "Mnnnhhhaaa!" Pretty noise number one as she pushed against his fingers and wrapped her arms and legs around his arm.
Edmondia: He smiled. Yummylight, he purred, and stroked her slowly, teasingly never quite brushing right where she wanted him to be.
EnsTren: She whimpered and writhed and desperately moved her hips, hungry for what he provided her with.
Edmondia: Oh, he wanted her so much...
EnsTren: Their usual way, well he obviously couldn't see much of her then. But seeing her like this was a real treat and a half.
Edmondia: Mmm, sopretty, soprettymylight...
Edmondia: And he dragged his fingers more heavily against her softsoft skin.
EnsTren: She arched and made a pretty call. He liked seeing what he did to her. Sopretty softpretty light who never (that he knew of) touched herself without him near by. Sosoft pretty light who screamed his name.
Edmondia: He smiled and stroked her. Loveyousomuch, pretty light...
EnsTren: It was so nice to see her in the throes of pleasure.
Edmondia: He rubbed a bit more quickly now, admiring the way she moved.
EnsTren: He was very careful to keep his fingers away form there though, it made her nervous, and really it wasn't necessary to bring her to climax.
EnsTren: Which she did, screaming his name.
Edmondia: Such a pretty light...
EnsTren: Espically when she lay all helpless and boneless against him.
Edmondia: He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her wet hair. Love you, pretty light. Love you so much I forget to breathe, sometimes...
EnsTren: Her mind was awash in a contented purr.
Edmondia: He felt very, very smug.
EnsTren: He pet her.
Edmondia: She was so soft...
EnsTren: She was a hunting cat, dangerous to corner, all soft and gentle and paws that could walk upon the bare back of the fairest-skinned maiden and leave not a mark, but could also unsheath sharp claws and kill a trained warrior in a single swipe.
Edmondia: All his.
EnsTren: He held her tight and took them out of the bath and carried her wet dripping body to bed.
Edmondia: ...perhaps he should've gotten a towel?
EnsTren: No matter, he laid her down on the softsoft white down comforter.
Edmondia: Soft white comforter and soft white skin. Yum.
EnsTren: He kneeled down next to the bed, for the swimming trunks were soaking and would not dry as fast as skin. He pet her and let his hand drift up and down her body.
EnsTren: He would never take off his swim trunks in her presence.
Edmondia: If she decided to take them off, well, that was another matter, but he had a feeling she might slap him if he said that.
EnsTren: Or be very afraid.
Edmondia: And he mustn't frighten her again.
EnsTren: Never threaten her. Never harm her. Never hurt her. His hikari had suffered enough for ten people.
Edmondia: So he would be good and gentle and attentive and very very very careful with her.
EnsTren: He was rewarded already with how she turned toward him with her head pillowed on her arm and smiled at him.
Edmondia: He smiled back at her and gently stroked his fingertips over her wrist.
EnsTren: She turned her hand over curiously.
Edmondia: He smiled when presented with her palm and quickly outlined a protective spell over the soft skin.
EnsTren: She giggled and told him it tickled her.
Edmondia: He smiled. Give me your other hand and I'll get that one too.
EnsTren: What do they do? She asked as she offered her other hand.
Edmondia: A simple protection spell, he said as he lightly sketched out the words, To keep you from bodily or magical hurts - won't do you much good if, say, you get hit by a truck, but will help if you get hit by a car.
EnsTren: She kissed his nose.
Edmondia: He went cross-eyed to look at her. ...actually... now that I think of it, I should bless Mokuba as soon as possible, I hadn't even thought of that before...
EnsTren: Go, I'll wait, he's the one that gets kidnapped. A wry smile, I promise not to get dressed.
Edmondia: He grinned slyly back. You do know how to motivate me, he purred, and stole a kiss before racing out of the room.
EnsTren: She laughed as he left and rolled over onto her stomach, quite happy indeed.
Edmondia: Her yami was so... so...
EnsTren: Good to her. At least when he wasn't being bad to her.
Edmondia: And he always apologized when he was bad.
Edmondia: ...she never wanted to see him cry ever again.
EnsTren: It was... wrong when he cried. He was the strong one.
Edmondia: She didn't like to think about what it was that had made him so strong.
EnsTren: If they were alive... Well, she fancied all sorts of killing things and other things, worthy of the Marquis de Sade, to hurt them with.
Edmondia: ...just like what he wanted to do to Gozaburo.
EnsTren: Something suddenly occurred to her, and she wondered if they could fish Goz's facsimile of a soul out of the computer, if it was a facsimile.
Edmondia: But the facility had been destroyed.
EnsTren: Maybe she could recover it from the remains? It was a possibility...
Edmondia: "Done!" her yami announced, slinking back into the bedroom.
EnsTren: She didn't tell him of her idea and smiled at him.
Edmondia: He was eying her speculatively, a calculating gleam in his eyes.
EnsTren: She tilted her head curiously.
Edmondia: "Will you marry me?"
EnsTren: Did an anvil just fall upon her head?
Edmondia: He blinked at her. "What?"
EnsTren: Stunned speechless hikari.
Edmondia: He cautiously waved a hand in front of her face. "Hikari?"
EnsTren: No one was home.
Edmondia: Another wave. "Seto?"
EnsTren: Nope, no one.
EnsTren: "Why do you keep asking?"
Edmondia: "Because I love you and want to marry you."
Edmondia: He tilted his head and blinked at her. "Do you mind that I keep asking?"
EnsTren: "N-no."
Edmondia: He hesitated and settled lightly on the side of the bed. "Hikari?"
EnsTren: Eh?
Edmondia: Have I upset you?
EnsTren: Shocked.
Edmondia: He blinked down at her. Why?
Edmondia: He poked her side.
EnsTren: You said it out loud.
Edmondia: "Yes, I did."
EnsTren: She was very, very quiet.
Edmondia: He stared down at her, a bit puzzled. "What's wrong?"
EnsTren: Could you... not ask me anymore? I can't say yes the way you want, and I never want to say no. I hate not being able to give you the answer you want.
Edmondia: "...do you want to know why I asked you now?"
EnsTren: Please?
Edmondia: He bit his lip. "It's... kind of important..."
EnsTren: Tell me then. Come, lay beside me.
Edmondia: He settled down quietly at her side, gently pressing a hand over her belly.
EnsTren: I know I'm not with child, so it can't be that.
Edmondia: ...what would you say if I told you I may have figured out a way for you to become so?
EnsTren: ...It seems vaugely wrong for us to have a child but not have sex.
Edmondia: ...well, I'm not sure about that part - but I could certainly coax your body into remembering the way it's supposed to be.
EnsTren: ...
Edmondia: It was... actually those awful tapes that... well... you've had your first blood, and your second, beloved, I didn't know about that, that you'd had the full cycle. I - you said - I thought that maybe you'd want to... be able to have that again...
EnsTren: But I haven't had any more, and... they were months apart.
Edmondia: But you have had them, that's the important part, and for girls sometimes it just happens irregularly.
EnsTren: But my body... wasn't right when I had them. My body was trying to become...
Edmondia: But the memory is there - it would only take a little coaxing to make it right.
EnsTren: ...But pads and, she shivered violently, tampons.
Edmondia: You don't need to use... whatever the thing that scared you is, what's wrong with the cloth used to collect the blood?
EnsTren: Tampons go in the body, and with what I wear, it will be messy and it's impossible to change that quickly without magic anyways. The... Can I change back?
Edmondia: Your body has knowledge of that form as well - I would think it wouldn't be a problem.
EnsTren: ...Can I think about it? And... even if I can never get over... what you want, I can... still have children if you can make my body right.
Edmondia: Of course, my light, he murmured, and squeezed her gently.
EnsTren: She curled into him.
Edmondia: He curled around her, nuzzling his face into her hair.
EnsTren: So pretty. So small and perfect and soft.
Edmondia: "I love you," he breathed, holding her a little more tightly to him.
EnsTren: "Love you, pretty mine."
Edmondia: He smiled and squeezed her, sending a warm flood of affection down their bond.
EnsTren: Pretty shy soft hikari blushing.
Edmondia: He idly started tracing out another protective spell, this time over her tummy.
EnsTren: "I need to get you chocolate and a brush if you keep doing that."
Edmondia: He snickered. "I don't think chocolate and magic mixes well, pretty light."
EnsTren: "Really? Whyever not?"
Edmondia: "...actually, it might."
EnsTren: "Make up your mind."
Edmondia: "Not right now, at least, I'm almost done with this one."
EnsTren: "Okay, but explain it to me a little?"
Edmondia: "Explain what?"
EnsTren: "Chocolate."
Edmondia: "Well... Shadow magic and food? That just seems a little odd, you know? Can't you see it now: Cooking With Kuriboh!"
EnsTren: "Sounds tastey. But this is shadow magic?"
Edmondia: "Mmmhmm."
Edmondia: He spread his hand out over her belly, letting her see the Shadows that curled lightly around his fingertips.
EnsTren: "So only shadow people can be priests?"
Edmondia: "Mmm - priests of the items, yes. You had to have the magic to wield them."
EnsTren: "Were shadow people common?"
Edmondia: He gently rubbed her tummy. "Those that had the magic we needed? Yes. Those who could use it? Very very few."
EnsTren: "So... you had to have magic to be a priest, and they could do this?" She pointed at her tummy, which she swore was glowing with the heiroglyphs.
Edmondia: "Mmmhmm. I got to be special 'cause... er... I was kind of a jackass."
EnsTren: "Explain?"
Edmondia: "I like power just as much as you do, pretty light. In my case, I could take the power of a person's soul and call upon it for my own use. Um... in my own defense, it was for the good of the kingdom. And we only took the ka of those who had the potential to become evil."
EnsTren: "Okay. So how does that make you special, or a jackass?"
Edmondia: "...I was mean to Mahaado."
Edmondia: "And only Shadi and I ever went ka-hunting."
EnsTren: "Is there any diffrence between spells like this by shadow people and magic people?"
Edmondia: "This magic is... older and wilder. Also... corrupt."
EnsTren: "Must introduce you to death by chocolate"
Edmondia: "Hmn?"
EnsTren: "It's yummy."
Edmondia: "Like you?"
EnsTren: "So, chocolate and shadow magic won't work?"
Edmondia: "I... doubt it."
EnsTren: "What could go wrong?"
Edmondia: He wrinkled his nose. "Hikari, do you really think the Shadows would taste yummy?"
EnsTren: "Yes."
Edmondia: He blinked at her. "Um... you're my hikari, you're allowed to be a little nuts."
EnsTren: "You taste yummy"
EnsTren: "Even when I taste you there.'"
Edmondia: He blushed.
EnsTren: "Besides, look at the qualities of chocolate. It's dark. It's insidious. It's addictive. It has many uses."
Edmondia: "...I'll see what I can do for you."
EnsTren: "I'm a genius of science, you're a genius of magic."
Edmondia: "Flatterer."
EnsTren: She shrugged. "I wanna go experiment now!"
Edmondia: He gave her a very bland look. "You do of course realize that you're still naked?"
EnsTren: She rolled away from him and went to a dresser and pulled on a pajama stop that fell to mid-thigh. "Ready now."
Edmondia: He rolled over on the bed and pouted at her. "Ruin the view, why don't you."
EnsTren: She grinned at him and lifted the hem up a little teasingly.
Edmondia: He raised an eyebrow and smirked.
EnsTren: "Come on, let's go to the kitchen."
Edmondia: He rolled to his feet and followed her obediently.
EnsTren: She went to the kitchen and had the cooks move a moderate amount of chocolate products of every type (which they had, from powder to liquire, to milk and bitter, so the cooks could cater to the Kaibas' sweet tooth) to a smaller kitchen.
Edmondia: Seth promptly started nibbling on the chocolate chips.
EnsTren: Seto brought a cup of chocolate liquere over to him.
Edmondia: He put down the chocolate chips and took the cup, rotating it in his fingertips.
EnsTren: "It's a rather raw form of chocolate."
Edmondia: His brow furrowed for a moment before he dipped a finger in the liquid, gently swirling it around. He continued this for a few moments, then lifted it to her lips. "Sip."
EnsTren: She obliged him carefully, suspecting it would be a bit like mollasses. While strong it was rather bitter, like cooking chocolate.
Edmondia: He looked at her curiously. "Did it work?"
EnsTren: "What was supposed to happen?"
Edmondia: "Warming spell."
EnsTren: She sipped it again to be sure. "Hmn...I think so."
Edmondia: "And it should probably taste good or familiar to you, just because it's my magic - does it?"
EnsTren: "It's chocolate"
Edmondia: He shrugged. "Ah well. Can I play with something else?"
EnsTren: "Have at it, Yamikun"
EnsTren: Seto sat on the counter and thought about things. "So, there's shadow magic, and normal magic, and light magic?"
Edmondia: Seth happily dipped his finger in a small bowl of chocolate mousse. "I believe so."
EnsTren: "Dark magic is wild and old, what about light magic, since you say that's what I have."
Edmondia: "I call it light because... I don't know what else to call it. You're our balance."
Edmondia: He sucked the mousse of his fingertip and wrinkled his nose. "Yuck."
EnsTren: She giggled.
Edmondia: "Remind me not to do that again, ew."
EnsTren: She held a piece of milk chocolate out to him
Edmondia: He took it. "And what am I supposed to do with this?"
EnsTren: "Baka, eat it since you tried something nasty."
Edmondia: He ate it.
EnsTren: She played with a bottle of Hershey's syrup and looked speculatively at her yami.
Edmondia: He blinked at her.
EnsTren: "I wonder what would happen if I used chocolate and did one of your little protections on you. Do you think chocolate and light goes well together?"
Edmondia: "I don't know - I doubt you'll fry me, so we could try."
EnsTren: "And if it doesn't work I can lick it off."
Edmondia: "...okay!"
EnsTren: She giggled and with instruction from her yami wrote a few messy heiroglyphs on his forearm.
Edmondia: "Eat... at... Joe's?"
EnsTren: She giggled and then rendered him tabula rasa with her tongue
Edmondia: He squirmed. "Tickles!"
EnsTren: She smirked at him, "Okay, for real this time, what do I put?"
Edmondia: "Your magic, you decide."
EnsTren: "So there's no specific formula or phrasing?"
Edmondia: "For prayers and rituals, yes, but for slapdash spells, just say something vaguely religious and make yourself sound important - oh, and focus your will as you shape the spell and frame the words."
EnsTren: She couldn't at the moment, as she was having a horrible giggle attack due to his words.
Edmondia: "It sounds even better if you mumble nonsense in another language."
EnsTren: He had to keep her from falling down she was laughing so hard.
Edmondia: He smirked. Giggling hikari was fun.
EnsTren: And very holdable as she squirmed.
Edmondia: Plus her shirt kept riding up her thighs.
EnsTren: That was wonderful.
EnsTren: Eventually she got down to the bussiness of scribbling something appropriate on him (Be as shiny as the mother nile) and followed his instructions (she used Chinese as her mumbled foreign language.)
Edmondia: "You sound so much like you actually know what the hell you're doing!" he praised, grinning wickedly.
EnsTren: She giggled and kissed him and then checked him for shininess.
Edmondia: "Am I shiny?"
EnsTren: "A little I think."
Edmondia: He looked down at himself. "Where?"
Edmondia: (and bed)