Revelation [A Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfic]

8. Memory

A red sun lashed like fire upon the river's surface, bidding its last goodbye to the earth until morning. Atem turned his head up to Ra's lingering warmth and breathed deep. A prevailing breeze blew westward, carrying with it rich, earthen scents. Now that the flooding season was nearly at an end, the Nile was calling her deep waters away from the shore, leaving behind fertile silt more precious than gold.

Even here at the foot of the palace, the pale banks were ringed with ochre-yellow. Atem watched from afar as his wife dipped her toes into the silky sediment, her form set aglow against the glitter of the water's surface. She laughed as she tried to keep the hem of her gown from picking up stains. The music of her voice brought a smile unbidden to Atem's face, and it only grew a hundred fold when she looked over her shoulder at him.

She gave up the battle with her gown when the wake of a passing ship sent waves lapping up near her knees. Still giggling, she released the white linen and lifted both hands to gesture eagerly in his direction. He hesitated, but after another moment of gazing at her glowing smile, he gave in to fate's strong pull and started down the sloping bank.

Halfway to the water's edge, Satiah inhaled sharply and held up her hand. Atem drew to an abrupt stop, worried for a moment — until she grinned and pressed a finger to her lips, motioning with her free hand toward a tangle of reeds sprouting from a sandbar a few yards away. The stalks rustled, then gave way to a lithe tuft of gray-and-blue feathers: a heron, strutting out of her hollow in search of food.

Atem's smile returned as he watched the graceful creature wading into the shallows, her curved neck bobbing with each measured stride. He and Satiah both held perfectly still, until it seemed the heron sensed no threat and continued her meandering path into the water between them. In the middle of a fluid step, she froze, her yellow eyes scanning the water. Then, in a flash, she plunged her head into the shallows and came up with a tiny fish speared on her beak. Atem watched as the bird maneuvered her prey into her mouth, swallowing it in a single shudder of her long neck.

Satisfied with her meal, the heron stretched and beat her blue wings. Atem and Satiah traded marveled glances as they continued to watch the majestic bird striding in slow circles around the bed of reeds from which she had emerged. But just then, a fisherman threw his net into the deeps offshore, and the sudden glint startled the gentle creature. With a soft cry and a whoosh of wings, the heron took flight, soaring westward over their heads until she disappeared into Ra's flame.

Atem watched her for as long as he could, his eyes watering against the red glare. Only when another soft laugh reached his ears did he turn to his wife. Satiah smiled as she waded through the ankle-deep water and stepped onto the sand to meet him. They stood facing one another for what could have been an eternity. Every bone in his body ached to hold her, but his spirit resisted, as if it were bound up by invisible chains. Satiah's expression grew wistful, and she soon took matters into her own hands, reaching out to cradle his face in her palm. Atem closed his eyes, feeling her stroke her thumb across his cheek and chin, holding him still for her to lean in and brush her lips to his.

But he felt nothing. He tried desperately to believe in the illusion — pretended he couldn't feel the ground rumbling beneath his feet or the bitter chill seeping into the air. When he opened his eyes, the world ran together in streaks of vibrant color, stirring and melding until all that was left was cold brown stone and looming shadows. Feeling a presence at his back, he turned, his eyes widening as they fell upon his partner standing in the doorway of his soul room.

Atem opened his mouth to speak, but Yugi held up his hand. After a moment of bristling silence, he drew nearer, scorching Atem with the heat of his anger.

"Don't say anything," he said, his tone uncharacteristically sharp. "Just ... answer this one question."

He hesitated, looking down at his feet and balling his hands into fists. When he lifted his head again, there was something new in his eyes — guilt, doubt ... perhaps even fear.