Disclaimer: As usual I own nothing.

Authors Note: This is just a short story with three chapters just for the fun of it. I hope you enjoy it even though it is a little depressing.

Silence

Chapter one

Seto, high priest of Egypt and second most powerful man in the single most powerful country is walking up and down in front of his cousin, the Pharaoh. For three days his little brother is missing now. Kidnapped during a little trip to the market. He has no idea where Mokuba might be or if he is even alive.

"I know it's hard but do try to calm yourself." Atemu tried to calm his cousin. "I'm sure the guards will find him soon."

"You can't know that." Seto grumbles, "He could be dead by now. He probably IS dead by now. You know as well as I do that most people fear and hate me and know as well as I do what those will do when they get my little bother in their slimy little finger."

"You don't know that, Seto." Atemu calms further. "He's a tough little guy and on top of that, most people are greedy and the boy is related to both of us. I'm sure we'll be contacted soon."

"If they only want to trade him," Seto interjected, "Then why in the name of Ra have they not contacted us already?"

Atemu sighs and adds, "I don't know Seto, but I have to keep up hope and so do you. We need to be ready when the guard finds some hint."

Seto glares at his cousin and continues to walk up and down in front of his Pharaoh sitting in his throne in the richly decorated room. They are surrounded by guards just in case the kidnapping is a distraction to get to the Pharaoh or his cousin. A little later, Atemu is just about to chide his cousin again for wasting his energy, when they hear footsteps running towards them along the hall.

The guard are readying their weapons and a slave enters the room, "Forgive the interruption, Pharaoh." The slave says kneeling close to the door and bowing deeply, not daring to look at the face of his Pharaoh. "I was sent by some guards informing you that Mokuba is found. They are bringing him to a healer."

"Where was he?" Seto hears the Pharaoh ask while running towards the healer.

He's just at the doors of the huge room when the slave answers, "He was found just outside the city gates, being carried by someone towards the city gates. That's all I know."

"I want to speak to that someone later." Seto tells his cousin before he is gone.

Atemu thanks the slave and walks after his older cousin to see the younger one. "I told you he'd be fine." He says right as he answers and sees the young boy unconscious on a bed.

"He's dehydrated and could have died if he hadn't been found when he was." Seto grumbles still worried.

"But he'll be fine, right?" Atemu asks, looking towards the healer.

"That seems to be the wish of the gods." The healer says, "He's weakened, oh powerful Pharaoh, but he's recovering."

"Take care of him and make sure he does recover." Atemu orders sternly before turning back to Seto. "Would you like to join me? I want to see who was with him and why."

Atemu leaves the room and asks a guard where he can find that someone and then walks towards the dungeons, he's not surprised to hear Seto's footsteps right behind him. Once they are in front of the cell where the man was placed, they see an unconscious young man lying inside. He is about their age and with the most unusual hair. It looks like it's been touched by the sun.

"What happened to him?" Atemu asks, upset that he can't question the man right away. "He fainted shortly after being brought here."

"What happened when you found Mokuba with him?" Seto questioned.

"Mokuba was already unconscious in this man's arms. We nearly didn't recognize him due to the desert sands dirtying his skin." The guard explains. "We attacked him and tried to take the boy from him but he fought us, not saying a single word the whole time. His back is marked by a leash. I assume he's a slave that escaped and possibly was angry and took him because of that."

"I assume since he fought you, he didn't want us to get him back. Maybe he came back for water and didn't think that we'd recognize him since he was so dirtied." Atemu states. "What do you think we should do? We don't know anything for sure."

"Mokuba is more dead than alive. I don't care why he did this, all that matters is that he let Mokuba get into that state." Seto grumbles, "I want him punished."

"Would you like to see him hang?" Atemu asks.

"No." Seto says, "Mokuba nearly dehydrated. I want to see him burn in the sun."

"You heard him." Atemu tells the guards, "Tie him up in the sun and don't let him get anything."

"Yes, my Pharaoh." The guard replies with a bow towards both powerful man.

"I assume you're busy." Seto states as soon as they left the dungeon again, "I'll be with Mokuba."

"Want me to tell you when he's close to dying?" Atemu asks, "Want to see it?"

"No." Seto says, not even thinking about it. He never liked to watch someone die. He had seen it often enough. There is a reason why so many hate him. It is part of his job to arrange most of the executions. "I'm rather with my brother. I just want that man punished, so he won't be able to hurt him again."

For the rest of the day and part of the next Seto doesn't leave his brother's side, not even wondering if the man he has seen is still alive. Considering that he seemed close to dehydrating already he most likely is dead. The sun is in the highest part of the sky when Mokuba finally opens his eyes. "Seto." He mumbles after seeing his brother. "Where is he?"

"I'm here." Seto says, wondering if he means him or someone else.

"No, he. That silent man." Mokuba whispers before coughing and Seto helps him drink a little. "The man with hair like the sun and amber eyes."

"He was captured." Seto says, "He can't hurt you anymore?"

"Hurt me?" Mokuba questions looking confused, "He got me out. He carried me back and gave me nearly all of his water. I'd be dead without him."

Seto stares at him for a moment before he says, "I'll be back." He walks out and grabs the first guard he sees asking, "Is he still alive? The man that brought my brother back?"

"Yes, master." The guard says. "He's tied up out front."

"Get water to him." Seto says and looks towards another guard, "And you get the Pharaoh quickly and tell him Mokuba woke up and said that man saved him. He never harmed my brother, he saved his life."

Seto takes two more guards with him and hurries towards that man. The first one he sent arrives right after him, while they untie the man and they open his mouth to pour some water into it. His lips are even more bristled than they were last time he saw him. Seto lifts him and stands up to get him out of the sun when he sees Atemu arrive and walk towards him. "Are you sure?" He asks.

"Mokuba said that this man saved him." Seto replies, "He told me that he saved his life and gave him nearly all of his water. I don't know how he could still stand when Mokuba didn't but apparently he got him back here."

"Then why did he fight the guards?" Atemu asks.

"I don't know." Seto says, "But if there is even a chance that I misjudged him, if he saved Mokuba, how can I let him die?"

"I understand." Atemu says and walks with him towards a spare room close to the healer and ordered the healer to try and save the man.

Seto watches the man for a moment before he walks closer to him and moves his fingers through his hair before looking towards one of the guards and says "get one of my slaves to clean him properly."

After that he walks back to Mokuba who is still awake and looking at him worriedly, "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know but I hope he will be." Seto replies, "You need to calm and rest though and I promise that when you sleep for a little now, I'll go and find out for you how he's doing and if he'll be fine again soon, okay?"

"I hope he'll be." Mokuba says, "I was so scared and then he came and saved me."

"What happened, Mokuba?" He questions further "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know all." Mokuba says, "My head hurt really badly all of a sudden and everything went black. Then I heard people talking but I couldn't see. I was tied up and so scared and my head was covered. I couldn't see. I just know that I was on a cart or something, I'm not really sure but it was moving and made of wood. They talked about making me disappear to drive you into despair, they wanted to trow you from your position with that. It toke some time and then the cart was stopping and suddenly I was pushed from it and some started to shout and I fell to the ground. The hood or what it was fell off and I saw him fight three other guys, all of them holding a knife each. I was so scared and then one of them disappeared. I didn't know where to but that man pushed another one and he diapered too but this time I saw him going down. There was a hole and he had fallen and they were screaming, both of those down there and the last one was fighting him, calling him a useless slave and that he wasn't worth what they'd paid for and he just fought, not making a sound and in the end the last of them fell down too and he came to me and he took a knife. One of them must have dropped it, I don't know. It was on the ground and he walked to me and I was so scared, Seto. He was so strong and walking right up to me and I thought he might kill me but he cut the bounds and gave me some water. I hadn't noticed how thirsty I was and he looked around and got some more water. There where horses from the cart but he looked so scared towards them and just started to walk and I didn't want to be alone. I called out to him and then he held his hand out and just looked at me. I didn't know what to do and was so scared, I told him I missed you and asked if he knew the way to you and he pointed and held out water and I said I was scared and then he just smiled at me and held out his hand again and walked the way he had pointed with me. It was just such a long way and he gave me water when I was thirsty at first but after a while he sometimes looked at the water and at me, before looking at the sun and back towards the way we were going and shook his hand and moved his hands, like he wanted to tell me to wait but took my hand and walked on and later he gave me water again. He kept giving me water every now and again but not every time I asked but he hardly took any. I stopped asking because he hardly drank and I thought, the way must be long and he's saving it for me, so I wanted to make it last but every now and then he just gave it to me. He drank a bit about every third time he made me drink. And then I don't know, the water was all gone and he looked worried and I got so thirsty but we had to keep walking. I started to feel weak and all of a sudden he started to pick me up and the next thing I know I was here. He must have carried me the rest of the way without water."

"I promise you Mokuba." Seto says, "I do what I can to help him to get better and once he does, I'll make damn sure that he won't have to suffer like that again. He'll stay with us and I'll make sure that his life will be okay. He can be there for you mostly. To help you and take care of you. But now you really need to sleep."

"Okay." Mokuba mumbled closing his eyes, "Thanks Seto. I'm so glad that I'm back."

Seto walked back out and sees the Pharaoh leaning against the wall next to the door that has been open the whole time. Seto walks back to the room the blond slave is in and then asks the Pharaoh, "How much did you hear?"

"Everything." Atemu replies, "It seems we nearly did this man a great injustices in our anger." Atemu looks towards the healer in the room. "Will he survive?"

"I'm not sure." The healer says, "I fear Anubis will take him to the underworld soon. But we might still be able to save him. If he survives the night we can save him."

"Do what you can." Atemu says and looks at Seto for a moment and then sighs before leaving his cousin. He's still got a lot of things to do and doesn't know how to help his cousin right now anyway and just hopes that this slave will survive.

Seto stays at the slave's side and watches him rest. His blond hair is already washed and Seto moves his fingers through his hair again and enjoys the softness of the hair. He keeps watching him and prays that he awakens. He has no idea how he's supposed to tell his brother that he had killed the man that had saved him.

If only he hadn't been this shaken up when Mokuba was gone. The only reason he still hopes, is the fact that he's still alive after everything. He must be a fighter and Seto doubts that after all this fighting for his life this man could just give up and go with Anubis into the underworld. He kept praying that he'll survive though and doesn't dare to see his brother until the sun rises again. Praying all night long that the man keeps breathing.

The sun is starting to rise when a healer addresses him, "Master."

"Speak," Seto says, knowing that the man won't continue before given permission.

"I'm reasonably sure that he'll make it." The healer says, "But he'll probably sleep for a few more days."

"Thanks." Seto replies, "Make sure he does." After that he walks towards his brother, he was already awake and Seto smiles towards him saying, "He'll probably be fine. But he'll need to rest for a little longer, so how about you make sure to get better yourself and then everything will be good, okay?"

"Thank you for taking care of him, big brother." Mokuba says with a smile and Seto feels ashamed, knowing that he had done the exact opposite at first.

"Don't worry, Mokuba." Seto says trying to smile and make Mokuba feel better. "I WILL take care of him. Just like I'll always take care of you."

"Thank you, big bro." Mokuba says. "Will you tell me when I can see him? I'd really like to say thank you to him."

"I will, but for now you and he need rest, so you just do what the healer says and I'll take care of everything else." Seto says.

"I will, big bro." Mokuba promises.

For the next few days all of Seto's time was divided between his brother and the young unconscious man. It takes two more days for the unconscious man to awake and Seto is in the room when he does. The man opens his eyes slowly and blinks into the light. After his eyes adjusted to the light he's looking around the room frantically and tries to stand up. He's still weak and Seto tries to restrain him, only to find out that he might still be sort of weak, but he definitely knows how to use what little strength he has to the fullest and seems determined to get up. The guard approaches, drawing weapons. "Stop fighting me." The priest orders the sick man before looking to the guard, "Stay back, leave him to me." He looks back at the blond man and notices the color of his eyes for the first time. Mokuba had mentioned eyes with the color of amber when he first awakened but the older brother still hadn't expected exactly that shade. In his opinion it was more like a gentle morning light shining through the purest of amber.

Those eyes distract him for a moment and the blond nearly overpowers the other but the priest manages to pull himself together and push the struggling man back onto the bed and say, "It's fine, he's safe."

Seto hopes those words would calm him and that he had fought the guards before in fear that they'd hurt the child he was protecting and it seems to be the case, since he calms again and just looks at the blue eyed man. "The child that was with you, he's safe and sound, still recovering from a little bit of dehydration but in a much better state than you're in. So please calm down. My little brother would be terribly upset with me if I'd let anything happen to you."

The blond man seems to calm further but still doesn't speak, so Seto looks towards the healer. "Why isn't he speaking at all? Mokuba mentioned he hadn't during their walk through the desert either."

"I'm sorry master." The healer replies, "I haven't noticed anything that might be the cause for his silence yet but I hadn't known to look for something like this. I will do so now."

The healer approaches the man but and asks him to open his mouth but the man doesn't do as asked. When the healer tries to open it the man fights him. "Why won't you let him check you?" Seto ask the man but he just glares at the powerful man and tries to stand up again. "Fine, you win." Seto says to calm the other man, "The healer will leave you for now but please rest some more." The man on the bed looks at the priest, clearly not trusting him at all. "No one will hurt you here." The sick man only frowns but then rests his head against the linen again and turns his eyes away from the brunet and the healer. "Give him some space." The priest orders towards the healer, "But stay close in case his health takes a turn for the worse." The highest ranking guard is addressed next. "I want at least five guards with him at all times and if I find even a single hair of his out of place, the responsible person won't even have time to beg for mercy. Is that understood?" Seto looks back towards the blond man on the bed. Said man is looking back in surprise, "Excuse me, my brother surely will be upset with me if I fail to report that you've awakened. I might come by with him next time. He's allowed to move around a little again."

With that Seto leaves the room to go to his brother. He's not in the healer's rooms anymore but still in his own bed most of the time and not permitted to move around too much. "He awakened." Seto says while entering, already knowing by now what his brothers first action would be to require after the slave that saved his life. "He still isn't speaking and the healer doesn't know why but he's just fine and regaining his strength too. You needn't worry about him."

"May I see him soon?" Mokuba asks happily.

"I see no reason to deny it." Seto replies, "But please be mindful of yourself. He seems to be rather moody."

Authors Note: Maybe someone should point out to Set that being left in the desert sun after risking his life to safe the mans brother does tend to make people rather moody! Anyway, I hope you like it so far.