yuugiou fanfiction
ryuujitsu & co.
djehuty-mes : 1

Disclaimer: Saying Yuugiou belongs to us is like saying Djehuty-mes means "He Who Was Born of a Six-Footed Duck." Somehow, I doubt that.

A/N: A drabble written for the livejournal community chain-of-fics. It's part of the ancient Egypt series of drabbles that 'dshr' comes from, so I'm including it here. It is entirely unrelated to 'dshr.' There may or may not be more of it. Faust, I'm sorry to say, is coming very slowly.

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The last piece of meat from the butchered camel had been rightfully his, and when the lily white hand snatched it from under his nose, Malik rolled up his sleeves, getting ready for the fight. "That's mine," he snapped, catching the thief by the arm.

The boy—he could have been no more than a boy—looked up at him. "Then where is my share, my brother?" he said, in a voice laced with acid.

Malik had seized the meat with his other hand and they both held it, not quite pulling, glaring at one another. The boy was another in the legion, wearing the plain white shenti and black plaits of a foot-soldier. He had been pale once; now he was burned red and white along his back and shoulders where Amun had assailed his skin. Malik started as he saw the eyes—green like the Nile and twice as limpid. Under the greasy black of his wig, there protruded a few unruly hairs—ash-blonde, bleached by Amun's hands.

"A Greek," said Malik, falling back in surprise.

The boy snatched the meat from Malik's loosened fingers. "Aye," he said, challengingly, eyes flashing. "He Who Was Born of Thoth cares not who serves Him. We march against your people within days, Canaanite."

Automatically Malik's hands went to his own wig, straightening it, self-consciously tucking the yellowed hair out of sight.

"They are not my people," he said. "We are of Egypt. The horde of Djehuty-mes."

"I know of you," said the boy suddenly. There were flies swarming at the meat and he swatted them away, his eyes fixed on Malik. "You are Malik Ishtal, descended from the Babylonians who conquered Canaan—a foreigner! Your sister serves Pharaoh as His priestess and His whore. Was it she who advised we go to war as He bedded her? Did she whisper it in His ear as she twined herself around Him? Do you close your eyes to it? Are you blind? Djehuty-mes has sent you away to die so that He may have her!"

"Take your meat and go, wretch," snarled Malik, feeling a sickening rush of fury in his stomach. "I want nothing that has touched your hands."

The boy did not go; he flung the meat down at his feet, which like Malik's were bare, raw and bloody from the broiling sand and the distance trekked. "My protector—my brother—was of Hatshepsut's court," he said, trembling in his anger. "He is dead now at Pharaoh's hands. Wrongfully dead!"

"He Who Was Born of Thoth destroyed only those who would betray Him," said Malik, soft and deadly. "Your brother was a blood traitor."

"I came to fight for Pharaoh," said the boy quietly, his eyes made red by the fading sun. "As did you."

Malik smiled ruthlessly. "Yes," he said. "That is why we still breathe."

The boy smiled too, teeth glittering in the dusky light. "For the moment. Canaan will be ours by the new moon; my brother's ka has told me this. His name was Bakura," said the boy, and behind him the desert wind howled like the jackals of Inpw. "It is my name now, too. Don't forget it."

"The Embalmer awaits," said Malik, ignoring the camel meat now covered in sand. "Should I see you on the battlefield, I will not let the insult done to my sister pass."

The boy shook his head. "Your words are empty. Anubis protects me as he guards my brother; I will die in the fields of Canaan if I must die at all, and never by your hands." For a moment as he stared at Malik with his gleaming, reddened eyes, he seemed to grow taller, darker like the black body of Inpw. "No, I intend to fight. I will never die," he said.

Malik shuddered, watching him go.

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A/N: Inpw is another name for Anubis, who is also known as the Lord of the Place of Embalming. (I've been reading up on my encyclopedia of all things Egyptian, can you tell? Haha.) Djehuty-mes is the un-anglicized version of Thutmose III, stepson of Hatshepsut and one of the greatest warrior pharaohs of Egypt. This drabble is set during his first military campaign, against the Canaanites.

There were many flaming inaccuracies. Also, I'm not too sure that there were Greeks or sleeves in Egypt during Thutmose III's time. . .comments and questions? Please do review.