As Pharaoh's son wishes~

hide had heard the door fly open and thought it was Hizumi, so he instantly sprang to his feet to see what was causing his Prince to slam doors open. He hardly had time to even react before he found that the High Priest had him pinned up against the wall and accusing him of betraying Hizumi... Why in the world would a man of the Gods acuse him of something he would never dream of doing?!

I'm thinking that's the reasoning behind our High Priest's disagreeable mood as of late. He's losing Hizumi and he knows it. Oh no... No! Sakito was angry about Hizumi and he was going to... oh Gods no!

A small whimper escaped him as he tried to shrink away from his hands, shaking his head at the accusations, mouthing 'no' over and over... But that wasn't getting him anywhere, aside from maybe more anger from Sakito. By chance he thought he thought he saw someone walk by the door... If he didn't call out now, this could get a lot worse.

"H-help... Hi-Hizumi--Hyde...!" In that instance his own voice sounded foreign to him. Like he really hadn't just used it to talk to Hyde the other night, or sing softly to Hizumi while he slept... The only time he used his voice was when there wasn't danger around, but now that danger was pressing him into a wall and threatening his life.

Sakito was surprised when he heard the slave speak. He didn't show it though, only closed his hand around his throat to silence him.

"Traitor...You LIED to the prince...and the Pharaoh, for that matter. The thing is, though, Hizumi found out about your lie and your disobedience and has sent me to punish you. Be grateful it isn't by cutting off your head." A million thoughts were racing through his head. hide could talk. He could TALK. Sakito knew how happy that would make Hizumi but he didn't want his prince to be happy with the slave. He was supposed to the be one that Hizumi loved. Not some pretend mute slave.

He threw hide to the floor and kicked him. Twice. He was so angry he couldn't even control himself. He got down and beat him, pummeling him in the stomach and choking him again. Maybe if hide was so ugly, Hizumi wouldn't want him. Maybe if hide was broken...

Sakito couldn't contain his anger. For a man of his lithe form, he had surprising strength. He had the slave pinned and what happened next quickly became a blur. It wasn't until he was between his legs and forcing his want into him that he realized what he was doing. Anger flared and hatred for everything consumed him and he couldn't stop.

Once spent, he got up and kicked the slave again. Without another word, he stormed out of the room and back to his own chambers, where he threw some things into a trunk and fled the palace, hot tears stinging his eyes. If he couldn't have Hizumi, he didn't want anything at all.

Punishment?! But... But Hizumi... Hizumi said that he wanted him to talk! That he wished he could! He never lied, after all that had been done and said to him his will and nerve to speak. This was the High Priest! Why was he doing this?! Why would someone do this to prove their devotion and love to someone?!

That was all that ran through his head as Sakito beat him, none of the pain registered, nothing except for the pain that maybe Hizumi was really mad at him... Did his voice anger him that much...? So much so that he would command a High Priest to beat him and... rape him...? How he made it through all of this was beyond him, were he normal and not used to this he probably would have cried.

It didn't come until after though, after Sakito had found his release and kicked him one more time for good measure, after he reclothed himself, after the bruises and marks all over his body settled in... The tears were flowing faster than the Nile as he stared out to the gardens just outside of Hizumi's room. His back was unmarked and his posture gave away nothing... But when he heard Hizumi... Heard his voice... He choked back a sob and turned to face him, showing him the ever growing bruises on his stomach and the butterfly bruise darkening on his neck. hide knew he smelled of sex, but right now all he wanted was Hizumi... Even if he did wish this upon him, even if he was mad...

"H-H... Hiz..." His voice was cracked and broken, struggling to get any sound out. He took a step forward but found himself falling against him, his hands clinging weakly to him as he cried against him. What did Hizumi want of him?

Hizumi was coming back from his father's chambers after talking to him and telling him everything. It was a long conversation with him. One that held tears, anger, anguish, doubt, more anger, and eventually happiness. Both were worn and tired and his father was only just receiving this information but knew that Hizumi would feel relief from telling him. The prince made his way to his room, to hide. His lover. But what he saw was not something he expected. There was his beautiful slave...and then he turned around to show the shocking amount of damage his body had. He reeked of sex and the bruises showed it was not a willing endeavor. The Egyptian all but collapsed in Hizumi's arms.

"hide!? What happened...shh...shh..." He was frightened for him. But the days that followed that breakdown tore Hizumi up even more. hide avoided him. Acted like he was the plague. Hizumi didn't understand. Didn't he want him? Isn't that what he said?...did he change his mind? Why...why was hide suddenly rejecting him and flinching when he reached out to him. It had the prince near his own breakdown. His spirit was all but broken when Hyde found him.

"What's wrong Hizu? You look like the gods took your ka away early." Hyde sat down in the garden with him. He was wondering what was going on. Ever since Sakito left for good he thought they would be happy.

"He d-doesn't want me. I left Sakito for him. Told my father everything...and showed him time and again he was what I wanted...and yet...he pushes me away. I can't even be in the same room as him without him flinching in fear. I don't know what I did to make him be so repelled by me. I-I...I don't know what to do...I don't think I can take much more rejection from him. I thought he wanted me as much as I wanted him...maybe the gods didn't mean for us to be together...maybe this was punishment for distracting Sakito from them...I wish he could tell me what I did wrong. It hurts more not knowing..." His voice was thick with the hot tears that refused to fall. Hyde rubbed his back comfortingly but got up to go talk to hide. He had to find out what was going on. So the head of the pharaoh's harem went to hide. He had to make this better somehow.

"hide...what happened? Why do you not want Hizumi anymore? Do you realize what you are doing to him? Even those chosen by gods fall hide...and even they can be broken. What happened?"

hide didn't know what to do or how to act around Hizumi. His actions showed to anger or threat to him, but Sakito's words echoed in his head. Screaming at him whenever he wanted to go to him for comfort... So he just didn't, and flinched anytime anyone approached or touchd him. He feared Sakito come back.

Even when Hyde came he flinched before warily crawling into his lap and crying into his shoulder. He was still in a lot physical pain... but the mental anguish was far worse.

"Sa... Sakito... Hizumi... Found out... he said-Sakito said-- It was punishment, that he was told to do this... This... This was my life before this place! I-I thought I w-was safe here--I though t-that my v-voic was something that Hizumi wanted!! I-I thought... I thought..." hide clung to his friend as he sobbed out random nonsense that had been put there by Sakito, about the fears that had been roaming his mind...

Hyde was surprise hide crawled in his lap but held him and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Shh...hide. Sakito was angry he was losing Hizumi. Hizu wanted nothing but you. Still does. He has no idea what happened. He thinks he did something wrong to make you hate him. He wants to know what he did. Hizumi has no idea you can talk. Sakito told you those things to get you to do exactly what you are. He doesn't want you to have the prince and at this rate...you won't.

"He's at the end of his rope hide. One more rejection and I'm afraid of what he would do. I know you want him and I know you're afraid but Hizumi didn't know. He doesn't know what Sakito did. Simply that you were severely beaten one day and then refusing to even be near him the next. hide...you have him thinking he was wrong. That you never did want him..." He was hoping that hide would understand. What Sakito did was horrible and he should pay for it but for that to go to Hizumi, who was blameless other than dumping Sakito for hide...well...it wasn't right.

"No... no I do! I do want him! B-but... you're right... I'm scared again... I... I have an idea of what I can do..." He smiled weakly at Hyde and waited for Hizumi to come back that evening. He would sing for him, leave his door cracked and sing when he heard the door opened...

'There may not be an answer to this tune, why the sky is blue, is the change in me all true, now that you are next to me I have no fears, and all I know is that I want to be with you, sometimes it's easy to forget the times we weep, the moment makes us weak, and all the shame I seek memories exist for all the precious days my heart still wants to keep somewhere deep inside of me... A lullaby for you, don't you worry, I'll be here by your side, may tomorrow be wonderful too, close to you I hope to stay, endlessly from today even through cloudy days you are not alone...'

He heard the door and he sang, though he didn't hear Hizumi walking towards the door, he knew whoever walked in had heard.

Hyde had convinced him to go back to the room again but Hizumi was wary of hide. He heard someone singing. hide had someone singing to him? And...the song from his dream. hide was already seeing someone. Someone who wasn't singing to him...but to hide. That was the last straw. Hizumi finally broke down. hide really didn't want him. He wanted someone else. He held his tears though. Pushed them back so that anger could come forward. Anger was easier. He wouldn't have to feel. He walked into hide's room not noticing that there was no one else in there before he spoke.

"I was such a fool to think you wanted me. You were only toying with me to see if you could get the attention of the pharaoh's son. You weren't sent by the gods for me to have you were sent to test me. And I failed...so where are you hiding the one that's been singing to you. Singing to you and I thought they were singing to me. Where are they?" The tears started coming anyway despite his anger. It hurt too much to know that hide wanted someone else...and Hizumi wouldn't force him.

hide was shockd by the princes outburst. What if Hyde had been wrong and Hizumi was already past the breaking point? Fear of what was going to happen next was ever present on his face, but he couldn't... wouldn't back down now. He had to shake his fear away and be honest with the man he loved...

So he point to himself, "I... I was the one singing to you... in your sleep... There never was anyone else... It was not Bes... The only thing... the only thing that-that ever deterred me from you was... Sa-Sakito..." He was in tears again as his voice continued to spill softly from his lips. He'd wanted to talk to Hizumi so long... he hated that his first time to do so was filled with tears.

Hizumi's jaw dropped. hide could talk!? "Y-you...you can talk? But then why would pretend to be mute?" It was only after that sentence did he catch the rest of hide's words. The anger boiled over.

"What did Sakito do? Is he the reason you've rejecting me? The reason you won't even stay in the same room as me? Making me think that you really didn't want me after all? Sakito did this!?" His fists were shaking from the anger. He would mummify him alive or feed him to the crocodiles when he saw him again.

"It was to protect myself! This--" he motioned to himself, "this was part of my everyday life! The more noise I made, the more I talked or sang, the more people beat and tried to rape me. A-and after a while... the fear of that stole my voice. My own mother could hardly get me to talk! But... but being around you... I felt safe. I wanted to tell you so much! But I figured I would wait until... you did what you had to... I'd tell you when we could give ourselves completely to each other..."

Hizumi was mad at him... he wouldn't be able to please him now... but he could at least tell him the truth...

"He... did... He told me... That you found out, that he was there to punish me... and I stupidly believed him. M-my own insecurities arose... Please Hizumi... I never meant to hurt you! I never w-wanted to!!"

Hizumi's rage for Sakito built but he pushed it back. He would get him later. He shook his head. "hide I would never punish you. Not for something so beautiful. For you to think that I would..." It was true he was hurt. Hurt far more than he let on. It wasn't something he was prepared to let known. Or something he was prepared to let go of.

"hide all I wanted was you...I thought you knew that by my actions...I didn't know you could talk. I never did...you have a beautiful voice. I just wished you had a bit more faith in me." He was shaking his head slowly and about ready to walk out again. hide may have apologized but that still didn't stop the fact that he had believed Hizumi would command that kind of punishment on him from being known. He didn't trust him...didn't believe in him.

"Hizumi... Don't go... Please, I know I shouldn't have ever doubted you... But it all happened so fast my mind... it just couldn't comprehend anything. Deep down, a part of me knew... but even deeper lays that fear of everything... I just... I just want to make you happy, That's all I ever wanted to do since I met you. I never wanted to make you feel like this..." His hand shakily reached for Hizumi's, holding it softly on his own. hide's yes shined with nothing but the truth and emotions he felt for Hizumi.

Hizumi's tears came back when hide took his hand. "But you did. All I wanted was you and you pushed me away. I don't want to go but I don't want to live in fear of you rejecting me again. I already love you too much for me to fall deeper and then get hurt. Please...don't turn me away again." It was obvious how close to the edge he was. Even royalty had its limits.

"Please don't turn me away again..."

"I wont." hide's own tears welled up and spilled again as he moved to hug him, trying his best to comfort and sooth his worries. He knew it would take time though. They would both need to mend from this... but he hoped they could at least do it together now. He hoped even more that he could go back to trying to make Hizumi the happiest man in the world, but that would depend on if Hizumi would let him back in.

"Hizu...? I... I love you... I am eternally sorry for what I've done... But would be honored if you would give me the chance to fix it and prove myself to you again..."

Hizumi held hide close to him as he hugged him. He wanted to prove himself to him again? He loved him?! The prince pulled away and kissed hide softly. "You already have...I love you too." It was true. He knew it was. The second kiss was much more demanding. Passionate. He wanted hide very much.

"Stay with me...stay with me tonight..." And every night. But that was just a bit much to ask right away. One night would be good. He could ask that much.

hide's eyes lit up when Hizumi spoke, and then he found himself returning every ounce of passion Hizumi was giving him. They would be okay... they would get better. He would always be there for the Prince... He would make that his job.

"Hizu... Of course I'll stay... Whenever you want me to..." and though he was a bit smaller than Hizumi, he still swept him off on his feet and took him to his large bed... "Surprise... You have me... You have my voice... and I will never take either from you again... I love you." He kissed him soft and lovingly, his hand raising to stroke his smooth cheek and soft hair.

Hizumi gasped when his feet left the ground but grinned at hide when he found his back on the bed. "And what a lovely voice it is...I bet you sound very nice when moaning...though I would rather just hold you for awhile. I love you to hide-chi." The prince nuzzled his lover softly and moved to make him a pillow again. It was nice having him in his bed again. Especially knowing that one day very soon he would be able to truly have him as a lover and give himself over to hide. Surrender everything he was to his gift from the gods.