Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh as it is solely the property of Kazuki Takahashi, as are all the characters I borrow for the sake of this fic.

Setting: Ancient Egypt, before the Atemu becomes the Pharoah.

Rating: T, may go up later depending on how the story goes.

Title: The Fire Within

Chapter 1: Golden Eyes

Harsh, laboured breathing shattered the perfect peace of a glorious dawn. Sun-browned feet pounded the sand, sending flurries of grit into a whirlwind behind the nimble form. Agilely, the figure easily dodged a jutting fang of scaly rock, protruding from the earth like a jagged-edged dagger, and continued to sprint, the rising sun's fiery glare scorching the back of her neck.

The sand danced tauntingly before her, threatening to lose her in its endless depths, the desert wishing to claim another life for its own.

Silently, she cursed. Why she had agreed to participate in something that would so inevitably go wrong, she could not recall. The only thing she could remember was her urgency to reach the safety of the palace before sunrise. And it was fast gaining on her.

Her pace increased, burning feet stinging from the coarseness of the sand. She wished once again that she had not discarded her sandals in favour of speed, but it was too late to repent. Squinting through the relentless veil of grit, she surveyed the plain in front of her. Dunes stretched on for miles in every direction, yet a cluster of dark, misshapen buildings loomed out from the centre. She was almost home.

Briefly glancing over her shoulder, she found the sun in close pursuit, its golden rays creeping over the dunes from which she had come, luring her back to the place she was fleeing. Ignoring the blistering heat, she ran only faster. With the sun's return, the Priests of the temple would begin their morning rituals to greet the new day. Her absence would not go unnoticed.

Fighting the haze surrounding her mind, she increased her pace, yelping when she tripped, only to tumble into an invisible dip concealed cunningly within the sand dune. She had been told many times, the sands of Egypt were like a creature, ever-changing and deadly, unforgiving and treacherous, their welcoming embrace ensnaring even the wariest of travellers, beckoning them to their death.

Shuddering, she swiftly forced herself to her feet, hands balling into fists, nails cutting into her skin hard enough to draw blood. She had to keep going. A gasp escaped her lips as a sudden twinge stung her arm like a snake bite, crimson liquid seeping into the white linen around her forearm and numbing her limb. Panting, she gazed again at the golden eye behind her, rising above the horizon like a fiery coin of light. There was barely any time left.

Again, she fell, her ankle twisting beneath her weight, the might of the Egyptian sun beating her further into the ground and scorching her sweat-streamed skin. Her breath came in sharp rasps, her heaving chest needled with agony, her heavy limbs ached with fatigue and her injured arm hung limply at her side.

Exhausted, she finally surrendered to the desert, gladly sinking into its welcoming heat, the rough sand now soft and silky against her water-streaked face, the gritty grains thrown over her like a blanket, protecting her from Ra's fiery gaze. With a final gasp, she slipped into the desert's embrace.

She was not awake to hear the drum of hooves over the swirling desert plain, nor to feel the stirring of the sand when two sun-browned feet scattered the grains like fleeing swallows, nor the gentle brush of fingers upon her face, or the strong arms around her waist as she was lifted onto a magnificent black beast. The only thing of which she was aware, was the relentless, all-seeing glare of Egypt's golden eye.

This idea had been bugging me for a while, so I decided to write it while I was in the mood. Quite honestly, the entire chapter was written as if stands in my notebook already, so I simply needed to type it up. Sorry I have not yet managed to update my other fic's... duty calls - or exams if you prefer - damn things.

Anyway, I will try and get up to date as soon as possible, and if I feel nice, I might do a special Christmas One-shot if there are any requests for one. Tell me what you think.

Please review, next chapter should be up soon. All opinions are valid, and suggestions for improvement are always welcome (unless they are: longer chapters, in which case, I'll say this is just a 'teaser'! XD)

Thanks for reading, and please bear with me.

~ FreeXFallXPhoenix