Here's a new one from an author who keeps disappearing and reappearing. I plan on updating 'Hero' within the next few days, so look out for that, friends.

disclaimer: I own... The bare-breasted women. That's it.

A Whale of a Story

Yami Yuugi x Yuugi romance

It was hard for the priests not to be annoyed with their ruler when he was so completely stubborn. Pharaoh Atemu showed absolutely no interest in the preparations for the next week's events.

"Apparently your father's friends mean nothing to you," Priest Set growled, kneeling before his King who was scribbling away at some parchment. Atemu mumbled something unintelligible and his royal subjects grimaced.

Despite this, everything went as planned. Set had put much effort into making sure Egypt's reputation wasn't ruined and Atemu's father would not be disturbed from his eternal rest by his son's indifference toward royal friendships.

A family from a far-off Kingdom had sent word of their impending visit. Apparently Ahknamkanon had a very pleasant relationship with this King and his supposedly beautiful wife. Even more intriguing was their son, Yuugi.

Gossip, which Set secretly and fervently kept up on, told that Yuugi was incredibly charming.

There were many stories, some incredibly far-fetched. One told that this Prince had been swallowed once by a whale, but his life was spared when he convinced said beast that he was incredibly spicy and wanted to spare his dear friend the incredible pain of devouring him.

That couldn't really happen... Could it?

Set would soon find out, he imagined, since he was currently watching a long line of horse-drawn carriages as they approached the palace.

King Suguroku was an elderly man, the Priest noted as he stepped out of his carriage. He looked as if even the slightest movement caused him pain. Set frowned and ordered one of the nearest guards to help the King. His wife emerged from the carriage next; Set was quite discouraged to find that she was just as old as her King. Perhaps she had been more beautiful when she was younger?

The third to emerge was-- Not what the High Priest expected. He was blond and tall, bearing no resemblance to the King and Queen whatsoever. He was, however, very appealing to the eyes. Set soon realized that this boy was only a personal servant of some sort, since he had turned on heel to take the last person's hand.

The boy that Set assumed was Yuugi did not disappoint the Priest's expectations. He was lovely, bearing a slight resemblance to their own Pharaoh. He had obviously inherited his wacky hair-style from his King. His eyes were large, but not overbearing, and they were the most incredible shade of purple. They looked almost unnatural, but still held a sort of mystery. He was almost frightened to stare into them.

"You must be the High Priest," The King greeted, his voice very welcoming. He was the kind of person that was instantly liked, having such a polite air about him. "Egypt is just as beautiful as I remember," He reminisced, eyes searching the Palace, "If only I could have seen Ahknamkanon once more..."

Set bowed his head politely, "Perhaps you would like to meet his son?" He offered, not missing the growing smile on young Yuugi's face.

"You are called Set, are you not?" The teen spoke in an incredibly familiar manner and the Priest was instantly taken aback.

"Why, yes, I am."

"I am called Yuugi, Prince Yuugi. It is such a pleasure to finally be meeting you."

Did- Did he know of Set besides by name and title? The Priest did not have long to ponder this when Isis beckoned to him. The greetings were taking longer than was necessary and the festivities would be starting soon.

"Allow me to escort you to your chambers where you can prepare for tonight's events." Set offered pleasantly and the family followed into the palace.

Set was amused by the look on the blonde's face as he admired the desert palace. It must have been very unlike whatever they were used to. Yuugi, however, looked quite at home. The priest was perplexed by the spiky-haired youth, but was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of his servant instead. He was so distracted that he hadn't noticed when Yuugi had strayed from the group...

The palace was quite beautiful, but Yuugi preferred his castle back home. Not that an exotic Egyptian vacation wasn't appreciated, he just wouldn't let himself be caught gawking at someone else's home. He had too much pride for such a thing.

Every corner was decorated with vast amounts of gold, so much that Yuugi almost thought it looked over-done and quite gaudy. He wouldn't make a big deal out of it, however, he didn't have to live here.

He noticed that as he kept on, the hallways became even more flourished with golden vases and inappropriate statues. He didn't realize until it was too late, perhaps, that he was in the presence of the Pharaoh.

Said ruler was seated at a beautiful, though quite golden, table scratching away at some parchment. He looked very into whatever it was he was writing and Yuugi found himself to be incredibly curious.

The Prince was not one to fret about being out of place or over-stepping his boundaries, so he walked right into the Pharaoh's quarters as if this happened often. Now, it wasn't as if he didn't realize that he was not supposed to be there, he just didn't care very much.

He was surprised, however, when the mighty Atemu did not look up from his work or even acknowledge the teen's presence.

"Hello," Yuugi began, sitting across from the golden King, "I am called Prince Yuugi and I would assume you are the Pharaoh Atemu, unless you are some sort of impostor." He joked adding his most charming laugh to the mix.

His eyes narrowed slightly when no answer was received.

"Are you very busy?" He asked, leaning over the table to admire the Pharaoh's work, "You really should come introduce yourself to my father. He speaks of yours much too often." The parchment was full of illegible scribbles and Yuugi was half-convinced that maybe the ruler was crazy.

When he realized that he would, once again, not be receiving any sort of answer, he took the time to get a good look at the ruler of Egypt.

Yuugi stifled a gasp when he saw just how young the Pharaoh was, never mind how incredibly similar he looked to the Prince.

How could someone that looked barely a day older than seventeen be ruling a country all by himself? It couldn't have been any fun.

"You look like you're working pretty hard, perhaps you would like to take a break and walk with me?"

"..."

Yuugi was not one to throw in the towel, however he did realize when he had lost a battle. And to be even more cliche, he knew that he would not be losing this war. Turning on his heel, Yuugi did not notice the exotic eyes boring into his retreating back.

The Prince was lead to his room by a cute little servant girl he had found in the hallway.

"Girl," Yuugi had begun, kneeling before her in the most princely manner he could fake, "I was wondering if you could lead me to my quarters, for I seem to have lost my way." He smiled as brightly as he could muster, taking a tanned hand into his own.

She blushed radiantly and he mentally noted that it was sort of cute.

Not five minutes later was he in his private chambers being assisted by Set to dress for the evening.

Yuugi found that his normal clothing would not do the feast justice and requested Egyptian garb worthy of a King.

At this, Set raised an eyebrow, but for some reason he could not bring himself to deny the Prince a chance to wear the Pharaoh's clothing. Anything that would get a rise out of the unresponsive ruler was welcome.

"Ah, Jounouchi!" The teen exclaimed, walking up to his guardian who had just joined them in the room. He noticed Set's stare and decided to introduce the blond.

"Set, this is Jounouchi. He is my personal guardian and best friend." Yuugi gave a beautiful smile as Jou offered his hand to the Priest.

"I am High Priest Set," the man said, taking his hand. Jou had meant for it to be a handshake, but Set brought his rough appendage to his lips.

Yuugi's eyebrows raised as Jou turned a shade of red that the Prince had never seen before.

"Uh-- Hi." Jou pulled his hand away quickly, hiding it behind his back, "Pleasure to meet you."

"I suppose I will allow you to help your friend dress," Set said as two body servants entered the room with Yuugi's new outfit. "I hope to see you at the feast tonight, Jounouchi."

Yuugi grinned obnoxiously as his friend when Set left the room. "Jou's got a boy--"

The teen instantly received a punch to the shoulder. "Don't you dare, Yuugi."

"Prince Yuugi," he corrected regally, removing his clothing. He turned to the two body servants whose jobs were to beautify the Prince, "I want one of you to help my friend Jounouchi. I will be fine with just one of you."

One of the girls stepped away and dragged a startled and unhappy Jounouchi to the baths.

"Beautiful lady, I would like to bathe in the Pharaoh's private bath, please."

Set wasn't the only one wanting to see the Pharaoh act like a real human.

"Oh-- I'm so sorry, but--"

Yuugi stepped closer to the female who was slightly taller than himself, "I've heard that His private quarters are incredible to see," he mused, taking a piece of her auburn hair between his fingers, "however, I would imagine that it is pale in comparison to your beauty, my love."

The girl instantly tensed, stumbling over her words as the Prince took her hand, "Lead me, beloved."

A very naked Yuugi suddenly found himself in the Pharaoh's private quarters with a lovely girl tending to his body-- With lotions and make-up, of course.

"Mm, you're very good with your hands, a little lower, please!" Yuugi laughed, laying face down on a bed. He could almost feel the girl's blush.

"Ahem," a deep voice cleared their throat and Yuugi's favorite body servant 'eep'ed.'

"What are you doing here?"

"Excuse me, my Pharaoh, the Prince demanded to use your private bath. I-I thought he had permission!" Yuugi looked up to see the young ruler standing before them in no more than a towel, a body servant of his own standing feet away.

"Hello again," Yuugi said pleasantly, sitting up. "Don't be mad at the girl, I may have mislead her."

"You may have?" The Pharaoh mocked, an eyebrow cocked, "I'd say it is a little more definite than that." He turned to the body servants in frustration, "Leave us. Now."

The scurried out of the room quicker than mice. Yuugi's smile never wavered, however.

"Well. I was afraid you were mute, but--"

"Silence! You know that I could have you killed for trespassing into my private quarters." The Pharaoh was quite angry. Interesting.

"You could, yes, but you won't."

"I won't?"

Yuugi smiled charmingly, sitting up on his table to give the Pharaoh his complete attention. The ruler sighed, sitting next to Yuugi.

"You're right, I suppose I won't."

"It's nice to meet you, by the way. I am Prince Yuugi."

"And I am Pharaoh Atemu. Does your father know of the trouble you are causing?"

Yuugi placed a contemplative finger to his chin, "I would assume. I'm not sure there has been a time when I wasn't causing trouble."

Another sigh. "Why were you in my study earlier?"

"I suppose I just wanted to meet the Pharaoh who neglected to greet us today."

"I apologize, I have been very busy lately." The Pharaoh turned to look at Yuugi who was beaming radiantly. Atemu made a face, wondering why Yuugi was staring so intently. It was kind of frightening. "So, tell me Yuugi. Why is it that you believe you can wander wherever you want in a kingdom you are visiting?"

The teen gave a cool laugh, as if the answer to his question was incredibly obvious. "Do you know who I am? I could seduce a toad!"

The Pharaoh, however, was not amused with the obnoxious teen. "You have a very smart mouth. I am surprised your father puts up with this behavior." He stood up, eyes never unlocking from Yuugi's. "You're not at home right now, Yuugi. You are in my Kingdom as my guest and I recommend that you do well to remember that." He snapped, turning on heel to storm out.

There was a moment where Yuugi was confused.

How could the Pharaoh resist his good looks and kind demeanor?

There was a moment where Yuugi was frustrated.

Who did that Pharaoh think he was? Reprimanding his guest like that! The nerve!

There was a moment where Yuugi was frightened.

Would the Pharaoh tell his father of his intrusions?

The Prince took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he raised his naked body from it's seated position, the scent of various flowers wafting from his clean body.

He would win this game.

Yuugi vowed that tonight he would charm the Pharaoh Atemu as he never had before.

The feast began as planned and the young teen was pleased to find that his father knew nothing of the confrontation in the Pharaoh's bathhouse. Or, if he did know anything of it, he hadn't mentioned it. Yet.

He had seen his father reprimand his younger brother and sisters, but not once had the King raised his voice to Yuugi. He assumed this could have been because Sugoroku was not his real father, but his grandfather instead.

"Yuugi!" Jounouchi greeted, sitting beside his friend at the table. The family from another Kingdom sat below the Pharaoh, earning strange looks from the viziers for allowing Jounouchi to sit with them.

"Jou! What are you up to?" Yuugi asked, sitting back in his chair. The blond grinned wickedly at him, and the Prince raised his eyebrows high. "What?"

"You are going to be impressed." Jou nodded his head toward the front of the hall, obviously toward the dozens of topless girls that were entering the room. They were all dark skinned in complete opposition to Yuugi's pale tone and their hair was long and thick, falling across their hennaed breasts.

"Excellent!" The teen exclaimed, leaning back in his chair. He turned his head slightly to get a view of the Pharaoh.

The man was sitting upright in his throne, but he looked quite bored and fidgety, as if he wanted nothing more than to get back to his writing. Yuugi laughed to himself, but quickly noticed that the grand and golden seat beside him was incredibly empty. Weren't the King and Queen supposed to walk in together? Where was she?

"He isn't married." A simple answer came from in front of Yuugi. He turned to see a gleaming Set before him, smirking in all his Priesty-glory. "I have come to congradulate you on getting the Pharaoh to talk earlier."

"You know about that?" Yuugi asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting the dancing half-naked women behind Set.

"I was there," the smirk never faltered, "I keep a close eye on my Pharaoh. I was-- very impressed that you flustered him enough to talk. He usually saves his breath for something work-related."

"I was kind of encroaching on his territory; 'pretty sure that's work related--"

"Maybe. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to borrow your body-guard." Set said calmly, eyes flickering toward a beet red Jou.

"Wha-- For what?" Jou exclaimed, making a face, "I haven't seen Yuugi all day!"

"You can gossip with him in the morning. Come; walk with me." Set offered a bronzed hand and Jou accepted, though he shot a partiularly nasty glare back at a beaming Yuugi.

The Prince watched as the duo left the hall, a smile still gracing his features. Now that Jounouchi was gone, Yuugi would have a whole room full of bare-chested Egyptian women all to himself. Girls like foreign men; that was fact.

The teen rose gracefully from his chair and walked over to a group of quite-fetching women, "Hello, ladies," he greeted kindly, taking each of their hands and placing a kiss upon them. "You all look beautiful the evening." He was sure to keep eye-contact at all times. Half naked? What? He didn't know that! He was looking straight forward--

Right.

"You are very charming," a brave one of them spoke, her dark eyes dancing mischeviously, "But I wonder, is it really us you want to be charming?"

Yuugi blinked, though he tried his best to hide the confusion behind his mask, "I can't imagine who else I would rather be talking to than you, beloveds."

The girls all giggled and walked away, though they spared a few flirtatious looks back in his direction. What had that been about, anyway?

"Quite lecherous, aren't you young Prince?" Yuugi stiffened at the familiar voice, taking the slightest moment before turning to greet the Pharaoh.

"Hello, Pharaoh. I'm actually far from lecherous, thank you. I am a perfect gentleman."

The ruler of Egypt gave a hearty laugh, smiling at the younger boy. Yuugi mentally faltered as he admired Pharaoh Atemu's tanned skin and kohl-rimmed eyes. He was even more golden than the large amount of jewelry he was wearing. How was this man not married??

"Why aren't you dancing, young Prince?" The man asked, eyes giving his own dining hall a quick once-over. "There are many beautiful girls in here that would love to dance with an exotic royal, I am sure."

"You scared them away when you came up behind me, Pharaoh." Yuugi said stiffly, though he realized that his mask was falling and quickly straightened himself out, "but how about yourself? A handsome Pharaoh should be dancing with his wife."

"I am not married, nor do I want to be." Pharaoh Atemu said gruffily, fixing Yuugi with a warning stare.

"Well, how about your massive harem?"

"Those are my father's leftovers. I wouldn't touch them." Pharaoh Atemu sighed, placing a hand on his forehead in frustration.

"Hey, you teased me first. Only fair." Yuugi laughed.

"I suppose," with this, the Pharaoh smiled once again, "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I was waiting on my friend, but your High Priest stole him from me."

"Ah, your friend must be Jounouchi, the guard." The Pharaoh mused, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, that is correct. May I ask how you of know him?" The teen asked suspiciously, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the other guests as he continued to speak with a supposedly mute Pharaoh.

"You may ask." The smile that he flashed could have rivaled Yuugi's best and the teen winced, also realizing that he wasn't going to receive an answer.

"So, if you aren't going to dance with girls, I wouldn't suppose you would like to take a walk with me instead?"

"That would be splendid," Yuugi responded, giving the kindest look he could muster. This was a game. Yuugi versus Atemu, a game of charms. Yuugi refused to lose. Although, he was sad to leave the hall of breasts.

"So, are you enjoying your time in my Kingdom?" The Pharaoh asked, leading Yuugi outside into the gardens, "I would assume you've been doing more than sneaking into people's private quarters?"

Yuugi laughed, "Not really. There's nothing I enjoy more than invading people's privacy."

The Pharaoh laughed; he seemed to be a lot more laid back than he had been in the bathhouse earlier in the day.

"I apologize for earlier," the ruler started, as if reading Yuugi's mind. Another wince, was the teen an open book for the Pharaoh to enjoy, or what?

"Ohhh, come off it! I was the one wandering into your personal places. I suppose I just enjoy testing the limits-- Kind of like this time I went fishing!" Yuugi exclaimed suddenly, making a younger boy jump as he walked past them in the garden.

"Are you referring to the whale story? If so, I'm afraid that I just can't believe such a thing..."

"Huh? Whale story?"

A muffled moan interrupted their peaceful walk, causing Yuugi's hyperactive spy-sense to click on. Before Atemu could even pop a question, Yuugi was already peering from behind a tree, the most eccentric grin crossing his pale features.

"Will ya look at that!" He chuckled, causing Atemu's own curiosity to peak.

"What--Oh. That. I saw that coming."

Yuugi blinked at the Pharaoh, confused to such an extreme degree that he forgot to mask it. A detail not missed by the young king. "What? You didn't think that it would end up happening?"

"I suppose I joked about it, but who knew Jou really had a boyfriend." Yuugi mused, stepping away from his hiding spot. "Niiice!"

"Does it disgust you?" The Pharaoh asked, not one to mince words.

"What? No way! If it's got a hol--- I mean, if Jou's happy, I can't complain. Besides, some guys are just better looking than girls."

Atemu smirked, "Like myself?"

Yuugi's eyebrow hitched, "Well, I guess. Cocky, much?" Something about the Pharaoh was causing the teen's whole charade to crumble, without Yuugi so much as noticing. He did, however, realize how close he was to losing the game.

Prince Yuugi was a natural at winning people over, but he couldn't think of a time when he had ever been taken aback by someone else. Until now, maybe.

"So, I thought you were a mute." The teen decided to bring this up again, seeing as how Atemu was no longer angry at him for entering his private quarters.

"That is the rumor," The young ruler laughed, a hand brushing a few loose bangs from his regal eyes, "but I assume you can see for yourself that I talk just as much as any other person."

"Then why were you so quiet in your study?"

Atemu smiled at the teen, "I was working. You should try it some time."

Yuugi's brow furrowed, "I do work--"

"It seems to me that you could just charm someone into doing it for you."

An impressive smile graced the foreigner's lips, causing Atemu to swallow once. "What made you decide to stop working?"

The Pharaoh looked uncomfortable with this most recent question, a slight tinge staining his tanned cheeks. Yuugi's head tilted slightly in wonder, watching the ruled stammer. "W-What makes you think that anything in particular made me stop? I had a party to attend."

Yuugi shrugged, "I just assumed that you would have skipped, or watched the party from afar at the very least. I was starting to think you were anti-social, maybe."

The upperhand was slowly returning to Yuugi, or so he thought. Atemu's head was bent, shielding those egyptian eyes from the prince's sight.

Yuugi ducked down to get a good look at Atemu's face, not expecting the hands that came to grasp either side of his face. Suddenly, the teen was pulled into the single most aggressive kiss of his life. He was slammed up against the nearest wall, the Pharaoh's lips kissing his with such an intense urgency. He barely had time to respond!

As it stood, Atemu was once again game leader.

The Pharaoh pulled away, eyeing Yuugi like he was some sort of delicacy.

"Well, that was---"

"--Look! I don't get out much anymore. I don't leave my study. And I MOST CERTAINLY do not attend my own parties. There is way too much work to be done.-- But then I saw you, Yuugi," Pharaoh Atemu grasped Yuugi's hand, falling to his knees and placing chast kisses over the appendage.

"You're the single most beautiful person I have ever seen."

The Prince gasped, at a complete loss of words for the first time in his life. He had never seen anyone with so much passion. So much passion for himself. It was almost frightening."

"Please say something, Yuugi." Atemu pleaded, the Pharaoh of Egypt on his knees in his own country. He was lonely. A stranger to his own people and followers. No, not his own. His father's. He was so young and cursed to rule a country by himself. No one ever questioned it or asked him to take a break from his work for a walk. Unwittingly, Yuugi had become the first person to ever invite Atemu to leave his self-created shell.

But Yuugi was spoiled. His own father had died, but he still didn't have to assume the responsibilities of his country's leader. His grandfather took that role in place of him, allowing Yuugi to continue to enjoy his youth. His life was like one giant party, one giant game. It seemed as if everything was crashing down in this one single moment, where the most intriguing man he had ever meet was begging him to respond to his confession of infatuation.

He wasn't new to the world of relationships. Girls and boys alike enjoyed his company, and he their's, but it had always been fun and selfish. There had never been anything to lose or gain.

Yuugi felt as if, for the first time in his life, this single confession had caught him completely off guard. His answer could mean the losing something incredible or gaining something he couldn't handle. He didn't even know this person...

"Please," Atemu continued, "I can give you everything you could ever possibly want."

"I want--" Yuugi apparently found his voice, though he supposed it was a bit more shaky than he could ever possibly have imagined.

"Yuugi--"

"I want to hear the story about the whale." The teen smiled, pulling Atemu to his feet.

The Pharaoh's laughter broke into the desert night, Yuugi's own joining as their voices twirled into the most incredible unison anyone could have ever imagined.

Once upon a time, a boy wandered over to a nearby, vast ocean without the permission of his parents: the king and queen. The kindly youth dipped a foot into the warm water, sighing as it grazed his pale skin. However, he failed to notice the large tongue that appeared from beneath the water, wrapping around his lithe body with a quiet force.

The tiny prince didn't scream, but was wary of his slimy surroundings from the inside of a whale's mouth.

"Sir, may I ask why you've placed me into your large mouth?" The prince asked sweetly, careful not to touch anything around him.

"Why, I mean to eat you my young friend." The whale replied, his voice echoing from within the wet cavern.

"That's a terrible idea!" The prince laughed, causing the whale to become confused.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Well, I just think it would be a bad idea for a wise and mighty whale lord like yourself to eat such a spicy snack such as myself." the boy said matter-of-factly, "I would just worry for your health, you see. I'm not very good for you."

There was a moment of complete silence, but it was within seconds that the prince found himself back on the empty beach.

A smile stretched upon witty, youthful lips as he turned to walk back home.

There you are! A random bit of romance for you. I admit, not on of my best, but fun to write anyway. I always love giving a crack at the ancient egyptian setting, but never really knew what to write. I have to admit, though, I am getting sick of reading about slave-Yuugi getting his ass beat and crying for hours on end. ahahah! No offense to all the AE writers out there, I heart you all!

Anyway, tell me what you think and I might throw out a few more AE storylines I've been throwing around in my brains.

omg kairi