Sorry this has taken me so long to do. This is a story for Aqua Girl 007, featuring Atem and Mana growing up in Egypt.

I hope you like it.

I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters.

Prince and a Girl. Part 1.

Introductions.

Why was she was crying?

A small boy of around six years old clung to his mothers skirt, peering out from behind her with wide amethyst eyes. He was watching a petite girl of about the same age as him, maybe a bit younger.

She seemed to be upset about something. Of what? He was unsure.

Everyone was supposed to feel safe, and the children were always happy in the palace harem. So why was this little girl so upset?

By the look of her tattered linen dress and unkempt appearance, it was obvious that she was a peasant. And although he was not permitted to play with peasant children, he felt drawn to her. She was so tiny, and had the most amazing long, wavy, chestnut coloured hair. He couldn't see her features properly, because her nose was running and her face was all scrunched up with her sobbing, making her cheeks look all red and puffy. But he knew that underneath all the snot and tears she was cute.

The small boy vowed to find out why she was so sad. And when he did, he he would make her happy again.

Having been upset by the little girl's crying, several of the other children that lived in the palace harem had already started to fret and cry.

He looked up at his mother with tears now forming in his own eyes. "Why is she crying?" He asked.

His mother bent down and gathered him in her arms. "It is okay Atem," she soothed, stroking her hand through his unruly hair. "Her name is Mana. She is coming to live with us at the palace. She has powers that are very much like Mahado's, but her parents are afraid of her powers, and are unable to cope with looking after her any longer. They have allowed us to bring her here so that she may be trained how to use them properly."

The young prince Atem nodded his understanding as his mother continued to explain. "She is crying because she is sad to be leaving her family. But she will be safer here. People from her village find it hard to understand those who are gifted with powerful heka." She decided not to tell him that Shimon and Aknadin had come to her aid after she had caused chaos at the market place, after her heka had become unruly. The market stall holder had called her a demon child of the underworld and she had almost been stoned to death.

"Then I will be her friend," Atem replied assertively.

He was not afraid of her heka, he was already familiar with Mahado's powerful use of heka, and viewed him as a big brother.

Mahado was four summers his senior and although only six, the young Atem was well aware that his friend and role model would one day serve as his priest, along with the other older children in training, Karim, Isis and Shada. The four were often by his side, as it was their duty to see that no harm befall the precious young prince and future Pharaoh. A duty, which at times, was extremely difficult due to the young prince's wilful and adventurous nature.

Atem wiped away his tears on his mothers skirt and approached the young girl. "Hello Mana, my name is Atem. We can be friends." He stated confidently.

Mana paused in her sobs for a moment and glared at him through her tears. He looked pompous with his silly grin, big eyes and silly hair, so she stuck her tongue out at him and blew a loud raspberry.

"You insolent child. How dare you behave in such a disrespectful manner towards the prince!" The woman assigned to look after the distraught child snapped angrily and shook Mana quite hard, making her cry again. She had not heard the woman tell her he was the prince!

Atem was momentarily stunned, no one had ever acted this way towards him before! He found it extremely funny. And, as the horrified adults and other children; who were all accustomed to acting with utmost respect towards their future Pharaoh, stood gawking., Atem burst out laughing. He grabbed both his ears and pulled them so that they stuck out. He then opened his mouth, stuck his tongue out and let rip with a loud raspberry, spraying Mana and the woman holding her with spit. He then tapped Mana on her shoulder and shouted, "You're it. You can't catch me! I can run faster than you." He turned and started running around the large room.

Mana instantly wiped away her tears and started chasing him. She was fast, but Atem was a small light boy who was nimble on his feet, he easily dodged her as she tried to catch him. Out of frustration, Mana unwittingly lost control of herself and summoned her heka.

To the stunned gasps of the onlookers, Atem suddenly found himself flying through the air. He landed with a thud on the hard ground, his head connecting with a stone pillar, knocking him momentarily unconscious.

Mana stood still and put her hands to her mouth, gasping in horror at what she had done to him.

As he sat up groggily, a trickle of crimson blood flowed from a head wound and ran down the side of his forehead and face, dripping off his chin.

Within moments the small prince was surrounded by people wanting to help him, making him feel overwhelmed. He started to tremble with the shock of what had just happened. "Mamma.." he wailed, as his tears erupted.

His mother pushed through the crowd and cradled him. "It is okay my son. Someone call a physician?" Everyone just stood gawking. "Now!"

Meanwhile, Mana was in trouble. Mahado's guardian and mentor came storming into the harem. Usually adult males, other than eunuchs, were not permitted in the nursery, but under these circumstances, this was an exception.

The terrified little girl was taken to a room and placed there while an appropriate punishment was decided upon. Of course Pharaoh Aknamkanon would need to be informed.

Thankfully, while it bled profusely, the wound on Atem's head was only small. He had a bit of a head ache, but was otherwise unhurt. His main concern was what had happened to the little girl, Mana. "Please don't punish her," he pleaded with his father, who stood scratching his beard in thought as Aknadin and Shimon argued.

"I told you it was dangerous to bring the child to the palace." Aknadin lectured Shimon.

"What else should we have done? Stand by and watch while those ignorant fools stoned her to death?" Shimon raised his voice.

"Yes, if that is the will of the Gods."

"Don't be so heartless. The Gods ensured that we were there to save her."

"ENOUGH!" Aknamkanon boomed at the bickering pair. "You are not helping. If my son wishes that no harm or punishment be inflicted on the girl, then so be it."

Meanwhile, Mana was sat on a padded bench seat, with her knees pulled up to her chest, in a room that was small by palace standards, but large compared to the living accommodation she was used to.

What is to become of me now? She thought. My parents no longer want me, everything I touch breaks and everything I do is a disaster, or worse! I only wanted one apple from that stall, I didn't expect every single apple, pomegranate and fig to start flying around, hitting people! Maybe they are right to say I am possessed by a demon from the underworld. The priests should have walked away and left me to my fate. Because now I have killed that poor boy! And he was only trying to be friendly. Fresh tears started to fall.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Mana looked up as it opened and a tall skinny boy of about ten entered the room. Mana looked at him with a fearful expression.

"Don't be afraid Mana. I mean you no harm. My name is Mahado," he introduced himself. "I am your new big brother." When he smiled at her his soft grey/blue eyes lit up with kindness, setting her at ease.

Mana managed a weak smile. "Is the boy I hurt alright?"

"Yes, he is fine. He has a thick skull," he laughed. "It will take more than a bump on the head. The young prince is tougher than he looks."

"Prince?!" Mana gasped. "You mean as in prince- prince?"

"Yes, prince Atem is the heir to the throne; the future Pharaoh."

"Oh my Ra!" No wonder everyone was so angry with her. "I nearly killed the prince!" A look of terror graced her features. This time she did not deserve to be saved.

"Relax. I am here to inform you that you will not be punished. Prince Atem has forbade it. His father, The Pharaoh, is also a compassionate and kind man. He has granted his son's wish that you be spared."

"But what of my curse? I am possessed. You saw what I am capable of!"

Mahad smiled at her and sat down next to her. "You are not cursed, you have been given a rare and wonderful gift from the Gods. You just don't know how to control it... Yet.." He raised his hand. "Watch this? A ball of flame appeared in his hand. He threw it gently back and forth between his hands, before allowing it to hover and dance little patterns around the room. Mana sat watching with wide eyes.

He then sent the ball of flame towards an unlit torch suspended in a holder on the wall, and used it to light the torch. "There," he said in a calm voice. "You and I share the same gift. I too struggled to control my power to begin with, but it is not a curse. In time you will learn and when you do, you will be a powerful magician and sorcerer. One day, you may even be a priestess."

"Wow, really?"

"Yes really. Now come?" He stood up and held out his hand. "The prince has asked to see you." He waved his hand in the direction of the torch and extinguished it, before leading Mana to Atem's chambers.

An embarrassed Mana stood in the entrance to Atem's chambers, rocking on the balls of her feet, with her hands clenched nervously under her chin. She could see prince Atem sitting cross legged on a large bed, with a woman whom Mana assumed was his mother sitting next to him.

"Please don't linger in the doorway Mana, you may enter." The woman spoke assertively but softly, which put Mana at ease.

She entered the room with her head bowed, as she had been taught to do in the presence of royalty. When she was standing in front of Atem, she stopped and bit her lip whilst staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Atem's mother prompted him with what he should say.

"Look at me," he blurted out, rather more abruptly than he had intended.

Mana jumped slightly and looked up to meet his gaze. She had never seen such engaging eyes. A light blush graced her cheeks. Underneath his golden bangs, a bandage was pressed to the top right hand side of his forehead, "I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to."

Atem smiled at her. "We can still be friends though, can't we?"

She nodded in reply and beamed a smile of relief. "Yes please," almost too enthusiastically.

"Would you like to see my cut?" He beamed, pulling the bandage off before she had chance to answer. He proudly lifted up his hair to reveal his wound. Mana peered at the purple bump with a cut in the centre that was just under a centimetre long, and winced. It had been expertly sutured by the physician.

"Would you like to play?" He asked.

"Atem, the healer said you should be resting." She knew getting him to sit still and rest was a tall order.

He pouted. "Rest is boring. I want Mana to play." He folded his arms and sat with his back upright in a defiant stance.

His mother sighed. There was no arguing with her son when he adopted this pose. He nearly always won the battle of wills.

"Okay, but nothing too boisterous."

He grinned a triumphant grin and scurried over to a large box, expertly crafted from reeds. "Come on Mana."

She tentatively joined him and was in awe when she saw all the beautifully carved toy animals in the box. He pulled out a wooden crocodile that even had a hinged jaw. It had a piece of cord attached to its nose so that when Atem pulled it along, the jaw snapped open and shut. She had never owned toys like this. They had been hand crafted with the utmost attention to detail.

The two children played, and for the first time in a long while, Mana felt relaxed, so relaxed and carefree in fact, that she did not worry in the slightest, that her heka might take control and spoil things.

After a little while a servant entered with refreshments. Mana had never seen such a beautiful silver tray before.

"Wow," she said running her fingers over the pattern beaten into the precious metal.

"It was a gift from.. I don't know where," he admitted. "I get taught all these things, but I forget. The grown ups say I should know all this stuff. They say when I grow up I need to know, because I will be the King. But I would rather play than go to Aknadin's classes."

"Don't you want to be Pharaoh?" Mana asked.

"I Don't know. One day perhaps, but it's very hard work. Father has to sort out all sorts of disputes and things with the people. He gets cross with them when they argue with each other and calls them imbeciles."

"What does imbeciles mean?"

Atem thought for a moment and then replied. "I don't know." They both giggled. After getting off to a rocky start, they were becoming good friends, forming a bond that would grow and last forever. Even after death.

::::::::::::

Five Years later.

Mahado was right, Mana had learnt to control her gift; she no longer referred to it as her curse.

In the five years that she had been at the palace, she had grown to love her magical abilities. The best part being that she could play tricks on that horrible Aknadin.

It had been obvious to her that he disliked Atem, by the lack of respect he showed her prince during class.

Atem had been struggling with translating a document written in Greek. Aknadin had called him an idiot boy in front of her and two other children. One of the children was being tutored to become a scribe, the other, was a new boy of thirteen summers, who's name was Seto. He had been personally selected by Aknadin to train for the priesthood.

Those two children would most likely serve under Atem when he became Pharaoh, so Mana felt it highly inappropriate for Aknadin to say those things in front of them. Especially when he seemed to have chosen Seto as his favourite, stating that he would make a far better Pharaoh than a spoilt little brat that preferred to play games with peasant girls.

She just wished her prince had retaliated and said something to put him in his place, instead of sitting straight backed in his chair, the only expression on his face being a slight smirk.

She had struggled to restrain her own heka from retaliating on his behalf.

"I hate that man. Why didn't you say anything back to him?" Mana asked, after they had been dismissed.

Atem shrugged. "Why waste my breath. It was obvious to me, that my silence irritated him far more than if I had retaliated with words."

"I don't know how you can be so calm. I wanted to turn him into a toad. Did you not hear what he said? He thinks Seto should be Pharaoh! That's blasphemous, he should be tried for treason," she ranted.

Atem only laughed. "I thought he was already a toad! Anyway he is right, I do struggle with languages."

An embarrassed Seto joined them. "Pardon me your highness. May I apologise for what happened earlier. I wish to inform you that I have no ambitions to be Pharaoh, nor do I have any claim to the throne. My wish is to serve you as a priest when you ascend the throne. I have no idea why Lord Aknadin favours me in such a way."

A wicked smirk graced Atem's features. "Maybe he fancies you as a lover Seto!"

"What!" Seto looked horrified. "No..I would never allow it." He had turned bright red in the face. A look of horror came over his face when Aknadin emerged from the classroom and addressed him.

"Seto, may I speak with you in my chambers for a moment?"

Seto's eyes widened. "No..I would never allow it," he repeated. Pretending not to hear, he beat a hasty retreat.

Grinning mischievously, Atem grabbed Mana's hand and ran away in the opposite direction from where Seto had gone.

Thanks to the power of his eye, Aknadin had seen Atem's thoughts. Frowning angrily, he marched towards his brothers chambers. How dare his insolent little brat of a nephew make such smutty remarks. To imply that he should have such perverted feelings towards his own son was preposterous.

Aknadin wished he could tell Seto that he was his son and that royal blood flowed through his veins. But to do so would spell disaster; the fall of a dynasty, Seto included.

He had disowned his wife and son, that was the sacrifice he had been forced to make when he drew on the powerful dark forces of the underworld to create the millennium items. Oh how he regretted his actions now, but there had been no other alternative. His own soul may be damned, but he would not damn his only son as well.

::::::::::::

Atem and Mana ran out towards the stables. Atem had recently been given a beautiful light grey Arab colt, with a charcoal mane and tail. The young animal was not quite old enough to ride yet, but Atem and the colt had grown quite attached. Atem was an expert young horseman, and planned to train the horse for racing.

"I hope we don't get in trouble for being rude to Aknadin." Mana was leaning on the stable door, watching her prince petting and feeding a hand full of grain to the colt.

"Aknadin is a silly old fool," he replied. "He is jealous because one day, I will be Pharaoh."

Rocking on the balls of her feet, while gently swinging the door backwards and forward, Mana sighed. How do I tell my prince that I wish to be his princess?

Atem stopped petting his horse and looked at her. "What's the matter Mana?"

"When you are Pharaoh, will we still be friends?"

"Mana! Of course." He walked over to her and pulled her away from the door. Holding her by both of her hands, he peered into her eyes. "We will always be friends, okay?"

His voice was full of sincerity and his eyes held a truth in them which made Mana feel reassured.

Just then they heard voices. Mana gasped. "That sounds like the Pharaoh!"

"Father! He must be looking for me!"

They both peered out from behind the stable door to see Aknadin with Pharaoh Aknamkanon walking towards the stables.

Atem noted that Aknadin had a face like a squeezed lemon, while his father looked slightly fed up. He guessed that Aknadin had probably told his father that he had been insolent- again!

The young prince snarled angrily as his temper started to rise up within him. "I bet Aknadin wants me punished for what I said earlier."

Sensing he was getting angry, Mana squeezed his hand. "This way." She dragged him away. The pair crouched down and ran along behind a low wall leading to some steps, which lead up to an arched walkway.

Unfortunately Atem's unruly hair could be spotted, sticking up above the top of the wall.

As they reached the top of the steps, they heard a servant shout. "There they are my lord."

"Oh no, they've seen us!" Atem moaned.

"Quick!" Mana ran along to where a row of large vases lined the walkway. "In here, quick!"

Choosing the largest vase, the two children jumped in. It was a bit of a squeeze but they just about managed to fit in.

"Where did they go?" Aknadin turned to his brother- the Pharaoh, as the two men stopped right by the vase the children were hiding in.

"In have no idea," Aknamkanon sighed. "This really is a waste of my time Aknadin. I will speak with my son later." Why his brother couldn't just let a childish misdemeanour go was beyond him.

"With respect brother. The prince is given far too much freedom. He is being influenced by that unruly peasant magician girl. You will have a problem on your hands when they are of breeding age. If you are not careful it will lead to the Royal blood being tainted with a child born from the womb of a peasant bread makers daughter. "

Mana could feel her blood starting to boil at the insult. Atem had to put his hand over her mouth and hold her down to prevent her leaping out of the vase and putting a spell on Aknadin. At the same time he could feel his own face turning beet red at the suggestion of him fathering a child with Mana.

"Enough Aknadin!" Aknamkanon bellowed. I will not allow you speak of my son in such a way. "I have had enough of your complaints against him and his young friend. Just because you had to abandon your own wife and son, I will not allow you take out your anger on my son."

Neither man realised that anyone else was in ear shot of their conversation. The two children listened to the conversation with disbelief. They were also starting to get rather uncomfortable. Mana's knee was starting to dig into his groin and Atem had become aware that his face was also pressed against her chest. It had not gone unnoticed by him that she was beginning to develop breasts.

"Yes, and I did it to save you and Egypt from destruction. I lost everything that day, for what. This cursed eye and a sense guilt. Because of this curse I am not even permitted to inform Seto that he is my son!"

"I am sorry if it causes you pain, and if I could have it any other way I would. But you knew what you were taking on and we all gave up a piece of our souls for the power granted us by these items." He held out the golden, upside down pyramid resting against his chest. "One day Atem will inherit this god forsaken thing. I only hope the Gods will have pity on him and protect him from the evil it seeks to suppress."

Atem was trying to listen intently to what they were saying. Pity? Evil? He had always been told the items were for the good of Egypt.

Mana however was not listening quite so intently because one of Atem's golden lightening bangs was tickling her nose and she was trying very hard to stifle a sneeze.

Atem suddenly felt her shift slightly causing her knee to dig more painfully into his groin. He flinched and as he did so his wild hair tickled her face and nose even more. Mana lost control and let out an almighty sneeze.

The two men startled at the noise and turned in the direction of the pot, which was now rocking violently on its pedestal.

They jumped out of the way just in time as it toppled off the pedestal and landed with an almighty crash, shattering into pieces.

Both gasped in horror at the sight of the two children laying dazed among the wreckage. Atem appeared to be in pain, while Mana, who had landed on top of him was whimpering.

That's part 1, part 2 to follow.

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