Disclaimer: I do not own Yuugiou or any of the character from said Anime. I'm a poor College student that needed enjoyment. I do own the story and any oc's that will show up over time. Anyone want to contact me, send me an E-mail.

Crystal Edge

Chapter One

Little King from Across the Sea

The desert sands were harsh, but then, they always were. Yuugi loved the desert; the heat; the sweat; the sand; Yuugi loved everything about it, but his favorite of all was the desert of Egypt.

For the young Atlantian with black hair, naturally pointed like a starfish, and golden bangs of royalty, The sands of Egypt were just a dream. Bright amethyst eyes gazed eastward from his perch. He had never figured he would become a beacon of hope for Atlantis, like so many other kings. Yuugi knew the truth that the council kept hidden.

Condemned from birth as the seventh king of the long-lived People, the 'Sea Peoples'. Alas, Yuugi was doomed to live the shortest life of all his people. He would sacrifice himself to save his people. After all, it was the military who waged the war with the gods.

Yuugi sighed. If he looked close enough, he could just make out the horizon of Egypt. "Some day, I'll go there, even if I go in death." He smiled, standing from his perch.

The irony of his secret hiding place: it was the shadow of the first king. The first king's arms were out wide, in a gesture of welcome, but also that of a protective stance. Outsiders would not recognize the six statues that lined the outer ring.

Atlantian stone, covered in weeds and shrubs, that was all anyone saw anymore. It was only Yuugi who sought the comfort the old king's promised their people.

Sliding down the stone bank, the teen made his way towards the ferry that would take him to the inner rings.

Atlantis was made up of six sectors or rings. Each ring was separated by water, but unlike the outermost ring, the inner sections did not hold sea water, but fresh drinking water. The rings liked up in order to class. The closer a person lived to the center, the higher their status.

The inner most ring held the temple and the king. This was where Yuugi lived, but it was more of a prison to him. Normally people only ventured to the center ring for council meetings and weddings.

The other rings went in order, first class on ring two, the market and forum on ring three, middle class and working men on ring four, and slaves and farmland on ring five. The Final ring was used for the military, as it was the largest mass of land.

Atlantis was, after all, a country who waged war with the gods and ruled over all of the known world. Egypt, Assyria, Hittite, Greece, Mesopotamia, Babylonia... everyone bowed down to the demigods of Atlantis.

Yuugi fingered a golden chained crystal around his neck as he stood on the deck of a ferry. His eyes wandered to the red sails in the shape of a winged insect. Giant creatures whisking the demigods away through the sea.

Finally, Yuugi settled down on the boat, glad that no one else seemed to be there. It was rare that he could enjoy the trip home in peace. Normally he had to suffer through the military sharing his transport.

If the kings of the past had heard his prayers that morning, then he wouldn't be on the ferry to begin with. No, he would be on a real boat, heading to Egypt. Alas, that was not the case. He tucked his arms around him, placing his head over his knees. The crystals on his arms jingled as he shifted, letting his eyes rest while he waited.

He hadn't expected himself to fall asleep, but he did, and in the mist of his dreams, he was floating.

Floating on an endless ocean.

The little lamb of Atlantis would never know what happened to the ferry that never made it back to the center rings... He'd never know what a false blessing that he'd been given.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Pharaoh Atemu of Kemet lounged on his barge. His Holiday was going smoothly for once. His crown having been left with his priests. The only thing that could have given him off as the king of his people were his golden bangs and black hair.

It wasn't often that the young king had any time away to relax. Holding onto a dying nation for so long would drain the energy of anyone. Alas, Pharaoh Atemu was not the most favored monarch. His holiday was more or less a blessing for everyone of Egypt.

"More wine." He called out to a slave.

Crimson eyes gazed peacefully across the Nile. The young king twirled his finger into the cool water. The slaves never held any conversation, and to him, they were only useful for mundane tasks that would please the nobility. Taking the offered chalice of wine, Atemu took a deep swallow.

Sure his people were ruled over by the Sea Peoples, but it didn't matter much to him. He still had power over his country so long as he gave yearly offerings to the island off the coast. His people thrived because of the control Atlantis had over them.

It had been years since a famine or any sort of plague had swept across Kemet. "The Atlantian people were truly remarkable. If he could get his hands on anything, just one Mystic and his fears of losing his nation would be gone forever. Alas, the Sea peoples rarely left their sanctuary.

A slave caught his attention with a gasp.

"What is it?" He snapped, knowing it had to be something big for a slave to make any sort of noise. All of them, after all, had their tongues cut out.

The slave, a man with blond hair and blue eyes, pointed ahead of them.

Sure enough, on the river was a body, hanging lifelessly from a plank of wood, an Atlantian sail wrapped about it.

"Atlantis sent it's dead to sea?" Atemu was shocked. He knew more than anyone else that the dead of Atlantis returned to the island. The source of their powers turned their body to stone and dirt. The island was made up of their dead.

"Move the barge and retrieve the body." He called out orders to the terrified slaves.

Not a single one moved from their spots. Growling, Atemu shoved passed the imcompetant slaves and dove into the river. The water was warm from the kiss of the sun, so it wasn't a shock when he hit the surface.

Atemu hadn't even taken the time to remove his shenti, so the thin while cloth hindered his movements in the water. When he finally reached the body, Atemu was glad to see his slaves had started to move the barge closer.

Pulling on the arms of the body, Atemu lifted it off the plank of wood. Most of the body was covered in the crimson sail, even the head. If it hadn't been for the hand sticking out, they would have never known it was a body at all.

"Lift it onto the boat." He instructed before pulling himself up on the barge himself.

Atemu watched as the frightened men and women on his vessel began to lay the body out. Not one moved to touch the crimson sails and uncover the grisly mystery.

Rolling his eyes, the pharaoh pushed through his slaves. "Take us to my townhouse." He ordered, wanting to be alone when he unveiled his package from the gods. If it was Atlantian, he would have a key to ensuring his people's future. After all, the sea peoples would be wanting the body back at the very least.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"Leave me. I'll summon you if I need anything." Atemu waved his slaves from his room with one hand, his other was wrapped around the body.

He waited until he was alone before dropping the body unceremoniously on the pile of pillows he called a bed. "Tell me your secrets." He whispered peeling the wet sails from around the pale skin.

What he found was not what he expected. Atlantian, yes, there was no doubt about that. Atemu didn't take into account that the body was that of their king. If the Golden strands of hair the clung to his face hadn't been enough, the torque around his neck was. Along with the torque was a thin gold chain with a crystal attached. "Young king..."

Atemu took a moment to take in the rest of the body. It was rather small, and had he not been weighed down by the wet sails, he was sure the body would have weighed next to nothing. A thin cloth covered his thighs and torso, coming up one arm in a sleeve, clasped by a precious violet gem. Thick black hair fell across the silks of Atem's bed, creating a dark halo around the presumably dead Atlantian royal.

Placing a dark hand on the pale and clammy skin, Atemu jolted. There was a flutter of a pulse. "Not ... dead?" He asked, his voice almost breaking. He didn't know to whom he spoke, but he was sure that the king of the tyrants was indeed alive.

Jumping at the chance, Atemu called forth his slaves. "Fill my tub!" He cried out, unpinning the violet stone from the, what he believed to be, boy's sleeve, the Pharaoh peeled away the wet toga, depositing the garment on the floor for someone to fetch.

When he had the young royal undressed he was pleased to report the his assumptions had been correct. The body was that of an Atlantian male. The tattoo of a thorned vine around a crystal stood out on the boy's left breast bone. "You're far from home little god."

When the tub had been filled and the slaves had left once again, Atemu slipped into the water, his shenti cloth still around his hips. It would have been too much of an effort for the king to be rid of it at this point. The warmth instantly hit him and he almost dropped the body.

"The gods sent me a great gift. I'll have to take care of you, little king." Atemu found himself smiling for the first time since he became Pharaoh. This was his chance for greatness, and Ra be damned if he'd let anyone take it from him.

Carefully, Atemu began to wash the Nile from the pale skinned demigod.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"What are we to do?" The head member of the Atlantian council looked worriedly towards the empty dais.

It had been a full week since their king had gone missing. Every Atlantian who was able had been sent out to look for him. The Military had been deployed to find the missing boat but had come back with nothing but a pile of broken wood.

"Have we been shot down before the sacrifice was made?" Another member of the council sighed, rubbing his temples. "Send out a general from every fraction. To our nations. "Katsuya, to Egypt, Heru to Assyria... Seriphim to the Hittite..." He continued on a list, the scribe writing down his orders.

The head of the council spoke again. "We need to pass out the Crystals, just in case things should take a turn for the worse." He sat back against his chair, looking lost. Things just hadn't gone their way since the death of the previous king.

"We are a forsaken nation. We no longer have the blessings from the gods. We have been damned since the old king waged his war. To think the boy thinks he would be sacrificed to save his people." The eldest council member spoke softly, his voice sounding like sandpaper rubbing together. "What would our king think if he knew the truth?"

"What indeed..." The Head of the council whispered, knowing that the others had been thinking the same thing.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Atemu groaned, finding his holiday over all too soon. He found himself back in his palace with his precious parcel sill asleep. It was nearly two weeks since he had found the sleeping royal on the Nile. Two miserable weeks of waiting. Then when he was forced back to the capital of Memphis. Kemet would rejoice, if the Pharaoh could ever get the boy to wake.

"Wake sleeping king." Atemu whispered as he sat by the bed he placed in his private temple. It hadn't been long before the Pharaoh of Kemet noticed the similarity between himself and the lost Atlantian King.

But, so far, only he and his personal slaves knew of the boy's existence. He had locked himself away for hours, only coming out when it was absolutely necessary. He would have skipped rituals had he not known his cousin Seth would break down his door and drag him there. He couldn't, nay, wouldn't have that.

So that was how he passed the days, taking meals in his room, skipping court, and avoiding his priests.

He was sure Seth noticed something was up. The man was horridly astute when it came to the Pharaoh. Atemu only hoped he would keep from questioning the Pharaoh's lack of blood lust since he returned.

It wasn't as if Atemu had given up his love for a messy execution of criminals, but if he continued to punish like he had in the passed, he would have been in the court room all day. A little blood was not worth not being there when his secret king woke.

"Seth." Atemu frowned, coming from inside his temple, shutting and locking the door behind him. He knew that only his cousin would walk into his rooms without knocking. "What do you want?" He asked, smoothing the cape around his shoulders. The clasp of gold that held the silk cloth together was shaped into the all seeing eye of Horus. Much like the young King's torque, the eye or Horus was the Egyptian royal insignia.

The chocolate haired priest eyed his pharaoh cautiously, his cold blue eyes questioning his lord. "Morning star, you missed the meeting of the Hittite ambassador again." He seemed to jest when he spoke the title.

"Perhaps I had something better to do, High Priest." Atemu spoke coolly, but their was venom behind his words. "Should you be so disinclined to obey you living god's request for solitude?"

Seth snorted, shutting the large doors made of gold. "So highly spoken of a mortal put to shame by the real gods cousin." He clicked his tongue, eying the room. Dinner had yet to be touched, as the cooks had claimed, and the room hadn't even been lived in from the look of it. No slaves had been in or out of the room for days, and yet it was immaculate.

"I have not the time to deal with you. I must go pray for the safety of Kemet." Atemu paused. "Or have you forgotten the reason the ambassador is here at all?" His brow arched at his inquiry.

"No, I have yet to forget. The Hittites are on the move. The death of the Hittites left in their wake..." Even Seth had to shutter. "But what good could the gods do you?"

Atemu smirked. "Depends on what god you pray to dear cousin."

"You speak in riddles Atemu."

"I speak plainly as I can." Atemu ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, I'm as lost as the rest."

Seth was shocked, to say the least. He looked at his Pharaoh's face, seeing a collage of emotions within his scarlet eyes. Never had he seen anything other than icy indifference within his eyes. Even when his father had died, Atemu had not shown emotion. So what could have changed?

"Ask no more Seth. I cannot answer. Just leave me be." Atemu retreated back to his temple, bolting the door shut from the inside. He pressed his back against the golden entrance, slumping.

"Wake up..." He mumbled, sliding down to the floor.

On the other side of the door, Atemu knew that Seth would still be standing, dumbfounded. Perhaps now the other would leave him be, unless it were something of paramount importance.

The scarlet gaze traveled to the golden bed he erected on the alter. "Even with the gods watching over him, he won't wake."

Pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light that was cast by the candles that littered the Temple. Torches remained unlit, as they caused too much smoke, and a soft blanket of furs from the north had been placed on the boy to keep him warm.

Atemu found himself obsessed with his find from the Nile. He came to realize the feeling in his chest when he thought about the boy was pain. He hated not knowing what color his eyes were, or something so simple as his name. Even a title would have been fine, so long as he could speak it.

"Won't you wake today, little light?" He asked, closing his own eyes. The boy from the Nile remained still. Everything Atemu did was for naught. He was beginning to believe the boy would never wake up.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Katsuya looked around at the Mystics and Majestics that had been lined up on the outer ring. They had finally received orders for an outside venture to find their king. The magic using Mystics lined up behind the weapon masters known as the Majestics. Each General had been given an asignment, but as stated, all except hybrids needed to travel in pairs. It was a balance that had served the Sea Peoples for hundreds of years.

Katsuya waited next to his partner Ryou. Both were Generals in the military and worked well together, had done so for years.

The two of them would depart for Egypt when the sun rose the highest in the sky. Katsuya had been through it hundreds of times. When the moment came, Ryou would grab hold of him and they would make the jump.

Ryou smiled sadly at the blond. "Sorry about having to make another jump..." The small Atlantian knew just how much Katsuya hated jumps. The ups and downs seemed to last for hours though they only traveled for a few seconds.

Katsuya smirked. "'sokay." He mumbled, fingering the belt that held his half toga to his waist. "I'll live. Besides we have the shortest jump."

Ryou chucled, shaking his head.

All too soon, they had been briefed and given the signal. Ryou took Katsuya's hand in his. "Sorry" He mumbled again as he pictured the shores of Egypt in his mind. And like that, the pair left the banks of the outer ring, vanishing from thin air.

-TBC-

Want more?

Press that Review button and you shall receive.

Flames Welcome! Ha ha