Here's the next chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews! It's encouraging!

Enjoy!


Chapter 2- Meeting

~At Sea~

Yugi, Ryou and Kenshin were on a ship that was heading to Egypt. They had been at sea for two weeks, and they were nearing their destination.

Yugi was standing on the deck of the ship, looking out over the sea as they went.

The gentle waves and glistening water had caught Yugi's attention. It had always amazed Yugi at how beautiful the ocean could be, especially at a time like this, when the waves were so gentle. It reminded him of the gentle caress of his papa.

Kenshin stepped out onto the deck and found Yugi standing there. He walked over and stood beside his son. "Is there something wrong, son?"

Yugi looked up at his father and smiled. "No, Father. There is nothing wrong. I was just enjoying the serenity out here."

"Yes. It is rather peaceful at the moment, isn't it? It is a wondrous sight indeed. No one truly knows how far the seas go out. It is as amazing as the Egyptian sands. It seems to go forever with no end in sight. Although the sand storms can be dangerous, even deadly, much like the turmoil that we can come across on the seas. The Egyptian sands can also be one of the most beautiful sights as well." Kenshin stated.

Yugi looked at his father curiously. "What is Egypt like, Father?"

Kenshin chuckled. "The first thing that you're going to notice is how hot it is. You will need to take time to adjust to the difference in weather. It is much different than in our homeland. This will be the first time that you have seen many things."

"You know me. I'm always ready to learn something new." He then thought about something that had been bugging him. "Father, is this marriage the reason that you've pushed me to learn everything I could about Egypt. I mean, I've had to learn all of the customs, practices, festivities, and gods of Egypt. I can even speak their language fluently. Is this why?"

"Yes. I wanted you to be prepared for when you came here, Yugi." Kenshin admitted.

Yugi smiled. "Well, at least I have a great deal of this done."

Kenshin chuckled. "Indeed. Now, come. I believe we both need to eat breakfast." "Yes, Father." Yugi replied.

The two then headed back into the cabin so that they could go and eat their breakfast.


Atemu was pacing the floor of his room nervously. He knew that he probably only had a few more days before the Japanese king arrived with his daughter, which meant that Atemu was about to meet what was virtually the end of his life.

Atemu hated thinking like that, but he knew that he couldn't change it. He held no interest in women at all. He knew that his soon-to-be wife was not going to be happy with the fact that he held no romantic of sexual interest in her.

Atemu then walked over and flopped down onto the bed. Maybe he could smother himself and then there would be no reason for all this.

It was a nice thought, but Atemu knew that he was going to have to deal with the fact that he was doomed to be married to a woman. He was going to have to be faithful to this woman, and it also meant that he was going to have to have an heir with this woman.

There was a knock on the door.

Atemu raised his head and said, "Who is it?"

"Me. Open up." Seth ordered.

Atemu rolled his eyes. "Come on in."

Seth opened the door and strolled into the room. "What are you doing in here?"

"Considering the different methods of suicide." Atemu replied.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "For what reason?"

"Because that's the only way that I'm going to get out of this marriage." Atemu answered.

All of the priests, who were also Aknankanon's council, had been informed of the marriage arrangement as well as the impending visit from the Japanese emperor.

"Hmm. I would have thought that you would have been all right with this. I suppose I was wrong." Seth stated.

Atemu looked at his cousin. "Why would I be happy about this? There is nothing to be happy about."

Seth was rather confused. He knew that Emperor Kenshin had only five sons, so he knew that the youngest son was the one whom was marrying Atemu. Since it was a male that he was marrying, Seth had assumed that Atemu would be all right with the marriage given the fact that Atemu was gay.

Seth shook his head. "You are crazy. I mean, given the fact that you are marrying a guy, I would have assumed that you would be happy about it."

Atemu looked at his cousin in shock. "What the hell are you talking about, Seth? I'm marrying the Japanese princess."

Seth took one look at his cousin before he burst into a fit of laughter. He laughed so hard that he wasn't able to stay on his feet and ended up falling into the floor.

Atemu just looked at his cousin like he had lost his mind. He had no idea why he was laughing or what was so funny about the fact that he was marrying a girl. "What is so funny? There's nothing finny about this." Atemu growled.

Seth wiped the tears away from eyes and was grasping his side as it was hurting from laughing. "Atemu, I don't know what you think you were told, but you are not marrying the Japanese princess."

Atemu knitted his eyebrows together in frustration. "What?"

Seth looked up at his cousin with an amused grin. "Atemu, Emperor Kenshin has no daughters. He has five sons, the youngest of whom you are marrying. You are marrying a male."

Atemu's eyes widened in shock before he jumped to his feet and dashed out of the room.

Seth watched his cousin go. 'Oh, the others are going to get a kick out this.'


Aknankanon was in his office again going over different things that he had to be ready to discuss in his next meeting.

Amara was in the room as well. "Everything is ready for when Kenshin arrives. I have their rooms ready." She smiled mischievously. "In fact, I made sure to put Prince Yugi's room right across from Atemu's."

Aknankanon laughed. "I'm sure that Atemu is going to love that."

Amara chuckled. "It just seemed like a good idea. At least when Yugi has to move into Atemu's room, he will simply have to move his things across the hall, not across the palace."

"And Kenshin?"

"The room he always stays in. I've made sure of that."

"Good."

There was a rapid knocking on the door.

Aknankanon raised an eyebrow. "Come in."

The door opened, and Atemu walked in, out of breath.

Amara looked at her son, shocked. "Atemu, why are you out of breath? Did run here?"

Atemu nodded.

"What in the name of Ra made you run all the way here?" Aknankanon asked.

Atemu took a moment before he started. "I'm marrying a male?"

Aknankanon was taken aback by this. "Yes. I thought you would be happy by this."

"Happy? I-" Atemu stopped as he realized something. "You knew I had no interest in women?"

"Well, I knew once she told me." Aknankanon answered, motioning to his wife.

Atemu looked shocked. "How did you know?" Did Seth tell you?"

"No, Atemu. No one told me. I figured it out on my own. I noticed that you barely looked at any girl that most men would have found very appealing while I did notice that you seem to pay attention to men. That was a major sign. Besides, there were other small signs." Amara replied.

"So, you've known for how long?" Atemu asked.

Amara thought a moment. "Oh, about a year."

Atemu was shocked.

"Now, why are you so upset that you're marrying a male? I thought that you would have been happy about it." Aknankanon stated.

"I'm not, but after our talk yesterday, I assumed that it was a girl that I was marrying. I mean, I didn't know that you knew I was gay, so I had no way of knowing that you would arrange the marriage with me for a guy." Atemu explained.

Amara looked over at her husband. "Didn't you tell him that Prince Yugi was a male?"

"No. I thought he knew that Kenshin had no daughters." Aknankanon stated.

"I know now. I had no idea that he had only sons until Seth told me just a little bit ago." Atemu explained.

"I'm sorry, Atemu. I never meant to make you worry like that." Aknankanon stated.

Atemu then realized something. "Hold on. You made this arrangement when I was two. How did you know that I was going to turn out gay?" He sat down across from his father.

"We didn't. Prince Yugi was the last child of Kenshin, so we decided to make the arrangement between the two of you. We had hoped that you would have no argument against it." Amara explained.

"Oh." Atemu replied. He really felt stupid now.

Aknankanon smiled at his son. "Can I assume that you're feeling better now?"

"Yes. I am." Atemu answered.

"I am sorry, Atemu. I just assumed that you knew that Kenshin has no daughters. As much as your mother and I have spoken of him, we just thought you knew from our conversations that Kenshin had only sons. I never meant to make you fret over something like this." Aknankanon said.

"It's all right, Father. Now that I know everything, I feel a lot better." Atemu replied.

Amara smiled. "Good. Now, I believe that you have studies to get to."

"Yes, Mother." Atemu then stood up and left the room.

Amara then smacked Aknankanon in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Aknankanon asked, rubbing his arm.

"For making our son spend the last few weeks fretting over the fact that he thinks that he's going to marry a girl. You should have just told him that it was a prince, not a princes." Amara answered.

"Oh. Sorry." Aknankanon replied. He may have been pharaoh of Egypt, but he knew better than to piss off his wife. There was nothing worse than I truly pissed off Queen of Egypt.


Ryou and Yugi were sitting in Yugi's cabin,

"So, what is the Prince of Egypt like?" Ryou asked.

"I don't know. I've never met him." Yugi answered.

Ryou looked at Yugi in shock. "You mean, you're going to be marrying someone you've never met before now?"

Yugi nodded.

"I thought that the Egyptian royal family had visited Japan before." Ryou stated.

"They did. The Pharaoh and the Queen did, anyway. Plus, that was when I was nine. It's been a while." Yugi told him.

"Oh." Ryou replied.

Yugi smiled at his friend. "Trust me, Ryou. I would have told you if I had ever met Prince Atemu, but I haven't. This'll be the first time that we've met."

"Are you nervous?"

"I'm nothing but nerves. I don't have any clue if he's even going to like me, and I'm going to have to marry him regardless."

"I wish you didn't have to. I mean, if you two don't like each other, I don't see why you should be forced to marry him."

Yugi sighed. "It's duty, Ryou. This marriage was arranged years ago as a permanent peace treaty between Japan and Egypt. It's very important, and that's why I have to go through with it."

"Scared?"

"To death."

Ryou reached over and placed his hand on top of Yugi's hand. "Well, right now, you're going to have me here to help you out."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, Ryou. I appreciate it." He was really glad that he had a friend as good as Ryou with him on this journey.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Yugi called.

The door opened, and one of the guards was standing there.

"Yes?" Yugi asked.

"The Emperor wishes for you to come to the deck. We are about to arrive in Egypt."

"Thank you." Yugi told him.

The guard bowed to Yugi before he turned and walked off.

Yugi then headed out the door with Ryou following him. The two walked up two flights of stairs until they reached the deck.

Kenshin was standing at the railing of the deck, overlooking the ocean.

Yugi walked up to stand beside his father while Ryou hung back like he was supposed to as a personal servant.

"You see that stretch of land over there?" Kenshin asked, pointing.

Yugi looked and saw what his father was talking about. "Yes."

"That is Egypt, Yugi. We will be arriving shortly." Kenshin told him.

Yugi nodded. His nerves started to heighten. He had been nervous, but now that he knew that he was about to meet his fiancé, he was even more nervous. Yugi had no idea if his fiancé was going to like him or not. He didn't know if his fiancé was a kind person or if he was a mean one. He didn't even know what he looked like. It all made Yugi so much more nervous, except for the not knowing what he looked like. Yugi had never held much stock in what a person looked like. It didn't mean that they weren't a good person just because they didn't look great.

It wasn't long before the boat docked.

Soon, the Japanese procession left the boat.

There were several carriages by the docks waiting for them. There were at least two dozen Egyptian guards there as well to aid in making sure that the Japanese royals made it to the palace without any harm coming to them.

Among those there was Mahado. He was one of the priests and wore the Millennium Ring. Mahado walked forward and bowed to Kenshin. "Emperor Kenshin, I trust that your journey was a pleasant one."

"Yes, it was. We had no trouble at all." Kenshin replied. He turned to his son. "Yugi, this is High Priest Mahado. He is one of Pharaoh Aknankanon's most trusted priests and a member of his council. "Priest Mahado, this is my son, Prince Yugi."

Mahado smiled and bowed to Yugi. "It is an honor to meet you, Prince Yugi." He had spoken in Japanese, unsure if Yugi knew their language.

Yugi smiled back. "It is a pleasure, Priest Mahado." He had spoken back in Egyptian.

"We should get you to the palace. The pharaoh is awaiting your arrival." Mahado told them.

"Of course." Kenshin agreed.

Yugi and Kenshin climbed up into one carriage.

Ryou was simply going to walk to the palace, but he was surprised when Kenshin motioned for him to join them in the carriage. He did as he was told.

The carriages were soon off.

"Ryou, you're going to need to wear this while we're here." Kenshin told him, handing Ryou a medallion with the Japanese crest on it.

Ryou took it. He didn't understand why he had to do this, but he slipped the medallion over his neck as he was told.

Yugi saw the question in Ryou's eyes and decided to explain. "Ryou, in the Egyptian palace, there are a lot of servants like back in Japan. Here, no one is going to know that you are my personal servant like back in Japan. You're going to have wear that so that people there will know that you are a Japanese servant and that you are not just another one of their servants."

"Oh." Ryou now understood.

Kenshin smiled. He knew now that Yugi had paid close attention to the lessons that he had been given in Egyptian customs. Kenshin knew hat this was going to be important for Yugi now that Egypt was going to be Yugi's home.


Atemu had been in his room doing some studying. He knew that Shimon was planning to test him on these scrolls in a few days, so he wanted to make sure that he was ready.

There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Atemu asked.

The door opened, and Isis, the only priestess on Aknankanon's council, walked into the room. Her blue eyes looked at him. "So, studying?"

"Yes. While Bakura and Marik are leaving me alone." Atemu answered.

"Well, you're going to have to stop studying anyway. Emperor Kenshin and Prince Yugi will be here soon. In fact, Mahado should be on his way here with them now." Isis informed him.

"Oh. Okay." Atemu replied.

"And the Pharaoh wants you to look your best." Isis added.

"I will, Isis." Atemu assured her.

Isis nodded before she left.

Atemu got off the bed and started to get ready. He put on all of his jewelry as well as his crown. He then grabbed his purple coat and tied it around his neck. He made sure that he looked his best before he headed out of his room. He headed right for the throne room, knowing that that was where his father and mother would be.

Aknankanon turned and smiled when he saw his son walk into the room. "I'm glad that you hurried, Atemu. Kenshin and his son will be here momentarily."

"Yes, Father." Atemu replied.

The Egyptian royal family along with the rest of the priests headed outside to greet their visitors.

It wasn't but ten minutes later the caravan that Mahado led arrived. The gates to the palace were opened before the caravan were pulled on into the palace grounds by the horses.

Mahado then dismounted from his horse before he walked over to join the other priests.

One of the Japanese guards opened the door to the first carriage.

Kenshin was the first to step down out of the carriage. He saw his old friend and walked over. "Aknankanon, it has been too long."

"Indeed. It has." Aknankanon agreed as the two men shook hands.

"Amara, as beautiful as ever." Kenshin told her.

Amara smiled. "It's good to see you as well, Kenshin." She then gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Atemu had watched this exchange although most of his attention was on the carriage. He was waiting to see what his fiancé looked like.

Yugi was the next person to step out.

Atemu held his breath. This was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen! His flawless, ivory skin was gorgeous. What he wouldn't give to touch that smooth looking skin. Those large, amethyst eyes were like the finest of gems. Atemu found himself looking over Yugi entirely and found that Yugi had curves that were also to die for. Atemu had never found anyone as breathtaking as this was, and given the regality in his dress, Atemu was certain that this was the boy he was to marry.

Ryou then stepped out of the carriage.

Atemu was taken aback by the fact that this boy looked a great deal like his friend Bakura. He was a much more gentle version of Bakura. Atemu was certain that Bakura could never look so kind and gentle. He was also certain that Bakura would never look so weak. By his dress, Atemu guessed that this was a servant of some kind. Most likely Prince Yugi's personal servant from Japan.

Atemu turned his eyes back to Yugi and wondered why it was that they looked so much alike despite the fact that there was no way they could be related. He figured that there was no reason to dwell on that fact and just accept it.

Kenshin then turned and motioned for Yugi to come forward.

Yugi walked forward until he was standing beside his father.

"Aknankanon, Amara. This is my son, Yugi. I know that it has been quite some time since you have seen him." Kenshin told him.

Yugi bowed his head to them before he spoke. "Pharaoh Aknankanon. Queen Amara. It is an honor to meet you both."

Other than Mahado, the group of Egyptians were shocked to hear the Japanese Prince speak in fluent Egyptian.

Kenshin chuckled. "You didn't honesty think I would bring my son here without any means of communicating, did you?"

Aknankanon smiled. "Well, I was prepared to have Atemu's tutor teach Yugi how to speak Egyptian, but I see that that is not necessary." He then turned to where his own son stood. "Now, I believe that you should meet my son."

Amara smiled. "You are indeed a handsome young man, Prince Yugi."

Yugi blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Atemu couldn't help but think that Yugi was cute when he blushed.

"Now, I believe that it's time you met my son." Aknankanon turned to Atemu.

Atemu then stepped up beside his father.

"Kenshin, Prince Yugi. This my son, Atemu." Aknankanon introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Atemu told them.

Yugi had noticed Atemu standing there before, and he had figured that he was the Crown Prince, but he hadn't been positive. He had noticed that Atemu was a very good-looking man. From his standpoint, Atemu's looks were exotic, which caused Yugi to feel self-conscious about himself. He had also noticed that Atemu had some muscle to him, making Yugi think that Atemu would have no trouble defending himself. He had noticed that he felt an instant attraction to his fiancé. Yugi only hoped that his personality was as good as his looks.

Amara then clapped her hands together. "Now, I know that you've had a long journey, and I'm sure that you would like time to rest."

"I was hoping to discuss some things with you." Kenshin told them.

"Of course." Aknankanon agreed.

"Atemu, would you show Prince Yugi to his room?" Amara asked.

"Yes, Mother." Atemu replied. He had dreaded the fact that his fiancé was right across the hall from him because Atemu feared that he would be jumped, but now, he was worried that he was the one that might do the jumping.

Kenshin then motioned to Ryou. "He's Yugi's personal servant from Japan. I hope it's not trouble that he stay close to Yugi.""Of course not. In fact, there's a servant's quarters connected to his room. He can stay there." Amara told him.

"This way." Atemu told him.

Yugi then followed Atemu into the palace with Ryou following.

The priests slowly spread out to do their duties as well.

"So, what do you think?" Kenshin asked.

"I believe that there were some sparks between them. I noticed Atemu watching Yugi for quite some time." Amara stated.

"Yugi did the same. This may work out for the best for everyone after all." Kenshin stated.

The adults laughed.

"I believe that that is going to be a good thing." Aknankanon stated.

The group walked into the palace and headed for Aknankanon's office so that they could talk.


Atemu led Yugi and Ryou through the halls.

Yugi was watching where they were going in hopes that he was going to be able to figure out how to get around the palace on his own.

"If you want, I can give you a tour of the palace later on and show you where everything is." Atemu told him.

"Thank you. It may take me a while before I'm able to manage that." Yugi replied.

Atemu chuckled. "Yes. It is rough to get around, but once you learn where everything is, you'll be fine." Atemu assured him.

As they made their way to the wing of the palace that held the rooms for the royal family, they came across Bakura.

"Hey, Atemu. Who's the shrimp?" Bakura asked, referring to Yugi.

Yugi was surprised. His brothers had often teased him about his height given the fact that they were all tall while he was short, but no one of lower status had ever called him that.

Ryou was beyond shocked. He had always been taught to show the utmost respect for anyone of higher status than himself, so the fact that this guard was willing to speak to his Prince like was unheard of as far as Ryou was concerned.

"Bakura." Atemu growled.

Bakura blinked. "Geez. What crawled up your ass?"

"Bakura, knock it off." Atemu hissed. He motioned to Yugi and said, "This is my fiancé, Prince Yugi of Japan."

Bakura realized his mistake. "I apologize for my rude behavior, Prince Yugi."

Yugi saw that he was sincere. "It's all right. You did not know who I was."

"Prince Yugi, this is Bakura. He's a palace guard as well as one of my best friends. And a pain in the ass." Atemu told him.

"Hey!" Bakura shouted indignantly.

Yugi couldn't stop the giggle that escaped him.

"And who's the other one?" Bakura asked.

"I am Prince Yugi's personal servant from Japan, Ryou." Ryou answered.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Bakura, I need to show them to their room." Atemu told him before walking past his friend.

Yugi and Ryou followed.

Bakura watched Ryou with interest before a smirk crossed hid face. He decided then and there that he was going to try to get to know Ryou better.


Atemu soon reached where their room was. "This is your room here. You'll find another door in the room that leads to the servant chambers. It's the only way to get to the room."

"Thank you, Prince Atemu. I appreciate this." Yugi told him.

"If you need anything, my room is right across from you." Atemu told him before heading to his room.

Yugi and Ryou walked into the room.

The room was large with a bed that was large enough to fit Yugi's entire family, the wives included. There were silk sheets on the bed. There was a wardrobe in the corner of the room for Yugi's clothes to fit in. There was also a stand for Yugi to place anything he needed to. There was a full-length mirror beside the stand. There was a table with three chairs around it in one corner of the room.

"So, what do you think?" Ryou asked.

"The room is nice." Yugi answered.

"Not the room. The Prince." Ryou told him.

Yugi blushed at the mention of his future husband. "He's gorgeous. I have to admit that."

"Do you have any idea how many princesses would kill to have him as their husband?" Ryou asked.

"Let's hope not." Yugi replied as he walked over and sat down in one of the chairs.

"You know what I mean." Ryou replied.

"I know. I can't say much besides his looks. I haven't seen him much, and I don't know his personality. There is more to a person than their looks." Yugi reminded his friend.

"I know." Ryou replied.

Yugi glanced down. He already knew that he was developing a crush on the Prince, but he really wanted to get to know his fiancé before he made any permanent decision about him.


The moment Atemu walked into his room he leaned against the door. He was still rather taken by his fiancé. He knew that there was no one that he had ever seen that could even come close to comparing to the looks of his son-to-be husband.

Atemu walked over to his bed flopped down on his back. He nearly landed on the scrolls that he had been studying earlier, but he paid no attention to them.

Atemu had been worried at the start because he had thought that he was marrying a woman. He had calmed down considerably once he had realized that he was marrying a man, but he had still wondered about him.

In all of his imaginations, Atemu had never thought that he was going to get someone as beautiful as that. The ivory skin combined with the large amethyst eyes and the lean body made Atemu want him badly.

Granted, the only feelings Atemu could feel toward him were sexual based on his looks because Atemu had not had the chance to get to know him, but Atemu was hopeful that they would make things work.

Atemu sat up. He was going to have to thank his father for arranging this marriage now. He was certain that things were going to work out for the best.

Atemu stood up off the bed. He was going to make the most of the three months that he had in between now and the wedding to get to know his fiancé as much as he could. He planned to learn as much about his fiancé as he could. He also planned to woe and court his fiancé.

Atemu had never been one to believe in love at first sight. Sure, he knew that Seth had actually fallen for Joey the first time that he saw him, and the same thing was true with Marik and Malik, but Atemu hadn't believed that something like that was actually possible. He was having to rethink that philosophy now. He was certain that he had fallen in love with his fiancé from seeing him just one time.

Atemu was going to try and get his fiancé to fall in love with him.

Now he just had to figure out how he was going to get him to do that.


Hope you liked it.

Next: Yugi meets Atemu's friends.

R&R.