Edited and reposted April 2014

Prior to posting this the last time I had no idea of Yami Yugi's Egyptian name so in my editing I changed him from 'Yami' to 'Atem.' My story is an A/U as it was written well before the past was revealed in the anime. So please refrain from telling me if someone's role is wrong or an event is out of place as I had no info of any kind about it. Thank you for taking time to read this ^ ^ In editing this I mainly looked for any grammar errors I might have missed and tried fleshing the chapters out. The gist of the story and such haven't been altered.

Ancient Past

Chapter 1

Times in Egypt were rough. Pharaoh Aknamkanon, not too long ago, began acting strange as an addiction for a game grew. He had grown ruthless and abusive with each passing day and it was beginning to take affect and darken Egypt. The Pharaoh would be in his room for hours, his servants worrying as shadows and strange energies seem to ooze from his quarters. His people began suffering as his malicious behavior soon poured out through his actions towards his kingdom with increased slavery and workloads.

His last son, having the others died of illness or at birth, was presently in his room growing restless. He had noticed his father's changes in attitude right away and learned to steer clear. Atem walked out onto his balcony while adjusting his white sleeveless shirt, leaning on the stone rail as he peered down at the busy city streets. It was a bright day, the sun shimmering off his armlets and golden choker. It was one of the rare days in Egypt at this time. The people had always thought the prince was special. They seemed to think of him as a child of Ra and, at the same time, a child of Anubus.

He had eyes that were blood red and tri-colored hair. Black. Red. Gold. Gold for his royalty, black for his strength, and red for his fate.

Atem sighed, obviously bored, as he looked down at the land that would be his someday. He watched as the people went on with their busy lives, wishing he was one of them. He then turned around and decided to wonder the halls. Soon, a servant girl found him before he had made his way to the royal gardens. Atem smiled sweetly to her, being polite and to make her feel better. She showed no emotion and spoke quietly, "My prince, your father wishes to speak with you." He looked at her.

"Thank you. You may go," She kept her gaze on the ground, afraid for her life even though it was the Pharaoh that was feared. She bowed slightly and left. Atem walked on to his father's room, his eyes wandering around. Ever since his father began shutting himself off from everyone, he had reduced the staff. He only kept a small amount of palace servants around to server. Other then that there was only the slaves for dancing and entertainment left. However, they had a separate quarters just outside the palace along the gardens so he never minded them. This made the Prince feel as if he was the only other one left in the palace other then the guards which brought him further into depression. Not only was the Prince never allowed to leave the palace grounds but there was no one to make contact with. Letting a sigh escape his lips, Atem glanced around the empty halls as he made his way towards his father's living quarters. He gently knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Who dare disturbs me?!" The red-eyed prince flinched at the venomous tone, the only comfort knowing that he was summoned by him to save him.

"Father?" Atem called softly. There was a small pause before his father called out to him again.

"Come in, young one." The red-eyed youth pushed open the door enough for himself and walked in. He couldn't help but notice his father's voice had grown a bit soft. He walked over, though, still expecting the worst, his body tense with stress.

"Father? You wished to see me?" He shifted his gaze to the floor, fear taking over.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to inform you that we have new servants and entertainers. Also, your music instructor has informed me that you aren't working hard enough!" Atem cringed at his father's hardening tone.

"Well, I…I…" He didn't know what to say without causing his father to go on a rampage. He clenched his fists, staring at the marble floor as though there was somewhere for him to hide.

"Atem, it's the last class you'll ever have to take. Why can't you just show some effort?!" Atem had completed all his other classes. His father had been pushing him. He told his son that he wanted him to be the 'perfect child.' He wanted to make Atem into a strict person, like himself. It didn't seem to effect him though. The prince looked away, afraid.

"I-." Something then caught Atem's eye. It was a small gold box with the Eye of Horus carved on the front. Horus, the sky god, was the protector and symbol of the Pharaoh. Atem suddenly received a stinging slap to the face, turning it the other way.

"Have respect! Look at me when I speak to you!" Atem whimpered, causing his father to smirk. He seemed to like that he had this kind of control on his son. But it wasn't like him at all. Ever since ha had started playing the Shadow Games he had grown cruel. It was just something about them that changed him, twisting him. "Get out of my sight! And I don't want to hear that you're slacking off again!" Angered now about his father's actions towards him, Atem turned quickly so his father wouldn't seen his expression.

It's okay, Atem. You'll understand soon., said a voice. However, he had heard it in his head and couldn't tell the gender. Shaking his head, he ignored it and soon found himself in the throne room.

"Ah! How are you today, my prince?" came another voice. This one, however, Atem knew and knew well. The High Priest approached him, just then seeing his face. "Upset your father, I see."

"Do not disrespect me, High Priest," Atem spat bitterly. The High Priest chuckled softly. Atem glared, uninterested.

"Did you know we have new slaves?" The priest moved his own dark hair out of his eyes as he spoke.

"I do," Atem murmured, wishing the older man would leave him be. The priest pointed to the red mark on youth's cheek.

"Did you find out before or after-"

"SILENCE!" His voice echoed, causing everyone to freeze and look in their direction. The priest placed a hand on Atem's bare arm.

"Please, Your Highness, calm down," he said.

"High Priest, you should be punished for such disrespect," he started, his eyes burning into the older man's green ones. "Luckily for you, however, I am not my father." He looked down at his arm and pulled it away roughly. "Don't touch me," he said rather coldly. The high priest glared at him before bowing and leaving him alone. Atem waved his hand slightly, a sign for everyone to continue what they were doing. Sighing, the red-eyed youth walked over and sat in his seat next to his father's. His father had been preparing him to become Pharaoh but it wasn't what he wanted. He felt so trapped. He was a prince and yet had so many limits. The one that bother him the most was that he wasn't allowed to leave the palace. Not once had he left these walls. Atem tensed as his father came out and sat in his seat next to him. Atem tried to leave but his father grabbed his arm and pulled him roughly into his seat.

"Stay," he growled. He turned and clapped his hands. Atem stared dully as the dancers came out to entertain their Pharaoh. He smiled relaxed, growling when he noticed his son's reaction. Atem let out a quiet sigh.

'They aren't dancing to entertain. They're dancing for their lives,' Atem thought bitterly. He tensed as his father shifted in his seat. Then something caught his eye. Atem turned his head towards the new dancers coming out on the floor. Most of them looked about Atem's age. He wouldn't have been surprised with the way his father had been. The Pharaoh smiled as he noticed his son show great interest. The main dancer came out and Atem thought his heart was going to explode. She looked to be about his height with dark blue hair that cascaded down her back in a loose braid reaching about the middle of her back. She was wearing a white sleeveless dress that was cut on the sides from the waist down, showing her shapely legs. Also, around her waist was a black ribbon-like belt and on her right arm was a gold armlet. Her bracelets and anklets clanged as she gracefully danced with two small fans. He couldn't see her eyes but he knew without seeing them that they had to be beautiful. "Father? Are these the new dancers?"

"Yes. They are doing a wonderful job."

"Where are they from?" the prince asked, keeping his gaze on the girl.

"The city. I decided to hold out on trading slaves from other regions so I had sent out troops to get some new ones."

"But, Father," he began to protest, only to be greeted with a raised hand to show he was to be silent. He glared down at his son, feeling he shouldn't have to explain himself.

"I am their Pharaoh. They should return the favor." Atem sulked. He hated it when his father did something like this.

"May I leave?" The Pharaoh looked down at his son.

"Very well," he said after a slight pause. Atem left quickly before he changed his mind. He decided to wait till the dancers returned to their living quarters to meet them. He would talk to the slaves for hours. They were his only friends. They would always tell him stories of the lives outside the palace, which, of course, he would listen to with great interest. He especially wanted to meet the blue-haired girl.

'She's so beautiful,' he thought with a slight blush creeping on his face. 'And quite unique. No one has blue hair. I wonder what color her eyes are.' He waited outside near where the servants 'lived' in hopes of catching her before she retired for the evening with the others. After a short while some of the dancers emerged from the palace, having finished their jobs for the evening. However, the blue-haired angel wasn't among them. He wandered around the grounds until he found her in the royal garden near the fountain. He smiled as he watched lean on the stone edge to her stare at her reflection. She gasped as his image appeared behind hers in the water's surface, instinctively turning and bowing before him. He shook his head, sighing. "Please, don't. Pretend I'm a commoner." Too worried about how much trouble she could've been in, she remained bowed. 'Poor thing,' he thought, 'She's lucky I found her and not my father.' He brought his hand up underneath her chin and lifted her head. He was right. Her eyes were beautiful. Blue eyes.' The girl could feel a faint blush creep over onto her face. "Well, my dear, what are you doing in the garden?" he asked, giving her a sweet smile.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to look away. He shook his head, trying to get into her field of vision as she continued to try and avert her gaze.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Relax. I won't hurt you. I'm not my father."

"Father?" She knew he was the prince but the people had been worried about the Pharaoh's actions towards the people. She felt this was her chance to find out what exactly was going on inside the palace walls. Atem raised an eyebrow at her question, feeling it to be strange.

"The Pharaoh." She bit her lip, bringing her thick braid over her right shoulder to play with it nervously as she spoke.

"Yes, I know, my prince. But may I ask, what has happened to him?" He sighed a bit, rubbing his forehead as he moved to sit on the stone edge of the fountain.

"I really don't know and I don't wish to speak of it," he murmured, "Anyway, let's change the subject. What's your name?" The question startled her, causing her to gaze into his eyes to see if he was being sincere. His ruby orbs showed no malice or cruelty. In fact, she seemed to feel a sort of warmth from them that she couldn't put her finger on.

'Why would he want to know my name?' Slaves were just faces without names to royalty. She was still finding it hard that he cared enough but she complied, feeling there was no real harm in it. "Miyu," she answered. She watched his face light up, feeling more and more at ease in his presence.

"What a pretty name. Look, I know this will sound strange but you can call me Atem," he said, readying for the usual response he would receive.

"I could never! I would get in trouble for such a thing. It's disrespectful of me to use your name alone." A small chuckle escaped his lips as he peered into the water, staring at himself in its surface as she had before.

"It's alright. You have nothing to fear from me. It would please me if you called me by my name." She remained silent, twisting her hair a bit nervously. It was then the pair jolted as a deep, stern voice called over to them.

"Hey, you!" Miyu blinked and looked over to see a guard, his face set in a firm glare. Atem continued to stare in the water as nothing was going on, making the girl feel nervous that she may be at the mercy of the guard. Miyu pointed to herself. "Yeah! You! You're not suppose to be here!" He walked over and grabbed her arm roughly, hearing her whimper at the iron grip. He then stopped upon hearing Atem's low, cold voice.

"I'm sorry. But am I not standing …right…here.." he whispered, his eyes flashing towards the man who froze.

"Y-yes, my lord."

"Then let me think. If I didn't want her here wouldn't I have sent her away?" The thought seemed reasonable and made the man even more nervous for even bothering to remove the girl from the gardens.

"Well, y-yes, I just thought that -" Atem turned and stared at him hard.

"Well?" The guard let go of the trembling girl, having forgotten to prior due to fear quelling up.

"Forgive me, my prince, f-forgive me," he mumbled, bowing and leaving as quickly as he could. Sighing, Atem turned and continued to stare in the water. Miyu turned to face Atem, relieved that he did what he had done.

"I hate the way they treat you. All of you," he whispered almost breathlessly. She could barely hear him over the faint noise of rushing water from the fountain.

"What?"

"Like you're all just dirt under their feet." He looked up at the darkening sky, stars beginning to glimmer. "You all don't deserve this. To be slaves." Miyu walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. He peered up into her crystal blue eyes, seeing an ease that was not there before.

"I'm glad you feel that way, but you can't change it."

"I try my best," he replied with a small scoff.

"Thank you by the way. Being new, I don't want to even think about what they would've done to me for being here."

"They would have punished you. Perhaps have you whipped," he answered. She gasped, taking her hand back. "Don't worry. That rarely happens anymore. I won't allow it." He watched her relax, smiling. He let out a small chuckle. Her hands found their way to her hips, her body leaning to the right a bit.

"What's so funny?"

"You. You're so cute," Atem replied with hesitation. She turned a bright shade of red, her hands going to her hair once more to fiddle with her hair again. Watching the entire scene from his balcony, the Pharaoh scowled.

'What's he doing,' he thought to himself. He continued to watched, unnoticed.

"Uhh… th-thank you." He stood from the edge and took her hand, guiding her over to a bench nearby.

"Tell me about yourself," he said, sitting down. "Where are you from? The city?" She nodded. "What's it like out there? I've never left the palace." Her eyes widened in shock.

"Never!" she blurted, unable to hide her surprise. He nodded sadly.

"I'm not allowed."

"Not allowed? You're the prince," she said, knitting her brow in confusion at the thought.

"My father. He won't let me. He want me to become like him." He scoffed, "Like that'll happen." Miyu stood, dusting her dress off a bit.

"Well, I hope you know that I think you're very sweet." He smiled, watching her twirl, dancing around a statue of Anubus that decorated the gardens. There were many other statues erected in honor of the Gods all around the gardens.

"You're a very good dancer. I was watching you before. Did you learn how to dance when you lived out there?" She smiled warmly, showing the subject made her very happy.

"Yes. Self-taught. I love to dance." She leaned against the statue with her arm up and bent over her head, looking up at the sky before closing her eyes. Atem stood and quietly walked in front of her. Sensing his presence before her, she opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his. She blushed as he suddenly leaned in, brushing his lips across hers. He kissed her, feeling content when he felt her return the kiss. Above them on his balcony, the Pharaoh was fuming, his grip on the railing tight and causing his knuckles to grow white. His son with a slave! The very thought was making his skin crawl. Atem pulled away slightly and Miyu opened her eyes, still blushing a bright red.

"I think you are sweet as well," he said with a smile. Miyu had butterflies in her stomach but they flew away when a guard and announced that the prince was to see his father immediately. Frowning slightly, Atem turned back to the girl, bringing a hand up to touch her bangs a little. "I'll see you again," he whispered. Giving her one last smile, he turned and followed the guard, leaving Miyu in the garden. She stayed there for a minute, repeating everything over in her head. Finally, she brought her hand up to her lips, a smile coming across them as she traced it with her fingertips. Remembering where she was, she hurried off before another guard came and found her.

End chapter