Chapter 1: Fate: Cursed from Birth

A.N. I've had about enough. I'm sick of all of the stories about how poor Ryou Bakura's always betrayed by his evil Yami. (Not that they're not good, of course... I mean I'm sick of the topic. No offense, peeps, k? ^_^) I don't know if it's just me, but I see a lot of suffering in Yami Bakura - and that's why he is the way he is today, and that's why he treats Ryou the way he does.

Disclaimer: If you think that I own Yu-Gi-Oh!, then you have a problem. A very serious problem. Go see a doctor... you need a reality check. ^_^ Besides, if you sued me, you wouldn't get much... I don't own anything... except for my precious ten-sided dice (and I'll die before I give THOSE up ^_^).

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I... I don't know what to do! This child... our son... he is a spawn of Set himself! How can this be? The horrified mother cried.

The boy - his hair is so... so... light! exclaimed the father.

Our child is untouched by the rays of Ra... his skin, it is as pale as that of a demon! Just looking at her newborn son made the mother tremble.

Clearly, the boy will cause chaos and madness should he ascend the throne and become Pharaoh. the father said. All of Egypt will be destroyed!

Yes, yes... you are correct. He is not a suitable heir... another child must be born... the mother whispered, a faraway look in her eyes.

Another child... yes. A child that will bring justice, a child of Ra. A child who will be my heir must be strong. Not him. No, not this boy... for he is... the father trailed off.

The eyes of the Pharaoh and his wife met.

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Those were the first words I've ever heard in my life. They were spoken by my own parents, who judged me before I could even walk, talk, think. Amazing, isn't it? I suppose fate played a cruel trick on me... I was destined to be betrayed from birth.

Like they said, a new child had to be born to become pharaoh. My parents solved that problem - my baby brother was born a year and a half after I was. His skin was proclaimed dark enough, but if you thought that I had hair problems... well, let's just say that there had been a horrible mutation in my sibling's hair genes. He looked like he had been electrified, and the lightning was still in his hair. For some reason, my parents loved it; they found it to be a sign that this child had been blessed. I found it stupid.

I, being unworthy to ascend the throne because I had gotten the wrong set of chromosomes, was naturally a bit jealous of the new arrival. He had vividly purple eyes, much like mine, but just a shade darker. He seemed like the average baby, though he acted a bit more... intelligent than most children (excluding me, of course).

Also, like most average babies, he cried. A LOT. I, being the abnormal freak-of-nature, had not cried once from my birth. And I think everyone's thankful for that. Now, maybe I understand why my father only has one wife... he wouldn't be able to take all of the little children crying. Neither could I. The little blessed child was bad enough by himself, thanks.

To this day, I can't figure out why everyone likes him more than me. He's just as weird-looking, and he's meaner, too. When I get mad at people, I trap them inside inanimate objects. My little brother destroys their minds. And they call me evil. Huh.

Anyway, I wasn't even allowed to be present on the day of my brother's Naming ceremony (I think everyone considered me to be bad karma). It didn't really matter; I found ceremonies to be boring, so I didn't mind not going. Instead, I decided to go and make an offering to Thoth, the god of wisdom (as well as a lot of other things) - he was quickly becoming my favourite.

I walked to the temple on my own; no one escorted me, because they were to busy with the Holy Child's naming, or they were afraid of me. I didn't mind, really. Most of the common people were afraid of me because of the way I looked, too; no one got in my way.

Thoth's temple was pretty much deserted, which I considered to be a good thing - it meant I wouldn't scare anyone away. I burnt my offering of meat at Thoth's alter, praying silently to him to please, grant me some of his wisdom. I'm not sure if I got any wiser or not, but, suddenly, I knew what my little brother's name was to be. Odd that they would bestow the title and name upon the child so early... ...I suppose, this too was fate. But, no matter what they say, I will never believe that my younger brother is the son of Ra himself.

On the way home, everyone avoided me again; by this time, I was kind of used to it. Actually, not everyone avoided me. Two men, almost all skin and bones, rushed past me, cradling something that looked like cooked chicken in their arms. I watched, curious, as they ran into an empty side street, seemingly melting into the shadows.

Two guards, obviously in hot pursuit of the two men who I had previously seen, turned onto my street at a dead run. They both looked around frantically for the two skinny men, and realized that they had lost them. Nervous, but with some element of bravery, one of them turned to me.

Boy... ... ...have you seen a couple of men run this way?

I nodded my head honestly. The second guard smiled. The thieves! They're the ones that stole from the tax collector's house this afternoon; which way did they go?

I paused, absorbing the information. I knew the tax collector was pretty rich, so why was he so upset about a couple of chickens? And those poor men... they looked so hungry. Before I knew what I was saying, I pointed west, away from the thieves' hiding place. They ran that way.

The guards smiled and nodded at me in appreciation. As they ran away, what I had just done finally hit me. I had... lied. But lying was wrong, and so was stealing!

I didn't have much time with my thoughts; the two wanted men emerged. Now that they were standing still, I noticed that they looked even skinnier. Somewhat reassured that I had done the right thing, I smiled weakly.

Thanks, kid, the first man said, seemingly unafraid of me. I preciate you lying for us, back there. If we were caught, we'd been killed.

Yes, thank you, agreed the second man. Thank you for understanding. My wife... and my children...

I nodded, though I was still a little unsure. You see, the tax man. He overtaxed me and my friend here's family. the first man explained. We ain't bad guys. We're just taking back what was really ours in the first place, ya know? And he don't care about a few chickens. We would never take from those who need it, like us.

He must have seen the question on my face. We're all in the same boat, here. If I took from the poor guys to make myself richer, then, why, I wouldn't be any better than the guys who overtaxed me. And that ain't right, ya know? I got honour. And I know what's right, and what's just plain wrong. The second man nodded in agreement.

I nodded my head again too, this time with certainty. I knew, in that moment, that I had done the right thing. These poor men didn't deserve to die - they were just trying to survive, the same as anyone else. Just trying to live, and protect their families. The guards didn't understand that there had been a mistake, and it was impossible to explain it to them after they were caught. By then, it was too late. And who were they to judge the poor men, anyway? It didn't seem fair.

Here. Let me give you something. the first man said, reaching into a small satchel strapped to his belt. I blinked, once, twice. No one had ever given me a present before. I put out my hand, uncertain.

He placed something in my hand, then stood back as I inspected my new gift. It was a pair of ten-sided-dice, perfectly carved and balanced. They were a little rough - the man obviously hadn't had enough money to get them polished - but there was a certain quality and expertise about them which I liked. Something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. All I knew was that they were beautiful.

Thanks again, kid, the second man said.

I won't forget you. You really helped us out of a jam. added the first man.

Finally, I found words to speak. But... but don't you know what I am? They exchanged glances, then looked at me questioningly. I stared down at the dusty road, wondering if maybe they were blind, and couldn't see how I looked. I'm a devil. I whispered.

Both men looked shocked. No, you're not! said the second one, seemingly surprised that I'd say such a thing.

The first man bent down, until we were at eye level. He stared hard, unflinchingly at me, studying my face. No one had ever looked at me that way before. I didn't know what to make of these men.

Our eyes met. You are not a devil, little child. You are an angel.

With that, the two men left, coming back the way they came in a fast-paced walk. Looking after them, I came to the surprising conclusion that it wasn't always wrong to lie. Everyone did something for a reason, and while something might appear bad, it wasn't always that way. I shrugged to myself. Maybe I was gaining some of Thoth's wisdom.

The rest of the journey home was uneventful. I got back none too soon, however - I had only been back for five minutes (barely enough time to hide my precious gift) when my parents and my newly named brother returned home.

I greeted my brother with, most likely for the first time in my life, a smile.

Hello, Yuugiou.

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Well... how did you like the first official chappie? Was it any good? I'm not sure if I should continue or not... it's up to you guys! Please R&R!!!