The Power of the Nile written by Atlantis © 2002

Hi-ho everybody! It's been a while (I know, I'm terrible!) but I finally got this chappy out. I've been busy enjoying my Winter Vacation and I came up with a whole bunch of other ideas for fics and so I was working on those. Bad Atlantis, finish what you've started first. You all have my permission to throw vegetables at me *ducks flying tomato* Anyway, thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! So sweet and helpful.

A note to Tara-hime (a very sweet chica who has been reviewing for both of my fics since the beginning - Hello!) who pointed out that the prologue seemed a little rushed: I am sorry for that, but there is a reason. I didn't want to go over it too much because later on I'm going back to that moment, probably through flashbacks or something, and I'm going to expound on everything that happened then. Kapeesh? Just wanted to clear that up.

Rating: PG-13

*****************************************************************

My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say, "Come and join us. Let's hide and kill someone! Let's ambush the innocent! Let's swallow them alive as the grave swallows its victims. Though they are in the prime of life, they will go down into the pit of death. And the loot we'll get! We'll fill our houses with all kinds of things! Come on, throw in your lot with us; we'll split our loot with you."

Don't go along with them, my child! Stay far away from their paths.

Proverbs 1:10-15

*****************************************************************

PART 1

As the years passed over the land of Egypt, young Téatani grew in power and in size. At the young age of two, she had demonstrated her powers for the first time at one of her father's assemblies. A woman had approached the throne, preparing to tell her sorrowful story when the little girl escaped from her mother's arms in her seat next to the Pharaoh and ran to the woman. Big, bright blue eyes looked up at her before Téatani's small arms encircled the woman's waist and hugged her.

Both the child and woman began to glow and before the eyes of all those gathered, the woman began to change. Her old, ragged appearance melted away to reveal a young woman no more than thirty summers, skin flawless and healthy rather than wrinkled and full of blemishes as it had been before. Téatani stepped away from the woman, still glowing a shimmering silver, before giggling and running from the room.

It was discovered later that the woman had been suffering from a curse that had been placed on her by a spellcaster. News of the Pharaoh's daughter's miracle spread throughout the land, seeping into the Upper Kingdom as well, where a similar phenomenon, of the opposite nature took place. Tales of a young boy, the son of the Upper Kingdom's Pharaoh, who sought out subjects who had turned to evil and then punished them with untold powers drifted to the waters of the Nile where the two stories collided. As tales were related by merchants of both kingdoms, tempers flared as men from the opposing sides boasted of how their Pharaoh's child would rule the world and was more powerful than the other. No one would stand for the claims made against their own lands in regards to the children's power and an unspoken vow of war was made. Fanatics from each side began terrorizing citizens of the other, leaving permanent reminders in stone, on homes, and in lives over the issue of the most power.

Years passed and the unspoken vow of war became more public, tension knotting itself in the air in both kingdoms. All the while, Téatani continued to grow, her beauty becoming more apparent with age and her powers, though secretive, more pronounced. Her childishness melted away to reveal a young woman who controlled the forces within her with dignity beyond her years. Her exquisite beauty brought her more suitors than she cared for and she made it a point to see to the needs of her people whenever one called on her. She was unlike any other woman in the land besides her mother. Her light brown hair was easy to spot through the sea of black and her clear blue eyes were like two bright stars shining among the multitude of brown eyes. While she had gotten her hair from her mother (who had been a foreign princess before marrying her father), the question of her eye-color remained unanswered. Some of the priests felt it was a birth defect while the queen thought it may be from the Great Power coursing through her body. She kept it to herself, but knew that she was right from rumors of the son of the Pharaoh of Upper Egypt having blue eyes as well. The coincidence was too uncanny to shrug off and a sense of knowing pitted in her stomach the more she thought about it.

The tales of the young prince having strange powers (the rumor having finally reached the ears of the queen) led her to seek out more information about the young man. She was constantly talking with her serving maids, gathering knowledge while they gossiped. The queen discovered that he was everything that her daughter was not. He controlled incredible monsters and beasts with mere thoughts, sought out evil and punished it, never allowed any emotion on his face, and preferred being awake at night rather than during the day. Some claimed he didn't even sleep, a phantom in the halls of Upper Egypt's palace. Galana nodded, looking over her kingdom from her throne. He was a dark to Téatani's innocent light, her complete opposite.

He was her soul-mate.

While Galana understood her daughter, Pharaoh did not. He felt as if he wasn't the one ruling the Lower Kingdom anymore, acting more like a figurehead while his daughter saw to everything. Her manner of dress was also confusing, for she refused to wear traditional Egyptian clothing outside of the palace. Instead of fine cotton robes and dresses with gold jewelry to decorate her ethereal form, she chose to wear Grecian battle gear; a fitted breastplate that enhanced her supple curves, a strange white tunic called a shirt, a gold-pleated skirt, and strange leather footwear that went up to her knees. To her father's horror, Téatani also carried a sword around everywhere she went and occasionally even a spear. She did however, agree to wear one of the priestesses white robes to save her skin from the scorching sun (and to hide his daughter's body from lecherous eyes, to Pharaoh's relief).

She wore the robe everywhere she went, using it as both protection and a disguise. When her mother questioned her about the fondness of the robe, rather, the white cloak, Téatani said she felt safe when she wore it. And safe she was. It seemed as though every time she put it on, she could disappear if she desired with the blink of an eye, leaving the evil that followed her unable to find her. The cloak also seemed to completely shield her from the sun because her skin was a soft, cream color rather than rough and tanned. It confused her mother because she was out so often and most times did not have it wrapped around her, leaving her delicate skin, supposedly, to the harsh heat of the sun's rays. But the sun did not touch her. As long as the cloak was wrapped around some part of her, either open and baring her arms and shoulders or closed with her hood pulled up, she was protected.

The people of the Lower Kingdom constantly marveled at their princess, some even venturing to call her a goddess. She was unearthly in an angelic way. Her fair skin, bright blue eyes, and light brown hair made her seem more like a visitor in the land of Egypt rather than the heir to the Lower Kingdom's throne. Men, young and old, from all over the world traveled to seek her hand in marriage, but she refused all. Since the first man had proposed when she was merely thirteen summers, Téatani could not bring herself to even look in the eyes of the men who sought after her. Each time one would even mention marriage, her heart would contract painfully and she would send them away. She couldn't understand the ache in her heart, it felt like part of her had been torn from her body and thrown somewhere unreachable.

Instead of going through the pain in her heart, Téatani chose to be among her people. Many of them didn't get the chance to realize it was her before she left, seeming to appear out of nowhere and then disappearing again. Among the children, she was known as the white phantom because of her white robe, making her look like a spectre instead of the daughter of Pharaoh. Téatani tended to spend more time with them and play with them on occasion, drowning in their naive giggles and games. It was with the children when she found herself at her happiest and her true innocence came shining through. One day though, that innocence was shattered when she witnessed evil at its worst.

Téatani had been playing a stone game with several children on a side street when her senses were suddenly filled with an awful dread. Looking up briefly, she glanced around worriedly from the game to look for any signs of evil. Just as she turned back around at the oblivious childrens' insistence, she was pushed sharply to the ground, a small body covering her own. Téatani sat up, looked around and saw someone run off into the shadows of an alley before her vision focused on the small boy laying on the ground.

An arrow tip protruded from his stomach, having gone through his back. The blood dripped off of him, staining the dust beneath him as his eyes glazed over with death's grip. Téatani sobbed brokenly as he reached out to her, gripping her fingers limply.

"For you... princess," he choked out, his voice a strained whisper. "Please remember me on the day that you send evil... back to its dark pits. I am... Pra... hotep..." Then he was gone. Frantically, Téatani gripped his hand and placed two fingers to his throat to search for life. He did not stir. Her tears fell on his bloody form, leaving clean streaks on his red body.

"Never little Prahotep. Never will I forget you! You will be avenged, I swear it!" she cried as people began to pull her hysteric form away from the dead boy. Téatani shook them off and looked at Prahotep's lifeless body before running away. As she ran, her feelings and emotions kept changing, ranging from sadness and anger to confusion. How could someone, even an evil entity, kill a child? Any good marksman would have never gone after her when so many were around her. Obviously the force after her did not care about casualties, but that was their mistake. Téatani would not allow Prahotep's death to go unavenged. They would pay for taking the life of one so young, one who could have done so much in his years to come.

Téatani was jerked from her thoughts as someone pulled on her arm roughly, dragging her into an alleyway. A scarred hand grabbed her neck and slammed her into a wall, thumb pushing against her windpipe mercilessly. She shivered as the blackness of evil began to flow over her skin from her attacker's hand, slowly paralyzing her.

"My master will be pleased with my apprehension of you," the dark voice hissed. "You have eluded me for quite some time."

"You can't have me!" Téatani cried, struggling against the shadow.

"I already have you, stop trying to delay the inevitable. That small boy gave you a few extra moments, but that won't happen again," it sneered, pushing it's thumb further into her throat. Téatani coughed and her eyes watered from the pain and lack of oxygen.

"I'll kill myself before I let you pull me into your realm of darkness. But that's not going to happen because I'm going to make you pay for killing that boy!" Téatani screamed, eyes snapping open, the blue of her eyes shining like suns before the shadow was pulled off of her. Not even stopping to rub her neck, she righted herself and approached her attacker, giving faint nods of acknowledgment to the two massive creatures that held him. It gasped and hissed at her, spittles of flame coming from it's mouth. Her mouth twitched in a wry smile as she took a hold of her sword and released it from its sheathe, bringing it down on the dark form before her. The head dropped and rolled on the ground before disintegrating to ash and scattering on the wind with the ashes of it's body as well.

Dropping to her knees, Téatani knew she could no longer pretend to be a young girl anymore, forced to take up the responsibilities of a ruler instead. The creatures that had appeared at her bidding crouched by her, lifting the sword from the ground and placing it back in its sheathe. She looked up at them, tears streaming down and falling off of her chin and jaw, and took in a breath of awe. They were magnificent!

Words could not describe them to the full extent of their appearance. They were two large creatures, probably seven or eight feet in height with massive wings that could have spanned two buildings easily in length. One had a head of short, golden curls and bright green eyes like the petals of the lotus and the other was a darker creature, coal black hair with green eyes as well and a darker complexion than the other, though both were far darker than Téatani. White robes were wrapped around their bodies and tied at the waists with thick, gold rope, swords also hanging by their sides, larger than any other in mankind. But Téatani had a feeling that these were not men, though she couldn't quite call them 'creatures' either. If she had known the word 'angel', she would have known what they were, but she did not and so instead, labeled them as Guardians.

"Thank you," she whispered as they pulled her to her feet. She smiled and they disappeared from sight. Startled at first, Téatani did not understand why they had vanished, but understanding soon dawned and she pulled her hood over her head and made her way towards the palace. Her Guardians appeared when she called to them, be it mentally or vocally, and then disappeared again when there was no longer a need. A dark grin crossed her features. Evil would have to be on its guard now more than ever because Téatani was finally harnessing the gifts given by the Great Power and no force dead or alive would stop her from crushing any evil underfoot. With her Guardians by her side, she would be unstoppable in the war against evil.

Seto-ra stopped his sword, the blade hanging in the air over the man he had been about to slay. Something sharp stabbed at his heart, telling him, urging him to take a closer look at the man's heart. Confusion swarmed over his mind; he had read the evil and was going to destroy it before it could fester and cause more trouble in mankind. What was wrong with him now?

Peering closer at the man cowering before him, he let his power search deep within, into the deepest recesses of the man's heart and soul. Before, he had seen the evil and needed no other excuse to dispose of him, but the same feeling washed over him again and he looked deeper, harder. His eyes widened in surprise. The man was only a pawn, used by true evil to carry out menial tasks like a mind slave before being discarded. It was only traces of that true evil that he had detected. He faltered and let his sword fall to the dirt, staring wide-eyed at his hands. How many had he killed on the same pretense? How many innocents had met Anubis because of his haste?

"Begone," he said softly to the man who still cowered on the ground, "and watch for evil. Do not let it touch you again." Needing no other encouragement, the man scrambled away like a dog and Seto-ra dropped to his knees, causing a small cloud of dust raise and settle on the dark blue of his cloak. His hands reached up and dragged off his headpiece, meant to keep the sun off of him and sifted through his short dark brown locks, pulling desperately while his eyes clenched shut. It was if a sudden realization had dropped on him from the sky, no warning having come to him before the impact.

There was almost no way to explain it, but just before he was going to strike the man, Seto-ra felt something fit inside of him, as if he was some puzzle and not all of the pieces had come together in his life. Analytically, he concluded that whoever was connected to him had been affected similarly, though it could have had opposite effects. While he was experiencing a new feeling of human compassion, perhaps his missing half was going through human force and strength.

Yes, half of him was missing, he knew that much. Since that night when he was a young boy, when he had woken to feel his heart pound and throb and his soul as if it had been torn and then sloppily put back together, he had known. He opened his eyes to look at the sand on which he crouched, then raised his head to look over the great expanse of the desert, as far as the eye could see and farther.

That direction felt empty to him, like nothing was there. Twisting his body slightly, he faced the ever-powerful Nile, and felt an instantaneous stab inside of him, dropping him to his knees from where he had risen just half a moment before. In that direction, Seto-ra grinned wryly, was the other piece of him. Whether it was a girl, boy, man, woman, or animal, he did not know, but he needed to find whatever it was that completed him before he suffered more from having only half of a soul. With a simple thought, he rose from the ground and climbed atop the great winged beast he had summoned, a blue dragon that was the embodiment of ultimate fear, before taking off into the air and flying towards the palace. He had much to think about.

***

End. That's Part 1! I can't say when the next chapter will be out, but I do hope soon. However, school is once again fast approaching and I can't make any promises. For those of you who are wondering about 'Riddles of the Heart', that is another story which I am still working on. Don't worry about it never being updated again, I know it happens frequently, but I won't allow it! Ha ha! (AN: that was a triumphant 'ha ha' not a laughing 'ha ha'. There is a difference.)

Alright, for those of you who like questions of the week, here's one for you: What are your favorite YGO! fics? I'm looking for GOOD romances, either Seto/Téa or Yami/Téa and I can't seem to find any. You can even plug your own fic if you want. I'm an open book. Till next time!

Atlantis *^_^*

godscartungrrl@netscape.net