Disclaimer: This will be for all the chapters. Oh and disclaimer for the summary and the quote beneath. Those were by Kade Davies, not me!

Warning: Yaoi. That means boy/boy relationships. If you don't like it or are offended by it, I suggest you hit the back button now.

Well, here's my first s/yy story. Oh and I tell you, there is warping of Egyptian mythology to suit this story. ^_^;;; uh, it'll play in later! Or maybe I'm just weird? Ok, I'll shut up.

The Perfect Candidate

            There's a story of one thousand years.

            And in every thousand years,

            Things like this come not twice.

            And for every time it does,

            There's still 5 million fights,

            And for all these digits,

            Yet more comes to mind.

            For every single number there's a million still to find.

            Among many myths and legends, there are probably one or more lost in time. Some of these were even renowned gods whom were worshipped from time to time. But time passes and people's beliefs are swayed and the deities fade away into time. Evidence lies in history but some of it is completely gone. Egypt had some along with the Romans and Greeks.

            Anubis. He was Nephthys' son. Some say his father was Osiris when he mistook Nephthys for Isis and others, Set. But that's only one legend. Some people might've noticed that there is no definite child of Nephthys and Set. It would seem rather odd, as they were joined in wedlock. It was not a happy and successful one but they did have a child. Unlike Horus, who was the living god, son of Osiris and Isis, this god was not worshipped. In fact there is no vestige to prove that he actually existed but ancient legends do tell of the last god.

This is his tale.

Set did not know when his son was born or that he even existed. Nephthys did everything she could to conceal him. She feared for the life of her child for Set would surely kill him if he found out. The goddess found a way to hid his identity. She gave up her son. Nephthys put her son under Isis' care. Isis gladly accepted her nephew for her sister's sake. The young deity grew up to think that he was Isis' son. Isis told no one about him and told anyone who asked that this boy was an abandoned child that she found while gathering papyrus.

            Nephthys told her sister that she was to give her son a new name. She fled back to her home, not wanting Set to be upset that she had gone without his permission. Isis didn't even get a chance to ask what she had named him. There was no chasing after her. Isis looked down at the child in her care now. He was exquisite though he did not look Egyptian. Set would never even guess that this was his child. A shock of tri colored hair stood out the most. Golden bangs fluttered in the childish face. Nephthys' son was crowned with beautiful ebony hair that was accented with scarlet tips. Instead of the usual sun kissed dark skin, he had paler flawless skin. The child appeared to be sleeping. As Isis began to walk, she saw the most stunning touch in the god. He opened his eyes. Long, thick lashes lined his blood red eyes. The irises were brighter than any sunset Isis had seen before. But they were no eyes of an innocent child…they were the eyes of a determined ruler. She would care well for this child. From his appearance, Isis gave him the name Bennu – after the Egyptian phoenix, the setting sun. Now Bennu needed another name. A secret one that only he and she would know. That would be Atemu.

            Bennu and Isis lived in Aalu, the Egyptian heaven. He also adapted a simpler name for himself, Yami. He wanted others to call him that instead of his formal name. When Yami was in his adolescent years, he attained something else that set him apart from other gods. Translucent feathery wings grew from his back. Isis was amazed. They only appeared in the holy light of Aalu. In that paradise, Yami had everything he wanted. Servants attended to every whim of his. In this place, all evils of reality were hidden from the young god. His best companion was a phoenix, not surprising for being named after one. The bird would go other places, not in Aalu. Yami spent all of his childhood there. He learned from Isis but his thirst for knowledge did not end in life with the gods. Yami was now fourteen. This perfect life was getting pretty old and he hated it. Something was missing but he didn't know what. His phoenix brought evidence. Sometimes it would bring a bit of fabric, bread or even incense. This puzzled Yami very much. The god went to ask his 'mother'. Isis was not expecting this. She thought that her nephew loved it in this immaculate place. Well, there was no hiding the truth. Isis motioned for Yami to sit down. She told him the long story of humanity and the mortal realm. He listened to every word Isis said. When she was done, only part of Yami's curiosity had been quenched. Now he wanted to do something else- go down to the mortal realm.

            This was interesting. Normally, gods would think themselves much too good to ever wander down to the humans. However, Bennu wanted to see what lay beyond his tome. Isis would find a way. She mad a promise to Yami that he would be able to go down sometime. But in the meantime, while she was trying to figure something else out, he would be able to watch humans through magic. Isis smiled. He surely was not meant to become a worshipped god…no, his soul's path did not swing that way. His destiny was to be with mankind.

            Yami waited patiently as Isis prepared the magic for the window to the mortals. Once an image began to clear, Yami was awed. The view he watched was a marketplace. Several Egyptians, swathed in white shentis ran around doing their errands. A woman and her children bargained for bread while another anxiously waited for a note from a scribe. Yami watched in fascination as builders dried mud bricks for houses and some crafters made furniture. Women and men brewed beer in the hot sun in their backyards.

            Something caught his vision. What were those two men doing? One had a bottle of some sort in their hand. He was walking very unsteadily and didn't appear to be well at all. Yami gasped as he hit the side of the other man's head with the bottle. A red liquid trickled down that man's face. Yami cringed. That was a horrid sight to see. The injured man fisted his hands and hit the other man's chest. Yami shut his eyes. When he opened them again, the man who was hit by the bottle lay on the floor, motionless. In a shaking state, he looked at Isis with scared eyes.

            "Mother…what happened to the other man?" Isis looked apologetically at the scared child and embraced him. She didn't mean for him to see that part of life.

            "Well…humans aren't like us. They are very frail and each have their own time to live. But they die in the end. Death is present in the mortal realm."

            The question after was very predictable. What is death? Isis found that hard to explain. Yami would have to learn that for himself. If he dared to wander there now. That was right. He had no idea what pain was. Isis did know, but she wanted to spare him the broken heart. There was a problem though. What good was a god if he didn't know what he was supposed to protect his worshippers from? The goddess shook her head in dismay. Pain would come, eventually.

            Yami looked down at the bloody scene again.

            "He won't wake up again, will he…" A rhetorical question indeed. Isis tried her best to comfort Yami. She did blame some on herself. Isis had only let Yami see the good of life and excluded all the bad.

            "Do not worry, Bennu. There are very good things in life, like hope, happiness and love." Love was completely foreign to Yami. He had not heard of such a thing. When he asked what it was, Isis could not answer. That too could not be taught. The view in the window changed again. This time it was in the royal garden. A woman busily applied oil onto her lover's skin. Yami wondered about that too.

            "That my son, is love." He didn't understand. It was beyond his comprehension. Love was so new to him.

            "Do you know love?"

            "Yes…"

            "How come I haven't seen a father?"

She smiled painfully. That was a sensitive subject. "Do you truly wish to see him?" Yami nodded enthusiastically. Isis led them everywhere. Yami lost track of where they went. They arrived at the gates of Duat.

            "Here!?"

            Isis put her finger on his lips to silence him.

            "Shhh..you must respect the dead here," she whispered.

They entered silently and Isis walked in front. Thoth greeted Isis and led the two to Osiris. The old king's dull eyes brightened at the sight of his wife. They did not see eachother often. Isis was a living goddess and Osiris a god of the underworld. Isis speeded up and hugged him. Yami watched from afar. He could tell there was a strange bond between the two. He had never seen his 'mother' so happy before.

Was that love?

Isis whispered a couple of words to Osiris that Yami did not hear. Osiris just nodded. He did look old and worn but his eyes were as alert as ever.

            "Welcome, son…" Yami was taken aback. There was absolutely no resemblance between them. But then again, Yami didn't look like any of the other gods. He bowed as a sign of respect. Isis talked a little more. Yami was left to think about things on his own. He had a new quest…to discover what love was. The god was sure that he would find it in the mortal realm. Now he was twice as determined to go and look for himself.

            The sun had just started to set when the two started back. Yami looked into the distance at the orange sky. Something lay beyond the horizon. He just knew it. They reached Aalu quite quickly. The sun was only halfway set. Yami looked at the surroundings. A slight breeze swayed the lush greenery around him. The little crests in the sapphire Nile sparkled as they moved. A lone heron stood in the distance, hoping to catch some fish before dark. It moved with elegant grace, searching for prey. When sime unlucky fish was spotted it swooped in and snatched it in it's long beak. With the years that he had lived here, he had developed an attachment to the place but it was so boring. Everyday, he expected to see the exact same thing with no change. He made one last promise to his homeland:

            'I'll return someday'

            Isis wished to grant Bennu's wish. In the middle of the night, Isis descended to the palace. The old pharaoh Akunamunkano was past his prime and too old to continue. A tragic accident had happed just aabout a month ago. His one and only heir was killed on a boating accident. There was no crown prince to lead the royal family. This problem added weight to the king's current state. Isis thought up a plan. In her teachings with Yami, she had taught all that he could ever need to know- including becoming pharaoh. With no successor to the throne, Egypt was in a rather weak state. Akunamunkano had become too old to do much of the things required as a pharaoh. Isis pitied the poor man weeks before, for she could do nothing to help him. Now though, she could do something. Yami wanted to go down to the mortal realm, Akunamunkano wanted an heir to the throne. The old king had always believed in Isis. She sent some servant over to Yami, with the garments of a royal boy,

            Yami was fitted quickly with the robes and jewelery. He was truly an astounding sight. A Uraeus tiara was fit upon his head and his ears held gold earrings. On his neck a sundisk inlaid with various semiprecious stones was displayed proudly. Beneath that, he wore no shirt. Instead, chains accentuated with rubies were hung across his chest, intending to show off his beauty. Polished gold bands were tightly fitted onto his arms and neck along with other bracelets. Various rings sat upon his slender fingers. One slave brought a traditional but finely crafted kilt. The transparent folds of the outer layer hung loosely by his side. A cape to match his crimson eyes was placed onto his back. After a fresh kohl and malachite eyeshadow was put on, he walked over to his mother.

            Isis clapped her hands. Never had she seen such a beautiful child since Horus. He would look like a god in a crowd. She wondered how many mortals would fall for this delicious sight. He did desire to find out what love was. This was the perfect chance for him. The starry night sky had settled over the land and most were asleep. The two god traveled to the mortal realm on a raft through the section of the Nile which lay in Aalu. The suffering king would be awake, praying that by some miracle, a child would come. He hoped for anything, that he deemed worthy. A noble boy, a supernal being. Someone who could lead Egypt on.

            "Isis," He croaked. "Please help me." Like a flame flickering into life, she did appear. The king was shocked. Not even in all his years as a child did he dare expect to see the goddess herself.

            "Isis?" Behind her, a timid and excited boy peered out. Akunamunkano could've died right there. In all his years ruling Egypt, he hadn't seen such a beautiful being. In his unnatural eyes, the pharaoh saw determination burning in his eyes. Through the tired old eyes of the current king, this ruby eyed youth was perfect to become ruler of Egypt.

            Isis spoke with her harmonious voice to the king.

            "Akunamunkano, I bring you good tidings. Do you still search for the perfect son?"

            "Yes," he whispered. Could it be that boy behind her?

            "This, pharaoh, is Bennu or Yami, as he prefers. He is my other son. I believe…that he would be the perfect successor of your throne. Would you consider this?"

            "By Osiris, your own son?"

            "I have taught him everything he could ever need to know, including ruling as pharaoh. There is no other candidate that seems as worthy as him."

            "But you would let your own son live in the mortal realm? He is a god!"

            "My other son lived here too. I think that my other boy should too. It is up to you."

            "I accept. I trust that there is no other boy in all of the kingdom that would be as suitable as a god."

            "Akunamunkano, you are to tell no one that Yami is a god," She warned. "To you, he is an abandoned child you came across. This night, you felt so inspired that your pain left you temporarily. Tell the people you were destined to find him."

            "I understand." The goddess turned to her own nephew and kneeled down to face level with him.

            "Yami, I leave you here, in Egypt's care. If anything should happen, you are welcome to return. You will be pharaoh." She started to fade and whispered a few last words, "May you find the one you love…" and disappeared.

            Yami would be pharaoh.

~Owari~

Don't flame me. I'm nowhere near as skilled as the other s/yy authors. And I can't type as fast as them. I know, this was a boring chapter, but stick with me? I promise that this story will get interesting. Shortly, on my deviantart account, I will post pictures that go along with this fic. Drop a review? No flames please?