Hijo de la Luna

Chapter 2: We can live a Life That's never satisfied

In a shop in the bustling city of Egypt at night, a grown old man was frantically searching his store for something, and object that would be fit for a Pharaoh. All he could find were Greek statues, Greek cloth, and silver jewelry, which were things that every other store sold. "There has to be something!" The old man thought hopelessly. This was his last chance for a better life, for him and his son! If he failed his wife would have died for nothing! His son…. "Wait! There is something!" With renewed energy the man rushed into his son's room, quietly opening the door. The man stepped in the tiny room observing his son who was sleeping on a mat on the floor resting on his side. The covers were only up to his waist and his bare chest was exposed. Resting on his chest was a glowing amulet. It was his son's most treasured object. His wife nor he ever told Yugi what it was or who gave it to him, and over the last seventeen years his attachment to that amulet never died. He never took it off! It was almost as if Yugi could feel the love of the Goddess through that amulet, but that was impossible! He was too young to even remember what she looked like or even remember that she really existed. The old man took a minute to ponder how his son would react if he woke up without that amulet. It was just an amulet. Not like living without it would kill him. Making up his mind the old man knelt by his son and carefully removed the necklace. "Sorry Son, but we've all had to make sacrifices for this family." And he stood up and left the room. As soon as he shut the door he took a closer look at the amulet, he never really had a chance to see it, Yugi would always put up some kind of protest about taking it off. It was made out of a metal he didn't know of, it reflected his image perfectly, it was smooth and cool to the touch, it was also strange how it didn't have one scratch on it! His son had gotten into several fights, there should have been some mark on it!

"Excuse me is anyone here!" A regal male voice shouted. "A customer! Hopefully a customer with influence!" He thought to himself and rushed out to the main room where his goods were located. As soon as he saw his customer he knew his thoughts were correct! "And what can I help you find today sir?" He asked politely. "I'm sure you're aware that his majesty, the Pharaoh's, birthday is less than a week from now. I am searching for a gift for him, not just any gift mind you: a gift fit for a god." "I have just the thing for you, you'll never find it anywhere else I can guarantee upon my life." He held out the amulet for the other man to view. "This necklace is fit for not only a god, but a goddess. This is an amulet from the Greek Goddess Artimis, whoever wears her symbol is granted luck and blessings beyond any man's fantasy!" The man examined the necklace, and although he didn't buy the story, he had to agree that this necklace was extraordinary. "How much?"

It was noon when Yugi finally woke up. "Wha!" Yugi shot out of bed when he realized how late in the day it was. He had slept in! He quickly pulled on a long tunic and his sandals. Normally his father would have woke him up by sun rise, but what if something had happened to him? "Father!" Yugi called, hearing no answer he dashed out of his room into the main room where the shop was supposed to be, instead he came into an empty room. "Oh no." Yugi whispered. It was worse than he thought! They were robbed and his father was kidnapped or worse! Murdered! Before he could even think of what to do next his father stepped into the front door. "Yugi! My son I have great news!" Yugi looked up at his father as if he had lost his mind, "Father! How could you look so happy! We've been ROBBED!" "Oh Yugi, we have no need for those things anymore! We're RICH!" A moment of silence passed between them. "Wait, but how? What?" Yugi asked wondering if he was still dreaming. Yugi's father hesitated for a moment. "Promise you won't get mad?" Yugi nodded. "Last night while you were sleeping I went out and gambled and won all this money." "FATH-" Yugi stopped himself remembering his promise. He knew business has been a little rough, but not so bad as to where his father would stoop down to THAT level. Yugi viewed his father as a law honoring man, and for him to have done this made him see a side of his father that scared him. Actually over the past few years after Mother died Yugi noticed that his father started acting differently. What would mother think? She definitely would not approve of it, but Mother wasn't here anymore……..

Yugi's father noticed the disappointed look his son was giving him. For a second he felt anger, couldn't his son be a little more grateful to him after all he had done for the family? When he remembered what he actually did for the money he calmed down. He walked over to his son and placed an arm on his shoulder, "Yugi, sometimes a man has to make hard decisions, and it ends up that doing the wrong thing for the right reasons isn't bad at all. When you are a man you'll understand. Now come with me, and let me introduce you to our new life!"

Later on in the evening a young Egyptian man with ivory hair was walking towards the store that his best friend worked in. The Egyptian only wore black lose fitting pants that tied around his ankles, and tied a yellow scarf around his waist, as a make-shift belt. Anyone who saw the young man could immediately tell that he guarded the tombs of the dead Pharaohs; not by his muscular build nor by the two sabers that hung at his side, but by the tattoo that covered his whole back, and the tattoos that ran down the corner of his eyes. He passed through the town square but stopped when he noticed a really crazy, one-of-a-kind hairstyle. "That's gotta be him…" The owner of that wild hair style was sitting on the edge of the water fountain. His head was resting in his hands, he looked depressed. Concerned the ivory haired Egyptian walked over to him and knelt in front of him. Yugi looked up but didn't break his composure, "Oh. Marik…Hey." "Awww Yugi, is that any way to greet your best friend? After all, I haven't seen you all day yesterday!" Hearing a hint of humor in his friend's voice Yugi smiled and hugged Marik. "Now that's more like it!" Marik said triumphantly as he returned the affectionate gesture. "What's bothering you?" Marik asked in a more serious tone. "You want the long version of this story or the short one?" "Short." "Overnight my father became a millionaire, and now he's selling our home so we can live on an official trading vessel, which is just a fancy term for a 'huge lame-ass ship'." Marik definitely did not like this news, in fact his day was practically ruined. "Doesn't sound like you want to go." "I don't! The last time we moved because of Father, Mother died! He's already sold everything we've ever owned! Even… Things that belonged to Mother." Hearing that Yugi didn't want to leave put Marik in a much better mood. Perhaps he could work this situation to his advantage.

Yugi was the only friend Marik ever had. It was Marik's family's fault really. It was they who decided that Marik would be raised as a warrior, and to make sure that he was the finest warrior they cut him off from the outside world. As a result from that Marik never knew anybody his own age so there was nobody who he could confide in, nobody but his sister. She was his sole companion during those times. She was everything he needed:

an encourager "Marik I know you're disappointed that you weren't able to beat your opponent today, but instead on focusing on your loss, focus on what you've accomplished. He was twice your age and every opponent he's ever faced weren't even able to scratch him, but you took his eye out!"

She was understanding "Marik I think it's very unfair how Mother and Father have you isolated away from the real world. As soon as everybody is asleep, I'll take you around the town, but only for an hour each night!"

A friend.

However, the morning she turned 13 she was taken away. It turned out that she had the gift of prophecy. Their parents immediately took her to the Pharaoh, and he never saw her again. He trained extra hard and finally became a full-fledged warrior at the age of 14, after that his parents let him do whatever he pleased. That was when he met Yugi. He had only known him for 4 years but over that short period of time he had developed feelings for him that went much deeper than friendship. Marik pulled out of Yugi's embrace, "Don't worry, we'll find some way out of this…… Yugi?" "What is it?" "There's something different about you today." If there was one thing that Marik learned about being a good fighter it was paying close attention to detail. Something definitely was different about Yugi's appearance, but it wasn't his physical appearance. "Yugi where is your necklace?" Yugi looked down the cut in his tunic where normally his pendant would be displayed, and to his dismay it wasn't there! He grabbed at his neck, feeling in desperation, then his pockets. He jumped off the edge of the fountain looking at the ground. "Calm down, where do you last remember wearing it?" "I, uh, don't know, this whole day was like a nightmare, I was too busy thinking to really pay any attention!" "Then let's go back to your house, maybe it came off your neck while you were asleep."

While that was happening, another young man who lived in a palace was watching the setting sun off the balcony of his room. The young man, was none other than the Pharoah. It was a tradition for him to watch the sun set everyday, when he was younger he used to watch it standing beside his father. His crimson eyes stared into his kingdom. "Something on your mind Pharaoh?" A beautiful priestess asked who was standing behind him. "Isis, for 20 years I've stood here watching my city. My father told me it was put everything in prospective for me. This is the best view of Egypt because you can see the boundaries of the kingdom and everyone in it, this balcony has a view of the city as if you were in the heavens looking down. My father said standing here was standing in the position of a god. But when I stand here I don't feel like a god, I feel alone." Admitting his sadness made him slouch, and rest his hands on the arm rail, Isis looked at him with pity, he wasn't the first boy she met who was isolated. "I've always wondered what it would be like, for just one day, to not have all the responsibilities I do, to walk around carefree, like everybody else does. But when I turn 21 there will be no chance of me ever experiencing that kind of life." Isis raised her eyebrow, somehow she knew where this conversation was going. "My Pharaoh, it sounds like you're planning something." The Pharaoh turned around and faced her, "Isis I called you up here for a reason. I have 3 days left until my 21st birthday, and I am going to spend them as a citizen of Egypt. I want to live like a commoner! So I need you to do a few things for me." "I'll do anything in power to help you." "After all," she thought amused, "this isn't the first time I've done something like this."

"The Pharaoh has done what!" A livid high priest dressed in blue cried. Isis chuckled at Priest Seth's outburst. "I know you heard me the first time I told you, but I'll repeat myself once again," Seth's ice blue eyes narrowed at her dangerously, it didn't bother Isis at all. She loved rattling Seth's chains since there weren't very many opportunities to do it, "the Pharaoh is visiting his summer retreat right now because he feels he's under a lot of pressure, and he wants you to take care of all his affairs while he's away." Seth suspected that there was more to what Isis was telling him but before he could think too deeply Isis added, "By the way Seth, I don't know if anybody told you but the Pharaoh's fiancée will be arriving tomorrow. With the Pharaoh gone, maybe you and she can, ehem, do some catching up." Seth was seething with anger, "Quit fuming at me, or else your head will build up enough pressure to blow your hat straight up into Ra's left gonad." "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Isis quickly opened the door to leave the, red as a tomato, Seth's office.

Night had finally fallen and the Pharaoh was in his room waiting for his contact to guide him out of his own well guarded palace. He changed his clothes so that he was wearing white silk pants and a poncho. He didn't need to pack anything since he only needed some money to buy whatever he needed. He lay on his bed with his hands behind his head imagining what his next 3 days would be like. He heard someone knock on his door, but it wasn't the special knock he told his contact to use so he immediately knew that it wasn't the person he was expecting. Normally he would have been a kind and selfless Pharaoh and would have gotten up to see what that person wanted, but today (and for the next three days) he was simply Atem, and Atem didn't really give a crap what that person wanted. Whatever his or her business was with him could wait till his birthday. Atem ignored the knocking, until it eventually stopped. But after it stopped it sounded like that person was messing with some paper, so he glanced over at his door. Since there was still lights in the hallway behind the door, he could see the person's shadow. Even after the person left there was still something in front of his door. Curious he got out of his bed and opened his door quietly. It was a present and a letter. He picked both items up and went back to his bed.

Dear Pharaoh Atem,

It's just me, Anzu, I wanted to see if you wanted to spend some time with me today. We could get some seamstresses and design what you're going to wear for your big party and maybe I can even get something to match you. But you're probably not here right now, so just send a messenger to my family's estate when you get this.

Atem felt as if he had just avoided a major headache and sighed in relief, he crumpled up the note and looked at the small wooden box that came with the note. There was writing on the box too

p.s. here's something that I bought for you! I wanted to give it to you on your birthday but since we are going to pick out an outfit for you I'm giving this to you now for some inspiration.

He snorted, he knew why she gave him this piece of jewelry, so he would wear it at his party and she could brag to everybody how he was wearing her necklace. Then everyone who saw that on him would assume that he was her man. Disgusting. He had a strong urge to just chuck the damn box off the balcony, but curiosity got the best of him. He morbidly wondered just what kind of trinket she picked out for him. Would it be a flower or a big gaudy jewel? He opened the box and was amazed by what he saw. It was a crescent moon with wings with a glowing stone in it's center. He ran his index finger over it, it was smooth and cool, and it sent chills through his body. It seemed to hold an unworldly beauty. As if his arms were thinking and moving on their own he soon found that the necklace was around his neck. As if on cue, he heard his special knock. Getting up he wondered if it was a charm for good luck, he hoped it was he would need it while he tried to sneak out of his own palace.

How'd you all like this chapter? I hope it was more interesting than the last few chapters. Okay I know I made Isis out of character but how could I help it? She's just so awesome looking, and in the anime she just seems so serious. I wanted to make her character to have some quarks. But since it is alternate universe, some personality changes should be expected. I really do hope that this story isn't too predictable or the pace is too slow so nothing is catching your interest. This is a Y&Y based fanfic, but I also wanted to focus on other coupling possibilities, or just other couples in the anime that were never given any real screen time to show development.

Okay to answer my first reviewer: Aura-chan, good question, how did Artimis find Yugi? Well that answer is in the Prelude. Even though the song really doesn't specify how the Moon (or in my story Artimis) found him, it is implied that somehow the moon knows where the child is, because it is effected by the child's emotions (happiness: it is a full moon, and sadness: the moon is crescent). To fit it more into my story I made the Moon into a Goddess, and the only Goddess that I knew of that was represented by the moon is Artimis (that may be incorrect I admit it, it's been a while since I've read up on Greek mythology). So after Yugi's father abandons him in the mountains I made it so Artimis (being an all knowing Goddess) know where he his, takes him to one of her old temples and attempts to raise him there. Thank you so much for the review, at least now I know someone is reading my story!