Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, shape or form! I'm not Kazuki Takahashi after all!

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Chapter One: You Won't Lose Me

Atemu smiled as he watched the sun rise over the sandy hills of his country. The sky turned pink, red, orange and blue as it started to become morning again, the darkness of night now dissipating.

This was Atemu's favorite time of day. It was before the weight of his kingly duties was forced onto him. It was the time when he could observe Ra rising over the land to keep everyone safe under his watchful eye. It was the time when nothing ever mattered.

"Papa?" Atemu looked behind him to see his son standing just before the balcony, rubbing his eyes. "Why are you up?"

He chuckled. "I should be asking you that, Yuugi. Little boys are supposed to have lots of sleep."

Yuugi huffed. "I'm not that little, Papa! I'm five years old!"

Atemu smiled. "I know you are. Come out here. I want to show you something."

Yuugi tilted his head. He walked towards his father and looked up at him. "What is it, Papa?"

Atemu lifted Yuugi up onto the ledge of the balcony. His short legs dangled over the edge as Atemu kept one arm around his son's stomach so he wouldn't fall. Yuugi gasped. "Wow! Papa, it's so pretty!"

He smiled. "Yes, I know. I wake up every morning to watch the sun rise. It's one of my favorite things to do."

Yuugi leaned forward. "Wow, look at the sky!"

Atemu gently pushed Yuugi back. "Be careful, Yuugi. I have a hold of you but I do not want you to fall."

Yuugi looked down and gasped. He must have been at least fifty feet in the air, sitting on the edge of the balcony. He grabbed at his father's robes and hid his face in his shoulder. "Papa!"

Atemu smiled down at him. "Don't be afraid, my son. I wouldn't let you fall. You're safe. I just do not want you to get hurt."

He pulled Yuugi off the ledge and into his arms. "It's all right now. You don't have to be afraid."

Yuugi sniffed and leaned back. "I wasn't afraid, Papa."

Atemu laughed. "No, of course you weren't. You're a brave, strong boy." He wiped away the tears on his cheeks. He carried Yuugi back into the chambers.

"Papa, can I wake up with you tomorrow to watch the sun rise?" Yuugi asked.

He smiled. "We'll see."

--

It was noon. Today was hotter then most days as Yuugi and Atemu ate their lunch together. Atemu always made sure to eat every meal with his son. The duties of a Pharaoh often interfered with their time together so he made sure to spend as much time with him as he possibly could.

There was a sudden loud knock on the door. "My Pharaoh! There's an emergency!"

"Come in, Mahado." He stood up and wiped any food from his mouth with a cloth napkin.

The magician entered and bowed. "Forgive me for disturbing you, but a field has caught on fire. The heat was too intense. It's quickly making its way toward the village outside our walls."

"Gather our soldiers. We need to help them quickly." Atemu ordered.

Mahado nodded and ran out of the chambers. Atemu kneeled down to his son. "Yuugi, you must stay here. It's too dangerous and this is the safest place for you."

Yuugi nodded. He wanted to go with his father but knew it wasn't right to go against his words. He watched Atemu run out of the room and close the door after him. He heard his father's voice, telling a guard to stand watch at the door.

Yuugi ran out to the balcony staring at the sky. In the distance, he saw a tower of smoke spilling up into the air. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He wasn't surprised that a field caught fire. It was so hot!

He was too short to see over the ledge so he forced himself onto his tiptoes. Even then he could barely see over it. He pouted. "Maybe I am too little."

--

The villagers screamed in terror as the fire raged towards their little town. One villager cried, "If the flames reach the village we're done for!"

"Never mind the village, our crops are being destroyed!" Another announced.

Children screamed in fear. The mother's held their children securely. One mother cried, "We need help! Please stop this!"

"Look! It's the Pharaoh and his priests! They've come!" The villagers rejoiced as their king and his court of priests and soldiers rode on horses to their rescue.

They lined up at the Nile River with the biggest canisters in the palace. Each was filled with water and thrown onto the fire to keep it away from the village. Atemu and the priests made sure to keep everyone away from the flames while the soldiers worked at keeping the flames at bay.

Once the inferno was a fair distance away, Mahado turned to his student. "All right, Mana, it's your turn now."

"Me?" She watched as Mahado nodded. "All right. I'll try." Mana lifted her staff up towards the sky. She closed her eyes and shouted, "Matar!"

Nothing happened. Everyone looked up at the sky but there was no change.

Then suddenly, there was a crack of lighting. The clouds darkened and raindrops fell from the sky. It was a heavy rainfall and quickly put out the fire. The villagers cheered as the flames were smothered.

"Good work, Mana. I'm proud of you." Mahado smiled at his pupil.

"Yes, you did a wonderful job." Atemu smiled as well, but then he noticed that the rain was still falling. "Why hasn't it stopped?"

Mana looked up. "Oops." She lifted her staff again. "U'af!" The rain continued to fall from the sky. "U'af!" She pouted, as the rain wouldn't stop.

Mahado chuckled. "You need to study more, Mana." Chanting a quick spell, the rain immediately stopped. The sun shined through the clouds, as they turned white once again. "Shall we return to the palace?"

The villagers cheered as Atemu turned to leave. Upon their horses, they left at a slow trot. He smiled as Mana mumbled something about the rain being stupid. "Don't get too upset, Mana. You did a very good job! You just need to practice more."

She sighed. "I know. I just wish my practicing would get me somewhere!"

"It will, Mana. You just need time." Mahado instructed. "It's not going to come to you over night. It took me quite a long time to master-"

"Something's wrong." Atemu glared as he looked all around them.

"What is it, my king?" Karim asked.

He was silent for a moment. "I do not know. We must hurry to the palace."

Everyone set off in a gallop as they neared the palace. The gates were opened and as they entered everyone inside bowed to the Pharaoh. Everything was normal. Nothing was out of place, everyone was here, and there was nothing wrong.

'But why is my Puzzle warning me as if there is? What could it be?' Atemu pointed to a guard and asked him to come forth. "Has anything happened while I was away? Anything at all?"

He bowed at the Pharaoh's feet. "No, my Pharaoh. Nothing."

Atemu sighed. "Thank you."

Everyone dismounted and the horses were put back in the stables. Shada stood beside Atemu. "What is it that troubles you, my king?"

"I feel like there's something wrong. I do not know what, but . . . something is wrong." Atemu started walking towards the inner building. "Perhaps it is nothing."

A piercing scream echoed through the palace. Everyone flinched and turned towards the balcony just outside of the Pharaoh's chambers. Atemu knew that voice all too well. "YUUGI!"

He ran towards the balcony and as he neared it, he could see his son dangling over the edge. 'I beg you, Gods of Egypt! Please don't take him away from me!'

--

Yuugi grunted as he tried to climb over the edge. He lost whatever grip he had on the ledge and fell on his bottom. Yuugi stared up at the wall. "It's not that tall . . . I'll jump over it!"

Smiling at his new tactic, Yuugi stood up and ran over to the entrance of the balcony. He took a deep breath and ran at the ledge. He jumped up over the ledge and succeeded in going over it!

But then he went to far. He screamed as loud as he could as he felt himself starting to fall towards the ground. He scrambled to grab onto the ledge, but he was already past it.

Below the ledge were carvings that were scrapped into the stone. He quickly grabbed onto them and struggled to get back up.

"My Prince! Where are you!" It must have been the guard that stood watch outside the door. But it seems that he came too late. Yuugi lost his grip on the carvings and started falling once again. He gasped. "Papa . . ."

Yuugi could only watch in terror as he fell past the balcony. He had lost his voice and couldn't scream for help. Then, a pair of arms wrapped around Yuugi's body, catching him in mid air. Yuugi looked up and blinked. 'It's Mahado's Illusion Magician!'

It gently landed on the ground and held Yuugi close. The Prince felt tears fall from his eyes. 'Papa's going to be so mad at me.'

"Yuugi!" Atemu cried out as he ran towards the magician. It held out its arms, giving Yuugi to Atemu. "Yuugi! My son, thank goodness! I was so terrified!"

The priests ran towards him. Mahado cried out, "Is the Prince all right?!"

Atemu rubbed his back, which was shaking from his sobs. "Shh, it's all right now, Yuugi. Don't be afraid. You're all right." He looked up to his priests. "I'm sure he's just scared. Yuugi's fine."

They sighed in relief. Their thankful smiles turned to frowns of confusion as the Prince said something to his father. "I'm so sorry, Papa. I didn't mean to! Please don't be angry at me!"

Atemu blinked. "Yuugi, why in the world would I be mad at you? You did not do anything wrong."

Yuugi sobbed heavily. "B-but . . . But I-"

Atemu interrupted him. "That's enough, Yuugi. You're a good boy. You did not do anything wrong and I'm not mad at you. But promise me you will never do that again." He whispered in Yuugi's ear so only he would hear it. "I was so afraid that I might have lost you."

Atemu excused Yuugi and himself so they could quickly see the healer. As they were walking into the palace, Yuugi's cries slowly decreased. His father's gentle words and soothing touch had calmed his fears and his tears no longer fell.

Upon arrival, Atemu set Yuugi down on the bed and let the healer check to make sure that he wasn't hurt. He had a tiny scrape on his knee from when he tried to climb back up, but was otherwise unharmed. He held the boy's hand as his knee was treated with a medicine. The instant it touched his injury, Yuugi squeaked in pain.

He buried his face in Atemu's side. "Papa, it burns! Make it go away!"

Atemu patted Yuugi's head. "It's all right, Yuugi. It has to be done. Just be brave. Don't cower away from something so small. You can be brave for me can't you?"

Yuugi sniffed and nodded. He turned back into a seated position and bit his lip. A few tears fell past his tightly closed eyes, but once the burning sensation left he stopped crying.

Atemu thanked the healer and picked Yuugi up, carrying him back to his bedroom. He gently set Yuugi on the bed and tucked him in. "Get some rest, Yuugi. I'll have the Illusion Magician watch over you."

"Can't you stay with me, Papa?" Yuugi asked, his big bright eyes begging his father to stay.

He smiled. "I wish I could. But I have to take care of something first. I'll be back tonight, I promise." He kissed Yuugi's forehead. "Sleep well, my son."

Atemu stood up and walked out of the room. Before he closed the door, he heard Yuugi say something. "I promise not to go anywhere, Papa. You won't lose me."

He smiled and closed the door. Atemu leaned his back against it and sighed. "Thank you, Gods of Egypt. Thank you for sparing him, for your mercy. Thank you."

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Matar rain

U'af Stop!