Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Countdown to Armageddon ❯ Family ( Chapter 1 )

Welcome!

This is the first real chapter of the story so read and review. This chapter {VIH: actually more like this whole story} is basically a product of listening to P!nk's Family Portrait a few too many times over Christmas break.

VIH: You'll see what she means after you read this and the next few chapters.

Yes I have actually been working on it that long. It's also rated R for stuff that will happen later.

One more thing. The prologue as I said before just kind of sets the seen. It has practically nothing to do with theactual story yet. Sort of. *sigh* It's hard to explain. Just read and you'll get it. Go Mortals! READ!

VIH: ¬_¬u

~*~

"words" - speech

'words' - thought

skipping lines/a large gap indicates a scene change or passage of time.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

Warnings: This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters.

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Chapter 1: Family

It was dark. Night had long since descended upon the great city of Thebes. By now most were resting comfortably in their beds, but somewhere within the walls of the enormous, royal palace a soul was restless.

The 'small' room was lit only by the dim moonlight that penetrated the thin curtains of the tall windows, as they danced softly in the wind. Objects of all shapes and sizes littered the polished limestone floor, most made of gold some of wood and hide. They were one of few things that suggested the room belonged to a child. A large toy-chest sat in one corner, obviously unused, and in the opposite corner was a comfortable-looking couch and chair set along with a small worktable, also fit for a child.

On the other side of the room a small figure lay hidden beneath the lightly coloured sheets of the bed. He clutched the bedding firmly as he attempted to stifle his sniffles. He didn't want to cry. His father hated it when he cried. A four-year old was far too old for that, but he couldn't help it.

He could still see his mother fall to the floor, eyes squeezed shut, clutching her swelling cheek and it was his fault. He'd just wanted to play a bit, but as his father put it: he was a prince, and a prince didn't have time for such childish nonsense. His mother of course, being the stubborn person she naturally was, had protested, saying that that was exactly what he was: a child and he should be allowed to enjoy himself once in a while. From there it had turned into yet another full blown argument that ended as usual with his father's hand making some sort of physical contact with some part of his mother's facial anatomy.

The tears had threatened to spill then, but one stern look from his father forced them back. Now that he was alone it was harder to hold them in. He was certain that they had worse fights when they were alone too. He was young, not stupid. Many a night his mother would leave him with not a scratch on her and in the morning have horrible bruises that she tried to conceal. His father had spent his share of days with slight limps of his own. His mother was no pushover. Still, he hated it when they fought. The looks of absolute hatred on their faces, when they did, frightened him. He wondered sometimes how they had ever gotten together.

Sinking further into despair, he was startled when a pair of strong tanned arms wrapped around him and pulled him from under the covers into a warm embrace. He instantly snuggled into the figure recognizing it almost immediately. He looked up into the smiling face at a pair of loving honey-brown eyes, one of those hands moving to wipe the tears away from his own scarlet ones.

"Mama," he whimpered. She kissed his forehead softly and pushed his golden bangs away from his face.

"Shh… Get some rest Ouji." Her fingers ran through her son's dark maroon and gold mane. He nodded lightly, exhausted, but glad for the company.

He always slept better with her close by and he loved the way she would rub his back slowly until he fell asleep. She pulled him closer so he could rest his head on her shoulder. He was slowly being lulled to sleep, but as he was he couldn't help but feel… bad? He didn't know how else to describe it, but knowing how much pain his mother had to be in and that she was still comforting him just gave him a horrible pang in his chest. He lifted one of his small hands and brushed it against his woman's bruised cheek. She winced, allowing a stray bead of water cascade down her face. He knew she was hurting and he wanted to return the favour. He did his best to wrap his small arms around her, some of his fingers getting tangled in her long black hair in the process, then carried on, gently stroking her back as she had done for him.

The queen couldn't hep but smile at the gesture. It was moments like this that she was glad she had been forced into marrying the man she now called husband. Her son was the only thing that made it all worthwhile and everyday she thanked every god she knew that he was nothing like his father. "Thank you."

"Welcome," he answered, obviously straining to stay awake and finish his task, but his mother would have none of that.

"Sleep now."

"But-"

"Now." He pouted and she exhaled deeply and looked him straight in the eyes. "Do not fear little one. Soon you will have no more worries."

The prince relented with a sigh. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what his mother meant, but he was too tired to think about it, so he gave in, letting the loving arms carry him off into the land of slumber.

Again. It had happened again. Twice in only three days, but this time it had been worse. He couldn't even remember what it had been about this time only… only the blood. The way it had poured down her face and unto the floor. They way he had screamed for them to stop, but they had only ignored him.

The figure once again lay tangled in silk sheets somehow managing to look even smaller than he had before. His arms were closed tightly around him in a vain attempt to stop himself from shaking, but he was just too terrified.

He heard the door open this time, but didn't pay attention. As before he was pulled from beneath the sheets, but this time the other did not sit. She let him cry for a while until he was calm enough to speak then pulled him back.

"Ouji, I want you to listen closely. It's over. I promise. I need you to do exactly as I say alright?" He nodded, still not having found his voice yet. "Good." She set him down on the ground, reached under the bed and pulled some things out.

'When did those get there?' he wondered to himself. One was a carrying-sack that she placed on the edge of the bed along with another item that looked like some sort of rope. It was a bit hard to tell in the darkness. Out of the pack she pulled some pieces of cloth and returned to the boy. "Hold still." She started wrapping one of them around his head, hiding his oddly coloured hair, like a turban. The other, larger piece she wrapped around his body giving the young prince the look of a commoner, then placed two tiny sandals on his feet. She went about the room for a while, grabbing a few things here and there and stuffing them into the bag. The child watched this with no small amount of curiosity. What was she doing? Were they going somewhere? Is that why they were dressed so funny? He didn't know the answers, but he was more than certain of one thing: He trusted his mother. Whatever she was doing it was probably for the best.

Soon she had finished gathering what she thought was important and closed the bag up. Next Ouji saw her tying one end of what he was now sure was rope to one of the posts at the foot of his bed. "Ouji come here." He obediently did as he was told and stepped forward. "Lift your arms up for me." Again he obeyed. The other end of the rope was then quickly fastened around his waist. Her hands were trembling as the tied it and she looked very nervous.

"Ow! It's too tight."

"I know, but it has to be for now." His mother stood taking him by the hand and walked him over to the window. He saw her look out and wave to something down at the bottom, he couldn't tell what though. He was barely tall enough for his finger-tips to reach the sill.

His mother turned back around and crouched down to his level. "Trust me Ouji. Everything will be fine. Just do as I tell you okay?" He nodded. "I'm going to lower you down first. Then I'll come after you. Just hold on tight and don't look down."

Lower him down?! She hoisted the small child up and over to the window, then slowly released the rope's slack. She had been planning this for a while now and figured it was now or never. She couldn't put her son through that torment any longer. 'No more,' she thought to herself.

Ouji on the other hand, was doing his best not to look down. He grasped the rope tightly and squeezed his eyes shut until he felt strong hands hold him firmly. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Rudiju holding him. Rudiju was a middle-aged, blonde-haired man and his personal bodyguard. He had been since the prince was old enough to walk and wonder about the palace. They were a long line of exceedingly loyal, royal guards and the almost-white hair seemed to be a strong trait along the men in his family. He didn't think about that for very long though, for soon he was untied and his mother had made her way down the line, though, she too was now dressed like a peasant.

"Thank you so very much Rudiju." The Egyptian nodded in understanding.

"Please Mistress; allow me to come with you. It isn't safe. The desert is full of many dangers and-"

"No, you mustn't. I may not know much, but I know enough magic to keep us safe. Besides, you've done more than enough for us. I could not ask you to betray your pharaoh any further."

"I have done nothing wrong. My duty is to protect the prince and do whatever is best for him. That is exactly what I am doing."

"I know. Thank you."

"Senbi is waiting for you. You must hurry before you are spotted. Take care my Queen. May Bes[1] guide and protect you both."

"I will and the same to you." She turned and picked up her still very confused son and hurried away from the scene. As they climbed through the well hidden opening in the palace perimeter the little prince could only wonder. Where were they going, what were they going to do, and most importantly, 'What about Papa?' Though it went unnoticed a soft golden light flickered for a moment on the boy's forehead.

To Be Continued…

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] A dwarf god believed to guard against evil spirits and misfortune.

Not what you expected, huh? I know it seems sappy right now, but trust me the angst does come in, if not in the next chapter then DEFINITELY the chapter after that. I'll try and make the chapters longer, but I can't make any promises. Please give me your honest opinions and any ideas you may have.