Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and characters by Kazuki Takahashi. Concept versions by me. All original characters within belong to either me or Chan.

Bakura-Atem
Yami-Khiti

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Many realms, as you know, have a predictable string to them. The spiky-haired one is the Pharaoh and the white-haired one is the thief. However, in this realm things went differently.

It all began two hundred years before. Two sisters from Kurueruna, nearly identical save for the colors of their hair, went to Thebes to witness the crowning parade of a new Pharaoh. Now these two women stood out most strikingly against their dark-haired fellows, and the Pharaoh happened to notice them and he fell immediately in love with one of them. In most realms, it was the blond sister who caught his eye, but in this realm, it was the white-haired sister who attracted his fancy. And so history was changed and diverged from the usual route.

Now, two hundred years later, the result of this little switch is perfectly clear...

"You worthless brat!" The horse switch lashed over the back of the silent eight year old again and again to the cursing of the man delivering the punishment. "I should have drowned you both when you were born!"

Khiti narrowed his violet eyes, his teeth gritted to keep from crying out, braced against the wall to keep from falling. His twin brother Atali was cowering in the corner, his eyes squeezed shut and his hands over his ears. Every blow felt like fire, but he managed to keep his silence. He was used to these beatings afterall, and one day, he swore he would give back thrice what he was given.

One day, 'father'... Khiti's mind hissed. One day, I'll make you pay for what you've done to us and then mother will smile and sing again.

The beating continued until his father grew tired and then the man left with a parting kick to his defiant son. Only then did Khiti make a sound, a low hiss as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He sagged to the floor, an arm around his ribs and hatred burning in eyes far too old to belong to one as young as he.

He winced when he felt a cool hand touch his shoulder.

"C-Come on." Atali stuttered softly. "L-Lets go t-to the oasis..."

Khiti nodded and slowly rose to his feet, taking his twin's hand and turning to quickly leave the house. Their mother, he knew, was probably in the room she shared with their father, pretending to be asleep. Their father had probably gone to the temple to begin preparations for the evening rituals in honor of the Goddess Aset who was called the Goddess of Heka, or magic. Khiti had already learned many of the magic involved in the rituals so that he could surpass his father and destroy him with the magic. That his father actually helped him learn in trying to train him to become a priest himself, well that was just irony in the eight year old's eyes.

Reaching the oasis, he and his twin both tore their kilts off and went dashing into the cool water. Khiti yelped when the water hit the welts on his back, but soon he relaxed for the coldness soothed the burning and he rolled to float on his back, spiky, multi-colored hair going limp as it grew wet.

"Kh-Khiti?"

"Hm?"

Atali swam over to his brother, his violet eyes large. "W-Why don't we j-just run away...? W-With mom?"

Khiti sighed heavily and shifted to come upright. Turning to look at his twin, he shook his head. "She'd never leave. She's too scared he'll find us and kill us and I'm too little to protect her and you. Once we're older I'll kill him...but we have to wait."

Atali nodded slightly, accepting this decision. His own multi-colored hair was plastered down flat to his head and made him look more venerable than usual. Khiti crossed the short distance and hugged his brother briefly before moving back so they could stay above the water. "It'll be okay, Atali." He said encouragingly. "I'll always protect you."

The two brothers stayed at the oasis until dusk, then got their kilts on and began the short trek back to the village. As they approached however, they saw that something was definitely wrong.

"I-Is that fire?" Atali clung to his brother and stared. Their village was aflame, and above the crackling they could begin to hear the sounds of yelling and screams.

Khiti too stared in shock, and so he didn't immediately notice when his timid brother let go of him and did something uncharacteristic.

"Ammah!" Atali yelled, breaking into a run straight toward the village, calling for their mother. "Ammah!!"

"Atali!" Khiti took off after his twin, but Atali was fast and had a head start. Khiti plunged into the miasma of flame and smoke, coughing and calling out weakly for his twin. A hand shoved him hard and he stumbled, tripping and falling into a pile of refuse. Sharp pain lanced up his face and he cried out, then he collapsed and all went dark.

He awoke to darkness and stench. Moving slowly, Khiti pushed garbage off himself and reached up to rub at his right eye, which wouldn't open. Pain made him gasp and he paused, then remembered that he'd been pushed.

"Atali!" The boy yelled suddenly and staggered free of the refuse pile, moving to the side of the building he looked out into the silent village.

Blood stained the walls and ground around him, but he didn't see a single body. Confused and scared, Khiti ventured out, moving slowly. Fires still sputtered here and there, but there was no sign of life anywhere. Just blood, scraps of clothing and bits of broken weapons.

"Atali?" He ventured. "Mother?"

But only the wind answered him.

After a bit of searching, he found a large amount of blood on all but a part of the ground. It led into an open hatch by the temple. This led down below where the most sacred rituals were performed and Khiti went down, hoping to find his answers there. Instead he was met with the nearly overwhelming stench of death. The eight year old reeled and gagged, the cut over his eye giving a sharp twinge, but he pressed on. He had to know.

At the bottom, torches flickered and revealed the horrible truth to the boy.

There lay a tablet, stained still with blood. Seven empty spots there were, each a particular shape. Khiti had never seen it before, but something, some instinct, or perhaps the Goddess Herself, told him that his fellows had died to create whatever fit in those slots.

Khiti started screaming. He screamed and screamed until his throat was raw. It seems like he screamed for hours, and when he could scream no more, he stood, chest heaving, staring at the tablet stone. He didn't cry, it was almost as if he couldn't, and then a strange state fell upon his mind and he left almost calmly and headed back up the stairs. He looked around on the ground as he walked, finally finding what he sought, the broken end of a sword. He knelt and picked it up, ignoring as it's sharp edge cut into his skin and he brought it up to his face, slashing across the cut already on his face, barely seeming to feel the pain through his shock. "One for Ammah and one for Atali." He muttered in a detached voice. "I'll never forget." And with that, he stood up and walked right out of his village into the desert, barely seeming to notice the deathly chill of the night.

Khiti was lucky, for bandits were riding nearby. They had been planning to raid the village for anything possibly left behind, but instead they found an eight year old boy with spiky hair and blood covering his face, trudging through the night brittle sand with a glazed expression, shivering violently both from the shock and cold. Their leader was a compassionate man and took pity on the poor survivor. He had the boy bundled up in the blanket in his pack and they left Kurueuna behind, returning instead to their camp to care for the boy. It took them many weeks to nurse Khiti back to health, for infection had set in and he grew feverish. Once the fever broke, he was taken in as one of their own and he began to learn the thieving trade. All went well until some time after Khiti turned thirteen, for then the compassionate leader took ill and died and the other bandits started ruthlessly stealing all Khiti owned, forcing him to leave lest he be killed.

And now comes the next turn in the story, in which a chance meeting begins a lifelong friendship.

"Hi there!"

Khiti looked up wearily from where he sat against a wall. He had retreated to Thebes after being driven out of the bandits and he had been trying to scrape by a living by stealing food. However, that proved to be a rather unreliable way to survive and he now hadn't eaten for nearly a week. He looked up into eyes almost the same violet color as his own and he jerked in surprise, for it was the first time he had seen such an eye color outside his village. As he took in the rest of the features, he realized that he was in the presence of the young prince of Egypt.

"Um...hello..." Khiti ventured, wondering what was going on. He had since found out that it had been the current Pharaoh's men who had massacred his fellow villagers, but not even he was so foolish as to attempt anything against the prince when he was so hungry and he had six wary guards watching him with their hands on their swords.

"You look hungry." The cheerful five year old prince observed, brushing some short white hair out of his eyes. "My name's Ahmose, what's yours?"

Severely disturbed that the prince was talking to him, let alone practically in his face, Khiti straightened up slowly. "...Khiti." He responded. "And...I am pretty hungry." He added as an afterthought.

Young Ahmose smiled and hopped over to what was really not much more than a pony. He took something out of the saddle bag and then stepped back over to Khiti, offering the bundle to him.

"It's my lunch." He said when Khiti slowly reached out to take it. "You can have it though. I don't mind. You need it more than I do." He smiled happily. "I'm going to be a good Pharaoh!" He said then with the optimism typical of those with good hearts who haven't really suffered hardship. "I'm gonna make sure everyone's got food and is happy!"

Khiti couldn't help but smile a bit. The child's enthusiasm was infectious. Maybe I won't kill you when I kill your father. He thought to himself. "Thank you, your highness." He said politely. "I really appreciate it."

Ahmose smiled even more and hugged Khiti as if on an impulse, ignoring the sudden protests from his guards, and then he hopped away to his pony. He climbed up into his saddle and turned back to wave to Khiti. "You're really nice," He said. "I hope we meet again!"

Khiti just smiled and the young prince turned his mount to continue on to wherever he was going, his guards on their horses following.

As the years progressed, Khiti became a master thief and met the young prince many more times. As those years ticked on, Khiti's anger waned. There was no question that he would kill the Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen who had had his village destroyed, but his son would be spared. Khiti had come to like the cheerful youth far too much to end his life, and if he did it right, young Ahmose would never know who had killed his father.

And so the years trudged on until it was twelve years after their first meeting and a new Pharaoh sat in place of the old...

Seventeen year old Atem, crowned Pharaoh since his father's death from poison the month prior, sighed softly as he made his way down the hallway toward his room from the throne room. He was tired in body and mind and fully intended to relax and perhaps have a pleasant conversation with Amisi, his chief concubine who was as skilled in conversing as she was in bed. However, this was not to be.

A young servant girl was making her way down the hall with a small basket of laundry in her arms. She appeared pale and gaunt with stringy but curly red hair hanging past her shoulders and in front of her red eyes, which she was keeping cast to the floor. Atem blinked at the unexpected sight, for he had never before seen someone who looked so unhealthy and he wondered if she had been recently bought. He moved to the side of the hallway to let her pass when a man appeared around a corner and went to grab the girl, upon seeing his ruler however, he stopped and bowed deeply.

"My Pharaoh." He said, sounding mildly surprised.

At those words, the servant girl jerked her head up, her eyes going wide as if in fright before she collapsed, spilling the basket and it's contents to the floor. The man leapt forward to catch her with a startled exclamation. "Tashat!"

Atem frowned and stepped a bit closer. "Is she unwell?" He inquired, frowning faintly in concern.

The man sighed softly. "She is, my Pharaoh. We've begun thinking perhaps she's too ill to have around at all."

"Has she been taken to a physician?"

The man frowned, as if puzzled by the question. "She's a bought slave, my Pharaoh..." He said slowly.

At this, Atem arched a brow. "So does that mean she doesn't have the right to be cared for?"

The man's confusion grew more obvious, for it seemed to him that was exactly what it meant. "Ah...it would simply be easier and faster to buy another..." He commented.

Atem's frown became more severe, there were obviously some gross misunderstandings to be worked out. "Your name?" He said briskly.

The man bowed his head respectfully. "It is Ket, my Pharaoh."

Atem nodded slightly and fixed his violet eyes on him. "Ket." He spoke firmly. "Human lives, even the life of a slave, are not to be simply tossed aside. Every life has worth. Now see to it that she sees a physician."

Ket blinked, but then bowed his head again. "Right away, my Pharaoh." And he stood, picking up the unconscious slave in his arms and turned to head back the way he'd come.

Satisfied that the girl would be cared for, Atem continued on his way and shortly after, entered his room only to find someone already there waiting for him.

"Hiya Princy!" Twenty five year old Khiti greeted his younger friend with a jaunty wave and a smirk. He was wearing nearly every bit of jewelry that Atem kept out and was sitting on the Pharaoh's reclining couch, popping some grapes into his mouth and being overall, rather smug. While by Egyptian standards he was almost middle aged, he acted and looked half that. His spiky hair, while tied down against the back of his neck, was full and didn't have a speck of gray in it. He had managed to retain all of his teeth, his skin was more or less wrinkle-free and he was in excellent shape. Both Atem and Khiti were certain that the wily thief would live to be pretty old, perhaps all the way to fifty.

Atem shut his door behind himself and looked at his older friend for a few silent moments. "I would ask you to put that which belongs to me back where it was, my good friend." He said firmly at last. "And kindly do not forget again that I am Pharaoh now, not a prince."

Khiti snorted and shoved himself up off the reclining couch after a moment to obediently replace everything he'd put on. "Sometimes you're just no fun, my Pharaoh ."

"And the necklace and blue ring in your money pouch." Atem said absently before kicking off his sandals and flopping onto his soft bed with a heavy sigh. "I wish father hadn't been killed...I still had so much to learn."

Khiti paused to look at his friend. "...Hey Atem, you're always going to have more things to learn. I'm at the top of my career and I'm still learning!"

"Yes, well...I miss him, Khiti."

"Go drown it in the Nile." Khiti snorted and put down the rest of the jewelery. "Bad things happen...and I'm sure he deserved it somehow."

Atem sat up abruptly, his violet eyes narrowed. "Don't ever say that again!" He snapped. "My father was a good man and a wonderful Pharaoh. He most assuredly did not deserve to be murdered!"

Khiti bowed sardonically. "As my Pharaoh commands." He said snidely.

Atem huffed a couple of times before his anger blew out and he flopped over again. "...He was a good man." He repeated. "You would call me soft yes, but I had a close relationship with my father. He loved me as much as he loved my mother and always took time to be with me. I still miss him, I still need him..."

Khiti considered that in silence for several moments, and he felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't considered his younger friend's reaction into his plan of revenge when he'd quietly poisoned the former Pharaoh's evening wine. Even if the cause of death hadn't been discovered, Atem would still be mourning heavily. After another few moments, he sighed. "Yeah, of course." He said. "Me and my big mouth. Sorry Princy."

"Pharaoh." Atem absently corrected, then it was his turn to sigh and he forced himself to sit up again. "Are you here for any particular reason, or simply paying a social call?"

Khiti snorted softly and jerked his head toward the balcony. "There's whispers that Persians are heading for Thebes in force. I hear they're a ways off yet, but it could turn serious in not too long."

Atem's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "Persians? What reason could they have to bring an army toward...oh never mind. They must have heard about my father's death and they wish to test my mettle."

"Sounds like something they'd do." Khiti agreed.

"Well thank you for informing me of this, my dearest friend." There was a pause and then he looked at the thief directly. "You really should come work in the palace. I could use you at my side, and you could serve to benefit much."

Khiti held up a hand. "I told you, Atem. I won't work for you, or for anyone. I bring you information because you're my friend, not because I'm ordered and that's the way I like it. I'm too young yet to settle down into some sedentary life."

Atem smirked slightly. "Not even for love?" He asked with an arched brow. "I know you have an eye on one of my concubines. Suti, is it? I would let her go with you. She seems to like you as well."

Khiti blinked, then laughed softly. "Sharp eyes, Atem." He said approvingly. "You'd be right about that...but I'm not changing my mind, even for that beauty. She can do better."

"I do not believe she wants to, my friend. Can we not discuss this? The notion of a partnership?"

Khiti rose to his feet and looked at his younger friend, arching a brow. "A partnership? With a Pharaoh?" He laughed. "You are still too new to power, it seems. You're a mortal God, Atem. No one can be your equal, let alone a lowly thief."

"The populace can think that if they wish," Atem responded a touch peevishly. "but you should know better. I am a man, like any other. Trickery is your favorite pastime, so think of it like that. While those around us could think of you as inferior, the truth of it would be us working as...well near-equals." He held a hand out toward the thief. "No one knows the ripples within my subjects better than you. With your help, I could make a better Egypt. Lessen the suffering...make people happy."

Khiti watched that hand as if it was an asp, but as Atem spoke, his resolve wavered. He had known Atem since he was but a boy, and he knew his friend honestly meant what he said, even if it was an impossible dream. Suddenly however, it didn't seem so impossible and Khiti wanted to help it happen.

Could not anything be possible when the Millennium Items are involved? "I'll think about it." He said at last. "Now if you don't mind, I have a priceless jewel to visit." And with a sly smirk, he was suddenly jumping off the balcony.

Atem chuckled softly, knowing that Khiti's ka, the winged snake Diabound, would see him safely to the harem and with a yawn, he allowed himself to collapse onto his soft bed again. A little later he would send for food, but right then, all he wanted was to rest and let his back untense from having sat on the unyielding throne for hours on end. Confident that Khiti would take him up on his offer, he let his eyes close to drift away into dreams.