AN: This is an AU series idea I've had for awhile that starts in Ancient Egypt and flows over into the modern manga storyline. Please review and let me know if you guys think it's worth continuing. Rating will almost definitely go up later in the story, but for now it's still T worthy.

Disclaimer: I own an over active imagination

Chapter 1: Taken

Thump Thump Thump…

The bounce of the wagon running over something roused the weary youth inside. Ruby colored eyes slowly opened to his dark and damp quarters. The smell of sweat permeated throughout the cramped quarters shared by three bodies. Among them was a tall young man played out across the wooden floor in what might have been nice robes at some point, but were now faded and tattered. The third a boy of his age with long golden hair sitting against the walls of the wagon with his knees drawn close.

Outside the sounds of men giving orders and rustling of the camels carried into the wagon, albeit too muffled to decipher exactly what was being said. He tried to slowly raise himself off the floor, his arms shaking until they finally collapsed out from under him. His impact against the floor echoed in the small space and he yelped in pain.

The taping of something against the floor put the boy on alert along with a metallic scraping. The boy looked up to see the other boy, the blond crawling over towards him. The chain on his right ankle rubbing against the wood were the cause of the sound. Chain? The boy suddenly became very aware of something weighing down his own ankle.

"Don't try to get up yet," the boy warned. The blond laid down on his belly to his level. "You've been awake on and off for the past two weeks. Whatever they gave you is still in your system." The boy weakly moved his head in something resembling a nod in understanding. The blond reached down and stroked his tanned fingers through black hair that faded into violet at the tips.

"You've never been this aware before," he stated. "Just enough for them to force food and water into usually. What's your name?"

'Atem,' his mind supplied.

"A-A," his throat was sore and words were difficult to grasp. After a moment he finally uttered out a word. "Amasis." The lie was a struggle to come up with, but his name was something that held a lot of weight.

In the recesses of his mind Atem remembered the brunette boy still unconscious on the floor. In hooded cloaks, adorned underneath in much less grand robes than they were used to. Sneaking out into the night with excitement.

"I've never been outside the Palace grounds, just for a few hours?"

"Fine, but we return before sunrise."

"We will I promise!"

The conversation played in the back of his mind while in reality he was getting used to the numbness fading from his limbs. He could feel his fingers twitch and then his toes, mobility coming back to his body gradually. There was a small comfort from the boy running his fingers through his hair. He was finally looking at the boy closely for the first time. Eyes a pale purple colors that reminded him of some of the flowers that floated in the pools of water veiled off on the palace grounds. The kohl under his eyes was smudged and runny from sweat.

"H-How l-long?" Atem broke out into coughs shaking his entire body. The boy shushed him urgently.

"Longer than me," he whispered now. "Before that, I'm not sure." Atem nodded against the floor again. Talking again would be too painful.

The third member of their group began to murmur and groan as consciousness rushed to him. Atem made a startled noise without meaning to.

'Seto.'

"Poor thing," the blond boy said. "Unfortunately named." Atem realized he'd said that out loud. The previous ache in his throat was still there, but not as strong.

He watched as Seto awoke, turning his head in their direction. Atem noticed he didn't try to rush up as he had. More aware of his situation. The taller boy's eyes went wide at seeing his prince in the wagon, shaking weakly and drenched in his own sweat. Atem prayed he was lucid enough not to address him properly. Amazingly, he didn't say anything. Just allowed his face to relax and expression to mask over. The boy had noticed something however.

"Do you know Amasis?" he asked curiously. Seto didn't respond even with a gesture. The boy looked down at Atem, and Atem gave the familiar nodding gesture he'd taken to. The boy smiled. "My names Namu, I won't say it's nice to meet you, but it's nice not to be alone."

So many questions flew through the young prince of Egypt's mind. Where were they headed? Who had taken them? Finally…how did they get here?"

"Why are you doing this?!"

"I won't let you!"

"Seto!"

The auditory memory made him flinch. Whatever had happened, it had ended with them prisoner and being escorted with this boy. Strange, he didn't seem to be someone too important status wise. He was dressed in cheaply made purple robes, simple in design, and Atem could tell his hair occasionally scraped against callouses on his hands from some sort of labor. Namu clearly wasn't anyone suited as a hostage.

The wagon came to a dead stop flinging the passenger's forward slightly. Namu looked around frantically and whispered to the other two. "Don't let them see you awake." It was urgent, almost pleading. The boy ripped his finger's from Atem's hair pulling a few strands with him and rushing back to the spot he'd previously inhabited. He curled into a fetal position laying on the ground. Each noise made by his chains put more fear on his face.

They all three laid there silently. Jumping occasionally at sounds that came too close to the wagon. For an hour they all stayed deathly still. Two of them unknowing as to why the charade was necessary. Atem felt his body gaining more control as time went on, and so was Seto he assumed. Finally he felt his body fully. A dull ache was present throughout it, but he didn't mind. It meant he could feel, it meant he could move. He turned his head up at Seto to try and whisper to him to question if he also had.

Just then, the doors to the wagon opened and Atem closed his eyes shut on reaction. No light filtered in to paint the back of his eyelids red, and a cold air brushed against them so it must have been night.

Gasp

Atem went stiff when he heard it. It took a moment to process that the sound had come from their ally inside the wagon. Namu. The startled boy must have let the noise out. A sense of dread overcame Atem at the knowledge that whoever had them captive, now knew Namu was awake.

"This one's lucid," a deep male voice said.

"Is his mark still in place?" another asked. Atem had no reference for image behind the darkness of his closed eyes. He could guess Namu was likely shaking with the strangled whimpers of fear he registered.

"Looks like it."

A short, cruel laugh from one of them. From which, he couldn't tell.

"No reason we can't drag him out for a while then is there?" The second voice spoke again.

"N-No please," He heard Namu beg.

"The master might not be happy," the first one grumbled.

His partner gave a scoff. "Only one he actually cares about is the pretty gem in the back. Other two are fair game until we find someone to pay for them."

Pay for them.

'Slavers,' The thought made Atem feel nauseous. He was the son of the Pharaoh, and now he was potentially reduced to the prize of a man who made his living dealing in flesh. His mind went into over drive, thinking of escape possibilities. Ways to overpower their captors. Atem didn't plan to lie still and end up as a laborer, or worse and from the sounds of it more likely, a harem. Namu's warning to feign unconscious had already given them an edge. Hopefully they wouldn't need to administer whatever had been used to drug them thus far for a good while.

The sounds of metallic scarping again, more loudly this time. Thrashing?

"Let go of me!" More fury and desperation than the sorrowful plea from before.

Guilt began to take form in the young man's conscious. The only reason he could count on his mind to plot any escape now was because of the boy being dragged from the wagon. The men taking him away obviously had keys if they were able to remove him from the wagon. The sounds of the other's in their party were far enough to where they might be able to call upon some sort of magic on Seto's behalf quick enough to dispose of them.

They didn't know where they were though. They could be nowhere near Kemet or even a city and left stranded with no resourced.

"Hold still!"

"No!"

SLAP!

All thoughts of risk faded when he heard the blow likely being delivered to Namu. His eyes opened to see the boy huddled in the corner near the open doors of the wagon. Two men wrapped up in colorful cloth standing over him. He held his face in his hands, obviously in pain. He looked at his own chain, long enough to reach them and then some. Atem gripped a fair amount between his hands and took advantage of the backs being turned and pounced as best he could with the chains.

The clanging alerted them quickly to his movement. He was able to step over Seto and jump onto one of their backs, pressing the chain clasped tightly between his hands against his throat. The man gurgled and gasped as his windpipe closed off. His partner lunged to try and grab hold of Atem. A leg swept forth to knock him off balance and defeat his effort.

Seto growled from his spot on the floor and began to imitate his prince's actions on the one he'd tripped. The two men struggled and tried to break free of the choke holds, but only wasted energy and caused the pressure on the throats to increase.

The loud commotion was attracting attention from outside. They heard the shouts of other men in the party. No doubt they'd coming rushing to the wagon any moment to shut down any chance of escape. Unless they could get unchained and out before they arrived.

"Just die already!" Seto shouted the man below him. The man Atem was atop of collapsed forward, going limp and lifeless. Atem scrambled through his belt looking for keys or even some type of blade. No avail, the man didn't even have a dagger on him. Seto did his best to press down harder to try and bleed the life out of his squirming captive faster.

Just as the final gurgles of strangulation began to fly from his throat, a strong hand pulled him back. Correction, about three sets of strong hands. They dragged the tall teenage age boy from the wagon and threw him onto the cold sand outside. One of the men reached for something in his sash while the other two held him down. Another two leaped into the wagon. They pulled out swords ushering Namu and Atem further back into the wagon.

Having to risk being stabbed by the tips of the blades Atem crawled off his victim's body backwards while still trying to see what was happening to Seto. He could see his friend struggling, kicking and thrashing about. A few screams of rage falling from his lips.

He and Namu hit the back wall and the two men glared down at them. The man Seto had strangled hadn't made a move or noise. So at least they took two out. Atem registered a click, like a lock being opened. He looked past them men with swords to see Seto being gripped under his arms dragged away from sight by a much larger man still trying to writhe free. He glared up at the captives.

"Where are you taking him?!" The shout burned his throat, but he didn't care.

One crouched down and the edge of his sword against the red spot on Namu's face where he'd been struck. The look on the blond boy's face equally defiant as his own. "Not too difficult to guess what happened, we heard this one struggling before."

The other looked at Atem, "The master doesn't want you roughed up, but if you and the tall one so eager to rescue that thief." He motioned to Namu. "Then he's more than welcome to take his place."

Atem's blood ran cold in realization.

'No.'

He bellowed out a shout and charged forward at one of the men in pure blind rage. The man obviously hadn't been expecting it and was mildly caught off guard. He managed to knock the man down, but the other was quick to react, raising his sword. Namu charged into his side before he could bring it down. The men in the wagon wrestled for the swords, each one fighting for their lives. One of three who'd stayed behind after Seto dragged off stepped into the wagon to help his comrades.

A scream broke out among the struggle. A scream of pure dying agony, and the scent of blood filled the wagon. The man who'd stepped in lay halfway in the wagon completely ripped apart. Above him floated what appeared to be a large white snake. Blood drizzled down its muzzle from its kill and it hissed at the men strewn across the floor eyeing them hungrily. Looking further back they could see it attached to a vaguely humanoid half with a horn protruding from its forehead.

The two captors screamed while Atem stared in awe at the Ka. There was nothing else it could possibly be. Namu had the most unusual reaction a wide smile breaking out on his face.

"Diabound!" he called out happily to it.

Behind the humanoid half a figure stepped out, walking into the wagon. The moonlight illuminated it from behind revealing a bright red cloak hanging off of it. A man, tall and broadly built with a cloth headpiece cascading over his shoulders and face lowered. He raised his gaze to show a dark face with a scar marring it below one eye. Hair the color of dried bones peeking out from the head piece and eyes just a few shades away from matching it.

Fear struck in the two captors eyes. "What are you?!" one shouted out.

The man stepped closer, reaching down to grab one by his neck and lifting him up into the air. "Your death." Was his answer as he threw him to the monster who caught him in its mouth with the snake half. His screams erupted accompanied by the crunch of bone breaking and flesh ripping.

The last captor screamed in terror. He looked up at the man and fell forward in a bow. "Please don't kill me! Th-the slaves back there, they're yours! The one with the red eyes was taken from the palace I hear!" The large man looked down at Atem raising a brow. Atem stared back without flinching. It brought an unsettling smirk to the man's face.

"That's certainly useful," he mused crouching down at the begging man's height. He pulled out a dager and slowly rubbed it across a cheek covered in cloth. "But, the blond one with the pretty eyes happens to have been taken from me." With those words he shoved the dagger into the man's skull, twisting the knife. He pulled it free and paid no mind to the dead man who fell at his feet.

Wiping the dagger clean he stood back up tall. His serpent creature hissing behind him and the sounds of men further in camp screaming in the background with the sounds of monstrous roars. Another one? He turned his attention to Atem who stayed firm yet again.

"Now," he spoke with his gravelly deep voice bringing the knife to his lips and stroking his tongue over the stained blade. "What's this I hear about you being from the palace?"

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Seto had known a dire fate awaited him the moment the chain was undone and the brute keeping his arms captive started to drag him away. He half expected to be thrown into the sand and have a sword brought down on him. No such luck it seemed. Instead he was dragged all the way to the inner part of camp trying to get free of the larger man's grasp and feeling his legs grind against sand the entire way. He was thrown into the tent and onto a blanket of cheap furs.

The man's look as he stared down at the other was positively lecherous. He pulled a knife from his sash and removed his head piece. "Now be nice and you live." Seto growled as the bastard dared to lean down over him. The second he was close enough he coiled back and spit in his face.

The man gave him a murderous stare and wiped the saliva from his face. He raised the knife aiming for the other's shoulder when he stopped just a few inches of piercing. Screams could be heard from the outer camp.

"Again?!" he growled. He looked down at Seto. "Your friends are in trouble now sweet one. The little blonds probably going to have his throat cut." To emphasis his point he pressed his own knife against Seto's throat. It would be a shame for Namu to die, but as long as Atem wasn't harmed it was a minor disappointment in comparison.

The man slowly leaned forward again inching closer to Seto. He froze in place suddenly. "What the-ahhh!" he screamed in terror as something similar to a tail made of armor, black scales drug him from the tent. His dying screams followed along with the same sounds from other's in the camp. The smell of burnt flesh came in through the flap.

Seto would have smiled at their demise if it didn't mean someone was obviously attacking them. Someone more powerful and skilled to. The brunette searched around for anything he could use. Nothing aside from the furs and a few sparkling trinkets in the tent though. He must have still had the knife when he was dragged out.

Cursing his bad luck he slammed his fist onto the furs. The tent flaps rustled open and Seto crawled back to put distance between him and whoever was coming through. A man with yellow hair, not Namu, but a fairer skinned stranger with brown eyes. More built than the boy in the wagon. Clad in the same type of common rags though, a sheathed dagger in his sash.

"By the gods," he said in surprise upon seeing Seto. "There's someone in here!" He moved closer and Seto flinched away. "Hey it's alright. My name is Jono, and I-" he didn't get to finish as a long, tanned leg struck out and a foot collided with his face.

Seto dove for the other boy before he could recover from the blow and the two end up wrestling to pin the other. The boy, Jono, ended up flipping them over and throwing the brunette beneath him. He quickly reached for his dagger only to feel an empty sheathe. He reached around wondering if it had fallen out or-

"Looking for this?" Jono heard as his own dagger was pressed against his throat. A single turn of his head showed him the lanky brunette looking up at him angrily holding the dagger he'd swiped.

"Let's not be hasty," Jono said nervously raising his hands up.

"You have three seconds to get off me mongrel," Seto growled.

"Hey!" Jono shouted offended. "What did you call me?!" He was given no warning as the handle of the knife struck his temple and a knee collided with his groin. The blond doubled over in pain rolling off the other.

"That was five."