His advisor beside him seemed to share his master's emotions, knowing that his highness had just reminded the young prince that very morning to not run off again until after the meeting. "I will look for him, your Majesty," he said with a bow, then releasing his fiery wings, he flew off.

The king sighed, letting out his wings as well and beating them as he paced around on the slab of molten rock he stood on. Everyone watched in silence, not wanting to disturb or further anger him. There were a few murmurs about how they could ever manage to cope with such an irresponsible soon-to-be king, but that was all.

~*~*~*

A young teenage boy dug vigorously in the piles of red dust, getting himself covered in it in the process. But he seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. Much like everyone else who lived there, he wore an intense, focused gaze, his sharp ruby-red eyes matching the color of the land perfectly. His spiky hair was so completely caked in red dust that no one would have been able to tell it actually hid black and golden yellow strands underneath. The rich black leather pants he wore, somehow remaining relatively clean, clung to him like a second skin, reflecting off them a reddish hue due to the fact that everything in the world he lived in was some shade of red in nature. He wore no shirt, but it would have been burned to ashes anyway from the two flaming armbands he had strapped on either side. Fire also sprouted from his belt and trailed itself down his pant legs in exotic designs, which was unique to each person much like fingerprints.

All in all, the teen was considered gorgeous, although at the time he was also very dirty and very much in trouble. Suddenly a flaming phoenix flew and landed on his shoulder, nipping his ear urgently. "What is it, Kyu? You want me to find you another fire sprite?" He chuckled, unaware of the signal his pet was trying to give him.

It was a bit too late, however.

"PRINCE YAMI!!"

Yami turned and cringed at the sight of his father's most trusted advisor who was obviously not pleased. Then in a sudden flash of memory, he realized why the advisor, and no doubt the king as well, was so steamed. He groaned inwardly, but managed a sheepish and somewhat guilty smile. "Eheh…is this about the meeting?"

Shimon sighed. The prince was always like this, the adventurous, mischievous, and often forgetful lad whom he had the pleasure and torture of looking after. "Of course this is about the meeting. Now we must get you back quickly." He raised an eyebrow at Yami's appearance, but didn't comment on it. "Don't tell me you were trying to find 'that' again."

"…What's so wrong about it?"

Another sigh. "Prince, you know as well as I do that our people buried the key for a reason. It controls the gate in which things can enter or exit this world. If the gate was carelessly opened, this very world could be ruined."

"Yeah, but still…why must we trap ourselves here? Aren't there other worlds, other colors, and other emotions out there like you told me when I was little? I'm sorry, but red and hot get kind of boring after a while." As he spoke, he fondly stroked Kyu's crimson feathers with a somewhat wistful look in his eyes.

Shimon noticed this and almost felt sorry for the young prince. It would be hard on anyone, to know that there was more out there yet not being able to see it. "It's too great a risk," he answered. "Besides, it's been sealed for centuries. The key is most likely lost in the land for good. Though I do see your point. Now come. We must go." With that, he started flying back through the red clouds.

Yami finally stood, dusting himself off as best he could, and with a sigh, he extended his own wings. The hungry flames licked at the air as he stretched them after having them tucked up so long since he hadn't quite mastered the art of getting them to retract into his body yet. After shooing the phoenix off his shoulder, he took off as well, following the retreating figure of Shimon.

~*~*~*

Meanwhile, all was not well in another area of the fiery world. Contrary to what the king thought, not all of his subjects attended the abrupt meeting he had called. A hooded figure crept through the shadows until it reached the sacred gate everyone marveled at yet feared which linked their world with many others. In its hand it held the rusted, battered up, ancient key that was fabled to be lost for all eternity. If anyone had been there, they would have been witnessing a miracle for the hooded figure attempted the ultimate task.

The large golden gate swung open smoothly, as if time hadn't worn it down at all, and the key-bearer was momentarily blinded by the bright light that shone through it. Luckily, the gate was far enough from the king's meeting place that no one could see it from that far.

"Ah, wonderful," an eerie voice came from beyond the now open gate. "Splendid work, my friend." Then, from the light, stepped in a tall, slim man with long, shiny silver hair cascading onto his shoulders. He was dressed in an outfit not too different from those to lived in the world he had stepped into.

"It was hard work, Mr. Pegasus, but I finally found the key," the hooded figure replied. "Now you must keep your end of the bargain."

"What? Not as much as a word on my choice of costume?" Pegasus stood proudly in the light to show off the effects of the artificial flames he had attached to himself. The other man simply rolled his eyes. "Hmph. Fine. Here you go." He tossed the other a large clear ball filled with sparkly ice shards, who took a minute to admire them before stashing them away.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Pegasus." With a bow, the hooded figure rushed off as quickly as he had come.

Pegasus was left smiling evilly after him. He patted his pocket filled with even more balls of ice, a substance so foreign to this world he had entered that it could easily entrance anyone who lived here. It would be easy to get followers this way. For unbeknownst to the poor addicted man who had let him in, Pegasus was one of the galaxy's power hungry invaders and had already taken over countless worlds with his smooth talk and irresistible items. He had had his eye on this particular world for a long time and had done extensive research on it. Now he was finally here, and a plan was already beginning to form in his mind.

~*~*~*

Yami sighed, absolutely bored out of his mind. Oh the horror he faced when he returned with Shimon several days ago. Not only did he get a major lecture from his father, got humiliated in front of what he thought was the whole population, and had to sit through one of the dullest meetings he'd ever had, he was grounded for a week, which meant remaining inside the underground palace. He truly thought the Gods were against him.

He wouldn't have been in such a bad mood if he knew what was in store for him.

It was right after Yami had been freed from his punishment that Pegasus struck. That morning when the prince realized with glee that he could finally go out and explore some more, he set off immediately, even skipping breakfast and brushing past all the servants in his excitement.

He flew to one of his favorite spots, a field of geysers which erupted several times each day. Yami absolutely loved playing with the hot steam that spurted out of them much as a child loved playing with sprinklers. He stretched out upon the hotter-than-normal ground, just enjoying the warmth the steam provided. However, this happy moment didn't last.

"THERE HE IS!!" All of a sudden, Yami found himself surrounded by his own soon-to-be subjects, many of whom he remembered from the meeting. And they didn't look too happy.

Fighting the urge to gulp, Yami spoke nervously, "Wh-What's going on?" He turned his head this way and that, only to find the same fury burning in whosever's eyes he looked into.

"Ha, well aren't you Mr. Innocent!" A random voice from the back shouted.

"Huh? Wait, what—" He didn't have time to finish his sentence for he was brutally seized by all four limbs and his mouth covered as if his very breathing was something deadly. His eyes darted frantically from one face to another only to be shot looks of disgust and hatred.

Mind whirling from confusion and pain, he passed out.

~*~*~*

Yami awoke groggily by a splash of lava on his face. (A/N: They have no water there. Lava refreshes them, k?) Blinking and clearing his still aching head, he finally realized he was chained up against a large stone slab. With practically the whole population glaring daggers at him. Desperately he searched for Shimon but to no avail.

"So, you're finally awake," The creepy voice sent shivers up Yami's spine and he shot his head to his right to look at the speaker—Pegasus. He blinked, not fully comprehending the situation nor the man's demonic grin.

"Who in the name of Ra[2] are you?" Yami hissed, more than a little annoyed.

Pegasus merely ignored him and stepped forward to address the crowd. "Fellow kinsmen! I congratulate you on finding and successfully capturing the culprit! But I must say Yami-boy here certainly is brave…" He paused to bring a hand up to grasp Yami's chin, chuckling in a deranged manner when the captive growled and tried to break free. "Trying to run away after killing his own father…"

Yami suddenly froze. 'WHAT…?!' It seemed as if time stopped at that moment as that statement fully settled in. 'F-father's…dead?? But I never…' He stood there bound and trapped for what seemed like an eternity, his confusion having turned in shock and agonizing horror. "I NEVER DID SUCH A THING!!!" He finally managed to roar out.

But it was lost against the angry yells of the mob who were stirred into a rage once again by Pegasus's blunt words. Cries of "Oh, yes you did!" and "We have proof!!" effectively drowned out Yami's words. Then, as if to prove their point, they parted to allow several guards to carry to the tri-color-haired teen what was left of his father's body. The corpse was thankfully covered in a black cloth, but it didn't stop the feeling of dread from hitting Yami right in the face.

Suddenly the boy found that his throat was extremely dry. He could only stare at what used to be the person he had loved and treasured more than anyone else. His father had always been there for him, teaching him everything, ever since his mother's death when he was born. The king had been a wise and just ruler, but always found time to spend with his son. And now…and now…

By now everyone had noticed how pale the prince's normally tanned face had become, but they were too much caught up in their rage to even consider that Yami had been framed. After all, the evidence was as clear as day…

It had been the one-of-a kind dagger that the king had entrusted his son with that was plunged into the mighty ruler's heart while he slept, setting the body on fire as well. And yet it wasn't until this morning when the servants went to awaken their king that they discovered this tragic and almost unbelievable event along with the burned remains of the mighty ruler. But whatever doubts of Yami being guilty fled their minds when Pegasus came into the scene and smooth talked the whole population into a rage.

"What a selfish brat! Killing the king just so he could inherit the throne before he was supposed to! To think he was actually going to be our next ruler…" However, the insults passed right through Yami.

Pegasus, who had enjoyed enough of the scene already, finally released the frozen boy's face. "Now, now, everyone, calm down. What's done is done. We cannot bring the king back, but we can give this murderer a suitable punishment. Why, doesn't the king's code of laws say something about a crime such as this?"

At this suggestion, everyone let out a gasp, for the punishment Pegasus was implying was the ultimate—banishment. And that involved opening the gate which had been closed and sealed for hundreds of years, or so they thought.

"My, isn't that a bit harsh for the poor boy?" One of the more tender-hearted mothers exclaimed only to shut up when she was shot a dangerous look from Pegasus.

"Come now. What use is this boy of now? Do you really want to have a murderer and a traitor still living in the same world as you?" The silver-haired man continued, pleased when he saw the crowd exchange agreeing glances with each other.

"No! You mustn't listen! Prince Yami is innocent!" Shimon protested, pushing his way through with much difficulty. "My bedroom's right next to the prince's! I would have known if he got up in the middle of the night to commit such a crime!"

"S-Shi…mon…" Yami managed to whisper in his bewildered state.

Pegasus remained calm even though he hadn't expected this. "You poor, poor man. I'm afraid you must be getting old and losing your hearing."

Shimon bristled at the insult, his cheeks hot, but he couldn't find anything to say against the supporting voices of Pegasus's comment. Sure, he WAS old, but still…

"The key to the gate is already in our hands," Pegasus went on. "So what do you say?" From the hundreds of shouts of approval that echoed throughout the area, it was clear that Pegasus had yet again achieved victory. He motioned to two of the burliest guards. They nodded and spread their wings, then, taking hold of the stone slab still with a limp Yami on it, flew off in the direction of the gate.

"No…Prince Yami…" Shimon moaned as he watched them disappear. He would've followed and tried again to prevent it, but it would have been in vain. The rest of the crowd had already left, save for a few mothers and children who would rather not see such a sight. Many were close to tears, as was the aged advisor. "Please…forgive me for not being able to protect you…" He whispered, his words lost to the wind.

~*~*~*

Yami still hadn't fully come back to his senses even as he was freed from the chains and forced to stand in front of the sacred gate he had gazed at in awe so many times before. Yet this time it was of fear. He had barely registered that the key to this gate, the key he had sought ever since he was a little boy, had finally been uncovered, and an uneasy dread filled him as he realized what awaited him. He had always dreamed of crossing the boundary of his own world…but not in this manner, not as a criminal, and not carrying the hatred of the people he had once trusted.

The words to the banishing ritual, uttered for the first time in many many centuries, passed completely through his brain. It was as if every inch of his body was frozen, save for his mind, which tortured him with thoughts of the previous hour, still remembering the shock of discovering his father was no longer alive. Even Pegasus had to shield his eyes from the light that spilled in through the now open gate, but Yami's crimson orbs just stared into it, unblinking and with a glazed expression.

He wasn't even aware that the portal seemed to be sucking him in, and even if he was, he could do nothing about it. Slowly, inch by inch, he was pulled in, the light almost consuming him in its depth and blocking out the reddish hues of the land he was so accustomed to.

Then, everything went black.

To Be Continued…

~*~*~*

[1] This is so people don't kill me. Shimon actually exists in the manga and he kind of watches over Yami (as the Pharaoh) but I'm not sure if he can use magic or not. I'm really scratchy in the ancient Egypt area so I'm making my own Shimon up. Ok?

[2] I know ZIP about gods and goddesses, so I would put a grand god of fire or flames or something, but the thing is I don't know of any. ^^;; So…uh…Ra will have to do, unless someone wants to enlighten me.

A/N: *blink, blink* Well, that was longer than expected. Gomen!! This must be the longest prologue you're ever read! *sigh* I originally started to write this as an English freewriting assignment, maybe that's why… And yes, I know, I know Yugi wasn't mentioned here, but it's just the prologue, okay? He will definitely be the next chapter and, of course, in every single one after that. ^_^ So kill me for being mean to poor Yami…I have nothing against Pegasus, except maybe for his creepy voice in the Japanese version, but I had to find a villain, didn't I? ^^;

Sugar Child: *yawn* Boooring.

YXW: O_O Where did you come from?!

Sugar Child: Heh. I followed you, of course. So THIS is where you ran off to… I can't believe you actually acted upon one of your ideas…

YXW: Yeah, I know. Scary, isn't it? Anyway, why are you still here? Don't you know Digimagic just gave you a ton of candy?

Sugar Child: Ooh! CANDY!! ^__^ *runs off at the speed of light*

YXW: ^^;; Er…please tell me what you think of it. Ugh, I know it's a boring beginning as my muse just HAD to point out. V_V It WILL get better…hopefully. I don't know if I should continue this or not…after all, I've got another fic to work on. ^^;; Drop a review and make my end-of-summer panic a little easier to bear.

Thank you! Please R/R!