Greetings my friend friends! And welcome to another story! This is on that's been on my mind for quite some time! And I'm pleased to present to you our first chapter! So sit back, relax and enjoy the show! Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 1: From Blue Skies To Black Forever

Click. Look left. Click. Look down. Click. No-need the flash here. Adjust setting. Click-flash. Perfect image. Yugi wiped the sweat from his brow with the blue handkercheif in his pocket as he adjusted the camera in his hand. This was his job to do, and he had to make sure every image was perfect. He checked the screen on the back of the camera and smiled proudly at his work. The first photo was of the south wall of the temple, covered in decorative hieroglyphics depicting the gods. The sun's rays had cast just the right shadows on the stone to give the picture an ethereal feel. The next picture had been of the hallway leading down in to the depths of the temple. The first image was alright-you could see what it was supposed to be. But the light was too low. Then again he did kind of like the effect it gave; A temple leading to black eternity... Hm. The third picture, where he had used the flash, was of the same hallway, and it was awesome. The flash bounced off of the walls in just the right way, showing the hieroglyphs in perfect rendition, and the fading light effect made the hall seem longer than it really was. Actually, if he thought about it, he decided he liked both. Now which ones would they use? " Yugi!"

" Coming Grandpa!" The nineteen year old called. Yugi put his handkercheif back in to his pocket and jogged out of the temple in to the unforgiving Egyptian sun. The elderly old man smiled through his grey mustache and beard at his grandson with pride as he held up the camera for him to see. " Wanna see what I got?"

" Of course! After all, you'll need a stern critic if you want to enter photography school." He teased. Yugi laughed and rolled his eyes.

" Then I can't ask you. You keep saying you like all my pictures."

" Because I do." The old man complimented, taking the digital camera from his hands to scroll through the new images. " Yugi, these are wonderful!" The old man boasted. Yugi pushed his golden bangs from his face and scoffed playfully.

" There! Right there! See? I can't ask you to critique me; You're biased!"

" And proud of it!" The old man quipped. Yugi laughed at his grandfather's playful tone, silently wishing moments like these could last forever. His name was Yugi Mutou. His grandfather, Dr. Solomon Mutou was an archaeologist, and their current mission was to help unearth a new set of temples that had reccently been unearthed. Speculation was that these ruins had been buried by a massive sandstorm or an earthquake. That was for his grandfather and the others to discover. Yugi's job was to document everything they found with his camera. And, if the images were good enough, they just might be published in the next National Geographic issue, according to his grandpa. Yugi had nearly burst out of his own skin in excitement. Going on tours around the world was not unusual for Yugi. Helping the diggers uncover hidden treasures was a ritual he and his grandfather shared every year during the summers he had off of school. He had just graduated last year. Valedictorian, no less. The old man had sat at the front of the crowd, crying proud tears of joy from his plum colored eyes as his grandson had read his speech. But this wasn't something he wanted to just be a hobby anymore. No, he wanted to make a career out of this. He had been the school's photojournalist-something to add to his college credits, and now he was using this trip to garner himself more experience. And, if his pictures did indeed get published, then he was one giant step closer to becoming an officially licensed photographer.

Then he could always travel, and document everything he saw.

Last year during the summer he had gone to Peru to help excavate some ancient jungle ruins. The pictures he had of those were tucked away in his artist's portfolio to use for his studies. They had found some incredible underwater ruins around there, too. And Yugi had heavily lamented that he didn't have a camera capable of filming underwater to capture those breathtaking images. Once he graduated from college, his grandpa promised THAT to be his graduation present. He could hardly wait. He was brought back to the present as his grandfather pat him on the shoulder and handed his camera back to him. " These are great, Yugi. Why don't you take a break for now? You've been out here all morning. I'll call you if we find anything new." Normally, Yugi would have insisted he stay for the new find. But the sun was hot, his skin felt like it was melting, the sand itched his hands from brushing the grains away from photographic surfaces, and the heat was making him drowsy.

" Okay, Grandpa. But call me if you find anything!"

" Will do!" The old man chirped. Yugi jogged back to their base camp and used his time wisely. He stripped off his dirty clothes and scrubbed himself as clean as he could manage in the camp's small shower area. Twenty minutes later he exited the shower and donned a fresh set of clothes: A black long-sleeved shirt covered his lightly muscled torso. He slung a grey vest through his arms and over his shoulders. Black jeans and a studded black belt finished off the attire. True, black was the WORST thing to wear in the heat, but it couldn't be helped. Until laundry day ( Which was 2 days away) these were the only remaining clean clothes he had, next to his pajamas. Yugi picked up his brush and set about untangling his hair, which was an impossible cause form day one. His hair spiked upwards in a dark array of black, the ends tipped in purple. Golden lighting-bolt shaped bangs framed a face younger than his years. Despite being nineeen, many would guess him about fourteen. Large amethyst eyes stared out from thick black lashes and his skin was permanently pale. He had sunburned horribly in Florida when he was eleven, and ever since then it seemed his skin had developed a repellant to the sun. He never tanned, to matter how much time he spent out there. He could turn lobster red, but overnight his skin would simply pale out again. His height was nothing impressive; An average five foot-seven was where he stood. Though he supposed, it was better than before. Until the tenth grade, he only ever stood at five-two and a half. It wasn't until just these past couple of years that he finally managed to grow in to his body somewhat.

His youthful appearance and kind nature endeared him to seemingly all the girls ( And even some boys) in school. His grandfather had heavily instilled the manners of a gentleman in him during his education, and he was always willing to hold open a door for someone, pick up a fallen book or help to carry a heavy burden whether asked or not. Guys called him " Cutie." Girls referred to him as " Precious." All endearments aside, his name was Yugi, if you please. He picked up his small dark brown leather backpack and carefully inspected it's contents. His flashlight was in there, tossed carelessly in the corner of the bag. Yugi took the small light and decided to clip the square light to his vest pocket. He tested the light once. Still good. He checked the bag again. The spare batteries were there. Good. His snacks he had packed earlier were there. Only five granola bars. But he hadn't had the need to touch them since he packed them last week. They should be fine. A small medical kit jingled in his back pack as he shifted the material. Wherever they went, Grandpa always insisted on a medical kit. And those little kits had ended up helping out a lot in past digs. In Paris, when he was thirteen, Yugi had fallen through some rotted debris in an old catacomb they had been exploring. Had Grandpa not had his kit, Yugi's leg might have been permanently damaged.

And last but not least, his camera rested in the inside pocket of the pack, tucked away in the safest place, along with the batteries. So far he had everything...no, wait! His water bottle! Yugi checked around his tent. Ah, under the cot. Yugi picked up the green plastic container and walked to the makeshift well near the custodian's tent. A few pumps from the metal handle had cool fresh water pouring in to his bottle. There. " Yo, Yuge'!" Yugi's head lifted up and he smiled as a head of messy blonde hair poked through the tent, followed by long, lanky limbs and warm honey-brown eyes.

" Hey, Joey!" Joey swatted the tent door shut and hopped over to the bed. He sat down, his abrupt weight bouncing them both. Yugi took in his appearance with a small smile. He was wearing an officer's uniform today. Joseph Wheeler-or Joey as he preferred, was only a year older than him, and he was Yugi's very best friend. The two met in middle school, and back then, Joey had been something of a bully. He picked on those smaller than him. ( And at a height of five foot eleven, there were few who weren't.) Yugi had been one of those kids. Until one day at school, a bigger and badder bully named Ushio started making trouble. Joey got caught in a scuffle, and Yugi leapt in to help him without a second thought. He knew back then he probably shouldn't have bothered. But Yugi always had a kind and compassionate heart. He didn't like seeing others in pain. Not even Joey. After the incident, the two became best friends and have remained so for years. Now school was over, and each had their own paths to walk.

Yugi's dream was to become a professional photographer. Joey wanted to do more. He enlisted in the Domino Police recruitment academy last year, taking courses every day after school. He had graduated school last year and then taken to the academy full time. He was made an official officer just six months ago. When he heard Yugi and Solomon were going to be a part of such a historical dig, he begged his superiors to allow him to come. And this was a good advantage as Solomon was looking to hire a body guard to watch over them and help secure the dig site. Joey's head officer could hardly argue it would be a rich learning experience in itself. So with penned letters of recommendation handed in by Yugi, Solomon and even Dr. Hawkins, Joey was given the ok to come to Egypt with them. And he had been a welcome partner to have on the trip. True to his word, he stood guard outside their tent at night, only taking to sleeping from when the sun rose to the early afternoon. From there he paroled the dig site-which was surprisingly taxing. Joey had already detained a couple of thieves caught stealing some unearthed antiques to sell, broken up three fights among the diggers and cargo curriers, helped an injured worker when he fell from a ladder and twisted his ankle, and his most constant job was keeping unauthorized members of the media from the site, as news of the dig had already made global news.

Anyone else might had dropped dead from exhaustion. But Joey continued to work. Yugi supposed he was the only one capable, as he's always had a seemingly boundless well of energy. Just give him a nap and some food, and Joey acted like he could take on the world. Joey brushed the bangs from his eyes and rubbed a hand along his neck. " Man, it's hot as hell out there. What's with all the black?" The twenty year old asked, waving a hand at Yugi's attire. Yugi raised his eyebrows pointedly.

" I could ask you the same thing, Officer." He teased, eyeing the short-sleeved blue button down, black slacks, his belt equipped with his gun, flashlight, magazines for his gun, a notebook and last but not least, poking the shiny, shield-like badge on his friends chest which read; DCPD; Domino City Police Department. Under the initials was his badge number-4815-and name under J. Wheeler. Heavy black boots rested on his feet. " What's with the get-up?" Normally, Joey would refrain from going out in uniform, content to just wear jeans and a t-shirt. Joey rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively.

" Ah, I got nothi'n else ta wear 'til laundry day." Yugi hummed and nodded down to himself.

" Same." He said. Joey smiled.

" Besides, since I got my uniform on, maybe you can take my picture. I mainly brought it along cuz the guys want a shot of me in Domino's P.D uniform at the dig site. You game?" Yugi smiled brightly. It sounded fun, and he would definitely want to save a copy for himself as a memento later.

" Sure!" Not hesitating, the two stood up from the cot and headed outside. The Egyptian sun glared harshly in their eyes. Squinting Yugi and Joey both donned a pair of black sunglasses from her harsh rays. Better.

" So ah, where you want me?" Yugi looked around and then pointed behind Joey. A few yards away stood a tall pillar, etched all around with hieroglyphics. The paint had faded and the writing was worn, but to Yugi it only heightened the stone's beauty. The two jogged over to the spot ad Joey trotted over to the structure as Yugi adjusted his camera's settings.

" There. Lean against the pillar, Joey!" He called. Joey did as he was told, leaning against the stone. He propped one leg up slightly on the pillar as he crossed his arms, his sunglasses twinkling in the light and his lips pulled up in a smirk. Very cool. Yugi knelt down and angled his camera and snapped a couple of pictures. " Stay there." He instructed. Joey didn't change his pose or his expression. Yugi stepped closer, then snapped a picture of Joey closer from the chest on up. " Great! You look awesome!" He praised.

" Yeah?" He asked excitedly. Yugi turned so that Joey could look on the digital screen to see his photos. Yugi scrolled though them for Joey to see, and he chuckled. " Nice. Wait'll the guys get a load of this!" he said, laughing.

" And it's proof that you were apart of actual history." Yugi quipped. Joey nodded once and let his eyes sweep over the area. The tall pillars-some carved in to man/jackal hybrids, some pillars wrapped in ankhs. And then most with aged, crumbling hieroglyphics. But it was said that the true treasure was below the surface.

" Hey, Yuge'? What's all this about anyway? I don't think anyone actually told me. All I know is we're looking for some dead guy...?" He asked. Yugi hummed and nodded, placing his hands on his hips.

" Yeah. It's the city of Kul-Elna we're looking for. And a king. See, the legend says that there was once a powerful Pharaoh, but he was cold and cruel to his people. History knows him as ' The Crimson King' because of how much bloodshed there was during his reign-and most of it from him. Stories say this man would execute you just for looking at him." He emphasized. Joey shuddered and crossed his arms in front of himself, feeling a chill despite the hot weather.

" Jesus." He mumbled. Yugi nodded encouragingly.

" I know, right? Now, the story goes that there was a resistance group fighting for freedom in the small town of Kul-Elna. Supposedly, the Pharaoh came to this town himself, armed with only his personal guard to take down the village-period. So they get there-and this is where it gets weird... During the battle, a storm blows in and when the dust cleared, the town-and the people including the Crimson King...were gone." He finished, dramatically swiping his hands in front of him. Joey's jaw dropped.

" Wha?!"

" Yeah. Now there are two theories to this; Legend says that a powerful sorcerer cursed the land and the people, to end the war. That he whisked them all away to hell." He said, rolling his eyes. Apparently, like most others, Yugi thought of this as pure fantasy. Joey was inclined to agree. There was no such thing as magic. Everyone knew that. Probably just a folklorist out to rally some hype to the story. Clearing his throat, Yugi continued. " The second version, more likely than not, an earthquake hit the area and due to the ground's unstable foundation, the earth under the town opened up a natural sinkhole-which would have gotten much bigger in the earthquake. The town collapses and gets buried by the disaster as a result." He said, offering a nonchalant shrug. " Regardless of the situation, our mission is the same; Find the lost city, and maybe even the crimson king himself. This dig is such a big deal because up 'til now, the legend of Kul-Elna has only ever been that; A legend. Never before has there been tangible proof of this place. The king, yes. You can find writings about him in the tomb of Seth the 1st."

" How?!" Joey asked breathlessly, completely taken in by now by the lore of the city and the importance of the dig. Yugi smiled mischievously.

" Because Pharaoh Seth the 1st and the Crimson King were cousins." He said slyly. For the second time, Joey's jaw dropped. " When the king disappeared and never came back, his cousin Seth ascended the throne and became a great pharaoh in his own right. He married a common woman named Kisara and they bore five children. His line was one of the most successful in Egyptian history. Once we find the city and the mummies we're bound to find there, all we gotta do is look for one that's decked in gold or fine linen as a marker, then compare the mummy's DNA to Seth's mummy which is currently in the Cairo Museum. A match means a pharaoh." Yugi said, concluding his story. Joey blew out a heavy breath and ran a hand through his hair.

" Well, Damn! No wonder everyone's so excited about this! And those robbers I caught the other day probably knew all of this, too. If any of these artifacts they've dug up are proven to belong to this lost city, then one piece would make a fortune!" He exclaimed.

" That's right." Yugi said. But there was one more thing on Joey's mind.

" But wait! You keep calling him " The Crimson King" an all. If there's writing about him in his cousin's tomb, then why don't you use it? What's his name?" He asked curiously. Yugi huffed in annoyance.

" That's all the king is known by. His name has been scratched out of the tiles holding his cartouche in his cousin's tomb. No one knows who did it or when or why. But his nickname is written all over the place-and it's been passed down through legend, so we know for sure he was real. We hope that the king's mummy will have a cartouche charm on him. That was common practice for kings-to have their names made in to cartouche charms to wear. The knot symbolizes protection. So if he's wearing his, then another great discovery will be that; The Crimson King's real name."

" Yugi! Yugi!" His head shot up as his name was called. Joey turned around to the voice calling his friend. An elderly man with neatly combed silver hair and bright green eyes waved him over. Dr. Arthur Hawkins, a friend of his grandfather's.

" Yeah?! I'm here!" Arthur ambled over, using his sturdy oak cane to carry himself across the sand to them.

" Solomon wanted me to come get you. We've just uncovered a new temple under the sand! Looks like you'll need that camera of yours again." He hinted, smiling. Yugi beamed up at the older man and nodded excitedly.

" Sweet! I wanna see this, too! Walk with me?" Joey asked. Yugi nodded excitedly, his smile threatening to split his face. A temple!

" Sure! Just lemme grab my pack and my batteries. I'll be right there!" Without another word Yugi dashed across the yard to the tent. He hastily stuffed his now-full water bottle in the pack and then picked up his camera. He slipped it over his neck and smiled at the familiar weight. He paused, thinking. Did he need to bring his pack? Probably. It sounded like there were going to be some hours ahead. He knew he needed his water, and he might be grabbing a late dinner, so he just might need those granola bars beforehand. Definitely needed his batteries. If he wasn't going to be taking pictures, then he was definitely going to be filming. The decision was made. Yugi slung his pack over his shoulders, then once it was secure on his back, he raced back outside. The blue sky was clear of any clouds, allowing the sun to blast uninhibited over the dig site. He scrambled down the slope the diggers had created in the earth and hopped over rocks and tools to catch up to his grandfather. He could see it already. The door was uncovered. Large stone snakes guarded the entrance on either side of the temple, the stairs still in good condition. The archway was made of perfectly squared stones, and the yellow stone doors were sealed firmly shut. Hastily Yugi picked up his camera and snapped a couple of photos. One of the door, and other a close-up of a snake statue, taken from the side. The angle showed the sun glinting from it's stone fangs, the shadow of the sun making the serpent both eerie and beautiful. Yugi lowered his camera and walked around to the door.

Behind him he could hear Arthur and his Grandfather chatting excitedly, both wondering at how this temple could have remained hidden until now. Yugi looked up at the impressive building, squinting through the sun. Then he faced the door. Out of sheer curiosity he placed a hand on the stone, feeling it's ancient weathered texture. He couldn't wait to get inside. Suddenly, he stumbled. How? Had he stepped on something? This time he felt his knees buckle. He fell to the ground on all fours. He looked around him and his eyes widened in shock. Workers and technicians alike were falling all over themselves. The horses carrying the supply carts neighed loudly and reared on their hind legs in fear. Towers of crates came crashing down. His grandfather fell to the ground, digging his fingers in the sand. Joey clung to a crane machine with one hand, his other held out to the side as he shouted orders going unheard in the earth's ravenous rumble. An earthquake! Now?!

" GRANDPA!" He shouted, his voice barely audible over the rumbling of the earth. He struggled to stand. He suddenly felt like his body weighed a ton. It was so hard to move. The shaking world around him made his eyes hurt as he struggled to look. He shut his eyes. A loud crack sounded close by. Yugi tried to move again. He couldn't. Suddenly he felt the earth give way under him. His eyes flew open as the ground swallowed him whole. He screamed in terror as he fell down in to the black abyss, the bright blue of the sky the last thing he saw before passing out of the world of light...

And in to the darkness.

Done! So...where did Yugi gooooo? Tune in next time to find out-and as always please R&R and bless your happy happiness!