A/N: Hey, Xen here! If you're reading another story of mine, Change of Heart, you know that I usually work with another person. Not this time I'm afraid. I'm all alone now. ^^ Simply because she works at a slower pace than I do, so when she's writing her chapters, I can work on this! Anyways, I'll go ahead and let you know that this story is set in the Dark Ages somewhere near England. This first chapter is simply setting things up, so I'm afraid it's a bit slow. Sorry. But if you keep reading, I promise it'll get more interesting!

Word Count: 2,635

*A fief is a piece of Land given to Lords during the Dark Ages by a King

Yuugi Mutou huffed indignantly as he was, once again, pushed rudely aside. He stood in a large crowd, his multi colored hair barely making him visible amongst all of the bodies. Everyone was shouting and pushing, each yelling their prices at the various vendors scattered around the dirty town square.

Honestly, Yuugi hated market day. It was the one day a week when all the vendors set up their stalls and displayed their wares. It was also one of the only days you could find anything halfway close to being fresh. All the little stores in his town sold only basic goods that didn't spoil easily; flour, grain, salted beef and so on. On market day, however, vendors brought in a variety of eye catching fruits and vegetables. The selection wasn't much, but it turned the villagers into a frenzied mob, each trying to outbid his neighbor for a simple piece of fruit. Vegetables were bought as well, but fruit was, after all, the only thing to keep scurvy away. And that's exactly why Yuugi was here. Normally, on market day, he avoided the town square like the plague, but his grandfather had been insistent about today. He wasn't to come home until he had at least one piece of fruit.

"It's been too long since either of us has had one, and I'm not about to let our teeth fall out of our heads!" The old man's words rung in Yuugi's ears and he couldn't help but smile. His grandfather was a bit of an eccentric, and Yuugi loved him dearly for it. Of course, they weren't actually related. Yuugi had been placed on the man's doorstep when he was just a baby, but to Yuugi, Sugoroku was the only family he'd ever had, blood relation or not. So here he was, standing barefoot in the town square, trying desperately to not be knocked down by the ever shifting crowd of people.

His village, Baker's Field (named after all the wheat they grew) was a small one, and so the vendors only visited on Saturdays while they spent the weekdays in larger, neighboring fiefs*. While their fief had only the one village, the others usually had many towns the vendors could sell to at once, and so they spent the majority of their time there. Because of this, the townspeople tended to go a little crazy on market day. Yuugi never could understood why. The vendors would surely be back next week, and the week after that. They made a nice tidy profit here, especially when they auctioned things off as they were doing now. Yet people still flocked here, every Saturday, like flies to a rotting carcass.

And even if the townspeople did get scurvy, which was their main reason for buying fruit in the first place, they could always get a cure from Seto Kaiba. Thinking of the man, Yuugi peered up at the large mansion on the hill. It was dark and foreboding, as always, and seemed to hang over Baker's Field like an impending storm. With its great many marble columns, dark windows and tall, arched doorways, it looked like something straight out of one of the horror stories Yuugi's friends like to scare him with.

Seto Kaiba was the owner of the house and the Lord of their fief. He also oversaw all their crop productions. Not personally of course, but through the Barons, who were part priest, part overseer.

No one ever approached his mansion unless they had the intention of buying a miracle from Kaiba. Yuugi had never seen him but he knew that, like all Lords, he was a sorcerer and so capable of creating such miracles. Sorcerers in Europe were a rare, powerful people and so, with a test of strength, they were usually rewarded their own fief simply for being strong. They provided the fiefs they controlled with protection and 'miracles', as people called them. In turn, the villagers would work the Lord's land, giving him or her almost all of the profit. Of course, in the more lenient fiefs, such as this one, there were shopkeepers and vendors, but though they were granted protection from the Lord, they were not granted these so called miracles. Yuugi had never understood this rule, nor had he ever actually seen one of these miracles, but he didn't mind it. Suguroku was a shopkeeper after all, and so by law wasn't granted access to them.

They owned a tiny store that sold games to the local children. It wasn't the biggest store, nor did it make the most money, but Yuugi and his grandfather were happy there and lived pleasant enough lives.

Yuugi thanked the gods every day that he didn't have to work the wheat fields like some of his friends. With his petite body and almost delicate skin, he'd never last a day out there. It was only times, such as this one, where the teenage boy was forced to truly step out of his comfort zone. Amongst all the bustling bodies he could feel his uneasiness growing. He just wanted a buy a single piece of fruit, maybe two!

If I could just get close enough...he thought hopelessly. He knew he'd have to wait though. Once the vendors had finished auctioning off their finer pieces, they'd settle down and actually start selling. Yuugi didn't want to wait though. Around all these people he was uncomfortable. He didn't like large crowds. The young teenager much preferred the company of a few close friends. This...this yelling and shouting and fighting, it was almost scary. He was tempted to hold his hands over his ears and tell them all to just shut up but he had a sneaking suspicion he'd just be ignored. Truthfully, he was being ignored right now. He had to pay careful attention to the people closest to him, least an unwanted elbow find its between his ribs, or someone crush his foot into the hard stone walkway.

Maybe it's better this way, though, he thought, quickly slipping through a gap in the crowd. Keeping low, in a matter of seconds he was able to slip away from the mob of people entirely. He gave a sigh of relief as he slumped against a stone wall, preparing to wait out the exuberant peasants until he had a chance to actually buy something.

Two hours later, Yuugi was on his way home, now the proud owner of two oranges. They were a bit small, he had to admit, each one fitting perfectly into the palms of his hands, but for three pence they were a bargain. It seemed after making a killing during the auctions, the vendor had been happy enough to agree to such a low price. It helped too, that Yuugi looked like he couldn't be older than ten. Truthfully he was seventeen, but with bare feet, rough brown trousers that were too big for him, an equally too big white button down shirt, and large, child like features, he was often mistaken for being much younger. Not that he minded of course. Someone his age was supposed to be married by now, but Yuugi often shrunk from the idea. All he really wanted to do was inherit his grandfather's toy shop and grow old maintaining it, like Sugoroku Mutou had. With such a youthful appearance, he was rarely questioned on his marital status, and only those closest to him knew his real age.

The teenager was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar dirty face appeared in his line of vision.

"Hello? Are you in there, Yug?" the blonde called, walking backwards directly in front of Yuugi.

I must have really been out of it to not notice him sooner, the short boy thought with a smile. "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, Jonouchi. I was off in my own little world."

The taller boy snorted. "I noticed. Hey," he said, swinging around to walk beside his friend, rather than in front of. "You wanna swing by my place for dinner? Mai is cooking lamb chop tonight. I know it's your favorite!"

Mai was Jonouchi's beautiful wife. They'd been married for two years now and even had a child together. They were both great friends of Yuugi's, and he enjoyed hanging out at their house when he got the chance. He often babysat their son, Inel, on occasion too. He smiled at the idea of going to them for dinner tonight, and Jonouchi was right. Lamb chop was his favorite...but glancing down at the two oranges in his hands he figured his grandfather already had plans for that night's dinner.

"Sorry, Jo," he said after a minute. "But I have to go home to gramps"

The blonde stared at him for a second but then gave his usual lopsided grin and shrugged. "Awright. Your loss though."

Yuugi laughed and then the two parted ways, each to their respective homes.

Arriving at the toy, or rather game, shop, Yuugi pushed open the rough wooden door, making a mental note to put up a new display in the front window whenever he found the time. The current one was looking rather dusty.

"I'm home, Grandpa!" Yuugi announced, making his way through the shop section of the building and up the stairs to where the two actually lived. Since it was market day, Yuugi wasn't surprised to find his grandfather in their kitchen/dining room, sipping a cup of tea. With all the vendors in town today, the shop would get very few, if not any, customers.

"I bought the fruit," the teen said, holding out the two small oranges for Sugoroku's inspection.

"Good, good," he murmured, taking one of the thick skinned produce from his adoptive grandson. "Fetch me a knife."

Yuugi quickly located the single knife they owned and handed it to his grandfather before taking a seat at the table across from him. The old man's movements were jerky at best as he tried to clumsily peel the orange.

The multi color haired boy frowned slightly. He knew his grandfather was sick. He had known it for awhile, just like he knew that Sugoroku was not his true grandfather. The old man had told him neither thing, but still Yuugi knew. Not being related didn't bother him, but Sugoroku's sickness did. He'd been ill for months, though he hid it exceptionally well; the coughing, the weakness, the fever and the moments of confusion where he forgot even his own name. Yuugi had visited all the shops in the entire town that sold medicine trying to find something to make the old man well again, but each had turned him away and told him that there was no hope, that he needed a miracle. He had refused to believe it for so long though, because the facade Grandpa threw up was a good one. Without actually living with him, one wouldn't know that he was sick at all. But Yuugi did live with him, and Yuugi did know. For a while, he had thought that it was all going to be okay, but he had seen the progression of the disease these past few days and watching his grandfather now, Yuugi knew his body wouldn't hold out much longer.

"King Pegasus is on the move again," Sugoroku stated, drawing Yuugi from his reverie.

"Hmmmm," he acknowledged, still watching the other man's gnarled hands as he maimed the orange in an attempt to peel it. Before he could do the same to the other orange as well, Yuugi picked it up and started peeling it himself, using his fingernails rather than the knife.

"He's headed to Atem's fief. Seems Lord Atem has something he wants."

Everyone knew Atem. He was the Lord of the fief to the right of Seto Kaiba's and was the powerful man's most hated rival. Everyone knew King Pegasus as well. He commanded all the Lords and was the most powerful sorcerer on the entire continent, which is exactly why he was king.

Yuugi frowned slightly. Only the sorcerers, gifted by the gods, ever got high social standings. It had been a bitter thought for the teen for quite a while, but he was trying to make peace with it, trying to make peace with the fact that some people were just made better than others. It's all he'd ever been taught growing up, not by his grandfather of course, but by life in the fief in general. Seto Kaiba was not always the nicest Lord, and the few times he ever actually communicated with his peasants, it was not in a friendly manor. It was also apparent by the fact that Yuugi couldn't help his own Grandpa. Everyone said the only thing that could save him was a miracle, and the only ones who could perform miracles were sorcerers. Of course, farmers could receive miracles, but Yuugi shrank from this idea. He'd been toying it around for awhile, but he knew he couldn't do it without killing himself. The doctor had told him so. He was just too physicaly unstable to work in those gods awful fields.

Again, Yuugi frowned, digging a thumb sharply into his orange. Why couldn't he have been born a sorcerer? (Or stronger, perhaps, so physical work wouldn't be the death of him?) Why were there even two types of people to begin with? Sorcerers and peasants. After a moment of this rather circular thinking, Yuugi gave a sigh and tried to drop the subject. He knew these thoughts would never get him anywhere, nor would they ever help him. Better to work with what he was given then cry over what he wasn't.

"So what do you think Atem has that King Pegasus wants?" the teen questioned, looking up at his grandfather again, picking up their conversation again easily.

The old man shrugged, turning his own deep purple gaze to the boy across the table. "Could be a lot of things. Who knows with King Pegasus. He's always been the...royal type. There's never enough of anything for him; wine, women, money. Probably thinks Atem has a better castle then him or something," he said with a quiet laugh. After a second though, the laugh turned into a wet cough and Sugoroku's entire body shook with the force of it.

Yuugi stared at him worriedly, knowing that any sort of help would only anger the old man. He's too stubborn for his own good, he thought with a sigh. When the coughing subsided Yuugi offered a quiet, "Are you okay?"

His grandfather's deep gaze bit into him for a moment, like he was considering snapping at the boy, but then it softened. "Yes, I'm fine," he answered after a few seconds, clearly not so as his voice had turned rough and crackly.

The young teen had to bite his tongue not to call Grandpa out on his bluff, but he did so and lowered his gaze. "Are you going to cook these?" he asked instead, motioning to their two pieces of fruit.

"No." Sugoroku shook his head. "I'll just eat mine raw and call it dinner. You can do whatever you want with yours."

Yuugi nodded, a sudden thought occurring to him as he managed to pick off the last of his orange's tough hide. "Could I could to Jonouchi's for dinner? He did invite me."

"Bah!" his grandfather said with a smile. "You're a grown man, Yuugi. Do what you like," he stated simply, a twinkle in his eye.

The multi color haired teen stood abruptly, shoving the whole of his orange into his mouth before dashing down the stairs, taking them two at a time. "I'll be back tonight!" he managed to call up, hearing his grandfather laugh again as he did so.

Okay, there's a few things I wanted to say down here. First, that this story is going to contain /lots/ of shipping. I mean...tons. And I haven't even planned the entire thing out yet! (Well I mean I have, but the little details are still missing here and there.) So yeah, if you like shipping, you should like this. I won't tell you what they are though. You'll have to read on to find out, though I will say that they are all my personal favorites and I tend to have strange tastes (so I've been told) so...yeah.

Secondly, the chapters are going to switch between Yuugi's point of view, and Bakura's. Actually...those two aren't going to meet for a long time (spoilers!) but they both tell very interesting stories that will, eventually, intersect.

And last but not least, I have a question for all the people reading! The title is in another language (obviously). If you can tell me what language it's in as well as what it says, I'll give you a prize! A...uh...a commission or something. XD You can ask for something else if you want, that's fine. Anyways, I just wanted to offer that as a kind of side attraction.

Ta for now! And don't forget to review(that's how you're supposed to enter for the prize anyways :P). Let me know how the first chapter was, if I just need to ditch the story all together or if I should write more.

-Xen