Zypher: Well, I had another idea for a new story that I want to start so without talking so much here, welcome to my newest story, Price of Love.

Disclaimer: I don't even have enough money to buy a stick of gum. So I couldn't possibly own it, or else I would have a unlimited stock of gum.

Summary: Yugi, heir to the Light Kingdom, was sick and tired of his life, especially since he was to soon become the king. He runs away from the palace into the harsh winter night, trying to look for a place where he can start a new life. He fell unconscious from the cold and saw in his dreams a black fox and a raven. Both had scarlet eyes which was very unusual. Even since that dream, he happened to see either the black fox or the raven somewhere on his journey. What do they mean and are they leading him to somewhere safe, or to his death?

Price of Love

Chapter 1

"But I don't want to be the king! I'm not ready to take these kind of responsibilities!" Yugi shouted to his parents. He was in the throne room of the Shine Palace, the heart of the Light Kingdom. Yugi was the prince and was soon to become king because of his father's dying heart. "But Yugi, you are the heir. You can't deny your duties as a prince." his mother, Shiori, said.

"I know, mom, but I'm just not ready to do this." Yugi said. "I'm sorry son, but she is right, I won't be alive long enough and I really hoped to not let you become king of the Light Kingdom so soon. I wanted to wait when you was older but I guess my heart is too weak to give me my wish." his father, Kitargi, said.

Yugi sighed before he nodded. "I'm glad you understand, Yugi. In a few days, we will start to invite other palaces here so you can find yourself a bride." Shiori said. "No! I don't want to look for a bride yet! I'm still trying to get over the fact that I will become king soon!" Yugi said, tears coming to his eyes before he ran out from the throne room.

"Yugi, wait!" she said as she went to follow but Kitargi held her back. "Let the boy rest now. He has been through too much knowing all of this now." he said and she sighed before nodding. "I hope he will be ok." she said.

Yugi ran into his room and shut the door. "Why did I have to become a prince? Why I have to be king soon? Why? Why? Why?" Yugi said as he sat down on his bed. "If I wasn't here, I don't have to worry about all this." he said once more before he got an idea. "If I leave the palace and go far away where they can't possibly find me, I don't have to become king cause technically, I'm not a prince outside palace grounds." Yugi said as he got up from his bed and started packing a small bag with some clothing and books.

When it got dark, he snuck out from his room and headed downstairs and into the kitchen, packing away some food as well. "I'm going to miss being here but if it's the only way to prevent me from becoming a king, then I have to. I'm not ready for all this, I'm only sixteen." Yugi said to himself before he left into the dark winter night.

As he got farther away from the palace, the once gentle fall of snow became a harsh snowstorm and not even the thick fur blanket his father gave him protected him from the cold. 'I need to find a place to stay before I die out here.' Yugi thought. But through the expanse of forested area, he couldn't find anything. He continued to walk blindly through the storm, the cold affecting him with each step. After a while, he fell to the ground, his bag sitting beside him. 'I can't make it. I'm going to die out here.' he thought as he fell unconscious.

In the deep recesses of unconsciousness, Yugi was floating in a sea of darkness. 'Where am I?' he thought. Soon, the darkness left and he was back in the forest once more but the storm was calmer now. 'I'm still in the forest, but didn't I fell unconscious because of the cold?' he wondered as he walked around, keeping the fur around him but didn't feel no sign of the cold air on his skin. He then saw something black run by and he turned quickly to see what it was but it was gone. He heard a caw and looked up to see a raven sitting on a branch.

The raven looked to him curiously, scarlet eyes gleaming softly. 'That's odd, a raven shouldn't have scarlet eyes.' he thought. He saw another black form coming towards him and looked towards it, seeing it was a black fox. 'And foxes shouldn't be black. What's going on here?' he thought. The raven cawed again before flying off, the black fox following behind it. "Wait, don't leave me here!" Yugi called. The fox stopped and looked back to him before making a motion with its head for him to follow before running off once more.

Yugi followed behind them but the more he ran, the more farther the raven and fox seemed to get. He soon couldn't see them no more and fell to his knees. 'A black fox and a raven, both with scarlet eyes. What could this mean?' Yugi wondered.

/Follow the Black Fox and Raven and they will take you somewhere away from this world. New secrets to you will be unfurled. If you wish to stay then tell them so, or else you will be brought back to your homeworld./ A voice spoke before the scene of the forest disappeared and Yugi didn't see no more.

He finally woke up with a groan and looked around. He saw he was back in the forest once more and the bite of the cold winter air surrounded him again. 'Follow the Black Fox and Raven and they will take me somewhere away from here. What could that possibly mean?' he wondered as he got back up and started walking once more.

It was getting close to midnight as he continued his trek through the snow covered forest. Soon, he saw something black sitting a few yards away from him. He got up closer to it and saw it was the black fox from his dream. 'But, how can it be real? I thought it was all a dream.' Yugi thought.

The fox looked to him with those scarlet eyes before nodding and started walking away. "Wait, do you want me to follow?" he asked. The fox turned to him and nodded again before running through the snow. Yugi didn't hesitate this time and followed behind the fox. They continued to run, the storm dying away as Yugi followed the fox but he didn't notice it. His thoughts were only on the black fox and where he was taking him. The fox finally stopped and so did Yugi. He looked around and saw they were at a large lake, the moon shining upon it from parted clouds.

"Where are we?" he asked the fox but saw he was gone. He then heard a caw and looked up to see the scarlet eyed raven flying overhead. /Follow the raven little one and you will soon reach paradise. If you do not like it, then you will soon come home./ The voice spoke again and the raven flew off over the lake.

Now, Yugi would follow the raven but he didn't have a way to cross over. /Cross over little one, you will not fall./ The voice spoke and he did so, taking a step onto the lake and it only rippled softly. He took more steps onto the lake and seeing as he wasn't falling in, he made his way across the lake, hoping that he didn't loose track of the raven.

When he was on the other side, he saw the raven perched on a branch, waiting for him. When he was under the branch, the raven flew off at a slower pace, Yugi now walking behind the raven. Soon, the raven stopped and landed. Yugi stopped behind him and saw a empty field.

"Where are we?" he asked the raven. The raven turned to him before heading into the field but he disappeared as he stepped through. Yugi watched in awe and and still thinking he should follow, he walked into the field as well and disappeared through the barrier that was there.

When he was inside, he realized he was in a whole nother world. This one filled with darkness and shapeshifters. He looked around in awe though he was slightly scared of his surroundings. The raven crooned from above before perching onto his shoulder, bobbing his head towards the palace that rests in the heart of the kingdom.

/Go, go to the palace little one. There you shall me the one that will take care of you. If you like it here, you can stay but if not, then you have a wish to leave. But you will never know, what lies beneath the night's dark glow./ The voice that led him here spoke.

He nodded before he headed towards the palace, hoping that whoever would be taking care of him would be friendly even in this dark kingdom of demon shapeshifters.

"Yugi? Yugi, are you ok?" His mother called through the door as she opened it. She didn't see no sign of him, only an empty room. "No...he couldn't have..." she said softly before leaving the room, heading towards the guards' quarters. She opened the door to the head guard's room. "Jounouchi! I need you to gather some of your guards and head out into the forest! Yugi is missing!" she said to him and he got up quickly.

"Prince Yugi! How did he go missing?" he asked as he got dressed into his armor and placed his scabbard on his side. "He must've snuck out tonight. I hope he isn't hurt out there. You know about the hidden Dark Kingdom, our rivals for that matter. If they find him, who knows what may happen." Shiori said. "I know, my queen. We will find him and bring him back safely." Jou said as he left from the room.

'I hope you aren't hurt Yugi. I still remember what that dreaded king tried to do. Not even a pact with their kingdom would make me want to do something so horrible.' she thought as she remember that day.

-Flashback-

Everyone in the Light Kingdom was celebrating the birth of the new prince, heir to the throne. Many of the other kingdoms were there as well. The doors opened to the throne room and a cold gust of wind blew through. Shiori looked up, holding Yugi close as she saw two forms appear in the doorway. They walked towards the throne and stopped. "Ah, dear Shiori. I see you finally have had you heir." One said.

"King Yami and Lord Aqua, what brings you here?" she asked. "Why, to see your child." Yami said as he walked towards her and looked into the amethyst eyes the young child possessed. "Such a beautiful child you hold, Shiori. Maybe he will be the bond that will bring the Light and Dark kingdoms together." Yami said.

"What do you mean?" Kitargi asked. "Your child, if we make a pact with your kingdom, we want him to stay with us." Yami said. "No! Absolutely not! Even for a pact, I will not give up my child! He is to be the new heir to the kingdom and you will never have him under your care!" Shiori shouted.

"Temper, Shiori. Yes, he may be the heir but think. For how long will that last? What about your husband's condition? What happen if his heart were to give out at the worse possible time of your child's life and he is to become the new king and get married all at the same time? He may not want that and may leave, and when he does, we will be there to take care of him." Aqua said as he caressed Yugi's cheek softly.

Shiori pulled him away, glaring towards him. "He will never do such a thing. He will understand his responsibilities." Shiori said. Aqua snorted slightly. "Keep believing that. I can see he will become a fine prince with a rebellious side. You will see soon enough. We'll be on our way now but we congratulate the birth of your son." Aqua said. They soon became a raven and black fox and left. One solitary feather fell onto the velvet blanket that was wrapped around Yugi and he looked to it curiously before picking it up with chubby hands.

Shiori watched him before looking to Kitargi. "Kitargi, you don't think they may say the truth, do you?" Shiori asked as she heard Yugi laughed as the feather rubbed against his nose. "I don't know, Shiori, but I pray to the gods that they are not true to their word." Kitargi said. She nodded as she looked down to Yugi, a carefree child that has become only the beginning to a whole new life for the Light Kingdom.

-End Flashback-

'And now that he's gone, those two will find him and take him to their palace. I hope their intentions won't be as I think.' she thought as she headed back to her room to tell Kitargi what happen.

Zypher: Well, that's it for the first chapter. Yes, I made Yami and Aqua sound a little like they were planning to use Yugi for something, or whatever you would've thought when reading that part but I have no intention of making them evil. That will only be in The Demon of Oz. Anyways, I hoped you had enjoyed the first chapter to my newest story and will review. See you in the next chapter.