PUNISHMENT
(Yami POV)

The whip came down onto Atem's back. He wanted to scream, but all he could do was let a tear trickle down his cheek. He wanted to put Seto and himself into the Shadows; then he could have broken the chains that were tied around his wrists, which were bound to the ceiling in the middle of Seto's basement. He couls have done anything in the Shadows, but it would not have been fair.

'I can not be selfish,' he reminded himself again, as the whip came down again. This time he saw as well as felt the blood run down the front of his shoulder. 'I must be punished.' That was another thing he had to remind himself of to keep from killing Seto for whipping him so harshly.

"You've been very bad, Atem. You know that?" Atem didn't respond. Seto whipped him again, which made him flinch. "I said," this time he just cracked the whip, "did you know that?" Atem was so weak from being chained up for over an hour he could only nod. "Yes. You should know. That's why you came to me tonight," Seto said as he unchained Atem and settled him, face down, onto a bed that was down there.

"You know, I don't usually do that type of thing for kink." Seto was busying himself at a bookcase Atem hadn't seen before. He heard glass clinking. "Which, I guess it's a good thing that's not what you wanted, because, you know, I'm not into...that." Atem closed his eyes, sleep threatening to take him. Seto sat in a chair beside the bed. "This is going to be a bit cold, but it'll help with the pain and healing."

"NO!" Atem, feeling suddenly awake, yelled and then sat up. "Then what would have been the purpose of being whipped?"

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to ask you: Why did you ask me to whip you?"

"As punishment," Atem stated as he put his shirt back on. "Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. I wanted to help a friend." Just then it hit Seto. "Punishment?! For what?"

"Being bad, like you said." Atem stood and started for the door.

"I was reding a script. One you wrote, I might add," Seto accused. At the door at the top of the stairs Atem turned to face Seto. "Now, why did you need to be punished?"

Atem rolled his eyes and continued out the door. When he got to the front door, he waited for Kaiba. He didn't have to wait long; Seto was only a few paces behind him. "Why?" Seto repeated.

Atem, ignoring the question for the third time that day, said, "Thank you again for helping me. Mind if we do this again?" Seto shook his head. "Good. See you tomorrow."

Atem turned to open the door when Seto asked "Why?" again, this time in a gentle whisper.

Atem didn't turn around when he answered. "Because I am a bad person...spirit...what ever you want to call me. Most importantly, I am a bad friend," he said almost as softly. "Can we leave it at that?" He felt Seto nod and took it as a sing to leave. "Bye," he whispered.

He walked out, Seto closing the door behind him. On his way past the gates, he was so deep in thought, he bumped into Yugi, knocking the little one down. "Sorry, Yugi. I did not see you there," he mumbled. Yami kept walking, lost in the suddenpain in his chest where Yugi's head had hit one of the open whip marks.

"You're hurt." That was all Yugi had to say to bring Yami out of his thoughts.