Chapter One
It had been an hour since Atem had woken in an unfamiliar room, the only light flooding in being that from the moon outside the window. The pharaoh sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a numb hand. All he could remember was waiting for Yugi to return from his visit to Anzo's house. Atem had been sick of sitting inside and decided some fresh air would be in order. The second he stepped onto the sidewalk, he was faced with a mob of Rare Hunters. After that, everything was a blank.
Atem stood slowly, shaking, and strode to the window. The night was filled with stars and the moon shaped like a crescent. He let a soft sigh escape his lips. Yugi would be worried. He closed his eyes for a moment to picture his aibou's face. His innocent eyes may be filled with tears by now, tears Atem would gladly brandish away with a soft tissue if he were there. Actually…if he were there, there wouldn't BE any tears to brandish away. At least the boy was safe, even if Atem wasn't.
The creaking of a door on the opposite side of the room alerted Atem to company. He ducked down and stared straight forward into the engulfing blackness. A soft thud accompanied by the creak of the door and the soft turn of the lock let him know that there was a new hostage. He also deduced from the sounds that he was, once more, locked inside of the dreaded room.
If only I could find a light switch…
The pharaoh edged forward somberly, not wanting to make a sound. No sooner had the thought of giving away his position crossed his mind, he tripped over a heap on the floor, landing face first on top of it. The heap grunted and Atem struggled to get back off.
The heap sat slowly, knocking Atem to the floor.
"Who is that?" The heap asked in a voice thick with confusion. Atem remained silent. "I said, who are you?"
Atem wished the voice were louder than a whisper so he may stand a chance at recognizing it. Two could play at this little game.
"I was here first. Tell me who YOU are." Atem did not phrase his words as a question. He phrased them as a demand.
"No way. I asked first."
"Tell me, sir, are you always so apt to play by the rules?" Atem's ears were met with a mere huff in response. He felt a hand groping for him in the darkness. "Quit it! Don't touch me!" The unidentified man pulled Atem closer, shaking him by the shoulders. Neither of them had noticed their captor step into the room. The light suddenly came on, casting away shadows and blinding them both. Atem rested his eyes on the heap to settle this once and for all. Hostage number two did the same. No one was paying attention to the man in the door.
"Bakura!" Atem cried, shocked at the sight of his longtime rival. Atem found himself smiling at the irony : the thief king had been stolen. The smile on Atem's lips didn't escape the sharp eyes of Bakura.
"What, happy to see me?" Bakura spat with a smirk. Atem's smile faltered.
"Oh, so incredibly happy to see you." The pharaoh muttered, words dripping with sarcasm. The man at the front of the room cleared his throat. Bakura and Atem turned to face him slowly.
"Marik!" They both cried out in alarm, instinctively moving closer to each other.
"Isn't that sweet? You're cuddling." Marik sneered, striding further into the room and taking a seat on a stool not far from the boys on the red-carpeted floor. They stared up at him nervously. "Don't you want to know why I brought you here?" Neither Bakura nor Atem spoke. Marik continued. "I brought you here each for different reasons. Who would like to find out their fate first?" When Marik's ears were met with silence, he fixed his eyes into a cold glare, bestowing it first upon Atem, then upon Bakura. "Bakura…why don't I tell you first? You're here to entertain me. What I say goes. If I ask you to dance, you dance. If I tell you to sing, you'd better sing. If I demand you have sex with me, you get in that bed and take your clothes off!" Bakura's eyes widened. Marik cleared his throat, realizing he'd said too much. "Um…you get the picture…uh…Atem! It's no secret that I despise you. For years and years, my family was forced to watch after your precious tomb. I'm sick of everything being about you. You work for me now. You do what I say. You make our bed, you wash the clothes, you cook the meals, you clean the house. You are my servant. Are we understood, gentlemen?"
Atem shot a glance at Bakura who still appeared shaken by the last comment Marik had for him. Atem snorted back laughter and nodded.
"Yeah, fine. By entertain you, does that mean I get to watch too?" Atem hadn't meant it to sound dirty, but gauging by Marik's evil grin, that's exactly how he took it.
"If you're a good boy, I might consider it." Marik purred. Bakura groaned, lying back on the floor. "I've made up my mind. I have my first task for each of you. Atem, go clean downstairs, and Bakura, why don't you go into the bathroom and put this on." Marik handed the man a bag and watched him and Atem depart to their separate tasks.