Author's note: So it's like, the next day and I have another chapter for you guys. Consider it an apology for taking so long last time. Anyway, I've been fiddling around with Seto's personality from the last version. Let me know what you think of him.

Afraid I don't have much to say, so just read and enjoy!


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Warnings: Yaoi (M/M relationships), abuse, language, sexual situations.


"Alright, there they are."

Yami and Seto peaked around the corner to see the newly arrived slaves lined up for inspection by the head of the staff. People of such high rank such as those two hardly ever had to deal with them, and technically weren't supposed to be back there. Even though Yami was in charge, he couldn't help but feel like a small child doing something he wasn't supposed to, even though Seto insisted over and over that it didn't matter since there was no body above him that he had to answer to.

"Maybe I shouldn't do this…" Yami tried, backing away slowly only to be dragged back forward by the boy in blue.

"Don't be stupid. We came here to get you a slave and that's what we're going to do. Now," he motioned back to the slaves. "Which one gives you that fuzzy feeling way down south?"

Yami gave him a look but checked them out none the less. They all looked the same to him though. None of them really stood out. The fact that he didn't even really want one in the first place didn't help much either.

"This is stupid," he muttered, trying to bail again, but Seto's grip on his cloak prevented any such action. He sighed and tried again, looking at then one by one.

A girl about his age with sort brown hair. A tall, muscular boy. Another girl, much paler than the first. A younger boy with long white hair. Another boy with tan skin and platinum hair. A boy…

His breath caught in his throat. The next boy, he looked so much like himself, but something was also so different. He had the same multi colored hair, which was in itself very strange, but he was also very innocent looking. He couldn't get a very good look at him at this distance, but he was close enough to see that he was also probably very young. Of legal age, yes, but probably just barely.

"You stopped," Seto observed. "You see one you like? Well come on, which one are you looking at?

"I…um… second row. Four in," he managed to get out, somehow unable to find his voice.

Seto counted heads until he reached the right one. "Him? Hey, he looks kinda like you doesn't he? Must be the hair. You don't see a lot of that style round here, do you? Not anywhere for that matter. Oh well. Hey guard!"

He stepped out and marched up to the nearest guard, ignoring Yami's stuttering protests behind him.

"Seto! I…Don't… Ugh."

"Second row, four in. I'd like to take that slave."

"Forgive me High Priest Seto, but these slaves have yet to go through inspection."

"S'all right. Pharaoh's orders." He motioned behind him to a very red faced Pharaoh.

"Yes, Sir." The guard stepped into the crowd to fulfill his orders.

Seto looked back at Yami and winked. Yami just dropped his head and groaned.

"Seto…"


Yugi, Ryou, Malik, and the rest of the slaves were lined up and taken to a large stone room in the back end of the palace. They'd been cleaned up and given fresh clothes, and were supposedly going to be inspected before given their duties. So far their whole experience had been pretty painless. Inside the palace thing seemed… different from what they were used to.

At the very least nobody was beating them.

It seemed like everything was going to be okay. The three of them would be given work around the palace, have a daily meal, and be able to see each other all the time. That was, it seemed like it would be okay, until a call sounded off to the side.

It was a man, no more like a boy, in his teens. He was dressed very ornately in blue and silver and was probably one of the royals. Yugi couldn't distinguish what his rank was though. He'd been taught how to tell when he was younger, but couldn't remember exactly.

The boy spoke to a guard pointing behind him a few times before the guard moved into the line of slaves.

And grabbed Yugi's arm.

Malik and Ryou gaped as Yugi was very suddenly plucked out of the line. Yugi was in a mild state of shock and just allowed himself to be dragged along. As they got closer he lowered his head. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't supposed to look him in the eye, that was for sure.

"Is this the one Sir?"

"Yes. You may leave; I'll take it from here." He grabbed Yugi by his upper arm and pulled him along, Yugi stumbling at his side. He looked back over his shoulder at Malik and Ryou who could only look on reassuringly before they disappeared from his sight.

His arm was released and he was pushed towards another boy, even younger than the last one. The older boy whispered something to his friend that sounded suspiciously like "have fun" before he strode off.

"Follow me." He heard as the remaining walked off in the opposite direction. Yugi followed not two paces behind him, risking a look up at him to see who he was.

Once he figured that out he tripped over his own feet and fell ungracefully to the ground. The older of the two stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him. Yugi quickly scrambled to his feet and bowed with his eyes squeezed shut, waiting to be hit.

When it didn't come he peaked out of one eye to see that he was still just looking at him, but turned around and continued on the next instant.

Yugi let out the breath he'd been holding and continued to follow him. If the crown and red and gold outfit were any indication, he was now following the most powerful man in Egypt, the Pharaoh. The last thing he'd wanted to do was get the Pharaoh upset.

But the strange thing was, he didn't look very upset. When he was looking at him he seemed more curious and possibly… amused? But that didn't make much sense.

"Any slave who spends even one night with him ends up dying."

"I heard that if you don't bleed to death after he takes you, then you will once he's through with you in his torture chamber."

Anaku and Draconis had made him out to be this big, evil dictator with a love of torturing his slaves. But then again, they were Anaku and Draconis. Could they really have been just trying to scare him, like Jounouchi said?

"Ahem."

He looked up to see the Pharaoh standing by an open doorway, waiting for him to go in. Yugi gasp and quickly scampered into the room.

Nervous as he was, he couldn't help but stare in awe at the room he was standing in. The floor was made of a sandy stone, but it shined and was smooth like marble. Red and gold drapes hung from the windows. There were dressers and desks that were made of finely carved wood and had some gold and ruby decorations. There was a large balcony that had a better view of Egypt than anywhere else.

Many different rare plants and flowers were arranged throughout the room in neat patterns. In one corner of the room was a small bathing area. The bed was large and made of the same wood as the desks and draped with silk sheets. There were also several small couches and chairs, all following the red and gold coloring of the room.

The Pharaoh closed the door behind him and sat down on one of the couches, motioning Yugi to come over. Yugi did so and stood before him, his head bowed down.

"Look at me."

Against his better judgment Yugi looked up and into the violet-red eyes of the Pharaoh. He watched as the Pharaoh's eyes moved up and down, studying him. He bit his lip, willing himself not to shake. After a long lapse in time he finally spoke.

"What's your name?"

The question came so abruptly that Yugi almost forgot the answer, but quickly regained himself and answered, "Yugi, master."

"How old are you?"

"I'm twelve, master."

He didn't know how he was able to keep such a steady voice. Just standing there was killing him. What he had or hadn't done up until this point didn't matter. What did matter was what was going to happen, and he doubted he'd been picked from the line of slaves to make small talk.

"Are you a virgin?"

"I-I uh…"

"Answer the question."

"Yes, master," he squeaked out.

"Is that why you're so afraid?"

Yugi blinked. He hadn't expected that.

"What…"

"You're afraid. You've been like that since we got here and I would like to know why."

"I…um…" he turned his head to the side. He couldn't look at him anymore. It was so unnerving. And why was he asking him all these questions. It felt like he was stalling or something. But what would he be stalling for?

"Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid I'll hurt you?" He took Yugi's chin and turned him gently to look at him. "Answer yes or no, Yugi."

Yugi's mouth had suddenly gone very dry. He was nervous before. Now he was afraid. His eyes stared intently at his, but soft as they were, the intimidated him. What was with him?

The Pharaoh was still waiting for an answer so he nodded in response. That seemed to be enough for him because he let go and stood up. He walked cross the room and to one end of the bed before stopping abruptly and heading toward the other end. After a small amount of pacing he stopped and turned back to Yugi who'd fear was steadily being replaced with confusion as the night went on.

"I'm… not going to hurt you. So stop acting like I'm going to kill you or something…okay?"

"Y-yes, master."

"And," he was getting really flustered for some reason. "St-stop calling me master. It sounds weird. Just don't address me as anything or if you have to, just call me Yami."

"Okay…" This whole night was going against every rule anyone within sight range of Egypt had ever been taught, but Yugi decided to just go with it. With any luck this all would be just a strange dream when he woke up.

"Right. It's late… I think we should go to bed."

Yugi visibly stiffened, fear once again becoming a predominant emotion. Sure the Pharaoh had just promised not to hurt him, but either way bed meant…

His anxiety did not go unnoticed however.

"Just- just bed. Just sleep, nothing more," assured him, blowing out the candles that lit the room. Once the lights were out he pulled back the sheets of his bed and looked at Yugi who still had yet to move.

Catching his silent order, Yugi carefully walked over to the Pharaoh and got into the bed. The Pharaoh followed after him and pulled the sheets over the two of them. There was a short moment as Yugi lay down that the Pharaoh didn't move, like he was thinking something over.

Finally he too settled in next to Yugi and after another tense moment wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. Yugi stiffened again, but willed himself to relax.

"He's not going to do anything," he thought to himself. "He's not going to do anything."

And strangely enough, he didn't.