For Play
By: fruor

Summary: (AU) All Yugi wanted was to gain his freedom. All Atemu wanted was a good entertainment. All chance wanted was for them to meet and a circus was more than willing to help. YYY.

Rating: T

Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance

Pairings: (main) YYY, (sub) BR, SJ, MM

Disclaimer: Kazuki Takahashi owns YGO.

Note: I'm currently writing my Naruto fic so this one doesn't get much attention XS Hence, the updates aren't as fast as the other fic. I have the plot written down though. It's just the case of writing it


III. King of the Wild

Yugi took a deep breath. This man in front of him was like a copy of himself. Sharp crimson eyes and height difference were the only things that assured him that he wasn't looking at a mirror or hallucinating. He also noted the extra golden spikes on the other's hair but as of the moment, he was too busy looking at the shocked expression of the other. He absent-mindedly placed a hand on his hood and on the mask placed across his eyes. The other him shouldn't be alarmed when even Yugi doesn't recognize himself.

A shuffle of cloth cut through their staring match.

"Hey! See anyone there?"

The beast master froze. "Uhm, no! There's no one here! Mythos just knocked over a few crates!" What am I going to do? Pegasus hates it when people sneak into the show! , he looked around in panic, trying to think of a good way to get this mysterious young man out of trouble.

With an annoyed sigh, he grabbed his other self's arm and dragged him into the tent's shadows. He pressed his back to the tent and crouched down. "Are you going to watch the show?" he jerked his head to the other, motioning for him to lay low. A soft whoosh assured him that the tent's flaps were closed.

The young man blinked, as though he couldn't comprehend what Yugi was saying.

"I said," Yugi took a deep breath, pulling the other closer as he whispered, "Are you going to watch the show?"

The other nodded slowly but that was all the approval the beast master needed. Tightening his grip of the other man, Yugi led his other self around the tent, dodging his fellow performers. The loud cheers and lively music signaled the start of the show but the beast master paid no heed, expertly leading the other as though he had been saving people like them all his life. Well, he probably does.

"The show…it's starting." The crimson-eyed young man turned his head up, watching as the dim lights that crawled over the tent flashed in a different array of colors.

"Yes. It's good then." Yugi smiled, seeing the empty entrance of the tents, "Nobody would catch you sneaking in. The ringmaster gets nasty when he catches people like you. It'd be better if you never face him. He gets…too scary…almost as if he's reading your mind." He whispered hoarsely.

The other snorted. He looked at the beast master as though to say that something like that would never happen to him – or rather, it's impossible.

Yugi shrugged at the reaction of his other self. There were a lot of things he didn't know about the capital. Maybe one of them was the citizens' immunity to harm from foreigners? But all he wanted to do was to get this strange look-alike of his out of the ringmaster's clutches.

"And I'm not sneaking in. I have money to pay for a ticket." The stranger took some shiny gold coins from his pocket then hid them back into his trousers.

"Then that's better." Yugi sighed in relief, "I'll give you a ticket. You pay for it. Then Pegasus can't say you've stolen a show." He started running his hands over his clothes, wondering where he put that extra ticket he always carried around him. His eyes lit up in relief as he conjured up a red crumpled piece of thick paper and shoved it to the stranger's chest.

The young man blinked in confusion. Nonetheless, he handed the beast tamer a few coins which the other refused with a defiant shake of his head.

"Later." Yugi whispered, "Pay later. For now, get into the tent. My act is coming soon." He pushed the stranger into the tents and turned around. He was not allowed to be late for his act. The ringmaster won't be pleased.

"Wait!" The crimson-eyed young man called, "What's your name, kid?"

The beast master frowned, "I'm not a kid. I'm 18." He slapped a hand over his chest, "And it's—"

The loud cheers and claps interrupted the beast master, causing both him and the stranger to look into the tents. The somersault of the trapeze performers sent the crowd and the stranger into awe. By the time the stranger turned to hear the beast tamer's name, Yugi was nowhere to be found.

- - -

"Sneaking out of the palace to see a rogues' show? How desperate can you get, Atemu?" Seto placed two fingers on the bridge of his nose. A long tired sigh escaped his lips. He willed his sight away from the king of the land…who was, as of the moment, dressed in commoners' clothes…and closed his eyes.

The king nodded, not really listening to his cousin's words. He was still thinking about the beast tamer who sneaked him into the tents. The boy and his hellhounds were the performers he watched since he missed the others before that, wasting time sneaking around with the beast master.

The show was, to put it simply, amazing. He knew of hellhounds and their vicious nature, and yet, in front of the beast tamer, they were like trained dogs, executing their wide range of tricks as though they had never been wild in the first place. He didn't know if the hounds were thoroughly tamed or the beast master was just overly skilled…though he believed the former more.

Atemu had met the beast master face to face and though he could barely see the boy's face, the beast master's wide purple eyes, short stature and childlike voice said enough to tell that that boy could not possibly tame vicious beasts like hell hounds. And he noticed quite easily that the boy never used the whip he carried on his side. Most of the audience took little notice of the beast master because of the hounds but Atemu's eyes were glued to the boy the whole show. After all, he did owe the boy a ticket fee that he was still supposed to pay.

But despite all those musings, the show was still the most entertaining one he had ever encountered. It was unique and fresh and it had the king glued to each performance that he never even noticed Seto and his brother sitting on the other side of the tent. The vizier's stare that he had always found unnerving had become nothing.

Only after the show, when Seto approached him, did he realize he was found. And he never had the time to search for the beast master and pay his debt.

"Atemu? Are you listening to me?" The vizier called but the king ignored him, favoring the passing scenery of the carriage instead.

"Can we go again to the next show? I wanna see Yugi again!" Mokuba suddenly interrupted, "He promised me he'd introduce me to the rest of the circus once I go back!" he clasped his hands together, begging his brother with pleading eyes.

Seto sighed, shaking his head, "Once is enough. Such an uncivilized show is not appropriate for royalty."

Mokuba frowned, a pout making its way to his lips, "But Yugi isn't uncivilized! He's actually very nice!"

The vizier shook his head. His brother had always been a handful but the kid had never been so pushy as to attach himself to a circus performer he had met only once. "There you go again with that bea—"

"I like it."

The Kaiba brothers turned to the king.

Atemu smirked and turned amused eyes at his advisor, "The circus. I like it. I'd like to see them again." He chuckled at the slight surprise his cousin showed. "Have them brought to the palace."

"Wh-what?"

The king shrugged, "It's my palace. And it's for my entertainment." He reasoned, ignoring the horrified – as horrified as Seto could get – looks his vizier sent his way, "They can stay in the front lawns. It should be enough for them all to fit. Have them moved as soon as possible."

The carriage came to a halt. One of the footmen opened the doors, letting Atemu alight from the vehicle. A mob of advisors and guards rushed to him in worry but he sent them away with orders for the circus. The clopping of horseshoes on the stone pavements of the castle grounds signaled Seto's departure as the king led himself to his room.

He needed to see that beast master again. After all, he still owed him a few coins for the ticket.

- - -

The first rays of the sun touched the red flowing flag of the circus tents, casting a long shadow over the cages and crates around it. The soft chirps of the birds in the nearby trees were chased away by the lazy roars of the circus beasts. Sitting upon one of the wooden fences was the beast master. A pitchfork lay on his side. He had just finished feeding the animals.

"What? You saw someone who looked exactly like you?" It was Jou, the resident jester. He plopped down on a nearby crate and took a big bite on the apple in his hands.

Yugi nodded, "Well, not exactly. He was taller than me." He raised his hand to indicate the height difference, "And his eyes were sharper and they were red. But if you ignore the height, he could practically pass as me."

"Close enough." The jester threw away what remained of the apple that he couldn't eat and grabbed another from his sleeves. He leaned forward, waving a finger in front of his face, "You shouldn't have helped him sneak into the show, you know. You'll get into trouble with Pegasus." He shivered in disgust as he said the name.

"Well, he wasn't really sneaking in. He said he had money to pay for the ticket – he even showed it to me – but," The beast master sighed, "I think he got in trouble with the palace. Mokuba's brother took him away before I could ask for the payment. You don't think he was being arrested, right?" he asked worriedly. In the smaller towns they've visited, the guards and the constable usually make a big fuss, ransacking houses and waking the whole village just to arrest one thief. Surely, Yugi thought, that they would do the same in the capital…right?

"See? The man's dangerous enough as it is!" exclaimed Jounouchi.

"Dangerous?" Yugi repeated, looking at the blonde in mock shock, "No, he's not, Jou! He's actually nice…." He thought back to when he met the young man and he chuckled nervously, "…Okay. He was a bit annoying and really ignorant but I don't think he'll hurt anyone."

Jou shook his head, tsk-ing like a certain blue-eyed brunette, "Yug, you trust too much." He sighed, "You know, they say when you meet your look-alike, it's a sign of death. We can't have you dying on us, Yug! We need you!" he wailed animatedly.

"Actually, it came from the concept of anti-matter." Ryou approached the two, greeting them both a good morning.

Yugi smiled, greeting the albino with the same cheery good morning.

"Anti-what?" Jou asked in return, looking at the wizard in confusion.

"Anti-matter." Ryou sat down beside him, "Scholars say that somewhere in the vast heavens is an anti-matter that would cancel out matter. So I can say that there's an anti-Jounouchi somewhere out there and when anti-Jou and Jou meet, they'd cancel out each other, disappear, disintegrate, you know the likes." He copied an explosion with his hands.

Jou paled and shook his head vigorously. He turned to the beast master in panic, "SEE! You shouldn't meet your look-alike anymore!"

"Hmm? What's this about a look alike?" Ryou turned to Yugi, raising a brow in question. And to Jou, he said, "It was just a concept. The scholars haven't proved it yet. It's probably just a big joke anyway." It calmed the jester considerably.

Yugi sighed, "I met him last night. He got lost around the tents and I let him inside the show." He explained, "He looked like my twin except that he's taller and had red eyes." He shrugged then jumped off the fence. He ran a hand over his bottom, dusting away what clung to his trousers.

Ryou nodded slowly. He gave a bright amused smile to the beast master and said, "That seems interesting. We should meet him." He thoughtfully tapped a finger on his chin, "Maybe there's a look-alike of me as well? Somewhere here? I'd like to meet him." He laughed softly.

Yugi laughed along with him. "Yes, he was interesting." He smiled at the thought of his other self.

"HEY!" A high-pitched voice growled. The three turned their heads and was mildly surprised to see Anzu stomping their way. The trapeze performer had a brown worn-out apron wrapped around her waist. On her right hand was a ladle wet with broth.

"Oh, I forgot!" Ryou exclaimed in shock, "Anzu told me to come and get Yugi for breakfast!" he bowed slightly at the mentioned girl. He flashed a cheeky smile and said, "I'm sorry!"

Anzu frowned and placed her palms on her hips. "I understand Jou forgetting," she shot a glare at the blonde who flinched then avoided her eyes with a whistle, "But not you, Ryou." She sighed in disappointment.

Again, the wizard bowed. He clasped his hands together and bought it to his lips, "I'm really sorry, Anzu, but they were talking about the most interesting of things and I couldn't help but join in." he turned pleading eyes at Anzu, who started shifted from one foot to another uncomfortably.

"Fine, fine. You're forgiven!" Anzu threw her arms in the air. She sighed and turned back to the direction she came from. "Now that you're finished talking, let's head back to the others. I'm sure there's still enough food left seeing as Jou wasn't there to eat them all." She sneered at the blonde.

"Hey!"

Yugi and Ryou laughed. "You have to admit, Jou. That is quite true." The beast master said between giggles. They walked past the blonde and followed Anzu as she led them back to where the food was served, near the front of the tents.

"Aww, Yug! You too?" Jou pouted and crossed his arms. Nonetheless, he followed Yugi and Ryou.

It wasn't long until they reached a circle of people sitting around a low fire. They greeted Yugi and the others a good morning. Upon the fire sat a big black cauldron covered with dark brown stains and cracked at some places. At one side of the cauldron, Malik was cackling loudly in a forced high-pitched voice. He raised one fisted hand then sprinkled what seemed to be black powder into the contents of the cauldron.

"Oh no!" Anzu screamed in horror "MY STEW!" She ran to the metal pot and pushed the knife thrower to the ground. She then proceeded to pick what she could of the black powder the other threw. "What did you throw in this, Malik!" she turned furious eyes at him.

Malik rubbed his back, frowning. He turned furious eyes at Anzu and growled. "Hey! What's the big idea?" he screamed, "I was practicing my act!"

"Your act doesn't include playing with cauldrons!"

Malik stood up and crossed his arms. "I need to work on my crazy act." He said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"YOU'RE ALREADY CRAZY!"

Yugi sighed. He approached Anzu and took the ladle from her hands, which was left unnoticed because of the fuss. He took a bit of the stew and tasted it with a finger. "I think it was pepper, Anzu. It's nothing bad." He interrupted the argument, "I think Malik made it better e…ven…."

Anzu snatched her ladle from Yugi and frowned at Malik. "Well, don't try and mess with my cooking again!"

"Killjoy witch!" Malik stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at the girl. "Good morning, Yugi!" he turned to the beast master and smiled. "Yugi?"

The beast master stared at the horizon. He squinted his eyes, "I think I see something coming here." He leaned forward, cupping a hand over his eyes. Soon, they heard the loud rumble of running horses and distinct clang of steel upon steel: armor. Is that…?

"IT'S THE PALACE GUARDS!" Somebody shouted from behind.

Instantly, the circus performers stood up and threw whatever they had in their hands to the ground, spilling the stew. They started screaming and running in panic. As far as they know, when guards come to their circus it would mean only one thing: they were going to be arrested.

But Yugi stood in his place. He didn't know what to do and Jou's constant shouting about his other self sending the guards helped little to calm him. The next thing he knew he was being hoisted into the air and thrown back, towards the closing riders. He saw a blonde haired man smirking at him then running away. It was Keith.

A loud neigh interrupted his thoughts. Yugi looked up and he gulped loudly. "I-I-I-I'm s-s-so-sorry…."

"…Yugi?"

- - -

Seto had a problem. A big one. And it came in the form of a red-eyed king with tri-colored hair.

Atemu was a selfish young man who was used to having everything in his will followed. The king was spoiled, that was something he was not going deny since he was one as well (and that was something he will deny) but the king was twice, maybe ten times more spoiled than he was.

His cousin had become better, less spoiled, and more responsible when he ascended onto the throne. It was two years before the end of the millennial war, a few months after the death of Atemu's father, the previous king. Atemu was 13 and the newly chosen wielder of the millennium puzzle. He had stopped the war, ended the battle and assumed the throne. He saved the people and regained the right to call his city the capital.

Atemu was a great hero but he was not a good leader.

And now, their king had asked, no, ordered the circus' presence in the palace. The order would've been denied had it been something Atemu had little interest in, like the king's request to watch the performance. He suspected that Atemu simply wanted an excuse to sneak out of the palace which was why he let his viziers tie him down.

But Atemu set his foot down. He said he needed to get the circus. The only thing the vizier could do was to push it down to a few performers and leave the rest. He had his suspicions about the circus, especially the ringmaster with his one visible eye. The only thing that was saved from his scrutinizing eye was the beast master. After all, the beast master had saved his brother and let him go when he could've brought Mokuba to the ringmaster for trespassing punishment. The circus would've gotten more profits by that action.

Seto sighed. He stood up and paced across his room, towards the tall glass windows at the side. Deep blue curtains rimmed with gold and held back by golden tassels hung over the windows. From his place, he could see the wide balcony of Atemu's bedroom. He frowned.

From where he stood, he saw the king leaning on the intricate cement railings of the balcony, probably running away from duties he deemed useless and worthless. Seto didn't need to follow his cousin's gaze to know what he was looking at: the distant red flag of the circus tents.

Is the circus the show he was looking for…? , Seto wondered, snorting in disapproval. I admit it's unique but it's too…untamed. , He looked back at his cousin, who shifted back and stretched out his arms. "But then, he's untamed as well."

To him, the circus was nothing but a child's show that was too lowly for royal blood like his kin. He was the 15th ascender of the throne, behind a long line of half-bloods that married into the family, and he was Atemu's most trusted adviser. He had no time to waste on clowns juggling food with each other.

With a sigh, he turned back to his desk. All he needed to do was wait for the guard envoy he sent and hope that Mokuba doesn't cause trouble.

- - -

It was a shock so big and unexpected that Anzu, in fact, fainted. Mai and Shizuka carried her to the carriage they shared where Anzu stayed for the rest of the day. It was Shizuka who took care of her until she woke up.

The knights came bearing an order from the palace. It was Mokuba who delivered it and stopped the circus from running away and defending themselves. He was riding with one of the knights and got off the stallion with the help of the guard. He grinned and helped Yugi, who was sprawled in front of the army of horses, stand up.

The next thing they knew, the knights had galloped away and Pegasus had come out of his tent, ordering Yugi, Ryou and Keith to get ready. When asked, he proudly proclaimed in an eerie droning voice that they were invited to perform in the palace. He then announced one empty slot in the group going to the palace since only five were invited.

The rest of the circus drew lots and Malik was the lucky one. He raced back into his carriage and started packing his knives.

It was a few hours past noon when the little circus group set their way towards the palace. Yugi had left specific instructions about the animals, which included one don't-let-Jou-near-the-animals rule. He rode upon the hunched backs of Remus, the hellhound, while Malik lazily lounged on the hellhound's twin's back. Up in the skies was the distant silhouette of their red-eyed black dragon.

They had taken one carriage which Ryou drove, his head bobbing up and down as he attempted to stay awake. He had put a spell over the carriage so that it could hold all their luggage and crates. The breakfast stew was getting to him and he felt sleepy as they paraded through the town.

The ringmaster stood upon the red wooden roof of the carriage, animatedly promoting the circus while Keith flaunted his strength with the women around. Camelot, the black dragon, would swoop down low enough that his wings would create a strong enough breeze to capture the attention of everyone in the road.

The rugged and dull houses of the working class soon disappeared into the vast houses and great mansions of the elite. Soon, they reached the palace.

The white brick walls that surrounded the wide palace gardens shielded both commoner and rich from the beautiful green decorated the shining white castle in the middle. It was quiet and solemn even with the soft chirping of birds. To Yugi, who sat up in awe, it seemed that the palace walls itself were whispering about its greatness that even Malik and Ryou were wide awake.

A figure clothed in elegant blue robes stood upon the palace steps. Yugi immediately recognized him as Mokuba's brother, Seto Kaiba, the vizier who watched their show and arrested his look-alike.

I hope he doesn't mistake me for my other self. , Thought the beast master. I wouldn't want to spend my night in jail. , He shivered slightly at the thought as he tightened his grip on Remus' short mane.

The vizier looked over the circus performers. He paused slightly at Yugi and for a second, Yugi thought he saw shock in the other's eyes but it was gone the moment the vizier blinked.

Seto cleared his throat and turned around, "Use the gardens to set up your tents." He pointed to the vast empty lot of grass on his right. "If you need help, you can call the servants at the back." He brought his finger into the palace, indicating straight through the halls. Then he vanished into the maze-like ways of the palace.

They led the carriage to the indicated lot. Ryou jumped off the carriage just as Yugi and Malik got off the hellhounds. They all turned to Pegasus for instructions they knew what will be but still needed to hear. The ringmaster crossed his legs and looked below, from the roof of the carriage.

"One of you get help from the palace servants." Pegasus waved a hand at Yugi and Malik, "Ryou, take out the luggage. Could you get a chair first?" he smiled eerily at the boy. "And Keith, come with me. I need to discuss something with you." He jumped off the carriage and landed in perfect balance in front of Ryou. He walked away, Keith tailing behind him.

With a sigh, Ryou opened the carriage doors and dragged out two stools from inside. He smiled at Yugi and Malik then brought the chairs to the ringmaster and Keith.

"I'll go get help from the servants." Yugi said quickly, ignoring the pout that appeared on the knife thrower's face. "You can't go, Malik. You get lost easy and you're not really that friendly with all your…uh…precious knives." He said.

Malik sighed. He put his palms on his waist and said, "Fine. I'll stay here and help Ryou."

"Okay." Yugi turned around and started running towards the palace. Then he stopped, "Oh, and don't forget. Mokuba might come and visit. Don't be mean to him, okay?" he waved a finger at the knife master. He knew how uncontrolled the other could be.

"Moku-who?"

The beast master frowned. "You know, Mokuba. He was the little kid who came with the knights and delivered the order."

Malik nodded slowly, "Oh. That kid." He said, "Don't worry about that. We'll be nice!"

With a sigh, the beast master entered the palace, going straight to the back without any detours.

- - -

"The circus is here, your majesty."

Atemu nearly jumped from his throne. With a grateful smile, he sent the messenger away and he went to his room, straight to the large overlooking balcony. From there he could see the miniscule figures of the circus and their carriage. He grinned.

"The beast master should be there." Said Atemu. It was hard to miss the black sheen of the dragon lounging near the carriage and the howls of the fiery red hellhounds. He turned back to his room and looked at the mirror with a smile. "And I could finally pay my debt."

He wasn't sure he could recognize the young beast master. Clear lilac eyes and pale skin were the only features Atemu could see from the beast master's costume last night. He remembered the height and the slightly annoyed tone of the little one's voice as well and nothing else. He didn't even know the other's name.

But he knew the beast master would recognize him.

Atemu walked out of his room, feeling happier than he could remember. Now, he had to go down and meet the circus.

- - -

Ryou sighed. He was, yet again, stuck with unloading their luggage. Malik was there to help but he didn't trust him well enough to not mess with his dimensional spell and so, he let the knife thrower work with placing the luggage Ryou would take from the carriage.

He could handle Malik well but he didn't know if he could handle another troublemaker without Yugi.

"What are you doing here, Jou?" The wizard hissed. He pushed the blonde jester deeper into carriage and glanced at their ringmaster. Thankfully, Pegasus seemed to be focusing on his conversation with Keith. "Pegasus is going to kill you, you know!"

Jounouchi laughed nervously. He rubbed the back of his head and whispered, "Well, I couldn't help it. I was supposed to go with you but Malik and I changed draws." He shot an angry look at Malik who only replied by sticking out his tongue.

Ryou sighed. He dragged Jou off the carriage and to the side where Pegasus couldn't see them. "You're messing my dimensional spell." He scolded in as hard a voice as he could though it still sounded soft to Jou's ears. "You do know that you can't hide from Pegasus. He'll find out and you'll be in trouble."

The jester laughed once again. "Yeah. I know." He shrugged his shoulders, "It sounded like a good idea before. Whatever Pegasus can punish me with, the palace would be worth it but now…uhm…I guess not?" he shifted from one foot to another. "By the way, where's Yug?"

"Oh. He went to get help from the palace servants." Ryou said as he passed a thick and heavy roll of cloth to Malik who put threw it over to the chests beside the carriage. "He should be here soon."

"Yugi!" Malik's enthusiastic voice called the attention of the jester and the wizard. The knife thrower jumped up and waved his arms wildly in air, "What's with the clothes? Do they give you a make-over when you enter the palace? I want one too!" he cackled loudly.

A young man approached them dressed in white silk rimmed with silver. A long scarf dyed in such a vibrant red that it stood like blood on the man's robes wrapped around his neck, making it look like a long cape as its trails flowed as he walked. Gold jewelry studded with rubies of different sizes decorated his body.

The hairstyle was the same but this definitely wasn't the beast master.

Taller…and crimson-eyed…. , Jou frowned. He leaned towards Ryou and whispered, "This must be the look-alike Yugi was talking about." He nodded towards the young man, "Why's he dressed like that though? You don't think this is what happens to people who get arrested in the capital, do you? If so, then I'd like to get arrested."

The wizard shook his head, "I don't think he was arrested, Jou." He replied. For a moment, his chocolate eyes met with blood red and he saw a hint of anger and shock. He looked away, feeling awkward under the young man's gaze. "He seems…like someone important." He pointed to the envoy of guards trailing behind.

"Drat." The jester huffed then crossed his arms. "Then I can't get arrested, now can I?"

The young man passed his eyes over the group of performers a couple of times as though he was looking for something. A solid stern frown met the performers and somehow, they felt the need to bow before him. "There is no one else?" the deep smooth voice the man asked.

"No – I mean, there's still one of us. He went to get help from the palace servants." Answered the wizard in a soft voice. Ryou, like Jou and Malik, refused to meet the young man's eyes – the knife thrower had directed his attention to the luggage instead of the young man.

The beast master's double walked passed them, nodding to indicate he heard the message. "The beast master?" he turned to Ryou who nodded instantly, "I saw the dragon and…those things." He pointed to the hellhounds. Slowly, he approached the red beasts.

"Uhm, sir? I don't think you should approach them…." Ryou called, "They might attack you and…Yugi's the only one who could control them…."

Atemu smirked. He finally knew the beast master's name. "But surely, these beasts can't be that wild."

"NO! They're wild alright!" Jou exclaimed, shaking his head exaggeratedly. "Them nasty little beasts! Once, they attacked me while I was eating my dinner. If Yugi wasn't there, I would've been mutant dog chow!" he said, telling the story mostly to Ryou and Malik instead of the young man.

Then a loud roar interrupted them. With a growl, the hellhounds leapt towards Atemu, their sharp white fangs flashing in the afternoon light.

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

- - -

Yugi had been to many places already. Some of them treated the circus with such vigor and excitement that they themselves performed for the performers. Some were so angry that they'd throw rotten vegetables at them then chase them away with torches.

But he had never been to a palace. He had nothing to compare this place to but he knew that it was…unusual.

He had reached the servant's quarters quite easily. He approached one of them, tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Excuse me, we need some help setting the tents please. It's for the circus." Then came the horrifying part.

The servant screamed and jumped away. He kneeled down and bowed close to the hard and cold stones of the palace floors. Behind him, the rest of the servants stopped and bowed the same way as he did.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. We didn't see you there." Came the shaking reply of the man. "Please do not punish us for our incompetence, your highness." The statement was echoed by the servants behind him.

For a moment, Yugi couldn't breathe. He crouched down and put a hand on the shoulder of the man in front of him. "Oh, please don't do that. All I'm asking for is a bit of help for setting up the circus tents. Just a few of you would do, could you do that, please?"

A chorus of gasps echoed through the chamber. The servants whispered with each other in loud hisses until one voice shouted, "The king is sick! We must take him to the infirmary!" and then they all stood up. About half a dozen of them grabbed Yugi by the elbows and dragged him away.

"Wh-what? What king?" Yugi tried to get loose from the grasps of the servants only to have them tighten their grips. Whimpering, he was dragged through the palace, turning left and right through random hallways that Yugi almost felt dizzy.

Then a loud scream of "YOUR MAJESTY!" stopped the servants' steps. Yugi took the opportunity to release himself from the death grips of the servants and ran past them, covering his ears to block away the sounds of their protests.

Yugi ran through the halls, following the same path that the servants took. He could hear the clash of spears and the shouts of his friends. He ran faster when he heard the fierce growls of the hellhounds. I hope they're not hurting anybody.

He rushed to an open window. From there, he saw the distant figures of the hellhounds rushing towards a man. The beasts tackled the person the ground. With a gasp, he jumped out of the window. Luckily, he was at ground level but still, he tripped on the sill and sent himself falling onto the bushes.

"Remus! Rome!" Yugi shouted as he struggled to get up but the howls of the hellhounds ate up his meek voice. Then he did the only thing he could think of next. He pressed two fingers onto his lips and blew as hard as he could. A high-pitched whistle cut through the air and all eyes turned to him.

"Yugi!" the relieved voices reached the beast master's ears.

The hellhounds wagged their tails excitedly at the sight of the beast master but Yugi wasn't pleased. He pushed past the hellhounds and pointed to the end of the garden, just in front of the castle walls. The hellhounds hesitantly walked to the place and sat down like obedient dogs.

Yugi turned to the man they attacked and stretched out his hand. "I'm so sor—" He gasped, eyes wide as saucers.

Atemu looked at the other in shock. He recognized the lavender eyes and, by height, he knew that this was the beast master. He never expected him to look like himself and now, he knew why the beast master was so surprised to see him. With a slight shake of his head, he took the offered hand.

"Y-Y-You're the guy from last night's show! The person the vizier arrested!" Yugi exclaimed as he helped his other self stand up. Only then did he notice the high class clothes the other was wearing, so different from last night (though now filled with muddy paw prints and ripped into tiny pieces), and he blushed. This man couldn't have been arrested. It was stupid of him to think so.

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" Guards and healers rushed to the king's side. They pushed the beast master none too gently out of the way and Yugi stumbled towards his friends.

Your majesty…? , Yugi thought as he leaned onto the carriage, just beside Ryou and Jou. Come to think of it, Mokuba called me that as well. , his eyes grew wide in realization. "He's…that person…he's the king…isn't he?" he turned Ryou who forced a smile and nodded.

Yugi looked back at his other self and chewed on his lip. He hoped that the king, his other self, would not be offended enough to send them out of the palace. He didn't want to be the reason for the circus to be kicked out.

He definitely didn't.

"And Jou? Why are you here?"


The anti-matter thing is…uhm…physics though I used it in a different way in the story. It's real. It does, my dears, exist. My class had a fad about it when we learned it, using anti-this and anti-that for everyday talk. It was fun XS I'd sooner meet my anti-me and disintegrate XDXDXD

There's no love-at-first-sight thing because I think it's overused XS And besides, I like complicating things though the plot of this story is less entangled than my Naruto fic...that causes me everyday mental pain :) Anyway, between Atemu and Yugi, there's interest but it's more like the person-that-tripped-on-the-sidewalk interest XP

And, I finally decided not to write Jou's accent. It's...too much hell XP

Thanks to: Baka Shojo, HOPPY-SAN2345, Inami, Angel's Charm, KagomeGirl21, biacebaolck, SailorSaturnthesilencer, tai'sgirl23, DaakuKitsune and sarahryoulover4ever (especially for pointing out the grammatical error :D)