Alia: *drops head in shame* For those of you who read my other stories (YGO specifically) let me apologize for the lack of updates. I'm working with Shadow Illusions at the moment and a problem came up. I had to take a step back from the story because of the realization I have. But more can be explained on that later.

These little stories and scenes are good at keeping me writing. This scene turned out longer than it was suppose to. In all honesty, it was going to be much longer but I decided to cut it short. It's a scene, not the whole story (which is painful to even think of). The storyline follows along with 'Someday', a separate oneshot.

Enjoy.

Title: Fathers of the Bride

Author: Alia D

Part: 1/1

Rating: R

Pairing: Yugi/Heba, Yami/Atem

Spoilers: YGO series

Warnings: Yaoi, Marriage Laws, Language, mentions of Mpreg, slavery/abuse, kidnapping

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, or the game or anything else that I might mention. I am making no money with this.

Summary: From the moment Heba laid eyes on the boy, he knew.

Author's notes: This is another part of Someday. I wanted to write how Yami and Atem met King Yugi and Prince-Consort Heba.

Fathers of the Bride

Seeing the exhaustion on his husband's face made Heba want to scream. It angered him that Yugi's counselors continued to harp on the heir issue, especially when everyone knew how it affected the two royals.

Neither man had ever gotten over the loss of their child. Nineteen years had passed and their hearts still ached for the happy, smiling infant Heba had birthed. The Prince-Consort never forgave himself for trusting that nanny with his child. The peasant had stolen his child, broken Yugi's heart, crippled their country's hope and filled Heba with a shame so powerful it nearly ended his marriage.

But while time hadn't healed, it had strengthened them to go on with their lives. Yet, both men still hoped that their sweet baby was alive and grown. That small hope pushed them through the nightmares, the painful anniversaries, and the growing worry of their people.

But it didn't help when people whispered how Yugi should remarry a noble to carry a new heir. Yugi was young enough for a new wife or husband. And as Heba couldn't have another child, another spouse and a divorce from Heba was the only option for a child. However, it was a thought that Yugi completely ignored.

Still, Heba worried. He watched his stressed husband with concern. Lately, it seemed all Yugi did was argue and fight against his council about their marriage. Heba could make it easy and divorce Yugi himself, but he was too selfish for it. He'd loved Yugi when he was fourteen and thought the future king was nothing but a klutzy merchant's son. Heba could only pray that something would give Yugi some peace eventually.

The Prince-Consort took a few steps forward, leaned over his husband's desk, and gently cupped Yugi's cheek. The weary king leaned into his lover's warm hand and gazed up at the soldier. "I think you've worked hard enough for one day, Yugi." A mischievous gleam danced in Heba's eyes. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we go out into the city? It's been quite a while since we've had an 'adventure'."

Yugi blinked in surprise at the idea then smiled brightly. Heba helplessly returned the look as his husband's face lit up with pleasure. Their so called adventures were a treat the two men couldn't indulge in often. Security precautions wouldn't allow the royals outside the palace without guards, much to the annoyance of the pair. So every once in a while, the men would sneak out for a day to themselves to see the city.

"That's a wonderful idea! But," Yugi rubbed the back of his head with a hint of embarrassment. "We should be more careful this time. I don't want to be caught again."

Heba struggled to stifle his grin. He remember how loudly Yugi had shouted when Joey had found them. The blond threw his best friend over his shoulder as he waltzed through the courtyard with a furious king. Heba snorted then coughed a laugh when Yugi pouted at him. It pleased the Prince-Consort to see more of his husband than the burdened king.

"Don't worry, Yugi. We'll be careful." Leaning forward, Heba pecked a loving kiss across Yugi's lips. "Now, plan our escape while I find our new clothes!"

"It's too early."

Rolling onto his back, Yami grimaced at the brilliant sun piercing the inn's window. He groaned softly. It wasn't and the former farmer knew it instinctively. Yami closed his eyes regardless of the time. He smiled absently when a cold nose buried itself in his neck. Lifting his heavy limbs, Yami ran his fingers through the soft, clean hair falling over his shoulder.

"Yami?" An exhausted voice mumbled into his shoulder.

"Go back to sleep. We both need the rest." Atem more than Yami. Traveling from one country to another had not been easy on Atem's healing body. Thankfully, both men could relax now that they were safe in Domino and no longer on the road. Yami simply wanted to stay in their rented room and pamper his lover into better health.

Atem whined and shook his head, though his body and cold feet curled deeper into his lover. The low temperature worried Yami as it was nearing the end of spring. The weather had been warm during their journey, yet Atem had shivered often under his traveling cloak and Yami's. Even now, they were under two blankets and a sheet. Atem shouldn't be so cold. "No. No, can't stay. We gotta go out today."

Yami vehemently disagreed. His drowsy brain definitely wanted to stay inside curled around Atem. "No, we don't. You need to rest, Atem. No. Don't argue with me. We have all the time in the world now. Now, please go back to sleep."

Sighing, Atem tried to squirm away from his fiance's embrace. "No, Yami. You promised we'd go today."

"What promise?" Scrambling desperately as Atem wiggled away, Yami groaned. He sighed in defeat as he rolled and propped himself up on his elbow. Yami watched the sickly man shiver as Atem drowsily sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. Unlike Yami, Atem dressed in a warm tunic and pants after they'd washed before bed the night before. "We agreed to wait a couple days before checking my grandmother's property."

Atem absently wondered about the condition of the house. It had been nearly forty years since Grandpa Solomon had seen the house. Yami's prediction that it was beyond help probably rang true. "I know, but that's not what I meant." Atem frowned at the prone man. "Before we left, you swore that we'd marry the day we arrived in Domino."

"That's true," Yami said hoarsely. He reached out with his free arm and rubbed Atem's back. He wondered how Atem remembered that. Yami's lover burned with fever and Atem was practically delirious at the time Yami made that promise. "But you can't possibly want to do it right this minute. When we arrived, you could barely walk from the stable to the inn."

"I'm fine now!" Atem protested. Never mind that he was cold, bone tired, and hungry. He waited long enough to be happy.

Yami scowled. "I had to carry you up the stairs." Sitting up, Yami pulled the stiff form into his arms. He pressed a kiss to Atem's cheek, hoping to improve the older boy's darkening mood. With a warm tone, Yami said, "Atem, we aren't running and hiding anymore. No one is hiding in the dark to hurt us anymore."

Atem slumped slightly into Yami's embrace. Those words recalled a painful memory. One that Atem should no longer fear.

"We're far away from that old town. We left our goodbyes and regrets at Grandpa's grave before we left. Nothing is perfect, but it's so much better isn't it? I want you to realize you can be happy now."

"I am happy." Atem pulled back and stared into Yami's rose madder eyes. "I am happy. More than I have been in a long time. You did that but..." Atem bit his lip. "You call this a new start. I want exactly that. I want a new country and a new home, but I-I need..." Atem stopped. He was too ashamed to keep speaking.

Yami looked at his embarrassed lover for a long moment contemplatively. He'd been right in a way. Atem was still insecure about the changes in their lives. He squeezed his arms around Atem. "You want to really finalize it all. Is that it? If we're married, it's too late for anyone to interfere?"

Atem despised being psychoanalyzed by his lover. Unfortunately, Yami and Atem had known each other since childhood. Yami knew how Atem's mind worked. He hated it even more when Yami was right.

When Atem remained silent, Yami kissed him again. "I'd never say no, Atem. We've been planning our marriage for three years." They had planned to runaway at sixteen, but things hadn't worked out. "But you are too ill right now. It can wait a few days."

Crimson eyes darkened. Atem glowered at his fiance. "Today."

Yami grit his teeth to keep from swearing. He frowned at his stubborn idiot. "Atem."

"We are getting married today, Yami. No more waiting."

Yami snorted. "Oh, we are definitely waiting. You're too sick to stand let alone walk to the nearest chapel. We can wait a few days!"

Atem glared menacingly at Yami. Ignoring the fact that the younger man was totally correct, Atem leaned over the edge of the bed and picked up his boots. "I'll meet you at the chapel down the road."

Yami groaned, flopping back on the bed. "You are so damn stubborn, Atem. I really don't know where that came from." Cursing, Yami tossed his blankets aside and picked his trousers off the floor.

Looking triumphant, Atem slid on his socks and shoved his boots on his feet as Yami continued dressing. He then looked at the ground nervously and prayed that he could make it to the chapel and back. The last thing he wanted was for Yami to say, 'I told you so.'

Yugi thanked the mother of four as he and his husband walked away from her bakery hand in hand. He licked the remaining pastry frosting from his thumb. "That was delicious. Maybe we should have gotten more."

"It's not even lunch yet. That was supposed to hold us off until then." Amused, Heba gently tugged his king along by the elbow. Yugi had such a sweet tooth. It sometimes drove Heba and the palace cooks a bit insane.

Sighing, Yugi reluctantly agreed with his husband as the walked through the streets of their home. The monarch smiled as he watched people walk by. Everyone was rushing about buying and selling from shops and carts. Others were walking in and out of their stone homes for work or play. The air was filled with laughter, greetings, and arguments. It was an amazing atmosphere. All were too involved to realize their king and prince-consort were walking right by them, but Yugi loved it. He missed the anonymity of his youth. No one had realized the clumsy boy rushing through the streets was Prince Yugi. That secret life he had outside the castle had gotten him loyal, life-long friends and the love of his life.

Yugi pulled Heba back onto the sidewalk as the man struggled to avoid a shouting old man and his cart that was filled with milk cans. The king grinned as Heba sneered in the man's direction.

Heba scowled. "Maybe we shouldn't have picked such a busy day."

Yugi shook his head as they reached an intersection. Turning right, the purple-eyed man responded, "It's actually not that busy."

"Not that busy!" Heba exclaimed. He pointedly looked around at the busy streets and walkways filled with people.

"Yes." Pausing, Yugi slid his arm around Heba's, so the men would walk side by side. Yugi tugged his cloak's hood back into place as it slid over his hair. No one looked at him oddly. The sky was becoming more and more cloudy. There was rain on the way. "We still have an increasing number of refugees entering the country."

"I thought you'd placed restrictions in place." Heba knew his husband hadn't wanted to do it, but even with such a strong economy, Domino didn't need to be overrun. Thankfully, even more people were heading to the other three bordering countries bordering Dragow. King Dartz's kingdom was swelling at an exponential pace, much to the king's dismay. Zexal Country was large enough to support a growing population though there was a growing need for productive farms. Many refugees avoided Kame Country though. The mountains were too much for some to travel though.

"I did." Yugi's voice sounded resigned. "However, they won't stop everyone."

Heba pulled his husband to a stop. He pressed a kiss to Yugi's cheek. "I'm sorry, Yugi. I didn't mean to bring up business we're avoiding."

Yugi smiled and shrugged. "It's fine. I'm just happy to be out to spend the day with my husband."

A pleased hum sounded behind the two men. "It's good to see that after all these years, your vows still hold true."

The royal pair turned to see an older man in white robes smirking down at them with amusement. The priest stood at the entrance of his old chapel obviously pleased at seeing the couple. Yugi and Heba smiled. They hadn't realized where they were walking.

Yugi respectfully nodded in greeting. "Good morning, Shadi!"

"Good morning, Uncle Shadi." Heba smiled warmly at the man that had raised him alongside his parents. Shadi wasn't his relative, but the man had always been there for Heba as a child. It had also been Shadi who had first married them as young men. Heba still felt that his first wedding to Yugi had been the best. "How are you today?"

Shadi gave the couple a sly smile. "Wonderful, nephew. Moments ago, I pondered over a rather annoying problem, but I do believe I have solved the issue." Turning, Shadi waved the two men in behind him.

Yugi and Heba exchanged a look. It had been a while since they had visited Shadi, but the man had yet to change. Yugi's bright smile said that Shadi was as mysterious as ever. Heba's look on the other hand was long suffering. The prince-consort of Domino knew his uncle was up to something. However, neither man thought of turning away and entered the aging stone church.

The dry coughing caught Yugi's attention as they entered the main area of the small church. The vaulted ceiling of the church made the cough echo slightly off the stone walls. The two men continued following Shadi up the aisle between the two rows of pews. As another cough rose to his ears, Yugi's eyes widened as he spotted two young men sitting on the front pew to the left.

One of the young men with a hairstyle similar to Yugi's was cradling another figure close to his side. The pale man was whispering something to his partner, rubbing his hand up and down the coughing boy's arm. He was dressed simply in a dark red tunic, black trousers, and boots. His black cloak seemed to be wrapped around the sickly man beside him. Yugi was unable to see the face of the coughing man though his hairstyle was similar to his lover's. He could see a hint of dark skin, but not much else as the boy coughed heavily into his hand.

Shadi stopped beside the two young men with Heba and Yugi pausing a few steps behind him. Gently, Shadi leaned toward the couple. He reached out and touched the shoulder of the sick boy. "Are you still unwell, child?"

The paler man of the couple sighed and nodded silently out of his lover's line of vision. He then mouthed the word stubborn to an amused Shadi. Heba and Yugi were also amused though Heba was growing very curious. Rarely had he heard his uncle speak so kindly to someone he had recently met.

The darker boy finally passed his cough and took a few deep breaths. A hoarse voice answered Shadi's question. "N-no. I'm fine."

"You're unreasonable is what you are." The younger boy looked truly worried. He pleaded with his ill fiance. "Let's return to the inn and call a healer. We can do this in a few days."

Shaking his head, the weary man finally straightened from his hunched over position. He glared at his lover with blazing crimson eyes. "Don't you dare break your promise to me, Yami." His eyes lost the flash of anger. He seemed to realize he was scaring his partner. "If it makes you happy, we can visit the healer tomorrow. I won't even protest. I swear."

"Stubborn. I'll hold you to that." Yami sighed. He stole a quick kiss from the boy. "What am I going to do with you, Atem?"

"Marry me if you know any better."

"Aren't we sick and demanding today?"

Shadi cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the young couple. Both men flushed, seeing they'd forgotten the presence of Shadi and his guests. "I believe we can continue our earlier conversation."

Yami and Atem nodded ruefully.

"Excellent. Now, I've informed both of you that the marriage laws in Domino are similar to those of Kame Country. In order to marry, the two of you will have to sign the Line Continuity Contract. You'll need to choose between the one year, five year, and eight year contracts." Both men frowned at the mention of the one year contract. Only nobles could even afford to chose the one year contract. "You'll sign the contract immediately after I perform your marriage or it will be considered null and void. And remember that if the contract is not fulfilled at least partially by the end of the time period, your marriage will be immediately dissolved and a quarter of your property will belong to Domino's government."

Atem's right hand tightened around Yami's, but the younger boy squeezed back gently. Yami nodded for Shadi to continue.

Shadi paused to look at the couple. "I doubt we'll have that problem though. However, in order for the two of you to marry, you still need witnesses. The best witnesses to have are family and friends."

Yami tightened his hold on Atem as his lover's face crumbled a bit. "And the problem with that is all my relatives are dead and my few friends are still in Kame."

Atem sighed. "And I have no family. We'd have to go back to marry in that case." The former slave shivered violently at the thought.

"Not quite so. I said that family or friends would make the best witnesses in case your contract goes unfulfilled. A worst case scenario. We can still use any two people as witnesses to your marriage." Shadi pointed at the silent couple behind him. "My nephew and his husband arrived unexpectedly. I'm sure they'll have no problem serving as your witnesses."

Yami and Atem smiled at Shadi and the hooded couple in relief. "Thank you!"

"Thank you so much."

Neither boy realized how deeply shocked the two guests were. Shadi did acknowledge the small tremble in his nephew. He had hoped that the time he'd taken to speak with the young couple would be enough for the shock to ease from the king and prince-consort. Apparently not. "Let me speak with them for a moment. Decide on which of the three contracts you'll chose. An extension is possible, but you will pay heavily for it."

Shadi turned from the young men to the shocked royal family. Yugi's eyes were wide and wet and Heba continued shaking, his eyes locked on Atem. Quickly, Shadi motioned them aside gently and began speaking lowly. "Calm yourselves. Now is not the time."

Heba's eyes flashed with anger. It was so similar to what Shadi had seen from Atem moments ago that he had to smile. Before Heba could loudly snap at his uncle, Yugi spoke first.

Whispering hoarsely, the king asked, "Shadi, the older boy. His name is...?"

"Atem. His name is Atem." He watched Heba's shoulders slump. Yugi stared straight at Shadi, his eyes unwavering, but he silently supported his husband as Heba's emotions overwhelmed him. "He's nineteen years old and lived in Kame Country all his life. He and Yami, his lover, left Kame country for a new start here."

Heba looked at his husband then to his uncle with pleading eyes. His right hand covered his stomach unconsciously with a need to protect something that was long lost. "Uncle, you don't... Do you think...?"

"He looks just like Heba, Shadi." Yugi finally spoke on what everyone was thinking. "He has his eyes, his coloring." It had only been a moment, but Yugi could see pieces of the boy's personality so familiar to him and his husband. He was afraid it was just his imagination. "You said he was nineteen years old."

Heba couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder at the young man in question. Atem was smiling softly while leaning into Yami as if all was right with his world. Heba knew that smile. He saw it so often from Yugi. "I have to be going crazy. Uncle Shadi, why does he look so much like..."

Heba choked on his whispered words. The pain and guilt were unbearable, but the hope was much more difficult to deal with.

"Your son?" Shadi watched the struggling men.

"His name is the same. His face is right. Even his eyes." Yugi had been so happy when Atem had been born with those big eyes of Heba's. Those eyes had always haunted him and today, it was stunning to see them look back at him again. "Shadi."

"I can't say. I don't know all the boy's story, but," Shadi looked at Yami and Atem, "I think there is a very distinct possibility. Why do you think I was so eager to marry them?" Shadi's small temple rarely held weddings. He rather disliked having to deal with the couples and their families. "Especially as I knew you two would arrive."

Neither royal questioned Shadi's knowledge of their arrival.

"If you truly want to know, however, you'll need to find out more from them."

Yugi nodded as Heba took deep breaths to calm himself. "How though? They won't talk to complete strangers. We can't just start questioning him."

And that was a problem. The king desperately needed to know if that young man was his little Atem.

"Perhaps not, but they will certainly talk to the men that stood with them on their wedding day."

End Scene

Alia: The Line Continuity contract is a contract for two men that wish to marry. Essentially one of the men has to get pregnant to continue the family lines. This is by way of a pregnancy potion that can be bought from the apothecary. The couple receives a blue jar, and when the proper amount of money has filled the blue jar, they return it to the apothecary for the potion. However, thanks to how damn pricey the potion is, there are varying contract lengths. This is why nobility are the only ones that can afford the one year contract. When the contract is fulfilled, the marriage is permanent except in cases of voluntary divorce.

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