Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. But I can't say I wouldn't like to.

A/N: This takes place some time before the Egypt Arch saga. I imagine around half a year before. Again, I hope any anti-Semitism is seen as proving a point that is not anti-Semitic.

WARNING: Contains slash. This will be possibly and most likely the only chapter with real slash but its there. Nothing bad but yes, the slash.

Mock Forms

Chapter VI: Conflict and Resolution

Habib sat quietly in his cell. He tried to ignore the priest still hovering outside. The execution would be in less than day and he just wanted to pretend that he had the time to himself. Set had other plans. He looked in at Habib in the cell again. He thought it was time to see if the ka had changed. He turned away and walked over to one of the guards. "Get Priest Akunadin and send the Hebrew to the arena."

"The arena?" The guard said, surprised. "But Hebrews don't even have ka..."

"Just do it!" Set barked.

The guard scurried over to find Akunadin.

Habib was taken from his cell and to a room outside of the dungeons. The room was large with a vast pit and a triangular shaped platform which hung below two other flat platforms. The lower platform was coated in spikes and it was hard to ignore the traces of death on the field. Outside the pit were several chairs for what appeared to be spectators. Two priests were present as Habib was guided in, Priests Set and Akunadin.

Habib was lead shackled and lead on both sides by a guard to the two priests.

"You will see what is done to murderers in this kingdom. And maybe you'll learn your place." Set smirked. "The Pharaoh may be lenient but I am not."

Habib didn't answer at first but the accusations were something he couldn't bare. "If you were half the man, the man that you think I murdered was..." Habib paused for a moment, looked down and spit at Priest Set. "You wouldn't actually deserve that."

"HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE A SLAVE!" Akunadin looked as though he were about to burst a blood vessel. He had never, in all of his years, seen such disrespect to a priest of Egpyt.

Set snarled. "You'll pay you impotent little..." Set took a deep breath and smirked. "Prepare a Ka Duel with prisoner 7 and the Hebrew."

The guards grabbed Habib roughly and walked him to one of the platforms. Across the artificial ravine on the other platform was a prisoner. The man was rabid and Habib could tell that he truly was a murderer. He didn't know what he was supposed to do but he had enough rage do just about anything. The closest person in his life was gone, he was on call for execution and he was tired of the mockery. He was not a 'slave'. His name was Habib and he was a better human being than half the men in Egypt. He wasn't happy and had nothing to lose.

Habib turned back to the priests. "I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS! BUT IF I DON'T SHAKE SOME SENSE INTO YOU, THE THIEF KING WILL!"

Akunadin and Set looked at each other with anxiety and shock. "The 'thief king'? The 'thief king' is in league with the slaves?" Set asked the older priest wearily.

Akunadin couldn't answer his anxious companion. He had thought that the 'thief king' was an independent renegade. However, it did make sense. He heard about a rampant thief, a Hebrew rebels and that girl. It would make sense that it was all connected. "I have to speak with the Pharaoh." Akunadin said urgently and turned to walk off. "Continue on without me. I will inform you; as soon as, I inform the Pharaoh." With that, Akunadin rushed off out of the dungeon.

Set stared in the direction Akunadin had left. He wasn't sure what his senior that concluded but he was sure it must be urgent because that really sounded better than the whole idea that he was senile. He turned to the guard and nodded. "Begin."

Two guards advanced on both Habib and murderer and began attacking them. The murderer was the first to release his ka. The beast was vile with large horns, fangs and claws. Habib continued to fight the two guards. He was unaware that this was a false assault. The guards were not trying to injure the prisoner. The prisoners were beaten so their ka's were released. It was the same principle as beating a bull before a fight.

Habib snarled and punched at the guards. He tossed one almost off the platform. The other was not far behind though and pinned the man. The other guard had found a spear and advanced. The murderer across the platform looked a combination of excited and anxious. Habib was pinned to the ground and saw the armed guard. He cursed loudly in Hebrew and thrashed but it was no good. He was boiling with rage at this point and thought he was going to be killed like livestock.

Suddenly, the armed guard dropped his spear and was staring up in horror. Habib looked over to see the guard on top of him doing the same and the priests as well. Priest Set looked as though he were about to pass out. Habib turned in the direction they were looking. His ka had been released but it was not the same. Not the same at all.

His ka had grown to be twice its original size. It was no longer a lion, well not entirely. The beast had the same body as the lion but had grown a pair of horns and stranger than still another head. The head was that of another lion with a single horn extending from its forehead. It was arranged on the shoulder ninety degrees for its brother head. The tail was no longer a tail but a snake. If the creature wasn't strange and intimidating enough, it had two massive wings sprouting from its back. The creature hovered over Habib protectively, snarling.

Both guards backed off quickly, running off of the platform. Habib rose to his feet and followed the guards with his eyes. His ka did the same. Both looked solemn as they stood on the platform.

Set continued to gawk. The ka was far more massive and powerful than he thought. The beast was Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast. The creature was more powerful than half the ka's in the temple and it belonged to a slave.

However, Set didn't have time to gawk at it long. The murderer's ka lunged at Chimera. The creature had taken advantage of the situation and was trying to destroy the ka before Habib even knew what was happening. The monster bit and clawed at Chimera's neck. Habib grabbed his neck and screamed as Chimera roared in pain. Habib recovered and glared at the murderer. Chimera flung the beast off of his neck and hovered in front of Habib snarling. He was clearly two or three times his master's size but mimicked him identically nonetheless.

The murderer cringed. He had no idea that a slave could be so powerful or feel so much hate. He shook off the worry. He had killed more than his fair share of those, who felt this much hatred, inside and outside the ka stadium. The murderer chuckled to himself and surveyed the situation. The ka was too powerful for tradition methods. He had to play dirty and he knew exactly how. The murderer's ka sped forward.

Habib nodded to Chimera and he darted at his fellow ka. Habib thought he could end this quickly enough. He would attack the opposing ka wounding the murderer, the murderer would forfeit, and it would all be well and good. The murderer had other planned. Habib had turned away for a moment. His ka had missed it. The ka had disappeared from sight. Habib looked around frantically. Then he realized. "He wasn't..."

At that moment, the platform below Habib exploded. The murderer had sent his ka underneath the panel and destroyed it. The murderer couldn't defend his ka but he knew one thing with no vessel, no ka. Habib panicked and grabbed at the hanging platform. The center had been completely destroyed; however, chains still suspended the remnants. Habib clung desperately. He turned to the priests for a moment. Set stared indifferently sitting on his throne. He didn't see how they could do this. How they could sit there and watch him die.

The other ka loomed around Habib. His own ka too frightened to attack. If Chimera were to charge, the other ka would kill his master and it would happen in the blink of an eye. Chimera hovered far above Habib and the other ka about level with the murderer. He did the only thing that Habib's blinding fear directed him to do. He destroyed the murderer's platform.

The opposing ka disappeared and Habib felt a rough hand on his back. He was yanked upward onto the section of his platform still hanging fast. He was huddled, shaking and near hyperventilation. "You won, slave."

Habib turned slightly. He looked down onto the spike lined platform below. The murderer was impaled roughly through the torso. Fresh blood was smeared across the surrounding area. Habib whimpered, shaking heavier now and tried not to vomit.

Jono and Bakura continued on following the plan. It wasn't nearly as hard as they thought it should have been. It seemed that officials went undisturbed in the palace itself. They had continued until they were near the dungeon, a mostly unpopulated area of the palace. Bakura thought this was the perfect time to bring up something he had been thinking about. "Don't you ever talk about Kul Elna like that ever again." It was almost a snarl.

"I'll say whatever I want about that place."

Bakura snarled and lunged at Jono. Soon, they were both on the floor of the abandoned corridor trying to strangle each other. "The people of Kur Elna were better than any of your dirty Hebrews!"

At that Jono grabbed the back of Bakura's head and pulled himself out from under Bakura. Bakura kicked wildly rolling himself and Jono across the floor. Most of Bakura's jewelry was being torn off and Jono's arms were covered in scratch marks. "Its just like a dirty Kuru to fight like an animal." Jono snarled as he pushed him away toward a small stairway.

Bakura recovered his balance before he got to the stairway. He looked behind him and then at Jono with a laugh. "Had your dirty Hebrew teach you that one!"

Jono lunged at him again. Bakura was not all together prepared and both of them when hurling down the stairway. Both clawed and grabbed at one other trying to get the other on the bottom as they fell. As it were, Bakura bit Jono putting him off guard enough to maneuver him so he hit the bottom of the stairway first. Jono hit the ground with a large thud only made worse by the weight of the other man on top of him. Bakura crawled off huddled close to the ground. He may not have landed on the bottom of the two of them but he had enough bruises that it didn't matter. Jono rolled over onto all fours and coughed. "You... you bit me!"

Bakura looked over sucking on his own bleeding knuckle. He wasn't sure but he was almost positive that the Egyptian man had scratched the skin right off. "You deserved it." Bakura said and when back to sucking on his wounded knuckle.

"You're acting like an animal. I guess I shouldn't expect any.." Jono stopped and looked at the thief. He was scratched almost from head to toe and was looking at him as he sat on the floor. He had a look of almost wounded anticipation. He hadn't finished the comment so he could not be angry yet but it was obvious that it still stung. Jono decided to finish without a jab at the thief village. "An-anything better from a rebel."

Bakura turned away from Jono and went back to sucking on his knuckle.

"You shouldn't do that. You should wrap it."

Bakura turned to Jono again and stood up. "So, where is the Hebrew?"

"He should be around here somewhere."

It was an unspoken truce. Both were not fond of each other but silently had just agreed to leave that out of it. Bakura had agreed because it was the first time anyone had avoided insulting his village. It was an obvious symbol of peace. So Bakura returned the favor. He wouldn't speak ill of the Hebrew again.

The two men walked along silently trying to find Adam, the guard. Prisoners followed them with their eyes. Most were too dazed or half crazed to be sure they were real. It wasn't normal for people to be walking around in the dungeons, unless it was priest; so they assumed they must be seeing things. So the two men had little trouble. It wasn't long before they spotted Adam. He was on the far end of the corridor holding a spear and dressed in a plain off white tunic. He cocked his head to the side when he saw them. Jono said something in Hebrew and Adam nodded and walked over. "So, you're the one's?" Adam raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I expected you two to be older... or look more... well..."

Jono laughed and Bakura smirked. They both had heard that before.

Adam looked both of the men over. He jerked his head back slightly. "Have you been fighting?"

"Yes, thanks to this idiot." Bakura said pointing at Jono.

"You're the one who bit me!"

"That was in the interest of self-preservation."

Adam looked almost horrified. "You bit him?"

Bakura growled. "He ripped half my hair out." It was a great exaggeration; even though, tuffs of the thief's hair could be seen on the floor of the hallway by the staircase.

"H-habib is that way." Adam said and pointed. "I'll stay here."

Jono ran off immediately, leaving Bakura and Adam alone. They stood silently for a moment then Adam looked over at Bakura. "We always knew he was crazy."

Bakura snickered to himself. "Really?"

"Yeah." Adam said leaning on his spear. Adam was only a little older than Bakura, who was in his very early twenties. He was by far the youngest of the Hebrews who had decided to help them.

Bakura thought the age difference was suspicious."Why are you helping us?"

Adam turned his head toward Bakura. "I have to get married soon and I want to impress her father. I'm trying to marry Habib's sister."

Bakura grinned and began laughing to him. "You're doing all this for a girl?"

"Yeah. Its not that hard. They aren't as clever as you think in the palace."

Bakura grinned and walked off to go find Jono.

Jono hurried down the hall and up to Habib's cell. "Habi..." Jono stopped midsentence at the sight of him. Habib was huddled up much like the other prisoners in the corner of his cell. He didn't know what was wrong with him but he knew something was. Jono tore a piece of jewelry off his neck and began bending the metal in his hands. He was a craftsman, primarily in metals, that's where the jewelry had come from. He hadn't done much with locksmithing but he wasn't new to picking them. He picked the lock to the cell open and ran over to Habib. "Habib?"

Habib wasn't sure what was going on. The arena battle was still fresh in his mind. He had killed someone. He had done one of the things that was never to be done. He was lost in the thought. He thought he had heard Jono but he tried to ignore it. Jono was dead. He was hearing things. He had to be.

Jono bent down behind him. He was scared, very scared. Habib was not the type to ignore someone, especially not him. Jono put his hand on Habib's shoulder. "Habib?" Habib tried to scoot away from Jono. Jono wasn't going to have it though and put his arms around Habib from behind him. "What did they do to you?"

Habib felt it. He didn't care if he were crazy at this point. He turned slightly and saw Jono resting his chin on his shoulder. "Jo..." Habib practically tackled him he was so happy to see the Egyptian and began crying. Jono fell backwards only just catching himself. Habib was babbling in Hebrew too muffled for even Jono to understand as he smothered him with affection. "D-don't you ever d-do that to me again." Habib whined half in a sob. "D-do y-you have any idea how w-worried and what kind of c-crazy th-things I've been doing?" It was a rhetorical question. He couldn't help but guilt Jono at this point. He was openly hysterical.

Jono got him to sit up more so and squeezed Habib tightly. "Don't you run off while I'm supposed to be dead then." Jono realized it had been the wrong thing to say afterwards. He squeezed Habib tighter. "I'm sorry, Habib."

Habib made a noise between a groan, sigh and a whimper drowned in hysterical crying. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

Jono began to stand up. He felt himself on the verge of tears and didn't want to cry in front of Habib. He was technically the head of this rather unconventional household and didn't think it was fitting. "C-can you walk?" He said wiping his eyes. His coal smudged around them and watered.

Habib had calmed down significantly but he was still half clinging to Jono's arms. Only, he was now standing.. He was slightly taller than the other man and could see quite clearly now upset the Egyptian was. "Don't worry about me so much."

The tension between the two of them was astounding. Both had been terrified for the other. Both had been unquestionably in danger just being around the other but for their own reasons had fought to keep it that way. Habib was still gripping Jono's wrists. Jono groaned to himself and pulled Habib out of the awkward position and kissed him.

"What the...!"

The two men turned quickly. Bakura seemed to have just caught up with Jono. He was standing in front of the cell with a look of shock, surprise and on some level, terror. He had his hand on his forehead, mouth half open and eyes wide. Jono and Habib stood still unsure of what to do. Jono had forgotten that he had come in with the thief to be perfectly honest. "Uh..." Jono took a moment to observe the rather awkward scene. Habib now had his hands on Jono's waist it seemed and Jono seemed to have his hands somewhere around Habib's shoulders. Habib seemed to be doing the same thing. Both pulled away quickly fidgeting to themselves. "Its...uh..,"

Bakura still had his hand on his forehead. His lip twitched nervously. He was once again made speechless by these people. They did indeed have a twistedly profound effect on him.

"King!" Thief King turned quickly as Habib and Jono peered out of the cell. It was Safiya. She was smiling broadly at the three of them. "Big brother!" She ran over and hugged her older brother. "I got the Pharaoh. He'll handle everything."

Almost as if introduced, Atem appeared and walked over to Safiya from down the hall. He looked around at the scene. It appeared to be just as she said. The only concern he saw was that the white haired man appeared to be backing off aggressively. "What is all of this about?"

Safiya was still hugging her brother. She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at the Pharaoh. She seemed calm, confident and trusting of him and his ability to see the truth in all of this. She turned herself more towards him but still held her brother's hand. "Pharaoh, this is my brother." She said directing at Jono. "This is Habib." She gestured. "And this is..." She turned looking over at Bakura. He didn't seem to want an introduction. "A friend of mine. All we want is to stay together. We're a family."

It was then that the priests arrived, Kalim, Mahado and Shada lead by Akunadin. The elder priest looked over the scene gruffly. He still didn't believe that any of them were innocent. He turned to Bakura and recoiled. He was a Kuru. "Pharaoh!"

"Priest... please let the girl speak." Atem turned back to the mismatched group. "I think she deserves to speak her case."

Safiya smiled and stood up straight. "We're a family. We help each other."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "A family?"

"Ridiculous!" Akunadin moved between the group and the Pharaoh to speak with Atem directly. "The definition of an Egyptian family is very clear. A group of related, married or children of any Egyptian. A sister and brother are certainly one thing but a Hebrew and a random rogue."

Serq stood lurking around the corner in the dungeons. He hadn't seen Safiya since the trial and was looking for her.

Thief King snarled at Akunadin's analysis. "How DARE YOU!"

The Pharaoh and priests turned quickly. Safiya, now clinging firmly to her brother's arm again, turned as did Jono and Habib.

"These people are more of a family than anyone I know! They watch out for each other. They protect each other. They broke into the PALACE FOR THE HEBREW, FOR THE SAKE OF THE GODS!" Thief King was fuming. His chest heaved he was yelling so loudly. The dungeon was still. It seemed as though the thief had the captive audience he had always wanted. "I hardly like what the two men are doing or even know any of them that well but they are a family. And if you say otherwise, you will have Bakura Kul-Elna to deal with."

Safiya smiled at Bakura as Jono, Habib, the priests and the Pharaoh all looked dumbfounded. "Kul Elna?" Atem asked to himself.

Akunadin made an awkward noise and looked at the Pharaoh. "My Pharaoh, you can't take this thief seriously. He must be a lunatic. The Kul-Elnans died in a plague, a deed by the gods. No one..."

"But they are a family."

Everyone turned. Serq had inched from the corner to the center of the discussion itself. He had his chin cocked down but was still looking at the priests.

"I talked to her. She was looking for her friend. Safiya would never do anything wrong unless she needed to help her family."

"What do you know about this?" Shada said irritably.

"Priest Set will help me with anything. She will do the same thing for her friends." Serq said quite seriously. He was staring directly at Atem. "They won't do anything wrong as long as all of them are all right."

Atem smiled at Serq and turned to the priests. "I am done with falsely accusing my subjects. The girl was found innocent and the Hebrew was only protecting her and his master. Release them both."

"But sir!" Kalim said angrily. "What about the thief and the craftsman? They invaded the palace."

"Pardon them. They did what they thought was best." Atem turned back to the group. "Leave as quickly as you can." With that the Pharaoh turned and left quickly followed by four very annoyed priests.

The group left the palace together. Safiya clung to her brother's right hand, Habib stood on Jono's left side and Bakura on Safiya's right. "King, what did you mean by you didn't like what Habib and Jono were doing?"

Jono and Habib both chimed in in unison. "Nothing. Nothing. He just doesn't like us much."

"Oh. Is that true King, you don't like my brother?" Safiya turned away from Bakura for a moment and raised her lady to her chin. "You aren't anywhere near teaching a lady the way Priest Mahado does."

Habib laughed to himself, Jono seemed outraged and said something along the lines of 'what did he do'; however, both of them were blocked out by the fourth member of the party. "I AM... YOU CAN'T... I'M BETTER THAN ANY PRIEST!"

Safiya uncovered her ears. "The priest wouldn't yell for one thing." She said half in a daydream.

"What did that priest do? I'll kill him." Jono said, trying to turn around as Habib restrained him.

Thief King snorted. Safiya looked up out of her daydream and smiled. "You're jealous, King."

"Am not." He said still sulking.

"I think you are." She said smiling a little deviously.

"What did he do?" Jono still trying to interject.

Thief King turned to the trio irritably. He knew it was a bad idea to try to be with these people. But still he did like the girl, she had been better to him than most or any for that matter. He turned to Jono who was trying to persuade his sister to tell him what she had meant. Habib was close by his side smiling and chuckling to himself over the whole situation. He didn't fit somehow. The trio were so perfectly connected. "So how long has she known?" He said casually.

"Known what, King?" Safiya asked with her head cocked to the side.

Jono immediately stopped chattering and Habib turned a pale olive color. Jono pulled away from Safiya and walked over to Bakura. He gave him a stern look and turned back to the others with his arm around Bakura's shoulders. Habib was still a pale bronze from worry. "Nothing! What wouldn't I tell my little sister?" He said with a broad grin.

Bakura looked from Jono to Safiya and Habib. He decided to keep his mouth shut. "I guess I was wrong." He moved Jono arm off of his shoulder. "I'm going home. I have business there."

The trio looked at him surprised. "Do you have to go?" Safiya said and ran over grabbing his hand.

"You haven't eaten though..." Jono said looking at him with his head cocked slightly. "I mean you helped save Safiya and Habib... I should treat you to dinner or..." Jono said awkwardly with his arms crossed.

Safiya smiled broadly at her brother then at Bakura. "You have to stay for dinner!" Habib laughed to himself. He knew Jono would lighten up to the thief.

Bakura pulled his hand away from Safiya defensively and backed up a little. He looked nervous and awkward. "I have to go." He said and ran off.

Thank you for reading and review if you have any comments.