Authors note:

This is too much drama for me I need to put in some fluffy stuff to have a break for at least one chapter before the drama returns.

Chapter 10 Friends

Yugi's POV

I look out towards the sky from my pharaohs balcony and watch the sun rise, while hearing a beautiful voice carried to me by the dessert wind and wonder who is singing and where. I'm sort of sad when the voice fades away, I enjoyed listening to it. He was singing a hymn for the death, maybe he lost someone recently and prays now that the sungod ra gets reborn, for a nice afterlife for his deceased. Even after I can't hear the voice anymore, I stay and hope to hear it again. It was just too nice and maybe he sings another song soon. I'm sure if he does the dessert wind will carry it too me. Because no matter who much the stupid city walls weaken my dessert wind, it is still my friend.

After a while I feel two arms go around my waist. It only can be my pharaoh, so I don't look and just lean against his strong chest that I know is right behind me now. "Why did you stand up? You know I like to wake up with you next to me."

He doesn't sound mad even though I know how much he dislikes me leaving the bed. It reaminds him of the start when I became his. But he just sounds curious and I know how kind he always is to me. So I don't worry about doing something he dislikes and just say honestly "Sorry, but there was a voice, singing so beautifully. I just had to come out and listen to it."

"I don't hear anything." He says

"No, he stopped." I say and pout a little, he loves seeing me like this and I love to please him anyway I can. I love to see him happy. Not because he is my master but because he is my life and means the world to me, no, even more than that, much more. The desert was my world and my home but now I'm glad to be his and I'm glad that he favours me and only hope he will do so forever or at least a very long time. And I'll do anything to ensure that he will. I turn to him and look at him pleadingly. Still with the pout, it always makes him weak and I want to ask him something since the last afternoon. But I don't know what he might say. He might not like it.

"What do you want, my little cutie?" He knows me well and I'm happy about it.

"It's just, you're often so busy during the day and I get bored. I'd like to have a friend I can talk to." I say still with a pout.

He looks at me in surprise and says "Don't you have friends? I have so many slaves, I always assumed that you befriend each other." I smile at him. He can be so silly. Everyone says I look like him and up to a point I agree. If he would be younger I'd say I was the prototype and he the perfection. But I'm younger, only by a little but still. And even so it's not a big age gape, he looks much more mature. Maybe it's the power and strength but he looks more manly and attractive and I look like a child.

"I can't befriend them, they don't like me." He looks even more surprised now and I know that he will ask 'Why?' and I'm right he does. I know him too. "Because they're jealous that you seem to favour me." I smile and hope he will confirm that seem again like he always does. I love hearing him say that he favours me over the other slaves. It's the closest to an 'I love you' I ever got, apart from him calling me his 'lovely little one' or 'beloved little Yugi'. I wish he would say 'I love you' at least once, but it's too much to hope for that, for a mare slave. But he does say that I'm his favourite.

He doesn't disappoint me this time either "Not seems, you are and you should know that by now. And now, what do you think I can do about you wanting a friend?"

I look begging again and say "I thought that if your cousin, high priest Seto, gives his permission I could spend some time with Joey. He could maybe also get the room next to mine, if he doesn't already have one. And it might help him too, after everything he went through. May I ask high priest Seto or could you?"

"Since I need some information about him and his sister for a plan I have, I'd say you may, but only if you tell me everything about them in the evenings and you come back to my bed for a little 'cuddle', is that a deal?" He asks with a sheepish grin on his face. I know he doesn't have to ask or offer anything for a cuddle but I'm glad he allows it and pull him back to bed, he likes it when I show enthusiasm for a 'cuddle'. And I don't even need to fake it. For I love it just as much, if not even more.

But I do wonder what the plan is and ask him about it later on, while he gets dressed for the day. But he only says "It's a secret for now, but don't worry, it will be fine, my sweet little one." I wonder if I should ask for more information for a moment but know he won't give it. He would have done so from the start if he wants me to know.

Later that day, once my pharaoh is ready for his day, I go over to priest Seto's rooms. I have been there before but never alone and I'm a little nervous. Priest Seto can have quiet a temper and I'm afraid of him a little. Not when my pharaoh is with me, but when I'm alone I am. I still go slowly. telling myself that he can't do anything, since my pharaoh would punish him dearly and Seto must know that. So he wouldn't dare. And I'm only asking. It can't be that bad that I ask when I have my pharaohs permission to ask. I walk towards the door, knock and wait until priest Seto just says "come in" and I go inside. I see Joey sitting on the bed, he already has some jewellery that priest Seto must have gotten for him and he looks at him with huge eyes, like he is surprised. Oh dear gods, don't let me have interrupted priest Seto. He hates being interoupted when he's talking to my pharaoh and I always earn myself a death glare when I whisper my pharaoh a question or something when he's talking to him.

I can feel myself getting even smaller with fear but I still force the words out. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, priest Seto. But our pharaoh was kind enough to give me permission to ask you, if I could spend some time with Joey while our pharaoh and you have other business to attend to, just because you see, I don't have any friends and I thought that Joey might like a friend here too and that it might make him feel better and he seemed so nice yesterday and I always find it boring, when my pharaoh is busy and I thought that Joey might too and..." I don't get to finish, he might not like to be interrupted but he does interrupt others himself rather often, I noticed that before.

"Stop the rambling. I got your point" he says and I feel my face go hot and look to the floor. I was just about to say that the room next to mine was free and Joey could maybe use it at nights where Seto doesn't require him and that I could be close, if Joey needed something unless I'm with my pharaoh which I admit is rather often. "What do you think?" I hear priest Seto say and look up. He looks at Joey and Joey looks at me with the same surprised look, maybe it's just a face he has and he isn't even surprised. I try to look begging, like with Atemu. Maybe it works on Joey too.

He looks at me a moment and then says "Don't know him, so don't know if I'd like spending time with him."

"We could try and if you don't like me I can still leave you alone." I say quickly hoping that he gives it a chance

"Why not." He says simply.

I smile and look at Seto, he had yet to give his consent. But I think he will, he favours Joey just like Atemu me, I can see that in his eyes, and my pharaoh hardly ever denies me anything. And I'm right, Seto says "All right but only as long as Joey is okay with it. Maybe you can start now, I have to go and know the pharaoh is busy as well, also Joey still needs a room maybe you can find him one."

I can't believe my luck. "The one next to mine is free, he can have that one." I say quickly and Seto nods.

Then he looks at Joey again and says "Serenity is with Mokuba, in his classes. If you want you may go and take her with you. It's your choice. Mokuba knows that you can see her whenever it pleases you and he can't keep her." Wow. Seto puts Joey over Mokuba! I never thought I'd see the day he values someone more than Mokuba. Or at least the same and gave Joey the first choice, since he needs his sister more than Mokuba.

Seto is already dressed and just says "I'll see you later, Joey." And then he whispers to me as he passes "Make sure he gets enough to eat and doesn't meet his mother." And with that he is gone.

I'm glad to see his backside, so I have no reason to fear him for the moment and I run to Joey, who is still sitting on the bed and look at his new jewellery and say "I like the bracelet, is it from your master?" Okay, that was a stupid question who else should have given it, but I didn't know what to say and want to keep it light. "It must be from him but it's nice. I like it and it suits you but I think the normal gold looks nicer on your skin and with your hair but that is his blue eyes white dragon. That's why it is white I think but it's truly nice, I like the belt too, ruby's suite you much better than sapphire but I think ambers would be nice too. Priest Seto has a lot of jewels with sapphire but with his eyes they look good on him. I like ruby's or amber better for you. What do you like?"

I try to just sound chatty and easy going. It's easy for me and I think it is good for him to see that I like it here. He didn't like being a bed slave and knows I'm one too, so if he sees I'm happy with it, it might be easier to give it a shot without freaking out too much. I just hope priest Seto can be patient for once in his life and wait till Joey opens up a bit at least like my pharaoh had done for me. And I hope Joey will warm up before Seto's patience runs short. It's easier that way. But Seto isn't exactly famous for his patience. And Joey doesn't seem to give in easily. Not a promising combination.

Joey still hasn't answered, so I ask again "Do you even have a favourite stone?" He shakes his head. And I look at his jewellery a bit more, looking for something to talk about and I see the Cartouche of Anubis and remember that he too was abandoned by his mother. It seems fitting that priest Seto would give it to him for protection, he also is the god for travellers and the lost and Joey does seem lost a lot. So I say "I like the cartouche of Anubis a lot and it fits for you, doesn't it?"

He looks at me again with the surprised face that has turned to a rather bored one while I had talked about the stones before. "You know about the gods?" he says now.

I'm glad he talks to me and hope it will help a bit if he can start trusting me as a friend, I'm sure it will be easier to trust someone that has as little power as he himself has. "Yes, why don't you?"

He looks sad again and says "No one knows much about them where I come from. Just a tiny bit. But nothing special. I hadn't even recognised Anubis but I think I heard the name before but I don't know about him."

He looks at the cartouche and I decide to tell him about Anubis a bit more. He seems to be rather interested in the gods, so I say "Anubis is the son of Nephthys, the wife and sister of Set. Nephthys is the primary "nursing mother" of the incarnate pharaonic-god, Horus, Nephthys also is the nurse of the reigning pharaoh himself. So of Atemu and she will protect him, that's why I like her. Her husband Set on the other hand is the god of the desert, storms, darkness and chaos. Better try not to get on his bad side, trust me. But Nephthys wanted a baby and didn't get one from Set for so long so she seduced Osiris to have a child with him instead and pretend that it was from Set and that's Anubis. But Anubis likes humans and does not wreak havoc upon ourn civilization. Though Nephthys wanted to have a baby, she didn't like that Anubis is not like Set wild and chaotic like Set. She actually liked Set because the wild nature he has. She abandoned Anubis. Set didn't care, he had noticed how different from him Anubis is.
When Isis, who by the way is a sister of not only Nephthys but also of Set and Osiris, found the abandoned Anubis, she took him in and raised him as if he was one of her own children, Anubis became Isis' protector and helper because she was more like a mother to him then his own one. But if you want to learn more about the gods you should ask priest Seto, he is really smart. Pharaoh Atemu said he is even smarter than him. And I'm sure he will answer all your questions and can tell you much more then I can."

He looks sad halfway through my explanation, I wonder if I said something wrong. I watch him a moment, hoping he will say what's on his mind and after a while he does "I think I'm already on Set's bad side."

I stare at him. "What makes you think that?"

He stares again for a moment and I wait again. "He's the god of darkness you said, and that's my life, complete darkness."

I look at him for a moment and say "But you found Serenity, isn't that good?" He nods and I hope that I can help him with my next words "Then I bet that Anubis guided you to her to help you and I'm sure he and Isis will help you from now on and bring a lot of light into your life. I'm sure Serenity is only the beginning."

He looks at me for a moment and says "And if Set doesn't want to lift the darkness. Or let them do so?"

I smile as reassuringly as I can "Their two against one don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine. And now lets go, I show you to your new room, okay? Oh and what I wanted to ask, what did you and priest Seto do when I came in? You looked so surprised."

"He had just given me the bracelet, the cartouche and the ring and I was wondering why he did that." I wonder sometimes too why my Pharaoh gives me so much? Maybe because he wants to show me that he favours me and please me but I am a slave, so he has no need to please me, maybe he just wants me to wear it so I look better for him.

I better not tell Joey the later reason, so I say "I think he wants to show you that he cares."

Joey looks away and mumbles "No one cares for me."

I giggle and say "Wrong I do, after all your my friend now." And with that I give him a hug and walk towards the door, so I can show him to his room before I want to show him the gardens here in the palace. I love the garden the most, after my pharaoh of course.