The next day was market day in the city and an easy way for Yugi and Joey to get food. Perched carefully on top of the awning of a fruit stand, Yugi nodded to his shifter friend.
"Okay, Joey." Yugi glanced at the merchant again. "He's distracted. Go!"
Joey gave a monkey smirk with a salute before disappearing over the edge.
"Try this," the merchant said to the passing crowd as Joey dipped over the edge. "Your taste buds will dance and sing. Hey, get your paws off that."
"Blah, blah, blah!" Joey cried as he grabbed a melon and hung in place, distracting the merchant.
"Why, you!" the man turned his back and grabbed the melon from Joey as Yugi reached down and snatched another melon from the stand. "Get away from here, you filthy ape!"
The merchant took the melon to the front of his awning, where he placed it on top of a stack. He paused and looked confused, like he has just done this, and glanced back at the golden monkey.
"Bye-bye!" Joey chirped and zinged back up to Yugi.
"Nice going Joey." Yugi praised as he broke the melon in half on his knee and gave one to his friend. "Breakfast is served."
Down the street, and slowly approaching the vendor Yugi and Joey were sitting on, was a disguised prince. His brown and ragged tunic fell to his knees, and his most basic sandals were on his feet. He had wetted his hair and pinned it down with magic before placing a shepherd's head covering on his head.
"Buy a pot." one of the shopkeepers said as Atem slowly walked past, being able to enjoy the activities without people kissing up to him or being block by his three battalion escort. "No finer pot in brass or silver."
"Sugar dates, sugar dates and figs!" another said excitedly, like he was on a wine high. "Sugar dates and pistachios!"
"Would the young man like a necklace?" a third held up a nice string of pearls. "A pretty necklace for your pretty lady."
Atem smiled and shook his head before jumping back by a fish being thrust into his face.
"Fresh fish!" the man said. "We catch 'em, you buy 'em!"
"I don't think so." Atem said as he backed away, bumping into a fire eater who was startled into swallowing his fire. "Oh, excuse me."
The man didn't reply, but gulped and belched fire from his mouth. He looked pleased and tapped his stomach. Atem was disgusted. Didn't the guy have better manners? But still, it was his fault the man was in the mess in the first place.
Yugi glanced up at the commotion to see a young man with tan skin and crimson eyes side-stepping around the local fire eater.
"I'm really, very, sorry." Atem said again as he tightened his head cover.
"Wow!" Yugi whispered. He had only heard of love at first sight, but he was obviously experiencing it because he was head over heels for the man.
"Hello?" Joey chattered and waved his hand in front of Yugi's face, but he didn't respond. He was staring at a stranger with a love struck look. "Hello?"
Yugi didn't even notice his friend. He watched as the crimson eyed man came next to the apple stand that was right next to the melon stand. The man stopped as he saw a homeless child reaching for a piece of fruit.
"Oh, you must be hungry." Atem said, he heart aching. Many times he had tried to give money to the poor children, but was always stopped by his escort. Making up his mind, he reached into his bag and grabbed his money pouch as he gave the child an apple. "Here you go."
"You'd better be able to pay for that." the vendor, a fat man, growled as the child ran off.
"You honestly think I wouldn't?" Atem quipped as he pulled out a few of the least value coins he had and handed them to the vendor.
"No one steals from my cart!" the vendor growled as he took the money.
"Duly noted." Atem replied as he turned away. Why couldn't that man have been nice?
"Hey!" Atem turned back with a sigh as the vendor shouted. "You cheated me! The apples are five crowns, and you only gave me three."
"The sign says three crowns." Atem pointed out as the crowd gathered.
"The apples are five crowns!" the man roared and grabbed Atem's arm. "You're a thief."
Atem's eyes widened. This man was serious. The penalty for stealing was losing the limb that caused the stealing. In this case, it would be his arm. He had to get out of this, but he couldn't reveal who he was. He didn't want to go back to the palace and be forced to marry in two days, but he didn't want to spend the rest of his life right-arm-less either.
"Please," Atem choked out, scared that the vendor was crazy enough to not listen to reasoning, "if you let me go to the palace, I can get some more money from the Pharaoh."
"Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" the vendor pinned the hidden prince's arm down on the table and took up his sword, fully intending to chop it off.
"No!" Atem cried out as the sword began to fall. "No please!"
Just half a foot away from his arm, a hand grabbed the vendor's wrist and pulled the sword from his hand.
"Thank you kind sir." a young male that looked startlingly like himself had come to his rescue. "I'm so glad you've found him. Thank you so much."
As the male turned, Atem saw that he had slightly tanned skin, tri-colored hair, amethyst eyed, was dressed in pretty ragged clothes, and stood only at about 5' tall. He had a stern look on his face as he passed Atem the sword.
"I've been looking all over for you." Yugi said as he glared at the stranger he had just saved from losing an arm.
"What are you doing?" the man whispered back as Yugi turned him and gently pushed him down the street.
"Just play along." Yugi whispered back.
"You know this man?" the vendor asked grabbing Yugi's shoulder, making him stop.
"Sadly, yes." Yugi sighed. "He is my brother. He's a little crazy."
As his rescuer circled his finger around his ear, Atem grew angry. He was a prince, not crazy. The vendor seemed to agree with the 'not crazy' part of his thought, and he grabbed the young man by the front of his ragged clothes.
"He said he knows the Pharaoh!" the vendor roared as he shook the young man, who untangled himself from the heavy grasp.
"He thinks the monkey is the Pharaoh." Yugi pointed to Joey, who quickly pulled his hand out of the purse he was just in with a blank look.
"Oh wise Pharaoh, how may I serve you?" Atem asked as he swallowed his dignity and bowed to the monkey, the whole time thinking, 'This is so humiliating.'
"Well," Joey looked slightly pleased before playing his role and acting like someone of noble class.
"Tragic, isn't it?" Yugi sighed as he picked another apple from the cart with his foot and tossed it to the vendor. "But, no harm done. Now come along brother. Time to see the doctor."
"Oh, hello doctor." Atem said to a camel standing nearby after his rescuer pulled him up and began escorting him down the street. "How are you?"
"No, no, no. Not that one." Yugi guided the man around the camel and turned back to Joey, whose mouth was bulging slightly. "Come on, Pharaoh."
Joey looked at Yugi and bowed to the crowd. Unfortunately, the action sent what he had stolen from the vendor's apple cart fall out of his mouth.
"Huh? What is it?" the fat vendor turned around in time to see Joey picking up what apples he can carry before running after an already running Yugi and Atem. "Come back here, you little thieves!"
"With all due respect your rottenness, couldn't we just wait for a real storm?" Weevil squawked, as he held unto a handle while running on a wooden wheel with squares attached to it.
Electricity surged through the very tip, powering the machine. A huge glass dome surrounded by two oval shaped pillars filled with a darkened red cloud along with sand stood in the center of the room. Thunder rumbled inside of it, creating one huge monstrosity of a storm.
"Save your breath Weevil," Dartz commanded, his long pale fingers placing the ring between two cobra snakes attached to a small hourglass. "Faster!"
Selene leaned back against the wall, her ocean eyes filled with boredom. She really wasn't in the mood to be dealing with Dartz's antics at the moment.
"Yes, all mighty evil one," the bird said, running just a little faster picking up the pace.
A sudden jolt of orange electricity sparked through the two cobras, sending energy through the blue diamond ring that Dartz had taken from the pharaoh in order for his evil plan to work.
"Ah sands of time, reveal to me the one who can enter the Cave of Wonders," the sorcerer whispered, as the sand inside the small but beautiful hourglass began to swirl revealing the very cave itself before it disappeared and an another image began to form in the lower part of a young boy helping a young man up a ladder. "There he is. My diamond in the rough!"
"That's HIM?" Selene all but shrieked. The 'diamond in the rough' was a street urchin that looked like the prince.
"That's the loony we've been waiting for-" Weevil's voice was suddenly cut off as his tail was caught in one of the wheels, making him scream in terror as he went around and around in a few complete circles electricity zapping at his body. "AHAHAHAHAH!"
"We should have the guards extend him an invitation to the place shall we?" Dartz said, as Weevil went flying out of the machine, his feather's flying everywhere, before he crashed into the wall.
"Swell," Weevil replied in a weak voice before falling down again.
Dartz and Selene both looked at each other before they started shrieking in laughter at the sight of the poor bird.
Elsewhere, the real Yugi was just reaching the top of the ladder.
"Almost there." Yugi grunted as he reached the top of the roof, Joey climbing on the underside of the ladder and then up next to Yugi.
"Yes, yes," Yugi sighs as Joey did a small victory dance. "We all could do that if we had hands on the ends of our legs as well."
As Atem climbed over the top, his foot snagged on his outfit and he tripped. As he pitched foreword, he fell into his rescuers arms. Blushing briefly, he quickly stood up.
"I want to thank you for stopping that man." Atem quickly covered his blunder.
"Uh, forget it." Yugi turned as a blush threatened to adorn his face and grabbed a pole. "So, uh, this is your first time in the marketplace, huh?"
As his guest glanced down, Yugi realized he made have made him feel uncomfortable so he quickly vaulted to the next building, leaving the man to sort his thoughts while he grabbed a board so the other would be able to follow.
"Is it that obvious?" Atem asked as he looked back up.
"Well, you do kinda stand out." Yugi admitted as he stared at him, still in love. When the man returned the look, Yugi realized what he was doing, and returned to normal and lay the plank down so the man could walk over the gap between buildings. "I mean, uh, you don't seem to know how dangerous Domino can be."
But as he straitened back up, Yugi noted whistling of wind as the man vaulted over his head. As he stared in surprise, Atem tossed the pole to him while his and Joey's eyes bulged.
"I'm a fast learner." Atem smirked.
"Right. C'mon, this way." Yugi said as he placed the pole back down. They went inside the roof of a building, dodging planks and beams along the way. "Watch your head there."
"Is this where you live?" Atem asked as he glanced around the room. It was small, and everything in there was pretty old or ragged looking.
"Yep." Yugi nodded. "Just me and Joey. Our families died during a plague about 6 years back. We just come and go as we please."
"Fabulous." Atem sighed, wishing he had the same freedom while he lived in the palace.
"Well, it's not much," Yugi shrugged as he pulled back the curtain and revealed the palace, as it basked in the sunset, "but it's got a great view. Palace looks pretty amazing, huh?"
"Oh," Atem turned his back to it and sat down as he studied his hands, "it's wonderful."
"I wonder what it would be like to live there," Yugi sighed, "to have servants and valets."
"Oh, sure." Atem rolled his eyes. "People who tell you where to go and how to dress."
"It's better than here." Yugi replied as he turned towards his guest. "Always scraping for food and ducking the guards."
"You're not free to make your own choices." Atem grumbled to himself.
"Sometimes you feel so-" Yugi paused as he tried to find the right word.
"You're just-" Atem paused.
"-trapped." they both said together, making them look at each other as they realized that they're perfect for one another.
Yugi blushed and broke the look as he took and apple from Joey's hand and passed it to Atem, who caught it.
"So, where're you from?" Yugi tried to break the ice.
"What does it matter?" Atem asked with a glare before glancing away. "I ran away, and I am not going back."
"Really?" Yugi asked as he took a bite from the apple in his hand, before sitting down next to the upset man.
"My father's forcing me to get married." Atem admitted, not sure why he told his rescuer.
"That's… that's awful." Yugi sighed. "I've always wanted to marry someone for love, but no one ever gives me the time of day. Joey's the only friend I have."
"A monkey?" Atem asked as he watched Joey scamper down to the floor, before changing into a human.
"And what's wrong with that?" Joey asked as Atem's eyes widened.
"Nothing." Atem replied. "I have a friend who's a shifter. He can turn into a tiger."
"Cool." Joey grinned. "And, are you going to eat that apple?"
"Joey!" Yugi scolded his friend, who turned back into a monkey.
"What?" Atem asked, confused.
"Joey has a bottomless pit as a stomach." Yugi glanced at his friend, who stuck out his tongue in reply before chattering and cursing at the 5 foot tall teen.
"Oh does he?" Atem asked, feeling more and more comfortable as the seconds past.
"Yeah, he does." Yugi sighed.
"And does Joey have anything else to say?" Atem smirked as he and Yugi started to unconsciously lean towards each other.
"Well," Yugi paused, "he wishes there was something he could do to help with your father."
"Oh, boy!" Joey rolled his eyes at the mushy two, who ignored him.
"Hmm, tell him that's very sweet." Atem whispered as the gap between them closed.
Their eyes slid close as their lips came closer.
"Here you are!" Rex cried, the palace guards coming in the doorway.
"They've after me!" Yugi and Atem cried at the same time before turning to each other. "They're after you?"
"My father must have sent them." Atem groaned as the guards began to hack threw the fallen beams with their swords. How could he be so stupid? Of course there would be search parties. He was the crown prince.
"Do you trust me?" Yugi asked, interrupting the disguised prince.
"What?" Atem turned to Yugi who was standing on a ledge.
"Do you trust me?" Yugi asked again as he extended his hand.
"Yes." Atem admitted. He did trust his nameless rescuer, so he took his hand.
"Then jump!" Yugi shouted as he pulled the prince of the ledge.
They fell and land in a well placed pile of salt. They try to get away, but the exit was blocked by Pegasus, who grabbed Yugi by the front of his already torn clothing.
"We just keep running into each other," Pegasus smirked as his silver eyes glistened, "don't we, street rat?"
Again, Joey pulled Pegasus' turban down, letting Yugi escape from the man's grasp. But their exit is blocked more guards, forcing Yugi to turn tail, dragging the man he had rescued with him as he tried for a window escape.
But, it wasn't to be. Pegasus had pulled Joey off his head and thrown him into a vase, the lid closing with a -thud-, and he grabbed Yugi as he ran past, throwing him to the other guards.
"It's the dungeon for you, boy." Pegasus cried gleefully.
"Get off of me!" Yugi shouted, having heard the horror stories of what happened in the palace dungeons.
"Let go of him." Atem demanded when he heard his look alike cry out.
"Look what we have here, men," Pegasus snickered, not realizing he was talking to the prince as he knocked him down. "Another street rat."
Yugi glared at the man and struggled more, knowing the man wouldn't be able to survive in the streets without help.
"Unhand him," Atem raised his voice as he stood and pulled off his head cover, revealing his spiky hair with crimson edging. "By order of your prince."
"Prince Atem." Pegasus gasped as he and the other guards stopped what they were doing and bow, forcing Yugi to bow as well.
"The prince?" Yugi whispered in shock as he glanced back up.
"The prince?" Joey echoed from inside the vase.
"What are you doing outside the palace?" Pegasus asked, trying to make up for his previous mistake. "And with this street rat?"
"That's not your concern." Atem spat, his eyes blazing with fury. "Do as I command. Release him!"
"I would, your highness," Pegasus pursed his lips together as Rex, Alister, Valon, and Raphael dragged Yugi away, bowing as they left, "but my orders come from Dartz. You'll have to take it up with him."
"Believe me, I will." Atem growled with a very pissed-off look.
It was time to return the favor of being rescued.