That night Anzu couldn't sleep.

In fact, she didn't want to.

Mahad was safe for now, she knew that while leaving his room. His easy breathing filled her ears as she closed the door on Mahad and Mana, who remained there to watch over her master.

Yet Anzu still did not feel at ease.

Something happened and it involved Yugi somehow.

Something happened, and she didn't know what to do.

Barge into the prince's room and demand answers? Brave, but foolish. She could further endanger her brother, if her suspicions about his situation were true.

She tried to gather all the facts- she knew that Mahad and the rest had caught the spy, and that she and Serenity were asked to leave, and they did. Anzu did not get the chance to look at the spy, and she waited in her room with Serenity and Joey, waiting for Yugi to come back from the stables.

And then, there was a shout and Mana and Mai shouted for help. Joey went down and helped the prince, who was still covered with blood, don't think about whose, concentrate, carry Mahad's unconscious body.

In the rush of trying to save man's life, the only thing Anzu's mind registered out of what Mana was saying, was that Yugi somehow helped the spy to get away and hurt Mahad.

But then, saving life was more important. She left Mahad with Joey and rushed downstairs with to get bandages.

Someone was already in the kitchen when she entered.

"I will wait for him here." Mai said simply, as if it explained everything, and Anzu did not bother to try and understand it, the threat to Mahad's life more important that cryptic behaviour of one woman. She gathered bandages and a bowl of water, wondering if that would be enough.

When she got back to the room, the prince was done conversing with Serenity and Joey as it seemed, for he was parting from them with a nod of his head.

"Save him." He said when his eyes met Anzu's, and thought there was no trace of bagging in his words or tone, she saw the desperation in the red eyes. The prince left the room, and Anzu's mind became focused on Mahad again.

"I need to see, what kind of poison was used." Serenity whispered, and Anzu nodded, forgetting that Serenity could not see her do so.

"I really hope it is one you already encountered." She replied finally, praying to whatever gods would listen, that it will be so.

"I do too." The response was so faint, that Anzu almost missed it.

She looked at the wound, cleaning it with water. It didn't look to deep, but there was something in it that betrayed the danger it posed. Maybe it was the color of blood, darker than that Anzu was used to.

"I know it sounds awful, but I need to smell his blood, could you gather it for me?"

Anzu did not hesitate. She took a cup from, Mahad's desk, thanking deities that it was there, and collected blood inside of it, ignoring her insides twisting with disgust.

There were more important thing now, she could succumb to her dislike of blood later. Now was not the time.

She didn't hear Yugi enter until Serenity started explaining what they were doing.

The rest of happening of the night were a bit hazy in Anzu's mind. She remembered waiting, she remembered searching for a vial with a strange name she could not recall now. She remembered the relief when Mahad woke up for a moment and disposed of the poison from his body.

She cannot remember why and when Yugi left.

And now, leaving Mahad with Mana, she left the room with Joey and Serenity, both of them engrossed in silent conversation, and noticed that her brother was gone.

Mana's words from earlier came back to her.

Yugi was somehow involved in Mahad being hurt.

And now he was missing...

For a moment, she thought that her heart had stopped.

She ran to the second floor and was now stuck in front of the prince's door, debating whether her brother was even there. Whether her brother was even alive.

She could hear nothing through the door.

Maybe no one was there?

Suddenly, the door opened, and the prince, a bloodied sword in his hand, left the room, not paying any attention to Anzu.

She watched him come down, and then her mind provided her with a vision of Yugi mutilated on the prince's carpet, so she ran inside the room.

She almost cried with relief.

Yugi was in there, kneeling on the floor, shaking with sobs, but alive.

Alive.

Not thinking much, she approached him and kneeled next to him, pulling him into a hug.

"Are you alright?"She whispered, feeling Yugi's tears wetting her dress.

Only more sobs answered her.

She braved on, knowing that this was what Yugi needed.

Silent, undemanding support. For now, he only needed to know that he was not alone in all of this, that he is safe because his sister is with him. She knew that she was not much, she definitely wasn't strong, nor very smart, but Yugi didn't need that at the moment.

In fact, she was sure that strong and smart was the reason of Yugi's tears.

And she could give him kindness and love.

They stayed like that for a moment, embracing each other, until Yugi's breathing calmed down.

"I... I don't know what to do..." He said finally, sitting back and looking her in the eyes. "It is all my fault, we could have been killed, Mahad almost was!" Anzu patiently waited, aware that any kind of reassurance had to wait until Yugi was done, or he won't listen.

"And I understand, I know that he is right, that as a prince he couldn't do anything else and yet... And yet..."A sob interrupted him. " And yet I still wish I had saved that boy." Here, Yugi lowered his head, his tears dropping on the carpet. So the spy was a child. That explained a lot.

"I am afraid of him, Anzu, I am so afraid. " Yugi whispered.

"He kills people, I should be afraid! And yet, the thing that scares me the most is that I disappointed him. I interfered! I..." Here Yugi cut himself, hiding his face in the crook of Anzu's arm.

"Listen to me." Anzu started, running her fingers through Yugi's hair. " You are a good person. You did what you believed was right. And he cannot fault you for that. " Here, Yugi made a noise of disagreement. "He cannot, any more you can fault him for being what he is. He took the boy's life, not you. You opposed to it, but there was nothing else you could do. Don't take it upon yourself to save everybody."

"He told he will kill me if I interfere again." Anzu did not doubt it. She was quite sure that the prince would do it, his faith in his beliefs stronger than his conscience and sympathies.

"Then do not interfere. Don't make his choices yours. You agreed to be a part of this rebellion, so do not endanger yourself anymore to fight its leader. " What she was about to say now would probably frighten the Anzu from a month ago, but it didn't change the fact that these words were what she believed to be true. " Besides, it is not like we are running around killing innocent bystanders. It like your game of chess; to win you have to take out the pawns. "

Yugi looked at her outraged, fire sparkling in his eyes.

"You are talking about people here!"

She sighed gently.

"We are also people, Yugi. All of us. Mana, Mahad, you and me. If they want to harm us, why shouldn't we harm them before they succeed?" For a moment, Yugi looked lost.

Then, he stood up.

"I think we have all changed much."

Anzu stood up as well.

"That we did." They stood in silence for a while, looking at each other, as if trying to see those changes in each other's faces. But it was not so simple. They changed inside.

At last, Yugi moved.

"I still don't know what to do, and how to feel about everything, but... Thank you." Here, Yugi hugged her. And left the room.

They were indeed changing.

The old Anzu would have run after Yugi, but this one decided to let him be. He had lots to deal with, without her worrying about him, and at least he knew now, he was not alone.

Not planning on sleeping tonight, Anzu directed her steps downstairs.

She wondered what would become of them.

Not in the physical sense, for she knew that there were many options. They could succeed and bring back a rightful king to the throne. They could lose everything and die in shame, forgotten by history. They could survive the fall and run, living the rest of their lives as vagabonds, finding a new home somewhere overseas. There were many options, and almost every single one was as frightening as it was exciting, aside from losing and dying one.

But them?

How will they change?

She knew she was something else, that she was becoming harder with each they, tasting her freedom and loving it, willing to fight for it in every way she could. She did not approve of brutality, but she was under no illusions about the world- there was no way to receive power without getting a dirt on one's hands. She could deal with danger and murder, as long as it wasn't mindless cruelty, that she had enough of for one lifetime.

But Yugi?

Will a day come, when he would not bat an eye? When he would not fight for what he believed to be true? That was a question.

Deep in her thoughts, Anzu did not notice when her steps directed her to the garden.

It was still night, but she could see the garden and the man inside of it pretty clearly. When she looked harder, she understood why. There was a fire inside her garden.

"Wouldn't a fire attract attention, Your Highness?" She asked, immediately recognizing the figure. The prince was leaning on his sword, now clean, and looking at the flames.

"Not greater than a body hidden in bushes or in the forest. And while one grave could be explained, the second one would raise questions if somebody came here. Besides, that's why we are here. This house is the furthest to the North. It is not easily observed from the town." Came the calm reply, and Anzu just nodded.

Now, calm and pensive, light playing on his face, the prince truly looked like a king. She could envision him as a compassionate, wise ruler, sitting on his throne to listen and aid his subjects. Despite his rash actions, Anzu realized, the prince already was like that. True, he was 'rough around the edges' as Mana liked to describe him, but she could not say that he was cruel or foolish. He inspired trust, and even though his actions were brutal, Anzu felt safe in his presence.

"You are right, Your Highness." For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She never had the time to just follow the prince and talk, like Yugi did, and if she was honest with herself, she didn't feel the need before. Now, however, she had no intention of going anywhere.

"Your brother seems to disagree." Only now Anzu noticed, that while she was looking at him, he was returning her gaze, his eyes inquiring.

"Yugi has always been gentle. If it depended on him, no one would argue or fight, he doesn't like violence. In fact, he is pretty shaken by what happened." At that, the prince nodded.

"In some other worlds, his heart would be the greatest force, the greatest magic one could imagine. If his heart were to be weighted in the Afterlife, it would be lighter than a feather." Anzu had no idea what the prince was talking about, but it didn't bother her. The most important part- the awe of Yugi's kindness was hard to miss. " But in our world and times, I do not see it wise to follow one's heart." Anzu made a noise of agreement.

"What brought you here, our gracious hostess?" That question surprised her. She had no answer to give. Sure, she could say that she couldn't sleep, or that she wanted to know what happened, but that sounded inadequate, even if it was true.

"I would really appreciate it, if you would address me by my name, Your Highness." She said instead.

"If that is your wish." They lapsed into silence, both staring at flames. Soon, there would be nothing but ashes left of the boy who became a spy.

Anzu wondered whether the boy had some family that was waiting for him, a mother who didn't know that her son was not coming back. Strange, how she was not bothered with such thoughts when Panic appeared. Maybe he too, was a son, a father, a husband?

"Do you think about them? The people you had to kill?" She said, forgetting who she was talking to. But the prince did not seem angry.

"No. But I remember them, and I am aware that their ghosts will be waiting for me when I leave this world. I do not keep the count of the lives I took, but I remember them. " He looked at the fire.

"Am I monster to you?" Anzu was suddenly struck with thought that the prince did not mean her specifically. He meant Yugi, her, and every other person that wasn't in his troops, every person he was fighting for, unsure, as Anzu now realized, whether they will even accept him. He knew that what his uncle did was bad, but he feared, that in the eyes of the people, he might be even worse than Aknadin, who was hated, but not dreaded.

"You are a prince. To me, Your Highness, you are a future king. For Yugi, you are a hero. And in a tale, almost every hero has to slay a dragon at some point. It doesn't make him a monster." She said, moved by compassion for the prince.

The surprise and hope in the prince's eyes were beautiful, and the small smile he gave her was better than any 'thank you' she could hear.

"You are a good person, Anzu." It never felt so good to hear her name being spoken by anybody.

Suddenly embarrassed, Anzu bowed her head and wished the prince goodnight.

/

Yugi couldn't sleep.

But this time, he was not ready to go to the garden and look at yet another pile of ashes that would remind him of his failure.

He was not ready to face the prince.

He was not ready to see coldness and disapproval on the face that smiled at him from behind the cards few hours ago.

The images of the prince Yugi had before were now melting into one, and Yugi didn't know how to feel about it. One, he feared, the second he admired. It was hard to reconcile those two opposite feelings, and Yugi didn't know what to do, what to feel.

He wanted to talk with Joey, to share his misery with someone who would understand, but Joey needed his space, needed his time with Serenity. Bond between siblings was like any other, and Yugi knew it all too well.

He was grateful to Anzu for her words, for her support, but Anzu wasn't there when that happened. She didn't know what he felt, what he saw. She didn't hear Mana's scream, she didn't look at Mai's face and she haven't seen cold anger instead of kindness in Mai's eyes. She didn't have blood on her hands.

Not knowing when, Yugi drifted off into uneasy sleep.

He woke up with the first rays of sun, even more tired than before.

He contemplated staying in bed, just for the sake of it, but a sudden noise from the corridor convinced him to abandon bed. As silent as he could, Yugi left his room, trying to find the source of the noise.

He found it soon enough, when the doors to prince's room closed in front of him.

The sun was up, so it figured that the prince got back.

Now, when the oppressive silence of the night was gone, Yugi's mind drifted back to what the prince had said before.

Three years in an underground prison... Could it be true? That would explain why he could not stand the sun right now, especially if what Yugi remembered about capital's religion was true - the Sun was the highest god of all, and to be cut from it was almost like death.

Yugi shuddered.

It must have been terrible, not being able to see a thing... Then he thought of Serenity. She was still in the dark, yet she was not tainted by it, like the prince was.

Then again, Mana had said that the prince did not change that much. Maybe he was good at acting.

Yugi couldn't imagine what would happen to him, if he was to be held captive for three years with no sun, no wind on his face, no one to speak his name.

Still, shouldn't the prince be grateful for being alive? Why did he call king Aknadin's decision a mistake, if for him it meant life?

Yugi wanted to know what the prince was really thinking, what was his reasoning and beliefs. He had some idea, because he listened and observed, but it was not enough.

It probably wasn't healthy, but Yugi couldn't help himself. He wanted to understand.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in." With no hesitation, Yugi did. The prince had proven that without a reason, he will not harm Yugi, and Yugi trusted him.

"Good morning, Your Highness." He entered. Some strange, flowery smell was the first thing he noticed about the room.

The second was that the prince was sitting on his bed with his shirt off, cleaning himself with water from a bowl standing on the ground. Yugi immediately averted his eyes. " Shall I come back later?"

The prince sighed, and Yugi was taken aback for a moment.

"There is no need to." Came the reply, and the prince returned to his task. "I can see clearly now that you are indeed siblings. You come to pester me with questions at most inconvenient times." Did that mean that Anzu had talked with the prince as well? When? What about?

Yugi felt a ping of anger, Anzu never seemed to be interested in talking with the prince before, it was Yugi's place, it was Yugi's thing... But it wasn't important now.

"I..." Yugi started, but the prince sighed once again, and Yugi lost his train of thoughts, staring into the man's torso instead. It was as dark as his face, yet it looked slightly paler, which was understandable, taking into consideration prince's tale. There were some scars, not very remarkable, but still there. Only one caught Yugi's eye, and not because it was big, but because it was irregular.

Yugi must have been really obvious about his staring, because the prince sighed once more.

"Which part of me caught your attention?" He asked simply, stopping his ministrations with water.

"The scar on your stomach. It is quite unusual, Your Highness, if I may..."He trailed off. Only now he realized how shaky was the ground he was standing on. On one hand, he did get closer to the prince, and they have had similar conversations before. On the other hand, he had angered the man few hours ago and was threatened with death the last time he saw him. Maybe he should have thought this over.

The prince was just looking at him in silence.

Maybe he should apologize and bolt, while he still has time...

"Why are you so interested in me, Yugi?" Genuine surprise colored the question, as if the prince didn't consider himself worthy of such attention, which was interesting to say the least. Why wouldn't he? Before Yugi could assure the man, the prince put on his shirt and shifted in his bed so that the sun was not shining at him directly.

"Never mind. I got that one from an assassin, just after I escaped."

"How did you escape? Your Highness?" Yugi added, not wanting to insult the man, especially now.

"That is for me to know." Here, that dangerous smirk Yugi associated with prince's justice entered man's face. " But this building is no more. "

For some reason, Yugi was sure that fire was somehow included.

"Of course, my uncle immediately knew that it would be too easy to assume that I am dead. So he sent an assassin to find me. And find me he did, just before I reached found Mana and Mahad." At the mention of Mahad's name, Yugi felt a twinge of guilt. He probably wouldn't be able to look at Mana without fear and shame, not to mention Mahad when he wakes up.

Not wanting to dwell on that, Yugi concentrated on the tale.

" He enjoyed pain and fear more than anything, and that kept me alive. Instead of killing me right away, he decided to play a game with me." One look at the prince's face assured Yugi, that by 'game' the prince meant 'tortures'.

"That was his mistake. He gave me time to free myself. " Like one you gave time to that kid was left unsaid, but Yugi heard it nonetheless.

"Did you know him?" At that, the prince moved his gaze to the window, deep in thought.

"I didn't at the time. I met his family later. At first I thought they will want to avenge him. One of them actually tried to." Yugi lowered his head, many emotions fighting for dominance in his heart.

"What happened to them?" Yugi's heart already knew the answer.

His face must have betrayed him, for the prince looked hurt for a short while. Then, his eyes steeled.

"You met them. "

What?

" The assassin was Marik's twin brother." Yugi was shocked, and immediately embarrassed at his surprise, for the prince let out a bitter laugh.

"You thought I did not know mercy? That I do not have honour? Even after I spared you?"

"No, Your Highness." Yugi answered, but it sounded weak.

"You did." The prince stood up and drank from the cup beside the bed. "That is enough of questions for now. If you truly want to understand, you will never do it by listening to me. You have a privilege of being just you, of being a good person. I do not have this luxury. I do not have time for showing kindness and mercy for people who do not want it and do not ask for it." He sat back on the bed, red eyes drilling into Yugi's. "Marik and Ishizu asked."

And they were spared and joined your cause... That sounded all too familiar. So sparing Yugi and Anzu's lives was just a strategic decision? Did the prince know that they will join him, just like Marik and Ishizu did? Were they nothing more than just pawns in a complicated game? Yugi didn't know why, but that thought hurt. It hurt even more when he realized, that he was a phony pawn, an unreliable one, since Mahad was now hurt because of him.

His previous certainty disappeared, leaving Yugi afraid once more, afraid and lonely, as if the prince had personally betrayed him. Why did he feel like this?

He wanted them to be friends, he hoped that their talks, that this time they shared, meant something else than just making sure Yugi remained loyal.

But on the other hand, what use could Yugi be? What could he do? Nothing.

So maybe...?

" I apologize for disturbing you, Your Highness." He said, ignoring the wavering of his voice. He needed to get back and steel himself for facing Mana and Mai, he needed to be collected and take the blame as gracefully as Mana did. He needed to sort out his feelings about the prince.

"Yugi." He stopped in his tracks. Prince's voice was unusually gentle. " If you truly want to understand, join me. I will show you the world through my perspective."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Yugi almost hated himself for how hopeful he sounded.

"Mahad will be for some time unable to aid me. I need an advisor, someone to consult my plans and ideas with."

Yugi tried to calm the beating of his heart.

"I would be honoured to, Your Highness." With that, he bowed and left the prince's room.

He closed the door behind him and directed his steps downstairs, to join Anzu in the kitchen, his thought occupied with prince's offer.

Suddenly, he bumped into something.

Before he could process what happened, he was standing face to face with Mana.