Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters (unless otherwise stated) Kazuki Takahashi does, nor do I make any money from these stories.

09

"How dare you threaten me?!" Akhenaden roared "I may have to get past the little street rat, but you forget Aknamkanon is not only the pharaoh he is also my brother!"

"Yes." Seto said quietly. "But he does not know that I am your son does he? And you know that two members of the same family cannot be item holders at the same time, the only exception being the pharaoh and his kin, you deliberately withheld that from him."

The old man smirked. "You will not tell him for you will doom yourself and that trash you call your lover."

"I am already doomed father, one more revelation will not matter."

Akhenaden's eyes widened. "You will not tell him, I forbid it!"

"Then help me get out of here and I will say nothing."

"And if I do? Then what?" Akhenaden asked slyly.

"I will gather what money I have and leave Egypt and live quietly with Jou."

Akhenaden smirked. "No." he turned to walk away.

"Father!" Seto screamed as Akhenaden slammed the prison door shut leaving Seto in the darkness.

"Seto?" a soft voice called.

"What is it Jou?"

"What happens now?"

''If my father does not help us I will be banished from Egypt or killed."

"What about me?"

"You? Seto said thoughtfully. "You will either go back into slavery or be banished."

"No!" Jou gasped, "I will not go back into slavery." He stood up "Guard!" he screamed. "Guard!"

The guard appeared at his cell door.

"What is it you want?"

"I have to see the pharaoh, I have some important information for him."

"What is this information?" the guard asked thinking it would be useless to the pharaoh.

"I have information about the child brokers."

The guard looked at him. "I will tell his majesty but, if I find out you are lying I will punish you myself!"

The guard left Jou who sat down and waited.

"You traitor!" Seto snarled. "How could you do this to me? I loved you!"

Jou curled in on himself, he did love Seto and would do anything for him but, he could not go back to the life of a slave, he still had nightmares about the cruel master that Seto had bought him from.

Jou wept as he remembered the beatings, the rapes, and the cruel punishments that were inflicted on him and the others daily. As he waited for the guards return he remembered how he had first met Seto.

flashback

"There you are you worthless wretch!" a rough voice snarled and Seto saw Jou suddenly cower and back away, Seto watched as a rough looking man came into view, "Why are you taking so long with the water boy!" he snarled at Jou. "Just wait until I get you home!"

"I delayed him." Seto announced.

"I don't care! He's worthless, wish I never bought him!"

"Then I'll take him off your hands, how much?" Seto asked calmly.

"He ain't for sale."

"Oh but I think he is." the man suddenly turned to yell at the stranger until he saw it was the high priest. "I said how much!" Seto demanded.

"For y…you my l…lord 30 gold pieces."

Before Jou knew was he was doing he yelled. "But you only paid 15!"

Seto smirked. "Here's 20." he threw 20 gold coins at the evil looking man then looking at Jou said "Come, you belong to me now."

Jou stood up and was surprised when the high priest released him from his shackles, "I trust you will not run?"

"No my lord I will not run."

The high priest's look softened. "Then come, we need to get you cleaned up." It wasn't long before Jou found himself in the royal palace and in the private chambers of the high priest.

Jou had just climbed out of the bath a towel wrapped round his waist when Seto walked into the room. "Magnificent." He whispered walking to his newest acquisition Seto held his chin and leaned in to kiss him.

After the kiss was broken Seto looked at him. "You can't stay here, get dressed we have to find you a home."

"Why can't I stay here?"

Seto looked at him. "You are now a free man free for any man or woman to love, but as the high priest I may not take a lover."

Seto smirked as Jou looked down to the ground. "look at me." Jou slowly looked back up. "That does not mean that I will not, we will just have to be careful, hence you needing somewhere of your own.

End flashback

Jou looked up to where he thought Seto was. "Seto?" he called softly but he received no answer. "I'm sorry, but I cannot go back into slavery, I cannot go back to that life again."

"So you would betray me instead?" Seto's voice hissed.

"I would only tell the pharaoh of Akhenaden." Jou whispered.

"You idiot!" Seto yelled. "Tell him about my father and you tell them about me!"

Jou turned away and thought back to when they had found and stripped Yugi's house, he truly had felt sorry for the boy but he'd wanted this so much Seto had just given him his freedom and become his lover and now he was getting the nice, well cared for house for a home that he and Seto could share and be happy. Jou wept.

His thoughts were interrupted by the guard. "The pharaoh will see you, come on I haven't got all day!" the guard snapped.

"I have changed my mind." Jou whispered.

"Well that's too bad." The guard hissed. "You asked to see the pharaoh and see him you shall." The guard pulled him from his cell, Jou looked at Seto as he walked passed, and it broke his heart as Seto turned away from him.

The guard led Jou to the throne room where he found the pharaoh, the crown prince Atemu, Yugi and the 5 remaining priests waiting for him. The pharaoh, Atemu and Yugi were talking amongst themselves, The three stopped their conversation as Jou was made to kneel before the pharaoh.

"You wished to speak to me?" the pharaoh asked.

"M…my pharaoh." He whispered.

Yugi could see the glares that the priest Akhenaden was giving the blond prisoner and walked to the pharaoh and coughed lightly, the pharaoh had taken Ma'at's words about trusting Yugi to heart and told him to approach him whenever he felt it necessary and he would hear him. And Yugi felt it necessary.

Aknamkanon turned to him. "What is it Yugi?"

"My pharaoh I think that it would be best if you removed the priests from the room."

"Why?"

"Akhenaden is, unsettling the prisoner."

Aknamkanon looked across at his brother and saw what Yugi meant. "I think you may be right." He turned to his priests. "Leave us!" he commanded.

"But sire!" Akhenaden protested. "You need us here during a trial."

"Akhenaden this is not a trial, not yet, just an interrogation."

"We still need to witness this!"

Aknamkanon stood up. "No you do not, Yugi and Atemu are all that is needed now leave us!"

Bowing the five priests left Akhenaden being the most reluctant of all.

The pharaoh sat back down. "Now then?" he looked at Jou "What is this information you have?"

"The child brokers sire." Jou whispered, "The priest Akhenaden knows who and where they are."

'Damn that street rat!' Akhenaden thought to himself angrily 'I need to be in there to know what that peasant tells Aknamkanon, how else will I know what to say to protect myself' angrily he stormed back down to the dungeons to see Seto to find out if he knew what he was going to tell the pharaoh.