DISCLAIMER: Welcome! I am Nuin and I will be your guide as we embark on this wondrous tour of Yugi-Oh and Yaoi-land. Now remember that feeding and petting the characters is forbidden at all times. I do not wish for them to run off with any of you, which would result in disabling me from writing the rest of the story. Please keep your arms and legs inside the moving vehicle as I do not wish to receive any lawsuits containing dismemberment of tour-guests. Thank you.

WARNING: May I also kindly remind you that this story is in fact a Yaoi-story. Which means lovers of the same gender. Anyone with restrictions against this form of love is asked to please leave the premises as it will probably upset the characters. Now if you'll please turn to your right, I believe that we are in for a treat as the characters begin on a new story.

Born to Servitude.

By Nuin.

02. Gilded Cage.

Voices, there were so many strange voices.

He fumbled in his sleep, someone was grabbing a hold of his arm, trying to get him up.

"Urghh...No, 'Tousan, five more minutes...jus' five...wanna sleep." He struck out his fist feeling it connect with something, good, he wanted the one intruding on his precious sleep to go away. He didn't want to go to school...school bad, sleep good.

Who had turned the heat up so high? It was like an oven in here. The bed was too soft and wobbly to be his, what a strange sheet, it felt like sand, but he wasn't at the beach. He shot up in a sitting position and looked confusedly around. It looked like some sort of tent, several plush pillows scattered around at various places and a small table situated in the middle, a bowl of fruit, a clay jar, presumably filled with water, and a small oil lamp on it. But he wasn't on a camping trip. Wait, wasn't he supposed to be over a Yugi's for a sleepover? Where was he? A movement to his right caught his eye, and he turned around to look directly into the dark eyes of a stranger, a stranger with a slight bruise on his cheek. Oh! Damn!

The man was dressed in what mostly looked like a linen dress, Jou couldn't help it, but managed to suppress a snicker, he looked ridicules. He was clean-shaven and his eyes were lined in kohl...urgh...reminder of Marik no Yami. Marik himself had toned down a bit on his usage on kohl eyeliner during the last couple of months. Though it actually did make him look exotic and...bad thoughts...bad, bad thoughts, Marik was his friend, no more. Well, at least he didn't think so, did he?

Okay, turning his attention back to the...umm...cross-dresser...he thought would be the right term, he could hear the man rambling on in a foreign language, which to Jou most of all sounded like he was trying to bite his own tongue off. The man just kept on going, on and on and on, didn't he need air at all? Suddenly he quieted down, probably realizing that Jou didn't understand a word he had just uttered.

'Thank Kami...he stopped, it was getting really annoying. What the...? What's going on now?'

In the meantime another man had entered the tent, dressed like the other in a 'dress', albeit a little more lavishly, his upper arms and neck were adorned by thick gold bands. His brown eyes were lines in kohl as well, though a little more meticulously and almost perfectly.

Jou felt unnerved by the piercing glance he was getting from the new arrival, it felt as if he was being eyed like a piece of meat.

'NO! Cannibals! HELP! Wait...no not cannibals...old leeches...much worse...yuck!' He was being eyed as if he was a two-dollar-whore. He DID NOT like that, if he could only understand, what the hell they were talking about now, he might be able to intervene.

The two men exchanged a few chosen words, all while studying the boy before them with interest. Still not liking the glances he was receiving from the older men, he tried instead to recollect his memory. What exactly had happened?

He remembered getting ready for the sleepover at Yugi's, the eating contest with his father, leaving the house, the almost blizzard-like storm, feeling dizzy and then...nothing. Well, not before he woke up again, here in this humid tent, surrounded by odd persons and he DIDN'T understand ONE single word of what they were saying.

What would Yugi and the others do when they found out he was missing, hell, he didn't even know where he was.

'Yugi must be worried sick and 'Tousan, I promised I would be home on Sunday, the guys...I wonder what they are doing right now...Shizuka! What going to happen when she finds out...?'

Suddenly another person entered the tent, this time a young girl with long, straight black hair, gently cascading down her back with bangs nearly covering her twin pools of onyx. She was wearing a simple tunic with no other ornaments than a pair of golden earrings. In her arms was a small bundle, which turned out to be some clothes, the same kind of 'dress' as the two men were wearing, a pair of sandals, a couple of clay jars and some jewelry.

The girl bowed in respect of the older men and inclined her head towards him while gesturing to the load in her arms. They nodded their agreement.

Jou wasn't so sure he liked the prospects of this.

He slammed his tiny fist down on the alarm clock only to realize that it wasn't making a sound.

'The phone!'

He shot out of bed, nearly tripping over the various bodies spread across the room, he managed though to get out with out waking anyone up. He stormed down the stairs and made a lunge for the phone before heaving in a breath of much needed air.

"Mouto Yugi speaking."

"Ohiayo gozaimasu, Yugi-kun, it's Jounouchi Touya...Is my son there?"

"No, he never showed, I guess we fell asleep waiting for him. Why? Has something happened?" Yugi could feel his fear from last night return with full force.

"I was hoping he had just forgotten, but now...Yugi-kun, some of the neighbours found Jou's bag on the sidewalk a few blocks from here...there was no sign of him..."

"WHAT!" Yugi roared, he had woken up the others for sure now, but that didn't matter. Jou was missing! Not here and not at home. He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, tears was streaming down his cheeks and he couldn't stop them, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Yugi-kun what's wrong?" He turned to find four sleepy looking boys standing at the top of the stair, several of them rubbing their eyes. Honda yawned and leaned on Otogi, desperately trying not to fall asleep again. Marik leaned against the wall and Ryou, who had asked the question, was on his way down the stair, eyes wide with fear.

Yugi sobbed in the attempt to subdue his crying. "Jou-kun...he's missing, he didn't show up here and he's not at home..." Suddenly he remembered the caller on the other end of the line. "Jounouchi-san are you still there?"

"Yes...I'm on my way out to go looking for him, I would appreciate your help." His voice was all of the sudden tired and strained, he sounded like the age he really was, instead of the happy teenager he sometimes would act like.

"Of course we'll help you, I'll make calls to the others, who aren't here and we'll help you look, okay. Don't worry we'll find him, we just have to." Yugi's own voice was strained as he finished his sentence. He hung up the phone after making further arrangements as to where they were going to start their search and who to call. He turned to the nearest person, which happened to be Ryou, grabbed a hold of him and cried his heart out. Jou had to be alright, he had to be.

He couldn't believe that they actually did it. He, Jounouchi Katsuya, was wearing a dress. Not only that but that infernal girl pierced his ears as well...AND she put makeup on him, not much but that was not the point. The point was that he of all people allowed them to do this, okay maybe it was easier said than done. He had led the three of them, another girl had joined the first, on a merry chase through the camp, before they managed to catch him. So...they got help from two big and burly men, but at least he didn't give up without a fight, the two men had to hold him down while the girls got to work.

Hmm...actually he didn't look half bad, the 'dress' showed off his long legs to perfection, his chest was left bare and what better way to show of his muscles and slim figure than that. The girls had put something in his hair that smelt like lavender and his eyes had been lined in kohl. His ear were adorned by golden earrings and gold bands had been clasped around his neck and upper arms. All in all, he admitted that he looked damn sexy...he would probably even be able to fluster the icy, presumably straight Kaiba Seto in this outfit. He couldn't help but smirk, so it wasn't that bad after all and the other men in the camp were wearing this...he could live with it. Well, at least until he found out, where the hell he was and how he was going to get home.

He twirled the golden goblet within his hand occasionally sipping the wine from it, the sedan moved swiftly through the city streets its carriers following those in front of them. They were moving towards the outer rims of the city, where the caravans had set up camp, opening their trade stands to the public. He didn't know what his friend was looking for, only that he was the one to lead the way and it left him to follow behind.

Sapphire eyes scanned the area, he really had better things to do than to accompany Panseru to the trade market, his Pharaoh was a demanding man and hard to sway, when he first had made his decision. Ra be damned. He didn't want to be here. He sighed and took another sip from his goblet, there was no use in regretting his position right now, he couldn't turn back. With that last thought he let himself be carried off in the wake of the Pharaoh.

A/N: Makes victory sign "Done, second chapter is done, woohoo! Reviews will be greatly appreciated, thank you."