Hey guys! Sorry for the late update but I've got piles and piles of work to get through, AND I've just come back from a holiday. BUT, even though it's about 6am and I've just got in, I thought I'd make it up to you and start writing the next chapter.
Thanks to these guys for reviewing:
Yami's Wife, Samantha, Green Phantom Queen, sugarpony
Warning: Sorry to all Seto fans but he is older (though I don't really see that as a bad thing…) in this story and I've made him the villain. I'm really sorry about that! I have nothing against him, but he just seemed to fit in with the part! Also, there are hints of Yugi x Téa in later chapters.
'Thoughts'
"Speaking"
Remember: In Ancient Egypt, the tunics that the men wore were a bit like skirts, so basically, they were topless. This is an important factor for this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own the Prince and the Pauper
-I-
The Pharaoh and the Pauper
Chapter 4: The Switch
Summary: YugixTéa. After a peasant Yugi and the pharaoh-to-be Atemu meet by chance and switch lives, things start to go wrong. Will Yugi be able to find Atemu so that he can be crowned Pharaoh? Or will Seto's plan work?
-I-
"Let me see your face," Atemu said gently, hiding the panic in his voice.
Yugi once again obeyed the Prince's command, and looked up at Atemu…
…and both gasped at the sight before them…
They looked exactly the same, like brothers. They had the same eyes, same skin, same hair, same everything. It was amazing, and yet frightening. How could someone look exactly like you, if they were not related to you?
A silence filled the room as the two Egyptians started at each other, until that both spoke at the exact same time…
"You're me!"
A silence filled the room, causing the tension to grow. Atemu and Yugi stared at each other, eyes wide, jaws open, both as shocked as the other. They looked so alike, as if a mirror had been placed in front of them. Sure, there were a few differences. For example, Yugi wore the same ragged tunic that he wore everyday, whilst Atemu wore a tunic made of the finest cloth in Egypt; clean white with a thick sky blue band at the bottom, with a cloak around his shoulders, a crown on top of his head, and the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. But apart from that, it was as if they were brothers. And as they continued to stare, they both thought the same thing…
Am I dreaming?
Atemu, suspecting Yugi, began to circle around him, never taking his eyes of the peasant before him. Yugi, not trusting the Prince, for he had heard rumours, copied his every step, him too making sure that he always saw the Prince in front of him.
They continued to circle each other, still staring one another down, until Atemu suddenly stopped. Yugi promptly stopped too, still not completely trusting the Prince. He had heard from other peasants that the Prince never truly revealed himself, and would always do what his father would do. Did that mean that he was to have Yugi killed? No, the Prince wouldn't do that. After all, he had saved Yugi from being sent to the shadow realm. Still, Yugi did not trust him, and was always on his guard.
The two Egyptians went back to staring at each other, and as they did so, they simultaneously, and self consciously, lifted up their right hand, and pinched their left arm, just making sure they weren't dreaming. Unfortunately, the sharp pain they felt soon told them they weren't, and both rubbed the area of skin they had pinched in an attempt to stop the pain. Once the pain had (finally) gone, the resumed their staring contest.
The remained like that for another few moments, each trying not to blink, each waiting for the other to move, until Yugi noticed Atemu's face begin to twitch and change. It slowly changed from shock and suspicion, to something completely different, and his shoulders began to shake. That's when Atemu did the last thing Yugi expected a Prince to do…
…he laughed…
But not a small polite laughter. Nope. Atemu was roaring with laughter. Yugi just stared, a blank look on his face, as the Prince carried on laughing, holding onto his stomach as he found it harder to breath, tears beginning to form in his eyes…
"Err…excuse me…your highness…" Yugi began, choosing his words carefully
"Please…c-call me…Atemu…hahaha!" Atemu said in between laughs, before breaking out in another fit.
"Ok…Atemu." Yugi continued to watch Atemu as his laughter became louder and louder, becoming a little scared at the Prince's actions. And it didn't look like he was going to stop any time soon. "C-could I ask you…what's so funny?"
Atemu, slowly but surely, began to calm down after Yugi asked the question. Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, and taking in large gulps of air to control his breathing, Atemu looked up at Yugi, a large smile still plastered on his face.
"I am sorry for my sudden outburst," Atemu apologised. He bowed slightly and Yugi. "I do not usually burst out like that, and I haven't laughed in what seems like an eternity." Yugi gave Atemu a funny look. Atemu saw this and began to laugh nervously. "It's just that, I thought that you and I looking so alike…I guess I found it…funny…"
Yugi gave the Prince another weird look, before taking a small step back. In truth, he hadn't found it funny that they looked so alike, he thought it was scary. 'O-K, I had no idea that the son of the Great Pharaoh was this…weird…'
Atemu laughed nervously again and cleared his throat, keen to get a conversation going.
"Anyway, I am the son of the Pharaoh and Prince of Egypt, Prince Atemu." Yugi immediately dropped to the floor and bowed again. Atemu sighed as Yugi did so. He hated it when people did this. "Please, get up. You are my guest, you should not bow before me. And please call me Atemu; not Prince Atemu, not your highness, just Atemu."
Yugi looked up and smiled shyly at Atemu, then slowly stood up, feeling like an idiot. He brushed himself off and faced Atemu.
"Well, now that I've introduced myself, please, tell me, what is your name?"
"Yugi. Yugi Moto."
"Yugi...what an interesting name. Well Yugi, I'd like to welcome you to the palace." Atemu lifted his arm out and indicated to Yugi the grand room that they were in. Yugi felt his jaw drop to the floor.
Atemu laughed silently as he watched Yugi admire the room around him, this jaw practically dragging on the floor. But as Yugi continued to walk around in a circle looking up at the ceiling and the walls, Atemu noticed something on his back. As he looked closer, he could clearly see the three deep marks on his back. From what he could tell, they looked like whip marks.
"Yugi," Atemu began, "do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Err…no, go ahead." Yugi answered, snapping out of his dream state.
"Well, I was just wondering…these marks on your back, they're from a whip, are they not?"
Yugi looked down at the floor slightly, only now remembering the events of that day.
"Yes, they are. I was being punished because I wasn't working fast enough."
"Who punished you?"
"Priest Seto ." A chill ran down Yugi's spine.
"Seto, huh! Some 'Priest' he is." Atemu could feel his hate towards the Priest beginning to boil, but he soon managed to control his emotions. He turned back to face Yugi, whom was now looking up at the wall, and continued to ask questions, eager to find out more about Yugi's hard life. His life sounded to hard and cruel, there must be something that Atemu could do to help these innocent people. "Are you usually punished like this, and by him?"
"No, not always." Yugi turned and walked to the archway that leads out onto the balcony, the last rays of sunshine filling the room. "Today was different to what I'm used to, that's all. I was taken out of my area to help rebuild that building that was demolished during the Shadow Game last night."
"Out of your area? Where do you usually work then?" Atemu was eager to get off the subject of the Shadow Game. Many people were injured during that dark battle, many of them innocent people.
And there were no prizes in guessing who started that dark battle.
"I usually work on the outskirts of the city, away from the houses and near where the desert starts." Yugi pointed out the archway and a small black dot in the distance, where he and the other peasants were currently building another monument for the Gods. "That's also near where I live with my grandpa."
"Your grandfather? But what about your parents?"
Yugi bowed his head once again, and held his arms. His violet eyes became sad, and tears started to form.
"My parents died mysteriously when I was a young boy. I don't remember them that well, but I'm told that I look more like my father than my mother, though I do have her eyes. Anyway, since they passed on, I've been living with my grandpa. He's taken care of me since I was a baby." Yugi tightened the grip on his arms. "But now he's ill and I have to take care of him. The only problem is, no matter what I do, he's gets worse, and I don't how much longer he has left."
A single tear fell down Yugi's cheek. He quickly wiped it away, not wanting to cry in front of the son of the Pharaoh.
Atemu watched Yugi with saddened eyes and a sore heart, touched by Yugi's story. It reminded him of his own life's story. There were so many similarities. He sighed deeply and collapsed onto his bed, just missing a small pile of clothes with had been placed there earlier in the day. He sat up and rested his chin on his hand, resting his elbow's on his knees.
"I don't know if this will help Yugi, but I know how you feel," Atemu spoke, staring at a large object on the other side of the room, which was covered in a large black cloth. "I went through something very similar.
"Oh?" Yugi spoke gently. He sat down on the bed next to Atemu. "Do you want to…talk about it? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…but it might help you feel better."
Atemu turned his head slightly to smile at Yugi, then turned back facing the large object in front of him. He had only known Yugi for a short amount of time, but he already knew that he could easily be trusted. Atemu couldn't explain it, but there was something about Yugi that made him want to talk about his problems, and not keep them bottled up inside, like he had done so these past few years.
"You know, I think you're right. Talking about it probably will help me feel better." Atemu put his hands into a ball and rested his forehead on top of them. He took a deep breath, and sighed deeply. "My mother died soon after my birth, so my father had to raise me on his own, with the help of the Priest's and Priestesses. One of them, Ishizu, has spent so much time with me whilst I was growing up, I sometimes thing of her as a sister! But recently, everything's changed…
"The Pharaoh, my father, is desperately ill, and will soon not be in this world with us anymore. Once that happens, I will be expected to take the throne and rule Egypt. But I am only 16! I am too young and inexperienced to be a Pharaoh!" He sighed deeply again, and lifted his head up, resting his chin in his hands. "I just feel trapped right now."
Yugi didn't say a word. What was he suppose to say after something like that? His problems seemed unimportant compared to Atemu's. It seemed that life at the top wasn't all that like he thought it was.
"Yugi," Atemu said, looking up at the boy that looked so much like himself, "can I ask you another question?"
"Err…sure…" Yugi answered, a little surprised. He had never met anyone this polite before.
"What's it like, out there?"
Yugi blinked at the Prince, unsure of the question at first. But when he got his head around it, he answered the Prince's question. Or rather, attempted to answer the question.
"It's…OK. It could be better, but it's alright the way it is. Why do you ask?"
"Do you…would you…do you sometimes wish that you could change it?"
"Nearly everyday," Yugi replied sadly. He looked at the floor again and began to kick some dirt with his worn out sandals. "Life as a peasant isn't all that."
"Yeah right! At least you get to go outside in the air and sunshine."
"Oh yeah, working under the boiling hot sun for the whole day with hardly any water is sooooo much fun…not! You're the lucky one anyway, living in a palace like this!" Yugi lifted his hand, indicating the lavishly decorated room in which they stood.
"Trust me, living in the palace isn't all it's cracked up to be. You wake up early at sunrise, get served breakfast-"
"Mmm…breakfast…"
"-go to morning lessons, do all the ceremonies that you're expected to do, more lessons, dinner, then bed. It's the same thing everyday!"
"Sounds like heaven…" Yugi said dreamily, imagining his life as a Prince.
Atemu looked at Yugi, confused, before looking back at the large object.
"I just wish I could change my life…"Atemu sighed
"Me too…"
Atemu continued to stare at the 'thing' with a blank expression in his face. It was whilst he was staring at it that he got a great idea. With a cunning look on his face, he slowly turned his head to face Yugi, and judging by his face, he had had the same idea.
"Yugi, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I hope not…"
Atemu's smile widened as the idea was being formed and planned out in his head, excitement and adrenaline pulsing through his body.
"Why don't we switch!"
-I-
A small breeze blew through the air, causing her brown hair to sway and her body to shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself as a chill ran down her spine. It may be the middle of the desert, but that didn't mean it stayed hot all the time. After the sun had set, a cold chill ran across the land in the Great Pharaoh's.
Téa stood on one of the many large balconies in the palace, her white servants gown being blown about by the small wind. She watched as the sun set before her, the Obelisks scattered around being covered by shadow. But as her eyes watched the beautiful sight before her, Téa's heart (and mind) were far away…
'What happened back there? One minute I was helping him with his wounds, and the next, we were almost kissing! If Atemu hadn't knocked in the door, who knows what would have happened…although, I wouldn't mind finding that out!' Téa blushed when she realised what she was thinking. 'What's wrong with me? I can't be thinking like this! But, that peasant…Yugi…everything about him is so similar to Atemu, but different too. And he's so…so…mysterious…his wounds, his voice, his mind, his body, his tanned, muscled body…' Téa blushed even harder and shook her head, trying to stop these thoughts. 'Stop think like that Téa! You can't think like that, not now. Besides, he's a peasant, and lives on the other side of the city, far away from the palace. Which mean that…I'll never see him again…'
A single tear escaped her blue eyes and slowly rolled down her cheek.
"…Yugi…"
"Téa?"
Téa jumped at the sound of her name and quickly spun round, hoping it wasn't the head maid…only to find that it wasn't the head maid, but someone else…
"Ishizu, you scared me!" Téa said, quickly wiping the tears in her eyes away. She didn't want to look like a sad little girl. Besides, Ishizu must never find out about Yugi, otherwise Atemu and herself would be in major trouble.
Another pang went through her heart at the thought of the peasant.
"Téa, are you alright?" Ishizu asked, walking closer to the teenage girl. Ishizu had known Téa almost her entire life, and could always read her like a book.
It was the same with Atemu.
"Yes, everything's fine Ishizu." Téa sniffled a bit, and wiped another tear away from her eyes. "I just got some sand in my eyes, that's all."
Although she didn't show it, Ishizu knew that Téa was lying. Something, or someone was affecting her somehow. The only question was, who? But Ishizu did not speak her thoughts with Téa, for she knew that she would tell her when she was ready. Instead, she just smiled and gave her a friendly hug, which Téa greatly appreciated. Once they broke apart, Ishizu placed her hand gently on Téa's shoulder, comforting her as best she could.
"You know that you can trust me Téa, and you can tell me anything, right?"
Téa smiled at the older woman. That was the thing with Ishizu, she always cheered you up when you were down, or helped you with your problems. She was like a mother to Téa.
"Yeah, I know." Téa stood silent for a minute, before asking a question that nagged her in her mind. "So Ishizu, what are you doing up here? You hardly ever come to the top rooms of the palace."
Ishizu removed her hand from Téa's shoulder so that she could come and stand next to her. She faced the town below her and watched the setting sun, the wind blowing against her face. The first few stars were appearing in the sky.
"I was actually looking for Atemu," Ishizu finally answered.
"Atemu? But why?"
"He was acting strange during the ritual today, and rushed off as soon as it was finished without saying a word." Ishizu turned her head round to face Téa. "You wouldn't happen to know why Téa, would you?"
"Err…" Téa racked her brains for an idea. "Nope." She mentally kicked herself. She hated lying, especially to Ishizu.
"Well, would you know where he is?"
Once again Téa racked her brains to come up with an excuse. Fortunately, it only took her a few moments to come up with something simple, yet original.
"Nope. I have no idea." She kicked herself mentally again. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was hoping I could find him and ask him what's wrong. His father's illness has affected him dearly these past few months and I feel as though I should help him."
"I know what you mean." Téa thought about how Atemu has been so depressed lately. He hasn't smiled for weeks. She wished she could help him. After all, they were best friends.
Ishizu smiled at the young girl.
"Atemu is very lucky to have friends like us."
"You can say that again!"
Ishizu laughed lightly, then turned around and began to make her way back inside the palace.
"I must go now Téa. You can stay here and watch the last of the sunset if you wish, whilst I check his room."
Ishizu disappeared inside the palace. Once she was gone, Téa turned around towards the sunset. She closed her eyes as another breeze blew against her face.
"Yeah, you go check his room Ishizu whilst I'll stay here…wait a minute…his room?…" Téa's eyes shot open. 'That's where Yugi is with Atemu!'
Téa spun round and ran down the corridor, trying to catch up with Ishizu.
"Ishizu! Wait up! I don't think you should go in there!"
-I-
"OK, so let me get this straight." Yugi continued to pace up and down the room. For the past few minutes, Atemu had been going through his plan of his, and even though it sounded good, Yugi still wasn't convinced. "You want us to swap lives for a week, so that I get to experience life as a Prince, and you as a peasant?"
Atemu was still sitting on the bed, watching Yugi pace up and down as he kept on going through the basic plan.
"Yes, that's right," Atemu answered calmly.
"Are you NUTS?" Yugi stopped and faced the Prince. "Do you realise how much trouble we could get into if we're discovered? I could be sentenced to death for impersonating a member of the royal family! Death!"
Atemu thought for a moment. It seemed that convincing Yugi was going to be harder than he thought. He looked around the room to see if there was anything that would help him. He soon found it fortunately. He stood up and slowly walked past Yugi.
"Are you even listening?" Yugi asked as Atemu walked past.
"Yes, I'm listening Yugi." Atemu walked towards the large object he had been staring at earlier, the one covered in a black cloth. He studied it for a moment. "I know what the risks are Yugi, but I have no doubts about the plan, since we both look so alike." He began to pull the cloth off the large object.
Yugi just watched as the Prince struggled with the cloth.
"And how do you know that we look so alike?" The cloth was almost completely off now, but Yugi still continued talking. "You don't even have a…" The cloth fell to the floor in front of Atemu to reveal a large, brilliantly decorated mirror. Yugi sighed in defeat. "A mirror."
Atemu moved the cloth away with his foot, and then examined the condition of he old the mirror, before indicating for Yugi to come over.
"Come on Yugi. Come and have a look."
Yugi sighed again and made his way over. He stood next to Atemu and looked into the mirror. The sight before himself took his breath away. Once again he felt his jaw drop to the ground.
If someone had entered that room there and then, they wouldn't have believed that Atemu and Yugi weren't related. They looked exactly like twins.
"Well, what do you think Yugi?" Atemu asked, eager for an answer. "Don't we look alike?"
Yugi looked closer into the mirror, and as he did so, he noticed a few differences.
"I agree that we do look alike," he began, "but there are a few differences."
"Like what?"
"Well, our hair is slightly different. I mean; you have more blonde streaks in your hair. And our eyes; my eyes are rounder than yours."
Atemu looked closer at the mirror. Sure enough, Yugi was right. There were a few differences, but they were only small. No one would notice them…would they?
"But apart from that," Yugi continued, "we do look a lot like brothers."
Atemu looked at Yugi. Could it be that he was persuading Yugi to go along with the plan?
"So, shall we go through with it?"
"…I don't know…"
'This is going to take longer than I thought' Atemu thought. He looked around the room again for something else that might help. He needed something that would help show Yugi that no one would notice the difference, like a crown, or clothes or…
Clothes! That's it!
Atemu quickly walked over to his bed and picked up the small pile of clothes, which were placed there earlier in the day, then made his way back to the mirror. Once he was next to Yugi again, he dumped the clothes into his arms.
"There you go."
Yugi was confused. He looked down at the clothes in his arms, then at the Prince, then back down at the clothes.
"Err…what am I suppose to do with these?"
"Go and try them on! You put these clothes here on, and I'll put on your clothes. That way, you'll see how alike we really look. Just go and get changed in that small room over there and give me your things when you're done."
Yugi looked at the doorway to the room that Atemu had pointed out, then at the Prince himself. He sighed and wandered off into the extra room, feeling like he didn't have a choice.
Yugi closed the door behind him, and examined the clothes he had been give. They were just like the one's that Atemu wore; only instead of it being sky blue and white, it was red and white.
Yugi crawled out of his ragged old tunic, and pulled on the fresh, clean one that Atemu had just given him. The light fabric brushed against his skin as he pulled on the tunic and wrapped the red cape around his shoulders, flowing down his back. He smoothed them out with his hand, admiring the rich cloth. As he picked up his old tunic and sandals, and made his way back to Atemu's room, he couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous that Atemu got to wear this everyday.
Yugi soon met up with Atemu, and without words, Yugi gave Atemu his old clothes. As Atemu went into the second room to get changed, Yugi went back to the mirror to see what he looked like. And he had to admit, now that he had these fancy clothes on, he did look a lot more like Atemu.
Speaking of the Prince, he soon stepped out of the second room, dressed in Yugi's old clothes and joined Yugi next to the mirror. As they examined themselves, they both noticed that something was missing.
"Err, Atemu," Yugi piped up, "Is it just me, or is there something missing from all this?"
Atemu nodded his head in agreement. Even though they were wearing each other's clothes, something important was still missing. Atemu thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, like he always did…
Wait a minute…
Atemu laughed at himself when he realised what was missing. How could he be so stupid?
"What's so funny?" Yugi asked
"I've just figured out what's missing."
"Really? What is it?"
Yugi's question was answered not by words, but by actions. Atemu removed a gold object from the top of his head and placed it on Yugi's. Yugi admired the gold in the mirror.
"Every Prince needs a crown," Atemu commented. "And…"
Yugi looked up as he saw Atemu removing something else. He gasped as he placed a golden pyramid shaped pendent was placed around his neck. He held it in his hands, feeling the weight in each hand.
"You've giving me the Millennium Puzzle…but why?"
"Well, if the Prince didn't have one of the seven Millennium items, people would start asking questions, wouldn't they?"
"I guess you're right…"
"So, what do you think? Are you willing to go through with the plan?"
Yugi looked up at their reflections in the mirror. Now that they were in different clothes, he had to admit the plan would capable of working. There was just one thing bothering him…
"Before I answer that question, could you answer this one for me: what about my injuries on my back? Won't people notice?"
"Not if you wear the cape."
"Oh yeah, you're right! OK then, now that that's sorted, I agree to go through with this plan-"
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Let me finish! I agree to go through with it if we have some sort of test first-"
KNOCK KNOCK
Yugi and Atemu turned around. They could hear voices outside the door. Their hearts began to beat faster and faster.
"Looks like you got your wish" Atemu said.
As Yugi froze in fear, Atemu looked around the room for a place to hide…
KNOCK KNOCK!
"Prince Atemu, are you in there?"
It was Ishizu. What was she doing here?
"Just a minute Ishizu!"
As Atemu searched for a hiding place, he heard a second voice coming from outside the door…
"Ishizu are you sure you want to go in there?" he heard Téa say.
Atemu looked around the room again for a hiding place. The only place he could think of was the second room. He quickly made his way to the door. Ishizu can't see Yugi and himself together, especially in each other clothes. Anyway, Yugi wanted a test, and now he's got one.
Yugi unfroze, recovering from his shock, to see Atemu running towards the second room.
"Atemu!" He said in a loud whisper. "Where are you going?"
Atemu stopped by the door and turned around to face Yugi.
"What? You wanted a test didn't you?"
"Yes, but not right now! I don't know what to do!"
"Just act like me!"
Could he have said anything more complicated? Yugi began to panic. He paced up and down the room.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"I can't do this, I can't do this…"
"Yes you can Yugi! I have faith in you! Just pretend to be me." Atemu turned to face the main door. "You may enter Ishizu!" he shouted to the woman on the other side of the door, then disappeared into the second room.
Yugi stood still as the main door to the chamber opened, and a woman with long black hair walked in, the Millennium Necklace around her neck. By the looks of her clothes, Yugi guessed that she was a Priestess. But she wasn't alone. Someone else had walked in. Someone Yugi didn't expect to see, with shoulder length brown hair and deep blue eyes.
"…Téa…"
He hadn't noticed Téa's voice outside. Probably because he was panicking so much. The two women walked up to Yugi and stopped in front of him.
"There you are Atemu," the older lady began, "We've been looking everywhere for you. What have you been doing all this time?"
Yugi racked his brains for an answer. 'Remember, think like Atemu, think like a Prince…'
"I was…tired…from the…days work…so I thought I would…rest for a while. Yeah…that's it!…I needed a rest!…Haha!" Yugi rubbed the back of his head self-consciously.
"Tired? Tired from what?" The older woman inquired. Yugi guessed that this was Ishizu.
"Err…well…you see…" Yugi was really struggling now.
"He was helping me," Téa spoke up, whom up until that moment, was looking at the person in front of her in a very strange way. 'Is it just me, or does Atemu look different? Ah well, who ever he is, I can't let Ishizu figure out that this isn't the real Atemu…or is it? AH! I'm confusing myself!'
"He was helping you?" Ishizu enquired
"Yes. I was behind…so…he offered to help."
"Is this true?" Ishizu asked, facing 'Atemu'.
Yugi swallowed hard and nodded quickly. Ishizu wasn't totally convinced. Atemu was up to something, she could feel it. Maybe her Millennium Necklace would be able to help her…
"OK, if you say so," Ishizu spoke, pretending to believe them. "As long as you weren't breaking the rules or doing anything stupid."
Both Téa and Yugi laughed nervously.
"Well, I must be going now." Ishizu turned around and made her way towards the door. "Come Téa, you are expected in the kitchen soon."
"Coming!" Before leaving, Téa took one last look at 'Atemu'. There was definitely something different about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Whatever it was, it felt very familiar to her. And why was heart heartbeat racing ahead?
Yugi watched as Ishizu and Téa left the room, closing the door behind them. But even after they were gone, Yugi didn't stop staring at the door. Seeing Téa again had sent him into dream world.
Once the room was clear, Atemu came out of his hiding place and made his way over to where Yugi was. As he did so, he saw the look on Yugi's face, and immediately knew what he was thinking.
"I know you like Téa," he whispered into Yugi's ear.
Yugi immediately turned around, blushing bright red.
"I do not!"
Atemu laughed and sat back down on his bed. "By the way, you handled the situation well, though in real life, Téa won't be able to bail you out."
Yugi blushed even more. "I know!"
"So, you still want to swap?"
Yugi thought for a moment. If he did swap with Atemu, he wouldn't have to work for a week, and he would be able to spend more time with Téa. Though, if he did agree, he would have to leave his grandfather in the care of Atemu…
"If I agree, do you promise to take care of my grandpa?"
"I promise. I won't let anything happen to him."
"Well, in that case…lets go for it!"
-I-
The two teens spent the next 30 minutes explaining their daily routine. Atemu explained the lesson plans, what Yugi would be learning, how he should behave in front of others, and most importantly, how to get on Seto's nerves! Yugi explained how Atemu should act in front of the guards and what types of jobs he would be doing. He also explained how to look after his sick grandfather. They both also told each other the names and a description of the people they are most likely to meet.
Soon, after the sun had disappeared, it was time for Atemu to leave the palace and make his way to Yugi's home.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Yugi asked for the tenth time.
"Yes Yugi, I know where I'm going. Do you know the main rooms of the palace?"
"Yeah I think so." There was a long pause in which no one knew what to say to each other. They both hated goodbyes. "Well, I guess you'd better leave in a minute."
"Yes, I should, shouldn't I? Take care of Ishizu and Téa for me whilst I'm gone."
"I will, if you take care of my grandpa and Joey and Tristan."
"Deal!"
Yug and Atemu shook hands and whished each other luck, before Atemu disappeared down the dark corridor. He had lived in the palace all his life, and knew all the secret roots, so he wouldn't get caught…he hoped.
Yugi made his way over to the balcony and leaned on the side. He could just make out Atemu's shadow as he ran through the courtyard. Once Yugi had lost sight of him, he looked up at the sky, shimmering in the night sky.
'I can't believe I'm doing this. I must be mad! Me, Yugi Moto, a lowly peasant, swapping places with the Prince of Egypt! I must be out of my mind to agree with this! But...at least it's only for one week. I mean, what can go wrong in a week?'
Yugi was soon about to find out…
To be continued…
-I-
Please RR guys. I'm very tired after writing that! Sorry if some bits didn't make any sense!