Hey guys! Sorry it's taken a while to update, but these chapters are really long and I've also just come back from holiday. And I've also just got my exam results back. Sorry you had to wait!

And now, to thank the wonderful reviewers:

dbzgtfan2004

Yami's Wife

Aimsly

Bishounen Lover

Candyshopper

Thank you all so much!

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the "Prince and the Pauper". If I did, would I be writing this!

-I-

The Pharaoh And The Pauper

Chapter 9: Prisoners

-I-

"Wait wait wait!" cried Joey, holding his head. "Explain that again."

Tristan, Téa and Atemu all sighed and slapped their foreheads. It had only been a few minutes since Téa had arrived at the Moto's house, but to Atemu, it felt like an eternity. Every moment they wasted sitting in the Moto's house, the less chance there was of rescuing Yugi and Ishizu. But before they could come up with a plan, Tristan and Joey needed to be told about Priest Seto and what he was planning. Tristan managed to understand straight away. Joey on the other hand was still finding it difficult to absorb what Atemu was saying, even though he had explained it three times already.

"Please don't tell me you still don't understand," Téa said angrily.

"Hey!" Joey shouted, offended at being mocked by a girl. "It's not my fault this is confusing!"

"And it's not my fault you're so dumb," Téa muttered to herself, causing Tristan to giggle.

"I heard that! You…you…little girl!"

"Little girl!" Téa cried in outrage. Joey had hit a sore spot. Before he knew what was happening, Téa grabbed him in a headlock and began to wrestle him. "I'll show you who's a 'little girl!'"

Joey yelled out in pain as Téa continued to wrestle him. Tristan just stood behind them, trying to control his laughter. All the years he had known Joey, no one had ever come close to touching him. And here he was, watching Joey being pummelled by a servant girl. It was quite amusing.

However, Atemu did not find it amusing at all.

"Guys," he said trying to break up the fight. "Guys…Guys!"

Still no one listened to him. Téa continued to keep Joey in a headlock, and Tristan was on the floor in fits of laughter. Atemu's patience was running out.

"ENOUGH!" Atemu shouted. Instantly, the teenagers stopped what they were doing, letting go of each other, and turned their attention back to an emotional Atemu.

"We don't have much time!" Atemu said, his emotions welling up inside of him. "We need to rescue Yugi as soon as we can, and it doesn't help when you all fight each other!"

Téa, Tristan and Joey all bowed their heads in shame. Atemu continued.

"Joey, I am only going to explain this one more time. Priest Seto's family have always hated my own family, and has believed that their blood should be part of the royal bloodline. And it didn't help when Seto's father died mysteriously a few years ago. He believes that my father killed his own, even though I know for a fact that he did not. Ever since then he has planned his revenge…and now, he's succeeding." He looked up at his friends. "The plan is simple. I'll go in there, go to the dungeon and get Yugi and Ishizu out as quick as-"

"You mean you're going alone?" Téa asked, shocked.

"Of course I am! I can't put any of you in danger!"

"But what if you get caught?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Are you crazy!" Téa through her hands in the air in frustration. "If you get caught, how are you going to save Yugi? You need someone there to help you, so that's why I'm coming too."

"But Téa-"

"NO! I've made up my mind Atemu and you can't change my decision. Besides, I've worked in the palace all my life and I know where all the secret passages and entrances are. So it's best to have me around."

Atemu looked into Téa's eyes and saw a fire burning inside of them. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Yugi risked his life to save me, and I would do the same for him."

As Atemu continued to look into Téa's eyes, he saw how they lit up at the sound of Yugi's name. It seemed that Téa really cared for young Yugi, and Atemu wasn't going to stop her. Sighing, he nodded his head in agreement. Téa smiled at the soon-to-be Pharaoh and thanked him.

"Wait a minute!" Cried Joey (again). "If she's going with ya, then Tristan and I are comin' too!"

"Definitely not!" Atemu protested. "Unlike you, Téa knows where she is going. You would only get in the way.

"But-"

"No! I'm sorry Joey, and you too Tristan, but I cannot put you in danger." He looked at the door that led to the sleeping quarters of the Moto's house with saddened eyes. "Besides, you need to stay here and look after Yugi's grandfather. His health isn't increasing."

Tristan stepped forward. "You sure you're gonna be OK?"

Atemu nodded at his new friend. "Don't worry, we'll be very careful. Yugi will be back here in no time!"

After a quickly 'goodbye' and 'good luck', Atemu and Téa darted out the Moto's door and rushed down the dusty street towards the palace. Tristan and Joey watched from the Moto's doorway as Atemu and Téa disappeared down the dark alleyway and out of sight. Joey looked up into the night sky as clouds began to gather.

'Hang in there Yug'. You'll be safe soon.'

-I-

"Lock them in separate dungeons!" Priest Seto ordered as his guards threw the two prisoners into their cells.

Yugi yelled out in pain as he was roughly thrown to the ground. It was hard and wet, and it didn't help when he landed on his right arm. Hearing the heavy door slamming shut behind him, plunging the stone cell into complete darkness, he pulled himself up from the floor, cringing as his right arm began to ache. Once he was on his feet, he walked over to the small square opening at the top of the wooden door. Even the opening had bars in it; Yugi was still able to see the whole dungeon through the little gaps. He saw Ishizu in the cell opposite, looking through her gap.

He also saw Priest Seto standing right in front of him, mocking him. Yugi's anger began to boil.

"You'll never get away with this!" Yugi spat at the Priest.

"Really?" Priest Seto asked mockingly. "And what makes you so sure, peasant?"

Yugi cringed, but he still held his ground. "Because Téa will find Atemu and bring him back to the palace so he can claim the throne. And once he does, you'll pay for what you've done."

Priest Seto only laughed at Yugi's threat. "I look forward to that little 'reunion' with the so-called 'Prince'."

Yugi's anger immediately turned to fear. "What do you mean by that?"

"You really are pathetic!" Seto laughed. "But, seeing as you'll soon be dead, there's no harm in telling you. All my life I've hated the Pharaoh and his son. As I watched them rule over our land everyday, I knew it should be different. We were more powerful and intelligent then they ever were. My family should be part of the royal bloodline, not his! Especially since the former Pharaoh killed my father!"

"Pharaoh Akunumkanon would never do a thing like that!" Priest Ishizu cried behind Priest Seto. "That is a lie! He was a kind and caring Pharaoh-"

"He was not!" Seto shouted back. "He was ruthless and evil! He didn't care about anyone but himself!"

"That's not true…" Yugi whispered to himself.

"The day my father died I knew who killed him! And that was your so-called 'Pharaoh'. And now the time has come for revenge!" Seto turned around and starting heading for the stone steps that led up to the palace. He stopped a few feet away from them. "Yugi, I know very well that Atemu will turn up. In fact, I'm counting on it. Because when he does," Seto turned around to face Yugi, "he won't know what hit him. I'll make him regret ever mocking me."

With a sweep of his cloak, Priest Seto exited the prison and began walking up the steps.

"Make sure they don't escape," he called as he disappeared.

As Yugi watched (and heard) him leave, horrible thoughts started rushing through his head. What was Seto planning to do with Atemu? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. And Yugi knew it was his fault.

'What have I done?'

-I-

'What have I done?' Atemu thought as he and Téa hid near the palace's entrance, out of sight from Priest Seto's army. It was his fault all this had happened. It was his fault that Yugi and Ishizu were prisoners. If he hadn't swapped places with Yugi, then none of this would have happened. But now it was up to him to fix it.

It hadn't taken them long to reach the palace, and the sooner they got in the better. They knew where they had to go, they just couldn't get there.

"There are too many guards," Atemu whispered to Téa, whom seemed to be looking around for something. "There's no way we can get in. Seto's army has taken over the whole palace."

"Don't be so doubtful," Téa whispered back. She had found what she'd been looking for. "There is a way for us to get in."

"And where would that be?"

Téa pointed towards one of the walls in the courtyard next the palace. At first, Atemu didn't see anything apart from Seto's guards dressed in black, guarding every entrance to the palace. But when he looked closer, he saw an outline of a door, hidden in the shadows. It seemed that the guards hadn't noticed it yet.

"And how are we suppose to get there?" Atemu asked. The guards seemed to be everywhere.

"We go inside the courtyard and stick to the walls. The shadows should cover us from sight."

"And what about the guards at the front here? How do we get past them?"

Téa picked up something from the floor. A sly smile appeared on her face. "Leave that to me…"

Téa pulled her arm back and threw the object to the right of the guards. It gave a loud 'thump' as it landed on the dusty ground. Upon hearing the thud, the two guards posted at the gate looked up. One of them pointed to where the object had landed and shouted something to his partner. They both ran off to find out what had caused the noise, leaving the entrance clear.

"I could have done that," Atemu said, feeling a little embarrassed that he hadn't thought of a simple plan like that.

"Come on," Téa hissed as she ran forward. Atemu quickly followed her.

Quickly and quietly, the pair ran into the courtyard and turned right, pressing their backs up against the stonewall, ensuring that they were covered by the shadows. Slowly, they sidestepped along the wall, staying incredibly quiet as they past behind the guards. They held their breath as they came closer to the palace and closer to more guards. Their hearts were beating fast in their chests.

Finally, after a few tense moments, they reached the unguarded door. Slowly opening it so that it didn't creak, Téa was first to slip through, Atemu close behind her as he closed the door softly. Once he was sure no one had heard them, he turned around and looked at his surroundings.

"These are the kitchens," Téa informed him, still whispering. She began walking past all the tables and equipment to the door at the other end of the room.

"How do we get to the dungeons from here?" Atemu whispered back, keeping up with the servant girl.

"Once we get out to the corridor, we go left. We then take the first right turn and go straight down. The dungeon entrance is right at the end of that corridor."

The pair reached the door and peeped outside. There weren't any guards outside. This was good news.

'But where are the guards?' Atemu thought. 'We're so near the dungeon entrance, shouldn't there be any? This seems far too easy…'

Double-checking that there weren't any guards, Téa and Atemu quickly darted out of the kitchens and ran left down the corridor. They didn't hear or see any body as they ran, but Atemu felt the sensation of being watched.

They reached a turning and stopped, hiding behind a pillar. Atemu looked round the corner, checking for guards. He heard them before he saw them. He quickly hid back behind the pillar and indicated to Téa to be quiet as the guards came round the corner.

"This is pointless," said one of the guards angrily. "No one's going to be down here."

"Priest Seto said to check everywhere," said a second guard. "So deal with it."

The first guard gave a loud groan as they past the pillar where Téa and Atemu hid. As the guards walked past, the pair shuffled slowly around the pillar so the guards didn't see them. They were almost in the clear…

One of the guards suddenly stopped.

"What's this?" the first guard asked curiously. He bent down and picked something off the ground.

His partner came to his side.

"What have you found?" He asked. Both Téa and Atemu froze with panic behind the pillar.

"It looks like some sort of map," the first guard answered. He studied the map carefully, turning it this way and that.

'A map?' Atemu didn't understand why there would be a map there…unless…

He looked at Téa and instantly knew he was right by the look of terror on her face. The map Yugi had given her must have dropped on the ground.

"Doesn't look like a very good map," the second guard said. "We should report it after we've finished our search in this area of the palace."

His partner gave a mumbled agreement, before they disappeared down the corridor. Once their footsteps had disappeared, Atemu and Téa gave a loud sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry Atemu," Téa apologised, still whispering. "I thought I left that at Yugi's house."

"It's OK Téa, we all make mistakes." Atemu looked around the corner again to make sure there were no more guards. There were none. "Come on, let's go!"

Téa followed the prince down the corridor. As they ran, they kept their eyes and ears open for any guards, but found that there were none. Even though this worked in their favour, they couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

They quickly reached the entrance to the dungeons and found that there were once again no guards. They quickly ran down the spiralling staircase, their footsteps echoing as they stepped on each stone step, until they reached the dark, murky, dungeons.

"Yugi!" Atemu called in a loud whisper. "Yugi, are you in here?"

Yugi-who was sitting on the floor in his dark cell-lifted his head up from his knees at the sound of his name. It couldn't be, could it? He couldn't be here.

"Yugi!" Téa's voice called with Atemu's.

'It is them!' a voice cried in his head. Jumping up, he ran to the gap in his door.

"Atemu! Téa!" he called to them.

At the sound of their names, Atemu and Téa raced to Yugi's cell. Relief flooded over them at the sight of his face, even if it was behind bars.

"Yugi!" Téa cried, holding onto the bars. "Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Yugi said quickly. "I've only got a few cuts and bruises."

"What about Ishizu?" Atemu asked.

"She's in the cell opposite. She's fine, but you shouldn't be here!"

"Why not?" Atemu asked, outraged. "We came to save you-"

"You need to get out of here!" Yugi interrupted.

"What? But Yugi-"

"Please! You and Téa need to get out of here now!"

"Yugi," Téa cried, "I'm not leaving you again!"

"Please, you must! It's a-"

"Trap?" a voice said mockingly behind them.

Atemu and Téa turned around in surprised, and found they were face to face with Priest Seto and four of his guards. Before they could do or say anything, Téa and Atemu were grabbed roughly by two of the guards. Their hands were painfully put behind their back as they were brought forward to the Priest.

"Well well well, isn't this nice?" Priest Seto said mockingly.

"Release me at once!" Atemu ordered. "I order you to let me go!"

"Try all you like Atemu, they won't listen. These are my own guards and only take orders from me."

"Why are you doing this?" Téa cried.

"For revenge," Seto answered simply. He turned to face one of the two guards. "Bring out the impostor."

The guard bowed and stepped towards Yugi's cell. Atemu watched in horror as he unlock the door, stepped inside and roughly brought Yugi out. It was then that Atemu saw Yugi's clothes had been torn from all his struggling, and bloodstains could be seen on his back from where his scars had started bleeding. Yugi tried to resist as he was brought to the Priest.

"Seto, stop this now!" Atemu demanded as he was dragged a few feet back. "Your grudge is against me and my family, not Yugi! Leave him out of this!"

Seto ignored him. He looked down at the injured Yugi.

"Yugi," he said cruelly. "You will do exactly as I say and help me take my rightful place as Pharaoh. Do you understand?"

"Never," Yugi spat. "I'll never help you."

"Hmph." Seto wasn't happy with this answer. He indicated for the guard holding Téa to step forward. He obeyed.

Téa continued to struggle as she was brought forward. When the guard finally stopped, leaving her face to face with Seto, she spat at his face.

"Bastard," she cursed.

Seto cleaned the saliva from his face and said nothing, keeping a stern face. Instead, in one shift movement, he brought out his Millennium Rod and held it in front of Téa. Both she and the item began to glow. She cried out in pain as she felt Seto use his shadow powers on her.

"Téa! No!" Yugi, Atemu and Ishizu (who had appeared at her gap when she heard Atemu's voice) cried as Téa felt herself being consumed by the darkness.

Not taking his eyes off the peasant girl, Seto addressed Yugi. "Yugi, either you do as I say, or your little friend here will die."

Téa tried to fight against the shadows, but it was a losing battle. It took all the strength she had just to lift her head up so she was looking at Yugi. She wanted to yell at him not to obey Seto, that she would be OK. But she could only mutter one word…

"…Yu…gi…" she said in a weak voice. A tear rolled down her cheek. 'Please…don't do it…'

Yugi stood there, not feeling the pain from his wounds anymore. Instead he felt a pain in his heart as he watched Téa being tortured in front of him. He didn't want to agree to Seto's demands; he didn't want to put the people of Egypt in danger. But, what would happen to Téa? She had been so kind to him whilst he was at the palace. He didn't want to lose her…

Atemu cursed under his breath as he continued to try and escape. Unfortunately, the guard holding him was far too strong. He looked at Téa and saw the pain in her face. He then looked at Yugi and saw the pain in his face too. He immediately knew what Yugi had decided. After all, he would have chosen the same option.

"So what's it going to be, peasant," Seto demanded, still not taking his eyes off Téa. "Are you going to be a good boy? Or shall we say goodbye to this pathetic servant girl."

Yugi bowed his head in shame. He spoke quietly. "You win Seto. I'll do what you want."

"Ha! I knew it," Seto laughed. He stopped his Rod's control on Téa and let her fall to the ground.

Téa groaned as she hit the hard floor. She took deep breaths to calm herself down. She looked up at Yugi as the guard grabbed her arms once again, but his face was being hidden by his blonde bangs. 'Yugi…'

"Lock the girl in Ishizu's room and the impostor in Atemu's room," Seto ordered his guards. "Make sure they don't escape. As for the former prince, lock him in with the former Priest."

"Let me go!" Atemu protested as he was pushed forward to Ishizu's cell.

Ishizu stepped back as the door to her cell opened. She would have made a run for it, if Atemu hadn't been thrown to the floor in front of her. The door slammed shut behind him. The click from the lock echoed through the cell.

Atemu picked himself off the floor and ran to the door. He started banging on the thick wood.

"You won't get away with this Seto!" he promised as he continued to bang on the door.

"I already have," Seto said evil as he made his way out of the dungeon and up the steps. His evil laugh echoed off the stonewalls.

Seto's four guards followed their master, still holding onto their two prisoners. Téa, even though she was weak from the Millennium Rod, tried to struggle free from the guard's tight grip. Yugi, however, had given up and allowed the guard to lead him away.

"Yugi! Téa!" Atemu called out to his friends as they disappeared up the steps. He started to ram the door with his shoulder. "Just hold on! I'll save you both somehow! Just hold on!"

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

Please R&R! Only a few chapters to go now. Next chapter will be up asap.