OK, I just wanna say two things.

1) I'm sorry it's taken me ages to update, but school has been really hard on me (and it's only going to get worse…)

2) This was originally going to be the final chapter, but I had so many ideas I wanted to include, I decided to split it up into two chapters. I'll start writing the final chapter as soon as I can (which should be soon since I'm on half term now)

Anyway, not that that's over with, I want to thank those who reviewed that last chapter:

Yami's Wife

Yugisweetheart

Bishounen Lover

Thanks you guys!

Now, on with the story…

'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 think not!

-I-

The Pharaoh And The Pauper

Chapter 11: A New Pharaoh, Part 2

-I-

Yugi couldn't bear to open his eyes. He was too scared. He had no idea whether or not the crown had been placed on his head before they had been interrupted, so he had no idea whether or not Seto's plan had been completed. By the sound of his angry and disappointed voice, he guessed that it hadn't, and he was still safe…for the moment…

He sensed someone climbing up the stone steps towards him and stop in front of him, but he was still to afraid to open his eyes, in case it was Seto who was now in front of him.

But then he heard a voice.

"Yugi, open your eyes." It was the same voice that had interrupted the end of the ceremony. It sounded familiar, like Yugi was listening to a lower version of his own voice.

Slowly, Yugi opened his eyes, and found himself looking into the crimson eyes of the last person he expected to see.

"Atemu…"

Yugi couldn't believe it. Atemu…he was here…He was really here, standing in front of him! A huge smile broke across his face. Atemu replied with a big smile of his own.

"The one and only," Atemu joked.

"I can't believe it…you're here! You're really here!" Yugi said in an excited whisper.

Atemu gave a small laugh. "I said I'd rescue you, didn't I?"

This time it was Yugi's turn to give a small laugh.

"Yeah, you did." He looked up at his friend. "Thank you, Pharaoh Atemu."

"Speaking of which," Atemu said, looking at the shocked crowd behind him. "We had better let them know what is going on."

Yugi nodded and stood up, next to the true Prince, his expression suddenly turning serious. Atemu gave a reassuring smile to Yugi, before clearing his throat to speak.

"People of Egypt," he spoke in a loud and powerful voice. The other voices in the hall all died down at the sound of his own voice. "Please do not be alarmed. I am Prince Atemu, and I have come to take my rightful place as Pharaoh."

Chaos erupted once again in the large hall. The people were confused. This man claimed to be Prince Atemu, but there was another who looked exactly like him who stood next to him. Who where they to believe was their true Prince: the shy one dressed in royal clothing, or the confident man dressed in peasants robes? By the looks on their faces, the Priests didn't know who to believe either. What were they to do? Who should they believe?

Atemu watched with a worried expression. He should have known they would be confused. He couldn't blame them.

"Please believe me," he tried. "I am Prince Atemu."

"How is that possible?" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Can you prove you are who you say you are?" another shouted.

"We need proof!" shouted a third voice.

Atemu swallowed. Proof? They wanted proof? How was he suppose to give them proof that he was Atemu, and not Yugi? Yugi was the one dressed as a Prince, and had the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. Atemu looked down at his clothes. He was still dressed in his peasants clothes from the other day, when he had worked at the 'building site'. How could he prove that he was right?

"You want proof?" A voice shouted out to the crowd.

Atemu blinked at the sound of the voice at looked to his side. Yugi stepped forward, confidently.

"This man is who he claims to be," Yugi continued, pointing to Atemu. "And I can show you the proof you desire."

In one swift movement, Yugi unhooked the purple cloak around his neck and threw it to the floor. As it fluttered to the ground, he turned around so his back was facing the large crowd. A loud gasp echoed through the stone hall.

"These scars prove that this man," Yugi pointed at Atemu again," is Prince Atemu. I am only a peasant from the outskirts of the city who happens to look like him. These scars are from when I was punished almost a week ago by Priest Seto, when I was working on a building inside the palace grounds." He turned around and faced the crowd. "Atemu saw me being punished and saved me from a cruel fate in the Shadow Realm." He looked over his shoulder at his friend. "He saved my life, and I owe him."

"You don't owe me anything Yugi," Atemu said quietly so only they could hear. He stepped forward. "Agreeing to my favour and helping me experience life as a normal person was more than enough. It was just a shame that it didn't end how we wanted it to."

"That's all very well," one of the Priests spoke, stepping forward. "But that doesn't explain how this peasant ended up living in the palace, impersonating our beloved Prince!"

"I can explain that," Atemu said. "When I saw Yugi and realised how alike we look, I had the ridiculous idea of swapping lives with him, as it were. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to experience life outside the palace, to see what it is like to live the life of a normal Egyptian. To be free from the everyday troubles of the palace. To know what lives you all live. When Yugi heard of this, he agreed to swap lives with me, but for only a week. We were to keep a low profile, so no one would notice, and switch back discreetly. Unfortunately, my father passed away unexpectedly, and someone discovered our secret…"

"Who?" cried another Priest when Atemu drifted off.

Yugi answered for Atemu. "It was Priest Seto. And when he discovered our secret, he decided to use it to his advantage. He blackmailed me and forced me to agree to his demands, otherwise he would kill Atemu, my friends and my family."

"But why would a Priest like Seto do such a thing?" a voice cried from the crowd.

"Because he believes that he should be the Pharaoh," Atemu spoke up. "His family has always hated my own and believed that they are the true heirs to the throne. They have tried many tricks in the past to get the throne, but have always failed. They almost succeeded tonight, but they didn't count on one important thing…"

Atemu looked to his side at Yugi and smiled. "He didn't count on the strength of friendship."

Yugi smiled back and nodded in agreement. Suddenly conscious of the weight of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, he gripped the leather strap and pulled it over his head. He stepped towards Atemu and placed the Puzzle around his neck.

"This belongs to you," he said as the Millennium Puzzle fell into place. "The true Prince of Egypt."

Atemu looked down at the sacred item. He held it in his hands, happy to finally have it back. As he fingered the eye shaped symbol of the Millennium Items on the front, he felt the protective presence of his father with him.

"Thank you, Yugi," he smiled. Yugi smiled back.

"How dare Seto do this!" cried a Priest in out rage. "To our own Prince, whom we all love and trust. He must be punished!"

"Punished?" Seto's voice shouted in outrage. All eyes in the hall turned on the Priest, whom was standing just behind the other Priests. "I don't deserve any punishment! I was saving Egypt from the evil inside this so-called Prince!" He pointed angrily at Atemu. Atemu gave the Priest a cold glare.

"And if I am evil," he asked sternly, "what, in the name of Ra, does that make you?"

"I am a saviour!" Seto cried. "This Prince and his ancestors are the evil ones, not me! For generations they have ruled Egypt ruthlessly-"

"That is a lie!" Yugi shouted. "Atemu's family were not ruthless! We all lived happy and peaceful lives under their rule. This dynasty is one of the most peaceful Egypt has ever had! The only time it has been difficult was when Atemu's father became ill, and you were ruling over us instead of Atemu!"

"Silence!" Seto yelled, taking out his Millennium Rod.

But Yugi wouldn't listen to him. "You're the evil one Seto! You're the one that will destroy Egypt and-"

"I said SILENCE!" Seto pointed the Millennium Rod at Yugi, the Millennium Symbol on the front beginning to glow.

Yugi took a step back, fearing the worse. Seeing his friend in danger, Atemu stepped forward, blocking Yugi from Seto. The symbol on his Millennium Puzzle began to glow, and the Eye of Ra began to glow on his forehead.

"Ha!" laughed Seto, stopping the power from his item. "Just try and stop me, Prince. You can't even use the power of the Millennium Puzzle. Your pathetic father died before he could tell you…"

Atemu growled under his breathe. 'How dare he speak of my father like that!'

"Seto!" cried one of the Priests. "For treachery against the royal family, I here by sentence you to death-"

"You'll have to catch me first," Seto smirked. Holding up his rod once again, he aimed at the other keepers of the Millennium Items. Before they had time to tap into their own power, Seto used the power of his rod and froze them there and then on the spot. They were trapped in a golden glow, unable to move and unable to use their powers.

"Guards!" Seto shouted. "Seize them all! Take over the palace!"

The crowd of civilians screamed as Seto's guards, dressed in black, ran into the room without warning. They ran out of the hall, escaping from any harm. Unfortunately, a few civilians decided to stand up and fight the enemy for their Prince. They were killed instantly.

Yugi and Atemu stood where they were, next to the throne. Their exit had been blocked off quickly, and they were now surrounded by a large circle of guards, each one of them holding some sort of weapon, and each one of them was aimed at Yugi and Atemu.

"Now what do we do?" Yugi asked Atemu desperately.

"Tch…" Atemu took a step back, so that he and Yugi now had their backs pressed against each other. The guards started closing in.

'This is bad,' Atemu thought. 'These guards will kill us both if I don't do something! If only I could use the Millennium Puzzle, and then-'

"Atemu! Look out!"

Atemu was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he failed to hear the voice warning him. He was snapped out of his thoughts by someone pushing him to the ground. He quickly lifted his head up and look around to see Yugi standing in front of him, protecting him from something. It was then that Yugi screamed out in pain, and fell to his knees.

"Yugi! No!" Atemu cried.

Atemu rushed to his side as the guard pulled something from Yugi's arm towards him. As Atemu knelt down beside Yugi, he could clearly see a deep wound in Yugi's left arm. It was bleeding freely down his arm, and Atemu had to fight off his sudden nausea caused from the sight of so much blood. He looked up at one of the guards in front of him, the one that had pulled something from Yugi. His eyes soon caught sight of the bloody dagger in the guard's hand. The dagger that had stabbed Yugi, instead of Atemu.

The guard laughed as he wiped the blood carelessly off the dagger. Instincts taking over and blinded by his rage, Atemu rushed to his feet. Swiftly, almost in a blink of an eye, he grabbed the guards wrist, twisted it painfully so his grip loosened. He grabbed the dagger from the guards hand and pushed it into the man's chest. The guard let out a small gasp, before falling to the ground, dead, his blood trickling out onto the floor.

"Holy shit…" Atemu gasped, and looked down at his hands.

Atemu dropped the knife, fearful for what he had done. But hearing Yugi whimper in pain soon got rid of these thoughts. Atemu bent down to Yugi, who now had his right hand covering the wound on his left arm.

"Yugi! Are you all right?" Atemu asked desperately. "Let me take a look at your arm…"

Reluctantly, Yugi removed his hand to reveal the deep wound. Luckily, by the looks of it, the knife had somehow managed to miss hitting an important artery or vain, but that didn't mean Yugi wasn't out of danger. The wound was deep, and if Yugi hadn't had stepped back slightly, the knife would have passed straight through his arm. He needed the medicine man fast, otherwise the wound would become fatal.

Upon moving his arm slightly, Yugi felt a sharp pang of pain shot to his arm, and reacted by covering his wound with his hand again. His face was pale with fear.

"Hold on Yugi, just hold on," Atemu said reassuringly, seeing the fear in Yugi's eyes. "Everything will be all right-"

"That's what you think!" laughed one the guards.

Atemu looked up at the guard who had spoken just in time to see him charging at him. Fearing the worse, he held up his arm in front of his face to protect him from the blow…

-I-

To be continued…

-I-

Aren't I evil?

I hope you liked this chapter. I wasn't planning on having Yugi stabbed, but I suddenly started writing it without thinking and I thought 'hey, this isn't bad'. To be honest, I don't know why I thought it was a good idea. Yugi is my fav character of all time and I would never do anything to hurt him!

Please R&R. I'll post the final chapter as soon as I can.