Alley Cat: (squeals) Thank you Kaiba's Slave and Ramen Ninja! You made me so happy with your reviews! Kaiba's Slave...I totally agree. I do think Yami and Seto took to their slaves to quickly... You perverts! (glares at Seto)

Seto: O.O!! What?! You're the one who wrote it!

Alley Cat: That doesn't make a damn difference...

Seto: -.-

Alley Cat: Anyway, I will gladly accept flames that I agree with. Yes, like Kaiba's Slave and Ramen Ninja because I have read their fics and know that they're really good authors and stuff. They are really good authors and I recommend checking out their fics too! Oh! And don't forget to check out Black Lightniing's fic, Silent Attraction. Well, enjoy!

Seto: Alley Cat doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh...

Layla was skipping and singing as she greeted Seto.

Seto cocked his head. "What's got you so jolly?"

"I'm happy! Can't I be happy?"

"Um...sure...I guess..."

She smiled widely.

"Well, I need you to help me work on a potion today, and then you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day."

"Um, Could I...perhaps...not help you today?"

Seto cocked her an eyebrow. "No. You're my slave. You do what I say. No objections."

Layla hung her head. "Okay...master."

Seto walked toward and Layla trailed behind him. Once they reached the chamber, Seto walked in as Layla stayed outside. He found her actions today very strange. He glanced behind him to see if Layla was following him, but she wasn't. He sighed and turned around to find his potion chamber trashed. Some the equipment was knocked down, and some of the books were scattered across the floor. Several of the ingredients were shattered on the floor. Seto stood there, gaping at the sight. Finally, he understood Layla's actions. "LAYLA!" he bellowed as he stormed out of the chamber.

The High Priest's yell had attracted many curious eyes, which all fell squarely on Layla, standing outside the potion chamber. Layla gave a wry smile. "Uh, gotta go!" she said hurriedly and started running down the hall.

Anippe had woken early so that she could explore for a while before she met up with the Pharaoh. First, she explored outside and happened to stumble upon the stables. There were many horses. Anippe smiled; she loved animals. She spent a majority of her time with the horses. Then, she went to the garden, which was now full of sunlight. She played her flute for a little while and then went to see the Pharaoh.

Before she could even say a word, simultaneous crashes came from outside the chamber. Both Anippe and the Pharaoh looked toward the door, expecting someone to burst through. Then, they heard the High Priest yelling and cussing about something, and a girl was screaming. The girl tumbled through the door first; followed by High Priest Seto.

Yami recognized the girl immediately. It was Seto's new slave. Yami smirked; he could torment Seto about this for the rest of his life. The girl quickly ran behind the Pharaoh, hoping he would help.

Yami looked at the girl. "Aren't you going to go back to your master?" he inquired.

The girl looked at the floor and remained silent. She got away with this once; maybe she could get away with it again.

Yami understood what she was doing, for he used to do it when he was little as well. He called it the "innocent act." Yami glanced at Seto. He was completely flustered. Never had Yami seen the High Priest so upset. "What happened?" he asked, directing his question at Seto.

Seto took a few seconds to regain his breath before speaking. "She destroyed my potions chamber!"

Yami was stunned. He didn't know that this slave could be so disobedient. "Why?" Yami asked.

Seto shrugged. "This slave has a gleam for mischief."

"So, what you're saying is, you want me to take put her back in the slave trade? Get rid of her for you?"

Layla saw that the Pharaoh had seen through her act right away. To be honest, the High Priest was probably as nice as masters come. She immediately regretted her decision. All she wanted was a little excitement. It had always been in her nature to act like this. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of what cruel fate was held for her next.

Seto seemed taken aback. He had never considered this option. No, he didn't want that. To be honest, the days he spent with Layla were probably the best days he'd had in a while. "No. Of course not," Seto replied curtly.

Yami smiled. He was putting Seto in a difficult decision. Either Seto could admit defeat and make a fool of himself, or he could lose his most valuable slave. "Well then? What was your intention?"

Seto was speechless. He hated losing.

Anippe saw how paralyzed the High Priest was, so she decided to intervene. "Master. Perhaps the High Priest only met to give her a bit of punishment. But once he tried to, she ran away and ended up here, with the High Priest running after her."

Yami cocked an eyebrow at her. She had so much logic to her explanation.

"That—That's exactly what I was doing!" he said defiantly. He was starting to act like Layla.

Yami sighed. So much for having Seto make a fool of himself. He turned back to Layla and tilted her chin so she was staring him straight in the eye. "You're Layla, are you not?"

"Yes." She replied rebelliously, forgetting to use the title "master."

Yami could see the defiance in this one. He decided to let Seto have a bit of fun. "Seto," he said, "I'll leave her to you for her punishment then."

"What?!" Layla cried out in surprise. "But—but—" she faltered.

Seto smirked and advanced on Layla. He felt like having a little fun with this one, especially since she trashed his potion chamber. Layla cowered in a corner; there was no way she could escape from this. She closed her eyes as the High Priest moved closer and closer to her.

Seto threw Layla outside against the wall, her hands in stocks and a red mark on her cheek. "Stay here until you've learned your lesson," Seto said smugly. He left her.

Layla sat there for a few minutes, just remembering what exactly happened. She felt her face warm up, and her vision began to blur. No! I can't cry! I refuse to cry! I won't let that jerk win! She kept thinking over and over again, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing down her face. She let out a slow breath. Never had she been treated with such cruelty. She looked down at the ground, darkened from her tears. She vowed never to cause mischief again. She also vowed that she would get out of the palace...as soon as possible.

Anippe couldn't believe what the Pharaoh just did! He seemed like such a kind person. Could he, perhaps, even accept that it was in the girl's nature to be rebellious? Anippe was furious. I act the same way as she does. If that were I, would the Pharaoh have done the same thing?

She felt so sorry for the girl. Anippe hated being helpless. She stood in her room, contemplating on what she was going to do.

Seto stood at the window, watching Layla. Once he thought about it, he had been pretty harsh. He closed his eyes. How could he think this way? He was the great "High Priest", second in command to the Pharaoh. Had he gone soft? No, it couldn't have been. He looked back at Layla and realized she was crying. Her head was lowered toward the ground, her brown hair cascading down, making it just about impossible to see her face. However, the ground was becoming damp because of her tears. Seto immediately got the feeling of regret. No! I can't become soft now! His mind was having a battle with his feelings. He moaned. He had never come upon something like this before. He collapsed on his chair, not knowing what to do.

Layla sat there, unmoving for the rest of the afternoon. She had not been given anything to eat; yet she didn't feel hungry. The sun had already set and the High Priest hadn't even come back for her yet. She sighed. She had really done it this time. She closed her eyes as she remembered the scene...

-flashback-

Layla woke up early and snuck into the potions chamber. She just wanted to know more about magic; she loved learning. When she entered the room, it was dark, as in pitch-black. She sighed and cursed herself for being forgetful enough not to bring a torch with her. Well, it was too late to go back now. She slowly made her way to a wall and sat down, using the wall to support her. I guess I have to wait until sunrise... she thought. Since sunrise wasn't going to come for a while, she decided to take a little nap. She laid her head on the ground and closed her eyes...

Layla opened her eyes to find a bright light shining at her. At first, she thought it was the sun, but, at second glance, it was someone else. Someone she had not seen before. It was a boy... No, a noble, she corrected herself as she looked at his garments. He seemed to be about the same age as the Pharaoh and the High Priest. Her age. He had whitish-blonde hair and gold jewelry everywhere.

"What are you doing here?" he spat, shining his torch on her.

"The High Priest has given me permission to be here," Layla said insolently.

The boy walked forward while saying with amusement, "Is that so?" He leaned in on her.

Layla had never been so close to a boy before. She squirmed a little while saying, "Yes."

The boy slapped her, causing her to fall to the floor in surprise, knocking some stuff off the shelves as well. "That's master to you," he growled.

Layla stayed on the floor, not daring to move.

"Get up," he snarled.

"Yes master," she whispered as she got to her feet again.

The boy smirked and leaned in close enough that Layla could feel his breath. Layla stiffened. The boy seemed delighted to get such a reaction from her. "So," he whispered in her ear, "You must be a new slave... Perhaps the High Priest's?"

Layla hardly cast a breath. This boy was so threatening. "Yes master," she whispered.

"Mm-hm," he murmured seductively. "You're a very pretty slave, you know that?" he asked as he moved his hand up to Layla's cheek. Before even giving Layla time to respond, the boy pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't a sweet kiss. This kiss was full of brutality and force. It was the dominant, seductive type of kiss. The boy released her lips from his, and Layla gasped for shortage of breath. Her face flared.

The boy was having fun with this slave. He pulled a tight grip around her wrists and moved his lips to graze her neck. Layla stiffened even more. "Very pretty," he murmured possessively. Her skin was so soft... He bit into it, and Layla jumped in surprise. Unsatisfied with his result, he bit harder. Layla yelped in pain. Content, the boy released Layla just as Layla stumbled backward, knocking into the bookshelf.

Layla didn't care about anything at that moment except for getting out of there, away from the boy. She quickly got up and ran out of there as fast as she could, while she heard the boy's cruel laughter coming from the chamber.

She had hardly taken a breath until she reached the safe harbor of her room. She breathed deeply for a few minutes. Then, she collapsed on her bed, exhausted. This was definitely going to be a bad day. Her father had always said to think of something happy when she was down. He said it would make her day so much better. It wouldn't hurt to try it, so she closed her eyes and thought about good thoughts. She thought about all the happy times in her life, with her family, with her friends. She smiled. All the moments she thought of were the best days in her life. She cracked into a huge smile. She stayed lying in her bed, thinking about her family and friends until sunrise. It made her feel much better and, soon, she forgot everything that had happened. Finally, she got up and went to greet the High Priest.

-end flashback-

It was pretty dark when Seto came to release Layla. He wanted to show her that he wasn't going to just let her misbehave like that. He sighed. Perhaps he had gone a little overboard.

When he reached Layla, she remained silent for a while, with her head hung low. "Hello master," she said weakly.

Seto sighed. All her spunkiness was gone. Seto didn't want that at all. He unlocked Layla from the stocks. "Go to your room Layla," he said tiredly. He didn't feel like dealing with this right now.

"Yes master," Layla said emotionlessly and scurried off.

Seto stared at her as she ran off.

Layla seemed to be on the verge of tears again as she ran to her room. She just wanted to get out of here...get out of this life... Please let this be a bad dream, she pleaded. She ran with her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. Then, all of a sudden, she ran into Anippe.

Dark Conscience: Oh...Angsty ending...

Alley Cat: n.n Yep!

Seto: Marik's the pervert now...

Alley Cat: Actually, I enjoyed writing that little bit...

Seto: O.o You disgust me...

Alley Cat: n.n I actually find him quite sexy when he acts sadistic...

Dark Conscience: ... (sweatdrop)

Alley Cat: And I agree with Ramen Ninja... Seto is very hot... Marik is really hot... And Yami is just plain sexy...

Seto: You have a very dirty mind...

Alley Cat: (shrugs) I know... Well, R&R!