hides behind reinforced doors sorry for hurting Yugi this much.... I know everyone did not want that to happen to Yugi, but I just had to do it... anyways! Fluff in this chapter!

[Forgive me?]

Yugi woke up with the rays of the sun shining in his face and he wrinkled his nose, "it's morning..." he whispered and tried to get up from the pile of horse blankets on the ground, he immediately winched from the pain as the wounds on his back were stretched, they had closed during the night, but the movements of the boy caused some of them to open back again, "ah!" the boy cowered and remembered that his back had been torn open by the fifty whiplashes from his punishment yesterdays.

After his punishment, which had taken place under the cold eyes of Atemu, Yugi had been dragged over to a lone room in the lower sections of the palace, he was then thrown onto the horse blankets and the room was barred.

He slowly, painful but steadily, rose from his position and walked up to the window, he was lucky that the room wasn't underground in the basement, by the cells, and he stared outside.

As he watched from afar how the city began to awaken, he grabbed hold of the bars and sniffled, "they could've better killed me..." he whispered softly as his back felt like hot sand being thrown onto his wounds, and tears filled his eyes a second time.

"I did not want to hurt anyone..." he looked down and heard how the door opened, he turned around quickly and braced himself in case the guards were to take him away in another tight grip once more, but he froze as stern crimson eyes looked at him.

"Pharaoh......" Yugi whispered and tears filled his eyes even more, running over his face as he backed up against the wall, shivering from fear and pain, "I'm sorry, I will never... I promise! Don't hurt me again!" he choked out and noticed that his voice was hoarse, but the pharaoh looked at him mockingly, "I should've known you couldn't obey me..." he then motioned to someone behind him, "clean his wounds and clothe him" A person then stepped from behind Atemu, followed by a maid holding clothes.

"Ryou..." Yugi felt his eyes sparkle as the young man knelt by him, the tricoloured boy leaned a bit more towards the silverhair, though the chocolate brown eyes were not gentle as they usually were; they were almost as stern as that of the pharaoh and Yugi winched as the maid started to wash his back with cold water.

"good, that's enough" Atemu said as Yugi was fully clothed and Ryou and the maid stood up, bowing at the Pharaoh before they left the room.

"Yugi... Come with me" Atemu turned around and walked away, not seeing how Yugi tried to follow him with hurt written all over his face.

"I have a few important persons coming over today, you will stay at a small distant, but in hearing range" Atemu dictated as he made his way to the hall, "I will not tolerate any kind of disobedience, you hear me" he stopped at the entrance to the garden and looked back at Yugi, "well?"

"Yes my Pharaoh..." Yugi muttered, "I will obey your sole command" he slowly followed the ruler of Egypt outside, his feet swiping at the sand as they crossed the yard.

"Yugi, stay here" Atemu ordered and walked further alone, meeting with two men.

"Y-yes... my... pharaoh" Yugi muttered and turned around, staring over the garden as he focused his ears to listen on the conversation.

-2 hours later-

Yugi was following a small beetle as it crawled across the sands, crouching on the ground, it had been so long and the strangers were still talking to the pharaoh, it was so... boring.

But, it was so silent... Yugi looked around and saw that the strangers were leaving the garden, and Atemu was sitting on a small bench, staring in front of him.

"Ah..." Yugi stood up and slowly approached the bench, crouching in front of Atemu and he looked up at the pharaoh, finding that the ruler hardly noticed him being there, "Atemu, ruler of the hot sands, is sitting all by himself..." Yugi slowly began to speak, smiling widely, "No-one sitting with him, cause they don't know..." his voice began to take on a form of singing as he intently watched the Pharaoh, "May he rule his lands well, so ever alone? Can he know what's across the mountains, across the seas? Does he know how high the falcons fly, how strong the current flows.." Atemu's eyes flashed to focus on the boy and Yugi stopped singing, stumbling backwards, "I'm sorry, my pharaoh!"

Atemu stopped his thinking and looked at the boy, again, he noticed how much Yugi looked like him and he smiled softly, "Yugi... come here" He beckoned the boy to come closer, "Don't be afraid... come here"

Yugi swallowed and got up on his feet, approaching the other man carefully, "I'm not afraid..." he whispered and Atemu smiled, "good..." He gently pulled the younger boy into his lap, "my sweet Yugi, you are such a good boy" he closed his arms around the sleek body and sighed, resting his head in the multicoloured hair, "I'm not mad anymore, Yugi, not at you... I shouldn't have let that door open" he whispers, his crimson eyes displaying a soft hint of gentleness as they looked over the garden.

"Pharaoh?" Yugi muttered as he frowned at the pharaoh's behaviour, 'does he truly have some good inside of him?' he squeaked a bit as he felt Atemu softly kiss his ear, his cheek, his neck, and he couldn't help but like it, there was a hidden tenderness he liked to discover... Yugi slowly raised his head and looked into the crimson eyes, his own were shining nervously but he bit his lip and continued to stare into Atemu's eyes

"You know... not many have been able to look into my eyes for that long" Atemu smiled softly and brushed Yugi's blonde bangs out of the boy's face, "I might start to like you..." He whispered and pressed his lips against Yugi's.

As Atemu pulled back, Yugi still looked unsure "You forgive me?" he asked, waiting for the pharaoh to look at him scolding again, but Atemu just narrowed his eyes, "Yes, I do forgive you, but make sure it will never happen again"

-------

I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible

snuggles readers and reviewers