DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yugioh.

When I came to, I was in a cage.

That's lovely. I'm like a circus freak now.

I looked down and saw manacles on my arms and ankles. I tried to stand up again, but my legs wouldn't budge. I tried standing again, and they only moved an inch before yelling at me in pain. I supposed I had been running too much last night.

I looked at my surrounding from what I could see out of the cage bars. I was in a desert, probably somewhere north of the village, since the area north was wilderness. I hadn't been this far north before.

"Alukan!" I called.

I heard no response and feared the worst.

Then I saw him unconscious in another cage, looking pale and bruised. Bakura had done a number on him with that spell.

"I'll take three of the Boston creams and six of the glazed… just put it on my tab…"

That voice, as sad as I was to hear it under these circumstances, gave me more comfort than I realized it could. They had captured Joey, and he seemed okay... for now.

"Joey," I whispered.

"What? My tab's full? Start another tab…"

"Joey!" I hissed.

"Really? Thanks, Mai. I owe you."

Of course, Joey He-Who-Never-Wakes-Up-When-He's-Supposed-To Wheeler continued sleeptalking.

I racked my brains for something that would wake him up. I thought of Serenity and hoped she was safe.

Serenity!

"Joey, you've got to hurry! Tristan's in Serenity's bed!"

That woke him up and more. He growled like a dog and started shaking his chains so much that the cage started to rattle. He didn't even seem to know that he was confined.

"LET ME AT HIM! I'LL TIE THAT SON OF A BANSHEE UP WITH POISON IVY AND STUFF HIM IN A BODY BAG FILLED WITH FLAMING POOP AND FLESH-EATING WORMS AND THEN I'LL SET THAT POINTY LITTLE HEAD OF HIS ON FIRE AND ELECTROCUTE HIM-"

"Joey," I started.

"AND THEN I'LL BREAK HIS NOSE AND DISSECT HIM ALIVE AND WATCH HIM BLEED AND THEN I'LL DROWN HIM IN ACID AND STAB HIM IN THE LIVER WITH A DULL KNIFE AND THEN I'LL KILL HIM AND DANCE ON HIS GRAVE FOREVER!" He proceeded to end his ranting with several choice expletives, many in foreign languages before panting and realizing his surroundings.

"Huh? Where am I?"

"You're stuck in a cage in the middle of the desert. Other than that, I can't give you any more information, Joey," I said.

"Is Serenity okay?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen or heard her."

"Oh, no. She'll be stuck alone with Dad."

"Your mom might have survived, too."

"I don't think she did. She was hurt really badly from that dragon's fire."

"She got burned?"

"Oh yeah," he looked glum.

"Well, think about it. Your dad might have died."

"Then she'll be all alone with no one to protect her. I'm really not sure if Mom will make it."

"I'm worried about them, too. Your mom was like a second mom to me. Or a third, if you count Meg."

"You're like a little sister to me, ya know that, Kiki?"

Normally, the nickname would annoy me, but with these circumstances and the rest of that sentence, I took it with gratitude.

"Thanks, Joey."

"It's nothing."

"So, almost-family members should stick together, right?"

"I guess so. Man, I'm worried sick about Mom and Seren."

"I think they'll be okay."

"I really hope so."

"YOU TWO! QUIT YER YAPPIN' AND DON'T START AGAIN," a soldier walked around to our cages.

"Well, what can we do? We're locked in cages with manacles around our wrists and ankles. It's not like we can go anywhere."

"Ya might be plannin' to escape."

"Honestly, were you listening? We weren't planning to escape! And under these circumstances, who wouldn't plan to escape?"

"I hear one word outta you two 'bout escapin', and I'll gag ya, too," he walked away.

"So, where do you think we're headed?" I asked Joey.

"Do you think I know?"

"It was worth a shot."

"I don't blame ya. Whoa, look at him," Joey pointed at Alukan.

"He was helping me to escape when a necromancer made his muscles start to die. I might owe him my life."

"Did you catch his name?"

"It was Alukan."

"Seems like a nice guy. Did ya know him before?"

"We were talking over dinner, and I did most of the dances with him."

"Kiki, I'm just sayin' this, but I think ya kinda like him. I'm not stopping you from dat or anything, but as a sort-of brother, I'm warnin' ya, if he tries anything funny, he's going down."

"Deal. And I don't like him!"

"Almost all the dances with him?"

"Well, he was a nice guy."

"Mmhmm," a fiendish grin spread across his face. "How nice is nice?"

"Joey, it's bad enough that all my female friends tease me about guys. Do you really have to join in?"

"Yep."

"Well if that's how you're going to play, how was that kiss with Mai?" I copied his grin.

"W-what are you talking about?" His eyes widened.

"Don't play dumb with me, Joey."

"Uh, n-nothing happened between us."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Because Mai was talking about it. Do you want to know how she would feel if I told her you didn't take it seriously?"

"No," he replied sheepishly.

"Then tell me about it."

"It was… good… I guess?"

I decided to take advantage of Joey again. "So, was it regular, French-style…"

"Huh?"

"Your kiss?"

"Uh… well… it was kinda…"

"What? Slobbery?"

"No. It wasn't slobbery."

'Then how was it?"

"Can we change the subject?"

"But I'm having so much fun making you feel awkward."

"Please?"

"Uh… no."

"Please?"

"Fine. But don't think this is the end of the conversation," I grinned wickedly.

"Whatever," he sighed. "Just don't start again it for a while. You're making me miss all of them even more."

"Sorry, Joey. I wasn't thinking. It should have occurred to me." A pit formed in my stomach.

"Eh, neither one of us is used to it."

"I hope this'll end soon."

"Me too, Kiki. Me too."

"So, how long have I been out?"

"I dunno. I tried counting minutes, but I fell asleep."

"I don't remember the desert ever being this close to our village though. Do you think they cast a sleep spell on us?"

"Maybe. I don't remember the desert being so near the village myself. I thought it was like two weeks away."

"Or our landscape has changed drastically."

"Could be either."

"I'll bet it was a sleep spell. I don't see anything but mountains for miles around."

"Me neither."

"I don't think I'll survive this desert. I'll get a sunburn and/or heat stroke."

"It's what happens when ya have pale skin. I'm still not sure how you avoid gettin' a tan. You're in the sun all the time."

"It's one of my talents."

"I guess you're royalty or something. Pale skin is supposed to be a sign of nobility."

The wagons holding our cages stopped abruptly.

"Hey, why'd we stop?" Joey asked.

Anything I would have said was cut short by a terrible screech. I looked up and saw a dragon. The sun was in my eyes, so I only saw a silhouette of the dragon, but it was up so high that I couldn't identify it. I heard the screech again.

"First we get kidnapped, then we get stuck in these cages, and now we're going to get eaten by a dragon? Why is my life going to end so horribly? I didn't even get to say goodbye," I wailed.

"Kisara, I love you, but not that way," Joey said.

"I guess this is where we would normally hug and tearfully say goodbye."

"I guess so, too, but these cage bars are in our way."

I did everything in my power not to cry.

The screech was closer than before. I could tell it was a golden-colored dragon with alligator scales and a body more like a snake than a dragon. Its teeth reminded me of sharks' teeth. However, I had never seen a dragon that looked like this one. I had studied dragons to know how best to avoid them and protect myself from them, but this one was completely alien to me. It somewhat reminded me of a Curse of Dragon.

I screamed because it was headed straight for me. It breathed golden fire while it spiraled downward to me.

Is this how it's really going to end for me?

The dragon reached out its spindly front legs and grabbed the top of my cage.

I screamed as loud as I could, and I decided to study the dragon for any weaknesses. It seemed suited well for the desert. Its scales would match with the sand, but as I was looking down, I saw several patches of red clay that would make it stick out like a sore thumb unless its prey was colorblind.

I looked back up at it. I still didn't notice a weakness.

The dragon made a sudden turn in midair, and I slid to the side of my cage. Then it hit me. I was such a toothpick that I could probably fit through the bars of the cage. I stuck out my hand. Nothing happened, so I stuck out my whole arm, but my manacles prevented me from getting any further out the cage.

I resigned myself to accepting death with dignity. After all, I might get to meet my mother sooner than I had imagined.

No such luck came to me. The dragon soared over the mountains over the next few hours. It finally stopped at some castle in a valley where it never would have been located. An unfamiliar insignia adorned the pennants around the castle. The dragon swooped down onto a platform where men with crossbows surrounded us.

"One move, and we'll shoot," one said.

Another stepped forward and unlocked my cage, but he didn't do anything with the manacles.

"Why are you doing this?"

"We're not the ones who captured you and had you sent here," one soldier said.

"Then who is?"

"The master of this castle," he replied.

"Give me his name."

"A slave like you has no right to give orders."

"I'M NO ONE'S SLAVE!"

"Shall we flog her for insubordination?" one asked.

"No," a new voice, a woman's, said.

I looked at the newcomer. She had dark tan skin and long, straight black hair that seemed to absorb the fading sunlight. She was wearing elegant robes of ebony, gold, and burgundy; she carried herself high. Her crimson eyes almost seemed like they could stare into your soul.

"Then what do we do?" the soldier asked.

"Wait for the other prisoners to come. Explain the rules to all of them. She shouldn't be flogged for breaking a rule she didn't know existed."

The men seemed to hold a reverence or fear of this woman. I wasn't sure why they did, but I liked the woman from what I knew of her. She seemed pretty reasonable.

I heard several clangs as more dragons similar to the one that carried me dropped their cages full of prisoners. Alukan looked horrible.

"What happened to this one?" the woman asked, looking at him.

"He was-" I began, but was interrupted.

"SILENCE!" a soldier yelled.

"I ASKED A QUESTION, AND SHE TRIED TO ANSWER. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE YOU FLOGGED." She had a pair of lungs on her.

The soldier recoiled.

"What were you saying?" she asked me again.

"The Thief King, Bakura, used some spell that made his muscles start to die."

"WHAT? When I see Gozaburo next, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind on his alliance with the Thieves' Guild. No good will ever come of it. And I've personally told that little street rat not to use his art on prisoners."

"You know Bakura?" I asked.

"Too well," she replied. "It's his fault I'm here in the first place."

"I'll handle this, Aksira," a new voice said. "You're prone to wandering off topic and going too soft on slaves and prisoners."

"Oh, so being humane is a crime now? It wouldn't surprise me if you wrote the law that made it illegal."

"I said I'll handle this."

"Then I'll leave it in your hands, Seto," she said with a chill in her voice. No one missed the glare she gave him as she exited the room.

I finally got a good look at this Seto. My heart dropped as I realized it was the same blue-eyed brunette I had been somewhat attracted to back in Gonaga.

"There will be no fighting, yelling, or rebellions of any way, shape, or form. Any form of disobedience is punishable by actions ranging from flogging to executions and anything in between. You will rise with the first bell and will not rest until the day's work is done. You are not to leave your quarters after curfew. The second bell marks curfew. Your quarters are next to the dungeons. You are to show proper respect to all who rank higher than you. You are all slaves to Gozaburo Kaiba. You are not to look him in the eye unless spoken to by him. If you aren't sure what to do, just do what all the other lowlifes around you are doing."

This guy really got under my skin. He had an ego that I would love to stomp all over. The term "etiquette" was probably foreign to him.

"You are dismissed. I'll have another slave show you to your quarters. AKSIRA!"

"I'm not a slave, Seto," she skulked back into the room, scowling at him.

"Fetch two of your minions and have them show these newbies where to go."

"Why don't you call two of your own? Is second-in-command not a high enough status for you to have your own pawns to rely upon?"

"You had better be grateful we share the title of second-in-command."

"Or else what? I'd be in over my head? I think we all know who's a better fighter, Seto."

"You were planning on demonstrating how short your temper is?"

"Where's your room to talk, Short Fuse?"

"Yours is shorter than mine."

"So what? You're a dud. When you're angry, you're nothing compared to me when I'm provoked."

"You seem awfully agitated, yet you still haven't done anything that I could consider remotely dangerous."

"You had best watch your back, Seto. I hold grudges for a long time."

"Let's see whose can last longer."

I could practically see flames shooting in both their eyes. Seto had started to glow a dark navy blue, and then I saw a monster appear. It was wearing blue armor like the glow around his body.

"Duos is powerless against me, Seto. You of all people should know that."

"Big brother!" I heard a younger voice. A shaggy-haired youth appeared.

"Mokuba, I've told you to stay out of this!"

"Why can't you two just get along?" he pleaded.

"You know we're like sandpaper together."

"Just release Duos. You always lose against her anyway."

Grudgingly, I could tell, Seto released the armored creature.

"There are many times when your little brother is wiser than you, Seto," Aksira said. "Servants!"

Four servants entered.

"You two, take this man to the infirmary. Tell them it's Bakura's handiwork," she pointed to Alukan. "You," she pointed to a boy, "take these gentlemen to their quarters. And you," she pointed to the girl, "take these girls to their quarters. Dismissed."

The servants nodded and did their respective jobs. The servant leading the few of us girls to our chambers was very hyperactive and clumsy. After introducing herself to us (her name was Mana), she broke an ornate vase on a pedestal.

Our quarters consisted of a huge room with stone floors, potato sacks that I figured were blankets, and piles of straw as bedding. The straw reeked.

"Why does the straw smell so bad?" I asked Mana.

"It's the leftover from the stables," she replied cheerfully.

"Why do you sound like that's a good thing?"

"It isn't." She still sounded too happy.

I looked at all the empty piles.

"Which one is mine?" I asked her.

"I don't know. Whichever one you want, I guess."

I picked the one nearest to where I was standing.

"Cool, that one's next to mine," she said jubilantly.

"Great," I said unenthusiastically. She didn't seem to catch on.

"Oh, you'll have to wear the slave outfit. They'll whip you if you don't."

"I don't have one," I said.

"I'll get one for you," she walked off to a pile of what I had thought to be potato sacks. I realized they were actually clothes.

"No, this one's too big," she continued searching through piles of clothes. "I guess you'll have to wear this one."

I looked at it. It really was a long-sleeved potato sack. It would be so short on me that I would be lucky if it reached the middle of my thighs.

"I won't look while you change," Mana said quickly, turning her head.

I took off my black outfit and put on the piece of "clothing".

"Is there anything I can use to tie this tighter? I can just see the wind blowing around me and this potato sack coming up and exposing me."

"Well, there is a little bit of rope. Will that work?"

"I guess it'll have to do," I said glumly. I wrapped it around my makeshift dress several times.

I heard the second bell.

"Do we even get to eat?" I complained.

"I'm sure they'll bring us some food," Mana said.

"Well, I'm hitting the hay. Wake me up when I can eat."

"Okay," she smiled. "Good night."

"Night," I said.

I went back to my (itchy) pile of straw. When I lay down, I saw a horse turd next to my head.

I groaned and wondered when my luck would change.

Wow. Two chapters in the span of one week. That's got to be a new record.

I really have a bad habit of abusing my characters. I mean, I even put a horse turd next to Kisara's head on her pile of straw.

So, what do you think? Good? Not so good?

REVIEW BECAUSE SO FAR I HAVE HAD ONLY ONE REVIEW FOR THE LAST CHAPTER. :|