Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Tears running freely down his face at a fast pace, and sitting nearby a small pool of water, Yugi thought things through. Why on earth did the prince want him to stay? Why was this fiancé of Yami's so angry with him? Yugi had no clue.

Wiping his tears away with the back of his hand, Yugi straightened himself up a little. It had been a while since he had run off from Yami. Was Yami now angry with him, just like that crazy girl? Yet again, Yugi didn't know.

Putting his feet into the pool of water, Yugi lay his head back a bit, along with closing his eyes to soak up some sun. That always made him feel better no matter what mood he was in. So shifting all his weight onto his arms that were holding him up, Yugi just sat there for a while soaking in the sun.

Too bad that he'd always manage to fall asleep.

-----

Feeling a soft and warm texture underneath him, Yugi opened his eyes to discover that he was in a bedroom. Slowly sitting up, Yugi looked around and sighed. It wasn't the prince's room.

Although it wasn't the prince's bedroom, this room was just as luxurious. Not as much gold, but beautiful silver decorated the room. There was an attachment bathroom, along with a balcony, and all of the required furniture.

Swinging his legs over the rather large bed Yugi walked over to the balcony to see that the sun was just starting to set. Had he been asleep for such a long time? It just seemed like a couple of minutes ago it was morning. But now it was evening.

"Whatever," Yugi muttered under his breath as he strode back over to the bed to discover quite the selection of exotic fruits on the nightstand along with a note.

Taking the note out from under the plate, Yugi opened the note and it read:

Yugi,

Please forgive me for my rudeness. I thought that you would like to live in the palace for a couple of weeks, but I guess that I guessed wrong. When you mentioned your group to be just like your family, I started to realize that I did something really wrong. Please except my apology Yugi. If you want, you can go back to your group and never see me again. You decide this time, not me.

Sincerely,

Yami

Folding the note back up to its original state, Yugi placed it back under the plate where he had found it. So Yami had finally found out that he couldn't get whatever he wanted. Yugi wasn't really surprised about that part, but what he really was surprised about was that Yami offered that he go back with his group. Before, Yami seemed like he would never let Yugi go, but now…

"Hm?" Yugi's head shot up at the sound of the door creaking open. Getting up from the bed, Yugi cautiously walked over to the door and answered it. "Hello?"

Yugi really was hoping that it would be Yami at his door, he really did. But hope just wasn't on his side today.

"You!?" the girl that was screaming at him this morning was back. "Why the hell are you in my room!"

Yugi didn't want to say anything this time. It would just make his luck run weaker.

"I thought that I told you to get out of here you little piece of shit! Now you have made me cross the line! I mean, snooping in my fiancé's quarters and now mine! You'll pay…" the girl shouted, a wicked idea popping into her head, and then she shouted for some guards. When the two men came, the brunette whispered something in their ears and then they gruffly grabbed Yugi's small arms and hauled him out of the room.

"Have fun," the girl laughed wickedly as Yugi was dragged down the hall.

-----

Looking up from the scroll he was reading, Yami heard someone screaming. It wasn't Yugi's but Yami was curious. So getting all of his things together and putting them away, Yami then walked out of the small study room. Walking down the hallways, Yami decided to check up on Yugi, completely forgetting the screaming noises.

When he reached the room that he placed Yugi in, Yami was met with an angry Teana huffing and puffing around the room. Things were flying in every direction. Going into full alert mode after seeing no Yugi in sight, Yami practically ran Teana over with questions.

"Where is he? What are you doing in here? This isn't your room, is it?" Yami asked, hoping that the last question wasn't true.

Teana merely sighed. "Yes Yami, this is my room, since like two days ago. My stuff just isn't moved in yet. I thought that you knew," she explained, her face calming down a little. Then her voice became bitter, "Where's who Yami? Is it your childhood friend?" she asked.

"Yes, have you seen him anywhere?" Yami practically begged.

Teana glared at him. "Yes, I did in fact see him, and he was snooping in my room! I don't think that you should've allowed him to stay Yami. He's quite the criminal you know," Teana said, her voice becoming a little screechy.

Yami bit his lip. Teana couldn't have meant that, 'he's quite the criminal', she just couldn't have. There was absolutely nothing in here to steal. Yami just had to know where Yugi was now, "where did you send him?" Yami managed out.

"The dungeons," Teana stated, examining her nails as if the statement meant nothing.

Yami was getting jittery now. "What for?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

Teana smirked. Her power of actually being able to do this was awesome. "Twenty lashes."

The word seemed to echo through his head, and stab him everywhere like knives. Yami's eyes widened to their full extent and his body felt really numb. "Twenty lashes?" Yami asked shaking.

"Yup. He deserved it. I mean snooping in all of pla-"

Yami couldn't take it. This was the worst of the worst of things that Teana had done to anyone. So with his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenching like there was no tomorrow, Yami harshly slapped Teana in the face with all his anger and frustration.

"I'm sorry, but I believe that you are the one that deserves twenty lashes," Yami shouted, his voice at a dangerous level, as he ran out of the room and to the dungeon.

-----

"Heh, I haven't been able to do this in a long time, thankfully Teana is here to make everything better," one of the guards laughed.

"I agree, thank the gods for her arrival!" the other added.

The two guards were wrong. To Yugi, this 'Teana' was an evil witch. He couldn't see how anyone would even like her presence.

Clenching his jaw even tighter, as if it would make the pain subside, Yugi prepared himself yet again. It seemed like double the amount that the guards had told him he was getting. Either that, or twenty lashes were going really slow.

As the whip cracked up again, and hit Yugi's already bloody back Yugi cried out in pain. It just never seemed to end. Feeling very light-headed from all of the blood loss, Yugi stood his ground, just hoping that the guards would stop sometime soon.

'What did I do to deserve this?'

Hearing the whip crack up yet again, Yugi braced himself. When the whip came down onto his back, opening his flesh even more, Yugi couldn't stand it anymore. His eyes closing, Yugi felt himself falling forward, somewhat now bracing himself for the hard crash that was to come.

But there was no crash.

Blinking a little bit, Yugi turned his head and was faced with Yami looking sweetly down on him.

"Don't worry Yugi, I promise that you're safe now, I promise…" and that were the last words Yugi hear before he fell into unconsciousness.

Seeing that Yugi had fallen into unconsicousness, Yami looked up at the two guards with much anger in his eyes.

"So tell me, were you doing this under Teana's orders?" Yami questioned.

The smaller of the two guards was pushed forward. "Y-yes my prince, it was," he staggered.

Yami's eyes narrowed and he stood up with Yugi in his arms. "I do not want you to obey her orders anymore. For if you do, there will be a severe punishment. Understand?" Yami explained.

"Yes your highness," the two guards said in unison as they bowed down to show that they understood.

"Good." And with that Yami strode out of the room.

-----

Pacing back and forth in the dimly lit hallway, Yami bit his lip. So many thoughts were going through his head. Why did it have to happen to Yugi? It was his fault that Yugi was treated that way. What was Yugi's condition? Was he going to be all right? How did Teana react to when he slapped her? He did not see her expression. Hopefully it would be enough for her to want to leave for good.

The door to his room creaked open and out stepped the palace's elderly healer. He was probably the oldest person in the whole place and Yami loved him for that. When Yami was a little boy, this healer would always be by his side, for some odd reason he was always ill. Yami couldn't imagine life without him.

"How is he Hakim?" Yami asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine with some rest. Try not to touch his back, it's still healing," the healer named Hakim answered in a frail voice.

"Thank you Hakim, I don't know what I would do without you," Yami smiled gently.

"It's all in the job my boy," Hakim said with a chuckle, "now go get some rest, you deserve it," Hakim gestured with a smile.

When Hakim was out of sight, Yami cautiously creaked open the door to his room and carefully closed it behind him so that Yugi wouldn't wake up.

Slowly walking over to the bedside, Yami kneeled down and put his arms up upon the bed and rested his chin upon them. Looking at Yugi with the help of the candle light Yami put on a small smile and put one hand up to Yugi's now clean face.

"So beautiful…" Yami whispered to himself, making small circles on Yugi's cheek. Finding the opportunity to say things that he had wanted to say earlier today, Yami started to ramble.

"You know Yugi, the reason that I wanted you to stay is because you lighten my day, you are innocent and…very cute. You seem like an angel to me, an angel that can play wonderful pieces of music on the ney. And I admire that, I really do," Yami paused. What if someone was watching him? What if Teana was watching him?

Turning around to make sure that his thoughts weren't a reality; there was no one in the doorway watching him. Turning back around to Yugi, Yami continued, "And I really hope you stay Yugi, please don't leave me in this hell hole with Teana…Yugi, I-I…care about you," Yami said, not saying what he wanted to say, all the while blushing a little bit, forgetting that Yugi was asleep.

Sighing, knowing that Yugi wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, Yami sadly walked out of the room after blowing the candle out.

But unknown to Yami, Yugi was a light sleeper, and therefore, heard everything.

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DG: Okay, I know that most of you people will be angry with me, but just remember, there was somewhat a happy ending to this chapter, right? Whatever. (Goes to hide from readers that will throw tomatoes) Well, please R&R!!