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

Thoughts

"Speech"

Chapter 9

"Yugi…Yugi…YUGI!" Yugi opened his to see a faintly lit room. He glanced out the window and saw the sky was giving way to a warm night.

"Mf." Yugi sat up, holding aching head.

"Hey…How're you feeling," a voice asked beside him. Yugi opened his eyes again and stared at the person. Atem.

"I don't know. What happened? Where am…Am I in your room?" Yugi looked about the room. Indeed he was.

Atem looked at him with solemn eyes. He was about to answer when Isis walked into room. "Yugi," she whispered in a broken voice. Noticing the sorrow in her voice, Yugi frowned. Then it all hit him. His mother was dead. Yugi looked into her dark eyes and closed off. Atem quickly hopped on the bed and held his "twin" close.

"She's really gone isn't she," Yugi asked, his voice devoid of emotions. Atem glanced worriedly at Isis as he rubbed Yugi's back and Yugi laid his head on Atem's shoulder. Isis remained silent. It wasn't as though she could actually say something.

"I'm sorry Yugi," Atem whispered.

Isis watched and decided it was now or never to give Yugi more bad news. "Yugi," she began. Amethyst peered up at her. She cleared her throat. "Umm….You remember how you and your mother were nobles?" A nod. "Well, the Queen issued you two to be nobles and the King went with it, but when the Queen died, you ceased to be nobles. Instead you both went back to the rank your mother was when she first arrived. A-a slave… I'm sorry."

Yugi nodded his head again. "I know we went back to being slaves when Queen Anippe died. Mother told me not to worry about it. That's why I never stopped playing with everyone. So eventually I forgot we weren't as important anymore."

Atem gasped. "No! Don't say that! You are still important!" Isis nodded in agreement.

Yugi smiled a little. "Thanks, but, I'm not anymore. Not in the eyes of the law anyway."

"You will be serving Master Abubakar," Master Bomani said. Yugi stared at the ground as his duties were assigned to him. He bowed when the slave master gave his order. Now to find Master Abubakar…

"BOY! Fetch me a bowl of fruit," Mistress Kanika ordered. Yugi bowed before finishing his chore and walked out the door to do her bidding. He sighed as he walked. He's only been at this job for two weeks and he was tired of the meaningless orders. But he was just a slave, he had to do it. Yugi walked past the courtyard and heard laughing. Mana's giggling, and Atem's laugh. It's good they moved on with their lives instead of moped around waiting for me to come play, Yugi thought as he continued to the kitchens.

"Hellooo," he called as he entered the room. Strangely enough, no one was there. Yugi walked in and looked around. No one was there. Strange. Nothing important was going on today. No birthdays or announcement. Maybe there was one. He didn't know. Yugi shivered. What would happen if it was important? He really didn't want to know. He grabbed a bowl off the shelf and filled it with a variety of fruit, and raced out the door.

He could still hear laughing when he past the courtyard, so he decided to peek. Atem was sitting there telling Mana a story and she giggled at certain parts, and caused him to laugh too. Mahad sat there watching the two alone as Isis had to attend to patients in the village, and Seto was studying under Aknadin. Yugi sighed as he watched his two best friends. He missed them but this was his life now…At least they weren't sulking.

"Yugi!" Yugi jumped as the voice fiercely whispered his name. He whirled around to see Dalila staring at him. "What are you doing," she asked, still whispering. Yugi held up the bowl of fruit. Dalila rolled her eyes.

"Was there something going on today," Yugi asked her. She gave him a weird look and shook her head. "Strange…There was no one in the kitchen when I went in. I wonder where they went…" They stood in silence a few minutes.

Then Dalila shrugged. "We should get back to work lest our masters became extremely irritated and we get sold." Yugi's eyes widened and nodded.

"Bye, Dalila," he said as he walked away. She lifted a hand in farewell as she went her way. Yugi smiled as he walked past the courtyard, only to be grabbed and yanked into the sun covered area.

"Aaaagh," he yelled as his body was yanked and he fell to the ground. Thankfully, not much fruit fell out of the bowl. Yugi opened his amethyst eyes to see cold crimson staring at him. "H-hi Atem," he stuttered.

The fourteen-year-old Egyptian prince glared at the servant on the ground. "Why are you here," he asked in a low dark voice. Yugi gulped. "Instead of sitting with us and talking?" Yugi looked back into Atem's eyes. The prince's face had turned from dark and accusing to happy and smiling. Atem reached down and picked up his best friend. "Come on," he said as he dragged Yugi to where he was sitting.

"Atem. I have to get back to my masters," Yugi whined. Atem shrugged.

"They can't do much if you're with me." Yugi glanced at Atem worriedly.

"Oh, okay."

"YUGI!" Man jumped on the small boy.

"Aaahh! Mana! I can't breathe," Yugi gasped.

Mana let go. "Woops. Sorry Yugi," she said with a smile.

Yugi placed a hand on Mana shoulder. "It's fine…Where's the fruit?" Yugi looked around only to see Atem holding it. He punched him lightly.

"Ow," Atem said dramatically. Yugi and Mana rolled their eyes at each other.

"You could have told me you had the bowl," Yugi stated. He grabbed the bowl and held it close to his body.

"Hello Yugi," Mahad said quietly as he watched the trio.

Yugi bowed. "Master Mahad. Has Mana actually been going to her studies?"

A smile played at Mahad's lips. "Yes, she is…Surprisingly."

A moment went by before Mana frowned and yelled "HEY!" All three males laughed.

"By the way Yugi," Atem began after the laughter stopped and Mahad managed to calm Mana down, "Happy belated birthday." Yugi looked at him with wide eyes. Oh yeah. My birthday was two weeks ago. On the day...On the day mother died.

Atem knew what his friend was thinking when he went silent and a depressed look crept onto his face. The prince looked at Mana and she glanced worriedly at him. "Yugi?" The smaller boy looked up.

"Ah, sorry. I was just…thinking. Umm…Thanks…And a happy belated birthday to you Mana," Yugi whispered. Mana smiled and pulled him back into a hug. "Aah, Mana… I can't breathe!" Atem just laughed.

"So, Yugi…Why don't you ever visit us anymore," Atem asked as he walked down the corridors with his "twin".

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "I have masters to attend to and chores that have to be done so I never have the time to see you. I would if I could, but I get into trouble if my masters are displeased."

"What kind of trouble," Atem asked. "Do they hurt you?"

Yugi nodded. "But that is the treatment for all slaves," he said quickly to Atem's look of horror. "If we are disobedient or misbehave, we are punished. If something goes wrong, it's the slave's fault, not the master's. They're right, we're wrong. And they can punish us for any little thing…I shouldn't be telling you this, should I," Yugi asked as the expression on Atem's face didn't disappear.

One of Atem's hands beckoned him to continue and Yugi did so, keeping a skeptical eye on his friend. "Like last week, Mistress Kanika slapped when I didn't tell her which dress looked better on her. It was fine, it didn't hurt that much," Yugi hastily added when the look of horror turned to anger. "Truth be told, none of them flattered her. They were all gorgeous gowns, and as I told her, they all looked good on her, and she screeched that she needed to look amazing, astounding, mesmerizing. It was for the ball held for the royalty, court, and representatives of the surrounding kingdoms. When I didn't respond, because if I did I would have said none of them could make her look even remotely pretty, she slapped me. Better a slap for silence than worse for what I was thinking. And…Are you okay," he asked Atem, a little worried for the prince.

Atem nodded. Then he looked at Yugi. "Wait…Did I hear right? Did you say none of them could make her look even remotely pretty?" Yugi bit his lip and nodded. Maybe I shouldn't have told Atem anythi- The sound of Atem's laughter broke Yugi's thoughts.

"Are you sure you're okay," Yugi asked again after the third corridor they've walked through since Atem started laughing. The laughter slowly turned into giggles and the giggles turned into silent shakes, then they finally stopped and Atem took a deep breath.

"I'm fine, I just didn't think you'd ever say something like that about someone," Atem replied, struggling not to burst out laughing again. At this Yugi smiled.