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

Thoughts

"Speech"

Chapter 11

Atem woke up with the breaking dawn. He opened his eyes and stared at the bed he's been lying beside all night. Yugi lay sleeping, oblivious to the distress his friend was feeling. Atem smiled a little when Yugi breathed in deep and his eyelids slowly fluttered open. Thank the Gods, it was only a dream. I don't know what I would've done if he actually died.

"Atem?" The small voice interrupted his thoughts. Atem glanced up to meet the amethyst peering down at him.

"I'm here Yugi, don't worry. I'll keep you safe," the prince said while taking Yugi's hand. Then he kissed the palm. "How do you feel," he asked.

Yugi shrugged but winced with the movement. Atem gasped but remained still, knowing Yugi can deal with it on his own. "I've been better," Yugi said with a small, pained smile. Atem nodded.

"AAAAATEEEEEEEEMMM! Where are you? I've been looking everywhere! And where's Yugi?" Mana's voice reached the room several minutes before she did. "ATEM! YUGI! I found you- What happened to you," she asked Yugi whose upper body was encased in bandages. Yugi looked at Atem who looked at Yugi, and Mana watched them both.

"Nothing you need to worry about Mana," a female voice drifted in like the wind. Isis stepped from behind the curtains and nodded to the two boys and walked up to Mana. "You do realize Mahad wasn't joking about finding a new apprentice. You should keep your studies up, or else Mahad won't be very pleased with you." Mana raced out the door calling a quick goodbye to everyone before screaming "MAAAAAAHAAAAAAD! Don't quit on me now! I'm coming!"

All three individuals stared after her and glanced at each other. Then they all burst out laughing.

"Don't you think that was a bit cruel," Mahad said as he stepped into view. "I really wouldn't leave her. How can I when no one but her will be my apprentice?"

Isis rolled her eyes. "Maybe it would help if you didn't make people scared of you" she replied.

Mahad shrugged. "Perhaps."

Atem and Yugi exchanged looks. Atem cleared his throat. "So…Uh, Yugi…What happened?" This was the question Atem wanted to ask ever since he found him.

Yugi's eyes cast themselves to the otherside of the bed. "What do you mean," he asked even though he knew fully well what Atem meant.

Atem grabbed Yugi's hand. "Tell me what happened. Please."

Yugi looked down at their entwined hands and sighed. "Do remember what I told you about masters and slaves?" Atem nodded. "Whatever happened was my fault. I shouldn't have opened my mouth. I was disrespectful towards my masters. I'm just a slave. The prince shouldn't worry about me." Yugi looked at his friend's face. "Promise me you won't do anything, Atem, please."

Atem turned his gaze to the floor and growled. "Fine…But Yugi, you need to start thinking of yourself too. And I never want to hear the words "I'm just a slave" coming from your mouth again. You are much more than that. To me and the rest of your friends. We care about you. Please, Yugi…We can't help you if you don't let us." Atem kissed Yugi's palm again. "I don't want anything like this to happen again. I think I had a heart attack when I found out you were bleeding." Yugi stared at him. A tear found its way past Atem's defenses and fell onto their hands. Atem looked back into the amethyst gaze that was full of sympathy and worry for him. "Promise me that you'll come to us if you need help."

Yugi nodded. "I will…I promise," he whispered, looking at everyone in the room. Silence over took the room. Then….

"ISIIIIIIIS! I CAN'T FIND MAHAD! HE DIDN'T LEAVE ME YET, DID HE?" Mana's voice carried itself into the room, followed by Seto's voice telling her to be quiet. Isis and Mahad look at each other and bow to Atem and Yugi and leave.

Atem turned back to Yugi. And then he laid his head down on Yugi's lap and cried. "I had a dream last night that didn't help the situation. If I seem overprotective, I'm sorry. But I don't want it to come true…I don't want you to die. I don't want you to leave me, Yugi…"

Yugi placed a hand on Atem's head and slowly stroked his hair. "I won't Atem," he promised. "I won't leave you."

"Mana! You are disturbing the palace! Can you be quiet? Go find Mahad and do it silently! And have you seen Kisara or my cousin? I've been looking for them all morning!"

Mana stared incredulously at Seto's sudden change of mood. She shook her head. "Nope. I haven't seen Kisara at all, but Atem is in his room, with Isis, keeping Yugi company… What?"

Seto frowned at her. "What happened to Yugi," he asked. Mana rolled her eyes. As long as she wasn't the only one left out.

"Yugi got hurt last night. He's covered in bandages. But they didn't tell me what happened. Only it was not for me to worry about- Hey! Where're you going," she yelled as Seto raced down the corridors.

He said a quick hello when he passed Isis and Mahad, but he didn't stop. Atem, don't do anything stupid. And…Kisara…Where are you?

Mahad and Isis stared down the hall where Seto had just disappeared. They looked at each other. "What was that about," Mahad asked.

Isis shrugged. "Maybe he thinks Kisara is there, I don't know."

Mahad glanced back down the corridor. "Oh," was all he said.

"MAHAAAD! I FOUND YOU! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE MEEE," Mana screamed as she threw herself to Mahad's feet and grabbed hold.

"Ah! Mana! Let go! I'm not going to ditch you as my student," Mahad said, shaking his leg loose from her grasp. Isis smiled and left.

Mana looked up. "Really," she asked, tears ready to fall. Mahad smiled.

"Really," he replied.

Mana jumped and hugged him. "YAY! I promise, I'll be a better student!"

Mahad wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "Good." He looked around.

"Hey, where'd Isis go?"

Isis walked through the doorway of the kitchen. The maids there greeted her. One of them walked up to her, wiping her hands on a towel. "Lady Isis. What can I do for you," she asked.

Isis smiled. "I was wondering if any one did up the basket that I asked for," she said politely. The woman nodded and called another to bring it. She handed it to Isis, who thanked her and left.

Seto raced through the corridors and stopped outside Atem's rooms. "Prince! Where have you been," he asked as he stepped into the room.

Yugi looked at him and put a finger to his mouth. "Atem's sleeping," he whispered as Seto walked over to the bed.

Seto looked Yugi up and down. "Mana wasn't kidding when she said you were covered in bandages. What happened?"

Yugi looked down at Atem. "Nothing more than a slave getting punishment," he replied.

Seto sighed before sitting on the edge of the bed. "But what happened? You never ask for help or need help, especially Isis's, so what changed?" Seto stared down at the amethyst gaze. "Yugi, what did they do this time?"

Yugi sighed. "They whipped me." Seto gasped at this. Why would they do that? Yugi…

"MAHAAAD! I FOUND YOU! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE MEEE!" Seto and Yugi stared at the door, then at each other, and then back to the door.

"Well, at least we know someone found who they were looking for," Yugi said.

"Rest in peace Mahad," Seto whispered.

"Ah! Mana! Let go!" Seto and Yugi looked at each other again.

"How much do you wanna bet that she's going to kill him someday by just being herself," Seto asked.

"Seto! That's cruel! And I will have no part in it," Yugi declared.

"I bet my ruby ring you're wrong," a muffled voice challenged.

"Atem," Yugi cried.

Seto smiled. "You're on prince," he replied.

"Seto!"

"Seto…What are you still doing here? I thought you wanted to find Kisara," Isis said as she walked into the room, basket dangling from her arm.

All three individuals on the bed stared at her. Or, more likely, they stared at the basket.

"What's the basket for," Yugi asked. Isis smiled.

"Well, you should be able to walk just fine, so I thought we'd have a picnic, but first Mahad needs to pry Mana off him and Seto needs to find Kisara-" Seto was out the door like his life depended on his finding his Blue Eyes White Dragon beholder. Isis quietly laughed and turned back to Yugi. "How do you feel," she asked.

"Better than yesterday…I haven't been asleep for a couple days have I? It was last night you treated me right?" Isis nodded. Yugi let out a breath of relief. "Good. But-"

"In my opinion, you are not yet fit to go back to work. Especially back to those people," Isis said before Yugi could speak on that subject. Beside him, Atem nodded.

Yugi sighed. Then he smiled. "Okay…Thank you…"

The basket was pretty light by the time Isis actually set it down on ground. "Is there even anything left for dinner," she angrily asked Seto, Atem, Mahad, and Mana. Said people looked at the ground in shame while she glared at them. Yugi suppressed his giggles at the scene. Atem glanced at him and saw him crying.

"Yugi? Is something wrong," he asked. Yugi shook his head, not verbally answering because he knew anything he tried to say would turn into giggles. After Atem spoke, everyone turned to Yugi. He forced himself not to look at them, but the giggles were forcing their way out.

"!" Everyone jumped back when they heard this come from Yugi.

"Is he possessed or something," Seto asked Mahad, holding a slightly scared and worried Kisara.

"I hope not," Mahad replied. All the while Yugi kept laughing, and soon was clutching his sides.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA-Ow-AHAHAHAHAH!" Now he felt worse than yesterday. His back was 'splitting' and he was in agony but he couldn't stop laughing. Then he felt a pair of hands grab his face and gently pulled. Yugi opened his eyes to see Atem, slowly closing the gap between them. And their lips met. Yugi's fit of laughter slowly quieted down and disappeared. Once they had disappeared, Atem pulled away and stood there holding Yugi who was trying to get his breathing back to normal. Atem smiled at him.

"Better," he asked. Yugi nodded. "Good…Now, let's eat!"

"No no, none for you just yet. Seeing as how Yugi, Kisara and I didn't help with the disappearing act of our lunch, we shall eat while you watch, and if there are any leftovers, you can have them." Isis smiled as the guilty party dropped their jaws. Again, Yugi suppressed a laugh.

"Hey Yugi," Atem started as the prince walked down the corridors with his look-alike. "Umm, about what happened today…"

Yugi looked at him. "Yeah, what about it?" Atem looked at him with scared eyes. Yugi sighed. "If you want me to pretend the kiss never happened, just say so. Though I'd rather not," he mumbled.

"Uhhahaha, not what I was going to say…Um, Yugi, I-uh…" Damn I can't say it! And you're supposed to be the prince of Egypt! Wonderful job Atem! You'll never know if you don't say something! So tell him! Atem sighed. "Um, Yugi…"

"There you are Atem! I have news about your request! The slave Yugi is now yours. Oh hello Yugi," Master Aknadin greeted. Two pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Really," the "twins" asked. Aknadin raised an eyebrow at them.

"Yes…Did I interrupt something," he asked. Both individuals shook their heads and Aknadin stared at them for a while, and then walked away, leaving a scroll behind.

Yugi looked at Atem. "You want me as your slave?" Atem looked at him and nodded. SMACK! Atem stared at his friend from the floor, while he held his cheek. Did Yugi just slap me? "Why didn't you do that earlier," Yugi growled as he rolled his eyes.

"I don't know," Atem answered as he got up. He looked at the scroll. "Sorry," he mumbled. Yugi looked at his sad face and threw his arms around him.

"Thank you," he whispered. Atem hugged him back.

"I love you Yugi…"

"I love you too Atem…"