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

Thoughts

"Speech"

Chapter 21

Yugi and Mana tied their horses to a tree before lying on the grass. "So, what happened," Yugi asked. Mana stared up at the sky.

"Atem's changed since she arrived. He's colder, harsher. It's like he didn't care," she whispered. Yugi looked at her.

"About what?" Mana turned her head and stared into his eyes.

"About you," she answered. Yugi frowned, but something told him he wasn't surprised. "When I told him you were being taken by order of the Queen, he froze then became angry and cold. He said if Runihura wishes it, then so be it. Yugi, he said you were no one and denied your ownership of the jewels. That was when I slapped him. He said you were no one. You. The man he pledged his love and life to, the man he was going to marry, the man he's been with his whole life, and he said you were nothing but a slave. I just couldn't be-believe he-he would-d s-say s-s-someth-thing like th-that," she sobbed. Yugi pulled her close and held her until she stopped crying.

"I'm sure he'll forgive you Mana. You're like his sister," Yugi stated. Mana sighed.

"I know, but you were his best friend, his lover, and look at how he's treating you," she whispered. Yugi stayed silent. Mana looked at him. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing."

"Yugi," Mana whined. Yugi sighed.

"Just hoping Atem will open his eyes and not be pulled in by Runihura, that's all," Yugi replied. Mana watched him as he talked and knew he was saying everything but decided to leave it alone. Both turned their eyes back to the sky. The assortment of colours was giving way to blue and stars.

"That's all one can do now I guess; hope," Mana murmured. Yugi sighed once again and made an affirmative noise.

Back at the palace, Runihura was talking to her fiancé and expressed her concern for Yugi.

"Just today, I saw the guards take him away. Do you have any idea why," she asked. Atem turned to her.

"Someone gave Master Bomani the order to sell him on the account of thievery."

"Oh? Really? Who?" Atem looked her in the eye and never dropped his gaze. After a second he pointed at her. Runihura gasped. "Me? You can't be serious!"

Atem shrugged and sighed, collapsing in a chair. "That is what Mana told me when she came running into Council Chambers with tears in her eyes." Atem rubbed a hand over his face. "I need to apologize to her. Of course I thought the idea of you giving orders, especially one of that nature was absurd, but I should have handled her better. She's been like a sister to me since we were children."

"And Yugi?" Atem looked up at his fiancée, eyes wide in surprise. Runihura gave him a small smile.

"What about Yugi," he asked. The lady rolled her eyes.

"What is Yugi to you?" Atem flinched. He turned his gaze to the floor.

"I don't know… We look alike for some reason and we've been best friends since birth. But now… I don't know what to do about him. And I'm pretty sure anything we had is over."

"That's alright though, isn't it," Runihura asked. Atem looked at her, eyes narrowed. "He is a slave after all."

"That may be so, but slave or not, he means a lot to me and it breaks my heart he no longer trusts me."

"Then maybe you have stayed with him instead of going to this bitch," a small voice muttered, so quiet Atem nearly missed. He looked at Runihura and saw her look behind him, but showed no signs of actually hearing anything. Her eyes didn't seem angry. He recently started noticing she hid her emotions, and very well at that, so Atem no longer trusted her expressions to tell the truth. Atem sighed and turned around.

"Dalila?" Said person froze on the spot, laundry in her arms. She looked at Atem and bowed.

"Sire," she said, coming out of the bow. She was scurrying to the door when Atem told her to wait. He stood up and followed her out the door. He closed it behind him and they a few meters away before he asked her what she meant by what she said. Dalila just stood there with a frightened look on her face.

"Dalila, please. What did you mean?" Dalila looked him in the eyes and her face turned hard.

"Fine! You want to know, I'll tell you! I meant I would rather have Yugi as a leader than that horrible witch you have in your room! She's treats all the servants like crap and she mutters evil things about Yugi and Mana and the rest of the group! She acts like she already owns the place! Yugi was perfect for the kingdom and the people! He was perfect for you and you broke his heart by taking someone who is the worst choice possible for the kingdom as your bride! It's not usual for someone to be fine with sharing a room before marriage, but to insist is creepy and makes me trust her even less! And you! You have the nerve to say it breaks your heart that Yugi doesn't trust you? Maybe you should look at your actions, sire," Dalila finished, shifting the load in her arms and stalking away.

Atem stood in the corridor, watching her back as she disappeared. He clenched his hands and glared at the floor. "She's right you know," a voice spoke from behind him. Atem started and whirled around. Isis smiled quietly at him.

"Which part or everything," he asked her as she stepped closer. Isis shook her head.

"I do not know enough firsthand to truthfully say everything," Isis said. "But what she said about Yugi is true. He was someone the people already loved and respected. And it does concern me that Runihura insisted on sharing your room." Isis looked towards the room for a moment before turning back Atem. "Anyway, it is late my Pharaoh. Goodnight," she bowed. She had walked a few steps when Atem stopped her.

"Isis." She turned around. "Goodnight." Isis sighed.

"Heed her advice, sire. Look at your actions and learn from them. It may not be too late," she whispered. Atem nodded and walked back to his room. Isis watched him walk away. I pray it is not too late, for everyone's sake. It is a dark future I see.

"So what happened," Runihura asked as soon as Atem entered the room. He smiled fondly.

"Oh, nothing except Dalila chewed my head off about my actions thus far, and then Isis showed up. It is a good night," he laughed.

Runihura frowned. "How so my lord," she asked. Atem looked at her and smiled.

"Cousin didn't show up and eat me alive," he joked. Runihura stared at him like he was crazy. He sobered up immediately.

"You allow these to speak to you thusly," she questioned.

"Of course," Atem replied. "They are my subjects and friends. I treasure their advice." Runihura sighed.

"I understand, but as you said, they are your subjects. Is there no boundary or limit to the disrespect you receive that goes unpunished?" Atem stared at her. Where had that come from? Now that he thought of it, he was not properly treated and left it alone. But that was after he left the kingdom and came back with Runihura. Isis was right. The people did love and respect Yugi as their leader already and this broke the dream and hope he would be.

"There is a limit, but it doesn't occur often-"

"It doesn't matter how often it occurs, just whenever it happens. That slave raised her voice to you and practically called you an idiot, and this is allowed to go unpunished?" Atem glowered at her. If she wanted to see power when someone disrespected him, then fine, she would see it.

"Yes, it is and that is final. You will not speak of this again, am I in any way unclear?" Runihura shook her head quickly, shaking a little. Atem felt a bit guilty for scaring her, but she deserved it almost as much as he deserved being talked to by Isis and Dalila. Atem sighed. "Good," he whispered. "Now go to sleep." He walked over to the balcony and stared out to the horizon. He gasped quietly as he saw two horses and riders appear. Mana and Yugi.

From the bed, Runihura grimaced at her fiancé's back.

"So, what are you going to do?" Yugi shook himself out of his thoughts and peered at Mana from the corner of his eye.

"Do about what," he asked. Mana raised an eyebrow and Yugi sighed. "Nothing," he said as he stared at the ground ahead of him.

"But Yugi-"

"And neither should you," Yugi told her. Mana gazed at him worriedly.

"You should at least talk to him," she tried to reason. Yugi shook his head.

"No, Atem has figure things out for himself."

Seto waited the two as they brought in their steeds. He looked at Yugi's choice. "Uncle's horse?"

Yugi just looked at him in innocent obliviousness. "What?"

Seto shook his head. "The Pharaoh's horse. You do realize Atem is supposed to be the only to ride him?"

Yugi shrugged. "He's never ridden him. Ever. Not even when we were children. And he doesn't ride out now, and when he did, he took his old horse. So I decided why not? I never rode a single horse enough for it to be classified as mine."

"The one you did ride the most died two years ago as well," Mana pointed out. Yugi nodded. Seto looked at them both and closed his eyes.

"Whatever. Dalila wants to talk to you. Something about making the worst mistake of her life." Yugi and Mana looked at each other.

"Where is she," Yugi asked.

"In Mana's chambers. Kisara is with her."

"I-I-I-I don't know what I was thinking. I-it just c-came out. Oh Ra, I'm going to be sacked." Dalila sat on the bed, holding her head with one arm and the other wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth. Yugi took a breath and then sat beside her.

"Dalila," he spoke softly and calmly. "Can you tell us what happened?" Dalila looked at him with terrified eyes and nodded slightly. Then she recounted exactly what she said. At the end of it everyone gasped. Yugi started laughing a few seconds after.

"And she probably heard every word," he giggled. Mana's eyes opened wide at realization and she started laughing as well." She probably was peeved a servant had the nerve to talk to Atem like that."

Seto, Kisara and Dalila stared at the two as they laughed. A few moments later they sobered up and looked at them. Mana looked over at Yugi. "So dear friend of mine, shall we tell them?"

Yugi nodded. "I think they should at least know why we were laughing," he agreed. Mana nodded.

"Well, are you going to start already," Seto growled.

"Patience Seto, they will speak in due time," Isis scolded as she breezed into the room, Mahad behind her. Everyone greeted them before silencing, staring at the two in anticipation.

Yugi breathed deeply. "It started when we first met…"

Three hours later, near the start of a new day, Yugi finished his story, with additions from Mana and Dalila. The audience sat captivated by what they were just told. Isis was the first to speak.

"So, Runihura has an ulterior motive to marrying Atem, and she is determined to make sure you no longer have a part in his life. I can't believe we didn't notice anything at the dinner."

"Don't worry too much about it Isis," Yugi assured. "There's no way any of you could have known. She's good at hiding."

"There's something I still don't understand," Seto expressed, "Yugi, where is it you to after that?" Mana straightened at the question but Yugi shook his head and she calmed down. Mahad raised an eyebrow at the reaction his student had.

"Not telling." Mahad shot his gaze to the white-skinned boy for a moment. Yugi shook his head again. "Sorry everyone, but the place I went to is a special place that Aknamkanon himself showed to me. I want to keep it special."

"Mana has been there." It wasn't a question. Mahad took his eyes off his student and stared at Yugi. Yugi sighed and nodded.

"It was good for both of us. I needed someone to listen to again, but I needed someone to talk to, in a peaceful but secure location."

Mana nodded. "I had just faced Atem, the day Yugi was almost taken to the slave market. The encounter shook me up a great deal and Yugi knew, like he always did, that I needed to vent, to let it out, and have someone there to help. He ended up letting me know about his suspicions against Runihura."

"What if he was lying," Isis asked. Everyone looked at her. She shrugged. "Validated question."

"Yeah, but people expect that from Seto," Kisara stated. Seto nodded before exactly what his girlfriend said sunk in.

"Hey!"

"It's true," Mahad agreed.

"Mahad!" Seto turned to him. Mahad scratched his face embarrassedly. The women and Yugi all rolled their eyes at each other.

"Yugi isn't one to lie," Mana answered. Isis nodded with a smile.

"So what do we do now," Dalila asked.

"Nothing." Everyone stared at Yugi in surprise, except Mana. "We do nothing. If we do, Runihura will find a way to stop us or worse destroy us. I can't let any of you do that, even for me."

"But-" Kisara started. Seto touched her arm and shook his head when she looked up at him.

"He's right," Mahad sighed. "Besides, if we did anything, it might be likely she'll try to punish Yugi for our actions, just so she can get him out of the way."

Isis nodded. "He may be engaged to her, but he still cares for you. Dalila even says so." On cue, Dalila nodded.

"So I'm still her rival, her biggest problem. Wonderful," Yugi muttered.

Mana watched before turning to the others. "It's late. We should all retire."