Hm, I'm coming so far with the story I just have to update now because when I've finished the story I will be very busy with what I plan to do with it. I've decided to make a manga of it, Haha (don't say anything, I know I'm crazy).

Another thing I've noticed is that there is a few misdoings in these early chapters that will be confusing the further the story goes. I will try to change those little misdoings as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: I never did, never will and still don't own YuGiOh!

Ugly reality

Malik's cell phone rang in the otherwise silent room. Dr Lou looked at the others' confused faces before he opened the phone and said a hallo in it.

"Malik? What happened to your voice? Where the hell are you? I told you to go straight home after school. That's it. It's house arrest for you! Come home right now!"

Yami and Seto exchanged glances. The high pitch voice was enough to make anyone crazy. Lou had to hold the phone away from his ear.

"Ma'am, I'm not Malik. Are you the boy's mother?"

There was a stunned silence at the other line, before the voice of Malik's mother, even higher this time, started to scream again.

"And who are you? What have you done to my son? For your sake I hope he is okay or I will call the police! Where are you? Where is my son? Give him the damn phone and tell me what has happened right now!"

"That woman sure has the voice," Seto mumbled to himself.

"Ma'am. My name is Dr Lou and I have your son at the hospital…"

"The hospital?" Mrs. Ishtar screamed, if possible, even higher than before. "Just what has happened? I demand you to tell me right now how he is and why he is at the hospital. Let me talk to him right now."

Yami shook his head and had to admire Dr Lou's ability to stay calm. But he guessed it came with being a doctor.

"Your son is unconscious and we can't wake him up. We don't know what have happened. But if you come here I am sure we can straight things out."

"I really hope for both his and your sake you are not kidding me. I'm coming with my daughter as well and when I come I want a full and complete explanation."

"You will have just what we have in our hands." Lou looked over at the other two with a thoughtful expression. "I will meet you outside the hospital together with a very tall, brunette man."

Seto glared at him for that, but he understood the woman had to know what she was looking for. And he was easy to see over most heads with his 5 feet 91 inches (note: I've checked).

The woman screamed some more before she hung up and Lou closed the cell phone.

"That woman had a voice of an opera singer," Yami mumbled and had Lou's silent agreement.

Malik had been placed in a bed beside Yugi's. Since the two boys seemed to be in the same strange condition Lou wanted them in the same room. Malik's smile from before was now gone and his expression was as neutral as Yugi's.

"We better go out. We don't know how far away that woman lives and I seriously don't want her screaming in here, she'll make the deaf cover their ears."

Yami smiled slightly at the statement and looked over to his brother. Seto went out with the doctor and Yami sat down to watch his younger sibling once again.

Guilt was built up in his being. He didn't know what for, but it was.

"What are you dreaming of?" he asked the unmoving form at the bed quietly. "Are you happy wherever you are?"

A slight smile made its way over Yugi's features, as if to answer the question.

Malin stared at the princess's smiling face and had her help to sit up. Her head spun with questions and confusion. Slowly she made it out of bed, and just then realization hit in. She screamed as if she lost sanity.

Samuel dashed inside and Atemu was soon after. Seeing the girl at the floor the prince bent down to her and shook her.

"Snap out of it! What is wrong?"

"I AM A SIX YEAR OLD GIRL!" Malin screamed right into his face.

Silence followed the scream and the two men stared confused at her. Yuniko though couldn't suppress her rich laugher and soon lay helplessly laughing at the bed. Malin blushed crimson all the way to her hair roots.

"And what, if I may ask, would you be otherwise?" Atemu asked confused as well as amused by the strange situation.

Malin found no answer and even if she had one she wouldn't have time to voice it. Her stomach talked for itself.

"Brother, may I take the girl to the dining room so she can feed? I promise I will take her back after that."

Atemu glanced at his sister, which always was a mistake whenever she asked for something she shouldn't since she had her secret weapon, her puppy eyes. No one ever said no to them.

"Fine, but be careful. And Samuel, stay close."

The guard nodded and gave the seemingly insane girl an icy glare.

"Come, the castle has enough food so waste some at you," the young princess said kindly and dragged the young thief with her by the hand, something Samuel growled at deep within his chest. Usually the princess was not to be touched by somebody lower than herself, but still the princess was young and couldn't care less about it.

Malin followed the princess in silence, now remembering why she was here in the first place; to spy for the treasure. But at the smell of food she forgot almost everything. Her stomach growled again as they entered the kitchen.

The chef, a short man round as a ball, turned his kind, purple eyes towards the young intruders of his beloved kitchen.

"Your young majesty, how may I serve you today?" he said with a bright smile.

"My greetings chef, this girl…" she turned to her guest in question.

"Malin," the blonde said shyly.

"Malin, is not really healthy because of lack of food. Do you think you can make her something?"

The chef eyed the thief girl with stern yet fair eyes. Malin liked this short man. Though he was short and had his belly hanging over his belt, his eyes were the ones of someone who loved children.

"I have a lot of food to waste at both your majesty and the pretty girl," the chef said thoughtfully.

"We will be waiting in our little dining room, to not disturb anything else," the princess said softly. "I trust you to keep us alive."

The chef chuckled amused at the treasure's little statement. He bowed as deep as his belly would allow and the young princess nodded at him.

Malin was about to follow the princess out when the royal girl stopped and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Where are your manners?" she asked lowly, almost dangerously. "Here it is never allowed to be rude."

Malin stared confused at her, until she realized what she meant. Quickly she spun around to see the chef stare sternly at her.

"Thank you," Malin said quickly and curtsied deeply for the man. The chef, seemingly satisfied, nodded at her and turned to throw something together, worthy of the princess and her guest.

Following the young princess to the small dining room Malin's eyes widened. What the royal girl had called the little room could easily fit all her caravan's carriages, with horses and all. The roof was high up and suddenly she felt very small.

"I guess my home is way bigger than what you are used to," the princess said sitting down at the table on a high stool to reach for the table.

Malin nodded her head yes and sat down at another stool, as high as the princess's, to continue to stare around her.

The stone castle was made of white sandstone and granite, so even inside the castle it was bright. This room had paintings covering the walls and family shields hanging over the open fireplace. The stone floor was covered with another floor of wood so it wouldn't be too cold to walk on in the morning. At the opposite wall to the fireplace the wall was covered with one huge painting.

"That is my complete family," the princess's soft voice said.

Malin nodded in understanding. She could see a baby princess at the painting, clad in white as was her genuine colour. She was standing in front of the prince, who had a gentle hand on his sister's head while standing beside his father's throne. Standing behind the stern king was a woman in a beautiful, Isabella white and pale orange dress. Her hair was black with golden and crimson stripes in it and her face was an adult version of the princess's, except for her more narrow, amethyst eyes. Malin supposed the woman was the queen, the princess's mother.

To the left beside the king's family was another pair, these old enough to be the king's parents, or the queen's which were more logical. The old man's eyes held the exact same colour as the princess's, and the face was very close to the prince's. The woman resembled a lot of the queen in her way to stand beside her husband and they had the same kind of hands. At the old man's feet sat another girl on her knees with the same coloured hair as the queen, probably her sister.

To the right must be the king's parents and siblings. Even he had a younger sister who shared his pride and sternness in the face. There also was a man a little younger than the girl, the king's little brother. He had that timid look in his face and his pose wasn't as confident. The older couple though was surely the former king and queen. They had that pride in their poses and the roughness in face and hands. Their expressions were unreadable and somehow stiff, as if they had been sitting too long in the same pose. The king at lest had a small smile on his features.

"My grandparents are all gone some time ago. The former queen was ill, and her husband was unable to go on after she passed away. What happened to mother's parents I do not know. Father's sister is married to the king of Wales and uncle killed himself when the girl he was in love with married someone else."

"And your mother? Her sister?" Malin asked carefully.

A sad expression shadowed the young princess's eyes. "Mother was banished… her sister tried to commit the crime mother had failed and I was too late to save her. I was… too late."

A sound from the door and Yuniko's usual, royal pride exchanged the sadness in her eyes.

"I hope this will please her majesty," a young servant said and placed plates of food in front of the two younger girls.

"Tell Solomon I am very grateful," the young treasure said and nodded at the servant to leave.

Once again Malin's eyes widened. At her plate were potatoes, sauce, meat, vegetables and between the princess's plate and her own was a small basket of bread.

The princess read a small prayer as she always did and Malin silently waited for the signal she could dig in.

Yuniko took the first bite, and Malin was soon after. She wasn't used to the fork and knife since she always ate with her hands. But she watched how Yuniko did and tried her best to imitate the movements.

Never in her life had she eaten something this good. The bread was made just this morning and still fresh. But when she was about to drink what the princess served her she stopped. It wasn't water. It was something black but without foam, so it couldn't be beer either. She shot the princess a questioning glance.

"Blackberry juice," Yuniko said softly. "It is really good and it will not kill you. And it is better than water."

A careful sip before the glass was emptied and reached for more. Yuniko laughed at her guest's enthusiasm and filled the glass with the reminder that she had to eat too.

Malin didn't need to be reminded. Her food was soon gone and she sighed blissfully. Yuniko finished her meal in her own pace and dried her face as the princess she was before she handed the cloth to Malin to do the same.

"Do you want to play with me before I walk you back to your family?" Yuniko asked with a smile.

"What about the dishes?"

"The servants will take care of these. Come, I can show you around."

Malin took this as the chance she was waiting for to spy for the treasure. She had no idea Yuniko knew exactly what was going on.

"You know. I can show you my treasure if you want to see it," the princess said and Malin couldn't believe her luck. She nodded her head eagerly in silent agreement and once again followed closely behind the princess, Samuel after like a tail.

Malin was suddenly glad she was well trained. The mess of stairs soon had Samuel panting heavily while the young princess slowly but easily lost the guard. Samuel had no idea of where the princess was heading, but Malin was sure glad he was lost. But almost as the thought passed her mind she remembered she was just as lost.

"No one knows this castle better than me," the princess said calmly. Her breath was normal as if the many stairs was plain ground. "Only brother would find me if I was to hide."

They had to be very high up by now. The princess kept taking the stairs leading upwards. They ended up in a windy spiral to somewhere Malin briefly thought must be the sky.

"This is the highest tower in the entire castle," the young princess said in front of a door looking really heavy. "You have to help me pull it open though. I am not strong enough to do it by myself yet. When I become queen, I will walk up here every day and pull this door open all by myself."

Malin thought it was a small dream for coming from a princess. If she had been one, she would put her goals much higher. But she guessed this girl, this pure princess, did not ask as much from life.

The young thief's heart rate picked up in speed as she and the princess started to pull the heavy door. The feeling of having to betray this girl, who showed her such kindness, such care and warmth, it suddenly stuck her so hard she felt sick.

"Is something wrong, Malin?" the blue eyed girl asked concerned when Malin leaned forward onto the door instead of pulling it.

Discreetly wiping at the tear that had formed in the corner of her eye Malin turned to the princess, shaking her head with a slight smile. And the girls kept pulling the door with all their might until it finally gave in with a heavy sigh and let the small intruders in.

Waiting to see shining gold, silver, jewels, diamonds and everything else that belong in a treasure Malin was dumbfound to find the round room empty. The walls were plain white stone and the floor was dirty from birds' feathers and nests.

Yuniko went to the window and waved for Malin to come over to her. She pointed at the massive land below, wide, green fields filled with animals of different sorts, villages were spotted every here and there between the green hills and forsets, the mighty forest to the left and the sea glistened in a far distance.

"This is my treasure," the princess said with almost motherly pride.

"This… but it is just land," Malin said confused.

"And what is a kingdom without a land and the people living there? I care for my people. I never want them to fear this kingdom or whatever inhabits it. The most important thing a royal have to remember is that whatever you do, you do for the people and not for yourself. Of cause I know about kings not living that way, but it is the way it is supposed to be. As the ruler, my duty is to protect the land from any kind of danger too big to be solved by themselves. That is why I promised my brother to be the strongest queen in history."

"But… is it not your brother who will take over the throne after your father?" Malin asked with wide eyes.

"Brother? He does not even rule the land half as much as I do now. I know everyone says he is the true heir. But seriously, even if he does take over the throne, I will be the queen. He told me himself, and I believe in him."

Malin nodded and once again looked out over the majestic landmass below her. Far, unnerving far below she saw the courtyard and the people running around as very small ants. She could even see her family from here.

"And I guess you will make your sister a little confused when you confess she and you are parts of this kingdom's treasure."

Malin's mind came to a halt. The princess knew? She heard the sweet giggle and turned her round eyes to the princess.

"What? When? How…?"

"I am very sensitive, so I always feel when someone is looking at me. And this morning I saw you and your sister, and how she hit you. From this and her eyes at me I could figure out that you are a spy. And what is there for such a young one to spy for if not the treasure?"

Malin stared, stunned to say at least. The princess maybe was trusting, but she was far from naïve. She was as sharp as the thief king though she was so young.

"Come, let us go back. I still need to talk to my father about something very important, and you have a sister to report to."

Malin nodded, still at loss of words, which the princess just smiled at.

Mrs. Ishtar was silent from the moment she entered the room. Isis's expression was unreadable, but her hands betrayed her uneasiness. Yami still sat at Yugi's bed and Seto was leaning against the wall.

"What happened?" Isis asked Lou.

"We don't know yet," Dr Lou answered truthfully. "Ask Mr. Kaiba."

"I don't know either. Malik had a high fever since this morning, but he insisted that he was fine. When the last bell rang we went to the hospital together, and he could hardly walk. He got a drug to force the fever down once we came here. But as we entered this room to see Yugi he started to sway again. I left him to fetch a nurse and when I came back… he was like that."

"I believe them both to be in the same state of dreaming," Dr Lou picked up. "Young Mr. Atemu has been like that since yesterday. I am not sure what it means yet."

Isis nodded but her mother was still, watching her son silently, as if waiting for him to wake up and tell her it was all a joke.

She opened her mouth to talk, but before any sound could leave her throat, Malik's head jerked to the side as from a slap. His breathing picked up in rate and his body jerked violently as if he was beaten. And on top of it bruises appeared on his skin.

"Malik?"

The boy whimpered and brought his arms up as if to protect his head. Lou caught his arms in order to calm him.

"He's very deep into his dream," Dr Lou thought out loud.

Seto didn't know what to do, so he decided to stay by watching, though it hurt to see the other in pain.

"Please stop," the boy whimpered pitifully with a small voice and tears leaked down his cheeks. "Mama, stop."

Glances were shot at Malik's mother who paled and looked sick.

Malin slowly made it over to the caravan. She was scared out of her mind. She knew she would be beaten. Her sister would beat her for failing. Her grandfather would beat her for being away for so long. Her father would beat her for telling stories and her mother would beat her for spying when she had been given strict orders not to.

Her hands were wet from sweat. If only she could have stayed with the kind princess and stay safe. She had never been this scared before.

"Malin," her grandfather called, causing the young girl to jump. "Your mother wants to talk to you," was all he said and nodded in the direction his daughter-in-law was waiting.

Malin nodded her head and her trembling got worse. Without a beating from her grandfather the one from her mother would be worse.

Ever so slowly the young girl walked over to where her mother sat with her arms crossed and Mina sitting at the ground beside her, trying not to look satisfied with herself.

"Where have you been?" her mother asked harshly.

"I-in the castle, mother," Malin said though her voice trembled as much as her.

"Why?"

"I-I was-sick and the princess took care of m-me," Malin said, trying with all her might to keep her voice above a whisper.

"You do not look sick to me," her mother said, eyeing her younger daughter with contempt.

"I… the castle's healer c-cured me on the princess's orders. She gave me food and sh-showed me… around the castle."

"Why did she do that?"

Malin swallowed the hard lump forming in her throat before she could answer. "I do not know mother. She did it of her own will. Sh-she seems to l-like me."

"Is this the truth you want me to believe?"

"Yes mother."

Too fast. That last sentence flew out too fast. Her mother slapped her across the face so hard she fell.

"You are one stupid little girl. I can not believe I ever gave birth to you. You are a shame for our family."

"I did nothing wrong. Mina told me to…"

She was forced up and was hit by a hard fist in her chest.

"Do not blame your wrongdoings on Mina. She is more than you will ever be."

"I did just what I was told to," Malin cried, the tears escaping her eyes.

"You were spying, were you not?" her mother hissed with her voice dripping with anger and distrust. "I gave you very strict orders not to. We are not safe here and we will leave soon. Do you want to risk our lives?"

"Sister!" Malin cried in vain. Mina attacked her twin.

"Do not blame your wrongdoings on me," she repeated from what her mother had said.

"Please stop!" Malin whimpered as the woman kept on beating her. "Mama, stop."

Mina gladly joined to beat her sister bloody. Blood had always fascinated her in strange ways.

"Sister! Please stop!"

Isis clapped a hand over her open mouth as her brother started to throw up blood. So they were both hurting him in his dream? Both her and her mother?

Yami watched in terror what happened on the other bed. To him it felt unnatural for a mother to hurt her child. Did she not know how precious such a thing was?

Malik was now badly bruised and he bleeding from inside and wounds in his head and body. He kept on crying and pitifully called for his mother and sister to stop hitting him while he fought with Lou.

"Somebody help me!" Malik suddenly cried.

Atemu went out to ask the caravan's leader when they planned to leave. His sister had told him the girl wasn't well taken care of and was slightly worried about her wellbeing. His heart skipped a beat out of fear from what he saw when he suddenly spotted the young girl being beaten by someone who was probably her mother and another girl. The younger was lying on the ground crying and was kicked on over and over again. Around them slaves and servants was unsure if they should interrupt or stay out of it.

Atemu's eyes darkened into an almost black colour and he picked up in pace until he was running.

"Somebody help me!" the young girl cried.

Unable to watch anymore Yami went over to the other bed.

"Let me take care of this," he said to the doctor who tried to calm him.

With one look at the older Atemu Lou let go of Malik's arms. Yami grabbed the young boy's shoulders gently, using one hand to pull him down and the other to hold the side of his head. He hushed quietly like he always did when Yugi was having bad dreams before.

The younger boy immediately reached out for him and apparently his dream-beating stopped.

Malik tried to draw himself closer to Yami as if the other was his last lifeline, and Yami let him. The younger was panting hard and coughed up some more blood. He just lay there for a moment, panting and bleeding badly.

"Forgive me," Malik whispered between his tears before he fell unconscious.

The sound of a loud slap echoed through the area and Malin's mother fell over from the force. Mina immediately drew back behind her mother to keep herself safe. Malin grabbed Atemu's leg, which had stepped in the way of her mother's foot and saved her from the kick, to calm herself, oblivious to who her savoir was.

The woman looked up into Atemu's wide open blazing eyes before she stood up.

"Do you not know it is impolite to interrupt in others business?" she asked harshly as a bruise coloured her cheek in red.

"You are the one who do not know when enough is enough," Atemu spat back. Too bad for the family they didn't know Atemu was the prince.

"What is happening here?" the caravan's leader asked and towered over Atemu in challenge.

"Darling, this man was interrupting as I thought my daughter a lesson to obey," the twins' mother said with complaining in her sickening voice.

The man glared down at the shorter prince but failed to notice the red spot between his eyebrows. The spot that marked the heir to the throne. He was so caught with his enemy's icily blue eyes that he didn't notice the guards that were closing in.

"Our business has nothing to do with you," the older man treated.

"Bad news: it has," Atemu said lowly and narrowed his dark eyes.

"It is our daughter and we are free to treat her at will," the man said as a matter of fact.

"Not as long as my heart beat and I can breath. Not under my roof."

In anger the man raised his hand to slap the teen in front of him, but a dozen of swords were suddenly aimed at him and his wife.

"You are lucky I am not the princess," Atemu said, his voice steady and cold. "If I was, the dogs and Guardian would have killed you all before you had time to react. As it is now you are safe from them. But from my wrath you are not. To treat a child as you do is against the rules of my kingdom."

The prince's eyes caught a movement and moved his gaze upon the girl who tried to escape. A glance at one of the guards, back to the girl and Malin's sister was captured roughly by the neck.

"Leave my daughter alone," the woman yelled and tried to move towards her, but was stopped by another three blades aiming for her unprotected throat.

"I see," Atemu sighed. "You favour that girl over her sister. I guess that is why you let her help to beat her up."

"Who do you think you are?" Malin's father asked with a voice that was realizing something too late.

"My name is Atemu, I am the heir of the throne," the prince said coolly. "Take them away. This whole caravan will now deal with my father, the king, for beating a child too hard and threatening me."

Under screaming protests the guards captured everyone who belonged to the caravan, everyone but one.

Atemu held the badly beaten Malin in his gentle arms. Of cause he knew there were families that beat their children, though it seemed inhuman to him, but never like this. The girl was hardly even alive.

Malin was still trembling and clung onto Atemu as if he was all that kept her alive. Slowly she looked up through her tears into his now warm eyes.

"Forgive me," she whispered, believing she had betrayed everyone, before she fell unconscious.

Yami stroke Malik's hair in a calming gesture and laid him comfortably on the bed with used hand before he moved his intense glare at the boy's family. He watched them, waiting for an explanation of why they hadn't tried to do anything.

"You handed that very well Mr. Atemu," Dr Lou said in slight aw.

"It comes with being an older brother…" Yugi's brother said, not taking his eyes from Isis, who looked at the floor in shame. "Or at least I thought so."

"I've never…" Isis started, but rejected.

"Hurt him?" Seto ended her sentence.

"Never like that," Isis said quietly.

"Malik mentioned you once when he was in my house," Yami said, making Malik's mother look up at him. "He mumbled something that sounded like, 'I wish my sister was so gentle'."

"So you're one of those friends Malik thought he had befriended?"

Yami's eyes narrowed at the woman.

"Malik was grouped up with me, Yugi and Ryou for a school project," Seto said, his voice as cold as his eyes.

Yami nodded to his brother on the other bed to answer the two women's questioning glances.

"We invited him for sleepovers because of the work. I admit I don't know him that much, yet I call him my friend."

"What're all these people doing in here?" asked a voice from the door.

"Bakura…" Yami acknowledged. "You look like hell."

"Thanks for noticing asshole."

Bakura actually looked like he had been awake for a week without food. His eyes had sunken in and was gazed over with weariness. His cloths were disorganized and his face was pale as death.

"What happened to you?" Seto asked.

Bakura made a face and leaned to the doorframe. "It seemed like everything that happened suddenly hit in the moment we came home. Ryou cried the whole fucking night. He even blames himself for what has happened."

"Just how much does Yugi mean to him?" Seto asked.

Yami and Bakura both shrugged their shoulders.

"They've just had each other and us ever since kindergarten," Bakura said with a sigh. "Ryou adores Yugi."

"They mean a lot to each other. You can say they are much like brothers, twins," Yami said with a gentle smile at the thought.

"You're by the wrong bed. As far as I can see that's not your brother. Why's Malik on that bed?"

Bakura's question brought the thoughts back to what had just happened. Seto explained once again what had happened and added what had just happened.

"Does that mean that they are dreaming the same dream?" Bakura asked.

Glances were exchanged before they landed on Lou, who shook his head in thought.

"It's physically impossible," the doc said lowly. "And it doesn't make any sense. They are two beings with totally different backgrounds and way of thinking. For them to dream the same dream… impossible."

Bakura was about to ask something more when Yami's cell phone suddenly rang.

"Mother," Yami mumbled, knowing the signal. "What?" he answered tonelessly.

"Yami, where are you? Oh, it doesn't matter. Wherever you are you'll go home right now and make your mother and her lover a romantic dinner. Let Yugi do the sauce though, you're terrible at it. And make just two potions since I don't want you two to interrupt. I was thinking of having chicken so tell Yugi to make a good curry sauce. Oh, be a dear and cook some rice too will you. When I'm talking anyway, can you please scold Yugi from me for not having his cell phone on? I believe that's all. I hope you remember it all, but you always did before so I trust you with this. See you tonight dear."

"Mo…" but it was too late. Mrs. Atemu had already hung up, never having time to listen to her son. She never did anymore.

Yami's eyes darkened with a hatred so strong everyone backed away from him.

"Mother wants me to go home and make her and her new lover a romantic dinner," Yami almost spat as explanation to the questioning glances. "Too bad Yugi isn't in state to cook anything so she just has to take my sauce."

Turning back to his brother Yami kissed him lightly on the forehead and stroked his soft hair in the progress.

Bakura moved from the door when Yami walked past him.

"So you're leaving him just like that?" he asked dangerously low.

"Trust me when I say I don't want to, freak," Yami returned glaring over his shoulder. "But mom never came home last night and doesn't know what happened to Yugi. The least I can do is telling her, what she decides to do then… I wish I could put more trust in her, but as it is I can't."

Bakura nodded, still don't liking the idea of Yami leaving Yugi just because his mother called. If it was he, he would refuse. Though his parents wasn't alive and relatives all sent them money to live on their own just to have them living anywhere but with them, still he would never leave Ryou even if his life depended on it. But then again, he had never really met Yugi's and Yami's mother.

"That's right," Dr Lou said after some thought and turned to the Ishtar girls. "I need a blood test from you two and to fill a formula."

Atemu held his sister close as they watched Lisa do her best with the injured girl. He could feel her tremble slightly under his touch and stroked her silky hair in a calming gesture. Never had he thought of a mother hurting her own child so badly. If the king had ever lifted as much as a nail toward the princess Atemu would never forgive him. But to almost kill the own child… it was inhuman.

"Brother… why is she so hurt?" Yuniko asked after a long moment.

Atemu just shook his head and hugged her closer to his chest. He wiped away the tears that slowly fell down the princess's rosy cheeks. He knew some girls were beautiful when they cried, Yuniko surely was among them, but it broke his heart every time she did.

Finally Lisa looked up from her patient with an unreadable expression on her old face.

"How is she?" Atemu asked gently.

The old lady looked at him with concern and worry in her kind eyes.

"I do not know, but I pray to God to let her live. Such a young life does not deserve this pain," she said stroking the young one's hair gently.

"Father is taking care of her family right now," Atemu said as he stood. "I should be there as well. I trust you to take care of the young one as well as my sister."

Atemu placed his younger sister on the chair and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"Please do not cry anymore," he pleaded her. "You are not the one responsible for this."

Yuniko nodded and Atemu smiled weakly at her. With a last kiss on her cheek the prince left the room.

The young princess walked over to the bed and looked worriedly from Lisa to Malin.

"I do not know, my beloved star," Lisa said thought it pained her more than anything to make the treasure miserable "I do not know."

Yuniko looked down at her shoes for a moment, before she climbed upon the bed. As she sat beside the thief girl, Malin started to stir.

Lisa watched on closely what happened between the two girls.

Malik's head moved to the side and he groaned in pain. Dr Lou, Isis and Mrs. Ishtar immediately paid full attention to him. Seto and Bakura had returned home just a few minutes ago.

"He's waking up," Lou whispered, but no one moved.

Malik turned his eyes toward Yugi who, to Lou's great surprise, had his bright eyes open, looking straight at Malik.

The Egyptian boy reached out a hand to the other.

"Princess," he whispered.

When Yugi blinked and smiled the bracelet that adorned Malik's wrist fell off. It was a nice bracelet, made of gold and had names carved on the inside. It was an old family treasure that proved Malik was from this special bloodline. It silently slid off his hand and onto the floor. As if to signal that he was not another one in line anymore. Not being the one he was before.

"Princess," Malin whispered and reached her hand out to touch that warm, smiling face.

Yuniko took the hand and removed the thick bracelet that adorned her thin wrist.

"I saw this on your sister's arm as well. I believe this is what bounds you to them, is it not?"

Malin slowly nodded her head. Yuniko handed the golden bond to Lisa, who took it with a slight nod.

"Destroy it," Yuniko said.

Malin watched with anxiousness how the old lady placed her family treasure in a stone bowl and dropped another, round stone right on it so it broke. As the metal fell apart, Malin felt it as if a heavy boulder lifted from her chest. She was free from everything her family was.

IMPORTANT UPDATE NOTE!

If nothing else happens I shall update every month from now on, just to get this over with. If you are good reviewers I will continue all the way to the end. But if I get no reviews there will be no more story for you. See ya next month.