Here's the next chapter. Most think that the surprise is Atemu and Heba visiting. Sorry, but that's not it. You'll find out soon what it is.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3- Tigers

A week had passed by since Yami had gone to the Millennial Kingdom, and Yami was learning a great deal about the society and culture of the Millennial Kingdom. He had spent a great deal of time in the library to learn everything that he could.

That's where Yami was now. He was reading a book about the Millennial Kingdom. 'Hmm. Their society is a lot different than ours.' Yami thought.

Yami closed the book and stood up with it, deciding to take it and another book to his room that he would read later on. He left the library after putting the few other books up where they belong. He then walked to his room and left the books by the bed before he left the room again.

Yami had taken to walking around the palace a lot, so that's what he had decided to do.

'This place is big, but at least it's not that hard to find my way around in it. Back in Egypt, it's smaller, but harder to find your way around.' Yami thought.

Yami noticed a door with a symbol on the door that looked the symbols of fire, water, earth, wind, and lightening. 'Hmm. I wonder what's behind this door.' Yami thought. He walked to the door and opened it.

"RRROOOOAAARRRR!"

"AAAAHHHHHHH!"

Yugi had just returned to the palace from a hard day's work in the town.

Yami had gone with him the last few days, but he had opted to stay behind that day.

'I know Yami's been spending a lot of time in the library, so that's probably where he is.' Yugi thought.

Yugi had found that he enjoyed Yami's company. Yami enjoyed games like he did, and they would discuss the different things that were going on as they enjoyed a game. Yugi would also answer any questions that Yami had about the Millennial Kingdom, and their ways. Yugi didn't mind the constant questions that Yami had and answered them happily. Likewise, Yami would answer any questions that Yugi had about Egyptian society.

'I think that Yami and I are going to be good friends. We get along so well.' Yugi thought.

Yugi was heading to his room when he heard a scream.

Alarmed, Yugi ran toward the source of the scream. He looked at the door that was open, and his eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, shit! I forgot!' Yugi shouted mentally as he dashed into the room.

Yami had backed up against the wall, looking scared out of his mind.

Before him, five tigers, all of different colors, had Yami cornered at the wall. The five tigers approached him menacingly.

"Firestar! Waterstar! Earthstar! Lighteningstar! Windstar! Enough!" Yugi ordered.

The five tigers stopped and turned to look at Yugi.

"But, master-" the red tiger started.

"Don't but me! Get away from him this instant!" Yugi said firmly.

"There's no way I'm-" the yellow tiger started.

"Lighteningstar! Don't argue with me! Now go!" Yugi ordered, pointing to the other side of the room where there were five large cat-like beds.

Grumbling, the five tigers walked over to the beds ands got in them.

Yami was shaking like a leaf.

Yugi ran over to him. "Yami, I am so sorry! I completely forgot to tell you about them!" Yugi said, feeling horrible.

"Who? What? Why?" Yami couldn't even form a complete sentence as scared as he was. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the tigers, either.

"Come on." Yugi said, taking Yami by the hand.

A growl was heard, causing Yami to jump.

"Firestar! Don't make me tell you again!" Yugi snapped.

The red tiger lowered his head.

Yugi led Yami over to a couch and forced him to sit down.

"Yami, I should have told you about them. With everything that's going on, I completely forgot." Yugi said.

"Oh, I feel loved." the green tiger said.

"Shut up, Earthstar! " Yugi snapped.

Yami took a deep breath.

Yugi stood up and looked at the tigers. "Stay put!" Yugi ordered before walking into an adjoining room.

Yami eyed the tigers warily, knowing that they could rip him to shreds.

The tigers were watching Yami, wondering why Yugi had protected them.

The red tiger got up and walked toward Yami.

Yami grew tense.

The red tiger stopped in front of him. "Who are you?" the tiger asked.

Finally, it hit Yami that the tiger was talking to him. "AAAAHHHHHH!" Yami shouted, jumping up and falling off the couch.

Yugi ran in. "Firestar!" Yugi growled.

"I didn't do anything to him." the tiger said defensively.

Yami jumped up and dashed over to hide behind Yugi.

"Yami, calm down." Yugi said.

Yami gulped.

Yugi the handed him the glass of water. "Here. Drink this." Yugi said.

Yami took it and drank it. "Yugi, can I ask you a question?" Yami asked.

"Of course." Yugi said.

"I'm not delusional, am I?" Yami asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Yugi asked, confused.

"Because I thought that I heard that red tiger talk." Yami answered.

Yugi laughed lightly. "No, Yami. You're not delusional. He talked. They all can." Yugi said.

Yami glanced over at the other four, who were watching curiously.

"What is going on?" Yami asked.

"Promise that you won't scream anymore?" Yugi asked.

"I'll try." Yami replied.

"Firestar, back to your bed.' Yugi said.

"But-" Firestar stared.

"Now!" Yugi ordered.

The red tiger, known as Firestar, walked over to the empty bed and climbed in it.

Yugi walked Yami back over to the couch and had him sit down. "Again, I'm sorry. I should have told you about them. I should have warned you. And I should have told them about you." Yugi said.

Yami took a deep, calming breath. "Who are they, and why can they talk?" Yami asked.

"They're tigers from the Millennial Kingdom, Yami. They're magical tigers so that's why they can talk." Yugi said.

Yami gulped. "Are they dangerous?" Yami asked.

"Well, to some they see as an enemy, yes. As long as they know that you are not a threat to their masters, they won't hurt you." Yugi said.

"Then why did they act like they were going to kill me?" Yami asked.

"Because they had never seen you before, so they were worried that you might be the enemy." Yugi answered.

"Oh." Yami said.

Yugi then looked over at the tigers. "Come over here, guys, and no funny business." Yugi said sternly.

The five tigers got up and walked over to where Yugi and Yami were sitting. The five sat in a line, looking at Yugi patiently.

"Yami, these are the five tigers who are also known as guardians." Yugi said.

"Guardians?" Yami asked.

"Yes, guardians. Some magical creatures in the Millennial Kingdom are known as Guardians. They are supposed to protect a certain person all their lives." the yellow tiger said.

"Oh." Yami said.

Yugi shook his head. "Yami, this is Firestar." Yugi said, pointing at the red tiger. "Waterstar." The blue tiger. "Earthstar." the green tiger. "Lighteningstar." the yellow tiger. "Windstar." The white tiger.

"Why are they named for elements?" Yami asked.

"Well, there's a lot of myths surrounding the elements in our society. That's why they were named for them." Yugi answered.

Windstar rolled his eyes. "Our masters named us." Windstar said.

"Master?" Yami questioned.

"Their master is the one that they are guardians of." Yugi explained.

"Who are the ones they are guardians of?" Yami asked.

"Well, Firestar is my guardian. Waterstar is Heba's, Windstar is Ryou's, Earthstar is Joey's, and Lightening Star is Malik's." Yugi explained.

Yami blinked. "Then why didn't they go to Egypt with them?" Yami asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Lighteningstar asked.

"No. Why?" Yami asked.

"Come on. There's no way that they would want us in Egypt. Talking tigers isn't exactly something that's normal. I don't think that anyone would want us there." Earthstar said.

"Guys. Knock it off." Yugi said.

"You know, if you just talked to my father about it, he might would let them stay there. Granted, it would probably be on a trial basis, but I'm sure that he would consider it." Yami said.

"You've changed your opinions on them fast. A few moments ago, you were scared out of your wits of them." Yugi said.

"Well, as long as they don't have plans on ripping me to shreds, I think that I'll be okay with them." Yami said.

"Do you think the Pharaoh would really let us come there?" Waterstar asked.

"I'm sure he would." Yami said.

"All right!" Lighteningstar shouted happily.

"Lighteningstar, you realize that you won't be able to cause trouble, right?" Yugi asked.

"I can adjust." Lighteningstar said.

Yugi shook his head. "You and Malik are perfect for each other." Yugi said.

"So, why do all five stay in here?" Yami asked.

Earthstar growled. "That bastard Kenshin kept us locked in here all the time, and he put a magical seal on the room so that we wouldn't be able to get out." Earthstar said.

"Why did he do that?" Yami asked.

"Because he knew that they were loyal to us, and he didn't want them to help us in any way." Yugi explained.

"That makes sense, I guess." Yami said.

"Sorry that we scared you. We didn't know who you were, and we could sense that you were not a Millennial, so our first thought was to restrain you until someone came." Firestar said.

"Then, you never were going to kill me." Yami said.

"No. We don't kill unless it's in the defense of our masters." Firestar answered.

"Although Lighteningstar might be inclined to try and torment you." Yugi said.

"Sounds like Malik and Marik." Yami said.

"That's why I say that Malik and Lighteningstar are perfect for each other." Yugi said.

Yami shook his head. "This is going to take a while for me to adjust to." Yami said.

"May I ask something?" Windstar asked.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

"Who are you exactly?" Windstar asked Yami.

"This is Yami, Prince of Egypt. Pharaoh Aknankanon sent him here to help in the rebuilding process as well as ensure a permanent peace between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom." Yugi said.

"I thought that's why the marriages that the others were in were for." Earthstar said.

"Well, that kind of went out the window when Father made all of his attacks." Yugi said.

"True." Waterstar agreed.

"In any case, he'll be here for six months." Yugi said.

"That'll give us plenty of time to get to know him then." Lighteningstar said.

Yami gulped at the tone in which Lighteningstar had spoken.

"Lighteningstar, if you don't stop that and if you do anything to torment, you're living off of milk for a week." Yugi said.

"What?! Just milk!" Lighteningstar exclaimed, horrified.

Yugi nodded.

"That goes for all of you." Yugi added.

"You spoiled all my fun." Earthstar grumbled.

Yugi shook his head. "Knock it off." Yugi said.

Yami was still a little tense.

"Come on, Yami. Let's go." Yugi said.

Yami nodded, and the two left the room.

"I am really sorry, Yami. I should have told you about them. I've been so preoccupied lately that I haven't really given it much thought, though." Yugi said.

"It's okay. They didn't hurt me." Yami said. He gulped. "Although they acted like they wanted to rip me to shreds." Yami said.

"That's how they do. Don't take it to heart. They thought you might have been a threat. They were reacting it instinct to protect." Yugi said.

"I get that. They won't corner me like that again, right?" Yami asked.

"Unless they think that you are a threat to me, no." Yugi answered.

Yami glanced at Yugi. "I couldn't defeat you if my life depended on it." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "I know." Yugi said.

"Is there anything you need me for?" Yami asked.

"No. I'm meeting with the king of India to work out a peace agreement." Yugi said.

"Oh. He's very reasonable. I've seen him negotiate with my father, and he has always been fair." Yami said.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a normal situation." Yugi said.

Yami laughed. "I suppose not. Good luck with that." Yami said.

"Thanks. I'd better get freshened up before he gets here." Yugi said.

Yami nodded, and Yugi walked off.

Yugi opened his door and walked down the hall.

"Yugi!"

Yugi turned to find his grandfather running to him. "Grandpa, what's wrong?" Yugi asked.

"The king of India is here. He arrived early." Solomon said.

'Where is he?" Yugi asked.

"Dartz is in the throne room with him." Solomon answered.

"Then I had better get there." Yugi said.

The two then headed down the hall.

"I am sorry that Emperor Yugi is not here. You arrived earlier than expected." Dartz said.

The King waved him off. "Don't worry about it, Lord Dartz. I understand entirely." the King said.

A few moments later, Yugi entered the throne room with Solomon right behind him.

"Excuse me lateness, Your Majesty. I was just informed of your arrival." Yugi said.

"Please, emperor Yugi. Do not fret. I arrived early. It is I who am at fault. I apologize for being so early." the King said.

"Don't worry about it. Shall we go ahead and discuss the peace agreement?" Yugi asked.

"Of course. I think that that's a fine idea." the King agreed.

Yugi led the King along with Solomon down the hall to his study.

Yami was sitting in his room, reading a book. He was rather surprised to find out about all the different festivities that they had in the Millennial Kingdom. Some were similar to the ones that were on Earth while others were much different.

Yami barely heard the door creak as it opened, so he didn't pay it any attention.

"Prince Yami."

Yami looked down to come face-to-face with Firestar.

"Ahh!" Yami exclaimed, jumping.

Firestar blinked. "What's wring now?" Firestar asked.

Yami placed a hand on his chest to still his racing heart. "I'm sorry. It's going to take a while to get used to talking tigers. For that matter, it's going to be hard to get used to tigers here period." Yami said.

"Understandable." Firestar said.

"What is it, Firestar?" Yami asked.

"I was wondering if I might al to you." Firestar said.

"I suppose so." Yami agreed.

To Yami's surprise, Firestar jumped up onto the bed and lay down beside Yami.

"What is it?" Firestar asked, noticing that Yami was looking at him oddly.

"Can this bed hold your weight? No offense, but you're kind of heavy." Yami said.

"This bed is made to hold the eight. I sleep on the bed with Master Yugi every night." Firestar said.

"You do?" Yami asked, surprised.

"Yes. Just in case an assassin tries to kill him. I can react to protect him if need be." Firestorm said.

"Hmm. I get that." Yami said.

Firestar saw the books on the bed. "Are those about out kingdom?" Firestar asked.

"Yes. I wanted to learn what I could about your world while I was here, so I've been reading the different books I find in the library as well as asking Yugi questions." Yami said.

"Well, I think that it's good that you're trying to find out about our kingdom. Most people don't bother." Firestar said.

"Well, I've always been interested in other cultures." Yami said.

"You'll fit in fine here." Firestar said. He then noticed that Yami was very tense. "You're scared of me, aren't you?" Firestar asked.

"Well, um, yeah. You could rip me apart without much effort." Yami said.

"True. I could do that if I wanted to, but I don't have the urge to. I can tell that you're not out to hurt anyone." Firestar said.

"No. I'm just here to aid in the rebuilding process and work out a permanent peace between Egypt and the Millennial Kingdom." Yami said.

Firestar saw Yami was still tense. "Prince Yami, why don't you pet me?" Firestar asked.

"Wh-why?" Yami asked, still scared of the tiger.

"I promise that I won't do anything. I won't hurt you." Firestar assured him.

Yami reached out shakily and started to pet Firestar's head.

Firestar didn't do anything. He just let Yami pet him.

Yami then started to scratch Firestar behind the ears.

Firestar started to purr loudly.

"You like that?" Yami asked.

"Hmm-mm. Most felines do." Firestar answered as he laid his head down. Right into Yami's lap.

'Hmm. Maybe they're not so dangerous after all.' Yami thought.

After several hours of negotiations, Yugi and the king of India had reached a peace agreement that was beneficial to both of them.

"I'm glad that we could reach an understanding today." Yugi said.

"As am I." the King said.

A trade agreement had been reached as well as the agreement to aid each other in times of war should it be needed.

"I am glad that you were so willing to work with me on this. The former Emperor would not even consider a peace agreement." the King said.

"I know. My father wasn't one to compromise. It was his way, or no way." Yugi said.

"I understand this. Thank you." the King said.

"Thank you." Yugi replied.

The two shook hands before the King left to return to his kingdom.

"So, that is a rather beneficial agreement that you two came to." Dartz said.

"I agree. I wasn't sure that he would be willing to negotiate so much given the history that Kenshin had of turning down any and all proposed agreements between the Millennial Kingdom and any other kingdom." Solomon said.

"The King is a fair man. He understands that I am not like my father by any means. I'm just thankful that he was so reasonable." Yugi said.

"True. Where is Prince Yami at?" Dartz asked.

"In his room, most likely. He knew I had a meeting with the king of India." Yugi said.

"That's good. Has he been happy so far?" Solomon asked.

"Well, except for one incident." Yugi said.

"What incident?" Solomon asked quickly.

"I forgot to warn him about Firestar and the others. He wandered into their room, and I found him cornered. Needless to say, I had to calm him and down explain things to him." Yugi said.

"He's not angry, is he?" Dartz asked.

"He didn't appear to be." Yugi answered.

"I hope that they don't do anything to try and scare him again." Dartz said, knowing what Lighteningstar and Earthstar could be like.

"I've already warned the tigers that they will be going with only milk to eat for a week if they pull anything." Yugi said.

"Good." Dartz said.

Yami was still in his room.

Firestar had fallen asleep on the bed beside Yami.

Yami smiled at Firestar. He found that the tiger wasn't as scary as he thought. He found that he rather liked the tiger.

Yami took out his diary and opened it and started writing.

May 12

I've been here for about a week. Being here has been rather interesting. My belief that Yugi is a good ruler is only reaffirmed with how I have seen Yugi the last few days. He's a great man as far as I am concerned. I had a rather interesting surprise today. I found five tigers in a room in the palace today. I was scared to death when they cornered me and acted like they wanted to kill me. Turns out, they just felt like I was there to hurt someone in the palace and wanted to stop me. Yugi explained to me that they were not a threat, and I believe him now. It surprised me that they were able to talk. Turns out that they all belong to Yugi, Heba, Ryou, Malik, and Joey. I'll see if Father will let the ones that belong to Heba, Ryou, Joey, and Malik live in Egypt now. I've found myself liking Firestar. He's actually sleeping beside me. I think that these tigers are going to be all right.

Yami finished his diary entry and out it away.

There was a knock on the door then.

"Come in." Yami called.

The door opened, and Yugi walked in. He did a double take. "What is Firestar doing here?" Yugi asked.

"He came to talk to me. He helped me get over my fear of them. He's not that scary once I realized that he wasn't going to hurt me." Yami said.

"He's nothing but a big teddy bear." Yugi said.

There was a growl as Firestar looked up. "I am NOT a teddy bear!" Firestar said indignantly.

"You can be. You're soft with some people, Firestar." Yugi pointed out.

Firestar glared at Yugi before he jumped off of the bed and walked out the open door.

Yugi shook his head. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble for you." Yugi said.

"He wasn't any trouble at all. I promise you that, Yugi." Yami said as he got off of the bed.

"Good. I would have hated for him to have been bothering you." Yugi said.

"Nah. I liked his company to be honest." Yami said.

Yugi smiled at Yami. "That's good to hear." Yugi said.

"How did it go with the king of India?" Yami asked.

"It was fine, and you were right. He's a fair man." Yugi said.

"Glad that I was right." Yami said.

Yugi laughed. "Come on. It's close to dinnertime, so we should go." Yugi said.

The two then left the room.

Everyone was sitting at the table as they were given their dinner.

"We heard you had a run-in with Firestar and the other tigers." Dartz said.

"Yeah. To say I was surprised would be an understatement." Yami said as he was eating.

"I'm sorry again for not warning you about them. I didn't think about it." Yugi said.

"It's fine. They didn't hurt me. Just scared the hell out of me." Yami said.

Solomon laughed. "That's why they make such good bodyguards. Most people are too scared to attack in fear of them." Solomon said.

"I can understand why." Yami said.

After dinner, Yugi and Yami decided to take a walk in the gardens together.

"The gardens are beautiful at night." Yami said.

"I know. I enjoy walking out here at night because it helps me to wind down from the day." Yugi said.

"The gardens in Egypt are beautiful, too, but the plants and flowers that are here are unique. I haven't seen things like them before." Yami said.

"I know. Everything here and in Egypt will be different." Yugi said as the two sat down on a bench. Yugi looked over at Yami and said, "How are you enjoying your stay here?"

"I like it. I have always liked to learn about different cultures, so this has been interesting for me. I hope to learn all that I can before I leave." Yami said.

"At the rate, you're going, you'll be there before you know it." Yugi said.

"Thanks, Yugi. I appreciate you putting up with me." Yami said.

"No problem." Yugi said.

The two then headed inside.

"It's late, so I should go to bed." Yugi said.

"I think that I'll go with you into town tomorrow." Yami said.

"All right. I'll make sure to have someone get you." Yugi agreed.

Yami nodded.

"Good night." Yugi said.

"Good night, Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi then headed to his room.

Yami watched Yugi until the door shut. He didn't know why, bit he really enjoyed his time with Yugi. He always felt so warm and also nervous around him. 'Oh, well. It doesn't matter.' Yami thought as he went to bed.

Hope you liked it. I had thought about bringing the tigers in in the last story, but I decided to wait until this one. They are important.

Next: Yugi plans a surprise for Yami's birthday.

R&R.