I disclaim yugioh, blah blah blah

Enjoy the Tendershipping Goodness!

Chapter Thirteen

As supplies were gathered for the expedition, the gang headed to say goodbye to Joey, who was royally pouting about being left alone.

"I can't believe I gotta stay here and be left behind on the adventure...You guys need me!"

"Yugi and the Pharaoh need you to stay HERE and get well" Tea said, running a hand through his hair. Joey stuck his tongue out at her as she, Tristan and Ryou walked off. He rested his chin in his crossed arms, wincing slightly as the movement jostled his back and sent a brief a sliver of pain down his back and legs. He sighed.

"Stupid burn wounds..."

"It's your own fault, mutt."

Joey glanced up, spotting the brunette and his ancient Egyptian counterpart. A smirk curled on his lips "Really? I thought it was his fault."

"You're the one that wanted to play hero."

"Meh...I'm a decent person. I should probably work on that."

Kaiba scoffed, sitting in front of the blond so he wouldn't have to strain his neck as Seth moved to the side to check his injuries and see if they needed to be cleaned.

"I'll be going with the geek squad to go save Yugi and the Pharaoh, so if you have any last insults to exchange with me before we leave, I suggest you start now."

Joey's eyes widened slightly "You're leaving too?"

"Someone has to go negotiate with the thieves, and Mr. doppelganger over there has to stay here to take care of the kingdom... and YOU."

"But this isn't usually you're thing. I thought you were gonna stay here and insult me and junk."

"Shows how much you know, doesn't it, Blondie?" Kaiba asked, crossing one leg over the other, giving a sarcastic smirk.

"Ah, yes, a shame his intelligence is not as bountiful as his colorful personality..." Seth said, running a hand along the bandages, purposefully slowing down and lingering on his buttocks, giving a very light squeeze. Joey had the fight the urge to jump away. he jerked his head around, clenching a fist.

"Hey! Watch what you're squeezing, you-you-you hentai you!"

"What does 'hentai' mean?" Seth asked, looking confused.

"In our language, it means 'pervert'" Seto clarified.

"Oh" he said simply, with a shrug, neither denying not confirming his status as a pervert. Joey scowled at the Egyptian before turning his attention back to his modern counterpart "Kaiba don't leave me alone with this guy, he'll DO stuff to me, he already pins me to walls and tries to make out with me, who KNOWS what he'll do to me like THIS!"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Seth smiled innocently "I have no idea what he's talking about. He must be hallucinating from the numbing herbs."

"'Uh-huh...Bye Wheeler. I'll be back in a week or so."

"But Kaiba-!" Joey protested.

The billionaire turned to him with a half-smirk "Don't worry Wheeler, I'm sure he won't get TOO rough with you. You ARE injured."

Joey gave out a plaintive, pleading whine not unlike that of a dog. Kaiba stopped and turned at that, looking highly amused. "Did you just WHINE? Okay, that was cute, do it again."

Joey scowled at him "You're a jerk, I hate you."

"Yeah. That's why you sent me Valentines day chocolate."

"Fuck you!"

"Maybe after you're healed..."

"WHAT?"

Kaiba strode out the door without another word. Joey strained his neck trying to peer out the doorway

"HEY, YOU GET BACK HERE! WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT? GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE YOU RICH, SMUG, HENTAI, DRAGON FETISHIST!"

Seth gave an amused chuckle and patted his charge's shoulder. "Don't worry, Puppy, you're in good hands."

Joey groaned and pouted, "that's what I'm afraid of...

Bakura helped Ryou up onto the saddle of his horse as everyone readied to leave.

"I still think you should stay here. This journey is going to be dangerous" he said for the fith time since Ryou had announced his intentions of accompaniying them on their quest.

"Tea and Tristan are going." the whitenette pointed out. "I never get to go on any of the adventures. Besides, someone has to keep you out of trouble" Ryou said, smirking.

Bakura chuckled, mounting the horse behind Ryou, wrapping an arm around his waist "I am a terrible influence on you. You're getting far too good at smirking mischievously."

"I learned from the best."

"You mean the worst."

"What's the difference?" Ryou asked.

Bakura laughed at that. "Absolutly nothing. So...what do I get if I behave?" Bakura asked, running his hand down Ryou's leg suggestively. Ryou blushed and popped the back of Bakura's hand as Mahaad approached on his horse

"Baka!"

Bakura laughed and returned his hand to his stomach, glancing over at the Magician and his apprentice, who rode behind him, her arms wrapped around his middle.

"Are you ready, wizard?"

"I'm always ready to serve my king."

"Me too!" Mana added, waving her wand above her head before putting it on her back sheathe.

Bakura turned, looking behind him "What about the rest of you?" he asked the guardians as well as Tea, Kaiba, and Tristan. The preists nodded their heads, saying nothing.

"This horse keeps trying to slide me off-Whoa!" Tea said, wobbling as her horse skittered to the side a bit to avoid touching another horse.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Keep a firmer grip on it, let it know who's boss, or it'll throw you."

"Oh, so now you're Mr. expert horse rider?" Tristan asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. My Step-father, Gozaburo made me take extensive riding classes."

"...Oh."

"We're ready" Kaiba said.

"Then let's go, shall we?" Bakura said, taking the reins and clicking his tongue "Nightshade, lets go."

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The stallion whinnied as its master lightly dug his heels into his side and started walking, slowly, knowing he was not meant to flee. Not at the moment at least. Ryou rubbed the side of the horses neck gently.

"Good boy."

The horse snorted and continued walking.

Isis and Kalim watched as the group moved out. Isis gripped Kalim's hand tightly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she heaved a heavy sigh, looking extremely worried.

"They will return, Isis."

"Kalim...I was granted a vision a few moments ago, when we were saying our goodbyes...I didn't bring it up in front of them because I didn't want to affect their journey, but..."

"What was it, Isis?"

The female guardian was silent for a moment before speaking, inhaling deeply.

"Three people leaving today will not return."

"You mean-" he started, his eyes widening with shock.

she turned away "Yes, Kalim."

"Three..." his face fell "Do you know who?" he asked, looking anxious.

"Alas, that part of the vision is closed to me...But I do know how their deaths will come to pass."

"How?"

She turned and faced him, staring up into his eyes. her eyes heavy with the weight of her knowledge "One shall die by anger and in great pain. Another shall die by sacrifice. The last...shall die by betrayal."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"I don't know, Kalim..." she said, wrappng her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. "I don't know..."

Kalim ran a hand over her back soothingly. "Come...let's get back to the students. We have work to do."

Atem, after a few more infusions of medicine, was feeling much better, though he couldn't seem to shake the cough completely. He sat with Yugi in their prison, talking to pass the time. Trying to keep their minds off their current situation, they discussed dueling strategies. So intense was their conversation, neither of them noticed one of the bandits coming into the room until he spoke.

"On your feet, both of you!"

Yugi and Atem stood, keeping their backs to the wall "What do you want?" the pharaoh asked warily, trying to look strong and unshaken for Yugi's sake.

The bandit examined his nails for a moment before looking at them. "We've decided it would be in our best interest to let you out for some exercise...and to prepare a new cell. We don't want you getting sick again or you'll be of no use to us. Now come on before I have to drag you out." He reached into a bag tied to his waist and pulled out four iron chains with cuffs on each end. " step forward so I can put these on...And don't even THINK about trying anything or else we'll be putting you two in SEPERATE cells...with NO guarantee of HIS safety" He added, pointing at Yugi.

Atem nodded his head, looking grim and held out his wrists. The thief bound his wrists and then secured another to his ankles. The chains were long enough to ensure a relatively comfortable stride, but short enough to prevent running. Once Atem was secured, Yugi was next. The thief then tied a rope to their handcuffs and led them down a long hall and up a set of stone stairs. As they reached the top, they were greeted by the sight of about 2 dozen people. The last remaining members of the invasion who had managed to escape or simply hadn't been in the city. Most sat in groups of two or three talking, drinking, or gambling in games of dice to amuse themselves.

The room went quiet as soon as they were noticed. Many of them scowling at the pair. Yugi gulped.

"Uh...hi?"

"Did I say you could talk, runt?" their guard said, , jerking on his chains. Yugi stumbled and hit the floor with a grunt. Several of the thieves laughed. Atem knelt, touching Yugi's shoulder with concern.

"Are you okay, Yugi?"

"I'm fine. I just scraped my knee," he said standing and dusting himself off. Atem turned to the guard "You're a bully! Picking on someone smaller and weaker than yourself...You should be ashamed of yourse-."

:: Smack::

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Atem's eyes bugged out slightly as he was struck, pain and heat stinging his cheek, reddening the handprint left from the backhand.

"YOU will not speak unless you are spoken too, your majesty" he sneered bitterly.

The female bandit from earlier, who was sitting with three other women, stood and walked over, shoving the thief away, "Back off, Cobb, don't damage the merchandise."

"He's a worthless little prick."

"So are you, but we let YOU stay in here."

Several of the nearby bandits 'ooh'd' and snickered at their freinds expense. The woman took the rope tied to their handcuffs and undid the knot, "You two go sit" she ordered, pointing at a low wooden table where she sat with the other women. Two of the women appeared to be twins, around 15. They had piercing green eyes and wore matching tunics with long pants, probably stolen from some rich traveler, the only difference between them was the length of their light brown hair. One wore hers long in a braid tied off with a piece of cloth, the other wore hers short, almost a pixie cut. The third woman was quite old-looking. somewhere in her 60's or 70's. She wore a plain dress and her silvery hair in a loose ponytail.

"So, YOU'RE the Pharaoh?" the old woman asked " Not much to look at are you? You're just a child."

"I'm 19" Atem said.

"You're still a child. And your bed servant looks like he's barely more than a baby."

Yugi blushed hard "The Pharaoh and I are just friends! And I'm 18. I'm just...really short..." He added, looking slightly embarrassed about having to admit to his short stature.

"Ah, a childood plamate then? Heh, well don't worry your head off. You'll grow sooner or later" the old woman said. And you needn't be wary of talking. Cobb is a nasty one, but Renka will keep him in line."

"Renka?"

"The woman who just sent you over here" she clarified "She may a little rough around the edges, but such is the life of a thief. She's really not all that bad."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kahhu. I use to be quite a nortorious thief, but these days I don't get out much. I mostly just stay here and tend to anyone who shows up needing a place to place has been a sanctuary for our kind for a long time...You can call me Granny. Everyone does."

"Okay" Yugi said, grateful that at least one person hadn't shown any animosity towards him or the Pharaoh.

"So, Granny, who are they?" Atem asked, pointing to the twins, who were whispering to each other in hushed voices.

Kahhu looked over at them "Those two are some kids Renka snatched from a slaver a couple years back. Their names are Arrina and Sparin. They don't talk much, so I wouldn't expect to have any conversation out of them. But they're good girls. Best pick-pockets I've seen in 20 years."

The one with the SHort hair, Sparrin looked at Yugi, her eyes narrowed.

"Your hair is like Pharaohs...are you related?"

Yugi shook his head, "No..."

She nodded once and said nothing more. Renka returned, carrying two plates of food. Some sort of roasted meat and various vegetables and fruits.

"Eat up, brats. You'll need your strength."

"Strength for what?" Yugi asked, picking up the piece of meat and biting into it.

"Like I said. You're mine for next few hours. You're going to make yourselves useful and dochores. That means scrubbing the floors, doing the dishes, washing clothes, cooking, and tending to the garden. I'm the one that suggested letting you get some exercise in the first place, so be grateful."

"Yes, Ma'am" Atem said, bowing his head.

"Yeah, thanks" Yugi said, taking another bite of his meat. "This is good. What is this?"

"Roast jackal" Renka said pouring herself some wine from a clay jug on the table. " Dkala caught some skulking around, so he decided to put them to use..."

Yugi and Atem exchanged looks for a moment before shrgging and continuing to eat. Renka nodded in approval. "When you're done eating, you can do the dishes," she said, sipping some more wine. "And then you can scrub the floors."

"But-" Yugi started

"Don't talk with your mouth full" Renka said, puting a finger to his lips" Besides, little manual labor won't kill you."

Granny smiled at Renka as Yugi gulped his food and sighed "yes, Ma'am..."

"You remind me of me when I was your age, Renka...I was a feiry girl too." Renka laid a hand on the old woman's shoulder, smiling warmly "Granny, why don't you keep them distracted with your stories while they work?"

"Aren't you suppose to be keeping an eye on them?" she asked.

"I am. But someone has to mend the mens clothes, and you know how useless they are at doing it themselves. I'll be checking in on them periodically."

"As you wish, Renka" the old thief said, inclining her head. "Careful not to stick yourself on the needles, girls" she said, looking at the twins, who were following Renka as she walked off. "Come on boys," she said Yugi and Atem finished their meal "Dishes to wash, floors to scrub. Get busy before I fry your livers."

Joey sighed, bored out of his mind.

"Ugh...Where's a TV when you need one?" he muttered. He'd give anything to watch some dueling or anime...hell even the news.

"What's a TV?" Seth asked as he finished replacing Joeys bandages.

"It's a box with moving pictures powered by magic that people use for entertainment or informational purposes" Joey said, giving a simple explanation. Seth hmm'd

"Interesting. Jou, may I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"What is this 'valentines day' that Kaiba mentioned earlier?"

"It's a holiday where girls, or boys, give chocolate to guys they like or are married to. Then on White day, the guys are suppose to give THEM chocolate in return."

"What's chocolate?"

"It's a type of candy...A sweet."

"Ah. So, are you and Kaiba married?"

Joey turns his head, startled "What? No!"

"So you're courting?" Seth asked, resisting the urge to laugh at his mortified expression.

"No." Joey repeated, this time somewhat more calmly.

"Then why did you send him chocolate?"

Joey groaned and buried in head in his arms "It's complicated..."

"I see..." Seth said, moving around to sit in front of him "Jou, since you desire to be entertained, Why don't we play a game?"

"Game?" Joey asked, looking confused.

"Do you know what a game is, or is that beyond your intelligence?" Seth asked with a playful smirk.

Joey scowled "I know what a game is, baka, I meant how am I suppose to play a game when I can't move?"

"Movement isn't required for this game. It is called 'Honesty or Action' "

" 'Honesty or Action'?" Joey repeated.

"I ask you honesty or action. If you choose honesty, you must answer a question I ask truthfully, and if you choose action-"

"OH, I GET IT! It's like truth or dare!" Joey said as pieces fell into place "I had no idea the game was THIS old!"

"Is that what they call it in your time?" Seth asked.

"Yeah. It's an okay game. I use to play it all the time when I was a kid. Okay I'm in. Truth or Dare?"

"Honesty."

"Why did you kiss me a few days ago? It was random and weird."

Seth held a hand to his chin, "I should think the answer would be obvious..." He said "As infuriatingly impudent and brazen as you are, I find myself enticed by your beauty, loyalty, and tremendous bravery. It has...been a long time since someone has questioned my authority or intelligence. I find that refreshing and worthy of my attentions. It baffles me that Kaiba does not, since he's my reincarnation."

Joey blushed bright red and looked away, unsure how to react to hearing THAT.

"My turn. Honesty or Action?"

"Uh...dare?"

Seth walked across the room and returned with what looked like some sort of worm.

"Eat this."

Joey blinked Twice. "It's a bug..."

"Your perceptive skills astound me."

"...Seriously? You want me...to eat a bug?"

"Yes."

"What are you, FIVE?" Joey asked, giving him an incredulous look.

"This worm is medicinal, it will speed your healing. I was going to make you eat it anyway, but I thought you would protest less this way."

Joey made a face but popped it into his mouth. He chewed it up, swallowing hard as his tastebuds reeled at the bitter, slimey texture. "Ugh...that was gross..."

"Medicine isn't suppose to taste pleasant" Seth said.

"Touché...Okay, Truth or Dare."

"Action"

Joey thought about what he wanted for several moments before something positively brilliant popped into his mind. He grinned evily.

"I want you look really pissed off and say 'I can't believe I got beaten by a mutt!' all bitter and indignant-like!"

"Why?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it'll amuse me beyond all possible reason."

"You're going to picture Kaiba, saying it, aren't you?"

"Your perceptive skills astound me" Joey said. Seth shrugged as his own words were thrown back at him and did as he was told, summoning a face that looked truly outraged and embittered.

"I can't believe I was beaten by a mutt!" he bellowed, sounding enraged.

Joey burst into laugher, cackling like a mad hen.

"HHAHA-ouch! HAHAH-OW, DAMN THAT HURTS! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! OUCH! OH MY GOD THAT WAS AWESOME! HAHAHAA-OUCH!"

"You've wanted to hear him say that for a while, havn't you?" Seth asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, you have NO idea!" Joey said as his laughter finaly subsided. "Man, I could KISS you right now..."

Seth smirked, "I suppose that would be acceptable" he said, leaning forward and pressing his lips to the blondes.

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Joey froze, all laughter gone. He wanted to resist and push him away, but his now sore injuries made that impossible. And he HAD said he 'could kiss him.'

Obviously Seth had no clue about figures of speech. At least none of his modern ones.

'Seth HAS been doing a pretty good job treating my injuries...Just one little kiss won't kill me, right?' he mused, closing his eyes.

Seth inwardly grinned when the blonde didn't resist. He deepened the kiss, running a hand through Joey's soft, if tangled, mane of yellow tresses while the other cupped his cheek gently. Joey subcounciously leaned into the warm touch. After several long moments, Seth finaly pulled away, giving a quiet chuckle at the slightly dazed expression on the 'puppy's' face as he muttered a breathless "Wow..."

"Are my kisses that good?" Seth asked with a smirk.

Joey blinked and looked away from the priest, he face bright red, furrowing his brow.

"Go away."

"Don't be like that. You're the one that said I could kiss you, remember?"

"It was a figure of speech" Joey said, refusing to look at him.

"Well, you didn't seem to be objecting," Seth said, straightening in his seat.

"Yeah, like I could do anything with all these bandages" Joey said stubbornly "Besides, you're not THAT good."

Seth smirked, but said nothing "Shall we continue our game?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna take a nap. Go away and molest someone else, dress boy." Joey said, laying his head in his arms. Seth rose "very well, I have things I need to do anyway. If you need anything, call one of the servants and they'll tend to you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever" Joey said waving him off. As soon as the door clicked shut, he yawned. "Man, why did Kaiba have to leave me here with that guy? What a jerk! What's the point of Shadi even bringing me here if I can't help the Pharaoh? All I can do is sit here and do nothing..." He groaned, wanting to roll over and stare at the ceiling, but settling for the floor. Eventually his eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep.

Atem wiped some sweat from his brow as he scrubbed the floor with the brush, pieces of crude soap caked under his nails as he and Yugi cleaned. Thankfully, they were nearly done. And Granny's stories kept his mind occupied And she didn't mind answering any questions they asked. She had been quite the troublemaker in her youth! Her stories were full of grand thefts from rich lords, murder, crafty escapes, and even seduction to distract guards or shopkeepers.

"...and so after that, I drugged his wine and robbed him of everything but his shendyt. I almost wish I'd been there to see him wake up..." the old woman giggled. "He really had it coming, the no good horse-breeder. You can bet that was the last time he ever showed his face in the marketplace!"

"What happened after that, Granny?" Yugi asked as he scrubbed.

"Well, after that, I sold off the horses to the highest bidders and made quite a comfortable living for myself for a good few months" she said.

Renka bustled into the room, looking over their work "That's good enough. You can take a short break before starting on the laundry with me and the girls."

Atem and Yugi sighed and leaned against the wall, putting their brushes into their water buckets.

"That was exhausting..."

"Who knew how many floors NEEDED to be scrubbed...?"

Renka rolled her eyes, smirking "Pampered palace boys...Bet you've got blisters too, don't you?"

Atem glanced down at his hands, seeing several small fluid-filled pockets of skin.

"Uh..."

"Typical" she said, putting her hands on her hips," Go to the girls, they're in the kitchen. They'll treat your hands. After you've rested a bit, we start on the laundry."

Yugi sighed as He and Atem rose to their feet, his spine giving several pooping sounds as he straightened, his chains rattling as he stretched his arms over his head "Oh...that's better..."

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Atem lingered, looking up at the tall woman as Yugi headed for the door.

"Coming Pharaoh?"

"In a moment. I'll catch up, Yugi" he said. Yugi shrugged, grabbing the backets and carrying them out the door.

Atem walked over to the 30-something year old woman "Renka?"

She glanced at him, looking bored "What is it?"

"I...I just want to Thank you."

She raised an eyebrow "Thank me? For what?"

"For being so kind to me and Yugi."

She scoffed "I'm not being kind. I'm just making sure you don't get sick again. What's the use of ransoming a sick Pharaoh? Now go before I beat your backside with a strap of leather."

Atem merely smiled, and walked down the hall, undiscouraged. Maybe she was just making sure he didn't get sick again, but kindness was kindness, no matter what or who was the source. Perhaps being held prisoner wasn't the worst thing in the world after all.

As he turned the corner, Atem caught Cobb watching him from the corner of his eye, standing in the doorway to the main interaction room. Turning his head to get a better look, a cold, icy glare greeted him, sending a shiver down his spine. Atem quickened his pace.

Then again, he'd been wrong before...

He sincerely hoped Cobb was never put in charge of 'watching' Yugi and himself during their next 'exercise' time. Cob gave him a bad feeling. And Atem trusted his feelings.

End of Chapter Thirteen

phew! this was exhausting...slightly short, but way longer than my last chapter!

hope you guys liked it!