Here's the next chapter.

Enjoy.

~~∞∞Ω∞∞~~

Chapter 27

~~∞∞Ω∞∞~~

"It was a few hundred years when someone was out hunting and saw us. That's when people started with the sacrifices. They would be chained to poles that use to sit out the front of the tunnel. We refused the sacrifices and stole their animals as retaliation. They soon added animals to the sacrifices. We would release the human sacrifices but we learned that they were stoned to death when they returned to their village so we would knock them out and then killed them so they felt no pain. It was a painless death to what they would have faced if we let them go. We buried the sacrifices out of the tunnels, it was the least we could do for them." Atemu said.

"We soon had people coming to try and kill us. Those were the bones you found in the temple. They were trying to kill us so we killed them and left their bodies in the temple for others to see if they tried to kill us." Mariku said.

"It didn't work though. So for the next few thousand years the attacks kept happening and with the attacks so did the sacrifices in the hopes of an apology. We soon grew tired of it and found a way to hide the temple. We destroyed the poles and made the entrance become a rock face so they would get confused and it worked." Akefia said.

Mariku and Akefia's behaviour had changed as soon as they started the story. It showed the boys that they weren't as cold as they portrayed to them earlier.

"After a few hundred years we made the entrance visible again but kept the statues covered in sand. We then continued to live like we use to. The humans had forgotten about the naga's and on a scouting mission it seemed they never ventured into this part of the dessert ever again. We over heard children talking in a village and it seemed it was forbidden to enter our area of the dessert. This meant we could hunt without the chance of being seen." Atemu said.

"That's all you need to know for now." Akefia said, his cold facade reappearing.

"I do have one question." Yugi said.

"Yes?" Atemu asked, curious.

"What about the princesses skin? Did Seth find out what happened?"

Ryou and Malik looked at Atemu who sighed.

"Yes he did. It turns out my uncle knew of the princess coming and didn't inform anyone and he sneaked her into the palace before he killed her."

"Shouldn't he have known that would lead to war?" Malik asked.

"He knew and wanted that to happen. He wanted me killed in the war so Seth would take the throne. He just didn't foresee us actually surviving and finding out why there was a war. Seth had his father executed for his crime. It took a big toll on Seth to do that but he pulled through. He made a good pharaoh and his husband and son were lovely."

"How do you know that?" Yugi asked.

"We turned into snakes. It's not hard to get into the palace and into the Pharaoh's chambers after that." Akefia smirked.

"You snuck into the palace?" Malik asked surprised.

"Yeah you should have seen the surprise on Seth and his husbands face the first time we got in." Mariku said as he and Akefia cackled.

Ryou, Malik and Yugi only stared at them wondering of their sanity. Atemu shook his head at the two. He was surprised he was still sane after being around those two for so long.

"So any other questions?" Atemu asked.

"Yeah how did you survive for those few hundred years when you made the cave tunnels disappear?" Malik asked.

"We still hunted but stayed in snake form and to a regular size snakes normally are." Atemu answered.

"And we ate each kill where we caught it because how we got out of here was way too small for our catch to be brought back in." Akefia said.

"Oh."

"So ... ah... what happens now?" Yugi asked, before he yawned and then coughed.

Malik patted his back in the hopes to make his coughing stop. Yugi breathed deeply as soon as his coughing finished.

"Well it's almost night fall so dinner then bed." Atemu said.

Atemu slide over and stocked up the fire before leaving with Akefia and Mariku to go get the food. Malik waited a few minutes before climbing out of the bed and crept over to the entrance.

"Malik!" Ryou hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing if the coast is clear."

"Malik if we go now, I'll get worse." Yugi said hoping to stop Malik.

"Fine we'll stay a few days. It gives me time to plan."

Ryou gave Yugi a look while Malik was looking out the entrance. Both knew an escape attempt was going to end badly.

~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~

After dinner it was time to go to bed. Yugi was scared to share the bed with Atemu. He didn't know Atemu at all and the thought of sharing a bed with him didn't appeal to Yugi. The others had gone so it was just the two of them. Atemu sensed his nerves and had no idea what to do to calm him.

"Yugi I'm not going to hurt you. You can say what is on your mind."

"I..."

"It's alright."

"I'm scared."

"Of me." Yugi nodded. "We aren't going to hurt any of you."

"But the white haired naga said he was going to change us."

"It was an empty threat. I won't let him do that to any of you. Well unless you want it of course." Yugi quickly shook his head. "Didn't think so."

"So does it actually get warmer down here at all or is it always so cold."

"No it's not always this cold. It's our cooler months right now. It will become warmer in here in a few months. But we have a room which is always warm. We are half snakes so we need heat to keep us going. That's also why we have a fire."

"Can we go there?"

"How about tomorrow morning and you can spend all day there?"

Yugi nodded and smiled. "Yes please. It's so cold here." Yugi said and shivered.

"May I see how hot you are?"

Yugi looked at him before nodding Atemu got up from where he was cleaning the dishes and moved over. Atemu climbed onto the bed and moved beside Yugi who stared at him or more his tail. Atemu placed his hand gently against Yugi's forehead to get his temperature before pulling back.

"Well you've cooled down slightly so the extra heat will help." Atemu noticed Yugi was still staring at his tail. "You can touch it if you like."

Yugi jumped slightly at the suggestion. He looked at Atemu unsure before reaching out and touching the side of his tail before jumping back. Atemu chuckled and moved the end of his tail around laid it across his lap so Yugi could just touch the end of it. Yugi reached out again and felt the end of his tail and stroked it the way the scales were going. Yugi shivered slightly but not cause of his sickness but the feel of the scales. They felt slimy even though they weren't. They were also very cool against Yugi's skin.

"So?"

"They feel slipper, slimy and cool."

Atemu chucked. "I guess they are aren't they. We better get some sleep, especially you."

Yugi nodded and curled up under the covers while Atemu slid underneath the covers and stayed well over on his side. Yugi shivered slightly at the cool air getting underneath before settling down and slowly falling asleep. Atemu smiled as he closed his eyes and watched the fire die down to hot glowing ambers.

~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~ End of Chapter 27 ~~∞Ω∞Ω∞~~

Hope you liked it. Please review.