TWO HEARTS, ONE PUZZLE

Hey guys! Here's a new chapter! I'm sorry if it feels like the story is progressing really slowly, because it kinda is. Don't think I forget about this though even if I don't update fast T-T LIFE. UGH. STOP KEEPING ME FROM DOING THINGS.

Disclaimers: I. DO. NOT. OWN. YUGIOH. Why would anyone think I own it seriously.

Inspiration from two authors on ! Check the first chapter for their usernames. Too lazy to post them here.

Announcer voice: Rated M for mature themes and graphic content in later chapters. Contains BoyxBoy don't like don't read yadayadayadaokwhateveryouguysknowallaboutitalready letsjustgetthisfuckingshowontheroadshallwe

Chapter 8: Familiar Faces

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Yugi's mind wandered as he dressed the Pharaoh, attaching his cape to his shoulders and letting it flow out behind him. His meeting with the strange man Shadi yesterday left the slave boy with many questions and doubts that clouded his mind. His hands worked slowly as his thoughts made him lethargic, and he trailed his fingertips along the fabric of the Pharaoh's clothing.

How could I be part of some ancient prophecy…I never even saw the Pharaoh in person before all these weird events. We're totally different classes, he and I…and yet…

A finger lingered on the Pharaoh's chest as his mind raced.

And yet I'm told we're connected…

Yugi immediately realized what he was doing and stepped away, kneeling as the Pharaoh turned around in front of his mirror, as if he didn't even notice the simple gesture. He found it hard to breathe all the same, knowing he would be punished for such an action. But Atem didn't seem to care as his own mind was drowned in his plans for today. The boy had to be broken. This prophecy nonsense was starting to get to him. Glancing over his physique, the Pharaoh saw the boy behind him in the mirror on one knee, eyes to the ground. His little innocent face made his blood boil.

A worthless peasant! A slave! Nothing but filth beneath my feet! Not even close to the same plane as I, a great Pharaoh chosen by the gods. He clutched the puzzle around his neck. Why would the ancient and powerful millennium items choose him? Why would they send me his image in my dreams? It makes no sense… a stern scowl covered his face. I WILL end him and all this foolishness. I don't need to be completed. I am the Pharaoh! I am all powerful and nothing shall stand between me and my absolute rule over all!

He pivoted on one foot to stare down at the boy. "I am going to the fields and construction sites today. You will accompany me."

Yugi tensed.

"I want to personally check the progress my slaves have been doing in erecting my glorious monuments," Atem stated plainly as he grabbed Yugi's copper chain and headed for the door, tugging him along. But he stopped as he reached the door.

"There is one condition you must follow, boy."

Yugi quivered, dreading the words the Pharaoh would say next.

"You will not speak to any of the slaves, including your...friends. You will not acknowledge them in any way. If they speak to you, you will ignore them. If you choose to disobey me…" a dark smile playing its way across his face as he turned to face the boy staring down. "They will be killed on the spot."

The boy's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. Atem felt the muscles in the slave boy's throat clench through the chain around his neck. His smile deepened as he whispered cruelly in Yugi's ear, taunting venom dripping from his voice.

"But you'll never see them again, so why bother?"

His words tortured Yugi by their painful truth. He bit his lip as he was dragged out of the Pharaoh's room and down the hall to the main corridor of the palace where the golden litter sat waiting along with several guards, all kneeling. Atem stepped into his litter, still holding Yugi's chain, and sat while the servants picked up the litter onto their backs, grunting as they did so. Two guards walked in front and two walked in back, protecting the Pharaoh. Yugi followed alongside the litter, held in place beside it by his chain that passed through the red curtain covering the door side, as the Pharaoh was carried out of the palace and into the daylight. The harsh sunlight made Yugi squint and bring a hand up to block his face from the burning rays. Peering through his fingers, Yugi could see out over the vast desert full of structures, monuments and statues of the Pharaoh and those before him, including the many pyramids dotting the landscape with their enormous, towering figures. Many were half finished, and filling the empty sandy space between them were thousands of slaves, toiling in the heat and humidity of the afternoon. They carried loads of sand, mud and water on their backs back and forth across miles of wasteland to the working sites. Guards stood watching, whips and blades in hand ready to strike down anyone who fell down on the job. The cruel ones sometimes did so without cause, just to see the slaves fall for their own enjoyment. Influenced by the power given to them by the Pharaoh, so many slaves had fallen to their sense of humor. Some looked up at the procession, noticing Yugi and some recognizing him. A few scowled while others gave looks of pity. But they continued on, most hunched over by the weight on their backs and the stiffness in their legs. Yugi cringed as they passed them, reminded of his own suffering working alongside them before as well as his friends who were out there somewhere, still being forced to build these monuments day in and day out. He felt guilty being chosen to serve the Pharaoh and saved from the working life of a lower class slave. Not that his new life was much better, but he still felt as if he had abandoned the people he knew and loved so much. The boy hung his head as they moved on.

My friends…

The very thought of Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu nearly brought tears to his eyes. Pharaoh's words still lingered around his head, tearing at his heart which so longed to speak with them again. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. Yugi would never do anything to put his friends' lives in danger, even if that meant losing what was probably his last chance to talk to them forever. He always believed that even a slave's life was meaningful, and that they should never give up hope like many others had, refusing to work or eat and being beaten to death by the guards. Many drowned themselves in the Nile and others stole weapons from guards to impale on themselves. But Yugi wanted to survive. He had a purpose, a reason. His friends kept him going. As long as he was alive, Yugi would do everything in his power to protect them.

As the procession of the Pharaoh continued across the hot sand that burned the bottoms of Yugi's feet, more faces turned to notice. Every guard bowed their heads or kneeled to the Pharaoh, and most of the slaves did the same. The air was filled with the eerie yet familiar sound of shouting and whips cracking over the backs of those who refused to show respect to the king. Yugi tried not to flinch as they continued onward.

Peering through the thin material of the cloth separating the Pharaoh from his personal slave, Atem closely examined Yugi's reactions as they proceeded, noticing his apparent twitching at the familiar sounds of slave life.

This might be easier than I thought…

The group reached the base of a half-finished pyramid, set to be a new treasure trove for the Pharaoh's vast riches. At the moment, it looked like a mesa; flat on the top and only half the height it should be. Slaves worked all around it on scaffolding that wobbled and shook as they rushed across them. At the base, some were making the mud for the bricks and carrying finished ones to adhesive in place on the soon-to-be pyramid. Yugi watched as his own people were forced to mix the mud and sand together in huge pits with their feet and haul tens of bricks at a time up the treacherous steps to the top of the monument. Children and the elderly were no exception and were often picked on the most by the guards. Many were short of breath and all were sweating under the burning Egyptian sun, and Yugi noticed several fall and be whipped until they rose once more and continued on, usually without a word of retaliation.

"Halt."

The guards and litter stopped near the entrance to the tomb, and Yugi assisted Atem out of his golden box. The slave boy expected to be yanked along with the Pharaoh as per usual. But instead, the Pharaoh took his chain and attached it to the litter, which remained where it was. He was now locked to the box, unable to move more than three feet in any direction.

"Your presence is unnecessary inside. Stay here until I return," Atem ordered, to which Yugi slowly nodded, eyes fixed anywhere but the kind's face. But the Pharaoh wasn't finished, as Yugi quickly found out, and he moved toward him suddenly, placing his lips near the boy's ears as a terrible smile crept across his face. "And don't forget what I said earlier. That is, unless you want your friends to die with you to blame."

The last sentence made Yugi bite his lip, careful not to let the Pharaoh notice but enough to try and distract himself from the thought of what the king would do to his friends if he caught him talking to them. With a smirk, Atem turned letting his flowing cape trail behind him as two of the six guards who walked in front accompanied him. Yugi was left at the litter as the other guards took a break and wandered off, some going to talk to other guards at their posts. Without shade, the slave boy began to melt in the intense heat and was again reminded of his life before being chosen as the Pharaoh's personal slave. A hand came up to wipe his brow of sweat, but it didn't help since his hands and palms were sweaty too. His body ached remembering the manual labor, day after day in the sun, and for a moment was actually thankful to the Pharaoh for taking him away from that life. But he dismissed the feeling as he remembered that the Pharaoh was the one putting all the people through this ridiculous work creating monuments and temples in his own name. Yugi felt conflicted; from the moment the Pharaoh saw his face and was brought to serve him, Yugi wanted to go back to his friends and work in the fields and mud alongside them. But now, seeing the people, his people, worked to death, he didn't want to go back to that life, despite the mental and physical torment of working for the Pharaoh. His heart was torn in two, between what he believed was his own selfish wish and the friends he loved so much. Yugi sat down, the chain becoming taught just as his behind touched the sand, and he buried his head in his knees, strangely praying for the Pharaoh to return quickly so that they could return to the palace. With each passing second, he worried more and more his friends might-

"Is that Yugi? Hey, Yugi!"

Oh Ra…please…no…

Risking a glance, Yugi peered up from his knees to see Jonouchi running over to him, Anzu and Honda close behind. Yugi's heart fluttered and quickly sank as his entire body clamped up, almost shutting down. His mind begged him to shout out to them, to embrace them and shed tears of joy seeing that they were alright. But he knew he couldn't. As per Pharaoh's orders…

Yugi turned away.

Jonouchi reached him first, beaming and sweating from work and running, his face covered in mud and sand. Yugi would have seen this and the happiness in the older's eyes if he could have met his gaze, but he strayed his eyes away. The golden haired boy looked down at him sitting against the litter, half out of breath.

"Yugi! Oh…thank the gods you're alright! We were so worried about you!"

Yugi ignored him.

Anzu and Honda came running up behind him, also out of breath and with huge smiles on their faces.

"Oh, Yugi!" Anzu exclaimed. "You're alive! Honda told us what you did for him back at the palace." She wrapped her arms around the boy. "You were so brave…standing up to the Pharaoh like that…you could have been killed! Honda was so worried, he thought you had been killed because of him…he was beating himself up over it…"

Yugi gave no response. His gaze affixed away from them, the boy showed no reaction to his friend's touch.

The girl noticed and pulled away a bit, still holding him. "Yugi…what's wrong?"

He held back painful tears.

Jonouchi grabbed him by the shoulders, hard. "Yugi! Talk to us!" He yanked the boy up, making the chain around his neck rattle. Jonouchi and Anzu noticed it.

"What the…" Anzu touched the copper links gently. "What's the meaning of this? It's like…he's the Pharaoh's pet now…Does he make you wear this, Yugi?"

Yugi couldn't answer. Tears began to well up in his eyes despite his own objection. Such kind friends he had, willing to risk their own punishment of leaving their work site to come see him. And yet he couldn't even thank them. He couldn't even greet them. His dear friends…the ones who kept him alive all this time…he had to pretend they didn't exist…

Honda came up and touched Yugi's face, trying to get him to look at him but to no avail as Yugi kept his line of vision far away from his friends. His usually gruff tone of voice was suddenly quiet.

"Yugi…what has he done to you…?"

The slave boy wanted to desperately to push them away and send them back to their work. It would be so much better for them if they just left…but they wouldn't. They didn't know…if only he could tell them… It was tearing him apart to act this way to them, but he had no choice…

And at that moment Yugi's whole body tensed up and his eyes filled with fear as out of the corner of his eye he saw the Pharaoh staring directly at him from the entryway of the uncompleted tomb. His mind screamed at him to push his friends aside and let them escape, but he knew that would only make the situation worse. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face as the Pharaoh moved toward him and the others who still hadn't noticed his presence. Yugi could hear their voices faintly, as if they were miles away, trying to get him to talk. But to the very end, Yugi obeyed his orders. His eyes closed and he tried to stop his tears as the footsteps of the Pharaoh grew ever louder in his ears.

Did he see everything? Will he kill them even though I didn't acknowledge them? Oh Gods…please…let my friends live…if not myself then please save them…

Yugi turned these thoughts over and over in his mind as he waited for the crack of the whip on him or his friends. Or something even worse, coming from the Pharaoh. But when he heard nothing he peeked an eye open to see the Pharaoh standing in front of him, his face red with rage. It was as if a god's anger had overflowed into him. All sounds disappeared as he watched the Pharaoh backhand each of his friends who fell to the ground. He kicked them, brutally. He was sure there were cries of pain but he couldn't hear. Yugi's brain was screeching for him to help them, but his body wouldn't move. Not only because of the chain, but because if he did, he would be acknowledging them. As he turned away from the scene, he was sure he felt his heart become stone. Tears fell and evaporated on the burning sand.

But something managed to break through the barrier of sound that blocked Yugi's hearing. A simple phrase but an extremely reassuring one.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Suddenly, all was clear in Yugi's ears and he heard the frantic footsteps of his friends running away back to the fields. He let out a small sigh.

Thank the gods…

But Yugi had forgotten the Pharaoh was standing right beside him and he was suddenly grabbed by his tunic with one hand and lifted off his feet. His eyes met the Pharaoh's which were almost blood red and he had the most menacing scowl upon his face.

"Why…Why didn't you disobey me?!" He boomed, causing Yugi to wince, slightly confused. "Even like this, you would ignore your only friends just to save them?!"

He threw Yugi down, causing the chain to become undone from the litter and smacking him in the face as it detached. He rolled over onto his back, as he was breathing so hard he might inhale the sand. But Yugi yelped as the Pharaoh's foot was pressed harshly down on his ribcage, nearly to the point where he was sure it would crack. Atem grabbed him by the throat and dug his fingernails into the side of his neck, nearly drawing blood. The slave boy tried to cough but found his airway restricted, and he began to turn pale as the oxygen drained from his head.

"You worthless little runt…filthy, useless slave! I've had enough! You've angered me far too often, boy! You will learn your place and feel the hell of my wrath!"

He let go of Yugi and got off of him just before the boy was about to pass out. He lay on the hot sand, not even caring about the burning sensation he felt on his back, as his vision went cloudy and sounds were deafened. He could barely make out the Pharaoh yelling at his guards and pointing at his motionless body lying on the ground before feeling himself being lifted up harshly, hands shackled behind his back. Unable to walk on his own, he was half carried and half dragged across the sandy fields away from the Pharaoh. He used the last bit of his strength to look back and try to see his friends. But they were already long gone. He felt his body give out and he went limp, hearing the Pharaoh scream in anger in the distance before falling into empty darkness as he was dragged away, unsure if he would wake again.

End Chapter

JAPAN IS VERY DISTRACTING YOU GUYS XD

Sorry about the short chapter. Eventually getting through to the plot. Eventually.

Atem: THAT DAMN SLAVE HOW DARE HE DEFY ME LIKE THAT

Writer: Uh…Pharaoh he did as you ordered…

Atem: SILENCE. DO NOT QUESTION ME

Writer: *throws up hands* Ooooooookay then *whispers* Someone's having iiiiiiissues…*wink*

Yugi: WHAT DID I DO T-T oh wait I'm unconscious *falls over*

Soooooo there's a plot here somewhere…lost in Japan…

Stay tuned for the next chapter! Coming out soon!