For Me

Uh, ya. Sorry about the ending to that last chapter. I’m trying to keep the chapters to about 10 pages, and that’s where it stopped. So, once again, thanx for looking. And thanx to lightanddarkness for beta reading this. Oh and Moondalian, you rock for starting a sequal to one of my fav stories. Now if I only knew what happened to Lechan. ‘sniff’ I miss her writing. Okay, enough whining, on with the next chap.

“Blah” - talking
‘blah’ - thinking


Atemu moaned, he was in so much pain. His tormentor was flaying him alive. There was no part on his body that was not on fire.

In the hour that he was tied to this bed, he had been bitten in several places, burned, and now the man was intent on whipping the skin off of his back side from his shoulders to his ankles.

CRACK!!

Atemu’s eyes shot open and he screamed into the gag over his mouth, as the whip came down again. He could feel the blood running, from the wounds on his body, into the silken sheets below. His head still hurt from where his uncle had whacked him with his staff, hard enough to knock him out. It was a low blow; he didn’t even see it coming. How typical of Akunadin.

“You deserve this, half breed! You belong to me! Not that snot nosed, half breed little shit. He couldn’t handle you. But I can. You deserve this punishment, my little beauty.” His tormentor said, whipping him again…

Back at the meeting place, Jou was showing the others what he had found. It was Atemu’s golden earring. Found on the second floor of the east wing.

‘East wing, second floor, what’s up th…?!’ “Oh shit!’ Seto cried. ”I think I know where he is, and who’s with him! We haven’t got any time!”

“Jou, stay with Yugi. And Tell. Him!” Seto shouted, sprinting down the hall, the others not far behind.

“No way, I’m going too…” Yugi started running before Jou pulled him back.

“Yugi this is important! Did Atemu ever tell you why we were in the human kingdom?”

“No, he never mentioned it, why? Let me go! I want to see him!” Yugi pulled at Jou’s hand.

“Stop! Listen to me! I don’t know what the others are going to find, okay. Let them go first. Yugi, we were there because someone is after Atemu. H-he wants to rape him. Do you remember reading about Aemoha’s rape law?”

Yugi stopped pulling, and nodded.

“Well, whoever this guy is, he’ll end up getting two kingdoms if he bonds with Atemu. Atemu didn’t want to tell you. He thought that you might go through with the bonding out of pity, not love.” Jou said, running a hand through his blonde hair.

“I never… I swear he’s too stubborn! I was going to tell him that I love him. I just needed to get up the courage. Jou, please, no more. I want to see him. Now. Let. Me. Go!” Yugi said as he wrenched his arm free of Jou’s grasp and took off.

“Wait! You don’t even know where they went.” Jou shouted after him.

Yugi skidded to a stop. “And you do?”

“I think so. Come on, I’ll tell you the rest on the way.”

They took off running.

Atemu’s tormentor had just forced himself into the unconscious boy beneath him. Loving the feeling of being sheathed inside such tight warmth. He used only minimal lubrication, wanting to cause as much pain as possible. He loved the way the prince looked, writhing on the bed as he whipped him. He was going to have to punish his new toy often.

Just as soon as he finished breaching the boy, he would bring this to the council’s attention. He would just have to risk the small punishment for his new toy being underage. He should have done this sooner.

‘Then I wouldn’t have to kill the other little half breed.’ He thought viciously. ‘Then again, who said I can’t have two toys to play with. I’ll be the most powerful man in two kingdoms!’

He didn’t even get the chance to finish breaching the prince. As at that time, a blast of magic blew the doors off of their hinges.

“Father!” Seto yelled, aiming the next blast straight at the man buried within his cousin. The blast slammed into Atemu’s tormentor, knocking him out of the boy, and into the wall behind him.

“How could you? I knew that you were low, but this?” Seto had never been so pissed off. He had always hated the man claiming to be his father. This man had ruined his life, now he was trying to ruin his young cousin’s life too.

“You’re too late, son.” Akunadin sneered. “I’ve breached him, now the council will have to join us.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t finish the job asshole!” Marik smirked at him from the shadows by the door.

“You won’t touch him again! Not if I can help it!” Bakura added, stepping up to stand beside Marik.

Then, the two of them launched themselves at the man. Blood flew as the two friends ganged up on Atemu’s attacker. The three of them rolled around on the floor, each grabbing for any body part they could get their hands on. Akunadin shook off his attackers, and was able to gain some distance between them and him. He proved that with age came at least some wisdom, as he took off for the window.

“This is far from over!” Akunadin yelled as he crashed through the glass.

“Catch him before he…” Seto yelled. But neither Bakura nor Marik were fast enough to catch the bastard before he opened his wings and flew away.

“You do realize that he’s gone for backup.” Bakura commented.

“Yes, I do.” Seto was busy trying to untie Atemu from the bed. It was making him physically sick, seeing what that man had done to his cousin. Ryou and Malik were too stunned to move from their positions by the door. Somewhat resembling fish, as they opened and closed their mouths.

“Oh, my… Atemu!” Yugi screamed. Making his way to the bed, he dropped to his knees, his fingers ghosting over his love’s face. Tears were running down his cheeks, as he felt for a pulse.

There it was. Not very strong, but steady, at least.

“Do you love him?” Seto asked, quietly.

“What?”

“Do you love him?” he asked again as he covered his cousin with a sheet.

“Y-yes, I l-love him s-so much.” Yugi sobbed.

“Good, because, as I see it, you have two choices. Either walk out that door, and don’t look back… or we perform a bonding ceremony, with Ryou standing in for Atemu.” Seto said softly, as he picked his unconscious cousin up gently into his arms.

“Then do it already! And afterwards, I want a full accounting of what the hell is going on here!” Yugi snarled.

“Little Yugi is coming into his own, finally. Good, Atemu is going to need your anger for him, little Yugi.” Marik commented cryptically.

Marik and Malik left them to find Siamun so he could perform the ritual. At least the old man could keep his mouth shut, and he had extensive medical knowledge. Ryou left for more bandages, and Bakura had said something about retrieving the rings for the ceremony, from Atemu’s room.

Two hours later, Yugi was resting on the bed, with his new aibou nestled on top of his body. The damage to Atemu’s body was horrifying. He had teeth marks on his neck, ears, chest, and even his penis was black and blue with marks on it. Burn marks had decorated his thighs and flank. And so many lash marks that Ryou had given up counting, as he cleaned and bandaged what he couldn’t outright heal.

IVs ran into both hands pumping in medicine and blood, as well as the fluids that Atemu would need in the coming days.

“This reminds me of the medicine in the human world.” Yugi commented as he stroked his unconscious lover’s cheek.

“Where do you think they learned it from?” Ryou replied as he bandaged yet another open wound.

“Why can’t we just combine our magic, and heal him fully?” Yugi asked.

“Magic doesn’t work that way, young prince.” Siamun answered him. ‘We have healed the burns, as they were injuries caused by magic. The other injuries will have to heal naturally.”

Everyone was exhausted. The ritual, the healing, both had taken a toll on the group’s strength. But until Akunadin was found or he showed up for a fight, no one was leaving the room. Food had been sent up, but it was currently lying, untouched, on the table.

Yugi was shocked, to say the least. That Atemu could keep such a big secret for so long. The group had traded stories, piecing together events that had led up to this afternoon.

Something that Yugi’s grandfather had said long ago ran through his head over and over again. The elder Motou had told him that some people responded to others the way that they wanted someone to respond to them. Like those who would constantly protect someone else would do it because, in reality, they needed someone to protect them. It didn’t really make sense to him at the time. Now it did. Atemu was doing for Yugi what he wished someone would do for him.

Now it was too late. No one had made the connections that needed to be made. And his new aibou was going to pay for their mistakes.

“He’s going to be different when he wakes up, isn’t he?” Yugi asked.

“Maybe. No matter how he changes, he’ll still beat himself up over this. He doesn’t like mistakes. Especially when he’s the one who makes them.” Jou replied.

“It’ll take all of us to get him back to himself.” Seto replied.

A knock sounded at the door. Marik answered it.

A dozen or so guards entered the room, closely followed by the rest of the council members. And Akunadin, bringing up the rear.

“I’ve come for my mate.” He sneered.

Seto helped Yugi out from under Atemu.

“He’s not your mate! And he won’t ever be! Ever! We’re bonded! He’s mine now! And I won’t let you touch him!” Yugi snarled. “You had no right to do what you did. And you have no right to come in here and disturb us.”

While Yugi was yelling, Marik, Bakura and Jou were moving slowly towards Akunadin. Until they were halted by the guards’ swords.

“Nuts!” Marik said under his breath.

“Is this true?” Mahado asked Seto.

“Yes, we performed the ritual after we found out that Akunadin had attacked Prince Atemu.” Seto replied.

“I breached him, he belongs to me!” Akunadin yelled.

Yugi comforted Atemu when he flinched at Akunadin’s raised voice. He was torn between staying with his aibou, and going over to bitch-slap the man who had caused his love’s condition. Comforting Atemu won out over the need to inflict bodily injury, but only just.

“You did no such thing! You were beating him when I got there.” Seto refuted Akunadin’s claim.

“Liar!!” Akunadin roared.

“It doesn’t matter now, anyways.” Mahado pointed out. “He’s bonded now, his aibou has been chosen.”

“Bullshit!” Akunadin lunged for Yugi. Bakura and Marik tackled the irate man to the floor. Throwing punches when they found an opening.

“Take him to the dungeon. For attempted assassination of His Royal Highness, Prince Atemu.” Siamun commanded the guards.

The guards lifted the snarling man. Five of them were needed to subdue the snarling, thrashing man and carry him out of the room.

“Make sure his punishment is severe! We will decide when his execution is, when the prince wakes up.” Siamun told the head guard, with an evil grin.

“With pleasure, Lord Siamun.” The head guard saluted him. Akunadin’s rants and threats were heard as the guards forcefully escorted him out of the room and down the hall.

Seto helped Yugi slide back under his unconscious mate. As he lay there, he thought about his new aibou’s wounds. His physical wounds would scar over and heal. It was the mental wounds that he was worried about.


The next two weeks were a blur for Yugi. He had barely moved, except for bathroom breaks. And when the others would force him to eat or walk around. He was caught up in his memories from when Atemu had entered his life. He had never seen such a strong willed person in his life.

The teenaged prince had saved his ass so many times. Protecting Yugi with his voice, as well as his body. Usually, all it took was a couple of words and the bullies left him alone. On top of his being a teacher, his commanding presence was usually enough to terrify the bullies. A few times, though, Atemu had stepped in and took blows meant for him. Then he’d retaliate by pushing the aggressor up against the wall and subduing him. He never once had used his full strength. Always believed in fighting fair.

But he didn’t trust Yugi enough to let him in on this massive secret he had kept. It hurt, really. That he was excluded from this information. But Yugi could also understand his point of view. He wouldn’t want to be pitied either. But this was going a bit far.

The others visited frequently. Until Siamun, who had set up camp in the little room, would kick them out to fuss over Atemu.

At three weeks, Atemu still showed no signs of waking. If a voice was raised in his presence, he would twitch, but nothing more. Siamun had said that the prince was stuck inside his own mind, thinking that Akunadin had won. So Yugi would speak soothingly to him. Frequently, he would stroke the other’s face, or a part of his body that was uninjured, like his arms.

His wounds were healing, having scabbed over in the first couple of days. Both Siamun and Yugi were careful to keep him clean, so infection wouldn’t set in.

On the third week, Yugi saw those beautiful ruby eyes for flutter open for the first time.

“Siamun! He’s coming to!” He whispered excitedly.

He watched as Atemu fully opened his eyes for the first time in three weeks. The Aemohan Prince looked around, puzzled.

“You’re in the infirmary. Do you remember what happened?” Yugi questioned his aibou. Atemu shook his head. Then he glanced at Yugi. Remembering what had happened, his crimson eyes widened, and he turned away. He started pushing against Yugi, trying to free himself from the younger boy’s arms.

“Whoa! Hey, you’re going to reopen the wounds. Settle down!” Yugi said, trying to hold onto his struggling mate.

“Let m-me go! L-leave me al-alone!” Atemu tried to sound fierce, but his voice cracked.

Siamun walked back into the room to see Yugi trying to keep hold on a wildly struggling Atemu. He rushed over to lend a hand. “Easy Prince Atemu. Prince Yugi, I’ll take it from here. I don’t think he’s in the condition to see you right now. Just give him some time to collect himself… Why don’t you go and tell the other boys that he’s awake. I’m sure that they would like to know.”

Unable to form a reply, Yugi nodded and shot out the door. Once outside, tears blurred his vision, and he sank to the ground. Why didn’t the other want to see him? He would have thought that his aibou would be relieved that he wasn’t Akunadin’s slave.

Shaking his head, he pulled himself together so he could tell the others about Atemu’s somewhat of a recovery.

Meanwhile, Atemu had to put up with Siamun fussing over him until he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Siamun, enough! I would like to go and get dressed. I need to see how much work has piled up in my absence.” He snapped.

Siamun stilled, “Very well, your highness, you seem healthy enough for now. But I will continue to monitor your condition closely.”

Atemu finished dressing and stalked out of the room. The whole way back to his rooms, he was thinking about Yugi. And how they had ended up bonded. Siamun let that little fact slip while he was examining his injuries. That, and the fact that he was no longer pure.

‘Oh gods, someone else breached me. Yugi only bonded with me out of pity. I’m not even worthy of the title of aibou. Let alone, to be considered the dominant one in this relationship, if there is even a relationship here.’ He thought, as he slid down the door to his room sobbing.

‘Well so much for that. Anything that we could have had, died after he found out that Akunadin used me!’

He angrily wiped the tears from his eyes. His head went up a notch, assuming an arrogant attitude; he went to check on his work. He had seen the way Yugi had made for the door, at a word from Siamun. He would just go back to his work, and forget, like Yugi was apparently going to do. Not realizing that it was his reaction that had sent his little one running out the door.

The rest of that week, Atemu went on with his work of ruling two kingdoms. The only thing that had changed was that he now wore an artfully arranged royal purple cloak with his ceremonial attire, which reached his ankles. Since everyone other than those who had found him had been told that he was sick, he didn’t see any reason to flaunt his scars. And since he had no shirt to cover them while he was presiding over the royal court, his scars would definitely be visible, if it weren’t for Siamun’s bright idea of wearing a cloak to ward off the chill. Sure, there were rumors flying, but hearing rumors was different than being presented with physical proof. Rumors he could handle.

Unknown to Atemu, Yugi would sit at the window of the second floor of the west wing and watch him through the window of the court room. He had a pretty good vantage point.

Every once in a while, he would trace Atemu’s profile on the glass with his finger. Since Atemu had gone back to his life, he would hardly look at Yugi. And when he did, and Yugi caught him, the Aemohan would immediately bow his head and avert his eyes.

Yugi knew about the nightmares that his aibou was fighting. And that he was using sleeping aids to help him through the night. But Yugi had heard this through their friends. Atemu had hardly said two words to him since waking.

Amethyst eyes clouding over, Yugi resumed his position on the ledge watching over his love.

“Atemu may not be able to see you from where he sits, but I can. What’s the matter, little Yugi?” Bakura asked.

Yugi sighed again, and said, “Bakura, what did I do? I can’t read his mind. I know he still has feelings for me, but he’s barely said two words to me since he’s been awake. He has constant nightmares, but he won’t come to me. I have to hear it from Seto. I don’t know how to fix this.”

Bakura bit his lip. “I think you need to show him that you still love him. Have sex with him. Think about it. Akunadin was the only person to ever do that to him. Those are the only memories he has of what goes on between two mates. Just do what I tell you to, and you’ll be back together before you know it.”

“But I don’t know what I’m doing. And anyways, he’s always been the one to make the first move.” Yugi replied.

Slipping an arm around the smaller one’s shoulders, Bakura told him, “Okay, this works every time with Ryou. What you need to do is take him to your room. Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You need to show him that you still want him. Be strong for him. And yet kind of gentle, too. But only a little, he needs your strength. Oh, and when you do get in to it, place him on his elbows and knees, with you behind him. That gives you the deepest penetration, and it’s the best way to hit that, uh, magic spot.”

“I, uh, … okay? I’ll try that. Thanks Bakura.” Yugi said, blushing and backing away. He was kind of unsure what to do with that information.


Since this story is technically finished, I was toying with the idea of another one. It's a little more realistic (not much) than this one. I, uh was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading something else I wrote or if I should not. 'shrugs' It hits a little closer to home for me. It involves drag & stock car racing. And of course Atemu and Yugi.

Please review? Oh and since I didn't say it before, flames are somewhat welcome. I'll use them to heat the garage so I can work on my car. Later!