Sacrifices for Family and Love

Friends?

Yuugi walked out into the gardens and sat down on one of the benches by the water fountain. It was her favorite place in the garden to sit. Yuugi shut her eyes and sighed.

Heba, Atemu, Honda, Anzu, Eternias, Yuesei, Bakura, Ryou, Marik, and Malik all wanted to spend time with their respective lover, so they all had gone to their own rooms.

Yuugi had figured that Yami and Mana were together, so she had decided to go out into the gardens for a while.

"Do you mind if I join you, Lady Yuugi?" a baritone voice asked.

Yuugi turned to her right and was surprised to find that Yami was standing beside her. "Of course not, Prince Yami. Please, sit down." Yuugi replied.

Yami took the invitation and sat down beside Yuugi. "While I'm here, I would prefer that you called me Yami, Lady Yuugi." Yami said.

"You're the Crown Prince, thought. Few are allowed to call you just by your name." Yuugi said.

"Yes, and you have no idea how tiring it can be to be called of those things. I would much prefer it if you would just call me Yami, Lady Yuugi." Yami said.

"Very well, but only if you will call me Yuugi." Yuugi replied.

"As you wish." Yami replied.

"May I ask why you came here as well?" Yuugi asked.

"I came to get away from the palace for a few weeks. All of the things that go along with being a Prince of Egypt does get rather tiring, and my father suggested that I take a break, and I wanted to meet Heba's family since he will be my brother-in-law." Yami said.

"What do you think of my brother?" Yuugi asked.

"Of your brother, or the relationship that he has with my brother?" Yami asked teasingly.

Yuugi smiled and said, "Both."

"I don't have a problem with them being in a relationship. I had already known that Atemu didn't like women, so it was no problem for me. As for your brother, I think that he is a great person. He is a rather funny man." Yami said.

"Can I assume that you have been on the receiving end of one of his and Jou's pranks?" Yuugi asked.

"On more than one occasion, actually." Yami answered. He frowned and said, "How did you know that?"

"They were like that before my father forced them to leave. Just be thankful that Malik was not there to help them. Heba's bad on his own. With Jou, it's double trouble. Add Malik to the mix, you have a living nightmare." Yuugi said.

"And they did that all the time?" Yami asked.

Yuugi nodded. "Yes. Somehow, they always managed to either drag me and Ryou into them, or we were the ones that the jokes were being play one." Yuugi said.

"Yes. Heba has a rather strange sense of humor. Heba does know when he needs to be serious, and when the situation calls for it, he is serious. Heba's made my brother very happy, and that's all that really mattered to me." Yami said.

"Is that why you chose to take the throne for Atemu?" Yuugi asked.

"Yes. The council wanted Atemu to marry a woman within a year's time because an heir was needed for the throne. It is true that an heir was needed, but I knew, just like Father, that Atemu would never have been happy in a relationship with a woman. You see, whoever Atemu married would have one day become queen, and most of the women that were after Atemu were rather jealous, vindictive, and spiteful women. Any one of them would have had Heba killed for being in a relationship with Atemu. Being his wife, this woman would have had the power to do that, and no one would have been able to top her. Atemu didn't want Heba to die because of their relationship, but he also didn't want to give Heba up either. I knew this, and I didn't want Atemu to have to be forced to give up Heba just because of the throne. That's why I chose to take the throne. I didn't want Atemu to have to do that. Besides, I like women, so once I find the woman who is right for me, I will marry her and have an heir with her." Yami said.