Alverna: My first fic ever! Can't wait to see what I get.

I do not own Yu-gi-oh, that belongs to another person. But I do claim my story plot.

MASS EDIT OF ENTIRE STORY ON 6-10-2012

Chapter 1: Why am I here in the prison?

'How did it come to this?' A small male with dirty and drooping tri-colored hair, with a blood and sweat stained tunic lay curled in a ball on the floor, trying to protect himself.

But he knew it was useless. Harsh, slurred laughter rang in his ears; the alcohol on his tormentor's breath stung his nose. Rough hands grabbed his arms and yanked him to his feet.

"Back to yer cell kid," the drunken guard said.

Amethyst eyes opened to see where he was going. Last time the guard had said that, he had been dragged into the room they had just left. The room where he had been beaten and whipped for the past hour. Or was it 2? At least he hadn't been taken yet.

With no energy to correct the guard, being 16 despite his height, the abused teen stumbled along, desperately trying to keep up.

Relief filled his body when they stopped in front of the cell and the guard took out his keys to unlock the door that hosted the small male and his three best friends. Make that his three only friends. They were stuck in this prison. In the palace of all places. Under what charges, none of them really knew. They could guess, but none knew for certain.

"See ya tomorrow boy," the guard leered at him. As he tried to quickly get into the cell, the guard stuck out his foot, and rammed his fist into the young male's back, sending the teen sprawling to the floor, now unconscious due to too much pain

"Leave him alone!" an angry voice shouted.

The drunken man stood dazed for a second. Then he shrugged his shoulders and slammed the door shut, muttering some incoherent nonsense.

"Get back here you jerk!" the angry voice shouted again. The voices user was a tall, almost 6 ft. male, also dressed in a blood and sweat stained tunic. He had, when clean, dirty blond hair and hazel eyes that were now filled with anger.

As he opened his mouth to yell again, a hand clapped over it.

"Will you be quiet? Or do you not remember what happened last you kept shouting?" The hand and voice belonged to a white-blond haired teen, though you couldn't tell; it was so grimy and oily. Also dressed in a blood and sweat stained tunic, his light lilac eyes looked down the inch between their heights and locked with the angry hazel eyes.

"Quit fighting," a new voice spoke up. Its owner was a teen with albino hair that looked more grayish black due to all the dirt and who-knows-what-else. Chocolate brown eyes looked up from his place by his injured friend.

"Yugi's hurt."

Those two words ceased any and all arguments running through their minds, and on their tongues.

"Sorry Ryou," both said at the same time.

"Just help. Joey, get some water and rags. Malik, help me move Yugi to the pitiful excuse the guards call a bed."

The hazel eyed teen, Joey, walked over to a bucket with a pile of rags next to it. The water in the bucket was their only supply of water, so they had to use it carefully. Some days they had more water, and others they had less. It just depended if the guards remembered to fill it or not.

Thankfully, the bucket was full. Grabbing some of the more cleaner rags and carefully lifting the bucket, Joey brought it back over to Ryou, who, with Malik's help, had moved Yugi to the pile of straw used for a bed.

"Oh good, it's full," Ryou sighed in relief.

"I got more rags," said Malik. "Well, the cleaner ones anyway," he added, shaking his grimy white blond head from side to side in disgust.

The only rags they were given were the ones that had been used by the guards. Used for things better not stated.

"Let's get him cleaned up." Joey picked up a rag and dipped it into the water.

Fresh cuts and bruises were scattered across Yugi's pale skin. That characteristic, the pale skin, was shared among the four friends. None were tan like the Egyptians they had lived among for the past nine years.

Working quickly and carefully, the three cleaned and bandaged their small friend, who woke up just as Ryou tied the last rag as a make shift bandage. Seeing his friend was awake, Malik spoke up.

"How are you feeling Yugi?"

"Malik, why do you ask a question with such an obvious answer?" Yugi glanced at his friend with a slightly annoyed look.

"Just answer please."

"Like I was hit with a six horse chariot, stomped on by each hoof, twice, caught under the chariot, and dragged for 5 miles on the roughest road in all of Egypt."

"Ouch.

"Yeah."

A sigh had both heads turn to Ryou.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked.

Ryou looked up and finally voiced the question all of them had been asking themselves since their arrival in the dungeons.

"How did it come to this?"

No one had an answer.

Alverna: Well you know what to do. Please push the button that says "Review this Chapter" and let me know what you think. Flamers are welcome, it's called constructive criticism.

Next Chapter: Meet the Yamis.