Mew here, and guess what!
Draiku: Just get on with it.
Mew: THIS IS MY VERY FIRST ANGSTSHIPPING STORY! YAY!
Draiku: Congratulations. You must be very proud of yourself.
Mew: I am, actually. Malik x Ryou is so hard to write! It's much easier with the yamis because you can make them be blatant about their crushes, or secret, or even make them just randomly jump on their crush…-continues to rant-
Draiku: Um…right. Let's just get on with the story.
Anonymous –whose name shall be Yoko from now on-: I have a name! Yay! Time to make the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: Mew does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and if she did, she would be using fifty dollar bills for toilet paper by now.
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The Prince Of Thieves and the Slave
Chapter 1: Encounter
Malik was an experienced thief from Egypt. He earned a living by stealing from corrupt pharaohs and snotty rich people. He had been a thief all his life, and a very good one at that. Not once had he been caught, or seen. He was the master, the cream of the crop, the best of the best. No one could catch Malik the Prince of Thieves, no one at all. There was only one other who was a better thief than he was: Bakura, the King of Thieves.
If Malik saw something that caught his eye, he would get it, using barely any effort at all. He could steal gold, he could swipe silver, he could snatch gems, and he could pilfer valuable garments of silk. But, there was one thing that he could not, would not take.
Malik had never taken a single life.
Unlike Bakura, the King of Thieves, he had never killed one person. He simply refused to do it. Because of this, he would never get the title of "King". In order to become the king of thieves, he would have to kill without remorse, take a soul for his to keep.
The thieves had a very strict code that most wouldn't guess to exist. There were eight ranks, Lord, King, Prince, Priest, Master, Amateur, Beginner, and Beggar. Anything after Master had only one person for each category. Malik proudly held the title of "Prince", and was content to stay at that level.
There were also certain requirements to get to a new rank. In order to become a Beginner, you had to steal 200 gold items. To get to Amateur, you needed to steal 500 gold items that were embossed with jewels. To become a Master, you would steal 1000 gold items embossed with jewels and take 100 pieces of silver. To get the title of Priest, you must take 500 pieces of silver and 1500 golden items embossed with rare gems. Then you would battle with the previous Priest of Thieves until you would win. To become the Prince, you needed to take 1000 pieces of silver and 2000 golden items embossed with rare gems. Again, you would battle with the previous Prince of Thieves.
Then came the more deadly part of being a thief. To become the king, you needed to do the same things as the Prince and Priest would do added together, then you would have to take 100 lives. To become the Lord you'd have to take 200 lives and the seven Millennium Items, then get the title of "Pharaoh". It was a dangerous business.
Malik loved being a thief, especially a well-known one. It made his life all the more exciting. He was notorious for stripping a person of their golden jewelry in less then five seconds without his victim even knowing. He was also very notorious for being able to strip anyone of their clothes in less than three seconds. This he would do for fun, just to see the look of the person whose clothes were missing as they stood dumbly and nakedly in the crowded streets of Egypt.
While Malik was walking through the desert to his stash of items, wearing his red and blue robe that displayed his rank as a thief, he noticed a man whipping someone with a switch. Malik scowled, obviously hating slavery. He found it stupid, and cruel. He heard a cry of pain and looked to see the victim of the man lying face down in the sand, visibly flinching each time the thin stick came in contact with his or her (Malik couldn't tell,) body.
The owner of the slave then walked off after kicking the slave in the side, cursing the slave. Malik noticed that the slave did not get up. He dropped his collection of new golden objects and hurried towards the slave silently. He knelt down next to the pale-skinned slave, and noticed something quite surprising.
The slave had pure white hair.
It really wasn't a surprise that this person was a slave, although. Most albinos were looked down upon and hated by the majority of Egypt. Bakura was most likely the reason why they were treated so badly, too. He was albino, and most believed that if an albino was born they'd turn out just like the infamous and notorious King of Thieves.
Malik, however, disagreed with this.
He had light colored hair himself, and violet eyes. He was seen as a demon to the people, and obviously treated just as bad as albinos were.
Malik touched the slave's shoulder gently, being careful of the open cuts received from the whipping. The slave awoke slowly.
"Wha-huh?" the slave mumbled, obviously confused.
"Are you alright?" Malik murmured. He could now tell that, despite the slave's appearance, the slave was a male. He had a deep voice and a flat chest, which were sure-enough signs. The slave boy looked at him and gasped.
"Gods…I must be going to the Underworld," he muttered. Malik chuckled quietly.
"I'm not a demon, I'm a human. Just like you. I want to help you," he offered. The boy shook his head.
"Don't. We'll both be killed if you do. My master is famous for his skills with a throwing-stick or a bow and arrow," he whispered.
"So? I'm notorious for being extremely fast and quick-witted." Malik pulled out a small dagger and cut the robes around the slave boy's ankles. He removed what looked like a collar around his neck and threw it aside. "Come with me," Malik said in a soft voice. The boy nodded, and Malik helped him up.
"Thank you so, so much!" the boy said to him, bowing slightly.
"No problem, just come on, before that guy notices. Besides, we have to treat your wounds." The boy nodded again and followed Malik swiftly through the desert. They came upon Malik's bag of newly-thieved items. The Prince of Thieves pulled out a cloak and held it out to Ryou.
"Here, put this on so no one recognizes you, or your hair," he said. The boy pulled the cloak over his body and they hurried through the sand once more until they came upon a cave in the side of a large cliff. Malik led the boy into it until they came to his room. Inside there was a stolen pharaoh's bed, a number of chests which were filled with thieved food and clothing, a leopard skin that acted as a blanket, and another bed with an antelope skin.
"I thought that you were royalty, based on how you were dressed," the former-slave commented softly. Malik chuckled.
"I've gotten that comment before," he said, smiling. "Sit down while I get some herbs for your wounds. What's your name, by the way?"
"I'm Ryou," the boy muttered. Malik blinked, contemplating the odd name.
"And I'm Malik," he said, a bit cautiously. The boy widened his eyes.
"You mean that you're--!" Malik nodded.
"Yeah. Stay right there. We need to dress and heal your cuts." Ryou nodded dumbly, still dazed at the idea that he, a mere slave boy, was speaking with the Prince of Thieves! Everyone in Egypt had heard of Malik, there wasn't anybody who didn't recognize his name.
Malik came back to Ryou with a bundle of leaves in one hand and a long line of cloth in the other. He poured a small amount of water into a wooden bowl and added the leaves to it. He used a thick rod to mash the leaves into a sticky, dark green paste.
"How do you know all this?" Ryou asked as Malik coated the former slave's back with the paste.
"It's just basic first aid. All travelers, thieves, merchants, and bandits know it. It's a necessity," Malik replied in a mutter. "Arms up." Ryou lifted his arms and Malik wrapped the cloth around his torso tightly. He then tied the ends together. "Finished."
"Thank you," Ryou murmured.
"Sure. Need something to eat? You look as if you haven't eaten in days," Malik offered.
"I-if that's alright…" Ryou replied nervously. He didn't want to appear rude in front of this other boy, even if he was starving and would love to stuff himself until he was as fat as a cow.
Malik chuckled quietly, saying, "Of course it is. I'll get you some bread and fruit. You can eat those while I see if I can catch something for meat." He stood up and walked over to a chest, pulling out a large loaf of bread and a basket of dates. In another hand he held a jug of liquid, which was most likely beer. He set them in front of Ryou on a small table.
"Wait here, and if you hear someone that isn't me, don't answer," he advised and pointed to a large rock. "See that? If someone comes, just push that rock a bit. Behind it is a room, and you can just hide in there until I return." Ryou nodded.
"Thank you," he said again, bowing his head. Malik smiled and left swiftly with a spear in one hand.
-
While Ryou was eating a few slices of bread, he heard a loud and happy voice.
"I got lucky! Look at this, Ryou!" Ryou blinked, and finally recognized the voice as Malik's. He walked over to the entrance of the cave and saw Malik with a large antelope behind him. He was dragging it inside, and in his left hand he held his spear, which was coated in blood at the tip.
"Woah," was all Ryou could say. He was quite impressed. At first he thought that Malik wouldn't be able to drag an animal this large to the cave.
"It was crippled, walked with a limp. I'm actually terrible at throwing a spear, but my talent with a bow and arrow makes up for that," he admitted with a shrug. Still, Ryou was impressed. He wouldn't be able to kill an animal, and he definitely wouldn't be able to transport it without help.
"I wouldn't be able to do that in a million years," Ryou mumbled sheepishly. Malik chuckled quietly.
"Sure you would. You've just been working your back off for…I dunno, more than a year, most likely. You haven't gotten the chance to hunt, or have someone teach you. I can help you, if you like," Malik offered.
"You'd do that?" Ryou asked. Malik nodded.
"Sure, after you get your strength up. It helps to have good muscles when you're hunting. Anyway, I'll just skin this, take out the guts, cut the meat into sections, cook it, and then we'll feast." Ryou turned slightly green at the though of Malik tearing out the deceased animal's intestines. Worst of all, the more he thought about it the sicker he got.
"Excuse me," he said, clapping his hand over his mouth and running for the exit of the cave past Malik. The Prince of Thieves blinked, then laughed with amusement.
-
Ryou and Malik were sitting on the antelope's skin, which Malik decided to use as a blanket or a mat. He divided it in half so it was big enough to sit on, and then dried it. Ryou took a bite out of the meat, which had been sitting over a fire for quite a while now, and he was eager to eat.
"So, where are you from?" Malik asked, poking the burning wood with a stick.
"Kul Elna," Ryou replied softly, after a long, silent pause. Malik blinked.
"But that village was destroyed," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought that there weren't any survivors." Ryou sighed.
"There were actually about ten. All but one of the ten were taken into slavery," he mumbled.
"Oh? Who was the one that didn't become a slave?" Malik asked.
"Bakura, my twin brother." Malik dropped his piece of meat and stared at Ryou with wide eyes.
"What! You and Bakura are twins!" he exclaimed. Ryou nodded.
"Yes. I've seen him before on many occasions, even as a slave," he said, averting Malik's stunned gaze. "Last I heard from him was a month ago."
"Then why were you still a slave?" Ryou sighed again, sadly.
"He wouldn't help me. I begged him to free me, but he just laughed, called me 'weakling', and kicked sand in my face."
"That…that's horrible," Malik muttered, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. Ryou nodded.
"He never really liked me. He believes that, since he is the elder of us, he is the better. I was actually born ill, and that's the reason why I'm so weak." He suddenly laughed bitterly. "He is better than I am. He is a king, after all, while I'm just a pitiful slave."
"Don't say that about yourself!" Malik snapped, suddenly aggressive. "Never, ever say that again." Ryou shuddered at Malik's violent change of mood.
"B-but it's true." Malik suddenly grabbed Ryou by the shoulders and glared into his eyes.
"No, it is not. I know that anyone, no matter what they were in the past, is something great. They just have to discover their talents and hone them until they can master them. I would know." Ryou quivered fearfully. He dared to ask Malik a simple question.
"H-how?" Malik let his grip on Ryou's shoulders drop and he looked into the fire intently.
"I used to be a slave, also. Because of my hair and my eyes. My brother, who's now the King of Bandits, also was a slave. We encouraged each other to become who we are now, and I think that you just need a little push. And I'm willing to help you." Ryou stared at him.
"Y-you, the Prince of Thieves, were a slave?" he asked. Malik nodded.
"Yeah. And look at me now. Hard to believe, eh?" he said, smiling slightly at Ryou. Ryou smiled back, happy that he and Malik shared something in common. They sat in silence, staring at either the night sky or the fire.
"What's your brother's name?" Ryou suddenly asked.
"Oh yeah, he never tells it to anyone to stay safe. His name's Marik," Malik replied.
"And he's the King of Bandits?" Malik nodded again.
"Yup."
"But aren't bandits thieves?"
"Kind of. Both steal, but bandits attack their victims and then take their possessions. Thieves usually stay on the silent side," Malik explained. "And bandits usually ride horses. Thieves go on foot most of the time."
"Oh. I see." Again, they sat noiselessly, the only sound being the crackling of the fire.
"We'd better get back inside. It's late," Malik said, breaking the silence. Ryou nodded and they gathered up the skins, dowsed the fire, and buried the leftovers so the predators of the desert wouldn't come near.
TBC
Mew: I know, crappy ending for this chapter. Sheesh, I stink at endings.
Draiku: Yes, you do.
Yoko: Please R&R, everyone! We're actually kind of expecting flames…