Warning: OCs, minor character deaths, lack of beta reader, and the implication of two guys getting very comfortable. (Seriously for this series that last one should just kind of be unspoken at this point.)
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off this, and if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh! It would be far more campy, creepy, and a lot more about Bakura, boy, thief, and spirit.
Summery: Before Yugi-tachi and the Voice in the Ring, and even before Domino there was Ryou, and there was his World.
Though it was called a fortress the stone structure that towered over the adventurers, even from their distant resting place at the forest's edge, seemed so much more. Once it had been a palace as great as any, once it had been the capital of a flourishing land, where magic, learning, and trade were sought from even its larger neighbors… Yet darkness had taken the palace, molding it into its own twisted image, the stones stained almost black and the spires jutting threatening into the sky. Even the surrounding city was now little more than ruins, the forest slowly reclaiming the land once more. What looked to be the work of centuries though, had taken the new lord of the land less than a year to accomplish. A black robed figure peered from the shadows of a gnarled tree, red tinted eyes drinking in the sight of the transformed land.
"So this is the Dark Master's Fortress? It's Magnificent."
"It looks like an oversized toy castle." The warrior grumbled at the warlock in response. "One kick would send it tumbling." He added boastfully to the cloaked figure gently strumming her lyre under a near-by oak, posing in such a way as he spoke as to draw attention to his form, as if his wild red hair and the gaudy blue tattoos that covered his bare chest and arms didn't do that enough. However the grey clad bard was currently more entranced by their guide, watching as the small being fluttered and twirled in the air in time to the sweet chords she played. The pixie snorted at the warriors words.
"Only if the castle doesn't kick you first!" Their guide sung, before chuckling at his own words as if they were a great joke.
"Yes, I'm sure you could but let's destroy the demon first." The bard cut in, pale green eyes meeting the warriors blue ones at last. It was time to move things along before her friend attempted to squish the pixie like he had threatened so many times.
Steeling themselves the three humans crossed the drawbridge and entered the long hall
leading to the courtyard, the pixie buzzing around their heads and teasing them gently for how nervous they seemed.
"Relax silly ones! Look, look, the way is safe." To prove his point their guide lightly fluttered to the ground before folding his wings and then jumping and skipping in front of the three, finishing his small show of acrobatics with a clumsy cartwheel that sent him tumbling to the ground, much to the watcher's amusement. Dusting his tunic off with the offended dignity of a cat the small golden being began walking backwards, fixing the party with a haughty glare.
"I fail to see what you are worried about anywaAAYA!" Their guide tripped over a brick in the paved ground that was slightly raised above the others, crashing heavily backwards onto the protrusion and pushing it level to the rest of the ground with a sharp click, their only warning before the hallway was filled with what sounded like thunder.
"You stupid bug! Everyone, run!" The Warrior commanded his comrades before breaking into a run, quickly followed by the other two humans and the shrilling pixie, airborne once more. The shrill turned into a scream when something slammed into the ground behind them, fear sending their winged guide streaking past all three adventurers and straight to the courtyard, buzzing frantically by the exit and wailing.
"Don't stop to look, the ceiling is falling." The warrior snapped, eyes fixed on the way out. "Per-haps I could- cast a spell to stop it?" The warlock panted, catching up with him. "Don't bother, you'd be crushed before you could get the spell off, and we're nearly out anyway." The larger man snapped, glaring ahead as he made out the pixie near the opening. However as they drew closer to their freedom the sound of the falling blocks of ceiling sped up drastically, and risking a glance behind the warrior saw that the bard, barely two thirds of the way down the hall wouldn't make it out at the rate the trap was falling. Stopping a bodies length from the doorway and cursing the pixie soundly the warrior turned and braced himself, his curses becoming louder when he saw how close the blocks were falling behind the bard.
"Midori, move it!" The warrior bellowed furiously, spurring the bard to a speed she had never reached before. It was almost as if she was flying… However even that didn't seem to be enough as she felt stone fall right at her heels, nearly clipping her and shaking the ground she stood on, sending her falling to the ground, her legs numb with terror. She had time to see the massive block begin its descent, a terror filled scream tearing itself from her throat. Yet nothing happened. Opening eyes she hadn't remembered closing she glanced fearfully up, her eyes widening at the straining form of the warrior, holding the block above his head.
"Don't just stand there, move!" The warlock cried frantically from the safety of the courtyard. Letting out a sob the bard scrambled to the doorway, barely able to get to her feet. Turning back to where the warrior was, she had to fight back another cry, her savior turning red and trembling with the colossal effort it took to keep from being smashed under the weight of the block he held.
"It's too heavy… he won't be able to move an inch while holding it up, let alone throw it off!" The warlock whispered in horror, his revelation punctuated by a hoarse cry from the warrior as slowly, he was pushed to the ground, his neck purple and his arms shaking unsteadily and a high, animalistic cry as leaving him as he fought not to succumb.
"I- I am so sorry." The bard and warlock whirled to their guide behind them, his large amber eyes flickering from the warrior to the bard, his skin glowing more brightly then before. "So- So sorry. Please forgive me." He sobbed brokenly, seeming to glow like a small star. However before either of the human's could respond a scream from the warrior tore their attention back to him, just in time to watch him crumble. For a split second he was enveloped in light and the bard had time to meet the pixies sorrow filled eyes before the stone slammed into the ground.
"He- He's alive! The pixie must have cast a teleportation spell or something!" The warlock babbled excitedly, drawing the trembling bard's attention to where the spell caster stood. Seeing the warrior's crumpled but living form lying where the pixie had hovered seconds ago, the bard staggered over to the injured man and clung to him weeping, the fear of almost losing him and the loss of her short friend overwhelming her. So caught up in her tears the bard almost didn't hear the laughter at first, but it soon swelled, filling the courtyard, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. Whirling the warlock stood posed, his left hand reaching for a pouch at his side and pulling out a glowing, angry red orb. Trembling the bard stood protectively over her fallen companion.
"My, the human King 's arrogance has grown to outstanding lengths if he thinks mere mortal children stand a chance against me." The one laughing in the dark said coolly, the shadows in the courtyard seeming to writhe with every word spoken. "Either his arrogance or his foolishness!" The voice corrected, hissing furiously, before breaking off into cruel laughter. "You struggled so hard to get this far! You struggled and made it past my first trap… and this is what you have to show for it? Foolish little mortals… curse the King that sent you to your death. It would have been a kinder fate if you had just let the stones crush you as they did the insect you followed here! It ends mortals, it ends-
"You go too far Bakura-kun."
It was hearing his actual name, more than the hand reaching out and pulling the DM screen down that shocked him out of the game, the Dark Master figure hovered an inch above the top of the courtyard stairs, about to make his grand entrance before the other boy had interrupted him . Blinking his eyes as if he was waking up from a dream, Ryou looked up at the warlock's player, or rather, 'Genma-kun' the occult club president from school that had been after Ryou to join once he'd stumbled upon Ryou's own interest in the supernatural. However at the moment all Ryou saw was cold anger in the dark haired boy's eyes. He couldn't understand why though, Genma and the other two, Kenchi and his friend Midori had far exceeded his expectations and had made it to the fortress. He'd been impressed enough by how well they had done and how far they had come for first time players that he had decided to step up his own game in response. Yet now, even after passing the trap and making it inside to the last phase, they wanted to quit? Ryou tried to think of something to say, frustrated at the turn of events. However he heard another soft sound that he had expected even less. Looking to Genma's right the bard's player, Midori had her head bent and was trembling, nothing like the cheerful brown haired girl that had sat next to him earlier, the same girl that had been quick to add her own pleading when Genma had suggested that they get together at the quite transfer students home and play the game he, Ryou, always seemed to be writing about.
"It- It's too scary Bakura-kun." Ryou, who never knew what to say or how to relate to girls normally, knew even less about what to do when one was crying. Amane had never cried when they'd played together, cheerfully slaughtering monster's left and right and shrugging carelessly when her tiny paladin was slaughtered right back… But maybe that was because Amane was a young girl? Or just used to it, having grown up listening to the same morbid tales of some of the rituals past civilization's had undergone, tales straight from Yaten's, their father's, mouth when he had still come home every few months… Vaguely he thought he remembered his father hugging his mother when she had cried once in the past but he wasn't sure. Standing to his feet awkwardly, at the very least willing to apologize for upsetting his classmate, Ryou took a step forward, however that was as far as he got before the last player, Kenchi, stood and hurled the now slightly fractured warrior figure at him, missing his left eye but grazing his cheekbone.
"Bakura you bastard! You made her cry! Come on Midori, let's go. I'm done with this creep." Not waiting for her reply Kenchi pulled the girl to her feet and over to where they'd taken off their shoes. "Really Bakura-kun…" At last Genma too stood to his feet. "If you didn't want us to come over you should have said something instead of toying with us like that." The boy's disappointed expression and cool voice only confused Ryou more before like the others, Genma walked over to his shoes.
WAIT! What do you mean? You read the last campaign I wrote! You knew it would be like this from the beginning! Isn't that why you suggested we play? Ryou thought wildly, struggling to voice his frantic thoughts… Because he knew if they stepped out it wouldn't just be the end of the game. Yes, he wasn't comfortable inviting people over without his father's permission but… It had been so much fun! He'd always been a little too shy, a little too timid, so he'd been so excited when not one but three people had wanted to come over and play and he'd had so much fun that he'd been pulled into the game like never before. He had only wanted to share that with his new friends! Yet his futile pleas seemed to all catch in his throat, forming a painful knot that seemed to grow, suffocating him until it seemed like the very shadows in the room were reaching up for him, pulling him in...
The white wizard- or was it him Ryou? Stood at a balcony overlooking a stone courtyard. Though he had never been here himself, and though it was far different then the model he had crafted with his own hands, he knew every piece of brick and mortar of the Dark Master's Fortress. Someone stood behind him, holding him tightly so that their bodies pressed snuggly together.
"At last I can repay my gracious landlord what is due." The one behind him murmured, gently stroking Ryou- The wizards- hair, brushing a lock behind his ear before pointing to a corner of the courtyard below them with a large black gloved hand. More than anything Ryou wanted to turn and look at the one that held him, yet he couldn't make his body obey him. Unable to do anything else Ryou looked to where the hand pointed, his eyes landing on three statues that seemed to be hiding in the shadows, life sized versions of the warlock, bard, and warrior figurines that he himself had made. Oddly the figures oversized, nearly cartoonish eyes seemed to be filled with fear.
The hand returned to his hair a moment before lightly stroking down his throat, the gloved fingers toying with the neck of his robe. "Now you may play your game however long you wish. Does my gift please you?"
As odd as he found the other's gift it wasn't everyday that someone went to the trouble of getting him one. He just wished he could turn and look at the gift giver, the man? Who held him so closely. However like everything else, his mouth seemed to be unmovable. He must be the wizard then, leaden body unable to move or speak by itself, only watch.
"Can you not hear me, even in this place my landlord? What a pity." Yet the voice didn't change its soft, almost mocking tone, instead, his captor leaned in and nuzzled Ryou's ear.
"It doesn't matter either way I suppose. I wonder though…" The one holding him lightly nipped his earlobe before running his tongue over the shell of Ryou's ear, chuckling lowly. "How is it that one so soft, so weak as you are able to take my being in with ease?" The other squeezed him in a way that would have made him gasp if he were able to. "Perhaps… You are the one promised to me? After all these years, is it nearly time?" Ryou found himself being stroked in ways that hovered at indecent before plunging straight to-to something much more. Still unable to speak Ryou was slowly swept back to the darkness, the lingering touches following him even there.
Well that is that. I could probably write more, but frankly the vast majority of this is about Ryou, by himself, up to the point he leaves for Domino. Any ideas, comments(constructive or otherwise), please leave 'em in the wonderful little review box. It's been way to long since I've written so anything you have to say to get me in better shape would be awesome.