Ranko: So, guess what? I am trying my luck at a Tendershipping story! You know what that means!
Yami: No, I don't actually.
Ranko: Are you kidding?
Bakura: What the hell am I doing here?
Yami: Ah! Ranko, are you insane?
Ranko: …I think so.
Ryou: It is so cool that we are getting our own story, Bakura, with us as the main couple. I've always wanted to meet you, Ranko; I've been wanting to ask you about what you did to me in The Shadow Game.
Ranko: Uh…remember Ryou, you're supposed to be the nice one!
Yuugi: This story is based off of the manga "Wanted" by Matsuri Hino. She is also the creator of "Vampire Knight" for those of you who don't know.
Bakura: And if you don't know what "Vampire Knight" then you're stupid.
Ryou: Bakura!
Yami: I don't like this.
Ranko: You don't have to; you're my slave so you're feelings mean nothing to me.
Yuugi: Ranko twin does not own "Wanted" or "Yu-Gi-Oh" both belong to their respected creators.
Ranko: Enjoy!
-/-
The time was the 17th century. It was a time when aristocrats held extravagant parties. On Governor Oshiro's estate, overlooking the crashing seas, he was holding such a celebration.
The grand ballroom was lit by chandeliers. There was a rather large crowd of people; they were all dressed in fine clothing. Women wore only the most highest of fashion and men were finely decorated. There were tailcoats and long blouses, and bows and high wigs all throughout the room.
There was the delicate smell of champagne flowing throughout the room. Servants carried polished silver trays with little finger foods and bubbling champagne glasses on them.
The guests chattered excitedly about the entertainment that Governor Oshiro had picked out for tonight. There just so happened to be a traveling musical troupe that was known to play on different estates of aristocrats. There was one member of the musical troupe that had caught the Governor's eyes. It was a young boy, no more than seven years of age, with hair as white as snow and a voice that was just as pure. He had been singing for them nearly all night.
Governor Oshiro laughed merrily as he took a sip of his drink. The young boy had just finished his 29th song of the evening and smiled softly at the Governor. "Boy, sing that song once more for me." It was not a request but a demand.
The young boy's smile faltered for a moment. The leader of the musical troupe stepped forward, wringing her hands in worry. "But, your Excellency, Ryou's voice has already…" The poor woman's voice trailed off after she received a look from the Governor, who quickly reverted his attention back to Ryou.
Ryou looked between his mistress and the Governor, biting his lip. He finally smiled and took the woman's hand in his and patted it gently. "It is alright, mistress; I can do it."
The poor woman looked down at Ryou kindly. He was such a sweet boy. She remembered when she took him in when he was only three years old. She had found him on the side of the road, abandoned by whoever had been taking care of him. Out of pity she look the child in and cared for him until she could find a proper home for him; a traveling musical troupe was no place for a child.
However, she grew attached to the poor dear. He became like the son she always wanted; she was barren. She kept the child and discovered that the boy had the voice of an angel. She decided that she would let him perform in their troupe when he grew old enough and he began last year, when he was six. Ever since then, he has been a favorite of wherever they performed.
She worried for the boy as he began his 30th song.
There was a sudden outburst as someone shouted, "Uncle!" Ryou stopped abruptly and everyone turned their heads where the source of the shout had come from. Standing by the wall was a young man of perhaps eighteen with spiked white hair. He looked aristocratic from his clothing but his burgundy eyes burned with anger as he stared at the Governor.
The Governor narrowed his eyes back at the boy. "What is it, boy?"
"Stop torturing the poor boy; enough is enough!" The strange young aristocrat stepped forward and grabbed Ryou's hand, holding it tenderly in his own and rubbing the boy's knuckles with his thumb.
"You better learn your place, boy," the Governor said in a warning tone.
The young man shook his head and tugged on Ryou's hand, smiling gently at the young boy. "Come along, Ryou. You don't deserve to be in the presence of these people." Ryou's eyes widened and he giggled; the young man smiled. "My uncle and the aristocrats around him do not treat commoners like human beings."
Ryou gasped. "But, you are different than the others! You are kind and gentle; you are nothing like your uncle!"
The young man's face grew red. "Thank you, Ryou. My name is Bakura, by the way."
"Bakura," Ryou said, testing the word on his tongue. "I like it! Where are you taking me, Bakura?" the boy asked, noticing that they were outside and he could no longer hear the music coming from the ballroom.
"There is something that I want to show you," Bakura said, leading him down by the field, closer to the sea. There was a field of lilies that swayed and danced in the wind. Bakura stopped in the middle of the flower field and knelt down so he was at Ryou's eye level.
Bakura picked a lily and held it out to Ryou; the boy held it carefully between his fingers. "It's beautiful," he said in awe, staring at the delicate thing. He smiled up at Bakura. "You are the first kind aristocrat I have ever met, Bakura!"
Bakura smiled back. "I saw these flowers and I was reminded of you. Their petals are as white as your hair and you are just as pure as one, Ryou; never change, you are perfect just the way you are—stay a Hikari, Ryou."
Ryou nodded and held the lily close to his chest. "Thank you, Bakura."
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Bakura and Ryou both jumped in surprise. Ryou turned and saw a group of dirty pirates behind him; Ryou gasped. Bakura quickly jumped up and stood in the way between the pirates and Ryou. The pirate that Ryou could only guess was the captain chuckled. His face was mostly covered by a hat but Ryou saw a long scar running down past his left eye.
"You must be a member of the Governor's family. We found ourselves a good hostage, boys!" the captain said merrily to his group of ruffians behind him. They all chuckled and advanced forward.
That is all Ryou could remember before there was terrible and confused chaos. The pirates had lit the estate on fire.
Ryou remembered the captain holding a sword to Bakura's throat. He remembered the exact words that damned pirate had said to Governor Oshiro for ransom to get Bakura back. "Governor Oshiro," he had said. "The Thief King has paid you a visit. You'll find that all our guns are aimed at your mansion. If you want this boy back, give me the wealth that you have stolen from the poor!"
The Governor had packed up all of his treasures and ran away. He had not only left the people in that burning mansion to fend for themselves, he had also left his nephew at the hands of a pirate; not just a pirate, the infamous Thief King.
Ryou remembered running for Bakura and then Bakura telling him to run away. He remembered his mistress pulling at his arm, telling him that they should leave and that it wasn't safe. He also remembered fighting with all of his might while he still clutched that pure lily that Bakura had given him in his hand.
Yes, Ryou remembered that night perfectly. He remembered Bakura's kindness, Bakura being kidnapped, the bright orange flames as the estate burned down, and he would never forget that scar; the scar that belonged to the infamous pirate that called himself the Thief King.
He vowed that night that he would find Bakura and rescue him, no matter what. Brave words that were spoken of a Hikari—a person that was usually tender and only cared for their spouse's and future children. Ryou gave up what Bakura had told him that night, to remain a Hikari. He would do whatever it took to get Bakura back, even if it meant changing himself.
After ten years of searching and travelling, Ryou had finally found it. He had found the ship of the Thief King—the vessel that had taken Bakura away from him that night. He had never stopped looking, he has always traveled since that night; now he was finally here.
He shifted in his long sleeved shirt and long trousers. It was summer but Ryou had to hide the tattoo that was on his collarbone that labeled him as a Hikari. Unfortunately, only the long sleeved shirt he was wearing would hide that part of his body. He had his long white hair tied back with a piece of leather and a dagger was tucked into his boot.
He had definitely changed from the little boy that was frightened of a few pirates ten years ago. He had changed his entire look to appear more like a Yami and it was a bit uncomfortable for him. Going against his true nature was a struggle, like he was being pulled by a rope and continuing to fight back.
One thing, however, stayed the same. Around his neck was a locket and in the locket were the petals of the lily Bakura had given him.
Of course, he had fooled the crew into thinking he was a Yami so all of that hardship must not have been wasted.
"Hey, Ren! The captain is free now, go introduce yourself!" one of the crew members had called for him. Ryou thought that his name was Ryota, he looked a lot like a fisherman; hooks were attached to his belt and his skin was tanned from being out in the sun all the time.
Ryou had to change his name as part of his disguise. "Aye!" Ryou called back.
Ryota led Ryou over to where a man was standing alone. He had a long red pirate's coat and blue trousers; Ryou noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt which made him rather uncomfortable.
As Ryou got closer he realized a few things about this man; his skin was tanned beautifully and his hair was exactly the same shade of white as Bakura's; his eyes were about the same burgundy color as well. Ryou briefly wondered if this man would possibly be…
That thought was stopped dead in its tracks. Ryou's eyes widened when the man removed his hat and turned around to face the boy. That is when Ryou saw the scar; the scar that had been haunting him for the past ten years.
This man had a scar running down his left eye; he was the Thief King.
"Who is this useless looking fellow standing in front of me?"
Ryou clenched his fists and bit his bottom lip to keep from shouting at this man. He didn't care if he was one of the most feared pirates among the aristocrats.
The Thief King turned towards Ryota. "Is this the new lad you were telling me about?" he asked sharply.
Ryota did not catch the captain's tone. "Aye, captain. His name be Ren and he…"
He never got to finish his sentence before the Thief King kicked the man in the gut. Ryota grunted in pain and as he was going down the Thief King connected his elbow with the side of Ryota's head.
"How could you allow this scalawag aboard my ship, huh? You dimwit!"
Ryou had had enough. He marched right over to the captain and shielded Ryota's body with his own. "Stop it! I'm a hard worker!"
The Thief King scoffed. "With those scrawny arms?" He gave Ryou the hardest and meanest look that he could conjure up. Ryou continued to look the captain straight in the eye, not backing down or even flinching. "Well, you're pretty fearless I'll give you that much."
The Thief King turned to walk away. Ryou noticed that there was a young boy with wildly spiked hair waiting for him. Before the Thief King left he looked over his shoulder and said to the two of them, "If you can't do the work than you will both be food to Ryota's precious little fish friends." With that said, he walked off with the boy.
"Hey," a man said to Ryou. This man had wildly spiked bleach blond hair and was as equally tan as everyone else Ryou had seen on this ship. Ryou felt like he was sticking out since he was the only one with such pale skin.
The man with the crazy spiked blond hair had seen the whole thing and was now helping Ryota up. "Don't worry about Akefia, he's just in a bad mood because he couldn't barter our treasure in this town. I'm Marik, by the way; Akefia's first mate."
"My name is Ren," Ryou introduced.
Marik nodded. "Yeah, I heard about you."
Ryou sighed. The captain was much younger than he expected him to be, but then again, this was the first time that Ryou had seen his face that close before.
"Come on," Marik said, snapping Ryou out of his thoughts. "Its time to prove to the captain that you are as hard of a worker as you say you are."
Ryou nodded; his first day as a pirate. How hard could it be?
Later that night, when the crew was drinking rum and getting wasted, Ryou was slumped over the railing of the ship tiredly. He was arms were limp and his feet sore. All of his muscles were tight from working all day and his face was sunburned. He was so tired, all he wanted to do was go home, lie in his bed, and sleep for the rest of his life.
But then he remembered that he was out at sea and he was now miles away from his home.
Ryou shook his head. "No, I'm not shark feed yet," he muttered to himself. "He can't break me that easily."
All day, Akefia had given tougher tasks for Ryou to do than anyone else. He was obviously just testing Ryou but did he really have to be a jackass about it?
"I have to keep going to find Bakura," he muttered to himself as he pushed his sore body to his feet.
'I'm sorry, Bakura,' Ryou thought. 'I can't believe I thought Akefia was Bakura. The only thing they have in common is the same hair and eye color.'
This pirate was nothing like Bakura. They didn't have the same smile, the same laugh, the same kindness…Even after all these years, Ryou still remembered Bakura's kindness. Ryou clutched at the locket around his throat.
He sat on the railing and swung his legs over the edge, kicking them back and forth. It felt good; the sea breeze blowing against his face and lifting his hair behind him. "Bakura…where are you now?" He began to sing softly. He couldn't remember the last time he had sung; it was always too painful. Every time he sang a song, Bakura's face popped up in his head.
One of the crew members that was known as Honda traveled to the deck. He had a gun tucked into the waistband of his pants and half-drunk cup of rum in his hand. He was already completely intoxicated. "Sush perttee singen…" Honda slurred out drunkenly.
He saw Ryou sitting on the railing but in his lulled mind he did not recognize the boy. His brown eyes widened in fright. He dropped his mug and fumbled for his gun. "I-it's a nymph come to sink the ship! Or…or a siren!" He cocked his gun and aimed it at Ryou; it was shaking in his hands.
Ryou turned around and saw the gun pointed at him. Then there was a big BANG!
Everyone rushed to the deck; they found Honda, standing stock still and shaking. He had been shocked out of his drunken state by the loud shot.
"What is going on up here?" Akefia asked, outraged.
"C-captain! I shot him! I shot him by mistake! Ren!" Honda explained in a panic.
Akefia's eyes widened. He shed his coat and as he ran to the railing, he shouted, "Man overboard! Take in the sails! Bring me a lamp! Everyone move it!" He swung his legs over the railing and dove into the icy waved below. Everyone nearby rushed to the railing and saw a splash as their captain disappeared under the water.
"Captain!"
Ryou floated blissfully in the water, slowly sinking down. He felt the dull throbbing of his gun shot wound to the shoulder. He felt his vision being obscured by darkness. 'No,' he thought to himself. 'I can't die now. I haven't found Bakura.' Before his vision completely went dark, he saw someone swimming towards him. He made out white hair and a long scar on his face. 'Akefia?'
Akefia pulled Ryou into his arms and swam back up to the surface. He broke through the surface of the water and saw that there was a rope ladder that had been lowered by the crew; they had lit a few lanterns.
Akefia grabbed onto one of the pegs and one of the crew members ordered, "Pull them up!"
"How is Ren?" one of them called down.
"He's fine; still breathing," Akefia called back as they began to pull the two men out of the water.
Akefia handed them Ryou's limp body and they pulled up over the railing. Honda was freaking out. "I am so sorry, Ren!"
One of the other men smacked him on the head. "Shut up, he can't even hear you!"
"Lay him down gently now!" Marik commanded as they carefully laid Ryou out along the deck.
"Will he be alright?" one of the men asked as another began to cut away Ryou's shirt. They all stared in shock and a little bit of longing at what they saw. Ryou's eyes fluttered open, still in a daze.
Akefia hefted himself over the railing and noticed his crew gawking. "What are you all standing around for? Take him to Yuugi immediately!"
"Captain," one of the men said excitedly.
"We all know that Ren be a sissy, but he is actually a Hikari!"
Ryou realized what had just happened and let out a little shriek. He sat up quickly and pulled his shirt closed to cover his tattoo. Akefia blinked and raised his eyebrows at the young boy.
"What you got to say, little one?" The men all stared at the young, cute boy in lust; they were blushing like fools. Akefia sighed and hid his head in his hand, shaking his head at his pathetic crew. "You know that Hikaris aren't aloud on a pirate ship."
"I'm looking for someone," Ryou said, clutching his shoulder as the pain began to set in. He looked up and looked right at Akefia. "Do you remember Bakura Oshiro? You kidnapped him ten years ago. Akefia, where is Bakura?"
Marik came up behind Akefia a muttered. "Captain, Bakura is—" Akefia smacked his cheek lightly to shut him up.
Akefia knelt down so he was at Ryou's eye level. He stared menacingly into the Hikari's eyes. "Bakura is dead."
Ryou took a moment to register this in his head. His eyes widened and he shook his head. "Did you…kill him?"
Akefia smirked. "He killed himself."
Ryou gasped and quickly looked away from Akefia. "I don't believe you, you dirty pirate!" Akefia sighed; he stood up and turned away from Ryou. "If Bakura is dead than answer me this! When did he die? How? I want answers!"
Akefia ignored Ryou as he pulled his coat back on. "Have Yuugi treat your shoulder."
Ryou smiled in victory. "If you can't answer me then that means that Bakura is alive!"
Akefia halted for a moment and then continued to walk away.
Ryou was led to the infirmary to meet this Yuugi person that he had heard so much about. Ryou pictured this tough, mean pirate or this kind elderly man. What he didn't expect was a boy that looked about Ryou's age with a sweet smile and bright amethyst eyes that shined like jewels. Ryou recognized him as the boy he had seen earlier that day with Akefia.
Yuugi sat Ryou down on a bench and removed the boy's shirt. He began to wrap bandages around the bullet wound in his shoulder, humming softly as he wrapped up the wound. Ryou noticed the Hikari tattoo on the back of Yuugi's hand. Ryou thought back to a little while ago; the crew members had looked at Ryou like they had never seen a Hikari before and they had said that Hikaris weren't aloud on the ship. What was Yuugi doing here then?
"There, all done," Yuugi said cheerfully. "You're lucky the bullet only grazed you; you should be able to take the bandages off in two or three days."
"Thank you," Ryou said; this was the first kind soul he met on this ship. "Um, Yuugi?"
"Hm?" the boy asked, reorganizing his desk.
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing on this ship? I mean, you're a Hikari and all, aren't you?" Ryou asked sheepishly, wrapping himself up in a sheet.
Yuugi giggled. "Yes, I am a Hikari." He showed Ryou his tattoo. He grabbed a long length of rope from off the floor. "Akefia and I are childhood friends; he has always been my protector. I knew him long before he was captain. He taught me how to use a sword so I could defend myself on a pirate ship, especially when he wasn't there to defend me. I may look sweet but I am the best swordsman on this ship." Yuugi winked.
Yuugi approached Ryou with the rope and knelt down by the boy's feet. "Akefia may seem like a hardhead or maybe even a jackass at times; but he really is sweet and kind, even though he doesn't like to admit it. He did save you after all, right?
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ryou said. He couldn't believe this sweet guy was a pirate just like the rest of the crew. "How old are you, Yuugi?"
Yuugi was tying one end of the rope to Ryou's ankle. "Um, I'll be twenty-nine this June."
Ryou sputtered. This guy looked like he was Ryou's age, maybe even younger! He couldn't believe he was almost that old. "You're older than me!" Ryou said in disbelief.
Yuugi giggled, finishing tying the rope. "I'm usually mistaken to be younger all the time, I'm used to it."
This made Ryou wander how old Akefia really was. The question was on his tongue and then he finally noticed the rope. "Um, what is this for?"
"Well, Akefia said that it is for the safety of the crew," Yuugi said, rising to his feet.
Ryou raised an eyebrow.
Akefia appeared in the doorway, smiling at Yuugi. "Yo, Yuugi! Did you tie the knot so it won't come loose? I can't let a Hikari that can't defend himself roam freely among the crew on this small ship."
Yuugi giggled. "I would rather not see the men fight over him; I just may have to kill them."
Those words paired with Yuugi's sweet smile made a shiver run up Ryou's spine.
Akefia unexpectedly grabbed at the other end of Ryou's rope and tugged. Ryou fell to the ground with a shriek. "Sorry about that, Ren," Akefia said as he yawned. Ryou huffed; he didn't sound sorry.
Akefia led Ryou through the ship. Ryou felt uncomfortable as the men stared at him as he passed by. "Where are you taking me?" Ryou asked, trying to keep up with Akefia's long strides.
"It's well past bedtime," Akefia said.
Ryou pouted. "I'm not a child, you know?" Ryou realized he was pouting and steeled his features. "I'm not going to thank you for what you did, just to let you know."
Akefia grunted in response, but Ryou couldn't see the crestfallen expression on Akefia's face. He quickly put a smirk on his face. "Then I'll have you as my reward instead." Akefia stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, revealing a rather simple bedroom. "You sleep here with me."
Ryou gasped. "Wait? What?" he shrieked out. "There is no way—!"
Akefia scowled. "Make your choice!" Akefia pushed Ryou down on the bed, having him pinned under him. "Will it be me alone or the entire crew? Whose company do you prefer?" Akefia leered down at the boy. "You boarded a pirate ship to find a dead man. Time to repent."
Ryou would not back down. "He's not dead!"
Akefia scowled again; he was starting to get tired of this little brat. He began to pull Ryou's sheet away "You don't even remember what he looks like! Just forget about him!"
"No!" Ryou said, kicking his legs to try and escape. "Bakura…!"
The gleam of an old locket caught Akefia's eyes. His facial features relaxed. He sat up, startling Ryou. The boy quickly sat up as well and wrapped the sheet around his body. Akefia sighed and got up off the bed, resting on the floor. "All right, you sleep there. I'll sleep on the floor."
Ryou blinked in confusion. 'Akefia…'
"Don't think I'm protecting your honor, Ren," Akefia muttered. "It's just that you're as scrawny as Yuugi is. I just can't do it."
Ryou looked at Akefia tenderly. He truly cared about Yuugi like a brother. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all…
"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a flat-chested girl?" Akefia commented.
Ryou shrieked and pulled the sheet closer to his body. "You're horrible; you're nothing compared to Bakura."
Akefia rolled his eyes.
Ryou curled up in a tight ball and closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep soon. He tossed in his bed restlessly and finally opened his eyes, realizing he wasn't going to get to bed that easily. He turned on his side, facing away from Akefia. He opened up his locket and stared at the lily petals.
"I saw these flowers and I was reminded of you. Their petals are as white as your hair and you are just as pure as one, Ryou; never change, you are perfect just the way you are—stay a Hikari, Ryou."
Ryou's eyes started to tear up.
He had always kept the petals of that flower Bakura picked for him close to him. Looking at those pure white petals motivated him to never give up and to keep searching. He would find Bakura again one day.
'If I continue searching, I'll be able to see you again, right?'
With that thought, Ryou drifted off to sleep.
-/-
Ryou: I am so happy that I am the main character! This is so excited!
Yuugi: I'm so happy for you, Ryou!
Ranko: Why can't you two get along like Ryou and Yuugi?
Yami: Because our characters hate each other, nothing can change that. Not even the power of a fanfiction writer.
Bakura: And I thought you were a Yu-Gi-Oh fan…
Ranko: I am a fan and do not underestimate the power of a fanfiction writer, Yami.
Yuugi: Please review and tell Ranko what you think.
