Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: Perils of Truth and Justice
Romance: Ryou x Yuusuke
Word Count: 1,777||Status: One-shot
Genre: Romance, Supernatural||Rated: PG
Challenge: Written for the One Pairing Boot Camp, prompt #25, administer; Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section E, #3, oneshot with no dividers.
Summary: To summon a demon prince is against the law, even if one does it by accident. But the problem with enacting this law on Fujiwara Yuusuke is that he has a demon prince at his side.
"To summon an imp or one of the lesser demons is one of the simpler skills of a shadow mage," the man expounded in front of the town mayor and the assembled people. "So long as one such is bound properly and the mage in question has no ill intent, then such can be a useful tool for many of our magic-using popular."
He turned to the young man who sat in the seat of the Accused, hands folded in his lap, seagreen hair stirring faintly in the spring breeze, worry written intimately in his features. As well it should, all those there believed, for his crime could not be argued or defended against. The evidence of what he'd done sat across the room, encircled by the strongest protections that everyone in the village who knew the slightest bit of containment magic could conjure.
"However, that is not what Fujiwara Yuusuke did. He summoned a demon prince." He stated this clearly, for the benefit of those gathered for the trial that might have possibly moved to town in the last hour or two. "And as all those skilled in the Art know, a demon prince cannot be bound nor controlled by any mortal mage."
The demon prince in question smiled. His lips were thin and moving them like this revealed fangs of a sharpness that a vampire might envy. To most eyes he looked fairly human, save for the slender blue-tinted horns that extended from his temples and the broad black-feathered wings that rose from his shoulders. The long, spade-tipped tail that wound around his ankles neatly at the moment also gave the truth to his species.
The Accuser fidgeted when he saw that smile, then returned to his speech. "Fujiwara Yuusuke has committed a grave crime, not only in his use of the Art, but in being careless and foolish as well." He paused, clearing his throat for a matter of delicacy. "There are also tales that he has bedded the demon prince."
Those of a more sensitive dispostion coughed and blushed as well, and one stern parent rose and hurried out of the chamber, children in tow. The children fidgeted and complained as they left, clearly eager to know the outcome of the trial.
But the Accuser hadn't yet finished. "Honored Mayor, our laws are clear on this matter. The one who broke the law must be punished to the fullest extent of the law. In this case, the punishment is for the summoned creature to be banished and the summoner to be hung."
More whispers broke out among the audience; this was a small town, one where crimes of this caliber seldom occured.
"Ryou and I have done nothing wrong!" Yuusuke leaned forward, hands still clasped together. Enchanted bonds sealed them that way, that he might not use any of his skills in magic to escape the trial. "I didn't even mean to summon him, it was an accident!"
The Accuser shook his head. "All the more reason for the demon prince's banishment. He's clearly corrupted your mind if you think he's done nothing wrong."
Yuusuke and Ryou exchange a brief look. One corner of the demon prince's mouth quirked up, but nothing more.
The mayor harumphed, turning his full attention onto Yuusuke. "Is there anything that you can say to clear yourself? The evidence against you is clear."
Yuusuke would've stood if he could, but the enchantments placed on the Accused's chair kept him where he was. He gave an earnest look, however. "I told you that I summoned him by accident. I only wanted a small imp, as part of another matter I was working with at the time. I don't even know how it happened."
Ryou snorted softly under his breath, most of the room jumping when he did. "I told you. It was Fubuki's meddling. I read his scent all over your work the moment I arrived."
Yuusuke sighed a long-suffering sigh. "I don't think they can accuse an angel of summoning a demon prince, Ryou." From the tone of his voice, this was an argument they'd had before. Likely more than once.
"They could try, but Fubuki's too slippery for mortal means," Ryou shrugged. "You'd think that having him involved would prove to them that they have nothing to fear from me. Not to mention your guardian angel. Two angels guard your back and they worry about me?" In all truth, Ryou didn't look that worried about the angels himself. "Have we finished here? I had plans for the rest of the afternoon."
One of the mages who'd cast the circle stared at him in confusion. "It can't think that it can escape, can it?" He turned to stare at the half-dozen others there. "Can it? That circle is tight, isn't it?"
Without waiting for anyone else to agree or disagree, he hurried over to where the prince sat and began to cast a containment spell once again, chanting and waving his hands. Ryou watched him with much the same look that a bored man might give a leaf dancing in the wind, and for about as long, before he returned his gaze to Yuusuke.
"I don't think we should leave just yet," Yuusuke said, eyes flicking over to the mayor. "It would be rude."
The mayor cleared his throat with all importance. "Regardless of what this demon might have to say, its evidence isn't allowable in court. This is a first offense, however, and while hanging is the usual sentence, I believe it can be best suited by stripping you of your magical tools and abilities and banishing you from the village for the duration of your life."
From the tone of his voice, he clearly considered death to be a better option than this. Yuusuke wasn't certain if he agreed with him or not.
The mayor turned his gaze now to the shopkeepers and important folk gathered there. "Is this agreeable to all of you? That his sentence of death become banishment and all of his ability to work magic and thus summon more demons be denied to him?"
"Why would he want to summon demons when I'm here?" Ryou asked, one elegant eyebrow raised a fraction. "And you may or may not accept my testimony, but you cannot ignore that I am here."
The Accuser shot Ryou what was meant to be a harsh look. "You will be returned to hell where you belong, demon!"
The demon prince raised his eyebrow just a little more. "Really." From the tone of his voice, he was far less worried about returning to hell than such a threat warranted.
"How dare someone of your ilk corrupt one of our good mages!" The Accuser snapped. "Did you think you would get away with it?"
Ryou bent his head so he could see Yuusuke around the Accuser. "Are you ready to leave yet?"
Yuusuke's gaze flickered between the mayor, the Accuser, and the gathered people, most of whom seemed of the opinion that exile was too good for him. "Yes."
Ryou nodded, then looked around the room. "You are all correct. He did summon me, knowingly or not. Which means when you accuse someone of having a demon prince as their lover, you had best be aware of what a demon prince is capable of."
Every magic user there -except Yuusuke himself - would've sworn that the containment spells cast were strong enough to have kept any demon caged up. So far as they all knew, they were. Every rank of demon they'd used them on hadn't been able to escape, no matter how hard they tried.
They had never tried their spells on a demon prince, however.
Ryou rose up to his feet and stepped over the chalked inner circle, as well as the one of diamond dust, and another forged by a silver hoop drenched in moonlight and holy water. That last gave him only a minor wince, but the moment he was beyond it, all was well. He moved over to Yuusuke, set one clawed hand on the bindings, and tore them into shreds with little more than a twitch of his fingers.
"Thank you," Yuusuke said, taking his prince's offered hand and standing up. He glanced around again, this time at the crush of people rushing as far from the two of them as they could manage. The kind of language being thrown around now was definitely not what most parents would wish their children to hear. Somewhere under all of that was the Accuser, flailing helplessly as he tried to make his way back to his feet.
Together the demon prince and the shadow mage walked out of the makeshift courtroom, heading for the somewhat battered cottage where Yuusuke had grown up.
"They had one good idea," Ryou said as they walked along, his voice pitched so only Yuusuke could hear him. "It's probably not a good idea for you to stay here from now on."
Yuusuke's eyes dropped. "I know." He hadn't ever wanted to do this. That house was his home. "Where can I go?"
Ryou's lips quirked upward. "I have offered to show you my home if you want to try it there."
"I don't think I'm ready to go to hell just yet." Yuusuke's smile was a trifle weaker, but there all the same. "Any other ideas?"
"Well, if you were going to ask me, then I'd suggest you just strike out on the road!"
Neither demon prince nor shadow mage had spoken those words. But both of them looked to where two winged forms now stood a short distance away. One of the two bounced over, arms draping around them both in a friendly hug.
"Wouldn't that be fantastic? You can go wherever you want now! You can see the world! Do all kinds of wild things! Who knows what you'll find!"
Ryou moved away from the angel's arm with a faintly pained grimace. "Fubuki."
"Sorry, sorry." The angel of love laughed and shook his head. "But really, what more could you want out of life than being as free as the wind?"
Yuusuke glanced to the other angel, who offered him a smile in return.
"He may have a point, master," Honest said quietly. "And staying here is not a wise idea, as was said already." He never referred to Ryou by his name, but Yuusuke was used to that. He still hadn't entirely wrapped his mind around how he'd come to count two angels as his closest friends and a demon prince as his lover.
But he had a lot of time to get used to the idea.
The End