Rowan: Hello, and here I am with yet another YGO fanfic, yet again starring Ryou!
Ryou: Why me? You're always writing about me! In your spirals, on the computer! I swear, you're gonna pair me up with everyone, aren't you? *glares suspiciously at the autheress *
Rowan: Not everyone…
Sakura: She's not gonna pair you with any of the Ishtals.
Rowan: But everyone else, yes.
Ryou: So who is it this time?
Rowan: Ummm- *Looks at checklist * Well, I haven't paired you with Seto yet, and as that is one of my favorite couples, this story you'll be with Seto.
Ryou: And what's the plot?
Rowan: Oh, we need a plot?
Ryou: You don't have a plot?!
Sakura: Actually, we do.
Rowan: Really? *Sakura whispers something in ear * Oh, that's right! Oo, this is gonna be fun!
Ryou: O__o? Get on with it then! The sooner it starts, the sooner it ends!
Disclaimer: I do not own YGO! Never have, never will!
Warning: YAOI! There is YAOI! And maybe some cross-dressing too!
Ryou: Cross-dressing?! Who?
Rowan and Sakura: *snicker evilly *
Ryou: ?!
Rowan: Anyway, on with the story!
Oh, and this story is set in modern times and it's AU. Oh, and Anzu-bashing too!
CinderRyou
Prologue
In a little town in Japan called Tokyo, there once lived a very wealthy man who had two twin sons. Their names were Ryou and Bakura, and though they looked alike in almost every way, they were very different. Ryou was kind-hearted and polite, always thinking of others before himself. Bakura, on the other hand, was cruel and vicious and greedy, all he wanted was his father's company.
When both boys were 15 years old, their father died, leaving all his possessions to his two sons. Bakura at once invited his two friends and allies, Malik and Marik Ishtal to live with him in their mansion. He had been hoping that Isis, their sister, would come as well, but she luckily escaped a life of certain slavery. So Bakura forced his brother Ryou to be their maid while he was the CEO of the family business (what it is doesn't really matter.) Ryou, because of his passive nature, did not object to his brother's cruelty, but endured with patience and optimism. For he remembered something his mother made him promise when she died (which was when they were about seven years of age). She had said "Ryou, sweetie, your brother is unkind, we both know that, and sometime in the future he may force you to do things that are harsh and severe, but promise me that you will not break to his will." Ryou had nodded his head enthusiastically, "Yes Mother, I promise." She smiled. "Good, and I promise you that you will not have endured your suffering in vain." That was Ryou's last memory of his beloved mother, so he cherished it and remembered his promise and hers.
(Alright, now that we got the basic set-up of the story, on to chapter 1!)
Chapter 1
"Ryou! The kitchen is a pigsty! Come here and clean it at once!" Bakura yelled. There was no answer. "Where is that mangy mutt?" Bakura thought out loud. (Ryou: I'm not a mangy mutt! That's Jou! Rowan: don't interrupt the story!) Suddenly the front door slammed shut as a small teen ran inside, clad in a raggedy sweatsuit. "There you are! You have to clean the kitchen right now!"
"Yes, Master Bakura sir," Ryou replied, then got down on his knees and started cleaning the floor. Bakura stalked away to read his newspaper.
About forty-five minutes later and Ryou was finished with the kitchen floor itself. Unfortunately, an insolent blonde suddenly entered the kitchen from the garden, getting mud all over the just mopped tiles. He looked lazily down on Ryou. "Ryou, the plants are shriveling. They need to be watered. You have to go do that now."
"But Master Marik-"
"Now means now! Don't contradict me!"
"Yes sir." Ryou walked out of the kitchen, only pausing to grab a watering can.
Ryou sighed. He didn't really mind watering the garden, after all, he loved the plants, especially the rowan trees in the middle. (Ryou: rowan trees? I wonder where that came from. Rowan: ^___^) The reason he was irritated was that he was being forced to tend to it. Besides, he had just watered it the night before, and it was no easy task. When his mother had been alive, she had had an enormous garden planted in the back of the mansion. The thing was now as large as a football field (as in American football) and took at least three hours to water properly.
On top of that, he knew Bakura was going to be mad that the kitchen was still dirty. But Bakura would've gotten mad if he had disobeyed Marik, which put Ryou in a bad position.
Ryou doused the plants quickly for a record two hours. When he reached the rowan trees he paused for a minute and smiled to himself. These trees were his mother's favorite as they were his own. Sometimes he would talk to the trees because sometimes it felt like his mother's spirit was there. "Oh Mom, you were right when you said that Bakura was cruel. But you never knew just how much he is. He-he makes me sleep in the attic, mother! The attic which has no heating or AC! I have to sleep by the fireplace, and I don't get my sleep half as much as I should because I have to tend the fire! Sometimes I wake up in the cinders." Ryou sighed. "You know, it's kinda like the story "Cinderella", isn't it? But that's a fairytale, fairytales don't come true in real life."
"RYOUUUUU! GET BACK HERE NOW!" a harsh voice yelled.
Ryou yelped and hastily said good-bye to the trees, then raced back to the house and his very angry brother.
"Ryou! I thought I told you to clean the kitchen!"
"Yes Master Bakura," Ryou admitted humbly.
"Well then why isn't it clean?! And what were you doing out in the garden? Talking to trees no less!'
"Master Marik told me to-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses Ryou! Just clean the kitchen and make our lunch. And because of your disobedience, no dinner or supper for you today! Understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Oh, and once you're done with the kitchen and our lunch, Malik wants you to do his laundry."
Ryou paled at this. "But Master Bakura, I did those yester-"
"Well he has more dirty clothes today that he wants clean. Now go!"
Ryou trudged into the kitchen to clean up Marik's footprints. 'This is soo not my day…'
---*---
'This is soo not my day' another teen thought sullenly to himself. Seto Kaiba, Domino's most available (and desirable) bachelor was at the moment being pestered by his sensei's very annoying niece Anzu, who obviously wanted him, whether for looks or money, Seto didn't really know. "Look, Anzu, I've told you before. I'm not interested in you or any of your sex. Remember? I'm gay. I don't like you."
Anzu just giggled mindlessly. "Oh Seto darling, you don't really mean that, do you?"
"Yes I do, you mindless bitch. Now, get off my lap!" (Score Seto!)
Anzu pouted. "Oh alright Seto sweetie. Besides, my uncle will be here momentarily for your lessons." As if on cue, Pegasus walked into the lavishly decorated classroom. "Uncle Pegasus! Hello!"
"Hello Anzu, hello Seto. Ready to learn today?"
"I'm never ready to learn from you," Seto muttered to himself.
After a half-hour later, Seto was officially bored to death. He never understood why his father insisted he get home schooled. Especially by an idiot like Pegasus. Luckily Seto was saved by his father's personal assistant, and one of Seto's only friends, Ryuuji came, asking Seto to go see his father in the study.
"So Ryuuji, what does he want today?"
"Beats me Seto. You'll find out when you get there. Good luck."
Seto walked into his father's study. "Father? You wanted to see me?"
Honda Hiroto turned around in his chair and smiled at his son. "Seto, m'boy. Take a seat."
Seto sat down in the seat facing his father. "So, Father, how's business?"
"Oh, business is great son. But I'm getting old now," he said, absent-mindedly stroking his gray beard (Honda: I don't have a beard! Rowan: ^____~ Hey… Honda: I don't! Rowan: Alright, alright! I stole it from Gandalf! Honda: ~___^?) "and soon you'll be CEO of HirotoCorps. And before I die, I want to see you settled with a wife. So I'm holding a very extravagant party tomorrow night, where the families of some of the most prominent men and their families will come. I want you to consider any of the daughters that come as a possible wife to the heir of the Hiroto fortune. That's all, now go with Ryuuji and get a suitable outfit for tomorrow."
"But Father-"
"You heard me!"
"Yes Father."
Seto walked heavily out of the study where he met his friend in the hallway waiting for him.
"So what did he want?"
"He wants me to get married." Seto made a face. "I tried to tell him.."
Ryuuji nodded his head in understanding. He was aware of Seto's sexual orientations. "Man, what're gonna do?"
"Oh, I'll go to his party, but if he expects me to get myself a bride, well, he'll be seriously disappointed."
---*---
'If he expects me to get the mail, then he's going to be seriously disappointed,' Ryou thought angrily to himself. He gritted his teeth as Malik continued to plead with him.
"Please get the mail for me Ryou? Please?" Of Ryou's three 'Masters', was the only one who Ryou found he could disobey. But then, maybe that was because it seems kind of foolish to take orders from a guy in a dress. (Ryou: Oh phew! I thought I was going to be the cross dresser! Rowan: Eh he… Ryou: ~___^?)
Ryou sighed. "Alright, I'll get you the mail Master Malik."
Ryou shook his head. He didn't understand why Malik was so anxious about the mail today. Maybe his latest issue of Playgirl was in there or something…
Malik grabbed the post from Ryou's hands and hastily shuffled through it. "Ah ha! Here it is! The invitation to the Hiroto's party in Domino!" Malik ran down the many flights of stairs to Marik and Bakura. "Marik, Bakura look! We got an invitation to the Hirotos!"
Ryou, who followed in Malik's wake listened in on their conversation.
"Yeah, so?" Bakura asked tiredly.
"So?! Why, I've got the biggest crush on the son, Seto Kaiba! He's beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent-"
"Who cares?"
"Well, he's single, homosexual, and heir to one of the biggest fortunes in all of Japan!"
Bakura set his paper down. "Now I'm interested. So, what is this party thing?"
"Well, old Honda Hiroto, current CEO of HirotoCorps, is holding a party tomorrow night because he wants his son Seto to marry. Oh if only I could go. I know that he would fall instantly in love with me…" Malik said with a dreamy voice.
"And he's rich, right?"
"Yes, rich as the Ancient Pharaohs of Egypt."
"Well then, I suppose you can go to this party Malik."
Malik jumped for joy. "Really? Yea!" Malik ran back upstairs, beckoning for Ryou to follow him. "C'mon Ryou! You have to help me get ready!"
Ryou walked up the stairs after Malik. 'Oh joy. This is gonna be fun…'
---*---*---*---
So, how was the first chapter? Good? Bad? Tell me please?
Ryou: Yes please review! If you do, she'll write chapter 2!
Rowan: And then I'll introduce Yuugi, Yami, Jou, and Shizuka as well!
Sakura: Yes, so please review!