Disclaimer: I don't own Yugi-oh

Written by: Hikari Riku

A/N: Damn...i'm mad, this thing is so long...and it was only supposed to be a one shot, which it is, it's just a LONG one shot...course, all of my one shots are long...sigh, I'd break it up into chapters to make it easier to read, but i can't find a place so I put lines through it at certain places to symbolize resting places...

I kinda want to write a sequal to this story too, unfortunantly, i'm knee deep in the plot for not just one, but two stories, and I have to write them, not to mention, the Joey letter...which I fear may become discontinued...Cries Ra I hope not, I'm going on vacation for about a week starting August first and I won't have the internet, so...there will be a bit of a delay on my other fics...not that there already isn't sigh well anyway onto the fic.

A matter of trust

The boy groaned as he tried to pick himself up off the ground, it hurt his hands to try and push himself up, but he managed, brushing the sand off his cloths, if you could call them that… they weren't worth really being called cloths, it was just a pair of brown torn up pants, and a brown tunic. They were slave cloths. But on the bright side they matched his eyes. He thought then almost laughed

He ran his fingers through his long white hair, causing the clumps of sand to fall out.

"GET MOVING!" He heard the blond, haired thief yell before he hit him over the head with the bud of his dagger, causing the boy to stumble forward, he braced himself to land on his hands, though they were bruised and bloodied already.

Of course, the fall didn't happen, half way through someone caught him, and he looked up at the leader of the thieves or rather 'sand-dancers' as they preferred to be called.

"Now, now Malik you're being rather rude." The leader said standing the boy up on his feet properly though this didn't help, the boy still almost collapsed, so the leader walked him over to a nearby cart, and told him to get on. It might have been a nice gesture if he hadn't been so forceful.

Malik chuckled maliciously as he and the leader walked behind the cart as it wheeled along, by his laugh the boy could tell he was planning something, and he wondered if the leader who's name he had yet to learn, was planning to do something as well. At least he didn't think he was going to be used as an example any time soon. That had -already- happened.

The nameless boy had thought he could escape in the middle of the night, and had ran for it, only to be pursued and caught. The other 'slaves' as the boy was beginning to think of himself and the others as, had had to watch as the boy was beaten and then killed.

The boy didn't want to end up like the nameless boy, who lay in a grave of sand in a nameless desert along the Nile, the nameless boy who he imagined was probably nothing more then mere bones, and tiny shreds of meat thanks to the vultures and perhaps other wild animals. Thinking of this the boy almost gagged now, watching the boy being killed had been bad enough but…

"How much do you think -these- will sell for?" Malik's somewhat cold voice broke the boy out of his thoughts, this had to be the first time he had even partly been glad to hear the blond sand-dancers voice, although he didn't like being referred to as though he was a thing rather then an actual person.

Then he realized it. He -was- a thing, an it, just a piece of -property-, nothing more. The realization of this truth almost hurt, he almost wanted to cry, but he wouldn't not in front of them. Though he didn't feel very strong, he wasn't about to let them know how weak he actually was. If he could at least put on a mask, then perhaps they wouldn't go making an example out of him or using him for whatever they want to, anytime soon.

Now it was the leader who chuckled, which sent a jolt of fear through the boy's body, it was cold and unfeeling, though when he'd talked earlier he didn't sound like that, just his laugh.

"I don't know…" He said turning to the boy with a strange smile in his face, and an even stranger look in his eyes. He jumped onto the cart with little effort, and walked over to the boy who realized he had crawled back into the corner.

None to gently he seized the boys chin and lifted his head upward so that their eyes met. "I reckon they'll pay a high price, especially for this one." He said almost smirking

For some reason this really frightened the boy, not that the leader was smirking but that he said that they would pay a lot of money for him, why would they be especially interested in him? he wasn't anything special, and he couldn't do very much, he knew there were far better people who would make much better slaves then him within the group so what did he mean?

The boy almost voiced his question's out loud and if it weren't for the leader of the sand-dancers grip on his chin preventing him from talking he probably would have.

"You think so?" Malik asked "I suppose you're right, he does have a certain -quality- to him." He said, for some reason almost sneering.

The boy hadn't realized that the leader's grip on his chin had lessened or that he had turned his head to the blond. It was only when the leader suddenly tightened his grip again and yanked his head back to face him, rather violently.

"See…" He said "You're life won't be such a waist…" There was a slight pause and the leader eyed him questioningly. "What's your name boy?" He ask tilting his head to the side to examine the boy better.

"Ryou…" The boy said with some difficulty due to the thief's grip on him.

The leader of the thieves laughed, colder this time, and prompted Malik and Ryou to join in. so reluctantly he as well as Malik did. Though Ryou didn't know what was so funny.

Of course, he should have known nothing was…suddenly the leader turned on him. "What are you laughing about?" He asked his eyes cold and somewhat murderous. Ryou didn't reply he was paralyzed as the fear in him grew, he knew it was now visible in his eyes.

"Well?" The leader ask

Ryou gulped "I don't know…" He said trying his hardest not to take his eyes away from the leaders. Ryou suddenly realized that the leader was rather similar to him, and appeared to be about his age, he also had long white hair slightly more jagged then his however, and brown eyes though ones with little or rather no sparkle to them.

The leader smiled at him now, "Well…I suppose you don't do you?" He ask rhetorically, then let out a slight laugh, Ryou was glad he didn't tell -him- to laugh again. "Alright." He said releasing Ryou and standing up in the moving cart, he was obviously vary balanced because Ryou knew that if he'd tried to stand up, he probably would have fallen flat on his face, but after a moment of thought he realized that the leader was a thief, and most likely a good sand-dancer which meant he'd obviously have to have good balance.

Ryou didn't notice he was staring up at the thief leader until the cart they were in suddenly jerked to a stop, causing him to fly into the side rail, though the thief leader merely swayed to the side, Malik however almost ran into the cart, he apparently hadn't been paying attention, not that Ryou thought that that would have been of much help.

"Find out what's going on!" The leader ordered Malik who nodded and headed off towards the front at a near run. The thief turned to Ryou and stared with a strange expression on his face, then looked around, and eventually up at night sky.

"Sir!" Malik said reappearing beside the cart "We're being attacked by barters." He explained

After giving an annoyed groan, the leader inclined his head and ordered Malik to go to the front and take the necessary procedures. Malik nodded and took off.

"Barter's?" Ryou said without thinking "Like…like traders or something?"

The leader smiled, "Yes, like traders…but don't worry." He said "I'm not about to let them have you."

Ryou couldn't explain it but for some reason, he was sort of glad that the sand-dancer wasn't going to hand him over to barters, though he knew he would hand him over to someone eventually. Ryou prayed that it would at least be a nice person, something of which he knew Barter's weren't. Of course, thieves weren't that great either, probably a bit worse.

"Ryou." The leader said bringing Ryou out of his thoughts, while surprising him somewhat also, "My name is Bakura." He said before jumping from the cart and heading to the front leaving Ryou alone.

Ryou didn't move for what seemed like forever, and he was way to scared to stand up and look over the cart. He could hear metal clanking and he knew it was the sound of swords locked in battle. There were shouts coming from all around, and they seemed to be getting louder. Ryou closed his eyes tightly in fear, all he could do was hide, since he wasn't much of a fighter.

Ryou heard some sort of explosion and judging by the heat that he was now feeling, it was really close by. "Oh please…" He said to himself, then he felt someone grab hold of him, and his eyes shot open to stare at a rather rugged looking man with black hair, a long black beard, and dressed in shorts and a badly torn tunic. The man was rather muscled and much bigger then Ryou. He was a barter.

Ryou's eyes widened at the sight of him and he tried vainly to jerk away. "LET GO!" He screamed, and the man laughed slashing his knife at Ryou and cutting his arm, causing Ryou to cry out in pain as the blood trickled down his arm and the man made to cut him again.

To Ryou's surprise he didn't get a chance, a knife was put to the man's throat, and the man released Ryou who backed away and grabbed his arm, then watched as Bakura leaned over the man's shoulder and whispered something into the man's ear. The man's eyes widened and he started to say something before he fell dead at Bakura's feet.

"Here." Bakura said throwing Ryou a dagger which he caught. "Just in case." He said then he headed off again.

Ryou looked at the dagger in his hands, it was of vary good quality, made of some sort of metal he didn't recognize, not quite steel, or iron, and defiantly not copper. The handle seemed to be made of fine oak, and it had a strange design running through it.

Ryou backed up into the corner again, and cluched the dagger tightly in his hands which he held to his chest. It seemed like forever before the sounds of battle died away, and Bakura returned to the cart.

"All of the -cargo- is accounted for." Malik who was standing beside Bakura said staring at Ryou who was staring at his feet looking frightened, he still had the dagger in his hands and they hadn't tried to remove it from his possession yet, though if they did he wouldn't fight them for it. He was grateful to Bakura for saving his life, even if the thief and the rest of the Sand-Dancers were planning on selling him as a slave.

"Good." Bakura said inclining his head slightly, but not taking his eyes off of Ryou. "Go make sure there aren't anymore survivors, and be sure to make sure the wounded are tended to, even the slaves, unless of course they're beyond help."

"Sir, what if there are survivors?" Malik ask staring curiously at Bakura, who turned slightly towards him.

"You can kill them." He said "or…you can keep them alive, we could use more -cargo-."

Malik nodded headed off, though Ryou didn't really get a look at Malik he could tell that the thief was a bit annoyed and reasoned that it most likely had to do with the task he was just assigned to. Ryou had noticed before by the state of Malik's cloths that he was most likely the second in command.

Out of the corner of his eye Ryou saw Bakura jump onto the cart and walk over to him. He saw Bakura kneel down and examined him. Ryou noticed that the thief seemed to be taking notice of his cut arm, and the fact that he was shaking. Mostly because he wasn't used to this sort of thing, he'd always lived a peaceful life, until Bakura and the other sand-dancer's had attacked the caravan he had been traveling with, that was at least three days ago, he thought. Or was it? Had a day even really passed, he couldn't seem to remember at the moment, he was beyond scared.

"Are you alright?" He heard Bakura ask and startled he dropped the dagger and cringed as it made a small clanking noise as it hit the wooden bottom of the cart.

Looking down at it he saw Bakura pick it up and put it through his belt, then slowly reach out and he felt him rather then saw him touch his arm. "Better do something about that." He said and ordered the nearest member to go try and find some water and bandages in one of the captured Barter carts.

Since the people were Barters they were bound to have plenty of supplies, and luckily he was right. Another man appeared several minutes later with a pale of water a rag and bandages.

Ryou tried not to look at Bakura or his arm, as Bakura carefully washed it with the water and rag, then dried it and gently wrapped the bandage around his arm. Then Bakura told someone to tell the others that they would set up camp where they were, no use walking any further now.

Almost three hours later Malik returned and informed Bakura that he had made sure all the wounded were treated and that no survivor's remained. He also informed him that all the -slaves- had been once again placed in their shackles, and secured so that they wouldn't run away. Malik seemed to have enjoyed mentioning that this was so they didn't have to make yet -another- example, which Ryou figured he did just to scare him.

"Shouldn't you chain him up as well?" Malik ask Bakura after he'd reported everything "He -is- a -slave- after all."

Bakura stared at Ryou for a moment then chuckled and shook his head. Ryou watched Malik nod an understanding and then after being dismissed by Bakura go off to make camp for himself and his -sister-.

Ryou didn't exactly remember what happened after that, he remembered vaguely pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his head in his hands, then slowly falling asleep.

When he woke the sun was already above the horizon telling him it was about mid-morning, and the cart he was in was steadily moving forward.

"Hello." A woman's voice said causing him to sit bolt upright and look around at first he didn't notice her, but then he realized she was sitting on the other side half hidden in tan almost gypsy like cloths.

Ryou didn't say anything to her he just stared, she was very beautiful with long black hair, and dark eyes. She wore many beads in her hair and fine jewelry around her wrists. She wasn't a slave.

"My name is Isis." She informed him pleasantly "You would be Ryou yes?"

Ryou could only nod in reply, he realized he must look just about as confused as he felt.

"Yes, I knew you were. I had a vision of you." She said smiling "I am a seer you see." She explained while reaching up and putting her fingers lightly on a gold necklace with a strange eye on it that hung around her neck.

"You've had a hard life." She said not asking so much as stating "Your parents are dead and now you are a slave."

Ryou lowered his eyes, and nodded he didn't want to think about his parents…or the fact that he was now a slave to the sand-dancers. Though this situation was bothering him terribly. Not being a slave though the thought was unpleasant, just the fact that she was talking to him and not someone else, or that the leader Bakura had been so -nice- to him, also that he'd thought they would pay more for him then the others…

"They're right you know, people will pay a lot for you." A man said who had been striding next to the cart, Ryou hadn't noticed the man before, and now examined him. The man was brown skinned like most everyone in the desert, and he wore a white turban, and white robe, and other then the weird key like necklace he wore around his neck there wasn't much to him, besides that and the fact he appeared to have dark hair and dark eyes, but then again almost everyone in the desert did except Ryou himself who no matter how much time spent in the sun was always ghostly pale, with white hair, and brown eyes, that weren't quite as dark as most peoples.

"My name is Shadi." He said smiling him "I'm sorry for that rather rude intrusion but your thoughts were so strong I could not help myself." The man was nodding apologetically now, and smiling all the while. "You know once we arrive you will be sold along with the others yes?"

"SHADI!" Isis hissed at him, "You'll scare him!"

"Right, forgive me it was not my place." Shadi said before nodding a goodbye and walking off.

"It's okay…" Ryou said to Isis "I know I will be." He said, she stared at him, he was so young yet so bitter already, his life was much worse then even she knew.

"Well if they do sell you, they'll always get you back." She said to him, Ryou stared wanting to ask what she meant by that, but didn't get to.

"Sister, you're assistance is needed near the front." Malik's voice said interrupting them quite abruptly causing Ryou to wonder where it was that he'd come from. It wasn't as though he'd been anywhere nearby, or perhaps he had and Ryou just hadn't noticed.

"Oh yes of course brother." Isis said to him, then standing she jumped from the cart and disappeared.

Malik picked up pace behind the cart, stuck his hand on the back pushed up spun and crouched down next to Ryou, seemingly all in the same motion.

"I suppose my sister is right." He said "Even when we do sell you, and we will, we'll get you back." Malik's voice was laced with a bit of anger, he'd stopped and seemed to be waiting for Ryou to ask him something.

So after a moment of consideration Ryou decided he should ask why? It wasn't exactly a safe question seeing as how he was sure Malik didn't like him and probably wouldn't hesitate to kill him, but he assumed it was safer then most.

"So if you sell us you'll get us all back? Why?" He ask carefully, he was afraid Malik would pull out his dagger and end his life any second but he didn't.

Malik laughed, "I never said we'd get anyone else back." He said smiling with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"You mean just me?" Ryou ask before he could stop himself "Why?"

"You're a rather inquisitive slave." Came Malik's reply "Well…I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you." He laughed again, "You know there really isn't much to tell actually…just a matter of trust really."

"What trust would that be?" Ryou ask carefully now that he was sure Malik wasn't going to just turn around and kill him.

"He gave you his name didn't he?" Malik ask smiling, then without another word or even waiting for Ryou to say anything he jumped from the cart and was gone like the others.

OWARI

Okay how was that? hope I didn't screw anything up...sorry guys this is my first fic involving Ryou or Bakura, where they have to be serious... anyway please Reveiw!