Warning: This is AU, and not historically accurate. For example, I am perfectly aware that Japan did not go into isolation until the late nineteenth century, and the Black Plague swept through China, the Middle East, and Western Europe in the fourteenth century; Impressionism started in France in the late nineteenth century; we'll be skipping over the 1381 Peasants' Revolt because it wouldn't work out, etc. But my story wouldn't make sense without these little alterations ^^;

Also, I know that Britain was very Protestant at this time and would never accept a same-sex marriage, but let's be open-minded for this fanfiction.

Also, Anzu-lovers, I may have made her a wee bit meaner than you'd like. Just thought I'd warn you :')

Also, this begins and ends with Heartshipping. Sorry Hostshippers D:

The Bakura Manor was one of the largest in Britain, once housing a kind Lady who loved to throw parties and banquets and a generous Lord who enjoyed them just as much as she did. Their two young children, Ryou and Amane, were white-haired beauties who could keep silent as easily as any trained royal. They were the perfect family: loving, respectful, rich, and powerful.

Conservative nobles looked down on them for their liberal policies, but they never minded. They gave their peasants more rights than the King would probably allow, and lowered taxes so much that their subjects were giving them money without obligation. All over Britain, the lower class was talking about Essex.

And then the Plague broke out. The Mongol hoard spread it from China, using their weaponry, their cavalry, and their biological warfare to take down empire after empire. Farmers in the villages were falling sick, urban workers were losing their jobs in droves, bodies piled in the streets, the rains came and prevented the dead from burning, crops wouldn't grow and people were starving. On one of the Bakura's benevolent missions to hand out food and aid to their people, both Lady and Amane Bakura contracted the disease.

Amane passed first, destroying her older brother. He didn't speak from then to the two weeks later when his mother died. He told her he loved her, said a prayer for her safe passage into heaven, and then went quiet again. His father couldn't get him to do anything for a while. Days turned into months turned into years.

Three years later, in a market in Chelmsford, Ryou's life took a turn for the better.

"Ryou?" Yuugi called, pulling the red and gold sheets tighter around his naked body, tripping a bit over the end. His wide violet eyes flashed mischievously. "Ryou, are you coming to bed?" He was a Japanese immigrant to the nation—he and his small family were taken from his isolationist country by the British at the height of Western invasion—and one of the few Japanese left in Essex after their small village was burned down by another noble family.

A flash of white hair passed in front of him, from one room to the other. He stepped back, startled. "I'm sorry, Yuugi, but I can't tonight. My father wants me to go with him to this banquet... Something about a prospective... something or other..."

Yuugi pouted, stomping his small, bare foot on the wooden floor. "But Ryou! This was supposed to be our night!" His light accent grew stronger with his frustration. "We've already skipped two dinners!"

The taller young man appeared in front of him, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "Yuugi, you know I love you, but I have to defer to my father to stay with him. At seventeen, I can't just leave the aristocracy and support us both. He's the last family I have."

Embarrassed and frustrated, Yuugi looked away, clutching the sheets against his chest. "I'm sorry Ryou. I know you keep telling me that, but I just want you to myself—"

Ryou silenced him with another kiss, his arms finding their way around Yuugi's waist and pulling him closer. "Yuugi, I know. You can have me later tonight. This dinner can't take as much time as you think it will." He moved away and checked over himself in the mirror, fixing his red jacket and adjusting the sword at his waist. "Don't wait for me, alright? Go to sleep. I'll be with you faster if you close your eyes."

"Let me help." Yuugi gathered Ryou's long hair in one of his hands, standing on the tips of his toes to tie a ribbon around it. "I think you look much more handsome with your hair up."

Ryou smiled into the mirror, turning to run his fingers through Yuugi's sex-mussed hair. "You look much more adorable with—"

Yuugi stopped him with a finger to his lips. "You know that'll lead to another round."

"My little Japanese nymph." The nobleman smiled and lifted Yuugi into his arms, carrying him to the bed and dropping him in the middle. "Go to sleep. I'll be here before you wake up."

Yuugi rolled over and curled further into his sheet. "I'll hold you to that."

"Ryou," the head of the Bakura house said warmly, welcoming the young nobleman into the hall. It was high-ceilinged, with white marble floors and limestone walls like the rest of the mansion. Pale, similarly styled paintings from France lined the walls at intervals, never holding the eye for more than a few moments of appreciation. Ryou really hated being in such a white, pristine place, when his own quarters was bright and warm with reds and golds, courtesy of Yuugi. It had certainly been difficult to convince his father to take Yuugi in, and especially hard to hide their relationship when Yuugi began decorating his room.

"Father," Ryou replied with a small smile. As worried as he was for his father to find out his and Yuugi's secret, he still respected him as the head of his household. "How are you?" The long fingers of his right hand pressed inconspicuously against his neck, feeling for bruises. He hadn't thought to check for any marks by Yuugi from the previous night.

"Fine, my boy, fine," his father said passively, extending his hand to the other side of the wide hallway. "I think you know the Mazaki's?" Ryou exhaled heavily. That time was luck. He couldn't risk coming out unprepared again.

A blue eyed, brown haired girl stepped forward, offering her hand to Ryou. "Hello, young Lord," she murmured demurely, her short tawny hair just brushing her red cheeks. He took her hand with a blank expression, kissing the back. "I have heard so much about you. I couldn't wait to meet you."

Ryou inclined his head. "Miss Mazaki, it is wonderful to meet you as well."

She giggled. "Please, call me Anzu, young Lord."

Ryou's father smiled at her, walking across the hall to her parents, who were talking quietly together. "Lord and Lady Mazaki, are you ready for dinner?"

The woman, with tied back blonde hair, nodded daintily. "Yes, Lord Bakura."

Ryou stood to the side as Anzu left with her parents, confused. "Father? Why are we only eating with the Mazaki's? Weren't we going to talk with the Wheelers about their Lordship?"

Lord Bakura's smile widened. "To arrange your marriage, Ryou. Young Lady Wheeler is already betrothed, and you need a wife. You didn't think you would live alone after my death, did you?"

Trying his best to seem pleased, Ryou shook his head. "I can't wait to tell Yuugi," he said. "He'll certainly… have a reaction…"

Yuugi awoke to a hot mouth on his neck and a warm body pressed against his back. "Ryou?" he said sleepily, attempting to turn in the embrace.

Ryou pulled Yuugi onto his chest, running his hands over the small of his back. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he whispered onto Yuugi's lips. "God, Yuugi, let me make love to you..."

"Please, Ryou, tell me what's wrong." Yuugi sat up, straddling Ryou and pressing his hands against his chest. He could barely make out his lover's face, save for his bright eyes shining faintly in the moonlight. "You're making me nervous."

Closing his eyes and letting his head fall to the side, Ryou rested his hands on Yuugi's thighs. "Do you remember how we met?"

Yuugi smiled wistfully, rubbing his arms with his hands. "I was lost in the market, after the fire that killed my parents. You found me and took me in. You, a noble, a Lord, taking care of me, a peasant."

"I knew from the moment I saw you that I loved you. I wanted to marry you right then, but my father... my father would never accept it."

"And?" Yuugi asked curiously. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Ryou drew Yuugi to his chest, kissing his forehead. "My father has… arranged a marriage for me. I've never met her before; I saw her at one of the Wheeler's parties last year. She was very… assertive, for a woman."

Violet eyes closed slightly as Yuugi got more comfortable. "Is she pretty? Do I know her?"

The nobleman shrugged as best as he could. "I'm certain she's not as beautiful as you, nymph. Her name is Anzu Mazaki."

Yuugi's breath caught. "M-Mazaki?"

"You recognize her?"

"Her father ordered the immediate evacuation of my town. We were never given a chance to leave. They started the fires before we could get out." Yuugi's voice hitched. "My mother was sick... My father refused to leave her. I wanted to stay, but she told me to leave."

Ryou sighed, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "My Yuugi... I'm still so sorry. If there was anything I could have done to prevent it-"

Pulling himself together, Yuugi tightened his legs around Ryou's hips. "You couldn't have done anything, love. But what's done is done." After a second of thought, Yuugi continued. "I do want you to make love to me. Now."

"God help me," Ryou muttered, pulling the sheets over their heads. Hopefully it would be a long night.

At eight o'clock the next morning, Ryou was already in a hurry. Despite the slight soreness in his back, Yuugi was awake too, sitting up in bed with Ryou's dress shirt on. When the young nobleman passed through their bedchambers again and saw that Yuugi was finally awake, the corner of his lips turned up and he pressed his hands against the end of the bed. "Love, get dressed!" he insisted roguishly, pulling at the blankets.

"Why?" Yuugi replied cheekily, tugging them back with equal force. "I want to stay in today."

Ryou picked him up and twirled him around, kissing his cheeks and forehead. "I want to take you out. You may be my secret lover, but you're also my best friend. It's not good to keep you inside all day."

"I'm wearing a tunic with nothing under it, I hope you know," Yuugi murmured, petulant, letting Ryou set him back down on the bed.

Ryou scoffed, tying his hair back with a purple ribbon. "I'll be touching you inappropriately under every table we sit at if you do."

Yuugi passed by the large window near the bed, walking into the bathroom. "Good. I'm counting on it."

"Nymph," Ryou murmured to himself, fixing the belt around his jacket. Something caught his eye outside the window, but when he turned to look, there was nothing there except the wide gardens. "Must have imagined it."

"Imagined what, love?" Yuugi called back to him.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm planning to leave in the next five minutes, Yuugi." Ryou swept past the bathroom, buckling his sword on and pulling on his boots. "Make sure to bring your sword. I have more allies than enemies, but they're still there."

Yuugi came back wearing pale blue tights and a white tunic, adjusting his brown leather belt. "I'm not the best at sword fighting…" he murmured softly, his eyes wide. "Do you really think that we'll get attacked?"

"Not you," Ryou assured. "You're too cute for something like that."

Yuugi rolled his eyes and click-clacked past Ryou, opening the door to their room and heading through the living room of Ryou's wing of the house. "I do love you, but sometimes, you're an ass."

"How? I was just telling the truth!" Ryou followed him, running up until they were side by side, and then placing his hand at the small of Yuugi's back. "Alright, love, I won't embarrass you like that anymore. I'll think it, instead of saying it." Yuugi glared at him but didn't reply, missing the warmth of Ryou's hand when they made it to the entrance hall. It wouldn't do them any good to reveal themselves when life was so perfect.

Except… this. Anzu Mazaki and her mother were standing in the hall with their pea coats on, speaking softly to one another. Yuugi froze, his hand automatically going to the hilt of his sword, and Ryou paused as well, his expression strained. "Miss Anzu," he greeted as warmly as he could manage, brushing by Yuugi to take Anzu's wrists and kiss her on either cheek. "How lovely to see you."

"And you, young Lord Ryou. Your father told my mother that you were planning on going out to-day. Would you mind terribly if we joined you?" Her eyes flickered to Yuugi but passed over him as if he wasn't there.

Ryou closed his eyes for a moment, a few strands of white hair escaping his ribbon and falling around his face. "No, we would not mind."

Anzu smiled faintly and, very boldly, lifted her hand to brush the strands behind Ryou's ear. Yuugi's breath caught in his chest. Her mother stepped up beside them. "I am just here to chaperone." She giggled girlishly. "But it is you who is courting my daughter. I know you will be a gentleman. Just pretend I am not here."

Ryou turned to her and nodded, gently prying Anzu's hand away from his cheek. "Yes, Lady Mazaki." He took a few steps back, placing his hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "This is my friend Yuugi Mutou. He's been living with me for a few months now. I ask you to treat him with as much respect as you treat me."

Yuugi turned red under the three of their gazes. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Lady and young Lady Mazaki." He leaned a little bit toward Ryou, and looked at the floor when Ryou's thumb rubbed comforting circles into his shoulder.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ryou said. Yuugi envied his level head under pressure; he himself felt like throwing up. It was a miracle Lord Mazaki had not joined them, or he would have to go back up to his room. Ryou guided them, walking out the main doors and up to the carriage that sat waiting for them. He helped Lady Mazaki and Anzu in first, then took Yuugi's hand and lifted him inside.

"I simply cannot wait for the wedding!" Anzu gushed, smiling behind her hands. "I've always wanted to have a wedding in the spring… although three weeks seems so soon!"

Ryou smirked wryly. "It certainly does, Miss Anzu," he agreed. Glancing over, he saw Yuugi's death grip on the window sill, his knuckles turning white with the pressure. He realized with a jolt that Yuugi hadn't known just how rapidly the wedding date was approaching.

"So you're Japanese?" Lady Mazaki asked Yuugi, eyeing him speculatively.

He bit his bottom lip, not daring to meet her gaze. "Yes, Lady Mazaki. I came to England from Japan about two years ago."

"Are you from that village that my father burned down?" Anzu interjected, her blue eyes bright with curiosity. "How did you survive? Do you Japanese really have powers that help you survive? My father says that you're awful hard to kill, and he's had practice!"

Ryou's hand fell to Yuugi's knee, touching it briefly before moving back to the leather seat of the carriage. "Miss Anzu, I don't think those questions are entirely appropriate—"

"It's alright, R— young Lord Bakura," Yuugi said hastily. "Young Lady Mazaki, those questions are very personal, and I would prefer not to answer them." Anzu glared at him, crossing her arms like a child. They sat in very uncomfortable silence until the carriage stopped, and Ryou stood up first.

"Miss Anzu?" he said kindly, taking her hand and guiding her out. He met Yuugi's eyes for a moment and smiled apologetically, his smile faltering at Yuugi's impassive expression. "Ah, my Lady?" He helped her step down as well, and, when he was sure they weren't looking, reached in and held Yuugi around the waist, picking him up and kissing his forehead, and then setting him down on the cobblestones. "I'm sorry, my love. These gestures are just formalities."

Yuugi nodded once. "I understand, young Lord," he spat, but his hand intertwined with Ryou's for a second before he drew away.

"Would either of you like something to eat? There's a confectionary shop off to the right," Ryou said a bit louder, his hand at the top of Anzu's back. When both Anzu and her mother showed interest, he smiled and led them there. Yuugi was off to the side, trying to ignore the curious stares from the other people on the street. It wasn't often that they saw someone of another race dressed so nicely.

"Young Lord Bakura, I'll be in the bookshop if you need me," Yuugi offered, waving once.

"Be back in a half hour!" Ryou called after him, a distinct tone of playfulness in his voice. Lady Mazaki watched him curiously again, but didn't comment. Anzu chose a table outside, fixing her hat and folding her gloved fingers under her chin. Her eyes were narrowed at Yuugi's back.

"Why are you so close to him, young Lord?" Lady Mazaki asked conspiratorially, leaning forward.

Ryou gave a wan smile. "He's been living with me for a while… I'd really prefer not to talk about it."

Anzu was still staring where Yuugi disappeared into the shop, but she cocked an eyebrow. "What's with all this secrecy? What does the great house of Bakura have to hide?" Her mother, instead of chastising her daughter, let her interest get the best of her.

Sighing listlessly, Ryou looked away. "Put whatever you want on my tab."

The very long, very uneasy day ended at four, with Anzu, Yuugi, and Ryou having tea in the main dining room of Bakura Manor. Lady Mazaki had left to be with her husband again, trusting Ryou not to "try anything on her daughter." Yuugi tried not to be obvious with how close he was sitting to the male noble, but Anzu's sharp blue eyes caught every trivial move the two made toward each other.

Finishing her tea, Anzu reached over and covered Ryou's hand with hers, looking toward Yuugi with a venomous air. "Dear Yuugi, could you fetch me some chocolates? I think I saw some in the parlor…"

Yuugi kept his gaze carefully away from their hands, standing. "Of course, young Lady Mazaki. I'll return shortly."

Ryou, absolutely jaded with Anzu's attitude toward his lover, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in aggravation. "He is no servant and he is no slave, Miss Anzu. I do not have him for you to abuse."

Anzu smiled cunningly. "But you do have him, do you not, young Lord?"

Shooting Anzu a dirty look, Ryou hissed, "What are you implying?"

"You are taking him into your bed every night, young Lord. I have seen you. We are not in Greece; loving a man is a sin. And you are marrying soon! I will not stand to be second to a—"

Brown eyes flashed. "Don't you dare insult him." Ryou struggled to control the volume of his voice, pushing his teacup away and pressing his hands against the table.

Anzu ignored his comment. "Sleep with me, young Lord. Take me into your bed."

Ryou stood up, repulsed. "No, Anzu, I will not! We are courting, not lustful children!"

"But you make love to this 'Yuugi'. I will be better than him. He is but a child." Anzu shook her head gleefully, as if laughing at a private joke, and stood up as well, pressing her body against his. "Sleep with me, Ryou, or I'll tell your father. And my father, and even the King."

Exasperated, Ryou stared down at her. "Miss Anzu, you're intelligent. You're beautiful, and powerful. You could have anyone else. So why not leave me and Yuugi alone?"

"Because, Ryou, I want you. I want to show you what you're missing." Her hand slid to his hip, pulling him close.

They looked over at a soft gasp at the entrance of the dining room. Yuugi set the chocolate tin on the table, his eyes averted. "Excuse me, young Lord Ryou, young Lady Anzu." He turned and rushed out of the room, his arms brought up to wipe his tears. Ryou looked after him, his hands against Anzu's shoulders to push her away.

There really only was one solution. Yuugi was going to be forced onto the streets if Lord Bakura found out about their relationship, and Ryou would rather defile himself with Anzu rather than have Yuugi suffer any more that he already had. "If you swear to me that you will tell no one of my and Yuugi's relationship," Ryou began, steeling himself. "Then I will sleep with you once before our marriage."

Anzu grinned. "And?" she prompted.

"And… and I will not…" Ryou shook his head. "I love him, Anzu. I refuse to break his heart. I need you for an heir; you need me for my money. It will be a mutual exchange."

Thoroughly put out, Anzu huffed and ground the heel of her shoe into the Persian rug under the table. "Fine, fine. It's a deal."

After Anzu left, her nose in the air and a smug smile on her face, Ryou poured himself a finger of scotch and downed it, hissing. He wasn't a drinker by any means, but he needed a little courage to face Yuugi after being seen in such a compromising position.

He opened the door to their quarters, checking the couches and the library and not finding Yuugi anywhere. As he got closer to the bedroom door, he heard sniffling. "Love?" he called, resting his hand against the hardwood. "I can understand if you don't want to talk to me, but can you tell me if you're alright?"

He waited a few moments, and then the door opened. "When you marry her," Yuugi said in a low voice, thick with tears, "Will you kick me out?"

Ryou kneeled before him, one hand on the small of his back and the other on his cheek, gently wiping his tears away. "Never. I will never leave you. She is only politics. You are my life."

Yuugi leaned against him, tangling his fingers in Ryou's long hair, pushing the ribbon out and onto the floor. "I love you. I don't care what you do with her, but I still feel it in my heart when you do it… It really hurts me."

"I know, Yuugi, I know." Ryou explained the deal he'd made with Anzu, his head against Yuugi's chest to avoid looking at his face. Yuugi only nodded and agreed, kissing the top of his head.

"I'll go out, that day," Yuugi sighed. "And the day of your wedding."

Ryou laughed despite himself, earning a scowl from Yuugi. "My and Anzu's wedding night will be spent apart. She will be celebrating with her family and the townspeople. I will have you here, locked in my room, making love to you until you feel I have sufficiently atoned for my sins."

Yuugi tilted the noble's head back and kissed him. "As much as I am dreading having to share you, that thought almost makes it bearable. And it would be nice if your children looked more like you than her."

"That's the spirit." Ryou lifted a hand, pressing it to Yuugi's stomach. "Although I have wished you could bear my children, I love you just the way you are. This is going to bring us much closer, I can feel it."

Unfortunately, Ryou's feeling was less accurate than he thought. A week later, Yuugi was once again suffering through a broken heart.

He stood outside the door of Ryou's bedroom, listening to the high moans and sighs from inside. He'd been out, since he knew that Anzu was coming over that day to seal the deal, but his discomfort with the situation had him sneaking back inside and up to their private chambers.

Yuugi opened the door slowly and stepped in, covering his mouth with his hand to stifle his shaky breath, and stood in the shadows near the entrance of the bedroom.

He saw Anzu on her knees in their bed, gasping with every hard thrust Ryou pounded into her. Ryou was much quieter, but from where he was standing, Yuugi could see him mouthing his name, his eyes closed and a frown on his face as if he was concentrating on something.

"Oh... Ryou... God..." Anzu cried as she came, clutching onto the sheets. His favorite sheets, Yuugi seethed to himself.

"Yuugi!" Ryou moaned, pulling out and stroking himself into cumming onto the bed. "Love..."

Anzu came quickly down from her high, slapping Ryou. "How dare you call his name!" She stood in a huff, pulling on her dress and shoes. "Wait until my father hears about this!"

Ryou grabbed her hand, kneeling on the edge of the bed. "Anzu, you promised—"

"To hell with my promise! I will have that little trollop out of my house!" She stormed off and out of the door, not noticing Yuugi who was still in the shadows. Ryou watched her leave, and then threw a pillow at the closed door. He stood up, redressing in his trousers and practically tearing the sheets off the bed, throwing them on the floor.

"Ryou?"

The noble looked up, finally seeing a half-hidden Yuugi at the door. "… How much did you see?" he asked.

"Enough," Yuugi replied. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry it didn't work."

"Yes, well." Ryou stepped over the soiled sheets, taking Yuugi's hand and dragging him into the bathroom. "I'm going to wash this filth off of myself, and then we're going to talk to my father before Anzu can." He smiled smugly. "She can't tell him about us without me telling him about her sex before marriage. She'll probably get disowned."

Yuugi looked distraught, his violet eyes wide with worry. "Will she have a home?" he asked, startling Ryou into stopping in his tracks.

"How can you care about her well-being at a time like this, Yuugi?" he asked, confused.

The young Japanese boy shifted back and forth on uneasy feet. "I know what it's like to not have a home. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Ryou's hard, angry eyes softened. "One of the many reasons why I love you. You're so unfailingly selfless."

Yuugi blushed, covering his nose and cheeks with his free hand. "Ryou," he said, his voice muffled. "We have to hurry, love, if you want to tell your father."

The anger was back full force. "I should never have made this bloody deal." Ryou closed the bathroom door behind them both, his lips at Yuugi's ear. "My little nymph, will you help me rid myself of this immorality?"

Pressing his groin against Ryou's re-awakening hardness, Yuugi smiled. "After we've sorted this out, my Lord. I'd hate to have this hanging over our heads any longer."

Yuugi allowed Ryou to wrap an arm around his waist as they made their way to Lord Bakura's office. It was now or never that they revealed themselves to him. They'd talked out a solution that involved Yuugi going to say at one of the Bakura's smaller homes in Halstead, and Ryou coming back to visit him as soon as he was married. It wasn't the most desirable solution, but it was the only one they had.

Ryou knocked on the door, his hand slipping from Yuugi's waist to his hip as he pulled them closer together. "Father? Are you busy?"

The door opened, and both Ryou and Yuugi were looking up into Lord Bakura's judgmental emerald eyes. "Ryou, would you like to explain yourself?"

Inside the office, Lord and Lady Mazaki were sitting with Anzu between them, her eyes red from crying. "She works fast," Yuugi said incredulously.

Gathering what little courage he had left, Ryou rolled his eyes. "Then tell me why it took me ten minutes of trying to get it up before I decided to start thinking of you."

Lady Mazaki gasped at the vulgarity, holding her husband's hand. "Your son is a tyrant, Lord Bakura!" she accused. Yuugi was laughing quietly with his hand over his mouth, his head against Ryou's chest.

Anzu stood up, her hand raised as if she made to hit Yuugi, but Ryou was in front of him in an instant, all traces of mirth gone from his face. "Don't," he warned, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Anzu's eyes were wide, in disbelief and fear.

"Anzu has told us all about your tryst with this foreigner," Lord Mazaki ground out, watching Ryou accusingly.

"Did she also tell you about her harem of village boys? Or was she saving that until later?"

The young noblewoman gasped. "Who told you about that?" she said unthinkingly, before her hands flew to her mouth. Ryou mock bowed at her, turning to his father.

"Father, you haven't said anything about this." He kissed Yuugi's forehead, smiling indulgently at him, and then looked back into his father's eyes. "What do you think? If I am a sinner, then she has sinned just as much."

Lord Bakura stared levelly at his son. "Ryou, as your father and Lord of this land, I have to wish for a grandson. I want you to have an heir." Ryou lowered his eyes, but didn't talk back, or release Yuugi.

Yuugi, on the other hand, was incensed. "My Lord, I love your son. I love him more than I love myself. If you want him to have an heir, so be it. He can lay with all the girls in the city until one of them bears a male child. But please, don't make him marry someone else. I hope I am right in his loving me, because I want to keep him forever. To myself."

Ryou, moved, caught Yuugi's chin in his free hand and turned his face up to kiss him. "I love you just as much, Yuugi. I couldn't live without you."

Anzu tapped her foot on the marble floor. "What is a Lord without a Lady?"

Dark brown eyes narrowed indignantly. "A damn good Lord, if you ask me." Ryou's father smiled at him.

"I think a Lord and his Lover sounds quite good," Yuugi murmured cheekily.

Lord Mazaki sputtered furiously. "Where will your land be, without a legitimate heir?"

Lord Bakura raised an eyebrow, his gaze settling on the lesser Lord. "No one will question the legitimacy of my grandson. He will inherit this land, just as I had, and just as Ryou will. It is you, now, without an heir, Lord Mazaki."

Yuugi bit his lip to hide his smile. "I cannot thank you enough, my Lord. I will love Ryou as he is meant to be loved."

"Yuugi will make a perfect surrogate mother, my Lord," Ryou added, caressing Yuugi's side absently. "You will not be disappointed."

Lady Mazaki stood and huffed, leaving the room. Lord Mazaki followed soon after, sending Lord Bakura a weak glare, but obviously still thinking about the well-placed threat on his Lordship.

"Well, Ryou," Lord Bakura said with a smile, "We have another wedding to plan. Congratulations to both of you."

Both Yuugi and Ryou thought about it for a moment, and then grinned. "Thank you, Father," Ryou said, drawing away from Yuugi to embrace the older Lord.

Lord Bakura chuckled, patting Ryou's head in a paternal way. "Your mother would be so proud of you. And your sister would have made the most adorable flower girl."

Ryou's eyes filled with tears and he stepped back, wiping at his face. "I hope they're both happy," he murmured, mostly to himself.

Yuugi stepped up behind him, touching his shoulder with a comforting hand. "I'm sure they are," he said softly. "I only wish I knew them."

Ryou placed his hand over his lover's. "They'd have loved you like family, Yuugi." He brushed himself off, standing a little straighter. "Well, Father's right. We have a wedding to plan."

~*~Epilogue~*~

"Jou?" Yuugi called, carrying a white-haired child on his hip. "Lord Joseph Wheeler of Surrey, where in God's name—"

"I'm here, I'm here," the tall blond said quickly, holding a glass bottle full of rum. He smiled indulgently, taking a long drink of it. "What does youngest Lord Bakura need?"

Yuugi smiled back at him as best as he could, taking the bottle and setting it on the table, and then brushing a dull blond lock out of his own eyes. "Do you know when Ryou is coming home? Serenity told me you might have word…"

Joey shook his head sympathetically. "They may have sent something, but it would take a few days, if not a week or more, to get here. Spain is a faraway place, Yuugi."

Yuugi nodded, his eyes deadening from their hopeful brightness. He was thankful he had Lord Wheeler to support him, as his younger sister Serenity was the surrogate mother for Yuugi and Ryou's child. She'd been released from her obligation as another Lord's wife when he was killed in the war against the French. She and Ryou already had a two year old son, Charles, and another on the way that Ryou and Yuugi were planning to name Amane if it was a girl. Joseph had his own wife, Mai Valentine, former Lady of a county in Germany, and children of six and eight.

Serenity and Yuugi had become fast friends, although Joey was at first a bit skeptical of not having his sister be a legitimate Lady. With time, he came to understand the situation, but still demanded the utmost respect for Serenity as a Lady of Surrey.

In the four years between his marriage to Ryou and the young noble's long-term departure to Spain to negotiate a treaty against French forces, Yuugi's life had been brilliant.

And now it was two months without word. Yuugi was worried out of his mind, trying to devote all of his time and attention to Serenity and Charles while still helping Lord Bakura run Essex in place of his son, and giving the Crown all the help they could get in the war against France.

"Alright, well, first word comes to me," Yuugi breathed, kissing the top of Charles's head. "Ryou, please come home safe…"

Joey pulled him into an embrace for a moment, then let him go, took his rum, and left the parlor. Yuugi sat heavily in a chair, shifting Charles to his lap. "Do you miss your Daddy as much as I do, love?" he whispered, handing Charles his bear that was sitting at the table.

The little boy nodded, his white ponytail, much like his father's, bobbing up and down. "I miss Daddy, Papa."

Yuugi's half-hearted smile widened a bit. "I love you, Ryou."

The door behind him opened and closed. Footsteps softened once they hit carpet, until whoever had entered was right behind him. "I love you, too," a low voice whispered in his ear, and soft lips planted a kiss on his cheek. "And you, Charles."

"Daddy!" the boy squealed, lifting his arms. Yuugi, not daring to look, allowed the boy to be taken out of his hold.

There was a pause, then, "Have you fallen out of love with me, little nymph? I'm sorry I was gone so long."

"No, I haven't. I still love you just as much." Yuugi, still not allowing himself to hope, frowned. "Why wasn't there word?"

"Napoleon's armada."

"Were you hurt?"

"Of course not, love. I had to get home to you." Silence, then, "Did Miss Mazaki and her mother come around again? Are you and the babies alright?"

"She knows not to come back, after that threat of disownment from her father." Yuugi's hands rested on his lap as he relaxed a bit more. "I wonder how her new husband is doing.

The soft footsteps made their way around the chair as the low voice chuckled, and there was the slightest thump as knees hit the rug. "Kiss me?"

Yuugi grinned, looking into chocolate brown eyes, then leaning forward and placing a very careful kiss on his Lord's lips. "There."

Ryou rolled his eyes, setting Charles on his feet before taking Yuugi's face in both hands and pulling him close for a long, deep kiss. "I missed you so much, love."

"Show me," Yuugi murmured impishly, brushing his thumb over Ryou's bottom lip.

Smirking widely, Ryou stood up. "Joey, could you put down the bottle for an hour and watch Charles?"

"Two hours," Yuugi corrected quietly, allowing Ryou to pick him up like a bride and carry him out of the parlor just as Elizabeth and Alexander, Joey's children, ran in with more toys for Charles.

"Three hours!" Ryou called back, winking down at Yuugi. The latter giggled like a schoolgirl, wrapping his arms around Ryou's neck and pulling him down for a kiss. The young nobleman brushed noses with Yuugi as he pulled back, starting up the stairs and into their chambers. "You're incorrigible, my little nymph."

Please review! I might even add a second chapter with smut ;)