To AriNekoGoMu: Thank for the compliment. I hope that you will enjoy my next chappie.
To Evil Krayon Plushie: Well…sorry for the wait. I love to leave people hanging, but I hate it when it happens to me too.
To Scorpia250: Thank you for the review. It is safe to say that Yugi doesn't know about Ryou's powers though he might find out in a future chappie!
To Mistress of Muses: Thank you for the review. I hope that you will find this chapter as enjoyable as the ones preceding it.
To RyouVerua: I'm very sorry. I just like writing suspenseful fics. Hehe
Alex: You have really got to stop doing that. The readers do not like the cliff hangers.
Deathbystorm: I'll stop doing cliffies the day that you stop stealing my chocolate!
Alex:……I didn't steal your chocolate . .
Deathbystorm: While I am throttling my muse who is also my yami, please enjoy this lovely new chappie.
Disclaimer: Some one up there really hates me 'cause if you lawyers haven't noticed, this is a disclaimer. Now get the hell off my property! Pulls out machine gun mwahahahahaha
Chapter 3Ryou stared calmly into the eyes of the now awake and very pissed off stranger. Note to self. Next time I take in someone, I must relieve them of weapons first.
"M-my name's Ryou," the witch said putting a tremble in his voice out of sheer habit. "I-if you let me go, I can tell you what happened." Reluctantly, the teenager lowered the knife from Ryou's throat so that he could breath more easily. Then the young white-haired teen told him the entire story leaving out the fact that he was a witch.
"So I think that you should at the very least lie low here for a few days so that they don't come after you again," Ryou concluded with a sigh. "By the way, what the hell did you do to get the villagers so convinced that you were a witch?"
"I think I stole something of theirs. My name's Bakura by the way and thieving is my profession," the theif said with a seductive smile.
"A theif? Well that would certainly explain their desire to burn you at the stake," Ryou said sounding mildly amused. Bakura stared at him. "If they don't see what happened their first explanation is that you are a witch. Actually, around here, you can be accused for being evil just for pissing off a neighbor. So you shouldn't really be surprised about all that." There was a knock at the door. "Quick! Hide!" Ryou hissed unintentionally casting a spell that rendered Bakura invisible.
The thief frowned as his host's hand seemed to glow blue for a moment. It faded so fast that he could have sworn that it was a trick of the light. Bakura shrugged and then froze realizing that there was really no where to hide.
"Hi Yugi!" Ryou said delightedly.
"Is he awake yet?" the amethyst-eyed teen asked.
The witch hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. He is. You can go back and meet him if you want to."
Bakura became visible just before Yugi turned around. "Hi! I'm Yugi. What's your name?"
"Mark," Bakura said smirking dangerously.
The amethyst-eyed teen backed up slightly. "Uuhhh Ryou? Are you sure that he's not…you know…dangerous or something?"
"Sure he is dangerous but everyone is dangerous," the witch answered.
"You know what I mean," Yugi muttered.
Ryou sighed. "I won't allow him to hurt you," he said.
"Hey! Since when do you have control over me?" Bakura demanded.
"Mark, you owe me a life debt. The only way that you can pay it off is by not harming Yugi or any of my other friends," the witch said quietly having caught on to Bakura's game. What the hell does Bakura think he's doing? I'll ask him later.
The thief glared at him and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't touch your friends," he muttered. Bakura, of course, hated owing anybody anything. He found it very degrading. Ryou and Yugi chatted lightly for a few minutes before the amethyst-eyed boy had to go.
"I've got to go guys. I'm supposed to be out shopping for food, he said.
"Bye Yugi," Ryou said. Bakura didn't say anything having dropped out of the conversation much earlier. The short teen exited the store.
Before Ryou could give the thief heck for terrorizing his friend and lying about his name, there was a knock at the door. "It's so busy this morning," he muttered before opening the door.
There were two townsfolk at the door step. "Mai, and Shizuka," the witch said in shock. "What a pleasant surprise. What would you be needing? Who's sick?"
"We know you're hiding the witch, Ryou," Shizuka said as the two pushed their way into the shop. "Ah! There he is," she said.
"Uh you guys, he isn't a witch," Ryou said quietly. "He's just somebody who needed a good meal and a roof over his head for the night."
"Ryou. I can't believe it. You came to my bakery every day and I never saw it," Shizuka said sadly.
"You're a witch too," Mai said slowly.
"We'll be back. Mark my words," Shizuka snapped aggressively. "We will be back at nightfall. Don't even try to escape. We're posting two guards outside."
"Wow she sure changed," Ryou muttered dryly. He went to open the door to peek outside. No such luck. As soon as he opened the door, two of the burliest men in the entire town lifted their pitchforks and forced him back inside. The witch slammed the door shut and leaned against it. "Okay. There is no way in hell that we are getting out."
"Well what morons built this place without windows?" Bakura grumbled.
"Hey! That's my parents you are talking about," Ryou grumbled right back glaring at him. Then he relaxed. "Look we have to form a plan to get out of here if we want to survive. We have several hours to formulate one."
"Isn't there any way that I can smuggle a knife?" the thief asked.
"Unfortunately no," the witch replied. "The townspeople may be stupid but there is no way in hell that they are that stupid."
"You never know," Bakura muttered.
"They'll search you before you are even tried."
"Well, isn't there any thing else we can do?"
"I'm afraid not," Ryou replied as calmly as he could. "I believe that this time at least, we are actually going to die."
"We'll figure out a way," Bakura said. "I've been in worse scrapes than this."
"Really?" his host-fellow prisoner asked.
"Well no, but I've always survived up until now," he muttered. "What we need is more time."
"That is something that we have very little of," Ryou said.
Meanwhile, across the village, Yugi paced. Shizuka had come to tell him of his friend's fate only minutes ago. "What can I do to help him?" he murmured desperately as tears streamed down his face. "He's my best friend. I've got to help him. I've just got to. I'm going for a walk." The amethyst-eyed teen left his house and took off into the woods behind it for a little while.
It's been an hour and I've decided to be present at my friends trial and execution. It's the least that I can do for him, the amethyst eyed teen thought as tears ran down his face. As he walked on, there came the sound of racing feet through the bushes. Yugi turned just as Ryou and Bakura broke through the bushes.
Deathbystorm: is being chased by a horde of angry reviewers with pitchforks. AAAAaaahhhh! Please don't kill me! I'm to chocolate addicted to die.
Alex: wakes up. Well I did tell her what would happen if she did such a thing again but now she must face the consequences. Ah well another chapter another opportunity for our loving readers to review so please do so.