Author's note: *hugs everyone who reviewed* I love you guys ;o;
& anyway, this chapter will be evil & quite long, also might feel a bit rushed/confusing near the end, forgive me, I just really needed to get a certain person out of the way XD;
But I think you guys will like the next one, because I have a plan to reveal a bit of what's happening to our dear Atem, who we all know should be the ruler instead of Ryou :3 Which also means the plot unwinds, finally! With this, let's gooo.
Warning(s) for this chapter – Malik being smartypants, emo Ryou xD At least Bakura will still be Bakura. Slight racism, but not really; only implied. Minor violence.
"He did WHAT?" Malik shouted in Ryou's face, who only sighed back and nodded his head. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
After visiting the King and reporting to him on everything (the King requested for Bakura to be executed, and Ryou had to spend a long time trying to persuade him otherwise, and to make things harder, just then one of the guards had to enter, claiming they found gold jewellery hidden in Bakura's pockets), Ryou sent a messenger to go to Malik's Palace and tell him that he should come as soon as possible, since Ryou needs to urgently talk to him. Of course, Ryou didn't expect the boy to come first thing the next morning, lead by his own guards and accompanied by the messenger Ryou had sent. Still, he was grateful for Malik's quick arrival, as he really needed to get some of his thoughts off his chest.
So now, the two of them sat together in one of the top-floor guest rooms, with the guards standing outside. Ryou had just finished telling Malik all about Bakura and his actions, and Malik wasn't pleased, to say the least. He stared at Ryou in utter startle, before finally regaining his composure. He took a deep breath and proceeded.
"But I thought you told him not to try anything?" Malik asked, a frown forming upon his handsome features. Ryou used to envy Malik for his appearance, wishing he himself would be more attractive, but he finally got over it a few months ago, realizing that he'd always look like a twelve year old kid and there was no stopping it.
"I did!" Ryou defended himself. "I told him and-..." he paused, remembering their conversation. "Oh crap."
"What? What happened?" Malik asked impatiently, leaning in towards Ryou in anticipation.
"I told him..." Ryou put a hand over his mouth in shock before he continued, his voice muffled. "I told him he can do whatever he wants."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah." Ryou felt his cheeks getting warm, and gave his friend an apologetic look. He face-palmed in return.
"Ryou... But why?" Malik asked eventually, once both of them got over the fact.
"I-I didn't mean it that way!" the Prince tried to explain himself. "I meant that he can do whatever in the room! Like sleep or something! Not murder my people!"
Malik looked at him with his 'you fail' expression, before sighing again. "Ryou, did you ever have a slave before? Did you ever even gave an order to one?"
Ryou blushed again. "No."
"Yeah, I thought so." Malik, oppositely to Ryou, had big experience in slavery. As far as Ryou knew, the tan skinned boy had begun to boss around his slaves ever since he was nine, and now, eight years since, he clearly knew more about those things than the albino.
"Okay, so let me teach you a little about how things work with slaves and orders," Malik began, his expression still not a very happy one, but nonetheless, he seemed satisfied once Ryou nodded in agreement. "You must learn how to give your slaves proper orders. Sometimes, it isn't as simple as saying 'don't attack'. You have to think deeper into what you want your slave to do or not to do, and then decide on an order that will cover it up without bringing potential misunderstanding in. So, if you don't want your slave to hurt anyone, instead of forbidding them to attack, tell them not to come near any person they see. That way, not only will they be unable to attack, but also won't attempt to do anything else, like pushing or pulling on your clothes, which could be an easy way to suffocate you and isn't really an attack in itself." After this, Malik gave him a look, clearly implying the scene which Ryou told him about, how Bakura tried to take off his hood. Ryou flushed. Again.
"Okay," he replied slowly, frowning. "So what you're saying is, instead of a direct order, find one that sums it up instead?"
"Exactly."
"But that takes so long to think of even one! I won't be able to do that if Bakura tries anything else again." Ryou shuddered at the thought of the slave attempting to kill someone, while Ryou himself stood a few feet away, trying to think of a proper order to give to him instead of worrying about the victim.
"It takes practice, Ryou," Malik told him. "Just try it, and soon you'll instinctively come up with those kind of orders. It really isn't as hard as it sounds."
Ryou sighed, but nodded his head. "You're right, I guess. I mean, I don't really have a choice, either."
Malik nodded back, a smug grin spread across his face. "So anyway, where's that slave of yours?"
"In his room, guarded by seven other guards."
"Seven!" Malik exclaimed. "You sure are cautious now, huh? I don't need that many to guard Marik, even though-".
"To guard WHO?" Ryou's eyes widened in shock, his mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"Marik," Malik replied, face flushing slightly. "Well what! He's the slave I bought, remember? Stop giving me that look!"
"Malik, doesn't that concern you at all? I mean not only he looks almost just like you, his name is almost identical, too?"
"Excuse me, Ryou," Malik said sharply, anger upon his face. "But it is not my slave who claims to bear my surname. Besides, wasn't it Bakura who murdered your men? And it's not like you two are that different in appearance! I'm not telling you to like Marik, but stop accusing him of things."
But it's not about me liking him, Ryou defended himself inwardly. I'm just worried about you.
Still, he knew better than to try and argue with Malik. And his polite nature told him it was impolite to argue in the first place. So he only nodded his head. Malik crossed his arms against his chest and nodded, too, while Ryou decided to alternate the topic.
"Anyway, so you left him in your palace? How many guards are with him?"
"Huh? No, he's here with me."
They stared at each other blankly, with Ryou barely stopping the 'what?' that yet again asked to be shouted out.
"Where?" Ryou finally whispered, unable to stop the slight note of fear in his voice. Somehow, Malik's slave, this all 'Marik', scared him more than Bakura, even if it was the albino who committed crimes so far.
"He's downstairs in the hall with my guards," Malik replied vaguely, and Ryou raised an eyebrow. "I told you to stop giving me that look! Marik didn't do anything wrong."
"Would you stop trying to accuse Bakura so much? I get it, he killed my guards! But stop being so defensive over Marik! He's just as dangerous!"
"Look who's talking! You keep on defending your little white murder, you even objected to his death! And you tell me I'm being defensive?"
This wasn't even about Bakura and Marik anymore, it was about one boy trying to prove the other wrong, even if one of them knew he was going to lose.
"Are you being racist to me and Bakura?" Ryou asked, telling his politeness, which desperately tried to make him sit back and apologise, to go the hell away.
"What? You dumbass, your hair is white!" Malik pointed out, but he did blush.
"Just because our skin colour is different than yours doesn't mean we're worse!"
"I never said it did! If I thought so, I wouldn't be friends with an annoying brat like you in the first place!"
The two of them glared at each other, big chocolate-brown eyes trying to probe holes into pale lavender ones, which fought just as hard. Eventually, the pressure lowered, and the two of them sat onto their couches opposite each other (when did they get up?), neither saying a word. After a few minutes of silence, Ryou was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry, Malik. Of course I don't think you're racist. I'm sorry... I'm just worried about you," Ryou said all this with his eyes on the floor, and when he finally looked up, Malik was gazing at him uncertainly, as if he didn't know what to say to this. "I guess I'm a bit scared of Marik because he's so similar to you, and he looks strong as well. Though I admit, you're right – the same can be told about me and Bakura." And ironically, I don't find it nearly enough as scary as you and Marik, Ryou thought bitterly. Why?
"Yeah, it's okay," Malik replied finally. "I'm kind of sorry, too. I shouldn't have been implying those things anyway." Ryou didn't know whether Malik meant that he kept on mentioning Bakura's crimes, or whether he meant the racism, but he didn't comment on it. He only cleared his throat before asking: "So, er, how is Marik doing anyway?"
"Fine," Malik answered, shrugging. "It's only been a day, but he's bearable. I mean, he is a bit of a trouble-maker every now and then, but what slave isn't?"
Ryou found this hard to believe, especially since slaves were known to be shy and obedient, but he nodded.
"Do you want to go and see him?"
The Prince stared at Malik. "Er..."
"Then you can see yourself he isn't that bad!" Malik protested. "I didn't mean anything else by it!"
"No, I didn't think you did! J-just, umm.. I mean... er, yeah, okay, let's go." Ryou, red as a tomato, got up and quickly made his way over to the door, swinging it open and stepping out. The two guards gave him a surprised look, and he felt even more stupid for stomping out of the chamber like that, but he said nothing, passing by them and making his way down the stairs, with Malik running after him, shouting: "Hey!"
Once they arrived downstairs, Ryou walked towards the hall, which was the very first thing people found themselves in after entering the castle. It was big and round, with two sets of stairs on both sides opposite the gate, which both lead to the first floor. In the middle, on a clean, polished floor with light-blue markings, painted to resemble flower pelts, five men stood, four of them with their muscular chests bared, wearing dark-red pants and thick, copper necklaces on their necks. This was how Malik's guards were dressed, to symbolise they came from his town. They surrounded a dark-skinned man, whom Ryou quickly recognized to be Marik. He had his head lowered, his bushy light hair hiding his features. Upon seeing him, Ryou slowed down his pace, uncertainly stepping forward, so Malik easily passed by him and approached the men first. The guard whom stood in front of Marik stepped aside to let Malik through.
Marik didn't move even once when Malik came closer. Ryou noticed he still had his hands tied with strong rope, held behind his back, and he wasn't that surprised. The Prince gulped warily as his friend stood right in front of the slave. "What's up, Marik? You've been good?"
If it was Ryou, he would never, ever speak in such a sarcastic tone to this guy. But Malik seemed fearless, and at once Marik looked up, eyes blazing in pure hatred. "Yes," he replied reluctantly, and Ryou knew the only reason he did that was because of the bracelets. He had a strong, rough voice, unlike Bakura, who had a smooth, more childish of a tone to himself*. Malik happily turned to look at Ryou, who's heart raced faster when he noticed Malik's back was facing Marik. "See? He's a good boy." Malik announced proudly.
"M-Malik, don't turn your back on him!" Ryou warned.
"What? Why not? Come on, he's tied up and I gave him a few orders before, like the way I told you," Malik grinned smugly, but Ryou remained concerned. Malik sighed in annoyance. "Look. Why don't you show me your man now?"
~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~
Bakura was bored. He lay on his back, one hand behind his head for comfort (those pillows were hard as stone), while the other played around with his dagger, flipping it through its fingers with not one scratch left on the pale skin (foolish guards didn't even notice he had a weapon), his legs bent in knees, one resting on the other mid-air (and all his pockets soundlessly empty of the precious gold and jewellery he stole but few hours ago).
Yes, Bakura was bored.
Growling his frustration like a wild dog, he grabbed the dagger's handle and was about to dig it right down, before he stopped himself upon the realization it was his own stomach resting there, not somebody else's. Sighing, he let his hand collapse by his side, the blade escaping his loosened grip and falling onto the ground with a metallic sound. He continued to stare at the ceiling, the frustration growing bigger and bigger. Bakura wasn't used to this; being trapped. It wasn't him who had to spend restless hours in a locked space (oh yes, they barricaded the door, those useless cowards), doing nothing. He grew far too used to being able to come out into the real word and roam around in someone else's body, doing whatever he wished to and more. And now there he lay, powerless against the will of some stupid spoilt brat!
"Arrgggh!" he yowled, sitting up and smashing his fists against the covers. It didn't help, so he jumped off the bed and reached for his dagger, the only thing he had left ever since he found himself in this strange new place, he caught the handle and attacked the closest object to him, which happened to be the old wooden box. Bakura stabbed at it again and again, eyes shut closed, as he imagined a certain young boy lay there in a pool of blood, begging for Bakura to stop. But he wouldn't stop, no, the brat deserved this and more, he didn't deserve for the older man to stop, he deserved to bleed to death in utter agony!
Finally, breathing heavily, Bakura sat back and slowly opened his eyes. The box ended its life, and now it was nothing but a few pieces of wood scattered on the cold ground. The albino only grunted in anger and got himself off the ground, still holding onto the dagger for dear life.
Just then, he heard footsteps outside, and someone approached his cell, gently pushing down the doorknob and opening the metal door.
~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~
Ryou slowly pulled the door to Bakura's room. Malik was right behind him, with his slave by his side. They told Malik's guards to stay downstairs, so on their way to the third floor, where Ryou's room was, the Prince felt uncomfortable, and couldn't stop the thoughts of Marik escaping somehow, and smashing their skulls against the floor. Now, that his own guards filled the room, he felt a bit safer again. But only a bit.
Before him, Bakura stood in the middle of the small cell, fists tightened, eyes blazing in fury. In front of the slave, on the ground, lay many pieces of old wood, and Ryou could easily guess what just happened. Gulping, he cleared his throat, and began to speak, hoping that Malik wouldn't think he was that bad of a slaver.
"Well, this is him, Malik. As you can see he's a bit... loco right now."
Malik walked past Ryou, and to the Prince's astonishment and horror, he stepped right into the room and began circling the albino, eyeing him up and down with an expert eye. Bakura remained motionless, but his eyes followed every one of Malik's movements, until the smaller boy stopped finally, and turned back to Ryou confidently.
"Um, Malik, I wouldn't..."
"I admit he doesn't look that dangerous," Malik interrupted, grinning. "But if he smashed whatever that wood used to be, I would be wary of him."
"Yes, so please..."
"But anyway, I think a bit of fresh air will do him good."
Ryou tilted his head in question, while Malik walked out of the cell.
"Well, why don't the four of us go to your garden?"
The Prince gave his friend a look that asked 'are you crazy?', but Malik smirked, and began to walk towards the door of Ryou's chamber. "Hurry up, then, me and Marik can't stay here for too long." With this, he motioned with a slim finger for Marik to follow, and the two of them disappeared into the corridor.
"H-hey! Malik!" Ryou cried, but he got no answer, so he only turned to Bakura and began to frankly think of what he should say. Bakura just glared. "Umm, let's go then. I mean, follow me. And don't..." He was about to say 'don't attack anyone', but then he remembered what Malik told him. "...don't come near any person; stay well out of the way of everyone. Do you understand?"
Bakura's eye twitched, but he nodded. Ryou, nervous as ever, tried to copy Malik's bravery and turned his back on the taller albino, ignoring his pounding heart. He then began to walk towards the exit of the room, wondering if Bakura was even following.
But as he stepped into the corridor and turned left, where the staircase was, he saw with a corner of his eye that the man was right behind, keeping his distance, but following Ryou's lead nonetheless. Somehow, that made Ryou feel... powerful.
He couldn't stop the smirk on his face (him! Smirk!). It felt surprisingly good to be bossing the taller albino around as if there was no tomorrow. Usually, through all of his life, Ryou would be very kind to his servants, and rather than ordering them to do things, he merely asked them if it was alright to do something for him, or requested simple things. But now, he began to understand just why Malik loved to be surrounded by slaves so much. The tan skinned boy's confidence also had its impact on the young Prince; after all, with the ever-wonderful bracelets, what could possibly go wrong? Bakura was obliged to follow Ryou's orders like a dog, and Ryou couldn't help but like that fact.
His thoughts were interrupted by an annoyed growl behind him. The Prince looked over his shoulder to be met with Bakura's hateful dark eyes, glaring at him so hard he thought the man would devour his very soul. Unaware of the reason for this sudden hatred, Ryou turned around again, and came upon the realization that he and Bakura were in the cellar. Ryou could only stop walking and simply stand there.
"Last I checked, Landlord," Bakura hissed. "The entrance to the garden was on the ground level, and not here underground."
"I know that! H-how do you..?" Ryou turned around again to look at Bakura's face. It had an expression of pity on it as Bakura replied.
"I've managed to give myself a little trip around your castle."
Ryou's mouth dropped open. Had Bakura been hanging around his castle while he escaped his cell? And still only killed the guards on the third floor? But then, why would he go back up? Why not escape?
The Prince only mumbled something under his nose and walked past Bakura, back to the stairs up. He must've been so concentrated on his thoughts that he didn't even notice he lead the way down to the cellar. What was funny to him though, was the fact that Bakura followed regardless.
With these thoughts in mind, Ryou found his way out in the garden. It was huge, covered in sand in a nice shade of orange-brown, with tall plants settled in vases all around, creating pathways of sorts in-between them. In the very middle of the garden, there was a polished, wooden round table, surrounded by chairs and benches. On one of the benches, Malik awaited, sitting cross-legged, while Marik hovered above him, in the position Ryou saw him before; head lowered so that his wild hair covered his face. Nearing towards the two of them, with Bakura following behind, Ryou remembered that he didn't take his robe with him, and he knew very well how merciless Egypt's sun could be. But before he could do anything, Malik called out to him.
"Took you long enough! Just what were you two doing up there?" he asked suspiciously, a displeased frown upon his face.
"That useless excuse for a Prince got lost inside of his own castle," Bakura replied right away. He crossed his arms on his chest and walked past Ryou, dumping himself onto a chair opposite of Malik, who only shot him a glare before returning his gaze to Ryou.
"Where's your robe?" Malik questioned further once Ryou approached and sat by his side.
"I left it inside," Ryou replied apologetically, at which Malik only rolled his eyes.
"Well, you can tell him to go and get it for you," the tan skinned boy announced, waving his hand in Bakura's direction vaguely. The latter remained still, except for his eyes, which narrowed dangerously.
"Umm, I'd rather not have him roam around my castle freely again," Ryou answered, at which Malik didn't reply, merely shrugging.
Then, they (or at least, Ryou and Malik) began to talk about different things. Malik asked why Ryou had allowed for Bakura to insult him, and told him to order the slave not to speak unless asked a question. Ryou had to awkwardly explain that he didn't want to make too much of a ruckus about it, while the real reason was because Ryou was far too nice to do that to Bakura, despite the things he's done. After that, Malik began complaining about how he just wants to finally be King, and how dumb it feels to be in control but know that you aren't in control at the same time. Ryou had to mainly nod and occasionally say 'yeah, I know', but otherwise he remained silent, letting Malik have his rant. Just as they were about to move on to the topic of what nasty evil things did Ryou plan to set upon his people once he was King (well, that was Malik's accusing idea), they heard loud, heavy footsteps nearby, and from the path that lead back to the castle, out came running one of Malik's guards, frankly yelling out his lord's name.
Instantly, the two Princes jolted up, and Malik asked what's happening. The guard panted out that an urgent message from his hometown came, and that Malik had to instantly go and see to it, as the messenger refused to speak to anyone but him. Malik began swearing about how they make such a big deal of a small thing, but as the guard pressured on, saying it was very, very important, the boy finally agreed to go.
"Ryou, you wait here," Malik said at once, already running after the guard, who, upon hearing his lord's agreement, sped back towards the castle. "Keep an eye on these two!"
"Malik! W-wait! Don't... go." Ryou began to shout after his friend, but finished off whispering. He looked at Marik, who, during the whole thing, simply raised his head up and observed everything silently, then glanced at Bakura, who in turn watched the scene at first startled as the two Princes, then laughing his ass off as he heard it was about an 'urgent message'. He also commented on how the Princes of this country had to face such horrible, mean tasks, like making messengers talk, but Ryou ignored him, sitting back down onto the bench. Much to his surprise, Marik collapsed onto one of the chairs, one without a prop, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, his head once again lowered.
At this, as if on some sort of signal, Bakura raised himself and having calmed down after his laughter attack, he neared Marik in a steady step. Ryou didn't know what to make out of this, so he simply watched as his slave bent down so that his mouth was in front of Marik's ear, and began whispering something; Marik remained still. The Prince had a bad feeling about this, so he spoke up.
"Bakura, stop talking to Marik," he ordered firmly. Bakura didn't even look at him, although he did move away from the tan skinned man, standing directly in front of him. Marik looked up, and Bakura showed him three fingers. Marik shook his head, at which Bakura responded with two fingers raised, and this time Marik nodded, though he looked reluctant about it.
"Bakura! Stop that!" Ryou shouted, unnerved. The albino glanced at him hatefully, then back at Marik. None of them moved, but it seemed Bakura was trying to find another way of telling Marik whatever it was they were discussing. Or at least, Bakura was, since the other still didn't speak at all.
Ryou was about to yell another command, forbidding whatever Bakura came up with, but then someone's voice echoed in his head. 'Sometimes, it isn't as simple as saying 'don't attack'. You have to think deeper into what you want your slave to do or not to do, and then decide on an order that will cover it up without bringing potential misunderstanding in.'. Yes, that's right.
"Stop trying to communicate with Marik," Ryou said at once. Bakura glared, but he stepped away, sitting himself back down onto the bench he'd previously been on. Ryou felt a pang of satisfaction at this.
"Yes, yes, enjoy yourself all you can, Landlord," Bakura remarked sarcastically. Ryou frowned.
"Why do you call me 'landlord'? My father owns this land, not I," he said carefully.
Bakura glared at him for a long moment, before looking away. "A habit."
Habit? Ryou thought, confused. But he doesn't know me. How can it be a habit to call me that, then?
~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~
The albino tapped his fingers impatiently against his knee, glancing at Marik every now and then. From where the brat was sitting, it looked as if Marik was still; but Bakura could see clearly him struggling against the rope with his hands. He did what he could to loosen it after he made Marik agree to working together so that Ryou wouldn't notice. At some point, aware of the boy's stare, he had to use his right (with his left busy loosening the rope) hand to show Marik how many guards were at the entrance of the castle inside, and whether he could handle them; Marik's reply was a no, but he agreed to take on two guards instead, leaving one to deal with Bakura. The latter wanted to use Marik's strength as much as possible without getting himself too worked out, since he didn't know what awaited them once (not if; Bakura was sure they'd escape easily) they got out, and given that they were both captured as slaves upon arriving in this place, it couldn't be anything good. Hence, Bakura had to be ready.
It took a few more minutes, but finally, Marik managed to free his hands. To Bakura's surprise, he grabbed at one of the bracelets on his wrists, and with a groan of sheer and utter frustration, he managed to break it in half; something Bakura spent the whole night trying to do with both fists and dagger.
Cursing the jealousy that filled his dark heart, the albino jolted up from his seat. Marik managed to do that already, and with a furious, meaningless roar he threw himself at Ryou, who could only yelp in shock and fear before the bigger man easily overpowered him. Bakura watched emotionlessly as Marik first dug his nails into Ryou's ribs, causing the other to scream in pain, then punch the smaller boy in the stomach, making him unable to make a sound. Ryou choked, barely being able to breathe, and Marik prepared another punch. Just then, Bakura couldn't take it.
"Marik, you idiot! Leave him alone; you should worry about this instead!" he growled. Marik looked at him and it seemed he was about to say something like 'don't you tell me what to do!', but as he followed with his gaze where Bakura pointed, he quickly abandoned the teenager's body and prepared himself for a fight instead.
The Prince's screams were enough to alarm the guards before Marik managed to shut him up, much to Bakura's displeasure. Many bare-chested men ran in their direction, and though Bakura would rather escape and hide in the shadows, he couldn't, as they came from the castle; the way he and Marik had to go if they wanted to have any chances of escaping. Knowing that Marik wouldn't risk his own ass to save him and vice versa, Bakura had to take care of this quickly, before more guards could be alarmed. He took out his dagger, and gripping onto the handle, he launched himself at a nearest enemy.
Everything else happened so fast, he barely had the time to think; he heard screams and shouts and insults all around him, he heard Marik's battle cries, he heard his own voice yell insults and threats, he waved his dagger around madly, trying to avoid the powerful punches that were being thrown at him, he wasn't sure, he thought he killed three men but had no idea how many were left wounded, he heard more footsteps and vaguely saw a few other figures approaching them.
But this craziness only stopped once he heard two voices, one annoyed but calm, and one fearful and weak, as they spoke words that were unknown to him, and everything turned pure, bright white, before he felt his body hit the ground, and the whiteness faded to black.
~**~**~POV-SWITCH~**~**~
Ryou was panting heavily, his ribs paining and his breath still hitched. He stood side by side with Malik, who arrived upon hearing the screams from the garden; the tanned Prince looked furious and offended. It was him who ran up to Ryou instead of involving himself in the fight, and upon casting a minor healing spell, he managed to get Ryou's stomach muscles fine and unclenched again. Then, the two of them cast a binding spell together, which, combined with the power of both of their skills, managed to not only stop Bakura and Marik, but also all the guards who fought against them.
Malik was actually an advanced Magician; he studied magic and found it utterly easy to learn, so he devoured all the spells and became more powerful with each lesson. Although Ryou also studied magic, the two of them favoured different types of spells; while Ryou preferred the Light magic, which was also the most difficult and advanced to learn, Malik enjoyed the offensive Fire magic better. It wasn't much to Ryou's surprise, given Malik's hot-headed personality easily corresponded to those types of spells. Still, the two of them were made to learn some other spells too, and since Malik was more advanced than Ryou, he managed to master a small healing spell, which he earlier cast onto Ryou. The latter now realized just how important the defensive magic can be, and promised himself to study Water magic more often.
Either way, the guards and the slaves alike lay at their feet now, unconscious under the power of their spell. Ryou felt slightly guilty.
"Didn't we go too hard on them?" he murmured.
"Too hard? Look what they did to your garden! And to you!" Malik snorted, looking at his friend as if he were crazy. Now that the albino looked at it, his garden was mostly destroyed where the fighting occurred. He sighed heavily. "We need to renew the bracelets," he told one of the Healers, whom flooded into the garden upon seeing the scene end. Healers were no fighters, so they were too afraid to openly come out with the fight still on. Now that everyone lay fast asleep, they could easily tend to wounds.
"Yes, m'lord," the man replied, and he walked up to Marik cautiously, as if he expected the man to suddenly get up and attack. But Marik remained still, so the Healer bent down and began to repair the broken bracelet, which Marik was actually still clutching in his hand.
As more Healers and guards came in to help carry the few dead bodies, Ryou felt strange. He felt as if he should grab a sword and stab at Bakura's neck for all he's done. He found it bitterly, bitterly funny that nobody would do so if he disallowed them to, that they'd accept the fact their companions were dead and their killer was alive and unpunished. It was wrong, Ryou knew. Bakura caused more misery in a day's time than Ryou could ever think of, and Ryou just let it go? Ridiculous. No, something had to be done. Something so that he wouldn't have to be seeing it again; grim faces of the Healers, who were made to attend to the culprit's wounds, and depressed expressions of the guards as they carried the bodies of their friends, whom faithfully died for their future Lord. And no-one looked at him.
His sad thoughts were interrupted by Malik's loud, ever-strong voice. "Ryou, I need to leave urgently in a minute."
Just now the Prince realized that four of Malik's guards surrounded them, and a man Ryou didn't recognize; he wore a long, purple robe and a turban, but otherwise, he looked foreign. The petite boy looked over at his friend, and nodded.
"But I can't take Marik with me."
"WHAT?" Ryou's eyes widened. "You're not telling me to...?"
"Yeah."
"But why?"
"He's unconscious, and I can't carry him. Besides, where I'm going he'd only be a burden."
Ryou frowned in question, but Malik just shook his head. The unknown man in the turban cleared his throat impatiently, so Malik rushed his words. "Look, Ryou. It'll only be for a few days, but I really must go now, so I have to leave him with you. Feel free to punish him though; he deserves it for what he's done."
"But where are you going? Malik!"
Malik was already walking off. "No time! I'll tell you once I'm back!"
And with those words, Malik disappeared into the castle's gates, leaving Ryou standing there alone in shock. He ignored it as one of the Healers neared him and began asking him to take off his shirt so he can have a look at Ryou's wounded skin - the only thing that echoed in his head was: "I'm left alone with two murderers who killed my men." The Prince didn't even realize his thoughts became words as he spoke them out in a terrified whisper.
* = Japanese voice actors pwn English ones. Personally, in this story, I imagine all of the guys speak in a voice of their Japanese voice actors, the only difference being that they say English words XD. So Bakura has this 'evil brat' voice, and Ryou has this 'innocent kid' voice. English ones are just too rough and the all sound like 30 year old men. Did you hear Yugi? Lol, fail.