The ship docked in Harken Port, the people had all scattered at the sight of Bakura's flag. It was black with a gold ring in the center that had an eye on it. Everyone knew who he was, that meant he'd have no trouble getting what he wanted out of these people. The plan was simple: get in. Get Ryou. Get out. Easy right? Wrong. Harken Port was huge! The population was well into the thousands. There would be a serious manhunt.
"Kill no one! I need them alive." Bakura snapped.
The seige took minutes as the crew members easily corralled the townspeople around the center square (which was also huge).
"Alright you bunch a' numbskulls, I'm looking for my brother. He's taken something from me and I want it back!" Bakura snarrled and grabbed a woman from the crowd by her wrist. "Now we can do this the hard way or the easy way. I know which I prefer so either way is a win for me."
"BAKURA AKEFIA STANTON! YOU LET THAT WOMAN GO RIGHT NOW!" Came an angry voice from the crowd.
"Oh god..." Bakura said in response.
Now there were few things Bakura feared. Spiders, vaginas, and the owner of that voice. Out of the crowd stepped, Isis. Bakura's eyes went wide and he backed up a little.
"You stay away from me! You're not the boss of me anymore!" Bakura said, sounding a little frightened.
Isis reached out and grabbed Bakura's ear, pinching harshly. "Let. Her. Go."
"Make me!" Bakura said, Isis tugged roughly on his ear. "OW DAMMIT!"
"Let go!"
"FINE!" He let go of his hostage and the woman scrambled back. Bakura flashed a glare to Mariku, who had started laughing.
"Don't laugh at him! I'll do it to you too!" Isis snatched Mariku's ear and tugged, the man crying out.
"Okay! I'm sorry!" Mariku said.
Isis let go. "Alright now what's going on that you had to up and scare everyone?"
"Um Bakura? Who is that?" Mariku asked.
"That would be Isis Lancing, she runs the orphanage here and thta's kinda where my brother and I were dumped until he was old enough to get us out of there." Bakura responded.
"Answer me young man!" Isis snapped.
"Tou took something from me again and I'm trying to get it back!" Bakura said, the slightest hint of a whine in his voice.
"You talked to Tou?" Isis looked surprised.
"No! He walked in without me knowing and kidnapped a... Er... Friend from me!"
"Dammit Tou!"
"That's what I said!"
"Alright let me think... I don't remember anyone coming along like that... But you know Tou, sneaky bastard can go anywhere."
"Then stand back and let me do what I was doing." His eyes narrowed at the collected people in the square. "Alright, one of you has to have seen him. I'm looking for Touzoku-Ou... Touzy... Tou... It depends on how ya knew 'em. He had a small bo- girl with him. Looks a bit like me but... Girly."
"You look pretty girly to me..." Mariku whispered.
Bakura smacked Mariku on the back of the head. "I'll have you skinned for that!"
"Suuuuuure..." Mariku said, nursing the bump on his head.
"I um... I think I saw Touzoku-Ou at the tavern the other night..." A tiny voice chirped.
"Who said that?" Bakura barked.
A boy with tri-colored hair stepped out, he was rather short, and had large eyes. He stood timidly, trembling slightly.
"I um... He was there yesterday..." He said, looking at the ground.
"Yugi, what do you think you're doing?" A taller version of the boy ran forward. "You don't have to say anything to him!"
"Oh but he does." Bakura pulled out a small gun, pointing it at Yugi. "Tell me where he is."
"I d-don't know! I j-just saw him in the tavern the other night! I s-swear!" Yugi insisted.
"Leave him alone!" The other man said.
Bakura frowned slightly, turning the gun on Yami. "What about you? What do you know?"
"What? Me? I don't know nothing! Don't point that thing at me!"
"Yami! Just tell him if you know something!" Yugi begged.
"I have no idea where Touzo is... Ack!" Yami slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Touzo? So you DO know my brother then." The gun was pressed to Yami's forehead now. "Out with it. What do you know?"
"Bakura, leave him alone." Isis said.
"Tell me!" Bakura hissed, ignoring Isis.
"Alright! He came in with a girl a few nights ago! He stopped briefly at the tavern then headed out somewhere in the hills to the south. That's all I know." Yami spat.
Bakura grinned and pulled the trigger, the gun clicked... Empty. The gun hadn't even been loaded. Yami looked pale white and Bakura and his crew members went into a fit of laughter. Isis was not ammused. Yami just stood there, jaw dropped, Yugi next to him with his hands convering his mouth.
"Man, the look on your face!" Bakura cackled. "Okay, we're heading further in land boys! Let's go!" Bakura led his crew off, toward the hills that surrounded the port town.
~XOXO~
Ryou lay on the same table, he'd been there for at least a day. His muscles ached from being tied up with his arms and legs at the corner of the table. The corners of his mouth cut up and raw from the rope. Ryou's will was broken. He might as well have belonged to Touzoku-Ou in mind and body. The boy was hungry and tired and he could hear the thief snoring in the other room. Blood had since crusted itself on Ryou's chest, the shapes carved on Ryou's chest had long since scabbed over. He was covered in substances that made him hurt to think about.
He let out a soft groan of discomfort, hoping Touzoku-Ou would wake up and move him somewhere else. Maybe he'd feed him! Sure enough, the thief woke at the small noise. He walked into the room and looked down at Ryou blank faced.
"You going to behave yourself?" He asked.
Ryou nodded slowly, eyes dead.
"You going to do what I say the first time?"
Again, Ryou nodded.
"Then I'll feed you." Touzoku-Ou walked off and came back with something that looked and smelled like chicken. "It's a tad cold but it's still good..." He untied the rope from Ryou's mouth and placed the food in front of Ryou's mouth, watching as the boy slowly ate the cooling meat.
Once Ryou was finished, Touzoku-Ou put the rope back in his mouth. Ryou didn't argue, he didn't complain, he opened his mouth and allowed it to gag him. Touzoku-Ou smirked, brushing hair out of Ryou's face and watching the boy not move as he did so.
"I'll be back, we're running out of firewood." The tan man told him. "Don't make any noise while I'm gone."
Touzoku-Ou left, leaving Ryou by himself in the small house. The pale boy did as he was told and stayed quiet, not batting an eye when the door creaked open.
"Is anyone here?" Bakura called. "Tou? Dammit get your lousy ass out here."
Ryou's eyes snapped open, but his fear of Touzoku-Ou kept him from calling out. He stayed still, but thankfully Bakura wasn't convinced, the captain wandered inside, looking around. Ryou became hopeful and for a split second Ryou managed to break out of his fear. A loud shout ripped itself from Ryou's throat and Bakura was there instantly.
"Ryou! Thank god you're okay! I was so worried!" Bakura started cutting Ryou free.
That's where there was a loud crash from outside, and the door slammed open. Touzoku-Ou was back, and pissed off as hell.
Bakura finished cutting Ryou's limbs free and drew his sword. "Tou! You leave him alone!"
Touzoku-Ou sneered. "I'm afraid I've grown attatched Baku. And your little ambush out there wasn't smart. Not for your crew. They all ran back to the boat when I killed three of them and ran Mariku through with my sword."
"You did what? God dammit Tou! Why?"
"Ryou's pretty, I guess we have the same tastes. And your crew is... What's the word I'm looking for... Lily livered. Cowardly. Stupid! The only one honorable enough was Mariku who stayed and fought when the others left him!"
"I'll have them all straightened out, I assure you. Now you gonna let us go or are you going to force me to do it myself?"
"Now that sounds fun!" Touzoku-Ou grinned and pulled out two swords from his waist.
"Ryou, I suggest you find something to wear, we're getting out of here." Bakura weilded his blade, lunging at his brother and forcing Touzoku-Ou outside.
Ryou hopped up and quickly found his dress, still discarded in the old room he had been chained in. The pale boy darted out to the doorframe in time to watch everything.
"I'll kill you!" Bakura snarrled, slashing at Touzoku-Ou.
Mariku lay on the ground, bleeding out. Ryou darted to his side, looking over the man quickly before getting up and running inside. He looked frantically for a cloth, a towel, a blanket. Something to help slow any bloodflow.
Bakura jumped, dodging a slash to his legs and returning with a lunge that caught Akefia's arm, cutting him deeply. The taller man growled and ignored it, cross-slashing at Bakura's torso, managing to graze it, cutting through the captain's clothes and into his skin. He winced, pausing on his feet for a split second before dodging another slash.
Wrapping a blanket around Mariku's torso, he pressed his hands to the back of him while instructing Mariku to do the same with the front. The stab to his side was making him dizzy, he didn't know how much longer he'd stay awake.
Bakura was losing energy, he'd be down soon if he stopped from fatigue, he needed to finish this soon. But how? Touzoku-Ou was fast, strong, and thick skinned... He saw an opening and lunged, once again being deterred by his older brother.
Ryou was in a panic, Bakura was losing, Mariku was dying... The gun! Mariku had a gun!
"Mariku... S-shoot a-at Touzouku-Ou..." Ryou said, voice softer than usual.
Mariku nodded, using his free hand to grab the weapon, he aimed and fired and the resounding boom stopped the fight. Missing its target.
"Bastard! You had a gun!" Touzoku-Ou shouted. "This isn't over Baku! I'll be back!" The silver haired man ran off.
Bakura sunk to his knees, tired and bloody. "Th-thanks Mariku..."
"Heh... Wasn't my idea. It was Ryou's." Mariku replied breathily.
Isis ran into the clearing. "I think you boys are gonna want my help. I'd be more than happy to, if you'd let me go with ya. I wouldn't be rushed then."
"That's fine, just don't repremand me and I won't keelhaul ya." Bakura said with a grin.
Isis and Ryou helped the two wounded pirates back onto their ship. They'd be very busy for the next few days.
