Title: Once upon a time.
Author: Mrpointyhorns
Rating: M
Pairing: The Main ones are YBxR, YMxM, YYxY, SxJ, OxT
Beta: None. I'm very sorry.
Warnings: Slash, crossdressing, Male nudity, mentions of sexual acts.
A/n: There is only one more chapter after this. This chapter is lightly interesting in my mind, but mostly it's just setting up for the end! Again, I want to do a sequel if I can manage it, only that fic hasn't been started so it might take sometime to product. We'll see.
Once Upon a Time
In the city by the sea, the group managed to stay in the rather wealthy lord's guest house. They arrived just in time for a feast and a party. The lord was very well acquainted with Ryou's father and was simply delighted to have royalty there! He quickly introduced Ryou to his son Weevil and his son's friend Rex. Both seemed flattered to meet Ryou. Ryou was seemly taken by them. They talked to him for hours and asked him to dance. Ryou couldn't resist being smitten it wasn't every day that he felt pampered by men who were actually interested in being with 'her'.
Bakura from the sidelines was purple with jealousy. He tried extremely hard to keep his attentions on the swooning girls that surrounded him and Yami, but there was only one 'girl' that his attentions simply wouldn't give up on. He was relieved when Yugi yawned cutely and Yami seemed unwilling to depart so early. Bakura immediately volunteered to take Yugi back to the guest house. Even when Yugi skipped along side of him singing about how wonderful the night was and how shiny the stars seemed, Bakura found it better than staring at the boys fawning over what was his!
Although, Yugi was bouncy and alert on the way to their temporary home as soon as he settled against Bakura, he yawned and closed his eyes. "Don't worry, Ryou told me that she loves you."
He couldn't ask Yugi to say anymore, he couldn't even ask the boy to shut up, after his declaration the small teen fell asleep a smile graced his lips. Bakura did the only thing he could think of, wrapping his arms around Yugi he nodded off.
He was aroused when Marik whispered in his ear and shook Bakura roughly. "What?" He snapped the weight of Yugi gone.
"Bakura, Ryou has fainted. She was bleeding terribly all night and she just collapsed. The lord put her up in his home and has someone looking at her. You must come. She keeps asking to see you."
Bakura swore and acted quickly. He was out the door in seconds his anger building with each stride. Marik was right behind him. He didn't bother knocking. He paused only at the crowd in the entrance hall. The lord glared at the pair as they approached. He was speaking harshly to Yami and Seto both. "You are all frauds! You come into people's homes and towns pretending to be princes and getting free things. I want all of you out of my town, thieves!" The last word was filled with malice.
"That is no way to talk to us. What have we done for you to accuse us of lying?" Yami snarled right back.
Stabbing a finger to the door he barked, "You're girl companion is hardly a girl at all."
"What?" Seto baulked, "You can't be serious."
"Oh, I am, you filthy liars. That Ryou is a boy. I saw so myself." He glared daring for them to deny it.
"Shut up, Ryou is not a boy." Bakura pushed past them into the room. Marik looked panicked. Seto and Yami seemed to be deciding whether or not to follow Bakura. They didn't want to leave the rest of the group to defend them from the hateful lord.
It wasn't long before there was muffled yelling, then Bakura stormed out of the house. Yami and Seto dashed into the room to find a sobbing Ryou trying to cover his body with a thin sheet.
Their jaws dropped and neither of them could find anything to say. It was only when the rest of their friends joined them, after Marik swept in wrapping his arms around the quivering Ryou did either move.
Seto cleared his throat, "What...how...No!"
"Shut the door." He nodded when Malik joined him on the bed after he did as he was told. Soothing Ryou with soft sounds Marik took charge and answered his friends' mostly unspoken questions. "Ryou is a boy. She...he only realized it after he saw me naked and confronted me about my parts."
"And sh-he couldn't tell us then?" Yami raised an eyebrow. "Did he think we'd laugh or something?"
Shaking his head he pulled away from Marik; Ryou spoke around a chocked sob, "I wasn't sure if I could be a boy. I just learned that I was. I wanted to get use to it before I told everyone. My parents always said I was a girl. What would you do if someone told you today that you were a girl?"
"I'd laugh and tell them to fuck off," Yami said more lightly than before. "But, if it was true and I was a girl I would be really confused. I would like to have time to think it over and come to terms, yes."
"I'm sorry about the Lord Weebil. I heard what he said and..."
"You don't have to worry about that. He knows your father and your family, his family has two girls. He was not fooled by us or you, but by him," Seto nodded smartly, "Jou and I will speak to him, the rest of you should get ready to leave."
"What about me?" Ryou asked nervously. "Ba-bakura he said...he said..." Ryou couldn't finish because he sobbed loudly and buried his face against Marik.
No one could convince Ryou that it was going to be alright. Even when Marik carried him to the guest house he refused to pack. He sobbed silently on the couch, alone, just barely dressed.
Bakura found Ryou like this. He glared angrily walking right up to Ryou. Ryou stopped crying. With only a small gasp and a slightly louder thump Ryou was shoved to the floor, "Kura, please."
"Please, please, what? I hate you. You lied to me. You destroyed everything good in my life." He used his fist and feet to puncture his words. He never felt this way before as he beat the frail body underneath him. "You shouldn't be here. Get the fuck away from me, go drown yourself in the ocean, I don't want to look at you!" He flung Ryou away from him. Ryou landed half against the closest wall, with surprising strength and mostly fear Ryou managed to fly out the front door.
"Bakura!" Marik shrieked, "How could you do that? She's going straight to the ocean if she even makes it that far."
"I don't care, Marik. Let's just leave," Bakura spat.
He choked in surprise a moment later when Marik pinned him violently against the floor, "Marik off!"
"He fucking love you Bakura! Loves! Do you even understand that? Ryou didn't know he was a boy. When he did, he was too fucking scared to tell you. He didn't want you to reject him!" Marik screamed. He was panting. He slammed his fist bitterly against the blind Bakura's chest, only once.
"She should have told me. All this time I've been trying not to fall for Ryou. He was a girl. But all along he wasn't really a girl at all! It was so-so h-hard for me. I-I wanted him so bad, but...every time I thought deeper into the physical it made me sick. I couldn't do it. Yet, I could, I could and he wouldn't let me!" Bakura's pure ache came threw it made his voice break and it made Marik break too.
Marik wanted to stay furious with him, but he couldn't manage it. Defeated, he eased up on Bakura but he didn't let him go. "I know. Kura, just forgive him. He's the perfect solution. The entire court will think he's a girl. You can be the King and have your little boy to hold onto in bed."
"N-no, I c-can't. I hate him. If I never see him again...he lied to me Marik. I can't forgive him." Bakura spat although very softly, "I hate him."
"He isn't the only one who has lied, Prince Bakura, just remember that," Marik dashed out the door stealing Otogi's mare he chased after Ryou, he knew he wouldn't be too late.
The Queen sat beside her husband. They listened to the courts minor complaints. In the back of her mind she never ceased worrying about her son and his friends. All she wanted was her little boy to find someone he really loved.
She was horrified, however, when Bakura entered without prior notice, his advisors and friends trailing after him. That wasn't what horrified her; it was the dark haired woman with huge breast, very tight clothes, and a dull expression hanging off his arm that frightened her.
"Bakura," She rose, silently dismissing the peasant before them. She moved to stand in front of her son, "You are back, early too?"
"Mother, I have made my decision. I should be married as soon as possible." He waved to the girl next to him. He swept past his mother and went to join his father as he snuck from the room.
The Queen politely turned to what she was afraid would be her new daughter, "You are?"
"Mum!" Marik cried dismissing all formalities when the court was emptied of anyone important beside the Queen herself. He threw his arms around the Queen and hugged her fiercely. "I missed you! This is Malik isn't he so cute, and that's Yugi, and did you know Seto could sing!"
The Queen laughed lightly, "So I've been told. I have missed you all. Now walk with me, Marik, I must hear of your entire trip," She quickly led Marik away waving pleasantly to the boys they left behind. Once they were in the gardens away from prying ears she continued, "Tell me, Bakura, he isn't happy with his choice?"
"Who is? She's so horrible. She wouldn't let me near Bakura. She's so clingy. Besides all that I think I saw her eying Seto!" Marik exclaimed loudly.
"Marik what happened, why isn't my son happy?" The Queen asked truly worried.
"Well, he did find someone he really loved, Mum. Bakura was afraid to fall in love. Here let me tell you all about it..." And he did. He didn't let any facts stray even telling the Queen that Ryou was a boy did not escape the long story.
"I see," The Queen, Change of Heart, said when the story finally ended. It took many hours in the course of six days for Marik to convey the entire story to her. By the end one thing was clear, Change of Heart's son was not happy. Nor could the Queen be happy if her son was not even smiling anymore. There was no way that she could ever tolerate the soon-to-be-daughter-in-law's behavior. It wasn't just rumored that she wasn't just eyeing Seto; in fact the young girl was known to be caught behind curtains doing more than just looking at other members of the Palace.
Despite this the wedding was set to take place in only three weeks.
"Marik," Heart continued, "I trust you can keep a secret." The queen was finishing her own plans with the end of Marik's story she knew that she must act quickly.
"Of course I can, Heart," Marik sincerely spoke. His happy demeanor was quailed not because of his highness's presences but because of his own increasing displeasure of a certain fiancé.
"That's good. I will need your help." Heart stole away from him slipping in and out of her closet. "How do I look?" She asked turning in a slow circle so that Marik could see and give his approval. She wore a simple grey dress, it was clean but otherwise she looked like a commoner.
"Heart!" Marik flushed. He was used to his Queen's many, many layers of required clothes. He didn't know that she had a figure. "If it wasn't treason I'd kiss you. You're beautiful!"
"Thank you, son," She pulled on a traveling cloak, and stepped out of her room. Marik followed behind promptly. "I spoke with my husband. He doesn't know why, but he's given me permission to travel. You along with Seto will tell the court that I am ill. Please take care of my son."
Marik frowned, "Aww, I thought we were going to run away together. You can trust me. What do you have planned?"
"I know. Simple, I'm just going to invite Ryou to his wedding," With that said the Queen placed herself in the carriage. Marik kissed her hand, murmuring a soft good-bye. He knew he had been right to tell his Queen about their journey. "Thank you, Marik. You are a good friend to my son. You have always sought to make him happy, even when he forgets to do that himself. This time, however, you just need mom's help."
"It's the best kind," He agreed, and stepped back waving as the carriage took off down the paved streets not turning to leave until he saw her out of the capital city.
Ryou wasn't suicidal, even though Marik did find Ryou at the beach kneeling in ankle deep water letting the waves wash over him the salt burning his eyes, his throat dried and aching, but he couldn't move. It stung his wounds and cleaned his soul. In the ocean, on the shore, he didn't feel lost. He knew what he was and he knew what he would never be.
Marik had nothing to say. Ryou took his horse, place one gentle kiss against Marik's mouth Ryou made his way home. The trip home didn't take long. Stopping only at night Ryou made it home in a few days. There Ryou learned a painful truth; this place he came back to was no longer his home it was just where he lived.
"I have two daughters, Ryou. One was taken from us by thieves." His father said clearly, his mother shed not a single tear. "You make a fool out of me enough, Ryou. I will not let you return to this family."
"You're turning me away, into the streets." He looked desperately at his parents. Two that had betrayed his trust, yet still the ones he turned to, the people he wouldn't know how not to love.
It occurred to Ryou that they had that in mind. "Please you can't. You-You..." He stopped. He couldn't find it in his heart to blame them.
"You embarrass us, Ryou. Even as a baby you acted like a girl. We were too ashamed to call you our son. I wouldn't start calling you that now. You lost your only place in this family," His father accused, mother agreed. "You can stay on this land with us, but you will work. Like our servants you will tend to our land and take care of our animals. You wouldn't wear dresses anymore. We will provide you with one set of clothing try to keep them clean, it wouldn't be easy to earn another set."
He was numb. He heard his father talk, but he didn't listen. He felt the clothes being pushed into his chest. He held onto them while his mother pushed him out of the house and into the servants' quarters. The click of the door closing behind his mother brought him back to reality. He wasn't sure if this was okay or not, but he couldn't think of something more okay for him to do. He crept further into the servants' home, stepping into the first doorway he was greeted by a kind heavy looking woman tending to the wash.
"Ya 'ew 'ound 'ere or 'ometin'?" She drawled in her heavy accent one that stamped her class across her forehead.
"I am." Ryou looked shyly at her. He held out his arms looking sheepishly at her. "They gave me these, I'm not sure...where should I put them?"
Ryou was really surprised. All of the servants the one in this house, the ones he had never known even though they stayed in his backyard were nice and friendly. The woman helped him straight away. She showed him that families had separate rooms and even sometimes separate housing altogether. This was the main house and it was the only one that held a kitchen and a sitting room. The rest of the housing was built by the men and woman that lived here and were simple with one room and a few beds and sometimes a stove pipe. At times the houses had small little lofts that they stowed their children in. Ryou was led to a room that was fairly large but held about seven beds. Most of the single men that had no family stayed there. Right now there were only five men staying in this room, so Ryou was lucky, said the woman. Something else that surprised him was that his mother and handed him more clothing then his father had said. His mother had given him two sets of pants and several shirts, the pants and shirt he wore today also helped. It made him feel good knowing that he owned things, even if someone else owned him.
Every day for two weeks Ryou went with the other young men to the fields, or orchards. He liked the orchards the best, climbing into the trees and tugging off fruits. He liked the cool shade the trees provided and it was kind of fun to sit in a tree all day. No one else shared that last opinion with Ryou. He learned that he could eat some of what he picked while he was picking it, so he wasn't as hungry at night when he got back to his quarters. He also learned that his parents were pretty easy going with their slaves, they had a few slaves that they put in charge of the other slaves, if one slave got out of line they would take care of it, which as he heard was good. It was better then being beat or whipped for a slight crime. As long as everyone did their work and produced goods for their masters then they didn't need to worry about punishment or rewards. They were given what they needed and nothing more. It was easy and Ryou didn't mind it even if he didn't prefer it.
It was on the second day of the third week that Ryou was coming back from the market, for one of the woman that did all the cooking for the men that spent all day laboring, when he saw something he didn't like. A beautiful woman had separated from her ride and was asking one of the men near the local pub a question. Ryou couldn't hear it, but he did see the man's actions. He touched her, and she didn't like it. She told him so and backed away. He followed with a drunken determination and stagger. The woman yelped when he used his strength to gain control. He grabbed her by the wrists and tugged her closer, she resisted as much as she could.
"Stop that! Stop it!" Ryou's voice was heard from across the street as he dodged past people to intercept and possibly save the stranger from what Ryou could remember as his second worst experiences that had happened to him. He threw his shoulder into the man and he stumbled against the wall dazed. He would have put up a good fight, only once he had slid to the ground he realized how tired he was and promptly passed out.
Ryou turned to the stranger and gave her a half smile. "That was close. Are you alright? You're not from here are you? Can I help you with something?"
The woman smiled to him, her eyes looked pleased and she seemed to realize something immediately about Ryou before he had even introduced himself. "I am fine, thank you. It's true I am not from here, but I think I found what I was looking for."
"Oh?" Ryou was surprised, he looked to his left and then to his right and then behind him. Finally he came to the conclusion that she meant him. He couldn't understand what for, who would ever look for him. "Oh!"
Her lips pressed together into a thin line, contemplating the look of fear Ryou gave her. She sighed. Her son had hurt him (Ryou), Bakura was such a fool. "Ryou? Please let me speak to you. It's about my son, Bakura."
Ryou wanted to refuse. He wanted to turn and run leaving the woman to continue her search only he would keep running until she gave up. It was what he could only do if he wanted to protect himself from being hurt. He didn't move. More important than hurt, Ryou didn't want to be left alone. He nodded firmly. He was shown to a carriage some ways down the street, there was a driver and it looked to Ryou that the driver had been watching the incident the entire time. Why hadn't the drive protected his charge? It bothered Ryou this man would watch another man rape a person, stranger or friend, and not do a single thing about it.
He shivered without control inside the carriage. He didn't feel safe in there. He would have asked to speak somewhere else, only once inside, the carriage started to move.
She spoke, "Bakura isn't happy, Ryou. He was sent on a journey so that he could find happiness. He found it. Yet, he lost it. Now he is more unhappy then he has ever been. I don't think Bakura has ever known what it was to be truly happy. He was happy at times, but he wasn't happy all of the time and that's what I wanted him to find. I wanted him to find someone to make him happy all of the time, to make him happy even when he was miserable. I wanted him to have one thing to always be happy about. Now, instead he is determined to settle for something that will never make him happy. He is betrothed to a person that is hurting him, someone that will always hurt him. He is doing this because he now knows that, even if he found someone who wanted the best for him, someone that cared deeply for him and for the people around him, he will not be happy. He'll be content, and he will have happy moments but he cannot be happy. Instead he has made a choice to be miserable. My son is just a boy. He doesn't always make the best decisions. He is upset and angry and he's stubborn. Sometimes, my son needs to be told what to do. You need to tell him. Tell him that he's wrong, tell him 'no,' and show him what's right. He needs you to force him, maybe to even deceive him. He needs all of this because he needs you, Ryou. He's just a boy though; he doesn't always know what he needs."
This wasn't what Ryou expected. He never thought he would hear from Bakura or any of the friends he had made. This was least of all expected. He wanted to argue, to say that it wasn't his place. He could think of a thousand reasons some little and some very big as to why he should refuse. Most importantly, Bakura had turned him away. He never wanted to see Ryou again. Yet, all of his reasons and especially the most important one were shattered to pieces as Bakura's mother spoke. Bakura didn't know what he needed that was clear. Ryou couldn't find a reason to refuse, there was nothing here for him, and there he had something. Even if something would never be found he felt that he would rather try for something then stay here for nothing.
"I wouldn't force him, and I wouldn't deceive him. Bakura, he knows what he needs, now. He doesn't know how to want what he needs. He doesn't know how to get what he needs. He doesn't know how to ask for what he needs. I don't need him to ask, I will be there, but I am glad that you did ask. I never want Bakura to be miserable. I would have never known he was if you didn't tell me."
She listened to what Ryou said. She took it into her heart and she smiled to Ryou. Ryou felt relieved and happy. "Thank you."
Ryou said he didn't need anything. So Bakura's mother told her driver to make their way home. They spoke that afternoon quickly getting to know each other. The conversation started several miles out of Ryou's home city. They had at first felt like the most important thing had been taken care of. They let their minds come to terms with what was said appreciating each other for both of their insight.
When the tension of the last conversation dissolved against the beats of the hooves against the solid ground a new conversation began. "My name is Change of Heart, by the way."
"I am Ryou." Ryou smiled politely making proper introductions even though it was clear that she knew who Ryou was.
"There is something important that you should probably know about Bakura," Change of Heart continued, she had learned a few key things about her son's journey from Marik's story and she wanted to clear everything up before Ryou saw Bakura again. One fight about trust before a relationship properly began was enough.
"Bakura's the Prince right?" Ryou knew that there were a few things that needed to be covered between Change of Heart and him before they reached their destination. This made it easy for Ryou to guess what they were talking about. Ryou was not stupid he knew the easiest things would be talked about first.
"Yes, but...Marik said that you were not told who the prince was." Change of Heart looked puzzled but slightly amused at the boy's cleverness.
"I wasn't told. Only I realized that Yami was not the prince after we met Malik. You see after we met Malik, we moved to a different city and Seto said that it was alright if Malik want to say he was the prince because no one actually knew who the prince was. In a way, it was actually easier for the prince to make a decision because then he would not need to deal with the false attitudes being shown to him when the girls tried to win his affections. I didn't figure out that Bakura was the prince however, until after we met Yugi. We still needed to travel then even after everyone seem to find a person they really cared about. Even though none of these people were girls I knew that Yami and Marik wouldn't want to hurt Malik or Yugi by continuing their journey if they were the prince, and likewise Seto wouldn't want to hurt Jou and I already knew about Honda and Otogi's home life so I knew they couldn't be the prince. Bakura was the only one left." Ryou explained. He looked proud when the Queen even applauded him for his cleverness.
Change of Heart did have one thing to correct however, "I accept that my son prefers men Ryou. I've probably known it for longer than he even has. I accept it, but there are rules about being a King. While it's accepted that a King may have more than one wife, or even male partners outside of marriage, a King needs a Queen. That's why I suggested this quest. I knew my son would not accept any one as a partner easily. I knew he needed to find what he needed. I believe in fate Ryou, I knew that if what he needed was out there he would find it. He did find it."
"But, I'm still a boy, Your Majesty." Ryou protested.
"No need to be formal Ryou. I know your secrets. You are a friend in my heart, so I want you to treat me as a friend." Ryou nodded his consent even though he felt uneasy about it. She continued with the rest of the protest. "I can see that you are a boy. There are people who know that you are a boy, and then there are people who don't know you. They haven't even thought of the possibility of you. Some of those people live in the palace and are in charge of Bakura's future. You said you would not deceive my son, but deception is required if you want to be in Bakura's future."
Ryou's eyes widened, he knew what she was asking. Marik had hinted at it a few times when they were alone. Ryou was still too unsure of whom he was then to respond to what Marik was asking. Now that Ryou had spent three weeks as a boy he was certain he could be a boy for the rest of his life and the worst that would come of it was that someone might say he was too pretty, or like his parents they might be ashamed of him. Still when he was completely a boy and everyone knew it he wasn't himself. Ryou couldn't think of a time in the future where he wouldn't think that he was a girl. When Ryou was Ryou, Ryou was a girl. If Ryou wanted to be him then he had to be a girl, a girl with in a boy's body. He wanted to wear dresses and he was comfortable following the social rules of a girl. A good girl from a strong family with strong morals about sex and love, he would be a girl that the woman in the palace would say was brought up right. While underneath it all Ryou would be a boy one that loved and would do anything for Bakura. "I can be a girl. I want to be a girl. I want to be what Bakura needs."
"That's good, Ryou. It's a Queen's job to be deceptive you know. We have to be clever and smart, we have to be everything a King would need, but we have to be also everything our lovers could want. Even right now, everyone at home thinks that I'm ill." The Queen explained. Ryou smiled. He already knew that sometimes royalty had to be deceptive. Bakura had already done it to gain privacy and protection. It didn't surprise him that it would be similar for the rest of his family. There were some people that could be trusted and other that's couldn't be. With the ones that couldn't be trusted you didn't give them anything to be untrustworthy about. Ryou thought it was sort of like being a girl. They had to wear girdles and under garments hiding their bodies from the world. It would take Ryou some time but he knew that he would be able to fit into this role.
"We'll make a stop on the way. We need to buy some outfits, something appropriate." Change of Heart said more to the driver than to Ryou. "Now, Ryou what are you planning to do when you met up with Bakura."
Ryou frowned, he knew what he didn't want to do, but he knew by Change of Heart's briefing that Bakura had decided to marry and from the sound of it this girl was not pleasing to anyone, especially Bakura. The girl probably wouldn't stand for being pushed aside for Ryou. Besides, Ryou needed to make Bakura accept him if not forgive him almost immediately or else everything could be ruined. Bakura could reveal Ryou's secrets. "I'm not sure, what's this girl like."
The Queen smiled. The trip continued. It as quick of a trip as they could make it, they had to stop every night in order to rest. Also, on the day that the Queen and Ryou bought Ryou new outfits they also dismissed the driver and had to find a new one for the rest of the trip. It wasn't too hard the Queen was willing to pay a good amount for the accommodations. During the trip the two grew closer and closer, drawing some sort of lines for a plan, one that wasn't too rigid so that it could be adapted once it was put into play, but one not open-ended enough to unravel. That wasn't the only thing they talked about, however, and while their love for Bakura brought them together by the time they reached the capital their love for each other wouldn't be able to break them apart. Change of Heart's belief in fate remained.