Hmm... I don't really know if this chapter is exactly important, even though elements of it are, I just don't like the whole blank space in between being captured and being imprisoned. Necessary or not I hope you enjoy it.
To my spectacular reviewers:
Guest – I'm sorry that I made you wait so long, I try to update once a month.
Imreallyboredrightnow – I'm glad you thought so; I get really subconscious about my work sometimes. I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter.
Lazy Gaga – I know, I know, and sadly this chapter probably won't give you all the answers you are looking for, next chapter is where all the good stuff is at, but don't worry I'm already half through with that :) Shouldn't be long now.
randomismyname13 – I sorry I took so long, but look an update!
A fan – Thank you, I don't really think my work is THAT good, but I'm glad you think so. I try to make the descriptions easy to read but sometimes I feel like I fail, so thank you for reassuring me. I'm sorry that it took so long to update and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Tjay M – Well, I guess this, lol, I hope you enjoy.
Albino Shadowz – All your little reviews made me very happy, thank you. I cannot believe I would be an inspiration to you; you are too good of a writer though I am glad you like my work. A naked Bakura is the best Bakura and what is a story without a little gore? Ryou does seem to get molested and almost raped a lot, it's because he's just so cute and super sweet I wouldn't torture him so much if he wasn't such a good boy (isn't that wrong?). "Get your hands off of the Brit. *Hisses*" Lol, that was good. Everything will be tied up in the end I swear :)
Disclaimer: I used to say all I own is the laptop I type on, but at this point I don't even own that, lol, but seriously I don't own Yugioh, any of it's characters, and I don't get paid to write this (sadly).
Silver Scales
Ryou winces when the bright light assaults his eyes, blinking furiously to adjust, before he is yanked out of the trunk none gently, hissing as his aching muscles are forced to work. It feels like he's been in that trunk for ages, it was only slightly better than the closet.
"L-let go!" He growls as he's roughly manhandled, a bruising grip dragging him by the arm. "B-Bastard!" A yelp follows the insult as he is thrown forward, landing on his face because his hands are tied up behind him.
"Fucking, little shit," the one that thrown him growls, but he doesn't do anything else, just sits aside and watches the boy struggle to get up. The captive thinks this may be his chance, but what the guy was waiting for comes too soon, two more cloaked figures. He is grabbed by the two new attackers, one grabbing each arm, while the other mysterious guy leaves.
"Wh-where are you t-taking me?" He asks, there is no answer. "What do you want?" He cries but as he is dragged along he is ignored. They are in the middle of nowhere, in some woods, where could they be dragging him? He finds out soon enough, hearing water in the distance the victim knows that it's growing closer and then he's sees it, along with the boat that is tied up at the coast. "No!" The teen freaks, "I can't swim!" He struggles like his life depends on it, terrified of water.
"Shit, hold him still," one of his captors finally speak and lets him go, Ryou tries to use this to his advantage but when he increases his exertion the remaining man puts him to the ground, pinning him.
"Sh, it'll be ok." The guy keeping him down soothes.
"Liar!" Ryou cries trying to shake him off, "liar!"
"Here use this," he can hear the one say that is still standing, while the other tries to assure him with false promises.
"Swallow this, it'll make you feel better," a pill is pressed to his closed lips, he turns away from it, his face put to the ground instead, sand going up his nose. "I don't want to hurt you, kid, take the pill."
"N-no, I w-won't fight, please d-don't make me," he shakes his head, it is much better to be aware of his surroundings than not, he doesn't want to take anything they're giving him. "Ple-please, I'll be good."
The man seems to consider his submission before getting to his feet.
"Ok, but you better be good." He is again pulled to his feet, trying to keep himself composed but he can feel the tears come with the helplessness. "We're going to put this over your head, for your own good, you fight and you have to take the medicine," Ryou reluctantly nods, biting his lip to keep back the sob as the hood is put over his head, again turning his world dark.
Getting in the boat is the only time Ryou isn't trying to get away, blind and afraid, he is trying to get as close to his captors as he can, pressing against ones side and whimpering when the boat shifts under their weight. They couldn't tear him away until he's safely seated, then he is back to trying to cling with no hands when the engine starts and the boat moves, glad that one of them sits down beside him.
"You should leave that brat alone," the one not sitting beside him, the one driving the boat, nags. "He's a dragon tamer."
"He's just a kid." The one beside him defends, "plus he's so pathetic, it's cute."
Ryou hates to be talked about like that, but he's not going to say anything, not till he gets off this death trap. He would hate to admit it, but the hood actually helps, if he didn't have it he would find himself looking at the water, if he looked at the water he would panic, if he panicked he would be drugged. Every time the distressed boy calms himself the boat rocks unnervingly making him all crazy again until he exhausts himself and ends up laying down instead of sitting, unsure if his eyes are opened or closed.
"Time to wake up kid," Ryou groans when he's shaken, he can't believe he fell asleep. "Come on." He is pulled up by his upper arm, again sticking real close to the cloaked men as he blindly exits the boat, glad to be back on solid land.
"Wh-where are we?" the teen asks groggily, wishing he could see, but the hood is made of thick material, making it hot and unbearable, along with keeping him completely oblivious. "Please, let me see."
"It's just for a little longer, we're almost there," the kinder (not kind seeing as he is assisting in his kidnapping, but still kinder than the other) man tells him, though it isn't very reassuring. He thinks about fighting, he wants to fight, yet he knows it will do no good, because where would he go, back on the boat? He will cooperate for now and keep a stable mind.
A shudder goes through the bound and blind boy when the air suddenly grows chilly a sharp contrast to the heat a moment ago, their feet tapping against hard floor instead of the soft grass, he's inside.
"This is goodbye, kid." Ryou is released by the two guys; he has again turned hands, another person grabbing him not so gently by the back of the neck, "good luck."
"W-wait!" It's sad how he already grown to rely on the one person that's been nice to him, "Stop."
The boy tries to shake the cruel hand off him, but the pressure there just increases.
"Ow!" Ryou cries, "you're hurting me!" The person doesn't seem to care in the least, harshly frog marching the resisting teen with ease. It seems to get colder the more they walk, the air feeling damp, he doesn't like this and it only get worse when they start going down, the teen tripping over himself walking down the stairs. "Pl-please, let g-go."
The boy's wish is soon granted, the rope around his wrist is loosened to the point of falling off before he is pushed forward, hardly catching himself with a hiss. He jerks the hood off and turns just in time to see an iron bared door shut with a large slam, the one who manhandled him briskly walking away.
"Fuck," he groans, moving to inspect his aching wrist, the skin is rubbed raw.
"Ar-are you ok?" The teen jolts at the small voice, whipping his head in all directions to find the source, the lighting is made up of lit torches, like a bad vampire movie, Ryou thinks, but finally he spots the little boy in the cell next door, curled in a corner.
"Who are you?" Ryou asks instead of answering the child's question.
"I'm Mokuba Kaiba," Mokuba, that name sounds familiar, very familiar in fact. He swears he heard that name before and suddenly it hits him, that's the millionaire's brother! School was gossiping all about it. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ryou Bakura," The teen stands up to make his way to the bars separating the two, stretching out his sore muscles beforehand, "what are you doing here?"
"Are you a tamer?" Mokuba ignores his question.
"Y-yeah, I guess, you?"
"No." If he's not a tamer than why was he kidnapped? These are so very obviously the dragon hunters. "I'm a hostage."
"Hostage?"
"They're using me to get to Seto," Seto? Ryou wants to question but doesn't, he can hear the tears in the boy's voice, he feels awful. He shouldn't be questioning a kid in this state, having to deal with these conditions, he should be comforting him.
"D-don't worry, everything will be ok," It's such a terrible lie that the one saying it can't even convince himself, of course it's not going to be ok.
"It's not!" the child cries, "They're gonna force him to find all the dragons and then.." the sentence is broken off by a high pitched whine, though by that reaction Ryou feels like he knows in which direction the sentence is going.
"This Seto guy, isn't he a dragon? They can't kill him if he's a dragon." The teen baselessly assumes, because he doesn't know what else to do to comfort the child. The words don't seem to reach the other, instead of an answer all there is are sobs.
For a long time Mokuba cries and as long as he cries Ryou tries to comfort, with false hopes and dreams, but it seems to do no good, he wishes he could reach out to the younger, maybe that would help.
"Seto isn't a full blooded dragon," The boy says out of nowhere when his cries have died down and his breathing had evened. "He doesn't need a tamer or get weakened by the hunters crystal, but he is easy to kill."
Not weakened by the crystal and not full blood, the image of the tall man with ice cold eyes and chestnut hair comes to mind, child of Seth and Kisara, he was there when he was kidnapped, forced to find all the dragons. Bakura had called him a traitor, yet the man had a good reason.
"I'm not even his real b-brother," Mokuba continues to tell his tale without prodding, he just wants to talk, to get it all out, Ryou understands that completely. "I was all alone and he came to me-"Another sob, "he said we were brothers in another life, he took me in." Again the boy cries, his self-loathing obvious.
"It sounds like he must care for you a lot, he came looking for you," Ryou again comforts, but now he knows his words are not empty, "Your brother doesn't blame you for this, I'm sure of it, he must have just been happy you were there with you."
Mokuba doesn't deny or accept what he's being told.
"Let's not give up yet, at least for now we got each other," The teen puts up an optimistic face, though he's not sure how long he's going to be able to give the kid company, "-dragon hunters and if they find you they will complete the spell and ultimately kill you.-" Who knows when his timely death will come.
The two captives spend the rest of their day.. night? There is no way to tell time with no windows or clocks and with his face covered when he got here he couldn't even guess the time. They spend the rest of their waking time first eating the meal they were fed, surprisingly decent and then talking, about dragons, siblings, and oddly enough games. Mokuba had even come out of his corner to sit beside Ryou, both leaning against the bars on opposite sides, the contact is calming.
…
It is the noise that wakes Bakura from his forced slumber, when he opens his eyes he sees he is still surrounded, though these aren't the hunters, these are normal humans whispering and gawking around him.. and Ryou is nowhere in sight. The dragon hops up in a rage, the humans scream and some scatter, they have every right to fear and admire him, the silver scales still covering his body shining in the sun like precious stones. The ones that are stupid enough to huddle around him, snapping pictures and taking videos, are quick to annoy him and are the brunt of his anger, his claws slashing out and connecting.
The dragon goes through humans like an eating champion goes through hotdogs, staining the roads red as he searches for the host he knows is gone.