Series: Paladin's Quest||Title: Rebirth of Kaiser
Characters: Ryou, Yuusuke||Ship: N/A
Chapter: 14/30||Words: 28,916
Genre: Drama, Friendship||Rated: PG-13
Challenges: Diversity Writing Challenge: YGO GX: canon: K5, 20+ chapters; Slots: 2,000-67,000, 1st person past tense, rated T, reincarnation, gen-fic; One Character Boot Camp, Marufuji Ryou, #44, fade; Epic Big Bang
Notes: N/A

Ryou and Yuusuke paused on the top of the hill just outside the market town. Yuusuke glanced around, cautious as he knew he should be. After that earlier encounter, he wanted to make certain that no one else interrupted them.

So far, so good. Whether the attack had been a simple attempted theft or hidden attempted murder, he wasn't sure. At least no one seemed inclined to repeat it for now.

"Let's go," Ryou said, already heading down the hillside. "The sooner we get a place to stow our gear the better."

Yuusuke saw no reason to argue that. His possessions weren't all that heavy but after carrying them as long as he had, he could use somewhere to put them and sit down.

"It's very busy," he observed as they got closer. "What are the odds that there will be room for us?"

"Very good." Ryou nodded towards one area of the town, mostly made up of permanent buildings as opposed to the tents and stalls that comprised the rest of it. "That's where the inns are. They have different types for different visitors and I've never seen them entirely full."

That did ease a bit of Yuusuke's worries. Those had crept up on him little by little as they'd walked. Part of his mission here remain not just stirring up Ryou's old memories, but to discover what he was made of now. He'd uncovered at least one effect, but there had to be more.

Ryou was Ryou, the Hell Kaiser. There wasn't any way that he wasn't high level and strong. All that remained would be finding out all the proper details and getting them to Pegasus so the card could be crafted.

This wouldn't even be Yuusuke's first time trying to uncover the secrets of a spirit. It was, of course, the first time that he'd done so when he knew the spirit personally and wasn't yet ready to tell the spirit what he was there for in the first place.

I don't think he'd mind. At least he hoped not. These were things Ryou would most likely want to know about himself as well. But Yuusuke thought it would be best if they learned it the long and slow way.

The closer that they got to the town, the more the noise of it he could hear. There were people everywhere, even if they weren't humans, chatting at the top of their lungs, bargaining, calling and talking to one another. Music trilled up from all over, people singing and instruments as well. He recognized a lot of them from having studied dueling so much of his life, though this had to be the first time he'd seen many of them in the flesh.

"Do you know anyone here?" Yuusuke wondered. Ryou had said that he'd been there before.

"A few. Mostly the tea vendors. It's what I come here for most often." A thoughtful tone entered his voice. "I usually check out the cards as well."

Yuusuke nodded. "Let's do that too, then. Later." First he wanted at least time enough to get his breath back. How did Ryou do this? He could remember a time when his friend hadn't been able to walk for very long without needing a rest.

Death did work wonders, it seemed.

Ryou led the way through the crowded paths of the village, taking the quickest route that he could find. That didn't always mean much; the market remained full of people regardless of the season and that made it difficult to get anywhere. But he did his best.

He didn't always pick the same inn; while there were almost always rooms available, they weren't always in the same place. But he did have favorites and the one that he favored the most loomed ahead of them.

"The top floor's usually taken by those who can fly," he told Yuusuke. "They don't often bother though. There are other inns completely devoted to them."

Ryou shifted his bag of possessions as he crossed into the inn. They still had most of the day to explore the market and the next as well. He didn't want to stay very long once he'd made his purchases.

What they'd spoken of before, visiting the card dealers, kept murmuring in the back of his mind. He wanted to go there, to see what they had on sale, and he knew that didn't happen often. The few times that it had, he'd seen nothing that truly called to him, the way he knew the deck that he would use would.

He had seen other cards, though, ones that he'd been quite tempted to acquire. He didn't know why and he refused to get any cards that he wouldn't play. Perhaps he would see if any of them were still there and if Yuusuke had any answers on that.

He knows me so well. There were brief moments where Yuusuke didn't seem to know things, but not enough to bother him. The moments where Yuusuke did know him in ways that no one else did far outnumbered them.

Ryou pressed his lips together as he strode over to the innkeeper, putting aside all other thoughts. Noise came from the common room; it sounded like someone was in the middle of a bar brawl. He'd come across events like that before. It wasn't the first time and he highly doubted it would be the last.

"Two to spend a few days here. At least two, possibly more," he said. The innkeeper, whose attention had been mostly on the noise coming from the brawl, jerked his eyes over to him.

"Of course. I have just the thing." The innkeeper fidgeted for a heartbeat at an especially loud sound from the room before he began to fumble with the keys to the rooms. "Is there anything else that I can do for you or your companion today?"

Ryou wasn't quite sure if he liked the way the innkeeper said 'companion'. Better not to cause more trouble, not without a greater cause than this.

"Are the teamakers in? And the cardsellers?" The cardsellers were a given. There always remained at least one in the market. What he hoped for was more than one, for more options.

"I believe some new teamakers have arrived," the innkeeper said after a moment of thought. "Not so certain about the cardsellers, except the usual, of course. Haven't been that way lately."

Of course he wouldn't have been. Ryou nodded as they exchanged items; a few coins and a small highly polished gem – Yuusuke's contribution to their stay here – for the key to their room.

"Second floor, third on the left," the innkeeper told him. He examined the gem carefully before adding. "You can have it for four nights. After that, we'll need to negotiate further payment."

Most of that had to be because of the gem. The coins would have paid for at least a night, maybe two if he were being generous. But Ryou saw no reason to argue over that and headed for the stairway up, Yuusuke on his heels.

The room was about what he expected: filled mostly by the bed, with a single table and chair near the window. He dropped his bag onto the table and settled into the chair, closing his eyes and drawing in breath after quiet breath. He could hear Yuusuke moving as well, a second bag on the table, and then the sound of someone sitting on the bed.

"It's about lunchtime," Yuusuke said after several long and quiet minutes which served for Ryou to get his breath fully under control. A tiny part of him murmured at all times that he needed to watch himself. He couldn't push himself too hard. That was one of the reasons that he didn't make this trip very often, and didn't fully trust himself to make it alone.

He didn't remember his previous life in much detail but he could remember moments when he couldn't breath no matter how hard he tried, and when parts of him ached in ways that shook him to his core.

"I know. There are restaurants around. We can get something there." He cracked one eye, a tiny hint of a smile flickering around his lips. "You heard the noise from down there."

"Yes." Yuusuke's own lips twitched for an equally brief moment. "I don't think I want to step in there."

"I never have. It's not always that noisy but it's not what I prefer." The innkeeper sold beer and ale here, and a few other odds and ends – Ryou heard rumors that some wines could be purchased as well, but he'd never tested them. He preferred tea above all else.

Yuusuke nodded before he turned toward the window. He said nothing for several moments before he looked back towards Ryou. "I think I know at least one effect that you have."

Ryou sat up a little. This hadn't been discussed before, but he knew that he had to have something. It thrummed all through him, the knowledge that he could do things.

"Just from watching what happened on the way, I would say that you can't be targeted by destruction effects." Yuusuke tapped a finger briefly. "Something that doesn't target would still affect you, but other than that?"

Ryou nodded slowly. That felt right. There was still so much that he didn't know about himself but regardless, that little piece fitted itself into his head and it felt right to do so.

This deserved a treat of some type. He rose up. "Let's go eat." He knew just the place that they could go. He waited only long enough for Yuusuke to stand up as well and headed out the door.

Part of him thrilled anew at the chance to show Yuusuke around a place that he knew and his friend didn't. He wanted to see Yuusuke enjoy himself. He wanted them to enjoy themselves at the same things.

For a sudden brief moment, he could see a brilliant smile and a pair of highly amused brown eyes looking at him, and a voice as familiar as his own heartbeat whispered words he couldn't remember.

"Ryou?"

Yuusuke's hand on his arm steadied him. He blinked and his vision cleared, restored to the ordinary stone walls of the inn. He shook his head.

"I'm fine." He decided he would ask Yuusuke about this later. He couldn't recall the voice or what they said, but he knew those eyes and he wanted to know who they were. Bits and pieces of his memories scattered about, small shards that he could only pick up with great effort, and he couldn't always put them together the way that he wanted to.

They headed down the stairs a bit faster than they'd come up them, passing out the entryway. Ryou saw an Amazon a short distance away, turned to one side, looking up. He glanced up for a moment as well, mildly curious, and saw a Cyber Harpie descending. Harpie and Amazon greeted one another before heading off in the opposite direction that he planned to take.

"Anyone you know?" Yuusuke asked, glancing after them. Ryou shook his head.

"I think I've seen Amazon Curse Master around here before, but I wouldn't say that I know her." It was the same feeling he had whenever he saw any Amazon: that he'd seen them before. It wasn't strong enough to encourage him to ask, but he did wonder now and then if he'd met them in his other life.

I can't have. Spirits don't exist in that world. That was why he had to live here now. If he returned to that world, that dimension, then only those who could see spirits would be able to see him. And he can't see them.

He wondered who 'he' was. Someone important to him, without a doubt. But not someone he could remember now.

That covers more people than I wish it did. Ryou frowned, then shook his head.

"This way." He headed off through the thronged pathways. He wanted more than what he'd brought along with him for travel rations, and the Humming Bee would provide.

To Be Continued

Notes: I'm sure you can guess who is sparking at Ryou's memories. There will be more. The more time he spends with Yuusuke, the more he'll remember.