Of Love and War: Attacks
Author's note: Here's chapter two ^_^ I'm having fun! Read!
Warning: Yaoi, Au, possible OOCness, etc.
Disclaimer: *sniff* Alright, it's true, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh ok!
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A dark shadow crept through the halls of the elven palace, it's footsteps shadowed from even the tiniest bit of light. Without sound, and almost invisible from view, it slipped through the cracked door of one of the rooms and into the darkness beyond.
Yami's eyes cracked open. Something in his chambers didn't feel right. Beside him, Yugi shifted in his sleep, cuddling closer to the elven prince's warm body. Crimson eyes gazed out through the darkness, narrowed to tiny slits.
Suddenly there was a blur of silver and Yami jumped, rolling off the bed and taking Yugi with him. The prince leapt to his feet, eyes scanning the darkness. All that remained, as proof of the attack was a single sliver dagger stabbed into the center of his bed, to the exact place where Yugi had been sleeping.
On the floor at Yami's feet, Yugi blinked his eyes open. He glanced around, looking up to see Yami's hard set face and icy crimson eyes. The boy stood, watching his elven lover carefully.
"Another one?" he asked. Yami nodded, still glaring at the dagger in the bed.
"They won't stop trying," he murmured in response. "I should send you back to the Tower. You'd be safe there at least." Yugi shook his head, clutching Yami's arm.
"No, I won't go. If I'm not here then what will happen to you? They aren't going to let this be if I leave Yami," he told the elf. Yami's eyes narrowed.
"One of these days you might get hurt Yugi. I won't let you be harmed because of me, or my council," he replied, glancing down at the boy. Yugi smiled gently at him.
"Yami, no matter what, we have to get through this together. We should go back to sleep. You won't be able to get up in the morning at this rate," he stated. Yami smiled and nodded, removing the small hand on his arm and taking it in his.
"Very well love," he answered.
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Emerald eyes surveyed the council chamber with what appeared to be detached amusement. The council was berating the prince about his relationship with the human boy again. Otogi could barely hide his anger towards the elderly males that made up the council. Why should they care about the prince's romantic interest. They were only after their own power anyway.
Otogi twisted a lock of midnight hair around his finger, giving the curl a bored glare. He knew far more about these fools than they would probably want anyone to know of. Being the head of the council's personal guard seemed to make others think he was safe to gossip around. He knew of the council's anger towards the prince and his new lover, and he knew more than enough of how deep that hatred ran. The council wasn't just against Yugi, they had been plotting to overthrow the prince for a good many years.
Sadly, as the head of the guard and the council's main guardian, Otogi was in no position to interfere. If the situation were not so delicate he would have told Yami of their plot immediately. He didn't want to give the council a reason to directly attack the prince in anyway and because of his station, if Otogi made a wrong move then his action could be taken as sympathy for Yami. He couldn't jeopardize his guard squadron like that. Plus if he made his personal sympathies known then there was no way he would be allowed into the council chamber and therefore not be able to warn the prince should something serious happen.
As much as he hated what was happening, what he hated more was his inability to help. He was the head of the council's personal guard and therefore considered their most trusted attendant. And with the recent assassination attempts headed by the council to kill off the young human that Yami had become so attached to, his faith in the elders of the council was coming to a breaking point. There was only so much he would be willing to ignore, but if they went for the prince's life… Council guardian or not, to him the life of the prince came first to him, not the will of the council.
"You cannot force me to give Yugi up!" said prince exclaimed. Yami was furious, standing at the front of what should have been his most trusted council, the other leaders of the elven kingdom. The council and the king were supposed to exist in harmony, but now… "How can you let something as small as my feeling for one human boy overtake your duty to assist in ruling our kingdom!" The council's spokesman raised an eyebrow at Yami's outburst.
"This is no small matter my prince," he replied smoothly, his voice as smooth as butter and treacherous as a snake. "You cannot expect us to accept that this… *human*… is the one you have chosen as your life-mate. It is because of humans that this world has lost so much of its luster as you well know. They are devious beings who only seek to corrupt our pure culture." Yami's eyes were narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Even an elf can wish for the ultimate destruction of this world, Arthis," he hissed. Arthis, the council's fork-tongued spokesman, could not help but grin inwardly at the prince. He was still young, a child that could be either molded into their designs or destroyed and replaced. Either way it was time the council was realized as the true leading force in Malanash. The poor prince had literally given them a way to turn the kingdom against him just by bringing that young human child into the palace.
"Yami, it is well known that you have long supported human/elven relations, but to cross species and choose a lover from the human race is not something you can expect your people to just accept. Half-bloods are corrupt by birth, human and elven blood are not meant to be mixed," he answered. Yami closed his eyes, attempting to compose himself. A vision of Bakura, Ryou's half-blood bond-mage flashed through his mind and he fought back a grin. If the member's of the council ever met the thief their view of corrupt half-bloods might actually fit, but then again… Yami sighed.
"What I do with my personal life is no concern of yours, and we have more important matters to consider," he told the council.
"Such as?" Arthis asked. Yami resisted the urge to rip the older elf's throat out.
"Such as the attack on the Tower of Illusions two months ago and how it affects our current position in the Tower. As you probably know they have elected a new High Mage," he answered, just barely keeping the spite out of his voice. Arthis nodded.
"Isis was it? Yes we have heard. But seeing as the Tower has been reestablished there is no reason for us to discuss it now is there," he answered. Yami glared.
"When you come up with a reasonable topic to discuss I will return to these meetings. As of now I see no reason to continue arriving at your beck and call," the prince replied, his voice seething. With that he turned and left the room, a defiant lift in his step. Otogi raised an eyebrow at the prince's actions. Things were only going to get worse from here. He would have to keep a careful eye open.
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"How did it go today?" Bakura asked, as an exhausted Ryou stumbled into the set of rooms they both shared. Ryou looked up at him, a tired smile on his face.
"They're doing well," he replied. Bakura smirked and walked up to him, rubbing his hands up and down the elf's arms.
"You look awful," he stated. Ryou chuckled, leaning into the thief's welcome embrace.
"It's difficult teaching one, much less twelve novice healers," he replied. "It's sad. Most of those children won't make it past their 16th birthday." Bakura wrapped his arms around the healer. He didn't really know how to reply to that. It was proven fact that a healer's body would burn itself out by its 16th birthday without a bond mage. Some managed to live a little longer but… There wasn't anything that could be done about it. He pressed his lips to Ryou's head.
"I guess the most you can do is hope for them and help them while they're here," he replied. Ryou nodded.
"I hope and pray for them. I hope they're as lucky as I have been," he said, gazing up into his lover's eyes. Bakura smiled, a gentle smile meant only for his little healer. He leaned down and captured Ryou's lips with his in a passionate kiss, which Ryou returned with equal fervor. The two savored each other's touch, both more than thankful for the other's presence.
"I'm the lucky one, angel," Bakura murmured as they broke apart. Ryou smiled.
"I'd call us both very lucky."
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Joey was exhausted. He had just finished another of his training sessions with Seto and all he wanted was to flop down and sleep the rest of the day away. He pushed the door to his room open, staggering into the small, comfortable space.
"Need some help?" a lilting voice asked him. Joey looked up, blinking his eyes tiredly to find Seto leaning against the doorframe. He sighed heavily and dropped onto his soft cot, reveling in the feel of the warm blankets beneath him.
"G'way Seto… I wana sleep," he mumbled. Seto chuckled, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.
"You should eat something before napping pyro. You'll feel worse later if you don't," he answered. Joey rolled over, honey-brown eyes staring up at the half-blood mage with a twinkle in their depths.
"Is the great Seto Kaiba actually worried about lil' old me?" he wondered, mockingly shocked. Seto rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed next to him.
"As my apprentice it's my duty to make sure you take care of yourself kid," he answered.
"'M not a kid," Joey growled in response.
"Puppy then," Seto replied with a smirk. Joey growled again in response.
"I'm not a puppy either," he snapped. Seto just chuckled.
"As well as it fits…"
"I hate you," Joey pouted. Seto smirked and leaned over, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Love you too pup," he answered. Joey's only response was yet another low growl and an annoyed glare. "Come on Joey," Seto told him, helping the boy to his feet. "Let's get you something to eat, then you can sleep."
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Ishtal moaned dejectedly, just barely resisting the urge to bang his head against the desk. From behind him, sitting on the comfortably upholstered bed they both shared, Malik raised an eyebrow.
"What now?" he asked. The older mage sighed and whimpered, then glared down at the notebook in front of him.
"This stupid warding spell is going absolutely no where," he answered. "There's no way to distinguish a normal mundane human or elf from any other creature that lives in that damn forest." From there the mage proceeded to curse so colorfully that Malik nearly blushed. The younger of the two blondes stood and walked over to the older, wrapping his arms around the mage's neck.
"Why don't you take a break then. You might think of something," he murmured in the other's ear. Ishtal growled.
"I have alo-" Malik pressed a finger to his lips.
"Take a break," he said more firmly. "Unless you think you can work better completely burned out." Ishtal gave the younger mage an annoyed glare, then sighed in defeat.
"Fine," he murmured, closing his folder of notes. He turned to face the violet-eyed boy behind him, a devilish gleam in his eye. "So what do you propose we do instead?" he asked. Malik smirked, mimicking his mischievous grin.
"I'm sure we'll think of something…"
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Yugi leapt away as a slivery blade swept past his cheek. This was the fourth attacker this week. Carefully, without loosing focus, the boy formed a solid shield of violet magic around him, blocking him from the assassin's attempts. He didn't want to call on Yami this time. The prince was far too exhausted from the trouble he was getting from the council. The elven attacker struck again, hitting the shield and hissing in response.
"You can't hide behind that thing forever, human," the angered being told him, spitting out the name of his race as if it were a deadly poison. Yugi's violet eyes narrowed. Why did these beings care enough about his relationship with Yami to attempt to harm them? Yami was their prince. They should be loyal to him, shouldn't they?
The violet-eyed boy concentrated, forming what little magical energy he had into a small attack spell. He sent it flying at the assassin, grazing the elf's forearm.
"I won't let you harm me, nor Yami," he told the elf, eyes flashing defiantly. "I don't care what you think of me, but you've been hurting him!" The elf chuckled.
"No, little human. You're the one that is hurting the prince. It's because of you and the taint you have brought here that we must destroy you. You have corrupted our prince, and for that you must die," he answered. Yugi closed his eyes, bracing himself for the next attack. He didn't know if his shield would hold or not.
The attack never came. In the doorway stood Yami, his crimson eyes blazing with anger and his hand outstretched, forming the very spell that had incinerated their attacker. Yugi gratefully dropped his shield and slumped to his knees as the prince strode across the floor to catch him.
"Yami…" The prince buried his face in the small boy's hair, relieved to have him safe.
"Yugi, don't believe a word of what he said," he told the young human. "I would not be better off without you. You are not hurting me in any way. You're the one who has let me see that my kind is wrong, that not all humans are evil. It's their prejudice that drives them Yugi, nothing more." Yugi nodded, leaning into the elven prince's warm embrace.
"Thank you Yami…" Outside of the door, a pair of emerald eyes watched them closely. *They're right* Otogi thought to himself. *Our kind is wrong. And I have some preparing to do.* And with that, the emerald-eyed elf left, leaving the two to each other.
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Author's note: So? What do you think?
Bakura: I'd say you're keeping true to your promise. I got almost no action in that chapter!
Love you too Baku-chan… -.-; Anyway, I hope all you Seto/Joey fans are happy. I'm trying to take their relationship a bit slower… it just seems like it would work better for them. Hope you enjoyed, reviews are welcome ^_^