Of Love and War: Death Call
Author's note: Next chapter ^_^ Have fun.
Warnings: Yaoi, Au, possible OOCness, etc.
Disclaimer: Nope… It'd be more likely for me to own a bookstore… or at least work a one… which I don't -.-;
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Ryou shivered, glancing fearfully around the clearing. The darkness under the trees seemed to grow thicker, almost suffocating, though he could still see perfectly in the slowly growing light. Biting his lip, determined not to cry out, the young healer shook Bakura's shoulders again, desperate for some kind of response other than the constant shaking of the thief beside him. What could affect his companions like this? Why not him? What was going on here? Thousands of questions dashed through his mind, vanishing as soon as they appeared.
Pulling his hand back, Ryou steeled himself, breathing to calm his nerves. *Calm yourself, Ryou,* he thought. *You're the only one able to defend them right now. You have to focus.* A frightened voice inside him seemed to protest. *But what if you can't fight it?* Ryou shook his head, glancing around the clearing once again.
Across the burning embers of the fire, a soft whimper echoed from where Malik and Ishtal slept, their dreams growing in intensity. A branch snapped from behind Ryou and the healer spun, only to find himself caught by a pair of strong arms around his waist and shoulders.
Unable to see his captor, the slight healer struggled vainly, crying out until a large hand covered his mouth. Brown eyes wide and fearful, the elf stilled, his body tense. A harsh chuckle echoed in his ears from the man behind him.
"Well, well, little elf. What do we have here?" Ryou yelped as the man tossed him to the ground like a broken rag doll. Pale blue eyes glittered back at him as he looked up from behind dirty blonde hair. Ryou shivered as he watched the man. His strange, pale eyes seemed to glow in an almost mesmerizing way. The man chuckled again, gazing out around the clearing. "I hadn't expected to find so many," he noted, before glancing down at Ryou with a feral smirk. "Especially not one who could resist my sleep spell."
Dark eyes narrowed. That was why. Ryou, being a healer, was resistant to spells that affected a person's physical abilities. The stranger only smirked at him, moving closer with the ease of someone brimming with arrogant confidence. It wasn't until the figure knelt beside Bakura's unconscious, twitching form that Ryou reacted.
"Get away from him!" The man looked up, glaring into Ryou's blazing eyes.
"If you want this trash to live, you'll keep quiet elf. You may be able to resist my spell, but I doubt there is much else you can do to stop me," he snarled. Ryou flinched, his eyes narrowed in concern as the man's pale blue eyes glowed blue. *Bakura…* The thief's eyes shot open, followed by a quick struggle and string of curses as Bakura found himself effectively pinned to the ground by the blonde man above him.
"Keith," the half-blood hissed. The blonde man smirked back at him.
"I'm touched you remember me, street rat. It's been almost four years now hasn't it?" the man drawled.
"I'd say you're touched in the head. Fuck off!" The thief spat in his face. Keith grinned, wiping the saliva from his face. His hand caressed the thief's cheek, earning him a snarl and a near bite.
"I wouldn't fight me if I were you…" the man murmured mockingly.
"Like hell I won't!" Bakura's struggling only became more violent.
"You're choice," was Keith's response. "Though if you don't cooperate I can't promise not to hurt your little friend…" Bakura froze, russet eyes widening, then narrowing as they fell on Ryou's worry filled eyes only a few feet away.
Ryou?! he called through their mind link. A sudden rush of worry, fear and relief that he was now awake swamped over him.
Bakura, who is he? What does he want? the elf questioned frantically. Bakura cursed under his breath.
Ryou get out of here.
I'm not leaving you! The elf's eyes were determined. Bakura's eye twitched in response. Of all the times for the elf to be stubborn…
"What do you want Keith? Cause I can sure as hell say I have no reason to do anything for you," the thief snarled.
"Wrong rat," The blonde's eyes twinkled in sadistic pleasure at having the defiant half-blood struggling beneath him. "You're mine, as long as your father's debt exists." The man's breath sent uncomfortable shivers down the thief's neck.
"I've done more than enough to pay you back you sadistic freak!"
"Wrong again." Keith's eyes were lit with an insane glow. "I'll decide when you're free. Until then, everything you own, everything you care for… is mine." With a deep growl and a sudden burst of strength, Bakura threw Keith off of him and leapt to his feet. He drew a thin dagger from within his boot, placing himself between the blonde and his healer. Eyes passing over their campsite, he read the situation carefully. His companions, with the exception of Ryou, were effectively caught under Keith's uniquely powerful spell of sleep, a sleep that create nightmares that only grew stronger the more one fought it with their magic.
Keith had mastered the spell long ago, and used it as his most powerful and deadly weapon. Still, despite the power of the spell, there was one thing it could not affect. Bakura glanced behind him smiling reassuringly at the elf. Ryou's eyes were filled with nervous fear, though his feet were firmly planted on the ground. No matter how powerful Keith's spell, it wouldn't affect a healer.
Bakura? The elf was confused and worried, as well as relieved now that Bakura was free.
Did he do anything to you? the thief demanded. Ryou winced.
Not really… Bakura could feel the hesitance in Ryou's response.
Did he touch you!? the thief asked more forcefully.
He was after you. Bakura couldn't help but growl at that.
"Did you touch him?" Bakura demanded of Keith. The blonde raised an eyebrow, then smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"Why would you care, street rat?" he asked in reply. "He's only an elf, not like us." Ryou gasped.
He's a half-blood? he asked through the link.
How do you think I got mixed up with him? Bakura's mind voice was bitter and harsh at the fleeting memory. "I don't care," the thief said aloud to Keith. The blonde's eyes narrowed.
"His kind are the ones that hunt us, Bakura. You know that." Bakura felt anger bubbling from his link with Ryou and turned, surprised to find the elf at his side, glaring back at Keith.
"You dare imply that I would hurt him?" Ryou hissed, shaking with livid fury. He wrapped an arm possessively around Bakura's waist, his eyes burning with anger. "How dare you… Bakura isn't yours to toy with. He's his own person, no slave of yours!" Keith's eye twitched at the elf's outburst.
"You're little pet has a backbone after all it seems," he muttered in annoyance. "I wonder how long it would take to break him."
"You'll have to kill me first!" Bakura snapped furiously. Keith smiled sadistically.
"I wouldn't want to kill my favorite pet," the blonde half-blood spoke quietly. "All I have to do is…" He raised a hand, his eyes glowing blue. Bakura began to shake, both from fear and the draining effects of Keith's spell. "… send you to sleep."
"Stop it!" Ryou rushed forward, clamping onto the man's arm, trying to hold him back with the little strength he had. Keith laughed, shaking the elf off of him to the ground. Ryou froze as a heavy foot rested itself between his shoulder blades, pinning him to the ground. Bakura stumbled, slumping to his knees as the spell threatened to over take him completely.
"Bakura!" Ryou's call was followed by a sharp yelp as the foot on his back dug into the skin harshly. The elf gazed frantically at his failing bond-mage. Bakura reached out, a weak last-ditch effort to fight back. He grimaced at Keith's victorious smirk.
"Anything that's yours is mine, Bakura. I thought you'd remember that…" The blonde let out a loud cackle.
Ryou… There was a defiant growl as Bakura fell, overtaken completely by the powerful sleep spell. Ryou cast his eyes around from his spot on the ground, searching frantically for some kind of help even though he knew it was useless. Keith's spell had been very effective.
"Looks like you're all mine now, little elf," Keith murmured, kneeling and flipping Ryou onto his back. "I can deal with Bakura anytime I want, for now, I want to play with you."
"What do you plan on doing with me?" Ryou whimpered, unable to hide the fear in his voice. Keith smirked, drawing Ryou up to his face by his collar.
"You're friend owes me. How better for him to pay me back then by giving me what he holds most dear?" the blonde murmured. Ryou froze as he was shoved back to the ground, his legs pinned to the ground by Keith's knees. The half-blood could only grin at the fearful light in the young elf's eyes.
"I can see every nightmare, every fear brought on by my spell. Your dark friends over there, one sees his mother's death repeated endlessly before his eyes, while the other sees the possible death of his sister and dreads the failure of this journey. Your tall half-blood sees his brother, and the death of the young fire mage, though his mind denies any feelings towards him.
"The prince's dreams are filled with visions of what his council may do to his country, and what they may have done to his *human* lover. Your street rat here, young elf, he sees what may happen should he fail to protect you. Though why any half-blood would bother to care for one of your miserable species, I don't understand. Why don't we see what will happen if his dreams come true?" Ryou struggled vainly, his gentle brown eyes filled with loathing for the man above him.
"I won't submit to you," he hissed. Keith only smirked, pulling his hair back and pinning him further to the ground.
"If you want your friends to live, you'll do everything I say," the blonde replied, pressing his nose to Ryou's. The elf tensed, feeling a large hand creep up his thigh. He panicked, thrashing wildly as Keith fought to keep him down. Ryou had long suspected that Bakura had been hurt, even violated when he was young. Now he knew for sure. This man had hurt *his* bond-mage badly, almost irreparably, leaving scars that not even he could heal.
Ryou felt violet rage surge within him, running through his veins like an uncontrolled wildfire. A loud shriek startled him out of his panicked rage. Ryou froze, staring at his captor as the life was literally sucked out of him. The elf's hands were glowing a harsh golden color, glittering almost violently as they sapped the life from the blonde half-blood.
Ryou gasped and struggled, trying to pull his hands away. He could feel his own strength fading as he lost control of his magic. The last thing he remembered was a pair of bright blue eyes gazing at him in shock before he fell unconscious.
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Ishtal jerked awake as the spell holding him captive vanished suddenly. He gasped, sitting up and carefully shaking the journey-mage beside him.
"Malik!" he hissed. "Malik, wake up!" Using a small bit of magic, he broke Malik free of his dreams to find the younger mage gasping and near tears.
"What was that?" the boy asked, fighting to catch his breath.
"I don't know," was Ishtal's answer. The mage looked up, surveying the camp. The first thing he noticed was Bakura, holding an unconscious Ryou in his arms and a skeletal… something… slumped a little ways off. Bakura looked up at him, eyes betraying a faint amount of panicked worry. Something had happened while they were asleep. Something bad. Ishtal stood shakily, helping Malik to his feet before approaching Bakura.
"What happened here?" he asked the pale… unusually pale even for him… thief. Bakura looked distraught. He nodded towards the decrepit body nearby.
"He set a sleep spell over us to get to me. He went after Ryou but…"
"I've never heard of any magic like this," Ishtal muttered, knelling to examine the body. It was as if all health and youth had been sucked away, leaving a dried, graying shell. "How did you do this?"
"I didn't do it," Bakura answered. "I was under his spell when it happened." Ishtal's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the unconscious healer in the thief's arms, taking in his thin, delicate features. The young elf was paler than usual and breathing heavily, signs that he had indeed used a great deal of power.
"I've never heard of a healer with this kind of power," Ishtal murmured, brushing a lock of snowy hair from the elf's face. Malik rested a hand on Ishtal's shoulder, leaning over him to see. His lavender eyes betrayed his confusion.
"Will he be alright?" he asked.
"He's only exhausted," Ishtal answered. Malik shook his head.
"I mean with what happened," he explained. "Will he be able to handle the fact that he killed someone? He is a healer…" As if to answer his question, Ryou's pale eyelids fluttered, signaling his awakening.
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Author's Notes: Do I sense a minor cliffie? *grins*
Bakura: Evil woman… *eye twitches*
^_^ Sorry about the long delay, I've hit kind of a slump lately. I'm blaming my muse… she likes to coddle the plot bunnies… they get lazy. The next chapter might take a bit, but don't worry, I do plan to finish this story… no matter how long it takes. Thanks for sticking by. Don't forget to review!