A quiet voice, followed by another, much louder one interrupted Ryou's semi- blissful sleep. He shifted, and opened his eyes abruptly. He wasn't where he fell asleep anymore. When Malik and he had found a way out of the cave into the daylight, they had been exhausted, so Malik decided they would lay down and sleep. Ryou had been sceptic, but when it came to his decisions, Malik sure was stubborn. But now, Ryou felt rock beneath his shoulder and hip, for he lay on his side, one arm bent uncomfortably beneath his cheek; the limb throbbed softly in that icky way when the blood flow was being almost entirely cut off.
Looking around carefully, Ryou couldn't spot Malik anywhere – and he began to panic, though he knew that was dangerous; there were strangers in the same cave still. What if they were homicides? What if they kidnapped him and Malik? Oh, terrible thoughts. . .
Ryou tried not to move, but soon the voices subsided to a few careful whispers, and, though he was afraid like there was no tomorrow to come, the boy started to listen.
". . . like little Prince Yuugi for example."
The albino gulped softly – Prince? He didn't like the voice much, either. It was rough and dark and silky at the same time. It sent shivers down his spine.
"He's fallen ill again, isn't he?", the other voice said. Dangerous and dark as well. . . purring somewhat, like words wrapped in velvet. . . Ryou shook his head harshly to get rid of the thoughts, and stopped dead, eyes wide, as the voices subsided completely and he felt eyes on his back. The boy wondered briefly why the second voice had sounded somewhat worried about the illness of that Prince. . then a rough hand spun him around, and deadly calm lavender eyes bored into his own, green ones. Ryou gasped.
"Malik?!"
The person above him blinked, slowly, averted his eyes from him and fixed them again, then the handsome face smirked.
"Not quite, little one."
That! That was the first voice! Ryou paled. A man who looked remarkably like Malik. . . but no, this one's hair was wilder, sticking out in all possible directions, defying the gravity, and the lavender eyes were dulled to a smouldering violet, glinting like odd-coloured coals just about to die out. Also, the man's shoulders were broader, he was more tanned, and muscles played visibly beneath the white linen shirt. Not that Malik wasn't muscled or anything but-
"'Kura, you gotta look at that. Pretty thing, really.", the man said, hauling Ryou up, and the boy stood with shaking legs, slightly uncomfortable supported by the man's hand on his shoulder. What he saw, anyway, surprised him more than anything else; more than the fact he hadn't been on school this morning on purpose, that Isis had let them stay at home, that Malik's house had a forgotten part, and that they had gone through a mirror. No, those were peanuts against this one. Against the soft glow of a fire that burned dimly in the back of the cave, a figure stepped towards them so Ryou wasn't able to make out his face until he was near them.
The hair must've been a light colour, for the dancing flames painted it orange and red, it had to be a man –a rather tall one, though not as tall as the one holding Ryou- and Ryou gasped again, jumping slightly, as he could make out the man's face.
'Kura, as the other one had called him, looked like his twin brother. Not exactly like him; older and more dangerous, void of all gentle features, with electric, light blue eyes under wild, silvery-white hair, much like his own, maybe a shade darker. . .
"Got any bastards, 'Kura?"
"Shut the hell up, Marik.", 'Kura' snapped at the other man, then bent down slightly to look Ryou in the eyes. "How old are you, kid?"
Blinking, Ryou managed to stutter a bit, surprised of how soft and meek his own voice sounded. "Sixteen."
"See, you dolt, he can't be a bastard of mine.", the white-haired man said.
"Why not? I heard of 'active' three-year-olds. . . "
"Sick bastard!"
"Oh, now it's me? Come on Bakura, you know you can't hit me."
"Like hell I can't!!"
"Uhm. . . "
"What?!", both roared, turning to Ryou, who flinched and started whimpering softly. Something in Bakura's intense gaze softened for a brief second, before his eyes hardened to ice again and he turned away.
"Watch the boy, I'll get the other one."
With hat, he walked away, and Marik turned to Ryou, brushing away a stray tear on the boy's soft cheek roughly.
"C'mon, stop crying. He's always like that, don't bother. He's alright once you get to know him."
"What did you do to Malik?", Ryou whispered, looking up to meet the older man's gaze.
"I knocked him out I'm afraid. He bit me."
The boy smiled, that sure sounded like his best friend; and soon enough, there where shouts and aggravated yells coming from the back, before Bakura dragged the young sandy-haired Egyptian into the light of the fire.
"Malik!"
"Ryou! I swear, if you hurt just one hair on his head I'll-"
"Shut it.", Bakura said coldly, backhanding the stunned teen, who crumbled to the ground, holding his cheek. Ryou broke free of Marik's now softened grip and dropped to his knees next to his friend to wrap his arms around the unmoving body and glared at Bakura – at least he tried to. The man smirked.
"What do you think, Marik, how much will people pay. . . ?", he purred without taking his gaze of Ryou.
"You want to sell them?"
"Hell no!", Bakura hissed, angered now, and threw a inflamed gaze towards Marik. "You know what the legend says!"
Marik simply shrugged. "So you're going to use them as whores?"
"Of course.", the white-haired one answered, satisfied and purring again. Ryou shivered; Bakura reminded him much of a cat. Then it hit him, and it hit Malik as well as it seemed.
"NANI?!"
"Shut up, kid!"
"I am NOT going to be a whore just for your benefit!", Malik roared, jumping to his feet, dragging Ryou along with him and tucking the small albino behind his back protectively. Bakura shrugged, careless now.
"The other one's prettier than you anyways."
Ryou shuddered as he locked gazes with Bakura. Those eyes chilled him to the very core of his being, yet they inflamed something deep within him that he couldn't name. Malik's shoulders tautened and he grabbed Ryou's trembling hand.
"Neither will you use him!"
Marik sighed. "This is going to be a long night. . . "
{[Breathe]}
"Where are supposed to search again?", Mai asked, flipping her blonde locks back. Her older sister sighed, shaking her head.
"We have to find the quill first."
"And the staff. . .", the brunette piped up.
"Yes, and the dagger.", Mai grumbled. "I know."
"If we find those items before they do, we can fight them alright.", Isis explained, once again, to her younger sister who hadn't been listening of course, but flirting with one of the guards while the Prince had talked. The black haired woman knew that Teana hadn't been listening too, because she had been busy staring at Atem. She smiled softly at the youngest; it was so obvious she wouldn't admit her crush, but had one alright.
"Teana. . ?"
"Yes, Mai."
"You look spaced out. . ", the blonde purred menacingly, advancing the youngest. "Did you think about Prince Atem?"
"NO!"
"Leave her alone, Mai. . . you know she's too stubborn to admit it", Isis smiled.
The brunette huffed, glaring at her older sisters. Now Isis would pick on her too? Life wasn't fair!
"That's enough. I'm going for a walk.", she said grumbling, flinging herself on the back of her huge horse elegantly.
"You know, that's not really walking.", Mai snickered.
"SHUT UP!"
"Derrya bless you!", the blonde shouted after her, knowing perfectly well she would make the girl blush.
"There she goes again.", Isis sighed. "You shouldn't tease her all the time. You know her temper."
"Oh come on!", Mai exclaimed. "The girl absolutely needs a good flirt once in a while!"
"Now Nirrya bless me. . "
"You sigh too much."
"I know."
[{Breathe}]
(Next chapter:
Teana growled quietly while dashing through the forest they were currently staying in. At a lake, she stopped the horse and jumped on the floor, landing soundlessly. Flipping her bangs back, she stared at the glittering water, sighing, when she heard something behind her, bushes rustling. . . The girl spun around, sword pointed at the moving leaves, when a familiar person stepped out of them.
". . Prince. . . Atem. . ?")
Se ya next time!
Looking around carefully, Ryou couldn't spot Malik anywhere – and he began to panic, though he knew that was dangerous; there were strangers in the same cave still. What if they were homicides? What if they kidnapped him and Malik? Oh, terrible thoughts. . .
Ryou tried not to move, but soon the voices subsided to a few careful whispers, and, though he was afraid like there was no tomorrow to come, the boy started to listen.
". . . like little Prince Yuugi for example."
The albino gulped softly – Prince? He didn't like the voice much, either. It was rough and dark and silky at the same time. It sent shivers down his spine.
"He's fallen ill again, isn't he?", the other voice said. Dangerous and dark as well. . . purring somewhat, like words wrapped in velvet. . . Ryou shook his head harshly to get rid of the thoughts, and stopped dead, eyes wide, as the voices subsided completely and he felt eyes on his back. The boy wondered briefly why the second voice had sounded somewhat worried about the illness of that Prince. . then a rough hand spun him around, and deadly calm lavender eyes bored into his own, green ones. Ryou gasped.
"Malik?!"
The person above him blinked, slowly, averted his eyes from him and fixed them again, then the handsome face smirked.
"Not quite, little one."
That! That was the first voice! Ryou paled. A man who looked remarkably like Malik. . . but no, this one's hair was wilder, sticking out in all possible directions, defying the gravity, and the lavender eyes were dulled to a smouldering violet, glinting like odd-coloured coals just about to die out. Also, the man's shoulders were broader, he was more tanned, and muscles played visibly beneath the white linen shirt. Not that Malik wasn't muscled or anything but-
"'Kura, you gotta look at that. Pretty thing, really.", the man said, hauling Ryou up, and the boy stood with shaking legs, slightly uncomfortable supported by the man's hand on his shoulder. What he saw, anyway, surprised him more than anything else; more than the fact he hadn't been on school this morning on purpose, that Isis had let them stay at home, that Malik's house had a forgotten part, and that they had gone through a mirror. No, those were peanuts against this one. Against the soft glow of a fire that burned dimly in the back of the cave, a figure stepped towards them so Ryou wasn't able to make out his face until he was near them.
The hair must've been a light colour, for the dancing flames painted it orange and red, it had to be a man –a rather tall one, though not as tall as the one holding Ryou- and Ryou gasped again, jumping slightly, as he could make out the man's face.
'Kura, as the other one had called him, looked like his twin brother. Not exactly like him; older and more dangerous, void of all gentle features, with electric, light blue eyes under wild, silvery-white hair, much like his own, maybe a shade darker. . .
"Got any bastards, 'Kura?"
"Shut the hell up, Marik.", 'Kura' snapped at the other man, then bent down slightly to look Ryou in the eyes. "How old are you, kid?"
Blinking, Ryou managed to stutter a bit, surprised of how soft and meek his own voice sounded. "Sixteen."
"See, you dolt, he can't be a bastard of mine.", the white-haired man said.
"Why not? I heard of 'active' three-year-olds. . . "
"Sick bastard!"
"Oh, now it's me? Come on Bakura, you know you can't hit me."
"Like hell I can't!!"
"Uhm. . . "
"What?!", both roared, turning to Ryou, who flinched and started whimpering softly. Something in Bakura's intense gaze softened for a brief second, before his eyes hardened to ice again and he turned away.
"Watch the boy, I'll get the other one."
With hat, he walked away, and Marik turned to Ryou, brushing away a stray tear on the boy's soft cheek roughly.
"C'mon, stop crying. He's always like that, don't bother. He's alright once you get to know him."
"What did you do to Malik?", Ryou whispered, looking up to meet the older man's gaze.
"I knocked him out I'm afraid. He bit me."
The boy smiled, that sure sounded like his best friend; and soon enough, there where shouts and aggravated yells coming from the back, before Bakura dragged the young sandy-haired Egyptian into the light of the fire.
"Malik!"
"Ryou! I swear, if you hurt just one hair on his head I'll-"
"Shut it.", Bakura said coldly, backhanding the stunned teen, who crumbled to the ground, holding his cheek. Ryou broke free of Marik's now softened grip and dropped to his knees next to his friend to wrap his arms around the unmoving body and glared at Bakura – at least he tried to. The man smirked.
"What do you think, Marik, how much will people pay. . . ?", he purred without taking his gaze of Ryou.
"You want to sell them?"
"Hell no!", Bakura hissed, angered now, and threw a inflamed gaze towards Marik. "You know what the legend says!"
Marik simply shrugged. "So you're going to use them as whores?"
"Of course.", the white-haired one answered, satisfied and purring again. Ryou shivered; Bakura reminded him much of a cat. Then it hit him, and it hit Malik as well as it seemed.
"NANI?!"
"Shut up, kid!"
"I am NOT going to be a whore just for your benefit!", Malik roared, jumping to his feet, dragging Ryou along with him and tucking the small albino behind his back protectively. Bakura shrugged, careless now.
"The other one's prettier than you anyways."
Ryou shuddered as he locked gazes with Bakura. Those eyes chilled him to the very core of his being, yet they inflamed something deep within him that he couldn't name. Malik's shoulders tautened and he grabbed Ryou's trembling hand.
"Neither will you use him!"
Marik sighed. "This is going to be a long night. . . "
{[Breathe]}
"Where are supposed to search again?", Mai asked, flipping her blonde locks back. Her older sister sighed, shaking her head.
"We have to find the quill first."
"And the staff. . .", the brunette piped up.
"Yes, and the dagger.", Mai grumbled. "I know."
"If we find those items before they do, we can fight them alright.", Isis explained, once again, to her younger sister who hadn't been listening of course, but flirting with one of the guards while the Prince had talked. The black haired woman knew that Teana hadn't been listening too, because she had been busy staring at Atem. She smiled softly at the youngest; it was so obvious she wouldn't admit her crush, but had one alright.
"Teana. . ?"
"Yes, Mai."
"You look spaced out. . ", the blonde purred menacingly, advancing the youngest. "Did you think about Prince Atem?"
"NO!"
"Leave her alone, Mai. . . you know she's too stubborn to admit it", Isis smiled.
The brunette huffed, glaring at her older sisters. Now Isis would pick on her too? Life wasn't fair!
"That's enough. I'm going for a walk.", she said grumbling, flinging herself on the back of her huge horse elegantly.
"You know, that's not really walking.", Mai snickered.
"SHUT UP!"
"Derrya bless you!", the blonde shouted after her, knowing perfectly well she would make the girl blush.
"There she goes again.", Isis sighed. "You shouldn't tease her all the time. You know her temper."
"Oh come on!", Mai exclaimed. "The girl absolutely needs a good flirt once in a while!"
"Now Nirrya bless me. . "
"You sigh too much."
"I know."
[{Breathe}]
(Next chapter:
Teana growled quietly while dashing through the forest they were currently staying in. At a lake, she stopped the horse and jumped on the floor, landing soundlessly. Flipping her bangs back, she stared at the glittering water, sighing, when she heard something behind her, bushes rustling. . . The girl spun around, sword pointed at the moving leaves, when a familiar person stepped out of them.
". . Prince. . . Atem. . ?")
Se ya next time!