Hello everyone and here is the second part of my story. This update is quite late because my beta reader was being slow, my laptop didn't save any of the changes I made so I had to redo them and every time the document was uploaded, it would get rid of the bold/underlining/italics/some of the symbols. So it something looks like it's missing, it probably is.
Anyway, I didn't get many reviews so just one person to answer questions to!
Yugi and Mai- Yay, you're my first reviewers! And my only too! That's depressing, nobody likes my story…but Chensu never gives up! I'll keep on posting, even if no one likes it! I'll show them, I'll show them all! Anyway, enough of the madness. Thanks very much, it's nice to know that someone appreciates this story and in case you're wondering, things only get worse for Ryou! Hehe, I like making their lives miserable.
Never mind eh? Maybe I'll get some fans in this part…hopefully.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the name Fettuccini (Care Bears). The only things that are mine are the story and the OC Dr Garrod.
Warning: As a reminder from the first chapter, this is a yaoi story (male x male) so if you don't like it then please don't read and then complain. Also, a bit of dialect today, so have our finger on that mouse, ready to scroll up and down the page in a vain attempt to find the word. No sex or swearing though.
Note: "Blah" is speaking, blah is thinking/blah/ is emphasisxxxxxx is a change of scene andxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx is a change of viewpoint/passing of time.
Part two: A Tale of Two (very different) Cities
Ryou, Yugi and Tristan were worried. The master was very excited today, he seemed almost happy in fact. They were now settled into the routine of living in London, travelling early each day from the main circus into the city where the master would attract customers for the evening and allow them to be viewed, for a price of course. They arrived at the site and after entering the tent, the master turned to them.
"Now, some very important people are coming today so I want you to be on your best behaviour. Any trouble and you'll wish you hadn't been born!" Ryou stood still, knowing if he moved he would crash into something. The master had kindly decided to make his eyes even more sensitive than usual by putting a blindfold on him and only letting him see in the dark. He couldn't even look at a patch of sunlight on the ground, they were so bad. He felt an arm interlink with his and Tristan led him to the darkness of the tent.
"Tristan, did he say 'important people'?" Ryou whispered, automatically able to tell it was him from the presence he felt.
"Yes, I think one of them helped to get Marik, I'm not sure." He replied but suddenly quietened down when the master walked towards them.
"Now I know what you're like Ryou, you'll try and cause some sort of trouble so today I'm going to give you an incentive to be a good boy." Just because Ryou didn't feel like acting like he was some sort of animal, that he talked and sounded normal to the people who came to see him. He felt his arm being grabbed, forcing him onto the ground and he was about to protest when he felt something metallic go around his neck. Immediately he reached for it and felt a collar with a chain coming off the back of it. The master had tied him up, just like he did with Marik!
"What are you doing, get this thing off me!" He yelled, thrashing about madly.
"Unless you want me to shorten the chain you'll stop doing that." The master growled and instantly Ryou stopped, wanting at least to be able to move. "That's better. Now keep the blindfold on until they come in."
"Yes master." Ryou said, feeling totally humiliated and just wanting the day to be over.
"Joey, is Marik tied up? I don't want to risk him getting loose again." Ah yes, it had happened a few days ago, the chain keeping Marik under control had broken and he had lunged for the people standing in front of the pen. Luckily Joey had stopped him and the spectators thought it was all just part of the act. "Good. Now I'll be waiting outside and I don't want any of you causing trouble, got it?" After he received the answer he wanted, he lifted the tent flap up and they were left in silence.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Lord Kaiba, the carriage is ready sir." The five men were just finishing breakfast when the head butler came in and announced this to the room.
"Thank you Edwards, we will be there presently." Kaiba replied and the butler bowed before leaving the room. "Well then gentlemen, I suggest we get moving if we are going to see Fettuccini as well as get ready for the engagement tonight."
"Are you sure we /have/ to see old uppity arse?" Duke asked, receiving a frown from Kaiba. "Come on, we all know we despise him so what's the point?"
"The point is, if we do not go there will be suspicions and that is the last thing we need. All we have to do is pretend to be polite and let everyone fuss over you for a while and then hopefully we can leave."
"Sounds good to me." Yami said and Kaiba smiled slightly. He could always count on him for support; they had grown very close since meeting just over a year ago.
"Then we are agreed." Kaiba said and he got three reluctant assents. "Good, then we will be going." He lifted a hand and indicated the table, causing three maids to start clearing it away.
They left the room and after taking a second to make themselves look presentable, they went through the door held open for them and stood for a moment, admiring the carriage Kaiba had ordered for the day.
"What are you trying to do, stun him into submission?" Kaiba smirked at Malik.
"Of course, he is of a lower class to us. This is just to make it plainly obvious." It may have been spiteful but somehow the others still found it funny as they sat in the carriage. Luckily the journey would only take about twenty minutes so they settled down to listen to Bakura's story about how he and Fettuccini had met.
xxxxxx
"Ah, good morning my Lords and Dukes." Ryou winced slightly as he heard those words, it was worse than he thought. They were so upper class that they were all Dukes and Lords. No sirs amongst them. Which meant they were the proper variety, those who had had their titles passed down to them through the ages.
For some reason he was desperate to see who they were but knew that thanks to his eyes, that would be almost impossible. Plus it was rude to look someone in the face when they were of a much higher class to you. He took the blindfold off and tried to open his eyes before squeezing them shut again. The pain was so bad…
"Your collection is small I see…" Ryou heard a cold voice comment.
"I have recently managed to acquire several more exhibitions but they will not be arriving for another day or two unfortunately, my Lord." Fettuccini replied as they walked towards the first pen, which contained a small figure kneeling at the front, head cast downwards. "This is Yugi, my midget." Yami nearly gasped when he saw that the person looked almost exactly like him but managed to control himself just in time. He bent down to look at him closer, only to be met with wide glittering eyes.
"Good morning my Lord." He whispered, bowing his head so that Yami could no longer see those enchanting eyes.
"Please look at me." Yami said and Yugi's head shot back up, fear in his eyes. Was the man mad at him for looking away? "Do not be afraid, I am not going to do anything to you." Yugi remained silent though, knowing he was only to speak when he was spoken to. "Please say something…"
"I-I'm sorry my Lord…" He stuttered, looking like he was going to cry any second. "What do you want me to say?"
"Anything, it does not matter." Yugi thought for a moment, trying to think of something that would make him sound vaguely intelligent when he remembered reading something in a book at grandpa's house. Grandpa, the man who had looked after them all until they were forced out by society and the rest of his family. He wasn't their real grandfather but he always said to call him that. He had taught them to read and it was always one thing that stuck in his mind…
"Shall I compare thee to a Summers day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate:
Rough windes do shake the darling buds of Maie,
And Sommers lease hath all too short a date:" Yugi blushed, suddenly realising what he was saying but Yami didn't seem to mind, gazing at him in fascination.
"Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dim'd,
And every faire from faire some-time declines,
By chance, or natures changing course untrim'd:" He continued and Yugi smiled slightly, surprised that someone else knew it so well.
"But thy eternall Sommer shall not fade,
Nor loose possession of that fair thou ow'st
Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade,
When in eternall lines to time thou grow'st" Yugi's voice was barely above a whisper and he felt uncomfortable as Yami leaned slightly closer.
"So long as men can breath or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." Yami put his hand through the bar and attempted to touch Yugi but he pulled away, feeling afraid of what the Lord was trying to do. Yami frowned for a second; unsure why Yugi had just done that when he saw his arm in the pen. He stood up quickly, coughing slightly and although the others had moved away, the whole event had not gone unnoticed by them.
"I didn't know you knew any love poetry…" Duke murmured just loud enough for both Yami and Yugi to hear and Yugi turned away, mortified by what had just happened.
"That is none of your business Duke Orville." Yami replied coldly and Yugi was slightly cheered up by the name. Why did the upper classes insist on calling themselves stupid things?
Duke scowled at the use of his first name, especially as they knew how much he despised it and turned back to the much more interesting sight that was in front of him, leaving Yami confused and unable to look back at Yugi, despite the fact he felt drawn to him.
Apparently the boy was supposed to be able to get into the small box in front of him, despite the fact he was too tall to be able to fit in without folding himself double at least. But maybe that was the point, what he was going to do, his 'talent'. He soon proved Duke's theory right, seeming to dislocate his joints as he squeezed himself in and was soon 'snugly' in the box. Duke leaned over, wanting to see how he had managed to get himself in there and was met with a mish mash of various bits of limb and body and a head seeming to float on top of it all. It glanced up and stared at him for a second before looking back down again.
"Can you get yourself out of there again?" He asked and the boy seemed to nod his head, the mass in the box shifting as he worked on getting out. He was soon standing in front of him, stretching himself before bowing in respect. "Stop bowing for goodness sake, you don't have to for me." He stood up straight, frowning slightly and Duke noticed a flash of pain passed over his face for a moment before it disappeared again. "What is your name?"
"It's Tristan my Lord." Duke nearly snorted at the reference to him, he hated the pompous titles and the fact that it was insisted that everybody had to use them.
"It's Duke, Tristan."
"I'm sorry Duke…" He mumbled and Duke sighed, following the others to the next part of the tent.
"Now this, Duke of Warwickshire, is the wild child I recently found." Fettuccini announced and Bakura peered in, noticing two people.
"Which one?"
"The one with blonde hair is Joey, our hirsute and the other is Marik the wild child." He turned to the two boys near cowering at the back of the pen and cocked his finger at them. "Come closer you two." Joey stood up and walked forward slowly, pushing Marik along at the same time who seemed even more reluctant to go near them. They stood in front of them, Marik hiding behind Joey, gripping his clothes tightly in fright as they looked down. "Marik come here." Fettuccini ordered and Joey whispered something to him, which he obviously understood because he moved away, standing next to him instead.
"So where did you find him then?" Bakura asked as he leaned closer, only for Marik to snarl and try and lunge while Joey restrained him.
"No Marik!" Joey yelled, making Marik face him. "Man good." Marik glanced at Bakura doubtfully before going to his original position of hiding.
"I found him in Scotland with a pack of wolves after hearing locals talk about a boy who ran with them every night." Fettuccini quickly said, knowing that he had had a lucky escape. If Marik had bit Bakura, that would have been the end of it…
"Scotland?" Bakura pondered out loud before turning back to Marik. "Does he say much?"
"No, he does not speak much, he knows very little English still." Fettuccini explained. "We have got him walking on two legs and he has stopped attacking people most of the time but he is very shy and will only talk to Joey."
"You are Joey?" Kaiba said to the boy and he stood to attention slightly.
"Yes my Lord." He whispered, making sure he didn't look at him.
"That is Lord Kaiba to you mongrel." He spat and Joey shivered in fear, he hated being called animal names.
"Yes Lord Kaiba." Oh no, it was worse than he thought. He didn't know much about the upper class but even the poor knew about Lord Kaiba, a tyrant to his unfortunate servants and feared by most of the gentry. How did the other people put up with him?
"How well do you obey orders?" He asked and Joey wondered what was the best thing to say without seeming out of place.
"If the master wants me to do something I'll do it."
"I like that sort of attitude-"
"But you're not my master so unless he allows it, I wouldn't do anything you told me to." Joey interrupted and Kaiba's nostrils flared. He hated disobedience amongst the lower classes.
"Even though you know who I am?" He demanded.
"I have only one master and I obey only his orders. Knowing who you are makes no difference." This sparked Kaiba's anger and he grabbed Joey, lifting him up slightly.
"Are you disrespecting my authority?" He stared at Joey but was distracted by a growl and Marik was standing closer, no longer looking shy, just enraged.
"Let go." He said and Kaiba stared at him in amazement. "Let go now." He repeated and when he didn't do anything, Marik roared and launched himself at Kaiba, slamming against the bars and managing to break his restraint at the same time. He grabbed the Lord and tried to smash his head against the cage while Joey held him off.
This struggle continued on for several more moments until Marik's rage left him and he slumped down on the ground, breathing heavily while Joey talked to him, trying to calm him down. Kaiba glared at the two people and was about to say something when Marik looked up at him, matching his look of loathing before skulking off to the back of the pen where he wrapped a blanket around himself and rocked back and forth.
"Wyou…" He whispered, eyes wide at the ground. "I want Wyou…WYOU!" He started screaming his name over and over again, like a howl but only much worse because he sounded in pain. Fettuccini frowned, things were not going well for him and he had to get the situation under control.
"Ryou, get over here right now!" He yelled and for a moment, there was no response. Then it came, quiet but sulky.
"I can't, you've tied me up." Although Ryou sounded in a bad mood, inside he was dancing for joy because now the master had a predicament. Did he let Marik out, someone likely to attack people if given half the chance or did he take the collar off Ryou, the disobedient one?
"Fine! Joey, let Marik out the back way and make sure he doesn't do anything else." Ryou sat there stunned for a moment. He was going to let Marik out when he knew full well he just wanted to attack Kaiba again and would do anything so he could? Although Ryou hadn't seen any of it, he could tell full well what was going on from the sounds and words. It was just a shame that it happened to be Lord Kaiba…
"Wyou?" So Marik didn't want to attack him again? He felt something sit down in front of him and guessing it was Marik, Ryou held his arms out and Marik settled himself in between them, relaxing as he felt Ryou's arms go around him. "Wyou, eyes…" He paused and fidgeted slightly. Ryou guessed he was trying to say something and wasn't sure how to. "See!" He suddenly said, touching his eyelids gently.
"I can't, the light hurts too much." Ryou explained, not sure if Marik would understand him.
"But Wyou, see…please." Marik obviously couldn't comprehend what Ryou had said. How did Joey talk to him? After thinking for a moment, it occurred to Ryou that Marik never used full sentences, only a couple of words. Maybe Marik couldn't understand if you said too many things at once.
"Eyes hurt, Marik." He said and this time Marik seemed to realise what he meant. He pulled himself out of Ryou's grip and taking the blanket from around him, draped it over the two of them.
"No light!" He said happily and Ryou opened his eyes a crack to see what had happened. He was surprised when he saw a grinning Marik kneeling in front of him and a black blanket covering the both of them, blocking out nearly all of the light.
"Thank you Marik." Ryou said and Marik moved so he was sitting next to Ryou, leaning his head on his shoulder.
"Want home…" He murmured, closing his eyes.
"Want home too." Ryou replied and they sat in silence, Ryou listening to see what was being said.
Kaiba had finally given up on getting Joey to obey his orders and he turned away in disgust, wondering what had happened for things to get to this state. None of them had noticed where Marik had disappeared to apart from Malik, wanting to make sure he didn't come after one of them. He noticed the dark blob in the corner and turned to Fettuccini to find out what it was.
"And what is in the corner?" He enquired and Fettuccini's nose wrinkled slightly, now was the hard part: Ryou. He liked to cause trouble, refuse to do what he was supposed to and he had to make sure that didn't happen.
"In the corner is Ryou." Fettuccini walked over but the others remained where they were, not too sure after what had happened with Marik. "Don't worry, he is not dangerous." He stood near Ryou and turned to him. "Are you going to behave today or do you want to be punished even more?" He hissed and Ryou sighed, standing up.
"Wyou!" Marik said, suddenly panicked by the lack of support.
"Stay Marik, me back soon." Hoping Marik would do as he said, he walked towards the master, blanket around his body.
"And take that thing off! How are they supposed to see you like that?" He snapped and Ryou hesitantly took it off, closing his eyes as the same time. He felt Marik beside him and he took the cloth, staying nearby in case Ryou was hurt.
"Wyou, big man bad." He whispered before sitting down again, glaring at the people standing nearby.
Ryou walked towards what he assumed was the group of people but quickly realised that he needed to open his eyes in order to have any hope of not crashing into something, especially as no one was helping him. He squinted and realised he was quite close to them before hissing at the pain and throwing his arms across his face.
"A vampire!" Yami yelled, taking a step backwards. They had all seen the white skin and hair but only Yami had glimpsed the red eyes, the reason why he'd yelled out in the first place. Ryou frowned when he heard this, that was a new word for him. Nevertheless he put his hands on his hips and huffed in annoyance.
"Of course I'm not a vampire!" He snapped but winced when he felt a hand smack the back of his head.
"Now is /not/ the time to be a rebel Ryou!" He heard Fettuccini growl close to his ear and he stepped forward to talk to the nobles properly. "Ryou is an albino and sensitive to sunlight so he stays here in the corner."
"Have you never seen the sun?" Malik suddenly asked him, stepping closer and Fettuccini was somehow forced backwards, like Malik's presence had caused it.
"No, I'm sensitive to concentrated areas of light like the sun and candles." He explained, not sure why he was trying to be courteous.
"Well that is a shame, to have never seen the beauty of a sunrise…"
"People like me aren't allowed time to see beautiful things my Lord, we are not deserving of them." Ryou said with great humility and when Malik didn't reply, he turned away so that he could open his eyes. It was hard to talk with one of your senses missing.
"Everyone should be allowed to see beautiful things." He suddenly said, moving so he was standing in front of Ryou once more. For some reason, Ryou didn't want him to see his eyes and he shut them again. "Please open your eyes, there's no need to keep them closed."
"Of course my Lord, I am in the wrong." He opened them but stared at his feet, the perfect image of a stunned and humble pauper.
"You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry." Suddenly Ryou felt something lift his head up and before he could close his eyes, he was looking into the face of Malik. Malik stared at the red eyes, surprised that they didn't make him look evil, just angry at everything and everyone. There was such a depth of fear in them…
But suddenly Ryou pulled away in fright, not understanding why the Lord had just done something that was considered one of the greatest taboos. There were boundaries in society, the upper class did not mingle with the lower classes unless it couldn't be avoided but those who looked different were seen to be 'untouchables'. But he had just touched him and not to tell him off either, he just wanted to see his face, which was strange enough anyway.
"What is this?" He felt the metal around his neck rubbing slightly as Malik touched it and suddenly remembered it. Why wasn't it holding him back? Ryou glanced around and noticed that Marik was standing next to the peg the chain was attached to, or at least the hole in the ground where it used to be. Marik smiled at him and Ryou noticed the first human like emotion: slyness, that he had just done something he wasn't supposed to.
"It is to remind me that I must obey orders."
"You seem to obey them anyway…" Malik murmured and Ryou was just about to stutter something in response when the one with the hair so similar to Yugi's glanced at his pocket watch and gasped, a most uncharacteristic noise for an aristocrat, who were supposed to be stoical.
"We should depart soon, the Duke of Westminster requires our presence at the gathering tonight." He commented and Ryou swore that Malik sighed and rolled his eyes slightly.
"Yes, we must depart but we will return tomorrow to enquire about a business transaction." The 'bad one', as Marik had called him, added and turned to walk away.
"Of course my Lords and Dukes, I cannot keep you all day." Fettuccini said, seeming to jump into action once more as he led them outside.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Ryou…" Malik said, bowing his head before following his friends out of the tent, leaving a madly blushing Ryou to wonder why he had said those words.
"I think Ryou's got a new friend…" Yugi commented in a mock-serious tone once they had all gone.
"He's not a friend, he just likes exerting his power over those below him." Ryou said, sniffing loudly and Yugi giggled. "Anyway, I'm not the only one. And /you/ started reciting poetry…"
"I only did it because he wanted me to say something!" Yugi said, sounding slightly hysterical. "I didn't want to sound like an idiot!"
"Ah don't worry Yugi, it was quite sweet actually." This just made Yugi blush and Ryou shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just worried about the fact they said they were coming back tomorrow."
"Not just coming back though, they want to 'enquire about a business transaction'. They just want us to be their personal slaves, something pretty to have by their side to impress the other knobs." Tristan pointed out and Joey shivered slightly.
"I don't want to go near Lord Kaiba again…" He said, a whimper escaping his mouth and Marik ran over, pulling him into a hug.
"It be fine…" He whispered and Joey smiled, hugging him back.
"Yes, we'll all be together." Tristan added and Ryou was just about to say something when the master came back in, forcing them to be silent.
xxxxxx
"You behaved most improperly today Malik, tomorrow you must restrain yourself. And you too Yami, it is most unbecoming." Kaiba said when they were sitting in the carriage once more.
"Yes Lord Kaiba." Malik said in a childish voice, only to receive a glare from Kaiba.
"You may treat it like a joke but it is vitally important to behave respectfully tomorrow."
"Now that you mention that, what did you mean by a business transaction? Surely you don't mean to buy them all?" Bakura interrupted, looking almost alarmed.
"No, merely that animal Joey."
"Oh dear, another case of Kaiba exerting his power over something that doesn't deserve to be put through your torture." Duke muttered and also faced Kaiba's glare. "You know you'll keep him for a couple of months at the most and then dump him when you get bored."
"Oh this one will not bore me, it is far too fascinating…" Kaiba's eyes held a glint that his friends knew meant they wouldn't be able to dissuade him from carrying out his plan. They sighed as one, knowing it would occupy him for the rest of the evening. Which was bad when it came to old uppity arse, he was suspicious about everything…
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They had managed to survive the night before, although they weren't exactly sure how. Toleration and the Duke of Westminster weren't two things that went well together, especially if your name was Lord Kaiba. He had made a lot of enquiries into their lives as usual, being seen as the aristocrat invigilator, making sure no one did anything that could be seen as vaguely scandalous, especially the young ones. Kaiba was annoyed because he hated people prying into his private life while Bakura and Malik slightly feared him because they had always been on the borders of decency. Duke couldn't see what the point of it all was while Yami just accepted it as one of those unavoidable things in life. They had tried to leave early of course but had been stopped with yet more questions about what they were going to do in London. When they couldn't give a coherent answer, the Duke had suggested things for them to do and they thanked him for his 'oh so inspiring words' and advice they had been given before finally escaping.
Now the next day had arrived and Kaiba was a lot more excited than he had been in a long time. He was going to invest in something that although had at first disgusted him, was now going to be his next project. The thought of something that would obey his every whim fascinated him and he was going to test it out to the full.
The others had done a lot of talking around him but when pressed on the matter they refused to talk, saying it was just his imagination or was Kaiba getting paranoid? He hated being called that so he stopped asking what was going on, assuming they were laughing at his increasing exasperation at old uppity arse the night before.
They arrived at the tent and were greeted by a rather eager Fettuccini. He had spent the night contemplating the amount of money he could get out of the rich men, knowing it was the opportunity of a lifetime. For if there was one thing Fettuccini loved, it was money and lots of it.
"Good morning my Lords and Dukes!" He said cheerfully and Kaiba rolled his eyes, causing the others to smirk. It was another case of a poor person desperate for money…
"Are they in here?" Kaiba merely asked, trying to ignore the bouncing man who was starting to irritate him greatly.
"Yes Lord Kaiba." He replied, leading them into the tent where the aristocrats were hit by a wall of sombreness caused by the five teenagers, afraid and upset at what was going to happen. They had all promised each other last night that they were all going to stick together and that meant being disobedient. But now they were less sure, especially Joey, who was the biggest concern because of Lord Kaiba and his interest in him.
"Now I hope you remember my words from yesterday, Fettuccini…" Kaiba started as he walked towards Joey. "I expect we can reach some sort of agreement."
"I would certainly like to think so too Lord Kaiba. Now which one were you looking at?" As they both stood in front of Joey and Marik's pen, the others watched them carefully, hoping Joey could remember what he was supposed to do.
"This one…" Kaiba's voice was low and the words reverberated through Joey's skull, making him realise it was now or never.
"Joey, come here now!" Fettuccini barked and Joey smiled, looking Kaiba straight in the eye as he stepped forward, almost looking furtive.
"Yes slang cove (1)?" He said, loud enough for the others to hear and they couldn't help but grin, realising he was speaking in cant, a dialect that only the criminals and various other street people used. Fettuccini himself only knew a couple of words but luckily he understood Joey's last words.
"That's master to you!" This however went unnoticed by Joey as he suddenly clambered over the pen and started walking around Kaiba.
"A jemmy eh? What d'ya say?" He seemed to ask the others and they all stared at Kaiba too, considering him.
"A glock more like!" Tristan argued, shaking his head at Joey's words in false astonishment at his bad judgment.
"No, lushington!" Ryou interrupted, trying to stop himself from laughing at the bewildered look on Kaiba's face. "Yugi?"
"Wait, Marik says kenneteeno!" It was turning into an auction; everyone putting in their part and soon it was left for Yugi to make the final judgment.
"Bacca-pipes, proper kecks, head lodged firmly up his nancy, puckering, square rigged, trasseno…" He paused and the others burst into laughter, not helped by the fact they were the only ones who knew what they were talking about. "Jemmy alright!"
"Yes!" Joey yelled, having won the auction. Suddenly Kaiba grabbed him and brought him close to his face, ready to deal out his punishment.
"I demand you tell me what you just said!"
"No granny? Voker romeny?" He merely asked, causing Kaiba to scowl. "Voker romeny?" He said again slowly, as though the Lord was an idiot. "Yep Tristan, we got us a glock!"
Kaiba continued to stare at Joey for a moment, trying to work out what he was saying when he realised that wasn't important. Joey was merely trying to annoy him enough so he would forget about him but now he had worked out Joey's plan, he was even more determined to do whatever was necessary to get him, to make him his own.
"How much?" He said, throwing Joey down and turning back to Fettuccini. Joey looked around at the others, panic on his face, totally unsure of what to do next. They matched his expression, wondering if there was anything they could do to change things.
"Five hundred pounds (2)." Fettuccini said boldly, knowing now was the make or break situation.
"Fine, five hundred." Kaiba said, the money meaning nothing to him. The Lords all stared at each other, wondering if Kaiba was still sane or not. No one was worth that much!
"You sure were /bone/ (1) boy." Fettuccini said, smirking at his words at the look on Joey's face before pushing him over. "Should I send for the bill?"
"My accountant will be over tomorrow to sort out the details." Kaiba said offhand and was about to grab Joey when he heard someone yell out.
"Leave him alone!" Marik stalked forward, his eyes almost glowing in the loathing he felt for the person who was going to take his friend away.
"Marik, if you don't stop right now you're going to the spike!" Fettuccini bellowed but Marik ignored him, instead taking something from his pocket. A knife specifically. Marik brandished it with obvious skill and Kaiba felt his heart flutter, just slightly but Joey was the one who acted, taking Marik's hand in his and prising the blade away from his fingers.
"No Marik, me go." He whispered, wiping Marik's tears away when he started to cry. "Be good please?" Marik threw himself at Joey, trying to stop him from going but Joey shook the arms off him, staring at him mournfully.
"Don't go…"
"I have to, don't do this Marik…" He walked away, leaving Marik sobbing while Ryou tried to support him, providing a small amount of comfort.
"Come on dog, we have not got all day." Kaiba growled, annoyed with the whole pathetic scene as he finally got hold of Joey and started dragging him out.
"Wait Kaiba, you can't do this to them." Duke hissed at him and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I can do whatever I want."
"Oh you're beyond belief sometimes! You are the most-" Kaiba sighed and turned away, starting to walk out of the tent. "Excuse me, don't walk away until I'm finished!" They both left the tent, still arguing and Joey followed, not sure of what else to do.
Meanwhile Bakura, Yami and Malik were slightly puzzled, wondering if Duke was doing this on purpose so that the plan would work. For while Kaiba was being harassed by the Duke of Westminster, they had decided to do the same as him: buy one of the teenagers each and…well they weren't exactly sure but they were drawn to them, they were so different. Bakura decided to go for it, stepping forward to Ryou and Marik.
"Do you want to be with Joey, Marik?" He didn't respond, whether because he didn't hear or didn't /want/ to at least, Bakura wasn't sure but he repeated the question anyway, this time to Ryou.
"What do you think, of course he does!" Bakura ignored the bite behind Ryou's words and continued on.
"Well if he comes with me then he can be with Joey as often as possible." Marik lifted his head up at this, he hadn't quite understood all of the words but he got the general meaning of the sentence.
"In fact we want you all to come with us." Yami added, holding his hand out as though an offering of peace.
"But why?" There was a pause after Ryou's question, as they tried to think of a way to phrase their answer.
"Think of it as an opportunity of a lifetime." Yami said quietly and Yugi nodded his head, seeming to not realise he was doing so.
"Then it is a deal." Fettuccini was at this moment beyond happiness, he was going to become filthy rich! He didn't care about the fact that he was going to lose them; he had more performers who weren't so rebellious anyway.
"I don't know…" Ryou murmured, this was all going too fast for him. I mean, what do they want to do with us apart from sell us on or use us for their own personal pleasure… It may have been illegal but there were rumours that the aristocracy were fond of young boys, of having a good time with them…
"I would like you to come with us…" Malik said quietly, making sure he caught Ryou's eye but he didn't respond, looking at the others to see their reaction. Yugi seemed quite happy while Tristan looked detached from the whole situation and even Marik appeared slightly hopeful, actually following his own feelings instead of the ones of others.
"So your accountants will be over tomorrow too then?" As far as Fettuccini was concerned, this was the most important thing; he was going to get his money.
"Yes, you will get your money /glock/ and I hope we never have the misfortune of doing business with you again." And with that Malik took Ryou's arm and led him out of the tent, the rest seeming to fall into line, Yugi and Tristan wondering how an aristocrat could know any cant and how things were suddenly different while Fettuccini looked on, unable to respond to the Lord's words.
Ryou didn't realise what was happening until he felt the sun burn onto every part of him and he cried out in pain, feeling his eyes water but suddenly he sensed something around him, warm and protecting from the agony he had been feeling moments ago. He realised it was a person and he was in their arms, his face buried in their starched shirt and their beating heart against his ear.
Starched shirt? Wait, I'm not… He glanced up quickly and saw the face of Malik looking down at him in concern, his face a dark blot on Ryou's blurred sight.
"I am sorry, I forgot about the light. I hope you're not too hurt…" Ryou was about to reply when another noise entered his brain: a voice, slightly high pitched and drawling at the same time.
"So you finally decided to come out! I was starting to run out of things to say here!" It was the man who had left with Lord Kaiba, the one who was concerned about Marik and Joey. He seemed different to the others, less accepting of his role and Ryou instantly liked him. He could relate better to him somehow.
"So you did that on purpose then?" Bakura asked, glad that his thoughts on the issue were right.
"Of course! God, you're slow on the uptake today!" Duke looked around and saw passers by were staring at him, obviously disturbed by the blasphemy. He sighed flamboyantly, running a hand through his hair. "Now that's sorted out, let's get back. It's been far too much drama for me for one day."
"Will someone tell me why /they/ are all standing here with /us?" Kaiba said in his usual gruff tones and Duke rolled his eyes, taking Tristan, who happened to be nearest to him, and plonking him in front of Kaiba's view.
"Well we thought that your idea was so good that we were going to do the same thing." He lowered his voice slightly. "Not the whole power trip thing of course though…"
"Is that what you were talking about last night?"
"Still feeling paranoid? Yes, that is what we were talking about last night." He tipped his head slightly, pulling his hat down and lifting his cane up. "Now I hope you have some spare bedrooms, we'll need them for tonight."
"Then you will have to take a hansom (3) back to my house while I and Bakura will take the carriage. I do not really want another wet scene today." And with that Kaiba stalked off, leaving Bakura to run after him with Marik.
"You had better go first my Lord, Ryou won't last much longer…" Yugi said quietly to Malik and he looked down in shock, trying to get Ryou to look at him.
"Ryou, please say something…"
"I feel dizzy…" He said eventually, groaning quietly before sitting down on the ground. "I just need some air…"
"Come on Ryou, can you walk?" Malik leant down and helped Ryou up, letting him lean against him as they walked across the street to where a hansom was waiting.
"Good afternoon my Lord, would you like to go somewhere?" The man sitting on top of the carriage enquired and Malik nodded his head.
"Yes, could you take me to May View House and be quick about it please?" The driver got down from his seat and held the door open for Malik, his face remaining neutral when he saw Ryou, not even batting an eyelid.
"Of course my Lord, I'll be there as soon as possible." Malik merely nodded his head, turning back to Ryou who had nearly fallen off the seat.
"We'll be back soon Ryou, just hold on please." He held the boy close to him as the carriage started to move, unsure of what to do once he got back to Kaiba's. Hopefully there was a doctor nearby who could help… Malik felt so guilty, he had forgotten and it was his carelessness that was going to be his undoing.
"Sarah, why are we moving so fast? Sarah, we're going to crash…" He heard Ryou mumble and he tried to ignore it, willing the driver to go faster…
xxxxxx
"Well here you are, you got what you wanted…" Bakura commented as they sat in Kaiba's brougham (4), their two purchases leaning against each other in the corner across from them, eyes closed and still.
"And I appear to not be the only one, Bakura. Why did you decide to…?" This was the first thing in a long time that puzzled him, he was usually sure of the reasons for everyone's actions but there didn't seem to be one now…
"I do not know. Interest, a wish to try and make their lives better, a fear of splitting them up…" Kaiba looked strangely at Bakura and he shrugged his shoulders. "It is obvious they have been together for a long time and that they are not treated very well." Bakura leant forward to show Kaiba the bruises he had found just glancing over Marik but Joey's eyes snapped open, warning him away silently. Obviously he was awake and had been listening to their words.
"And why should any of this matter to you? They are just objects to possess." Kaiba commented, causing Bakura to stare at him in amazement.
"Well that is what /you/ may think but the rest of us want to try and make their lives better. They are human beings…" Bakura saw the incredulous look on Kaiba's face and stopped talking, not seeing the point in continuing a pointless task.
"They are below us Bakura, that is the most important fact and they will be treated so."
xxxxxx
"Well I think he has just got a case of heat exhaustion, his skin does not help the situation." Dr. Roger Garrod, a celebrated doctor who was at the forefront of medical progress, murmured, staring down at the figure lying on the bed. "He should be put into a cold bath and I will check his temperature until it has lowered to a satisfactory level." Servants were commanded to do this and as they did so, Malik turned to him.
"Will he recover?" He was seriously worried; his condition had degenerated just during the coach journey, eventually fainting as he was brought into the house. They had immediately called the doctor, who lived nearby and he had spent the last ten minutes checking Ryou before making the decision above.
"Yes, from what you said he has not actually been in contact with the sun for a long time, he is just very sensitive. He simply needs a cold bath, a couple of days rest and he will be fine." Dr Garrod explained and the servant came in, telling them that the tub was ready. "Thank you. Right, I think he will have to be carried to the bath, he is still too out of it to walk himself." Immediately assuming the role as carrier, since the gentry were not supposed to do any work, he stepped forward but was beaten to the bed by Malik, who gently scooped Ryou into his arms and headed towards the bathroom, led by the servant.
Ryou stirred, feeling jolted after being still for a long time and saw he was being carried somewhere, although he couldn't make much else out, everything was spinning just slightly. He relaxed, feeling safe until he felt a hand at his chest. He panicked, not knowing what was going on.
"No…get off…" He mumbled, trying to push the hands away. He felt vulnerable, he wanted someone here he knew, to protect him. "Yugi…"
"Ryou, please relax. You're heating up and the doctor says you have to get into the bath to feel better." Malik said, kneeling down beside him on the floor. "The doctor just wants to take your clothes off so you they don't irritate your skin anymore."
"Yugi…" Malik quickly realised that he wasn't going to say anything else so the maid went to fetch him, having to nearly run to catch up to him as he rushed to his friend's side.
"Ryou, it's going to be all right, I'm here now." Yugi said gently, grabbing his hand and Ryou felt reassured, squeezing in response before allowing the doctor to take off his clothes and place him in the bath. He sank downwards, finally feeling release and Yugi let go, knowing Ryou would be fine now.
"There, that should do it." Dr Garrod said in relief as he dried his hands off. "What is he anyway?"
"He's an albino." Yugi replied and he nodded his head in understanding.
"Yes, I suspected so but I could not be sure because I did not look at his eyes. An albino eh…I know someone who is very interested in them…" He commented, mainly to himself and Yugi pulled a face.
"What, to experiment on?" Dr Garrod heard the tone of voice and smiled, laughing humouredly.
"No, not all scientists want to experiment on people. He tries to improve their lives, things like their eyesight and sensitive skin. Maybe Ryou would like to talk him sometime." He left this as an open invitation while he took Ryou's temperature, studying the thermometer carefully. "Yes, his temperature is lowering quickly now. Now when he wakes up he will need a lot of water and a small amount of salt needs to be mixed in." He instructed Malik and he nodded his head in understanding.
"What's the salt for?"
"To prevent muscle cramps. He does not look too dehydrated but he is obviously underweight so he will need to start eating regularly too. That is probably why he reacted so strongly after just a few minutes. Once he has put some weight on he will be able to tolerate the sun better." Ryou's temperature was once more measured and now satisfied, Dr Garrod lifted him out of the bath where the maid took over, drying him off before taking him back to the bed.
"I wish to thank you again, you don't know how much this means to me…" Malik said breathlessly but Dr Garrod brushed it aside.
"Think nothing of it, I am in this profession because I love to see people and their differences. It was a pleasure to meet Ryou, even if we did not get to talk." He replied, putting on his hat and coat again as they walked down the stairs. "If there are /any/ problems, please feel free to call for my assistance."
"Of course Dr Garrod and good day to you." He tipped his hat in respect before stepping out of the door and disappearing into the rapidly descending night.
"Is there anything you would like me to do my Lord?" The maid who had helped him asked.
"Yes, could you get me some water, salt and some plain food please?" She curtseyed in understanding and went to get the items.
Malik trudged back up the stairs and into the room Ryou was sleeping in once more. Pulling up a chair he sat down beside the bed, watching Ryou's now steady breathing until he opened his eyes and turned to look at Malik. After taking in the figure beside him, he gazed around the room, not quite sure what to make of it all. He remembered he was in the tent and they were bought… Was this person his new master and was this place his new home? What about the others?
"What…? Why…?" He murmured, closing his eyes once more. He felt comfortable, more than he had done for a long time in fact, he was drowning in warmth…
"You collapsed, remember? I took you here to Lord Kaiba's house and a doctor saw you. He said you were going to be fine after a few days. We'll go back to my house then…" Malik explained, not sure if Ryou was listening.
"Oh…" There was a knock on the door before the maid entered, holding a tray which she placed on the table beside the bed and then left the room.
"Here Ryou, have something to eat and drink." Malik said, picking up the jug and filling the glass with water before spooning in some salt, tasting it to make sure it wasn't too strong. Once satisfied he held the glass out to Ryou who took it gladly and drank most of it straight away, smiling at Malik for the first time as he gave the glass back.
"Thank you." His face suddenly dropped though when he saw the roll held in Malik's hand.
"The doctor says you have to start eating, it's the only way to stop you from reacting so badly to the sun." Ryou shook his head at Malik's request, burying his face in his arms.
"No, I don't want to eat, please don't make me…" He heard Ryou mumble and looking up, he saw the roll and growled in anger. "I DON'T WANT IT! GO AWAY!" He screamed, knocking the roll out of Malik's hand as he continued to yell. "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME EAT IT! I WON'T, WON'T!" It was clear this was causing Ryou a lot of distress and the last thing Malik wanted was for him to collapse again. So he backed away from the situation, sighing and standing up.
"It's all right Ryou, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to." He said, trying to soothe the boy and he quietened down slowly, although he didn't say anything. "Do you want to see your friends?" He nodded his head and Malik walked to the door, not surprised when he found them all sitting on the floor nearby.
"Can we see him please?" Yugi asked as Malik closed the door behind him.
"Yes, of course you can but try and make him eat something please? The doctor says he won't get better unless he does but he's refusing at the moment."
"Yes, we heard." Tristan muttered and Malik laughed nervously, realising they might see him in a bad light because of that.
"Ryou can be like that sometimes. He doesn't eat very often; he says it makes him feel sick. But we'll try our best." The others stood up and followed Yugi into the room while Malik left to find his fellow aristocrats and see what they were doing.
The four of them entered the room, allowing their eyes to get used to the gloom before making their way over to the bed where they found Ryou looking very put out. He smiled however when he saw them and they sat themselves around and on his bed.
"Hello everyone." He said quietly and they noticed for the first time how unwell he was. Although they had always known he wasn't exactly the healthiest person, they could only now see that he was on the verge of collapse, that it was a surprise he was still around, able to talk to them, to refuse what he desperately needed.
"How are you feeling?" Yugi asked, knowing that whatever the answer, it would be nowhere near the truth.
"Better now, I think it was more surprise than anything else…" Ryou smiled, trying to reassure Yugi but this only concerned him more.
"Ryou, you can't say that! You look like you're going to collapse at any minute. Please don't say you're fine because it doesn't look like you are…" Yugi was almost begging, crawling closer to Ryou, to try and get him to meet his gaze but he stared at his knees, although he was blushing slightly.
"Don't worry about me, I'll live. It doesn't matter, as long as everyone else is all right." Yugi sighed and picked up another roll from the tray on the table.
"If you eat this I won't ever ask you again. Agreed?" He held it out to Ryou and he stiffened once more, his face contorting as conflicting opinions passed through him. He hated eating in front of them but for the first time he realised that he probably should, or he might prove Yugi's words right.
Marik had been watching all of this, not really understanding what they were saying but he knew that Ryou wasn't looking very well and that the thing in Yugi's hand might help him, that it was food that Ryou would eat, although he didn't know what it was called. Maybe Ryou was nervous about eating it, like he and Joey were every morning. Maybe he should do the same thing, to make Ryou feel better… He held his hand out to Yugi and he gave him the roll hesitatingly, not really understanding what Marik was going to do. He stared at it for a second before leaning in towards Ryou, to get his attention.
"Wyou…me try?" He saw Ryou lift his head up and he laughed quietly, his eyes sparkling as he remembered all the times he had said the same thing to Marik and Joey in the past. He nodded his head and Marik ripped a bit of it off before sniffing it carefully. Well, he didn't know what it was but it looked all right… He put it in his mouth, surprised when he felt how soft it was. It was very different to what he usually had… "Nothing wrong!" His voice chimed out, causing the others to laugh and Ryou took the rest of the roll.
He gripped it tightly in his hands, his large thin fingers seeming to dig into it as he raised it to his mouth and bit into it. He felt his jaw clicking as it worked to try and break the food down and he eventually swallowed, after it had finally been chewed to a small enough size. He sat there for a moment, feeling it slide down but something was odd, it was going the wrong way…
"Ryou?" Yugi yelled out as Ryou leapt off the bed, rushing into the bathroom as he desperately tried to find the toilet. Yugi followed him and found him down on his knees, shaking as he retched loudly. He brushed Ryou's hair back, holding onto it as he closed his eyes, trying to get his breath back.
"I think…I ate it…too fast…" Ryou sat up properly but avoided Yugi's eyes, feeling ashamed about what had just happened. Was he that feeble that he couldn't even swallow a little bit of bread?
"Yes, you haven't really eaten anything for a long time." Yugi slid his arms around Ryou's waist and tried to pull him up. "Come on, let's go back and try again." Ryou considered his words, realising that Yugi wasn't telling him off, telling him he was weak. He nodded his head and stood up, leaving the bathroom with Yugi.
Having learnt not to go so fast, Ryou ate the rest of the roll slowly and they chatted idly while he finished it off. When it was gone Ryou joined in the conversation, enjoying his friends being with him, talking and getting along. Even Marik looked happy, allowing Tristan to sit next to him when before he would have just run away.
They heard a knock on the door before it opened and the one who looked like Yugi entered the room, his face unreadable as he glanced over them before stepping closer to be able to talk to them more easily.
"It is getting late so I thought I would show you where you are sleeping so you know where to go." He explained and the group looked at each other, wondering if they would have to sleep with the aristocrats when Tristan yawned loudly.
"Oh, sorry…" He laughed nervously and shrugged his shoulders. "More tired than I thought I was." He explained to the room in general.
"Yes, maybe we should go now." Yugi added, glancing over at Ryou, knowing that he needed the respite more than the rest of them.
They said goodbye to each other before being led out of the room by the Lord, Joey giving Ryou a last glance as he shut the door behind him. They were glad when they found out they were sleeping in separate rooms to the Lords, Tristan and Yugi in one and Joey and Marik in the other. Yami opened the door and when Joey and Marik didn't do anything, he pushed them slightly over the threshold before shutting it behind them, leaving them alone in the room.
They stared at the room in wonder, having never even thought that things like the ones in front of their eyes could exist. Marik whimpered, he didn't understand why there were so many objects, clinging to Joey and turning to him to try and find out what they all did. Joey smiled at his ignorance, leading him to the bed before sitting down on it and indicating for Marik to do the same. He did so, frowning when he felt the softness of it. He shifted once and then again, wondering how he was supposed to sleep in this thing which had no means of supporting him.
"Joey, no like." He said shortly and Joey nodded his head in understanding. They stood up and Joey pulled the blanket off the bed and the pillows before throwing them on the ground, resting his head against the pillow and pulling the blanket around him and Marik, who had followed his movements.
"Better?" Joey asked, smiling when he saw Marik's eyelids drooping as he cuddled close to him.
"Yes…" He murmured and Joey sighed, also closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep, comforted by the familiarity of Marik against him.
Right, here are the definitions of the words. Please tell me in your review (hint, hint) if it would be easier to have it in brackets after the words in the story instead.
(1) Slang cove - Showman
Jemmy - Smart, of superior class
Glock - Half wit
Lushington - Drunkard
Kenneteeno - Bad, stinking, putrid
Bacca-pipes - Whiskers curled in small, close ringlets
Kecks - Trousers
Nancy - Buttocks
Puckering - Speaking in a fashion incomprehensible to spectators
Square rigged - Soberly and respectably dressed
Trasseno - Bad, a bad person
Granny - Understand, recognise
Voker romeny- Can you speak cant?
Bone - Good, profitable
Spike - Workhouse
(2) Five hundred pounds - Worth around £100,000 or roughly 155,250 these days
(3) Hansom - A carriage for two that was hired (like a taxi I suppose)
(4) Brougham - Boxlike carriage, which held four people
Well there you go, the second part done. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think sometime and I'll see you in the next two weeks (this may be late due to the fact I am going on a few university visits during the half term so I won't have much time to write).
S. Chensu xxx.
