-Wild Aces-
"I think you're drunk, pup."
"Me –Hic- not –Hic- drunk…"
Seto couldn't help but chuckle at the blond as he pulled the other's arm across his shoulders to steady the swaggering deputy. "Trust me on this, pup. You're drunk."
Joey growled, but it came out more as a gurgle as he leaned against the brunet.
"C'mon, I'll take ya to the Tailor shop since Malik should be there," Seto smiled as the two made their way down the street toward the desired shop.
"You know you have pretty eyes…"
Seto chuckled at the slurred voice. It was really amusing, and even though he knew the blond was drunk, he liked the compliment.
"Ya also have a nice –Hic- ass…"
A light dusting of blush crossed across Seto's face as he looked down into glassy honey brown. Making sure that no one was around; he maneuvered Joey so that they were face to face. "You're a real flatter, pup," he said softly while bringing up a hand to brush blond bangs away from his pup's eyes.
Watching the blond blush lightly at the touch, Seto mentally chuckled before finally giving into what his mind had been telling him to do since the first time he seen the blond. Cupping the other's chin, he leaned down and captured Joey's lips with his own.
Even in a drunken state, Joey was coherent enough to feel the kiss and knowing the giver. Responding to the kiss, he brought up his arms to wrap around the brunet's neck. As the kiss ended, he opened his eyes to look into bright sapphire. "Hell of a kisser, you are."
"Likewise, pup," Seto smirked with a chuckle before getting back into position. "Now, let's get you to the Tailor's."
Meanwhile…
Malik groaned as he looked over the order in front of him. He hated orders like this, it was so hard for him to make dresses, and yet it seemed to be what everyone had ordered. Growling at his ill luck, he placed his pencil behind his ear and flopped down on a stool behind his desk.
"What's the matter with you?" Ryou asked, catching a look of defeat on his friend's face.
"12 dresses, each one requested to have loads of frills and corset build," Malik groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh good luck with those," Ryou chirped before chuckling at the glare he was receiving. "Sorry, so how do you make those dresses anyways?"
Malik sighed. "I usually have Miss Mai model for me."
"Oh, well I'm sure she'll help you with this," Ryou offered, taking a stool beside his friend to look over all the orders on the counter. "Oh my, you are going to be the busy one."
"No kidding," Malik huffed. "I feel like just going to the whorehouse, ask all the ladies for their dresses –since clearly they don't need them- and then just alter them to the desired request."
"Isn't that taking the easy way out?" Ryou asked, cocking his head to the side.
"And your point is?" Malik asked, arching an eyebrow. "I don't want to spend all my time on making dresses. I want to spend time with my Dynamite Outlaw."
"Dynamite Outlaw?"
"Yeah, Marik has this thing for dynamite, so I decided to call him that," Malik smiled.
"Ah, I see," Ryou smiled. "Bakura tends to be called Whitey, but by the way he acts I don't think he likes it very much."
"I thought I heard him being called Powder," Malik chuckled.
"Oh yeah, that's right. He hated that as well," Ryou chuckled.
"Just think if they wanted to call him Flour."
"Or Milky."
"HAHAHAH! Or maybe Salty."
"Sugar!" Ryou chuckled as he and Malik continued to laugh before looking at the front of the shop to see Seto bringing in a rather drunk Joey.
"Giving Bakura nicknames, are we?" Seto asked, helping Joey into a bench seat near the window.
"Yup, any thoughts?" Malik asked.
"I think you are doing fine on your own." Seto chuckled, taking a seat beside Joey to feel him leaning his head against his shoulder.
"I got it, Cotton!"
Chuckling, Ryou shook his head. "We better stop, or else we're going to get into trouble," he sighed before turning to look back at Seto and Joey. He had to smile at the sight. Even though Joey looked almost asleep, his hand was intertwined with Seto's. "So where's Mokuba?"
"With Yugi," Seto smiled, running his thumb across Joey's hand. "They went riding somewhere."
"Oh, well I hope they come back soon," Ryou smiled before looking at Malik. "I'll make a nice supper for all of us."
"Did someone just mention… food?"
Not able to contain themselves at Joey's wide-eyed look, the three of them laughed while ignoring the glare that Joey was giving them all. "What did I say?"
"Wow! This place is beautiful."
Hearing the awe from the youngster behind him, Yugi nodded with a smile. "Yup, and it's a shame that no one lives here anymore," he sighed. "The old homestead that was here burned down about two years ago."
"Oh, how did that happen?" Mokuba asked curiously while taking in the breath taking scenery.
Guiding his horse up the hill, Yugi pulled up on the reins to stop the horse before pointing out to where a cluster of fruit trees stood next to a condemned looking barn and what was left of a house. "Well I heard that one night a band of outlaws threw torches in through the windows, which caught everything else on fire until everything burned down."
"This place isn't haunted, is it?" Mokuba asked, tightening his hold around Yugi's waist.
Chuckling, Yugi shook his head. "Nah, Old Man James wasn't here when the fire broke out. I think he was in another town. The night the place caught fire though, it rained which saved the barn and everything else."
"Oh," Mokuba sighed in relief, easing his grip from the other.
"After that though, He just decided to leave and put this place up for grabs." Yugi sighed. "No one's ever really claimed this place though."
Mokuba smiled before sliding off the back of the horse and turning to watch Yugi dismount from the horse as well. "So what's the real reason you're out here?"
Yugi smiled lightly at the raven-haired kid. "No reason," he mumbled, trying to fight of a blush at true reason. "Maybe someday this place will be my home."
"With Yami?"
He couldn't help but blush at the question. Nodding slightly, he forced a smile. "Yami wanted me to live with him, and since I can't leave my grandpa, this place has the best possibility of being our new stead."
Mokuba chuckled at the flustered look on the other's face. Even though he was young, he had noticed those looks that went on between Yugi and Yami. He vaguely remembered them as the looks his father would give his mother. "I bet you two will be happy together, Yami really cares about you."
"Thanks, Mokuba," Yugi smiled, reaching over and ruffling the youngster's raven locks. "How about we go to the stream and see what we can find."
"Can we play in the water?"
"Sure," Yugi chuckled, watching as Mokuba took off running to the stream that was down the hill. Shaking his head, he grabbed his horse's reins and pulled the mare along behind him.
Reaching the water's edge, he quickly dropped the mare's reins, letting her graze to her delight and trusting her to stay close. Turning his attention to his companion, Yugi smiled watching as Mokuba was dancing around in the water barefooted with his pants legs rolled up to his knees.
"The water is so cool! It feels great!" Mokuba chanted, splashing around while laughing.
Chuckling, Yugi sat down on the bank and took off his boots and socks before rolling up his pants legs as well. Easing his way into the water, he quickly moved to the side to avoid a splash aimed at him from Mokuba. "Hey!"
Mokuba 'eep'ed as Yugi returned the gesture. Narrowly escaping the water droplets, he returned the splash. He had almost got Yugi that time, but he wasn't so lucky, as a spray of water drenched him from the waist down. "No fair!"
"You were the one that started it," Yugi chuckled, earning a glare from the younger. "Sorry, but I'm sure that you'll dry in no time."
Nodding, Mokuba chuckled before looking down at the water to see all the scattered riverbed pebbles. Leaning down, he picked one up and brought it up for closer inspection. The little pebbled looked like a piece of glass, it was almost completely transparent but had a few misty swirls embedded into it as well. "Look, Yugi."
Making his way over to the younger, Yugi took in the stone and smiled. "I heard those stones are supposed to bring you good, luck. Keep it close Mokuba."
Shaking his head, Mokuba grabbed Yugi's hand and put the pebbled in the other's palm before closing the hand over the small stone. "I don't need any luck. You keep it."
"But, Mokuba, you found it…"
"Think of it as luck for when you and Yami start your new life together," Mokuba smiled. "It's my gift to you."
Smiling, Yugi surprised the other by wrapping him in a warm hug before pulling back and offering a heart-warming smile. "Thanks, that means a lot to me," he chuckled while pocketing the small pebble.
Through their excitement, the two of them had failed to notice that they were being watched by a lone rider. He was watching the two of them carefully from the safety of a group of large boulders that sat at the top of another hill. Giving his horse a firm kick, the rider started off after the two of them.
Mokuba was the first one to notice the lone rider, since he was turned in that direction while putting his boots back on. His eyes widened though at the memory of that same flea-bitten gray horse and wrinkled face. It had been one of the men that had kidnapped him; it was one of Silver Mane's men. "Yugi, run!"
Blinking curiously, Yugi looked over at Mokuba and gasped at seeing the rider heading toward them. Quickly pulling on his last boot, he started to run while giving a whistle for his horse. In no time the appaloosa mare came to the call. "Hurry Mokuba, and get on!"
Mokuba quickly did as he was told by climbing up into the saddle. "Hurry!" he called out, urging Yugi to run fast.
Yugi had almost made it his horse when a bullet hit the ground right beside him, causing him to fall from the close call and his horse to scamper off a bit further away. "Damn," he growled, quickly getting to his feet and starting to run back to his horse.
"Yugi! Watch Out!"
Before Yugi could even avoid anything, a hand had gripped him from the back of his shirt and hauled him up into the air. Screaming out in surprise, he looked down and was momentarily suspended in air before being draped across the front of a saddle, the horn digging into this stomach painfully. "Let Me Go!"
The rider chuckled as he looked down at his captive before bringing the butt of his pistol over the back of Yugi's head, instantly knocking him out.
"Yugi!" Mokuba cried out, clutching the mare's reins tightly as he watched Yugi's protesting form go limp. "Leave him alone!"
The rider chuckled before looking over at Mokuba. "Sorry, runt," he smirked. "I can't do that, being as Silver Mane wants him."
Mokuba cringed at the name. "You won't get away with this! The Wild Aces will get you for this!"
"We'll see about that, runt," the man chuckled, turning his horse in the other direction and galloping off.
"YUGI!" Mokuba called out sadly, watching as the man disappeared over the horizon. Blinking back a few tears, he gave the mare a firm nudge causing her to go into a speedy gallop. He had to get back and tell Seto what had happened and hopefully they would be able to rescue Yugi before that man ever reached Silver Mane. "Yami is gonna be pissed!"
"You two remember the plan, right?"
"Would you give it a rest!"
"Don't start with me, Powder!"
"Dammit, Marik!"
"What's the matter, Powder?"
"Gah! Yami, make him stop!"
Chuckling at the quarreling duo, Yami shook his head. "Marik, quit calling Bakura names, I don't want to see him throw another tantrum, I witnessed enough of those when he was a kid."
Glaring at the red-eyed outlaw, Bakura growled low in his throat. "I didn't throw tantrums!"
"Whatever you say, Powder," Marik chuckled, hearing Bakura growling at him, he shook his head. "I just want to know if y'all remember the plan or not."
"If Malik asks, we're to tell him that you used up all the dynamite," Yami sighed, shaking his head while chuckling as Marik nodded in approval. "I still think he's going to be very suspicious if he sees you messing with that sack."
"I'm gonna keep it in my saddle bag until I know he's asleep," Marik smiled, patting the saddle bags behind him. "That way he'll never know."
"I bet you're out in the barn again before the night is up," Bakura taunted, earning a glare from Marik.
"Both of you need to stop fighting," Yami suggested, looking at the two seriously. "We still have to figure out what Silver Mane and his gang are up to."
Marik nodded. "Meaning that we need to pay that lady in Silver City a visit."
"Yup, lets just hope that she is able to give us some clues." Bakura sighed before turning his attention to the sign, welcoming them back into Vander. "Ya know, I still find it strange that we found love in a place like this."
"Aw, Powder here is in love," Marik taunted before ducking to avoid the punch thrown at him.
"He ain't the only one, Marik," Yami pointed out with a smile. "Meeting those four have done us a lot of good."
"Four? Don't you mean three?" Marik asked curiously.
Bakura chuckled. "You are a nitwit."
Watching Marik glare at Bakura, Yami shook his head. "Seto, although he has yet to show it really likes Joey."
"Ah, I see," Marik smiled before reaching over and smacking Bakura on the back of the head, completely catching the other off guard.
"Dammit!" Bakura snapped, nearly slipping off the side of the saddle. Quickly gaining his composure, he straightened himself back up and noticed Marik quickly galloping away. "Get back here, you bastard!"
Dropping his head in defeat, Yami chuckled. "Those two are something else," he sighed before hearing his horse snort in agreement. Smiling, he urged Phantom to gallop after his companions.
Placing their horses in the barn, the three of them made their way back to the Tailor's shop to see Malik, Seto, Ryou, and Joey all sitting out on the porch.
"Did you three find anything?" Seto asked.
"The hideout was empty," Yami sighed. "We didn't find anything."
"Where ever they are, they got two Gatling guns with them, and who knows how many armed riders," Bakura sighed,leaning against the porch railing.
Malik looked at Marik curiously. "And what about you?"
"Well we used my dynamite to blow the place up," Marik smiled. "So I don't have anymore."
Eyeing the other two outlaws curiously, Malik studied them for any evidence that could suggest that Marik was lying to him, but by the looks on their faces, his outlaw was telling the truth. "Well that's good to know," he smiled before wrapping his arms around Marik. "I missed having ya around."
"Oh really, and why's that?" Marik asked, happy that his plan had worked and enjoying the hug he was receiving.
"Because he had to work," Ryou chuckled. "It was rather amusing watching him ask Miss Mai to model for him."
"What did ya need her to model for ya?" Marik asked with a pout. "I could've done that, for ya."
Malik couldn't help but chuckle. "You would have modeled a dress?"
"Ah, nevermind," Marik blushed, earning a chuckle from everyone else on the porch. Tossing a glare at every one of them, he growled. "Oh shut up!"
"That would've been rich, seeing Marik in frills and lace," Bakura chuckled.
"That's enough out of you, Powder!"
Hearing the nickname, both Ryou and Malik started chuckling.
"Enough with the nicknames!" Bakura huffed, glaring at everyone present.
Shaking his head, Yami made his way to stand beside Seto. "Where's Mokuba and Yugi?" he asked curiously. He was hoping to see his little one when he came back, but apparently he was gone somewhere.
"Yugi took Mokuba riding," Seto sighed. "I figured they would've been back by now though."
"Where did they go to?" Yami asked curiously.
"Out past the James's place," Joey smiled. "It's a place a bit farther out than Ryou's."
Nodding, Yami decided that he could wait a bit longer for Yugi to return. Looking back at Seto, he leaned over closer to the brunet. "Anything yet?"
Nodding his head, Seto smiled. "I kissed him, if that's what you want to know," he whispered. "I haven't confessed my undying love or anything, but I think we both know how each other feels."
"Good," Yami smiled.
"What about you and Yugi? I know that you're very close now."
Yami smiled brightly, causing Seto to inch away. "I couldn't ask for anyone better. I love him with all my heart and he has agreed to live with me when this is all over."
"Oh, so where ya gonna live? I believe the General store would be a bit cramped and I don't think anyone else wants to hear of your romping in the bedroom."
Hitting the brunet in the arm, Yami glared lightly before chuckling. "I plan on buying some land not to far away from town, since Yugi still wants to help his Grandpa and besides his friends live here as well."
"You've planned this out, I'm impressed," Seto mused, earning another glare before the sound of rapid hoof beats caught his attention.
"Seto! Big Brother!"
Hearing the call of his younger sibling, Seto as well as the rest of the gang on the porch rushed to the edge to see the young boy riding up on the appaloosa mare that belonged to Yugi. "Mokuba!"
Yami took in the scared look of the youngster before something caused him to gasp lightly. Mokuba had been with Yugi, but yet only one of them had returned. "Where's Yugi?"
Mokuba cringed lightly at the voice, just noticing that all the Aces were present on the porch. Gulping lightly, he sniffled before looking up into worried crimson eyes. "He's been taken!"
Collective gasps echoed around the gang as they took in Mokuba's words.
"By who?" Yami asked, a low growl evident in his voice.
"Silver Mane!"