—You got served…with another Chapter of Sapphire Rose. So many characters to debut in this Chapter…whew…if I didn't get everybody, then I'll getcha next Chapter. Also, there is some stuff that will need translating in the Chapter, but you'll know it when you come to it.

Chapter 8 – Severed Bond

Fin escorted Yugi down the dampened dungeon hall guided by few torches and dim light. Yugi felt unnerved by the fact that there weren't any criminals in any of the cells. He also jumped out of his skin when he finally saw someone.

Bell Lutz stared up at the King. "Another human? They must be in season this year."

"Quiet you. Maybe if you behave, I might ask Daelin to release you a hundred years early."

Bell shrugged and rolled over on her side. Yugi only stared at her. I wonder what she is imprisoned for, he thought.

The girl looked at him again. "I read your thoughts. You're wondering why I'm in here, right?"

Yugi blinked in surprise. "Yes."

"Ask Fin. I'm tired of repeating my sentence to everybody that comes through here." Bell muttered. She yawned and fell asleep.

Yugi caught up with the elf and asked him about Bell. "She's actually the reason I wasn't around when you arrived. I had gone to meet with her people and discuss the matters of her banishment."

"She was banished from her people?" Yugi asked.

"I was sent on a mission of peace to her people. To answer your question, yes. She was banished when she stole her emperor's crown. Bell even pretended she was mentally unstable in order to get out of any sort of punishment. But the Emperor merely banished her from his land. So she wandered into our lands and stole Daelin's Mystical Knight of Jackal."

"So she's a thief then. Why would she do these things?"

"Some of her people claimed it was because she would sell them for money. Others claim she really is mentally unstable. I found out that her emperor cheated his way onto the throne and Bell was part of a rebellious group who wanted to put the rightful emperor on the throne. Bell stole the Emperor's crown and set the Emperor's bed chambers on fire in violent protest."

"And she was banished for this."

"Not for the fire. She made it look like natural causes, but she admitted to me that she did start the fire. I didn't tattle on her though." Fin said. He stopped and turned to the King. "Bell stole Daelin's Mystical Knight of Jackal because her father was the one who gave Mystical Knight to Daelin's father. Bell never told him that, because she never thought he would believe her."

Yugi only stared back. There was a rustling sound in the cell adjacent from where they stood. Yugi could make out the form of a huge, hairy beast in cold, blue eyes. "So that's him…"

"Don't get to close, your Majesty. He is quite strong in this form." Fin said.

"Thank you for leading me here, Fin." Yugi whispered.

Fin nodded. "Lle creoso, sire." (Lle creoso - You're welcome)

Yugi approached the cell, making sure to stand well out of reach should Rosenburg attack. The chimera saw Yugi and narrowed its eyes as if gazing at a cockroach. "Prince…"

"That's 'your Majesty' to you, Rosenburg." Yugi snapped.

The chimera formerly known as Seto snorted. "So you're King now. What a festive occasion…"

"I've been King for nearly a year. Diana and I have been together for exactly that long." Yugi smirked evilly.

At the mention of the Rose Duelist, Rosenburg stood on all fours, his fur standing on end like a cat. "You bastard…you dare take her before I've had the chance to break her!"

"Diana is not a possession, Rosenburg. Especially not your possession. I love her and she chooses to be with me."

The chimera rattled his cell door, biting at the bars and clawing the floor. He bellowed and roared, until Bell screamed from down the hall. "Shut the ever-loving hell up! Some of us actually want to get some sleep!"

Rosenburg settled down and Yugi noticed all the bite marks on the bars and claw marks on the floor. All the marks were both recent and old. Seto had obviously ranted and raved prior to Yugi's arrival. The King looked the chimera directly in the eyes, and asked, "Why did Bakura do this to you?"

"Revenge perhaps. I did keep him in my service against his will. He freed me so that I could find Diana."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't read minds like that bitch down there." Seto gestured in Bell's direction. "I didn't stay around to ask either. I wanted to find Diana as soon as I could."

Yugi glared at him. "So do you truly love her then?"

"I am obsessed with her. If I don't touch her again, I will surely die inside."

The King said nothing in regards to that statement. He changed the subject. "What is the issue with Bakura and Ryou? I was told Bakura was planning to create a utopia from both this world and ours. This utopia is supposedly for Ryou."

"I did not know what Bakura's plan was until now. But I do know that Ryou wants no part of this madness. I saw the fear, the shame, and the sadness…all of it in his eyes. He will betray Bakura. The sadness and shame is too much for his innocent heart to bear."

"And if he does?"

"Then Bakura will be lost…and possibly go insane." Rosenburg answered.

"One would think he's already insane." Fin muttered. The chimera only growled at the elf.

Yugi turned to leave. "You were useless for once, Rosenburg. Thank you for the information."

"I want to see Diana."

"No."

"Brine her here, damn you Henry!"

Yugi left with Fin without a backwards glance.

——————

"Ryou!" Bakura's roar rang throughout the small castle. Bakura was angry that his love would dare help their enemies, but he did not want to frighten the only one who ever loved him away. If Ryou should ever leave me, he thought, then I shall rip the earth apart to find him and do whatever it would take it to win him back.

Ryou wandered in, looking around the room cautiously and said in a timid voice, "Y-Yes love?"

Bakura calmed down at the sight of Ryou's innocent, chocolate eyes. "Where have you been, my heart?"

"I've been reading up on my spells and checking the sentries." Ryou looked around again. He then stared at Bakura with a worried expression on his baby face. "Kura, where is Nuri? He hasn't come to me and yet I sense his presence nearby. Do you know if he's all right? I'm so worried about him. Could you please check your crystal ball?"

The evil Druid was silent. He loved how Ryou looked in that moment. Ryou did not look like a powerful White Druid, but more like a frightened child who just found out his pet had died. "Nuri is…" Bakura began, not sure how to approach the subject with Ryou in such a concerned state. "I had to punish him."

Ryou's hands were trembling. "Wh-Why would you do that, Kura? What did…did he do?"

Bakura sat down in a red velvety chair. "Ryou, did you send him to King Henry and his court?"

Ryou took a step back and bit his lower lip. He didn't want to speak the truth for fear that Bakura might attack him. "I…well…I just…"

"Answer me, love. I want to know the truth."

The White Druid fell to his knees and whispered, "Yes. I sent Nuri to tell Yugi and his brother what we were planning. I…I just can't live with knowing I helped create this…this horrible army. Please, Kura…we have to stop this."

Bakura looked at his pleading lover for a minute and then stood. He walked slowly over to the cowering White Druid and knelt in front of him and gripped his shoulders. "Don't you understand that I'm doing this all for you, Ryou? I'm creating a utopia free of anyone else. These two worlds shall be ours to control and rule over. Don't you want that?"

Truth was that Ryou never did want it. It had all been Bakura's idea and he cleverly convinced Ryou to assist him. Ryou hung his head. "Please let Nuri go. I don't want him harmed, Kura."

"It's okay, love." Bakura embraced him gently. His eyes began to glow a soft lavender color and purple-green snakes wrapped themselves around the two. Ryou suddenly felt like a knife was cutting at his heart. He jumped and tried to pull free, but Bakura held him firmly. "Easy, love. I'll free you from the hurt."

"B-Bakura…" Ryou whimpered. He was trembling now as he felt his soul being divided. Nuri's determination to return to Ryou was fading fast. "Kura! No, please! Nuri! Nuri, where are you!" Ryou tensed from the pain as his link with Nuri was stretched and stretched to its limit.

In the bedroom, inside his cage, Nuri gave a piercing high-pitched screech. The glass of the window shattered and Nuri whirled around his cage from the aching pain he felt at his soul and his heart. "Ryou, what's happening to you! Ryou, please help me!" Nuri cried. He fell to the cage floor and gave another screech as the bond between them was destroyed.

Nuri was barely conscious now. A bond between pooka and human was not to be closed like this. It hurt like hell and Nuri was the youngest pooka to have ever been bonded to a human. He tried with all his might to sense Ryou, but all he felt now was his own pain.

"Ryou…" he whispered. A sparkle near the shattered window caught his hazy eyes. He tried to rise up, but fell over with fatigue.

"Master Nuriel?" said a tiny voice as the sparkle came closer. The sparkle shimmered and transformed into a young girl with curly brown hair with blue highlights. She was dressed in a greenish shirt and skirt and silvery wings grew from her back. It was a fairy.

"H-Help me…Maia." Nuri said before fainting.

The fairy gasped and touched the cage door. It opened instantly and she picked Nuri up in her arms. He was barely alive. "Master Nuri, please don't die." the fairy said. She jumped when she heard a voice coming towards the room. Maia the fairy quickly fell out the window and high into the sky.

Once she was in the safety of the clouds, Maia checked Nuri to see if there were any exterior wounds she could heal. There weren't, but she felt a great deal of inner pain. His soul had been sliced by a powerful magic. "Oh Nuri…your bond has been severed. You poor thing…don't worry. I shall help you. Diamond Dust will know what to do."

——————

Diana heard voices talking in a language she recognized. It sounded like Japanese or something close to it. The voices were small and frail, so they were probably children. Diana found through the thick clouds of sleep and opened her eyes. They were children and they jumped back in fear as she awoke.

Diana sat up slowly and looked at them. She could tell they were Japanese by their appearance. They were a boy and a girl. Diana thought the girl was adorable with her long dark hair with pink highlights that were tied in two buns, one on each side of her head. She wore a dark blue silk robe with white and red fish swimming around the bottom. The boy was certainly older, almost to the puberty age was Diana's guess. He also wore a silk robe, but his was dark red and had fire around the sleeve hems.

Diana waved to them. "Hello there."

The girl waved, but the boy did not. He only stared at her. Diana bit a fingernail. Maybe they don't understand English, she thought. Diana knew some Japanese terms from watching anime shows in her time period, but she wouldn't be able to hold an interesting conversation.

"Konnichi wa." Diana said. "Onamae?" (Konnichi wa - Good afternoon – Onamae - What is your name?)

The children smiled. The boy bowed slightly and replied, "Konnichi wa, Xiao-Li."

"Jun Ling." the girl said. "Onamae?"

"Diana Sapphire."

"Diana-san!" the girl giggled and crawled onto the foot of the bed. The boy snapped something to her that Diana didn't understand, but from the way he was gesturing, Diana guessed that he was asking her to get off the bed.

The girl stuck her tongue out at him and looked at Diana. "Diana-san…ogenki desu ka?" (Ogenki desu ka - How are you?)

"Ogenki desu." Diana replied. "Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?" She had to know if these children spoke English. (Ogenki desu - I'm fine – Eigo ga wakarimasu ka - Do you understand English?)

Xiao shrugged. "A…lit-tle."

Suddenly the door opened and in came a tall girl wrapped all in clothes except for her face. Jun and Xiao ran to her and started talking rapidly in Japanese. The tall girl hushed them both and sent them away quietly.

She walked over and bowed to Diana. "Hello miss. I am Melisanne. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Were those your brother and sister?" Diana asked.

Melisanne straightened. "Yes miss. I am sorry if they caused any trouble."

"No. They were very polite and so adorable. I got to practice my Japanese." Diana smiled.

"Oh you speak Japanese?"

Diana sat cross-legged on the bed. "For the most part, but I only know a few words and phrases. The language I'm best at is Spanish."

"You are a Spaniard?"

Diana shook her head. "I just know more Spanish than any other language."

Melisanne nodded. She repeated her question, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Oh…um…"

Before Diana could answer, Jun poked her head in and waved to Diana. "Sayonara Diana-san!" (Sayonara - Good-bye)

"Sayonara." Diana said, waving back as the girl disappeared again. "She's so cute."

Melisanne smiled. "Thank you. I have been taking care of my brother and sister for a long time. Daelin was very kind to let us stay here in the castle."

"Oh you work for Daelin. He lets you live in the castle?"

"We do not have any other place to live. He is very kind and the money I earn is good. I am lucky he is a good employer." Melisanne said.

Diana nodded. "He's very nice."

Melisanne bowed. "Forgive me, lady. I was instructed to inform his Majesty of your awakening."

"King Henry? Oh…okay. Thank you, Melisanne." Diana replied. The girl turned and left the room. Diana propped up the pillows so she could lean against the headboard.

Diamond Dust came in and jumped into Diana's lap. "It's good that you're so powerful, Diana. God knows you'll need it before this little conflict is over."

"I know, Diamond Dust. How has everything been since I passed out?"

"Moderate. More immortal creatures continue to gather around the castle. The invaders have completely left Tanna Undome, so Yami, Cara, Tea and everyone else is safe. Yugi's knights fought bravely and Rex and Weevil brought out their monsters to help. Yami is in charge until Yugi returns."

"Henry has to go back some time, Diamond Dust." Diana said quietly. She looked out the bedroom window to watch the sun setting beyond the distant mountains. "I noticed the scar on Henry's eye. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes my lady. Serena did all she could for it. But he might not be able to see out of that eye ever again." Diamond Dust said.

Diana smiled. "Oh well. I still love him." He's still sexy even with the scar on his eye, Diana thought with a blush.

Diamond Dust was about to settle in for a nap when Jhada burst into the room. "Rose Duelist, we need your help. Nuri's back and he is dying."

The gray pooka was scampering off Diana's lap in a flash. "The hell did you just say! What's wrong with my Nuriel?"

"Exactly what I said, Dusty." Jhada replied. "Hurry, Lady Diana. You're the only one who has the power to help him."

Diana got out of bed and grabbed her staff. Diamond Dust jumped on her shoulder and Diana felt the pooka's worry and concern like a huge rock about to crush her. "Don't Diamond Dust, I'll help him. I won't let Nuri die."

The pooka looked at her and said softly, "Please do, Diana. I love him as much as you love Henry…" Tears of love, trust and concern clouded the pooka's eyes, but instead of crying them out, she merely brushed them away impatiently.

—Cliffhanger, I know. Aww…it's so cute how Diamond Dust is in love with Nuri. BTW: that sort of thing doesn't affect Diana or Ryou. A pooka and its bonded human can only sense what the other is feeling, but that's all. Besides, it's already obvious that Ryou and Diana have lovers. Duh…anyways, Review Responses:

DarkShadow – Rosenburg had a tantrum…that was it really. I mean he already knew Diana and Yugi had something between them. He's still obsessed about her though. Yeah…Daelin wasn't in this chapter. He was only mentioned…sorry.

Jaded – romance between Daelin and Jhada? Heh…well that sounds interesting but I don't own Daelin as one of my own characters. DarkShadow will have to give me permission for that sort of thing first. Jhada does want to protect both Yugi and Diana, but I think she feels a sort of "older sister responsibility" towards Diana. You'll find out why that's the case in Chapter 9. There really isn't a relation between Fin and Jhada other than the fact that they both have elf blood running through their veins.

Swift – well, not much rubbing…Yugi decided to keep it simple and formal. Oh well…there will be other times…

SG – how'd you like Jun and Xiao? Oh man, I hope I got the language they speak right. No I don't think Melisanne will do any skin revealing in the next Chapters she is in. So cute how Fin has a crush on her…they have a lot in common. You'll find out what later…heh.

mariks1andonly – I will certainly try to keep updating ASAP. Hopefully I can…

Sara and company with Lauren as Maia the fairy – hope Lauren notices her character. I had a hard time finding a good "fairy" name, but I settled on Maia. In Greek mythology, Maia was the goddess of springtime. Hope Lauren's a spring – lol. Yes I would love to read your fic! Go ahead and send it when you can, I would love to read it.