Disclaimer: YuGiOh and its characters do not, never have, and never will belong to me. The only things I own are the setting for this story and the OCs. Which there won't be many of. (If there are any at all)
Oh, and watch out for shounen-ai hints.
Possible. Not definite, but possible, pairings include (with characters at the moment) BxR, Mx?x?x? ('?' get filled in later, when the characters make it into the story.)
Enjoy.
HAPPY TURKEY DAY! To All of You in the Grand Ol' US of A!
Another painfully distanced update, but at least things appear to be a bit more structured now. I put up a schedule last week; FTI got new chapters written last week and over Thanksgiving but only one will get up before the end of December (most likely). The schedule for updates is in my profile.
Finally! My stint as a techie for the school play is over! No more 6 am- 11pm days at school, weekdays and weekends! And much more time to write.
Thank you all who read and reviewed!
Still accepting ideas for which way y'all want the story to go, especially considering it's beginning to deviate from the planned path and there are …. Umm…. 5-7 chapters left.
Oh, and reviews are a big part of what inspires writers to write. If you want more….
Please REVIEW
Italics – thoughts
Line -- - POV change
Freedom Through Inferno:
"RYOU!" It froze, fur puffing out, ears going back. Pinned to the ground, the youngling began to tremble uncontrollably.
Uncomprehending, both men watched the reaction, then turned to the source of the disturbance.
A slightly elderly man stood beside a boulder at the other edge of the clearing, a leash and empty collar held tightly in one hand.
The Doctor had awoken.
Chapter 5: Day 2- Suspicions
Ryou trembled, all but hugging the ground in fear. Angry. Father's angry. I never should have come over, food could have waited and the fact that I'm not wearing the collar makes this situation that much worse. He's definitely going to beat me for this.
"Ryou, come." With drooping ears and downcast eyes, the youngling obeyed, slinking towards the scientist reluctantly until he was a mere foot away.
"Yew liddle BRAT!"
"Yipe!" A heavy booted heel struck thinly garbed ribs, sending Ryou's forearms out of balance and his body crashing to the ground.
The doctor snarled, eyes cold as steel. "You might not understand speech, but here are other ways of training monsters." A hand shot out swiftly, catching one silky ear and twisting. HARD.
A squeal of pain split the air, only to be silenced by another kick. Strong arms jerked the young creature from his prostrate position. He flailed wildly, dangling in a position his body was never meant for.
Quiet whimpers echoed through the suddenly silent clearing as the abuser paused, contemplating his next move.
"Yo, Doc!"
"What?" Father snapped, irritable about being interrupted.
'If you damage It, It'll be too weak to attack, right?"
The death grip loosened instantly. He hadn't thought of that.
"Well?" a colder, deeper voice prodded almost eagerly. Ryou's eyes slipped shut miserably, all thoughts of the feelings he'd had at breakfast gone. He wants to kill Father. IF I become too injured, there will be nothing to protect him; it's not like back home where there weren't any repercussions to abuse or isolation. Out here, he can't beat me to a pulp then lock me up to recover without putting his own life on the line. The very thought of spending the rest of the day with the elder man after being beaten made the youth cringe.
"Of course not! He's learned his lesson." The vice on his ear dropped abruptly, sending Ryou to the ground in a painful bruised heap.
"I assume," the livid voice was soft, but very dangerous, "one of you is responsible for this?"
The leather collar hit the grass at their feet.
"Yeah, so?" Unidentifiable emotions flickered through Bakura's gaze at the reminder of his misconduct. Or maybe it was the bruised little body that resulted from said deed.
"Ryou." Prick ears wiggled, but only one really perked. The other hurt too much.
"Attack."
What? You've got to be kidding me, I'm still hurt!
"RYOU." It'll hurt worse if I don't, I guess.
"Grrrrrrrrrrr…" a slightly muffled growl left his mouth as he maneuvered upright. He stumbled forward on all fours, limping from the kicks and not even bothering to bear fangs and claws. The nice men that gave me breakfast won't react wrong; if not because of a few minutes ago, then definitely because of the last lesson. (1)
"Fine, whatever." Bakura, the seeming spokesman of the two, somehow managed to sound annoyed, disinterested, and vaguely apprehensive at the same time.
"Glad to see you have at least a few brains. I trust you will not approach my subject again?"
"Pfeh, why would I?"
A long, tense moment passed in which Marik grinned insanely, the two enemies glared at each other, and the pale neko crouched, pretending to be fierce while trying not to fall over or whimper. The urge to lick his wounds was almost overwhelming.
I might be able to heal super fast, he sighed wistfully but that doesn't keep me from feeling the pain.
"Good" A nasty smile, more like a leer, twisted under cruel eyes. "It would appear you have learned to follow orders as well."
Ignoring the murderous crimson death glare (if looks could kill, he would've been a bloody smear on the ground), he tugged lightly on Ryou's hair. "Down, boy. Fetch."
Down? Thank God. Fetch? Oh, right. The collar. At least I was free for a little while. Ryou darted over, no longer wracked with searing pain, to hook the collar and leash on his claws and move back.
"Good boy."
He proffered his neck, as training dictated, and felt the warm leather once again weigh him down.
"So." the captor looked up at his supposed guards. "Are we leaving or what?"
Poor kitty. Marik was walking behind the group, 'bringing up the rear' as Bakura called it. Secretly, he thought the albino just didn't want him screaming at everything along the path... But come on! The forest was scary! All crowded and clumped, with monstrosities hiding in the bushes. Not at all like Egypt. Ah home. What I wouldn't give to be back among your warm dunes, basking in the sun and shade of the tomb… A painful rasp from up ahead cut off the extremely sappy Hallmark ™ thought.
Awww...Marik watched sympathetically as the creature was dragged along. The collar had been tightened this time and it looked like the evil bad man (Marik speech) was jerking on the leash every few steps, still shaken about his lack of protection upon awakening that morning.
The event had been several hours ago, but Marik had been replaying it in confusion for part of the morning. What had happened? Why did the scientist act like that? Why were facts and realities not meshing? The golden- haired man might be insane, but he wasn't stupid or clueless. HE could tell something was wrong. The doctor had said the cat boy was an uncontrollable vicious beast; but this morning he had quite happily melted into even Bakura's touch. Also, the doctor said quite plainly that It was NOT intelligent, yet the boy reached to commands faster then any animal, seemed to mentally connect differently, and could become embarrassed.
Based on his eyes. Funny eyes. Like a cat's but so emotional. Animals don't have emotions, do they? What does have emotions? Do cat and dogs? Do bugs? (2) I mean, they don't act like it, but the kitty does, so…
"OW, watch it!"
Silence.
"Did you just disturb me? While I was thinking?" A dangerously calm note weaseled its way into Marik's voice.
"Yes I did! Watch where you're going, lummox!" the considerably shorter mad scientist was mouthing off to HIM? Well, this calls for retribution…
"And why, pray tell, should I do what you say?" Bakura jerked to a stop at the dangerous growl growing in his companion's voice; a sound that usually only came into existence when Marik was on the verge of killing or destroying someone/thing. Normally, Bakura wouldn't care; hell, considering how annoying the guy was, he'd give Marik a medal! Unfortunately, this mark was worth quite a bit and Marik would either put them on the street or in prison by carrying out his implied threat. That is, if he could. This morning's episode had dispelled some fears about the non-human member of their party but not all of them.
Damn, guess I'd better distract him.
"Time for lunch."
"Lunch?" A gold-spiked head jerked up, angry insanity chased away by…well…normal insanity. With a last black look at the still- oblivious doctor, Marik trotted past into the chosen grove of wide leaved oak trees. "Good, I was starving."
With a silent sigh of relief, the albino turned away. The other had already dismissed the slight. Oh, he wouldn't forget it, just like he wouldn't forget what the same perpetrator had done to his beloved car, but he would save the information until a later date. (One more suited to revenge).
Speaking of revenge…
Crimson eyes lit on the cause of all troubles, the creature. Even Bakura could not pin blame on the Pet, especially after what happened at breakfast; the master, on the other hand, was a different story.
Hmmm…He's tying It to a tree. Why would he do that? Oh, wait, he did it last night too. Come to think of it, the only times he allows that leash to leave his hand are when we're at rest. Like now. A cruel smile twisted into place as he slid silently behind his enemy. It was time for their elderly prisoner to learn his place.
Without further ado, Bakura grabbed the other man by the coat collar and yanked him backwards out of the circle of trees.
"Ry-!"
They disappeared, pale arsonist and graying geneticist, leaving only the confused slitted gaze of a young experiment and the oblivious munching of Marik as witness
Bored…
BoredBoredBoredBoredBored…
Marik had sunk into the deepest pits of boredom, lying flat on his back and watching the sun travel. Exactly as it had been for over five…hours. Where the Hell is Kura?
Scowling not so subtly, he rotated his gaze to alight on the only other living being in the clearing. There was no urge to go over and disturb the youngling this time; curled in a tight ball among the deep roots of the old tree he'd been tied to, Marik could barely even reach him. Ryou had been asleep the whole time and showed no sign of waking up.
Briefly, Marik contemplated going back to thinking about the experiment's intelligence level but decided against it. Too much effort.
"Well, I think they've had enough time, don't you?"
The boredom was too much.
"I'm gonna go find Bakura." No response. The little one didn't even twitch.
"Fine, don't answer me. It's not like I'm asking you to come with me or anything, I mean kitty is cute but there are bears, tigers, lions, alligators, and more out there! Well, maybe just the bears. Right? There aren't any vicious wild animals around here. It's not cougar country or anything. At least I don't think so. Doesn't matter that all I have to defend myself with is a pocket knife; oh no, of course not…"
Ryou watched the other go from behind his eyelashes. Secretly, he was both disappointed and glad the other had stayed away. What he and the white one did felt nice, but his punishment for allowing it was excruciating, even if the last traces of the beating had faded not an hour after being inflicted.
With a leisurely yawn and stretch, he emerged from the gnarled roots, extending sharp claws to climb onto one bigger around then his waist. Finding a comfortable spot close enough to the trunk to keep the leash slack, he sprawled on his stomach in the sun to doze.
Honestly, he didn't care what happened to his creator. The man's image had taken a drastic hit after the house burned; he no longer seemed like the benevolent paternal figure Ryou had looked up to. In fact, the arsonists, supposedly the cruelest and most feared of the outside society, treated him better then Father ever had.
But such issues were too complicated to deal with right now. Or ever, actually, considering he'd never be given the chance to do anything about them. He had felt more emotions in the past few days then he'd ever encountered in the lab and was tired of the agony and confusion they brought.
I'm alone, comfortable, and in the forest, my natural habitat. For once in my life, I'm completely physically comfortable. The humans can take care of themselves, I'm going to sleep.
With another fanged yawn, the boy curled up against the warm tree bark, falling into peaceful slumber as his feline instincts told him to. (3)
"Kitty! Kitty! Kura needs help! Wake up!"
"Rrrrroooowww!" Ryou shot into the air, jerking painfully against the throttling leash. What the Hell!
"Good kitty! You woke up for me! Now let's go save the world!"(4)
"G-geh?"
A glimpse of gold filaments and bronzed skin was all the warning Ryou got before a sharp tug on the neck pitched him forward off the tree root, landing him roughly on the ground. He lay there dazedly as movement began above and around his self and the leash.
"I thought cats always landed on their feet?" confused, the boy lay still as the speaker darted away to, judging from the scrabbles and muffled curses, climb the tree the leash was tied to.
What happened? I was sleeping and got pulled off my perch by someone with dark skin and gold hair who speaks funny…oh, the blonde one who likes touching my ears. Wait, why is he here? And why is he messing around with my leash? Only Father is supposed to do that.
"Gotcha! Come on, we gotta go save Kura!"
"Ah, w-wha?"
Save Kura? Is the white one in trouble? But Father would be angry if I – "Ulp!"
"Hurry kitty! sharp tug pulled Ryou after the Egyptian into the darkening forest.
"Crap. Just CRAP." The rough voice rasped from the throat of a familiar figure, blood stained colorless hair to match exhausted eyes. Hanging off a cliff with a dead weight attached to his knees, Bakura was, for once in his (relatively short) life, speechless and afraid.
"…Bears and cats might live here, and I wonder if there are any poisonous bugs? Scarabs don't live in this country, do they? They're cool; devouring their prey alive like Kura would with a steak! Or like me. If the steak was alive. I-"
"Marik." It was too early to get his hopes up; the train-wreck of a partner would probably run away screaming about ghosts.
"Bakura? Is that you? I've been looking for you for forever! Why'd you leave me behind? I didn't-"
…or not.
A thin lipped smile, strange in its honesty, tugged at the pale man's lips.
"Marik."
"Where are you anyway? Kura-kun?"
Annoyance. He might not be unable to punch the other man with both hands occupied clinging to the rock, but the psycho had no right to call him that.
Putting the affront aside, he tried to speak through cracked lips and a hoarse throat (something yelling profanities tends to get you after five hours)
"Here."
"Kura? I can't seeeeeeeee yooooooooouuuu- KURA?"
Bakura's eyes, dimming with fatigue, observed his strange rescuer. The other man was concerned, he cared for his friends and regardless of intention, the two were very close.
Taking in the situation at a glance, Marik's concern turned to horror. A bloody Bakura with at least one obvious wound and numerous scratches and bruises, a hanging scientist latched on at knee level, and the two calloused hands, slippery with scarlet plasma, supporting both on the rough vertical cliff-face.
Marik tried for almost ten minutes to pull the two out of their predicament, but it was too much for one man. The vines were too heavy to drag over, the two in trouble weighed too much, reaching down was impossible… Crimson eyes had closed long ago, resigned to allowing fate to take its course. Funny, Bakura had never seemed like an acquiescent person. Well, even if he was, Marik sure wasn't.
"Hang on Bakura! I'll go get help!"
Help? From who?
Not long after, Marik's head reappeared, followed by that of a cat-eared, emerald-eyed, soft-featured…
"The cat? Marik, how?"
"Ryou. Fetch."
Well, look who's actually alive. Too bad. Unless he can actually get the creature to do it. We might actually survive this if he can; I would even be grateful, if this weren't entirely his fault to begin with.
-FLASHBACK-
"What do you think you're doing?" Bakura had the opposition pinned to a tree a good 15 minutes from the campsite. Not that Marik would complain, but he couldn't let the living security system know what was going on.
"Teaching you a lesson, bastard."
"You, you, Get AWAY from me!"
With a laugh, Bakura stepped back, enough to let the other man run a little ways. The chase was always the best part. Unfortunately, the scientist stumbled and tripped, slipping off the side of a cliff.
"DAMMIT!" Bakura leapt after his meal ticket, grabbing the collar of the tattered lab coat just as both tumbled over the rocky edge. The unoccupied hand gripped the sediment brutally, joined by the other when the older man locked his arms around Bakura's knees and his feet on a small protrusion below.
"HELL NO!"
They were stuck.
"Good boy! Good kitty! Now, give it to Marik!"
Incredulously, Bakura looked up. If he'd still had his voice, he'd have sworn in amazement. This might actually work? Renewed vigor and hope blossomed in his chest.
"Hm. Good idea!"
"Rrn."
Did it just answer? But-but-but that's not possible! It's just an animal!
"Hang in there Kura! Heheheh, 'hang' in there."
Mentally rolling his eyes, the assassin reached for the vine being lowered. As the escape tool got longer, he became even more bewildered. How had Marik managed to life something so heavy? He wasn't weak, but what was being lowered must have weighed tons! Not to mention it was still green, how had he cut it?
"Can you get it?"
"Yes.' With a near-whisper, Bakura reached for the rope.
Only to be thrown back into the wall, roughly, as a different body hauled itself up unsteadily, wildly swaying enough to regenerate his fears.
I loathe him. If he breaks that before I can climb it... Once again, the so-called prisoner was unaffected by the death-ray stare. I REALLLY loathe him.
"Hey, you're not Kura!"
"No. Move."
"Kura, you okay? Can ya climb?"
In response, a new weight burdened the rope and faltering hands clung to the vine, slowly drawing the addressed man upwards.
Ryou watched the scene with confusion. How had they gotten themselves in such a mess?
Not like they'll tell me, but maybe they'll tell each other.
Watching and listening closely, the neko noticed the events and emotions on the cliff face with vague fear. At Father's emergence on the vine, Ryou walked over and allowed his leash to be grabbed without incident. The creator was alright, if shaken, he noticed with relief. And the other?
The next emergence was hurt from the fall, lying on the ground with his eyes closed in exhaustion as Marik regaled him with an account of how events had progressed away from the cliff.
Oh-no…
Ryou actually felt the blood drain from his face as his ears fell flat.
"…and then, the kitty boy grabbed the vine and tied it to the tree! On two legs! And," he cleared his throat importantly. "I got him to speak! He…wait, he's not supposed to speak, is he?"
"No, no It's not."
Dead silence fell as all parties stiffened with various emotion and three pairs of eyes riveted themselves on the mortified youngling in their midst.
TBC.
End Chapter five.
(1) The last lesson was in the second chapter, when Marik and Bakura found out what Ryou could do. The 'few minutes ago' would be during breakfast. Technically, even though these posts are months apart, that even happened about a minute or two ago in the story.
(2) Marik is less then sane, so this randomness will probably be seen throughout the story. The bugs have no bearing; they are just a random topic his mind jumped to. Stream of consciousness is great, folks.
(3) This is what almost any cat would do; curl up in the sun and sleep in preference to thinking or doing…well, anything.
(4) NOT literally.
Sorry about all my mistypes and errors; I just realized I've been putting major amounts in for ALL the chapters. When I finish with the story, I will go back and redo everything, correcting as I go, so that the final draft will be much more legible and smooth.
Where did this chapter come from….well, actually it's been a work in progress that started over a month ago. Normally it only takes me a night to write the 7 pages that constitute a chapter (for me) but this one took longer. Also, most of it was written during classes at school.
Thank you for reading.
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Responses-
Sorry all, but it's come to my attention that review responses are not allowed in a major sense. However, there is now a new feature allowing me to respond directly to reviews! So, I won't put them here, but you will get an email in your box with my comments and appreciations if you review this chapter. Who knows? I might even give you a preview of the next one!
Thank you: Ilikeyaoi, Aramis-chan, Thunderstorm101 for reviewing the last chapter.
Seeya later!