AN: Alright, here's the first chapter. Please enjoy!
The Vampire Prince: Hehe, here's the first chapter. I'm glad you liked the prologue. Thanks for the review, and read on.
dragonlady222: Cool! Thanks. I'm hoping this one will turn out pretty good. (Letto Etto Boo didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to, but…I'm satisfied, because the ending was great.) Thanks for the review!
Anei Aikouka: Should I move them? It's just…they're part of the storyline much later on. I could move them, if they really stick out like a sore thumb. Thanks for the review, and your feedback on that. Any suggestions would be great!
Chapter One: What Gold Does
The sun blinded him that morning. It was enough to get him out of bed, but not enough to get his mind functioning. Even when he tripped over his own feet and fell hard, it didn't really hurt. It also didn't occur to him that he had woken quite late. On his first attempt to dress, he forgot to wear the custom-made outfit for the party. Back into the closet he went, groggily dragging his feet.
He came out in the right attire, yet something was not right. It seemed he had misplaced his new shoes. Time was of essence, since the breakfast was going to start soon. However, even though he tried to wash his face and brush up as fast as he could, it seemed Lady Luck was not on his side. The water hadn't been replenished, the towel was missing, and his brush was no where to be found.
As he contemplated on whether or not he should actually look for his shoes or not, Ryou shrugged and slipped on his favorite sandals before making his way toward breakfast.
Of course, after all the bad luck this morning, he arrived last. Nyq gave him an irritated glare while his father's eyes glowered. Ryou could feel all the eyes just burning through him. Holding his head high, he bowed to his family members and took his seat.
"Your face is red," murmured Marik, who was sitting next to him, as the King of Egypt started with a toast.
Ryou's appetite had disappeared in the short five minutes that he had been in the dining hall. He forced himself to down a few bites, but couldn't eat any more than that.
It seemed the meal dragged on forever. When would the main event start? When would they leave for the tour of the city? Would the day even be long enough for everything his brother had planned?
The only part he looked forward to was the tour of Egypt. Never having been outside the palace before, it was an exciting thought to be part of the multitude of people he saw each day from his window.
While he daydreamed, time passed more quickly. When the chairs started scraping against the flooring, Ryou could feel his heart racing.
The one thing he feared was –
"Ryou, you are to stay behind."
The child paled. He looked at his father with disbelieving eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was going to go and see the city! See the happy people, the seemingly endless streets of vendors, the entertainers, even the children running all over!
His father's eyes narrowed as Ryou's face took on a defiant look. "You will stay behind. It will be sufficient punishment for being late this morning. Understand?"
"Father," Ryou started. He didn't want to sound so whiny, but he couldn't help it. "I want to go! I promise I'll-"
"Stay." Short, concise, and to the answer. It was like a command, as if he were a dog of some kind. It ticked him off, but he knew he had to obey. After all, it was in that tone of voice.
He lingered a moment longer, hoping in vain that his father would change his mind. Nothing happened, so he spun around quickly and left, stomping angrily.
Ryou vented for another fifteen minutes before he found himself in front of the Royal Garden.
It was his favorite place to read because…it had no walls.
At least, not in his point of view. Sure, steel gates barred the eden from the rest of the world. However…the fence was definitely climbable from the marble fountain near the back.
Ryou glanced around, feeling quite clever at his discovery. The parade of servants, soldiers, dancers, ladies, and royalty would begin soon. If he left now, he could trail them the whole way.
No one saw the blur of gold streak across the garden and leap over the fence from the sparkling fountain of water.
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--Somewhere in Cairo--
"Move along!" a voice shouted as a whip cracked in the air.
Feet shuffled as mumbling arose from the line of slaves, their chains clinking. Ryou watched in fascination and fear from the shadows as the line progressed forward, toward a long wooden podium. Standing in front of the structure was the Crown Prince, the Pharaoh, and other royalties. Women, seated in throne-like chairs that were carried by servants and slaves, fanned themselves as the noon sun rose high.
At the age of sixteen, the Pharaoh had deemed his son worthy to have a slave as his disposal only. This would also serve as a test, to see if he could tolerate, as well as not abuse, his power over others.
The first ones to go were the women slaves. Each stood up there as the overseer explained their talents and their price.
Nyq's eyes scrutinized every inch of every slave before he shook his head. He's too picky, Ryou thought as Nyq waved his hand at the next one. I would've just picked one and got it over with. After the first chain of slaves were excused, another string appeared. Again, they were all women.
He was getting bored. Eventually, male slaves were brought forth, but Ryou had lost interest by then. He wandered around the outer ring of onlookers, trying to find something to occupy his time with while staying in the shade. Stupid Nyq! I want to go sightseeing!
Dark, shadowed backways caught his eye. Ryou hurried toward the closest one and peeked down. All he saw was garbage. As he passed by another alleyway, Ryou thought about exploring Cairo on his own. He would become an expert in the maze of Cairo's streets. His family would be in danger, and they would have to flee the palace. However, when they reached the town, they wouldn't know the way, so it would be he who saves the day!
His grand dream was still flying until a hand grabbed his shoulder. Never really handled roughly in his life before, Ryou was stunned as he was thrown against a wall.
It was too dark to make out faces, but someone had pinned him. Finally, it occurred to the small prince that he was in danger.
"What's a wee little thing like you doing in fancy clothes like that?" sneered a voice. There was a snicker as another silhouette formed next to the first.
"Does he got any treasures on him?" the second voice asked eagerly.
Hands searched for pockets as Ryou tried to squirm out of the man's hold. "Nope, nothing."
There was a groan of disappointment.
"But don't worry! We can sell his pretty clothes for a lot of-"
Ryou bit his captor's hand, and immediately regretted it. The taste of dirt, sand, salt, and human excretement hit his tongue.
There was a howl, and then a flash of pain.
For the first time in his life, Ryou had been struck. His eyes grew wide as he stared at his captor, who stared back at him.
Then he screamed.
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Bakura grinned, slipping into an alleyway. He carefully hid the chains he had picked under a pile of garbage, glancing about. Stupid Ari, ditching him and leaving him to be caught. Wait till I find you, you filthy traitor. Massaging his chaffed wrists, Bakura glanced back once before running deeper into Cairo.
It had been a close call. His string of slaves, which he had been a part of until a few minutes ago, would've gone up to auction next. However, upon finding a small, golden hairpin on the ground, he had picked his locks and fled.
"First things first," Bakura murmured to himself, trying to think of a sanctuary. A thief wouldn't be accepted into a religious building of any sort, of course. That ruled out most of the-
A screech broke straight into his thoughts. He glanced at his right, up another alley, and saw two men upsetting a child.
He would've just shrugged, thought nothing of it, and left. Yet the glint of gold caught his eye and he couldn't resist.
The gold was finely crafted into the hem of the clothes, which were made specifically for one person. The goldsmith must have been very skilled, because the inlaid-gold shirt looked quite lithe.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one with that thought as the men tried to tear the clothes of the child.
Bakura swiftly ran up the alleyway, flexing his arms. It had been a while since his hands were so far apart, and with no restraints. This was going to be fun.
It started with a high roundhouse kick to the closest man's head. The man's forehead hit the wall and he crumbled to the ground as Bakura threw a fist into the second man.
This one was more prepared than his companion. He blocked the first blow, but stood no chance against the knee that filled his vision just a split second later. Simply put, he was too slow.
Bakura smirked, satisfied with his work. I was a little too slow, I guess, but that's because I haven't fought in a while.
He turned to the child and said, "Madam, were these men…" he trailed off as a boy looked up at him. Streaks of wetness overlapped his dirty face. The child had obviously been crying.
Bakura, seeing the long white hair, had assumed it was a girl. He blinked, and couldn't help but stare. It was looking in a mirror of the past or something, but seeing a somewhat more innocent and noble version of himself. Innocent, because those eyes were filled with…trust. Something Bakura had lost a long time ago.
"Are…are you okay?" Bakura muttered, running a hand through his own mane of white hair.
The child sniffled, ducking his head. With a clear voice, he said, "I'm fine…" When he looked up again, one couldn't even see the tear stains.
"Stop right there!" someone shouted.
Marik stood at the entrance of the alleyway, sword in hand, with the Pharaoh looming behind him.
Suddenly, Bakura found himself surrounded by the Royal Guards. At that moment, everyone seemed to be glaring at him.
AN: So, Bakura has now joined the story! Here's his info:
-Bakura: Thief, but was caught and made a slave, age 17.
AN: Please review, and thanks for reading so far.