AN: Hm, I don't really have much to say this time…uh, enjoy the following chapter!

Thanks to…

dragonlady222: He's too young to go through such things, isn't he? Poor Ryou indeed…but hopefully, he'll have Marik and Bakura to support him, yes? As for Nyq…argh, I don't want to even go there. Hehehe, thanks for the review!

gecko-grl-2: Thank you very much! I hope you review again.

The Vampire Prince: Erk! There's not much in this chapter…Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: Really? That's great to know! And about the computer being evil…I know that too well. Eheheh…(kicks mine). I'm glad you like the description, though I believe this chapter doesn't have that much. Thanks for the review!

Chapter Seven: To The City

When Ryou finally stopped crying, he was so tired that he nearly fell asleep instantly. Bakura said nothing as he placed the prince into the bed, ignoring his throbbing arm for now.

The child stared at Bakura, his eyes heavy with confusion as he tried to fight off sleep.

"What is it?" Bakura asked.

Ryou only hesitated for a moment. "Bakura…is there something wrong with me?"

There was no hesitation as the thief replied, "Nothing." Then, curious as to the origin of such an odd question, he asked, "Why?"

No answer. The child had already fallen asleep. Bakura sighed as he pushed the conversation out of his mind.

I can't stay here…I've got to get out. Despite his thoughts, the thief lingered there, sitting next to the sleeping prince. As time slowly went by, Bakura tried to figure out why he was so uncertain and undecided about leaving.

He couldn't stand this place, with all its arrogant people and power-hungry fiends. So why am I still here? His wounds seemed reason enough, since the medicine being used to treat him was quite expensive and hard to come by.

But he knew that wasn't the reason.

Bakura glanced at the little prince, and cursed his luck. Then he settled himself next to the bed, pulling up the chair from the table in front of the fire.

The only thing that made him stay that night was that the child would cry over his disappearance.

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The Next Morning
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Marik chortled a vivacious 'good morning' as he walked into Ryou's room. Almost instantaneously, he grew red.

Bakura sat at the table, a grape halfway in his mouth, grinning wickedly at Marik's display of greeting. Ryou, who was sitting across from him, glanced back and smiled.

"Good morning, Marik," Ryou replied, his voice a little heavy from lack of sleep.

"What's he doing, eating with you?" Marik asked, incredulous.

Bakura seized his opening. "Aren't you supposed to say 'my prince' at the end of that?"

As Marik grew even redder, Ryou quickly added, "No, it's fine. He's a friend, so he doesn't have to."

"In private, little one," Marik corrected. "In public, it is a different issue."

"How so?" the thief asked, playing the devil's advocate. Bakura munched on another grape, stretching a little.

Marik stared at the thief as he continued to eat the prince's breakfast. "You…boor." He stalked over to the table, and grabbed Bakura's wrist.

Raising an eyebrow, Bakura looked quite amused. His gaze went from Marik's hand and up to match the Captain's glower. "You think you can stop me?"

Marik gritted his teeth. In a strained voice, he said, "Such disrespect to the prince is intolerable. Slaves are not allowed to feast with royalty, nonetheless their masters."

"I'm not a slave," Bakura growled. He shook Marik off, and went back to eating his meal. "I don't belong to anyone but myself."

"Nonsense. You belong to the prince. That plate on that shoulder of yours has his name on it-"

"Marik," Ryou warned.

The Captain froze, knowing that he had overstepped his boundaries. Looking away, he gave an apology.

Ryou then offered, "Marik, have some grapes. They're delicious."

The soldier didn't know how many times he had been surprised by the little prince in the past week. Since when did he go against protocol so often? Ever since this thief had showed up, a side of Ryou that Marik had never seen had been revealed. A side that held a promising prince, as well as the defiant child that was hidden all along.

"No one is watching, Marik," Ryou added softly. He picked up the bowl and held it in front of him. "Try one."

Slowly, Marik took the fruit from the basin. As he munched on it, Ryou smiled happily and slid off of his chair. Marik watched him as he fetched medicine and bandages before standing next to Bakura.

"It's time to change those," Ryou said, referring to Bakura's shoulder.

"I can do it myself now," Bakura murmured, but lowered his arm without further protest.

Ryou carefully undid the previous binding, cleaned the dried blood, and applied more balm. As he tried to put on a new layer of bandages, Marik lent a hand. Silently, he held the first one in place gently, taking care not to harm the thief, as Ryou finished his work.

Bakura rose, slowly moving his left shoulder. He winced. "Well, it's not as painful as before, Ryou."

"That's good."

"You mustn't…call the prince so casually in public if you don't want to create trouble for him," Marik muttered.

Bakura sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I won't. Besides, I'm not that stupid." Ryou opened his mouth to say something. However, Bakura ruffled his hair lightly before any words made it out and asked him, "What do you want to do today?"

At the prince's confused look, Bakura quickly explained, "You've been stuck inside for quite a few days because of me. Don't you want to go out and try something?" A single thought clouded Bakura's mind. That way, I can leave with ease. And peace of mind, somehow. The snow-haired teen quickly swatted the thought away, the notion of staying still wavering in his mind.

"When father sees me out of my room, he'll make me study," Ryou quietly said. "But…I would like to go horseback riding."

"Then let's go."

At Marik's words, both Ryou and Bakura exchanged looks.

"We can take lunch in the garden, or if you want, in the city," Marik hurriedly said. "I'll make sure the Pharaoh never finds out about it."

There was a small silence before Ryou giggled. "The city! Let's go the city!" Bakura chuckled as the prince scrambled for some cloaks. "I want to see the new obelisk, and visit the water fountains, and-"

The next five minutes were a little hectic as they decided how to get to the city, how to smuggle out horses, and how to make sure no one recognized them.

As they prepared to leave for the bustling Cairo from the balcony, Ryou gave Marik a hug and a thanks.

The Captain waved it off, smiling sheepishly, as they walked out onto the patio. Bakura casually said to Marik, "You know, you blush too easily."

AN: Sorry for it being so short. I got writer's block for a minute, in the beginning. I couldn't decide where to go from there…please review and tell me what you think of the outcome. I hope you liked the chapter.