Author's Notes:
A wise man once said "better late than never". That man was indeed wise.
So, sorry for the tardiness, but the summer was hectic as was getting back into the school year. Hopefully now that we are back into it things will start to flow smoother.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Ryou had only woken up a couple of hours ago, having overexerted himself attempting to give Mai the wedding she deserved. But unconsciousness had its upsides: he didn't have to work, worry about the war, listen to aging generals ramble on about the same tactics, or deal with his friends' suspicions about his every move.
But any break the Prince might've had ended the moment his eyes had opened. From the moment his chocolate orbs opened, the medics allowed people into his resting tent.
Ishizu was the first person in, asking who he believed should take the throne should he be unfit to rule. Ryou had nearly rolled his eyes, knowing fully well that the witch wanted nothing more than to dethrone him. Had it been his father here instead of him, she would've begged him to start making decisions the moment he could see clearly (something Ryou still wasn't doing). The witch was probably hoping that her brother would be next in line. But Ryou knew the true burden of being a Prince and had no intentions of subjecting his friends to the same type of torture.
Next were the military generals, blathering uselessly on and on about the same tactics. With his ears ringing and his head pounding, the boy couldn't tolerate their endless chattering and had quickly sent them out.
Finally, the Prince's friends were allowed into the room, and like the good friends they are, they didn't worry over how he got injured, or what illegal magic he knew. No, his friends are truly and genuinely concerned with his well-being. If he were well. If he could see how many fingers they were holding. If he could hear them. If he remembered what happened. Ryou moaned softly, clasping his hands over his ears and shaking his head wildly. His friends understood him, holding him tightly, whispering words of comfort whenever he slipped into bouts of hysteria, warning him or further damage. Ryou listened.
The group talked as they had all those years ago, speaking of games they had loved to play, of good books they had read, and most importantly, of the human realm. They gossiped like teenage girls about how humans behave and what was currently happening. They spoke of corruption and of prostitutes who had risen to fame, of good deeds and sacrifices for the less fortunate.
But one cannot ignore a war for long, especially when the war is going on right outside one's doorstep. It started with Malik stating how he missed Marik, and the conversation had continued from there.
"I just don't get it. Do you think they really burnt down the castle?" Ryou asks.
"Who else would do it?" This came from Joey, who had never trusted the bastards (and he did not have a crush on Seto regardless of what his friends said).
"Perhaps it was one of our former trading partners?" Suggests the Prince, propped up on an elbow and staring at the blond.
Joey thought for a second before shaking his head vehemently. "Then why are they allied with us against the demons?"
Ryou's answer is quick, requiring almost no thought, "The demons would've been the perfect scapegoat."
Joey stares skeptically at his 'friend'. These last few months had been trying, and the teen in front of him was the foremost cause of his headaches. "Let's pretend it isn't the demons; then who could've done it?"
Yugi and Malik turn their heads to Ryou, the two stuck in the middle and watching the fight like a ping pong match. Neither offered their own opinions, which was uncharacteristic of Malik. But, now that the angel thought about it, it had seemed strange that the Demon Castle was destroyed the same day as the Angel Castle. A little too strange, even if the angels and demons have problems with each other, the fact that both castles went down on the same day seemed almost too coincidental. This had to have been done by someone else, a third party. But why had this third party not shown itself then; did they know that the Angel Prince and Demon King would immediately declare war ad blame it on the other not notice said third party, or was it just a tactical error?
"...hates us!" Malik only heard the end of Ryou's response, and a single glance between the two told them that things weren't looking good for the Prince.
"And who would that be? There is no neutral ground, there is no gray area; you are either on Team Angel or Team Demon." Joey yells. And as if a light bulb went off, Malik got it. he knows exactly who's behind it.
~.~
The first thing Rebecca realized upon returning to the camp was that that first battle (now known as the Battle at Angel Dome) had been a complete success. It was obvious that the angels had been looted, the way the demons gorged themselves with exotic fruits.
Men were starting to look a little pudgy around the edges, with wayward tufts of grass sticking to their chins as they crammed themselves full with papaya, mangos, guavas, and starfruit. Orange and pink juices staind their faces as the leaked down their chins, landing on their bulging bellies as they continued to eat. Pulp-covered fingers grabbed greedily at the boxes of food as the soldiers had their fill. This scene wasn't out of the norm; Rebecca was used to this.
What she hasn't expected, or at least hadn't expected to walk in on, was Bakura. Or more specifically, what he and Iona were eating.
There stood Bakura and Iona in all their glory, indulging themselves with not only the precious fruits stolen from the angels, but also meats, those of which Rebecca had never seen before. That is, of course, until she looked down to the floor and saw the feathers littered beneath. These weren't any regular feathers; these were angel feathers.
Her knees buckled under her and she felt her vision start to swim. The girl stumbled back, desperately clutching at the fabric of the tent to retain her balance. The demon was nauseated, unable to comprehend how Iona could calmly lick her lips and dive back into her meal, disregarding the fact she was participating in cannibalism. In fact, it was Bakura who had the decency to actually stop and address the girl.
"Bakura, I need to speak with you alone." The words came naturally to her; she had done this millions of times before. She had pulled Bakura from friends, parties, even family.
So when Iona growled at her, Rebecca was more than a bit taken aback. "Anything you need to say to Bakura must also be said to me." The Advisor turns to look at her King, waiting for him to dismiss this upstart girl.
"As my future queen, I believe she should be included within all political affairs." Crimson eyes narrow at the Advisor, and Rebecca finds herself stumbling out the tent.
Fear overtakes the girl, and she finds herself dodging clumps of sprawled out men as she looks for possibly the last sane people within the Demon Kingdom. And it truly means something when the last sane people anywhere are the king's friends.
~.~
"The Half'n'Halfs? Why would you accuse them?" Ryou looked genuinely confused the moment the words left Malik's mouth.
Unsurprisingly, Joey agreed, "Are you accusing Mai of being a traitor? How dare you; after all she's done, how can you stand there and even consider that she'd do anything like that?" rants Joey, his cheeks a bright red and his veins popping from his neck.
"Just think about it. The Half'n'Halfs are considered scum to both the Angel and Demon Realms; don't you think they might be mad from being treated like servants?" Malik questions.
"But—but, my father, Mai, we utilized them. They were full citizens." Ryou stammers, sitting up and watching his friend closely now.
"Exactly, you /utilized/ them. Only one had a position of importance. The others were servants; they were paid, but they were servants." Ryou frowns as the information reaches him. He had never meant to enslave the half'n'halfs.
"Look, I'm not saying that this is your fault, but realistically the King is unfit to rule and we are waging a pointless war. Think about all the money, resources, and lives that are going to waste. If we team up with the demons, we might be able to survive and we'd get our...our boyfriends back."
"And what if you're wrong? And the demons really did kill the Royal Family and Mai really is innocent!" Yugi quickly clambers onto the blond's lap and tries to restrain him from lashing out.
"Joey, I'm not accusing all half'n'halfs, but think about the facts. Whoever attacked made an obvious flaw by attacking both the Angel and Demon Royal Families on the same night. Had the attacks been staggered, one could say that a war might have broken out. But it occurred at the same time. Whoever did this wanted our attention and is benefitting from the stupidity of both sides." Malik explains.
"No, they're benefitting from the lack of communication and trust." Ryou cuts in.
"Yeah, that's what I said, stupidity." Malik continues. By now, Joey had calmed down a bit and was starting to feel better.
"Fine, ready my carriages; I will be heading to the Demon Realm tonight. You are all to accompany me, as is Anzu. Tell the Generals to gather some mages and set up a new barricade, and tell them to strengthen it and block out any and all forms of dark magic." Ryou commands, hopping out of his bed. He stalks out of the tent with purpose, taking in the first rays of the sun.
It tickles his chin and warms his weary soul. A small smile finds its way to the whitenette's face and he finds himself abandoning the camp. The Prince isn't stupid and knows not to go too far away, not straying far from the border of the woods. Taking a deep breath, the angel smiles, allowing small wisps of magic to run from his fingers.
It had been so long since the Prince had practiced his magic, the anticipation of releasing even a little bit of his magic makes him smile. He runs his fingers over the cover of his trusty tome, taking in the familiar feeling and his familiar magic. He can feel the taints of the darker spells and the purity of others conglomerating on the very pages. But instead of opening the book and practicing one of the numerous secrets within, he is content to just stand there, breathing in the fresh air, soaking up the sun, rubbing his fingers over the cover, and expelling uncontrolled bursts of magic. Taking in another gulp of air, the angel exhales slowly as he exudes more and more magic.
"You just got out the hospital tent for over-exerting yourself. Don't you think you're using too much energy; don't you think it'd be wiser to save your it?" A tanned hand rests on his shoulder and Ryou jumps.
Turning around, Ryou is almost puppy-like in his excitement when he sees his friend, "Duke!" the boy almost squeals as he pulls his friend into a bone crushing hug.
"Hey Ryou," Duke greets casually and Ryou can't help it when another squeal escapes past his lips.
"You called me by my name!" Another hug for the sake of it, and then came the stream of questions. "Where have you been? What happened? I haven't seen you since the castle burned down. Did anyone you know get hurt? Were you captured?" And then the newly-seeded suspicion rises. "Are you one of them?"
"Yes." Without a moment's delay the chase of cat and mouse began.
~.~
"F*ck! I knew that witch couldn't be trusted!" Marik roars who smashes the table the group had been playing cards on when Rebecca had come in.
"And Iona is one of them?" Yami questions, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yes, she is the princess."
"No way." Marik groans, looking utterly befuddled.
Smirking, Rebecca answers, "Way."
"How'd you figure it out?" Seto finally asks the question on everyone's minds, looking to his fellow advisor. Even he had to admit that he was a little curious as to how he missed something that probably should have been so obvious.
"It's a simple spell. I broke into their stronghold and found a traitor."
"Did you pause to consider that she would double cross you?" Seto interrogates.
"I would, but she isn't a half'n'half. I don't know what she is, but she's at least a psychic. But that's not what matters; what matters is that we need to get Iona away from Bakura before something bad happens." Rebecca hisses.
"And how do we do that?" Yami asks. Rebecca chuckles.
"You're his friends, you figure that out."
Author's Notes:
So, technically it has been another year of me writing this, and truly, my goal is to finish this story before next year (September 2, 2015). Let's hope that happens.
Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope that you do to see how this story does end up.
Review…maybe, if you're not too angry