Ryou sat on his bed reading Ryouko's diary. They had just gotten to his place, though Yami's wild protests, and brought the diary from the owner of the painting on the way. Bakura came in with drinks for them all. He didn't like making breakfast since he was a bit of a sleepyhead, but he was a good chef otherwise.
"You're gonna make your eyes bleed as much as you're reading, Ryou," Bakura told his younger brother quietly.
"But this is not a novel, it is history," Ryou told him, lifting up the dairy with its scarlet leather cover for him to see.
Bakura just shook his head and watched Yugi sip his drink. His eyes flew over to the other two before he sat down against the wall with a drink of his own.
Malik looked at him curiously. He had almost waited for the older albino to be rougher than Yami. Yugi's brother had showed that he could be very gentle, he just had this almost fatherly suspicion towards the ones coming close to his brother. Bakura didn't seem to have any troubles with him and Seto.
"Um, Bakura?" he asked carefully. "Why do you hate Yami? I mean, you seem so nice to Yugi… I mean…"
"Don't say anymore. I know what you mean. You mean that I should hate Yugi since I hate his brother, don't you?"
Malik nodded quietly, a little ashamed for asking, but he was curious. Yugi and Ryou didn't seem to mind the question either, but they paid attention to Bakura's answer.
"Yugi isn't Yami. I have nothing up to the little one. But Yami just makes me sick."
"Because Ryou was hanging on him all the time?" Yugi asked innocently.
Bakura as well as Ryou glared at him through white bangs, but didn't say anything.
"I got it you played with Yugi when you were little, but that is none of my concern. Sorry for being so rude," Malik said in almost one breath, blushing at his own stupidity.
"Not at all," Bakura said, almost to Ryou's surprise. Sure, his brother had nothing against Yugi, but he really didn't like talking about it even with him.
"Will you ever tell me the reason you like Yugi?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, Yugi giving him the same look.
"Well, he was Ryou's first friend and he looked so… I don't know, helpless when Ryou was not there. Do you even know how small you look when sad?" Bakura said with a raised eyebrow of amusement at the younger Atemu.
Yugi just rolled his eyes. He wasn't really sure what to think about the other. Instead he returned to translate the French text they had found on the internet about the painting. He didn't notice Bakura's eyes lying steadily on him.
Bakura knew why he had sympathized Yugi so much when they were little. Everyone just walked past the tiny boy sitting in a corner staring at a toy he didn't dare to touch while Ryou was gone, home in sickness. Yami had always had a lot of friends because he was good-looking and strong, confident among others and an object for many girls attention. But Yugi, the little one was always in his older brother's shadow. He knew that Yami loved his brother, he was just a little self-centred sometimes.
Ryou had been very weak and forced to stay home for some periods of time, and those times Yugi didn't have any playmate. Somehow Bakura felt like he had to replace that empty place between Yugi whenever Ryou was gone. And Yugi had simply accepted that it was him. Yugi didn't see the differences between people and people, he saw them for what they were.
"Plus, Ryou still sleeps with that teddy bear you gave him, remember?"
Yugi stared at Bakura before he moved his gaze to a blushing Ryou.
"Is that true?"
With a death glare at Bakura Ryou reached for the old teddy from behind his pillow. He didn't want anyone to know about the bear so he hid it there during the days. Not even Yugi knew he still had it since every time Yugi was over, or the other way around, Yugi's presence somehow replaced the bear's. But like he had any choice now.
Yugi giggled when Ryou placed the bear in his lap and hugged it as he glared draggers at Malik and Seto who quickly looked away, Malik biting his tongue to suppress a snigger.
Finishing his drink the older albino left the group alone.
"Hey, guys. I think I've found something interesting," Ryou said once he had read through a certain page.
"Read it aloud," Yugi encouraged him.
Mars 15, 1630
The princess is suffering. I heard from Miss Malin that the king was the last one of her relatives still alive or close to her. I could tell from her face, I could tell from her movements. It is a terrible loss on her, and the worst is that I can not think of anything to help her. I feel so helpless. Kyoko said that she never had seen such purity as the princess's suffer so hard. Neither have I. Miss Malin told me that last time the princess lost a family member she got angry, so angry in fact the whole castle feared her some time after that. But this time she just went to her room in silence, not saying a word and not looking at anyone.
I wonder what he would have done if he was still here. The princess's brother. I do not know his name since it is forbidden to ever mention it, especially now. I think I know why though. I heard from Malin that the princess's heart was shattered when he disappeared. I asked her why he disappeared, but she would not answer such a question. Still I think I know.
I really think the princess loved her brother, just like she loves everything else around her. I wonder how he is now, wherever he is. Does he still think about his only sister?
It was silent after Ryou read.
"It seems like the princess had a brother, but we haven't found anything about something like that," Seto said, eyeing through his notes.
"That's right," Malik shot in. "What we have found out the princess was the king's only child. But then again, what about Ryouko. You told me she apparently was the princess's sister."
"And we still don't have the princess's name," Yugi said a little annoyed.
"And I don't know about you, but I think this Kyoko girl who was supposed to have written the note at the backside of the painting is not a nurse. Ryouko talks about her as a member of a family. But that would be impossible," Ryou said frowning, turning the pages to the beginning a bit.
"Yeah, that means that the princess had three siblings in total," Malik said.
"Then once again, you read "his only sister" about that brother of hers," Seto said.
Yugi ruffled his wavy hair wildly as if he had become crazy, making the three colours blend together. "I can't take all these riddles at the same time. Let's get further with this and maybe we find some more answers later."
"Good point," the others agreed retuning to their tasks.
Yugi's text didn't cast much light over the situation. Malik's uncovered that the princess's mother had been banished from the kingdom, but not why. Seto's text was more like gossip. Like that the queen was a whore and had four children with different fathers.
"That can't be so much to walk on," Malik said biting on his pen.
"I don't know," Yugi said. "It would make some sense if it was true."
This simple statement made the others stare at him as if he had grown a second head.
"It would be nice if you explained that," Seto said wide eyed.
"Oh, well. Ryou read that the princess had just one full blood brother, so I believe she had those two with the king. The queen got banished, if she turned into a whore to make her living and had other children, they would automatically become the princess's half siblings. Ryou also uncovered that the princess's brother disappeared. If he did and Ryouko, and maybe even Kyoko, was taken in at the castle after it, of cause they wouldn't think of him as a brother of theirs, would they?"
"And then I've found another thing," Malik said quietly.
"What?" Ryou voiced the other's thoughts.
"Well, it's probably just a coincidence, but both girls' names ends with –ko. Maybe the princess's name also did."
"Not impossible," Seto said thoughtfully. "A mother often wants something that connects her children. I don't believe a whore could give anything to her daughters but a name."
"You're right," Ryou said. "That's probably why Yugi and I are so alike our brothers."
That caused them all, including Seto, to laugh. Like a mother could ever decide what her children would look like.
"Yuniko."
"Eh?"
Ryou sat and just stared at the random page he had pulled up. "I seemed to have missed a page in the beginning," the albino said and started to read.
January 17, 1630
I am so lucky. All of my dreams have come true at the same day. We were accepted into the castle grounds and placed among the higher ranked slaves, which alone is a dream. I have never seen such a huge place and so many people living in the same place. Mother said that most of them are cleaning the castle every day, and with such a huge castle I understand why they need so many to do it.
But suddenly she came. The princess. I wonder how many times I have tried to imagine this girl, but all my visions of her suddenly feel very unfair and not even close to the truth. I have never seen such a beauty. At the whorehouse where my mother worked there were a lot of pretty girls, but they all look like dead weed beside the princess. She offered me a room of my own. I am not sure why, but she insisted, and I can not refuse an order of a higher class, especially not from her. I feel so ugly when she is close. So dirty I do not dare to touch her. I feel like her white dress will turn black if I touch the silky material. She also invited Kyoko to an own room. It looked so funny. Kyoko have always been so cold, calm and unaffected by her surroundings. But when the princess come close and smiles to her, she blushes like nothing else and her movements become almost clumsy.
But I still wonder what became of mother. I refuse to believe she has been taken away from us for good. The princess herself told us, but I still refuse to believe. Why would she leave? Why would she have been taken by those creatures? I can not understand, and I can not believe. I do not know what to believe in. But as I am here, inside the castle of my dreams, my worry slowly fades away until it is just a small, stinging prick in my heart.
The princess just showed me and Kyoko to a room where we could have a bath and clean ourselves. But even though I feel like I scrubbed my skin off, I still feel so dirty beside her.
She told me to address her by her name. But I can not do it. She has a beautiful name, Yuniko, Unicorn. I feel like I am not worthy of addressing her like that. I know even Kyoko feel like me. I wish I could understand what the princess plans to do with us. I can not believe she would do anything dirty, like selling us away to someone. A pure heart like her… no, it is not possible. She wears her heart on her sleeve, letting it spear light all around her. Yuniko, it is a suiting name. The name of purity itself.
Malik and Seto nodded in agreement.
"What we have found out about her I believe Ryouko is right. Yuniko is a suiting name for her. Even looking at the picture it feels just right. Don't you think so too Yugi?"
But the little one didn't seem to hear. His eyes were gazed over and he stared at nothing, like he couldn't see. Ryou was already there by his side shaking him with worry written all over his face.
"Yugi, snap out of it! Please don't look like that."
Yugi blinked and his eyes focused for a second. Enough to look up at Ryou's face. But then he suddenly fainted into his friend's arms.
"Bakura!" Ryou yelled for his brother in panic.
The older albino rushed into the room and looked around rapidly until he found his brother with an unconscious Yugi in his arms.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. I read something from that diary and suddenly he was all zoned out."
Malik and Seto could just watch. Ryou was out of his mind with worry and for some reason, and Malik and Seto found their hearts rate picking up until they beat hard enough to break their ribs. Bakura took the situation in his own hands and started to give orders.
"Call Yami while I try to wake him up. That freaking idiot should know better if it happened before. You two, get me some water and something strong smelling."
Ryou ran over to the phone and dialled Yugi's number with trembling hands. He didn't know why he was so scared all of sudden. It just didn't feel right that Yugi, the most living person he knew, would faint just like that. He was fine before he started reading.
"Yami," came a voice from the other line.
"Yami, it's me. Something happened to Yugi."
"What? Ryou? What happened?"
"I don't know, he just… fainted. He looked all zoned out and… I don't know what happened, he was just… out of it. Hallo? Yami are you there?"
But the other line was silent as Yugi's brother already was out of the door running towards Ryou's house.