In which Ryou receives another rude awakening, and Bakura discovers a substitute for the Mask of Truth.
I don't own any of the Yugioh or Zelda characters.
- - -
Ryou awoke when something warm and decidedly wet brushed his cheek. Rubbing at the slippery trail that now ran along his face he rolled onto his back and looked around blearily. A giant red tongue extended from one side of his vision to the other and before he could move it got him full on. Ryou sat up sputtering and crossed his arms in front of himself defensively as the large black and white head of a cow nuzzled up to him and tried to lick him again.
"No. Bad cow!" Ryou struggled to fend off the over-friendly bovine, but no matter how hard he pushed the cow wouldn't budge. Ryou saw the tongue start to snake out again and he rolled to the side, in the process managing to tumble off the pile of hay in which he'd been sleeping. He landed on a wooden floor that was caked in trodden down straw and woodchips. His nose wrinkled automatically as dust kicked up from his tumble flew into the air and then drifted slowly down around his head. The cow lowed dejectedly and there was a short burst of clear laughter. Ryou jumped, surprised to hear a human voice; there wasn't anyone standing in the open interior of the barn or in the doorway, and he was pretty sure that the voice hadn't belonged to Bakura (and so couldn't have been only inside his head). He caught a glimpse of movement in his peripheral vision and turned to find a hand waving at him from under the cow's stomach. Once the initial shock wore off Ryou tiptoed up and peered over the cow.
Seated on a milking stool, a bucket half-full of milk pinned masterfully between her feet was a young woman with orange hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled up at Ryou apologetically. "Sorry about Bessie," she motioned at the cow. "She tends to get like that when she's being milked."
"N-no problem," Ryou sunk down below the ridge of Bessie's back, trying to hide his embarrassment. The woman chuckled and then pulled the bucket out from under the cow and placed it carefully to the side. She stood up, wiping her hands on her apron before extending one for Ryou to shake. He peered up and took the proffered hand sheepishly, shaking it once before letting his hand fall back to rest on Bessie's flank.
"I'm Cremia, the owner of this ranch," the woman said kindly. "I heard from your brother that you two ended up getting caught up in my little sister's silly game last night."
"I don't have a brother…" Ryou said, puzzled.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed you were related since you look so much alike. His name is Bakura, right?"
"Yeah, that's him." Ryou wondered why he felt so surprised; it wasn't like it was an uncommon occurrence for he and Bakura to be confused for siblings.
"And you're Ryou?" Cremia had made her way around the cow, effectively negating Ryou's barrier. He straightened up and tried not to look too uncomfortable.
"I'm really sorry for imposing on you like this, it's just that with the aliens and all I didn't manage to get any sleep last night."
Cremia gave him a strange look. "There weren't any aliens."
"There… weren't?" Ryou felt himself grow confused. If those things hadn't been aliens then what were he and Bakura kidnapped by? He would have happily passed the entire event off as a bad dream if it hadn't been for the fact that he had just been woken up by a cow in the middle of a barn.
"No. My sister has this strange thing where she believes that some sort of creatures come out of the sky before the festival and try to kidnap our cows. She's been stringing balloons up all over the ranch recently to practice her bowmanship. You and your friends must have confused them for real monsters in the dark," Cremia patted Ryou on the shoulder. "I'm sorry that you ended up loosing sleep over it."
"Wait… friends?" Ryou didn't think he knew anyone other than Bakura in this strange world. "Ummm… what festival are you talking about?"
Cremia tapped her chin with a slender forefinger. "Did you maybe fall and bump your head last night?" she asked. Ryou opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off. "You do remember Link don't you, the small boy in green? And I'm talking about the Carnival of Time of course. Even if you are new to this land I'd expect you'd have heard of it, it's all everyone in Termina has been talking about recently. Well, that and how the moon is supposedly going to fall out of the sky."
Ryou didn't know what to say. He had to admit that he wasn't doing a very good job at acting like he belonged here, and it was making him far more anxious than running from monsters in the Shadow Realm ever had. He wanted nothing more than to sneak out the door, but proper social etiquette had him bound in place until he was dismissed. "Maybe I did hit my head…" Ryou lied, rubbing his scalp through his long white hair and noticing for the first time that there were several pieces of straw tangled in it. He tugged at the pieces, trying to disengage them without the help of a mirror.
As Cremia watched the teen struggle her suspicion seemed to abate, eventually she giggled. "If you're needing a ride into town I'll be heading in this evening to deliver a shipment of milk and you and your friends are more than welcome to come along."
"Ah, yes, thank you," Ryou accepted without really comprehending, he was still too focused on getting out the straw.
"Alright, I'll see you in front of this barn at 7 pm. Feel free to wander about until then."
"Thank you," Ryou had caught the part that said he was free to wander about, so without any hesitation he trotted out the barn door and around the corner. He stopped once he had made it a goodly distance along the barn wall and leaned against the wooden planking, throwing up a hand to shield his eyes from the bright afternoon sun. "Well that was just perfect," he moaned sarcastically, his muscles slowly relaxing as the wood warmed his back. "Now she must think I'm insane."
"Who thinks you're insane?"
For the second time since waking up Ryou nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wh-who?" he stuttered, looking around frantically.
"Look down," the voice chided. Ryou did as he was told and found himself looking at a half-size replica of Cremia. "I'm Romani," the young girl said.
"Ah, yes. We were helping you beat the aliens back last night, right?"
The girl nodded. "Yes, I wanted to thank you for that," she threw her arms around Ryou's waist and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you so much for helping me protect the cows!"
Ryou couldn't help but smile. He patted Romani on the head. "It was my pleasure," he replied.
The girl released him and danced away. "I've got to go do my chores now!" she called back to him as she vanished behind the barn. Ryou waved as she went and then turned to face the field that had been speckled with aliens the night before. It didn't seem quite as enormous as it had in the dark, but even so it was a sight to behold. The bright green grass stretched out until it reached the cliff-face that encircled the ranch, broken only by a dirt road that ran past the house. Several trees provided shelter for the black and white cows that roamed in the distance, munching on grass or resting quietly in the shade.
Cremia had said that he could wander around, but as Ryou scanned the field he began to wonder exactly where he could go. He'd had his fill of cows for the day, and he wasn't tired enough to take a nap in the shade of one of the trees. I wonder what Bakura is doing right now. The teen sighed and then pushed off from the barn wall. He passed by the crate they'd plundered the night before and kept going until he came to the road.
In one direction the road passed beneath a wooden arch before snaking its way out of the enclosed area through a gap in the cliffs. In the other direction sat two buildings that Ryou had missed the night before due to the darkness. Ryou looked from the arch, to the buildings, and back again. He didn't want to get lost in whatever land lay beyond the ranch, and yet he wasn't excited about having to interact with any more strangers who might ask him questions that he couldn't possibly answer. He sighed and pulled off his jacket, draping it over one arm. Hunger pains were beginning to gnaw at his stomach, making him feel lightheaded and his mouth was completely dry. "I wish I had eaten more for dinner last night…" he moaned before heading towards the two distant buildings.
- - -
"Hmmm, where should I go? The Cucco Shack, or the Doggie Racetrack?"
Ryou stood on the edge of the road, looking at the carved, banner-like signs that adorned the fronts of the two houses. Though he wasn't sure what a Cucco was, it seemed more likely that he'd be able to get a free meal there than at the racetrack. He made his way onto the shack's porch and then over to the door. There wasn't any response when he knocked, so he tried the knob and discovered that the door swung inward easily.
What he found on the other side surprised him. The door opened out onto another porch, this one leading into a small enclosure with walls and trellises scattered randomly throughout. Sitting under a tree in the center was a pale, bare-chested man with pointed ears, yellow pants and a Mohawk that would be the envy of any punk rocker.
"Hello?" Ryou called to the man, seeing that he was apparently lost in thought.
The man looked up slowly. "Hey," he sighed.
Slightly taken aback by the man's depressed manner Ryou was about to back out the door when his stomach growled loudly. The man's eyes studied him quietly, and then sighing again he reached at something behind his back and pulled out a chunk of bread and a bottle of milk. He held them out to Ryou, who walked over and accepted them with an abashed look on his face. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"You're new here. You a refugee?" the man asked, leaning his chin into the palm of his hand and gazing off into the distance.
"I suppose you could say that," Ryou replied, remembering in time to hide his ignorance of the happenings in the world.
The man was quiet, so Ryou took the opportunity to eat, rapidly finishing off both bread and milk. As he was placing the empty bottle on the ground near the man he heard something peeping softly on his left. He looked over and saw a tiny yellow chick approaching him cautiously, big black eyes twinkling in the bright sunlight. Ryou lay down and extended his hand, utterly captivated by the tiny ball of yellow fluff. The chick watched his fingers get closer, obviously curious, and even let Ryou pet it's head several times before scurrying off around the back of a trellis. Ryou giggled, feeling extremely silly, and then glanced up at the man.
The man's eyes were watching where the chick had disappeared, a hint of loving kindness in them that Ryou found a stark contrast to the rest of his sullen expression. "I'd be leaving too if it wasn't for these little guys," the man said sadly.
"Do you regret not being able to leave?" Ryou curled up onto one side and watched the play of the light as a breeze touched the leaves above them.
"My only regret is that I'll never be able to see them grow up into roosters."
Ryou was about to point out that he could take the chicks with him and escape when there was a commotion behind him. The door flew open violently and ricocheted off the wall with a bang loud enough to make even the sullen Cucco man start in shock. Framed in the doorway was Bakura, the tails of his trench coat swirling behind him. In one hand he held the Millennium Ring, it's pointers glowing brightly and aiming right at Ryou. The thief ran over and grabbed his hikari by the arm. "I need you for something," he growled as he hauled Ryou to his feet and then began to drag him back towards the door.
The Cucco man watched his guest go and raised his hand ever so slightly in farewell.
Once outside the shack Ryou managed to wrench his arm out of Bakura's death-grip and put on his best scowl as the thief turned about. "What was that for?" Ryou exclaimed, feeling bad that he hadn't gotten the chance to thank the strange man for feeding him.
Bakura grabbed Ryou's shoulders and leaned in close, his voice a harsh whisper. "You probably aren't going to believe me… but the dogs, they were talking to me!" Bakura's eyes were wider than Ryou could ever remember having seen them and there was sweat trickling down his jaw.
"What dogs?"
"The dogs in that racetrack," Bakura pointed at the other building. "Come on, I want to see if you can hear them too."
"Alright, but first…" Ryou caught the collar of the thief's trench as he was turning around and gave it a sharp tug, dislodging it from Bakura's shoulders. "It's too warm to be wearing something like this," Ryou chided as he pull the trench the rest of the way off. "You'll get heat-stroke."
"Fine." Bakura accepted the now folded coat and draped it over one shoulder. "Now let's go."
- - -
Ten minutes later, Ryou watched as his dark half ran about in the center of the racetrack, a train of terrier-like dogs chasing joyously after him. The dogs were obviously enjoying this new game; Bakura on the other hand seemed more flustered than ever. No matter how hard Ryou had tried he hadn't been able to hear anything but barking from the dogs, a fact that had clearly unnerved the thief. Eventually Ryou had given up and gone to sit in the shade beside the racetrack's matron, a rather large woman in a blue and white striped sundress.
"Those are the dogs that run in the races, right?" Ryou asked, not really wanting to break the silence, but too curious not too.
"Yup, that's them," the woman replied, fanning herself with one hand.
"How do the races work exactly?"
The woman turned to Ryou, and excited glint in her eyes. "Well, all you need to do is go and pick the dog that you think is going to win. Then you place a bet on the race. If the dog you chose comes in first then you win three times the amount you bet. If your dog comes in second you win two times the amount. From third to fifth place you break even and in sixth you lose out."
"It seems like kind of lopsided odds," Ryou remarked. "I mean, there's only a one in six chance that the person betting will lose, the rest of the time they'd at least break even."
The matron smiled. "You'd be surprised at how often people can't seem to pick a winning dog."
"Pick a winning dog for what?" Bakura had jogged over and collapsed beside his hikari in the shade.
"The races," Ryou explained. "We pick a dog and bet on it for a chance at multiplied winnings."
"Oh," Bakura reached for his coat that lay discarded on the grass behind him and began to rummage through the pockets. Eventually he pulled out a handful of cut green stones that Ryou remembered vaguely from the night before. He seemed to recall finding them alongside the arrows in the tall grass. Bakura held out the stones to the woman. "Would this be enough to bet?" he asked.
"Five rupees?" the woman looked surprised. "Well, it isn't much, but I don't see why not."
"Great!" Bakura sprang to his feet and trotted back to the group of dogs. Ryou and the woman watched as he paused in front of each of the canines, his arms crossed pensively. When he came to a gray dog he paused longer than normal, and then scooped the dog up and came back to where they sat. The dog seemed perfectly content to be carried, its ears were perked up and a pink tongue hung from its mouth as it panted from the heat.
"I'd like to place a bet on this one," Bakura stated as he handed the five rupees over to the woman.
The woman accepted them with a grin. "Ok, you two can just wait here as I get set up."
Once the woman was out of earshot Ryou asked Bakura quietly. "Why that dog?"
Bakura looked down at the dog under his arm. "I think he can win… and so does he apparently."
"Hmmm," Ryou reached out and petted the dog, feeling its coarse fur tickle his palm. His hand brushed up against the Millennium Ring when he went to stroke the dog's neck.
"I think I can win!"
Ryou froze, but the voice was gone. He looked around, unsure if he had just imagined it. The dog studied him, cocking its head cutely. Bakura also studied him, though without the cute head tilt. "What is it?" he asked.
Ryou shook his head, trying to clear it. "I don't know. I thought for a moment there that I heard something."
Bakura looked at Ryou and then at the dog, finally his eyes dropped to the Millennium Ring. "Well duh!" Bakura smacked his forehead with his palm and then grabbed Ryou's hand, holding it against the Ring on his chest.
Ryou felt his cheeks begin to redden, but then he was distracted by the voice he had heard before.
"I think I can win!"
"Is that-"
"The dog?" Bakura finished his hikari's question. "Yes, it is. I knew that the power of the Millennium Ring let me look into the souls of others, but I've never had it let me understand animals before. It must be a phenomenon unique to this world"
"That's… bizarre," Ryou said. "But I guess we shouldn't complain, right?"
Bakura's face split into a grin. "You're finally catching on."
- - -
It turned out that the dog was right when it thought it could win, and as the day progressed the racetrack matron began to wonder if she should perhaps re-think her claim that most people never chose a winning dog.
- - -
Bakura: Wow, look at that. The third chapter up and still not even a single review…
Ryou: Chronoswolf must be making a sad face right now.
Chronoswolf: TT_TT
Bakura: On another note, why am I so spazzy in this chapter?
Ryou: At least you aren't socially inept… (I did get to blush though).
Bakura: Be glad all you did is blush. With Chronos' kinky mind it's a wonder that this fic has been tame so far.
Chronoswolf: For the yaoi! (I can still write some in later).
Ryou & Bakura: No one encourage her!!!