Chapter 5

Assigning

At the Musketeer HQ, Prince Yugi and Ryou are watching the musketeers train until their heard the voice of the summoned captain. "Ah Prince Yugi, it's an honor to have your royal presence amongst us."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Yugi went straight to business with Ryou giving the captain a death glare, "I order you to assign bodyguards." Then pointing to the men in training in the court yard, Yugi became more specific, "Musketeer bodyguards!"

Seeing the musketeers he has trained showing that any of them he assigns will make protecting the prince their duty with one musketeer stabbing a training dummy right in the center where the heart is located. With Ushio a little nervous, Yugi then demanded, "I expect you to have an assigned group of bodyguards in fifteen minutes at the palace."

Feeling that any of the musketeers he assigns will jeopardize his plans of taking over France, Ushio saw Yami and his friends as they work on cleaning the windows to one of the headquarters' towers on a scaffolding only for them to lose balance on it once it became unstable. Knowing what big screw ups those three are, Ushio had an light bulb moment. With a hidden smirk, Ushio said proudly with a hand on his tensed shoulder, "Prince, I have the perfect men in mind for you."

Shoving him away, Yugi snapped, "I hope you do. Thanks to your incompetence, this whole time of becoming endangered is really getting to be a real pain in the ass!" And so, watching the prince and his adviser leave to return to the palace in annoyance, the evil smirk returned as he went to gather the boys he has chosen as bodyguards.

In the laundry room, the boys are still upset about never becoming musketeers. But, not one to give up so easily, Yami first went over to Bakura and said with a gentle pat on the back, "Don't worry about what Captain Ushio said earlier. I'm certain there is a way for us to become musketeers."

In an instant, Bakura felt his spirits rise thanks to his best friend's words. "We can, Yami?"

With a nod, the two went over to Marik with Yami giving him a big cheerful smile, "Come on, Mar. We can prove Ushio is wrong about us as long as we work hard and stick together like we've had in the past, even before our dream began!"

Glancing toward Bakura, the albino simply gave him a grin in agreement to Yami's words. Turning back toward the tri-colored teen, Marik returned the smile. "You really think so?"

His hands on his hips, Yami said with a mischievous smirk planted on his face, "Come on, have I ever steered you two wrong?" Then Yami started to playfully noogie the sandy blond.

Laughing at their friend's playfulness, the same playfulness he had with them since they were children, both Bakura and Marik said with big smiles on their faces, "No, you never have!"

Now that both of his friends have their spirits raised high, Yami then added, "Just think, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, Captain Ushio is going to march through that door and say..."

But Yami couldn't finish his sentence when they heard the door swing wide open. "Congratulations boys!" The three friends turning toward the door in confusion, Ushio continued with a smile, "You've past the test. I've been watching you three and I now see that you have what it takes to be musketeers!"

To hear that come out of his mouth, the three boys ask at the exact same time, "Are you serious, sir?" With a single nod of his head, the boys turned toward each other and Yami said as they high-five each other, "Can you believe this; we're finally going to be musketeers!"

Waving for them to follow, Ushio said to the excited teenagers, "Come with me boys and I'll explain while you three get into your uniforms."

Within a few minutes, as Yami and his best friends got dressed, Ushio explained to them that since the prince's life has become endangered, he has ordered for musketeers to be assigned as his bodyguards. And so, now as the new musketeers, Captain Ushio lead them through the palace to outside the throne room. "You three wait here and I'll go schmooze the prince."

Being left alone in the hall, Yami turned toward the other two and said with his heart slightly racing with excitement, "This is it. Once these doors open and we are summoned inside, we have to make a first impression with the prince." Bakura and Marik then stand straight and tall as statues, just like how any warrior or soldier would present themselves. And so, with the three all set, they waited until the moment they are summoned.

In the throne room; "Your highness, I have never seen a well-talented group of men than the ones I've present to you today. Thanks to my keen eye, I have seen their full potential which is why they'll be your bodyguards."

Impatient with his ranting, Yugi simply waves with a small praise, "Well France thanks you and your 'keen eye' very much, Captain Ushio."

"And now, without further adieu, for your complete protection and safety, I present to you, your musketeers!"

With that said, the doors opened and in came Marik, then Yami and finally Bakura and the three saluted to the prince. But then, the moment Yami and Yugi locked eyes on each other, the prince and newly recruited musketeer were completely speechless as they look upon their look-alike. And when Bakura and Ryou also locked on each other, the two could only blush and glance away from each other.

Seeing how shorty and Mr. Thief stare at their look-alikes, Ushio couldn't help but chuckle. Hearing the chuckles he's trying to hide, Yugi and Ryou glared at the captain, making him stop and clear his throat. Now with them standing before the prince and adviser, Yugi turned to look back at the three and said with his gaze mainly on Yami, making the teen blush, "Well then, how about we start off with a carriage ride in the country side?"

With a nod from all three and a bow of respect, Marik answered, "Anything you want, your highness."

Turning away from the group, Ushio said, "I need to go check on a few things. So you five have fun." But as the musketeers escorted the prince and royal adviser out of the palace, they were unaware of the evil look across Ushio's face as he went to return to the Musketeer HQ.