Ryou jammed his hands in his pockets. There was a tall, black-haired young woman wearing a rich-looking gold necklace. And she was walking towards him. His mind whirled. That necklace looked heavy. She would notice it missing right away. That meant he had to take it and run. She was wearing sandals and a sundress, so it wouldn't be too hard to outrun her.
He glanced around quickly to make sure no one was around. No one. Ever since the Tachi Wars had started a year ago, people had been hesitant to walk about alone. "Excuse me!" Ryou locked eyes with the woman and smiled. She stopped short. "Yes?" Her voice was sweet and smooth with a heady undertone.
"Do…um…do you kn-know where Josh-shinko block is?" Ryou stuttered, feigning poor Japanese. The woman nodded with an understanding smile. "Follow me." She said, waving him along. Ryou grinned gratefully and fell into step a few feet diagonally from her.
He fingered the pocketknife in his pocket, just waiting for the chance to cut the delicate gold chain that cut into the back of her neck. Ryou steadily crept closer. When he was merely a foot away, the woman gasped and stopped short. Ryou used this opportunity to cut the chain. But before he could touch it, the woman whirled and gripped his wrist tightly. How the heck did she know?
He tried to wrench his arm away, but he was weak. The woman had him pinned face-down before too long. She sat resolutely on the small of his back, rather heavy for such a delicate-looking woman.
Then the woman reached into her purse and drew out a walkie-talkie. "Ishizu here. I have a thief detained who tried to steal my Millennium Item. Over." There was empty static, and then the walkie-talkie spoke. Ryou considered showing this bloody chit his powers, but a bigger audience would get him more respect. What was the phrase? Good things to those who wait.
He was thrown into a cell about 7 feet cubed. A single bed was shoved against the far wall, and a simple wooden chair graced the opposite corner. The light bulb that was supposed to give light to the cell had burned out, so the only light that came through came from the hallway, but even those lights barely allowed Ryou to see his hand in front of his face.
Sitting on the seat of the chair, however was an unlit candle. "Ah, there we go…" Ryou picked up the candle and blew a thin stream of fire over the wick. After a millisecond of darkness, the wick picked up the fire and started glowing. Ryou held it up to get a better look at his surroundings.
The cell was actually better than he first thought. The floor was relatively clean and the walls were nice and smooth. The bed looked rather lumpy, though… Oh wait. Someone was sleeping on it.
A boy with a green jacket and messy brown hair sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. "Who the heck are you?" He asked sleepily. Ryou narrowed his eyes. "I should be asking the same thing." He said. The boy shrugged and extended a hand. "My name's Ryuzaki. You can call me Rex though." Ryou shook his hand. "Ryou."
Rex nodded. "Nice to meetcha, Ryou." He said. What're you in for?" He asked. Ryou shrugged. "I tried to steal some chick's necklace." He replied. Rex's eyes widened. "You did what? Why? That's the Millennium Necklace, Einstein!" Rex burst out, launching to his feet. Ryou nodded, furrowing his eyebrows. "And…?" He asked.
"Wait. Do you know about the Millennium Items?" Rex asked curiously. "What are the Millennium Items?" Ryou asked in reply. Rex stared and Ryou for a minute, dumbfounded.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Seriously? You have no idea what the Millennium Items are?" Rex asked again. Ryou shook his head, curiosity pulsing in his chest. "What are they?" He asked, setting the candle carefully on the floor.
"They're these magical objects made by ancient Egyptian sorcerers. They have "mysterious powers". Rex said, making quotation marks with his fingers. "But everyone knows Maximilian's Eye can read minds, and Ishizu's necklace can see the future. It's a good thing they're both on our-"
"Necklace Chick can see the future?" So that's how she knew what he was going to do! Rex snorted at the name, 'Necklace Chick'. "Sort of. Usually, it only shows her stuff that directly involves her. But once in a while it'll show someone else's. That's how she knew that I was going to go after Yuugi's Item." Ryou absorbed this for a second.
How do know so much about these items?" Ryou asked. "I was a part of the gang, once." Rex replied. "They gloss over the items, but apparently it's the whole reason we're fighting. So I thought, 'If these things are so powerful, I want one!'. As I said before, I tried to take Yuugi's pendant." Rex rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… that was interesting. I still have three years down here, you know. They take this thievery very seriously.
"How is it down here?" Ryou asked. If it was good enough, he might just stay down here. Rex launched into a detailed explanation of everything from meals to bathroom breaks. "There's not many people down here. Me, you, a bratty little kid named Haga, and a weird guy who talks in a strange language. No one knows who he is, but he nearly stole all of the Items, so we call him Touzokuou, Thief King. Touzo for short. Most of us only made a mistake, so the guards are pretty lenient here." Ryou nodded. His ears perked up as he heard footsteps echoing down the corridor.
A teenage boy with spiky, tri-colored hair stopped in front of their cell, flashlight in one hand and a key in the other. He opened the door and pointed at Ryou "You. Come." Ryou shrugged and followed. Rex was right. A little kid with a stupid-looking bowl cut and coke-bottle glasses was playing with bugs in the cell next to Rex. In the cell next to that, a tall man with dark skin and red sleeveless shirt was lounging on his bed. When Ryou passed by, the man turned his head. A scar stretched from his hairline to just above his jaw, passing over his right eye. Then he turned his head to stare at the ceiling.
Ryou was shoved up a series of stairs and led through an underground labyrinth of grey green walls lit periodically and poorly by identical florescent bulbs. He was dragged though twists and turns by the cloth of his shoulder. Then they came to a set of sturdy wooden doors. The teen glanced back and shoved Ryou through.
Ryou grunted at the sudden exposure to so much light, though most of it was artificial. When his eyes adjusted, he took a step back. Nearly twenty people hemmed his in, forming a half-circle. The teen behind him shoved him forward. Ryou fell oh-so-gracefully to his hands and knees. "What is your name?" A young voice boomed.
Ryou stared as a young boy walked forward, stepping a few feet from Ryou. Ryou looked from the teenager to the boy. The boy looked nearly identical to the teen. Their eyes, their nose, the shape of their face, even the way their left eye twitched sometimes. The only noticeable differences were the boy's tamer appearance and significantly shorter height.
"What is your name?" The boy asked again. For some reason, Ryou bowed his head. "Ryou Bakura, sir." Sir? Why the frig did he call a boy half his size sir? But no one seemed to think it was odd. Who was this kid anyway?
"Ryou Bakura, eh? Very well." Then the boy turned to the group of people surrounding them. "Let the trial of Ryou Bakura begin!" He said in a booming voice that didn't match his small body. Ryou's jaw slackened. "You have got to be kidding me. A trial?" He asked incredulously. "You'd best be quiet. Yuugi doesn't like to be interrupted." The teen behind him advised.
Ryou rolled his eyes, but straightened them as "Yuugi" turned back around. "This is going to sting a bit." Yuugi warned, writing quickly in the air with his pointer finger. Ryou felt a bite of pain in his throat and winced. What was that? "Okay." Yuugi grabbed Ryou's chin and looked deep into his eyes.
"What's your name?" Yuugi asked. Ryou narrowed his eyes. "I told you. Ryou Bakura. Not that it matters…" Yuugi nodded. "Why did you steal Ishizu's necklace?" He asked calmly. Ryou's cheeks burned. "I…I needed food. And money." His stomach growled as if to prove his point. Yuugi smiled understandingly. "So your parents have no work?" Ryou cast his eyes down and didn't answer.
There was a dead silence, followed by a spattering of murmurs, and Yuugi jerked Ryou's head up painfully. "Do your parents work?" Yuugi's voice was low and deadly, uncharacteristic for his boyish face. "I don't have to say anything!" Ryou growled. Yuugi let go of Ryou's chin and took a surprised step back, glancing around wildly.
"Did you cast it correctly?" someone asked pointedly. Yuugi nodded. "I'm positive. I'm not you." He said slyly, winking at a tanned teen with shaggy blonde hair, who scowled. "But back to the problem." Yuugi stared at Ryou, and everyone followed suit. Ryou's pale skin flushed in embarrassment.
Then a hand gripped his shirtfront and heaved him to his feet. The spiky-haired teen shoved his face into Ryou's. "What did you do to his magic?" He demanded. Ryou was momentarily taken aback. "Magic? I didn't do anything!" So that's what happened… "Then lie." Yuugi piped in.
Lie? "The sky is purple, I'm Ethiopian, water's dry, and the clouds are made out of chocolate. Need I go on?" Ryou asked pointedly, peeling the teens fingers off his shirt.
Yuugi laughed. "No, no. That's fine. It's just that during trials, a spell is always cast to keep people speaking and keep them speaking the truth. I find it odd that you are able to resist both. Do you know why that would be?
Ryou nodded. Maybe if he proved useful to them, they would let him stay. A good bed, decent food, and maybe even friends. "You see, magic doesn't work on me. Even beneficial things life healing magic." Ryou said. Yuugi raised a curious eyebrow. "And why is that?" He asked cautiously. Ryou grinned.
"I was hoping you would ask that!"
Even Yuugi took a step back as Ryou released the dragon inside him and transformed. Yuugi took a tentative step forward, placing a wary hand on Ryou's side. When Ryou didn't appear threatened, Yuugi started stroking Ryou's scaly back pensively. "Hmm… So you're a dragon." Yuugi said, walking back to stare into Ryou's eyes. Ryou nodded. "Do you wish us ill?" Yuugi asked again. Ryou shook his head quickly and returned to his human form. "I really want to stay here."
"How do we know you're not lying?" Yuugi asked. Ryou thought for a second. "You can't. But please trust me." There was a general murmur of disconsent. Great. I'm even chucked out of a stupid street gang. Ryou sighed and Yuugi placed a calming hand on Ryou's shoulder. "I'm sorry. We stay alive because we don't trust. It's a hard way to live, but it works. We can't keep you, even in the cells. Good bye." Yuugi's voice was gentle and sweet, but Ryou couldn't help wanting to drop-kick him as far as possible. Despite his feelings, Ryou nodded, hiding tears. "Good bye."
"The boy speaks the truth." A man in a rich cream robe and white turban appeared in front of Ryou. His skin was dark, nearly blending into the kohl that surrounded his eyes. He had slender but strong limbs hidden underneath his flowing robe, and a golden Ankh was hanging around his delicate neck. From his robe, the man drew out a golden scale (What was it with these people and the color gold?). Ryou was vaguely reminded of Dike as the scale shifted between the two sides, finally finding a perfect balance.
Ignoring cries of "Shadi?!", the man continued. This boy's soul is clean. Keep him close." With that, the man vanished into thin air. No one seemed very surprised, but Ryou swiveled back and forth. "Who was that man? What did- where?" He gave up as he realized no one was paying attention, instead muttering in low voices to one another.
Yuugi clapped his hands, and everyone silenced instantly. "Shadi has spoken. Ryou is now a member of Yuugitachi. Malik!" The tanned boy Yuugi had teased earlier snapped to attention. "You induct him. And yes, you two will have to share a room." Malik wilted visibly. "Can we talk about this? Shuichi doesn't have a roommate!" Malik whined. Then he realized his rudeness. "It's not you." He assured Ryou, "I just like being alone."
Yuugi turned to Ryou with a sweet smile. "Malik will show you around the compound." Slowly, everyone filtered out until only Yuugi, Ryou, and Malik remained. "Well, I'll leave you two to kitchen duty. Say hello to Mai for me!" Yuugi grinned and left.
Malik sighed good-naturedly and fiddled with a ring on his finger. "Come on, newbie. Time to introduce you to the chef. I warn you: She looks like a sweet model, but she's a sassy little witch with a sharp tongue." Then Malik grabbed Ryou's wrist and dragged him through a set of swinging metal doors.
"What are you doing in here?" A woman with her hair hidden in a volumous chef's hat clacked up to the pair on a set of purple high-heeled boots. Malik was right. She was rather pretty, with smooth skin, thick-lashed eyes, and full lips pressed in a slight scowl. The apron she wore was wrapped around a small waist and significant chest.
Malik shoved Ryou forward. "I'm helping Ryou here find his way around, and Yuugi ordered us to help you." He said. The woman, Mai, looked Ryou over. "What can you make?" She asked. Ryou stared at her. "Cereal… Toast… Those microwavable T.V. dinners…That's about it." He replied, realizing how pitiful his culinary life had been.
Mai sighed. "Malik, take over the stir-fry. Not too much soy sauce. If you have one drop more than directed I will butcher your head off!" She hissed. Turning to Ryou with a smile, she led him towards a long stretch of countertop. "So here's how you hold a knife. Make sure your fingers are out of the way, and make a rocking motion. No! Crap. Stay there. I'll get the Band-Aids."
"Hey Ryou!" Someone called. Ryou looked up from a sticky bowl of dango dough. "Yuugi wants you on guard duty, since your trial period is over with." Malik grinned, wiping with soy sauce stained fingers on his apron. A warm feeling blossomed in Ryou's stomach. "Here. You need a walkie-talkie." Malik unclipped the gadget on his belt and handed it to the light-haired boy.
"Do you know how to use this?" Malik asked Ryou looked it over curiously. When Ryou shook his head, Malik explained the ins and outs of how to use it. "And then, when you're finished speaking, you say "over" so the operators know you're done talking.
Ryou nodded slowly, still trying to wrap his head around the strange device. "Good! You'll take over Yami's position on North Block. Do-" He was cut off when a slim girl with short brown hair appeared next to them as if by magic. Only the swinging kitchen doors showed she didn't have the power to teleport. Yet.
"Anzu!" What are you doing here?" Malik asked. "You should bring food to Yami. He says he's hungry." Then she turned on her heel and left as quickly and silently as she had come. The two boys stood silently, slightly confused. Mai clacked up behind them and swung a playful arm around their shoulders. "Well, you need food? Good thing you're in my kitchen."
Ryou's muzzle twitched as a man floated down to the roof. This man… he looked like Malik, tan and blonde, though he was more muscular, more insane. He had a power similar to Malik's, but this man's was so much bigger, so much darker. But no matter. Magic had no effect on him.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I thought your opponents were more than a boy and a lizard." Lizard? Did this man know who he was talking to? Apparently not, since he took out a paintbrush and started painting Binding characters in the air with pitiful imprecision. Nevertheless, a scroll plunked into the man's open palm, and the man sent it away with a Binding Word.
What was he thinking? Ryou wondered as he incinerated the scroll. Except he didn't incinerate it. The scroll wrapped around Ryou's dragon form. He glanced down at Yami, seeing the same panic he felt mirrored in Yami's helpless eyes. Then Ryou turned to the man, a terrified chill running through him at the sight of the man's sickeningly happy grin.
"Coiscim." Pure pain rushed through his body, and the world went dark
A/N: I hope you realized that this was Ryou's past...
Read and review? *passes out homemade caramels*