Yu-Gi-Oh Prince and the Pauper

Chapter Five: The Prince Puzzle

Bakura rode up to the palace on the horse that he had stolen. A guard looked up at him from in front of the gate.

"Who goes there?"

"Prince Bakura," Bakura replied.

The guard laughed, "If you're the prince, then I'm the king!" He joked.

Bakura was confused. "But I am the prince!"

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Really? Then how come I just saw the Prince eating dinner with the Queen?"

"What... prince?" Bakura said in disbelief.

The guard gripped his spear. "Now move along before I lose my temper." He threatened.

Bakura growled. "You are addressing Prince Bakura! Let me into my home!"

The guard raised his spear. "I said leave! Now!" He yelled.

Bakura sighed and rode off on the horse.

Where am I supposed to go now?

He sawPegasus Stables and rode over to them to get help.

Maximillion Pegasus walked out of the stables. He was tired of waiting on Ryou and was going to search for him.

When he saw Bakura ride up, he growled. "Where have you been, boy?!"

Bakura got off of his horse. "I beg your pardon?"

"That's enough out of you, you brat! You're coming with me!" Pegasus grabbed Bakura's arm and dragged him into the stables.

A boy was there, cleaning out the stalls of the horses. Pegasus growled at him. "Not done yet?"

The boy gasped. "S-"

Pegasus slapped him. "If you weren't such a lazy worm then these stables would be cleaned out by now!" The silver-haired man snapped.

Bakura growled. "How dare you talk to one of your workers like that!"

Maximillion turned and glared at the prince. "How dare I? How dare I?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Bakura slipped off the cloak that he had been wearing. "Prince Bakura."

Pegasus paused for a moment before he started laughing hysterically. "That's a hoot! You'll have to change a lot more than your clothes to look like the prince! Why me and the prince are close personal friends!"

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Oh really?"

Pegasus raised his hand slightly. "Now get back to work before I beat the shit out of you."

"I warn you Maximillion, if you're going to treat your stablemen this way, then we will be taking our royal business elsewhere!" Bakura said, absolutely angry and surprised at the silver-haired man's behavior.

"You're warning me?" Pegasus snapped. "We'll see your attitude change by morning! You will not be allowed food or rest until these stables are scrubbed head to toe as well as the horses! And if you don't get it finished, I will make the rest of your days a living hell and double your debt, Ryou!"

Pegasus left, slamming the door.

Bakura blinked. "Ryou?"

The prince ran opened the door and ran over to the iron gate and pulled. It was locked.

"Fuck," Bakura cursed under his breath.

"R-Ryou?" Bakura turned to see the boy standing there. "Tha' is 'ou isn' it?"

The boy's named turned out to be Joey. He believed every word that Bakura had said, knowing that Ryou acted differently.

He had a small cat sitting in front of them. "Put dat dere note on ol' Boots 'ere, he's a smart ol' cat!" The blonde said proudly.

"Thank you so much Joey... I promise that you will be compensated once I am back in the palace.." The prince said, attaching the note that he wrote to Boots' collar.

The brown kitten looked up at Joey as if it were looking for orders. "Now Boots, da prince needs our help 'ere! Get dat letter to da palace!"

Boots nodded and ran out a small hole in the gate. Bakura watched.

"Now all we gotta do is wait," Joey said, "You can just relax ya majesty, I gotta job ta do."

Ryou's eyes opened as he woke up from the greatest sleep he had ever had. He gasped as he looked around.

I thought that I was dreaming... He thought.

Then he grinned. "But I'm not!" He said aloud, falling back into the bed.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Ryou's eyes widened.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuuuckkk! He thought in a sudden panic.

Then he forced himself to calm down. "Be a prince, be a prince.." He muttered.

He sat up. "Come in," Ryou said in a slightly formal voice.

A servant walked in. "Good morning your majesty! How did you sleep?" The girl had a slight accent as she spoke.

"F-fine," Ryou stuttered slightly. Then he blushed. Damn it!

The servant tilted her head. She set the tray down in Ryou's lap. "Are you feeling alright your majesty?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine! Everything is fine!"

She blinked in confusion but curtsied slightly. "Your breakfast, majesty."

Ryou's eyes widened. "Really? In bed?"

She blinked. "W-well yes, since you are still in bed, sir..."

He blinked, realizing his mistake. "A-ah yes, of course, thank you..."

Ryou stood in the bathroom after his bath. He decided to practice a bit. He had been wanting to perform in this musical called "Phantom of the Opera," as the Phantom.

Ryou cleared his throat slightly before he gazed over at a random spot, pretending that it was someone playing Christine.

Then he sang.

"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation.."

His voice was a deep voice, yet seductive. He had trained for years by himself to make his voice able to change and get very loud.

"Darkness stirs and wakes imagination..."

Ryou pretended to grab a hand and help the imaginary woman off of her boat.

"Silently the senses abandon their defenses.."

His voice echoed through the larger bathroom. The door was cracked open.

"Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor.."

Natalie walked down the halls to go confront him. She wanted to get to know the prince on her own terms.

She paused by the door when she heard him singing.

"Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender.. Turn your face away from the garish light of day! Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light..."

Natalie smiled. He sounds so much like the Phantom... It's beautiful... I feel like he's singing to me..

"And listen to the music of the night.."

She decided to keep listening for a while.

"Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dream, purge your thoughts of the life you knew before!"

Natalie smiled. She leaned against the wall next to the door. I'm falling in love with him by just listening to his voice..

"Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!"

The blonde princess smiled at the beautiful note on the word 'soar'. That note always got her and made her heart flutter slightly.

"And you live as you've never lived before.."

I need to get him to sing to me... Natalie thought. Suddenly, she smiled.

She kept listening for a long time until he got further into the song. She stood up straight and left just as the next line of his song was being sung.

"Floating, falling, sweet intoxication.. Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation.."

Ryou slowly pulled the imaginary girl, who was starting to look like Natalie, close to him.

"Let the dream begin, let your darker side give into the power of the music that I write.."

He spun her slightly.
"The power of the music of the night.."

He imagined that she fell into his arms as Christine does in the scene.

"You alone can make my song take flight... Help me make the music of the night..."

Then Ryou got out of character by slipping slightly.

He blinked before he got dressed, knowing that he would have to leave the bathroom eventually.

Bakura wiped his forehead as he shoveled out the straw in a stable. He had barely gotten one done while Joey had at least four done.

"Y-your highness, you don' have ta help me.." Joey said, his tone pleading for the prince to stop.

"I can't let you do this by yourself," Bakura insisted as he continued. Joey smiled a small smile.

Then the two continued their hard work, Bakura working as hard as he could.

Author's Note:

Yay! Another update today... well its twelve so, I guess not in one day -.- Damn.

Oh well!

At least I'm updating!

Leave a review so that I know to continue!

~Silver