Yu-Gi-Oh Prince and the Pauper

Chapter Eight: Just Desserts

Bakura had a pickaxe and was hitting at the rubble that trapped them in. Courtney was looking around and saw a rock on the ground. She opened in and blinked.

A purple jewel was inside. An amethyst geode...

Bakura sighed and sat beside her. "Its no use..."

"Y-you tried.."

"Hey Courtney, you know why I didn't want to marry Princess Natalie?" Bakura asked quietly.

"O-of course! You weren't ready to get married!" Courtney exclaimed, hiding the amethyst geode in her pouch.

"No," Bakura said, causing Courtney to look at him. He was looking at his lap. "I was in love with someone else.." He looked up at her. "My best friend... The woman who taught me so much about the world and everything."

She blushed. "B-but I'm not a princess... I'm not worthy of you.."

"You are far better than any princess..."

Courtney found herself smiling. Bakura hugged her. "I'll get you out of here.. I promise."

He got back up and set to work again. After what seemed like forever, Bakura was suddenly sprayed by water.

Courtney's eyes widened as water started to pour into the room.

Suddenly, something fell through the ceiling.

Bakura blinked. "Boots!"

"A cat?" Courtney asked in confusion.

"Oi, majesty! Ya down there?"

Bakura grinned. "Joey! You found us!"

"Actually, Boots 'ere did. Toldja he was a smart ol cat!" Joey said proudly.

Boots meowed.

Suddenly Courtney was struck with an idea. "Bakura! Now that there's a hole in the ceiling, we can get out of here!"

"How?" Bakura asked.

"The water!"

"Brilliant!" Bakura exclaimed, hugging her. They started pulling at the stones, making the water rush faster.

Boots stared at them like they were crazy.

Ryou sang softly as the guard slept outside of his cell.

He had formed a hook-like device from an old hair pin that he had found in the floor of the cell.

The guard snored lightly as Ryou kept singing, his voice a high, soft tone.

Ryou slowly pushed the hook out of the cell bars and got the keys that way. He pulled them over to him and unlocked the cell and quietly ran out of it.

Courtney and Bakura had found a large bucket and had wedged themselves in it, along with Boots, who was clinging to Courtney.

The water was rising fast, bringing them closer and closer to Joey.

Soon they got close enough and Joey pulled them all out.

Boots jumped onto Joey's shoulder, purring.

Joey grinned. "Glad that ya made it!"

Bakura nodded. "Yes... now let's get to the palace!"

Courtney nodded.

As Ryou ran faster, he was bumped into a knight, who grabbed him. The guard that had been guarding his cell caught up.

"Thought you could escape, did ya?" He said, then he looked up at the knight. "I'll lock her up."

"I'm to take this one to the palace." The knight said. "But- uh-"

"Queen's orders."

So the knight dragged Ryou out of the dungeon.

Queen Sakura lay sick and pale in bed. Tea sat by her side in fake sympathy. The healer was doing the best that he could to help his queen.

But it seemed that there was no use.

When Ryou and the knight were above ground., Ryou gasped when he saw Natalie standing there, waiting for him. "Thank you, Yami." She said.

Yami pulled the helmet off. "You're welcome. Princess."

"N-Natalie... I need to explain-"

Natalie interrupted him. "I don't believe you're the person that Lady Tea says you are."

Ryou blinked.

Natalie then shook her head. "We need to hurry."

She grabbed his hand and they ran off.

The two bumped into Courtney and Bakura.

"Is mother okay?" Bakura asked.

Natalie shook her head. "She's very sick... I think that Lady Tea was behind all of this!"

"Then we must hurry!" Bakura said and the four ran into the castle and up to Queen Sakura's room.

When the door burst open, Sakura looked up in surprise. She had grown pretty weak.

"B-Bakura, darling..?"

Bakura ran over to his mother and grabbed her hand. She smiled. "It is you... And Courtney's here too... Oh darling..."

She coughed. "Y-you're alive my son... but I thought.."

Bakura frowned and finished her her sentence. "What Lady Tea wanted you to think!"

Sakura's eyes widened. Lady Tea started to run but someone blocked her way. It was Mariku and Malik.

Mariku smirked. "Now you get what you deserve!"

"Get her!" Sakura ordered. The guard that was guarding her, grabbed Tea roughly.

She was dragged out of the room.

The healer was looking at Courtney's back. "Excuse me, Courtney, can you come here?" He asked.

Courtney blinked and nodded. The healer grabbed a few leaves off of the unsuspecting girl's back.

"These are Baru leaves..."

Courtney's eyes widened. "Baru leaves can.."

The healer smiled. "That's right. Cure any sickness."

He mashed the leaves up and put them into a cup of tea. "Here, drink this, your majesty."

Sakura took it and drank it. She glew slightly for a moment before color flooded her face again.

She smiled, "I-I feel a lot better... Thank you, Seto."

Seto smiled. "Anything to help you, my queen."

Sakura turned to Bakura. "Oh, my son, Tea played me for a fool... I'm sorry.."

Bakura took his mother's hand. "It's alright mother. I know that you trusted her with all of your heart."

"Oh when I think of what might of happened-" Sakura fretted.

Bakura hugged her. "But it didn't.. Thanks to Ryou and the woman that I love... Courtney."

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment. "Courtney?"

Bakura nodded. "She's kind and smart and funny and so so perfect mother... I love her. Mother.. it's her that I want to marry."

Pain appeared in Sakura's eyes. "Oh darling, I want you to be happy," She sighed, "but it is our duty to take care of our people first."

Courtney stepped forward. "U-Uh I have the answer... I found something very interesting in the mine.."

She pulled the amethyst geode out of her pouch that was strapped to her waist.

Queen Sakura was confused. "A rock?"

Then the brunette opened it and the queen gasped. "An amethyst!"

Aw :( It's almost over... *sniffles*

Bakura: Finallyyyyyyy!

*glares* Shut up, I actually liked this story.

Bakura: well you can go 'like' your other stories when you update them, you lazy authoress!

K-kay..

Ryou: Silver owns nothing!

The next chapter will be the last/epilogue chapter... I hope you all enjoyed.

~Silver