"Bakura?" Ryou's pleasant voice lilted from the other end of the couch. Bakura grunted in reply, and Ryou took that as his cue to continue. "Do you love me, 'Kura?"
"I adore you." Bakura rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't still be here if I didn't."
"I know." He could see Ryou grinning. "But I like hearing you say it."
"I'll keep that in mind." Bakura gave another roll of his eyes.
Ryou stifled a laugh. "One of these days, Kurikens, you're gonna eyeroll yourself into another dimension."
"I certainly hope I do. Maybe I could drag you with me and then we could finally be alone." He scooted a little closer, throwing an arm over Ryou's shoulders.
He pulled him flush against his side and Ryou couldn't have been happier at that moment, because dammit, Bakura was being affectionate. That was rare. It was rare and it was good and Ryou's heart was absolutely soaring because of it.
"I adore you," He'd said.
Hm… Had he really said that? Ryou hoped so. He really hoped he hadn't imagined it - hadn't put words in the other's mouth that didn't belong there.
The Bandit King shook himself. What had brought that on? That sudden trip down memory lane was entirely uncalled for. Entirely unnecessary.
… And extremely annoying. He shook his head and looked around, again. His eyes scanned the floor below him, watching hundreds of his Bandits bustling around. Oh, there went Scales. Why was Gem following so closely behind him? They were nearly touching - oh. A brush of a hand. Workplace debauchery. He decided with a wide smile. Good. That means they get along. He simply could not have his Bandits disagreeing with each other - workplace debauchery was a good thing.
Ah, just the day before Scales and Gem had been at each other's throats… Clearly they'd solved their conflict or found the source of it was sexual tension. Lovely.
"My Lord…"
He turned. "Ah, hello, Zen." He smiled that pleasant smile he was quickly becoming famous for. "Rise and report."
The other - his second-in-command - obeyed, getting to his feet and rising to his full height of 6'5''. He often wondered how he managed to intimidate a man who was so much larger than himself, but he supposed it was just one of life's many wonders… And perhaps a side-effect of his constant pleasantness. After all, anyone who was consistently as pleasant as he was was clearly hiding something much worse beneath it, and he most certainly was.
Ah, yes. That was how he intimidated the man. Zen had seen what he could do. Seen what he was hiding.
"My Lord, Angel, Camille, and Vanilla have not returned from their recon mission." Zen spoke in his usual rumbling baritone, "Would you like for me to send someone after them?"
"At once." The Bandit King nodded. "Send Fire and Gorbasch - they're the best at tracking aside from the two of us."
Zen cringed. "Yes, my Lord… But I'd like to send Reaper with them, if you don't mind. They can be… Quite destructive together, and Reaper balances them out."
"Of course." The white-haired one agreed. "I trust your judgement, Zen. Do what you think is best."
"Yes, sir." He bowed - polite and formal. A mad dash away from what Zen really was. "On another note, Candy and Dusty brought in a very large haul this morning and they claim they wish to share with everyone. Should I allow it?"
"Let them share their riches." Bandit King snickered. "It's truly un-bandit-like, but generosity is a good quality to have."
"Of course, my Lord." Zen nodded.
"Is there anything else, dear?" Bandit King raised a brow.
Zen shook his head. "Nothing professional, sir."
"Then come here." He turned away, leaning against the railing. He patted it, glancing at him. "Talk with me a while. I'm lonely."
"Of course, your Majesty." Zen smiled, approaching and leaning against the rails as well.
Bandit King sighed pleasantly. "Look at them all." He said, returning to examining the people bustling around below them. "Such… Mindless drones." He chuckled. "Rushing about like they have something important to be doing. Happily doing their duties…"
Zen's smile morphed into a smirk. "Indeed, my Lord. They have no clue of their real significance."
"None at all." Another pleasant sigh. "Oh, but one day they'll realize. One day they'll find out that they're my little disposable soldiers." He cackled softly.
"Sir," Zen seemed to grow concerned for a moment. "Am I the same?"
"Of course not, my dear." He smiled at him. "You are irreplaceable. You are the only one who knows my plans, dear. The only one who remained loyal when they learned. I could not send you to your doom as I'm sending them."
"Thank you, my Lord." He relaxed. "You know that I would happily go to my grave for you, though, regardless."
"Yes, I know. And that is why you are different. You know your fate and you happily accept it." He directed his dark, lidded eyes at him. "And that is why I have made you my right hand. Why I have changed your fate." For half a second, his eyes flashed a brilliant green. "You don't deserve to die like the wooly little lambs below us."
He smirked again. "If they are lambs, then what are we?"
"We are the lions."
Unbidden, another memory hit him.
"Ryou, darling… What are you doing, exactly?"
"Singing." Ryou paused with a frown. "And sewing."
"What are you sewing?" Bakura slid into the seat next to him.
"I'm sealing my sleep sachet." He returned to the task, restarting the song before Bakura could ask him any more questions. "We dream like lions…"
Bakura watched him work, listening to the words that flowed out of his mouth. Ryou had a beautiful singing voice - Bakura had told him that thousands of times. Had told him that he could be a professional. But Ryou was entirely too modest for that and entirely too self-conscious.
He forced himself out of the memory. He didn't need that at the moment. He needed to focus.
Thankfully, his mental absence from the current time period had gone unnoticed by Zen…
Seemed his flashbacks were always ignored by those around him. He was thankful for that. He wouldn't be able to handle it if someone asked him what was wrong. He'd snap. He'd lose control of all of his emotions and probably end up killing someone. And he'd probably get caught. He didn't fucking need that.
"Zen, dear, you should probably go order that search party." He said, instead of letting his irritation take over. "Thank you for taking the time to entertain me."
"Of course, sir. It's my pleasure to speak to you." He bowed and then he was gone.
When he had disappeared and the bustling began to dwindle below him, the Bandit King sighed. The memory pricked at his mind again. Tugged at him. Pulled him back into the past, and all he could do was open his mouth and murmur that single line that was still ingrained in his memory to that day:
"We dream like lions…"