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Rulers and Rogues	By : Khat Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 10587 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Really late this time, sorry. It's been a busy couple of weeks, since we're into fair season, and I got hit with a bit of writer's block, which didn't help. I should have the next chapter out on time, though.
About the Raising of Heaven. It is an actual festival in Ancient Egypt, supposed to occur, roughly, at the end of January, which was midwinter for them, and involves Amun. I couldn't find much else on it, so I'm making things up again.
******
“Again? I thought you were supposed to be taking care of that rabble.”
“Burn them out. Just destroy the whole town. That would solve the problem.”
Yugi looked up just as the Bakura stepped into the room, followed by Honda and the demon that was always with him. Usually it was the demon who frightened the hikari, but one glance at the thief’s face had him pressing back against the side of the desk, where he was chained.
“That would just cause an even worse uprising.” Bakura’s voice gave new meaning to the word ‘frigid’. Even Ryou, who was curled up on the couch reading, tensed up, giving his yami a frightened look. A moment later, though, he relaxed again, though he did keep his eyes on the trio.
“Kill them all.” The demon repeated, his eyes settling on Yugi. “Kill him.” The hikari glared back furiously, biting his tongue to keep from answering. A week of punishments had finally taught him to keep his comments to himself. Well, sometimes, at least. Once in a while, when Bakura was in a bad mood.
“I’ve got a few spies in the organization.” The spirit growled. “They’re working their way up, to find the home base of this ‘Grandfather’ person.”
Grandfather. The head of the rebel organization. Honda and the demon had been complaining about the mysterious leader every time he had seen them.
“And Kaiba?” Honda queried. Yugi eyed him thoughtfully. He wasn’t looking all that great, the slave decided. There was an odd hollowness about him. Not something Yugi could put a finger right on, since he looked healthy enough physically, perhaps a little tired, but it was there, he was sure.
“Without the rebels, Kaiba is unimportant. The items are losing their power, for some reason.” Bakura touched the ring absently as he admitted that bit of information. “He has money, but without soldiers, that’s useless.”
“I want those rebels dealt with.” Honda snapped. “Do as he suggests if you have to. These hit and run tactics are pissing me off.” Yugi shifted a bit, and the brunet’s gaze turned to settle on him. “You’re quiet today. Finally starting to learn your place?”
“Biding my time until Yami returns to teach you yours.” Yugi snapped, without thinking, immediately realising his mistake. Ryou turned his gaze on him, going positively white, and Yugi didn’t need a mindlink to sense Bakura’s fury. Oh well, better to continue on. “He will, somehow. He doesn’t need the millennium items to deal with trash like you.”
There was silence for a long moment, Honda’s eyes narrowing in fury.
“I’m beginning to think you like pain, brat.” Bakura hissed, hauling him to his feet suddenly. Yugi bit back a hiss as the muscles in his back, still sore from his last beating, protested the movement.
“A good public whipping might straighten him out.” Honda suggested. Bakura huffed in what might have been amusement, releasing the chain that held Yugi and hauling him across the room to that damned bench, chaining him face-down to it, wrists held over his head and legs straddled.
“It’s a thought.” Bakura answered. “It wouldn’t be his first, though there wasn’t that big of a crowd when Yami had me do it. You could make a holiday of it or something.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’m sure Marik would love to do the honours. He has been complaining lately about being bored.”
“I’ll choose the whip, then. Given the chance, Marik would most likely kill him.” Yugi felt sick. And not the weak, trembling type of sick he had felt after his blackout, when his body had ached and he had shivered and sweated in turn. Subdrop, Bakura had called it. No, this was much worse. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t had anything for lunch yet, or he might have lost it all over the soft brown leather. As it was, he was taking deep slow breaths to try to stave off the nausea. Give Marik a whip, even one Bakura picked out, and if he did live through it, he wouldn’t be in any shape to be grateful about it.
“I should have the guards round up some of the rebels, then.” Honda sounded far too gleeful about the idea. “We’ll make a real show of it.” Then he and the demon swept out of the room, the door closing behind them.
“I’m beginning to think I should just leave you gagged at all times.” A hand tightened painfully around a handful of the tri-coloured hair, and Yugi yelped as his head was pulled back harshly. “I’d beat you senseless, if I didn’t think you’ll need all your strength for Marik.” The yami turned suddenly, to look at Ryou, chuckling after a moment.
“I could, I suppose. You’re a little quick to suggest punishments, aren’t you?” Yugi froze, then lifted his head to cast an incredulous look at his fellow hikari. Ryou was offering suggestions on how to hurt him? He knew that the other had settled back in, of course, and admittedly, things had seemed a little strained between them over the last week, but he hadn’t expected that betrayal. The demon’s effects? He had to believe that explanation.
“I have a different idea, however. You two behave yourselves.” And with that warning, the thief left the room.
“You’re an idiot.” Ryou hissed, after a moment of silence. “Bakura’s trying to protect you and you keep doing things to get yourself into trouble.”
“So I should just sit back and play the good little slave?” Yugi snapped back. He was furious over Ryou’s betrayal, on top of everything else. “Yes, Kura, no, Kura.” He mimicked, deliberately badly. “Please let me kiss your ass some more, Bakura. Please abuse me more.”
Ryou stormed up and was across the room before the words had finished, hand striking hard across the other hikari’s cheek.
“At least I,” The white-haired slave growled, “am not going to be publicly whipped for my behaviour. And I’m not the one who needs to be kept chained or tied all the time.”
“No, you’re a coward who’s decided to roll over to save yourself a little pain.” Ryou’s hands clenched like he wanted to hit him again.
“And you’re a fool who refuses to admit he’s lost.” He snapped back.
The confrontation might have intensified, except that, at that moment, the palace shook. The two hikari exchanged confused looks then Ryou stumbled to his knees at another, stronger, rocking. This time, Yugi caught the sound of a faint explosion, and then, another, louder one. Dust filtered down from the ceiling.
“I think we should get out of here…” Ryou said nervously.
“Easy enough for you to say. I’m a little tied up here…” Ryou tugged at the combination lock that held the chains around Yugi’s wrists.
“Bakura won’t give me the combination.” He said, after a moment’s silence. “He says he’s close…”
Three more explosions, right after each other, and, with an ominous creak, the ceiling above them suddenly collapsed.
Ryou yelped, throwing himself over Yugi, cuddling close as the debris collapsed around them. A chunk of flooring fell right over them, striking Yugi on the head, and his body went limp as he passed out.
******
“You’re quiet.”
Jou started at the sudden statement, looking up. He, and Kaiba, had been leaning up against the wall outside the new safehouse, waiting for the messenger from Grandfather.
“So?” The blond’s hand raised absently to his bare neck, and he quickly shifted into a movement to scratch a non-existent itch. The brunet’s slight smirk showed he wasn’t fooled, and Jou flushed faintly. He was not, though, going to admit he missed the weight of the chain around his neck. Nor was he going to willingly put it back on.
“Is that a new rule, now? I’m not allowed to be quiet? Not that it matters.” Part of Grandfather’s demands for his help had been that all current slaves were to be freed, and only tried and convicted criminals with serious, or repeated, crimes, could be made slaves from that point on, which meant, for instance, that a person couldn’t be made a slave for the rest of their life for stealing a loaf of bread or something.
“That only comes into effect when Yami’s back on the throne. Besides, you bunch are special cases.” The ruler moved to pin him against the wall. Jou tilted his head back slightly to glare up at him, refusing to back down at all. “For instance, all we need is a law that hikari belong to their yami.”
“I’m not a hikari.” Jou snapped back.
“You’re certainly not a yami.”
“If you two are busy, we could come back.” Both Kaiba and Jou turned frowns on the new arrivals. Rick, and Dimitri, Grandfather’s Russian second-in-command.
“I’d much rather join in.” Dimitri argued, his accent clear but not too overwhelming. Jou blushed at being caught in the situation, giving his captor a push back. Kaiba allowed it.
“You had news?” The billionaire prompted.
“We did a bit of a renovation on the palace.” Dimitri answered. “You might have to rebuild.” Jou grinned in amusement and Kaiba scowled at him.
“We only set off a few small explosions.” Rick clarified. “Might have caused some damage, but nothing that people couldn’t get out of the way of.”
“Assuming, of course, that they’re not tied up or something.” The ruler pointed out, then waved it off. “No point worrying about it now. How are the attacks on the barracks going?”
Jou tuned the conversation out. His advice wouldn’t have been accepted, even if he had felt inclined to offer it. No, he had other things to think about. He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen once Honda had been overthrown. Would things go back to the way they had been before, him and Yugi and Ryou against the Kings? Kaiba wasn’t wrong. Between him and Yami, they could certainly find a way around the stipulations Grandpa had set, the new laws about the slaves, which included enforcement of humane treatment for them, and a council and provincial officials elected by the common people.
No, it couldn’t go back to that, at least not completely. Even if Ryou wasn’t settled in, the soulbond between him and Kaiba made things… different. And when was the last time he had had to use the rod to enforce a command?
It was a bit disconcerting, actually. He was settling in himself, it seemed. He was, if he wanted to use the bastard’s terms, becoming tame. How soon before he was willingly sitting at Kaiba’s feet, and eating from his fingers, obediently following him around and even soliciting his attentions?
“…arranged a public display for tomorrow.” Jou blinked, just catching the end of Rick’s statement. “There was something about public whippings for a bunch of captured rebels.”
“Sounds like it would be something good to crash.” Dimitri commented. “We might even get a chance to take out Honda. Without him, that monster might lose his power.”
“More likely he’d become even more erratic and try to destroy us all.” Kaiba countered. “But that isn’t an entirely bad idea. At the very least, we might be able to rescue whoever they’ve managed to capture. Where are you going?” Jou had pushed away from the wall and was strolling away from the others.
“For a walk.” His flippant answer drew an irritated frown.
“Don’t go far.”
:Bite me.: He had a moment to savour the CEO’s surprise, before it changed into irritation.
:Don’t think that just because you’re not wearing your collar, I won’t hesitate to remind you of your place.:
:My place is whatever I want it to be, and that’s not as your lapdog.: And that definitely wasn’t the thing to say, by the flare of anger.
:I will deal with your new attitude later, Mutt. Don’t go far.:
Jou felt a faint tremor of nervousness at that, but he resolutely brushed it off. He’d go just as far as he wanted to, and he’d come back when he wanted to. If he wanted to.
Though, he reflected a good hour later, it wasn’t like he really had anywhere else to go. Frankly, he wasn’t even entirely sure where he was, at the moment. He thought maybe he might have been able to follow the mindlink back, if he tried, but that would have been admitting he needed the blue-eyed jerk, and he wasn’t going to do that.
It was another hour before he finally found his way back to more familiar territory, namely the neighbourhood of the first safe house. Or, what remained of it, at least. It certainly wasn’t habitable anymore.
But it was a reference point, at least, and, though he took a few more wrong turns, he finally found his way back, well after dark, to their current hideout.
To find the door locked.
“That son of a bitch.” He snarled, raising a hand to pound on the door.
:Done being stubborn, Puppy? Maybe if you beg nicely, I’ll let you in.: Jou froze, blinking in surprise, then his anger flared again.
:I wouldn’t beg you for anything if my life depended on it.: He spat, turning away from the house, deciding to find somewhere else to stay for the night. Finally, he found a sheltered spot at the end of a small alley, and curled up there.
******
“Ryou. Wake up.” Ryou blinked dazedly, wondering for a moment where he was. Somewhere that was glowing golden. No, it was him.
“Come on, now. I need to talk to Bakura.”
The white-haired boy straightened suddenly as he remembered. The roof had caved in, and he and Yugi… He turned to look at the other hikari, who was holding him carefully. Only, it wasn’t Yugi that held him.
“Yami?” He looked around, realising that they were, literally, buried alive under the rubble. Everything glowed faintly golden, and he quickly realised it was the spirit’s power that was holding the heavy weight off of them.
:RYOU!: The hikari winced at the volume of the mental call.
“Tell Bakura that I’m awake.”
:Kura? We’re all right. Yami’s here, instead of Yugi.:
:Tell him to stop making the puzzle pieces glow. Everyone can see them. Or do that. Whichever.: Ryou felt a moment of confusion, until he noticed a gold box suddenly appear on the floor in front of him. It started empty, but as he watched, the pieces of the puzzle appeared out of thin air and dropped into it.
“Yugi will need to rebuild it. I can only appear when he’s unconscious at the moment, and I don’t have full control. As soon as he wakes up, I’ll be gone again. It's a surprise I can touch him at all.” He did seem a bit… stiff, now that he mentioned it. Like a puppet or something.
“I doubt he’ll protest at all, if it gets him out of Bakura’s hands.” The pharaoh sounded amused at that. “Not that he would have anyway, probably. Oh, and remind him not to get too carried away. Yugi is still my hikari.” Ryou dutifully relayed the message. He expected Bakura to be annoyed, but he waved it off carelessly.
:How much can he sense when the brat’s awake?:
“Not much more than emotions and vague images. I can scan his memories somewhat when he’s asleep and get the general gist of things, though. Make sure the millennium items are available at the show tomorrow.” The derisive twist he put on the word gave his opinion on it clearly. “And get Kaiba a message. I need to speak with him before it starts. Yugi needs to finish the puzzle tonight for this to work out.”
“That doesn’t leave us a lot of time.” Ryou pointed out. He didn’t know how long they had been buried, but it had been late afternoon when the whole affair had started.
“You’ll manage. You need to. Tomorrow’s the Raising of Heaven, and my powers will be at their strongest then.”
“Ryou!” The call this time came from outside their little bubble, and a beam shifted slightly, then fell as the golden glow suddenly faded. Luckily, it landed across another, effectively providing a support that kept the rest of the fallen ceiling off of them.
“Yami?” The ruler collapsed backwards, the magic disappearing as Yugi began to come around, taking control again. Only a moment later, with another tumble of smaller pieces, a hole appeared in the side of their prison.
“Kura?” Ryou called.
“Stay where you are. We’re almost through.” Ryou obediently moved back, pulling a thoroughly disoriented Yugi with him, as the slaves Bakura had brought cleared out a passageway for them.
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Rulers and Rogues