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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Well, I had this typed out yesterday, but I ended up visiting my cousin and didn’t get home last night. And, while she’s got wireless access for my laptop, the only one who knew the code wasn’t home. Or, so they say. In any case, here it is now.
This chapter’s longer, mainly because it’s actually all one scene, just seen from Yugi, Jou, and *gasp* Ryou’s point of view. Yugi and Jou’s POV’s start at about the same time frame, and it’s easy to see where Ryou’s jumps in. Of the three, Ryou’s changed the most, or so it seems.
******
Prince was sure he had never been so happy to wake up. He shuddered as he thought of what had been about to occur. Not that he was homophobic or anything. Other people could do what they wanted, as long as they didn’t involve him in it.
Even then, if it had been someone he had trusted, like Fox, who he knew for a fact was gay, or, heaven forbid, Wolf, who certainly wasn’t, and who was actually very uncomfortable about the entire subject, then he might have been willing to at least entertain the notion. But he didn’t trust the Spirit anymore. And if he ever needed proof that he shouldn’t trust him, having him almost rape him would have done it.
“Did you have a nice sleep?” Prince shifted his gaze slightly, noting that his wrists were chained together, another very short chain linking them to a ring set low in the wall. Bakura smirked at him from the king-sized bed, but Prince didn’t really pay attention, a little shocked.
The Thief was leaning comfortably against the pillows, reading. A horror novel, Prince thought, by the cover, though it was in English, so he wasn’t quite sure of the title. And while the thought of Bakura actually reading for enjoyment was surprising enough, it was the fact that he had not just one, but three little balls of fluff curled up in his lap.
“You… have kittens?” A pretty soft grey cat strolled in from the balcony then, apparently their mother, and jumped up to rub against Bakura’s arm. The Thief merely reached to pet her unconcernedly.
“So?” He answered, keeping his gaze on Prince, as if daring him to comment. “Cats were revered in Egypt, you know.”
The Pharaoh was trying to rape him, and Bakura had a trio of, apparently, well-cared-for kittens. Who knew, maybe Kaiba had decided to take up ballet. And Marik… Well, he probably worked part-time at the soup kitchen a couple streets over. Speaking of Marik, though…
“I thought Marik was banished…” Bakura shrugged.
“He just showed up again one day, and the shrimp decided to cast some spell to give him his own body. Now be quiet, before I decide to gag you.” Prince blinked, but obediently fell silent, and Bakura returned to his book, deciding to finish the chapter before he started playing. He had originally just been reading for something to do until the brat woke up, but this was actually a pretty good book.
Absently he glanced up from time to time, keeping an eye on his captive, but Prince already knew he had no chance of escape and was finding other things to interest him. Such as a sudden lack of hair on his legs. Admittedly, for his age, he had been rather hairless still, but now his legs were baby-smooth.
“What did you do while I was knocked out?” The Thief glared, annoyed at being interrupted again.
“It’s called electrolysis. It’s supposed to be a permanent hair removal.” Prince blinked. Permanent? Well, wasn’t that just like the jerk.
:Couldn’t bother to ask my opinion on the matter, could you.: He snapped. There was a moment of confusion while the Spirit discerned what he was talking about, then a mental sigh.
:It’s a common Egyptian practice to keep the body clean-shaven, and that is far easier and less painful than waxing, I assure you.:
:I’m not Egyptian. I’m Japanese.:
:And you are my slave, and thus, will abide by my decision.: Furious, Prince cut the connection. Stupid Pharaoh. If anyone else found out about this… And knowing the Spirit, he wouldn’t make any attempts to hide it. Probably planned on dressing him in one of those skirts or something. Well, that certainly wasn’t something he was going to agree to willingly.
Deciding to take his mind off of it, he studied the décor. It was, he decided, very un-Bakura-like. Although, his thoughts of Bakura hadn’t included pets, either. At least, not ones that weren’t vicious killers.
If someone had asked him, he would have answered that he thought Bakura’s room probably would have resembled a torture chamber, with whips and chains and blood stains on the floor and walls. This room… well, it was surprisingly normal. The bed was in the middle of one wall, the door to the hall on the right wall, and a pair of French doors, open at the moment, on the left. The corner Prince sat in was empty, but there was another door next to him, probably for the bathroom, he thought, and in the corner beyond that sat a very nice-looking hardwood wardrobe, facing his way. Next to it was a matching dresser with a few odds and ends sitting atop it. Between it and the French doors was a covered catbed that looked like it was probably expensive. The walls were not only not covered in blood, but looked quite clean, painted in a light minty green colour.
All in all, it was a room he would have expected to find Fox living in, not his bloodthirsty yami.
******
Finally, Bakura reached the end of the chapter, marking his place and nudging the kittens off his lap, standing up. The sun was setting, he noticed, and debated on sending for some food. He decided against it, though. Most likely the brat wouldn’t be in any shape to eat anyway. He could wait until morning.
Prince was still watching him, but the fear had drained out of his gaze, leaving only a wary thoughtfulness. Bakura didn’t care. The fear would be back before he was done.
Ignoring his prisoner for the moment, he stepped to the wardrobe, opening it and drawing out a length of chain. The chain was quickly clipped to the one between the cuffs, the short one unclipped and dropped carelessly.
“On your feet, Brat.” He ordered, tugging a footstool over and standing on it, lifting the other end of the chain to the hook set in the ceiling. Prince let out a startled cry as he was suddenly lifted, his toes barely touching the floor. Bakura looked down.
“Tch. You need to grow another foot.”
“It’s not my fault I’m small.” Prince answered sharply. Bakura ignored him, hooking the last link of the chain over the hook and stepping away to check the results. While Prince still couldn’t stand flat-footed, the slight bit of slack in the chain at least allowed him to balance on the balls of his feet.
“You should really watch your mouth, Runt.” The demon warned finally. “You’re getting off easy this time. I’m not allowed to really have fun with you, since you’re not broken in yet.” It surprised even him, sometimes, that he actually listened to the shorter Egyptian. It wasn’t because he had to, of course. He could easily have devised any number of painful and gruesome deaths for the supposed son of God. He just didn’t feel like it. Atem could be an asshole sometimes, but he did know how to run a country, he would admit, and it wasn’t like Bakura wanted for anything in his current position. Whatever the hell that was. Royal Punisher and Torturer? Maybe he should have a plaque made. Although, he knew the rebels referred to them collectively as The Four Kings, and he supposed he was still technically the Thief King. He smirked, moving back to the wardrobe. Wonder what that made Kaiba and Marik then.
He was just studying his array of devices, debating on which one to use, all the time aware of the nervous eyes that watched him, when he heard the bird. Odd, really. If he remembered correctly, that was a European bird. He could be wrong, of course, birds weren’t really his thing. They had always been something Ryou had been more interested in.
Ryou… He heard another bird, this one seeming closer to the castle. Frowning, he looked towards the French doors, noting out of the corner of his eye that the brat was listening as well. Well, if that didn’t make things seem suspicious. The Thief headed out onto the balcony, glancing upward slightly. Kaiba’s room was there, and, as he had expected, the Priest’s dog was tied out on the balcony. He would have been fun to play with. Maybe he could try to beg him off of the brunet for a day. Not that Marik had had much luck trying to talk him out of the Rod so far. The mutt looked rather nervous, he decided.
The garden seemed quiet enough, nothing moving. Wait, what was that? A flash of white by the wall.
:Very brave, Tenshi.: He sent, not really caring whether Ryou got it or not. He couldn’t sense him, but he was quite sure it was him hanging around. :You surprise me.:
Bakura stalked back through the room, ignoring Prince, and headed out, ordering a servant to call his personal guard and have them meet him out by the south wall.
Prince winced as he watched Bakura leave, praying that whatever God had saved him from the Pharaoh’s wrath earlier would also extend his blessings to Fox.
******
It was only a short while later when the Thief returned, somehow looking a lot more frightening than when he had left. It wasn’t really in his appearance, exactly, since that hadn’t changed. Just, an air of danger, Prince supposed, shivering. Bakura studied him a long minute, and Prince found himself blushing under the gaze, embarrassment and fear warring within. That look reminded him uncomfortably like the way the Pharaoh had been looking at him earlier.
“It’s a pity I can’t have you for myself. I’m sure you’d be nearly as sweet as Ryou.” Prince blushed again.
“Go fuck yourself.” He growled, and Bakura laughed.
“I’d gag you, but I’m sure the dog will love hearing the sweet screams you’ll make.” With that he moved back to the wardrobe and drew out a quirt. A reasonable whip to start with, since the loud noise was perfect for terrorizing the victim, and it didn’t really do all that much damage when it was used properly.
“Are you ready, Yugi?” He murmured, keeping his tone soft and comforting. Physical pain was actually a rather small part of the treatment. It was the mental aspect that was important. The fear and expectation that came before the whip fell.
Already he could see the fine sheen that coated the boy’s skin, the fearful shivers that racked the small frame. It reminded him of the first time he had strung Ryou up, actually, although he couldn’t even remember what it had been for, now. Nothing important, he was sure.
Slowly he moved out of Prince’s range of view, reaching to trail the ends of the quirt over his back. As he had expected, the rebel jumped, letting out a yelp of fear and surprise. Bakura smirked. No, he wouldn’t need to do a lot to scare him into behaving. At least for a while. The whole bunch of them seemed to be very good at forgetting things they didn’t want to remember.
Finally, once he had decided that the tension had grown enough, he struck, the whip trailing a path just above his ass. Prince let out a startled shriek, and Bakura chuckled evilly.
“I’m just beginning and you’re already screaming like a girl. If you’re supposed to be the leader of the rebellion, it’s no wonder Atem just lets you play.” Prince just closed his eyes and shuddered. Had that been it? All the times they had raided the depots, the people they had freed. Was the rebellion merely a joke that the four laughed about over dinner.
:Not a joke, Aibou. I took catching you very seriously. The rest, though…: Prince felt what he could only describe as a mental shrug. :There are always rogues, and they’re seldom worth bothering about.:
Prince jumped each time the whip fell, holding back the shrieks that wanted to climb from his throat. Then, suddenly, he got an idea.
Seldom worth bothering about indeed, he thought, whimpering at the next crack. Bakura hadn’t been shy about putting force into the blows, and had spread them out, from just below his shoulders down, even striking his upper thighs at one point. Gathering all the pain and fear, Prince sent it surging down the link. For a moment, there was surprise, then suddenly Prince screeched as pain radiated through his whole body, arching his back and tensing up. Vaguely, he could feel an arm wrap around his waist, but it was secondary, unimportant.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, it faded, and he slumped bonelessly. Or would have, if Bakura hadn’t been holding him up.
“Not so nice, is it? I was wondering how long it’d be before you tried that. Ryou tried it too. Once.”
The Thief had known what was going on as soon as Prince had screamed. He had, after all, been the one to warn Yami about it, and had also been the one to tell him how to turn it back on the hikari.
“What…?” Prince shuddered as a slight aftereffect rocked through him, ignoring the worried nudge he got from the Pharaoh.
“Quite interesting, actually. Atem did exactly the same thing you did. Only, he used the Puzzle to amplify the feeling. Overdone a little, I think, but then, he always overdoes things.” He loosened his hold carefully, reaching to brush a hand over Prince’s arms to make sure the sudden relaxation hadn’t made him hurt anything. There didn’t seem to be any damage, though, and he stepped back, looking Prince over thoughtfully.
The slave wasn’t paying attention at all, slumped listlessly, shuddering from the memory of the pain every now and then. Red marks crisscrossed his back, though there was no real damage, except for some welts he had raised. They’d heal easily enough in a few days, though, he decided.
All in all, the runt looked thoroughly beaten. Bakura sighed, feeling a little disappointed, and tossed the quirt onto the top of the dresser. He’d have to remember to clean it in the morning.
Yugi had the same problem that Ryou did, he thought to himself. The both of them were just too weak to handle any real punishment. Neither would have survived a week back in Egypt. It was the reason why he’d wanted the dog. He could have handled a real beating. He was an idiot, but tough.
Considering, he glanced back at the runt thoughtfully, deciding to leave him hanging there for the night. He wouldn’t sleep well, but it wouldn’t do him any other harm. It wasn’t like there was anything that he would need to be terribly alert for in the morning, and being half-asleep would keep him from causing trouble. Well, in theory, at least.
Prince didn’t think he would have been able to sleep, uncomfortable as he was, and considering the fact that he had technically slept most of the day. Still, though, after the lights were turned out and Bakura had settled comfortably in the bed with his kittens, (He was still trying to digest that fact,) the rebel fell into an exhausted sleep.
******
Wolf paced the length of the chain irritably. Not for the first time, he moved to the edge of the balcony as far as the chain would allow, looking down, as if he would see something new. They were at least three stories up, he guessed, possibly four, a large walled garden spread out beneath them. Strong metal cross beams supported the balcony, which had made him feel somewhat better. At least he could be reliably sure that the whole thing wouldn’t suddenly fall with him on it. Frowning thoughtfully, he moved along to study the wall. The blocks were very well-fitted, and seemed to be fairly new as well. If Yami hadn’t had the building built when he had taken over, then it hadn’t been standing long before. Irritated, he sat down on the pad, wondering how he was going to get out of this one. How had the damned pest known they were there anyway? And he… he should have left Prince, should have just run. That had been the agreement. And now Fox was out there alone, not even knowing what had…
He stopped, looking up as he heard a bird call. A call he knew, though. He couldn’t remember the name of it, but the name didn’t matter anyway. It was Fox’s call. They all had their own, both a means of identifying themselves and requesting information. To call back now, though… he looked back towards the door. Any reply on his part would instantly alert Kaiba. But, then, the glass doors were closed, and he wasn’t even sure the jerk was in the room. Cautiously he moved to look. Nothing, it seemed. Maybe he was in the bathroom.
The call came again, the same query as before. Not stopping to think about it, Wolf answered back with a different bird’s call. It had taken him forever to get the calls right, but this had been one of the first ones he had learned.
Danger. He repeated it twice, then stopped, holding his breath. Another call returned, yet a third bird, a confirmation of the message received.
Wolf caught his breath as he suddenly saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he noticed another balcony a floor down, watched in terror as Bakura stepped out. The Thief looked up towards his balcony and then back out towards the edge of the garden. After a moment he suddenly turned, moving quickly back inside. Wolf’s breath caught. He had figured it out. Wolf looked back toward Kaiba’s door, checking, then called again.
This one resembled no bird that had ever lived. It had actually been the reason they had started using bird calls. Wolf had panicked, back before they had crossed the ocean, before Ryou, during one of those close calls. His strange whistle had distracted the guards and had allowed Prince to escape. Since then, it had been termed ‘the panic alarm’ and was only used in direst danger. Ryou would surely figure out why he was using it now.
There was no answer, of course. Another call now would just give away his position. Wolf sat watching the gathering darkness fearfully, hoping desperately, not even noticing that Kaiba had appeared in the doorway, watching him intently.
Though he watched until the stars began to come out, all the time unaware of his audience, he didn’t see, or hear, anything. That was a good sign, right? It had to be. Fox had, yet again, proved to be as sly as his namesake. Slowly Wolf relaxed.
A loud shriek split the air then, and Wolf’s eyes widened in alarm as he recognized the voice. Not Fox’s, but Prince’s. And it came from the room Bakura had been in. He couldn’t… he wouldn’t… There was no way the Pharaoh would have given Prince to that psycho, right? But it seemed he would, and, apparently, had. Wolf clenched the bars tightly, more worried at the silence now than he had been about the scream. Another scream, this one seeming to go on forever before it ended and there was silence again. Had Bakura… He couldn’t think about it.
“Pup…” Kaiba murmured, coming over. Wolf ignored him until the CEO reached to pet him, turning on him then with a furious snarl, a crazed look in his eyes. The brunet blinked and stepped back then, debating a moment before sighing and turning to go back into the room, the door clicking closed behind him. Alone again, Wolf curled up against the bars, staring at the other balcony, willing his friends to be all right.
******
Fox froze as he heard Wolf’s panic alarm, eyeing the street below him, then abandoned the idea and began to climb. Only one person would have prompted that warning, and he wouldn’t look upwards for him. Bakura knew Ryou too well for that. But he wasn’t Ryou anymore, and the yami didn’t know the Fox. Of course, there was always the possibility that the Spirit would surprise him, but he knew Bakura, too. Bakura liked to think he had everyone figured out.
The rebel continued to climb, and anyone who saw him would probably have wondered if he shouldn’t have been called the Silver Squirrel instead of the Silver Fox. The branches that bore him now seemed too slender to hold his weight, but he moved on, always knowing which ones could hold him, which spaces he could jump. Not once did he look down or show any notice of the long drop that could seriously injure, or kill, him if he fell.
There. He paused to eye a branch that stretched out to one of the nearby buildings. It was a long jump, he would have to run at it. And the guards were below now, a good two dozen searching the area. Bakura, too, had come, the silver hair that matched his shining in the moon’s light. His own was drawn back into a ponytail, a black bandanna covering it. He had forgone his usual light-shaded clothes for darker ones of the same variety, a tight black crop top, and short, and equally tight, black shorts, with soft moccasins for his feet.
The outfit did have a purpose, besides the obvious one. Though it did that very well, and many of the soldiers still weren’t quite sure if he was male or female. Some of them claimed male, stating that he was the wrong shape to be a girl, while others stated that there were lots of flat-chested girls, and the clothes and the ‘Fox-tail’, what they dubbed the ponytail he had taken to keeping his hair tied back in, proved that he had to be female. Then, there had been the one he had overheard who had stated he didn’t care what Fox was, he’d still fuck him/her until he/she couldn’t move if he got the chance. Fox hoped, for his sake, that Bakura never overheard him. The Spirit could be insanely jealous at times.
But, vengeful spirits and horny soldiers aside, Fox moved around easily twice as much as Wolf and Prince did. He was the one who tracked down their quarry, who kept an eye out for soldiers, or worse, wandering yami. Regular clothes like the others wore soon became too hot, even when it was cooler, like this, and loose clothes could get tangled and caught. There were disadvantages, of course, like now, when it was cold and he was forced to stay still. But he had suffered worse discomfort.
“There’s no sign of anyone, My Lord.” Fox tilted his head a little to better catch the words as the soldier spoke to Bakura.
“Perhaps he has taken to the trees.” Another, younger, soldier suggested. Fox held his breath, but, as he had expected, Bakura just snorted.
“Ryou doesn’t climb.” Ryou didn’t climb. Ryou didn’t jump. Ryou never did any of the things he had learned as a child in the gymnastics class he had been forced to attend. But Fox climbed, and jumped, and rolled. Fox did things that would make world champions stop and stare. Fear for your safety, and the safety of your friends, was better than the best gymnastics trainer.
At times, he wondered about that. It almost seemed that he was becoming two different people. Ryou, the slight, gentle English boy who’d much prefer a game of cards and a cup of tea to the adventure his friends seemed to crave. And Fox, the clever, quick rebel who, it seemed, couldn’t be caught no matter how disadvantaged he was.
He had to wonder, when he was caught, for surely he eventually would be, would he change back to Ryou? He glanced back toward the castle, for that was really all that it could be called, and hoped the other two were all right. Wolf would be, he thought. Wolf was Jou, and Jou was Wolf. There was really very little changed. Prince, yes, he had changed, but not in ways that could be turned back. He couldn’t be made innocent again, couldn’t be made to stop looking for a way out of every situation, unless he allowed himself to be.
Ah well, he thought, running and bouncing off the end of the branch, flipping and landing easily on the roof. For now he was the Fox, and even the King of Thieves couldn’t steal him away.
******
Lesson of the Day: (From Wikipedia) A quirt is a short, flexible piece of thickly braided leather with two wide pieces of leather at the end, which makes a loud crack when it strikes an animal or object. They inflict more noise than pain. (This is an actual bdsm play whip. I found a few online supply sites for it.)
I know that Ryou does do some climbing and such in the series, but it’s also been proven that Bakura can still look like Ryou when he’s taken over, so I’m going that route with that.
Cosmic Tomato – It’s actually a bit of both. I did have some extra written up before I decided to put it up. This is actually the first chapter where I’m not at least half-way through the next. But, it is fairly easy for me to write, too, once my brain catches on to a thought. Most of the time I spend on a chapter is actually going back over it to make little changes here and there.
Yeah, I’m a naughty girl. And Jou’ll be all right. Let’s face it, if Kaiba took a more usual approach, like, for instance the one Yami is taking, it’d never stick. Jou’s too stubborn and tough for that. Aside from the humiliation of the dog treatment, and that little fight they had, Kaiba hasn’t really done much to him at all.
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Rulers and Rogues