Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Deceptive ❯ Chapter 2

Title:  Deception
Part:  2/4
Author:  Murasaki Rose
Beta:  none
Genre:  Romance/Fantasy/AU
Rating:  PG-13
Spoilers:  Yami Yuugi's real name
Warnings:  Shonen-ai (male x male)
Pairings:  YYxY, SxJ, YBxR, YMxM
Disclaimer:  Here we go.  Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami, Toei, and unfortunately, 4 Kids Entertainment.  In other words, I don't own them and I'm not making any money off of this, I'm just a fangirl having some fun.
A/N:  "text" = speech, 'text' = thought, ((text)) = telepathy

Summary:  The millenia-long war between the Jackal and Kitsune kingdoms has finally come to an end.  To discourage further conflict, the kings agree to marry their sons and ally the kingdoms.  Unwilling to make peace, a member of the Kitsune court spirits the prince away to Earth, sealing them both in human form.  Fifteen years later, the Jackal prince now searches the human world for his missing bride.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Part Two - Lost, Then Found

x-x-x-x

Yuugi shivered as a slight breeze slipped through the bars of his cage and over his bare body.  It had finally happened.  Their entire school had been kidnapped.  It was just like the previous victims had described: one minute they were in their classrooms and the next they were in a strange cavern, naked and locked in separate cages.  By some amazing stroke of luck, Jonouchi had ended up in a cage next to him and they had huddled up next to one another immediately.

From the sounds emanating through the dimly lit room, it was easy to tell that there were far more teens imprisoned than his classroom held.  In fact, if the room was filled with cages in the same configuration, Yuugi suspected that every teen in Domino was locked up in this room!  The cages were lined up single file, in long rows that stretched the length of the room and in-between the rows, armed guards patrolled to encourage the captives' good behavior.  Once the initial shock of his situation had passed, Yuugi noticed something peculiar about their captors, beyond their brown dog-like ears and tails.  Each of the stoic, tan-skinned guards was dressed in leather armor and shentis, very reminiscent of the clothing style worn in ancient Egypt.  Even the weapons they carried matched the era!  He'd been about to mention this to Jonouchi when some new activity a few rows over caught their attention.  They'd heard similar commotion going on the whole time, but this was the first time it was close enough for them to tell what was going on.  From what they could see, the guards were taking a group of teens down the aisle to an unknown location.

"Jonouchi-kun-"

Reaching through the bars, the blond gripped the small teen's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "It'll be okay, Yuugi."

A dark chuckle from behind them had chills running down their spines.  Knowing what or rather who he would see when he turned, Yuugi stamped down his fear to face down the guard who had chuckled at them.  Unlike the other guards who paid no attention to the captives, this one would leer at Yuugi each time he passed by, making the small teen more and more nervous with every pass.

"I think I'll ask if I can have one of the humans this time," he said, grinning when the small human shrunk against the back of his cage while the blond next to him growled threateningly.

"So you intend to take a mate then?" another voice interrupted, startling both the guard and teenagers.

"Captain!"  Whirling around in the direction of the voice, the guard stood at attention.

"Well?  Have you decided you want a mate?" the other man asked, the utter stillness of his body the only indication of his ire.

The guard shook his head frantically, "No sir."

The captain moved into the teens' field of vision, revealing a tall, young-looking man with the same tan skin and dog-like appendages as their other captors, though his were a deep, inky black.  Narrow, russet-brown eyes flashed dangerously from beneath his spiky, silver bangs as he spoke to the guard, "Then why would you ask to take a human?"

"Other guards have gotten to take humans with them!  I wanted one too!"

Those same russet eyes narrowed further before the captain grabbed the guard by the throat and slammed him against the row of cages.  "Yes they took humans... to court as mates!  Not to use as sex toys!"

"I-I I didn't-"

"Don't lie to me!  I've received numerous complaints from the other soldiers about you, so I chose to look into things myself.  Imagine my surprise when I found that their complaints were completely valid."

"Sir, I-"

"Enough!" the captain snarled.  "You are to return home immediately!  My Lieutenants will escort you to the portal and see that you go through.  Upon my return I will be reviewing your performance and shall assign a suitable punishment.  If you are not there when I return, you will be sent to prison on desertion charges.  Am I clear?"

"Y-y-yes sir," the guard stammered, fearful that if he said the wrong thing he would lose more than his career...

"Malik, Marik, escort this man to the portal immediately."

"Right away Captain Bakura."

The twin-like lieutenants materialized on either side of the man and quickly led him away, the expression on Lieutenant Marik's face just daring the guard to try something.

Hearing the almost silent sighs of relief from the two humans the guard had been harassing, Bakura suppressed a smile.  His own mate was a human he had met during their search and he had no tolerance for anyone who thought to abuse their temporary captives.  Glancing over at the humans in question had him doing a double-take:  The petite teen the guard had been leering at bore a striking resemblance to their prince.  They both had the same spiky, tri-colored, star-shaped hair and had very similar lightning-shaped bangs.  This youth had magenta-edged hair instead of the prince's crimson and his blond bangs did not arch into his hair like his, though one short lock hung over the center of his forehead.  While the similarity was remarkable, it was the human's large, deep amethyst eyes and the glimpse he caught of a birthmark that had him heading immediately for Seto.

Bursting into the young priest's temporary office, Bakura shut the door behind him and stormed over to Seto's desk.

"Bakura!  What the hell?" the tall brunet snapped, glaring at the equally young captain.

"I think we've found him."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Shaking in fear, Yuugi peered frantically around the room he had been brought to.  Just minutes after the leering guard had been dealt with, he and several of his classmates, Jonouchi included, had been brought out of their cages and led to the same place he assumed the other teens had been taken.  From there they were sent into separate rooms that held no windows or any other exit.

And he was still naked.

He hadn't been there long when the door swung open, revealing a tall man with piercing blue eyes, neatly cut brown hair, and a pair of pointed, ice-blue ears and tail that shimmered in the dim light.  He didn't look any older than the captain had; though his tunic and shenti were much fancier than the others he had seen today making the small teen more curious than ever.  And in spite of his fascination with the ancient Egyptian-style clothing the man was wearing and his own fear over what would happen now that he was alone, Yuugi still noticed the slight widening of the man's eyes as he looked at him.

Recovering from his surprise, Seto strode towards the frightened youth and was surprised that the small teen wasn't backing away.  Instead, he was standing as straight as he could while covering his privates and watching him warily, the fear visible in his eyes but controlled.

Crouching down to get a closer look at the birthmark he could only see glimpses of from behind the youth's arms, Seto huffed in annoyance before raising his eyes to look into confused amethyst.

"Move your arms please," he asked, keeping the tone of his voice calm but firm.  He didn't want to frighten the teen anymore than he already was, but he had to see the mark.

Shaking his head wildly in refusal, Yuugi started to curl in against himself, unconsciously trying to make himself a smaller target in case the man grew violent.  He didn't know why the man wanted to see him fully, but he had no intention of letting it happen if he could help it.

Realizing he'd taken the wrong approach, Seto repressed a sigh and using a bit of magic, conjured up a cream-colored, linen shenti.  Before the small teen could react, the young priest had pulled his arms away from his body and wrapped the shenti around his waist, leaving an opening over Yuugi's birthmark.  Stunned, the teen automatically moved to shift the opening to his side, only to have Seto bat his hands away.

"Where did you get this mark?" he questioned the amethyst-eyed youth, gently tracing the red udjat eye positioned just above the crease between the embarrassed teen's right thigh and pelvis, close to his groin.  The young priest could feel a familiar magic coming from the mark and was almost positive they had finally found the one they were searching for.

Gaining his voice once Seto released him and stood, Yuugi finally answered.   "I-I've had it as long as I can remember.  Grandpa said it was a birthmark."

"Do you have any other marks?"

Yuugi nodded.  "On my l-lower b-back."

"Show me."

As the small teen turned, Seto found himself struggling to keep his jaw from dropping.  There on the small of his back, was a dark red circular mark.  Now he was sure of it.  They had found him.  Not wanting to waste another moment, the brunet left the room immediately, leaving a very confused Yuugi behind.

Locking the door, Seto turned to the waiting figure.

"Bring him here."

Bakura nodded sharply, leaving immediately for the portal.

In the meantime, Seto would look in on the other humans that had been brought up.  To keep possible spies from learning of their success, they would need to continue as though they were still looking and that meant continuing the inspections until the teen was safely back at the palace.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Left to his own devices once again, Yuugi took the opportunity to sit and rest his weary legs.  Since their kidnapping earlier that morning, he'd spent the entire time on his feet, either standing or crouching, and his aching muscles were begging for a rest.  Limping over to one of the corners adjacent to the door, he eased his way to the floor, keeping his back to the wall.  Re-arranging the shenti to cover his privates better, the small teen pulled his right leg close and started massaging the cramped muscles.  Working a particularly tense cord in his calf, he didn't notice the door opening until a cloaked figure, not much taller than himself, stepped inside, closing the door behind him.  Freezing mid-motion, the small teen watched as the figure's hood-covered head searched the room, stopping when they spotted him in the corner.  Turning to face the teen fully, the figure dropped his hood, drawing a gasp from Yuugi, not only was this man's face devastatingly handsome, but his hair was almost identical to his own!

Sharp crimson eyes shone with delight as they took in the pale youth.  Atem could hardly believe it, after years of training and searching, his beautiful fiancé was finally within his reach!  He had not lost the wide amethyst eyes the young prince had become infatuated with as a child, nor it seemed, had he lost all of the baby fat around his face, making him appear younger than his years.  'I wonder if he still goes by his true name,' Atem thought as he approached the seated teen, dropping his cloak to the floor as he went.  To his amusement, the teen's eyes grew adorably wider as they noticed his wagging crimson, black-tipped tail, making him just want to hug the other youth to his chest.

Taking note of the fear still lurking behind the wonder in Yuugi's eyes, Atem decided to take a subdued approach.  Crouching down in front of the other youth, he gave the pale teen a warm smile, letting his joy at finding him shine through.

"Hello little one, I am Prince Atem of the Jackal kingdom."

Unable to stop the pout at being called little, Yuugi relaxed a little bit at the prince's friendly expression.  Still he kept himself on guard in case the friendliness was just an act.  "My name's Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi."

"Yuugi.  It's a pleasure to meet you again after all this time," Atem replied, gently brushing his fingers across Yuugi's cheek, drawing a soft blush from the youth in response.

"Again?"

The prince nodded and was about to explain when he noticed Yuugi was still gripping his leg.  "Are you  injured, little one?" he asked, worried one of the guards may have harmed him.

Yuugi shook his head, "No.  My legs are just really sore.  I've been on my feet for hours," he explained, kneading his right calf again.

Seeing an opportunity to build trust, Atem sat down and reached for Yuugi's left leg. "May I?"  Amethyst eyes regarded him for a moment before he nodded and gave him a faint smile.  Smiling back, Atem began kneading, enjoying the strangled moans of relief from the little teen.

Working together it wasn't long before Yuugi felt like he could stand without fearing his legs would buckle beneath him. Taking the other teen's hands in his own, he gave the prince a heart-melting smile, "Thank you for the help, your majesty."

"It was my pleasure little one," he replied, giving the teen a winning smile of his own, "and please, call me Atem."

Standing and pulling his little one to his feet and getting a fetching blush for his efforts, Atem took advantage of their sudden closeness to broach the subject of their bond.  Releasing one of Yuugi's hands, he reached down and placed the fingers of his left hand directly on Yuugi's udjat eye, humming as the magic coursed through the mark and into his body.  Through half-lidded eyes he noticed that Yuugi seemed to be experiencing the same pleasant buzz from the magic that he was.

Knowing they had to talk, Atem regretfully removed his hand and watched Yuugi's foggy eyes grow clear again.

"Wh-what was that?!" the pale teen stammered, unconsciously squeezing Atem's other hand for reassurance.

"Our bond."

"Our WHAT?!"

Believing that actions would speak louder than words, Atem moved to show Yuugi his mark, stopping when the teen let out a startled squeak.  Looking up he saw that the other had turned away and clamped his hands over his eyes, his face bright red.

"What are you doing?!"

Chuckling at his fiancé's innocent reaction, the prince continued to re-arrange his shenti into a position similar to Yuugi's.  "It's all right Yuugi; I just wanted to show you something-"

"I'm fine with not seeing it!"

Gently gripping Yuugi's chin, he tilted the other's face up to meet his and waited until the smaller youth opened his eyes.  "It's not what you're thinking little one."

Peeking though his hands, the amethyst-eyed teen took a cautious glance down and seeing that Atem was still covered, lowered his hands with an exhale of relief.  Now curious about what the prince had wanted to show him, Yuugi took a good look at the tempting patch of revealed skin and immediately spotted a very familiar mark.  "You have one too?" he breathed, reaching forward to touch it.

"Yes, we both received them on the same day."

Surprised by his answer, Yuugi tore his eyes away from the other man's mark to look at his face just before his hand made contact.  Amethyst met ruby for an instant before both pairs of eyes fluttered shut from the pleasant sensation coursing through their bodies.

Wanting to test if the stories were true, Atem touched Yuugi's mark once again and felt his knees quake from the doubled sensation.  Almost overwhelmed by the unexpected intensity, he held tight to the smaller teen with his free arm.  Yuugi moaned, grateful for the arm holding him up as the doubled sensations had left him weak in the knees as well.  Finally, when both teens managed to let go, Atem touched his forehead to Yuugi's.

"Let's get you out of here and I will explain everything when we get home."

"Home?" Yuugi asked, not moving from the other male's arms.  For some strange reason, he felt safer and more content in the prince's arms then he could ever remember feeling.

Atem nodded, "Yes.  It may not be safe to linger here for long.  We'll head to my father's palace immediately and I'll explain everything there."

"What about the others?"

"They'll be returned to their schools once we've safely returned," Atem explained, conjuring up a cloak for Yuugi.  Handing it to the small teen he retrieved his own from the floor.

Putting on the cloak, Yuugi followed Atem's example and pulled the hood over his head, the voluminous garment concealing him entirely.  As Atem guided him to the door, he couldn't help but ask one last question, "Will I get to see my mom and grandpa again?"

Atem went still at his question and for a moment, Yuugi thought he wouldn't get an answer...

"Yes, you will see them again little one."

With their heads covered, Yuugi missed how Atem's eyes flashed at the mention of his mother, which would have raised even more questions in the young teen's mind.

"Keep close," the prince murmured into Yuugi's ear as they left the room.  Nodding, Yuugi followed the other cloaked male further down the hall of rooms where they met with the tall man that had looked at his birthmarks earlier and the captain that had defended him and Jonouchi.

"Inform the court that we will return once we have finished the inspections here," Seto stated.  He was eager to return and give his cousin a proper congratulation but knew for both their safety such things would have to wait.

"We shall pray for your success," Atem replied, altering his voice with magic.

Bakura smirked, "At the very least, this trip has proven successful for our priest."

Shooting the captain a brief glare, Seto turned back to his cousin and explained.  "I've found a human I wish to court."

"And they have already agreed?" Atem was surprised, most humans were understandably reluctant.

Seth nodded, "He's still wary of me, but I was able to convince him of my sincerity."

Opening the portal, Atem turned back to his cousin, "Good luck," he said and led Yuugi into the portal.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o