Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Fate of the Damned ❯ Caught ( Chapter 6 )

Lol, I suck so bad.

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or any of its related characters or concepts.

 

Ch 6

 

The two humans stood rooted to the spot, completely stunned at their realization. This man, this vampire, was Malik's new master. Oh, why did he have to show up so soon?! His arrival at the castle meant Ryou and Malik were to be split apart, the blonde taken back to the southern realm while Ryou stayed in the north with Bakura, looked down upon by the master of the house and the other servants alike - forever damned to a life of servitude and loneliness.

 

Both boys snapped out of their panic-laden trance when the vampire, Marik, cleared his throat irritably, fingers gripping their shoulders roughly and hauling them closer. He smiled, though it held no warmth, and spoke once again. “I said, what's going on here?”

 

When neither answered, his face transformed, mouth becoming a ferocious snarl and expression growing demented as he attempted to hold back his anger. “Answer me, little humans. Why are you carting around my nephew when my brother is nowhere in sight? Am I to believe that he has placed his heir in the hands of such untrustworthy filth as you?”

 

First to break from his stupor, Malik nodded his head as he swallowed past the lump in his throat. This man's very presence was a threat, sending the tan human's survival instincts into overdrive, leaving him with a desire to run rather than answer questions. He noticed that Marik was watching him through narrowed eyes, his attention having focused on Malik at the human's earlier movement. Fighting his rising alarm, the blonde spoke in a rush.

 

“Yes, Ryou and I were put in charge of Yu-” he caught himself before he could say the full name, knowing that if he did, the vampire lord would take it as insolence. Hoping to cover his mistake, he corrected himself and moved on hurriedly, “-the young master while the other servants prepared the castle for your arrival, master Marik.”

 

Straightening to his full height, the vampire gave them a piercing look, his eyes glazing over ominously. They gasped when, to their horror, an odd sensation rushed through them, Ryou recognizing it immediately as the one he had experienced when Bakura had used one of his vampire mind tricks on him the night of his arrival. Malik, too, guessed as to what was going on, and an immense feeling of helplessness overcame him when he could not end the assault on his mind.

 

Locating the information he wanted, Marik cut the connection between their minds, eyes refocusing and cold smile returning to his face. He watched the human's regain themselves slowly, taking pleasure in the pale boy, Ryou's, fright and his doppelganger, Malik's, resentment. Then, he looked to Yukio, whose arms were still held out, waiting for Marik to take him from his human caretaker.

 

Obliging his nephew, the elder vampire grabbed Yukio, prying him from Ryou's stiff grasp and pushing the human slave away once the child was against his chest. He snorted, holding Yukio close and ignoring the boy's constant pawing, intent on his look-alike's reaction to the treatment of his friend. Upon inspection of his mind, Marik had found that Malik's wish was to protect Ryou from harm and the evils of the world, which would be hard to uphold once he was taken away to live in Marik's own castle. He grinned to himself at that. `Bakura's big surprise is ruined, now. I know what he was planning to give to me and I can't really say that I'm not happy with his choice of gifts.'

 

The blonde human didn't disappoint, rushing to his friend's side as the other stumbled over his own feet, fingers closing around one thin wrist and helping to steady him. When Ryou had righted himself and Malik was sure that he was steady, he glared at his future master, anger overtaking his common sense.

 

Marik chuckled, unafraid of such a weak creature, and glanced from the humans down to Yukio, who was acting uncharacteristically childish. His small face was pressed into the elder's neck while his hands fisted and pulled at the tight black shirt under them in his excitement. The young vampire hummed happily, nuzzling his uncle's throat as his short legs dangled on either side of the blonde vampire's denim-clothed hips.

 

The taller man grimaced, hoping the boy wouldn't tarnish or otherwise ruin the deep wine hue of his pants, seeing as how they had been a gift from a friend of his in the East.

 

Bouncing him a bit to get a better grip on the boy, Marik turned in the direction of the throne room where he expected to find Bakura, or at least someone who knew where to find him, and started on his way, throwing an emotionless, “Hurry up, servants, I haven't got all day” over his shoulder. Hearing the patter of unsure footsteps behind him, Marik quickened his pace, a large smirk plastered on his lips as the sounds increased in momentum, signaling that the humans were hurrying to catch up with him.

 

Marik's heavy boots thumped audibly along the tiles beneath him, the echo this caused sure to reach Bakura's ears and alert him that his company had arrived. This would be better, since it meant less waiting time for the blonde vampire lord. He paid the demon guards no mind as he passed, oblivious to their salutes and polite bows, far too used to the actions to care or notice. Reaching his destination, Marik motioned for one of the servants still lingering nearby to open the door for him, not batting an eye when the order was clumsily obeyed.

 

With Yukio in his arms and the two human servants in tow, the vampire lord of the southern region made his way inside the throne room, gaze roving over the front of the room in search of his brother. He frowned when he didn't see the unmistakable mop of white hair or those haunting blue eyes, nor did he sense Bakura's presence within the room.

 

`Where is that bastard?' he growled to himself, walking up to the throne and dropping Yukio on the floor near the dais. `He should have heard of my arrival by now. He's probably just taking his time, the lazy bum.' Marik climbed the stairs and, to the surprise of everyone else in the room, sat unceremoniously in the master's seat, adjusting himself so he splayed across the seat and arm rests of the throne lazily. He waved impishly at the stares he was receiving, enjoying the spotlight immensely.

 

“So, what does my brother do for fun around here?” the blonde vampire asked, his voice booming off the walls. The servants stood still, some with their mouths agape at this man's - this vampire's - atrocious behavior. It certainly was not leader material in their opinions, but none of those present were ignorant enough to voice their thoughts on the matter.

 

Marik smiled smugly, switching his position in his brother's seat. He loved messing with the help. “Well? Does anyone have any idea what `Master' Bakura does when he isn't being a prick?”

 

“My free time, dear brother, is spent in the privacy of my room.” A voice spoke out from behind a tapestry to the side of the throne, its tone one of agitation. “As to me being a prick, I don't believe my servants will be giving you their views on that subject. Not if they intend to keep their tongues, anyway.”

 

The blonde vampire started, sitting up in the seat and looking around the side of its high back, catching sight of Bakura pushing aside the tapestry and entering the room. `Damn hidden passages.' He thought as he grinned toothily, showing off his canines to his less than impressed half-brother. “Ah, there you are, Bakura. I thought you'd forgotten I was visiting tonight.”

 

The master of the house growled as he made his way to the front of the dais, releasing the magic surrounding him which cloaked his presence from his half-brother's keen senses as he went. Bypassing Yukio, who had jumped to his feet in his anticipation of seeing his father, he gave Marik a repulsed look when he stopped and raised his eyes to meet those of dusky violet. “I can't forget about you, Marik, you never give me the chance.”

 

Climbing out of the throne, the unnaturally tan vampire hopped down from the dais to land silently next to his younger half-brother, slapping the other on the back. “I know deep down you don't want to forget me, Bakura. You just enjoy acting the part of the disgruntled little brother.” He joked, giving the pale man another hearty slap on the back, eager to rile him up and send him into a fit of rage. An angry Bakura was entertainment, indeed.

 

Shoving the other away roughly, Bakura snarled and whirled around, eager to yell orders at his subordinates to ease his embarrassment at the situation. He hated when Marik tried to make a fool of him, especially when it was in front of those who were expected to fear and respect him. The thought of his servants joking about him later almost sent the white-haired vampire into orbit.

 

Waving away his heir's enthusiastic hands which insisted on snagging his pants, Bakura stepped forward, gaze surveying the nervous expressions of the guards and servants in the room, before landing on two easily distinguishable faces near the middle of a group of demons to his right. They may have been attempting to hide behind the much larger creatures, but the white-haired vampire knew his two human slaves by both sight and scent. His eyes narrowed malevolently and he adopted a more menacing stance than was his custom as he came closer, motioning the others surrounding the two boys to distance themselves.

 

The master's unspoken order was followed immediately, leaving both boys out in the open and defenseless. Ryou gulped and began to play with his hands and tunic, while Malik stood tall and forced the rising dread back into his belly. He had to stay strong, both for himself and his friend.

 

Bakura closed in on his human subordinates, stopping mere feet in front of them to the clear dismay of the pale boy, Ryou. The vampire chuckled under his breath, enjoying the fear he instilled so effortlessly in the younger of the humans. Though, this was not the time to be thinking of such things - there were questions which needed to be asked and punishments to be given.

 

Turning to Ryou, he spoke softly and evenly. “Might I ask, little human, why you are out and about when I specifically said neither you nor Yukio were to be seen until I deemed it the appropriate time for your appearance?”

 

Ryou gulped and attempted to answer, though his mouth was far too dry and throat far too constricted to say anything coherent. A few stuttered words left his lips before he was able to pull himself together and take control of his flustered tongue. “I-I was just…u-um…taking the young master to see if the h-hall was finished.” When Bakura remained still and silent, he pressed on valiantly. “The young master was becoming very restless, and I wanted him t-to work off some energy before your company arrived. I didn't want him to be overly rowdy and embarrass you when the time came for him to show himself, master.”

 

Internally wincing, the white-haired human waited for his vampire lord's reaction. He wasn't sure if his excuse was decent enough to save him some painful punishment, but perhaps it would protect him from an untimely death. Bowing his head, he peeked at Malik from the corner of his eye, asking the other with his soft gaze if he had done well. When his friend refused to give him a return stare, his heart started pumping madly as a fresh wave of terror surged through him.

 

Bakura studied the thin, pale servant, noticing his nervous glances in the tan human's direction. Raising his chin, the vampire snorted and concentrated on the blonde, intent on dealing with the white-haired boy later. “What explanation do you have for being out in the open, I wonder?”

 

Without missing a beat, Malik answered in a steady voice, “I was ordered by the head servant, Otogi, to assist Ryou in the care of your heir. I met with the both of them in the entrance hall and we were about to head back to Yukio's room when your company literally dropped in on us.”

 

Malik's confident answer, and the fact that he had neglected to address both Bakura and Yukio as `master,' did not elude the other servants and guards in the room, nor did it pass by Marik, whose ears perked instantly. Eyebrows rising into his bangs in surprise, he moved closer to the conversation, intrigued. He found himself to be enjoying this human's show of bravado and attitude, and imagined what fun it would be to break such a boy. He grinned wickedly, mind spinning. Yes, he would take great pride in tearing this boy's courage and pride from him, one painful tug at a time.

 

Bakura growled, not as enthused with the blonde human's answer as his half-brother. He detested insubordination, and the idea that it was coming from a lowly human made it far worse an offense in his mind. Springing forward with feline grace and speed, he wrapped a clawed hand around the tanned boy's throat, squeezing lightly, for he only wished to cut off the human's air supply.

 

He was awarded for his actions when Malik gagged and choked at the sudden loss of oxygen, his hands jumping to his throat and tugging at the deathly pale and icy skin of the vampire lord, trying to dislodge those cruel fingers from his windpipe. He gasped brokenly when he was shaken rather violently and brought face to face with Bakura, the vampire's eyes having turned a darker blue than normal in his anger.

 

“How dare you challenge me, you impudent little fool! I grow weary of your rebellion and will tolerate it no further.” His grip tightened, causing Malik's pink tongue to dart from his lips as the boy panted desperately for air. “Now listen, human. I am your master, the vampire lord of the northern region, and you shall respect and address me as such.”

 

Malik gargled and kicked out his legs, trying to hit his captor in the shins to knock him off balance. His attack was easily avoided, and it only brought more of Bakura's rage to the surface.

 

“You still insist on fighting me? Disgusting human, you've pushed me too far.” Flexing the fingers on his other hand and showing off the sharp claws adorning each digit, he bared his fangs and prepared to inflict a heavy amount of damage on the fiery slave. His arm had just begun to thrust forward when the cry of anguish and fear from the pale human (Ryou, his mind quietly reminded him) caught his attention and made him pause, his eyes falling on the tear-streaked face of the young boy.

 

It was this distraction that gave Marik the opportunity to step in on his future slave's behalf, placing a hand on his half-brother's shoulder. He felt Bakura tense under his touch, but a moment later the white-haired vampire recognized him and calmed, head swiveling to the side to look over his shoulder at the darker male.

 

“What is it, Marik?” he asked, still aware of the struggling human in his grasp and Ryou crying pitifully a few feet away.

 

“I merely wanted to remind you that you're currently strangling my gift, dear brother. A gift I was actually looking forward to receiving.”

 

Bakura blinked, shock evident on his face. How had Marik found out?

 

As if reading his mind, Marik smiled and said, “I caught the two of them with Yukio in the entrance area. I wanted to know what they were doing with my nephew, so I did a little mind sweeping and discovered what was to become of that blonde human you have there.” He pointed lazily to Malik, who had begun to turn blue. “I must say, I was extremely pleased with the information I found.”

 

Bakura grunted, slightly disappointed that his secret had been revealed earlier than planned, and released Malik, watching as he slumped to the ground and lay coughing and gagging, drawing air into his burning lungs. Arms falling back to his sides, he turned away from the blonde servant and walked past Marik and his sullen heir toward his throne, well aware that as he left, Ryou ran to his fellow human's side and dropped to his knees to try and help the other.

 

Climbing the stairs in a huff, Bakura sat heavily on his throne, eyes roving over the servants and guards in the room, contemplating whether he should order them to leave or allow them to stay and hear the next conversation. Deciding he didn't wish for the castle to be filled with even more gossip than it already had, he waved the demons away, instructing Ryou and Malik to stay behind with Yukio. Once the room had cleared, he crossed his legs wearily and set his elbow on the arm of the throne, rested his chin atop his hand, and spoke.

 

“I'm a bit upset that you discovered my gift early, Marik. However, what's done is done, and I didn't have a back up present to give you incase a circumstance such as this arose, so you're stuck with the blonde human.”

 

Marik grinned wickedly and placed himself behind Ryou and Malik, grabbing hold of the boys' collars and hauling them to their feet unceremoniously. Inspecting the pale human quickly, he raised his lip and flung him away, uninterested - the boy just wasn't in his taste. He heard a loud cough erupt from his future servant, followed by a raspy cry of indignation at the treatment of the boy's friend, and laughed outright when the shorter male pushed at his chest, attempting to free himself.

 

“Where do you think you're going, human?” he asked, bringing Malik flush against his chest in a vice-like grip. “I may not hold any concern for your pathetic friend over there,” he gestured to Ryou, who was still lying on the floor from Marik's rough treatment, and took in Malik's livid expression with almost childish delight before carrying on, “but that doesn't mean I hold none for you. No, I'm exceptionally interested in you, Malik.” The vampire nuzzled the other blonde's hair, pleased with himself when his actions garnered the expected response.

 

Malik gasped and fought the vampire lord harder, shoving against his chest and moving his head as far away from the larger man as it would go, repulsed by Marik's false show of affection. “Let me go!” he shouted to the best of his ability, his throat still sore from Bakura's earlier assault. “Stay away from me, you undead bastard! How dare you treat me and Ryou like this! We are NOT slaves!”

 

Both Marik and Bakura threw their heads back and howled with laughter at Malik's outburst, chests heaving unnecessarily with mirth. Getting themselves under control, the two vampires smirked cruelly, and Bakura's voice echoed through the room.

 

“Not slaves? Funny, I could have sworn that scrubbing floors, dusting furniture and shelves, and babysitting under orders were considered the work of slaves nowadays. What do you think, Marik?”

 

“Oh, you're quite right, brother.” The blonde vampire answered, liberating the feisty servant from his hold and laughing when the boy stumbled away from him and over to Ryou, helping the other into a sitting position and giving both him and Bakura dirty looks. “He appears to be a slave to me.”

 

Bakura straightened in his seat and glanced at the floor near the dais, catching sight of Yukio sitting passively on the cool tile. Believing it would humiliate the tan human further, he called to his heir. “Yukio, my son, what do you think?”

 

Yukio jumped, unprepared to be pulled into the conversation, and turned wide eyes on his father. When he found the elder vampire watching him keenly, he twisted around and returned his attention to the two humans huddled nearby, one looking terribly angry, and the other, Ryou, near tears. The child locked gazes with his caretaker for a split second, then moved onto the blonde next to him and, after focusing on to the boy's furious eyes, opened his mouth to speak.

 

“Yes, father, nothing but slaves.” He smiled nastily at the tanned human and peered up at his father when the older man's laughter could be heard once more. His chest swelled with childish pride at having pleased his father, but when he looked back at the two servants on the floor, the look of hurt on Ryou's face made the bubble inside him deflate somewhat. Yukio puffed out his cheeks, unsure as to why he cared what a human thought about him, even if that human was Ryou.

 

Bakura, unaware of his son's internal struggle, composed himself and stood, making his way down the dais steps and to Malik, offering him a patronizing leer. “Well then, it appears that you are the only one here who believes yourself not to be a slave. Since this is the case, one can only assume that the majority is right, and you are in fact a slave.” Mentally calling to one of the demon guards in the hall, Bakura ordered the creature to his side, quickly cutting off the connection when the demon reacted, pushing open the doors and entering the room with the clang of his armor.

 

“You called, my master?”

 

Bakura held up a hand, wordlessly telling the guard to be silent. Lowering his arm, he narrowed his eyes and reached for Malik, hauling the boy to his feet and whispering in his ear. “As a slave, you are to respect me and all your other superiors. When you don't, you will be punished severely.” He pushed the blonde into the guard's waiting hands - not surprised when he began to thrash furiously - then snapped his fingers, catching the attention of a female servant and another guard, who entered through the opened doors and walked swiftly to their master.

 

Calling the woman closer, he instructed her to take Yukio back to his room and watch him until the boy's current caretaker could return to his duties. The servant quickly did as she was told, and once she and Yukio were gone, Bakura turned to the second guard. “You are to take the pale human down to the lower level of the castle where he will be disciplined for disobeying my orders.” He said, pointing at Ryou who sat dejectedly on the tiled floor. “Do not hold back - he is not as fragile as he appears.”

 

The guard bowed low and grabbed Ryou, pulling him to his feet as though he were a mere toy. The boy cried out at the contact and attempted to pry the thick fingers from his arm, Bakura's words having seeped into his mind and sent him into a panic. The demon grinned down at him, glad to have been assigned such an amusing task as this, for he had always enjoyed watching torture sessions.

 

Ryou's continual sobs and pleas fell on deaf ears, neither vampire nor demon caring what he had to say. His voice soon faltered, and in that moment he heard another voice rising into the air and drowning out his cries in both pitch and volume. He recognized the sounds as shouts of outrage which were bursting from Malik's lips, his dark friend having doubled his efforts to break free from his captor at the idea of the smaller boy being savagely beaten. Ryou expected the other's sudden increase in energy was caused by the blonde's memory of his suffering at the hands of demons weeks prior, a incident that was still fresh in both their minds. Just recalling what happened to his friend brought new tears to brim at the pale youth's eyelids, and only one sentence ran through his psyche - `It's going to happen again.'

 

Bakura moved to Malik and yanked none-too-gently on his sun-kissed locks, silencing him. He then glared into those haunting violet eyes and hissed dangerously. “Be silent, slave! You have nothing to worry about, for your beating will be far more harsh than your companion's.” Untwisting his fingers from Malik's thick tresses, the vampire lord stepped back and waved the guard's away. “Get them out of my sight. Oh, and be sure to take them to separate rooms for their punishment - the building dread of what's to become of the other human is half the fun.”

 

“Yes, master.” The guards said, bowing their heads respectfully as they tugged on their captives, pulling them toward the hallway.

 

“Wait a moment.” Marik spoke up, striding calmly over to the demon holding Malik. “I'd like to come and watch, if that's not too much trouble. You see, I have a few things I would like to discuss with this human when you're finished.”

 

“If my master allows it, I can not decline your wish, my lord.” The guard glanced to Bakura, who nodded his head, and in turn nodded to Marik. “If you will follow me, my lord.”

 

The guard left, Malik held securely to his chest and the tanned vampire in tow. All three heard the heavy footfalls of the other demon as he carted Ryou away in the opposite direction down the hall and to a staircase in the southern wing of the castle, which would take them to the lower levels and a room perfectly stocked for just such a disciplinary occasion.

 

Malik's group was on its way to a similar room, though this one would be located far from Ryou's, as was Bakura's order. The young human hated the position he was in, but could think of no way to get out of it, partly because he was too preoccupied with what was about to happen to both him and Ryou. That bastard vampire had been right, the fear of the unknown was begging to bother him.

 

The clanking of the demon guard's armor and the soft swishing of Marik's cape were the only sounds that echoed through the halls as they made their way to a flight of stairs ahead - stairs Malik recognized as those he used to get to and from the slave quarters. His stomach churned. `It's going to be humiliating if any servants see me like this. They won't let me live it down for the rest of the time I'm here.'

 

They came to the staircase leading down into the darkness of the lower level soon enough, and Malik was forced to go first, his wrists seized firmly by the guard so as to prevent escape. He trudged slowly downward with his two cohorts following close behind, teeth kneading at his bottom lip and mind racing anxiously. `What exactly did they have planned for him? He certainly wouldn't be killed, since he was to be given to Marik as a gift. Right?' He was jarred from his thoughts when his feet hit the stone at the bottom with a thud, and he shook himself and continued on, head held high and back rigid.

 

The three males walked through the dimly lit passages somberly, the atmosphere surrounding them reminding the young human of a funeral procession. He allowed a shiver to roll down his back at that notion, willing his face to remain stony and aloof. No point in giving the demon any more pleasure than he was already getting from the experience.

 

Minutes crawled by, and each passing second brought them closer to their small journey's end. Malik's heartbeat increased when the hallway widened and doors began springing up around them, indicating they were getting close. His throat constricted harshly and his body screamed for him to run, though he knew it was an impossibility.

 

His heart plummeted into his stomach when their pace slowed and the guard led him to an ancient and heavy looking door on the left, the demon offering him an evil sneer as he grabbed the handle with his free hand and braced himself to open the heavy barrier between Malik and a painful dose of reality.

 

“Are you ready, little human?”

 

The boy set his jaw and stared defiantly in the larger creature's eyes, muscles taunt and body filled with adrenaline. “Let's get started already, demon. I have other things to do tonight.”

 

Marik snickered under his breath at the rage blossoming on the guard's face and shook his head. This was going to be quite the show.

 

TBC

 

My brain hurts. X.x

 

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because it almost killed me. (Tch, as if all the others didn't. xD)

 

Next chapter : Ryou and Malik get the shit beaten out of them, and then Marik and Malik have a nice lil talk. You know, before he passes out. :D

 

You WILL find out about Yukio's mom in the next chapter. (YES, FINALLY.)

 

Please leave me a review, as I am a humongous review whore.