Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Frozen Tears ❯ A Plan and A Lie ( Chapter 2 )

Randomasdf (Grace): WHOA and yay! I got a whole lot of reviews! Thank you to all who took the time to write one! It's much appreciated! You know who you are! ^.^

Yami: There she goes again - off in her own La-La Land.

Randomasdf (Grace): I AM NOT! I just want to express thanks to the readers!

Bakura: <scoffs> Ha - yeah right.

Randomasdf (Grace): Bakura??? When did you get here? You're not even in the story yet!

Yami: That's right tomb robber no baka. Remove yourself before I have to manually.

Randomasdf (Grace): Oh let him stay - I can't bother with your bickering right now… Besides, I'm trying to concentrate on writing the second chapter… Oh, and if my Egyptian geography is off, please don't get mad!

Yugi: Stop boring the readers!

Randomasdf (Grace): Fine then! Yugi - find someone to repeat the disclaimer.

Yugi: <to himself> Hmmm… Who can I get to do this? <grins> Oh Yami-chan!!!

Yami: What is it aibou? You know I'd do anything for you…

Bakura: Oh PLEASE! I don't need this right now.

Yami: <sends Bakura a death glare> Watch it, tomb robber.

Yugi: Yami-chan! Say the disclaimer! Onegai? Onegai? <gives infamous pout>

Yami: Ahhhhh - not the pout! Fine - but only this once.

Yugi: Arigatou! Arigatou!

Randomasdf (Grace): Ummmmm - right. Thanks Yami!

Yami: <sighs> Grace doesn't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh! So don't sue her - she's too young to be in debt! <looks up> Did you write this?

Randomasdf (Grace): Ummm - no comment?

Yami: <looks apprehensively at Grace>

Randomasdf (Grace): Right. Uh - on with the fic!

A/N: I don't think there will be any serious fluff in this chapter - I'm still introducing the characters! Please don't kill me! At least you get to meet everyone - right? Basically this chapter will be how everyone meets each other.

And now, with no further ado, I present to you - the second chapter!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~ = Scene Change

|-|Frozen Tears|-|

By Randomasdf

~CHAPTER TWO - A PLAN AND A LIE~

Jou glanced around at his best friends tensely. "What are we going to do? We can't be separated - we just can't!" His amber-honey orbs showed fear, but they held a sturdy gaze.

"Don't worry Jou - we'll figure something out. But in the meantime, Ryou and I have to follow some orders before Master decides to whip us - again," Malik's smooth voice broke the frustrated ambiance as the four friends hurried away to their respective tasks. The last time Dakha had caught them together, he gave them forty lashes each and solitary confinement for a week. The four friends shuddered simultaneously at the memory.

Yugi gave fleeting look back to the retreating backs of his friends as he hurried to tend to the animals.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Marik eyed his surroundings curiously. The capital city of Cairo was so intriguing - its high city walls and the golden Pharaoh's palace. His footsteps slowed when he heard the commotion ahead - apparently there was going to be a slave auction at the marketplace today. He sighed unconsciously, gaining a few odd looks from passer-bys.

`Maybe this will be the place where I finally stay,' he pondered, not sincerely believing his own thoughts. A scowl made its way across his bronzed face, tanned by the non-relenting Egyptian sun. Many times before he had repeated those words, never did they seem to hold true.

Being a traveling merchant was hard. Extremely hard, but bizarrely satisfying. Perhaps a slave would ease some of the work off of him. Deciding that this was the best solution, Marik began the slow journey toward the marketplace, where he could sell his goods - mainly jewelry and baubles of such.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Not far from the palace, a shrewd figure stood shrouded in the mysterious shadows of the pyramid, glancing around quickly before scurrying past the distracted workers. Sunlight bounced off of silvery-white hair, and cold, narrowed, coffee eyes scanned the area around the grand stone entrance. After a few moments, his gaze locked onto his target as he pounced with all weight upon the slab beneath him.

The rock gave way, and the thief found himself sliding down a tunnel, grinning maniacally - he had found it! He, Bakura, the most feared tomb robber in the world, had broken into the most heavily guarded crypt known to man! Emitting a malicious laugh of victory, he landed in a dark chamber where he promptly turned to the right, memorizing his steps as he moved soundlessly through the labyrinth.

After four hundred or so paces, the smirking tomb robber lit a small torch, illuminating a two-foot radius around him. Bakura's angular eyes widened slightly at the treasures before him. He knew of the rumors about the pyramid's riches, but he always believed them to be exaggerated. Leaning down, he emptied part of the tomb's wealth with one nimble swoop.

`I'm coming back later,' he made a mental note.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Pharaoh Yami and High Priest Seto were in the royal dressing chambers, examining themselves thoroughly before Yami announced his satisfaction. The two friends were clad in gray traveling cloaks, with the hoods pulled over their eyes, concealing their identities. They removed all of their finery and trinkets, glancing at each other - Seto being apprehensive, and Yami anxious for an adventure among the tortured citizens.

The blue-eyed one leaned back upon the velvet chair, sighing deeply. The crimson-eyed one cocked his head to the side, asking a question without words. Seto looked up, seeing Yami's questioning gaze.

"Yami, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean - there are going to be a lot of people who could see you!" he pointed out.

"Seto, stop being so juvenile. One can't have an adventure if there are no risks involved. So stop worrying and have some fun!" Yami laughed at his High Priest's overprotectiveness.

`How can you have fun when your people are starving, dying because of you? Can you really be that unfeeling?' Seto wondered to himself.

The ruby-orbed teen sensed his friend's uneasiness almost immediately, but dismissed it as quickly as it came, thinking that it was a result of his nervousness.

"Oh come on, it won't hurt to look around," Yami added.

"I hope you're right," Seto replied as the two associates strode out of the palace and into the bright daylight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi glimpsed down at his semi-white shirt. He fingered the cotton-like material gently, trying to remember the last time he had worn a decent shirt. Giggling to himself, he lifted his head just in time to see one certain silver-haired boy and two certain blonds. His minute smile soon turned into an all-out beam, one that could brighten anyone's day.

Ryou, Malik, and Jou shuffled over to their small companion, each having an expression of worry written clearly upon their faces. Yugi's smile dropped a little, but still retained his usual cheery attitude. Malik was the first to speak.

"Guys, we may have more than just a problem. We have one hell of a HUGE dilemma," he stated bluntly.

Yugi held a puzzled look while Ryou continued. "You know how Master -" he paused, sneering at the word. "Well, you know how he is planning on selling us? Um - he's PLANNING on separating us."

"Not only is he planning on selling us to separate people, he's also gonna try to make sure that you -" Jou looked around before continuing. "Gets sold to one of his `friends'," he elaborated.

Yugi's expression quickly changed from confusion to anguish. He glanced at each of the teens in front of him, begging for Jou's statement to be false.

"Sorry Yugi, but there's nothing we can do - I can't bear to see you suffer!" Ryou practically sobbed.

Dakha had often told them about his so-called "friends." They were treacherous beings, crueler than Dakha himself. Beating, raping, and leaving their slaves one inch from death was what they did best.

By this time, Yugi was quaking horribly, his knees about to give way. "W-w-why m-m-me?" he managed to stutter, voice barely over a whisper.

Malik looked grim. "Guys, we only have one choice - run away."

**ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER**

The four slaves eyed each other apprehensively - it was now or never. The risk of getting caught and facing dire consequences was great, but it was worth it if it meant staying together. They flashed each other nervous looks, but on the inside, they were ready for anything, even death.

Malik beckoned for his group members to lean in. "Together we will escape this place that puts the Underworld to shame, or together we'll fall."

With quick nods, the slaves cautiously snuck outside and down a nearby alleyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bakura glared at the busyness around him - cursing silently about the heat and people around him. He was never a sociable person, maybe that was the reason behind his success as a professional thief. Smirking slightly, he made his way down the dusty street, looking for an unsuspecting merchant to sell some of his jewels to.

Looking around at the numerous vendors, the white-haired robber saw what he was looking for - a traveling merchant.

`Ah - perfect. A traveling merchant would hold little suspicion about me,' he thought - chortling lightly at his luck.

**MEANWHILE**

Marik scowled. He had been bumped back to the far corner of the marketplace by over-anxious peddlers and their wares.

"Citizens of Cairo come first," they had claimed, shoving him back and away from eager customers.

He shook his wild blond mane, asking Ra why he had chosen this job in the first place.

`Oh right - to get away from my controlling family,' he thought bitterly as he began to set up his display of gold and silver ornaments.

While in deep thought, he heard footsteps coming toward him. Thinking it was a buyer, he plastered an artificial smile upon his lips. When he looked up, however, he saw a tall agile man, no older than eighteen grinning like there was no tomorrow.

Marik cursed in his head, realizing that this person was here to sell when he saw the jewels poking out of his pockets. He couldn't waste his money on new merchandise now, not until he sold something.

Bakura, still beaming maniacally, pulled out about twenty polished precious stones, letting the intense noon rays bounce off of them at different angles. "I'm in need of some quick money, so I'm willing to sell this to you for a semi-cheap price," he said with a gleam in his harsh brown eyes.

Marik looked quizzically at the stranger - why would he pick him to sell this gem to when there were numerous local merchants.

"May I see them?" the lilac-orbed hawker held an outstretched hand toward Bakura.

The burglar nodded quickly and deposited the stones into Marik's waiting hands. The seller held up a perfectly cut sapphire in the sun and gasped when he saw the mark of the Pharaoh etched into the side, overseen by many.

Marik immediately recognized this as part of the wealth found in the tomb of Pharaoh Ptolemy the first. How did he know this? Unknown to many people, Marik's family is of a bloodline destined to protect the Pharaoh and his treasures. This was a fact that even Bakura did not expect.

"What is your name?" Marik asked the figure in front of him, one eyebrow raised as if mocking him.

Bakura, sensing that something was amiss, quickly answered, "My name is Bakht, if you must know."

Marik chuckled lightly. "No need to lie, stranger, I know everything you DON'T want me to know."

Bakura held a shocked expression for a moment before it fell into smirk. "So, you found out about my little secret. Well, the name's Bakura, and you better not leak."

Marik thought for a second, contemplating the situation. `Hmmm - I could always tell my family and be recognized, or I could not tell them and spite them for ignoring me all these years.'

Deciding to go with the latter, the blond Egyptian smiled - this time genuinely. "You have nothing to fear, friend, I am most trustworthy," he said.

The two acquaintances soon engaged in a conversation of their pasts.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami and Seto finally reached the site of the slave auction. Stolid ruby orbs gazed around at the hectic marketplace. Cobalt eyes examined the citizens of Cairo, his heart wrenching at the sight of food-deprived children and homeless families lurking in the shadows. Yami, on the other hand, failed to notice this as he inspected the merchandise of a local vendor.

Seto sighed. `Today's going to be a long day,' he thought. As he turned slightly to avoid the blinding sunshine, he was surprised to see four bundled shadows sneaking down a passage behind a nearby building. Blinking, the figures disappeared, or so he thought. He shook his head to clear his head, telling himself that it was just his imagination.

The Pharaoh looked up at the High Priest, just in time to see him shake his head. "What's wrong?" he demanded more than asked.

"Nothing - it was nothing," Seto replied, telling himself more than his friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Randomasdf (Grace): Okay, okay - I know it was slightly boring, but I need to ease the story together slowly. Please bear with me!

Yami: WHERE IS THE FLUFF!!!

Randomasdf (Grace): Ummm - maybe next chapter? I need to find a good way for you and Yugi to meet, as well as the others.

Yami: GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!

Randomasdf (Grace): Patience, Patience! <turns to readers> Please keep reading! I promise that the good parts will come soon! I just need a good introduction of the characters where you can find our more about their personalities!

Yugi: <pouts> Please Grace! Please hurry up! I think the readers are getting bored.

Randomasdf (Grace): I'll start the third chapter today, if that makes you happy! Just please keep reading! I know that there is very little romance (okay, maybe none) so far, but THERE WILL BE - just wait, onegai???

Bakura: You'd better hurry it up though. That is - if I don't send you to the Shadow Realm first.

Randomasdf (Grace): I give, I give! I'll do anything! Just not the Shadow Realm!

Bakura: <laughs> I knew that would snap some sense into you!

Ryou: Oh, Bakura-kun! You promised me you would hold your temper!

Bakura: Ryou??? Fine - I won't send Grace to the Shadow Realm - yet.

Randomasdf (Grace): Arigatou Ryou! I will start on the third chapter now - the meeting of all the characters and some fluff! I promise!

Yami and Yugi: ^___^ YAY!!!

Bakura and Ryou: If you want the fluff, read Grace's new stuff! ("stuff" meaning chapter)

Randomasdf (Grace): Oh - that was terrible!

Bakura: What do you mean terrible? You were the one who wrote it!

Randomasdf (Grace): <grins sheepishly> Uh - right.

Yami, Yugi, Bakura, and Ryou: Please continue reading and reviewing! ^.^