Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Identity ❯ Art of the Sword ( Chapter 3 )

Identity

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO

Summary: Secrets are dangerous things, especially if you're dealing with a false identity. All has gone well for Bakura Ryou, until Kaiba Seto comes into his life. A sort of medieval/Chinese sort of setting. Slash warning Kaiba Seto/Bakura Ryou.

Pairings: Kaiba/Ryou, Anzu/Honda, Jou/Mai, Shizuka/Yugi

Chapter Title: The Art of the Sword

Author's Notes: Yay! I got reviews (and about time too)! I was starting to think people didn't like my story . . . btw, I really, really love your Seto/Ryou stories, Wildwolf! I'm currently reading `Thicker than Blood' but I've gotten through most of the rest. They're really good!

ENJOY!

---- The Art of the Sword ----

Ryou rose early the next morning and went to the window in his room. Wearing a thin blue robe over his sleeping garments, he opened the shutters to let light in. The good thing about his room was that it overlooked a good part of the forest, which was lush and thick. He loved the forest and would walk in it whenever he had the time to.

The silence, which was a common thing inside the forest, was disrupted by the sounds of a sword slicing through the air. Ryou knew it was a sword, because he had had a love for them ever since he first handled one. It had been his fifth birthday gift from the first lady - his late father's wife. He was born of the late Lord Bakura's concubine, but had been raised, as the traditions stated, under the care of the first lady of the household.

"It's Kaiba," he realised as he watched the activity.

Indeed, Kaiba Seto was dressed in simple, rough working clothes and darting through trees, handling his sword as if in a dance. Ryou watched from his window as Kaiba brought his blade upward in a sweeping motion, cutting through the thick canopy to break to the top. After that, with a practised balance and precision, he stood himself on the uppermost branch of the tallest tree. Ryou could not help but admire the man.

And, it seemed he was not the only one doing the admiring. Kaiba had his gaze fixed on the young lord at his window. Even from this distance, Ryou knew that Kaiba could see and recognise him. And then, in a sudden fluster, Ryou also realised that he was not even decently clothed. With a curt nod in Kaiba's direction, he withdrew from the window to dress.

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"Taking on swordsmanship is a long and difficult road. It requires ultimate dedication, infinite patience, talent and a love of it. Swordsmanship is not only a way of fighting, it is a precise art, a lifetime's hard work and represents a swordsman's honour and pride. The style one develops will be one's own, unique style - and their pride."

Kaiba unsheathed the top part of his sword, near the hilt. There, engraved on the very place he had first bled on the blade, were the characters for White Dragon. This was the name of his sword, his companion and his pride. It had been with him for over ten years already and it was his only family after his sword master passed away.

"You are, by far, my best and most prized student, Kaiba. The White Dragon will lead you to your destiny. Great things will be achieved through your partnership."

Parting words from his sword master. Kaiba remembered them clearly, as if he had only heard them an hour ago. The White Dragon was his life. He trusted his master's words - the sword would lead him to his destiny, whatever that may be and they would achieve great things together.

"The White Dragon and the Veiled Heart - their lives intertwine. One cannot exist without the presence of the other. Once found, they cannot be lost. Once acknowledged, they cannot be separated. That is the destiny that lies before you."

That was as far as he had got to think before he stopped on the branch of the tallest tree and discovered that the young Lord Bakura had been watching him from the window. At first, he was going to greet the lord, but what he saw left him speechless.

At first sight, Kaiba knew Ryou was lean and appeared femininely delicate. However, as he stood at the window, clad in his sleeping garments and a thin robe made of blue silk, Kaiba discovered he was more than just feminine. Ryou was pale and slim, with a surprisingly narrow waist and slender limbs. He had to fight the urge not to make it known that he was outright staring at his employer, which would be inappropriate.

Ryou was the first to catch his actions. He nodded once and withdrew, closing the window behind him. Kaiba sighed and shook himself out, ready to start his drills again.

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"Well, Sir Kaiba, I trust you know the affairs our household oversees."

"Yes, Lord Bakura."

"Then you will know that the fact that we are in charge of the safety and security of the people also requires us to have an agent in charge of ensuring their safety."

Kaiba dipped his head in acknowledgment. Standing by a bookshelf in the library, Ryou had his hands holding onto his fan (A/N: you know, the ones the scholars in China used to have that were made of paper and could fold up and had pictures and poems on them?) tightly. When at home, or out in public places where wearing a sword wasn't necessary, Ryou held his fan as a substitute. It acted as a weapon as well as a means of occupying his hands, which were used to holding something between them at all times.

"We have received a complaint through the Yoko household that there have been disturbing noises around their area in the evenings and at night. I am going there in a moment's time to investigate. You will come with me."

"Yes, my lord."

"When we arrive," Ryou continued, tapping his fan against one palm, "I ask you to make note of all suspicious details that might prove as vital to this case. My scribe will be there to write down everything you see."

"Yes, my lord."

"Also, later on, Prince Regent Yami has invited the household to his estate. You will accompany us as head of security and my sisters' body guard."

Their eyes met, brown against cerulean and they shared a small, wry smile of amusement. Kaiba had heard of Ryou's three infamous sisters, known throughout the land as the three - including their cousin, Minako, four - most spoiled and annoying women in court, as well as their husbands. Takeshi, Takao and Touya had married into their respective wives' family, a rare case when the wife's status was higher than the husbands, thus adopting the name of Bakura. However, it was Ryou's children who would inherit after him, him being the first born son of the house.

"I assure you, Sir Kaiba, that the ladies Miyuki, Michiru and Mika, and their husbands, will not have the authority to order you around. However, if they do so, I will see to it that this behaviour ceases."

"Thank you, my lord." Kaiba hesitated. "Forgive me if I am too direct, my lord, but isn't Prince Regent Yami the Crown Prince's older brother?"

Ryou nodded and sighed.

"What many do not know is that, while the Prince Regent is older than Prince Yugi, the Crown Prince, he is half-cast. His mother was the king's mistress before the queen gave birth to Prince Yugi. Prince Yami is four years his brother's senior, but he understands he has no claim on the throne and does not seek it."

Kaiba had heard something about the two princes. At twenty-four, Motou Yami was one of the most sought out noble men on the infamous `marriage market'. Noble ladies pushed for the chance to have their daughters meet the Prince Regent, knowing that the Crown Prince himself was already previously engaged. Yami was a diplomat as well as a good warrior, but his being half-cast was what degraded him. Even through all that, Yami and Yugi maintained a strong bond and were on exceptionally good terms with each other.

"Well, Sir Kaiba, we must be off to Yoko house," Ryou said finally.

--------

Around six years ago, Yami had met a girl in the woods near the Bakura household. He had been seventeen then and the girl had been fourteen. She had been, young, as she was, exquisitely beautiful. Since that fateful meeting, Yami had tried to seek her out again, having his heart set on her being his bride.

She didn't give her name, only that she lived around those parts, being very vague about the location. After she disappeared, Yami painted a portrait of her, which he kept in his room, hoping that one day he would be able to find her again.

The girl had plaited, pale hair and dark brown eyes, which contrasted vastly against her pale, moonlight complexion. At the time, she had been dressed in a gown of pastel lavender, a soft colour that complimented her near-lavender hair colour. Yami still remembered she had reminded him strongly of his brother, Yugi's, noble friend, Bakura Ryou. If it hadn't been the fact that Ryou didn't have a sister his age, Yami would have thought they were related. Otherwise, if Ryou hadn't been male, they were the same people.

He knew it was foolish to think so, but that girl had made such an impact on him that day, Yami found it hard to stop thinking about her. Every other young, beautiful lady he had been presented with ever since had dulled under the girl's perfect presence in his mind. He had tried calling at the Bakura house to ask if Ryou knew anything about it, but the young lord was firm and clear in stating that he hadn't.

"Well, I must put these thoughts aside for later," Yami told himself. "Lord Ryou is coming over with his sisters tonight. Perhaps we will strike up a friendship and allegiance in the process."

---- End of Chapter Three ----

A/N: Random stuff, just to add to the storyline.

If you're wondering, the girl Yami met in the forest will be revealed (and it's painfully obvious, if you ask me) later.

Gets a bit complicated as well, later on, but I'll leave you all to decide for yourselves.

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Bittersweet Angel Chika