Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Identity ❯ Observations of the Past ( Chapter 4 )

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 setting. Slash warning Seto/Ryou, a little Yami/Ryou.

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

Chapter Title: Observations of the Past

Author's Notes: no reviews . . . people really don't like this story, do they? Am I doing something wrong? Please tell me . . . why aren't my Yu-Gi-Oh fics as popular as my Beyblade ones? I dunno what I'm doing wrong, but I hope someone can tell me.

ENJOY!

---- Observations of the Past ----

Yami was rather bored, several hours into the dinner. He was sitting next to the Lady Minako, who would not stop chatting gaily and attempting to make idle conversation, while flirting shamelessly. One would have thought that a noble lady like herself would restrain her acts a little more, but Minako didn't seem the type.

"Have you heard the news, your Highness?" she now asked. "About those strange noises in the Yoko household? I was visiting the lady of the house just this morning . . ."

He tuned out and started staring into his wine cup. Had he made a mistake inviting the ladies from the Bakura household to attend this dinner? The only reason why he had extended a dinner invitation in the first place was so that he could spend some time with the Lord Bakura and discuss issues of interest to them both. Speaking of the lord, Bakura seemed rather quiet tonight, sitting on his other side. Yami nudged him with an elbow.

"Help me out," he mouthed, when the other man looked up.

"Sorry, I'm in no position to do so," he replied apologetically.

For Ryou, his attention was focused on Kaiba, who was standing behind his sisters' chairs with a stony expression on his face. From the look on his face, Ryou could tell that the knight was having no trouble pretending to not know what was going on. Of course, it was obvious that Kaiba was paying attention to everything around him, but he would also be bored.

"Sir Kaiba," Ryou said, raising his voice a little.

Kaiba looked at him questioningly, awaiting orders. Ryou couldn't let the man suffer and dismissed him with a wave of his hand at the doorway. The knight frowned and, very reluctantly, left to go outside. At least now one person wasn't bored out of their mind.

"You are awfully nice to that new guard of yours," Yami noted into his ear.

"Sir Kaiba is a lot of help to me," Ryou replied. "I don't think he deserves to have his mind turned into a useless pile of mush because of a dinner guard duty."

"Ah yes," Yami said with a chuckle. "Sometimes I sympathise with the guards - and other times I wish I was them. Yet, don't you agree that we, as hosts, suffer more than them?"

"Most certainly so, Lord Yami."

"Are you going to be so formal with me, Ryou?"

They shared a quiet laugh. Actually, Yami's was more of a subdued chuckle from the back of his throat, while Ryou's was a delicate one hidden behind his fan. It was at these times that Yami was reminded of the girl from the woods. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head and turned back to the conversation.

"I've heard that this Sir Kaiba Seto is an excellent swordsman," he said.

"Oh, he is extremely gifted," Ryou replied. "Perhaps I should say he is exceptionally talented. I happened to catch a glimpse of his technique only this morning. I was rather surprised and impressed that the style he uses is of the legendary White Dragon school."

"White Dragon school?" Yami repeated, awe struck. "But that hasn't been seen for hundreds of years! Are you sure this Sir Kaiba is from there?"

"Do you doubt my knowledge of these things, Yami?"

"No, of course not."

Ryou traced the edge of his wine cup with a finger, biting back a restless sigh. He really wanted to get out for a while, at least away from his female relatives. His hands itched to hold a sword again, perhaps do some practise. He wondered whether Kaiba would practise with him, so that he could have a better idea of how he fought. Besides, he couldn't take alcohol.

"Excuse me, Yami," he said quietly. "I need some fresh air."

--------

When Kaiba was bored, or had nothing to do, he practised. Which was why he was in the courtyard, doing just that, when Ryou came outside. The young lord stood half-hidden behind a pillar, watching him. He had never really noticed how graceful Kaiba's movements were, how sure his style was and the feeling of calmness that radiated about his face when he was moving around.

Against his will, Ryou felt a heat rise in his face. He was not about to start thinking about how - well, it was best if he didn't think at all at the moment. Silently, he watched as Kaiba's sword dance progressed faster and faster, until his movements were just a blur. Still he watched and began to unconsciously memorise each technique. He was so mesmerised in watching that he didn't realise Kaiba had come to a dead stop in front of him.

"My lord Bakura."

"Oh, Sir Kaiba," Ryou greeted, masking his surprise. "That was an excellent display."

"If it interrupted my lord in any way -"

"No, of course not. I was rather interested by your style - isn't that the White Dragon?"

Kaiba nodded, showing Ryou the hilt of his blade, where the characters were engraved. Ryou fingered it carefully, admiring the skilful workmanship put into the hilt and the blade, testing its weight and running his fingers gently along the length of the blade itself. All of a sudden, he felt a sharp jolt run through his fingertips and gradually spread into tingling warmth along the back of his hand.

"Is my lord all right?" Kaiba asked, concerned.

"It's alive," Ryou murmured. Then he chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, I mustn't be making sense. But as a swordsman, you understand when a sword feels alive under your hands."

But Kaiba was looking at Ryou intently. No one else, bar himself, had ever said that the White Dragon blade had come alive under his or her hands. According to his master's prophecy, only the Veiled Heart was the other who could feel its life. But, then again, Ryou was a swordsman at heart and he was male. He took the sword back.

"Of course I understand, my lord," he said. "Did my lord need me for anything?"

"No, I only came for some fresh air," Ryou replied. "However, now that you mention it, I do have one request of you, Sir Kaiba. I have been studying a sword style for many years now and it's about time I test it in combat. Would you be so kind as to spare me an hour or two every morning from tomorrow to practise?"

"I'd be honoured, my lord."

A small and hesitant smile spread on both their faces. Once again, Ryou flushed against his will and Kaiba took note, once again, how effeminate he was. Their eye contact was broken by Yami's voice from the doorway.

"Ryou? I think you'd better take care of your brother-in-law."

Ryou sighed. Takao had probably gotten himself drunk talking to Yami or something. He turned back to Kaiba with a hopeful look in his eyes, something that made the young lord seem more human, more casual, than he was.

"Well, I'd better be going inside now," he said. `I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

Yami watched them carefully, his violet eyes beady. Even a fool could tell what was conflicting between the two of them at that moment. He felt sorry for Kaiba though. Ryou was a noble, the last living male heir to the Bakura household, an ancient one, and a blue blood. The most Kaiba could be was a commoner, which they referred to as crimson blood. Traditionally, the nobles and the commoners didn't mix and as for the fact that both of them were male - it was hopeless. Kaiba would only be hurt.

--------

"Sh! Come on you wimp!"

"Are you sure they're in there boss?"

The leader of them, a person wearing a hooded black cloak grunted and vaulted him onto the wall, landing neatly and quietly on the tiles. His companions followed suit, each positioning themselves at equal intervals on top of the wall. The hooded person rested a gloved hand on the hilt of a dark sword and drew it out a little, the blade glinting.

"Proceed as planned," he growled, voice muffled by the hood. "But remember, leave Bakura to me. We have a score to settle."

"Yes boss."

--------

Ryou led his sisters, mother, the first lady and his brothers-in-law back inside the household. After practically wrapping up Takao in ropes in an attempt to sober him up, Ryou decided to beg leave of the Prince Regent and return home. Now he stood at the family shrine, where the plaques of all their ancestors rested, glaring at them all.

"Haven't I told you, Takao, to stay away from alcohol if you can't take it?"

"Yessir . . ." Takao slurred. His wife, Lady Michiru, caught him as his knees gave way.

"And why have you soaked yourself in it again?" Ryou demanded, growing angry. He rarely lost his temper; his family knew so and looked guilty. "If I hadn't dragged you away, you would have ALL embarrassed the family name."

"I had nothing to do with it," Lady Miyuki pointed out. "Neither did Takeshi."

"Nor I or Touya," Mika added with narrowed eyes.

Takao belched and threw up on the floor. Michiru shrieked and backed away, checking her attire over for any signs of the mess, leaving her husband to drop in a snoring, filthy heap. The rest of the family, bar Ryou, backed away. They would have left the shrine altogether, if Ryou hadn't made it clear before that, without his leave, they couldn't. He now glared at Takao, expression disgusted.

"Clean this mess up," he told the servants, eyes never leaving his brother-in-law. "And get him cleaned up and sent back to his chambers. His punishment will be dealt with when he is sober. As for the rest of you - I hope you all know better next time."

It was a dismissal. Though Ryou was easily the youngest member of the family, as the only male bearing the name Bakura, he was the head of the household. That put everyone, even his mother and the first lady, under his control. No one dared question him, or anger him, because he had the right to punish them according to family traditions. His relatives hurried away from the shrine to their respective chambers.

"Sir Kaiba," Ryou called. "Come inside for a minute."

Kaiba appeared at the doorway with a grave expression.

"This is the sacred Bakura family shrine," he said. "I dare not enter."

"You have my permission, Sir Kaiba," Ryou replied.

Kaiba was about to step inside when his senses alerted him to another presence within the walls. He froze, as did Ryou, who could hear the minute sound of someone's muffled breathing near the window. Because it was a relatively cool night, there were breezes blowing. Instinctively, Kaiba's hand went to his sword hilt and Ryou shifted.

"Very clever," Ryou murmured, tightening his grip on his fan. "Using the breezes through the window to hide the breathing patterns."

"Oh yeah?" a harsh voice breathed. "Well hide THIS!"

A dark, cloaked figure charged directly at Ryou, sword unsheathed and aimed directly at the young lord's heart. Kaiba darted forward, his own sword ready, but because the shrine was so extensive, he couldn't reach him in time. Prior to being impaled upon the deadly blade, Ryou unfurled his fan and the blade passed through easily. His attacker made a noise of triumph, which was changed into a cry of surprise when Ryou snapped his fan shut again, capturing the blade. With a quick twist, Ryou disarmed him.

"Kaiba, quickly!" he shouted as the person ran away. "After him!"

Kaiba threw his sword as hard as he could and it pinned the attacker's cloak and the back of his robes to the nearest tree. The person struggled wildly, but the White Dragon was embedded into the trunk so deeply, he was rendered helpless. It gave Ryou and Kaiba time to run over and the former to point the sword against his neck.

"Who are you?" Kaiba growled. "What do you want here?"

"That's none of your business," the other spat.

"Your voice sounds very familiar," Ryou noted.

He reached up and pulled down the hood. Long, black hair tumbled out of a roughly down plait, falling past the person's shoulders and down to their waist. Slowly, the assassin lifted up his head to give them a hard glare through ice blue eyes. Ryou handed the sword to Kaiba, who inspected the blade and used the point to brush back the hair from the person's face. It appeared that the assassin was female.

"You bastard!" she hissed.

"Untameable as always, Kusari," Ryou sighed. "I should have known it would be you. Don't worry about the rest of your gang - my guards will have probably taken care of them. You, however, I will take to Prince Yugi and King Sugoroku to deal with."

"Do as you wish, Bakura - my family will have our revenge sooner or later."

--------

Prince Yugi was alert, as well as his grandfather, despite the lateness of the hour. He was dressed in his court attire, but cut down heavily on the finery, having had no time to put his crown on. However, he always took the time to make sure he wore his signet ring. Prince Regent Yami was there as well, along with Lady Shizuka and Lady Mai. Duke Jounouchi sat on the other side of the throne room with Yami, as well as with the Lord Otogi.

"Bakura, what is the meaning of this?" Sugoroku demanded, seated on his throne.

"Begging your Majesty's pardon," Ryou said, bowing politely. "I have come to report an attempt at my life, just tonight. This is the culprit - I'm sure your Majesty will recognise her."

Kaiba, who was standing behind Ryou, pushed his captive forward. The girl, Kusari, as Ryou had called her before, stumbled and fell to her knees in front of Ryou. She struggled to sit up, her arms having been bound to her sides and her mouth gagged. Yami and Yugi leaned forward with interest, while Mai looked disgusted.

"What's this?" Otogi exclaimed. "I thought the Kusari household had been eliminated!"

"Apparently Lady Kusari here survived," Mai drawled. "How did this happen?"

"It is beyond me, for I was only a child when it happened," Ryou replied calmly. "However, this case has been brought before your Majesties before, on one occasion, three summers ago. At the time, Lady Kusari was spared for her noble status. This time, however -"

"She shall be spared again," Yami interrupted, with a nod to Yugi.

"You haven't properly heard the case yet, Prince Regent," Sugoroku said.

"I don't feel the need to, your Majesty," Yami replied. "It is clear that Lady Kusari was seeking revenge - and with a just reason. However, she seems to have been misunderstood something."

Kusari (A/N: dun wanna use her first name so I'll just say she's called Kusari, okay?) growled, but the sound was muffled by the gag. She gave Yami a glare that clearly said she hadn't misunderstood anything. He came over to her from his position by the aisle, bowing reverently to his own grandfather and addressed the assembled court.

"She has directed her fury at Lord Bakura," he said loudly and clearly. "The incident of her household being - exterminated, to put it bluntly - has happened at least ten years ago. Lady Kusari would have only been very young then. Perhaps she has directed this sense of revenge to Lord Bakura because she believes that his father was responsible for her family's death. If we were to discuss the incident again . . . perhaps it will clear some things up."

"I agree, grandfather," Yugi said quietly. "We need to clear things up."

"Very well then," the ageing king sighed.

A chair was brought for the Lady Kusari, who was bound to its arms and legs. The gag was taken off, to be replaced if she started to cause trouble. She looked relatively subdued after that, not meeting any of their eyes as she was tied down. Her chair was right in the middle of the carpeted aisle, in plain view of the whole court, which added to her humiliation. Finally, as everyone was settled, Yami continued.

"Firstly, your Majesty: what was the cause of the house's extermination?"

"Treason," Sugoroku said simply.

"Who was the one who reported it?" Yami paused, then added. "Was it Lord Bakura?"

"I . . ."

"Of course it was him!" Kusari shouted. "He reported my father to the king! My father was innocent - it was the Bakura household that was treasonous! We were all innocent!"

Kaiba, meanwhile, watched Ryou silently. The young lord was holding his fan so tightly; it almost seemed as if he wanted to snap it. His jaw worked in anger, or annoyance, Kaiba couldn't tell which. However, he couldn't express it, being in court and all. As Kusari spoke, Ryou took several deep breaths and faced the others again, perfectly calm.

"Silence her," Yami ordered. The gag was put on again. "You'll need to listen, Lady Kusari, if you want to be spared. I assure you, it will all be over soon."

"Actually it was the first son of Lord Kusari who reported it," Sugoroku said. "He told me everything his father was planning - the plans for usurping, how they were going to take control - everything in perfect detail. He begged for me to stop them and to bring them to justice. I did as he requested."

"So my father did not report it," Ryou said finally. He turned to Kusari. "I, myself, am guilt-free. You have the wrong person, Lady Kusari."

She had fallen back in her seat, eyes wide and limbs slack. Her breathing became heavy and she no longer struggled against her bonds. Yugi watched sympathetically as the first tears slid down her cheeks silently, she herself not making a single sound. He knew that, being the heir to the throne, he could not risk people taking advantage of his emotions but sometimes he couldn't help it.

"Your Majesty," Yami said smoothly, breaking the silence. "I suggest this case be considered a misunderstanding and that Lady Kusari's life be spared. What says you, Lord Bakura? Will you forgive her?"

"I will pursue it no further," Ryou replied. Kaiba could tell he was relieved. "Your Majesties, I beg pardon for disturbing your night."

"As for Lady Kusari," Yugi said, speaking up. "I propose a punishment of sorts. Do you have any contributions as to her punishment, Yami?"

"I vouch for her life," Yami replied.

"Only you would," Otogi sneered.

"She belongs to me now," Yami continued, ignoring him. "That is her punishment. Service to me, as Prince Regent, means service to the royal family. Is that a suitable punishment?"

Sugoroku nodded. Kusari was unbound and she was pulled to her feet roughly. The gag was removed and she stood there quietly, looking down at the floor. Yami lifted her chin by sliding two fingers under it. She met his red-violet eyes with her ice blue ones steadily.

"What is your name?" he asked. "Besides Kusari."

"I don't have one," she croaked. "I lost my name a long time ago."

"If that is the case . . ." Yami thought quietly. "I will give you a name. From now on, you will serve me as Seii. Once you have proven yourself worthy, you will be free."

---- End of Chapter Four ----

A/N: whew, that was a long chapter (for me, anyway)

I'm so glad it's the holidays now . . .

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ChainsandFlames