Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Identity ❯ Storm ( Chapter 6 )

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: Storm

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.

Oh yeah, I will be using Japanese honorifics from now on, partly because I want to and they sound better than `lord' and `lady' blah, blah.

ENJOY!

---- Storm ----

The next morning, Ryou didn't turn up for practise so Kaiba had to practise on his own. Later, when he went to find him, Anzu told him that Ryou had taken ill, was in bed and the first lady was looking after him. Worried, Kaiba insisted that he be let into the bedchamber, but Anzu stated that the first lady had firmly ordered her not to let anyone enter at any costs.

"I'm sorry, Kaiba-kun, but it's an order."

"All right." Kaiba sighed. "Tell him I've been by."

"Certainly."

Ryou listened to all this while sitting at the table in the middle of his room, clothed in his blue robe and night garments. His hair was still perfectly brushed and he exchanged glances with the first lady of the house, who sighed as well. Kinomiya Kana was a middle aged, rather attractive woman with the dark hair all her daughters had inherited. She had doe-shaped, dark blue eyes, a small, pale face and elegantly shaped features.

"He worries about you, Ryou-chan," Kana sighed again.

"I know, kaasama," Ryou replied. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"You can't keep this a secret forever you know."

She gestured to him vaguely, frowning. Ryou looked down at his body and then to the long bolt of cloth folded on the table in front of him. Without him having even a second thought about it, that bolt of cloth had been wrapped around him for nearly twenty years. It was what reminded him of his real identity and kept him from saying or doing anything stupid.

"I know that, but I have to. If I turn back now and tell him, then my life is over. What's worse is that the entire house will be eliminated and we'll be put to shame over it." He clenched his eyes shut. "Tousama was always proud of our name, you told me so. I can't let him down by shaming it."

"But you'll lose a chance at having happiness, you know that, don't you, Ryou-chan?"

"I know."

He glanced at the door with an expression of pain, mixed with defeat and longing. He couldn't tell anyone that was the first thing Kana had told him when he had started understanding her words. His identity in the public was a fake one, one made up to uphold the name of Bakura. Their line couldn't die there.

"You've given up too much for this house," Kana said heavily. "You could have been -"

"I don't want to hear what could have been, kaasama," Ryou interrupted tiredly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to dress. There are papers for me to see to in the study. If I don't finish them on time, my head will probably already be on chopping block before you can start."

--------

"Are you sure you are up to this trip, Bakura-sama?"

Ryou sighed and turned to Anzu with a look of exasperation. She had been at him all through the afternoon, asking whether he felt fine or not, sounding almost as bad as his birth mother. He told them many times he was fine, he needed to go on this trip to the next town and that if they didn't leave him alone, he really wouldn't be fine.

Anzu exchanged a pointed glance with Honda, who slipped into the stables quickly and quietly behind Ryou's back. A moment later, he returned. Behind him was Kaiba, who was leading out Senkou, saddled and ready for riding.

"You must take someone with you at least, Bakura-sama," he said firmly. "I'll go with you."

"Are the three of you working together against me?" Ryou demanded.

"Certainly not, Bakura-sama," Anzu insisted. Honda shook his head. "We're only worried."

Ryou looked at them defeatedly. He chanced a look at Kaiba, whose stubborn expression didn't waver. He was headstrong and did what he felt like, so Ryou knew that, even if he didn't allow him to go, Kaiba would follow anyway. His duties were by Ryou's side and that was that, no exceptions.

"All right," he consented. The three of them looked relieved. "And Anzu, Honda - I really have to do something about the two of you. Get you settled down or something."

Anzu gave him impish look from under half-lidded eyes, which made him smile. Kaiba watched this in fascination, noting when he smiled, it was more from the eyes than the lips. The only thing his lips did was tug upwards, but his eyes made the slight movement seem much larger than it really was.

"Just try it, Bakura-sama," she said, patting Tsukiyo's neck.

"Unless we were shot dead right now, we're here to stay," Honda added, coming to the other side. "So you see, Bakura-sama, you're stuck with us."

"Yes, I do see," Ryou nodded in amusement. "All right, we best be off, Kaiba-kun."

He swung onto his mare, took the cloth bag Anzu was holding out, and rode out to the back gate. Kaiba followed silently, nodding curtly at Anzu and Honda who nodded back, and they rode out together onto the road between the city and the next town.

--------

Two hours into their ride, it started raining. Ryou sighed, murmuring something along the lines of `of all the inconveniences that could have occurred . . .' He was soaked from head to toe in a matter of minutes, as was Kaiba, but he was used to it, considering all the travelling he had done beforehand.

"I know of an abandoned monastery a few minutes' ride ahead," he called over the rain. "We should take cover there, Bakura-sama."

"Yes, yes, of course," Ryou called back.

The abandoned monastery was just that: abandoned. There were almost nothing there except some wood, a couple of crates, a leaking roof and the statue of the local god which had long been covered with dust and cobwebs. Kaiba secured their horses just within the monastery doors, under cover, while Ryou inspected the broken-tiled floor wearily. He hated being wet and cold.

"We can use the wood to start a fire," Kaiba commented, picking up the wood. "These are still very much dry, so it'll be fine. Perhaps you should settle down on one of these crates, Bakura-sama, while I start a fire."

Ryou complied, shivering slightly as he carried his bag toward one of the closer crates and sat down on it. His hair stuck to his neck and the sides of his face and his clothes clung to his body. Noticing this, he shook it out a little so that it hung loosely, still dripping wet. Kaiba managed to get a fire going and was in the process of taking off his outer tunic. Ryou turned away modestly with a slight flush.

"Bakura-sama, you'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes."

"N-No, I'm fine," Ryou stammered. "I'll stay over -"

His sentence finished in a delicate sneeze, which he hid behind his sleeve. Kaiba sighed and took a dry coat from his bag and walked over to him. Ryou shrank back a little, eyes wide, when he draped the coat over his shoulders and pulled it tightly around him. The other gave him a look before returning to the other side of the fire.

"I could go outside for a little while you change, Bakura-sama," he said. "I know that the highborn rarely get out often and Bakura-sama would probably not be used to all this rough living. Don't worry, if anything happens, just call."

He left through the doors, sitting out in the rain. Ryou stared after him, his cheeks glowing a faint pink as he took off the jacket and laid it aside, rummaging his own bag for a spare change in clothing. As he changed, he thought back to the look Kaiba had given him after setting his coat on his shoulders. It was strange and made him feel - a little floaty.

As he pulled on his outer coat, a shuffling behind the statue made him start. His hand went straight to the fan tucked into his belt and he gripped it tightly. A beam overhead fell down as a crash of thunder shook the ground around the monastery.

"Bakura-sama!"

Kaiba was there in a flash, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him quickly away from where the beam fell. The monastery roof was unstable, that was for sure, and it was lucky that he had gotten away in time. When the dust and commotion died down, Ryou looked up and found himself pressed against Kaiba, who was looking at the spot he had been in concentration, seeming not to notice. The taller man's arm was around his waist, his hand pressed against his lower back, while the other held his elbow tightly.

"It should be safe now," he said, pulling away.

"I beg your pardon, Bakura-sama," Kaiba said, releasing him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I-I'm fine," Ryou replied, flustered. "Thank you, Kaiba-kun."

They looked away quickly, both of their cheeks flushing darkly. Kaiba felt strangely - odd, not that it made any sense. When he heard the crash, his heart seemed to stop and he lost all sense. There was no explanation for it, but there was a sense of dread deep in the pit of his stomach at the thought of anything happening to Ryou.

"I - the trip will last for a week or so," Ryou said suddenly, business-like once more.

"Yes, Bakura-sama."

"I suppose you need to change out of those clothes too," he continued, adding more wood to the fire. "We'll have to dry them in front of the fire so they can still be worn at a later date. I'll step outside for a while."

"No, it's all right, Bakura-sama," Kaiba said, clearing his throat. "I'll just change in the corner while you dry your clothes. You don't have to go outside."

They sat in front of the fire later, avoiding each other's eyes. Ryou was silently panicking. He couldn't be - no, there was something he was missing here, but what was it? He needed to know why he flustered so much and lost his composure around Kaiba, because it just wasn't natural. Kaiba drank silently from his flask.

"We might as well rest, Bakura-sama." His voice startled Ryou out of his reverie.

"Yes, of course. Good night then, Kaiba-kun."

"Rest well, Bakura-sama." He paused, then looked up. "Good night."

Ryou reluctantly tore his gaze away from Seto's blue eyes. His hand went to the bolt of cloth under his shirt, resting on it. His heart sank and beat painfully. The problem of his identity still came between anyone he wanted to get close to. How could he tell Kaiba that he was not who everyone thought he was?

Because, since the day he was born, Ryou was not male.

--------

Meanwhile, Anzu and Honda were at the creek, Anzu washing the clothes. Honda was always dragged off there, because she insisted that she needed protection. Even more so since she had been attacked by bandits while she was there. He had no objection to it since he had taken it upon himself at a young age to protect her.

"Hey, Honda," Anzu called, setting a freshly washed garment aside.

"Yes, Anzu, what is it now?"

"Have you noticed Bakura-sama lately?"

Honda tilted his head to the side, contemplating, before he nodded. She meant the frequent glances they shot at each other, the discomfort and the obvious distress they seemed to have around each other. It was, to put it bluntly, downright hilarious, but both of them knew better than to take amusement from it.

"They're hopeless, in every sense of the word," he said bluntly. "Bakura-sama knows his place and his duties. We all know he won't do something stupid."

"But they seem to like each other a lot," Anzu said, sighing.

"We all know and can see they're male and can never be together, Anzu. It's impossible."

It started to rain around then. Anzu hurriedly grabbed the clothes and put them back into the tub she carried them around in, standing up to go. The rocks around the water's edge were slippery and wet and she slipped. Honda grabbed her arm and hauled her back, grabbing the tub as well. They made their way back to a safer spot on the bank, nearer the woods, where Honda helped her to walk.

"Ouch, my ankle."

"I'll carry you," Honda said immediately, swinging her into his arms and carrying her in front of him, the tub resting in her hands. "Just don't move or I'll drop you."

Anzu flushed, but Honda didn't notice. They made their way through the woods and the rain silently.

--------

"I'm telling you, Yugi, that woman is bent on making my life hell!"

"Jounouchi," Yugi reprimanded. "Mai-san is not bent on ruining your life."

Jounouchi Katsuya, sole heir of his family's duchy, threw up his hands in frustration. He was Yugi's cousin, meaning he did not have to use formalities when they were alone, but he held a lot of respect for the other man. But Yugi was always pointing out something else, another side to whatever he was complaining about. In this case, like most, it was about Mai.

"She is," Jounouchi grumbled. "I'm telling you, Yugi. Every time she says something, it always ends up throwing you in my face! I can't do anything to her because she is a `lady' and the sister to Shizuka, who is your betrothed."

"Jounouchi, are you exaggerating a little?"

"Of course I'm not! That woman is so full of herself and so proud . . . I can't stand her!"

Yugi, however, always noticed that there was a healthy flush on Jounouchi's cheeks as he argued with Kujyaku Mai. Otherwise, his beloved cousin was always grumbling and grouchy, looking like a sour grape with just as much expression. He was actually very easy to be made a fool of, something Mai had learned early on into their acquaintance and taken full advantage of. Yugi and his half-brother Yami always watched in amusement as the two went at each other's throats, sometimes sharing the same thought: there is a fine line between love and hate. He quoted that now.

"What are you trying to say, Yugi?" Jounouchi demanded, flushing darkly.

"I'm not trying to say anything, Jounouchi," Yugi replied innocently. "Only that, if you look a little deeper, why is it that you and Mai-san always talk about each other and what the other says, or does, to the point of obsession? Think about it, Jounouchi."

The Crown Prince was always rather small for his age, but over the last of his teenage years, Yugi had had frightening growth spurts so that he was now only about half a head shorter than his cousin Jounouchi. He was now tall, slim and quiet, his large violet eyes holding no signs of malice, only innocence and sincerity.

Jounouchi had always been tall and lanky, though now his form had built up and he had a powerful shape. His eyes were always narrowed in suspicion over something and some people would say he was paranoid, but Yugi knew he was just being careful. Growing up in his father's house was not easy. The elder Duke Jounouchi was a known drunkard, abusive when he was drunk and a heavy gambler. Jounouchi had been taught, from a young age, not to trust anyone too much, otherwise he would regret it. Which was why he almost always saw the worst in people. Except Yugi, who had no `worst' to speak of.

"Yugi!"

Prince Regent, Yami, came striding down the pathway. He was almost exactly like Yugi, only looking more serious and well built than his younger, half-brother. His eyes were narrower and had a reddish purple tone to it rather than Yugi's serene violet. Yami was graceful and bore power and elegance like a cloak, majesty was only a natural part of him.

Behind him trailed his new servant, Seii. She had long, black hair enough to rival Otogi Ryuuji's, who was well known for his love for his hair. Her eyes were a startling shade of sapphire and just as hard and cold as the said gem. Yami had acquired her through court a while back, when Bakura Ryou brought her in for an attempt at assassination.

"Yami, what are you doing here?"

"Yugi-sama, Jounouchi-sama," Seii greeted, voice flat and emotionless.

"Grandfather informed me you would be found here," Yami replied, clapping his brother on the shoulder fondly. "Apparently, Kujyaku Shizuka and her sister are here to see you."

"Ah, thank you, Yami," Yugi said, laughing.

"Yes, Yami-kun," Jounouchi said in a low voice, "thanks for the warning."

Yugi laughed again, as did Yami, while Jounouchi glared at them both. Seii stood to one side, expressionless as always, seemingly unaffected by anything around her. In the first few weeks she had been Yami's personal servant, she was scorned and told harshly that a slave like her was only meant to be seen and used, but not heard. There were rumours that she was Yami's bedslave, but she knew better.

"Don't be so glum, Jounouchi-kun," Yami chided.

Yami was gentle, as well as powerful. Although majestic and seemingly untouchable, he was actually very human and had a wonderful sense of humour. Especially around Yugi, whom he was very close to, despite the fact that Yugi was the family favourite.

"It's been bothering me for a long time now," Jounouchi said suddenly, looking at Seii. "You gave your servant a very strange name. `Seii' means `sincerity', doesn't it?"

"Yes it does."

"Kusari Seii." Yugi mused over the name. "'Chains' and `sincerity'. Jounouchi's right, Yami, that's a very strange combination."

"She'll realise the meaning of her name soon enough," Yami said mysteriously. His eyes rested on Seii's still form, gaze intense. "If she takes the time to understand it, that is."

She returned his look equally, but was unmoved.

---- End of Chapter Six ----

A/N: another chapter finished.

Oh yeah, about Ryou. He was brought up by the first lady (his father's first wife) of the house and so she's like a second mother to him, only her position in the family is more important than his concubine mother's. Thus, he must call them different things right? That's why I made it so that he calls his birth mother, `mother' and the first lady `kaasama' with the honorific of respect.

There, that's cleared up, right?

REVIEW!

Relinquished