Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: YuGiOh and any of its characters are strictly the property of Kazuki Takahashi, I claim no ownership to this anime.

Venetian Romance

o0 Chapter V 0o

o00o

The days seemed to have passed too quickly for Seto Kaiba, who sarcastically thought a fortnight had come an eternity too soon. The night was splendidly calm and romantic in Venice, he noted absent-mindedly; the waters of the Venetian canals were still and glimmering under the light of the moon. Dressed in one of his finest garments of dazzling gold threads and royal blue cloths, the head of the House of Kaiba found himself standing patiently by the Grand Salon of his home, waiting for his comrades to be done with their preparations for the party they were to reluctantly attend.

Yami Mutou descended from the grand staircase first, wearing the most magnificent crimson garbs of royalty that made Seto roll his eyes in disgust; the Mutou had always had an obsession with entering a scene with immense flare like some sort of all-powerful deity. Next who came was the younger Kaiba sibling in light blue, followed by the younger Mutou who chose to be clothed in refined red, similar to that of his brother.

Then came last was the very essence of beauty himself, dressed in the purest of white and the warmest of yellow, all this accentuated by golden threads of intricate patterns beautifully stitched and fitted to every curve and bend of cloth he was adorned in. His hair kept nicely neat with a matching yellow ribbon of silk, his face powdered and person bathed in the sweetest of fragrances.

Ah…Ryou Bakura was surely going to be the center of all attention later this evening…

A look of concealed bewilderment was all Seto could give at the sight of one so perfect. Was this an angel sent to earth to flaunt such beauty amongst the eyes of us mortal men? Oh such thoughts raced in his head.

"Signore Kaiba, we must be off if we are to arrive on time. Monsieur Crawford must not be kept waiting." The chauffeur interrupted his reverie.

At once he regained his composure, "Well then, let us be off." He said half-heartedly, dreading what was to come.

"Towards our impending doom then." Mokuba muttered, equally loathing their ever closing hell. They entered the carriage and without another moment of waste proceeded towards their destination.

o00o

The villa was, to put it in the simplest of terms, beautifully majestic to Ryou as he set foot upon its entrance and stared at the fine French design and detail. Every curve, every crevice of the huge estate utterly gleamed with the radiance of French artistry, this man Pegasus had truly fine taste. If Heaven were to have any sort of tangible form, this would be it.

"It hasn't changed a bit, save for the choice of garden flowers." Spoke Yami with Yugi standing by his side, "I wonder if Pegasus has changed." He added as an afterthought.

"I strongly doubt it, that man's beyond any form of reversal. But enough of that, we've come for a party and a party we shall endure." Said Kaiba, with a slight scowl etched on his features.

"Don't you mean enjoy?" corrected Ryou.

"No, endure. You forget, we are in his turf." This brought out a whimper from the soprano as their group made its way into the Salon.

From a corner of the crowded Salon, Pegasus Crawford stood with his wine glass at hand and his stiletto kept perfectly hidden within his tailored vest, ready for anything. His one good eye surveyed the scene of drunken merriment and flirtatious conversation. He flinched in disgust at the sight of government pigs offering wine to such an innocent young lady. Had this been Paris, those pigs would've been ousted and expelled from his home in one breath, but this was not Paris, this was not his homeland, he had no such power against such aristocratic filth. Yes, yes, smile for now as the wine intoxicates, and perish later when you find yourself at the mercy of vengeful cutthroats, corrupted misfits.

As he tilted his glass to his lips, one of his young servants came up and spoke to him in secrecy, "Monsieur, we have been informed that Signore Kaiba has arrived along with four comrades, all of which don't seem to be his bravos, merely friends we suspect." The servant boy informed, receiving a nod from the Frenchman.

"Perfect, do bring me Kaiba-boy, and be quick about it." Pegasus replied, "Oh, and be on the look out for any posted bravos other than my own, I want to be certain that Kaiba-boy hasn't brought any of his men to spoil this party." He added.

As the servant boy disappeared from his line of sight, Pegasus turned to make his exit, quietly escaping from the boisterous sounds of laughter and slipping out of the Salon's drunken menagerie. Onwards to his quarters he strolled, not sparing a second glance to any of the distasteful guests he so disgusted in.

And then, there it was, a sole figure accidentally caught in his sights and quite incidentally caught in the sights of other guests as well by the said figure's imminent splendor. Sensual, beautiful, divine; all this he found in that passing person. Who could this glorified youth being given secret fawning glances be? His eyes followed the beauty's progress through the room of following eyes he had just left. The youth paused for a moment as if sensing someone potentially dangerous watching but then shrugged the feeling off to continue on his way.

It had been fleeting, the moment he saw that youth whose poise stirred some interest within him. The individual had been quite the eye-catcher, that hair, that skin, and those innocent doe eyes. A smile made itself apparent on the French host's face. Oh this would most definitely be an interesting party indeed.

o00o

Only a few minutes, that was all it took for Ryou Bakura to be lost and utterly submerged deep into the waves of frolicking guests, all of which he did not know. He had simply been obediently following Seto as their group walked into the villa, parting tides of gawking people merely with Seto's intense glare and prestigious air. Now, alone and utterly feeling vulnerable under the attention of the other guests, Ryou sauntered and drifted from here to there in hopes of spotting any of his friends.

By accident, the opera singer found himself outside the Salon and beyond its borders, all alone in an empty hallway with its mix of beige and detailed walls reminding him of how utterly French the whole villa's theme was. Paintings of flowers and landscapes and all sorts of magnificently luxurious scenarios hung on the walls, a window at the far end was adorned with brilliantly green curtains.

As he walked aimlessly along the hall, he spotted a man with a glass of champagne, standing all alone in the dark, drinking as if the taste had no life per se. The man's gaze shifted towards the youth, Ryou couldn't help but feel slightly alarmed at the momentary glitter of gold he saw coming from the seemingly empty eye socket hidden behind such long strands of the stranger's silver hair.

"Why hello there," the man greeted gaily, his arms stretched in a welcoming gesture, "Why aren't you in the Salon along with the other guests?" he inquired.

Ryou gave a nervous laugh then answered, "I seem to have gotten myself lost signore. My friends, I cannot find them."

The man approached Ryou with elegant strides, poised and proper with a friendly smile. One eye shone with friendliness to it as he spoke, "Well then, I say you wait for them somewhere and have a servant look for them instead." He said.

"Yes, I suppose that would be wise."

"Ah, mon ange, please allow me to escort you to a room so as to make sure you don't tire yourself so."

"Why, I thank you signore, this help is much appreciated…err…'mon ange'?"

A chuckle made itself apparent, the stranger replied, "Excuse my French, it is my sobriquet for you mon ange, a nickname my angel."

"My, how flattering, an angel, of all things."

They walked down and through various halls of satin draperies and expensive portraits then made their way up the grand staircase, the soles of their shoes sounding against the polished marble floor. How charming did the lost youth seem to the one-eyed man, whose gaze upon such flawless milk-white skin did not ever waver for more than a few seconds to blink momentarily? Graceful and fluid in every movement, the sheer loveliness of a dancer perhaps, thought the Frenchman as he observed his charge.

At last after minutes of strolling through the corridors of the vast home, the two arrived at a masterly bedroom which was quite as grand and spacious as Seto's had been back at the Palazzo Kaiba, Ryou compared. The kind man gestured for Ryou to sit down on the poster bed's soft cushions; of course, the youthful male hesitated to take a seat on someone's bed at first, but decided to do so after receiving a reassuring smile from the stranger.

"So tell me mon ange, what is your name?" asked the man, as he poured for himself and his lovely guest two fine glasses of red wine.

"Ryou Bakura, and you signore? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with anyone remotely French, are you a close friend of this party's host? For you seem to know your way through this home's labyrinth halls quite well."

An amused laugh was all that the stranger gave as a reply to the inquiring youth's question.

o00o

"Yugi, does Ryou have even the slightest idea of what Pegasus looks like?" came young Mokuba's question.

"I'm afraid he doesn't, unless you and Seto have described Pegasus to him in full detail." replied Yugi. The young Kaiba merely shook his head no, thus elevating their worries.

For the past few minutes since their arrival, the young Venetian princes have been looking for any signs of Ryou amidst the many people in the room. They had lost track of him a while ago when some fat pompous old man had managed to obscure their sight of the singer who had been following their trail a mere three feet away. If this party had been like any other party, they wouldn't have had much to worry about, but seeing as this was a party hosted by their childhood nightmare, they could not deny themselves the right to worry and fret as they were doing so at this moment.

From what stories they'd heard in the past, Monsieur Pegasus Crawford was in truth a very decent man if he wasn't drunk or in his rather crazed stupor. People who knew the madman knew of course of his intimate fascination with all things beautiful, which was the reason why he so fully enjoyed the company of both young women and young men.

Young, gorgeous, ravishing men like Seto Kaiba whose handsomely sculpted features equaled to that of a mortal Adonis brought into sinfully perfect flesh, and Yami Mutou whose vigor and presence was attractive enough to draw in anyone who had an eye for the exotic.

Where does dear innocent Ryou fit into all this? One might ask, but look forth as he is the very embodiment of lust in flesh and touch, he is the very image of an ethereal sprite, a god amongst the beautiful, an angelic icon deterred not by wear or error. So he fits, rightly to Pegasus's fantasies.

One of the villa's resident servant boys came up to Seto, politely lowering his head to show respect before being addressed by the aristocrat. "What is it?" Seto spoke to the servant, looking down at the said boy.

The boy looked up, "Monsieur Pegasus wishes to speak with you Signore Kaiba, privately in his quarters if you don't mind, he thinks it to be appropriate for the nature of your talk."

Seto scowled. Must this conversation take place now of all times? When they were occupied with finding their missing companion? "He wishes for you to be quick, best for you not to waste anymore time Signore, lest the master's patience betray him." The servant boy spoke, as if knowing the internal struggle Seto had.

The scowl deepened, Seto looked back at his brother who gave a nod for him to proceed, "Do come back as promptly as you can dear brother, so that we may search for Ryou more efficiently." With that said, Seto slipped out of the Salon and made his way up towards where he knew the host's quarters were at from the memory of his childhood visits.

Without even a knock, he made his rude and unannounced entrance, pushing back the intricately carved double-doors and barely able to hold back the gasp of morbid shock that almost left him. The sight before him…was beyond horrid, it was an abomination.

There lay Ryou, covered in silken sheets tinged with the deep color of crimson, sleeping in the very bed Pegasus sat upon with a mischievous smirk.

Oh good Lord no…

o00o

After Seto had left, the group immediately resumed their search for Ryou. "You say that you are searching for your missing companion Signori?" asked the servant boy.

"Yes we are, he's dreadfully innocent and well…I honestly don't trust this crowd, if you know what I mean boy." Yami replied.

"What does he look like Signore?"

"Uncommonly pale hair and complexion, makes you think of snow at first glance."

"Like Ryou Bakura, Il Divino Voce, the famous opera singer?"

"That's him we're looking for!" the two Mutous and young Kaiba all but shouted their response with intensity, drawing the attention of a few gentlemen who were not drunk enough not to care.

"Il Divino Voce? Is here at this party Signori? But how can that be? Monsieur Pegasus has not even met or heard of him or of his talent, the master has been deprived of such news by his recent travels and by his isolation in this villa, how could-?"

"He attends as an acquaintance of ours, a personal guest of my brother's and a friend of the Mutou family seeing as they have been his hosts and somewhat his patrons during his stay here in Venice." Mokuba explained.

"Ah, so I see…" silence.

The older Mutou male raised an eyebrow, "Why the silence boy? Something worries you about our predicament?" he interrogated, "Do you know of something that could lead us to him?"

"Not quite so, unless you ask aid from the master's bravos…I was merely speculating Signore."

"Do voice out these thoughts of yours."

The servant boy gave a nervous sigh then spoke unevenly and unsure, "Well, Il Divino Voce…all alone…in this titan of a home…the master…has some inclination to liking beauties such as Signore Ryou Bakura…and the apparent anonymity he has to the master…Oh I dare not go on should my tongue slander the master's name!" the youth cried out and ran from the guests…guiltily?

Worried glances were shared at the boy's implications of such atrocious possibilities that could happen to their beloved Ryou, Yami's mind could not put itself to rest as various scenarios flooded his head in a colorful stream of disturbingly vivid situations Ryou was in, one in particular made him catch his breath and profusely blush. Mokuba and Yugi, as naïve young ones themselves, knew not the full measure of occurrences that troubled the usually in control Yami, this uncertainty and fear in the older Mutuo's eyes intensified the sense of dread that the younger ones felt themselves.

What could possibly be so awful that Yami would be so very distressed? This, the two did not know to its full extent, much better for them not to know of such horrors anyway.

Ignorance was bliss, after all.

Necro: dun, dun, dun…what did Seto see? What did he lay witness to? Mwahahah! Man, I'm retarded. This is such a difficult fic to write, DO YOU KNOW HOW IT HAS AFFECTED ME? I'm mean SERIOUSLY I've been talking like some 17th century lady of Italy in my classroom for days! 'But sir, you haven't fully explained to us as to why we must have this dreadfully difficult, and might I add, awfully long test. Do all teachers have some nefarious plot to torture the innocents of this classroom?' that's me during History. The teacher was all 'Does she get straight A's in English and Literature?' and the class was all 'she doesn't even know what an adverb is sir'

Explanation/s:

Fortnight- 2 weeks or 14 days

Villa- is a country home; luxurious vacation home.

Servant boy- seriously, if you're stinking rich in the old days, you gotta have a servant boy!

Per se- in itself (I don't really know how to use this, it just came out I swear)

Mon ange- French for 'my angel'

Sobriquet- playful nickname

Il Divino Voce- Italian, roughly translates to 'The Divine Voice' which is a made up stage name I made for Ryou. Opera singers have stage names you see, I'm not sure about male opera singers though so I kind of just winged this part.

Review and give me your intelligent comments and suggestions.

Flamers beware for I have a rabid French guy here, ready to kill.