Hope's Paradise II: End of Innocence
by Shayne Thames and Kathryn Shiver
Yu-Gi-Oh and related characters and indica © 1996 - 2005 Kazuki Takahashi
Author's Note: Back by popular demand, here is the contining saga of the merboys Yugi and Yami, and humans Seto and Joey!
Chapter 01: "Dead and Dying"
It started towards the end of summer. Seto Kaiba had been working and planning a trip out with Joey once he got out of collage to go and visit some old friends in the Bahamas. He had wanted this to be a special trip for both of them, since Joey's been working super hard. The end of college means a chance to move closer with their friends. He had been going over a list when his desk phone rang.
The tall brunette grumbled in annoyance at the sound of the phone before answering it. "Kiaba here."
"Sir, we need your assistance on Paradise Island IMMEDITELY. There's...been an incident."
"What kind of incident?"
"Its hard to describe, sir. Its like everything's...its all..."
"Its all what?"
"Dying, sir."
Ice blue eyes blinked in reaction. "How?"
"We think its linked to...him."
Frowning slightly he sighed. "I'm on my way then."
"Yes sir, we'll be waiting for your plane."
Annoyed at the call, he called up his pup.
Joey answered cheerfully., "HEY! Good timing, I just got home. So what's up?"
"Just got a call from Paradise Island. Seems everything is dying."
"...say that again?"
He calmly repeated the message.
There was total silence before- "So you want me to meet you at the airport with our stuff or what?"
Slowly he nodded at the question. "I'm sorry pup, we'll have to delay our special trip."
"Its okay, if its about Paradise Island, then I KNOW our friends need help!"
He couldn't help but smile slightly at that. "I know. Lets go."
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Hours later, their plane landed at the airport, with an official greeting them at the door. "Thank you for coming, Mr Kaiba. If anyone would know what do do about this, you can. We spoken to some of the native resistents that knew the boy for generations past, and even they could only make guesses."
"Which boy are you speaking about first of all?"
"The native one, sir."
"And what questions have you been asking?"
"About what they know about him and any reason this could be happening-" They headed outside and they could see the damage clearly. The skies were grey, ash and soot clogged the air, and plants were dead or dying. Everyone's mood were depressed and far from the happy world they knew about last year.
"What happened...?" Seto couldn't beleive how the place looked.
"We're not sure. We're trying to locate the boys now. According to the natives, the one boy is linked to the life of this island."
"Then find him quickly."
He nodded. "Doing that as we speak sir." There was a sudden commotion, as natives started rushing for the beach nearest to the Atlantis Hotel, which was now under Seto's control.
Confused, the brunette looked towards the sudden crowd.
They ran towards the edge of the ocean, and a huge crowd was starting to gather around something, sounds of fear and screaming were heard as the crowd was becoming paniced.
Concerned now he went to see what it was they were reacting to.
They were gathered around a rock, and something layed on top of it. Birds had started to circle the area.
Frowning, he pushed his way through to see what it was.
Laying there was a merboy. But not just any merboy. This one had a black tail with red streaks and swirls. But something was horridly wrong. The mere sight was enough to make one scream with fear. The boy looked like he was nearly dead, with dead pale skin that was peeling and flaking away. So was the tail with much of its color fading with a lot of scales flaked away, patches of raw flesh showing through. Even his hair had several shades of grey that looked like it was dying, limp and dried out. One touch could possibly cause the delicate condition of his hair to fall out, dead.
Ice blue eyes went wide in reaction before moving towards him, needing to see if he was still alive.
He was alive, but just, his breath coming out in horrid rasping noises.
"Joey get the medics here ASAP!"
"Don't need to tell ME twice!" He ran off.
Pulling his jacket off, he pulled it over the boy to keep the sun off of him, grabing up a toy bucket to get some water.
Joey came back with the assigned medical staff that Kaiba had put together for the boy in question, a specialist team setting up a stretcher in the water.
"Make sure he pulls through! Understand!"
They nodded and watched as they pulled the boy into the water and into the stretcher. Joey looked at Seto. "...I know what happened."
Blinking he looked over towards his pup. "What?"
"Look around you and see what's missing."
A bit confused he looked around before finally noticing. "Where's Yugi?"
"I dunno, and from the looks of things, neither does anyone else. Something's happened though, and we gotta find him!"
Seto nodded. "Maybe Yami knows."
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It had been nearly a week later. The conditions around the island hadn't gotten any better, and Yami was just funtioning minamlly, staying in the cavern, barely eatly, barely speaking, sleeping most of the time.
The tall brunette was defently worried now, spending all his free time in helping with the search for Yugi.
In the few instances that Yami did speak, he mentioned a hurricane that tore the two lovers apart in one night, and could not feel the other's presence in the water any longer.
Glad that there was something to go on he went to the computers, tracking the last hurricane that went through and the path it took.
It was the same hurricane that tracked its way across the state of Florida before it died out on the other side.
Frowning once more he sent the search crew to search the hurricane path.
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One night, in the city of Cocoa Beach, a boy wandered the back alleys. He didn't remember how he got there, only that he missed his friends Seto and Joey, and had no way to contact them. He's been like this for weeks, travelling the back alleys in little more than a raincoat some street bum had given him in return for some company. He had already given up, submitting himself to running from alley to alley, doing what he can for a bit of food in his poor stomach.
Shivering quietly, the youth found a place to settle for awhile, sitting within a sheltered area behind a dumpster to escape the wind that was blowing.
He heard laughter coming from the nearby bar and grill, as he always would when hanging out in the resturant back alleys. Some of his 'patrons' would give him anything they had. It wasn't the best, but he found it was better than dehydrating.
Amythest eyes blinked slowly before heading for the sound of laughter.
One man finally came out, a bottle of sherry in his hand as he waved to the others. "See ya the morrow, boys!"
Yugi poked his head out of the alley now, noticing first the bottle before looking up at the man.
He looked like a young man, probably in his late twenties with brown short hair, and was very tall. He actually looked like the friendly sort, if not the kind that probably loves to drink.
Always too nervous to talk the small teen watched him quietly.
He looked at the kid. "Hello? Whatcha doin out here, so late at night?"
Large amythest eyes closed sadly at the question, dropping his gaze in shame.
"Hey? What is it?" He knelt to his level. What's wrong?"
"I'm lost..."
"Really...huh...wish there was something I could do..."
Slowly he looked up at him. "You have anything I could drink...?"
"Well not really..." he looked at his bottle. "I only have this, but...uh..." He looked at the kid before finally sharing the bottle. "This'll be our lil secret."
Happy to have something to drink he took a swollow before handing it back to him quietly.
He smiled. "Yer kinda cute, kid. Come on, we'll get somewhere to talk, and maybe something more to drink."
Wide amythest eyes smiled at him, nodded quietly.
The man took him somewhere where he got another drink to share with the kid. It was probably just as well, Yugi found if he got drunk, he wouldn't have much memory of his returning payment to the other. The less he knew, the better.
He easily settled down to enjoy his drink.
Before he knew it, he found himself being touched by the other, who too was in a drunken stupor.
The small youth relaxed into the touch, not once voicing a complaint.
The coat came off, and strong arms came around him, touching and rubbing his belly.
Unable to help himself he moaned softly, arching a bit.
A hand came between his legs as the other gently pinched and rubbed at a nipple.
A faint squeel escaped in reaction, already becoming aroused.
The hand began to jerk him off, a hot mouth clothing over his.
It didn't take much at all before the boy found his release.
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In the early twilight hours of the morning, Yugi took his coat and left the man sleeping, usually quietly leaving to find a place to sleep once again.
It took a bit of searching before he found what looked like a good place, curling up once he was sure no one else was there to take it from him.
Later that evening, Yugi had wandered oput to one of the beach bars. He didn't know why, but the beach made him feel so much more comfortable. As he walked by, he saw one of the TVs was flipped on to an all-news channel, talking about the myerious ailment of one of the islands in the Bahamas dying out.
Tilting his head quietly to one side the teen watched.
The news reports said that news in the area was scarce because Bahamas official refused to speak about the incident, but it was rumored that Seto Kaiba and husband were reported to be dealing with the situation.
Regonizing the name Seto Kaiba the youth blinked, wondering why he was dealing with an island like that.
It was then that a reported Joey KAIBA had been seen with a small fleet of boats off the coast of the Bahamas headed towards Florida.
Yugi was surprised at hearing that. When did they get married?
That was all the news report had.
Sighing, he headed past the bar, looking for a place on the beach to spend the rest of the night.
As he was walking along the beach, water rolled up and washed over his feet. The moment that happened, he had a sudden vision of darkness, with a figure, slightly glowing against the farkness with his pale skin. It looked like...a merboy...but he looked sick.
Scared at the image, he drew away from the water, amythest eyes showing his confusion.
The vision was gone the moment he left the water.
Wrapping his arms around himself he scurried across the sand from the waves.
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Across the sea, in the cove, Yami suddenly sat up in the water with a gasp, taking on a new life.
Having been visting the ill merboy, the brunette looked up at the gasp. "Yami?"
"He's alive. It...it was for a brief second but I felt his presence!"
"Where Yami? Where did you sense him?"
"A great distance to the west. A large beach."
Frowning a bit he went towards a map of Florida and handed it to him. "Can you give a general idea?"
He pointed to the general area of Cape Canaveral, where the United States would launch their shuttles from. "Around here."
Nodding slightly he went to call his pup to inform him where to take the search.
