Whew! Long chapter. The longest I've ever wrote, actually. Not including AN's and review replies, this chapter is seven thousand words. I'd noticed a lot of you guys are going to my devin-art profile to talk, but I'd like to say that I don't go there often. If you want to talk with me, PM me here instead. That way, I'll actually get back to you. *phone rings*
What do you want, Sage?
Sage: Nothing. I just want to bother you.
I'm kind of busy at the moment.
Sage: Exactly.
…Because of the length, there is a lot of back-and-forth between settings. I hope this doesn't bother anyone. This chapter is where the plot begins, so I hope I did a good job on it.
Sage: You? Do a good job? Bahahaha! You make me laugh!
That's it. I'm hanging up. And I'm not bailing you out either!
Sage: Wait! N-
-0-0-0-0-
After over a month of being held captive to the Black Pearl, it was as though they had landed in heaven when the pirate ship finally docked. Jack has proved he was smarter than he appeared, for he ordered the Jolly Roger to be brought down and hidden somewhere in the boat's many quarters. Yami questioned the existence of the Jolly Roger. What was the point of the flag if it was just going to spend its days in storage? It was not his business though, so he said nothing about the issue.
Since his argument with Yugi the previous night, things had been rather awkward. The two did not speak this morning when they saw each, and Yami did not know where Yugi spent the night, for he was not in the sleeping quarters. Yami noticed that his partner's eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles took residence underneath them. If Yami had known better, he suspected that the boy did not sleep at all, wherever he was. Yami hadn't either. He spent most of the night beating himself up about the things he told Yugi. He wanted nothing more than to run over to his friend, wrap his arms around his neck and apologize, but the fear of rejection prevented Yami from doing that deed.
The boy did not even speak to Elizabeth this morning, and Yami noticed how close Yugi had become with the woman. He did not know what Yugi found so interesting about the maiden, but he did not say anything about the relationship because it was not his business. Frankly, Yami didn't care for any of the fools aboard the ship. Jack was mental, Will was a bastard, and Elizabeth seemed to be stealing Yugi away from him.
Yami shook his head at the last comment. Yugi wasn't his. Elizabeth wasn't stealing Yugi from him. She had offered Yugi friendship and the boy graciously took it. Granted, he would have accepted it even they hadn't been in the position they were, but the boy seemed to come out of his shell when he was with her. Yami witnessed a side of Yugi he hadn't seen in months whenever he was around the woman.
"You okay, lad?" A voice said and it brought Yami out of his thoughts. He saw Jack standing beside him with an empty look in his eyes.
Yami nodded as he observed the captain. "Yes, Captain." He said respectfully, even if he didn't feel any towards the man. "I have been waiting to step foot on land for weeks."
Jack nodded. "You haven't gotten yer sea legs yet. Once you do, you'll dread coming onto land. Bad things happen on land."
"Bad things happen at sea."
Jack closed his eyes and smiled. "Ignorance is bliss, boy. Trust me. I've been sailing since before you were born."
"I doubt that." Yami thought spitefully, remembering he was born over five millennia ago.
"I have rarely seen a bad thing happen at sea." Jack continued. "Not many people can handle the lifestyle I chose. They prefer the luxury of land, but in reality land is much more dangerous. Weapons are made on land. Weapons start wars."
"Many wars have begun at sea." Yami pointed out.
"They wouldn't have if the weapons used to start that war hadn't been forged."
Yami sighed in frustration and ended the conversation by not replying. Jack did have some good points, but he just did not understand the difficulties Yami was having right now. He needed to talk to Yugi as soon as possible to discuss their plans of running away. Yami had given it much thought and decided it was best he and Yugi followed through with their initial plan to run away. Their was tension between them, but they could get over that once they got a safe distance away from Jack. They would have to do it in such a manner they would not draw attention to themselves, so it couldn't be before or during the wedding. If Jack allowed them to wander the streets of Paris on their own for a while, then that would be the perfect time to execute the scheme. But, if Jack did not allow them to sightsee, or worse, came with them, the entire plan would be ruined.
Yami felt something shift against him. His eyes went into that direction and he spotted Yugi standing next to him with his head down and bangs shielding his eyes. Yami wanted to reach out and speak with him, but felt that now was not the best time. He would just have to wait until he felt it was the right time to approach Yugi. As for now, he would have to be content with the fact that Yugi was willing to stand next to him.
"Are we all ready to leave ship?" Jack asked, proudly. Will and Elizabeth both exclaimed, "Let us off already!", as they shoved their way past Yugi and Yami and to the edge of the boat.
Jack appeared offended by their eagerness to get off the ship, but he said nothing. Instead, he grabbed the large plank that had been lying the by the side of the ship since the beginning of their departure, and placed it over the edge for everyone to walk down on. The docks of Paris were bustling with sailors and traders from just about every country. Yami heard at least five different languages just from walking down the dock. He could not understand any of it, but the diversity of the city gave him an adrenaline rush. If people from all over the world stopped by here, maybe people from all over lived here. If that were the case, Yami's hopes of fitting in this city rose, along with his intuition that he and Yugi needed to abandon their posts at the Black Pearl. Yami glanced over at Yugi, whose head was still kept low to the ground, avoiding all eye contact with anyone. Yami mentally sighed. How was he suppose to talk with Yugi, when it was obvious that the boy did not want to converse with anyone? Yugi may be willing to talk with Elizabeth. She was the only person on the Black Pearl that he had come to befriend. But, Yami couldn't talk to Yugi through her. That would not only be cowardly, but it would reveal their plans.
But, if Will and Elizabeth were planning on leaving the Pearl anyways, maybe it wouldn't matter if they knew of Yami's plan. None of them seemed to be on good terms with the captain, so it was unlikely that they would expose Yami just to spare Jack's feelings. Will especially seemed to be short-tempered with the captain. Something occurred between to two to manifest such ill-feelings toward one another, but whatever did happen, Yami didn't really care. It wouldn't make a difference to him anyhow. Jack, who had been leading the group, came to a stop. He turned around to face his crew with a sad expression.
"Well, men." He stated somberly. "We will be in Paris for two days. I need to stock up on supplies for the Pearl. Will, Elizabeth. You two should go see if you can find a Chaplin to marry you. The sooner the better, I suppose. You two have been very…eager to be united in holy matrimony ever since the proposal." Jack swallowed a lump in his throat as he spoke. His eyes were not focused on anything in particular, but he did see out of his peripheral vision Elizabeth, clinging onto Will's shoulder like it was a life-preserver, and letting go would lead to her death. She was gazing into Will's eyes and he was doing the same to her. They looked happy. She looked happy. Even though the compass Jack had said it was his mind that wanted Elizabeth, not his heart, he couldn't help but think maybe the compass was wrong.
Every time he looked into her soft, brown eyes, Jack thought he would get lost in them. He awaited the times when he could speak with her privately, but he did not have any true alone time with her since they were marooned on that island. Even though his mouth had become dry, Jack continued to speak. "Come get us before the wedding. We will like to be guests at it."
Will nodded. "Of course. We wouldn't dream of getting married without you all."
Yami didn't seemed convinced that Will meant what he said. Maybe, maybe!-He meant it for Jack, but it was obvious that Will did not like Yami or Yugi. Yami was positive that the first mate couldn't care less about them. He and Yugi were like the kids from down the block that your mother made you invite to your party, even though you couldn't stand them. At least Will had the decency not to pout and scream about it. Perhaps he tolerated it for Elizabeth's sake. He had to know that Elizabeth developed a friendship with Yugi. Whenever she wasn't with Will, or doing her own chores on the Pearl, she was with Yugi, trying to coax him to talk back. She would ask the sort of questions someone would ask when they try to make a new friend.
It didn't seem to be working, though. Yami watched from afar as she tried to get him to talk about his life. Where he came from, why was he here, the topics that Yami had ordered Yugi not to discuss.
"I guess I have been ordering him around." Yami thought regretfully. Thinking back, Yami could recall several times where he made a decision for himself and Yugi without consulting him about it. Yami ordered Yugi to run away with him, he ordered Yugi about what he could and could not talk about. He even ordered Yugi on how to talk. They did not talk in English to make it so that Jack and everyone could understand them, but instead so that they would not stand out in a crowd. They would speak in Japanese to each other, but only for brief conversations and most of the time Yami wasn't even aware that he was speaking in Yugi's native language.
Yugi did make a very, valid argument last night when he stood up to Yami. He had a point when he said that Yami was treating him like a child. Yami didn't know why he did treat Yugi that way. He was well-aware how mature Yugi was for his age, and how much the younger teenage had been through recently. He had to pack up and leave his own country in a second's notice when he hadn't even ever left his home town. It wasn't fair in the least.
Yami sighed and glanced over at Yugi. He was still letting his hair cover his face and his eyes were still focused on the ground. Yami repeated the argument the two had last night once more.
"Go straight to hell."
Had Yugi meant those words? Yami bit his lip as he pondered the idea. Here was Yugi, the one person who saw good in every other person despite the misdeeds they may had done in their past. Even the ones directed at him. Yugi forgave the people who used to beat on him and steal his possessions just because he was smaller than they were. And Yugi forgave them all. It was possible Yugi was just speaking out of anger, like Yami had; but then again, it was possible that Yugi meant every word he said.
Yami realized the wrong he had done and prayed to the gods that the opportunity to beg Yugi for forgiveness would come soon. If it came at all.
"We'll all meet up back here around noon to go to the wedding." Jack said, bringing Yami out of thoughts. "Till then, feel free to wander Paris as you please."
Jack turned around and began to walk away from the shipyard and towards the center of the city. Will and Elizabeth quickly followed, leaving Yugi standing where he was.
It was just Yami and him now.
Yami swallowed a lump in his throat. It was now, or never.
"Yugi." He said quietly. "I am very, very sorry for last night. I didn't mean any of those things I said. Please, forgive me."
Yugi didn't respond. He didn't even look up.
"Yugi?" Yami asked as he came closer to his friend. Yugi slowly raised his head to face Yami. His eyes were shut tightly and Yami noticed how pale his skin was.
"Yugi, are you okay?" Yami asked softly.
"'m fine." The boy snapped. "'s not like..you care."
"Yugi, didn't you hear what I said? I'm sorry. I'm really am sorry."
"Sure..you are. 'S not like..you said I was a child or…anything."
Yami picked up on the pauses in Yugi's speech and frowned. "Yugi, is something wrong?"
Yugi opened his eyes and revealed that they were bloodshot. Yami stared at them in shock.
"Yugi, what happened to you?"
Yugi licked his lips slowly. "I..may..have stumbled..upon Jack's secret..rum stash..last night."
"You're drunk?" Yami shouted in disbelief. He never would've thought that Yugi would be one to experiment with alcohol, yet alone someone else's alcohol.
Yugi hissed in pain and covered his ears. "Not so loud!" He whined. "I'm not drunk. I'm hung over. It means I was drunk. There is a difference."
"Yugi, are you out of your mind?" Yami whispered, consciousness of the boy's sensitivity to sound.
"Why do you..even care? You voiced your opinion pretty well last night. Something about me being a kid? If you're going to treat me like one, I might as well act like one."
"Yugi, I said I was sorry." Yami pleaded, concern for his friend.
"And that's supposed to mean something?" Yugi asked, his voice was laced with malice. "You can apologize all you want, but the fact remains that you said what you think. You think I'm just some weak kid that you need to protect." Yugi pointed a finger and turned it onto himself. "I'm an adult. And after everything we've been through, I deserve to be treated like one."
Yugi didn't even wait for Yami to respond. He pushed himself past the older teen and ran off into the streets of the unfamiliar city. Yami watched in horror as Yugi ran out of sight. He had no idea where he was going! He could get lost, or hurt, or worse..
"He could find him." Yami whispered in fear. "He could be here." Instinctively, Yami looked around for his and Yugi's nemesis. They hadn't seen him for a while now. It was only a matter of time before they ran into him again. Today, their time could run out. Yami ran in the direction Yugi went, leaving the shipyard and entering the streets of the city of Paris.
The city was beautiful. They were vendors everywhere and people as well. The buildings were at least twelve feet tall, and each of them were covered in decorative windows. The thing that stood out the most were the actual streets. They were made up of dark brown tiles, each set in a diamond position that pointed towards the town center.
Yami panted as he ran, his eyes never stopped searching for any sign of Yugi, or someone else from the ship. He even ran into a few people, all of them were rather upset about it, as the mumbled something in their native language. Yami was sure whatever they said wasn't very nice, but he really didn't care at the moment. Right now, all that he cared about was finding his friend.
Yugi had no experience with drinking. Yami had never even thought that Yugi would consider trying alcohol. It didn't seem like something he would do. Yugi was sensitive to light and sound at the moment. If he wasn't careful, he could get himself into real danger. Yami shook his head. He wouldn't lose another his last friend. He continued to run.
-0-0-0-0-
Beckett was walking around the city. He stood tall and walked with his chin out, to state his authority. His beady eyes scanned the city for something out of the ordinary. Not that anything like that ever happened here. This city was really quite dull. Nothing interesting ever happened here. Beckett sighed. He really needed to clear his head and get some items of his life in order.
He continued to make his way to the chapel to go to confession.
Beckett wasn't a religious person in any aspects. However, he did believe in a deity and an afterlife. The fear of going somewhere to experience eternal torment wasn't enough for him to stop stealing from the less fortunate. He figured he could ask for forgiveness (even though he wasn't sorry) and all would be fine. As he made his way to the chapel, a young man ran into him. Beckett snarled as the kid continued to run away without an apology, as though he was unaware he had even run into Beckett. He shook his head in disapproval.
"What has happened to the youth of today?" He mumbled under his breath. Sighing, he continued his way to the church, when he heard a familiar voice.
"..dress is back on the ship. I'm going to go get it."
"Alright dear. Come back soon."
Beckett recognized those voices. He turned his head and was surprised at what he saw. Elizabeth was just a few in front of him, standing in all her beauty. She had her arms wrapped around William Turner and was going to kiss him. Their lips touched briefly before she released her grip and Will sent her away. Beckett looked around to make sure they had not seen him and then he ran after Elizabeth. He followed her at a safe distance all the way through the streets of Paris until he got to the shipyard. Beckett had to admit the Black Pearl did look well-maintained and luxurious. But, if the Pearl was here, where was the captain? Beckett bit his lip. If he saw Jack, all hell was sure to break loose.
Elizabeth was about to run up the platform and onto the ship. Beckett decided now was the time to make his presence noticed.
"Elizabeth!" He called out.
The woman turned, startled, turned around to face the voice. She faced the man who had been following here through the city. She squinted her eyes at first, trying to figure out who the voice belonged too, and then realization hit her. "Lord Beckett?" She asked, coming approaching the stranger.
Beckett nodded. "It is I."
Elizabeth smiled and ran over to him. "Lord Cutler Beckett? What on earth are you doing for far away from Port Royal?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
Elizabeth smiled and blushed. She pushed a bit of hair behind her ear and looked down. "Will and I are getting married here."
Beckett felt his heart drop into his chest. She was getting married here. To that low life blacksmith! Beckett ground his teeth together to keep his anger at bay. He forced a smile. "Congratulations." He said. "I'm very happy for you both." Beckett lied, but inside he was screaming. 'I'm too late! That no-good orphan bastard beat me to her! What does she see in him?'
"So what are you doing here in Paris?" Elizabeth asked.
Beckett shook his head to bring himself out of his thoughts. "I'm here on business. France has some very delicate products they want me to export. I've been here a few months, but I should be setting sail back to Port Royal by the end of the week, if all goes well."
Elizabeth smiled. "That's good news."
An awkward pause fell upon them. Elizabeth coughed. "Would you like to come to the wedding?" She asked.
"You're getting married today?" Beckett shouted in surprise. It was bad enough that she was getting married to someone other than him, but she was getting married today! That was unacceptable. But, Beckett could not deny the offer. Elizabeth was just being generous, like she always was.
"I'd love to go." Beckett said. It wasn't a complete lie. He did want to go, but he wanted to go so he could spend more time with Elizabeth, not see her wed another man.
Elizabeth squealed like a school girl. "That's wonderful!" She turned around and faced the Pearl. "Come with me onto the ship. I want you to see my dress!" She reached out behind her and grabbed Beckett's wrist. She half-dragged him up the platform and onto the ship. They reached the main deck, when they heard a soft sound. Elizabeth frowned and turned around.
"Did you hear that?" She questioned.
Beckett put a hand up to his forehead and scanned the deck. He heard the sound again. "It sounds like it's coming from behind the wheel." He said and pointed towards the mechanism that steered the ship. He quickly ran up to it with Elizabeth right behind him. They came up to it and stopped in their tracks.
"Yugi?" Elizabeth asked.
The young teen turned around to face the people who had come onto the ship. He saw Elizabeth and another man with her. Yugi suddenly became embarrassed. He used his sleeve to wipe the tears out of his eyes. He had come up here to be alone, not so people could see him cry like a baby. He ran away from Yami, but hid behind one of the crates on the docks. Once Yami had gotten a safe distance away from it, Yugi abandoned his hiding spot and came back onto the ship to be in solitude. He hadn't expected someone to find him so soon. He figured he could get himself together before the crew came back to the ship.
He needed the quiet. His hangover was killing him. Even the slightest noise sent a jolt of pain down Yugi's spine. But the pain wasn't why he was crying. He was crying because once again, he had given Yami a reason to consider him a child. He ran away after his fight with Yami because he didn't want to hear what the other had to say and last night he tried to drink his problems away. But, the thing that made Yugi feel really stupid was that he knew that drinking wouldn't solve anything, but he just wanted the pain to go away. The rum numbed the feelings he was experiencing which encouraged him to drink an entire bottle of the vile liquor. Yugi shivered as the wind began to blow.
"Yugi," Elizabeth repeated, "what are you doing here? Why aren't you touring the city?" Elizabeth walked over to her new friend and got onto her knees, looking deep into his eyes. Fresh tears found their way into the amethyst orbs. "Yugi, honey, what's wrong?"
"I..I wasn't f-feeling well." Yugi stuttered. "I..w-wanted to be al-alone for a while."
Elizabeth frowned and reached over to pull the boy into a hug. "What happened?"
Yugi sniffed. He really didn't want to recount his argument with Yami. If he did that he would have to re-live the pain of the experience all over. It wasn't that he couldn't trust Elizabeth; it was he didn't want to appear weak in front of her. He didn't want to admit he had lied to her.
Yugi told her everything went fine with him and Yami last night. If he told her what really happened, not only would she think he was a liar, but she would think he was a thief as well. A thief and a drunk. Yugi didn't have much as it was, but he did have the reputation he had set up for himself. He was going to continue living on this ship, he had to maintain that reputation, even if it was built up on lies.
But, his lie was bound to come out eventually. Yugi frowned. Maybe he could get away with telling only half the truth. He could tell about the fight, but skip the part about him drinking. It was only one bottle after all, and the crate it was in had at least another two dozen. Who would notice it's disappearance?
"Yami and I..we got into a really big fight last night." Yugi admitted.
"You said you two had resolved everything."
The pain in her voice made Yugi wince. "I lied. I didn't want you to worry about my problems. I wanted you to think everything was fine so you wouldn't focus so much on me and wouldn't think of me as a burden."
Elizabeth felt tears fill into her own eyes as Yugi spoke. She tightened her embrace around the younger boy she had come to consider a friend. "Yugi, you're my friend. I want to help you. You are not a burden."
Beckett felt awkward being around the two. He did not know this boy, but Elizabeth obviously did. He did not know why, but felt extremely jealous watching Elizabeth hug this boy. Why did he feel jealous? This kid couldn't be any older than, what, fifteen? The kid didn't even like the embrace. Beckett could tell from the boy's body language that he wanted nothing more than to be released, but he was to polite to say so. After a full minute of silence, Beckett couldn't take the awkwardness any longer. He cleared his throat.
"Elizabeth, who's your friend?"
Elizabeth looked up. "Oh, this is Yugi. Jack hired him and his brother to work here on the Pearl."
"For how long?"
Elizabeth paused as she thought about it. The boys started working on the ship the night Will proposed, so it wasn't that long ago. "About a month ago." She answered. "Though it doesn't seem that long."
Out of nowhere, the trio heard the sound of a cannon fire. Yugi and Elizabeth jumped out at the sudden noise. Elizabeth released Yugi as they made the transition to their feet and they both yelped in surprised. Everyone looked around to see the origin on the noise, but they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. After a minute, another canon fire was heard.
"What is that?" Elizabeth whispered, fear gripping her heart. Beckett looked over towards the edge of the ship and saw something over the horizon. There was something rather large and it was moving. Beckett walked over to the railing and squinted. He saw the object a little more clearly. It was in very bad ship. The masts on it were torn and it looked like there were holes in the side of the ship. It also was very green.
"It's a ship." Beckett said. "And, it's coming towards us!"
-0-0-0-0-
Davy Jones laughed as he pulled the string attached to the canon. It let out a large boom as he did so. There wasn't a cannonball in it. Jones didn't want to risk wrecking the Black Pearl, he merely wanted to make his presence known. The sound of the cannon would do just that.
Finally, after ten years he would obtain what was rightfully his: The Pearl. Jones frowned. The Pearl wasn't that great of a ship. It wasn't as large as his was, and since it had been in Jack's possession during that decade, it was likely that it was in bad shape. Now that he thought about it, Jones really wasn't after the ship. What he really wanted was the only man ever to survive an encounter with the farrier of the dead. Jack would make an excellent trophy. Jones was beginning to think of devious things he could do once he captured the pirate. He would not keep the man alive for long that was sure. He was loud and a nuisance. But, his soul was the real prize.
Most souls Jones ferried went straight to the Afterlife. But, Jones could see the means to make Jack's one of the unfortunate ones. Jones had the power to make Jack's soul a Wanderer, one that would never go the Afterlife. Instead, it would be forced to spend all eternity wandering the sea. Jones could do this with all the souls, but after time the sea would be nothing but those souls.
Jones couldn't allow the earth's water to be polluted with the dead. That would be neglecting his powers. If he was convicted of doing that, he would striped of his title and he would be forced to become a Wanderer himself, which was a fate Jones only reserved for the most despised souls. Jones licked his lips deviously. He pulled the rope a second time. The boom echoed only far enough for the passengers on the ship to hear. Finally, after weeks of chasing him down, Jones would get his prize. He would close enough to the Pearl to board it in just a few minutes. And, thanks to a little black magic, only people connected to Jack could see them. The bystanders of Paris would not be able to see the death ship or hear the boom of its cannon.
"Soon Jack, you will be mine." Jones growled under his breath. "Very, very, soon."
-0-0-0-0-
Yami stopped and rested his hands on his knees. He panted heavily as his chest heaved to refill with oxygen. He was dead tired. His legs felt like rubber and he doubted he could run another step. Yami looked up and scanned the city one last time. He had been around every corner, down every street, and he had not seen any sign of Yugi. Yami had no idea where to go. He didn't believe that Yugi had left the city. Yugi may be impulsive, but he wasn't stupid. He knew better than that.
Yami groaned. Maybe Yugi went back to the ship. It was a possibility, but how could Yugi have run around Paris and gone back to the ship without Yami seeing him? It didn't make any sense at all. Yami rested for a minute to catch his breath. Once his did, he stood up straight and decided he would go back and check the ship. It wouldn't hurt to look. And besides, Yugi would show up eventually. He would be there for the wedding. There was no way Yugi would stand Elizabeth up. She and he would friends now and Yugi was going to be there for her. That Yami knew for sure.
Yami started to turn around when he heard a familiar voice.
"Yami!"
Yami turned around and saw both Will and Jack running up to him. They both looked in distress and Will looked panicked. They had beads of sweat running down their faces. It was obvious they had been running hard and fast.
"Yami.." Will panted, "Have you seen Elizabeth?"
Yami shook his head. "I've haven't seen Yugi around either. I've been spending this entire time looking for him."
Will groaned and looked towards Jack. "She said she was going to get her dress off the ship, but she should be back by now! I should've gone with her." Will cried.
Jack sighed and patted Will on the back. "It'll be fine Will. She probably had a little trouble finding the dress. She's fine you'll see."
Will looked up at Jack. "You really think so?"
Jack nodded firmly. "I know so."
-0-0-0-0-
"Everybody, get down!" Beckett shouted. The ship was just a few feet away now and it was obvious it planned on crashing into the Pearl. Beckett turned around, draped his arms around Yugi and Elizabeth, and forced them onto the ground. "Shield yourselves!" Beckett commanded. Yugi and Elizabeth followed his demands by covering their heads with their arms.
"What's going on?" Yugi cried.
"The ship is heading towards us." Beckett answered. The words barely left his mouth before a large crash hit the edge of the ship. Everyone screamed. Beckett lost his grip on Yugi and Elizabeth. The vibrations of the crash sent the two spiraling to the edge of the ship. They each hit the wall with a loud thud. Yugi heard large footsteps jumping onto the ship. He could tell from the vibrations they sent that they were too large to be from the man that followed Elizabeth. They belonged to someone else. Someone large. Yugi instinctively covered his head with his arms, shielding himself from the unknown danger. Now that his eyesight was covered, his sense of hearing was increased. His ears picked up the sound of the strangers rummaging through the ship, searching for something. Off in the distance, he heard a voice call out.
"Damn it! Sparrow isn't here!"
"Why don' we just wait for him? He's bound to show up eventually."
"We don't have time! The Black Magic will only last for a few more minutes. When it wears off the townsmen will be able to see us as well! If they spot us then someone out there is bound to come about and help Sparrow!"
"What about them three, captain? Are you jus' gonna leave 'em here? They can see us. They know Jack. Maybe we could," The second voice paused for a moment, "You know? Get some hostages."
There was a quick pause before the captain responded. "Take them. At least this trip will not be a complete waste. I'm sure I can find a good use for each one of them."
Yugi felt a rough hand grab him from the scruff of the neck. His eyes were quickly covered, shielding him from finding the face of his attacker. Yugi was terrified now. These people were going to kidnap him! Yugi inhaled a large amount of air, filling his lungs to their max capacity and screamed as loud as he could,
"Yami!"
-0-0-0-0-
The three men heard the large crash from the town center. Panicked, each of them looked around, noticing the lack of response from the French people.
"Did they not hear that?" Will asked.
Jack shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it sounded like it came from the shipyard."
Will's eyes widened at the news. "Elizabeth." He whispered. Will shook his head in denial, and then realization dawned on him. Elizabeth had to be on the Pearl still. And the noise they heard had come from that direction. She was in danger. "Elizabeth!" Will screamed and took off running. Jack and Yami met eyes for half a second before they ran off following him. Will shoved his way through the crowds of people, not even bothering to spare an apology to them. His mind was only focused on one thing at the moment and that was the safety of his wife-to be.
Will couldn't believe it. Something couldn't be happening now. They were only hours away from getting married! She couldn't be hurt, she just couldn't be.
Will but his lip and started to swing his arms like pendulums to help him accelerate. He took steps as large as his stride would allow. Once or twice he even tripped over his own feet, but he never stopped moving.
Jack and Yami were only a few feet behind Will, running just as fast, but they were becoming tired and weary. They knew something had to be up by the docks. They had heard something, but the question was what? Yami glanced around, trying to search for Yugi. Had he heard the crash too? Yami doubted it. He, Jack, and Will appeared to have been the only ones to hear the noise. Why was that? Yami began to question his own sanity for a moment, when he smacked into Jack. The pirate captain has stopped out of nowhere, giving Yami no time for him to stop. He fell back and landed hard on his butt. Yami glared up at Jack.
"Why the hell did you stop?"
Jack didn't answer. Instead, he slowly pointed a finger up towards the sky. Yami craned his neck to look around him and saw another ship. It was right next to the Pearl and it was easily twice the size of Jack's ship. The Pearl didn't seem to have been damaged, so Yami doubted that the two ships actually collided. It appeared that this larger ship had rubbed itself against the Pearl.
"What is that?" Yami asked as he got to his feet. Will was only a few feet in front of them. His brown eyes were starting to water, and Yami saw his lips mouth the word, 'No', over and over again. Yami turned to look at Jack, waiting for an answer.
Jack met his gaze and sighed. "It's the Flying Dutchman. It belongs to the most foul pirate ever to sail the seven seas. Davy Jones."
"Isn't he just an old fairy tale?"
Jack became angry all of a sudden. "An old fairy tale? Why, boy I outta smack ya for yer ignorance! Davy Jones is as real as you. He ferries the souls of the dead at sea to the underworld."
"Then why is he here?"
"That's a good question."
Yami was about to reply, when a pained cry interrupted him.
"Yami!"
Yami spun around at the sound of the cry. He would recognize that anywhere. It was Yugi. He was on the ship! Then, the danger of where exactly his friend was dawned on him. Yugi was on the ship! "Yugi!" Yami cried as he shoved himself passed Jack. He made his way up to the ramp of the boat and Will was right behind him. Both men had come out of their cationic states and were ready to fight for the safety of their loved ones.
"Are you both mad? Jones and his men will kill you both in an instant!" They heard Jack scream, but they ignored him. What Jack had to say didn't matter at the moment. Right now, they had to fight. Yami came onto the edge of deck of the ship and was shocked by what he saw.
Monsters roamed the deck. They were mutant looking things, each one of them not quite human, but not quite sea creature. They were easily ten feet tall and they had raided the ship. Yami watched soundlessly as they took goods off of the Pearl and brought it onto their own ship.
"Yami! Help!"
"Shut 'im up, will ya? I'm tired of his screaming."
Yami turned around to the direction of the voices. He saw Yugi in the arms of one of the creatures. He had one arm around Yugi's eyes, blinding him and another one around the boy's waist, securing him into the monster's grasp. The other man who had spoken was only a few feet away from them. He had pink, scaly skin, and a beard made of tentacles. He wore a pirate's hat over his head and had a sword at his hip. Yami knew instantly who he was just by looking at him. It was Davy Jones. The one who was holding Yugi nodded gruffly, taking his arm off of Yugi's eyes for a moment, and he smacked the boy as hard as he could. Yugi's eyes rolled into his skull and he fell limp into the creature's arms. The creature then stepped off the Pearl and onto his boat.
"Yugi!" Yami screamed as he saw this happen. He tried to run towards his friend, but he felt someone grab his wrist and pulled him back and down. Yami turned to face his attacker, but saw that it was Jack who was holding him back. In his other arm, Jack also had Will.
"What are doing?" Yami demanded. "Let me go! They have Yugi!"
"And Elizabeth!" Will chimed in.
Yami struggled to break free, but Jack had him in a vice grip. "They have not noticed us yet!" The pirate hissed. "Going after them would reveal our location!"
"So we're just supposed to let them take Yugi and Elizabeth?" Yami snarled.
"If it means saving you own ass, then yes!" Jack whispered angrily. Yami could tell by looking into Jack's eyes that he was serious, but it didn't matter. He had to save Yugi.
Yami struggled to get out of the grasp, but he just couldn't. Tears formed in his eyes as the last of the intruders boarded the Flying Dutchman. Yami couldn't imagine what horrors were aboard there. He needed to get Yugi, he couldn't lose his only friend left.
"Maybe I don't give a damn about my own ass!" Yami snapped. "Maybe I just want to go and save my friend!"
Jack stared deep into Yami's eyes. "Maybe you should just worry about yerself. Friends always end up betraying you."
"Exactly! By not going after him, I am betraying Yugi!" Yami pleaded. He glanced over and saw the ship begin to move. His heart dropped into his stomach. He struggled to break free from Jack's grasp, but the old captain was surprising strong. Thinking fast, Yami took his free hand, turned around and smacked Jack in the jaw. The surprise attack knocked Jack downwards and his gave up his release on both Yami and Will. The two men ran towards the edge of the ship, ready to jump onto the Flying Dutchman, but they hadn't realized how fast Jack was. He had caught up to them in a split second and tackled them both to the ground. Yami hit his head on the hard deck. He cried out in pain. His head felt like it had been cracked open and his ears began to pound. His head throbbed, but each throb caused Yami a jolt of extreme discomfort. And the discomfort only caused more throbbing. It was an endless cycle, and all he could do was lay there. Jack had him and Will pinned to the ground and each were too weak to fight him off. Yami titled his head to the right slightly and was able to see the Flying Dutchman sail away. The vision in his eyes began to dwindle. He was forced to watch helplessly as dark circles consumed his eyesight and the boat carrying his friend headed off towards the horizon.
Yami blacked out.
Reviews:
YamiFanGirl: The 10th anniversary movie has come out where I live yet. It hasn't been completely edited yet for my society to 'handle'. Curse you 4Kids! Now, how was that for old fashioned pirates stuff?
Aminaluvr4life: Well…you were almost right. Yugi did leave the ship, but Yami watched. So Yami is well aware Yugi's absence. Ain't that right, Yami?
Yami:….
Oh, he's still out. Maybe next time you can talk to him.
Aqua Girl 007: Well, since I am still alive it must mean you didn't hate the last chapter that much. And you still feel sorry for Yami after all those horrible things he said to Yugi? Ah, you're nicer than me! But then again, I did have Yugi abducted by pirates….
Deadpoolhulk: Was that interesting enough?
Assassin Massie:…Please, control your yami. I really can't afford for Sage to get busted out of jail. If MeiMei wants, she can join Sage, but Sage doesn't need to be busted out. And you're right. Yami, you are an asshole! What do you have to say for yourself?
Yami:…
Still unconscious? Man..Jack, next time don't hit him so hard.
Jack: I get to hit him again?
Maybe…
Kairi: Sorry, Lisa. Right now, Yugi is having a picnic with Davy Jones. And Kairi, it might be a while before Yami and Yugi make amends..
Thank you for all the reviews! I love reading them! If anyone didn't understand this, PM me and I'll be happy to try and explain it.
