"Wait!" Yugi giggled breathlessly. Marvo danced ahead of him. The child was young, maybe seven, and was in love with the entire world. The boy flitted from building to building, making sure to touch the side of every structure as he passed. Even the redundancy of his path did not slow him down enough for Yugi to catch up.
The crude crutch he worked was by no means a substitute for his injured leg, his braced knee still unable to bear any weight. It would be weeks before the dislocated joint would be anywhere near healed. The only reason he had even been allowed out of bed was because he had stared wide eyed at the doctor until she had conceded, allowing him to finally roam the village that had rescued him, but only in the company of his self-proclaimed honor guard.
Tsi-Tsi swooped in, throwing Marvo over her shoulder. In a year she would have her majority, making her the oldest of the youths Yugi had met. She grinned. It was the only way to name the expression that flicked across her face, reminding Yugi of Jonouchi in his high school days. Marvo giggled in her grip, trying to squirm his way out as she tucked him under her arm like a bundle of wood.
"Ah!" Yugi squeaked as his rude tool caught the edge of a pothole, pitching the boy backward. Warm hands caught him, holding him until he was able to find his balance. He flashed a smile. "Arigato Kaius-san!"
Kaius smiled shyly but offered no more than that. He was a quiet boy; only truly willing to speak when they were in private. Then he was a pit of curiosity, asking about everything that he could think of. Yugi had answered all that he could, volunteering to tell stories of his friends and of his people when the questions had run dry. He mainly stuck to the antics of Jonouchi and Honda. Kaius's favorite still seemed to be the time that Hirutani's gang had been defeated by the awesome might of the yo-yo.
Yugi found the memories bittersweet.
He had known the risks of going through the Stargate when he accepted the position of field agent. He knew he should have taken greater of himself, been more cautious. Giadus, Kaius's burly father, had offered to take him to explore the Great Circle when Yugi had healed well enough to make the journey. The cliff that he had supposedly fallen off us was too steep to climb, meaning that they would have to take a rather long and seldom used trail to the Stargate. Not that Yugi held out much hope. Without his G. D. O. he couldn't make it home.
If only Yami were around.
Together they could think of a plan. But the spirit was still silent. The first time Yugi had attempted to enter the puzzle he had found the door chained shut. It had been nerve-racking, but it had happened before, especially when Yami had over extended himself. So Yugi waited for the spirit to recover his strength.
Yet days later Yugi had still been unable to enter the puzzle, instead finding it locked from the inside. He had banged on the door but Yami had not answered. The silence scared Yugi. Something had happened when he was unconscious. Something only Yami knew about. The more time that went by the more unnerved Yugi was by the silence.
Maybe Yami hated him. If Yugi hadn't agreed, if he hadn't suggested taking a job here, none of this would have happened. Instead they would be playing in the sand with Isis, or dodging the media with Kaiba. Yami would be within his right to hate Yugi. The boy had screwed everything up… again. He was always messing up; first in Japan, then Egypt, and now over half way across the galaxy. It was pathetic beyond measure.
"Yugi?" The amethyst-eyed youth blinked up at Kaius, the question pulling him out of his dark brooding. Kaius put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, guessing at his thoughts. "Do not worry Yugi. We will get you home to your family soon." Kaius frowned at his own statement, twisting around to look for something that was not there.
His family. Yugi thought of the dark door and sighed, praying to whatever gods were listening that the boy was right.
***
Cursing and the crunching of branches disturbed the calm of the forest, birds going silent in the wake of the violent noise. The cursing became an aggravated shriek as her cloak tore on a branch.
Merta kicked at the offending tree, berating herself for wearing her good shawl. She had just grabbed the nearest one, making some excuse of gathering berries before looping around the clearing the village was in and picking up where she and Kaius had last left off.
Kaius. Her little brother was so stupid! How dare he thwart her attempts to get to the foundling! Merta was certain the boy knew the secret of the Great Circle. And he had the same timid look as her twin. She could have brow beaten the boy into revealing what he knew. Then she could have gone on a grand adventure, finding a foreign prince who was enamored with her beauty. She could have lived a life of luxury instead of one of toil in this stupid forest!
Instead she had to try and find the artifact on her own. Again. At least she and Kaius had marked their path. She was moving faster than she had with him and the crazy old hag who predicted the weather had said there would be clear skies for a few days. By the time they noticed she was gone she should have found what she was looking for.
If the stupid forest would quit getting her way. She cursed at another tree as her dark hair snagged. She swore as the hairs tore, ruining her perfect haircut.
Her first awareness of not being alone came from the hand that wrapped itself in front of her mouth.
***
"Awe," Tsi-Tsi groaned, staring down at the Saxuus board with dismay. Black pieces gleamed in the sun, walking up at her as though mocking her defeat. "Are you certain you've never played this before?
Yugi stared back innocently. "I am certain."
A low whistle erupted from beside his shoulder. "I find that difficult to believe." Kaius started down at the board, hard. "You defeated Tsi-Tsi most thoroughly." His quiet voice held shock and maybe a little bit of awe.
"Beginner's luck!" The proclamation settled Tsi-Tsi, though she did not for a moment believe it. Yugi looked too innocent for his own good. There had to be something more going on. "Kaius," an idea came like a flash of light, "go get Pia."
Kaius was off like a shot, leaving Yugi to be glowered at by Tsi-Tsi who was still attempting to reconcile her defeat with reality. He shifted uncomfortably. "Who is Pia?" Tsi-Tsi just grinned and double tapped the side of her nose. Yugi sighed and began resetting the board.
It didn't take long for Kaius to return with an old woman in tow. She wore her age with grace, her back unbent by the burden of her years and her silver hair trapped into a braid and wrapped around her skull like a crown. She twittered as she moved, her lips making soft calls that sounded like no bird. Kaius pulled her along, her following like a complacent child. As the woman approached Tsi-Tsi stood, bowing and offering her place to the woman who took it without a sound.
Yugi swung his legs, trying to channel his nervousness into movement. The woman was obviously important, that much was obvious, but if it was just because of her age or for some other reason it was impossible to tell. He was about to offer her a greeting when his breath hitched.
She had the deepest eyes Yugi had ever seen. He gripped on to the edges of his chair, trying to ward off the feeling of being sucked into the dark pools. They seemed to swirl down into infinity.
"Hello!" Yugi blinked, startled by the hoarse voice that greeted him.
"Hello…" Under the table he wrung his hands, wishing for the millionth time that day that Yami were awake.
Tsi-Tsi cut in. "Mistress Pia, this is Yugi. Yugi, this is Mistress Pia, the Wise Woman of our village." She waited until they both nodded at each other before continuing. "Mistress Pia is the best Saxuus player in the village." She smiled wolfishly at Yugi. "Yugi here has had some instruction but would be pleased if you could better teach him."
Mistress Pia let out a bark of laughter. "I cannot teach a bird to fly." Once gnarled hand reached into the container of stones, setting it on the board with an audible click. "But we may see who soars higher."
Yugi picked up a stone from his tray. Despite her cryptic words Yugi understood. She was taking him seriously. It was only fair that he did the same. He placed the stone down silently.
"Your move."
***
Silence stretched on as the last piece settled onto the board with gentle click. It held as the crowd creating it began to try to figure out what it was that the competitors already knew. Yugi and Pia just stared at each other, both aware of the victor, both aware of the strength of the other's game.
"By the Spirits," Giadus swore softly. "Yugi, are you certain you have never played this game before?"
Giadus glanced down into hurt amethyst eyes. "Of course I am certain," the boy muttered, "And I would tell you if I had."
Pia let out a rasping laugh. "It is I who is wrong. I did not challenge a bird, I challenged the wind." The twinkle in her eye faded as she stared at the boy. "But the wind needs the earth as the earth needs the wind."
Behind him a villager snorted. Other broke into giggles. It was obvious most of the villagers had learned not to take the woman's confused rambles seriously.
It was their loss.
"So how does the wind gather the earth?" Yugi stared into the knowing eyes. He had dealt with too many strange things in his short life to pass this off. All advice was worth hearing.
Pia raised an eyebrow in approval. "One grain at a time."
Yugi opened his mouth.
"Giadus, Giadus!" A man raced up the path, waving frantically. "There are strangers approaching the village! They are armed! The Elders want you in the square!" The man paused, gasping for breath, his eyes tense. His frantic shout dropped into a fearful murmur. "They have Merta with them."
Gaidus's face drained of color. His hands shook. He glared at the assembled villagers. Then began barking orders. "You! Get all the women inside. You, you and you, do the same with the children. You, escort Mistress Pia. You, take me to the Elders."
"Giadus-san, please wait!" Yugi cried out as he struggled to rise, trying to maneuver his crutch around the board. The large hunter spun, but instead of speaking with Yugi he nodded to one of his men. The turned again hurrying into the distance. Before Yugi had time to call again a pair of strong hands was lifting his light figure. Someone else was pulling his cane out of his grasp. He squawked but was helpless in their grasp. As he was carried into a hut he glared at Kaius. The youth just clutched Yugi's crutch closer then shrugged.
***
Daniel gaped.
"Look at the construction of the buildings! It looks as though they are using some sort of adhesive to bind the walls together. And look at the carvings! See that! That looks to be a depiction of the Goddess Diana! These people obviously have ties to Earth but I don't see any references to Goa'uld. Over there there seems to be some kind of forge. They have metal working-"
"Daniel?"
"Yes Jack?"
"Shut up."
Wisely, Daniel picked self-preservation over pride. As they had approached the village Jack's patience had been in steady decline. It might have had to do with the stress of a search and rescue mission. It might have had to do with the growing suspicion that Colonel Mike Hutchinson was traitor. Or it might have had something to do with the adolescent who had spent the entire trip flirting with him.
And despite his non-responsive nature the girl continued to push her luck.
"So, Colonel Jack O'Neill," she was always careful to stress his title, as though relishing the sound of the word, "how do you like our village? Is it not grand? It is the closest one to the Great Circle and one of the largest in the forest. It is from here that the best warriors are produced." She dropped her head in what she thought was a coy manner, staring up through her dark lashes, "and the most beautiful maidens are born."
"Merta!" The sharp voice ringing through the village saved Jack from losing his meager lunch. The girl clinging to his arm immediately stiffened and took three steps back. She turned, a movement that had obviously been practiced, and shot the source of the voice an innocent stare.
"Yes Papa?" Her voice dripped with guilesness tone that comes only with long hours of trial and error.
"Here. Now." The brawny man spoke the words through a clenched jaw. Jack heaved a sigh of internal relief as the girl followed the man's order, finally leaving him alone. He stepped back, surveying the surroundings as the man spoke with Merta in a hushed tone, the angry whispers adding to the tense silence. By the time he finished the girl's face had gone white and tears danced on the edge of eyes. When the man released her arm she dashed up the road, the only sound being a dramatic sob as she vanished around a corner.
The brawny man watched as she left before turning back to the SG members in his town square. "State your business." His voice remained sharp almost to the point of sounding strained. Almost.
The clinking of weapons, swords, daggers, and the occasional bow, echoed through the clearing. Jack kept his hand resting gently against his gun, not overly worried about the locals. Their weapons were all pointed down and Daniel had a way with people.
The archeologist raised his hands. "Greetings. We mean you no harm. We're just looking for a friend of ours." All the weapons raised themselves simultaneously. Jack gripped his gun harder. Teal'c raised an eyebrow; his staff weapon shifting ever so slightly while Captain York eyed the enemy nervously.
Daniel, on the other hand, saw this all as a good sign. "Okay… I'll take it he's here then?"
The brawny speaker shifted his feet. He raised his hand slightly. The weapons lowered themselves to the ground again. "Why is it you wish to know?"
"We're his friends," responded Daniel in a tone that made him sound a bit confused by the very question. "We've been looking for him for days. Can you at least tell us if he's all right?"
The brawny man shifted, hesitant to speak. He looked from the face of one traveler to the next, his face revealing the barest hint of his inner struggle. Finally his eyes settled on back on Daniel. "There is no one here."
"Cut the crap!" Jack took a few steps forward. "We know he's here. We aren't leaving without him. So we can do this the easy way. Or we can do this the hard way." He gave his P90 meaningful tap. "It's your choice."
"Jack!" Daniel swooped in, placing a hand on the Colonel's shoulder and began to whisper furiously. "Jack, you can't really think this is a good idea? Do these people really look like they'll bend to threats?" He waved at the darkening faces of the crowd. "You can't really believe that this best course! We don't even know if they actually have Yugi here!"
The Colonel swatted the hand away. "Oh, he's here."
"Jack, you can't massacre a village based on a hunch!" Catching O'Neill's look Daniel ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Daniel knew that if Jack kept this up someone was going to get killed, and with the way things usually go it was probably going to be him.
Captain York cut in. She could see where things were going and had no desire to join the rest of SG-13. "If I may Colonel-"
"You may not, Captain!" She flinched at his tone but fell back with Teal'c.
Daniel tried again. "Jack. Jack, you can't kill these people."
"Dammit Daniel!" Jack exploded, tearing off his sunglasses. "I'm not going to let a kid die!" His voice dropped to a broken whisper, one that only Daniel could hear. "Not again." But the haunted look in his eye passed in seconds, replaced with steely determination. Jack's attention spun back to the villagers who had watched the exchange. "So?"
"There is no one here."
"I did not spend the last week camping in the rain with my thumb up my ass to have you tell me that the kid isn't here! Now. Where. Is. He?"
The brawny villager's temper rose to meet Jack's. "If he's so important then how did you misplace him to begin with?! How did you allow such harm to befall a child? Why did you leave him alone?"
Daniel interjected. "So he is here?" He shot Jack a look that could only be read as "See? Making progress!" Then the rest of the sentence penetrated. "Wait? Is he okay?"
The villagers, all of them, hissed angrily.
Daniel retreated a step. "I guess not."
"All right. The kid's here. He's ours. We're taking him. Got it?" Jack flashed a patronizing smile.
The spokesman crossed his arms, as though daring Jack to try. From the way he fingered his gun everyone could tell he was tempted. Teal'c adjusted his grip on his staff weapon, his eyes picking the most armed as his target. York discreetly drew her pistol. Daniel gripped his hat. The weapons of the villagers raised and the clinking of metal could be heard in stereo.
Silence and stillness descended, both sides staring at the other with a hunter's eye. The threat of violence hung in the air like the clouds of the stormy week before. Everyone could sense the coming rain of bullets. Daniel was drawing in ragged shallow breaths, sure that not only was he going to die, again, but he was going to do so over a misunderstanding.
"Wait! Please! Come back here!" The teenage voice bounded from one of the side streets, the speaker still invisible to the potential combatants. Jack shifted his feet, the shout cutting clear across his conscience. There were kids here too. Orphaning them would probably fall under the category of "Jackass thing to do." He sighed, feeling the fight rush out of him. In its place it left the all too familiar ache of despair.
Perhaps everybody reacted to the voice, or perhaps they reacted to Jack. Either way weapons once again found themselves lowered. Both groups broke eye contact, instead staring into the alley where another shout was raised.
"Come back here!"
Giadus hissed under his breath. He had thought that at least one of his children had been born with the wisdom of doing what they were told. Clearly his faith in Kaius was somewhat misplaced. He winced as he heard the uneven footsteps approaching, hoping his son was not foolish enough to enter the town square.
It wasn't Kaius who burst into the square.
It was Yugi.
***
GDO-Garage Door Opener.
Arigato-Thank you (informal-ish[I think{maybe}])
Saxuus- It's a game I made up. It's so special that even I don't know the rules. Hence why Yugi is so good at it.
Ahh! I'm never gonna finish this arc! And the next one looks fun... man! *grumbles*
