Chapter 4: Saliva
Author's Notes: Okay. I am in a major predicament. I don't know if I should do Y/Y or not. For one thing, the opposing-captains-falling-in-love thing is so cliché. For another, I don't know how on earth those two will get together in this situation. On the other hand, most of you have asked for Y/Y, and I hate to disappoint you all.
I'm going to stick with NON Y/Y for now, and hope for the best. *Grimace* I just wanted to apologize for asking you all that for no particular reason. How about a different coupling to make up for it? Yugi's out. And of course, Jou is lying on the battlefield right now. Go figure. So, please feel free to suggest a different pairing to me, and I will try to do it, to make up for not doing Y/Y. Gomen, you guys!
Oh yeah... the shrew thing? We learned about that in science.
He groaned. His temples throbbed and ached, and the left side of his head pounded as if he'd been smashed with a hammer. Which, he remembered as he slowly gained consciousness, he basically had been.
"Where..." He couldn't moan out the rest of his sentence as his lips cracked and bled. He looked wearily at his surroundings. The floor was dusty rock, warmed by his body heat. The walls were also stone, except for the side to his left. That side was composed of metal bars. A prison.
Struggling to remember something, anything to replace the blank void where his memories should have been, he only conjured up images. He could see clearly in his mind's eye people falling dead around him. One man in particular-Blond... tall... with such a bright smile, ("Jounouchi", his tired mind told him) he could remember with detail.
Jou had had an arrow sticking out of his chest, yes, but... something had changed that... small hands removed the arrow, so he saw, and began to close up the wound... How...? Magic. Healing Magic. He remembered now.
"My name is Yugi." He said, or at least, tried to say. The garbled sounds that came out made him grimace. Even so, a feeling of delight welled up within him. 'I know who I am!'
The euphoria faded quickly enough. 'I was the general... and got so many people killed.' The thud of bodies hitting the ground haunted his mind. 'If only it wasn't me... all those people would be alive now.' The guilt pressed in on him. 'Why am I still alive?'
His thoughts were suddenly drawn back to Jou. Is he still alive? 'No.' A voice instantly told him. The arrow... the blood... the gaping wound... they all added up to one thing: Jou's death.
"I'm sorry, Jou..." He whispered, finding he could speak semi-clearly. "I really tried... But I wasn't quick enough."
As the sorrow and guilt overwhelmed him, he let the tears loose.
When he was done crying, Yugi felt even more parched than before. He stared into the darkness behind his bars, and was rewarded with the sight of a... a mouse, or some other rodent like one.
It crept across the floor, toenails making clicking sounds with each step. A few steps later, it paused. Swiveling its head, it _glared_ at Yugi. Then, it continued on its way.
A snake, harmless garter, Yugi identified, slithered into Yugi's vision. The rodent seemed delighted, though the snake was more than four times as long as the poor thing. 'Why isn't it running away?'
The snake flicked its tongue, pink against the darkness of the floor. It slithered closer to the rodent. With a powerful lunge, the rodent was suddenly attached to the snake, a few centimeters below the head. Its teeth sank deep into the green flesh, unwilling to let go.
At first, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the snake began to writhe. It flailed restlessly, obviously in pain. And then, it stopped. The rodent happily dragged its catch away.
"Lovely, isn't it?" Yugi nearly jumped, except that he was too weak to move. Instead, he settled for turning his head towards the source of the voice. "It's no use. I'm standing in the shadows where you can't see me."
Unable to find the source, Yugi found himself describing the voice. It was low and seemed to hold a smirk, an I'm-better-than-you-are tone. Yugi frowned. A voice like that could only belong to someone in authority. Besides that, Yugi knew nothing about his addresser. He kept silent.
"It's a short-tailed shrew." The Voice remarked. "It's a very unique animal. You see that snake? It's not dead. Oh, no. The short-tailed shrew possesses a special kind of saliva... neuro-toxic saliva, to be exact. It puts all the nerves into excruciating pain, so much that the victim cannot move a muscle. It's the best way to conserve food, you know, to keep it alive." He said this all in a casual tone, as if discussing the best way to weave a basket.
Yugi couldn't hold back a shudder as he imagined himself in "excruciating pain," sitting in a shrew's refrigerator.
This earned him a chuckle. Footsteps announced the person's exit (or another's entrance), and Yugi finally allowed himself to relax. That is, he relaxed, until the voices drifted in.
"What were you doing in there?"
"...Giving him a science lesson." This was the voice from earlier.
"Giving him a... what?"
There was a chuckle. "I was just telling him about the shrews that live nearby.
"You were trying to scare him, weren't you?"
"Oh... I see somebody has a soft spot."
"Quiet, fool! He's just a boy!"
Strangely, the voice did fall silent. A few moments passed, and Yugi thought that maybe they had left. And then, "Listen, I don't care what you say. You weren't supposed to leave any survivors, yet you brought the general, THE FREAKIN' GENERAL - back alive! What's more, you brought his horse back. What were you thinking?" The voice had gone deadly and cold, while Yugi allowed the ghost of a smile to play at his lips. 'Harmony's still alive. At least they spared her.'
"I've never seen a finer horse." The second voice said quietly. "She's a fine one, and I don't see why we should have to leave her." He paused.
"And the general?" The voice prompted.
"The boy is MY BUSINESS! You just..." The second voice seemed to not have anything to say... out of fury?
"Mind my own?" The first voice was smooth and calm. "As you wish, *sir*." There was the sound of a door shutting, and more footsteps.
"Awake, are you?" The second voice was closer than before, a bit too close for comfort. The lights snapped on, and Yugi found himself gasping.
The man before him was nearly Yugi's double... Spiky hair, blond bangs... well, there were a few differences, Yugi corrected himself. For one, the eye shape and color was different, and for another, Yugi was sitting in a prison cell, too weak to move, while the other was standing before him, holding himself like a king.
Yami enjoyed the boy's surprise, drinking it in like fine wine. Though he was trying to protect the boy, no law dictated that he had to forfeit the joy of being feared.
"Who are you...? And why do you look like me?"
Yami laughed, then watched for the boy's reaction. There was none, since he had already looked scared to death before the laugh. "Actually, I'd have to say that you look like me."
"Oh." Asking those two questions seemed to set off a whole river of them in Yugi's mind, but he didn't dare ask them.
If they get a hold of you, never tell them anything about our side. You can tell them your name; you can tell them your rank; you can tell them what you had for dinner last Thanksgiving; but whatever you do, never tell them anything that would help them with their attack against our side. He could remember his grandfather telling him those words, warning him of this very situation. And so, Yugi tried not to speak.
It was hard, though.
With every passing second, a new question seemed to race through Yugi's mind, converging with all the other questions and swirling around until his head threatened to explode. He clenched his jaws shut, and watched.
Yami waited, but for some reason, the boy didn't speak up. "So, what's your name?" He squatted down, to give the appearance of semi-friendliness.
Yugi blinked, seeming to think, or maybe recite something in his head. "Yugi." He finally muttered, voice soft.
"Yugi." Yami repeated, playing with the sound in his mind. 'Yugi, Yugi, Yugi...'
He waited for this 'Yugi' to speak, but there was only silence. "Well, Yugi, how are you feeling?"
"Fine. And yourself?" He winced a bit, as if he had let something slip unintentionally. Yami ignored it.
"Well, thanks." Yami waited again, but still, Yugi kept quiet. He seemed to be straining against something, but apart from that, there was only silence. "I guess I'll get going now. Let me know if you need something, okay?" He wasn't aware of how stupid he sounded. After all, how could Yugi let him know while he was in prison?
The instant Yami left, Yugi collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.
Author's Notes: Okay. I am in a major predicament. I don't know if I should do Y/Y or not. For one thing, the opposing-captains-falling-in-love thing is so cliché. For another, I don't know how on earth those two will get together in this situation. On the other hand, most of you have asked for Y/Y, and I hate to disappoint you all.
I'm going to stick with NON Y/Y for now, and hope for the best. *Grimace* I just wanted to apologize for asking you all that for no particular reason. How about a different coupling to make up for it? Yugi's out. And of course, Jou is lying on the battlefield right now. Go figure. So, please feel free to suggest a different pairing to me, and I will try to do it, to make up for not doing Y/Y. Gomen, you guys!
Oh yeah... the shrew thing? We learned about that in science.
He groaned. His temples throbbed and ached, and the left side of his head pounded as if he'd been smashed with a hammer. Which, he remembered as he slowly gained consciousness, he basically had been.
"Where..." He couldn't moan out the rest of his sentence as his lips cracked and bled. He looked wearily at his surroundings. The floor was dusty rock, warmed by his body heat. The walls were also stone, except for the side to his left. That side was composed of metal bars. A prison.
Struggling to remember something, anything to replace the blank void where his memories should have been, he only conjured up images. He could see clearly in his mind's eye people falling dead around him. One man in particular-Blond... tall... with such a bright smile, ("Jounouchi", his tired mind told him) he could remember with detail.
Jou had had an arrow sticking out of his chest, yes, but... something had changed that... small hands removed the arrow, so he saw, and began to close up the wound... How...? Magic. Healing Magic. He remembered now.
"My name is Yugi." He said, or at least, tried to say. The garbled sounds that came out made him grimace. Even so, a feeling of delight welled up within him. 'I know who I am!'
The euphoria faded quickly enough. 'I was the general... and got so many people killed.' The thud of bodies hitting the ground haunted his mind. 'If only it wasn't me... all those people would be alive now.' The guilt pressed in on him. 'Why am I still alive?'
His thoughts were suddenly drawn back to Jou. Is he still alive? 'No.' A voice instantly told him. The arrow... the blood... the gaping wound... they all added up to one thing: Jou's death.
"I'm sorry, Jou..." He whispered, finding he could speak semi-clearly. "I really tried... But I wasn't quick enough."
As the sorrow and guilt overwhelmed him, he let the tears loose.
When he was done crying, Yugi felt even more parched than before. He stared into the darkness behind his bars, and was rewarded with the sight of a... a mouse, or some other rodent like one.
It crept across the floor, toenails making clicking sounds with each step. A few steps later, it paused. Swiveling its head, it _glared_ at Yugi. Then, it continued on its way.
A snake, harmless garter, Yugi identified, slithered into Yugi's vision. The rodent seemed delighted, though the snake was more than four times as long as the poor thing. 'Why isn't it running away?'
The snake flicked its tongue, pink against the darkness of the floor. It slithered closer to the rodent. With a powerful lunge, the rodent was suddenly attached to the snake, a few centimeters below the head. Its teeth sank deep into the green flesh, unwilling to let go.
At first, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the snake began to writhe. It flailed restlessly, obviously in pain. And then, it stopped. The rodent happily dragged its catch away.
"Lovely, isn't it?" Yugi nearly jumped, except that he was too weak to move. Instead, he settled for turning his head towards the source of the voice. "It's no use. I'm standing in the shadows where you can't see me."
Unable to find the source, Yugi found himself describing the voice. It was low and seemed to hold a smirk, an I'm-better-than-you-are tone. Yugi frowned. A voice like that could only belong to someone in authority. Besides that, Yugi knew nothing about his addresser. He kept silent.
"It's a short-tailed shrew." The Voice remarked. "It's a very unique animal. You see that snake? It's not dead. Oh, no. The short-tailed shrew possesses a special kind of saliva... neuro-toxic saliva, to be exact. It puts all the nerves into excruciating pain, so much that the victim cannot move a muscle. It's the best way to conserve food, you know, to keep it alive." He said this all in a casual tone, as if discussing the best way to weave a basket.
Yugi couldn't hold back a shudder as he imagined himself in "excruciating pain," sitting in a shrew's refrigerator.
This earned him a chuckle. Footsteps announced the person's exit (or another's entrance), and Yugi finally allowed himself to relax. That is, he relaxed, until the voices drifted in.
"What were you doing in there?"
"...Giving him a science lesson." This was the voice from earlier.
"Giving him a... what?"
There was a chuckle. "I was just telling him about the shrews that live nearby.
"You were trying to scare him, weren't you?"
"Oh... I see somebody has a soft spot."
"Quiet, fool! He's just a boy!"
Strangely, the voice did fall silent. A few moments passed, and Yugi thought that maybe they had left. And then, "Listen, I don't care what you say. You weren't supposed to leave any survivors, yet you brought the general, THE FREAKIN' GENERAL - back alive! What's more, you brought his horse back. What were you thinking?" The voice had gone deadly and cold, while Yugi allowed the ghost of a smile to play at his lips. 'Harmony's still alive. At least they spared her.'
"I've never seen a finer horse." The second voice said quietly. "She's a fine one, and I don't see why we should have to leave her." He paused.
"And the general?" The voice prompted.
"The boy is MY BUSINESS! You just..." The second voice seemed to not have anything to say... out of fury?
"Mind my own?" The first voice was smooth and calm. "As you wish, *sir*." There was the sound of a door shutting, and more footsteps.
"Awake, are you?" The second voice was closer than before, a bit too close for comfort. The lights snapped on, and Yugi found himself gasping.
The man before him was nearly Yugi's double... Spiky hair, blond bangs... well, there were a few differences, Yugi corrected himself. For one, the eye shape and color was different, and for another, Yugi was sitting in a prison cell, too weak to move, while the other was standing before him, holding himself like a king.
Yami enjoyed the boy's surprise, drinking it in like fine wine. Though he was trying to protect the boy, no law dictated that he had to forfeit the joy of being feared.
"Who are you...? And why do you look like me?"
Yami laughed, then watched for the boy's reaction. There was none, since he had already looked scared to death before the laugh. "Actually, I'd have to say that you look like me."
"Oh." Asking those two questions seemed to set off a whole river of them in Yugi's mind, but he didn't dare ask them.
If they get a hold of you, never tell them anything about our side. You can tell them your name; you can tell them your rank; you can tell them what you had for dinner last Thanksgiving; but whatever you do, never tell them anything that would help them with their attack against our side. He could remember his grandfather telling him those words, warning him of this very situation. And so, Yugi tried not to speak.
It was hard, though.
With every passing second, a new question seemed to race through Yugi's mind, converging with all the other questions and swirling around until his head threatened to explode. He clenched his jaws shut, and watched.
Yami waited, but for some reason, the boy didn't speak up. "So, what's your name?" He squatted down, to give the appearance of semi-friendliness.
Yugi blinked, seeming to think, or maybe recite something in his head. "Yugi." He finally muttered, voice soft.
"Yugi." Yami repeated, playing with the sound in his mind. 'Yugi, Yugi, Yugi...'
He waited for this 'Yugi' to speak, but there was only silence. "Well, Yugi, how are you feeling?"
"Fine. And yourself?" He winced a bit, as if he had let something slip unintentionally. Yami ignored it.
"Well, thanks." Yami waited again, but still, Yugi kept quiet. He seemed to be straining against something, but apart from that, there was only silence. "I guess I'll get going now. Let me know if you need something, okay?" He wasn't aware of how stupid he sounded. After all, how could Yugi let him know while he was in prison?
The instant Yami left, Yugi collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.