A/N(1)- I have located the rest of the disks that contained this story. Any
and all notes, no matter how outdated will be put back up again. Hope this
explains the technical stuff...
A/N(2)- Uh... I know this isn't a whole lot clearer, but there _will_ be explanations in the future. I promise. If you're confused, so far, Seto was in a car accident. He wakes up in a different world with a tiger that talks telepathically with him. Got it? Okay? Okay.
Disclaimer- Please refer to the first chapter.
Running Everywhere and Nowhere.
//A jackal?//
Seto took a step back as the tiger approached him, something distinctly predatory in its eyes as it began walking around him in a slow circle.
//Jackals are misunderstood creatures, Seto. They are feared, hated, and revered all at the same time. They are loyal to their family and mate for life. They protect what is theirs, to the death if need be. They are sly and cunning as any fox, and are accomplished hunters. There was once a God of the Underworld, Anubis, who took the form of a jackal-headed man when he weighed the hearts of the dead. That is you, Seto. You are a jackal. Loyal, noble and cunning. Not quite wolf, not quite fox, but a blend of both.//
One thing stuck in Seto's mind, and he was startled to discover it was something that struck him to the core of his being. It was something he had never been consciously aware of.
//Misunderstood creatures?//
The tiger paused, watching him with those too-human eyes.
//They were thought to be vermin by some people. Worthless scavengers. A blemish upon the perfection of the world.//
A whimper escaped Seto's throat, his ears pressed against his skull as the tiger's words slammed home with ruthless efficiency.
//Worthless...//
He knew that word. Had been called that too many times to count in the past. He knew what it was to be considered worthless. Knew what it was to given so little consideration because of who and what he was.
For him there had been no path paved of gold. No pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. No fair princess whose hand he could take in marriage.
There were those who didn't understand what he did. That didn't understand the reasons behind his decisions. He knew that. But knowing a thing and understanding a thing is something completely different. He'd chosen a path, and if others couldn't understand it, that was their problem. Or so he'd told himself, to the point where he almost believed it himself.
Almost.
There was still a part of him that hated to see the loathing in other people's eyes when they realized who he was. A part of him that cried out as they turned their backs on him. The part of him that died a little more each time a cold gaze was turned on him. When harsh words were spoken to him. He was still human, after all. Or was he?
The tiger moved, pressing up against Seto, holding him up with one broad shoulder. Nuzzling Seto's face, the tiger offered silent comfort.
//They, like you, are misunderstood, Seto. Few have taken the time to look behind appearances to see what lies beyond. Few enough care to see the things that make you who you are. Few enough care to understand you. But those that do...they are the ones who a jackal would die to protect.//
//Why?//
Sensing that Seto would be able to support himself, the tiger moved away.
//Why am I so misunderstood? Is it wrong to want money to put clothes on my back and food in my stomach? Is it wrong to want money so that I don't have to feel hunger or cold ever again? Why is that so wrong?//
Seto's eyes closed in pain as he remembered the long nights he'd gone without food. Huddling in the poorly lit alleyways of the city with Mokuba, the only shelter they'd had. He remembered the disgust he'd felt from other people. The people who had called him worthless. Something to be despised. Hated.
//It's not wrong, Seto. It's what everyone wants.//
Seto whirled, baring his teeth in an angry snarl, his eyes snapping with blazing fury.
//Then why don't they understand?//
//They don't understand because they can't. They haven't been where you are, Seto. They've never had to fight over the last scrap of food. Never had to struggle to find a warm place to sleep for the night. They just don't understand what living like that is like.//
Hearing the tiger's mental voice filled with such sorrow, Seto felt something in the back of his mind click as his anger faded. He knew that voice. Knew those eyes. But he didn't know how he knew.
//I know you, don't I?//
The tiger made a soft sound in its throat, crimson eyes speculative.
//You do. Can you name me?//
Seto frowned, felt his lips peel back from sharp fangs as he did.
//Name you?//
The tiger took a step forward, crimson eyes boring into his.
//Name me, and I'm yours. Body, mind, and soul.//
The words sent a shiver through Seto. They held both promise and longing, as thought the tiger wanted something of him, but was loath to ask.
Seto felt lost. He could feel the tiger's yearning like a physical thing. He could see it in those glowing eyes, but he didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to say.
//How can I name you? Don't you already have a name?//
The tiger looked at him a moment longer, then turned to go, brushing against Seto as it did, forcing him back a step.
//You'll understand in time. But for now...run with me. Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
Seto felt panic as the tiger bounded away, muscles rippling beneath the sleek coat. He didn't want to be left alone in this strange place. Didn't want to be left alone, bereft of the blazing warmth and familiar sense of safety the tiger radiated.
Without a second thought, Seto gave chase, the steady rhythm of his feet pounding the earth matching that of the tiger. He reveled in the wind rushing through his fur, the tall grass that brushed against his belly, the scent of sun-baked earth that called to him.
He lost himself, giving over to that primal side of him as he ran, leaping over fallen logs and half-buried boulders as he raced to catch up to the tiger.
//Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
He could hear the tiger's voice in his mind like a soothing caress, urging him on to greater speeds. Teasing him. Taunting him like an older brother would a sibling learning how to ride a bicycle or throw their first pitch. Driving him forwards with no thought except to succeed out of sheer perseverance or stubborn persistence.
//Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
They ran through flat plains that gave way to thick forest and rocky mountain paths. They ran through darkened caves so ancient Seto could feel the weight of millennia pressing down on him. They ran through streams of icy mountain snowmelt, through puddles left by rain. They ran over massive sand dunes, through cactus-filled desert. And still they ran.
//Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
They ran on, faster and farther than either one had ever run. They seemed unruffled as they lost themselves in the joy of the endless pursuit of nothing.
A/N- Oi... this really was short... Ack! No! Stop throwing things at me! It will be longer! Really! And as for the question that came up in one of my reviews, "Is the tiger, by any chance, Yami Yugi's, Bakura's, or Jounouchi's spiritual form?", you will have to wait and see. If I told you, then that would give away the ending. One thing, though. I thought that Jounouchi had brown eyes... I could be wrong, though... As of now, I'm holding the next...not yet written...chapter ransom. Review if you want the plot to actually begin.
A/N(2)- Uh... I know this isn't a whole lot clearer, but there _will_ be explanations in the future. I promise. If you're confused, so far, Seto was in a car accident. He wakes up in a different world with a tiger that talks telepathically with him. Got it? Okay? Okay.
Disclaimer- Please refer to the first chapter.
Running Everywhere and Nowhere.
//A jackal?//
Seto took a step back as the tiger approached him, something distinctly predatory in its eyes as it began walking around him in a slow circle.
//Jackals are misunderstood creatures, Seto. They are feared, hated, and revered all at the same time. They are loyal to their family and mate for life. They protect what is theirs, to the death if need be. They are sly and cunning as any fox, and are accomplished hunters. There was once a God of the Underworld, Anubis, who took the form of a jackal-headed man when he weighed the hearts of the dead. That is you, Seto. You are a jackal. Loyal, noble and cunning. Not quite wolf, not quite fox, but a blend of both.//
One thing stuck in Seto's mind, and he was startled to discover it was something that struck him to the core of his being. It was something he had never been consciously aware of.
//Misunderstood creatures?//
The tiger paused, watching him with those too-human eyes.
//They were thought to be vermin by some people. Worthless scavengers. A blemish upon the perfection of the world.//
A whimper escaped Seto's throat, his ears pressed against his skull as the tiger's words slammed home with ruthless efficiency.
//Worthless...//
He knew that word. Had been called that too many times to count in the past. He knew what it was to be considered worthless. Knew what it was to given so little consideration because of who and what he was.
For him there had been no path paved of gold. No pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. No fair princess whose hand he could take in marriage.
There were those who didn't understand what he did. That didn't understand the reasons behind his decisions. He knew that. But knowing a thing and understanding a thing is something completely different. He'd chosen a path, and if others couldn't understand it, that was their problem. Or so he'd told himself, to the point where he almost believed it himself.
Almost.
There was still a part of him that hated to see the loathing in other people's eyes when they realized who he was. A part of him that cried out as they turned their backs on him. The part of him that died a little more each time a cold gaze was turned on him. When harsh words were spoken to him. He was still human, after all. Or was he?
The tiger moved, pressing up against Seto, holding him up with one broad shoulder. Nuzzling Seto's face, the tiger offered silent comfort.
//They, like you, are misunderstood, Seto. Few have taken the time to look behind appearances to see what lies beyond. Few enough care to see the things that make you who you are. Few enough care to understand you. But those that do...they are the ones who a jackal would die to protect.//
//Why?//
Sensing that Seto would be able to support himself, the tiger moved away.
//Why am I so misunderstood? Is it wrong to want money to put clothes on my back and food in my stomach? Is it wrong to want money so that I don't have to feel hunger or cold ever again? Why is that so wrong?//
Seto's eyes closed in pain as he remembered the long nights he'd gone without food. Huddling in the poorly lit alleyways of the city with Mokuba, the only shelter they'd had. He remembered the disgust he'd felt from other people. The people who had called him worthless. Something to be despised. Hated.
//It's not wrong, Seto. It's what everyone wants.//
Seto whirled, baring his teeth in an angry snarl, his eyes snapping with blazing fury.
//Then why don't they understand?//
//They don't understand because they can't. They haven't been where you are, Seto. They've never had to fight over the last scrap of food. Never had to struggle to find a warm place to sleep for the night. They just don't understand what living like that is like.//
Hearing the tiger's mental voice filled with such sorrow, Seto felt something in the back of his mind click as his anger faded. He knew that voice. Knew those eyes. But he didn't know how he knew.
//I know you, don't I?//
The tiger made a soft sound in its throat, crimson eyes speculative.
//You do. Can you name me?//
Seto frowned, felt his lips peel back from sharp fangs as he did.
//Name you?//
The tiger took a step forward, crimson eyes boring into his.
//Name me, and I'm yours. Body, mind, and soul.//
The words sent a shiver through Seto. They held both promise and longing, as thought the tiger wanted something of him, but was loath to ask.
Seto felt lost. He could feel the tiger's yearning like a physical thing. He could see it in those glowing eyes, but he didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to say.
//How can I name you? Don't you already have a name?//
The tiger looked at him a moment longer, then turned to go, brushing against Seto as it did, forcing him back a step.
//You'll understand in time. But for now...run with me. Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
Seto felt panic as the tiger bounded away, muscles rippling beneath the sleek coat. He didn't want to be left alone in this strange place. Didn't want to be left alone, bereft of the blazing warmth and familiar sense of safety the tiger radiated.
Without a second thought, Seto gave chase, the steady rhythm of his feet pounding the earth matching that of the tiger. He reveled in the wind rushing through his fur, the tall grass that brushed against his belly, the scent of sun-baked earth that called to him.
He lost himself, giving over to that primal side of him as he ran, leaping over fallen logs and half-buried boulders as he raced to catch up to the tiger.
//Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
He could hear the tiger's voice in his mind like a soothing caress, urging him on to greater speeds. Teasing him. Taunting him like an older brother would a sibling learning how to ride a bicycle or throw their first pitch. Driving him forwards with no thought except to succeed out of sheer perseverance or stubborn persistence.
//Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
They ran through flat plains that gave way to thick forest and rocky mountain paths. They ran through darkened caves so ancient Seto could feel the weight of millennia pressing down on him. They ran through streams of icy mountain snowmelt, through puddles left by rain. They ran over massive sand dunes, through cactus-filled desert. And still they ran.
//Run with me, Seto. Run with me.//
They ran on, faster and farther than either one had ever run. They seemed unruffled as they lost themselves in the joy of the endless pursuit of nothing.
A/N- Oi... this really was short... Ack! No! Stop throwing things at me! It will be longer! Really! And as for the question that came up in one of my reviews, "Is the tiger, by any chance, Yami Yugi's, Bakura's, or Jounouchi's spiritual form?", you will have to wait and see. If I told you, then that would give away the ending. One thing, though. I thought that Jounouchi had brown eyes... I could be wrong, though... As of now, I'm holding the next...not yet written...chapter ransom. Review if you want the plot to actually begin.