Disclaimer- Er...don't A/N's go first? Oh, well... If I own Yu-Gi-Oh, then
my friend Chris has become the undisputed ruler of the world and Alex is
pouring coffee for him and earning 3.2 million dollars a year for it. But
that isn't happening, because all three of us are currently broke.
A/N- Odd disclaimer, eh? If you're wondering, and you're probably not, this really was supposed to happen. Me, Chris, Alex, Luke, and Travis inhabited the weight room every PE class last year. It was Conspiracy Corner and thus we dubbed ourselves The Conspirers. But all of that is beside the point. Here is the third part of the story. This was done during my half hour of lunch and on the bus ride home. I hope it meets your approval.
Enter in the Dreamscape
They ran until the sun set and the twin moons rose. They ran until stars fell from the heavens, leaving a weeping trail of fleeting brilliance in their wake. They ran until they could run no longer, footsore and weary. Their souls filled to bursting with what they had seen, what they had felt. What they had known.
Fur caked with mud, exhaustion written in their every line, they came to rest at the side of a lake so clear and still that it seemed made of the finest of glass. Sweet birdsong filled the air, accompanied by an occasional rustle of wings as the night birds flitted from branch to branch in the forest surrounding them.
Watching the tiger with wary respect, Seto glanced back the way they had come. Amazed at the distance they had covered that night. Amazed that they had been the only living things there, until he'd heard the birds at the lakeside. Amazed that they had not stumbled over some forgotten human dwelling.
//Where are we?//
It was a question he knew he should have asked earlier, when he had first awakened. A question that would have given him some clue as to where he should go next. What he should do.
The tiger turned to him, violet eyes seeming to smirk at him as though it knew his thoughts.
//Don't you know, Seto? This is the Dreamscape.//
//Dreamscape?//
The word felt alien in his mind, unwelcome. It conjured up thoughts that left Seto shaking. Memories he'd thought best forgotten.
Seeing this, the tiger shook itself and headed for the lakeshore, its steps measured and even.
//A place where your mind goes to Dream. Sometimes to hide.//
Seto watched as the tiger waded out into the lake, leaving not so much as even a ripple in its wake. Casting a glance over its shoulder, the tiger flicked its tail gently, sending a sheet of water at Seto, a playful glint in its eyes.
Growling deep in his chest as he shied away from the spray of water, Seto paced along the water's edge, ears pressed back against his head. The tiger watched silently as his movements grew increasingly agitated.
//Dream? Why would I dream?//
//I never said you were here to Dream, Seto.// The tiger said mildly, wading deeper into the lake until the water reached up to its chest.
Seto froze, ears pricking forward, fur bristling. He could hear his heart thundering in his chest. Feel the blood rushing through his veins, laced with adrenaline.
//Then why am I here?//
Snorting, the tiger dove under the water, submerging as it swam out further, a pale shape beneath the water.
//You know the reason, Seto. I can't tell you.//
Furious and filled with primal fear, Seto ran to the edge of the water, fangs bared in a silent snarl.
//Why? Why can't you tell me?//
Backing up a step as the tiger appeared before him as though a phantom, water and mud sluicing off it, Seto forced himself to meet the tiger's gaze.
//The human mind has many defenses to protect itself. It shuts down, blocks off sections of memory. Sometimes those sections of memory remain sealed off. Too much knowledge too early can harm it. Too little knowledge too late can harm it. And on, and on. You, Seto, are hiding from reality at this moment. The reason 'why' is something only you know.//
Seto stood unmoving as he mulled over the tiger's words, not even flinching as the tiger shook itself, cold droplets of lake water striking him and seeping through to his skin. Not even blinking as the tiger moved beside him, violet eyes staring down at him, willing him to remember. To understand.
//If...If this is the Dreamscape, then my body... My human body...?//
Taking pity on the confusion and fear it saw in Seto's eyes, the tiger rested its cheek against his, large crimson eyes sliding closed.
//Was never here. It was another manifestation of your mind. A way to make you feel grounded in a place that makes its own reality. The moment you chose to follow me, it vanished. The moment you allowed yourself to _feel_ instead of think, your mind no longer felt the need to protect you in that manner.//
//But...but it felt so real! I could feel the ground beneath me. I could feel your body heat, the softness of your fur! I could - //
//And what do you feel now, Seto? What do you see? What do you smell? The Dreamscape is a reality in itself. Everything here can be as real as you want it to be. You can be anything you want to here. Anyone you want. The only thing holding you back is you. Those mountains we crossed, weren't they familiar? Those caves...that desert? Don't you remember them?//
Seto's eyes went wide in stunned realization.
//They were all places I'd been to before. Places I'd seen.//
Opening its eyes, the tiger moved away, padding towards the trees.
//Are you real?// Seto asked, fighting to keep the fear from his mental voice.
Pausing, the tiger flicked an ear backwards, although it did not turn to look at him.
//I am as real as you want me to be, Seto.//
And then it was gone. Gliding silently into the forest without a sign to prove it had ever been there.
A/N- Yeah...that was it. I hope it clears up some stuff for you. And a big thanks to all my faithful reviewers. You gave me a big kick to my confidence and the urge to keep continuing this.
A/N- Odd disclaimer, eh? If you're wondering, and you're probably not, this really was supposed to happen. Me, Chris, Alex, Luke, and Travis inhabited the weight room every PE class last year. It was Conspiracy Corner and thus we dubbed ourselves The Conspirers. But all of that is beside the point. Here is the third part of the story. This was done during my half hour of lunch and on the bus ride home. I hope it meets your approval.
Enter in the Dreamscape
They ran until the sun set and the twin moons rose. They ran until stars fell from the heavens, leaving a weeping trail of fleeting brilliance in their wake. They ran until they could run no longer, footsore and weary. Their souls filled to bursting with what they had seen, what they had felt. What they had known.
Fur caked with mud, exhaustion written in their every line, they came to rest at the side of a lake so clear and still that it seemed made of the finest of glass. Sweet birdsong filled the air, accompanied by an occasional rustle of wings as the night birds flitted from branch to branch in the forest surrounding them.
Watching the tiger with wary respect, Seto glanced back the way they had come. Amazed at the distance they had covered that night. Amazed that they had been the only living things there, until he'd heard the birds at the lakeside. Amazed that they had not stumbled over some forgotten human dwelling.
//Where are we?//
It was a question he knew he should have asked earlier, when he had first awakened. A question that would have given him some clue as to where he should go next. What he should do.
The tiger turned to him, violet eyes seeming to smirk at him as though it knew his thoughts.
//Don't you know, Seto? This is the Dreamscape.//
//Dreamscape?//
The word felt alien in his mind, unwelcome. It conjured up thoughts that left Seto shaking. Memories he'd thought best forgotten.
Seeing this, the tiger shook itself and headed for the lakeshore, its steps measured and even.
//A place where your mind goes to Dream. Sometimes to hide.//
Seto watched as the tiger waded out into the lake, leaving not so much as even a ripple in its wake. Casting a glance over its shoulder, the tiger flicked its tail gently, sending a sheet of water at Seto, a playful glint in its eyes.
Growling deep in his chest as he shied away from the spray of water, Seto paced along the water's edge, ears pressed back against his head. The tiger watched silently as his movements grew increasingly agitated.
//Dream? Why would I dream?//
//I never said you were here to Dream, Seto.// The tiger said mildly, wading deeper into the lake until the water reached up to its chest.
Seto froze, ears pricking forward, fur bristling. He could hear his heart thundering in his chest. Feel the blood rushing through his veins, laced with adrenaline.
//Then why am I here?//
Snorting, the tiger dove under the water, submerging as it swam out further, a pale shape beneath the water.
//You know the reason, Seto. I can't tell you.//
Furious and filled with primal fear, Seto ran to the edge of the water, fangs bared in a silent snarl.
//Why? Why can't you tell me?//
Backing up a step as the tiger appeared before him as though a phantom, water and mud sluicing off it, Seto forced himself to meet the tiger's gaze.
//The human mind has many defenses to protect itself. It shuts down, blocks off sections of memory. Sometimes those sections of memory remain sealed off. Too much knowledge too early can harm it. Too little knowledge too late can harm it. And on, and on. You, Seto, are hiding from reality at this moment. The reason 'why' is something only you know.//
Seto stood unmoving as he mulled over the tiger's words, not even flinching as the tiger shook itself, cold droplets of lake water striking him and seeping through to his skin. Not even blinking as the tiger moved beside him, violet eyes staring down at him, willing him to remember. To understand.
//If...If this is the Dreamscape, then my body... My human body...?//
Taking pity on the confusion and fear it saw in Seto's eyes, the tiger rested its cheek against his, large crimson eyes sliding closed.
//Was never here. It was another manifestation of your mind. A way to make you feel grounded in a place that makes its own reality. The moment you chose to follow me, it vanished. The moment you allowed yourself to _feel_ instead of think, your mind no longer felt the need to protect you in that manner.//
//But...but it felt so real! I could feel the ground beneath me. I could feel your body heat, the softness of your fur! I could - //
//And what do you feel now, Seto? What do you see? What do you smell? The Dreamscape is a reality in itself. Everything here can be as real as you want it to be. You can be anything you want to here. Anyone you want. The only thing holding you back is you. Those mountains we crossed, weren't they familiar? Those caves...that desert? Don't you remember them?//
Seto's eyes went wide in stunned realization.
//They were all places I'd been to before. Places I'd seen.//
Opening its eyes, the tiger moved away, padding towards the trees.
//Are you real?// Seto asked, fighting to keep the fear from his mental voice.
Pausing, the tiger flicked an ear backwards, although it did not turn to look at him.
//I am as real as you want me to be, Seto.//
And then it was gone. Gliding silently into the forest without a sign to prove it had ever been there.
A/N- Yeah...that was it. I hope it clears up some stuff for you. And a big thanks to all my faithful reviewers. You gave me a big kick to my confidence and the urge to keep continuing this.