A/N- Heh...I'm back. Sorry for the long wait. I had little cousins over and
had no time at all to post anything except "Pomplemouse". Go read it,
you'll like it...I have the sequel to it in the works, but it may be a
little OOC. Always watch what you eat for breakfast...Anyway, this story is
almost done. Eleven chapters in all, and very erm...happy(?) around the
end. Meh. Onwards.
Disclaimer- If I own Yu-Gi-Oh, then George likes grapefruit. Go read Pomplemouse, then you'll understand. *RSA, Random Shameless Advertising*
Nameless Ruler of all of Time
There was nothing left to do but watch the rain. The tiger had disappeared into the depths of the cave, warning Seto with a single look not to follow. While ordinarily he would have balked at such a thing, for some reason Seto obeyed this one time.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was in alien territory with only the tiger as his guide. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had no wish to wander the stifling blackness at the back of the cave that the tiger moved through with such ease. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Seto simply had nowhere he wanted to go at the moment.
The rain, something he had had seen countless times before in the waking world, seemed threatening now. Not only because of what the tiger had told him it meant, but also because of some inner fear that Seto could find no name for. Some instinct that warned him away from the bitter cold of the rain...and the memories it might bring with it.
So he sat just inside the cave entrance and watched as the rain fell. Occasionally a flash of lightning lit the sky, followed by the deep crack of thunder fit to split the sky in two. It felt like hours had passed since they had reached the caves, and still the rain fell.
//Beautiful, isn't it?//
Starting, Seto twisted around to see the tiger watching him. How a creature as large as it was managed to move in complete silence Seto was at a loss to explain. But somehow it could, and it did.
//What are you talking about now?// Seto growled, getting to his feet as the tiger stepped out of the shadows.
The tiger cocked its head to the side, crimson eyes sliding shut.
//Listen, Seto. What do you hear?//
//I don't have the time or the patience to deal with you and your - //
The tiger snorted, amusement swirling through Seto's mind.
//Time? Seto, time is the one thing you have plenty of here. Time holds no meaning in the Dreamscape, save for what you give it.//
Shaking his head, Seto backed away from the tiger. There was something different about it now that made him wary of it. Where before the tiger had been a source of warmth and comfort, now it was the source of his frustration and fear. And yet he couldn't find it within himself to be surprised at the way things had turned out. He had never been able to place his trust in anyone before without having it broken in some way.
//What do you mean? We barely had enough time to get here before the storm broke. How can time have no meaning if we had to race the storm?//
Opening its eyes, the tiger took another step forward, forcing Seto to give ground before it.
//You still cling to the laws that govern the waking world, Seto. To you there is only now and ten minutes from now. The past has no meaning to you because you are afraid to face it. If you wanted, time could stop here. The surface of the lake you are so enamored of would freeze so that you could walk across it, if you chose. The rain would stop, droplets hanging in midair. Don't you understand yet, Seto? Here you are in control. Here you are the nameless god that controls the world.//
Fear clogging his throat, Seto backed away from the tiger although it had made no move towards him.
//That's impossible. No one could do something like that.//
The tiger's eyes narrowed as though in frustration at Seto's inability to comprehend what it had told him. Ears flattening against its skull, the tiger bared its fangs in a silent growl.
//Are you really so blind, Seto? Do you really want to hold on to the things you believe are true so badly that you aren't willing to let go in order to risk the impossible? Are you so willing to trust in the fact that something you can't see, or touch, or feel could be real? That Seto...that is perhaps the worst thing that could happen to any living being. That inability to simply _believe_.//
Tossing his head, Seto snarled as the tiger's words - so full of sympathy and pity - registered. More than being scorned for appearing heartless, he hated being pitied for who and what he was. And now the tiger dared pity him because he did not have the qualities it thought he should? Because he had not measured up to the tiger's expectations?
//What do you know about it? You who spouts riddles and inane little bits of advice? What do you believe in that has no form, no shape, no feel? What do you believe that you can pity me the way you do? What is it that makes you able to look down on me? What gives you that right? What gives you the right to mock me with your eyes and your words?//
The tiger stared back at him, crimson eyes unblinking as he screamed at it, his mind voice ragged and broken. When finally he stopped chest heaving for breath, eyes wide, the tiger stepped forward to nuzzle his face gently.
//You would know if you remembered, Seto. You would know.//
A/N- Uh-Huh...there it is. Wait! Fuzzy Penguin Muse of mine! Stop chasing Seto and Marth around. I need Seto to live until this story is over! *Clears throat* Yeah...I love reviews. Reviews are good. Reviews are the drink of the gods. Review me please.
Disclaimer- If I own Yu-Gi-Oh, then George likes grapefruit. Go read Pomplemouse, then you'll understand. *RSA, Random Shameless Advertising*
Nameless Ruler of all of Time
There was nothing left to do but watch the rain. The tiger had disappeared into the depths of the cave, warning Seto with a single look not to follow. While ordinarily he would have balked at such a thing, for some reason Seto obeyed this one time.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was in alien territory with only the tiger as his guide. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had no wish to wander the stifling blackness at the back of the cave that the tiger moved through with such ease. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Seto simply had nowhere he wanted to go at the moment.
The rain, something he had had seen countless times before in the waking world, seemed threatening now. Not only because of what the tiger had told him it meant, but also because of some inner fear that Seto could find no name for. Some instinct that warned him away from the bitter cold of the rain...and the memories it might bring with it.
So he sat just inside the cave entrance and watched as the rain fell. Occasionally a flash of lightning lit the sky, followed by the deep crack of thunder fit to split the sky in two. It felt like hours had passed since they had reached the caves, and still the rain fell.
//Beautiful, isn't it?//
Starting, Seto twisted around to see the tiger watching him. How a creature as large as it was managed to move in complete silence Seto was at a loss to explain. But somehow it could, and it did.
//What are you talking about now?// Seto growled, getting to his feet as the tiger stepped out of the shadows.
The tiger cocked its head to the side, crimson eyes sliding shut.
//Listen, Seto. What do you hear?//
//I don't have the time or the patience to deal with you and your - //
The tiger snorted, amusement swirling through Seto's mind.
//Time? Seto, time is the one thing you have plenty of here. Time holds no meaning in the Dreamscape, save for what you give it.//
Shaking his head, Seto backed away from the tiger. There was something different about it now that made him wary of it. Where before the tiger had been a source of warmth and comfort, now it was the source of his frustration and fear. And yet he couldn't find it within himself to be surprised at the way things had turned out. He had never been able to place his trust in anyone before without having it broken in some way.
//What do you mean? We barely had enough time to get here before the storm broke. How can time have no meaning if we had to race the storm?//
Opening its eyes, the tiger took another step forward, forcing Seto to give ground before it.
//You still cling to the laws that govern the waking world, Seto. To you there is only now and ten minutes from now. The past has no meaning to you because you are afraid to face it. If you wanted, time could stop here. The surface of the lake you are so enamored of would freeze so that you could walk across it, if you chose. The rain would stop, droplets hanging in midair. Don't you understand yet, Seto? Here you are in control. Here you are the nameless god that controls the world.//
Fear clogging his throat, Seto backed away from the tiger although it had made no move towards him.
//That's impossible. No one could do something like that.//
The tiger's eyes narrowed as though in frustration at Seto's inability to comprehend what it had told him. Ears flattening against its skull, the tiger bared its fangs in a silent growl.
//Are you really so blind, Seto? Do you really want to hold on to the things you believe are true so badly that you aren't willing to let go in order to risk the impossible? Are you so willing to trust in the fact that something you can't see, or touch, or feel could be real? That Seto...that is perhaps the worst thing that could happen to any living being. That inability to simply _believe_.//
Tossing his head, Seto snarled as the tiger's words - so full of sympathy and pity - registered. More than being scorned for appearing heartless, he hated being pitied for who and what he was. And now the tiger dared pity him because he did not have the qualities it thought he should? Because he had not measured up to the tiger's expectations?
//What do you know about it? You who spouts riddles and inane little bits of advice? What do you believe in that has no form, no shape, no feel? What do you believe that you can pity me the way you do? What is it that makes you able to look down on me? What gives you that right? What gives you the right to mock me with your eyes and your words?//
The tiger stared back at him, crimson eyes unblinking as he screamed at it, his mind voice ragged and broken. When finally he stopped chest heaving for breath, eyes wide, the tiger stepped forward to nuzzle his face gently.
//You would know if you remembered, Seto. You would know.//
A/N- Uh-Huh...there it is. Wait! Fuzzy Penguin Muse of mine! Stop chasing Seto and Marth around. I need Seto to live until this story is over! *Clears throat* Yeah...I love reviews. Reviews are good. Reviews are the drink of the gods. Review me please.