Author Notes:

(LB: That ending! You…you…fiend!) *pokes LB in the ribs* (LB: *growls*) Eeeeheeeheeee. Well that was enjoyable ^^ Oh, my poor little CG-san… what a predicament I've left you in…

Anyway thanks to all of you who have read Cannon Fodder this far and an extra thanky swanky to all you who have reviewed. New reviews make me feel all squishy inside. I like feeling squishy ^^

(LB: erm…erm…) *glares at LB* What is it now? (LB: Can I help you with this chapter?) Huh? (LB: Please pleeeeease!!! Pick me!!!) *blinks* But… (LB: You can't tell me what you plan to happen in this chapter then expect me NOT to want to help!) Why not? (LB: Because…because…*bursts into tears* I wanna help! *sniffs*) Ergh… *pats LB on the back* fine, you can help… (LB: Yaaaaay!!) *shakes head* On with the fic!

Extra Note: Oh yes. This should have gone in my previous chappie but Bin Liner = Garbage Bag. Please excuse my crazy English terms. [I call Television Remotes "Poke Boxes" O__O (LB: Why not call it a Jab Box?) Quiet you!] As for the birdy that landed on CG-san, that was a Tokyo Babylon reference.

Disclaimer: insert witty comment about TM and LB not owning YuGiOh

Chapter 4 by The Muffin and Lightning Baron

The Celtic Guardian didn't know how long he had been under the water for but the next thing he knew he was being lifted out of the freezing depths, bin liner and all, by some unseen force. The spluttering elf landed on the bank with a soggy thud, his helmet and sword clattering to the ground close beside him. He was half drowned and soaked to the skin but fortunately his armour was made out of Elvin metals so he at least wouldn't have to worry about rust. Shame that didn't stop the leather torso from excessively increasing in weight though. The Celtic Guardian stopped coughing up the contents of the lake from his lungs so that he could look up and see who his saviour was. Through the gaps in his blond hair, which at this point hung damply over his face and obscured most of his vision, he saw the hauntingly familiar sight of two purple boots and the bottom end of a green staff resting lightly on the ground. The Celtic Guardian's intake of breath hissed sharply; he knew exactly what this meant. With cat-like agility, he sprang to his feet and sure enough, the tall, stoic form of the high level spellcaster loomed in front of him, one arm clutching the green staff and the other hanging loosely by his side, staring unblinkingly into the bright eyes of the Celtic Guardian. As the anxious warrior gazed back into those cold blue eyes, he realised that the time for running and hiding was over. No matter where he went, the Dark Magician seemed capable of relocating his prey and the Celtic Guardian's newly obtained cloak had proven to be ineffective against the strengths of this powerful mage. He would either have to admit defeat and go willingly back to Yugi, or he could take a chance and fight.

The Celtic Guardian shot a troubled glance back out across the lake where he saw a rather disgruntled Malik pulling Ryou up onto the far bank. Their yamis had stopped harassing the two old ladies when they saw the boat capsize and were now intent on taking the last of their energy out on the shaded owner of the boats who, like with Malik, regarded them with little to no interest as he took another drag on his cigarette.

"They'll be fine…" the Celtic Guardian thought with relief as he turned his attention back to the Dark Magician who had neither moved or taken his eyes off of the Celtic Guardian since he had somehow pulled him out of the lake.

The elf knew that he had no real choice but to take on the superior dark card however he didn't want to risk a confrontation so close to the two people who had attempted to show him a little kindness. He would have to take the battle elsewhere. With grim determination, the Celtic Guardian ripped the shiny black cloak from around his neck (he wasn't going to need it anymore and it would only work to hinder him) and flung it forcefully to the ground. This action managed to invoke a slight raising of the eyebrows from the Dark Magician but nothing more.

"If you want me then you are going to have to catch me first!" the Celtic Guardian declared defiantly before rushing off in the direction of the park exit. The Dark Magician stared thoughtfully after his fleeing prey for a few minutes then gave chase.

The Celtic Guardian burst through the gates to the park at top speed, nearly knocking over an elaborately dressed high school girl, and sprinted down the mildly congested street that lead to the Centre of Domino.

"The Pharaoh's ever faithful lapdog as usual!" the Celtic Guardian spat as the sound of surprised shouts and curses confirmed that the Dark Magician was not far behind.

The Celtic Guardian continued on, ignoring the disapproving looks of the people he passed, not daring to look back, not wanting to go back. Gradually, the sound of pursuit began to fade yet still the Celtic Guardian ran. After a few more minutes, the tiring warrior dared to look back and his heart leapt with jubilation at the absence of purple and green. Without a second thought, the near exhausted elf turned sharply down a small alleyway to his left. Even if the Dark Magician was still following him, the Celtic Guardian's eyes were much sharper than that of any human so if he couldn't see the Dark Magician then the human mage had no chance of seeing his change in direction. However, the Celtic Guardian's joy was cut short by a large brick wall. The force of the collision sent the startled elf flying backwards, landing heavily on his rear. Cursing his stupidity, the Celtic Guardian picked up his dislodged helmet and scrambled shakily to his feet. The shaken elf regarded the wall that blocked his way scrupulously. It was high and there were a few footholds that would have been easily overlooked by a normal person, but the Celtic Guardian doubted that even he, with his extra strength and agility, would be able to scale this wall while bearing the weight of all his armour. The Celtic Guardian put on his helmet, flattening down his windswept hair, and cursed darkly under his breath. He did not like the way things were going. It was only a matter of time before the Dark Magician found him, the elf had no doubt about that, and the confined alleyway would give the experienced magic user a distinct advantage. The warrior looked up at the wall despairingly. Without his armour, the elf's muscular yet light frame would have gotten over the obstacle easily, but he was going to need all of his armour to protect himself against the Dark Magician's physical spells. Climbing the wall seemed out of the question.

A cold chill suddenly shot through the Celtic Guardian's body and he knew instantly that he was now out of time. He ceased examining the wall and turned around slowly. Sure enough, framed in the entrance to the alleyway and blocking the elf's last possible means of escape, stood the Dark Magician, his eyes and face emotionless and cold as always. Although the Celtic Guardian had suspected that it was the Dark Magician's presence he had felt, his heart felt as though it had tried to burst out of his chest the moment the two spirits' eyes met. A deafening silence filled the alleyway as the two cards continued their face off, neither taking their eyes off of the other. The tension and silence continued to grow until at last the Celtic Guardian couldn't take anymore. The silence made him notice the heavy feeling in his chest all the more. He had to break it.

"What do you want, sorcerer!" the elf demanded holding his sword defensively in front of him; the bell-like voice betraying his fear with each soft syllable sounded.  

The Dark Magician continued to stare at the cornered spirit, his stern, haunting face unchanged, his blue eyes unblinking. The Celtic Guardian swallowed under the ever-imposing glare of the 7-stared opponent. The trapped elf shuffled nervously as he felt that piercing stare bore right into his very soul making him feel exposed and vulnerable.

"If you are here to take me back to that damn Pharaoh you'd better think again!" he tried again; fortunately his voice sounding a lot less feeble than with his first challenge.

The Dark Magician's countenance remained unchanged. Then, with one swift fluid hand movement, the Celtic Guardian's sword was wrenched from his hand by an invisible force, the same force that had pulled him from the depths of the lake, and clattered loudly on the ground behind the purple clad magician. The startled elf let out an involuntary squeak as the Dark Magician took a step closer to him and backed further against the wall. The elvern warrior inwardly cursed himself for his cowardice; now it had come to it, he couldn't bring himself to fight back against the experienced mage. The Dark Magician took another slow step towards the helpless elf who instinctively raised his arms to cover his face as he prepared himself for the inevitable blow…

The Celtic Guardian squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the breath of air on his face that meant the Dark Magician had stopped close to him. The elf's arm flinched as he felt a hand grasp it gently, and his lip trembled as his arms were slowly pulled down away from his face. He shuddered again when the same hand moved up to remove his helm and was placed, with a small clunk, on the ground beside him. The Celtic Guardian didn't understand…why wasn't the Dark Magician attacking? Yelling at him for disobeying his master…

The Dark Magician bent his head and placed his lips close to the Celtic Guardian's ear.

"Fionn…why did you run away…?" he whispered softly. The Celtic Guardian's eyes snapped open in shock. Only a few people knew his real name, and he never recalled ever telling the Dark Magician. Fionn slowly turned to look at the face that was hovering near his.

"How…?" he breathed. The blue eyed mage almost seemed to smile as he straightened up though the elf wasn't sure if he had merely imagined that or not,

"I have known for a while, Fionn…don't be alarmed" the magician spoke, as he laid a finger on Fionn's face and felt him flinch, "You're jumpy, aren't you?"

A joke? From the Dark Magician? Fionn slapped the pale hand away,

"You…you would be jumpy too! After being chased and thinking you were going to be killed for leaving!!" he yelled, trying desperately to provoke the dark mage. The spellcaster's present mood was scaring him, he didn't understand why he was touching him like he was, or the feeling he was getting when he did it.

The Dark Magician clasped Fionn's hand and held it close to his chest and shut his eyes,

"…kill you indeed…I would never lay a harmful finger upon you…" he said softly.

The startled elf blinked in confusion "Well…why don't you just leave me alone then?!" Fionn retorted, glancing at his hand upon the Mage's chest,

"I could never do that. I was worried about you, that is why I followed you…and…"

Fionn scowled, "And…?"

"And…I had to get away. It was a good excuse to run away myself..." he stated simply, opening his cool blue eyes once more. Fionn was dumbstruck. The wondrous Dark Magician? Run away?!

"So I'm just an excuse?! Just another sacrifice…just another diversion...is that all I'm worth?!" he cried desperately, wrenching his hand away from the Mage and spinning round to face the wall. That last statement had cut him deep and he did not want to know why. "..Am I so…useless?" he sobbed.

The Dark Magician sighed and fumbled for the buckles that held on Fionn's armour. Closing his slender fingers about the fastenings, he undid them and laid his armour to one side, along with his helm.

"What do you want…leave me alone…" Fionn moaned, still facing the wall, trying hard not to shudder every time the Dark Magician's soothing touch touched his body. Despite having his back to the powerful card, the mystified Warrior could still feel those piercing blue eyes focused on him like they so often were.

"Can't you see what I want?" the Dark Mage breathed softly, gently turning Fionn around so he was once again facing him… The Celtic Guardian stared into those deep mystical eyes and shook his head slowly.

"I want you…" he whispered. Fionn's went wide with shock as the Dark Mage bent down and brushed his lips over his, making them tingle.

"I-I---I don't understand…." Fionn croaked.

The Mage cooed softly to him and wiped his tears away, "It's simple. I hate the attention... I can never get away from it. I want to see you, Fionn, but I can't. I'm always being dogged by one of the Pharaoh's lackeys. I can see you, the hate in your eyes, and I hate myself for not trying hard enough. I can't tell them to shut up and go away, there'd be hell to pay. So I watch you, sitting alone polishing your sword…or repairing your armour… I have watched you so much… when I saw you leave I realised that I needed to act… the Pharaoh is just going to have to do without us for a while." he looked away as he finished and a moment of uncomfortable silence ensued.

"Y-You…love...me..?" The Celtic Guardian stuttered suddenly.

The Dark Magician looked back and look deep into the yellow orbs of the smaller spirit "Yes…I do….."

"..you really love me?!" trying his hardest to keep his voice calm.

"…yes….I do…."

"But…I thought… I thought everybody hated me… no one spoke to me much… 'sept the Mystical Elf… and the Gemini twins… but… but…" Fionn rambled on,

"…That's because… I wouldn't let them…" the Dark Magician confessed not removing his gaze from the elf's eyes "I knew they'd say nasty things to you. I wanted to protect you. I didn't want you to get upset… so I told them not to… that they'd have me to answer to if they hurt you in any way. I asked the Mystical Elf to inform me if you were sad… and it was her who told me your name. I said I needed to know... I needed to prove… I love you…"

Fionn's eyes went wide and they glistened with new tears. Sobbing, for the second time in five minutes, he pressed himself to the Dark Mage's chest and hugged him tight. Taken back at first, the Mage looked down at the trembling form clutching tightly to his chest. Then he smiled and hugged the Celtic Guardian close, resting his pale cheek on the soft blond head and shutting his eyes. They stayed like that for a while, drinking in the feeling of each other, bathing in the other's warmth, until the Dark Magician pulled the smaller form away and lifted up the smooth chin to once again look into those beautiful yellow eyes,

"Do you know why it is forbidden to cards to leave the deck?"
The Celtic Guardian averted his eyes from the Dark Magician's sombre gaze and looked at the ground sheepishly,
"To be honest I... I just thought it was because you..."

Fionn gasped as the dark haired sorcerer traced a pale finger over the purple markings on the elf's face,

"I thought as much…" the mage sighed as he dragged his lips across Fionn's forehead, brushing aside the golden locks. Fionn began to tremble as the Mage bent down to kiss him once again, his lips gently playing and caressing that of the timid elf's. Fionn whimpered slightly as the Mage moved round to nuzzle his earlobe, his gentle breath making the hairs on his neck stand on end. Fionn hesitated slightly, then snaked his armed beneath that of the Dark Mages and pulled him close, snuggling into his warm chest and whimpering like a content puppy.

"As simple and as clichéd as it sounds it was for you. Not everyone in the Pharaoh's world is learned in the ways of Shadow Magic. Most are ignorant… and a great deal of them are barbaric and cruel… more so than any card in any deck. Surprisingly not much has changed since those days in Egypt…" The Dark Magician trailed off for a moment lost in his own thoughts until a sudden hiccup emanating from the precious elf clutched to his chest awoke him from his deepest memories. "Anyway…" he continued seriously "Despite our strengths, not one of us alone is capable of withstanding against the combined evils of mankind… You understand?"

The golden haired elf said nothing but nodded his head to let the magician know he understood although he was slightly confused. Everyone he had met on the outside had been nothing but kind and considerate to him but he allowed himself to trust the Dark Magician's gentle voice.

"There is another reason…" The dark mage bent his head close to Fionn's ear again, pushing his soft golden hair aside gently, "Our master has grown over confident" the dark mage breathed into Fionn's pointed ear as he continued to stroke Fionn's back soothingly, adoring every coo and whine that emanated from the softly trembling body, "He's forgotten one of the most basic ideals. The ideal that every card, no matter what their ability or strength, make up his deck"

Fionn nodded into the Mages chest and snuggled deeper. The mage chuckled and ruffled Fionn's hair,

"I haven't forgotten how important every card is, or indeed how important you are, Fionn... I realise now you're the most important thing in my life, do you understand?" the Dark Magician said softly, raising Fionn's chin up so he could look into his eyes. Again, Fionn nodded and tried to re-bury himself, but the mage stopped him and began tracing a finger over his face markings again. The Celtic Guardian gasped as he saw a faint smile form across the mage's lips. A smile he realised was his and his alone. A smile that he would treasure always. The rush of emotions that suddenly filled the warrior's body proved too much for him. His head fell forwards, the blond curtains obscuring his face as his shoulders began to tremble. The Dark Magician cocked his head to one side slightly as Fionn began to ramble slightly again, though he couldn't understand a word he was saying at all this time. finally, Fionn made an attempt to grab the Mage again, but failed and instead sank to his knees on the dirty floor and began to cry. The Dark Magician's heart ached as he knelt down next to the hyperventilating form, the elf's hands were clamped over his mouth in an attempt to try and stifle the desperate gasps of air that he so desperately needed.

"Fionn…"

The Dark Magician rested his hand gently on the blond head and held the emotional elf close to him, hushing him gently and stroking the silk like hair soothingly. They remained like that for some time, the two spirits isolated in the deserted alley lost in one another's emotions.

Finally, once the Celtic Guardian's tears had been replaced by a few stifled but satisfied sobs, the Dark Magician rested a hand gently on the darker cheek of the elf, his subject releasing a deep sigh under the gentle touch…

"Now my friend," the calm, alluring voice cooed suddenly wiping the last few stains of emotion from the elf's cheeks "Shall we solidify our new found friendship with the time honoured tradition?"

The Celtic Guardian looked up into the cool blue eyes of the Spellcaster "You don't mean…gratuitous Anzu bashing?"

The Dark Magician's lips curled in rare smile "That's exactly what I mean."

The Celtic Guardian's eyes widened into two glistening yellow pools of joy "You are so cool!" the delighted elf gasped as he snuggled his face deep into the Dark Magician's chest.

The Dark Magician flashed another rare smile as he looked down on his smaller companion cradled in his arms.

"Let's go home, Fionn" he breathed softly. "Together."