*Cries* I tried! I really tried! I…I just couldn't keep it a one shot! *Cries* I'll probably just add a bit more. I'm terrible with conclusions, so we'll just have a little bit more fun before I end this one. Besides, now I'll be able to introduce more characters! YEAH! Go me!
___________________~ * ~ Once Upon a Moonlit Tale ~ * ~____________________
~ Chapter 2 ~
The Shadow Royalty seemed to simply hover about the moon prince's side as they walked out of the palace and into the night. There was something oddly alluring, strangely familiar, and yet discreetly alarming about the Shadow Royalty. The very way he strode next to Yuugi with utter ease, as if he had been crafted to fit there. His eyes were simply captivating, and as much as Yuugi wanted to simply drown in them, much to his own bemusement, there was a tiny little voice screaming in the back of his mind that he would never be able to claw his way back out.
Of course, the much larger voice was saying he probably wouldn't want to.
"Where is it that you'd like to go, Darkness? The Lunar surface holds many secrets. Which would you like to uncover tonight?" Yuugi had spent his whole life scouring the Moon's surface, its many forests and lakes and rivers and oceans, and as of yet he still didn't think he'd ever see all of it. Every time he went back to an area it seemed to be just a little bit different than the time before. His father blamed it on the many faeries and sprites lurking about.
The dark figure next to him stopped, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Do you have horses?"
The moon prince developed a wicked grin. Oh, did they have horses. His eyes glittered with unhindered mischief. "Ha, do we have horses." He chuckled. "You're funny."
Midnight's child raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Follow me." Yuugi headed towards the back of the palace to the royal stables. No one was out tonight manning the creatures housed there. They had been given their food early this evening, the rest of the workers given the night off. Yuugi would have no trouble swiping a couple of rides for the rest of the night.
Walking up to the massive ash-wood doors and pushing them open, Yuugi took in a deep breath.
"I don't smell hay, or the filthy remains of livestock," the one next to him commented.
"Of course not," Yuugi replied, drinking in the sight of the extensive interior. This one building alone could house up to one hundred and fifty horses.
But they didn't have normal horses here.
"Here, the only thing you're going to smell is pure energy, and maybe a few lilacs."
Yami walked up to one of the stalls, taking a look inside. His hard crimson eyes grew wide. "Dear gods!"
He backed up, looking into another stall. He had the same response. "How many do you have?"
The moon prince walked up beside him, gazing into the stall. Inside, a red horse was radiating with light and pure energy. Fire was being breathed out of his nostrils, his massive hooves pounding viciously at the ground. "I thought elemental steeds were extinct," the Shadow Royalty spoke. He pointed to the fiery creature before him. "Fire?"
"Mars," Yuugi corrected. "We have more than just elements here. We have the planets, too."
Yami whistled. "They say the seeasha can romp around in the fabric of space at will."
Yuugi looked up, a little surprised. "You know the Lunar term for them."
"Hai," Yami replied. He walked down the next stall, gazing upon a water stallion. Yuugi let him walk on for a while, the true treats were yet to come.
It only took a minute. "Mother of Horus!" he heard the darkness call out. "You don't!"
"We do!" Yuugi called back, quite content with himself for the moment. "The asahiineh, alive and before your very eyes."
The prince of the Shadow Royalty looked on with wonder. Never had he thought that this much surprise could occur in one evening. In front of him, three horses pranced vigorously around in their stall, begging to be let out. One, a shimmering gold that was almost too harsh to look upon. Gold fire spewed from his mouth, heavy hooves emitting sparks of flames whenever they touched the ground.
"His name is Helios," Yuugi filled in, looking on with pride. "The pride of the Sun. It's very rare that our cousins let us keep him for a while. Only my mother and the Sun royalty can ride him. Fiery temper."
"They say these beasts live forever," Yami stated. "Always living within their resident element. Moonlight, sunlight, and starlight, the three lights of the universe. Absolutely amazing." He looked at the next one, platinum hair a liquid mirror, its light slightly distorted. The creature's coat looked like a collage of stars without the blackness of space in-between.
"That's the Divine One, the light of the stars. She has a temper as bad as Helios."
Yami looked at the third one prancing around. Silver, pure and vibrant and almost opaque in its purity. "Selene," Yuugi filled in, "the moonlight. This is the one I always ride."
Throughout the solar system, there had always been the legend of the three divine lights of the universe, embodied in the shape of three horses, fiery and stormy and only able to be tamed by the Royal house they served. Keeping them in one place was no easy task, and any who weren't trained to even feed them could lose their life instantly.
Yami turned his burning gaze onto Yuugi. "Which should I ride?"
Yuugi smiled. "I think we have just the one." He walked over to a stall in the far corner, just out of sight and shrouded in shadows. "That is, of course, if you think you can tame him enough to mount him."
Yami followed, looking inside. His mouth went slack. "Endymion," he breathed. "We…we've thought for years that he died when our family left the moon…"
Yuugi smiled. "The beast of the shadows. We've been keeping him here, hoping that one day your family might turn up to claim him. He's been a wonderful friend. For some reason… I'm the only one that's ever been able to ride him."
Yami delicately unhinged the stall door, allowing the dark beast to walk forth, picking his hooves up high. Midnight's child ran his dusky hand over the shimmering black coat. "Endymion, I never dreamed I'd be able to ride you…"
The stallion gave a triumphant neigh as he turned around, nostrils flaring, allowing Yami to mount.
"No saddles?" he asked.
Yuugi looked dumbstruck. "On these beasts? Heavens, no! They'd never let us touch them again." He opened up the stall containing the beast of the moonlight, Selene, climbing onto her back with natural ease. Grabbing a fist-full of silky hair, he rode up next to Yami.
"So, where did you have in mind?"
The darkness grinned devilishly. "Follow me." And with nothing more than a thought in mind of his destination, he headed off, Selene keeping easy pace with Endymion. Yuugi could only guess where they were going as they sped off, away from the palace and further into the night.
The Shadow Royalty looked completely enthralled at the moment, body bent to keep the wind resistance low. The creatures they were riding where the fastest things alive, able to jump from one planet to the next in a matter of minutes. Grounded to a solid surface, though, they had to go much slower. Yuugi often wondered if they every got tired.
The further they went, the darker it got, until Yuugi realized just where they were going.
Yami had to be insane.
The shadow stallion next to him seemed to become nothing but a dark mass as the light faded almost completely. They only light they had now were that of the moon prince and the mare he was riding. Realizing that he could now barely see, Yami slowed Endymion's pace, staying by Yuugi's ever flowing light. They were heading to the dark side of the moon.
"Where are we heading, exactly," Yuugi questioned softly.
"The ruins," Yami explained, eyes fixated forward. "There is something there that I would like to see." He looked above him. "Is there any way that you can bring more light to this area?"
Yuugi looked up too, contemplating. "I think so…just a moment." Selene's head bobbed up and down energetically as Yuugi searched through the many trinkets he wore around his neck, hoping to find the right one.
"Aha!" Yuugi exclaimed, pulling out the necklace. "Mother always insisted that I wear this. Just in case I ever get caught in a dark spot." He held up the little pendant that was dangling from the platinum chain. Yami could see that it was glowing with a light of its own. It appeared to be an outline of a pentacle with three intersecting lines. The symbol for the stars.
"Perhaps my cousins can give us a hand," Yuugi smiled, allowing the pendant to levitate above his cupped hands.
A disgruntling silence grew for a moment, the darkness seeming to close in on them. Yuugi had his eyes closed, and even his prancing beast Selene had stilled for his concentration.
Then the whispered chanting began. " Asaaha hee shasa inkilah aei ha teu… Asaaha hee shasa inkilah aei ha teu… "
Yuugi must have repeated this phrase four or five times, each time growing louder than the time before. And, as each repetition grew louder, so did the intensity of the light emitted from the pendant. Tension seemed to start flowing around them, the very air tingling and buzzing with energy. The hairs on the back of the Shadow Royalty's neck began to rise, feeling the forces of light begin to work.
In an electrifying moment, Yuugi shot his arms into the air, throwing his head back to look at the sky above.
Yami noticed the darkness around them start to dim, faint specks of light appearing here and there. Looking up, he whistled. "Impressive."
Every star in the sky above them had magnified ten fold, creating more than enough light for them to see by.
Grinning to himself, Yuugi placed the pendant back inside his white shirt. "Now, where was that ruin?"
Yami grinned back. "Not too much further now." Eager to move, their horses sped further on, happy to be out and moving.
Bits of stone and rotting pillars dotted the landscape, Yuugi suddenly sorry they never tried to keep the area in tact.
Still though. Five thousand years. That's a long time to take care of a vacant place.
"There it is!" He heard the darkness cry, dashing further into the very center of some circular stone columns, still slightly in tact and standing.
Endymion's hooves clanked darkly against the old stone floor, his living shadows wafting around him with a fervent glee. Yami dismounted almost before the horse was done stopping, stepping through the debris of time and rock to sift through a rather large pile in the center of the circle.
Coming up next to the shadow stallion, Yuugi stayed on Selene as he watched while Yami searched through the pile of rubble.
"I don't believe it's really here," he heard the young man mumble, coming up with a dirty hunk of gold in his hands.
"What is it," Yuugi asked curiously.
"My family has talked about it for years, believed to have been lost in the move. It's the puzzle, the complete embodiment of shadows."
Yuugi saw a pyramid shaped gold object in Yami's hands, covered in dirt and grime from over the long years.
It was the moon prince's turn to give out a whistle. "The Sennen puzzle. I thought it was just a myth. No one has come here for years, so it's no wonder it's still here."
Yami looked up at him questioningly. "Why has no one come here?" Claiming his prize, he mounted Endymion again.
It was utterly silent again, and the stars seemed to have dulled. Gulping slightly, Yuugi looked up, terrified at what he saw. "That's why."
Yami looked up too, his eyes growing wide.
"RUN!" Yuugi screamed, urging Selene back towards the bright side of the moon. There, looming above them, was a giant meteor, headed on a straight collision course for the ruins.
That's why no one ever came over here. It wasn't protected by the Royal family's powers. Therefore, it was open to any flying objects floating around in space.
And, by some strange luck, it was hit quite frequently by meteors and meteorites. The only thing the moon family had been able to do was keep it breathable and temperatures somewhat normal.
Without a moment's hesitation, the two sped off, Selene and Endymion fleeing not only for the lives of the people on their back, but looking at it as if it were some sort of race, neither making much headway over the other.
Yuugi ducked as a small flying rock nearly hit his head and left shoulder, Selene dodging it quite easily. Yami nearly jumped as one landed in front of him, Endymion making an easy jump from it.
Yuugi could hear the horses' heavy breathing as they made their way up a hill, so many small rocks flying past them it looked like a meteor shower.
There was a loud crushing noise as the meteor began to make impact.
"Any ideas?" Yami called over the angry noises.
"Don't look back?" Yuugi tried, knowing that flying boulders were already headed their way.
Two more boulders the size of small mountains fell on either side of them.
"Helpful, Yuugi, real helpful!"
Yuugi urged Selene further on, silently begging her to pick up more speed.
"Shit!" Yuugi heard Yami call out, realizing that a shower of flying debris had ricocheted off of a small hill a little ways in front of them and was on a direct collision course with the Shadow Royalty.
"Like hell," Yuugi cried, summoning all of the powers accessible to him at the moment.
The boulders exploded into harmless little pieces of dust in a burst of light and energy.
Yami looked over at Yuugi's outstretched hand where the pure energy was still cackling, eyes a little wide. Then he smirked. "Smooth."
They didn't have much time to dwell on that little victory as more hunks of dirt came pelting their way. Yuugi began to wonder if they'd ever reach the Luna border.
The fabrics of the universe seemed to shatter when the meteor broke into two, one part headed off back into space, the other heading straight towards the retreating princes. Yuugi's ears went momentarily deaf, Yami wincing as his own ears began to ring.
"We're dead!" Yuugi cried.
"We're going to make it!" Yami called back.
"On a cold day in Hell!"
Selene made a sharp turn, missing a three ton boulder. Endymion was probably doing likewise. Any normal horse would have been hit by now, or collapsed from exhaustion.
The meteor seemed to be breathing down his neck as Yuugi began to give up hope, realizing that maybe his mother's logic to stay at the ball might have been a good idea after all. At least he'd still be alive.
It was dark…and deafening…Selene's ragged panting was becoming lost amidst the thunderous booms surrounding them, enveloping them, her sides heaving with her heavy breaths…
They weren't going to make it…
The meteor was so close now…
So dark…
Yuugi suddenly realized that he wasn't moving. In fact, he had gone completely still. His eyes had been closed, hoping beyond hope that any deity that might exist would take pity on him.
So enraptured was he in praying that he was quite surprised when Selene did an abrupt turn around, almost throwing him off her back. Grabbing a stronger fistful of silky hair, Yuugi looked back at the oncoming meteor, dumbstruck when it seemed to hit an invisible barrier, shattering instantly.
Yami was cackling next to him. "Told you we'd make it!"
With a glare for a response, Yuugi allowed his pale face to gain blood flow again. "By some lucky chance. There must be a god up there that really likes you."
Yami chuckled again, tossing the dirt-ridden puzzle lightly in the air. "Saved this from being buried for another five thousand years."
Shaking his head, Yuugi turned back around, heading back to the city. "What do you say we get that cleaned up then?"
The darkness nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."
Selene and Endymion padded off, neighing quite happily with each other. Neither seemed too concerned with the fact that the two princes almost lost their life just moments ago.
Aside from the clanking of the horses' hooves and their still-heavy breathing from their run, a comfortable silence set in between the two royalties, Yami drinking in the sights of the silver Lunar surface.
It seemed an entire peaceful century later when they finally came upon the lake Yuugi had in mind, protected by many silver-leafed trees and dark green shrubbery.
Yami stilled his excited horse as he looked upon the silver surface of the water, liquid light shimmering with an ethereal reflection of the earth and stars.
"It's gorgeous, moon prince. Do you come here often?" he whispered.
"Every day," he replied. "Welcome to Tranquility Lake." Yuugi dismounted, leaving Selene to prance around a rather tall tree by the shore. He turned his head over to Yami, who had already dismounted, dipping to puzzle into the crystalline water and rinsing the puzzle clean, leaving it shimmering in the starlight. "Would you like to have some fun?" Yuugi asked.
Yami looked up, raising an eloquent eyebrow.
Yuugi laughed. "Trust me." He then proceeded to remove his shoes, then his socks. The shadow prince gave him a questioning look.
Yuugi crossed his arms. "We're not doing anything until you do likewise."
Yami looked over at Endymion, who in turn only gave a hearty snort, turning his attention over to Selene instead. Yami shrugged. "Okay." He removed his shoes which, by lucky chance, just so happened to have many, many buckles, and then his socks.
He allowed his feet to settle into the dew ridden grass, waiting to see what Yuugi was going to do.
"Ever gone ice skating, darkness?" Yuugi asked, stepping further towards the shoreline.
"No, but I have the general idea of what to do."
Yuugi smiled, turning around as he stepped onto the water surface.
Of course. How could he have forgotten? Lunar children could literally walk on water. The shadow prince stepped forward.
Yuugi extended his hand, offering it to Yami. "Don't let go now, or you'll fall in. This lake gets quite deep."
Touching Yuugi's milky fingertips, the darkness allowed his bare feet to touch the water's surface, receiving an odd floating sensation when leaving the dirt. Yuugi held up his other hand which Yami gratefully took when he started to slip just a little, the water shimmering and rippling under their feet.
"Just try to think of it as walking on ice, but not as cold. And the water gives a little more friction, allowing one to move quite freely," Yuugi chuckled.
"Easy for you to say," Yami replied, moving forward slowly as Yuugi pushed his legs further behind him, casing him to move backwards.
It was almost like combining dancing and ice skating all into one. Yami learned how to keep his balance quickly, easily keeping up with Yuugi as they glided across the lake.
Yuugi was a little surprised when Yami's arms slid softly around his waist, pulling the two of them even closer. He hadn't realized just how warm the shadow royalty seemed, the way his toned muscled rippled seductively under his midnight black leather.
Not to mention the fact that those crimson eyes were indeed so captivating, able to slice down an opponent with a glance or ensnare a would-be lover.
Yuugi suddenly felt very vulnerable, and yet liking the feeling with a reckless enthusiasm.
A warm breath cascaded down his cherubic face as the darkness drew closer. The hands around his waist clung just a tad tighter…
The moment was broken when the whiny of their horses snapped their attention. Disgruntled, the two looked over to see the two creatures prancing maniacally around the shore line, guffawing at what they saw.
"I think they're laughing at us," Yuugi said indignantly.
"I think they're egging us on," Yami replied.
Yuugi laughed. "I wouldn't doubt it." There was a moment of silence, the demeanor in the shadow royalty changing just slightly. Yuugi barely had time to see that mischievous glint in those bright red eyes.
"We'll give them a show," Yami crooned, pulling Yuugi even closer.
The next thing the moon prince knew, there was a hot mouth pressed against his own, another's body toned and warm clinging to his small frame. Too shocked to move at the moment, Yuugi's instincts began to take over, simply melting into the intimate gestures and embrace.
Neither barely registered the high pitched squeal of their horses as they drifted on, drowning in sensation they'd never felt before.
The darkness's hands squeezed just slightly on Yuugi's lower back, holding him closely into the confines of the leather clad chest. Yuugi mewled slightly, and had he been coherent he'd have realized that Yami was actually purring.
For lack of air they broke apart.
Breathless and flushed, Yuugi looked up at Yami, lazy eyes half-lidded and drowsy. "Wow."
Yami gave an unexpected chuckle. "There's one way to put it." He ran his long fingers through Yuugi's silken tresses.
Resting his head on Yami's chest, Yuugi sighed. "My dad's gonna kill me."
Yami laughed, looking over at Selene and Endymion. The two were lightly pulling at each other's mane's, prancing and neighing at each other.
"They're flirting," Yuugi replied softly.
"They've got the right idea," Yami replied. Lifting Yuugi's chin up, he kissed him again, finding the second kiss more enjoyable than the first.
Yuugi muttered into Yami's mouth, too lazy to break apart for speech. Or too drunken, perhaps.
"Hmm?" Yami asked, breaking apart only slightly.
"I said my mother is calling me. She knows I left." Yuugi could feel his lunar pendent pulsating with heat against his chest.
"Damn," Yami muttered, yet making no attempt at moving.
Selene could be heard stomping around at the shoreline.
________________________________~ * ~__________________________________
Yuugi and Yami walked up to the palace steps, their hands interlocking discreetly behind their backs. Selene and Endymion had been put away with no troubles, no one else seeming to have realized that two valuable beasts had suddenly gone missing.
Laughing to their right captured their attention, and Yuugi recognized the two figures that came stumbling up. Both donned corn-silk golden hair, deep tanned skin and hard-placed eyes. They were stumbling, appearing to be drunk.
Yuugi sighed. "Malik, you shouldn't have brought along that earthen vodka of yours."
One of the boys sniggered. "S…shut up…Yu-Yuugi kun… he, he, he… we…we're fine…" The two started giggling madly.
"Right," Yami managed, looking at Yuugi for an introduction.
"Sun royalty," Yuugi filled in. "Malik is the prince, and Ishtar as a native that he mated with. Showing up here was just a formality."
"Who…who's your friend there Yuu-gi," Ishtar drug out the prince's name.
"His name is Yami. He's Shadow Royalty."
Malik looked up at the darkness with slightly chaotic eyes. "Shadow? What the hell you doing here? N-never shown up before…" His stance looked slightly challenging. "What gi-gives you the right to show up now, uh?" He stumbled forward slightly. Bringing his hand back, a small ball of fire began to develop. "Why don't you go back home…" Malik continued, Yuugi suddenly becoming very nervous.
Yami looked down at Malik with pity. "Why don't you sober up first? Then we'll talk."
"I'll show you sober!" The sun prince began to glow an unearthly gold.
" Iisah!" Yuugi exclaimed, stepping in front of Yami.
The shadow royalty noticed the ground under his feet becoming warm. Looking down, he could see that the very dirt of the moon was glowing with light that Yuugi was summoning to defend him.
"Enough!" A strong voice called out, snapping Yuugi and Yami to attention. Malik, however, paid it no head.
Before his attack could be released he was flung to the ground, bewildered.
Queen Tranquility walked down the palace steps, looking at her son with disappointment. "What is going on here?"
"The sun royalty is drunk, your highness, and your son was merely defending me," Yami spoke up quite boldly. Yuugi had never been one to want to get his mother mad. Although she may look small and fragile, she had the force of a dozen typhoons behind her rage, able to decapitate an enemy instantly.
And even though she would never hurt her own child, her rage was enough to leave even her husband quaking in fear.
She looked pointedly at Yuugi. "Where have you been all night?"
"Being a proper host," Yuugi explained, hoping that it would work. "One of our guests was not happy with the ball, so I was showing him around."
Yami was silent, and Malik was puking on the ground. Ishtar seemed a bit dazed at the moment.
The queen looked from Yami back to Yuugi again. "Hmm."
The prince tried not to fidget. Yami could see a sparkle in the woman's silver blue eyes, almost as if she knew something that not even Yami and Yuugi knew, yet they should.
"Be a little more careful with Selene and Endymion around those ruins, Yuugi. I don't want them getting injured." And with that, she turned sharply and walked back into the palace, sending a couple of guards to take the Sun royalty to the healing ward.
Yami stood silently for a moment, taking in what had just happened. "I like your mom, Yuugi."
Yuugi let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Sometimes, she knows how to scare the life out of me."
"I take it she has a temper?" Yami asked bemused.
Yuugi shuttered. "You think the Pluto house is bad? Ha! She makes Akuma look cuddly when she gets angry enough."
"Sounds a lot like my dad," Yami mused.
"Oi! Yuugi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"
Yuugi looked up horrified to see the Uranus princess Anzu coming out of the palace.
Yami quirked an eyebrow. "Run?"
Yuugi nodded. "Run." Grabbing the darkness's hand, he made a mad dash back to the stables.
_______________________________~ * ~____________________________________
Long enough? Review! Please?