Author- I dunno how many of them you all are catching, but my gosh! I never
realized how many little hints I've been putting into my work until I re-
read the whole thing! Maybe this should be more of a suspense fic...I've
left little clues for you all throughout the story.
Oh well, you don't really know what you're looking for yet, so I'm not going to get that whole thing started. I'm just going to start the ficcy chap up...right after the review responses!
BluJewl- Hi Brittany! I didn't know you liked fanfiction! Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you like my story, and even though I know this doesn't amount to some other fics I've read. But it's true that the quality of YGO fics has gone way down for some reason. They might have a good plot idea but not be written nicely! So sad...Anyway, YAY! Another person likes my OCs! I'm so glad! ^___^ THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THEN ANNOYING O.C'S/M.S!
Livi- ^^ Thanks again for your reviews! I appreciate every single one of them! Yes yes, it will be fun messing with the Yami's.... *evil grin*
~*~
"OOOF!"
Bryac sighed and helped Ryou to his feet, though rather roughly. Yoko stifled a small giggle, and Yugi hid his smile behind his hand. Even Thina had amusement hinted on her tranquil face. Ryou had been going at that rock for almost a half an hour, and still, nothing happened to it.
"You aren't concentrating." Bryac told him.
"But I AM concentrating!" Ryou protested, getting frustrated at his constant failure.
"If you were, you'd be able to cut this boulder in half without a problem." Bryac shot back, "Blessed Blade's like yours can cut through almost anything is the wielder can concentrate for long enough. You need to awaken the power inside you, and use convert it into the dagger."
Ryou looked reluctant, but he nodded and stood in the stance that was directed for him. Right hand clutching the dagger and holding it sideways in front of him. Left hand in front of the dagger held by the right, and feet both spaced out with one in front of him, and one in back. Ryou closed his eyes, and I saw his muscles tense as he got ready for another attack. There was a flash in the light, and Ryou swung the dagger in one rapid movement against the rock with a sort of shout to help him use more power.
There was a loud clank of hard metal slamming against the human sized boulder, and Ryou stood completely still for about two seconds. Then, his eyes got really big and he gulped right before letting the dagger, which was still vibrating like mad, fall to the ground out of his hand.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!" He said, shaking the hand that held the dagger wildly and rubbing it.
Bryac slapped his hand against his forehead and groaned, "Ryou, you have to slice through the boulder wit the BLADE, not your hand."
"I'm trying!" Ryou said to him, "But it's harder then it seems!"
"You just need to learn how to aim..." Bryac muttered, fingers twining around his own golden sword. "You won't be able to get a descent cut on anything if you can't even have aim enough to touch them."
"Maybe this dagger business just isn't for me." He said sadly, "I still can't get used to the idea of killing other things."
"Look, Ryou," Bryac said, picking up the dagger from the ground and trying to hand it back over to it's owner. "This isn't a weapon of entertainment, it's a weapon of survival and war. Here, it's either kill, or be killed. The other people out there are not going to show any mercy in battle, so you'll have to learn how to do it right."
Ryou looked uneasily at the dagger Bryac was trying to give to him and pushed it away with a shake of his head, "I don't want it."
Bryac looked taken aback, "What?"
"I don't want it." He repeated, "You have it, I don't even want to look at it."
"I can't have it." Bryac told him, temper raising, "You're the one who killed it's old owner, so now, it belongs to you."
Ryou looked away and cringed when he was reminded of killing the old owner. I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Poor guy never hurt a flea before, and now he was being forced to learn how to kill other people. Ryou's that sort of sensitive guy that you could never picture with a gun, or a sword in this example. I mean, go ahead and try. Try and picture Ryou (not his Yami) holding a gun and pointing it menacingly at someone.
...Can't do it can you?
....Ha, see, I told you. Perfect example, ne?
"It's powerless to anyone else." Bryac told him, "You're the only one who can tap into it's power, and it couldn't cut twigs without that ability! You have to use it!"
"I don't want to hurt anyone!" Ryou said, shouting at Bryac in a way I had never seen before.
"It's for your own good!" Bryac pressed on, "Look, if you aren't going to use it, at least keep it. Like I said, it's not worth anything to anyone else."
Ryou was hesitant, but couldn't decline when Bryac dropped the dagger into his hands and walked away. Ryou just blinked at it for a while, then let out a deep sigh and tucked the dagger back into his cloak. With the training session over, I turned back over to Yugi, who was shuffling the deck he had brought with him. He was going to re-teach me how to duel, seeing as I didn't have much time for it in the last few years, and I was now bored. I knew I'd be more then a little rusty, but I was willing to give it a try again. Yugi announced that the best way to fix that, would be to just jump into a game. Yugi cut the deck, gave me half, and we started.
I drew my hand, and laughed in triumph at what I saw. You didn't have to be a genius to read the cards and see what they did, and I could tell that the combo I had planned was a good thing. Taking a leap of faith, I placed a few cards down on the ground in front of my opponent.
"Ok, I'm going to try starting this game out with playing a few of these cards. I am going to play this Polymerization card thingy, to merge..." I looked through my cards for some good ones, "How about, this Kuribo thing, and the Dark Magician thing."
"What?" Yugi said in half awe, "You got Kuribo AND the Dark Magician in the same hand?"
"Uh huh!" I said, "And I'm mixing the two of them up like the card says to create: THE MAGICIAN OF FUZZ!"
Yugi sweat dropped at my play, "Uh, I don't think it works that way."
"We need to start moving again." Bryac said over the talking people. "Everyone gather your things, and let's get going."
I jumped to my feet and ran over to him, "But Bryac! Yugi and I just started our duel and we-"
He didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice me speaking. He looked at me once, but it wasn't even an angry look. It was just one of those looks that makes you feel like their angry with you, but it doesn't really look it. Yoko linked arms with him, and both Darren and Thina started to talk with him. I was left forgotten with the rest of the people around me. It annoyed me. I don't like being ignored.
"Come on, girl." Said a particularly large man to me as I stood in his way, "Move it."
I glared at him, "Oh, so now I'm 'girl'? I could amount to as much as any guy here, and if I wanted, I could beat them up you know. I'm not useless."
He only laughed in response and pushed me aside like a child. I mentally screamed. How come everyone here thinks I'm not as good as them? Why don't they think that I could do anything good on my own! I lived completely on my own almost all my life and never needed anyone else's help, and I don't need it now. They let Yoko and Thina do things, why not me? I kicked the ground in my anger at the 'He-Man-Caitlin-Haters' and let my shoulders droop.
'Why don't they trust me?' I asked myself.
We walked on and on in complete silence. Yoko had told me, after her conversation with Bryac and Darren, that it was so no one could hear us if they were in the woods. I was dying for some socialization. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my feelings were hurt, and I needed someone to vent out to. I would have been the first to start talking, but I didn't feel like breaking the silence just that minute. Instead, I was left to my own thoughts.
'I'm going to have to prove they can trust me to do things right.' I told myself, 'How am I going to do that? If they don't let me do things to begin with, how am I supposed to prove I can finish them as good (probably better) then anyone else can? Stupid Bryac...not letting me in on any of the fun.'
I opened my mouth to tell them my thoughts and concerns, but was quickly interrupted when someone pushed the top of my head into the ground. I came up for air and spit grass and dirt all over whoever did that to me.
"What was that fo-?" I began, glaring at the person to the side of me.
Gale pushed me farther down and whispered, "Be quiet, someone's coming."
I would have yelled at him right then and there, but the stupid little voice in my stupid head reminded me that I was supposed to be working on being trusted. I was forced to stay quiet like the others, and wait.
There was a lot of waiting on this trip, and it was all starting to drive this poor girl loopy. I was a, 'Let's just do it' type of a girl. [A/N: No, not like that you stupid perverts!] I wasn't one to organize my things, or plan what I did, or wait. All this not doing much and talking about the future was unnerving. Suddenly, everyone got up. I followed their example when I saw that a group of men had come running over to us, only one female in the mix. Bryac started talking with them, and I noticed quickly that they were the missing men that Bryac had been worried about.
At least, all but that girl.
"Bryac!" I heard one of them say, "It's so good to see you!"
"This is Mauri." Another said, pushing the girl foreword, "She says her master has a boat we can borrow to sail across the Opanian Sea. She says it will be strong enough to take the currents, but she doesn't know if it will be able to take a strong storm if it's sent by Yukio."
"She says that she can't help anyone there." Another jumped in, "She says Yukio has been sinking every ship that's trying to come across, but maybe a shielding spell on the sail will protect it against the waves."
The girl was forced forward in front of Bryac, and she blushed madly. I smiled to myself, knowing immediately that she had a crush on the swordsman. Inside, I thought it was sweet, but in reality, I wondered how the heck anyone could like someone like Bryac? Sure, he was good looking...and?
"My master was going to give the boat away at any moment anyway." She said meekly, "And he says he would rather give it to someone who was working to protect our people from Yukio and keep our lands safe."
Bryac had no expression of happiness or relief on his face, he only looked down on her and said, "Are you sure your master would approve?"
"Oh yes, Bryac!" She squeaked, "Very sure! Everyone knows about you, Soh Bryac-"
"Soh?" I whispered to Yoko.
She nodded, "The term for one who has top swordsman skills, but uses them for good."
The girl blushed again and hid her face shyly behind her hair. "-the one who has men to outmatch the monsters Yukio has pulled to his side."
"So the Tupoks ARE working on the side of Yukio..." Bryac said, mostly to himself.
"Oh yes, Soh Bryac!" She said with a nod, "They burnt down our village in search of some stone."
"A stone?" Bryac said, "Do you know the name of this stone, or anything about it?"
She hung her head, "No sir. I only know that it possesses great power, and Yukio has gone crazy with greed for it, Soh Bryac. He burnt down the last village in this part of the realm, and my brother and father were burnt alive in the flames."
"I see." Bryac said, "Thank you for the boat, can you show me where it is?"
"Yes Soh Bryac!" She said, almost leaping from her current state into excitement, "Anything for you."
At this, I could hold it in no longer. I let out a snort and rolled my eyes, unable to allow myself to watch any of this any more. Bryac looked at me with a cockeyed expression, and the young girl blushed so much she looked sun burnt. Yugi almost laughed at my reaction, but was able to keep better control of himself then I was.
"I will show you the boat right away, Soh Bryac." She said, "Come with me, it's only a moments walk from here."
Bryac nodded to the group, and we all followed after the ecstatic girl. She kept looking back at Bryac and grinning, and I felt like this show was both cute, and sickening. I'm not heartless, maybe not a romance fan, but not heartless, so I decided to keep my comments to myself.
....For now at least.
"Here it is!" She sang, sweeping her hands over the land in front of us regally, "The boat awaits for you just yonder."
My eyes widened at the sight of it. A whole village that was marked with ash and blood stood strong where the girl had gestured. The girl acted like it was nothing, and skipped down the streets to the boat. Trails of blood decorated the road and walls, and the houses were all falling down or burnt to the ground. Horses bones were littered where a stable used to be, and the water was a murky crimson. There was a chill in the air as we walked to it, and Ryou looked especially amazed at the sight. He was about to make a comment, when something caught all of our eyes.
There, arising from all this death and chaos that was once called a village, was a huge wooden boat. White sails flying in the breeze as the vessel gently bobbed up and down in the water. It was a beautiful thing. The wood shone in the sun like it was polished, and the crows nest looked like it could reach into the clouds. It was like a pirate boat. The kind you read about in books that always look like so much fun to take a trip on. Sea breezes played with my hair as we got closer to the boat, and Darren looked like Christmas had come early.
"This is amazing!" He said in awe, "It's more then I dreamed of!"
Mouri giggled and started to climb up the ladder to the top deck, "I'm glad you like it, we've spent all morning cleaning it up for you. There should be food stowed away for you, and lanterns, and there is nothing else we can do to help you."
"Thank you, Mouri." Bryac said.
"You're very welcome, Soh Bryac," She said, "Perhaps I can show you around the boat before you leave?"
"Of course you can!" Darren spoke up before Bryac could decline, "We'll be setting up and choosing jobs while you help Yugi, Ryou, Caitlin, Yoko and Thina set up the back rooms-"
"What!?" I exclaimed, "But I want to drive the boat!"
"No way!" Gale laughed, "You're not strong enough, we need a guy to do it. Someone strong like Darren or Bryac...or me." He preened.
"I'm strong!" I shouted, "I want to drive the boat!"
"I'll be driving." Bryac said, "I'm the only one who knows the seas better then the others."
"B-But-"
"Gale, you can man the crow nest. Darren will keep an eye on navigation." Bryac said, climbing up the ladder and pulling himself onto the deck of the boat.
I climbed after him, determined not to give up this easily, "If I'm not driving the boat, what do I do?"
Bryac cast a quick side glance at me, "I already told you, you are to help Mouri, Yoko, Thina, and your tachi set up in the back rooms. Then you are to stay there, where it is safe."
I growled at him, but went into the back room anyway, where I could think in peace and cool down before I did anything stupid. When I got in there, though, there was already someone waiting for me. Ryou was sitting on the ground, staring at the dagger placed right in front of him. He let out a long sigh, and started to pick up the dagger with a shaky hand.
"Ryou?" I said quietly.
He jumped a little when I made myself known, but half-smiled anyway. "Hai."
"What are you doing?" I asked, coming in and sitting across the room from him.
"I'm-...thinking." He told me hesitantly.
"'Bout what?" I said, pressing on though I knew exactly what he was thinking about.
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, trying to laugh at his own comment, but failing due to his own mood.
"...Well...no....ok, yes." I said, looking absentmindedly around the room for a different conversation starter then what I had on my mind. Giving up, I bit my lip, and started to speak again. "Ryou, are you going to be alright? I know how you are about...these things."
Ryou leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling, "I'll be fine."
"Yes, so you say, but I mean truthfully here. I heard Thina talking to Darren and Bryac the other day about what Yukio has been doing, and it's downright scary, Ryou. They were talking about how he's murdering whole villages, like this one, because he's looking for us. There is something else that he's looking for too, but his main priority is us. He knows we're here."
"But I could do other things to help besides fight!" Ryou said, almost starting to argue with me.
"I know you could, but couldn't you make the best of this? Ryou, instead of thinking about killing people, think about saving all the people the person you just killed would have slaughtered. It'll make you feel better, and it's true. I want to help, but I have nothing to offer yet, and Bryac isn't going to let me learn something useful anytime soon."
"I...I know." Ryou said, looking harder at the dagger, "That girl. It's horrible. That girl, Mouri, she saw her whole village burn to the ground and her family members and friends die. Living here has desensitized her to blood and death. It's sad."
"See," I said in an effort to be cheery, "That's what I mean. You need to think more about how you're saving them, more then how your killing them."
He nodded and smiled a tiny bit, "Hai, I see. I'll use this to help, I can make a difference in a new way. Gomen, Caitlin, thank you for helping me."
I grinned, "Anytime! Can't have the best cheerleader (save Tea) be the one in the slump, now can I?"
He laughed, "I guess. You're quite an enigma."
I scratched the back of my neck and smiled, "Yea, I guess I am. I may be a hot head sometimes, but I do have some inspirational speeches down there somewhere."
There was a sudden jerk to the right on the boat and I almost toppled over on top of Ryou, which wouldn't be good. There were a few cries from outside, and Yugi bust through the door at that moment, grinning.
"Glad I could find you guys!" He said cheerfully, "We just set sail, and Bryac's saying that we'll be back on dry, INHABITED land in no less then a few hours."
He thought this would be good news, but I instantly let out a groan and let my head hit the wall behind me. "A few hours! I'll go crazy cooped up in a room for more then an hour!"
"Well it will be worth it once we're there." Yugi said, also sitting into our newly forming circle, "Darren has been telling me about cities and temples made of amazing things! I can't wait to start looking around without the threat of there being monsters after us all the time."
"Oh there will still be monsters. Just not as many of them...during the day at least."
Thina and Yoko had entered the room. I looked longingly out the small window that was in our chosen prison. Everything was so pretty out there, and I was stuck in here. The sky was blue, the water was sparkling, the clouds were puffy, and our room smelled like old fish.
"So we HAVE to stay in here the entire time?" I asked them, hoping for a better answer then I guessed it would be.
Thina nodded, "It is for safety. You need to stay inside, lest Yukio finds out you are aboard."
"He's going to find out anyway..." I grumbled, "Being inside stinks..."
"At least we have each other!" Yoko chirped as usual, "We can play games, and sing songs, and tell secrets to each other so we can get to know one another better! We're all in this together, and together we will fall."
"Don't you mean 'together we stand, divided we fall'?" Yugi said questionably.
"...No..." Yoko said.
I gave a sigh and a grimace at the idea of 'singing songs' with Yoko. No one else seemed keen to the idea, either, so I had some hope yet that we wouldn't sing. I have had almost enough of singing in my life. I looked again out the window at the perfect day and groaned.
This was going to be a long 'few hours'.
~~ Somewhere in the Dream Realm ~~
Yukio paced by in his tent. Waiting for the results from his men and the whereabouts to the four items he wanted most. Some would ask why he wasn't going after one at a time. None of them understood the true power of both together. There was always a chance that it he captured the Destined Three before the other, they would get away before he could sacrifice them. With these thoughts weighing on his mind, he almost didn't notice the blue glow coming from his pocket.
"Sire?"
Yukio recognized the voice immediately, and pulled the communication mirror from his pocket. He could see the face of his captain on the human side of the realm. He was masked in the skin of another human that Yukio did not recognize. And what was more, he was masked in the skin of a female human. Yukio kept the satisfied smirk to himself as he imagined the humiliation upon realizing that he had obtained a female memory instead of a male.
"Have you done away with them?" He asked impatiently, "I have been awaiting your report for almost two days Pohnau!"
"I apologize for the inconvenience, sire, but days go past much slower here then they did in our home realm." He answered, flicking the brown bangs from his eyes.
"Answer the question!" Yukio snapped back, "Have you done away with the souls inhabiting the bodies of the destined?"
A hesitated pause as Pohnau bit his lip, "We have not, sire."
"And why not!?" Yukio bellowed, "They are petty humans, Pohnau!"
"I know sire!" He said back, "Please forgive us, they were able to escape before I could kill them!"
"Why dare you report without good news!?"
"They have grown suspicious, sire, the souls in the destined own bodies. We are covering up our search of the gem with heavy rain but they still try to figure out what we are doing!"
"Tell me, Pohnau, what HAVE you accomplished since your run in with the human kind? Have you and your men been doing NOTHING the entire time that is recognizable!?"
"Master!" He said back to me, "We have identified the bodies for sure, this time. I asked them purposely and they gave us the information we needed. That is a huge step in the right direction for us!"
"But what's the use of knowing if you can't do anything about it!" Yukio yelled to him, not caring about the looks he was earning from the men outside, "If the bodies aren't removed from the picture the destined three can still find their way back into the physical realm! We can not have that happening!"
"Do not worry." Pohnau assured him, "We have bugged one of the 'friends' of there's when we took him captive. His memories proved useful enough to earn the appearance of everyone he has ever met in life. With the bug we were able to attach in his hand, we can listen into his thought as he lives, and catch clue to where the bodies are."
"Good." Yukio said, calming a small bit. "Good, Pohnau. But do not communicate with me again, unless you have news of the death of those three."
"Yes master."
The connection dimmed, and Yukio set the mirror back inside of his pocket.
[3] 'It won't be long now.' Yukio grinned to himself, 'Once I have their bodies destroyed there isn't anything they can do to save themselves.'
Yukio walked out into the sunlight and two of his men ran to him.
"Master Yukio!" The first shouted, "We have found the location of the Destined Three and their helpers, The Alliance."
"They are attempting to sail across the Opanian Sea, Master. They have been sailing for almost two hours now, and will be on land in only about another thirty minutes."
Yukio smirked, "Excellent. Get Junli to send them his strongest storm he can, and tell him he will be paid when the job is done."
They both nodded, "Yes, master."
'The doors are closing shut, Bryac. Your chances for both victory and succession are disappearing, and your efforts like a grain of sand in a desert. You will not arise above me, I cannot allow that to happen.'
*-=-* Ryou -*-=-*
I had been feeling much better about everything now. I had been thinking about it ever since I took the dagger from the monster, but something inside me clicked when I saw the girl talking so lightly about death, and seeing the completely demolished village. The dagger still weighed on my 'reluctant to' list, but not at all as heavily as it had before.
Thina had been able to persuade Bryac to let us go out onto the deck for some fresh air. I had to admit, it had been half enjoyable to only talk with everyone (even though Yoko was big on getting us to sing songs...) but it was even better to get to stretch my legs on the deck.
"This is so cool!" Caitlin was telling us for the hundredth time, "I love being out on the water! Water is so cool! This whole thing is so cool!"
"The air smells so clean here." Yugi said with a smile, "Cleaner then being out on the sea at home!"
"Alright, that's enough speculating. Everyone get back into your room." Darren said playfully, "You're being annoying."
I had to squint as a hard gust of wind blew against me and played with my hair. This was one of those moments I wished I didn't have long hair. Suddenly, I noticed something in the sky. Where those, storm clouds? On a perfect day like this? Darren had the same surprise on his face as he noticed the same thing.
"What the-?"
Darren stared out on the horizon with disbelief, and then anger. He cursed under his breath many times, before turning to Thina.
"Were you in on this?" He growled, "What's the point of having someone to see what bad points are going to happen if you never announce them."
Thina's expression remained emotionless as Bryac stared wide-eyed at the approaching storm clouds. He started mumbling things to himself, and from what I could gather, he was thinking about what to do.
"We're going to have to change our course!" Darren shouted to the men, "We have to get to land before we get caught up in this storm!"
Bryac held up a hand in front of Darren, eyes still on the jumble of darkness, "No. It's too late for that; we're too far away from shore. I have a feeling this is Yukio's plan."
"And how the hell do you know it's him?" Darren demanded, "Listen, Bryac, we'll all get killed if we venture any further."
"We can't go back!" Bryac told him firmly, "We're too far away from land to get there in time, anyway, we're just going to have to fight it."
"Are you nuts!" Gale exclaimed. "This storm is WAY too strong! It will tear the boat in two, Bryac!"
Yugi looked to me hesitantly as a few drops of rain fell on us. The sheet of rain was coming up fast, and everyone unconsciously took a step back as lighting filled the darkened sky. Bryac turned to Thina and Yoko, completely ignoring us standing there, and started to bark orders.
"Yoko, I need you to get up in the crow's nest, create the strongest shielding spell you can, and apply it to the sail. Got it?"
"I'm on it Bryac!" Yoko said, starting immediately in on her chosen job.
"Thina." Bryac said, "Take the Destined Three below deck and guard them with your immortal life."
"Yes, Bryac."
Caitlin looked at the two like they were crazy, "Hey wait! I want to stay up here and help!"
"It's too dangerous, I can't risk it. I think you'd better get below deck now."
Caitlin crossed her arms and glared at him, "I can think for myself thank you."
"Storm's coming up fast!" Gale shouted from the crow's nest where Yoko had only just climbed up to the top, "It's going to hit hard!"
"Come on Caitlin." Thina said, grabbing her arm and taking her away from where all the men were running around trying to do the best they could to protect the boat.
"I don't understand him!" Caitlin said in protest, "I can do whatever he can, and I could be a help if he'd just let me! Heck, I could do better then any of those men out there! Yoko gets to help, why can't I?"
"It's more then that." Thina explained, lighting an oil lamp and leading us down the stairs. "Yoko is experienced in the art of potion making and defensive magic. She would be able to protect herself if something happened."
"Oh, and I couldn't?" Caitlin said, almost tripping down an exceptionally steep step, but regaining herself quickly.
"Under the waters of the Opanian sea, there is a sort of black force that drags you down. If you let the darkness take you, then there is no hope in coming back. You could not know how to conquer the force, and Yoko does. Bryac is only looking out for your protection."
Although it made perfect sense, Caitlin continued to mutter angrily as Thina took us even lower into the very bottom of the boat.
It smelled down there, like old milk and sawdust, and if Thina had not taken the oil lamp with her, we would have been in complete blackness. Yugi took a seat on a bag of potatoes and tried to make do best he could. I just sat on the ground, and I even felt a little sea sick from all the rocking. [1]
"Are you...alright Ryou?" Yugi said, noticing my quiet moaning, "You look a little...green."
"Hai, Yugi, I'm fine." I lied, laying my head back on a cart to try and ease the rocking.
Thina hung the oil lamp on a hanger on the ceiling and sat on a barrel. "It might be a while, but you needn't worry."
Caitlin started to pace around the small room, and I wondered how she could stand walking around with this rocking.
= Chibi Moment =
There was a hard jerk to the left, and everyone fell over onto the ground on their faces but Thina, who was still sitting completely poised on the barrel. My leg twitched a little as I felt a body on top of me.
"Yugi, please get off me."
= End Chibi Moment =
There was another jerk to the side and the oil lamp started to swing violently on it's hanger. The light flickered a little as the rocking continued, gradually getting worse and worse. I cupped a hand over my mouth to keep me from loosing my lunch, and everyone backed away from me noticing my case.
"What's going on up there?" Yugi said softly, "I thought Yoko had put on some spell that was supposed to help."
"The shielding spell." Thina said with a nod, "It protects against strong blows."
"Do you think something went wrong?" I asked, tough deciding quickly after that I should keep my mouth shut.
"That's it." Caitlin said, raising to her feet and going to the stairs, "I'm going to find out what's wrong, and how I can help."
"Wait! Caitlin!" Yugi shouted, getting up but falling back down when the boat almost toppled over. He shut his eyes and gripped the potatoes around him tightly, not trying to get up again.
=* Caitlin *=
I climbed up the stairs to the deck, determined to help Bryac out with his and find out what was going on. The boat kept rocking side to side and making me hit the walls around the stairs, but I did end up making it in the end.
Thunder blared as hard rain hit my face. I had to squint through the rain in order to see men running around doing things that would help the boat. Bryac had control of the wheel, and the only light came from the lightning that always came down so dangerously close to the sail.
The sail!
I looked up the crows nest and saw Gale and Yoko still struggling with the sail, trying to get it to stay still in the wind. One of the ties was loose! Suddenly, a wave was thrown against the boat and I was flung to the ground, soaked to the bone. Icy cold salt water stung my eyes, but I knew what I had to do.
Clenching my teeth I sprinted to the ladder up to the crows nest. I slipped on the deck a few times when the boat rocked, but I just knew that I HAD to help Yoko and Gale with the sail! I gripped the ladder and started to climb. I was up about twenty rungs when-
WHAM!
Anther large wave hit the boat and I was almost hurled off the ladder onto the deck, but my hands held strong on the bars as my legs dangled over twenty feet in the air. I couldn't let myself go yet. I just had to keep going! I pulled myself up and continued to climb. Thirty feet, forty feet, fifty feet into the air. I was shaking because of how cold I felt, and how tiring it was to climb up, but I never let go. I heard Yoko shout in surprise as I neared the crows nest, and felt Gale pull me up quickly.
"Caitlin!" He exclaimed, "Why-"
"Gale!" Yoko screamed, holding the sail back by herself. "HELP!"
I told him, "Why isn't the sail working!?"
Another blast of water whipped at our faces as the sail blew in the wind. Gale grabbed it hold of it with Yoko just before it flew away. Yoko looked relieved that he could help her, but she still couldn't hold the sail back completely enough for him. Gale grunted while he tried to tie it to the mast. [2] I followed my instincts and grabbed the sail other end of the sail with Yoko, only then realizing how hard it was to hold that thing back.
"Just a little more-" He said, pulling with all his might on the knot, "I've got it!"
"HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE!" Someone yelled from below.
Yoko, Gale, and I all turned and looked behind us in unison. Coming straight for the boat, was the biggest wave I had ever seen in my life. It was big enough to swallow the boat, and defiantly big enough to hit us much harder then the previous waves had. It made a low rumbling noise as it came close to us, and there wasn't anything we could do but stare.
"Oh...god." Gale murmured.
"We're gonna die." I whimpered, "We're all gonna die."
"Hold on to whatever you can." Yoko said, quietly, "Just hold your breath, and keep hold of whatever you can."
I gripped the side of the crow's nest with all my might and closed my eyes. I could only hear the water coming to us...and then... I heard something else.
'Let me into your mind...' It whispered, 'Let me in girl...'
My eyes flew open in shock and I took a sharp intake of breath before being submerged in icy salt water. I hadn't held the crows nest hard enough, and was tossed and turned underneath the water. In spite of all my efforts to swim, I just could not surface for air, and felt myself being dragged deeper and deeper under water.
My head and shoulder hit something hard and wooden and I although I couldn't open my eyes, I knew I had landed on the deck. The water let me go, but I didn't have much energy left in me. I could only cough all the water I could out of my mouth while I laid still on the deck, gasping for air. I didn't have much time to compose myself, though, because I was hit again with a hard wave that threw me painfully against the side of the boat, and then,
Into the sea itself.
~*~*~*~
Retaw- ^__^ Another chapter, successfully posted on FF.N that you just finished reading. The next chapter will be....interesting. *evil shifty eyes* Not only do the yami's have a run in with: The Seto Kaiba, but they also have a visitor when they get home.
[1] I don't know why, but Ryou seems like someone that would get sea sick to me. ^^
[2] I am not sure how tying a sail works. And to make things worse, this boat is going to be a bit different then boats we usually use, so just go with me. ^^; I don't know much about boats, but I tried.
[3] Actually, ^^; It will be long. I'm only about four tenths done with the story!
Cast- O.O
Retaw- ^^; This is sorta like a whole season type deal. *gets idea* I KNOW! I'll write the person who created Yu-Gi-Oh, and ask him politely if I can get this on the air! OMG THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!
Caitlin- *rolls eyes* And farfetched.
Retaw- *glares* Hey, that would mean you'd be on TV.
Caitlin- Mikoo? *thinks about it* O____O You're right...wow... *_*
Retaw- *_*
YGO people- *hide*
Read, Review, and TELL YOUR FRIENDS! (lol)
Oh well, you don't really know what you're looking for yet, so I'm not going to get that whole thing started. I'm just going to start the ficcy chap up...right after the review responses!
BluJewl- Hi Brittany! I didn't know you liked fanfiction! Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you like my story, and even though I know this doesn't amount to some other fics I've read. But it's true that the quality of YGO fics has gone way down for some reason. They might have a good plot idea but not be written nicely! So sad...Anyway, YAY! Another person likes my OCs! I'm so glad! ^___^ THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THEN ANNOYING O.C'S/M.S!
Livi- ^^ Thanks again for your reviews! I appreciate every single one of them! Yes yes, it will be fun messing with the Yami's.... *evil grin*
~*~
"OOOF!"
Bryac sighed and helped Ryou to his feet, though rather roughly. Yoko stifled a small giggle, and Yugi hid his smile behind his hand. Even Thina had amusement hinted on her tranquil face. Ryou had been going at that rock for almost a half an hour, and still, nothing happened to it.
"You aren't concentrating." Bryac told him.
"But I AM concentrating!" Ryou protested, getting frustrated at his constant failure.
"If you were, you'd be able to cut this boulder in half without a problem." Bryac shot back, "Blessed Blade's like yours can cut through almost anything is the wielder can concentrate for long enough. You need to awaken the power inside you, and use convert it into the dagger."
Ryou looked reluctant, but he nodded and stood in the stance that was directed for him. Right hand clutching the dagger and holding it sideways in front of him. Left hand in front of the dagger held by the right, and feet both spaced out with one in front of him, and one in back. Ryou closed his eyes, and I saw his muscles tense as he got ready for another attack. There was a flash in the light, and Ryou swung the dagger in one rapid movement against the rock with a sort of shout to help him use more power.
There was a loud clank of hard metal slamming against the human sized boulder, and Ryou stood completely still for about two seconds. Then, his eyes got really big and he gulped right before letting the dagger, which was still vibrating like mad, fall to the ground out of his hand.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!" He said, shaking the hand that held the dagger wildly and rubbing it.
Bryac slapped his hand against his forehead and groaned, "Ryou, you have to slice through the boulder wit the BLADE, not your hand."
"I'm trying!" Ryou said to him, "But it's harder then it seems!"
"You just need to learn how to aim..." Bryac muttered, fingers twining around his own golden sword. "You won't be able to get a descent cut on anything if you can't even have aim enough to touch them."
"Maybe this dagger business just isn't for me." He said sadly, "I still can't get used to the idea of killing other things."
"Look, Ryou," Bryac said, picking up the dagger from the ground and trying to hand it back over to it's owner. "This isn't a weapon of entertainment, it's a weapon of survival and war. Here, it's either kill, or be killed. The other people out there are not going to show any mercy in battle, so you'll have to learn how to do it right."
Ryou looked uneasily at the dagger Bryac was trying to give to him and pushed it away with a shake of his head, "I don't want it."
Bryac looked taken aback, "What?"
"I don't want it." He repeated, "You have it, I don't even want to look at it."
"I can't have it." Bryac told him, temper raising, "You're the one who killed it's old owner, so now, it belongs to you."
Ryou looked away and cringed when he was reminded of killing the old owner. I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Poor guy never hurt a flea before, and now he was being forced to learn how to kill other people. Ryou's that sort of sensitive guy that you could never picture with a gun, or a sword in this example. I mean, go ahead and try. Try and picture Ryou (not his Yami) holding a gun and pointing it menacingly at someone.
...Can't do it can you?
....Ha, see, I told you. Perfect example, ne?
"It's powerless to anyone else." Bryac told him, "You're the only one who can tap into it's power, and it couldn't cut twigs without that ability! You have to use it!"
"I don't want to hurt anyone!" Ryou said, shouting at Bryac in a way I had never seen before.
"It's for your own good!" Bryac pressed on, "Look, if you aren't going to use it, at least keep it. Like I said, it's not worth anything to anyone else."
Ryou was hesitant, but couldn't decline when Bryac dropped the dagger into his hands and walked away. Ryou just blinked at it for a while, then let out a deep sigh and tucked the dagger back into his cloak. With the training session over, I turned back over to Yugi, who was shuffling the deck he had brought with him. He was going to re-teach me how to duel, seeing as I didn't have much time for it in the last few years, and I was now bored. I knew I'd be more then a little rusty, but I was willing to give it a try again. Yugi announced that the best way to fix that, would be to just jump into a game. Yugi cut the deck, gave me half, and we started.
I drew my hand, and laughed in triumph at what I saw. You didn't have to be a genius to read the cards and see what they did, and I could tell that the combo I had planned was a good thing. Taking a leap of faith, I placed a few cards down on the ground in front of my opponent.
"Ok, I'm going to try starting this game out with playing a few of these cards. I am going to play this Polymerization card thingy, to merge..." I looked through my cards for some good ones, "How about, this Kuribo thing, and the Dark Magician thing."
"What?" Yugi said in half awe, "You got Kuribo AND the Dark Magician in the same hand?"
"Uh huh!" I said, "And I'm mixing the two of them up like the card says to create: THE MAGICIAN OF FUZZ!"
Yugi sweat dropped at my play, "Uh, I don't think it works that way."
"We need to start moving again." Bryac said over the talking people. "Everyone gather your things, and let's get going."
I jumped to my feet and ran over to him, "But Bryac! Yugi and I just started our duel and we-"
He didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice me speaking. He looked at me once, but it wasn't even an angry look. It was just one of those looks that makes you feel like their angry with you, but it doesn't really look it. Yoko linked arms with him, and both Darren and Thina started to talk with him. I was left forgotten with the rest of the people around me. It annoyed me. I don't like being ignored.
"Come on, girl." Said a particularly large man to me as I stood in his way, "Move it."
I glared at him, "Oh, so now I'm 'girl'? I could amount to as much as any guy here, and if I wanted, I could beat them up you know. I'm not useless."
He only laughed in response and pushed me aside like a child. I mentally screamed. How come everyone here thinks I'm not as good as them? Why don't they think that I could do anything good on my own! I lived completely on my own almost all my life and never needed anyone else's help, and I don't need it now. They let Yoko and Thina do things, why not me? I kicked the ground in my anger at the 'He-Man-Caitlin-Haters' and let my shoulders droop.
'Why don't they trust me?' I asked myself.
We walked on and on in complete silence. Yoko had told me, after her conversation with Bryac and Darren, that it was so no one could hear us if they were in the woods. I was dying for some socialization. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my feelings were hurt, and I needed someone to vent out to. I would have been the first to start talking, but I didn't feel like breaking the silence just that minute. Instead, I was left to my own thoughts.
'I'm going to have to prove they can trust me to do things right.' I told myself, 'How am I going to do that? If they don't let me do things to begin with, how am I supposed to prove I can finish them as good (probably better) then anyone else can? Stupid Bryac...not letting me in on any of the fun.'
I opened my mouth to tell them my thoughts and concerns, but was quickly interrupted when someone pushed the top of my head into the ground. I came up for air and spit grass and dirt all over whoever did that to me.
"What was that fo-?" I began, glaring at the person to the side of me.
Gale pushed me farther down and whispered, "Be quiet, someone's coming."
I would have yelled at him right then and there, but the stupid little voice in my stupid head reminded me that I was supposed to be working on being trusted. I was forced to stay quiet like the others, and wait.
There was a lot of waiting on this trip, and it was all starting to drive this poor girl loopy. I was a, 'Let's just do it' type of a girl. [A/N: No, not like that you stupid perverts!] I wasn't one to organize my things, or plan what I did, or wait. All this not doing much and talking about the future was unnerving. Suddenly, everyone got up. I followed their example when I saw that a group of men had come running over to us, only one female in the mix. Bryac started talking with them, and I noticed quickly that they were the missing men that Bryac had been worried about.
At least, all but that girl.
"Bryac!" I heard one of them say, "It's so good to see you!"
"This is Mauri." Another said, pushing the girl foreword, "She says her master has a boat we can borrow to sail across the Opanian Sea. She says it will be strong enough to take the currents, but she doesn't know if it will be able to take a strong storm if it's sent by Yukio."
"She says that she can't help anyone there." Another jumped in, "She says Yukio has been sinking every ship that's trying to come across, but maybe a shielding spell on the sail will protect it against the waves."
The girl was forced forward in front of Bryac, and she blushed madly. I smiled to myself, knowing immediately that she had a crush on the swordsman. Inside, I thought it was sweet, but in reality, I wondered how the heck anyone could like someone like Bryac? Sure, he was good looking...and?
"My master was going to give the boat away at any moment anyway." She said meekly, "And he says he would rather give it to someone who was working to protect our people from Yukio and keep our lands safe."
Bryac had no expression of happiness or relief on his face, he only looked down on her and said, "Are you sure your master would approve?"
"Oh yes, Bryac!" She squeaked, "Very sure! Everyone knows about you, Soh Bryac-"
"Soh?" I whispered to Yoko.
She nodded, "The term for one who has top swordsman skills, but uses them for good."
The girl blushed again and hid her face shyly behind her hair. "-the one who has men to outmatch the monsters Yukio has pulled to his side."
"So the Tupoks ARE working on the side of Yukio..." Bryac said, mostly to himself.
"Oh yes, Soh Bryac!" She said with a nod, "They burnt down our village in search of some stone."
"A stone?" Bryac said, "Do you know the name of this stone, or anything about it?"
She hung her head, "No sir. I only know that it possesses great power, and Yukio has gone crazy with greed for it, Soh Bryac. He burnt down the last village in this part of the realm, and my brother and father were burnt alive in the flames."
"I see." Bryac said, "Thank you for the boat, can you show me where it is?"
"Yes Soh Bryac!" She said, almost leaping from her current state into excitement, "Anything for you."
At this, I could hold it in no longer. I let out a snort and rolled my eyes, unable to allow myself to watch any of this any more. Bryac looked at me with a cockeyed expression, and the young girl blushed so much she looked sun burnt. Yugi almost laughed at my reaction, but was able to keep better control of himself then I was.
"I will show you the boat right away, Soh Bryac." She said, "Come with me, it's only a moments walk from here."
Bryac nodded to the group, and we all followed after the ecstatic girl. She kept looking back at Bryac and grinning, and I felt like this show was both cute, and sickening. I'm not heartless, maybe not a romance fan, but not heartless, so I decided to keep my comments to myself.
....For now at least.
"Here it is!" She sang, sweeping her hands over the land in front of us regally, "The boat awaits for you just yonder."
My eyes widened at the sight of it. A whole village that was marked with ash and blood stood strong where the girl had gestured. The girl acted like it was nothing, and skipped down the streets to the boat. Trails of blood decorated the road and walls, and the houses were all falling down or burnt to the ground. Horses bones were littered where a stable used to be, and the water was a murky crimson. There was a chill in the air as we walked to it, and Ryou looked especially amazed at the sight. He was about to make a comment, when something caught all of our eyes.
There, arising from all this death and chaos that was once called a village, was a huge wooden boat. White sails flying in the breeze as the vessel gently bobbed up and down in the water. It was a beautiful thing. The wood shone in the sun like it was polished, and the crows nest looked like it could reach into the clouds. It was like a pirate boat. The kind you read about in books that always look like so much fun to take a trip on. Sea breezes played with my hair as we got closer to the boat, and Darren looked like Christmas had come early.
"This is amazing!" He said in awe, "It's more then I dreamed of!"
Mouri giggled and started to climb up the ladder to the top deck, "I'm glad you like it, we've spent all morning cleaning it up for you. There should be food stowed away for you, and lanterns, and there is nothing else we can do to help you."
"Thank you, Mouri." Bryac said.
"You're very welcome, Soh Bryac," She said, "Perhaps I can show you around the boat before you leave?"
"Of course you can!" Darren spoke up before Bryac could decline, "We'll be setting up and choosing jobs while you help Yugi, Ryou, Caitlin, Yoko and Thina set up the back rooms-"
"What!?" I exclaimed, "But I want to drive the boat!"
"No way!" Gale laughed, "You're not strong enough, we need a guy to do it. Someone strong like Darren or Bryac...or me." He preened.
"I'm strong!" I shouted, "I want to drive the boat!"
"I'll be driving." Bryac said, "I'm the only one who knows the seas better then the others."
"B-But-"
"Gale, you can man the crow nest. Darren will keep an eye on navigation." Bryac said, climbing up the ladder and pulling himself onto the deck of the boat.
I climbed after him, determined not to give up this easily, "If I'm not driving the boat, what do I do?"
Bryac cast a quick side glance at me, "I already told you, you are to help Mouri, Yoko, Thina, and your tachi set up in the back rooms. Then you are to stay there, where it is safe."
I growled at him, but went into the back room anyway, where I could think in peace and cool down before I did anything stupid. When I got in there, though, there was already someone waiting for me. Ryou was sitting on the ground, staring at the dagger placed right in front of him. He let out a long sigh, and started to pick up the dagger with a shaky hand.
"Ryou?" I said quietly.
He jumped a little when I made myself known, but half-smiled anyway. "Hai."
"What are you doing?" I asked, coming in and sitting across the room from him.
"I'm-...thinking." He told me hesitantly.
"'Bout what?" I said, pressing on though I knew exactly what he was thinking about.
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, trying to laugh at his own comment, but failing due to his own mood.
"...Well...no....ok, yes." I said, looking absentmindedly around the room for a different conversation starter then what I had on my mind. Giving up, I bit my lip, and started to speak again. "Ryou, are you going to be alright? I know how you are about...these things."
Ryou leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling, "I'll be fine."
"Yes, so you say, but I mean truthfully here. I heard Thina talking to Darren and Bryac the other day about what Yukio has been doing, and it's downright scary, Ryou. They were talking about how he's murdering whole villages, like this one, because he's looking for us. There is something else that he's looking for too, but his main priority is us. He knows we're here."
"But I could do other things to help besides fight!" Ryou said, almost starting to argue with me.
"I know you could, but couldn't you make the best of this? Ryou, instead of thinking about killing people, think about saving all the people the person you just killed would have slaughtered. It'll make you feel better, and it's true. I want to help, but I have nothing to offer yet, and Bryac isn't going to let me learn something useful anytime soon."
"I...I know." Ryou said, looking harder at the dagger, "That girl. It's horrible. That girl, Mouri, she saw her whole village burn to the ground and her family members and friends die. Living here has desensitized her to blood and death. It's sad."
"See," I said in an effort to be cheery, "That's what I mean. You need to think more about how you're saving them, more then how your killing them."
He nodded and smiled a tiny bit, "Hai, I see. I'll use this to help, I can make a difference in a new way. Gomen, Caitlin, thank you for helping me."
I grinned, "Anytime! Can't have the best cheerleader (save Tea) be the one in the slump, now can I?"
He laughed, "I guess. You're quite an enigma."
I scratched the back of my neck and smiled, "Yea, I guess I am. I may be a hot head sometimes, but I do have some inspirational speeches down there somewhere."
There was a sudden jerk to the right on the boat and I almost toppled over on top of Ryou, which wouldn't be good. There were a few cries from outside, and Yugi bust through the door at that moment, grinning.
"Glad I could find you guys!" He said cheerfully, "We just set sail, and Bryac's saying that we'll be back on dry, INHABITED land in no less then a few hours."
He thought this would be good news, but I instantly let out a groan and let my head hit the wall behind me. "A few hours! I'll go crazy cooped up in a room for more then an hour!"
"Well it will be worth it once we're there." Yugi said, also sitting into our newly forming circle, "Darren has been telling me about cities and temples made of amazing things! I can't wait to start looking around without the threat of there being monsters after us all the time."
"Oh there will still be monsters. Just not as many of them...during the day at least."
Thina and Yoko had entered the room. I looked longingly out the small window that was in our chosen prison. Everything was so pretty out there, and I was stuck in here. The sky was blue, the water was sparkling, the clouds were puffy, and our room smelled like old fish.
"So we HAVE to stay in here the entire time?" I asked them, hoping for a better answer then I guessed it would be.
Thina nodded, "It is for safety. You need to stay inside, lest Yukio finds out you are aboard."
"He's going to find out anyway..." I grumbled, "Being inside stinks..."
"At least we have each other!" Yoko chirped as usual, "We can play games, and sing songs, and tell secrets to each other so we can get to know one another better! We're all in this together, and together we will fall."
"Don't you mean 'together we stand, divided we fall'?" Yugi said questionably.
"...No..." Yoko said.
I gave a sigh and a grimace at the idea of 'singing songs' with Yoko. No one else seemed keen to the idea, either, so I had some hope yet that we wouldn't sing. I have had almost enough of singing in my life. I looked again out the window at the perfect day and groaned.
This was going to be a long 'few hours'.
~~ Somewhere in the Dream Realm ~~
Yukio paced by in his tent. Waiting for the results from his men and the whereabouts to the four items he wanted most. Some would ask why he wasn't going after one at a time. None of them understood the true power of both together. There was always a chance that it he captured the Destined Three before the other, they would get away before he could sacrifice them. With these thoughts weighing on his mind, he almost didn't notice the blue glow coming from his pocket.
"Sire?"
Yukio recognized the voice immediately, and pulled the communication mirror from his pocket. He could see the face of his captain on the human side of the realm. He was masked in the skin of another human that Yukio did not recognize. And what was more, he was masked in the skin of a female human. Yukio kept the satisfied smirk to himself as he imagined the humiliation upon realizing that he had obtained a female memory instead of a male.
"Have you done away with them?" He asked impatiently, "I have been awaiting your report for almost two days Pohnau!"
"I apologize for the inconvenience, sire, but days go past much slower here then they did in our home realm." He answered, flicking the brown bangs from his eyes.
"Answer the question!" Yukio snapped back, "Have you done away with the souls inhabiting the bodies of the destined?"
A hesitated pause as Pohnau bit his lip, "We have not, sire."
"And why not!?" Yukio bellowed, "They are petty humans, Pohnau!"
"I know sire!" He said back, "Please forgive us, they were able to escape before I could kill them!"
"Why dare you report without good news!?"
"They have grown suspicious, sire, the souls in the destined own bodies. We are covering up our search of the gem with heavy rain but they still try to figure out what we are doing!"
"Tell me, Pohnau, what HAVE you accomplished since your run in with the human kind? Have you and your men been doing NOTHING the entire time that is recognizable!?"
"Master!" He said back to me, "We have identified the bodies for sure, this time. I asked them purposely and they gave us the information we needed. That is a huge step in the right direction for us!"
"But what's the use of knowing if you can't do anything about it!" Yukio yelled to him, not caring about the looks he was earning from the men outside, "If the bodies aren't removed from the picture the destined three can still find their way back into the physical realm! We can not have that happening!"
"Do not worry." Pohnau assured him, "We have bugged one of the 'friends' of there's when we took him captive. His memories proved useful enough to earn the appearance of everyone he has ever met in life. With the bug we were able to attach in his hand, we can listen into his thought as he lives, and catch clue to where the bodies are."
"Good." Yukio said, calming a small bit. "Good, Pohnau. But do not communicate with me again, unless you have news of the death of those three."
"Yes master."
The connection dimmed, and Yukio set the mirror back inside of his pocket.
[3] 'It won't be long now.' Yukio grinned to himself, 'Once I have their bodies destroyed there isn't anything they can do to save themselves.'
Yukio walked out into the sunlight and two of his men ran to him.
"Master Yukio!" The first shouted, "We have found the location of the Destined Three and their helpers, The Alliance."
"They are attempting to sail across the Opanian Sea, Master. They have been sailing for almost two hours now, and will be on land in only about another thirty minutes."
Yukio smirked, "Excellent. Get Junli to send them his strongest storm he can, and tell him he will be paid when the job is done."
They both nodded, "Yes, master."
'The doors are closing shut, Bryac. Your chances for both victory and succession are disappearing, and your efforts like a grain of sand in a desert. You will not arise above me, I cannot allow that to happen.'
*-=-* Ryou -*-=-*
I had been feeling much better about everything now. I had been thinking about it ever since I took the dagger from the monster, but something inside me clicked when I saw the girl talking so lightly about death, and seeing the completely demolished village. The dagger still weighed on my 'reluctant to' list, but not at all as heavily as it had before.
Thina had been able to persuade Bryac to let us go out onto the deck for some fresh air. I had to admit, it had been half enjoyable to only talk with everyone (even though Yoko was big on getting us to sing songs...) but it was even better to get to stretch my legs on the deck.
"This is so cool!" Caitlin was telling us for the hundredth time, "I love being out on the water! Water is so cool! This whole thing is so cool!"
"The air smells so clean here." Yugi said with a smile, "Cleaner then being out on the sea at home!"
"Alright, that's enough speculating. Everyone get back into your room." Darren said playfully, "You're being annoying."
I had to squint as a hard gust of wind blew against me and played with my hair. This was one of those moments I wished I didn't have long hair. Suddenly, I noticed something in the sky. Where those, storm clouds? On a perfect day like this? Darren had the same surprise on his face as he noticed the same thing.
"What the-?"
Darren stared out on the horizon with disbelief, and then anger. He cursed under his breath many times, before turning to Thina.
"Were you in on this?" He growled, "What's the point of having someone to see what bad points are going to happen if you never announce them."
Thina's expression remained emotionless as Bryac stared wide-eyed at the approaching storm clouds. He started mumbling things to himself, and from what I could gather, he was thinking about what to do.
"We're going to have to change our course!" Darren shouted to the men, "We have to get to land before we get caught up in this storm!"
Bryac held up a hand in front of Darren, eyes still on the jumble of darkness, "No. It's too late for that; we're too far away from shore. I have a feeling this is Yukio's plan."
"And how the hell do you know it's him?" Darren demanded, "Listen, Bryac, we'll all get killed if we venture any further."
"We can't go back!" Bryac told him firmly, "We're too far away from land to get there in time, anyway, we're just going to have to fight it."
"Are you nuts!" Gale exclaimed. "This storm is WAY too strong! It will tear the boat in two, Bryac!"
Yugi looked to me hesitantly as a few drops of rain fell on us. The sheet of rain was coming up fast, and everyone unconsciously took a step back as lighting filled the darkened sky. Bryac turned to Thina and Yoko, completely ignoring us standing there, and started to bark orders.
"Yoko, I need you to get up in the crow's nest, create the strongest shielding spell you can, and apply it to the sail. Got it?"
"I'm on it Bryac!" Yoko said, starting immediately in on her chosen job.
"Thina." Bryac said, "Take the Destined Three below deck and guard them with your immortal life."
"Yes, Bryac."
Caitlin looked at the two like they were crazy, "Hey wait! I want to stay up here and help!"
"It's too dangerous, I can't risk it. I think you'd better get below deck now."
Caitlin crossed her arms and glared at him, "I can think for myself thank you."
"Storm's coming up fast!" Gale shouted from the crow's nest where Yoko had only just climbed up to the top, "It's going to hit hard!"
"Come on Caitlin." Thina said, grabbing her arm and taking her away from where all the men were running around trying to do the best they could to protect the boat.
"I don't understand him!" Caitlin said in protest, "I can do whatever he can, and I could be a help if he'd just let me! Heck, I could do better then any of those men out there! Yoko gets to help, why can't I?"
"It's more then that." Thina explained, lighting an oil lamp and leading us down the stairs. "Yoko is experienced in the art of potion making and defensive magic. She would be able to protect herself if something happened."
"Oh, and I couldn't?" Caitlin said, almost tripping down an exceptionally steep step, but regaining herself quickly.
"Under the waters of the Opanian sea, there is a sort of black force that drags you down. If you let the darkness take you, then there is no hope in coming back. You could not know how to conquer the force, and Yoko does. Bryac is only looking out for your protection."
Although it made perfect sense, Caitlin continued to mutter angrily as Thina took us even lower into the very bottom of the boat.
It smelled down there, like old milk and sawdust, and if Thina had not taken the oil lamp with her, we would have been in complete blackness. Yugi took a seat on a bag of potatoes and tried to make do best he could. I just sat on the ground, and I even felt a little sea sick from all the rocking. [1]
"Are you...alright Ryou?" Yugi said, noticing my quiet moaning, "You look a little...green."
"Hai, Yugi, I'm fine." I lied, laying my head back on a cart to try and ease the rocking.
Thina hung the oil lamp on a hanger on the ceiling and sat on a barrel. "It might be a while, but you needn't worry."
Caitlin started to pace around the small room, and I wondered how she could stand walking around with this rocking.
= Chibi Moment =
There was a hard jerk to the left, and everyone fell over onto the ground on their faces but Thina, who was still sitting completely poised on the barrel. My leg twitched a little as I felt a body on top of me.
"Yugi, please get off me."
= End Chibi Moment =
There was another jerk to the side and the oil lamp started to swing violently on it's hanger. The light flickered a little as the rocking continued, gradually getting worse and worse. I cupped a hand over my mouth to keep me from loosing my lunch, and everyone backed away from me noticing my case.
"What's going on up there?" Yugi said softly, "I thought Yoko had put on some spell that was supposed to help."
"The shielding spell." Thina said with a nod, "It protects against strong blows."
"Do you think something went wrong?" I asked, tough deciding quickly after that I should keep my mouth shut.
"That's it." Caitlin said, raising to her feet and going to the stairs, "I'm going to find out what's wrong, and how I can help."
"Wait! Caitlin!" Yugi shouted, getting up but falling back down when the boat almost toppled over. He shut his eyes and gripped the potatoes around him tightly, not trying to get up again.
=* Caitlin *=
I climbed up the stairs to the deck, determined to help Bryac out with his and find out what was going on. The boat kept rocking side to side and making me hit the walls around the stairs, but I did end up making it in the end.
Thunder blared as hard rain hit my face. I had to squint through the rain in order to see men running around doing things that would help the boat. Bryac had control of the wheel, and the only light came from the lightning that always came down so dangerously close to the sail.
The sail!
I looked up the crows nest and saw Gale and Yoko still struggling with the sail, trying to get it to stay still in the wind. One of the ties was loose! Suddenly, a wave was thrown against the boat and I was flung to the ground, soaked to the bone. Icy cold salt water stung my eyes, but I knew what I had to do.
Clenching my teeth I sprinted to the ladder up to the crows nest. I slipped on the deck a few times when the boat rocked, but I just knew that I HAD to help Yoko and Gale with the sail! I gripped the ladder and started to climb. I was up about twenty rungs when-
WHAM!
Anther large wave hit the boat and I was almost hurled off the ladder onto the deck, but my hands held strong on the bars as my legs dangled over twenty feet in the air. I couldn't let myself go yet. I just had to keep going! I pulled myself up and continued to climb. Thirty feet, forty feet, fifty feet into the air. I was shaking because of how cold I felt, and how tiring it was to climb up, but I never let go. I heard Yoko shout in surprise as I neared the crows nest, and felt Gale pull me up quickly.
"Caitlin!" He exclaimed, "Why-"
"Gale!" Yoko screamed, holding the sail back by herself. "HELP!"
I told him, "Why isn't the sail working!?"
Another blast of water whipped at our faces as the sail blew in the wind. Gale grabbed it hold of it with Yoko just before it flew away. Yoko looked relieved that he could help her, but she still couldn't hold the sail back completely enough for him. Gale grunted while he tried to tie it to the mast. [2] I followed my instincts and grabbed the sail other end of the sail with Yoko, only then realizing how hard it was to hold that thing back.
"Just a little more-" He said, pulling with all his might on the knot, "I've got it!"
"HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE!" Someone yelled from below.
Yoko, Gale, and I all turned and looked behind us in unison. Coming straight for the boat, was the biggest wave I had ever seen in my life. It was big enough to swallow the boat, and defiantly big enough to hit us much harder then the previous waves had. It made a low rumbling noise as it came close to us, and there wasn't anything we could do but stare.
"Oh...god." Gale murmured.
"We're gonna die." I whimpered, "We're all gonna die."
"Hold on to whatever you can." Yoko said, quietly, "Just hold your breath, and keep hold of whatever you can."
I gripped the side of the crow's nest with all my might and closed my eyes. I could only hear the water coming to us...and then... I heard something else.
'Let me into your mind...' It whispered, 'Let me in girl...'
My eyes flew open in shock and I took a sharp intake of breath before being submerged in icy salt water. I hadn't held the crows nest hard enough, and was tossed and turned underneath the water. In spite of all my efforts to swim, I just could not surface for air, and felt myself being dragged deeper and deeper under water.
My head and shoulder hit something hard and wooden and I although I couldn't open my eyes, I knew I had landed on the deck. The water let me go, but I didn't have much energy left in me. I could only cough all the water I could out of my mouth while I laid still on the deck, gasping for air. I didn't have much time to compose myself, though, because I was hit again with a hard wave that threw me painfully against the side of the boat, and then,
Into the sea itself.
~*~*~*~
Retaw- ^__^ Another chapter, successfully posted on FF.N that you just finished reading. The next chapter will be....interesting. *evil shifty eyes* Not only do the yami's have a run in with: The Seto Kaiba, but they also have a visitor when they get home.
[1] I don't know why, but Ryou seems like someone that would get sea sick to me. ^^
[2] I am not sure how tying a sail works. And to make things worse, this boat is going to be a bit different then boats we usually use, so just go with me. ^^; I don't know much about boats, but I tried.
[3] Actually, ^^; It will be long. I'm only about four tenths done with the story!
Cast- O.O
Retaw- ^^; This is sorta like a whole season type deal. *gets idea* I KNOW! I'll write the person who created Yu-Gi-Oh, and ask him politely if I can get this on the air! OMG THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!
Caitlin- *rolls eyes* And farfetched.
Retaw- *glares* Hey, that would mean you'd be on TV.
Caitlin- Mikoo? *thinks about it* O____O You're right...wow... *_*
Retaw- *_*
YGO people- *hide*
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